Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

Outside of Celestia’s bedroom, Shining Armor and Sunspot waited and watched the doors anxiously as Glitterball examined the princess within. They were confident the unicorn was safe from her previous preparations, and at any rate, they hadn’t heard any disconcerting noises.

Sunspot tapped a hoof against the floor restlessly. She knew that there wasn't much she could do if she did try to assist her friend. Glitter was always the more medically inclined of the group, ever since Peppermint died of course. Still, she couldn’t help but think the worst for the pale alicorn.

“You really think that remedy you guys found will work?” Shining spoke up, breaking the pegasus from her troubled thoughts.

Sunspot lifted a corner of her mouth and gave a half shrug. “Glitter seemed confident in it.”

“I don’t see how a few plants and random stuff can stave off a vampire’s hunger… but then again, there was a time not too long ago that I didn’t think vampires existed at all,” Shining said, shaking his head at the thought of how crazy his life had gotten recently.

“I just hope it works…” Sunspot paused abruptly as hoofsteps came from down the hall.

Both them and the two guards turned to see Twilight and Fluttershy hurrying over. The two mares slowed down and glanced at the doors before settling their eyes on the pair.

"How is she?" Twilight asked, worry showing in her eyes.

"Glitterball is in there examining her and giving her something to deal with the thirst." Shining Armor explained.

"She can do that?" Fluttershy tilted her head curiously.

"We're hoping." Sunspot said. She then noticed the small box the purple mare was carrying around, a bit of curiosity nagging at her. “What’s that?”

Twilight glanced at the package. “Oh, this? It’s… umm…” She paused uncomfortably, and although she didn’t mean for it, Shining noticed her trailing her eyes to the side ever so slightly, lost to her thoughts. “It’s… something Tom left for me.” She admitted.

Sunspot’s expression dropped along with her jaw. “Oh… Twilight, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Twilight said, managing to keep a somewhat composed air about her. “I’m just… not sure if I’m ready to open it.”

“You want me to hold onto it for you?” Shining offered softly.

“Would you?” Twilight asked, floating the box toward him before pausing hesitantly. He gently took it and nudged it out of her aura with his own before bringing it close and offering her a slight smile.

“I’ll keep it safe for you… Just come see me whenever you’re ready.” He said.

Twilight’s features brightened ever so slightly as she smiled at her brother. She could always count on her BBBFF to help her through even the toughest of times.

Just then, the group looked up as they heard more hoofsteps coming toward them from the opposite direction. They looked over, and much to their surprise, they saw Cadence walking towards them, assisting a familiar blue alicorn in staying upright.

The ponies frowned as they saw how weak Luna seemed. Fluttershy and Sunspot in particular were shocked to see the scope of her bandages and exhaustion for the first time since they left.

“Princess… what are you doing out of bed?” Twilight asked, hurrying forward and getting on the other side of the exhausted alicorn to help her walk.

Shining looked at his wife with a disappointed frown. “Cadence, I thought you were watching her?”

“I was.” Cadence replied, her eyes soft and holding more than a bit of regret. “But she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“And you didn’t restrain her?” Sunspot tilted her head. “Just look at her. She looks like she would fall over in a light breeze.”

Hearing this, Luna managed a smirk under her fatigued grimace. “Ha… it is going to take more than a breeze… to keep me from seeing my sister.” She said before cringing slightly as she put weight on her back leg. Twilight leaned into her more to help take the weight off.

“Well, I wish you would have at least waited a little while. Right now, nopony is seeing her until Glitter gets done-” Shining started, until the sound of the doors cracking open forced him to pause.

Everyone looked over to see a somber-looking polkadot-maned unicorn poking her head out of the room. Glitterball surveyed the group, taking a moment to show surprise at the sight of Luna, before stepping out and closing the doors behind her.

“How is she?” Twilight asked on behalf of the group. “Is she ok… is the thirst gone?”

Glitterball tensed her mouth a bit, seemingly a failed attempt at forcing a smile, before flattening her expression. “I think so.”

“You… think so?” Sunspot cocked an eyebrow downward.

“When she first woke up… she was really tired and sore. I suppose that’s a side effect of Tom’s blood being injected into her system. She could barely talk for a while, but from what I got out of her, she didn’t seem thirsty. After she got her strength back, I gave her the remedy… She growled at me a bit right before I gave it to her, but then she mellowed out. I think that means it worked.” Glitterball reported hesitantly.

“Can we see her?” Twilight asked.

Glitter frowned as she saw how desperate the group was to see the alicorn. “Strictly speaking… I think she could still be dangerous. There’s no telling how long the remedy will last if it even worked at all. I can have some more prepared, but I really don’t feel comfortable giving her any more unless we absolutely need to. That stuff would be toxic to a normal pony… and it has traces of silver in it, so it might even be toxic to her.”

Much to Twilight and Cadence’s surprise, they felt Luna step away from them, standing on her own four legs and walking up to Glitterball with a soft expression.

“Glitterball… would it be harmful to her if we saw her?” Luna asked, resting a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.

Glitterball trailed her eyes away uncomfortably and bit her lip. She then sighed and lowered her head before looking up to the princess of the night. “It wouldn’t hurt her… not physically, anyway. Just… be careful if she starts acting weird.”

“Thank you.” Luna smiled at the unicorn before turning to the others. “Forgive me, but may I request that you all wait a while longer?” She asked, looking at Shining Armor, Fluttershy, and Sunspot. “I know you wish to see her… but I think that it would be best if we were to have a private conversation first.” She glanced at Twilight and Cadence.

“Of course.” Shining Armor nodded.

Fluttershy smiled a bit. “Please, take all the time you need.”

“We’ll be out here if you need anything,” Sunspot added.

