The Bat of Everfree Forest
The cold wind flowed through Black Cloud's mane as she soared through the night sky. The beat of her wings drowned out the sounds of the chirping crickets below. She knew she had a job to do, but she never felt she had time to just let loose and really fly. She looked up at the full moon above her. The stars twinkled around it, each giving off enough light for her to see the town below. Ponies walked with lanterns in the dark streets; many heading home from work for the day. The town was small, in fact it was just beginning to be built. A local family business had brought these travelers here, and now slowly a new town was beginning to be built. Black Cloud had just saved up enough money from her job to have a home of her own in the town now. She still needed bits for food and furniture though, so she continued to do her job. She had the night duty of cloud clearing. Her boss and co-workers say clear nights help ponies see in the dark and young fillies and colts sleep better at night. Returning her focus back to the sky, she eyed a couple dark clouds floating just a few ways in front of her. She grinned and sped towards them, reaching out her hind hooves to give them a good kick. One by one the clouds were cleared, making way for a starry sky. Smiling at her work, she was about to consider it a job well done. Then, out of the corner of her eye she noticed something dark moving in the sky. Turning in the direction, she saw a dark cloud seeming to drift at quite a fast pace. She raised a brow, odd; she's never seen a cloud move on it's own before. Fluttering her wings, she began to make her way towards the cloud. Suddenly it seemed to pick up speed and veer away from her. Her eyes widened a bit and she squinted.
"Oh no you don't..." She whispered to herself.
Taking off, she charged toward the cloud and stuck out a hoof. Her wings flapped violently as she headed straight for the dark object. Making impact with the cloud, she felt proud to have caught it. But instead of her hoof hitting something soft, it knocked into something hard. As the cloud poofed away, a dark figure fell from it. She gasped as she watched the body begin to plummet toward the ground. She had kicked a pony! And they seemed to be unconscious! Extending her hooves forward, she dived down for the falling pony. She felt the air swirl around her as speed increased the more she dived downward. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she let his pony fall to their death. Slowly she began to pass them in the air and managed to get under them. She braced herself and opened her wings. Instantly the air pushed her upwards and she felt her back collide with the body. She felt the breathe get knocked out of her; this pony was heavy! She flapped her wings as fast as she could as the ground began to come closer. Slowly the speed of their fall began to slow until eventually they both hit the ground with a soft thud. Black Cloud laid there for a minute, trying to catch her breath. Her limbs felt shaky as she stood herself onto her hooves. Trying to ignore the pain in her back, she focused her attention on the pony she had kicked.
"Hello! Are you ok? I'm so sorry I kicked you. I was doing my job and I thought you were a cloud and-"
She stopped talking and stared at the body. The pony didn't make a sound or move. Oh gosh...are they dead? She couldn't see them very well in the dark and she approached them quickly. Laying her ear against their chest she listened. She could hear a steady "thump-thump" from inside and let out a sigh of relief. Thank Celestia... Black Cloud looked around. They were just on the outskirts of town, and her home wasn't that far away from where they were. There was no hospital in town yet, so she'd have to tend to their wound's herself. She opened her mouth and bit down lightly on the skin around the pony's neck. Using the remaining strength she had, she began to slowly drag the pony in the direction of her home. She just hoped no pony would be out in the town at this hour, it almost looks like she's dragging a dead body...
Arriving at her steps, she pulled the key from under her mat and unlocked the front door. Pushing it open and keeping it open with a single wing, she pulled the body inside and quickly shut the door. Once inside, she wrapped her hooves around the body and pulled them up onto her couch. She ran over and opened one of her drawers, pulling out a box of matches and striking one against it. Galloping over to the various lanterns around her house, she lit them as fast as she could one by one. Now that the room was lit, could be able to see who she had kicked. Turning around, she felt the pace of her heart quicken at the sight of the pony in front of her. This wasn't no ordinary pony. Their coat was a dark gray, and the mane was an even darker shade of blue. Their ears were pointed and spiked. Their wings appeared to be almost dragon like. Their mouth was opened, revealing a set of sharp fangs inside. She approached them cautiously, extending a hoof out to place it gently against their eye lid. Lifting it up slowly, the pupil was constricted and the eye color was a blood red. This didn't seem like a pony at all...this pony was more bat-like than anything!
"Oh Celestia...what did I kick?"
Suddenly, the creature's eye focused and moved to stare at her. Black Cloud yelped with surprise and shot backwards. The bat pony themself yelled in response, covering his face with his hooves.
"No! Please, don't hurt me!"
They cried out, pressing themself against the couch as they tried to back away. The voice was male, it's tone was frightful. Black Cloud watched in odd wonder as the bat pony cowered in front of her. He was...scared of her? Did he even know how frightening he looked like? She took a breath in, in an attempt to calm herself down enough to speak to the guy.
"No I..i'm not going to hurt you. I'm just...a little more afraid you're going to hurt me."
The bat pony uncovered his face and stared at her with wide eyes.
"What? But...didn't you kick me out of the sky? Aren't you going to kill me?"
Black Cloud couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could she kill something like him? And why was he afraid of her? She didn't exactly look that menacing.
"What? No i'd never do something like that. But...yeah I did kick you out of the sky. I'm really sorry, my job is to clear the night sky of clouds. I thought you were a cloud."
"I was using that cloud to hide myself. That way none of you pegasus ponies would see me. Well... you sure did your job huh?" He huffed out, leaning his head against his hoof and immediately retreating back. "Ow!"
"What's wrong?"
She walked a few steps closer to him, beginning to feel a bit more comfortable; she still kept her guard up though.
"My head really hurts..."
"Here, let me see."
