In retrospect she blamed the alcohol. She could have blamed Sunset, who brought the wine to their sleepover. But if she really didn't want to drink, she could've said no. The alcohol, perhaps the atmosphere as well? A sleepover amongst friends, two -no, three- bottles of wine, a comfortable sauciness caused by three games of "never-have-I-ever". And some late-night confidences: Sunset admitting crushing on Princess Twilight, AJ telling them how she was in love with her horse at the age of nine, Rarity admitting she wet the bed when she was five…
And so, she said it. Straight out. And she just blurted it out, without any foreshadowing. She just felt the urge to tell everybody, her best friends forever, her deepest wish.
"I want to be a vampire! "
The room went painfully silent, and everyone stared at her. Rarity coughed and let out a "Darling, really? A vampire?" AJ lifted her Stetson and scratched her head. "That's something ya don’t hear everyday." Pinkie burped, and giggled. Sunset just looked at her. And Rainbow Dash laughed, "Ha ha ha ha...oh Flutters, that's a good one! Vampire...Prrrfffa ha ha ha!"
Then, they all realized she actually was serious, and no traces of smiles could be found on any of her friends. except from one... "Oh man, Flutters, that is just too much! A vampire? Like one of the sparkling thingies? Or are you going for the cape and stupid accent? 'Ooo, AJ vish to zuck yor bloaaad vrom yor veeeins'!"
Fluttershy had turned beet red and the others had glared at Rainbow, but she was to far into her joke to let that stop her. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Flutters! Why don't you ask our expert here! Miss Evil Demon herself, maybe she'd turn you if you gave her your virginity!" She stood up, and did a bad imitation of Sunset Shimmer. "Oooh, Fluttershy, be my undead vampire bride, lets rule the school forever and eveeer.." And then Sunset's fist connected with Rainbow's face, knocking her out cold.
Not one of them really blamed Sunset, but it effectively killed the mood. At first they were worried about Rainbow, but when they heard her snore, they decided she was okay. AJ stayed behind to watch her and Pinkie offered support to a crying Sunset. "I just wanted her to shut up, I didn't mean to..."
Fluttershy felt she couldn't stay another minute in the house, and so Rarity offered to walk her home, which she gladly accepted. It would have been nice, if only Rarity could keep quiet. For the first quarter of an hour she kept talking about what a jerkish brute Rainbow was when drunk and that she shouldn't pay her any attention and that they all respected her and loved her for who she was. Rarity even encouraged her to talk about her fascinations for vampires. And reluctantly at first, she told her everything. How she found the Journals of a Vampire when she was nine, and then being caught in it, she read all the classics. Alucard, I Am Myth, Barney the Vampire, that new one from Scandineighvia, even the Dusk series. Hey, it was vampires, who cares about good writing? She watched all the movies, and kept score of all the actors playing Alucard over the years. Even if Belarus Gossip was the first, she actually preferred Christopher Glee. And every Nightmare Night, she had dressed up as a vampire. Mostly Millarca and Vampyra but sometimes she went for the whole shebang with cape and suit… which made Rainbow’s comment even more painful. And then she told Rarity how she admired their strength, their recklessness, their courage, everything she lacked in herself. She knew that vampire’s weren’t real, but there were nights when she wanted it to be real so bad it hurt.
Rairty listened, nodded and hmmmed, but no matter how polite and kind Rarity was, Fluttershy couldn't shake off the feeling that she found the whole idea childish and naïve. Her growing enthusiasm died, and the last 500 meters of the walk were spent in silence.
Her father was a bit surprised that she came home so early, but he gave her plenty of water to drink and helped her to bed. Fluttershy wasn't that drunk, but her father's embrace felt very much more secure than being alone after this evening. She even asked to sleep in his bed, which he agreed to with a smile.
In spite of the intake of water, the morning was a mess. Fluttershy spent most of the day in bed feeling sick and had painful regrets about what she had said the other night. She went as far as calling Rarity to ask for her forgiveness, but all she could do was to sob uncontrollably in the phone. Rarity couldn’t make out a single word she said, and in the end, she just kept saying, "So, so... we'll talk about it tomorrow,” and when Fluttershy did calm down, she asked, “Or do you want me to come over now, darling?"
