Driven Batty

“Owowowowow! Quit pressing down so hard!”

“I’m not pressing down hard. Now hold still you baby.”

Anon bit down on his shirt, his eyes bulging as Starlight dabbed the throbbing bite mark on his neck with a cotton ball. There were a half dozen or so other bloody cotton balls, all sitting on a metal tray that the unicorn had on the table next to them.

“You are pressing!”

“No I’m not. Boy, she really did get you, huh?”

There had been a flurry of activity the moment he had stepped inside the castle. Twilight had him carry Fluttershy into a room, wherein she had been locked in. He had then been led to the library, where all of the residents of the castle were waiting, all of which were wearing orange hazmat suits just like Starlight.

The princess was a few feet away, furiously scribbling down onto a notepad. Spike was near the door, a broom in hand. From the look on his face, the drake looked ready to charge him if he so much as looked at an apple.

“Ahhhhhh… Stoprubbingitlikethat!”

“It’s not going to get clean if I don’t apply some pressure,” Starlight said, rubbing something into his wound. “Not keep holding still. I’m almost done.”

“Do you need anything, Anon?” Twilight asked. “If you’re woozy please let us know.”

“Some juice please,” Anon said, face scrunched up and eyes shut tight. “It feels like she took a pint or two out of me...”

Though he didn’t see it, Spike’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of juice?” the dragon asked, leveling his broom at the human.

“Spike, buddy. I just got treated like a chew toy by the town scaredy cat. If you whack me I’m throwing you and Starlight here out a win--OWWWWWWW!”

Starlight slapped an extra large bandage--with far too much force--onto Anon’s neck. Brushing her gloved hands off of the bottom of her suit, she stood up.

“There. I stopped the bleeding. We’ll need to keep an eye on it, but I think you’ll be okay. You big baby.”

Anon gave the mare a dirty look. “You… thanks, Glimmy.”

Starlight sweetly smiled. “You’re very welcome. Spike, do you wanna come to the kitchen with me to get Anon his juice?”

Spike looked at her, then at Twilight, his face scrunching up. “I don’t know.... What if he turns into a vampire and tries to eat Twilight?”

“If he does just hit him in the neck, Twi. He’ll start crying like a baby.”

The human took a swipe at the unicorn, who dodged it with a cackle, making her way toward the door. Spike, after a few moments of hesitation, followed her. Anon tossed his bloody shirt into the trash, then tried to get onto his knees, only for the world to start spinning. He sat back down, closing his eyes.

Twilight, who looked a little green, quickly walked over. She was never that good with blood, but she did her best to keep her mind off it, using her magic to move the garbage can as far away as she could while kneeling down next to him. “Just lay there, Anon. Are you sure you’re okay? If we need to, I’d be happy to have Spike sent a message to somepony at the horsepital--”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anon said, raising a hand. “I’ll be alright. Some rest will do me good. I just need to go home and sleep. In a few hours I’ll be as right as rain.”

When he no longer felt quite as sick, he cracked open an eye to look up at the Princess. Twilight was biting her lower lip, giving him a look that he recognized. It was a look that told him he wasn’t going to like the next thing that came out of her mouth.

For a moment, he considered letting the silence drag on. Silence would probably be better than what she was about to tell him. Unfortunately, he was tired, he was sore, and he had lost a lot more blood tonight than he wanted. So, with a sigh, he decided to go ahead and rip the preverbal bandaid off.

“I’m not going home tonight, huh?” he said.

Slowly, Twilight shook her head. “You… you can’t. Not after being bit,” she said. “I know I said that there was a good chance you wouldn’t become infected, but…”

“You don’t want a big weirdo running around biting other ponies and eating all the apples, I get it,” Anon said. “It’s not your fault. I should have been paying more attention.”

“You won’t be a prisoner,” Twilight said, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder. “I just think it’ll be best if we observe you for a few days to make sure you stay, well, you. I’m sorry, Anon. Really, I am. I wish we could have come up with a better plan to catch Fluttershy. Making suits for me and the girls, figuring out a spell, finding where she was hiding; something.”

While he wasn’t all that happy, Anon nevertheless reached up to pat Twilight’s hand. “It’ll be just like when I first got here. Hopefully, here I’ll have somewhere decent to sleep, and not that old, tiny couch like back in the treebary.”

