Applejack’s P.O.V
I left the others arsing around up top while I trotted down the well-worn path to the cider storage room.
“She’ll be coming round the mountains when she comes, yeeha!” I sang aloud as my lantern dimly lighted the path against the inky black darkness of the night.
“She’ll be coming round the mountains when she comes, yeeha. She’ll be coming round the mountains, she’ll be coming round the mountains, she’ll be coming round the mountains when she comes, yeeha!”
Luckily, that morning, me and Big Mac had made up a couple of caskets and had left them to ripen during the day in the warm sun. They’ll be about ready to open and drank.
“Ah don’t know what crap Rainbow says, ah’m definitely good enough to sing more’n backup in t’band.”
Grumbling to myself, I hoisted about 4 casks and was about to head on up the hill, when the peaceful night time was split by a shrill cry.
“Help me please, somebody, anybody! Please help me!” It sounded like a scared little girl. (Applebloom?)
I dropped my caskets and ran outside. “Where are ya!” I yelled, raising my lantern aloft.
“Help me please, I’m in the apple orchard!”
I’ve never been one to ignore a cry for help, not even for a moment. Never have, never will.
So instead of pausing a couple of minutes to grab my friends and have them search the orchard with me, I yelled, “Hold on, ah’ma comin’!” and alone, charged into the deep and dense orchard. It never once occured to me to stop and think, just why the hell a helpless little girl would be skulking around in my orchard, at midnight.
After crashing around for about five minutes, I stopped moving and stood still, trying to get my bearings. It wasn’t until I stopped, that I became aware of the deafening silence.
“Hey, little girl, gimme a shout!” I hollered desperately, hoping that I wasn’t too late to help her from whatever had happened to her. “Ah’m almost there.”
I heard nothing else, except for a muffled slithering sound seeming to draw nearer to me all the time.
For the first time, I became aware of where I was. Lost in the middle of my apple trees, in darkness and apparently alone now with whatever had silenced the girl.
I smacked my own forehead with my hand. “A.J, sometimes, y’all are one dumb girl.” I chided myself.
I froze suddenly, heart kicking into overdrive and blood chilled to ice as I heard a girlish giggle a few trees to my left.
I decided that agression was the best form of defense. “Who in the hell are y’all!” I shouted, bracing my muscles for a fight. “Show yerselves, afore ah find yeh, or ah swear ah won’t be playin’ nice!”
The giggling stopped abruptly, only to recommence right behind me.
I wheeled about, my entire system braced for fight or flight, more likely fight, and saw…
“Bon-bon!” I cried in relief, muscles untensing, I shakily chuckled as I reliazed how ready I had been to fight her a few seconds ago. “Jeez, girl yeh scared the livin’ daylights outta me!”
“I happen to have that effect upon people, Applejack.” She replied, nodding her head and stepping forth into the lanterns dim light.
“What the heck’re y’all doin’ down here so late? Come up to the barn with me, ah’ve jest gotta get some cider for the girls up top, we’re having a kinda get-together , y’know.”
I realized that I was babbling, for while the figure in front of me resembled Bon-bon the sweet seller, there were a few things kinda off about her.
Maybe it was the fact that she had been giggling like a lunatic.
Maybe it was the fact that she was in my orchard at midnight, where that little girl had been silenced.
Maybe it was her pale skin, like the colour had been leeched right out.
Or maybe, nah it was definitely the fact that instead if her normal sweet blue eyes, Her irises now glowed with an unnatural red tint.
“Oh, A.J!” She giggled, somewhat menacingly. “Ever the simple, yet adorably aggresive farm girl we’ve all come to know and love!.”
Maybe now was a bad time to regret not calling my friends.
I gulped nervously and backed up a couple of steps. “So, what brings you here, uh Bon?” I calmly asked, fighting my body’s instinct to run. Don’t look at her eyes, I thought to myself. Do not look at her eyes.
