I have to say that, despite not having its catastrophic power unlocked, those children can cause a lot of damage with my sword. Once they start hitting large rocks with it I make them stop. Not sure if this blade needs to be sharpened like any sword or not, but I don’t want to risk them putting chinks in this.

Once I explain that real swordsmanship is about balance and concentration and form, they get bored. “Hey, you think a knight would be able to do what he does if he didn’t start with the basics?”

“But the basics are boring! We wanna fight a monster or something!”

I quirk an eyebrow at the impetuous children. I look around and pick up a tree branch thick enough to use. “Alright, then. Let’s see what you got.”

The four fillies look amongst each other, now much less unsure. Scootaloo puffs up.

“It’s just a stick! We have a real sword!” She picks up the sword with her mouth, staggers a bit from the weight, but stares back at me, mumbling a challenge through her clenched teeth.

“Bng t n!”

She begins swinging wildly, and I just move my stick to block every blow. Left, right, right, left... “Sloppy. Predictable.”

She makes the last mistake by going for a stab. I swing my vertically-held branch to the side pushing the sword off it’s course for my knee, up, and around. The sword flies out of Scootaloo’s recovering grip and lands in the grass, leaving Scootaloo unarmed against my ‘blade’. “Too much power in one direction.”

I step on the sword and hold it down, keeping Scoots from lifting it again. I lay the branch down in front of her and sheath my sword back at my hip. “You want to be a legend? Be a beginner first.”

I leave the kids to let them practice. It took me all of a summer vacation of legitimate training to consider myself able to say I’m a ‘beginner’, and these kids think they can learn to be some amazing champion in a day. I think the main problem is they give up too quickly. You want to be talented at something, you work at it. Work at it hard.

Oh well, it’s up to them. We’re just kind of messing around, the kids now more interested in just playing than seeking their Cutie Marks. They really do seem to have missed me, so I enjoy some time with the group. Playing with them is difficult with my size. Not impossible... but things like tag are unbalanced given my size. Still, it’s much better than doing nothing.

After a few hours, it’s about noon and the Crusaders, starting with Sweetie Belle, mention they’re hungry. I figure I’ve got some spare cash, so I decide to treat them. Won’t be an actual meal,  I don’t have the funds for that. Speaking of, I know I’m getting a sliver of income from that ‘Sound Advice’ pony... wonder when and how it’ll be delivered. Eh, I’ll ask later.

The path to Sugarcube Corner takes us past Golden Oaks and I notice Clark walking in, a ‘serious business’ look on his face. If something was going down, why’d he tell Twilight before me?

I hand the bits I have to the Crusaders and tell them I’ll catch up. Once Clark is inside, I move to one of the windows in the tree and crouch so it’s just barely above my head. If I’m not getting a straight answer personally, I’ll get one another way.

I hear Twilight’s voice from right on the other side of the window, “Oh, Clark, it’s good to-”

Surprisingly, Clark interrupts. “Twilight, we have a problem. Go get your other friends, I’m going to grab some books, I hope they help.”

“Wait, what’s ha-”

“Something’s wrong with Fluttershy. Don’t go to her cottage. Meet me on the path there. Don’t hesitate and don’t dawdle! Go!” Clark shouts the last word, and I see Twilight go running form the front door of the library at her top pace, galloping as hard as she can to get to her friends.

Sans Fluttershy I assume. I decide to figure out what the big deal is, so I head towards Fluttershy’s cottage. I’m pretty sure I can leave the Crusaders alone for a while, and this seems pretty big.

Since it was the first place on my list, I obviously get here before Twilight is done gathering the other four.

After a couple of moments, Rainbow Dash flies over, and spots me. “Hey, Anthony, what’s going on? Twilight just told me to get over here and left!”

“I’m aiming to find that out myself. I overheard Clark talking with Twilight, he said there was a serious problem with Fluttershy, but to not go near her cottage. Personally, I’m ruling out the problem being demons going after Flutters because if it was a demon, either Clark and Anne would take care of it themselves or he’d come and get me, but instead he just passed right by me. This leads me to believe that the problem is more serious than just a demon.”

“Yeah, I suppose... but what could it be? I mean, it’s entirely the wrong time of the year for her heat, so...”