Twilight giggled. “I could never find a big enough bed for you. I looked for so long. If you’d have let me, I would have gotten one custom made.”

Anon smiled. “And how would we have gotten upstairs? If you would have gotten one that big we wouldn’t have been able to move.”

The princess giggled again, leaning down and hugging him, making sure to mind his neck. “Thanks for not being mad,” she said, nuzzling the side of his head.

“Oh, I’m mad. I just… get it,” Anon replied, leaning back into her. “Besides, I figured I was going to need to come over here for the next few days anyway to help with whatever you and Starlight are doing to Fluttershy.”

“We would appreciate the help.”

“Do me a favor though. Well, two favors actually.”

“Whatever you need.”

“First: please make sure there’s a bed that’ll fit me. I’ve been sleeping in the custom one I have at home for so long I can’t go back to my feet hanging in the open air again.”

Twilight smiled, wrapping a wing protectively around him. “I wouldn’t worry about that. Every bed in this castle is giant. They should even fit you.”

“Alright. Second thing then: if you need to take blood from me or Fluttershy, let Starlight do it. You look paler than me right now.”

Starlight and Spike walked into the library, a cold glass of orange juice and some snacks in hand, just in time to see Twilight burst out laughing.

~_~_~_~_~_~

“Now you hold her steady, Anon. I’ll be as quick as I can.”

Fluttershy stared angrily at Starlight as the unicorn walked toward her, a needle and some vials in hand. She bared her fangs, letting out a hiss.

It had been an absolute nightmare getting the pegasus to stand still. Anon had walked into her room to find that the mare was somehow hanging upside down on the ceiling. He was just tall enough to jump up to grab her, but each time he tried she’d scurry away. A better part of an hour had passed before he managed to get ahold of her, and another ten minutes of trying to pull her batty self off the stupid ceiling. Thankfully, while she hissed and didn’t look particularly happy, she didn’t try biting him again.

He did eventually get her to ground level. She continued to struggle, but he was able to carry her toward the bed and pull her into his lap. It was then that the girls came in, ready to study and examine. Spike, the brave dragon that he was, stayed outside with his trusty broom, ready to storm the place if he heard any shouting.

Fluttershy attempted to extend her wings as Starlight took another step toward her. They smacked against Anon’s arms. He held onto her all the tighter.

“Hold still,” he said, trying to cover her eyes with a hand. “You’re getting blood taken and you’re gonna like it.”

Fluttershy just hissed again as Starlight placed the vials down onto the bed. Twilight handed her a disinfecting wipe before turning around. As she brought the needle close, Anon looked away.

Starlight rolled her eyes. “What is wrong with you guys? It’s just a little needle.”

“It’s not the needle that I don’t like, it’s the blood,” Twilight insisted, her ears folded against her skull.

“It’s the needle for me,” Anon said, face scrunching up. “Those suckers can punch through a car tire. I don’t like ‘em, so hurry up and get that thing away from me.”

Starlight just scoffed, mumbling something under her breath. Fluttershy tensed in the human’s arms, trying to reach up to swipe at the unicorn as she collected two vials from her. Setting them down, she pulled up one of Anon’s sleeves.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

With a flash of her horn, another disinfecting wipe appeared in Starlight’s hand, along with a brand new syringe.

“I need blood from you too,” she said, disinfecting his arm with the wipe.

“No you don’t. Get that thing away from me, or I’m letting Fluttershy go.”

“Don’t be a foal. It’ll take three seconds.”

Anon turned to glare at the unicorn, only to pale as she pulled off the cap on the syringe, revealing the needle. He quickly looked away as Starlight moved it toward his arm. Fluttershy let out a grunt as his grip on her tightened significantly when he felt a pinch.

“Hurry up,” he said, face scrunched up.

“I’m going as quick as I can,” Starlight replied, shaking her head. “ I swear, me and Fluttershy here are the only ones in this house that aren’t a couple of sissies.”

Fluttershy, again, tried to swipe at the unicorn, her fangs bared.

It took only a minute for two vials of blood to be taken, but it felt like an hour for the human. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body, and it took considerable effort not to sink down onto the bed. If Fluttershy had wanted to get out of his grasp now he would have been very hard-pressed to stop her.

“There we go,” Starlight said, pulling the syringe away. With a flash of her horn, it was gone. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

“It was terrible,” Anon said, closing his eyes.

