Rainbow awoke with a jilted start. The mare simply shook her head as the nightmare was fresh on her mind. The stone cold sweat ran down her forehead just before the eyes noticed a couple of dark spots on her covers. The sweat had not only ran from her mane and body, but also drenched her duvet and sheets. Why the buck is this happening to me? Rainbow kept asking herself each night that went by. It was only then that the cyan coated mare dared to look out the window and saw the lights from Ponyville illuminate the night sky. A sigh escaped her lips as she threw her bed cover away from her hooves and allowed a breeze of fresh air to travel over her sweat covered body. It was only then that she actually climbed out of bed. Her hooves all made a muffled thump as she landed on the clouded floor. The mare yawned out loud and started to stretch her stiff joints, cracking them back in their places. But happy she wasn’t, for night time meant nothing else than hunting for her dear sister.

I gotta give you credit sis, you took that little stroll down memory lane better than I thought you would, the other voice inside of her head spoke up. Rainbow glanced around the dark room with the faint hope of actually seeing somepony else being there. Yet those hopes soon died as the room as empty as it ever had been. At first she was naturally curious about just how her supposed sister communicated with her. But that curiosity soon turned itself over into nothing else but anger. There had been many times where the voice also presented a rather sick sense of humor. For instance, there was the time when Rainbow and her friends were about to throw a party for Pinkie and then saw how depressed she got. The voice only after that entered its two bits worth of sense. You know, it would've been funny if Pinkie somehow turned out to be another cannibal. Wouldn’t you agree Dashie? Then it was followed by an insane laughter. Yet to make matters even worse, it also had a seriously perverted mind set as well. Most notably was the time it made Rainbow have a wingboner when she saw Applejack raise her rear and bent down to get a fallen apple, something that gave her a clear view from behind.

Rainbow finished the routine of preparing herself and then closed her eyes. The all too familiar feeling of utter worry washed over her. Something wasn't right and it never had been. It was the feeling that the mare always got when ‘she’ was about to ‘hunt’. The rainbow maned mare looked out the window with her worries clearly visible within her eyes, she didn't want to do it at all. She wanted to go back to sleep, she wanted to get a normal night of sleep. One without having to wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in cold sweat with a voice in her head. Rainbow Dash her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark surroundings as she craned her neck to get the closet that stood on the other side of the room in her eyes. The mare sighed once again before her hooves brought her slowly over to the closet. The clouds out of which her home was made, felt soft against her hoof and offered some comfort. About the only comfort she would get that night.

Come on sissy, hurry up! the voice complain as it almost looked like it was nothing else than a spoiled child. But the pegasus simply stared at the closet doors right in front of her. The looks in her eyes gave away that she was terrified for a monster that could be living inside of it. Yet she gathered the strength to lift her front hooves to the handles and yanked the doors wide open. With a pant of relief, she looked at all the cloths that laid inside of it, but it was far from over. For Rainbow looked lazily as she pushed some of the cloth to the right and found what she was looking for.

And that was nothing else than a rather new looking saddlebag that was filled with what was needed for the night. Rainbow leaned in and bit down on the leather before the bag was pulled out of the closet. The mare then shut the door with her right hind hoof, allowing it be actually slammed shut. It was something that almost made the cloud door disappear of the hard thrust. The mare turned herself around and dropped the bag to the floor and opened it against her will. The first item that she pulled out was a black fabric hoodie. The mare huffed towards it before the thoughts vanished from her mind and it was placed aside.

Her hooves then fumbled around inside the bag to continue the search. One of her hooves made contact with something and she pulled out a cylinder like box. Rainbow Dash placed the cylinder box on her bed as she kept digging for the last piece she was missing. However, her hoof recoiled when something locked around it. In her attempt of removing her hoof, she accidently sent the object flying across the room. The thing itself landed with a surprising loud clunk on the cloud floor before it skidded across. The object eventually came to a halt against the wall. Rainbow shook her hooves and glanced at it to make sure that it wasn’t bleeding. Luckily for her, that was the case and then Rainbow turned herself around before her eyes glared daggers at the dark object. “Darn piece of metal.” the pegasus muttered as she rose up on her hooves and trotted over to the metal piece.

