//------------------------------//
// 02 Doubts, doubts, doubts 
// Story: Blood Curse Boutique 
// by Rarity Belle 
//------------------------------//

	The unicorn mare allowed her body to drop itself on one of the two maroon red colored chairs and with her hind legs being tucked against her body ever so gently. She then closed her eyes in an attempt to get some much needed rest. Her home was clean again, with the exception of the blood stains that could still be found upon the sofa. She managed to get rid of the body and most importantly: she convinced herself for not being a vampony. With the storm still raging over the world outside, it was the rain that ticked against the window and the roaring rolls of thunder that made her feel utmost uncomfortable. The mare always had been scared for weather like that at night. It truly was a fear from her foalhood where she never had grown over. Rarity tried to calm herself down by humming calm tunes to herself but such a thing was easier said than actually done.

The more time progressed by, the more she stayed awake while she tried to keep her eyelids forcibly shut. That was until she came to one point she couldn't do it anymore. All of the sounds that were around her had become just far too much. She couldn't possibly sleep with them around. Not to mention the fact that her mind constantly reminded herself of the done deeds. With her red rimmed eyes she gazed over the clock that hung on the opposing side of her and read the time off of it. “Six in the morning... Applejack would be out by now, storm or not,” she mumbled just before another bright flash appeared. A flash that was clearly visible through the curtains. The lights faded away just as quick and mysterious as they had come. Though shortly after it were they followed up by the loudest roll of thunder from the whole night.

Due to the suddenness of the sounds was the unicorn literally flung out of her chair. Her face met the rug of the living room in a manner that was even new for her. Even though her face hurt so much as it already did, there was also a new pain that came up in her body. A pain that made her wince on the floor. A pain which made all four of her legs twitch like never before. “W-What..?” was the only word she could speak to herself. The unicorn struggled to stand back on all four of her hooves. The pain only expanded itself and eventually could be felt through the rest of her body.

With the passage of second had the pain became so much more dreadful that she was forced to the ground once again. Against her will did she lay back on the ground while her forelegs tried to reach for her heart. Her breathing became shorter with each one that passed by. Even taking a simple exhale did as much pain as if something impaled her very chest. But it was the pain in her back that was the worst of the worst she had ever experienced.

“N-No! Urgh!” was all she could bring out. Her eyes then shot wide open due to another, sharp shock of pain that moved through her body. With her forelegs that stroked her chest in the hope to make the pain less did Rarity allow a soft scream of agony to leave her. Her breathing still became even shorter then she would have liked.

Upon her back it had been coming truly visible. A small detail she had missed during her stay in the bathroom. For around her belly and back was an almost translucent purplish ‘nightgown’ to be found. One that seemed to be held together with ivory white stitch marks which could be made by herself. Rarity’s breathing eventually came to a near standstill and she tried to gasp for air as if she was eating something. The unicorn was terrified that she would suffocate on the spot and the fear was well placed.

Everything was far too late at that point. All hope had to be abandoned for the mare as the final set of changes she would be going through had come up. Her heart gave its final beat as her lungs took their last inhale of air. Rarity forced her eyes shut while she hoped that the unbearable pains that were racing through her body would make her life come to an end quickly.

