Foal of the Night

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 1
Chapter 4

Chapter 2

Even after a full day since it’d started the storm over Ponyville raged on; even growing worse as it continued despite its length thus far. While most rather appreciated hearing the pitter-pattering of the rain on their rooves as they slept along with the calming atmosphere that came with being hidden away from the weather indoors; Rarity found herself once again frustrated with the noise of the thunder, wind and water… and wide-awake in the middle of the night once again, too.

Reflection on yesterday’s events had left the unicorn ashamed; highly embarrassed that she’d let her elegant composure slip over such a petty matter… but she still felt her frustration was justified; she had checked herself over again at home in the evening’s darkness and found not a blemish on her perfect hide; as she always guaranteed before heading out on her way.

Maybe the others were right, though; it was likely a symptom of a passing illness or the like… but she’d been suffering from insomnia like this for four nights now; alongside her supposedly affected looks. She had to wonder if it couldn’t be something else at this point; perhaps something in her diet that had done it, or maybe it really was the atrocious weather. It was an awful shame, too; seeing as her unhealthy, or at least just awkward; condition had started after that wonderful evening at Canterlot.

Still, by the looks of things there wasn’t much Rarity could concede that she could do but accept her current state of mind and body; and simply look forward to the end or at least resolution of her physical problems. She certainly didn’t seem to be in much of a state to have any issues with her everyday life beyond some consistent tiredness; but even that seemed to melt away so long as she was in the safety of her own home. Maybe it was just some sort of anxiety...

But really, Rarity hadn’t the mind to deal with such psychological issues; let alone the care at the moment. It was the middle of the night; it was pouring with rain, and she wanted to sleep; whether her body did or not. While she did have a rather empty schedule for her next day apparent from taking care of her shop and her orders; she still would rather not be spending the day fast asleep. Not that she wouldn’t miss a chance for a little beauty sleep, of course; but her business and family were more important.

For now the unicorn simply attempted to will herself to sleep once again; trying to place her thoughts of tomorrow’s ambitions and plans aside. She had far bigger problems to deal with; and with her supposed illness on hand things would only become more difficult…

Upon finding her satin sheets showered with midday sunlight once again Rarity was far from surprised; knowing there really wasn’t anything she could do about her apparent insomnia’s affect on her wake-up time. She knew she couldn’t let her worries get out of control, though; she had things to do today; and she didn’t want any of her current concerns to get too much in the way of her everyday life; especially after yesterday’s hassle. Her life was beginning to burn out of control already; she didn’t want…

Burn. Burning. Smoke. She could smell it; coming from downstairs.

Sweetie Belle.

Lunging straight out of her bed without a second thought (and quickly regretting it given the cold beyond outside her little den of pillows and sheets) Rarity dashed downstairs in a practiced fashion; more used to this particular brand of chaos that she would like to admit. It took only seconds for her to enter the kitchen with her present haste; just about screeching to a stop within the room.

Thankfully it seemed that the situation was already under control; as there were no clear flames and Sweetie herself was only slightly singed; with a bit of a charred mane. Given the presence of the other Cutie Mark Crusaders Rarity assumed that they had managed to deal with the fire already; although it certainly had occurred given the bowl of burnt cereal still sitting on the counter (complete with a little circle of ashen soot around it). In all honesty even in a world of magic Rarity totally failed to understand how one could burn cereal; and the fact that it apparently had been pulled off by the application of milk as evidenced by the carton beside it just confused her further. She ought to have Twilight run tests to see if milk actually could combust.

‘I-It’s okay, Rarity! We’ve got it under control!’ chirped the unicorn’s younger sister; earning but a sigh of relief from her elder. ‘Um, I’m sorry; b-but we’ll clean up, I promise!’

With a chorus of nodding from the other fillies Rarity’s attempt to voice her opinion that perhaps her little sister’s special talent was simply an existent of ‘anti-cooking’ was submerged in a sea of puppy-dog eyes; leaving the mare to just give up before she ended up a mile-long guilt trip. After all, she was pretty experienced in dealing with catering disasters; particularly when they involved her own kitchen.

‘Apple Bloom was trying to cook us something for lunch; and Sweetie thought that maybe she could do something for you too; sort of a… midday breakfast.’ Explained Scootaloo; wisely dropping her attitude when it came to dealing with Rarity; ‘But Apple Bloom got her part done; so if you want some of the pancakes she finished to make up for it, then…’

While her nostrils were clogged with smoke Rarity had managed to pick up on the previously enigmatic scent of maple syrup; and despite being about to reject the offer seeing as the current condition of the kitchen wasn’t really confidence inspiring; but upon having her attention drawn to a rather enticing if now rather meagre stack of still-warm pancakes; lavishly lathered with maple syrup. As fanciful as Rarity’s tastes were; she certainly wasn’t about to pass up that sort of feast.

‘I think that’ll work well enough as compensation for the damage you’ve wrought here…’ mused the unicorn; clearly more than a little distracted by the promise of decent food; especially seeing as her cooking skills weren’t exactly stellar either. ‘But please; could you head outside if you’ve had breakfast? I have a good number of dresses to get done today, among other things.’

‘We were heading out anyway, sis.’ Replied Sweetie Belle, with an enthusiastic nod; her energetic attitude rather enticing Rarity; although the unicorn soon shook herself out of her stare. ‘Cheerilee was going to let us act as Cutie Mark Crusader Assistant Teachers in the preschool!’

‘That’s right!’ chirped Scootaloo; the magenta-maned pegasus finally piping up; ‘And we’ve got this amazing plan to get the kids moving. We’re going to play the a sort of Duck-Duck-Griffon thing; but Applebloom got one of her big brother’s mallets this morning so it’ll ha-’

Before Scootaloo could finish she ended up with a white-furred hoof over her mouth and another pushing her and her Crusader comrades along towards the boutique’s entrance courtesy of an unsurprisingly hasty Rarity; albeit for more reasons than the obvious. ‘T-That’s nice, dears; but as I said I’m very busy right now and would like to have the house to myself, so be on your way now, hm?’ said the fashionista hurriedly; not really comfortable on having small foals with bludgeoning tools in her lavishly decorated emporium. ‘Now, ta-ta! I’m sure Cheerilee doesn’t want you to be late!’

And with that the CMCs were met with a door slamming behind them; leaving Rarity to sigh in relief within her home and fortress; not to mention finally deal with her schedule. In truth she had more reason than just the obvious preference of not having concussion against having concussion; in this case being that she’d gained a strange hunger around the foals; which centred itself on the fillies rather than the pancakes that had so tempted her in the first place; or at least which she had thought had so tempted her in the first place.

She soon shrugged off the temptation, however; wisely deciding not to dwell on the concept of finding her little sister and her similarly young friends appealing in any lust-based fashion; especially since she’d found her gaze dwelling on their bodies before she’d snapped herself out of it. She definitely didn’t see her sibling in such a way… although she got the feeling that she really shouldn’t have been all that worried about seeing her in a provocative way; given at the time she had far more feral desires in mind; beyond even that…

Eager to rid herself of her musings and her current sense of hunger Rarity soon bore down on the plate of cooling but still reasonably warm pancakes she’d been left with at her dining table; disappointed to find that their scent certainly wasn’t as delectable as she’d thought it would be now that the smoke had been reasonably cleared. Still, she certainly wasn’t going to complain about free, decent food… and for the moment she was going to ignore the fork that she had only just noticed jammed in the toaster; although thankfully it seemed that at least one of the fillies had taken the power out.

Upon finally beginning to try and work through her meal Rarity’s disappointment only grew; finding that along with the somewhat unimpressive scent despite the appearance of the foodstuff that the fashionably late breakfast had a rather tasteless flavour to it; with only a hint of the delectable nature she’d been expecting. Even though it seemed filling the unicorn certainly didn’t feel satisfied; although her bizarre but subtle hunger did seem ever so slightly dumbed down.

She really hadn’t the time to waste on sulking over her issue; as she had a schedule to stand by. She had spent far too long attempting to dig through her breakfast in the hopes that she might be able to satiate herself and thus was already somewhat overdue on meeting up with Applejack; for the sake of restocking some of her little sister’s favourite food. As much as the fashion designer rather disliked her farming friend due to her rather less dignified choice in career, not to mention overall hobbies and preferences; Rarity could certainly appreciate the company of someone less likely to chew her ear off with questions than Twilight and was still able to form more than one sentence at a time in a conversation unlike Fluttershy. But still, for the time-being she had quite the intimidating breakfast to deal with… and she certainly didn’t want the food going stale in her perfectly clean house, either; the smoke had been bad enough.

With her breakfast set aside at last Rarity suppressed her ravenousness and finally found her chance to get herself properly dressed and made-up for her trip out into the rain once more; cringing a little upon leaving and seeing her shop’s sign still set to closed. Her insomnia had really driven her business to a halt due to her late awakenings; and all the dealings with her friends she’d been having as of late hadn’t done much to help her work either. But still, there was little she could do about the issue as far as she knew; and she had gotten fairly good business in the Summer anyway; courtesy of a number of customers hailing from the lofty social group in Canterlot she’d managed to join.

For now she simply addressed the issue at hand, though; propping up her umbrella once again and stepping to the rain; which thankfully seemed to have eased off a little as of the new day. No doubt the weather team’s best ponies had been on point for the first days of the storm; and were now just sleeping it off while the rookies took over. Besides, Rarity didn’t know that much about the weather and all but she at least figured that the clouds overhead were probably running a bit dry by now; even if they certainly didn’t look it from the ground.

Thankfully the unicorn’s path to Sweet Apple Acres was relatively uneventful if rather damp; although it was clear that the conditions of her visit weren’t going to change in a hurry as Rarity spotted her farming friend’s orange coat amidst the pouring rain. Rarity couldn’t believe that the earth pony was out on the job on a day like this; still insistent on hefting around hay bales outside despite the terrible weather. The fashionista certainly wouldn’t be caught dead outdoors without at least an umbrella on hand; let alone without and while doing manual labour.

Deciding it best not to even threaten her manicured sand cleaned hooves with the prospect of ending up in mud and sodden soil Rarity simply leaned against the fence line Applejack was working beyond; managing to attract the mare’s attention with her awkward attempt to act refined while in such a stereotypically farming-related position; with the weather not doing her dainty demeanour any favours either.

