Quarantine Period, Part 3: Such a Loudmouth...
((As always, this story is best read in "normal" font size.))
Fluttershy pulled out her teddy bear as Twilight headed upstairs. She opened the door, only to be greeted by a gust of wind coming in through the door. The paper bag whipped back and forth wildly, and she barely grabbed it in time with her telekinesis. She closed the door, using several times more telekinetic force than she had opening it. Well, that won't do.
She placed the paper bag neatly over the basement doorhandle so she wouldn't forget to put it back on the blood-bag before she returned to Fluttershy. The paper bag looks ridiculous anyway, and this way I won't have to worry about it blowing off in these gusts. Out the front door she trotted, the blood-bag floating above and to one side of her. I hope Fluttershy will be alright by herself. she fretted Ah, well, it will only be for a few minutes at most.
Looking about she soon caught sight of Spike, or rather a multicolored jet of flame shooting out from the middle of a crowd of "Oooh"ing and "Aaaah"ing ponies.
"Spike!" called out Twilight, but the dragon was too busy talking to his audience in between blasts to hear her. She was about to try yelling louder, but decided to test out a spell based on the instinctive effects that Princess Luna used when she spoke in the The Royal Canterlot Voice, although, lacking alicorn durability, she would also include a sound-dampening spell on her own ears to protect her hearing. "Spike! I need your help with a biohazard!"
"Oh horse apples. She bit you didn't she?" called out the young dragon.
Twilight just glared at him and tapped one hoof. Spike handed his tool to Rarity, making sure she took it with her telekinesis, rather than her mouth, to avoid any possibility of his precocious crush poisoning herself with chemicals that might have accidentally gotten on the handle.
"I'm coming..."
Spike walked over quite close to Twilight, head a little down-cast.
"Apparently eripmavs tend to slobber over bags of blood rather than biting into them like regular vampires." Twilight said quietly... or at least it WOULD have been quiet if she had remembered to dispel the amplification (and counter-amplification) spells. As it was she shouted loudly enough that every pony within twenty pony lengths suddenly had their full attention focused on the leader of the towns heroes.
"Uh, Twilight, I thought we weren't supposed to mention that until Princess Celestia has verified that she isn't going to freak out and try to turn all of Ponyville into vampires?" said Spike, both eyes somewhat wide in shock and one more so than the other in incredulity.
"Sorry, couldn't hear that. You are whispering too..." Twilight said trailing off as she realized what was going on.
Sacrificing forethought for prompt action, Twilight dismissed the counter-amplification spell and raised her head to the crowd. "Uh... sorry folks, no problem here! Everything is perfectly under control. So please remain calm and go about your business."
"This is another of Luna's pranks, right?" asked a pegasus stallion dressed as a swan.
"Err... no, Fluttershy really is a vampire now. Or eripmav, which is a word I made up, which means a vampire who isn't dangerous."
Unfortunately, her audience had each turned for the nearest building that wasn't the library at the first instance of the word "vampire" in this last statement. By the time Twilight finished her last sentence, the streets were clear of everypony for thirty ponylenghts who hadn't already known about Fluttershy's condition.
Twilight dismissed the amplification spell. "Well, THAT could have gone a lot better. I guess they will get over it in a few hours."
"Well, maybe, maybe not, but we can hope furr the best n' deal with things as tha happen." said Applejack as she walked over to Twilight, eying the rest of Ponyville screaming and running for their houses on general principles, despite not having heard what Twilight had said over the general noise of Nightmare Night.
"Indeed... anyway, Spike, we need to get down to the basement before Fluttershy starts worrying too much. As for the rest of you-"
"I'll see if I can roust some of those idiots out of their houses and get them to see sense!" Rainbow Dash said, flying off, Applejack's teeth closing on air half a hoof-length behind her vibrant tail.
"Oh, dear. I suppose I should try and follow her before she makes matters any worse, and try to pour oil on the troubled waters as it 'twere."
"So all ya gotta do is catch up tah tha fastest pegasus in town, and then call 'er off ah defendin' tha honor ah tha pony whose she's been lookin' out fur since they wuz little fillies when this here pegasus is alsa one uh tha most thick-headed ponies in town?"
"Well... I suppose when you put it like that... perhaps I should find the mayor. If I recall correctly she borrowed Pinkie's beaver costume?"
"Right, Rarity, get on that. AJ, Pinkie, you know Rainbow better than Rarity does, see if you can find her and bring her to the basement. Talk to her or grab her, whichever you think will work best."
"Ah, packed mah rope inside mah costume this year, just tah be on tha safe side."
"Need ma help?" ask Big Macintosh.
"Nah. No offense big bro, but ya ain't exactly much good at keepin' quiet on those hooves o' yer's, 'n' when it comes tah catchin' Rainbow, I prefer tah be close up. Any more'n' quarter ah mah rope-length when ah start talkin' 'n' she might be outta-range ifin' she bolts rather'n' arguin' all the way through."