Meanwhile, Twilight seemed a bit surprised. “Princess, are you sure you don’t want me to wait outside? I mean… she is your family. You two should get to see her first.” She glanced at Cadence, who wore a slight frown.

Luna merely put a hoof on the young unicorn’s shoulder. “Twilight Sparkle… you may not be related to us by blood, but I would be remiss to say that you are not part of this family.”

Hearing this, Twilight felt a warm tug at her heart. She smiled, uncaring of how flush her face was getting, as Cadence initiated a hug for the both of them.

Glitterball watched as the trio walked up to her, ready and eager to be let inside. She still had a bit of a concerned expression as she looked at Luna and Cadence. “I just wanted to warn you… this is the first time you’re seeing her like this. It might be a little shocking.”

Luna looked over to Cadence, who offered her a confident nod in return, before turning back to the unicorn. “We appreciate the concern, Glitterball, but we will be fine.”

Glitter exhaled tensely. “Ok…” She then grabbed one of the doors and swung it open, gesturing the trio inside.

Twilight shared one last look at her friends and her brother before helping Cadence walk Luna inside. Glitterball stepped outside and closed the door behind them, and now there was no turning back.

The room around them was dark, possibly due to Celestia’s newfound sensitivity to light. There was, however, moonlight coming in through the glass doors to the balcony, softly illuminating the area and painting deep shadows over the corners of the bedroom.

And there, sitting on the edge of her bed, was Celestia herself. Her head was hung low, and her form was mostly painted in shadow from one of her bedposts, but even in the low light, the trio could see her pale fur and washed-out mane.

Celestia slowly lifted her head and looked over to her new visitors. Her red eyes fixated on them, seemingly glowing softly.

A slight gasp escaped Cadence as she put a hoof up to her mouth. Luna managed to internalize her reaction, but she couldn’t stop herself from staring ahead with wide eyes.

"Luna… Cadence." Celestia spoke up softly. However, as she noticed the purple unicorn next to the pair, her already somber expression fell even further. "Twilight…" She moved forward, getting off the bed and onto the floor with a metallic clink. It was around that time that the trio noticed the pair of shackles around her forelegs.

"Princess…" Twilight muttered, leaving Luna with Cadence so she could move forward slowly.

The pale alicorn met her student halfway. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, neither one sure of what to do or say. Luna and Cadence wondered if either of them would ever make the first move, until finally, Twilight reached out and wrapped her forelegs around her mentor.

Celestia took a moment and then brought a hoof up as far as she could and rested it against the unicorn’s side. "I'm so sorry, Twilight…" She quaked, thinking back to when she nearly killed her faithful student and tearing up.

"It wasn’t your fault," Twilight said, a slight shake to her voice as well. "I'm just glad you're back."

"Sister," Luna spoke after giving the pair a moment. "How do you feel?"

Celestia looked up to see Cadence and Luna approaching. She softened her eyes as she looked down to her own bound hooves. "All things considered… I’m doing better than I was. The thirst is gone… for the moment, anyway."

"That is good." Luna smiled before cringing again and clutching a hoof to her stomach.

Celestia frowned as she saw the state her sister was in. "You should be resting, sister. I'm amazed you can even stand after what Dusk did to you."

"I am fine… Right now, we should be concerned about your health, not mine." Luna said.

"Celestia," Cadence spoke up, a slight air of curiosity to her voice, "who is Dusk? Why did he want to do all of this to you?"

Celestia trailed her eyes down. She could see hesitant looks on their faces, but at the same time, she could tell that they wanted to know. "I suppose you all deserve an explanation…" She sighed. "Very well."

Twilight and the two alicorns waited for a moment as Celestia gathered her thoughts. She seemed almost hesitant to tell them.

"Twilight… I’m certain you realize that I have had students before you." Celestia said.

"Of course," Twilight replied before narrowing her expression a bit. "Wait… you don’t mean-"

"I'm afraid I do mean. Dusk was my student… and not only that, he was my first student." Celestia explained.

Luna adopted a confused and uneasy expression as she looked to the pale mare. "Sister… you never mentioned him before."

"That is because, much like your banishment to the moon, it is one of the greatest moments of shame in my life," Celestia said. She sighed and turned to look out of the balcony doors at the pale orb still hanging in the Canterlot sky. "It was a few days after I banished you. I was in… shall we say, a bad place. I had just lost you… my connection with the Elements of Harmony was severed, and on top of everything, I had to face ruling Equestria alone for the first time. Then… I stumbled upon a young alicorn that had just lost both of his parents in a terrible fire."

"Dusk," Twilight muttered to herself. She paused and lowered her eyes in thought before looking back up to her mentor. "But… Princess, I didn’t think there were any other alicorns in Equestria."

"It is true that the fourth race has always been a rarity. However, there were a few more of us back in the day. Almost all of them died through various circumstances over the years. Dusk’s family was one of the only others left after our parents died so long ago." Celestia’s mouth curled down as she glanced to Luna. "I knew of them… but they mostly kept to themselves. They were aristocrats, however, so word of the fire at their estate reached me quickly."

The princess sighed as she continued. “Dusk was a bright young soul, much like you, Twilight. He had remarkable talent and drive to study magic. However… he also had other, more troubling... aspects to him. I came to learn that he had a fascination for life and death, and a strong lack of empathy for others.”

She grew quieter as she thought back to her time with the brown stallion.

“He would… use animals in his magical experiments, with little regard for their safety. That was around the time I started to figure out how he really was, but I was so desperate to do something right… to steer someone away from the negative aspects of their life, as I had failed to do before, that I simply reprimanded him and moved on.”

“That sounds awful…” Cadence frowned at the thought.

