Remnant of a Nightmare

by Rainedash

Rating: teen
Tags: Spike, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 18029

Twilight learns that some secrets of the past are best left undisturbed.

In her latest bid to impress Princess Celestia, Twilight takes to mapping out the Everfree Forest. Along the way she discovers that some things are not to be disturbed. She also learns to get a second opinion whenever Spike offers her advice.

Artwork courtesy of Short Circuit: http://shortcircuitca.deviantart.com/
Editing by TypeandKey.

Published 2012-12-23 03:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-11 22:09:26 UTC

Discovery

A chilly wind blew between the trees of the Everfree Forest carrying spores from various flora. All around I heard the animal calls, mostly from birds. On the last count, I had seen about three different bird species, though I’ve never been much of an expert on them. Perhaps I should have brought Fluttershy with me. I took that moment to mark the newest path I created on my map. At this rate, I’ll be done... Never. The farther in I went, the slower my progress became, and the places I explored will have new growth by the time I get back to them. According to some old legends and myths, the Everfree Forest was a place that just refused to be tamed. To go here, was to accept chaos. A few even claimed that this was the place of Discord’s birth.

In the end, I suppose it was my own fault. Earlier, I set up three ideas for furthering my studies and had Spike pick which one he thought sounded best: Mapping out the Everfree Forest. Though, at the time, I was glad he did. I knew there had to be more to this forest than just the horror stories and the ruins of Celestia’s and Luna’s old castle. Except my patience had been wearing thin.

For most of the afternoon, I had been pushing forward, trying to see anything worthwhile, leaving no stone unturned; literally in fact, I had turned over every stone I found and even broke a few to see if they contained a fossil or some unique gem. That last part was a longshot, I know, but worth a try.. I don’t understand why there wasn’t anything worth finding. All legends have a kernel of truth to them, right? Combine that with all the legends that exist about the Everfree Forest, this place should be teeming with rare finds. Maybe I was too late, and all the interesting relics and rare discoveries had been found by other ponies centuries ago. The Image of Celestia’s disappointed scowl forced itself to the forefront of my mind and sent a shiver down my spine. I think I’ll just keep this failure to myself.

As I was forcing the image from my mind I tripped over a root which sent me stumbling forward. I yelped and tried to stop my momentum, but it was too late. I smacked muzzle first into something and crashed into the cold, hard ground. I wouldn’t have put it past the forest to have had that root come up just to trip me.

It wasn’t until I got back up that I really looked at what I hit. In front of me, was nothing but thin air and more forest. I reached out my hoof and tapped on what felt like a solid, curved wall. To my shock, small ripples like those one would expect from water spread across the air. It was some type of shield spell, though nothing like what Shining or I use. When we created one, you could tell something’s there, and from everything I’ve seen that was the norm.

I extended my magic outward, poking and prodding it, seeing if there was any sign of weakness and to measure it as well. It was at least big enough to fit over a house, and there was perfect uniformity to the magic. Whoever, or whatever, made this must have been very powerful. The oddest part was that I couldn’t see anything inside of it. There was nothing but grass, bushes and trees beyond that point.

My magic moved down, into the ground. Maybe, they overlooked the possibility- aha! The shield did not go through the ground, only above it.

When I thought about it, that was another oddity about all of this; they went through that much effort but didn’t think about anyone digging under it. The most logical conclusion was that they hoped no pony would be out here or that others wouldn’t notice it. Considering that somepony had to touch it to know that it was there, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it either.

All of this didn’t even touch on the subject of who would do it. Zecora has never spoken of others living out here. There wasn’t really a way to find when the spell was cast either so it could have been something from centuries ago for all I knew.

I needed facts and there was only one way to find them. I concentrated on the air in front me, spinning it faster and faster until it formed a small tornado, and drove it into the ground like a drill. Dirt flew in all directions but getting your hooves dirty was simply part of the process when making a discovery.

On the inside, it was near perfect darkness. The shield wasn’t invisible after all, it had an illusion spell weaved into it. Which was a brilliant idea, but it would take several unicorns or some pony that was very powerful to do it. I doubted that even my magic could create something this elaborate on its own. The air was stale and felt oppressive.. In the distance, I saw a single source of light in the shape of an orb.

I lit my horn to see that the grass around me was completely dead, and with my first step some of the dead grass collapse into dust. Even a small breeze could have blown all of it away. The more I thought about it, the more it dawned on me just how old this spell must have been.

I started walking around the inner perimeter of the shield, keeping my eyes trained on the light in the center every step of the way. I wanted to see it from every angle before getting any closer.

I couldn’t say why, but this magic felt eerily familiar. Worse though, it felt wrong somehow. It just rattled my nerves and I was expecting something, anything, to pop out at any moment.

I completed a full circle around the orb, arriving back at the hole I made without finding anything new. Again, I thought of Princess Celestia only this time about how proud she’d be to hear my report of this discovery. I could be the first pony in centuries to learn about this place’s secrets. I took a deep breath and readied myself. It was now or never. Well, technically not never, I could have always come back with a full team of ponies from Canterlot’s magical research academies. but I wanted to do this on my own.

Slowly, I took a single step towards the orb and it moved. I swore I saw it move, just the slightest of vibrations and then it stopped. One more step, and it moved again. It was actually reacting to me. It must have been able to feel my presence.

I’m not too proud to admit that this thing, whatever it was, scared me. Terrified me, in fact. I should have turned around right there and gotten help but I didn’t. I don’t really know why I didn’t. Maybe, out of morbid curiosity, the unwillingness to turn away from something so intriguing, even if the whole thing felt wrong.

I stepped forward once more, though this time, the orb didn’t stop with just a single movement. It vibrated wildly, getting brighter and brighter, until a burst of magic shot out from it, hitting my horn. I thrashed around and screamed. This couldn’t be happening. I tried backing up but it wouldn’t let me. My magic was being absorbed, I could feel myself getting weaker with every moment. In desperation, I tried to channel a large blast of magic through the connection, hoping to overload the orb. It didn’t work, the orb continued unfazed. I fell to the ground, sobbing and begging for it to stop.

Its light grew brighter, unleashing another burst of magic straight down. When the magic hit the ground, it poured out, taking the shape of a magical sigil, as if it were liquid filling a mold. As the light became stronger, my vision drew darker, until there was nothing left.

***

I felt the cold breeze again. My eyes just started to come back into focus, and I could see the grass. It was green, so it had to be alive. Was I out of that place? I had to of been.

Everything ached, my muscles felt like I had just run ten marathons. Slowly, I forced myself to stand. I had to get out of here. My legs gave out on my first step. On my second attempt, no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t stand. I tried dragging myself forward, but went at a pace that even a snail would have considered slow. I wasn’t going to be able to leave the Everfree Forest, was I? I panicked. I didn’t want to die here. My vision grew cloudy with tears and I my heart sped up, its sound drowning out any ambient sounds of the forest. Why didn’t I turn back? I could have. I should have. Why?

“Twilight!” said a voice above me, halting my panic. “There you are.” Four blue legs landed in front of me. “We’ve been searching for you all night.”

I... I was rescued. Somepony actually found me. Thank Celestia. “D-dash?” Wait, all night? But it was the afternoon when I went in.

“Whoa, you don’t look so good. You’re all pale,” said Dash, as she poked at my side.

Pale? “Dash, I can’t walk.”

“On it.” I was lifted up, dropped onto her back, and off we went. A million questions circled through my mind about what had just happened.

***

I don’t remember much of the flight, except for Rainbow Dash loudly cursing halfway home. She was upstairs now, in my bathroom. According to Spike, I threw up on her during the flight back. The other girls had come shortly after I got home; Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity and... Trying to remember their names brought a dull pain to my head. Oh, Fluttershy, that was it. Trying to remember anything from before yesterday was making my head hurt.

“Ok everypony, back up and give her some room,” said Spike. Most of them followed his directions. Applejack left the room completely.

Fluttershy, however, stayed close. “I can’t find anything wrong with her.”

“Deary, you see animals from that horrible forest all the time; surely you’ve seen something like this before,” said Rarity.

Animals. I didn’t even think about them when I was looking at that orb. The shield could have been up to keep them out. At this moment, I’d be happy with any explanation, even one as bad as that.

“No,” said Fluttershy. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” Neither have I.

“But darling, look at how pale she’s gotten. Surely something must be wrong with her.” Thanks Rarity, you always knew what to say in a time of crisis.

Applejack came back in and brought some juice and a salad. “She was out all night, and anything that was in her stomach ended up on Rainbow, so maybe she just needs something to eat.”

My stomach rumbled at the sight of it. Maybe a bit of food and rest really was all I needed. It only drained my magic, so maybe time alone could get me back to my old self. I devoured the food.

“Ah told you so. Feeling better sugarcube?”

I actually did start to feel a little better. I still felt like I was in slow motion, I was still sore, and worst of all, I still felt like I needed something else. Something that I just couldn’t figure out. But, yeah, I got back a touch of my energy thanks to it.. “Yes; thank you, Applejack.”

“Good, now maybe you can tell us what the hay happened to ya.”

“Well, I was mapping out some of the Everfree-” I didn’t get far before Rarity cut me off.

“What-what-what? Good heavens, deary; why would you ever do something like that by yourself?”

“Yeah, that idea seems loco in the coco,” added Pinkie.

“Um... Yeah. That’s right. Heh, that idea is horrible, why would you do that?” Spike backed away as I glared at him.

“Look girls, that’s not important. However, what I found is-” I told them everything that I could remember. That shield, that infernal light, and how I was drained of my magic.

“That sounds awful,” said Spike, stating the obvious.

“Is there anything we can do the help?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t think so. I just need to do some studying on what I saw. Maybe Celestia will know where to begin.” I held my head as the pounding started up again.

“Spike, darling, you wouldn’t happen to have any pain killers here, right?” asked Rarity.

“On it,” he replied.

“Well, I guess we’ll get out of your hair and let you get some r and r,” said Applejack.

