The sky over Ponyville was painted in hues of orange and purple as Celestia lowered the sun to make way for Luna’s moon. Dracula looked to the western horizon with a feeling of triumph. The Celestia’s accursed sun could no longer inhibit his dark powers and he had spent most of the afternoon visiting various stores. The undead unicorn reveled in his own cunning, for he just found a loophole and had exploited it. No longer would he need an invitation to enter a home as long they were also stores and he had entered them during business hours.
The bakery, the clothing store, the blacksmith, the furniture store... Dracula mentally listed some of the various buildings he had gained access to. As he walked with his thrall, Renny Field, down the street, he glanced over to the side and saw a castle that was made out of a crystal tree; the castle. The crystalline tree not only served as a home for the Princess of Friendship, but as the public library. Dracula smirked to himself and wondered if he could squeeze in another location onto his list. As he approached the tree castle, he devious smile changed into a disappointed scowl as he saw the doors encased a magenta light and close.
“Is something wrong, master?” Renny asked, noticing the look on Dracula’s face.
“A minor setback,” he told her. “But no matter, there will be more time to visit more homes. In the meantime, I do need a drink. Being out in the sun all day has left me rather drained.”
“Are you going to revisit one of the houses from today? The dressmaker, perhaps?” Renny suggested.
“No, not yet,” the dark stallion thought as he thought to himself. As he pondered, he could help but to notice the low, rhythmic, thumping sound coming from a building down the street. Never in his centuries long life (or rather undeath) had he heard such a sound. He could see multiple colors flashing out from the windows of the building and ponies entering into it. “What is that?”
“That? Oh, that’s just a nightclub,” the red mare explained.
“What is the purpose of a ‘nightclub’?”
“It’s a place where ponies get together and socialize, listen to music, dance, have a few drinks, you know, stuff like that,” Renny explained.
“Have a few drinks you say?” Dracula smiled as an idea formed in his head. “Come, my dear. Let us go to this nightclub.”
The master and servant walked away from the castle and headed to the nightclub. Inside the crystal tree, Twilight Sparkle had just finished her lesson plan for the next few days. She looked at her massive piles of papers and books and said contently, “There, that should cover it.” Spike, hearing Twilight’s statement, looked up from his book and gawked at the massive stack on the Alicorn’s desk.
“Sweet Celestia’s technicolored mane, mom,” Spike sardonically said. “You’re only going to teach for a few days.”
“What? Do you think this isn’t enough?” she asked with honest concern as she looked back to her teaching material. Spike rolled his eyes at his mother’s over preparedness.
“Yeah, I think that’ll be enough,” he answered dryly.
“I just want to be prepared.”
“Yeah, prepared for the whole school year,” the dragon mutter under his breath. She had like this for as long as the young dragon could remember. Sometimes it could be a burden, especially when it crossed over into the realm of paranoia and obsession. The mare would have him make checklists in order to make checklists which they would triple check after everything was checked off. Twilight would simply say that she was being organized. Spike called it OCD.
“So, what have you been reading about?” Twilight asked as she trotted over to Spike’s pile of books. She levitated a few up and frowned with contempt as she read the titles. “Ghost, Goblins and Ghoulish Figures... Haunts, Horrors and Hideous Creatures... the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis!? Good heavens, Spike! Why in Equestria are you reading these (where did this last one even come from)? Are you still going on about this vampire business?”
“Hey, I know what I saw,” Spike said in his defense. “And like you, I want to be ready.”
Twilight opened her mouth to argue, but the words caught in her throat. Though she didn’t want to believe in vampires, she knew her son wasn’t going to let this go without a fight. Besides, if there really was something out there that nopony had encountered before, who better to find it than her? Also, if it really a bloodsucking monster, it would be her royal duty to stop it from harming her subjects.
“Alright Spike,” she said with a sigh. “Let’s go investigate this supposed ‘vampire.’”
“Really?” Spike asked cheerfully, but then was confused. “But I thought you didn’t believe in vampires.”
