//------------------------------//
// Corruption, answers, troubles 
// Story: Vampire Night II 
// by Phazon_Corrupted_Unicorn 
//------------------------------//

A pair of dark green eyes studied the small town of Ponyville under the half moon. The creature stared around at the many rooftops, watching and waiting. He could smell it, the faint scent of blood. One of his prey was here. It had been two, but one had vanished just two weeks ago. He tilted his nose to the sky, inhaling slowly, as he enjoyed the smells of the night.

Movement caught his eye. Something fluttered down from a cloud home, gliding toward the center of the town. He focused, watching what looked like a pony as it headed toward a large building. His ears picked up the faint sounds of music and a party. He curled his claws around the tree branch as a fire burned within. He wanted to search the town, tear each building apart until he found his quarry. But there were rules he needed to abide by, ponies he needed to talk to. He leaped down from the tree and bolted away from the sleeping town. He had a lot to do before tomorrow morning, a lot to do before he could begin the hunt.

: : :

Rainbow Dash stepped out her front door, smiling at the sight of the half moon that sat in the sky, the stars twinkling around. She spread her wings, the leathery membrane catching the soft, night breeze. She closed her eyes as she felt a shudder run through her body. Her tongue ran over her teeth, feeling the familiar points of her fangs. Her eyes filled with sadness as she looked down at the vacant cottage that sat at the edge of the town. It had been two weeks since Fluttershy and she had fought Tasty Treats, two weeks since Fluttershy had submitted herself to justice. Rainbow didn’t know what happened when Fluttershy had left the room, she and the girls didn’t ask Twilight about it. They wanted to, but feared the answer, so they never asked.

Her stomach growled. It had been about a week since she’d fed. Scootaloo had discovered what she was and offered to help in any way she could. It had been that same night Rainbow had fed on her psuedo-sister. She couldn’t forget the squeals and tears of that night and she swore never to feed on a living pony again. The next day Scootaloo had left and hadn’t returned. It had thrown Rainbow into a fit of depression, even suicidal. She’d tried everything to end her life. Drowning didn’t work, she didn’t need to breathe. Impalement didn’t work, she healed shortly after being pulled from the object. She’d even pleaded with Twilight to kill her, burn her body and scatter the ashes to the four winds. But it never worked.

She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memories. Her stomach growled again, reminding her what she needed. She looked down at Sugarcube Corner, the lights were on and music echoed through the town. Pinkie had been up earlier and invited her to a “Get Happy Rainbow Dash!” party. She had shook her head and agreed. Now, as she looked down at the town, she was almost regretting her decision. She took a deep breath, then pushed off the cloud, letting the air catch her wings and slow her fall into a glide.

She landed just in front of the bakery, outside the streaming light that shone through the windows. She stared inside, seeing her friends dancing and enjoying the party, and started to move forward until she caught sight of her reflection. Her ears were pointed, tufts of fur sticking up and out. Her wings were leathery and devoid of feathers, though still cyan. Her eyes were the biggest giveaway. They were a deep red, blood red. Her jaw hung open and she saw the tiny fangs that poked out from her normally straight teeth.

“I don’t want them to find out,” she whispered, concentrating. She watched as her wings grew feathers, her eyes brightened to her normal rose color, and her ears shrank back to their soft forms. She smiled, then frowned as her fangs still poked through. She concentrated again, trying to get rid of her fangs. She looked at her reflection and smiled, then sighed. Her fangs were still there.

She looked toward the door, slumping her shoulders. As long as she didn’t open her mouth, she’d be fine. She pushed open the door, only to have her view filled with the bubbly mane of her friend, Pinkie Pie. “Hi Rainbow Dash! I’m glad you were able to make it! It was really lonely without you and that’s why I’m throwing this party for you, just so you can smile again!” Pinkie rambled, “so come on, give me a smile!” And before Rainbow could do anything to stop her, Pinkie grabbed the corners of Rainbow’s mouth and pulled it into a smile, revealing her teeth to the entire room.

Rainbow gasped and pulled back, out of Pinkie’s grasp. “Pinkie!” she shouted, her eyes darting around to her other friends who were luckily engaged in other activities, “don’t do that!”

“Ooo!” Pinkie moved forward, “what was that in your mouth?” She lifted a corner of Rainbow’s lip and peered into her mouth.

“N-nothing,” Rainbow replied.

“Really? Cause they look like fangs.”

Rainbow’s stomach dropped. She laughed nervously. “T-they’re not fangs,” she stammered, “I’m just getting ready for Nightmare Night.”

“Well that’s silly. Nightmare Night was just two weeks…ago…” Pinkie’s smile faded and her mane started to fall flat as her eyes became distant, her eyes watered.

Rainbow sighed, then wrapped her friend in a hug. “I’m sorry Pinkie,” she whispered, “I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“N-no,” the pink mare sniffled, grabbing a napkin from a nearby table and wiping her eyes, “it’s not your fault.” She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow and squeezed her close.

Rainbow stiffened as she felt the pulsing of the party pony’s blood through her veins, heard the pounding of her heart, felt the warmth of her body against her own. She leaned forward and brushed aside Pinkie’s mane, revealing her throat and the tantalizingly close vein. She opened her mouth slowly, ready to plunge her fangs that now extended to twice their normal length into Pinkie’s throat. Her eyes slid half closed and a smile crossed her face as she bent down.

“Rainbow!”

Rainbow snapped out of it, her fangs shrinking back to normal and her eyes snapped open, as Pinkie jumped and released Rainbow. Rainbow glared at Twilight who stood there, watching the two mares from a table. She growled under her breath as her stomach twisted in pain at the denial of food.

“Rainbow,” Twilight stated, more caring, “come have a seat. I’ll get you some food.”

Rainbow pushed past Pinkie. “Or you could be food,” she growled to herself as she walked toward the table. She pulled out a seat and plopped down as Twilight stood up and fetched a few cupcakes. She returned, carrying two glasses of punch. Rainbow’s mouth watered at the mere sight of the punch, a deep crimson red. She grabbed the goblet out of Twilight’s magical grasp and pulled it toward her, downing the entire thing in one gulp. She shuddered as she felt the juice flood her stomach, but groaned as it growled. She whimpered as a stab of pain shot through her and she clutched her stomach.

“Rainbow,” Twilight asked softly, “how long as it been since you fed?”

“Since Scoot left,” she whispered.

“That was a week ago!” Twilight exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down, “this can’t be healthy for you!”

“You think I care?” Rainbow retorted, “two weeks ago, my best friend died, leaving me here like this. Maybe if I starve, then I’ll see her again.”

Twilight’s hoof connected with Rainbow’s cheek. Rainbow sat there, stunned. The blow hadn’t hurt her, very few things had these past two weeks, but she was stunned at Twilight’s reaction.

“Don’t even think of that!” Twilight hissed, “I won’t lose another friend, not if I can help it!”

“Well, you’re going to lose us anyways,” Rainbow hissed back, “what about when the others die? What then?”

Twilight sat back, her eyes downcast and stunned. She’d never thought about it. Her wings fluttered behind her and she glanced back at them. Ever since becoming an Alicorn, she’d never thought about immortality. To be honest, now that she did, it frightened her.

“Listen.” Twilight looked up at Rainbow, now sitting there not making eye contact to her, “I didn’t mean that.”

“No, you’re right,” Twilight replied, “I’d never thought about it before now.”

They both stared down at the table, not knowing what to say as a cloud of sorrow hovered over the two of them. Rainbow reached out and picked up a cupcake, popping it into her mouth and chewed. It didn’t satisfy her hunger.

She glanced around, watching her other three friends drinking and talking as music buzzed in the background. She found herself staring at each of them, sizing them up.

“Rainbow?” Twilight’s voice sounded in her ear, gentle like a breeze.

Rainbow watched Applejack walk over and fill her cup with punch, then smile at her and walk back to the table she shared with Rarity and Pinkie. Rainbow watched the farmer pony move, see every muscle in her body ripple as she did.

“Rainbow?” Twilight’s voice was fainter, like she was walking away from her.

Rainbow could almost hear the pulse of blood through Applejack’s muscles. She could see the faintest of twitches as the farmer’s veins pumped blood, that rich, red, delicious nectar that would satisfy Rainbow’s thirst. Before she knew it, she was standing on her hooves and started to walk toward Applejack.

“Rainbow!” Twilight’s voice might have been a part of the song, for all Rainbow heard her.

Rainbow let her mouth open slightly, her fangs growing as she walked toward the other table. Her eyes darkened to a deep red and tufts of fur poked up from her ears. She felt a slight itch on her wings and she stretched them out and flapped them a time or two. She was so close to Applejack, she could smell the mare’s delectable scent.

Applejack turned around and saw Rainbow walking toward her. She smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but paused as Rainbow’s appearance made her raise an eyebrow.

It was at that moment Rainbow caught sight of her target. A pulsing vein on the side of Applejack’s neck, thick and tantalizing. She fell into a predatory pounce, coiling up her hind muscles, then leaped at Applejack who stood there with shock on her face.

Before Rainbow could come within a hoof of Applejack, she found herself launched across the room. Something lay on top of her, trying to hold her down, to hold her back from her prey. She growled, swinging her hooves to fight off whoever was stopping her from feasting. A hoof connected with the object, tossing it off her, and she rolled over and launched herself at Applejack, who at least had some sense to put a table between her and Rainbow. But it would only serve as a launching pad for Rainbow’s attack. She growled and beat her wings, now leathery and paper thin, giving her the lift she needed to slam head first into Applejack. They tumbled to the ground and Applejack wrestled with her, trying to throw her off as Rainbow slammed a hoof against the farmer’s head, disorienting her. She shoved Applejack’s mane to one side and growled in victory as she saw her prize.

Before she could bend down and feast, something hit her from the side, flinging her off the stunned farmer. Rainbow’s view was filled with lavender and feathers and she reached out with her hooves and grabbed hold of anything she could. She felt feathers in her grasp and she yanked, earning a scream from her assailant. She was about to kick her assailant off when she found herself wrapped up in an embrace.

“Rainbow,” Twilight’s voice came in her ear, calming, “if you need to bite anypony, bite me.”

Rainbow, through her hunt-induced blurry vision, saw Twilight tilt her neck to one side, displaying a primary vein to the Vampony. She didn’t even think about it. She hugged Twilight close and sank her fangs into the vein. Rich, coppery, sweet blood flooded her mouth and she moaned around Twilight’s neck in pleasure. Twilight crumpled to the ground and Rainbow followed her, sprawling out on the bakery floor. Rainbow felt the wonderful feeling of being satisfied, no, full! She loved the taste of blood! She couldn’t get enough of it! She bit down harder, trying to squeeze as much of the sweet nectar as she could from the willing mare.

The bakery was filled with moans, gulping, and slurping as three, stunned mares looked on. They couldn’t do anything but stand there, their mouths hanging open. Finally Rainbow pulled her fangs free and arching her back as a grin spread across her face, one that made the onlookers shiver in fright. She smiled down her muzzle at the others, then her eyes rolled back and she collapsed on her back, a drunk smile on her face, as she passed out.

