1. This Is Gonna Suck, Isn't It?
"It all started on a midnight stroll through the woods. The air was clear, the moon was full, and I was dying to sink my teeth into something. Get it? Because I'm a vampire!"
-@TheCrimsonFuckr
Cherry Syrup downed yet another strawberry milkshake, making it three. Sugarcube Corner was not the first place she had done this, and certainly not the last. However, when it came down to it, Sugarcube Corner simply had some of the best milkshakes around. It was strange when she considered that it was, for the most part, a bakery. The thought that a bakery would have good milkshakes never occurred to her in her travels, making this place stand out. She would have to come here again; Probably squeeze some trade secrets out of the energetic mare who seemed to be the waitress and the baker in this place. That would be a lovely night, no doubt.
She didn't even have to speak of the devil, as the mere thought of that mare seemed to summon her. That or the fact she was finished. "Wowie! You downed a THIRD in record time! No brain freeze at all?" Before Cherry could answer, the pink mare gasped and continued. "Is that something bat ponies can do?"
Cherry thought about the question. "Not get... brain freeze?"
"Are you a vampire?" Cherry screamed internally. "No-no, too obvious, and offensive because you're a bat pony and all, even if that was mostly because you sucked up that milkshake in record time..."
Cherry sighed oh so quietly. She gave the mare credit, though; it wasn't a guess based on her race.
"Or maybe... Can you turn off your brain?!" Pinkie asked excitedly, eliciting a sigh from the customer (plus some others in the room).
"Sometimes, ma'am," Cherry deadpanned. "I wish."
"Ma'am? That's not my name! I'm Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie gasped (again). "Are you somepony new?! I mean I can't tell with that hood you have on that's got your face covered with an eerie shadow that I'm totally sure is supposed to mean something but it's really none of my business WHY you have it on, it looks cool and thematic, just right for the story!"
Cherry leaned forward, letting her hood fall back and her face be illuminated by the light of the room. Her rich maroon eyes glinting as a guilty smile played across her face. "Apologies," she said. "I tend to do that because..."
I'm a Celestia-damned vampire!
"...reasons."
Pinkie hopped several times in rapid succession as she spoke. "Ohmigosh ohmigosh, you ARE a new pony! I need to get your welcoming party re-"
"No," Cherry put firmly. "None of that."
Pinkie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and several of the patrons turned to look at the two of them. Well shit, good job staying covert, Cherry. She could probably save this... somehow.
She swallowed and began the performance as solidly as she could maintain (which, given the practice she had received over the years, was very much so). "You see, Miss Pie, I'm on a trip. It's a trip of some importance and time is of the essence. I simply stopped in town for the night; not nearly enough time for you to prepare and me to enjoy a full party. I really don't want to inconvenience you by not being at the party you want to throw for me."
Pinkie tapped her chin with a hoof. "You have a point... at this hour it wouldn't be the super-fun-ultra-tastic party I want to throw you!"
"Yeah, it wouldn't," Cherry agreed. "So... how about as a 'thanks for coming to the town' present, you give me a discount on the milkshakes?"
Pinkie stuck her tongue out in thought. "Mm!" She shrugged. "Seems fair, I guess."
"Excellent, how much do I owe you then?"
"Ten bits! That's with the discount, Cherry!"
Cherry tossed the bits on the table and went to leave, but froze. "I'm sorry, did I introduce myself?"
"Nope! Just a lucky guess!" Pinkie said honestly, glancing at her customer's cherry-red mane and tail. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Oh, well then... my full name is Cherry Syrup, Miss Pie."
"Ooo! Sounds yummy!"
"I'm sure you are." Cherry smirked as she stood, stretching her leathery wings for a moment. "Tonight's a nice night. Have a safe one!"
Pinkie waved until her customer was out the door, then gathered the bits and cups on a tray, taking them to the counter. She caught a whiff of something when her muzzle happened to get a little close to one of the cups.
"Huh? That's doesn't seem right." She set the try down, putting the bits away before investigating further. The remnant of the bat mare's shake didn't smell like they did going out at all! Curious, she flicked her tongue and got a taste. The result made her recoil a little, but for reasons she didn't quite put a hoof on. What WAS that taste? There was the strawberry milkshake, but them there was something else along with it that was a familiar somehow. What was that?