She reached a hoof out, hoping he could he trusted. The bat pony stared at her for a bit, then hesitantly turned his head to the side. She let out a small gasp at the sight. There was a big lump on the side out his head with a gash in it. Blood was beginning to trickle out from the wound and down his neck.
"Oh dear, I kicked you real good. You've got a nasty gash on the side of your head. Hang on, I got some bandages!"
She quickly ran over to her drawers again and pulled out the bandages she had. Trotting back over to him, she hopped up onto the couch next to him. He flinched at her now being very close and gave her a worried look.
"I promise I won't hurt you, just let me patch you up."
He stared at her for a bit and turned his head to the side. Stretching out the bandage, she began to slowly wrap it around his head and the wound. He winced at the pressure against the gash but held his tongue. Once it seemed to be secure, she ripped off the end and patted it on good.
"There, that should do it."
She then went back to the drawer to put the bandages away and got out a rag. Placing it under her sink, she dampened it with water and brought it back to him. Sitting back onto the couch, she offered the rag to him with a smile.
"Here...it's for the blood."
"Thank you..."
He reached a hoof out and took the rag, slowly rubbing it over the area where the blood had stained his fur.
"I'm Black Cloud by the way."
"I'm Sharp Wing."
Black Cloud gave him a soft smile and looked into his eyes. They didn't seem so creepy all of a sudden, nor did his appearance. The sides of his mouth rose a bit into his own small smile for her. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Black Cloud saw Sharp Wing almost jump off the couch.
"Hello? It's the leader of the guard. I'd like to have a word with you."
Black Cloud felt her heart drop and she slowly looked over at Sharp Wing. She could see the fear in his eyes as he stared directly at the door.
"Here," she quickly hopped off the couch and blew out most of the lantern lights in their area, "stay behind the couch, ok?"
Sharp Wing nodded and quickly scrambled off to get behind the couch. Black Cloud regained a normal posture and tried to calm herself. Walking up to the door, she opened it and stared at the pony of authority in front of her.
"Yes mam?"
"I was just patrolling the town on my night watch duty when I noticed you falling from the sky with another pony as well. Are you alright? Is the other pony alright?"
Black Cloud chuckled and shifted her hooves awkwardly.
"Oh! That? Just an accidental run in with another cloud clearer. When it's dark it's kind of hard to see in front of your own hooves, they almost looked like a cloud to me! They're ok, I made sure before they headed off back home."
"Good. Well I'm glad no pony got hurt. If you ever need anything, just contact me or one of my soldiers or workers."
Black Cloud nodded, then paused. The pony in her house was some sort of vampire bat. Could she really trust them? For all she knew tonight she could have all the blood sucked out of her in her sleep. Should she tell the guard about him? She looked down thinking to herself, then raised her head back up.
"Thanks for the offer, mam. What's you're name by the way?"
"Iron Guard. Celestia has recently appointed me in charge of all the workers, soldiers, and as the supervisor of town. I guess you could consider me your mayor for the time being."
"Alright, thank you again."
"Have a good night."
Iron Guard said, and turned to start heading away. Black Cloud watched till she was at least half way down the street before shutting the door. She blinked a bit, taking in what she had done. But she's made up her mind.
"Sharp Wing, she's left. It's safe now."
In the dark, she saw two glowing red eyes peer from behind the couch. Relighting the lanterns again, she sat back onto the couch and let out a tired sigh. Sharp Wing joined her and the two sat in the silence for awhile.
"Thank you, for not telling that guard about me being here. I would've been killed if she would've found out."
Black Cloud looked at Sharp Wing with concern.
"Is it because you...look like a bat?"
"It's because i'm a vampire bat pony, yes. According to you ponies, I'm a freak of nature, dangerous...a monster."
Black Cloud frowned and her ears drooped. Looking at the creature before her, he was definitely no pony. But he was no monster either.
"You're not a monster. You're just...different."
"Yeah, that's just another word for monster..."
His head lowered and he sighed. Black Cloud looked at him, seeing all this emotion come from him. He seemed like any other pony she's ever met. The only difference was his appearance... She slowly leaned her head against his shoulder for comfort.
"Well, I don't see you as a monster."
Sharp Wing perked up and looked down at her. His face began to feel warmer, this was...a new feeling. He's never really had someone comfort him like this before...it felt nice. He gave her a half smile and leaned his head against her's briefly.
"Well, thanks."
Leaning away from her, he stretched his front legs out.
"I better go. I wouldn't want to attract any unwanted attention to your home. It's a nice one."
He opened his wings to lift himself off the couch, but with one flap he instantly fell over and groaned in pain. Black Cloud rushed to his side and looked over him.
"What's wrong?"
"Augh, my wing. It hurts really bad."
Black Cloud looked at the outstretched wing. It looked a bit crooked in some spots.
"It looks like it's broken. Aw gosh, i'm so sorry, this is all my fault-"
"Hey, woah woah stop. It's alright really..." he paused to sigh, "I'll just have to stay grounded. I guess I can hide in Everfree Forest till it heals."
"Wait, Everfree Forest? Are you sure, there are horrible creatures that live in there. Timber wolves, Hydras, and-" she stopped herself, realizing the creature she was talking to, "Oh yeah...sorry."
"It's fine, they aren't going to bother me. Though I don't know how I'm going to hunt with a broken wing but...I'll survive."
Lifting himself up, he waved a hoof goodbye and began to make his way to the door.
"Thanks for helping me out."
Black Cloud waved back and watched as he opened the door. She felt weird though...as if this wasn't the right choice. She thought to herself, looking back at Sharp Wing before stepping forward.
"Wait! Why don't you stay with me till it's healed?"
Sharp Wing stopped and looked back at her, brows raised.
"Stay with you? You do realize what you'd be keeping in your house right?"
