“CAPTAIN, I NEED YOU TO SHIELD CANTERLOT IMMEDIATELY!!!” Celestia yelled into the ears of the Captain of the Royal Guard- Glimmering Shield. After recovering from the brief hearing loss, he asked rather panicked “What is it, Princess? Are we being invaded?”

The sun princess shook her head gravely. “It’s something far worse than that. We must evacuate the city immediately! Get everypony teleported outside of the town, and ensure that none remain.”

He saluted his commander, and proceeded to order the unicorns to get into positions for the shield spell to be cast and the Pegasi and Earth Ponies to start evacuation immediately, knowing that if the Princess is as worried for her citizens to shield the entire city and evacuate everypony out of their now magically fortified home, then there was going to be a major, and possibly catastrophic, event that would take place in the heart of the oligarchy that the ponies knew as their source of government and power.
Suddenly, the floor beneath their hooves began to tremble as if an earthquake just hit the capitol.

“Sir, look over there!” one of his privates pointed out a nearby window, and towards Canterlot Palace. What looked like the entire leftmost tower was completely decimated, its corpse now littering the gardens below it. “Mother of me…” the alicorn muttered, looking shocked at the destruction that her home was receiving.

Elsewhere, a lunar princess was recovering from a blow that launched her through the side of the entire left wing, where her current room was at, as well as a number of wings she used for astronomical purposes. I am naught but a fly to a pureblood! Luna looked at the mare who struck the monstrous blow. Pure, instinctual rage filled Flutterbat’s eyes, intent on leaving a blue stain on the ground where everypony would look at, knowing full well that it was the final resting place of Celestia’s dear sister. There was no ounce of innocence shown- a trait that Fluttershy, the shy mare underneath this vampiric beast, normally showed.

Flutterbat cackled maniacally. “Did you have enough yet, moon-butt?”

Luna opened her mouth to say something, only to be barraged by a flurry of uppercuts that sent her flying above the palace. “Too bad, because I’M JUST GETTING STARTED!!!” At blurring speeds, Flutterbat raced towards the Princess, another punch nearly connecting, until she was bound in magical blue chains constructed from Luna’s magic. She frantically struggled to break free, only to find that the more she struggled, the tighter the chains became.

“Fluttershy!” Luna shouted. “I know you’re in there! Please, you need to wake up before things become too drastic to handle on our own!” A rippling headache arrived at Flutterbat’s head, her eyes changing from the furious blood hue of her red eyes to the innocent and shy cyan that was a trademark of the shy and timid mare.

“L-Luna? What’s going on? Why am I bound up, and why do you have fangs?”

Relieved, Luna began to explain. “Fluttershy, your vampiric instincts took over! Flutterbat is intent on destroying me, and quite possibly making a stain out of Celestia too! You must free yourself from her grasp!”

Another pain shot to the mare’s head, bringing back the deadly gaze of Flutterbat. “What makes you think she has control? *chuckles* I’m the one in charge here!” She flexed her bat-wings, apparently all she needed to do in order to break control of an Alicorn’s magic. It seemed as if the Elements of Harmony were nothing but a nuisance compared to the terrifying power this mare possessed. After breaking free, Flutterbat lunged at Luna again, this time intent on crippling her; a docile attack compared to the devastation she caused to both the Lunar Princess, and the castle she started to call home.

The Princess tried to dodge the attack, but only made the strike connect more quickly. That speed! Luna thought, as the Pureblood continued lashing out, inflicting a monumental amount of pain to one of her wings, before it finally snapped. The mare let out a bloodcurdling scream that stretched even to the outskirts of the soundproof and protective shield strewn around Canterlot. No longer able to hover and meet her adversary’s eyes, Luna fell unconscious from the numbing pain on her wing. That power…

She struggled to get up after the rough landing in the piles of destroyed palace, only to fall down from exhaustion. Her vision started to blur. I m-must get through to f-flutter…sh…shy…

