I Am a Monster

by J3sterking

All Is Forgiven

"Is that her now?"

"I hear Trixie, so yeah..."

"Trixie is so glad to be nearing the cafeteria!" Trixie's voice shouted out. "She's just so hungry..."

"She's overselling it..."

"Shh! Here they come!"

Sunset Shimmer stepped into the cafeteria, entirely focused on giving an odd yet amused look to Trixie when the assembled students all shouted out, "SURPRISE!"

Sunset let out a shout, falling back onto her butt, looking up around in her surprise.

The students had hastily cobbled together a massive card reading simply, "GET WELL SOON!" Seeing it, Sunset's jaw dropped, and she looked around at all of the students, speechless.

"Too much?" Bon Bon asked Lyra.

Sunset began crying again.

"Absolutely," Lyra replied.

"I--when did you even have the time for this?" Sunset asked, wiping her face. "Sweet Celestia, I'm such a mess today..."

Principal Celestia chuckled from her nearby position. "Well, I'm glad that you think I'm sweet," she said slowly.

Sunset somehow both paled and blushed, looking up at the Principal. "Um, wait, uh, I can--I can explain!"

Celestia laughed. Vice Principal Luna rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Sunset!" Pinkie shouted, jumping up besides Sunset and pulling her to her feet. "Setting this up this quickly was hard, even for me! Get up and enjoy it before the Principal remembers that we have classes later!"

"R-Right," Sunset said. She hesitated, looking back at Wallflower. "See you later?"

"Uh--" Wallflower froze, as most of the students suddenly turned to look at her. "S-s-sure," Wallflower stammered.

Sunset let herself be dragged over to where Pinkie Pie had made a large cake, styled like Sunset's cutie mark. "Come on, first slice is yours!" she said.

"When did you even have time?" Sunset demanded.

"I got it made before school this morning," Pinkie said with a shrug.

Sunset blinked. "Wait, but--"

"Yup. I had most of the party prep done before school.

"But--how did you know? That--"

"They'd forgive you? That they'd be concerned someone might have hurt you?" Pinkie smiled. "Well, if you know them like I do, it's kind of obvious, Sunsets."

Sunset wiped her eyes with a sleeve. "Dammit, now I'm crying again," she muttered.

Octavia stepped forward, handing her a handkerchief. "Don't worry, I packed extras," she said.

Pinkie gave her a smile, handing her a slice of cake.

Sunset took the cake in her good hand, then turned to face the other students. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much for giving me a second chance. I--I promise to make it count."

"Aren't you going to sit with Sunset?"

"Well, she's got plenty of friends to keep her company right now," Fluttershy said. "I'll be fine over here."

"Are you upset about what happened the other night?"

"Of course I am. Sunset forgave me, though."

"Hey, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash sat down besides her, putting down a plate with a slice of cake and several actually healthy foods. "Who are you talking to?"

"Myself," Fluttershy said.

Sombra's smile twisted. "Indeed."

"You know, every once in a while, when I go to Carousel Boutique, Rarity doesn't notice me immediately, but I don't know that she didn't notice me, because she's talking full volume about her dresses," Rainbow said, breaking into laughter. "And she always screams when I get right behind her and answer her..."

"That...sounds deliberate, Rainbow Dash."

"Well, if she hasn't caught on yet--" Rainbow grinned mischievously. "Hey, aren't you gonna grab some of the cake? Or, muffins?"

"I wasn't really planning on it," Fluttershy said. "I can't really taste them, anyway, and I should let other people have them, in case there's not enough."

"Can't taste--oh, right." She rubbed her throat, a little awkwardly. "You holding up okay? You said you, uh, were still hungry, so..."

"I'm doing fine, Rainbow, thank you for asking," Fluttershy asked.

"Oh, yes, fine," Sombra chuckled. "So cute that they think they should be concerned for you rather than about you."

Shut up, Fluttershy thought.

"Oh. So, there was something I wanted to ask."

"Okay. Ask."