"Yes. I'd be keeping an injured pony who needs help and healing. I don't care if you're a vampire bat pony, all I care about is who you are on the inside. So please, let me help you."
Sharp Wing's expression softened and he turned his head too look back outside. No pony has ever reacted to him this way before...it was so different. Why wasn't she afraid of him? Slowly the door closed and he walked back up to her. She gave him a smile and he just chuckled to himself.
"I hope you don't mind getting me some forest animals for my future meals, do ya? You know cause I'm a vampire bat pony so...I got to drink that blood."
Black Cloud felt a shiver run down her back at that thought. Ew...ok she was just going to have to get used to that.
"It'll be fine. I'm not going to be the one to kill them though, ok?"
"That'll be no problem."
She shared a few laughs with him before gesturing a hoof in the direction of her stairs. The two headed up to the second floor of the home and entered into the bedroom. Sharp Wing looked over the room : a bed, two drawers, a mirror, and a jar full of bits.
"Nice little bedroom you got up here."
"Thanks."
Black Cloud managed to say as she dragged out a mattress from under her bed. She patted it with her hoof and grinned at Sharp Wing.
"You can sleep on this. I hope it's ok compared to...what ever you usually sleep in."
Sharp Wing trotted up to the mattress, lying down on his stomach with a content sigh.
"I usually sleep in trees, this feels like heaven to me..."
Black Cloud giggled and rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm glad you like it."
She made her way over to her own bed and hopped in. Snuggling into the pillows, she pulled up the covers and closed her eyes. It had been a long and interesting day. She felt exhausted; she also was remembering the pain in her back now and cringed. She'd have to just put up with it.
"Goodnight, Sharp Wing."
Sharp Wing peeked his eyes open, looking around the room again. He wasn't dreaming right? A pony actually helped him when he was hurt and didn't try to kill him. A pony didn't run or scream at him just for his appearance. Wow....what a day. Looking down at the mattress, he ran a single hoof across the soft surface and smiled.
"Night, Cloud."
A wide grin spread across Black Cloud's face. It's been awhile since someone just called her Cloud. Setting her alarm clock for work tomorrow, she got comfortable in her bed before slowly drifting off into sleep.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The sounds of hooves scraping on wood awoke Black Cloud from her slumber. Blinking her tired eyes, she turned to look at her clock. The little arms were pointing at 6:50, only ten minutes before her alarm was supposed to go off. She brought her hooves up to her face to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Sitting up in bed, her eyes finally adjusted to her surroundings. She blinked a bit, trying to take in what she saw in front of her. Sharp Wing was perched up on one of her drawers, he seemed to be in some kind of crouch position. His ears were perked forward in attention, and his mouth was parted; showing off those pointy fangs of his again. His eyes stared attentively, focused on something outside the window.
"Sharp?" Black Cloud whispered in an attempt to figure out what was going on.
Sharp Wing let out a hushed "shhh" before slowly gesturing a hoof in the direction of the window. Black Cloud slowly scooted up to the end of her bed to get a good look at what he was pointing at. Perched on the window ledge was a robin, it's back turned to the window. Fully unaware of the hunter stalking it from behind. Black Cloud then understood exactly what Sharp Wing was doing : he was hunting. Sharp Wing took a couple hoof steps forward, the way he moved was so animal like. Crouching down low, he wiggled his back haunches. Then, in the blink of an eye he lunged forward. A sharp, ear piercing chirp was let out, mixed in with muffled grunts from Sharp Wing. She noticed he seemed to be struggling and slipping.
"H-help!"
Was what she managed to hear from him as she saw him just barely hanging out by his hind hooves. Scrambling out of bed, Black Cloud rushed over to the window as fast as she could. But she was just a little too late, she saw his hooves slip off the ledge and heard a thud from down below. Looking out the window, she stared down at the poor guy.
"Sharp Wing! Are you ok?"
Sharp Wing laid on the ground for a bit, obviously in pain. But in the whole process, he had never let go of the robin. Black Cloud hopped out of the window and flew down next to him. She approached him and nudged him a bit with her hoof.
"Sharp Wing?"
His eyes slowly opened, and through the clumps of feathers covering his face she saw him smile.
"I got..breakfast."
He managed to get out, and then plopped his head back onto the ground. Black Cloud let out a puff of air and attempted to push him up onto his hooves.
"Ok, you. lets get you back inside before anyone sees you."
The two walked back into the house, unnoticed by any pony thankfully.
"Most ponies are still asleep, and others are busy focusing on building. You're lucky no one saw you."
She said as she lit the stove, setting a frying pan on it. Sharp Wing had made himself comfortable on the couch, and was busy drinking the blood from the robin he had caught.
"I'm sorry. I saw a good opportunity and took it. At least I spared you a hunt for my breakfast."
Black Cloud let out a small chuckle as she began to stir her mixture in her bowl. Setting the spoon down she poured it into the pan and nodded to herself.
"Good, that means I have time to focus on my own breakfast then."
While Sharp Wing was busy with his own meal, Black Cloud focused on hers. In the process while the pancakes were cooking, Black Cloud took the time to tie her dark blue bow tie around the base of her tail. Then she tended to her smoky colored fur, brushing it so she would look her best for the day. After she was satisfied with her look, she returned to her breakfast. Soon, she had a delicious pile of pancakes made. Opening a cabinet, she pulled out a jar labeled "Apple Syrup". Pouring it over her pancakes she headed over to the couch and sat down next to Sharp Wing.
"What's that?"
"Pancakes!" Black Cloud said happily, taking off a piece and eating it with glee.
"No I mean, what's on them?"
"Oh, it's apple syrup. I bought it from the local business around here. They're a huge apple farming family."
