Chapter 1

The Old Mansion in the Woods

Clouds zipped past as Rainbow Dash rocketed across the bright blue sky. The light blue pony soared up and hovered in front of the sun, looking down on the patchwork of buildings, grassland, and forest far below her. The rays warmed her back and wings as she cracked a smug smile.

The Pegasus gritted her teeth with determination. The usual stab of nervousness came as she prepared to try her new trick, but the thrill of excitement urged her forward. She whipped her head to the side, tossing her rainbow hair. A deep breath filled her lungs with cold air.

Wind howled around her, whipping her multi-colored mane and tail as she folded her legs in and dived. Focusing on the breeze around her, Rainbow Dash formed a spinning cone of wind around herself, not unlike the technique the Pegasus ponies used to clear away the snow at winter's end. The green expanse of the Everfree Forest canopy rushed towards her. She leveled off and skimmed the treetops. The whirlwind whipped the leaves from the trees and snapped twigs loose, leaving a trench in the growth.

She planned to draw a circular indention in the trees to start with and then try something more complex. However, her ego overtook her common sense. "Why not just go straight for the finale?" she thought.

Rainbow Dash attempted a sharp left turn, intending to draw a jagged lightning bolt design similar to her cutie mark. She often performed ninety-degree turns with ease, but she neglected the gale around her.

The counteracting wind caught her wings and threw the surprised pony through the air. Rainbow screamed as she tumbled uncontrollably. She fell into the trees, crashed through twigs and bounced off the solider branches.

"Ow!" her back struck the hard ground. The impact rattled through her entire body.

Laying flat a moment, she let the stars clear from her vision before moving. She groaned as she sat up. Her back ached and a sharp pain pierced the back of her skull. Bruises, cuts, and foliage covered her. Blood flowed from a stinging gash on her right check.

"Not my best landing," she thought, standing up and spreading her wings. Her back muscles burned in protest, but her limbs moved. They beat at the air and lifted her a few inches off the ground. Satisfied, Rainbow dropped back to the ground and took in her surroundings.

The strange trees blocked out the sun, leaving only small traces to filter through the leaves. Grass, moss, and lichen covered the ground with various thorns, ferns and bushes growing wherever they found space.

Rainbow stepped away from a recognizable blue flower. Her hind hoof landed on something hard and she turned around, expecting to find a boulder. Instead, a grey stone wall met her eyes. Vines crept up the wall to a window. Paint peeled from the window frame and small shards of broken glass lay around the ground. A wooden door stood open, ripped from its hinges.

"Cool," Rainbow Dash whispered. She stepped through the doorway, stumbling a bit when a sore leg buckled. Her hoof sank into a pile of charred, black debris, mixed with dead plant matter. "Eugh!"

The inside of the place looked torched. A crashed chandelier sank into the black earth. The walls still stood despite the fire, but the paintings and lamps fared worse. A splash of green from a fern growing here and there caught her eye. A staircase collapsed over the hallway. Rainbow Dash glanced right and saw a larger room. A dining table sat in the center. Cabinets full of silver bowls adorned the wall. Red paint still clung to the far wall where the fire damage seemed less severe. A smaller room to her right held the black skeletons of a couch and chair along with a decimated grandfather clock.

Who built a mansion in the middle of the Everfree Forest anyway? She glanced over her shoulder at the outside world. Nothing, but trees and darkness stretched out before her eyes, no sight of anything dangerous. Everypony feared the Everfree Forest, even Dash though she tried to deny it.

She spun her head around and narrowed her eyes. No way, the forest creeped out most ponies, but not Rainbow Dash! Marching over the wooden debris of the stairs, the Pegasus put on a steely expression, glancing into each room in the hall.

When she reached the back of the mansion, she came upon another long hallway. As she turned right, a thump sounded from the room above her. The rainbow pony jumped into the air and raised a leg to kick. Her heart thundered in her chest as she listened. Hoping the noise wasn't a sign of collapse; she walked back to the entrance and glanced at the top of the ruined stairs.

Her wings spread as she leapt for the second floor. A few beats propelled her the rest of the distance. He alighted on the floor and paused. Cinders ground under her hooves. Rainbow Dash crept toward the source of the noise, staying low to the ground. Floorboards creaked under her weight, but no other sounds reached her ears.

A charred door blocked the room at the end of the hall. She nudged it open and stepped inside. The blackened frame of a bed stood in the center of the room. Rainbow recoiled in horror as she spotted the figure lying upon it. A Pegasus skeleton rested upon the ash. The dead pony's limbs lay spread across the bed. The skull's jaw hung open in a silent scream. Rainbow stepped closer, cringing at the sight. As she walked to the bed corner, she noticed something odd about the pony's mouth. A pair of teeth stretched out into long pointed fangs.

"What the hay?" Rainbow recoiled from the bedside. Her hooves landed in a particularly large pile of ash.

A drop of blood trickled down her cheek and splashed on the floor. The ash began pulling together around the drop of red, soaking it up. A light grey mist exploded around Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus pony gasped, before breaking into coughs. The cloud concentrated on her cuts, making them itch. Her eyes stung with tears.