Those strawberry shakes are pretty good. I should try them once without that little addition, actually. Although I would probably be disappointed. Maybe.
Cherry trotted along with her hood down, cloak flowing behind her, and her heart filled with love for this perfect night. Ever since the return of her princess, the nights had been even more perfect; the right balance of moonlight illuminating the land and shadows covering the predators stalking for whatever carelessly tread on the land at this hour. Indeed, it would be a perfect night for a hunt but for two issues.
Firstly, she already had her fill with the milkshakes this evening. Secondly, Ponyville didn't seem to have the safest prey to claim. Alas, this town was a bit too peaceful. No lesser predators stalking the weak in their petty ways. No muggers, gangsters, or rapists to ambush in their own alleys. Canterlot was different. No vile folk of the latter sort, but plenty of muggers and gangsters and general riff-raff. She once got lucky and plucked herself an undercover changeling.
Cherry shuddered at the memory. "Lucky" was pushing it. While the flavor was unique in a very good way, it was that squirming, insectoid form struggling beneath her that bugged her. Those buzzing, fragile wings trying to escape from her clutches made the experience close to not being worth it. Why did such an exotic dish have to look so yucky? Probably some sort of evolutionary defense against her kind or the work of some cruel entity that wanted to mess with the vampiric ponies of the world. In spite of that, the taste still made her mouth water. She could only imagine how nice it would taste had the little pest been trusting and willing to let her feed. Not that its struggles made that much sense anyway. She kept her bloody promise after all; she let it go, didn't she? Of course, the poor thing was too weak and stunned to transform and was rounded up by some Royal Guards when it stumbled around the street, startling some snobs that needed a good scare once in a while. She wasn't privy to what happened to the captured changelings. Hopefully no secret genocide or some cruel experiments. Best case scenario was that they offered the guards some "release". What with that shape shifting ability, those bugs were walking fantasies. She'd tap one disguised as the new nerdy princess, probably. Maybe. Depends if she had her mane in a librarian bun. That would be cute as buck, now that I think about it.
She trotted, lost in thought, to the edge of town, and proudly strutted into the forest with her head in the clouds. The spookiness of the Everfree Forest did not register for quite a while. She was not even aware of her surroundings until she stepped on a fallen branch, snapping her out of her daydreaming.
Nightdreaming? Cherry thought as she returned to awareness. Nightdreaming sounds about ri- wait a minute...
"Where the buck am I?" She asked aloud, looking all around her. Black, skeletal trees towered over her, tied down by creeping vines that hung like rope from an old, used gallows. The moonlight cast the haunting images of the leaves on everything, and the bushes and undergrowth seemed to skulk. Occasionally she would make out the red glint of many pairs of eyes staring at her in the darkness or hear the snarls of some nocturnal abomination not unlike a Cockatrice or a Manticore, or perhaps even an Ursa Major. Or Minor. Or both.
All in all, it felt like being back at home, in the gardens of Castle Windikar. Cherry loved it there; glowing mushrooms and all that. The nostalgia caused a fanged smile to spread across her face, and she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent. Her smile faltered and she sniffed again. Something didn't seem right. It smelled virtually the same as the gardens in nearly all aspects, but one scent in particular caught her off guard. It was familiar, yet unwanted. She wandered the undergrowth, shutting her eyes and letting her nose do all the work. It did not take long for the scent to get stronger and the source to make itself known. A rumbling growl got her to snap her eyes open.
Before her was a zebra, staring at her. At least, so she thought at first. While a first glance told her she was looking at a regular old zebra, a longer look got her to notice everything wrong. The zebra, a mare by the looks of it, wearing hoop earrings and bands on her neck and one of her forelegs, all gold and traditional by the look of it. What caught her off guard, however, was the distinct presence of extra coat hair, or rather fur. More noticeable was the utter lack of hooves, as they were now paws. Paws with rather sharp looking claws.
