//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Bolting From Shadows // Story: Shadowbolts Adventures: The Shadows of Nightmare Night // by DragonShadow //------------------------------// Chapter 2: Bolting From Shadows The screams split the air in unison as the four girls scrambled to get out of the living room through the darkness. "Everyone, get out! Run!" Sunny Flare shouted. "Women and children first!" Indigo Zap screamed. Sour Sweet growled back, "we're all women and we're all the same age!" "Then Indigos and Zaps first!" Indigo's hands found the staircase near the hallway, and she gripped the rail as she bolted up the steps in the dark. "Come on girls the stairs are over here!" Her heart was pounding as hard as her legs as she took the stairs two at a time, coming out on the top floor, which was thankfully illuminated by the moonlight coming in through the window at the end of the hall. She charged for Lemon Zest's bedroom and jerked the door open, holding it for her other three non-vampiric companions before slamming and locking the door behind her. The panting and the pounding of her heart echoing in her own ears was all Indigo could hear for what must have been several minutes. She gulped to try to calm herself, but it was Sunny Flare who calmed down enough to speak first. "Hahaha, oh man... what are we doing?" Sunny put a hand to her chest. "We just ran away from Sugarcoat after a silly Nightmare Night story. We must look like a bunch of buffoons." "Hah... hah..." Sour Sweet gulped in her own breath of air. "Y-yeah, you're right... she's probably down there laughing her twiggy butt off at us." "Or she's a vampire who's going to come after us to eat us!" Indigo Zap pointed out. Sunny laughed and shook her head. "She's not a vampire, they don't even exist." "Then how do you explain the lights going out?" Indigo insisted. "They went out at the perfect time!" Lemon Zest put a finger to her chin. "Is that even a power vampires have? Turning off lights?" "Maybe! Have you ever met one? I sure haven't!" Indigo rushed to the window to pull it open, sticking her head out. There was a tall tree just within reach. "Let's get out of here girls, before she comes up here to find us!" "Are you being serious right now?" Sunny walked up behind her. "We're not leaving the house in the dead of night because you're freaked out by a vampire." "Are you serious? Do you want to be a member of the undead for the rest of eternity!?" "Dude!" Lemon's jaws gaped open. "That sounds awesome!" "Oh yeah, it totally does!" Sour Sweet swept up beside them. "I can't wait to be rejected from society and hunted like a dog for the rest of my life!" "Please tell me you're not getting into this too..." Sunny Flare grunted. "Come on, we can go out the window, it's not that far down." Indigo Zap pushed Lemon toward the window. "Aw, come on! I don't wanna go, I wanna be a vampire!" Lemon whirled back toward Indigo in defiance. "I'm not going!" Indigo put her hands on her hips. "I'm sorry Lemon, but you'll thank me for this later." She reached out, placed a hand on Lemon's chest, and shoved her out the window. "Gyah!" The sound of snapping tree branches were followed quickly by a dull thud from below. Glancing outside, Indigo saw the girl lying on the grass, dazed, but unharmed. "Come on girls, let's get out of here!" Indigo jumped up to the windowsill. "Indigo, come on, this is ridiculous! Sugarcoat is not a vampire! No matter how good a setup it was!" Sunny Flare declared. "If you wanna take that risk, go right ahead. We'll be getting somewhere safe for the night." Indigo jumped out toward the tree, clinging to it and making her way smoothly toward the grass below. She knelt down to help Lemon Zest to her feet, lifting her from the ground with both arms. "Turquoise taco tambourine..." Lemon Zest's eyes spun around her head as she wobbled against Indigo's side. By the time Lemon was on her feet Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare had reached the grass. "So where exactly will we be safe?" Sunny Flare demanded. "We can go to Twilight Sparkle's house, she was there when all that magic went down at CHS, so she'll believe us about this, and she seems nice enough to help. Come on, I know where it is!" Indigo dragged Lemon Zest along with her as she led the way down the sidewalk. The night was dark and cold, with the bitter chill of fall cutting at their exposed skin, and even blowing right through the thin fabric of Indigo's pajama bottoms and t-shirt. She had always liked Nightmare Night, but it was late, and all of the porch lights were turned off, but many of the decorations were still lit. Ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, and ghouls of all descriptions leered at them as they passed. These familiar decorations sent a chill running up her spine, especially when she spotted several plastic vampires with glowing red eyes. Twilight Sparkle's house wasn't far, and was one of the few that had no decorations out front at all. Indigo led the way up the porch to pound her fist on the door. Twilight Sparkle opened the door after a few more hefty pounds, yawning and rubbing her forehead over her thick-rimmed glasses. "H-hello? Indigo Zap?" Indigo looked down at Twilight's pajamas incredulously. She was wearing a full-body set of purple pajamas, complete with attached footsies. She spoke in unison with Sunny Flare. "Seriously?" "Hey, it's comfortable." Twilight blushed. "If you came just to make fun of me..." "No, no, sorry." Indigo shook her head. "We're not here for that, we sort of need to hide out here." "Hide out?" Twilight looked back and forth between the four of them in surprise. "Hide out from what?" "Sugarcoat's a vampire!" Indigo exclaimed. "And Indigo won't let me become one!" Lemon pouted, having regained her senses on the walk over. "A vampire?" Twilight hid her lips behind one hand for a moment. "Did she come from Uranus by any chance?" "What? I don't know... maybe..." Indigo gasped. "Holy crap, an alien vampire!" Sunny slapped the back of Indigo's head with one hand as she stepped past her. "Trust me, I know it sounds ridiculous, but the truth is I'm tired, it's cold, and these three won't go back to Lemon's house. Please, Twilight." She hugged her shoulders tightly against the chill wind, clad in a white ankle-length nightgown herself. Twilight nodded and stepped aside to let them in. "Of course, come in out of the cold." Once they were all inside Twilight closed the door behind them. "Make yourselves comfortable, I'll get you some cocoa." "Thank you, Twilight. We owe you one." Sunny Flare settled down on the soft sofa in the middle of the living room. "Yeah, Twilight, thanks." Sour Sweet sat down on the chair beside the sofa. She blinked when she realized everyone was staring at her expectantly. "What? I mean it. Sheesh. You people." After Twilight had disappeared into the kitchen the four girls settled into the living room to catch their breath, letting the central heat warm them after being out in the cold air. "You all realize this is completely insane, right?" Sunny commented as she hugged her knees to her chest on the couch. "We can't hide from Sugarcoat for the rest of our lives." Indigo Zap stroked her chin thoughtfully for a moment. "She said she only does it on Nightmare Night, we just have to stay here until then. Maybe she'll be back to normal tomorrow." Sunny sighed. "Right. Back to normal." "Phooey..." Lemon grumped with her chin in her hands. "Does anyone else think Twilight's been gone a while?" Sour Sweet looked up curiously. "I'm getting thirsty." "I'm here, sorry." Twilight made her way into the living room with a tray of four cups, setting it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. "Took me a little while to find the cocoa powder." "Don't worry about it, you did this for us after all." Sunny took her cup, blowing the steam off the top with a short breath. "Don't mention it, I couldn't leave you out in the cold. You can stay as long as you need to feel comfortable." Twilight turned to head back to the kitchen. "Does anybody want a snack?" "I'll take some cookies or muffins or something." Lemon raised her hand. "Isn't it a little late for sweets?" Twilight turned back toward them at the kitchen door. "You'll never get to sleep." "Come on Twilight, it's nightmare night. You gotta be a little b-" Indigo Zap stuttered to a stop when she saw a shape moving behind Twilight in the kitchen. She could see a black cape moving towards her, topped by two long white pigtails. "T-T-Twilight... Twilight..." "What?" Twilight raised her eyebrow curiously as the pigtails drew ever closer to her back. "Are you okay, Indigo?" Sour Sweet whispered harshly, her hands yanking at her hair. "Twilight... behind you... look behind you!" Twilight giggled into one hand. "Come on, I know I'm new to this 'friendship' thing, but you'll have to do better than that to get me with a Nightmare Night prank." No sooner had she spoken than Sugarcoat's arms flung her black cape open, and wrapped around Twilight's torso, yanking her back toward the kitchen. Twilight screamed and gripped the doorframe with both hands, struggling against her grip. The other four girls screamed and stumbled back away from the sofa as the struggle ensued. "Oh gosh! Please no! Noooooo!" Twilight howled as her fingers gave out and she vanished into the kitchen, which suddenly went dark and silent. "What... the..." Indigo gripped her chest, whirling on Sunny Flare. "Now do you believe it!?" "N-no!" Sunny was panting just as hard as the others however, gripping her own chest. "It's still a prank, still a-" She trailed off when Sugarcoat appeared in the light from the living room lamps, moving towards them slowly from the kitchen. The black cape was draped around her shoulders hiding her body from view, but there was now red liquid staining her lips. Her eyes swept over the four terrified girls in front of her as a smirk tugged as the side of her lips. "So... who wants to come to me first?" Indigo grabbed Lemon Zest suddenly and shoved her forward. "Lemon Zest does! She totally wants to come with you!" "Waugh!" Lemon Zest stumbled forward in surprise and collapsed to her knees. No sooner was she down than Indigo was out the door, with Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet flanking her on either side. "That was cold, Indigo!" Sunny shouted as they ran. "I don't see you going back for her!" Indigo pointed out. "Just shut up and keep running!" Sour Sweet growled as they charged off into the night, in search of a new safe haven, if indeed there were any to be found.