//------------------------------// // 53 The best night(s) ever? // Story: Blood Curse Boutique // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// Rarity shook her head at the words that were spoken by Shiva about her becoming the next vampiric queen. Her brain processed them for what they were without finding any holes she could have stumbled in. They were tempting for certain, she had to admit that. She had no more home, no more job and the whole wide world thought that she was dead. What more could she possibly be wishing for that wasn't given in that order? Rarity could restore her world with it to a certain extend. Though in her mind she didn't had the desires to be a ruler of something or over anypony. It never had fitted her personality in any shape or form. It just wasn't Rarity as she was known. Yet what not many ponies truly knew about her, was that she always had been lurking for power or authority over anypony that wasn't her family or friends. That was the reason why she never took coworkers into the boutique, because she would turn into a tyrant that would rule over them with an iron hoof in a velvet glove. The offer that was given to her was something that she truly needed in her life. Something that would make sure that she could continue her life. With the opportunity to bring Canterlot down to its very knees, it was mouthwatering for her. Yet time to consider all of the options was not given to her. The voice of Shiva spoke up again through the room. “What is your answer upon the offer, I don’t have all day.” Of course those were a mockery to the rude interruption that Rarity had made earlier to her. It was a mistake that would cost her a lot more than she liked. Taken by utmost surprise from the words made Rarity realize that she only had seconds, probably even less. After a couple gibberish attempt to speak up, the formulated words finally were allowed to leave her mouth. “I, I’ll do it. I do accept the offer,” she spoke up. But the second she said it, her mind began to question if it was the right idea to do for her. “Very well then,” said Shiva. She allowed herself to be removed from the throne by her own power. The shadow vortex moved itself towards the table and just remained there. Rarity caught the hint that was given by Shiva’s red eyes in silence. With the greatest of care she dared to walk over to the steps of the throne. Hesitation was what entered her body as she stood before the first step. Yet she dared to set a hoof on it and prayed for the best. She closed her eyes firm after her hoof made contact with the stone. She prepared her body for anything to happen. Yet there was nothing that happened to her. When the mare realized that fact, she allowed a deep exhale to leave through her nose before the eyes opened up again. Shiva simply rolled her eyes at the sight and then Rarity went up. Up to the seating of the throne where she would sit on it like a true queen. ~~~~   Delighted by the sight before her began Shiva to speak words in the language that was hinting towards ancient unicornian, as well as the vampiric language. The crown got levitated over to Rarity and set upon her head. The vampiric unicorn grinned like a little devil while she felt the thing upon her head. But it wasn't the end of it all. Not by a long shot. Above her head there was a window mounted in the ceiling itself. One that always remained hidden under a curtain but for the occasion was opened by Shiva. And what was to be revealed, was the purest moon the two had seen in a long time. The light hit her gorgeous body and Rarity dared to look up at the moon. Deep within her body she could feel everything boiling. It seemed to be having the same effect as if she had been walking in the sunlight but the fires of hell never released themselves. Under moans and groans she took her sight away from the moon and turned over to Shiva. “What are you, doing, to me?” she managed to speak up. Though her voice was weaker than expected. A response she never got out of the shadows. The eyes just stared at the moonlight. And within that very same moonlight were Rarity’s final changes revealed for the world, in all of their horror. Changes that had held themselves back for over a year were finally crawling out of their shell. The glorious mane of the unicorn turned itself into something she never could have even dreamed off. The wonderful purple color that was within it, got turned itself into the purest black ever to be withheld by any creature. The same darkness that the very shadows had, found its way into her mane. To make the matters even worse, were the azure blue cutie mark of the rectangular diamonds in triangle formation, also turned away from their original color. They were turned into the color that was the same as her eyes. The blood red shades would forever be found upon her flanks as her mark. Though she could speak of luck that it didn't change into something vampiric related. There was a flock of black mane which fell into the right eye of the unicorn and she couldn't believe it at first. Yet the pain that was racing through her body made it impossible for her to just inspect it on the spot. “Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, please!” she shouted in pain. The burning sensation within her undead body almost became too much for her. It felt like all of her insides were being consumed at once by something she didn't even wanted to know. Even though the burning feeling was something that she feared while the light continued to shine down upon her could Rarity also feel something else. A power was flowing through her that was far more purer than anything she had ever felt in her life. A power that made her feel like she could take on the world with just one simple charge of her horn. Within the eyes of Rarity were the veins widened on themselves because of that and the sight that was given was one that was simply unpleasant, if not terrifying. For she truly looked like a mad mare who could do anything without any form of remorse. Which happened to be true to a certain degree. Rarity allowed her eyes to fall shut and in that time did Shiva let the curtain hide the moon again from the throne. With the light being cut off from her could Rarity feel her body slowly turning back to its much more normal state. Even her mane and cutie mark returned to their original coloring. Yet every time she would go out into the pure moonlight, they would reveal themselves as what they truly were. It almost seemed as if Shiva had placed a curse upon another curse. ~~~~   But time to think that through there wasn't. In the moment the beam was cut off, words were being recalled by the unicorn. Words that were spoken to her ages ago. Words from mares and stallions alike. Words spoken by Shiva and herself, as well as her fallen preys. Yet there was one thought that stood out of it all. Though royalty, doesn't suit you at all, was a line that echoed and echoed through her mind. Words spoken by a stallion she had met on a random day at an even more random time. “Yet why it is it him that keeps hammering himself into my skull? What was so special about him?” she thought aloud and kept her eyes closed in order to think even further. The thoughts continued to race through her mind while another battle erupted within it. The swords were drawn once again by the two version of the unicorn and they were ready to slaughter one another without any form of mercy. One side was to leave the throne while the other wanted to preserve the monarchy she had received. The swords clashed against one another as both of her version knew what was at stake and they didn't dare to speak to the other with the exception of the occasional groan and moan. Cuts were made, blasts were fired, but neither of the two fell down to the ground or got killed by the other. Even though the battle was fierce between the Rarity’s, it was over sooner than expected as the two would have found themselves stabbing the other. The two stood on their hind legs and had the left foreleg resting against the shoulder of the opponent. The swords were dripping with red and blue blood as they left the body from the other. In the heat of battle they had managed to stab the other in the exact same spot at the same time. Without words that were spoken towards one another, the two knew that the battle was unwinnable. Even if one of the two could win, the victor would also die from the wounds that were received. Thus the two did that was the best for them. Their horns charged up even more and under two bolts of lightning they just disappeared. The two were just gone and had teleported themselves to someplace else. They had even disappeared out of existence in order to heal themselves up for the next battle that would be waged inside her mind.  “I, I...” Rarity started after she opened her eyes with a slow motion. In her sight came the emptied room and she had given up her hope to see something that would even remotely resemble Shiva. “I step back from the throne! I shall no longer be a queen of the vampiric race!” the unicorn spoke up with a confident tone in her voice. Yet the words she spoke were ones of utmost fear that was flowing through her. The eyes of the unicorn looked around to see if there was anypony that could have possibly heard her. But there was nothing at all. “Guess I won’t be needing this anymore,” she mumbled to herself. The crown got levitated from her head and she just set it back on the table it was found on. With the old queen who had disappeared and the new queen resigned her job only minutes after being crowned, the vampiric race was left without a ruler. They would have been on their own with authority. A manner they were used to by then. They had done it for thousands of years already so Rarity couldn't be bothered with it. Out of her own experience were the only times she and the queen met was when she was summoned to come. But there were other effect that were unseen by the unicorn. Within the shield that covered the castle were the cracks starting to emerge. Cracks that would have lead over to the shattering of it in the end. Thus letting it fall back in the natural day and night cycle that the world carried. And secondly, if she looked out of the window and towards the fog, it could already be seen dissolving. The fog that had kept the place hidden from the world, wouldn't be existing much longer. Thus revealing the castle to the poor souls who dared to come that deep into the woods. It was worry upon worry but Rarity couldn't leave the castle. It would become her home whether the forces above her liked it or not. Any resistance or unwanted sniffling around would be punished sincerely and without mercy. That would be her policy from that day on. It certainly was a step up from her boutique and even more regal than the - supposedly - cursed mansion of Fancy Pants and Fleur Dis Lee. ~~~~   The orange coated, pegasus filly turned herself back around. There were two other fillies who walked away from the scene with sly grins. Her attention was set once again on the young unicorn before she placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Let them talk, Sweetie. Those two nitwits have no clue what they are talking about,” said Scootaloo. The unicorn filly had once again been through another harassment of two other little fillies. The pegasus laid her emphasis on the word ‘they’ for a reason of her own. For the two bullies of their class happened to be still in hearing distance. “Hey!” the gray coated one with the glasses spoke up and the two bullies stopped in their tracks. They would show Scootaloo something of her own dough if she kept going the way she did. “We heard that, you blankflank! And we are not nitwits!” “Yeah, well, if you two weren't...” Without a warning given to anypony had Scootaloo turned herself back around again from the table in the canteen of the school. She almost pressed her head against that of Silver Spoon with a huff. “Then you would show some respect for her and her passed away sister! I might be reckless, but you are just downright arrogant!” The urge to just punch the two of them so hard in the face that the bones would shatter was a dream in her mind. But Apple Bloom had ordered the pegasus to keep herself calm. Not for her sake, but for that of Sweetie. The unicorn filly always had been emotionally weaker than the other two. Neither one of them wanted to lose a dear friend of theirs. “Puh, it is that you say it yourself,” the other filly with a pale magenta coat spoke up. The one who happened to be wearing a diamond tiara on top of her head. “Diamond Tiara... oh how I would love you put you back in your place right now,” snarled Scootaloo to her. Sweetie on the other end just kept eating her lunch. Though her appetite was everywhere except where it had to be. The food went in but it never gave any form of satisfaction towards her. Everything just felt so empty for her. “Shame you can’t, Scootaloo. Because you can’t even fly. Who were you going to call in anyway, Rainbow Crash?” Diamond Tiara teased. If there were two ponies in the whole school who deserved a punishment, it were those two. They didn't care for anypony or anything outside of themselves just because they could and were never taught true respect. “Maybe it should have been the both, if not four of you, that should have died in that fire,” Silver Spoon added only as salt into the open wound. That did it for Scootaloo. All of her wires were going into overdrive. Her hoof rose itself in order to punch one of the two with all of her might. Though as if she was saved by the bell, the two fillies turned themselves away when Apple Bloom finally came into their direction. The bullies left the devastated unicorn and enraged pegasus alone for the time being. ~~~~   Apple Bloom on the other end just sat down on the opposing side of the table and looked to the pegasus with a serious look in her eyes. She set down her plate and then the sigh left her as she laid her forelegs crosswise on the table. “Ah don’t get what Ah need to do with ya, Scoot. The only thing Ah said was you had to keep an eye on Sweetie, yet you are calling a fight with them? Are you outta your mind Scootaloo?” “W-What... no! No I am not! But those two need to be brought by some respect for what they think they can say Apple Bloom and you know it,” the pegasus filly countered. Her eyes locked themselves on the earth pony to engage within the discussion. “Enough, we’ll talk ‘bout it after school. Which is right after lunch. Classes are cancelled for some reason,” replied Apple Bloom before she would start on her lunch. “Words have it that Cheerilee got sick.” “Good,” replied Scootaloo in response. It wasn't meant towards the teacher naturally but more towards her own ability to calm down. Though as soon as the words fell into the ears of Sweetie, the filly stood up from her spot and just left the other two alone. She strapped her saddlebags around her body and then proceeded to make her departure from the canteen. “Hey! Where are you going?” Scootaloo spoke after her. Though a response was she given to her. At least not from Sweetie Belle herself. “She’s going home, Scoots. Home to probably cry her eyes out from what Ah heard from miss Cheerilee. Poor thing...” Apple Bloom spoke up before a deep sigh left through her nose. It was just unimaginable for the two of them. Not only how it would feel too lose a sister, but also seeing just how sad Sweetie was. If she was that sad, nothing could make her happy with the exception of time itself. As both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo judged from the looks their received from the young unicorn, that would be taking a long time. All what they truly could do was to let the events happen as they went by. Whether they liked it or not. Scootaloo shook her head and turned it over towards the table that the two bullies sat on and gave them stares that could kill. Just how the two laughed towards one another at the misery of others. It was just sickening for her. of course knew every single soul that came into the school building what had happened to the boutique of Rarity and just who had passed away. All of them found it just horrifying that the events had walked as they did. Everypony, except Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They didn't understand the concept of death in the least. All they understood was the concept of bits. ~~~~   The two thought they were big and smart but in the reality of the situation were they even slower than Snips and Snails. Scootaloo turned her head back around in order to face Apple Bloom and the look in her eyes spoke enough. Enough to make Scootaloo speak the words on her tongue. “Alright, alright, alright. I’m sorry, okay. I just, I just can’t stand it when those two make fun of Rarity like that. Vampony or not, coming to an end like that, she didn't deserve at all.” Apple Bloom couldn't help it but to let out a little laugh before she took a bite out of her sandwich. Of course didn't Scootaloo understand anything from the actions and tilted her head over to one side. “Huh? Why are you laughing at me?” she questioned out loud. “Because of something what separates you from the rest,” said Apple Bloom after she had swallowed her bite. “Ya’re a good friend. Reckless ya might be, but having the heart on the right place. All those nights with Rainbow did change ya a lot, didn't they?” Then Scootaloo understood how the fork was placed in the handle. She couldn't do much else than letting out a chuckle of her own. “Yes, yes they did change me a bit, Apple Bloom. For the better I suppose.” It was true that Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had been seeing one another for quite the time by then and it was known that the filly slept over by the mare. Scootaloo always said that they were training but the reality of the situation was that most of the time, they would be reading books in the famous Daring Do series. A thing with which the orange coated filly didn't wanted to be captured with whatsoever. ~~~~   Back in the house of the family had Sweetie just closed the door after her trip. She had dropped her saddlebags in the hallway just like that. Much to her own surprise, both her father and mother happened to be home and they greeted her happily. But she never spoke a word in return to them. Instead, she just darted up the stairs and towards her room. Thus leaving her parents in the dust. Magnum looked over to Pearl with a questioning look in his eyes whereas the mare shook her head a bit. “I have no idea how long it will take for her to recover from this. A week, a month, a year. I truly don’t know, Maggy.” Pearl allowed her body to fall on the couch where she would snuggle up against the stallion. Magnum wrapped a foreleg around his beloved wife and nuzzled her gentle through the mane as he tried to say his words. But the formulation was terrible in his mind as it was. So instead he waited a bit longer. “She needs have as much time as she thinks she needs. For us it is tough, but for her it is even worse. We can, how saddening it sounds, turn our heads away from it just for a little while. Sweetie can’t,” he would reply to her before his chin rested on her mane. The eyes of Pearl moved themselves up towards the throat of her husband where she would question his words. Yet in her heart she knew it was true. Not to mention the facts she had learned about their passed away daughter. The situation could become tenser and tenser if she didn't play her cards right. Even if they were morally