//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Vampirisim // by Wishes //------------------------------// The darkness of the night reached Ponyville. A clump of fog ran through the warm, misty air and fled into the starry night sky. Both fillies and foals were getting ready for bed, and most of the mothers were picking a bedtime story to read aloud to their young. Some ponies, however, were purposely wandering in the darkness, in the free all-you-can-eat-buffet known as the wilderness. And then there were the hunters. Pinkie Pie sighed; she was exhausted after the passing hours of babysitting for the Cakes. Her hooves were busy wiping up the twins' messes, her eyes focusing on the moon through the nearby window. Somehow, it was hypnotizing. Sure, Pinkie could take her eyes of it by force, but it seemed to have a beauty of its own; uniqueness that spread through Equestria. Just looking at it was a wonderful experience. "Pinkie, what you are doing?" A sudden voice made Pinkie take her eyes of the moon and its glow, turning to see who the owner of the voice was. Even if she already knew who it was. "Just wiping away your messes, Pumpkin!" Pinkie laughed warmly, blushing. Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake, the Cakes' twins, were finally old enough to talk, but only barely. Pinkie knew it was better to talk to them then to hear the basic foal talk, which, of course, she couldn't understand. Pumpkin, crawling in her adorable diapers, blinked her large, black eyes in response, giggling. "Oh!" Pumpkin responded. Pinkie Pie looked at her half-suspiciously, half-jokingly. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed, silly?" Pinkie could only hear giggles before the unicorn transported herself back to bed, before she could get caught by the pink foal sitter. Her hoof reached the towels again, and before she knew it, she had finished her work. "Ah," the earth pony looked up at the moon once again, smiling. There would be a time, she knew, when she had to leave the two ponies she loved so much individually. Of course, she had other friends, but these twins had something special about them. Something she couldn't put her hoof on. "'Bout time I got to bed," Pinkie muttered to herself, glancing at a nearby clock. With exactly five ponies living in the corner bakery, she knew it was best to read a short story to them and go to sleep; Work was ahead of her, she knew, and Mr. and Mrs. Cake liked it when she was decent and just went to bed at a normal time. After all, she shouldn't take advantage of the nicest employees in the world. Pinkie put away the cloths to the dishwasher for tomorrow's cleanup, and flung her frilly pink apron on a coat rack by the door. Her hoof fell onto the first step of the stairs, the way to her upstairs bedroom, eyeing everything to make sure it was cleaned properly. She liked to surprise the Cakes with the nicest house possible, even if she didn't get any pay for foal sitting the twins that she loved oh so much. Hoof steps echoed through the upstairs hallway as Pinkie made it to the last step. In the darkness, it seemed dark and eerie, especially if unknown shadows danced across the walls like it did when Pinkie started foal sitting, but in the light it was the happiest place in the world, with the sun's reflection gleaming through the windowpane on the far end of the hallway. The twins' room was always easy to find, even with the many doors in the hall. Once somepony came up the stairs, they would come face-to-face with the twins' room. Pinkie nudged the door open, as it was always unlocked; the twins were lying quietly in their cribs, though Pinkie doubted they were really asleep. Her hoof entered the room, the noise echoing through the delicate walls. This was no expensive, luxury house; it was a bakery, and costs for such a house were still tough to pay. She, Pinkie, had a low income, but enough to pay for what she needed. The Cakes fed her, offered her shelter, warmth, and protection; they did anything real, loving parents would do to their children, ever since she was a filly. Her past? She didn't like to talk about that. "Which little foals would like me to read a bedtime story to them?" Her high-pitched voice sprung loud and clear, as it always did, on the edge of laughter. The twins, automatically, opened their eyes and hopped up from their blankets, nodding their head like playful puppies. The party pony giggled, and sat in a chair by their cribs, glancing at Pumpkin and Pound. "Me!" Pumpkin shouted. "Me!" Pound Cake replied. "Alright! Why don't you choose a story this time?" "YAY!" Pound and Pumpkin Cake yelled, happily. Pumpkin and Pound Cake shared a few glances. Then Pumpkin nodded, as if they were communicating to each other by thought. Pound Cake spread his vanilla-colored wings and flew to the bookshelf, using the entire young foal's strength to pull out a brownish book from the bookshelf on the east wall. He was back in his crib soon enough, though, holding up the book he had fetched. Pinkie just laughed warmly, and held the book in her hoof, reading the title aloud. "Snow White and the Seven Dragons, huh?" the earth pony smiled. It seemed to be their favorite book of all the books in the bookshelf; they didn't mind hearing it read over and over again to them. It was her favorite book, too, when she was a filly. Of course, it was delightfully funny and breathtakingly dramatic, but that's not exactly why she liked it. She liked it because it reminded her of her own past. The twins nodded without hesitation in response. Their big, round eyes, were wide open. The party planner smiled again. "Once upon a time there was a princess, with a coat as white as snow and eyes as red as wine," Pinkie read smoothly, following the story's exact words, glancing every so often at the twins, who were usually blinking at her, emotionless, waiting and listening patiently. They always reminded her of her as a filly. Soon she was halfway through the story, which was purposely short. The writing always made a vivid moving picture go on in her head. "The evil unicorn disguised herself as an old pony, and went to Snow White's cottage with an apple, half-dipped with poison!" Pinkie Pie made a sarcastically scary face, which made the twins laugh. "Witch! Witch!" Pound exclaimed. It seemed to Pinkie that the Witch was Pound's favorite character in the story. Pumpkin's favorite character was, of course, the princess. Suddenly, Pinkie was done with the story, the time passing so quickly to her. Eyeing the twins, they were softly snoring; she simply kissed the twins goodnight, and exited the room. Slam! 'Oh! The Cakes are here!' Pinkie thought, 'I better go meet them before I go to bed!' Pinkie walked down the staircase carefully and steadily. She could see the Cakes putting their coats on the coat rack from the top of the stairs. They didn't notice her yet, but they would after they finished their process. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" Pinkie Pie giggled, not to softly though not to loudly. The Cakes turned to see their fellow baker, smiling. "Hello! Are the twins sleeping?" Mrs. Cake asked, whispering carefully. Pinkie Pie nodded. "Oh! You should go to bed, though." Mr. Cake said hesitantly, "You need sleep! Tomorrow's a big day ahead of us, and we need to be prepared for the deserts!" "Alright!" Pinkie Pie bounced upstairs into the familiar hallway. The party pony's room was next to the window, on the right side. She took no rush in arriving there, of course, but she was tired. The moonlight gleamed through the hallway, and Pinkie had to force her eyes to the door, pushing it open with her nose. It was like always; a bed, basic yellow boards on the floor. Her eyes were focused on the bed, and she easily bounced onto it. Gummy was sleeping in his own bed, so all was in order. But Pinkie Pie felt something odd. The blankets were soft, but there was something on top of it, Pinkie noticed. Bouncing off her bed, she saw a hoof written note. The party pony gulped. "N-nightmare M-moon?"