Discord was watching this whole scene take place nearby, invisible to everypony due to some chaos magic and curious to see how far this “Flutterbat” would go, before he would have to step in. In his mind, he knew that Celestia was no match for the ferocity this beast could lash out. She destroyed an entire wing of the palace for fun. She broke Princess Luna’s wing, and watch her plummet to the ground For fun…

If it weren’t for his reformed consciousness telling him this was bad, he would’ve snapped into existence a large bucket of popcorn with a side of soda. Observing Luna unconscious, and full of blood stains angered him enormously, and he decided that enough was enough. “Playtime’s over, little bat. It’s time you go back in the cage.” he snapped his fingers, ridding himself of the cloak that kept him invisible from the ponies thrashing out at each other. Much like when Princess Celestia is angered, Discord gained a serious look, but the most intense features were his eyes. They didn’t beam chaotically anymore, like a maniac's would. No, his eyes were filled with fury. Fury caused by his friend getting hurt.

Flutterbat took a good look at the draconequis hovering before her, and laughed as if his mere presence was a joke. “Oh yeah? And who’s gonna make me? YOU?! *laughs* You are nothing but a speck to me!” She lunged at him, fully intent on ripping him limb from limb. Inches away from hitting that serious scowl off the Chaos Lord’s face, something held her back. She looked around. Not a single trace of Luna’s magic was still latched to her, and nopony was forcing her hoof from connecting. Flutterbat shook her head and tried again, this time with the other hoof. The results were the same: she couldn’t hit him. It was as if an unknown force was holding her back. “One thing you forgot to realize is that I’m friends with the mare you’re holding in that cage of yours.” He snapped his fingers again, lulling the pureblood to sleep. “And I intend to keep her in control.

Flutterbat shook her head, and looked around at a white plane. No rubble, destroyed castle, or crippled Princess in sight. Not even a sky to look at, just white. It looks like I’m back here… in the cage…

She started exploring the pale white that was the “cage” that Fluttershy’s pony side built without knowing. There was nothing here to keep the bat-pony company. The only thing she had were her own thoughts, and a thirst for the outside world. The only way she lived in that blood-soaked cottage from their first intellectual encounter- Fluttershy’s and Flutterbat’s- was because the timid mare has an overactive imagination when it comes to horror stereotypes, such as vampire ponies. Suddenly, she heard someone sobbing.

I thought I was alone in here… Then the realization dawned on her. Oh. I get it; we’re both in the cage. I guess Discord wants me to talk with her, or vice versa…

Another thing happened: Fluttershy began to speak. It was obvious that she didn’t know Flutterbat was there, so the pureblood waited, curious to hear what the small and shy Pegasus had to say. “I-it’s so blank here! No birds, breezes; not even anypony to cheer me up! I’m stuck here, in this prison with no way out. There are no exits, windows, sky.”

You’re the one that created this prison for me! Ever since the first drop, you wanted to hold me back! It wasn’t until the grump himself unshackled me did I really get a good taste of your power. The whole time, the whole time you were still lying just underneath, making sure I didn’t kill. I maimed, but I wanted to kill- needed to kill!

“Why did I make this place so lonely, so isolated?” Fluttershy started sobbing again. “I-I just w-wanted to keep m-my friends safe! I didn’t want you to feel lonely!”

Flutterbat was shocked, realizing that she had no intention to isolate her. “You really care, don’t you?” Fluttershy yelped, wiping her tears away, getting ready for some sort of battle or lashing out they would have. The bat-pony motioned her to stop. She was the one with tears this time. “You never wanted me to feel alone. I’m nothing but a monster to ponies, and you cared enough to help me” Fluttershy wiped away her counterpart’s tears gently streaming down her ragged coat.

“You are a friend, no matter what. We are one and the same, you and I. You might not see it yet, but there is compassion in you.” Flutterbat was going to speak, come up with any sorrowful reason as to why that wasn’t true, but was interrupted by the cream coated Pegasus. “You could have ended Luna. When I was watching you battle in this cage, I saw you break her wing. You could have killed her on the spot, but you crippled her.”

“I-I thought that was you…”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I was not in control. I was nothing but an observer to what you were doing.”