But even if she wanted to, she couldn’t talk to anyone about last night, not yet. And with great difficulty she stammered, "N-no...it's o-okay..." Rarity didn't believe her at all, but in the end, she accepted Fluttershy's wish.
Saturday was usually a slow day, and this one was no exception. Her father let her stay in bed as long as she wished, which caus ed her to not leave her bed until evening.
Then, she put on her running clothes and went out. Fluttershy took up running in sixth grade, not only as a way of keeping in shape, but also for reason completely opposite of exercising. She needed an excuse to get out whenever she wanted, to visit a special place.
After her usual trek of 5 kilometers, she went into the woods for her special ritual, that she had performed ever since she found this spot. This was the place where she went when things were too rough or just wished to get lost in herself for some time.
She had a secret friend or more of an alter ego that she assumed, when she needed strength. She couldn't summon her at school or amongst other people, but here, alone in the woods, she could do what she wanted without worries about other people judging her or making fun of her.
This was her special glade, a perfectly round circle of trees, almost like a chapel. She lay down on the soft grass, right in the middle. She let all the scents and smells of nature into her nose. She knew every one of them, and she felt totally calm and relaxed. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, and closed her eyes. She slowed down her breath until the moment where she stopped breathing completely, holding her breath for almost a minute. She lay perfectly still, feeling her heartbeat slow down as well. And when her breath was out and her heartbeat almost gone, she whispered softly, "I have been sleeping, and now I am dead," three times. Then she opened her eyes and arose from her imaginary grave.
She was no longer the weak and powerless Fluttershy. She was Chylene, the powerful vampire of whitetail woods. Strong. Powerful. Elegant. Potent. She was the predator instead of the prey and now... She could do anything. She stalked her prey through the paths and passages, stepping out, revealing herself only at the last minute when her prey was defenseless and shivering with fear. She danced over stones and small streams, pretending that she was flying, safe with the knowledge that no one could hurt her. Then she spotted something. A rabbit. Her eyes became thinner. Prey. She stalked the rabbit through the forest, watching with excitement how it became more and more scared. Sometimes, she was behind it, sometimes she was in front of it, but she never kept it out of her sight. It was such a power trip, and she felt so alive, so strong. Once, she actually caught one, and she was tempted to bite him, to taste blood. But that was too much.
Strength -okay. Playing mindgames with animals -sort of okay. Actually killing something -No way! She was a child of nature after all. Vegan, Wicca… everything. Life for her was sacred.
Being a vampire was a noble romantic game. There was nothing noble with killing a rabbit. When she was going to become a vampire she would... um... Oh, it won't be a problem then, she thought to herself, once again losing herself to her fantasy.
When she got home, her father reminded her that she had forgotten to unpack her bag from the sleepover, if she wanted it washed by tomorrow. She took her things to the washing machine in the basement. When she unfolded her sleeping bag, she noticed a white note falling on the floor. Curious, she took it up and read it.
I think you would be interested in knowing that vampires do exist. If you want to know more, come to the rock quarry on Monday night, 23:30.
It wasn't until half an hour later that the washing machine was started.
...
Over sunday Fluttershy's mood switched between hope and despair with every hour. She kept reading the note. Was it a prank or was it the answer to her hopes and dreams? She couldn’t make up her mind. If, for example, Angelis or Nicehat would appear in front of her and say “Hi Fluttershy. You know what? I’m real!”... well, she would be terrified out of her mind, but at least that was a solid proof. But this was just an ordinary note, written on dull, greyish paper. Why should she believe something like that?
But how much her rational side tried to make her see reason, it couldn’t stop her from hoping.
Monday had meant an awkward meeting with the girls, or at least with Rainbow, who a bit reluctantly and with AJ holding her in a firm grip, apologised to Fluttershy. However, Fluttershy had been so distracted that Rainbow had to repeat herself three times before Fluttershy said that “it was okay.” Luckily, no one noticed her distraction, as everyone simply assumed she was really mad at Rainbow Dash and therefore not answering. That had the effect that Rainbow's excuse grew more and more sincere and in the end, she was almost crying. That, however, did wake Fluttershy from her floating thoughts, and she gave her friend a warm hug. And so, everything was in order again between the six.