"If you are a vampire, what was up with the garlic bread?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly. "I mean, does garlic not actually do anything?"

"It is extremely off-putting, and tends to put us off eating," Fluttershy said, checking to make sure no one was close enough to hear. "As I was starving, I don't think it would have worked but I was desperate."

"Ah. That's actually clever." Rainbow said. "Actually, that sounds important. We should tell the rest of the girls that tonight, right?"

"Ah, yes, so obliging," Sombra laughed. "So easy to take advantage of."

Rainbow took the wrapper off her muffin, then popped the entire thing in her mouth.

I am fine. I am under control. Breathe in, breathe out. Control was one of the only things vampires considered to be 'virtuous'. Breathe in, breathe out. She represented kindness. She had to keep from hurting her friends. Breathe in, breathe--

"HEY!" Rainbow Dash shouted in her ear.

Fluttershy let out a shocked squeak, falling out of her chair and hitting the ground with a crash. "Ah, there you are," Rainbow said with a cheeky grin. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

Fluttershy stood up, dusting off her arms.

"Um, are you mad at me?" Rainbow asked apologetically. "Sorry, I--"

Fluttershy grabbed the back of her chair and pulled it over. Rainbow Dash tumbled backwards in an unceremonious heap with a not-so-awesome squawking sound, eventually ending up upside down with her feet straight up in the air.

Fluttershy sat down with a smile, taking a bite of her salad. "Not anymore, Rainbow Crash," she said, ignoring the other students staring at her.

"Duly noted," Rainbow said with a groan.

They chose Pinkie Pie's house for their next sleep over. The choice often fell between hers and Rarity's, the only two that could reasonably fit all of them properly, but Pinkie Pie said that she had a surprise for Fluttershy waiting at their house.

Sunset rode over in Pinkie Pie's car, with Rainbow Dash and Rarity, to get everything ready. No sooner had they stepped inside when Pinkie said, "Okay, I'm off to make the thing for Fluttershy, you guys just get ready."

Rainbow Dash tucked her sleeping roll under one arm, then lifted up Sunset's as well.

"No, I can carry that," Sunset began.

"You're arm is still in a cast, I've got this," Rainbow said firmly.

"What happened to Sunset?" Maude asked blankly, looking up from her computer with actual emotion on her face.

"Uh--nothing. Just...a prank gone awry," Sunset said, giving the same smile she'd been doing anytime someone asked.

Maude stared at her blankly, and Sunset had the distinct impression that Maude didn't believe it.

"Don't worry, Maude--no harm was intended to Sunset Shimmer, and if any had been, such aggression would have been dealt with accordingly," Rarity said, giving a confident smile. She took Sunset's good arm, leading her after Rainbow Dash.

"Hmm. Does it have something to do with the sleepover you guys had the other night?"

"Well," Rarity began, but Maude interrupted her.

"You guys aren't doing...anything dangerous, right?" she asked slowly.

"Don't worry, Maude! Everything's okie-dokie!" Pinkie said, breezing into the room to throw an arm over Maude's shoulders. "But there is a buuuunch of stuff we kinda sorta promised the Principal we wouldn't tell, okay?"

"Hmm. As long as everyone's alright, and if the Principal knows..." Maude considered it, then shrugged. "Alright. Stay safe."

Crisis seemingly averted, Rarity finished bringing Sunset into Pinkie's bedroom. "I suppose we should have anticipated a few people not buying it," Rarity muttered. "Especially from our sisters. Sweetie Belle didn't notice me leaving, but we shall have to talk to Applejack about her sister."

"We probably need to talk to Applejack, anyway," Rainbow said. "She's...well, honest to a fault, really."

"You're probably right about that," Sunset said, pulling her journal from her bag. "She might have trouble just regurgitating the cover story over and over again." She paused, listening to the sound of a truck pulling up. "That sounds like her now."

"Yeah, that's her," Rainbow said, without looking up from setting up her sleeping bag. "I'd recognize the sound of that beat-up old truck anywhere."

