Trenderhoof knocked on the door to Fluttershy's room. "Rise and shine, my beautiful bride-to-be! Hurry up and get into your gown! We don't want to be late for our appointment at City Hall!"
No answer came.
"Fluttershy?"
Putting his ear to the door, he listened for any signs of life. There was not even a single breath. He turned to Lady Starlight.
"Unlock it."
The hypnotized mare levitated the key out of her gown and turned it in the lock. Trenderhoof threw the door open and scanned the room. The bed had not been slept in, a veil lay crumpled on the floor with other bits of torn fabric, and the window was wide open.
"My lady?" he called stepping further into the room.
He sniffed the air and caught a scent he did not recognize, but could definitely tell it belonged to a vampire.
"No," he said. "NOOOOOO!"
"Fluttershy?" Starlight uttered, blinking in disorientation. "Where's…where's Fluttershy?"
Trenderhoof grunted furiously. "She's gone!"
"Gone?" Her voice became panicky. "My niece is…gone?!" She gasped. "This…this is terrible! Where could she have gone?! Has she been kidnapped?! Did she run away?! How did she get out?! I…I must call the police!"
"No!"
Igniting his horn, he made Starlight lock gaze with him so he could recast the spell. Mind control only worked to an extent and sometimes wore off when the victim remembered something important.
If Fluttershy was where he thought she was, Trenderhoof couldn't have the police involved. This was strictly vampire business.
"We do not need the police," he told Starlight.
She nodded dumbly. "We do not need the police."
"That's right. Now, you just go tell the servants that Lady Fluttershy is missing, but not to panic. I have everything under control."
She nodded again. "Not to panic. You have everything under control."
Turning around, she marched obediently out of the room. Trenderhoof growled in frustration as he sent a telepathic message to his comrades: Girls, Bulk, come to Lady Fluttershy's room, NOW!
A few minutes later, the Dazzlings and Bulk were searching the bedchamber while Trenderhoof and Sunset stood by the door and watched. The latter wore a smug look.
"You should've married her last night when you had the chance."
Trenderhoof rolled his eyes. "It would've been too suspicious. We needed time to prepare."
"A lot of good it did you hypnotizing the aunt. You should've focused more on the mare. Though," Sunset chuckled, "I give the girl credit for having the stomach to skip out at the last minute."
"We don't know if that's what happened." He looked to his servants. "Found anything useful?"
Aria shrugged as she closed the drawer to the desk. "No note saying she ran away, or one for ransom."
Adagio sniffed the ripped pieces of cloth. "These are from the wedding dress. Judging by the scent, she did this herself."
"This bed is really soft!" Sonata said as she sprawled out on the mattress.
Trenderhoof shook his head. "Bulk? What do you smell?"
The muscular stallion gave the window seat one last whiff. "Count Discord's definitely been here. I recognize his scent from the dinner party. It's all over the place." He went over to the bed and inhaled deeply. "Especially over here."
Trenderhoof's eyes widened. "She didn't!"
Sunset let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, ho, ho, snap! I didn't think the girl had it in her! She really kicked you in the crotch, didn't she?"
He stopped her laughter by using his magic to toss her into the side of the armoire. Sunset groaned as she rubbed her back.
"If I hear one more word of mockery out of you," Trenderhoof growled, advancing upon her, "then I will personally take a piece of that wooden wardrobe and shove it straight through your heart! Are we clear?"
Sunset gulped. "Y-Yes, sir."
"Good." He heaved a calming breath. "Alright. So we can deduce that Count Discord had something to do with this. The question is, did he help her escape, or did she do it on her own?"
"But how?" Aria asked. "The door was locked from the outside and there's no rope or ladder coming out of that window."
"Maybe she flew?" Sonata suggested.
"She can't fly, dummy, remember?"
"Hmm," Trenderhoof pondered, glancing out the window. "Perhaps one of those street urchins saw something last night. We should ask around."