After school, Fluttershy went home. She packed a bag and told her father and brother that she would be spending the night at Rarity's house studying for a test. She didn't like lying but she had to get to the bottom of this. She even called Rarity to cover for her. "Oh, but of course, darling. I will help you sneak out. And of course you can sleep here afterwards. I’ll leave the window open for you to climb in. I may be late, there's a meeting with Mother's bridge club tonight. But I'll see you in the morning.”
She spent the day in the forest and her beloved animals. As night approached, she walked to the quarry. The old quarry was very briefly lit. It had been abandoned a couple of years back when a new quarry was open closer to Sweet Apple Acres and most of the buildings and equipment had been removed. Just a half-wrecked barrack remained, with the sign "Property of Pie Ltd. Unauthorised entry prohibited by law."
She looked at her watch. 21:20. This was going to be a long night.
Maybe she dozed off a bit, because when she looked at the time again, it was 23:15. She tensed up, it was almost time…
She held her breath, all senses alerted. Nothing. No sounds but the usual you’d hear at night. Birds, crickets, wind. Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, but it was hard to really make anything out of the dark shadows. But then, she noticed something. The whole quarry was silent. No birds, nothing. And she felt more than she saw, the presense of something, moving on the other side of the quarry. And then, a light! Fluttershy took a step back, startled, but nothing more happened. She stood still for a minute, then she swallowed and walked over to the light. When she got closer, she saw a candle, a small bowl and another note placed on a flat stone close to some rosehips. She read the note without moving it from the stone.
If you really are sure about this, cut your hand and leave some blood in the bowl, as a sign of the purity of your wish.
It was a little cheesy, but Fluttershy found her heart rate increasing with excitement. This was just like that initiation rite in "The Lost Girls"!
The blood might have been a problem for anyone but her. She never left home without her Swiss Army knife, and so she produced it from her pocket and unfolded the biggest blade. As she stood there, hands stretched in front of her with the blade against the palm of her left hand, she hesitated. This was too good to be true, really. It had to be a prank. But still... the biggest part of her wanted this to be true so so badly.
And the she cut herself.
The pain was intense, but bearable. She had felt worse, she told herself. She let the bowl fill to two-thirds full with her blood. Then she produced a napkin to stop her bleeding, keeping her eyes fixed at the blood in the bowl. Her blood… She shook her head, trying to lose the trance. Keep yourself together, girl! This is important!
As she mended her wound, she looked around, searching for someone to come get the blood. Waiting for something to happen. She heard some commotion somewhere in the distance. It was a fight, it sounded like... cats? No, it was louder than cats. The fight seemed to grow and then, a scream of pain! A wounded animal? Fluttershy froze. Her whole body was cramping with fear. She wanted to run but couldn't. She wanted to scream, but her mouth didn't open. She regretted everything. Why, oh, why wasn't she at home with her daddy?
Then, movement, and then, darkness. Sounds of feet running but no one visible. And then, the light was back. The bowl was empty, and the note was gone.
And then, Fluttershy felt a cold hand on her shoulder. She froze immideately. And then she heard a low voice behind her.
“Good evening, Fluttershy. Don’t turn around. I am impressed with you. You’re heart seems pure… but I’ve got to know for certain how much you really want this. There is one final test. On wednesday, you’re going to talk to Vinyl Scratch at school. Say that you want her to tell you about vampires. Say that you know her to have a ‘special knowledge’ about them. And after that we will meet again. Until then, I bid you good night.”
...
How she got home to Rarity's house after those events, she couldn't remember, but apparently she did get back, because she woke up on Rarity’s couch with an exuberant Rarity over her the morning after. Rarity showed a lot of interest about what she had been up to last night, and when she saw the wound on her hand, she totally refused to believe Fluttershy’s pleading “it’s nothing, really”. In the end, Fluttershy spit out something about “playing with Harry the bear and getting a bit to physical”. Wether Rarity bought that she couldn’t say, but she didn't ask anything more and they both left for school, talking about safer subjects.
