Chapter 4
In a little tree house at Sweet Apple Acres, three little ponies huddled around a book titled Slumber 101: All you ever wanted to know about slumber parties but were afraid to ask.
"Next on the checklist," Sweetie Belle the unicorn announced "are makeovers."
Apple Bloom grinned widely and Scootaloo the Pegasus rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Cutie-Mark-Crusader-Hairdressers! Yay!"
"Aw man!" Scootaloo moaned, "We can't possibly get our cutie marks doing something that sappy!"
"We've got to try everything." Said Sweetie as she began to tie Apple Blooms tail into a braid.
"I really don't think our special talent is in braiding each others hair. It's just stupid!"
"What's the matter?" said Apple Bloom, smirking, "Afraid you'll like it?"
"I'm not afraid of anything!" Scootaloo yelled, flapping her wings up and down.
She stomped over to Sweetie Belle and sat down in front of her.
"Do your worst!"
Sweetie took a look at Scootaloo's hair. She hummed, contemplating the possibilities. She looked over one side. She shook her head. Maybe the other side? Nope.
"Your hair's too short. There's nothing I can do with it."
"Like I said, it was a stupid idea to begin with!"
As far as Scootaloo was concerned, the Cutie Mark Crusader's sleepovers were serious business. They weren't simply for the fun of staying over at a friend's house for the night, eating junk food and telling ghost stories. They were important meetings to help them to find their niche in society.
The final minute of sunlight ended. It was now dark, lit by the one flashlight. A wind began to sing as the branches of trees began to hiss.
The wind was like a whistle. But then, it sounded like a roar.
All of a sudden a Pegasus burst into the tree house. The filly's screamed and jumped back.
"Cutie Mark Crusader Necromancers." He said with an evil grin. "Yay."
With one swoop, Fallen grabbed the three children, who were screaming with hysterical terror and glided down to where Eclipse was waiting.
"Start putting them in chains!"
Eclipse used his unicorn magic to levitate chains. Apple Bloom first. An iron collar clamped around her neck. She tried to run, but Eclipse stomped his hoof on the end of the chain and she landed face down. Both vamponies laughed, as tears filled her golden eyes.
Suddenly, there was crack as loud as thunder and Eclipse flew ten feet through the air and slammed hard into the side of a tree, with a pained scream.
Fallen turned around in shock, only to be kicked in the face by a humongous red stallion.
Big Macintosh scraped his front hoofs and stood in front of the children. He galloped towards Fallen, as the Pegasus was picking himself up and hammered his fore hoofs down all over his body. Eclipse managed to get himself up and caught the stallion's eye. With one last stomp to Fallen's face Big Macintosh started after the unicorn who screamed, grabbed the chain attached to Apple Bloom's neck and ran like a bat from hell.
Macintosh gave chase and easily caught up. He slammed into Eclipse's side, knocking him over with devastating strength.
"Like pickin' on little ones huh?" the red horse stepped menacingly over to the frightened unicorn. If Eclipse were a human (or humanoid vampire in any case), he would have learned what shirt tails were for. Either way, it was a brown alert situation for him.
"Let's see how you like it." His hoof raised, ready to cave Eclipse's skull in.
Before the blow could connect, Punch Spike leapt from his hiding place and drove a pair of snake –like fangs into Macintosh's neck. The stallion roared in agony as blood was drained from his body. He thrashed about, trying to shake his assailant off. Punch held firm, but it took all of his strength to do so. Macintosh slammed him into a tree and broke free, just before slumping to the ground.
The three vamponies gathered around the giant red horse. Fallen had hold to Apple Bloom's leash. She ran to her brother and sobbed wildly, begging him to get up.
"What took you so long, Punch?" Eclipse screamed, "Look at the mess he made of my hair!"
"Oi! Don't you criticise me, Twi-Shite! You're the one who was off pulling birds while we were getting the casket to the castle!"
Big Macintosh, growled up at the terrible trio. He had a protective foreleg around the tear streaked Apple Bloom.
"Stop bickering guys." Said Fallen "Looks like you didn't quite drain enough blood from the oaf." He smiled his annoying, smug smile.
"Never mind. Time for a nightcap."
A flash of light erupted and a spark of magic smashed into him, knocking him over. Twilight, Pinkie, Rainbow, Apple Jack, Fluttershy and Rarity galloped at the three. Spike, riding on Twilight's back, was swinging a morning star around his head.
"Let my sister go, scumbags!" Apple Jack hollered.
