"An' that's 'bout it. You should come to Camp Friendship next year, Shade!" Applejack smiles.

Shade is on her bed resting on her back looking at Applejack, Pinkie Pie lays at the foot of the bed playing with Charlette in her forehooves, and Applejack sits on the floor next to the bed having finish telling her two new friends about her experience at Camp Friendship.

"We shall see," Shade replies.

"Anything exciting happen while I was gone?"

"Just the usual."

"We were almost eaten by a bear and trampled by deer!" Pinkie exclaims.

Applejack's eyes grow wide, and she gapes at Shade. Shade shrugs. Applejack shakes her head, "Come again."

Pinkie takes a deep breath, and Shade stuffs her hoof into Pinkie's mouth.

"We encountered a hungry bear, and a herd of deer in Whitetail Woods and my magic prevented us from injury," Shade states.

"You learned to control your magic?" Applejack hops on the bed enthusiastically, "That's great!"

"Thanks. I have much to learn still."

A knock on the door grabs the fillies attention.

"Shade, sweetie, it is getting late and you three have school tomorrow." Death informs from the other side of the door.

Applejack picks up the clock on the bedside table. "Whoa! I guess it is a little hard to see outside when all your windows are covered."

"We were having so much fun that time just went flying by!" Pinkie chimes.

Shade gets out of bed and holds the door open for the others. Applejack and Pinkie say and wave bye to Death. Shade follows them to the stairs which prompts Applejack to look back.

"I have something to do so I'll walk with you two home," Shade says.

"Do you now," Death stops Shade with her pink magic.

Shade glares icily at Death. "I. Do."

Death picks up Shade and hugs her, "Be safe!"

Shade squirms out of Death's embrace. "Stop that."

"Nope!" Death chimes and skips to her room.

"Ugh," Shade groans. She stops in her tracks at Pinkie's wide grin. "No. No hugs." Shade states as she descends the stairs.

Pinkie deflates slightly, and Applejack reassures her with a smile. Suddenly, Pinkie finds herself in a crimson bubble and levitates downstairs into Shade's waiting embrace. Pinkie squeezes Shade tightly. Shade sighs inwardly.

Vinyl Scratch does not mind Shade showing up suddenly. She does not mind listening to Shade. Buck, she does not even mind going hunting for deer in order to help Shade. Vinyl Scratch does, however, mind potentially gaining new enemies or worse, dying.

These Parandrae sound powerful and by Shade's story, do not like ponies. The dark does not help. Being able to stay close to Shade does and keeps Vinyl from worrying too much. Vinyl feels Shade's strength and senses her magical growth and feels safer than if she had been alone. A hoof suddenly thrusts her to the ground.

Vinyl holds her breath and her ears swivel to the sound of rustling. Out from a gap in the branches of the bushes they hid behind, Vinyl sees their quarry inches away, mindlessly grazing grass. She looks over to Shade and sees the crescent moon reflect off of Shade's canines.

In a single blur, Shade launches from her hiding spot, tackles down the deer, and clamps a hoof over the deer's windpipe.

"I want answers to my questions and you are going to give me them or else," Shade hisses in the doe's ears.

The doe stares up at the filly with terror in her eyes, her breathing is rapid and shallow.

"This is how things are going to go," Shade speaks low, "I ask a question and you answer it; if you do not answer the question, my vampony friend will drain you of your blood, one ounce at a time."

The doe switches to the other white filly who lifts her glasses up to reveal red, glowing eyes. She swallows audibly.

"Where are the Parandrus?"

"I d-don't kn-know what !"

Shade stomps on one of the front legs of the deer, snapping it in half like a twig. It is a good thing Shade put up a seclusion spell, otherwise, everyone would have heard the doe's cry of agony.

Vinyl takes a step back, falls to the ground, and covers her ears to try and block the scream.

"I am not very patient." Shade growls.

"I don't know!" the doe shrieks.

Shade smiles sadistically, "You have over three hundred bones. Do you want to experience how it feels when they all break?"

"I don't know! King Aspen forbids us from talking to you ponies! He might know! He tells us that we are the direct descendants of the Parandrae. That is all I know! I swear!"

"Where is King Aspen?"

"Everfree Forest!" the doe wails, "The village of Thicket!"

Shade gets off the doe and turns to Vinyl who is laying on the ground. The vampony shrugs her shoulders.

"Please, can I go now?" the doe pleads as she tries to stand.

Shade chuckles darkly. "So you can warn the King? I don't think so."

Vinyl watches in abject horror and awe as Shade bites down on the doe's throat and rips out a chunk of flesh. With the doe still gurgling for breath and clinging to life, Shade starts to feast on the deer's underside, biting off chunks of fur and skin to get to the fresh meat. After fifteen seconds of limbs flailing, Vinyl watches as the deer's last breath bubbles out of the new orifice in its neck.

Vinyl freezes when Shade turns her head and locks her brightly glowing eyes with hers.

Shade licks her lips and wipes her bloody muzzle with a fetlock. "No need to be shy, Vinyl," Shade smiles and beckons her friend over.

Vinyl smiles back and gets to her hooves. Nothing like sharing a meal with a friend under the moonlight.

Little Leaf watches in horror as the ponies feast on his mother. Tears stream down his face and he keeps from making any noise. He now believes every word and warning King Aspen has told him and all the woodland creatures. He knows now how savage ponies truly are and everyone back in Thicket will know of the Demons of Whitetail Woods.

His heart stops when the black and red mane one lifts her head and starts scanning the bushes where he hides. Her fiery eyes seem to lock onto his and he tenses up, preparing to bolt if she starts walking towards him.

His heart completely shatters when she incinerates his mother's body. As if that monster did not commit enough atrocities! Now, he had nothing left of his mother; all that remains are his memories and her ashes.

Little Leaf vows, there and then, vengeance upon all ponies especially that Demon.