Princess Twilight Sparkle has a vast knowledge of different magics, including magical afflictions, and so she's come to expect, when the truly unusual things crop up, to find letters from Equestria's hospitals showing up at the castle. And every time, she's dropped everything to help one of her subjects.
Luster Dawn is taking her first hospital trip with her mentor, to visit a sick pegasus filly. It's Nightmare Night, and the princess is bringing the celebration to the filly, alongside her weekly dose of a potion used to treat her illness. Luster doesn't know what precisely she's sick with, or why Princess Twilight even wants Luster to come at all, but she's assured her it's not contagious, or at least there's no risk of unicorns or alicorns catching it.
The longer she's around the filly, however, the more this disease looks familiar. But the book she saw it in was folklore. Just an old pony tale. There's no such thing as bat ponies.
Is there?
An entry in the SPOOK contest.
A standalone entry in the The Eventide Verse.
Also check out author Patreon, Ko-Fi and commissions.