incorrect. “That, that is true, love,” she would have said in response to his words. The stallion gave her a weak smile before he rubbed over her shoulder and back. Yet his eyes moved over to the ceiling and laid themselves upon the part that would be the room of Sweetie. The place where she had withdrawn herself ever since she heard that happened. It had devastated the young and spirited filly almost as a whole. But deep inside of her, a shimmer of hope still remained. ~~~~   Within the four walls of the filly’s bedroom were all of the curtains closed so that the light would be blocked out of the room. Sweetie herself laid down upon her bed where she would cuddle the stuffed animal with her eyes closed. Yet even with her eyes closed, it was impossible for her not to let her tears flow. The sadness of having lost her beloved older sister was a pain that was almost too much to bear for her. It was something so painful, that all of the insult of the bullies combined couldn't even match up against it. In silence did Sweetie shed her tears while her little mind carried her through the memories of them both. All of the wonderful times they had together as they were. Those would be the only things she could truly call ‘hers’. Or possibly even better said, ‘theirs’. Of course there were the picture albums of both Rarity and Sweetie, but those always spoke a different story than how she remembered it. It were those memories that she cherished the most. That she wanted to cherish the most out of them all. But even with all of her tear falling down her coat, blanket and the stuffed animal, not even the memories would be enough for the filly to comfort her. Hours had she cried upon her bed in nothing but silence and thought about her older sister. Ever so gently let the filly uncurl herself from her ball like position and she dared to leave the bed as a whole. She managed to stand bipedal on her hindlegs and held her plushie tight in her forelegs. With a couple slow steps had the filly made her way to the window. There she dared to move the curtain to the side. Her eyes fell upon the young, evening sun and almost in an instant did she hummed a song of old towards it. Her kind and soothing tone was by many to be considered that of an angel, even though she never saw it in that manner. Her tones of sadness filled with the shimmer of hope that she still had in her body made her song unique. Even if it was an old and nearly forgotten one. And her parents, they had not even the slightest of clues what was going on. When the filly was done with the humming, her position had changed and she found herself sitting on the edge of her bed. Her hoof rubbed over the stuffed and burned animal’s back before she would release a deep sigh towards the young moon. “I miss you, Rary,” she softly spoke up before another tear traveled down her cheeks. ~~~~   Rarity could hear a creaking sound that came from the outside world within the walls of the castle. Her curiosity was greatly sparked by just what could have produced that kind of sound. Her ears led her over to one of the many stained glass windows and the mare looked out of it. Out towards what possibly could have been her doom. Within her eyes she caught a sight that struck all of her horrors at once. The very shield that was set up centuries ago by Shiva to protect her castle in an eternal darkness, was cracking open like a boiled egg. Of course it was all an illusion but it was clearly the point of total destruction and collapse. Time itself slowed down for the vampiric unicorn the instant she had noticed that the rays of the sun. They shone down through the cracks themselves with unparalleled power. With slow steps made by her did she manage to hide herself right next to the window in the shadows. In her mind it would be a safe haven for the fact that it would be remained within the dark shadows of the castle. A thing she prayed to be right on. Then it happened. The unthinkable happened under a near deafening explosion and loud bang. The vampiric unicorn closed her eyes in an instant. She was afraid for that what was going to happen. Her wings had uncurled themselves from her body and they were placed before her face before her entire body lowered itself to the ground itself. If her heart was beating, it would be in her throat at that moment. Outside of the dark stone castle and on the fields that once held the mesmerizing magic, were entire pieces of the thing just dropped down. They fell to the ground and shattered into millions, if not zillions of sparkles. With all of that, it happened that the whole shield was just gone. It had gone up in sparkles that sometimes were the size of a full grown stallion. Only to be replaced by the deadly sun who finally showed itself on the castle. For the first time the shield was put up back in the ancient times, was the light of the sun visible in the castle. The light of the sun crawled its way up over the grassy fields, up the walls of the castle before it would blast through the windows. It went straight into the room where Rarity had hidden herself. Almost as if it was a bomb did the light made its way through the eyelids of the unicorn. The sheer differences in the levels of light was something that she picked up with the eyes closed. Not to mention the fact that it went through the skin of her wings. She expected her body to have erupted into nothing but flames and came to the end of her life, as she had hoped a couple nights ago. A hope that just faded out of her mind the moment she had woken up in the room. It was something that was not entirely on the right place, but it had been that way and she couldn't change it. Death wasn't on her list any more as survival had taken its place. Yet there was nothing that happened to her. No bursting into flames or anything the like. Outside had the sparkles come down to the ground where they would have dissolved out of the existence of the realm they lived in. It was when everything was quiet around her once more, that Rarity dared to open up her eyes and look at her situation. In the very moment she opened her right eye, the mare was blinded by the column of sunlight that beamed through the window. It was so bright that it managed to hurt her eyes. She was only used to the darkness of the castle and night. The magical current that was flowing through her body had collected itself near her horn before the eye opened itself again under a groan of discomfort. Her red rimmed eye traveled up to the top of the window and she noticed something she hadn't seen before. Something that always hidden among the dark. The railing for a curtain and as she looked even further, the curtain itself. Instantly she knew what to do and the magic that had collected itself at her horn got released. All of the curtains in the room got the signature blue aura around them and were forcefully closed by it. Allowing the room to be indulged once again into nothing but darkness. The dark in which the vampiric Rarity lived at best. And under the sounds of a comfortable hiss, her horn discharged itself and she opened both of her eyes again. She rose up from her position and curled the wings back up around her body. ~~~~   “That... that was not something I expected to happen. Nevertheless, every advantage has its disadvantage I suppose,” she mumbled to herself. Her eyes went over to room as a whole before they were rested upon the table with the crown. Within her eyes she caught something else as well. Something that wasn't part of any attire or ritual alike. Something that looked like, a golden ticket. “Well in all?” she whispered in confusion. With careful steps she made her way up to the table and never took her eyes off of the ticket. Her mind recognized it as something that the six of them had once fought for shortly after the arrival of Twilight herself. Something that was so exclusive, that Rarity simply couldn't believe it that it actually laid before her. “A ticket to, the Grand Galloping Gala?” she questioned herself aloud while her eyes went all over the little piece of paper. It was something that she didn't expect to happen at all, especially after the events as they happened already. Of course did both her heart and mind enter yet another battle. The heart spoke about not going to it in order to keep the act of her being dead up. Whereas her mind spoke about going and see how well she could possibly hid herself on an event like that. Of course she knew that the other elements would be there as well and if she came into a confrontation with them, it could pack out disastrous for all six of them. If she needed - or wanted - to go, she of course had to go incognito. Her mind wandered off about a disguise of some sort that she could use. There was the realization of the little fact that she already had one laying around. “Of course!” Rarity spoke up in a happy tone. She turned herself around and headed towards the open door. Soon after it had the expression on her face turned into a grin of complete mystery. In her mind, there was the perfect plan for the near perfect gala. ~~~~   With the gala that was still away for a couple of weeks, the preparations for it were made by everypony that would be present. Yet in the meantime had the family and the remaining elements of harmony something else to keep their minds occupied with. Even though the body of Rarity was never released by the hospital because it was ‘unwatchable’ in their eyes. She still got a ceremonial burial, much like Fancy Pants, as her final respect. A closed casket one that was filled with things each of them had of the unicorn and could do their distance of. The ceremony was exactly as the ivory coated unicorn would have wanted it in all of their eyes. That thought alone created some sort of comfort within their bodies. But nopony