: : :

Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stood there, stunned, at the sight of two of their friends sprawled out on the floor before them. Both bore blood on their coats, making the three mares shudder at the sight. Rainbow was sprawled on her back, a drunken smile on her face while two fangs stuck out, a small drop of blood hanging off the tip of each. Her coat was darker than normal and her leathery wings twitched as she slept. Twilight was more worrying. She was laying on her side, her breathing shallow, her face pale, and her wings missing feathers. Two puncture wounds in her neck bled rivets of blood, staining her coat a deep red-purple.

Applejack snapped out of it, grabbing a stack of napkins and running over to Twilight, and pressed several napkins to the wounds. “Pinkie!” she shouted, snapping the baker out of her state, “help Rainbow!”

“B-but,” Pinkie stammered, her mane falling flat, “s-she’s a Vampony.”

“She’s a friend!” Applejack retorted.

Pinkie slowly shook her head, backing away from the rainbow-maned mare laying on the floor. Fear danced in her eyes as she stared at Rainbow, tears running down her face and falling onto the ground. “She’s a Vampony,” she whispered.

Rarity looked at the scared baker, then hurried over to Rainbow. She grimaced at the blood droplets on Rainbow’s fangs, but bent down and lifted her into a chair. Rainbow groaned in her sleep and chuckled as she sat in the chair. Then Rarity turned back to Twilight. Applejack had removed the first stack of napkins and replaced them with another, the first stack was soaked in dark red blood. She growled at the futility of it all, pressing down hard on Twilight’s neck. Rarity lit her horn and lifted Applejack off Twilight.

“Hey!” Applejack protested, squirming in the air.

“She needs healing, darling,” Rarity stated, moving the napkins aside and letting the rivets of blood to resume, “and unless you can get the doctors here, she’ll need it now.” Her horn flickered, dropping Applejack off to one side, then re-lit, focusing on Twilight’s neck. The wounds closed and the rivets stopped. Rarity let go of the magic, sweat running down her brow. She picked up a napkin and wiped her brow. “There,” she said, exhaustion in her voice, “that should hold her for now. But we’ll need to get her to the doctors, I don’t know how much blood she lost.”

Applejack nodded, then walked over and hefted the unconscious Alicorn onto her back and headed to the door. Rarity followed her, glancing back at Pinkie, who had now curled up in the corner. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Rainbow Dash breathing softly in a chair. She paused at the door. “Pinkie, darling,” she asked softly. Pinkie turned her gaze to the fashionista, fear dripping off her like the tears that ran down her cheeks, “are you okay?”

Pinkie just drew in a ragged breath, then screamed as loud as she could, covering her eyes with her hooves as tears flowed from them. She blubbered and jabbered, not taking her eyes off Rainbow. Rarity wrapped Pinkie in a hug, only to have Pinkie push back against her. Pinkie crawling away, rubbing her arms like she had bugs crawling over every inch of her. She bumped into a wall and curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably and shaking her head as her screaming faded out.

Rarity turned back to Applejack who stood just outside the door. “Go on ahead,” she stated, “I’ll stay with Pinkie.” Applejack nodded, then stepped into the darkness and vanished. Rarity heard a strangled yell from Pinkie and she looked back at the mare who had a hoof extended, almost begging Applejack not to leave. Rarity walked over to sit by Pinkie, who only stared at her with horror on her face.

“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

Pinkie could only shake her head, muttering something to herself. Rarity leaned in closer.

“They’re all gone,” Pinkie muttered, over and over, each time more tears ran down her cheeks and splashed onto her hooves.

Rarity wanted to pry, she really did. Her friend was hurt, emotionally distraught. But she didn’t want to do something that couldn’t be fixed. So she sat there, leaning against the wall, and watched Pinkie cry.

Applejack returned shortly and Pinkie heaved a shaking sigh of relief. She got up to hug the farmer, but froze halfway there as Rainbow twitched in her sleep. Pinkie returned to her corner, shaking. Applejack looked at Rarity with a question on her face. “What happened here?” she asked.

“Absolutely nothing,” Rarity replied, “nopony’s moved from their spot. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going home to get some rest. I’ll visit Twilight tomorrow.” She stood up and left the bakery, pausing at the door to look back at Pinkie, then walked out into the night.

Applejack watched Pinkie as she moved closer to the almost catatonic mare. Pinkie’s hooves twitched, and it looked like she wanted to reach out to Applejack, but couldn’t.

“Sugarcube, are you alright?” Applejack asked softly when she got within hoof distance. Pinkie shook her head, her eyes wider than Applejack had seen them. Applejack stood up and started to walk away from her, only to feel a hoof pulling on her tail. She looked back to see Pinkie having a hoof full of her tail. “Don’t worry, sugarcube,” she replied with a smile, “Ah’m just gonna get a blanket. Ah’ll be back shortly.”

Pinkie relinquished Applejack’s tail reluctantly and Applejack hurried off to a supply closet, returning with a large blanket that she laid over Pinkie, then sat next to her and leaned against the wall. Pinkie reached out a hoof and grabbed Applejack’s, pulling on it. Applejack smiled, then slipped under the blanket. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Applejack’s barrel, pulling her close and Applejack rested her legs on Pinkie’s.

“Please don’t change,” Pinkie whispered, “I don’t want to see another friend change.”

“Ah won’t,” Applejack replied, “not if Ah can help it.” She rested her chin in Pinkie’s bubblegum mane as Pinkie cried into her neck. Finally the exhaustion caught up with the two mares and they slipped into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

: : :

Morning found Twilight sitting in a hospital bed, glancing out the window at the rising sun. She turned to look as a doctor walked in, holding a clipboard. “Well, Princess,” he stated, “it appears as if you are fully back to normal. Your blood pressure is normal, as is your magical energies.” He set down the clipboard beside her and held out a pen. “Just try not to do anything dangerous again,” he asked, “I don’t want to make this a biweekly routine.”

Twilight smiled, thanked him, then signed the sheet. She handed it back to him, throwing off the covers and walking out of the room. She proceeded out of the hospital with a slight urgency in her step. She needed to check on Rainbow and the rest of her friends. She also needed to make sure that none of the newspapers found out about what happened last night.

Part way to Sugarcube Corner she spied a large group of Thestral Ponies walking toward her. As they neared, they knelt and bowed their head. The one at point stood up straight and tall.

“Your Highness,” the stallion stated, snapping a salute, “we’re here on request of Princess Luna. She worries for you and the rest of the Elements of Harmony, and has dispatched our squadron to be at your disposal. She has assigned a flight for each Element of Harmony and we would like to report to our assignments as soon as possible.”

Twilight nodded, scanning the large group, counting nineteen Thestrals. “Thank you, General,” she stated, “but I count enough Thestrals for six Elements. Perhaps you have not heard about the event that occurred two weeks back?”

“No, your Highness,” the General replied, “I have heard. The nineteenth Thestral you count is a new trainee. She was assigned to us yesterday and it is Princess Luna’s wish that she get some training. Princess Luna saw this assignment as an easy one, and thus permitted her to join our squadron. We will have a flight of three Thestrals helping her out and teaching her the ropes. I hope you do not mind.”

“Not at all, General,” Twilight stated. She studied the group, spying the new trainee in an instant. She was unsure and held closely to one of the larger Thestrals. “If you will follow me, I was heading for a rendezvous with my friends and your assignments.”

The General nodded, glancing back at the trainee and smiling, then followed Twilight, the squadron following his lead and strolling down the street. Ponies out and about gave the large group glances, then went about their day. In no time they arrived at Sugarcube Corner and piled in. Twilight scanned the room to see Applejack and Pinkie Pie curled up in a corner with a blanket over top of them, while Rainbow lay, passed out, in the middle of the floor. A small stain of blood clung to the fur on one side of her mouth and she drooled as she snored. As the last Thestral closed the door behind them, Applejack stirred awake. She looked around at the state of the room, then up at Twilight, rubbing her eyes with a hoof.

“Howdy, Twi’,” she stated, standing up and causing Pinkie Pie to slump over onto the ground with a thud, jerking awake. She glanced over at Rainbow and shuddered, then looked at Twilight.

“Hi, Tw—” Her voice fell silent as her eyes grew wide. She raised her hooves to her mouth as she gasped for breath at the sight of the nineteen Thestrals standing in her bakery. Then every pony in the room had to plug their ears as she let out a bloodcurdling scream that echoed through the building and out into the street beyond. Ponies who heard it shuddered, whimpering as thoughts of loss and pain flooded their mind.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, barely hearing herself over the scream. She moved next to the screaming pony, trying to talk to her. Finally, she lit her horn and a lavender aura wrapped itself around Pinkie’s head, then seeped into it. Pinkie’s scream petered out and died as she slumped over into Twilight’s hooves. Everypony in the room stared at the passed out pink party pony with worry in their look. Twilight looked up at the General and said, “perhaps, due to the response she just had, I would advise against assigning Thestrals to her.”

“Agreed,” the General stated, “I shall write a letter to Princess Luna and ask for her advice.”

“Thank you. When you have it written, I’ll have Spike send it,” Twilight replied. She turned to look at Applejack and Rainbow, who had barely woken up and was now rubbing her eyes with her hooves. “Applejack, Rainbow, these are Princess Luna’s Thestrals,” she stated, “and Princess Luna has requested that we let them guard us. Probably so nothing like two weeks ago happens again.”

“Well shoot,” Applejack stated, “Ah can’t say no ta some new hooves on tha farm, so long as they know how ta work.”

“I assure you, madam,” the General stated, “any one of my Thestrals are quite capable of doing anything you request. Anything.”

“Well, is that so?” Applejack walked straight up to the General and stared him right in the eye, smirking.

“And I don’t want somepony slowing me down,” Rainbow protested.

One of the Thestrals broke off from the group and walked over to Rainbow, studying her as they walked around her slowly. When they stopped in front of Rainbow they wore a smirk of confidence on their muzzle. “We’ve undergone training that would make the Wonderbolts quiver and cry like fillies,” they stated, “I’m sure you’ve heard of the Shadowbolts before, right?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “The Shadowbolts was just Nightmare Moon trying to trick me into breaking my loyalty to my friends,” she stated, waving a hoof.

“She had to get the idea from somewhere,” the guard stated, “little known fact: the Shadowbolts are kept from competitions because Celestia wants to give everypony else a fighting chance. No pony knows much about them, but I’ll tell you that they’re the only ponies that have every performed a double Nightburst.”

Rainbow couldn’t keep the surprise off her face. “The Nightburst is a Thestral’s signature move in the sky, similar to my Rainboom,” she whispered in awe, “I didn’t think it was possible to go faster than that.”

The guard smirked again, then leaned over her head and sniffed at her wings. Rainbow caught a whiff of something sweet and she felt her face grow warm. “Although,” the guard stated, stepping back, “I’d say you were right on track to being able to perform your own double Rainboom. You just need some training.”

