Dark Laughter

It wasn't the itchiness of her fur turning darker that woke Pinkie up. Nor was it the weird feeling as her eyes turned red, her ears grew larger. It wasn't even the aching as bat wings emerged from her flanks. No, it was the burning. The inferno that was raging through her throat, a Casanova of unbearable pain.

As Pinkie's eyes opened, she saw that she was lying on the floor, Fluttershy standing above her. "Pinkie, I'm sorry...I'm so, so, sorry,"  Fluttershy cried, floodgates opening in her eyes once again.

Pinkie rubbed her throat with one hoof, trying to find the source of the burning pain. But she wasn't burnt anywhere; it was like the fire was inside of her. "What's wrong?" Pinkie asked, expecting her voice to come out as a croak. But she was able to talk normally.

Fluttershy ducked her head and flew away with a few light flaps of her bat-like wings. She returned with a small mirror.

"A mirror? What, is there a bit of pancake in my mane?" Pinkie asked, trying to lighten up the mood. She couldn't stand it when her friends were unhappy.

"Are you s-sure you want to s-see?" Fluttershy asked solemnly.

"Now I do!" Pinkie groaned. "Geez, you could just tell me where the crumbs are, and I can clean them."

"That's not it," Fluttershy whispered. And she held the mirror in front of Pinkie's face.

Error. Problem with system. Images making no sense. Brain shutting down. So Pinkie just sat there for a few minutes, completely unable to comprehend what she was seeing.

"Well, then." she said after quite some time.

"Y-you can scream if you want," Fluttershy said, unnerved by her friend's calmness. "This is all my fault..."

Finally, the gears in Pinkie's head started to turn again. So she was a bat-pony now. "Nah, I'm past screaming," Pinkie shrugged, trying to get used to the wings that sprouted from her back.

"B-but....aren't you angry at me? Pinkie, I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"

"It wasn't your fault," Pinkie said with a fanged smile. "You needed the blood. Oh, and speaking of needs, can I have some water? My throat is really hurting!"

Fluttershy gulped. "You don't need water, Pinkie...you need blood."

"Oh, right. Bat-pony. Where can we get some blood around here?" Pinkie wished she hadn't said that, as Fluttershy began to cry again, most likely thinking of Angel. The bunny's body wasn't there anymore...Fluttershy must have buried him. Pinkie couldn't help herself from tearing up, too. She could only imagine how terrible her friend was feeling.

"I hate this!" Fluttershy shrieked, sounding nothing like herself. "I can't destroy another living thing so I can prosper! It's just...wrong!"

"Calm down, Fluttershy!" Pinkie begged. "Let's just go to Twilight's and we--"

"Can get the spell put back up," Fluttershy finished cynically. "Sure, that would make us normal...for a couple weeks! I don't know why you aren't furious at me for changing you into a monster. I think you've matured since this has happened. But I do know one thing for sure: even if we get the spell put up, there's bound to be a little mistake! Ponies could DIE because of how I'm such a...such a MONSTER!"

Pinkie looked down at her darkened hooves. Quietly, she said, "Don't you remember that one time? When you got bad advice from that minotaur and started being mean to everypony? Well, you weren't a monster then. And you aren't one now."

"Let me repeat that for you, Pinkie: Ponies and animals alike could die, all because of me! Because I'm a horrible monster and I've already killed Angel, and I doomed you to the same fate as me! How could I not be a monster?!"

Pinkie looked up at Fluttershy, who was snorting in rage and sobbing in melancholy at the same time. Pinkie's purpose in life was to make her friends happy, to make them smile, smile, smile. She had to do just the right thing to cheer Fluttershy up. And then, it dawned on her.

"Last night, I Pinkie Promised that I would always stand by you, that I would always understand you. I understand how you feel. I know how torn apart you must feel on the inside, trying your best not to give in to the dark temptations that are trying to take over your head at this very moment. It's happening to me. I know I need blood, and if somepony crossed me, well, I wouldn't be able to resist. But we're not monsters. It was all an accident. We'll be fine if we stick together."

Fluttershy nodded slowly, wiping her face of tears.

"Now, c'mon, let's get going to Twilight's library."

"No, Pinkie, you have to flap them both at the same time," Fluttershy explained, not the least bit frustrated.

"Blech," Pinkie spat, as she crashed into the soft ground of the Everfree Forest, getting a mouthful of dirt. "I think we should just walk. Or skip. Or bounce!" Pinkie jumped off, Fluttershy nervously trailing behind, jumping at the slightest sound.

Pinkie rubbed her sore throat again, wishing the pain would just go away as she and Fluttershy traveled through the forest. Pinkie didn't mind the wings, the fangs, or the red eyes, she just hated that mean-old throat pain.

Just then, Pinkie smelled the most wonderful smell through the trees and wild foliage of the Everfree. It smelled better than Fluttershy's pancakes, better than the rock candy she and her sister used to make, better than every other smell imaginable. Pinkie couldn't put her hoof on what the smell was, but she needed it! She needed to eat whatever that smell was!

Fluttershy sniffed the air tentatively. She could smell it, too. Fluttershy looked forward and saw Pinkie run ahead. "Stop!" Fluttershy shouted after Pinkie, but she had disappeared into the woods. Fluttershy recognized the smell. It was the smell of blood.

Pinkie was getting so close to that amazing smell, she could almost taste it! She was about to continue following it when she heard voices. But Pinkie couldn't see who was there, because a bunch of thick green plants blocked her vision.

"If you three don't find my tiara, stat, my daddy will sue all of your families!" One bratty-sounding voice whined.

"Sue us? Isn't that a bit over-the-top?" Another voice said. It sounded familiar. Somepony who's name started with a Scoot...oh, it didn't matter. Pinkie was still mesmerized by the fantastic smell coming from where the voices were.

"Yeah!" A squeaky voice agreed. "You're worse than Rarity! It's just a little tiara!"

"Are you kidding me?" The bratty voice snarled. "That tiara is made of like, real, diamonds! It's worth more bits than you guys will ever have! So SEARCH HARDER!"

The other two voices groaned, but a fourth popped in. "C'mon, y'all, maybe we can be CUTIE MARK CRUSADER TIARA FINDERS!"

"Totally!"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, give me a break," the bratty voice huffed. The other three ran away, making crunching noises as their hooves crushed leaves and twigs scattered across the forest floor. The smell also went away when they left, mostly. Pinkie realized that this was her chance to get to the smell. She smashed through the plants, ignorant to Fluttershy screaming behind her.

Pinkie bounded into the clearing where the smell was coming from. She couldn't see anything that looked delicious in there. The only thing that was in the clearing was an earth pony filly with a pink coat and purple mane with a white streak, staring at Pinkie in horror. As the filly screamed, Pinkie realized that the smell was coming from her. From inside her. But first, Pinkie had to break through the fur and skin, to get to whatever scrumptious thing was waiting inside.

Fluttershy flew into the clearing, roaring, "PINKIE, NO!" But she was too late.