could keep their tears away on the moment that the coffin got lowered into the ground. Rarity was widely known all over Equestria because of her representing the element of generosity but also because of her dress designs and overall personality. Both the family and friends had decided in unison that the funeral would be held in private on the very same graveyard where Fancy was buried. Of course there were some who still wanted to pay their respect for the wonderful designer that they had lined up at the gate to go there after the ceremony was over. But there were also the usual skeptics that just couldn't believe that the story was true. Which it indeed appeared to be in their eyes. It seemed like the whole country was in a state of grieve at the death of the ivory coated unicorn. All of the friends and family comforted one another all of the time while the tears streamed down their faces. Both Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash seemed to be having the hardest of difficulties with the events. One was of course completely understandable whereas the other was a bit more of a unique case. For Rainbow had never gotten the opportunity to apologize for her ridiculous deeds done during their final encounter. She knew she had been foolish and foalish with them and after she got over her fear, time just wasn't given to her as everything went so fast. The pegasus had regrets of not stopping by on an earlier time. Though as much as they could grieve about their fallen friend, daughter and sister, the ponies had to continue on with their lives. Whether they wanted it or not. even though most didn't want to let go, it was Twilight who came up with a little something that was possibly the best solution of it all. There would be a meeting held for the mare every Sunday. When most of the others would go to church or things the like, the friends and the family would come together at the grave to honor Rarity. The mare they all thought to be dead. But the reality of the situation was something far more grim and even gruesome. Of course was the death of Fleur Dis Lee also quickly discovered but the burial for her was nothing than a cremation. One that was done by the employees that once stood in her service. None of the friends nor family she claimed to be having as much dared to show their faces upon the ceremony. Word had it that they were all afraid of things that were left unexplained. The overall mood on it was cold and heartless, much like how Ruby had found her in the first place. The killer was never found due to the lack of evidence and since nopony had seen Rarity sneaking around which meant that all traces led to a dead end. The case would never be resolved in any manner. With the owners of the house passed away, the ponies that served as the workers fell apart from their group as time went on. Each of them went a different way and was recruited by another estate to work in. Even the ever so loyal Ruby eventually had to leave the decayed mansion. Whether she wanted it or not, she had to. It was of course a smack in her face as she had been working for the two of them nearly all of her career. But she knew she couldn't stay there. Not with the roaming ghosts of the two she had seen every so often. Ghost stories and haunted tales did their turn over the estate quickly and faster than anypony Canterlot could have thoughts, the house became simply known as the haunted estate. The daring souls who managed to explore through the house often came with stories. Stories about the very sight of both Fleur Dis Lee and Fancy Pants doing things within the mansion. Just regular and ordinary things they would have done when they were still alive. But it sure crept everypony out of their vests or dress. There was even a sighting of the two ghosts that stood before a window and just looked at the road the mansion was set next too. Yet no true confirmation of that had been found to that date. ~~~~   Then the night of nights was just there. The Grand Galloping Gala was just there nearly a month after the ceremonial burial. The party of parties for the high class ponies had arrived in full glory. One evening that would either make or break a pony that tried to get some success in life. It always was the party of the year and the guests wore the most eccentric outfits. From a simple vest with a walking cane and top hat, to the most complex of dress designs that were made by Rarity. Yet what was the most relieving to the five of them was the sheer fact that they could enjoy themselves for once. They had put their grievances aside and continued on with their lives much as the unicorn would have wanted them too. And they didn't disappoint on the matter. Where on the first time they went to the occasion, they all had their expectations a little bit too high. Which they actually lowered down by such a lot that so they could just enjoy themselves for the ponies they were. All among the high classier ones that lived all over the county. Yet nopony minded the five of them, though they prayed in silence that it wouldn't turn out in yet another fiasco. The five friends all wore their original gala dresses as a small tribute made towards Rarity herself. She had fabricated them with tonnes of love for all of them. Much to their own surprise, they were still fitting perfectly snug around their bodies. With the music that played the calm tunes for the waltz of a lifetime, it was Pinkie Pie who managed to dance in a civilized manner with other ponies around her. Stallions even went so far to ask her for a dance which often ended in them dancing a waltz. Rainbow Dash on the other end didn't want to dance at all. She was talking to some members of the Wonderbolts. Their conversation wasn't all too deep though but it was more than interesting within the ears of the rainbow maned pegasus. She wanted to know - quite literally - everything that they could be saying against her. Applejack had taken it even easier. With a smile on her face was she just looked over the partying ponies from a distance. She found that watching them was in fact a lot more fun than joining them. A thing which Fluttershy would discover soon enough herself as well. “Uhm, Applejack, why are you standing here while everypony is over there?” she spoke up in her usual and shy voice while she approached the cowgirl. The earth pony allowed a single chuckle to leave her mouth before she turned her head over to Fluttershy. With her body that still leaned against the wall and her legs crossed she spoke up her words in return. “Flutters, Ah have never been the one for a party as Pinkie, or been talkative as Twi.” One of her booted forelegs moved itself over to the stairs were Twilight could be seen talking to Celestia and a couple of other ponies. “Nah, Ah like to watch ‘em more than joining ‘em. See it as, a shepherd takin’ care of the sheep.” Fluttershy nodded in an understanding manner towards the words as she could see where Applejack was coming from. “Oh, I do like sheep. So fluffy. You, uhm, mind if I stay with you? The gardens are emptied of the critters,” she said before a blush came to her face. “Heh, sure thing partner, though we might search ourselves a bit more comfortable place to sit down. Mah legs are slowly starting to kill me right now,” replied Applejack before she removed her body from the wall. Together they left the place and walked up to a table that was empty. The biggest part of the evening they would just sit there, talked to one another and enjoy the view that was given to them. It wasn't the worst one either. The terrace was elevated to such a height that everything inside was clearly visible for everypony. But Applejack and Fluttershy had the best available spot as it was one that was right near the railing and thus had a view on all over the floor. ~~~~   Even though the evening and the gala were going on in their full force, there was one guest that was still missing. And that very guest stood knocking on the door. One of the guards who was being dressed for the occasion in a suit, walked up to the stage where the band was playing their songs and he tapped the microphone a couple times to see if it was working. Happy with the outcome, the band behind him stopped playing for a bit. “Ladies and gentlecolts, may I have your attention for just a moment, please,” he spoke up. Those words were more than enough to get the entire room looking at him. “Thank you. As you all know, every year there is always one guest that is a bit on the late side. This year wasn't any exception to that rule at all. But that doesn't mean we can’t give her a greeting that is fit for somepony like her. May I have a round of applause and a warm welcome for the missing and very special guest of the night, Miss Mystique.” It was within a single second that the whole room erupted out in a curious yet loud clapping. Princess Luna herself - who had been keeping herself quiet on top of the stairs, even further up than Twilight and Celestia - looked down at the door to see who would enter. She knew who would come. Then she came in like a true lady. A mare that had a white coat but was covered in a simple gala gown. One that bore almost the same color scheme as the coat of Luna herself. The face itself was hidden under the lid of a hat and it wouldn't be revealed either. The horn went through a specially designed hole. It secured the piece of headgear on top of the head itself. Nopony knew just who she was but the princess of the night had her ideas and suspicions about the mysterious mare. It was Luna who jumped off of the stairs and then glided over towards this, Miss Mystique pony. Of course it was just a rather well known pony who wore a rather simple disguise but one that proved to be working like a charm for her. The mighty princess