"She bit me! She fucking bit me!!"

Twilight Sparkle held her trembling, blubbering friend, freshly reverted from the terrifying bat form she thought they'd seen the last of. "Please, Prince Blueblood," she pleaded to a pony she outranked under the quiet stars, "I don't know how this happened, but I'm sure she didn't mean it!" Fluttershy, crying and muttering apologies into Twilight's fur, was likely just as traumatized by this incident as the bleeding noblepony.

"Oh," he remarked, still holding a hoof to his throat as royal blood dripped from two puncture wounds despite attempts to bandage them, "she didn't mean it, my mistake, glad that's settle-ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" He pointed a blood-soaked hoof at Fluttershy. "That sick monster sank its teeth in me, and you're comforting it?!"

He glared at the two of them, his messy mane, tussled fur, and blood smeared on his neck and face from when Flutterbat struck only adding to what was already a more furious expression than Twilight had ever seen from him. Still, Twilight could glare right back! "She is not a monster, and your bleeding should stop in a minute." She tried for a more sympathetic tone, but seeing Blueblood, normally soft-spoken and perfectly composed, mad enough to swear, loudly, was a little unsettling. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop her before you were attacked, but with a decent unicorn doctor's help, I guarentee you won't even have any scar tissue from-"

He smashed a hoof against the grass of the Royal Garden hard enough to make Twilight wince slightly as blood she wasn't sure had been from his neck splattered, followed by a stab of anger when Fluttershy shook from the sound, redoubling her sobs and choked-out apologies. "You think I care about fucking scars right now? No, my concern, besides seeing that degenerate put in a cage like the animalistic cunt she is, is not having to worry about the rest of the corrosive bitches that make up your little cabinet making their own disasters to match that one!"

She knew it had to be mostly anger talking, but that was crossing a line. "Enough, Blueblood!" She hugged Fluttershy tighter, hoping it would somehow defend her delicate friend a little more from the scorn being fired in her direction. "This whole thing was an accident, please just get some medical help and let it go."

He shook his head, incredulous. "Am I to understand that she's getting away with this?! Fan-fucking-tastic, friends of a princess can just do whatever they fucking like, same as the Gala, same as-"

"I said enough!"

They bored holes into one another with cold stares in silence for several seconds before Blueblood, letting the hoof on his wound fall away as the bandages finally seemed to do their work. Slowly letting out a breath, he turned away, walked off, and vanished into the dark, nearly-empty grounds of the Royal Garden. If any of the usual animals had been around, they made themselves scarce when the shouting started.

Fluttershy cried for several more minutes, sobbing sorries until she started to calm down. Twilight did her best to comfort her, grateful to have wings with which to wing-hug (a surprisingly cozy embrace!) as she tried to figure out how this happened.

Not how they got here, that was relatively simple. With a group of speakers gathering in Canterlot to talk about the roles ponies play in nature for an ecosystem awareness convention of sorts, Fluttershy had been asked to speak on matters concerning Breezies, since none could be reached themselves at this time of year and she was the best authority they could find on the matter. Twilight had thought that this was going to be about helping Fluttershy overcome a fear of public speaking, learning a thing or two herself and their friendship growing only stronger for it.

While that had happened (mostly, the trick with staring at the cue cards being held up at the back of the crowd the whole time was utilized a little more than Twilight would have preferred, but progress was progress), Blueblood getting attacked by Flutterbat while out for a late night stroll through the gardens was right out of the left field. Seriously, since when did fruit bat transformation entail biting a living pony?!

Well, she'd figure it all out somehow, make everything ok, it was what a princess did, and what a good friend did! Dealing with Blueblood, though, might be difficult in the future. He did have the right to not be thrilled about getting bitten by long, sharp fangs, but screaming at a pony that's trying her hardest to apologize through tears is just... She'd figure out what to do about him later, right now she needed to get Fluttershy to the room she'd been offered in the castle while the convention was going on, the same one Rarity had been offered back when she was designing that thoughtfully practical, yellow dress for her birthday. "Come on, Fluttershy," she uttered softly, "let's get you to bed."

Her tears finally stopping, the she could only nod weakly in response.

It was easier than Fluttershy would have believed, recovering emotionally from last night's incident, but she had managed to attend the last day of the convention without letting what had happened get to her! Closing the door to the palace suite Twilight had helped her get to after the attack, she felt proud, though it was most likely due to the constant reminders of her calling in life. The presence of animals, of those willing to give just a moment of their time to learn a little about how important they are to each other, the heart and soul of looking after the world they lived in and all it's loving creatures, had really helped put the blood and screaming out of her mind.