School went easily on Tuesday, and in the afternoon, there was a perhaps a bit too cheerful band practice, but Fluttershy didn't mind. Actually, Rainbow and Sunset were a bit toned down, which was nice for a change, and with Pinkie being her usual happy self, to Fluttershy, this was their best rehearsal so far.
But on Tuesday evening, she had second thoughts again. She was almost shaking with anxiety over the idea of talking to Vinyl Scratch. When she thought about it, she felt pathetic. She could spend an evening in a dark quarry, cutting herself and letting her blood float down in a bowl but not talk to a fellow student? She could stand by the statue, handing out flyers for the animal shelter, couldn't she? But this was different. She wasn't doing this for the great cause of the animals. She was doing this for purely egoistic reasons. Maybe it was because of that... and part of it was because of Rainbow’s laughter. Okay, she did apologise and she showed remorse. But it hurt anyway. And if Rainbow didn't stop herself from laughing, what would other people do? But mostly, she hesitated because she didn't know Vinyl Scratch.
She knew more of her and what she did rather than what kind of person she was. She was the school’s prominent DJ, second party person to Pinkie, always wore shades, and spoke very little. She was best friends with Octavia, the cellist. And she knew Pinkie. That was it. She could use some more info, but how? She could talk to Pinkie, but you don't really ask someone, "Eh, is that guy a vampire?" Especially not after Friday’s predicament. And she knew Octavia even less than Vinyl. She had only two options: butt out and accept her failure, or go ahead and see what happened. She had grown a backbone more and more over the years, say...four years ago she would have ran home, dived under her duvet and read Netherworld until dawn. But now… On the other hand, someone had given her the notes. Someone had spoken to her in the quarry. Someone had sent her to Vinyl Scratch. That someone had to be Vinyl herself, there was no other explanation! She made up her mind. She was going to do it!
...
Wednesday mornings classes were done, and here she was, standing in the hallway, waiting. She wished that she was Chylene so much right now. She would have done it, she would have pulled this through.
But she was just Fluttershy. Weak, pathetic Fluttershy.
No such talk now, Fluttershy! she said to herself, You have defeated the Dazzlings, befriended Sunset Shimmer and you did said yes when Bulk Biceps asked you out for Nightmare Night... You even did go out with him in the end!
She closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to calm down.
And no smoke without fire, as Grandpa says. Even if she wasn’t the one in the quarry, Vinyl HAS to know something. Now is the moment! I have to do this or I'll regret it the rest of my life!
There was Vinyl now, talking to her friends, Octavia, Lyra and Bonbon. She didn’t dare to approach Vinyl when she was with her friends. But on the other hand... the time was just 11:27…
And, as she followed a timetable, at exactly 11:30 Vinyl, walked over to her locker, alone.
This was it. Fluttershy wore her most determined face, and walk with brisk steps over the hall. She stood up right behind Vinyl, opened her mouth wide...and tapped her gently on her arm. Vinyl looked over her shoulder, with a surprised look, but then she recognized the girl behind her.
"Hey! Fluttershy, innit? Percussion and backing vocals in the Rainbooms?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "You know, you got a really awesome voice. They should let you sing lead sometimes! So, what can I do for you?"
This was it. This was the time. Now was the moment of truth. Now was the time to speak up.
"Umm... I was told you can help me with a...problem?"
Damn her shyness! That was not the correct phrase! But Vinyls face cracked up in a big smile. "Say no more! I know exactly what your “problem” is. You have chosen the right person to come to! Vinyl Scratch is the "V" for this things!”
Fluttershy felt so relieved and happy! This was perfect, this was just as she hoped. It had been true, and now, Vinyl was going to introduce her to the real vampires of the world! And she would follow, and then everything would be perfect. And then, Vinyl spoke again.“ Actually, I'm not surprised you came to me, heck, I expected you to get here sooner."
"Um...sooner?"
"Yeah, I mean...Percussion is really mean stuff, adds spice to any band, but I get it: no one really listen to you! Let me show you my stuff!"