of the night landed almost right before the entering mare before her wings were tucked back. She bowed through her forelegs in a manner as if she was meeting another royalty. The hat wearing unicorn returned the bow and the rest of the ponies continued on with the party as it were. “It is good to see you here,” said Luna after she rose back up from her bow. “The feeling, is mutual, your highness,” replied Miss Mystique in a tone that was clearly altered from the real one. Yet it was brought in such a manner that it could be believed to be her real one. She had spoken a voice changing spell over herself hours before the gala itself. The lunar princess let the lady for what it was. Luna joined by her elder sister to stroll around the place and indulge themselves in talks with other ponies. High class or not, it didn't matter to the both of them. On that one night in the whole year, the spotlight wouldn't be aimed at them at a constant rate. It was the only night in the year that they could lower themselves to the degree of Twilight and her friends, to just be ponies. Not a single mare or stallion would have glanced at them strange. It was only for one night though. ~~~~   Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack and Fluttershy all had searched up one another and as a group they discussed the things they had done so far but they also spoke about the new guest. None of them seemed to be truly trusting her as she was, just so hidden in their eyes. “Is that a problem, ladies?” the changed voice of Miss Mystique spoke up as she walked passed them all. Her eyes were aimed at the five of them, even though it couldn’t be seen. “N-No, not at all miss, we, we were just surprised that is all,” replied Twilight rather quick. She watched how a hoof moved itself up to the barely visible chin of the mare. “Say, aren't you five the mythical elements of harmony, are you? I have heard quite the lot about you,” she spoke up in her sweet sounding tone. But if listened closely could the tone of nopony else then Rarity be heard within it. And so it happened that the five of them entered a deep going conversation with the mare that was simply known as the mysterious, Miss Mystique. And she was a tough nut to crack that was one thing that stood for sure. For she allowed little to no information to go loose about her true identity. Or better said: her true self. She was an enigma for the other mares. Yet within her presence there was the feeling of something pleasant. Familiarity even, some wanted to say. The mares seemed to be enjoying the company of the mysterious mare a lot more than they originally had thought they would do. Which she didn't mind at all of course. ~~~~   With the hours that passed by like a breeze, was the closing act of the famous gala at the point of beginning. Some of the ponies had already made their departure from the event as they had trains to catch. But those who stayed would be treated on something spectacular. All of the guests had been enjoying themselves to their tops and Miss Mystique was just chatting to other members of both the guards and guests. She would have spoken about everyday things with a glass of wine in her magical grasp. Luna looked over to the skies while she stood on the balcony outside. She let her gaze fall over Celestia who nodded to her. The younger alicorn knew what she had to do and was more than ready to make the closing act of the gala for that year. A fitting end to an amazing party would have been given by her. The mare of the night left the balcony while her sister continued to watch over the ponies below in the garden enjoying themselves. The lunar princess walked up to the stage where the band got interrupted for the last time during the evening. “If you want, you may pack your things. For this is not going to require any form of music,” she spoke up towards them. All of the members nodded and they silenced their instruments. Something that already caught the attention of many ponies. Yet all of the attention was given to Luna, as she tapped the microphone. Then the nerves managed to hit her hard. Where she was good at speaking to one pony in private, against a group was a bit harder than she ever would have expected. Though slowly did her words leave her mouth. “E-Evening everypony. As, as the night crawls by, the gala for this year is coming to an end. A saddening thing it is indeed, but, but, but, if you have taken a good look at the skies tonight, it was visible that the moon wasn't there. Well, it is there, but hidden. That it because, the closing act of this year’s gala, would be a wonderful, full moon. One that will be as close to the land as it is possible without messing up the tides too much. If, all you would head over to the balcony and the garden please. If, if you wish to see it of course.” Much to her own surprise was nearly half of the still present ponies did what she asked, whereas the other ponies left the event for what it was. They didn't believe that the moon rise, or the super big moon was something of value for them. And there was of course the excuse of them being tired and wanting to go to bed as the hours had gone past midnight for a long time. “Fluttershy?” Applejack spoke up while she tried to find the pegasus both in the little crowd and the group. “Any of y’all seen Flutters? She was here not even a minute ago.” But none of the other four ponies had seen the pegasus and the thought rested on the fact she had gone home to rest. If only that was the reality of the situation in which the poor mare found herself truly in. ~~~~   Then the lunar alicorn stood there on the moon altar. Prideful, powerful and majestic. The princess of the night was ready to perform the closing act of the gala. Even though she looked solid on her hooves, she was everything but. Celestia had that through almost instantly and calmly made her way over to her younger sister. "Tia..? W-What brings you here?" the younger alicorn brought out gentle, but also in confusion. "Just making sure that everything is alright, Luna. I know you are nervous, but there is no reason to be that. You can do this," replied Celestia with a smile.  She gave her beloved sister one last nuzzle on the nose. Then she was gone. Gone to rejoin herself within the crowd that had their eyes set on two points. The first being Luna herself, the second being the skies for that what come. With a deep exhale rose she herself up in a bipedal stance and the eyes were closed. In all of her mental and physical serenity were the wings untucked and spread to their maximum width. The sights alone were majestic enough, but it was only the tip of the iceberg. Because then it happened. The horn of the younger princess allowed itself to coat within the cobalt blue aura of her magic. All channels were opened in order to make it just, work. Luna's eyes kept themselves closed but she could feel the sheer attention she was given by all of the other souls present. She knew she couldn't fail, and it was that thought that she kept hammering on herself. Yet even under that pounding, the calm and peaceful posture of power remained. And then it happened. The cobalt blue aura just shot up into the skies above them in all of its glory. Smoke left the horn of the dark blue alicorn who slowly opened one of her eyes. "Come on... come on... come on," she mumbled to herself. With the pack of clouds that were used to cover up the object for the time being, they had to be removed as the magical charge would pull the moon closer to the land itself. ~~~~   Luna was about to give up her hopes, mere seconds after she had fired the blast. With all of her calculations she had estimated, the process would be been going on by then. But there was nothing that could be seen. Yet it was Celestia who still kept her fate in her sister. A fate that was rather well placed. A minute after Luna had closed her eyes again and wanted to admit her defeat, there was something that happened. The clouds broke open to reveal a large sphere high up in the skies. One which irradiated the purest of lights with a cobalt blue rim around it. It almost looked an eye. An eye that looked upon the land and world the lived and worked in. And it kept coming closer. Closer and closer. "The eye of the night." Luna spoke prideful to herself with a smile. All of the sudden it came to a stop. It just hung in the skies while the seas became rougher and the rivers dryer. It was a price that had to be paid but the result was wonderful to witness. Something that wonderful and that majestic filled the eyes of every remaining guest for the evening. None of them had seen something so marvelous in their lives. The princess of the night could even hear the words that were spoken about it. Words of awe, worship and overall utterly amazement. Something that in return ignited a fire in the heart of the younger, royal sister. A fire that had been wanting to ignite for such a long time. A single tear of complete happiness left her hidden eye because of joy. Yet then she dropped herself back to the ground with a reassuring sigh. You are worthy of the night, she thought to herself. ~~~~   It was just after Luna had performed her magical ritual that caused the moon to rise far closer than anypony had ever seen that the applause that she got for it louder than any other one that was given on that day. The princess of the night felt herself relieved, loved and worshiped by those who were still present. A poor comfort for something that happened many, many years ago in her life. But the raise of the moon also was the call that the event had been over. All of the remaining ponies made their departure from the castle after they had thanked the royals in person. All, with the exception of five, little ponies. It were the remaining four elements of