Magic in Crimson

by rhiiazami

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Romance
Length: 16558

Twilight Sparkle develops feelings for a local weather mare, and must cope with a craving for blood.

Twilight Sparkle finds herself spending time with a local pegasus from the weather team, and may be developing feelings for her.

But when they stumble across a relic of nightmares past, Twilight must learn to cope with distressing new urges, and keep her friends and the rest of Equestria in the dark...

Published 2012-06-18 21:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-07 05:32:05 UTC

première

The guard yanked hard on Twilight’s engraved silver chains as he pulled her through the door and into the room where her fate awaited her. Twilight noticed Princess Luna and Princess Celestia instantly. The unmistakable duo was standing behind a table opposite the door. Twilight was mortified, and kept her head low and her eyes averted to avoid meeting her beloved mentor’s eyes.

Across the room there was a faint but audible gasp as Princess Celestia recognized her faithful student, and the merest flicker of Luna’s steely expression betrayed her own shock as she too recognized Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle! Thou art the fiend?” Luna asked of the familiar unicorn shackled in the middle of the room before her.

Twilight raised her eyes to Luna’s for an instant before lowering her head in shame, and nodded. In her peripheral vision Twilight could see Celestia leaning over to whisper in Luna’s ear, but she couldn’t tell what was being said. The conversation didn’t last long, and soon both of the royal sisters were sitting with grim expressions and iron resolve.

“Twilight Sparkle, you have been found guilty of numerous counts of assault, illegal use of mind control, and most deplorably, murder.” Twilight suppressed a sob as Luna summarized her crimes. “Considering the nature of your transgressions, and the circumstances surrounding them, we have no choice but to sentence thee to death.”

As Luna’s last words rang through Twilight’s mind she only barely stopped herself from collapsing to the floor. She hung her head in defeat. She had been carrying the shame of all those nights constantly, and the burden had finally overtaken her. If her beloved teacher condemned her for what she had done, she would accept it.

Luna watched Twilight closely after she delivered the sentence, and seeing Twilight resigned to her fate, reached a conclusion. With almost no hesitation she turned to one of the guards and gave an order. “Bring in Cloudkicker.” Again Luna watched Twilight closely, though now her decision was unwavering.

Twilight’s blood ran cold at the mention of that name. She rallied and faced Luna as she spoke, “No, please don’t bring her into this! She hasn’t hurt anypony!”

The expression on Luna’s face betrayed no hint of sympathy. When the guard returned with the wisteria-coated mare, he shoved her to the middle of the room to stand beside Twilight.

Cloudkicker leaned close to Twilight and they shared a quick kiss. “Are you alright? What’s happening?” she whispered.

Before Twilight could whisper a distressed answer, Luna’s voice cut through the room again. “Cloudkicker,” Luna began, “you have been found guilty of assisting a creature inimical to ponykind in the assault and subjugation of numerous ponies in Ponyville, and that most despicable crime of murder. Have you anything to say in your defense?”

Cloudkicker looked Twilight in the eye before turning back to Luna. “No, I regret nothing I did.”

“Very well, you shall share the fiend’s fate. We hereby sentence thee to death.”

Twilight’s eyes glinted with fury as she faced the royal diarchs. “How can you do that!? She didn’t hurt anypony, she’s innocent! Let her go, I’ll do anything you want! Just let her go!” The engraved wards in her silver shackles crackled almost imperceptibly as they strained against the force of her glamour.

Luna’s grim expression didn’t so much as flicker as she called to the guards, “Our decision is final. Guards! Take them away.”

Celestia glared at Twilight coldly as the guards began to advance on her condemned student.

Twilight blinked tears out of her eyes as she shouted at Celestia. “How could you? I looked up to you!”

Celestia turned away from Twilight as the guards began fastening shackles to Cloudkicker’s hooves. Twilight cast one last hurt look at Luna, lowered her head, and lit her horn with magic.

Magic in Crimson
By rhiiazami

The pile of books Twilight had set aside to read later on reshelving day had finally dwindled to just a few. She eagerly looked through them, trying to decide which to spend her evening with. One or two of them had already been read and needed to be returned to the shelves. She could deal with those later. “Ah, this one should be interesting. Advanced Aquamancy: A Unicorn’s Guide to Water Manipulation." It only took a brief look to tell that the book was well past its prime. “Hey Spike, do you know when we got this one? It looks old, but I’m sure it wasn’t here last reshelving day,” Twilight asked.

The baby dragon sat in his basket across the room reading a book on archaic calligraphy scripts, wearing a monocle and holding a bubble pipe. He looked up from his book and paused briefly before answering in his best Canterlot accent. “I think it came in with a set of historical books from the Canterlot archives a couple months ago.” He went back to reading about the finer points of cutting a proper calligraphy point on a quill.

“Hmm, I’ve never seen a book devoted specifically to aquamancy before, most magic professors and scholarly texts only briefly mention it.” Twilight flipped the book open to the Introduction and began reading.

Though it has been an established branch of study for hundreds of years, aquamancy is still relatively poorly developed due to the rarity of unicorns able to master it. Arguably the only unicorn confirmed to have mastered known water manipulation techniques was Aqueous Seaspray, though a number of individuals have been able to become proficient in certain aspects of the discipline. Aquamancy has been used by explorers to survive in the expanses of desert beyond the Mild West, as well as to supplement pegasus magic during times of extreme drought or in certain ancient settlements.

Twilight paused to consider the possibilities a mastery of water manipulation could bring, and found herself thoroughly intrigued. “Spike, think you’re up for an outing tomorrow? I think I might want to give some of these spells a try,” she asked.

“I dunno, Twi. Water manipulation? Sounds kinda boring to me,” Spike answered.

Twilight let out an exasperated sigh, but smiled at her assistant. “Oh come on, it’ll be nice to get out for a while, and we both need a break. It’s been, what, three days of nonstop studying now? And the last time we went anywhere was for Pinkie’s end of summer party last week,” Twilight remonstrated.

“Alright, alright, I’ll go,” Spike grumbled.

Twilight continued reading, eager to study the basics of any spells the book might describe so that she could practice them the next day.

Twilight was awoken by the bright rays of the early morning sun shining through her window. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her pillow to shut out the offending light. Some time later, after much careful deliberation and dedicated procrastination, Twilight managed to motivate herself to slide out of bed. Spike was still sound asleep in his basket, mumbling something about burning hayfries in his slumber.

She walked to the bathroom and washed up, taming the wild bed mane that assaulted her vision when she looked in the mirror, and headed downstairs to fix a simple breakfast and put together something for their lunch later. The pantry was distinctly lacking in fruit of any kind, Twilight would have to visit the market soon to correct this travesty of dietary variety. She settled on making some oatmeal and strong tea, and prepared a salad for lunch later.

Spike blearily stumbled down the stairs conveniently at the same time the oatmeal was ready, hunger guiding his steps as he struggled to escape the grasp of somnolence.

“Good morning Spike.” Twilight smiled at him when she noticed him climbing onto his favored chair at the table.

“Morning Twi,” Spike yawned.

Twilight levitated a mug of freshly brewed tea over to Spike and set two bowls before proceeding to serve Spike a portion of the hot oatmeal. Spike sniffed the oatmeal and made no effort to hide his disappointment. “Plain oatmeal?” He raised his eyebrow at Twilight incredulously.

Twilight chuckled at him, “We’re out of fruit. We finished the last of the apples yesterday morning, you’ll have to make do until we get some more from the market later.”

Spike made a face but proceeded to hungrily devour his oatmeal nonetheless. Twilight retrieved her book from the other room and sat reading it as she ate her oatmeal.

A basic understanding of aquamancy allows for the collection and transportation of water even in environments where water would ordinarily be impossible to locate or extract. More advanced understanding of aquamancy can be used to create basic weather phenomenon, generally by the creation and maneuvering of water vapour. In modern times aquamancy has fallen into relative disuse as ponykind has flourished, and there are generally enough pegasi to meet the weather needs of pony settlements.

She reviewed the few spells the book outlined again before levitating the dishes into the sink and magically washing them. She walked out into the main room of the library to prepare her saddlebags before calling to Spike, who had found his way back upstairs. “Spike, are you almost ready to go? We should get an early start on our outing if we’re going to have time to visit the market this afternoon.”

Spike loudly grumbled something in response before making his way back downstairs carrying a collection of writing materials for Twilight. “Thank you Spike. Let’s see, lunch, paper, quills, ink, Advanced Aquamancy, and some bits for the market later. I think that’s everything.”

The two of them left the library and made their way toward the edge of town. Twilight had decided the best place to practice water magic would be a pond just past the outskirts of town. The pond in question was fed by a meandering stream that flowed from somewhere in the Everfree Forest. Twilight set her saddlebags down next to a small bush near the edge of the pond and found an open grassy hill nearby with a good view of the surrounding area.

“Okay, first I’ll need to collect some water. The pond would be too easy, we can use that for other spells later. Unfortunately the morning dew has already evaporated, so I’ll have to get it from the air or the ground,” Twilight explained to Spike, who was sitting beside her nodding his head absentmindedly as he watched some weather pegasi in the distance clearing the sky.

“Whatever you say, Twi,” Spike said.

Twilight settled her mind and focused on her magic. Her horn began to glow, and before long she had a rapidly growing sphere of water hovering before her as she pulled moisture out of the air, supplementing it with moisture from the soil of the shore of the pond. Spike whistled softly, increasingly impressed as Twilight expanded the area she was drawing moisture from, and her orb of water grew steadily.

When she finished, the sphere was easily several feet in diameter, crystal clear and so smooth in her telekinetic grip that it behaved rather like a lens as one looked through it. “Hmm, I bet we could put that refracting effect to good use…” Twilight began experimenting with the shape of her accumulation of water until she had an oblong shape. Beneath the hovering water the soil began smoking as the light refracting through the water superheated it.