“Unfortunately, it got worse,” Celestia said. “For a few weeks, there would be missing ponies reported in and around the city. It was mostly the impoverished, and those that had a criminal background. Then…” She trailed her eyes away. “I found him torturing somepony.”

“That explains so much,” Twilight muttered to herself, suppressing a shudder as she thought back to how the alicorn stared at her like she was just a pet. “He mentioned you doing something to him… what did he mean?”

“Well… naturally, I was shocked to learn everything he had done. But, I was too heartbroken to imprison him or… other such punishments. The only thing I could bring myself to do was to strip him of his alicorn magic.” Celestia explained.

“I’ll bet he took that well.” Cadence commented blatantly.

Meanwhile, Twilight narrowed her expression. “Wh… you took away his… alicorn magic? You can just do that?”

Celestia set her mouth in a grim line. “It is a very powerful spell… one that I have made sure was forgotten to time.”

“Ok…” Twilight blinked, a bit disquieted by the notion of the princess wielding such a troubling spell. “So, I take it that taking away his magic made him… mortal?”

Luna half-smiled. “Alicorns are hardly immortal, Twilight. We can be killed just like any normal pony. It’s just that time loses its effect on us after we reach maturity.”

“So that’s how you live so long.” Twilight nodded in revelation.

“Precisely,” Celestia said. “Which is why I deemed it fit to remove Dusk’s magic and banish him from Equestria. I had hoped that he would have lived out the rest of his days in solitude and quietly disappear in the sands of time… but it seems that my naivety has returned to plague me.”

Twilight frowned sympathetically as she watched her mentor looking at her own pale hooves. She couldn’t imagine what it must have felt like to be a stranger in her own body.

Luna burned with a desire to comfort her sister, but she wasn't sure what to say. She always thought that since she returned, she had gotten close with her sister, to where Celestia could confide in her about anything again, but apparently, the older mare felt that some things were too shameful to speak of.

Around that time, the door behind them cracked open. The group turned to see Glitterball poking her head into the room, wearing a hesitant frown.

"Sorry to interrupt… but I really think we need to have a talk about what we’re going to do next." Glitter said, paying particular attention to the pale alicorn.

"Right…" Luna cleared her throat and thoughts as she turned to the white unicorn. "You are most correct, Glitterball."

"Did you guys find the cure?" Twilight asked, inching closer to the white mare eagerly.

Glitterball wrinkled her expression slightly, immediately replacing Twilight’s eagerness with unease. "We did… but there's a problem."

"A problem?" Cadence parroted, glancing to Celestia with more than a hint of concern in her eyes. "Wh… what kind of problem?"

"Well," Glitter rubbed her foreleg up and down as she struggled to find a way to explain. Finally, she sighed and faced the group. "The cure requires a certain ingredient. Ground-up petals… from a flower that only blooms in daylight."

Twilight’s face paled as she looked to her mentor with wide eyes. "Oh no…"

"It's not as bad as you're thinking," Glitterball assured before deflating slightly. "We do have some of these petals on hoof. They can be used in other magical applications… but, we only have enough for one dose."

"That’s good… isn't it?" Twilight asked. "We can just give it to her and she can raise the sun so we can get another dose for that mare you found."

The idea seemed sound, but judging from Glitterball’s expression, they were still worried.

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple either. Even with daylight, these flowers are rare. They don't even grow this late in the year. It could take days for us to find more… and in that time, I'm afraid that Scribble might give out from hunger." Glitter explained.

"But… what about the remedy you gave Celestia?" Cadence asked, looking a bit desperate. She hadn’t even met the peach mare, but she didn't want anyone else to die.

Glitterball frowned softly. "Assuming it worked for that long, it wouldn’t matter. Vampires need blood to survive… they can go for a day or two without it, but not much longer. That remedy gets rid of the instinct to feed… but it doesn't change the way their bodies work."

Twilight, Cadence, and Luna all had their expressions fall as they realized the predicament they were in. In order to save Celestia, they would have to sacrifice another life.

"There must be another way." Luna insisted. "That poor girl has been through enough. We rescued her… she should be safe with us."

"I'm sorry… I can’t think of any other solution. This is the only cure in the books." Glitterball explained, her eyes trembling with regret.

Cadence sighed and lowered her head to the floor, letting her ears droop. "It can't be helped. We need the sun if we're going to have even a remote chance of beating Dusk. As much as I hate to say it… we need to give the cure to-"

"Give it to Scribble," Celestia spoke up.

Cadence and everyone else paused and turned to see the pale alicorn staring ahead solemnly. She didn't have an ounce of doubt or worry on her face.

"Sister…" Luna muttered, at a loss for any other words.

Cadence stepped toward her aunt, unable to hide the concern in her face. "Celestia, you can't be serious. I don’t like this any more than you do, but we have no other choice."

"It's my choice to make, and I say there is another choice," Celestia said, standing up to meet her niece's gaze. "My body will last longer than hers. I can hold out until we find more of those flowers."

"But… we need the sun to-" Cadence started frantically, only to be interrupted.

"I can still raise the sun," Celestia said.

Twilight caught a gasp. "Princess… what are you saying? You'll die if you go in sunlight!"

Celestia merely looked at her student and flashed her usual confident smile. "I never said anything about exposing myself to sunlight."

Twilight cocked her head to the side, utterly confused. "Huh?"
.
..
…
A few minutes later, Cadence and Luna sat alone with Celestia in her chambers.

There were thick curtains placed over the balcony doors, blocking out any and all views outside.

Celestia tugged the blanket strewn over her head, creating a small crevice to poke her horn out of. She looked to her sister and niece, a bit of an amused smile forming as she noted her ridiculous appearance.