“But, what about Discord? I couldn’t put my fangs to him, even if I tried!”

“Deep down inside yourself, you knew that Discord was our closest friend, and would never harm. You wanted to return the kindness, even if you didn’t know that’s what you were doing. We may be separate ponies at times, but our morals, our beliefs- they are one and the same.”

“We share a connection.” Fluttershy smiled at her counterpart's epiphany. “It doesn’t matter if we change-”

“-Change is a good thing. It defines who we are, and it helps us grow.” They both smiled this time, glad that their resolve was met. After they hugged, they looked around at the new landscape set before them. It seemed that the whole time they have been talking, unbeknownst to them, the white, dull, blank space that was simply known as the cage now had a blue sky, and grass fields and trees. It was serene, blissful even. It seemed that Fluttershy’s mind has finally come to terms with her newfound power.

*SNAP*

Flutterbat shook her head. No not Flutterbat, Fluttershy! “What happened?” she asked, still recovering from taking over again. You just woke up, Fluttershy. It seemed that even though they resolved their differences, her vampiric instincts she named Flutterbat was still there to talk, and offer advice and wisdom. After all, no one can survive without at least a little help from instinct.

“Fluttershy! Oh, I am so glad that you’re back in control!” Discord exclaimed, hugging the bat-pony. She returned the embrace.

“I-I’m sorry that I let my instinct take control. This time, it won’t happen again!”

“Oh really?” he asked curiously. His tone, however, gave away that he knew putting the two beings- Fluttershy and Flutterbat- in the cage, they would face resolve. “Well never mind that, my dear! What matters is that you’re here.”

Releasing Discord from the hug, she took a look at her Pureblood form. Only once had she become this form, and it was the first drink of blood; she had so much adrenaline pumping and it seemed sheer excitement occupied her at the time. She started inspecting her new body closely, starting with her very bat-like wings. Her wings no longer had feathers, and were instead what seemed like one limb, instead of consisting of two parts- the wing and feathers. Lightly coated in her trademark cream colored fur, it flapped in the wind with force, almost against the air itself. In the past, her feathered wings merely let her synchronize with the currents almost effortlessly. If she wasn’t used to it, the mare would need a paper bag to breathe in. Her mane and tail were mangled and messy, taking on more of a wild side. However, it completed her look, making her look menacing at first sight, and ready to bite. Instead of her smooth coat, the hair was all spiky and slick, reflecting against the pale moonlight.

Though she was getting used to this form, it didn’t mean she wanted to look this way on a day-to-day basis. Nervousness settling in, she asked the draconequis “I know I’m back in control and all, but how do I, um, change back to my old self again?”

He just shrugged. Obviously that wasn’t enough, because Fluttershy was giving him a stern look on her face. He scoffed. “How should I know how you change?! Just because I created vampires doesn’t mean I know how they do it!”

She sighed, accepting defeat. Looks like I’m stuck this way.

Just then, she remembered something: She could just talk to Flutterbat! What if you can help me, Flutterbat? How do you normally change? She asked her subconscious, hopeful that it had a solution. It pondered for a moment, before answering. Well, how I normally change into a bat-pony is kind of simple: I get really angry, like if someone hurt your pet Rabbit. Maybe the opposite effect will change you back…

She gave it a try, and started to think pleasant thoughts, like washing her animals on a good day, or going to a picnic with her friends. It seemed to work, as her coat turned back to normal. The mane and tail followed closely behind then her ears and finally, her wings. Her eyes remained blood red however, and her fangs were still jutting out because she already knew how to turn those back to normal. That and another reason: She thought it added to her cuteness.