"What about Count Discord?" Sunset asked, rising to her hooves. "He's obviously behind this. Shouldn't our first step be to check out his place?"
"We don't know if he took her for sure. If he is the leader of this vampire coven, we can't risk anything until we are absolutely certain he has her. For all we know the Lady Fluttershy could've escaped to an inn somewhere in town."
"But…"
"No 'buts'!" he barked at her. "You will do as I say! Come on."
As the others filed out of the room, Sunset grumbled to herself. "You never listen to me."
"Thank you, Zecora!" Twilight said as she exited the witch's hut. "We really appreciate it!"
She slid the bundle holding the garlic charm into her saddlebag. Even when wrapped up, being so close to it made her feel tingly. She ignored it however as she trotted down the street.
"She gave you some gold the other day! Surely if she came by again, you would've seen her!"
Twilight paused at the familiar voice and turned to the alley it was coming from. As she got closer, she saw a stout Romane unicorn stallion and a young mare who looked like she could be his daughter cowering against the wall. Facing them was a unicorn mare with a fiery red and yellow mane.
"She was very kind," the mare said, "but we have not seen her since!"
"Yellow pegasus mare," their interrogator said in frustration, "long pink mane, possibly in a torn wedding dress, may have come out of a window in that big house over there?!"
"We didn't see her!" the father insisted. "We were at the inn last night!"
The fiery mare ignited her horn and magically thrust the two to the wall. "Liars! As if you stinking urchins could afford an inn! You gypsies really are pathetic! It's no wonder every pony hates you!"
Twilight scowled at the scene. Even though getting involved in this could be risky, she couldn't just walk away from this act of injustice. She stomped towards the interrogator and planted her hooves firmly on the ground.
"How dare you speak to them that way?!"
The mare stiffened and spun around, her brilliant green eyes boring into hers. She dropped the Romane pair.
"What did you say?"
"I said," Twilight repeated, advancing on her, "how dare you speak to them that way?!"
The fiery unicorn came up to her until they were nose to nose, their eyes glaring unblinkingly at each other. Suddenly, her adversary smirked and drew back.
"Almost didn't recognize you in the light, Lavender."
Sunset used her hoof to flick Twilight's chin, momentarily catching her off-guard. But Twilight stood her ground and narrowed her gaze at Sunset.
"Wasn't hard to recognize you, Phoenix, with your overconfident, snarky attitude."
Laughing, Sunset circled her. "Oh, I missed your witty remarks. Your mortal guise looks good on you. Somehow I'm not surprised your eyes are purple."
"Somehow I'm not surprised you spend your time patronizing ponies who are less fortunate than you." Twilight glanced at the two Romanes and tossed them some coins. "Go get something to eat."
The father and daughter muttered their thanks before scampering away. Sunset snorted in annoyance.
"Didn't take you for a self-righteous do-gooder."
Twilight shrugged. "Didn't take you for a spoiled, narcissistic aristocrat."
Her adversary gawked. "Ah! Do you know who I am?!"
"I know exactly who you are," Twilight said, straightening up. "You're Lady Sunset Shimmer of Bullarest, sister to Count Trenderhoof, or so you claim. Considering your Siren friends said there were five in your coven and that you claimed to have a mate, it would seem that your siblinghood with Trenderhoof is merely a façade so that he can continue to seduce wealthy young heiresses in a massive gold-digging scheme so that you and your mate can become extremely rich while keeping your sick, twisted sexual relationship a secret."
Sunset blinked several times and then cackled. "I underestimated you. You really are a smart cookie!" She stepped towards her. "Since you seem to know everything about me, why don't we dissolve this mystery element between us and you tell me your name, hmm?"
Twilight glared at her in silence.
"Oh, come on! It's only fair! You know my name, I should know yours!"
"You seem smart," Twilight said, turning to trot away. "Figure it out yourself."
Before she could escape, Sunset swiftly moved to block her path. "Fine, don't tell me your name. But perhaps you can give me some other useful information, like the location of the Lady Fluttershy."
