> My Vampire Companion
>  by kazamacat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1 - Transformation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a dark and warm, clear night in Ponyville when Rainbow Dash walked out of the local juice bar. She gave a friendly smile and wave to the other patrons and barkeep.

They raised their glasses, smiled, and bid her farewell.

Turning her head away from them, the sky blue mare immediately frowned. Their company had helped take her mind off what was bothering her, but now she was alone again. Being alone meant remembering that today sucked.

"'A real hero doesn't brag'," she muttered in annoyance to herself as she walked along a lone, dirt path. She sighed. "A real hero saves or helps ponies, which is what I was doing."

She blinked at a sudden memory of when she didn't move to save someone because she was signing autographs and wanted it to be more exciting by putting it off to the last second. "Emphasis on the 'was'...I'm sorry," she told no one.

Or at least, she thought no one. A stealthy figure stalked her...carefully observing her every move, word, and thought. Waiting—and hopeful.

Rainbow Dash assumed she was alone, and that was why she was openly muttering to herself. No one would or could get hurt from that. Well, no more than the hurt she herself felt at having her friends trying to knock her down a peg or two—or five. The pegasus grimaced but could not bring herself to say anything more.

Nothing could undo what happened at her own repeated failures, from the moment Mare Do Well first arrived on the scene. Now that the air had cleared on what Mare Do Well even was...Rainbow Dash had to move past that and work on becoming a better pony anyway.

That was the only way forward and no other.

Suddenly, she heard a small intake of breath. Rainbow Dash tensed up and looked around. She spread her wings but did not fly. She merely wiggled a few nervous feathers. She was going to be really embarrassed if somepony heard her rambling on and on about this stuff.

"H-hello?" Rainbow Dash asked the silent night air.

Suddenly, some entity whammed itself into her figure, knocking her down to the ground.

"Oomf," Rainbow uttered. Strong and radiant red eyes flashed at her and searing pain soon followed on her neck. A hoof clamped over her mouth to stop her from screaming outwardly in pain.

Sleep, my love a telepathic voice commanded. Gentle and unfamiliar... Sleep...and forget.

Rainbow Dash blinked several times, catching sight of a pony's face, and succumbed to the entity's command.





Sometime later that same night, Rainbow Dash groggily opened her eyes. She was laying on her back in a bed that wasn't hers. She did not know how she got here, but she knew she was not home.

"Oh good," a gentle voice greeted her, sitting right at Rainbow's side. The voice sounded relieved though it was not a voice Rainbow recognized.

She stared at an earth pony mare with an off-white coat and two-tone light blue hair. The awakening pegasus studied the figure and narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Coco Pommel," the sincere mare told her.

"Rainbow Dash." Rainbow offered her hoof, still lying down on her back, and Coco pleasantly smiled. The off-white mare was happy to accept the shake for their introduction.

Rainbow Dash sat up and rubbed at her head. "What happened?"

Coco stared sadly at the floor. "I'm so sorry," she uttered.

"Sorry for what?" Rainbow Dash asked her.

Coco took a deep breath and looked at Rainbow with serious and sincere light cyan eyes. "I...want you..."

Rainbow stared at her incredulously. "Excuse me...?"

It was flattering to hear, to be sure, but she had to question it. 

The other mare shook her head. "Okay, shoot. How do I do this? Where to start?" She stared up seriously at Rainbow Dash again. "You're mine now. I want you, and I have you. And you're mine."

Rainbow Dash burst into laughter and lightly tapped Coco's shoulder. "You're getting stranger by the second, girl. Just tell me what the hay is going on with you." The pegasus lifted out of the bed and into a hover not far above it.

At that, Coco hissed, lunged high, and tackled the sky blue mare to the floor. She forced Rainbow on her back yet again. Coco bared four sharp teeth just over Rainbow's muzzle with suddenly fierce red eyes. "You're mine!" she snarled.

Rainbow Dash squirmed and squirmed, but the earth pony was too strong—stronger than Applejack. She had Rainbow Dash easily pinned down against the floor, and the pegasus could barely move her wings. She squirmed that much more but to no avail.

Rainbow Dash took several deep breaths. She stopped to think over her losing struggle, trying to figure the other mare out.

Coco's facial expression had gone blank, and she said nothing. All she did was hold Rainbow Dash down in the moment. Thinking of the mare's gentle nature before her lunge, Rainbow thoughtfully blinked a few times. Coco was restraining her but not biting her despite those fangs she revealed a moment ago. "Please get off of me," the captured pony politely requested.

The other creature silently complied and seated herself nearby on the floor, wiping her mouth with a hoof. Rainbow Dash took equally silent notice of  the mare's eyes returning to a light cyan color.

The rainbow-maned pegasus dusted off her own forelimbs and chose to stay grounded for the moment. That was probably safer if Coco was just trying to make sure she didn't escape. Gathering her bearings, Rainbow asked, "What are you?"

"I'm a vampire," Coco replied.

Rainbow Dash searched her memory—searched hard. "I don't know what that word means," she finally admitted.

"I'm not sure anyone besides me does, but that is what my maker called me," Coco explained.

"'Maker'?" Rainbow repeated back to her.

Coco nodded but explained no further.

Rainbow sighed. "So, care to tell me anything else about you or what a vampire is? All I've got so far is that you got super possessive and grew fangs just now. The eyes changed to red. You almost bit me, but you didn't. And you're strong. Really strong."

"I have already fed on you," Coco Pommel admitted. She stared at Rainbow Dash seriously. "I drink blood. I drank your blood."

Rainbow Dash blanched at that. "You did what?" she furiously whispered back.

Red returned to Coco's eyes in a glare. Predatory and fierce. "You are mine," she said again.

"Yeah, you keep saying that, but I don't get it. If you already drank my blood—which is totally messed up and sick by the way—what makes me 'yours'? I am your what? Your prisoner? Your emergency food supply? What?"

"My companion. My fledgling," Coco answered her. She stood and approached the other mare. The red faded into light cyan again. "I'm lonely, Rainbow Dash. Please...be with me." Coco held the pegasus' hoof in her own, in a loving gesture.

Rainbow stared at the touch. She paused and thought hard for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer. Sincerity emanated from the dangerous creature, but the fact remained that Coco Pommel restrained her only a moment ago. "You're not really giving me a choice here, are you, Miss Vampire?"

Coco stared around at the room uneasily. She knew what Rainbow Dash was thinking. Not every word verbatim but well enough to know the pegasus' uncertainty and suspicion. "I..." she gulped and clenched her eyes shut with evident remorse. "You don't have to be my companion, but you have no choice in becoming a vampire like me. I have fed on you, and I want you. I have done all the steps to make you a vampire. I will have that of you, if nothing else."

"And those steps are?" Rainbow asked suspiciously.

Coco put a hoof to her mouth. "It does not matter. You cannot stop what will happen to you. Only choose how you will move forward from here. With me—or without me."

Rainbow shoved the hoof away. "Alright, I think I've humored your messed up fantasy enough, lady. I've got friends, alright? Friends that have dealt with far worse villains than whatever a vampire is. I don't know what you're going on about, but I'll bet my friends can stop me from becoming that. So, no, I will not be your companion. And somehow, I don't know how yet, I won't become a vampire either."

"But you're mad at your friends, are you not?" Coco asked in earnest. "They plotted against you. They set their sights on taking you down, on humbling you—which they have. Your ego is bruised. Your pride fallen. You are hurt, Precious. I can make it better. I can be somepony who believes in you, who appreciates you, who wants you to be there for me any day, any night, just so that I can have the beautiful, wondrous chance of being with you."

Rainbow Dash sniffled and held back tears at the comforting thought Coco offered her. The sky blue pegasus had felt so alone before. Not only that, there was the painful reminder of just why she had felt so lost before being found by this creature. Rainbow had instinctively lifted into a hover, but Coco did not stop her this time. Despite the offered comfort, the pegasus muttered shortly to the vampire, "You don't even know me."

Coco smiled at her with some kind of twisted warm pity and sincerity. "I have fed on you. I know you, even if you do not know how I know you. I know your pride is your strength and your weakness. I know you wear it like a badge of honor, but it is really a shield because you're so terribly, terribly afraid of what you are deep down. You're so scared that perhaps you are not good enough. Good enough for who you want to be—who you strive to be."

With a nervous swallow, a helpless tear streamed down Rainbow's cheek, and the flapping of her wings slowed in place.

"I know that you want to do right, that you are full of so much love, even if you don't want others to know how much you want that or how far that love goes. Because you also know...you are a flawed pony."

The pegasus began to descend back down over the bed she had woken from in this place. Her expression was sad and pensive. More tears streamed down with her descent.

"And that these past few days, you felt powerful and loved and right. You were a hero, but you were also a celebrity. Then that fame clouded your mind. You messed up—and then you kept messing up. And the more you tried to fix everything, the more it damaged that fragile shield, all to end in humiliation."

Rainbow Dash clenched her eyes shut and clenched her jaw. Her lips quivered, and she shook her head, stifling a whimper.

"And I know that because you are so full of so much love for those friends, you don't wish to show them how angry you are. You could show them your confusion and your hurt. But your anger? They can know you're irritable, but they cannot know your fury."

Lips quivered helplessly again.

"Because you don't feel such rage is justified. You know you were wrong. You were out of line. Maybe it wasn't humility you needed so much as a reminder...that helping others is more important than basking in the fanfare of doing it. That is what you believe, yes?"

The rainbow-maned mare was a sniveling mess at this point and openly sobbed into her own hooves. "Y-yes. I'm...I'm sorry," she murmured through her tears. "Oh I messed up so bad."

Coco stepped forward and embraced her. "I know, and I forgive you," she whispered.

Rainbow accepted the embrace without question, burying her head into the other mare's chest. Then she blinked and stared up at Coco, as if seeing her for the first time, really and truly. Coco's off-white coat was soft, and her light cyan eyes were warm and caring. It was clear she wanted Rainbow to feel better and comforted. Rainbow blinked a few more times in thought, then reluctantly forced herself away. She stepped down from the bed and paced about the room. "You're right...alright? You're right about all of that, but..."

Coco waited and did not interrupt.

"But they are still my friends," Rainbow noted strongly as she met Coco's eyes with a serious expression, "and I still need their help—assuming you're telling the truth."

Coco gulped. She stepped closer, reached out, and gently stroked the other mare's cheek. "I am."

Rainbow Dash visibly resisted the urge to flinch and let her do it.

The vampire smiled with two sad light cyan eyes at her. "They cannot help you. It will start very soon. You will not make it in time."

"I'm fast!" Rainbow shot back at the vampire, flaring out her own feathered wings. She swiftly dashed to a nearby window, standing on her hind legs and ready to open it.

Coco was on her in no time. The vampire embraced her from behind before Rainbow Dash could fly away. It was a firm grab but also protective and loving in its nature. "Not fast enough," Coco told her gently. The strong vampire held tight.

Rainbow Dash squirmed but barely. She had little fight left in her. The longer she was with Coco, the more she understood the truth. She knew—she felt it in her own body—she knew Coco was right. Her muscles relaxed, and she stopped trying to escape the vampire's clutches.

Coco loosened her grip but still hugged the other mare from behind. "I will teach you. After that, you can leave me or stay with me but stay long enough for me to guide you. I have denied you one choice, yes, but you do still have the other, I promise." She released her hold.

Rainbow turned around and looked at her. It was a serious, thoughtful gaze, not one of disgust or anger or rejection. Coco smiled and gently stroked the sky blue mare's forelock.

Rainbow Dash gulped, looked down at the floor, then up again at the vampire, meeting her sincere eyes yet again. "Okay," she surrendered gently. She shuddered in place. "Okay." Her voice slowly became more steady. "What's next? How long does it take?"

"It will start in only a few minutes. Most of the transformation does not take long, but you will need to feed for it to truly finish," Coco informed her.

"But then can't I just...not...feed..?" the sky blue mare hesitated to ask.

"Trust me, Rainbow Dash, you will not be able to resist. Not your first," Coco explained with a sympathetic shake of her head.

Rainbow Dash trembled in place and started to cry again. "But—"

"Trust me," Coco told her firmly, and Rainbow trusted her.

The frightened pegasus sat down, and she waited. Coco sat right across from her to help her through the process.

Rainbow Dash felt her body grow cold and still. All of her blood, and her own heart seemed to stop, but she was still thinking. The pause was momentary and weird and painless. Then it all began to flow again. "What was that?" Rainbow whispered to Coco, her eyes suddenly red and glowing. "Did I just die?"

"Sort of," Coco answered her. "Just consider it a part of the transformation Your eyes are glowing red for the moment."

"They are?" Rainbow asked. She rushed over to the first mirror she could find within the room.

Rainbow stared at herself in amazement. She felt guilty at how beautiful she found the new eyes. "Wow," she whispered. The glow subsided at the sight, and the color receded back to her standard magenta as a pegasus. "Can I make them come back?" she asked Coco.

Coco nodded. "Any time you like though for me, it happens when I am...hungry...angry...predatory."

Rainbow Dash nodded back and even smiled. She liked that. She practiced in the mirror to her great amusement, before pausing to reflect that her transformation was still in progress. "It's still happening, right?"

"Yes," Coco answered her with a nod. "If it is like mine, your teeth are next."

Rainbow Dash was captivated at that idea, so returned to looking at herself. She opened her mouth, longing to see it happen. She watched in more amazement as four of her teeth grew into pointy things, two on top and two on the bottom. She grinned, enamored with her new look. She glanced over to Coco. "Can I uh...?"

"They will grow and retract at will," Coco informed her with yet another nod.

The pegasus practiced that and changing her eye color. She was positively giddy, even hopping in place with a tiny clap of her hooves, which made Coco smile with disguised relief. 

"What else?" Rainbow asked. She now came across as an eager and hopeful student learning something important from her teacher. "Is that it?"

"Your senses..." Coco began, but Rainbow Dash suddenly fell to the floor and gasped in pain.

"Rainbow Dash!" the other vampire worriedly exclaimed, taken aback by whatever was happening

"My wings!" Rainbow choked out in pain.

She cringed as her feathered wings flashed into leathery bat flaps, switching between the two types a few times.

"I didn't know they would change too. I'm sorry!" Coco told her.

Gritting her teeth and clenching her eyes shut, Rainbow said nothing to Coco. She was not sure what to make of this change yet, so she would not worry about that until the pain ended. She felt the change in texture. Soft feathers to rough leathery appendages. Once the pain subsided, she stood back up and stared at her new wings. They were bat wings with sharp and menacing tips. Her eyes turned red, and her fangs grew.

What a monster she had become.

She looked at herself in the mirror, still utterly fascinated by the changes. She giddily laughed and hopped in place again at the sight. She tried to will the wings back to their feathered form, and they obeyed. At that, the pegasus sighed in relief. She looked at Coco. "I forgive you for that part." After all, Coco was an earth pony and had admitted to not knowing if there even were other vampires besides herself.

Rainbow Dash realized the change in her senses started, as Coco had predicted before the wings shifted. The sky blue mare could see better and hear better. She started to pick up on sounds she could usually only hear if she listened hard without much other noise to bother her. She could smell too. She could smell the blood of other ponies in the same building. It was then that Rainbow realized she was in some kind of inn room.

She briefly wondered if that meant she would feed here, but she shoved that unpleasant thought away. Aside from that dreadful prospect, she felt really good in the moment.

She sighed happily, letting all of her vampire features out. They were alone, so she let them remain on her for the moment. They made her feel powerful in the best way.

"Any more?" she asked Coco eagerly again.

"The bloodlust will settle in soon to aid you on your first hunt," Coco explained.

The bat pony's body sagged at that. "Too bad you can't have all this without...that."

Coco giggled. "It's actually quite nice too. You'll see." The earth pony circled her to inspect the fledgling. She stroked one of Rainbow's leathery wings. The fledgling happily let her and even spread the wings to flaunt them all the more. Coco smiled warmly at her. "You're even more beautiful than I imagined you would be."

"Aw, thanks. You're not so bad yourself, lady," Rainbow told her. She had already forgiven Coco for making her this new creature. "Why didn't you tell me it would feel so....so awesome?"

Coco stared sadly at the floor. "I did not know it would. I have done what I know to make one like myself...but...you are my first and only fledgling, Rainbow Dash. I hoped that I was right."

Rainbow nodded. "Fair enough. Was your maker a vampire too then?"

"No," Coco quickly admitted and stopped there for her answer.

While the fledgling was curious, she could tell that Coco did not want to talk about her maker. She decided to leave it be, and maybe she could find out more later. "Strange," Rainbow muttered. "So uh...the bloodlust still isn't here...should I...?" She paused, then gulped. "Never mind."

She seethed in place. The yearning grew inside her, beckoning her, commanding her to take that which was hers this night. She grinned evilly. "Never mind."

Coco chuckled in amusement. "There you are, Precious," she said, as if she had discovered a hidden treasure.

"What do I do?" Rainbow asked though she said it as more of a demand. She even grabbed Coco's forelimb in the process.

Coco did not mind the touch one bit. She leaned in forehead to forehead, sending the thoughts and guidance forward for her fledgling. Rainbow took in the information with serious care. With a nod, the bat pony retracted all her features. She looked exactly as she always had before Coco bit her this night.

"Perfect," Coco told her.

With a nod of acknowledgment, the bloodthirsty pegasus left the room, and Coco followed soon after.

Rainbow Dash casually trotted through a hall in the inn with a spring in her step and a noticeable whistle. 

"Having a good evening?" a friendly unicorn stallion asked her as she passed by him. He had a brown coat and wavy silver hair with some darker gray streaks.

"The best," Rainbow answered him with a huge smile and no fangs.

He nodded with a smile back.

The pegasus seemed to continue onward with that spring in her step for a bit. Using her enhanced sense of smell, she knew his room was otherwise empty. Good; he was isolated. Taking observation of her surroundings, she trotted back a few steps, and glanced around. Coco nodded from a distance to tell her that no one else was watching or listening in the hall either.

Rainbow Dash knocked at the door.

The stallion answered. "Well, hello again, Miss. Can I help you?"

The sky blue mare grinned up at him. "I was hoping I could have a moment of your time. You see, I'm ever so thirsty."

The stallion smiled at that. He could just tell her to go to a vending machine, but he had drinks here. Plus, she was very charming and beautiful.

"Oh, well, you're in luck. I have something to drink inside. Won't you come in?" he offered.

"It would be my pleasure," Rainbow answered him. Upon the invitation, she forcefully stepped forward, then used one of her hind legs to kick the door shut, before taking several more steps, easily backing him to a nearby wall.

The stallion gulped. "Bit forward of a mare, aren't you?"

Her expression suddenly turned vicious. "You have no idea," a deadly voice told him. Her suddenly red eyes trapped him—held him. Yet just as quickly and easily...her voice softened into a seductive murmur. "The drink I want is inside you. Won't you let me have some as you have so generously invited me in?"

Trembling, the stallion found he could not look away. "Yes," he answered her.

"Oh, thank you," she replied gently with a sincerely grateful smile. She leaned close to his neck and sniffed. She closed her enchanting eyes for a moment to enjoy the scent and let her new fangs grow. Her wings shifted into their bat form and fluttered at her side. The stallion saw the change and gulped. What was this mare? She took another moment to bask in hearing his flowing blood and nervous heartbeat. 

Thump thump thump thump thump.

A little faster than usual for a stallion of his size. He was scared of her. She had him. He belonged to her. She could kill him if she liked. Crush his bones with an evil, sickening crunch. Snap his neck like it was nothing. She could hear those malicious possibilities—even see them—fleeting fantasies that they were. She wouldn't do those things to him, but she could. That power felt oh so good.

He seemed to realize her enchantment waned in her pausing, so he slowly tried to push her away.

Rainbow Dash could have overpowered him—could have held firm. Slam him against the wall and just taken her bite that instant. 

But she did no such thing. She just stood there with his hoof pressed against her chest, locked still, because he could not bring himself to push her any further. His unicorn magic was much the same. The horn lit with a yellow glow but nothing more. It was as useless as his hoof. She let him wallow in his fear of her and what she would do. Mostly, he was still trapped...but there was also his own morbid curiosity of what she had in store for him.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked with a nervous tremor in his voice.

"I want to," Rainbow admitted in a low tone. She smiled slyly and let her red eyes light up with a malicious glow. "It sounds so positively delicious right now."

She held him in her gaze a little longer still. Then she leaned close to one of his nervous flattened ears, despite the hoof he still held against her chest. "I could suck you dry," she added with an evil whisper. She pulled away. Her smile widened into a wicked grin, yet she made no movement against him.

He cringed and waited...waited for death to take him. 

But death did not come. 

The stallion cracked an eye open to see the red-eyed mare still smiling wickedly at him. He gulped and met those terrifying red eyes again. "But you're going to let me live?" he asked hopefully.

The evil smile suddenly disappeared. Those dreadfully powerful red orbs thoughtfully flitted up and down, sizing him up for her answer. "Under the right conditions."

"Which are?" His words came out before he could think them. She was so beautiful...so captivating...so  positively mesmerizing.

She gently pushed his hoof back to him, then leaned in and murmured once more into his ear. "Tell no one. Forget me. Forget I took you this night to have you as my first drink of blood. And if you somehow do not forget...let me be nothing but a nightmare to you. My power is your wicked secret. Do that for me, and you will live, my prey."

She pulled away with a seductive evil smile, showing off her fangs as she asked, "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, sweet creature. Yes," he answered with a sudden longing that she do take him. He had the honor of being her first, and she would let him live. He wanted her to do it.

The fanged creature was extremely pleased to see that happen. With a light snarling breath, her mouth widened. She sank her sharp teeth in, piercing his flesh and drinking her first taste of blood. Sweet, sweet, delicious pony blood. Pure ecstasy of dark red liquid flowed from his neck, into her mouth, filling her undead body.

Flashes of his life flashed into her. His name was Astral Ace, and he was only a little older than she was. He was a friendly, amiable stallion...sometimes a bit lonely but had parents and a brother that cared for him over in Fillydelphia, even if he could never find a special somepony to be with him. There was a mare here in Ponyville that he kinda liked, so he would visit from time to time on business. Ponyville was a pleasant, friendly place. He always felt welcome here.

This beautiful mare with him was a welcome sight, even if she was the most scary thing he had ever encountered in his life.

Rainbow Dash pulled away as she felt her own power tell her it was time to stop before she did something so dangerous as kill the weak little mortal with her. She fully intended to keep up her end of the bargain.

He fell, but she caught him before he could hit the floor. The vampire gently carried him to the bed.

His eyes blearily blinked up at her. "Nightmare..." he muttered, no longer scared of her at all, just tired and enchanted.

Rainbow gently stroked his mane and pecked him on the cheek. "Good luck, my prey. I hope things work out for you," she told him.

He smiled. "Not a bad way to go if you did kill me."

Rainbow smiled back at him with caring red eyes. "You'll be fine," she assured him in a soft voice. 

"I will be fine," he repeated, allowing her spell to put him at ease. It was still true, after all. "Can I know your name, Nightmare?"

Rainbow's eyes darted over to the threshold of the room where she saw Coco standing. The earth pony had arrived without making a sound and was watching them from the door. Coco shook her head. The vampire fledgling looked at her victim again. She realized her transformation was complete, but she could reflect on that more in a bit. For now, she addressed the stallion. "I'm afraid not, sir. I love you, and I thank you, but...I want you to forget me. I'm sure you can understand why."

"Right," he nodded tiredly. "I hope I don't," he muttered as he at last fell asleep.

Rainbow Dash watched over him. No traces of her bite could be seen on his neck. She heard his blood flowing, safe and sound...and most importantly—alive.

Her shoulders relaxed for a moment as she reverted back to a pegasus form. She glanced to the other vampire, who beckoned her to follow. The two mares stealthily made their way back to Coco's room undetected.

"You did wonderfully, my dear," Coco told her giddily. She lightly clapped her forehooves together with pride.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash held a forelimb against the wall to support herself where she stood, overcome by everything that just happened. Seething with a sneer, she resentfully replied to Coco, "...You turned me into a murderous monster."

Coco frowned. "You didn't kill him!" she exclaimed defensively.

"Yes, but..." Rainbow paused. "I wanted to Coco. Oh, I wanted to so bad. I could have done it, and I stopped myself, but I wanted to. I could hear and see different ways to do it! What if I can't help myself next time? What if it is not someone so easygoing? What if he fought me and refused?"

"Rainbow Dash, I have done all I can to ease this process. You are cognizant, my love, and in full control of your faculties. The longing is something I cannot rid myself of either. I have long since learned to embrace it, but I see it is not the same for you. For that, I am sorry. I cannot make that part stop, only remind you that you can almost always manage," Coco said.

"'Almost' always? But not 'always' always?" Rainbow asked irritably.

Coco shook her head with obvious sympathy and a hint of shame. "Not 'always' always."

Gritting her newfound sharp teeth, Rainbow Dash thought of asking about Coco's past kills but decided against it. "I wish Mare Do Well had been real. There's somepony I wouldn't mind killing." She clenched her eyes tightly shut and took a deep breath. The thought of killing those responsible briefly crossed her mind, but it was a fleeting idea she knew to be so terrible and wrong. She blamed her new murderous nature and shoved the horrible thought away. She would never do that.

Those ponies were still her friends—weren't they? She looked at Coco. "You wanted me to be your companion, but I don't want to leave my friends. Tell me—can I still be friends with them? Will they accept me as this...this thing?"

"Rainbow Dash, I am not all-powerful," Coco admitted. "I don't know the answer to that. If they don't, we'll go and find a better home. If they do..." she smiled warmly. "I'll stay here in Ponyville. The place does not matter so much as the companionship."

Rainbow only stood in thought for a moment. With much of her anger settled yet not all gone, she simply asked, "What else do I need to know?"

"Fire is most dangerous to you. In fact, don't go out into the sunlight tomorrow. It will burn. After that, it is not so bad, but you will be more inclined to be nocturnal from now on," Coco answered.

Rainbow clenched her jaw and thought for another fleeting moment that she probably could not become a Wonderbolt anymore but....it was nothing compared to the feeling of being a vampire. She could probably out-fly them all now. Bloodlust aside, she liked her new form and new powers.

"You don't have to tell anyone," Coco suggested to her. "You can hide the signs and just hunt at night, alone or with me."

"How often do I need the blood?" Rainbow wondered.

"Never," Coco answered, smiling.

Rainbow blinked up at her in shock. "You're lying."

Coco blinked back. "Well...hmm...not on purpose. Let me explain. You meant that question for your own survival, did you not?"

"Yeah..."

"You are immortal. You don't need anything anymore. Follow the desire in your heart. It will be more frequent because you are so young, but I am not kidding. You will live forever, even if you resist. But..." Coco's voice turned stern.

Rainbow Dash gulped nervously. The gentle mare had never sounded so stern in Rainbow's brief time with her.

"This is perhaps where your instincts told you I lied. You are more susceptible to magical influence if you do not feed often enough to follow that desire. Some magic exists that can make you...lose control."

"No," Rainbow uttered, positively horrified.

"It is the same for mortals," Coco reminded her. "If you lose control, then you really will not be able to stop yourself from going on a killing spree. The mortals might be able to burn you or harm you and seem to 'kill' you. It is just a stall. You will return eventually, reshaping into your own body—and will be back in control once again. Even so...you should feed if for no other reason than to prevent that scenario. In that sense, you do 'need' it—to help retain your 'self,' transformed as it is, so to speak."