"Right then, everypony come down into the basement in half an hour, or when you are done, whichever comes first!" Twilight said turning and heading for the library, Spike and Big Macintosh following her. She lead them inside and replaced the paper bag on over the blood-bag. Next she explained the basics of her discoveries to the pair.
"So she has to drink blood, but she can't look at it?" Spike asked.
"Not in large quantities, no."
"Or she will go crazy licking it?"
"Yes."
"That's a real bummer."
"Fortunately, I think if I wrap the blood-bags in paper covers that are tight enough, she should be able to bite through that and suck the blood."
"Wouldn't it leak out pretty quickly?"
"Not if she keeps her fangs in it no."
"Then how would the blood get out at all. I mean I guess it could leak around her fangs and..."
"According to Arctura, the famous vampire caretaker, vampire fangs are hollow. I didn't get a good look, but I would hypothesize that the holes in Fluttershy's fangs are pretty small."
"I guess that is good. I can't imagine Fluttershy is good with blood anyway. Although... Rarity does say that presentation is an important part of any meal."
"Interesting thought, but I think that Fluttershy would need a several months... no more like years before she would be interested in what sort of glass her lunch was served in. This is Fluttershy we are talking about after all."
"I was more thinking of tracing out butterflies on a plate for her to lap at."
Twilight looked at Spike like he had spontaneously turned into a plaid timber wolf.
"Err... well, it looks pretty good with chocolate syrup on a plate, so I just thought..." said Spike, recalling a lunch he had once had at Rarity's house.
"I... that is... Just don't mention any such thing to her, alright?"
"Geez! Of course not. I'm not an idiot you know."
"Well, let's head down then."
Spike followed Twilight back into the dimness, with Big Macintosh bringing up the rear.
Fluttershy was still holding her teddy-bear close to her, her eyes closed, mumbling a lullaby to herself.
"I'm back Fluttershy."
The not-precisely-a-vampire opened her eyes and focused on Twilight. She then glanced toward the teddybear. "Eep!" she fluttershouted and dropped it in fear, backing away rapidly until her dock bumped into her pile of luggage, causing the specific suitcase in question to wobble slightly.
"It is okay, I'm sure that none of us care about your teddy-bear. If it helps it helps." Twilight said.
"Pfft, I've got...", Spike caught himself, "What I mean is, who cares if you have a stupid teddybear."
"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said gently.
Fluttershy shrank back against the luggage, curling her head down between her forelegs.
Twilight picked up the teddybear with her telekinesis and brought it over to Fluttershy, attempting to nestle it against the midpoint of one foreleg. But no sooner had it made contact than Fluttershy looked at it again, and scrambled away from it, this time pressing her tail flat up against the curve of the force-field closest to them, and furthest from the bear.
Twilight dropped the bear.
"It is okay. You don't have to hold it if you don't want to. I just wanted you to know it was okay if you wanted to."
Fluttershy relaxed a little, sinking down to the ground again, and starting to whimper. "Didn't you see what I was doing?"
"Iiiii, must have missed something. Looked to me like you were just holding your teddybear." replied Twilight, eyeing the pegasus quizzically.
"But, how I was holding it... my teeth were...I was about to bite it."
"I don't think so. You were just holding it like everypony holds a teddy bear sometimes. At least when they are holding it with its face out from them rather than into their chest."
Twilight formed yet another temporary airlock, and slid the teddy bear out. She picked it up in her forehooves and posed with it, trying to look cute (no great challenge really). "See?"
"Well... I guess."
"Actually... let me ask you, what do you think I would taste like? What would my neck, or, if you prefer, foreleg feel like in you mouth?"
"Oh no, I would never... I'd rather just stick to blood bags, thank you."
"Yes, I know, and there isn't any particular reason you would ever have to bite somepony. But just for the sake of argument, what would it physically feel like for you if you bit me?"
"I... I don't know, I think I'd be scared and..." Fluttershy said. I don't think I could bite somepony... I mean it would be so wrong...
"No, but how would my neck feel in your mouth? What would it be like? The texture? The taste?"
"I don't know... maybe like biting into an orange?"
"And the taste?"
"Coppery... warm... very nice. I can't quite describe how you taste. I've gotten blood in my mouth when I wasn't careful with the plastic mouth-glove I was using to pick up the meat, but... I don't remember it tasting like this." she said. Even as it is, I'm drinking part of their BODY. I don't think that is right. "Even when I was so nervous using my class two license the very first time, and I slipped. The piece of plastic sheeting I was using for a mouth-guard got crooked and... I remember it very well, because it was so horrifying. I mean... I guess it makes sense that your blood tastes better since I am a vampire-"
"Stop right there!" Twilight interjected "You are NOT a vampire. You are an eripmav. Don't call yourself that."