“I don’t, but I know you won’t let this go until you get some answers.” The lavender Alicorn headed towards the door.
“Where are you going?”
Twilight looked back at the dragon and said, “It’s nighttime. If we’re looking for a vampire, we’re not going to find one during the day.”
“Hhmmm, good point. Let’s go.” Spike followed Twilight out the door and down the street. “Any idea on where to start looking? I mean, how do you find a vampire?”
“I don’t know,” confessed Twilight. “But we know where to start looking.”
“You mean the hospital.”
“Precisely. We’ll check to see if there’s anypony else with the same symptoms as Cheerilee,” Twilight stated.
“But aren’t visiting hours over?” Spike asked.
“They are, but we’re not visiting,” she explained. “We’re doing a royal investigation. I’m sure the doctors will be able to give us some answers.”
“I hope you’re right,” Spike said with a double meaning.
“Me too,” Twilight agreed, also with a double meaning.
As they headed down the road towards Ponyville Hospital, they passed by the nightclub. Inside sat a dark Unicorn in dark clothing. He observed the crowd of partying ponies as he sat at a table in the corner. As he was watching, something very pink with curly hair popped out of nowhere and nearly caught him off guard. He suppressed a startled yell as he saw this pink mass had blue eyes and a large grin.
“Hi!” the pink thing, which he could now tell was an Earth Pony mare, greeted him happily.
“Good evening,” he said cautiously as he wondered how she managed to sneak up on him like that.
“I’m Pinkie Pie! What’s your name?” she asked with an expectant grin.
“I am Vlad, Prince of...” Dracula started, but stopped when the pink mare got even closer to his face.
“Nice to meet you Vlad!” she greeted once again and then proceeded to ramble off at a hundred miles per hour. “I saw you come into Sugarcube Corner earlier yesterday with Renny, but you didn’t buy anything, but then I realized that you must be new to Ponyville, because I figured that Renny must be showing you around, and also I’ve never seen you here before, and I know everypony in Ponyville, because I’m friends with everypony.”
Dear Luna, there are things worse than death, Dracula thought to himself as he listened to this pink nightmare continue her assault of words that never seemed to end.
“I’m here tonight with one of my best friends, Rainbow Dash, over there,” Pinkie said as she pointed over to another table where a sky blue Pegasus mare with a mane to match her name sat. “You see, she had a busy day and really needed something to cheer her up. First, she had to deal with that wild storm yesterday, and then had to report it Cloudsdale, which was nothing more than a ‘who’s to blame for letting a huge storm loose over Ponyville’ game, and then get to the Wonderbolts training exercises on time.”
“Yes, well I think you should go and be with your friend, don’t you think?” Dracula asked in hopes to be rid of the chatterbox. “After all, she is the one who needs to be cheered up.”
“You’re right!” Pinkie agreed with a large grin. “I just wanted to say ‘hi’ to the new pony in town!” In a flash of pink, the mare was gone and Dracula was mercifully alone. As Pinkie left, Renny Field came to the table carrying two mugs of apple cider.
“I’ve brought you some cider,” Renny said as she placed a mug on the table in front of her master.
“I never drink... cider,” he said as he declined the beverage. Renny shrugged and took the drink for herself. At least she wouldn’t have to get up for a refill. Dracula glanced back to the dance floor. It astounded the ancient stallion that whatever those strange motions those ponies were doing with their limbs and bodies passed as “dancing” in this age. However, he must admit that he was impressed by how much technology had advanced. Machines could now be used to produce lights and record sounds. Before, an entire orchestra or choir had to be assembled for a performance. Now, the music is being control by single pony known as a “DJ.”
Speaking of “DJ,” a certain young Unicorn mare with an electric blue mane just caught the eye of a certain Prince of Darkness. A grin appeared on Dracula’s face as he just found something he was thirsty for. He stood up, turned to Renny, and said, “My dear, do not wait up for me. I will see you back at your home.”
