Chapter 13
With some new kind of information about what she has become now a part of her, Twilight continued her pursuits towards Ponyville, her old home. It wasn't that far of a walk, but Twilight found it to feel like an eternity. Eventually, she made it back to Ponyville and started proceeding towards her oak tree home. It was easily locatable from where she was, so she simply followed the route to her home and took a real slow stride. She was exhausted and just really wanted to rest up. She knew who would be waiting for her once she got home and knew that an explanation was inevitable.
A lycan is a terrible wolf, Zecora's words rang inside Twilight's head, a werewolf more specifically, and you are one now unfortunately.
What Twilight found truly mind boggling about the whole situation was that Zecora didn't have any background knowledge about lycans, even though she lived in the Everfree Forest, a portion of Equestria that featured creatures that were rarely ever seen by anyone at all.
Within a few more minutes, Twilight found herself located outside of her front door. She tried opening it with her magic, but she couldn't do so. Instead, she slowly raised a hoof up towards the doorknob and laid it to rest on it, but she did not open it yet. She sighed, wondering if she should even be here, wondering if her friends would even recognize her - not that they were inside her home, but still - or even if Spike or Lunar would recognize her, assuming that they still lived here. Those thoughts and hardships ran whizzing through her mind, but Twilight forced them in the back of her mind for the time being.
She opened up the door, revealing the large, circular room with tons of books lining up the shelves, just like it used to be. The lights were still on, even though it was the middle of the night. She walked around slowly, taking in the picture and the layout of how her home used to be so long ago.
Suddenly, Twilight heard someone coming down a flight of stairs, so she turned around and noticed her little purple baby dragon assistant, Spike, coming down the stairs slowly. Spike hadn't recognized Twilight at first, considering all the drastic changes that were made to Twilight's body, so he had his guard up sky high.
"Spike," Twilight started.
"Who are you?" Spike questioned. "How do you know my name?"
"I-It's me, Twilight."
"Yeah, right," Spike scoffed, "for your information, whoever you are, my dearest friend, the pony who meant the most to me, even more than Rarity, died almost two months ago. What makes you think that you can come in here and claim yourself as Twilight? That's insulting to her, Lunar, and to myself!"
"But, Spike," Twilight continued, "it's true."
"If you claim that you are Twilight," Spike continued, "then prove it!"
Another set of hooves could be heard coming down the stairs. Twilight looked up and saw that it was Lunar coming down them. Just like Spike, Lunar looked at Twilight and also failed to recognize her. He asked Spike what was going on, then got the details in return.
"This intruder is falsely accusing to be Twilight." Spike replied.
Lunar glanced at Twilight once more. "Are they now?"
"It's really me, Lunar!" Twilight begged.
"How do you know my name?" He asked.
"I can prove that it's me, guys." Twilight insisted.
"Then do it." Spike said.
Twilight didn't know what to do since she couldn't fly or perform any kind of magic spell at the moment. That's when it struck her: she was an alicorn. Not too many ponies are alicorns here in Equestria, so Twilight moved some of the fur that was covering up her horn and revealed her wings to Spike and Lunar. Both of their eyes grew wide and jaws were dropped as they both saw Twilight's wings and horn. The two quickly made a readjustment in their stature and started to shed tears of joy.
"It is you, Twilight!" Spike cried, running over to hug his greatest friend.
"I know it is, Spike," Twilight calmly answered, hugging her baby dragon back.
"But, how?" Lunar wondered, going over to hug Twilight tighter than he has ever hugged her before.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked right back.
"How did you come back?" Lunar continued, pulling himself from Twilight. He studied Twilight in more depth. "Better yet, what happened to you? Why do you have so much fur? What happened to your muzzle?"
"According to Zecora," Twilight started, "I am a lycan."
"What's a lycan?" Spike slowly asked.
"A lycan is a terrible wolf, a werewolf more specifically," Twilight answered, "but that's all I know."
"Zecora didn't have any further explanations?" Spike questioned.
"No," Twilight said, turning to Lunar, "but she said that Princess Luna may have some knowledge about what I have become."
"Princess Luna?" Spike scoffed. "Seriously?"
"It's worth a shot, Spike," Twilight replied, "any shot is a good shot."
"I suppose so," Spike agreed, "I just can't believe that you're back with us! I...I couldn't live without you any longer..."
"Nor could I, my dear." Lunar added, kissing Twilight's lips slowly.
"I'm happy to see you both too," Twilight smiled, returning Lunar's kiss with one of her own.
"Wait'll everypony hears about this!" Spike shouted. "They're not going to believe it!"
"I don't know if we should reveal to everypony that I'm back here in Ponyville quite just yet, Spike," Lunar claimed, "just our friends."
"Why do you say that?" Spike questioned.
"Look at me," Twilight said, spinning around briefly, "I am still a Princess - sort of - but can you imagine the mixed results I'd receive if everypony saw me like this? I would be viewed as a monster - which I suppose I am, in a way - instead of a noble Princess."