"Well... Ok... umm... anyway, what I was saying is that since I am what I am now, your blood tastes good, but I also think there is something DIFFERENT about it." pondered Fluttershy.
Twilight filed this comment away to write down a note about later. "Ok, now I want you to imagine biting into your teddy bear."
Fluttershy looked a little ill. "Oh, ugh... I don't think it would taste very good."
"Right... fabrics aren't any more nutritious for you than they would be for me. So you weren't hungry, you were just a little lonely."
Twilight slid the teddy bear back inside, and Fluttershy picked it up with all the caution she would when handling a delirious rattle-snake.
"But what if I bite it anyway?"
"Then you will get a mouth full of cloth and maybe some fluff. Rarity will be happy to sew it up again afterwards. That isn't going to happen though."
"I guess... if you say it won't then it won't. You seem to know all about this sort of thing."
"Well..." she began, then thought I've only read a few books. I don't even know the psychology of why different vampires pick different hunting techniques, or even if it is a personal, rather than situational variation."I wouldn't say that I..."And everything is backwards and upside down. As good as that is, it also throws everything off. I don't have authoritative opinions to go by, I have volumes worth of working hypotheses that those authoritative opinions turned into, and a smattering of first-hoof observations. "We are..."But then again, I know Fluttershy, and as much of a bias as that may put on my observations, it also gives me a firmer baseline to compare to. Princess Celestia did tell me I have a huge potential for original research. "You are in good hooves." she finally finished her verbal statement.
"I trust you... I just don't trust myself... please don't let me do anything the old Fluttershy would regret."
"I won't. Actually, I kind of might, because you are going to have to adapt in some ways. Nothing bad, but a few little things are going to be different."
"Like what?"
"Oh, you know... the altered diet. Avoiding running water. Replacing your mattress with a pile of fluffy soil... speaking in a Transhoovanian accent..." Twilight said, ending on a smirk.
"The accent thing is just a joke, right?" asked Fluttershy timidly.
"Yes."
"But... I don't think I should drink blood... that is like... part of another pony. It would be wrong to take it. Not that you were wrong to give me it! But I just think I should stop." Fluttershy said, attempting to resign herself stoically to starvation.
Good grief... Twilight thought I hope she doesn't dig in her hooves about that... if she tries to survive on animal blood, she is going to get malnourished... or maybe she won't. Maybe only vampires work that way, I know it is part of the vampire curse, to make them more destructive. I do still have my notes for that one time I considered turning her into a tree for a day as a birthday present... maybe I could work the kinks out and then smear her roots in pine resin and maple syrup? Sounds practical enough for just three days, and after that I can have Spike send Celestia a letter asking for her to order Fluttershy to... wait, she already did that... still, best to try another way first, rather than reminding her of that."Fluttershy, you do business with the Gluemaker family, don't you?"
"Oh, well... that is... yes..." Fluttershy said, scuffing one hoof in her most native of soils a few times.
"I don't like it, but when somepony leaves their body to the animals in their will after the doctors have taken whatever some other pony needs... well, I like to take care of animals, and so the mayor says I have to be the official chief animal caretaker for Ponyville," she cast her eyes down,
"and that involves a lot of paperwork, but the cows are really nice when I make a mistake. I don't like paperwork, and I don't like cutting up dead ponies, even though Mr Kratos is very nice and sometimes leaves the skin on if they had bad skin, even though it cuts into his profits." She smiled weakly at the remembered kindness before going on,
"I like that, because I don't have to get meat in my mouth so much, just skin which is a little bit like picking up a foal to put them on your back when they need to be carried somewhere. And the kitties and eagles are so happy for the special treat." The same smile returned with the last few words.
"Well... Spike has eaten Pony." Twilight said.
"Not for years and years I haven't! Please, none of you can tell anypony... they wouldn't understand." the dragon said, a little defensively.
"Yes, well, we should ask Princess Celestia if we should have you do it again. The point, however," Twilight said, looking around seriously at all present, "is that the only reason Princess Celestia had him do it was that she wanted to make sure that Spike wasn't going to turn into a monster. She was inside his head every moment... not that there was much in there most of the times..."
"Hay! No need to be insulting!"
"I wasn't being mean, and it wasn't a joke. I just meant that most of the times were when you were so young you didn't really have any secrets as such."
"Well... I don't think he should have to if he doesn't want to." Fluttershy said, curling her head down and to one side, and scuffing her hoof a little.
Just like when they first met. thought Spike.
"Meh, it's all the same to me. For what it is worth, you taste better than hay fries but not as good as gemstone. I just avoid the undertakers' for shopping because I don't want to creep anypony out. Well, that, and why pay more for something that doesn't taste as good?"
"Yes, but given the unfortunate incident on your last birthday, I think it might be best to double-check our results. We know so little about dragons..." Twilight said with a big-sisterly sort of anxiety.