Before Rainbow could ask for any information Twilight cleared her throat, drawing everypony’s attention to her. “Where’s Rarity?” she asked, “the General tells me that there is enough Thestrals for a small flight for each of us. I’d feel safer the sooner we all have guards.”

“She went home shortly after I returned from droppin’ you off at the hospital,” Applejack replied.

“If you would be so kind,” the General stated, “would you show us the way?”

“Of course, Ah wouldn’t mind. Ah gotta get back to the farm,” Applejack stated and walked out the door as six Thestrals followed her.
Twilight glanced over at Pinkie Pie, asleep again thanks to her sleep spell. Her brain whirred, curious to the baker’s reaction. What had caused it, and why? Why was she so afraid of Vamponies? “Rainbow,” she asked. Rainbow turned to look at her and she continued, “do you mind finding out a few things for me?”

“Uh, sure Twi,” Rainbow replied slowly, “though I have a feeling I might regret it.”

Twilight gave her friend a comforting smile. “I just want to find out if Pinkie’s had any contact with Vamponies in the past,” she stated, “anything to warrant her reaction.”

“I think I can do that,” Rainbow replied, nodding, “it shouldn’t be too hard. I’ll fly to her farm if I have to.”

“Thanks Rainbow. Now,” she turned to look at the remaining thirteen Thestrals, “if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your quarters while you are here in Ponyville.” The group nodded, then followed her out of the bakery, Rainbow following them all. Twilight walked toward her castle, seeing Rainbow duck away from the group and head for town hall. She strode up to her castle and pushed open the doors. Her guards watched the group with caution, though many raised an eyebrow at the contents of the group. They’d been assigned to Princess Twilight by Princess Celestia, and featured many of the best in her guard, but Thestrals were something new. Many guards had heard about the strange ponies, guardians of the night and protectors of Princess Luna, but not many were fortunate to see them. Though, as the two groups watched each other, Twilight’s guards couldn’t help but feel like there was something underlying the Thestrals’ appearance.

Twilight led them down a few hallways until she arrived at an empty one. The rooms here were still empty, Twilight wasn’t sure what she needed to, or could, put in so many rooms. She was just glad that she’d have something to do with them all. She gestured to the hallway. “Choose any of these rooms you want,” she told the General, “nopony uses these rooms and so you will be able to fix them up according to your desires.”

The General dismissed half the group to organize the various rooms, then turned to Twilight. “If you would, your highness,” he stated, “we would like to see where we could find you. Your routine, as it were.”

Twilight nodded, then led the way to the library, to the kitchens, down the hall to her bedroom, finally ending at her throne room. She pushed open the doors and stepped inside, allowing the six or so Thestrals move into the room. They scanned the room, searching each nook and cranny for hiding places and secret passages. Twilight watched them work, her eyes scanning each of them. Finally her eyes rested on the trainee who, instead of searching, stood in front of a crystal throne. Twilight walked over next to her and looked up at the throne.

Fluttershy’s familiar, triple butterflies stared down at her. They seemed to glow softly in the light of the room and Twilight couldn’t help but feel guilty. She had basically sentenced one of her best friends to death, and Fluttershy had walked willingly to face it. She wondered if she’d be able to face her death with the same courage and determination.

“She was really brave, wasn’t she?” the trainee asked, her voice reverent and low as she stared up at the cutie mark.

“Yes, she was,” Twilight agreed.

“I had heard that she was taken to Canterlot after…”

“Yes,” Twilight sighed, lowering her head, “Princess Luna had stated that she wanted to give Fluttershy a proper ceremony, one suited for the bearer of the Element of Kindness. I went up there myself and watched them close the casket. Princess Luna personally laid her to rest in one of the coffins placed underneath the Hall of Remembrance. A prayer was said, or at least that’s what Princess Luna stated it was. To me, it sounded a lot like ancient equestrian, something I’m not too familiar with. I haven’t bothered to look up the meaning, I don’t want to remember that day, the day one of my friends died.”

The trainee nodded and lowered her head, then turned to the General as he called for all the guards to gather. She followed the Thestrals out, glancing back to look at Twilight who was still sitting in front of Fluttershy’s throne, tears running down her face and splashing onto her coat and the floor. “Not all ponies we love, die,” she whispered to herself as she walked out of the room.

An hour later a guard tapped a hoof once on the door to the throne room, causing Twilight to glance up. She wiped her eyes on a fore leg, then asked, “yes?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, your highness,” the guard stated.

“No, don’t be,” Twilight stated, gazing up at Fluttershy’s cutie mark, “it’s still too fresh.”

The guard nodded as they walked into the room. “Death is never an easy thing to get over,” they acknowledged, “we never ‘get over’ it, we just grow adept at hiding the pain.”

Twilight nodded and extended a wing. The guard took the unstated command and moved closer, allowing the soft feathers to wrap around them and for Twilight to pull them into a hug, her head resting on their shoulder. Princess Twilight was much different than Princess Celestia, the guard thought, she was new to the workings of politics and, being new to the long life of an Alicorn, she still needed time to get used to the idea of loss. The guard felt something wet fall onto their shoulder and they could feel Twilight shudder. They reached up a hoof and tenderly rested it on the spot between her wings, rubbing gently. It was a soft spot, one that both Pegasi and Alicorns had, and when properly rubbed it would calm the pony.

The two ponies sat there, a guard comforting their Princess, for several minutes while Twilight’s breathing slowed. The guard was about to move when they felt Twilight whimper and hug tighter. “Just, just stay like this,” Twilight whispered. The guard nodded gently and a few minutes later they found they had a sleeping Alicorn on their shoulder. Twilight had barely fallen asleep with the guard heard the clopping of hooves outside the door and saw another guard peek in.

“Her highness has a visitor,” the guard stated.

“If it is not a Bearer,” the first guard replied softly, “they can wait until tomorrow. Her highness is tired and requires sleep. Send some Unicorns to assist her highness in retiring to her quarters.”

The second guard nodded, then pulled their head back out of the room. The first guard heard hooves moving away from the room and they gazed down at the sleeping Alicorn. “Sweet dreams, your highness. You deserve them.”

: : :

Rarity opened the door to her boutique, looking out into the daylight. She yawned, then quickly looked around and sighed in relief as she saw no pony around. It wouldn’t do for somepony to see her yawning so unladylike. She smiled to herself as she breathed in the fresh air, then noticed Applejack walking up with a group of ponies that reminded her of Flutterbat, leathery wings folded to their sides and the small glint of fangs hanging out from each pony’s mouth. She raised an eyebrow at the sight of silver armor and crescent moon decoration in the center of the barrelplate. “Good morning Applejack,” she smiled at her friend as the group came to a stop in front of her shop, “to what do I owe the occasion?”

Applejack gestured toward the six ponies behind her, “these here are Princess Luna’s guards, says they’re here ta guard us in case somethin’ happens.”

Rarity walked past Applejack, studying each pony as she walked around them. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind some guards,” she stated slowly and thoughtfully, “it would give me some help around the Boutique, and I can design a few new pieces. Tell me, darling and please don’t take me as rude, but what kind of pony are you?”

“Thestrals, Generosity,” one of the guards stated, smiling at her.

“Thestrals,” Rarity whispered to herself, “bat ponies?”

The guards chuckled, then the first guard answered, “yes, it’s our more common name. We prefer Thestrals, but Bat Pony works as well.” He grinned and Rarity shivered at the fangs that hung from his upper jaw, glistening.

“Well,” Applejack said, chuckling at Rarity’s reaction, “Ah guess we ought ta be off to tha farm, got plenty of work to do.”

“Y-yes, indeed,” Rarity stated, her voice shaking a bit as she watched the guard, “I’ve got orders to fill and work to do.”

The Thestrals gathered together and talked for a second or so before splitting up into two groups of three, each one moving behind the two mares. Applejack nodded, then waved goodbye to Rarity before turning and trotting off to the farm, her Thestrals following her. Rarity watched her go before turning back to her boutique and stepped inside, her three Thestrals following her. She closed the door and turned to face them. They glanced around the boutique, their eyes studying every corner, every window. Rarity could see their minds whirling as they took in every detail.

“Now then,” she stated, drawing the attention of one of the guards while the other two moved about the room as they poked into every alcove they could find, “how will this work? What do you suspect you’ll be guarding me from? The only Vampony in Ponyville was…taken care of two weeks ago.” She shuddered as she remembered seeing Fluttershy walk out of the room and off to face the three princesses alone.

The guard smiled again, revealing those fangs once more. “We’re not here to protect you from just Vamponies,” he stated, “there are other denizens of the night that might, and will, seek to hurt you s-five.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow at the stutter, but smiled and stepped forward. Her face darkened as she stared up, undaunted, at the soldier. “I run a business here,” she stated, “and I will not have ponies, paying customers, being chased away by Thestrals. I will assume you mean no harm to my business, but if I find out that you are preventing me or my customers from receiving or giving business, you can bet your wings that I’ll be taking this up with Princess Luna.”

The guard snapped a salute, standing at attention. “Understood,” he stated, “you have my firm and unwavering word as a servant of my Lady that your business shall carry on as if we are not here. Your customers will not know we exist, our presence will be invisible.”
“Thank you darling,” Rarity nodded, her dark complexion shifting to a more cheerful one, “now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got orders to fill.”

The guard nodded, then caught the attention of his two other comrades and nodded. As Rarity walked out of the room, heading up the stairs, the three Thestrals unfurled their wings and wrapped themselves in them. The bundles shrank until they were the size of baseballs, then the wings unfurled to reveal three bats that took flight and flew up into the rafters, hiding behind the curtains that hung from them. There they kept their ears perked, alert to any noise, before sliding into a gentle sleep. Rarity wanted them out of the way and here they could fulfill that request, as well as do their job.

: : :

Applejack trotted back to the farm with her three Thestrals, finally emerging from Ponyville proper and under the Sweet Apple Acres sign. She headed for the barn, pushing it open and moving inside.

“Honesty,” she paused and looked back at the three ponies, “what would you have us do?”

“Well, Ah’ve got some work ta do,” she stated, “and Ah sure would enjoy some help, if yer up ta it.”

The guards nodded and smiled. “You’ll find us to be just as good as any Earth Pony farmhoof you may hire,” one stated, “and we work for free.”

“Just tell us what to do and we’ll do it.” Another added.

Applejack raised an eyebrow, then stepped aside and shoved the barn door open. The three Thestrals walked into the barn and glanced around at all the tools that hung, sat, leaned, or lay within the barn. Applejack pointed to a wagon that sat off to one side that was filled with empty barrels. “Ah need two on apple bucking duty,” she stated, then pulled out a hoe from a barrel and gathered up a bucket of nails and a hammer. “Do ya’ll know how ta use a hoe?”

One guard snickered into a hoof before a second cuffed them across the head with a hoof. The third one just shook his head. “Yes, Honesty,” he replied.