‘Howdy, Rares!’ called out Applejack in greeting; quickly trotting over to the unicorn with her usual well-meaning smile; splashing a bit of mud as she moved. Much to Rarity’s relief she was at least wearing some proper rubber boots to deal with the muddy field; although she seemed blissfully ignorant of the awful rain; her mane and coat sodden and dripping with water. As the mare moved closer Rarity took a step back; not keen on at all touching the drenched pony. ‘What bring you out here in this weather? I would’a reckoned you’d be all huddled up inside with the way you usually go whacko over getting wet.’

‘While I’m glad that you appreciate me coming out in the rain to chat to you;’ begun Rarity; far from pleased by the earth pony’s snarky remark and thus giving Applejack a scolding glare for the comment. ‘I do have business to attend to with you. I placed an order on a barrel of your apples last week, remember? Could you get it by my place tomorrow morning; hopefully when the rain eases up a little?’

‘Oh, yeah! No problem; I can get it all figured out now. Come on down with me to the barn; I’d like a chat and I oughta be finishing up here anyhow.’ Replied Applejack; nodding her head towards the red-painted farmhouse further down the fence line before taking the lead towards it with a gentle trot; leaving Rarity to keep up. ‘I’m sure you think I’m some sorta dirt-loving animal; but I do like to be out of the rain and slog myself.’

‘Hm, well; you certainly don’t act like it, then.’ Mumbled Rarity; clearly still far from pleased by the mare’s state of hygiene but tolerant enough to follow her lead; simply appreciating her umbrella’s presence. ‘Still, at least you’re actually somewhat more polite than the rest of my friends who I’ve spoken to lately.’

‘Oh, really? I always reckoned you got along well with most folks.’ Replied Applejack, a little surprised by the suggestion; arching an eyebrow in curiosity. ‘Well, most of the folks you hang about anyhow. All that jibber-jabber about fashion and gossip and whatever other nonsense you’re all about would go right over any of my folks’ heads. Heck, I thought you went along to all those Canterlot parties lately; woulda’ thought you’d be as happy as a pig in mud.’

‘They have been quite enjoyable occasions on the whole; although I certainly don’t really appreciate your metaphor regarding my enjoyment in being involved in them.’ Grumbled Rarity; far from pleased to be compared to swine; especially in her least favourite terrain. ‘But no, my main issues have been with Ponyville’s residents, actually. It seems like everyone I’ve chatted to lately has just been intent on insulting my looks.’

‘Huh, well; I never thought you as one somepony could really take offence to the look of. I mean, I’m here drenched in rain and caked with mud; I certainly can’t hold a candle to you; at least for the moment. I mean, sure; people have tastes; but you’re the fashion guru, right?’ Remarked Applejack; not really keen on complimenting the embittered unicorn but also anything if not honest. She might consider herself reasonably attractive; but when push came to shove she would Rarity was more conventionally good-looking; or at least put far more effort into her appearance. ‘Still, maybe you shoulda’ asked ‘em what was up.’

‘There’s absolutely no excuse for such blunt rudeness!’ whined the unicorn; picking up her pace a little as her temper took over yet again; leaving Applejack to have to step up her own pace in order to keep up with the haughty mare. ‘Aloe…well, Aloe or maybe Lotus and Fluttershy of all people should know how sensitive I feel about my looks!’

‘Hey now, cool down; would ya?’ grumbled Applejack; somewhat irritated by her friend’s sudden temper tantrum; ‘I’m sure they didn’t mean anything by it; they were just trying to look out for you. I mean, heck; Flutters wouldn’t harm a fly without being seriously ticked off.’

‘But I’m looking perfect; even in this weather! I checked at home and all as well! I think it’s just some awful prank; seeing as even Twilight and Spike said the same thing.’ Whinged Rarity; unsurprisingly still refusing to back down from her complaints despite how much they were obviously irking Applejack. ‘It’s simply insulti-’

‘Hold your horses already, Rarity!’ interrupted Applejack; rounding on the unicorn and blocking her way to the now nearby barn; halting Rarity’s little march. ‘Enough of your whining, alright? I get that you’re bugged about what they might’ve said but land sakes, Rares; calm down. Besides, I reckon they have a point. You’re lookin’ a little pale anyhow; so maybe you should’ve listened and asked a little more in the first place instead of goin’ ballistic and closing yourself off behind your vanity!’

Left unsurprisingly furious by the slander of both her looks and attitude Rarity was in no state to be playing nice even with her friendly rival of sorts being the target of her attention; returning Applejack’s aggression in similar strains despite her far from violent approach; as her recent stress had done her temper no favours. ‘You haven’t the slightest clue what I’ve been going through as of late, Applejack; so still your tongue before you say anything more that you might regret!’ snapped the fashionista; shooting the mare before her a harsh glare; ‘As if everyone else wasn’t giving me a hard enough time it seems you’re intent on jumping aboard the harassment wagon as well! And I thought you farmers were meant to at least have some sense of honour; out of all the staples of simple eloquence you so sorely lack; you filthy sandraker!’

Rarity’s infamously obnoxious complaints earned her a brisk shove from her supposed compatriot; who was now well and truly fed up with the unicorn’s lip. ‘It’s your own damn fault if you’re stressed, Rarity; since it seems to be mainly coming from you not giving a hoot about the rest of us girls’ opinions! Didn’t you learn anything from all those times you’ve freaked out over little things in the past?’ growled Applejack; quite comfortable with taking on Rarity physically and admittedly somewhat eager too; having always had a bit of a score to settle with the fashionista; ‘If you’re not going to listen then I am gonna make my point heard via other means; and I reckon you know what I’m talkin’ about here. I won’t beat around the bush about beating you around the bush.’

While far from a fighter Rarity would not back down now that the challenge had been made; attempting to shove Applejack out of her way with a rather blunt application of her magic; and having about as much success as one would expect given her target’s race and strength; not to mention that Rarity certainly hadn’t studied the use of magic as a weapon. Still, the unicorn’s temper made sure that the hit was enough to force Applejack to stumble.

‘…You and me, hoss.’ Snarled the earth pony; pouncing upon Rarity with practiced fury; her endless tussles with her older brother in her youth giving her a definite one-up over her demure foe; swiftly pinning the unicorn on her back against the drenched grass; only to earn herself a quick whack on her back from the umbrella Rarity had rather slyly kept a hold of.

Using the admittedly rather sharp umbrella as a wedge to push Applejack off of her Rarity clumsily regained her footing; staring the earth pony down once again; now furious given her dirtied state. All that work in the… well, she’d call it a morning, anyway; all for nothing now. Refusing to give the farmer the benefit of being the aggressor Rarity simply full-on tackled the mare; attempting to force her onto the ground and having unsurprisingly little success given the steadfast nature and tough built of her intended victim.

Rarity’s attempted strike only earned her a buck to her chest from her infuriated opponent; the unicorn’s light frame making the blow send her through the barn’s presently loosened doors; left ajar in preparation for the end of the storm and the subsequent need to put out the feed for the animal once the rain cleared up. Rarity was sent tumbling into the darkness within the barn and straight into a pile of the spare hay that littered the barn’s floor; less than appreciative of the soft landing it offered given the further dirtied state of her pelt; the pieces of straw sticking to her already muddy fur.

‘Aaaah!’ screeched the unicorn; briefly assessing her previously pristine looking coat’s now utterly ruined condition; totally horrified by her condition. Upon regaining some of her composure (not to mention her footing) the mare shot the now advancing Applejack a powerful glare. If looks could kill; well; Rarity was guilty of second-degree murder… assuming she wasn’t in the inevitable fight between her and her ‘friend’.

While not really loathing Rarity Applejack did allow herself a bit of smugness over the vain unicorn’s horror; proud to have taken her down a notch for once. However, the earth pony was satisfied to end the fight there, not really interesting in getting in a hoof-fight with Rarity. It wasn’t really friendly behaviour; especially not acceptable for an element of harmony… and besides, compared to her usual opponent of Rainbow Dash, the unicorn was really barely a challenge.

‘You’re as good as dead!’ snarled Rarity; quick to turn Applejack’s internal complaint straight back on her as the earth pony got a solid punch to her muzzle as soon as she entered the barn; finding her dainty friend packing quite enormous power for her demure frame; managing to send the mare off of her feet with the blow. Left lying on her side in a small tuft of hay from the impact Applejack quickly got back on her hooves; finding her newfound foe already heading her way; the unicorn’s temper tantrum leaving her far from on the defensive despite Applejack’s good hit on her.

Rarity pounced onto the earth pony with feral fury; easily pinning her with unnatural strength; although the unicorn’s blurred state of mind made her miss the factor while Applejack was simply stunned by the demure mare’s sudden power. She soon found something else getting her attention, though; as the darkness of the barn certainly made her eyes pronounced… and the way they were very slightly glowing; the black pupils of the unicorn having expanded beyond natural proportions to cover her blue irises completely. While not exactly monstrous Rarity’s gaze was chilling to Applejack; a long-repressed instinct trying to warn her in some way as she felt her fight-or-flight instincts kicking in; a wave of terror overcoming her mind.

Applejack’s hesitation (not that there was a lot that she could do but struggle) earned her another solid punch to her muzzle from Rarity; although luckily for the earth pony the unicorn didn’t follow it up with another blow; despite her attitude seriously threatening such punishment. Instead the unicorn finally relented; seeming about as confused as Applejack as she finally regained some control over her fury. Only then did both mares fully cease their tussle, as they just about simultaneously noticed the blood trickling off of Applejack’s snout and thus Rarity’s left hoof.

With a yelp of shock Rarity immediately backed off of Applejack; darting out of the barn without a second thought; and leaving the earth pony she’d abandoned utterly bamboozled by the entire display. Applejack was hardly hurt despite the blood, as it’d only come from a rather minor nosebleed rather than anything serious; and given her lifestyle such little injuries were fairly common anyway. Still, she certainly wasn’t comfortable seeing Rarity lash out like that; although admittedly she was far more concerned and perplexed by the unicorn’s mysterious strength… had she been underestimating her this whole time, or was something much more suspect involved?