"Geeeeze, you HAD to bring that up?"
Twilight put her snout in the air. "Since it was scientifically relevant, yes, yes I did." she said primly.
"Get to the point Twilight..." Spike said.
"Right! The point is that you aren't the first person that Celestia has examined while they were eating something that would be highly problematic if they were to lose control. Vampires are much better documented than dragons, or else Princess Celestia probably couldn't have modified sunlight to hurt them a little over twenty-three centuries ago."
"Oh..."
"Incidentally, you shouldn't worry about that either. As soon as she is done examining her sister she will be teleporting straight into the sun and putting in an exception to that enchantment for you. In any case, you won't be using anything up. Blood only stores well for so long. They feed vampires the past-freshness stuff. Still tastes fine, and keeps them animate."
Meanwhile in the middle of a deserted street:
"Look, Dash, you're great at getting people hyped up, but for calmin' 'em you're better off leavin' it to other ponies." Applejack said, re-coiling her lasso for the second time. I hope I won't have to do that again, she's gettin' more and more wary... I almost missed last time.
"But I gotta do something!"
"Oooo... maybe you could learn to juggle?"
"First, that would be useless Pinkie, second, I taught myself two months ago."
"So you should juggle! Everypony likes juggling!"
"Look Pinkie, juggling is not going to make ponies stop being afraid of Fluttershy. Neither is ball-bouncing, barrel-rolls, cloud-spinning, split-esses, cloud sculpting, or... wait... hold on..." Rainbow Dash said, brightening.
"Just give me ten minutes. I promise you, I won't talk to any more ponies about Fluttershy. After that, I'll come back to the library."
"So you won't go kicking anypony else's door to splinters 'cause they won't answer you?"
"Eeeeeh.... I may still need to do that. But I'll have every right if they don't answer the door."
"Tha's the plumb dumbest-"
"Because they are my subordinates."
"Oh, well..."
"And, just for the record, I am hereby proclaiming a weather-related emergency."
"Wha? You can't go throwin' off the weather schedule just tah..."
"Schedule won't change more than a bit more shade for the next few days. Just going to bend a few rules."
Ah guess Ah'll havetah settle furr tha... Applejack thought. "And yah Pinkie Promise yah ain't gonna to go yelling at any other ponies 'bout Fluttershy?"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Dash said, going through the hoof-motions. "I'll only TALK about weather-related business."
"Well, Ok then."
Meanwhile, in City Hall:
"Thank you for meeting with me. I mean, I realize that you were trying to take the night off, but..." Rarity said, looking down at the glossy hardwood floor for just a moment as she primped her mane with one hoof before looking up again across the desk at the mayor. That beaver costume suits a hardworking civil servant much better than that clown costume. I'm so glad that she sold it to Krastos.
"Yes, well, these things happen..." said Mayor Mare. At least the word got well-spread before there was any great danger. I think Ms Sparkle thinks everyone is as able to face down dangerous creatures as she is. Thank The Elyon for sending her here though. She's really gotten those ponies into shape, even if she does have her little accidents... Ah well... minus a giant bear, plus a thieving Dragon... I guess it all comes out in the wash.
"Right, but let us see how we can dispel the panic. I'm sure we can work something out, yes?" Rarity said.
"Oh, well..." The citizens had every right to panic. She's almost as bad as Twilight... not as bad as Rainbow Dash though. On the plus side, at least our weather is top notch, and our meteorology budget small. That mare is worth any ten other pegasi, just based on her personal performance, and that is without even getting into how hard she pushes her team. She shook away the tangent. Staying up this late after all those preparations isn't doing me any favors."This is all just so... unfamiliar."
"Well, I'm sure we will all adjust. We are, after all, proud to count a Zebra and a Dragon among our friends." Rarity said, her smile inching even wider.
"Yes, but Spike is hardly likely to feed on pony-flesh." the mayor said.
"Spiky-Wikey? No, of course, not..." Rarity said, who was in honest ignorance, "but we do welcome griffons, do we not? Well... almost all griffons."
"The exception being...?" Mayor Mare asked, looking confused.
"Rainbow Dash's Junior Speedsters friend?"
"Oh, yes... fine pending for shoplifting was it?"
"Among other things..." Much worse things... no matter what the law says about how she treated Fluttershy, and the fact that Pinkie would never press charges for making her crash.
"In any case, I am sure you recognize the danger we are all in. You and Fluttershy's other friends most of all."
"I'm sure I don't know what you could possibly be referring to." said Rarity, despite knowing pretty well what the not-naturally-grey mare was talking about.
"Surely you don't blame us for being a bit jumpy with a vampire in our midst?"
"Well, I wouldn't, if that were actually the case." said Rarity, taking a superior tone.
"And... how is it not the case?"