"Coco...can I really not die, ever?" Rainbow asked. She was too startled by the idea to figure out if she thought that was a good thing or a bad thing yet.

"I know that I have not died. I have wanted to die but never so badly to try and kill myself over it. I believe if I wanted it badly enough, I could burn myself to ash, ask somepony to scatter the ashes, and then either be truly dead or at least gone for a long time," Coco answered.

"Well, that's kinda cool. Scary and maybe not so cool," Rainbow thought aloud. "Wait. What if mortals did that to you? Or me?"

Coco shook her head. "That is not the same. If I want to live on, it will be so. The same for you. The ashes will coalesce more quickly than if either of us truly longed for death. We would seem to die, but we will return...probably within an hour to a day."

Silence. Rainbow could not think of anything to say to that.

"So..." Coco nervously rubbed her right forelimb to on her left and then flitted it outward. "So...." Her light cyan eyes pleaded with Rainbow Dash for an answer.

The fledgling knew what she wanted. "What are you to me? Like a mom or a girlfriend? I can't tell," Rainbow replied.

Coco blushed with an embarrassed smile. "That is why I have chosen 'companion,' but as you are my 'fledgling,' I am...I am not sure what the word is, if I am being honest. Not...'mom'." She giggled. "'Mistress' or 'master' perhaps?"

"Master," Rainbow said with a smile, and her eyes even lit up to red happily. "Master." She clearly approved and even nodded.

Coco blushed all the more. "I am your master then, but please just stick with calling me Coco, my dear. I can call you 'dear' and 'precious' and 'love,' right?"

The younger vampire shrugged. "It's a little icky and weird, since I barely know you, but I don't really mind. I won't stop you." 

"So...my dear...will you...be my companion?" Coco asked hopefully.

"For now," Rainbow consented with a thoughtful nod of her head. She still ultimately forgave Coco despite her earlier anger. She liked the strange sweet master well enough in the moment. She was cute, even if the senior and more powerful of the pair. The fledgling gave Coco a devious smirk and leaned in close, showing off her fangs with gleeful red eyes. "You sure you don't want me to call you those things too?"

Coco blushed again, even harder than before, and her eyes widened. "W-well, I mean if you actually wanted to...I-I wouldn't stop you either."

Reaching out a hoof, Rainbow Dash lifted Coco's chin and stared at her with an amused smile. Coco looked into those beautiful red eyes. They spoke of a wordless decision. Maybe...once Rainbow got to know her better.

The master smiled. She was fine with that.

Rainbow smiled back. The moment ceased, and the fledgling returned to another pressing thought. "As I was saying...for now, Coco. I need to figure out if I'm going to tell my friends the truth."

"My advice is that you don't," Coco offered.

"Coco, trust me. It's going to come up one day...somehow. I don't know how, but it will. My friends know I'm strong and fast but not as strong and fast as what you've made me," Rainbow explained. She smiled proudly. "Now I can be an even stronger hero that really could outdo even Mare Do Well, huh?"

Coco giggled. "So could I, but if it makes you feel better...yes."

"It does," Rainbow told her with a delightfully wicked tone in her voice. She blushed. "Thanks. I know you did it for your own selfish reason but thanks."

"That was not the only reason, even if it was the main one. I really did think it might help you in a way, with how down you have been lately...a gift...and it was my pleasure," Coco replied.

"Alright, so..." Rainbow returned to thinking about her friends. "Guess I'll just tell them if they notice something is up. That way, maybe I can keep it a secret."

Coco nodded. "Very well then. That would definitely be preferable to me. You might find it easier than you think to blend in during the day."

"Oh, well that's cool. Do...do you expect me to move in with you or you move in with me? This is an inn," Rainbow reminded her.

"Visiting is fine. We are only recently...bonded," Coco admitted. "You live in a cloud house off the ground. I am a powerful creature, but I still cannot fly. I am sure I could find a way if I wished, but I do not. I will find a residence in due time."

"My friend Twilight one time gave my friend Rarity wings, and then she could fly. They were butterfly wings that burned off....so guess we're not the only ones weak to that." The young vampire snickered. "It was temporary even if that had not happened," she conceded.

Coco chuckled at the brief story. "We don't have to live together. I just want some company sometimes."

"Right," Rainbow replied and nodded. "Right. Well, I'd feel safer with my master for my first day, especially if I shouldn't go out into the sun. Shoot... I need to call in sick or...or something. I can't have everypony thinking I've gone missing."

Coco understood well enough. "Do what you must."

The young vampire fledgling was off, making sure to wear her regular pegasus form. She left a note for the weather team at the office and shoved a note for Twilight under the door of the Golden Oaks Library, in case her friends looked for her during the day.

Despite Coco warning her of a nocturnal inclination, Rainbow Dash hoped she could manage still. She did not want to stop her life, even if she could. If her vampire life took over, she could take her time in that happening. She had forever now.

She returned to the inn room and took on her vampire form. Coco wanted some company, and Rainbow did too. Being immortal did not mean being invulnerable. The soft, caring master helped the young fledgling feel safe and protected.
> Chapter 2 - Hidden Heroics
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the sun set the next night, Rainbow Dash woke up next to Coco Pommel. The sky blue mare had to recall so much of what happened the previous night and that she was a changed creature now. She glanced down to her left side to see that her wings were still in their bat form. She supposed that made sense. It was how she went to sleep the previous night. Curious, she fluttered over to the nearby mirror and saw her red eyes, then opened her mouth to see her fangs.

She glanced over to to the still sleeping master, putting off a question at the moment as she turned to growing other ones in her mind. She wanted to know how the day in Ponyville went without her.

Was it early enough to find her friends? She decided against it. It would make more sense for an actual sick pony to rest throughout the night and show up the next day.

The young vampire wondered if she would have any sleep this night or have to stay awake all of both the night and the day to acclimate herself back to a daytime schedule—if such a thing were even possible. Oh, how she hoped it was possible.

Coco began to stir, blinked her eyes open, and smiled happily up at her companion as Rainbow Dash approached her. "You're awake, Precious."

Rainbow blushed and smiled back. "I am. I think the sun just set when I got up not too long ago. Like...exactly."

The older vampire sat up in the bed, rubbed her eyes, and then looked at her fledgling. "Trust in that instinct," she suggested.

"Okay," Rainbow replied. "Hey, umm...when I woke up, I was still in my vampire form. Is that bad? Like...what if somepony saw that....?"

"Goodness, I didn't think of such a thing," Coco admitted quietly, almost to herself. "With my eyes and mouth closed when I sleep, it's not a problem for me as an earth pony, but your wings..."

The bat-winged pony nodded in agreement. "Right. That. So uh....?"

Coco put a contemplative hoof to her chin. "It's possible your body would revert on its own when sensing a mortal presence draw near. I have been in a place that started on fire so was awakened by mortals in a standard pony form. No red eyes. No fangs.

"And then of course there's the option of making them forget."

Rainbow Dash half-frowned at that, but she agreed nonetheless. It made sense in her own mind and heart as a vampire too. "I'll stick with a pegasus form to be extra safe for now. Maybe once I've got more experience at this vampire thing, I'll chance it again. I do sometimes like to live dangerously you know." She waggled her eyebrows playfully at Coco.

The other vampire giggled. "Indeed. I do know."

Fluttering up to sit next to her, Rainbow said, "Moving on then. I know you said I would be more inclined to be nocturnal, but I want to get back to the day—as soon as I can. I need to know my friends and team managed everything fine, and...I still want to live the life I have—if I can."

Coco nodded at that. "I remember, my dear."

"So what do I do? Go back to sleep? Stay up all night and all day?" Rainbow asked her.

"If you want to stay up that long, you should feed, maybe even twice. Otherwise, simply turn in early tonight. Two hours before sunrise should be enough. From that point, you do whatever you did as a mortal pony. You are recently transformed, so it should not be difficult," Coco advised.

The younger vampire smiled in relief at that news. "Okay." A thought occurred to her. "What about you? Will I see you during the day?"

At that, Coco smiled warmly. "Is that what you want?"

Rainbow looked away and shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just nervous about seeing everypony. How easy is it really to hide this vampire thing?"

"Well..." the other mare remarked thoughtfully. "I've managed. You can hide your fangs, your red eyes, and your wings at will. You have transformed, but you have retained much of your mannerism and personality. You still feel and think. You still believe you are yourself, yes?"

Rainbow nodded. Yes, she really did.

"I think you will be fine," Coco told her. "And if something happens...find me. I might be asleep during the day, but wake me up. We'll run away together."

The companion smiled at her, finding comfort in such words.. "Okay, I guess that's good enough." She stretched her wings for a moment.

"Rainbow Dash..." Coco suddenly said.

"Hmm?" the other mare inquired.

"I do not see myself as one to boss you around, even if we have decided I am your master. However, I do have a request for you," Coco announced.

"Which is?" Rainbow wished to know.

"Please do not tell anyone about me, at least not as a vampire. You are welcome to say that we are friends or even girlfriends—if you wish of course," the earth pony finished with a shy smile.

Rainbow blushed and smiled back with a light flap of her bat wings as she stood in place. "Yeah, okay."

"You can say that another vampire exists if you are found out, but please do not give my name," Coco added.

Rainbow bowed her head a little apprehensively. "O-okay."

The other mare smiled warmly. "Thanks. Remember, it is a request. I know you will try, and that is enough."

"Heh heh, okay, Coco," Rainbow replied with a more relaxed air. She switched off her vampire form. "I'm heading to my house to check in on things. I'll show you around sometime but not just yet. I'm still getting to know you and all."

"Of course, Rainbow Dash," Coco replied with a pleasant smile. She opened a drawer from the nearby night stand by the bed and pulled out a key. "I have a key to the room for you," she explained and offered it to her fledgling. "I will be sewing here if you need me."

"You're a seamstress?" Rainbow asked with interest as she accepted the key.

"Mm-hmm," the off-white mare replied.

"You know, my friend Rarity runs a dress shop in town," Rainbow commented.

"I actually do know," Coco informed her. "I have visited her boutique on occasion and spoken with her a few times."

"Really?" The pegasus was all the more intrigued.

Coco Pommel chuckled. "Yes. Not for long, just small talk about trends and fashion."

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but is there a reason you picked me for your fledgling instead of her?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"I do believe I laid out quite a bit of it for you last night," Coco told her with a wink.

Rainbow blushed at that. "R-right. Well, I'll be going then and see you before I turn in early for the night. If I get thirsty, I'll grab a drink between now and then."

"That sounds like a fine plan," Coco replied happily. She started to put on a hair clip, collar, and tie. "Please use the door when you leave, not the window. It is more discrete."

Rainbow smiled, gave her master a friendly salute, and left.

Along the way, she passed by Astral Ace. She could sense from his manner, he held no more fear or even memory of her. That worked out for the best, she told herself, especially without knowing how often her heart would compel her to feed.

The night passed without any problems. Her house was in order. Fluttershy had stopped by to pick up Tank until Rainbow was ready to get him. The young vampire was not at all bloodthirsty, much to her own relief. She visited Coco a bit more before returning to her own house yet again in an attempt to realign her sleep with the day.





The next morning, Rainbow Dash woke up in her house as a pegasus though she remembered full well she was a vampire too. She smiled and quickly flew to the window to feel the warm sun on her face. It felt a bit warmer than she would have liked, but she suspected that such a thing might happen. Still, it was manageable, as Coco foretold, and she could see the day with her new senses.

It was beautiful. Equestria had always been a vibrant, colorful land, but now the sight took her breath away. She had never been one to appreciate nature the way Fluttershy did, but she finally understood it a little more. Only one day had been stolen from her, and she planned to keep it that way for as long as she could.

After freshening up, she flew off to Fluttershy's cottage first. Since Rainbow would be busy with work throughout the day, she would actually come get Tank again later. She wanted to assure her friend that she was feeling much better and not to worry.

Rainbow Dash was about to knock on the door when Fluttershy opened it with a ready smile. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you're alright," the canary yellow pegasus said happily with a hug to greet her friend. "I was a little worried when you weren't even home."

"Yeah, I was with somepony helping me out," Rainbow admitted. She stroked at her forelock near her left cheek.

"Oh?" Fluttershy inquired carefully.

"Mmhmm. I don't want to get into all the details, but I'm better now thanks to her, so all is well," Rainbow explained quickly.

"Oh, okay then." Fluttershy decided to accept such an answer. Rainbow Dash had certain things she kept to herself, such as her strained relationship with her parents, and a new girlfriend would be exactly the type of thing she would hide for as long as she could—until it blew up in her face. Fluttershy could not ignore that last worry. "Are you sure you don't want to go into any details? It sounds like a new friend. Does she have a name?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Rainbow quickly replied. "Maybe I can tell you more later, but I'm still getting to know  her and getting over being sick."

Fluttershy giggled. "As you wish, Rainbow."

"I'll pick up Tank later today, alright?" Rainbow said.

"He'll be here, safe and sound," Fluttershy assured her. Just then, Tank poked his head out from right by Fluttershy's hooves.

Rainbow Dash gave him a warm smile and a quick pat on the head.

He blinked at her and gave a small smile back.

The vampire was relieved her pet did not recoil from her. She might not have been in her blatant vampire form, but sometimes animals had a sense about these types of things. "Alright, see you two later then."

With that, she was off to check in with her weather team. She found that Thunder Lane had managed things just fine in her place, so moving into the current day's work was plenty easy.

She was flying through the air doing her usual lookout for Ponyville when she heard the train approaching. That was to be expected, but what was not expected was...the train wasn't slowing down. Growing a bit concerned, she flew down to the side of the conductor.

"The brake broke off," he nervously told her, holding the brake in his hoof. He was clearly trying to not panic and alarm the passengers.

Rainbow nodded in acknowledgment and quickly flew in front of the whole train, placing her forehooves against the front car's face and hind legs into the ground. The train pushed her back, but not much, and she was able to force it to a stop entirely.

She quickly wiped her forehead in relief and let out a breath.

Ponies in the cars began to question things.

"What's going on?" 

"Why are we stopping so early?"

The conductor explained to them, "Apologies for the early stop everypony.  We had a malfunction and need repair. However, we are not far from the stop."

That eased their minds and hearts well enough.

"Thanks," the conductor told Rainbow Dash. He didn't seem too shocked or overwhelmed by the strength she just showed. Maybe it was her light charm or his previous stress or both. "I sure am glad we weren't close to crashing into anything or falling over, but that could have happened without your help."

"Yeah, I thought the same," Rainbow replied. Somewhat to her relief, the lack of immediate threat left the ponies inside not too bothered, even if inconvenienced. In fact, other ponies around Ponyville weren't even looking their way. Perhaps they had not heard the difference in expected speed of the train or the conductor when he told her about the broken brake. He had not been screaming and only alerted her when she flew next to the window after all.

Rainbow Dash supposed that was for the best. She was glad to play the hero again, but her new secret vampire status meant trying to keep a lower profile when she did something she couldn't do before. Plus, it would assist her in staying focused on helping for the sake of helping instead of seeking fame and glory. At least she could boast to Coco later.

As the passengers began to exit, an older pony wobbled on and started to lose his balance. Rainbow dashed over to him in an instant, helping him before he fell completely. 

"Thank you, Miss," he told her with a warm smile. 

Rainbow smiled warmly back at him. "You're welcome."

Well, that one was easy, standard pony fare, but it still felt good and right. She glanced over the other ponies before returning to her lookout.

Sometime later, it was a mild creaking sound she heard, as if something wooden were about to collapse. Rainbow Dash scanned the area and eventually figured out the sound was coming from around the flower shop. She flew over in an instant, catching a wooden sign right before it would have fallen onto Rose's head.

Rose gasped. "Oh my goodness. I'm so lucky you caught that in time," she said. "Thanks so much, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow nodded with a proud smile and closed eyes. "You're welcome." Yes, yes. This praise was what she missed when she got too caught up in the hero thing before. Only Rose was around to appreciate the feat, but that was fine. Now she just had to stay focused—

"Here," Rose suddenly said, snapping Rainbow out of her thoughts giving and giving the sky blue mare a red rose. "On the house. Give it to somepony special, alright?"

"Heh," Rainbow blushed. Her ears folded down with a bashful smile. "Alright."

Rose grinned at that and bid the pegasus farewell.





The sun was setting as Rainbow Dash walked down the hall to Coco's inn room. Using the key given to her earlier, she quietly entered and saw the other vampire asleep. Rainbow stepped closer to the bed. Her colorful tail swished with anticipation. As Coco's chosen companion, she had things she wanted to share and say.

Coco stirred and woke up, seeing Rainbow Dash nearby. "Well hello, Precious."

"Heya," Rainbow Dash greeted her happily. "I have something for you."

Coco blushed. "And what would that be?"

Rainbow Dash reached behind her back and pulled out the red rose. "This."

"Oh, it's lovely, Rainbow Dash," Coco replied with a pleased smile. "Thank you."

"I guess you can be my companion too. How's that?" Rainbow suggested.

Coco giggled. "No complaints. I take it you had a good day today?"

"It was awesome," Rainbow replied. "Wanna hear about it?"

"Of course. That definitely falls under 'keeping me company sometimes'," Coco told her. "Let me get sorted for the night and my sewing out. Then...indulge me."

"You uh...you gotta feed or anything?" Rainbow asked hesitantly.

"No, I am fine," Coco said plainly. She took a brief shower, then fashioned the red rose to the back of her mane instead of her usual hair clip, and put on her collar and tie. Next, she got out her sewing materials.

Rainbow Dash busied herself with taking in the room once more to remember where everything was. It would be a bit of a second home to her until Coco found a place of her own. Like many of the homes in Ponyville, there were hollowed out places to keep things, some with shelves within. Such crevices and shelves were filled with books and sewing materials. She did manage to find one larger crevice next to the window that was ideal for a place off the ground but close enough to talk to Coco.

Rainbow whisked her way up and took in the rest of the room from her chosen perch.

Though the room offered a desk, Coco had been laying out the materials on the bed and floor.

Once Coco was ready, she was happy to hear about how Rainbow's day went—all of it, from hearing about Tank being fine in Fluttershy's care to stopping the train, to helping an older pony from a fall, to saving Rose, and getting the rose in thanks.

Rainbow Dash sighed happily when she was done telling the stories.

"So, you got to be a hero?" Coco noted with an interested smile.

"Yeah...for today at least. I'm getting thirsty, so I guess I-I'll be switching to villain mode soon. 'Hero by day, villain by night' kinda thing," Rainbow confessed quietly. "At least my prey from the other night is okay last I saw him. He doesn't remember me at all."

"As it should be," Coco remarked.

"Has anypony ever remembered you?" Rainbow wondered.

Coco looked away from her. "Yes. Twice."

"What happened?" the younger vampire wished to know because it was obvious something did.

"The first time, I..." Coco sighed. "Are you sure you wish to hear this story? You can certainly guess how it ends."

"You killed them," Rainbow assumed immediately.

The master of the pair nodded. "I am not proud of this fact, but yes. They love you, you know. You love them back. It's a dance, in a way. We both wanted to dance some more...and more...and more. It didn't happen all it at once. She just kept coming back, and I kept accepting her offer. We knew that's where things were headed going down that path, yet we still walked it.

"I didn't know how to make a fledgling then. Even recently with you, Rainbow, that was...something I hoped for. Besides, she was..." Coco licked her lips. "She was always meant to be my drink in my own heart."

The fledgling gulped.

"She died happily in my forelimbs," Coco finished.

Rainbow stared guiltily at the floor. It sounded too romantic to her vampiric heart. Terrible as it was, she understood Coco's own feelings completely. The other mare's too, she supposed, given how she felt Astral Ace when feeding on him. "The second?"

"I warned them about the first. They accepted the story and allowed me to enchant them again, then send them on their way. That was enough. I did not kill that pony," Coco explained.

"Well...I guess I kinda knew you were a killer, but still, it just..." Rainbow sighed. "I wish you weren't. I still hope I won't be somehow."

Coco nodded solemnly. "I don't do it often if that helps any."

Rainbow furrowed her brow. Strangely, it did. Well, maybe that wasn't so strange. Killing was bad enough, but killing a lot was definitely worse. "Have you done it recently?"

"No," Coco answered, shaking her head.

"Then can I make a request of you...as your companion?" Rainbow pressed.

Smiling warmly at her, Coco replied, "Certainly."

"No killing. Like...if you somehow become mortal and are about to die, I get it...or some weird situation where it's somepony or some monster that is killing a lot of other ponies and you gotta do something...but you know...not like the one you just told me about. None of that. Only out of necessity," Rainbow said.

"As you wish, my love. I will do my best," Coco told her with a respectful nod of her head.

"Thanks. And uh...c-could you stop me if I...?" Rainbow began.

"If I find myself in such a position, yes. I will do my best to stop you from committing any actual kills. Remember though, I will not always be with you when hunt," Coco reminded her.

"Mm...fair," the younger vampire acknowledged. "You ever save ponies to try and make up for it?"

"I do," Coco admitted with a nod of acknowledgment. "Mind you, not on the scale I saw watching you these past several days, just...if I am in the right place at the right time without being noticed...I will help."

Rainbow Dash thoughtfully rubbed a hoof to her own chin at that. "Want to brag about it?" she offered with a smirk. "I just got to tell you all about today after all. Seems only fair."

Coco blushed and shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Maybe I could learn a thing or two," Rainbow noted happily with a fanged smile, splaying out her feathered wings.

Coco giggled. "Very well, but perhaps you should feed first. You said you were getting thirsty, and your fangs just came out."

Rainbow Dash scrunched up her nose. Her master was right, but it was just an irksome reminder of the worst part. Well, sort of worst part. The bloodlust and quenching it actually felt really good, but there was that gnawing guilt and fear that she could take things a step too far.

She wouldn't deny she had thoroughly enjoyed her first feeding. She wanted to dance again with another victim. Not too far. Not to kill. Not really. Knowing she could and the blood itself fed her well enough. She could feel her eyes turn red at the thought. "Yeah, I guess I should," she muttered. With a sigh, she remarked, "Very well then. I'm off to do my dastardly villainous vampire thing and dance. Be back soon, Coco. I'll try it on my own tonight. Then...let's have some good stories to kinda make up for it."

"They really won't do that, but I will be waiting and ready nonetheless, my dear," Coco replied.

Rainbow sighed again. "So be it."

The younger vampire prepared to leave the room with a growing thirst. She sneered and let her red eyes light up briefly while blinking out out her bat wings, then returned to her pegasus form.

She walked out and down the hall, soon seeing Astral Ace with his mare of interest. Rainbow was happy for him. She continued down the stairs and passed by a white earth pony mare who smelled sweet and very promising for her evening meal.

Licking her lips, Rainbow turned around and quietly followed, keeping her all senses on alert for if other ponies were around. None were. The mare went up another flight and turned left. The stalking vampire kept following her.

At last, the mare reached the door of her own inn room.

Rainbow got a better look. The white mare had a long white mane that matched her coat color and curled in on its tip. A quick scan of the area told Rainbow Dash no other ponies were in the hall either. "Excuse me, Miss," she said.

The white mare turned to her, revealing a pair of silver eyes. "Yes?" The other mare paused at the sight. She had seen this sky blue pegasus around town near the train's early stop that day, but that was from a distance. Up close, the pegasus' scrappy rainbow mane looked so cute, and her magenta eyes spoke of subdued strength.

Rainbow smiled hopefully. "I-I want your help with something, if that's alright."

The white mare smiled back. "Sure, I'll do what I can." She held out an offered hoof. "My name's Shimmering Stride, but you can just call me 'Shimmy'."

Rainbow stepped forward, that much closer and accepted the offered hoof. "Nice to meet you Shimmy. I'm Rainbow Dash." 

She knew Coco had hinted at not giving out her name, but Rainbow Dash figured certain hunts required it. Sure, she could have lied and made up an alias, but she simply didn't want to do that. She could not bring herself to deny the other mare. It would be downright rude—especially compared to Rainbow's own intentions. Rainbow Dash didn't plan on being aggressively violent by biting Shimmy right then either. Such an act had some appeal, but she would resist. She would be as nice as her circumstances allowed for what she was about to do.

"What did you need help with?" Shimmy asked.

"You see...I'm thirsty...." Rainbow began. Her magenta eyes suddenly turned red and powerful. "...but I need the drink from you."

The white mare giggled in the enchantment. "Sure thing, Rainbow Dash. Come on in." Shimmy opened the door and allowed the vampire inside.

Rainbow Dash swiftly found a chair in the room and waited for her mark to close the door, as Rainbow herself seemed to stare ahead at nothing in particular.

"So, what's the drink that I can give you?" Shimmy asked with an amused grin.

The sky blue mare smiled up at her and motioned for the white mare to come and sit down on the floor in front of the chosen seat.

Blushing, Shimmy obliged and seated herself on the floor while and facing the same direction as the pegasus with her. "Who knew you were such a flirt?"

The vampire grinned with her red eyes, baring unseen fangs. "It's a secret I hope you'll keep for me, Shimmy."

Shimmy chuckled. "Okay, Rainbow Dash—as you like." She felt the vampire gently stroke at her long white mane with a hoof, then pull it aside, and soft feathers brushed against her neck. Shimmy inhaled an excited breath. Rainbow was very pleased with herself for that. She kissed the prey's neck. Shimmy moaned lightly in pleasure. That felt so good and nice and perfect. Another gentle kiss followed.

The mare gulped but let Rainbow Dash continue, thoroughly enjoying the affection.

The neck was right in front of the vampire. She could bite if she wanted. She could smell the blood and hear it flowing. The heart beat with a light, hopeful excitement and no fear. The only vision of Shimmy's death right then was to drain her completely. That would taste good, but Rainbow Dash knew she could stop herself. It was just like Coco told her and as she had done with her first meal.

"Are you ready, my sweet?" Rainbow asked in a low voice.

Her prey thoughtfully glanced at the floor, then turned her head back to meet those intense red eyes. "Ready for what?"

"Me to bite you," the vampire whispered seductively in her ear. She still had her fangs out as she spoke. She pulled away and kept her powerful red eyes on the other mare's silver ones with her mouth hanging open just enough to show the tips of her fangs. She spread her wings, and they shifted into their bat form. "You see, it is like I said. I am thirsty."

Shimmy's eyes widened in awe at the wings. Her mouth quivered, and her eyes lightly shifted left and right to examine them before centering in on the eyes of the vampire. 

Other killing visions began for Rainbow Dash. The vampire could snap her neck, choke her with both hooves or both wings. She could squeeze Shimmy around her barrel and crush her insides. Rainbow let them play out in her mind but otherwise ignored them. Shimmy did not see or hear them as Rainbow Dash did. The vampire realized she could have made that happen, but she saw no benefit to such a power. Instead, the mark only distantly sensed such longing.

Shimmy blushed, looked away for a moment, and gulped. Then she met those powerful irises again. "Will it hurt? Are you going to kill me?"

The red eyes studied her. "I want to do those things to you," the vampire admitted softly. "They would taste...very good."

Shimmy managed to look away again, but she had little desire to leave or push this strange creature away, even at the sight of those sharp teeth and what had just been said. The creature had not committed to actually hurting or killing her yet after all. There was even something gentle and soft in her manner. In truth, Shimmy liked the sky blue mare. Rainbow was charming, beautiful, and so forthcoming.

The white mare's attention was soon drawn back to the vampire's words. 

"But I want you to live on more than I want those things. I'm mainly here for that drink," Rainbow explained while holding Shimmy in her gaze. "How about...I bite, then you get some rest, and when you wake up, this encounter will be a forgotten dream?" the vampire suggested with a friendly smile that still showed off her red eyes and fangs.

