The Spectrum Of Blood

by SonoQwerty

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Tragedy
Length: 11860

Rainbow Dash becomes who she fears the most: a cold-blooded killer- a vampony.

Rainbow Dash has always feared vamponies. But when she becomes one herself, she slowly learns the dark ways of the ones who ruined her past.

Will she resist the urge to become one herself? Or will she become the very person she fears?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-01-07 20:59:49 UTC

The Beginning

Rainbow Dash sat at the entrance to quiet station, listening to the soft rain pour on the roof above her. Sighing to herself, she looked around to see what was around her. The train station was completely deserted, as no trains left or arrived for another two hours.

“Why did I think this was a good idea?” She muttered. “It’s probably just an immature prank from Pinkie again.”

Rainbow had come to this station after finding a mysterious note on the branch she usually napped on, saying simply “You’re right. Meet me at the train station at 1 A.M.” She assumed it was another joke pulled on her, like all the others. But she couldn’t risk the chance. She needed the truth about those horrible eyes.

Rainbow heard a light sound nearby and searched around, searching for a small rodent, or maybe a bunny, who made such a small impact on the ground. What she did not expect to see were two light blue eyes a few feet into the darkness. She hesitated, but realized it was just Bon-Bon out on a nightly stroll. The local sweets addict had to keep her good form somehow, she supposed.

“Bon-Bon!” Rainbow said.  Good to see you. Out for a nightly walk?”

“No.” Bon-Bon replied.

Rainbow observed Bon-Bon in the darkness and noticed something peculiar about her. She appeared to merge greatly with the darkness, and Rainbow could only see her eyes and a slim outline. Those eyes…

She realized the truth of the situation. Death was likely. She was bucked. But most of all, she realized she had been right all along about the one thing she feared most of all.

“Well, I’ll be quick.” Bon-Bon said. “Vamponies? Real. All along. You were right this entire time, but unlike most, you persisted in your belief. You were approaching the truth about us, and for that,” She said with a sharp toothed grin, “You must die.”

Faster than believed possible, Bon- Bon lunged at Rainbow. Rainbow, however, was prepared. She pulled out her silver knife with her wing and swung in a wide arc, hoping to intercept her path. She aimed high however, and heard a hiss as her knife hit Bon-Bon’s ear. Almost immediately after, she felt a sharp pain in her side that surpassed any pain she had felt before. She fell to the ground, and heard the sound of hoof steps running away. She felt the life leaving her, and accepted her fate. She thought many thoughts in that short time. She felt joy that she had been right about the existence of Vamponies all along, though not in the way she expected.  In her dying moments, her life flashed before her eyes.

All the joys of childhood.

All the great adventures.

All the ridicule and shunning for her unnatural fears.

But most of all, those eyes.

Those horrible, terrifying eyes.

Rainbow closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

She felt the cold darkness approach then passed on.

Rainbow awoke with a sharp gasp, feeling horrified and not knowing why. She felt cold, as if she were wrapped in ice. She looked around to see she was inside Fluttershy’s cottage, but Fluttershy didn’t seem to be around. She attempted to try and sit up, but fell down from the effort about halfway up. Just then, a knock came to the door, and she heard a sweet, melodious voice flow in.

“Rainbow?” It whispered. “You awake?”

“Yeah, come on in.” Rainbow nearly coughed as she spoke, feeling her throat being unbearably dry.

Fluttershy opened the door and gave rainbow a big smile. She walked over to Rainbow and tried to help her up, but Rainbow could barely move. Sitting up at the moment felt like trying to lift a mountain. She felt as if her whole body was drained of all its muscle. What had happened last night?

"So how are you feeling?" Fluttershy asked nervously.  She seemed to be hiding something, but Rainbow couldn't figure out what it was. “Remember anything…  Strange?” She said with an awkward grin.

Rainbow struggled to remember the events of the previous night, but she couldn’t seem to recall anything. She searched her head for an injury, supposing it may have caused her memory loss. She found no injury, but notice that her mane was hardened, as if tree sap had gotten into it. With a surge of effort, she stood up and started to walk to the bathroom.

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy said. “Don’t push yourself too hard now, you’re completely exhausted.  Why don’t you just take a rest?”

Rainbow still insisted on going, despite her friend’s request.  However, as she walked down the hallway, her legs and gave out and she fell to the floor. She couldn’t place a reason on her strange lethargy. As far as she could remember, her previous day had gone relatively ordinary; no parties, pranks, or any tiring mishaps. Before she could think, however, the pain caught up to her and she passed out.

It seemed to be the dream that occurred to Rainbow often: The fateful night. The night she had seen those eyes. However, this time the eyes in the darkness were a soft blue, rather than the usual harsh red. The owner of said eyes then looked at Rainbow and charged. She was bitten. She fell to the ground. However, a mysterious figure picked her up as she laid there and carried her away.

It was then Rainbow woke up with a jolt, remembering the events of the previous night. She dreaded what she expected to see, but she needed to know. With a sudden burst of energy, she charged to the bathroom and looked into the mirror on the wall. It was then she saw much of her body was covered in dried blood. But that was not what scared her the most. It was the new length of her canines, and her strange desire to lick herself clean to wet her throat.

Fluttershy walked over with a guilty look on her face, and said with a sigh, “Well, you’ve realized the truth. Vamponies are real. And you’re the newest one of our clan.”

The Next Day

Rainbow stared at the sight that beheld her. She just couldn’t accept the sight she was seeing in the mirror. She couldn’t accept the canines, the blood, the thirst. Or the fact she could see herself in the mirror. If I really am a vampony like Fluttershy claimed that I was, Rainbow thought, I would be invisible in the mirror. Rainbow had researched vamponies for most of her life, and while all the books differed greatly, they generally claimed that reflections were nonexistent, she’d hate garlic, and she would burn in sunlight.

Well, except Sunset, but buck Sunset. Vamponies shouldn’t sparkle and be all "vegetarian" and all that.

Rainbow pondered this for a moment and came to the conclusion that she couldn’t be a vampony. It was just another prank being pulled on her by her insensitive "friends".

"No, this isn't a prank." Fluttershy said suddenly, as if reading Rainbow’s mind. "That whole ‘no reflections’ thing is an old mare’s tale. What kind of hunters would we be if we had an obvious clue to our existence?"

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy with confusion, which grew slowly into horror. "You don’t mean that you... we..."

"Celestia no!" Fluttershy interrupts. "We don’t sparkle and we aren't all weak. We’re the way vamponies are supposed to be, hunting ponies and drinking their blood. None of this ‘I’m so lonely and bad, but you see the good in me’ junk. Just pure hunting."

In a sickening way, that helped Rainbow to feel better about her position. She’d rather be a real vampony then one of those sparklers.

"So do we burn in the sun and hate garlic?" Rainbow asked. "Cause I’m hoping the latter is false. I love me some garlic- coated daisies."

Fluttershy smiled at that, and said "I’m glad you’re adjusting to the idea of being a vampony. No, our fur usually protects us from the sun. And unfortunately for you, we don’t eat food. We just drink blood."

Rainbow frowned at the thought of no garlic daisies. For all of eternity. She thought what a life of blood drinking would be like. She pictured a tall glass of blood on a table next to her, but realized the foolishness of that. She was going to have to kill her victims and drink from them then and there. The thought of hunting down innocent ponies caused her to feel sick inside.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, shall we?” Fluttershy said. “I’ll start a bath for you right now. Just relax a minute, alright?”

“Sure, I’ll just sit right here.” Rainbow said.