"Oh," Cherry sighed, realizing her situation. This was a werewolf... or a horswolf, depending on the etymology one preferred (what did the "were" part even mean?). However, she knew that these folk, while a little repugnant in this form, were nice and transformed at will. Even then, they would have some sort of control and could even talk. Unless, of course, Luna had cast a full moon, then they were out of control for the most part. Just like tonight. "Oh."
The zebra/wolf mare reared up and howled, having laid eyes on her prey.
"Oh, buck me."
"Okay, is everything ready?" Fluttershy asked herself. The shy mare took a look around her den. The tea was ready, the cookies were out, and Discord was out doing... something else.
"Good evening, my trans-dimensional friends!"
"Good evening, Discord!"
"Hello Nyarlathotep, and he-- oh my, if it isn't Q! Stirred up any sentient ion storms lately?"
"Afraid not, but I recently became acquainted with a strange, strange human. What was his name? Oh, 'yawn' to these human names, you know. Out of all the species I have encountered in my travels, theirs are the most... ho-hum. Save for one or two out of billions. I must say that he actually stood out in one case; he was the spitting image of yours truly! If I can recall, his name sounded something like... 'Juan de Luego'... or just 'John'. Both being equally boring names. 'Jean-Luc', on the other hand..."
"Ooh, perhaps we should call this 'John' fellow up for tonight's little game at the bottomless pits!"
Something else. Something best not to dwell on. The pegasus shook off all attempts at imagining the complicated scenarios her roomie was going to get into tonight. She nodded, satisfied that everything was ready for her get together with--
A series of loud, rapid knocks startled her out of her feathers, making her dive under the sofa. After her heart resumed beating (which took quite some time) Fluttershy peaked out from her hiding spot. The knocking continued, just as urgently has before. The spooked mare trembled as she crawled out of her hiding place and stood, trot ever so slowly to the door. Another, louder series of knocks stalled her progress.
"Pleaseopenuppleaseopenuppleaseopen UP!" Came a frantic voice from the other side of the door, rattling the door with their knocking.
Fluttershy stepped up to the other side of the door. "Um... who's there?"
"Like you would even know who I am between a stranger and the princess of friendship, just let me-" A muffled howl in the distance cut her off. "OH BUCK SHE'S HERE LEMMEINLEMMEINLEMMEI-"
Fluttershy hesitantly opened the door and was instantly toppled to the floor, knocking the wind out of her.. She was dazed for a moment, and came to feeling the weight of a pony on top of her. She groaned softly as she tried to focus on who she let in, and came face to face with another mare. This one wasn't the average everyday mare, though. This mare was staring down at her with almost crimson colored eyes with cat-like pupils. Cherry red bangs in a messy sweep dangled above her, her magenta ears were tipped with extra tufts of fur, and since she was just as shocked as Fluttershy was, her mouth was agape, revealing two pointy fangs.
Cherry, on the other hoof, found herself on top of a pegasus that looked rather shellshocked. She was familiar in the sense that she thought she should recognize her, but nothing came to mind. Whoever she was, she was rather pretty and, admittedly, appetizing. Her mouth nearly began to water; Society's monsters weren't her only source of nourishment, and that run she had getting here seemed to work those milkshakes right out of her system. The tiny fangs this pegasus had nearly caught her off guard before something else did.
A lupine figure rose outside the open door and snarled loudly, crouching for a pounce.
Cherry screamed. "SPOOKY MUTT!" She yelled. Leaping off the pegasus, she kicked the door shut and launched herself against it, clicking the necessary locks and bolts. Outside, the wolf mare deflated with a whimper. After moping for a bit, she stalked back into the forest. No pony steaks tonight.
The vampire slid down the door and turned, relaxing with her eyes closed. "Whew, that was a close one," she sighed. "Now that that's over with, why don't we-?" Her eyes opened not to a fragile pegasus, but what seemed to be an army of critters led by the most bitter of rabbits. Not that this was unsettling; she was a Celestia-damned vampire that just fled from a furious and hungry zebra wolf-mare. She simply stood with a grunt and attempted to work her way past the animals. The rabbit in particular proved to be a nuisance by, almost stoically, constantly getting in her way every time she tried going around it. After some time with this blocking, she gave up and tried manually moving it. As soon as her hoof touched it, the animal hopped into the air and gave the offending limb a good martial arts style kick. Again, being a vampire, it didn't hurt, but it certainly annoyed her.
