> The Two Deaths of Fluttershy
>  by Draco Dei
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Oh, Most Black of Nights!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Technical Note: 
Partially or fully absent capitalization in speech by Fluttershy indicates she is talking especially quietly.



Big Macintosh had been wearing his "Mac the Knife" costume every day for the past week. He found it helped set the right mood for him to do what needed doing. He held the razor sharp stiletto loosely in his jaws as he looked down past the patch of slowly clotting blood on his chest to the unmoving form that he cradled to him. The yellow pegasus in his lap did not move, did not breathe. Her form was cool to the touch. Big Mac the Knife considered reopening the wound that lay just below the wooden collar around his neck, but decided he would prefer not to do anything to ruin this perfect moment. He smiled blissfully and gave his beloved cadaver a careful squeeze. 



Three Weeks Earlier:
Luna lounged on a moderately sized storm-cloud, bringing fear to Ponyville on Nightmare Night. Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle were on either side of her, both looking downward through telescopes. Pinkie was commenting non-stop, making suggestions to Luna, and complimenting her on each scare, while Twilight took notes. Since they were focusing on a more "technical" role in the night's activities none of them were wearing costumes.

"Wow... I thought I would be learning something about spellcraft seeing her work, and goodness knows, I DO miss being able to talk about magic quite so often with someone who really understands the theory, but I keep getting distracted by what Pinkie has to say." Twilight thought to herself as she scribbled down another note on the artistic and psychological theory of giving good scares.  "Not that I mind, surprisingly enough... general spellcraft I can learn from a book, or at worst get Princess Celestia or her to show me some other time. But this? She isn't just casting spells, she is playing the entire town like an instrument! Having an entire year to make her preparations over really helped. I don't think that there is a single foal who is going to have a nightmare tonight, nor a bruised hoof or nose in the entire town from jumping in the wrong direction or running into something, and yet at the same time everyone who is out has gotten at least one REALLY good scare. Hmmm... I wonder if any of this could be adapted to allow more effective disaster management for genuine threats? Keep ponies evading or hiding more effectively? I'll have to see if I can find any books on the subject... if nothing else Shiny could probably recommend a few titles."

Moving the cloud forward a little, Princess Luna summoned up a few wooden spider-puppets near where Applejack, in her scarecrow costume, was crewing the apple-bobbing tub. Despite having bodies the size of cantaloupes the badly applied and brightly colored paint jobs combined very obvious jointing rendered them distinctly lacking in scare value... until the farm-mare took a few steps closer trying to figure out why anyone would waste their time with such a lame scare, only to have them ripped apart from the inside by poison-green termites the size of Sweetie Belle's horn.

Twilight giggled in joy at the clever ruse. "Playing on her perfectly reasonable fear of crop destroying pests? Nice! But it seems a bit too much, I wonder how she is going to... AH HAH! A swarm of bats with glowing red eyes."

"Brilliant! That should keep AJ from having any lingering worries! The evil evil tree-eating menaces have been vanquished!" she exclaimed, clapping her hooves.

"Yeah! AJ was all like 'huh?' and then you were all like 'TERMITES OUTTA NOWHERE!' and then she was all like 'Yaaargh!' and then you were all 'Oh, and by the way, BATS!'."

"Indeed, and I thank you Pinkie."

Luna swiveled the cloud around, searching out her next group of targets, settling on the hay-wagon, drawn by Big Macintosh, who had a rather... odd look in his eyes, something a little sad, but also determined. The Cutie-Mark Crusaders were looking out the back of the wagon for "threats" while Pipsqueak "Crewed the crow's nest" from the peak of a small pyramid of hay-bales. The wagon was currently in a darkened alley (thank heavens Luna had cast those night-vision spells on both of them, temporarily making their vision almost the equal of Adamant and Westwood, her chauffeurs... although since they were on break right now it was "Adam" and "West").

"And there's the thought detection spell... she isn't going TOO deep, but her speed is AMAZING, I think she is scanning EVERYPONY in that group in less than a second! Now to see what she will..."

Luna gave a tiny cry, her horn-glow beginning to flicker and pulsate oddly... tiny but SHARP. Twilight looked over to her, and saw an expression that she couldn't quite place which quickly melted into sheer horror. She made as if trying to VERY CAREFULLY cast a quite powerful spell, but nothing happened.

"Sparkle, summon our sister, have her meet us at... at Fluttershy's cottage immediately.", said Luna, now looking resolute, but with a catch to her voice as if she were engaged in some extremely difficult spell-casting.

"But she's NOT casting anything, not even on herself. Why is her horn glowing then, and where have I seen that expression before? And why does she want me to get Princess Celestia? Princess Celestia has retired to her bedchambers by this time of night, and besides which I am sure that Princess Luna could use her own magic to contact Celestia!"

"Immediately!" Luna repeated giving Twilight a little cuff with her wing to break her out of her shock. The dark alicorn took to wing and burst towards the Everfree Forest with a CRACK-WHAM.

Twilight Sparkle looked around wildly for Spike (dressed as a knight this year) in the crowds below then summoned her magic and teleported down next to him.

"Spike, take a letter!"

"What? Huh? Can't hear you!", said Spike, wiggling a claw in his ear.

"That's right", Twilight thought, "he was outside of Luna's protective aura when she broke the sound-barrier."

Twilight flipped rapidly to a fresh page and wrote out "EMERGENCY! Meet Luna at Fluttershy's house NOW!" then tore it off and shoved it in the small dragon's face.

"OK SURE!", shouted Spike, still a little disoriented, and ran off. He got about two pony-lengths before Twilight grabbed him with her telekinesis, floated him back to her, and spun him around 180 degrees. Once she was sure she had his attention she gestured to the floating paper with one hoof, then to her open mouth with a back-hooved motion as if she was throwing something out of it.

"HUH? OH! RIGHT!" said Spike, still shouting in the manner of the temporarily deafened... although slightly less loudly. He breathed a gout of green flame at the floating parchment.

As the smoke flew off towards Canterlot, Twilight paused a moment, considering the situation. Glancing up at the cloud she saw Pinkie Pie peeking over the edge looking down at her. Twilight wrote again in her notebook, the quill flying across the page:
PL looking at hay-wagon before incident, scanning surface thoughts.
May have found something bad. Changeling again?
You start interviewing all present.
TPing to get PP and 'scopes then Direct to F's cottage.
Return to Library upon green flare. Disengage to Canterlot if red flare.
Tearing the sheet out of her note book she practically threw it at Spike, then vanished in a flash of purple light. A matching flash could be barely seen from the top of the cloud high above the little dragon, then barely two seconds later another flash.

Arriving just outside Fluttershy's cottage with two telescopes and a startled looking Pinkie Pie, Twilight looked around.

"Hey, Twilight, didn't Fluttershy used to have a door?", said Pinkie Pie in a surprisingly normal tone of voice, in contrast to her usual loudness.


	
A little earlier in Canterlot:
Princess Celestia was laying upon her bed, her eyes staring ahead, unfocused and with long, slow blinks spaced wide enough apart that your own eyes would tend to water on her behalf if one were, for some odd reason, to end up in the position of looking at them while she took her rest. The "sleep" of the greater alicorns is a strange thing, and scholars are uncertain whether to even categorize it as "sleep" per se. Suffice to say that Princess Celestia noted the arrival of the missive and was intrigued by the fact that it wasn't rolled up and that it had one torn edge. This roused her enough that a few seconds later she actually read the brief message as it lay before her. In an instant she was on her hooves and striding toward the doors of her chambers even as she opened them with her horn. Approaching one of the guards at her door, she spoke gently.

"I shall be departing for Ponyville. Something has come up, perhaps related to the Everfree Forest or Fluttershy. Wake up the royal physicians, place the guard on one-tenth alert for deployment and the Wonderbolts on half-alert... oh, and when that is all done, alert Luna's senior press-agent." 

The guard saluted and galloped off, leaving the one she had not spoken to to guard her chambers alone until his return.

The Princess of the Sun teleported off to a point about 500 pony-lengths above Fluttershy's cottage, then began to circle, assessing the situation. She noted Pinkie Pie and Twilight standing near the cottage, but did not call out to them or go down to them just yet... best to check for threats moving towards Ponyville first.



"Quiet Pinkie. Stay here." said Twilight, saying a silent prayer of thanks that, for once, Pinkie had spoken at a normal volume. She eyed the shattered remains of Fluttershy's entrance with rampant anxiety. Not only was the door splintered to kindling, but part of the wall next to it was missing too.

Tiphoofing to the edge of the hole and darting her head out for a look, Twilight glanced Princess Luna, her horn aglow, and her head slumped. Fluttershy was laying on her back nearby, her legs stiff in the air above her. 

Lighting up her horn, she stepped through the door. Twilight shied back as Luna whirled around, only for the Moon Princess to fall down before her in a posture of surrender, including closing her eyes.

"Princess Luna?"

"Twilight Sparkle...", Twilight had never heard her speak so softly, "It appears we were all incorrect. The Elements of Harmony did NOT cleanse us of all our dark powers. Some shred of our former evil must, even still, be lurking within our mind, for no true Princess of the Silver Light COULD have cast the spell we did. Indeed we barely managed to make it to here so that we could release the dire spell on she who is most able to bear it."

"What? You cast an evil spell on Fluttershy? Why would you do that?"

"We stumbled our horn. We realized at the last instant what we were about to do there upon that cloud and managed to turn something that could have been even worse than what we did into a stumble... although now we wish we had found some other victim. Fluttershy is one of our saviors, and she does not deserve what we have done to her."

"I... I'm sure that whatever it was you did, it can be undone. We will find a way." said Twilight. A stumble? That explained it. She had stumbled a few spells herself in her years at Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns. If a unicorn fully formed a spell within their horn, but attempted to NOT release it, then sometimes their horn would "stumble". Sometimes the spell could be dissipated without effect, and sometimes it would leak out within a few seconds to minutes however much the unicorn might fight it... the phenomenon was roughly equivalent to a psychic sudden urination urge, although a careful unicorn might never experience the sensation in their entire life.

"My sister searched long centuries for a cure. She never found it. It is possible that the Elements of Harmony might have some effect on her. Please, do not stand between the door and ourselves. My sister will be here soon to take both Fluttershy and ourselves into custody and we would not have you standing anywhere that might block her path. We only hope that she will find some more comfortable prison for me this time around. We shall have to serve my time for my crime... after that, it is perhaps even possible that my cleansing could be completed, or at least we might be de-horned and released.", replied Luna hopelessly, not rising from her position of surrender, her eyes closed and her legs splayed in such a way as to make rising as difficult as possible.

"Luna... what... what did you do exactly?", asked Twilight, taking a single step to one side.

"Ha..." she said softly "at least one more good deed may we do this night... cast the spell we showed you to touch Dear Fluttershy's mind."

Twilight stepped towards her friend with trepidation. On closer inspection she saw two things. The first was a sleeping Angel Bunny on the far side of her, the other was a thin wire, perhaps a support wire from a lamp, strung tightly across her chest, the ends of it driven into the floor, perhaps via telekinetic force. 

"Neigh Twilight, do not approach her, it is not safe. Back away and cast your spell from-"

"Hey everypony! What's going on in here!", shouted Pinkie from the doorway.

"Luna... that is... Fluttershy's hurt. Go back outside. Celestia will be arriving soon and-"

"In fact, I am here now Twilight Sparkle.", said a serene voice.

Twilight looked towards the front door, and saw Princess Celestia's head framed in the door-way.

"Princess Celestia! You have to help your sister, she thinks she did something horrible to Fluttershy, but I KNOW that the Elements changed her back to good!"

"I see." said Celestia, her voice slightly more serious. Coming in the door she looked towards Luna and said "And what exactly do you think you did dear sister?"

"We think it best that Twilight Sparkle discover the truth of the matter for herself, to give herself strength for the trials that are to come. We were just about to have her cast a thought-skimming spell on her. But now Sister, you must bind us, but... have a care with thy magic, Fluttershy might now be harmed by it."

"I hardly think that will be necessary Princess Luna."

"We insist.", said Luna firmly, still not opening her eyes.

"Very well, if you are so worried about it, then step outside so my magic may not harm Fluttershy."

"Wait! Princess Celestia! What is going on?!"

"I have a guess, but can not know for sure. I think it is best if you cast that spell now... don't let her get near you my faithful student, and go as deep as you need to satisfy yourself of what is going on."

"Shall we move now sister?", asked Luna with shame in her voice.

"Rise my Sister."

Twilight began to cast the spell as Luna crawled towards the door.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie, dost thou have thy party cannon with thou?"

"Yep-aroony!", said Pinkie, producing the cannon from... wherever she normally produced it from.

"Enter then, and train it upon thy fallen friend. If she manages to rise, or uses any magic then thou must fire without hesitation. Twilight Sparkle's very life may depend on it." said Luna, still crawling towards the door with her eyes shut "Twilight, if it comes to it, you must englobe her in a shield, only this will contain her well enough that my sister may not have to slay her. It must be an..."

"Wha...wha...what are you talking about? F-fl-fluttershy is nice." said Pinkie Pie.

"She isn't right in the head right now, and she now has her own dark powers. Your streamers and confetti shall work no lasting harm upon her. We will again mention that it may be that once again thou may succeed where our sister and ourselves failed and she may yet return to us... but we dare not hope for even that."

Celestia looked vaguely worried, and took a moment to rescue the rest of the animals who had been buried under, or trapped in their houses by various bits of debris, and to float Angel Bunny away from Fluttershy. Apparently Luna had been making a start of this before Twilight had entered.

"Come with me little ones, this is no place for you to be.", Princess Celestia said, as she began to depart with all the unconscious animals, plus Luna, held in her telekinesis.

Just before she was moved out of view Luna added "As we were saying earlier, the shield must literally be airtight."

Twilight gulped and eyed the unconscious pegasus from across the room... "I've seen Fluttershy faint a few times, and that looks like the posture she normally assumed when that happens... something is off though... well, according to both Princesses I will know soon enough!", she thought as she began to cast the mind-reading spell...

At first, she found only the dim emotions and thoughts of a pony making the long swim back to consciousness... nothing clear enough to have any real meaning.
Deeper...
A terrifying image of a grim-faced Luna literally flying through the wall... standing over her... a bleating sound coming from Fluttershy's mouth as she started to faint.
Deeper...
On the verge of passing out... were those tears in Luna's eyes?
Deeper... now she was past memories being accessed, even subconsciously.
Breakfast that morning.
Walking across clouds to school one day in Cloudsdale.
Munching on hay. erp!
Running away from a scary looking Pegasus she had never seen before who had come around a corner three blocks in front of her on a busy street in Cloudsdale.
Mending a mouse's broken leg.
Trying to give Philomeena a pill.
Deeper...
A crush on a dark blue pegasus she had seen one day in town... she didn't have the nerve to try to talk to him.
Writing a mean letter to her mother... why she had asked her own mother not to write quite so often to remind her to look for a nice stallion... tearing up the letter and burning it lest anyone see that she had written such a horrible thing. (Heh... only you Fluttershy could think of THAT as being mean.)
The next memory was personal enough that Twilight recoiled from it out of embarrassment.
(Ugh.... this is getting me NOWHERE! I think if I put a twist on it, I can find any unnatural mental influences... that MUST be what Luna was talking about. Here goes... CAREFUL! Stop... think first... don't want to mess this up and swap minds with her or something! Ok... 1... 2... 3... SLOWLY....)
A feast... all for Fluttershy... every sort of food known to Pony-kind, her favorites nearest to her, expertly prepared to even Applejack's high standards of cooking.
DISGUSTING! INEDIBLE!!... you want BANG-SQUEEEAL!!!

"Sorry! Sorry! She just twitched a little! My hoof slipped!", said Pinkie as Celestia's head suddenly appeared in the circle of sky visible through the door-hole.

"She awakens then... Twilight, hast thou looked upon the evil our hooves have wrought? We can only beg thy forgiveness and that of Dear Fluttershy." came Princess Luna's voice from somewhere outside.

"I don't know what you are talking about! I looked around her head, but the only thing I saw was that you made her hate every kind of food imaginable! Shouldn't be THAT hard to fix, if I remember my Appetite Alteration correctly..."

Celestia gingerly reached out her magic, a very very dim glow appearing around Fluttershy.

"How deeply didst thou look?" said Luna, entering the cottage once again. Hoof cuffs were on her feet, connected by heavy-looking chains that floated a little off the ground. Glowing bands encircled her wings at the mid-point with chains running to the lower chains. Finally, a helmet, linked with two more chains to the fore-hoof manacles, and sealed with three large locks on it held a horn-binder in place.... all in all this did very little to impede Princess Luna's movements. Twilight recognized the set-up as being a more advanced version of a contingent restraint system. The chains were probably keyed to shrink upon command from Celestia, or if Luna moved more than a certain distance from her.... she noted that Luna still wore her peytral and her crown rested precariously atop the helmet, although both had a single glowing crack in them, thus preserving as much of her dignity as possible while denying her the benefits of the enchantments placed upon them.

"Deep enough to see some of her romantic fantasies."

"And what was she doing to the pony in question in these fantasies?"

"UGH!!! Nothing! What business is it of yours?!"

"Actually Twilight, I'm afraid you should answer my sister's question.", said Celestia, the glow of telekinetic force around Fluttershy growing stronger.

"What? You too Celestia? She was just noticing a cute colt, and then some other time she was having a perfectly harmless clop, not thinking of anypony in particular!"

"I... see..." said Celestia.

"We would remind thou that Honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony. Denying the truth to yourself will only make things worse in the long-run."

"I'm not denying anything! Look, maybe I did the spell wrong! That happens occasionally! Happens to every unicorn sometimes!"

"I see... well then, my most faithful student, let me check your work.", said Celestia, the glow of her horn changing as she cast a second spell in concert with the first.

"ummm... excuse me?"

"Fluttershy! You're awake!", shouted Twilight as Pinkie pulled out a noise maker and marched in a high-stepping circle around the prone pegasus blowing it.

Luna started to bow her head, then raised it, standing tall before her fate as she saw it.

"Are you OK Fluttershy? How do you feel?"

"Ummm... I feel just fine. Umm... actually... I feel a bit sick to my stomach... I don't suppose you could let me up?"

"You... will have to talk to Princess Celestia, she is inside your head right now, checking you out."

"Oh! That's so sweet of her! Did I hit my head when Luna startled me?"

"Err... no she..."

Twilight's attempt at some sort of explanation for the events even she didn't understand was interrupted as Fluttershy began to vomit. Twilight did her best to catch the half-digested matter with her telekinesis. After Fluttershy had finished Twilight looked at her carefully, but without approaching, to make sure she was alright.

"Luna! Celestia! She's not breathing!", shouted Twilight, tossing the vomitus aside and diving her telekinesis into Fluttershy's mouth, looking for a blockage.

"Now you begin to understand Twilight Sparkle. She hasn't been breathing since we cast our spell upon her."

"What? Of course she was, she was talking to me!", said Twilight as Pinkie Pie performed a deft hop onto Fluttershy's stomach, then bounced away again in an attempt to perform the Hiemlich-maneuver without exposing herself to... whatever danger it was that Fluttershy presented.

"And that is all her lungs are good for now, talking... We twisted her life into an abomination. We only hope she can find it in her heart to forgive us..."

Celestia snapped out of her trance.

"Ok everypony, one thing at a time.", said Princess Celestia, then turned to various ponies in turn.

"Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy is in no further medical danger."

"Fluttershy, just relax and be strong, I'll let you up in a moment, but you must be strong in your heart. Resist anger. Resist violence."

Both Twilight and Pinkie Pie looked very taken aback by this statement, but Celestia forged ahead, undeterred.