Shimmy twitched and hesitantly started to smile. "I-I don't have to forget you."

"Trust in me that you you do," Rainbow replied, recalling her very recent conversation with Coco Pommel. "I wouldn't want to further tempt myself into actually killing you, you know."

The other mare chuckled lightly and said with a shrug, "I guess you're the monster here."

"I am," Rainbow agreed with a nod. She cocked her head to the side slightly. "So then...?"

"C-could you touch my mane and kiss my neck just a little more? Then I'll be ready," the white mare replied.

Rainbow sniffed and closed her eyes before smiling. "It would be my pleasure. Be prepared for when I bite soon."

"I am ready," the mare replied. She turned her head away from the red eyes and stared ahead, soon enjoying more affection from the dangerous creature with her. She felt the rougher wings caress her shoulders, and she did not mind.

Even the bite, piercing though it was, excited her. She felt a drain, but she knew it would stop in time.

Rainbow Dash felt the other mare's life fill her. Shimmering Stride was a trans mare who went by the name of Gallant Stride growing up in a remote village known as Starlit Glade. Part of her transition included changing her name, and it was the one true in her heart. Her family and friends supported her through it all.

She was traveling through Equestria for the sake of saying she had visited every town at some point in her life. She did not seek adventure or danger or work. She worked to help pay for her travels and encountered adventure as it came, but it was really about enjoying the travel itself and some extent of study. She made occasional friends or acquaintances along the way, and that was enough. She regarded this strange creature with her as a nice fling she understood she would have to forget despite her own wish on the matter.

Rainbow pulled away and gave Shimmy's neck an extra kiss, then lapped up a last bit of blood.

The white mare started to collapse to the floor, but the vampire made sure to catch her and carry her over to the nearby bed.

"Dream..." Shimmy muttered.

"That's right," Rainbow said. "You're off to dream good dreams of all those wonderful places and ponies you know."

Shimmy giggled. "So you saw all that too, huh? What even are you?"

"I'm a vampire," Rainbow answered. She had already given her name, and if she hadn't, she knew Shimmy would not know the word, despite her informed travels.

"Vampire," Shimmering Stride muttered. "That's a new one."

"Mm-hmm," Rainbow agreed. "Thank you for the drink, my prey. Forget this encounter, alright?"

"Alright...if you insist," Shimmy muttered more.

"I do. Thanks all the same," Rainbow Dash replied.

"You're welcome...good night, sweet vampire," Shimmy said. She yawned, looking so beautiful to the monster she had invited in, and soon fell asleep.

"Good night, sweet pony."
> Chapter 3 - Confession
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ghastly Gorge," Rainbow said with a proud breath. It was the night after feeding on Shimmering Stride. She stared out at the named gorge from over a cliff as she she admired the night atmosphere. The young vampire turned around to look at Coco Pommel nearby. "I've never actually even tried it at night, you know. You sure you don't want to try seeing it in the day? It would look better."

Coco smiled warmly. "We want to be sure it is not overpowered compared to what your friends and others in Ponyville expect, yes?"

Rainbow Dash sighed wearily. "Yeah, I guess, but...the sun helps me hold back...I think."

"True," Coco agreed. "Then let's just say 'yes'. I want to see it at night first actually."

With another deep breath, Rainbow conceded, "Alright. It's not easy for me to do on command—or at least it wasn't."

"Time to find out," Coco said with a closed eyes smile. She sat down with a light clap of her hooves.

Rainbow Dash bowed her head. "One Sonic Rainboom coming right up—hopefully." She flew off down into the gorge, deciding it was safer to try and go up rather than down with knowing she had a good chance of disturbing the quarry eels and possibly other wildlife near the gorge.

She took off and flew up in arch, focusing her energy as she recalled how she managed in practice.

BOOM!

The prismatic circle and its sound exploded out from behind her. Rainbow smiled and looked back at her trail with pride. Some animals stirred in their sleep but did not fully awaken. Any nearby nocturnal critters simply waited in apprehension in case a predator was responsible.

Coco stared up in an awe-induced smile.

Rainbow Dash soon returned. "It's brighter in the day of course," she explained.

Coco giggled. "I don't care. It's beautiful here and now, my love."

The companion blushed. "Thanks." She immediately changed her wings to their bat form. "I want to test out this form too."

With a nod, Coco noted, "The area was a little disturbed, but I think one more will be okay."

"Alright, here goes," Rainbow remarked.

She performed the trick again and stared back to see that a faint red hue surrounded the Rainboom itself and her trail.

"Wow," Coco said when the younger vampire landed.

"Alright, the good news is I can still do it. I don't think I can do anything about the red though."

"That's not a bad thing," Coco said.

"Well, I'm Rainbow Dash, not Redbow Dash but yeah, true enough," Rainbow agreed. She figured it was a nice little flair in the grander scope of things.

"So...?" Coco asked her with an interested smile.

"The sun will be enough to help me hold back. I won't be out there doing ten Sonic Rainbooms like it's nothing. I'm actually spent even now. I don't have another in me tonight. I'll be a better flier, but just gotta watch it around ponies who know me better, like my friends," Rainbow Dash answered.

She leaned her head down for a quick nuzzle to her companion. Coco blushed and smiled, returning the nuzzle.





As the days went on, Rainbow Dash still attended to the weather and practiced her flying. For the flying, she held back as best she could to match with what she thought other ponies expected of her, making it all appear as a slight improvement. It actually wasn't hard with the help of the sun and her practice night with Coco Pommel. 

The young vampire had an extra sense of if she was being watched, and mainly needed to hold back when her close friends were watching. For most of Ponyville, she was still a fast sky blue pegasus making a rainbow trail.

Rainbow Dash visited Coco at night sometimes but never stayed the whole night, which her master was perfectly okay with. The older vampire had been quite forthcoming from the start. Coco really wanted occasional company but had other matters of interest to her, most obviously her sewing. She liked to read too. 

After two weeks passed since Rainbow's initial transformation, the master vampire decided it was time to start looking for an actual residence. Things were going well for her fledgling still living on a seemingly mortal life. Coco found a place and began to move her belongings from the inn to the new house. Rainbow Dash stopped by one night to help out, and they had taken a few boxes of books up to the attic.

"I always thought of reading as a thing for eggheads like Twilight," Rainbow Dash commented to Coco on the subject.

The earth pony mare giggled. "I take it you don't read much at all then."

"Hmph," Rainbow folded her forelimbs and stuck up her nose. She remarked in annoyance, "I'm an athlete. I have an image to maintain, and reading is undeniably unquestionably not part of it. It is so not cool."

"I'm going to make you eat those words," Coco told her with a smirk.

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow asked her, picking up on the challenge. She knew she was being goaded, but she didn't mind.

Coco thrust a book into her hooves.

"'Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone'?" Rainbow Dash read aloud while holding the book.

"There are loads of different kinds of books, Rainbow Dash. This one might just be the one for you. I see a lot of you in Daring Do herself...or maybe Daring Do in you. Just...give it a try. Alright?" Coco suggested.

Rainbow blew out some air from her nostrils in a mildly annoyed breath. "Alright." She opened the page and began to read. Before she or Coco knew it, the pegasus had stationed herself in a corner of the attic to recline back and read. Then she simply kept reading.

Coco smiled at the sight and chose a book of her own to read as they kept each other company.

Rainbow didn't finish the Daring Do boook in one night and had to reluctantly stop though Coco at least let her take the book home if she found any time to spare.

The next night, Rainbow Dash managed to finish reading the book. "Okay, fine. I liked reading. Ya happy?" she said to Coco begrudgingly.

"Very much so," Coco replied with a humored smile. "You know, there's no shame in it, Precious. The library has the whole series if you ever want to read more."

Rainbow's face lit up at that news.





The next morning, Rainbow Dash arrived at the Golden Oaks Library.

"Hey Twilight," she said with a cheerful smile.

"Oh hi Rainbow Dash," Twilight greeted her, looking up from a book she was reading. "How are you today?"

"Awesome!" Rainbow told her enthusiastically. Without further comment, she flew in a dash over to a nearby bookcase and scanned the books.

Twilight watched her friend with interest. "....Are you looking for something in particular?"

"The second Daring Do book," Rainbow announced happily.

"Oh, that's right over here with the others," Twilight explained, leading the pegasus friend to a specific shelf.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed, exuberantly pumping a hoof.

"You like Daring Do too?" Twilight asked, now even more interested by her friend's visit.

Rainbow gasped with a huge smile. "You too?!"

Twilight smiled back. "Yes." She pranced in place, so happy to know one of her friends enjoyed the adventure series.

"I just read the first one the past couple of nights. So much action! And Daring Do herself! Talk about super awesome!" Rainbow informed her friend.

Twilight replied happily, "Yes, she really is. Adventurous. Fierce. Downright unstoppable! I'll bet you like her because she's kinda like you, huh?" She nudged at a hovering Rainbow Dash with a friendly elbow.

The pegasus blushed. "Yeah...you might say that."

Before the two could talk more about the books, Pinkie Pie opened the door and bounced her way in to join them. "Hiya Twilight! Hi Rainbow Dash! I was out and about, making other ponies smile and thought I would stop by to see if I could make Twilight smile too! And you too, of course, Rainbow Dash—since you're here. But here you both are, already smiling, which is great! What's the smiling for?"

Twilight chuckled. "Rainbow Dash was just telling me she's into the Daring Do books now. It's a great adventure novel series."

"Oh neat," Pinkie commented. "Hey Twilight, I also came to say that I want to give you a birthday party."

Twilight blushed. "That's fine. My birthday's coming up soon. You remembered, huh?"

"A Pinkie never forgets. Okay, well, sometimes I do, but let's just say that I have ways to help me remember." She leaned in close, elongating her neck in the process. "The exact way is a secret," she whispered loudly.

Smiling warmly in amusement, Twilight remarked, "We won't pry, then. Right, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow had opened the book but quickly shut it and hid it behind her back, not having quite started reading it yet. "Right," she answered. "We all have our secrets, don't we? Well, I want to get to reading this book. When's the party?"

Pinkie and Twilight worked out the details then and there with Twilight alerting the two that Spike's birthday was not long after her own. They would have a party for him too though Twilight insisted she be the one to plan it.





Later that afternoon, Rainbow Dash sat across from Rarity as they ate lunch together outside. Despite her vampire status, she could still eat. Food was a bit more bland since it did not compare to blood, but she could manage to play the part of a mortal pony enjoying her meal nonetheless.

"So, Pinkie Pie says we'll have the party at the library for Twilight's birthday. You'll make it back from Canterlot just in time," Rainbow told her friend.

"Oh splendid," Rarity said in relief. "I simply cannot wait. Can you believe it? Twilight has requested Celestia provide me a place to stay."

Rainbow snickered. "Yeah, I can believe that. You're not the only generous pony in the group." She winked at her friend. "And it is pretty cool," she added with an assuring nod. "You know, there's a Wonderbolts derby happening while you're there."

"Oh really? Will you be going then?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nah. I like seeing them, but I don't go to every event. I'll just be sticking around here and working, like usual. But if you want to know who's going to win, I'll tell you."

"Fleetfoot?" Rarity asked with a grin to show she had paid attention when Rainbow talked about the Wonderbolts before.

Rainbow confirmed with a nod. "Fleetfoot. Same reason as always. What she lacks in size, she makes up for in speed. The derby's testing their speed in a simple race."

"No doubt one day you will be taking such a title, hmm?" Rarity remarked.

Rainbow sighed dreamily. "That would be pretty cool. But for now...Fleetfoot gets the glory."

"I'll continue to take your word for it, Darling," Rarity said. "I must say, Rainbow Dash, have you done something with your mane or...there's just something different about you. I can't put my hoof on it."

The blue mare smiled bashfully. Only a pony as attentive to detail as Rarity would have picked up on the light vampire charm. It was really subtle, especially when Rainbow wasn't thirsty. Being out in the day helped subdue it all the more too. "It's some kind of weird magic I got myself into—a charm you might say. I didn't mean to, but it can definitely give off that feeling. It might wear off eventually." That last part was not likely and almost a lie, but so be it. Things could happen or change for all she knew.

"Magic that kept you from work three weeks ago?" Rarity wondered. "Perhaps related to your new friend?"

"Err..." Rainbow hesitated. She had told her other friends as much as she had told Fluttershy that first day. The mysterious new friend had not been brought up since. They had little knowledge of what Rainbow herself did at night. The pegasus blushed and rubbed at her colorful mane. "Yup," she confessed. "Guilty as charged. I don't want to get into it any more than that."

"Very well then. Well, I know that such is the point of a charm, but I do like it, if I may say that much."

"You may but no more," Rainbow told her.

Rarity nodded.

That was that.

Rainbow Dash decided a little remark like that did not fully qualify as worthy of the whole confession. When she inevitably had to confess, she could point out this day, this time, and thoughtfully offer she did not wish to alarm or gross her friend out on the subject of recently becoming a blood-sucking monster.

Granted, Rainbow was a non-lethal, not-too-violent monster, but still...it was a thing she did. While she had adjusted and accepted this new fact of her existence, undoubtedly, other ponies would find it repulsive, especially a prissy pony like Rarity.





The night before Twilight's birthday party, Rainbow Dash spent some evening time with Coco, as she often did. The residence had a loft and a large enough crevice near a window for to perch on while she watched Coco work on her sewing.

"So...it seems you're doing well at still being diurnal," Coco noted.

"'Diurnal'?" Rainbow repeated.

"Yes. A daytime creature," Coco explained.

"Ah," Rainbow replied. "Don't think I've ever heard that word, but yeah...I'm managing. I think it's because I've still got my friends and my job around."

"That makes sense," Coco agreed.

"Did that make a difference with you?" Rainbow wondered. "Like, I don't know how old you are, but the way you talk...I get the feeling you would have died by now if you weren't a vampire."

Coco was solemn and still for a moment. "My life's circumstances were very different from yours, Rainbow Dash. I left what I had behind because...I wanted to. I'm not ready to tell you all of it. Not yet."

"Oh, sorry, sounds like a touchy subject. I get it. Whenever you're ready, Coco," Rainbow Dash assured her companion.

"It's alright; thanks, Rainbow. As for my age, it is indeed past the life expectancy of most ponies. Not by that much though. I'm almost 200, including my first 20 mortal years."

"Huh...actually seems kinda young compared to the princesses," Rainbow thoughtfully remarked.

Coco agreed with a little nod. "Yes, I suppose it does." She changed the subject. "Tell me more about your day."

Rainbow smiled. "Sure. Oh and before I get into all that, I wanted to tell you...I'm actually heading to Canterlot tomorrow. I might be there overnight. Rarity's cat got sick, so she doesn't want to leave yet. We figure we'll all head over there instead. Fluttershy can check in on Opalescence—that's the cat's name—too."

"That sounds like a lovely plan. Do enjoy yourself," Coco replied.

The night went on pleasantly from there.





The visit to Canterlot was a lot of fun. They partied hard for Twilight, then joined the garden party. Twilight got to show off her dress and compliment Rarity for it. Rarity was a bit overwhelmed by it all but eventually came through, expressing support of her hometown and friends.

A unicorn friend she had made named Fancy Pants asked her to introduce her friends, and she obliged.

"And this here is my friend Rainbow Dash," Rarity finished, after introducing the others.

"Ah, the Wonderbolts trainer, yes?" Fancy Pants asked, extending his hoof and shaking Rainbow's.

Rainbow accepted the hoof and gave a questioning look to her friend.

Rarity giggled in embarrassment. "I might have embellished that one a tad."

"I'm more of a Wonderbolts hopeful," Rainbow explained. "I did win the Best Young Fliers' competition by performing a Sonic Rainboom, if that's any consolation," she added with a sly smile.

"Oh goodness me, that actually makes for an even better story. Why did you not say so from the start, Rarity?" Fancy Pants asked.

Giggling again, Rarity confessed, "It is a bit embarrassing, I must admit. I had a role to play in it, and it was not one of my better moments."

"Oh, now I must know more," Fancy Pants said. "If your friend has forgiven you dear, I'm sure it's not all bad."

"I'll tell you all about it sometime," Rainbow Dash offered Fancy Pants.

"I think I'd like that, actually. Perhaps you could even indulge me now?" he requested.

Rarity blushed. "Oh, very well. But—Fancy Pants, please know my friend has a flair for the dramatic and prone to some embellishment herself."

"I won't deny it," Rainbow Dash admitted with a cocky little shrug as she hovered in place.

Fancy Pants chuckled. "Duly noted, Miss."

The pegasus began her tale, doing her best to not insult Rarity and hype her own abilities up instead. Rarity left the pair to enjoy the rest of the party. The other friends mingled among the other guests too, leaving Rainbow Dash and Fancy Pants alone.

"Hah, what an interesting tale you weave, Rainbow Dash. Truly. Do you always narrate with such exuberance?"

"I have been known to get ponies excited for campfire stories," Rainbow acknowledged with a proud nod. She felt her bloodlust suddenly starting to creep in.

Fancy Pants chuckled. "I see."

"Well, Fancy Pants, it's been fun, but I'm getting thirsty so off to find something to drink," Rainbow informed him.

"Oh, I'd be happy to accompany you," Fancy Pants offered.

Rainbow took a quick glance and general observance of her surroundings. They were a fair distance from the few guests left, including her friends. She might be able to talk him into going with her, but she could not drink blood here. That much was certain. 

He was a friend to Rarity, so there was that to consider as well. In Ponyville, she tried to stick to strangers to the town or at least to herself. The distance added some protection in keeping her secret, which admittedly had not been difficult. All things considered, the safer option was still to let the stallion be and resist her true thirst. 

Rainbow Dash smiled at Fancy Pants. "I would like that."

She let him accompany her and pretended to find something she liked before he parted for the night. Then she and her friends went back to Twilight's own previous residence.

She fed the next night on a stranger in Ponyville instead.





Another few days passed. The day after Spike's birthday, Rainbow Dash happened to fly near a tree with Twilight Sparkle and Applejack tied to it. The pegasus burst into laughter at the sight of them and fell on her back. "Don't tell me! You—you tied yourselves up?"

The other two mares struggled and squirmed from within their unintentional capture.

"Get us out of here right now!" an annoyed Applejack told her.

Suddenly, all three heard a scream.

Applejack gasped. "What was that?"

"It sounded like Fluttershy to me," Rainbow answered as she lifted herself up from the ground. She quickly bit the rope loose for the other two, and all three made their way to Fluttershy's cottage.

There, the trio learned a little more about the situation among each other though Rainbow herself had nothing to contribute. Twilight explained that Spike had turned into a rampaging dragon bigger than his usual size. He had taken apples from Applejack's orchard and stolen Fluttershy's chicken coop. During this conversation, the four mares heard yet another scream.

"That sounded like Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow informed her three friends. They all hurried off to Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie was angrily throwing cakes at the greedy, larger dragon Spike had become.

Rainbow Dash gulped at the sight of him.

The purple dragon had prominent fangs and hissed with a visibly forked tongue. He was easily double the size of a mare like herself. While he had not physically struck any of her friends, she knew they were under a serious threat if this thing went on. She was about to suggest Fluttershy try her Stare, but then Spike's body started to shake and grow. 

Deciding action was necessary right then and there, Rainbow Dash threw herself at him and pinned the large beast to the ground. She held him firm with fierce red eyes and gritted fangs of her own. "Stop!" she commanded him.

The young dragon stared up at her, locked in the gaze. He blinked and held still. His body froze, no longer about to transform any further.

The other mares watched in amazement, stunned and speechless.

Seething, Rainbow Dash simply held him in her enchantment. They already saw one of her powers, and she could not hold him forever.

"I need you girls to trust me," she said without looking away from the dragon trapped in her enchantment. "Trust me that what I'm about to do is to help him. Got it?"

They all gulped. "We got it, Rainbow," Applejack answered for the other four. She, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy placed comforting hooves on a nervous Twilight Sparkle.

The vampire mentally prepared herself. This feeding was unique. He was a young dragon, and she was not even thirsty. She never fed during the day. She resisted the urge to switch to her bat wings. They often came out right before the bite, but her friends were scared enough as things were.

Rainbow Dash leaned down and bit into the other creature's neck. She felt his greed that had overpowered him so sought out and found the memory of Rarity talking about how generous he had been about his fire ruby. The thought of Rarity and her appreciation for him settled the dragon down, but he still needed a little boost.

The vampire pulled away and held him in her gaze a little more. "Now...remember..." She pushed the memory more strongly back into him.

Spike nervously nodded, closed his eyes, and slowly...his body began to shrink.

Eventually, he was small enough that Rainbow Dash knew she would hurt him with her weight pinning him down. She lifted off into a hover. Twilight rushed over to him and hugged his unconscious body. She nervously held her ear to his chest, then heard his heart beating safe and sound. "He's okay," she told the others.

"You've got some explaining to do." Applejack stared up at Rainbow Dash with a stern fire in her eyes.

Fluttershy was sitting on the floor. She nervously looked up at the sky blue pegasus while holding onto her own long pink tail. "I would like to know more about what just happened too."

"Um...yeah..." Pinkie Pie concurred with as much energy as she could muster on the whole thing.

"When she's ready," Twilight uttered.

They all looked at their unicorn friend.

"I mean...when she's ready but hopefully soon too...right, Rainbow?" Twilight said with careful hope.

Rainbow sighed and plopped herself down to the ground. "Yeah uh...when Spike is awake and...I wouldn't want to tell all of you without Rarity around."

"I'll get her and meet ya'll back at the library then. Fair deal?" Applejack offered.

Ashamed and generally disappointed with the day's events, Rainbow nodded. "Fair deal."





The six mares and one young dragon sat in a circle, all eyes on the rainbow-maned sky blue pegasus among them.

"So...what was that all about?" Twilight Sparkle prompted.

"I uh...I turned into something called a 'vampire' awhile ago," Rainbow Dash explained.

The others exchanged glances until most of them looked at the studious Twilight Sparkle. Twilight looked at them nervously and shrugged. "No idea," she confessed with embarrassed, folded down ears. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "Tell us more, Rainbow. What is a vampire?"

"Well, there's only the two of us that we know of..." Rainbow continued.

"Two? Who's the other one?" Fluttershy wondered.

"I'm not telling you her name. Just know she exists," Rainbow told them all.

They gulped but did not argue, sensing Rainbow's protective nature of the other vampire.

The sky blue mare went on, "So anyway...um...from what we can tell—the two of us—is that a vampire is a creature that drinks blood—"

Horrified gasps escaped the lips of her friends.

"Have you had any of our blood?" a terrified Fluttershy asked.

"Well, I had Spike's, like you saw...but uh....no. Not any of yours. I haven't actually been a vampire for long," Rainbow admitted.

"How long then?" Applejack wanted to know.

"The night of the Mare Do Well parade. The other vampire found me and took me that night," Rainbow answered. "A little over a month ago."

Fluttershy gasped at the realization. "Your new friend!"

Rainbow bowed her head with a hint of shame. "Yeah, her."

"Sounds dreadful," Rarity remarked.

"Well...I definitely thought so at first too, but I actually really like how things turned out now," Rainbow admitted. She smiled. "We're companions."

"But you drink blood!" an exasperated Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Yes. Yes, I do," Rainbow replied. She stopped herself from telling them how wonderfully delicious it was.

"Blood thing aside," a nervous Twilight interjected, "there is more to it than that, right?" The unicorn was doing her best to hide her disgust and stay calm.

"Well, I mean I got some extra powers. I can enchant someone, like I did with Spike before I bit him. I'm stronger and faster. My senses are amplified. And uh...oh, I can grow fangs, make my eyes turn red, and make my wings change to be bat wings."

Everyone sat...stunned.

"Okay...." Pinkie Pie finally said. "The blood thing was really gross, but the rest of that does sound kinda neat. I would want to be a vampire too without the blood bit."

"Rainbow Dash...why didn't you tell us?" Twilight wondered.

"I wanted to keep it a secret for as long as I could. I knew a day like today might happen, but I didn't think it would be so soon. I actually did hint at it to Rarity one time," Rainbow explained.

Rarity blinked. "Oh goodness, you're right. It was just before my visit to Canterlot. That is where you newfound charm is from? This vampire thing?"

"Yeah. I figured you would find it gross and repulsive. I mean, I did...I just...it's who I am now," Rainbow replied.

Rarity gasped at a sudden realization. "Fancy Pants! You were with him that night for the garden party." She gasped again. "Did you drink his blood?"

"No. Believe me, it was tempting. He was ripe for the taking that night," Rainbow admitted as she licked her lips, showing her fangs even then, "but no. I thought it would help keep the secret longer—which it did."

"That is a slight relief," Rarity uttered uneasily.

No one spoke for awhile.

"So..." Rainbow Dash fiddled with her tail and asked meekly, "Um...can I still be friends with ya'll?"

"Well, that depends," Twilight spoke for the group. "Have you been hurting other ponies to get the blood like you did with Spike?"

Rainbow Dash sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yes, alright? I enchant them, sometimes scare them a little, and..."

She paused.

"What is it, dear?" Rarity wondered.

Rainbow Dash decided to go all in. She had come this far, and if anything drove them away...it would be this fact...probably. "...and I resist the urge to kill them. I command them to forget me or think of me as a nightmare...and then I take enough to satisfy me while not actually killing them. I don't know if it would make a difference to any of you, but they do like it thanks to the enchantment."

"Yikes," Spike remarked.

"The enchantment makes the pain not so bad," Rainbow explained with a pleading voice, trying to justify it all. "And they're not traumatized because they forget! I can technically still live without the blood, but then it makes me more susceptible to mind magic that can turn me into an actual real killer."

"Oh my...well...I suppose I do look after some predator animals myself...." Fluttershy considered aloud. "We do have an arrangement that they cannot prey on my other animal friends when we're all together."

"But Rainbow Dash ain't some woodland critter you're taking care of," Applejack noted sternly. The frown her face spoke volumes of disapproval. "Rainbow Dash, you—." She honestly didn't know what to say. She was just mad. Rainbow Dash hadn't even lied...not really...it was just...Applejack felt she should have been told sooner or something. She sighed in exasperation. "Consarn it, Rainbow. What are we going to do with you? We can't just have a vampire in Ponyville and do nothing about it—two vampires!"

"But what would we do?" Fluttershy asked her. "Like Rainbow said, it's part of who she is now, and she hasn't killed anypony."

"Get rid of them, cure them, something!" Applejack yelled.

Rainbow Dash stared sadly at the floor. She couldn't even be mad. "I get it," she said. "If things were reversed, I would probably be saying the same thing, but still...I don't want to be cured," she admitted to them.

They all turned their heads to look at her.

"I like being a vampire," she explained.

"But Rainbow Dash..." Twilight Sparkle began.

"I know! Alright, I know! But...i-it feels so good. So right," Rainbow told them, sniffing the air with a contented smile. "Argh!" She deliberately fell over on her back in frustration.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak and thought for a moment, then announced, "I'll ask Princess Celestia."

The vampire sat up. "Please...no..." she begged. Not Celestia. Not she who wielded the sun, that big dangerous ball of fire in the sky.

"Rainbow Dash, we have to do something!" Applejack insisted.

Fluttershy added gently, "And maybe Princess Celestia would know what do. None of us want to hurt you, but we don't want you hurting other ponies either. It may be part of who you are now, but it wasn't always."

"I know it's risky," Twilight said, "but could you please resist the blood-drinking at least until I've talked to Princess Celestia about what to do."