"I suppose you're right," Spike stated, "like usual, Twilight."
"I know I am, Spike," Twilight continued, "but let's wait until morning for us to tell our friends. Right now, I'm really tired...let's go to bed."
"You two go," Lunar aided, "I have some duties to perform before I can rest my head."
"If that's the case," Twilight responded, kissing Lunar once more, "see you in the morning?"
"I'll see you in the morning, Princess," smiled Lunar.
"Good." Twilight beamed.
"Goodnight, you two." Lunar said, leaving their home and flying into the sky to go meet Princess Luna.
"Goodnight, Lunar." Twilight and Spike replied, closing the door behind them.
"Let's get some rest, Spike," Twilight suggested, "whaddya say?"
"Right behind ya, Twilight." Spike chimed as they both proceeded up the stairs to the room above them.
Twilight entered the room after Spike, who headed straight to his bead inside the basket he used to sleep in as Twilight began pacing around next to it, trying to find a comfortable position. Spike noticed this quickly and proceeded to question Twilight's actions.
"Don't you want to sleep on your bed, Twilight?" He asked.
"This actually seems a bit more comfortable, Spike," Twilight replied as she found a comfortable position and laid herself down next to Spike.
"Suit yourself then." Spike said.
Twilight smiled, then yawned a bit. She closed her eyes and positioned her head in towards her body, then told Spike to have a wonderful sleep as they both wandered off into the mystical world of Dream Land. Twilight fell asleep soundly for the night, as did Spike, as they were now reunited and now a family once more.
It was morning when both Spike and Twilight the lycan had woken up. Usually, Twilight would have been up for about a couple of hours by now, but since Spike hadn't made a single sound, she couldn't tell that it was morning herself.
Eventually, Spike woke up and started stretching out his arms and back. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced over towards Twilight, smiling brightly once more.
"Good morning, Twilight," Spike calmly said, petting Twilight softly.
"Good morning, Spike," replied Twilight, yawning slightly.
"Haven't said that in ages," Spike claimed, referring to the 'Good morning' he just gave Twilight, "it feels good to say that once more."
"I'm sure it does, Spike," Twilight agreed, looking back at her tail for a quick second.
Something inside Twilight's mind was telling her that she should chase it. It sounded weird, but you know what they say, easy come, easy goes, right? Anyway, Twilight followed the voice inside her head and began chasing after her tail. Spike had climbed out of his bed and immediately noticed this, questioning Twilight and her actions yet again.
"Uh, Twilight," he started, "what are you doing?"
"Must chase tail." Twilight quietly responded. "Must chase tail."
"'Must chase tail'?" Spike reiterated. "And why is that?"
Twilight stopped chasing her tail and shook her head vigorously. She glanced over at Spike and smiled at him brightly.
"Let's go see Princess Luna," she suggested, "I want to know more about myself."
"I don't know, Twilight," Spike replied, "are you sure she'll know anything about you that you don't know?"
"Zecora said that the answers I seek are with Princess Luna," Twilight said, "besides, it's better than nothing, right?"
"I suppose you do make a good point." Spike stated.
"Better to go and pick out what she knows than to sit here and continuously wonder about it." Twilight added.
"But, don't you want to tell your friends first, Twilight?" Spike questioned.
Twilight sat and actually took the time to think about that logic. She hasn't seen her friends in a long time and they all think that she has still departed from this world.
Perhaps we should visit my friends first. Twilight thought vigorously. Then again, if we do end up doing that, what are the odds that they'll believe me? What are the odds that they'll recognize me, too? She glanced at Spike for a short time. Spike didn't recognize me at first, nor did Lunar. I had to show them my wings and horn for them to believe me. Maybe that's the key to getting them to accept me for what I am now. After all, how many alicorns do they know in Equestria? Better yet, how many alicorns are in Equestria? I'm part of an exclusive population, filled with only five other ponies: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Lunar, and – on a technical standpoint - Queen Chrysalis.
Twilight thought about this for a little while longer and was just about to give Spike an answer, but was cut off when a knock came at the door. Spike looked at Twilight, who looked back at Spike, and they both wondered who it could be and who should answer the door. If it wasn't one of their friends that was at the door, imagine how they could've reacted if the first thing they saw was this furry, tall lycan.
"You answer it, Spike," Twilight suggested, "if it isn't one of our friends, I don't want to cause a commotion about it."
"I see your point, Twilight," Spike replied as he trotted down the stairs to greet whoever it was that was knocking.
Twilight followed him down the stairs, but didn't allow herself to be seen by whoever was at the door by positioning herself near one of the far ends of the room. The knock came once more and Spike quickly answered it to reveal Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Lunar. Twilight's eyes grew wide as she spotted the three, and was even more anxious when they stepped inside. She revealed herself to Rarity and Pinkie Pie and stepped out into the light.