“Good,” she stated, handing him the hoe, “Ah’ve got some repairs ta do around tha farm. Ah’ll lead ya ta where Ah want ya, then leave ya to it.” She walked out of the barn as one of the guards hitched himself to the wagon, a second following him behind the wagon, and all three of them following Applejack out into the fields of the farm. Applejack led the group toward the back end of the orchard, close to the Everfree Forest. The apple trees here were getting ready for harvesting, and since she had some help she’d get them to do it for her. Once those were done, she’d let Big Mac and Apple Bloom head into town to sell them, while she dealt with other chores around here.

She gestured to several rows of apple trees. “Buck every tree empty,” she stated, “make sure ya put buckets around each tree BEFORE ya buck ‘em. Cleanin’ up ain’t fun. When ya get the wagon full, head back ta the barn and sort the good ones from the bad. Set the bad ones in buckets, while the good ones go on tha stall inside the barn. Big Mac’ll be out around noon ta take ‘em ta market.” The two Thestrals nodded, the one unhooking himself from the wagon, and they began setting out buckets at the base of one tree. Applejack watched them work, giving them a few pointers to make the job easier, then left them after seeing their first buck.

She headed back toward the barn, but turned to the side as they came into the clearing of the farmhouse. She headed out to the fields of various vegetables where she’ll have the third Thestral working. She smiled as she gave him directions, then watched him work. Sweet Apple Acres was famous for their apple trees, but they also supported fields for the occasional farmer in town who wanted to try farming or even had their own shop and wares. Carrot Top was one of the more frequent users of their fields, but they also had fields of corn and tomatoes, even had a vineyard higher in the hills for Filthy Rich. Sweet Apple Acres made good bits that way, the income of rent helped pay for repairs around the farm as well as fertilizer for the fields themselves. Applejack even had a few dresses hanging up in her closet, though she didn’t wear them much, that she’d purchased at the insistence of her family.

Happy with the Thestral’s work, she left him to his job and headed toward the barn where she collected the hammer and nails before trotting toward a broken section of fence that needed repairing.

As she exited the barn she caught sight of an Earth Pony trotting into the clearing. She set down the bucket of nails and waved to the pony, who smiled and moved toward her. The pony, a stallion by the way their body was muscular though lean, their square jaw really sealing the deal, wore a brown shirt that looked simple but she could tell held more quality than the average shirt you could buy at a clothing store, Carousel Boutique excluded. A pair of saddlebags sat on his back, looking to be quite empty as they hung limply at his sides. His dark green eyes bore into hers as he walked closer to her.

“Good day,” he stated, his voice rough and sounded like stone being dragged along the streets of Canterlot, “are you perhaps Applejack?”

“Yeah Ah am,” she replied, “and you are?”

“My name is Quick Shot,” he smiled, revealing slightly pointed teeth, “and I was wondering if you had time to answer a few questions about what happened two weeks ago?”

Applejack blinked in surprise at the sight of his teeth, but nodded. “Sure,” she said, “if ya don’t mind walkin’ and talkin’.” He smiled, then gestured for her to lead the way. They trotted out into one of the orchards, heading toward the fence that kept many of the smaller Everfree animals out of the farm. Twilight had been kind enough to cast a few repellent spells for the larger animals, but the smaller ones were discouraged by the fences. They came upon the broken fence and Applejack noted that one of the boards had come off the fence, a quick fix really. She placed the bucket of nails down on the ground, then turned to the stallion. “Now,” she said, “what kind o’ questions ya got?”

“Is it true that there was a Vampony living here?”

Applejack paused in picking up the board. “A Vampony?” she repeated, “where’d ya get that idea? The papers stated it was an accident in the Forest, what happened ta Tasty. Princess Twilight already gave them the entire story.”

“Well, you see, I’m what you might call a Mythological Creature Hunter,” Quick Shot stated, “and I’ve been doing this for a long time, long enough to know that the ‘accident’ wasn’t really one. I checked the records before coming here and I found out that the late Tasty Treats was documented as dead several months before the ‘accident’.”

“Hmm,” Applejack hummed, setting the board into place and placing a nail against it, “well then, the documents are wrong. She was laid to rest two weeks ago.” She raised the hammer and tapped it a few times against the nail head before raising the hammer and slamming it against the nail, beating it into the wood. She hammered the nail in, then set the hammer down in the bucket of nails, turning to Quick Shot.

“See, and you used the term ‘laid to rest’, not ‘died’,” Quick stated, tapping his hoof against his chin, “and most Vamponies die first then, when they’re killed, they’re laid to rest.”

“That’s how death usually goes,” Applejack stated with a deadpan stare.

“Yes, but those events don’t occur several months apart.” Quick Shot sighed, then leaned against the fence, staring out into the Forest. “Let me tell you what I think happened,” he stated, “I think that a Vampony killed Tasty, who was herself a Vampony. Why? Because Vamponies are strong, stronger than an Alicorn, and only a few creatures can take one out. Many of those creatures need a pack to do so and I happen to know for a fact that the greatest contender was nowhere near Ponyville two weeks ago, so it must have been a Vampony. In addition to that, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came here to handle the situation, but by the time they got here, Tasty Treats had already died. But that left a Vampony still around, until this happened.” He reached behind himself and pulled out a newspaper from a saddlebag and tossed it on the ground.

Applejack looked down at it to see a picture of Fluttershy on the front cover with the words ‘Element of Kindness killed on charges of murder.’ written at the top of the page. Fluttershy was smiling up at her and she could feel a tear collect in the corner of an eye. She lifted a hoof and wiped it away. “This doesn’t prove anything,” she growled at Quick Shot, “and Ah would appreciate ya not slanderin’ mah friend’s name.”
Quick Shot shook his head. “Oh Applejack,” he said, “the only reason a Vampony kills another is to take over their territory. Tasty Treats must have been infected by another Vampony before deciding that she would establish herself as the top Vampony in Ponyville by killing the resident Vampony. However, your friend proved too strong for her and killed her instead. Now this causes a Hunter to ask, why would the Element of Kindness fight back? Why not just move? I’d heard from many townsponies that your friend was quite a doormat. Besides the fact Vamponies are territorial, your friend must have had something to protect. She must have had a gathering of younger Vamponies to watch over, and what better group of Vamponies to have than friends?”

Applejack raised an eyebrow as she reached down to pick up the hammer. “Ah don’t like what ya’ll tryin’ to infer,” she stated, hefting the hammer.

“It’s simple,” Quick Shot pulled out a small crossbow from his saddlebags and pointed it at her. She could see a thin bolt of wood that glowed a soft green and she fell into a battle stance, “I’m going to cure you of your Vamponism. All you need to do is sit there while I shoot you with this Timberwolf splinter.”

Applejack growled and swung her hammer, knocking the crossbow to one side as she charged forward, spinning around at the last minute and bucked, her hind legs slamming into Quick’s chest and throwing him backward. He grunted as he tumbled along the ground, then he pushed off with a hoof and uprighted himself in the air. He pulled the crossbow back and aimed at Applejack, who ran toward him like a steam engine. He pulled the trigger and she darted to the side, the bolt shooting past her and embedding itself into the ground. Quick Shot growled and tossed the crossbow aside, his eyes glowing a sickly green. Applejack skidded to a stop as his entire body glowed the same green and she watched as the fur on his hooves receded upward and his skin hardened, turning a dark brown and cracking. He raised a hoof and she could see claws erupting from the front of it, curling and hardening into the familiar claws of a Timberwolf. He slammed the hoof / claw into the ground, causing her to stumble as the ground itself shook from the impact.

“All I want to do,” Quick Shot growled, “is help you see your friend again. Why is that so hard?!” He charged toward her and she tried to move out of the way but couldn’t before his claws raked her side and threw her to one side. She stumbled as her flank felt like it was on fire. She looked at it to see three, large scratches running the entire length of her barrel, ending at her cutie mark. She yelped as Quick Shot used her distraction to slam into her at full speed, making her feel like she’d just got whiplash. She skidded along the ground, dirt getting into her wounds and increasing the fire within, before rolling over onto her back and kicking Quick Shot off her. He flew several dozen hooves, allowing her to get back to her hooves. She glanced around, looking for a weapon. She caught sight of her hammer, but it was too far away, then her eyes settled on the crossbow bolt. It stuck into the ground, thin and pointed at both ends. She’d have to be careful, she didn’t know how it would affect her and she didn’t care to find out, but it was something. She heard him get to his claws and she made her decision.
She thundered toward the bolt, feeling his hooffalls growing closer, until she was almost there. She leaped for the bolt, holding out her hoof to grab it as she aimed to fly past it, when she felt a weight on her back, shoving her down. She let out a growl of frustration as she caught sight of a wooden claw as she fell toward the ground, then her eyes grew wide and she let out a scream of pain as she felt something embed itself in her chest, piercing her heart and lung. She slammed into the ground, knocking out what little air she still had in her lungs with a grunt of pain, and she could feel her coat soaking in something that she could only guess was her own blood. She tried to groan, but only a gurgle was heard, and she felt the weight get off her back and she was rolled over, none too carefully. She stared up at Quick Shot who stared down at her with a battle hardened look that melted into a look of satisfaction.

“That was easy,” he stated, his hooves shifting back to normal. He turned and collected his saddlebags and crossbow, stowing the latter in the former, before slinging the former onto his back and walking back over to her. He reached down with a hoof and grasped the bolt before pulling it sharply out of her body, causing an eruption of blood to flow out of the hole. Her eyes went wide as the pain grew worse, causing her to try and clear her lungs which only resulted in gurgling coughs and a metallic taste in her mouth. She could smell the coppery scent of her blood on the ground, mixed with dirt, and she tilted her head to stare at him, begging him for help. He looked down at her, then smiled. “Tell your friend that I’ll send the rest of her coven to her soon,” he stated, then turned and left, walking with a hop in his step toward the farm house.

Applejack could feel her heart, ruptured as it was, pumping blood through her body as well as out the hole in her chest. Her lungs gurgled as she tried to breathe, but each breath was shorter and shorter. She didn’t need to know much about medical aid to know that she was already too far for the doctors to heal her. She stared up at the sky, the clouds drifting lazily along the breeze. Her mind went from her situation to her friends. What would Rainbow Dash do when she found Applejack lying there in her blood, dead? How would that effect her Vamponism? What about Twilight? Rarity? Pinkie Pie? Could they hold it together enough to bury her? Or would the sight of her bloodied and soulless body be too much for them? What about Quick Shot? She was the only one that knew he’d come, nopony else had seen him come or even follow her here. How long would it take before she was found?

She coughed again, her mouth filling with blood and leaking out of her mouth, running like a river along her face and splashing onto her blond mane. She gurgled a chuckle as she thought of Rarity’s reaction at the mess her mane had become. Her eyesight grew dark along the edges and she felt the wind blow across her body, chilling her blood slightly but not slowing the flow. She caught sight of something flying high above her, carried on the wind and she thought she felt the ground rumble, and she found herself wondering if she’d get wings when she died or if that was only for Pegasi. Her sight faded to black as she closed her eyes, the last thing she saw was a pink mane framing a yellow face and a red eye staring down at her. “I’ll see you soon, Fluttershy,” she mouthed. She felt herself fall away into darkness as she relaxed, a gurgle leaving her mouth as she breathed out for her last time.