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a forced smile to Fluttershy as they looked at each other. Once she turned around, Rainbow sat down and thought about everything. About how ironic this whole situation was. She hoped she would just wake up from this in a minute and it would all be a cruel dream created by Luna. But she realized that Luna knew Rainbow and her fears, and wasn’t that mean.

The water slowed to a stop and Fluttershy turned around. “Well, here you go.” She said. “I’m pretty sure you can bathe yourself.”

Rainbow smiled and thanked Fluttershy, who promptly left the room. Rainbow climbed in slowly, expecting to be grossed out. The blood covering her body would mix into the water, leaving her bathing in a literal bloodbath.

What Rainbow did not expect was that she would enjoy it.

Rainbow couldn't quite describe it. It was better than any bath she had ever experienced. The feeling of the blood, even diluted as it was, made the water feel… better.

Rainbow climbed out of the water feeling much better. She dried herself off and once again looked in the mirror. She looked almost the same as before she was bit, with the exception of the teeth. It wasn't blatantly obvious, but they were definitely longer, and maybe a bit sharper. She hoped it was slight enough her friends wouldn't notice. Her eyes may have been made a shade or two darker, but they weren't like the ones from her dreams. She turned away and walked towards Fluttershy’s room. Rainbow found her brushing her hair with the help of several birds. Rainbow smiled at the sight of it. Rainbow had always found Fluttershy’s strange connection to animals to be a bit silly, especially the tea parties with them. Rainbow tolerated her strangeness, however. They had known each other for many years and had an almost sisterly bond. The only reason Rainbow moved here to Ponyville was to be near Fluttershy.

One of the birds chirped at Fluttershy, causing her to turn around. “Ah! You’re all done I see.” She said. “Here’s your knife.” Fluttershy slid the knife in its under-wing sheath towards Rainbow. “What’s with that knife? Its sheath is fairly obvious against your fur. How did Bon-Bon not see it? And why did a little knife burn her ear?"

“I’ll show you.” Rainbow said. She put the sheath on snugly under her wing, and to Fluttershy’s amazement, the sheath seemed to vanish. “The sheath’s enchanted for defensive measures.” Rainbow said with a laugh at Fluttershy’s face. “The blade was also believed by a few to be a demon slayer, so that may explain the burns.”

“That’s a good weapon to have; I’d take care of it if I were you.” Fluttershy said. “Well, for today, that’s all you really need to know. I’ll get you a blood bag to bring home. You must be feeling the thirst by now.”

“Wait, blood bags?” Rainbow asked. “How do you have those?”

“I got them from the hospital.” Fluttershy responded. “I request a small amount of them for ‘emergency procedures’ on the animals, but the nurses don’t seem to realize that animals can’t use pony blood. I keep them for rainy days, and situations such as this.”

Fluttershy walked over and opened her fridge, which Rainbow noticed was nearly full of bags. Fluttershy pulled one down and handed it to Rainbow. “Here you go. Drink it when you get home.”

They walked to the door and Fluttershy let Rainbow go first. However, when she stepped into the sun, rainbow instantly felt like she was dying. She fell down and felt as if her whole body was burning and was certain she was dying again.

“Oh yeah.” Fluttershy said awkwardly. “The reason we don’t burn is because our fur is thick. Yours must have not fully grown out yet.”

Rainbow angrily stared at Fluttershy. She realized that, although it was painful to be in, she wasn't actually dying from the sunlight. She got up and picked up the bag in her teeth and gave Fluttershy a salutary nod.

“I’ll come get you in the morning.” Fluttershy said. “Be ready to go.”

Rainbow nodded again, and then took off. She flew home with no stops and didn't even look down. Upon arriving home, she looked at the bag and immediately burst into tears. She couldn't show her emotions to anyone, not even Fluttershy. She was reminded again of the demonic being she had become. How ironic life was. She had spent years researching and preparing against the very being she had become. She threw the bag at the wall and walked to her room to mourn her cruel fate.

The Knife

Rainbow struggled to find sleep that night, as the thirst became nearly unbearable for her. She tossed and turned, but even though she tried to ignore it, she couldn't stop the pain. Eventually, her exhaustion overpowered the pain, and she slept.

Rainbow saw that the dream was once again repeating itself. As usual, it started with the eyes staring at her from the darkness. but there was something different about it this time. Her dread was even stronger than it normally was, and the eyes were... different, in a way, but she couldn't place it. She knew what would happen, and that there was no escape. She knew she would be killed by the shadowy figure, then promptly wake up out of breath. She closed her eyes and braced for the pain.

To Rainbow's surprise, nothing happened. The pain usually came quick, but it seemed to be waiting for something. She opened her eyes and stared into the ones in front of her. The eyes continued to stare her down, ready to kill. Rainbow tried harder to focus on the figure, pondering what the form was waiting for. As she stared, the figure became more distinct. She noticed it had wings and wild, unkept hair. The figure appeared to be a light blue, like Rainbow was. That's when Rainbow realized: it WAS her. She was looking herself in the eyes. The impostor grinned, and pounced onto Rainbow's neck, ripping it out upon impact.

Rainbow awoke with a jolt. The dream scared her more than any of the other dreams she had before. She grabbed onto her head and massaged it, hoping to clear her mind and calm herself down. She had hoped to get some sleep that night, but of course she couldn't. Not after a day like yesterday. She looked at the clock on the wall, which told her it was 3 A.M. She got up and walked downstairs so she could get some flying in today without being in pain the entire time.

Rainbow collapsed at the bottom of the stairs. now that the adrenaline of the the scare was gone, she realized she was running on empty. She knew she couldn't eat any real food at this point, so she had no choice. She'd have to drink the blood. She crawled over to the bag Fluttershy had give her yesterday. She turned the bag upside down and opened the bottom with her teeth. She had always hated the metallic flavor of blood, so she dreaded having to drink an entire bag. She plugged her nose, hoping to avoid the taste, and chugged. The blood felt wrong going down her throat, and she nearly gagged. But she knew she had to drink to survive. She threw the empty bag on the floor in disgust, and walked away. Fortunately for her, she instantly felt better, and regained all her strength.

Rainbow stepped outside and took off, hoping to get a good flight in before Fluttershy came to get her. She decided to make a flight to the train station where she was attacked. She flew slowly, as she wasn't in any hurry. She landed at the spot of her death and stared at it. There was nothing there. No stains, no marks. No evidence she had been attacked. But what happened to it? Rainbow thought. Oh well. I guess it's better this way for the Police. Rainbow flew home and sat waiting for Fluttershy to come knocking. While she waited, Rainbow pulled out her silver knife from her side. She stared at the blade and thought about the day she got it.

Rainbow had been 8 when she saw this blade the first time. Her father had brought it home and showed it to her, explaining it was supposed to repel demons. Her father hid it away so Rainbow wouldn't be able to find it. But she still knew where he kept it- right underneath his side of the bed. The way she truly came into possession of the knife was about 3 years later. She was fast asleep when she was awoken by her mother screaming in the room over. She then heard her father say "Dear Celestia... They do exist" followed by his scream. Rainbow sat petrified in her bed, and after a few minutes, she saw them.

The eyes.

They were more red than any eyes Rainbow had seen before. They seem to stare at her with a sense of hatred, but then slowly turned, to Rainbow's surprise, to pity. They then disappeared into the night. Rainbow rushed into her parents room and lit a candle for light. The sight there scarred her for the rest of her life. Her parents lay there, both with two large puncture wounds in their throats. The wounds did not bleed, and her parents were cold and deflated, She realized what had happened- her parents had been killed by a vampony. She found her father holding the knife and she took it, along with the sheath which she found under the bed. She swore on her life to avenge her parent's death and kill the vampony responsible.

