//------------------------------// // Chapter 13: The Vampire Brothers // Story: Equestria Ninja Girls: The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge // by RainbowRaptorDash1 //------------------------------// The Crusaders came back, smelling fresh as new. "You three okay?" Jack asked. "Definitely better." Sweetie Belle sighed in relief. "The Vampire Brothers live close by. Follow me." Aria said. "Vampires?" Scootaloo noted. "Relax, they're Jack's most loyal and dedicated followers. I've seen those four follow Jack's orders without question." Aria informed as she caught a rat. "I was just surprised. That’s all." Scootaloo responded as she and everyone entered the house but it was deserted. "Something’s wrong here." "The coffins are empty." Aria said as she was eating the rat. "Uh, I find it weird that the furniture here are actually coffins. But what the hey. It’s Halloween Town, lots of twists and turns, right?" Rainbow Dash responded as Mikey found a note on a nearby table and read it. "Jack, I found something!" Mikey informed. "What’s this?" Jack wondered. "Oogie trapped us in our bat forms. Find us and return us to our coffins." Aria read. "Whoa! Maybe I can help with that." Scootaloo volunteered. "Use a Vampire to find a Vampire." Apple Bloom realized as Scootaloo turned into a bat and used her echolocation to find one of the Vampire Brothers. "One's right outside." Scootaloo informed. "Alright, then let’s go." Apple Bloom declared as everyone found a green and black bat flying around in a panic. "Guys, be careful. He’s a little disoriented, so he might attack you." Scootaloo warned while still in her bat form as Jack gently grabbed the bat, but it started to panic. "Calm down. We're your friends." Aria said as Jack struggled to hold him while they brought him inside. "Feisty, isn’t he?" Mikey quipped as Jack placed him into the bed-shaped coffin, and when Jack closed the coffin with the bat in it, mist came out of the coffin before the bat re-emerged as a vampire. "…Aaah. At last I’m my old self!" The Eldest Vampire said. "You okay?" Aria asked in concern. "What happened?" Jack added. "My brothers and I opposed Oogie’s plan. We told him this isn’t the Halloween you wanted. So he tricked us and trapped us in our bat form. Sorry, Jack. While I was a bat I couldn’t recognize you, Aria or the others." The Eldest Vampire "It's fine. You probably just thought we were Oogie's monsters." Aria assured himself. "Are your brothers stuck as bats too?" Jack noticed. "Yes, but I’ll need help finding them. Ohhh, my strength…" The Eldest groaned in exhaustion. "Easy. When was the last time you ate?" Pinkie asked. "You look undead tired. You should rest. We’ll find your brothers." Jack said. "For generations, we vampires have been entrusted with the keys to the Mayor's house. Take mine." The Eldest responded as he gave Aria his piece of the key. "Pinkie, stay here and guard the brothers. Lock the door behind us and don't let anyone in but us." Jack ordered. "Got it." Pinkie replied as Jack and the rest of the ninjas left before Scootaloo screeched again. "Got another one and he isn't alone." Scootaloo informed. "Thanks for the heads-up, Scoots." Rainbow Dash said in gratitude as everyone rushed and hid at a large number of Oogie's skeletons. "Rainbow Dash..." Jack started to request as he pointed to the Ogre Skeletons among them. "On it." Rainbow Dash responded as she became intangible and dove into the Ogre. "Let’s do this!" Rainbow Dash declared as she took control and started destroying the skeletons. "Soul Robber!" Jack shouted as he used his Soul Robber to latch onto the bat as the carnage happened. "Let’s get you back to your coffin." Unfortunately, the Bat's screech alerted the Skeletons. "Uh-oh." Mikey dreaded. "We better hold them off until Jack comes back." Aria suggested. "Agreed. Scootaloo, go with them." Apple Bloom said. "On it." Scootaloo responded as she and Jack fled while the others held them back. "Pinkie, open the door!" Jack shouted. "Got it!" Pinkie replied as the duo scrambled in while the door closed. "I heard the commotion from here." Pinkie noted. "Ran into trouble." Scootaloo informed as Jack placed the bat in the next coffin. When the coffin closed, most came out of it as the elder vampire brother cam out. "Here Jack… take this piece of the key…" The Elder said as he gave Jack the second piece of the key. "Thanks. Rest easy now." Jack responded as Scootaloo screeched again, this time it took longer to find. "Man… throat’s starting to get sore." Scootaloo groaned, putting a wing claw on her throat in ache. "Sorry. But did you find the next one?" Jack asked. "Yeah, but it’ll be hard to get there." Scootaloo answered. "Lead the way. We'll get the others along the way." Jack added. "Okay." Scootaloo responded as she lead the way and the others caught