“Worse than getting bit in the neck and losing a half-gallon of blood?” Starlight asked, grabbing her vials.

“I’d rather get bitten again than have any more blood taken.”

“You really are a weirdo. Here.”

She placed something on his arm. Anon cracked open an eye to see it was a bandaid.

“A big bandaid for a big, brave stallion,” she said with a giggle.

“You keep it up, Glim Glam, I swear to god…”

Starlight just laughed, adding insult to injury by giving his head a few pats before making her way over to Twilight. It was only when she pocketed the vials did Twilight turn around.

“Well then, now that horrible business is over and done with, we can start running some tests,” she said. “Anon, are you feeling alright?”

“I’ll be alright,” Anon replied with a slow nod. “I just need a few minutes.”

“Are you gonna be okay with Fluttershy?” Starlight asked. “Do you need us to restrain her so you can get up?”

“I should be alright. She might growl and snarl, but she really isn’t trying all that hard to get away. You guys go ahead and head out. I’ll try to see if I can get her cleaned up like we talked about, Twi.”

“Alright, but if you need anything just call,” Twilight said. “In an hour or so, one of us will be around to let you out.”

Both ponies quickly made their way toward the door, Twilight talking about beakers and electrons and things Anon couldn’t make heads or tails of. They closed the door behind them, which was followed by the telltale sound of a lock clicking into place, leaving him and Fluttershy alone.

He released his grip on the pegasus. “Alright, Flutters. You can get up now,” he said, nudging her side.

Fluttershy made no move to get out of his lap. She just kept sitting there, ears perked up toward the door. She was staring intently at it, as if she expected someone to walk through.

“Fluttershy, get up. You need to go take a shower,” Anon said, flicking her ear. “You haven’t bathed or taken a shower in a week. You’ll feel better if you do. Rainbow dropped some of your clothes off. Fluttershy. Come on. I know you can understand me.”

He continued to poke and prod the mare while Fluttershy continued to stubbornly stay where she was. He had to eventually push her out of his lap and move her to the edge of the bed.

“Go shower,” he said, closing his eyes as he rubbed his face. “You don’t wanna stink, do you? I bet you got twigs and leaves all through your--”

A weight settled on top of him. Anon’s eyes snapped open, and he saw that the mare was now straddling him, her face so close to his that he could feel her warm breath. Her blood red eyes were glued to his bandaged throat.

He frowned. “You leave that alone,” he said. “It still hurts. Get off me too, I don’t need you touching it.”

She leaned, placing her muzzle right next to the wound. Anon tried to push her away, but she simply laid herself on top of him. Her mane tickled his chin as she deeply inhaled. Anon jumped, eyes widening.

“Alright, alright,” he said, forcing himself into a sitting position. When Fluttershy still clung to his lap he simply moved himself to the edge of the bed and stood up. “Enough of that. Come on."

Fluttershy let out a surprised hiss as she found herself lifted up and carried to the bathroom. Anon sat her down onto the toilet, then made his way back into the bedroom. Looking through drawers, he grabbed a towel and some clothes for the pegasus. Marching back into the bathroom, he put them on the sink.

“There’s shampoo and soap,” he said, pointing toward the shower. “Clean yourself off. Leave your dirty clothes in the bin over there, and quit being a fucking weirdo. Smelling folks like you’re some weird goddamn stalker…”

He spun around on his heel, walking back out of the bathroom and closing the door behind him. He stood there and waited until, thankfully, he heard the shower behind turned on. Shaking his head, he made his way back toward the bed and sat down.

Touching his neck, he made a face. He didn’t feel any different; his eyes were still the same color and he didn’t have a set of bat wings growing out of his bat, but it hadn’t been all that long since he had been bit.

Twilight said it could take days, or he could have a bad reaction to Fluttershy’s salvia, or a hundred other different things. The worst part about it was that the alicorn had listed off all these bad things that could happen to him as if she were excited.

Anon loved Twilight like a sister, but sometimes he really did wish she stopped being the biggest dork in Equestria for five minutes and learn a little bedside manner.

He rubbed his face with his hands. “They better find a cure quick, and I better not turn into a vampire. I don’t wanna be some stupid Twilight knock-off.”