The police arrived shortly after, and seeing what had happened, sent Rainbow to the orphanage. Rainbow tried to insist to everyone that vamponies existed, and she needed to find them. This, of course, started the bullying from others. Everyone hated her, except one other pony in orphanage- Fluttershy. She had been the outcast until Rainbow had arrived, and decided to befriend Rainbow. They have been friends ever since.

Rainbow jumped when she heard a soft knock on the door. "Rainbow?" Fluttershy's voice said through the door. "You awake?"

Rainbow put away the knife and opened the door. A smiling Fluttershy awaited her on the other side. "Ready to go?"  Fluttershy asked. "We're off to see the other vamponies in Ponyville."

"Sure." Rainbow said. "But can I ask you a random question? If I had a... problem with one of the others, would i be allowed to... attack them?"

Fluttershy gave Rainbow a quizzical look, but said "Um... Sure, I guess. There's no rule against it. But if you do, you both have the right to kill. You may not make it, so lets try to keep on everyone's good side, alright?

"Sure." Rainbow responded. She hoped, for their sake, the pony with those eyes wasn't there. Because if they were, she would certainly be making some enemies.

The Clan

Rainbow flew closely behind Fluttershy, feeling both nervous and horrified. She was visiting a group of vamponies, implying there was a considerable amount of them. She wondered- who else did she know who was a vampony? Was any of her other friends one? She hoped to at least know someone else- it was awkward enough for her to go to a normal party, much less one full of murderous bloodsuckers.

"So..." Fluttershy started, hoping to break the silence. "Sleep well? Enjoy the blood? I never really liked it from bags as much."

Is this really how our conversations will go? Rainbow wondered. "Er... Yeah!" Rainbow responded, feigning enthusiasm. "It was great! Both, I mean."

"Good!" Fluttershy answered, "I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the life when I was a kid. I'm glad you rebounded quickly."

Kid? How long has she been a vampony? Rainbow thought. "How did you become a vampony? How old were you?"

Fluttershy darkly stared in the distance. Must be a touchy subject. Rainbow deducted. Fluttershy kept the dark look until they arrived at town hall, when she said "Well, we're here. Ready to meet your kind?"

Rainbow nodded, and Fluttershy gave her a smile. Fluttershy walked around one of the sets of stairs and pushed a loose beam out of the way, then stepped in. A staircase was underneath, hidden by the darkness. They descended into the tunnel and walked down. The staircase seemed to go forever, and as they submerged Rainbow's fear ascended. She was meeting murderers, for Celestia's sake. The staircase ended with a large, surprisingly well lit cavern. The cave had quite a few ponies in it, but not nearly as much as she had expected. She surmised that there was around 40, maybe 50. She was shocked to see that all of this seemed to be normal; no coffins, dungeons, or moats in sight. She saw ponies of all shapes and sizes. She recognized Lyra in the corner, working on some type of electronic device with five claws on it, but the claws didn't seem very sharp. She saw a pale green pony standing off to the side, playing a song about the rainbow factory in Cloudsdale. She also saw a mare with one ear charging towards her.

Wait, what?

Rainbow felt the impact of two tough hooves hitting her in the throat, followed by her flying away. She slammed painfully into the side of the cavern and felt her ribs break on impact. She held back tears, and watched as Bon-Bon walked over and stared Rainbow down. Rainbow saw the pure malice in Bon-Bon eyes.

"You!" Bon-Bon roared at Rainbow. "You did this! You bi..."

Bon-Bon never finished her sentence, however. Rainbow wasn't too keen on being bullied her first day, so she kicked Bon-Bon square in the chest, causing her to fly up in the air. Rainbow flew up to intercept her, and slammed Bon-Bon back to the ground. The impact caused the stone floor to crack, along with several of Bon-Bon's bones.

If Rainbow had hoped to enter quietly, she had hoped in vain. Everyone was staring now, Lyra was no longer focused on her robot claw, the green pony had stopped singing, and Fluttershy was facehoofing.

"I think you broke the record for fastest fight." Fluttershy said, sounding very disgruntled. "By about two weeks."

Bon-Bon struggled to get back to her hooves, but managed to stand. Rainbow could see her left hind leg was broken in at least two places, and her neck appeared to be broken. Somehow, Bon-Bon started to walk towards Rainbow, but fell down halfway there. Bon-Bon writhed in pain on the ground, and Rainbow walked over to help her.

"No!" Bon-Bon said in anguish. "I don't want your help."

Fluttershy walked over and looked at Rainbow. "She's been demoted." Fluttershy said simply. "Her failed attack against you pushed her back to level one."

"Levels?" Rainbow asked. "Is there a vampony game, or something? Do you keep score?"

Fluttershy laughed at Rainbow's comment. "No, it's not a game. Well, not technically. You rank up in the community to have more rights. Being the leader, I have the most rights."

Fluttershy? Shes in charge? "Why are you in charge?" Rainbow asked confusedly.

"I've been a vampony the longest." Fluttershy said. "Being oldest has it's benefits."

Rainbow thought about that. Rainbow appeared to be much more calm and collected than many of the others. Many still had blood on their mouths from previous encounters, and many had the eyes of a predator. Fluttershy didn't seem to have that. She seemed content and graceful, and lacked the eyes of a hunter. Rainbow once again contemplated the length of time Fluttershy has been a vampony.

"Well." Fluttershy finally said. "I'd rather we all stay friends here. Tell you what- initiates are required a partner. And it happens we have two new vamponies right here."

Oh no. Please don't say it. PLEASE don't say it.

"Bon-Bon, meet your new partner." Fluttershy said smugly, staring Bon-Bon in the eyes. "You and Rainbow start working tomorrow."

The First Hunt

"You can't be serious." Bon-Bon protested as she walked with Rainbow and Fluttershy. "You can't stick me with her!"

"She tried to kill me!" Rainbow griped as well.

"I was required to!" Bon-Bon countered. "You cut off my ear! And had me demoted!"

"Ladies, please." Fluttershy interrupted. "Let's at least try to get along. Yes, Bon-Bon was required to kill you, Rainbow. You were a teeny tiny bit obsessed. And Bon-Bon, you should've finished what you started."

"But..." Rainbow and Bon-Bon began.

"Nope." Fluttershy said authoritatively. "Not listening. I have the power here. I like you two, but we need to all stay together. We have enough enemies as it is, so I'd prefer we stay without internal conflict."

Not wanting to get on Fluttershy's bad side, especially after seeing what she did at the Gala, Rainbow shut up and kept walking. After Fluttershy intervened, everything went back to normal, and Rainbow started to look around. The cavern was very spacious, and had many small groups of people talking quietly among themselves. They talked of their jobs, cute stallions and mares, that hideous dress the mare down the street wore, almost anything you could think of. They seemed... normal, as if they weren't bloodthirsty murderers. Rainbow listened to conversations as she walked. They all were like this- everyday talk, as if they were all completely normal. She also looked around, hoping to see a friend, or maybe the pony with the red eyes, but neither popped out. She turned to Bon-Bon several times, but she just received a death stare every time she did.

Was this really necissary? Rainbow thought. Did Fluttershy really have to put me with her?

"Yes." Fluttershy said suddenly. "It was necessary for me to team you two up. Everyone needs kind and loyal friends, and we're all friends here, right?"

Not really... Rainbow thought.

"Well, I'm really sorry, but you're going to have to be." Fluttershy responded to Rainbow's unspoken question. "Oh, and yes, some vamponies can read minds. It requires lots of quiet and focus, but it is possible."

"Creepy." Rainbow stated.