: : :

Twilight Sparkle awoke among a pile of softness. She yawned as she stretched and smacked her lips, then sighed back into her bed. She was really glad that Rainbow had pushed her to get a bed made of clouds, they were the softest things she’d ever slept on. They conformed right to her body, supporting her in all the right places and changing as she moved on the bed. She pulled the blanket higher up, covering her muzzle and enveloping her with its warmth.

Then she was interrupted by a knock at her door. She groaned and sat up, levitating a brush through her mane. The knock came again, but this time it sounded urgent. “Alright, I’m coming!” Twilight huffed as she threw off the blanket and slid off the bed to her hooves. She checked the mirror and nodded then moved to the door and opened it to see her flight of Thestrals standing there, panting from exertion. She was about to ask what was going on when she caught sight of an orange hoof poking out of a blanket that lay across the back of all three Thestrals. The hoof looked like Applejack’s but what raised her alarm was the fact that there were rivers of dried blood that ran down the hoof. She gasped, her mind racing. If Applejack was hurt then they would have taken her to the hospital, then came and told Twilight about it. The hoof looked limp, so Applejack might be unconscious, but the blood looked fresh, it still had a sheen on it so it hasn’t been too long. She glanced at the blanket again, noting the lack of breathing. That meant that either Applejack was holding her breath and this was a very elaborate prank or…Well, she’d rather not think of the alternative. But one glance at her Thestrals’ faces told her the worst case scenario.

“No,” she breathed then, as the three nodded slowly, she broke down, sobbing into her hooves and collapsing onto the ground. “NOOOO!!!!” she screamed, the royal Canterlot voice making the entire castle rumble from the power and emotion in her voice. Tears flowed down her face, splashing onto the ground. Her heart felt like it was breaking as she came to the conclusion that it was her friend that was wrapped up in the blanket, that it wasn’t a prank, that Applejack really wasn’t breathing. That she had just lost a second friend in just over as many weeks. She wailed as she lay there, her body wracked with sobs as she gasped for breath. She sobbed into her hooves, asking why, cursing the world, swearing to get even with the world, anything to bring her friend back.

“Princess,” the soft voice of a mare reached her ears. Twilight tilted her head upward to stare upward at the trainee, her tear streaked face wet and a mess. The trainee leaned down and rested a hoof against her head, rubbing her mane. Twilight didn’t care about propriety, nobility, or appearance as she flung herself forward and wrapped her hooves around the trainee, sobbing into her coat. The trainee rubbed her mane, tracing her spine down until it met with her wing joints and began massaging there. Twilight felt her tears fade slowly as the trainee massaged her back, occasionally running her hooves along the edge of her wings.

Finally Twilight felt calm enough to pull away. She sniffed once more and smiled at the trainee. “Feeling better?” the trainee asked and Twilight nodded. “Good,” the trainee replied, “now if you want to save your friend I can help you.”

Twilight stared at her, stunned. “But,” she stated slowly, gulping air and trying not to cry, “Applejack’s dead. We can’t bring back the dead.”

“We can bring back the Element Bearers,” the trainee stated, “but we need to fix Applejack’s body first.” She motioned for the Thestrals and they moved into the room, laying the blanket on the ground in front of Twilight and the trainee. The trainee motioned for the Thestrals to unroll it and they did, slowly rolling the stiff body of Applejack out into the open. Twilight gasped as she stared down at the body of her friend. The blanket had been wrapped several times around Applejack’s body and so Twilight didn’t know the extent of her wounds but now that her friend was in the open Twilight could see the inner part of the blanket was stained, probably permanently the analytical part of her mind stated, with blood, forming a pool where Applejack’s body lay in the center of it.

Twilight scanned the body, finding only the large puncture wound right in line with Applejack’s heart and she couldn’t help but lean closer as her analytical part of her brain yearned to learn more. She frowned as she studied the body and the blood, then looked up at the Thestrals. “Where did you find her?” she asked.

“At the edge of her farm, near the Everfree Forest,” one Thestral stated, “lying in her own blood. We verified it.”

“Any evidence of an attack?” Twilight asked.

“Indeed,” a second Thestral stated, “there were scuff marks around the area, claw marks were present as well. We also identified that whoever, or whatever, attacked her collected the weapon and took it with them. There was a blood trail away from the body and ended at the edge of the homestead clearing. We found a bloodied cloth atop one of the cider barrels in the barn, along with a tuft of dark gray fur. We talked to the three Thestrals there and two reported apple bucking at the time of the attack, while the third reported hoeing in one of the fields. We talked to the family and they reported not seeing anything or anypony suspicious. The brother did notice a pony walking away from the farm shortly before we arrived from the sky, though the pony was too far away to identify, much less get any description.”

Twilight nodded. They were thorough, she was glad of it. She’ll have to begin an investigation with what she had after the pressing matter at hoof. She turned back to the body of her friend and rested a hoof on the cool shoulder. She pushed gently on the coat and noted that rigor mortis hadn’t set in, though she would have suspected that. If Applejack had only been attacked recently, within the past few hours, rigor mortis wouldn’t have time to set in. She checked the pulse, not surprised when she found none, then lit her horn and scanned the body from the inside. She found a deflated lung, full of blood, as well as a punctured heart. This was to be expected with the wound. Although there was something inside Applejack’s blood that she wasn’t sure about. Something earthy, foresty floated in her blood.

“Fetch me a small beaker,” she asked and one of the Thestrals ran off, returning a few minutes later with a beaker in his mouth. Twilight levitated it over to her, then turned her magic on Applejack’s blood, pulling a small amount from her body. She dropped the blood into the bottom of the beaker, filling a small layer, then she floated it over to her desk, leaving it there to deal with later. Then she turned to the trainee. “Alright,” she stated, “how do I save the dead?”

“First,” the trainee stated, her voice calm and soft, “she’s lost a lot of blood. We need to restore a healthy level of it or raising her won’t work. To do that we need to prevent it from leaving her body. The first order of business will be to heal her wounds, restoring her heart and lung and clearing her throat and airways of blood.”

Twilight nodded, pulling from her mind the necessary knowledge about pony anatomy. She reached into her magic and pulled out a string of it, pushing it into Applejack’s body. She fed the string around and through Applejack’s veins. Veins were the easiest to fix, as they were just tubes, and Twilight fed her magic along until every vein glowed softly with a purple light. She found the ruptured veins and arteries and set her magic to healing them, slowly drawing in the surrounding blood until the barrel cavity was empty of blood. It only took a minute for the repairs to finish, then she pulled her magic into Applejack’s lung and heart. This was where it got tricky. Healing magic was difficult beyond healing simple cuts or wounds, even healing a ruptured vein was beyond most Unicorn doctors, and magical operations on the heart or lungs were almost impossible. She remembered one book on the subject and how the author had stated that, given enough Mana Cells, a Unicorn could regrow an entire working heart from a single cell, or replicate a lung from another, but that many Mana Cells would take several years to accumulate. The author had noted that it was possible, though they could never know for sure as nopony knew how large their magic font was, for an Alicorn to perform such surgery.

Twilight recalled diagrams, descriptions, and charts of the heart and lungs from her memory, sorting them and organizing them in her mind before beginning. The hardest part was getting to the heart and lungs, as many ponies weren’t strong enough to survive through the time consuming magical preparation and surgery. She smiled slightly as it dawned on her that she didn’t have that restriction. She nodded to herself, then formed her magic into a scalpel and placed it on the nape of Applejack’s neck, pushing it into the blood encrusted skin and drawing it down, toward her navel. She pulled the scalpel out, then pressed it into the skin close to Applejack’s shoulder and drew it across to the other shoulder, forming a T. She fed her magic below the skin and worked on separating the skin and muscle from the ribs, then peeled away the skin and muscle from the body. Twilight studied the open chest cavity of her friend, identifying many of the organs she’d seen from her diagrams in books, finally settling on the heart and punctured lung. She wrapped her magic around the heart and lung. She stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth as she focused on slowly severing the arteries and veins from each organ, then guiding the organs out from under the ribcage. She smiled to herself as she levitated the two punctured organs over Applejack’s body, marveling about the size of the heart. It wasn’t much larger than her hoof, yet it was strong enough to pump blood continually through a pony’s body for their entire life, never breaking down through natural means.

She shook her head, awe at the body’s functions can come later, after she saved her friend. She drew up her knowledge and began building a 3D image of the two organs. When she finished, she began tracing the track of the weapon in her mind, noting the different valves that were damaged as well as the structure of the lung. With the images complete, she turned her magic to the actual organs, guiding it into the valves and puncture hole as she began the process of restoring what was lost.

The entire group sat there, watching and waiting as Twilight worked, finishing with the heart and scanning it to ensure for complete structural integrity before moving onto the lung. She repeated the process before nodded in satisfaction. She double checked her triple check, comparing once again the actual organs to the ones in her head and even projected the 3D images into the room itself making the Thestrals gasp in surprise. She carefully compared the two, then paid herself a small smile as she noted the perfection in her work. With that done, she guided the now whole organs back into Applejack’s barrel, then secured them and restored the veins and arteries to their respective places. With that done, she carefully folded the skin and muscle back over until it rested in its original spot. With a focused healing spell she sealed up the cuts, even going so far as to ensure that Applejack wouldn’t have a scar. She danced her magic across Applejack’s skin and healed up the puncture wound as well. She sat back on her haunches and smiled, then turned to the trainee.

“Alright, now that that’s done, she’ll need more blood. I don’t know how much she’s lost, but the blood in her barrel will not be enough to keep her alive, even if this did work,” she stated.

The trainee nodded, then gestured to one of the Thestrals. He left the room and returned a minute later with a box that hummed slightly with cooling magic. He set it down next to Twilight, who opened it to find several packets of blood and an iv needle lying on top. She smiled and thanked him, then levitated the needle out and warmed it up slightly with her magic before pulling off the cap and slid it into one of Applejack’s veins. She pulled out a packet of blood, checking it with magic and nodded, finding it the same type as Applejack, finally fitting the nozzle onto the iv needle and using her magic to slowly guide it into Applejack’s body. As it flowed into Applejack’s body Twilight swapped out packets as each one grew empty, finally finishing the last one. She placed the empty packet back in the box and canceled the cooling spell. She pulled out the iv needle and placed that atop the packets.

“Now how do we do the impossible?” she asked the trainee. The trainee stood and motioned for Twilight to follow her, gesturing for the Thestrals to carry Applejack’s body and follow them.

The group moved down away from Twilight’s bedchambers and through the castle, finally ending up in the throne room. Twilight noted that, as she looked around at the different thrones, Applejack’s cutie mark glowed just like Fluttershy’s, with a soft light that seemed to conceal more than was shone. The trainee gestured for the Thestrals to lay Applejack’s body on her throne, then she took a seat in Fluttershy’s throne. Twilight sat down in her own while the Thestrals took up positions at the door and to either side of Applejack’s throne. Twilight watched as the trainee relaxed, then seemed to slump to one side. She moved to catch her, but was interrupted by a Thestral, who rested a hoof on her shoulder.