Twilight did her best to hide her guilt. "Her home, I presume."
Sunset huffed. "You would think, but she was scheduled to marry Trenderhoof this morning and she's mysteriously vanished into the night."
"Good for her." She turned away. "She has some brains."
Once again, Sunset would not let her leave. "Isn't it strange, though, that on the eve of her marriage to my Trenderhoof, she should disappear from her locked room, out an open window when she can't fly, with the scent of her lover Count Discord, your master, embedded in her chamber?" She leaned towards her. "You certain you don't know where she is?"
Twilight remained still, not taking her gaze off Sunset. "Even if I did, you won't get a word out of me."
The yellow unicorn shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We're sure to find her eventually."
"Good luck with that."
With a final grunt, Twilight pushed past her and continued on her way.
"I'd still like to know your name!" Sunset called.
"Too bad!" Twilight said, not looking at her.
"Then you shall continue to be Lavender!" She chanted mockingly, "Lavender, lavender, lavender! Lovely little Lavender! Lavender, Lavender…"
"My name's not Lavender!" Frustrated, she snapped around. "It's Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!"
She huffed as she stomped away, leaving Sunset with a satisfied smirk on her face.
"Twilight Sparkle," she mused. "A worthy name for a worthy opponent." She brought out the small bundle from behind her back. "She should really keep an eye on her saddlebag though."
Once she examined the contents of the bundle, she chuckled gleefully. The glorious confrontation she'd been waiting for would be soon, for now she had complete confidence in where the Lady Fluttershy was.
"I could've sworn it was in here," Twilight said as she rummaged through her bag. "I just had it!"
She and the other mares were in the gymnasium where Rainbow was teaching Scootaloo how to fence.
"Perhaps you dropped it?" Rarity suggested.
"No. I wrapped the charm up in a handkerchief and put it right here in my bag as soon as I left the shop."
"Maybe it was a pickpocket," Scootaloo said as she parried Rainbow's swing. "I used to do that before Mom told me it was dishonest. Cuteness is my best weapon anyway."
She shrieked as Rainbow's foil touched her chest.
"Not in battle, kid."
"No, if any pickpockets would brush up against me," Twilight said, "I would've…" She paused and then grunted angrily. "Sunset Shimmer!"
"Sunset Shimmer?" Rarity repeated.
"I encountered her in the market! She must've taken the charm when I wasn't looking and…" She stiffened. "Oh no. What if she knows what it's for and…?"
They all jumped when they heard a booming knock at the front door.
"You don't think…?" Pinkie said.
"It's gotta be them," Applejack whispered.
"She followed me here!" Twilight said with wince. "How could I be so reckless?!"
The knock came again.
"What should we do?" Rarity inquired. "We can't answer it."
"Why don't we just tell them they've got the wrong castle?" Pinkie suggested.
"Yeah," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "Genius, Pinkie. Except for one teeny problem. They've already met all of us!"
Pinkie looked down sheepishly. "Oh. Right. Well, maybe if we all stay really quiet, they'll think no pony's home and just go away!"
"Won't they just barge in?" Scootaloo asked.
"Vampires can't enter a home without permission," Rainbow reminded her.
"Oh yeah. Hey, what happens when vampires come into a home uninvited anyway?"
"Glad you asked!" Pinkie piped. "See, if we go someplace uninvited, all our blood vessels explode and blood comes oozing out all over our bodies like a trickling waterfall of death and…"
Rarity covered her mouth. "She doesn't need the details, Pinkie."
Scootaloo, however, looked excited. "Cool!"
The knocking grew louder.
"Maybe they will just go away," Twilight said, "as long as no pony answers the door."
"Uh, girls?" Applejack said worriedly. "Where's Spike?"
Every pony glanced around the gymnasium for the dragon, but saw that he wasn't present. Realization dawned upon them.
"Oh no," said Twilight.
Applejack was the first to rush out.