"It has it's ups and downs." Fluttershy said. "Gets kind of gross when I walk around at night and hear the ponies indoors."

"Bleh." Rainbow said. "Enough wasting time- what do we have to do? Kill people? I'm not too keen on that."

"Well, you may not like this then." Fluttershy said cautiously. "That's kinda what we do, sorry. But it's not as bad as you may believe. We are a sort of... police, per say. We make the world better."

"How is murder good?" Rainbow asked, which resulted in a facehoof from Bon-Bon.

"Dear Celestia, you're so dense." Bon-Bon said, sounding very annoyed. "We hunt the scum of Equestria- real murderers, rapists, kidnappers, people among those lines. We are the reason no one hears about crimes in Ponyville. You Element bearers take care of the big magical stuff, we get everything else. Capiche?"

"Got it." Rainbow said .

"Then let's get started." Bon-Bon said, a hint of eagerness in her voice. "Who's first?"

"I'll start you new recruits off easy." Fluttershy said, and received an evil stare from Bon-Bon. "A pony by the name of Bottle Mixer has been developing poisons used by assassins everywhere. Eliminate him, and you save many ponies who don't deserve to die." Fluttershy flew off, leaving the other two to wait.

Bon-Bon turned to Rainbow and gave her an evil stare. "Listen here," she said menacingly. "You better not slow me down. I was a few days from becoming one of the Lunar Guard. If I don't make it soon, you'll somehow find yourself missing several parts, namely your head. Got it?"

Rainbow nodded. Fluttershy came back and handed them each a picture. The picture was of  a tall, dark blue Earth stallion. He had long, wavy brown hair, and brown eyes. His cutie mark was a triangular beaker filled with a yellow liquid.

"Here's the stallion." Fluttershy said. "Have fun hunting!" She walked away, leaving Rainbow and Bon-Bon to plan their actions.

"So what are we going to do?" Rainbow asked Bon-Bon. "Stealth? Full assault? Traps?"

"I'll let you decide." Bon-Bon said with a smirk. "I've been at this a while- you need field experience. You do all the dirty work, and I'll make sure you don't mess up too badly. But you get to kill him."

What? Rainbow thought. What a helpful partner you are. Rainbow considered her options, but Bon-Bon interrupted.

"I'll gather some info on our target." Bon-Bon said. "Figure out what you're doing by six tonight- I'll be outside Sugar Cube Corner." She then walked into the crowd and seemed to blend in to her surroundings. Rainbow held back some choice words, then sat down to think about a plan. She realized her only somewhat credible sources had left, so she had no idea what to do. She contemplated all the options she could, but all would most likely fail. She realized she needed help- and she would go to the one source Rainbow could always count on for pointless knowledge.

"Assassination?" Twilight said curiously. "Why do you need knowledge on that?"

"Err...' Rainbow stammered. "I need it for... Wonderbolts training! The Wonderbolts do military attacks, right? Like that time with Spike? Well, I wanted to get ahead of the game!" Rainbow was impressed. She had totally pulled that out of her plot, and it sounded fairly smooth.

"Uhh... sure, I guess." Twilight said awkwardly. She walked over to the shelves and pulled out a book called 'The Sisterhood's Guide- A History of Assassination'. "It's a bit outdated," Twilight said as she handed it to Rainbow, "but it's the best we have. This will get you started, at the very least."

"Thanks a lot, Twi!" Rainbow said as she started out the door.

"Rainbow, wait!" Twilight said.

Rainbow froze in horror. Will Twilight see through my ruse?

"You seem... different." Twilight said. "Do you feel alright? Any injuries you've gotten you failed to treat?"

Rainbow sighed in relief. "I'm fine, thanks." Rainbow said. "I've got a small cold, that's all."

"Really?" Twilight said. "Let me take a look. I've been dabbling in healing magic. I'm gonna need it if I'm gonna start flying soon." Twilight walked over to Rainbow and placed her hoof on Rainbow's forehead. Twilight then flinched back and looked at her hoof, and then Rainbow. "Your skin is cold..." She said. "It's like ice, but... darker, almost evilly cold."

Rainbow laughed awkwardly. "Oh, it's just a side effect of a new spell the nurse ponies are trying!" She said awkwardly. "I'm fine, but thank you for the concern." Twilight began to protest, but Rainbow ran out the door before Twilight could ask any more questions.

"What happened to her?" Twilight asked as she watched Rainbow fly towards her home. "She seemed... edgy. I'll ask Fluttershy and Pinkie about it tomorrow, see what they know."

Rainbow slammed the door behind her as she entered her house. She had almost been caught- by her close friend, no less. And being Twilight, she would have done some crazy experiment to see how she lived in the state she did. Rainbow opened the book and began to read. The book had many interesting forms of assassination; knives, poison, many others that weren't quite so tame. Once she finished, Rainbow looked at the clock and saw it was 5:30. Rainbow decided to show up early, and think while she waited what to do to. She placed the book on the table, then set off towards Sugar Cube Corner. She started feeling anxious about her job. She couldn't even go to the library without getting caught. How can I kill someone without any alarm? Rainbow thought. Heck, how will I even kill someone? Rainbow lapped the town a few times, hoping the rush would give her inspiration. Suddenly, she had it- it was a stupid idea that wasn't like her at all, but she would do it.

Rainbow landed outside Sugar Cube Corner and  waited. She was five minutes early, but that wouldn't be too long to wait. She looked around at the others sitting outside the store, drinking milkshakes or coffee. Many sat with a partner, smiling and joking with eachother playfully. Rainbow felt a pang of sadness looking at them. Will I be able to find someone to love? Rainbow pondered. The person she had a crush on wasn't a vampony. She realized that she would never be able to be with them.

Bon-Bon seemed to materialize next to Rainbow at exactly six. She pulled Rainbow behind the store and looked Rainbow in the eyes. "He'll be here to get a coffee by himself in five minutes." Bon-Bon said. "What's your plan of action?"

"Seduction." Rainbow said with a triumphant grin. Bon-Bon facehoofed.

Bottle Mixer entered Sugar Cube Corner a few minutes later. Rainbow sat at a table in the corner, and watched as he walked up to the counter. Bon-Bon sat at the table next to her, watching them both closely.

"You're going to do this very cliche, aren't you?" Bon-Bon said just loud enough for Rainbow to hear. "Your going to bump into him, spill his coffee all over yourself, then hope he falls for you?"

Rainbow gave her an angry look. "No!" Well, yes, actually.

"Good." Bon-Bon said. "Just don't fail too badly; he does need to be eliminated."

Rainbow nodded and looked over towards Mixer. He was getting his coffee handed to him right then. It's now or never. Rainbow thought, and walked towards him, but she tried to look like she was heading to the bathroom. Right on time, Mixer turned around and slammed right into Rainbow, spilling his coffee all over her.

"Sorry!" They said in unison, looking at each other in embarrassment.

"Uh, here," Rainbow said, faking an awkward tone, "I'll get you a new coffee."

"No, no." Mixer said. "It's my fault- I should've seen a beautiful mare like yourself from a mile away. The names Mixer, Bottle Mixer. You must be Miss Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow heard someone facehoof, most likely Bon-Bon, from somewhere behind her.

"Yep, that's me!" Rainbow replied, secretly happy she was known by ponies she'd never met.

"Nice to meet you." Mixer said. He turned back to Mrs. Cake and said "Two more coffees, please."

"Sure thing!" Mrs. Cake responded. She turned around and went to making more coffee.

"Uhm, thanks." Rainbow said. "But, uh, I don't really like crowds, is there somewhere we could go with these to talk?"