Dracula made his way across the nightclub to his potential prey. As he approached the mare, he wondered why a pony would wear colored spectacles. Perhaps they were to lessen the glare from the sun? If that is the case, then why would she be wearing them at night and indoors? The colored lights from the stage are not that bright. In fact, the lighting in the room is surprisingly dim. It must be the fashion of time. Regardless, she is a decent candidate to join my family. She seems to have an appreciation of the night. Why else would she choose the life of a ‘DJ?’ From what I have been told, these festivities can last all night.
“Alright everypony,” the mare with the shades announced over the microphone. “I’m gonna take a quick break, but don’t nopony go nowhere.”
This is going to be easier than I thought, Dracula thought to himself amused. He watched as the mare went off to the side and pulled out a bottle of water out from a cooler. As she took a drink from the bottle, a dark figure appeared before her. “I must say, you are very talented.”
“Talented? Well thanks,” she said as she took the compliment. “My friend, Octavia, says it’s nothing but noise. But, what does she know? Well, besides being an accomplished cellist in the Canterlot Orchestra.”
“About music, I would imagine quite a lot then.”
“Ha, yeah,” the DJ agreed with a chuckle. “I’m DJ PON-3.”
“That... is an unusual name,” Dracula said cautiously.
“That’s my stage name,” she explained.
“What is your real name?”
“It’s Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch.”
“That is a relief. I could not imagine a parent naming their child DJ PON-3.”
“Ya know, you’re kinda funny,” she laughed before taking another drink from her water bottle.
“I will take that as a compliment,” Dracula said with a slight nod. “I am Vlad.”
“Enjoying the night life, Vlad?”
“I always do.”
“Me too. I don’t know, but it seems like I was born to do this. Sleep all day and party all night long! Who could ask for more?”
“Indeed,” Dracula agreed as his grin grew every second. He had heard exactly what he wanted to hear. “Why do you wear those spectacles, may I ask?”
“What, these?” Vinyl asked as she slid her sunglasses to her forehead, revealing her rose colored eyes. “I dunno. They look good, I guess.”
“It would be a shame for a lovely mare with such beautiful eyes, like yourself, to hide them from the world,” he told her as he gazed into her eyes.
“...Beautiful?” Vinyl mumbled with a goofy smile as her mind started to cloud over.
“Yes,” he whispered as his eyes glowed icy blue. “Follow me.”
With her eyes locked on to the glowing ones before her, she obediently followed the dark unicorn through the back door of the nightclub and into the alleyway. Under the vampire’s power, Vinyl Scratch back up against the wall of the alley as Dracula stood over her, mesmerizing her with his hypnotic eyes.
“You can see the beauty of the night,” he told her in a voice that she seemed to hear with her ears and also in her head. “I can give it to you. Never again will you have to be a slave to Celestia and her wretched sun. You will be free to make the night your dominion and relish in immortality. As you said, you will be able to sleep all day and party all night. All you have to do is say yes.”
“Yes...” Vinyl dreamily said in trance. Dracula smiled, showing his two sharp teeth, and titled Vinyl’s head to the side, exposing her white neck. He opened his mouth and leaned towards the dazed mare, his fangs pressing against her tender neck.
*****
A few minutes ago, a group of posh ponies were sitting in the nightclub. They looked rather out of place sitting at a table in fine clothing as the other patrons danced to the exhilarating beat of the music. These Canterlot ponies sneered at the “peasants.” This music was atrocious and their dancing was uncouth and chaotic. Even the drinks they served at this club were beneath them. They preferred the fine wines and champagnes they were accustomed to having in their own parties and galas in Canterlot. However, since this was the “best” nightclub in this Podunk village, they would have to make do with the ciders that they served here. To their surprise and disappointment, the cider wasn’t even alcoholic. Apparently, the hard cider was rare and only served on special occasions. So there sat Count High N’Mighty and his posse in a nightclub in Ponyville with mugs of apple (nonalcoholic)cider after being humiliated earlier that day by some mysterious, disrespectful commoner. Things couldn’t be worse.