She shuddered, Prince Blueblood's agonized cry when she bit him echoing through her head again. The first time, she didn't remember what happened when she turned into a bat-monster, but this time? Her memory was in perfect clarity of everything except when, how, or why she changed, and the images that kept coming back mainly revolved around blood spilled in the royal garden, the prince's terrified expression when she descended on him, and the scream.

There were other things too, but mainly those parts, the ones Twilight had suggested she not dwell on.

'Please,' she had insisted as they stood by the hummingbird display, 'I really think the best thing for you is to enjoy yourself here. Too much stress can really mess you up, you know? I'll get to the bottom of this. Pinkie Promise.'

Fluttershy held a hoof to her chest, relishing the warm feeling of having friends that cared so much about her, no matter what happened. But for now, it was probably time for sleep, as the sun had been lowered an hour ago and there was nothing else she really needed to do. At least until it was time to help wrap things up tomorrow morning and catch the train back to Ponyville late in the afternoon.

Not this time.

Prince Blueblood was not a humorless pony, not a perpetually sneering windigo. He could appreciate the odd shenanigans just fine, provided he wasn't tasked with cleaning it up. This was not a joke, this was not a harmless prank nor an accident of little consequence. This was not a victimless crime in which everything was neatly resolved and everypony could just move on with their lives. Perhaps the others could, but not him.

Not this time.

He'd ignored illegal activities before, been unable to do anything when the rules of civilized society were flouted and those responsible not brought to justice. Nopony really appeared to care most of the time because the perpetrators were usually those eccentric sorts that did something that made other ponies like them enough to let slide even the most absurd transgressions, intentional or not. A local DJ was one such pony and she hadn't even (that he could recall) saved the world before! It was no secret that Blueblood was not one of these ponies that could get away with seemingly anything, and didn't make a habit of trying. He generally believed that justice was served where it was called for.

Not this time.

Walking alone, as usual, through the palace after dark, he moved in the direction of the spiral staircase leading up to the room his attacker was staying in. The information was ascertained earlier in the day with the right question and the right timing to avoid suspicion. He wasn't going to hurt her, physically, that would only bring him to her level of barbarism. No, he would conduct himself like a civilized member of the Equestrian Court; shouting the viciously impertinent little bitch nearly deaf in private.

Good thing the room is nearly isolated.

At least, he strongly suspected it was, nopony ever came to interrupt when his parents used to bring him in there for exactly what he had in mind for the pony that got off scot free for biting him. Blueblood again felt a wash of antipathy and resentment for the way of things rolling about in his insides, thick like cold sludge. The injury was gone, yes, but the doctor's 'prescription' had been the last straw.

"Gee, Your Highness," he said with a grin that made his patient wish he had a rabid bat-pony-thing at the ready to sic on him, "I know you're popular with the fillies, but you might want to tell them to ease up a little!"

He hadn't even mentioned how he got the wounds, it was the first thing the doctor said. That was it; at the very least, there would be some kind of retribution, some kind of closure, friend of Princess Twilight or not. Reaching the top of the stairs, he didn't bother knocking, the swinging door eliciting a startled squeak from somewhere in the dark room.

"Wh-who's there...?"

He was almost surprised by how different she sounded when not snarling like an animal. He closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness until, horn glowing, he lit a candle he'd caught sight of in the moonlight. Sitting up in the bed was the trembling pony he'd come to berate.

He regarded her coldly. "Fluttershy?"

The slight movement of her head was somewhat obscured by the covers that had been pulled up to hide most of her face, but he interpreted it to be a nod.

Blueblood smiled humorlessly. "I take it you remember me. Good, would hate to think the Element of Kindness was the sort of boor that would forget maliciously assaulting somepony in a day."

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"Shut the fuck up!" His face contorted with rage. Fluttershy shook, whimpering as he stepped closer. "Get up. I want to you to look me in the eye when I tell you each and every way you're a stain on the world you live in, you monstrous little bitch."

To his slight surprise, she actually got out of the bed and stood facing him. "Ok."

"What was that?" He asked more out of conditioned behavior than genuinely wanting to know what was whispered.

She spoke much louder, which is to say, at a normal volume, looking him in the eye as asked. "I said, ok. I'll listen."

He nodded, catching himself just milliseconds before saying an odd thing for the moment like 'thank you.' Instead, he took a deep breath, not to calm down, but in preparation for just the opposite. "You," he began, raising his voice considerably, "are the foulest, most freakish, most fucking despicable beast I've ever! Fucking! Seen! And I've leafed through a guide to monsters of Equestria, you're worse than a giant Diamond Dog with fleas! Do you know why?! A Diamond Dog won't bite you hard enough to draw blood itself, because they aren't that FUCKED UP!!"