up, before they arrived in a makeshift arena with the bat, caged up. "Well that explains a lot." Scootaloo noted as an arm sprung out and grabbed Aria's tail. "Gah! What the?!" Aria gasped with a blush. "Ambush!" Rainbow Dash shouted as Aria whipped her tail, defeating whoever was on it. "Don’t touch my tail!" Aria hissed before a skeleton grabbed Sweetie Belle and tried to crush her. "HELP!!!" Sweetie Belle screamed before Jack sliced the skeleton in half. "Forget about skeletons. Get the bat!" Jack urged as Rainbow Dash became intangible and grabbed the bat. "Double time it, people!" "Alright!" Aria responded as Sweetie Belle switched to her Halloween Town form. "Catch me if you can, boys!" Sweetie Belle taunted as she rode away on her undead horse, with the skeletons chasing after her, forgetting the others "Everyone inside!" Jack shouted. "Right!" Aria said as she and everyone else plowed in. "Third coffin over there." Pinkie informed as Jack put the bat in the coffin and closed it, before mist leaked out of it as the Younger Vampire emerged. "Here, Jack. We’re counting on you and your friends." The Younger said as he gave Jack his piece of the key. "Good night, and unpleasant dreams." Jack responded as Scootaloo screeched one last time. "Hmm… the last vampire’s real far." Scootaloo noticed. "Lozenge?" Pinkie offered. "Thanks." Scootaloo said in gratitude as she took the lozenge and put it in her mouth before Sweetie Belle came back from distracting the skeletons. Soon, everyone found the last bat in the sewers. "You gotta be kidding me!" Sweetie Belle groaned in annoyance. "Just grab it before another ambush happens." Mikey suggested. "Understood." Jack responded, but when he grabbed the bat, the announcement alarm went off. "NOW WHAT?!" Aria hissed. "Nothing good." Jack noted "My dearly abhorred denizens of Oogie Town! Thanks to my own diabolically ingenious thinking, I have decided to become ruler of not only Oogie Town but all the holidays as well. We will soon be able to celebrate “Oogie Boogie Day” seven days every year! Preparations have already been made. I will go secure the final remaining holiday myself. After all, I have a debt to repay. Soon I shall be the Seven Holidays King, so stay tuned! Ba ha ha ha ha!" Oogie laughed as the announcement turned off.. "Please, don't haunt me anymore." Pinkie whimpered. "Do not let past fears control you, Pinkamena." A familiar voice advised as Pinkie looked and saw Master Splinter. "M-Master Splinter?!" Pinkie stammered in surprise. "I understand your childhood demon is tormenting you." Master Splinter sympathized. "R-Really?" Pinkie asked. "He has no real power over you. Your fear is what gives him power." Master Splinter said, making Pinkie freeze at that realization. "The power a bully has is what you give them." "Master Splinter’s right about that, Pinkie." Rainbow Dash agreed as Pinkie looked again and Master Splinter was gone and her friends were back. "The... The last vampire brother?" Pinkie checked. "Right here." Aria answered. "Oh." Pinkie noted as Jack put the last brother in the coffin. As the coffin close, mist came out of it before the Youngest Brother emerged. "This is the last piece." The Youngest said as he gave the final piece to Jack. "Thanks." Aria responded in gratitude as the other three brothers emerged, having rested well. "You guys feel better?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Yes. And now the way to the Mayor’s house has been opened to you, my friends. We have to tell you about Oogie’s plan. He used his henchmen to abduct the other Holiday Leaders." The Eldest started to explain. "So that announcement wasn't just hot air?" Apple Bloom realized. "Not in the slightest. They dragged the holiday leaders here, then took away the Holiday Doors so the leaders couldn’t return to their own words. Lock, Shock and Barrel then hid the doors in each area of the town so they wouldn’t be discovered." The Elder continued the explaination. "When I get my hands on those three, it's suppertime!" Aria hissed in anger. "So the leaders of Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and the other holidays are being held prisoners somewhere in this town!?" Jack asked. "Precisely. Oogie’s plan is to take over the holidays and become the Seven Holidays Kings." The Younger answered. "Oogie's out of his mind!" Mikey dreaded. "The Seven Holidays King? This is intolerable!" Jack said. "First you all have to find the holiday doors. Otherwise, you won’t be able to return the leaders even if you find them. Take back those doors and find out where the leaders are being held." The Youngest finished the explanations. "You guys stay here. Barricade the door and don't let anyone in." Aria ordered. "Okay. Good luck, everyone." The Eldest responded as Jack and the ninjas exited the room with all four key pieces.