"Luna my dear sister, it appears that Twilight may, in fact, have been correct... I didn't actually find any great anger or... hunger in her. I think after a detailed check of your own mind, I will be able to release you. After that, if you still feel you need to make amends to Fluttershy I will leave the details up to you."

Celestia moved over to Fluttershy and yanked the wire that somewhat restrained her out of the floor. "Come my little pony, I would suggest you rinse your mouth out, then gather a few things for a stay of two or three days at Twilight's house while I examine my sister, I would also recommend you use the toilet, and take a bath. And it must be a bath, not a shower, don't get in until you are done running the water."

"Celestia... you aren't really going to de-horn Luna are you?" said Twilight with a shudder.

"What ever gave you that idea?"

"She... mentioned it as a possibility."

"I shouldn't think that would be an option with anything to recommend it. Tell me Luna, what inspired you to cast the spell in the first place? None here will repeat your words."

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." said Pinkie Pie with noticeably less giggle in her voice than usual.

"You have my word Princess Celestia."

Celestia gave them a look that said "Yes dears, I know I can trust you, you don't have to delay things to promise."

"We were being intuitive with our magic and drawing somewhat on theories of mind and magic that we had crafted during our possession, believing that any magics that remained to us must be pure. Pipsqueak, for whom we have... greater noblesse oblige than for most of our citizens, was considering his costume for next year, thinking that being a pirate three years in a row might demonstrate a lack of creativity. He idly considered the malediction we have inflicted on Dear Fluttershy, then was at least briefly considering combining the two into a single costume. We thoughtlessly nearly granted his wish, then stumbled our horn when we managed to hold back at the last instant. Unfortunately the spell would have had sufficient targeting abilities once released that we could neither direct it at an inanimate object, nor even a plant or beast. Given its range and complexity neither could we modify it or cast a teleportation spell of sufficient range without a grave chance of releasing it on the spot."

"How... how great a chance?"

"We estimate a fifty-seven point three percent chance of failure with a teleportation, and even worse than that with attempting to modify it so we could direct it at some target it could not effect. In hindsight we should have snatched thou up bodily Twilight Sparkle and commanded thou to cast a shield about Fluttershy in hopes that it could have absorbed the spell."

"Perhaps dear sister, but it seems to me that that might have risked slaying Fluttershy outright if the spell were only partially stopped. In any case, I can see foresee no case in which a dehorning would have anything to recommend it. At the worst, I would think that a horn-binder WITHOUT a lock should allow you a space of time to learn to cast only in an intentionalistic manner. A decade or two at most."

"Say rather centuries."

"I have more confidence in you than that, and would use that method even now if I were not sure that my stubborn little sister would refuse such freedom. But let us allow Fluttershy to tend to herself."

Fluttershy began walking to her bathroom, followed by Luna, then Celestia, who had to duck her head to enter the lower ceilinged portion of the house. The other two little ponies followed close behind. Once Fluttershy entered the bathroom, a golden glow covered both the door and part of the wall.

"Princess Celestia, why are you projecting a shield over the entire bathroom?"

"I am being cautious. Just in case there IS some subtle evil ahoof."

"Yes, but the entire wall? Wouldn't just the door and the window do?"

"Probably, but her new abilities come with a certain amount of intuitive understanding of how to use them."

"What abilities? Just tell me plainly what is going on! Please?"

"There isn't actually a word for what seems to be going on, and I know how much you like precision my most faithful student. As we have a bit and you may have need of the information, I shall give you a lesson. Luna's magic created a bond between Fluttershy's flesh and soul. As the two are already as bound as they can be, this would have had no effect, except that this bond is empowered by life itself. As such, it caused her body to die as the energies of life were instantly transformed into pure magic. Fortunately for her the effect is also instantly lethal to any micro-organism that enters her, and includes among several side-benefits a stasis of certain chemical processes that would usually follow death. Due to this she need not..."

Pinkie's hoof shot into the air and she looked at Celestia expectantly.

"Yes Pinkie?" asked the Princess of the Sun.

"So Fluttershy is a zombie?" asked Pinkie in a surprisingly neutral tone of voice.

"No, certainly not! Even if my sister's over-reactions had been true, that wouldn't have been what she would be. Even the word 'undead' is greatly dubious to use in connection with her at this point. The dictionaries are going to need some updating to handle this one."

"Oh! Ok!" chirped the pink pony.

"However the effect is especially destabilizing of the bond between cells, although the effect is fail-safe in that anything that would counter that aspect of the magic would result in the reintegration of the cells... even if they had become displaced from their usual positions in the mean-while. She can, however, nearly completely remove those bonds, and direct the cells in an semi-independent way, much as her flight as a pegasus is augmented by magic. So each cell is capable of rapid levitation. In practical terms this means that she can appear to turn into a substance that would share many properties with the less morphologically stable sort of clouds, and then re-form herself into her standard pegasus configuration at a later time. Such a form would likely have a faint yellowish glow to it as her intrinsic power becomes more visible, much in the same way that a unicorn's horn glows when using magic. This glow would over-ride the normal coloration of the tissues in question."

"So she can turn into a yellow fog and fly around?"

"An apt simplification Pinkie, but I am afraid I must ask you to avoid simplifying this. Twilight needs to be thinking of this in terms of the most.... think-y sort of thinking if she is going to be best able to help Fluttershy."

"Gotcha!"

"Err... Princess, won't this scare Fluttershy?"

"Wise thinking my most faithful student, but the shield doesn't let any sound en-"

Celestia's explanation was interrupted by a terrified yelp from inside the bathroom. She opened the door, and stuck her head in. She then floated the curled up pegasus out of the tub (perfectly dry, she had apparently been hiding, not bathing). 

"What happened my darling little pony?", said Celestia in a motherly tone, sitting back and wrapping her forelegs and wings around the quivering yellow and pink lump. A nearly imperceptible whisper came from inside the shelter of her wings. Celestia extracted Fluttershy's head from the tangle and gently held her mouth open a little to look into it.

"Why yes, I do believe there HAVE been some changes. But its OK, I promise... here, let me give you something nice.", said Celestia. Then raising her head to look at Twilight she continued. "I shall need to perform a small amount of magic upon you. You are in good health I trust?"

"Yes, I am, but why should that matter?"

"I promise I shall explain later."

"Sister we think that if you are going to be... showing her that it is OK to do what she must now do, that we should be the one to provide... that which must be provided."

"No no Luna, I'm sure Fluttershy would appreciate the offer, but it simply wouldn't be wise, given your power..."

"Ah, we see your point, perhaps then it should be Pinkie Pie who should... no, wait... that could be utter disaster."

"Indeed my sister."

"Of course, this method hath its own dangers... but thou art long familiar with those we should think."

"Quite." said Celestia, looking at Twilight fondly.

"Curl up now my little pony, and I shall give you something tasty."

Fluttershy's head disappeared back below Celestia's wings and a golden glow appeared around the lower part of Twilight's left fore-leg. The glow began to pulsate, as small smacking and slurping noises came from inside Celestia's wings.

"On *tiny gulp* that DOES taste nice."

"You are... you aren't NURSING her are you?" asked Twilight.

"More like giving her a bottle."

"Should she be so close to you while she is doing that dear sister?"

"Fret not Luna, I am monitoring her thoughts. She really is most delightfully pure of heart right now."

"Princess Celestia... what are you...that is..."

"I am employing the corrected version of Mirror Pool's Seventh Transposition, except with the destination point being Fluttershy's mouth."

"Mirror Pool's Seventh Transposition? But... wasn't that not only universally fatal, but so fundamentally flawed that the only way the problem was ever solved was that the isolated village of New Hoofington was so lacking in records that Red Horn the Lesser had to work from scratch rather than trying to build on Mirror Pool's work?", said Twilight as the golden glow faded.

"Precisely Twilight. The spell I cast has NOTHING to do with Mirror Pool's actual work, it merely achieves the same ends as what Mirror Pool intended."

"Well why are you calling it that when you could just say...", Twilight cut herself off as Celestia gave her a significant look.

"I...", Twilight trailed off as she began to connect the dots.

"Ok... ok... just boil this down to the most important part for me." said Pinkie, a serious expression on her face."Is this the sort of situation for a 'Glad You Are OKAY!' party, or would a 'Get Well Soon!' party be what we need?"

"The first I believe, with a touch of 'We Are Going to Help You Adjust to Your New Life So It Is Ok'." replied Celestia.

"New life? But... I like my old life. I like caring for my animals and my cottage and... I don't want anything to change... except less monsters and meanies... that would be good. I mean I know you need my help but..."

"Oh, my little pony!", said Celestia with a light tone, "I don't think any of that is going to change. You are going to need to stay with Twilight for about the next three days, and then you can probably get back to your animals as soon as you like. I shall even have the Elements of Harmony made available to you to see if they can reverse what has happened to you, but since there seems to be no evil within my sister's spell, I don't think it would do anything."

"But... if she couldn't hear us, what scared her?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"If I had to guess, I would say she looked in the mirror. Here... why don't I have her show you."

"No, please, I don't want them to think I am some sort of monster."

"Ok, but did I guess right?"

"Umm... yes... I rinsed out my mouth, and I was going to brush my teeth... for a second it looked like I was all see-through, so I looked closer and then...", said Fluttershy, finishing on a shudder so hard it was visible through Celestia's enveloping wings.

"Well, I am sorry to say that you can't hide in my wings forever... go get whatever you will need."

"Can I bring Angel Bunny? Oh! Is Angel Bunny ok?"

"Yes/Neigh." spoke the Princesses at the same time.

"Ok, first things first. Fluttershy, Angel Bunny is fine, my sister had to send sleep upon him to keep him from hurting himself trying to protect you. As for whether he can come with you," said Celestia turning to look at Luna "I THINK that if Pinkie Pie brings him along he can visit with you as much as you like. He will be able to get as close to you as Twilight herself may. Would that be acceptable to you dear sister?"

"That would seem to be sufficient, yes."

"Let it be so then."

"Move along then. Fret not either for your house or your animals. Those under my sister's command shall ensure that neither shall lack for appropriate attentions."

Fluttershy crept out of the wings of the Princess of the Sun, looking around timidly, and shying away from her friends. "But what about the ferrets, will whoever is taking care of know that they need very specialized..."

"Don't worry about the details my little pony, you can explain everything to the ponies later."

"CUPCAKE!" shouted Pinkie Pie, attempting to shove said confection into Fluttershy's mouth. "Huh? Usually when I do that I can get the treat in their mouth. Even with YOU." said the pink pony looking quizzically at the smashed remains of the cupcake. "You don't like cupcakes anymore?"

"Actually, that was the one aspect that I detected that COULD be considered maledictive." stated Twilight "Apparently Luna put a spell on her to make her hate food. There may be more to it than that."

"Oh no! I'll starve!"

"No, actually you won't. Didn't what I gave you taste good?", said Celestia, as a golden glow cleaned the cupcake off of her muzzle.

"Umm.... yes... but..."

"Then it is my royal command that you shall eat that same thing."

"That's silly! Why would you have to order her to eat tasty things? I mean sometimes my parents would make me eat alfalfa, which didn't taste very good, but if she likes whatever it is, why would she NOT eat it?"

"Please Pinkie, just leave it alone. I think Fluttershy needs some time to adjust, and you aren't helping. Come to that I need some time to adjust. Actually, come to that Pinkie, I am going to tell you what you are going to call this, and you are not to use any other term for it, understand me?"

"Umm... Twilight... why are you being so bossy?" asked Pinkie, raising one eyebrow.

"Because while you are a great pony, sometimes you can say the wrong thing."

"Hay! Wait a minute! I say exactly..."

"Pardon me girls, I believe I have the solution to this."

"Yes Princess Celestia?" replied Twilight.

"I think that Pinkie should use whatever Twilight says to refer to Fluttershy, BUT that she should also try to come up with a bunch of silly names for it. Every so often you two should go off away from Fluttershy, and you should explain the newest batch of joke-names to Twilight so she can make sure they will be alright. Or Twilight should pick someone else you can do the same with. Is that agreeable to both of you?"

"Okie Dokey Lokey!"

"Yes of course Princess Celestia... Now, as I was saying I think you should call it... give me a second. I need to practice a bit silently so I can say this. If I were writing it, it would be much easier, but that might spoil half the point."

Twilight made shapes with her mouth for a few minutes as Fluttershy went around gathering up a few things under Celestia's motherly eye. The purple unicorn then whispered the new name to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie proceeded to inform Fluttershy at nearly-full volume.

"Hey, Fluttershy, you are a e-rip-mav now!"

Celestia chortled. "An excellent choice my most faithful student. I think Pinkie Pie has been rubbing off on you."

"Hey, does that mean she will be turning pink soon? Like streaks of pink on her coat? But I haven't been rubbing against her, except maybe when we have a group hug at a party, or maybe when I give her a noogie, but I don't do that to her very often and even then I think-"

"Not what I meant my little pony... get Twilight to explain it to you some other time.... Fluttershy, how are you coming?"

"Well, I don't know if I have enough tummy medicine for three days, because I was throwing up before and-"

"You probably won't need any tummy medicine. That was just your body adjusting to your new diet. Speaking of which, are you hungry?"

"Well... not really... maybe a little? I mean if you want me to eat something then I will do that, but I don't even know what I eat exactly, since I never saw what you gave me. I'm sorry! Should I have been paying more attention? I promise I will pay more attention."

"That's quite alright. You did nothing wrong, absolutely nothing. Just relax and let Twilight worry about what you will eat. She can get you more tummy medicine if you need it too."

"But... but... with only one thing to eat, won't she get bored? I mean there are so many wonderful amazing fantastic flavors out there, how could you pick just one food? And besides, isn't eating just one thing not good for you?"

Celestia held up a hoof and waved it for silence, timing it precisely so as to stop Pinkie Pie neatly at the end of a sentence, rather than messily in the middle of a word. "As to the first, I think Twilight could look into that. She can research if different varieties of sustenance taste differently to Fluttershy and then if Fluttershy even CAN get bored of a given taste in her current state... although that second part should wait until I can double-check her procedures. As to the second, I am reasonably sure that no harm will come to Fluttershy from her limited diet, and if there would be, we shall deal with that when the time comes."

It was at this point that Twilight Sparkle displayed a certain level of statesmareship. More specifically she walked over to Luna and whispered in her ear.

"Yes. We can see the benefits of what you suggest Twilight Sparkle.", then turning with a slight rattling of chains Luna spoke again. "Pinkamena Diane Pie, recall thee now a night exactly one year ago. Upon that night thou didst accidentally offend against us. In order that thou not repeat thine error, it is hereby our decree that thou shalt have no fear of Fair Fluttershy, unless my sister, Twilight Sparkle, or ourselves should give thee leave."

"Um... Okay!"

"That was well done, both of you." said Celestia said to Twilight and Princess Luna.

The rest of the time until Fluttershy was ready to depart passed without significant event other than Celestia producing a quill and parchment and writing out some sort of requisition order for Twilight to use, but with a long string of knock-knock jokes from Pinkie Pie.

The alicorns lead the way out of the house, and Celestia took a moment to double-check the large amount of healing magic she had pumped into the injured animals, then excised a disk about two and a half pony-lengths in diameter, and about three hooves thick from the lawn.

"What are you doing Princess?", inquired Twilight curiously, taking a moment to shoot a sphere of green light high into the sky, where it hung, letting Spike know he could head home.

"Setting things up for Fluttershy's accommodations." she replied, setting the disk of sod to one side."If you could stand in the middle of it with your luggage Fluttershy?"

"Umm... Okay."

"Now listen carefully. Here is what you must do...", said Celestia, and then proceeded to list off a very complicated set of spell-parameters to Twilight in erudite enough terminology that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie couldn't understand more than one word in six.

"And remember, don't drop the shield until you hear from me, and she is not to leave your basement until the nightfall after that unless I tell you differently. Did you understand everything I said?"

"Of course your majesty."

"Well, I certainly didn't." said Pinkie Pie.

"Don't worry about it Pinkie Pie, I will explain once I get her settled. Fluttershy, I need to put a quarantine force-field over you."

"...ok..."

Twilight raised a quick hemisphere of force around Fluttershy, then to Celestia she said, "But why aren't you coming to the Library yourself?"

"I am afraid that would not be good for my dear sister's reputation. Since she insists on behaving like a captured criminal, I must humor her and investigate so she does not fret in her innermost heart. The trial should take all of one second once I have gathered the evidence, unfortunately gathering it will take us about two days straight. After that Princess Luna should be able to take over the government for the next day or so while I modify some safety measures I installed in the sun."

And with that the alicorns vanished in a flash of golden light.
> Quarantine Period, Part 1: In which Freak-Outs are Prevented
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Note: Thanks to Draconic Quill, Alex Warlorn, Pepperjack, Shaiden, Grayshift, Gray Hero, and all my other pre-readers. Note that this story is best read in the "Normal" font size because I am using font size to denote volume in some cases and the codes I put in over-ride the selection on the readers' bar.

"Right then! Pinkie, if you could go find Adamant and Westwood and privately tell them the basics of what happened, that will let them decide whether to start spreading the word that an emergency came up and Princess Luna had to leave to deal with it, or to wait for orders from Canterlot. Princess Celestia will probably be sending them more detailed orders, but it can't hurt to get the ball rolling by giving them a little information. Then find Rainbow Dash and make sure that nopegasus accidentally puts a raincloud over Fluttershy's door before it is repaired, I will take Fluttershy to my basement. After we both are done with those things meet me upstairs and I will explain everything to you and Spike. Don't tell anypony else anything. If you think they should know, bring them with you when you come to the library."

"Okay!" said Pinkie, then galloped off for Ponyville as Twilight snatched the unconscious Angel Bunny off her back at the last second.

"Ummm... why am I standing on dirt? Not that I mind dirt. Rarity might, but she shouldn't have to be Ok with dirt."

"It is just a safety precaution. Now I am going to put up a more permanent force-field around you, so don't worry, OK?"

"....okay."

Twilight brought up the force-field spell around Fluttershy, concentrating on the intricate details via a mental check-list:
Two and a half pony-lengths in diameter to match it to the size of the circle Princess Celestia had cut out of the lawn?
Check. 
Full sphere, including slicing through the soil below?
Check.
Long-lasting enough that she could keep it up for the next two days without any major exertion?
Check.
Transparent to visible light?
Check.
Opaque to all other electromagnetic frequencies?
Check.
Airtight?
Check.
Strong enough to STAY airtight even against a focused wind spell or other jet of air?
Check.

After dispelling the temporary force-field inside the more permanent one, she raised the whole thing gently up, taking an inverted hemisphere of soil with it.

"Sorry about the hole in your lawn, I am sure somepony will fill it in very soon." said Twilight, picking up the disk of sod and setting it into the bowl-shaped hole in the lawn where it slumped to follow the shape of the excavation.

"That's alright..."

"Now then... and I can't believe I am saying this, but... I think you should build a little fort out of your luggage, and then hide under your blanket in the middle of it. I could try to make it so no light can leave the force-field, but I am already going to be messing around with its auditory characteristics to keep sound out and I want to be able to keep an eye on everything so I don't jostle you too much. Both for your sake and for Princess Luna's I want as few ponies as possible to know you are inside the bubble until we can explain it to them properly."

"Ok. I can do that..."

"I am going to tweak the shield so you can't hear anything from outside. I will still be able to hear you, so don't be afraid to tell me if you need anything."

"okay."

Suiting word to deed, the unicorn walked slowly towards Ponyville, carefully floating the glowing translucent purple sphere in front of her as Fluttershy started construction on her fort... and fortunately enough, as Twilight noticed, a fort with no gateway.



Several Minutes Later:
"Hey Twilight, what is that?" asked Lily pointing to the sphere, which was now floating at a level above that of the highest of the banners criss-crossing the street.

"Oh, just something I am doing for Princess Luna."