Letting himself fall down onto the bed, he stared up at the ceiling. He probably didn’t have all that much to worry about. Twilight and Starlight, while a pair of weirdos, were as smart as they came. If there was anyone that could fix this it’d be the two of them. At the very least he hoped they’d clear him so he could go home. He didn’t like sleeping in this castle too much. It was too big, too cold. The treebrary was much better in his opinion.

The bathroom door creaked as it was opened. Anon kept looking up at the ceiling, willing his headache to go away.

“You get all cleaned up, Flutters?” he asked. “Behind the ears and everything? You know, if you’re hungry, I bet I can get you some--”

A towel was tossed at him, landing on his chest.

“--food…”

Anon looked at the wet towel. Picking his head up, he looked over at Fluttershy. The mare hadn’t put on any of the clothing that he had so nicely laid out for her. She was stark naked, her body wet and glistening.

The human had never seen the pegasus in anything more revealing than a one piece swimsuit, and even then she had been red-faced and mortified with wearing something so revealing. Here however, Fluttershy stood proudly, displaying her supermodel-like body for anyone that cared to see.

“Whatthehellareyoudoing?!” Leaping up, he made his way over to her, towel at the ready. “Are you outta your mind? What if someone walked in and saw you strutting around in your birthday suit?!”

He tried covering her up. Fluttershy, not taking her eyes off him, danced out of arm's reach. Anon couldn’t help but notice that she was very bouncy as she moved. Even so, he did his best to chase her around the room. After a few nerve-wracking minutes, checking every few seconds to make sure no one was about to barge into the room, he eventually managed to corner her.

“You might be an apple eating, bite-y weirdo, Flutters, but you’re not a little kid,” he said, covering her with the towel. “In no universe should I have to tell you to put some clothes on.”

Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, muzzle scrunching as she looked at him. “Does my Count not like my body?”

Anon nearly dropped the towel. He stared down at her, eyes slowly narrowed. “I knew you could talk,” he said.

“Of course,” Fluttershy replied with a flick of her mane. “I simply choose not to whenever the cattle are present.”

“...The what?”

“Those sun worshipping weaklings that dared steal our lifeblood.” The pegasus bared her fangs, her red eyes welling up in fury. “They were not worth speaking to. Their worth only extends to apple production and the lackluster blood they carry in their pitiful forms.”

“What the heck are you--Fluttershy, what is wrong with you? You have everyone worried sick.”

The mare scoffed. “I no longer concern myself with those weak creatures. They are beneath me,” she said with a fanged smile.

She wrapped her arms around his neck with a giggle, nuzzling his face before Anon could do anything.

“Help me escape from these worthless ponies, so that we may both dance under the Nightmare’s holy moonlight~”

Anon stared back at her. His eyes slowly narrowed.

~_~_~_~_~_~

“I’m tellin’ you, Twi. She can talk, and she was talking about Nightmare Moon.”

“Calm down, Anon.”

“She called you guys cattle! Something about blood and apples too!”

“Did you really need to tie her up?”

“What the hell are you talking about?! Of course I had to tie the loonie up.”

Twilight shook her head, looking over at Fluttershy. The pegasus was lying on the bed, naked, and securely tied up with bedsheets. She was wrapped up so tightly that she looked more knot than mare. Fluttershy looked less than pleased, glaring up at Starlight as the mare poked and prodded her.

“Well, Twi. It looks like her being infected with some kind of mutated magical disease from the Civil War might have some teeth,” she said. “If Anon isn’t telling tales--”

“I’m not.

“--She did say Nightmare’s holy moonlight, not Luna’s.”

“It is strange,” Twilight said, stroking her chin. “We can’t say anything for certain yet however. It’s too early to start making wild accusations.”

She turned toward the human.

“Anon, did she say or do anything else?”

“Did I say something about her talking weird?” he asked. “Flutter’s had an accent, like was from Transylvania or something.”

“Transylvania?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anon said with a wave of his hand. “She just sounds different now. Acts different too, obviously. She also called me her Count.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Her count? Like the noble rank?”

“I don’t think she was asking me to count to ten for her, Twi.”

Starlight snorted, giving Fluttershy another poke. The pegasus attempted to hiss through her makeshift gag.

“So, not only is she speaking about Nightmare Moon, she thinks you’re a noble of some kind. This disease really is making her confused, huh?” she said.

“Have you guys figured anything out yet with our blood samples?” Anon asked, watching as Twilight made her way over to Fluttershy.