"Because she isn't evil. So much so that Twilight insists that the proper term is.." Rarity slowed to get the pronounciation of the next word correct "eripmav."
"So she isn't a blood drinking undead?" the mayor said, raising one eyebrow incredulously.
"Mere trifling details." Rarity replied, waggling one hoof dismissively.
"Look, I'm not saying that this can't be sorted out, I am just saying that we need to take some precautions until it is. The citizens of Ponyville have a right to protect themselves, and I'm going to do everything I can to see that that right is exercised."
"I... see. But I think I can prove that she isn't a danger."
"Conclusively?"
"Quite conclusively."
"I would be interested to hear that." replied Mayor Mare, with same practiced tones she always used when discussing an issue with someone she strongly disagreed with on any other matter of policy.
"Do you recall about three years ago, there was a unicorn arrested up in Canterlot for plotting a murder?"
"Not really, no."
"Well, I do. Quite the scandal. They thought he was planning to use a spell to destroy their life-forces. But, it turned out he was only considering burning his victims to death."
"And the difference between the two being?"
"Legally, there is every difference in the world. To wish to murder someone is very bad, but if one could bring forth a spell that was specifically for that and nothing else, it would imply a much more general moral corruption. I'm sure you could look up the legal details."
"I see...," said the Mayor, her gaze moving leftward to her bookshelf full of law texts. They weren't in numerical order, but rather had the ones she used the most within easiest reach. Which meant that the volumes that covered felonies were gathering dust on the very top shelf. Such things had happened in Ponyville of course, but had a way of being appropriately resolved without ever making it to the judge, let alone requiring the mayor to take any sort of action, "but that would take valuable time. Perhaps you could explain it to me, as best you understand it? Or at least give me the name of the charge that is leveled in the more severe case?"
"I'm dreadfully sorry darling, but you would have to ask Twilight for the name." explained Rarity. To think that a day would come when I wished I were more detached and scholarly when reading about a scandal in the newspaper. I suppose Twilight has only rubbed off on my so much... Speaking of Twilight, I suppose this isn't an absolute proof after all. I wonder if I should say that? No, no, what am I thinking! Confidence!
"Given my past experiences with concerned townsponies I'd prefer not to spend the time if possible, if you could give that summary."
"Well... give me a moment... This isn't easy, I mean we are talking about the most dreadful of spells."
"Take your time, believe me, it can't possibly take longer than it would for me to find a copy of the right law book and decipher the law in question."
Rarity's thoughts became tangled as she tried to approach the problem. Many seconds dragged by, and perversely, the only way of explaining that would come to her mind was one that would cast her in the role of the villain. Hardly politic, but she is expecting an answer.
"I am dreadfully sorry, I have only a rather poor example for you. I suspect the mood of the night may have overcome me. Suppose, just for the sake of example you understand?" Rarity started to explain, looking down at the floor in embarrassment that was only half-feigned. "Supposing... if that ursa minor had happened to step on my parents' house, and crushed them and dear Sweetie, I could see myself having to struggle, just for a moment, not to drive a needle through Trixie's eye from twenty hooves away. Of course, it would be no more than a passing fancy! But, even if my cutie-mark were much more versatile, I would have to let the rage build for months, FEEDING it quite intentionally before I would have the least chance of being able to cast a spell for killing, rather than adapting another effect."
"Oh, 'Out of the overflow of the heart, the horn casts'?"
"So you are familiar with he principle after all?"
"I suppose. I just hadn't made the connection."
"Anyway, the legal system reflects the difference."
"I can accept that for the moment. You will understand if I talk it over with a few of the cows and do a little reading when I have time if this is going to be a cornerstone of your argument."
"Oh, certainly. However, you would be much better off talking to Twilight when she has a moment away from comforting and caring for Fluttershy, rather than reading a law book. The point isn't the law, but the magic that it reflects."
"I see."
"In any case, the point is that... well, I am afraid I shall have to ask you to keep this next part a secret, and I'm afraid I mean the 'take it to your grave' sort of secret, not a 'let us not speak of this until the proper time' sort of secret."
"Wouldn't that put a damper on calming the fears of the public?"
"Oh, but YOU will know all the fidgety little details, and the ponies of Ponyville quite trust you."
"I suppose that could work." And in this costume I might actually have half a chance of pulling it off. she thought running a hoof over the wire-reinforced felt of the tail.
Rarity proceeded to explain what the Diarchs were doing at the moment.
"They are taking this situation seriously then?" asked Mare.
"Quite seriously."
"Well, then it seems to me, if I am to be worthy of the trust of Ponyville, I should also take this seriously."
"Well... perhaps." admitted Rarity reluctantly.
"I understand that you wish to protect both Fluttershy and Princess Luna, and that is a very valid goal. I must, however balance that with the safety of Ponyville. Of course, I would welcome any suggestions you might have to handle this."
