Chapter 1 (2nd Draft)View OnlineBats! (Alternate Ending)Chapter 1 (2nd Draft)"So much for having the winning apple in the Appleoosa state fair, huh?" Rainbow says solemnly as Applejack picks up the knife. Applejack takes a sad look at the apple and hesitates before making a huge slice, allowing the smallest bit of juice to leak out. The smell of the juice wafts over to FlutterBat's nostrils, making her stop in her tracks as she flies over the orchard. Temptation filling her, she turns towards the smell and sees the giant, juicy apple. FlutterBat bares her fangs, and lets out a snarling hiss as she dives for the apple. "She's coming!" Rainbow Dash whispers to Applejack. Just as FlutterBat is about to sink her teeth down into the apple, Applejack kicks it out of the way, revealing a mirror directly behind it, held by Spike. FlutterBat stops, and stares at her reflection. Then she shakes her head and tears her eyes away, only to come face to face with a second mirror. She escapes that mirror, only to encounter a third, held up by Rarity's magic. Unable to resist, FlutterBat ends up doing the Stare on herself. Twilight takes this chance to step forward and cast her spell. A bright pink light envelopes itself around FlutterBat, growing brighter by the second. As quickly as it formed, the light turns white and vanishes. And in FlutterBat's place is none other than... FlutterBat. The spell didn't work. Fluttershy didn't return to normal. The monster blinks and looks around. "Twilight, what the hay happened?" Applejack snaps, turning her attention to the purple pony princess. "I-I-I don't know! That should have worked!" Before anypony else can speak, FlutterBat hisses and dive bombs them all before flying off into the distance. "Great. Now what do we do?!" Rainbow Dash asks helplessly. "Panic?" Pinkie Pie suggests worriedly, biting her hooves. "No! Nopony panic!" Twilight says. "We just need to come up with a new plan, is all. We still have time, right? She's only eating fruits, after all. Not like she's eating actual ponies!" Zecora has been busy cleaning up her hut in the middle of the forest. She has just finished rearranging some bottles of mysterious, fruit-smelling liquid when she hears a whooshing noise come from outside her window. Being in the Everfree, she's used to strange noises, but this one seems... off, somehow. "Huh?" she asks quietly. The zebra looks out the window and sees nothing. She decides that maybe it's just her imagination and turns away, intent on finishing up her cleaning by wiping down a few more surfaces. She isn't cleaning for long, before a strange slurping sound comes from the same area outside. This being the second strange noise in a row, she decides that maybe she's not imagining things, and exits her hut to have a look around. "Who is there?" Zecora asks. No answer, except for crickets. With it once again looking like her imagination, she turns to go back inside, muttering to herself, "Must be just a deer" - until she hears more slurping. Zecora turns in the direction of the noise and squints. There. Up in the trees. She sees... Something. A creature. "Oh?" the zebra says quietly. She can't see all too well in the darkness, but the thing seems to look somewhat pony shaped. She speaks up: "It is rather rude to stop by without a hello!" In response, the creature turns it's head toward Zecora, and hisses softly. The beast's eyes glow a dim red. It opens it's mouth, unleashing it's tongue, which latches onto a fruit from one of the branches. That must be what the slurping sound was, Zecora thinks to herself. Knowing what fruit that is, she shakes her head slowly, approaching the creature. "I wouldn't eat that fruit, if I were you. It has a rather bad aftertaste, one of an icky goo." As she gets closer, she starts to recognize some of the creature's features. As she studies it, narrowing her eyes, her jaw opens slightly. "Oh, my... Could it be?..." The zebra gets closer, squinting, and the beast gently hisses as Zecora mouths, Fluttershy? The beast watches as the new character below her tries to lure her down - She's not stupid, however. She somewhat recognizes the name that this striped animal calls her - "Fluttershy" - but she can't say from where. Bored, the beast yawns and latches another fruit. These fruits taste much better than apples to her. It's a nice change of pace, seeing as it's the only thing she's eaten over the last two nights. She's halfway through with sucking the current fruit dry when she smells another sweet, fruity smell waft up from where the zebra stands. The beast