Morning dawned over the Crystal Empire, as the royal family was waking up to the new day. Cadence and Shining Armor had just exited their room, and were proceeding to dining room. Along the way, they collected Guard and Skyla, and woke up Nathan, "You all go on ahead to the dining room. I'll go get Mavis," Cadence said, as she went to Mavis' room. Knocking on the door, Cadence gingerly opened it, "Mavis? It's time to get up," Cadence said, as she went over the bed to nudge Mavis. Mavis rose up, looking absolutely dead tired, dark rings around her eyes, her hair was a mess, and she looked like she didn't sleep at all, "Uh, good morning?" Cadence asked.
"Good morning," the tired goth girl replied politely, but still yawned.
"Are you ok? You look dead tired!" Cadence exclaimed.
"I feel more UN-dead tired," Mavis groaned, as she plomped back on the pillow.
"Did you sleep at ALL last night?" Cadence asked.
"Non. I just stared at the ceiling. I am not used to sleeping at night," Mavis replied tiredly, sounding like she was trying to go to sleep. This certainly surprised Cadence. In all her years, she never heard a child say they were "not used to sleeping at night", even more so when Mavis emphasized the term "undead".
"Well, would you like something for breakfast? My family and I are planning to go down to Ponyville to visit my sister in law and her friends and family," Cadence offered. Mavis, feeling to0 tired to refuse the Princess's offer, chose not to even try.
"Ok," Mavis yawned, as she fell back on the bed.
"Would you like me to help you out of bed?" Cadence offered.
"Non," Mavis replied, sounding like she was falling back asleep. Cadence couldn't help but wonder what was wrong with this little girl. She thought that Raiden could help out in figuring out if Mavis had any medical problems. Deciding to let Mavis sleep, Cadence carefully crept out of the bedroom, closing the door gingerly behind her. She then proceeded to the dining room, where the rest of her family were all seated at the table.
"Hey honey, where's Mavis?" Shining Armor asked.
"Well, for some reason, instead of waking up feeling refreshed, Mavis looked too tired to even get out of bed. She told me she didn't sleep at all last night. We should look into talking to Raiden about this," Cadence suggested.
"Sounds ta me like Mavis' may be an insomniac," Nathan theorized.
"Hopefully, Raiden has some kind of powerful sedative that Mavis can take," Cadence commented, as she sat down to breakfast. After eating, the family went on to gather their things. Cadence went back to check on their little guest. Opening the door, she saw that Mavis hadn't moved from the bed. Once more, Cadence decided to wake Mavis up, "Mavis? We're getting ready to head out to Ponyville. Are you wanting to come with us?" Cadence asked. Mavis sat up once again. She didn't look nearly as tired as before, but she was still groggy.
"Oui, Princesse," Mavis replied, as she stumbled out of bed, her legs feeling like jelly.
"Take it easy there. We'll see about getting you some sort of transportation on the way to the station," Cadence said, as she acted as a crutch for Mavis to lean on, as they made their way down to the foyer, "Is everyone ready?" she asked.
"Ah got my entertainment for the trip," Nathan said, motioning to his backpack.
"I packed enough supplies for Skyla and Guard during our stay in Ponyville," Shining Armor added, motioning to a baby bag, and the stroller which held the two babies.
"Ok, and I can manage our luggage, so all that leaves for me to carry Mavis in my arms," Cadence said, using her magic to lift Mavis up onto her shoulder, while also using the magic to grab hold of some suitcases, "Alright, I think that's everything," Cadence said, as they left the castle.
"You guys can manage things in our absence?" Shining Armor asked the guards.
"Affirmative," the two guards replied. With that, they made their way to the train station. During the walk over, Mavis was just barely awake enough to see that Mavis was carrying her over her shoulder, putting Mavis' face near her neck. Mavis only stared at the neck, a slight hunger growing in her stomach.
'Non! Non! They have already show moi great hospitality. I can't let my blood lust get the better of me!' Mavis though, as she looked away from Cadence's neck. Soon, they arrived at the train station, where they promptly boarded the train bound for Ponyville. Cadence let Mavis off of her shoulder.
"Sorry if the walk over here wasn't very comfortable," Cadence apologized. Her apology fell short, as Mavis once again dozed off, "Well, why don't we let her sleep some more?" Cadence suggested.
"Fine with me," Nathan replied, as he turned the sound off on his game system. Mavis slept for about an hour and fifteen minutes before the train arrived at the Ponyville Station. Once there, Mavis was awake enough to walk, but she still leaned on the baby stroller.
"Ugh, it's bright. How can these ponies and humans stand such strong sunlight?" Mavis wondered, as they left the station, and made their way over to Twilight's Castle.
At Twilight's Castle,
Twilight and her children were all assembled in the main foyer, awaiting the arrival of their family from the Crystal Empire, "They should be here any minute!" Twilight exclaimed.