"Hey, about that, where did she go?", asked Lily, falling into step next to Twilight.

"Oh, something came up and she had to leave to handle her end of things. It actually relates to what I am doing here."

"Oh my! Sounds serious!"

"Oh, no, not at all. Between Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and myself we have everything under control. I will be sure to make an announcement if I need anything."

"Ok, well if you are sure...", said Lily, still a little nervous.

"Very sure."

"Well... see you around!"

Twilight waved a quick goodbye, then continued towards the library, deflecting similar inquiries from other ponies.

Arriving at the library, she opened the door with her magic as she brought the bubble down to ground level.

"Oh, hello Twilight. What have you got there?", said Spike.

"I will explain after I get inside."

"Ok, but I hope you aren't going to wreck the door again like you did with... that which we shall never speak of again."

"Oh ye of little topology. Just watch.", said Twilight as the bubble began to very slowly change shape.

"Fluttershy? How are you doing?" inquired Twilight, having just removed the sound-dampening properties from the bubble, "I have to rearrange things so I can get the force-field through my door."

"umm... ok."

"I am going to need you to come out from the fort so I can keep an eye on you to make sure I don't squish you. Just look right at the door and you should be fine. It is about twenty degrees counter clockwise from your pillow."

"Ok," said Fluttershy emerging "But what does it matter which direction I look?"

"I will explain in just a second."

Twilight waited until Fluttershy had draped her blanket over her pillow and Twilight had rearranged the luggage a bit within the cramped confines of the bubble to allow Fluttershy a clear space to stand at the front, then spoke. "Well, it is just that it IS still Nightmare Night, and you don't like to go out on Nightmare Night."

"Oh..." said Fluttershy, shrinking down against the soil in front of the ring of luggage she had just vacated.

"That's good, keep a low center of gravity, and tell me if your ears start popping!" said Twilight chirpily.

"Umm... I'm a pegasus, so I have really big Eustachian tubes.  I mean I know I don't fly quite so much, so it is easy for ponies to forget. But if you think it will be a problem, then I suppose I should."

"No, actually that particular factor had slipped my mind. Thank you for bringing it up! I don't think we should have any problems."

Twilight continued to stretch the force-bubble out, stopping occasionally to re-arrange the luggage with a combination of directions to Fluttershy and her own telekinesis.

"Darlings, what ever is going on?" asked Rarity as she trotted up, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Big Macintosh behind her. All except Pinkie Pie were wearing their costumes.

"I will explain once I...", started Twilight as she looked over her shoulder, "Oh good grief! Rarity, go home and change out of your costume."

Twilight glanced back at Fluttershy, glad to see the pegasus still staring resolutely at the library's front door.

"Why, whatever for?" asked Rarity, slightly offended.

"I'll explain later. I just forgot what you were wearing. My fault. Actually, on second thought, just go around behind that cart over there and wait until I send somepony for you."

"Very well then, but I shall expect a full explanation."

"As soon as I possibly can. SPIKE! Open the basement door!", said Twilight sliding the force-bubble, which now had exactly the same cross-section as the door except precisely one hoof smaller in both directions, into the main room of the library.

"Got it!", said the dragon scurrying to do as his boss instructed.

Twilight carefully lined the force-field up with the passageway to the basement as Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Big Macintosh came in. Luckily it was a straight shot until one got into the basement itself which was open enough that she would be able to just float the bubble directly down to a clear spot.

"Pinkie Pie, come with me. Spike, take a letter, but don't send it unless I tell you to, or something goes wrong.", she said, shutting the door behind her with a bit of telekinesis.

"Ok."

"Now wait a minute! Pinkie Pie, why did you bring Big Macintosh here?" inquired Twilight curiously.

"Well, I saw him talking to Applejack, and they seemed sort of worried, because Luna made a big noise, and then Spike had been asking him some weird questions, and I thought that sometimes knowing a little is worse than knowing a lot, or at least that is what someponies say, and I would have explained what I knew, but you said to not tell anypony anything, but just to bring them with me to the library.... Oh, and I would have brought the mayor, but she looked so super-busy trying to keep everypony calm and..."

"That will do Pinkie, I understand. He can stay. It isn't like he talks enough to actually say anything he shouldn't..."

"Nope.", said Big Macintosh, demonstrating her point by speaking for the first time since he had arrived at the library.

"Anyway Spike, that message should read as follows: 'Force-field breached at Ponyville Library.' That is all."

"Got it."

"Send that if you hear a fight, see a strange yellow mist, or see Fluttershy outside the force-field. She has a... condition that has a teeny tiny chance of making her violent."

"Shouldn't yah be takin' her to the hospital then?" asked Applejack.

"That wouldn't help. It is a mutant strain-"

"Yeep!" shouted Fluttershy looking as if she was about to faint.

"As I was saying Fluttershy, it is a mutant strain that looks like it is benign in nature. Both Princess Celestia and myself have inspected her mind and found that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong, even under extreme conditions. This is all just a safety precaution. We will know more in about two days, and then we can all... err... efforts on a cure can be started."

"Can't yah talk plain? What is this disease?"

"Well, it is so... mutated that we shouldn't really use the original name, so we are calling it eripmavism for now. But I need you to quiet down for the moment so I can concentrate on getting this bubble into the basement. I promise I will explain when I get back."

"Umm... could you please tell me what is going on? If you don't mind that is?" said Fluttershy.

"Sorry Fluttershy, it is just that explaining it to you is scientifically unwise. It could distort the results of my attempts to analyze this so I can help you."

"Do... do I... do I have b-b-brain cancer?"

"No Fluttershy, I can honestly say that you do not, in any way, shape, or form have brain cancer." Twilight said, face-hoofing.

"Oh, because that would explain why you might think I might start acting funny and I just though..."

"Uuuuugh... Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, you DO NOT have brain cancer. Now will everypony pretty please be quiet so I can work here?"

Fluttershy shrank away from Twilight, trying to squeeze herself into the the rounded point at the front of the force-field. Twilight sighed and began threading it through the hallway.

"Sorry Fluttershy, I realize this is hard on both of us. Pinkie, Spike, come along. Applejack, as soon as the basement door is closed, go get Rarity, and have her get out of that unlucky choice of costume. I'm in no rush, but I refuse to explain ANYTHING to ANY of you until she is out of it. But don't rush her either, that would be even worse in the long run."

Soon three ponies and a dragon were downstairs.

"Ok, Fluttershy, we need to get this force-field back to being a sphere and enlarge it somewhat, but after that, is there anything I can get you?"

"Umm... well, I brought some knitting, but maybe a book?"

"Great, how does Thifel's Bird Migrations sound?", said Twilight starting to reshape the force-field.

"Sure, but... can you please tell me a bit more about what is wrong with... Oh! I just remembered! If I'm contagious, shouldn't you be taking precautions for yourself? And what about all my animals? They could catch it in my house. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh de-"

"Fluttershy, don't worry about it. The disease you have isn't very easy to transmit, except for the fact that it MIGHT alter your behavior so you would be more likely to transmit it."

"Like... rabies? Do I have rabies? Please tell me, am I going to die? Like some sort of magical super-rabies that the shots can't stop?"

"Fluttershy I swear to you, you aren't..." Twilight caught herself up short.

"Drat it all," she thought, "sometimes being smart has its downsides."

"That is to say," she said carefully, "you don't need to worry about dying. Your state of physical health can only get better from what it currently is. It certainly isn't going to get any worse. Well, as long as you do a few very very simple things, like eating properly."

"Will I have to get shots? I don't like shots. I curl up in the corner and the doctor just sticks me and then I go home and hide under my bed for an hour or two... but don't tell my animals; they are so much braver than me... speaking of which, why is Angel Bunny still asleep?"

"Well, I guess I could wake him up but I am worried that... watch out for that suitcase! It's about to fall over!"

Fluttershy sprang over with a single flap and steadied the suitcase.

"Actually, if you could help me put all the luggage on the highest mounds of dirt. They are starting to get buried as I squish the dirt in."

"Ok.... oh, wait a second... you said that my ears might pop earlier? I mean if I weren't a pegasus, but it is totally ok that you forgot!"

"Yes, I did say that."

"But... doesn't that mean that this force-field is airtight? Won't I suffocate?"

"I... that is... err... the force-field lets in exactly as much air as you need.", said Twilight with a strained grin, glancing around nervously. "That amount being zero." she mentally added.

"Oh... ok... but about Angel Bunny?"

"I can.... eh, I suppose a little complexity will be worth the effort... I was just worried about him freaking out and damaging my equipment.", the unicorn replied, floating the unconscious lagomorph off her back, and up to Fluttershy's eye-level outside the bubble. Extrusions of force from the outside of the bubble bent themselves into a cage around the rabbit. After this was done, Twilight shot a ray of energy from her horn, dispelling the enchanted sleep that Luna had placed upon him.

Angel Bunny yawned and stretched... then promptly started kicking and biting at the bars of the cage.

"Angel Bunny. Angel Bunny. Angel Bunny. Angel Bunny." repeated Fluttershy softly. Twilight just rolled her eyes and continued reshaping the bubble, enlarge it to more than twice its initial diameter, careful not to distort the cage too much.

As the pegasus continued to try to calm her berserk pet, Twilight took a moment to probe discretely at Fluttershy's chest with her telekinesis. Most unicorns could sort-of feel the objects their telekinesis affected... Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, could instantly tell silk from satin from without looking. She smiled as she confirmed her educated guess.

"Fluttershy! I know what you are doing is really important, but I need to go explain things to our friends, so I need you to pay attention to what I say now."

"Eek! Well, he probably just needs to tire himself out before I will be able to get him to listen anyway..."

Twilight stood up on her hindlegs and placed one hoof on her chest. "Do this."

*Thump*, *Claw*, *Bite*, *Kick*, *BiteBiteBite* went Angel Bunny.

"You feel that?" asked Twilight, shouting somewhat.

"Err... my heartbeat?"

"Yeah, that! Great! If you get scared I want you to do exactly that. Ok?"

"Ummm... Ok?"

"Ok, bye. I'll be back as soon as I can with that book. You do what you need to for Angel Bunny. I'm going to have to turn the bubble impervious to sound... actually I think I will need to instead throw a secondary bubble around you and Angel Bunny that will let sound out, but not in."

"Ok..." said Fluttershy, then turned her attentions back got her rabbit "Angel Bunny, calm down, it is okay, this is for my own good, and Twilight will let you out as soon as you are really calmed down I am sure. So could you maybe please calm down a little bit? For mommy? Pretty please?"

Twilight cast this last spell, then headed up the stairs, trailing Spike and Pinkie Pie, leaving Fluttershy to her pleading. Returning to the main room of the Library, she found all the rest of her closest friends, including Rainbow Dash and Rarity, plus Big Macintosh eagerly awaiting her.

"Ok everypony...Rarity, I hope you didn't damage your wonderful costume?"

"No I did not, but may I inquire why it went from 'good grief' to 'wonderful'?"

"It always was wonderful. I can think of precisely six things you have made that were not attractive. Five of them were our fault, and the other was successful BECAUSE it was ugly, thus preserving the lives you, me, Rainbow Dash, and Spike. However, that doesn't change the fact that it was completely inappropriate for reasons you had no way of knowing."

"I... see." said Rarity.

"Stop talkin' fancy and tell us what we needa do ta help Fluttershy."

"Luna accidentally hurt Fluttershy, she will need blood in the days to come, maybe a LOT of blood."

"What?  Fluttershy's fine, you need to get your eyes checked." scoffed Rainbow Dash "Unless there is something IMPORTANT you aren't telling us?"

"My eyes are working fine thank-you-very-much, and what I said was not only technically accurate, it also sums up the relevant aspects of the situation." said Twilight calmly.

"Hmmm... I dunno... Fluttershy didn't look hurt ta me, 'n' she didn't sound like she was in pain neither. But ifin' you say there is something wrong Twi, I reckon we should trust ya. But Twi, you're going to have to explain yerself just ah mite more."

"Yeah, and besides which", interjected Dash before Twilight could respond to Applejack's statement, " I didn't see or hear any sort of explosion, so to hit Fluttershy Princess Luna would have had to be intentionally flying at her... and I don't know anything about spells, but you can't hit something by accident any more than you can crash into something specific by accident." 

"I on the other hand do know spells. Rainbow Dash, think about the time you crashed into me because... there was a problem with the catapult."

Applejack looked very slightly ashamed at the mention of the incident in question, but with all eyes on Twilight, nobody noticed.

"Rarity, she stumbled her horn, and the spell in question had some of the most comprehensive self-targeting methods I know of."

"Good gracious! Whatever was she originally intending to cast and at whom?"

"Whom... well, I shouldn't say who, because none of this is their fault. As for what... well, I made up a name for it... you have to understand, this isn't what it sounds like. Please, please, please understand that. It turns out that when Princess Luna was purified, her magic was purified too."

"But of course! No unicorn can cast a spell that is fundamentally against their nature! Even I know that!" said Rarity in posh tones.

"Yes... but it turns out that the Elements of Harmony... well it looks like they can take a spell that IS against somepony's nature, and make it into a spell that ISN'T against that pony's nature... like spelling a word backwards to change what it says. Which, coincidentally, is what I did in coming up with the name."

"So what did you name it?", asked Rarity.

"Its an erip-", Pinkie Pie managed to say before a zipper appeared on her mouth.

"Sorry Pinkie, but I have to say this in the right order. What you all have to understand is that both Princess Celestia and I looked inside Fluttershy's mind and NEITHER of us found ANYTHING evil. Princess Celestia even looked into her mind as she was doing something that should have provoked very evil desires if there were any to be provoked. She is FINE in the head."

"And physically?", asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, she needs to stay in the basement for the next three days, and after that the only problem I foresee is getting her to eat properly, and maybe some problems working around the stream and places like that."

"Eating properly? She is depressed?", asked Rarity.

"Err... no, she isn't depressed, although we should maybe watch out for it."

"Wait a second...", said Rarity looking at Dash's Shadow-bolt costume and Big Macintosh's "Mac the Knife" costume,"If I needed to change out of my costume, but Dash and Big Macintosh didn't then does that mean..."

"You can say it now Pinkie."

"She is an eripmav! Which is like a vampire, but spelled backwards because vampires are nasty-wasty and Fluttershy is still nice!" explained Pinkie, confirming Rarity's suspicions.

"Well... we are almost sure she is still nice all the way through. Princess Luna insisted that Princess Celestia examine her carefully. Princess Celestia seemed to think that Luna was being a bit silly though, and thus was treating the whole thing as a formality. If there is no evil magic in Princess Luna, that will mean that we can let Fluttershy out of the force-field. About twenty-four hours after that, Princess Celestia should be finished adjusting the arcane nature of sunlight so it will not hurt her."

"Why that no good, two timin', hell-queen!" growled Applejack.

"Well... I dunno... if the Princess says it is OK, then maybe we should wait on things..." said the Element of Loyalty, rubbing one hoof behind her head and looking uncertainly at the floor.

"I concur Rainbow Dash. It simply wouldn't do to jump to conclusions. Besides which, we really ought to focus our energies on helping poor Fluttershy.", said Rarity putting her nose in the air.

"Precisely. Now Princess Celestia did hold out hope for... actually, Big Macintosh, I am very sorry, but I am going to have to ask you to step outside for a second... and you too Spike, just to be on the safe side. All I can safely say is that we have a hope of reversing Fluttershy's condition."

"Whaaaa? Can't you just whisper or something?" said Pinkie.

"Heh... oh yeah... ", said a chagrined Twilight, "If you two could please back away, close your eyes and put your fingers and hooves in or over your ears."

The dragon and stallion did as requested, while the four friends leaned in close.

"We are going to try the Elements of Harmony, but Princess Celestia really didn't seem to expect it would work."

"What?" said Rainbow Dash before remembering to lower her voice "If she is still Fluttershy, why couldn't she use her Element?"

"I concur that that part is unlikely to prove problematic. What I do think might be a problem is that the Elements of Harmony aren't nearly as effective at healing injuries sustained from non-evil sources. Sure they regrew Rarity's tail, but that is just hair. Even the Princesses can't cure vampirism, and since this ISN'T evil, the Elements might not do anything about it."

"Oh... that makes sense... in a weird sort of way. Hey, do you think they could have cured my wing that one time?"

"Maybe. I never thought about it. But we can't go hauling them out for every little thing..."

"Every little...!", whispered Rainbow Dash harshly.

"Look, you can talk to Princess Celestia about it when you see her next. Does anypony else have any questions?"

"Well... what if poor Fluttershy is tainted in some way and can't use her Element, then how would we know?" asked Rarity.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but... I would know. I was paying attention, and in my right mind when we activated the Elements outside the library while you were all under Discord's spell. I remember that feeling pretty exactly, it was different from when we defeated Nightmare Moon or Discord, and I am fairly certain I can separate out the part that was because of Spike replacing Rainbow Dash from the parts that were because of the rest of you having been forced into betraying your Elements."

Rarity looked a little embarrassed at the last part, but let the politeness pass.

"Alright, alright." sighed Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes.

"Anypony have any other questions about that aspect of things?"

Four heads shook in negation.

"Spike! Big Macintosh! We are done discussing secret stuff!" shouted Twilight.

"Ok Twilight." said Spike.

"Now then... I am going to go drop the extra force-field I put up so that Fluttershy couldn't overhear us discussing the more scary aspects of her condition, and then I am going to track down Doctor Stable and get some food for Fluttershy. You should probably go talk to her, but remember to call her an eripmav so she doesn't totally freak out."

"Roger that!"

"Gotcha." said Applejack.

"Okie Dokey Lokey!"

"Of course my dear."

"Certainly." said Spike

"Eeyep."

"Oh, and Angel Bunny may still be freaking out, thinking that Luna and I are doing something bad to Fluttershy. Err... Big Macintosh, maybe you should head out instead, because Fluttershy doesn't know you as well as she does the rest of us and... I dunno, what do you think Applejack?"

"I'm comin'." said Big Mac unexpectedly.

"Well, if you are sure..."

Big Macintosh said nothing.

"Well big brother ifin' you say you got good reason ta come, you got good reason ta come."

"Right." said Twilight.

"Pardon me, but I have a question. It occurs to me that if, as you say, her condition has NOT warped poor Fluttershy's mind, then it might be beneficial for us to throw a spot-light on the more beneficial aspects of it."

"Yeah! Totally! She might actually be able to out hoof-wrestle Applejack now!" said Rainbow Dash, prompting a glare from the cow-pony, "...or at least Pinkie Pie."

"Yes, but at the same time, I can't help but wondering if we should bring up any oddities of her current state of existence to her. It might actually distress her greatly."

"But she's going to live forever!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Ooo... yeah... that will be super duper fun!"

"Err... I wouldn't be so sure girls. Her mind isn't adapted to immortality... she may need to cultivate friendships with the Princesses. I mean... I think that Fluttershy would take it pretty hard if one of us were to die... how would she handle all of a sudden realizing that all her friends are going to die if she is going to stay forever young? I asked Princess Celestia how she handled it one time. It was... weird. She really isn't like an ordinary pony in some ways. Her mind works differently sometimes." said Twilight.

"Well, let's not mention that part..." said Rainbow Dash.

"Actually, we shouldn't assume anything. I think she can fade out of mirrors, but I don't empirically know any other things she can do that a normal pony couldn't. She likes the taste of blood, and I found something in her head that makes her NOT like the taste of anything else as far as I can tell. I might actually be able to remove that without even bringing the Elements of Harmony into it. Anyway, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, that means no more cupcakes or other food or drink for the moment unless you really think it is worth the chance of nauseating her."

"But she really don't cast no reflection? I always thought that was a load ah hooey. I mean it seems like a disadvantage ifin' every fancy lady can tell what ya are jus by pullin' out her face powder."