"How about the roof of my apartment building?" Mixer said. "It's only a block away, and no one ever goes up there."

Rainbow couldn't believe her luck. She had not only successfully seduced Mixer, but gotten him to go to a quiet place to be alone with her. She had this in the bag- all she had to do was kill him quietly while there. She looked at Mixer, who looked happy as a schoolfilly. He picked up the coffees on the counter and handed one to Rainbow, who took it and gave Mixer a smile.

"If a stallion comes by looking for Mr. Mixer," Mixer said quietly to Mrs. Cake, thinking Rainbow couldn't hear, "tell him he's been caught up with... mare activities."

Rainbow was sickened and yet pleased. Mixer wanted closeness, and that would make killing him off easier. Rainbow was going to be killing him soon. She just hoped she had the will to.

The two talked for several hours. Mixer was very smart, and Rainbow was impressed by his knowledge of nearly every subject they talked about. Eventually, Rainbow decided to cut it short.

"Thank you for the wonderful night, Mixer." Rainbow said. "I hope we can meet again sometime." She started to walk away.

"Wait!" Mixer shouted. Rainbow halted to a stop. "Can I get a goodnight kiss?"

Man, this guy is pushy. Rainbow thought in disgust. But I guess I need him to be. "Sure." Rainbow said, trying to sound as happy as possible.

Mixer stood up and walked towards Rainbow. He looked her in the eyes, and gave her a kiss. Rainbow was shocked by it- she could almost sense his passion, as if he truly loved her. I'm so sorry it had to be this way,Rainbow thought, But I must.

Rainbow pulled back and bit hard into Mixer's throat. She felt him tense up, then he fell limp in her mouth. She jerked backward in disgust, but that only made it worse- her canines were still in his throat, and her hard pull broke several of his neck bones. Rainbow pulled out her teeth and stared at what she did.

She had just killed someone.

She had become a murderer.

"Not bad." A voice said from the darkness. Bon-Bon stepped forward. "I personally would've killed him before the conversation, but either way works- he's dead."

Dead.

That was what Rainbow heard about the victims of others- now she had her own list of victims starting.

"Well, go on." Bon-Bon said impatiently. "Drink- he's not going to be warm forever."

Right... Rainbow thought, a sense of dread filling her. The reason we're called 'vamponies' and not just murderers. Not wanting to appear like a weakling, Rainbow bent down and bit into Mixer's neck again and sucked a little blood in.

Rainbow nearly choked- she had expected the disgusting metallic flavor of blood. But the blood from his body tasted incredible. It was unlike any flavor she had tasted, a hundred times better than garlic-coated daisies. Rainbow sucked in the blood as fast as she could before Bon-Bon interrupted her.

"Now, now," Bon-Bon said, "we have to share, don't we?" Bon-Bon pushed Rainbow away from Mixer's body and began to drink for herself. Once done, Bon-Bon backed away. "Now we leave the rest to the cover up team. They'll clean up the mess, make a cover story, whatever is necessary to hide the truth."

"Good thing too- we weren't exactly following our table manners." Rainbow said jokingly.

Bon-Bon smiled back at Rainbow. "Perhaps you won't be as awful as i assumed. See you later." Bon-Bon jumped off the roof and disappeared into the darkness. Rainbow was amazed by her talents of blending in despite having such a bright color scheme. My hair's too vibrant to ever do that. Rainbow thought, smiling to herself. Unless I want to blend in with a rainbow.

Rainbow looked over at Mixer's drained body. Not ten minutes earlier, he had been alive, happy, and in love. Now he laid on the ground, cold as a stone and horror still on his face. But none of this phased Rainbow, she was only sad there was no blood for her left. She wanted blood more than anything in the world in that moment. For once, she could justify vamonies actions.

Blood was worth the crime.

Questions and Answers

Twilight sat alone in the quiet evening, rearranging the library books he way they were supposed to go. It was the quiet moments like this that she missed Spike, but knew he would be back sooner than she would believe. Spike’s only gone for a month longer, and then he’ll be back here, ready to help! Twilight assured herself. She had hoped Rarity wouldn’t let Spike go with her on her fashion exhibition in Canterlot, but to both her and Spike’s surprise, she had agreed. This left Twilight and Owlowiscious to do all the manual labor Spike usually did.

However, Twilight kept thinking about Rainbow rather than her chores. Rainbow had seemed very off when she had asked for the book. And not just because she had asked for a book either- it was the aura she gave off. Rainbow seemed lifeless and dark, as if she were cursed. Twilight couldn’t figure it out; even her years of research couldn’t place a definite reason for Rainbow’s actions. She flipped through countless books, looking for a disease that could have corrupted her so. All the diseases she found were irrational or imaginary, like Mad Cow Disease or Lycanthropy.

Twilight sighed. Maybe one of the others would know what happened; I’ll ask them in the morning. She finished her work and went to bed and got some well-deserved rest.

Rainbow, however, was not getting her deserved rest.

At that moment, Rainbow was pacing around her bedroom, thinking upon her actions. In the heat of desire, she had justified murder. She was becoming a vampony, and she didn’t like it. She was torn in a war existing only within her mind- good and evil locked in constant conflict. And the latter was winning at the moment.

Rainbow couldn’t bear it- she needed to clear her head. She set off for Ponyville, flying towards no particular location. She just needed to get away. Rainbow flew laps around the town, still trying to force her mind into its previous state. Think of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow thought, think of how you can still join them and live the dream. That moment, it hit Rainbow: she couldn’t be a Wonderbolt. Even if she went rogue from the clan, and left scot free, she couldn’t join them. She couldn’t eat with them, she couldn’t live with them, she couldn’t do anything with them. She could hurt them, or expose herself. Her life had been ruined, and she had an eternity to feel the loss.

Rainbow’s rage grew, and as it did she went faster. She stayed in a form where she couldn’t do a Rainboom, as she didn’t want to wake all of Ponyville. She grew more and more infuriated, and her speed paralleled it. Suddenly, her speed and the way she felt changed. She seemed to be in a dark tunnel, like the light couldn’t keep up with her. She lapped Ponyville in three seconds, a full five seconds faster than her old record. She slowed to a stop, and the light caught up to her. She felt great- she had gone faster than she had ever gone before, and by quite a bit. Bon-Bon did this at the train station when she attacked me, Rainbow remembered. I should ask her how to do it under normal circumstances. Rainbow flew towards her home, however the effort she exerted doing that trick caused her to collapse upon sitting on her couch.

Twilight awoke the next morning to the sun in her face. She was tired, but she knew she had things to do today, and wanted to get them done early. She started off by looking at the checklist she had prepared earlier that week to see her plans. It was mostly studying, but she had already read the material, so she had almost no plans today. She decided to enjoy herself and have some fun.

Then Twilight remembered that she had made plans- she had to ask her friends about Rainbow. Applejack and Rarity were out of the question- they were both in Canterlot, improving their respective businesses. That leaves just Fluttershy and Pinkie. Twilight thought. I’ll start with Fluttershy; she’s been friends with Rainbow forever. She walked towards Fluttershy’s cottage, but was surprised to see that Fluttershy had already left.

What was with everyone lately? Twilight thought. Everyone is acting differently; was there something I missed?

Rainbow woke up to a soft knock. She groggily stood up and approached her door to answer. She opened the door to find Fluttershy standing there, smiling at her.

“Well, well, well.” Fluttershy said. “I heard somepony went on a date last night.” Fluttershy gave Rainbow a mischievous grin.

“Yeah, not one of my best ideas.” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“Well, it worked well enough.” Fluttershy responded. “You’re given a week to complete assignments as a new recruit, so you have a few days to relax. Let’s go do something. I mean, if you’d like to.”