***

I could remember that, on her way out, Pinkie wanted to throw a party because apparently nearly getting killed is a reason to celebrate. Spike was adamant that I get the day to rest though. I did apologize to Rainbow for the whole puking on her thing and she seemed to accept it, though she was still grumbling about it on her way out. The rest of the day was just a blur.

It was night now, and I sat on my bed, staring out the window. Nothing but dark grey sky for as far as the eye could see with the occasional bolt of lightning. It had started to rain at some point, I think around noon, and the storm was still pounding away at Ponyville. Listening to the rhythmic sounds of the raindrops hitting my window with the interspersed thunder helped me to relax and let me focused on something besides what happened. I had the window cracked earlier and was enjoying the cool breeze, but Spike made me close it.

I had tried to sleep. I swear to Celestia that I tried. I just kept tossing and turning. At one point, I even fell off the bed, and tried to find a comfortable spot on the floor. That failed.

My stomach rumbled again. Off and on, it had been acting up since I had returned. The main problem was that it still felt empty. I ate and drank plenty; Spike made sure of that, but it was never enough. Just like earlier, it continued to feel like something was missing.

“Of course I’ll take a dip in your chocolate pool with you, Rarity...” Spike mumbled in his sleep.

I crawled over the edge of my bed and looked down at him. Despite being a pain in the flank half the time, he was still adorable, especially when he was asleep.

I started hear a faint, but steady beat, it sounded somewhat like a metronome set to a quick rhythm. I checked my own chest, thinking it could be my heart pounding again, but no, this one was quicker. It had to be Spike’s.

He was always there for me, giving it his all. It’s true that telling me to map the Everfree Forest wasn’t a good idea on his part, but he had been by my side taking care of me since I returned. No matter what it was, all I had to do was ask and my number one assistant would get it done. He would do anything to help me.

I continued listening to that beautiful beat, inching closer with each one, until I was right at his neck. I could feel it. What I needed was inside of him. I knew he’d be ok giving it to me. Right, my little assistant?

I slowly opened my mouth, leaned in closer, and started to bite down on him. Just as I felt my teeth touch his scales, my eyes popped open and I jumped back, my own heart was going a mile a minute.

Dear Celestia, what was I about to do? I backed up, until I came into contact with the door. Was I really about to bite Spike? I was ashamed that part of me still wanted to. That heartbeat, that stupid, tantalizing heartbeat was still going. I had to go. I didn’t care where, just somewhere far from here.

I yanked open the door, ran down the steps, and out into the rain. It soaked my fur as I ran through the streets and alleys of Ponyville. The buildings became less and less recognizable and I wasn’t even sure where I was anymore. It was just some back alley. I sat there, letting the rain drench me, hoping that it might somehow wake me up from this.

“Looks like that idea was a bust to.” Was that Apple Bloom? That pounding came back as I tried to remember what her voice sounded like. No, this was Scootaloo.

“Why did ya’ll even listen to Silver Spoon? Ah told you that we couldn’t get our cutiemarks for finding clouds shaped like things. Why are we even doing this in a storm anyways?” This one had to be Apple Bloom.

“I’m cold.” Sweetie sniffled, “Can we go home now, please?” There’s the last crusader. I wonder if she tastes as sweet as her name implies. A part of me was revolted that I had actually thought that.

I stomped my hooves to the ground, digging them into the dirt. I refused to do this. I wouldn’t give in. Their voices and hoofsteps sounded like they were getting closer. With each noise, my stomach rumbled a bit more.

Author's Note

Revised on January 29.

Of lists and doubts

“Oh dear Celestia, what happened last night?”

I could remember their voices, the feeling of hunger as they were getting closer, and then... Nothing. I couldn't have harmed those little fillies, right? Right, I would never do that. Even if I was losing control of myself, I would never hurt a foal. I may have in the past cast a want-it-need-it spell on them and... And no. I didn't do it. Why then, do I have this odd taste in my mouth? It was bitter, and tasted like copper, but it was so good. My spine shivered at that last thought. I was not naive enough to doubt what that taste was, but I refused to say it. The more I thought of this, the more that bit of doubt in myself began to grow. They were getting closer and I was getting hungrier, but please; I don't want to be a foal killer. Anything but that. I'm not a monster. Please Celestia, anything but that.

I paced back and forth in my room as the thoughts continued. Pacing had always felt like the right thing to do when I was troubled and it had long been a habit of mine. At least I haven't completely lost myself if my bad habits are still around. I felt doubt, reassurance, doubt, reassurance, et cetera ad infinitum. Every time I tried to convince myself otherwise, the doubt kept coming back. To make matters worse, my left eye started twitching, seemingly in time with each of the doubts as they forced themselves into the forefront of my mind. Though having my nervous tick was somewhat comforting right now. I'm a good pony so I couldn't have killed them. That wasn't completely true. At least, not anymore. I certainly had gotten this taste in my mouth from somewhere. Maybe there wasn't enough of it to really hurt somepony. No, it had to be enough to sustain me. I was back to full strength, so whatever I fed off of, it had more than enough of what I needed. Aha! That's the proof. A filly probably wouldn't be enough, but there were three of them. Three cute, innocent fillies that had their whole lives ahead of them. No, I'm not a monster. I don't want to be a monster. This was horrible. I'd lose the element of magic. Celestia would imprison me, and rightly so. I would be a danger to everypony I knew. I had to find a solution to this, and I had to do it alone. If I could do this, figure out what had happened; I would make it all better before anypony truly knew what was going on. If they did find out, I would still make amends somehow. I could find out what that light did to me and reverse it. I could bring the cutie mark crusaders back to life, and that should be easy because they aren't dead. Stupid eye twitch.

I just needed information, but where to begin? I could look through the entire list of transformation and mind manipulations spells. However, this spell might have been something completely rare. What am I saying? Of course it was rare. It wasn’t like anypony could just see a random shield and illusion spell hybrid that just happened to have a light orb that attacks unicorns while walking down the street. Does it just attack unicorns? Maybe it wouldn't have reacted had a pony without magic walked in. No, this wouldn't be the way to find what it was and what happened to me. If this spell was as old as I thought, maybe there have been others affected by it. There'd surely be stories about them. Maybe if I looked up my symptoms I could find stories or doctor reports. I created a list of symptoms in my head – I didn't want to leave paper trail – starting with my new desire to drink.

My thoughts came to a sudden halt when I heard the front door open. Only then had I realized how frantic my breathing had become. It was almost to the point of hyperventilating. My heart was in the same condition, going much faster than it should. Who could it be? Why would somepony just be walking in- Right. Library. It was just someone coming to check out a book or return it. Spike will take care of this. Nothing to worry about. Unless it was somepony that saw me last night and was coming to ask Spike why I had been feeding on fillies, which didn't happen. There was always that possibility.

I lit up my horn, creating a spot on my door to amplify sounds coming from the main room. Whatever it was that I fed on last night had also, thankfully, restored my magic. Well, not so thankfully if somepony had been hurt.

“Howdy Spike, got a moment?” It was Applejack. Of course it'd be her.

“Sure thing Applejack. What's up?” asked Spike.

Please, please, please let it be nothing about Apple Bloom. Maybe it's about a book. Sure, this is a library after all, it'd have to be about a book. “Well, Spike, ah was wonderin' if ah could hang this in the library.” There was the sound of paper shuffling. Hang? This wasn't going to be good.

“Oh, she's missing?” asked Spike. My eye twitched.

No. It can't be. I had to get out of there. With a flash, I teleported outside, right behind the library. Bright light. Bright light! I tightly closed my eyes and held a foreleg over them. I guess it had been awhile since I've been out during the day, but it had never felt like this. I shook it off, peaked into the day's light, and gave my eyes a moment to adjust. Everything still seemed too bright, but it didn’t hurt anymore. Another side-effect? I didn’t want to jump to conclusions just then, so it went on the list of ‘maybe-symptoms’. I knew the chances of it being related were high, but I couldn't allow red herrings to skew my analysis.

Applejack would have to wait for her answer. I had to figure this out for myself before I talked to her, or anyone else about what’s happened. I would find a way to make it up to her, I swore I would, but I couldn't let anypony interfere with my research. They would just slow me down. My eye started twitching again.

I walked along a back street, not really caring where I went. I noticed that everything around me: the buildings, the landscape, and the ponies all felt alien to me. Everything was just... Off. I wasn’t sure how else to describe it. Another item for the mental list of ‘maybe-symptoms’.

After a few twist and turns, I ended up at the market. Ponies bustled from one stand to another as merchants called out about how great their deals were.

“Best celery this side of Canterlot,” called one.

“You won't find a better deal than this,” said another as he pushed a tray of pears towards a confused looking, wall-eyed pegasus. There were always little things that needed to be picked up for home, and maybe a bit of shopping would help calm me down.

“Oh, there you are?” I turned back and spotted Rarity surrounded by a few stallions carrying bags, her's I would assume. She trotted up and hugged me. “It's certainly nice to see you out and about again. How are you feeling?”

“Better,” I lied. Technically it wasn't a complete lie. I really did feel better physically, however the reason behind that improvement was slowly but surely driving me insane. “Still a bit worn down though.”

“Oh you poor thing,” she said. “We simply must fix that. You should come with Fluttershy and I to the spa.”

Spend time with Rarity? After last night? This was bad. Really bad. If I spent time with her, we'll start talking. If we talked, she'll bring up her home life, which of course included her family. Family meant Sweetie Belle. Wait. Something doesn't add up here. Why wasn't she worried about Sweetie Belle? Doesn’t she know?

“Twilight, you're doing that thing where you blankly stare off into space again. Are you working on some new magic spell?” she asked. “If that's the case, you certainly have to come. Nothing clears up the mind like a day relaxing at the spa.”

Really? Well, if it does help in the process of problem solving then it could be useful after all, and what Rarity doesn't know she won't bring up. Ha! This was perfect. “Maybe being at the spa is exactly what I need. Thank you Rarity.”

