“What the hay?! What the hay is that?!” Emerald Edge scooped up a sword than one of the guards had dropped and stood between the vampire and her friends on the wagon. “Golden Nugget, get your family and run!”
Emerald eyed him closely, knowing how fast he could move. It had gotten awfully cold and unfortunately, the cold seemed to be affecting her joints. If he were to attack now, she didn’t know if she could get out of the way in time.
“Wait, no, don’t hurt him, Em!” Honeygold ran over to her and stood between her and the monster. “This is my friend, the one Ah’ve been tellin’ ya about!” She turned to the vampire. “Omul, these are my friends from Canterlot. Em, this is Omul Bates. He’s a vampire.”
Emerald eyed the bloody fangs and the wings. “I can tell.”
Omul snorted out a piece of meat from his mouth, then as Emerald watched, he slowly began to turn back into his human form. “So this is the famed Emerald Edge, Knight of the Round Table. I have heard much about you from the young one. Let us say nine of her ten stories are about you.”
“You are friends… with a vampire?” Emerald didn’t let go of her weapon. “And why the hay did it get so cold?”
“Oh, you have to forgive me for that.” Omul wiped a hand across his bloodstained mouth, which was a sharp contrast against his pale white skin. “Vampires exude cold. As to why, I do not have an answer for you.”
“Ah’ve never really been that pleased my daughter’s been friends with a vampire, but…” Golden Nugget gave him a careful pat on the shoulder. “Thank ya for what you’ve done tonight. Ah still can’t believe vampires are real, even till today, seein’ ya in action.”
“Most people do not.” Omul grinned and nodded. “And tis nothing. I would never let them harm my little friend, now would I?”
Honeygold beamed up at him and chuckled. “No ya wouldn’t. See, Em? He’s a nice fella.”
Suddenly, Omul Bates’ head flicked to the side and he growled at the treeline. Moon Tide walked out from it, her hands raised to gesture that she meant no harm.
“Moon Tide! Ah, the mage is with us. You can trust her,” Emerald quickly told the vampire before he could decide to murder her.
“A real living vampire…” The mage stepped closer. “Why, I never thought I would ever get to see one. You are not from around here, are you?”
Omul shook his head. “I am from Trotsylvania, all the way from Kievan Horse.”
“Far from home indeed. What brings you to Canterlot?”
“I just wanted a new life. To start over. I had feasted on my fair share of humans,” Omul said in his strong accent. “But no more. Let us say I do not enjoy being hunted. Honeygold here has shown me there is more to life than hiding and stealing food.”
Emerald nodded and went to untie her friends in the wagon. It was nice to know that not all monsters were bad, but it was a strange circumstance nonetheless.
Posey was the first to rouse, rubbing at the back of her head as she blinked rapidly. “Em? What happened? Where did the guards go? Why is it so cold?”
“Long story. Could you help me with the others? I think tis time we left. More guards could be coming.”
As Posey helped with waking and untying the others, Emerald approached the Apple family. “Tis not safe here. Not for you. Come with us.”
Golden Nugget and Apple Bean were clustered around Honeygold. “So it’s true then. Sir Morn really has turned evil.”
Emerald nodded solemnly.
“We understand we ain’t gonna be safe here in Avalon… but what about our farm? We cannot just leave it. Farmin’s been in our family for since as long as we can remember.”
Emerald couldn’t help but sympathize with the Apples. She was asking them to leave behind everything they had ever known, all for a chance of stopping Morn. But if they stayed, surely more soldiers would come.
Then there was the sound of someone’s throat clearing.
“Ahem. ‘S all right, Apple Bean, Golden Nugget.”
Everyone turned to see who had spoken. Approaching from the west were a whole horde of farmers, carrying torches and pitchforks. Moon Tide’s lip lifted in a snarl and she stepped back into the shadows, as did Omul Bates.
“We came over cuz we heard a big ruckus,” A short farmer wearing a brown tunic and carrying a torch said. “But it looks like ya took care of it. Listen, over all th’ time Emerald and her friends have been here, we’ve been talking about what to do. An’ we agree. Yer Emerald’s friends too, an’ if y’all stay, it won’t be safe. So ya need to skedaddle outta Avalon real quick. Don’t worry none about the farm. We’ll take look after it while yer gone.”
“Apple Root…” Golden Nugget said, tears welling up in his eyes. “We can’t ask you to do that.”
Apple Root shook his head. “Nugget, yer like my brother. Hay, y’all are family so long as we’re concerned. Family looks out f’r one another , you know? So hurry and get goin’.”
Omul nodded. “He speaks the truth, parents of Honeygold. I will stay and defend Avalon as best I can.”
“Defend? You?” Apple Root tapped on his belly. “Son, ya don’t even have a pitchfork and ya ain’t a seasoned farmer like us. How are ya supposed to fight off the Canterlot guard all on yer own? Why, mighty chilly tonight, ain’t it?” He shivered.
“Oh, ya can trust Omul, Mister Root. He’s very good at defendin’ himself. And others.” The young farmer girl gave him a wink.
“Well, if ya say so. Good to have you have our backs, Mister Omul.” Apple Root shook the vampire’s hand.
“Likewise.”
“Right. If that’s done, it’s about time we go pack.” Apple Bean grabbed her husband’s and daughter’s hands. “We’ll meet ya back here at the cabins shortly.”
As everyone began to disperse, Emerald went to be with her friends, who were mostly still reeling from being taken captive, especially Jewel Pin.
“They got my clothes all dirty!” she wailed, pulling at her purple hair. “What am I supposed to do now? It’s all over!”