"You can tell just by the sound of the engine?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow nodded. "Well, yeah. I'm awesome."

Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"...And I make it a habit of being broke, so I do most of the repairs on my motorbike," Rainbow Dash admitted, running a hand through her hair.

"You're a motorcyclist?" Sunset asked, looking up. "You know what? That shouldn't be surprising."

"Hey, I do a lot of awesome things that you guys never hear about," Rainbow Dash said indignantly.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I was just a little surprised. I managed to get my hands on a pretty good motorcycle myself."

Rainbow looked at her in surprise. "Really? We could ride together sometime. Motocross, maybe?"

"I'm not sure we can just 'spur of the moment' motocross, Rainbow Dash," Sunset said slowly.

"Somehow, I shoulda pegged you for a motorcyclist," Applejack said as she stepped into the room.

"Now there you two--" Rarity let out one of her patented, startled cries. "Fluttershy! What are you wearing?"

Fluttershy wore a black leather jacket, blue jeans, and low cut white top that hang down just above her midriff. "I bought some clothes like this the other day, thought I'd actually give them a try," she said. "It...looks bad, doesn't it?"

"Actually? You kind of rock that style," Sunset said, giving her an appraising glance. "I bet Rarity was just surprised."

Rarity gave an awkward chuckle. "Quite."

Fluttershy looked down at herself, then smiled. "Imagine if I went to school like this."

Sunset grinned. "Oh, I want to see that," she said. "You really do look good."

Fluttershy smiled. "Thanks. It's not normally my style, but...well, I bought it anyway, might as well use it."

"Well, I'm glad you did buy it, because you look great," Rainbow said. "I'm willing to bet there are a lot of people who don't manage to pull of the 'super-sexy vampire' look."

Fluttershy wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Please don't say that again," she said slowly.

"What? You do."

"I was trying my best to avoid that look," Fluttershy muttered. "Maybe I should have just gone with my normal tank top?"

"I think you look fine like you are," Sunset said.

Fluttershy dropped her bedroll a bit away from Sunset, thinking. "My...mentor...really disliked the..." She paused. "...'super-sexy' vampire look," she said, substituting what she'd been about to say. "I guess he imparted that to me, too."

"With Halloween coming up, what if we all do some kind of themed costuming?" Sunset said suddenly. When everyone looked at her, she blushed. "Sorry, a little off topic. But still! It could be fun."

"Speaking of 'fun'!" Pinkie exclaimed, sliding into the room. In her arms was a very, very tiny cake on a plate, topped with a red icing. She handed it to Fluttershy, saying, "So, when you said you couldn't really taste things, I decided to try making something you really could taste!"

Fluttershy frowned at the cake in her hands. "Um, Pinkie, why does it smell like--"

"Don't question it, just eat it!"

Fluttershy sliced off a bite, then tentatively put it in her mouth. She chewed, then her eyes widened. She swallowed it, then cut off another bite and ate it as well.

"SHE LIKES IT!" Pinkie shouted, jumping into the air. "YES!"

Fluttershy paused. "So, how exactly did you bake blood into a cake, and do I want to know where you got it?"

"Well, it was a test of my baking skills, but I think I managed it after a few attempts. I'm just glad Principal Celestia was so helpful!"

"Right," Fluttershy said slowly.

"Does it, uh, taste good?" Sunset asked slowly.

"Very. But...it's not really filling. In...the vampire sense."

"There's not a lot of blood in it," Pinkie said, rolling her eyes. "That would be weird."

"Pinkie, you made me a cake out of someone's blood," Fluttershy said, giving her a look.

Pinkie just kept on smiling.

"So, I s'ppose it's about time we address the elephant in the room," Applejack said. "Rainbow handled the, uh, donation last time, and Vice Principal Luna said that Sunset can't. That just leaves me, Pinkie, and Rarity."

"Assuming none of you had any garlic today," Rainbow Dash asked. "I asked Fluttershy about that earlier, it's apparently off putting for vampires."