Cadence smirked as well as she saw the pale muzzle poking out at her. She then lowered her expression and tensed her jaw. "Are you sure about this? Even if this works, it will be really hard on you to go so long without sustenance."

Celestia reached a hoof up, briefly clinking it against the cuffs around her forelegs before the pink alicorn levitated a key over to the lock and released the restraints, allowing her aunt to put a hoof on her shoulder.

"I am as sure of this as I have ever been about anything," Celestia assured. She then turned to her sister and nodded toward the balcony. "Are you ready, Luna?"

Luna smiled before a twinge of pain forced a cringe. She didn't want to admit it, but lowering the moon right now was going to be just as hard for her as raising the sun was going to be for the pale alicorn. Still, she forced a confident expression to her face and gave a quick nod.

"I am ready whenever you are, sister."

Celestia’s mouth dropped with concern, but she patted her sister on the foreleg anyway and turned around.

As the two royal sisters walked up to the balcony and opened the doors, Cadence anxiously followed behind, stopping just before the doors and keeping another blanket at the ready with her magic. She watched as the pair walked all the way to the edge and looked out at the city and the countryside below, and the night sky above.

Luna glanced back to Cadence, who gave her a semi-confident nod. She then looked up to Celestia, who seemed the most prepared out of all of them.

At last, she looked up to her moon before lighting up her horn. The reach of her magic extended into the heavens, connecting with her beautiful symbol of power and tugging it downward. The night had gone on for long enough. It was time for the sun to return.

Celestia watched as Luna grit her teeth, struggling to get the moon moving with how fatigued she was. However, soon enough, the pale orb jerked under the horizon, leaving the sky a dark void of black.

Taking a deep breath, Celestia lit up her horn as well. The familiar warmth of the sun-washed over her as she felt it beneath the horizon.

However, the pleasant tingle she usually felt was different this time. It felt foreign. There was a slight sting to it, like it didn’t recognize her and was silently telling her to stop, to keep her from meddling with power that was more than she could take.

Ignoring this sensation, Celestia shared one last glance with Luna before pulling the blanket close to her face and averting her eyes as she bade her golden orb to rise.

All at once, the horizon split with shades of yellow and blue as light pierced the air. The freezing cold that had pervaded the night lessened as the warm glow shone down, bathing all of the creatures that called Equestria home in its brilliance.

Not every creature was ready to face the warm glow, however.

Almost the instant the sun rose, a sizzling sound came from the slight cracks in Celestia’s fluffy armor as her body started burning.

"AHH!" She yelped, recoiling backward. Her hooves were exposed as she moved, causing them to steam as well.

"Sister!" Luna widened her eyes. She rushed forward, trying her best to block any rays hitting the pale mare with her body.

"Get her inside!" Cadence shouted, throwing the other blanket up and spreading it out, keeping it between Celestia and the sun.

The two alicorns rushed the sizzling princess into the bedroom before closing the doors and shutting the curtains, sheltering her away from her own sun.

They stepped back and looked to the white mare, faces full of alarm. Celestia panted briefly as the steaming stopped. After a moment, she lowered her makeshift hood, revealing reddened fur that quickly started fading back to her previous shade of pale white.

Celestia exhaled softly, letting her shoulders relax as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "You know… I'm not certain who that sunrise hurt more. Me, or all of the roosters across Equestria." She jested, managing a slight chuckle.

Luna let out a tiny giggle as well, which quickly grew into full-blown laughter alongside her sister and niece. She then reached forward and wrapped her sister up into a warm hug. Cadence joined in soon after, and for the first time since the events of last night happened, they were actually happy about something.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Glitterball and Sunspot had escorted Scribble away from any windows and placed her in a room where they could create the cure.

The peach mare watched as the pair went to and fro, gathering and preparing various strange ingredients and doing all manner of things to them. Liquids boiled in beakers, powders were ground and mixed in bowls.

Glitterball took an empty syringe and walked over to her pale patient with a bit of a sympathetic look on her face.

"What’s that for?" Scribble asked nervously, though she could already guess the answer.

Glitter frowned softly as she looked to the syringe. "Sorry, but one of the things we need is blood from the afflicted individual… which in this case, is you."

"Look at it this way. A little poke from us is better than you giving someone else a big poke." Sunspot reasoned.

"Umm… I guess." Scribble furrowed a brow at the pegasus before turning to Glitter and sighing tensely. "Whatever it takes." She lifted a foreleg and held it out before turning and covering her face with the other.

Glitterball quickly prepared the pale pony’s foreleg, swabbing it with alcohol and tying a strap around it. She then felt around for a vein and hovered the needle up with her magic.

A slight squeak from the peach mare made Glitter look over to see her quickly covering her eyes again from peeking. The timid reaction was a bit strange coming from such a terrifying-looking pony with red eyes and fangs, but it melted Glitter's heart nonetheless.

"I'll be as gentle as I can." She assured.

Scribble merely nodded, still hiding her eyes.

With all the care of a seasoned nurse, Glitterball inserted the needle into Scribble’s foreleg. The sensation of pain was lessened from her unnatural state, but it was still enough to cause a slight flinch.

Soon enough, the syringe was filling up with discolored blood. The dark liquid almost seemed to thicken and congeal slightly as it left her body, creating some difficulty in getting the syringe full.

“Sunspot, could you bring that bowl with the silver mixture over here?” Glitter asked as she removed the needle and untied the strap from Scribble’s limb. She was preparing to put a bandage over the entry site when she realized that the hole had already sealed up.

Sunspot looked over the mess of bowls and beakers they had amassed in their little work area before finding one with some kind of paste and silver shavings in it. “Got it.”