"Well actually, that is a very interesting point Applejack! You see what it comes down to is that the reflective phenomena is-"

"Mare, don't waste our time when Fluttershy is all alone down there in your basement with only that jerk of a rabbit for company." said Rainbow Dash.

"Ugggh.... actually? You know what Rainbow Dash? You are absolutely correct. We can talk about it later. It has its uses but they have to do with magic, and the mirror thing is just a side-effect, and at this point I think it is something she can control."

"So, let's go." said Applejack, heading off for the basement.

"Do you suppose I should burn my vampire costume in front of her, or should that be a private affair?"

"I... don't think that will be necessary Rarity." said Twilight, as she grabbed a book off the shelves and lead the way back to the basement.

Arriving in the basement, the group discovered that Fluttershy had managed to improve Angel Bunny's disposition from "blind rage" to "sulk".

"Hello Fluttershy!" said Pinkie Pie as soon as the larger force-bubble vanished "We are all here!"

"That's very nice of you all.", said Fluttershy around a thermometer.

"'S the least we could do fur ya."

"Here is your book." said Twilight pressing it up against the force-field, forming a second layer outside of it (the first of several such temporary layers she would be forming in the coming days), and then opening a hole in the inner layer long enough for Fluttershy to put the thermometer down on a suitcase and take the book.

"Thank you very much Twilight."

"Oh, it is no problem! I was just about to head out to get you something to eat. Is there anything you else you need before I go?"

"I think this thermometer is broken, do you maybe have another one I could use? I mean if it isn't too much trouble?", said Fluttershy.

"Ummm...", Twilight glanced around to three different places she could see thermometers in her underground lab from where she stood, "I am hereby declaring thermometers contraband for your quarantine period. Sorry, but I gotta do this like I think Princess Celestia would want me to do it. Actually, I am probably completely over-reacting, but better safe than sorry."

Twilight made another 'air-lock' and extracted the thermometer. Glancing at it she grabbed a quill and scroll and noted down the temperature for posterity, along with an estimate of the time it had been out of Fluttershy's mouth and the current time. "This should help verify that newly made eripmavs cool at the same rate as other corpses." she thought to herself.

"Anything else?" asked Twilight sweetly.

"Well, if you could make Angel Bunny's cage a bit bigger, it might help me reason with him."

"I... I would love to Fluttershy, but I have to pace myself. All these adjustments are wearing me out, and we still have almost two days ahead of us while Princess Celestia examines Princess Luna. Do you think it can wait until I get back?"

"Ummm... okay, but maybe you should also know that I used my alarm-clock to take my heart-rate, since you said I should feel my heart if I got nervous, and I was nervous, but I thought I should do more than just feel it, and anyway, it seemed really slow to me, especially for how nervous I was. I mean I have been more nervous than this before, but I was pretty nervous. Oh! Maybe my alarm-clock isn't working right either, I mean I am sure I am not as good at keeping my things working right as you are, but I just thought I would mention it..."

"It is Ok Fluttershy, I can honestly say that it very much makes sense that one of the symptoms of eripmavism would be a heart-rate that is that of a sleeping pony, no matter how nervous you get or how hard you are exerting yourself."

"Oh! And I should mention that Twilight thinks that several of the other symptoms are being totally awesome!"

"Hay! Twilight said we weren't supposed to talk about that yet!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Actually, I think that Rainbow Dash explained the matter quite well." said Rarity.

"I concur, but I really need to go and get Fluttershy some food. Spike, where are my saddlebags?"

"Next to your bed."

"Thanks! Goodbye everypony!"

Pinkie Pie pulled out her party cannon and started blasting as Twilight left.

"So, how ya holdin' up thar sugar-cube?"

"Umm... don't worry about me, I just don't want anyone else to catch what I have."

"Oh, doncha worry 'bout that none. I reckon that's Twilight's problem, seein' as how she's the one that has ta keep this here force-field up." said Applejack, approaching to tap a hoof on the shimmering purple surface.

"Yeah, but she said I might go crazy and try to spread the infection, like it was rabies or something, but she said it wasn't rabies. She said it is something new, but she seems to know more than she is telling me."

"Yeah, well, she told us a little bit, and I gotta say I can sorta understand why she didn't tell ya too much."

"Indeed... why if you actually had become what you almost became? It's simply too dreadful to think about! As it is, the fact that you have been speaking politely to us throughout this and not attempting any gauche acts of violence quite assures me that this is all a misunderstanding."

"Eep! I would never hurt anypony... I mean I guess I d-did when I was t-too self-confident. I mean I-I can't believe I s-said that stuff about y-your d-dresses, and I am so s-sorry and-"

"Which you learned your lesson from. As far as I am concerned the past is quite past."

"Yeah, it's like... we all crash some time, the difference is whether you get back up in the air and try that stunt again. You understand what I'm saying Fluttershy?"

"ummm... I g-guess? I'm not really much for stunts. I'm not brave like you."

"Fluttershy, sometimes you are such an knucklehead." said Rainbow Dash fondly.

"i'm sorry..."

"Hay! I didn't mean it like that."

"Naturally not! I do rather suspect that it is a bit of a lost cause getting Fluttershy to understand that though."

"Well, mayyyyybe, but we gotta try, right? I mean she is going to need to pony up about this, you know?"

"Not in the least. I quite think she should focus on the positive aspects of this. Or as I believe you would say 'this is totally awesome'?"

"Yeah! In fact, when Twilight gets back I am going to ask her if you and I can coach her."

"Coach me? On what?"

"On being awesome!"

"ummm... you know I don't like performing..."

"Pfffft... who said anything about performing? Like, when I fly through Gastly Gorge, I'm being totally gnarly, but since no-pony but me usually goes out there, it isn't like a performance. I gotta imagine the amazed onlookers and cheers."

"Rainbow Dash! I though we agreed that you weren't going to do that any more without a spotter?" admonished Rarity.

"Oh, well... I mean, yeah! I always take Tank with me, but he's my pet so he only like half counts as an audience."

"So... I'm sorry, what would I be practicing?"

"Eh, Twilight's being a total spaz about us telling you anything, so I think I better wait until she gets back to tell you."

"So! Fluttershy! If you could do anything right now, and didn't have to stay in the bubble, then what would you do right now starting this very very minute?"

"Pinkie Pie! I hardly think that that is a constructive question!"

"Shhhh! I'm not really asking what she would do, I'm asking what she wouldn't do." stage-whispered Pinkie.

"Now just what in tarnation is that supposta mean?"

"Because she isn't evil, but she might end up thinking she is evil, which would make her scared, so she would be sad, which would make us sad because we are her friends, even though she could TOTALLY be good even if she was evil because she is just so nice and never ever ever wants to hurt anypony! So if she thinks about what she wants to do and there isn't that super super bad nasty thing we know about that she would want to do, if Princess Luna had made her want to do evil stuff, which Princess Luna totally didn't, in the big list of things Fluttershy wants to do, then we can tell Fluttershy that and then Fluttershy will know that she isn't evil."

"Wuh?", said Applejack.

Fortunately Rainbow Dash and Spike could follow what the loquacious pony was saying better than Applejack could. "Hay, that's right! If she opens up and tells somepony everything she wants to do, then that pony will be able to tell her that there isn't anything bad on the list so she will know that she isn't under some sort of weird mind-twisty spell."

"What she said." said Spike, hooking a thumb at Rainbow Dash.

"So then darling, if Princess Celestia were to find some sort of marvelous short-cut, and come back here and tell us that you could go right now, what would you most like to do?"

"Well... I think I would want to talk to Princess Luna and tell her she doesn't need to feel bad... except she is kinda scary and I don't like being scared so... maybe I would just write her a letter and have Princess Celestia give it to her?"

"That is a simply capital idea, and I think you should do that at some point, although as I understand it, neither she nor Princess Celestia will be available for the next two days. But what else would you like to do?"

"Well... I would probably go home and ask for volunteers and go to bed..."

"Volunteers?" inquired Rarity.

"Heh, heh, heh! You didn't think that Fluttershy slept alone most nights did you?"

"Rainbow Dash! I can not believe you would even joke about such a thing!"

"Huh? Who's joking?"

"Fluttershy is a proper lady, and is saving herself for marriage!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I never said anything about bucking! She just snuggles her animals. Sleeps close with them. One time I came in through her window and she had like three boa constrictors on each leg, a honey badger under her wing, a bunch of wasps on top of her wing, and a mouse in one ear. It was completely lame."

"Hay now, I'll have you know that I've curled around Winona a time or two."

"Really Applejack? I never took you for the touchy feely type... thought Winona was a workin' dog, not a fluff-ball." said Rainbow Dash, arching one brow.

"She is workin'. Granny Smith has a heater in 'er room, and Big Macintosh holds heat like nobody's business, but when it gets cold we like ta save on coal at night bah havin' Winona join me, 'n' Apple Bloom sleep with Big Macintosh or Granny Smith."

"Eeyup."

"I'm sorry... I won't do it any more if you don't want me to Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash ran a forceful hoof down from her forelock to the tip of her snout.

"SO not what I meant. You are a good pony and if it makes you happy you should do it. I've known you kept your awesomeness hidden for years. Most of you do. I mean Rarity hasn't been down to the dojo in years. She could have two higher belts if she would just schedule the tests rather than having that private instructor come by every week. And Pinkie? Don't even get me STARTED on Pinkie! Just... you just leave the being awesome to me Fluttershy, except when someone needs your help. Everypony will be happier that way. Just keep doing what you are doing."

"Umm... Ok."

"But to return to the subject at hoof, you were saying you would find some animals that felt like joining you in slumber. Can you tell us anything more about that?"

"Well, I would probably pick larger animals, with pointy teeth. I usually go for that when I am feeling scared. Although sometimes the squirrels just ask so nicely."

Rarity moved over to Rainbow Dash and whispered "My apologies for the misunderstanding, and I feel I should say that Opalescence sleeps wherever she wishes."

"Oh my! I just realized! I would probably make sure to explain everything to Angel Bunny very carefully, because he has been so worried about me... I'm sorry for forgetting about you Angel Bunny..."

"Hmmm.... actually, there ain't no particular reason I kin think of why we couldn't inform him uh whats goin' on. 'Long as he promises to keep it private fur yer own good."

Angel Bunny folded his forelegs in front of him and narrowed his eyes at Applejack.

"You tell 'im Fluttershy. Tell 'im that if Twilight says yer gonna be more at peace not knowin' the whole story 'til Twilight 'n' the Princesses figure out what the full story is in tha furst place, then he should jus' keep his peace."

Angel turned around in his cage and dropped to all fours. Looking Fluttershy straight in the eye, he shook his head in negation.

"Ummm... maybe it might help if you told me a bit more? I mean I understand you can't tell me much because this is really really new, but the name doesn't tell me much... does anypony know what is going to happen to me in the long-term? It might help Angel Bunny feel more at ease about promising, and then you could tell him the whole story."

"'Sides havin' to change yer diet, yer gonna be just fine sugar-cube."

"Yes but... can you be a bit more specific? I mean if that is alright with you..."

"Well... you might not be able to go swimming or wading any more." said Spike after some thought.

"Wait a second! That doesn't make any sense Spikey-Wikey! Princess Celestia had her take a bath and all she did was put up a force-field around her bathroom while she did it. So how can it be a problem to go wading? I mean the Princess would have warned her if there were a problem, because she wouldn't want even a teeny-tiny chance of her hurting herself by accident."

Spike sighed and made as if to whisper something to Pinkie before pulling away. "Wait, better idea."

Spike walked around and stood under the curve of the bubble, pulling out a scroll and quill. Writing four words in a large hand, he displayed them to everypony save Fluttershy.

RUNNING water hurts vampires.

A collective "Oooooh!" went up from the mares, and Big Macintosh gave a small nod.

"This must be really horrible if you are all being this careful." said Fluttershy softly.

"Nah, it's like Twilight said. This is probably going to turn out to be no big deal in the end." replied Spike, rolling his eyes, not that Fluttershy could see it.

"But what if it is a big deal?"

"Now Fluttershy, don' go ah troublin' trouble 'til trouble troubles you."

"Trouble always troubles me. The bullies at flight camp, all the ponies around Ponyville looking at me. Even the creatures-"

"Now lookie here, I told yah, the ponies just needed a little time ta get used ta ya. You know why you got them-there wings?"

"No, I really don't, it isn't like I use them for anything... I'M A BAD PEGASUS!" blurted out Fluttershy, on the verge of tears.

"No, you ain't neither. The Apple family has lived around these here parts since before there was a Ponyville, and Granny Smith says you are the best animal manager she ever done seen!"

"Eeyep!"

"But... but... but..."

"I'll TELL ya why ya got those wings! You got 'em so you can care for the animals at the tops of the trees, or perching on clouds, not just the ones that scurry along the ground. Now Dash here will tell ya that yer not a failure as a pegasus an' she'd be right about that, but I'mma gonna tell ya that you are a better earth pony than most earth ponies in this here town."

"But what am I NOW?"

Applejack fell silent. Fortunately Rarity had an answer.

"You are still the same Fluttershy we all know and love. Spike, wouldn't you say that every strength she had before is going to be unaffected by this?"

"Well... it might cramp her style, but yeah, she might even be better at working with the animals now."

"But I don't want to be changed because of some scary spell! I just want to wake up and find that this is one of my nightmares!" said Fluttershy, as a few tears started to run down her face.

"Ok, everypony, time for a SONG!"

"Well, OK Pinkie Pie..." replied Rainbow Dash.

"I ain't much fur singin'." said Big Mac.

"Twilight tells me my singing voice... needs practice." Spike said.

"That's OK you two, just join in on the laughing and the motions and you should be good."

"Ah kin do that."

"Alright."

"Now Fluttershy it is extra-specially important for this song that you sing. Can you do that? Sing nice and loud?"

"Well... If you are all singing too..."

"Every single solitary word. All of us together."

"Ok"

"When I was a little filly and the sun was going down..." sang Pinkie Pie.

"The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown." all the mares joined in.

"I'd hide under my pillow 
From what I thought I saw 
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way 
To deal with fears at all 
She said: 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears 
You'll see that they can't hurt you 
Just laugh to make them disappear.' 

Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof directly at Fluttershy.

Ha! Ha! Ha! 

Half a second later Rainbow Dash was snout to snout with Pinkie Pie, fire in her eyes. "Whats the big idea?! You know she's too sensitive to prank!"

"Well DUH! I'm not pranking her, I'm laughing with her."

"Then what's with the pointing?"

"Well, we are all laughing about her, because she can't help it."

"You should know better! You don't laugh at Derpy do you?"

"Silly Dashie, Derpy doesn't need any help laughing at herself."

"And Fluttershy does?"

"Well yeah, otherwise she is just gonna get all scariedy-waredy!"

"What the hay are you talking about!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you not paying attention to the song? I thought you were because you were singing along, but I guess you weren't. The song is about laughing at scary things to make them less scary."

Dash opened her mouth to reply again, but stopped short for a couple of long seconds before continuing.

"Pinkie Pie, you're being stupid, you should know better than to laugh at people."

"Actually Rainbow Dash, I believe I see what she is trying to do, and I think she has a point. Fluttershy is going to have to approach this in an appropriate manner if she is to adjust, and I think that Pinkie Pie's idea could prove to be part of that."

"Wait, Rarity... you aren't much for pranks."

"Indeed not. This is no prank."

"So everypony... from 'Learn to face your fears'!"

"No! I'm not going to let you hurt her!"

"Ugh! Come on you two, let's go sort this out upstairs where we won't have to mess around pickin' our words 'round Fluttershy. Rarity, Big Macintosh, Spike you stay here and keep talkin' to her." said Applejack.

"Very well then." said Rarity.

Spike carefully put his scroll and quill away again as the three ponies left.

"Anyway, um, thank you all for coming and keeping me company. Even you Big Macintosh, you barely know me. We only talked a few times over the last few months when you would come over to say 'hello' and even less before that. I don't know why you even bothered showing up. I'm really not worth it."

"Ya are."

"But... why would you bother coming when I already have so many other ponies looking out for me?"

Big Macintosh just looked at the ground for a while before raising his head again and saying "Not gonna say just at the moment."

"Well, okay, since you don't want to."

"Hey, you two wanna see a trick?"

"Well, if it's not scary that would be OK, I mean if you really want to."

"You don't mind my breathing fire, right?"

"Oh no, as long as it isn't too close to me I don't mind at all."

"Go on darling." said Rarity.

Spike dug around in a box and pulled out a odd device made of twisted metal with many tiny loops formed in it.

"Now where did I put that acid?"

"Acid...! Are you sure this trick is safe?"

"Totally safe, I know what I'm doing... you should see some of the stuff that Twilight gets up to down here. She's lucky she works for the Princess, we couldn't afford normal insurance for even the mundane science stuff she does, never mind the magic."

Spike put on safety glasses and cleaned off the device at a bench well removed from the ponies with alternating applications of his breath and dips in the acid. Getting a wide-mouthed jar labeled "Spike's Potassium Chloride" he walked back to the ponies.

"Watch this!" he said as he dipped the device in the solution, then held it up in front of him as he breathed a gout of flame, which turned purple at it washed over the device.

"Oooo... very attractive." said Rarity.

"Yeah, different chemicals make different colors. I'm working on something I can dip in different parts of in different chemicals and make a picture or something, but I'm a bit stuck for ideas, and some of the colors tend to wash others out."

"Well dearie, if you show me a few preliminaries I might be able to give you a few suggestions, but you do have to realize I generally deal in arts that are less... ephemeral."

"Well, how about I start with the rainbow progression from top to bottom?"

"Seems like a good idea. Let me get you and Big Macintosh some goggles so I don't have to keep walking back and forth so far... I think that Twilight ordered a pair that would fit him just in case he was ever down here."

"Will Fluttershy be requiring any goggles or is the force-field acid-proof?"

"Well, let me put it this way... Twilight made it when she wasn't in a huge rush, and had over ten minutes where it was what she was paying attention to AFTER that. How comprehensive do YOU think it is?"

"Ah, quite."

"Back in a second."

"So, Big Macintosh, what delightful thrills did Princess Luna visit upon you this night?"

"Ma parents as zombies."

"Ah... not to personal I hope?"

"Gave me a card thankin' me fur bein' a good stallion uh the house since they bin gone."

"How clever... of course, I DO hope that all of us, even Princess Luna, will find that the best scare of the night stands before us." Rarity said, gesturing to Fluttershy with a hoof.

"I don't want to be scary..." whimpered Fluttershy.

"I know you don't dearie, but hear me out. You wouldn't know this, since your taste runs to avoiding all scares entirely, but what made Princess Luna's scares really top drawer was that they ended. She always included a twist at the end of the stronger ones that quite changed them so they won't overstay their welcome in the mind. So what I mean when I say that you would be 'the best scare of the night' is that I hope this would really and truly turn out to be a nothing after all despite all the commotion so far."

Fluttershy smiled at this, but Rarity recognized the look as the one Fluttershy used when she didn't want to bother others with her problems.

"Look dearie... I shan't name any names, but I have among my client list a certain pony who suffered from very bad burns. They were also resistant to the healing spells."

"Oh, my..."

"The poor unicorns would exhaust themselves on this individual as often as they could be sure that an emergency case wouldn't come in who would need them more, and the earth-pony nurses formed a bridge club just so this pony could benefit from their auras."

"That was very nice of them."

"In any case, this pony had years of healing behind them and years more ahead when they came to me. In the mean time they had to have a spell on them to keep the dreadful pain away, plus a separate shielding spell over the area to keep them from hurting themselves because they couldn't feel any little scratches and such they might get in that area. With all that magic in the area combined with their resistance interfering with the pain-dampening spell this individual informed me that there wasn't room to add an illusion of healthy fur. As for the device the spells were anchored to itself, don't even get me started! Surgical steel isn't the easiest material to pull off a look with when it comes to jewelry, but the manufacturers hadn't even tried darling. Well, this pony came to me because they wanted something to show it off! Apparently they had gotten so tired of pretending it didn't exist and covering it up with make-up and clothing that they wanted... well as Pinkie would say 'to face their fears', although they weren't using her particular method."

