Ch.3
"But Twilight" Spike complained as he followed Twilight "Rarity doesn't need to become a vamp-pony."
"This is her decision Spike," Twilight said for the twentieth time "she's set on becoming a vamp-pony. I told her about everything that that's going to happen to her, her family dying, having to move. She still wants to be a vamp-pony, or is there something wrong with being a vamp-pony?"
"No of course not" Spike blurted out, seeing Twilight smile told him she was only teasing. "It’s just, what if her personality changes? I don't want to lose the Rarity we know."
"Spike it's sweet of you to worry but everything will be fine, plus we'll be there to look after her and help." Opening the closet door Twilight pulled out the saddlebag she'd previously prepared and her black cloak "besides Rarity will live longer, and who knows, she might travel with us when we have to leave."
Leaving Spike with his thoughts Twilight put on her cloak and saddle bag and, after doing a mental check of what she'd need, turned to mist and slid out into the night. Silently gliding through the darkness, past homes and now closed shops, until she reached Rarity's shop/home, where she turned back into her usual pony form then straight into a bat. She never could get the hang of shifting from one form to another without going back to pony first.
Flying through the open window Twilight landed in the shadows before returning to normal.
"Ah Twilight darling, so glad you could make it" Rarity said as Twilight stepped into the moonlight. Twilight rolled her eyes as she took in the scene, a few candles lit and dotted around the room, Rarity in one of her silk nightgowns and even the moonlight spilling into the room. But what surprised Twilight the most was that Sweetie Belle sat at the small table Rarity had set up, in front of her was a wine glass half full of a dark liquid.
"What's Sweetie Belle doing here?" Twilight asked, watching the young fillys face have a mix of surprise, horror and intriegue on it all at once.
"When I told her what we're going to be doing tonight she didn't believe me, said I was making fun of her and trying to scare her the poor dear. So I told her to wait in my room tonight for your arrival and she could see for herself." Rarity smiled, using her magic to pick up her glass and take a sip.
"And the glasses? I hope its not wine"
"Unfermented wine darling-" Rarity began but was cut off suddenly by Sweetie Belle, who shouted
"It's grape juice Ms. Twilight, honest" Sweetie Bell blushed as she came to her senses "um... Are you going to drink my blood?" She asked nerviously
"No Sweetie Bell I'm not going to drink your blood, I never take blood from fillies" Twilight said politely, she saw Sweetie Bell relax a little but she could practically hear her muscles creak with tension as she moved. "But I do want you to promise to never tell anypony about me or Rarity, not even Applebloom and Scootaloo"
"Um... Why?" Sweetie Belle shrinking in her seat
"Because someone might hear, somepony that might want to hurt us." Twilight watched as Sweetie Belle realised what she was saying.
"Ok, I promise not to tell anypony. I Pinkie Promise, cross my heart and hope to fly stuck a cupcake in my eye." Sweetie Belle watched as Twilight and Rarity smiled as she went through the motions, gently placing her hoof over her eye at the end.
"Good. Now I want you to leave," Twilight used her magic to take off her saddle bag and place it on Raritys bed, before Sweetie Belle could ask she said "this is a private activity, between a pony and vamp-pony, and this is my first time doing it. There's going to be a bit of blood and I'm not entirly sure how Rarity is going to act, so for your own protection I need you to leave the room."
Without saying a word Sweetie Belle slowly tipped her glass and drank the last of the grape juice before jumping down from her seat and walked to the door, as she passed Rarity she jumped up and hugged her sister.
"Please don't change too much" she whispered so Twilight wouldn't hear. Though Twilight could hear she had the decency to act like she didn't.
"Don't worry" Rarity smiled as she hugged back "the only thing that will change is that I have a reason to wear a cloak every night, I might even bring them back."
Once Sweetie Bell had closed the door behind her Twilight used her magic to lock it as she moved to the bed and opened her satchel.
"You absolutely sure you want to do this?" She asked Rarity, who drained her glass and moved to Twilight. "This is your last chance, once we begin there's no going back."
"I'm sure darling, no regrets and such." Rarity watched as Twilight pulled out two bottles and set them aside, along with the instructions she'd written two nights ago and some weird looking, dark coloured herbs she'd never seen before.
"Ok. These contain blood, one for me one for you." Twilight motioned to the bottles "I'm going to be drained and you're going to be hungry when you wake up, more hungry than you've ever been. I'll leave the bottle right next to you so when you wake up I want you to drink it all, understand?"
Rarity simply nodded and watched as Twilight placed a bottle on the cabinet next to her bed. Then the herbs were wrapped in Twilights magic and started hovering.