The end she got was another one then she expected it to have been. While her forelegs continued to twitch a couple times. With the very last bits of strength within her, did the mare manage to roll over and her belly faced the ceiling. Under the sounds of moans, groans and one last weak scream ceased the body of the unicorn any form of motion. All of its basic functions came to a stop and she appeared to be dead. She died on the spot from a hellish and unexplained pain that went through her entire body.


~~~~

                
It was after the passage of minutes that her eyelids started to twitch softly and her ears perked up in order to listen to the sounds which were all around her. The sounds of the storm that raged outside but also to the sounds of her own body. It were those noises that were simply missing. Her heart didn't beat anymore, her breathing had stopped, her blood wasn't flowing freely through her veins. Every other function the body had simply died off to was working as slow as possible. And to make the matters only worse, the pain her back returned as the nightgown was starting to open up upon itself.

Unsure of anything that had happened did Rarity manage to turn her body back around. Words could not be spoken by her while she thought that she was dead. Yet she was alive and seemed to be well. Nothing made sense to her in the moment though she took it for what it was. For she was still very much alive and that was what counted the most for her. But the situation itself would only be getting more and more difficult to understand. Too accept even.

Within seconds it was revealed that the nightgown she thought to be wearing, was in fact the pair of bat-like wings that she saw in the quick second back in the bathroom. All that time they that had been curled up around her body like some sort of magnificent dress. As if they disguised themselves as a thing that said they were truly hers. They weren’t tucked in against the body like a pegasus but literally just embracing her body. Under her own strength managed Rarity to push herself up by her forelegs. She released a loud and fearful roar through the whole living room. A roar that spread her mouth so far open that the fangs she had were clearly visible to any eye that would be witnessing.

Eventually the sounds had died down and the wings had curled themselves a bit forward. It was then that Rarity finally caught them for herself. They had entered just the corners of her eyes and she began to wonder just what the mysterious yet majestical spots could possibly have been. “What in the name of Celestia herself..?” Rarity spoke to herself in her sitting formation. She simply wanted to ignore the sound that had left her and keeping the facts in the back of her head. The mare turned her head to either side of her body to witness it. She had to know if her eyes weren't lying to her. She then caught the wings in their fullest of unholy glory.

“No, no, no, no!” were the some of the very few words Rarity could bring out as she rose back up from her sitting position while she waved one of her forelegs around in an angry manner. “I will not believe this! This is not real! It can’t be,” the unicorn added to her words as the waving hoof stomped itself back into the ground. Surprisingly enough had she managed to crawl back on her bloodstained sofa. Of which she didn't care at that point on how the conditions happened to be. Her priorities laid somewhere vastly different at that moment of time. But unknown to her was the fact that the wings didn't tuck themselves around her body but curled around it. They literally curled up against the lifeless body of the proper lady in order to conceal themselves.

Even though she had gained them in a manner even she didn't know, it still felt like they were a true part of her. As she laid down once more on the soft red cushions had the pain within her back gently died down to near nothing. Yet as time went on there was the feeling of the things being where they were to be much more natural to her. Almost as if she had accepted them in her subconsciousness. Rarity turned herself around and placed her belly against the cushions. Her head took refuge upon the pillow before she started to think back to where times were simpler. A time where she was younger and much careless in her doings. And just below her eyes, on the very lines were watery tears would be building up themselves up, there were only red ones could be seen. “Hideous... Monster... Demon spawn,” she spoke before the tears of red began to stream down over her face. Wherever they went, they left a thick trace upon the face of the mare.

With the dark clouds that slowly on their way to travel further away from Ponyville and the night that got traded in for the warm and sunny day. The sun itself its first peeks over the freshly moistened lands. Rarity wasn't granted any form of sleep the past night and still found herself sobbing quietly on the sofa where she had taken her residence on not even an hour ago.

It was when she actually saw the rays of the sun that moved against the curtains that she stopped from her crying and managed to sit right up on the sofa. Her red rimmed eyes simply gazed over the curtain as the trails of red were mixed together with almost dried up ones and fresh ones.

For many minutes she simply sat there with her wings curled up against her body in order to have them just out of her way. But the action she did had created the strange, purplish glow around her body. A mysterious nightgown that would never be able to be taken off in any form with the exception of truly revealing its secret. Despite being horrified by the events, it still had its certain charm in the eyes of the unicorn. A charm that was utterly deadly though.

With a slow pace was the night traded in for the day while the sun rose further and further over the skies in the manner it did every day. While the clouds of thunder and rain released the town from their dreadful hold, they didn't grant the unicorn any sleep. At least not since the moment she had opened her eyes.

As the sun rose further and further up into the skies it vanquished the dark blue coloring of the night and turned the skies in a reddish pink coloring. A coloring that called out the start of a new day to start itself. Rarity groaned gently as she saw the rays entering through the gaps that there were. Without a single pardon did she shut the curtains even more. She made sure it stayed outside of her boutique. The mare then proceeded to wander a bit aimlessly through her house.

With her mood to make even the simplest of breakfasts crushed by not being hungry in any form. Instead she did the only thing she could be doing. Which would be sitting her time out until a certain pony would be awake. A certain other unicorn who might just be able to help her with her changes. Yet said unicorn wouldn't be suspecting a single thing, or at least so she hoped on that fact.

Even though the matter she found herself in was one of the utmost urge, Rarity always hated it if she disturbed somepony’s sleep because she knew just how important it was to get. That theory and statement was especially true for Ponyville’s very own librarian. Even with her changes placing the situation rather urgent, she still wanted to keep her morals high up.