"Hello?" She called. "Sorry to bother you if you're in the bathroom or anything but, uh... you kind of saved my life just now, I guess. Point is, could you call off your killer rabbit? He's freaking me out and stuff. Also I smell tea and I'm reeeeally thirsty right now."
A pink-maned head poke up from behind a sofa near the table on which the tea (accompanied with tasty looking cookies she had seen in Sugarcube Corner) sat. "I-Is it gone?" She asked, ever so quietly. So quietly, in fact, that your average pony wouldn't be able to hear it, but Cherry had rather sensitive ears. During the full moon, at least. Princess Luna's former prison, when full, did not discriminate. All "night-trotters" shared a mutable nature influenced by it on nights it was full. For the lupines it was obvious, for the vampires there was that increase in the senses, a small increase in energy, strength, dexterity, thirst, and more often than not libido.
"She is," Cherry answered. "Bones to chew, I guess." She could hear the crickets dying. "Uh... I'm Cherry Syrup. What's your name?"
The pegasus stepped out from her hiding place. "Um... I'm Fluttershy." She introduced herself at an even lower volume than before, to the point one could argue its status as a whisper.
"Well, Fluttershy, could you...?" Cherry gestured to the army of animals protecting their caretaker, hoof once again being attacked by the rabbit.
Fluttershy gasped. "Angel Bunny! That's no way to treat a guest!" She scolded as firmly as possible, coming forward and goading the rabbit (and indirectly, the other animals) back to where they were before the commotion. Cherry, while not taken back earlier by the army's gathering, was surprised at how they had all gone back to bed so easily. Fluttershy didn't even need to ask twice. There was something mystical about that, and yet she had a feeling she was forgetting something else. Something she had only just seen.
"I'm so sorry about that," the mare said. "Angel and the others can be a bit too protective of me."
"I tackled you and had you pinned to the floor for about half a minute," Cherry pointed out. "I don't think that reaction was 'too protective'. But seriously, that rabbit is trained in Kung Fu or something." In his den, Angel Bunny's ears twitched and he grunted, his meditation disturbed. It was a pity he was out of incense on this night, so his frustration would be difficult to quell. He was certain Grand Master Turner would sympathize, wherever he may be now.
"Well, you were being chased by... who or what was that monster?" Fluttershy asked, shaking with fright a little.
"Ah, uh..." Cherry stuttered, eyes darting about the room as she cooked up a good cover story. "Just a big angry dog I met in the woods. Probably a feral Diamond Dog, actually."
"Oh dear, and I've met the ones that aren't wild," Fluttershy said. "They're a bit rough before becoming feral."
Cherry snickered. Rough.
The yellow mare jumped. "Oh! Since you probably don't want to go out there after all that, would you like some tea or a cookie? I'm expecting some, um... important company soon, but nopony to worry about. They won't mind you being here."
"They wouldn't mind us starting early either?" Cherry asked. After a confirming nod, she took a seat on the sofa near the tea and cookies.
Fluttershy poured her a cup and slid it over to her. "Not to intrude, Cherry, but are you passing through? I don't remembering seeing a bat pony in town... or ever, really. Not to offend but..."
"We're creepy to you?" Cherry finished after a sip of her tea. It was decent, but could use a little something. Something she ran out of in Sugarcube Corner. Damn. Need to get more. "Don't worry. It's sort of our race's purpose, to be spooky! Between you an me, the effect is lost once somepony sees one of us get a mango or something stuck on our teeth."
"So bat ponies really are that fond of mangoes?"
"Not just mangoes. most fruit, but I think the mango has become a symbol with the fruit-eaters." Her eyes widened a little and she quickly sipped her tea, about to move on from that little slip. It turned out that the save wasn't necessary; Fluttershy hadn't noticed at all.
"Oh, so when I may have been turned into a fruit-vampire-bat-pony for a while it was... um..." She trailed off, thinking.
"If you're going to say 'normal'," Cherry started, putting down her tea. "Then you need to listen to what you just said. Pegasi don't just turn into... what you just said." It was so stupid that she couldn't bring herself to quote Fluttershy.