Vastly thankful to have escaped from the violent grip of her previous adrenaline and frustration Rarity finally made it home to Carousel Boutique; utterly ashamed and admittedly more than a little scared by her outburst. For now, though; she was just absolutely exhausted… albeit emotionally, rather than physically. She was still a little strained from the little tussle; but in all honestly she was fairly good to go, considering how her day had been thus far.

Pushing open the door with a sigh of both relief and simply exhaustion Rarity once again saw the blood on her hoof, idly licking the liquid… before realising exactly what she’d done and double-taking in disgust; attempting to spit out the iron-tasting fluid. She couldn’t manage to force her body, too; though; the blood tasted delectable and such refreshment was a godsend given Rarity’s recent nagging starvation and thirst.

Despite the relief that her apparently rather sufficient drink offered her Rarity reeled in disgust at her own actions; only to end up faced with something rather more distracting than her current predicament standing in her house.

‘Oh, Spike!’ blurted out the unicorn, partially surprised and admittedly partially relieved; albeit more that it wasn’t something worse than any particular appreciation for the dragon’s presence. Sure, it was nice to have him around to help with things and his compliments were always welcome; but given her current exhaustion she wasn’t really in the mood for his flirtations.

‘Hi Rarity; I was wondering where you were.’ Greeted Spike; darting off for but a moment to snag the mare a towel; having unsurprisingly noticed her less than pristine condition. Rarity took the towel gratefully with her levitation; hastily doing her best to clean herself up with rather poor results given how much the mud had managed to cake on her fur. Spike was tempted to raise the point of her late appearance compared to when she’d organised for his visit previously, but he knew he’d just get the usual excuse of her need to be ‘fashionably late’.

‘Hey, are you okay? You look a little roughed up.’ Asked Spike as the unicorn walked on in; leaving wet patches as she trotted on; quite a bit too concerned about her current state to be handing her draconic admirer in a rush. ‘Here, pass me the towel and I’ll wash you up properly.’

With a sigh Rarity just dropped the towel she’d been levitating into Spike’s claws; leaving him to rush off and dampen it while the unicorn took a well-deserved seat on her fainting couch; careful to avoid accidentally staining her furniture in any way with her less than pristinely clean coat. The mare didn’t even bother to complain as Spike tended to her coat; as while she would typically never leave her appearance in the hooves of anyone but a professional given her present state she hadn’t the motivation to complain about the dragon’s efforts to clean her up a bit.

And, to Spike’s credit; he didn’t do a bad job in the end. Rarity lost track of time as she was pampered by the dragon; still refusing to speak throughout her improvised grooming session; although by the end of it that was more due to not wanting to ruin her relaxation than due to her previous shell-shock of sorts. Regardless, with a sigh the unicorn decided to face up to the fact that she owed Spike an explanation as he finished carefully combing through her mane.

‘I’m sorry about my attitude, Spike; but as you could probably guess I’ve had quite the day thus far.’ Remarked Rarity demurely; dropping her earlier stress from her tone entirely; a practiced and perfected skill of hers. ‘Essentially, Applejack and I had a… professional disagreement. Nothing more.’

Spike nodded along respectfully with the unicorn’s explanation; although even Rarity knew that he had no doubt figured out that one doesn’t get that dirty and bruised from a ‘professional disagreement’. But that was certainly the most he was going to get out of her; and far more than most ponies would get her to say anyway. ‘But I digress, Spike; right now I just really want to cool off and have a rest.’

‘So, uh… no working on dresses or anything today?’ asked Spike, looking a little crestfallen; unsurprisingly more than a little let down to be watching his possible day with his crush slipping straight through his claws.

‘Not quite, Spikey; I’d just like to have a nap before we do anything.’ Replied Rarity; giving the dragon a little affectionate if condescending pat on his head; finally standing up again after her rather selfish grooming session. ‘…but, actually; could you do me a very, very big favour; Spikey-Wikey?’

Naturally Spike was unable to refuse a demand from Rarity; especially with his pet name involved; nodding his head vigorously; much to Rarity’s amusement… and slight guilt. ‘Well, it would be absolutely exemplary if you could please just take care of the shop for an hour or two while I sleep?’

‘Um, well; I guess I can. Twilight’s already rushed off to Canterlot, so I’m certainly free for tonight.’ Replied Spike a little awkwardly; more than a little nervous to find such a responsibility on him. Rarity just chuckled a little; she’d left the shop in his claws before and he’d done alright; so she hadn’t any major concerns… she did feel rather guilty now that she’d seen his nervousness, though. She really did hate ending up toying with the dragon’s affections for him, but… well, at the moment she felt she had little choice. She really did need to keep her shop running despite her recent misfortune, after all… and besides, it was an awful day out; Spike would probably have very few customers to deal with anyway.

‘Thank you so much, Spikey!’ chirped Rarity; giving the dragon a light but enthusiastic hug; certainly appreciative that she’d could have her rest in peace with him on the case. ‘For being such an outstanding assistant I’ll let you have your pick of what’s left of our last gem haul when I wake up…’

‘But here’s a little in advance, hm?’ teased the unicorn, giving Spike a tiny peck on his cheek; smirking a little in satisfaction upon seeing the dragon turn bright red as always. Still head over heels for her… not that Rarity had any doubts of that to begin with.

‘I’ll be up again in no time, darling.’ Purred Rarity before leaving Spike to take care of the showroom; a noticeable skip in his step following the unicorn’s little kiss; an all too familiar sight for her. With that out of the way Rarity pretty much collapsed on her bed, feeling far better now that she had an afternoon to herself after all the chaos that had occurred earlier. Regardless of illnesses, fights, and awful weather; Rarity was not going to allow her perfect composure be tarnished…

Chapter 3

Rarity awoke in her glamorous bed to find that the storm outside was finally over; the pitter-pattering of rain against the side of her boutique having finally been silenced after three long days of downpour. No doubt there was still more to come, of course; as it was getting into Winter and the weather team had likely moved some clouds towards Ponyville previously in order to continue the storm; leaving some rain heading to the town regardless of the schedule.

It was still about as dark as it was when Rarity had originally settled down for her nap so the unicorn was fairly confident that she hadn’t been out for long. Spike was no doubt downstairs, still working away on his own. After giving herself a little time to wake up the unicorn got to work properly preening herself in preparation for what little of her day remained; before finally throwing her dressing gown over herself as she headed downstairs to the show room.

She found the room in complete darkness; clearly Spike had long since left; and the open windows showed that it was the dead of night outside. Still, he’d kept to his word by the looks of the bits left on the counter; not to mention the lack of a number of gems that Rarity was very sure were amongst her supplies the day before. She couldn’t really complain, though; she’d pretty much abandoned the dragon… accidentally; but that no doubt didn’t go far in softening the blow for the ever sensitive Spike.

Still, it was a bit late for sulking now. She had a whole night to work with, really; her nap had likely thrown her already slim chances of getting any sleep out the metaphorical window. Perhaps it was better to just accept some of her illnesses symptoms for the time being… especially seeing as at the moment she felt fairly energetic, despite the time of day. Besides, the night brought some special inspiration; and if she wanted to get some proper selection ready for Winter then what better time to work on her dresses than the present?

She had an inkling of a feeling as to exactly what her present disease was now, however; a nagging thought that had nestled itself in the back of her mind after she’d had that rather surreal moment of tasting Applejack’s blood… and finding it uniquely satisfying. There was no way Rarity would allow herself to become a slave to delusions of the supernatural, of course; but it was certainly a possibility… it wasn’t like Equestria’s native wildlife were all that more bizarre what-with constellation-based animals and bizarre animal mash-ups. Throw in magic and its darker cousins as well, and vampires weren’t that strange a thought.

It was a bit of an interesting prospect, really. The idea of following the grace and power of classical vampire was quite a fantasy for the demure mare; being able to dabble in both nobility and the grace that came with such interpretations of the supposedly fantastical creature. It would be quite the opportunity for some creative fashion choices, too… Rarity had always wanted to give such eloquent finery as represented in renaissance days of fashion a shot. That might be a nice thing to try for Halloween really; or maybe a little limited range. Might not sell well, of course…

With something finally on her mind and so much energy to work with Rarity set straight upon getting some designs and doing some knitting and stitching; finally getting back on top of her workload for the week and with newfound enthusiasm. Her gothic fashion fantasies would have to wait, of course; but that didn’t mean that she’d couldn’t use such inspirations to give her Winter range a little more spice. Black was the new black, after all.

Unfortunately for Rarity her previous argument with Applejack had not gone overlooked; as the farming mare had made plans for the next day to confront Twilight over the unicorn’s behaviour; not being one who really liked to see her friends acting so bizarrely and nor keen on being one-upped by her rival of sorts. Naturally Applejack had seen it logical to go to the root of the problem in this case; or at least the root of the evidence, given Rarity’s mentioning of her bookish friend.

While Applejack would have preferred to take on Rarity herself and deal with the unicorn’s apparent temperament issues and suspicious strength directly she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to get into another tussle with the fashionista if she was anywhere as strong as she was during their original fight. She’d been a poor fighter even in such impulsive circumstances, yes; but she was still very strong and probably had more tricks up her sleeve given her magical nature; and Applejack wasn’t really keen on picking fights she couldn’t win, stubborn as she might be. Besides, it wouldn’t really change or prove anything; win or lose.

Having done all her major chores in the early morning seeing as the rain had stopped and she had other plans in mind, Applejack found enough free time to go along with her aims of querying Twilight as to Rarity’s temperamental behaviour; trotting over to the library in all its oaken glory; giving it’s door a polite if loud knock with a hoof. She had to question how a hollowed tree managed to really hold itself up so well without a central mass and yet with a less hollowed mass at its peak; but Applejack had long since learnt not to question anything that involved unicorns. Plus, it wasn’t like she could talk; her race was naturally gifted when it came to plants. Still, she did think it ought to have a proper pruning; especially with Winter coming around; a branch falling from that tree would be no laughing matter…

She soon found her call answered by a rather tired looking Spike, however; who seemed a little less than gleeful about the mare’s presence; clearly having been busy before the interruption. The feather duster in one of his claws was a bit of a tip-off; as was the dragon’s rather infamously effeminate apron. ‘Oh, good morning Applejack.’ He greeted a little awkwardly, unsurprisingly rather keen to get back to finishing his chores. ‘Um, what’s up?’