“Trust the Lady, your highness,” he stated. She sighed, then sat back in her throne, watching Applejack.

: : :

“Fluttershy!”

The familiar form of Flutterbat hovered over the crystalline ground. Everywhere she looked, the ground was a soft yellow crystal, like butter, while the sky was a soft pink, like an early morning. Mountains and forests grew around her, with animals running around and through the trees. She caught sight of a yellow streak that burst from the trees and darted toward her. Flutterbat didn’t have much time to brace herself before she was met with a muzzleful of giggling fur. She struggled to keep herself in the air as she was hugged by her assailant, finally allowed to fly normally as they let go.

“Oh, Flutterbat! It’s so nice to see you again!”

“The same to you, Fluttershy,” Flutterbat answered. She watched as the familiar butter Pegasus smiled and giggled in the air as she twisted and turned around in the air, her soft pink mane that was only a shade or two darker than the sky floating along with her.

“Oh, how long has it been?” Fluttershy asked, her sapphire blue eyes wide as they stared into Flutterbat’s ruby red ones.

“About two weeks,” Flutterbat replied, “but we’ll have more time to catch up later. Right now we have a tragedy that we need to fix. Applejack’s been murdered.”

Fluttershy grinned. “Oh, yes. I know that,” she said, flapping her wings with joy, “isn’t it wonderful?”

Flutterbat froze in the air. “What do you mean, ‘wonderful’?” she asked.

“Well, it’s been really lonely here and so I was so happy when I found Honesty had connected up with Kindness. It wasn’t much longer after that I found Applejack laying in the middle of a wheat field. She’s only been here for an hour or so, but we’ve already worked on getting her Element livable.” Fluttershy was spinning in midair as she talked, her joy radiating outward, even making Flutterbat smile. Then she shook her head.

“No, this isn’t good, Fluttershy,” she interrupted, grabbing the joyful Pegasus in her hooves, “Applejack’s been murdered. We need to find out who did it, although I have a good idea as to WHAT did it.”

“But,” Fluttershy sniffed, her eyes watering, “but I’ll be lonely again here, and it’s so nice to see the other Elements, even if it is just Honesty. I can’t wait to see the others’.”

“I know you will,” Flutterbat stated, pulling the sniffling Pegasus into a hug, “but I promise I’ll work on getting you out of here and back into our body. Well, it’s kind of more your body, I’m just borrowing it for a minute.”

Fluttershy sniffled a few more times, then pushed away. “You swear?” she asked.

Flutterbat nodded. “I swear on my wings, on the moon, and on my fangs, I’ll do everything I can to restore you to the living world,” she stated.

Fluttershy smiled, then nodded. “Alright, I guess you’ll need to get Applejack,” she said.

Flutterbat nodded, then followed Fluttershy as she soared away, heading toward a part of the sky that was a dark orange, like a sunset. As they flew the sky grew more and more orange, until it was all around them. Flutterbat looked down to see a vast expanse of golden wheat stretching into the distance, but there was no sign of the orange Earth Pony. It wasn’t until they’d been flying for several minutes that Flutterbat finally caught sight of something moving down there in the wheat. She saw Fluttershy dive down toward the moving object and she followed, catching sight of Applejack as she did.

Applejack waved to the two of them as they landed, whistling as she looked over the two of them. “Ya’ll sure weren’t kiddin’ when ya said that there were two of ya, Fluttershy,” she said.

“Um, well, yeah,” Fluttershy answered, smiling, “but Flutterbat’s here to take you back.”

“Take me back?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow, “what do ya mean, sugarcube?”

“She means that you’re dead and I’m here to help you come back to life,” Flutterbat stated, “Twilight knows you’ve been murdered and hopefully will launch an investigation. She’s also been working on reviving you, via magical surgery. Actually the first time it’s been successful.”

“And how is revivin’ me gonna work?” Applejack asked.

Flutterbat paused as she thought about this. “You know,” she stated, “I don’t actually know. I just assumed that you would just go back if I came to see you.”

“Ya kinda remind me of Rainbow in that aspect,” Applejack stated, smiling, “just kinda fly by the seat of yer rump.” Then she paused for a second, her eyes sliding into a far away look. “I feel,” she said slowly, her accent gone, “my body. It’s close, but there’s something wrong with it.”

“Something wrong with it?” the two Pegasi asked.

Applejack nodded. “Something is wrong,” she replied, “it feels…off. It’s whole, but there’s something there that shouldn’t be.”

“Applejack.” Applejack looked at Flutterbat, her eyes still unfocused. “Do you want to go back?” she asked.

Applejack nodded. “But Ah’m happy here,” she replied, her accent back and her eyes snapping back to focus on the two Pegasi in front of her, “Ah kinda don’t want ta leave. It’s peaceful.” Fluttershy nodded, understanding the feeling.

“But Applejack, your family is going to wonder where you are and they’ll do some exploring, especially your sister,” Flutterbat stated, “what do you think they’re going to do when they find the pool of blood by the fence, next to the Everfree Forest? Twilight was devastated when she saw your body, imagine your sister!”

Applejack froze as the thoughts flowed through her mind. “Twilight was devastated?” she asked slowly.

“Of course she was!” Flutterbat shouted, “she’s your friend! She’s worried about you! Why do you think she accepted us guards that the Grand Matron sent?!”

“And I am kind of worried about our friends,” Fluttershy whispered, “I mean, if they killed you, then who knows who we’ll see next? It could be Rainbow, or Rarity.”

“It won’t be Rainbow,” Flutterbat stated, sitting down and folding her front hooves, “she’s a Second, definitely not a normal pony.”

“That won’t matter.” The statement made the two of them freeze.

“What do you mean?” Flutterbat asked, looking at Applejack.

“They have Timberwolf Splinters,” the farmer mare replied.

Flutterbat slammed a hoof into the ground. “They would have that!” she growled.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked, worried.

“Timberwolf Splinters are the only way to kill a Vampony, First or Second,” Flutterbat growled.

“Wouldn’t a stake through the heart do that anyways?” Applejack asked.

“No,” Flutterbat shook her head, “it has to be a Timberwolf Splinter. They’re charged with the energy of a Vampony’s enemy, the only one that can kill a Vampony. Normal stakes are laughable, we just shake it off like most weapons. But,” she said, falling into thought, “Timberwolf Splinters are hard to harvest, and even harder to store. The magic within them only lasts for a few days at best, hours at worst. Unless the users are…” Her eyes went wide. “Applejack!” she cried, “what did the pony that attacked you look like? Did they have any wood on them?”

Applejack thought for a second, then nodded. “It wasn’t so much wood ON them, as it was wood IN them,” she replied, “it seemed ta grow out of their skin.”

“And did they have claws, like a Timberwolf?” Applejack’s nod made Flutterbat scream out in frustration and anger.

“What is it?” Fluttershy asked.

“Them!” Flutterbat screamed, “it’s a strain of Lycanthropy, Timberwolf. They make excellent Vampony hunters, and they can create and maintain Timberwolf Splinters easily and efficiently!”

Applejack nodded, stating, “the fellow did say that he was a Mythological Creature Hunter.”

Flutterbat frowned. “At least we know what we’re hunting for,” she said, then she looked at Applejack, “are you ready to come back? The others need to know this.”

Applejack thought for a second, then nodded. “If it’ll help save our friends, then Ah’ll do it,” she stated, then shuddered, “even if mah body feels off.”

“Thank you Applejack,” Flutterbat stated, then she reached out and felt for her body. She could feel the cold stone that she sat on, the hard back of the throne she leaned against. She held onto that and pulled herself toward it, finally seeing the scenery fade into black.

: : :

Flutterbat opened her eyes, staring out into the throne room where the three Seconds watched her. She glanced over at Twilight who was watching her, hopeful, then finally to Applejack. “Come on, Applejack,” she whispered. She glanced up at the gem embedded into the throne above Applejack’s body to see it twinkle, then dim. She looked down at Applejack’s body and watched as her coat brightened slightly back to the strong orange it was usually, at least underneath all the caked blood. Her ears twitched as she picked up a groan and she smiled. “It worked,” she exclaimed, hopping off the throne and rushing over to help Applejack sit up.

Applejack raised a hoof to her head and groaned again. “Am Ah back?” she asked, looking around. She smiled as she saw Twilight, who sighed with relief, then she turned back to Flutterbat. “Flu-” she started to say but was interrupted by a hoof on her muzzle.

Flutterbat leaned forward until her muzzle was right next to Applejack’s ear, then whispered, “not yet, there is still something I need to do.” Applejack gave a short nod, then Flutterbat stepped back. She looked over to the general.

“General,” she stated, causing the three Seconds to snap to attention, “find my guard, it’s time to turn the hunters into the hunted.” He snapped a quick salute, then moved to the door and opened it.

Only for a white Unicorn to topple into the room. Six Seconds stood out in the hall, three of them looking bashful at being caught while the other three just shook their head.

“Rarity!” Twilight shouted, hopping off her throne and hurrying over to help her friend up.

“It’s quite alright, my dear,” Rarity stated, “it’s just payback for snooping, something I don’t do often. But when I heard a rumor from one of my Thestrals that Applejack had been found dead, I just had to come see.”

“Ah’m fine, Rares,” Applejack stated, stepping around Twilight, “Ah just need a good cleaning.”

Rarity took one look at her friend and almost fainted. “A good cleaning?” she exclaimed, “you’ll need an entire day at the spa to rid yourself of such filth!”

“We don’t really have time for this!” Flutterbat cried, “we need to find the hunters, otherwise your friends are in danger!”

“What’s going on?” Twilight asked, “what ‘hunters’?”

Flutterbat growled. “There’s not enough time,” she stated, “let Applejack get cleaned up, but quickly,” she waved for a Second to show Applejack the way to a shower, “and we need to go into the Everfree Forest, that’s probably where they’re camped. I’ll explain on the way.”
“If we’re going into the Forest,” Twilight stated, “then I’ll need some supplies.” She hurried away, down the hall as three Seconds followed her.

Rarity stood there, awkwardly, moving from hoof to hoof as she waited. Flutterbat growled occasionally at the wait, then snapped at a Second, “go get my Second. She’s battle ready, and she won’t want to miss this.” He dashed off, flapping his wings to speed him up.

“Your second?” Rarity asked.

Flutterbat nodded. “Rainbow,” she stated, “she’ll want in on this little expedition. She’d love a change to try out her Vampony blood for once in a no holds barred fight.” She turned and walked down the hall, heading for the front door, as the rest of the group followed her.