Rarity gazed up at the ceiling for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof as she pondered then brightened.
"Actually, it occurs to me that we have been going about this back to front! We should ask those ever so exotic and charming guardsponies what the plan is. They obviously have been dispatched to take care of this situation."
"A wise thought. As a matter of fact the very first thing I did when the panic started was to speak to the nearest guard. The field-commander will be arriving shortly, but I was not lead to believe that he would be completely forthcoming with suggestions. The guard I spoke with seemed to be choosing his words very carefully for some reason. I'm sure they will provide some advice, but I would feel more comfortable with another source of information."
"I see. Well, perhaps you could start from the existing plans for potential vampires, and then modify them from there?"
"I know the drill for a vampire attack, but, even in the worst case, we aren't there. I could make an announcement explaining what to do if she does break out, but that by itself would only make things worse as far as Fluttershy's reputation and would be a bit of a risk even in terms of maintaining calm."
"Well, I am sure that the royal night-guards will know what we should do... and if they don't I am sure that there is a book in the library that covers it. Twilight is quite meticulous about keeping such things ready to hoof."
"That sounds good. I'm afraid I need to wait here since Sergeant... no, pardon me Staff Sargent Breaking Hoof could be arriving at any moment, and I don't want to miss him. Perhaps you could go get that book?" asked Mayor Mare.
"But of course, anything to aid our fair town."
"Thank you!"
Rarity rose gracefully, and opened the door only to discover a cat-slit-eyed stallion sitting at attention in the seat furthest from the door to Mayor Mare's office.
"Staff Sargent Breaking Hoof I presume?" she asked.
The nightguard rose and saluted Rarity.
"Yes Ma'am. Is there anything you need?"
"Ooo... well, not at the MOMENT, seeing as how you have urgent business with the mayor, but perhaps you could come over to the library when you have a moment later?" Rarity said, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
"It would be a pleasure, but I regret to say that business may very well not allow any time for pleasure on this trip."
"Oh, believe me, I know what it is to be terribly busy. I shall leave you with both our esteemed civic leader, and my sincere hopes that you and I shall have some time."
"Goodbye." said Breaking Hoof, saluting again.
Rarity pranced out the door to the hall as Breaking Hoof trotted into the mayor's office.
A few minutes later, back at the library:
"Oh, Twiiiilight", sang out Rarity from the door to the basement, "Where do you keep the books on what Fluttershy is not?"
"Spike, go help her."
"Coming Rarity!" said Spike eagerly.
Spike trotted up the stairs.
"What can I help you with?" Spike asked, closing the door behind him.
"I just need a book on the ordinary procedures for dealing with", she glanced back and forth then leaned in, lowering her voice, "vampires."
Spike got a little doe-eyed at the close proximity of his lady-love.
"Well, we could check Twilight's emergency response index."
"That sounds absolutely perfect. I knew my Spikey-Wikey would know just what to do."
Spike found the horn-written book in question in Twilight's desk, flipped it open to the Vee tab, and started flipping through pages.
"Vacuum Slugs, Vanishing Veloxis... here we are, vampire! Let me get them for you!"
"Oh, I don't think I need all of them, just let me see that list." said Rarity coming up behind him, and reaching her neck down to read over his shoulder. "I think that 'Castle's Complete Curriculum to Civic Containment and Control: Vampires' should do nicely."
"Certainly!"
Spike brought her the book, and she bid him goodbye to take it to the mayor, just as Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Big Macintosh arrived.
Meanwhile, in the basement:
"Oh, I thought of another experiment we can do to figure out if your abilities are designed not to hurt other ponies... same procedure as before, but this shouldn't take long."
"Ok."
Twilight grabbed a book on inorganic chemistry she had left laying near one of her chemistry set-ups with her telekinesis, and brought it over to herself. She opened it to random page and read what was written there. She held the book up to the bubble.
"Can you understand this?"
"Can we come on down, or is this ah bad time?" called Applejack through the door to the basement.
"Not a good time, I'm just about to start a rather sensitive" In the social sense "experiment."
"Ahright." AJ said, and shut the door.
"Now then, where were we? Ah yes, can you understand what this text is saying?"
Fluttershy took a step forward and looked at the words on the page.
"No. I'm sorry. I wish I were smarter."
"That's fine. But you can't understand it at all? It doesn't matter if you can't, I just need to know for this experiment."
"No."
Twilight flipped the pages back to the introduction to the book.
"How about this, is it clearer?"
"A little, but I really don't think I would be able to understand it."
"Oh, you might be surprised. I think this should go well."
"Well, if you say so..."
"Now I'm going to put some more blood on the inside of the forcefield, it will be a bit more than before... actually, wait a second..."
Twilight went off and sorted through a cabinet in another part of the lab.
Now where did I put that... huh... I wonder of I should get rid of this? No, its safe enough as long as nopony uses telekenesis on it. Ah! Here we are.