"Didn't the letter say they were also bringing someone new with them?" Kelly asked.
"Yes. Now, when we meet the new arrival, try not to overwhelm her. Apparently, she hardly slept last night," Twilight instructed her kids.
"We'll try not to overwhelm her," Cory said. Just then, some knocks came from the door. Twilight squealed, and dashed for the door. Opening it reveal the Crystal Family. Twilight and Cadence quickly did their little nursery rhyme, before embracing.
"Oh, it's been quite a while, hasn't it, Twilight?" Cadence asked.
"It's only been about a month and a half, but yeah," Twilight replied.
"I see you've been keeping things under control here," Shining Armor commented.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Twilight asked.
"Well, there have been all those times you crack under pressure when something like this happens, and go nuts," her brother replied casually. Twilight scoffed.
"I do not!" Twilight said, only to be met with only the sound of crickets chirping to be heard, "Ok, fine, so I go a little gun-ho with making sure everything is spick and span. Sue me," Twilight retorted.
"Why don't we discuss this further in the main throne room?" Cadence suggested.
"Of course! Right this way please," Twilight said, ushering them in. It was then she saw Mavis, "Oh, I take this is Mavis then?" she asked. Mavis flinched at being the center of unfamiliar attention.
"Yes. Mavis, this is Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship, as well as Shining Armor's sister, and my sister in law," Cadence introduced Mavis to the lavender alicorn.
"Hello Mavis. It's very nice to meet you. As Cadence said, I am the Princess of Friendship, as well as Shining Armor's little sister," Twilight said, introducing herself.
"Bonjour, Princesse," Mavis replied with a tired yawn.
"My, that was quite the yawn. I take it she didn't sleep well last night?" Twilight asked.
"Apparently not. She said she just stared at the ceiling all night long. The stranger thing is that she also said she felt 'UN-dead tired' when I went in to wake her up," Cadence replied. This certainly was a surprise to Twilight.
"Well, we can make one of the stops for today the Guild. At least then we can talk to Raiden about some sedatives she can take," Twilight suggested.
"We were thinking the same thing too," Shining Armor said.
"Any how, why don't we go meet MY family then, Mavis?" Twilight offered. Mavis only nodded because she was still too tired to resist. Nathan, once again, acting as a crutch, helped walk Mavis over to the others. When she saw more humans, she was fully awake out of fear.
'Oh no, MORE humans!' she thought, as thoughts of them wielding mallets and stakes entered her mind. Apparently, she was thinking so much of what the worst case scenario was, that she completely didn't hear the introductions. She was only snapped out of her trance by a gentle nudge from Cadence.
"Mavis? Are you ok?" Cadence asked, a tone of worry in her words.
"Huh? Oh, uh.... oui," Mavis replied. Cadence wasn't convinced, but she chose against prodding for more information.
"I must say, that's quite the peculiar charm you're wearing," Nyx commented, trying to make small talk.
"Uh, oui…. this rosary was a gift from mon.... maman," Mavis said, an unmistakable tone of grief in her voice. Everyone noticed it, but chose against asking her about it.
"Well, I can at least show you all to your rooms before we go and enjoy Ponyville," Twilight offered, leading the Crystal Family and Mavis into her castle.
"And here is your room, Mavis," Twilight said, as she let Mavis into a bedroom, "Cadence and Shining Armor's room is right across the hall, so you don't need to venture out too far if you need them for anything," Twilight said, as Mavis plopped down on the bed, "Wow, you must have really had a bad night," Twilight commented, as she left Mavis to rest, while she went on to check on her guests. She encountered Nathan, who had just stepped out into the hall, "Got yourself settled in?" Twilight asked.
"Yep. How's Mavis?" Nathan asked.
"Well.... she plopped on the bed as soon as I let her into her room," Twilight confessed.
"Hmm. Ah'm beginnin' ta think she may be an insomniac after all," Nathan commented, sounding concerned for Mavis.
"Well, one of our stops will be the Guild Hall. Hopefully, Raiden isn't out on a job and he can provide us with some kind of sedative for her," Twilight commented, as Cadence and Shining Armor came out of their room, with the stroller holding Guard and Skyla.
"We heard what you said. Mavis has been ever so sleepy since we found her last night," Cadence commented.
"Yeah. Plus, she's unnaturally pale. We figured she should try to get in some sun, so we're hoping our little outing today can help her with that," Shining Armor added.
"Well, we could the stroller I had to get when Nyx tried to use a baby spell, and ended up turning herself into a foal. Mavis should be small enough to fit," Twilight suggested, much to her daughter's embarrassment.
"I'll go and get it," Cory offered, taking off to get the item in question.
"Just bring it to the foyer once you find it!" Twilight called to her eldest son.
"Ah can carry Mavis down myself, if y'all will allow it," Nathan offered.
