Vamp Pinkie.
Part 10: One Last Chance to Escape.
…In a now familiar barn on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres…
Pinks demise had caused Twilight to break out in a furious explosion of foul language at the now silent Applejack; the farm pony was sat by the pile of ash that up until moments ago had been a somewhat living being.
Pinkie Pie tried her best to explain what had happened but in her saddened state and breaking under the pressure, she couldn’t get through to Twilight who after exhausting her repertoire of expletives had gone silent too.
“Twilight…”
“She said it was for the best, Fluttershy’s going to be OK… …Right Applejack???”
Applejack responded by giving a half hearted nod and an ‘Eeyup’ but her tone was less than hopeful.
“Twilight… Did you find the girls…? Tell me their OK… Please.”
“I’m sorry… …But their gone.”
“All three…?”
Applejack stayed sat but as the silent tears fell her trembling frame was engulfed by a confused and frightened Pinkie Pie.
Twilight watched the pair cry for a moment and then left, her last real hope gone she headed back to her home an idea had come to mind and she was in a hurry.
“Where’s Rarity?”
Applejack had surfaced from her grief momentarily as she registered the absence of the white mare.
Twilight turned and before she disappeared she said quickly.
“I left her at the clubhouse; she was too upset to help me find Fluttershy.”
“Y’all went and left her alone… There… With the…”
Applejacks surprised and furious tone was lost to the winds as Twilight was long gone by the time she’d spoken.
Knowing her friend needed her motivated Applejack and as she convinced Pinkie Pie to stay out of the storm she went into it, her course clear.
It seemed to take ages for her to make the short distance across the farm, every hoof step as reluctant as her determination was to drive each one forward.
Her hooves met the ramp and her eyes the smashed door ahead of her, the choked cries from inside gave her a notion of the horror ahead.
Applejack took a second to adjust her eyes in the dim light of a broken oil lamp sat on a stool that had some how barely survived the destruction of the rest of the interior of the clubhouse.
Three small forms lay underneath torn curtains next to which sat Rarity who was inconsolable, in the end Applejack managed to get her to move from her vigil and guide her through the storm to the barn.
Upon returning and letting Rarity and Pinkie Pie share their grief for a while Applejack spoke, her voice firm and her mind made up.
“Ah got to find Fluttershy, and I don’t reckon Twilight should be left to her own devices neither.”
The two crying ponies stared in fear at the thought of her leaving, Rarity who knew nothing of Fluttershy’s resurrection and Pinks sacrifice feared for her friend Applejacks safety.
“Ah will be fine ah promise, look just sit a while, ah will be back… …Ah Pinkie promise.”
After completing a rather sombre Pinkie promise ritual she headed out for Ponyville, problem was she had no clue where exactly to start and couldn’t finish that thought as she knocked for six after being hit by a cyan colored mare that came from the sky.
Picking her self up and shaking her mane out of her face as best she could Apple jack stared down at the exhausted but smiling Rainbow Dash.
Unable due to the wind to make a single coherent sound Applejack pointed her hoof towards the town as Dash gave her a confused look as she glanced in the direction of the farm.
Applejack shook her head and pointed once again towards Ponyville, this time Dash just shrugged and followed as best she could as her tired aching body soldiered on.
Twilight had already made it back to town and after finding Fluttershy unconscious but breathing still in the bedroom where she’d been when Twilight had run away.
After sparing a cold moment to reflect on their passing Twilight ignored the pair in bed as she bent over Fluttershy and to her astonishment she was not only breathing but alive?
With no sign of fangs either Twilight noticed as she stared into the open mouth of a lightly breathing twitching softly Fluttershy.
Twilight was flummoxed but it didn’t take long for her to hypothesize several possible reasons for this.
Making sure the yellow mare was OK but stricken in her collective grief and agony, on auto pilot she left the scene and made her way across town to the ruined place she still considered home Twilight noticed some unusual lightning in the sky among the raging storm.
After only moments of study it was obvious at least to her that pink lightening was definitely not normal and certainly not when it seemed to be striking only her tree home…
Upon reaching her door whilst dodging the increasing bolts of pink lightening Twilight quickly looked through the broken window only days before she had traveled backwards out of.
“Uh… Twilight, why’s your house being hit with so much lightening…?”
Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash and Applejack both made their way to her through the electrified assault course.
“Grrr… What are you two doing here…?”
“Ah came to check on Fluttershy… And you…”
“She’s fine… I’m fine… Now get out of here.”
“What’s going on Twilight…?”
“The portal or doorway to the other realm is opening… Something is trying to get through…”
Applejack and Dash both jumped as Twilight ducked at the sound of an explosion followed by a popping sound.
Raising their heads up to window the three mares watched as the circle burned into the floor raged with magical fire, from which emerged two Pegasus ponies.
The first was a mare wearing a dark parody of the Wonderbolts uniform, her coat was yellow and her mane was the color of fire.
The second was a stallion with a powder blue coat and dark blue mane; he too wore the same uniform but the way he hesitated when she looked at him left the mares with no doubt who was in charge.
Sinking back down behind the windowsill the three were quiet until Rainbow Dash spoke the obvious.
“Um Twilight… Why is there two Wonderbolts in your library… …Twilight…?”
Dash and Applejack watched as Twilight stormed through her front door and confronted the pair.
“Who are you …?”
Applejack and Dash rushed to stand beside their friend as the two newcomers turned to face her.
“I am Twilight Sparkle… …This is my home so explain yourself.... State your business.”
The two ponies shared a glance and a smirk before the mare with a flaming mane stepped forward her companion followed suit stopping a respectful distance behind.
“Librarian huh…? Well I’m none of your business and so is he…”
As the mare sneered her lip curled and the tip of a petite looking fang poked out from underneath.
Twilight gasped as she spotted it and before she could react the flaming mare launched herself at her, knocked to the ground catching her unprepared Twilight cried out as the mare brought her hooves down.
The flaming mares hooves left hoof prints in the floor of the library inches from where Twilight's head had been, looking down Twilight smiled at Rainbow Dash who stared up at her from the end of her tail.
Applejack had bucked the stallion the moment Twilight had gone down but she was taken out by the fiery mare that was too quick for her.
Dash tackled her but as they rolled to the ground another blast of magic tore through the room emanating from the magic circle scorched into the floor by Twilight’s original spell.
As she focused Twilight’s eyes fell upon the Necroponycon only hoof steps away from her face
It hit Twilight in a flash, if they came through the magic circle… Then they could be sent back through…
“Get them into the circle!!! It’s our only hope!!!”
Applejack and Dash both struggling with the mare grunted in acknowledgment and began kicking and beating her towards the circle as Twilight summoned the book towards her.
As the librarian opened the book mid air with her magic she found the spell she was looking for then connecting with the winds of magic at work in the room she interrupted the flow of the spell, binding it to her control.
Twilight could feel the weight of power that consumed every fiber of her being as she wrestled with the sheer scale of the spell.
But as she followed the magical link to the other world in her mind; she felt the dark magic controlling it from the other side, barely managing to keep it together as she fought a tide of magic.
Applejack and Dash forced the mare into the circle and rolled the stallion in also and stepped back, Twilight gave the pair a weak smile as she too stepped into the circle.
“Twilight what are you doing…?”
Applejack shouted but too late as Twilight disappeared into the raging magic tears in her eyes, there was a bright flash and then it petered out until the room was dark and the sounds of the storm started to dissipate.
For a moment all was still and quiet as the two mares embraced and wept, in only a few days their lives had been turned upside down, as Applejack pulled back from Dash she knew there was plenty to be done…