Dracula (Not exactly)

by Cyndaquil

5 Mixed First Impressions

This part occurs between Chapters 1 and 3, while after chapter 2.

---

“This is it,” said Machintosh Appleton, “1313 Mockingbird Lane.”

Midnight Sparkle twirled her black sun blocking parasol, as she took a moment to admire the pre-enlightenment style architecture. On the right, there was an Octagonal third story tower, with a wind worn widows walk. It was the highest point in the neighbourhood. Her companions have already seen pictures of the house, and Starlight Glimmer has plans to attach a lightning rod to that tower, for the experiments that required the highest power demand.

The right side seemed spacious, a former banquet hall which Midnight planned to turn into a library.

The flower witch trio would be most concerned about the backyard, as gardening was their passion. From the wild and overrun weeds that covered the area, she knew the land was fertile.

Spike just wanted a good kitchen.

Macintosh Appleton walked up the front steps, purposely stepping upon the creakiest parts of the floorboards.

He placed a key in the lock and turned. It took a great deal of force to move the rusted tumblers. Macintosh opened the door slowly so that Midnight could hear it creek as well, then held it open so she could enter.

“You’ll find much of the wood is rotten. It’s also a fire hazard. There is running water, just run the faucets until the brown colour goes away. I suspect you might find some lead in the pipes; scientists and doctors are saying that lead is bad nowadays. It’s also in all the paint, of course. The house is a little draughty in the winter. It makes up for that by being swelteringly hot in the summer.” He turned to see if Midnight was paying attention, and more importantly, it this was discouraging her from buying the house. “And you’re already performing forbidden arcane rituals.”

He turned and saw a green glow emanating from midnights horn. She was just sending a letter off to her companions, who all had various chores to do while Midnight handled the houses transfer of ownership.

It was normally custom and good manners to give the new owner a tour of the house, If she hadn’t had one prior to buying. Fortunately, Macintosh correctly guessed that Midnight either didn’t know the customs or didn’t care. She seemed eager to get out of the sunlight and satisfied to just take the key and part at the front door.

Macintosh did not want to be alone with her inside that house.

“By the way,” said Midnight, “to help foster friendship with my new neighbours, I will be hosting a barbecue tomorrow night. I do hope your fiancé and your sister will be in attendance.”

Macintosh stuttered, trying to respond. The words choked in this throat.

He was careful never to turn his back to this creature as she gently closed the front door. Macintosh puttered to and from the doors knocker. It would be foolish to leave her believing Fluttershy and Applejewel would actually attend her soiree. Standing her up would be a horrible insult and make her far more furious then if he simply told her now that they would not attend, wouldn’t it? Just as he was about to reach for the knocker, the creaky door swung open a crack.

“Oh, uh, you can come too if you want” Midnight told this to Macintosh as an afterthought.

Working up what little courage he had, Macintosh spoke. “They will not be in attendance.”

There was a sombre moment. At last Midnight decided to ask, “Why is that?”

At this point Macintosh needed a reason, preferably one that would not offend. He could tell her that ponies don’t eat meat. Actually somepony really ought to tell her that.

“AppleJewel is a schoolmarm. School starts early here, so she does not stay up very late.”

Midnight squinted slightly.

“There’s still your fiancé, Fluttershy.”

“She may be preparing for a trip, to visit her parents.”

This didn’t have to be a lie. He could actually send her on such a trip. Surely she would understand.

“I see. I can move the barbecue over to Friday night. At least then I might catch Applejewel.”

“Oh you don’t need to do that.”

“I do! What’s the point if I can’t meet them!” Midnight raised her voice, causing Macintosh to recoil two steps backward.

“Friday it is then.” He took another two steps back.

“Perhaps I can visit and introduce myself sooner.”

Macintosh adjusted his collar. “Eyup! Just uh… just be sure to let us know you’re coming. Maybe send that Dragon pal of yours as a messenger.”