Spike approached the pounding double doors. "Hold your horses! I'm coming!" He opened it and gazed up at the six ponies standing there. "Can I help you?"
"Cool, a dragon!" one of the earth mares squealed. "Aw, he's so cute!"
The purple mare beside her nudged her harshly. "Quiet, Sonata!"
The unicorn stallion up front smiled and bowed. "Greetings, young dragon. Is this the home of Count Discord?"
"It certainly is," Spike said cheerfully. "Might I ask who you are?"
"I am Count Trenderhoof. This is my sister Sunset Shimmer and our servants."
Spike's smile vanished. "Y-You're…T-Trenderhoof?"
"Ah, you've heard of me."
He gulped. "Y-Yes."
Spike was feeling a mixture of terror and anger. Standing before him was the evil vampire who had destroyed the lives of his beloved Rarity and his friend Applejack. He had never been told the exact details of what Trenderhoof had done, because the mares didn't want to taint his innocence, but the dragon knew this villain was responsible for his friends' suffering. Every part of him wanted to burn the scoundrel to a crisp, but he was so frozen with fear that he couldn't produce any fire in his belly.
"May we come in?" Trenderhoof asked politely.
Shaking out of his thoughts, Spike replied, "Sorry, but Count Discord has forbidden me from letting any pony in today. You will have to come back tomorrow."
He started closing the door, but Trenderhoof stopped it with his hoof. He removed his spectacles and directed his gaze towards Spike, locking eyes with him.
"I think," he said, illuminating his horn, "you'll want to change your mind about letting us in."
The dragon stared at him a while and then blinked. "No, I don't think I will."
Trenderhoof stiffened as he extinguished his magic. "W-What?" He growled. "Again?! Are you kidding me?!"
"Let us handle it, Master," Adagio said, signaling her sisters.
Knowing what they were about to do, Spike quickly covered his earholes. But Trenderhoof used his magic to remove his claws from his head. The Dazzlings began singing a haunting melody in perfect harmony. Spike cocked his head at them.
"Uh…those are some really nice pipes and all, but we're not looking for any entertainment."
The Sirens gasped in shock.
"What?!" Adagio grunted. "How?! This had never…"
"Maybe it doesn't work on dragons?" Sonata suggested.
"Look," Spike said quickly, moving his now free claw towards the door. "I'm sorry you came all this way for nothing, but I really can't let you in."
"Ugh!" Sunset groaned. "Forget this!"
Her green aura surrounded Spike. He cried out and gripped the door to prevent himself from levitating towards her.
"You will let us in," Sunset said as she tried to pry him from the door, "or we will be having dragon pie for…"
"DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!"
Applejack burst through the doors in her bat form and tackled Sunset, making her drop Spike. Before any pony could respond, Applejack grabbed the dragon and rushed back inside before the sun could singe her skin any further. Shoving Spike behind the door, she glared menacingly at the group.
"He is not for eatin'!"
Trenderhoof laughed. "Oh, so you're keeping pets now? Or are you raising him until he's big enough to feast on?"
She gritted her teeth together and prepared to pounce.
"Applejack, stop!" Twilight said, grabbing her with her magic.
Sunset smirked. "Hi, Lavender."
Twilight narrowed her eyes at her. "Didn't I tell you not to trespass on our territory?"
"Interesting you should say that," Trenderhoof said. "Didn't my Sunset tell you that we had a claim on the Lady Fluttershy?"
"She's not here," Rainbow said, appearing in the doorway.
"Isn't she?" Sunset said, levitating the garlic charm into view. "If my research is correct, this little bauble is supposed to prevent a newborn vampire from taking bat form in their early stages of transformation."
"Now why would you need a thing like that?" Trenderhoof asked. "Unless there's a new member of your coven?"
Pinkie's head popped out. "That's right, you goons! We beat ya to her! You can't have Fluttershy because she's already conducted the mating ritual with our master!"
"Pinkie!" Rarity hissed behind her.
"Oops."
