Author's Note

this is still Hazel Heart's work. I'm still working on mine

The sightings

“Drake? Who’s Drake, darling?”

“Well, he’s-”

“Rarity!” Spike came running towards the two with a glass filled to the brim with sparkling red punch. “I got you some punch! You must be thirsty after dancing with that North Pole....lucky stallion... (clears throat) Anyway, do you want to have another dance...” Spike took his hat off and gazed up at Rarity with eager, emerald eyes. “... with me this time?”

“Well, North Pole did leave on short notice and you’ve been sweet enough to fetch some punch for me. I suppose I can accept a little dance with you, Spikey-wikey.”

“....... REALLY?! WOO-HOO!!!!!” Spike exclaimed. All the ponies in the garden turned their attention to him in annoyance. “Uh, I mean... great.” Spike blushed a little. “And... sorry, everyone.”

Rarity giggled a little. “ Just let me finish my drink first, if you please.” Just as her lips met with the brim of the glass, she heard a commanding, yet gentle whisper in the winds calling her name. “Rarity.... come to me....now...” There was something about this voice that sounded so... tempting... and hard to resist.

Spike noticed that Rarity was sighing longingly. “Rarity? Are you okay?”

She glanced back towards Spike. “Darling, I’d like to finish my drink in the garden, if you don’t mind.”

Spike glanced around the garden party. “Uh.... we are in the garden.”

“I’m just going to take a little stroll around to clear my head before I want to dance again.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no, no, Spike. I’ll be fine on my own.” Rarity whisked herself away around the corner of the castle, with glass in her magic, blue aura.

Spike turned to Fluttershy. “Aw, man. I hope she’ll come back soon.”

“Oh, I’m sure she’ll be alright, Spike.”

“So, do you want to dance with me, Fluttershy?”

“(giggles) Sure, Spike.”

“Where are you, you dark, sly stranger?” Rarity called out.

“Over here, you delectable, little morsel.”

Rarity turned her attention in a clear opening of a marble bench illuminated by the moonlight. She approached in the opening with caution, looking around.

“Have a seat, lovely.”

Rarity took a seat on the bench and sipped her punch. Through the glass, she saw a figure in the distance, with dark smoke trailing behind. “North Pole, is that you?” She said dreamily.

“Hardly.” Rarity saw the figure’s yellow eyes glowing in the moonlight. “I see you’re having a drink there, little lady.” The figure stepped out of the darkness, and the moonlight revealed Discordula, smiling at Rarity menacingly with sharp, white teeth. “Just looking at you, I’m pretty parched myself.”

“Oh don’t worry, Spike.” Fluttershy said. “I’m sure Rarity will come back and dance with you. She probably needed some space to finish her drink after dancing and talking with North Pole.”

“I guess,” Spike nodded sadly. “It’s just that I don’t understand why she suddenly wanted to be alone before she was gonna dance with me. And also, I think I heard her sigh... like whenever she could smell her favorite breakfast in the morning: whole-wheat pancakes with vanilla oat swirl ice cream, decorated with crystallized violets.” Or how I sigh every time I see her so happy when I successfully help her out and she rewards me with either an emerald or a kiss on the cheek... I like the second option better.

Fluttershy was surprised that Spike could remember Rarity’s favorite type of breakfast, but thought better of not asking him how he knew. Instead, she said, “Well, in a way she kind of reminds me of her pet cat, Opalescence, because Opal also wants things her way, too. Like, whenever Rarity brings her to my cottage, poor little Opal always needs the room temperature to be at exactly eighty one point four degrees. Ponies and their pets can sometimes relate to each other.”

“That’s true,” Spike replied. “You and Angel may be different, but at least he loves and appreciates you.”

“Mm-hmm... wait,” Fluttershy gave Spike a confusing look. “How is Angel different from me?”

“Oh, well you know, uh...” Spike started to blush and nervously scratch his scales. “ ‘cause... you see, you’re always so nice to everypony and me, and Angel... well... (nervous chuckle).... well, he’s...”

“Yo, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash flew down from the sky. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, I had to take to the sky. Not that I’m complaining, ‘specially since Rarity made my dress all loose and easy to fly in.” She paused. “... speak of the unicorn, where is she? I thought she was with you.”

“She was,” Spike replied before Fluttershy could. “But she said she had to take a stroll to ‘clear her head’.” He sighed. “Just when she was about to dance with me...”

“Well, Twilight just gave us a ten minute warning about the mane event, so I wanted to give you a heads up.” Rainbow Dash advised.

Fluttershy squeaked nervously. “I-it’s almost time? Goodness....” she bowed her head in fear.