‘Howdy, Spike. Just popped around for a chat with Twilight.’ Replied the mare, getting a somewhat incredulous look from Spike; not really pleased to find that yet another visitor was purely interested in talking to just his guardian rather than he himself despite their friendship. Having been kept up all night on the grounds of a false promise hadn’t much improved his mood for the day, either.

‘Oh, Twilight’s out, actually. Headed off to Canterlot yesterday in quite a rush; Rarity sort of riled her into action. She’s hoping to join up with some of the science-y circles they have there, apparently.’ Explained the dragon, with a light shrug. ‘She’ll be back soon enough though, she’s only going to be away for a day or two.’

‘Just hoping to gain membership to the groups and deal with them mostly by mail, or so she says.’ Added Spike; looking vastly less than keen about the prospect of having even more letters to write and send off every week. He thought he’d gotten himself a break from letters to Celestia now that Twilight and her friends had matured a little; but it seemed that being but a courier was simply his destiny.

‘Ah, alright; I see.’ Replied Applejack, figuring she wasn’t going to get much done without Twilight around; before changing her mind. Who really knew Rarity that much better than Spike, anyway; given his blatant crush; even if it had gotten a bit more subtle as of his adolescence? And the unicorn herself had said that he’d been with Twilight during their argument too, so he’d no doubt have at least something to say. ‘So, uh; Spike… how’re you goin’ with, y’know; Rarity and such?’

Initially the dragon was clearly confused by the question; rather accustomed to his crush on Rarity being simply a joke amongst his friends; but he quickly regained his composure. ‘Oh, yeah; I think I’m doing okay. I was helping her last night in her shop… well, really I was just doing the work alone. She came home looking a mess and just went to bed then and there, actually.’

‘I think she mentioned something about you, if I recall.’ Mused Spike, tapping his chin in thought; before casting off the concept. He might listen to Rarity fairly intently; but he wouldn’t be honest if he said that he was entirely paying attention to what she was saying; given there were other distractions at hand when it came to being around Rarity. Plus, more poignantly a lot of what the unicorn bantered about went over his head; given he wasn’t really entrenched in the culture of fashion design.

While briefly a little nervous about having her and Rarity tussle alluded to Applejack was relieved to find that Spike wasn’t really interested in digging up the story behind the unicorn’s dirtied state. But still, his explanation didn’t really give Applejack any more information about Rarity’s bad attitude.

‘Do ya think there’s anything up with her? Y’know, anything off?’ asked earth pony bluntly; certainly not one to be at all underhanded in her investigation; although admittedly when it came to Spike sometimes that was a reasonably smart move unless one wanted to do a lot of explaining.

She only got a shrug from the dragon, though. ‘I don’t know; she seemed a bit pale but that’s about all of note.’ Replied Spike, a little curious as to the question’s origins but much to Applejack’s thankfulness he didn’t ask any questions. ‘She said she’d been feeling pretty ill lately, but she didn’t seem too bad.’

Applejack just nodded in response; not really pleased to have dug up a whole lot of nothing about Rarity’s attitude. Still, everything had to start somewhere; and she doubted the unicorn would be going out of her way to go killing ponies or anything. ‘Alright, well; keep an eye on her for me, right? I don’t want any partner of mine getting into any trouble.’ Responded the farmer, tipping her hat to her diminutive comrade. ‘And could ya tell Twilight I stopped by? I’d like to catch up with her at some point or another for a little natter.’

Spike gave his friend another nod in response; giving her a wave goodbye as she headed off back home to get back to the rest of her day’s work. ‘Yeah, no problem.’ Replied the dragon as she left; having his own things to do; although he was far less enthused about the prospect. There was only so many times one had to stand to see Twilight’s collection of encyclopaedias being out of order before they learnt to dread it as Spike did. It wasn’t like the unicorn didn’t already have enough massive tomes. And she always insisted on pulling the whole set down even if she only wanted one entry, to top it off…

Applejack was far from satisfied with her investigation thus far; having rather hoped to be able to pass on the responsibility of such detective work on to Twilight; being far from a sleuth herself; or at the very least having gotten some form of lead from the unicorn. While some might say that she was just following her occupation’s stereotype of being rather superstitious; given Rarity had managed to toss aside someone despite being a lady obsessed with being demure and barely touching anything or any activity involved with athleticism.

While she had been awake for much of the night Rarity did manage to wake up on time to get her shop in order for the day; only now in the late afternoon did the unicorn finally get a chance to close everything up and get some time to herself. She’d begun advertising her Winter line today; but that was about all she could really brag about having gotten done during her day; and even then it’d mainly just been idle remarks to the few customers she’d dealt with for the day. She really hadn’t the motivation since midnight; she’d been feeling progressively more awful and thirsty since she’d woken up again; the hunger that she’d felt building up previously coming to a fever pitch.

She had to do something; and she couldn’t it like she was confused anymore – she needed blood. Maybe it really was vampiric; maybe it was some other disease or some sort of curse; but at this point she was in no state to investigate or ask for any help; it was just about sunset and she couldn’t keep a hold on her mind. She couldn’t think of any way to deal with her hunger besides the obvious; and her mind was slowly spiralling into a dark place in her unconsciousness; a deeper power and persona that she swore she had never felt before.

And it was not one she could reject for much longer, either. While Rarity considered herself fairly headstrong and confident her determination was being eaten away by her unsettling thirst; feeling that losing control of herself was going to inevitable. She could only hope she was in a safe place when she did; that she wouldn’t be able to actually attack anyone…

With that in mind the unicorn hastily closed and locked her bedroom’s door; feeling faint already; before hurrying over to her window and doing the same. She was even more worried by the fact that Sweetie Belle was already home; having disappeared into her room after Rarity had greeted the filly when she’d come home from school; likely to deal with homework or continue practicing her magical skills. She’d become quite adept with them since she’d taken a passion to them in her recent years; although she seemed fairly intent on using them for the sake of her little friend group’s efforts to slowly undermine the occupations of all of Ponyville’s population.

Trying to calm herself Rarity settled herself back into bed; trying to just keep a hold on her mind and try to sleep; rather than allow herself to slip into whatever horrors were hidden within her brain while fully conscious. Maybe that might hold it back a little…she had to wonder the cause of it, though; perhaps it wasn’t just the disease. Perhaps she’d somehow been affected by black magic; perhaps it was always a part of her, just waiting for release. Maybe it’d been a leftover from Discord’s influence on her… a hidden sense of greed. Given her current thirst for something of others’ that was quite fitting; although she couldn’t remember ever looking to blood for bolstering her sense of ownership; a fact she was now rather thankful for. At least now she wasn’t around her friends.

Her ponderings were then torn asunder, however; as she felt the dreadful presence within her rose up; like a sickening shiver slowly rising up her spine and into her mind. She briefly felt like vomiting – then her consciousness was all but gone; sinking under the sea of dark, smooth thoughts that flooded her brain.

It wasn’t that different a sensation to what she’d felt when she’d turned on Applejack; a sense of power – and a sense of malevolence – that was unfamiliar, and controlling; and yet satisfying and long-awaited. The sense soon grew alongside the dark flow of consciousness that controlled her mind; leaving Rarity awaiting; now eagerly so; for a full release of this darkness within her soul.

Finding herself feeling far stronger now, though; the unicorn picked herself up onto her feet once again, feeling vastly more confident although her thirst was still gnawing away at her mind. But now she was in control of her brain again; and could think straight again. And thus, she could plan.

Her objective was simple; she needed to feed; preferably on fresh blood. While strong, she knew better than to undermine her relationships with any of the Elements of Harmony; and even somepony anonymous would likely know her given both her fame as a national heroine and thus undermine any attempt for a silent feed… and she certainly didn’t want murder on her hands; especially not just for the sake of a single drink of blood. Although she was currently under the hold of her disease; Rarity’s status as an Element and the power that came with that undermined any truly evil intent she could try and muster.

That would not stop her from getting her way, though; she had somepony in mind as her prey for the night. A certain individual with the perfect mix of gullibility, submissiveness, and delectability… and whom had made it clear earlier that they would be home alone…

Rarity threw her hair back; giving herself a quick check-over in her vanity; then easily smashed her window with a single blow from a hoof; taking off into the night with her newfound speed and strength. It was about time she treated herself to a truly exquisite meal; and there was nothing worse than a mare’s vices left scorned for so long…

Chapter 1

It was a dark and stormy night…

Well, that wasn’t quite right, was it? It was always satisfying to start a train of thought like that, but it was rarely all that true. The rainstorm outside of Rarity’s home of Carousel Boutique was still certainly loud enough to have woken her up in the first place, though; so it certainly wasn’t anything to scoff at. The thunderstorm currently going on outside was scheduled to go on for a few days, too; supposedly to make up for a minor drought Ponyville’s weather team had accidentally caused last month due to a scheduling error.

Personally she didn’t much mind the rain; umbrellas made a fine accessory as well as being practical under such circumstances; and for the most part the social occasions she ended up in were set indoors. Not that she ever appreciated getting drenched or the like; of course; but generally with a bit of thought she could avoid such awful experiences and keep her beloved clothes prim and proper. Plus; the ambience that such storms provided brought with them a certain sense of calmness and in turn inspiration; a resource that was invaluable to the artistic mare.

Regardless; she’d mentally accepted the fact that it was indeed stormy; and thus her original description wasn’t that far off. But the dark part she really had to argue; it was admittedly dark but not all that dark; and the occasional flashes of lighting were making that arguable too; even though they were still quite far off in the distance. The thunder was still certainly loud; though; and Rarity assumed that the weather was what had woken her up in the first place.

She was far from sure of the fact, though. For the past three nights she’d found herself in a similar state. Awake in the middle of the night; with an unnaturally alert mind and a certain sense of comfort… she couldn’t quite attribute it to anything or compare to anything… it just felt natural to be in the moonlit hours of the night. And along with that had come a tiredness; a feeling of exhaustion that usually came about from being awake for too long; even though she was feeling it when she was just going by her usual waking hours. It just felt more tiring to deal with her daily tasks; and thus early bedtimes became inevitable; and much to the unicorn’s horror she’d even overslept during the morning before… well; overslept more than usual, anyway.