"Being a vamp-pony, or any vamp for that matter, means you're going to get predator instincts. You'll feel the urge to hunt, attack and feed on ponies and anything else weaker than you, that's everypony in town but me. You're senses will be hightened and until you can control them and your instincts these herbs will help you." Twilight placed the herbs gently back on the bed as Rarity asked
"Are you sure they'll work?"
"They helped me when I was growing up, you think teething is bad? Trying hunting bugs around the house." Twilight couldn't help but smile at her own memories of 'Stealthily' hunting a spider through her parents home. "Apparently my brother was worse, he was like a dragon hunting jewels my dad says, hunting anything that moved"
Rarity chuckled at her own mental image of a young, and dashing, Shining Armour following something on a piece of string being pulled by his mother.
"I sometimes use the herbs myself on the brightest days, even with shades and a hat on you'll still find it very bright. They should have more of an affect on you though." Turning her attention back to the task at hand Twilight unrolled the scroll, quickly reading her own writing to double check her own instructions.
"Cut, bite, drink, lick, sleep, drink." She thought to herself as she put the scroll back down and looked at Rarity, saying out loud "ok, you ready?"
"Whenever you are darling"
"Good. We've got to drink each others blood at the same time, once we're done you'll feel sleepy and I'll be drained. You sleep, I'll drink my blood and when you wake you drink. Understand?" Twilight raised her leg and extended her fanges. With her cloak on she did look like a vamp-pony from a classic novel.
"Absolutely" Rarity watched as Twilight cut her own foreleg with her fang then presented it to her.
The sight of the crimson jewel on Twilights wrist flared up Rarity's instinct for ickyness. With only the briefest of hesitation Rarity tilted her head to put her mouth over the small cut, exposing her neck fully and allowing Twilight easy access. As she felt the fangs sink into her neck she flinched slightly but as she swallowed the blood she felt something slowly spread itself across her body. First she felt her body getting warmer and her heart beating faster. She felt she could run for miles and stitch twenty ballgown dresses at once, but then it hit her suddenly. She felt exhausted; her body felt heavier than ever before and could feel her heart slowing. That was when she felt Twilight remove her fangs from her neck and leg from her mouth.
"T... Twilight darling, I feel..." Rarity mumbled as she felt more drained than ever before, if it weren't for Twilight steadying her she would've collapsed onto the floor. Her eyes were getting heavy and her heart was slowing, her limbs felt like someone has put weights on them.
"It's all right Rarity, it's normal." Twilight helped Rarity into her bed "don't fight it, just sleep. But remember to drink the blood when you wake."
"I... Promise" Rarity mumbled as she fell asleep. Panting slightly herself Twilight looked at her own bottle of blood, focusing she tried to move it closer but it seemed heavier than before.
Raising it slightly Twilight slowly moved the bottle towards her until it became to much and it dropped onto the bed, bouncing.
Jumping with what strength she could muster Twilight caught it before it hit the floor, cursing herself at the close call.
"Stupid. Stupid Twilight" she said to herself as she lay on the floor, the bottle resting in her hoofs. "You knew you'd be drained you stupid mare."
Slowly she sat up, and even more slowly she used her magic to open the bottle.
---***---
Rarity slowly opened her eyes and saw the curtains were open, she could see outside that it was night, but to her it was bright enough to be a cloudless day. She felt different, like she’d just spent a whole week at a special vacation spa. She felt refreshed and could take on anything.
As she sat up she felt her stomach clench up and her throat dry out. She’d never felt so hungry or thirsty in her life, not even after spending all day travelling through the desert with Pinkie that one time. As Rarity placed her hooves around her stomach she heard a thump-thump noise, looking around she saw Sweetie Belle sleeping on the edge of her bed. Her younger sister looked different to her, like she saw how weak she was for the first time. Again she heard the slow thumping sound, Rarity realised it was Sweetie Belles sleeping heartbeat, as she looked at the young filly something told her she could stop the hunger. All it would take was a small bite.
Climbeding out of her sheets and as quietly as she could Rarity moved closer to her sister, as she stood over her she opened her mouth and felt her new fangs extend. She heard the slow rhythm of Sweetie Belles heart as she began moving her head downwards. A hoof appeared from nowhere and slapped itself over her mouth and nose.
“Before you do anything you’ll regret, look to your left.” Twilight moved Rarity's face to make her look at the bottle of blood she’d left next to the bed. Without saying anything Rarity grabbed it with her magic and pulled it over, opening it she drank it down as fast as she could. Her throat no longer dry her stomach suddenly full Rarity gave a satisfying, yet prim, sighing noise. “How do you feel now?”