"Well, I don't think any of us did," Rarity said, pausing to give her friends a chance to speak up. "Anyway, should we...flip a coin?"

Sunset pulled out a set of straws from her bag. She hid them behind her hand, so that only the tops were visible, and on level with each other, then grinned. "Draw straws," she said. "Each of you pick on, then come and get your straw. Short straw donates a quart of blood."

"Well, it's as good a way as any, I suppose," Rarity said. "I'll take the middle straw."

"LEFT!" Pinkie shouted.

"Guess I'm right," Applejack said, reaching over and taking the right hand straw.

Sunset, for her part, made no change to her facial expression as Pinkie took the left one. "Hey! Mine is the same size as Applejack's!"

Rarity took the remaining straw, seeing it noticeably smaller than the other two. "I can't help but feel...I don't know, actually."

"I'm sorry," Fluttershy said.

"None of that, now, darling! It is what it is." She shrugged. "I don't remember there being a fountain of blood or anything, but--"

"You don't really need to worry about getting blood on your shirt," Fluttershy said.

"Ah. I see." Rarity stepped over, sitting down besides Fluttershy. "So, do I just--"

"It helps if you sit still and stay quiet," Fluttershy said.

"O-of course," Rarity said, tilting her head back.

"Okay. I'm gonna start now." Fluttershy moved in...and Rarity screamed.

Fluttershy moved back, raising an eyebrow. "I hadn't bit you yet."

Rarity blushed. "Oh, um, so sorry, I just--"

"Is everything alright in there?" Maude's voice came from outside the closed door.

"Uh, nothing much just...a fat spider."

"Oh. Alright." There was a moment's silence as they listened to Maude's footsteps receding.

"Who are you calling fat?" Fluttershy demanded.

"Um--sorry, it was--"

Fluttershy giggled. "It's fine," she said. She turned back to Rarity. "Now, please...sit still, okay? I don't want to hurt you."

"Of course." Fluttershy moved in again, and Rarity let out a panicked scream the moment the fangs touched her throat. Rarity stumbled back, falling on her butt.

Fluttershy's eyes faded to red as the loud footsteps of Maude sounded outside.

"Wow, Sunset, that sure is a big spider!" Rainbow Dash said, purposefully loudly.

"Yeah," Sunset said. "She looks cool, though I don't think Rarity appreciates it."

Silence passed outside, then they heard Maude walking off.

"Rarity, would you cut that out?" Applejack hissed. "Maude's sharp as flint. I don't think she's buying that as it is."

"I'm so sorry, I'm just...pointy things, touching my throat." She shuddered.

"It's not even that bad," Rainbow said. "Besides, don't you sew?"

"Believe me, getting sewing needles beneath my thumbnails has only made me more concerned of pointy objects," Rarity said stiffly.

"Well, get over it," Rainbow said. "Her teeth are so sharp, ya can't even feel--ow!" Applejack interrupted Rainbow by elbowing her in the ribs.

Rainbow glared at the cowgirl.

"Ah get it if yer a mite nervous, sugarcube, but you should really just toughen up a bit," Applejack said.

"Well, I'm trying, but--" Fluttershy lunged forward, clamping her jaws around Rarity's throat and wrapping one hand around her back to keep her from pulling away. "Gaaaaa-aha hahaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Rarity screamed, eyes closing. "FLUTTERSHY! WHAT WAS THAT?" She opened one eye hesitantly. "Wait, it...doesn't feel so bad, except--ow, ow, ow ow ow..."

"You might just wanna shut up," Rainbow Dash said.

The door slammed open, concern visible on Maude's face. "What is going on in here?" she demanded, her deadpan tone cracking just slightly.

There was a very long silence as she stared at Fluttershy and Rarity.

"Fluttershy's a vampire and Rarity's donating blood," Sunset said simply.

"You could have just...said that in the first place," Maude said. Her eyes passed over Pinkie. "You'd have saved me a lot of worrying."