“Whoa, that’s neat, but couldn’t you just heat things with magic? What would you need a lens of water for?” Spike asked.

Twilight smiled through her concentration and began listing all the ways one could put focused sunlight to use, and how one might make a more efficient water lens, but after a moment she trailed off and grew a rather devious grin.

“Spike, when was your last bath?” she asked, her tone carefully controlled to avoid raising his suspicion.

“Oh, it was probably last Friday, why- oh no.” Spike’s eyes widened as he realized where Twilight was going with this line of thought. Before he could protest further, Twilight had him in her magical grip and was rapidly heating the once-again spherical accumulation of water still in her grasp. When it began to steam Spike found himself plunged into the floating sphere up to his neck, and the water began to swirl around him. “No fair, Twilight.” Spike crossed his arms and glared at her.

Twilight giggled. “It’s not too hot is it? I tried to guess at a comfortable temperature.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “I’m a dragon, Twi. Even if you boiled it I’d be fine.”

Twilight smiled at him. “I suppose I forget how heat resistant you are, sometimes.”

Twilight set Spike back down next to her, and cast a quick spell to pull any lingering water off his scales, leaving him quite dry. “All right, next we turn it back to vapour, and then comes condensation.” She raised the water above their heads and began spinning it into a large circular disk.

Spike watched as the disk of water expanded to well over forty feet in diameter as it hovered above their heads, spinning gently as Twilight continued to enlarge it.

“What are you doing, Twi?” Spike asked, perplexed.

Twilight kept her eyes fixed on the water as she replied. “I’m maximizing the surface area of the water so I can vaporize it all at once without causing a big explosion of steam. Then I’ll cool and condense the vapour, and with any luck at all we’ll have a viable cloud.”

Spike nodded in understanding and sat down.

When Twilight decided the disk was large enough, she shifted her focus to heating the water in her grasp. In just a few seconds it was completely evaporated. Twilight focused on keeping her control of the sizable cloud of vapor as she began to force the water to condense. When she was done she had a fair sized cloud, hovering in the air about a hundred feet above them.

“Wow, nice job, Twi,” Spike said, gazing up at the newly formed cloud.

Twilight beamed at him before turning to examine her work and shaping the cloud into what she imagined to be a more natural shape. “Hmm, I wonder if I can make it rain…” She chewed her lip as she began condensing the cloud even further, urging it to form ever larger droplets. To her glee, the cloud soon began to let forth a gentle drizzle over the edge of the pond in front of them.

Twilight broke out in a huge grin at her success. She had surprised herself with how easily she was getting the hang of aquamancy. Her moment of triumph was interrupted, however, when a weather pegasus suddenly broke through from behind the cloud, leaving a sizable hole in it. The pegasus seemed slightly puzzled as she came around for another pass at the cloud.

“Hey!” Twilight called out to the pegasus, trying to get her attention. The weather mare didn’t seem to notice, as she knocked another sizable hole in the cloud. It stopped raining as the cloud began to unravel from the pegasus’ efforts. “HEY!” Twilight shouted, determined to get the mare’s attention.

This time she succeeded, and the pegasus flew down to hover just above Twilight, smiling brightly. “Hello! Is there something you need?” she asked.

Twilight sighed. “Yes, actually, I was hoping to stop you before you finished destroying that cloud, but I couldn’t catch your attention before it was too late,” Twilight said, as she watched what was left of her cloud disintegrate over the lake.

The Wisteria coloured pegasus frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry; I’m supposed to be clearing the sky. Forecast calls for a bright sunny day today and for a few more days to come. I thought I had cleared this area earlier, but I guess I missed one,” she said.

“No, the sky was clear, I made that cloud, I’m practicing some water manipulation spells,” Twilight replied.

At this the weather mare landed in front of Twilight, a shocked look on her face. “You made that cloud? Wow! I’ve never known a unicorn who could do that,” she exclaimed.

Twilight averted her gaze, unsure how to react to the mare’s sudden excitement. “I’m studying water manipulation magic, which involves some basic weather effects, including clouds.”

“Neat! Can you make another? I’d like to watch, if that’s okay,” the pegasus asked enthusiastically.

Twilight nodded. “Okay, I could use the extra practice,” she paused. “I’m sorry I don’t think I got your name, miss…” she trailed off, waiting expectantly.

The gold and lemon maned mare gasped softly. “Oh I’m sorry I completely forgot to introduce myself, I’m Cloudkicker,” she said.

Twilight smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you Cloudkicker, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight turned to face the pond where her cloud had been just a few moments previous and began to focus on her magic again.

This time she drew the water for her spellwork directly from the pond, pulling a sizable sphere of crystal liquid from the surface. She levitated it high above their heads and began spinning it out into a large circular membrane. When it reached an acceptable size and thickness she promptly vaporized it and collected the newly freed water vapor, cooling it and forcing it to condense into a cloud, this one slightly larger than her previous one.

Cloudkicker gasped. “Wow! That’s impressive, mind if I take a closer look at it?” she asked.

Twilight nodded. “Feel free; tell me what you think of it, I’m interested to hear whatever you have to say about it.”

Cloudkicker nodded and flew up to the cloud now floating free of Twilight’s magic. She flew around it, examining it visually, and experimentally poking it with a hoof once or twice before finally landing on top of it. After walking around its poofy surface for a moment she jumped on it, causing the cloud to darken. A few more jumps and the cloud began to drizzle gently. A calculated jab and the cloud let forth a small but intense bolt of lightning which, when observed closely, had a slight violet aura about it, and a peal of thunder. Satisfied that she had played with the cloud enough, Cloudkicker flew down to land beside Twilight and Spike once more.

“It seems mostly normal to me. The only significant difference is that it needed to be coaxed a bit to rain and thunder. It’s weird though, it feels funny, I’m not quite sure how to describe the sensation, also it seems a bit… antsy, like it doesn’t quite want to do what I tell it to do, it has a bit of an unruly temperament,” Cloudkicker said, folding her wings and gazing at the cloud as it exhausted its capacity for precipitation.

Twilight nodded. “That sounds similar to what my book said, clouds made by unicorns tend to be a bit chaotic and can be difficult to predict if they get too large, and apparently they feel a bit fuzzy or frenetic compared to normal clouds produced by pegasi, which feel more smooth and balanced. Does that sound about right?”

“That sounds pretty close to what I felt.” Cloudkicker nodded at Twilight and paused briefly before speaking again. “What else can you do?”

Twilight lowered her ears as she replied, “Well, that’s all I’ve tried so far, but if you give me a moment, maybe…” she trailed off as she once again focused on her magic.

Cloudkicker gasped softly in surprise as the cloud began to ascend rapidly, collecting more moisture from the air and growing in size until it roughly matched the diameter of the pond it was now centered over. While no obvious magical field was visible around the untold multitude of water droplets held under Twilight’s influence, scattered scintillating sparks of light betrayed the fact that unicorn magic was at work.

The cloud had stopped raining but was now growing dark and heavily laden with moisture again. The sparks of light spread from the cloud to the pond below, and Cloudkicker guessed that Twilight was likely doing something with the column of air beneath the cloud.

A few more moments passed as Twilight’s spell worked, and Cloudkicker began to see some telltale signs of what Twilight was trying to accomplish. She bit her lip nervously and turned to Twilight, who was intensely focused on her spell. “Miss Sparkle, are you sure that’s safe?” she asked.

Twilight kept focused on her spell, not even glancing at the mare beside her as she replied, “It’ll be fine. I’ve got it all under control.” She smiled.

Spike perked up upon hearing the concern in Cloudkicker’s voice. “Why? What’s going to happen?” he asked.

As if in answer to Spike’s question, something splashed into the pond beneath the cloud, quickly followed by several more as the cloud finally began to unleash its magically induced fury upon the helpless pond below.

“Oh…” Spike watched in awe as the surface of the water was pelted with thousands of hailstones, something he had rarely ever seen before, as the weather pegasi avoided creating hail whenever possible.

Twilight smiled in triumph as she watched the fruits of her labor unfold before her. Cloudkicker turned to Twilight and spoke again, “Well I’m impressed, your cloud is a bit wild, but other than that it’s pretty good.”

Twilight grinned. “Oh it’s not that great. It’s just an experiment in cold weather aquamancy. I know the concepts, I just needed to practice applying them.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, hail is no small feat even for a pegasus, most need some special weather training to manage it. I’ve never heard of a unicorn managing more than a small thundercloud before,” Cloudkicker replied with a grin.

Twilight smiled modestly and levitated her saddlebag over from its position under the bush. “Would you like to share our lunch? I brought enough extra for a third pony,” Twilight asked, removing the salad from the bag and setting out appropriate dishes.

Cloudkicker glanced at the sky and nodded. “Sure, I have a little time to spare.”

In short order the trio were eating happily. Spike wasted no time on such frivolities as table manners, tucking into his salad with great enthusiasm.

Twilight eyed her cloud, reviewing her new spells and results. After a moment she let her gaze wander, taking in the sights of the day. As her eyes found their way to a point in the sky somewhat outside ponyville in the distance, she forgot to maintain her levitation and dropped a bite of salad midway to her mouth in shock. “What is that!?”

Cloudkicker followed Twilight’s gaze and, seeing what she was looking at, chuckled. “Oh that, that would be Ditzy Doo’s work. Some days I just don’t know what to make of her.”

Twilight shook her head in disbelief and turned to Cloudkicker. “She made a perfect great icosidodecahedron out of cloud!?”

Cloudkicker looked puzzled briefly. “Is that what that is? Huh,” she shrugged. “She makes things like that occasionally. She seems to have fun with it, and it doesn’t usually affect the weather, so the weather team just ignores it.”

Twilight turned to stare at the anomalous cloud again. The edges of the shape were shockingly well defined given what it was constructed out of. “I think I may have to talk to her about that someday,” she said as she resumed eating.