looks down, and sees the zebra. Next to the animal is an open bottle, and in the zebra's hoof is a new fruit. That must be where the new smell is coming from. The beast immediately drops the current morsel from her mouth and, almost as fast as that blue pegasus from earlier, zips straight down to the zebra, stopping directly in front of her. Her ears twitch in an almost adorable way as she eyes the fruit in the zebra's hoof. Yes, this is most definitely where the smell was coming from. Just to make sure though, the beast leans her head forward and sniffs the fruit in the zebra's hoof. The zebra chuckles at the sight before her. FlutterBat slowly, hesitantly opens her mouth, intent to take a bite of the fruit. As her mouth inches closer, from the corner of her eye she sees the zebra's hoof reaching towards her. The beast hisses, backing up and swatting the stranger's hoof with her own, almost catlike. They stay still for a moment, staring at each other. The zebra opens her mouth. "It is okay, Fluttershy. I am your friend. It is clear to me that you do not remember who I am in the state you are in; that, we can try to mend." The beast narrows her eyes, and her body slowly loses it's tension. She starts to approach the zebra, then flinches as her striped companion moves a hoof. "It is okay," the zebra says again quietly. "Come with me, inside my hut. Let us find out why you are this way." FlutterBat eyes her new companion wearily, then follows her inside the hut. Once inside, the strong fruity smell hits her nostrils again... and it's not coming from the fruit in the zebra's hand - the fruit which now, in a lighter setting, looks more like wood. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash head through the woods, on the path to see their zebra friend. The forest is normally creepy, but tonight it feels... Different. Off, even. "H-hey, Applejack? Remember that time we were in the forest to see that old castle for that silly competition?" The farm pony shifts her eyes over to Dash, then back to the path ahead of her. "I have more concerning things on my mind right now, Rainbow Dash." "I-I know. Sorry. I was just trying to..." "Lighten the mood?" Twilight asks. "Yeah. That." The three friends walk in silence for the next few steps. "So, uh, Twilight? What if going to Zecora's doesn't work? What if she can't find anything?" Rainbow Dash asks hesitantly, hoofing at the ground. Twilight pauses, turning to look at her friend. She opens her mouth, then closes it again. "I don't know," she answers hesitantly. "Let's... Let's keep going." They walk for a few more feet, when Applejack shivers. "It's cold out here. I mighty think we shoulda brought some blankets with us. Or some jackets." "Well, it's not our fault for not bringing them!" Rainbow Dash snaps. "We're all a little stressed right now!" "Rainbow Dash, do not take that tone with me!" Applejack snaps back, stopping dead in her tracks. Rainbow opens her mouth, then stops, and they both turn to Twilight, who has just cleared her throat. "Girls, I know we're all under a lot of stress right now, but now is not the time for this. We can argue later. Right now we need to focus on getting to Zecora's." The blue pegasus and the orange farm pony both blush and look away sheepishly. "Sorry, Twi," Applejack says. "Yeah, sorry," Dash follows. On that note, the three mares continue their walk in silence. FlutterBat licks her lips, captivated by the fruity scent coming off of the zebra. She barely even realizes it as the urine slides down her leg while she slowly steps forward toward the zebra, who is currently talking about... Something. "Now Fluttershy, I feel if we were to take some of - Fluttershy?" Zecora turns to see the beast directly above her, drooling. The zebra turns to sniff her coat. It seems that some of that fruity-smelling liquid had gotten into her coat. Oh, shi- Zecora can barely finish her thought before FlutterBat's fangs sink into her neck. A strange taste washes over FlutterBat's tongue. It's not fruity, like she was expecting. Yet it still tastes... Good? Better than good, even. The beast is relieved, however, as she was expecting the zebra to make a sound. She didn't. The beast picks Zecora up and flies through the door, still feeding. The outdoors is much less cramped; more comfortable. Zecora quietly stutters and shakes as FlutterBat drinks, getting more pale by the second. As they approach Zecora's hut, Rainbow sniffs the air. "Girls, do you... smell something?" "No. I don't smell - Ew. What is that?" Applejack asks. They both stop to sniff