Sharp Wing's expression seemed to turn into a small scowl.
"Oh them..."
"What? What's wrong with them?"
"Well, the place where they've built their orchard and homes on, that used to be the forest I lived in. Since they came to the area I've had to hide in what little forests that are left around here. That's why you saw me in the cloud last night, I was heading over to Everfree Forest to hopefully find a place to live there."
Black Cloud set her fork down on the plate and looked at him sadly.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"It's ok, you ponies are a growing population. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Sharp Wing look down at the dead bird in his hands and gave out an awkward chuckle.
"Um, any place where I can dispose of this?"
"Oh! Um yeah, the trash can outside is fine. The trash ponies come by and pick it up every three days so, hopefully it won't start stinking till then."
"Ok, thanks."
Sharp Wing hopped off the couch to go dispose of the robin. Black Cloud tried to get the image of the dead bird out of her mind and turned her focus back to her breakfast. Watching Sharp Wing come back she noticed he seemed to be limping a bit.
"Did you hurt yourself when you fell out of the window?"
"No! ...well maybe."
Black Cloud sighed and set down her plate on the coffee table.
"Come here, let me see."
Sharp Wing got back onto the couch next to her and extended his left front hoof out to her. Black Cloud looked over and squeezed it between her hooves a bit before setting it down.
"It doesn't look or feel broken. You probably just landed on it funny. By the way, how's that gash doing?" She asked him, looking at the bandage around his head.
"Well it feels sore, but it doesn't much anymore."
"And your wing?"
He looked down at it and frowned, shaking his head at her.
"I should put a bandage around that too. The last thing I need is you getting hurt even more."
"Well, at least I know I always have you to help me out."
Black Cloud reached into the drawer to pull out the bandages and smiled to herself. It felt nice to be able to care for some pony like this. She'd been living alone since the day she left home for Ponyville, she'd almost forgotten what it felt like to have a pony by your side. She'd never except the pony she would become close to though would in fact be a vampire bat pony. I guess fate just works that way sometimes. Trotting back to him, she began to gently wrap up his wing.
"Yeah, you'll always have me."
Author's Note
(Added onto the chapter for an update) First chapter is up of that story I promised! I'd like some feed back on how you guys like it so far. I know it's the first chapter and we haven't been introduced to Night Heart yet, but in chapter two we will meet her. 
The Bat of Everfree Forest
Author's Note
Here's chapter 2! Also changed up the story's description a bit. Wow this was a long one, sorry if it feels rushed. I really felt like I needed to get their part of the story ended with so we can begin Night Heart's. Also I'm a bit saddened by the amount of dislikes the story is getting as well. If I'm doing anything wrong please tell me and I'll do my best to improve. But thanks again to the kind people who have enjoyed my story so far and I hope this chapter met your expectations!
The End
Days go by. Those days turn into weeks. Which soon had turned into a couple months. Somehow Black Cloud's life just managed to stay normal. Everyday she woke up, had breakfast, went to work, then came home. The only difference was between breakfast and work she also had to check the animal traps she had set up around the Everfree Forest so she could get Sharp Wing his meal for the day. Another difference was also Sharp Wing living with her seemed to make her life just a little more exciting. Every time she came home some pony was there waiting for her. She wasn't alone and now had some pony to talk to. The days where she used to look at him and see a strange creature living in her house faded away in the past. Now all she saw was a close friend, a pony like her. The gash eventually healed, but a scar was left behind. The wing was probably fulled healed by now too, and Sharp Wing would be able to fly again. Which meant he would be ready to go live on his own. Why did that frighten Black Cloud? The thought of him leaving and not living with her anymore just felt odd to her. A lot of other things have been feeling odd to her lately as well. Sometimes late at night when her and Sharp Wing would just be talking on the couch with a single lantern to give them enough light to see, she'd just look at him. She'd grown so familiar with that face of his, the pointy ears and even those sharp teeth don't even bother her anymore. Along with those glossy red eyes, she could looking into them forever if she could. Thinking about him made her feel warm inside, seeing him everyday always put a smile on her face. There was even one time while she was at work, he spent the whole day cleaning her house and ended up passing out in her own bed. She had slept next to him that night, and the feeling of having some pony to be by at night made her heart flutter. She had an idea of what she was feeling, but she didn't want to admit it. But she knew that the day he chose to leave would be a hard one indeed.
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It was the day. Sharp Wing was finally going to test out his wing to see if it had healed properly. From the way it looks and has moved so far, it seems to be good as new. Black Cloud still felt a bit worried as the two of them stood on top of the roof of her house. They'd waited until night fall so they could practice flying in the cover of darkness. No pony still knows that for almost three months a vampire bat pony has been living among them.
"So if it hurts, come back immediately, ok?"
"I know, I know. I'll be fine, Cloud."
Sharp Wing said to try and reassure her. Looking out at the starry sky above him he took a deep breath in. It's been awhile since he's been able to feel the cold night air flowing in his mane. Unfolding his wings, he gave them both a few test flaps. He backed up to the edge of the roof to get a good running start. Black Cloud stood off to the side, ready to spring over to him if something goes wrong. Exhaling through his nostrils, he began to gallop. Hooves pounded on the roof shingles as Sharp Wing made his running start. Then with one leap he was off the roof and dived downward. Black Cloud bit her lip and trotted over to the ledge. The sound of wings flapping was heard and she saw Sharp Wing take off into the sky. He cheered and did a few twirls to show off his excitement.
"Alright! It's definitely healed now!"
He yelled down to Black Cloud, circling above her roof a couple times before taking off back into the air. Black Cloud was happy for him, but deep down she knew now he was able to leave. She pushed that thought into the back of her mind though as she laughed with him.
"Yes! It's about time."