“Much better darling, I feel like I haven’t eaten in days,” Rarity said as she placed the bottle down.
“It’s natural, you have just gone through a major change” Twilight gently shook Sweetie Belle awake, who rubbed her eyes and, once she’d gotten used to the dark, saw Rarity.
“Rarity” She screamed happily, jumping into her sisters’ hoofs and hugging her. Her messy mane rubbing into Rarity’s face “How do you feel? Different? Do you feel like flying? Turning into a bat?”
Thinking about it for a second Rarity slowly answered “I…” looking into her sisters eyes she smiled” I…” putting on a obviously fake accent she started to tickle Sweetie Belle “I Vant To Style Your Mane Ah, Ah, Ah.”
---**---
After making sure Sweetie Belle was asleep again Twilight found Rarity in her boutique, where she'd propped up two mirrors. One was obviously an antique as it wasn't giving her a reflection. She was currently inspecting her new fangs.
"What do you think?" Twilight asked, resisting the urge to stand in front of the mirror herself and see her reflection.
"Well I'll need to get the correct cloak, but I can make them work" Rarity smiled as Twilight rolled her eyes. "So darling, what now?"
"Now I teach you how to control your abilities, starting with strength." Summoning a wine glass from the kitchen Twilight placed it in front of Rarity "I want you to pick the glass up between your hooves and raise it to eye level."
"If you want me to." Rarity sat down and raised her hooves, it seemed a bit ridiculas to her, she could easily lift the thing in her magic, "though I'm sure it-" as she tried to touch the glass it shattered, making Rarity blink in disbalief. "Oh my."
"You're many times stronger now Rarity, you have to be careful especially at night. In the sun you'll be as you were when your were a normal pony, but even sitting in the shade will make you stronger." Turning Twilight opened the door to the shop "follow me" she instructed.
Stepping out into the night Rarity couldn't believe how bright everything seemed, the world lacked its usual array of bright colours but she could see perfectly. "Is this how you've seen the world all these years?" Rarity asked amazed
"Ever since I was a baby" Twilight smiled as she watched Rarity take the new experience in "now we're going to run to the Everfree Forest, as fast as you can."
"Run? But it’s a good mile outside of town."
"Yep, should take us no time at all to get there if we run."
"Oh very well" Rarity stood next to Twilight and, after a small countdown, dash forwards as quickly as she could.
Her body felt lighter, like all her life she'd been weighed down and pulled back. For the first time Rarity felt like she could move freely, and she was moving fast.
"Oh my" Rarity panted, more from surprise than anything else. Looking over she shoulder she couldn't even see her home any more.
"You'll get used to it" Twilight smiled, she could only imagine the exhilaration Rarity was feeling. She had been born with the agility and stamina, Rarity had just woken up with it. "You ready for the last bit?"
"As long as I don't have to take any corners I'll be fine" Rarity smiled back, she was already having fun with her new body.
---***---
"I can't believe how quickly we got here" Rarity brushed aside a branch with her magic as they walked through the forest. The run there had been short but exciting, she'd left slowing down a little too late and nearly slammed into a tree but that embarrising fact never happened.
"Glad you're finding the experience thrilling, but this next part is harder. There is a reason we're in the forest," turning Twilight stopped in her tracks and faced Rarity "sight and sound. You've got to be able to control what you take in and what you leave out, or you never be able to sleep again."
"Tell me your joking darling" Rarity saw on Twilights face she wasn't. Past experience perhaps?
"For now we'll focus on your hearing. I want you to close your eyes and focus on the noises coming from the forest." Twilight watched as Rarity closed her eyes, her ears twitching and head turning slightly. Speaking softer and quieter she said "now strain you hearing, like your trying to focus on a noise you can't quite hear."
To Rarity the forest was alive with noise, the rustling of the leaves, the small animals flying and scampering in the forest were all amplified to her. She listened to one noise then moved to another, being careful not to focus on all the sounds at once but try and seperate them into single noises. The creak of the wood, the flapping of the grass in the breeze, even the many thumps of a centipedes legs were like a constant drum roll to her that was perfectly synched.
"I never knew those ugly bugs could made such nice music" Rarity thought to herself as she slowly opened her eyes, her hearing returning to normal. "That was... An experience" she said aloud.
"I like to think what you just heard was the forest breathing" Twilight held a weird smile on her face, she’d been listening as well and there were nights she did come to the forest just to listen. "Did you hear the centipede?"