Twilight sighed. "It's true. Fluttershy does not belong to you. She belongs to Count Discord now and he to her. You have no claim over her. Now, leave our land, or we'll have to force you off."
Sunset's smugness disappeared and she glanced worriedly at her mate. "Trend, if what they say is true and the Lady Fluttershy is now bound to Count Discord, there is nothing we can do."
Trenderhoof waved his hoof nonchalantly. "A mating bond is nothing."
She stared at him in shock. "W-What?"
"It only lasts until one of them is dead," he grinned evilly at the mares in the doorway, "and that can easily be arranged."
Applejack took a step forward. "Is that a threat?"
He leaned toward her. "Once your master is dead, Lady Fluttershy will no longer be bound to him, allowing me to bind her soul to me."
Sunset looked at him in disbelief. "But Trend, you said you wouldn't…"
"I know what I said! But thanks to these little meddlers, there has to be a change in plans."
Twilight snorted at him. "We are not letting you get anywhere near our master, or our mistress, because we are not letting you in this castle!"
"So be it." He drew back. "If you won't let us in, we'll just have to stay out here."
"We've got all day and all night," Adagio chuckled throatily.
"Good luck finding food," Aria taunted.
"Guess you'll just have to eat your little dragon pet!" Sonata said with a laugh.
Twilight slammed the door on them. "I really hate those ponies."
Applejack knelt down to Spike. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"
"No," he said, shaking his head. "But I think they tried hypnotizing me. It didn't work though."
"It didn't?" Twilight asked, raising a curious eyebrow.
He shrugged. "Maybe that stuff doesn't work on dragons."
"Maybe," said Applejack, "but ya could've been… Ya should've been more careful!"
"Relax, okay?" He pulled himself out of her grasp. "I'm fine."
"What do we do now?" Rainbow inquired. "They sounded pretty serious about camping out there all day and night."
"I believe they were," Twilight agreed. "They've set the perfect trap for us. If we let them in, they'll be free to attack. If we try to leave, they'll be free to attack. Either way, we'll be fighting."
"But we can't stay in here!" Pinkie said. "We won't be able to hunt! We'll starve!"
"And with them outside, they'll be able to hunt all they want!" said Applejack. "They really can stay out there forever!"
"So it looks like we're gonna have to fight," Rainbow said, pounding her hooves together. "Bring it!"
"Not so fast," Twilight said before Rainbow could rush outside. "We have to think about this rationally. If we fight them now, we might not stand much of a chance. We fight best in our bat forms, but we can't change in the sunlight. Besides, if we fight out in the open, they might escape." She snorted angrily. "I don't want those Sirens to slip away from me again."
"But if we fight them in here, they might get to Fluttershy!" Rarity pointed out.
"But we'd have the advantage of fighting on our home turf," Rainbow said.
"And Trenderhoof won't be able to escape so easily," said Applejack.
"So what do we do?"
"We're going to need the Master's help," Twilight said. "His powers will be a great asset. I'll go ask him what he thinks we should do."
Meanwhile, outside, Sunset was arguing with Trenderhoof.
"You said you were just going to drink her! You never said anything about mating with her!"
"Well I can't very well drink her now that she's a vampire," Trenderhoof retorted. "Mating with her is the only way I'll be able to control her."
"But I'm your mate!" she shouted, pointing to herself.
"It'll only be temporary, my dear. I just need her in my control long enough for me to marry her and legally obtain her fortune."
She eyed him skeptically. "And then you'll get rid of her?"
"Oh, my little phoenix," he cooed, lifting her chin. "You know you're my best mare."
She stared at him aghast as he casually walked away. "That doesn't answer my question."
"You have nothing to worry about, darling," he said over his shoulder. "Haven't I always been faithful to you?"
She narrowed her eyes. "There's an easier way, you know. One less…suicidal? We don't know what we're up against. The mare's heavily guarded. But you still have her aunt hypnotized back at the mansion. She's a widow. You can just marry her for the fortune."