She eyed him suspiciously, before finally nodding her head. A truly close friend might have said drop by anytime, although there are many reasons a family might want more privacy then to allow that. Macintosh was the master of his household and even in her homeland it would be impolite to deny his request.

“Farewell then!” Midnight seemed eager to get away from the sun.

---

Fluttershy trotted into the smoking room and pulled a newspaper out from Macintosh’s grip. Grabbing an ashtray from the counter, she held it out to Macintosh indicating that he was to extinguish his pipe. Fluttershy could not abide the smell of smoke, they would likely have to take this to another room. Even now she was holding her nose with her other hoof. Of course he did not put out his expensive pipe in a dirty ashtray, his darling considered all forms of smoking interchangeable, and refuses to understand the intricacies of the habit.

“What’s this about me going to my parents house?”

Macintosh had asked his mother Pear Butter to tell her, and Fluttershy found it especially cowardly that he did not tell her himself.

“Sweetie pie, it’s just for a little while, just until a figure out how to…”

“Avoid the neighbours.”

“Don’t you think it would be nice to see your parents. It’s been over a year.”

“It’s a two week trip. Besides my brother Zepher is spending the summer at their estate.”

Macintosh heard plenty over the years about why she was not on speaking terms with her brother.

“Listen darling, Sparkle has diplomatic immunity. It’s an unusual situation. The law won’t help us.”

“Help us with what? What are we to her?”

Knock-Knock!

Their talk was interrupted. Somepony was at the door.

Fluttershy approached to open it, Macintosh held her back.

Knock-Knock!

The young mare of the house brushed her fiancé aside, though she did look through the peep hole before opening the door. On the other side was a purple pink mare, with a lime green mane. It wasn’t even her, so Fluttershy just opened the door.

“Hello, how may I help you?” Her manner changed drastically. Fluttershy was normally a kind soul and it took quite a bit to bring out the other side to her. Though, she could stand up her Macintosh or any man perfectly well. It was rare for anything to frighten her.

“Hi, said the pony. I seem to have made a mistake. Isn’t this 1313 Mockingbird Lane?”

“Fluttershy raised her brows in surprise. 1313 was Midnights house.”

“No, this is 1318, Odd numbers are on the other side of the street, and as we do live in estates even that is a bit of a walk from here.”

“I see.”

“Could you please point the way,” asked Daisy?

“You shouldn’t be alone in the dark. How about I grab a lantern and lead you there myself.”

“Oh, I couldn’t trouble you so!” She seemed genuinely surprised that Fluttershy offered.

“I insist.”

Macintosh pulled Fluttershy aside. “Just one moment,” he spoke politely to Daisy before slamming the door in her face.

“She’s one of hers. That ponies soul belongs to Midnight. It’s a trick.”

“Perhaps, I’m going to meet her sooner or later.”

“I won’t allow you to go to her home in the middle of the night.”

“The chivalrous thing would be for you to escort me.”

Macintosh’s four knees quivered at that suggestion. He was going to do it anyway, though before he could agree Fluttershy said, “I’ll just take Bruin-a”

“Yes Bruin-a, take Bruin-a, that’s an excellent suggestion.”

Daisy was considering leaving when they finally opened the door again. So it was that Fluttershy, along with Bruin-a, a six hundred pound grizzly bear who could somehow hold a lantern in it’s paws, escorted Daisy to Midnight Sparkles estate.

“So what do you do at the estate?” Fluttershy asked.

“I am one of three gardeners. We will be working all of the land on the estate.”

“Gardeners for all the land!” Fluttershy thought for a moment. “The property has 7.2 acres, and it hasn’t been farmed for 3 years, so you must need a handful stallions to get the land back in shape.”

“No, no Stallions, it’ll be just us mares.”

“I see.”

“It’s great land for corn.”

“We’re not really farmers.”

“Oh!”