What? No! This was wrong! Totally wrong! What the hay was happening? Fluttershy's face got three degrees redder but Vinyl was too excited to notice. Instead, she produced a brochure. "Here it is. Scratch musical express. Now, I'm giving DJ-lessons on Thursday, beginners 17.30, average 19 hours sharp and awesome at 22. But I think YOU want to play a more classic instrument. A DJ sure has their place in a band but people are really conservative sometimes. So, I can teach you piano, guitar, saxophone, harp and drums. And I think I can teach you harmonica and electric bass too, if you don't mind sounding like String."
Fluttershy's head was spinning. Her mind was blank, and her mouth went on autopilot.
"Um...well...Piano would be nice. But..."
"Awright! I got a spot on...Saturdays at 16. Would that fit?"
"Yeah, that will be fine, but..."
"My fee is 10 bits a time, or 90 bits for eleven lessons."
"Oh... I think I pay once per lesson, but..."
"Oh, do you have your own piano? Because keyboard won’t cut. Not the same touch"
"No, we have a piano, but..."
"Awesome! See you Saturday!"
Vinyl picked up her books, and started walked back to her friends. Fluttershy hesitated. She couldn't let this slip away, she couldn't! It was not possible this was it! But… then her mouth solved her problem again, because her brain had apparently left her for Las Pegasus.
"Vinyl!"
The blue-haired girl stopped and went back to Fluttershy.
"Yeah?"
"There was something else I wanted you to help me with..."
"Sure, shoot away!" Vinyl’s smile was as big as her face. What should she say now? But she had to get through this and Vinyl looked kind...okay, here goes nothing!
"I was told you can tell me about... vampires. Like you have… special knowledge about them."
Vinyls smile died down immediately. She took of her shades, and facepalmed.
"Vampires? AGAIN? Oh for the sake of ...Okay, who sent you? Rainbow? Or Pinkie? Really fun prank you know, really fun!"
Fluttershy looked like she had been struck by lightning as the DJ got angrier and angrier.
"Uhm...I'm sorry?"
"No, now I get it! That bitch Shimmer is at it again! Like I didn't have enough of this last semester... And you! You of all people… Let me tell you…” Vinyl paused, closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “You know what, Let’s clear this thing once and for all.” And then she shouted “Alright, everybody listen up!"
She raised her voice for the whole room to hear.
"I thought this wasn’t an item anymore, but since little miss FLUTTERSHY here decided to bring it up again, I’m saying this for the last time: I am NOT a vampire! I do NOT kidnap children and eat them and my mom is NOT a demon from Tartarus!" She took a deep breath, and continued, "I have magenta eyes and wear these shades both because it's awesome and because I have an eye disease. I'm pale and I yawn a lot because I work at night either DJ-ing or making music. That is all. I'm perfectly normal. I'm a vegan, for fuck's sake! You of all people should know that, for Faust’s sake, you buy your food at the same store as I do. And I'm asexual! Now can everybody PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! AND ONE MORE THING, LITTLE MISS FLUTTERSHY!"
Fluttershy was on the verge of tears now. Apparently rock bottom wasn’t deep enough.
"Y...yes?"
"I'm changing the time on Saturday to 17:15. I forgot I see my orthoptist at a 15:30. Now get the hay out of my sight!"
Vinyl marched over to her friends, who were throwing nasty looks in her direction.
Fluttershy wished she could vanish from the earth's surface.
...
How she survived the rest of the day, she had no idea. But she had a memory of Rarity once again showing up and leading her like a sheep from class to class. When the bell rang, it was such a sweet relief, that she ran the whole way home without even taking her jacket on.
When she closed her door behind her, she threw her bag in a corner and lay down on the bed, banging her hands against her pillow. How! How could she have been so stupid? How? But it was all so simple. She wanted it to be true so much that she didn't consider anything else.
How stupid could one person be? And that note, yeah, nice one! Good prank. Probably Rainbow again. And now had she not only been humiliated in front of the whole school, she had made Vinyl her enemy for eternity. Or at least until saturday.