"Don't you get it?" Trenderhoof said, spinning around. "This isn't just about the money anymore! It's about the principle! Those vampires have stolen what is rightfully mine! I will not be humiliated!"
"Ugh! What is wrong with you?! Why are you so ignorant that you would so foolishly lead your coven right into a…?"
She shrieked as he grabbed her by the shoulders.
"You are out of line, missy!" he shouted into her face. "You forget who makes the decisions here and who carries them out!"
"But I am your…"
"THAT INCLUDES YOU!" He took a deep breath. "Now, be a good girl and go scout the terrain with Bulk. Make sure those mares have no way of escaping."
He pushed her away and she glared at him, but obeyed anyway. She went around one side of the castle while Bulk went to check the other. Adagio glanced at Trenderhoof as she sent him a telepathic message.
You're losing control of her, Master.
Yes, he responded. She always was headstrong.
She's not going to stay this cooperative.
Indeed. She's coming to a point where she won't care about losing her soul.
You need to dispose of her and soon.
Her magic is powerful. We'll need that if it comes down to war.
But she has a point. We don't know how powerful this coven is.
I know that, darling. He smiled smugly at her. That's why I put in a call to Bullarest.
Moments later, she was knocking on Discord's door. After she heard an annoyed groan, it opened.
"I thought I told you not to disturb us…"
"…unless it's an emergency," Twilight finished. "Well, it is. Trenderhoof and his coven are at our door!"
Discord stiffened. "Well, tell them to go away!"
"We tried, but they wouldn't listen. They want Fluttershy."
"Then tell them they can't have her, because she's my mate now!"
"We did, but they said it doesn't matter. They're…they're going to try and kill you and then Trenderhoof's going to perform the mating ceremony on Fluttershy."
He clenched his paw into a fist. "He can try."
"Master, we might have to fight them. We need your magic."
Discord turned back to look at the pale bride sleeping in the coffin. "I…I can't."
Twilight blinked. "Why not?"
"I said I wouldn't leave her."
"But Master, if you don't do something…"
"I am doing something!" he snapped. "She is my mate now and my responsibility! She's scared about her transformation, and I have to be here when she wakes!"
She shook her head. "But you need to protect her from…"
"I'd still be protecting her! It'll be like…you girls are the knights at the drawbridge and I'm the dragon guarding the princess!" He looked at her pleadingly. "I can't leave her, Twilight."
She stared at him and then sighed in relent. "What do you propose we do?"
He stroked his beard. "Send out the white flag. See if you can reason with them."
"And if that doesn't work?"
"Then we go to battle."
"Okay, but we'll have to let them in for that. I can't lose the Sirens again, not after all this time."
"Do you think you can handle them?"
Twilight nodded. "There are six of them and five of us, but my magic's strong enough."
"And if they manage to get past you," he straightened up, "I'll be waiting for them."
"I'll let you know if there's any more trouble. Just protect Fluttershy at all costs."
He huffed. "You don't need to tell me twice." He knelt down and laid his paw over her shoulder. "I know you can do this."
She smiled and saluted. "We won't let you down, Master."
Once she had trotted down the stairs, Discord shut the door and looked back at Fluttershy.
"Don't worry, my darling," he said in determination. "That scoundrel won't be able to lay a hoof on you."
Trenderhoof and his coven jumped readily as the double doors to the castle opened. A small white flag stuck out through the crack.
"Are they surrendering?" Aria asked.
"This isn't a surrender!" Twilight called, stepping out. "This is a negotiation!"
Trenderhoof held out his hoof, signaling his associates to wait. "What are your terms, domnişoară?"
"Three of us will come out, and we will have a civilized chat. If any pony tries to fight, then the rest of our crew will come out. I should also point out that we are out in the sunlight, so none of us will be able to change into our bat form. And you know how we vampires are prone to lose ourselves in a fight."
Trenderhoof glanced back at the Dazzlings, who moved out of their attack formation. Then he looked to Bulk, who nodded, then to Sunset. She glanced momentarily at Twilight, groaned and silently agreed with every pony else.
