Sparkly Twilight

"Okay, now... let me see if I got this straight..." I snap angrily at the captain before me, pacing back and forth before my nocturnal throne. "One of your lieutenants was checking on Heart Throb directly, thinking she was having a nightmare?"

"That is correct, my princess." The nervous Nocturne replied, his bat wings drooping. "He apparently found the mare rather attractive, and flapped in to take a closer look."

"But apparently when he got closer, the klutz happened to knock her lamp off of her nightstand." I groan, sitting back down in my throne, and burying my face in my hooves. "And Heart Throb woke up to the noise, but your subordinate was surprisingly lucky that Miss Throb didn't scream."

"Y-yes, my princess." He gulped, sweat trickling down his brow. "Apparently, she thought he was a-a pony vampire, ready to bite her."

At that, I only shake my head in response. Of course Heart Throb would think a bat pony sneaking around in her room was some mysterious and seductive vampire, with all the human romance novels that pink Pegasus reads. And from what captain Nocturne has told me, she apparently told the surprised bat pony to bite her, and make her a creature of the night.

"She thought that klutz was there to pull a Dracula, and seduce her." I explain to the bat ponies gathered before me. "In human culture, it is considered romantic for a mysterious and handsome vampire to sweep you off your hooves, and carry you off. And Heart Throb is obsessed with the romantic aspects of human culture!"

This was exactly the kind of first interaction between normal ponies and bat ponies I was trying to avoid. Now what would Ponyland equines think of the thestrals after this got out?  And what would they think of me for hiding something like this from all of them? My mind raced over and over fopr how I was going to stop this whole problem from turning into an even worse disaster.

"Eeeeeewwww! How could anyone think it's romantic to be carried off by a gross bloodsucking monster, and them have turn you into one too?!"

"What is wrong with these human women and Heart Throb?!" One of the female bat pony guards asked, all of the other bat-mares nodding their heads in agreement. "Sounds like they need their heads examined, if you ask me!"

"Look, princess... we need to figure out what to do about Miss Heart Throb." The exasperated Nocturne explained. "The guard was able to swear her to silence for the moment, but if enough nights without another visit go by, and she might open her mouth and say something to the other ponies!"

"Then at least for now, we'll have to send a bat stallion to her on a weekly basis, to play the part of a seducing vampire." I tell him, leading to a whole bunch of gasps from the thestrals gathered in the throne room. “We’ll just have to play to her fantasy, until I can figure a way out of this mess.”

"My princess, no!" Captain Nocturne pleaded. "Certainly you wouldn't force one of our stallions to degrade himself by playing that horrible stereotype!"

"Captain, this is a mess that you and your guard made, by not being more stealthy during your missions!" I reply firmly, slamming my crescent moon staff on the floor with my hooves. "If the ponies of Ponyland were to discover you like this, it would cause fear and panic on a level not seen since Tirac's last rampage."  I looked back at my gathered guards, narrowing my eyes. "I am truly sorry about this, but I fear the only way out of this mess is for one of you to play the part of one of the creatures of the night so many ponies of the past feared you to be."

The captain glared at me for  a moment, then bowed coldly. "As you wish, my princess."  He looked back at the other thestrals. "The rest of you, dismissed."

I could tell he was upset, they all were. But blast it... what was I supposed to do? As the bat-ponies filed out of the room. I could already hear their words of discontent drifting into my ears.

"Can you believe our lady's orders?" One of the guards grumbled. "Now every pony in Ponyland's gonna start carrying a cross and holy water in thier saddlebags!"

"I just hope they don't try to stake us!" Another guard groaned, trotting out the door at the opposite end of the room.  "Maybe we should start carrying small mirrors to prove we have reflections!"

"Hey, maybe being a vampire would be kinda cool!" A bat-stallion told his girlfriend, as the two thestrals trotted out. "Hey Bella, wouldn't it be fun to sparkle like they do?"

"Edward, would you please keep your blasted mouth shut?!" The angry mare replied, smacking her boyfriend up alongside the back of the head. "Every time you open it, your stupid comes out!"

And as the last of my loyal guard filed out, my chief lady in waiting approached me. "My princess, was it really necessary to burden them with this whole 'vampire' thing? I mean, all things considered, haven't we thestrals suffered enough?"

"I'm saving your tribe a lot more grief, Moon Shadow, believe me." I reply. looking down at the night princess armor I wore every evening to carry out my nocturnal duties. "Now would you please help me get out of this thing? This stupid thong is riding up my flank again!"