She tried to calm herself down, to think it over, maybe call some friends for support. But it was all futile. She wanted to scream, to punch stuff, to kick stuff, to run away never to be seen again.
And run away she did.
She ran and ran. For how long, she didn't know. She ran until she was exhausted, and she fell on the ground and everything went black.
When she woke up, it was dark around her. The clock said 22:15. Shit, and she hadn’t told anyone where she was going. And where was she? She felt her panic growing, when she recognised the smell of grass and pine trees. She was laying in her special glade in Whitetail Woods.
And she wasn't alone.
A dark figure, dressed in black shoes, pants and hoodie was standing some meters from her. She couldn't see the figure’s face, as the hood kept it held in darkness, but it looked female from the shape of the body. And it wasn’t really standing, the figure was crouching, with its hands on the ground like an animal ready to pounce. But nothing happened. They kept staring at each other for some minutes.
At first, Fluttershy frowned. Wasn’t the joke over? Didn’t they think she had enough? Fluttershy tried to move, and opened her mouth to give the figure a piece of her mind. But then, the figured roared low, and moved closer to her, threateningly. Even though she knew that the figure in front of her was just a normal human being, she felt scared. Something was off, and this figure could probably hurt her. She shut her mouth and stayed still, and the figure fell silent again. They sat there for the sun knows how long, but then the figure started to jerk it’s head back and forth and to the sides. It appeared to be sniffing something. Whatever it was, the figure rose and signaled to Fluttershy to get up as well, and follow.
They left the glade to the right and walked straight into the woods. They didn’t walk more than two-three minutes, and stopped where the trees opened up for a dark pathway leading down to a dam. The figure was completely still. Fluttershy tried to walk passed it, on to the path, but the figure stopped her. It wanted them to wait here for something.
And the Fluttershy noticed, the same silence in the woods as it had been last night in the quarry. No birds, no wind. Nothing.It was dead silent.
And then she heard a voice. Fluttershy jumped, and tried to figure out where it came from. There the voice was again, closer and to her left. No, it wasn’t a voice. It was a scream. A scream of pure fear and terror.
"Help! Help! Please help me! Anyone!"
Then she heard the sound of someone running, and soon she could see another dark figure appear on the dimly lit path, but she couldn't recognise who it was, except that it was an elderly man. The night was cloudy, making it even darker than usual.
"Help...uhn...help..."
Suddenly the moon shone through a crack in the clouds and the man’s face was visible. His legs were trembling and he pressed a hand to his chest. Fluttershy put her hands in front of her mouth. She recognized him! It was old Mr. Waddle, one of Fluttershy's neighbours. His skin was even paler than usual, but his cheeks were red with exhaustion, and his eyes was staring over his shoulder at something behind him.
That something that frightened him, soon appeared. It was another dark figure. This reminded Fluttershy of the one guarding her. It seemed human, but was walking crouched down, with its hands in front of it like an animal. Almost walking on four legs without really doing it. It stopped moving, some 10-15 meters from Mr. Waddle. Waiting.
"Stay back! Go away! Don't hurt me! Please," Mr. Waddle screamed at the top of his lungs, but no one was there to hear him, other than Fluttershy. And she didn’t move.
The figure kept still and everything was silent except for the heavy breathing of Mr. Waddle. Fluttershy held her breath. She wanted to scream that they should stop, that they shouldn't hurt the kind old man. But she didn't. She wanted to run down, to help him. To fight, to scare that dark freak away.
But she wasn’t going to. Some part of her wanted this to happen. And that part was dominant now.
Now the figure on the path straightened itself. And with rapid fast movement, it was suddenly standing on the other side of Mr. Waddle. He screamed and backed away, only for the figure to move again, the next second standing behind him. This scenario repeated itself a couple of times, Mr. Waddle growing more and more panicked. Fluttershy shot a glance at the figure by her side. It had turned its head around, looking at her, checking her. She couldn't see its eyes but she felt them on her.
If this is a prank, it stopped being funny hours ago! Stop! Tell them to stop!
But not a sound came over her lips.