Yet that caused the voice inside of her head to meddle itself in the situation. So that’s what it’s like to get bitten by me? Those idiots don’t know what real pain is that freaking tickled me! Rainbow lifted the object with her hooves up to eye level. She was then face to face with a set of razor sharp, fake teeth that had the appearance of the fangs of a dreaded timberwolf. Her magenta red rimmed eyes glanced at it for a few seconds. Emotions were had to describe for her at that point, but pleasant wasn’t one of them. She then trotted over to the bed and laid it down beside the hoodie. That very piece of cloth was taken and lifted up looking at it with little enthusiasm. Her eyes could make out some dark spots on the hood itself and at the right bottom, there where her hoof was going out. The mare looked at it with disgust before another pony’s presence let itself known. Oh the one on the right hoof was by far my favorite kill!

The cyan blue pegasus tore her gaze away from the dark red blood stain and tried getting the pictures of the slaughter out of her head while the memory flashed back to her. A memory that made her look like a wild dog on the hunt, a manticore having toyed enough with its prey. A feast of flesh, ready to begin.

In the dead of night she was running along the ground and heading towards the creature that so foolishly dared to try and outrun her. It took her some time, but finally she had cornered it and the darkened pegasus was soon upon it. Not even time to scream was given to the hopeless prey. "P-Please d-don't hurt me." the figure managed to beg to her. Yet the response it got, was that the mare merely laughed at him before the head lowered itself and the horrible sound of metal cutting and tearing away flesh was being heard.

The cyan coated pegasus shook her head once the horror was relieved and wished she could forget it just as quickly. Yet then the mare pulled the hoodie quickly over her head and tried to get her wings out of the two holes on her back put failed. Rainbow kept flailing her wings trying to get them out of the holes, her anger flaring up as she was still fumbling with the holes her wings flailing under the cover of her hoodie.

Oh come on Dashie! You want to join the wonderbolts? They have to wear those skin tight, sexy uniforms which you have on in ten seconds but you have trouble with a little hoodie? I’m starting to doubt you more and more, the voice said mockingly as the mare closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. All of the anger then slowly faded as the seconds went by. She sat down on her haunches and adjusted the holes with her hooves before one of the wings was moved out of the hole, while the other soon followed up. She then proceeded to open the cylinder box and exposed the black cream that was inside of it. The mare soon put her hoof into the cream and smeared her face, as well as her hooves, with most of it. She made sure to avoid the snout so that the gas didn't choke her to death, something she discovered the hard way.

The pegasus then glanced down at her hooves in order to make sure that her coat was covered as a whole and thus not exposing any of her true coat color that could possible give her away. But just looking at it in that manner wouldn’t have been enough, so she walked over to the mirror by the wall and looked at herself with mixed emotions. Aside from that, the only thing that was recognizable, were her magenta eyes. Only then came the hardest part of the job, putting in the fake irises, or better said: contact lenses for cosmetic purposes, that she got from Rarity thanks to a little lie. The lenses changed the eye color from their magenta origin, to a true devilish, if not demonic, red. A sight of horror for anypony unfortunate enough to cross her. The mare glanced over her shoulder and saw the fangs that were calmly resting on her bed. Rainbow shuddered at the thought of putting them inside of her mouth.

The covered pegasus lowered her head in utter defeat and strolled over to her bed. With a shaking hoof she grabbed them and held them in front of her snout for a few seconds. The eyes looked at them as she tried her best not to release a tear. But then it was the moment to complete her change and opened her mouth. The teeth were turned around and brought cover and closer to her. There was the near freezing sensation of the metal inside her mouth that sent a shiver down her spine. Her tongue suddenly made contact with something and she felt her stomach tightened, if not turned inside out.