You did it again, Luna… You’ve pushed yourself too far! Celestia telepathically sent to her sister. Their connections as siblings were strong ones, allowing one of them to contact the other via their minds. It was similar to the effects that twins show: One feels the other’s pain, as well as knowing if the other one was upset or not. However, Celestia’s and Luna’s connection was just at the telepathic level. It was far stronger back in the day, before Nightmare Moon, but the connection was severed by the elements when she was banished to the moon for 1000 years. No connection whatsoever; it affected both parties and caused loneliness to ensue. Celestia grew more and more lonesome inside castle walls, but among subjects she disguised her loneliness by trying her hardest to keep the trust the people had wholeheartedly given her.
Still unconscious, Luna was carried to the Royal Hospital by Discord, an unlikely aid if he were not reformed. Tia, I needed to protect our subjects! I needed to-

Turn yourself into a martyr? Those days are over, Luna! After Nightmare Moon, after you were freed from her grasp, you proved to everypony that you had strength!

Silent went Princess Luna’s mind for a moment. It wasn’t about proving my strength. It was about protecting those who truly didn’t fear my night, and risked their lives to save me! Fluttershy was losing a battle in her own mind; I had to-needed to help her! ‘Tis true that she was the most fearful out of all of the six ponies on Nightmare Night, but she continued to show me kindness. She offered voice and speech lessons to me! She helped when others cowered in fear...

They finally arrived in the emergency wing, where Discord set her down on a sickbed, and caught the attention of one of the nurses to give Luna first aid. Instead of snickering, and almost bursting out in laughter like his chaotic self would do, his eyes only showed of concern and fear. Fear that he would lose one of his friends. It wasn’t until the Doctor came in and started nursing wounds that her eyes opened. Luckily, her fangs weren’t showing and her eyes were midnight blue. I wanted to repay the favor...

Celestia teleported to her younger sister’s side, holding her blue hoof with tearful eyes locked onto the monitor. “Oh sister, I hope you get better soon!”

Luna smiled weakly. “I wouldn’t be much of a Princess if I didn’t stay strong for my subjects.” Fluttershy was the next to arrive, bursting through the doors and stopping at the foot of the bed, teary-eyed and bloodshot. “Oh, L-luna I’m so s-sorry!” Though her apology was sincere,
Luna knew that the guards mustn’t know of what really took place.

“I have no idea what you are talking about, Fluttershy! You were in the Royal Gardens with Princess Celestia when there was an explosion from a spell that I caused which accidentally unleashed a demon into the world.” Fluttershy was confused, until the alicorn gave her a wink.

Celestia sighed, going along with the bluff. “Sister, how many times have I told you that you cannot shackle a demon?! You were lucky I shielded myself and Fluttershy from the blast, and then went to the Royal Guard to contain it within city limits, though i was too worried to go into detail.”

All eyes turned to Discord at that point, hoping he would join in on the fib so he could explain himself. “Why are you all staring at me like that?” he asked. Some of the guards listening in were waiting for him to answer why he was there, so Fluttershy nudged him hard into his chest. “OW! Ok, I’ll talk!” He took a moment to catch his breath that was knocked from the elbow he got into his rib-cage. “I felt the chaos magic from the demon all the way in Ponyville, and what do I find waiting for me when I check out what was causing it? A demon smacking Moon-butt so hard that she nearly went back into the moon!” Everypony glared at him for his last and rather sensitive remark. “Lucky for you that banishing a demon is child’s play for me! Of all the chaotic things to summon, you go for plain and boring demon. No wonder your humor is so dry…” It looks like he got the last laugh, as Luna scrunched her muzzle and began to blush trying to think of a rebuttal. Even Celestia tried to retain a laugh that was building up.

A few days later, Canterlot was fixed. Fluttershy stayed in Luna’s chambers to hone and practice her newfound powers in a safe way, and a courier was rushing into the royal halls of Canterlot Palace for the second time that week…

“Your highness, Princess Twilight has arrived! Shall we inform her of the situations that transcribed a few days prior?” The sun Princess went twitchy-eyed, and closed Day Court yet again with much speed rushing to Luna’s chambers.

Author's Note

This took a long time to finish, but it's finally done! Hopefully, i'm catching your eyes with these chapters, and not just throwing words at a wall to see if they stick.

Regardless, a few chapters from now, there will be another thing happening, and if you like spoilers, then it's below

Celestia, werewolves, and sister battle duel thing!