Author's Note

Warning!

After this chapter, things will be getting a little more mature. Well, a lot more mature, but it will start out light. I have the mature tag for a reason lol.

Chapter 7

The room was dark, barely lit by red candles lining the wall, the flames dim and weak. The shadows they cast were long and dark, and they reached the single red velvet chair in the room. It was facing the wall, a mirror before it, but there was no reflection. But a single mare sat in the chair, leaning heavily on the right arm, her fetlock propped under her chin, her eyes narrowed. Her wings were draped on either side of her, loose, but not relaxed. Red eyes glinted with anger and animosity at the mirror, and her voice was cold. "Look at you..." she said in a quiet voice.

"Look at you? I cannot see you...why? Why is it that I cannot see you, but everypony else can..?" she murmured, and she leaned back, her left hoof tapping the arm of the chair. The orange mare tilted her head back, her lip curling in a snarl. "Even with the power of this necklace, it still doesn't hide everything...still doesn't hide the truth..even from me..." she growled again, "What good is a liar, if she cannot fool herself?" she snarled out, and her hoof took the necklace off.

The mare groaned and leaned her head back into the chair as her throat began to burn, her hoof moving to stroke it softly. Hoping it would soothe the overbearing sensation. She drew her tongue slowly over her teeth, sighing in satisfaction as she felt her fangs in their rightful places. She was hot, restless, and she was agitated. What had happened tonight had spurred something in her that she hadn't been expecting. It was feral...primitive, but dangerous. By denying herself what she needed, the mare now wanted more...so much more.. She needed Starlight's blood... She could still smell it. Smell the sweet liquid that oozed so slowly from the wound...She even remembered how Night Glider's blood had stained the pink chest of Starlight Glimmer...

She licked her lips, reminiscing of the tangy sweet taste of the unicorn's blood. She had gotten a small bit on her muzzle, and afterwords, she couldn't resist licking it off. But now it was burned into her mind. She had the scent...she had the taste...she had her prey..but how was she to go about this? Drive her mad? That would be fun. But it would take far too long for her patience...which was already worn thin at this point. What about an accident? Tonight would have been perfect, if she had not had so many ponies around her...And she couldn't make off with a body without raising an alarm..

Rubbing her temple, the mare closed her eyes, and she sighed. "I need better control...I thought one feeding would be enough to quell the worst of it...but it seems I need more...so much more to be sated..." she growled, and she held up the necklace. She gazed at the black pearl in silence, her face one of deep thought, but slowly, a wicked grin formed on her lips, "What I need...is my own clan...my own..coven...but it would be risky..raising fledglings in such a small town...I would need to expand my reaches..." she hummed, smirking, leaning back. "What I need...is an ally..." she stood up, walking out of the room, a single wave of her wing putting out the dimly lit candles, shrouding the room in darkness.

She made her way to her desk in the living room, snatching a quill, an inkwell, and a scroll. She paused, thinking hard about what she would write, and she smiled. Holding the feathered end of the quill in her teeth, she dipped the writing end in the ink, letting it drip some, before she began to write.

When she finished, she rolled it up, and she walked back into the room, and up to the mirror. She gazed into it, seeing nothing still, but she picked up a small pile of ashes, and she held them in her hoof. She spoke silently, "Oh mirror open thy gates so that I may send this message to the one who may receive it.." she said, and she blew the ashes into the face of the mirror. Staring into it, the mare would raised the letter, and she pushed it through the mirror. She felt some resistance...and it was deathly cold...but she soon released the scroll, and she retracted her hoof, watching as the mirror rippled and settled, becoming a hardened surface once again.

"It should arrive in a fortnight.." she said, smirking, and without another word, the orange mare snatched up her necklace, and retreated once more from the room. She needed to relax now..

Double Diamond paced his room, his head low, and his mind running around in circles. Two ponies he cared for were hurt in some way. Another was in intensive treatment getting what she could of blood transfusions. He let out a sigh. Their town wasn't big enough...they had no real medical experts, and there was no real hospital. Just a small house at the end of town that was refurbished to be a medical ward, but even then, they still didn't have all of the medicine they desperately needed.

And now that he thought of it, he looked back on Starlight's recent behavior. The mare had ruined a special occasion, made outrageous accusations against Red, and now, she was severely wounded, because she slipped up with a knife. Double Diamond paused, his eyes widening, and a suspicious look formed on his face.

