Fluttershy trotted up to the door of the library with a spring in her step. Earlier that day Twilight had asked her over for a sleepover, just the two of them. This excited her, because she had never been asked to stay at the purple unicorns house before, coupled with a few hidden feelings for her close friend. She promised she would be over as soon as she finished her chores for the day.
Sure she had stayed at Rarity's for a night of gossip and fun once in a while, or spent the night at Sugercube Corner after one of Pinkies more wild parties, and of course being Rainbow Dashes oldest friend, and for a long time her only friend, she certainly accepted an offer to spend some time catching up once and awhile. She even spent a few days with Applejack after they got snowed in while spending the day with her.
Naturally, her animals weren't too happy to be stuck without food for two days.
Fluttershy knocked quietly and waited until Spike opened the door, “Oh, hey Fluttershy, come in.” Fluttershy stepped in as Spike continued, “ I got invited to the crusaders sleepover over at the Apples place, and AJ's gonna need a lot of help with those three anyway. Now that your here I can leave, hopefully they haven't gotten in too much trouble yet.”
“Bye, have fun.” she told Spike as her walked out the door that she herself entered only a moment ago.
“I'll try.” Spike replied cheerfully, “Twi's been acting a bit weird lately, so I need some time away from her anyway.”
“Oh, how so?” Fluttershy asked, her interest perked.
Spike shifted uncomfortably before answering, “Well...she hasn't really been getting much sleep, and she doesn't like when ponies come in for books. She gives them their books and rushes them out.” Spike shifted again, “She kicks me out all the time and keeps locking her books in this one box... almost as if she's hiding something.”
"What would Twilight have to hide?” Fluttershy asked.
“I don't know, but Fluttershy, could you please look into it. She's really starting to worry me, and I just want her to be okay.”
“I will.” Was all Fluttershy said as Spike closed the door behind him.
Fluttershy assumed Twilight would be upstairs studying, so she decided to check there first. True to her assumptions, Twilight was deeply immersed in a book. Not wanting to disturb her friend Fluttershy stood in front of Twilight for a few minutes before being noticed.
Twilight jumped slightly, but almost instantly regained herself. She grabbed a bookmark and shoved it in her book violently, “Fluttershy, your early, I wasn't expecting you for another hour at least.” Despite her rapid attempts to get all her books locked away in a small, ornate wooden box, her voice carried a tone of surprise, with an underlying hint of worry and fear.
“I finished everything as fast as possible... I was really excited for tonight.”
“Are you sure you aren't forgetting something?” Twilight asked, still maintaining the previous nervousness in her voice.
Fluttershy shook her head, and as she did she noticed a book Twilight hadn't yet managed to carelessly shove in her box laying on top of the bed. Curiously, Fluttershy moved up and began to read the title aloud, “Advanced Necromancy...” Was all she managed to read off the cover before the book was pulled towards Twilight's box at speeds that would kill a pony instantly. Had Fluttershy been expecting that, she could have read silently or at least glanced at the subtitle, but that opportunity was now inside Twilight's box.
“Just a bit of background reading, nothing to be concerned about.” Twilight said, her voice betraying her and showing fear and anxiety.
Fluttershy noticed this, though her knowledge of magic was too limited to understand the title alone at first glance. Twilight gave a small groan and began rearranging the books to make enough space in the box for the others. While she was doing this, Fluttershy noticed that the book Twilight was reading when she had arrived was still in its initial position.
Fluttershy read the cover aloud again, “Blood Magi...”The book was swept away in a purple aura, joining the others before Twilight closed the box.
“Nothing to be concerned about, just pretend you never saw that!”
Fluttershy was bit shocked at Twilight's sudden outburst, but rather than crying about it like she would at any other time, Fluttershy pulled through on her concern for her friend and asked, “Twilight are you okay, you’re acting a bit weird?”
“Of course I'm okay silly,” Twilight said loudly, seemingly leaving the fear behind her as she adopted a more... Pinkie-like attitude, “So, are you ready to get started?”
“Oh yes.” Fluttershy exclaimed in her ever so soft and gentle voice.
Twilight clapped her hooves in joy, “Yay, but, before we start, are you absolutely sure your not forgetting anything.”
Fluttershy was about to deny, but as she thought about it, if she was going to figure out what Twilight was up to, she would need to see somepony, somepony who knew about magic, and somepony she could trust.
“Well, I might have forgotten to feed the chickens.” she lied.
Twilight frowned, “Well, hurry back, I really want to get started.” She offered up a generous smile, which Fluttershy returned before she turned to leave.
Fluttershy didn't like lying to her friends, but she was genuinely worried. A lie to find out the truth, it seemed so ironic to Fluttershy, but it made enough sense in her situation. Thinking about the phrase in general, Fluttershy realized that if one were to say it, it would seem to make little sense.