"Rarity," Twilight cried, "Pinkie Pie! It's me, Twilight!"
"Twilight?" They both responded, watching Twilight walk down the stairs and towards them.
"Yes!" assured Twilight, stopping in front of the two.
"But, but you look nothing like her." exclaimed Pinkie.
"And she has been gone for almost two months now!" Added Rarity. "What makes you think that you of all ponies could be her?"
"But it is her, Rarity," Spike defended Twilight, "really, it is."
"Oh, honestly now, Spikey-Wikey," continued Rarity, "what makes you think that this...this...thing could be Twilight?"
"It's okay, ladies," Lunar insisted. He turned towards Twilight. "Why don't you show them?"
Twilight nodded, then removed the fur that was covering her horn and spread out her wings, a sure sign that she was indeed who she was. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were both surprised and shocked and began embracing Twilight with a big hug, embracing and holding their dear friend for the first time in a long time. It was heartwarming and emotional, especially since it was the first time in a long time they've embraced in such a way.
"It is you, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie beamed.
"But, whatever happened to you?" Rarity asked, leaving the topic very broad for open discussion.
Twilight removed herself from both Rarity and Pinkie Pie and stepped next to Spike and Lunar. She sat down next to them and rubbed her body against Spike's claw slowly, replicating what appeared to be him petting her, though Twilight had to manually do it. Rarity and Pinkie Pie took note of this, as did Spike and Lunar, though no one said anything to Twilight about it.
"Umm...what happened to you, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie uncomfortably asked, repeating Rarity's question.
Twilight still remained silent while manually letting Spike pet her body. To Twilight, it felt soothing and calming but to Spike, however, it felt a bit unusual and weird. Since Twilight failed to answer the question that was asked, Spike took it upon himself to answer it for her.
"Uh," Spike coughed, "Twilight is uh...umm..."
"She's what?" An eager Rarity anticipated.
"She's turned into a...uhh..." Spike knew what she turned into, though didn't quite know how he should go about explaining it. He turned to Lunar for guidance.
"Go on, Spike," Pinkie Pie encouraged, "it's okay."
"She's right, Spikey-Wikey," agreed Rarity, "I'm sure that what has happened is easily reversible..."
"I don't know," Lunar answered, eyeing Twilight, "it may be hard to reverse this new curse..."
"What horrible luck Twilight has attracted to herself," Rarity claimed, "first a vampony...now...wh-what exactly is she again?"
"She's a..." Spike gulped for a quick second before answering Rarity's question at long last. "She's a lycan."
"A what?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"A lycan." Spike repeated.
"What's that?" Pinkie Pie asked once more.
"A lycan is-"
"A terrible werewolf!" Rarity interrupted.
"Yeah, exactly." Spike said, pausing for a quick second to think about how Rarity knew that. "How did you know that, Rarity?"
"Lycans are sworn enemies of vamponies, Spike," Rarity informed, "they have never really gotten along with each other..."
"But aren't all the vamponies gone since Twilight was the head vampony and...umm..." Spike never got to finish that question, though it was clear to Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Lunar where exactly that was headed.
"Not necessarily," Rarity spoke.
"Then..." Spike stuttered, "that means..."
"That somepony else is a vampony in place of Twilight." Rarity struck.
"But, who could it be?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Well," continued Rarity, "one thing is for sure: it cannot be Rainbow Dash - may she rest in peace."
"Who else could it be?" Lunar wondered.
Twilight began to fully listen in on the conversation, desperately wanting to take part in it. However, the voice inside her head was telling her to chase her tail once again, which she gladly did. The sudden movements scared Spike, sending him flying onto Pinkie Pie's back. This got Pinkie Pie to chuckle and Rarity to smirk a bit. Lunar eyed Twilight and was concerned as to what she was doing.
"Must chase tail." Twilight quietly said.
"Could you explain that, Rarity?" Spike boldly asked.
"Lycans are part wolf," started Rarity, "and since wolves are part of the dog family, lycans have a lot of similar traits to dogs."
"Well that explains it," Lunar stated, staring at Twilight.
"That looks fun!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, brushing Spike off her back and joining Twilight by spinning around in circles, chasing their own respective tail.
"Typical Pinkie Pie, I suppose," Spike said, standing back up and positioning himself next to Rarity.
Rarity calmly smiled, then paid attention towards Spike.
"Who else was a vampony by the time Twilight had..." There was a long silence that filled the remainder of the question that Spike so desperately wanted to ask Rarity, though never finalized it. Rarity, on the other hand, understood completely what Spike was trying to ask.
"That's the thing," Rarity replied, "it could be anypony. Even worse, it could be somepony who was never infected before! That's what I so desperately hate about that infection; you never know which pony is infected until it's too late..."
"We should bring this up with Princess Celestia." Spike suggested.
"Good idea, Spike." Rarity agreed.
