Chapter 3
Later on, Fluttershy was busy in the fields. It was feeding time for the critters.
"Hello, Mr and Mrs Lightfoot." She said to a pair of small rabbits with a trio of even smaller ones, "And how are we today?"
The rabbits chirped happily.
"How wonderful! Three new babies! Here are some carrots."
She fished out a bushel of carrots from her saddlebag and handed them out. One of the babies enthusiastically nuzzled up to her leg by way of thanks.
"Aw! You're welcome, little one!"
She gave the bunny a kiss on the top of the head and went on to the next set of animals.
Suddenly, heavy hoof steps and the rustling of bushes startled her into turning around. Fallen Angel emerged from the bushes.
"Fancy running into you here." He said with an arrogant grin.
"Oh, um, do I know you?"
He sniggered.
"You should. You were at my welcome party last night."
He took a step towards her.
"Handle's Fallen Angel. So, what's your name, beautiful?"
Fluttershy's cheeks glowed the same shade of pink as her mane. She stepped backwards.
"I-I-I…F-Fluttershy..."
Fallen rounded to her side, almost circling the blushing filly.
"Cute name." he said "Reminds me of this Shutter fly I once knew."
He was behind her now.
"P-p-please stop that. It's making me uncomfortable…"
With a low sadistic chuckle, he completed his circle and stood in front of her. He took another step forward.
"I-I don't like it."
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." He licked his lips. His eyes scanned her entire body. "Unless of course, you want me to…Agh!"
He suddenly flopped over and fell flat on his face.
Fluttershy turned with a start to her side at the sound of a rush of wind, that followed another pegasus landing next to her.
"Hey Flutters." Said Rainbow Dash, "This big jerk picking on you?"
Fallen rashly rose, bringing himself to his full height and glaring down at the two pegasi.
"Who do you think you are?! Kicking me in the back leg like that!"
"Oh that's funny!" said Rainbow, "I was about to ask you the same thing about getting up in a defenceless girl's face with that substitute for masculinity that you call a pair of wings!"
Normally any male horse who heard this insult (and Rainbow did use it on guys a lot), would have turned red with all the rage of damaged pride. Fallen's face didn't change from its pale colour to red, but his eyes and mouth were defiantly getting the message across that he was seriously pissed off.
"If my wings are a substitute for masculinity, then what the hell are yours?"
Rainbow's wings shot open to their full wingspan as a look of smug superiority covered her face.
"Bigger, for one thing!"
Fallen coiled, ready to pounce.
"You little…!"
Rainbow assumed the same pose.
"Oh, you want this to get violent, huh?"
They stood, staring at each other. Fallen scrapped dirt with his hoof, lent back to build momentum and then…
His jaw dropped and he turned around.
"Y-You're not worth fighting."
He opened his (embarrassingly) small wings and shot off like a rocket towards the Everfree forest.
"That's right! Run to mommy! What's the matter, scare of being beat up by a girl? You big chicken!"
After making a long series of clucking noises, the blue Pegasus turned to the yellow Pegasus.
"Are you okay, Fluttershy?"
She let out a breath of relief.
"I'm fine now. Thank you so much."
As Fluttershy looked at her rescuer, the world seemed to become a little brighter. Literally, as the sun came out from behind a very large cloud.
*-*-*
Twilight was in her study, browsing through the relevant material, when all of a sudden, she heard the front door opening downstairs. She looked down from the balcony and saw Twilight Eclipse entering. He was smug as ever and his sequins twinkled like a really bad Las Vegas magic show.
"Hello!" he hollered in his anoying sing-song voice, "Can I get some service?"
With a shudder, Twilight (Sparkle) closed her book and went down stairs.
"Ah hello again!" said Eclipse. I'm getting fed up of calling Eclipse by his forename. Nobody else did. Everyone called him Eclipse so I don't see why I shouldn't (though, whne I say everyone, that is everyone apart from Punch Spike who usually calls him "Twi-shite").
"I'm looking for books about Vamponies, where would I be able to find them?"
"Most likely in the horror fiction section. Over on that shelf."
He winked at her and trotter over to the shelf. After a moment's browsing his obnoxious voice violated the blissful silence.
"Oh dear. There doesn't appear to be any books on vampirism."
"Then they must have all been checked out."
He strutted back over to her.
"Any chance you can find out who checked them out? I'm sure an intelligent girl like you could find out."
Flattery will get you nowhere. Money probably could, if you happen to have a couple of thousand to spare, but flattery? Fat chance.
"I'm afraid that's confidential information. It's a little something called the data protection act."
He just sniffed. His nostrils flared up like a pair of hot air balloons.
"In that case, I'll just have another look through the bookshelves."
"Knock yourself out." She said, hoping that somehow he would literally do so as he went through the shelves.
It was at that moment that the door opened again and Sulky Swan came in. She tripped over her own loose horseshoe and bumped her head on the side of the door.
"That could have killed me!" she wailed "I'm going to sue!"