"If you would, please?" Cadence asked, as she and Nathan entered Mavis' room, seeing the resting form of Mavis on the bed, "We really need to see Raiden about a sedative she can take," Cadence commented, as Nathan picked up Mavis bridal style, and carried her out of the room.
"Maybe that oughta be our first stop," Nathan suggested.
"Good call," Cadence replied, as they got back to the foyer, where Cory was waiting with a stroller. Nathan gingerly placed Mavis into the stroller, "Twilight, could we make our first stop the guild hall? I want to ask Raiden about those sedatives for Mavis," the princess of love asked.
"Of course! I have to ask him about something," Twilight replied, as they all left the castle. Cadence was pushing Mavis' stroller, while Shining Armor was pushing Skyla and Guard's stroller. No one noticed, but each time they passed a reflective surface, Mavis' reflection was never shown.
At the Guild Hall,
Mavis was still sleeping, as they arrived at the Guild Hall. Although, her face was a little red, like she was sunburnt, "Looks like she needs a lot more Vitamin D," Twilight commented, as they entered the guild, just as Eliza, and some of her Guildmates were getting ready to leave on another job.
"Princess Twilight? And Cadence too? What brings you to the guild today?" the Scottish Girl asked.
"We're here to see Raiden about our new guest," Twilight replied, motioning to the sleeping Mavis.
"Aye, she's a wee lassie," Eliza commented.
"Raiden's in his lab, working on an experiment. I'm sure he can help you guys out," Naomi added.
"Thank you so much," Cadence said, as they all entered the Guild Hall, while Eliz and them left. They made their way into the back, where they knew Raiden had his laboratory. They soon arrived at the lab door. Twilight then gingerly knocked on the door.
"Raiden, are you in there?" Twilight called. The sound of cluttering came from the other side. Moments later, the thunder teen opened the door.
"Ah, Twilight, good of you to come. And I see you have company," Raiden commented, seeing the group.
"Yes. Could we come in?" Twilight asked.
"Of course. Please, make yourselves at home," Raiden said, standing aside, allowing them all into his lab, "Please excuse the mess. I wasn't expecting company," Raiden commented.
"It's fine," Cadence replied.
"So, what brings you all here?" Raiden asked.
"Well, you see, we found this little girl last night," Shining Armor said, showing him the stroller with Mavis, snoozing in it.
"Ok. So, what did you want to ask me about her?" Raiden asked.
"Well, you see, she didn't sleep at all last night. As in, she was wide awake through the whole night. We were wondering if you have a sedative you could give her?" Cadence asked.
"Ah, of course! I have just the thing," Raiden said, opening a cabinet, as he pulled out a large pill bottle and a lotion bottle, "The effects of this sedative are immensely powerful, and work almost immediately. I often give this to Heaven when she eats too many sweets and is wired. And this sunscreen I'm also giving you is infused with aloe vera. You can rub this on her face to treat her sunburn," Raiden said, giving the bottles to Cadence.
"Thank you for this, Raiden. But I do have one more question. We weren't out in the sun that long, so why did she get sunburn?" Cadence asked.
"My guess is Vitamin D deficiency. The majority of a human's Vitamin D intake comes from stuff like calcium and such. She looks like she could also stand to have a better intake of iron rich foods. She looks anemic," Raiden explained.
"I can provide them information on Vitamin D and Iron rich foods," Twilight volunteered.
"Ok then. Is that all you guys wanted?" Raiden asked.
"No, actually. I'm curious about that charm she has around her neck," Twilight replied, pointing to the rosary on Mavis' chest.
"Looks like a rosary. They're religious cross charms fitted with a rosary bead, often believed to ward off anything unholy," Raiden explained.
"That's the first Ah've eva heard 'bout 'em," Nathan commented.
"Well, not all religious churches use rosaries. They often just rely on holy water, the bible, and crosses to help ward of evil," Raiden explained.
"I see. Well, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule for this chat," Cadence said, rubbing the sunscreen on Mavis' face.
"No problem. And remember about what I said about her diet!" Raiden called out, as they left. By then, Mavis woke up, once again, feeling something on her face. Something that felt.... relieving.
"Enjoy your little nap, Mavis?" Shining Armor asked.
"Uh... oui," Mavis squeaked out.
"Now Mavis, our next stop is going to be to get you some new clothes. It must be rather uncomfortable, wearing that dress all the time, right?" Twilight asked.
"O-ok," Mavis replied, not wanting to anger a princess, as the group moved onward.
Later,
The family soon arrived at Carousel Boutique, where Twilight immediately knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened to reveal Rarity, "Twilight! And Cadence and Shining Armor too! What brings you here today?" Rarity asked, as she invited the group into her shop.