"Oh... well... I hope you were able to help them."

"Darling, it's me!"

Spike returned and started carefully dipping different parts of his twisted wire device in various chemicals (the jars he poured them out of all with the word "Spike's" on the labels... apparently Twilight didn't want him using up all of her reagents with his entertainments). Fluttershy looked down at the dirt between her front hooves, fretting her way towards an understanding of Rarity's story. Rarity and (of course) Big Macintosh kept silence to facilitate this.

"Welp! We're back!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie from the top of the stairs.

"Yeeeah, we talked it through and... I guess it is worth a shot." said Rainbow Dash.

"So, places everypony! From the top!"

"When I was a little filly and the sun was going down... 
The darkness and the shadows, they would always make me frown.
I'd hide under my pillow 
From what I thought I saw 
But Granny Pie said that wasn't the way 
To deal with fears at all 

She said: 'Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall
Learn to face your fears 
You'll see that they can't hurt you 
Just laugh to make them disappear.'" 

This time six hooves (including Fluttershy's own) and a claw pointed at Fluttershy.

Ha! Ha! Ha! 

So, giggle at the ghostly 
Guffaw at the grossy 
Crack up at the creepy 
Whoop it up with the weepy 
Chortle at the kooky 
Snortle at the spooky 
And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another think coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna... hahahaha...heh... 
Laaaaaaauuugh! 

"Come on Fluttershy, show me that scary face! Give me a SMILE!"

And smile Fluttershy did, caught up in the moment. A happy, innocent grin, showing the thin fangs that now had joined her upper teeth.

"Hahahaha! They're so silly!" laughed Pinkie.

"What are?" asked Spike between chuckles.

"Her FANGS!" exclaimed Pinkie.

The sound of trotting hoof-steps came from the level above. The door to the laboratory opened, and Twilight came in, still wearing her saddlebags.

"Did you say she has fangs at the moment?"

"Yeah! They are so funny!"

"Ummm... I don't think they ever went away." muttered Fluttershy, looking at Twilight timidly.

"Well, we can figure that out later. For now I think it will be best for you if you make sure to get something to eat."

"Umm... well, you are in charge Twilight."

Twilight arrived at the bottom of  the stairs.

"Right, everypony else, please go back upstairs. I am sure she doesn't want an audience for this. It might get a bit... messy."
> Quarantine Period, Part 2: Twilight Sciences the Tartarus out of Fluttershy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Awww... and I was just about to try to make the rainbow progression with my flame...!" said Spike, glancing significantly at Rarity out of the corner of his eye.

"And just what is stopping you?" asked Twilight.

"The library is a lot more flammable than down here." replied the dragon, gesturing to the stone floor between them.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "True, but what is tonight?"

"Huh? What do you mean Twilight?" asked Spike, quirking a brow-ridge.

Twilight just stared at her assistant.

"Uh? Nightmare Night?" asked Spike uncertainly.

"Exactly. So take your chemicals and go outside past the edge of the library's canopy, and blow your flames straight up. Hardly in theme, but I think you will draw a crowd anyway."

"Oh! That works!"

"Ok Twilight, right after I give the guest of honor her hat!" said Pinkie Pie from beside Fluttershy inside the force-bubble.

Twilight sucked in a nervous breath as Pinkie plopped the cardboard cone atop Fluttershy's mane and used her mouth to place the elastic under her chin. It would have only taken one rapid turn of Fluttershy's head to place her own mouth at Pinkie's throat. Twilight was sure that Fluttershy wouldn't do anything of the sort... well, mostly sure, but the event was still unnerving.

Some deep educated intuition activated in Twilight's mind and she acted on empirical knowledge of Pinkie's abilities. "Everypony! Look at me!" shouted Twilight, not knowing if it was necessary, but having to do something. She shut her eyes tight, and kicked up her hindlegs. 

"Err... nevermind." she said sheepishly a second later, and opened her eyes. She was glad to see Pinkie looking at her quizzically from behind Applejack.

"Well, that was plumb odd. Mind explainin' yerself Twilight?"

"Err... well Applejack, if I understood it entirely myself I would be glad to explain it. As it is, I am almost afraid some misfortune would befall me if I tried. I still intend to investigate the matter carefully and with an open mind sooner or later."

"Sounds like some of that there science stuff, in which case Ah don't think Ah care to know. No offense, but mah brain still aches from the time you tried explainin' that different calculus stuff ta me."

"Ummm... exactly!  Anyway, complicated complicated science stuff! Time for everypony to leave so Fluttershy can eat her dinner. And its differential calculus."



Soon it was just Twilight, Fluttershy, and Angel in the basement. Twilight had enlarged Angel Bunny's cage and was now passing a large sheet of plastic into the main part of the force-bubble. She unfolded it and spread it over over Fluttershy's luggage. 

"Close your eyes Fluttershy." said Twilight from the top of the stairs, as she twitched a fold of the plastic into a better location.

"I'd prefer not to... if that is alright with you? It's scary." said Fluttershy glancing around.

"Well, I think it would be even scarier if... actually I can work with that."

Twilight floated the saddlebags off her back and over to the bubble, still keeping them above Fluttershy's eye level. Next she created yet another temporary airlock directly below the saddlebags. She then quickly floated a one-cup bag of blood from the hospital out of them, cycled it through the airlock, and laid it on top of the bump in the plastic sheeting formed by a suitcase. Fluttershy tensed as the bag entered her field of vision and Twilight quickly left, her saddlebags floating around to fall in behind her.

Angel Bunny immediately started to examine his cage, looking for gaps large enough to try squeezing through.

Twilight was three pages into the latest issue of "The Journal of Experimental Mind-Affecting Magic" (After all the stress of the evening she had picked something light) when she barely caught Fluttershy's faint yelling. Moving to the door to the basement she opened it a crack and called down. "What was that Fluttershy?"

"Help, I can't stop..." the words trailed off into wet sounds.

Twilight closed the door and hung her head, her thoughts running on an unhappy course that seemed inevitable to her. "She has to come to peace with this. For all I know she may have to keep doing this for centuries in order to remain animate, much less sane. Better she faces this alone, where nopony will see her losing control. At least she could stop drinking long enough to yell... that shows she is strong against the hunger."

The unicorn trotted to her kitchen and poured herself exactly one half cup of water in a measuring cup. Glancing at the kitchen clock, she then turned away and drank her water at a moderate pace. Turning back to the clock she noted the time difference.

"Allowing for my walking time each way she should be done by the time I get to the basement door again." she thought to herself.

But when she entered the basement, she found Fluttershy still crouched over the blood-bag. She would have left again, but she noticed three things. The first was that Fluttershy's eyes were cast towards her beseechingly, certainly fearful, but without the look of self-loathing she would have expected. The second was that the blood-bag still seemed quite full. The third was so strange that even her trained scientific mind took a moment to recognize it. Fluttershy was running her tongue over the taut surface of the bag, licking every inch of it without retracting her tongue into her mouth.

"Fluttershy, what is going on?"

Fluttershy just shook her head side to side, making long swipes with her tongue across the plastic.

"Hold on, I'm going to help you!"

Floating a stepladder out of a closet and over the tables and free-standing equipment dotted about the lab, she placed it as near as she could to Fluttershy's head without putting it inside the bubble.

"Angel, can you tell me anything you think would help?"

The rabbit crossed his forelegs and looked askance at Twilight but relented after a moment and shook his head.

Twilight climbed up and looked through the bubble.

"Huh, she didn't even bite into it as far as I can tell... and her saliva looks very viscous. How can it be so thick?!" Twilight thought.

"Fluttershy, this is important! At any time during this night, either before or after Luna cast her spell did you feel really really thirsty."

Fluttershy shook her head again.

"Do you feel hungry right now?"

Vigorous side-to-side head-shaking.

"Ok, Fluttershy, I know you managed to call out to me before, so I know you can talk if you have to. I need you to think back to when you first saw the bag you are licking. Think about what the very first thing to enter your head was. I need you to be very honest with me. Get it clear in your head in as few words as you can, then answer me."

Fluttershy winced her eyes shut in concentration, then with an act of will raised her head. "Somepony hurt. Help them." she managed to rush out before returning to her bizarre behavior.

"Huh... interesting. Well, I suppose that we can just go with the most basic of principles... like it says in the Colt Scout Hoofbook 'treat the symptoms'. Err... actually, close your eyes, and listen to the sound of my voice, only the sound of my voice."

As hypnosis attempts went, it wasn't very good at all. Twilight had only ever used autohypnosis before. She had studied the overall subject of hypnosis in the course of learning autohypnosis. Had she taken a few seconds to recall what she had learned she could have done a much better job. As it was her actual plan worked perfectly. She formed a airlock-layering in front of Fluttershy, opened the inner layer, then grabbed Fluttershy in a firm but gentle telekinetic grip and yanked the bag away from her into the airlock. Removing the outer layer of glowing energy she let the bag fall free to the floor.

"Whoa! I wasn't thinking things through there. Good thing it didn't break.", the unicorn thought to herself. She scooted the bag under the bubble with her telekinesis, then looked across the top of the ladder at Fluttershy again.

"You can open your eyes now."

"Oh, thank you Twilight! I don't know what came over me."

"We will figure it out together... I actually have a hypothesis. Hmm... give me a second..." said Twilight, beginning to pace back and forth while muttering to herself "Now let us see... if Luna's magic wasn't actually purified then... but that would only increase the chance that they would get caught, no matter how clean they looked... so, once again, the evidence, even taken in isolation from other events would appear to strongly favor the idea that the effect is not intrensically destructive... technical lethal of course, but not actually destructive."

Shaking her head as if ridding herself of a stinging fly the scholar addressed Fluttershy again, "Are you feeling better?"

"Ummm... mostly... I... when I think about the bag of blood I want to get to it and lick it again."

"Did licking it feel good in any way?"

"No, it was scary!"

"I know it was, but I am also wondering if it also felt good. Think very carefully."

Fluttershy pondered a few seconds. "No, 100% scary. But now that you mention it..." she trailed off.

"But what? Any little thing you can tell me could help me figure this out so it doesn't happen again."

"It was scary because I started acting strange... but before that... it was scary like when a baby bird falls from its nest."

"So it felt like you were falling?"

"No. That's very scary, but it is the sort of scary that Rainbow Dash wants me to stop feeling, not the sort she wants me to keep feeling."

"What a minute. Why would Rainbow Dash WANT you to be scared?"

"She says that sometimes -for ponies who aren't her- since she is never scared, that fear can let you do awesome things when it matters the most. Like The Stare... except that is more about being angry than scared. So... it felt like when you were falling from that cliff in the Everfree Forest and I caught you. It was scary to see you falling. Same thing with baby birds."

"I see." said Twilight, her face carefully blank. Inside however she was grinning and skipping around.

"I need to go do some experiments, then get some of my spellbooks. Why don't you get started on your knitting?"

"Okay."

Twilight ducked under the bubble and started to lay down next to the bag of blood.

"Oh no no no! I am NOT risking even one drop of her saliva getting on my belly!"

She stepped back several paces.

"Just a second Fluttershy."

She examined the bottom of her forehooves carefully one at a time. Finding no traces of moisture, she levitated a bottle marked "Hydrogen Peroxide with Dispelling Effect", a white cloth out, and four disposable hoofboots out of a distant cabinet she wiped the liquid over each of her hooves in turn, only placing each back on the floor after the elastic was snuggly in place.

She moved back under the bubble, getting as close to the slobber-covered bag of blood as she could without stepping in any of the droplets, or risking any part of her body other than her booted hooves touch the ground. Focusing her powers in ways she had learned so as to better observe Zecora working while chatting with her she examined the gooey saliva on the bag. It seemed to have the right sort of magical properties, but she couldn't be sure.

As she emerged from under the bubble, Fluttershy said, "Please don't be gone too long... if that is alright. I get worried when I am left all alone and Angel Bunny is too worried about what is going on to be very comforting... it isn't his fault though, he just cares about me in a different sort of way. Please don't blame him! It is all my fault!"

"I will be as quick as I can. Also, it is NOT your fault." 

Twilight galloped up the stairs and pulled several books off the shelves. Most were texts on illusions, but one was from the restricted section due to the graphic pictures and was entitled "Basic Trauma Triage and Patient Stabilization for Transport". She dithered between taking everything downstairs and keeping the scary book away from Fluttershy, sitting down at her desk, then getting up again, then sitting.

"Gah! I can't decide!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, as she began to pace.

About a minute later a long-suffering Spike opened the front door of the library.

"What is it now Twilight?"

Twilight, motioned him in, closed the door, and quickly and quietly explained her plans.

Spike sighed and got some large-size paper and glue out of the desk. "Just make a dust-jacket for the book. I'll go tell Fluttershy everything is OK, and then I am going back out before I lose my fans."

"What would I do without my number one assistant?"

"Thanks."

Some paper-folding, glue, and a quick-dry spell (useful when repairing worn books, or when the Cutie-Mark Crusaders took "How to Hang-Glide" with them in the glider so they could try to follow the directions step by step) later, Twilight returned to the basement. Fluttershy was holding one knitting needle against the dirt between her forehooves, and the other in her mouth. The scarf was a fairly plain alteration of thick white bands with thin blue ones, but it looked serviceable.

"Ok, I am going to conjure some illusions to help you roleplay some stuff for me. I may also have to tweak your mind, but nothing big I promise! Just basic sensations. Is that okay with you?"

"Umm... sure.... just don't make me go crazy like I did before.", said Fluttershy, a pleading look entering her eyes.

"I... can't promise, but if it happens I can make it go away very quickly I think."

"I'd rather not."

"Please Fluttershy? I am trying to help you. Think of it like an allergy test. We have to give you a teeny-tiny amount of the thing that you might be allergic to to test you."

"Well... Okay. I want to get better." said Fluttershy forcing a tiny smile.

"Great... now then... lets start simple."

Twilight piled up Fluttershy's luggage on one side of the bubble.

"I'm going to turn all of this invisible. It will still be there, so try not to trip over it, OK?"

"Ok."

"Now, I am going to conjure some images of ponies. Just do what comes naturally... don't think, just act. If that is too scary, then just say what you would do. Okay?"

"Okay, but do I really have to look at scary ponies?" said Fluttershy shuffling back half a hoof-length.

"None of the ponies will be dangerous-looking." explained Twilight picking her words carefully.

"So... why are you saying it would be too scary for me to do something?"

"Never mind that, we can't afford for me to bias the test results any more than I already have."

Twilight grabbed a blank lab book, quill, and ink-pot. "Wow, it took me this long to remember to take notes for posterity... I guess I am making progress learning how to be a friend, but I can't let it get in the way of proper procedure. Have to do both." she thought to herself.

An image of Snails standing on top of a crate appeared in place of the luggage, 'He' was facing away from Fluttershy, and was idly staring up at a point in space. It wasn't a very good illusion artistically (for instance one of his legs was slightly longer than the others), but Twilight had always been more of a technician than a performer.

"Um... I can't think of what I would do. I mean I guess I could say hello, but I hate bothering ponies without a good reason, and even then it is pretty hard for me to talk to people who I am not good friends with."

"That's fine. 'I wouldn't do anything in particular.' is a perfectly valid answer as long as it is the truth."

"I'm so sorry! I swear to you I am not lying! I don't know what I am supposed to say!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "No, no, its OK! 'I wouldn't do anything.' is actually what I would have predicted your action to be. Anyway, next image."

An image of a stallion facing off to one side appeared.

"Oh, wow... I would make sure to stay out of his way, he smells like he is in a hurry to get home to his wife!"

"Pheromonal response normal." said Twilight, noting the same thing down in her book.

"How do you even know how to DO that?"

"I... kinda Pinkie-promised not to talk about that... all I can tell you is that I had Celestia's full permission to study those spells. Sorry about using that, but the baseline version of the condition you have modifies the sex-drive."

"Oh, okay!"

Next up was Snails again, fast asleep, and stuck to a tree with bubblegum. Fluttershy reached her head out, opening her mouth.

"Umm... Snails... or that is what I would say... 'Snails, wake up, and let me help you get free.'"

"Erf... I don't know that I want to have him carry on a conversation with you... getting the lips to move right is always a headache... sometimes literally the next morning. Rarity actually has a bit of a talent for this I think, but I don't know if she would understand all the find points of what I need."

"Oh, ok..."

"Don't worry about it. Let us say that he tells you to go ahead."

"Umm... and don't be scared of my teeth, my friends tell me that it isn't something to worry about."

"Ok, and then?" asked Twilight, noting down "Subject appears to be adjusting better than expected psychologically to presence of fangs."

Fluttershy reached out with her head, peeling her lips back, and began to very carefully nibble at the bubblegum, spitting out each tiny bite (which vanished as soon as they hit the illusion of the grass under the illusionary tree). Twilight considered trying to add the taste of the bubblegum, but decided against it. She watched Fluttershy work with interest for several minutes (including occasional apologies for being so slow), then added the illusion of a large pine cone falling out of the tree (despite the fact that it was a Bradford Pear tree whose trunk she was creating an illusion of). The pine cone fell on Snails, leaving a long scratch on his snout. Simultaneously she duplicated Celestia's modified version of the blood-transfusion spell that Mirror Pool had killed no less than three brave volunteers in trying to create, before word of Red Horn the Lesser's success reached him years later. She suspended the three droplets below the surface of the scratch, hidden inside the illusion. It was easier that trying to improvise an illusion for the smell of blood.

"Oh my, Mister Snails, would you like me to get you a bandaid now, or should I keep working."

"He says you should stay here and help him... and that he wishes he could do something to thank you for your help, but he already spent his allowance for the week."

"Ummm... No? That's quite alright Snails? I think that is what I would say?"

"Ok."

Fluttershy returned to her careful work.

"I am going to jump time forward a bit. Back off."

Fluttershy backed up half a stride, and ran into the wall of the bubble.

"Should I crouch down or turn sideways or something?" she said, already starting to turn.

"No, right there is fine."

Most of the bubblegum strands vanished, leaving only those around the colt's head.

"Go on."

Fluttershy started to mime freeing the head. Twilight added a spell of hunger, hoping it would work on an undead. It seemed so strange to cast the spell that her mother had cast on her to get her to eat her oats when she was sick for real, and not just as a demonstration.

"Oh my... umm..."

Twilight waited with anticipation from the top of the ladder, but Fluttershy simply kept working. When she had freed the colt, she turned to Twilight.

"Ok, now I would go home and lock myself in my room and send Angel bunny to get you, because I wouldn't ever ever ever do what I want to do."

"Well, I did say to follow your instincts... give in to temptation."

"Ok, but only if we are clear that I wouldn't ever ever do this and you can't tell anyone."

Twilight sighed. "You remember your modeling career?"

"Yes?"

"And you remember how unnecessary secrets drove me a little crazy?"

"Yes?"

"Well, this is one of THOSE situations. I am going to tell whoever needs to know... or rather I mostly WON'T, because mostly YOU are going to tell them."

"Oh... well... at least I won't have to get up on a stage."

"No, I can promise you, no stages." said Twilight, forcing a smile.

"Ok, so..."

"Go, on, its alright..."

Fluttershy turned back to the image of the gangly colt.