As the pegasus brought the bowl over, Glitter took the syringe and emptied it onto the mixture. There was a sizzle and a light amount of steam as the blood contacted the bowl, covering everything within. Much to the watching ponies’ intrigue, there was a slight glow of orange as the mixture changed from its initial gray color to a soft blue, whereupon the sizzling stopped.

“Perfect.” Glitter smiled at the seemingly random result. “It’s going just like the book said.” She walked over to the table, taking the bowl and setting it down before taking some other ingredients and mixing them in.

Scribble and Sunspot watched the unicorn at work. Sunspot yawned, while the peach mare seemed fixated on the fascinating process.

“So… this stuff is supposed to change me back to normal?” Scribble asked.

“That’s the idea.” Sunspot replied plainly.

“It should work just fine. Trust me, these books we use are the real deal.” Glitterball assured.

Scribble seemed more confused than hopeful. “But, how can I go back to normal? Aren’t I technically… dead?” She swallowed uncomfortably. “I-I mean, I had my throat slit… I don’t see how some concoction is going to fix that.”

“Trust me, kid, it’s better if you don’t overthink it. You’ll be fine.” Sunspot said, patting the pale mare on the shoulder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. After a moment, a guard entered in, letting a slight glow of sunlight poke through the crack in the door.

“Woah…” Sunspot said, nudging Scribble away from the door as she looked outside. “I guess the princess really did it.” She smirked before turning to the guard. “What’s up?”

The guard glanced between the two members of Spirit before settling eyes on Scribble, doing a slight double-take as he did. It was certainly an odd sight to see a pale pony with fangs and red eyes chilling with the two mares, but the guards around the castle were starting to get used to the monster hunters and their odd brand of shenanigans.

“Princess Luna wants one of you to go talk with her about something.” The stallion reported.

Sunspot wrinkled her expression a bit as she turned to her companion. Glitter seemed occupied with making the cure, so it would probably be for the best if she were the one to go. “I can go see what she wants. Are you gonna need any more help?”

“I should be able to finish up without you. Go on ahead.” Glitterball said, briefly looking up from her work.

Sunspot cringed as smoke started coming from one of the beakers, eliciting a startled squeak from the unicorn as she raced to get it back under control. “Yikes… looks like it might still be a while before she gets done.” She said, glancing to the guard and the light coming from outside before turning to Scribble. “Uh… you’re gonna have to let Glitter know if you need to use the bathroom or something. Don’t want you getting a sunburn.”

“I’m fine, thanks.” Scribble smiled at the pegasus as she closed the door. The sounds of both her and the guard trotting away soon diminished, and the room fell silent once more, save for the soft bubbling and smoking of Glitterball’s workstation.

Glitter glanced over her shoulder to see the pale pony sitting politely, though there was a hint of anxiousness about her. “Guess it’s just us for a while. You want to read through one of these books while you wait?” She offered, nodding to the small stack of books she had nearby. The subject matter was perhaps a bit boring to anyone not interested in odd forms of magic, but it wasn't like they had any magazines to pass out.

“No thank you. I’ll just wait here… unless you need some help?” Scribble suggested.

Glitterball smiled a bit and shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine. Don’t worry, I’ll have you back to normal before you know it.” She said confidently before turning back to her work.

Realizing that she would be waiting for some time in such a small room, Scribble figured that she might as well get comfortable. She sat down on a nearby cushion and occupied herself with her thoughts, tapping a hoof on the floor quietly.

She couldn’t wait to surprise her brother. She had scarcely seen the young stallion since he was whisked away to get his injured leg taken care of. There was a time not too long ago that she thought that she would never get to see him again, so waiting a while longer wasn't a problem.

Looking over, the peach mare watched Glitterball working for a bit. It was almost relaxing, seeing the unicorn add ingredients to bowls and grind up plants and different items. Occasionally, the unicorn would mumble to herself, briefly thinking about the next step in the odd recipe she was following. If she couldn’t find what to do after a short period, she would consult an open book beside her and silently exclaim in revelation before moving on.

It was easy to see how skilled the monster hunters were, not that Scribble doubted for a minute. After all, they did work directly under Princess Luna.

A warm, tingly feeling welled up inside her cold, lifeless heart as she stopped tapping her hoof. She almost couldn’t believe that such important ponies would go out of their way to help her. It was incredibly humbling and heartfelt. This wouldn’t do at all. Her mother taught her to be grateful to those that helped her. She would have to help, even if it was in the smallest way.

However, as she went to get up, Scribble suddenly discovered that her body refused to react to her whims. She trailed her eyes down to her now still hooves and tried again, only to meet stiff resistance.

She couldn’t move.

Around that time, a deep tingle crept up into the back of her head, a low buzz that quickly grew in strength as her body grew faint and distant.

Scribble opened her mouth and tried to call out, but the only noise to come out was a slight expellance of air that wasn't enough to reach Glitterball, who was still working away, unaware of what was going on with her companion.

And then, a low chuckle filled her ears, sending down her back the first shiver she had felt since becoming a creature of the night.

My, my… Canterlot Castle? Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get away from me, Scholarly Scribble.

The refined and sickeningly confident voice was immediately familiar to her. She thought she would hear it in her nightmares for the rest of her life, but this was no nightmare. Or was it?

Trying again to move, all that came of it were slight sensations of her muscles contracting. All she could move was her eyes, and they were wide and afraid.

Oh? Don’t act so surprised… Did you really think I would just leave you alone, my little pony?

The stallion laughed, a low, quiet chortle that tickled her ears and echoed in her head.

Scribble looked ahead to the white unicorn, the only one near enough to do anything to help her. She still hadn’t caught on. After all, why would she? Scribble was being a pleasant guest, so quiet and polite. She was having a bad enough day already, so why would Glitter trouble her any further with asking for help or making small talk?

