//------------------------------// // Time Flies // Story: I Am a Monster // by J3sterking //------------------------------// "Let's just live! Day by day, and not be conquered by our sorrows!" "Let's Just Live" by Jeff Williams Sunset snuck into the main room of Pinkie's house, heading straight for the fridge. There was little in there in the form of food, unless you counted whipped cream--which Sunset did not, but she worked with what she had. She sprayed--poured?--some on one finger, licking it off. "Most people put that on actual food," Maude said from behind her. Sunset let out a startled cry, jumping up. She banged her shoulder on the fridge, wincing, but managed to avoid completely falling over. "Sorry, did I startle you?" Maude said. Like Sunset, she was wearing sleep clothes--a pair of blue shorts and a white T-shirt. "No worries. What's one more bruise?" Sunset winced, rubbing her shoulder. "My own fault for not paying enough attention." "Oh. Okay." Maude stepped away, back over to the counter, where she had a computer set up. "Whatcha working on, this late?" Sunset asked. The rest of her friends had fallen asleep some time ago. "Um..." Maude actually hesitated, looking awkward. "Can I ask you a question?" "Sure, go ahead." "Is Fluttershy a good vampire?" Sunset blinked. "Of course." "So how'd you get hurt like that?" Maude asked, her staring boring holes into Sunset. Sunset paused. Maude's gaze remained unchanging. "Well, Fluttershy, but she didn't mean to," Sunset said. "She...ended up spending a lot of time without feeding, so she lost control." "Why?" "Uh, hunger makes people do crazy things sometimes, so..." "No, why would she not feed for that long?" Maude asked. "How long have you guys known she was a vampire?" "Well, just the other day, really, but--the thing is--she wasn't feeding because--" "I was scared." Maude pivoted on one foot, her other swinging around, missing Fluttershy as she moved aside casually. Maude caught herself before she slammed her leg into the counter, expertly righting herself while sliding backwards from Fluttershy. "Sorry," Fluttershy said. "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just--I forget how quiet I am." Sunset didn't point out that Fluttershy certainly hadn't been there a second ago, no matter how quiet she was. Probably, Fluttershy herself hadn't even noticed. "Don't worry about it," Maude said. "You heard..." "Most of the conversation, yes," Fluttershy said. "I wasn't meaning to eavesdrop, really. But, anyway, I was scared because I used to be a bad vampire. One of the worse ones, actually." She shrugged. "But I'm thankful that everyone gave me the opportunity to change for the better." "That's great," Maude said. "For both of us, really." "Of course. Especially as there are still the really bad vampires out there, though...most of them don't come anywhere near me." She smiled shyly. "They didn't like me." "Sounds like their loss," Sunset said. "Well, at the time, it really wasn't," Fluttershy said. "If any of them got on my lands, I just killed them." "Was there anyone you talked with?" Maude asked. Fluttershy considered for a long moment. "Before those times, when I was still with my mentor, he made me meet with some of his associates. Some of them tried to gain favor with me after he died, but...well, after I killed the first few, the rest stopped coming." She paused, then looked past Maude at the computer screen. "Oh. Um, most of that isn't true." "I had a feeling," Maude said, "though I don't know where to actually look for information on vampires." "Try Principal Celestia; she can tell you a lot of what she knows," Fluttershy said. "Or you can ask me; I don't mind." Sunset stole a glance at the Whinnipedia page on vampires--specifically, vampire weaknesses. "Do vampires have to be invited in?" Fluttershy shook her head. "No, but it was a tradition, amongst those who cared." "What about holy symbols?" Maude asked. "Evil vampires can't get to close, nor can they get on holy ground," Fluttershy said. "The good ones--" She hesitated, then pulled a cross pendant out of her sleep shirt, smiling. "I guess He's very forgiving." The pendant was plain, and a small thing, to be sure; but Sunset could tell that it meant a lot to