"Umm... Snails... I know this is really really weird, but if it is Okay with you... and really I would never ask this unless... well actually I would never ask this at all, but since you aren't real, and Twilight wants me to do whatever comes to mind... if it would make you feel better for helping you would it be ok if I were to nip you with my new teeth? I mean only if you really want to... which you probably don't, because that would be stupid, and really, you aren't dumb like a lot of ponies say. They are just meanies and you shouldn't listen to them... not that I am the best example, but take it from me, it is better to stand up for yourself... if you can. But don't go overboard, because that is even worse... I know because one time there was this guy named Iron Will and..."

"Ok Fluttershy, he says to go ahead." said Twilight, strengthening the hunger-spell even more.

"Really?"

"Yes, go ahead, bite him."

"Well... if you say I really really should..."

"You really really should."

What happened next surprised Twilight. The open mouth and sideways tilted head were as she would have predicted, but the lowering of Fluttershy's neck wasn't. "Is she so afraid of biting him that she is cowering? No, wait... she IS biting him! Just above the hoof!"

Twilight rushed so hard conjuring a blood-proof barrier keyed to mesh itself to Fluttershy's lips, and starting up the teleportation spell again, (this time into her mouth again, rather than beneath the surface of the illusion) that the tree and the grass vanished, along with most of Snail's head.

After a few seconds, she cancelled the hunger spell.

"You feel full now, and are ready to stop drinking."

"Okay... gosh that was scary... and weird."

Fluttershy glanced back at the illusion of Snails, and saw the twin tracks of blood running down his leg. Her tongue darted out, pressing at (and since they had no substance, straight through) both puncture wounds in turn.

Twilight nodded, returning the leg to its original, pristine look.

"Give me a few minutes, I want to write what we have so far up."

"Umm... Twilight, I think I figured out what nopony is saying... I'm a vampire, aren't I?" said Fluttershy in a despairing tone.

"Kinda... sorta... not really!" said Twilight "Look, as best I can figure, when Luna was Nightmare Moon, she was considering MAYBE making some ponies into vampires. Then we turned her back to good. So she didn't think she could cast that spell any more. And because THINKING you are safe from a danger is sometimes more dangerous than not having heard that it is dangerous in the first place, she ended up accidentally casting the spell. It is really complicated, but she had to cast it on somepony once she had started. The point is that the Elements of Harmony DID turn her back to good, therefore you have to be a good vampire... except that isn't anything LIKE a vampire. 'Good Vampire' is a contradiction in terms. It is possible to be a good pony and be a vampire, but only because the two things are opposite from eachother. A pony who is trying to be good as a vampire has to get special spells cast on them, and stay in a special room at a mental hospital, and fight every moment of every day to keep from trying to do bad things. You aren't fighting. If you were, I think you would win, just like you beat that cockatrice and faced down Iron Will. But you aren't even having to fight. I can tell you scientifically that you are totally backwards from the most important parts of what a vampire is! That is why I spelled 'vampire' backwards... 'eripmav'. So please please please don't freak out. You are going to be out of this bubble in two days... we just have to be SURE, because if Celestia and I are wrong then it could be bad, but just the fact that you went for about the least harmful place to tap a reasonably sized blood-vessel on Snails and didn't even move a LITTLE towards Pinkie's neck when she was putting your party-hat on proves to me that you aren't dangerous."

"I will try... just so you won't worry. But... what about the licking? That is bad, isn't it? I mean it was really really weird and scary and..."

"Actually... well it is just a theory... I really shouldn't bias the results as I investigate it so I can tell you more surely in the end."

"Well, if it is scary I guess I don't want to know.... I mean being some kind of monster is bad enough."

A purple glow surrounded Fluttershy's head, dragging her forward by the neck to the inside surface of the bubble. A moment later Twilight conjured a tiny platform sticking out of the outside of the bubble in front of Fluttershy's forehooves. Stepping her own forehooves onto the platform, Twilight stared Fluttershy in the eyes, only the thickness of the bubble separating their noses.

"Repeat after me: 'I am NOT a monster.'"

"But... but..."

"I'm not letting you go until you say it ten times."

"But..."

"No buts. Say it." Twilight was scared that Fluttershy would use The Stare on her, but managed to keep her facade by reminding herself that there was no precedent for Fluttershy using it on anything other than animals except when other ponies were directly threatened.

"I... I..."

"Go on... you can do it..."

"Umm... I am not a monster. Or at least I will try not to be."

"Err... I am not a monster."

"I am not a monster."

"I am not a monster."

"I am not a monster."

"I am not a monster."

A pause.

"That's five. Five more mare."

"I am not a monster."

"I am not a monster."

"I am NOT a monster."

"I WILL NOT be a monster."

"Very good! Extra credit for that last one!", said Twilight a he released Fluttershy, stepping her hindhooves down and moving her forehooves back to the second rung from the top of the ladder.

"Umm... Okay..."

"Now, I think I will have some good news for you, but first... well, this next part might be a little scary... but it HAS to be if it is going to work."

"Oh dear... I'm not sure how much more I can take..."

"Don't worry, if I am right, this will only take two seconds."

Fluttershy counted off two seconds in her head.

"Oh... I guess it didn't work? Don't tell me what was supposed to happen, I don't want to be disappointed..."

"Err... I haven't even started. It requires a bit of set-up. I need you to relax, I am going to have to do some pretty complicated magic to you. There SHOULD be a better way to do that part, but I don't want to delay while I go look it up."

"I don't know if I can relax when I know something scary is coming."

"No, I understand. It isn't that sort of relaxing I need you to do. I just need you to let the magic touch you and not resist it. Actually... there is another option."

"A less scary option? What is it?"

"Well, I don't know about less scary, but scary in a different way. Basically there is a very simple test I can run to help verify my theory. Unfortunately it is too dangerous until we can let you out of that bubble."

"Oh, well... I think that being hurt or sick would be better than being so unsure... maybe? I'm not sure..."

"That is the problem. It isn't dangerous for you it is dangerous for me, or for whomever else I use as my test-subject."

"Oh... that's different."

"Pretty different."

"I could never ask anypony to risk something like that for me. I'm just not worth it."

"It... would be worth the risk if it was just me. I might be able to figure out a way to make it work before the two days are up, but I'm not sure. Medical science was never my strongest suite."

"And this risky test involves testing my reactions?"

"Why, no, it doesn't particularly involve... hey! That's right! The behavioral portion of my tests is sufficiently complete that I can go ahead and tell you what I think this behavior is!"

"Oh... that would be nice... I mean unless it is scary. Or if it doesn't happen then I would be disappointed. Which would be... disappointing."

"Well, I could be wrong, but I think that your saliva has healing properties now, and you have an instinctive drive to use it to stop the bleeding if you see somepony bleeding a lot."

"Oh... but wouldn't I be trying to gobble up the blood?"

"I don't think so... and I think I can prove it!" said Twilight thrusting one hoof in the air triumphantly.

Twilight went and got a magnifying glass, then mounted the ladder again, stepping forward onto the little platform once more. Next she teleported another few drops of blood out of her circulatory system but this time just inside the barrier, rather than particularly near Fluttershy.

"I'm going to smear this on the inside of the force-field and you press your tongue against it. If your tongue isn't absorbing it directly that would mean that if you were doing the weird thing with your tongue to feed you should have been lapping at it, rather than just smearing your tongue around... unless the retraction of your tongue is only triggered by the taste of blood, but that seems highly unlikely."

"Oh... well... Okay, but aren't you getting a bit low on blood? I would hate for you to pass out or something..."

"This from the pony who once fainted when a leaf landed on her."

Fluttershy hung her head and scuffed one forehoof in the dirt.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy, that was rude of me. I tell you what, Princess Celestia's requisition order didn't say what we needed the blood for, only that it was a medical, not scientific need. Doctor Stable gave me the equipment to set up an IV, so I will just top myself off if I need to."

"Oh... but... do you know how to do that?"

"I have a book on basic emergency room procedures."

"Oh... but are you sure you can do it just based on a book?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to? It can't be that hard."

"But don't doctors have to train for years and years to do that sort of thing?"

"Well, yeah, but it can't be much harder than that time I tried to fuse deuterium with tritium with my telekinesis."

"Deuterium? Tritium? What are those?"

"Oh, you know how the sun is a bunch of hydrogen with a naturally occurring conjuration effect to add more hydrogen and a compression effect?", said Twilight, fighting to simplify things since she sensed that Fluttershy would only be emotionally exhausted by a more complete explanation.

"Umm... I think so? I don't remember everything I learned in school, I'm not smart like you are."

"Well, deuterium and tritium are types of hydrogen that are easier to get to fuse. I always thought that Celestia would like to see me following in her hoof-steps. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery you know."

"But... Celestia says she didn't make the sun..." objected Fluttershy. She never would have spoken up to Twilight if she hadn't been a friend, but she knew it was a theologically important point.

"No, but she IS the only pony who has ever managed to produce fusion outside the sun. I'm not strong enough yet. I couldn't quite do it. It wasn't like it was for a test or anything, it was just something I wanted to do in my spare time and Celestia was nice enough to bring me some stellar matter that I could process. Next time around I think I will use sea-water. It will be a lot harder to extract tritium and deuterium from it, but I think giving her a nice surprise will be worth it."

"Umm... just be really careful. The sun is really really hot and I wouldn't want you to burn yourself."

"Oh, don't worry, I have an armor-steel plate I can put on a stand and the laser emitters Celestia made for me are designed to cut off if anypony else gets within twenty pony-lengths of them."

"Laser emitters?"

"Oh? You haven't heard of those? Really fascinating, see, it turns out that if you can get a substance that you can provide energy to via magic or a mini-thunderhead or heat and which releases a photon of a specific wavelength when it interacts with a photon of that same wavelength then, err...", said Twilight catching herself, "I will explain later, right now I am topping myself off with blood from the hospital so you will feel safe about my teleporting more out of my system to run this last test on you."

"Oh... well... I have watched the vets when I had to take one of my animals to them... so maybe I could watch you and tell you if you are doing something that doesn't look right? I mean I can't imagine you doing it wrong now that you have reminded me... I am a silly pony... but... it would make me feel better? Please?"

"Certainly! Although really we should finish these tests first." said Twilight, carefully NOT mentioning the irony of this request in light of Fluttershy's earlier statement about being afraid of needles.

"Uh... won't the blood go bad?"

"Why would it do that? I tuned the spells on my refrigerator to the exact recommended temperature for storing blood."

"Oh, I see... but... maybe better to get started before you get dizzy?"

"Ok, but how about you eat what is in front of you so it doesn't go to waste?"

"Well, if that is what you really want..."

"If my blood is so precious that you don't want to take to much, then you should remember what Applejack says 'Waste not, want not.'"

Fluttershy mustered her faint courage and surrounded the floating glob of blood with her mouth, swallowing quickly in an effort not to notice the pleasant taste of it too much.

Twilight returned in a few minutes with another book, another bag of blood in a paper bag to keep Fluttershy from actually seeing it, a small mirror, and an IV line. She started to read, as Fluttershy continued to knit and try to hide her worrying.

A few minutes later Fluttershy asked "Ummm.... do I have to sleep in a coffin?"

"Oh, no, not at all!", said Twilight, not looking up from her book, "It is just that vampires need to sleep near to their native soil, and, especially in past centuries, many of them would go overboard and actually want to sleep below ground level surrounded by earth... that plus wanting a light-tight place to sleep in case someone tried to knock a hole in their house and run meant that they would buy something that they knew would keep worms out, and so on. A coffin was simply the most innocent object they could come up with."

"Coffins are scary... I mean I can't help looking at them whenever I see them... and pulling one through town in a wagon... everypony would be looking at me... watching me..."

"Heh, not really all that low-profile, but it is not like vampires were all geniuses. Just remember, you don't need to sleep in a coffin, so be happy about that. Actually, taking the dirt from your front lawn was probably overkill twice over... for one thing you may not need to sleep in your native soil because you are an eripmav, and for another dirt from anywhere in the greater Ponyville area would probably work just as well, but it never hurts to take a few easy precautions."

"Well, I'm claustrophobic so..."

Twilight tried to be subtle as she made the force-field slightly less visible.

A few seconds later Twilight looked up from the medical procedures book and said "Well, it seems simple enough..." as she closed the book. Mounting the ladder again she attached the IV line to the clean bag of blood (still inside the paper bag).

"Actually, I would prefer if you were standing on the floor when you do that... I mean... that makes sense...right?"

"Are you sure? You can see better with me up close."

"Well... it just seems safer for you to be on the ground when you do it... I mean what if you faint and fall off the ladder?"

"Fluttershy, I've had to shut down chemistry experiments running in three reaction vessels at once with a piece of glass from the first one in my leg to keep a systematic deficiency in the reagents from causing the other two to explode. This will be a piece of cake."

"Oh my..." said Fluttershy sympathetically.

"You watching?"

"Yes."

Twilight drew out a shaving razor then poked at her own neck with her telekinesis to find the vein before raising the mirror and clearing a horizontal patch of fur.

"What is that for?"

"For the tape to hold the needle in place, in case I have to do this a lot."

"Oh."

Twilight probed herself again telekinetically, and slipped the needle in without fuss... at least from herself. Fluttershy, on the other hoof, drew in a sympathetic hiss of air. It was loud for an inhaling hiss, meaning it was practically deafening by 'Fluttershy' standards.

"Well, I hope you don't have to do it a lot." said Fluttershy as Twilight applied the tape to hold the needle steady.

"Oh, I am sure that when things settled down a bit we will be able use better procedures. You might even be able simplify matters in the long term with... err... on the other hoof, never mind that..." said Twilight thinking to herself "I don't think now is the time to bring up direct feeding, even if she really is safe to do that without draining somepony to death and transforming them, or worse yet somehow transform them without taking an amount of blood that would otherwise kill them."

"So... um... you had another test you wanted to try?"

"Yes. Pretty simple really, I teleport a few drops worth of blood in there, and watch as you press it up against the force-field with your tongue and hold very still. If it soaks into your tongue then it would indicate you might have been trying to feed when you were being affected by your condition earlier."

"Sounds... embarrassing."

"Well, maybe so, but this is a medical test. Think of it this way, it is way less embarrassing than going to the gynecologist, right?"

Fluttershy blushed an intense blue.

"Blue? Oh, wait... she's biologically dead. As the antithesis of life, her condition must have de-oxygenated her blood. She's cyanotic. I wonder if Rarity will want to make her new dresses to suit the slight change in coloration?"

"Why can't you use the blood from the bag?"

"Well, technically it is hazmat." said Twilight, gesturing towards a spot that Fluttershy couldn't see, but knew contained the bag... she repressed the urge to lick something as Twilight continued. "I mean THEORETICALLY it could turn anypony who touches it into a vampire, especially if they have a tiny cut on their lips or enthrall them to your will or something. Luckily the floors on this level are good stone and concrete, so I just need to get Spike in here to incinerate it in place."

"Oh my..."

"But first things first, let us get this test done with."




Three Minutes Later:

"Ok, you can pull your tongue in and swallow." said Twilight, backing down the ladder.

"Ank oo... mah thung blus gegging really dry." said Fluttershy.

"Would you like a glass of... actually, never mind, water would probably just make you ill. Have some more blood." said Twilight, starting up the transfusion spell again.

"No, really, *gulp* that's OK. I just needed a moment. *swallow*"

"Ok, well, I should go and get Spike. I mean unless you need anything."

"No, I'm fine, really, go ahead and get that taken care of... I would hate to infect anypony."
> Interlude: Hunting One Who Walks in Death's Hoofsteps
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Little Earlier:
Corporal Nightflitter of the Nightguard scanned the crowd of costumed ponies, considering how to best locate her target. Espying what she initially mistook for a hippocampus (ironically enough of aqua colored coat) floating in a glass vessel securely lashed in the bed of a small wagon she brightened. 

She has a good vantage point, and probably time to spare to look at the crowd. Oh, a horn, so she's a narpony, not a hippocampus. In either case it is odd to see one of Abyss's little ponies here. None of the kinds of seaponies usually come this far inland.

Odd sort of container, it is like a giant jelly jar or something. I wonder what those two cables going into the water are? she thought silently to herself as she flew towards the stationary wagon. She noticed that one of the cables lead to a small disk about a hoof across, and half a hoof thick, the other lead to a box that was large enough she suspected it may have been placed into the jar via teleportation since it never would have fit through the mouth in one piece. Oh, wait, the large one must be her aerator. I hope it is in good working order. Agitating water by hoof and wing to keep it oxygenated makes CPR look easy by comparison and the jar being so tall for its amount of open surface area wouldn't help either. She made a face at the memory of that particular training exercise and flew a little faster gathering a few looks from the crowd below her, and causing a grey pegasus with some sort of eye condition's flight to become even more wobbly as Nightflitter flew passed her with less than two hooves of clearance. I don't see any bubbles, but she seems perky enough.

Coming to a hover above the jar she tapped it with a hoof. Two hooves trailing white-streaked membranes that stretched back towards the narpony's tail (rather than the flight-limbs of the aerocampi) emerged from the water to hook themselves over the rim of the jar, followed by a head with a similarly white-streaked mane.

"Can I help you officer?" said the seapony, sounding a bit out of breath.

"Corporal Nightflitter of The Nightguard. Have you seen this stallion?" said Nightflitter, still hovering on her membranous wings as she showed the seapony a drawing.

"Krastos? Oh dear... nope, I haven't seen him tonight. I take it somepony died?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say."

"I'm Lyra by the way." the narpony said, then turned to the front of the cart "What about you Bon Bon?"

"I haven't seen him either." said Lyra's sworn housemate from the harness of the wagon fiddling with the plastic axe that was doing a rather poor job of appearing to be embedded in the side of her neck.

Lyra submerged and her gills fluttered several times as she gasped for breath before her horn glowed and she surprised Nightflitter greatly by taking unicorn form. Wow, that's a pretty powerful talent for somepony whose cutie-mark doesn't seem to have anything to do with magic directly. She surfaced again and gave the high-powered aerator below her the stink-eye before flipping the air-pump on with rather more telekinetic force than was strictly necessary. "Celestia banish this thing." she said as she pulled herself a little higher with her forelegs to get her head fully clear of the frothing mass of bubbles the water had become.

"What's wrong with it?" asked Nightflitter.

"Technically nothing. It works fine at home, but the bubbles obscure my 'costume'. It wouldn't be so bad if I had had the time to practice my dirges. All I had prepared was an ancient Coltic murder ballad, and I can't get through the whole thing before the water runs out of oxygen."

Nightflitter noticed that the "cable" that wasn't actually an air-hose lead to one of two microphones, the other of which was mounted a few inches above the rim of the jar. She also noticed the lyre laying on the bottom of the jelly-jar. Despite her mission, the nightguard couldn't resist asking "Can't you just use the microphone that is above the water?"

"Not very well. I rewrite everything I play for alternation between above and below the waterline. Changes the sound you see... and you wouldn't believe how hard it was to come up with a tuning that worked for it, but when I finally got it... horn-talent, mark-talent, and stunted growth all working together. Plus my physical therapist..." she said, gesturing fondly to the beige earthpony in the harness.

Nightflitter filed away the "stunted growth" comment. It seemed she needed to do more research on hippocampi. I really need to get back to business... one more question won't hurt though "Wait. How could a physical therapist help with stunted growth? I mean it must have worked since you don't seem small to me."

"My sea-form is bit 'shrimpy' if you will excuse the pun. Having equal weight makes transforming so much easier though. The doctors said I would have been about three hooves longer if my horn-talent and cutie-mark had been something else. As for the therapy, I had gotten my mark before I ever tried walking on four hooves."

Oh, so Bon Bon taught her how to live on land. thought Nightflitter.

"Well, I gotta keep looking. If you see Mr Gluemaker, tell him to find one of us, or head towards Fluttershy's cottage until he hits the blockade. Spread the word."

"Sure thing!" the two Ponyvillians chorused.

"You both know what he looks like?"