“In the twenty minutes or so of having it before you went crazy? No. The only thing we were able to confirm in that time is that what I took from you both was blood.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault. When I freak out my Eagle Scout training kicks in.”

“He’s right,” Twilight said, taking her turn to poke Fluttershy. “When the girls and I first met Anon he somehow managed to get ahold of Applejack’s rope. I still don’t know how he did it, but tied us all up so thoroughly that I couldn’t free us with magic.”

“I was one of the best knot-makers in my state,” Anon said matter-of-factly. “There was a competition for it and everything.”

Both Twilight and Starlight looked back at him, then at each other. Both looked distinctly unimpressed.

“And ponies say my kite hobby is weird,” Starlight said.

“There’s nothing weird about knowing how to tie a truck ball hitch, Glimmy. It could save your life.”

“Well… you did manage to tie up Fluttershy here pretty good,” Starlight said, placing her hands on her hips. “Whatcha think, Twi?”

“I think this changes some things,” Twilight replied. “We had assumed that Fluttershy was operating on a more animalistic thought process. Now that we’re aware that she can talk and rationalize like a normal person this could get somewhat tricky, especially since she doesn’t seem all that friendly to regular ponies…”

“Yeah, I don’t like that whole cattle bit,” Starlight admitted, making a face. “Why don’t we put that thought aside for a bit and get this feisty filly dressed first? It’s hard to think like a scientist when Flutter’s looks like somepony straight out of a BDSM magazine.”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

All was quiet in the Crystal Castle. Everypony had gone to bed hours ago, all of them exhausted after a long, stress-filled day. All of them but one.

All seemed normal outside of Fluttershy’s quarters. Twilight herself had come to inspect the door and check to see that the locking spell she had placed upon it was still in mint condition before turning in for the night. It would have taken a magic user of great talent to even attempt to undo the spell. With Fluttershy being a pegasus, there was no worry in the alicorn’s mind.

That confidence would be to her detriment.

As the clock outside struck midnight, there was a change in the air. A fine red mist began to seep out from underneath the bottom of the door. More and more of it poured out, floating away to the center of the hall, where it began to condense. If someone would have walked by, they would have been able to watch the mist solidify and slowly take form, changing from red to yellow. A pair of arms formed, then legs and wings. A torso and head followed until, in the blink of an eye, Fluttershy stood.

The mare’s batlike ears perked up. She could hear the rhythmic thud of heartbeats. It did not matter that they were in different parts of the castle, tucked away behind closed doors. She could hear them as if her ear were pressed against their chests.

There was a slow, steady beat of Spike, Starlight’s quicker and lighter beat, and Twilight’s steady pumping. Then there was the slow but powerful beat of her beloved, her Count. Unlike the beating hearts of the cattle, his was different. His heart had a different tone; a certain sound that was unlike anything she had heard before. This was no country bumpkin earth pony, no air-headed pegasi. This was the heartbeat of a creature from another world; a being that had stolen her heart as soon as his teeth had sunk into her neck.

She hurried toward the sound with a pep in her step. The shadows clung to her as she walked, so much so any that would have been wandering the halls would have just seen her glowing red eyes.

She passed the rooms of Spike and Starlight. A part of her wished to visit them, to enjoy the taste of unsuspecting prey, but she could not bear the thought of being away from her Count for a moment longer. Perhaps another day.

His door was locked, but that proved no issue for her. She slipped into his room the same way she exited hers, finding herself in darkness. Even in this she could see him as if it were daylight.

He was in his bed, the covers sitting just below his chest. He was on his back, his breath slow and steady. She took a step toward him, drinking in every inch of his body that she could see. His scent hung heavy in the air, and the sound of his heart beating was like thunder in her ears. She found herself chewing on her bottom lip as she stood at his bedside, looking down at him.

While she should have been upset with him after his shenanigans this morning, try as she might she couldn’t muster up any anger as she looked down at his sleeping form. He looked so peaceful. So perfect.

She tried her best to contain herself, but it quickly began too much. Carefully, so as not to wake him, Fluttershy crawled under the covers. A shudder ran up her spine as she pressed herself against him, and she only just held back a groan. It was better than she could have dreamed.

“By the moon…”

With a smile, she rolled onto her side so she was face-to-face with him. Slipping a wing protectively over his form, she placed her muzzle in the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

“Goodnight… my love…”