around. "Rainbow Dash, did you fart?" the country pony asks, unamused. "What?! What the hay makes you think I would actually fart and bring it up at a time like this?!" the blue pegasus asks, hovering above the ground, her wings beating furiously. Applejack clenches her jaw and looks down. "Ya make a good point." The two ponies turn to continue walking, only to see Twilight standing up ahead, not moving. They exchange a glance and walk towards their friend. As they get closer, the stench of fecal matter strengthens. Once they get within about two to three feet of the Alicorn, they see what has her not moving. Twilight's mouth is slightly agape, her eyes tiny. She's shivering ever so slightly. Applejack looks in front of her, and the sight she sees makes her take a few steps backward. Rainbow Dash vomits in her mouth a little. She lands softly and walks forward. The shriveled thing in front of them is definitely the source of the stink, or at least something around it. As she gets closer, she starts to recognize it. It's not an 'it' at all. It's a 'her'. It's- "Zecora?" Rainbow Dash asks. She bends down over her friend, and gently shakes her. Nothing. A lump catches in her throat. She's about to turn back to the others when something catches her eye - two tiny pinpricks, teeth marks, in the side of Zecora's neck. Author's Note As much as I respect the amount of FimFiction writers that are horny for FlutterBat, y'all have been sleeping on the horror fuel that's sitting right there. I've had this idea for a few months now, and had the beginning typed out for just as long. But with Halloween coming up, I decided eh, why not actually write this thing? Cover art can be found here Also, for the urine, apparently real vampire bats urinate while feeding. Science-y stuff.
Chapter 2 (Under Revision)View OnlineBats! (Alternate Ending)Chapter 2 (Under Revision)The beast watches as the three ponies examine the zebra's corpse. Strange... They seem so familiar, yet so, so strange. She can almost remember their names... If she tried. All she knows for sure... ...Is that she kinda wants to taste more blood. She wonders if pony blood is anything like zebra blood... "Well... Got any other plans?" Rainbow Dash asks in a thick voice, staying a healthy distance away from Zecora's corpse. I can't believe it... Twilight thinks. She ACTUALLY ate another pony... Er... drank? Before Twilight can come up with something, a loud hissing sound comes from above and everypony is caught off guard as FlutterBat dives toward Twilight, who screams. "Run!" Twilight manages to yell as the beast, not giving the Alicorn a chance to fight back, sinks her teeth into Twilight's neck. Without needing to be told twice, Applejack and Rainbow Dash run - AJ on the ground, Dash in the sky. "NOW what?!" Rainbow Dash asks. "How 'bout... I distract her... While you... Go warn the others?" Applejack asks. "What?! You can't take that thing on all by yourself!" "Rainbow Dash, I've faced tougher than a vampire Fluttershy! Now, GO!" Applejack turns around and heads back to Zecora's, while Rainbow Dash, left with nothing to say, gulps and heads back to Golden Oak Library. "Found anything yet? Rarity calls out. "No," Spike says from across the room. "Pinkie?" "Nopers!" Rarity starts to say something about 'Nopers' not being a word, but bites her tongue and shakes her head. It's Pinkie Pie; don't question it. Pinkie's tail starts to twitch. Soon after, Rainbow crashes through the window, and flies straight into a bookshelf. "Sweet Celestia Rainbow Dash; do watch where you're going!" Rarity says. "Are you okay?" Spike says, rushing over to help her up. "Ow... Yeah." Rainbow shakes her head, then quickly enters panic mode. She starts hopping on her hooves. FlutterBat... She... She ate Zecora and Twilight!" Pinkie gasps. "I knew it!" "WHAT?!" Spike asks. "What about Applejack?" Rarity asks, tears welling in her eyes. "She... she's probably a goner, too." Rainbow says. After a moment to process everything, she speaks up again: "We need to do something before she eats the whole town!" "But... what can we do?" Spike asks. "Two of the Elements are dead, and a third..." "Spike, surely there are other options than blasting Fluttershy away with the Elements!" Rarity says. "Should we... Should we tell the townsfolk?" Pinkie asks, her voice less cheery than usual, her mane and tail slightly deflated. "Of course we should. Three ponies died." "Technically... Zecora wasn't a pony," Spike says. Everypony in the room gives him a look that clearly says, Not the time. "I'll go do it," Rainbow