"We were actually headed to Canterlot now in order to ask Princess Luna for some more information about lycans before you came here." Spike continued. "If you want, you can join us..."
"I'd be glad to join you, my little Spikey-Wikey..." Rarity responded. I just hope we don't run into Robert while we are there. Rarity thought to herself before heading out the door with Pinkie Pie, Spike, Lunar, and Twilight.
Not too shabby of a day wandering around Ponyville, to be honest. Twilight thought to herself.
As a lycan, Twilight has a coat drawn over her body, hiding pretty much all of her features – her fur and her details, more specifically – herself from everyone around town while she, Lunar, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike all traveled to the Ponyville Train Station. Twilight managed to get a few voices inside her head that are telling her to chase her tail one more time and to sniff out certain ponies for some odd reason. She wanted to do these things, though Spike caught on quickly and helped make sure that they didn't happen at all, though that itself proved to be a hard task to complete.
The group of five arrived at the station platform fairly quickly and boarded onto the next train that was headed to Canterlot within about five minutes. The five friends sat down in the last car in front of the caboose and next to the window. They were by themselves in the coach, which was a good thing, seeing how Twilight was still trying to adjust back to the social life and regain some vital socialism and integrity.
The voice inside Twilight's head wanted her to stick her head out the window and allow the rapid wind to flow through her mane and simply "feel alive," to put in other words. However, since these windows were sealed shut, there was absolutely no way for her to open them up and do what the voice wanted her to do.
"You can really say that lycans are part dog, apparently," Spike commented, "can you?"
"Totally!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"To an extent," Rarity added, "what she wishes to do is somewhat cute. I don't care what you say about her, she is simply acting in an adorable fashion."
"At least there's no barking, howling, or growling," Spike continued, "right? That would be annoying to deal with."
"I suppose so," agreed Lunar.
"We should consider ourselves lucky then!" Pinkie Pie replied.
Rarity smiled, though rolled her eyes at the same time. Nobody else seemed to pick up on this, so Rarity decided to simply drop the motion and continue on. Twilight began to motion herself in an up-and-down motion next to Spike, manually letting him pet her body, just like before. Spike felt this and immediately tried ending it.
"Please," Spike begged to Twilight, "can you stop rubbing yourself against my claw...I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable."
"But it feels simply amazing." Twilight answered, slowly stopping the petting.
"Please, Twilight," continued Spike, "for me?"
"Fine..." A dissatisfied Twilight responded, ceasing the manual petting.
Ironic enough, once the petting stopped, the train had arrived inside the Canterlot Train Station and, once the train had come to a full and complete stop, the group of conjoined friends had gotten off the train and started proceeding towards the Canterlot Castle in order to alert both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna about Twilight and about the possibility of the vampony infection arising elsewhere. Rarity had started biting her lip because this meant that she may have to come face-to-face with Robert, her ex-husband and, more importantly, an escaped criminal. She felt devastated to hear the news that he was locked up inside the Canterlot dungeons for life and felt that it would be best to end that relationship as quick, easy, and painless as possible. Needless to say, Robert didn't take that too well, though there was nothing he could do to Rarity since he was already locked up for bringing harm to one of Equestria's most important ponies, Princess Luna.
Before long, the group of five had arrived just outside of the Canterlot Castle and were quickly approached by two of the royal guards.
"How may we help you all today?" One of them asked.
"We request to see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna," Lunar answered, "are they available?"
"Might we say what this meeting is regarding?" The other guard asked.
"It is regarding Princess Twilight Sparkle." Lunar replied.
"Just a moment while we check on Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." The two guards responded, turning around and contacting the two regal sisters of Equestria.
"How do you think they'll react once they see you, Twilight?" Spike wondered.
"Probably a bit flustered and confused." Twilight honestly answered.
"How so?" Pinkie Pie questioned.
Twilight answered that by spinning her body around in a brief circle, answering whatever questions Pinkie Pie could have possibly had looming in the back of her head. The two guards suddenly came back out and paid close attention to the five friends as they told them all that it was okay with the two princesses that they could see them.
The guards escorted the group to the doors of the Canterlot Throne Room and slowly opened up the large, heavy, double-wide door using their magic. Inside the throne room stood both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna as the group started to slowly enter inside the throne room.
"Prince Lunar, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike..." Princess Celestia exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise this is! What brings you here to Canterlot?"
"And who have you brought?" Princess Luna added, referring to the covered up Twilight.
"That's exactly why we're here, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Lunar replied as he began to reveal Twilight to them.
Whilst removing the coat that was over Twilight, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia began questioning both what Lunar meant and what he was doing. The coat that covered Twilight was removed within seconds, but the results that the group hoped for were a tad mixed, to say the least. A few eyebrows were risen while the two regal sisters gazed at Twilight, though they both couldn't tell just yet that this was Twilight.
"What is that?" Princess Luna semi-sheepishly asked.
"She is Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Rarity answered.