"You mean the thousand drums perfectly playing together?" Rarity had to admit that dirty messy nature had more of an appeal to it when you listened to it and it gave back music. "All those times I saw Applejack talking to those trees and I thought her silly."
"Talking to it a tree and thanking it for its fruit is one thing, wrapping it in a blanket and reading it a bed time story is something else" Twilight giggled as she remembered helping take the tree to her cousin Braeburn in Appleloosa. "Now I want you to focus on your sight." Twilight snapped back to the task at hand, Rarity following suit.
"But I can already see fine, it's like I'm wearing those nightvision goggles of Pinkies just without the green glow"
"But our eyes are better than that, in that patch of shadows over there what do you see?" Twilight pointed her hoof to an area covered in thick dark shadows compliments of the trees thick growth. Figuring it was like her hearing Rarity focused on the shadows, slowly they gave way to a shape. Then it became more prominent.
"Oh my" Rarity gasped, blinking and returning her eys to normal "it's a... Body"
"Yep" Twilight raised her head and a second later several howls rang across the forest. "Timber wolves, we've been in their territory for a while now. I was starting to think they wouldn't show."
"Twilight?" Rarity asked nervously as Twilight took a fighting pose, a more dangerous smile spreading across her face.
"You're a vamp-pony now Rarity, not just a predator. A top-of-the-foodchain predator. When you're in civilisation you have to keep your insticts in check, but out here you show the animals who the real boss is and let your instincts run wild" as she saw a timber wolf step out from behind a tree Twilights fangs extended.
Rarity looked around and saw several more surrounding them, a whole pack against two ponies? Slaughter. But a whole pack of Timber Wolves against two vamp-ponies? Rarity felt different than she’d expected, a couple of days ago if she found herself in this situation she'd be running for her life and crying for help. But now something told to stand her ground and dig her hooves in, to bare her own fangs and claws. Figuratively speaking on the claws of course.
And that's what she did, back to back with Twilight she lowered her head, spread her legs slightly for quick movements and her fangs extended. So what if there was six timber wolves, they wanted a piece of her? She'd turn them into toothpicks.
As the wolves charged and leapt so did Rarity, meeting one in mid-jump she slammed into it sending it flying backwards. Twilight met one straight on in a charge, sending it flying into the air. Another tried to bite her but she easily dodged and bucked it in the face, the wood cracked and splintered easily under her strength.
Rarity had tackled one to the ground and sunk her fangs into its side, ripping out a large chunk of wood with her powerful jaws before leaping aside as one barreled into its fallen companion.
Twilight dodged as one tried to swipe at her but she caught its leg in her mouth and ripped the whole thing off, then proceeded to hit its previous owner with the clawed end.
In the space of a couple of minutes the pack of Timber Wolves were beaten and bested by two vamp-ponies, one of nearly sixty years the other freshly turned. The wooden creatures ran back into the forest, leaving the two ponies panting and not a scratch on them.
"That... That was so exhilerating" Rarity panted as Twilight dropped the leg "I've never felt like that after a fight before, I've never felt... So alive."
"A mix of adrenaline and instincts." Twilight said as she started walking towards the forest exit "sometimes you got to control your instincts, sometimes you've got to let them control you."
"You mean to say you've come into this forest, alone, and fought off Timber Wolves by yourself before?" Rarity asked, dashing to Twilights side once she realised they were leaving the forest.
"I've beaten a manticore by myself" Twilight stated proudly. "Always when I've just had some blood though, when I'm at full strength."
"Is there anything you can't fight in the forest?" Raritys curiosity getting the better of her.
"I wouldn't even dream about facing an Ursa Major, or Minor. Ever." Twilight shuddered slightly as she thought about the giant bear creatures. She doubted she'd be able to win against either even if she had her parents and brother with her.
"Understandable darling. I bet a fully grown dragon would have difficulty, speaking of dragons have you ever, you know, drank any blood from Spike-wikey?" Rarity asked as they left the forest.
"Of course not" Twilight said in a surprised tone, her face looking more shocked than she sounded. "Spike is still a baby dragon, I'd never drink his blood. Besides I hear dragons blood tastes like rotten meat, and his scales are too hard. I don't want to chip a fang."
"Point made" Rarity giggled, picking up her pace a little and Twilight matching it. Soon enough they were running again. "The fight with the Timber Wolves, the music of the forest and this speed. It's all so amazing."
"Yeah, it all sounds great" a voice said above them. Looking up Rarity and Twilight saw Rainbow Dash flying just above them, easily keeping up with their running. "So, when is it my turn to be turned into a vamp-pony?" She asked smiling down at them.