Leaping off the room, she joined him in flight. She circled him once and he grinned at her. Turning in the direction of the sky he took off. She followed, the two of them soaring together through the night. She watched him as he closed his eyes, taking in the feeling of flight again. Seeing him so happy made her feel happy. Flying with him was a whole other experience. The two could share something together, and just be free together.
"Wow... oh! There's something I've been waiting to do for awhile."
He told her, and began to start climbing his way upwards. Black Cloud raised a brow and followed him up. Slowly the ground began to become farther and farther away. Looking up there were almost at level with Cloudsdale itself. Then Sharp Wing stopped and began flying in place. Fluttering over to his side, she was wondering what exactly he was planning to do.
"Cloud, have you ever free fallen before?"
"Hm? Oh no, I've never been brave enough to try it. The closest I've ever gotten to free falling was flying after you the night I kicked you out of the sky. And that wasn't exactly a pleasant experience."
"Well do you want to do it with me again? This time a little less almost falling to your death?" He asked, extending a hoof in offer.
Black Cloud looked down again. The idea of falling at this height seemed insane!
"I'm not sure I could do it."
"Hey don't worry I got an idea. Come here, give me a hug."
Black Cloud gave him a confused look as he opened his arms to her.
"Come on, I won't bite."
Black Cloud rolled her eyes, haha...bat jokes. She flew over to him and hugged her hooves around him. He kept his own hooves around her tight, causing their bellies to be pressed close together. The closeness was making her blush a little but she looked up and him anyways.
"So...now what?"
"We fall." He said with a grin.
Black Cloud was about to say something when she felt the flapping of his wings stop. She felt them tip downwards and they began to plummet. She shut her eyes tight and gripped onto him. The wind swirled around the two of them as they began their fall back to earth. Black Cloud didn't want her fear to get the best of her right now, especially when she was supposed to be sharing this moment with Sharp Wing.
"Hey, if you keep you're eyes closed what's the point?"
Slowly she peeked open to see Sharp Wing staring down at her with a soft expression. Well, technically he was staring up considering the two of them were falling downwards. She chuckled at him and looked around them. Stars passed by quickly, cold air flowed over her fur, and around her she could see for miles. Slowly her fear was replaced by wonder and the thrill of the fall. Looking at Sharp Wing again the two of them began to laugh together and they fell.
"Ok, hang on tight." Sharp Wing told her.
Black Cloud tightened her grip in response. The ground was very close now, and the realization of it started to bring back that lingering fear of her's. But in a flash she felt a strong force lift them up. Sharp Wing had extended his wings and now the two were soaring high once again. They cheered together as they sped across the sky. Soon they began to slow and leveled off at a low altitude. Sharp Wing turned himself to where he was flying upside down so he could hold onto Black Cloud better. Black Cloud laid there against Sharp Wing's chest, sighing with content.
"That was so...amazing."
She looked up and was met by those glowing red eyes of his. He was smiling at her, which caused her to smile back. She hated it when he looked at her like that...but she also liked it.
"So, now that you can fly again I guess that means you can live on your own now, huh?"
Black Cloud thought she saw sadness in his eyes, but he just laid his head back and nodded.
"Guess so. I can't thank you enough for taking care for me. I would be dead without you."
"It was no problem, really. Having you for company was nice. I'm really glad I met you and got to know you."
Sharp Wing looked back up at her again giving her a small grin.
"Yeah me too. I never thought I'd actually be able to get close to a pony. I'm glad to know I'll have someone to trust while I'm living in Everfree."
Black Cloud looked down at her hooves, both were somewhat buried in his chest fur. She was going to miss not being able to see him every day, waking up to his shenanigans, or just simply talking to him. It just seemed so normal to her life now. She didn't want him to go... she felt like perhaps maybe he was the one to be with her. Like it was fate the night she had kicked him out of the sky. As if they were destined to meet. Taking in a deep breath, she shifted herself awkwardly against him.
"You know you don't have to go live in Everfree Forest by yourself. You're more than welcome to live with me..."
Sharp Wing's pointy ears perked up and he stared at her attentively.
"I don't know. I've already been there for so long, and you've done more than enough looking after me. I would be a big burden and risk to you."
"Oh no no no. It would be perfectly fine, I've never thought of you as any of those things. I've always enjoyed your company and knowing that you're there for me..." she tapped her hooves together, "..and it felt nice being there for you too."
Hearing her words, Sharp Wing thought to himself. Black Cloud actually did enjoy having him there in the time he spent with her. He knew for sure he did, he was extremely thankful for her kindness. It was kind of weird to think about living in a forest alone now other than living in a house with someone. He honestly didn't even know if he liked the idea of fighting for survival in some smelly forest. Still, he had to remind himself of what he really was.
"But are you sure you'd be ok with keeping a vampire bat pony in your home? I mean if you ever had friends over then I'd have to hide. And I know that catching me food isn't you're favorite activity either. "
"Of course I'd be ok with it. I don't really have anyone I'd want to invite over to my house anyway. But none of that would bother me because I'd have you and..." Could she really say it? She had to tell him how she felt! She may never get a chance to do it again. What does she have to loose? Just spit it out you feather-brain.
"..and I love you." She said in a soft voice, looking up into his eyes.
Sharp Wing's dark gray face seemed to begin to take on a dark shade of red. His mouth was agape, as if trying to process what he had been just told. Black Cloud felt extremely flustered now and proceeded to hide her face in the only place she could : his chest. She waited for what seemed like hours until she heard a low chuckle come from Sharp Wing. Peeking out from her hiding spot, she saw Sharp Wing just laughing out loud to himself. She frowned and lifted her head up.
"What's so funny?"
"That you waited this long to tell me. Plus," he tilted his head and smirked at her, "you're pretty cute."