Their lunch continued and they chatted amiably about whatever came to mind. Spike finished his first and began nodding off as he lay in the sunlight while Twilight and Cloudkicker finished their food.

“Unfortunately I’m still on duty so I have to finish up clearing the sky and report to the team leader, forecast calls for clear skies this evening. I’d love to see what else you can do with your magic though, will you still be here this afternoon?” Cloudkicker asked.

“I might be back later, but I have to run to the market soon, and then take my groceries back to the library, I might not get back out here until late in the afternoon. I can wait for you at the library if you want, though I can’t promise anything too spectacular later. I’ll probably just be refining my technique on what I’ve already done today,” Twilight responded.

Cloudkicker idly scuffed the ground with one of her front hooves. “Okay, I’ll stop by after I get done with the weather patrol, see you then!”

Twilight watched as Cloudkicker took flight and headed off to finish clearing the few remaining clouds in the area. When Cloudkicker had shrunk to a distant speck in the sky, she turned her attention back to her own cloud and dispersed it into the surrounding atmosphere. Better not leave extra work for the weather patrol, she thought. With that, she and Spike made their way back into town to procure some food for their dwindling pantry.

Twilight finished putting away the last of the groceries from the market and walked back out into the main room of the library. I should have enough time to do a little reading before Cloudkicker shows up.

She walked over and lay on a sofa and levitated her book over, laying it in front of her. Perhaps she could glean a few more details that she could apply to her practice that afternoon. She opened the book to the last page where she had left off and continued reading.

She had been reading for about an hour when she heard a knock at the door. Spike had gone upstairs for a nap so she got the door herself. She was pleased to see her new acquaintance standing outside.

“Hi Cloudkicker! Come on in, I’ll be ready to go in just a minute.” She stepped aside to let Cloudkicker in and closed the door after her.

Cloudkicker’s eyes followed Twilight as she walked across the room, levitating a book and placing it on a shelf near her reading podium. “So you’re the librarian?” she asked, noting the absence of anypony else and the fact that Twilight seemed quite at home in the library.

Twilight chuckled nervously, unsure what the lavender pegasus might think of librarians. “Yeah, I live here and run the library. It’s a good place for my magic studies.”

Twilight glanced around the room to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. Satisfied that everything was in order, she led Cloudkicker out the door and into the afternoon sunlight.

“So, how long have you been studying water magic?” Cloudkicker asked as they walked.

“I only started researching it specifically yesterday, though I have read a little about it before; mostly only vague references and allusions though,” Twilight responded.

“Wow, you seem to have a pretty good grasp of it for only having started studying it yesterday,” Cloudkicker said, eyebrows raised.

Twilight chuckled modestly. “I’m a fast learner. I can learn and copy most spells I see somepony else cast without needing any explanation, and I pick up spells from books very easily.”

As they reached the outskirts of Ponyville Twilight angled toward the Everfree forest. She was making for the place where she knew the creek which fed the lake she had visited earlier in the day must exit the forest. She kept up a steady conversation with Cloudkicker as they walked, talking about her magic studies at length.

“So you’re on the weather team? What do you do?” Twilight asked, hoping to divert the focus of the conversation from herself, and slightly curious to learn more about the lavender pegasus.

Cloudkicker grinned and replied, “I mostly help maneuver clouds around, but in my free time I like to sculpt them.”

Twilight’s eyebrows rose as she listened. “Oh you’re a cloud sculptor? Is that difficult?”

Cloudkicker shook her head. “It’s no more difficult than moving them around, really, though it takes an eye for shape. But I really enjoy it. I especially enjoy sculpting them to take advantage of sunlight. You can achieve some really amazing sights with clouds and sunlight, that’s actually how I got my cutie mark.”

Twilight remained silent in thought for a moment before speaking again, “I’d love to see what you can do sometime! That sounds like it would be fun to watch.”

Cloudkicker smiled brightly. “Sure! I’m always happy to have an audience for my cloudsculpting.”

The trees of the Everfree forest were looming ahead as they neared the creek Twilight had been aiming for. The creek was small, perhaps a dozen feet across, but evidently quite old, as its meandering path cut deeply into the soil of the forest and the prairie beyond its edge. The late afternoon sun’s light was subdued beneath the heavy canopy of the forest.

Twilight’s hooves sank into the soft soil around the edge of the creek slightly as she walked down the bank to the water’s edge, followed by Cloudkicker.

“So what are you planning to try now?” Cloudkicker asked, excited to see what magic Twilight had in store.

Twilight paused to review her plans briefly. “Well, earlier I vaporized water and collected the vapor to make clouds, I’m going to try something a little different now.”

Twilight looked up and down the creek, and an idea occurred to her. “Actually, I wonder…” She lowered her head and her horn began to shine. The edges of the water illuminated slightly in answer to her horn, and a scintillating pulse of soft light rolled up the watercourse in either direction.

The luminescence of Twilight’s horn grew brighter, and the babbling of the water grew softer as the surface smoothed out until it was like glass. Twilight’s eyes widened as she watched the result of her work, and she strained even harder at her spell, channeling her magic with increased excitement.

The water became almost completely silent and the surface settled to a mirror-like sheet. Twilight was panting slightly as she continued channeling her magic, and the edges of the watercourse continued to gleam faintly. She narrowed her eyes and began a second spell in tandem to the first. The surface of the water flashed and the entire stream seemed to rise several inches, and then there was a faint snap and twilight let both spells dissipate, breathing deeply to regain her composure.

The surface of the water seemed unchanged, still mirror smooth and resting at the same level it had been at before, but as Cloudkicker looked, she seemed to see the creek flowing normally again some inches below the glassine surface. She turned to Twilight, a slight mixture of awe and confusion written across her face.

“What did you do?” she asked, mouth agape.

Twilight chuckled at the pegasus’ reaction, pleased with her work. “Well, I was just going to freeze the surface of the stream, but then a thought occurred to me. I wonder if I can make the water behave as a superfluid? It would lose all viscosity and flow with no friction. Water shouldn’t be able to become a superfluid, but I hadn’t read about anypony aiding it with magic. The only ponies I know of who have studied superfluids did so with certain condensed gasses.“

“So, I used magic to force the water into a superfluid state," she continued, "then raised a portion of the stream above the rest, maintaining its superfluidity, and then I froze it, changing the upper layer from a superfluid to a solid, and let the lower portion revert to a normal fluid. So we have a thick glass-like layer of ice fixed a few inches above the actual surface of the stream. The ice is pure water, without any of the bubbles or imperfections that would normally cause a frozen watercourse to appear opaque. I probably could have made a sheet of ice like this without bothering with superfluid water but it was interesting to try,” Twilight gushed.

Cloudkicker nodded politely throughout Twilight’s long-winded explanation, following as closely as she could. When Twilight finished, she smiled blithely. “Neat!”

Cloudkicker stepped gingerly onto the layer of ice and soon found herself sliding around uncontrollably as she struggled not to fall on her face.

“Careful, it’s very smooth and it’s going to be very slippery as it starts to melt!” Twilight called.

Cloudkicker flapped her wings and beat a hasty takeoff from the slick surface before fluttering back to the water’s edge. “No kidding! I think that’s the slippiest bit of ice I’ve ever set hoof on.” She grinned at Twilight. “What are you going to do next?”

Twilight paused and thought briefly. “I’m not sure. I would like to walk along the creek a bit while I make up my mind though. It runs fairly near the edge of the forest for quite a distance, if I remember correctly, so it should be safe. If we were to trace it to its source it would wind through Whitetail Wood to some springs a few miles away.“ Twilight quickly melted her handiwork and began following the meandering stream, Cloudkicker in tow.

“So what do you do for fun? Besides studying magic?” Cloudkicker asked, hopping over an intrusive patch of mud which Twilight simply teleported across.

“Well, I spend time with my friends, and I read. I’ve run in the Running of the Leaves and I try to help out with community projects like Winter Wrap-up, but that’s about it, I’m a bit of a bookworm.” Twilight averted her eyes at this last statement.

“Ah, an intellectual at heart?” Cloudkicker giggled.

Twilight grinned sheepishly. “I suppose you could put it that way, yes.”

As they walked around a bend in the stream they came to the edge of a wide pool of clear water on the near side of the current, surrounded by a small clearing.

“This looks like a decent spot for another experiment,” Twilight said, stepping up to the edge of the pool.

Cloudkicker watched with eager curiosity as Twilight’s horn began to shimmer with a violet aura. A faint sparkle of light radiated from Twilight’s hooves, flowing up her legs and enveloping her, before fading abruptly as she finished her spell.

“What did you do?” Cloudkicker asked.

“I made the hairs of my coat, mane and tail, and the outer surface of my skin hydrophobic,” she said, stepping into the shallows as she spoke.

Cloudkicker looked rather nonplussed as she watched Twilight wade into the shallows. “Uh huh… Well, that’s nice?”

Twilight smiled. “It is! I won’t have to dry off after I get out of the water, it’ll all just slide right off.”

As Twilight got into the deepest part of the pool, where the water came up to her withers, she paused. “Do you feel anything odd?” she asked.

Cloudkicker glanced around, looking for anything unusual. “No, not really, is something the matter?”

Twilight shook her head. “I… no, I just have a funny feeling.” She turned and began to make her way back toward Cloudkicker. She made it only a short distance before she felt a quick, sharp jolt against her hoof. She cried out and reeled, feeling faint, and staggered toward shore.

Cloudkicker rushed to help her, concern written across her face. “Are you okay? What happened?”

Twilight gasped, stammering an answer between shaky breaths, “I d-don’t know, I think I s-stepped on something.”

As they reached shore, Twilight’s vision was swimming and it was more than she could manage to remain standing. She collapsed at the water’s edge. Her hoof felt as if it had been set aflame, and the agony shot up her leg with each movement. Her veins burned like fire and it was all she could do to keep breathing as the pain seared its way through her chest. Her heartbeat sounded like a drum in her ears as she lay near the water’s edge.