“You brought more clothes, did you not?” Posey adjusted her bandana and frowned at her.
“Yes, but this piece of clothing is ruined!”
The archer rolled her eyes and called Gabriel to her arm, giving him a nuzzle on the head.
“We almost got caught and all you can think about is your clothes?” Spectrum sounded dumbfounded.
“As a seamstress, tis important to represent yourself well.” Jewel Pin held her chin high and huffed.
“If it makes you any happier, you may go wash them in the lake right now,” Posey said, at her wit’s end with this woman.
“I think I shall.” Jewel Pin went to her bags and grabbed a similar looking dress from it. “I shall be by the lake.”
Posey blinked a few times as she stomped off. “I wasn’t… being serious.”
Spectrum Song shrugged to her, then turned and slapped Guard Streak on the arm. “And Streak, come on! You were asleep on guard duty. You didn’t see them coming!”
“I-It’s not m-my fault!” The other squire waved his hands wildly. “Um, maybe just a little…”
“If we didn’t have that vampire, we would be on our way back to Canterlot and probably be executed by sundown tomorrow.”
The male squire rubbed his head sheepishly. “Yes, I-I s-suppose it is my fault. I’m s-sorry…”
“Tis not all your fault, squire.” Posey allowed Gabriel to fly back into the air. “I had also failed to defeat them in combat. I am part to blame.”
“Enough with trading blame about.” Emerald sighed and stepped in between all of them. “The attack is over. We have won. What happened is no longer important. What matters if moving on from here and learning from our mistakes, yes? Streak, be more alert when on duty. The rest of us will have to just get better at open and hidden combat.”
“Spoken like a true knight.” Light Speckle dusted her robes and rubbed at her wrists where she had been tied. “Nightfall and I will try our best to help out as well. We may not be combat trained like the rest of you, but we might be able to hold our own with a little magic.”
“As will I.” Moon Tide placed a hand on her chest. “But alas, I am only traveling halfway. Morn cannot know that I am with you. I must return to Canterlot before the Coltcasus Mountains. It would break his heart to know what I am doing… against him.” The mage looked away disappointedly.
“I can never imagine what it’s like to have a son lose sight of what he is…” Emerald gave Moon Tide’s hand a squeeze.
The mage looked at her and shook her head. “No, but you do understand what it is like to have someone you love turn to the dark.”
Emerald sighed. She did.
“Hay, I do not understand them both.” Spectrum put her fists on her hips. “But I do know we need to stop him and return Canterlot to its former glory.”
“Right.” Emerald looked to the distance. The sun was still down and the moon did little to illuminate the night. “We are all packed, yes?”
“With the exception of ourselves, yes.” Nightfall pretended to check something off a list with her hands. “We just need to wait for the farmers.”
“And Jewel Pin,” Posey added with an exhale.
“And Jewel Pin.” Emerald laughed and looked in the direction of the lake and wondered how the seamstress was able to see through the darkness, much less wash her dress. “We’ll leave as soon as everyone is ready. I just hope with us gone, Canterlot won’t send any more soldiers to Avalon. It’s not their fault that they’ve been taken over by magic, and I don’t want anyone getting killed.”
Posey made a small noise. “I hope we can put everything right without unnecessary bloodshed. But I have this bad feeling that before this is over, blood will be spilt. I just hope it’s not any of ours.”
The former pegasus looked at the rest of her friends and nodded. These were all good friends. She’d already lost some when they had attempted to escape Canterlot. She didn’t want to lose anymore.
“All set, Em!” Honeygold returned from the darkness, carrying a little sack over one shoulder. The young girl’s parents soon appeared too, with larger sacks. “So when are we headin’ out?”
“Now all that’s left is Jewel Pin.” Posey sighed and slung her bow over her back. “I shall go find her. That is, if she hasn’t drowned by accident yet.”
With a whistle, Gabriel glided down on her arm and they went off in the direction of the lake together.
“Omul’s real nice, ain’t he?” Honeygold looked at them all excitedly. “He’ll take good care of the place while we’re gone.”
“Where’d you even meet a vampire?” Spectrum squeezed her cheeks together. “To even be friends with a monster is really amazing!”
“He ain’t a monster,” Honeygold clarified. “Not when ya get to know him.”
“Honeygold is right.” Emerald gave the farmer girl’s head a gentle rub. “He just saved us all tonight. A friend of Honeygold is a friend of mine.”
“S-She’s right.” Guard Streak nodded.
“I suppose.” Spectrum clapped Honeygold on the shoulder. “Well done, making such a good friend in a vampire.”
Once Posey had retrieved Jewel Pin, whose dress was still dripping water, Emerald Edge gathered the rest of her group and just as the first light of dawn began to peek over the hills, they were all ready to leave Avalon.
Golden Nugget and his family waved their goodbyes to the rest of the farmers, who had gathered to see them off. Omul didn’t show up, but Honeygold said he didn’t like the sunlight and went on to explain to her friends that vampires don’t burn in the sun like the old tales said, but they just don’t see very well in daylight.
“So all those fairytales are just nutcrackers?” Spectrum pulled at her multicolored hair. “My mother has been lying to me all this time! I wonder just how real the other monsters are now.”
“We-well, vampires are sti-still real,” Guard Streak reminded. “They are just not th-the same as the stories say.”
With most of the group on horseback (The Apples had brought along Joey and Springer) and the rest of them in the carriage, Emerald waved goodbye to the island of Avalon and its bountiful orchards and friendly caretakers. She hoped that she would be able to come back some day.