harmony who were there because they stayed over at the castle. Celestia herself had invited them for such a thing. And then there was Miss Mystique who also happened to be still present. Luna wanted to speak to her after the event, about what was unknown to everypony. The five mares and the princess of the sun had returned back inside where they would recall the gala already and share their own experiences with one another. Whereas Luna and Mystique would remain on the balcony with the doors tightly shut behind them. Nopony had ever seen her face during all of the events and sometimes they even wondered if she was able to even see what was going on. For the hat covered her face for the most part. But Luna wasn't interested in her identity because she knew all too well who it was but never showed it to any of them. “Girls...” Applejack spoke up. She was the interruption to the conversation between the five of them and the princess. All of them looked at the cowgirl and she pointed her hoof over to the windows that had showed the balcony. “Ah don’t think they‘re having a good time over there.” All of the ponies followed the hoof with their eyes and what they saw were both the mysterious unicorn and the alicorn of the night in a heated argument with one another. They could only guess the words that were spoken by two of them, but whatever they were, they were bad. Twilight gently charged up her horn, but Celestia pulled in before the spell could be released. “I know you have the desire to know what is going on between the two of them, my faithful student. But we have to give them privacy. If not, who knows what will happen. Luna being angry at all of us, Miss Mystique drawn out even further from society. I am not risking any of that,” she spoke up while she laid an hoof down on the shoulder of her student. The horn of the unicorn then powered down while a deep sigh left through her nose. She knew that Celestia was right on the matter. If Twilight would have proceeded on the listening spell, she would have broken the sheer privacy between the conversation of the two. Something that she started to feel disgusted off the more the thought about it. “Alright princess. But, what do you suppose we do then?” she spoke up before she turn her head over to her mentor and teacher. “We shall let this matter be resolved by nothing more but time and time alone. The two of them, this is their battle and none of us should interfere within it. When Luna walks through that door, she shall go straight to her room,” the princess of the sun spoke up before her tone raised itself a bit. “This, applies all of you. Nopony speaks against my sister when she comes back through that door. Am I understood?” All of the ponies had turned themselves around and gave a nod towards Celestia. “Good,” the mighty alicorn replied to them all. She then turned her attention back to both her sister and the mysterious mare. ~~~~                         The more they watched the two arguing ponies, the more the tension was felt before it just snapped between the two of them. It could be said that luck was on their sides as there were no magical blasts which were fired upon one another. In the far end, the conversation was broken and the mysterious mare rose her head up. In that split second that she would release a ‘mph’ towards a princess no less, Twilight noticed something. Something that reminded her of nopony else but Rarity. She meant to have seen the sapphire blue rimmed eyes and the purple dot of mane. To her knowledge there was only one pony had such a combination that wandered around the world. But the confirmation of the thought was never given towards her as Luna opened the door and stamped in with a growl. Miss Mystique lowered her head again but stayed still on the balcony to leave the angry alicorn. Celestia prayed that none of the mares would speak up to her younger sister but she closed her eyes as she prepared herself for the worst to happen. It was the silence of the mare that took the upper end in the room. Luna kept on stamping through the room. She indeed did as Celestia had predicted and just left. Luna didn't wish them all good night or anything the like. She just left the room without a single word. A thing that caused Celestia to sigh through her nostrils and whisper her words. “Sister, my sister, you never change now do you?” Twilight heard the words of course and turned her eyes gently over to the white coated alicorn. But the guts to ask the questions she wanted never found themselves. After Luna had completely disappeared from the room, was it Miss Mystique who dared to enter it. She turned her covered face over to the six of them by the throne itself. Her words chimed through the air in the tone she had been speaking in for all of the evening. That ever so sweet voice with the hints clear to hear. “Forgive me that such a lovely evening and night had to walk out on such a harsh argument between your sister and myself, your highness,” she said to them. “It, it is quite alright. My sister always has been a bit of a hothead from time to time. And I suppose that time is not going to change that anytime soon. Nevertheless, I do truly hope that you had enjoyed yourself on this wonderful evening. If you are feeling you should go, I won’t be holding you,” replied Celestia to her with a weak smile. Miss Mystique made a polite bow. One which moved her through her forelegs at the spoken words of the royal princess and replied to them with a few of her own. “It was a wonderful evening, your highness. I simply can not thank the both you enough for inviting me. But yes, it would indeed be the time for me to make my departure. Farewell to you all and the best of luck with future adventures,” she returned to the alicorn of the sun. All of the ponies waved over to the mysterious mare and she then made her departure from the room. She would be heading off into the deep and black night whereas the others would go to their beds in the castle. Yet Twilight could not shake the thought out of her head. Everything seemed to be pointing over to Rarity. But that very mare had passed away and they all knew that all too well. ~~~~   It was when everypony was vast asleep that Twilight managed to drop the thought from her mind. She came to the conclusion that it was just a misperception that her eyes had made. After the whole evening and night of talking and partying had she become as tired as one could be. In the end did even the great librarian fell in a peaceful sleep that seemed to have been much needed. Luna on the other end had stomped her way towards her bedroom and growled over to the guards who almost jumped aside at her arrival. They were just terrified by that what she could do. Luna glanced over them both and then proceeded into the room without a word spoken. Once she had found herself once more within the realm that was her very own bedroom, the alicorn of the night dropped her body unto her own bed and her head disappeared into the pillow. Only to release more growls of anger. Growls that would continue all the way up to the morning sunshine, for than she would finally fall asleep herself. ~~~~   Deep within the woods of Everfree could the hat wearing pony found herself on the path that was leading over to no place else then the castle that she had claimed as hers. The fabric of the hat and dress made sure that not even a shimmer of moonlight fell upon her mane and cutie mark thus keeping the secrets as they were supposed to be. Hidden from any and all who wanted to know. But knowing that it was revealed and actually visible in between the treetops would nothing be as simple as it would have sounded. She had been repelling the unwanted guests out of it ever since the shield had fallen. Which also served as her main source of food. Two birds in one stone, one could say. Though the encounter that was coming up, was something not even the mysterious unicorn could have possibly expected to come. Somepony had been spying on her, following her in the darkness of the forest. Out of the woods themselves there was the voice of somepony eerily familiar that spoke to her. A voice that was feminine of origin and wasn't pleased at all. “Miss Mystique, what a surprise to see you here on this empty crossroad. What brings you here to begin with?” it spoke up to the mare. “My business is my own and nopony else does have the desire to know that. But I may and should make the suggestion that you come here and look me in the face when you speak to me.” the mare replied in a cold tone. She rose her head up far enough to look through the treelines. But no matter in which direction her eyes went, they never saw the pony that spoke to her. And most likely was that for the better. The last thing she wanted was an encounter within the woods. “That would be just fine,” the voice spoke up again and out of the branches she appeared. She landed on all four of her hooves before her whole body rose up. An azure blue coated body with a cornflower blue mane was revealed before her. The violet eyes of the unicorn mare before her almost pierced through the lid of the hat. They stared right into the spot where the eyes of the mysterious mare would be. Having more than enough of her own game of hide and seek was the horn of Miss Mystique charged up and then the hat was fixed upon head. Witt great care were the sapphire blue rims revealed to the other mare. A thought of just who it might be came to her mind. A thought she didn’t even believe at first. “Oh, oh, oh, now this is just too rich in Trixie’s eyes! The mysterious mare standing right in front of her. And all of the time she had been on that dreaded party of the royals without speaking a word,” the mare spoke with a grin wide on her face. In an instant and out of instinct did the two