Twilight and Rarity's horns started glowing and they fired more bolts of light towards the vamponies.
"Bugger!" snapped Punch "Leg it!"
He grabbed Apple Bloom, who yelped as more chains were wrapped around her and she was flung onto Punch Spike's back. The three vamponies thundered away with great speed, heading in the direction of the Everfree forest.
"I don't think so!" Rainbow screamed, opening her wings and shooting after the kidnappers like a bullet.
Fallen Angel saw her propelling towards them at super speed and somersaulted to change direction. He flew towards her, with his fangs shining in the moonlight. Rainbow swung her hoof and punched Fallen in the side of face, sending him crashing to the ground bellow and continued the chase. Rainbow wasn't just fast. She was good at fast.
Eclipse's horn glowed and all of a sudden, two skeletons dropped down from the trees and grabbed Rainbow, knocking her out of the air and pinning her to the ground.
Eclipse continued running, summoning more skeletons.
Rainbow snapped her wings open, knocking her captors off as more charged her. Apple Jack and Twilight caught up. Raging Apple Jack started kicking the skeletons to bits, Twilight used her magic to throw huge rocks at them, and Spike leapt off her back to smash them apart with his morning star.
Once the skeletons had been dispatched, Apple Jack and Rainbow Dash started again towards the forest.
"Oh no you don't!" Twilight yelled, snaring them with her levitating magic.
"Let me go, Twilight! They've got my sister!"
"Even if both of you went, what chance do you have? You'll be sitting ducks in that forest!"
Twilight let them go. They both landed softy on the ground.
"Besides. I think your brother needs help at the moment."
Apple Jack's green eyes widened into horrified orbs.
"Oh my gosh…" she gasped. Then she ran back to the farm.
Fluttershy was looking after Big Macintosh. The big red horse was breathing slowly as he lay on his side.
"It's okay." She said soothingly, "I'm a vet."
Normally, when you are injured and someone says that to you, it's a time to either panic or rip into them by comparing you to an animal. Of course, horses are animals anyway, so a vet was just as good as a doctor. Especially since this yellow Pegasus didn't walk with a cane or have stubble, or even a PSP. So he could at least be sure that her bedside manner was up to scratch.
"Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo!" Rarity called out "Where are you?"
"Rarity!" came a small voice. Rarity turned to see her sister timidly emerging from her hiding place. Her eyes were bloodshot from weeping. Behind her, Scootaloo trembled. Completely shell-shocked. Rarity galloped over to them.
Sweetie burst into tears and buried her face into her sister's side.
"Shhhh…" Rarity whispered, as she wrapped a foreleg around the sobbing foal and stroked her hair.
"Don't cry. Everything will be alright."
She wrapped her other foreleg around Scootaloo. She stood there just holding the two. They were frightened. Frightened of the kidnappers coming back. They were frightened at what happened to Big Macintosh and they were frightened for their friend Apple Bloom. They just stood their. Safe in Rarity's arms as the clean comforting sent of her perfume filled their noses.
Twilight and the others returned. Apple Jack ran over to Fluttershy and Big Macintosh. The latter looked up weakly at her.
"He's lost a lot of blood." Said Fluttershy. I've wrapped the wound, but he needs a transfusion. Pinkie's just gone to get the doctor."
Apple Jack bent down beside her brother. She nuzzled his nose.
Pinkie returned with the doctor. Spike helped Macintosh into the barn. He came out and rejoined the war meeting.
"Those vamponies have magic." Said Twilight "But I know a better one. Spike. Take this down."
She handed the dragon a quill and parchment.
"Dear Princess Celstia,
I now know beyond any reasonable doubt, that Vamponies have indeed invaded Ponyville. They have attacked a number of you citizens. They have kidnapped one of your younger subjects and I believe they are planning to sacrifice her to resurrect Count Dracalion, in the old Princess Castle in the Everfree forest. I request your permission to use the magic that will enable us to remove these vile creatures.
Yours with the greatest sincerity,
Twilight Sparkle."
Spike then breathed his magic green fire and teleported the letter away. A minute later, he burped up the Princess' reply. Twilight read it aloud.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Permission granted.
Princess Celestia.
Spike then became bloated and burped up six large orbs, bearing the same symbols as the six fillies' rump markings. The Elements of Harmony glowed with incredible magical light, floated to each of the six and melted into their cutie marks.
"Spike, you stay with Big Macintosh, just to be on the safe side."
"Got it!"
She then turned to the others.
"Come girls. It's vampire hunting season."