"We won't fight," Trenderhoof said, holding up his hooves. "You can come out."
Twilight emerged, still levitating the white flag. She came up to the notorious group, Applejack and Rarity following her on either side. Their eyes were staring at Trenderhoof like daggers. Twilight's attention was on the Dazzlings.
"Applejack," Trenderhoof scoffed. "Always a pleasure."
Rarity responded before Applejack could. "The only reason you're not dead now is because some of us are trying to be civil."
He cocked his head curiously at the white unicorn. "And you are?"
Her jaw dropped. "You…don't…what?! How could you not know who I am?! I'm Rarity! The mare you raped and sired a hundred years ago?!"
Scratching his temple, he said, "Still not ringing a bell."
"Are you joking?!" she huffed, her eyes turning red. "How can you remember Applejack and not me?! We were engaged!"
"Oh, wait!" He smirked. "You were that clingy little seamstress, weren't you? Oh, you were so easy."
She charged for him, but Applejack held her back. "We're not here to fight, Rarity." She glared back at Trenderhoof. "Yet."
"As you can see," Twilight said steadily, "a number of us have personal scores to settle with you."
Sunset sneered proudly. "I knew you cared."
Twilight ignored her and turned to the Dazzlings. "I wasn't a vampire last time we met, but I can assure you that much has changed since then."
"Do we…?" Adagio said as she scrutinized her. "Wait." She scoffed. "The Sparkle brat, of course!"
"Twilight Sparkle?" Trenderhoof said with a hearty laugh. "I remember! It was almost a year ago! You went looking for you parents' murderers." He narrowed his eyes. "You were just as nosy as they were."
"Hold on," Sunset said, looking between them. "You know her?"
"We've crossed paths, yes," Adagio smirked. "But we never had much time to get acquainted."
Twilight snorted in fury. "That's because you were too busy draining my fiancé of his blood!"
Sunset's eyes widened as she turned to the Dazzlings. "You killed her fiancé?"
"And her parents," Aria said with a grin.
"Oh, but that boy of hers!" Adagio exclaimed. "What a treat!"
"He was a cute one too!" Sonata giggled.
"I'll give you this, Sparkle, you certainly knew how to pick 'em." Adagio closed her eyes blissfully. "Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. Pressed up against the wall, lying limp, gasping as I sucked on his neck, smiling as I drained the life from him…"
Applejack and Rarity each grabbed one of Twilight's forelegs as she leaped at Adagio, hissing wrathfully.
"YOU FILTHY WHORES! NOT ONLY DID YOU TAKE AWAY MY PARENTS, YOU HAD TO TAKE AWAY THE ONLY STALLION I EVER LOVED! YOU'RE MONSTERS! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"
Her eyes had become redder than blood and her ears were growing furrier.
"Uh-uh-uh!" Adagio said, wagging her hoof and pointing to the sky. "Too sunny, remember?"
Applejack and Rarity pulled their friend back into an embrace and urged her to calm down. Twilight heaved several breaths until her eyes and ears were back to normal. Sunset had watched this spectacle in wonderment.
When Twilight was relaxed, she stood boldly before their adversaries. "So you understand we would like nothing better than to see you all disintegrated into dust."
"You flatter us," Adagio said, unfazed by her outburst.
"However, because we are reasonable ponies, we are giving you one last chance to turn around and leave us alone forever."
Trenderhoof threw his head back in a cackle. "And what makes you think we'll do that?"
"We hate y'all," Applejack said bluntly.
"We've spent years preparing your demise," said Rarity firmly. "Do you really want to see how much strength we've built up for this moment?"
"But if you leave now," Twilight repeated, "you just might live to see another day."
Sunset looked to her mate. "Trend, I think we should…"
"If you think we're just going to walk away and pretend this never happened," Trenderhoof said, stomping his hoof, "then your naïve sense of mercy has clouded your minds. This isn't just about Fluttershy anymore." He glanced slyly at Applejack. "We have some scores to settle too."
