The Night of the Moondancer

Chapters

Chapter One: Is that a Costume!?
Chapter Two: The City of Thestral
Chapter Three: The Secrets of Count Appleblood
Chapter Four: Moondancer's escape
Chapter Five: The Night is not Eternal

Chapter One: Is that a Costume!?

Moondancer was busy preparing for a Nightmare’s Night party that Lemon Hearts had invited her to. She was somewhat nervous about going to the party, and she was fixing up her costume. It wasn't much, mostly just a cape with plastic fangs, some fake blood on her lips, and dark eyeshadow. She was obviously dressed up as a “vampire,” but it was a cheap costume, and it wasn’t much, but she hadn’t dressed up for “Nightmare Night” since she was a foal and wasn’t sure if she would do this again.

“Moondancer, are you ready yet!?” she heard Lemon Hearts shout from below.

“Yeah, I’ll be down in a minute!”

The mare looked at herself in a mirror as she adjusted the plastic teeth and cape and sighed, “Yeah, I’ll be down. Luckily, this stupid costume was only five bits.”

She then trotted down to see her friend looking nervous. Lemon Hearts was dressed in a massive Erlenmeyer Flask on her head, and her lab coat was splattered in green goo all over. A homage to the time she got her head stuck in one as a foal. The bright yellow unicorn slowly came over and said, “Moondancer, it's just a party; it's not like a super big test.”

“I would rather take a test! I’m not sure about being around so many strangers,” Moondancer shivered as she never really attended massive parties before.

“Relax, you’re just having social anxiety. I'll be with you every step of the way.”

"Ok, just don't leave me hanging," Moondancer replied as she was led by Lemon Hearts out of the house. It wasn't long until they entered the streets of Ponyville, with the butter-yellow coated unicorn still somewhat nervous, seeing she barely knew anyone outside Minuette and Lemon Hearts, who both insisted on her going. She usually didn’t care for these parties, but seeing how Twilight's party was for her, she couldn’t help but feel that she should try getting out more. The walk took quite some time, but it was fun seeing that most ponies here really got into the spirit of the holiday; with all the houses and public buildings decorated in Nightmare Night decorations, foals were dressed up in costumes, going from house to house gathering candy, the adults even dressed up some for the big costume contest, and others just getting into the spirit of the holiday.

When the two reached Sugarcube Corner, Moondancer saw the place was fully decorated and strung up in jack-o-lantern style lights, orange and black streamers, and paper ghosts fluttering in the wind and giant plastic skeleton ponies outside. It looked almost like a haunted house, and she could tell Pinkie Pie put a lot of work into making the place scary but also inviting.

As they approached, Moondancer could feel her anxiety getting worse as she approached the doors. The mare could hear the music blasting and saw ponies going in and out, talking and laughing loudly. Moondancer stood outside, completely terrified, with her social anxiety growing seeing so many ponies surrounding her. Lemon Hearts noticed as she came over and whispered, “Hey, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Lemon Hearts then whispered, “You don’t have to do this. I mean, Fluttershy is probably all alone in her cottage, and she wouldn’t mind some pony hanging out with her.”

“What, no. I mean, I have nothing against her; it’s just that I came here to try being more sociable, so that’s what I’ll do.”

“Ok, I’ll be by your side throughout the night.”

“Ok, fine, I’m not a foal,” Moodancer mumbled.

The two then headed inside, and not to her surprise, a massive party was going on. The entire cafe was converted to an enormous dance floor, where Vinyl was at the DJ table getting out the massive beats. There was a bobbing apple station, a bar full of drinks and punch, and tons of candy and snacks strewn about. Moondancer stood near the bar, not really seeing anypony she could recognize immediately. The mare then spotted Twilight across the way in a shiny gladiator costume hanging out with her other friends, which peeved Moondancer abit. She knew they had made up and were on good terms now, but it stung abit seeing Twilight with her new friends and how she had forgotten all about her.

Lemon Hearts nudged her and suggested, “Why don’t we go say hi?”

“Um, okay,” she said slowly as she trotted over. As they got closer, Twilight smiled, waved a hoof, and said, “Hey, Moondancer, Lemon Hearts! I'm so glad you two can make it!”

Moondancer was abit hesitant to talk to Twilight, then said, “Yeah, I'm having a ton of fun.”

Lemon Hearts was really excited as she chirped, “Oh, I can’t wait; it’s been so long since we had a party like this!”

“I know, right!? I haven’t seen a party like this since the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“I know, right? Pinkie Pie really went all out, and Vinyl is killing it with the music.”

“Come on, let’s try some of the games!”

Twilight then led her two friends to where they were bobbing for apples. Twilight and Lemon Hearts started to get really into the game, but Moondancer’s glasses kept slipping off her nose and splashing into the water, and worse, her fake fangs came out and fell in as well. This got quite a few laughs from the crowd.

Embarrassed, she stepped back and waited for Twilight and Lemon Hearts to finish. They then went dancing, and Moondancer saw Twilight and Lemon Hearts interacting with other ponies more naturally and seemed to be having a good time. But she didn’t know how to dance and saw that nopony was talking to her. So she slowly trotted back to the bar not wanting to intrude on her friends having fun. She was going to wait until Lemon Hearts got bored then they can leave. Looking for somthing to drink to pass the time thats when she spotted a bottle with a dark red liquid, and read the label on it, “Blood Punch,” the unicorn never heard of it but was hoping it was alcoholic, she started to drink, gulping it down greedily.

After taking a few gulps she had to admit it was good, being a strong, very sweet drink with a robust tang. After finishing it, the night became a blur as she felt a tingling sensation over her and thought it was just really strong. She then started feeling a weird sensation from under her cape, like something was itching around her shoulder blades. Then ponies started complimenting her costume even more so than before; one even asked how she really did look like a vampire; this made Moondancer rather confused, as she knew her costume was cheap and wasn’t that well put together. Then suddenly, she had to squint as all the lights from the stage were irritating her, and then she covered her ears as the music became overwhelming; she moved away from the party even more and was heading to the exit.

That was when she spotted another pony in a vampire costume. The mare had a dark grey coat, a dark blue mane, and shiny gold eyes. She also had fangs and a cape almost exactly like hers, and Moondancer had to admit something about this pony attracted her but she couldn't put a hoof on it. Moondancer then greeted her, “Hey, nice to see we thought of the same costume.”

The mare turned and, with a smile, said, “Same to you; I didn’t expect to see another "vampire" skulking about.”

“Yeah, thanks, I think my costume could use some work, though.”

The other mare giggled behind a hoof as she nudged her, then added, “Yeah, costume wink, wink.”

Moondancer gave her an awkward look, then shrugged as she asked, “So, um, what’s your name?"

“Sorry, my name’s Echo. And you?”

“Moondancer.”

“Oh, that’s such an awesome name!”

Moondancer's cheeks flushed red, at being told her name was awesome. She had never received a compliment like that before and said, “Thanks, so um…do you want to hang out? I'm not really into parties, and I don’t know a lot of ponies here.”

“Yeah, of course!”

They then started chatting for a while; they had a lot of similar interests as they were both into books and were interested in science, magic, astronomy, and history.

Echo then started to eye the apple basin and pulled on Moondancer’s shoulder, “Hey, I want to try bobbing for apples. I’m actually really good at it. Wana come?”

“Oh sure,” Moondancer replied. She was baffled but shrugged, and then she went to “Bobbing for Apples” one more time.

Moondancer watched as Echo pulled apples out flawlessly, and everypony stood around and cheered her on as she went on pulling every single one out. Pinkie Pie then skipped over and cheered, “Echo got every apple, apple bobbing once again! Well done!”

She then hoofed her a trophy filled with candy as Echo took it, and then the mare turned to Moondancer and said, “So why don’t you try? I’m sure you can do better.”

The mare was hesitant, as she had recently humiliated herself before but she wanted to make a good impression with Echo. She then took off her glasses and waited for Pinkie Pie to refill the basin, then hoofed her glasses over to Echo; then the mare blinked and started to look around. Almost instantly, she realized her vision was normal, and she could see things clearly now. She always had really bad eye sight her entire life and had to wear glasses since she was little. But now it was as if she never needed them at all.

