Dear Readers:

Why do you keep encouraging the man behind this atrocious piece of fiction? He has killed several ponies already and he plans for more death! Your favorite background pony Derpy is craving blood, rather than muffins. Poor, innocent Fluttershy's breaking down because she's a soulless monster. The Apple family's lost a member. My entire life is ruined! You actually call this entertainment? I am shocked and disgusted. If you have any human decency, you'll start demanding that this "writer" stop his wanton degrading of the show you love so. At least, stop encouraging this bloodthirsty monster!

-Rainbow Dash

Chapter 9

Emptiness

Rainbow Dash streaked toward the hospital as fast as her wings could carry her. She rushed because it distracted her. Hard physical exertion helped the Pegasus bury her problems for a while. So she pushed herself faster as if she might outrun her grief. Her wings struck the air, their muscles aching. She kicked off a thatched roof. Tears ran down her eyes and blew off her cheeks into the wind.

She spotted the large tan building, a white sign with a red circle framing a white cross sat on the lawn. Rainbow circled overhead. She didn't want to land and talk to anypony. Her stomach growled as though to remind her of what happened to the last few ponies with whom she spoke.

Taking a deep breath, Rainbow dived to the ground. She landed in front of the main entrance as a light amber unicorn in a white coat stepped outside. Doctor Caramel reared up, startled by her sudden appearance.

"You need to send an ambulance out to the main road into town," Rainbow Dash said, speaking quickly. "Applejack and Big Mac were attacked by whatever got Junebug last night. I'm going to go see if I can track it down."

"Wait, where are they?"

"They're just outside of town," Dash replied. She crouched down and launched back into the air. The Unicorn pony stepped forward and watched as her rainbow trail streaked toward the edge of town.

He turned to gallop back inside and almost collided with a purple stallion stepping through the door.

"Excuse me," he said.

"Is there a problem?" the dark Unicorn asked. He sounded calm and friendly, but the doctor detected a hint of worry, too.

"Two more ponies have been attacked just outside of town," he replied, stepping around the tall stallion. The stranger followed his movements and blocked his path. "What are you doing? I need to get an ambulance!"

Doctor Caramel wasn't a violent pony by nature, but nopony threatened a life on his watch. A single glare from the stranger extinguished his righteous indignation. He whimpered as red replaced the whites of the unicorn's eyes. His hooves felt like they were rooted to the cement and his mouth wielded shut.

"Who reported the attack?" the purple pony asked in a low, menacing tone.

"R-Rainbow Dash," Caramel stuttered.

A grin spread over the pony's muzzle. The doctor caught a glimpse of pointed teeth and his heart skipped a beat. "Which way did she go?"

"Towards the edge of town," he replied.

"Good, now better get that ambulance, we don't want any more ponies dying around here after all," he stepped to the side, Caramel's head turned to follow his gaze. "Oh, one more thing; forget you ever saw me here."

He stepped into the rain and strolled away from the hospital. His black cape billowing in the wind even though his white and grey mane remained styled in a swoop despite the elements. Lightning flashed overhead snapping Caramel back to reality. He rushed back inside and called to the desk nurse.


"Gaaah!" Derpy Hooves groaned as the last of the carrot cake left her stomach and vomited into the kitchen trash can. It landed atop the orange and red mess that'd vacated her stomach seconds prior. She sat on the cold tile floor with her front legs resting on the trash can's lip. Lightheaded and hungry, the mailpony slumped against it for support. The aftertaste of cake, stomach fluid, and blood coated the inside of her mouth. Carrot Top stood to the side, frowning in sympathy.

"You okay now?" she asked.

"Yeah," Derpy nodded. "I'm really hungry though..."

She glanced at her friend. Her wet hair hung down over her crooked eyes. Her pupils seemed to glow and expand as Carrot Top met her gaze. The Earth pony's thoughts deserted her for a second. Derpy stepped toward the immobilized pony, one eye wandering off to focus on the sink. With Derpy's gaze broken, Carrot Top returned to her senses. She turned to her refrigerator and opened it, not paying any attention to the approaching Pegasus.

"Okay, Derpy, if you're having trouble keeping solid food down, you should drink something," Carrot Top said, rummaging through the fridge. "I think I might have stomach ache medicine around here, but if you're throwing up blood, you should probably check into the hospital."

The grey pony ignored her voice. She licked her lips as she neared the yellow pony's flank. Carrot Top started to turn around and Derpy increased her pace. Her hoof struck a patch of tile slickened with rain water. The Pegasus yelped as her leg slipped out from under her and she careened headfirst into Carrot Top. They slammed into the fridge, knocking over shelves and sending contents on the higher ledges falling down. A cake plopped onto Derpy's head, covering her in vanilla crumbs and white icing. The impact jogged her rational side and she forgot her animal hunger.