"Err... he is the signal of death, the poor stallion. Everypony notices him most days, even when he is just buying groceries." replied Bon Bon.

"Ah, I see. Well, you both understood what I said?"

"He should come find you, or head toward's Fluttershy's cottage, and we should spread the word." said Lyra.

"That's it. Bye!"

"Bye!" Bon Bon said.

"Bye!" called Lyra after the retreating pegasus.

As Nightflitter resumed her search of the crowd, she heard Lyra say, "Maybe if you got up on the cart and turned the aerator on when I went above the waterline?"



A few minutes later:
.	"Sir!" called Nightflitter after a retreating unicorn with burgundy fur just barely visible under the white makeup

The short pony turned around, and tried to look as professional as one can while dressed as a clown (he had bought the costume second hoof from the mayor).

"Let's get out of the road." was all he said.

"Sir, are you Krastos the Glue-maker?"

"That I am."

"Come with me."

"I don't have my forms or anything with me... this is the one night a year I let myself be less than completely prepared."

"You won't need your usual forms."

"Where are we going?" asked the undertaker, butcher, tanner, and, of course, maker of glue for use in commemorative furniture.

"The house of one of the...", Nightflitter caught herself, remembering that the stations and legal status of the Bearers of the Elements were not to be discussed where word might get back to the bearers themselves. "That is... we are going to Fluttershy Softwing's house."

"Is she OK?"

"I don't know all the details, and what I DO know I can't say until we are out of hearing of other ponies." said the nightguard, gesturing down the road out of town towards the Everfree Forest and Fluttershy's cottage. 

"Now look here missy, if you are trying to tell me she bent one of the rules, you got another think coming. She'd NEVER do any such thing. She can be a bit greedy when it comes to her animals, but she would never, and I do repeat NEVER take it that far. Even if she wanted to, she's absolutely terrified every time she handles anything to do with her Class Two. Thinks she will be arrested if not only every i isn't dotted and t crossed, but if the dots aren't all the same size and the crosses all the same length. She got her friend Twilight named her assistant just so Twilight could check her paperwork before she sends it in, and observe her for the first few servings to make sure she is following every procedure. But you know what? I WANT her carnivore-feeding license revoked: Go for it! She can't handle it. She's too delicate for even a Class One, let alone a Class Two. I TAUGHT her how to butcher animals, may Celestia forgive me, for I don't know if I will ever fully forgive myself. But if you hurt her in any way, I swear to Celestia I will see you banished to a comet or something."

"Look, I don't know anything about that. Everything I know is for the short-term, and I'm not supposed to go spreading it around. You certainly aren't being called on to testify against her or anything like that. Geez colt, calm down."

"I'm probably twice your age."

"Then I would recommend that you kindly start acting it... sir." said Corporal Nightflitter.

"Well, you can expect an apology when and if this turns out to be anything other than trying to charge the sweetest mare in town on some technicality. I don't like people threatening Fluttershy. She needs protecting."

"Whatever", said Nightflitter, rolling her cat-slit blue eyes," let's trot."



Some trotting later:
"Hold on, let me get out of these pants. The previous owner was a bit larger than me, and I didn't want to deal with Rarity faking a faint when I walked in. I did a good enough job myself with the fore-leg sleeves, but I keep stumbling on the hems in the back."

Nightflitter had read the profile on the Element of Generosity, and thus simply waited patiently as the stallion removed the problematic piece of his costume, rolled it up, and stuffed it down the neck of the matching shirt. 

"So... a rocking chair?"

"There is this mare in town by the name of Granny Smith. Got my mark when my grandfather let me help him boil down the hooves of her dearly departed second husband. Or rather when I came along on the delivery of the keepsake chair that Mr Highback made with the glue."

"Better than a tombstone I guess."

"Indeed. But what is this about Fluttershy?"

The guardsmare looked around in a full-hemisphere check to make sure they would not be overheard. "She will be unavailable for the next few days. We are going to formally transfer the animal-feeder post for The Greater Ponyville Area."

"Is she alright?"

"I'm very sorry, but I simply don't know. You could try asking the officer in charge when we get to her house. I DO know that she is still legally alive."

"Wait... LEGALLY alive? Were those the exact words you were told to use?" inquired Krastos the Glue-maker.

"Well, yes.That means she is missing and we acknowledge at least a slight possibility she might be dead, even as we will not accept such a conclusion until we have positive proof."

"No, that is 'missing, search continues with hope', believe me, it is on the yearly exam I have to take."

"Doesn't sound exactly central to your profession." said Nightflitter, her brow furrowing underneath her helmet slightly in confusion.

"It isn't. It is on the test anyway. Wish they would take that sort of thing off."

"I see."

"Well, that means she COULD be undead. Or they are just keeping the options broad to keep things more secret. Maybe she is off on some sort of errand for Celestia. She's been on some of those before, although she squeaked so quietly when I asked her for details I have no idea what she is doing."

"Squeaked?" asked Nightflitter.

"When she gets really nervous her voice sorta turns into this very quiet squeak with no words in it. In any case, I guess she must be really good with the animals for Celestia to be telling her to do stuff for her."

I have no words for how oblivious this stallion is. I suppose that is a good thing?

"Ah, I see you found him. Good work!" called out another pegasus guard as they came into view of the barricade of yellow and black saw-ponies linked with police-tape that had been thrown up around Fluttershy's cottage at a radius of about sixty pony-lengths.

"Ah, Krastos, this is Staff Sergeant Breaking Hoof, the officer in charge of this operation." said Corporal Nightflitter, saluting him.

"Hello. You are the licensed undertaker for Ponyville, correct?"

"That I am. Now, just what is it you think Fluttershy may have done wrong?"

"I have word passed down verbatim from the Diarchs themselves that she hasn't done anything wrong. She is currently unable to carry out her role as animal feeder, and we were assigned to handle the transition for reasons you aren't cleared for."

Krastos turned to Nightflitter, and dropped to one knee with only a touch of the stiffness of old age. "It appears I owe you an apology ma'am."

"Apology accepted citizen. Now let's get a move on. The sarge here has informed us that we still have the physical training we were scheduled for tonight after we are done with this mess. Which is, of course, exactly as it should be!"

"Choke-tail! Get over here with those forms and then go get a bucket, some soap, and a washcloth!" shouted Breaking Hoof behind himself. Then turning back to Krastos he continued. "I'll need you to get out of that wig and make-up so I can verify your identity."

"Err... if I might ask, where is Fluttershy?" said Krastos, sitting back on his haunches to pull off the shirt and wig with his telekinesis. 

"I am not at liberty to..."

"Sir", interjected Nightflitter,"Mr Glue-Maker was quite vigorous in his defense of Miss Fluttershy Softwing. I believe that might be relevant."

"In that case, if I can rely on you to keep any information related to Fluttershy Softwing's where-abouts strictly confidential, as a state secret?"

"With the provision that I will be visiting her if possible." Krastos said, unrolling the pants and starting to stuff the wig down one leg.

"Inadvisable, given it might reveal her position. You could send a certain individual a letter to pass on to her, provided the envelop did not include Miss Softwing's name."

"I see. That works." said Krastos "I do solemnly swear not to reveal Fluttershy Softwing's location or attempt to contact her except by mail addressed only to the individual specified by you personally unless I believe her mental, legal, and/or physical safety would be jeopardized by said lack, in which case I shall overstep these conditions only to the extent necessary to rectify said jeopardy."

"That wasn't what I specified citizen."

"It shouldn't make a difference if this is all on the up and up. I ALSO", said Krastos, arching his eyebrows, "happen to know that as a licensed undertaker, I can not be sworn to secrecy by anything less than direct diarchal writ regarding anything I discover in the course of my duties if I feel it would be contrary to the public good and have not agreed to such in advance. I will also point out that I was not sworn to secrecy prior to my arrival here, and as such if you raise my concerns by not agreeing to my amendments to your conditions I would be perfectly within my rights to explain my concerns to all and sundry on the basis that you might be acting unjustly against Fluttershy."

"Hmph... I don't much like lawyers."

"I just look after Fluttershy, that's all." said Krastos, looking the Staff Sargent in the eye. It was a firm but patient look, not strong enough to be a challenge, but quietly unyielding.

A long moment passed.

"Very well, then, but I'm warning you, while I don't like lawyers, I'm not afraid to use them. I want that oath in writing, and Princess Celestia help you if you set even one nose-hair over the line. I assure you Princess Luna will have no such mercy."

"Certainly." said Krastos stuffing the clown shirt down the other leg of the pants.

Breaking Hoof wrote out the oath while Krastos washed the white make-up off his face in the bucket which Choke-tail had just flown up with. After drying his face on the legs of the pants and hanging them astride his withers Krastos signed the oath with his full title and undertaker registry number... both of which Breaking Hoof checked against the records his squad had brought with them from Canterlot.

"Fluttershy is currently receiving treatment from Twilight Sparkle, to whom you may send any correspondence. I should add that it is HIGHLY probable that her treatment will require less than four days."

"Noted, Sir. I don't think anypony is likely to die within that time-period, but you never know." said Krastos.

"Right, Princess Luna just didn't want to take any chances on the animal's in Fluttershy's jurisdiction missing their treats in the unlikely event." confirmed Nightflitter.

"Oh, and speaking of direct Diarchal writ, I happen to have one for this next part."

"Really? Let's have it then." said Krastos, taking the pro-offered piece of paper "To whom it may concern, the following object is-"

Krastos was interupted in his reading as Breaking Hoof materialized a rod about half a pony length long and about an eighth of a hoof around including the heavy canvas wrapping from his armor into his mouth. He struck the smaller stallion on the shoulder with it. The core of the rod shattered with a sound like breaking glass, and magenta mage-light spilled forth to briefly envelop the undertaker.

"What in the world?!" exclaimed Krastos, looking up.

"I'll give you this one for free. Its an experimental anti-changeling measure. Since you are under oath about your race of record I am permitted to verify it under these circumstances. Now read the writ and give it to Nightflitter." said Breaking Hoof dematerializing the expended rod back into his armor and materializing another which he mouthed it to Nightflitter, who dematerialized it.



Ten minutes later:
"Right... that should do it, but we still need to get the transfer entered into the official record before these will be good for more than the next twelve hours."

"Corporal Nightflitter, you will escort Mr Glue-maker to the records office and ensure that all goes smoothly."

"Well, if you insist, but I DO know how to find the dairy-barn myself, and perhaps Nightflitter has better things to do than follow a creaky old guy like me around."

"Normally that might be acceptable citizen. These are NOT normal circumstances, or the Nightguard wouldn't be involved in the first place. We were ordered, among other things, to make sure the transfer of Miss Fluttershy Softwing's animal feeding duties DID happen, no excuses, and happened rapidly and smoothly. You have your orders Corporal Nightflitter."

"I see... well, just mind you don't give me any more work than just filling out paperwork tonight. That would constitute a ripple in the smoothness of your operation I do believe?"

"Indeed it would, but despite all my best efforts, I appear to be cursed not to actually be able to cause anypony a heart-attack... yet. Now get trotting." said Breaking Hoof, one side of his mouth quirking up almost undetectably and his cat-slitted eyes developing an equally plausibly deniable twinkle to them, in what was almost certainly a completely intentional breach of stoicism in favor of Kindness.

Krastos turned and trotted away as ordered, Nightflitter moving after him with her hooves even with his shoulders.



Four minutes later:
"So what do you think about the whole Bull Problem?" asked Krastos conversationally as they walked towards the dairy district, which, naturally enough, was also the center for many desk-jobs, including various bureaucratic functions.

"I can't say." replied Nightflitter.

"What? Everypony has an opinion. You think they should be encouraged to use their muscles some of the time, since they don't have any milk to be put off of like their girls do? Or you think such things should just be let be, and they should just go on working desk jobs, same as their girls, if that is how it ends up?"

"You misunderstand me. I mean that I am in uniform, and thus not allowed to express political opinions."

"Ah, gotcha. So, who you like for college airball this year?" replied the undertaker.

"Well, Cloudsdale is always a good pick, but I bet at least one of their stars is going to follow their child into the exile this year." Nightflitter said.

"I didn't know that any of their team had any children the right age."

"Oh yeah, three of them, and another might be taking his exile period early since there is a husband and wife engineering team who want to hire him for heavier-than-air flying machine research."

"Pfft... waste of time if you ask me. That research I mean... not the exile... wouldn't want the pegasi to get too isolated or the next thing you know we got Windigos skulking around the borders. He got the sense to know when to bail out?"

"I can't comment on the sense of the research or give you anything personal about the exile, but yeah, he doesn't strike me as the sort to ride an experiment all the way to the ground."

And so they passed the time as they trotted.



Five minutes later:
"We are here to see Judge Mootha Straight-hooves." announced Nightflitter to the secretarial bull behind the desk in the smallest of Ponyvilles milk-barns.

"Building three, second floor, room 212. And I am sure you are aware there is a milk-fee for waking up a cow in the night on business purposes?" said the bull, whose job was boring enough that he had taken the time to memorize the list of cows and bulls who might most be needed during his shift. He then returned to his whittling (purely amateur grade, or he wouldn't have been working as a secretary/security guard).

"Well aware but thank you for asking." Nightflitter said.

"You are welcome. So Krastos, who is it? If you can say..." asked the bull as Nightflitter materialized her expense account purse from her armor and began counting out bits.

"Nobody. Just some emergency paperwork." replied Krastos, eager to set the bull's mind at ease.

"Ah, glad to hear it.... Oh, and I guess I should mention to you officer that Mootha took her job because she has a very even temperament, so she doesn't get thrown off production as much. She worked it out with the dairy side of things so the milk-fee is halved in her case."

When Nightflitter had deposited the requisite amount in the collection box, and gotten a receipt (with annotation explaining the reduced amount, just to be on the safe side) the pair proceeded to the appropriate building, and thence to the correct room.

Krastos pulled the bell-pull outside the Straight-hooves' door, but all that happened was a slight glow to the cord. Nightflitter was about to knock, but Krastos held out a hoof in a gesture to stop.

"She doesn't like her husband being woken, so she shelled out the bits for a mental alarm. She heard it just fine, I can assure you. Give her a few minutes, unless you want to go back and pay out more of the tax-payer's money."

"That won't be necessary. 'Smoothly' was the order, and 'smoothly' it shall be."

"I'm left curious about your take on those political matters. I don't suppose you can give me your address so I can mail you?"

"As long as you don't go sending me any love letters... I'm a married mare."

Krastos snorted at the joke.

"Unlike our beloved Diarchs I am not limited by circumstances to my juniors... and I also happen to be a married stallion."

Just then the door opened.

"Oh, hello." said the brown cow.

"Hello Mootha." said Krastos before Nightflitter took command of the situation.

"Are you Judge Mootha Straight-hooves?"

"That I am officer."

"Can I see some ID?"

"Just a second... that is one of the things I DON'T keep by the door... unless my judge's stamp will do?"

"I'd prefer to see your papers, just so nopony gets on my case."

Mootha nodded and moseyed over to a filing cabinet. Krastos choked back a cry as Nightflitter darted after her and repeated the procedure with the rod, deftly breaking the crystalline core across one of Mootha's horns and dematerialized it again before the cow could turn her head around.

"Pardon me, what was that."

"I've got a writ that explains it. Procedure is to catch the subject unawares."

"I seeeeee." said Mootha and began to read the writ.

"So, I hear you are aren't put off your milk much by getting woken up in the middle of the night. Does that mean I don't need to go back and pay the full milk-fee?" said Nightflitter conversationally as the cow read the writ.

"Not as much, no. There's some better, but I just learned how to keep an even keel early in life. As for the milk fee... well, I think you have a question to answer."

"Yes?"

"How do I know that wasn't a judgement impairing spell?"

Nightflitter sighed. "You don't. The procedure is a bit new. I suppose you could wake up your husband and get him to double check you and take notes he could verify with someone in the morning. Or anyone else you like, although I'm guessing there might be another milk-fee involved for me."

"My husband is a para-legal, so I think that should be sufficient. And no, I'm feeling fine, so no second milk-fee will be required."

Mootha went into her bedroom and prodded the sleeping bull.

"Ferdinand, wake up. No need to get all stampede-y, but something strange is going on."

"Ugh?" said the bull.

"Get up, I need you to take some notes and double-check me on some stuff."

Mootha finished reading through the writ as her husband got up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Then she went back to the filing cabinet, while explaining a slightly edited version of the events that had transpired since the two ponies had arrived at their door to Ferdinand.  Locating her identification card she plucked it out of the folder with her mouth and gave it to Nightflitter who looked it over.

"Mr Krastos, you may proceed. I'll have to look over the transfer paperwork when you three are done with it though." said Nightflitter.

"Very well then, we are here for an emergency transfer of the animal feeding duties, both beast and sentient-source meat from Fluttershy to", Krastos checked the paperwork he had brought from the barrade, "Officer Twenty-One Cannons."

"I assume you brought a copy of his carnivore feeding licenses, and that he will be by within the next forty-eight hours to confirm the transfer?" Mootha asked Nightflitter.

"Yes to both."

"Very well. Let's get that done."



Several minutes later:
"Ma'am, I am legally required to have you step outside so I can privately verify that you have not applied any coercion to Krastos. The last case of such a thing was several centuries ago, but rules are rules you understand."

"Certain ma'am."

Nightflitter flew down the hall, and then returned to her office/apartment suite, and locked the door behind her. She then escorted Krastos and Ferdinand into the couple's bathroom. It was a tight fit, but after Ferdinand got into the bathtub they managed.

"If you are free of all coercion or pressure in this matter that might bias the legal nature of this transfer, please raise your left forehoof. If anything has been applied to you, please raise your right forehoof."

Krastos duly raised his left forehoof. "With the note that the same thing that happened to you happened to me." he said, doing his best to skirt the issue of the rods. "And believe me, if this Twenty-One Cannons tries anything funny I'll raise bloody Tartarus."

"Very well, sir, I think that concludes our business."
> 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.
> Quarantine Period, Part 4: The Case of Twilight Sparkle Versus Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight's horn glowed, and she winked to just inside the front door. Swiftly she cast another spell. A bubble of glowing energy surged from the library shoving the front ranks of the armed crowd back a few paces.

"What are you doing?" Celestia's personal student yelled angrily as she burst through the door.

There was a moment of silence and then several voices burst out at once.

"Protecting our..."
"What you shoulda..."
"Look, you have obviously been entranced by..."
"Staking..."
"Protecting our..."

"QUIET!" Twilight thundered from inside the force-field protecting the library, her voice once again magically amplified.

"I'm not really sure, just saw...," a blue-coated straggler trailed off.

"Now then! Mayor Mare, are you here?"

"Yes." came a voice from the second rank, as the rest of the people in the library, minus Fluttershy, exited. Rainbow Dash began to circle the tree, Applejack took up position on Twilight's left, Rarity reared onto her hind legs in a martial arts stance on her right, and Pinkie Pie was looking very concerned as she swiveled her party cannon back and forth behind them pausing briefly at each clear line of fire. Spike hopped up on Twilight's back, clenching his fists. Big Macintosh came last, and simply closed the door behind him, then planted his hooves in front of it hard enough that the nearest of the townsponies could feel the trembles in the ground.

"Good. Now then I..."

"What's the big idea you featherbrains?!" Rainbow Dash yelled from about three pony lengths up, and eight lengths counter-clockwise around the library from Twilight's position.

"Rainbow Dash, be quiet, I got this! Actually, now that I think of it, you and AJ should check around and look for open windows or intruders."

Dash crossed her front legs, and settled for staring at the crowd pugnaciously for a few seconds. She zipped around the tree a few times looking at and through the windows. Finally she darted back in through the window she had exited though.

"Now then... Mayor Mare. Would you care to explain this?"