"Oh, I didn't mean to turn into one!" Fluttershy explained with a smile. "It was an accident, and I still have the fangs to prove it."
Sweet bucking Nightmare Moon on a pot of Nightmare Night candy corn, the fangs. Cherry realized, eyes widening. She had SEEN the fangs. It was just a second before the beast made itself known. But if this mare had fangs, that meant she was...
"Irregular," Cherry whispered to herself between sips of tea.
"I don't mind if you don't believe me," Fluttershy said.
"No, no, I believe you!" Cherry set the cup down, putting on a smiling, her eyes glinting as she looked up at her host. "It sounds like you've had your fair share of adventures!"
Fluttershy looked down, hiding behind the swoop of her mane bashfully. "Y-yes. I've been on a few with my friends."
"Well, Fluttershy," Cherry said, leaning forward, flexing her wings a bit, and leaning back. "I'll be leaving town in the morning. I am passing through on a little trip. But I'd love to hear more about your adventures. At least until your guest arrives. When will they be here anyway?"
The pegasus looked up at the clock on the mantle. "She said she would be here at midnight on the dot, and it's ten-thirty. Maybe. That clock is a little slow."
Cherry almost spit up her tea. "Ten-thirty already? I left Sugarcube Corner at around eight, and it feels like it's only been half an hour at most!"
"D-do you need to leave?" Fluttershy asked.
"No, no, like I said, I'll be around until dawn. Time flies, that's all. A midnight tea party won't interfere with anything." She polished off her cup of tea. Gonna bide my time. "So, about those adventures. Care to share some stories?"
Unaware of the bat pony's thoughts, Fluttershy began telling her stories of the adventures she had had with her friends. Cherry found herself surprised that, other than being friends with the Princess of Friendship herself, the shy introverted mare in front of her was friends with that bubbly, hyperactive mare that served her milkshakes and offered to throw a party for just hours ago. The world was a small place, it seemed. Then again, all six of her friends were located in Ponyville. Ponyville was, quoting the stuck-up snobs of Canterlot, "far enough into the boonies to hear the banjos and too small to be a real town", although neither assumption was true, especially now with the new castle and the town's status as being home and base of operations for a Princess. The population had begun to rise, starting with a small influx of Royal Guards dispatched to the area for Princess Twilight's protection. She remembered spotting one or two in Sugarcube Corner, blathering on about Princess Luna for some reason.
Cherry, in the state of biding that she was in, did not pay much more attention to the content of Fluttershy's stories. She caught a few things about the Spirit of Chaos, some hack magician, a dragon, and some disconcerting totalitarian village somewhere to the northeast. Her eyes glanced up at the clock on the mantle.
11:45... whoops, too long, but I'll have to make do.
"Fluttershy," Cherry interrupted with a glint in her eyes. "I've just recalled a little fact you told me earlier."
"Oh?" The pegasus, curious, tilted her head at the bat pony after taking a sip of tea. "What did I say?"
"It's about your teeth."
"Oh yes, about those fangs that never went back to normal. I-It's really weird, I know."
"So you were telling the truth?"
"Yes. And I can show you them, too." Fluttershy stood and sat next to Cherry on the sofa. She opened her mouth and pointed out the singularities. She really did have two pointy fangs similar to Cherry's, only a little smaller and thus concealable. "I'm glad they're small enough to hide, I can't imagine how some ponies would react."
"I can, and it's not so bad." Cherry faced her host, staring into her eyes. "In fact, I'm going to have to coax them out."
Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow. "What do y-" Before she could finish her sentence, she felt her body numb and go limp. She felt puppet-like. "What's... what's going on?" She forced out.
Cherry slid off the sofa with a hoof wrapped around the mare, who was unwillingly compelled to trot along with her. "I'm sorry I hid the truth from you, Fluttershy. You're a nice mare and I'd love to be your friend. Hopefully you'll forgive me." Cherry had hypnotized her, or rather her body. It was a technique vampires shared and could utilize by simply staring into their victim's eyes and willing it. Usually, it made them more submissive to feeding. Cherry didn't use it much because she loved the struggle, but this case was different. She guided Fluttershy through the cottage, poking her head into every room before finding a bedroom.