"Sorry, we just...were asked not to tell anyone," Pinkie said.

"What if I'd had the gun in my hands?" Maude asked. "Pinkie, this..." She paused. "Vampire?"

Fluttershy gave a thumbs up.

"Okay." Maude stared for a minute longer. "So, everything is fine?"

"Yes?" Sunset said hesitantly.

"Okay. I'll let you...do your thing." Maude left, closing the door behind her.

"That coulda gone worse," Applejack said.

Fluttershy pulled away from Rarity, then let out a sigh. "That's done," she said. "Rarity..."

"Well, I'm sorry! I just--was nervous, and I-I--"

"No, I'm sorry. Sorry that you girls have to do this for me, and...for not respecting your feelings enough," Fluttershy interrupted. "I've just been...a little cranky here lately, because..." She sighed, sitting back and folding her legs up against her chest. "Well, hunger, and...because I'm scared. Of...of myself."

"Darling," Rarity said, putting a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "It's okay. I don't know much about who you were, but...I know who you are. You're the kindest person I know, Fluttershy."

"Some people might have had problems with it, but we sure as heck don't, ain't that right, girls?" Applejack asked.

The rest of them gave affirmations. Fluttershy smiled. "I don't know what I did to deserve you girls...thank you so much."

"Hey, don't sweat it," Rainbow said, waving it off. "No one's done anything to deserve me."

"Yeah, best we can tell, we just hafta deal with 'er," Applejack said with a grin.

"Hey!"

Rarity hesitated. "Um, just one thing. Girls, could I...have a hand getting to my sleeping bag?" Fluttershy picked up Rarity, easily lifting her. "Whoaaaaoh..." Rarity clamped her mouth shut as Fluttershy paused. "Thanks, darling."

"Don't worry--I'm the reason you're so light-headed, anyway." Fluttershy gently put her down on her sleeping bag. "So, if we're having a full sleep over anyway, what next?"

"So, I actually had a great idea," Rainbow said proudly.

"Oh! We make cakes and have a cake fight?" Pinkie shouted. "Or we all dress up in capes and sleep upside down from the ceiling? We write crossover fanfiction between our favorite shows?"

"Um...no," Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow. "I was gonna say...look, the CHS Musical Showcase is coming up, and I was already planning on showing off my awesome guitar skills..."

"Because of course you were," Sunset said with a smile.

"...but then I realized all of you guys play instruments, too!" Rainbow Dash said. "What if we started a band?"

"That's--" Rarity paused. "Maybe it's the blood loss, but that actually sounds like a good idea."

"I think it sounds good," Fluttershy said. "It's been a while since I sang anything for someone else to hear, it'd be nice doing it for fun this time around."

There was a moment's silence as they thought about that. "I sang as entertainment for my mentor's guests," Fluttershy explained.

There was a long, "Oh," amongst the friends.

"Being in a band would be fun!" Pinkie said.

"I sing every once in a while, but it would sure as heck be fun to do it with you gals," Applejack agreed.

"Great! Maybe we can--" Rainbow paused, then looked to Sunset. "You know, I've never seen you with in an instrument, but one of us could teach you!"

Sunset looked up in surprise. "Oh! Um, you--I'd hate to impose--"

"Aren't you girls always telling me to be more confident?" Fluttershy stated. "Come on, Sunset! We'd love to have you! I just know it wouldn't be the same!"

"I play guitar," Sunset said slowly.

"Rad! Working with two guitarists...I'm not sure it'll cause any problems, actually, especially 'cuz what everyone else is gonna be playing," Rainbow said with a shrug.

Sunset smiled. "Then, I'd be glad to play with you guys."

Comments

[Killer20]

Interesting !

[zachary12]

nice look forward to more

[J3sterking]

11596108
Glad to hear you're enjoying it! I post more when I can, but internet is wonky AF at my house rn. I can really only post once a week at the local library, but i try to het a few chapters out every time I can.

[zachary12]

11596515
thanks