"As per section 34 of the... no, wait... oh just read it yourself..." Mayor Mare said, then opened up Castle's Complete Curriculum to Civic Containment and Control: Vampires to a page she had bookmarked and pressed it against the large forcefield surrounding the library.

Twilight read the page carefully. Maybe I am mis-remembering and there is a loophole...

"Could you turn to the next page?" She read that one too. "Now back two." No luck. She really does have the right to override military authority in such a case if she feels that the citizens of her town are under threat. Still, it is just a reference guide; maybe there will be something in the actual law, she thought.

She looked around then pointed to one of the nightguards. "You there, are you in charge of this operation?"

"My name is Staff Sargent Breaking Hoof, and while I am in charge of overseeing the interests of Princess Luna in the matter of Miss Softwing I am decidedly NOT in charge of this posse, and, in fact, my ponies are here to keep things as peaceable as possible, nothing more. We do not answer to Ms Mare, and I have stated my opposition to this action previously, and am doing so here again." said Breaking Hoof, saluting Twilight while hovering at attention above the crowd just outside the forcefield.

Twilight returned the salute, although not very well. Well, that is a break for us, she thought, and then looked around. Yeah, his troops aren't carrying any torches and... she lit her horn ...the spells on their spears that cause them to rip sideways to avoid vital organs and major blood-vessels are still intact... of course, I'm not sure how those would function against a vampire anyway, let alone Fluttershy's new strain of undeath.

"This is impolite, ill-considered, impulsive, and illogical," Twilight fumed at Mayor Mare.

"I know you think so, but we have to assume that your judgment has been corrupted by Fluttershy."

"Yeah! You dang brainwashed-" shouted Caramel.

"Quiet!" interrupted Twilight and the mayor simultaneously.

The mayor straightened the collar of her beaver-suit in lieu of the cravat she wasn't actually wearing at the moment. "Now then. I am asking you to surrender Fluttershy for staking, transportation, and revival inside a suitable facility. We have ash stakes. Completely painless. You could even do it yourself if you would prefer."

"Unacceptable. Besides which, doesn't the fact that Celestia gave me that requisition for blood prove that she felt the situation was well under control?"

"I'm sure that all signs pointed to it being under control at that time. But since Rarity handed me this particular volume and told me that it would have the solution in it, I have to consider that as a subconscious cry for help from an entranced individual."

"Uuuugh... you are CRAZY! Look, this is all just a big mistake. Everyone please please please just go back to what you were doing," begged an exasperated Twilight.

"Yeah! Or do I hafta-", began Dash raising one forehoof threateningly, having returned from checking the house-tree a few seconds earlier.

"Rainbow Dash," interjected Twilight. She did not turn to Rainbow Dash, nor did she raise her voice, but her tone was made of pure steel. "We all want to protect Fluttershy. Let me try this first, then if it doesn't work... well, we will cross that bridge when we come to it. Remember when you had to decide between Cloudsdale and Ponyville?"

"Yeah, but, that wasn't any real choice, I mean Discord woulda done worse to Cloudsdale than just tear it apart. Besides, clouds are easy to rebuild. I woulda figured that out in another few seconds, but then his mind-whammy... you know all this," she said as Twilight finally bent her neck around to look at her.

"Yes, yes, I do Dash. I was just using it as an example."

Twilight turned back to the Mayor.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that. Please, don't make me have to...," Mayor Mare gestured to the mob duly authorized posse that stretched away from her on both sides around the library.

"I think that can be avoided." said Twilight. "Spike, bring me volumes thirty-four, forty-two, and one-thirty-two of The Laws of Equestria."

Spike did so, barely having to duck to keep his spikes from brushing Big Macintosh's belly.

This is bad, this is really really really bad. thought Twilight. No. I can do this. It is just like any other research project. I've got this. At least I think I've got this... come on Twilight, take your time, they can't get in without losing moral ground.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Rarity.

"I- I'll tell you if there is. I know you don't write your own sales contracts, so... I'll tell you if I need anything. Princess Celestia had me study legal theory for some reason. Never explained why. Just said that I 'might need it some day'. Everypony, just stand guard while Spike and I do our thing. I'll tell you if I need Pinkie to find something for me or some help interpreting things. Just... be here for me. This isn't easy for me."



Six books later. One hundred and twenty eight pages later. Two-thousand four-hundred and twelve words later. (Approximately ninety seven minutes):

"Spike... bring me volume one." said Twilight, a catch in her voice.

Spike caught the sadness in her tone, but turned to go without question.

"And... and a bookmark," said Twilight, planning ahead even in this dark hour.

Spike returned with the book and bookmark, "Here you go."

"Thank you. Now... now go put everything else away, then go down into the basement, and don't come out until I tell you. This is going to be our last chance to get them to just go away."

"No way, not this time. I'm here with you, or I'm upstairs as a rear-guard. Or is rear guard what you meant?"

"No... I... Okay Number One Assistant, rear guard it is." Twilight said. I can't afford to show disunity in my side by arguing with him.

Spike nodded and went back inside. Twilight was just opening her mouth to begin reading from the book in front of her when he poked his head out.

"Do you want the door open, locked, or just shut?"

"Just shut will do nicely, thank you."

"Ok, be careful Twilight."

Twilight nodded and raised the book up in her telekinesis in front of her, the words blurred slightly before her as the barest beginning of tears fogged her vision. No... I have to remember what Shiny says 'Act properly at all times, so you will weep fewer tears for the enemy. Weep for the costs to the enemy only after the battle, so you will weep fewer tears for your friends and allies.' Naturally, he was quoting from The Field Manual for Psychological Survival but that doesn't make it any less true, especially he would have sent me a copy of the changes if he had changed it once he had the authority. she cleared her mind of the distraction she glanced back at the rest of her friends who were defending the library said "You all need to listen carefully to this, too."

She turned to her other friends and began to read.

"Be it known that, as no system of recorded laws may perfectly anticipate all possible developments, but where as consistency of governance is essential to a well-ordered society, all other laws, convictions and sentences, both civil and criminal, orders, directives, and all other authority to be found in the governance of Equestria, other than the words of a ruling princess on a particular matter that said princess shall be properly informed of, shall be subject to being overturned, amended, pardoned or dismissed as needed on a case by case by a majority of the ruling princesses of Equestia. As such, all persons in Equestria shall act with their best judgment when they feel that the governance of Equestria may be in error due to the unique qualities of a situation that were not clearly understood by those engaged in such acts of governance, rather than in accordance with such acts of governance, relying on the dictates of their own conscience until such time as the ruling princesses of Equestria or an individual that the personage performing acts that would otherwise be illegal, insubordinate, or disorderly trusts can review the particular situation."

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to say something, but remembered what Twilight had said earlier about this being "her thing". She settled for scratching her head while exchanging a confused look with Applejack.

The mayor's eyes dropped, and she looked down at the dark brown feet of her costume, as she considered this. She dragged her hooves through the dirt, not pawing at the ground, but simply nervously scuffing them. About half a minute passed before she raised her head again.

Finally Dash couldn't take it any longer. "What does all that mean anyway?"

Twilight opened her mouth, but a snow-white hoof pressed to her lips. "I may not write my contracts, but I can explain them to my clients, and I know how to read well enough avoid getting scammed. Understanding may be your forte, but I think you had better allow me to explain to our... shorter attention span friends."

It was a sign of Twilight's fear that she simply nodded, instead of defending her 'right to lecture'.

"Basically, it means that not even the Princesses can think of everything in advance, so the laws can't cover everything. Sometimes one must simply do the correct thing, and then let the law figure itself out later."

But Mayor Mare spoke "A sacred principle of Equestrian Law, and yet often invoked by those acting in error, however pure their hearts might be. We must still consider your judgment clouded by the unfortunate Miss Softwing. I'm asking you kindly to allow her to be transported to an appropriate location. Please! Nopony here wants a fight, but it seems like we are headed that way."

Twilight wilted before the prospect of such a thing. After a few moments, she gathered herself and looked up at the Mayor with moist eyes. "No." she said quietly. "I won't let you hurt her. Better you all suffer than she does. Because she didn't do anything wrong and is not dangerous."

Small bolts of lightning began to crackle along the forcefield surrounding the library. I'll keep the amperage low and expand slowly. If anypony on the front rank falls over I... kill the lightning but keep expanding it? No, I should probably-

"Miss Twilight!" barked Breaking Hoof.

"Yeah?" growled Twilight, not taking her eyes off of the mayor.

"I believe I have an alternative solution that would avoid violence... well, meaningful violence," Breaking Hoof said.

"I'm listening," said Twilight.

"Its very simple. Your friends stand down, and you kill the lightning. If you can hold a simple shield against all of the civilians here by yourself for... oh, let's say two minutes? Then they will agree to hold position until word can be received from the diarchs, and provide whatever supplies you wish for the duration of the siege. If anypony gets through your shield in those two minutes, then none of you resist as my troops take everyone but you into custody. You contain Fluttershy for a nice train-ride to Canterlot Mental hospital. No stakes involved."

Twilight considered this, then dropped out of her ready stance, "Everypony hold still." she said "Pinkie, Applejack, and Rarity, follow me."

"How are we supposed to hold still and follow you? That doesn't make sense," asked Pinkie.

"Argh! Everybody outside this forcefield hold still! That clear enough?"

"Yep-a-roony!"

"Now wait just a second!" objected Mayor Mare.

"I'll explain in more detail, but I need it to remain a strict secret, even from the bearers themselves," said Breaking Hoof authoritatively.

"Very well then, explain Staff Sargent."

He swept the mayor up in his forehooves and headed straight up..

The four ponies took a slow tour around the library as Dash continued her patrol at about 120 RPM. Twilight would pause every few steps and point a forehoof towards various ponies in turn. 

Let's see: Average depth, four non-pegasi. Circumference, approximately forty-five pony-lengths. Twenty-four pegasi. the scholar thought to herself.

"Pinkie, how many of the unicorns you see out there have horn-talents that are related to lifting objects heavier than a pony, or producing energy?"

"Producing energy? There are unicorns that can produce energy? I should make double-extra sure to invite them to my next party..." Pinkie bubbled, before she made a connection that made her slightly peeved. "Hey," she continued darkly, "have they been holding out on me?"

"I mean energy as in thermal, electrical, rotational, or linear... that is to say: unicorns that can make fire or lightning or spin stuff really fast, throw stuff really hard, or make a light bright enough to hurt someone's eyes." 

Pinkie consulted her internal 'rolodex' of 'every pony in Ponyville'.

"Twenty six? Can you arcweld with your horn Spot Weld?" she said pointing to a steel-grey unicorn mare with light red hair.

"I... well-" said Spot Weld before her husband, Turret Lathe, elbowed her.

"Probably best not to tell them more than they already know." he said.

"Never mind, I can work around it." replied Twilight.

If I reshape the top to be more conical that should deflect any heavy objects the pegasi decide to drop... I'll just allow lightning through since the magical lightning rod should hold against anything that the pegasi can... no, best to take no chances.

"Rainbow Dash! Check the lightning rods, there should be four of them."

"Yes ma'am!" replied the licensed meteorology worker.

Of course, I'll have to protect myself from lightning and blunt trauma.

"I'm going inside with Rainbow Dash. Can I get your word that no attempts at entry will be made while I confer?"

The posse ponies pondered this proposal, but none of them seemed willing to speak up.



Meanwhile, three hundred hooves above the highest other pegasus:

"Do I have your oath of secrecy?" asked Breaking Hoof.

"I... that is... yes," said Mayor Mare, wondering if their altitude qualified as 'duress'.

Breaking Hoof looked around one last time for anypony who might overhear them, then brought his muzzle to her right ear and whispered softly.

"I'll make this simple for you Madam Mayor. You have a pretty good sized group of ponies there, but they are all actual civilians. Inside that library are six heroes of the realm, who have dealt with threats that make your little posse look like school-yard foals. And that isn't counting the baby dragon, who, I have it on good authority, has been taking lessons on how to only give first degree burns and avoid the eyes and nose, and the stallion who at one point dragged a house with only a small reduction in his rate of progress. You don't stand a chance, and this little test will amply demonstrate that. The only reason I am telling you this here, rather than shouting it at you in front of your constituents, is that the Diarchs don't want them getting swelled heads, as that could maybe interfere with the virtues that allow them to operate this nation's most powerful defense."

He pulled his head back.

"In fact, that problem is the ONLY reason I am resisting the temptation to increase the duration of the test to ten minutes, because two minutes is an insult to her abilities." he growled at her.

"Let's continue this on the ground," said a poker-faced mayor.

They landed, and the Mayor addressed the crowd, "Based on what I have heard, I recommend we go along with Breaking Hoof's proposal. However, I'm going to leave it up to you, the people. Take a moment to confer with those around you and then we can try to see what the consensus is. If that doesn't produce a clear result, then we can put it to a vote of hooves."

"Excuse me, but again, might I have your oath you will not attempt entry or any such thing if we go inside to discuss this?" interjected Twilight.

"Naturally, provided the duration is not excessive," said the mayor.



Several Minutes later:
"The aye's have it!" pronounce Mayor Mare. The defenders inside the library had already agreed to Breaking Hoof's terms. "Staff Sargent Breaking Hoof, if you would give us a countdown and then time the... confrontation?"

"I believe the term you are looking for is 'contest of arms'." explained Breaking Hoof then he addressed the crowd, "By the ancient traditions, you all have thirty minutes to gather any supplies you might need. You have my word that I shall enforce the contest of arms, so you need not worry about these heroes trying to escape."

"Still, perhaps better if those of you who have fewer preparations to make take it in shifts. Names A through M first fifteen minutes, N through Z last fifteen minutes. Just in case the good officers need a little help." added the mayor. I smell politics MAYBE. No need to take a risk we don't have to.

"Spike, bring me this year's edition of 'The Codes of Modern Chivalry'. I want to brush up on the rules," Twilight said, her eyes scanning the crowd as she pondered her neighbor's abilities.



Thirty Minutes Later:
Breaking Hoof began the count-down.
"Ten!"
Carrot Cake gulped nervously, shuffling his hooves on his side of the barrel that he and his beloved had retrieved from Pinkie's room.
"Nine!"
Aloe, Lotus, and their husbands, stopped shaking up their drink bottles full of super-concentrated Poison Joke cure and unscrewed the lids.
"Eight!"
Spot Weld lowered her metal mask into position. A half-section of pipe floated before her ready to block the eye-destroying light away from her allies.
"Seven!"
Bulk Biceps strained for just a little bit more altitude against a boulder that out-massed him three to one.
"Six!"
Zecora stared at the green powder in her hoof and considered which illusions would best distract Twilight.
"Five!"
Torch Song gave one last toot on the pitch-pipe that represented one side of the range that Lyra thought might be the resonant frequency of the shield, and they raised the megaphones to their lips.
"Four!"
An earthpony named Dark Earth unscrewed the lid from a bottle of super-concentrated bleach.
"Three!"
Scootaloo revved her wings and focused her whole being on the ramp in front of her. I'll save you from Fluttershy's hypnotism! I'll save you both! she thought.
"Two!"
A small flame appeared in front of an itinerant chimney-sweep who had elected to dress as a charcoal briquette rather than try to remove the last stubborn traces of soot from his coat. Kindling and logs were piled in front of him.
"One!"
Many other ponies crouched down, facing away from the shield and prepared to buck it.
"Duel!"

ThumpWooshThumpThumpspooshThumpBuzzzzzzzThump

LAAAAAAAAAAAA

Twilight took in the actual attacks, comparing them against the preliminary analyses she had formed while watching the townsfolk return from gathering their supplies and selecting from her counter-strategies. This was one test she intended to get an A+ on... well, even more-so than usual.

Chemical and alchemical assaults would appear to be negligible, although that is only a preliminary observation. Good thing Zecora didn't have time to get to her hut and back, let alone mix up anything specifically for the occasion. I'm sure she can manage a contact anti-magic potion of some sort or another. Huh... her eyes are glowing... can't guess the effect.

Note to self: Ask her about it after current crisis resolved. Ooops! Wow, that was close with the lightning! Almost made me lose active control of the shield! Come on Twilight! Keep it together! Even if you had been stunned the shield probably would have held up. Better increase the conductivity a tad though. That supply of clouds shouldn't last them longer than another eighteen seconds if they continue firing at this rate...

Ah, a feint to distract me from the boulder coming through the clouds. Whoops! Almost didn't form a lip fast enough to keep it from skidding into the crowd. Slide it down gently. There I go.

Has Spot Weld noticed that the part of the shield she is working is still an insulator? Better drop the opacity a tad just to be sure her horn is still in the right place.

Better check the back too...

Oh dear... I do hope the Cakes are bluffing... those barrel-hoops could form some nasty shrapnel. Fuse looks long enough though so if everypony else with line of effect to it started moving for cover about 15 seconds before they lit it, that should be enough of a safety margin. Better keep an eye on it. There may be gawkers at some window who could get a sliver of glass in their eye because they weren't part of the posse and didn't know what to expect... like most of the foals. At least the Cakes are far enough away from the fire that that chimney sweep built.

Oh... no! I've lost already! How did that green pony get through?! Oh, Fluttershy, I'm sorry... I've failed you...

Wait... where did he go?

Ah... right... green! And there is Zecora standing next to a tiny hole she managed to dig. Better dust-proof the shield...

Wish I had prioritized asking Pinkie how much gunpowder she had on hoof... still somepony else might have some for all I know, so it wouldn't have been a sure thing.

They are trying to dig there way in over here. Good thing they are outside the drip-line of the tree or they would be hurting its roots... even more fortunate that they aren't anywhere near the water and sewer lines. Wonder if that is just probability or if they planned it that way? In any case, extending the shield into the ground is easy enough, a few rocks, but nothing I can't part easily enough.

There is Allie Way. Oh dear, I don't think those bowling balls will be much use after this, but I can't risk softening the shield.

The weather ponies are coating the shield in fog... that will make everypony's job harder, both mine and their's. Hope they don't hurt themselves getting in each other's ways.

Sight is useless for the moment, except near that fire.

Time for other senses.

Eyes closed.

Ears swiveling, don't try to lock onto any one sound, hear everything, especially the softer stuff. Thump from near the explosive charge. Probably another barrel of gunpowder. Shore up the shield, but I don't hear the fuse.

Better stay near it just in case.

Can't afford to patrol.

Link shield to body at a three hundred to one ratio for kinetic, five hundred to one for electrical, and a thousand to one for thermal. There is the warm spot from from Spot Weld's torch on my left flank, and that tingle like a rain made of sparks must be the lightning bolts. No pattern to it, so probably no coordinated assault. Oof! I felt that, like a buck from Applebloom... or at least Scootaloo, had some sharpness to it, like scrabbling claws.

Eyes open for just a second... yeah, that is the back end of a cart full of scrap metal. They must have managed to put the harnesses on backwards so they could ram load-first... why didn't I hear it? Oh, I only heard one singer. The other must have been using a hush-spell targeted on the cart itself. Nothing like a cough to ruin a dramatic caesura in a musical piece, so it makes sense they would know it.

Oh, there is the fuse! I guess we really are near the end after all... they are clearing the fog... good gracious, that is a lot of barrels! And from the opposite side... no mistaking that buzz... Scootaloo!?! She could be hurt by arcing debris when this detonates... so could some of the ponies who think that half an inch of wood counts as hard cover against something this big!

Drop most of the shield, except for just enough integrity to make it look like it is at full strength.

Cut the shield to body link.

Give Scootaloo a soft area to hit. 

Wrap the explosives in an open topped truncated cone with the narrow end downward.

Three times the height of the tree? Better make it five! 

Harder! 
Harder!! 
Soften it just enough for toughness.
Start laying on weak disks above it along the length of the cone.
Better cap the bottom with a hemisphere sliced through the dirt...
Here it comes...!!!

BOOM!!!!