Fluttershy lay in her bed, unease clawing at her chest. It had been there as soon as her found out. Which was mixed with more hatred at the fact that she didn't have to know what happened. She hadn't remembered anything once Twilight did the reverse spell on her. She could have just left it at that. But Fluttershy didn't like not having facts about her own behaviour for two consecutive nights. This was why she never drank. She needed control. And so the yellow pegasus made her friends tell the whole story. And Fluttershy listened to the whole thing, hoping she was able to hide her sinking emotions and her terror.
Two nights ago the vampire fruit bats had infiltrated Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was taking no chances with the apple trees, and demanded the group take measures against them. Fluttershy, the animal lover, saw the bat's as harmless. Yes, they ate a lot of the apples in the short run, but over time they're spitting the seeds made the orchard grow stronger trees. They were only here because they were hungry. But her five friends outnumbered her. Fluttershy was coerced into using her animal-special-talent-powers to hypnotise the bats, so Twilight Sparkle could preform a spell to stop them from sucking apple juice.
That should have been the end of it, but Twilight's spell actually transferred into Fluttershy, because of her hypnotism. So for that night Fluttershy became Flutterbat. Her feathery pegasus wings became more like bat's wing. Her pony ears also reshaped to resemble that animal. Her mane became frayed and scraggily, her eyes red, and her canines fangs. Or so she was told. Having no memory of it she sort of had to take her friend's word.
But she sucked some apples dry for their juice, just as the vampire fruit bat had done, for two nights. Earlier tonight her friends tracked her down in the orchard and Twilight undid her mistaken spell.
And Fluttershy demanded to know what happened, and now couldn't think of anything else since. She lay awake in her bed, being unreal, feeling… not at all tired. But sleep must have found her anyway, because the next thing Fluttershy knew it was mid-afternoon, the bright sunlight was blazing in, and she felt positively nauseous.
She still felt vague dread in waves as she brushed her hair, and got ready for her late-started day. She still couldn't believe the physical changes to her body had made to accompany a craving so strong it had drained her of all judgement, all her control. She was never going to eat an apple again. The thought of it made her ill.
There came a knock on her front door. Fluttershy nearly jumped ten feet, and abandon the cereal she couldn't stomach anyway, to see who it was.
"Hello?" she squinted at the light, and only cracked the door a necessary inch.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight Sparkle cautioned.
"Oh hi, Twilight." The light was winning, and so Fluttershy just closed her eyes.
"I was just stopping by to see... how you were."
Fluttershy laughed nervously. "Fine, just fine. Thanks for checking in." She smiled in her most believable manner, too ashamed to bring up her nausea, too certain it was her own anxiety that brought it.
"Wait, Fluttershy. I also came to say that I'm so sorry. It was my spell that caused all this, and we shouldn't have pressured you in helping with the bats."
There was no way Fluttershy could mention her side effects now. Twilight would feel awful! "Don't be silly, Twilight. It wasn't anypony's fault, really."
"Well, just let me know if I can do anything for you."
"Sure thing! Goodbye!" Fluttershy clicked door shut, and ran to vomit her excessive intake of apple juice.
Afterwards she splashed some water on her face. Flutteshy's eyes tentatively raised to the bathroom mirror. For a split second, she could have sworn she didn't see her reflection. She saw her shower curtain from across the room. Then her swimming head brought back the flickered image of a paler-than-usual yellow face, and turquoise, no—blood-red eyes?
I must be delirious, she concluded.
The bathroom light were uncomfortably bright, and in a last-ditch effort to stop herself from getting any worse, she slumped back into bed.
All from nerves... there's nothing seriously wrong with me. I just gave myself the flu. A twenty four hour bug, that's all. Nothing to bat an eyelash at, she consoled herself back to sleep, smiling at her accidental pun.
A cloud of magic brought a lid back onto the container of night cream. A new cloud secured an eye masque to the white unicorn's forehead.
Rarity slid into bed, so as not to wrinkle all the sheets. She stared at the almost-full moon a moment before ultimately yawning and pulling down her sleep masque.
She couldn't get out of that window fast enough, and drink in the velvety night air. Her wings were unimaginably sore, flying gave them a painful, but relieving and necessary stretch.
But then there was new surge of pain, and she nearly crashed down. Thirst. Of course! It was at every nerve ending, almost crippling her.
Fluttershy, now Flutterbat flew high into the night sky, and flapped viciously onward. She did not know where she was going, but she knew the way to get there.
Rarity's dreams were fragmented. She woke up in cold sweat after the passing hours shifted the level of darkness in her bedroom. Before her eyes could adjust a draft blew over her. A shadowy figure scuttled across the room.