Fluttershy. "That's good to know," Maude said. "Thanks." Fluttershy strode past, saying, "No problem. Always happy to be a help." "Goodnight, Maude," Sunset said, following Fluttershy. She listened to the sounds of Maude typing, then tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder. Fluttershy jumped up in surprise, then chuckled. "Uh, sorry," Sunset said, chuckling as well. "I was just wanting to let you know...Vinyl was asking if you could help teach her about vampire stuff." "Hmm...I suppose I should," Fluttershy said hesitantly. "Tell her it won't be easy, though. The only way I know how is the way my mentor did, which was..." She winced. "Unkind." "Hey, um, if you don't mind my asking...what happened to him?" "My mentor?" Fluttershy asked. When Sunset nodded, she said, "I killed him." "Oh, I'm sorry, I--" "I do not feel guilty in the least, Sunset," Fluttershy said in a very un-Fluttershy tone. Sunset blinked, surprised. "Sunset, one thing you must remember, that you and I wanted change. We wanted, at the end of the day, to be good people," Fluttershy said. "Sombra was vile. He was black hearted, and you wouldn't sleep tonight if I told you some of the things he did. I did not kill him for that, yes--I killed him because I was mad at him. But I do not regret it. He could never change like we did." "Ohhhhh...um...I'll take your word for it. If the current 'you' is saying that, then...he must have been really bad." Fluttershy looked to one side, almost like she was listening to something. "Yeah," she said, sounding distracted. "He was." Sunset hugged her. Fluttershy went rigid, then said, "Thanks." "Hey, I can deal with some rough teaching," Vinyl said, clicking buttons on her controller. They'd decided to play co-op today, as they were doing important talking while doing so. "Auntie Lu-Lu was rough as hell, y'know?" "I can imagine," Sunset said. "But Fluttershy said her mentor was so bad that she killed him and doesn't regret it. Sombra, I think she said his name was?" Vinyl paused the game. "Sombra...I know I've heard that name before," she said. "Celestia mentioned it a few times..." She snapped her fingers. "Fourteen-sixty-eight, the Black Crystal King." "Does that name mean anything?" Sunset asked, letting her controller drop. "I think. From what I remember, that guy was bad news, Sunset." Vinyl paused. "That was her mentor?" "Yeah...? I'm suddenly worried she might not have wanted me to mention it." "Don't worry about that, I'm sure she would have said something," Vinyl said. "Besides, she did kill him, so..." Vinyl shrugged. "Anyway, let's keep going." The game unpaused, Sunset picked up her controller again. "So Fluttershy wanted to spar with you tonight?" "Yup." Vinyl stuck out her tongue as she executed a difficult move, but then continued. "Said she wants to see where I am before what I need to know. Hey, you should bring your friends along! Watch me win!" "Maybe? I dunno. Most of them seem to have adapted to the vampire thing really well, but..." She thought back to Rarity. "Rarity and AJ are having some trouble, I think." "Maybe it'll do them some good to see the two of us going at it," Vinyl said. "I think she has hand-to-hand in mind, as I've never really touched a sword." Sunset winced as she met her end to a carelessly thrown grenade. "Whoops," Vinyl said. She chuckled nervously. "That right there is why I've had trouble training with swords, by the way. With vampire speed and strength, it can be really hard to make sure no one accidentally gets hurt." "I just assumed the Principal and Vice Principal healed past injuries," Sunset said, "as they're supposed to be really old and yet don't have any facial scars." "They do, but missing limbs take decades to heal," Vinyl said. "Vampires recover quicker, supposedly, but..." "Did Fluttershy ask you to bring anything?" Sunset asked. "Just my bloodbag," Vinyl said in a chipper tone. "I do believe that 'donor' was the word she used," Octavia said stiffly. "I do believe that you are right," Vinyl said, mimicking Octavia's accent. Sunset laughed. "Why do you need to bring Tavi with you?" Vinyl shrugged, making a 'I-dunno' noise. A loud sound effect signaled her death, before the GAME OVER screen lit up. Vinyl winced, glaring at the