It couldn’t be anxiety or the like, either; it’d been a few years since she and the other elements had taken on anything major like the Changelings or Nightmare Moon; and even recently there hadn’t been anything of note going on. All in all the group had grown, well; mature; and thus such events had grown all the more sparse. Not that she didn’t admittedly look forward to them a little bit… they were at least a nice change to always having to take care of her store.

For now, though; she really had to get some sleep; despite how wide awake she felt. She had things to do in the morning anyway; and the middle of the night really wasn’t the best time to be considering her current state. She was probably overreacting anyway; she was probably just under the weather. Still, she could figure that out later; she was going to see Twilight and Fluttershy tomorrow anyway; no doubt they had plenty to say on the matter. For the time being she’d just have to try and slip away into her slumber once more to the sounds of the storm; whether her internal clock wanted her to or not…

Despite her apparent conviction Rarity found herself awake again; albeit thankfully having been woken up by some scattered rays of light that had managed to make it through both the storm clouds above and the bedroom’s blinds. Feeling notably refreshing the unicorn swiftly went about her usual morning routine; slipping on one of her homemade dressing gowns and soon coming to appreciate the warmth its fluffy lining providing given the storm outside as she headed to the kitchen; hoping to begin her sister’s breakfast before the filly herself made any attempt at doing so. She knew better than to allow the girl to attempt to even touch any unprepared food product; having experienced the ways the unicorn managed to pervert the rules of the Princesses and ponies with her cooking skills’ products.

Once she got downstairs; however; she was treated with a rather new sight; finding but a note from her little sister upon the table… and finding the clock having just struck two in the afternoon. Given her home-run business this would be quite the horrific event on any other day even with her already rather late awakenings; but thankfully it was a weekend. Still, she was somewhat concerned as to Sweetie Belle’s disappearance; although as expected the note the filly had left swiftly explained her whereabouts; in this case she was alongside the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders as per usual; thankfully under the supervision of Nurse Redheart; so they would likely be able to take care of themselves. Then again; she wasn’t sure what Sweetie had meant by ‘concussive therapy’… that girl was getting too eloquent for her own good.

With her nerves calmed for the time-being Rarity set about getting herself prepared for the day’s tasks; thankful that she’d managed to wake up before her planned meeting with Twilight; set up for the sake of dragging the lavender unicorn out of the cocoon she’d established since she’d gotten her very vocally anticipated full first series of Starswirl the Bearded’s Observational and Mundane Magick (Unaltered Collector’s Edition; naturally). Well, that and Rarity had slightly considered trying to explain her current issues of insomnia to Twilight; but at this point she was fairly sure that giving the magician any such chances to go prying into her physiology was really just asking for trouble; especially with a batch of new spells no doubt at the fellow unicorn’s beck and call.

Being in a bit of a rush Rarity’s brief breakfast predominantly consisted of and was finally finished with a rather inelegant chug of coffee; as the unicorn still felt weary despite the amount of sleep she’d gotten; although thankfully the storm outside blocked most of the sun’s glare which typically ended up giving her a headache when she was in such a state. And with that out of the way next came the natural conclusion to Rarity’s routine; a quick dab of mascara and moisturising cream on her face setting the stage for the finishing flourish of a single, practiced stroke through her lavender locks; finally leaving the unicorn properly prepared to face the day.

Well, that wasn’t without an umbrella, of course; while the storm had calmed significantly since the last night’s downpour it was definitely still rain as scheduled; assumedly as the eye of the storm passed over. Thankfully given her business and preference for sticking in style finding a decent umbrella to fit the circumstances took little time; and thus the unicorn was able to head off; her mind clear of concerns for the moment; apart from those regarding the social skills of her lavender friend.

The journey was as uneventful as expected even with the storm overhead; and thus Rarity took little time in reaching Ponyville’s library; swiftly arriving and closing her umbrella; swiftly sheathing it in its cover. She really had to wonder how earth ponies managed umbrellas; since they had to handle the things with their mouths due to their lack of telekinetic magic. Still, that was a problem to be considered some another time; so the unicorn swiftly focussed her thoughts back on the matter at hand of a certain socially awkward librarian. Though admittedly that was probably every librarian Rarity had met.

Rarity’s polite but short knock on the door of the bark-laden library was thankfully swiftly answered (while she didn’t mind the rain so much the unicorn still wasn’t keen on being stuck in the downpour) by Twilight’s number one assistant and quite possibly Rarity’s number one admirer; who was about as pleased to see his crush as would be expected; swiftly stepping out of the unicorn’s way and opening the door with him.

‘Heya, Rarity!’ greeted the dragon chirpily; leaving Rarity as amused as ever by both his enthusiasm and attempted politeness. She couldn’t really fault him on his manners; especially given the example a certain member of Canterlot’s royalty had given her; but it was still a little silly to see the diminutive dragon trying to pull off such chivalry in regards to somepony who was twice his height.

Rarity still wasn’t quite sure of what she thought of the diminutive drake; at least in regards to his consistent romantic interest towards her. It had been a few years now; to the point where at least Rarity would be hesitant to really refer to the boy as a child; but his small stature and often rather naïve attitude still lead her to keep from seriously reciprocating his interest… well, plus the fact that she still wasn’t too keen on dating a different species; and, well… such clinginess wasn’t totally appreciated; although at least he was eager to please rather than just getting in the way all the time.

‘Twilight’s just upstairs right now; finishing off cataloguing some new spell she’s figured out from those Starswirl books she got; if I recall.’ Explained Spike; seeming none too pleased about Twilight’s present fixation; courtesy of having had the task of managing to get the quite massive books (at least with his size in mind) around the place while the lavender unicorn organised her studies. ‘I’ll fetch her; if you’d like. I think she would’ve heard you, though; we were expecting you after all.’

‘Oh, it’s alright darling; I’m happy to wait for the moment. I’m sure she’ll take the clue eventually.’ Replied Rarity; having plans of her own in her mind. After all, if Twilight did take her sweet time in picking up on the fabulous fashionista’s arrival it was just further proof Rarity could use to make a point of the unicorn’s current reluctance to embrace or even acknowledge the possible existence of a social life.

‘So, u-um… how’ve you been?’ asked Spike awkwardly; trying his utmost to start a conversation while retaining some semblance of dignity. Usually he had something to work with; or at least Rarity would have some work he could offer to help with; but at the moment he’d rather had the circumstances forced upon him; a bit of an awkward situation.

‘I’ve been fine; thankfully not too many orders to deal so far in this season. Of course; I am still working; Winter fashion leaves room for plenty of variety you really can’t get away with in the heat of the Summer; not to mention I’ll probably get quite a lot of sales further down the line; since ponies will have to adapt to the colder weather and thus will probably need some heavier clothing.’ Replied Rarity idly; naturally keeping her concerns as to her insomnia and its related issues under wraps around her young admirer. While his usual thought for her well-being was always appreciated it could be rather overbearing; and no doubt if he heard of her having any trouble he’d end up spreading it about and making a real mountain over a molehill; especially with Twilight being his closest compatriot and her usual issues with stressing out over minor issues.

‘Yeah, you always come up with some pretty amazing stuff in the Winter. Your scarf designs are the best, I think. Plus they’re some of the only stuff I can wear, of course.’ Said Spike, seeming fairly pleased by the discussion as Rarity trotted aside to find somewhere to sit; assuming their conversation would probably be somewhat extensive.

Upon finding a suitable chair the Unicorn turned back to her draconic friend; only to be met with a rather confused expression; although he quickly regained his composure. ‘I like your makeup, Rarity.’ Remarked the dragon chipperly; managing to elicit some curiosity from the Unicorn.

‘Well, I appreciate the compliment, but it really isn’t anything different to my usual; Spike.’ Replied Rarity; unsurprisingly a little confused by the boy’s remark. ‘Still, what’s caught your eye, then?’

The dragon whelp did open his mouth to reply; but was quickly cut off by the hurried entrance of his superior of sorts. The lavender unicorn looked fairly embarrassed over her ignorance of her visitor; although her irritation with her assistant wasn’t totally hidden under the expression at hand. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry Rarity! I was just caught up with some magical work upstairs; and I didn’t hear you come in at first and I needed to finish writing up a new category for th-’

‘That’s quite enough, darling;’ Interrupted Rarity; amused by her friend’s hastiness but not really keen on letting the poor dear embarrass herself with her usual obsessive nature; ‘Now, don’t fret; I’ve only been here for a moment; and Spike was kind enough to offer some hospitality in the meantime anyway. However, I think we do need to talk about all this time you’re spending indoors…’

‘Well, I’m glad you’ve already thought about all this, Twilight.’ Remarked Rarity; giving her compatriot a light pat on her shoulder; rather proud of the fellow unicorn’s plans. ‘I still can’t fathom why you haven’t thought about really taking part in Canterlot’s social circles previously given your status there; but I suppose the high life just isn’t for everyone.’

‘Still, just remember I’m only interested in the academic circles, Rarity;’ Replied Twilight warningly; knowing well about the fashionista’s similar tendencies to gush about her hobbies; ‘I’m not that keen on all your partying groups and all that wine and buffets and such-like.’

‘At least you’ll be getting out for a change; whether you end up amongst other nerds or not.’ Interjected Spike offhandedly; getting a quick glare from Twilight for his bluntness; although Rarity nodded along with his point.

‘And that’s really the point of the exercise in the first place. And I’m sure you’ll probably find some fellow sorcerers and the like; so it’ll probably end up nicely for your studies, too.’ Added the unicorn; leaving Twilight to simply sulk a little; not entirely impressed by her friend’s idle acceptance of her plan. She was expecting a little more jealousy; at least from Rarity.

‘Still, it’s a shame you’re not interested in coming to any of my evening parties;’ commented the snow-white mare in question; apparently ignorant to her friend’s sulking; ‘I had quite a nice one lately; quite the selection of wonderful wines and some very polite gentlecolts, too. Although the head of the party was a little touchy-feely; but there’s always someone like that.’

Twilight just responded with a dismissive shrug; honestly not understanding the attraction such minor festivities. ‘Sorry Rarity, but I’m not really one for alcohol myself… plus, you know what I’m like around most people. I doubt any of the nobles you spend time about are all that keen on the history of Equestria’s lesser known but progressive illusionists.’

‘Each to their own, of course.’ Replied Rarity; shrugging demurely in return. She was pleased regardless that her friend was finally paying some mind to her fame in Canterlot; having always been a little jealous of Twilight’s dismissal of her reputation… although Rarity herself certainly had quite a name for herself anyway.