“Twilight! Hold on, let’s get you to a doctor.” Cloudkicker kneeled and shouldered Twilight onto her back. Twilight’s vision clouded with a crimson mist, and she lost consciousness as Cloudkicker galloped out of the trees.

End Chapter One.

Deuxième

Through the darkness Twilight became dimly aware of being jostled. She felt something warm and alive beneath her, and vaguely realized that her legs were wrapped around it. As her sight returned, her vision was filled with golden waves of hair, glinting orange in the light of the oncoming sunset. She tried to remember where she was, and what had happened. She opened her mouth to speak, but found that her throat was too dry to utter a sound. She coughed and tried to swallow to moisten her throat.

“What—“ she coughed again. “What happened?” She felt strange, her limbs felt like dead weight and her front right hoof ached as she tried to adjust her grip on Cloudkicker.

Cloudkicker gasped in surprise. “Oh, you’re awake, thank Celestia! I’m taking you to the hospital. We’re almost there.”
Twilight took in her surroundings. The hospital loomed large as they approached it, and the sunlight reflecting from its windows was unpleasantly bright. Twilight closed her eyes against the glare as her consciousness wavered.

The next time Twilight’s awareness returned, she felt herself being lifted onto something soft and opened her eyes to see Nurse Redheart at her bedside. The nurse began taking Twilight’s pulse, and paused in shock, meeting Twilight’s gaze. “I- I can’t seem to find any pulse!”

Twilight’s eyes widened at this news, and she felt her heart start to race as panic took hold. The nurse gasped with a mixture of confusion and relief. “Oh, nevermind, I must have been… mistaken. Please calm down, miss,” Redheart said, moving to examine Twilight for any injuries as Cloudkicker explained what had happened.

“Well, there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with your hoof. Your friend said it was bitten?” the nurse asked, facing Twilight.

“Well, I’m not completely sure,” Twilight replied, “I may have stepped on something sharp, or a strange fish, I don’t know. It was in the Everfree Forest, albeit just near the edge. It’s feeling a little better now, actually.”

Redheart shook her head, puzzled. “Well, the doctor will be in to check on you shortly. But if he doesn’t find anything wrong, you can go home. Just be sure to let us know if you feel anything unusual. Some creatures’ venom works slowly, and there’s no telling what may be lurking in that forest.”

The examination with the doctor passed uneventfully, with only a few minor oddities vanishing as quickly as the doctor noticed them, and Twilight was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health. Cloudkicker trotted alongside her through the streets of Ponyville as the enchanted street lanterns flickered to life.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. You had me worried for a bit there. You were passed out for most of the trip here from the forest,” Cloudkicker said as she turned her gaze to Twilight.

Twilight grinned meekly in response. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I’m not sure what happened. Thank you for helping me though.”

They reached the library’s door and Cloudkicker paused, scuffing the ground with a hoof. “Well, have a good night. I’ll stop by sometime tomorrow to check on you.” She smiled and turned to go, calling back over her shoulder as she took off, “Sleep well!”

Twilight waved goodbye and turned to go inside, finding that the interior of the tree was dark. Spike seemed to have gone to sleep early, and Twilight could hear the faint sound of his snores coming from upstairs. She considered going to sleep, but couldn’t quite convince herself that she was tired. She was curious about what had happened, about what could have shocked her so badly in that stream.

There was only one course of action to take. Twilight went through her shelves, pulling out an assortment of volumes that might relate to her incident. Her selections included such items as A Guide to the Wildlife of Equestria’s Waterways and A Study of Aquatic Fauna in the Everfree Forest, among others. With a quick spell she lit the lamp beside her desk and settled in for a night of research.

Hours passed and her efforts proved fruitless. Eventually she abandoned the useless pile of thoroughly-leafed tomes and walked over to the window to look outside, trying to collect her thoughts and reviewing the day’s events. The lanterns scattered throughout the town illuminated the streets, casting pools of radiant light in the brilliant darkness. A faint breeze ruffled the leaves of the tree above her and she noticed the distant silhouette of an owl on a tree branch against the night sky. Briefly she wondered if it was Owlowiscious out hunting, and cringed with sympathy for whatever poor critters he might catch. As she watched, a bat flew across the starry field of the sky, disappearing somewhere amidst the branches of the tree above her.

As her eyes returned to their idle scrutiny of the streets, she wondered at how bright it was out tonight. The moonlight seemed especially luminous, and she found herself searching for its source in the sky, looking for the brilliant, silver sphere. When she found it she paused, eyes wide, and gasped at what she saw. The moon was only the merest crescent, hanging above a towering mountain in the distance. She rubbed her eyes with her forelegs, wondering whether it might be a trick of her mind. The thin crescent remained, casting its feeble light from over the distant mountain.

Twilight turned and looked at the room around her. Immediately she noticed that her lamp had burned itself out. How had she not noticed that? The room should have been in almost total darkness without it, but the room was peculiarly discernible. The furniture was all quite distinct, the titles of books on shelves were perfectly legible, she could even clearly see the shadows cast by objects in the… starlight? Just what was going on?

Twilight shook her head and began retrieving more books from the shelves. This was going to require more research. She settled at her desk and re-lit her lamp, more to regain a sense of normalcy than out of any real need for light, and began reading.

Her research again proved mostly futile; there didn’t seem to be any sort of wildlife that could bestow night vision, and her search for likely magical causes had fared little better. Her concentration was broken by the brightening of the sky, and she found herself wincing as the sun peeked over the horizon.

She hurriedly closed the curtains, for what little good it did, and slumped to the floor, watching the violent light of the sun seep into the library through the spaces around the inadequate cloth. A few minutes passed and she resolved to try to get some sleep, stifling a yawn with a hoof as she went up the stairs to her bedroom.

Spike was still snoozing in his basket when Twilight entered the room. She walked past him and yanked the curtains closed with a burst of magic, growing irritated by the light pouring through the windows. The cloth seemed woefully insufficient to block the light, and Twilight found the prospect of sleeping in the light’s presence profoundly unpleasant. She levitated her blanket and pillow from her bed and resolved to retreat to the basement, where perhaps she could find some peace and a respite from the sun’s scathing rays.

I might have to look into getting some better curtains.

She almost tripped over her own hooves when she walked past one of the stray beams of morning sunlight piercing the room. As she crossed its path it felt as though the light was searing her, as if she were walking scarcely more than a hair’s breadth from the heating element of an oven. She stumbled rapidly out of the offending light and sat on the floor, confused.
Spike was roused by her clumsy movements and sat up in his basket, stretching and letting loose a great yawn as he searched for the source of the noise.

“Twilight? What are you doing?” he asked, grunting as he continued stretching.

Twilight sighed and rubbed her temple with a hoof. “Nothing. I’m going to try to get some sleep, downstairs.”

Spike gave her a puzzled look. “Downstairs? Why?”

Twilight picked herself up off the floor and collected her pillow and blanket again, shaking her head to clear the fog of lethargy. “I’m not feeling well, and I’m a little confused. I think I just need some rest, and I’ve got some research to do later.”

Spike blinked, concern joining the confusion on his face. “You’re not feeling well? Can I do anything to help? Did you catch something yesterday? What happened?”

Twilight shook her head. “No Spike, I’m fine, I just—“ She tried to stifle a yawn with her foreleg as she spoke. “—need to get some rest.”

She trudged out of the room and down the stairs, opening the door to the basement and descending those stairs as well. She felt better almost immediately without the obnoxious sunlight shining everywhere, though her eyelids still felt leaden. She retrieved a spare mattress, cleared some space in a side room of the basement, and closed the door, leaving the room in blessed darkness. Settling down on the mattress with her pillow and blanket, she let herself drift into a dreamless sleep.

Cloudkicker had rushed through her work that morning, and was now flying toward the library, a bag in her teeth containing a belated lunch of hay fries, salad, and a strawberry rhubarb pie for herself and Twilight. The clock tower in the distance rang half past one o’clock as she began her descent to the library door.

She alighted gracefully in front of the door and knocked several times in quick succession. It wasn’t long before the knock was answered by Spike, who gave her a puzzled look. Before he could question her, she set down her bag and asked with a cheerful smile, “Hi Spike, is Twilight home?”

Spike nodded, a slight frown on his face. “Yeah, but I think she’s still sleeping. She was up until dawn studying. I’ll go get her if you’ll just wait a minute, come on in.”

Cloudkicker was about to protest against disturbing her friend, but Spike had already run off. She picked up her bag and carried it inside, setting it down on a table as she sat down to wait.

Twilight woke to the sensation of scaly claws gently shaking her shoulder. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them.

“Cloudkicker is here to see you. I think she brought food,” Spike said, “I’m sure I smelled hayfries in that bag she was carrying.”

Twilight got up, trying to shake the lingering lethargy off as she opened the door into the main room of the basement. “Well, best not keep her waiting. Come on, Spike,” she said as she began to walk up the stairs with Spike following close behind.

When she entered the main room of the library she had to raise a foreleg to shield her eyes as they adjusted to the searing glare of the light pouring through the windows. Spike had evidently seen fit to open the curtains again, much to her annoyance. She closed them again with a burst of magic as she stepped toward the table where Cloudkicker sat.

“Hi, Twilight! I brought us some lunch, there’s enough for Spike too.” Cloudkicker gestured to the bag on the table beside her, grinning brightly.

Twilight responded with the brightest grin she could muster as she seated herself at the table, facing away from the offending windows. “Hello to you too, Cloudkicker!” She turned to her assistant before continuing, “Spike, would you go make some tea?”

Spike groaned and hauled himself away from the table where he had been staring anxiously at the bag of food. “Fine, be back in a minute.”

“Are you feeling okay today? Sorry if this is an inconvenient time. Spike mentioned you had been up late studying. I didn’t realize.” As Cloudkicker spoke, she began removing the contents of her bag and distributing them onto the table.