Unlike me, she seemed perfectly at ease, leaning back against a tree and casually looking me up and down as she spoke. “Oh y’know, faking a defenceless girls voice, to lure unwary victims like yourself, into a dark and deep forest, where no-one will ever find you. The usual.”
Ok, my body was definitely set to flight now. “O-oh w-well, aint that n-nice.” I stammered. “W-weel, I’d b-better be getting b-back now, the other w-will wonder w-where ah’ve g-got to.”
I took another couple of steps backward, only to feel a thick and unyielding tree trunk hit my back.
“Oh no, I don’t think so.” She murmurred, stifling a bored yawn as her soul less eyes bored a hole in me. “I haven’t finished playing with you yet.
She drew nearer, visibly sniffing the air. “My my, Applejack. You smell, simply mouthwatering.
And, there it is. It’s definitely time to get the fuck out of there.
I sidestepped the tree and sprinted off, only to stop as Bon-bon suddenly appeared in front of me.
“Where you going, sugarcube?” She mocked me, using my phrase.
“GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!” I screamed, losing my head and backing away.
She stood in front of me smiling. “Oh, don’t go yet. She taunted me, suddenly standing right before me and running an icy cold finger down my neck. “I think your friends can wait, while I feast upon the sweet nectar of your blood.”
It was then that I gave up hope of getting away from her. Here I was, as I’ ve said before, in the middle of my orchard which might as well be in the middle of nowhere, at midnight, with a vampire far stronger and far faster than me, thirsting for my blood.
“So yeh wanna kill me.” I wearily retorted. Slumping to the ground. “Weel, what are y’all waiting for, an invitation? Git it over with, so’s ah can join my Mom and Pop’s in heaven.”
“No I don’t think so, not just yet.” She purred looking down at me. “I think this one’s got a little fight in her. Maybe when I’m done here, I might find you little sister and she if she tastes as good as you smell, hmm?”
That did it. I may no longer care about my own life, but so help me, if anybody threatens my family in front of me, while I still had breath left in my body, then boy were they gonna pay for it.
I pushed myself up and taken unawares, Bon-bon reeled as my fist caught her in the face, knocking a couple of her teeth loose. She spat them into her hand and stared speechlessly at them. “You bitch.” She snarled at me.
Suddenly I was flying through the air, as she had picked me up and thrown me. I saw the tree coming towards me and closed my eyes, realizing it was going to be painful.
The tree stopped my motion as I crashed into it, leaving a sizeable dent in the tough bark, and I slid to the ground, paralysed and wheezing through a punctured lung.
I knew almost immediately that my wounds were fatal but my only regret in life was not hurting the vampire more.
“How fucking dare you touch me with your dirty fucking human hands!” She screamed at me. She seemed about to say more, but suddenly her nostrils widened and her crimson eyes glinted brightly. She had caught scent of my blood and was going to end it now, whether she like it or not.
“Hehe.” I croaked raspily, coughing up blood. “Jokes on you, bitch.”
She kneeled over me and I let out a faint cry of pain as her sharp teeth ripped open my throat, bearing my steaming blood for her.
As I felt my life force ebbing, I heard distant shouts from afar, but drawing steadily nearer.
Bon-bon paused and looked up, obviously contemplating something.
Finally she glared down at me, back in control of her body. “I will have to finish you another time, your cursed friends are drawing nearer.”
She bent over me again and I whimpered in pain as I felt a chilling sensation over my throat, as if my skin was freezing over.
“However.” She continued, slowly breaking my fingers and adding them to my list of injuries. “I will not give you the satisfaction of an easy death. I’m going to ensure you live through this, as hated and feared as I am.”
Standing up, she continued. “When you come to again, come seek me out. I will look forward to ending this with you again, A.J”
With that, she was gone in a blur.
I moaned as my pains caught up with me, as my vision faded, I glimpsed a pool of my blood, rapidly growing and flowing out of me.
As I faded, my last conscious memory was of my friends voices drawing nearer.
Too late…