"That's Princess Twilight?" The two sisters asked simultaneously.
"What makes you think that she is Princess Twilight?" Princess Celestia added.
"Twilight," Lunar called, "if you would be so kind as to show them..."
Spike had his eyes shut while Lunar requested that. After a few moments, he didn't hear anything - no fur moving or wings expanding - so he opened his eyes rapidly to find that Twilight was a little further behind them, running around, chasing her tail. Spike blushed immediately and tried dragging Twilight back over towards where he was originally standing, next to Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Clearing his throat and giving an extremely uncomfortable chuckle, he requested that Twilight show Princess Luna and Princess Celestia that she was indeed herself.
"Sure thing, Spike." She cheerfully responded, moving the fur away from her horn and expanding her wings, showing them for everyone to see.
"See?" Pinkie Pie asked. "It is Twilight! Just a more playful one!"
Upon completing her sentence, Pinkie Pie demonstrated this by chasing her own tail in a playful manner, much like how Twilight did earlier. Twilight's eyes grew wide, so desperately wanting to join Pinkie Pie in chasing her tail, but was being held down by both Lunar and Rarity.
"But...how?" Princess Luna asked.
"What happened to you, Princess Twilight?" Princess Celestia added. "Why do you look like that?"
"It's actually a very logical explanation, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia." Twilight responded. "You see, I am a-"
"You're a lycan," Princess Luna interrupted, "I can tell."
"So it is true then," Twilight continued, "Zecora was right! You do know what I am."
"Of course." Luna replied.
"Do you know anything else that perhaps we don't know then, Princess Luna?" Spike hopefully asked.
"All I know is that lycans are part wolf - werewolf, more specifically - and that they are the sworn enemy of vamponies." Princess Luna explained. "Other than that, I can't really explain much about them."
"That actually brings me to my next item, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia." Rarity chimed.
"And what might that be, Rarity?" Princess Celestia asked.
"Since Twilight originally was the head vampony not too long ago and is now...this...playful lycan," continued Rarity, "that means that somepony else is now the head vampony..."
"That infection has gone away though," Princess Celestia claimed, "hasn't it?"
"I wish it has," Rarity answered, "the only way for that to fully disappear from our societal paths is for somepony to find a cure to it. But, putting that aside from us, the only pony we know for sure who can't be the head vampony is Rainbow Dash - may she rest in peace - but we don't know who it could be. Did you happen to spot anypony acting in a strange fashion, Your Highnesses?"
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna both exchanged emotionless looks. They hadn't really thought about noting anyone's different behaviors, so they couldn't tell who the head vampony was. Now, they promised to make it a vital effort to spot any differences, no matter how slight it may be.
"Thank you, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Rarity thanked.
"Thank you for bringing that to our attention, Rarity." Princess Celestia remarked.
"Now," Princess Luna continued, "about Princess Twilight..."
"I say we trim her coat a bit," Princess Celestia suggested, "make her appear as if she were a normal pony. What do you think, Princess Luna?"
"It sounds like a terrific idea, my sister," Princess Luna smiled, "but, she won't appear to be a normal pony any longer."
"Oh," Princess Celestia remarked, "and why is that?"
"Take a look at her hooves and you'll see why." Princess Luna answered.
Princess Celestia glanced over at Twilight's hooves, as did Spike, Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, only to find out that they weren't shaped like hooves anymore. Instead, they were shaped like how the paws on a dog or a wolf are shaped.
"...she has paws now, my sister." finished Princess Luna.
"That may be a problem if somepony really stares at Twilight for an extended period of time..." Rarity claimed.
"My sentiments exactly, Rarity." Princess Luna said.
"So how do we go about that?" Spike wondered.
"You leave that to me, Spike." Rarity confidently spoke.
Some hours have passed by since Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were reintroduced to Twilight - now as a lycan - thanks to Spike, Lunar, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Through that time, Twilight has undergone some drastic, fairly obvious changes. Her fur has shrunk in length considerably, courtesy of Rarity, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. They have done their best to trim Twilight's coat and make her appear as if she were a normal looking pony - an alicorn, more specifically - though, as best as they can do, they can't change how Twilight's lower half looks.
"That's the best we can do, Twilight," Rarity exclaimed.
"It's certainly a lot better than how I was before." Twilight responded.
"I just wish there was something that we could do to those paws of yours..." Princess Luna added.
"Honestly," continued Twilight, "I don't mind them."
"Really?" Rarity half-sarcastically asked.
"Not at all," answered Twilight. "In fact, they feel a lot more comforting now than as hooves."
"How's that?" Lunar replied, cocking an eyebrow.
"Explain yourself." Rarity requested. "I'm not entirely following you."
"Sure, Rarity," Twilight said, "these paws that I have now are a lot more softer and smoother than hooves."
"So...you prefer them?" asked Spike.
"A lot, actually," answered Twilight.