“We grow our own food of course. It’s just that we do things a little differently. We wouldn’t try to make only one plant species cover a large area, they’re all meant to exist in ecosystems after-all.” She looked upward with pride. “When me, Lily, and Roseluck are finished, those 7.2 acres will be just like a miniature Everfree.”

Fluttershy was silent for a few moments. Wasn’t Everfree that fabled Forrest that was so wild ponies couldn’t tame it?

“Myself, I take care of animals. It’s not my job mind you, it’s more of a passion. I mostly care for injured woodland creatures who can’t return to the wild.”

“That sounds lovely.”

“Really, how good of you to say. Many ponies think it odd. Macintosh is very supportive. I feel sorry for relying on him so much; I used to work as a secretary on the side, but I could never do this on just a secretaries wages.”

“He must really love you.”

When they were about three quarters of the way to the estate, Fluttershy tried asking a different sort of question.

“So why were you heading home so late, and all by your lonesome.”

“Me and the girls were buying some tools in town. We didn’t bring our tools from home because it was too much to transport.”

“That makes sense. How did you get separated from your group?”

“There was this town pony flirting with us. He probably didn’t know which estate we belong to. Two of us had to take the supplies home, so we drew straws, and…”

“You went off alone with a male you only met this afternoon.”

Daisy giggled. She understood Fluttershy’s reaction, there was a point in her life where Daisy would have been more shocked then she now was.

“That’s so dangerous!”

“I suppose it did become dangerous.” Daisy giggled. “Maybe next time he’ll know better.”

Before Fluttershy could make sense of that statement, she saw a silhouette pass over the full moon in the sky above. She huddled closer to Bruin-a.

It was a flying broomstick. Fluttershy had only heard of those in pony-tales, her grandmare had told her, the ones that were supposed to be banned nowadays. The broomstick swung around and descended. A mare with a yellow coat, and a red mane flew upon it.

Soon Roseluck hovered just a few feet away from them, and Bruin-a growled at the sight of her.

“Hi Daisy, I’ve been looking for you. Who’re your friends?”

“These are…”

Before Daisy could finish her thought, Fluttershy noticed something alive, poking around inside Roselucks saddle bag.

Daisy looked at Roseluck sternly and pointed to the bag. “Rosie, what’s that?”

She gave an awkward laugh then opened it up for them to see. Roseluck lifted up the rabbit from the scruff of the neck. Though it was dark, Daisy could see the rabbit had one lame leg. It was unusually small. It figured that Rosie could only catch the lame ones.

“Angel!” Fluttersy screamed.

“What are you doing with Angel?”

“You know this rabbit.”

“That’s angel, I rescued him from a monster trap when he was only a tiny little bunny.” Fluttershy’s voice had a pleading quality too it, and she held her hooves together like she was praying.

Daisy stood on her hind legs, she crossed her other hooves and tapped her foot.

“Give it back, she told her.”

“It was just running wild.”

“Angel is willful he gets out often.” The bunny was squirming to escape Rosies grip, and maybe bite her.

“What are you doing with her?”

Without answering, Roseluck handed the rabbit back to Fluttershy. The mare looked the rabbit over for injuries, then petted him affectionately, cooing and whispering that all was okay.

Daisy was about to say something when Fluttershy cut her off.

“Since you found your friend, I suppose you can get home on your own now. It’s late so…” She gave a slight bow, “Good bye.”

Daisy motioned for her to wait, but Fluttershy rushed to get away with Angel. She needed to keep angel safe.

“Aw,” Roseluck crowed. “I really wanted to eat that rabbit. So who was that pony.”

She turned to see Daisy giving her a scornful and exasperated look.

---

Three days went by. Each morning there were gifts on the doorstep, and once the dragon came by as a messenger to ask if Midnight could stop over for tea. The gifts were put in the barn unopened, and Macintosh thankfully had a legitimate excuse to avoid the tea party.

One day, while walking to work, Macintosh noticed some posters hung about the city.