“Oh, don't mention it, darling. We'll go back to my place for a bit of tea and then go get Fluttershy.” She turned and started leading me back to The Carousel Boutique. “Oh, did you actually need to pick something up while we're here?”

I waved off her concern. “Just a few little things, nothing important. It can wait.”

“Right then. Oh, and boys, make sure not to drop anything.”

“Right Miss Rarity,” they said, practically in unison.

I must have been crazy for doing this. I knew I should have been back at the library working on a possible cure. But, if I went back there, I'd surely see that missing poster. I could have always teleported back to my room and made Spike fetch all the books I needed, but if this really did help me think clearer, like Rarity suggested, it could be well worth the missing time.

We spent the better part of an hour back at her home and I'll be the first to admit, the hot tea was nice, even if it didn’t seem as satisfying as it should have. She wrote down the brand name for me, so Spike would know what to look for the next time he went shopping. The stallions had not only followed her home but also put everything away for her. It will never cease to amaze me what Rarity can get boys to do with just a few bats of her eyes and that pleading look. She's told me before that I could do it too if I tried, but it’d be with cuteness rather than the supermodel pouty look that she used; her words not mine.

“So darling, how have you been today? I do hope that you haven't tried to do any work in the library or research in your condition,” she said. “You gave us quite a scare with your disappearing act and I certainly wouldn't want you to strain yourself after that nasty business in the forest.”

“No, I spent most of the morning in my room.” I left out the pacing back and forth, freaking out, and worrying about becoming a monster. “Spike has taken care of everything for me.”

“Well that's good to hear. Oh, look at the time. I'm surprised Fluttershy isn't here yet. Hm, perhaps she's busy with a sick animal. It can't be helped. We will simply have to go get her first, then head to the spa. I hope that won't be too much walking for you.”

I assured her that it wouldn't.

“Alright, but if you feel tired at any moment during the trek, you just let me know.”

The trip to get Fluttershy was uneventful. Thankfully Rarity led the way, so I could just follow her and not have to rely on my own sense of direction. It seemed worse for ware ever since that night. We knocked a few times before she answered. Various animal sounds were coming from within.

“Flutershy, it's time for our spa trip,” Rarity called out. When the door finally opened, it revealed Fluttershy and a pair of bats hanging from her wings. One had a bandaged wing and the other had a thermometer hanging from its mouth and a runny nose. Rarity backed away with a look of utter disgust. “Darling, why would you keep those things around?”

I felt like the bats were staring at me.

“Well, Mr. Fluffylumpkins and his wife had a run of bad luck, and I'm looking after the poor dears. Isn't that right?” she asked the bats, getting a nod and a sneeze in response. Fluttershy comforted the bats by nuzzling them. “Just give me a second, if that's ok.”

“That's perfectly fine, we'll wait out here, away from those.” Fluttershy turned and walked into another room. “Ugh. I admire her way with animals, but some just aren't meant to be in a home or around any sane pony. Certainly not those.” I can't say that I was surprised by Rarity's aversion to bats. I had the feeling that she wasn't a fan of any rodent, flying or otherwise.

“There, all done,” said Fluttershy when she got back. “Oh Twilight, are you ok?” Ok? I doubted that I'd be anywhere near ok for long time.

“Uh, yeah,” I lied again. I really hoped I didn't have to make a habit of that. “Why do you ask?”

She gave me a look of genuine concern. “Well, your tail is down and just hanging. Oh, and you seem fidgety. That happens a lot when something's really bothering you.” Right. The one who looked after animals all the time would be an expert in body language. Why didn’t I think this through?

“I'll be fine,” I said. “I'm still just feeling worn down, is all.”

“Well I guess relaxing at a spa would help, but afterwards you should head straight back to bed, alright? And no more long walks.”

I nodded and assured her that I would. We turned away from Fluttershy's home and headed towards the spa, Rarity took the lead again.

Things were still too bright and the light was straining my eyes, so whatever was causing this was a persistent problem. That greatly increased the chances of this being a real symptom of my change, and I'd have to shift what list it was on if it continued into tomorrow. It's too bad I didn't remember more from last night, then I would know if my vision in the dark had also been affected.

We had made it to the spa and walked in. Rarity spoke with a pony, who we then followed into a back room. In the center of the floor, there was a large tub filled hot, steamy water.

“Guaranteed to relax ze mind and ze body,” said the blue and pink mare. Rarity went right in, showing no hesitation. Her nose scrunched up for a moment, a sign of minor discomfort I guessed, but it soon faded to a content sigh as she rested her chin along the edge.

Fluttershy, to no surprise, was far more hesitant. She dipped a hoof into the water. “Eek,” she squeaked and drew back.

“Fluttershy, I know it's hot at first but trust me, you'll love it,” said Rarity. One of the spa workers came in and set to work filing her horn.

Rather than waiting for Fluttershy to get in first, I took the lead and dipped a hoof into the water. Wow. It really was hot. Well, here goes nothing. I stepped down into the tub, the water going up to my neck. The warmth felt unbelievable as it pervaded my body, through my fur and muscles, all the way to the bone. I drew in a deep breath, filling my lungs with the steamy air and held it for a moment before slowly exhaling. I leaned back, into the water, allowing myself to sink until only the tip of my muzzle stuck out. For the first time since that night in the forest, my mind slowed down and my thoughts weren't so hectic. The same went for my body. No quick breaths, no sped up heart, no tenseness, and no aching.

In this warmth induced clarity, a new realization popped into my mind: I needed help. The only reason I got this moment of reprieve was thanks to Rarity. Without her, I'd still be stuck trying to reassure myself that nothing happened last night. Now came the important part, who to tell. I imagined a list forming inside my head, with the names of those closest to me written on it. Celestia? She'd be my best bet for an answer but what if she considers me to be a threat Equestria? I could be the one to replace Discord in the garden, or worse. Also, I didn’t want her to see me like this. I not only crossed her off the list, but I ripped off that part of the page. Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were out of the question, for obvious reasons. If they knew what I might have done, and I could not stress the might part of that enough, then they'd never forgive me. Fluttershy? I cracked open an eye and saw her talking with Rarity. I couldn’t hear what they were saying due to the water around my ears. Fluttershy was far too delicate to handle the idea that one of her friends might be a monster. Pinkie? This route had some potential. She would never turn away a friend. Even if one of us turned out to be a changeling, she would likely still embrace us wholeheartedly. Not to mention her expertise in keeping secrets. However, she'd also probably be a hindrance to my research. I could just picture it now, me looking through a reference guide to pony transmutation while she's saying it could be the boogeyman or some other bugbear.

As I double checked the names, my thoughts continued to slow and forcing them felt harder and harder. By now, my body had grown accustomed to the heat of the water, and with my eyes closed it felt like I was floating in an empty, soothing void. My mind faded away, giving into the void's call.

After what only felt like a moment or two, I was pulled up from the water. “Oh, you really mustn't fall asleep in the tub. What if you nose went under?” I fell asleep? They certainly weren't kidding when they said it'd relax the mind and body.

“Did you not get enough sleep last night?” asked Rarity.

“No,” I mumbled. “I guess I didn't.”

Rarity reached out the brushed my wet mane out of my face. “I certainly hope you'll get some tonight then.”

I pulled her into a hug and nuzzled into her shoulder. “Thank you Rarity.” I wanted to go on. I wanted to tell her exactly how much this may have helped but I couldn't. Not yet, anyways. No matter what happens from here on out, this change in me will not destroy our friendship. I mentally promised her that. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.

She patted me on the back.

“You're welcome, darling. We should probably get going though, unless you want to end up as a giant prune. You even have the right color for one.” With that, we each got out of the tub. Spa personnel swooped in with towels and dried us off. Rarity and Fluttershy headed to The Carousel Boutique while I went home.

Right there, in the front door hung the paper Applejack left. I readied myself, knowing that it was time to face the music. The word missing was up the very top, followed by a name: Charlotte. Charlotte? Who, in Celestia's name, was Charlotte? Under the name, it read: Sweet Apple Acres is missing one of its sows, Charlotte. Went missing just recently. Her husband, our prized show pig Wilbur., is awfully upset. If you have any information, please contact the Apple family as soon as possible.

My laugh started low, a mere titter, but it got louder and louder. At the same time, tears were rolling down my cheeks. If anypony saw me, they'd probably think I had gone mad with the way I cackled and cried at the same time. This whole time! This whole time it was nothing but a pig? I didn't hurt them. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, they're perfectly safe and I was freaking out for no reason. I'm not heartless. I knew I had still done something bad, but it could have been so much worse. I sighed in relief and put Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash back on the list of potential ponies to tell. Before entering the library, I took a second to compose myself and dry my eyes. I walked inside to see Spike organizing the shelves. Spike? Spike! Of course. I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner. He has complete loyalty to me and is my research assistant, most of the time anyways. He's the perfect one to talk to.

“There you are,” he said, when he finally took notice of my presence. “Why didn't you tell me you were going out?”

“Sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just let me know from now on, ok? You shouldn't be alone until you get better.”

Well, he was right. “I couldn't agree with you more Spike, which is...” Great, I didn't know where to begin. “Spike, There's something I need to tell you, but first, you gotta promise not to tell anyone. Ever. I'm serious here, what we talk about stays just between the two of us.”

“Geez, I get it. I promise not to tell anyone, so what is it?”

“I... I think I did something bad last night. Not as bad as it could have been, but still bad.”

“How bad?”

“You know that pig that Applejack is missing?”

“Yeah...” I could hear the suspicion in his voice. “Did you use a spell on it by mistake or something? If you come clean, I'm sure Applejack will forgive you and you can undo whatever it was.”

“I don't think I can undo this. Spike, last night something weird happened to me. I got this crazy craving for...” I was going to have to say it, wasn't I? Say what it was that I wanted so badly. “For blood.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh hardy har. You had me going there for a second. Did Pinkie put you up to this?”