The mare started to feel more confident just by the fact she could see without her glasses. Moondancer then came to the basin and started ducking her head in, grasping one into her teeth, and then grasping them as they sunk into the flesh of one of the apples. Oddly, she wasn’t even wearing her fake fangs anymore, but her teeth sank in relatively easily, and as the juice entered her mouth, she couldn’t help but start sucking it out into her mouth for a bit.

She then spat it out and ducked her head back in, pulling them out one by one with ease just as her friend did, and everypony just watched in amazement as she, like Echo, was able to pull them all out. Once again, Pinkie Pie bounced over, laughing, “Oh wow, well done, Moondancer! Here’s your trophy!”

She then hoofed her a trophy filled to the brim with candy. After getting a round of applause from the crowd, she came over to Echo and said, “Well, that was fun! I can't believe I was able to get so many apples!”

“Yeah, it was so awesome! It's good that the ponies here think our fangs are fake.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Moondancer laughed, thinking it was some joke.

Echo hoofed back her glasses, and Moondancer quickly put them on, then the grey-coated mare suddenly asked, “So…do you wana dance?”

Mondancer hesitated, as she wouldn’t mind dancing with her new friend, but the lights and noises were still irritating, with Vinyl suddenly dropping the bass, making her have to throw her hooves over her ears. Echo became worried as she looked her over and asked, “Wait, where’s your earplugs!?”

“Earplugs?”

Moondancer then took out some little black foam plugs and plopped them into her ears. They helped deafen the music quite abit. Then Echo gently tilted her friend's head up and sighed, “You don’t have daywalker eye contacts either? This is your first night out, huh?”

“What are you talking about!?”

Echo removed her friend's glasses, then gently placed plastic films over her eyes, and whispered, “Luckily, I have spares.”

Moondancer blinked as the intensity of the flashing stage lights seemed to have lessened quite abit, “um…thanks?”

She then fixed the glasses on her friend and added, “Yeah, that's no problem. Listen, when we're back at the mountain, we should talk about some rules for visiting the daywalkers; you could’ve gone blind or deaf coming to this party without some eye and ear protection.”

“Um…ok?” Moondancer was starting to grow concerned. Was this some weird roleplay? Or was Echo actually being serious?"

“Now, come on, let’s dance!”

Echo dragged her back onto the dance floor by the hoof. They put their trophies aside and went onto the dance floor. The two started moving to the beat, and then they began to groove. Echo got into it, moving her hips to the beat and enjoying herself.

Meanwhile, Moondancer was much more hesitant but slowly started to enjoy herself and get into a rhythm. The yellow unicorn couldn’t help but stare into Echo, feeling a connection, and maybe it was the mood; perhaps it was that “Blood Punch” she drank earlier, but she was actually enjoying herself and was having a blast. But as the night dragged on, she started to feel abit nauseous, and they eventually left the dance floor. Then Moondancer said, “So, I think I’m going to head to my friend’s, friend's house.”

“Oh, you have a daywalker friend, too? That's super cool! Pinkie Pie and I are pretty close as well!”

Moondancer rolled her eyes at the role-play but decided just to play along. Then she said, “Yes, I have a daywalker friend. Anyways, I need to go wash up and take this costume off, and then we can hang out some more. My friend is probably going to stay later than me anyways.”

“Ok, no problem!”

The two then trotted off through the streets, and it was rather late. Most of the festivities ended, and most foals had long gone to bed, with the only ponies out taking down the massive stage where they hosted the Costume Competition. Echo just looked around at the decorations still up and squealed, “Oh, I love the daywalkers, Nightmare Night! It's just like Moonfest! Don’t ya think?”

“Yeah, Moonfest…” Moondancer was starting to feel awkward as this “roleplaying” was fun initially, but it sounded like Echo believed she was a vampire pony. But maybe it’ll be over by tomorrow morning. She then got to Lyra's home and went straight to the bathroom as she started feeling queasy and started to barf her guts out into the toilet.

Afterward, she took off her cape and looked at her reflection, and to her horror two leathery bat wings sprouting from her sides. She paused and took a moment to think as she waved them, and seeing them flap, the realization that this was real overwhelmed her, and the mare gave out a loud, piercing shriek that somehow shattered the bathroom mirror. Echo then barged into the bathroom and asked, “What's wrong? Are you ok!?”

Moondancer turned to her and cried, “No, I’m not ok! I'm a batpony!”

And Echo blinked and stepped back, looking rather horrified herself then said, “Wait, you’re a daywalker?”

“Yes, I'm a daywalker or whatever that means!” Moondancer snapped. She got up, seeing that now everything Echo said was making sense to her, calling other ponies daywalkers, the contacts, and the earplugs. All the evidence pointed to one conclusion.“Yo…you’re actually a batpony!?”

Echo slowly took off her cape, showed off her batwings, flapped them, and said, “Yeah, I thought you were one, too.”

Moondancer then pointed to her wings, flapped them, and snapped, “What is happening to me!?”

Echo gulped, looking just as confused, and said, “I don’t know, I swear! I have never heard of a daywalker turning into a batpony before. Heck, you still have your horn!”

“Did you do this to me!?"

Echo reared her head being abit offended and snapped, “No, of course not! Bat ponies don’t go around turning ponies into bat ponies, ok? That’s some stupid myth you daywalkers came up with!”

Moondancer didn’t fully trust her new friend, seeing she was a batpony, and didn’t tell her, but at the same time, it was because she thought she was a batpony, and Echo seemed genuinely confused about how she turned into this.

Looking around, worried, Echo said, “Listen, we can talk later; we need to go now.”

“Why!?”

“Because daywalkers can’t know about us! I’m risking a lot just being here and showing you who I am!”

Moondancer shook her head, “No,” and replied, “No, I can’t. I have to tell Lemon Hearts about what’s happening to me. She’ll think I got lost or something.”

“Ok, write her a note saying you got sick, but you can’t tell her you’re a batpony, please; she can’t know about us.”

Moondancer could see Echo was scared, then said, “Alright, I'll leave out being a batpony, but you will help me turn back to normal, right?”

“I’ll help you return to normal. I know we just met, but you have to trust me. I know somepony who might have the answers. We’ll visit him tonight and hopefully find some way to turn you back to a unicorn.”

Moondancer started writing a note to Lemon Hearts, telling her how she got sick and had to go home to Canterlot. She apologized about the mirror and gave her a sack of bits to repair it. She then sighed, “It’s better than nothing. Hopefully, she won’t come check on me until tomorrow.”

“Then come on! We have no time to lose!” Echo cried, taking a hoof to her friend as they flew off into the night. Moondancer stumbled at first, trying to adjust to her new wings. But with Echo’s help, she eventually was able to maintain her momentum and started to get the hang of flying through the air and headed up towards a mountain in the distance, hoping that this could all be resolved soon.

Chapter Two: The City of Thestral

Moondancer was getting better at flying as she followed Echo through the air, and then they continued through the air and headed to a massive mountain in the distance. Moondancer was curious as she asked, “Hey, so um? What is this place?”

“This is the city of Thestral! Watch your head!”

Moondancer ducked her head as she went through the mouth of the massive cave. Moondancer was looking up and was surprised to see the massive city, unlike anything she’d seen before. The city was built out of stalagmites and stalactites, with hundreds of bat ponies fluttering about, most seeming to be in the midst of their business as it would be their Noon to Ponyville’s Midnight. Surprisingly, inside a damp cave, she spotted fields of orchards filled with all kinds of fruit: from Pineapples to mangos, oranges, peaches, Lychee, dragonfruit, pomegranates, lemons, and limes, all clustered together with bat ponies fluttering about the trees picking the fruit.

Moondancer looked around in wonder at the amount of variety, and she couldn’t help but ask, “How do you grow so much fruit and with so many varieties?”

“Well, moonlight, as you know, is just reflected sunlight. We magnify that with massive magical mirrors and shine it onto the orchards, and due to the dampness and humidity, we can grow all kinds of tropical fruits you daywalkers couldn’t normally grow. We actually sell a lot of it to you, Daywalkers.”

“That’s cool to know, so why can’t you reveal yourselves to us Daywalkers then?”