That statement got a few eyebrows being raised as a response to that answer. Either way, it was Twilight's choice whether or not she liked her paws instead of hooves. Speaking of which, they still needed to be dealt with if she had any chance of becoming a "regular" alicorn.
"How shall we hide them?" Princess Luna questioned.
"Some specially designed shoes could do it." Rarity replied. "But, do you really want to go around for the rest of your life wearing them in public areas, darling?"
"It sound like I don't have a choice." Twilight meekly replied, slowly dazing off and focusing a bit more on her tail.
"That's why I'm giving you one, dear." Rarity said.
"Huh?" Twilight replied, focusing only on her tail, desperately wanting to chase it. "Sure, that...sounds..."
"Uhh, Twilight," Lunar called, "are you all right?"
"Go ahead, Pinkie..." Twilight said slowly.
"I said that, Twilight," Lunar continued, "not Pinkie."
"...two...sounds...nice, Rarity." Twilight stated, still mesmerized by her tail.
"Snap out of it, Twilight!" Spike scolded, grabbing Twilight's face with both of his claws and vigorously shaking it back and forth.
"Huh? What?" A dazed Twilight looked around.
"Rarity asked if you wanted to wear shoes to cover up your paws." Pinkie Pie explained.
"I don't really have much of a choice," Twilight reiterated, "do I?"
"That's why she's giving you one," Princess Celestia smiled.
"...in that case," Twilight continued, "why not? No harm in it, right?"
"Not at all," Rarity buoyantly replied, "but it may take a while since I've never made anything like that for...paws. Only hooves."
"Thank you very much, Rarity," Twilight condoled, "your generosity is simply fantastic."
"It's what friends do for each other, darling." Rarity replied.
That got Twilight to smile very, very brightly. She hasn't smiled like this since Rarity originally married Robert such a long time ago. Nowadays, Robert lays prisoner inside the Canterlot dungeon, serving his time for threatening the life of a princess and many other innocent civilians. It was then - Robert's sentencing - that Rarity divorced him and she has yet to see him since - a predicament she wishes to keep like that.
"I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me out so much." Twilight said. "It means a lot to me that you've all tried and done everything that you could to help make me a normal looking alicorn once more."
"It was our pleasure, Twilight," Princess Celestia replied.
"We did it because we love you, Twilight." Rarity added.
"Not to mention the fun it was too!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Just remember to always get it trimmed every couple of weeks or so," Princess Luna reminded Twilight, "that way it won't grow out that drastically again and you can stay as normal as possible."
"I will, Princess Luna," replied Twilight, "I'm sure Lunar can help remind me as well, right Lunar?"
"I'll do my part in reminding you, Twily," smiled Lunar.
Twilight smiled as well, continuing to address everyone again. "And thank you all for the generosity and even more thanks to you, Princess Luna, for the information on what I've become."
"The pleasure is all mine." Princess Luna said.
"Now you best get going," Princess Celestia added, "reintroduce yourself to your other friends and Ponyville. I'm sure they'll all be glad to see that you're back with us once more."
"I will, Princess Celestia," Twilight said, "thank you."
"No," continued Princess Celestia, "thank you."
With that said, Twilight, Lunar, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all started for the door back to the Canterlot Train Station, until suddenly, Princess Luna requested that Rarity stay a bit longer.
"What for, Princess Luna?" Rarity shockingly asked.
"I need to speak with you in private," Princess Luna requested, "if that doesn't conflict with you in any way."
"But of course," Rarity answered. Turning towards her friends, she bid them adieu and approached Princess Luna.
"My sister," Princess Luna stated, "if you'll excuse us."
"Go right ahead, Princess Luna." Princess Celestia remarked.
Princess Luna climbed down from her throne and approached Rarity. Placing a hoof on her shoulder, she told Rarity to follow her. The two ponies proceeded out of the throne room and started walking quickly down one of the halls. Rarity grew nervous, so she decided to break the silence between her and Princess Luna.
"Is something the matter, Princess Luna?" Rarity asked.
"Not really," Princess Luna responded.
"Then why did you request to see me?"
Princess Luna sighed a bit, "Besides Robert requesting to see you," she started, "I may have a feeling who the new head vampony may be."
"With all due respect, Princess Luna," Rarity started, "but I really wish to not see him now."
"No," responded Princess Luna, "that's not where we're going. I know you don't want to see him now, possibly ever again. I'm taking you to a safe zone so that I can discuss the important matters of who the head vampony might be."
Rarity sighed with relief. She desperately didn't want to see her ex-husband Robert at all. He threatened to destroy her the day he was released from the dungeons, though Rarity knew that that threat would never come to pass since Robert was serving a life sentence in the dungeon.
Princess Luna led the way down one of the long hallways in the castle, stopping just before the final door in the hall. Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, she opened the door with her magic and led Rarity inside the room. This room - a room Rarity had never seen before - was as dark as Princess Luna's coat was. The walls were painted a very dark indigo color and featured a lot of features that you would see up in a night sky. Once Rarity entered the room, Princess Luna shut the door slowly so that nobody would hear it and began laying down the important matters.
