It’s been a rough couple of hours for Fluttershy. First, she misses her period which had her mother in a frenzy, next she failed her history exam on account of having a splitting headache and lastly, she butchered the next door neighbour’s cat, Mittens.
She stood in her room and looked at herself. Her reflection was somehow getting paler and more see through. She felt her own forehead to make sure that she wasn’t having a fever and hallucinating.
“Ow!” she brought away her hand quickly.
Her forehead was freezing cold. She shook her head and fell back on her satin sheets. Presently, a fluffy white ball bounced onto her chest and slid down her breasts to rest on her neck.
“Oh, Angel,” she whined. “What do you think is happening to me?”
The rabbit tried to offer an explanation but his squeaks went un-understood. Fluttershy smiled appreciatively at the effort and allowed him to snuggle up to the side of her face.
Badum!
Her eyes opened wide. What was that? Was someone at the door?
Badum!
That sounded way too close to be at the door. Her window?
Badum!
Her floor?
BADUM!
Her head?
BADUM! BADUM! BADUM!
She turned to her pet. Angel? He wriggled a little to get comfortable. The steady beat kept up in Fluttershy’s head. Then she realized what it was. She was hearing his heartbeat.
BADUM! SHHHH!
Blood flow. And what was that intoxicating scent? It made her so… hungry.
“Angel,” she whispered.
The rabbit turned its head to face her as if to ask what she wanted. She smiled, her eyes glazed over. She blinked and a red glow bathed the bunny. He began to shiver but his body refused to move. She reached out her jaw muscles toward his neck. Fangs grazed the poor animal’s neck before she snapped to attention and realized what she was doing.
“Fluttershy!” Kind Heart called from downstairs. “Dinner!”
Dinner? Dinner meant food.
Fluttershy jumped up and practically crashed through her door. She slid down the banister; something usually left up to her little brother Soul Searcher. She hopped into her chair and picked up the fork. She stared at the empty plate in front of her.
“Where’s the food?” she asked.
“Someone’s hungry,” Kind Heart observed as she came out of the kitchen with a salad bowl.
“You wouldn’t think so after she ate Mittens this morning,” Soul Searcher voiced.
“Stop it,” their father, Care Taker, ordered. “That’s a mean thing to say.”
“But it’s true,” Soul insisted. He turned and pointed to his sister. “She really did eat him. You can fi—”
Fluttershy silenced him with one of her trademarked Stares before he could reveal the existence of Mittens’ carcass in her closet.
“Food,” she insisted.
Kind Heart scooped up a heaping helping of lettuce and cucumbers and placed them in her daughter’s plate. She arranged the carrot sticks neatly in a circle around the edges of the plate and stacked tomatoes in the middle.
Fluttershy was not impressed. She sniffed the salad as if to question its authenticity and wrinkled her nose. This wasn’t food. Not by her (new) standards.
“Where’s the meat?” she asked impatiently.
Everyone at the table gasped.
“Shy,” her brother said. “You’re a vegetarian, remember.”
She gave him a tired look. “This isn’t food,” she told her mother. “It’s green.”
“Fluttershy,” her father spoke up in one of his few moments of authority. “You’re going to eat it.”
The teenage girl jumped up angrily. “How about I eat you?” she growled. Her teeth filed themselves to fangs and gleaned menacingly at Care.
Everyone backed down. Fluttershy’s eyes burned red for a good twenty seconds before cooling down to their normal cyan shade. Her fangs retracted to rounded canines and her angry look became apologetic.
“I’m sorry,” she squeaked and ran from the table, up the stairs to her room.
She slammed the door and bolted it. What was she thinking? Was she going to… eat her father?
Fluttershy wasn’t sure what was going on but one thing was sure, she couldn’t stay in the house. At least not for that night. She’d almost eaten her pet rabbit and her father and it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet.
She went to the mirror to get a good look at herself but her reflection was completely gone. This was just too weird.
She went across the room and opened the window. She stood on the sill and looked out at the town. The wind whipped around her pink hair and cooled her already icy face. It would be great to just grow wings and fly like she did a few weeks ago with that Twilight Sparkle girl. If only her wings hadn’t vanished after they defeated Sunset Shimmer. She spread her arms and whined to the sky:
“I want to fly!”
From her back, two thin bat wings expanded. She looked at them in a mix of pleasant surprise and horror. She… just grew wings. She flexed them and they responded accordingly. Could she fly with them?
No. It was a stupid idea. She turned to go back inside when she heard Angel’s heartbeat again. Not just his, she heard the heartbeat of everyone in the house. If she stayed, her new appetite was going to make her do something she would regret. Mittens regretted it.
With another flex, she spread her wings and a contract caused her to take off.
Flying was the best feeling ever. The wind was chilly but the feeling of freedom was amazing. She marveled at it for a full two minutes before she remembered that she was afraid of heights.
She immediately set her sights to land in the nearest open area.
Rainbow Dash was practising her soccer skills in the field of Canterlot High. Being the team’s star player didn’t just happen, it came with four hour practices in the field at nights. Coach didn't know about it but it was unnecessary for him to. She had made friends with Gate, the head of security and he let her in every night except on weekends when he wasn't working.
To stay awake for four hours, she had to hit back a ton of Red Bull. It kept her alert but it had its side effects such, say, seeing her timid friend fly overhead on transparent bat wings and land at the end of the field.
She was so surprised that she kicked the ball at an awkward angle. It hit the goal frame and ricocheted right back into her face. She landed flat on her back.
Fluttershy ran over to Rainbow Dash. Her friend lay unmoving on the grass with her ball rolling comically beside her.
“Are you okay Rainbow?” she asked.
Rainbow sat up.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “That hurt like hell though.”
Fluttershy smiled at her friend’s attempt at bravery. She patted Rainbow on the back and helped her up. Rainbow threw her head back and took a deep breath. Several red blobs splashed on Fluttershy’s sweater.
The athlete looked down at Fluttershy then touched her own nose. Her fingers came away bloody. She shook her head dismally but generally unconcerned.
“Sorry Flu—”
Fluttershy silenced her with a roar. Rainbow Dash cowered as her friend’s eyes became red. Fluttershy grabbed her and bared her fangs.
“Shy,” Rainbow pleaded. “I’ll buy you another sweater. Calm down!”
The timid girl licked all the blood from Rainbow’s face and savoured it. She let out a sound akin to a purr. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and snapped at Rainbow. The other girl moved back as much as she could and Fluttershy only caught her shirt, which tore.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow screamed. She struggled from the other girl’s grip and hopped back a couple paces.
Shy growled. Rainbow used her feet to pull the ball to her and kicked it in the air. Shy advanced on her but she kicked the ball straight in Shy’s stomach. The ball bounced back and the vampire gagged. She looked up with one last hateful look and ran off toward the school. She dived through the window with Rainbow staring after her.
It was almost five minutes afterwards that Rainbow managed to sum up what she was thinking:
“What the fuck just happened?”