I slammed my hoof down. “Spike! This isn't a joke.”

“Wait, you're serious, aren't you?” He took a step back, eyeing me carefully. I couldn’t say I blamed him.

I turned away. I didn't have it in me to look him in the eyes when I said the next part. “Yes, I'm serious. In fact, when it first hit me, I even tried to get some from you.” There was silence. I couldn't hear any reaction from him and once more, tears started flowing from my eyes. “I almost hurt you Spike, but I regained control just long enough to get away from here. Away from you. But then, when I found a spot to try to collect myself, I started to hear voices.”

“What kind of voices?” he asked, his voice was unsteady.

“Scootaloo's, Apple Bloom's, and Sweetie Belle's voices.” I shivered as I relived the memory, thinking about just how close to disaster I came. “They were getting closer.”

“But Applejack was here earlier after taking Apple Bloom to school. She's fine.”

I groaned. If I would have just stayed, I could have set my mind at ease right away. Figures. “I didn't hurt them.” I can't begin to say how great it felt to say that and actually mean it. “But I thought I did all day. You see, when they got close, I blacked out and then woke up in my room. I had the taste of blood in my mouth.”

“So, you did end up hurting someone?”

“Yes, I did. I took the blood from something and now Applejack's pig is missing. I think I'm the reason it's missing.” In truth, I didn't just think it, I knew it. This was too big of a coincidence for me to believe it was unrelated. I jerked when his claws touched my back, but I calmed down when he hugged me. “Spike, I'm so sorry for almost hurting you. I'll do anything to make it up to you.”

“Just give me an extra gem in the morning from now on and we'll call it even,” said Spike. Leave it to him to try to lighten the mood with a joke. I was grateful for it and more so that he didn't run out screaming about me being a monster. “Twilight, I think I might have an idea for what's wrong with you. I want you to hear me out before you dismiss it.” My ears perked up. How could Spike actually know what's wrong with me? He took off, looking through the books. What for, I didn't have the slightest idea. He returned, carrying with him a large reference guide that he placed on the floor. Folklore and Legends of Equestria and Beyond, read the title. He quickly glanced at the table of contents and then flipped through the book, stopping about halfway through, and pointing to a picture of two pegasi. They both had bat like wings, but were very different in demeanor. The one on the left had her wings flared out, she was crouching and bearing her fangs like a wild beast. The one on the right had on an expensive suit, and his hair was brushed back in a very neat style. He even had the perfect grin that one would expect from a gentlepony. Under the picture, it read: Common Themes and Tropes of the Vampire.

Author's Note

The first chapter has been revised. Pretty much has the same plot points, but it's hopefully better written and is nearly one and a half times as long.

Nighty Night

A full moon shined above as I entered the Everfree Forest. I didn't want to return, but it was either this or to snatch more livestock. I'd rather not deal with that again. The memories from earlier were still fresh on my mind. I thanked my lucky stars that no one heard my stomach's reaction to the sight of Charlotte. It wasn't the body itself that made me hungry, it was the thought of feeding.

I stuck to hiding in the underbrush around the bases of the trees and moved slowly to avoid making any sound. This came naturally to me, as if a hunting instinct had been forced into me. Sadly, it probably was. At this point, nothing new should come as a surprise to me, but it still did.

I stopped and waited for any sign of prey. Outside of the sounds of insects – crickets mostly – there weren't any noises. I sniffed the air. Aha, there was something around. The scent of fresh blood tugged at my nose, begging me to follow. Sticking to what my instincts told me, I held myself back from going into a sprint, and silently skulked amongst the brush of the forest floor.

I came to small clearing roughly a hundred paces from where I was, but this prey was already taken. Standing over a fallen deer was a monstrous manticore. The towering beast had ripped open its victim, carelessly leaving blood every. The scent nearly overwhelmed me, and it was tempting – oh so tempting – to try to steal its prey. However, I didn't trust my magic when I was hungry, and I'd rather not have that mountain of muscle and claws coming after me. I pried myself from the scene, heading back into the denser parts of the forest.

I caught the scent of a new prey, dead ahead. Crouching low, I got closer, and could start making out the sounds of a squirrel. I saw it when I peeked around a tree. The creature was digging at the ground, either burying a nut or retrieving one. It was hard to tell from this angle. While I wouldn't have trusted my magic against a manticore, I knew it could handle a rodent. I focused on it and grabbed it, surrounding the squirrel in my spell.

It squeaked loudly in fear, flailing about, trying to escape, but it was already too late. I reeled in my catch, bringing it to within an inch of me. “Dear Celestia, please forgive me for this,” I mumbled before sinking my fangs into it, and was rewarded with the taste of its life blood. It was like sweet nectar to me.

It felt like every doubt I had about feeding faded as I reveled in its taste. The squirrel's movement stopped, and soon, so did its flow of blood. This wasn't enough. Not even close.

***

After ending the lives of a few more innocent woodland critters, I started heading back for Ponyville. This hunting trip had been a bust. Not a single one prey I caught – a couple more squirrels and a gopher – had enough blood to satisfy me. At this rate, I would have to live off little snacks and hope I didn’t snap from hunger... again. On a different note, when did I start calling animals prey? Technically, I suppose that's an accurate description, but it still feels unusual to actually use it that way. Ugh, I'm still hungry.

Hm, maybe going back to deal with that beast would be for the best. My magic should be reliable enough now. Still, one mess up and I'll end up as the snack. It probably isn't really worth the risk. I don't know what I'm going to do about feeding at this rate–

Cluck.

What was that? I stood perfectly still, except for my ears that moved to and fro, scanning for any sounds...

Cluck.

It was closer this time. I dove into some nearby brush, and did my best to stay hidden. The chicken clucked a few more times, each was closer than the last. This still wouldn't be that big of a meal, but it would easily be bigger than any of my earlier snacks. If nothing else, this would buy me a bit more more time to find a steady supply.

Subduing it was simple enough. As it passed by, I jumped out and pinned the fat bird to the ground, wasting no time before biting into it. It clucked a few more times, each getting more pitiful before its life ended.

“Elizabeak?” came a small, whimpering voice.

No. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! I let go and hid again. Sure enough a yellow and pink pony soon came into sight, hovering a foot or so above the ground.

“Elizabeak?” she called out again. Her eyes landed on the bird, and went wide. “Elizabeak!” She fluttered up to the chicken, and nudged it. “Oh no. Please, don't be...” Tears fell from her eyes, and soon after, they started falling from mine. It was all I could do to not just walk up to her and tell her what happened. I am so sorry Fluttershy. If I knew it was one of yours, I wouldn't have dreamed of doing this.

She looked closer and gasped, likely finding my bite mark. Damn. Could this get any worse?

Crack.

She took off in a blur, screaming her head off. I lifted my hoof and looked at the culprit: a twig. After what happened to Charlotte, if they weren’t wary before, they would be now. I could just see the type of panic the town would go into. A new terror from the Everfree Forest is attacking pets. Will ponies be next? The horror. The Horror!

On that line of thought, why were Elizabeak and Fluttershy so deep in the forest? Unless... I had done something extremely stupid. I ran in the same direction that Fluttershy flew off in, and within minutes, I came the edge of the forest, and the beginning of Fluttershy's yard. At some point during my hunt, I had gotten turned around and headed towards Fluttershy's house. If that's what happened, then I'd bet some of my other prey were her animals too. Actually, knowing my luck, I could guarantee that they were.

The tears came back, growing in quantity by the second, followed by whimpering, as I collapsed to the ground, crying into my hooves. Why couldn't anything go right for me? I tried to do this the right way and hunt away from everypony. I did this to protect them. Yet, it still went wrong. Of course it'd go wrong. Ever since that night, I couldn’t have anything work out for me.

I just want to be normal again.

***

I lied alone in my room, my face buried in a pillow. Part of me wished I could just stay that way forever, by myself where I wouldn't hurt anypony. Applejack might have forgiven me, if she ever found out. Fluttershy, not so much. To her, her animals were family. I might as well have killed her little sister.

A knock came from the door. “Spike, I said I didn't feel like talking about it.”

I heard it crack open, but I didn't bother looking up. “Twilight, are you sure? I have a suggestion.”

“If that suggestion isn't an easy way of getting food, then I don't care right now.” My stomach gurgled a bit. Animal blood just wasn't enough, especially from such small ones. If they weren't enough, then... I really didn't want to finish that thought.

“I think you should tell someone else about this. Maybe someone that could really help.” Even though the door had opened, I didn't hear him actually come into the room. Can't say I blame him for keeping his distance. I hadn't washed my face yet and I wouldn't be shocked if I had some evidence of my activities around my mouth.

“Who could I tell that would be able to help and isn't Princess Celestia?” I raised up from my stupor and turned to him. “Oh! And wouldn't freak out and try to put a stake in my heart!” I knew I shouldn't yell at him, but I wasn't exactly in a good mood at the moment.

“Well, there's Princess Cadance. She'd never try to hurt you, and has that giant library in the Crystal Empire to help with your research.”

I tilted my head to the side, and twitched my ear in confusion. “Ca-dance?”

He took a step back. “Twilight, that's not ok to joke about.”

Great. This day apparently wasn't already bad enough, now I was going to have another piece of evidence showing that my mind was slipping away. “Spike, I don't remember that name.”

“Pink alicorn, long mane, a bit taller than you. Ring any bells?”

I shook my head. “How bad is it that I don't.”

“Twilight, she was like a big sister to you when you were growing up. In fact, Cadance is your sister now that she's married to your brother.”

“Shining got married?” Bad bad bad bad. I started hyperventilating. “Just how much have I forgotten...” I whimpered before burying my head back into the pillow again. I was losing my mind, that's all there was to it. Nothing felt right anymore. I was thinking differently, acting differently, and now I was completely forgetting ponies that were supposed to be important in my life.

I felt the bed shift as Spike hopped up onto it and hugged me as I sobbed into the pillow. “Spike, I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. It's getting worse everyday. It's only a matter of time before I attack somepony.” The doppelganger in my dream was right, I am nothing but a monster now.