"Well Rarity, we were wondering if you had some time to make a few outfits for our new guest here," Cadence replied, as she motioned to Mavis, who was nodding off in her stroller. As soon as Rarity saw Mavis' Gothic Lolita dress, she became appalled by it, but retained her composure.
"Of course, Princess. I'll just need a few measurements," Rarity replied.
"Ok," Cadence said, as she helped Mavis out of the stroller, "Mavis, this nice lady is going to take some measurements of your body for some nice new clothes. If you could try and stay awake as long as possible, then that's all I'll ask of you," Cadence said.
"O-Ok, Princess," Mavis replied, as Rarity took her over to get measured.
"Could you raise you arms, sweetie?" Rarity asked. Mavis did as she was told. Moments later, Rarity got all of Mavis' measurements, "Ok, I should have these ready for her by tonight," Rarity replied.
"Thank you for doing this Rarity. Sorry if we're intruding on your busy schedule." Cadence said, as she put Mavis back in the stroller.
"It's no trouble at all. In fact, this is the first order I've had all day today," Rarity replied, as she got her materials, and went to work, as the family left the fashionista to work.
"Alright, how about we get something to eat?" Shining Armor asked.
"I'm getting hungry, now that you mention it," Twilight replied, as they headed into town to get some food.
Later that night,
Mavis was now more lively than she was earlier that day, but she was still sluggish, as the family arrived back at the castle, where Rarity and the others were waiting, "Ok, I made five different outfits for young Mavis, as well as a few pairs of pajamas as well," Rarity said, as she gave the bag to Cadence.
"Thank you for doing this, Rarity," Cadence said, as she turned to Mavis, "Mavis, would you like to go try on your new clothes?" Cadence asked.
"O-Ok," Mavis replied, as they went inside the castle. Cadence took Mavis directly to her bedroom. Cadence pulled out a pajama outfit, which looked to be a black nightgown.
"Go and try this one on," Cadence urged. Mavis went into the bathroom, and shut the door behind her. Mavis carefully took off her dress, leaving her rosary on, and switched into the nightgown.
"Ooh, this feels so light and comfy," Mavis commented, liking the feel of the outfit. She then exited the bathroom.
"So? Do you like your nightgown?" Cadence asked.
"Oui," Mavis replied.
"Well, why don't you come take a look in the mirror?" Cadence suggested, looking at the full sized mirror. Mavis felt her undead heart drop into her stomach.
"Uh, actually, I-I'll just take your word for how I look in it," Mavis tried to decline, not wanting to go in front of the mirror.
"Now, now, you should see yourself in the mirror for yourself," Cadence replied, as she urged Mavis in front of the mirror. Mavis really didn't want to, but she didn't want to anger the princess either, so she braced herself for the inevitable hunt she thought would come about, as she moved in front of the mirror. When Cadence went to see how Mavis looked in the mirror, she was puzzled when she saw that Mavis had no reflection, 'That's odd. Why doesn't Mavis have a reflection? The only creature I can think of without a reflection is....' her train of thought halted, as she thought about Mavis' mannerisms throughout the day. The extreme tiredness, her getting sunburn easily, the fact that she said "Undead" earlier that morning, "Mavis? Are you....?" Mavis could take the pressure anymore, and broke down sobbing.
"O-Oui," Mavis said between sobs, "I am a vampire!" she confessed, feeling completely helpless.
"Mavis? Mavis! Please, try and calm down sweetie. It'll be alright!" Mavis was taken aback by how the Princess was just casually accepting Mavis' confession and hugging the child in comfort, "I promise you that I'm not mad," Cadence said.
"But.... Pourquoi?" Mavis asked.
"It's not my place to judge another. You can rest assured that I am not, nor will I be mad at you for keeping a secret like this," Cadence replied. Mavis started calming down, but still remained cautious, "Now then, why were you keeping this a secret?" Cadence curiously asked.
"Well, there are humans living in this world, and, well, I am not too good with mingling with humans. They only see me as a monster. Which, I kind of am, but they see me as an evil monster," Mavis explained. Cadence nodded, as she took this in.
"Well, perhaps I can try and ease your fears. You see, each of those humans have all been through some kind of hardship, so you're not alone. And one quick question to help ease your mind; do you drink blood like the stories say vampires do?" Cadence asked. To her surprise, Mavis shook her head.
"Non. I faint at the sight of blood," Mavis replied. Cadence once again nodded.
"Ok then. Well, there is much I would like to ask you, but you've had a rather long day, so I'm going to give you something to help you go to sleep," Cadence said, as she gave Mavis a sedative pill and some water. Mavis then swallowed the pill, and drank the water. Almost instantly, Mavis became sluggish, and very tired, "We'll have a question and answer session tomorrow. For now, you just rest," Cadence said, as she took the young vampire to her bed. Tucking her in, Cadence then planted a kiss on Mavis' forehead, before leaving her to sleep.