“I’m feeling all right. I seem to have some odd lingering symptoms from whatever it was that happened, but other than that I feel fine. That’s what I was up so late studying. I’m trying to figure out what happened.”

Twilight retrieved some cutlery, teacups, saucers, and plates with her magic as she spoke, serving herself some of the salad. “What would you like?”

Cloudkicker barely glanced at the food. “I think I’ll start with a slice of that pie. It’s strawberry rhubarb, my favourite,” she answered. Twilight deftly served her a healthy slice before turning to Spike as he walked back in with a pot of tea.

“Here’s the tea. It’s ginger peach. Now, where are those hay fries?” Spike set the teapot on the table and immediately requisitioned a sizable portion of the fried snacks.

Cloudkicker ate in silence, occasionally casting glances at Twilight between bites. Twilight poured them each a cup of tea and set the teapot aside, keeping an eye on Cloudkicker and Spike as they ate. She looked at her salad, regarding it as if it were some foreign object, before deciding she should at least try to get some food in her.

Twilight levitated a forkful of salad to her mouth and froze the instant she bit down, too shocked to continue chewing. The salad tasted like ash in her mouth, and its texture was… well, pretty much as she remembered it, but it might as well have been sand for how it felt to her now. The only thing preventing her from spitting it out was a feeling of caution. Somewhere in the back of her mind she sensed that she should keep her condition as hidden as possible. With a discreet spell she teleported the bite to the trash in the kitchen.

Twilight stared at her salad warily. She couldn’t see any connection between everything that had happened so far and losing her sense of taste; it didn’t make sense. She frowned, and pushed the salad aside.

Cloudkicker raised an eyebrow at this. “Not feeling well?”

“I’m just not very hungry, I guess,” Twilight said.

Cloudkicker frowned. “You should eat something. After that scare yesterday you need to keep your strength up. Here, try some of the pie.” Cloudkicker pushed the pie plate toward Twilight, beckoning her to take a slice.

Twilight felt uncertain about eating after the revolting taste and texture of the salad, but she gave in to Cloudkicker’s plea and deftly cut a bite of pie with her magic, levitating it to her mouth.

She barely suppressed a retching gag as it touched her tongue. The texture, once again, seemed ordinary, but was so unbearable that she felt as if she might as well be eating coal. Another discreet spell disposed of the offending bite of pie, and Twilight stared uncertainly at her tea.

She was feeling a bit thirsty, and the tea certainly smelled nice enough, but after the salad and the pie she was hesitant to try it. She wondered if she might find any answers in the medical books in the library. Perhaps she could look up disorders which caused a loss of sense of taste.

At Cloudkicker’s look, Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m just not hungry. Don’t let that stop you though, I don’t mind. Feel free to dig in!”

“Well, okay, if you’re really sure,” Cloudkicker said, and helped herself to some of the salad.

Twilight hadn’t been entirely honest. She was feeling a bit peckish, but she could no longer bear the thought of eating after the repellent experience with the food before her. She levitated her teacup to her lips, prepared to cast another spell if it should prove to be as terrible as the food had been. Much to her relief, as it touched her tongue it tasted perfectly ordinary, and she found herself sipping it gratefully as she watched Spike devour nearly all of the hayfries.

The tea helped to lift the lethargy that clung to her, though not completely. She looked toward Cloudkicker again and let her eyes linger on the gold and lemon locks of her mane as her mind wandered. Cloudkicker obviously took care of her mane, not to mention her coat. Her fur had a fine lustre, for which Twilight actually felt a slight twinge of jealousy. Twilight was always sure to keep clean and well combed, but she never seemed to have quite the same lustrous coat that ponies like Rarity often sported. Admittedly, looks weren’t generally near the top of her priority list.

Cloudkicker finished eating and turned to Twilight with a determined look. “You know what I think you need?” she asked.
Twilight shook her head, suddenly nervous and wondering just what Cloudkicker had in mind.

“I think we need to get you out of the library for a bit, go for a walk, go to the market, go to a shop, anything really. So long as you’re not locked in this gloomy library all day.” Cloudkicker gestured at the closed curtains.

Twilight felt dread creeping through her at the prospect of going out into the sunlight. She scrambled for an excuse to decline the suggestion.

“I wish I could, but I have a lot of research to do, and it really does need my attention urgently, I’m sorry,” she answered with a strained grin.

Cloudkicker frowned briefly before rallying with a look of determination. “I insist, it’s not good for you to stay cooped up all day. Just come with me for a little bit and you can do your research as soon as you get back.”

Twilight fidgeted nervously. “But if I don’t finish this research immediately—“

“No buts!” Cloudkicker interrupted. “We’re getting you out of this dreary place. You spent all night researching. You’ll have time for more of that later. For now, outside!” Cloudkicker was up and out of her seat before Twilight could respond and began pushing her toward the door.

Just as Cloudkicker had her cornered by the door, Twilight panicked and teleported back to the middle of the room.
“I’m not going!”

Cloudkicker glanced at Spike, who had been watching from the table with a bemused look.

“A little help?” she asked.

Spike nodded and got up from his chair, advancing on Twilight as Cloudkicker flanked her from the other side.

“She’s right Twilight. A little time outside will do you good.”

The heat was almost unbearable as Twilight stumbled down the street. Cloudkicker seemed to be under the impression that she was just tired, and Twilight, head bowed, was not about to let on that it felt like she was walking through an oven. She still didn’t know what was causing all of this, and didn’t want to worry anypony until she could figure it out. Spike had opted to stay at the library, citing a severe nap deficit that needed attending to.

“Twilight, are you okay? Do you need some water? We can get some if you like,” Cloudkicker asked.

“I…” Twilight trailed off, pausing to catch her breath in the stifling heat. “I think I’d like to visit the Carousel Boutique, actually,” she answered. She might be able to get an umbrella or a cloak from Rarity. Anything to keep this nightmarish sunlight off.

“Okay, let’s go.” Cloudkicker replied. She seemed slightly concerned, but glad that Twilight was finally showing some desire to visit somepony.

As they walked, Twilight felt as if she was passing through a searing crucible. She tried to think of a spell that might take some of the heat off her, but her mind was clouded with exhaustion. She couldn’t help but wonder how Cloudkicker could endure such heat.

“Cloudkicker, isn’t it a bit hot out today? How are you handling it so well?” Twilight asked.

Cloudkicker looked puzzled briefly before answering, “Well, I guess it’s a little warm, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”

Twilight didn’t answer, focusing her entire will on reaching Rarity’s home. Cloudkicker gave her another concerned look before continuing. “Let’s hurry and get you to the boutique.”

When Rarity’s boutique finally came within sight, Twilight was in such pain that she couldn’t stand to waste any more time with nonsense such as knocking, and door handles. She promptly teleported both herself and Cloudkicker inside. Cloudkicker stumbled, briefly disoriented, but quickly regained her bearings. Twilight, however, immediately collapsed.

“Twilight!” Cloudkicker exclaimed, rushing to the fallen unicorn’s side. “Are you… smoking?”

Twilight, for her part, was recovering very quickly now that she was out of that infernal sunlight. She shook her head to clear it and looked herself over. Cloudkicker was right, she was smoking slightly, and she thought she could feel some blisters forming under her coat. Those would need tending to, later.

“It’s nothing, it’s just from the spell. I’m fine,” Twilight lied.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you come in! Welcome to— oh, Twilight! How are you? Oh my, are you alright?” Rarity hastened down the stairs and over to her friend.

“I’m fine, Rarity. Thank you for asking,” Twilight responded.

“Is there anything I can get you, darling? What brings you here this fine afternoon?” Rarity asked, not noticing Twilight’s subtle cringe at the description of that furnace as fine.

“Well, I’m wondering if I could commission a cloak from you, and if I can borrow one until it’s finished.” Twilight smiled uneasily, uncertain about making such a request with no prior notice.

“Oh my, Twilight, finally taking an interest in fashion are we?” Rarity teased.

Twilight fidgeted as she tried to think of an appropriate response, but Rarity continued before she could answer.

“What are you looking for in a cloak?” Rarity gushed, tossing fabrics of various colours and textures around. “Do you want one with a hood? Long? Short? Heavy? Light? What sort of material? Colour preferences?”

Twilight paused in thought for a moment as she considered what she wanted her cloak to be like. “I definitely want it to have a nice large hood, and it needs to be very long, long enough to cover me down to my hooves. I think I would like it to be fairly heavy, so that no light can get through the fabric. I’ll leave the material choice to you. As for colour… a nice maroon, maybe?”

“Hmm, those are some very particular specifications. Going for a mysterious look? Who’s the lucky stallion?” Rarity prodded.

“What? No, that’s not it at all! I’m not seeing anypony. I just…” Twilight scrambled for a reason for requesting the cloak that wouldn’t seem suspicious. “I just thought I’d like to get a new cloak, I don’t really have one, and with autumn just around the corner I thought it would be a good idea to get it made now. I’ve heard rumours that the top weather planners in Cloudsdale are expecting to exceed their goals for snow production this winter.” This was a convenient truth. Twilight had heard such rumours, though she wouldn’t normally have paid them any serious attention.

Cloudkicker raised an eyebrow at this, but remained silent.

Rarity smiled and nodded as Twilight finished. “Don’t worry, Twilight, I was just teasing you. Incidentally, is there anything wrong with that taffeta cape I gave you? Or are you just wanting something new?”

“Oh no, there’s nothing wrong with it, I just want something different,” Twilight said.

Rarity brought out a measuring tape and began taking Twilight’s measurements as she answered. “Oh I fully understand, dear. Wearing the same old garments does get tiring after a while.”

