Cole looks at the ponies, “We need to go now, no questions.” He walks towards them, stopping to look at a changeling; he was alive and his heart was pounding against his chest, it sped up when Cole looked at him. The vampiric side of him wanted to drain him dry, make that annoying beating stop; but he didn’t. Cole looked away and kept walking. The bug pony’s heart slowed as he sighed in relief.
The ponies gave the room one last look; Luna noticed a few familiar faces as those of the guard or the noble ponies. They turned back to Cole and followed him out. Once they were outside more vampires were waiting for them. Cole looked at them angrily, grabbing his stake. Luna charged her horn with magic as did Twilight and Rarity, Pinkie pulled her cannon out of nowhere and Fluttershy hid behind them.
A single pony among the group stood out to the ponies, Shining Armor. He stood tall and proud before the assembled vampires, his eyes changed to the same red as Cole’s and the holes on his neck were still bleeding; they were fresh. He gave them a grin, revealing his fangs, “We can’t let you get in the way of Mary.” He charged his horn. Twilight took a step forward to say something but Cole’s stake stopped her.
“You can’t help him.” He said.
“But-“
“You can’t. We need to get to the castle. Rainbow Dash, go get me the biggest thundercloud you can.”
“I’m on it.” She saluted before shooting into the sky, leaving the rainbow streak. A few Pegasi followed her at a much slower pace.
“Don’t kill them, stall for time until Dash comes back with the cloud. And take those horses I mean ponies out of the sky.” Cole corrected himself. They nodded in acknowledgment. Twilight silently vowed that she would do everything she could to fix Shining armor and end this nightmare. “I’ll take Armor.” The conduit turned to the unicorn, what little lightning he generated now was sent entirely to the stake causing weak lightning to streak across it.
Shining chuckled, “Kill them.” The vampires charged and Cole waited as they closed in. Luna fired her magic at them, as did Twilight, the blasts finding their marks. Rarity punched them, promising to give herself a hooficure when this was over. Applejack turned and bucked them, sending the vampires soaring and into one another, Pinkie fired her confetti cannon and Fluttershy cowered behind them. Cole glanced at them as he fought; swinging the stake against several enemies, dodging shots from unicorns and attacking the Pegasi that flew at him.
Meanwhile Rainbow dash flew as fast as she could to get the nearest cloud, the vampires had trouble keeping up with her at their top speed. Mary knew, she smirked from where she was at the Castle courtyard and sent a message to destroy every storm cloud. The vampire Pegasi and Changelings at the weather factory obeyed and converted more ponies in front of the other workers. The factory went into a panic instantly; ponies were trying to escape their new fanged co-workers. The vamponies covered every exit, ponies screamed from the cloud building, many trying to fly out and get converted before they could reach a window. The screaming grew louder causing some Pegasi to become curious and went to investigate.
Chaos spread through Cloudsdale.
In the Everfree forest a few vamponies fed off the creatures before one stumbled across Zecora’s hut. He grew happy and sent Mary a message which she relayed to the others. Fresh pony blood. The zebra spotted him as more walked out of the bushes to join him, “Who are these ponies that venture so far into the Everfree?” she wondered aloud, eyes widening as more ponies arrived with Cockatrice in their jaws, hissing with delight, blood staining their muzzles. “Stop you Vamponies, for you shall not have me!” she shouted at them, galloping over to her potions and grabbing garlic.
----Changeling Hive----
Magic blasts flew across the battlefield along with confetti blasts; Cole was surprised Rarity was actually using her hooves with Applejack to fight off the vampires. The conduit himself took on the white unicorn alone, Shining told the other vampires to take care of the others. Cole was at a disadvantage this time due to being on ‘low battery’. Without his lightning he was forced to try getting in close to attack and having to dodge an attack, avoid a stray blast, or end up hitting a force field Shining put up. Cole was getting frustrated; deciding, yet again, that he has to wait for Rainbow to come back with the storm cloud if he wanted a chance at hitting the unicorn.
----Cloudsdale----
Rainbow dash flew through the weather factory as quickly as she could to search for a storm cloud big enough to help Cole, flying past a few vampony guards stationed around the interior. The vampires had done as they were told and destroyed every cloud the factory had and shut down the cloudmaker, many of them had left the building to turn more pegasi in the city. She stopped to rest for a second, “Buck! Why *pant* couldn’t they at least *pant* have left one cloud!?” She shouted in anger. A quick hiss from behind her cut her rest short and she took off again. She spoke to herself as she flew, “Okay Dash, remember when you worked for the factory…” She put her mind to it and remembered her first visit as a filly in flight camp; they were told how they made the clouds and several years later she was hired and was taught how to make thunderclouds. The opportunity made itself clear to her when she found a way to make clouds much bigger and she couldn't resist it. She had made a giant thundercloud as a prank and was kept away from the machine from then on, being put on the weather team for Ponyville where she soon became the manager. She remembered where the machine was. A smirk spread across her face as she barrel rolled away to avoid a vampire, it flew into the a pillar and slid down it. “Time to put that to use and make the biggest thundercloud Equestria has ever seen.” With renewed vigor she sped to the cloudmaker. The pegasi were catching up.
