The night had come setting in fast and Fluttershy dared to come out of her cottage. She didn’t wanted to, but the pegasus had to go and visit Twilight to get some books about lycanthropy. The lie was used that it she needed them in order to identify them in case they would have come to Ponyville. In reality would she have used to get to know more about her own abilities. Fluttershy had managed to stay hidden in Ponyville, with her condition even, for over a year. But how long until the cover was truly blown? How long before everything would have gone down for her? How long, before she would be hunted?
Fluttershy kept both her ears open while she wandered through the streets. She listened for any sound that shouldn’t be there. Any sound that she deemed as unknown caused her to jump to a side. And in Ponyville, especially during the late evening, that just happened a lot. A lot of ponies that were just minding their own business managed to startle her all the way over to the tree-library.
Finally could Fluttershy take a bit of a breath. The tree-library of Twilight was a place where she could be safe. A place that she knew through and through. A place where she just could fetch what she needed and be on her merry way again.
If things were only that simple.
When she knocked at the door, Spike the dragon opened it and he was just surprised to see Fluttershy out, that late, in Ponyville. It wasn’t something unheard of, it was just a little bit odd for him. “Fluttershy, what, can I do for you?” Spike asked to the pegasus while he rubbed some scales on the back of his head.
“Is, Twilight home? She said that she would have some books for me. M-May I come in? It’s colder than I had expected,” the pegasus returned.
Spike just gave a simple nod to her and the door was opened further. She entered and closed it behind her. Moment later was the mare engulfed in the warmth of the place. It certainly was a lot more pleasant than coming cold that took dominance outside. The little dragon had already gone ahead and told Twilight that Fluttershy was there. When he came back, he guided her over to the main library portion of the entire tree.
Even though Fluttershy had seen it a couple hundred times, she was still amazed by the vast amount of books that Twilight had managed to store in the place. She let out a gentle whistle as everything seemed to have been ordered nice and tidy. But Twilight herself was levitating just above some of the highest shelves. Dozens of ancient looking books had been collected atop of the table.
The dragon stood next to the pegasus and he gave only a glance of desperation to her at first. “She’s been like this ever since she came back from Zecora, she claims to know something, but can’t tell anypony about it. Something about this entire werepony thing that’s happening,” he whispered to her. He clapped his hands together and shifted his gaze back over to Twilight. “Right, anypony wants some tea?”
Fluttershy was surprised at the offer, but she couldn’t leave it standing. No, she would have taken it straight away. “Yes please,” was all she said before her eyes went back to Twilight. A Twilight who had returned to the surface again and nodded to Spike. She too would have a cup of tea, even if it was to stay awake just a bit longer.
Twilight then approached Fluttershy and gave her a firm hug, one that was returned in a lighter form before it was the unicorn that took the word. “You asked for books about lycanthropy, well, I do have them right here, over on the table...stuffed between, all the others. Oops.” The eyes of Twilight had finally been laid on the table where she had placed the books for Fluttershy, only to be consumed by the books about vamponies, for as far Fluttershy could read them.
What had awoken Twilight’s sudden fascination with vamponies? “Uhm, Twilight, not to pry, but, why do you have so many books on, on vamponies?” Fluttershy dared to ask. A question that didn’t go unheard. Twilight gestured Fluttershy over to a chair before Spike came in with the tea. Twilight levitated it off the tray and gave a cup to Fluttershy.
Then would the time of explaining have come for her. Twilight took a deep sigh before she told what she came to know. “Okay, so when I was at Zecora’s hut earlier today, she made the revelation to me that another supernatural being has surfaced from the depths. The vamponies seemed to have come too. Which means that a war between wereponies and vamponies might become a dangerously real threat. Neither princesses knew even a thing about it. And that, is what makes it all the more dangerous.”
Fluttershy had listened with the greatest of attention to the words, finishing her cup of tea with a nod of understanding. “It’s, something, I do give you that,” said to the pegasus.
Twilight only nodded while she charged her magic a bit more. Most of the books about vamponies were levitated and set to the side. The books about lycanthropy would have been placed in a saddlebag to carry. There was no need to keep Fluttershy longer around than was necessary. Mainly because Twilight wanted to continue with her study. She wanted to keep on going, and yet it all felt as if she had been through it already. Time was a strange thing, that much was sure.
In the end would Fluttershy have thanked both Twilight and Spike for the books and tea, before she would have been on her way again. With the saddlebags strapped to her body and the books loaded, her time to learn had finally arrived. Time would have told what came next though.