“Well, that’s a long story, but for now, let’s focus on turning you back to normal,” the mare replied. They then headed to a pillar near the middle of the city; it looked a lot like a factory with smokestacks jutting out while pumping out magical clouds into the air of various colors. As they trotted across the factory floor, they came upon a griffin. He was unlike any griffin Moondancer had seen before; he was a middle-aged griffin with a teal-colored coat and wings, an over his left eye scar, wearing a lab coat and going around the place monitoring various dials and knobs and making sure things were fluid. The griffin turned towards them and, with a smile, flew over, “Ah Echo, you returned! How was the evening’s festivities!”

“Oh, they were wonderful, but Doctor, I must confess I’m here visiting you as we have a major problem,” she then pointed a hoof at her friend, who waved a hoof, and the griffin’s eyes lit up and flew over, taking a measuring tape and taking measurements as he started asking a bunch of questions, “my word! I never saw a batpony with a horn before!? Are you a new species!? Who are your parents?! Did any of them have batpony ancestry!? How old are you!?”

Moondancer was starting to feel self-conscious about the doctor measuring her body and asking a bunch of personal questions. Echo flew over, spread her wings, and snapped, “Doctor! That's enough. Stop being so rude!”

“I'm sorry, my curiosity got the best of me,” the griffin replied as he adjusted a tie around his neck and held out a talon. “My name is Dr. Blitzenbolt!”

“Ok, Dr. Blitzenbolt, listen, I was not born like this! Something called “Blood Punch” may have turned me into a bay pony! Can you help me turn back to normal!?”

“Blood Punch, you say!?” the griffin cried. “That is my greatest concoction!”

“Wait, so you turned me into a batpony!” Moondancer snarled.

The griffin raised his head in disgust and scoffed, “Of course not! My Blood Punch does not turn ponies into bat ponies! I’ve been selling it for years. If that was the case, hundreds or thousands of ponies would have turned into bat ponies by now.”

Moondancer paused and tapped a hoof to her chin, seeing he wouldn’t have an incentive cursing his customers, and said, “Right, good point.”

“Do you still have the bottle the tainted drink came in?”

Moondancer shook her head, then he said, “Well, there’s another way to test what this could be…I will need a saliva and blood sample if I may.”

The newly transformed batpony stepped back and snapped, “What for?”

“For tests, of course! Whatever cursed you, if indeed, was in my punch, it may still be in your body. I will run various tests to see what it was.”

Moondancer was still reluctant, but Echo whispered, “Look, the doctor can be kind of crazy, but he has a point, and I’m sure he can figure out what turned you into a batpony.”

The mare then reluctantly took some saliva from her fangs and a prick of blood from her foreleg. He then popped corks on the vials and said, " These tests will take some time. I recommend you get used to your new body, as there is a lot to learn.”

Moondancer remembered the party and how much the music and lights irritated her, and she had to admit the doctor had a point. She gave a curt nod, and then the griffin went off as she asked Echo, " So, um, do you really trust this guy?”

“He’s odd, I admit, but he means well and wants to help. Dr. Blitzenbolt came to us as he was kicked out of Griffinstone as they thought his ideas were too weird, and he started helping us make all kinds of fun drinks with the fruit we harvested. If anyone can learn how this Blood Punch turned you into a batpony, it's him.”

“Even so, he could be the culprit we’ve been looking for.”

“Could be, but he’s never harmed anyone before, so I don’t understand why he would turn you into a batpony?”

Moondancer pointed a hoof toward him and then snapped, “Because he’s a mad scientist!”

“Don’t call Dr. Blitzenbolt a mad scientist! I've known him for years, and he would never use science to turn ponies into bat ponies!!”

Moondancer was still suspicious of this “Dr. Bliztenbolt” even if her new friend grumbled, “Fine, I’ll trust him for now.”

“Anyways, the doctor has a point. Even if you’ll be like this for one night, I need to help you learn how to deal with your new body while he runs his tests.”

Echo then helped remove Moondancer’s contacts and earplugs; the batpony then stepped back with her cheeks flushing red and said, “Now come on! Let’s get some food!” She then led her friend from the factory and into the streets towards a marketplace. There, Moondancer was amazed by the dozens of fruit stands, with the place being busy with bat ponies buying and taking baskets full of fruit to and fro. It was wonderful to see, and I am still amazed at how these bat ponies acted like "daywalkers," as Echo would put it. Moondancer's friend then held up a hoof and explained, “As a bat, our diet mainly consists of fruit! And we like all kinds of fruit, but we mostly have a craving for anything that’s citrus or tropical, which is our favorite!”

Upon seeing the fruit buffet before her, Moondancer’s senses began to tingle suddenly, and she couldn't resist the desire to sink her teeth into it, with drool coming out of the corner of her mouth. Echo then picked out many different tropical fruits from the stands and carried them over. She placed them down from her friend and said, " Now take your fangs and dig in!”

Moondancer then sunk her teeth into a mango and began to suck out the juice from her fruit with such ferocity. She remembered how the apple tasted at “bobbing apples,” but this was so much more intense and so much sweeter and juicer. After draining her first mango, she went to her second and third and then continually sucking down the juice of various different fruits laid out in front of her. Eventually, she was stuffed and laid back and rubbed her belly, feeling completely satisfied, and when she finished, the mare let out a relaxed sigh and squealed, “That was amazing!”

Echo then took her by the hoof and cried, “Come on, there’s so much more to see!” as Moondancer was carried her off through the city.

The two then started flying around the city as Echo showed her friend around for most of the evening as Moondancer learned to adjust to her night vision. As Moondancer was so much better now and saw how beautiful the canals that ran throughout the city were filled with all kinds of nocturnal creatures, with owls and bats flying about with raccoons and opossums scurrying amongst the lush fields and sparse trees that covered the walkways along with massive fountains within the city made almost entirely out of the stone of the mountain. There were tons of beautiful monuments and statues of bat ponies, and on top of the sights, Moondancer could hear all the beautiful noises as well, from the chittering of the nocturnal mammals securing about to the splashing of fish going through the canals, the flapping of bats fluttering about. It took some time to get used to, but she had to admit it was really cool to see and hear so many creatures she would normally never see locked up in her home, busy studying all day. As the two trotted around the canals, Echo asked, “So, how do you like being a batpony?”

“It's growing on me; thank you for showing me so much about how awesome it is being a batpony! I really am fascinated with everything here!”

A smile grew on Echo’s face as she chirped, “I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying yourself!

Despite seeing the beauty of Thestral, Moondancer still had a lot of questions on her mind. She asked, “So, again, I have a few questions about bat ponies. You’ve been kind of avoiding them.”

Echo paused, still seeming reluctant, but then asked, “ok?”

“So why did you say you can’t let daywalkers know about you when you also said that you sell fruit to us?”

Echo paused for a minute, then explained, “So, long ago, well before you daywalkers came here to the land you call Equestria, we lived here mostly in the shadows of the forest you call the Everfree Forest. When you daywalkers started immigrating here, we were scared of you, and our old Queen wanted to get rid of your kind. So she and her council of elders came up with a plan. They kidnapped dozens of ponies as they tried to scare you "daywalkers" away, sending a declaration to your leaders saying they would return them if you all left the valley. But the plan backfired, and the “Founders of Equestria,” as you call them, were able to free the prisoners and, with some soldiers, forced the Queen to create a pact between the nightwalkers and daywalkers. Our Queen at the time then wrote a new law into being stating that it would be illegal for nightwalkers and bat ponies to have any dealings with you daywalkers. Of course, the law is outdated, and over time, many bat ponies started to have dealings in Equestria; the Queen eventually softened her stance and allowed some to be a part of Princess Luna's personal guard; even after she was banished, we continued the tradition of having bat ponies guard your castle at night, waiting for her return. At the same time, some merchants were allowed to sell fruit and other goods to the daywalkers. But they have to have a permit, and only a few daywalkers are permitted to know about them.”

“I'm assuming you don't have a permit.”

Echo shook her head sheepishly and admitted, “No, I sneak out. If I were caught, the old law would have me exiled…but now, most likely, the current Queen would make me pay a hefty fine that I probably couldn’t afford.”

“Right, but I'm sure we can arrange for you to visit. Maybe you can sell fruit?”

Echo gave a long-winded sigh and said, “I thought about that, but I want to do more than just meet you daywalkers to sell you fruit. I want to party, have sleepovers, play games, you know? I want to be friends and have fun.”