"How did..." Fluttershy could feel the control over her ability to even speak waning, leaving her unable to speak or do anything aside from watching. The bat pony slid her onto her bed.
"That magical accident made you an irregular," Cherry explained. "You see, Fluttershy... I'm a Celestia-damned vampire!" She spat out her confession as quickly as possible. "Since you're an irregular, you have at least one of our traits but are incomplete, left to wander. It threatens our secrecy. To be blunt, I have to turn you."
"Vam...pire? T-turn?"
Her animals were fast asleep by this time, and hadn't come to her rescue, much to Cherry's relief. "Tonight's a full moon; the only time a vampire of my level can turn a pony." She climbed into bed, spreading her wings and bearing over the mare she had under her spell. "Normally you would have a choice in the matter. A vampire cannot turn a full pony without them being willing to the process. Unfortunately for you, your say was taken away on the day of the accident."
She lowered her head next to Fluttershy's. "I'm sorry. It won't hurt much, I promise." The pegasus wanted to scream, perhaps struggle. She had told Discord once upon a time that she was weak and helpless. Tonight it was terribly, terribly true. A tear slid its way down the side of her face as Cherry lowered to her throat.
Okay. Here it goes. Om nom nom time. The vampire mare opened her mouth, baring her fangs.
Suddenly, all of the lights in the house went out. The fire in the fireplace outside was extinguished along with the candles, and the lamps went out as if someone flipped every switch in the house at once. Cherry's eyes opened wide and she lifted herself, mouth shut. Someone had done that and it wasn't her. This wasn't her doing. She couldn't do this. She felt powerful magic in the shadows. Her eyes caught a glance of something on the nightstand next to the bed. It was a clock.
12:00. That clock outside really was slow. The guest had arrived. A solid form rose up from the shadows next to the bed, towering over her and Fluttershy. "Cherry Syrup. Future Duchess of Castle Windikar. You are not the only one who hunts this night."
Cherry dared raise her eyes to its face, and lept to the other side of the bed in shock. "Your... your... YOUR..."
The figure smirked. "'Your' what?"
"Your Majesty!"
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Sounds more like Cherry was using FS's change as an excuse to nom on Fluttershy but it's an interesting story idea.. I'll read it as long as you keep it interesting..
6018951
Between you and me the chapter title is more than just a pun. I have an idea of how the story will go, just not the quality of it since my attempts to do multi-chapter stories in the past have ended in... well... sadness.
So... Many... Puns!
Which is fine because I love punnage. I think this story is off to a nice start.
I think you managed to show off the blundery-ness with the scene where she is so lost in thought that she winds up in the Everfree with ponwülf... Or I suppose zebwülf?
As for Majesty vs Highness... That's a tricky one, since highness can mean ANY member of a royal household, whereas majesty should only be used to refer to the ruler of a nation. Soooooo, since the night is hers, and she is the ruler of the night and nighttime creatures, and co-ruler of all Equestria, Majesty would be correct. But, Luna could also be referred to as Highness, as could any of the royal household, such as (sigh) Prince Blueblood.
So, in a roundabout way of saying it, I think what I'm trying to say is: "I like this story, keep it coming."
6019784
As far as Blueblood goes, Don't worry, hamlightenmentwill come shortly.
6020452
Hamlightenment... I imagine this to be the hammering of knowledge into a pony's head via a hauk of ham. And in BB's case, I can only hope that Rarity is the one that gets to do the hammering... of knowledge.
6019630 As in a bad way sad or lose plotline somewhere along the way sad or just sad ending? There is a huge difference between the three..
6022418
Sad as is it ends up being awful. Granted, this fic is different. The other attempts all went dark as gloomy. This is tagged dark because, well, vampires and shit, but it's light dark.
6021779 I'm afraid it's gone over your head, but no matter. Rarity will eventually have her piece.
6023009 So your fics end up sad because they end up awful/bad..
Been there before and more than one was so bad I had to put it out of it's misery and delete it.
Well a good trick is to think of something to break the mood and lighten it up is to do like you did when your main pony ended up being stopped by somepony else... But until you finish I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope you managed to be satisfied with the way the story goes....