"You jerk! How long did you know!" Black Cloud exclaimed, pushing against his face lightly with a hoof.
Sharp Wing continued to laugh, and just kept on smiling at her.
"I just kind of guessed because recently every time I caught you looking at me you blush. You turned as red as those apples in the apple orchards."
Black Cloud was embarrassed, but at the same time she felt relieved.
"Well gee, thanks for waiting till now to speak up." Black Cloud said sarcastically, giving him a pout.
"Well I just wanted to make sure you really were. Because you know I, myself, I guess I kinda..." He drew a hoof back to rub the back of his neck, "I love you too."
Black Cloud began to get the biggest smile on her face that she's probably ever gotten in her life. Giggling uncontrollably, she just took his face in both of her hooves.
"You're a big goof under all that vampire bat exterior, you know that?"
Then she leaned forward and began to give his face soft little kisses. Sharp Wing's face flushed at the actions, but he wrapped his hooves around her again. He'd knew he couldn't ever leave. His home was with Black Cloud now and he wanted to be with her. The two lovers looked into each other's eyes. Sharp Wing's thought Black Cloud's silver blue eyes were just so beautiful to gaze into. Black Cloud herself also loved to look into his own shiny red orbs. So much about them were different from her own, they filled her with wonder. As they continued to looked on, they could see all the love and admiration they had for one another deep in their eyes. Sharp Wing's lips brushed over Black Clouds and she thought she felt her heart skip a beat. Tilting her head just a bit and her lips finally locked with his. He was so gentle to the touch, it made her body feel light. Sharp Wing brought a hoof up to run it gently through her purple and black striped mane. After kissing her for a few moments he brought his muzzle up to nuzzle her forehead that was covered in white dotted freckles. Black Cloud let out a dreamy sigh and closed her eyes. She had a feeling this would be the start of something big in her life. In their own lives.
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Black Cloud's daily life soon became the best days of her life. When she woke up she was next to the one she loved, when she came home she was greeted by a kiss. Every night she'd lay and talk with Sharp Wing in bed, telling him about her day and how the town was changing. Sharp Wing didn't usually leave the house all day, but he'd gotten used to it. The simple pony life had become the way he does things now. On occasional nights they'd go flying together, that's when Sharp Wing could really feel like himself again. He still had to drink blood, but he's been trying a lot of pony food lately too. As the months go by, Black Cloud begins to show odd behaviors. Her body shape is also changing, taking on a more plumper look than usual. They both knew what it meant; Black Cloud was pregnant. She didn't know how Sharp Wing would react, but when she finally told him, he was ecstatic! It would be the start of their family together. The two couldn't be any happier together and they couldn't ask for any better. They knew that through it all, they'd always be there for each other.
But all that would change for both of them.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Black Cloud smiled as she picked up the dishes from the bed next to Sharp Wing. The poor guy had been working all day building a crib for their foal, which was expected to be due any day now. He laid their passed out on the bed, sound asleep. Making her way downstairs, she did her best to balance herself with her gained weight. As she headed down, a cup suddenly began to fall from the plate. She gasped and tried to grab it with her wing, but ended up jerking herself too hard. She slipped on the step she was on and fell the rest of her way down the steps.
"Ah!"
She laid there for a moment, regaining consciousness from the fall. Then, she noticed a wet feeling from between her legs. Oh, Celestia... She thought to herself. Her water had broken, the baby was going to come now! Using her wings to lift her up, she did her best to fly over to the couch and lay herself down onto it. She began to start breathing and looked back to the stairs.
"Sharp! Sharp!"
She yelled for her husband, then being stopped short as she felt an intense pain in her lower abdomen. She heard a scurry of hoof steps and in a flash Sharp Wing had flown downstairs and was next to her side.
"Cloud! What's wrong? Did you fall? Are you hurt?"
"Th-the baby! It's coming!"
Sharp Wing's eyes widened, this was not a good surprise to wake up to. He began to panic, he had no idea how to handle child birth.
"What do you want me to do?"
Black Cloud thought to herself, she remembered when one of her sisters had been born. It had happened a very long time ago, but she tried to focus on the main details.
"Ok, lots of rags, maybe a stick for me to bite down on, and water. The only water is from the well in the middle of town though, you could be seen-"
"I don't care, Cloud. If you need water, I'm going to get you it."
Running over to the drawers, he pulled out piles of rags and a mixing spoon. Flying over to her he handed the spoon to her.
"Here, bite down on this. I'll be right back, ok?"
He then galloped for the door and burst out into the open. He'd seen the well from up above when they've flown at night before, so he flew as fast as he could towards it. Landing next to the well, he then realized he didn't have a bucket to get any water with. He frantically looked around and saw a bucket on a hook outside a pony's house. He quickly flew over toward it and yanked it off. This caused the hook to rip out of the wall and hit the porch with a thump. Inside, a pony was awoken and looked out their window tiredly. What they saw was a dark creature with glowing red eyes. Gasping the pony screamed and scrambled out of bed. Sharp Wing didn't hear them though as he returned to the well and dumped the bucket into the water. Once it was filled he grasped the handle in between his teeth and was ready to take off back to the house.
"Monster! There's a monster in town!"
He heard from behind. Turning he saw a pony standing on their porch, lighting a lantern in the process. Around him he saw the doors of many pony's homes open rapidly, and when they saw him standing in the middle of town they all screamed.
"Someone alert Iron Guard!"
Some ran off in different directions, other closed their doors for safety. This was Sharp Wing's worst nightmare, but none of that mattered to him right now. He had to get back to Black Cloud, no matter what. Lifting up the heavy bucket he flew as fast as he could in the direction of his home. What he didn't notice behind him was the crowd of ponies beginning to form in the middle of town.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Iron Guard! Iron Guard!"