"Sorry," Derpy muttered, hovering off her friend's body.

"I swear I don't know how I survived being your friend this long," Carrot Top sighed as she stood up. Nothing hurt, but a mix of soda, juice, and food littered the floor and the bottom of her fridge.

"I'll go get the mop," the airheaded Pegasus said. "I'm just so hungry. I guess I couldn't stay away from the fridge."

"Well… here!" Carrot Top picked out one of the less dented soda cans with her mouth and offered it to her.

Derpy gripped the cylinder between her hooves and popped the tab open with her mouth. A brown geyser sprayed her nose with half of its contents. The can clattered to the floor as she dropped it and snorted. Picking the lightened can up, she set it on the counter and grabbed a towel. She dried her face off. Carrot Top had ignored her brief battle with the soda well used to her antics by now. Derpy took a small sip, afraid more would upset her stomach.

Carrot Top continued to sort through the mess on the floor. Derpy stepped towards her, hooves clopping on the floor. Something drew her towards her friend, a hunger or thirst so faint that the grey pony was barely conscious of it. Her mouth hung open as she breathed in the Earth pony's alluring scent. She smelled like dirt and fresh carrots.

"Don't worry about this, you're sick. I'll clean it up," Carrot Top said. "You should go over to the hospital as soon as this storm stops."

She glanced over her shoulder and Derpy froze. Turing back to the counter, she took another sip of soda. She gulped down the rest of the can, but that didn't quench her thirst, or fill her stomach. Derpy craved something different. She had experienced many different cravings; even possessed a reputation for her strong appetite. (Why everypony thought her favorite food was muffins though she couldn't answer.) Her inability to identify the food her stomach craved puzzled her.

Pain seared through her skull. Memories stirred in her head, visions of glassy red eyes, coldness seeping into her body as she lie pinned against a rooftop. Next, she was stalking through the dark town, ducking between buildings to avoid a crowd of ponies, bumping into a brown pony cutting through the alley. Derpy turned on the young earth pony and sank her teeth into his throat.

Derpy shrieked, clasping her head between her hooves. The sound startled Carrot Top, causing her to drop an egg carton. She hurried over to her friend, calling out and trying to calm down the hysterical Pegasus. Derpy curled up on the floor, still shrieking and gasping in terror. She retched up her soda, spraying a puddle of brown liquid over the floor and part of her front leg.

"Hold on, Derpy," Carrot Top said. "I'll get a doctor, just wait here."


Dash watched overhead from a low cloud as the ambulance stopped on the side of the road. Applejack and Big Mac lay in the center of the path neither appeared to have moved. A pair of ponies stepped out of the ambulance, a plump, orange Earth pony and a thin, light purple Unicorn. She leaned over the edge of her perch and pricked her ears downward. They leaned over Big Mac, Rainbow heard nothing, but the Unicorn shook his head sadly and they moved onto Applejack. The Pegasus' ears and wings drooped. She had clung to a slim hope that the medical ponies could do something. Her weight shifted and she pitched forward, but a few frantic wing beats pushed her back unto the cloud.

Applejack stirred as the pair examined her. Her head rose and then the rest of her body followed. She swayed on her feet and they reached out to steady her, but she pushed the pair away. She touched her neck and flinched. Applejack's head whipped around her surroundings, she spotted her brother's body and started towards it. The ambulance drivers jumped on her and held her down. Applejack wailed and reached for her sibling.

Rainbow Dash ducked behind her cloud and covered her ears, but she still heard Applejack's anguished cries. She turned around and launched off into the sky, trying to escape the sounds of grief.

With no clear direction, she flew across the sky. Her wings beat the air erratically and she veered off course several times, though the wind had died down to nothing. The rain slowed until a light shower replaced the downpour. She avoided the stormy canopy, afraid of the sunlight above it, and looked for a low cloud to hide on. The Everfree Forest rose into view and Rainbow realized she was nearing Fluttershy's cottage.

Hovering, she sniffled and wiped her eyes with a wing. Her throat tightened as she tried squelching her tears. Fluttershy needed to see her as strong and determined as ever, not as a sobbing wreck. Yeah, Fluttershy needed reassurance.

With her emotions mastered, Rainbow Dash flew onwards. A fresh sense of despair hit her as she neared her destination. She followed the invisible strand that linked her to the distraught Pegasus. As she neared the cottage, her throat choked again and a fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks. She spent several minutes circling, trying to calm down, but the sadness below prevented that.

"Arrgh! Buck this!" she exclaimed and veered away.

She followed the forest edge in the opposite direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy's sorrow faded as Rainbow Dash flew. Soon, she felt nothing except for her hunger. She growled in annoyance, but preferred facing her bloodthirstiness instead of her remorse.