~~~~

                
Rarity allowed a couple hours to simply pass by before she made her way over to the very front door of the boutique where she stood and gazed upon its shiny doorknob. The ivory coated unicorn was becoming nervous to open the very door she had opened for years by that point. After long time of doubting it was her left forehoof that made its gentle way over to the knob. Only to turn it with a great care. With a slight click that fell in her ears, she knew it was unlocked.

She pulled the door towards her just a little bit. With her red rimmed eyes she peeked around to see if there was even a single soul in the street her boutique laid on. To her right there wasn't nopony to be seen. But as she looked over to her left she saw Pinkie Pie who bounced away and turned in another street. She then disappeared out of her sights. Rarity took a good look at the streets themselves. Many small ponds of rain water had been created by the storm. She was genuinely surprised that it hadn’t flooded any basements for as far as she could see or hear.

Most of the town appeared to be just deserted and with the things she had seen got the door then opened even further. But with the opening did her eyes became more exposed to much more of the suns light than that made her way into the boutique. As a natural reaction she simply closed her eyes before opening them in a careful manner. That way she could allow them to be adjusted to the bright lights outside. Rarity then dared to take a small step outside and could see that she was in luck. For the very sun stood right behind the boutique thus casting a massive shadow of the building that would only become shorter as time progressed on.

Feeling herself more confident after the first step, she did walk further into the pool of shadows and even dared to close the door behind her. Within the shadows of her boutique she became much more comfortable and the mare made her way over to the very edge of them. The very border where the dark shadows stopped and the deadly sunlight began. Rarity was only foolish enough to cross the line of darkness and light without any form of thought in her mind.

That horrid scent of flesh being burned had fallen into her nose almost right after the step. The mare took a couple sniffs before she looked at her right lower foreleg. Only to have found itself outside of the shadows and within the deadly rays of the sun. Her eyes simply watched as the flesh literally burned and boiled itself away from her leg in a matter of seconds. All that remained from her beautiful foreleg was scorched meat and dry bone that went from her hoof all the way up to half the foreleg. The injury was a massive one and Rarity was both dumbfounded and in agonizing pain.

It was only when her eyes had been watching the events for a couple seconds in a surreal atmosphere that she physically began to feel the pain racing through her body and retracted her leg back into the shadows where it belonged. She gritted her teeth and whimpered to herself in an attempt not to draw too much attention to herself. The pain died down after the dissolving of any more flesh came to a standstill. She gazed over her once so wonderful looking foreleg with clear pain.

Then came the thoughts back in her mind and Rarity rushed back into her home after she had opened the door again and slammed it shut before she stood against it. The mare was hyperventilating like crazy and she had positioned herself in such a position that almost seemed like she acted if a monster was on the other side. A monster that could have burst through it at any given second.

”W-What happened!?” she questioned herself while she let her eyes fell upon her hoof once again. Her eyes took a deeper note of all the burned skin and clearly visible bone. Veins, tissue and muscle simply were eaten away like high acids could have done. But there was one thing that intrigued her the most about her wounds. The absence of blood that gushed out of it like crazy. “T-There is a-a reason for it, r-right? W-When it burned, i-it sealed the veins. Yes, yes that is it,” the mare said to herself. All in a faint and futile attempt to find an actual logical explanation for her condition.


~~~~

                
All the facts were pointing out to one thing though. A thing that was to be believed as myths and legends all across the land. She somehow had managed to be turned into a race of ponies that would be living on the blood of many. The vampiric kind, the mythical and terrifying vamponies.

Due to the lack of knowledge about the other branch of ponies there were many rumors and myths have been surrounded around them for thousands of years. The unicorn always was a mare who wanted the logical explanation about matters. She was often being compared to Twilight Sparkle in that manner. But where Twilight wanted to see it from everything, Rarity only wanted to know it of the unpleasant things. She allowed just that bit of mystery to be left within her life.

In her mind she had made the connection that if she came in contact with light, her skin would burn. Continuing on that train of thought, she started to look for solutions of her own. “So in order to not burn... I need a cloak of some sorts,” she eventually said after having her mind pondered for a little while. Then she remembered the cloak of a certain zebra that lived deep within the realm that was the Everfree Forest. “That is it! The cloak of Zecora was perfect to hide herself from the sunlight!” Rarity made her way over to the fabric cabinet in the working area of her beloved boutique. Though her walking was a bit awkward as she stumbled on three legs. The mare had no desire in putting too much pressure upon the boney leg itself and rather left it for what it was. Though it was even a bigger mystery of just how the hoof was still attached to the ankle.

She stood before the cabinet and her eyes started to scan the many rolls that were organized by their color pattern. She had to find a roll that she didn't use all that often but would be great for her. A roll of that darkest black fabric she had in her stock.

“There we go!” she said in a please tone. Her eyes had captured the right piece. Around her horn appeared the signature blue aura which soon enough surrounded the fabric as well. It got pulled out of its stand and rolled out a bit. Only to be laid on the back of the unicorn. Rarity looked at it the best she could and took note of the fact that it covered her entire body. Even her hooves and tail were hidden underneath it. The mare levitated a pair of scissors over and started to snip the unneeded fabric away while she sewed the bottom in her usual way. All of it happened at the same time, as per usual. It looked both elegant yet stylish but not attracting too much attention.

She placed the roll of fabric around her neck and head which then covered the area’s completely as well. Given the fact that Rarity had no mirror image anymore, she still had to look in it if everything was alright. It was still odd for her, the whole fact of having no image of her being visible in the mirror yet the clothing came through perfect. Though the thought was quickly dispatched as she lifted the scissors and started to snip again. Right after the scissor came a needle with thread in order to sew the pieces together firmly.