says. Applejack runs. She runs, and she does it faster and harder than she has ever run before. Her hooves hurt under her. This is all my fault, she thinks. If I had listened to her... We wouldn't be in this mess. FlutterBat hisses as she lands on Applejack, who grunts as they topple over. The beast turns her over, snarling, saliva dripping from her mouth. In a way... She's kinda pretty, Applejack thinks. Her breaths come in hot and heavy. She considers punching her... But hesitates. It's still Fluttershy. The beast snarls, her ears twitching. No... this isn't Fluttershy. Fluttershy's gone. This is a monster. She struggles to raise a hoof, but it's too late... That moment of hesitation was her weakness. FlutterBat leans over and sinks her teeth into Applejack's neck. Applejack screams in pain. The beast gets up, exercising her neck. Her ear twitches. She looks up, and spots a small little cottage through the trees... It looks almost... Familiar. Like... Home. The beast slowly trots toward the building, and as she does, animals slowly pop their heads up, their faces going from happy, to concern, to fear. Something's off with their usual caretaker. In the distance, the sun starts to rise. As the beast sees the sun rise, her fangs shrink, and her irises return to normal. Her wings and ears lose their bat qualities, and return to normal pony ones, And Fluttershy falls forward, passing out from lack of sleep. Rainbow flies into the center of Ponyville at the crack of dawn and looks around for something to make a lot of noise. When she can't find anything, Pinkie appears with her one-pony-band setup, and she starts playing as loud as she can. Ponies start stirring from buildings all around. "What the hay?" "Uuugghhh..." "Hey man; it's TOO EARLY FOR THIS SHIT!" "What's going on?" "Pinkie, you can stop playing now," Dash says once at least ten ponies are out. "We have enough." Pinkie nods. "Uh, hey hey, everypony! Um..." Rainbow says nervously. "What is it, Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo says amongst the crowd of ponies. Rainbow meets the eyes of her surrogate sister and swallows. "Twi..." Do it now, the blue pegasus scolds herself. "Twilight Sparkle is dead. As well as... Applejack and Zecora." Rainbow's words are followed by gasps and quiet muttering. One mare - Carrot Top - hesitantly asks, "H-how'd they die?" After a second or so of silence, Rainbow's answer comes quick and swift: "Fluttershy." This remark leaves more gasps of horror and disbelief. You don't mean... THAT Fluttershy, do you?" asks Filthy Rich. "Well... Not exactly," Rainbow Dash says. "Y'see... She's... it's a long story, but... she's a vampire." "Vampires aren't real!" says one snarky pony in the back. "What, do you think she'd lie about something like this?" asks a mare next to him. "Who knows? This isn't the Element of Honesty we're talking to here," says another pony. The crowd - which has gotten bigger than just ten by now - argues and squabbles until Rainbow yells out, "ENOUGH! Everypony listen: I know what I'm saying sounds crazy - but it's true. I wouldn't say something like this unless I was being 100 percent serious." The sun has risen a considerable amount by now. "She's telling the truth!" Pinkie says. "I was there when she was eating all the apples at Sweet Apple Acres!" The pink pony pauses. "Okay, I know that sounds crazy, but - again, it's true!" Rarity and Spike have shown up now, and they're standing with Pinkie and Rainbow. "We were there, too," Rarity says. "If they're lying, then that means all of us are lying." The crowd murmurs more, and they seem to believe them more. "W-well... What should we do?" one mare asks. "H-honestly, we don't know yet," Rainbow Dash says. "We may have to evacuate the town," Rarity says. "Get as far away from FlutterBat as we can." "I... I still don't really believe you," says a voice near the back. "I'm going to go to her cottage, and if she's not there, then I'll believe you." "NO!" Pinkie, Spike, Dash, and Rarity say all at once. "Her cottage is WAY too close to Everfree Forest, and that's where she is currently!" Dash warns. The pony looks at them, looks at the ground, then shakes his head and trots off in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage by himself.