“We'll figure something out. Just, try to relax. Maybe you should stay in today and try not to think about it.”

I took a moment to calm down. It wasn’t by much, but I was able to stop the tears. “Fine. If anyone shows up, could you tell them that I'm not feeling well?”

He nodded. “Though first, we should probably get you cleaned up a bit.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Actually, not really. Just that your hooves are really dirty and we probably don't want people thinking you've been somewhere.”

Got to give him credit, that was a smart bit of thinking.

***

I was just starting to get calm when I heard the door downstairs open up. After a moment, I there was a gasp and a pony running up the stairs, followed by a knock at the door. I gave you one job Spike, one job.

“Twilight?” came a small voice. Of course it was Fluttershy. Who else would it be? Though, at least I didn’t forget her too. Good job brain, you didn't forget another pony that I'm close to.

With a grunt I reached out with my magic and opened the door. “Hi Fluttershy.”

She rushed into the room to my side and started rubbing my back. “You poor thing. Spike told me that you were sick. It isn't because of what happened in the forest is it?” she asked.

Yes. “I don't know.” How can she be doing this? She just had to deal with a scary monster during the night. “Are you ok?”

“Oh...” She backed up a bit. “I did have to deal with something scary last night. Elizabeak got loose again and...” She sniffled. “I think the same predator that got Charlotte got her too. I told Applejack about it and she said she'd talk to Dash. The two of them will talk to the other ponies and warn them to be extra careful around the forest from now on.” She sniffled again. “But then I came here to talk to you and Spike told me that you're sick. I-I'll stay to help you, alright?”

Was she afraid to go home? Or was she focusing on me as a way to ignore what happened? Well, if it'll make her feel better... “If that's what you want. I haven't eaten yet, and Spike is busy doing an errand for me. Isn't that right Spike?” He nodded.

“Some nice hot soup would be perfect for you,” she said.

“While you're taking care of Twilight, I have some library type stuff to do for her.” With that, he was off, scurrying down the stairs. Not exactly the greatest excuse I've ever heard, but Fluttershy bought it. She followed him downstairs, leaving me alone again.

It was only minutes later when Fluttershy returned with the promised bowl of hot, steamy soup. Not sure what it was, but it smelled good enough. “Thanks.”

“Is there anything else you need? Anything at all?” There was a slight pleading quality to her voice.

I sat up and hovered the soup over to me. “Hey Fluttershy, did you see the monster last night?”

She shook her head, and hid behind her mane. “No. I didn't see whatever it was, I only heard it. The really scary part was that it was right near me. Do you think it's dangerous to ponies?”

“I wish I knew.” I quickly went through the meal Fluttershy made for me. It may not of been filling, but the warmth of it was soothing. “Hey Fluttershy?” She perked up, coming out from behind her mane. “Listen, you should probably check on how Rainbow and Applejack are doing. You know how Rainbow can get, and she might start scaring ponies, making this monster sound worse than it is.”

“What about you?”

“I'll be fine. I just need to stay in bed for the day, maybe catch up on some reading.”

“Oh, alright. I'll come back later to check on you again.”

I nodded in response.

She grabbed the bowl before leaving my room, and it didn't take long to hear her leave the library. That was far more awkward than I would have liked, but at least I got her out of my mane for now. I shook off some of the feelings of guilt and hopped down from my bed. I needed to get Spike to help me collect some more books for my research.

I headed downstairs just in time to see a green flash. I stopped, frozen in shock. That was his fire, it had to be. Who would he sending a letter to... Oh no. No no no. I bounded down the rest of the steps, skipping most of them as I leap down from the staircase, my hooves hitting the floor with a heavy clop.

How could he? He promised not to tell anyone. He lied to me. And yes, I recognize the hypocrisy, but I thought I could trust him.

I skidded around the the corner into the main room to see him standing there – now staring at me with large, worried eyes. I lowered myself into a predatory stance, and drew closer. “Spike,” I growled. “What was in that letter and who did you send it to?” My voice sounded a good bit lower than normal, and likely far more intimidating.

“Twilight, wait, hear me out. Please.” He backed up, before tripping over his tail and landing on his back. In an instant I was on top of him, my front hooves by his shoulders, and I stared down at him.

“Spike! Tell. Me. Now.”

“Princess Luna!” he cried out, covering his face.

“Luna?”

“You... you remember her right?”

“Yes, I remember who Luna is.”

“Ok, well, I figured that she had the same access to private parts of the royal archives as Celestia, and she knows what it's like to –“

“Be a monster?”

“I wasn't going to say it like that.”

“But it's what you were thinking. Spike, how could you?” I punctuated that question with another growl. It felt like my fangs were fully showing, though I couldn't be sure, I still haven't gotten used to the feeling of them.

“Because look at you. You're changing Twilight. You need help. The Twilight I know wouldn't be growling at me, and she would never forget Cadance. Twilight, you need help or you're going to do something really bad.”

I took a moment to stop and focus on my breathing, pushing out my anger with each exhale. I concentrated: in and out, in and out. “...sorry,” I mumbled before stepping away and helping up the baby dragon. “Y-you're right. I do need help, but what if she decides to lock me up or something? What if she tells Celestia? What if... What if a lot of things.” There was so much that could go wrong here, granted a lot has already gone wrong.

“I'm sure she won't do anything rash. Princess Luna is your friend, and she isn't going to try to hurt you.”

“I'll try to re–“ I was cut off by Spike's belch, and out popped a scroll. He quickly unrolled it and looked it over, then he turned it towards me.

Luna always had a love for proper aesthetics. She was regal, mysterious, and had a flair for all things macabre, which is what one would expect from the ruler of the night. However, the writing on this note had none of her normal grace, nor did it even have her signature. If it wasn't from her official stationary, I probably wouldn't even be able to tell who it was. Scratched onto the scroll in large print, obviously hurriedly written was:

Go to sleep!

Giving in

No, I couldn't sleep. Not yet. Later, but not now. Now, I needed to think of what to say to her. How was I going to explain my actions? Also- Stupid stomach, shut up. I held my hoof to it, feeling it twitch. It didn't make sense – granted, nothing did anymore. I began idly chewing on the end of my hoof. Still, there had to be some logical reason for this limited return. That should have been enough to last me a day... unless perhaps, the relationship between quantity and nourishment was an exponential one rather than a direct one. In which case, one large feeding would be worth far more than a group of small ones over time. I wouldn’t be able to sustain myself on just snacks over time. Still, this could be useful information. For now, it doesn't matter though. If I was going to think clearly for this, I'd need just enough to last the rest of today. Then, Luna could possibly help me.

“Spike!” He ran in immediately. “I'm going out again.”

“No.” He stood in the doorway, arms crossed. “Twilight. You aren't going back out. Not with everything that’s happened.”

I growled. “Spike, I'm hungry. I need to feed. Get out of my way.”

He shook his head. “This is for your own good, Twilight.” He tried to shut the door, but I appeared in front of it in a flash and blocked it from closing. I could see the fear in his eyes.

“Spike. I am going out, and you can't stop me!” I looked him in the eyes. He gulped, and his knees started to shake. I pushed the little dragon out of my way, and he fell onto his back. I didn’t mean to hurt him, but it worked.

As I started to turn and head for the stairs, he grabbed ahold of my tail. “Wait, please,” he pleaded. “At least let me help you.”

He was probably trying to be helpful right now, but I doubted that he had the stomach to help me hunt. “Spike, what could you possibly do to help me now?”

“Um... um...” He tapped at his head. “I got it. You remember the cloaks that Rarity has made for you?” I nodded. The details were fuzzy, but I knew she had made me some over the years. “Well, I'm sure some of them are dark and you could use them to blend in or something.”

Holding up my leg to look at its color, I had to admit that this could be a good idea. Pale purple was easy to notice. “Alright Spike, if it makes you feel better, I'll take one.” We headed down the steps, with him behind me the whole way. I saw that he was fidgeting a lot, but I didn’t say anything. He’d been really nervous around me the last few days. It was understandable.

He went ahead of me and opened up the door leading further down. “It’s down here.” I walked past him, through the door. “They're right down there, in the back. The box they're in should be marked.”

The basement had never been kept in order, but it suited me. I knew where everything was, and that's all that was important. Besides, I had science to do, and organizing things was his job. I trotted across the walkway, and the moment I was all the way in, a click sounded behind me. I knew he didn't just do what I think he did. I shot back to the door and tried to turn the handle. It didn’t open, of course. “Spike, let me out! Now!” I turned around and bucked the door, all it did was push me forward and make me land face first onto the floor. From the other side came the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor. It stopped right in front of the door. The little so-and-so was barricading me in! Over and over I pounded at the door, the noise echoed throughout the basement. “Let me out!”

“Twilight, I'm doing this for your own good. I'll let you out when Luna says it's ok, and not a moment before.” He scurried away.

My stomach announced its hunger once again. He just didn't understand. If I don't feed, I'll... The thought of the last time I lost control resurfaced. I was so close to doing something horrible, something unforgivable. I leaned against the door and begged for him to let me out, but he didn’t answer.

***

I can't say how much time had passed. Minutes? Hours? My thoughts were getting hazy as I paced the floor for the hundredth time. The only noise came from my growling and snarling. I wanted- I needed prey. A nice succulent pig again. My breathing was heavy, erratic. Hm, maybe a cow this time. Applejack has plenty of those, she won't miss just one. I stopped. The thought of the cow running scared with me right on its tail pleased me, bringing a smile to my face. I think I get it now. Being a predator isn't a bad thing; it's a good thing. It meant that I had moved up the food chain. It was only natural that I feed on others. Though maybe there's a prey better than cows or pigs. A type of blood that can sustain longer than lowly animals. A type with more magic in it.