Rainbow was happy to hear she was on break. She didn’t want to have to hunt and work at the same time quite yet, and she went back to work tomorrow.

“Sure, why not?” Rainbow said happily. “I’ve got no plans for today.”

“Perfect.” Fluttershy said, a smile of relief breaking on her face. “I kind of already made plans, so it would have been awkward without you.”

“What plans?” Rainbow asked.

“I figured that you would be curious about being a vampony,” Fluttershy explained, “so I figured we could help you adjust.”

“’We?’” Rainbow asked confusedly.

“Bon-Bon and I.” Fluttershy explained. “Come on- Bon-Bon’s waiting at her house for us.”

Fluttershy walked out of the house and Rainbow followed behind her. Rainbow wasn’t happy about having to spend time with Bon-Bon, but she would get over it. She looked down at the other ponies milling around on the ground, going about their normal days. She was surprised that she recognized several from the cave under town hall. So they’ve been here all along? Rainbow asked herself. They’ve been right under my nose this whole time, and I’ve never figured it out?

“We’re stealthier than you might think.” Fluttershy said.

“Oh yeah,” Rainbow said awkwardly, “thought reading.”

Fluttershy smiled to herself and turned sharply down and to the right. Rainbow followed close behind. They landed in front of a simple house not unlike those found all over Ponyville. Fluttershy knocked on the door and Bon-Bon answered the door.

“Hell…oh.” Bon-Bon had started off happily, but her mood changed upon seeing Rainbow. “It’s so… great that you could come over today.”

They all sat around Bon-Bon’s table. Bon-Bon pulled out several wine glasses and set them on the table. She then walked to the fridge and pulled out a red bottle and poured the contents into the glasses. Rainbow saw, not surprisingly, that it was blood in the glasses. Bon-Bon pushed the glasses to Rainbow and Fluttershy. Rainbow had to hold herself back from chugging the entire glass at once, but she wanted to appear normal to the others.

“So.” Bon-Bon said. “How are you two today?”

“We’re both alright,” Fluttershy said, “But you’re going to have to sit near Rainbow for today, all that swearing in your head isn't going to prevent that.”

Bon-Bon sat down embarrassed.

“So Rainbow,” Fluttershy began, “Any questions you have? About yourself? About us?”

“A few.” Rainbow said. “First- you said before it was Bon-Bon’s job that I was supposed to be killed. Why was I supposed to be killed?”

“Sorry about that.” Fluttershy said. “I wanted that act to be canceled, but there was nothing I could do. The reason why you needed to be killed was because you learned too much. Think about this- if you had seen me on a hunt and followed me back to the clan, what would have happened? If you led authorities our way, we would be eliminated. We couldn’t let that happen, so a few of the higher ranking members added you to the list of criminals. I tried to get your name removed, but I was outvoted.” Fluttershy took a sip of blood. “Make sense?”

“Yes, thank you.” Rainbow said. “Second question- Bon-Bon, you said you were going to the Lunar Guard. Why?”

“Vamponies are faster and more efficient than other ponies.” Bon-Bon said. “This makes us excellent hunters and guards. Luna takes us in as a personal guard, and we get paid handsomely to do so. Celestia has no idea.”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy said. “I forgot to feed Angel- I’ll be right back.” Fluttershy opened the door and seemed to teleport away.

“Has she always been this... loud?” Rainbow asked.

“Don’t let the whole ‘shy’ thing fool you.” Bon-Bon said. “She can get evil if need be. She’s only awkward normally because she’s trying to avoid getting too emotional around normal ponies. She gets bloodthirsty when she gets too happy, or sad, or angry, or…”

“Got it.” Rainbow interrupted. “But I wanted to ask you something- is there another reason you hate me? Other than making you lose your job, of course.”

Bon-Bon took a long sip out of her glass, and then set it on the table. “I’ve always been jealous of your fame.” She said. “Everywhere I go I can just say ‘Rainbow Dash,’ and everyone knows who I’m talking about, and they talk about your amazing feats. But no one ever remembers the sweets maker who has done nothing.”

“I’m sure there are others out there who notice you.” Rainbow said reassuringly. “I’m sure someone out there is looking out for you. Even if their talking to others, they look in the background and say ‘look, its Bon-Bon! Bon-Bon is the best pony ever!’”

Bon-Bon smiled. “You know, you’re not a complete egotistical jerk.” She said happily. “Maybe we can be friends.”

“Aww, how sweet.” Fluttershy said as she walked back in through the door. “Friendship really is magic.”

Rainbow and Bon-Bon both facehoofed.

Twilight entered Sugar Cube Corner a few minutes after she left Fluttershy’s cottage. She had come as quickly as possible, because she was really beginning to worry. Rainbow’s reading, Fluttershy left her cottage early in the morning, is there anything else I missed?

Twilight looked at Mrs. Cake. “Hello,” She said, “can I speak to Pinkie please?”

“She’s in the kitchen- go right ahead.” Mrs. Cake said nonchalantly.

Twilight walked into the kitchen and saw Pinkie working on some cupcakes. Pinkie looked up from her work and gave Twilight a big smile.

“Hiya!” Pinkie said. “Have you seen Rainbow’s new coltfriend? He’s kinda cute.”

A coltfriend! Twilight thought, feeling quite relieved. This explains everything! He must be one of the weapon smiths from around town for Rainbow to be suddenly interested in assassination. “No, who is it?” She asked.

“I think I heard him say he was Bottle Mixer.” Pinkie said.

Twilight suddenly felt cold. She remembered she had seen that name on the paper sitting on Fluttershy’s porch. The cover article had said ‘Local Poison Brewer, Bottle Mixer, Found Dead’. That means either Rainbow recently became an assassin, or a police pony. “Hey Pinkie,” Twilight said, trying not to raise alarm. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Rainbow? She’s never had a coltfriend before, and I don’t want her getting hurt or anything. You’re the best at stealth, so you should be the one looking out.”

“Okie doke lokie!” Pinkie said. “I’ll keep an eye out for her. But you shouldn’t worry.”

“I mean, what’s the worst she could do?”

The Return

Several months pass uneventfully. Rainbow and Bon-Bon continue their work with hunting the evil of Ponyville. They eventually are separated and sent off as lone agents. Rainbow’s first mission is tonight.

The sky was a dreary gray from the light rain that had begun but a few minutes before. Ponyville was as quiet as ever- no one around save a few ponies dashing through the rain. Rainbow watched the rain pouring down, her enhanced sight giving her a greater range of sight to see. The raindrops dropped slowly and glistened like crystals as they fell, and the sight of all of them at once was glorious. But she had to focus on the mission.

Rainbow’s target for today was a bright green unicorn stallion known only as “Player”. He had been charged with nine accounts of murder. He had a particular talent of hiding in plain sight- he was even once reported to have attended a meeting with the police about his capture. He was spotted everywhere; ponies claimed to see him at his house at the same time others saw him bowling. But today, one story was right- he was inside Sugar Cube Corner, having a conversation with a strange mare with a dark trench coat covering most of her body. She seemed anxious, but still fully engrossed in his conversation. Rainbow started to listen to their conversation.

“You really shouldn’t be out in the open like this,” the mare said, “what if the police surround the building? There’s only two ways out of here.”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head.” Player said reassuringly. “I have my ways of getting out of places.”

“But...” The mare protested.

“I notice things others might never notice.” Player said matter-of-factly. “I know the stallion at the table next to us is waiting to pop the question, but he doesn’t how to do it.”