As the rain continued to pour down outside there was a brief silence between the trio; leaving it up to Twilight to finally break the moment. ‘So; Rarity; how have you been faring lately?’ asked the lavender unicorn politely; although with the slightest edge of concern to her tone. ‘It looks like you’ve taken a bit of a new style of makeup.’

‘Yeah, I was kind of wondering too… you look a bit paler than usual, y’know? Though I really do dig the contacts you’ve got.’ Noted Spike; getting a little nod of agreement from his superior of sorts until his remark about Rarity’s contacts; earning himself a confused look from Twilight. Rarity on the other hand just looked consistently confused by the comments she was getting.

‘While I appreciate the attention; my makeup is no different to how it’s been previously. I rarely ever go beyond the basics on meagre occasions like this… oh, well; no offence, darling.’ Replied the fashionista; with a little embarrassed grin; although it was clear Twilight didn’t mind the backhanded remark. ‘I haven’t a clue of what you mean about contacts though, Spike… my eyes are quite fine as they are; and I would rather avoid any sort of contacts anyway; for medical or fashion reasons… glasses are much more in this season anyway.’

Even with Rarity’s reassurance the little drake took a moment to appraise the unicorn’s appearance; but soon relented; seeming satisfied with his analysis for the moment. ‘I guess it was just a trick of the light or something. Sorry.’

‘That’s alright, dear.’ Responded Rarity; a little confused by the attention she’d gotten but soon getting her mind back on track. ‘Well, I have been a little under the weather lately; unsurprising given the current showers; so perhaps I do look a little off due to that.’

‘Well, that would make sense.’ Mused Twilight; a little curious as to the severity of her fellow unicorn’s affliction; not to mention a little suspicious that she had still decided to go out in all that rain despite being ill. ‘Do you think it’s just a cold, or…?’

‘I’m fairly certain it’s just a simple illness like that. Just a bit of insomnia; feeling a little poorly in the day.’ Replied Rarity, with a light shrug; not really appreciative of Twilight’s usual curiosity. ‘I suppose I really should be heading home, now that I think of it. Get some rest.’

‘I thought you usually had your spa treatments with Fluttershy on these evenings, Rarity.’ Remarked Spike curiously; leaving the unicorn to squeak a little with surprise; clearly having forgotten her previous arrangements. ‘I mean, otherwise I would’ve offered to escort you home and lend a hand with your work; like any other time…’

‘Oh, I can’t believe I forgot!’ lamented Rarity; her dramatic side taking the fore in a hurry; leaving Twilight to simply sigh while the unicorn hurried to get her umbrella in hoof (well, telekinetics) again, while Spike was about as gullible as ever when it came to his crush’s exaggerated concerns.

‘Rarity, it’s only half past three. I wouldn’t really call that evening.’ Pointed out Twilight flatly; far from impressed by her friend’s panic. ‘Last time I talked to Fluttershy she said that you two had your little dates fairly late in the day; certainly not this early.’

Rarity heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing news of the actual time; and was almost joined in doing so than Spike; clearly acting about as clingy as always. The pair’s little performance went down as poorly as one would expect with Twilight; whose patience for her friend’s dramatics was beginning to run rather thin.

‘You should still be heading home, though;’ interjected Twilight; much to her draconic assistant’s clear disappointment; ‘If you are ill I would prefer if you didn’t go spreading it around; and even if it’s beyond its contagious stages it’d be best if you get some rest; as this cold weather will only make things worse. Especially seeing as you’re not wearing anything.’

‘For once.’ Added the lavender unicorn; albeit at a volume that her fashion-crazy friend would no doubt miss; not keen on starting a row with the ever-stubborn Rarity but certainly keen on getting in the last word in the discussion.

‘I suppose I should; being sick isn’t too good for business.’ Replied Rarity wistfully; choosing to ignore Spike’s little sulking display. ‘Maybe I might even recover a bit before I have to meet with Fluttershy. Wouldn’t want to give that poor dear anything bad; would be an awful guilt trip watching someone like her deal with an illness.’

While the mare’s somewhat less than thoughtful comment did elicit a bit of a scowl out of Twilight the unicorn rather hand to agree with the sentiment; simply shrugging off the idea. ‘Just try not to get too drenched on your way home… even with an umbrella at hoof this weather is awful.’ Remarked Twilight; with a slight sigh; getting a nod from Rarity in response.

And with that the purple-maned mare in question began to take her leave; walking back over to the door and snagging her umbrella along the way from an ever eager-to-please drake’s waiting hands. ‘Thank you for the tea and chat, Twilight; it was lovely to see you again.’ Concluded Rarity; giving the unicorn in question a demure nod; before turning her attentions to her draconic admirer.

‘And it’s always a pleasure to deal with Spikey-Wikey, of course.’ Added the fashionista; giving the diminutive dragon a light hug; having it as eagerly returned as always.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Rarity.’ Replied Spike chipperly; reminding the mare of her previous arrangements with her little apprentice of sorts; a helping claw that was always welcome especially now that it was a more productive season. ‘I hope you’re feeling a lot better then.’

With her farewells out of the way the unicorn once again opened her umbrella and stepped into the pouring rain outside; rather dreading having to deal with the awful weather. Still, at least she wasn’t in for too long a trot…

Upon getting home Rarity had settled down for a nap as per her fellow unicorn friend’s suggestion; finding herself still feeling rather faint but at least a little better now that she was indoors; feeling far better once she actually set herself down with her windows properly closed and covered. Not that there was much light to block out in the first place given the storm outside… she almost considered leaving the windows open for the sake of listening to the calming ambience of the rain pouring over the windows; although the sound was only slightly dampened by having her curtains drawn anyway.

Thankfully unlike her conventional sleep this time Rarity didn’t manage to oversleep again; having her clock wake her up on time for her rendezvous with Fluttershy. While she did feel better upon having gotten indoors; she couldn’t say she felt a whole lot better after her nap. It’d been relaxing; and surprisingly easy to slip into; but it hadn’t really made her feel that much more energised. Still, she had little time to worry about her apparently illness right now… she had appearances to keep up with.

With practiced grace the unicorn went about preparing herself for her appointment with Fluttershy; swiftly heading to her vanity and properly preening herself; giving her mane that proper bounce with a bit of gel and giving her face a quick touch-up on its blush. She didn’t see what Spike and Twilight had been saying about her appearance, though; she still looked as snow-white as ever… besides; how could she even look pale in the first place? She was block white anyway!

For now, however; Rarity had to put her complaints aside for now; she had things to do and ponies to see. After a final look-over in her mirror just to make sure she was in perfect shape the unicorn made her way to the door; taking up her umbrella once more with her levitation magic before heading outside; making tracks for the spa sisters’ business. Some luxury would certainly be appreciated given her seemingly ill condition; even if she’d have to brave a storm to get there; although by this point in the afternoon the rain had eased up a little… assumedly the pegasi on the weather team were in the midst of changing shifts.

Making the most of the apparent eye of the storm Rarity made good time in reaching her destination; soon meeting her pegasus partner. The dainty mare was as skittish as always in greeting Rarity, simply giving the unicorn a meek little wave of a hoof before hastily rallying with her; eager to place the responsibility of actually dealing with their appointment and thus talking at all on to her socialite friend. Not that Rarity minded, really. She certainly hadn’t any problem with doing all the talking on her own; and Fluttershy was always so appreciative of her support when all was said and done.

‘Good evening, Rarity.’ Murmured the pegasus with a little nod; ducking behind her friend as they approached the reception. Rarity couldn’t help but be amused by the mare’s nervousness; giving her a reassuring smile as she dealt with the receptionist. Admittedly there wasn’t much to organise; it wasn’t like they didn’t come to the place just about every week. The stallion there was even nice enough to offer to dry out Rarity’s umbrella while she was having her treatment.

With the spa sisters getting themselves set up the pair were left to finally chat for a bit; a chance the unicorn certainly wasn’t opposed to. ‘Apologies for the interruption, darling; good evening to you too.’ Greeted Rarity; giving Fluttershy a brief little nuzzle; managing to actually get a little blush from the pegasus despite the friendly nature of the action. ‘I hope you’re faring well?’

‘Mm hm, I’ve been doing fine.’ Replied the butter-coated mare in her usual painfully quiet tone; although Rarity had long since gotten used to the diminutive volume. ‘I had a bit of trouble feeding my rabbits today, though… I was a little late, so I got bitten once or twice… only by Angel, of course.’

‘B-But I’m okay, of course! Their bites can’t even break my skin or anything; so it’s just a little nip… no real malice behind them.’ Added the pegasus hastily; simply getting a blank smile from Rarity; who was used to news like this… and didn’t much care for it, in all honesty. As much as Fluttershy was her friend she didn’t much care about hearing about her animals every time she met them. ‘…Shame the ferrets aren’t as kindly…’

‘Well, I’m glad that you’re alright; superficial injuries aside.’ Said the unicorn, with a little shrug. ‘I will warn you that I haven’t been at my best lately; although I think that the illness I’ve managed to catch is far beyond its contagious stage. Most likely a cold or the like in the first place anyway; and it’s symptoms have mostly alleviated themselves at this point in the evening; so I don’t think it’s likely to cause either of us much grief.’

Fluttershy just nodded along with the explanation as she and Rarity were soon escorted in by Aloe of the Spa Twins; who was as pleased to see her regular customers as always. Soon they were left alone again, however; as they were left to their initial bathing; their personal treatments courtesy of the Spa Twins wouldn’t be until later in the evening.

While far from something of a serious, Canterlot-grade place one couldn’t argue that Ponyville’s spa centre wasn’t at least something of a luxurious place; and its costs rather represented that. Not that Rarity really minded; her skill in her business allowed for quite a tidy pay check (how else could she manage to take care of Sweetie Belle on her own?); and the spa’s services matched up quite nicely with the costs anyway.

‘So, um; Rarity... have you just been feeling under the weather lately; or has anything worse happened before you recovered?’ asked Fluttershy nervously; seeming a little pensive about asking; much to her partner’s confusion. ‘I mean, m-maybe I might know what the illness is.’