Look at her… Dusk whispered as if he were right next to her. Scribble’s eyes focused on the unicorn like the stallion had taken her head and pointed it right at her. She really thinks she’s making a difference, doesn’t she? I’ll bet Princess Luna has her and all her little friends thinking they’re making the world a better place… heh.

He can see her? Scribble thought to herself, more than a bit alarmed. How was he able to know who she was with, or where she was? She knew magic was a strange and useful thing, but she didn’t think it could do something like this.

Then she realized. She realized how the alicorn could see as if he had a pair of eyes in the room. He did have a pair of eyes in the room. Her eyes.

He was looking through her, using her senses as his own, like the perfect spy. She would have shut her eyes or looked away, but she couldn’t move a muscle.

What’s she making over there? Dusk mused, though by the mocking tone of his voice, she wagered he already knew. Let me guess… they found a cure for you, didn’t they? Oh, my child… why would you want to cast off the gift I’ve given you? Can’t you feel how strong you are? How fast? Why… I’ll bet you could snap her like a twig.

No… please… Scribble’s eyes trembled as they kept staring ahead with newfound intensity. Suddenly, she found herself standing up against her will, her movements stiff, but forceful.

You can feel it, can’t you? Her heartbeat?

Scribble’s pupils shrank as she felt a familiar twinge in her stomach. Her nose suddenly found the overwhelming scent of copper, and she could hear a rhythmic beat in the air that was coming from the unicorn.

What Celestia told you is true… I can’t order you to kill anyone. Not yet. Dusk said. She could practically see the devilish grin on his face, wherever he was.

But… if I order you to attack her, there’s nothing stopping you from just following your instincts, is there?

Then, the tingle in her head intensified. Scribble felt the alicorn’s will commanding her, wordless, but absolute. This time, it wasn't like back at the castle, where she could mostly keep her own will and make her own choices while carrying out his orders in the meantime. This time, her body was not her own.

Glitterball… Scribble pleaded, though her words wouldn’t form. Her mouth was open, but all that was coming out was a bit of saliva dripping from her now exposed fangs. Her eyes couldn’t tear away, and although they were starting to glow a bit more intensely and hardening, they started to water at their corners. Please… turn around…

Meanwhile, Glitter was blissfully absorbed in her work. She had made more difficult magical concoctions before, but this one wasn't what she would call easy. Still, the pieces were coming together, and she would stir and grind until her hooves were raw if that was what it took.

Finally, as a silverish liquid passed through a series of tubes and into a bowl full of the other ingredients, Glitter stepped back as a cloud of white smoke puffed into the air before dissipating. She smiled as she looked at the result.

“There we go… now we just wait a bit for it to finish, and we’ll be ready to turn you back to normal, Scribble.” She reported happily.

Strangely, there was no reaction from the mare behind her. This was more than a little confusing for Glitterball. After all, the peach pony should have been ecstatic at the news.

“Scribble…?” Glitter skewed her expression a bit. “Did you fall asleep or s-”

The sound of hooves behind her made her give pause. Then, the sound of a feral growl made her skin crawl.

Glitter spun around, only to be met face to snarling face with Scribble, only she didn’t seem like her usual demure self. Now, her glowing red eyes held only one emotion.

Anger.

“AH!” Glitterball yelped as the peach pony lunged for her.

Scribble tackled her into the table, nearly knocking the bowl off. Glitter shoved her hooves into the peach mare’s shoulders, pushing as hard as she could to protect herself.

“Scribble, snap out of it!” Glitter pleaded, but her words fell on deaf ears. The pale pony growled as she lunged her head forward, opening her mouth wide and aiming right for the unicorn’s neck.

With a quick shove, Glitterball managed to push Scribble to the side, forcing her off balance and into the wall as she fell over. The unicorn backed up, nearly falling over herself, as she stared ahead at the peach pony, who was already getting back up.

Glitter was weaponless and defenseless. She didn’t have her vest or any of her gear, save for her emergency strobe, but that wouldn’t do much for her.

She did have one thing she could do, however.

Thinking fast, and with Scribble already rearing up for another pounce, Glitter held a hoof up to her ear and thought to her pegasus friend.

“Sunspot, help!” She exclaimed frantically, the sensation in her head and the glow on the tip of her hoof the only things telling her anyone was even listening. Before she could even say or do anything else, Scribble rushed for her again with an angry snarl.

Glitter lit up her horn, hoping to grab onto the pale pony before she could reach her, only to get tackled again before she could even concentrate on a spell. She smacked into the ground, even hitting her head, but she couldn’t afford to waver for a second as she pushed her hooves wherever she could find a grip.

“Glitter?!” Sunspot’s voice echoed in her head, indicating that her cry for help had at least been heard. “Glitter, what’s wrong?!”

The unicorn couldn’t answer her friend. Her hooves were tied up with keeping Scribble at bay, and she was having a hard enough time doing that.

Scribble punched a hoof at Glitterball, catching her in the side of the head. The impact was painful to say the least, but it didn’t do much else. The peach mare then flew into a blur of flailing forelegs, grasping and striking wildly. All Glitter could do was weave her head to the sides.

Then, Scribble reached down and grabbed Glitter by the shoulder and the back of the head before pulling the unicorn up toward her mouth.

Glitter quickly realized that not only was she about to die, but Scribble would die as well. Seeing the peach mare’s open maw closing in, she flinched and did the only thing she could think of. She reached down to her hind leg and pulled her strobe from its velcro strap. She then shoved it up and into Scribble’s mouth.

The pale pony chomped down, fully expecting to catch a mouth full of warm throat. What she caught instead, was a tiny glass vial that immediately cracked and shattered under her feral strength.