-----Everfree-----
Zecora was doing her best to keep the vampires at bay, using garlic cloves and her bamboo staff. The Vamponies were stunned by the garlic then knocked out of her hut by her staff. More crowded the hut and she did her best to keep them back; soon realizing that she would be trapped if she didn’t escape them and she knew it wasn’t any safer out in the open. She opted to take the first opening and gallop to Ponyville for safety and to warn them if they didn't already know. The vampires kept closing in on the hut and she kept fighting them off, staying vigilant for the opening she needed. Suddenly she hears a loud crack behind her and glances in time to see things falling from her back wall. They were trying to make a new entrance. Cracks were already forming, due to their enhanced strength, and she knew she had to hurry.
----Changeling hive----
They managed to take down many of the vampires, several of them tied up with confetti somehow and a few were just unconscious; either from Rarity and Applejack’s attacks, which left hoofprints on the vampires or from Twilight and Luna’s magic. They watched as Cole kept trying to get close enough to attack Shining. They wanted to help but knew the only thing they could do was wait for Dash to bring the cloud and keep the vampires that woke up or arrived stayed away from the conduit. Twilight grew worried about her multicolored friend. She was taking longer than the lavender unicorn had estimated, horrible thoughts flew through her mind of Rainbow getting turned, or drained entirely by the vampires. The other ponies watched as Cole continued trying to reach Shining, only to be deterred by a shield or diving aside to dodge a blast, Luna was firing at the flying pegasi vampires, knocking them unconscious and magically stopping their rapid descent to the hard ground as well. Twilight shook her head clear of any and all bad thoughts of what could have happened to Rainbow dash and charged her horn, as did Luna. Shining was laughing as he blasted Cole again, “You’re only stalling the inevitable MacGrath!”
“You need to snap out of it! She’s just using you!” Cole replied and Shining just laughed as a magic blast was shot at him, he used his magic to throw a changeling body into it. The changeling flew over his back from the hit but didn’t react. It was already dead, drained of blood by one of the many vampires. Twilight aimed her horn at him and he turned to her, “Twily! You wouldn’t attack your BBBFF would you?” he asked before putting up a shield to block Cole’s strike, which he saw through his peripheral vision. The conduit jumped away swearing while Twilight’s magic weakened slightly, Shining smirked before firing his own magic at her. Her eyes widened and she watched the blast close in; standing like a deer in headlights.
“Twilight!” the ponies shouted before Applejack pushed her away and took the blast; hitting the floor and skidding towards Luna. The alicorn stared at the orange pony in shock then turned to Shining, eyes glowing white from magic building up.
Shining smirked at her and blasted at Cole again to keep him at bay, “Luna you should really be getting back to the castle.” He put up a shield to finish, “Your dear sister is trying to fend off Mary and Chrysalis. From what my brethren tell me, Celestia won’t last much longer.” They all stare in shock and Luna looks to Cole.
“He’s right… That bitch just told me she plans to turn her. I can handle this, you go help Celestia.” He said and Luna scowled at Shining.
“Thou shall receive punishment when we return!” she threatened before teleporting away. Cole looked away for a second and was hit in the chest and fell onto his back. Looking down he saw the unicorn shadow streak to Twilight. She stared up at him, fear filling her eyes along with tears. He lifted her chin.
“You’ll be much safer with me and Mary when she rules Equestria.” He said, putting up a shield around them to keep Rarity and Pinkie out while Cole recovered. He smiled, revealing his fangs, the tips caked in dried blood.
“Shining please don’t do this! Fight Mary’s control, you know this is wrong.” Twilight pleaded. He chuckled darkly.
“Wrong?” he laughs, “All I know is that Mary wants you and your friends converted by me personally. Once she has the elements nothing will be able to stop her.” Pinkie was beating on the shield while Rarity was trying to wake Applejack. She was breathing though shallowly. Tears rolled down Twilight’s cheeks.
“I don’t know you anymore.” Her voice broke, “You’re not my brother… You're a monster.” It hurt him when she said that and she clearly saw the pain on his face.
“You’ll thank me soon enough.” He said before magically holding her hooves in place and tilting her head to get a clear view of her neck. Baring his fangs he brought his mouth to her jugular. The ponies watched in horror as Twilight's own brother was about to turn her into one of them.