Rainbow Dash stumbled out of the cloud and hacked ash out of her lungs. Grey dulled her blue coat for a moment before the dust floated off and rejoined the cloud. The soreness and the tears made her vision watery, but she saw a four-legged shape forming within the ash.

A wrinkled hairless pony stepped forward. Red and black eyes burned from within sockets surrounded by loose grey flesh. A horn jutted from the pony's bald head. The pony shambled forward on skeletal legs. Its mouth hung open, baring a set of fangs. A haggard wheeze echoed from the creature's mouth, spraying a cloud of smoke into the air.

Rainbow Dash screamed and spun around. She galloped down the hall at full speed. Her sore leg ached in protest, but did little otherwise to slow her down. The air behind her whooshed and a set of jaws closed on her tail and pulled her back. Rainbow stopped and raised a hind leg, glancing back and taking aim. The creature released her tail and stepped back, dodging her kick. Her wild attack threw her off balance.

It leapt forward and landed on Rainbow's back. Its front legs wrapped around her neck. She bucked under its weight, but it clung to her with frightening strength. Its hot breath blew over the side of her neck and then those horrible fangs sank into her throat.

Pain and cold spread through her body. She tried to struggle, but the grey pony hung on and bit harder. Rainbow Dash's legs buckled beneath her and she fell to the ground as her sensations faded. She felt wetness trickling down her neck, more blood gushed out as the pony sloppily adjusted its grip on her throat. She tried to kick, but her legs just twitched. She tried to fly, but her wings just fluttered. Soon, the cold drowned out every other feeling, except for the gentle prod of the fangs in her throat. The Unicorn pony grunted as it sucked at her neck. Rainbow's head thunked against the floor. Her wings stilled and the steady rise of her flank slowed and then stopped.

Her attacker growled and released her neck. It stood up and stumbled forward. The old grey flesh bulged out, becoming less emaciated as the wrinkles disappeared and dark purple fur spread over its body. Nostrils flared as it sniffed the air. A ravenous growl rumbled from its throat, not yet satisfied from its recent meal.

"Hello?" Rainbow asked. She floated in the midst of a black void, white stars and purple and red mists decorated the otherwise empty plane. Her hooves stood on nothing and her wings lay flat, but she stayed afloat and upright all the same. She felt small and unwelcome amongst the splendor.

A bright golden light surged to life and blinded the surprised Pegasus. She placed a hoof over her eyes and looked away. A moment passed as her eyes adjusted to the light. The source of the brightness sank into a purple mist. A winged pony stood against the vanishing light, a long horn extended from its forehead. The silhouetted figured stepped back into the glowing ether.

"Wait! Where are you going? Where am I?" Rainbow Dash flew forward, only for the horizon to stretch away from her. She increased her speed, but the sunlight vanished behind the clouds. Rainbow spun around as the stars and clouds began to blink out. Soon, only the darkness surrounded her.

A ring of fire burst to life around her. Rainbow shied away from the heat, the orange glow hurt her eyes and the smoke choked her lungs. The crackling flames closed in as Rainbow retreated to the circle's center.

"That's it, I'm out of here!" she launched herself upwards, wings beating at the void. The fire shrank to a small point beneath her.

A plume of red and orange surged after her. A snout formed from the blaze, a gaping mouth and burning eyes opened, questing after the rainbow pony. A fiery mane flapped in the still void. It reached her in seconds, the heat licked at Rainbow Dash's body as the burning stallion opened its mouth. She screamed as the jaws closed around her, drowning her in burning agony.

"Aaaaahhhhh!" Hooves scrabbled across the floor as she awoke. Her wings thrashed and bumped against the wall. Terrified eyes scanned her surroundings. Darkness covered the mansion, with rays of faint moonlight piercing through holes in the roof.

Rainbow Dash appeared to be alone, just her and an empty, crumbling house. Her stomach ached and her teeth felt uncomfortable. A haze fell over her mind as she tried to think. She recognized the Everfree forest outside a window. She remembered exploring the house and then something startling her, but past that point, everything blanked out.

She placed a hoof against her neck and it came away smeared in a sticky, red liquid. The crash had left several cuts, but they were gone. No bruises or aches, only the growling in her stomach gnawed at her. Her tongue absently licked at her hoof and her mouth lighted up. The sweet copper taste blew away everything she ever sampled before. She fought off a moan of delight.

Craning her neck, Rainbow tried to reach the splotch on her throat and lap up more of the delicious liquid. She licked off her front and then turned to look for more cuts. She found none and her appetite still lingered.

The Pegasus's wings spread and she flew down the hall and out the doorway. A trail of color rose through the trees and into the night sky. She spun around, regaining her bearings and spotting the glowing lights of Ponyville against the dark countryside. A grin bared her new, pointed fangs. Her wings swept her back towards home.

Author's Note: I cannot believe I'm even writing this thing. If someone had told me, I'd someday try writing a My Little Pony fic when I was first starting out, I probably would have laughed in their face. If they told me, I'd be doing vampires and My Little Pony I'd have made some crack about checking them into an asylum.