"This," started Princess Luna, "is my room."
"It's so extravagant," exclaimed Rarity, "I like it."
"Thank you," smiled Princess Luna, "now, let's get right down to it."
"Of course."
"I have a few candidates as to who the new head vampony could be," continued Princess Luna.
"And who might they be?" Rarity asked.
"I have a few ponies in mind," Princess Luna replied, "first on the list is you."
"Why would you assume me first?" Rarity questioned.
"I only do since you used to be a head vampony yourself." Princess Luna explained.
"But I'm not one anymore." Rarity said.
"But the world has a way of bringing out the most weirdest of predicaments." Luna answered. "Second on the list is Robert."
Rarity gripped her lips tightly. She felt an odd sensation when she heard that but determined to leave it be.
"Third is Rainbow Dash," continued Luna.
"But how?" Rarity questioned. "She's...gone."
"Like I said," Luna said, "the world has its way of bringing out the most weirdest of predicaments."
"I suppose so..." Rarity meekly stated.
"Last," Luna continued, "is myself. Though I haven't felt anything weird yet, I shan't be too calm about it. If anything changes, I'll let Princess Celestia know about it immediately; you should do the same."
"I will." Rarity stated.
The two continued talking for a little while longer in private, trying to figure out a possible target on who the new head vampony in Equestria was.
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Spike Lunar, and Pinkie Pie were out taking Twilight to go see Applejack and Fluttershy so they could see her once more.
"I wonder what Princess Luna wanted with Rarity." Spike wondered.
"I don't know," Twilight replied, "but it must...have...been..."
Twilight was being mesmerized once again by her tail. Spike noticed this and quickly snapped Twilight out of the trance as they continued walking down the path towards Sweet Apple Acres.
"You really need to learn how to focus, Twilight." Lunar stated, smirking slightly.
Twilight shot a mean look at Lunar, not catching his smirk, and said nothing to him. Deep down, she knew that he was right. She was having a hard time concentrating because of her inability to not be mesmerized by her own furry, bushy tail. She so desperately wanted to chase it, but that wouldn't seem normal since ponies don't chase their tails.
Up ahead in the distance, Spike, Lunar, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight could see Applejack hard at work, bucking some apple trees. It was around this time of year where apple bucking season started, so this was the time to collect every single, juicy, red apple. Of course, this meant that cider season was also rapidly approaching the ponies, something that Rainbow Dash would have enjoyed very, very much. Applejack has promised to set aside one cup of cider in remembrance of Rainbow Dash, claiming that this cup would be hers.
Spike, Lunar, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight stepped onto the property and approached Applejack, who was hard at work at the moment.
"Hey, Applejack!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
"Afternoon, AJ," Lunar added.
"Howdy, Spike," Applejack replied, "hey Pinkie, Lunar."
Applejack noticed Twilight behind Spike, Lunar, and Pinkie Pie and started approaching her.
"Twilight?" Applejack questioned.
"Hi, Applejack." Twilight said, embracing the farm girl with a hug.
"But...but how?" Applejack wondered, noticing Twilight's different features. "And what in Equestria happened to ya?"
Twilight smiled, "You see, Applejack, I-"
"She's become a lycan!" Pinkie Pie interrupted.
"A what?" Applejack replied.
"A lycan." Twilight answered.
"What in the hay is uh lycan?" Applejack questioned.
"A lycan is sort of like a wolf." Twilight stated.
"She's become one and now shares a bunch of traits with wolves now." Spike added.
"And a bunch of them are silly!" Pinkie Pie claimed. "Like, Twilight likes chasing her tail now!"
"But I do still have a horn and wings, if you're wondering, Applejack." Twilight continued. "You can already see the horn, but here's my wings to show that I am still the same pony as before..."
She spread out her wings and showed them to Applejack. Applejack gasped and embraced Twilight in a hug once more.
"Y'all have no idea how relieved Ah am tah see ya once more, Twilight." Applejack said, trying to fight back some tears.
"I'm sure you're as happy and relieved as I am," Twilight replied, trying to do the exact same.
It's been such a busy day for Twilight, the lycan-turned-alicorn, as she has been reintroducing herself to society, namely, Ponyville. First up came Applejack, who was fighting back tears as she embraced the royal Princess with a hug. Up next was Fluttershy. As the group of friends started going to Fluttershy's cottage, they met many of the various ponies along the way, reintroducing Twilight to all of them, but not explaining what happened to her. It was best to not tell them how Twilight came to be a lycan or even that she wasn't a true pony any longer.
"This is starting to become all nostalgic memories again." Twilight claimed as they rapidly approached Fluttershy's cottage.
"Whaddya mean, Twi?" Applejack asked.