assumed a stance that was ready for battle. The two wouldn't show any mercy towards one another at all. In silence there was another brawl that broke out. Punches got delivered to both of the unicorns while the horns remained nearly untouched. Where Trixie tried to knock the hat off and see just who was under it, Miss Mystique on the other end just wanted to get rid of the unicorn once and for all. For the longest of time had the two been in a feud against one another and even though their last encounter was a lot more peaceful, the one they found themselves in would be everything but. With a snarl that came from Trixie was dumped upon the ground like she was nothing and Miss Mystique had more than enough of everything. The ivory coated unicorn wasn't in the mood to fight it out against a mere mortal that boasted herself with nothing but lies and deception. Before Trixie could even stand back up was she forcefully pressed against the ground by a hoof of the mare and the truth was finally revealed to her. For Trixie was able to look under the lid of the hat and saw the face she had seen more than once. A face she thought to be dead and buried. “Im-Impossible! Trixie knows you're dead! She has seen your gravestone!” “About that little fact, small mistake made on Fleur her department. I am not that easy to kill,” answered Rarity in a cold tone, but also in her normal voice. The spell had worked out shortly after she had left the gala and her sapphire blue rimmed eyes turned themselves into the blood red ones. From her standing position, she just gazed deep into the mind of Trixie. The blue unicorn could already feel the pain that was racing through her mind. The pain of the flesh hooks which set themselves within her brain and just tearing it open. All of her memories being locked away or even wiped out for no reason while her thoughts got flooded with nothing but Rarity. The vampony wasn’t in the mood for a fight and just wanted to end everything. Making her a slave, was perhaps the best option. Who on earth would have missed Trixie? ~~~~   Within the vision of Trixie had everything turned black. Everything she saw just faded away. All with the exception of those haunting red eyes. Those were the only things that remained visible for her and her mind got even further crushed. Where she continued to struggle more and more against Rarity did everything within her body just go numb. Almost as if she had died from a brain overload. Which was about what happened to it. What truly happened to the illusionist was that her mind was so far crushed by the glammering of Rarity that she was truly unable to think for herself anymore. The mind and soul that once were the ever so boastful Trixie Lulamoon were nothing more but shimmers which were locked away in a chest. And from that moment onward had the real Trixie died and was being replaced with a being that would be only obedient to Rarity herself and nopony else. If the blue unicorn was ever going to be released, she wouldn't be able to even function normally. Even less normal than ponies were already used from her. The magician blinked a couple of times towards her mistress and then spoke up her words. “W-Why is your hoof on Trixie’s chest?” Rarity then removed the hoof from the chest with a deep huff and then had one deep look over to her eyes. Everything that was free willed was completely annihilated as the violet rims, turned themselves into a gray coloring. “You, shall go to my castle and wait there for my orders. Understood?” Rarity spoke up in her dark undertone and added a small hiss at the end. The tranquil slave understood the words right away and was off almost instantly. From that day onward would Trixie simply serve in the court of a vampony. A vampony that showed little to no remorse towards her yet it would only be a foreshadow of the horrors she could do towards others. ~~~~   Minutes later had the dressed Rarity found herself strolling once more through the woods, she was one with her thoughts. She didn't care about the fact if Trixie would be inside the castle already or not. She had her own things upon her mind and that mare, was not one of them. But little did she knew, that everything was at the point of becoming even worse than it already happened to be. For deep within the bushes, a beast was lurking upon her.                     A beast had gotten her in its sights and seemed to have followed her after she and Trixie separated. The meal was right there, a snack for the night. One measly little pony was wandering there, oblivious to the fact that it was there as well. One slash of the claw was all it would have taken to bring her down. Time was running out. The attack had to happen, fast. Yet that same beast that was something that Rarity had never expected to come after her. Ever so slowly it set the steps onto the ground. It followed the unicorn almost parallel through the trees. It was only after Rarity had entered a small, open spot with grass, that she made the decision to rest upon the ground. In order to collect what little was over from her mind. The words that she had exchanged with Luna weren’t some that did her good either. She just wanted to take some rest there, but a loud howl that did its turn rather close to her location. The vampiric unicorn knew that trouble laid ahead of her. She just didn't knew the location of where it would come from that frightened her the most. Then she caught it in her eyes. A grayish, yellow coated wolf-like being had jumped out of the forest and rushed over towards her. The beast was hungry for fresh flesh and the unicorn stood on top of the dinner list. “Oh no,” was all she could say. First there was Trixie, followed up by a wolf. The best night had turned into one of the worst. Yet Rarity had always been playing the game of ‘hard to get’. That was something that came to her great assistance during the attack of the beast. Quickly she got back on her hooves and evaded the closing jaw of the beast by the skin of her teeth. The unicorn of grace looked over to the beast that turned itself around for another round. She spoke up her words as some kind of taunt. “Want to play that game, come and get me you piece of filth.” And so another battle erupted for Rarity. She had no idea who or even what it was, but the entire night she had been lurking out fights with ponies and then beings she didn't even want to. The wolf snarled towards her and then charged in again. The claws got flung into every direction as the jaw continued to snap shut in her eyes. It was a miracle that Rarity could fight of such a beast. Yet she had enough of the battle as well and charged up her horn in order to release a blast. A blast that would originate from below the creature and knock it away from her. “Come on you, stupid doggy, I have had much worse than you!” she said. Rarity still spoke in a taunting tone towards the beast before the charge was released. ~~~~   In the moment that the magical punch made contact with the chest of the wolf, the creature’s eyes opened themselves wide towards Rarity. She could see clear within the eyes of it. They happened to be a set of eyes that she knew all too well. All because of their kind expression. Though there was nothing kind about the attacks made by either of them. The wolf got flung backwards but one of the forelegs managed to knock - if not tear - the hat off from the unicorn her head. An action that caused the mane of Rarity to fall back into their natural position and revealed her face for the second time upon the evening. As the beast landed on the ground, it quickly stood up again and it looked right into the eyes of Rarity. But the unicorn had figured out just what the wolf happened to be, as the wings of a pegasus were clearly visible. “Lycan," she muttered in silence. The unicorn could feel the sheer hatred for the species flowing through her body for whatever reason. The vamponies and the lycans always had been sworn enemies of one another. The reasons were some that no mere mortal should and could possibly know. It was something that came up ever since the origin of the two. Most commonly it was thought that the two species were battling it out because there could only be one group. While that thought was partly true, there was just so much more behind it. So much more hidden mythology between two creatures that shouldn’t exist. The lycan shook its head a couple of times before it would charge the unicorn again. The only problem was that Rarity had flung herself forward for a tackle towards the beast. What followed was a major collision between the two creatures. They rolled along the grass while snarling, hissing, punching and scratching the other. They gave one another everything they got to make sure it wouldn't get up anymore. Death had to come for one of them, and neither wanted to lose. Yet against the odds of the lycan, was it Rarity who had managed to work the wolf to the ground. With a combination of both her hooves and magic had she managed to secure the creature to the soils below and she was simply ready to end it all. But as the unicorn looked into the eyes of the lycan, there was something within them that she recognized all too well. Something that reminded her of somepony she knew and loved more than any other being she called a friend. “N-No,” she whispered up in utter disbelief. “That, that is just, impossible. You, you can’t be...” The wolf itself just looked at Rarity with a pleading look to say the name it carried since birth. And the unicorn looked back into the eyes while a tear of blood formed one below hers. “F-Fluttershy..?” ~~~~   It seemed to be so surreal for Rarity at the point she spoke the name. Two friends that had known one another for ages, both happened to be turned into creatures of the dreaded night. They