//------------------------------// // Impossible // Story: The Legend of Spike: Dracula // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// A bunch of impatient and confused foals and teenaged ponies were gathered outside the front doors of Ponyville’s schoolhouse. Some sat with bored expressions on the steps while others paced back and forth. A pink young mare with a bleached mane tapped her hoof and huffed along with her silver colored cohort. “Ugh! This is so unprofessional!” Diamond Tiara whined. “Yeah, I know,” Silver Spoon agreed. “I mean, it’s been two hours already!” “I hate to say it, but I agree with Diamond Tiara,” Scootaloo whispered to her two best friends. “Ms. Cheerilee is never late.” “And if she’s sick or out of town, she always has a substitute teacher for us,” Sweetie Belle added. “Y’all don’t think that somethin’ bad happened to her?” asked Apple Bloom. “I hope not, but we can’t just wait here all day,” said Scootaloo. The orange Pegasus looked up from their group huddle and saw that some of the other students had already gone home and others were debating with themselves whether to go or not. “We got to do something,” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Agreed,” the yellow earth pony nodded. “Girls, Ah think we have to pull out our old Cutie Mark Crusaders detective hats again. We have a missin’ teacher to find.” “Yeah, but we already have our cutie marks,” Scootaloo pointed out. “And our crusade to be detectives didn’t turn out so well,” reminded Sweetie Belle. “Yes, yes, Ah know,” Apple Bloom said with slight exasperation. “But we’re still the Cutie Mark Crusaders and we've got a job to do! So let’s get goin’!” “Cutie Mark Crusaders Detectives, ho!” the trio of teenagers cheered as they ran off with enthusiasm to find their missing teacher. As they ran the path away from the schoolhouse, the three nearly collided into each other as Scootaloo came to a sudden stop. “Wait a minute!” she called out. “Where are we running to? I mean where should we start?” “Oh yeah, ummmm…” the white Unicorn thought for a moment. “Oh! At Ms. Cheerilee’s house, of course!” “Alright then, let’s give this another try,” Apple Bloom said as they began the charge again. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Detectives, ho!” With a destination in mind, the three ran down the street to Cheerilee’s house. When they arrived at the small residence, nopony answered the door when they knocked. “Ms. Cheerilee?” Apple Bloom called as she knocked. She waited a moment or two before she tried again. “Ms. Cheerilee? Are you home?” The girls waited for an answer, but none came. “I don’t think she’s home, Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said to her friend. “And can’t see any sign of her from here,” Scootaloo announced as she gazed into a nearby window. “Scootaloo, you shouldn’t be peeping through other ponies’ windows like that!” scolded Sweetie Belle. “It’s okay, we’re detectives remember?” the Pegasus brushed her comment off with a nonchalant wave of a hoof and leaned in closer to the glass to get a better look. “Alright, let’s check all the windows, but be quick about it,” Apple Bloom said to her friends in a hushed tone. “Ah don’t want anypony thinkin’ we’re Peeping Toms.” The three ran around the house, peering into every window, but didn’t see their educator. They met back in front of the house to discuss their next plan of action. “So now what?” Scootaloo impatiently asked. “Whenever I lose something, I retrace my steps until I find it,” Sweetie Belle told them. “So then, we should retrace Ms. Cheerilee’s steps,” concluded Apple Bloom. “We know she had to walk down this road to get from her home to school, we just have to keep our eyes opened for clues.” The three headed back down the road in the direction of the schoolhouse. As they did so, they inspected every stone on the road in search for any sign of Cheerilee. As they passed by the stores that were near Cheerilee’s house, they asked everypony they met if they had seen the dark pink mare. “Thanks anyways,” Scootaloo said halfheartedly to a stallion as he was walking away. “Let us know if…” Suddenly, she heard the high pitched scream of Sweetie Belle and turned around to see her friend standing by an alleyway. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo ran to their partner and saw that her eyes were wide with terror and she was pointing down the alley with her front hoof. The two followed the hoof and saw the body of their beloved teacher lying on the ground. “Ms. Cheerilee!” they all cried out and then ran to fallen mare. They cautiously approached the body and saw that her coat was matted and her mane was a mess from last night’s storm. She was lying so still that the three instantly thought the worse. “Is…Is she...” Sweetie Belle asked as tears ran down her face. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh…” Scootaloo kept saying over and over to herself as she nearly hyperventilated. “M-Ms. Cheerile?” Apple Bloom nervously asked as she carefully leaned in closer to their teacher. To the young Earth Pony’s relief, she saw that the adult mare was still breathing. However, it was labored and raspy sounding. “She’s alive!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exhaled the breath that they were holding in anticipation at Apple Bloom’s announcement, but remained on edge. As they looked down at the teacher, they noticed something on her neck that looked like two spider bites. “What’s wrong with her? What is that on her neck?