Moondancer saw how much Echo longed to be friends, and despite not knowing each other, she was doing a lot to help her. Then she said, “To help me turn back to normal, I promise I’ll help you find a way to get a permit so you can visit us at anytime.”

Echo’s face brightened up abit, but she added, “That would be awesome, but let’s not get our hopes up. Getting a permit while not being a merchant or a soldier will be very difficult.”

“I'm sure we can think of something, but I hate to break this conversation short, but we should get back to the doctor,” Moondancer suggested. As much as she was enjoying her time here, she was still concerned about Lemon Hearts worrying about her as well.

“Oh, no worries! Yeah, let’s get back. I’m sure he’s done!” Echo replied as the two bat ponies then headed back, finding the doctor looking rather pale as he saw them, and said, “Ah, you’ve returned! I was going to try looking for you!”

“Good thing we came back then, so what turned me into a batpony?”

Sweat began to form on the doctor’s forehead as he pulled at the collar of his lab coat, then said, “Well, um, I couldn’t find the source of Moondancer’s transformation, but it seems there's somepony else's DNA in her blood and saliva, and it's of a pony I work with.”

“Who!?”

“A batpony named Count Apple Blood he’s my main investor and helps distribute my product! If he’s involved, I had no idea, I swear!”

Moondancer got rather excited as she cried, “Well, we don’t have a choice; we need to investigate this Count Apple Blood and see if he’s the one who turned me into a batpony.”

“It seems as if we do! I’ll help you get into the castle, but from there, you two will be on your own. I, um… don’t want to be too involved.”

Echo nodded, “That sounds like a great idea. I’ve never heard of this guy before. What’s he like?”

The doctor seemed to actually look rather scared and said, “Well, um, uh…let’s just say he isn’t someone you want to get on his bad side. If he’s the one who turned you into a batpony, I would suggest we proceed cautiously.”

Moondancer was now getting abit worried, sensing the fear and tension on Dr. Blitzenbolt’s face, then asked, “So, is he dangerous?”’

“He could be.”

Echo tried reassuring her friend, saying, “Well, if he’s dangerous and we have evidence of him turning daywalkers into bat ponies, he needs to be brought to justice. We can just find the evidence and give it to the Queen and her council, and they can send an army of soldiers to arrest the guy. Easy peasy.”

“I guess…” Moondancer whispered, wondering if she should ask somepony for help like Twilight.

“Don't worry; I’ll make sure to find out what’s going on and get you back to normal!” Echo chirped and nudged Moondancer, who nervously nodded as the three flew out of the cave and into the night and headed across the Everfree Forest.

Chapter Three: The Secrets of Count Appleblood

Moondancer and Echo flew through the night sky, heading across the vast, mysterious pitch black, and they came upon a dark, brooding manor in the distance. As they approached, Moondancer’s eyes lit up, seeing it was like something from some old gothic novel, with the mansion slowly growing larger as they closed the distance. The two landed in front of the front door, the mansion towering over them in a pale moonlight, and two massive batpony soldiers wearing dark red armor around their dark blue coats and leathery bat wings folded to their sides. They both looked at them with their slitted gold eyes, staring right at them, scarily intimidating, and continuing to keep their gaze on them. Moondancer started feeling uneasy as she approached them and reconsidered being here. Dr. Blitzenbolt then nervously adjusted his bowtie and slowly came forward, looking just as nervous as she was as he adjusted his tie and then said, “Um, can you inform ze Count that Dr. Blitzenbolt is here to see him.”

The guard on the left just glared at them, snorted angrily, and then asked, “And why would you be here? Didn't you already drop off your last batch?”

“Yes, but I regret to inform you this is of great importance regarding ze blood punch.”

“Of course, we shall inform the Count of your arrival,” the guard on the right said as the other eyed them. “Come, we’ll escort you to the parlor while you wait.”

“Of course,” the Doctor replied, throwing a claw over the others as the three led through the main lobby and saw that the entrance hall was absolutely stunning. There was a massive chandelier, and as they came up to the two massive stairways that led to the second floor, they saw that the carpet was a long red carpet rolling up the stairs and up to the upper floors. Everything smelled of cedar and Applewood. There were beautiful, lavish portraits of the moon and many beautiful bowls of fruits presented on little lavish end tables. They then continued through looking around, she spotted dozens of bat ponies flying about, butlers and maids busy cleaning, and some guards standing by watching them closely. Despite the strange decor, the place felt normal overall; they sat in a quaint little side parlor, waiting patiently as they were given little fruit cake and tea. The three snacked for a bit as Moondancer asked, “So, um? How are you all feeling?”

Dr. Blitzenbolt whispered, “I feel good, but we must remember to be careful around ze count; he seems to know how you are feeling and can be quite scary.”

“Doesn’t seem like a nice guy.”

“He's well, it’s complicated, but I think it’s just best to approach this cautiously,” Echo responded.

Moondancer then heard a whisper in her head as the other two talked.

Moondancer…Moondancer…

Her eyes seemed to glaze over as the voice became stronger.

Moondancer!

“Moondancer! Moondancer!”

The mare blinked as she saw Echo standing over her with a worried expression. " Are you alright? It looked like you were in a daze of some sort.”

She rubbed her horn, feeling it throbbing. Then, a butler came into the parlor. He cleared his throat and asked, “The Count has dinner ready and wishes to meet with you in the dining room.”

“Of course! Tell him we’ll be right there!” The Doctor replied, and then the following course was followed. The three then went to a massive dining hall with platters of all kinds of fruit from massive bowls. Then there was a massive, red-coated stallion with a slick black mane that curved around his head, and dark orange-slitted eyes; he looked across the table, staring, meeting Moondancer’s gaze as he drank from a massive glass of wine; the stallion swirled the red liquid within the glass with this sadistic grin on his face as he asked, “So these are my guests for the evening, welcome! Welcome, please take a seat!”

They all slowly took their seats at the long dinner table as Moondancer cleared her throat and asked, “Let's cut to the chase. I’m a normal batpony, you see,” she pointed to her horn. “The doctor here concocted a punch that somehow turned me into this, and I need to find a way to turn back to normal.”

The stallion's smile grew wider as he said, “So you drank the Blood Punch and was turned into a batpony? Excellent.”

“Excellent!? That means you’re the one who did this to me!”

He let out a cackle as he got up and said, “Well, yes, on pure accident, have you ever heard of the Blood Apple?”

“Blood Apples?”

“Yes, Blood Apples are an ancient and magical fruit that has been passed down through centuries as a fruit only cultivated by bat ponies. It is said a long time ago that some bat ponies had relationships with Day Walkers, but their batpony selves would be revealed, and it seems the same has happened to you.”

The stallion then sniffed the air, his ears twitched, and his devilish grin grew wider. " Ah, I can smell my blood running through your veins; I didn’t believe it when you first came into my manor, but now, seeing you up close, there’s no mistaking it you are my descendant.”

Moondancer was starting to get nervous and asked, “How is that possible?”

“Yes, I am quite old—a lot older than you would think—and I have had my fair share of lovers and mistresses over the years if I’m not mistaken.”

Moondancer eyed the count as, despite his looks, the batpony seemed to have this air of wisdom. Having lived for quite some time, she nervously asked, “How old are you?”

“Five hundred years, to be precise.”

“Five hundred?”

“Yes, five hundred years, and you may be a great descendant of mine, so welcome!” He then threw a hoof over the feast as they began to dine on the fruits and drink their glasses of wine, but everypony was quiet, and the silence was a bit unnerving, especially with the Count continuing to show off his fanged devilish grin. Moondancer wondered if she really was this stallion’s great descendant or if he was just pulling her tail and asked, “Count Appleblood, as interesting as living as a vampire batpony sounds, I don’t wish to remain like this, and I would like to return to being just a normal unicorn.”

“Yes, but I will also have to sleep during the day, and that is something I'm not willing to sacrifice. I don’t want to live as a batpony; I want to be with my friends.”

The stallion scoffed and waved a hoof, then said, “Forget about your friends; they mean nothing. With your abilities, you will transcend even beyond the princesses.”

“No, I don't want this. I see you bat ponies aren’t terrifying monsters, but at the same time, I have no desire to stay like this.”