"Ugh, fine," Rainbow Dash grumbled and folded her forelimbs in annoyance. "But remember, that I warned you girls if some freaky magic happens to me."

"We know, Rainbow. We know," Rarity assured her.

"And at least ask the other vampire to do the same," Twilight suggested.

"I will," Rainbow said with a sigh.

Meanwhile, an approaching figure from outside had other ideas. The mare paused at the sight of the large tree that housed the Golden Oaks Library. "Found you," she said with a smirk. Coco was going to pay.
> Chapter 4 - Suri Polomare
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suddenly, the door to the library flew open in a frightening explosion.

FRWOOM!

The ponies and Spike began to cough amidst dust and debris as an earth pony figure stepped forward. She was a pink mare with a curly purple mane and tail to match. She wore a white headband with much of her back mane hair held up by several obscured hairpins.

She entered with a smirk. "What can I say? I wanted to make a dramatic entrance." She closed her eyes, fluffed at a curl along the back of her mane a bit, and scanned the room. At the sight of Rainbow Dash waving away some smoke with a wing, the pink mare ominously smiled with a pair of wicked, amber eyes. "Well now...I like the look...I do. A bit garish though and not really in line with Coco's talent for hiding and lurking in the shadows."

"Coco?" Rainbow asked. She frowned. "Who are you?"

The pink mare narrowed her eyes in interest before her face twitched and twisted into a sneer. "Trying to play ignorant now? If you aren't her, then you must know  her."

"Rainbow Dash," Twilight Sparkle coughed and coughed. "Who is this?"

"Suri Polomare," the earth pony answered for the young vampire, patting at her own mane in pride. She thoughtfully examined Rainbow Dash with her amber eyes again...and then the others. "Now then, let me continue my analysis of this fine young mare...who might or might not be Coco Pommel in disguise."

"I am not Coco Pommel. My name is Rainbow Dash!" Rainbow insisted. She lifted into a hover and silently hoped she was not giving too much away regarding her master.

Rarity stepped forward. "Ahem. I can vouch for my good friend here, Miss Polomare," she offered politely.

Suri grew suspicious before breaking into an evil grin and starting to chuckle. "Oh my goodness. Don't tell me. She actually did it, didn't she? She made one." The earth pony mare snarled, and her amber eyes burned with horrible delight. "Even better." She stroked her own mane again, throwing out one of her hairpins as if it were a grenade. She aimed for the hovering sky blue figure.

A quick poof of smoke, and Rainbow Dash suddenly screamed in pain as she collapsed to the floor, surrounded by dangerous sparks of white electricity. "Aaaaaaaah!"

"Rainbow Dash!" all her friends worriedly exclaimed.

"What is it? What's happening?" Twilight Sparkle asked in concern.

"What...are you...doing to me?" Rainbow Dash cried out in immense pain between the shocks of the bolts surrounding her.

"You'll see," Suri said with a wicked smile. "You'll all see soon enough."

The other ponies and Spike watched in a mix of awe and horror as Rainbow's wings transformed before their eyes. She had told them she could but seeing it in real time was another matter. Her fangs grew out once more. She lay on the floor with labored breathing and closed eyes for a few moments before slowly bringing herself to stand. Her eyelids opened to reveal two frightening and powerful red eyes.

Most of the group had only glimpsed the eyes from a distance before and not seen them up close, eyeing them directly. Even Spike, the one among them who had seen them that way, found them all the more frightening this time. He quietly clung to one of Twilight's legs.

Meanwhile, Suri sat down on her haunches and applauded. "Well now, I can see why Coco picked you. You are perfect! Love the wings."

"Rainbow Dash?" a very frightened Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash stared at Fluttershy, then the other cowering ponies and little dragon child in front of her...then at Suri. Her expression betrayed nothing. She offered no solace to her friends—nor a threat. She was trying to remember what was going on, but it was hard. Those ponies were terrified of her, and it made her blood tingle—made her feel powerful. She silently reveled in that fact. She met Suri's eyes again. That mare did not fear her and was important for some reason, but the vampire fledgling was not sure why.

Suri stepped closer and began to circle her as Coco did when Rainbow Dash first grew these wings. "Something does seem a little off," Suri commented. "Who is your master, my child?"

"Coco Pommel," Rainbow immediately answered and then pressed a hoof to her forehead. "I..." How easily she had betrayed the master's main request...

"You weren't supposed to say that, yeah. I bet she's trying to keep herself a secret, isn't she?" Suri figured aloud.

"Yes...Suri," Rainbow answered. She glanced at the floor, slightly ashamed.

"Oh, don't feel bad, my child. I outrank her. You get it now, don't you?" Suri remarked with a sly smile. "I am Coco's maker. And so...your maker too. I like you calling me 'Suri' just fine. I am like your master's master yet even more. You are mine more than you are hers. Or anyone's. My tool, my soldier, my weapon, my servant, my pet. Whatever I want you to be, you will be. Okay?"

The transformed Rainbow Dash flapped her bat wings ever so slightly, examining her entire form. She finally remembered what happened to make her this way, just now. She clenched her eyes shut and tried to revert but grimaced at the realization she could not. The maker wanted this form to remain. "Yes, Suri," the young vampire timidly confirmed. She nervously shuffled where she stood, giving another faint flutter of her bat wings.

Rainbow's friends all looked at each other, dread and confusion filling them...waiting to see what Suri would even do with the fledgling.

The wicked mare smirked. "Well well well, what an interesting turn of events, Rainbow Dash. You see, I'm in a bit of a...bind here. I could use you to help me hunt down Coco since that's why I came here to Ponyville...or I could just use you to help me with my bigger plan—that I wanted Coco's help with. You would do better, being the first vampire fledgling and all. Plus, it would help punish Coco in the process."

Rainbow didn't want to punish Coco, but before she could even say such a thing, another pony spoke instead.

"Just what is the bigger plan?" Applejack stepped forward and got up the nerve to ask first.

Suri's eyes scanned her with disdain. "Oh, you mares and whelp are still here. Hmm. I guess this would be a good way to test out Rainbow Dash."

They all tensed up at that.

"I want to make sure she obeys properly after all. Rainbow Dash, knock them unconscious, my child. All of them," Suri ordered.

The fledgling's eyes shifted from her maker to the group nervously. "I-I don't want to hurt them, Suri. They are my friends."

Suri narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What did you say?"

"'I don't want to hurt them, Suri. They are my friends,'" Rainbow Dash repeated with a clearly obedient manner.

Smirking, Suri looked directly into Rainbow's red eyes, freezing the fledgling in place, as if reaching deep into some well within the vampire's essence. "Oh, but you do, don't you?" the maker reminded her. Suri inhaled with a wicked smile. "You even considered killing them your first night, my pet."

"No! That can't be true," Applejack uttered in horror.

"Rainbow Dash...." Rarity began, deeply hurt and disturbed. "Tell us that is not so."

"How did you—?" Rainbow started to ask.

"I am your maker. I may not know everything about you, Rainbow Dash, but I know the type of monster I made Coco Pommel and what that makes you now. I can see that sort of thing in you. You want to hurt them. You want it so bad. It's taking everything you have to stall what you know is coming," Suri warned her.

The fledgling gulped. "Fine! Yes, S-Suri—" she admitted reluctantly. "But I want to not hurt them more than I want to hurt them, alright? That thought came from my new nature as a vampire. I'm sorry everyone. I've been able to stop myself and shoved that idea away as fast as I could, I promise! Suri, please..."

The friends were given no time to reflect on the vampire's words.

The confession had satisfied the maker well enough. "Be that as it may, my order remains, my dear little weapon. Okay?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, about to protest again but found she could do nothing else. Her blood stopped tingling and started to burn from within. It wasn't a painful burn, but it was a commanding, driving one. Her face twitched for a hesitant moment before she gave a respectful bow to her maker. "As you wish, Suri," she conceded.

"What?!" Twilight Sparkle shrieked.

"Oh and one other thing," Suri added with an ominous smirk.

Rainbow Dash had spread her bat wings wide, as if about to take off. She paused and looked at her maker, patiently awaiting the command with a neutral expression.

"They already fear you. Give them more reason than just those beautiful red eyes of yours. You need not kill them, but they should know how easily you could—that you are only toying with them for my amusement."

The fledgling blinked and then gave a little nod in compliance.

"Rainbow Dash, no!" Pinkie Pie cried out in protest.

"Suri has commanded me," Rainbow Dash reminded her plainly. "I must obey." She smiled evilly, knowing it would help in that command of making sure they feared her. "And we'll have fun."

Pinkie Pie gulped nervously at the wicked nature on display.

Suri stepped back to watch and enjoy the show.

In an instant, Rainbow Dash whipped around all six friends in a circular rainbow blur, disorienting them for a moment. She flashed right behind Pinkie Pie and smacked the back of the pink mare's neck, sending Pinkie flying across the room into one of the bookshelves.

The impact was so strong, a bunch of the books were about to fall out on top of the pink earth pony, but a magenta aura surrounded them. Twilight had recovered enough to stop them in time and carefully put them back in the shelf.

While the act protected Pinkie Pie from the books, it did not stop the vampire from flying over to pick up the pink mare and raise her as high as the library's ceiling allowed. 

"Oh no, you don't!" Applejack said as she recovered next and readied a lasso, then threw it around the vampire's right hind leg.

Rainbow Dash only smirked at that, kicking with enough force to throw Applejack into yet another bookshelf, throwing more of the other friends off balance in the process. Again, Twilight's magic went for holding the books steady instead of falling all over her friend. This time, she did not bother putting them back. Carrying the terrified Pinkie Pie in one forelimb, Rainbow Dash swooped down to grab Applejack in the other, flying up yet again toward the ceiling.

Twilight's lips trembled, and she concentrated her magic hard to try and grab Rainbow Dash completely.

"Catch!" the vampire taunted with a playful smirk and threw Pinkie Pie, obviously aiming for Twilight's horn.

Gasping, Twilight's eyes widened as she immediately had to switch her concentration to catching the pink mare in time.

While she succeeded, Rainbow Dash had thrown Applejack full force into the floor and landed just above the orange earth pony with a vicious snarl, applying a light pressure to the other mare's chest. Applejack gasped as a vision struck her mind. The vision showed Rainbow pressing her forehooves even harder—hard enough to crack Applejack's ribs and crush her heart. "S-stop..."

The vampire did not stop. She finally had use for such a power, finding a new taste in the process. She enjoyed that taste quite a bit, even if it was not as delicious as blood. Upon the thought of drinking blood, another vision followed between the pair of Rainbow Dash biting Applejack's neck, draining her dry. To the orange mare's horror, a sharp pain in her neck told her Rainbow Dash really did bite her.

The others started to scramble toward the pair, but all it took was one menacing glare from the creature to make them freeze in place, overcome by their fear. She knew it might not work again, but it would do for now. Rainbow returned to her drink. They watched in shock as their transformed friend drained the orange earth pony enough for Applejack to lose consciousness.

One down. Five to go.

Rainbow Dash turned her fierce red eyes on the rest of the group.

"Twilight, what do we do?" a trembling Fluttershy asked.

The vampire had already decided on her next target. Spike posed her greatest threat since they did not know about her weakness to fire yet. She whipped around them all in a tight circle, lightly shoving the mares apart and away to distance them from the dragon and each other.

Only Spike remained with her, and he stared up at the vampire towering over him. The impressionable dragon could easily picture her crushing him like an insect under her hoof—with an evil smile as she did. He fainted at the very thought. Rainbow was silently grateful that was all it took.

Two down. Four to go.

Suri had somehow materialized an orange and white striped lawn chair for her to sit on and casually recline. She watched the entire scene with a smug smile and forelimbs folded behind her head.

The others had been focused on Rainbow Dash mostly, but Fluttershy had started to glance around the room, trying to figure out where she was and what to do, helping her realize where Suri sat to observe the scene. The yellow pegasus gulped, nervously turning her head from the maker to the vampire fledgling.

"We have to work together. There's still four of us left," Twilight proclaimed with a determined expression. Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie were drawing closer to her. "Our friend is in there, I think, so maybe if we—"

Before she could finish, two strong sky blue forelimbs grabbed her and shoved her against the wall of the stairs. The vampire's bat wings flapped to make one powerful gust of wind and push the others back, including sending Fluttershy in Suri's direction.

Twilight stared in horror at those vicious red eyes. She could suddenly picture one of those bat wings grabbing and snapping her own horn off like it was nothing, followed by a bite on her neck, draining her of all of her blood. Suddenly, the vampire really did bite her. Twilight Sparkle screamed in agony as Rainbow Dash began to drink. "Aaaah!"

"Get away from her, you brute!" Rarity yelled as she galloped to approach the pair. Her horn lit, and she aimed for the wings. Rainbow only spared her an annoyed hiss, baring her blood-soaked fangs, before going back to her drink. While Rarity's aura surrounded the wings and tugged, the magic could not do much more.

The wings themselves even lightly flapped of their own accord from within the magical grip.

Pinkie Pie roared and charged, throwing her entire body at the drinking vampire while doing her best to make sure to not meet eyes with the creature in the process. It was enough to successfully shove Rainbow off, but the vampire was already finished with her target.

Twilight Sparkle smiled in a contented daze, the earlier pain subdued in the moment. The drain left her feeling light and airy. "You know...that's really...not so bad..." She fell to the floor, unconscious immediately after.

Halfway there.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie rolled on the floor while Rarity did her best to figure out how she could intervene with her limited magic.

Fluttershy at last flew in Suri's face with a fierce stare. The Stare. "Make her stop!" Fluttershy commanded.

The vampire's ears flicked, and she glanced over to the source of such a yell. She was on top of Pinkie Pie with a raised hoof as if about to punch her friend. Pinkie Pie lifted her head to follow Rainbow Dash's gaze. Rarity paused to glance over as well.

Suri's eyes locked onto Fluttershy's...staring back. "That's enough, Rainbow Dash. Stop," she said, sounding effectively hypnotized.

Rainbow Dash threw herself off Pinkie Pie and fluttered over to observe the locked gaze of the two. The evil intent in her had vanished. She stood still and patient, watching the staring contest with a suspenseful stare of her own.

"Fluttershy, it's working!" Rarity said proudly.

Pinkie Pie zipped over to Rarity's side and looked closely with cautious optimism.

"Now, you go away, and you leave Rainbow Dash alone. She is our friend, and she is not your 'weapon'," Fluttershy went on sternly.

At that, Suri suddenly blinked and smirked instead of complying. "You underestimate me."

Fluttershy gasped in horror. as she had felt her hold on the other mare sever so quickly.

"A momentary stop? Okay, I can give you that. But that last part..." Suri snickered. "I will not be denied, that which is mine. My 'weapon'. We are connected, little pony. I have big plans for your friend." The wicked pink mare glanced over to the vampire. "You may continue."

Rainbow Dash nodded and immediately grabbed Fluttershy around her barrel from behind, then threw the yellow pegasus across the room into a bookshelf. The books fell, and Rarity used her unicorn magic to hold them before they could fall, as Twilight had been doing before her.

The vampire ceased her chance and whipped around Pinkie Pie once, shoving her away with a strong hoof, then grabbed and threw Fluttershy across the room into yet another bookshelf. The impact forced the books to fall again. Before Rarity could soften their blow, the vampire tackled her to the floor. Rainbow Dash straddled the white unicorn, baring her fangs with a snarl. Rarity caught a vision of Rainbow snapping her horn off, then her head being smashed repeatedly hard against the floor until her death. The fanged mare suddenly threw Rarity against a wall and bit her for real.

Pinkie Pie charged with yet another roar, ready to shove the vampire off a unicorn friend for the second time in this fight. Pausing in her drink, Rainbow Dash smirked and thrust out one of her hind legs to trip the earth pony. Pinkie fell but reached out and successfully grabbed the leg that tripped her, pulling Rainbow Dash away from Rarity.

They rolled until Rainbow seized an opening to grab Pinkie Pie up toward the ceiling. She immediately tossed the pink pony to the still recovering Fluttershy and descended toward them.

Both mares were struck with a vision of Rainbow Dash snapping their necks though instead the vampire simply smacked their heads into each other, forcing each of them into an unconscious state.

Five down. One to go.

Rainbow looked over to where she left Rarity. The white mare was attempting to stand herself upright and failing miserably. The vampire glided over to her, lifting Rarity's chin to force their eyes to meet. Rarity was too weak to resist and stared into the red irises. "Shh, be still," Rainbow Dash whispered. The strange vampire was more gentle now, having already accomplished her mission in giving the mare a reason to fear her. Rarity obeyed. She grew still and mesmerized as Rainbow leaned in to drain her just enough to lose consciousness.

Done.

Suri stood from her seat, and the lawn chair de-materialized. She approached her weaponized creation.

The fledgling stared at the scene—in particular at the two ponies she had not bitten.

"Go ahead," Suri suggested to her with a nod of her head in their direction—and a friendly smile. It was not a command this time, and the fledgling knew it.

Rainbow Dash barely hesitated before flying off to bite each mare for some more blood. She was as gentle as she could be for what she was doing, but it hardly made up for her violence. Even so, it was something within her power despite Suri's strong hold over her. Maybe...maybe having all their blood would help her break free, she told herself. Such a thing did not happen in that moment, but the blood itself was delicious of course.

Suri watched the entire affair with interest and a touch of amusement. Of course Coco would pick a pony rough around the edges yet softer inside—rough enough to the maker's liking nonetheless.

When Rainbow was done, she stood back up and looked over the scene again with a blank, ominous expression before turning to Suri. With a single faint swish of her colorful, rainbow tail, she stood like an obedient, trained dog waiting for the command to perform her next trick.

"Good work, Rainbow Dash," Suri said with approval. "Grab the whelp. We can use him. We're going to make an adjustment to you with his help."

"Yes, Suri," Rainbow agreed, and she picked up Spike's small form.

"Put him on my back. His fire is more dangerous to you than it is to me," Suri explained.

Rainbow complied without a word. With that done, her gaze wandered over to the unconscious ponies. She felt a pang of guilt for what she had done.

Suri observed that moment. With a sly smile, she remarked, "Did you not enjoy yourself? Drinking blood...the taste of those killing visions even if you let them live..."

The vampire fledgling's eyes shifted back over to her maker's. She closed them with a contented smile, flaring her bat wings out, and inhaled. She delighted in that thought...that taste. Wicked red eyes re-opened. Bat wings coiled to her side. Fangs still visible in a small smile, she exhaled and answered, "Yes, Suri...I did."

Had any of her friends still been conscious, they would have found the sight quite chilling, but since they weren't, all that followed was a sinister chuckle from Suri. The maker rubbed at a hidden hairpin in her mane, and a portal opened. "Come on, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow gave the mares one last look. That pang of guilt returned. A vision of a red lightning bolt surrounded in darkness flashed in her mind. A reminder of her past loyalty—but not enough. It was gone instantly as she passed through the portal.





Applejack woke up first and blinked her green eyes several times. She shuddered at the vision of Rainbow Dash killing her. She knew her friend was being used, but still—the effect could not be understated. Suri had succeeded there. If and when Applejack saw Rainbow Dash again, she would be terrified of that vampire.

Nonetheless, she tiredly brought herself to stand and took in the sight of the room.

Twilight was on the ground but starting to stir over by the wall of the staircase. Over by one empty bookshelf and among a pile of books on the floor, Pinkie Pie stood and shook the cobwebs out of her head. Fluttershy sat up and shuddered in place with flattened ears.

Rarity was also starting to sit up by another part of the wall.

Rarity was closest, so Applejack helped her up. "Everypony in one piece?" the orange pony asked the group.

The others confirmed for her that they were.

The white unicorn glanced around and started to count their number in her head. She came to an alarming realization. "Where is Spike?" she asked.

"Spike!" Twilight yelled.

They all began to dig through the fallen books, put everything away, and searched the entire library to no avail.

"Did they kidnap him?" Fluttershy asked the others.

"Why would they do such a thing?" Rarity wondered.

"I don't know, but we've gotta figure something out," Applejack remarked.

"We best look for him in Ponyville," Rarity advised, "...just in case they did not. He could have run off in fear after what that monster did to all of us."

"We should look for this 'Coco Pommel' too while we're at it," Pinkie Pie added. "I've never heard of her, and I know everyone in Ponyville."

"I know her actually," Rarity admitted.

The others gawked at her. "Oh please, she's visited my shop at times, that's all. She's not from around here—Manehattan I believe—and stops by on occasion to the boutique. She is a soft-spoken mare that I simply cannot even imagine as the same kind of monster that we just saw Suri turn Rainbow Dash into. Truly, a sweetheart—or so I thought. I would have been so happy for the two of them."

Twilight sighed. "Well, what does she look like?"

"Let me draw us a picture to show others in our search," Rarity decided. She quickly found what she needed and drew the image. Once she was finished...

"Wait, I've seen her," Pinkie Pie said. "More than once....how do I not know her name?"

"It stands to reason given the powers we saw from both Suri and Rainbow Dash...that Coco could make you forget her name," Twilight suggested.

"Oh yeah..." Pinkie realized. "But why would she make me forget and not Rarity?"

"No offense Sugarcube," Applejack offered, "but you can be a mite bit...obnoxious. And overwhelming, especially to a 'soft-spoken' outsider type who's trying to keep a low profile."

Pinkie blushed and giggled, bashfully rubbing at the back of her mane. "Oh yeah. Right."

"Let's get back on track," Twilight reminded them. "Regardless, we should figure out our next steps. I should stay here in case Spike somehow comes back on his own..." She paused and gulped. "Or Rainbow Dash even."

The mares collectively shuddered together in place.

"Rainbow's so scary now," Fluttershy noted. She closed her eyes and sniffled. "I'm not sure she's our friend anymore...or can come back from this like when Discord turned her against us. This 'vampire' thing is different. You all saw how she told Suri she didn't want to hurt us at first but then eventually still obeyed."

"Maybe we could do something if she forgot our friendship in that moment," Twilight offered.

"You remember the spell, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"I do. I was actually going to do it right before she bit me, but she was just too fast," Twilight regrettably noted.

"Well, that did make things difficult," Applejack agreed. "Still good to have it ready just in case we can slow her down somehow."

"We actually did slow her down at one point," Rarity informed them. "Well, Fluttershy did by using her Stare on Suri."

"Really?" a hopeful Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded. "It was only enough to put the attack on pause though. Suri broke out of it."

"Still, that's something," Twilight noted thoughtfully.

The other friends agreed.

"Back to planning our next steps," Rarity began, "Twilight should not be left here alone. Fluttershy, perhaps you should stay with her since you were able to use your Stare on Suri."

"I think I should go with the search party actually," Fluttershy said. She shyly reminded Rarity, "Rainbow's usually the flier in our group, but with her gone..." The yellow pegasus wiggled her feathers.

"True enough," Rarity agreed.

"I'll stay," Pinkie Pie offered. "Maybe my Pinkie sense will go off, even if it didn't when Suri arrived this time."

"Applejack?" Rarity asked.

"I'll go with ya'll in the search," Applejack decided.

With that, the ponies parted ways, ready and extremely nervous about what they might find.
> Chapter 5 - Captive
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack made their way through Ponyville, showing off Rarity's drawing of Coco Pommel. Not many ponies had seen her or knew her name, but there were enough to be directed to Coco's residence nonetheless.

They rang the doorbell, and no answer came. They knocked loudly, and still no answer came.

Fluttershy flew up to see if she could somehow peek through one of the higher windows to no avail. Every shutter was completely closed.

Applejack sighed. "I'll apologize and make up for it, but I'd say this is urgent enough." She bucked the front door open.

The three mares entered and cautiously scanned the entrance area. They soon saw a living room with a couch, a desk with a sewing machine, and several pieces of fabric strewn about on the floor.

There was a ledge not far from all of that with some pillows and a familiar Daring Do book cover.

"Guess we know where these two liked to spend time together," Applejack quietly noted.

"Her work is simply exquisite," Rarity remarked, staring at a rack of completed outfits.

"This is very nice to see, but we need to find Coco," Fluttershy reminded her other two friends.

Rarity sighed. "Right. Um, Miss Pommel?" she called out into the house.

No answer.

"We should check upstairs," Fluttershy suggested in a soft voice.

"Right, let's get moving," Applejack said.

The trio went up the stairs and eventually found the master bedroom. They saw Coco laying deathly still on her back with her eyes closed. A red rose was clasped in her hooves over her stomach.

"Miss Pommel?" Rarity gently asked in a whisper.

Coco did not move.

"Hey!" Applejack whispered. "Coco! Come on, please!"

"Yes, please," Fluttershy added with a whisper of her own.

Coco did not respond at all.

They were nervous to touch the still, sleeping form after everything Rainbow Dash had put them through.

"What are we going to do?" Fluttershy whispered to her friends. "She needs to know about Rainbow Dash."

Coco's eyes blinked open instantly, giving all three mares a jolt as she sat up in the bed. "'Rainbow Dash'?" Coco repeated. She looked at the other mares. "Rarity? What are you doing here? Did something happen to Rainbow Dash?"

"I'm afraid so, Miss Pommel. Umm....perhaps you could enlighten us on a mare named Suri Polomare," Rarity hesitantly asked with a pleading smile.

Coco's eyes flashed red in instant fear, making the other mares jolt again. "Suri? Suri's here?!" The red faded soon after her question.

"Not anymore, Miss," Applejack answered. "But not before she did something to our friend. Something fierce. We know you got something to do with it because your name came up. You'd best come with us, so we can all talk it over together."

"P-please," Fluttershy added.

Coco gulped nervously. "Very well."

She peacefully joined the other mares, much to their relief at not having to fight another vampire under Suri's command.





To the best of her ability, Twilight Sparkle relayed everything she could about the day's earlier events to Coco. Then she gave Coco her turn to explain things beyond what Rainbow Dash already told the group before Suri's arrival.

"Suri is a powerful sorceress," Coco informed them. "I did not know that when I met her. I was simply an assistant trying to learn about fashion and become a better seamstress. While she wasn't one of the more well-known designers at the time, she definitely had a good front. She had a studio, a job listing, designed clothes, everything.

"Well, one night, she...trapped me and forced me to take a potion that turned me into a vampire. I was very much like what she told Rainbow Dash. I belonged to her in whatever role she wanted me to do."

"How'd you escape?" Applejack wanted to know.

"Mostly time, to be honest. I would have moments—just flashes—figuring out that she had power over me. If she commanded me to kill, I could resist. That was a line too far despite the murderous urges the potion laid into me," Coco explained.

"I wonder if that's why she said Rainbow didn't have to kill us," Twilight noted sadly. She clenched her eyes shut and added, "even though she admitted to thinking about it her first night."

"Most likely," Coco agreed. "Please understand...it was not a serious thought. It really was part of her new nature. She loves you all so much. She was overwhelmed by the bloodlust on her first night. She still had control of herself then and since before Suri showed up today."

"Tell us more, please Coco," Rarity encouraged her. "About how you got away."

The vampire stared at them and then at the floor. "I choked her with her own scarf—and I waited. I waited to be sure she could not come back. I checked as thoroughly as my limited knowledge of her magic let me." Coco gulped with sad eyes. "I even burned the body. I spread her ashes far and wide." Tears streamed down the vampire's cheeks. "Enough time had passed, I really thought I had succeeded. I remained cautious out of habit and to safeguard myself against other mortals still. I was so sure I didn't have to worry about Suri anymore when I...when I transformed Rainbow Dash. I couldn't imagine her coming back. Or that if she somehow did, she would have such control over my dear fledgling."