"Found it!" she said, holding her prize high.
"A home movie camera?"
"Basically. This one is a bit more accurate with the feed rate than that and I can change out the lenses or hook it up to any of my telescopes or microscopes."
"Wow! But... Umm... I don't know if I want to be on film."
Should I tell her that she has the power to disappear from film? Nah, not worth making her more aware of her condition right now.
Twilight settled for grabbing the notebook where she was keeping her notes on eripmavism and wrote down: "Investigate if Fluttershy can use defenses against clairvoyance to avoid appearing in photographs. Earlier incident with mirror indicates that she may share this property in common with pre-existing vampires. Learning this technique may help her if this incident brings press coverage.".
"The camera even has film left in it!" she exclaimed as she wound up the clockwork mechanism that powered the device and grabbed a ruler off of a hook and a dissection probe from the "Biology" section of the lab. I wonder if I should swap out for the color film? Probably best not to, I don't want to delay this and I'd hate to waste it if nothing is going to happen. Magical film is so expensive. Maybe I should learn to make it myself to save money?
"Well, that is good... I guess. Umm... you aren't going to poke yourself with that are you?" asked Fluttershy, pointing one hoof at the needle-like instrument, which she recognized from when she would bring an animal that had died of old age or accident to Twilight instead of exercising her class one carnivore feeder license immediately... she suppressed a shiver at the thought of ever having to exercise her class two license in such a fashion. She tried to focus on the idea that if Twilight needed a pony cadaver for her studies that Fluttershy probably wouldn't be involved at all.
"Nope, I'm just going to use it as a pointing device, since some of what I am trying to record might not show up very well on the film. I need you to get back into the same position from our last experiment, but don't stick out your tongue or actually touch the force-field until I tell you to."
Twilight climbed the ladder and pressed the book to the surface of the barrier once more, its bottom edge about half a hoof above the level of Fluttershy's pupils.
"Now I need you to look at the first word on the page, and keep looking in that direction as you close your eyes."
"Ok."
Twilight teleported some more of her blood onto the interior of the force-field one drop at a time... enough that a single drip formed and ran down the inside of the force-field. Holding the ruler next to the drip she held the camera up to her face and made sure that the ruler and blood-drop were both in the view-finder. Drat, the curved surface will distort the measurement. Oh well, I know how to fix that. She stretched the force-field to create a straight vertical run for the blood-drip and added more blood to the splotch that the drip ran down from, waiting for the resulting second drip to follow the path of the first to ensure the thickness and width were as even as possible over the length of the run.
"Are you ready Fluttershy?"
"Ok... I can smell the blood." Fluttershy said as Twilight started the camera running.
"Don't worry about it. Now stick out your tongue and move forward until it touches the blood... err... a little to your left... that's it. Now make sure your eyes are towards the page, then open them and start reading silently."
Again, Fluttershy complied, trying to comprehend the advanced textbook's introduction.
"Ok, now, I'm going to try something, and you have to keep your tongue pressed to the force-field. Raise your right wing for okay, or your left if there is a problem."
Fluttershy raised her right wing and Twilight waited a few seconds while also positioning the probe even with the bottom of Fluttershy's tongue, then yanked the book away.
"Now think about bleeding ponies. Blood everywhere, hurt Ponies." she said, in a neutral tone of voice.
Luckily, Fluttershy did not recoil, but froze in place. The red around her tongue turned brown, and Twilight did her best to keep the point of the probe even with the propagation of the clotting down the blood-drip.
"Very sorry about that. I needed to verify the trigger for the effect if it occurred. It does seem that you have a magical clotting effect to the touch of your tongue when you think about badly injured ponies, and it extends past where your saliva actually touches. We can re-test to see if there is a dim yellow glow. I think I might have seen something like that, but I could be mistaken."
"Err... well, I'm glad you are learning stuff." said Fluttershy uncertainly.
"Don't be silly. I wouldn't have done it now if I was just trying to learn stuff, I wanted to give you more proof that your condition seems to be designed by The Elements of Harmony to be good for everypony."
"Oh, I see... that was nice of you?"
"I'm sorry if the shock wasn't worth the reassurance. I meant well." Twilight said shutting off the camera and placing it and her other tools on a nearby lab-bench.
"No, I think it will help in the long run. In fact, I think I feel encouraged already." Fluttershy said trying to look 'encouraged'. Her success in this endeavor was limited.
"Well, I'm sorry. I was stupid for trying it." said Twilight.
"No, that's quite alright. Anyone could make that mistake... not that it was a mistake. I'm sure it will make me feel better later, even if it wasn't... quite so nice when you were doing it. You were very helpful!"
"Eheh..." chuckled Twilight nervously, looking away and coloring slightly. "Well, I think I should go let the others know they can come back down."
Several minutes later:
"So, anyway, here we are." Applejack said.