Almost instantly she spat the teeth out on her bed, which dripped some saliva as the mare sat down on her haunches. Her tongue was sticking out in utter disgust and the eyes closed. Aw come on! the voice inside of her head muttered, that was one bad piece of meat and you gag over it? Wuss that you are! Rainbow still felt the urge to puke but instead, she took the fangs from her bed and gently removed the piece of meat that was hanging from it. Another shiver went down her spine because of it before inspecting whether or not there was still anything else left inside of them.. Only then, she took one deep exhale and just, forced the teeth right inside of her mouth and adjusted it for a good fit. Make sure you put them in right this time. After all, it would be just plain stupid to bite off your own tongue.

Rainbow glared to her right to look directly into the mirror and was met by her own glare before the words came to her mind. Words she wanted to speak so desperately. “Okay sis, could you please just shut up! So I could get us ready for tonight?” the pegasus irritatingly asked her. The voice inside her head just gave up trying to talk and let the mare continue getting prepared for the hunt. Rainbow stared at the mirror almost expecting a reply. But the eyes kept staring into the mirror for seconds as they went over to minutes before she finally zipped up the hoodie and trotted for the door.

The pegasus closed the door to her bedroom behind her and descended down the stairs to the living room. She walked down the final step and did a turn towards the kitchen. The changed pegasus trotted to a shelf and opened it. Her demonic red eyes looked over an orange box and took it off the shelf. In the darkness of the night, the coloring had more something away of a dark brown but it was quickly taken away from her mind. For she had found a bowl which had the inscription ‘Tank’ on it. Rainbow filled the bowl and placed it down by the sleeping tortoise, after that she gave her beloved pet a quick smile and nuzzled his shell.

Aw, look at the cute little pet of yours! He looks so good I could just eat him up, haha! But Rainbow ignored the mocking voice in her head as she walked out the door that was connected to her living room. She quickly opened the outer door that lead to her front porch and closed it before glancing around looking for any pony at all. It seemed a little bit unnecessary as her home literally hovered near the outskirts of the town, but better safe then sorry. Her wings spread themselves and before she knew it, Rainbow was airborne.

The destination of the pegasus would be Fluttershy’s little hut near the Everfree forest. Rainbow did a barrel roll to her left and came to a halt in a cloud where she laid inside. her ears perked themselves and she just listened for anything, everything. But she couldn't hear anything, nothing at all.

That was with the exception of a faint voice which grew in volume as it got closer to the cloud she was hiding in. The darkened pegasus started to sweat as it wasn't only one voice she could hear, but two. She couldn't make out what they said as it was drunk rambling only drunk ponies could understand. The voices then grew fainter and fainter before she poked her head out from the cloud looking in the direction of Ponyville where she saw two dark figures fly in a pattern that literally corresponded with their speech.

Rainbow knocked three times and started to wait for Fluttershy with quite the little bit of patience. You know, we wouldn't have to do some of this sneaking around if Flutters wasn't such a big issue, her ever so loved sister told her in a rather serious tone. Rainbow on the other end tried to force it away from her mind but she just kept coming back. -and let's not forget we haven't even tried pegasus stew yet. I heard that it's a delicacy in Griffonia.

And that were the words that caused Rainbow to nearly erupt out in nothing but anger. The nag actually considered killing Fluttershy and, on top of it, eat her to hide the crime. That was something that she couldn’t and wouldn’t even allow to actually happen. Why the buck would you want to kill Fluttershy huh?! She has done nothing but help us this whole time and you just want to kill her! Rainbow yelled at her sister mentally.

Not like anypony would ever notice her missing though. the voice chuckled darkly in return.