A few seconds passed in relative silence as Rarity went about her task. Twilight watched as her friend became entranced by her work, muttering only a few words about her assessment of Twilight, before reaching a patch of slightly burnt fur. Rarity let out a gasp at the sight, dropping her tools and darting her face in close to the scorch mark. She adjusted her glasses so she could see the damage more clearly.

“Oh my, Twilight! How did you get so singed?” Rarity asked, meeting Twilight’s eyes with grave concern.

Twilight forced a smile. “I’m fine, Rarity. I just misfired a spell.”

Rarity didn’t look completely convinced, but Twilight’s relaxed smile eased her mind. She changed the topic with only a final distressed glance at the burn. She turned her attention to Cloudkicker as she finished taking Twilight’s measurements. “Forgive me for not saying hello sooner, Cloudkicker dear, how terribly rude of me. How have you been?”

Twilight’s ears perked up and she turned her head toward Rarity, only to have it pushed back by a firm nudge of Rarity’s magic as she took a measurement from her neck. “You know each other?” she asked.

Cloudkicker was the quickest to answer. “Not really, we’ve only met once or twice, at the spa.”

“Indeed, Aloe has mentioned how much you like her special fur treatment. I appreciate a pony with good taste in hair care,” Rarity said with a smile.

“I, er, thank you. I do like to keep up my appearance. And I’ve been fine, thank you,” Cloudkicker answered.

Rarity finished taking Twilight’s measurements and wrote them down before turning back to her with a raised eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re alright? You really do look rather the worse for wear. Can I get you anything?”

“No thank you, Rarity. I think I just need to go home and get some rest. I’ll be fine,” Twilight replied.

“All right then, do take care of yourself. I’ll get started on this cloak for you right away. I should have it ready in a day or so.” Rarity walked Twilight and Cloudkicker to the door as she spoke, and bade them farewell.

Twilight hesitated to step out into the sunlight again, but managed to force her hooves to move after nerving herself up for a moment. Within seconds she could feel the searing heat seeping through her fur again. She picked up her pace, struggling to shrug off the stifling exhaustion that the light brought with it as she walked faster.

Cloudkicker kept pace with her in silence for a moment before speaking again. “You really don’t look all right. Do you want to stop in the shade over there? We can rest for a bit. It’s not good to overwork yourself if you’re unwell.” She pointed with a hoof at a grassy patch of shade underneath a tree beside the street.

Twilight peered through the haze of sweltering light at the tree and nodded wearily. “Yea, let’s… stop for a minute.”
She did not relish the idea of spending any more time than necessary outside, but her endurance was not going to last under this onslaught, and the shade would offer at least a little respite.

When they reached the shade, Twilight immediately flopped over in the deepest shadow under the thick, sprawling canopy of the tree. She could still feel the oppressive sunlight reflecting off everything around her, but it didn’t burn so badly beneath this tree. It provided enough shelter that she could at least focus her thoughts again. I can’t believe I forgot to ask for a cloak to borrow.

“I think I’m going to teleport home, instead of walking. I should have thought to teleport from Rarity’s boutique, but it slipped my mind. Do you mind if I leave you? I’ll probably just go right to sleep. I need a nap,” Twilight said, panting slightly as she spoke.

“Didn’t you misfire the spell the last time you teleported?” Cloudkicker asked.

“I- uh, I was just sloppy, it was on the spur of the moment, I didn’t give myself much time to plan it. I’ll be fine this time,” Twilight said.

“Well, if you’re sure. I’ll stop by sometime tomorrow, alright? Get some rest.” Cloudkicker stood up as she spoke, watching Twilight do the same.

“I will, thank you.”

With a burst of light, Twilight vanished.

Twilight could feel the sun releasing its grip on the land as its last rays faded from the sky. She shrugged off her blanket and got up, stretching and yawning as she walked out into the main room of the basement and up the stairs. She felt refreshed and energized from her nap, and was eager to tackle the puzzle of her continuing research. Without the light of day shining through every crack and gap in the library she felt free of the stifling lethargy that had plagued her throughout the day.

“Oh, Twilight, you’re up. Feeling better?” Spike looked up from his dusting as Twilight reached the top of the stairs.

“Much better, thank you, Spike,” she replied, taking a quick mental inventory of how she felt.

She noticed, with some alarm, that the burns she had sustained earlier in the day were gone. She couldn’t feel the blisters she was sure had been forming at all. However her mouth ached slightly. She ran her tongue along her teeth and froze mid-step on her way into the kitchen.

Teeth… why are my teeth pointed? Oh no…

Twilight whirled around and charged upstairs to her bedroom, stopping in front of her mirror, where she opened her mouth and stared at her teeth. Two of her upper teeth had begun to protrude downward and had formed dull points while she had been asleep. That settled it. This could be no ordinary case of poisoning and light sensitivity. She had to get to the bottom of this, now.

There was a light step at the door as Spike came into the room. “Twilight? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Spike. Just a little startled.” Twilight closed her mouth and turned away from the mirror.

“Startled? What for?” Spike asked.

“Nothing. It’s not important. Just go back to what you were doing,” she replied.

Twilight went back downstairs to the kitchen and briefly considered making something to eat, but the thought repulsed her, despite the mild hunger that was beginning to sink in. She settled for some tea instead, and carried her cup with her, magically suspended, as she searched the library for any books that might promise some explanation of her circumstances.

The clock read nearly midnight when Twilight finally set aside Haughty Hexes and Eternal Enchantments, adding it to the sizable stack of books which had all yielded no results. Twilight had a vague feeling she had read something relevant before, but for her life she couldn’t come up with the context in which she had seen it. Her search had included delving into medical treatises, magical grimoires, and even a few theoretical essays on the primal history of Equestria. All her efforts had been fruitless. She could continue reading random topics for days and there was no telling whether she would find anything that could help her.

With a frustrated groan she began pacing around the room, wracking her brain for new options.

I’ve tried most of the obvious topics and books in the library. What next?

With some frustration, she decided that her best course of action for the moment would be to focus her attention on something else, and approach the issue with a fresh mindset later. She briefly considered continuing with her line of research into water magic, but quickly dismissed the idea. It would just get her thinking about her symptoms again. As she paced, her eyes fell on a shelf in a corner, home to various glass chemistry implements Twilight occasionally used in experiments. She paused as she considered the glass vials and jars of chemicals, carefully packed away in boxes and meticulously organized.

That’s it! If I can get a sample of whatever it was I stepped on, maybe I can find out what’s going on! Twilight nearly bounced with excitement as she latched onto her new plan.

She quickly began to assemble a set of sample vials and some miscellaneous equipment which she distributed into her saddlebag. Spike was already in bed, and Twilight thought it best to let him sleep. She wanted to get to the spot in the forest where the incident had occurred in time to return home before the sun rose. Swiftly checking to make sure she had everything she might need, she felt satisfied that she was ready.

Twilight had scarcely stepped out the door when she heard a rustling sound above her head, somewhere in the branches of the tree. There was no breeze that could have caused the noise.

She looked up, trying to spot the source of the disturbance. The darkness in the thick branches must have been total, but Twilight could see every branch, every leaf and twig perfectly. There was another rustling and this time Twilight caught sight of the cause.

Numerous bats had taken up residence in her home’s branches, and were staring right at her. She sighed as the tension left her. It was only bats. She quickly and automatically noted that they numbered about a half dozen.

It’s odd… shouldn’t they all be out feeding at this time of night?

Rather abruptly she had an unnervingly strong impression that the bats had just replied in the affirmative, but Twilight was sure she had heard nothing. She paused, confused for a moment, before tentatively forming a thought and directing it at the bats again, as she had unintentionally done the first time. Well go eat, then! What are you staring at me for if you’re hungry?

Five of the bats flew off immediately, but the last one paused briefly, and Twilight again had the impression that it thanked her and wished her luck before also flying away.

Ugh, and now I’m talking to bats. I suppose I had better add psychological disorders to the list.

Twilight was soon continuing on her way to the forest. She kept to the road as she made her way through the outskirts of Ponyville, rather than cutting across the fields as she had before. Her route took her past Fluttershy’s cottage. The windows were dark, but Twilight could see more than a few pairs of nocturnal eyes watching her from shadows that her eyesight should not have been able to pierce so effortlessly. She hastened down the path, eager to leave the myriad nocturnal witnesses behind.

The waxing moon was slightly brighter than the previous night, and though it seemed to make little difference to Twilight’s eyes now, she found some comfort in the increased luminance. The edge of the forest was only a short distance beyond Fluttershy’s cottage, and Twilight reached it in a very short time.

She paused only briefly at the edge of the trees to get her bearings and make sure she knew the direction. Even with unnaturally keen eyesight in darkness, venturing into the Everfree Forest in the dead of night was not a matter to take lightly, and she wanted to be sure she wouldn’t get lost.

A relatively short run along the edge of the forest put Twilight on the banks of the creek, and she followed it into the forest at a brisk pace, eager to collect any evidence she could find. As she ventured deeper into the forest the shadows deepened, and as the light dwindled, Twilight began to notice something unsettling.

The shadows seemed to have an uncanny depth to them. As if the surface they fell on wasn’t the shadows’ limit. She could see through the umbral darkness clearly, but the shadows had a certain duality about them. The surface upon which the shadow lay was superimposed with a pool of profound blackness occupying the same place.

Curiosity overrode caution and Twilight found herself examining a particularly deep patch of shadow in a dip at the base of a colossal gnarled tree. She couldn’t quite seem to understand exactly what she was seeing in the shadows. Other than the odd blackness they seemed ordinary enough, circumstances and her present condition considered.

She snorted, irritated at the distraction. Come on Twilight, focus. I need to get back to that pool in the creek where this all started.

No sooner had she formed this thought and begun to turn around than she found herself standing somewhere completely incongruous with where she had been mere seconds ago. She was surrounded by incorporeal blackness, with patches of clarity and substance here and there. She was standing on one such patch, one closely resembling the place in the forest she had been standing in seconds before. The islands of light, upon closer examination, seemed to each be images of different parts of the forest. They shifted and swirled as she passed them. The darkness seemed to be flowing and swirling around the splashes of light, as if blown by a breeze that wasn’t there. She felt as if she were walking through a river of darkness, and the puddles of churning light were stepping stones, solid spaces where the darkness overlapped with the forest.