~~~~
Still walking above the stallion beneath her, Rarity had been listening to the words that he had told her. Something about those very words caused her to almost snap. It caused her to snap almost in half but she knew what he had been saying to her. She knew what the words meant and had heard them clear as day. And yet, there was a meal right beneath her, why wouldn’t she be taking it? Rarity licked her lips again, she was hungry, wanted to set the chase and just consume every drop of blood that was in him. Whatever strength her own angers managed to bring forth, it doesn’t matter if she could drink from him. Insanity would have hit her again, and she would have let it go just like that.
She didn’t care whether or not he knew where she was. All that she wanted, was him. So with a single jump from the stone beam, the unicorn spread her wings in order to glide down and tackle the stallion to the ground. No moment would be wasted before she just dove down.
The ears of the stallion twitched slight when the air rippled above him. There was a disturbance in it. If he knew anything about vamponies attacking, it would always have come from the blind corner. Turning around wasn’t necessary in this case. Instead he just waited, counting down the seconds even before he would have taken a lightning quick step to the side.
Fangs were revealed, Rarity came in and she wanted to tear the neck of the stallion open. She was just so close to getting it that she didn’t notice the fact that he had taken a step to the side. Before she could change direction, Rarity had crashed face-first into the stone floor. Her body gave cracked sounds at numerous places and her wings would have gone limp. Yet her body remained straight standing straight up. Only a muffled cry of annoyance and suppressed pain came from her.
The stallion wasn’t done with her just yet, far from it even. He turned his hindlegs to her and before Rarity could have protested, she was sent again through the air once more. Only to end up against the wall of closest to her.
Rarity felt the crash against her back and got the feeling that all of her bones were broken by just that one kick. The hellish pain that was sent through her was a shock and it caused her almost to lose consciousness. Though with her back stuck to it and her wings gone limp, there was little else that she could have done. A hoof was brought to her forehead while she began to rub it, the pain that went through her was indescribable. If he wanted to torture her, he was doing a good job at it already. But she was immortal, living off the blood of those that did live, he could have made her torture go on for eternities if he wanted.
With a distorted vision did Rarity see the brown blob coming to her instead of leaving her. Closer it came while the words rang in her ears. Words that normally would have angered her, words that could have made her furious. But she couldn’t do anything. All the muscles in her body were sore, she was in pain. In true physical pain once more. A pain she hadn’t felt in who knew who many months. To a certain degree did it felt even good to her.
Standing in the doorway though, was Trixie, she was ready to blast the stallion with magic if he even touched her mistress with one hoof. “Get, away, from, her, or Trixie swears, she will put an end to you,” the mare growled to the stallion, who did came to a stop.
He turned his attention over to the other unicorn before sneering. “And would you just stop with speaking in the third person?” the mysterious stallion asked of her. “Do you have even the slightest of ideas as to how annoying that is? Probably not, otherwise you would have stopped already, or she made you shut it, either one of them. But as to your, demand: no.”
Just a plain and simply no was the reply that Trixie got. He wouldn’t get away from Rarity. The hum of her charge become only louder before the stallion shook his head. “Oh please, you’re but a thrall, what can you do to a five hundred year old vampony? Now be a good slave and sit down!” he shouted to Trixie, who indeed obeyed his every word. Her magic faded away before she sat on her hunches. A gentle smile was formed by his lips afterwards. “Good, now stay there.”
He shifted his attention back to Rarity, who still couldn’t see much outside of the blob. Even the ringing in her ears still was pretty much the same. She tried to take an animated breath, as if she was still alive. Air filled her lungs, but it didn’t mean much to them. The stallion’s smile faded when he saw the action and a glance of disappointment took over “You are not fit to be our queen. You are not even properly trained in self-defense. You, have no reign over me. You have no reign over anypony, except that thrall of yours.”
Rarity had heard all of his words clear. She had heard every last little word that he spoke, even though her vision had still been restrained. And while she was stuck in the wall, her reply would have been given. A faint laughter would have come first while a strand of mane fell before her eyes. Her right eye was blocked by the mane, but her left eye still had itself firm to the brown blob. “I never desired to be, queen of you lot. I never wanted to do it, but she made me do it. In case, you hadn’t noticed, you’ve been living without, without a queen for about a y-year,” Rarity managed to say in a voice both weak and broken.