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash wrapped a hoof around her shoulder. “What did I say before? I’ll be right there beside you like peanut butter and Zap Apple Jam!”

Fluttershy gave her lifelong friend a small, hopeful smile.

“But what about Rarity?” Spike had a worried expression on his face. “We have to find her and tell her!”

“He’s right,” Fluttershy agreed. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Hop on my back, Spike” Rainbow Dash replied. “The three of us are gonna find Rarity airborne style!”

Spike climbed on RD’s cloud saddle. “Wow, I could sure rest on something as soft and cozy like this.”

“Don’t get too comfortable, squirt. ‘Cause this pegasus is a mare on a mission.” Rainbow Dash flew in the sky with a rainbow trailing behind her and Fluttershy, who still wondered why Drake disappeared all of a sudden. Stallions are so strange sometimes.... but even so, I wonder where he is right now. She sighed with a little blush on her cheeks, thinking about how he held her in his strong, secure arms as she gracefully flew behind Rainbow Dash.

Rarity sighed dreamily as Discordula drank from her pearl-white neck. “Mmmmm,” Discordula softly growled. You may not be my angelic pegasus, but you, my gorgeous unicorn, taste divine. Yet he still thought about Fluttershy as he kept drinking: how she looked so beautiful in her lovely gown that sparkled in the moonlight, how soft and gentle she felt in his arms as he danced with her in the sky, how he wanted to get lost in her adorable, ocean green eyes....

“Rarity!”

Discordula immediately snapped his attention toward the sound coming from above. He didn’t want any witnesses, especially with evidence. So he quickly licked Rarity’s neck clean and healed the punctured wounds, but since he was in a rush, the wounds still remained, so he switched Rarity on her other side that was her untouched side of her neck, whispered words to her in a quick command and slithered away in the shadows.

“There she is!” Spike pointed down in the area where he saw Rarity lie unconsciously on the stone bench. Rainbow Dash flew down to the ground with Spike eagerly hopping off her back and rushing to Rarity’s aid. Spike felt Rarity’s face with his purple claw. “Her face is so cold! And she can’t wake up!”

“Yo, Fluttershy! We found her!”

Fluttershy? Discordula hid behind the darkest part of the garden in the rosebushes, casted away by the moonlight, just to get a quick glimpse of Fluttershy’s beauty. But as he saw her descend from above the moonlit sky like an ethereal angel, he remained stone still in his hiding place. Oh, darling. You have no idea what your beauty does to me.

“Oh my goodness, Rarity!” Fluttershy rushed by Spike’s side and immediately took off the shawl Rarity gave her. She wrapped it around Rarity’s shoulders. “Oh, my poor dearest friend. You need it so much more than I do.” She gently stroked Rarity’s purple locks away from her face.

.....or what your tender kindness towards others does to me.

Fluttershy could also see that Rarity’s face looked somewhat drained, even though she looked like she awoke from a good dream. And her pearly white complexion looked a tinge duller, like a diamond losing its shiny luster.

“Mmmm.... oh, what a deliciously glorious dream I just had,” Rarity purred. “I was hoping it would never end...”

“Rarity, you had us all worried sick!” Spike exclaimed. “Especially me, since I volunteered to walk with you.... I mean, I understand you wanted some time alone to yourself, but still...”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy there, Romeo,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “Just let her take a moment to breathe a bit before you grill her with the questions.”

While Spike continued to fuss over Rarity, Fluttershy thought she heard a rustle of leaves somewhere, like there was someone hiding. But as she turned her direction towards the sound, she thought she could see two yellow eyes glinting in the shadows. Fluttershy silently whimpered and cowered away towards her friends, but then she suddenly heard a deep, yet gentle voice that sounded somewhat familiar to her. You have no need to fear me, little one. Please...just come to me....

Fluttershy felt both nervous and concerned, because her friend Rarity seemed to be in some sort of distress, (though Rarity didn’t seem to complain much about it), but Fluttershy was drawn towards the voice in her head and was curious about who this voice belonged to and why he sounded so familiar.... “Who....are you?” Fluttershy wondered out loud.

“Did you say something, Fluttershy?”

“Huh?” Fluttershy snapped her attention back towards her friends and realized she was almost a few hooves away from them. “I.... I thought I heard something in the bushes...” she answered as she trotted back towards her friends. “Must’ve been my imagination, I guess.”

“Rarity, are you gonna be okay during the whole Proclamations thing?” Rainbow asked. " ‘Cause you kinda look a little bit tired... and paler than usual.”

“Whatever do you mean, Rainbow?” questioned Rarity. “If anything, I feel better than ever! It must’ve been something in the punch that made me drift off to sleep and dream of.... him.” she finished with a dreamy smile.