screen. "Should have revived me quicker," Sunset muttered. "Yeah, well, you shouldn't have died so quickly," Vinyl said. "Oh, yeah, like the vampire has grounds to complain about that," Sunset snapped. "Wait, am I an undead?" Vinyl asked. Sunset blinked. "Well, you're a vampire--" "But I was naturally born," Vinyl said slowly. "I was never human in the first place." "By the strictest definition, that would mean no, you're not an undead," Octavia pointed out, turning the page in her book. Sunset looked at the name on the cover, then shared a look with Vinyl. Both grinned. "Enjoying your Socrayts?" Vinyl asked. "I assumed it was Doo-jenise," Sunset said. "You two are incorrigible," Octavia muttered. It was late at night when they pulled up in Rarity's and Applejack's cars, to a gate that Fluttershy seemed to have left open for them. It led down an old, worn woods path, with rotted old trees along the sides that left Sunset wondering whether or not they were intentionally dead. The house at the end of the path wasn't too large, but it didn't look cheap. Applejack's truck pulled to a stop behind Rarity's car, and Applejack said, "Was she goin' fer creepy, or would I hurt her feelings by sayin' that?" "Don't worry about it, I plan on telling her it looks creepy as--" Vinyl Scratch cut herself short at one look from Applejack. "--buck?" "Good enough," Applejack muttered. She opened her door, and Sunset left on the passenger side. Octavia and Vinyl left the backseats as they saw Rarity and Rainbow Dash get out ahead of the fashionista's car. "Wow, Fluttershy, going all out with the 'creepy-as-fuck' theme, huh?" Rainbow Dash blurted out. "So, she's allowed to say it, but--" Fluttershy jumped off the roof, bending her knees as she landed. Dust rose up as she stood up straight, dusting herself off. "I mean, not intentionally, but--oh, wait." She cleared her throat, pulling her cape up to cover her mouth. "Welcome, friends, to my humble abode," she said in a voice that might have sounded sinister from anyone else. "Aesthetics are all well and good, darling, but why is your entire theme 'being a vampire'?" Rarity asked. Fluttershy shrugged. "I've never actually done this before," she admitted. "Well, next time, I can help you with some drama tips," Rarity suggested, patting her on the shoulder. "Really? I don't know, you seem busy--" "Pfft! Darling, this whole place looks like it could use a touch-up," Rarity said. "I'll come over Saturday to give you a hand. I think we could definitely do something wonderful with this place, but at the moment, it doesn't look like anyone's been in here for years." "Not since the forties, anyway," Fluttershy said, looking back at the building. "Whoa, whoa, whoa--you've had this place sitting here for seventy years?" Rainbow Dash demanded. "I have a few places like it, too," Fluttershy said. "Just for storing things, really." "Princess Celestia had some rooms of her castle devoted to storing mementos," Sunset said, eyeing the place. "You get lots of miscellaneous items that mean something to you over a thousand years, huh?" "Uh...not necessarily ones that mean something to me, as I've only had friends the past...twenty years or so?" Fluttershy shrugged, stepping over to the porch. "Mostly, it's stuff like--" She hefted a naginata with an exceptionally thick blade. "--yeah, this," she muttered. "Um, I don't own a sword," Vinyl admitted. "Oh, don't worry! We weren't going to be doing that. Vampires and swords don't normally mix anyway--our strength tends to destroy them, so..." Fluttershy shrugged. "I have a few that are really durable, but otherwise, I just punch things." "Yeah! Karate action!" Rainbow Dash launched into an impressive looking kick that Sunset knew was not proper form. Fluttershy, not even moving very fast, caught her around the upper leg, then pinned it to her hip under her arm. "Anyway, I was mostly just hoping to get a feel for where you're at," Fluttershy said as Rainbow tugged uselessly on her leg. "What powers do you have?" "Well, um, I'm halfway decent at the hypnosis," Vinyl said. "DO ME! DO ME!" Pinkie demanded. "Um--okay." Light flashed from Vinyl's eyes. "Steal Applejack's hat." "Yeah, no thanks," Pinkie said, stepping away. Vinyl grimaced. "It works on