‘Well, like I said; I don’t think it’s anything more than a cold or something. Just a bit of insomnia during the night and yet drowsiness in the daytime…’ mused Rarity, recalling her recent issues thus far; ‘…And I didn’t like to say at the time, but felt that the tea I had with Twilight this noon was a little less flavourful than usual; and looking back on it I think that might be thanks to my condition.’

‘That does sound like a cold, but… you do look a little more pale than usual.’ Remarked the pegasus; earning herself a brief glare from Rarity; who was more than a little tired of that remark. ‘I-I mean, assuming you haven’t put more make-up than usual of course; and even then you look fine; I’m n-not complaining or anything.’

Rarity did dismiss her dainty friend with that said; allowing herself to cool down a little… or at least as much as one could whilst half submerged in fairly heated water. ‘Nevermind, Fluttershy… I’ve just been getting that comment a little more often than I’d appreciate today.’ Grumbled the unicorn, allowing herself to sink into the spa’s water sulkily. ‘It’s probably just a part of a flu or something… the last thing I need given my business should be booming soon with the Winter weather.’

‘O-Oh, I’m sorry, Rarity… it’s probably just a cold; I’m just guessing anyway.’ Murmured Fluttershy nervously; far from happy that she’d managed to upset the unicorn already. ‘M-Maybe it was a trick of the light that you looked a little paler?’

Rarity simply decided to shrug off her stress; although she was certainly tired of people criticising her appearance. She was supposed to be calming down in the spa, anyway; not getting ending up bickering with her least offensive friend. ‘Forget it, Fluttershy.’ Snapped the unicorn, unintentionally aggressive in her defence. While typically not one to lose her temper on such short notice Rarity certainly couldn’t stand to have her looks criticised so idly, and especially not her perfectly kept pelt; even with such excuses in mind.

However, the unicorn’s attempt to keep her composure was fated to fail; as one of the spa twins showed up to round up her and Fluttershy for their personal treatment. ‘Miss Rarity; Miss Shy?’ asked Aloe… or was it Lotus? Even after all this time Rarity wasn’t quite sure as to which was which… after all, it wasn’t like they used their names that often. Regardless, it was the one with the blue coat and pink mane; whichever one she was.

Rarity put her thoughts aside for the moment and took the lead in leaving the spa’s warm waters; although she soon regretted doing so given the chilly weather that persisted even within the building’s walls; leaving the unicorn to shiver, much to her embarrassment given her usual composure; especially as Fluttershy walked out without any such hesitation. Once again Rarity found herself a little jealous of the pegasus’ natural grace… although her partially soaked mane and coat rather ruined the image.

However Rarity had little time to sulk as she had a towel passed to her by the mare before her; while Fluttershy was served similarly in turn; the spa’s employee waiting patiently as the pair dried themselves down. ‘I think it’s a good thing you did come along, Miss Rarity;’ Mused the ever-friendly earth pony; giving the still somewhat sulky fashionista a little nod of acknowledgement; ‘You do look a little ill today, a bit pal-’

‘Who. Asked. You?’ snapped the unicorn in question to the mare, who had been rather rudely interrupted by a wet towel being forcibly deposited onto her head. ‘I have had it up to HERE with you ponies and your constant insinuations about my pristine coat! I am not in a bad condition! I am not that sick! I am white; how can I be pale?!’

Already regretting that her reactions had been too late to avoid the preliminary whining; Fluttershy hastily covered her ears before the unicorn’s preliminary whining could do any lasting damage; hoping to escape with only her brain’s frontal lobe melted. In fact; she might even be able to get out with only brief period of mental instability. It seemed that the spa pony didn’t take the hint, however. She was already a lost cause.

‘Honestly, it’s just utterly petty; it’s barely even insulting in the first place! Wholly unoriginal!’ whined on Rarity; clearly too lost in her complaints to realise that she was slowly causing her unfortunate victim’s brain to melt; although given her current frustration it probably wouldn’t make a difference anyway; ‘If you’re all going to be so simple-minded and childish then you may as well go complain about everything else about me as well!’

‘Oh, Rarity has such poor taste in clothing; despite CLEARLY running a highly regarded clothing store! Oh, Rarity has no importance in the world; despite being someone who saved the ENTIRE kingdom! Oh, Rarity has no magical powers; despite being a UNICORN! Oh, Rarity is clearly ill or awful with her makeup today due to being supposedly pale, despite having a WHITE COAT!’

‘Honestly! After all these years I’ve been a patron here you still have the gall to be so rude!’ huffed Rarity in conclusion; simply giving herself a quick final wipe with the towel she’d deposited on her host before marching out; leaving Fluttershy to just cringe for a while before realising the rant was over. With the storm of words past the pegasus briefly checked up on the pulse of the seemingly brain-dead earth pony before meekly dashing out as well; doing her utmost to avoid anyone else along the way; Rarity most certainly included. This was not a mess the little pegasus wanted to deal with herself; and definitely not on her own.

As she watched the unicorn march off on her little war path back to Carousel Boutique, however; Fluttershy simply had to wonder what had gotten into her. Sure, the mare was quite the drama queen; but this was very short-tempered of her; even though she’d heard the rest of the story from Rarity herself. And even more to the point… how couldn’t she have noticed that she looked so uncharacteristic today?

Deciding to dismiss the thought for the moment, Fluttershy simply began gliding back to her own home; figuring it was probably wise to just give the unicorn her space. But still; she was sure of it now: something was wrong with Rarity.

Chapter 4

While typically Spike’s evenings were spent shelving books or dusting off the majority of the collection which continued to remain untouched by both Ponyville’s public and the presently absent Twilight; for this night Spike was rewarding himself with an early slumber; albeit after finishing a far more pages of the novel he was presently working his way through; primarily for the sake of keeping his guardian off his back about his standard of reading rather than entertainment. Still, the unicorn had at least allowed him to read something more fitting to his age this time; while he’d done his best to get into it If Upon A Winter Wrap-Up’s Night A Traveller had left him highly confused as to its meaning or plot; even once he’d finished it.

Regardless, his new book was far more interesting; and thus the dragon was content to settle down in his still rather meagre bed despite his growth and propped open his book; taking a moment to find his page. During his little quest, however; he was distracted by what sounded like some movement from downstairs… no banging or chattering; but certainly something beyond just the wind or something falling loose. Still, Spike highly doubted it was really worth investigating; as it was likely one of Twilight’s friends managing a late-night withdrawal or some diminutive animal messing about. It certainly wasn’t enough to force him from his book though, even though he hadn’t even gotten started yet.

However, just as he began to read he was distracted yet again; another sound from downstairs pulling him from his attempts at reading. Still, the drake was determined not to let his resolve to get stuck into his book be wavered; and thus did his best to ignore the rather eerie ambience he’d been supplied with… however, he just ended up with another distraction on his mind: his now noticeable thirst. He’d have to deal with that, inevitably; and that’d mean going downstairs.

Not that there was going to be anything downstairs anyway, of course. The sounds were probably just Owloicious chasing a rat about or something, anyway. Ponyville wasn’t really a dangerous place, even during the darkest of nights. Even though it was next to Everfree Forest. And occasionally attacked by demonic beasts and celestial horrors. And occasionally he himself.

Stuck with no choice but to give in to confronting the potential horrors or rodents downstairs Spike crept anxiously out of his bed and towards the library’s staircase; his train of thought leaving him far more paranoid over his little expedition than was at all necessary. Sure, he usually had to sneak by Twilight in the hopes of avoiding waking up the arguably paranoid unicorn; but at least that was something to keep his mind off of the assorted horrors that might lie below.

Upon descending the stairs with continued caution the dragon found exactly what he was hoping for – a heaping pile of nothing (well, a heaping pile of gems would’ve been nice; but that probably would’ve put him totally on edge due to suspicion). By the looks of things nothing had actually been moved; and even Owlowicious seemed to be off dealing with his own business elsewhere; probably involving harassing Fluttershy’s beloved animals while the pegasus herself was busy sleeping.

Regardless; Spike managed to get his drink and get back upstairs without inciting the wrath of any of the creatures of the night; although he was left rather mystified upon getting back to his bed as a chilly wind brushed across his scales. While he might be a dragon; and thus always had a fairly warm body temperature; his cold-blooded nature as a reptile meant that having persistent cold winds did him little good.

It didn’t take him long to recognise the culprit – an open window was letting the draft in; which had now even managed to snuff the candles he’d been relying on for his writing. Remedying either wasn’t really an issue for the dragon; even though his size got a little in the way of closing the window in any hurry; but it was certainly a little suspicious. He was sure he’d closed the window earlier in the evening… not to mention; even with the candles lit again the room seemed awfully dark.

Still, the dragon wasn’t really keen on getting himself any more paranoid (he was reminding himself a bit too much of Twilight for his liking at this point) and thus just tried to curl up and read once again; placing a candle by his side in order to fight off the darkness that was refusing to let him see his book; let alone make out any of the text. Pulling up his blanket Spike settled down to finally get to perusing his book; calming down despite the still chilly air and his previous suspicions as he got to submerge back into his book.

‘You know, you look delectable by candlelight, Spikey…’

The poor dragon jolted upright upon hearing the whisper right by his ear; scorching his book with a panicked jet of flame. While Spike was certainly aggravated to have his novel go up in flames he wasn’t in any sort of state to start whining about it; as his flames had also illuminated the certain unicorn currently looming behind him.

‘R-Rarity!’ stammered the drake; unsurprisingly taken aback to find his pony crush sitting behind his basket; looking noticeably smug; even in the poor candlelight… and more than a little sultry; given her half-lidded eyes. For the moment Spike could only panic. Sure, it was nice to see Rarity; but on the other hand he hadn’t a clue as to how the unicorn had managed to sneak in right under his nose; especially with her typically polite and clean nature. ‘What in the world are you doing here?!’

‘Well, darling; I owe you an apology for having been so rude last night; and what better time than the present?’ replied Rarity; eyeing her comparatively diminutive companion with a smirk and a gaze of finely repressed anticipation. ‘I knew Twilight wouldn’t be around tonight; and simply couldn’t take the thought of you being left all alone on such a dark, cold night…’

‘U-Um, I appreciate the thought; but isn’t this kind of a bad time?’ asked Spike meekly, trying to back off a little and only really ending up cowering before the unicorn; burying himself a little more into his basket’s sheets. Now that he’d gotten a chance to have a proper look at Rarity he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was really off about her appearance… not really unpleasant, but she certainly seemed more imposing despite her usual demure looks. Not to mention pale; her usually snow white coat seeming a little matted and noticeably off-colour.