Fluttershy's thought's took her all the way to Rarity's. She knocked on the door four times and waited for an answer. The answer came in the form of a slightly sleep-deprived unicorn.
“Oh hello Fluttershy, what can I do for you.” Rarity asked, taking a sip from coffee.
“Hi Rarity, do you think you can explain some magic stuff to me?”
Rarity looked at her questioningly, “Wouldn't Twilight be able to explain it better than me?”
“Yes, but she's been acting weird lately.” Fluttershy replied
“Oh, do you think she has another incomplete project.?” Rarity asked. Fluttershy answered with a shrug, “Well, I guess I could answer some questions, what would you like to know dear?”
Fluttershy smiled, “Okay, what can you tell me about necromancy?”
Rarity looked slightly taken back by Fluttershy's choice of question, “Well, necromancy is a form of dark magic,” She paused to allow Fluttershy to ask questions but Fluttershy motioned her to continue on, “It's a type of magic that deals with death. Sometimes a pony will use necromancy to raise the dead, or maybe kill another. Necromancy is… simply a magic that deals with death.”
When Rarity looked at Fluttershy she was sporting a slightly nervous expression, “Okay, what about blood magic?” She gave an sweet, innocent smile but that wasn't enough to stop Rarity from falling to the ground, her coffee cup falling and shattering loudly upon hearing Fluttershy asking this. Sweet, innocent Fluttershy asking questions about dark magics, and even more disturbing to Rarity was that she wasn't going to the more intelligent pony, who would simply turn her in to Celestia, to obtain this information.
“Fluttershy... I can't believe you would ask me these things. Darling, what could possibly corrupt you like that?”
Fluttershy frowned and took a step back, “I was only curious.”
“There's no way I can possibly believe that. You just asked me about a branch of magic that is barely even mentioned in the most advanced magic classes, classes that even Twilight would have trouble keeping up with,” A tear escaped her eye, “I can't believe what I'm hearing. When you asked me if I could answer some questions about magic, I thought you would ask me something simple. Something innocent.
“But Rarity I didn't know, I just picked it up somewhere and I was curious...” Fluttershy began but was interrupted by Rarity's shouting.
“And just where did you pick it up!?” Fluttershy hesitated, trying to think of a lie. If what Rarity was saying was true, Twilight could get in a lot of trouble for the possession of those books, and who knew what other things she was hiding in that box. Unfortunately, the single moments hesitation was enough for Rarity to continue her verbal assault, “You don't have an answer do you?”
Fluttershy backed away, “I'm sorry, I didn't know.”
Rarity hesitated to continue assaulting the already shaken pony, but continued, “Fluttershy, you not telling me this means your only protecting somepony else or trying to keep me away from wherever you obtained this information in order to protect yourself. Not only are you endangering yourself, you’re also endangering those around you and breaking the law, I think that allows a bit of suspicion.”
Fluttershy backed away a little more, before noticing that Rarity a mistake in her suspicions, “Rarity, if I knew that, why would I come to you asking about it?”
Rarity paused, considering her friend’s certainly valid point, “I’m sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t really think this through, and I guess I really shouldn’t have suspected you of such a thing without letting you explain first. Perhaps I can answer a few questions.”
Fluttershy immediately, upon hearing the offer to have her questions answered, asked the one question that was bugging her the most, “How do you know this Rarity?”
Rarity sighed, she had said she would answer her friend’s questions, “Well, I’ve never told you this, but I used to attend Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns, and even took the advanced classes.”
“Okay, maybe that’s a story for another time, but right now could you tell me what blood magic is, if that’s alright with you.” Fluttershy asked politely
“Well, blood magic, as one might discern from the title, is magic fueled by blood or in some cases a combination of blood and magical energy. Due to its evil nature and the fact that it’s incredibly dangerous, it has been outlawed and all information regarding spells and ways to cast them have been locked away in the royal archives, although as I have mentioned earlier, it is briefly mentioned in the more advanced magic classes.”
Taking the moments silence as a signal to ask her next question, Fluttershy continued, “Well, what’s so dangerous about it?”
Once again Rarity entered a long explanation, “Well, as blood magic is fueled by blood, it is often very easy to die of blood loss, but more commonly ponies will die from other effects first. I believe that the most common is their heart imploding, but there are cases of more… messy deaths.” Rarity shuddered slightly.
“Alright, is there any creature that could use it safely, preferably something that could take the appearance of a pony?” Fluttershy asked
Rarity thought about it for a minute, “Well, I know that vampires can but I’m not sure about anything else.”
Fluttershy stood there for a minute, processing the fact that her closest friend might be a vampire. Despite the fear clouding her mind and the dangers unknown to her, Fluttershy resolved to find out the truth, “Well, thank you Rarity. I have to go now, I still have to feed chickens.”
Fortunately, Rarity didn’t see through her unprofessional lie, “Well your always welcome here, but Fluttershy, please be careful, I don't want to see you get hurt.