“Wait, you guys get estrus cyc-”

“Anthony! Rainbow Dash! Whatever is going on?” Rarity’s calls as she arrives. Her mane isn’t in its usual curls, which leads me to believe she may have rushed out without doing her hair. Can’t say she has her priorities wrong if she’ll give up that for a friend.

“We’re just as confused as you are.“ I shrug. “Clark said something was seriously wrong with Fluttershy and told Twilight to round everybody up here. Excluding me. I know from... secondhand listening.”

Rarity gives me a pointed look, but Dash doesn’t seem to understand. Before either of us can respond, however, AJ and Pinkie come up the road, Clark blurring into view barely a moment ahead of them. He gives me a look. “Oh, good, I thought I was going to have to chase you down. here, take these, we may need them.” He shoves a pair of thick tomes at me.

I look at the first one, it’s about... Deadly Afflictions of Undeath? I open the book to where it’s been dogeared hastily and the first word I see leaps to the forefront of my mind.

‘Vampirism’

I reach up to the thickest tree branch I could find and tear it off, before pulling out some coal and, forming it into a sawblade, make myself a crude stake. “Not sure if it works the same, but better safe than sorry. Anyone got any garlic powder I could coat this in, or some holy water I could-”

“No!” Clark barks at me, slapping the stake out of my hand. “Before you jump to conclusions, check the local details!” He picks up the book again. “And besides, she’s not... she’s not gone yet.”

“Wait, what’s going on, you two?” Rainbow Dash asks, darting over to us and looking us in the eyes.

“Vampires. And apparently Clark waited until now to tell everyone that Fluttershy is said vampire. And frankly, vampires are no laughing matter. She may not be gone yet, but depending on when she was bitten, she may only have a week... or a few minutes.”

“She’s already been... turned. Mostly, but not fully. That’s what I needed the book for. Look for a cure, Anthony, I need to check on her.” Clark presses the book into my arms one more time, then strides towards the little cottage. Outside, where I’m standing, nobody is speaking, or moving, or making any noise at all. A moment later, Twilight runs up the path, huffing and puffing.

“Well if she’s mostly turned...” I pause and open the book. “We may not have much time. Vampires are dangerous and we can’t have one running around town.” I flip through the book.

Rainbow Dash speaks up first. “Yeah, so how do we fix her?” She flies up behind me and looks at where I’m scanning through. “Uh, I think a cure would be listed before the ‘how to kill’ section... just my thoughts.”

“It is. I know.” Flipping back and forth through about four pages dedicated to Vampirism, I find myself getting more and more agitated.

Judging by the whispered comments and Twilight’s shocked reaction, I’m guessing the others just filled her in. Rarity steps away from the group. “Ah, Anthony? Have you had any luck?” A note of hope rings in her voice.

I shut the book, and look at her. I think she guesses from my expression, her ears lying flat against her skull.

I actually do, having found a passing mention of a weakness. “Yes I have.” I clap the book shut and stick it under my arm. “Beheading. Lovely.” I draw my sword and head for the cottage.

Immediately, all five of them explode into action, RD and AJ having to be restrained by the others as they move as if to attack me. I go intangible and slip right through their bodies, continuing on.

“Listen, you have another chance to stop me, but if you do, then I can’t guarantee nobody in this town will end up with Fluttershy’s fangs in their necks, draining them until they die. Just saying.”

Rainbow Dash, sounding desperate, yells, “But, it’s Fluttershy! She wouldn’t do that!”

I glance back at the multichrome pegasus. “Fluttershy? No. A vampire? Hell yeah it would. You don’t wanna watch, stay here.” With that I resume walking, book under arm and sword over shoulder. I can’t believe I’m about to kill Fluttershy! I mean, it’s for the sake of every other pony in town, but... I’m gonna ask Twi for a mindwipe after this.

I get to the front door, and it’s slightly ajar. Pushing it open slowly, I find that the room is trashed, and a small ‘tent’ of ripped curtains and torn blankets sits in the middle of the room. I can see Clark’s legs sticking out of the ‘tent’, unmoving. With the room preternaturally dark, there’s shadows everywhere, and I feel like I’m being watched immediately. It’s a stark contrast to the beautiful, nice day outside.