‘Of course not, Spikey!’ crooned the unicorn; wrapping a foreleg around the unnerved dragon before her and gently pulling him closer to her chest; ignoring his awkward squirms. While Spike certainly would appreciate such affection on any other occasion in this case it wasn’t really helping; what with his crush acting so enigmatic and overbearing. ‘Now, I think we should have a… heart-to-heart, just between you and me, hm?’

The Rarity gave Spike a light squeeze on that note; which the dragon far from appreciated as he rather valued his personal space; especially when it came to the proximity of unsettling people whom he was beginning to think were changelings. ‘W-Well, if you insist?’ replied the drake meekly; not entirely sure of what to make of the suggestion whilst Rarity brought a hoof up to his face; gently turning his gaze to directly meet her own.

‘Now, darling… what do I mean to you?’ asked the unicorn; her crimson-eyed gaze making Spike’s eyes glaze over and leaving his mind blurred and unguided; swiftly leaving him utterly helpless. Making the most of the drake’s state Rarity gently dragged his head up towards her own; exposing his scaled jugular.

‘My whole life…’ murmured the entranced dragon; totally lost to Rarity’s vampiric hypnosis; who was all too enjoying having the boy be like putty in her hooves thanks to her newfound abilities; her hungering mindset having seemingly natural control of the innate powers. She couldn’t spend too much time toying with him, though… she had to feed eventually.

Continuing to dominate the drake’s mind via her locked hypnotic gaze the unicorn carefully shuffled into Spike’s basket; laying him across her chest in order to full expose his jugular. Rarity’s vampiric mindset continued to display its control over her alien abilities as the unicorn’s fangs extended; the new sensation triggering a spark of pain as the teeth cut through her gum line; although it was unsurprisingly completely ignored due to the growing issue of Rarity’s thirst for blood.

While Spike was still paralysed by her hypnosis the unicorn gently lowered her mouth to his neck; giving his exposed throat a series of practiced licks. While Rarity didn’t consciously know it her new instincts certainly knew the importance of doing so before going in for a bite – the saliva acted as an admittedly weak but fast-effecting anaesthetic; giving her prey even less clue as to what was going on, just in case the hypnosis didn’t quite do the trick.

With the drake definitely beyond any state fit for resisting Rarity the unicorn finally went in for the metaphorical and quite likely literal kill; despite her suppressed consciousness’s objections. While Spike did have fairly tough scales Rarity’s fangs were fit for dealing with most of the similarly study beats one could find all around Equestria; rather than just ponies; and thus were well-suited for rending through the gaps between Spike’s scales. Biting down; Rarity gently eased the sharp enamel into the dragons’ arteries; soon managing to feel the flow of blood against her extended teeth.

The bite only elicited a weak gasp of pain from Spike; who was heavily intoxicated by the magic that had been bled into his system by Rarity’s hypnosis – far more than was really necessary for the unicorn to get away with her feeding; to the point of leaving the boy just about unconscious. As Rarity removed her fangs blood immediately began to trickle from the newfound wound; and the mare swiftly lost her dignified composure; or at least what was left of it; as she pounced upon the pin-pricks and began to greedily drain out her long anticipated meal of iron and plasma.

As her hunger was finally satiated Rarity began to regain some control of her mind; her predatory attitude and vampiric instincts oozing back into the depths of her unconscious. Still, even as her personality was properly restored the unicorn couldn’t help but continue to drink of Spike’s delectable fluid; its taste amplified by many times courtesy of her previous starvation.

She did finally regain her senses upon reenergising herself with her reptilian friend’s blood; immediately beginning to freak out as she realised exactly what she’d done; raising a hoof to touch the blood that now stained her muzzle; horrified to find she wasn’t just imagining things. Finally taking some notice of what was going on she hastily checked over Spike’s body; eternally thankful that Fluttershy had given her some basic tutorage on first aid. Checking the dragon’s pulse (thankfully similar in natural pace to that of a pony’s) the unicorn heaved a sigh of relief to find that he was still alive; although he’d fallen unconscious from the blood loss.

While briefly tempted to abandon the dragon in his presently pitiful state Rarity quickly got over her fear; deciding that since she was the cause of Spike’s injury it was really only fair that she took responsibility for the wound. She could simply patch him up a little and leave him to sleep; but that would probably just lead to the naïve drake going on his own little witch hunt for the story behind his wound; or worse, and probably more likely, Twilight doing about the same once she got back.

And so Rarity carefully scooped up her reptilian admirer with her levitation powers; finding the action effortless in comparison to the usual strain required in doing so; although she’d never found the act hard. Her now undeniable nature as a vampire had clearly given her body quite the overall boost in return for whatever limitations that came with it; reliance on blood and beyond. Of course; it could also have been just a sense of adrenaline… Rarity felt that figuring out all the quirks of her vampiric nature was going to be a bit of a nightmare; especially if she wanted to remain undercover about it.

Rarity brought her still unconscious cargo back to Carousel Boutique with as much stealth as she could muster while being reasonably swift; her current stress overriding her usual lack of concern over ever meeting anyone at night in Ponyville. While the town was beside Everfree Forest it was rare for it to be really threatened by anything on any sort of regular basis; and let alone at night. Most of Ponyville’s citizens were hardworking types, too; and had no time to spend staying up all night… that was a luxury only Canterlot’s youth and upper class seemed to own; as Rarity would certainly know from experience.

Still; she did manage to get there undetected and managed to dodge the bullet of dealing with Sweetie Belle; who was thankfully sound asleep at this point; a little surprising given her usual habit of staying up far past her bedtime by exploiting Rarity’s rather heavy sleeping habits… well, apart from her recent insomnia; and even then she hadn’t exactly had any good reason to go checking on the filly.

Rarity reached her bedroom with Spike still out cold on her back; leaving the unicorn a little concerned about his state after the brief trip; especially given the chilly night weather seeing as the reptile was cold-blooded. She was relieved to find that the dragon wasn’t too cold to the touch once she’d set him down on her bed; seemingly having recovered rather well despite her draining of his blood. No doubt as a dragon; despite being younger; he had a bit more endurance than ponies… plus, Rarity would have liked to think that she’d managed to stop herself before she sucked too much blood out of the poor drake.

The unicorn gently placed Spike onto her bed with her magic; figuring that leaving him to snooze on the couch would probably be a poor idea given the cold weather, and would probably lead to awkward questions from Sweetie in the morning to boot. And it wasn’t as if the situation wasn’t going to be hard enough to explain… she’d have to work on an excuse before the dragon woke up. She supposed that this time her insomnia was probably a bit of a blessing.

For the moment she just tucked in Spike; glad that her grandiose choice in beddings was worth its price on colder nights such as this one. With the dragon attended to for the moment she trotted off to snag a small bandage from her bathroom; neatly covering up the puncture wounds she’d left on the poor boy. Tailoring admittedly wasn’t the most practical talent in more extreme situations; but they didn’t call it injury ‘dressing’ for nothing.

Finally calming her nerves and clearing her mind for the moment Rarity decided that loudly freaking out over her situation wasn’t really the best plan despite her tradition; trying her best to just settle down as she curled up on her bed; idly watching her now calmly slumbering friend. It was rather unsettling for the unicorn to consider how fast her seemingly minor condition had to lead to such chaos for her friends and herself… she wasn’t so sure of how much of it came down to her own fault and how much she could blame on the supposedly supernatural sickness she’s succumbed to.

Still, it all could have ended far, far worse… although Rarity felt that this would just be the beginning of her issues. And there was little she could do about that, really. As much as she trusted in Twilight’s knowledge about just about everything she would no doubt freak out if Rarity owned up to her now rather dark nature; and with Spike bitten even if Rarity managed to slip the incident by the librarian the unicorn would still be left highly strung.

She had some idea of how she might be able to get away with it though… probably just convince the pair it was a minor sewing accident or the like. She was sure she could get it by Spike with a bit of persuasion; and if worse did come to worse she assumed she might be able to rely on her newfound powers; seeing as they seemed to come about so naturally. She was far from pleased to have to face the fact that she’d have to pull the wool over her friends’ eyes, but given the circumstances it really was better for both parties.

For now she couldn’t do much but wait for the morning to come; settling down beside her diminutive would-be suitor; although she was far from in any state to sleep. It was probably best if she just tried to find something to take her mind off of things, rather than putting in a pointless effort to reject her natural inclination towards using the night for something useful. She was far from motivated for the moment, though; instead just enjoying the calm and her now subdued hunger and stress.

She really felt better than good despite her shame now that she was properly revitalised, and as she was in what she’d assume was the natural ‘daytime’ for a vampony… well, she could feel the power she’d been saddled with! As much as she could spend hours whining on about her new state (and she was darn well planning to do so as soon as she got the chance to speak out about her condition) she couldn’t deny that it had some benefits; although she’d take quite some time to grow accustomed to them.. and she’d rather not admit that she actually did somewhat enjoy her vampirism.

Despite her intent on making something of her night Rarity didn’t much trust Spike’s current state enough to leave him alone; and thus decided perhaps the best move at the moment would be just to try and sleep; not to mention think over her planned excuse for her draconic admirer’s less than stellar state.

Thankfully she didn’t need to share her bed with her impromptu visitor; as she had recently dragged one of her armchairs from downstairs up to her room for the sake of finishing some knitting; which would make a fairly acceptable (if vastly less grandiose) bed for the night. Settling into the chair and dragging a thick sheet over herself to fend off the chill of the Winter, the unicorn found the somewhat more compact and constricting space the chair offered (well, at least compared to her usual choice in place for slumbering) rather more comfortable than her bed; certainly a new thought in her mind given her previous choice to pay so much for such a grandiose piece of furniture in the first place.

Such thoughts were to be shelved for now, though… she had plenty to do tomorrow and thought it wise to get some sleep (or at the very least try and get some while she had the chance), rather than suffer through keeping herself awake all night with such petty trains of thought. Doing her best to clear her mind for the moment Rarity just closed her sapphire eyes; allowing herself to succumb to the night’s grasp… preferably in the less homicidal way, this time.