Twilight just rolled her eyes.
"Sure. And I bet it has nothing to do with the fact that your horseshoe isn't fastened on properly."
"How could you be so cold? My life's in shambles and I could have been killed just now! The least you could do is take some of the blame!"
Twilight groaned.
"Is there any particular reason you're here, or don't you have anything better to do than try for phoney lawsuits?"
Sulky pulled a book out of her saddlebag and threw it on the desk.
"I've brought this book back. It sucked by the way."
Then again, Sulky thought every book sucked.
And every animal in Equestria. They all sucked too.
Flowers sucked.
Trees sucked.
Rocks sucked.
Buildings sucked.
It was all suck, suck, suck, suck, suck with her.
But I digress, you're here to read about Twilight and friends fighting vampires, not some annoying new character's vacuum cleaner view of the world.
"Filly Chatterley's lover." Twilight read aloud, "This was due back two weeks ago. Four bits please."
Sulky turned red and her bloodshot eyes glowered at the sheer gall at asking her to pay a late fee.
"You have no sympathy at all! I can't help it if I'm a slow reader!"
"Rules are rules. Four bits or I'm going to have to discontinue your library card."
Sulky fell to the floor in a state of despair, as her ego began to crumble.
"Halt! I'll pay her fine!" came a loud cry. It was a cry filled with more ham than Ms Piggy's family reunion.
Eclipse glided along and placed four bits of currency onto the table.
Sulky was mesmerised. At long last, some pony was treating her with the respect she arrogantly thought she was entitled to, instead of begrudging her faith that the entire universe revolved around her. She gazed lovingly into Eclipse's yellow eyes, trying to convince herself that they were gold.
"Thank you. It's about time some pony offered me a bit of compassion."
She stared lovingly at him for a few seconds, and then she glared at Twilight.
"Do you mind? This is a private conversation."
The purple librarian just grinned.
"Oh I'm so sorry. But if it is private, which it so obviously is, why not actually take it somewhere privet?"
"Now, now." Said Eclipse, "Keep it up with that sarcastic tone and I may have to fight a dual for this filly."
"Oh, that can be arranged." Twilight smiled. "Oh Spike!" she sang sweetly.
"You bellowed?" asked the dragon, coming out from the kitchen.
With a deafening scream and a look of unparallel horror, Eclipse ran straight out of the library.
"Come back!" called Sulky, dashing after him "I want to ask what your favourite colour is!"
Twilight and Spike just watched the pale, uninteresting and undeniably annoying pair dart down the street.
"Is she a masochist?" Spike asked.
"Either that or she has daddy-issues."
The day's work was done, and the ponies made their way to the library. It was the hour that day and night briefly intersect. Twilight was sure that there was a specific name for this time of day, but she had more important things to focus on at the moment.
"Is every pony here?" Twilight asked. She counted her friends. "Wait a minute! My hoof went across in a straight line. Usually when I do a head count it my hoof goes up to compensate for a horn. Where's the horn?"
Rarity entered.
"The horn's fashionably late again!" laughed Pinkie.
"Dang it Rarity! You sure took your sweet time!" Apple Jack hollered.
Rarity raised her head, in that haughty dignified way.
"I'm sorry, but we agreed to meet here after work. I finished work a while before the rest of you, so I passed the time at the spa. I had a pimple from lack of sleep last night, for pity's sake! At least it was more constructive than just waiting around for every pony else for an hour!"
"Alright, alright, enough already." Twilight moaned "Can we just get on with it?"
Silence fell. Twilight, having their full attention, cleared her throat and told of her findings.
"Here is what I've discovered; every one hundred years, the forces of good mysteriously start to weaken. When that happens a ritual takes place to resurrect the king of the vamponies- Count Dracallon. In order to resurrect him, his minions need a virgin sacrifice, to pour hero blood over the soil from their native land of Ponyvania."
"Wait a minute!" said Apple Jack "Ponyvania is miles away! What are they doing over here?"
"Isn't it obvious? The citizens of Ponyvania are very suppositious. In case the legends are true, they evacuate the town around that time of the year. There's no virgin's for them to sacrifice, so the Vamponies have to look elsewhere."
"You mean…" Fluttershy stammered "*gulp*…here?"
"I'm afraid so. If Dracalion is resurrected, all of Equestria could be in serious trouble."
"Well," Rainbow Dash piped up, "If those losers are after a virgin sacrifice, then all we have to do, is lose our…"
"Don't be so disgusting!" Rarity shrieked.
"Besides," said Apple Jack tilting her head back, "Some of us have already lost it. I mean, I've been around the block a few times. It's not like I'm a little school filly who…school…"
She suddenly turned very white.
"Oh my stars…the little ones! Apple Bloom and her friends are having a sleepover in their tree house tonight!"
"Oh no!" Rarity screamed "Sweetie Belle! And Scootaloo!"
The two ran towards the Apple orchard, with the others in hot pursuit.