Sunset," she muttered. "Do you have wings?" Fluttershy asked. "I can get wings?" "Are you stronger and faster than Celestia and Luna?" "Stronger than both, but slower." "That would be reflexes," Fluttershy said. "You're as physically fit as you'll ever be, but your reflexes still need to be trained." "Well, um...I can...uh..." "Can you teleport?" Fluttershy asked. "No," Vinyl said, lowering her head a little. "I...haven't managed that one on my own." "Don't apologize for it, it's more my fault than yours," Fluttershy said. "I'm sorry, I should have gotten over myself years ago to help you. Instead, I...I just brushed you off." "Don't worry about it," Vinyl said. "You're helping me now, so, that's all that matters, right?" "I suppose." Fluttershy shrugged. "Have you manifested any unique powers yet?" She let go of Rainbow Dash, letting the other girl stumble backwards. "Ummmmmmm..." Vinyl thought about that. "No?" "It'll come, you're only fifty," she said. "Girls, you might want to go sit on the porch. I'll try to keep it away from you." She slipped off the cloak, bundling it up and tossing it onto the porch. Underneath, she was dressed in shorts and a plain gray tank top, and nothing else. Vinyl herself was wearing a tank top, but her shorts came down lower than Fluttershy's. Fluttershy began stretching, pulling one arm past her face, then the other. "We'll limit it to nothing but technique, strength, and speed," Fluttershy said. "First person to get dunked in the river loses. Don't hold back like you do against Celestia and Luna--I can take it." "Um..." Vinyl stared at the river for a second. "But, like, running water? That'll hurt like hell." "Yeah, I know," Fluttershy said. She stretched her arms over her head. "You should stretch first." "Why? I mean, it won't really do me any physical good, right?" "Vampires can be weird about what works with us or not," Fluttershy said. "For this one, though, it's a mental thing." "You've got this, Vinyl!" Octavia cheered. "Yeah, get her one for me, eh?" Rainbow called out, rubbing her thigh where Fluttershy grabbed her. Vinyl squared off her feet, entering a boxing stance. Fluttershy kept her own stance loose, but utterly relaxed and eyes closed. She cracked her neck to one side, then the other, then her eyes snapped open, two glowing orbs of red. "Begin," she said. Vinyl wearily took a step forward, keeping a fighting stance. Fluttershy leapt forward so fast that pieces of the ground flew into the air where she leapt from, and where she landed. Behind Vinyl. Vinyl let out a yelp, ducking aside as the other vampire swung a kick. Fluttershy hopped forward, dodging while unleashing a flurry of kicks at Vinyl. Vinyl stumbled, frantically blocking the onslaught on the backs of her arms. Then, she swung in a kick of her own. She caught Fluttershy's stomach, sending the girl sliding backwards. Fluttershy's feet gouged the earth as she slid to a stop. Fluttershy rubbed her side, then rolled one shoulder. And she grinned. "Good job," she said. "Tha--" Vinyl rolled to the side as Fluttershy attacked again. Vinyl dodged and blocked, losing ground from Fluttershy's assault. "I'm beginning to think I got lucky with that frying pan," Sunset murmured. "Lucky? Nah, she didn't want to hurt you," Rainbow said. "She just needed to be reminded of that." Vinyl struck a few blows of her own, several catching Fluttershy off guard. What was clear to Sunset was that Fluttershy, while more experienced, was out of practice. Unfortunately, she seemed to be remembering her old skills too fast for Vinyl, and if she was intending to hold back, Sunset couldn't tell. Fluttershy grabbed Vinyl's arms, then began forcing her back towards the river. Vinyl's feet gouged a path in the dirt, as Fluttershy forced her back. Vinyl forced her to a stop, leaving the two of them standing there for a moment. Then, Vinyl pivoted, spinning on one heel, and threw Fluttershy behind her. Fluttershy landed in the river with a splash and a yelp. Vinyl panted for a moment, then stood up straight. "Holy shit, I actually won," she said. "Go Vinyl!" Octavia shouted, clapping. "Whoohoo!