"Starlight...Starlight wouldn't have used her own hoof to cut a cake back when she was in charge...so she was always precise...and even then...she would have been careful not to cut herself..." he said, and his eyes narrowed. He began to pace again, more feverish now, his mind reeling.

Starlight had to have been truly clumsy to nick a minor artery in her fetlock, or she had done it intentionally...and probably hadn't expected such a cut to be so dangerous. But for what? What reason could Starlight have to do such a thing? Double Diamond stared out of the window in his room, looking down at the empty street below. The party had been canceled since Red had left, and everypony else was either in shock, or in sour moods. Which had been a real bummer to Party Favor, who had worked so hard to set it up. Sugar Belle had been upset as well...being the town's main baker and chef, she had slaved for hours trying to make the food for the party.

And it was ruined...all because of Starlight...all because of her obsession with Red and vampires! Double Diamond ground his teeth, and she looked up at the moon. Starlight had to go...again..she was too much of a disturbance...too unpredictable and so far, unreliable as a pony they could trust. She was the one pony who made the others feel uncomfortable. The one pony who didn't belong in their town.

And Red...Red had shown selflessness despite what Starlight had said and done, despite her animosity, Red...the stranger, the new mare in town, the mare that stood out the most, had did everything she could to save a mare who had accused her of awful things and of being something she clearly was not. A monster. Even cutie markless, Double Diamond didn't think Red was a bad pony..strange yes. Different most definitely. But she was a kind soul, a friendly mare who he was beginning to like. She was humorous, generous, selfless, and honest. Something he himself, saw in very few mares these days. The stallion sighed, backing away from the window, and he walked over to his desk, grabbing his quill, his inkwell, and his scroll. He made a short letter, pertaining to Princess Twilight, and he paused. He thought for a moment, and he walked back over to his window. Double Diamond opened it, and he let out a whistle. A dark head popped over the edge of a nearby cloud, and bright cerulean eyes blinked.

Double Diamond waved quickly, and the pegasus leaped from the cloud, swooping down and hovering in front of his window. "What do you need, Double Diamond?" Night Glider asked, a small bandage on the side of her head where her head was cut.

"I need you to deliver a message to Princess Twilight." He said quietly, giving Night Glider the scroll, "Think you can handle the trip?" he asked, concern clouding his eyes.

"Yeah, I can handle it. Partypoo won't be too thrilled I am going though." she said, taking the scroll and holding it. She looked at it for a moment, before looking at Double Diamond, who was eyeing her strangely. "What?"

"Party...poo?" he asked, a brow arching as he let his full disbelief show. He quickly shook his head, "Nevermind." he said, "Just don't exert yourself Night. It's not a race, and you don't have to rush. I will tell Party where you went.."

"I will be fine Double Diamond." She said, and she sighed, "It's about Starlight, isn't it?" she asked, and Double Diamond nodded, his own face one of pain. "It's gonna happen all over again...she is going to ruin ponies' lives just so she can feel better..."

"No..I am asking Princess Twilight to come get her. Starlight needs help...not just medically...she needs help up here.." he said, tapping his temple. "Starlight is sick...and we can't help her out here...After Princess Twilight comes, I am going to be sending some ponies out for recruitments. We need doctors. We need teachers. If we are going to function properly, we need to expand. There is land all around us we can start building on...I think I will have Party Favor focus on that for a while..he is such a great planner..."

"That sounds like a great idea Double Diamond...maybe we can even start our own economy? You are obviously the one in charge...why not become mayor? I mean, from what I heard, Ponyville lived with a mayor for years until Twilight became a princess." She said, chuckling. "I could start a guard or police force, and Party could be the construction manager or something...we could expand on our roles...ya know? Sugar Belle could even try managing the income and set up trades. She has experience ya know?"

Double Diamond blinked, and a grin formed on his face. "That is definitely stuff to keep in mind, but we have to deal with Starlight first." He chuckled. "I do think it is time for some change around here...change for the better.."

Night Glider smiled, and she put her hoof on his shoulder, smiling warmly. "And with you to guide us, we will be able to do anything..." she said, and she moved her hoof away, "I will be back in a week. Maybe two, depending on how many stops I make." and she turned, flapping her wings and flying away into the night.

"Fly safe Night Glider!" he called out, smiling as he watched his friend's lithe form fade into the distance. Sighing, Double Diamond returned to his desk, sitting at it, and he began to write, jotting down the ideas that Night Glider had just discussed. If change was necessary, it had to start somewhere, so it was best to be prepared for it..