"Just how did you make a fledgling anyway?" Pinkie Pie pressed.

With hesitation, Coco answered, "I had the potion. I mixed in some of Rainbow's blood and my own, then gave it to her. That alone was not enough. I was able to project out some of my magic through my throat, into the air, and into the potion. It helped that she was emotionally vulnerable at the time but not required."

"Emotionally vulnerable?" asked a confused Twilight Sparkle.

Coco sighed and explained it to them at length. They knew of their Mare Do Well scheme. They knew of Rainbow's initial reaction to it. They did not know Rainbow Dash hid away that she was so angry about the matter since she felt the anger was very much unjustified.

"Oh dear, is that why she was so easy for Suri to umm....command to hurt us..." Fluttershy hesitated.

"No," Coco said firmly. "She stalled, remember? When Suri does this," the off-white mare demonstrated with a quick stroke of her own mane, "that is actually activating her magic. She has hairpins with different functions that activate certain spells. The spell you describe was probably meant for me. It sounds like it focuses both the connection to Suri and the vampire's power. I doubt Rainbow Dash could even turn back into a pegasus unless Suri commands it. She practiced on you lot to make sure Rainbow Dash obeyed."

They all looked down in discomfort and sadness.

"And Spike?" Rarity inqured.

Coco shook her head. "I do not know why Suri would take him. A fire-breathing dragon is dangerous to us vampires. Fire is our weakness."

"It is?" Twilight perked up at that news and smiled.

The vampire nodded solemnly.

"But you said you burned her body," Rarity reminded her.

"I did," Coco replied. "It was a dangerous thing to try, and I was careful about it. We can still start a fire the same as any pony. So long as the fire didn't touch my body directly—and it didn't—that was something I could do."

"So Spike could end up hurting Rainbow Dash real bad?" Applejack asked her worriedly.

Coco scowled. "Yes, but as much as I fear and hate Suri, she will protect her precious little pet vampire. I may not know her exact plan with him, but I'm sure of that much at least."

The group sat and scratched their heads, but they could not figure it out.

"Well, hopefully Spike can escape and make his way to us," Pinkie Pie optimistically offered.

"We'd best be on the lookout for that chance," Rarity added. She turned to Coco. "Given what we know between the six of us, I must ask you Coco—what is Suri planning? The bigger plan she referred to, that is. Do you know?"

"When I was still with her, she was trying to figure out how to overpower Celestia. Not necessarily make her a vampire but some kind of obedient monster still. Or simply overthrow her with a vampire army. We couldn't figure out how to make a fledgling at the time, but she still had not truly decided which when I killed her," Coco answered.

Twilight's eyes widened. "Princess Celestia! We have to warn her!"

"Can't argue with that!" Pinkie Pie concurred.

None of the other ponies did argue, and the girls galloped off to the train station together.





Suri Polomare, Rainbow Dash, and an unconscious Spike entered through a portal to a very large room. Numerous pieces of clothing hung on racks. It was dusty and musty, and spiderwebs could be seen here or there. Cabinets and shelves aligned the walls with some flasks, beakers, bottles, and large cups on their surfaces. Some of these objects were visibly empty, and some were filled with liquids of varying color. There were also smaller boxes that, to Rainbow's eye, could very easily have been jewelry boxes. There was, in fact, a rack on one wall that did have at least four necklaces on it and another with four hoof bracelets.

"Sorry about the mess. I was dead for awhile," Suri admitted, referring to the spiderwebs and dust. "This is my studio and lab." She showed Rainbow Dash a small cage in the room. "Put the dragon in there."

Rainbow Dash complied. While she did that, Suri immediately set to work combining some of the liquids, creating a puff of pink smoke, and the room's musty smell soon disappeared.

Spike began to stir.

"He's starting to wake up," Rainbow Dash informed her maker.

The small dragon looked up at the red-eyed vampire and immediately backed away from her in terror. "Don't kill me, Rainbow Dash! Please!"

Rainbow blinked. "I won't," she assured him sincerely.

He blinked back at her. "But you..."

"Suri commanded me. I had to obey," Rainbow reminded him. She stared at the floor in mild shame. When she looked up though, she blushed with a guilty smile. "Now you know I could very easily kill you," she went on, with her fangs visible as she spoke. She paused and frowned, then shook her head. "But I won't," she remarked sternly, as if telling herself that more than Spike.

He looked over at Suri. "What did you do to her?"

Suri rolled her eyes. "Please, kid. We've been over it. Weren't you paying attention? She is mine to do with as I please."

Spike panted in place and tried to remember what happened. "Our friends!" he suddenly exclaimed. "A-are they okay? You didn't kill them, right?"

"They were unconscious when we left, but they could be awake by now," Rainbow told him plainly. "You are right. I did not kill them. As for 'okay,'" she smiled another guilty smile. "They should be terrified of me like you are right now. Do you think you're 'okay'?"

Again, the young dragon panted in place for a moment, thinking it over before he relaxed a little. Suri wasn't telling her to hurt him now, so he was safe—for now. "O-okay enough so long as you d-don't...d-do that again."

"That is up to Suri," Rainbow told him.

Suri smirked. "No promises to either of you on that."

Spike glanced over to Rainbow Dash, then back at Suri. "So now what? Why am I here?"

Instead of answering him directly, Suri addressed the young vampire. "Go find me a candle."

Rainbow darted off to find one among the numerous items on shelves and quickly swished back to her maker.

"Alright, little dragon. Light it up," Suri commanded him with a smile, holding the candle in his direction, close to the cage.

Spike looked up at her incredulously. "No," he replied firmly. If Suri wanted it of him, it had to be bad. He still wanted to know what she wanted, but she had proven herself to be manipulative and malicious, making her very much untrustworthy.

Suri chuckled. "Rainbow Dash, get him to light the candle."

Rainbow Dash stepped forward.

Spike trembled in fear of another killing vision. Instead, a bat wing merely forced his head in her direction. Radiant red eyes met his. "Light the candle," Rainbow ordered him. She let go, keeping her enchanting red eyes on him as she stepped back.

Suri brought the candle closer, and the dragon glanced from it to those frightening red irises staring at him—compelling him.  He looked at the candle again and blew. A small green flame lit the candle.

"Excellent," Suri said with a smile. She carried the candle over to a nearby end table. "Get his blood," she ordered Rainbow Dash. 

"I have some in me already," Rainbow Dash offered. "I uh..." She bashfully scratched the back of her mane. "...I had to bite him today before you found us."

Suri chuckled at that news. "You are something else, Rainbow Dash. That explains some of the magic I tracked down earlier. Put some of that blood in a flask."

Rainbow Dash darted off and sorted it all out with a bite of her own forelimb. She let the dark red liquid pour in and gave the flask to Suri. The vampire watched in quiet pleasure of seeing her own wound heal itself.

Spike watched in awe as well. He wished Rainbow wasn't being controlled right now because he would have been both impressed and happy for her. He stood on all fours, leaning forward. "What are you doing?" he asked Suri from his cage, very much intrigued.

"Oh, you'll see, kid. Not yet." Suri winked at him with an evil smile. He clearly did not know he was dangerous to the vampire. She pulled out a hairpin and touched it to the green flame. The fire shot up like a beacon in the room before pouring into the flask of blood.

Rainbow stood firm despite the danger. She caught on that Suri was hiding her fire weakness.

"Perfect," Suri remarked.

With some more taps to her pins or various things within the room itself, the sorceress had a table ready with numerous liquids and magical items.

"Here, drink this," she commanded Rainbow Dash, offering up a bottle of blue liquid.

As expected, the young vampire obeyed without question.

Spike's mouth fell open in shock as Rainbow's eyes instantly glowed white. Her terrifying red irises and regular black pupils were gone.

"Good," Suri told her. "Blow out some air from your core."

A simple breath shot out a vision. Spike stood on two legs and held his clawed on hands on the bars. He peered through them and watched.

The vision began with Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom. Then it shifted to the first time she and their friends called on the Elements of Harmony against Nightmare Moon, then her second Sonic Rainboom to save Rarity and the Wonderbolts, then the friends using the Elements of Harmony against Discord. A new vision began of something he had not seen or heard about from Rainbow Dash or their friends at all. She did a Sonic Rainboom at night over Ghastly Gorge. One attempt was as a pegasus and another in the same vampire form she had now. Finally, the very last vision was a red lightning bolt, matching her symbol on her Element, alone in darkness.

The vampire's eyes returned to red, and she blinked. She said nothing.

"What's all that mean?" Spike asked Suri.

"It means Coco sure knows how to pick a fledgling," Suri told him. "Your friend here has beautiful magic even without my influence—useful magic."

"U-useful?" Such a word made Spike nervous.

"Mm-hmm. A Sonic Rainboom can be seen and heard far and wide, even if it seems many ponies and animals don't realize that is what they are seeing or hearing—even better for me. I'm glad to already know she can still do one in her vampire form. Excellent work, my pet," Suri said.

Rainbow did not respond with words. She only blinked and gave a faint nod.

"Why do you find it useful?" Spike asked.

"Hmm," Suri said thoughtfully. "Well you see, little dragon, I want more vampire servants—well, more like soldiers. Rainbow Dash will be able to transmit that magic for me through her rainboom, once I've got my potions and spells all set up just right."

"I-is my fire for that?" he prodded.

"Nope, that is something else," Suri replied.

His eyes fearfully darted around, and he waited. For some reason, she wasn't so willing to explain this part. "Rainbow Dash, do you know what my fire is for?"

"Don't answer that," Suri immediately commanded her pet.

Rainbow shifted ever so slightly. She had been eerily still and quiet during their conversation, as far as Spike could tell. After her vision ended, she stood like some kind of passive sentry near Suri. "Do you even know what's going on? What she's doing to you? What she's planning? Have you been listening?"

"Yes," the vampire answered him.

The swift reply caught him off-guard, but she said nothing more.

"Rainbow Dash, stop talking to him. Little dragon, if you do not silence yourself, I will find a way to do it for you," Suri threatened. She smirked. "Perhaps I should have her compel you again."

Spike gulped and went quiet. He had pressed too far now. To his surprise, Rainbow Dash said, "His name is Spike." At that, he blinked with slight interest. It was as if she was trying to come to his defense in her own limited way.

"Noted," Suri said plainly. A few quiet moments passed of Suri messing with her equipment before she gave Rainbow Dash another potion. "Drink that."

Again, the fledgling obeyed.

"Let the dragon set your wing on fire," Suri commanded.

Rainbow had almost stepped forward, then paused and looked at the sorceress. "That will hurt," she reminded her maker.

Spike glanced between the two of them. That was news to him, and he was a little mad at himself for never even thinking to try it.

"I know," Suri told her. "It's part of our adjustment process for you."

The vampire accepted that response and walked over to Spike in his cage.

He avoided her eyes.

Rainbow held out her left wing. "Please set me on fire."

"You just said it would hurt," he noted quietly, still making a point to not look her in the eye.

She leaned her head closer to him. "Yeah, it's my weakness," she whispered, as if letting him in on a secret 

He couldn't help looking at her then, and her radiant red eyes held him. Their hold was not as strong as when she had him light the candle.  Maybe that was because she knew he would hurt her, but he still obeyed and blew some green fire on her wing. To his horror, the tip turned to gray ash and started to disintegrate.

"N-no!" he uttered.

It spread. From her wing onto her neck and chest, her barrel, her legs, her other wing, even her hair. She was burning away in front of him, turning into gray ash. She had clenched those terrifying eyes shut and winced in pain, but she refused to scream or protest.

Spike started to freak out at the sight. "Suri, s-stop it! I didn't know it would hurt her that much! That was hardly anything! She's not even trying to make it stop!"

Suri smirked at him. "It normally wouldn't have hurt her that much, and she knows this is part of my process. The potion I gave her is to blame. She'll be fine, Spike, just wait and see."

The young dragon's beating heart tried to calm him, but he just watched in continued horror. How could she be okay after that? His answer soon came as the ashes began to swirl anew and form into the body he had just seen disintegrate before his eyes.

For a moment, her rainbow mane and tail even looked like rainbow flames before everything settled. She looked exactly as she did before, bat wings and all. Rainbow Dash exhaled in relief. "That was a lot less than an hour."

Spike's mouth quivered in amazement. "Y-you...."

"Ta-da!" Rainbow said with a proud smile.

"Told you so," Suri remarked. "Now then...do it again..."

Spike looked at Suri in shock. "What?!"

"Try it," she dared him. 

Spike gulped and looked at Rainbow Dash.

The vampire was happy to offer her wing again. She did not compel him this time, and he was too curious to deny her.

The flame shot forth and left her completely unscathed. In fact, it flickered momentarily. She could have used it as a torch before it snuffed out on its own within a few seconds. She smiled with a wicked gleam in her red eyes and looked at Suri. "You made me fireproof?"

Suri smiled back. "For now. It was only a matter of time before this little guy found out, and then we would have had a real problem on our hooves." 

"Do it again!" Rainbow told him with an eager smile, offering her other wing. She wanted to test it and enjoy it. Spike noticed it was the most she had seemed like herself since they arrived.

He glared at her but did it anyway since he wanted to see if it was still true. Her other wing was fine, and she blew out the flame immediately. "Wow," she uttered to herself.

"How long is she fireproof?" the dragon asked Suri.

"Long enough," Suri answered cryptically. "We're almost finished with you, Spike. Rainbow Dash, put this collar on his neck."

The vampire flew over to Suri to see the collar was black with silver spikes. "Spikes for Spike? That's very literal, Suri."

"Yes, it is," Suri agreed without further comment.

Rainbow shrugged the remark off and approached the cage.

Spike had clenched his eyes shut and backed away as far as he could against the bars, even shielding his face with his small arms.

Rainbow Dash peered through, plotting out how to reach him. She decided to start off as nice as she could. "Hey, Spike. Please let me put this collar on you for Suri."

"No!" he immediately shouted with his eyes still shut. "Suri's evil. She's made you evil. She probably wants to make me evil too—or something terrible like that."

Suri chuckled. "My vampire is only evil when I ask her to be evil. Otherwise, she defaults to a neutral state while she waits for my next command."

"Whatever! You know what I mean!" Spike said, still keeping his eyes closed.

Rainbow glanced over to Suri. "Is that what it does to him?"

"Maybe it does; maybe it doesn't. That's for me to know," Suri told her. "He'll live. Go on."

Spike heard some clinking sound against the bars of his cage, felt a light breeze nearby and a pressure on his neck. He heard a click before he could respond to that pressure. He blinked his eyes open in horror and looked around. Rainbow Dash was nowhere to be seen. "Rainbow? How?"

"Behind you, Spike," she alerted him.

He turned around. Her face hung upside down as she had evidently perched herself on top of the cage and reached in from right behind him. She must have used her wings to reach through the bars and been extremely fast and agile in her movement. It might have been cute if she had not been so vicious earlier. The little dragon fell over in shock.

"Yikes, are you okay?" Rainbow asked innocently.

Spike immediately sat back up and shook his head, then felt the collar on his neck. "I'm...I'm..." he sighed in relief, for he still felt in control of himself. "I'm still me," he realized.

Satisfied with her work, the vampire quickly darted back to in front of his cage, leaving her prismatic blur behind her.

Spike tugged at the collar to try and pull it off but failed.

"And now...a potion for you as well, dear Spike," Suri said.

Spike gasped and ran up to the back of his cage once more, clawing and tugging at the bars. He helplessly looked back, panting in fear.

"It's not gonna hurt him, is it?" Rainbow asked worriedly.

"The drink itself? No, but he must drink," Suri said ominously.

Rainbow gulped and watched.

Suri herself walked up to the cage. She stroked the cup she held with a hoof, and Spike could only assume the cup itself was magic because the next thing he knew, it was in his mouth with the potion being poured in. His little arms struggled in place. And when it was done, the mysterious magic forced his mouth shut and for him to swallow.

Rainbow clenched her teeth in slight concern. but only shuffled a little in place. She otherwise held firm in staying put.

Spike took several deep breaths, feeling at his new collar, which comforted him slightly.

The young vampire relaxed at the sight, sensing his comfort and lack of pain.

He became drowsy for a few seconds. His eyes grew heavy. He had shut them for a moment—or at least he thought it was a moment.

"There," Suri said in a low voice. She looked at Rainbow Dash. "That collar won't be visible or tangible to anyone but us—so don't give that away. He's going to forget. Understood?"

"Yes, Suri," Rainbow replied in an equally quiet voice. "Now can you tell me what it does?"

"Not enough time for all that. He'll wake soon. I'll tell you after he leaves," Suri explained.

"He's leaving?" Rainbow asked.

Suri motioned for her to shush, and Rainbow nodded obediently.

Shortly thereafter, Spike re-opened his eyes and glanced around. "What's going on? What happened?"

Suri rubbed at one of her hairpins, and a portal opened behind him with the cage. "You are dismissed, young Spike."

He nervously gulped and rubbed his neck. "That's it?"

"Don't you want to go back?" Rainbow Dash asked him, peering through his cage.

"Well, yeah, I just thought..." Spike uttered. "I thought she might have you kill me or make me a vampire or something."

"No way," Rainbow said, shaking her head and waving her bat wings in denial. "I wouldn't do that."

He blinked and opened his mouth slightly in surprise.

"Shh!" Suri commanded her.

"Oh, sorry Suri," Rainbow apologized with a bow of her head. She took a nervous step back.

"Get out already!" Suri snapped at the little dragon.

Spike paused and thought hard. He felt like he was forgetting something important. He took another look at Rainbow Dash. "We'll get you back, Rainbow Dash, promise. Somehow. We're going to figure it out. Please...try to fight it. The lightning bolt in your vision....it had to mean something. A-and just now...you represent the Element of Loyalty after all." He ran off through the portal before Suri could enact any harm on him for his words, his new collar forgotten.

Meanwhile, the young vampire held out a hesitant hoof and sighed, glancing over to her maker.

Suri smiled slyly at her. "Don't think I haven't noticed those things he said. I'm working on adjusting that part of you too."

Rainbow sniffed and looked at the floor, a little sad. "It won't be so easy. Suri...please let me go."

"We have more work to do," Suri reminded her. "If I see a chance in my own plan to let you go, I will. But as it is right now, I want you here with me. I know it won't be easy. I welcome such a challenge. Come on. You were so happy a minute ago when you saw I made you fireproof."

Rainbow smiled at that. "Heh, true."
> Chapter 6 - Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike found that the portal returned him to the library where Suri first arrived. "Twilight!" he exclaimed, searching around the place. It was empty. "Twilight?!" he looked around. Where was she? Where were his other friends?

For a brief moment, he was afraid Suri had played a cruel, horrible trick on him and somehow trapped his other friends, forcing him to be alone. The young dragon nervously rubbed at his neck, trying to figure out what he should do. He shook his head and became determined. He could handle this situation. He found a scroll and ink, then thought about what he should say.

He eventually settled on asking Celestia if she knew what had happened earlier in the day at the library and if she knew where Twilight and his other friends were.

A moment later and poof! A midnight blue alicorn stood before him, quickly meeting his eyes.

"Princess Luna?" Spike realized.

Luna grabbed him without a word and teleported him back to Canterlot.

"Give me a little warning would ya?" he said wearily once the teleport was over.

"My apologies, Spike, but we wanted to be as swift as possible, knowing the threat that this Suri Polomare can be with Rainbow Dash's help," Luna informed him.

She stepped aside to show his other pony friends, one unfamiliar mare, and Celestia sitting in a circle. The entire group was in Celestia's study. While the white alicorn often had a large cushion for herself, it had been replaced with several smaller cushions for the smaller ponies. The fireplace was surprisingly empty. Celestia often had one going from the number of times Spike had been in this room with Twilight Sparkle before.

Taking in the entire scene, the young dragon relaxed his shoulders. "Oh, so you know..."

"Spike!" Twilight rushed up to him immediately and hugged him. "Oh, you're okay! We were so worried. You're not hurt, are you?"

"Not really," Spike admitted as he rubbed at his neck, "b-but there was a little mind control involved," he admitted.

"Tell us what happened, Spike," Celestia implored him.

Spike sighed. He sat down to join the group and told them everything he could remember. Luna took a brief leave of the room to raise the moon and returned. Spike told them that Rainbow Dash was mostly under Suri's control with only the vaguest hints of herself, such as volunteering his name or her easy admittance that she would never turn him into a vampire or kill him.

"That's...something," Pinkie Pie tried to offer.

"Coco?" Twilight turned to the unfamiliar mare

"Coco? You're Coco?" Spike asked nervously.

"Yes," Coco shyly admitted. "I'm not here to hurt anyone," she told him with a reassuring voice and sincere light cyan eyes. "Your friends sought me out, and I only wish to help Rainbow Dash too. If I can help her break free of Suri's control, I will."

He relaxed at that response. "Oh, okay...so uh...what do you think of the things I said?"

"You are a child and a friend to Rainbow Dash. I am sure those two things are why Rainbow immediately denied she would make you a vampire or kill you," she informed him.

"Oh," Spike uttered. "Well, friendship..." He rubbed his neck.

"A-and the lightning bolt symbol...is that akin to the flashes you would have before you escaped yourself?" Rarity inquired.

Coco nodded. "It sounds like Rainbow Dash is fully aware of her situation, but the spell Suri has under can still force her to obey."

"How dreadful," Rarity muttered.

"Seems to me we need to get the Elements of Harmony," Applejack suggested to the group. "Rainbow will break out eventually, like Coco did, but I bet we could speed it along with their help—which would then be mighty helpful in stopping Suri from making some creepy vampire army too."

They all looked at Twilight Sparkle and Celestia, who were already nodding at each other.

Luna nodded from where she sat too.

Celestia addressed the entire group. "I think that is most wise."

"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go get those Elements!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"And then what, pray tell?" Rarity inquired.

The pink mare blinked. "What do you mean?

"I mean, we can't easily get to Manehattan ourselves to find them—assuming that is where this lab is or is she coming straight for Celestia here in Canterlot? If so, when?"

"Tonight," Spike suddenly answered her. He knew. "Suri will be back tonight." He nervously rubbed at his neck. "I'm not sure what all she did to me—some of it is a blur—but...I-I know that much...somehow.."

Coco nodded. "I would expect the same with what I know of how Suri operates, especially if she's afraid of Rainbow Dash breaking free of her soon."

"Well then...I'm with Pinkie Pie...we should get our Elements now," Fluttershy quietly suggested.

"That does sound like a proper plan after all then. Let's be off," Rarity agreed. "Best be prepared for their arrival."

"Follow me," Celestia offered. The entire group left the study and made for Canterlot Tower.





At Suri's lab, the wicked sorceress busied herself at her table while a magic screen played out everything that Rainbow's friends were discussing and that they were well on their way to retrieve those Elements of Harmony.

Rainbow Dash kept careful watch of the screen. She had heard it all. "They plan to help me escape you," she noted quietly. She turned to look at her maker. "With Coco's help," she added.

Suri nodded quietly without looking up from her work. She was not observing the scene as closely as Rainbow, but she caught enough from overhearing the discussion.

"You don't seem worried about that," her pet noticed.

"Of course I'm worried," Suri replied, still keeping busy though she did not sound all that worried as she spoke. "I have Spike there to help me after all. Right now, I'm working on a little something to strengthen my hold on you. I wish I could keep you forever, my sweet, but nothing is ever truly guaranteed in this life or my power. Still, it will help. 

"Those Elements won't break you out as easily as those girls think. I mainly need you and Spike to give me the right opening. Then I can have Daybreaker, my true desire. After that, how about we make you fireproof permanently?"

Rainbow couldn't help smiling at that. "Really?" she asked with hopeful red eyes and fangs.

Suri nodded. "Alright...so...we've already got you temporarily fireproof, getting ready for a siren call. You sing, yes?"

Rainbow nodded.

"Good. Let's see here..." Suri glanced at her bottles.

"Alright, siren call, re-enforced obedience, vampire spread...yes, let's talk about that for a moment...."

Rainbow blinked at her. "You're using me to make more vampires, right?"

"Yes, but they won't be quite like you or Coco," Suri noted.

"Oh?"

"They are mere soldiers. Their transformation will be shorter. They won't actually need blood to be fully transformed. Their bloodlust will be triggered by you or myself if we find it useful in fighting your friends."

Rainbow's bat wings lightly fluttered in place, and she couldn't help licking her lips. "You're going to make me fight them again?" She didn't want that necessarily, but she did remember how good it tasted. Would she have a chance to drink blood in whatever happened? She wouldn't be doing that to make the other vampires after all.

"Most likely," Suri conceded, focused on adjusting some potion. "I don't need to test your obedience, but I do need them out of the way."

"Unconscious?" the vampire wondered, slightly apprehensive though Suri also sensed a slight longing too.

Suri smirked. "Do you want that?"

"More no than yes," Rainbow admitted.

"Lucky for you then, I actually want them to see Daybreaker when she is ready, so...I won't command that of you again. Okay?"

"That means that we'll defeat you," Rainbow warned her, sounding more concerned for her maker's plan than making an arrogant threat.

Suri smiled at her with a small wicked pleasure in her amber eyes. "You might. You might not. I will take that chance."

The vampire stood still for a moment before replying simply, "So be it, Suri."

"Back to the other vampires. They won't die as you did before your transformation. They won't be as strong as you either, but I mainly want to use their number to overwhelm our challengers. You're my pet super vampire."

Rainbow blushed and bashfully stroked her mane, not saying anything. 

A moment passed while Suri continued readying her items.

"Hey, Suri..."

"Yes, Rainbow Dash?"

"What are you going to do about Coco?"

At that, Suri glanced her way, slightly intrigued by the question. "I am not going after her directly. She is safe enough, my pet. My taking you is her punishment. As for our upcoming... hmm... confrontation... well, see to it you defend yourself and keep her out of the way when it comes to the plan. I won't command you to hurt her besides that.

"I actually do love her still despite what she did to me. She is my precious first vampire after all—and she gave me you."

"Oh, okay," Rainbow replied to that, somewhat satisfied and relieved. "I love her too," she happily added with an innocent smile.

Suri looked at the vampire for a moment, then smiled softly in turn. She had no further response so then turned back to her magic preparation. "Time to mix, and we'll be off. I do have a few instructions before we go. For starters, don't touch your Element of Harmony. Okay?"

"Aye aye Captain...err, Boss....hey just what is your title with me? Maker? I know you said I could call you 'Suri' and all, but still...just wondering."

"'Suri' is still fine, but 'Boss' is cute enough coming from you," Suri noted. She started to spray Rainbow Dash with some kind of magical mist.

"Heh heh, right then, Boss," Rainbow replied. "What's this do?"

"For the vampire spread," Suri informed her.

The sorceress went on, getting everything she could ready for their upcoming work together.





Inside Canterlot Tower, the Elements of Harmony were already worn by Rainbow's friends that could bear them. The red lightning bolt necklace was the last in the chest.

"What do we do with it?" Spike asked. "We know I can't use it."

"Nor can I or Luna," Celestia agreed.

Everyone turned to look at Coco Pommel.

"What?" Coco asked them in uncertainty.

"You're her master, so maybe..." Applejack began.

Suddenly, they heard music. Somepony was singing.

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh
Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh

"Is that...?" Fluttershy began to say.

The entire group rushed out of the tower hall and eventually found their way to a nearby balcony. They scanned the night air best they could.

They couldn't see her yet, but as they arrived...they knew. They could feel it in their veins.

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ahh

"That's Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy said at the collective realization.

"Why is she singing? That wasn't part of the plan Spike told us," Applejack noted.