A flash of light exploded inside her mouth as the blue liquid inside the vial reacted with the now exposed primer. All at once, a painful spray of multicolored sparks, glass, liquid, and steam sputtered free of her mouth as she reeled back with a yelp.

Glitter cringed sympathetically as she watched the pale mare coughing and spitting to get the doubtlessly foul-tasting and unpleasant liquid out of her mouth. “Sorry, Scribble. You’ll thank me for this later!” She said before kicking out with her hind leg. She sent Scribble flying into the wall a short distance away, giving her enough time to scramble back and catch her breath while getting to her own hooves again.

Lighting up her horn once more, Glitter wrapped her magic around Scribble as she was trying to get up. The pale mare’s eyes flared angrily and she let loose an unnatural bark as she found her movements being resisted by a colorful blue glow.

With her heart pounding and her mind racing, Glitter tried to think of some way to incapacitate Scribble without hurting her. She knew her magic would give out shortly if the pale pony tried fighting back. She needed a non-lethal solution, and fast.

Then, she widened her eyes with revelation as she remembered the syringe full of Tom’s blood that she still had. She darted her eyes along the table, partially forgetting where she put it and trying to find where it ended up after the impact to the table knocked everything out of place.

Finding the familiar needle near the back of the table, Glitter grit her teeth as she realized what she needed to do.

The unicorn rushed as quickly as she could while still focusing on her levitation spell. She reached the table and reached out a hoof, catching the syringe by the casing before suddenly having a shooting pain rack her head.

“Agh!” Glitter yelped, clutching her other hoof to her temple as a great force acted on her magical aura. Forcing one eye open through the pain, she looked to the side just in time to see Scribble wrenching free from her hold and spinning around to face her.

With newfound urgency, Glitter secured her grip on the needle and pulled it back, but not before hearing a yell from the side and getting tackled into the wall. The syringe fell from her hoof as she smacked into the unforgiving marble and stone.

Her entire back and her skull were vibrating with pain by now. Her vision was blurring slightly, and her muscles were sore. Any adrenaline or meager rest she had was starting to be counteracted by how tired she was, both from lack of sleep and a whole night’s worth of fighting.

Strangely, as she looked up, she didn’t see Scribble preparing to lunge at her with teeth bared. Instead, she found the peach mare standing just ahead, glaring at her fiercely. There was a certain quality to her eyes that didn’t just indicate blind instinct and hunger. There was some level of intelligence about her, but not like the other vampires Glitter had seen. It was like Scribble was on autopilot, following some task given to her, and that task seemed to be to do her harm.

As if to further cement that she wasn't simply out for blood, Scribble glanced to the side, to the table full of items, ingredients, and tools, and picked up a knife. She turned and flipped it around in her hoof to point it at Glitter menacingly.

“Scribble… please don’t do this.” Glitter pleaded, holding her hooves out as both a disarming gesture and a way to stay at the ready to protect herself.

There was a slight waver to the peach mare’s eyes, and her muscles tensed ever so slightly. However, any hesitance quickly vanished as she grit her teeth and yelled before lunging forward with her weapon.

Glitter produced a fearful squeak and ducked to the side just in time to miss a slash from the blade. She backed up, nearly tripping over a cushion on the floor as Scribble closed in again.

Another swipe caught the unicorn across a foreleg as she tried to shield her vitals, leaving a bit of blood on the edge of the knife and causing a painful cry.

As Scribble stabbed toward her chest, Glitter grabbed the pale mare’s hoof and foreleg with both limbs, doing everything in her power to fight back against Scribble’s unnatural strength. However, judging from her shaking forelegs, she knew that this was a losing fight.

Scribble pushed the unicorn back, all the way to the other side of the room and up against the wall. Glitter had to get on her hind legs as the relentless pony kept pressing the knife closer and closer to her face. She cringed and turned her head to the side, her eyes trembling with fear, and tried to light up her horn.

The usual blue aura around her horn sparked and fitted under her nerves. She couldn’t concentrate enough to do anything meaningful, and even if she could, she was swiftly draining her energy reserves, both magical and physical.

Just then, the sound of hooves rapidly approaching came from outside the room. The door beside the pair flung open, revealing an alarmed-looking orange pegasus that only became more alarmed as she saw what was going on.

“Holy hay!” Sunspot reeled back slightly as she saw her friend being held at knifepoint by a now feral peach mare.

“A little help here?!” Glitter pleaded, barely holding onto the pale pony. Suddenly, Scribble reeled her hoof back, freeing the knife and freeing her up to make a vicious swipe at the unicorn’s neck. Glitter dropped to the floor with a terrified yelp, leaving the blade to make a deep cut in the wall where she just was.

Scribble looked over just in time to watch Sunspot rush up to her and wrap a pair of forelegs around her waist, pinning her own forelegs. The pegasus pulled back, hoping to distance the threat from her friend. However, a brief struggle ending with a reverse headbutt sent her reeling back with a bloodied nose.

“Ow!” Sunspot yelped as she clutched her new injury. She briefly glared at the pale pony, only to widen her eyes as she saw Scribble rearing up for a back kick.

*Thwack*

With a cringe-worthy smack, Sunspot was sent flying across the room, nearly landing on the worktable at the back.

While the pegasus was settling into a crumpled heap on the ground, Scribble turned her attention back to the main source of the command from her master. She found Glitter still pressed up against the wall, an exhausted look to her underneath all the fear.

As Scribble rushed up and reeled her foreleg back before stabbing it forward, Glitter pushed herself to light up her horn once more. She just barely managed to wrap another aura around the pale pony, jutting her to a stop, but not a full one.

Glitter clenched her jaw, sweat dripping from her forehead as her horn sparked and threatened giving out. Her fatigue and the stress of holding onto a paranormal creature was too much, and she couldn’t even move to get away without risking losing her hold entirely. Still, the knife inched closer, shakily moving like it was underwater.