A buff worker pony followed by a couple others shouted as they burst into the main hall. They ran up to the guard in her office, panting tiredly from the run there. Iron Guard shifted in their direction, swishing her mint colored tail in interest.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Me and other witnesses saw some kind of monster in town. It had these red glowing eyes and almost dragon like wings! It went into a pony's home too!"
Iron Guard's expression changed to a serious one as she thought to herself deeply. Turning to her soldiers she raised a hoof in attention.
"We must find this creature before it harms any of the residents in this town. When we do find it, we'll make sure it won't bother anyone, again."
The towns ponies nodded at her and began to lead her out of her office. Soon soldiers and defensive townsfolk began to slowly gather together, each with a burning desire to eliminate the monster they had seen.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sharp Wing closed the door behind him, locking it shut. Grabbing the bucket again he ran back to Black Cloud's side.
"I'm here, Cloud," he told her, resting a hoof against the side of her face, "I'm here for you."
Black Cloud gave him a weak smile before her face turned into one of great pain. She screamed as a contraction took her over, pushing herself against the back of the couch with strong force.
"That's it, Cloud. Push!"
In the process, Sharp Wing stayed by her. He dipped a rag in the bucket of water and placed it over the top of her head. Then he placed many more rags under her. He held her hoof, reassured her, and tried to keep her calm.
"You're almost done, Cloud. Just one more push should do it!"
He told her, his hooves now holding onto the foal's emerged head. Blood was now covering his hooves, but it's not like that's bothered him before. Black Cloud let out a loud scream as she pushed one more time and then collapsed tiredly against the couch, panting heavily. Sharp Wing sat their, looking down at the bundle now laying in his hooves. The baby foal wasn't even crying, it just laid there, opening it's mouth occasionally. Her coat was a light grey, her mane a dark blue like his own, and there was a single streak of purple like Black Cloud's own mane color.
"Oh, Cloud...she's beautiful." He whispered to Black Cloud as he began to gently clean the baby with the wetted rags.
Sitting up he set the baby in her own hooves. Black Cloud opened her eyes, feeling absolutely exhausted. But, right when she saw her baby, it's little beady red eyes staring up at her, she smiled.
"H..hey there, sweetie."
She lowered a hoof too push away the purple streak of hair covering the baby's face. The foal reached it's little hooves up to grab Black Cloud's and began to gently suck it.
"Silly, I'm not a chew toy."
Sharp Wing watched the two, tears dripping down his face. This was his mate, and that was his foal. Both were so beautiful... and he sighed with relief. The baby looked almost completely pony like, the only thing different seemed to be her ear's and eye color. He sat on the couch next to her and leaned his head against hers. The two shared a quick kiss before turning their attention back to the foal.
"What should we name her?" Black Cloud asked, and began lightly bouncing the baby in her hooves.
Sharp Wing thought to himself, what could they name it? Something meaningful? What was one thing that was important to the two of them.
"Hey I know, what about Night-"
He was cut off at the sound of banging on the door. He head shot in the direction of the door, he felt his heart drop when he saw through the windows, multiple torches and ponies.
"Mam? Are you in there? Are you still alive?"
Iron Guard asked from outside, her magic holding up a spear aimed at the door. A towns pony came next to her side, and looked at the crowd.
"I heard screams from inside! The monster must of already got her!"
Many cries and screams came from the crowd in reaction to the news. Iron Guard turned back to the door and opened her mouth to yell orders again.
"Creature, we're all here! Come out now so we can make this quick."
Sharp Wing turned to Black Cloud, fear was shown in both their eyes.
"What are we going to do?"
Sharp Wing thought to himself, there had to be some place they could go where they'd be safe. Sadly, the only place he could think of could be as dangerous as the situation they were in now.
"The Everfree Forest."
"What?! Sharp Wing are you crazy?"
Loud banging started up against the door again, this time with intention to try and knock it down.
"Black Cloud please, it's our only hope. If they find me, they'll kill me. When they see a half pony half vampire bat pony baby they'll kill it, and if they know you mated with a vampire bat pony...oh Celestia, I don't even know what they'd do. But please Black Cloud, we have to get out now!"
Black Cloud looked down at the newborn in her hands. Then back up at him and nodded. Staggering to her feet, she began to make her way to the back door of the house. Another bang, this time the door hinges were coming loose. Sharp Wing flew over quickly and pushed himself against the door.
"Sharp Wing!"
"Go now! Take the baby and run as fast as you can!"
Black Cloud looked back at him one more time before heading out the door. Sharp Wing turned his attention back to keep the door closed. But with the massive worker ponies outside, he didn't stand a chance. One last slam against the door and Sharp Wing was sent flying onto the hard wood floor. He groaned and attempted to stagger to his hooves.
"There it is! The monster! Look at it's hooves, they're covered in blood! It's already killed the poor pony living here!"
Sharp Wing stared at the crowd. What a familiar sight this was, pitch forks, torches, and angry ponies. It was every monster's worst nightmare.
"Ponies, wait please-"
He tried to speak but Iron Guard suddenly lunged her spear in his direction. He quickly dodged; trying to talk to them would be hopeless. Turning his hind legs to them, he gave one large kick to spray the splinters from the broken door in their faces. Then he took off out the back door, speeding up to try and catch up with his mate.
"Gah, after him! We must make sure he doesn't come back!"
Iron Guard ordered, rubbing the wood pieces out of her eyes and began galloping after Sharp Wing. Behind her, the angry mob circled around the house in pursuit. Meanwhile Black Cloud hadn't gotten very far in trying to run with the pain still between her legs, and keeping hold of her baby's scruff at the same time.