It wasn’t more than a few minutes before everypony met up again outside the castle. Rainbow hung in the air, her rose irises glowing a soft red, her leathery wings keeping her aloft. Flutterbat smiled, she’d just fed, which was good. Rainbow would need the boost in power. She turned to look at the dozen or so Seconds gathered. “I need half of you to stay here,” she raised a hoof to belay any complaining, then continued, “the reason is to make sure the town stays safe. I want you all to travel in twos or more, never alone. We don’t know how many are out there, but we’re sure that there will be a lot of them. And make sure Pinkie stays safe, but remain out of sight of her, we don’t want another episode like in the beginning.” The group nodded, half the group of Seconds split off into groups of two and headed into the town. “The rest of you will come with me.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow at the idea of a trainee giving orders, and even more at the idea of vastly superior officers taking orders from a trainee, but she logged it away for later. Right now she needed to make sure that her town stayed safe, no matter what the cost.
The group walked off, turning away from the castle and heading toward the Everfree Forest, avoiding the pathways in lieu of a straight line. Flutterbat took up the lead, while Rainbow hovered overhead. Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack took up the middle, with the Seconds surrounding the group. It didn’t take them long before they met up with the edge of the Everfree Forest and plunged inside, the moon rising above the horizon.

The group trekked through the underbrush, vines and branches snagging manes and tails, slowing the progress. Twilight glanced around as they marched through the forest. Usually monsters would be on them faster than she could teleport, but the Everfree Forest seemed to be devoid of life, even in the middle of the night.

They hadn’t gone more than thirty minutes into the forest when Flutterbat held up a hoof. Rainbow paused next to her, raising an eyebrow. “What is it?” she asked.

“Timberwolves,” Flutterbat replied, then she glanced sideways at Rainbow, “ready for a fight?”

“As long as you have my back, my Lady,” Rainbow replied, smiling at the shocked look on Flutterbat’s face, “what? Do you think you could sneak past me with my nose powered up from your bite? I knew you as soon as I smelled you.”

Flutterbat sighed, then smiled. “I should have known,” she stated, “I didn’t think your powers had grown this much in the past two weeks. But I’m glad that they have.”

They stepped into a clearing, each Second spreading out while Rainbow hung back with her friends and Lady. It wasn’t much of a wait before half a dozen Timberwolves stepped out from the brush, their green eyes glowing in the darkness and their wooden limbs creaking as they walked. Flutterbat leaned back to whisper to Twilight, “throw up a shield and don’t let it down, no matter what you hear. I’ll tell you when it’s clear. If we all fall, teleport back to Ponyville and send a message to Princess Luna. Tell her ‘the trigger’s been pulled’, she’ll know what to do.” Twilight nodded and her horn lit up before a bubble of lavender magic formed around her, Rarity, and Applejack.

Flutterbat, Rainbow, and the rest of the Seconds moved apart from each other as the six Timberwolves moved closer to them. One by one, the Seconds discarded their armor, freeing up their wings and bodies to move easier. Flutterbat growled at the Timberwolves, then glanced at 
Rainbow. “Ready, my Second?” she asked.

Rainbow smirked and nodded. “I was reborn ready!” she shouted.

With that, Flutterbat gathered up her strength, luckily she’d stopped by the hospital and filled up on blood packets before following the Seconds to Twilight, letting her eyes glow a deep red before she flared her wings and released her Vampony aura. Her armor shattered, no it melted with the power flowing off her body, dripping like liquid moonlight onto the ground beneath her hooves and with it the illusions that had been disguising her vanished. Instead of the dark gray coat and mane, and the golden, slitted eyes she stood there in her full glory. Her mane and tail roughed out, turning a dark pink and taking on a ragged and wild look. Her ears sprouted fur and sharpened, while her fur itself grew wild, throwing up tufts of fur sticking out in clumps. Her eyes, once a soft blue as Fluttershy, were now a deep red, almost blood red, and filled with the thrill of the hunt as she glared at the approaching Timberwolves. Her fangs grew slightly longer and her wings grew wider and longer, granting her a wingspan to match Princess Celestia. She smiled at the wolves. “Let’s dance,” she growled.

At that very instant, every Vampony in the clearing launched forward, catching the wolves by surprise. Many of the Seconds teamed up on a Timberwolf, while leaving one each for Flutterbat and Rainbow. They smiled at each other as they flew forward, then swung their hooves at the same time, connecting with their respective Timberwolf, throwing them backward as they howled with pain. The two Vamponies smiled to each other, then grabbed their Timberwolves by the throat and slammed them into a tree, splintering it and sending it crashing to the ground. 

The Timberwolves coughed, sending a splatter of green liquid flying from their mouths.

The two Vamponies released their prey, then spun around on their front hooves and bucked backward. Flutterbat smiled with sick satisfaction as she felt and heard the shattering of wood beneath her hooves. She glanced back at her prey to see the wolf shrink, fur growing and a horn sprouting from the pony’s forehead. The pony collapsed onto the ground, their head falling to the side as blood ran down their chin and splashed onto the ground.

Flutterbat’s ear twitched and she ducked just in time to reach up and grab another Timberwolf by its tail, then she swung downward, dragging the whining dog out of the air and slamming it into the ground as a crater formed around its body. A crack echoed through the clearing and the wolf howled in pain, she guessed that its back had broken, and she stepped over it. Her hind leg lashed out, quick as lightning, and the howling ceased as she casually broke its neck.

She grabbed a third Timberwolf by the neck and held it close to her, pinning its claws to her own body. “Where is your leader?” she growled. Its response was a growl and a snap of its muzzle. She lashed out a hoof, breaking the wolf’s nose. “I’ll ask you again, where is your leader?” she snarled. The wolf tried again, opening its mouth and lunging forward to bite her face. She didn’t give it the chance. Her hoof shot forward, down the wolf’s throat and out its neck. The wolf gurgled and choked as she dropped it to the ground, letting it drown in the twisted, green blood that now flooded its lungs and throat. She stepped forward, then screamed, “show yourself, you coward! I know you’re here! You want me, come get me!”

Two more Timberwolves launched themselves toward her but were interrupted by Rainbow who slammed into them and threw them to one side. “You stay out of this,” she growled at the two wolves as they got to their claws, “my Lady will take care of your leader while I take care of you.”

Flutterbat smiled and felt a wave of pride rise up within her, then she scanned the clearing. She noted with a look of shock that the clearing was covered in blood and dead and wounded, many of them Seconds. There was one single Timberwolf that still stood, his dark green eyes glaring into her own. She smiled, letting a fang peek out from behind her lips as she watched the wolf. Then she launched herself forward with a flap of her wings and a gust of air, skimming along the ground.

The wolf growled and raised a claw to strike her down, but she didn’t give it the chance. She thrust a hoof down into the ground and shoved herself into an arc above the wolf, then she dropped like a rock onto the back of the wolf. It reared up and tried to toss her off, but she only laughed at the futility. “You’ve never fought a First, have you?” she asked with glee. She reached behind her and grasped one of the wolf’s hind legs and pulled upward, snapping it in two and yanking it free of the body with a shower of green blood. The wolf didn’t even get a chance to scream in pain before she had jabbed the leg into its right shoulder, causing it to collapse to the ground. She leaped off the body, then grabbed its muzzle and pulled it up to look at her, her blood red eyes boring holes into its dark green ones. “That’s for killing my friend,” she growled as she raised a hoof, ready to plunge it into the wolf’s skull and kill it, “and this is for Ponyville!” She brought down her hoof in a blinding streak.

“Enough, Matron!”

Flutterbat froze, her hoof inches from the wolf’s head, as she turned to stare up at the descending figure, the moon glowing bright in their presence. She dropped the wolf onto the ground, letting it whimper in pain as it landed on its right side and drove its own leg deeper into its shoulder. She bowed slightly as an Alicorn landed in the center of the clearing, her midnight blue mane flowing in an ethereal wind and her silver armor glinting in the moonlight.

“Grand Matron,” Flutterbat stated.

“Matron,” Princess Luna replied as she walked forward, her silver horseshoes splashing in the mix of green and red blood, finally stopping in front of the wounded Timberwolf. She stared down at it as it whimpered in pain, its body shrinking until Quick Shot lay there in a pool of his own blood, his leg sticking into his shoulder by the snapped and sharp end of his bone. He whimpered again as he struggled to his hooves, leaning against a nearby tree for support, but a spark of hope flashed across his face as his eyes focused on Princess Luna.

“Your highness!” he exclaimed, hope now flooding his voice and face, “with you here, I can finally finish off these mons-” A hoof across his face ended his sentence. He blinked for a few seconds, then turned back to look at Princess Luna who had a hoof raised and a look of disdain on her face.

“I will not have you speaking of my children like that,” she growled.

“But, your Highness!” Quick Shot shouted, then his mind whirled to life and his eyes went wide. “You can’t mean…” he breathed.

Princess Luna stared around at the carnage that lay in the clearing, sadness washing over her, then she turned her gaze, filled with hatred, back toward Quick Shot. “Each and every Thestral,” she said slowly, “has accepted my gift. I will not take kindly to those that end their lives prematurely.”

“That’s impossible!” Quick shouted, “Princess Celestia would not allow for such an abomination to sit on the throne with her!”

“Won’t she?” Princess Luna asked, cocking an eyebrow, “she knew since my rebirth. In fact, she’s been allowing me to bite her whenever I need it, so as to not alert and startle the populous.”

Quick Shot could only stare up at his ruler, his mind frozen in shock as he thought about what she’d just said.

Princess Luna turned to Flutterbat. “I’m sure my sister will be wishing to ask Quick Shot a few questions,” she stated, “I would suggest you tend to your friends. It is my understanding that Honesty has undergone a life changing experience this day. It would be good to have friends nearby.” Flutterbat nodded, then turned away from Quick Shot.

It was about this time that Twilight, who had dropped the shield, let out a scream of surprise. Flutterbat looked over to her group of friends and froze.

Rarity stood over Applejack who was convulsing on the ground, screaming in pain. Her screams would change from pony to wolf and back to pony again before the sound of cracking echoed through the clearing. Even from this distance Flutterbat could see splinters erupting from Applejack’s legs and back, hardening into claws and armor. Applejack’s eyes would flash open, revealing glowing green eyes, before she would squeeze them closed in pain. Flutterbat shot toward the small group, screaming, “get away from her!”

Twilight and Rarity could only look at her in surprise when Applejack gasped for breath and slowly rose up on her hooves, her jointed creaking and popping as if she’d been sleeping in one position for a long time. Time slowed down as the ponies turned to their friend, who bore striking resemblance to the Timberwolves they had just fought, only to see Applejack spin around and buck Rarity in the chest, throwing her against a tree with a gasp of surprise and pain. She hung there by the force of the kick, then slid to the ground. Her horn lit up as she grabbed a branch from the ground and held it up in defense, still lying on the ground as her face was contorted in pain. Twilight gasped as she was on the receiving end of another buck, sending her flying across the clearing and into another tree.

With her way clear, Applejack gave one more glowing glare at the two Vamponies and Princess Luna, then turned and launched herself into the woods.

Flutterbat ran over to Twilight and helped her friend up onto her hooves while Rainbow moved to help Rarity up. She waved a hoof and pointed in the direction Applejack had ran. “Don’t worry about me, darling,” she exclaimed, “go get Applejack back!”