I scratched at the door and growled, wanting out again. The dragon was gone, or just really quiet. My prey was out there somewhere, I just needed to get to it, and then I'd have all the blood I needed. The blood I craved. The blood I deserved. Who wouldn't want it? It was such a sweet source of life. “Spiiiiiiike? I'm better now Spike. You can let me out.” No response. He really was gone, wasn't he? Some assistant he turned out to be, won't even help me in my time of need. That was fine, I'd find my own way out. I tried channeling my magic through my horn – it sparked and went dead. Magic wouldn't help me now.

I surveyed the room for anything useful. A bunch of boxes were laying around, and there were a several small windows right at ground level. It'd be tight, but I'd fit, probably. I pushed large boxes against the wall, stacking them one on top of another until I created a new set of steps. I was so close now. I looked up at my way to freedom, seeing that it had gone dark. Night had come. Prey were easy to catch when they slept. I pulled myself up the boxes and pushed the window open. Freedom was finally mine. I let out a howl in celebration. Dear Celestia that felt amazing to do, to give in to the animal within. Why didn't I do this before?

***

I started to head to my hunting ground in the Everfree, but something new caught my interest. The ponies in town were mostly asleep, save for one, it would seem. From the other side of the market came the clip-clop of a pony wandering around. It wasn't a heavy enough step to be an earth pony, but there wasn't the sound of rustling feathers. A unicorn? They have plenty of magic in their blood. Maybe that was what I've been missing all along. I couldn't sustain myself on animal blood because there wasn't enough magic to them. A cockatrice or something like that might have some, but not squirrels or pigs. The unicorn was getting farther away. It would be good, delicious prey.

I crouched down into a familiar stance and followed the sound, sticking close to the merchant stands. I hoped that they provided enough cover to block the prey's sight of me. I had gotten close enough now to hear its mindless prattle about a shopping list and never enough hours in the day. Peering out from behind the stand, I finally saw it. It was a white unicorn mare. Her neck was slender and beautiful. It called out to me, tempting me with what surely lay beneath its skin. One chance was all that I needed. She had turned away from me, giving me that opportunity. However, like before, nothing ever went right for me. As I tried sneaking out from cover, she turned again, our eyes locking onto one another.

“T-Twilight! Um, what a p-pleasant surprise,” said Rarity. I remained in my low stance and stepped closer to the prey. In turn, she backed away, though her eyes never left mine.

I stepped closer. From this distance, I heard the pleasant thumping of her heart, such a nice little sound.

“W-what are you doing out from the, er, I mean, why are you up so late?” I kept getting closer, and she kept backing away.

“Um, I-I had a... had c-chat with Spike earlier, and...” She immediately took off in a white blur. I think I like it more when they run.

Down the street and through the alleys we went. I was just a hair faster than her, and was getting closer with each step. The whole way she screamed bloody murder at the top of her lungs. I lunged, dragging her to the ground. She struggled and thrashed about in my grip. Her heart was beating so quickly then. It was beautiful. While trying to get away, she smashed a stone into my head, keeping me from my prize. I bared my fangs at her. When she saw them, she froze in shock, and momentarily stopped struggling.

“Help! Monster! There's a monster!”

There was a problem that came with noisy prey. Lights from the houses we passed were flicking on, and ponies were poking their heads outside. One prey was fine, but many were dangerous. I wondered if I could feed quickly or drag her off, but it was already too late.

“Twilight, what are you doing?!?” a familiar voice called out to me. I blinked and stared down at Rarity -- who was crying now. I stepped off of her. The others were staring at me in silent horror. I didn’t like it, their eyes burned. ‘Run’, whispered a little voice in my head. I obeyed. Where? To the only place they wouldn't follow me.

***

The forest was quiet tonight. My stomach let me know just how upset it was that I didn't feed, but I couldn’t go back now. Each step was getting harder. It took a lot of effort just to keep moving forward. It felt as though I was trying to wade through concrete. I had waited too late to feed. Even if I did catch something in here, it wouldn't help. One more step was all I got before my legs refused to move anymore, and I fell to the forest floor. Darkness was overtaking the edge of vision and slowly crept towards the center. I started curling up into a ball. In this moment, my thoughts returned, and I realized just what I had done. They all knew now. I could never return to Ponyville. I just lost everything.

The Truth

I was... well, I guess nowhere would be the most accurate description. I stood on a long stone road that floated on seemingly nothing. There were other islands and mismatched debris of all sizes floating in the aether, but they were too far out to reach. At some points they would drift closer to the path I stood on; their shapes would remind me of things, but before I could decide of what they floated away again. Ahead, at the end of the road, was a floating castle of alternating blue and purple hues. It had two towers on either side of the main keep, each with a large bell in them. The entire castle was walled off and a rusty iron gate blocked the entrance. Behind me, the road stretched on as far as I could see. Unless I wanted to fall into the endless void on either side of the road – assuming that gravity worked normally here, which I wasn't going to test – I only had one real choice: to head for the castle.

A crow began to loudly caw as I got closer. It felt like it was announcing my arrival. In a place like this, I couldn't be sure. As I watched the debris float around me, I worried that the road would suddenly give way from underneath me. After walking for a long time, I finally arrived at the gate. When I looked back I knew that I walked for much longer than I should have. I heard the crow caw again. When I looked, I saw the little noise maker sitting on top the iron gate. It quieted down as I approached.

The bird cocked its head and stared at me. I could swear that it almost seemed it was sizing me up and thinking. “Caw,” it cried out once more, then it flew off to one of the towers. When it took off, the gate started to swing open. To fit its appearance, I had expected to hear a loud creak, but there was only silence. In truth, beyond that crow, there hadn't really been any noise at all. Part of me would have openly welcomed the sound of a creak.

The gate had led into a courtyard filled with beautiful, luminescent flowers and vibrant, green grass. There was a dirt path and at the end of it were a pair of large, ancient wooden doors to the keep. I guessed that was where I needed to go. Along the way, the scent of the flowers fell on me like a miasmic cloud, and they were surprisingly sweet smelling. It was like a mixture of lavender and vanilla. Taking another glance around the courtyard, I spotted what looked like three mounds in the dirt on the far right. The grass was covering them, meaning they had to of been there for a long time – again, assuming this world follows any logical rules – there was single white rose grew from each.

I stopped in front of the doors, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out. There could be anything waiting for me on the other side, and I needed to remain calm and ready. I knocked once, and there was no response. I knocked twice, and got the same result. I considered just turning around and walking away, but somehow I knew I wouldn’t be able to. I pressed my hoof into the door and pushed it open.

Inside, there was a very long hallway lit up by glowing crystals that floated just below the ceiling. At the very end, I could make out another door with two figures standing on either side of it. I'm sure they could see me, but they didn't move.

While seeing other ponies here was interesting and unnerving, what really drew my attention was crude scribblings on the left wall. It looked as though they were drawn by a child with crayons. Any other time, these drawings might have been cute, but here in contrast with everything else, they were really creepy. The two figures stared at me, unmoving. To be honest, they made me nervous. I wanted to put off dealing with them, so I looked at the drawings first. The first scribbling was of a blue alicorn filly. Next to her was a white alicorn that was slightly larger. It seemed that both were very happy, they both had large smiles. The next picture showed the blue filly surrounded by a small group of other children. There was an earth pony and a unicorn to either side of her, and a pegasus flying above her. This one had a writing on it: 'I made friends!'

The next picture looked exactly the same as the former, except that all the ponies were larger now. The blue alicorn looked like a teen, while the other three were fully grown. Then came a picture, where the only difference was that the pegasus was gone, and the smiles weren't as big as they used to be. After that one, it was just the blue alicorn and the unicorn. They weren't smiling anymore. Next was the blue alicorn, with the white one next to her, standing over three mounds of dirt. 'They left me,' was written under it. The next picture was one with a group of ponies playing. The blue alicorn had her back turned to them.

The next one showed ponies playing during the day. Then at night, the blue alicorn walked down a street. There were two other ponies, but they stayed away from her.

The next picture had overgrown, mutated animals. They were made of random parts strewn together. One was was a bundle of tentacles coming from a bunny. There was another that looked kind of like a pony, but it was made out of slime. I could recognize a few of them though, a manticore and a cockatrice. In the following picture, the two alicorns were facing towards Discord. After that, Discord was wrapped around the blue alicorn. 'They never loved you. They only care about her.' Then came Discord colored grey, and a bunch of ponies celebrating around the white alicorn. The blue alicorn was nowhere to be seen.

The following series of pictures were all of ponies crowding around the white alicorn. Occasionally there'd be one with the blue alicorn in the back of the crowd, being ignored. Then, the blue alicorn was alone, under the moon. 'They don't love me. They only love her.'

While all of this was unsettling, the next parts were what made it disturbing. It started with the picture of a green dragon’s eye. It was hard to see what the rest were supposed to be pictures of. It looked like somepony had taken black paint and tried to cover them up by smearing it all over. Was someone attempting to destroy them? I couldn't say for certain. However, I could make out little bits and pieces of the rest. A black alicorn was in a lot of them, so too was the word hate. One full sentence was spared the wrath of the paint: 'They'll never leave me again.' Eventually there was a line where all drawings and paint smears stopped. It was a perfect line where everything just ended.

I took my eyes off the wall and cautiously looked over to the figures. I was closer now. I could make out more details. They were bat-winged ponies wearing night-guard armor just like the ones I had seen pulling Princess Luna's chariot. Something was subtly off about them – just like the rest of this place. They were unnaturally pale, and they weren’t reacting to me being here. In fact, they were still just staring straight ahead. They almost looked like... No, it couldn't be.

I stepped closer to the two figures. They still didn't move at all. From only a few feet away, I waved a hoof at them, trying to catch their attention. Still nothing. Getting even closer, I reached out a hoof and touched one. He was cold, coarse, and stiff. He was dead. Oh Celestia, he was dead. Despite not having the stench of decay on him, there was no denying that he wasn't alive and that rigor mortis had set in long ago.

“She is waiting for you inside.”

“AAAHHH!” I screamed as I doubled back and nearly fell over.