Rainbow's friends were not the only ones who heard the call so much like that of the legendary sirens. More ponies than usual stood outside below on the castle grounds and around Canterlot in general. Some of them did, in fact, see the flying creature that wanted their attention. She was gliding and circling around the city. So enchanted were they, the bat wings did not startle or frighten them. They were curious, and some—even hopeful of the spell's promise.

Listen well ponies, heed my call
Bringing a power to share and enthrall
Watch the skies before we join together
When I'm through, you'll be something better

Her sinister laugh could not be heard as clearly as her song could when she began her ascent—still not yet seen by her friends. The vampire flew up, up, and up, ever so high in the sky. At last, the group saw her, but they were still processing what was happening, partly stuck by enchantment and partly stuck by fear.

Taking in the tiny specks of her possible new fledglings, Rainbow Dash started to chuckle in wicked delight. "Now, my loves...brace yourselves...." She began her dive with both forelimbs outstretched in front of her.

Twilight Sparkle at last gasped at the sudden realization. "Get back inside!" she exclaimed, but her words had only just left her mouth when—

BOOM!

Rainbow Dash had successfully done it. Her friends heard the Sonic Rainboom, and they helplessly sought its colors in the sky.

A red hue surrounded it, and it was larger than the last one seen in Cloudsdale—or even what Coco had seen in Ghastly Gorge, but even so...there it was right in front of them.

The red hue descended down from the circles of the rainboom, spreading out magical tendrils towards some of the intrigued and enchanted ponies.

Fluttershy cowered down to the balcony floor, pressing her hooves against her temples. She shivered. "Oh no, we're all going to turn into vampires now."

The other mares stood still and waited for the worst.

Seconds passed.

The red hue was gone and seemingly skipped Canterlot Tower entirely.

"We're...not?" Rarity realized.

Pinkie Pie clapped and gestured emphatically to the night air. "Yes, take that Suri! In your evil face!"

Applejack let out a relieved sigh.

"So, it didn't work?" Spike asked the others.

"Perhaps not on us, but I can't say the same for the rest of her audience," Coco informed them.

Dread filled them in place of their relief at these words.

"You mean to say it did work?" Luna inquired.

Coco sighed. "I mean to say everyone here is possibly immune. If you wish to know the answer, simply watch the other ponies below. It took an hour for Rainbow's to start, but Suri may have sped up the spell. I suspect these vampires will be of a different caliber than Rainbow Dash herself."

The group nervously peered over the balcony and saw some alarming signs. Hints of red glow on some eyes, ponies rubbing at their mouths, and some pegasi had collapsed with their wings blinking between feathered and bat-like. Not every single body was transforming, but it was still enough to be a concerning problem.  Those who were not transforming were definitely apprehensive and confused. One even screamed though no vampire had struck or bitten them yet.

"Oh no..." Fluttershy uttered.

"How come we're alright then?" Applejack asked the others.

"Because Rainbow's still connected to her Element," Spike said happily. It was a guess but a good one. He was sure as he could be on the matter.

"That explains those of us with Elements, certainly, but what of you, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna?" Rarity asked. "I can understand Coco since she already is a vampire." The white unicorn blinked. "Unless...would magic like that put you under Suri's control again?"

Coco became thoughtful. "Theoretically, it could, but I do not sense any such change in me. Remember, her taking Rainbow is my punishment. As for Spike, he is a child. He is definitely immune. The princesses might be immune by virtue of being alicorns or such a transformation may take longer."

"What do you think, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked. "Do you feel any different?"

Celestia blinked thoughtfully. "No," she finally answered.

"Nor I," Luna added.

"I'm afraid that will have to do for now," Celestia decided.

"Good thing we've got our Elements ready then," Pinkie Pie remarked with a determined nod.

The other friends nodded too.

"But what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked them. "Do we look for Rainbow Dash and Suri or do we umm....do something about the ponies turning into vampires? Can we do something about that? It looks like they're at least not attacking other ponies right now."

"No time like the present to find out," Twilight said with a determined tone. "Come on girls, let's do it!"

"Um, Twilight," Spike said, tapping at her forelimb.

She blinked and followed where he pointed.

A familiar figure could be seen, silhouetted by the moonlight before she dove at the group

Everyone cleared out of the way, trying to avoid her possibly striking them.

They succeeded and watched as she rushed into the tower hall, not looking at them or addressing them at all.

"Rainbow Dash!" Coco exclaimed. Her fledgling companion had not even met her eyes or stopped for her at all.

"After her!" Luna commanded the group.

They all followed.

Their vampire friend stood near the end of the aisle where the Elements themselves had been retrieved. She waited with her bat wings flared up and ready.

The chest with her Loyalty necklace still in it was not far from her. Rainbow Dash herself sensed it but let it be. Instead, she merely kept staring at her friends.

Those who had felt the brunt of her attack earlier that day stood for a moment in frozen terror at the sight of those powerful red eyes once more.

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight finally brought herself to say.

"Rainbow, my love, I'm so sorry!" Coco immediately said after as she ran close to the fledgling. "I didn't know Suri—"

"Stop right there!" Rainbow commanded her.

Coco stopped and swallowed, keeping careful watch of the creature. Rainbow Dash looked the same as her standard vampire form, but Coco knew in her heart that her fledgling belonged to Suri now.

"I know," she replied plainly. " Apology accepted, but I have work to do. We must wait for Suri and some of my new fledglings," she explained.

"We will do no such thing," Luna sternly replied to that. "My little ponies, the time to act is now!"

"Coco, get her Element!" Twilight yelled.

Coco blinked and ran for it, but Rainbow Dash suddenly stood in her way. The younger vampire gave a firm flap of her bat wings, shoving Coco further back through a strong gust of wind.

With a determined frown, Celestia used her magic to grab the necklace herself and guided it to Coco Pommel.

Rainbow Dash made no further move against the group. She remembered full well Suri had forbidden her from attempting to try and touch the necklace on her own, as an extra precaution.

The older vampire took it and put it on her neck.

"Now what?" she quickly asked.

The other ponies wearing the Elements of Harmony readied themselves, and she watched them to figure out what to do. The magic on each gem of each other necklace and lone crown began to charge, but Loyalty remained dormant despite Coco's best efforts. The group did not have long to dwell on this fact as Rainbow Dash smirked, then shot forth straight at Luna. Celestia saw her trajectory and stepped in front, to act as a shield.

The agile vampire shot up above her, then back down in arc before swiping Luna's crown from her head. She looked back at the night princess with a mischievous smile. "Heh heh, gonna have to catch me first!" she taunted and flew out of the tower hall to the dismay of the others.

Luna furrowed her brow and immediately chased after the vampire.

The other ponies and lone young dragon followed them both.

The sky blue vampire led them on. With her bat wings aiding her, she veered right, then left, then right again, all the way into the hedge maze.

Celestia tried to use her magic to catch the creature in a magical grip but received a tiny shock for her efforts. Luna tried as well and received the same. Rarity knew better than to bother. Twilight attempted a grip too. While she did not receive an electric shock for her effort, the aura quickly dissipated as Rainbow Dash flew right through it with ease.

Her friends thought they would lose her trail, but her rainbow blur followed her wherever she went. She was so close yet always just out of reach, as if on purpose.

To their surprise, she led them through numerous zigzags only to come out of the hedge maze once more.

"This is ridiculous!" Rarity said between panting breaths as they sprinted after her.

"I'm starting to think she's playing with us," Pinkie Pie added.

Twilight Sparkle skidded to a stop, and the others skidded too after after they realized she had stopped.

They all waited to see what the vampire would do. Rainbow immediately swished their way. "Here you go," she said as she placed Luna's crown back on the alicorn's head. "Thanks for that. How about the other princess?" A quick swipe just above Celestia's head, and she was off again with the white alicorn's crown.

Celestia held out her forelimb to stop the others from giving chase this time.

They watched as the sky blue vampire flew away.

As she was almost out of view, Spike ran after her.

"Spike!" Twilight called out to him.

"We can't let her out of our sight!" he paused to turn around and point at her before he kept going.

"I'm with the dragon!" Coco exclaimed and ran to catch up to him.

Rarity sighed, and Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes.

"We best not leave those two on their own," Applejack said. "Not with Suri out here somewhere."

She and the rest reluctantly resumed their chase. They were near the castle lobby when Rainbow Dash promptly returned the crown, smirked at them, and flew inside the castle itself.

"Be ready for anything," Twilight warned the group as they followed the vampire's path to the already open doors.

There, they finally saw Suri herself, standing and waiting across the lobby at the bottom steps. She looked at them with a wicked and pleased smile. "At long last..." she said to them. Rainbow Dash stood in her standard vampire form to Suri's right with a neutral expression.

"Twilight," Fluttershy whispered timidly.

Twilight looked over to her pegasus friend and followed a pointing forehoof to see that a fair number of other ponies lined either side of the lobby. Their red eyes and occasional bat wings made it obvious who they were.

Luna pressed a hoof to her forehead and sighed in annoyance with herself. "She was amassing her forces during our chase."

"Suri Polomare, as ruler of Equestria, I must ask you to stand down," Celestia noted with careful warning in her voice.

Suri thoughtfully glanced at the floor for a moment, then up at the white alicorn once more with a smirk and wicked amber eyes. "Your request is denied. I want you, and I will have you. You will be fierce and beautiful and frightening, and I will love you for it."

Celestia gulped, finding herself eerily attracted to the wicked promise. She even found the other mare herself to be those things. Even so... "Then you leave me no choice."

She started to charge magic in her horn, and it lit to bright golden glow...then....powered down. "What?" Her mouth hung open in shock, as did her companions.

"Allow me," Luna offered. Like her sister, her magic charged, lit brightly...then...powered down as well.

"Tch tch tch, my my," Suri said. "What ever could have caused that?"

"What did you do?" Celestia asked sternly.

"I did so, so much," Suri told her with a sly smile. A quick stroke of her mane, and Spike was suddenly pulled toward her like a magnet, seemingly by his neck. "Or rather, he did."

The magic plopped him down right beside her, and the others widened their eyes at suddenly being able to see the collar on his neck.

"You see, these spikes have different functions. Okay? Combined with a special potion, one of them makes the collar invisible and intangible and well...for him, forgettable. Another prevents anyone taking it off. Another is a tracking device and spy window, you might say. I could know where he was at all times while activating magic on my end to watch all of you. Another one disables his fire against one of my vampires. One has been working to turn him into my servant. It should be ready right about now," Suri noted.

Spike gulped but nodded solemnly.

"Not like Rainbow Dash here mind you. He is a child, so my options were limited. He is more of a spy and assistant. He won't be setting any of you on fire in my name.

"And this one...this last one has been lowering your defenses, weakening your magic, making you more susceptible to my magic. Like a slow, slow poison you could not possibly notice. It helped draw him to you as well."

Celestia gulped nervously and in silent horror.

"You're an alicorn after all...which is why Luna has been affected in the same way."

"No," Celestia uttered.

"So that's why your magic doesn't work. I dare say both the unicorns in your group can't use theirs either," Suri noted.

Twilight Sparkle and Rarity instantly tried it only to realize in horror that Suri was right.

"I suppose I should also mention that there was a purpose to Rainbow Dash stealing your crowns too," Suri added. A wicked gleam in her eye made the alicorns that much more nervous. "I couldn't very well have you notice your weakened state just yet." The sorceress looked over to Rainbow and gave a little nod in the direction of the others.

In a flash, Rainbow Dash took off, shoved Celestia to the floor, and bucked Luna in the opposite direction. "Now!" the sky blue vampire shouted.

Immediately, a number of other vampire ponies piled onto the night alicorn. "Celestia!" Luna called out. She felt physically weak now too. She could push back on the other vampires a little but not much—definitely not enough to reach her sister anytime soon.

"Now you're ready for me..." Suri announced with an evil smile.
> Chapter 7 - Breaking Through
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From where Suri Polomare stood, Celestia had been pushed far to Suri's right and Luna toward the other end on Suri's left.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight started to run up to the fallen alicorn, but Rainbow Dash stood in the way with her bat wings flared, ready to pounce.

The sky blue vampire hissed and bared her fangs.

The vicious display and fierce red eyes were enough to make Twilight Sparkle pause in fear.

Coco and the other friends remained where they were as they watched the scene unfold.

"Use...the...Elements of Harmony..." Celestia muttered, and she closed her light magenta eyes. She opened them again a second later. She was still conscious but barely, weakened by Suri's magic in her prized pet vampire and now dragon too.

Rainbow didn't wait for the others to try the Elements again and shoved Twilight back to the center of the lobby before shooting up into the air. Twilight frowned, ready to try and use her magic in some way, forgetting it was useless at the moment. She suddenly realized that at least two other vampires stood at her side, ready to keep her away from their master.

Luna was still struggling from across the lobby with a notable group piling on her to keep her away from Celestia. Twilight suspected the plan was much the same for her and the others.

One of the nearby fledglings shot her with a blast of magic from their still working unicorn horn.

"Gah!" Twilight shrieked and fell back several feet.

Still more fledglings found their way to the rest of the group. They shoved or grabbed the other mares, quickly separating them to different parts of the lobby, notably away from the fallen Celestia.

Coco Pommel was too fast for them as she galloped through.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash quickly dove at Applejack, who had managed to stay closest to the lobby's front doors. The earth pony braced herself for a strong impact or a grab that never came. The vampire just missed her. "What the—?" Applejack muttered. "Thought your aim was better than that Rainbow!" she yelled up at the creature.

Rainbow smirked back at her. It was a very brief moment of eye contact, but it was enough to hold Applejack, to let the killing vision from earlier that day briefly surface in the orange mare's mind. I've got you right where I want you, my friend, the vampire told her telepathically and maliciously, stunning Applejack even further.

The moment of eye contact ended as Rainbow Dash turned her attention to the rest of the scene. The fledglings were to overwhelm her friends in number, and she was to generally assist them as necessary between it all. She was aware of where Coco was going, but Coco wore the necklace Rainbow had been forbidden to touch. Plus, the young vampire knew Coco's power against Suri was very limited, especially so long as Loyalty remained dormant on the mare's neck.

As Applejack felt released from the gaze, she sneered. They needed to stop Rainbow Dash! Or get her back or something! The orange mare readied a lasso despite knowing Rainbow's strength, but she also found a group of vampires surround her—no doubt what Rainbow meant in her telepathic message. One of those fledglings took a quick bite at her tail and stared up at her with a glint of evil in their red eyes.

Applejack found the sight unsettling by nature of what it even was, but she took quiet notice of the fact that those red eyes were not nearly as powerful or as scary as those that belonged to the creature's master. They could not hold her as Rainbow Dash had just done or make Applejack picture her own death. She gasped at a realization and swiped at the vampire with a forehoof.

The vampire cringed with a tiny yelp and grabbed their muzzle in pain. They shook it off and stared at Applejack with a careful, predatory glare.

"Y'all...these vampires aren't as strong as Rainbow Dash herself!" Applejack called out to the others in hopes they could still somehow hear her. "Kinda like what Coco was telling us, that they might be different."

"Noted!" Rarity replied in a yell as she bucked one away.

Rainbow Dash dove at her next and gave the unicorn a solid thwack on the horn. 

"Ugh," Rarity commented. "You ruffian! Get back here!" She called out, shaking her forehoof in annoyance.

Rainbow Dash was happy to oblige, keeping a friend's attention off Suri and Celestia. She darted down and hovered in front of Rarity. "Yes?" she asked with bright red, mocking eyes.

The white unicorn fumed up at her. "Rainbow Dash, we are trying to help you. Can't you stop being such a horrible beast?"

At that, the vampire suddenly frowned. "No," Rainbow replied with a more serious tone. She spun once and threw a furious kick with her right hind leg into Rarity's face, sending the unicorn flying across the lobby by a group of eager fledglings, not far from the pile on top of Luna.

"I suppose I should have expected that," Rarity muttered to herself irritably, shaking her head, as she began to fend off the surrounding creatures.

Rainbow Dash was off again, darting about the air of the lobby. Fluttershy tried to follow her in her flight but found it incredibly difficult to keep up with the fast friend, especially between other bat ponies blocking her way. She finally tried to guess where Rainbow Dash was going and met those terrifying red eyes with her own Stare. "Rainbow Dash, you have to stop!" she commanded sternly, just as she had to Suri earlier in the day.

A faint glimmer of hope sparked in the yellow pegasus as Rainbow Dash did stop. However, those powerful red eyes stared back and held Fluttershy in turn. A sickening, horrible snap replayed itself slowly in Fluttershy's head—it sounded so real and so close. The day's earlier killing vision formed into her mind, far more vivid than its first turn. A wicked smile crept upon Rainbow Dash's face. "I'm afraid that won't work me on the way you hope, Fluttershy." She seemed to disappear amidst a rainbow blur before grabbing the yellow pegasus from behind and diving straight for the floor.

Fluttershy gasped in horror at the swiftness of it all. She prepared for the worst, expecting to hit that that floor, and found they took a sudden turn to barrel themselves into Pinkie Pie who had been shooting other vampires away with her party cannon. The impact knocked the pink mare down.

Rainbow immediately picked up the cannon and smashed it over their heads, breaking it into several, small useless pieces. "Party's over!" she taunted with a wicked snarl. Some shards made their way to her fledglings, but the creatures brushed them off, unbothered.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. She immediately galloped up to her friend, but Rainbow Dash was ready.

The sky blue vampire had stretched out a forelimb that Pinkie Pie did not stop against in time, knocking the pink mare down yet again as Pinkie Pie's neck struck the strong limb.

"Later!" Rainbow said with an evil smile. She picked up Fluttershy and flew low to the ground before shooting up and dropping her off into another group of waiting fledglings, further up the stairs of the lobby.

Pinkie Pie began to recover, rubbing her neck in pain. "She seems even more evil now," she muttered sadly.

During all the commotion, Suri used her portal and beckoned Spike to follow her. She used it as a simple teleport to where Celestia had fallen. Coco stood protectively by the alicorn, eyeing them both.

"Let Rainbow Dash and Spike go!" Coco demanded with fierce red eyes. They could not compel Suri, but that did not stop Coco from trying. "Let them all go."

Suri saw the attempt from her precious first vampire's red yes. She also saw the determination Coco had for her fledgling especially. Sweet and endearing as Suri found it, she quickly gave a whistle. Two bat ponies were there in no time and began to carry Coco away. "Keep her away from Rainbow Dash," Suri called out to them. They each nodded. Coco heard the command all too well, and that gave her an idea. She just needed the right opening, the right timing—something.

The wicked sorceress turned to look down at Spike by her side. "You just wait right here with me, my little pet dragon," she whispered gently to him. "You'll protect her for me, won't you?"

Spike's clawed fingers nervously tapped at a couple of the spikes on his collar. He was annoyed at how good and comforting the touch felt, but he still did it. He nodded in compliance and sat just behind Celestia's withers, keeping watch between his new master and the ensuing fight among his friends.

Suri's eyes glowed white as she placed both her forehooves on Celestia's necklace. The young dragon understood enough to realize that Suri was using magic on the powerful alicorn that was going to take time despite the magic already at work on his collar. The sorceress herself would be busy. No wonder she had Rainbow Dash and the other vampires keeping his friends busy in the meantime.

The young dragon was stuck in Suri's commanding magical grip,  just like Rainbow Dash was now. He had to hope that somehow, his other friends would figure out a way to break through it all.

To his relief, they had seemed to slowly but surely group themselves together despite the swarming vampire's best efforts. Both Applejack and Rarity had fought their way closer to where Twilight was, still in the center and closest to him, Suri, and Celestia overall.

Twilight herself started to sprint toward him, but Rainbow Dash swooped down and shoved her back again with a vicious hiss before she was off again, heading for Rarity.

"What do we do? What do we do?!" Fluttershy screamed out from the top of the stairs where she was doing her best to simply leave the jabs, swipes, and bites of the nearby fledglings. They only wished to keep her busy and away, not strike her too hard.

Rarity was close enough to her hear. "Use your stare, darling!" She dodged Rainbow's latest dive at her.

Fluttershy gulped. "It won't work on Rainbow Dash! She made me relive the killing vision—only worse!"

The sky blue vampire smirked to herself at that. She was listening to it all without a word.

"Not her! Suri!" Pinkie Pie yelled. She was slowly making her way to the center with her other friends as well.

At that, Rainbow Dash scowled and looked over to where Suri was. The maker, Spike, and Celestia had the proper distance necessary from the current battle. Her fledglings were keeping Fluttershy busy enough too.

Luna was still piled on against a notable number of vampires and had no words to give. She could only hear their muffled voices.

"It won't work long enough or strong enough on Suri either!" Fluttershy yelled to them.

Another smirk played on Rainbow's lips upon hearing such words. She kept herself looking busy as she swiped at Pinkie Pie and seemed to miss. The pink mare ducked with a nervous gasp.

Coco struggled free of the two bat ponies carrying her. Yes. That might work. She fell to the ground but quickly stood herself upright, as her body healed itself from the impact. "Do it!" she yelled. "I'll make it enough! I know what to do now!"

A nervous loud pulse of an inner heartbeat resounded in the fiber of Rainbow's being at those words. She twitched in place for a moment, and none of her friends saw it. They were too focused on forming their plan. Rainbow then kept flying and dived down for a quick circle around Applejack and Twilight.

Fluttershy scanned the air and the bat ponies nearby, including Rainbow Dash herself. "I need a way to get to her!"

The sky blue vampire's ears flicked upon hearing this latest part of the scheme forming.

"On it!" Applejack said, recovering herself from Rainbow's latest go at her. "Get yourself in the air, then brace yourself, Fluttershy! You're going for a ride!"

As she readied her lasso, Rainbow Dash dove for her again. Pinkie Pie hopped up as high as she could, aided by Twilight holding out a forelimb for the lift. That helped knocking Pinkie's full body into the creature and slowed the vampire just enough.

The lasso grabbed Fluttershy around her barrel, and she was thrust vigorously in the desired direction.

Fluttershy crashed into the sorceress, knocking Suri down. Spike's fingers flexed in place, but he had no time to figure out what to do in response to it all. Suri shook her head to gather her bearings before Fluttershy met her eyes.

"Make them all stop," Fluttershy told her firmly. No command other than that.

It was all she needed.

"Stop," Suri uttered quietly. Despite such a low volume, they heard her. The vampire soldiers settled down and turned their heads to the staring contest.

Luna finally found some relief and pushed her way out to fly up into the air toward her sister.

Rainbow Dash was the only vampire to not stop as she rocketed off of Pinkie Pie and toward her maker.

Pinkie Pie galloped after her. "Don't let her get to Fluttershy!" she yelled to the others.

Luna paused in her flight to switch trajectory and aim for Rainbow Dash. She slammed her hooves into Rainbow and sent the vampire flying toward a ready Applejack.

The momentary stop had given the other mares the chance they needed too. They had seized that chance to close in even further to where Celestia lay.

Applejack stared at the incoming Rainbow Dash hard, putting her forehooves out in front. Rainbow rammed into her, and they both fell. Twilight Sparkle charged and thrust her horn into the vampire's barrel. The unicorn winced in guilt, afraid of any kind of injury she might cause. There was no need as the wound was quickly healing itself.

Rarity soon joined her as they both pinned the creature's forelimbs to the floor. Applejack scrambled from their fall to pin the barrel too. Pinkie Pie flung herself over the creature's hind legs to help pin her down all the more. Luna landed. She found she was not necessary to keep the creature down so simply guarded the entire group, waiting just in case Rainbow Dash somehow escaped them.

Gritting her sharp teeth, the vampire struggled. "Let me go! I need to...Boss...." she seethed. Strong as her vampirism had made her, four of her friends were too much in that moment.

Coco ran up to the group.

At that, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "No! Not that! Keep it away! I'm not allowed—"

"You are!" Luna insisted. She knew the words would do no good, but it was all she could think to offer.

The sky blue vampire wasn't given more time to fight them off or figure out what to do. Coco arrived all too quickly and placed the Loyalty necklace on her fledgling's neck.

The struggling immediately ceased.

The vampire's eyes glowed completely white, and a huge column of furious power and white light erupted around her. The force from that power flung other mares off her. Luna was shoved a bit back as well. Coco shielded her eyes, barely able to see and hardly able to stand amidst it all.

Wind began to whirl furiously around the creature.

Fluttershy could hold her Stare no longer. She clenched her eyes shut and grimaced as the wind threw her into a tornado and off in Luna's direction.

All the while, Suri sat still, not stuck in Fluttershy's Stare but something else entirely. She felt the strong spell she had on Rainbow Dash finally sever, like a sharp scissor cutting an unusually taut string. The sorceress took a lot damage from that cut, and she screamed a loud, horrifying, blood-curdling scream of agony.

Spike shook his head as he felt himself freed of her control too. He immediately tore the collar off his neck but gulped as he eyed it in careful fear. He could not reflect on that long, for he had to shield himself as Coco did from the immense harmonic power at work. He squinted at Celestia who was breathing with still light magenta eyes that could barely stand to be open. He wanted badly to seek out Twilight Sparkle or Luna for help, but he was overwhelmed from the power still shooting up like a beacon from Rainbow Dash.

The sky blue vampire was not screaming like Suri, but she could do nothing as the power engulfed her.

Rainbow's own fledglings shielded their eyes from the light and grit their sharp teeth. A shockwave shot out from the core of their master. They could still feel their connection to her, but they could feel an immense shift in their magic, being released from Suri as well.

Coco trudged forward through the power, making her way to her precious companion and held Rainbow Dash tight in an embrace. "I'm here now my love!" she yelled.

"Coco!" was all Rainbow Dash could yell back with her still glowing white eyes.

As Suri's scream ended, the column of light dissipated. The wind settled. The fledglings themselves collapsed into a pleasant sleep. Everything went still.

Spike took a few panting breaths, then took a quick chance to crawl up to Suri's fallen figure and feel around her mane for the dangerous magical hair pins. He grabbed every single one he could find.

Rainbow Dash pawed at her neck with a hoof, feeling her own mind and heart realign. She took a few panting breaths too and sighed in relief. Her red eyes faded into magenta, and her wings returned to feathered, finally by her own will.

Her other friends galloped up to the scene. Luna swiftly flew over to Celestia's side.

"Rainbow Dash!" Coco pulled away with a bright smile. Her eyes flashed red in her delight.

"Coco! Oh, Coco!" Rainbow moaned, hugging her back without hesitation. "I couldn't..."

"I know, my love, I know. I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know she could resurrect herself or would be able to use our connection to control you," Coco replied.  "We all know she trapped you with her magic. We know she used you."

"But I..."

"Shhh shhh shhh....you're back with us now, aren't you?"

"Yeah," the pegasus said with slight hesitance, feeling her necklace, afraid to be too optimistic or hopeful just yet.

"Hey, I'm sorry to ruin the big moment," Spike told them from where he sat by Celestia. "But we have a big problem still. Here, I at least got Suri's hairpins."

"Allow me to examine them," Luna offered.

Rainbow Dash darted over to him and looked at Celestia, then his thrown collar. She took a deep breath. "Okay....let me think..." She immediately swished over to Suri. "Suri!"

"Hush!" Luna ordered her. "We do not want her awake yet."

Rainbow had already shaken the sorceress, but Suri did not respond. Rainbow put her head to Suri's chest and heard a heartbeat. The maker was weakened but not dead. The vampire ever so briefly considered killing the wicked mare but pushed that thought aside. It seemed an unlikely solution with knowing Suri could self-resurrect.

