Dracula (Not exactly)

by Cyndaquil

8 Perplexed & Horrified

Fluttershy tried not to move, as the inexperienced seamstress made the finishing alterations to her finest dress. Needles flew in the air with magic as she sewed the hem.

Until now, the seamstress had only practiced on mannequins.

Rarity, the seamstress, did not move as confidently as she did with the mannequins. She was afraid of a needle puncturing the customers flesh. If she didn’t move a little faster, then the Appleton's would likely be late for their dinner engagement.

The dinner engagement in question was made on such short notice. Fluttershy was not the least bit surprised that she could not book her regular seamstress, Suri Polymare, and felt fortunate that Madame Polymare’s new apprentice was willing to make a house call.

Breaking one last thread with her teeth, Rarity at last, finished with the dress.

Fluttershy took a few steps back and forth, to test the feel of the garment, then nodded in approval, and smiled. When she smiled, an apprehensive Rarity sighed with relief.

Fluttershy wanted to see how it looked in the full length mirror. She had to push aside another pony. Applejewel was in front of the mirror, teasing her eyelashes and puffing up her mane; that pony was always fixing her hair. She too was invited to the dinner engagement.

“So who are we having dinner with darling?” Applejewel asked.

“It’s one of my husbands real-estate clients.”

“Yes I know that much of course. Who is the client?”

“I don’t know…!”

It was an odd hour for dinner, at least it was for the Appletons, who normally ate well before sunset. In the darkness a carriage arrived at the Appleton estate, it had no lights and no driver. Macintosh Appleton realized that it was just like the carriage which first brought him to a certain castle in the Everfree Forrest.

“The carriage,” Macintosh called, “time to go.”

“Sister,” said Applejewel in a hushed tone, “does my brother sound a little unexpressive to you?”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy realized right away what was going on. Macintosh Appleton was usually a very verbose stallion, yet when it came to a certain subject he said little, and spoke in monotone.

The two were ushered into the carriage by Macintosh. At one point Fluttershy tried to step aside, as a test. Macintosh stepped behind her and herded her like a lamb. He was gentle enough, though Fluttershy decided not to test him further.

Macintosh then turned to Rarity. “You come also.”

Rarity was greatly surprised. “Oh I couldn’t darling. My dress is too shabby for a formal soiree.” It was true, she was not supposed to outshine her clients, and so wore a basic brown dress with vertical stripes.

“Rarity come to dinner party!”

“Rarity will do no such thing!”

Macintosh moaned, he moaned as though confused by the whole situation. “Sir, are you all-right?” Rarity asked.

Before he could answer, a familiar muzzle poked itself out of the carriage and came into view.

Soon she was greeted by the face of her dear friend Rainbow Dash. To Rarity she was Rainbow Dash, though to all others she inexplicably still went by the name Dot. Her hair was tied back, she wore wide framed glasses, and a yellow neckerchief.

“It’s all right Rarity. I thought this might happen.”

Dot came out of the carriage, carrying a small box. She opened it up to reveal Rarity’s favourite dress.

“Oh but Dash!”

“Dot”

“Dash,” she said more firmly, “I can’t just go to a party with my clients. It’s unprofessional.”

“Rarity, those girls are your closest friends. You just don’t know it yet.”

“Do you mean…?”

“Yes.”

“Elements of harmony!” They both spoke in unison.

Rarity took the box, hoping nopony would mind her changing inside the carriage. Macintosh sat in what would be the drivers seat, presumably so as not to crowd anypony.

Once inside, they noticed yet another pony was with them.

Pinkie smiled, then pulled something out from her dress. “Do you girls mind if I smoke.” Three out of four ponies said yes they mind.

---

Though it was far from being a long trip, the ponies did have some time to talk on the way. They compared notes about who they were and how they were all connected.

Rarity, was a debutant from Appleloosa, who more-or-less ran away from home seeking her dream to be a dress maker. Back home, Midnight would sneak into her room, through the balcony. She would bring books, fabrics, and sewing supplies to help Rarity build her secret portfolio of designs. She had also bitten Rarity on the neck.

Dot, Dash if you prefer, was a former athlete who suffered a career ending injury. She had been working as a secretary to Dr Van Neighsayer, and met Midnight on a house call. Midnights doctor, Starlight Glimmer, claimed she could fix Dot’s broken wing. Dot was more then a little nervous when Midnight used arcane magic to transport her to a shady clinic in a coal mining outpost town, but the wing surgery was a complete success. She agreed, while on heavy pain killers, to be Midnights friend. The neckerchief she wore hid a bite mark on her neck.