Chapter 3 (1st Draft Version)View OnlineBats! (Alternate Ending)Chapter 3 (1st Draft Version)Fluttershy wakes up in her front yard, surrounded by her animal friends. The last thing she remembers is helping her friends in the orchard... "Wh-what's going on? How'd I get..." Fluttershy looks around at her animals, who are all looking at her with concern and worry. Angel Bunny hops over to her and squeaks rapidly. "What?! I... I looked different? What d'you mean?" Angel starts making wild hand gestures and points at his mouth. Fluttershy's tongue instinctively brushes the inside of her mouth. "Ow!" she says as her tongue runs over her teeth - one of them felt slightly sharper than usual. A small poke cut into her tongue, and the tiniest amount of blood leaks and spills onto her taste buds. The taste makes the yellow pegasus shrivel in disgust - and yet, at the same time, it tastes familiar - in a good way? No, that shouldn't be. Fluttershy has never liked the taste of blood. Why would she now? Harry the bear reaches an arm out and gently strokes Fluttershy's mane, comforting her. She appreciates the gesture, but doesn't mention the fact that it's not working. That's when a stallion that she's seen only a few times in passing appears out of the blue, approaching her cottage. Upon seeing him, Fluttershy gets the strangest urge - to bite into his neck. She shakes her head. Why would I get that urge?, she thinks. I'm not a vampire or anything. She gets up and approaches the pony. "Um, hi! I'm Fluttershy. And... Who are you again? If you don't mind me asking..." "Oh, uh, I'm Caramel." the pony pauses "And - since you're here, I guess that means I was right, and you're friends WERE lying after all!" "What?" Fluttershy asks, confused. "What would my friends be lying about?" "They said you were a vampire and that you killed ponies!" "W-What?! That- I- I would never!" Fluttershy says, suddenly furious. Her wings start flapping and she lifts off the ground subconsciously. "Why, that makes me so... peeved!" Then a thought occurs to her: Vampire? Wait... My tooth... Fluttershy stops flying, and her face grows more curious. "Can you take me to them?" Caramel nods, and leads the way to Ponyville. Spike has just finished writing a letter to the Canterlot princesses, and is now working on writing a letter to Cadance and Shining Armor. All the ponies in Ponyville are busy packing their bags, intent on moving out. "Man, if she's really a vampire, why not just shoot the fucker? Ya know, kill her?" Spike hears one stallion say outside to his friend. "They probably don't wanna. She was their friend, after all. Besides, do you really think a bullet would kill a vampire?" "I'm still not one hundred percent sold on this whole story..." "I am." Spike sighs, and closes the window. He doesn't need to hear this right now. Besides, Twilight is dead. She was practically a mother to him. Well, and a sister... It's complicated. He sits back down to finish the letter to his relatives. Rainbow Dash flies around, making sure everypony is getting ready to evacuate. Pinkie Pie is helping her with this, while Rarity is at her boutique helping Sweetie Belle pack. She can't help but notice the pink pony is more serious than usual. And more... gray. As she finishes a round, she spots in the distance that one idiot stallion from earlier - Caramel - with Fluttershy... Not FlutterBat, Fluttershy. Then again, thinking back, the apples from two nights ago were drained by FlutterBat, then during the day she was normal. Dash shrugs and decides to fly over to them. She lands mere feet away, far enough that she wouldn't be in danger if one of them attacked, yet close enough to see a mix of concern and fear etched on the shy horse's face. Fluttershy hasn't stopped rubbing her fang with her tongue since they left her cottage. As she and Caramel walk through town, other ponies eye them - and especially her - with extreme caution and wariness. Some even start murmuring to each other. As Rainbow Dash lands in front of her, Fluttershy bows her head, averting her eyes. Caramel, on the other hand, grins widely and points a hoof. "HA! I was right! She is not a vampire, and you're a liar!" Fluttershy angrily looks over at the stallion. "Can you not?" she asks quietly. By now a crowd has formed around the three ponies, waiting to see what happens next. Fluttershy kinda wishes they would stop staring. The yellow stallion looks at Fluttershy, and his expression falters upon seeing her face. "Oh, uh, s-sure. No problem." He lowers his hoof and backs down sheepishly. Fluttershy clears her throat and takes a step toward Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash immediately steps back, a fearful expression on her face. Fluttershy flinches. "F-Flutters?" Rainbow asks. Y-you're okay?" "Not entirely." The yellow horse looks down. Then she forces herself to meet her friend's