“Scribble…” Glitter panted, looking the peach mare in the eye. She glanced over to see Sunspot getting up and looking her way. She then darted her eyes pointedly toward the syringe on the ground, getting her message across to her friend before meeting Scribble’s gaze. “I know you’re in there. Please… you have to fight it.”

Sunspot rushed over and picked up the syringe from the ground as her friend struggled to stay alive.

Glitter put her hooves up and limply pushed back on the knife with all her might, but she had nothing left to give. “Please… don’t be the monster he wants you to b-”

*SQUELCH*

A wet gush cut the unicorn off as Scribble finally broke free from the magical hold, plunging the knife forward into Glitterball’s stomach.

Hearing this, Sunspot looked up from her newly acquired weapon to see her friend staring ahead, wide-eyed. She couldn’t see the extent of the damage with Scribble standing there, but she could see the blood dripping to the floor.

“GLITTER!” Sunspot yelled as her friend slid down the wall. She darted ahead, clutching the needle in her hoof with blind rage.

Scribble turned to meet the pegasus, brandishing a bloodied knife. She made a swipe, only to have her attack dodged and her foreleg grabbed and twisted. Once the knife was at an odd angle, Sunspot knocked it out of the pale mare’s hoof, sending it sliding along the floor.

Before Sunspot could inject the needle into her, Scribble socked her other hoof into her jaw. The peach mare then pushed the pegasus away.

Sunspot smacked into one of the smaller tables against the side wall. The syringe went flying from her hoof, clattering along the floor and under the main worktable. Her head was spinning, but she pushed through the fog in her mind to sit up, but not before noticing the sight of Scribble rushing right for her.

With a fierce growl, Scribble pounced onto the orange mare with hooves outstretched and fangs bared. Sunspot yelped and held her own hooves out, catching the flying pony by the shoulders and barely keeping her at bay.

The gnashing teeth and hungry glare fixated on her were a terrifying sight, even for the normally bold ex Wonderbolt. If Scribble was fighting to complete orders before, now she was fully giving in to the thirst inside her.

Sunspot grunted as she struggled to keep the pale mare away. She swiftly realized that her forelegs were giving out, and her hind legs were pinned. Her pupils shrank and a half-formed noise of denial escaped her as Scribble lunged down with her fangs.

There was a sharp pain, and Sunspot croaked as she tried to inhale.

Then, just when the teeth digging in were about to bite even deeper, Scribble stopped abruptly. Sunspot looked up, only to see the pale mare staring ahead with wide eyes as a series of glowing lines spidered out from the back of her neck, from a now empty syringe sticking out of her covered in a blue aura.

Scribble reeled back and let out a deafening screech. She clutched at the back of her neck feverishly before flopping onto the ground and writhing.

Sunspot put a hoof up to her neck, only to pull it away with a bit of blood on it, blood that was running down her fur. She looked over to Glitterball and saw the unicorn slumped up against the wall, clutching her bleeding stomach and barely holding her head up with her horn aglow.

The peach mare’s screams and cries went on for a few moments before she devolved into a mess of panting and gasping. Then, she fell still, and peace returned to her face for the first time since the struggle began.

“Glitter!” Sunspot grunted as she got to her hooves and rushed over to her friend. The unicorn was gushing blood from beneath her hooves, and she was already looking rough. “Sweet Celestia…”

Glitter whined softly in pain as she tried to get up, only to fail. She cringed and looked up, concern showing through the pain and exhaustion in her face as she saw the blood on Sunspot’s neck, coming from two fang-sized holes.

“Are… are you ok?” She asked, pausing to draw air between her teeth as she returned her stained hooves to her wound. “Did she drink any blood?” She looked to the motionless peach mare with a more alarmed expression.

Sunspot cringed as she held a hoof to her neck again. “I… I-I don’t know.” She said, her heart dropping as she realized the implications of the admittedly shallow wound. The pegasus rushed over to the unconscious pony and opened her mouth, inspecting it for signs of the crimson fluid. “She… she has some on her teeth, but I don’t think she got any in her mouth… I hope.”

Glitter craned her head up to see the bowl still on the work table. “Is the cure done?”

“Uh…” Sunspot paused as she walked over and looked into the bowl. The dull-colored mess inside was hardly appealing, visually or aromatically, but it did little to tell her if it was finished. “It looks kinda gray and liquidy… does that mean anything?”

“Yeah…” Glitterball panted, shifting her position slightly before slumping back against the wall. “It’s done… Give… give it to her… q-quick.”

Wasting no time, Sunspot took the bowl from the table and brought it over to Scribble. She set it down nearby and cradled the peach mare’s head under a foreleg. She then picked up the bowl and gently poured its contents into her mouth. It was almost fortunate that Scribble wasn't awake. If she was, she would have gagged and possibly even vomited.

Once she was done, Sunspot set the bowl back down and watched anxiously for any changes. Much to her dread, nothing happened.

“Is it working…?” She asked hesitantly, the knot in her stomach tying even tighter. “Come on, kid…”

A pained groan brought the pegasus’ attention back to her friend.

“Ngh… The… t-the book says that it takes a while… to work.” Glitterball muttered, a bit delirious. She had a dazed look in her eyes, and her face was getting pale, which wasn't hard to imagine, given the small puddle of blood pooling onto the floor where she lay.

“Hey…” Sunspot stood up, looking at the unicorn with a worried frown. “Stay with me, Glitter. You’re gonna be ok.”

As the pegasus walked over, Glitter panted and muttered under her breath. Her eyes fluttered and lost focus, and she started to slump to the side as her hooves fell away from her wound.

“Glitter…? Glitter?!”