A familiar scene was painted before Flutterbat. Rolls and roll of fabrics lined the walls. Through the darkness faded shades of otherwise brilliant colours were spread around her. Then she saw her. A white figure peeping out of more fabric. She was mesmerized by the rhythmic rise and fall of breath in her chest.
She didn't remember falling back asleep.
She was pulled toward the white figure, everything so instinctual. The clouds shifted and a bead of moonlight fell through the curtains. The beam caught the white sparkle of her skin, just as white as the sheets, and then her purple curls... The yellow pony came closer and Rarity began to shift uncomfortably. Her eye mask covered her forehead, but a brushing hoof tossed it aside.
Rarity didn't remember falling back asleep...Through a hazy memory, there was a draining on all her energy... a complete draining.
Flutterbat felt satisfied… but also vaguely guilty, as Fluttershy's thoughts were still poking through. It was the Fluttershy that felt mortified to have her friends chase her around for a night as she wildly decimated the stock of orchard apples. But soon Rarity was stirring and the vampire pegasus was snapped out of her thoughts.
It was still here. The thing that made her feel like this was still here. She had to move. To catch it. ...so weak... but she had to pull her eyes open to find why she felt something hover over her.
Flutterbat dashed out the window, she glanced back before flying off, and saw Rarity lay a heavy head back onto her pillow.
Several nights later Rarity was vaguely aware of ponies standing over her bed… pulling up her lips?
"Hmm… her gums are very pale, shrunken. Her lips are almost white," Pinkie Pie determined.
Twilight scribbled on a notepad, trying to make sense of the patient's symptoms. "It's like she's somehow lost nearly a quarter of her blood. It doesn't make any sense."
"A quarter of her…" Pinkie couldn't believe it. Her superstitious studies might actually be coming in handy… plenty of creatures sucked blood… but now she'd have to convince a sceptic like Twilight. Pinkie Pie tentatively pulled down the covers around Rarity's neck. "What do you make of these marks?"
Twilight inched closer. On dear Rarity's neck lay two tiny puncture wounds. For a moment she thought that must be how she lost so much blood…but then she shook her head. How ridiculous! If that were the case, then the sheets, the bed, her nightclothes would all be dowsed in blood. "I don't know Pinkie," she said suddenly boiling with frustration for it all. "What do you think they are?"
"Oh, I have a theory… but I doubt anypony is going to believe me. I'll have to tell you all in fair time. Bring the others."
So Twilight lumbered through Ponyville knocking on her friend's doors. Applejack the Texas-accented cowgirl headed to Rarity's without hesitation. Rainbow Dash, the strong mare of noble birth and emerging title flew over as soon as Twilight mentioned Rarity was sick.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight gave a gentle knock on her last stop, remembering her polite, but hurried conversation from the day before.
"Fluttershy." Twilight knocked louder. "Fluttershy!" Was something wrong with her too? The purple allicorn hesitated, but ultimately opened the unlocked door.
The cottage living room was as dark as it could be in the middle of the day. None of her lights were turned on, and all the shutters covered every window. Did Fluttershy get migraines? Still, why wouldn't she just make her bedroom dark and stay in one room? Twilight crept through the halls, a sense of foreboding tearing at her chest. She pushed open the bedroom door, "Fluttersh— gah!" she gasped. Fluttershy was suddenly right in front of her.
"Twilight? Where's the fire?" Fluttershy was squinting at what little light crept through the shutters, and down the hall. Did Twilight see… dirt in her mane?
"Umm… sorry to barge in… I just…"
"Great story. Can I go back to bed now?" Fluttershy moved to close the door.
"Wait, Fluttershy." Twilight snapped back into her train of thought. What was with this pegaus? She wasn't acting anything like herself at all. "Rarity is sick. Pinkie Pie thinks she knows what's going on, but she's being mysterious like always, and doesn't want to tell us. I think she needs everypony's help though. We need to watch Rarity, because as soon as nopony's looking she loses a ton of blood."
And at the word blood, Fluttershy's squinting eyes flashed opened. The thin stream of light did some sort of trick because her irises looked red.
Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Sorry Twilight. I wish I could help, but I'm afraid I'm not the most well myself. The light… I've got this killer… ah, this killer…"
"Migraine?"
"Yes! That. Send Rarity my best wishes, and never come here again unless I say you can, thank you."
The door clicked closed just like that. "Fluttershy! What do you mean never! Fluttershy, I have an anti-migraine spell, you know that!" She tried the door and it was locked.
Twilight stormed out of the house, normally she wouldn't have left a friend in such a bad mood, but Rarity needed her more right now. Soon she remembered the kind Fluttershy. Twilight figured she was probably just lashing out, because she was still embarrassed about becoming a fruit vampire. The poor thing had barely held up a conversation since everypony told her the truth. Maybe they all should have just lied.