As Twilight approached one of the nearer patches, it resolved into a clear image of the banks of the very pool Twilight was looking for.

Okay, this is weird.

With tentative hoofsteps, Twilight stepped out of the shadow and onto the banks of the pool. The forest resolved around her, and aside from the duality of the shadows, the forest looked exactly as it should.

It should have taken several times as long to traverse the distance from the edge of the forest to the pool as it had. Teleportation would have been the only way she could ordinarily have accomplished such a leap in space, but whatever she had just done lacked any trace of familiar magic. If it was magical in nature, it was of a sort she could not recognize.

This was getting to be too much, and Twilight began to seriously wonder if she might be losing her grip on reality. Maybe I’m hallucinating, I haven’t eaten in… oh, a day and a half, almost. I had better collect these samples and head home quickly.

Twilight wasted little time collecting a few vials of water and a few soil samples. She was reluctant to enter the water itself, and kept her hooves planted firmly on solid ground. She probed the pool with her magic, hoping to find some trace of whatever she might have stepped on. Initially she found nothing remarkable, just the plant debris and aquatic vegetation standard to most waterways in the region.

A faint magical residue caught her attention from somewhere in the depths of the pond as she probed, and she quickly traced it to a small spherical object. Pulling it out of the water, she examined it for a moment before slipping it into her saddlebag. It was a small, smoky grey sphere, made of a nonporous material with a smooth surface. It was dull, lacking any lustre, and seemed to be inert. A thorough scan of the pool revealed nothing else of interest. The only trace of magical residue was on the sphere, and it had obviously lost whatever power it once held. Still, she might be able to learn something from it back at the library.

With the object and a few more samples safely in her saddlebags, Twilight made to leave. As she stepped away from the bank of the river, her attention was once again drawn to the deep shadows cast by the ancient trees of the Everfree. Tentatively she stepped up to one, peering into it. She could see the ground where the shadow fell as clearly as if it were bathed in bright moonlight. However it maintained that same duality she had observed earlier, and it had an unnerving depth to it. She took a moment to collect herself and stepped boldly into the shadow, intent on reentering it if it indeed existed as a place.

Her action was rewarded by a chill and encompassing darkness, surrounding a small island of light corresponding to the umbra she had just stepped through. The darkness flowed and ebbed around the edge of the island of light just as before, and she tentatively stepped into the blackness, looking for another island of light.

As she walked, she examined the sensations she was feeling. If she concentrated solely on what her eyes could see, the darkness seemed utterly impenetrable. She tried conjuring a light only to find it completely overwhelmed by the omnipresent gloom. When she turned to look with her eyes alone at the island of light she had left behind, she saw only black void. Nothing but absolute darkness in every direction.

She started to get nervous, and as her focus wavered she could once again see the island of light, and a few others beside, now that she wasn’t trying to see with her eyes in a space without light.

Twilight turned her attention to the isles of light, looking at the scenes presented within.

A grove of firs at the base of a cliffside. A cave somewhere in the hills of the forest. A small clearing overgrown with brambles. An ancient oak in a sea of trees.

Each opening in the sea of swirling darkness seemed to correspond to a shadow somewhere in the forest. There seemed to be no definite pattern to them, but whenever Twilight tried to find a certain part of the forest, a breach in the murky darkness leading to her goal seemed to present itself in short order.

No matter how she searched, though, none of the openings seemed to lead anywhere but within the forest. She spotted a few near the edges of the forest, and even one which, judging by what landmarks she could see as she peeked out of the shadows, would have taken days of travel through the thickest part of the forest to reach from the Ponyville side.

Despite her curiosity and desire to explore this odd phenomenon of shadow walking, she found herself reminded of the ever-approaching dawn. She didn’t want to get caught out in the light, even in the shade of the forest if she could help it. She had no way of telling what would happen to this place when the shadows of the forest diminished with the onset of daylight.

She found a breach from which she could see the sweeping orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, across a stretch of prairie, and stepped through it. As she stepped out of the trees at the border of the forest she felt a slight breeze that had picked up. She began making her way toward the orchards, intent on reaching Ponyville on the far side of the farm.

Under the branches of the orchard, the shadows captured her attention again, and she stepped through one of the deeper ones into the space within without thinking. The shadows of the orchard were distinctly different from the shadows of the forest. Where in the forest the shadow space had seemed vast and constantly shifting, the shadows of the orchard were relatively serene. The darkness still shifted and swirled gently, but it lacked the torrential currents that had been so prevalent in the dark of the forest.

Again, Twilight couldn’t seem to find any rifts in the blackness that opened up anywhere other than Sweet Apple Acres. The shadows seemed to only link together within one contiguous geographical region. The breaches in the blackness of the Everfree had all been the shadows of the forest, and these dark openings all seemed to be the shadows of the orchard, distinct and separate from the shadows of the plains, the mountains, or of Ponyville.

Twilight found a part of the orchard she recognized, near the farmhouse, and stepped out of the darkness. She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts. She needed to get home and study the samples she had collected. She couldn’t keep getting distracted by shadows, no matter how interesting and bewildering they may be. The key to all this lay in finding out what had touched her hoof.

She barely made it a few steps before some movement at the farmhouse caught her eye. Applejack emerged with a cup of coffee and proceeded to sit on the porch, staring out into the early morning darkness. She seemed preoccupied, and it was still too dark for Twilight to be seen easily.

After all these strange goings on with the shadows and the other events of the past day, a conversation with a friend seemed a welcome diversion. The samples could wait a few minutes for this. Twilight didn’t feel as if she could discuss what had been happening to her in too much detail, but maybe they could talk about something more mundane. It would be nice to have an ordinary conversation.

Twilight began approaching the farmhouse from her position off to the side. Applejack seemed to remain oblivious to her approach. She was staring into the darkness in front of the house, stirring only to take an occasional sip from her mug.

As she drew nearer, Twilight felt oddly drawn to Applejack. There was something deeply captivating about her. Twilight couldn’t quite place the feeling. Perhaps she needed a friendly conversation more than she realized.

Twilight’s steps grew mechanical and her mind grew unfocused. She could practically hear the other pony’s heartbeat, pumping vibrant life through her. Only an inconsequential barrier of skin and fur stood between Twilight and that heartbeat. She wanted to press herself against that fur, feel the warmth of life within it, feel the sensation of her teeth caressing that delicate orange obstacle. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Twilight was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she hadn’t had a bite in some time.

Twilight’s limbs were moving swiftly and silently as she unconsciously stalked Applejack. Her approach took her through tall grass and past the corner of the house without a sound. Had she not been so absorbed by thoughts of pouncing on Applejack, she might have been amazed by the predatory grace she was subconsciously exercising. It wasn’t until she reached the foot of the porch steps that her friend finally noticed her.

“Oh hey, Twilight, what brings you here so early? You almost gave me a bit of a start there, sneakin’ up on me like that.”
Twilight snapped back to her senses and stared dumbly at Applejack, who was looking down at her where she stood at the bottom of the porch steps.

“Um…” Twilight started, looking around, trying to make sense of what had just happened. “I… just wanted to stop and say hi. It’s not often I’m up this early, do you always wake at this time of morning?” Twilight finished, hoping her feeble excuse for her sudden appearance wouldn’t be too carefully examined.

“Oh, no, not always. I’m up early this mornin’ because I was havin’ trouble sleeping. Got a lot on my mind, what with the harvest season comin’ up.” Applejack paused to take a sip of her coffee.

“Oh? What’s on your mind that’s so important?” Twilight asked.

“Big Mac and I ’ave been workin’ on some ideas to make the corn and wheat harvests go a lot smoother this year, really fascinatin’ stuff. Well, for me at least. I won’t bother you with details.” Applejack paused and took another sip of her coffee. “Anyway, I’m glad you stopped by, I’m always happy to talk to a friend. So, what’s on yer mind?”

“I- er, I was just getting some fresh air, I have been really absorbed in a research project I’ve been working on and needed a break.” Twilight stammered.

“Well, those books must get tirin’ after a while. A little fresh air should do you good. I hope ya find what you’re lookin’ for. Want me to walk you home?” Applejack offered, moving as if to set her coffee aside.

“No thanks, I think I can make it on my own.” Twilight smiled and turned to leave.

“Take care, Twilight, see you later.” Applejack said.

“Thanks, you too.” Twilight answered, and began a quick trot through the orchard, making her way out of Sweet Apple Acres.

Sunrise was only a short while off now. The sky had not yet begun to lighten, but Twilight was still anxious to be safely home. She felt like she was beginning to see a pattern in everything that had been happening, but she couldn’t quite make sense of it. Each new development added to her confusion and the solution remained nowhere in sight. She couldn’t explain what had come over her back at Applejack’s house, or why she had been so drawn to Applejack. Another piece of the mystery to unravel. She needed to sit down with some books and her samples and do some serious research.

Twilight’s choice of books was wildly different from her previous research sessions now. With everything that had happened in the past few hours, combined with the events of the preceding day, she was fairly confident that whatever was going on had not been caused by anything natural.

She chose a selection of historical accounts and studies of novel magical constructs from throughout history. The Ponyville library’s collection of historical records was woefully inadequate for the kind of research Twilight had in mind, owing to the fact that the town was scarcely a century old, and the records she needed were almost all in excess of six-hundred years old. There was no time for a trip to the Canterlot archives though, not with dawn so near.

Ugh, I should have requested copies of sections of the records… No, that would be silly, the archives are too vast. I’ll just have to make do. Twilight sighed in frustration as she carried her meager collection of books and scrolls over to her desk.
She removed her samples from the saddlebag she had left on the desk and set them out to begin her examination. She set most of them aside, having little interest in the more mundane items at this point. The centerpiece of her attention was the sphere she had retrieved from the riverbed.