Oh, no, thought Fluttershy on shaky legs, this is... different, from when he was yelling last night...

She tried to keep eye contact, certain that he just wanted some kind of resolution to what happened, but the way he was doing it, his face, his voice, berating her, scolding her, it was too much!

Hooves bearing long fetlocks stomped a few steps closer, his target visibly shaking as she retreated into her mane again. "You're WORSE than a parasite, do you know that?! Because even they do it just to survive! WHAT THE HELL WAS YOUR REASON?! Ponies don't eat meat, extreme hunger isn't even rational here and you bit me anyway you fucking worm! No, worms don't bite ponies either, you're worse than a parasite and lower than a worm you miserable little bitch!! Do you hear me?!"

From what he could see of her snout, her face was red and she was looking at the floor. He'd first thought she was crying, but staring at her for a few seconds, he could very clearly see a wide, wavering grin.

This, for some reason, struck a whole new level of offense for the young prince. "And just what," he seethed, speaking in much quieter tones, "do you find so deeply amusing about all of this?"

She looked up, making eye contact. The next thing Blueblood knew, he was pinned against the floor, a few yards back from where he'd stood, Fluttershy standing over him and breathing heavily.

All his rage was gone now, in it's place; fear. Forehooves held firmly under hers, he could only close his eyes. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry, please don't bite me again!!"

She half-growled something, her mane hanging down and obscuring her face again. If not for her hair being pink and well-kempt, she'd likely pull off the Ponryo look with terrifying effect.

"W-what?!"

Several seconds passed in silence as Fluttershy seemed to catch her breath, but didn't let him go. "I-I said, 'I'm sorry, I just can't help it.'"

That ordinarily would have been his cue to start screaming for help (which would have been rather self-defeating, as he'd chosen to shout at her here specifically not to be heard), but it was spoken so softly he almost forgot she was holding him down. He opened one eye, looking up at her. "What?"

"I said-"

"I heard you that time, I just don't understand the statement."

"Oh. W-well..." She shuffled nervously in place. "I-I, uh, th-there's a, I mean, um..."

Does she realize she's standing on top of me? He cleared his throat, considerably less afraid now.

"I'mamasochist!"

"What?"

"I-it means I really, um, k-kindof like-"

"No, no, that time I just didn't hear you."

"Oh. I said, 'I'm a m...M-masochist!'" Her knees started to shake, he could practically feel her blushing.

He blinked very slowly. "As in, one who enjoys pain? Abuse?"

By the light swaying of her hanging mane, he guessed she nodded once.

Ordinarily this kind of news from a mare he'd gone to the bedchambers of late at night would evoke an entirely different reaction, but having his burning anger turned to quivering fear and flattened into confusion when he understood that she had been enjoying his shouty revenge just left the prince feeling drained.

I can never quite win around some ponies, can I?

He let out a tired sigh. "Get off me."

"Huh? I'm not-EEP!!" She leapt backward, gaining some extra distance with quick wing movement.

He sat up, eyelids feeling heavy even without the lateness of the hour. Looking at Fluttershy, she was again attempting to hide in her own mane for reasons he didn't have the energy to guess.

This is no good, she thought, I was supposed to let him yell so he could feel better, not make ME feel... Well... I have to do something!

And she knew what it would be. Before he could even think of anything to say, she stood up straight, shook her hair free of her face, and looked him in the eye with a serious expression. "I'm very sorry I bit you."

"...What?"

"I said-"

"Understanding again."

"Oh. I don't know why I attacked you last night, but I do know that it hurt you badly, and I'm sincerely sorry." She finished the statement with a little bow, not lifting her head again until he replied.

There was a long pause. Standing up, he shrugged. "I suppose that will do, then. Does this sort of thing happen often?"

"N-no, this was the first."

Tired. So tired. "Good, don't make a habit of randomly biting ponies and I'll call it even, deal? Deal." He turned to leave, getting to the door before calling to her over his shoulder. "Oh," he deadpanned, "and if you'd ever like to be yelled at again, feel free to stop by any time." Closing the door behind him and carefully proceeding down the spiral stairs, he hadn't even waited for a reply, just wanting this whole thing behind him. Maybe he would just forget it. Maybe he would just let it go this time.

Back in the chamber, Fluttershy hadn't moved. She stood with a goofy grin growing on her face as a rhythm grew in her chest. "Any time...?"

Author's Note

Loosely inspired by Batty, in that I got the idea for this story while listening to it, so credit where credit may or may not be due.

Don't let the blood-soaked, screamy opening fool you, this is very much a comedy, just one that starts on kindof a dark note.

Ponryo -> Onryo. What's on Onryo, you may ask? I really hope this link still works by the time you're reading this.