“What?” The mare at the table next to Player said, bewildered. “Is that true?” Her coltfriend nodded sheepishly. “Oh my Celestia yes!” she jumped excitedly across the table and kissed the colt enthusiastically.

“I also noticed that the Cakes are smuggling magically enhanced sugar into the store.” Player said. “Don’t eat any sweets for a while.”

“I’ll try,” The mare said with a tone implying she still would. “is there anything else?”

“Oh yes.” Player said. “These tables haven’t been cleaned, and that blue mare over there is listening to our conversation.”

Shit. Rainbow’s cover had been blown. She casually looked away, hoping to bring the attention on her away. She was never the best at listening in on conversations, and she was dealing with a professional. She looked around at the things Player had noticed. The couple were still making out on the table, and it was a little but sickening. The Cakes were duping their sugar in different bags, but she could see the strange coloring to the sugar. Her table was quite dirty.

“Just ignore her.” The hooded mare said dismissively. “You can always disappear if she tries something.”

Rainbow sighed in relief. She watched Player lean in to whisper something in the mare’s ear. The mare giggled and blushed, then looked away from Player.

“Oh you,” The mare said playfully. “I’m flattered, but I’m guessing there’s a reason you’re called ‘Player’. So no.”

Oh geez. Rainbow got up and went outside to wait. She flew around the building in loops so she would see Player leaving. She thought back on these past months with fond remembrance. It was simple and yet complex. She no longer needed to sleep, so her constant routine of weather control in the day and hunting at night wasn’t difficult. She enjoyed her life, and all the blood that came with it. She realized she hadn’t been home most of that time, and she’d have to clean up after her mission.

Player left out the back at that exact moment, and Rainbow landed around the building. Player gave the hooded mare a kiss, and then they walked separate ways. Now’s my chance. Rainbow snuck up behind  Player and readied for a pounce.

“Really?” Player said without turning around. “You’re going to stop me with nothing but your bare hooves? This won’t end well for you.” Player pulled a knife out of his saddlebags and threw it at Rainbow’s face. Rainbow stared the knife down.

“Well, that was easy.” Player said as he turned around. “Most ponies would at least try to dodge.” Player walked away down the abandoned street and laughed silently to himself. He was sad for himself, deep down. He never wanted this life, but things had just turned out this way. He felt as if he was meant for something greater.

“I’m still here you know.” A muffled voice said from behind Player. He jerked around to see the blue mare still there, holding his thrown knife between her teeth. She spit out the knife and gave Player a look of pure malice.

“Excellent trick.” Player said, trying to hide his surprise. He was a professional knife thrower- his knives were thrown hard enough to break concrete. “However, you’re still unarmed.”

“Not as much as you might think.” The mare faded into the darkness, leaving Player blind. The darkness seemed to be creeping up on him, and a cold air arose around him. He felt fear deep within him. He looked around, and saw the mare’s red eyes in the distance. Player took out another knife and threw it at the mare, but the eyes seemed to disappear. Player looked around for the mare, but couldn’t find her.

“Behind you.” A bone- chilling voice said in Player’s ear, causing him to jump.

“What the Hell ARE you?” Player yelled in fear.

“The one thing you should have seen coming.” The mare said maniacally. “Your demise.”

Player felt a swift, burning pain in his neck, then fell to the floor. Rainbow managed to drain his body in ten seconds flat. She took off and left his body for the cleanup crew. She felt great- she hadn’t attracted any attention. She had completed a mission against a true murderer and succeeded with no injury to herself.

“Player?” The hooded mare said from the distance. “I heard you yelling, what was…” The mare then saw Player’s body lying in the road. “No… it can’t be.” The mare stared at his already cold body, tears filling her eyes. “You were just… there. You were fine.” The mare stood up and looked to the sky. “I will avenge you, Player. This debt will not be unpaid.”

“I will kill you, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow entered her house for the first time in months, and it was awful. Her house was dusty, and clouds don’t even get dusty. Trash laid everywhere, and she was almost willing to walk out and ignore the problem. But she realized that it would only get worse. She started with the kitchen- she did all the dishes and threw out her old food. She sent a few hours on that, and then moved to the living room.

But Rainbow froze.

Rainbow saw it- the bag of blood she was given by Fluttershy. It reminded Rainbow of that day- the last true day she hated vamponies. But now look at me. I killed Player today without even a second thought. I was even toying with him. Rainbow realized she had become who she had once feared. She was now a murderer, and she liked it. She was no different than Player or Bottle Mixer, aside from her weapon of choice.

KNOCK KNOCK

Rainbow slammed the bag to the bottom of her trashcan and ran to the door. She opened it to see Pinkie Pie at the door.

“Hey Pinkie!” Rainbow said, feigning enthusiasm. “How and why are you up here?”

“Well that’s easy!” Pinkie said in her usual gleeful voice. “Twilight gave me a spell, and I thought you would need some help cleaning up! Your house is SUUUUUUPER messy! It’s like you’re never home!”

“Oh. Well thanks.” Rainbow said. “Uh, I guess you can help me with the living room.”

Pinkie started to pick up the trash lying about. Rainbow felt Pinkie’s gaze on her the entire time.

“Soooooo…” Pinkie began. “What’ve you been up to Dashie? I haven’t seen you in months!”

“Mostly work.” Rainbow said. “I’ve been very busy lately.”

“Really?” Pinkie said. “That stinks. Oh yeah! Did you hear about that criminal guy? Player or something? He apparently died last night. They think he had a heart attack from stress.”

“I haven’t heard a thing about him.” Rainbow said, with a chill coming over her. “I haven’t heard much about him lately.”

“YOU LIAR!!!” Pinkie screamed and shoved Rainbow out the door and down to the street below. Pinkie jumped down and landed on Rainbow, shattering several of Rainbow’s ribs. “I saw you yesterday at Sugar Cube Corner! I know it was you! I've been watching you Dash, and I know what you are!”

“You weren't at Sugar Cube!” Rainbow said. “And besides, even if you've been watching me, you’ll know I've only been killing the scum of the city.”

“LIES!!!” Pinkie screamed and slammed into Rainbow’s ribs again, snapping a few more ribs. “I was the mare with Player! And Player was a good pony! Yes, he killed ponies. But he was an adventurer! He killed those ponies in defense!”

Rainbow shoved Pinkie off her body, and backed away. Rainbow returned with a charge, but Pinkie was fast, and dodged Rainbow’s blow. Pinkie went in for a leg sweep, but Rainbow enhanced body jumped. The combat continued in this fashion- Rainbow’s enhanced strength and reaction time making up for Pinkie’s speed, and vice versa. It was a battle to see who would outlast the other.

“STOP!” A voice yelled and flung back the two combatants. Fluttershy appeared and gave them pleading looks. “Stop fighting! I’m sure we can figure this out! There’s no need for this needless fighting!”

“ NO!” Pinkie yelled. She then slapped Fluttershy and Fluttershy flew back and crumpled into a ball. “You aren’t involved in this, Fluttershy. Just…”

Pinkie would never finish that thought, however. Rainbow’s rage had flared in that moment. Fluttershy was her oldest and best friend. In her rage, Rainbow lunged at Pinkie with al her might. Rainbow slammed into Pinkie and then moments later into a wall. Pinkies head exploded from sheer force, killing her instantly.

Dear Celestia. I just… just… well, shit. Rainbow felt a horrible guilt come over her. She’d killed Pinkie in one blow. Rainbow had become a true murderer. But it had to be done. Pinkie knew the truth- she would’ve been killed within a few days anyway. Rainbow turned away so the thought wouldn’t haunt her. She walked over to Fluttershy to help her.