He didn’t react. He must have... deactivated again. I opened the door between them, and walked through, which wasn't an easy task considering the scare I just went through.

The throne room had that same nightmarish feel to it. It was dark I could barely see. The shadows were smeared across the walls like the black paint. The only mildly comforting sight was the princess of the night herself sitting on the throne. Around her were quite a few magical windows to other places, though none of those places looked real. Some were completely surreal. In one, there was a giant rock flirting with a tree. Luna herself had been looking at one that I couldn't see. I wasn’t able to see it from behind. She pushed it to the side and turned her gaze to me.

“Princess, where am I? Is this a nightmare?” I asked, just now getting my nerves to calm down from the earlier eeriness.

“Not quite. In fact, you aren't in your own mind anymore. This is my realm, an extension of my own mind, and a crossroads between dreams.” Her voice was stern, but not harsh. “Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Interesting...”

I stepped forward. “Princess Luna, do... do you know what happened to me? Is that why you summoned me here?”

“Possibly. Tell me, 'Twilight', what do you believe to have happened to you on that fateful night?”

She knew more than she was telling me, that was obvious. The only way to get that information would be to play along, for now. At least she wasn't trying to trap my mind here in some dungeon... not yet. “It was some kind of transmutation spell that has changed my biology, making my body dependent on blood to keep functioning. It has also had some profound, highly unwanted, effects on my mind: teaching me the basics of hunting, erasing some memories – very important memories, making my nervous tick worse, and probably a lot more that I haven't realized yet.” I tried my best to switch off my emotions and explain this as a scientist reporting their observations. However, my voice did crack and I could feel my throat tighten.

“Missing memories? Your ticks are worse? Hm... Anything else?” She still wasn't showing any strong emotion. Was she purposefully holding back? That had to be it, there was no other reason I could think of. She wasn’t shocked or to be appalled at my transformation.

“Yes, my sense of direction has gotten horrible in places that I should know by heart. Speaking of which, the places that I'm supposed to be familiar with now feel off to me. Like, I don't belong.”

She sighed and shook her head. The look she gave me was a bit sad and full of pity. “That's what you truly believe, isn't it?”

“Um, yes your highness.” This was really it, wasn't it? She had to know something, and I wasn't leaving until I found the truth. I sat down, and continued, “Please, your highness. If you know what that spell was, you have to tell me.” I was practically begging at this point.

“Of course I know what that spell was. I was the one who crafted it, and I'm the one who set it all up.”

The world around me froze in that moment, as my mind tried its best to make sense of this. Luna, princess of the night, was responsible for everything. Why? What possible reason would Luna have to use that kind of magic?

She must have seen my expression, so she added, “Admittedly, I wasn't of sound mind at the time.”

The other shoe dropped. It wasn't Luna, not really. The image of that dragon eye popped up in my mind. It was her... “Nightmare Moon did it?”

“Yes. But please do not try to separate my actions from hers, or hers from mine. She was a monster, but she was me. I'm sure you quite understand what it's like to have another side of yourself that you try to hide from the world. A monster inside you wanting out, and you know that you can't deflect responsibility for its actions. Am I right?”

I lowered my head, staring at the floor. “Yes,” I answered, barely above a whisper.

“Anyways, the answer to what that spell was for is quite simple, but I'm not sure if you're truly ready to hear the answer.”

“You have to tell me!” I yelled out.

“Very well, if you want the truth, you're wrong about what the spell did.”

That was impossible. I kept track of my changes. I kept perfect lists of the symptoms. There's no way I could be wrong about this.

“The reason you can't remembered things is because they aren’t your memories. The reason you felt out of place, is because you've never been to Ponyville before. You didn't even exist until that night. The spell does nothing to change the pony on the receiving end. It creates a new, altered one, in the mold of that pony.”

The gears of my mind didn't just stop, they shattered. There was nothing I could focus on. Everything grew blurry as tears filled my eyes. “No... no!” It wasn't true. I knew who I was. “I have memories. I remember the party Pinkie threw for me when I first came to Ponyville. I remember when Spike hatched. I remember finding and activating that spell in the forest! You can't tell me that those memories are fake! I am Twilight Sparkle.”

She looked away. “They aren't fake, on that, you're right.”

“Ah ha! Then I am Twilight Sparkle.”

“They aren't fake, but they aren't yours. They too were only copies.”

“But... but...” My breath quickened as my mind tried to latch onto something, anything, to prove her wrong. I am Twilight Sparkle! I am Twilight Sparkle... I am... What was I? “I can't just be a copy...” My legs gave way as I crumpled down into the floor. “Princess, I'm begging you. Please tell me that it isn't true.”

“I'm sorry, but I can't. It is the truth, and deep down, I'm sure you know it.”

Everything... everything I believed up until now had been a lie. They weren't my friends. Spike wasn't my assistant. I was just an imposter. I was no one.

I felt her wing across back as her body settle next to my own. “I'm sorry. I wish I could have made this news easier for you.”

“Why... why would you make something like this? What was the point?” She didn't answer right away, her eyes were shut, and she looked to be in deep thought. “Why?”

“...fear.” When she opened her eyes, they had turned green, and her normal, round pupils had been replaced with slits. They were just like the eye drawn on the wall. The floor around us grew darker, and it spread throughout the room. “If I couldn't get them to worship me through love like my sister, I'd get them to worship me through fear. I delved into their nightmares to see what her precious ponies feared the most. Having somepony you know and love turn on you, or worse yet, for them to be somepony completely different than who you thought they were. Of course, I'd let a few of my copies get caught, enough to make everypony aware of them. When a stallion left home, he wouldn't know if he would return to his wife or an imposter. Perhaps the mare he kissed goodbye too was already an imposter. The same would go for anypony's children and parents. They would never be able to trust each other. But, all would go well, as long as they remained loyal to me.”

“P-p-princess... y-you...”

“But, my sister stopped me before I completed the spell. What dear Twilight found was merely a prototype. It was only supposed to react to the magic of an alicorn, so not I'm sure how she activated it. I suppose her magic really is that strong. Either way, when it turned on, it created you.” Her eyes turned to me, staring a hole through mine. “A flawed copy.”

“I'm a... a... flawed copy?” A new stream of tears flowed out. Not only was I nothing more than a copy, but I was flawed one as well. A broken one, I'm sure.

“That is why you don't have all her memories. Why some traits of Twilight are not present in you, and others are distorted.” On cue, my eye twitched. “And why your coat is a few shades too lite. I must admit though, the fact that they were all still fooled by you is quite impressive. If given more time, I believe that spell could have been flawless.” She gave me a look that just oozed arrogance, like she was barely acknowledging me being here.

“Princess, you're starting to scare me.”

“Hm? Oh.” She shut her eyes tight, and as she did, the encroaching darkness around us halted and reversed. Soon, things looked as they did before, and when she opened her eyes, they had returned to normal. “When I think about those days, while in my realm, things start coming back.” There was silence, neither of us knew what to say.

Finally, something clicked and I realized one question hadn't been answered yet. “If I'm a copy,” I still couldn't bring myself to say for a fact that I was, “then where is she? Where's the real Twilight.”

“That's what I was looking into when you arrived. Twilight is with Zecora. The spell seemed to have knocked her out for a few days, but she's recovering nicely. I could have brought her here too, but –“

“No! I-I can't look at her right now. I just can't.”

“– I figured you might not want me to.”

“So, what happens now? I still need to feed, and I don't want to stay in Ponyville. Actually, I want to be gone before any of them know the truth.”

Luna nods. “I'll teleport you to my room of the palace. And, in truth, you don't need to feed that often, if you get the right blood.” She paused. “I'll let you take some of mine when you need it.”

My eyes went wide. “What? I couldn't possibly –“

“You can and you will. You are my responsibility, and we don't have any other choice.”

“Could you... could you also talk to my frie-I mean the others for me. Just, tell them the truth and, could you ask them not to hate me?”

She nodded.

“And, could I just stay here, alone for a while?”

“Of course.” She left my side, and walked out the door. This was my life now. Not even a real pony, just the monster created by a dark mistake.

Hello me, it's me again.

Vampires.

I must confess that I haven't ever given them much thought, despite their popularity among some. The supernatural in general has never been an interest of mine, not when there were far more thrilling real things to study. Now, that may come back to haunt me. I would go on to spend most of that evening studying the reference guide, and some of the famous stories it mentioned.

As for the legends and stories, it seemed like no one could figure out what vampires were actually supposed to be. Depending on the author or culture, they could be anything from brooding intellectuals, to bloodthirsty savages, or self-hating, cursed ponies. Their habits – how they fed, how much blood they needed, their reactions to daylight, and ability to transform – were also highly disputed. It felt as though you could read a hundred stories and get a hundred different answers of what a vampire was. Then, of course, there were the methods of one being turned, assuming you weren't born as one. Mine was rare. Sure, the occasional author would use magic as some contrived plot device to turn the unsuspecting protagonist into a creature of the night, but from what I've read, the most common way for vampirism to spread was through biting. Once in awhile it would also be through biting and forcing the victim to drink a bit of their own or the vampire's blood.

Beyond all the differences, there were two major motifs that stretched across all the stories; neither of which settled well with me. The first was that, no matter how hard they may try to disprove it, a vampire was not a regular pony, and would always be alienated from others. Part of me already knew this. I felt it when I spent the day with Rarity, that invisible wall between us. The one I could not cross simply because I would never be able to be fully honest with her, or my other friends. That was not an option right now as far as I was concerned. Even if I could tell them, this was something they couldn't understand without experiencing it first hoof, and I wasn't going to test my supposedly infected bite just to have company. Even at my worst, I'm better than that.

The second of the two true rules of vampirism was the one that forced me to hold back a tear, and it was the one to make me stop reading for the night: vampires had to feed, no exceptions. To no surprise, the result of not feeding was something that no two stories agreed upon, but I didn't need a story to tell what would happen. The memory of that night – or rather the lack of memory – was enough of a lesson. I wasn't going to let that happen again.