~~~~

                
And there she stood before her mirror, all covered up in that black cloak. With her whole body and head covered up and consumed by the darkness she was wearing. Not even her horn was granted to see the light of day anymore. Rarity took a couple steps away from the mirror and the fabrics appeared to be hovering within it. The little play in the mirror caused a smile to form itself on her face before she placed everything of her equipment aside. It was only then that she had a good look at herself and the images in the mirror. “Is this how I need to live on? Hide under a, cliché looking, piece of fabric..?” she said to herself while posing. But as she spoke her words, she lifted up her burned and overall boney foreleg up and gazed upon it. “M-Maybe I do need...”

The mare shook her head a couple times before erupting out in anger. “Shut up you foolish mare! You are driving yourself mad by rumors! Nothing has been confirmed yet. Now go to Twilight and ask if she has those books,” she spoke in an angry tone. The boney hoof pointed to the image in her mirror. Rarity could speak of luck that the bones themselves were still attached to her body as otherwise things could have taken a turn for possibly the worst. She had no idea how it was possible and rather kept it that way. She had seen enough of the impossible to last a lifetime.

She turned herself to the front door and walked over it. But as she came closer and closer did her horn charged up a little bit and it opened it before her. Without any hesitation from her side had she simply walked through the gap. After she had passed the doorway, it was closed again by her magic and her horn discharged itself completely. She kept walking with confidence until she reached the dreaded line. The spot where the shadows ended and where the sunlight started.