eyes. "Rainbow Dash, what-what's going on?" Rainbow's face slowly relaxes, and approaches 'Shy. "Oh, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash throws her forelegs around her friend, and starts quietly laughing - a laugh filled with irony. Fluttershy sits on her living room couch, huddled into a ball. "I-I... Y-You're lying," Fluttershy says in a hushed voice, her eyes hyper-focused on the arm of the chair Rainbow Dash is sitting in, seeing it without really seeing it. The would-be Wonderbolt had just told Fluttershy the events that had unfolded over the course of the last few hours, and she really wish she didn't ask. Twilight... Applejack... Zecora... "C-can I see their bodies?" Rainbow Dash blinks. For some reason, she wasn't expecting that response. "S-sure," Rainbow says in a deadpan voice. She gets out of the chair and slowly trots over to the door, her hooves making dull thumps with each step. Fluttershy follows her subconsciously, her body acting on autopilot. It seems like only a second later that Rainbow Dash shakes her out of her zoned-out state, and Fluttershy gasps in horror at the sight before her. In front of her is Zecora's house, and in front of Zecora's house are the bodies of Zecora and Twilight Sparkle, both completely dried like raisins, both containing tiny bite marks in the sides of their neck. She feels a tear form in her eye and slide down her cheek. She can't look at this. She immediately turns away from the bodies and, sitting down, quiet sobs start to work their way through her. Rainbow Dash, upon seeing this, trots over to her free and wraps her foreleg around her. After they've sat there for a few minutes, Fluttershy slowly looks up at the sky. The sun is directly overhead. She then lowers her head, and quietly whispers, "I've read vampire novels. Shouldn't they still be alive?" Rainbow Dash bites her lip, slowly stroking the yellow pegasus's mane. She glances over at the bodies. "I... I don't think you... work like the vampires in the books, 'Shy. Sorry." Fluttershy nods. After another second, she asks, "Where... where's Applejack?" Rainbow Dash considers her answer for a moment. "I... I don't know," she says slowly. Last I saw, she was running from you. To... distract you. She's probably elsewhere in the woods." Fluttershy nods, more silent tears falling from her eyes. She curls in on herself, and Rainbow Dash continues to hold onto her. "I don't... I.. I'm sorry," Fluttershy says. "It's not your fault," Rainbow Dash says in a thick voice, tears starting to form in her eyes now. "I don't wanna move from here." "I'll stay with you." "Rainbow, you don't have to-" "I'm not leaving you alone like this." the blue pegasus makes her stance clear. Fluttershy nods. "So does this mean we're safe?" says a pony with a Manehatten accent. "Not... exactly," Rarity says. "We... still don't know for sure what's going on with her." "Well, I'm not taking any chances!" says another mare, leaving the little rally that's been gathered in the town center, presumably to evacuate. "Guys, I'm telling you, she's safe!" Caramel says with a snarky expression, and with a small laugh added at the end to boot. As the townsfolk continue to talk amongst themselves, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike silently wait with each other, not saying much of anything. Then, catching the attention of everyone, Spike burps up a letter. Spike snatches it and opens it. "It-it's from the princesses!" "Oh, they'll know what to do!" says one of the townsfolk. That remark is followed by other positive words and agreements. Spike opens the letter, and skims through it first, before saying to the remaining Elements, "She wants to see us at the castle." "Is there anything else?" Pinkie asks, lacking any joyful undertone. Spike shakes his head. "Of course not!" Pinkie snaps rather irritatedly. Then she sighs. "Sorry. I've just been under a lot of stress recently." "So have we all," Rarity murmurs. The three of them get up, intent on finding Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The sun is close to passing to the Western part of the sky. Author's Note I removed the horror tag, and replaced it with a tragedy tag. Thinking it over, while this story is indeed dark, it isn't all that scary. Then again, I'm also not the most creative writer out there. This story was somewhat made with the intent to spark something, with the hopes that more talented writers could possibly gather some sort of inspiration, and make the variety with FlutterBat stories more than just clop. Chapter 4 coming soon!