Fluttershy reassured her, “Don't worry, I'll be fine.”
Rarity waved goodbye to Fluttershy as she trotted towards the door, “Bye dear, and if you see Twilight, tell her that I have her necklace ready for her.”
Fluttershy perked up slightly, “Necklace?”
“Oh, Twilight asked me to make her a necklace. Of course I'm not much of a jeweler, but the request was simple enough, and I hate to leave one of my friends in need.” Rarity yawned, “Perhaps I should take a nap, being overworked as I am, but if you do see Twilight, tell her it's ready.”
Fluttershy paused for a minute, “Well, I could take it to her on my way home, if that's okay with you."
“I guess it would save all of us a bit of hassle, let me go get it.”
Rarity left the room shortly and returned with a small jeweled necklace. It was a simple piece, a polished silver chain supporting the larger ornate piece of silver, whose engravings were more of a piece of art than part of a piece of jewelry. In the center was a diamond, carved and polished masterfully, not a single imperfection anywhere.
Fluttershy stared in awe, “Rarity, this... this is the most beautiful necklace I've ever seen.”
Rarity yawned again, “Thank you darling, I did do my best, but if you'll excuse me I would very much like to get a bit of sleep. I'll see you at our spa appointment in a few days, so we can have a bit more time to talk then.”
“Bye Rarity.” Fluttershy said, taking the necklace from Rarity and turning around to leave. Rarity attempted to say the same in return but her words were cut off by yet another yawn, so she settled for waving instead.
On her way back Fluttershy walked slowly, attempting to gather courage she simply didn't possess. Terrified of the prospect of confronting Twilight about something this severe, she dreaded the moment that she had to do this. But, like always, when one dreads the future, the future comes more quickly than normal and she soon found herself at the door to the library.
The sight when she opened the door was certainly not what was expected. Twilight was sitting on her couch eating what appeared to be a chocolate cookie. Twilight looked at Fluttershy before she could say anything and started one of the most awkward conversations between them up to date, “Before you ask, I have no idea how I burnt lettuce this badly.”
Fluttershy giggled, “How'd you burn lettuce?”
Twilight looked at her lettuce, “Well... I think I cooked it too long.”
“Twilight, you don't cook lettuce.” Fluttershy said in a fit of laughter
The mare in question looked at the lettuce, “Well... that explains a lot actually.”
They both laughed awhile before they had calmed down enough for Twilight to ask, “So, did you feed the chickens?”
“Yeah, and I also stopped at Rarity's, speaking of that I said I'd give this to you.” She gave Twilight the necklace
Twilight took the piece of jewelry and examined it closely, “Wow... I didn't think Rarity could make it this good.”
While she continued to examine the necklace Fluttershy collected the courage she needed, and finally when she concluded she wasn't going to be anymore ready she said, “Twilight, we need to talk.”
That seemed to snap Twilight out of her trance, “Sorry about that, now what do you want to talk about?”
Fluttershy took a deep breath, “Well, while I was at Rarity's, I asked about those books you were reading.” Twilight immediately started hyperventilating and her eyes went wide upon hearing what Fluttershy had done.
Fluttershy quickly corrected herself, “Wait, I didn't tell her they were yours, she doesn't even know I was here!” That served to calm Twilight down rather quickly.
“I told you to forget it Fluttershy, why didn't you just listen to me?”
Fluttershy once again felt the pressure of a friends anger, “I was worried about you, and I was right. Twilight... why are you studying illegal dark magic?”
Twilight stood up quickly, “Enough! Fluttershy, I like you a lot, but this doesn't concern you. Now, I'm going to go get some cookies, and then we can spend some time together and just forget this ever happened.”
That was almost enough for Fluttershy, and would have been had she been speaking to anypony else, but Twilight was her best friend and she couldn't let go of the fact that she was keeping secrets this big, so now it was time for her to ask the question that was bothering her the most, “Twilight, are you a vampire?”
Twilight stopped, and slowly turned around. Fluttershy saw pure fear on her face, “You are, aren't you.” she said, slowly backing away.
Twilight sighed, giving a look of defeat. She picked up the necklace and held it in front of her. Her horn color slowly changed from a bright purple to a mix of black and red. Arcs of dark lightning flew between her and the necklace. A red mist formed around her, the glow making the room's lighting become a similar eerie shade.
Once the light show had ended, Fluttershy's look had changed to of horror upon seeing her friend. Leathery wings, almost like a bat's, but slight lighter in color were now hanging limply at her sides. Fangs had cleanly replaced two of Twilight's teeth, and her eyes were closed.
Slowly and weakly, Twilight looked to Fluttershy and opened her eyes. Fluttershy's expression was one of only pure terror as the purple unicorn glared at her with menacing red eyes and angrily said, “Why couldn't you just stay out of things that don't concern you?”