When Twilight got back, Pinkie Pie and the others were spread chatting around Rarity in bed. The white unicorn was sitting up, smiling, happy. Her colour was back.
The door made a noise as Twilight closed it, and it seemed as though she had broken a spell. Everypony looked up, and all but Rarity left their seats and exited the room. Twilight, feeling a little like a killjoy followed suit.
Pinkie led them into the living room, "You might be wondering, Twilight, what caused such an improvement in Rarity's health."
"Yes?"
"Well, it was simple really," Rainbow Dash cut in. "She lost a lot of blood, so I gave her some of mine." She showed a foreleg with a fresh needle hole, and Twilight was reminded of Rarity's puncture wounds. Could somepony have taken out her blood with a needle?
"But I don't want you three to be letting your guard down." Pinkie held up a wreath of garlic flowers, and put it around her neck. She gave the rest of the trio her own odorous lei.
"Pinkie, why is garlic—"
"It is entirely necessary. We must close Rarity's windows, and keep garlic all around the room. Twilight? Would you mind keeping watch tonight?"
"No problem, Pinkie."
But it was a problem, Twilight thought. No ventilation, being surrounded by reeking bulbs of a pizza topping. Yet, remembering how Pinkie's last suggestion gave a significant improvement to the patient's condition, Twilight did exactly what she was told.
"I'm noticed you haven't been talking much lately, Rarity," Twilight said as she set up her chair for her post. "Oh dear." The white unicorn could barely keep her eye lids open, but as soon as they would drift down she would pull them open again and sit up even straighter.
"You fight sleep!" Twilight gasped. "Because that is the time when you are powerless and wake up with your mysterious illness… Don't worry Rarity. I'm here to protect you from whatever is happening. Rest easy."
As Rarity slept her breathing became soft, her cheeks were full of even more colour. It was such a stark contrast from the ragged struggling for air before her blood transfusion.
Twilight was almost slipping into a doze, but jolted awake at the sound of a strange tapping. Her eyes darted to the window, where she saw a vampire fruit bat—the same kind that was in Applejack's orchard—angrily trashing against the window.
Rarity woke up in a gasp and pointed to the window.
The alicorn hopped out of her chair and without thinking straight dashed out of the room. She hobbled down the stairs and into the night air. She ran to the side of the house where Rarity's window was faced. And found nothing.
She was being irrational. So what if a bat was smashing into the window. It's not like a bat was what was making Rarity sick. Pinkie Pie's strange antics were getting to her. Twilight bumbled through the kitchen on her way back inside. She brewed some coffee, hoping the machine wouldn't wake up Rarity's little sister. It was amazing how they kept most of this a secret. Sweetie Belle knew her sister was sick, but knowing that nopony knew exactly what was going wrong would be too much for your young spirit.
Twilight stirred in her coffee cream, as she tip toed back up the stairs. Maybe she just wasn't cut out to stay up all night, keeping watch—
Her mug shattered, coffee spilling everywhere as it fell from Twilight's grasp.
The room, all the garlic in the room was gone. The curtains lay in a heap on floor next to the wide open widow. And Rarity! Rarity was struggling to cough, her hoof pressed to her neck, her back slightly arched as she lay limply in bed, trying to sit up.
"I thought she needed some air," it was her sister's voice. "All the garlic was making it impossible to breath. I thought I was helping."
"Sweetie Belle, that garlic was in here for a reason. Don't ever touch something like that in here again. It's not… it was in here for a reason. Go back to bed, please."
As soon as she left, Twilight sent an express telegraph to Pinkie Pie.
While Pinkie claimed the garlic was working it would be impossible to tell with such a short span of use. Twilight pleaded for everypony to try to use the cloves again that night, but Pinkie grimly said they probably wouldn't get the chance. Her breathing was ragged, ragged. Blood transfusion were no longer working.
When Rarity was asleep she looked like she was dying. Now in death she looked like she could be sleeping. Her colour had returned to her lips, her purple mane was spread out perfectly around her face. She was the picture of beauty.
A yellow hoof pried open the crypt door. Generations of wealthy ancestor's resided here, but Flutterbat was only interested in one newcomer.
"Rarity, arise," the vampire pony called as she stepped inside. She was Futtershy for less and less time each day, and soon would be Flutterbat continuously. She was hoping Rarity drinking her own blood would speed up the process for her.
She soon found the right and coffin but it was unnecessary. The owner was leaning against it, a sinister smile curled on her face.
"I already have."
A/N: I haven't posted in forever, sorry! So I had a vagueidea to make Flutterbat Dracula and Rarity Lucy a while ago. I even had the first scenes up until Dr. Seward's/Twilight's appearancedrafted out. I finished it, however for a class assignment. We read a monster narratives and picked a way to retell it. Of course I picked to retell Dracula with ponies combining two favourite things! I own nothing. Thanks for reading!