It was mostly unremarkable in appearance, excepting that it didn’t seem to belong where she had found it. A small sphere of condensed… something. It was certainly not made of stone, but it didn’t yield at all to a firm touch of her hoof. Its surface was rippled slightly, but perfectly smooth. It was smoky and slightly translucent, but quite dark in colour. She tentatively probed it with her magic and, finding nothing apparently malicious about it, began a comprehensive magical scan.

Her scan complete, she found that it was completely inert, carrying only a faint magical residue. Whatever magic it had contained had been completely expended, and not so very long ago. It showed no sign of deliberate spellwork. The magic it had held was something base, primal, not something constructed by a spellcaster. The traces left on the husk were disturbingly familiar, and she had a feeling she knew why.

She opened a book of anecdotes collected in the area of the old capital in Everfree about a century after the banishment of Nightmare Moon, and began to read. It wasn’t quite what she needed, but it was the most promising record she had in the library.

Excerpt from the diary of Sunny Song:

The Fiends got Velvet Stitch yesterday. She was one of the best tailors in the capital, and one of my dearest friends. Apparently the last one to see her alive was her apprentice. She was late closing shop because she stopped to make some last minute adjustments to an order for a demanding client. The investigator’s best guess is that she didn’t make it home before dark. I can’t believe she’s gone. I just spoke to her a few days ago. It’s been nearly a quarter century since the Nightmare and we still can’t walk the streets at night. Even the Royal Guard don’t dare go out at night in groups of fewer than three.

Ah, well, no sense recording my regrets here... The most disturbing thing about it is the manner in which they found her today, though. A passerby saw a face in a window in one of the storehouses and raised a fuss. The guards responded, and found Velvet in one piece, propped up against the window with her muzzle against the glass as if she were watching the street below. The only signs of injury were two small punctures. She was drained of blood.

Her family is going to have an open coffin at the funeral. First open coffin at a funeral in weeks. Most of them turn up mangled beyond recognition, or half eaten, or not at all. I have been asked to give the eulogy. I guess they’re hoping I can brighten everypony’s moods with kind words. They’re counting on my reputation as a singer. But I don’t know if I can do it. My heart is heavy these days. I suppose I shall try my best. Maybe we will see the end of this darkness yet.

Twilight paused when she heard a faint shuffling at the top of the stairs. “Spike? You’re up awfully early.”

Spike peered over the edge of the upper balcony into the main room, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. “Twilight? I was just going to make you some breakfast, if you’re feeling better. What are you doing?”

“Just doing some reading. I’m probably going to go to bed soon, actually, I haven’t slept. No need to make breakfast for me,” Twilight answered.

Spike looked at Twilight incredulously, crossing his arms. “Reading? In the dark?”

Twilight opened her mouth to reply but found that she had no retort ready. She had completely forgotten to light a candle, or a lamp, or anything at all. She hadn’t even noticed that the library was completely dark.

“I, er, my candle just went out a moment ago, I was about to get a new one.” Twilight smiled uneasily as she lit her horn and retrieved a fresh candle for her desk. She made a show of flipping ahead a few pages and resuming her reading.

“Well, if you’re sure. I’m gonna go back to bed.” Spike yawned and plodded back to his basket upstairs.

Twilight glanced up from the book to watch him go, before turning her attention back to the volume before her. She flipped through the pages until she found an entry from about twenty five years later.

From the journal of Lt. Silver Shoe, of the Everfree Division of the Royal Guard:

We’ve made little progress dealing with the monsters that madmare left behind. They come out of nowhere and vanish into thin air. They multiply as fast as we can kill them and some of them are more deadly than a hydra.

Trouble is that they blend in so well. You can expose them if you catch them at the right time, but even that is an accomplishment. Some of them only show signs of what they are under a full moon, while others couldn’t care less what the moon is doing. Some of them only come out at night, while others walk under the sun without a second thought. Some live among us, while others roam the wilds. Their habits and tendencies aside, most of the dangerous ones hunt at night. The setting sun has become an augury of fear.

Some of the more talented mages are trying to find a way to cure them, or to stop them multiplying by rendering their essence inert. Supposedly that’s how they do it. They make you one of them by giving you some of their own essence. What that essence is and how it’s given varies from one type of fiend to another, but the mages seem to think they can secure it, or some such nonsense. I doubt they’ll succeed.

We’ve gotten much better at hunting them over the past few years. Better methods for tracking and capturing them, more reliable ways of executing them, but it’s still not enough. I don’t expect I’ll see the end of this within my lifetime, or even my grandfoals’ lifetimes.

The sky outside was growing light when Twilight heard a distant rustling in the library’s branches, above the living space.

My bats are back, I wonder how their hunt fared. Twilight set her book aside and stretched her legs.

Wait, MY bats? Where did that come from? She shook her head. And how did I know it was them making that noise?

Exhaustion and hunger were beginning to catch up with her, and she wanted to get some sleep. She could put the pieces of her puzzle together after she had some rest. She was a bit curious, though, about those bats. She crept up the stairs, staying as silent as possible to avoid disturbing Spike. The shadows she had spent so much time in during the night were retreating before the approaching rays of the sun. It was starting to peek over the horizon, setting the sparse clouds in the upper altitudes of the sky ablaze with searing brilliance.

She made her way to one of the upper balconies, specifically the one getting the most shade from the Library’s heavy foliage, and quickly spotted her bats in the darkest part of the canopy.

She looked at them inquisitively, trying to decide what exactly she was hoping to gain by watching them like this. Somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that two more had joined the ones she had seen a few hours ago. This is silly, I must be more tired than I thought. I can’t talk to bats.

She began to step toward the door back into the library when she got the disturbingly distinct impression that one of the bats had just wished her a pleasant rest. She looked up at them again, shocked. So… I can talk to bats… or think to them… telepathy? I really am losing my mind. She shook her head. No, there has to be some explanation. She focused on trying to think of something specific to ask them. There are more of you than before. Why are you coming here? She tried to direct her thoughts at them.

Twilight was nearly staggered with astonishment when she received the reply she hadn’t quite convinced herself would come. It wasn’t in words, so much as a combination of impressions, concepts, and images. I guess that makes sense, telepathy wouldn’t need language. Wait… what do you mean I called you? I don’t remember doing any such thing! She was getting a bit flustered now. The bats seemed to be telling her that they had been drawn to her, merely by her presence, without requiring any action on her part. Or something equally ludicrous.

Ok… this is weird. She raised a hoof to block some of the ever-increasing glare flooding the sky. The upper branches of her tree would be in sunlight soon. I’m going to bed. I’ll worry about you later. She gave the bats a meaningful look with that last thought, and proceeded back inside, tightly closing the door behind her.

She was really feeling the weight of exhaustion now, and the spare mattress in the basement was veritably calling her name as she made her way down the stairs. She hesitated for an instant as she passed the kitchen, suddenly remembering how hungry she was, but the thought of trying to stomach any of the food she had in there quickly spoiled any appetite she may have had. She went into the basement, welcomed by its cool darkness, and settled into the spare mattress. Her heavy eyelids closed and she quickly slipped into a deep sleep.

A tentative claw nudged the sleeping unicorn.

“Twilight?”

Twilight groaned and mumbled a sleepy reply. “Go away Spike.”

“Twilight, you’ve slept almost the whole day,” Spike replied, before slowly continuing. “I just wanted to check on you, see if you’re feeling better. Cloudkicker stopped by this morning. She told me about what happened, and I’ve been worried. Oh, she’ll be back in a little while, by the way. I told her to come back later when you were awake.”

Twilight snorted in frustration as the claw shook her shoulder again. “Fine, I’ll be up in a minute,” she grumbled.

The clicking of claws on wood faded as Spike went back upstairs. Twilight lay for a moment, half-heartedly willing herself to get up. If he was so worried that she was ill, why didn’t he let her rest? If he wakes me up early again I’m going to double his chores for a week.

She hauled herself out of her makeshift bed and made her way up the stairs. Judging by the angle of the light blazing its way through the once-again open windows, it was late afternoon, maybe two hours before sunset. Twilight promptly closed every curtain in the library with a burst of magic, trying vainly to shut out the offending rays. Spike and I are going to have to have a little talk about that. I’m getting tired of closing the curtains constantly. This thought gave Twilight pause as she realized she was thinking as if her condition were going to be permanent. She shook off the thought and made her way for the bathroom to brush her teeth.

“Oh you’re up, Twilight, want me to make you some breakfast?” Spike looked up from the centerfold of a gem catalogue.
Twilight flinched slightly at the mention of food. “No, Spike, but some tea would be nice.”

The little dragon obediently hopped up and ran down the stairs to boil some water.

Twilight was about to begin brushing her teeth when she saw something in the mirror that made her blood run cold. The two elongated teeth she had noticed yesterday had grown longer and deadly sharp while she had slept. Fangs!?

Her magic faltered and her toothbrush clattered to the floor as she staggered back from the mirror. Rather abruptly, behind the shocked disbelief flooding her mind, the pieces all fell into place. She knew what she was now. As far as she knew, such things existed only in old faerie tales, and even those were almost lost to history.

How... how can this be?

The aversion to sunlight, the disgust for normal food, the night vision, the shadows, the bats, the fangs...

She remembered now, what it was that had struck her as familiar about all of this. It was in the records in the archives. She had seen references to it many times, though few documents seemed to discuss it directly. She recalled the orb sitting on her desk downstairs; she knew what it was now. It was the exhausted petrified essence of a fiend. The realization, as it all came into focus, arrived with a wave of revulsion so crushing that she reflexively cast a lance of unfocused magic that cracked her mirror, and stumbled back onto her haunches.

I’m... I’m a vampire!