The stallion paused, sipped a drink, eyed her, and then said, “Well, truth be told, some of us are indeed monsters, but alas, if you wish to return to your former self, consider it shall be done.”

“How's that?”

He turned to the Doctor, “Well, we can take a sample of the blood punch, and I can infuse it with some of my own blood fruit I cultivate. I’m sure we can reverse the effects of what's happened to Moondancer.”

“Yes, well, we can try,” the Doctor replied sheepishly.

The vampire laughed, “Excellent! Then we will resolve this matter, and in the meantime, you will stay here as my guests.”

That was when Moondancer and Echo were escorted upstairs by some batpony soldiers that flanked them. She wanted to get away as soon as possible but felt compelled to be led to their new chambers. As they made it to the guest bedroom and their chambers revealed, Moondancer was surprised to see a richly furnished room; there was a small table in the middle of the room with a fireplace, a small library with comfy chairs to sit in, a long gilded rod stretching across the room, and a bowl of apples and a bottle of wine sitting on top of a lavish table.

Interestingly, the room didn’t have a bed, and Moondancer scratched her head and asked, “Where do we sleep?”

One of the soldiers pointed to the rod, and she blinked, looking at it confusingly as Echo snickered and nudged Moodancer, “Don’t worry, I’ll show you how Batponies sleep.”

One of the soldiers then came over and asked, “Now, if you wish for anything, we’ll be right outside your room.”

“Thank you,” Moondancer whispered.

The two soldiers bowed and left the room. When the two soldiers left, Moondancer went to the table, popped the cork with her teeth, spat it out, and began downing the bottle. She snapped, “I don’t trust that guy one bit! He’s one of my great descendants, give me a break! He’s just trying to manipulate me to keep me like this.”

“I don’t trust him either,” Echo replied suspiciously. “The things he said about you having all those superpowers, do you think that’s true?”

Moondancer took a moment to think and thought about it for a moment and then shrugged and said, “I don’t know, but even if it is, I don't want powers; I just want to be a normal unicorn.”

“Well, okay, how about we sneak out and see what this guy is really up to? I mean, if you do have powers, we can use them.”

“What would you even do?”

Echo whispered, “We need to learn more about this guy. Right now, he’s preoccupied with the Doctor. We can use the opportunity to sneak into his room and learn more about what's happening to you.”

Moondancer thought for a moment and concentrated on herself. Her horn glowed, and then she turned into a shroud of mist. She sifted through a hole in the wall and went out into the hall. There, she formed up into a pony and looked down the hall. She then saw some bats flying about, and then something came over her as the mare’s eyes glowed. Then she somehow thought of a single order, swarm; the bats then suddenly stopped just fluttering about and went into a frenzy as they went straight to flying around the two guards at the door encircling them, shrieking, some even biting, as they started to squeak and annoy them, turning into a massive swarm as they began to chase them off. as Moondancer came back to her senses she then opened the door for Echo who was blown away by what her friend was able to do and commented, “Wow you really have superpowers.”

Moondancer blinked, and she was abit scared of what she could do and admitted, “Well, I’m trying to get used to them; come on! We must get going before the Count sends more soldiers after us!”

The two bat ponies then stormed down the hall were various butlers and maids once more, but they didn’t bother stopping them as they seemed too busy working; they slowly went across the home and saw that the Count’s bedroom had two massive solid doors and then they saw two more guards standing by talking with the two guards attacked by the bat swarm. They then turned to her with their golden eyes glaring right at her and snapped, “What are you two doing here!?”

Moondancer paused, and then something came over her. The mare’s eyes glowed, and she came over and said, “I am the great-granddaughter of Count Appleblood, and I require something from his bedroom. Step aside and let me in.”

One guard snapped, “Absurd! If that were the case, The count would send one of his butlers, not one of his guests!”

Moondancer’s eyes glowed as she stared at them and whispered, “The count asked me to come retrieve something for him. Now, please stand aside.”

The guards looked right into her eyes, and their mouths began to drool as they moved aside from the mare to walk through. Then, they could see the massive bedroom, and it was unlike anything they’d seen before. Unlike the guest room, this room was made entirely of dark black stone that made the place feel much more menacing; without her new dark vision, Moondancer would be completely blind.

In the center of the room was a massive coffin with no windows; massive bookshelves surrounded the room, which was filled with hundreds if not thousands of ancient dusty tomes. But one was laid open a writing desk with a bottle of wine and a half-full wine glass with a massive tome on the desk. They then flew over, and she was surprised it was flipped open. Then saw that on the pages was written in a dark red ink and then saw a part where it went into detail explaining how the mythical “Blood Apple” and the properties that it carries, how the race of “Vampire Batponies” are rare, and that they can only be created by the bond between a day walker and a night walker. Everything that the Count explained, but as she read, she learned other powers that she would acquire, including controlling bats, turning into mist, and mind control.

The realization that Vampire Batponies are creatures of immense power on par with alicorns if not more. Reading all of this made Moondancer nearly have a heart attack, as did reading about what was happening to her body; she stepped back, looking absolutely terrified, and Echo had to say, “I had no idea Vampire Batponies even existed; I swear.”

Moondancer then replied, “But my horn! Does that prove I am from royalty?”

“I…I don’t know, but if this text is true, yes, it seems that would be the case.”

“Buck!” Moondancer shouted and slammed a hoof down. “It doesn’t matter whether I’m the Count’s heir or not! I will not become his puppet. We need to get out of here and find a cure on our own.”

“Right, whatever he has cooked up, I doubt it’ll be good, ”Echo whispered, feeling rather scared at the news and looking around her shoulders.

Moodancer nodded and shouted, “Right, let’s get going!"

They bolted out of the Count’s room and flew down to the front doors. They were suddenly surrounded by the servants, butlers, guards, and maids, all now looking as if they were hypnotized. She then heard a voice in her head. “Sorry to disappoint, but you're not leaving my manor quite yet, especially not after you entered my room without my permission.”

The bat ponies surrounding them then all pointed a hoof at them and hissed at them, flashing their fangs, as Moondancer and Echo stepped back and gulped as they both squeaked. “Oh, buck.”

Chapter Four: Moondancer's escape

Moondancer stepped back with a scared expression on her face as she saw that every servant in the area started to attack them. The bat pony then flew upward, avoiding being attacked. As Echo smacked a few aside and snapped, “We need to get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, no shit!” Echo shouted as she flew up, smacking a few aside. She flew up through the halls of the manor as fast as possible, trying to avoid being taken down by the dozens of other vampires all trying to take them. Moondancer slapping another and then sending her careening into a wall. Echo and the mare continued to slam and smack the servants and maids about. But there was clearly too many for the two bat ponies to handle. The bat pony alicorn then took her friend and concentrated as hard as she could. The mare then turned herself and Echo into the mist. Then they maneuvered through the cacks in the ground and flew right through it, heading straight into the ground and slamming into a underground stairwell below.

The two then rose up, returning to their flesh and blood bodies Echo raised her head feeling a bit woozy and asked. “W…what do we do now?”

Moondancer looked around the dark stone walls that surrounded her, seeing they were trapped. There was clearly only one option available to them, and said, “Doesn't seem we have any other choice. We need to find out where this Count Appleblood is and stop him!”

She continued to fly downward and through the long corridors lined with torches and they came upon rows and rows of casks with Blood Punch labeling them. The sight was a bit overwhelming, and there were a few bat pony soldiers nearby, all looking around the room as Echo held her friend close.

“What do we do?” Moondnacer whispered.

Echo looked around and replied, “The only way forward is through this cellar. But it seems we are only going to have one choice. Your new powers can get us through doing that mist thing again.”

Moondancer thought about it, and despite just starting to get a grasp of her powers, she said, “I should, but I need to know the direction, and I have no idea where the exit is. Can you fly up and look around?”

Echo gave a nod, flew up over the hundreds of casks, and then flew back down. " There's a door on the east side of the room, and there are only a few guards.”

“East side, that’s it?”

“Yeah.”

Moondancer threw a hoof at her face and groaned, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this, but it's going to be difficult. I still don’t have full control of my powers.”

Echo nudged her, then replied, “But you’ve been doing so well. I mean, just think about the power you want to use and do it.”

