Vamp Pinkie.
Part 7: Missing Friends and Lost Souls.
Three days in Ponyville, three days Twilight was unconscious and in those days the inhabitants of the town tried to piece together what had happened to their friends.
Pinkie Pie was still missing and so was Fluttershy but the state her home had been left in and the sudden reappearance of Twilight had all concerned convinced that maybe she had been telling the truth.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders however had been busy too, with the news that Fluttershy was missing and Twilight was hurt they had taken every opportunity to escape their rooms meet up and alternate hunting and searching.
It was as the trio met on the third day that things were looking desperate in their adventure since there was no sign of either Pinkie Pie (fangs or not) or Fluttershy…
As the three gathered on their way to their clubhouse it was apparent they would have to travel to Fluttershy’s for clues after all…
“But Rarity said I mustn’t go anywhere near Fluttershy’s…”
“But Sweetie Belle…”
“No Scootaloo, it’s too dangerous if any pony sees me and tells Rarity I’ll be history.”
Applebloom watched as her friends went back and forth trying to work out what constituted going too far in the CMC manual.
It seemed Scootaloo thought it was perfectly ok if only Rarity was worried she reasoned that if some pony like Rainbow dash were worried then it would be too much of a risk.
The fact Rainbow Dash wasn’t worried by anything according to Scootaloo didn’t escape Sweetie Belle’s recollection that despite her adventurous side she was having real second thoughts about vampire hunting and had a bad feeling she couldn’t shake…
They eventually made their minds up to go after Scootaloo started egging Sweetie Belle on and Applebloom just frowned, but it was obvious the trio weren’t on the same page as they noticed the storm clouds gathering above Ponyville...
The storm front had suddenly developed in the past few hours and despite the local weather team attempting to break it up, it was gaining in strength turning the sky dark despite the sun and filling the sky with giant dark clouds that swelled with rain.
It was as the first bolt of lightening broke across the sky followed by the deep rumble of thunder that Twilight had awoken.
Her friends that were present when she did were shocked by her wailing cry of despair and the tears and sob’s that followed…
She was laid out on a bed at the local doctor’s, bandages covering most of her body and the cuts stung a little as her magically rejuvenated body began stiffly to work.
“Twilight… Dear… Where’s Fluttershy…?”
Rarity was next to her bed as Nurse Redheart Applejack and Mayor Mare looked on silently allowing the fashion mare to speak first and ask what every pony wanted to know.
Twilight was alone in her mind as she tried to come to terms with the result of her actions.
Twilight thought long and hard about what to say as the others waited in silent frustration, then with much thought and the cold hard realization her freedom to sort this out depended on them not knowing the truth…
“…She’s… …She’s…”
Tears fell from Twilight’s eyes as she forced her self to speak.
“…She’s dead… And now probably one of them…”
Twilight sat up in the bed and forced herself to remain calm as the other ponies broke down in unreserved grief at their loss, the apologies from Applejack and Rarity for not believing her were hardest to take after everything…
Joined in grief by every pony told, the rest of the day went quickly and despite the arguments with Nurse Redheart, Twilight was getting out of bed and removing any of the generous helping of bandages that she deemed unnecessary.
“My… My dear please wait…”
Rarity one of Fluttershy’s closest friends hadn’t taken it very well and for quite a while hadn’t spoken but now she found her voice albeit a bit croaky after so many tears.
“What will you do…? Maybe you should wait until Mayor Mare’s message reaches Princess Celestia…?”
“Who took the message?”
“Cloudchaser…”
Twilight cocked her head…
“Why not Dash…?”
“Surely you’ve heard the thunder… She’s leading the weather team in trying to defeat this storm outside…?”
“I haven’t and we don’t have the time to wait for her, I’ll do it myself…”
Twilight shook her head and walked past her shaken friend and left the place without a word and no pony tried again to stop her.
Looking ragged, angry and ignoring all others she went immediately to Sweet Apple Acres and while raiding the tool shed and collecting wood she was confronted by Applejack.
“You’re going after that thing… I want a piece of it too.”
“No… I have to do this alone…”
“But… Twilight you can’t… Not alone… Not again I can help!”
Twilight began whittling a small length of wood about the size of a long ruler and about as wide in circumference, whittling a point onto it she gave Applejack a pained look as she avoided lying to the element of honesty.
“It's my fault this is happening… It has to be me and only me…”
“But…”
Twilight rounded on her friend and in as level a voice as she could manage she hesitated before she gently persuaded Applejack that she was needed to keep an eye on Ponyville while she searched for the vampire...
After watching her return home to take her sister to Rarity’s, Twilight carried on whittling stakes until she had a sufficient stockpile then fetching a sturdy set of saddlebags from the shed she packed them away and set off for the library again.
But before she got too far the sound of hooves running behind her made her turn, surprise etched itself into her face as Applejack skidded to a halt in front of her.
“Applebloom isn’t in her room and ah can’t find her anywhere!!!”
More hooves sounded behind her from the direction of Ponyville and Twilight turned once more to find Rarity breathless as she said in a panic…
“…Sweetie… …Bell… Not in… …Room!!!”
Twilight cursed loudly as she shook her head.
“Well with this many ponies to look for if I just keep going I’m bound to find one of them…”
Twilight followed by the two mares began their search with the farm and at quite the pace since the storm continued to build as the first drops of rain fell, Twilight felt uneasy…
There was something unnatural about that storm…