were almost slaughtering one another. And for what? A feud that happened thousands of years ago because of a couple morons that couldn't live together in one world? It truly wasn't something that Rarity had expected to happen anytime for certain. The mare let of go the limbs of the wolf and as she took more and more steps back, the horn discharged itself and thus releasing the neck. Rarity became genuinely terrified of what she might have done to a lifelong friend, if she hadn't made the discovery in time. She could only release a shiver to show her concern. The wolf on the other end, it rose back up on the paws with a whimper of pain. It then just stared into the eyes of Rarity. The tail swayed gentle from side to side as it too, couldn't believe what it saw. “R-Rarity..?” was spoken in the soft tone of Fluttershy, but the growling undertone remained no matter what. Even though it was odd for a wolf of those calibers to even speak against her, the mare quickly dispatched the very thought for the time being. Instead she just nodded while the tear traveled over her cheek. “Yes, Fluttershy, it, it is me, Rarity.” “You... were dead... the fires in your, boutique.” Rarity then couldn't hide it anymore. She looked right into the wolf like face of her precious friend and she had to tell her the truth as it was. “I, I never died, Fluttershy, I survived but could never return because, well, I’m a vampony.” She had openly confessed her secret towards her friend. “Better than... living with... these,” replied Fluttershy with a soft, defeated voice before she rose up one of her clawed forelegs. Even she was ashamed of what happened to herself and after a second of being suspended in the air, the leg moved itself down. The vampiric unicorn looked back into the eyes of her friend. Eyes that had managed to regain their color again instead of the sheer gray they irradiated at first. “No, you aren't always like you are now dear. I am. I need to feed of the blood of the living to survive, just blood and nothing else!” Rarity spoke up. She wanted to make the wolf feel calm, as if they were talking to their real selves. Though they would continue to have their argument as a set of true friends. Yet they realized that they weren't all too different from one another. Of course it had to be said that their friendship played a major part within the story as a whole and that was what saved them from charging one another mindlessly before one was being killed in cold blood. ~~~~                   “I, I can’t undo what has been done to you, Fluttershy. But, but I can let you learn how to live with it. Embrace it for what you are,” said Rarity eventually. Their words had brought them nowhere else than the starting point. With slow steps did the two walk to one another. They both had placed their fate in one another and could only hope the other wouldn't lash out. While their nature spoke about charging and ripping to nothing but shreds, their hearts spoke about the friendship the two had built up over the course of time. A time that was far longer than the time they were turned into the unholy creatures that they were. Yet where the unicorn wanted to embrace the wolf in a tight hug, Fluttershy wanted to know just how it was possibly for Rarity to have survived something like the fires in her boutique. When the two were close enough by one another, it was the unicorn who wrapped her hooves around the neck of Fluttershy, who on her turn took a couple sniffs from the mysterious mare. As wonderful as it seemed that her friend had returned, it was still hard to believe for certain. Yet as the many scents of the unicorn entered the more advanced nose of the pegasus lycan were all of them to be found upon one particular mare. And that mare, was nopony else than the true Rarity. Fluttershy had found her friend again. After such a long time of living in secret and believing she was gone to the afterlife, her best friend in the world laid simply in her forelegs. The nails retracted themselves as she returned the hug tight. “Rarity... friend... Fluttershy.” “Yes Fluttershy, I am your friend until the end of time itself. Always have been, always will be,” replied Rarity in an emotional voice. She looked into the eyes of the lycan. Within them it could be seen that the pupils changed. From their wolf size back to the more normal pony size. And out of a complete nowhere it was Fluttershy who started to nuzzle the nose of the unicorn ever so happily. ~~~~   But as with everything, there had to be an end and the lycan and the vampony found themselves on the way towards the castle she had taken her residence in. One moment she had nopony in those walls and the other moment she had both a slave and a ‘pet’ of some sorts. For the two had come to the agreement that Fluttershy would live with Rarity for as long as it was to be needed and it would be the lycan that would serve as the guard dog for the unicorn. A beast that would so no mercy or remorse when being released upon unwilling visitors or violators of her land. even if it laid just so far in the woods. It seemed that the option was taken right out of the blue but it wasn't the case. For Rarity had truly pondered just how a lycan of Fluttershy’s capabilities would possibly work for her. Everything came on the order but was quickly terminated by the insane amounts of insanity the plan had. If she could have found another use for her friend, she had taken it with love. But there simply wasn't any. The more they walked, the more of the castle became visible within the eyes for the both of them and Fluttershy was genuinely impressed by the sight that was to be revealed before her. She had expected Rarity to live in a place of class after the burning down of her old home, but she never had expected the place to be looking like it did. “Nice... home,” she brought out with a smile. Rarity nodded and looked over to the eyes of her friend. “It is indeed. It truly is a place one has to love and in all honesty, I do truly love it for what it is. It kinda fits me, don’t you think?” “Yes... it does. But where... you got it... from?” the pegasus lycan asked in an honest and curious tone. Yet it was the sheer speech pattern that really managed to kick Rarity off of her side every single time. For the times that she spoke with the normal Fluttershy, it was all perfectly fine albeit a bit shy. Perhaps there was more to the intelligence of her lycan ego than she had originally thought that it would be as she could still talk instead just growl and roar. Though the question itself did hurt the unicorn in a rather sensitive spot. “That, my dear, is quite the long story to be told and shall be told through the passage of time. How about, we enter it, hm?” she spoke with a small smile on her face. One that hid all of her teeth. It was a cheap shot to get the attention of Fluttershy off of the question and the pegasus took the bait almost instantly as she nodded in an agreeable manner. “Yes we... shall,” she replied before the two of them walked inside through the gate and were greeted by Trixie. The lycan almost immediately growled towards the magician. Though Rarity stepped in before anything bad could have happened. “Fluttershy, this is my servant, Trixie. Keep her in one piece, understood?” The creature perked the ears to the words and allowed a soft growl to be released into the world before she gave a nod to the words. Trixie herself just looked with a terrified look into the eyes of the lycan and the beast could just smell the fear that was traveling through her. It was delicious but the words were given. Fluttershy continued to walk in further with her crawl scraping again the stone floor. The azure blue coated mare looked over to her mistress with a questioning gaze. “Don’t, give me that stare,” said Rarity in a cold tone. “The last one who did that, got killed by me.” ~~~~   Minutes later could the three of them found within the throne room of the ancient castle that once belong to Shiva - the so-called queen of the vamponies. Yet the old queen had perished and the new one had left the throne quicker than anypony could have expected. Despite not being of royalty anymore, the vampiric unicorn still sat upon the throne with her eyes peeled to the doorway. Her red rimmed eyes stared into the darkness of the night while the fangs were visible for all to see and behold. She made it no secret that she was a vampony to anypony who would have entered. At the foot of the throne and to Rarity’s left, laid the lycan in a sideways position. Her light grayish yellow coat shone a little bit in the light of the torches, it also revealed the pinkish coloring that walked over her neck. The leftovers of her mane and the tail itself, covered up one of the two hindlegs with the claws exposed. She laid there in a position to protect her ‘master’. She too just looked into the darkness of the night, preying on anything that could be found. The newly recruited slave of the vampony stood raised in a bipedal pose and with her back against the wall just below a stained glassed image. The forelegs were crossed over one another and the eyes were closed as she appeared to be in thought. Within the silence of the room, whose only real sound were the raging fires of the torches, it was Rarity who dared to speak up in the depth of night. With her new ally’s and own knowledge, she was a force to be recognized with yet nearly nopony even knew of her existence upon the face of the lands. Her bat-like wings uncurled themselves majestic in order to reveal the vampony in her fullest of glories. After that she allowed herself to take a deep in- and exhale. The words that left her mouth as she sat on the throne were some of great wisdom. “Even though every book has its end, that doesn't mean the story is over.”