Rainbow scanned the ground. She needed to find some creature and test her alternate food source theory. Nothing moved on the wet grass below, the storm had chased the animals into their burrows. Some woodland creatures might be out, but she didn't want to wonder back into the Everfree Forest. She decided to try Whitetail Wood instead.

The Wood stood on the opposite side of town. Whitetail contrasted its sister forest in every way. Instead of a suffocating ceiling of plant life, it possessed open space between its trees. The roads and trails through it were well-traveled, instead of abandoned. The denizens were meek and normal forest creatures, rather than savage, hungry monsters (like her).

The blue Pegasus soared over the treetops and, when she thought she'd gone far enough from civilization, dived to the ground. Her red eyes scanned the underbrush, unhindered by the dim light. She sniffed the air. Her animal side stirred as she detected a coppery aroma through the scent of wood and rain water. Drooling, she bounded over a log in pursuit of the scent. She weaved between the trees as she ran, never losing her footing on the uneven ground.

Splotches of red stained the path ahead. Rainbow Dash skidded to a stop and leaned down to sniff the puddle. Her tongue slid out before she realized it and licked the blood. Her shudder started as one of disgust, but turned to pleasure as the taste filled her mouth. Her eyes closed as she savored it. When they snapped open, she spotted the path of splotches leading through the forest. She stepped forward and snapped a stick in half under her hoof, breaking nature's silence. Rainbow paused at the noise, crashing through the forest like that might scare away her quarry. She could get along with healthy animals, but Fluttershy had shown her that wounded creatures didn't trust most ponies. Her prey could be hostile, too. Rainbow's wings opened and she continued on her way a few feet off the ground.

The trail led to a thick bush. Pushing an opening in the leaves, she spotted a red fox lying within. It rested on its side, bleeding from a gash on its front leg. Rainbow assumed it was dead, but it stirred and glanced up at her, hissing and barring its teeth. The Pegasus recoiled, afraid the canine would leap out of the bush, despite its injury. Her eyes flashed red and the fox ceased growling.

That's handy, she thought, reaching in and pulling the tranquil animal out by the scruff of its neck. Not exactly fair though.

She laid it on the ground. Now, that she had the fox, Rainbow tried to work up the resolve to bite it. The scent of blood permeated the air, but her bestial urges didn't take over. The animal laid still, eyes closed with its injured leg drawn towards its body. Its chest rose and fell slowly.

"It's just a fox," Rainbow told herself. It would just die anyway if she left it go. She glanced around to make sure nopony had wandered into this stretch of woods. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and bent down. The fox struggled and yipped when her fangs pierced its neck. Dull claws scratched her cheek, but she clamped her jaws tighter and the struggles ceased. Blood flooded into her mouth. It tasted sweet, but morbid recognition made it hard to swallow. She imagined apple cider in its place and that relaxed her gag reflex.

"Ah!" she sighed as the last few drops of blood slid down her throat. Her head rose and she cracked her neck. The gnawing hunger abated, even her thoughts seemed clearer.

A grin spread over her muzzle. Her alternate diet worked. They could live without hurting anypony! She leapt into the air and performed a celebratory loop. Her stomach rumbled when she landed and she groaned, afraid she might throw up. The sensation faded, but Rainbow Dash decided not to risk upsetting her stomach and trotted down the trail at a slow pace.

As she glanced around, she spotted signs of the forest growing back from the long winter. Green shoots poked through the forest floor, flowers budded, and new leaves covered the trees. The scenery added to her cheerfulness, despite the grey light.

The trail ahead forked in two directions. One path led up a rocky path to a dead-end cliff, the other to the wood's boundary and back to Ponyville. She recognized the wooden sign between the fork as the one she reversed to send Applejack off course during the Running of the Leaves. The blue Pegasus stopped and stared at the arrow. Her wings slumped against her side as she thought of her friend.

Rainbow imagined facing the orange pony again; she would be distraught and angry. Dash imagined excuses we'd make for her actions, but nothing justified her weakness, her mistake. If only she were smarter or had more forethought, Big Mac might still be alive.

A shiver passed through her body and she began sweating. Chills wracked her. She locked her wings tight against her sides and kneeled down, bundling up to conserve body heat even as drops of sweat rolled down her forehead. Something wet flowed down the Pegasus' cheeks. Surprised to find herself crying again, Rainbow Dash reached up and touched the warm liquid. Her hoof came away with a drop of blood clinging to it. She gasped and rubbed both legs over her face, smearing her blue fur with crimson streaks. Rainbow screamed as the blood flow from her eyes increased. Her cry sounded muffled to her ears as blood began to leak from them. The taste of copper filled her mouth as her gums bled. She continued to wail in helpless terror as blood poured from every opening in her body.