"What do we do?" Applejack asked. "Can them things to fix her up?" she wondered, referring to the collected hairpins.

Luna was still eyeing them all and answered, "No, it seems they are useless and dormant, tied to her own consciousness."

Spike pulled them away and clutched them tightly nonetheless.

"I should think we could use all our Elements together now," Rarity suggested to the whole group.

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, that will do a lot, even cure the vampires. Maybe even cure Coco and Rainbow Dash."

"Whoa, what?!" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Is that a problem?" Luna inquired.

Before Rainbow could answer that, Coco put a comforting hoof to her shoulder. "They mainly mean the others, who do need a cure, my love. We are different than your fledglings."

"Suri used you against your will to make them after all. You don't want them to stay vampires, do you, darling?" Rarity asked.

"No, but I..." Rainbow Dash hesitated.

Coco held her hoof. "We might change back too. We might not. They are different, right?"

"Well, yeah...but Coco, you...you might die for real! Your time passed!" Rainbow argued, fear clear in her eyes and voice.

"Or it might pick up right where it left off. I was a young mare," Coco replied.

"Such is what I would expect of the Elements' power," Luna added.

Rainbow looked at her master worriedly still.

"If we do change back...know that I love you and am so grateful for what we did have, however brief and fleeting it was. Maybe we could still be together as mortals. It could happen—if you don't mind," Coco suggested with a hopeful smile.

With a nervous swallow and a tear streaming down her eye, Rainbow Dash told her friends, "Give us a minute."

They looked at Luna, who nodded in approval. All of them nodded in turn and stepped back, looking away from the two vampire mares. Luna followed suit. Celestia was not recovered, but she was also not getting any worse. The fledglings remained asleep, and Suri remained unconscious. Not only that, she had been stripped of the power in her hairpins.

Rainbow Dash sat with her hooves clasped in Coco Pommel's.

"I have missed you so much," Coco told her.

"Back at ya," Rainbow said. "Sorry about...everything."

"Forgiven," Coco replied without hesitation.

The two sat quietly for a moment.

"This is it, huh?" Rainbow asked her master. "No more blood-drinking for us vampire gals."

"We don't know that for certain," Coco reminded her fledgling. "But just in case it is...I think there is one last special thing we can do for each other."

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow met Coco's eyes, magenta to light cyan.

"We can exchange our blood, my love. Not much and not long, but our last possible taste. It will be...awesome," Coco told her warmly.

Rainbow nodded with a fanged smile. Her bat wings immediately formed, and her eyes lit red. "I'm all for that."

Coco giggled, letting her eyes turn red and fangs take shape too.

Rainbow Dash met her master's eyes. "I want you to know...I love you too. You were kinda weird and scary at first, but....also a real sweetheart in the end. It was a gift. I'm glad for our time together as well. I know I've said it before, but it's still true. Thanks."

"It is also still true that it was my pleasure," Coco replied with a warm smile.

They drew closer to each other's necks and closed their eyes. Each set of fangs bit into the other vampire's neck and drank in the blood, letting their love and vampire magic intertwine. The magic swirled up and in into their heats, briefly emitting a red glow though no one saw it.

"Alright, we're done," Rainbow announced to the others, quickly changing back to her pegasus form. "Let's get this show on the road."

Luna found that her magic had been restored as she telekinetically pulled Spike away from Celestia's figure. "We must clear the way for the others. Rainbow Dash, you have managed to touch Suri without awakening her. Please move her body away from my sister. I will stand guard over it."

Rainbow complied without a word.

Luna and Spike did not move far, just what the night alicorn deemed enough space to give the other mares for using the Elements of Harmony.

With everyone and everything positioned as the group saw best, Twilight Sparkle nodded at Rainbow Dash, as did the other friends. Magic began to charge, then Loyalty, then, Honesty, then Generosity, then Laughter, then Kindness. A large rainbow ribbon of magic twisted itself upward.

The charging process was enough to resonate within Suri's weakened state—and the hairpins in Spike's claws. He felt a sudden piercing sting on his fingers, and the next thing he knew, the pins encircled Celestia's form.

"No!" he called out. Luna heard him and turned her head. Her eyes widened in horror. She tried to grab them with her magic, but all she got in return was a powerful electric zap, flinging her toward a wall, leaving her too disoriented for everything that happened next.

All the while, Suri crawled achingly across the floor. She barely grasped what was happening, but she knew enough to work her way toward Celestia's still fallen figure. She arrived in time to place her pink hooves on Celestia's white coat, and the hair pins each sent a tiny zap of energy before floating themselves back into her mane.

The sorceress called forth her magic to transform the alicorn with what she had left in her, boosted by the magic in the air from the Elements.

The rainbow suddenly turned completely red and shot straight to the pair.

A flash of red swished over the eyes and minds of the ponies wielding the Elements.

"What was that? What just happened?" Fluttershy asked nervously in the air.

"I don't understand," Twilight uttered.

The sleeping fledgling vampires began to awaken from their slumber, but they had not been cured of their new status. Eyes remained red. Bat wings remained intact. None of them flashed any fangs, but the other signs were still there. At the very least, there was no malice in their manner or red eyes. If anything, they looked a little dazed.

Finally...Celestia began to stand.

Her student could not help smiling with a hint of hope, despite the numerous other warning signs. She started to approach the alicorn but then paused. Twilight Sparkle's smile faltered.

The gold plates on Celestia's hooves suddenly sharpened and turned orange, as did her crown. The purple gem in the crown turned red, so like the eyes of Suri's vampire creations. Aurora colors gave way to fire. Eyes opened to reveal gold irises with scleras so dark they could be mistaken for black instead of the dark orange they were.

Suri gazed up at the creature with a happy, satisfied smile. "My prize..."

The transformed alicorn began to laugh. It was a high-pitched and wicked thing, revealing several sharp fangs.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight hesitantly uttered with a hint of fear.

"Celestia?" the tall mare asked back with a sudden scowl. "Celestia is gone," she noted dryly. Then she broke into a wicked grin. "I am Daybreaker!" she announced with wicked fervor, proudly stretching out a forelimb. Her gold eyes quickly scanned the whole of the lobby. "And I see my maker has provided me a most desirable start for my reign of terror." She laughed all that much more.
> Chapter 8 -  Daybreaker
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One of the fledgling vampires ran up to Rainbow Dash, clearly unnerved by the sight of Daybreaker. "Master...what do we do?" they asked.

Rainbow blinked and gulped. "She's dangerous. You...if you want to leave, I won't stop you, but I am staying. I have to see what she does. I'm sure that fire is dangerous so avoid it or put it out as quickly as you can if it reaches you."

The fledgling nodded at that and ran back among the others. The group quickly and quietly spread the word among themselves. Ultimately, they decided to stay. Some were too nervous to chance Daybreaker's attention, others were just as interested as Rainbow, and still others actually wished to protect their master.

Daybreaker knew of the interaction between Rainbow Dash and the fledgling though she was not interested enough to try and listen to the actual words exchanged. The vampires could wait their turn. For now, she had another matter on her mind. The fiery alicorn turned her head over to where Suri lay on the ground with a wicked smile. "My maker...Suri Polomare."

"That I am," Suri replied with a nod, bringing herself to stand as she felt some of her own strength return. "Help me, my child. I am not fully recovered yet."

"Help you?" Daybreaker asked. "How could I possibly help you? I am an agent of destruction now. Such is what you have made me."

Suri smirked at her. "Oh, I'm so sorry that your form came out too weak for that after all. My mistake. What was I thinking? And here I thought the Elements of Harmony would so much for you."

At that, Daybreaker's face twitched. Somehow Suri knew that was the right button to push on her. Two could play that game. The evil alicorn smiled back. "I suppose I could try."

"Sister, don't!" Luna yelled suddenly, having recovered from her fallen position by a wall.

Daybreaker turned around. "Oh...it's you." She spoke with calm contempt. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Sister, you must transform back..." Luna pleaded with her. "You've become like my Nightmare Moon form."

"I know, isn't it great?" Daybreaker replied cheerfully. She went on to to gloat, "Except that I am, of course, much more beautiful and powerful than you ever were in that form." She chuckled wickedly. "Now then...as I was saying..." She turned her attention back to Suri Polomare.

Twilight Sparkle suddenly ran to place herself between Suri and Daybreaker with a determined and defiant look. She said nothing. Fearful tears welled in her eyes.

Daybreaker's muzzle twitched in annoyance, but she said nothing either. With a golden light of her horn, she magically lifted Suri over Twilight and brought the maker's body closer to hers as she began to study the pink mare.

Rainbow Dash watched with careful and curious magenta eyes. She knew something was up, but she did not know exactly how it would all play out just yet. She had a vague idea though. Daybreaker was hateful, and that hate extended to Suri.

The young vampire was not sure if Suri knew that or had such confidence in her magic because she could resurrect herself. The whole situation put Rainbow Dash on edge. She stood ready as she observed the scene, just in case either of the mares turned their attention to her, her friends, or her fledglings. They were not fireproof as she had been. She was not even sure if she still was fireproof. The Elements or time may have undone the status by this point. It was not something she could feel or know in her own essence.

"Rainbow Dash, do something!" Twilight hissed at her, distracting the vampire from her thoughts.

Rainbow grimaced. "Shh!" she said in annoyance.

Twilight was taken aback at that. The gesture actually made Twilight nervous and afraid she had lost her friend to Suri once more. Coco Pommel stepped in view close to Rainbow Dash and looked at Twilight. She also motioned for Twilight to shush with a hoof over her mouth.

Luna watched the two vampires from her place and decided to comply with their line of thinking, to simply be quiet and observe...for now.

The vampire fledglings kept careful, nervous watch...as did the rest of Rainbow's friends, including Twilight Sparkle.

Suri was a little irked by the act of the magical lift, but she otherwise did not resist.

"Ah, yes, of course," Daybreaker noted. Suddenly, numerous golden strands could be seen inside of Suri's body. "Right...here." The alicorn's magic worked at some of the strands and began to tweak them in place here or there. They faded from view. She magically set Suri down onto the floor, standing. "Better?" she asked in a tone that almost sounded sweet and as if she actually cared about the quality of her work.

"Yes, my dear child," Suri replied, brushing off one of her shoulders with a pleased and proud smile. She made two quick strokes of her own mane, recomposing herself.

"Wait, I think I might have missed one," Daybreaker suddenly said and repeated much of the same process though more aggressively. She magically lifted Suri, and the golden strands became visible again. It happened too fast for Suri to try stopping her. The alicorn's magic pulled and tugged at some of the strands.

"S-stop..." Suri uttered. It hurt, and she actually sounded scared.

It was too late. The strands broke.

Suri flinched and hissed in pain.

Her numerous hairpins flew out of her mane, held up momentarily by Daybreaker's magic. They all instantly burned to a crisp, turning into tiny black ashes that fell to the lobby floor.

Suri's amber eyes widened in horror at the scene.

Daybreaker smirked. She pulled hard at one more of the magical golden strands in Suri's essence, tearing it apart viciously with an ever increasing malice in her expression. She dropped the sorceress to the floor. "No more self-resurrection. Almost done with you, dear Maker."

"What did she say?" Rarity uttered quietly among her friends.

Applejack merely put a hoof to her shoulder. "You heard right, Rarity. Still think it's best for us to stay put though."

Rarity nervously gulped.

Coco silently nodded, and the white unicorn reluctantly decided that would have to be enough. Her other friends followed that lead.

Luna at least drew in closer and more protectively to the group, sensing Daybreaker might turn her attention to them soon. Rainbow Dash's eyes quickly darted to her fledglings. They still stood nervously and carefully watching everything like she was. 

Suri suddenly sneered and glared up at the alicorn. "You disobedient little monster. You're broken. It was those blasted Elements, wasn't it?" She hissed. "You will pay for that!"

Daybreaker scoffed. "You have no power over me as you did the vampires. I am more than they ever were, are, or will be." She closed her eyes in her prideful boast.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash sensed something. A call from Suri, maybe? She was not sure, but it was enough for her to quickly shift her magenta eyes and seek out the amber ones of her maker.

Such eyes were ready. Suri glanced over to Rainbow Dash. She was breathing deep pained breaths and frowning, but she winked, then bowed her head as if in defeat.

Rainbow Dash blinked thoughtfully but kept watching. Whatever that meant, it was not a plea for help in the current moment.

The fiery alicorn turned her head over to where Suri lay on the ground, eyeing the sorceress with disdain. She broke into a wicked grin. "Ready to die?"

Suri shook her head. "No...but if you kill me, I've got a plan in place—the payment promised, my child. It's all set."

Daybreaker sneered. "Liar. You are a conniving, creature. I know that much of you. It is you who shall finally pay—with your life."

She flared her large white wings up and suddenly shot out a bout of fire from her mouth, incinerating Suri's body in an instant. All of Rainbow's group of friends looked on in stunned horror. Rainbow Dash herself still watched intently. She actually did care for Suri, but she was not worried about the mare's death as much as the new creation she had left behind.

Rainbow's fledglings watched, horrified too, some with dropped jaws. Others gulped. Their eyes darted the doors. One made a break for it, but they were easily caught in a golden magical aura.

"No, no, no, my pet," Daybreaker said in a condescending tone. "I'll deal with your lot soon enough, and you simply must stay for now. I insist." She threw the vampire pony back into the fray of the others. The nearby fledglings helped the thrown one stand and looked back at Daybreaker.

The wicked alicorn began to laugh and laugh.

"Sister..." Luna's stern voice broke through the air, feeling that with Suri gone, it was time to finally speak.

Daybreaker turned around. "You again? What do you want?"

"Making threats to such innocents. Murder. I was quite angry with the wickedness of that mare too, but you just outright killed her!" Luna exclaimed.

"Hmm, yes, I did, didn't I?" Daybreaker said with as sly smile as she thoughtfully stroked her chin. "It was kinda fun—had a nice taste to it. I am rather looking forward to doing it again. Perhaps you should be next."

Luna grimaced. "I understand what Suri Polomare has done to you, Celestia, but I will defend myself, unlike that mare."

Daybreaker's face twitched in annoyance. "My name is Daybreaker!" the fiery alicorn declared with ferocity, punctuating her words louder as she spoke. She angrily shot a blast of magic at Luna. The  younger alicorn dodged.

"Cease this attack! This change was forced on you!" Luna reminded her.

Daybreaker sneered. "I do not care. I want fire and bloodshed and power! The world is now mine for the taking." She laughed her high-pitched wicked laugh again before grinning wickedly and shooting another three menacing blasts of magic at Luna. She snarled with pleasure.

The night alicorn dodged the first two, but the third struck the side of her stomach, forcing Luna to fall to the floor.

"Alright, that's it!" Rainbow Dash said and flew to right in front of the night alicorn, with her back to Luna and facing Daybreaker. Feathered wings became bat-like. Magenta eyes turned red. Fangs in her mouth took shape. She had quickly taken on her vampire form.

"Well, if it isn't Maker's Pet," Daybreaker said in slow, annoyed disgust. "You do know I'm her favorite, right? If she were still alive that is. You were just the stepping stone to me. Your precious little fledglings are creatures that I can burrrn." Her voice grew ever more monstrous as she spoke before she shot out even more fire from her mouth, aiming for the fledglings.

Some vampires were struck and cried out in pain, rolling themselves on the ground. Others began to run toward the doors of the lobby.

"We need water! Or a fire extinguisher!" Twilight exclaimed to her friends.

Some fledglings paused at that, deciding the suggestion could help them too.

Luna had enough strength and magic left to conjure some to aid the weakened victims.

Even so, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Fluttershy were off to find any nearby aid they could.

Rainbow Dash sneered and forcefully threw her entire body into Daybreaker, shoving the tall mare back some across the floor of the lobby. Orange-plated hooves made a scraping sound as a result.

Daybreaker laughed. "You think you stand a chance against me? A mere vampire?! You may be the master among most of them, but I am an alicorn! An empowered, evil alicorn of fire—your kind's weakness! A monster beyond anything Equestria has ever seen!" She shot out her fire from her mouth again only to see Rainbow Dash pass right through it and throw a right hook at her face.

The strike was enough to stun Daybreaker as she put a hoof up to her cheek.

"I know I do," Rainbow snarled. It had been a gamble, but it paid off. "I'm still fireproof."

"Impossible...it should have worn off by now," Daybreaker uttered.

Rainbow Dash snickered. "Correction then. I'm permanently fireproof."

"What?!" the startled alicorn's wicked demeanor faltered at that news.

"Parting gift from Suri. Now I get it. She did it right after you healed her magic when she stroked her mane," Rainbow explained.

Daybreaker sneered and started to regain herself. "So what? I can still fight you! You're still nothing to me, little vampire, fireproof or not!"

She shot a golden blast of magic, but Rainbow Dash dodged it easily. The sky blue vampire dived and grabbed the alicorn by the neck, clutching tightly around it with her forelimbs. She then flew them both up high into the ceiling of the lobby again. Daybreaker flapped her large wings to try and escape, but Rainbow Dash still held tight. They veered and curved through the air. Like a wayward blue-and-white missile with a trail of rainbow fire, the pair tore through one of the walls to the castle, up into the night air. The hole left behind began to burn, but Luna saw it. She and the others would tend to that too.

With a quick hiss baring her fangs, Rainbow Dash dived back down again, crashing Daybreaker into the ground of the path leading up to the castle. She back-flipped off the larger pony and hovered in the air.

Daybreaker stood back up, hurt but not hurt enough to keep her down. She stared at the challenger with frustration and malice. "You are strong, but so am I." She shot another blast of magic that Rainbow dodged.

"But are you fast?" Rainbow Dash taunted her with a playful waggle of her eyebrows.

Daybreaker snorted. "Of course I am. You dare doubt me?"

"And ponies think I'm arrogant," Rainbow muttered quietly to herself. Then she addressed the evil alicorn with a playful air. "Care to prove it?"

"I hardly think I have to prove myself to the likes of you," Daybreaker replied with conceit and disdain.

Still hovering, Rainbow thoughtfully replied, "Maybe not, but are you really going to pass up the chance? You talk big, but I was the one who just rammed you into the ground just now. The 'mere vampire', remember?"

Daybreaker growled. "Grrrrrr..."

"Well?" Rainbow goaded.

"You want a race, you puny little creature. You can have a race!" Daybreaker fumed up at her. "The castle garden. Discord's statue and back. Now!"

The two shot off, leaving a trail of rainbow colors and fire.

Inside the castle lobby, Coco turned her head toward the doors. "Rainbow Dash, what are you...?"

"What is it, Coco?" Twilight asked.

Coco sighed. "I'm going out there to keep an eye on things. Those two just left the area for a race."

"A race?" an annoyed Applejack asked her.

"They're coming back," Coco noted.

"Perhaps you should accompany Coco while we tend to the fire and fledglings here," Rarity suggested. "Best be ready when those mares return."

Coco nodded in agreement.

Applejack sighed. "Yeah, alright." She joined Coco as they walked out of the castle.

"I can't believe those two are racing at a time like this. Doesn't Rainbow Dash know what's at stake here?" Applejack grumbled.

"I've been wondering the same thing," Coco answered. "Maybe there's a logic to it. This race keeps Daybreaker busy instead of killing off her fledglings or other ponies or Spike."

"Yeah, but it's not like a race is gonna last long enough to do much," Applejack muttered.

"It might. I might not. We're having the time to talk now after all. What would you have her do instead?"

"Bring back Celestia with the Elements of Harmony!"

They both paused at the realization of a possible opening thanks to the time granted to them, but then...Coco grimaced. "I'm not sure that's an option with how Suri used their magic to make her."

Applejack gulped at that thought, but it was still something she was willing to try. She quickly went back inside to suggest the idea to her friends.

Not far from where Coco and Applejack had spoken with each other, Daybreaker ripped through the air, flying just above the patches of grass leading to the castle garden. Her flames did not touch their surface, leaving the area intact for now. She was deeply annoyed at the sight of a sky blue bat pony flying upside down alongside her with a smug smile. The red gem glinted in the moonlight, seeming to taunt her. "Thought you were fast," Rainbow said with a playful waggle of her eyebrows.

She suddenly picked up speed and passed Daybreaker altogether. It did not take her long to find her target. The sky blue vampire gave a little tap to the statue before using a forehoof on Discord's goat horn to swing herself around and take off back to the castle. She felt a slight pulse in the lightning bolt of her necklace, but given how slight it was, she did not find it at all concerning. Discord remained encased in stone.

Daybreaker glared, but she made sure to give the statue a tap too, with enough force to knock thing down to the ground. It did not break or suffer any damage. Like Rainbow Dash, she felt a slight pulse in the gem on her necklace and like Rainbow Dash, she ignored it. It was slight and weak, and she was the most powerful thing in existence. Discord was still in his stone prison. Even if he somehow escaped, that would just give her some other powerful creature to kill later. She paid it no mind and silently fumed at her main enemy for the moment, the one causing the rainbow trail ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash arrived with Daybreaker extremely close behind her. The vampire tapped a hoof to the castle lobby doors. "I win!" she said happily, congratulating herself.

To her surprise, her friends looked up at her with ready positions. She quickly figured out that Spike, Luna, and her fledglings were still in the castle lobby. The Elements of Harmony, Coco suggested to her telepathically.

Rainbow smiled at the idea. She remained hovering by the lobby doors. Each gem began to charge. The usual rainbow ribbon did not form. Instead, there was a thick solid white beam that aimed for Daybreaker as she drew closer. However, the fiery alicorn was protected by some kind of force-field, denying their power.

"What?" Fluttershy uttered in horror.

"Oh no," Applejack murmured.

"Now what do we do?" Pinkie Pie asked her friends.

"This is horrible," Rarity noted.

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight said in a deeply sad voice. "How are we going to get her back now?"

"I'll figure it out!" Rainbow said to them with a determined look.

Daybreaker huffed as she descended to the ground. "So much for that idea," she said to the group before she looked up and scowled at Rainbow Dash. "I don't need to be fast as you can see. I am Daybreaker! Ruler of Equestria. I have all the power I need to get rid of anypony who stands in my way, including you." She charged her horn again, only to have Rainbow Dash swoop in and give the horn a quick swipe.

"You sure about that?" the vampire asked with another taunt.

Daybreaker tried to grab her with a telekinetic grip but received an electric shock for her efforts. "What?!"

Rainbow smirked at her. "Maybe you're not so powerful after all or I'm more powerful than you think. Maybe Suri gave me a few boosts before we set out to transform you. She could be generous in her own twisted way, you know."

Daybreaker snarled. "I will defeat you, Sis-" she caught herself.

The vampire chuckled. "Is that it? You think I'm like your big sister that you have to outdo with how Suri made each of us and then used me to create you?  Big Sis just beat you in a race."

"No!" Daybreaker denied immediately. "You are nothing but a tiny ant that I will squash." She lifted herself from the ground, flapping her large white wings as she began to hover in the air. "You might be fireproof, but your pony friends and fledglings are not."

Another monstrous bout of fire shot from her mouth straight for Coco Pommel.

Rainbow saw the target and swiftly swooped down in time to pick up Coco. They moved clear of the shot. The fire landed on a nearby tree and began to burn.

"Oh no!" Applejack uttered. She and the others immediately went back into the lobby.

Daybreaker did not stop there. Fire swirled around her body as she laughed. Rainbow Dash immediately set Coco down, then flew towards Daybreaker and rammed her forehooves into the alicorn's side, but the fire shot forth nonetheless at some grass.

Coco gulped and fearfully backed away from the flames.

Canterlot was burning, and its ruler did not care. Instead, she grinned. "That's more like it, but I think we need something with a little more oomph."

Instead of going for Coco, she glanced into the castle lobby and grabbed two of the closest fledglings she could find, then tossed them into the burning tree nearby.

Fsfwwshhhhhh A white mist covered them as Pinkie Pie sprayed a fire extinguisher over their bodies and the tree itself.

Luna and company arrived not long after, doing their best to put out the other flames before more of Canterlot took damage from it all.

The whole thing annoyed the fiery monster. "They're in the way," she muttered to herself. Her gold eyes darted about, assessing her options. She spotted Coco again, but she knew she needed a little something more, something extra to delay and distract Rainbow Dash just enough.

Eyeing the fledgling vampires and Rainbow's other friends, Daybreaker smirked to herself. "But they're also leverage." Her horn lit with its magical golden glow as she lifted them all.

Luna grit her teeth and did her best to use her magic to pull them back to herself. Unfortunately for her, the force was too much. Just as she had experienced against Suri's magic before, a strong electric magic  zapped her. She was once again immobilized for the time being.

Rainbow's eyes widened, and she inhaled nervously. Coco's eyes widened too.

With a wicked smile, Daybreaker flew even further into the city of Canterlot, carrying the numerous pony bodies with her.

The two vampires followed. Rainbow's own fledglings inside the castle lobby sensed their master's apprehension, and some led the others out to see what was happening.

Satisfied with her location above an empty street with some buildings, Daybreaker waited for Rainbow Dash.

The sky blue vampire arrived and hovered with nervous breaths before the fiery alicorn. Galloping hooves on the ground announced Coco's arrival to the scene.

"Well now," the evil alicorn said. "I've got friends and fledglings with me. If I drop them, you cannot possibly save them all—fast as you are, dear Sis—I mean, you pathetic creature. You'll have to choose. And of course, then there's your own master below." She laughed her energetic high-pitched wicked laugh. "So vulnerable. Let's see what you do."

Rainbow Dash gulped. Daybreaker was right. Fluttershy could fly. Twilight might be able to use her magic to soften any fall, same as Rarity, but she could not assume they would. Not to mention Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Coco might be able to grab one or two of them in time unless Daybreaker grabbed her too fast.

Daybreaker smiled with ever wicked gold eyes as she released her magical grip on the entire group.

They fell—and just as Daybreaker released them, she grabbed a nearby Coco Pommel in her magic.

Desperate tears in her eyes, Rainbow Dash swooped down in arc She thought one powerful, pleading thought to everything happening. HELP!!!

She suddenly sensed some other magic at work and scanned the area.

A large red magical aura surrounded her friends and the two fledglings. Rainbow's lips parted in awe. How? She was no unicorn. Her eyes shifted about until she remembered to look down. There, several of her own unicorn fledglings stood, smiling proudly, as they gently guided their previous saviors to the ground with them.

"Rainbow Dash!" a soft voice pleaded, drawing the sky blue vampire's attention away from the relief.

Rainbow Dash nervously looked around. That was Coco's voice—in pain, but Coco was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Daybreaker. The vampire grimaced and took a deep breath.

"They went that way," one of her fledglings informed her and pointed even further into the city.

Rainbow nodded and set off.

She soon found Daybreaker standing on a platform of gold magic, and the vampire was horrified. Not only was Coco in the alicorn's magical grip, but the powerful monster was doing just what she had done to Suri with the golden strands of magic. Rainbow knew she was probably planning to mess with them and make Coco Pommel mortal once more, just to kill her afterwards.

"No!" Rainbow uttered to herself in fear.

She did not wait or think of anything except to fly as fast as she could and push Daybreaker with all the force she had in her. It was even enough to make another Rainboom that night. The alicorn had not expected Rainbow's arrival so soon and was too shocked to respond. The jolt was enough to break Coco free from the magic.

Coco fell, and Rainbow quickly grabbed her master. She flew away from the wicked alicorn as fast as she could. Cradling Coco in her forelimbs, the younger vampire asked nervously, "Did she...?"

"No," Coco replied. "You got there just in time," She smiled a sweet, grateful smile. "Thanks, Precious, for being my hero."