Midnight Sparkle was searching for three mares, the other three elements of harmony he supposed. The posters contained black and white photographs of what only he knew were their inter-dimensional counterparts. Just thinking that made him shake his head. Was their really another dimension with some happy friendly princess version of the fowl creature? Surely not, he hadn’t seen it; although, the photos were familiar.

There was one mare with a poofy tangle of curls. The poster read ‘possibly named: Pinkie Pie.’ Midnight wasn’t even certain about the name. Well, Macintosh didn’t recognize her at all.

Next was one with a rainbow mane. How could anyone not recognize her? Macintosh was a big sporting fan in his college days. Hard to believe that was only three years ago. He immediately recollected the face of Rainbow Dash. Although, he didn’t know what she had been doing since her career ending injury.

The last was the elegant Miss Rarity Belle. That was his cousins fiancé, they met during a family reunion. Knowing this troubled Macintosh deeply. If Midnight finds out that he knows Rarity, she might think he was keeping it secret from her.

Perhaps he could just tell her about Rarity. In fact, Maybe Midnight would leave town to chase after the unfortunate mare. Macintosh actually mused with the idea of leaving town while away from Midnights prying eyes. Escaping with this bride and his parents, and never seeing her again. Could he do that?

---

While Macintosh was at work, somepony came calling upon the Apple estate.

Fluttershy opened the door. From the doors peephole, Fluttershy did not see the bone saw that other pony was carrying.

“I’m here to fix your rabbit.” She spoke as though she meant to say the name of some household appliance, though Fluttershy distinctly heard ‘rabbit.’

“Excuse me!”

“I’m here to fix your rabbit.”

She said it again.

“Are you one of Midnight Sparkles ponies.”

“Very perceptive of you, I am her private physician,” Starlight Glimmer explained as she handed her a card. “My specialties are vivisection, pharmacology, and mechanical engineering.”

“Oh.”

Fluttershy tried to close the door, but the handle of her bone saw was wedged in the crack.

“What do you mean by fix?”

“We have a few options. Based on what Daisy told me you probably don’t want me to kill another rabbit for spare parts.”

“Certainly not!”

“Come with me, in my wagon I have something me and the girls have been working on.” She rummaged through the horse drawn cart. Fluttershy wondered why she followed her instead of running back to the front door and locking it shut.

“You seem like a smart pony. I’m sure you’ll understand, unlike those FOOLS in academia! The girls said I shouldn’t show you this part, or y’know I shouldn’t talk to you myself. Everyone loves sausage, but nopony wants to see how it’s made after all.”

“Ponies don’t eat meat.”

Starlight ignored that last comment, and pulled out a flower pot. Inside the pot was something rather unique.

It looked like some sort of flytrap, which was exotic enough in these parts. Protruding form the branches was something Fluttershy didn’t quite recognize. Fluttershy tried to take a closer look and the fruit of the branch tried to kick her.

Fluttershy jumped backward.

“Amazing isn’t it. We found some hairs in Roselucks Saddle bag. I converted the follicles to stem cells and grafted them onto the plant, then used triggered accelerated growth to make legs. Of course I needed the witches magic to do this. I’ve wanted to collaborate for years on a similar project to grow a ponies heart, it’s just so hard to motivate those three.”

“Rabbit legs from a plant.”

“Yes.”

“And you want to transplant one onto my angel bunny.”

“I want to replace hearts, this is just a stepping stone.”

“I see.”

“I’ll have to shave your rabbits underside and there will be scars. You won’t even see them once the hair grows back.”

“You want to transplant legs onto a bunny that were grown on a plant enchanted by witches.”

“I knew you’d understand.”

“This sounds like a big procedure.”

“It’s nothing. The legs are already rabbit legs biologically speaking. Try sewing wings onto a rat.”

“Do you have any testimonials.”