The figure on the path made its last rapid movement, appearing just centimetres from Mr. Waddle’s face. This was the last straw, and wildly screaming and waving his arms, Mr. Waddle made a desperate attempt to flee. But out of fear and disorientation, he ran into a tree, and fell on the ground. His voice was weak, but he kept on. "No...please..no...help...me...someone."
Fluttershy couldn't keep her eyes from the scene, as the dark figure moved closer to the fallen man, kneeling next to his torso. It placed its hands on his arms to keep him still. Then, it turned its head, looking straight into Fluttershy's eyes. Under the hood, she saw two burning red eyes.
Fluttershy gasped, and turned away. She found herself face to face with the other figure, with two similar red eyes looking at her just an arm’s length away.
No...no…
She didn't want to look anymore, but her head was turned against her will. She saw the figure on the path lower her head to Mr. Waddle’s neck. She heard Mr. Waddle’s scream of pain and horror, then he was silent and his body went limp. And then came the slurping sound of the figure feeding.
Two more dark figures had appeared on the path. They came closer to the feeding vampire. When she noticed, she growled at them and showed her teeth. The others immediately backed off. If there was anything Fluttershy knew, it was the behaviour of wild animals. She knew exactly what she saw: a demonstration of power, the hierarchy of the pack.
She is the alpha. She wants me to know that. She wants me to see her power…
She noticed that she was alone, that her guard had disappeared to join the others down on the path. The alpha was done, apparently, and so, the other three dived in, almost tearing apart the body of what once was Mr. Waddle.
All her doubts were gone. Vampires. They were real. The creature of her dreams and fantasies were real, standing in front of her in flesh and blood. Her dream had came true!
And she was disgusted.
There was nothing elegant or majestic about this. These were cruel violent beasts, who just cared to feed and nothing more. They were monsters, abominations, disgusting filthy freaks, parasites and vermints! She didn't want anything more with them ever again!
To think I wanted to be like them.
Fluttershy felt sick and she was on the verge of throwing up. But she managed to calm down.
Fluttershy turned away, and ran. Ran as fast as she could. She didn't have a chance, really. She had to, she had to have a chance! She was young, she was fit! She lasted longer! But as she ran, she more felt than saw the vampires moving around her. She twisted and turned, but they were everywhere.
They're driving me. They have me. I'm doomed.
Then, she reached her glade. She stopped in the middle, looking around. The vampires had cornered her. She was theirs now. And she was going to die, just like Mr. Waddle.
Then, the alpha spoke. It was low and harsh, more like hissing than speaking. The same voice she heard behind her in the quarry.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that scene with Vinyl. But we needed to know your wish was sincere."
What? How did they know…
Then, three of them removed their hoodies. Fluttershy draw her breath. Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon Sweetiedrops, and Octavia Melody. All with much paler skin, burning eyes, and their sharp teeths revealed. The only thing that looked normal on them was their hair, but these were not her schoolmates. They were animals. Lyra and Bonbon seemed pretty at ease, but Octavia held her crouching stance, hands in front of her like claws, ready to attack.
"Systir! Þú eins og ég hefi boðið, annars verður svara mér ...."
The alpha's voice in the strange language was like a whiplash in the night and Octavia backed down, with a disgruntled growling, but she kept her place. She still looked like she wanted to kill Fluttershy though but she withdrew from her stance.
"I was surprised when I heard your wish. But when I thought about it, I found that adding you to our ring would be beneficial for us all." She removed her hood. Fluttershy felt like her eyes were popping out of her head. She knew that face anywhere. The chocolate-brown skin, smooth and soft from the use of more than twelve skin-care products with french names. The cute little aristorcratic nose. The purple hair that seemed to float from her hair, almost like the night sky.
Rarity.
“Sorry for the unpleasant evening, darling, but there are things you only can explain this way. Very few people know that we exist, and we are very picky about who we let into our pack.”
Fluttershy just stared, there was nothing else she could do. Rarity kept speaking.