That's the thing you stupid, they would notice her missing after a while! Rainbow hissed at her sister again before she heard the door finally being opened from its locks. In her eyes she saw Fluttershy standing with a look that showed a mixture of pity and sadness. “Hey before you say anything, I’ll have you know that Dull was the one that made me so late tonight.” Fluttershy simply gave a nod and allowed Rainbow to enter her little hut. Dull was actually the short version of the name that was given to her sister, the full one being Dull Sloth because she loved to eat so slowly. Yet the odd part was, it was accepted by the voice in her head.

“I found another animal for you to hunt. I, I mean if that’s okay with you?” Fluttershy said quietly after she had closed the door. Rainbow nodded to let her friend know she understood and even accepted the offer. The yellow coated pegasus explained that there was a wounded manticore in the woods that needed to be put down fast to save any more misery to the animal. Rainbow jokingly asked if this was the same one she, Fluttershy and the others met when they were hunting the elements and got a sad, “Yes.” in response. Something that made her feel bad almost instantly. In order to not give the other pegasus more pain, Rainbow took off into the woods and headed towards the area that the beast was seen last. It would be there, that the pegasus herself allowed her sister to take over and soon was she surrounded by nothing but darkness.

Dull Sloth opened her eyes just in time to avoid hitting a tree square on. “Dammit sis. You couldn't have at least landed before you fell asleep?” she said aloud and continued forward. In her nose she caught the scent of blood from the beast and as luck would have it she saw it before she even smelled the actual horrid scent of the manticore carried. She landed on a small open spot of just grass and right in front of her was the manticore she was hunting on. And as per usual she breathed a sigh of disappointment. Really sis you couldn't make this a little more fun? she thought to Rainbow Dash as she wanted to actually lay in wait, lurking her prey before striking it down with a deadly precision. But she rowed with the oars she had and closed in the distance and Dull remembered that this one was actually one of the few creatures that were actually nice towards her sister. Not to mention her friends, so she decided to be a little nice today. Even though it most likely would have been used to keep Rainbow at bay. Dull hunted through Dash her brain in the hope to find that lullaby Fluttershy taught them both a while back.

Didn’t it go ‘Hush now, quiet now’ or something like that? Dull thought to herself as she couldn’t actually wake Rainbow up to ask. A few moments later she found herself face to face with the wounded animal and saw that it still had some fight in it. The darkened pegasus jumped back to avoid a slash from one of the manticore's claws and then flared her wings as she flew straight at the beast. Reaction time for the beast was far too slow and the sharpened fangs of the fake teeth had set themselves right into the neck of the beast. The wounds created caused the creature to lose even more blood and slow died in front of her as the lullaby was sung in an oddly calming tone. “Hush now, quiet now, lay your sleepy head to rest. Hush now, quiet now time to go to bed.” As she said the last part of the rhyme she suddenly felt light headed for whatever reason and brought a hoof over to her head. No not now you fool! I still have to get back to the bucking cottage so she doesn't piss herself in fear, Dull thought bitterly to herself as she started to take off towards the small house. Without having been able to have a feast from the fresh meat of the manticore, her stomach rumbled in hunger while she landed outside the porch. The very spot where Rainbow would be taking control again over her body.

As Rainbow opened her eyes, she already saw that she was losing moonlight and that made her a little panicky, if not a lot. The pegasus left one of her claw pieces behind to let Fluttershy know that the hunt was successful and then headed home to get some more sleep in order to appear normal the next day.

She arrived a little while later and just got into bed when the sun broke through the skies as it does every night. You know, for once I would actually like to sleep a whole night instead of doing this over and over, Rainbow thought to herself and got out of bed for the second time on that day and headed out to work up in Cloudsdale itself. The mare had promoted and given the opportunity to work right inside of the city’s famed weather factory. Little did she knew, that on the desk of her workstation laid an invitation that would shock her world.

Author's Note

Dull Sloth is an equinox pony who in turn are trademarks of Rigyan I own none of them. link And here's a pic of Dull and the Equinox crew and no the others will not be making an appearance.