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Uh..." Applejack looked to the still water. "Should we be worried?" The girls all rushed over to Vinyl's side, looking into the water, but before even Rainbow Dash could do anything, the water churned. Fluttershy burst from the surface, flying ten feet into the air with massive, leathery wings stretched out on either side of her. The water contorted, rising with her in a double helix, which it impossibly maintained, spinning and whirling beneath her as she stared with fiercely glowing eyes. And she smiled. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" she shouted, thrusting her hands to the side. "VINYL, YOU WERE AMAZING!" She landed on the ground of in front of them as the water stopped disobeying the laws of physics, falling back into the river. Fluttershy was clearly soaked to the bone, but was still grinning. Seeing their looks, she blushed. "Okay, I got a little excited there," she admitted. "Darling, you're soaked," Rarity said. "Someone get a towel." "I'll get her cloak," Rainbow said, rushing. "Girls, don't worry, I'm fine," Fluttershy said, shaking water out of her hair. "It did really good into getting me back into my old skills, anyway, and it...felt nice to cut loose like that." She stretched her arms over her head. "After worrying about accidentally hurting people, letting it all out like that..." She smiled. "Thanks, Vinyl, I think this time was more good for me than you." "Don't sweat it--doing this by myself has taken fifty years with no signs of progress, so, however you're willing to do it--" Rainbow Dash tossed the cloak over Fluttershy, who caught it and fastened it around her neck, pulling it over herself. "I think we'll work on the teleporting next," she said. "Training hypnosis is normally the next one, but...well, we won't be doing that. I wouldn't feel comfortable using my friends as...ah, training dummies." "I'm cool with that," Vinyl said, waving her off. "Did you mean we'll work on the teleporting tonight or..." "Sure, tonight," Fluttershy said. "The rest of you might want to go home soon, as I plan on keeping her out here for a few hours yet." "But first--" Pinkie Pie leapt over, holding a small cake dish. "Victory cake! I improved upon the recipe." "Oh, um, Pinkie, uhhhh, I appreciate the thought, but vampires...can't really taste much," Vinyl said, holding up her hands. "So I--" "Don't worry, Fluttershy loved it," Pinkie said. "Try a bite!" Vinyl raised an eyebrow, then took a bite. Her eyes widened. "Thish ish amavin," she said, mouth full. "Must you?" Octavia demanded, disgusted. Vinyl swallowed. "Pinkie, how did you make this? This is--this is great!" Octavia took the fork and stabbed a bite. "Wait, you shouldn't--" Pinkie Pie's warning came too late, as Octavia's eyes widened as well. She spat out the bite to the side, gagging. "The fuck?" she gasped, gagging. "That is vile." "Well, duh, I baked blood into a cake," Pinkie Pie said. "It was meant for vampires." "Well, at least I know what finally got 'Tavi to swear," Vinyl said. "Fuck you," Octavia gagged. "Water...I need...ugh...I think...I'm gonna..." She rushed over to the trash bin, hand over her mouth. "Um," Fluttershy looked over at her, wings fluttering anxiously. "Are you okay?" She winced at the sound of Octavia retching. "Probably not. Who's driving her home?" "I will," Applejack said. "See ya at school tomorrow, right, Fluttershy?" "Yeah! We've got band practice!" Rainbow said. "I'll see you girls there," Fluttershy said. "I won't let the Rainbooms down!" She paused. "That is the name we decided upon, right?" "It's the only one no one shot down," Sunset said, shrugging. The rest of them began saying their farewells as Octavia rinsed out her mouth with bottled water. Fluttershy smiled. "Hey, Vinyl?" "Yesh?" Vinyl said, before swallowing another bite of cake. "We're really lucky we got such good friends, aren't we?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah, I guess so." "You guess?" "I mean, if we weren't the kind of people who'd they want to be friends with, then...'lucky' wouldn't help us, would it? We were good people, so when we got lucky with who we met, we made use of it." Vinyl shrugged. "Or maybe 'Tavi's been reading too much philosophy again." "No. I think...you're right." Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks. Now, let's get started."