“Hey Fluttershy.” I whisper into the ‘empty’ house. “I heard you aren’t feeling well. Wanna... talk about it?” I hear a faint whimper from within the tent, the noise tearing at me inside. “Don’t worry. I’ll make this quick. Everything’s gonna be just fine...” My heart, tied in a billion knots, clenches as I imagine what I’m about to do. It must be done, I remind myself. She’s a vampire, and vampires hurt and kill others. Vampires need to be killed as soon as possible. Forget that it’s Fluttershy, just for the love of god, forget who it is...

I reach for the blanketed tent, and hesitate for a moment. I really don’t want to... to...

Before I can convince myself not to, I whip the blanket cover off, revealing Fluttershy, her mouth clamped around Clark’s demon arm, a pair of pearly fangs visibly buried in the chitin. Her eyes are filled with tears, but are wide, and so dark. I can’t even see the irises, but I can see Clark's expression of pain from where he’s sitting, behind Fluttershy.

I swing at Fluttershy, but with a burst of light, I’m suddenly striking a tree, the Sword now lodged in the wood. I’m in the Library.

Teleported... the book didn’t say vampires could... I reach for the book I was carrying, but it lacks an index, and under ‘known abilities’ the teleportation of others isn’t listed. Maybe Twi has more books on vampires inside.

A thought occurs to me suddenly that I may not have to kill Fluttershy... A possible option is finding the vampire that turned her and kill that one. I notice Spike doing some sweeping. “Spike! Did you bite anyone?”

“Huh?” The dragon looks at me, confused.

I pick him up and hold his face to mine. “Nightmare Night. Discord made you a vampire. Did. You. Bite. Any-one?”

“What? No! I did have weird cravings for blood oranges, though.”

“Damnit... running out of options. Spike, what does Twilight have on vampires or similar transformative curses/diseases?”

The dragon, I assume feeling a bit worried, looks at a few shelves. “Sorry, Clark was here earlier. Looks like he got them both. You guys playing a game or something?”

“No, something turned Fluttershy into a vampire, and she may have already fed. On Clark, specifically. I was about to cut her head off when I was ‘ported back here somehow.” I reach for the book again and start flipping through it again.

Suddenly, the door to the library slams open, and an extremely exhausted-looking Twilight is there. “Anthony! P- please, j- ju-” she stops for a moment to take a few heaving breaths and pulling a glass of water to her. After she takes a drink, she continues, “Please, just wait! Pinkie said she knows somepony who might be able to help. We just need time, and Clark said he can keep her occupied in the meantime.” She pants some more.

“Keep her occupied how? By being a chew toy? I don’t think so. Unless Pinkie can get this incredible cure in the next few hours, I say that I have no choice. Once a fledgling has fed, it’ll go into a blood-craving feeding-frenzy.”

Twilight looks horrified. “That’s- that’s crazy, why would you come up with something like that-”

I hold up the book, the current page detailing exactly what I just said. “I didn’t come up with it.”

Twilight sits down, her ears pinned to her skull, and her expression grim. “Oh... well... Pinkie said we just need to go speak with her ‘other Grandma’. I’m assuming she means her grandmother that isn’t a terrifying abomination.”

I ignore the notion that Granny Pie was an ‘abomination’. She was actually very nice. “Well, we better hope Pinkie can get that cure fast enough, or that the cure will work on someone who’s already turned.” I kneel down and put a hand on Twilight’s pony shoulder. “If not, and we can’t find anything else in time... it’s either her, or literally everyone else.”

“I- I-” Twilight sniffles, then reaches out and grabs both me and Spike into a strong hug. “But she’s my friend.”

“Mine too. You think walking into that cottage, sword in hand, made me feel like a hero? I couldn’t convince myself I was doing the right thing at all. I was going to commit a murder, killing someone I cared about... for the sake of everyone else.” I cringe. “I hate to admit it... but if things don’t work out... someone will have to kill her. If it’s me... I want you to wipe my mind. No joke. Even if you have to erase an entire year, or make me a vegetable, I don’t want to remember it. Got it?”

Twilight simply nods, shakily.

And this day started out so nice...

Next Chapter: Chapter 186 Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 37 Minutes