“Him?” Spike asked. “You mean... North Pole?”

“Who...? Oh, oh yes...yes. North Pole... the stallion of my dreams.”

“Uh, Rare?” Rainbow cut in. “As much as we’d love to recap on who made the top of your list of dreamy stallions, we now have a five minute warning for the mane event! We better find the others and get ready, so let’s get going!”

“(groans) Already?” Rarity groaned. “I know that the Princess wanted us to prepare for this special occasion, but I guess time flies when you’re having a wonderful time dancing the night away...” (“Time sure didn’t fly for me,” Spike whispered sadly to himself).... and dreaming of a tall, dark mysterious stranger appear out of the shadows-”

“And you both lived happily ever after surrounded by a bunch of dancing diamonds,” Rainbow Dash concluded. “We get that, but the few minutes we have right now are gonna start to shrink into seconds, so let’s hustle, ponies!..... and Spike.”

“Rainbow Dash is right,” Spike agreed. He noticed that Rarity’s shawl came a little loose as Fluttershy sat Rarity up. Spike started to reach his claw toward her shawl. “Rarity, here. Let me help you get bundled up and-”

“Oh, NO! No, no, no, precious scales.” Rarity hurriedly covered her neck and shoulders before Spike could come any closer. “I appreciate your concern, but please. Don’t either one of you fuss your fangs or feathers over me. I’ll be fine, really.”

“Alright then, let’s do this!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“Yes, do let’s...” Rarity held onto her shawl more securely and prayed that she would never lose it or that it would come off.... especially after what he told her.

As they all started to leave to find the others, Fluttershy couldn’t shake off the feeling that she was being watched. Maybe it wasn’t her imagination after all. Maybe she did see those yellow pair of eyes and they were probably gazing at her right now. She looked over in the area where she saw them last and was too nervous to take a closer look. Suddenly, she could’ve sworn that she saw two yellow slits glinting in the darkness, but was interrupted by the sound of Rainbow Dash calling her name. Fluttershy paused for a brief moment to make sure she wasn’t imagining it, then quickly cantered off to be with her friends.

As the royal trumpets blared with their royal Canterlot tune, Princesses Celestia and Luna approached forward on the platform. Princess Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were by Princess Celestia on her left, while Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were beside Princess Luna on her right.

“Fillies and gentlecolts,” Princess Celestia announced. “We are gathered here tonight for one of our most famed mane events: the Summer Sun Celebration. But this Summer Sun Celebration shall be the most memorable of all, for Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends shall declare their Proclamations of Friendship to us all in Equestria.” She gestured Twilight to approach forward. “And so, we shall first hear words of wisdom from Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

Twilight beamed at her cherished mentor. “Thank you, Princess,” Twilight turned her attention toward the many faces of ponies. “This is truly a most memorable time, not just for me, but also to the friends I have so graciously come to know. They have taught me so many lessons that are so valuable and outshines every other lesson that I have ever come across. These lessons must be shared to all and we are more than honored to share them with you tonight...”

Suddenly, Twilight’s opening speech was interrupted by an unexpected and unscheduled thunderclap. Everypony looked up in the sky as pink clouds started to gather and produce brown raindrops.

“What?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “We aren’t supposed to have rain tonight, and tonight of all nights! What’s going on?!!”

Pinkie Pie let out her tongue to get a taste of the raindrops. “Oh my gosh!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “It tastes like chocolate milk!”

“That’s because it is chocolate milk, Pinkie!” Applejack said. “But why in the hay is it raining chocolate milk from those pink clouds?”

Twilight turned toward Princess Celestia to question this unpredictable act of weather, but Celestia’s facial expression beheld grim knowledge that only she and her little sister were well aware of. Celestia then directed her gaze to Luna. “Sister, inform the guards to make sure that everypony must take shelter in their homes. I will settle this matter alone... with him.”

“Understood, sister,” Luna responded. She then turned to the mane six and advised them to follow her while addressing the guards of Celestia’s royal orders.

“But, Princess Luna,” Twilight began to ask. “Why is it raining on the night of the Summer Sun Celebration?”

“Celestia and I have seen this ordeal a thousand years ago,” Princess Luna explained. “Those cotton candy clouds and chocolate milk rain are a sign that he has returned.”

“Who?”

Princess Luna slowly turned her head to Twilight. “Discordula.”

Princess Celestia breached her way out of the cotton candy clouds, using her magic to blast away the sticky, pink substance. She glanced around, searching for the vampiric tyrant she thought was long gone forever.

“Well, well, well,” a rich voice murmured behind her. “It’s about time you made your ever exuberant presence known.”