"Yeah, here we are, and no more breaking down doors to yell at ponies about how they can't be mean to Fluttershy."
"You... you shouldn't have done that Dash." said Fluttershy.
"Yeah, my other idea was SO much better!"
"Your... other idea? And what might that be, pray tell?" inquired Rarity, her eyes narrowing speculatively.
"Oh, well, as weather captain, I am allowed to over-ride the normal rules for airspace in an emergency. And I realized that this is TOTALLY an emergency. So I... took care of it."
"I'm sure whatever plan you had was quite... bold. What was it... precisely?" Rarity asked, as AJ and Pinkie Pie traded confused glances.
"Well, I just put up a public service announcement. In the dark! In a minute flat!" Dash boasted.
"Public service announcement? I'm afraid I don't follow."
"You know, clouds? You can write words with them? But generally that isn't allowed except on special occasions, because it gets into a muddle with the shade if everypony can hire giant cloud-sculptures over their houses or what-not, and you gotta use structural-grade cloud if you don't want it to distort out of shape or blow off."
"So you wrote?" Rarity said, no longer trying to hide her apprehension.
"I kept it nice and simple see? 'Fluttershy isn't dangerous' I only had enough cloud on hand to make it a hundred hooves by about fifteen hundred hooves, but I think it should do the job." Dash said with a huge grin.
"Wait, so what were ya doin' tha other nahne minutes?"
"Passing along the orders to my crew chiefs so they wouldn't let anypony remove them!"
"I... see... well, at least it is better than yelling at ponies." Rarity said.
"So, Rarity, how did your talk with the mayor go?" asked Twilight, trying to change the subject.
"I have high hopes that with a clear plan in mind that problems can be avoided."
"Ah, so you had some ideas for her?"
"Moi? Not at all. My knowledge of the matter is limited to basic situational awareness and response, and self defense... or perhaps not as basic as all that. I recall that the instructor said I showed a certain amount of promise in rapidly creating a large number of stakes from furniture."
"Makes sense, given you can turn treebranches into topiary." Twilight said.
Rarity forbore clarifying that the lesson in question at the dojo had focused on hoof-strikes with just a little telekinesis, rather than transmutation.
"'But gettin' back tah tha subject at hoof, how can yah have 'high hopes' when yah didn't have nothin' to tell her 'bout plannin'?"
"Well, with Twilight being so busy I wasn't going to waste her time with something we all know is completely unnecessary, so I just got her a book. At the least, that should save you some time, am I not correct?" she asked Twilight.
"Oh, yes. I should think that she should be able to figure something out."
"So, what's next?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"CHARADES!" shouted Pinkie Pie.
"That sounds good to me." said Twilight.
About 15 minutes later:
A loud knocking came at the front door, repeated in the basement thanks to a spell that Twilight had placed on said door for just such occasions.
"Spike, get that."
"No way! It's his turn!" objected Pinkie.
Twilight knew better than to argue with Pinkie when it came to party games. "Fine, you get it then."
No sooner had Pinkie started up the stairs then Rainbow Dash guessed "Orange Tree."
"Correct" said Spike.
"It occurs to me Rarity... which book was it that you gave the mayor?"
"I don't quite recall."
"Castle's Complete Curriculum to Civic Containment and Control: Vampires." Spike said.
Twilight grimaced in concern, exactly as, upstairs, Pinkie happened to glance out the front window on her way to the door and notice something that left her blinking in confusion.
"Was that a poor choice?" asked Rarity.
"Well Rarity... it is just that... the procedures in that book are rather..."
"Hey everypony! What sort of party has everypony holding torches in their mouths? Except for the ones who are holding pitch-forks?" Pinkie called out down the stairs.
"...no nonsense." finished Twilight lamely.
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1. When Twilight was asking Fluttershy what the texture would like if she bit into her, how did an orange come to mind? Did you do some tampering around with different ideas beforehand?
2. Upon reviewing this latest chapter, are you aware that you wrote "People instead of ponies in a few spots?"
3. What research sources other than Dracula did you use for Fluttershy's fangs when it came to the hollowness? I always though that a vampire bit into its victims and sucked the blood out. Is that not the case or did you make that up?
2808316
1.) I believe that when practicing how to give injections that oranges are useful to trainee medical personnel.
2.) That would be intentional in at least a few places since Spike might be involved. I may double-check that though.
3.) I can't remember where I go the hollow fangs thing. It certainly isn't original. Sidenote: I actually haven't gotten very far into Dracula yet.
2827167 When it comes to other mythological beings like Spike, have you considered using something along the lines like "Everydragon or Somedragon?" :
2828316
An applicable situation has never come up, but yes, I might do that if it ever does, but since there is only one dragon in this story, that isn't applicable to it. Of course, that COULD change in the future theoretically, but I have no particular plans to add any more dragons.