“Testimonials…” Her manic energy seemed to dissipate upon hearing the word. Starlight made an almost cartoonish exagerated show of sudden depression.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“It’s fine… it’s fine. So that’s where my career is right now. I need testimonials to work as a common vet.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay. I’m sure I can drum one up somewhere.” She clearly wasn’t sure.

She handed the plant to Fluttershy. The flytrap started biting her hair, while tiny legs kicked her in the face.

“Water it twice a day. Don’t worry about food, it’ll catch its own flies.”

Starlight left, with her head hung awfully low.

She did turn back once to ask a question. “In the meantime, would you like me to attach steam powered exoskeletal legs to your rabbit.”

“No Thank You! You’ve…uh…gone to enough trouble already.”

---

The next day, Macintosh put a letter in Midnights mailbox with information about the whereabouts of Rarity Belle.

Later at his place of work he received orders to telegraph the Appleloosa office and have a house bought and ready for Midnight Sparkle in Appleloosa. Her only demand was that it be close to the home of Rarity Belle’s family, and price was no object. She did ask Macintosh to send her regards to Fluttershy, and apologize that they haven’t even had the pleasure of properly meeting yet. There was something passive aggressive about that last part.

Such a deal would greatly advance his real estate career, yet Macintosh paid it no mind. All that mattered to him was that they had the opportunity to leave town.

He went to the office to grab his hat. His revolving chair was turned backward. This was odd, he thought. The office was small and the chair was close to the wall. He usually tucked the chairs arms under the desk.

Not giving it too much mind, he pushed the chair back and spun it around.

Suddenly a waft of perfume squirted in his face. Sitting in a lotus position, was Lily Valley.

Macintosh had less then a moment to acknowledge what she saw, before he started onto a coughing fit. The perfume, it was doing something to him.

---

For the next little while, Fluttershy had a nagging suspicion that something was up with Macintosh. Most of the time he was fine. He talked favourably about his work; he helped Fluttershy feed, clean, and play with her many animals; he was even tender and affectionate when they were alone together. He was only odd when it came to the subject of Midnight Sparkle and her entourage. Whenever the subject arouse the usually verbose stallions conversation skills dwindled into a series of Eyup, and Nope to every question. When asked if they were still going to leave town, the answer was Nope, and that was the most she could get out of him. He did seem to listen well though. She wondered what was wrong.

This had gone on for three weeks and Fluttershy had had enough. One day, there was yet another knock on the door.

The pony at the door was a familiar face and the very sight of her pleased Fluttershy greatly.

She wore her hair in a pony tale, though it was coloured differently. She had modest business attire and reading glasses.

“Dot, is that you? Dot, I haven’t seen you since secretarial school.”

“Hello Fluttershy. I’ve missed you.”

“Well what are you doing here.”

Dotti unfurled her wing. It was the lame wing she was normally very shy about. It didn’t look lame, it looked strong, and she looked proud of it. Dot smiled and blushed in her usual shy manner.

“I came to give a testimonial for a very fine doctor.”

Comments

[Fiddlebottoms]

While the first chapter's transition was a bit unsatisfyingly abrupt in its turn from Stoker to Friendship, the later chapters recover the balance of being a proper Victorian horror story about how those direst of evils: feminism, friendship, ecology, and medicine.
Glimmer is the best part. I guess Alt-Glimmer and Alt-Twilight met on their travels as unpleasant, magical weirdos with strange fixations and a chip on their shoulder?

One grammar note, in Chapter 2

“Daisy quickly covered Lily’s muzzle with her hoof.”

I'm pretty sure you intended that to be action, and not someone saying “Daisy quickly covered Lily’s muzzle with her hoof.”

[tsaukpaetra]

well, Starlight does have to operate at a loss until she builds reputation...
Soon enough the plan continues, but will the campaign be successful.
Keep going! ;)

[Cyndaquil]

9059689
Here's hoping whatever reputation she builds doesn't get her chased out of town with torches and pitchforks.