My eye twitched at the thought. It had never been this easy to make it do that before. I growled and held it shut, going so far as to put my hoof over it to stop any movement.

“Twilight?”

“What?!?” I turned around and faced Spike, who was now backing away timidly. Good job Twilight, yell at the one person that knew, and was trying to help. I sighed and counted backwards, a trick that Shining had taught me when I was young. “Spike, I'm sorry.” I made sure not to let any of my worry or tension slip through this time, though I doubted that he bought the facade. “Now, what is it?”

“Twilight, you've been looking over those books for hours without saying anything.”

“How long?”

“6 hours.”

Funny, it only felt like two. I looked out my window, seeing that the sun had long since gone down. All the light in here was coming from candles that Spike lit.

“Maybe you should get some rest.”

A yawn escaped me on the word rest.

“See. You do need to rest.”

He was right. “I can't.” Just because he was right, didn't mean I was going to stop now. “I’ve only just begun to understand vampirism, but it still doesn't answer any of my questions on how I got to be this way.” All the spells mentioned in these books were done directly, not just some old trap waiting to be sprung. It did make me question why the pony behind this would choose a vampire as the end result of their spell, but I doubted they'd still be around to ask.

“No excuses. Trust me, I've seen you do this a million times. When you get yourself worked up, you don't think straight, and it always leads to trouble.”

His point was well made, but... I was just going to keep making excuses, wasn't I? Had I learned nothing from the spa trip? “Alright Spike. Could you pull out any books on transformation spells while I'm asleep?”

He rolled his eyes. “More busy work...”

“Spike, I'm serious. Those books better be waiting for me when I wake up.”

“Don't worry about it. Since when have I ever let you down?”

In truth, he hasn't; at least not when it was something important. I yawned again, and headed upstairs to bed. There was finally a word to go with what I had become, and with that was a small lead. With any luck, the end of my nightmare could be coming soon.

***

I was back in the Everfree Forest, looking into that shield spell again. The cold air hung heavily around me with no trace of wind. No stars shined above, nor moon for that matter. The forest around me was dark, silent, and empty. Rather than the perfect illusion it was before, I saw waves of energy rippling through the shield, and an ethereal blue aura radiated from it. Without it there wouldn't have been any light at all.

After a moment, all the ripples and waves converged on a single spot directly in front of me, from which I saw a head emerging from the magical barrier. At first, only the muzzle poked through, showing that she was a mare. I tried to move, to run, to do anything, but my hooves were sealed to the ground below me. No matter how much I pulled at them they wouldn't move from their spot. I looked back at the mare and found myself growing more afraid of her by the second. Something about her presence terrified me to my core. I desperately tried to pull at my hooves again, but it was in vain. More of the phantom mare came through. Her pupils were slits, and despite the dim light, I could see the ends of her fangs poking out of her mouth. Most disturbingly – the part that made me stop struggling, I was too shocked to move – was her pale, purple fur and triple toned mane, just like mine. Finally, my doppelganger broke free of the spell, and took her first step towards me.

This couldn't be real, she couldn't be real.

“Oh, can't I?” In contrast to the monster's appearance, she spoke in a tone that one would use with a friend over lunch. There was no harshness to her voice. “And yes, I know what you're thinking.”

“W-what are you?”

The monster mare continued to come closer. “So, I'm a monster am I? Is that what you really think of yourself?”

“Myself? You aren't me. You're a monster pretending to be me.”

“You're that blind that you can't see the truth staring you in the face. Yes, I am you. I'm the part that you fear, but in time you'll learn to embrace me.” She was close now, right in front of me, looking me in the eyes. The monster reached out, placing her hoof on my stomach, and the second it made contact my stomach growled in hunger. In that moment, the desire to feed came back in full force. I caught myself licking my lips at the idea of getting more blood.

“That pig won't last us forever, and you know what will happen if you try not to feed again.”

Tears rolled down my eyes. “Why are you doing this?”

“The question is, why are you doing this to yourself?”

“You're not me. I'm not a monster.”

“You can lie to Spike, you can lie to your friends, but you can't lie to yourself. Go ahead, admit what you are – who you are.”

Tap!

My eyes snapped open, and the ceiling came into focus. A dream. It was just a dream. I brought my hoof to my cheeks and felt my tears. Afterward, my stomach growled again. That monster had been right about one thing – I would need to feed again soon. Charlotte had only sustained me for a day or so, though I couldn't be certain how much I drank from her. I would need to keep track of the exact amount next time, and what species it was from.

My thoughts stopped in a sudden horrible realization: I was thinking about feeding in a purely clinical sense now. There wasn't any real emotion – most importantly, not disgust – in the thought of drinking another's blood. Was I going to become like her?

Tap, tap, tap.

I looked over to my window, seeing an impatient Rainbow Dash tapping at it. What now? After drying my eyes with the blanket, I hopped down off my bed and meandered to the window, having neither the energy nor desire to go faster.

“Come on Twilight, open the window already.”

“I have a door, you know.” I flipped the lock, and cracked open the window. She flung it open the rest of the way and shot in, hovering maybe an inch from my face.

“Wow Twilight, you look horrible.”

“Bad dream. So, what's up Rainbow?” I rasped, my throat a bit dry from just waking up.

“Well, Applejack found her missing pig.”

I gulped, and that small twitch returned to my eye. “Oh?” This could be bad. This was bad. If I had left any evidence, the others might be able to link it back to me.

She started looking around out the window, and spoke quickly, “Yeah, and she wanted me to grab you and Fluttershy. Said that there was something weird about it, and she figured you guys might be able to help her sort it out.”

Twitch. “Weird? Um, did she give any details.”

“No.” She rapidly tapped her hoof on the floor. “Twilight, I want to find out what it is too, so could we hurry this up?”

“Can I at least have a moment to freshen up?” I needed a second to collect myself after that dream before going out.

“Fine, I'll get Fluttershy and be back here in about five minutes. Be ready.”

She left in a blur, impatient as always. I took my moment alone to check myself in the bathroom mirror. My mane was a mess, which had to be expected. Thinking about the image of those vampires and that monster in my dream, I opened my mouth wide and sure enough there were a pair of fangs. They seemed smaller than the ones from my dream. Touching one with my hoof, it grew out to twice its former length. Small correction, they’re retractable fangs. With a bit of practice, I could probably control them. I groaned. “Great, one more thing that I have to hide,” I thought out loud to the empty room.

My thoughts went back to that other me in my dream, and the way she spoke about feeding. She talked about it as though it was the simplest thing to drink blood from another. There was almost happiness in her voice when she spoke about it. I might have to do some things that I won't be proud of, but I won't be like her. I won't take pleasure in it, or treat as if it were no big deal.

***

I was not even given the full five minutes before Dash had come back with Fluttershy. The three of us walked up the old dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow Dash took the lead while Fluttershy and I walked shoulder to shoulder behind her. Fluttershy was shivering, even though it wasn't cold out.

“Dash?” she asked.

“For the last time Fluttershy, I don't know why she wanted you and Twilight to come out here so badly. She just told me that she found her sow and to get you two quickly.”

“Is it really dead?”

“Well, here's AJ. You can ask her for yourself.”

Sure enough, Applejack was waiting for us in front of her home. The normally rowdy cowpony looked subdued, and it seemed like she had less color to her. “Oh, um, howdy you three. Glad you could come on such short notice.”

If we couldn't, Rainbow would have probably dragged us here anyways. “It's no problem Applejack, but I'm not sure what I could help you with.”

“Well, ya see, ah found these really weird bite marks on Charlotte. Ah've had timber wolves occasionally get one of our livestock. Same goes for other creatures wanderin' out from the Everfree Forest, but these marks ain't like anything ah've seen before. Ah was hoping you two could help me figure it out.”

Fluttershy, now hiding behind her mane, spoke up. Well, it was more of a whisper, “D-do we have to?”

“Ah know you don't want to sugarcube, but you know more about critters than the rest of us combined,” urged Applejack.

Rainbow gave Fluttershy a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Yeah. Between you and the egghead, we'll have this solved in no time.”

If I was actually helping, it'd already be solved. I had to think of a way to look like I was helping, without letting them know it was me. Why did this have to be so difficult?

“A-alright,” she agreed.

Fluttershy was going to know that those bites aren't from a wild animal. I knew she would. This was getting worse by the second, but there wasn't anything I could do that wouldn't draw attention.

“Ah'll show ya'll the way. Follow me.” She led us around back, and we began making our way through the orchard. Along the way, I started noticing a trail of bent grass, and broken flowers. Obviously, something was dragged through here, and it was heavy. I looked over to see that Fluttershy had spotted this as well.

Apparently, she must have noticed me looking at it too. “It's not uncommon for predators to carry their prey to a safer location, but to carry a full grown sow... This must have been a very – ” she gulped; “Big predator.”

We remained silent for the rest of the way, none of us had much to say. My eyes never left the trail that that was made. A big predator? I'm not sure how I could have drug her this far on my own, and with my magic at such a low strength. Desperation must have been enough to give me the strength I needed.

We turned a corner, and there she was, laying behind a tree on the edge of the orchard. Her body had no color to it, and there was an aroma of meat that had likely just started rotting.

“This doesn't make any sense,” said Fluttershy.

Right away she picked up on some noticeable tells that this wasn't a wild animal attack.

“There's, um, no blood.” Not a single drop was on the tree or the surrounding grass. She continued as I took a closer look at Charlotte.

“And it didn't eat any of her.”

Sure enough, there were a pair of holes in Charlotte's neck. It wouldn't take much for me to seal them shut, and make it look like they were never there, but Applejack had already seen them. If I did it now, it'd only look suspicious.

“Did you find anything, Twilight?”

“Um, yeah. Here's the bite marks.”

She came over and looked at them. “I haven't seen any bite marks like those before.”

As I continued looking at the corpse, my stomach growled again. There was no avoiding it, I'd need to feed again tonight.