“The other night, when you told me about your wish, I was overwhelmed by your words. Your sincere wish, your dreams… I felt I had the key to your happiness in my hands, and the power almost killed me! I was almost going to turn you right there on the street. But there are rules to follow… You don’t become a leader of a pack without reason. You don’t stay alive for more than 900 years if you’re not made of the right stuff. You have to be careful, ruthless and strong, all at the same time. To survive, I can’t settle for less then perfection. The sisters in my pack are hand-picked by me. Strong. Fearless. Determined. Unscrupulous. Loyal. They do everything I tell them, and they would die for me if I told them to. I saw the same in you, my dear Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy was more confused than ever. This...this was her friend? This was...the real Rarity? The fussing fashionista being the alpha of a violent vampire pack? How was this possible?
"However, my sisters were not as confident as I was. That’s why I had to give you the note, and that little… scene in the quarry. To show them your determination, your PASSION! And even then, SOME”, she let out a low growling in Octavias direction, " still had their doubts about my decision.”
The commotion last night... that scream… Oh, Solaris, she really is dangerous. I don’t want to be here anymore! I want to go home!
“But, in the end, we got over our disagreements. And now we are here, to make you one of our own. Láttu umbreytingu vera!” Without any warning, Lyra and Bon Bon were behind her, holding her arms back. A stinging pain in her neck, her mouth forced open, some kind of warm fluid running down her throat. Fluttershy became dizzy and it all became a mess. She tried to scream “NO!” but her mouth didn’t let her. And she was held by arms much stronger than her’s...probably even stronger than Big Mac’s. Then, a strange feeling came upon her. It started in her heart, and moved through her body. Her sight grew dim, and she felt her breathing slow down. Her heart beat slower and slower. And finally, it stopped completely.
She said it, like she always did. This time, she didn’t have to pretend.
I’ve been sleeping, and now I’m dead. Three times.
She opened her eyes. She was laying in the middle of her glade. She sat up. The other four were standing around her, but the bloodthirsty look was gone. Octavia still looked pissed off, but except for that, Fluttershy felt calm and safe in their presence. Rarity spoke again in the strange language. But now she understood every word..
"Velkomin til okkar. Þú ert nú einn af okkur, eina nótt, systir. Hvað mun nýja nafnið þitt að vera???"
Welcome to our circle. You are now one of us, a sister of the night. What will your new name be?
Fluttershy didn't hesitate. "Chylene."
Rarity nodded. "Hagl, Chylene. Mitt nafn er Ragnhild. Þetta er Lene, Asa og Olga. Hún er Prússneska.”
Hail, Chylene. My name is Ragnhild. This is Lene, Asa and Olga. She is Prussian.
Fluttershy nodded. She knelt down in front of her sisters, showing them her throat as a sign of her submission. Then she howled. The others raised their heads to the moon and howled as well. That was the sign. She was accepted.
They were nothing like the vampires Fluttershy had read about. This was more like a pack of wolves, but more bloodthirsty, more violent, more fierce. And Rarity led her pack with an iron fist. Nothing like the wise Angelis from the TV-show. Nothing at all like her books. No romance, no elegance. Just raw power and blood. Fluttershy would have screamed. Fluttershy would have been disgusted with the abomination she had become.
But Fluttershy was no more. There was only Chylene. And she had only one wish.
To hunt in the night with her sisters. To be one with the night.
Author's Note
Just some short notes. It's the headcanon of another fic I never wrote, where Rarity and Sweetie Belle are ancient vampires, and therefore they speaks icelandic. (Google translate, it may be a bit off.) It's a nod to Eric Northman, I just wanted a language that was 20% cooler than swedish.
(Sweetie is a vampire in this fic's world to, but she has her own pack. Figures, when you're over 900 years old, you don't want to listen to your sister...)
My idea of human fluttershy is a person much more childish and naive than pony Fluttershy. And as that kind of person, I imagined it to be nice to pretend you were some one else.
The name Chylene is not mine either, it's Merc the Jerk's "human" name for Fluttershy so I'm using it in the wrong context. But I think it sounds vampiric, don't you?
And no, Vinyl ain't a vampire. And she doesn't know about Octavia either. She may become one one day, though.
I hope you liked it, and in that case, tell your friends. If you didn't like it... this was I am legend. Good night.