“No, no.” Fluttershy said urgently. “I’m fine! Just go to base and report your actions.”

“Come on, I’ll help you up.” Rainbow said, walking towards Fluttershy. She suddenly stepped on a piece of glass and cringed in pain. She lifted her hoof to see a piece of thin, sky blue glass wedged in her hoof.

“I guess this had to happen sometime.” Fluttershy said despairingly. “Yes, I wear contacts. If I don’t, it would scare animals, and certain ponies.”

“‘Certain ponies’?” Rainbow asked. “What do you…”

Rainbow looked at Fluttershy’s eyes and noticed something that shocked her. Fluttershy’s eye’s weren’t their iconic sky blue. They were red. Blood red.

Fluttershy had killed Rainbow’s parents.

The Guilt and Freedom

“It was you?” Rainbow said, frozen in shock. “You’re the pony who killed my parents?”

“Yes. It was me.” Fluttershy admitted. “I’ve been a vampony nearly my entire life. I was bitten at the age of three. At that time, I wasn’t focused on being good or obeying rules. I just needed to live. I killed people left and right with little care. You turned me around- your sad little eyes made me see the error of my ways.”

“And you never thought to tell me?” Rainbow said, holding back her anger. “I’ve known you for years, and only now I know the truth?”

Fluttershy sighed. “I wanted to tell you later, when you and I were better friends. Secretly, I had hoped you would give up the search.”

Rainbow’s anger was rising faster and faster, and she had to hold herself back. She felt as if she was staring evil itself in the face, and she wanted to stamp out Fluttershy forever. But Rainbow stopped. She was looking at her best friend- a person who cared for animals and people with a kindness that couldn’t be surpassed. Fluttershy wasn’t evil itself. She was the Element of Kindness, and Rainbow’s best friend.

“See?” Fluttershy said suddenly, breaking the silence. “I’m your friend, and you know it. I would never want to hurt you. It was just a mistake I made at a young age. I’m truly sorry for everything.”

Rainbow felt stuck. Here was the pony she had been searching for her entire life. Here was the pony that had ruined her life and killed her parents. But at the same, she also saw the one person who had made life livable and kept her going. What do I do?

Set me free. Fluttershy’s voice said in Rainbow’s head. I truly am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you.

Rainbow flew up to her house to mull things over. Her conflicting emotions left her with a feeling of sickness to her stomach. She sat down on her cloud couch and looked around her home, in hopes to draw her mind away. Unfortunately, her first sight was a picture of her and Fluttershy. Rainbow thought back to the day she met Fluttershy at the orphanage.

Laughter spread around the playground. It wasn’t laughter of joy, but of mockery. Rainbow saw a group of ponies standing in a ring around what appeared to be another pony. She came closer to see what the laughter was about.

“Look at you!” One of the colts said. “You’re weak, spineless, and you can’t even fly! You aren’t worthy to be in Cloudsdale.”

“Yeah!” The others agreed.

“I… I’m sorry…” A quiet voice said from within the group.

“You ought to be!” The colt said. “Just leave, no one likes you anyway.”

“Hey!” Rainbow yelled, trying to sound more intimidating than she was. “Leave her alone!”

“Oh no, it’s the freak!” The colt said mockingly. “Why don’t you go back to Transylvania and see your vampony friends?”

“Why don’t you go and get facial reconstruction?” Rainbow countered. “Your face looks like plot.”

The colt raised a hoof to strike Rainbow, but then put it down. “You’re not worth the trouble. C’mon, let’s go guys.” All the ponies left save Rainbow and the bullied filly.

“You alright?” Rainbow asked. “Don’t listen to them. What’s your name?”

“I’m… Fluttershy.” The filly said quietly.

“You’re lucky I hear well, you really need to speak up.” Rainbow said. “So Fluttershy, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Rainbow Dash…” Fluttershy looked up suddenly and stared Rainbow in the eyes. “And uh… I’m new here. Want to be friends?”

Fluttershy began to cry even harder. “I’m so sorry.”

Rainbow was suddenly confused. “For what? Nothing happened to me, and you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Fluttershy stared deeper into Rainbow’s eyes with an emotion Rainbow could only explain as guilt. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“You’re alright!” Rainbow said with a laugh. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Rainbow realized now that Fluttershy had been apologizing about Rainbow’s parents. She had seen who Rainbow was right from the beginning. Fluttershy always had that look of guilt around Rainbow, and Rainbow hadn’t seen Fluttershy’s pain until now.

Rainbow knew what she had to do.

Rainbow saw as her clock struck 11. She snuck out of her house and did her best to blend in with the dark clouds above, but suddenly she noticed something. A pair of police ponies were approaching her house with a large box. Rainbow landed to see what was happening.

“Listen, we have to do this.” The first officer said. “Ms. Dash has killed dozens of people, including the bearer of the Element of Laughter.”

“Yes, but do we really…” The other officer began.

“Yes.” The first officer said. “The chief said we had to, and with her record, she’s bound to be asleep right now. Open the box.”

The other officer sighed and opened the box, which contained a ball of magical light. The ball flew upwards and hit the bottom of Rainbow’s house, then promptly exploded. Everything in her house vanished in a burst of flame instantly.

Well, I guess I don’t have to clean anymore. But they wanted to kill me? This is madness!

Rainbow flew quickly and quietly to the clan base. She ran to Fluttershy’s office without knocking and promptly slammed into Fluttershy, who happened to be leaving right then.

“Hello Rainbow.” Fluttershy said cautiously. “What brings you here?”

“I just wanted to say…” Rainbow said, adding a pause for dramatic effect. “I forgive you.”

Fluttershy suddenly looked relieved and gave Rainbow a hug. “Oh thank you Rainbow! You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear those words.”

Rainbow hugged Fluttershy back and looked around her office. The master office was painted to the leader’s request, and Fluttershy had had it painted to look like nature. Her floor was a bright green to look like grass. The walls we painted green in spikes up from the floor, and there were drawings of animals everywhere. It was soothing to look at.

“I never noticed how pained and guilty you were until I heard the truth.” Rainbow said.

Fluttershy sighed. “Yes, I was. I couldn’t stand having my best friend be so pained by my actions. I’ll still feel guilty, however.”

“I’m sure I can help your pain go away.” Rainbow said soothingly. “I just hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Wait, what?” Fluttershy said, alarmed.

Rainbow pulled her knife out from under her wing. She grabbed the handle and plunged it into the back of Fluttershy’s skull. Fluttershy went limp and fell to the floor.

“Now, you will feel no pain.” Rainbow said. “I made things right. You will no longer feel pain, and my parents are avenged.” Rainbow started towards the door when a voice stopped her.

“Maybe so,” Fluttershy said. “But now you will feel my pain.  The guilt of killing your friends will last forever, and you will eternally be an outcast.”

Rainbow turned around to see Fluttershy still clinging to life. Her head was bleeding, but the injury wasn't fatal. The knife stuck out of the back of her head. Rainbow picked up Fluttershy and slammed the back of her head onto the table, shoving the knife further into her skull. Fluttershy finally fell down, truly dead. Rainbow sighed and exited the office.

What she didn’t expect was to be rewarded.

Rainbow was given a round gold necklace with wings on it almost immediately after she left the office. Bon-Bon approached her and gave her a hoofshake.

“Well, well, well.” Bon-Bon said, sounding impressed. “I didn’t think anyone had the guts to take out Fluttershy. Guess that makes you the new leader.”

Leader? Oh yeah, that’s right. Rule of Dominance, or whatever. Not only was Rainbow now happy, she was the leader of the Ponyville vamponies. Life was better than ever before.

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