When I reached Fluttershy's cottage I came upon her giving last minute directions the smatter of animals that were spread around the property. After waiting for her to notice me for a little bit I finally spoke up "Are you ready?" She gave a quiet Eeep! And turned around to see me and said "Oh I'm sorry have you been waiting long?" looking embarrassed. I replied "No, not very long are you ready to go?" to this she just nodded and I decided to lay down some ground rules. "Ok well here is the deal we have about an hour and a half before sunset and as far as I know no one has ever made it out of the Everfree after dark." To this she visibly paled beginning to see this for how dangerous this actually was. "Also, listen to what I say, I know you live by the forest but I have been in it before and know more than you do." She nodded and we took off. As we went I realized that I still didn't know what animal we were looking for so I asked "What pet are we looking for anyway?" She looked up "Earlier my bunny angel was acting strange and wanted to get outside, when I open the door he ran off into the forest, which was when I came to get you." I nodded my understanding
An hour passes…
We were now pretty deep in to forest and had seen neither hide nor hair of the small bunny, and while Fluttershy had only grown more frantic I was beginning to think about whether to bring up returning home yet when she found something. "Over here!" she said I came over to see a fluff of hair caught on a branch that was very low to the ground, this lead to a trail with tracks. We began to follow it until I noticed something else, the canopy above us had been broken as if something had crashed through it, and I pointed this out to Fluttershy who only hoped that it wasn't something trying to catch Angel.
We had fifteen minutes until sunset and it was going to take at least ten to make the trek back to the edge of the forest, but we had a solid trail now and it seemed that we were growing very close to both angel and whatever had broken through the treetops as evidenced by the skid marks that we saw every now and then. Whatever had made those probably was down for the count from the amount of times it had bounced it was going pretty fast.
When we finally found Angel it wasn't that we had found him that surprised me but in return what he had found because on the floor of the forest was a pony. She was dark grey Pegasus and had a yellow green mane and tail with a cutie mark of bubbles. "Derpy!" Fluttershy exclaimed she ran to the side of the downed Pegasus trying to shake her awake, I came up to and did an assessment of the mare. It looked like she wasn't injured but instead had just knocked her out; I was interrupted by "Derpy" shaking herself awake and opening her eyes to show that she was cross-eyed. "Whaa… Where am I?" she mumbled, "You're in the Everfree forest," I replied. This really got her attention; she jumped to her feet and looked around as if expecting the forest to consume us at any minute "Well we need to get going no one leaves the Everfree after dark!" she almost yelled, she then spread her wings and yelped in pain. The new spread of her wings revealed that one of them was bent at a strange angle, "I guess it is time to walk, the names Dark by the way." I said she looked at me and gave me a small smile "Thanks for coming to get me." She says, I blush and say "No problem." I am a sucker I know, but our conversation is interrupted by a tug on my leg. I look down and find that the little white bunny that we had forgotten in our rush to help Derpy was franticly trying to get my attention, "Mmhmm?" I say to the frantic bunny which in turn points to the horizon where the sun tauntingly slides below the horizon.
I gasp and turn the girls "We need to go, NOW!" I yell they in turn look where the bunny is pointing and while Derpy gasps Fluttershy eeps. I point then toward the trail and they take off at a gallop, as we go I notice that the forest has come alive with hoots and hollers announcing the new meal just waiting for a hungry predator to come get us. We get about halfway home before I hear something in pursuit I look over my shoulder to find that there is a small pack of timber wolves following us. My immediate worry about the fact that there is a pack of predators is cut short by the flash of grey that flashes by me as Derpy trips and rolls head over heels past me.
"Derpy!" Fluttershy exclaims "GO!" I yell as I turn to save the fallen mare skidding from the speed in which I change directions. As I rush back to Derpy who is about ten yards behind me the timberwolf pack splits and forms a circle around us, trapping us in a circle of wood and leaves. When I get to Derpy she starts to shake off the daze from rolling so many times when she notices the Timberwolves" Dark, What do we do now?" she whispers, I sigh and whisper back "When I jump at the one closest to the edge you charge past him and keep going until you are out of the forest, I should be enough of a distraction for you to escape." She just stares at me with that cross eyed expression before shaking her head "No way there is no way you will survive!" she quietly yells "That is the point, I always knew the Everfree would not let me leave alive." I say with resignment. She just looks at me with sad eyes and says "I'm sorry, it is my fault we're in here," with teary eyes she gives me a quick hug, which surprises me I'm not much of a ladies stallion, before getting ready to run. I smile a little bit, happy that I get to go out on a high note and with that I focus in "Three…Two…One." I jump at the nearest timberwolf breaking the quiet stalemate. With a crunch the beast's head caves in collapsing and dropping it into a pile of lumber, just as quickly Derpy rushes past me and out to her freedom, now sure I don't have to worry about the nice mare I turn to face my foes.
Eight, that is how many I had to take on to make it. When I dropped the first one the rest caved in the circle, coming at me with a vengeance ready to avenge their fallen comrade and make a new meal. The first to come at me was a dark oak wolf who leapt at me with splintered claws at the ready, I dodged to the right and delivered a swift kick to its leg breaking it off and sending it crashing back into the brush. Another comes at me while I am distracted and lands three deep scratches in my flank that immediately start bleeding profusely, now on limited time I crush the head of the timberwolf that got me and turn to face his five remaining companions. The next two jump at me giving me time to duck under them leaving just enough time for them to adjust and leave a shallow score running down the top of my back, now getting weaker from the blood loss I take my chances and send a dual footed buck straight into both of their skulls un-animating them both. This is when I make my final mistake, the buck left me open for retaliation from the three remaining wolves they quickly capitalize on it and land a series of three deep cuts running from my foreleg to flank that makes me collapse. Now too weak to retaliate I lay there closing my eyes and waiting for the end to come, but when it takes more than a second for the death blow I open my eyes and see a dark blur moving faster than the eye can see fighting the timberwolves off. The remaining wolves are dispatched by quick hoofed blows and are now piles of useful lumber.
The blur now slows down and reveals itself to be a pony it starts to walk towards me and I begin to shake terrified of this shadow that just took on three timberwolves and without using any effort destroyed them. It walks towards me revealing itself to be a pony, a mare, that had a pitch black coat and mane. She trots up to me and looks me over "Do you want to survive?" she says to me, I was beginning to get cold from the blood loss I groaned and whispered out "How?" she opens her mouth revealing fangs. I shudder "What are you?" she looks down and says "I am a Vampony, I am immortal and superfast and strong, I survive by drinking blood." She says this with a quiet detachment and it seems that she wasn't given the choice that she was giving me, I weigh my options in my head become a vampony and learn from her or choose to die right here from the timberwolves.
I am slowly getting colder and my body feels sluggish when I ask "Why me?" no one else knows about your kind why would you choose to reveal yourself to me?" she looks up at this and says "I saw what you sacrificed for that mare, that you just met, and decided I had to try and save you." I continued to think over it aware that my limited time was running out before saying "Will you still be there when I wake up?" she nods the affirmative and I think a little bit more before saying "Do it." she walks up next to me and says "This is going to hurt… a lot." Before I have the chance to process what she said she strikes biting down on my neck and I scream. Slowly I feel the rest of my body grow numb before blackness claims me.