"Black Cloud!"
Hearing the familiar voice, she turned around with relief. Sharp Wing sat down by her side, taking the baby's scruff in his own mouth. Through all the running, the baby was now beginning to cry. There was no time to cry and get it to stop.
"We're almost there, come on!"
He told her through the scruff in between his teeth, and he flew upwards. Black Cloud fluttered her wings and joined his side. Her whole body felt weak and tired, but she had to keep going. Her speed was not fast, the birth had really taken a lot out of her. Sharp Wing stayed close to her though, what mattered is that they both got there together. Down below, the yells grew louder, and soon the area became lit by the flames of the torches. He let Black Cloud go a bit more in front so the crowd would not spot her.
"There it is! It's heading for the Everfree Forest, come on!"
He heard one of the ponies say from down below. He picked up speed, flying past Black Cloud, but keeping a good distance in front of her. Black Cloud was struggling, and her wings began to fail on her. Slowly she descended towards the ground and landed back down to earth. Sharp Wing landed next to her, looking at her worriedly.
"I...can't.. fly anymore, Sharp Wing. I need...to just run."
"Ok, ok. We'll run together, come on."
The two then began to run as fast as they could into the Everfree Forest. But at the pace Black Cloud was going, the angry mob was not far behind now. As the ran deeper into the forest, they stopped at a river. It was raging and flowing quickly. Sharp Cloud opened his wings and quickly flew across, landing softly on the other side.
"Come on, Black Cloud. We get across this they'll never catch us!"
His enthusiasm dropped though as he saw his mate had now just arrived at the water's edge. She tripped, skidding into the mud. Sitting herself back up, she was now covered completely in the mud. Looking out at him, her expression showed the amount of exhaustion she was experiencing. She tried to lift herself into the air, but failed, almost slipping into the roaring river. Sharp Wing was beginning to panic, he had to get her across. He could see the flames of the angry mob drawing closer, any second now they'd be here.
"Black Cloud hold on! I'll fly over to get you!"
Gently he set the foal down into the grass. He was about to get ready to fly after her when he heard her yell.
"Stop, no!" Black Cloud cried out, pointing a hoof in a direction behind him.
Sharp Wing lowered his wings, looking behind him he could see the preying eyes of predators lurking in the shadows. If he left the baby here for even one second, there was no doubt she would be snatched away. He looked back at Black Cloud, worry in his eyes. Black Cloud looked at her husband across the river, then at the baby in the grass. She felt the tears well in her eyes...she knew what she had to do.
"Sharp! What did you say you were going to name the baby? Night, what?"
"Oh! Well, maybe her name could start with Night! You...you can finish it."
Black Cloud thought to herself, then looked at the little foal staring at her from so far away.
"Night Heart... let's name her Night Heart!"
"It's a lovely name!"
Sharp Wing called across to her, something felt like a lump in his throat. Black Heart looked away, she couldn't bare to see him like this.
"Sharp... this mob isn't going to stop until they've killed a monster." She called out to him reluctantly.
Sharp Wing's ears drooped back. No...she wasn't.
"No... Black Cloud please! Don't! I'll find another way, I'm not going to leave you."
"I'm sorry, Sharp! There's no way you can carry me and the baby across! Please...I love you so much. Take care of our foal!" The tears began to spill from her eyes as she looked at him one last time.
And with that, she turned to face the mob that was now emerging out of the trees. Sharp Wing extended a hoof to pull Night Heart close to his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening, why was this happening? Black Cloud looked down at herself. She didn't exactly look like a pony now covered in all this mud. Looking up, she saw Iron Guard stop, staring directly at her. Black Cloud looked at her, then reared up on her hind legs. She thrashed her hooves violently in the air and called out,
"Here I am! You want to try and kill a monster? Then try your best!"
Iron Guard took aim, and lunged the spear forward. There was a dreaded sound of it striking through flesh. Sharp Wing's eyes widened in absolute horror, holding back a scream that wanted to escape his throat. Black Cloud let out a silent gasp, slowly looking down at the spear that was impaled through her chest. It had gone directly through her, the end spike sticking out of her back. Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Slowly, the body of the mother Pegasus fell backwards. As she fell she caught one last glance of her mate and her foal... before her world went black. The sound of the body hitting the water echoed through the forest, but was soon replaced by the cheers of the angry mob. Sharp Wing's widened eyes could only stare as he watched the body of the pony he had come to love so dearly... float limply down the raging river. He sat there, staring. It's all he could do. After some time the mob went back to Ponyville, leaving the vampire bat pony and his foal alone. Alone in the Everfree Forest. Sharp Wing kept on staring at the river, as if expecting his mate to crawl out unharmed...alive. The cries of his foal snapped him back to reality. Looking down at Night Heart, he stared at the last thing he had left of Black Cloud. Reaching down he scooped his infant in his hooves, holding her close to him as he quietly wept against her. In the process, he did his best to silence her crying and calm her down. Night Heart let out a small yawn, her small red eyes beginning to droop with tiredness. Sharp Wing's adrenaline had died down and he too could feel how exhausted he was. He was worn out...tired. Laying down on his stomach, he wrapped a single wing around his baby for protection. Then looking around him he let out a long drawn hiss to warn the creatures of the forest he meant business. Slowly he saw the eyes disappear into the shadows of the woods. He sighed with relief, laying his head down on his hooves, ready to rest. Then he felt Night Heart nuzzle her head close against his stomach, getting herself comfortable. Even after all that had just happened, he felt a small smile form and he slowly moved his body to be curled around Night Heart.
"Don't worry, Night Heart. I'll protect you..." he looked up at the sky to stare at stars above, "I promise..."
And slowly, father and daughter both slipped into their deep sleep.