With the greatest of care she returned to her original pacing and the sunlight fell straight on her cloak. Rarity closed her eyes forcefully as her ears turned themselves in every single direction to hear any sounds that indicated of something going wrong. But everything stayed silent. Nothing on her body burned and it relieved her from many thoughts as she returned to her pace. She walked through town as if there was nothing going on. The mare went even to the point of placing her weight upon the burned hoof. An action that made her shudder in pain every so often.


~~~~

                
Some ponies that she passed by in the streets simply gazed in utter confusion at her, for they had not a single clue who it was and the mare didn't had the desire to talk to them either. But next to the black cloak she was wearing there was one other thing that was clearly visible for the passer-by's. And that thing happened to be her red rimmed eyes that were rather uncomfortable to look at.

With her cloak that moved fluently over the wet streets of the quiet town she made her way passed the countless houses and little shops as her eyes simply gazed over them as if she saw them for the first time. Rarity had always loved the town for its calm and peaceful nature, perhaps it was the only thing that prevented her from moving over to a bigger city. After a little while she passed the market and a couple ponies looked up to her in an unusual manner but then kept going as usual, for she opposed no threat to them.
 
Not much later she reached the treehouse where Twilight had taken her residence since she arrived in the town. With her good hoof she gave a couple knocks on the door and then waited for a reply of the studious unicorn.

“Coming. Just a moment,” a sweet voice inside the building spoke up. The cloaked mare did the only thing she could. Which was waiting for the door to opened up. A couple seconds later had the door gained a raspberry colored, magical aura around it. Rarity heard the locks moving before the creaking wood shifted away. The door had opened in there she stood. Nopony else then Twilight Sparkle herself was to be found in the opening.

But her usual smile was soon replaced with a questionable look on her face after she had allowed her eyes to fall upon the cloaked mare. “Can I, help you?” she asked in a curious tone. She could have believed to have heard Rarity speak.

The cloaked mare gave her a nod before she made her reply. “Yes you can, Twilight. May I come in?”

“Of course,” the other mare said before led the mare in. She still was confused about the voice and appearance. The cloaked mare gave of a small bow before she walked into the house. She was guided over to the living room and took place on a chair that stood in a shadow rich area. Twilight closed the door behind her with the help of her magic and she looked at the strange behavior of the pony, including the limb walking. In a natural response she simply rose an eyebrow before she spoke her words. “May I ask what is wrong, and maybe more important, who you are.”

The cloaked mare gave a light chuckle before she said her words in response. “Twilight Sparkle, are you that bad in guessing your friends?” The visitor then removed the hood of her cloak with the good forehoof and revealed her head in its full glory. The mare gave a little shake with her head to get her mane back into the signature curl before the eyes fell upon her friend.

“R-Rarity!? W-What happened to your eyes?” asked Twilight in a pure shock. They were the first she saw. But Rarity knew she had to be careful from that point onward. For one wrong word and her friend would become suspicious. Or worse, finding out her secret and who knows what would happen next.

“I, I am having contact lenses, Twilight. My glasses weren't able to keep up with my eyesight so they gave me these the other day. Don’t ask why they are this color though for I am having no idea,” she managed to quickly lie together with a small chuckle.

Twilight let go a small chuckle of her own at the explanation. “I see Rarity. But with what can I help you today?” she then added.

“Well, do you have any, vampony books in your library?” Rarity asked in a tone that spoke normality. It too was dripping with nothing else but lies.

The librarian placed a hoof against her chin after she heard her friends request. She thought ever so deeply about it which books could have involved them. “Well, I do happen to have a series of books about vamponies... What were they called again?” she mumbled loud enough to be heard by Rarity. She made her way over to a bookshelf on the other side of the room. Twilight looked at all the books and mumbled in herself once again. “It’s on the tip of my tongue!” she muttered.

“Daring Do... Not what I am looking for... Starswirl the Bearded, not really..." She continued to look around the shelves before her face started to beam up. "Ah! Here we go the Twilight series. Never got around reading them myself but I heard they are good romance stories. Though why they carry my name is a mystery even to me...” Twilight scratched herself behind the head yet prevented her mind from going on a ramble about it.

The discovery of the books surprised Rarity to the bone and she shook her head in a negative manner towards it. “N-No, I mean more, informative books about them. I am working on a dress, you see. And it has to be in this unique style, possibly the darkest project I have ever gotten in years.”

Twilight gave her a nod to the spoken words and walked over to the other side of the library. “I must have some, here, yes,” she said while her eyes looked through the countless backsides of the book and kept mumbling to herself. From time to time she charged up her horn which caused a raspberry aura around it as well as some books and were pulled back, out of the shelf and onto the stack.


~~~~

 
Eventually had Twilight turned back to Rarity and gave her the books she had been asking for. “There you go, all the informative books over vamponies that I have in my collection. Or, that I could find so quickly. Sorry I don’t have more, but I never delved deeper into the folklore to be honest,” she said before Rarity took over the books in her blue magical aura.

The other mare let go a soft chuckle as she nodded in an understanding way. “I can understand that yes. But if you will excuse me, I must depart now otherwise that dress will never be done.”

Twilight returned the nod with a smile and hugged the cloaked mare in a gentle way. “I wish you the best of luck with it, Rarity.”

The cloaked  unicorn returned the hug before she looked Twilight in her eyes with a smile that never revealed her teeth. The cloak also seemed to be acting as some sort of isolation, for the coldness of her body remained within the it and all Twilight felt was the warm temperature fabric. “Thank you darling, for the books and the wish. But I must make my departure sadly,” she spoke up softly.

Both mares broke the hug and the black cloaked unicorn pulled her hood back on her head and walked towards the door. Twilight wanted to say something about the hood and limping but her friend was already gone before she could make any remark about it. “I guess this is it for today then...” Twilight mumbled up. She walked back to her study room on the second floor of the building to continue upon what she was busy with before Rarity’s little visit.