"It's been so long since I've seen all of this," she continued, "that I'm remembering all of the good times we've had so long ago."
"Yeah," Lunar agreed, "it's somethin' alright."
Twilight smiled as they all crossed the little bridge Fluttershy had and onto her property. Soon enough, they reached the door and Twilight positioned herself behind Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Spike knocked on the door and almost instantly did Fluttershy's pet bunny, Angel, answer the door. Spike scoffed at Angel, but did ask if Fluttershy was home. Angel left the door then and a few moments later, Fluttershy was standing in the doorway.
"Hi, Spike," she started, noticing Applejack and Pinkie Pie behind him, "hey Applejack. Hi, Pinkie Pie. Hello, Lunar."
"How are you doing today, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I'm fine, I guess," answered Fluttershy, "why do you ask, if you don't mind answering?"
"We have a surprise for ya, Fluttershy!" Applejack replied.
"A-A surprise?" Fluttershy squeaked. "I don't really like surprises girls..."
"You'll love this one, Fluttershy!" Lunar claimed.
"Why's that?" Fluttershy skeptically asked.
The others simply smiled as Applejack and Pinkie Pie made way for Twilight, revealing her to Fluttershy. Fluttershy squealed, then gasped, then squealed again. She looked at Lunar, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, asking them if this was Twilight and that they weren't just playing a cruel joke on her.
"It is, Fluttershy," smiled Twilight, "it isn't a joke, it really is me."
"But how?" Fluttershy asked.
"I don't know," replied Twilight, "but here I am."
Fluttershy smiled brightly in response, then started focusing her attention on Twilight's figures and details, noticing quickly that they had changed since the last time they saw each other.
"What happened to you, Twilight?" Fluttershy wondered.
"You see, Fluttershy," Twilight began, "I am-"
"She's become a lycan, Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie interrupted again.
Fluttershy tilted her head a bit and rose an eyebrow. "A lycan?"
"A lycan is similar to a wolf, Fluttershy." Twilight replied.
"They share the same traits as wolves do as well." Spike added.
"Totally!" Shouted Pinkie Pie. "Like, Twilight likes to chase her tail! It's so super adorable and super amazingly awesomely cute!"
Fluttershy glanced back from Pinkie Pie, whom was demonstrating to Fluttershy how Twilight likes to chase her tail by chasing her own, and over to Twilight. She still seemed a bit flustered, so Applejack stepped up and settled one of her hooves on Fluttershy's shoulder.
"It's alright, sugar cube," Applejack said, "Ah di'n't get it either tha first time."
Fluttershy looked from Twilight to Applejack and replied to her.
"It's not that I don't get it or anything," she said, "it's just that...I'm t-t-terrified of lycans..."
That got Twilight to raise her ears and perch them slightly. Casually nearing Fluttershy, Twilight tried to ease her of her fears.
"It's okay, Fluttershy," Twilight started, "you know me. I won't hurt anypony. You don't have to be scared of me because I'm a lycan now."
Twilight held out one of her paws and awaited Fluttershy to do the same with one of her hooves. Fluttershy cowered up a bit, refusing to touch Twilight's paw.
"I know you wouldn't hurt anypony, Twilight," she explained, "but I just don't trust lycans in general. Nothing personal against you; it's just the way I feel."
Twilight, who was hurt on the inside for failing to receive some satisfaction and gratitude from Fluttershy, understood why Fluttershy felt this way. She sought to help attempt to change her mind about how lycans were, no matter how long it would take.
"I am happy to see you back here, Twilight." Fluttershy claimed after some awkward silence settled in.
"As am I, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled back. She turned towards Applejack, wanting to ask her a question. "I noticed," she started, "I haven't seen Rainbow Dash at all since I've come back. Where is she?"
Applejack bit her lip, facing Pinkie Pie in the process. Pinkie Pie was looking up into the clouds, trying to find any kind of distraction quickly. Fluttershy looked down at Spike, who looked back at Twilight with a set of heavy looking eyes. As for Lunar, he was scratching the back of his neck, not making eye contact with anyone at all. Twilight glanced around her, noticing these unusual acts and quickly questioned them all.
"What's the matter, everypony?" She asked.
"Well," began Applejack, "uh...ya see, Twilight..."
"Yes?" Twilight responded.
"Oof..." Applejack replied quietly.
"Umm..." Pinkie Pie coughed. "Rainbow Dash..."
"Yes?" Twilight repeated.
"Twilight," Fluttershy said, "Rainbow Dash...is...uhh..."
"She's?"
"How do we put this...?" Lunar asked softly.
Spike sighed, taking the pressure off of everyone else by explaining to Twilight what happened to Rainbow Dash.
"Twilight," he started, "Rainbow Dash...died."
Twilight gasped, then saw everyone's look when Spike confirmed with her what had happened to Rainbow Dash. She felt very bad for asking and joined with all of her friends as they looked down at the ground in a sad, depressed way.