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes still wet with tears. “Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom confessed as she continued to watch Cheerilee’s chest slowly rise and fall with each strained breath. “But she needs help. Scootaloo, go find help.” “On it!” the young Pegasus announced as she ran out of the alley and into the street. She looked around for an adult, but the few that they had seen before had already moved on. She considered knocking a nearby store’s door, but she saw Twilight Sparkle and Spike walking in her direction. As she ran towards the alicorn and dragon she called out, “Twilight!” “Oh, good morning, Scootaloo,” the lavender mare greeted. “Spike and I were shopping for supplies when we heard that Cheerilee wasn’t at the school. Is everything…” “Come quick!” Scootaloo interrupted her. “It’s Cheerilee! She needs help!” Twilight Sparkle and Spike ran as they followed the teenager back to the alleyway where they found Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle standing by the unconscious Cheerilee with worried looks. The Alicorn knelt down to the Earth Pony and gently tried to rouse her. “Cheerilee? Cheerilee, can you hear me?” the princess asked as she gently shook the dark pink mare. Cheerilee’s only response was an incoherent collection of mumbles. Frowning with concern, Twilight Sparkle looked from the teacher to the dragon standing behind her. “Spike, I need you to carry Cheerilee to the hospital. I’ll run over to the school and tell any remaining students to go home. I’ll meet you at the hospital immediately afterwards.” “Right,” Spike confirmed as his adoptive mother ran towards the schoolhouse. He carefully slid a arm underneath Cheerilee’s head and another underneath her lower back as he lifted her from the ground. As he cradled the unconscious mare in his arms, he looked down at her and saw something very peculiar. On her neck were two little marks. “What’s wrong, Spike?” Sweetie Belle asked when she saw the bewildered look on the dragon’s face. “I’ll tell you later. Let’s just hurry and get her to the hospital.” The three young mares followed Spike as he hurried to Ponyville Hospital. ***** Contrary to popular belief, the vampire, like any other night creature, can move about by day, but it is not its natural time. It becomes vulnerable, weakened, and deprived of most of its dark powers. The lid of Dracula’s coffin creaked as it rose by itself and the body of the undead stallion defied gravity as it rose stiff as a board from lying on its back to standing on its hind legs. The dark stallion studied his surroundings as he left his coffin and stood on all four legs on the floor. Standing on either side of the vampire’s coffin were the bodies of Bedrock and Professor Dig Site. The two zombies had a blank expression on their faces, their eyes gazed lifelessly into the distance, and their mouths hung ajar as they slightly moaned. Dracula sneered at the two reanimated corpses. Zombies were not the best of minions; they were thoughtless, slow, and uncoordinated. However, they were unwaveringly loyal to their master. Dracula only assigned them with the simplest of tasks, such as standing guard or to serve as cannon fodder. These two will have to do for now, Dracula thought as he observed the pair of corpses that guarded his precious resting place. Or until I make more suitable replacements. Dracula left the room that contained the crates and headed upstairs to explore the rest of the building. The building was located near the outer rim of Ponyville and belonged to Professor Dig Site, or at least it used to before the professor’s untimely demise. The building served as the archeological team’s headquarters, office, and apartment. On the second floor, Dracula found Renny Field’s room and entered to find his thrall asleep in her bed. “Renny Field, awaken,” the king vampire commanded the sleeping red Pegasus. Wearily, the mare arose from her bed and stood before her master. “Yes master,” she said in a groggy tone. She looked around the room and noticed that sunlight was pouring in from the window and panicked. “Master! What are you doing up in the daytime!? Won’t the sunlight burn you!?” “Calm yourself, Renny Field,” Dracula ordered. “As you can see, I am quite alright. I wish to explore this ‘Ponyville.’ If I am to reside in this hamlet, then I must find a suitable residence for one such as I.” He paused and then he gave the mare a confused look. “What do you mean by me burning in the sunlight?” “In a lot of the movies, vampires are killed by sunlight,” Renny explained, but it only gave the vampire more questions. “What is a ‘movie?’” he asked. “It’s short for ‘motion picture,’” she told him, but he only raised a brow. “Um, do you know what a photograph is?” “Yes,” he confirmed, still waiting for explanation. “Well, a movie is a bunch of photographs projected by light onto a screen in rapid progression to create the illusion of movement along with recordings of music and sounds to tell stories.” “Stories?” “Yes, it’s like a play. They film actors acting out their roles and then show the movies at theaters for ponies’ entertainment.” “Ingenious,” Dracula said, impressed. “A recorded play that can be viewed multiple times a day with the actors having to perform only once! Brilliant! My dear, would you care to join me in a day at the theater?” “I would be honored, master,” she said amused by the ancient being’s enthusiasm. “Now what did you mean by vampires being killed in a lot of the movies by sunlight?” Dracula asked as he escorted the mare out of the room. ***** Spike the dragon, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and three teenaged mares sat in the waiting room of Ponyville Hospital. It has been awhile since they had brought Cheerilee in and were anxiously awaiting and news about the teacher’s condition. When the doctor walked into the waiting room, the three young mares immediately rushed him. “How is she? Is she gonna be alright? What’s wrong with her?” they asked in rapid succession, nearly overwhelming the poor unicorn stallion wearing a white coat and glasses. “Girls, why don’t you wait by Spike and I’ll talk to the doctor,” suggested Twilight Sparkle. Unhappy with the Alicorn’s command that disguised as a suggestion, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo return to their seats by Spike. However, they noticed that the purple dragon’s brow was furrowed with thought. As Spike thought about the marks on Cheerilee’s neck, his mind couldn’t help but jump to the conclusion that anyone who has seen a horror film would jump to. It was obvious, but it should be impossible. It just can’t be, Spike thought. He started to chide himself for even thinking about for how silly it seemed. They’re only legends. As he continued to think, a image flashed in his head that nearly caused the dragon’s heart to skip a beat. It was a memory; a memory from years ago when Spike traveled to a parallel world. In the image, Spike saw red eyes, a gnarled face, and a mouth filled with razor sharp fangs that thirsted for his blood. During his adventures in the land of Trotina, Spike had encountered many horrible monsters, especially in the valley of the undead. There, he had encountered monsters that Twilight had assured him were only imaginary. However, Spike now knew there were indeed foul things that did go bump in the night, for he had seen them. If they existed in the parallel world of Trotina, then that means…vampires are real, Spike thought to himself with a grim realization. Spike turned to the trio of friends that were sitting beside them and asked, “Girls. Did you happen to notice those marks on Cheerilee’s neck?” The girls looked to each other for a moment and then nodded. “What’s the first thing that comes to your minds?” The three gave each other unsure looks before Apple Bloom quietly said, “V-Vampire?” “But… Rarity said that there were no such things as vampires,” Sweetie Belle meekly squeaked. “No, Sweetie Belle,” Spike firmly corrected. “Vampires are real. One tried to have me for lunch in Trotina.” This caused Sweetie Belle to whimper in fear. Apple Bloom wrapped a comforting foreleg her unicorn friend. “Y-You’re just trying to scare us, Spike,” Scootaloo tried to deny, but was obviously trying to suppress her own fear. “If I’m right, and I hope that I’m not, you should be,” Spike told her in a serious tone. “The doctor says that Cheerilee is going to be okay,” Twilight suddenly announced happily, causing the three young mares to nearly jump out of their seats. “Oh, um…” Apple Bloom stammered, trying to recompose herself. “Did he say what was wrong with her?” “He said that she’s a little sick from being outside in the rain all night. She’ll spend a few days here then she can go home,” Twilight relayed what the doctor had told her. “But what about the marks on her neck?” Sweetie Belle asked, still shaken up after the conversation she had with Spike. “Spike says it’s a vampire bite!” “A vampire?” Twilight skeptically asks as she gives her adopted son an unamused look. “Spike, you should know better than to scare them like that after what they’ve been through. There’s no such thing as vampires.” “No, there is,” Spike countered. “No, there isn’t,” the lavender Alicorn retorted. “Girls, he’s just pulling your leg. There’s no such thing as vampires.” “No,” Spike said a little louder. “There is.” “Spike, stop it,” Twilight scolded. “There are no such thing vampires.” “No, there is,” Spike said while staring at Twilight Sparkle with an adamant look. “I’m dead serious about this. I’ve have seen them.” Twilight was taken back by the conviction in the dragon’s voice. As Spike continued to stare at her, she remembered the stories that Spike shared with her about Trotina. However, she was convinced that that could never happen in Equestria. “That was a special case; a powerful Alicorn that was possessed by an entity of pure malice wearing a cursed mask that contained the spirit of chaos created those vampires. The odds of that happening here are practically impossible,” she said to reassure her son, the three frightened teenagers, and herself. “I hope you’re right,” Spike said, unconvinced. I hope I am, too, she thought as she looked at their worried faces before saying, “Come on, we should go home. Cheerilee will be fine. We’ll come visit her later.” As they left the waiting room, Twilight couldn’t help but fret over the possibility of a blood sucking fiend from beyond the grave. Don’t be silly, Twilight. I mean, it’s impossible… right? ***** Walking out of Ponyville’s movie theater was a tall dark gray Unicorn stallion that was accompanied by a red Pegasus mare with a blond mane. The stallion wasn’t pleased. After learning about the wonder of motion pictures, he just had to see one for himself. He had also been told that vampires were a popular subject in motion pictures and wanted to see how they were portrayed. “What was that?” Dracula said with the most disgusted tone in his voice. “I thought the story was quite lovely,” Renny tried to defend the films merits. “What was that?” he reiterated. “That is how my children are represented in this age? When you told me that the common belief of vampires being killed in sunlight came from motion pictures, I was insulted. But after seeing this…this…slander, I am outraged! I would rather be incinerated by the rays of the accursed sun than sparkle!” “Well, we have a saying here, ‘it’s just a movie,’” Renny said in attempt to calm her ranting master. “Perhaps you are right,” Dracula said as he calmed himself. The pair the left the theater and headed down the streets of Ponyville. “However, I must say that I am indeed impressed with the art of motion pictures. I just hope that the acting is better in others. I must say that is the worst acting I have ever seen.” As Dracula walked down one street with Renny Field, Spike, along with Twilight and the three former Cutie Mark Crusaders, happened to pass unseen behind them down another street. However, Spike happened to overhear the last sentence that Dracula said to Renny and said over his shoulder as they went around the corner, “You’ve got that right.” Dracula smirked with satisfaction as whoever it was agreed with him.