Rainbow blushed. Before she could think of what to say, she sensed and dodged a blast of golden magic. "Dang it. That mare just does not let up. Sorry, my love, but I've got to take care of this."

Coco giggled, touched at the chosen moment for such words. "Okay."

A couple of bat ponies were approaching, and Rainbow passed Coco to them. "Please look after her. I'll  handle Daybreaker."

They quietly nodded.

Rainbow Dash returned to the fiery alicorn waiting for her. "Just you and me. Leave the others out of this already, Daybreaker."

Daybreaker sneered. "I suppose that was a little overkill," she admitted, briefly thinking of how easily she grabbed Twilight Sparkle. "So, fine...back to just us, little vampire. Then I can have my destruction and fire and bloodshed. But—you first." The fiery alicorn flew as fast she could straight at Rainbow Dash, but the vampire used her agility and speed to shift slightly to the right and dodged the strike entirely. She struck a hoof to Daybreaker's neck, causing the alicorn's necklace to shatter.

Daybreaker descended to the ground level and quickly recovered, shaking it off. She shot a blast of magic that finally struck Rainbow Dash. The vampire winced and wiggled her hoof.

Daybreaker laughed. "It's only a matter of time before I wear you down, Si...I mean, Rainbow Dash!"

"Then I better up my game and be quick," Rainbow muttered.

She flew swiftly enough to create her rainbow trail right past the alicorn.

"You missed!" Daybreaker said to her and shot her magic, but the pegasus zipped right past her again. The alicorn narrowed her eyes, not entirely sure what was happening. Back and forth Rainbow Dash went, flying by with a moderately strong wind that passed the alicorn each time.

Magic and fire extinguished too quickly within the passing prismatic trail. The vampire kept changing her trajectory slightly. With each pass, it was not obvious at first that she was changing her elliptical path to a more closed in circle. The movement created a rainbow tornado before Rainbow Dash whammed her body, momentum and all into Daybreaker, crashing the pair into the pavement of the empty street. Her ready fangs bit onto the alicorn's neck—hard.

Daybreaker's fire flared upward as she screamed, setting the pavement on fire in the process. The scream wasn't anywhere on the level of Suri's scream earlier, but it was enough to know she was in pain. "You'll pay for this!" Daybreaker snarled with her numerous sharp teeth visible.  Her horn lit as it summoned the shattered pieces from her necklace closer to the pair. "I'll make a monster out of you worse than Suri Polomare ever could!" She pulled the Loyalty necklace off Rainbow Dash. Her horn lit, and she desperately called out her magic to do something horrible. Monstrosity was her focus in a plea to the earlier touch of chaotic power in the shattered gem, which was about to cause several problems for everyone.
> Chapter 9 - Restoring Life and Self
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luna felt a scaly hand touch her forelimb. She blinked her eyes open. A young purple dragon stared at her. "Spike?" 

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

She sighed. "I've certainly seen better nights. Tell me what has happened. Do you know?"

Spike uneasily grimaced. "I know some. After Daybreaker took a bunch of our friends, Rainbow Dash and Coco went after her. Not long after that, the other vampires left. One of them told me they sensed their master was...scared about something. I uh...I still thought it was best to stay here for now." He showed her that he was holding his spiked collar from earlier in his other hand. "Since the Elements of Harmony couldn't bring Celestia back, I thought something with Suri's magic in it might help." The young dragon then held up an urn that had been resting by his feet on the ground. "I put the ashes of her hairpin in this urn too. We'll have to be careful of course. She might come back to life if it even works."

Luna nodded sympathetically. "One step at a time. Such magic may indeed be what we actually need to bring back my sister. Good thinking, Spike. Come, we must find the others." She leaned down so that he could climb onto her back, which he did.

The two set out, gliding on the currents of the night air, and Luna's instincts soon found a number of Rainbow Dash's friends and fledglings but no Rainbow Dash and no Daybreaker.

Coco Pommel was being set down by a pair of bat ponies.

Twilight Sparkle galloped up to the approaching pair as Luna landed nearby onto one of the city's streets. "Oh, Luna, thank goodness you're alright," she said with great relief.

"Where is my sister?" Luna asked in a concerned voice.

Coco Pommel pointed in a general direction. "We last saw her over there when Rainbow Dash was going to fight her some more."

As if to further answer such a question, the night alicorn heard Daybreaker yell, "You'll pay for this!" with fury and vengeance fully intent in her words.

Luna recognized the voice immediately.

"I'll make a monster out of you worse than Suri Polomare ever could!"

"No!" Luna uttered in a horrified realization of what the evil alicorn hoped to do. "We must make haste!" she told everyone around her. She summoned a large amount of magic into her horn and teleported the entire group to where she had heard her transformed sister's voice.

In a flash, they all arrived at the same street where the pair had ended their battle.

Furious orange flames burned up on the pavement, creating an ominous backdrop for the sight of a hunched over Rainbow Dash sitting by the fallen figure of a tall white alicorn. The fire seemed to stay in place and made no movement to the vulnerable vampires among the group.

Celestia blinked her tired light magenta eyes where she rested on the pavement. Her fiery mane was gone though she was so weak, her restored mane did not have its usual ethereal wave.

Rainbow Dash's bloodthirsty red eyes suddenly darted to the nearby life forms. Such eyes shifted side to side, scanning at the group intently with a fierce and wild purpose. She smelled their blood, and it smelled even more promising and delicious than it ever had. No...wait, she had some of this blood earlier that day—and there was her master there too, but still...so much life. So much fragile life. Life she could deny. Life she could snuff out. So easily. So soon. She could destroy Canterlot while she was at it, and that sounded like fun.

Coco Pommel sensed the ever-increasing bloodlust in her fledgling all too well. "Rainbow Dash?" she asked nervously.

The sky blue vampire growled at them as her body shook. She started to heave in place where she sat by Celestia. Her rainbow tail flicked in place.

Coco was not the only pony to sense the danger. "Get away from her," Celestia warned the large from her weakened state.

"Celestia, you are back..." Luna could not help saying at the realization.

"No time for that, Sister. Get...away...from her...and her fledglings," Celestia struggled to say. She tried to lift her forelimb and point to where Daybreaker had thrown Loyalty, but she was far too weak and suddenly lost consciousness.

"That ain't good," Applejack muttered uneasily.

"Luna, should we...?" Twilight asked.

"Rainbow Dash, my child speak to us," Luna implored, hoping she could still somehow salvage the situation.

"DIE!" A very deep, monstrous voice replied. Two antlers suddenly sprung out of her head, and she started to laugh with new deepened voice.

"Those are just like Discord's one antler," Rarity noticed in alarm.

The transforming Rainbow Dash growled again. She at last stood though still hunched over. She suddenly swiped at her friends with a clawed hand in place of where her hoof should be. The hand had four fingers and one thumb. The claws were a dark, menacing blue, and her other hoof had already followed suit.

The creature's barrel soon lengthened and thinned, once again reminding the group of Discord.

But it wasn't Discord. It was a chaotic beast but still not him.

"Ummm...maybe we should..." Spike uttered. He wanted to run, but like the others, he was glued in place watching the transformation.

Rainbow Dash's tail become scaly like that of a serpent, as rainbow-cored fins sprang up along it. Pop pop pop pop! Ominous popping sounds could be heard as razor sharp dark blue spines took shape on her back.

Her neck and face were losing saturation of her usual sky color, turning gray from where she had worn her necklace up. Much of the rest of her body remained the usual sky blue.

She suddenly doubled in size, then doubled in size again.

Numerous pairs of eyes stared up in awestruck horror at the new monster baring traces of Discord and Rainbow Dash in its form. Her colorful mane suddenly became rainbow-hued flames to add Daybreaker's influence to the mix in her new appearance. She stared down at them and sneered with a hungry, low, foreboding growl. Her scleras turned yellow, and her black circular pupils became thin slits, like that of a dragon.

"No," Fluttershy uttered quietly in a small voice. "We just got her back," she added sadly.

"No time to worry about that. What do we do now?" Rarity asked with pressing alarm.

Twilight Sparkle gulped. "We be still. She hasn't attacked us despite what she said...I think she senses our friendship or Coco at the very least."

The group did not have a chance to find out if that theory was correct.

Much smaller growls caught the monster's attention, and she turned her large head to see that her fledglings had changed too. Many of them were snarling and baring their fangs with glowing red eyes. They looked ready to attack anything that moved, and the main thing moving at the moment was Rainbow Dash's large scaly tail.

Some of the fledglings leapt for it only to be swatted away into the walls of nearby buildings. The strike was with enough force to crack the walls of the buildings they struck.

Rainbow Dash let out a massive roar. The buildings of the Canterlot street shook, and even some of the windows shattered from the force. Ponies within began to awaken though they were utterly clueless about what was happening.

The new chaotic monster swung her sharp claws at a group of the feral fledglings. Some had dodged clear, but one unfortunate creature was caught in her grip. She brought the fledgling closer, squeezing it tight, sniffing the delicious blood inside. Yes...delicious blood. Oh, how she did love the taste of blood. The fact that the creature was a vampire—one of her own fledglings at that—was irrelevant. It had life, a wish to kill her, and she could kill it instead—feast on it even—so she would. She bit the poor creature's head clean off. She took pleasure in such a thing with a wicked chuckle. She wanted more.

Her attention was quickly drawn away by a high-pitched scream. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!"

Coco had clamped an off-white hoof over Pinkie Pie's mouth, but it was too late. A large monster's gray face drew close to the pair, carefully studying them. It sniffed, forcing a small wind through their manes.

Their only saving grace was that one of the feral fledglings leapt up and bit into the monster's hind legs, distracting it again. She growled before picking it off, then roaring at a tremendous volume into the fledgling, causing even more damage to the buildings. A massive wind blew around the pony. She proceeded to slam the fledgling into the pavement as punishment for attacking her.

Coco gulped but turned to Pinkie Pie with a stern look. "They might be immortal, or we might be able to restore them and her with the Elements of Harmony. Suri's magic can restore life too—and we have that. We must focus on how to get that monster back into being Rainbow Dash.

"I'm sure she's not intentionally protecting us, but that's what she's doing if we let them fight each other now and that means...you don't scream again. Got it? I know it's horrible to watch, but..." Tears streamed down her cheeks. "We need to do this for them."

Pinkie Pie nodded meekly, and the hoof released her.

Twilight Sparkle took the master vampire's words to heart and thought of the first solution that came to mind. "Coco's right. Where's Rainbow Dash's Element?"

It was evident none of them knew.

"Come on," Twilight said, trying to not vomit or cower into stillness. "We need to find it."

The others agreed and began their search.

Suddenly, the monster blew out a bout of fire just as Daybreaker had shown herself capable of, instantly incinerating several fledglings, many of whom were flying right at her neck. It struck some of the walls of nearby buildings as well.

To make matters worse, the fire along the pavement by Celestia began to spread, like it had been waiting for approval from the wicked magic that originally cast it.

The buildings were not empty, and the awakening ponies began to process the smell of smoke and the monstrous noises nearby, alarming them into something like a dragon attack.

One such pony ran out screaming. She stopped upon the sight of Canterlot burning, a massive blue and gray monster, other ponies with wild looks...then she screamed all the more. "Aaaaaah!"

The monster glanced over to her with interest but was quickly distracted by another feral bat pony in her face.

Luna searched hard for a nearby fire hydrant. Upon her success, she bucked it open, then used her magic to direct the stream like a fire hose.

Rainbow Dash's scaly tail suddenly swished and shoved many bodies, including her friends up against a wall of one of the buildings that was not burning. The impact was strong on all of them but one. Coco Pommel was able to recover, and she scrambled to find the necklace.

She also took notice that not all of the other vampires had become wild.

Some of the fledglings had started to try and disperse, even run back to the castle, but the monster released another roar that shook the walls of the nearby buildings. It was enough to shake the inside of her fledglings' own cores. As one vampire pony tried to run away, the beast's clawed hand clamped down on his tail. She growled before biting off the fledglings' back half. Coco heard bones crack in the process, but she remained focused on her goal.

The monster sniffed, and its shoulders shook in a deep, growling laugh at the weak little thing she had killed. She had wanted to kill for so long. She wanted more. More kills. More destruction. More of that delicious taste such things granted to her. She used her long tail to again whack against several fledglings stuck in the street with her. It curled in and grabbed another fledgling that she quickly gobbled up.

She blew out more fire onto yet another building. Luna darted quickly about to hose it down with her magic. This annoyed the monster who put an index claw and thumb together to flick Luna down into a curb on the sidewalk.

Coco finally found the Loyalty necklace. It had been thrown by Daybreaker several buildings past where Celestia lay. The earth pony nervously looked around, trying to figure out how to put it back on the creature's neck. She ran her way up to two recovering bat ponies who did not seem feral. "I need your help. Get me to her neck, please. I am her master."

They nodded without a word and carried the older vampire to the destination.

Rainbow's red discordant eyes locked onto Coco's instantly, and she paused with a low growl. She did not try to kill her master—her companion. Coco nodded and gently tried to put the necklace on the creature. Upon contact, she received a shock shoving her and her escorts hurling through the air.

The monster chuckled wickedly but offered no words, turning her attention back to the few remaining fledglings she had not yet killed.

"What now?" one of the bat ponies asked Coco.

"Take me to the others over there," Coco pointed to where she saw Twilight Sparkle helping Luna stand, surrounded by other friends.

The two bat ponies complied.

As Coco arrived, she addressed Twilight. "We need to try all of the Elements together again."

"But it didn't work when we tried it without her!" Twilight argued.

"I know, but this is different. This isn't Suri," Coco explained to her.

"Indeed. The traces of Discord suggest a connection between this creature and the Elements," Luna added. "He was the last one struck by their power before Suri made Daybreaker."

"Rainbow Dash and I just exchanged blood too. I think that will help this necklace's magic respond to me now," Coco added. She pulled a red rose out of her mane. "This too. It's special to the two of us. All of it together, and I think we can do it."

"I vote we totally do that before Rainbow Dash starts killing us or you know—the other not-vampire ponies!" Pinkie Pie shrieked.

The other friends nodded, deciding the urgent matter required no further discussion or debate.

"I will distract it as best I can to keep it away from all of you," Luna offered.

"Wait!" Spike told her, tugging at her mane. He then held up the urn of ashes and his collar to reminder. "We didn't need it for Daybreaker, but maybe..."

Luna nodded. "Very well." She gulped. "Open the container."

Spike did as she suggested, and then Suri's magic itself seemed to know exactly what to do. The ashes lifted out and flitted down into the air creating an assorted number of ashen stems, dancing in the air. The spikes of his collar tore off from the band, each creating a new tip for a new pin.

The eerie pins surrounded Luna, and the night alicorn immediately understood they were to aid her. She accepted the help, fully aware that Suri Polomare might return as payment for such service.

The night princess flew to face the beast and fired off distracting blasts of magic while dodging Rainbow's attempts to grab her or strike her. The pins encircling her sent out smaller zaps. The monster did land a few strikes, but Luna managed to recover, thanks to some healing magic from the ashen pins.

Coco Pommel placed the red rose from her mane over the lightning bolt of the Loyalty necklace as she she held it. With her heart and mind, she sent it the deepest desire to have Rainbow Dash as Coco knew her—as her fledgling companion. She also wanted the fledglings cured. If she and Rainbow had to give up their own vampire status for that to happen, they would. They both knew it and had agreed on that point.

The Elements of Harmony charged up yet again, this time all six of them, even Loyalty. Their rainbow ribbon formed and blasted straight for the creature. A huge white light engulfed her. Then the ribbon swam its way in the air to all the nearby fledglings, onto the surrounding streets of Canterlot to find every affected vampire it could. It cured the vampires Suri had made through Rainbow Dash. It put out any remaining fire. It even restored the buildings as they were from before the night's events.

Its warm touch put Canterlot citizens at ease.

The ribbon finally found Celestia and gave the fallen white alicorn strength.

The pins that had been at Luna's command circled her once before flying down toward the ground. There, even Suri's body reshaped. The sorceress stood once more though all four of her legs quickly turned to stone before she could do anything else.

When the light cleared, Rainbow Dash sat on the pavement, breathing and shuddering in place—as a pegasus.

The others did not know if she was still a vampire and would find out soon.

Coco ran up to her fledgling and embraced her yet again. She also put the Loyalty necklace on Rainbow Dash, knowing it would make the pegasus feel more safe.

"Is it over?" a scared Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Suri," Spike announced in a low voice at the sight of the maker. Rainbow Dash and Coco turned their heads to see what he meant.

There stood the wicked earth pony mare sneering and struggling to move her legs to no avail. "Come on," she muttered in frustration. She seethed in place and realized the others were watching her.

"Suri," Rainbow Dash quickly flew up to approach her.

"Oh hi Rainbow Dash," Suri said while still focused on trying to move her legs. "I seem to be a little stuck at the moment."

"Yeah, I can see that. Maybe you should stop, huh? We won. We beat you, alright? I told you this would happen," Rainbow said.

Suri paused in her struggle and looked at the pegasus. She sighed, slightly annoyed. "That you did, my child."

Coco snickered. "At long last, you are the one who is trapped."

Suri snickered right back at her. "Yes, Coco, my dear. I am."

"What are we going to do with her?" Applejack asked Rainbow Dash and generally everyone else.

Celestia stepped forward. "I do believe a place in Tartarus would be best."

Rainbow Dash suddenly placed herself in front of Suri and facing the others as she maintained a hover. With a determined frown and protective voice, she said simply, "No."

Celestia blinked, and her friends felt tense. There was an unspoken worry that Suri had regained control of her.

Coco offered up a hoof. "While that sounds appealing, I must agree. That is most certainly not best."

Luna blinked. "But...she must face consequences for her actions—even if her magic did help rectify things in the end. Undoubtedly part of her own vengeance against Daybreaker."

"Fine. Then come up with something that isn't Tartarus," Rainbow said firmly.

"What would you suggest?" Luna inquired.

Rainbow gulped. "Let her go."

"What?!" Twilight Sparkle shrieked.

"Rainbow Dash, my love, you can't say just that alone," Coco hissed at her. She blinked. "Nor am I certain you can let her go. How will you undo that stone?"

"Well...after we use the Elements of Harmony on her," Rainbow added in slight shame, "...let her go."

"Explain yourself, please," Celestia requested with a hint of frustration while trying to be patient.

Rainbow nervously tapped her forehooves together but nonetheless attempted to answer. "The Elements banished Nightmare Moon the first time but turned her back into Luna the second time. They turned Discord completely into stone, so...I-I think...that this is their way of showing us Suri is somewhere in between them on the evilness level. Maybe thanking her for help too. Maybe we can turn her a little more good and not so evil. Then we can let her go?"

"I'm not sure that's really how they work, Rainbow Dash," Twilight said. "Nightmare Moon was a form that Luna took on, but she was so different, she even changed her name and appearance. Suri has not done that. They definitely didn't make Discord good ever."

"Well then, let's try!" Rainbow pleaded with her. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

"If only it were that simple," Coco said, staring sadly at the ground.

"Rainbow Dash, why do you care so much? This mare used you to heck and gone," Applejack reminded the pegasus.

"Because I like her in the little bit of not evil I've seen when I was with her, alright? I know she used me, but...I still don't want to see her in prison. And maybe if she umm...reforms...maybe we could be friends—and isn't friendship like the most powerful magic here in Equestria?" Rainbow pointed out.

The others bowed their heads in a mix of shame and disappointment.

"We'd like to believe that, yes," Twilight began, "but you have to understand—none of us saw that from her at all. She might try to use you again. We cannot possibly trust her."

Suri sighed in agreement. "True enough. Rainbow Dash..."

Rainbow turned to her. "What?"

"Thanks," Suri replied with a warm smile.

The stone holding Suri's hooves began to crack with a pink glow emitting from those cracks.

Rainbow blinked. She felt a flutter of something in her heart, then saw her necklace pulse with a red glow.

Suri's eyes widened in surprise at the sight. Soon, the stone broke away completely. The magic at work was not quite finished though. The glowing pink surrounded Suri's body and levitated her for a moment. It swirled before flowing into the mare's heart.

In that moment, Suri felt a new connection to Rainbow Dash.

A sky blue hoof gently stroked a brown and silver mane as a gentle vampire pecked a stallion on the cheek. Good luck, my prey. I hope things work out for you. The words echoed in Suri's head.

Soon, the encounter Rainbow had with a white mare followed. They exchanged names, smiles, and Rainbow offered the mare affection, that the mare accepted. But I want you to live on more than I want those things. I'm mainly here for that drink...How about...I bite, then you get some rest, and when you wake up, this encounter will be a forgotten dream?...That's right...You're off to dream good dreams of all those wonderful places and ponies you know. Even the hesitance at hurting her friends and attempt to be gentle to Rarity at the end of their fight, when Rainbow was under Suri's control, could be felt.

"What's happening?" Twilight asked in cofnusion.

Celestia and Luna stared up at the sight.

"She is changing," Celestia answered.

"I do believe Rainbow Dash's wish is coming true—even without the aid of the other Elements," Luna added.
The magic set Suri down to stand in place. The pink mare blinked and stared at her own body in amazement and wonder, then flexed her right forelimb.

"Suri?" Rainbow asked.

Suri hugged her immediately. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "Thank you...for wanting to give me a chance."

Rainbow hugged her back and waited for Suri to pull away. "So you're not mad?"

"Mad? Mad at what?" Suri asked.

"At me. That I m-made you good," Rainbow hesitated to answer. "That is what happened right?"

Suri blinked and smiled pleasantly at her. "No, I'm not mad. I enter this pact at will. You did not force this change, Rainbow Dash. You offered up your wish and intent. For that, I really was grateful. I am accepting your wish to be friends, and Equestria itself will allow us to try.

"I say we take advantage of it. I suppose the old me would be at least a little annoyed, but she was defeated like you said. Besides, such magic in me may wear off over time."

Rainbow looked up at her with deeply worried magenta eyes.

"Oh, my child, that does not mean I will suddenly turn evil or back to my old self. We are forever changing by our experiences through time," Suri told her. She gently stroked Rainbow's forelock, and Rainbow did not stop her.

Rainbow gulped. "Then I hope you change for the better..."

Suri nodded before she gave a small smile. "You're still a vampire you know," she suddenly announced.

The Ponyville friends' jaws dropped as they looked at each other in shock.

The news did not seem to be news to Rainbow Dash herself. Instead, she noted carefully, "But the bloodlust is...abated."

"Until you are under threat by the likes of my former self or Daybreaker or Discord or any new villain on the horizon," Suri informed her.

Rainbow nodded silently and seriously.

"The same for you, Coco?" Suri asked the other mare.

Coco nodded in reply without a word.

"How is that possible? The Elements should have cured them like it did the others," Twilight uttered. She was perplexed.

"My guess would be that they both took in the original potion I made, and neither of them even wanted a cure," Suri offered.

"We exchanged blood too," Coco added. "That is why I was able to use Rainbow's Element in the first place after all. If it bent to our combined will of wishing to fix everything, it follows that..."

"It would let us stay vampires," Rainbow realized aloud with a smile. "Awesome!"

"No! Not Awesome! You shouldn't be a vampire," Applejack insisted. "You can still turn into some vicious monster at the drop of a hat now."

"News flash! We live in Equestria! Magic can do that to anypony...dragons even," Rainbow told her indignantly.

Spike nervously glanced at the pavement with a guilty look.

"She is right," Luna told Applejack. "It seems that your main concern about hurting other ponies—who are not powerful enemies—has been addressed."

"And fighting those powerful enemies?" Applejack pressed.

"I can still control myself," Rainbow argued.

"She did help us out with what happened to Spike," Pinkie Pie reminded her friend.

Spike scratched the back of his head but said nothing. He only nodded.

"Not the kind of enemy I was thinking of, but yeah, I see your point," Applejack conceded.

"What of the mind magic concern?" Rarity asked Suri.

The sorceress put a thoughtful hoof to her chin. "Well...it stands to reason that if their bloodlust is abated so is the risk to the mind magic. They are tied to each other."

"I suppose having a vampire on the team could have some benefits if the power is under control like you say," Twilight considered.

"It is," Rainbow insisted. "You girls know now, so you can help keep an eye on it—all of you can."

"That is true as well," Celestia agreed. "All in all, I would say this outcome is acceptable at least."

Luna chuckled. "And desirable no doubt for the two vampires themselves."

Pinkie Pie raised hoof to catch everyone's attention. "Oh! Oh! Can more of us become vampires? I totally want to be one too with the update!"

The others laughed, including Suri. "That...I cannot say at the moment. I imagine the princesses might not want anymore in Equestria."

"I would definitely hesitate," Celestia agreed.

"Some rules would be in order for certain—if we allowed it," Luna added.

"I dunno Pinkie," Rainbow admitted with warm red eyes meeting her master's. "It kinda feels special with just me and Coco again."

Pinkie Pie smiled at her. "Heehee, fair enough, but if you ever change your mind, you've got your first volunteer."

"I would hope we would all agree to it," Rarity remarked, "if such a pursuit were allowed."

"We shall say for the moment it is not," Celestia decided then and there.

"Okie dokie lokie," Pinkie said to that with a salute.

"Suri Polomare, we do command you to stay in Canterlot a bit longer," Celestia turned to the pink mare. "I wish to know the change in you better before letting you go for real."

Suri sighed and smiled. "It's no Tartarus, and I suppose that is more than fair for my evil ways. Speaking of which—" The pink mare approached Coco Pommel. "I am sorry for the wrongs I committed against you as well."

Coco stared at her for several seconds with a blank expression before finally saying, "Don't let Rainbow Dash down in giving you this chance—and I will forgive you."

Suri nodded. "That is the plan, my child. Thank you."

The ponies and Spike checked in on the former vampire fledglings and the rest of Canterlot. The Elements of Harmony had largely restored everything. The magical necklaces and crown were returned to their proper holding place.

The group returned to Ponyville.

That night, Rainbow Dash and Coco Pommel sat on a patch of grass, staring out into the starry moonlit night sky.

"So you and Suri are going to be friends," Coco quietly noted to her fledgling.

"I hope so," Rainbow replied with a slightly bashful stroke of the back of her mane.

"You didn't like only her good, I suspect," Coco noted further.

Rainbow chuckled and shrugged. "What can I say? She liked giving me new powers, and I liked having them and using them. That part was pretty cool—even if it was for all the wrong reasons. She had this twisted generosity in her. She tried to make me feel better if she saw I was down. She did like me, Coco."

"My dear, that was manipulation," Coco informed her.

The younger vampire shrugged. "I still liked it and appreciated it. I...I still like her—the new her."

"Hmm," Coco replied to that. "The new her...we'll see I guess."

Rainbow Dash rested her head on the earth pony mare's shoulder. "I like you more though. You stole me too but not as much of me. You made sure I knew I could leave if I wanted and never commanded me to hurt my friends."

"I would have though, if I ever felt they threatened you," Coco admitted with a tinge of shame in her voice.

Rainbow thoughtfully raised her eyebrows at that. "Maybe so, but I...can actually understand that. I would fight them too, if they were the ones being controlled like what happened to me."

Coco pecked her on the forehead with a light kiss. "Good to know." She rested her head against Rainbow's.

The two absorbed the moment in silence, enjoying each other's company. "I love you, Coco," Rainbow suddenly said.

Coco blushed and smiled. "I love you too, Rainbow Dash."

They did not know what all their future held, but they knew they wanted to spend it together as vampires, and that they could.