The mare took a deep breath seeing she really didn't have much choice and said, “ok, let’s do this.”

Moondancer got up, and then she let out a shriek. A bunch of bats started fluttering around the area and attacking the guards in the cellar, all shouting and shooing away the bats. She took Echo by the hoof and concentrated as hard as she could, and they suddenly turned into mist again as they maneuvered through the casks. They headed straight to the exit, went through the doors, and entered another facility. This one had massive tanks with “Blood Punch” on them, and the smell of apples and an intoxicating sweet scent of fruit filled the air, making the mare’s mouth drool. Standing before them was Dr. Blitzenbolt, looking a bit worried, with Count Appleblood giving a devilish grin, “So everything is ready!”

The doctor stood over a control panel with a talon settling on a switch and said, “Yes, it’s all ready for you. Once we ignite, the systems will launch ze Blood Punch into the atmosphere, and you will turn everyone in Ponyville into bat ponies.”

“Yes,” the Count laughed maniacally and then turned towards the two bat ponies who were still mist. The devilish bat pony’s eyes lit up as he smirked and replied, “So there you are, my apprentice.”

Moondancer looked up and glared at the Count. She stomped forward, breaking the spell and reforming into her bat pony self, and she slammed a hoof onto the ground cracking the stone beneath and spat, “I am not your apprentice.”

The Count just turned to her with his devilish grin, “Well, truth be told, you are getting better control of your powers as I predicted. But you're barely scratching the surface of your potential.”

Moondancer was furious, seeing how he was using some sort of mind control to have his servants to attack them, she quickly surmised the Count's plan and snapped, “So what? Your plan is to turn everypony in Ponyville into your thralls?”

The Count raised his head seeming to be impressed and said, “Yes, as you surmised this version of Blood Punch will turn you daywalkers into my minions. You daywalkers took our land years ago, and I can no longer abide by this. So, your kin will be my army in which I will take over the Kingdom of Thestral.”

Moondancer was still stunned by what she heard and snapped, “Listen, I am sorry for what our ancestors did to you. I can't change the past, but forcing me into your services isn’t going to get you what you want.”

“Isn’t it? You don’t understand how powerful you are!”

Moondancer paused, her eyes glaring at the Vampire Batpony. “Why do you think I would give a damn about power?”

The Count slowly trotted forward, his eyes glowing red as he continued to growl, “Ever since you walked into my manor, I sensed your mind, and I know you better than anyone. I know how you always sought approval through your academics, how your friend Twilight betrayed your trust, and how she became the princess of friendship when she was the one who abandoned you.”

As the Count spoke, Moondnacer felt a pang in her gut, knowing deep down he had a point. She remained fast to herself and snapped, “It doesn’t matter now.”

“Does it now? Twilight hurt you so much that you walked away from anyone else's friendship for years.”

“That’s all in the past, Twilight and I made up.”

The count placed a hoof over his mouth and chuckled, “No, she didn't. She only came to see you to alleviate her guilt. Come now, you know I’m right.”

Moondancer still felt that old anger stirring deep down. She wondered if the Count was manipulating her emotions, but the truth was she knew that was the reason Twilight visited her. But despite that, she also knew that Twilight did truly care about her, as the bat pony alicorn looked up and shouted, “Even so, what you’re doing is far worse! You’re trying to brainwash me and control me!”

The Count lowered his head slightly and replied softer, “No, I could turn you into one of my thralls if I wanted to, but I want you to choose through your own free will. Your life is meaningless as it stands, so I'm offering you a chance at something greater.”

They all paused with a thought crossing Moondancer’s mind. The count was right. Even after Twilight threw her that party and made up for the past, she still felt that lingering pain and anger still buried deep down. Princess of Friendship!? How could she be granted that title after abandoning her? But regardless of how she felt about Twilight, she can’t let this jerk win! Moondancer shook her head and slammed her hoof down once more and replied firmly, “No, I refuse your offer.”

The Count sighed as he threw off his cloak and snarled, “Then you leave me no choice. It’s clear your intentions are to stop me, and I can’t allow two hundred years of planning to be ruined.”

He then flew into her as Echo screamed, seeing Moondancer slammed into one of the vats and thrown onto the ground. The mare groaned in pain as the count flew upward. “You will die here, Moondancer, unless you agree to my terms.”

He then flew down at her as the mare quickly flew backward, adjusted herself as she got up, and then shot a beam of magic at the stallion who turned into mist as the magic was shot through its body and then flew upwards. “You really are just a fledgling floundering about and naive of her power.”

The stallion then flew towards her as she continued to shoot beams of magic; he quickly dodged them, slammed a hoof into her throat, and threw her down into the ground cracking the stone around her. Moondancer cried out in pain but tried to hold on as she glared at the Count. Echo then flew over to her side and then cried, “Stop, please!”

The stallion smirked, turning towards her. “I'm not going to kill her; she is way too valuable," he swerved his head to the griffin and shouted, "Dr. Blitzenbolt! Start the engines!”

The griffin gulped as he went to start pressing buttons away at the massive device, then Moondancer turned and cried, “doctor don’t.”

He looked back with tears in his eyes as he cried, “I'm zorry, but I don’t have a choice.”

“You have a choice, doctor; don’t listen to him,” Moondancer cried as she gritted her teeth and spat.

Dr. Blitzenbolt paused as Echo turned towards him and pleaded, “Please, Doctor, why are you doing this?”

“He…He has my family…”

Moondancer turned to glare at the Count, who laughed, “Do not worry; they’re fine as long as he hits that switch.”

Echo flew over to the Count; she bared her fangs and snarled. “Tell us where his family is, or I'll rip your throat out!”

He threw Moondancer aside as she slammed into another vat, looking straight at Echo, who started to back up, trembling in his presence. He replied, “No, this is what will happen. The good doctor will hit that switch and unleash his concoction into the atmosphere, and you two will stay put until I take over the Kingdom of Thestral. Then and only then will I return to the good doctor’s family to him, and you can leave.”

Echo glared at the Count, with fear coursing through her making her unable to move, and then the Count suddenly stopped; he now seemed unable to move or do anything. Then everyone saw Moondancer slowly up with a bit of blood pouring down her face. The mare was breathing heavily, but her eyes were now a dark red as she held out a hoof, seeming to control Count Appleblood. She then ordered, “You will tell us where the doctor's family is!”

“How are you-” the stallion cried out as Moondancer got closer her eyes burning with rage and shouted, “Where are they!?”

“T…they’re on the second floor, third room in the east wing with his wife and eggs.” The Count replied as he tried to resist but seemed unable to.

Dr Blitzenbolt stood there with utter bewilderment, tears filling his eyes, “t…they’re here!?”

Echo turned towards the doctor. “See, we know where they are. Just don’t hit that switch, please.”

The griffin stepped away with himself just looking at his talons and stammered, “I'm zorry, I…I didn’t mean to deceive you. I didn’t know where the-”

Echo flew over and hugged him as Moondancer turned her attention back to the Count, who was just sitting there with a smug grin. The bat pony alicorn got angrier by the second and asked, “What are you smiling for?”

“You only had your powers for less then twenty-four hours, and you can control my mind. Congratulations.”

Moondancer dropped her hoof, and the realization slowly came over her. “Y…you planned all this?”

“Of course I did! I'm a vampire, and I can wait another thousand years to take over Thestral. Unlocking your potential was what I truly wanted. Soon, the desire for power and control will be too much to bear, and you will seek me out on your own accord. There is so much I can teach you, my young apprentice.”

Moondancer stepped back as she cried, “No, no, I won’t! I won’t! I will find a way to turn back to a unicorn, and you’ll rot in a jail cell!”

“We shall see,” The Count laughed as he dissipated into smoke. Moondancer roared in anger. She flew up and started smashing the vats, tearing holes into the metal, and pouring the punch all over the massive facility as she shouted, “I won’t be like him! I won't! I won’t!”

She continued to smash and destroy until the entire facility was flooded with punch. She flew back to the cellar, heaving in anger, as Echo flew over and put a hoof on her shoulder. She turned towards her and took her friend by the hoof and whispered, “Moondancer, it’s okay. I’m here. Please stop.”

Moondancer started to regain control of herself and then started to cry. Unable to hold back her tears, she cried on her friend’s shoulder as Echo patted her friend on the back.