“Hi!” a pink mare greeted on queue. The count looked at the pink pony with disdain. “I’m Pinkie Pie!” The posh ponies didn’t respond. “You must be new here.” Again, she waited for a response, but they continued to give her the silent treatment. “Where are you from?” Again, nothing. “You must be from Canterlot, judging by your fancy clothes.”
“Young lady,” one of the snooty mares finally spoke. “You happen to be in the presence of Count High N’Mighty.” Hearing the name of the arrogant noble, Pinkie Pie eyed him cautiously, gave him a distrustful look, and quietly walked away. There was no way she would be able to befriend a stallion so unpleasant so quickly.
While grateful the pink mare was gone, Count High N’Mighty looked back down at his mug with contempt. He wondered how he could be in such a situation. He had planned to come down to Ponyville, persuade Rarity into coming with him to the resort, seduce her, maybe even have a Las Pegasus wedding, and if he still wanted her in the morning, he would have the perfect trophy wife. If not, then he could have the marriage annulled in a heartbeat. However, that insolent peasant just had to interfere.
“Well, look who it is,” one of his cohorts said. The count looked up to see the unicorn with the goatee walk across the club. He could feel the rage building up in his chest. He might have gotten the better of him earlier, but now he will show that upstart his place.
“I think we need to remind somepony of where they belong,” he growled menacingly as he stood up to follow the dark stallion. The group watched as the Unicorn talked with DJ and then went out back with her. They followed suit and as they opened the backdoor, they saw the black maned stallion embracing the mare.
*****
Hearing the backdoor open, Dracula looked up from his almost victim and saw the same foolish count from earlier.
“Well, well,” the count with the slicked back purple mane said mockingly. “I hope we’re not interrupting.”
“As a matter of fact...” Dracula said with an annoyed growl. “I was not able to begin.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for ruining the moment with your marefriend,” N’Mighty continued to mock. “But you and I have unfinished business.”
“I have nothing else to say to you,” Dracula stated impatiently. “Now, if you will excuse us.” Dracula started to lead the enthralled Vinyl Scratch away, but some of N’Mighty’s stallions blocked their way.
“You’re not going anywhere,” the count declared as he took out a hoofglove from his pocket and approached the undead stallion. “You, sir, have insulted my honor. I challenge you to a duel.” A loud smack echoed throughout the alley as N’Mighty slapped Dracula in the face with the white glove. It didn’t hurt the vampire in the slightest, but it did succeed in rousing his legendary rage.
“Very well,” Dracula said calmly with a patient look on his face. “I accept.”
In an instant, all of Count High N’Mighty’s worse nightmares were put to shame as he saw the face before him twist and contort. Cheekbones and brow lines protruded and blue eyes became black and red as they sunk in. The mouth opened to reveal the maw of a ravenous beast and Count High N’Mighty didn’t even have time to scream as those dragon teeth pierced his neck. The posh ponies gasped in terror as they watched their leader gargle his own blood as the monster drained the life out of him. The count fell to the floor dead as the fiend turned towards them, blood dripping his fangs and his eyes glowing red. They screamed and turned to flee, but found themselves lost in a fog that seemed to have come out of nowhere. A dark laugh filled the alley and the panicked ponies looked around hopelessly. One by one, they would hear another pony cry out in agony followed by the awful sound of that thing feeding.
Eventually, the fog lifted and Vinyl Scratch found herself standing in the alley behind the nightclub. She shook her head as a wave of dizziness passed. “Wha...? What happened?” she mumbled as she held a hoof to her head as she returned to her sense. She looked around and her heart nearly jumped into her throat as she looked around and saw the carnage before her. Well dressed ponies lay dead on the ground in puddles of blood with their throats torn out and expressions of terror on their face. Vinyl hyperventilated and then screamed at the top of her lungs before passing out from fright. On the rooftops above the alley, Dracula looked down at Vinyl with regret.
I suppose you will have to wait for another night, he thought. After such a feast, he didn’t know if he could drink another drop of blood that night. I would not want to start what I could not finish. The vampire then vanished into the night without a trace. Vinyl Scratch laid on unconscious on the ground, unaware of how lucky she was.