The two Princesses and two Vamponies nodded, then shot after their escaping friend, leaving Rarity in the clearing by herself.

As soon as they had vanished and the sounds of their hurry had faded into the calm of the night Rarity dropped her stick and let her horn flicker and die, dropping her illusion. She winced as she stared down at the protruding branch erupting from her chest. She drew in a rasping breath, the branch had pierced a lung and made it hard to breath, as she felt her heart pump blood into her chest cavity. She let her head fall onto the ground as she felt her limbs grow cold. She glanced around at the world, letting the scent of her own blood mixing with the blood of a dozen others flood her nose. She noticed her eyesight growing dark and she smiled, coughing up blood as she tried to laugh but failed. Sweetie Belle was going to have to take care of herself now, there wasn’t much Rarity could do about it. Her sister needed to grow up soon and now seemed to be like as good a time as any.

Her eyes closed as she felt her chest grow cold and a river of blood flowed from her mouth, the dripping of her blood off the branch and onto the ground the only sound in the clearing. Her last thought as she breathed her final breath was it’s going to take forever to get the blood from my mane.

: : :

Flutterbat and Rainbow shot through the underbrush as their ears were perked for any sound of Applejack as they flapped their wings, gliding around trees and other vegetation that thrust up from the forest floor. They could hear the sounds of Princesses Twilight and Luna hurrying through the underbrush behind them, but they knew that the Alicorns weren’t going to be much help with Applejack. Flutterbat glanced at Rainbow, then nodded. Rainbow nodded in response, then the two of them flashed open their wings as they crossed into a clearing, slowing their forward momentum.

The two of them looked around the clearing, spying Applejack standing on the other side, her emerald eyes glowing a sickly green color in the shadows of the trees that surrounded the clearing. Rainbow scrunched up her nose as the hideous scent of a Timberwolf’s breath flooded their nostrils and she coughed, trying to clear the scent from her nose but to no avail. Flutterbat stepped forward, her eyes soft and warm as she watched Applejack, only to have them sharpen with wariness as Applejack crouched lower and growled, wisps of green gas leaking from her mouth.

Rainbow watched her Lady, worry on her face. She didn’t know much about Timberwolves, but from the few she’d fought back in the other clearing and knowing what she knew about Applejack’s strength then she knew that this fight wouldn’t be quick. Fear lanced across her face as she realized that this fight might end with one, two, or all of them dead. She shook her head, trying to clear that thought. She couldn’t die, she wouldn’t die. She had to join the Shadowbolts, perform a double Rainboom, among other things. She didn’t want to lose either of her friends, not if she could help it.

“Applejack,” Flutterbat stated slowly as she stepped into the clearing. Applejack’s only response was to growl deeper and bunch up her hind muscles. Before the two of them could think Applejack launched herself forward, barreling toward the two of them. Flutterbat frowned, then threw open her wings and launched herself upward.

Rainbow dashed to the side, away from her charging friend, only to yelp in surprise and pain as something clamped down on her tail and yanked her backward. She felt the thing let go and she flew into a tree, cracking the trunk and sending splinters into her coat. She collapsed onto the ground and gasped for breath as she looked at the Timberwolf now thundering toward her, teeth bared and claws ripping gouges into the dirt ground. Fear filled her face as she saw her death thundering toward her and she closed them, in hopes that she could avoid her fate. She opened her eyes as she heard Applejack yelp only to see Flutterbat hang in the air, a hind hoof extended in a kick. Rainbow shrunk down as her Lady turned her hard glare to the fallen Vampony.

“If you fear,” Flutterbat growled, “then I have no use for you.” With that she shot after Applejack who had now gotten up from her attack and charged toward the incoming Vampony.

Rainbow just sat there, her body trembling with fear and hopelessness. A tear ran from her eye and fell to the ground next to her as her mind ran over those words. She didn’t want to fear, but she didn’t want to die. She didn’t think Loyalty would hold if she took the easy way out. A warm feeling sparked in her chest as tears ran down her cheeks and onto her chest, hooves, and the ground. She didn’t want to leave her friends alone. She’d never leave them hanging, not if she could help it! The spark of warmth grew warmer as she watched Flutterbat slug Applejack across the muzzle, throwing her into a tree, breaking it in two at the force of the blow. And if being loyal to her friends wasn’t enough, she had her Lady to whom she needed to be loyal. A Lady that had given her a new life, a Lady that had helped, and wanted to help, her become even better than she was before.

The spark grew into a raging fire.

Rainbow stood up, her teeth gritted in determination and her blood red eyes glowed with an internal light. She wasn’t going to kill Applejack, but she was going to show her loyalty to her Lady.

Applejack bucked Flutterbat out of the air, sending her falling to the ground and rolling, then she galloped toward the downed Vampony, her eyes shining with the thought of a kill. She leaped toward Flutterbat only to be knocked out of the air by a cyan blur that slammed into her and threw her off course.

Rainbow wrapped her hooves around the struggling Timberwolf, then slammed her passenger into the ground, dragging her through the dirt and slime of the Everfree Forest, finally slamming her into a tree and pinning her there. Applejack struggled, lashing out with her wooden claws and gouging deep, red cuts into Rainbow’s face and forelegs. Rainbow growled and bared her fangs to Applejack, then screamed at the pinned mare. Applejack winced and raised her hooves to her ears as Rainbow pelted her sensitive ears with the high-pitched scream that echoed from her mouth. The scream reverberated through the clearing, even making Flutterbat wince at the intensity, before fading.

Applejack hung on the tree, suspended by Rainbow’s hooves, her own still over her ears and her eyes pinched closed, a tortured look on her face. Finally she opened one eye and pulled one hoof away from an ear. She stared at Rainbow, confusion on her face as her eyes dimmed and returned to the soft, emerald green of the friend they’d all come to know. “Rainbow?” she asked softly, her eyes quizzical, “what happened?”

“Applejack?” Rainbow asked slowly, “is it you?”

“Yeah, it’s me, who else would it be?” Applejack replied. Then she looked around and asked, “where am Ah? The last thing Ah remember is a deep pain in mah chest, then Ah remember a sharp screech and a splitin’ headache.”

Rainbow let go of Applejack, then wrapped her in a bone creaking hug, tears running down her cheeks and soaking into Applejack’s orange fur. Applejack only stood there, held above the ground by the strength of her friend’s hug. She looked past Rainbow to see Flutterbat who was moving toward them. “Fluttershy?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No,” Flutterbat stated, “your friend is safe, yes, but I am not her. I am borrowing her, or rather our body for a few weeks. Since my mission is complete I can now return to sharing this body with her.”

“I will assume you have many questions, Applejack,” Princess Luna, having watched the fight from the shadows along with Twilight, stepped forward and stated, “but these questions will be asked, and answered back at Princess Twilight’s castle. We will be safe there.” With that, she lit her horn and teleported them all to the throne room. Rainbow let go of Applejack, then the four Bearers of Harmony took their thrones while Princess Luna stood closest to the door.

“Now then,” Princess Luna stated, pacing back and forth, “your questions.”

“Where’s Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

Princess Luna turned to look at Flutterbat, who smiled, then pointed upward at the glowing trio of butterflies. “She’s within there,” she stated, “much like Applejack was. We have discovered that when one of us dies our soul returns to the Element. As the Tree of Harmony grew this palace, the six thrones in this room bear a link to the Elements that are embedded within the limbs of the Tree itself. All I have to do, to return her soul back to this body, is to persuade Fluttershy to return to this world.”

“Why wouldn’t she want to return?” Twilight asked, “her friends are here.”

“Yes,” Flutterbat replied with a smile, “but you don’t understand the allure of the Elements. Everything you wished would happen CAN happen in your Element, within some limitations. Fluttershy wishes the world would be a kinder place and so, within her Element, her world is. I would have to convince her that without her influence, the world could not become like the one she imagines.”

Twilight nodded understandingly.

Rainbow piped up. “So, where have you been for the past two weeks?” she asked.

“In Canterlot,” Flutterbat replied, “our body was taken there after Fluttershy’s soul settled into the Element, where I was revived and given a position within the Night Guard. It was then that I heard about the movements of our friend Quick Shot. I figured that he would go after Rainbow, knowing that I had been removed from Ponyville, and I hatched a plan to relieve him of his pack. Which brings me to my part.” She turned to look at Princess Luna. “With your permission, Grand Matron, I will retrieve Fluttershy.” Princess Luna nodded and the other ponies watched Flutterbat close her eyes and slump, almost lifeless, in the throne as the triple butterflies glowed brighter, doubling in brightness.

“Grand Matron?” Twilight asked, turning to look at Princess Luna, “what did she mean?”

Luna smiled, revealing her fangs and her eyes flashed a teal color. “Just what she meant,” she replied, “I am the creator of the Thestrals. My mother knew what I was and encouraged me to make friends. At the time I had a few ponies I enjoyed hanging out with, but as time wore on I realized she meant it literally. I had to bite ponies before they could become a Thestral, and thus really enjoy the night. Flutterbat here is known among the Thestrals as a First, or a Matron. She is held in a position of great power and influence, second only to myself. Ponies bitten by a First turn into a Second, like Rainbow.” She nodded toward the Pegasus. “However, if a Second bites a pony, they become a Thrall, a servant to the Second. Thralls lose their minds and free will, being overwritten by the Second. This would have been your fate, Rainbow, if Flutterbat hadn’t bitten you. She gave you back your will and independence. I am more than a Matron, as my bite has a special attribute. I may create a First, a Second, a Thrall, or I may neutralize my venom. This becomes relevant when I say that I’ve been bitting my sister once a year, to stave off the blood lust.”

“You’ve bitten Princess Celestia?!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes wide.

“Yes, Twilight,” Princess Luna replied, “but she has been in no danger. Alicorns could only be turned by a massive amount of Thestral venom within their veins, more than a normal Thestral could ever generate in their entire, long, lifetime. Only I possess the necessary amount, and I would never turn my sister.”

The three ponies nodded, letting out sighs of relief. Rainbow opened her mouth to ask a question but was stopped when Applejack let out a massive yawn, making Princess Luna smile. “I suppose questions can wait until the morning,” Luna stated, “you’ve all underwent a long and arduous ordeal and deserve rest. I will return tomorrow. Send me a letter when you are ready.” With that, she turned and left the room.

Rainbow yawned, then bid them all a good night and curled up on her throne, an ear attentive and pointed at Flutterbat who still remained slumped over in her throne. Twilight nodded, then helped Applejack up and walked her to the front door. They said their good nights and split, Applejack vanishing into the darkness, though Twilight couldn’t help but notice that the orange mare gave off a very dim, green glow as she walked into the darkness. She shook her head, then walked into her own room.

As she got into bed after preparing for bed, she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that she’d forgotten something important. She lay there in the dark for some time, running over her checklists before she was satisfied that she’d accomplished everything she needed to do today. Then she closed her eyes and fell into the soft embrace of sleep.

An hour later Twilight awoke, her body sticky with sweat and her eyes wide. She’d remembered what, or rather who she’d forgotten.
“Rarity!”