The next few hours went by in a blur for Moondancer. After returning to the manor, the other bat ponies there were all left in a state of confusion, seeming to not remember how they got here. The second they returned to the manor, Echo went off to inform the queen of the bat ponies of the coup Count Appleblood was trying to pull. The doctor then flew upstairs immediately, bringing a dark white and black feathered griffin and some eggs. It wasn’t long after that Echo returned, with the queen’s soldiers coming over and questioning everyone. All the servants were still quite dazed, revealing themselves as kidnapped civilians who were hired as servants for the manor but didn’t remember a thing afterward. He continually apologized about everything, but seeing his family was held hostage, the soldiers didn’t arrest him and cleared him of any charges. After they finished their investigation. It was clear that Count Appleblood left without a trace, even though his room was vacant, with all the books and tomes in his private library having mysteriously disappeared, leaving nothing behind but his coffin.

As the soldiers concluded their search, Echo escorted Moondancer and Dr. Blitzenbolt’s family back to the Kingdom of Thestral. They came to a small alcove in a massive stalagmite where Moondancer was greeted to a quaint little kitchen and shelves full of fruit, where Moondancer finally regained her senses a little and asked, “So um, Echo? this is your place huh?”

Before she could finish her thoughts Echo blurted, “Oh thank Luna! you haven’t spoken in quite some time. I was starting to get worried.” She then flew over to her friend hoofing her some fruit which Moondancer greedily started to suck the juice from them. She sat there devouring the entire bowl until that was left were empty husks.

Echo then slowly got closer and hugged her hooves around her friend. They stayed like that for a minute before Moondancer had the courage to ask, “So, um, I have to ask? Is there any way to get me back to normal? Am I just going to turn into a monster like him?”

Echo hugged her friend even tighter and cried, “No, of course not! Right now, I don't know how to turn you back into a unicorn but Moondancer, you saved Dr. Blitzenbolt’s family; you stopped that evil Count’s plans. You’re a hero!”

Moondancer remembered how she controlled the Count, how that power made her feel—good and scary and she whispered, “But these powers, they’re evil I have to get rid of them.”

Echo turned Moondancer’s face to her and said, “We’re going to cure you. I swear we will!” She hugged her and then said, “But you’ve been through enough tonight. I think you should try getting some rest.”

“Yeah, that would be nice,” Moondancer replied with a yawn, as she felt rather woozy and lightheaded from the fighting and her powers probably.

“Alright, come on, I’ll show you how a batpony sleeps,” Echo whispered to her as she then threw her wings over her friend and flew up, making Moondancer shriek in fright as they wrapped their tails around the central bar in the middle of the room. It took a minute for the fledgling batpony to gain her balance but after doing so started to feel comfortable. The two were now hanging upside down together with Echo’s wings still wrapped around her as she giggled, “See, wasn’t that bad, huh?”

“Guess it wasn’t,” Moondancer replied as she nuzzled into her friend’s embrace, enjoying her company and not wanting to let go. Echo was now looking rather guilty and mumbled, “I am so sorry; this is all my fault."

“What, no, this is all Count Appleblood’s fault. All you did was put yourself in danger for me and risked being banished. Nopony has ever risked so much for me. So thank you."

“Well, if there's any conciliation, I'm happy to have met you, and I'm so sorry for how Twilight treated you before.”

“It's ok.”

“No, it's not."

Moondancer blushed as she nuzzled into her friend and whispered, “Of course, but even though I was hurt by Twilight forgetting about me, she and I made up, and she went out of her way to throw me a party. Trust me, I'm done dwelling on that. All Count Appleblood was just trying to do was manipulate me with my insecurities.”

“That's good to hear, regardless Twilight’s still a jerk for treating you like that.”

“Maybe a little,” Moondancer replied with a chuckle but soon she could no longer resist the urge to sleep as she closed her eyes, still wrapped in her friend’s embrace, and started to slowly drift off.”

Chapter Five: The Night is not Eternal

Moondancer woke up groggy as she rubbed them and started to look around, adjusting herself and looking up to see. She looked around her study, realizing she was on the ground, feeling a bit achy as she stretched her body. The mare turned to see she was literally on the ground! She then rose up and looked around, readjusting her gaze, and then she came to the realization that she wasn’t on the ceiling anymore. The mare then slowly got up and realized that something was different as she tried to figure out what was happening to her. The unicorn then got on all fours and looked at herself in a dimly lit room, seeing a mirror nearby, and that was when the realization came as she looked at herself, seeing she was a unicorn again. The mare turned to see Echo flying over with a smile, “Good eve-” Before she finished, the mare gasped, looking her over, and asked, “Oh wow!? I didn’t expect you to be a unicorn again!?”

Moondancer looked herself over, seeing no batwings, and said, “Yeah, that part doesn’t make any sense.”

Echo flew over and gave her an inspection, and added, “It's so weird; maybe this curse was temporary.”

“Do you think so? Is there any way to be sure?”

Echo shrugged and replied, “Well, um…I don’t know, but maybe you can ask the Queen.”

“The Queen!?” Mooondancer cried out, being rather taken aback by the suggestion.

The unicorn was also a bit stunned as well and replied, “Wait, your queen wants an audience with me!?”

“Yeah, she um…well…seeing you thwarted Count Appleblood’s plans, and she has a report from me, but um…she wants to have a council with you, me, and Doctor Blitzenbolt.”

Moondancer slowly nodded, but as she looked around, she couldn’t see anything. Everything was now so dark, with the cave gently illuminated with glowing moss. Echo then took out a necklace with a magic pebble and placed it on her chest, and it glowed, shining up the area around her. “There, that's much better, huh?”

“Yeah, it is. Thank you,” the unicorn squinted as Echo was now blurry as she whispered, “Um…you wouldn’t happen to a.” Before she finished, Echo picked up her glasses and adjusted them on her eyes. “There, I picked them up from Minuette.”

“Wait, how is she!? Does she know I'm ok!?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I used my disguise kit and told her that you're with me nursing a hangover. She’s relieved to know you're okay.”

“That’s good to hear,” Moondancer replied with a sigh of relief. “Well, so um, when does the Queen want to see me?”

“Right now, actually, we better hurry!” She then took the unicorn under her forelegs, and they flew off together.

They continued to be taken through the Cavern, and they eventually came upon a Stalagmite that was at the center of it. As they landed, the two were escorted through a grand hall filled with glowing statues of other bat ponies and tapestries from the past. They eventually came upon the throne room. Along the throne room, a few bat pony soldiers were standing at each other's side, wings folded back beneath their silver and dark blue colored armor. Then, at the end of the hall was the Queen herself, a massive dark her sides as she was escorted to see a tall and powerful looking bat pony; she had a silver grey coat with eyes of sparkling crystal white that shimmered, her mane was a long slender white and black mane, and she looked down at her with a smile on her face and said, “Good Evening.”

“Good Evening, Your Majesty,” Moondancer squeaked as she quickly bowed her head. The guards looked at each other confused. The Queen blushed as she threw a hoof, “Rise, Moondancer, we don't do that here.”

“Oh, thank you,” the unicorn whispered. Still rather intimidated by someone as regal as this, she was still rather in awe of her presence and didn’t want to make the situation any worse.

“Now, let me properly introduce myself. I am Queen Nova. Also, do not worry. I am not here to punish you. In fact, I am here to reward you for helping stop what could have been a coup that would have thrown not only my kingdom into turmoil but yours as well.”

“Thank you.”

“And so, your name is Moondancer, is it?”

“Yes, that’s my name.”

“Well, Moondancer you may be wondering what exactly turned you into a batpony? As you surmised, I looked into our archives and believe there is enough evidence to conclude that you are the great ancestor of this Count Appleblood.”

Moondancer paused, seeing she wasn’t the only one wondering if that was a lie, and then said, “I was already aware of this.”

“And the concoction he had, Dr. Blitzenbolt's design was supposed to activate that DNA, correct?” she turned to the griffin, who bowed his head. “Yes itz true.”

“How was it that he was going to turn everypony in Ponyville into bat ponies? This Blood Punch turned Moondancer because she had batpony DNA in her?”