"So be it then," Twilight said, squaring her shoulders. "We didn't want it to come to this, but you leave us no choice. The extent of our mercy ends here. At sundown, we go to war."
Trenderhoof raised his chin. "Then war it is." He smirked at Applejack. "We look forward to it."
After sending one last collective glare, the three mares spun around and marched back towards the mansion. Sunset watched Twilight, admiring her boldness and thinking about her passionate outburst.
"Twilight, wait!"
The lavender unicorn turned in confusion.
"Sunset, what are you doing?" Trenderhoof demanded.
"Just give me a moment with her," Sunset hissed. "Alone."
He looked between her and Twilight and nodded to the others. They dispersed into the trees and behind the mansion. Sunset walked up to Twilight, who looked extremely perturbed. Applejack and Rarity stood a few meters away from them.
"Look," Sunset said cautiously. "I…I didn't know the Dazzlings had done that to your parents and…your fiancé. If I had known, I… I guess I'm trying to say I'm…" She breathed. "I think it's horrible that they did that to you. If I lost Trenderhoof, I don't know what I'd…"
"Get to your point," Twilight grumbled.
Sunset looked at her pleadingly. "It doesn't have to be this way. We don't have to fight."
Twilight scoffed. "You've literally been begging for a fight since the minute we met!"
"I know, but…we don't have to be enemies." She leaned in closer. "Listen, we've got something big planned here. Once we've gained enough power, we'll be able to take control of all of Tramplevania, maybe even the world!"
Uninterested, Twilight asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you could be a part of it. Aren't you tired of ponies oppressing you, tricking you into believing that you're nothing more than a weak little mare? You're not a weak little mare, Twilight Sparkle. I've seen how smart and powerful you can be. If you help us with our quest, we can show those misogynistic egomaniacs what we're really worth!"
Twilight stared at her, and then shook her head with a scoff. "You're really something, you know that? You say you plan to overpower the male population, yet you take orders from this sadistic creep!"
Sunset blinked. "You…you can't call him that! You don't even know him!"
"Apparently, neither do you. Didn't you hear what he did to Applejack and Rarity?"
She huffed. "That was before he met me. He had to get food somehow."
"What about Fluttershy? He blatantly admitted right in front of you that he plans to mate with her."
She bit her lip. "He…he's only after her for the money!"
"But to make her his mistress? Funny, I always thought vampires couldn't have mistresses after they've met their mates."
Sunset stood stock still for a long while. Then she shook her head.
"You don't know anything!"
"I do know that this spell of yours is not going to work."
She cocked her head in bewilderment. "Spell?"
Twilight stuck her snout in her face. "Trying to instill me with false emotions is just lazy and weak."
"What are you talking about?"
"You think a few ridiculous dreams are going to make me change my mind about you?!"
Sunset snorted. "Now I know you're crazy! Vampires don't have dreams!"
Twilight blinked back in surprise. If Sunset didn't know that vampires could have dreams, then that meant…
"You're not his mate."
Sunset scowled. "Stop it."
Twilight stepped closer. "Sunset, he's lying to you…"
"Shut up."
"He doesn't really love you…"
"SHUT UP!" Sunset began heaving heavily, her eyes reddening. "When we met, Lavender, I just wanted to spar with you, see what you were made of. I thought you'd be a nice challenge. But if you get on my bad side, our next meeting just might be fatal."
Twilight grunted. "Whatever. Ruin yourself. See if I care. You're not my problem."
She snapped around and went back inside with her friends. Sunset glared furiously at the door, her eyes becoming redder by the second. Trenderhoof returned to her side.
"How did it go, dear?"
"I've decided," she heaved, "to go along with this little war."
"Glad you've changed your mind."
"On one condition." She turned sharply to him. "The lavender one is mine."
He smirked in amusement. "Do whatever you like with her, my love. Do whatever you like."