The doctor gulped as he explained, “Um, well, you see, we strengthened the brew with his powers, and um…we would have spread it among the populace. Not everyone would be guaranteed to turn into one, but most would, and they would all be susceptible to his mind manipulation.”

“I see, and where is this Count Appleblood now? It seems he fled his castle.”

“I don’t know; I was not privy to all of his plans.”

“I see; also, can you explain why you were working with him?”

The doctor was looking rather nervous as he explained, “He kidnapped my family a few months ago and has been holding them hostage with my wife and our eggs. I…I only helped him because of that.”

“I see. " She still eyed the griffin, but her face softened a bit and she finished, “Well, that leaves us with a few other questions, doesn’t it?”

She turned to face Moondancer, “When you first came here, I was told you were an alicorn batpony, the first of your kind, and now you're a normal unicorn. How did you change back?”

“Well, um, I don’t know, but I swear I wasn’t here to usurp your reign.”

“No, you may not have, but your presence was enough to cause a wave of misinformation and turmoil. I cannot allow this chaos to go unanswered without the Count to be held accountable.”

“I thought you said we wouldn’t be punished!?” Moondancer asked in response.

The Queen blushed a little and explained, “You're not; I was simply going to say you are welcome to stay here and learn about your condition so we can work together to learn why you turned into a batpony alicorn in the first place and why you reverted to a unicorn. I want to educate my kind as to what is happening and It would bring peace of mind to my people and yours.”

Moondancer was taken aback by the response, and gave a sigh of relief as she most definitely wasn’t expecting to be allowed to return. She asked, “Wait, you're saying I'll be allowed to visit Ec—I mean Thestral whenever I want?”

“Precisely, and speaking of Echo.” she turned towards her and said, “Echo, you broke one of our most sacred rules interacting with daywalkers without a permit or consent.”

“I understand,” the mare whispered.

“But, It's clear if you hadn't, Count Appleblood would be sitting on the throne, and I most likely would be usurped or dead. You risked a lot to help your friend, and that is admirable. Therefore, you will be given a permit to visit the daywalkers whenever you like and help build our relations with them as an official royal ambassador.”

Echo's ears perked up, and she jumped up into the air with a squeal, “Oh, thank you, Queen Nova! You won’t regret it!”
Moondancer winced a little, and some guards gave some loud, exaggerated coughs as Echo calmed herself as she settled down and said, “I mean, thank you."

“Very well, now that that is over, you are dismissed. Please stay as long as you like; you have my blessing.”

With that, the group left the halls of the Batpony Queen. As they left, the doctor turned to Moondancer and whispered, “I am so sorry for deceiving you. I really would have told you it was trapped, but the Count can read minds, and I-”

Moondancer put a hoof up and said, “Doctor, I admit I was furious when I first saw you working with the Count, but your family was in danger. Don’t blame yourself for his actions.”

He cried, tears running down his cheeks, “Moondancer, thank you. If it weren't for you, I…”

She took him and hugged him a little as he seemed to calm down. He left with a wave as Echo nudged her. “So, are you planning on staying?”

As much as Moondancer wanted to explore Thestral, she decided she needed to get back to her home just in case her friends were looking for her. “Maybe, but I think that I better get back. I'm sure Minuette and Twilight are still worried sick about me.”

“Right, come on!” Echo placed her contacts into her eyes and then picked Moondancer up with her hooves and carried her out of the cave and into the bright light of the sun; the bat pony winced a little but seemed to adjust as she flew to Canterlot.

Back in her old home, Moondancer looked around at her dingy little study room, which was covered almost entirely by books. She was happy to be back after a long adventure but a bit embarrassed by the state of her place, as Echo looked around with a smug grin. " Wow, this is exactly how I pictured your place looking.”

“Yeah, it's um, I don’t usually have guests over,” Moondancer admitted sheepishly as she trotted inside and tried to tidy up a bit, and Echo helped out. As they continued to finish cleaning up the place and as they finished Moondancer and Echo both sat down and started to have a little meal; she whipped as the worked and baked a Fruit Cake together, and as they ate, Moondancer couldn’t help but admire how brave and kind Echo was the way she laughed, and how she it stirred something in her as despite being friends she felt there might be something more. Echo then flew off to use the bathroom, and the mare then heard a knock at the door. She slowly trotted over, and then, as she opened the door, she was caught off and somewhat surprised. Twilight stood there and cried, “Moondancer!”

She flew, threw her hooves around her, and asked, “Are you alright? Is everything ok?”

“Yeah, I am; why are you asking?”

“You just left the party last night, and I heard you were sick! Did you drink too much!? Do you need anything!?”

Moondancer, still taken aback by Twilight’s presence, simply “shook” her head and then replied, “What!? No! I mean…I’m fine. I…um…just had a bit too much punch last night.”

“Ok, I'm sorry if you felt left out at the party; I should’ve known it might have been too much.” Twilight sighed.

Moondancer paused for a second. Seeing how Twilight was acting, she couldn’t help but notice she was still trying to make up for the past. She said, “Twilight, it’s alright. I’m perfectly fine. I promise if something is wrong, I’ll tell you."

“Ok, I’m sorry I overreacted. Well, I did fly all the way here. Would it be okay if I took a minute to rest?” Twilight wheezed as Moondancer stood there with a confused look and said, “Yeah, of course.” She then escorted her old friend inside, and then she heard Echos’ voice.

“So anyways, I have to say you daywalkers are so wei-” Echo was half finished as she flew over with a smile, and then Twilight looked up, and upon seeing the batpony, she collapsed.

After Twilight woke up, Moondancer and Echo convinced her that she wasn’t hallucinating, and they sat down and continue to eat some fruit cake and chat. During their conversation Moondancer relayed everything that happened the night before to her, and Twilight sat there just nodding away and cried, “So there’s an entire civilization of bat ponies!?”

Echo then explained, “Yes, and most of us want to live in peace, but we don’t want any trouble. That's why we have strict rules about dealing with outsiders.”

Moondancer nodded and replied, “Echo did a lot for me and risked a lot. I'm hoping she can help bridge our worlds together, but for now, please do not tell anyone, okay?”

“Alright,” Twilight replied. “But still doesn’t explain why you're a unicorn again?”

Moondancer sighed, “We still don’t understand everything happening with me. But the Queen of the bat ponies has permitted me to access her royal library.”

“Really, oh my gosh, that's so cool!” Twilight exclaimed in response. “I’m guessing you’ll be doing a lot of studying then, huh?”

“Yeah, but I'll be doing it with a friend,” Moondancer replied back as she nudged Echo, who nuzzled back.

“Aww, well, I didn’t mean to intrude; I just wanted to make sure you're okay.” Twilight got up to leave, and Echo quickly cried, “Wait, you’re leaving!?”

Twilight threw a hoof and said, “Oh, don’t worry about me; you two should spend some time together.”

Echo took Twilight by the hoof and said, “Come on, I want to know you better. I know you and Moondancer had a difficult past. But since you made up, why not help me get to know her other friends better?"

"Well, if you insist? I don't see why not?" She then trotted back to the table as Moondancer turned to Echo and asked, “So um…guess now Twilight knows I'm okay. Do you want to hang out with us?”

“Oh, that sounds like a great idea! I can show you around Canterlot? If you like,” Twilight exclaimed.

“Yeah, why not!?” Echo chirped in excitement then added, "but let me get my disguise on first!"

Echo then started to place her face contacts and then she placed a magical amulet around her neck. Then with a flash of light it suddenly made her bat wings look to be feathered. “As much as I would like to walk around as a bat pony, it’s probably best to hide my appearance for now.”

“Yeah, we don’t want to give the ponies of Canterlot a heart attack,” Twilight joked then added, "but I'm sure in time you can walk around without having to hide who you are."

"Yeah, that would be nice," Echo replied as they all got up to leave Moondancer looked over at Twilight; despite her misgivings of the past, her old friend came all the way here to check on her and made sure she was ok and greeted Echo. The Twilight Moondancer realized she wouldn’t have done anything like that; Twilight truly had changed, and she couldn’t help but admire that and hope that their friendship can grow. The three mares then trotted out the door as they went off to explore Canterlot together.

Author's Note

So, I was originally going to end the story here, but I feel like it can continue but I want to finish some other stories first so for now I'll leave it as is. I'll update it later this year.