Pinkie was the nurse in that shady coal mining outpost town. Midnights servant Spike helped reunite her with her sister, who had been through some rough experiences. She was currently on leave, at Midnights request. She also wore a neckerchief to hide a bite mark.

Fluttershy was an animal caretaker. Her fiancé was a real-estate agent who sold several properties to Midnight Sparkle, and recieved a promotion for doing so. Not long ago her fiancé was terrified of Miss Sparkle. Now, it’s unclear how he feels about her. I suppose the fact that he would put his fiancé and his sister in a carriage heading to her estate in the dead of the night says something. They had not had the pleasure of meeting yet.

Applejewel is a local schoolmarm, and sister to Macintosh Appleton. Even Fluttershy believes she is a pious pony. Unbeknownst to the Equestrian Education Association, she often uses her position to teach a history far different from the one in the curriculum. She has not met Midnight.

---

Eventually the carriage left the paved road and moved onto the cobblestone entryway to Midnight’s local estate. The path was littered with bumps and cracks. Applejewel wanted to complain to the driver, accept there wasn’t one. When the carriage finally reached the house, Lily and Roseluck came to help everypony out, and Daisy held the door for them.

The two held umbrellas, for it had started to rain. At one point a flash of lightening allowed Pinkie Pie a momentary glance at the house. She leapt upward, then ran in a circle, and hid behind Dot.

“Hurry in!” Roseluck practically pleaded.

Most of the ponies did hurry in. Fluttershy hesitated for a moment, then felt Macintosh nudge her to move forward.

“Were you just sitting in the rain, on the carriage driver seat.”

Macintosh ignored her. He gave Lily a look as they passed at the door. This did not go unnoticed by Fluttershy.

Normally a house party would be lit with oil lamps at this hour, there were none. Instead, Midnight had a roaring fire for light. There was music. Off in the corner, Spike played a harpsichord.

The little dragon was always eager to impress, and so played the most welcoming song Midnight had ever taught him: Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

The dragon played very well, though Pinkie worried that it wasn’t really party music. Pinkie hopped over to the harpsichord, complimented Spike, then asked if he could try another piece. She pulled out a page of sheet music. It was something she was saving because Pinkie thought that Midnight might like it.

Spike examined the piece for a moment, then gave it a try.

Ba da da daa snap snap
Ba da da daa snap snap
Ba da da daa
Ba da da daa
Ba da da daa snap snap

Midnight laughed a little at the whimsical tune. “Come friends, join me by the fire.”

Most of the ponies did join her, even Applejewel was on her way when Fluttershy stopped her. “Miss Sparkle,” said Fluttershy, “this is the first time we have met, and I wouldn’t call us friends or speak so familiarly just yet.” Fluttershy turned up her nose. Off into the background, Macintosh let out a barely audible moan.

Midnight tossed up her cape and faced Fluttershy intensely. “Well - that is something I shall have to rectify my neighbour.” She walked over to her, her stride confident and deliberate, then to Fluttershy’s surprise she bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the countess Midnight Sparkle. Please sit by my fire, so that we may come to know one another better.”

Reluctantly Fluttershy did as asked.

Once everypony was sitting, Midnight took out a list and checked an item. The next item was hor d’oeuvres. She clapped her hooves twice, and Roseluck approached with a tray.

“Could this be authentic northern cuisine?” Applejewel asked excitedly.

“I thought I should start with something familiar. I know the customs of my homeland are a little strange to you ponies. This is just a veggie platter.”

Fluttershy was relieved at how normal the food was. She reached for a celery stick, dipped it slightly, and took a bite.

“What’s this dip made with?”

“Ground anchovies, crab, and lemon juice.”

Without hesitation, Fluttershy spit into a napkin.

Midnight made a quick note. Fluttershy does not like lemon juice.

To everyponies surprise, Applejewel dipped a cucumber, and gave it a try.

“Eww!” went Pinkie, “So what’s it taste like?”

“I honestly don’t know what to compare it with. It’s savoury, and the texture is a little like mushroom dip.”

“People say crab’s a delicacy, but the anchovies have the real flavour.” Roseluck tried to help.

Lily pulled Roseluck away, though Midnight didn’t mind her being there.

“Okay, I’m gonna try one!” Pinkie announced bravely.

Every pony had a response. Half told her not to, while the others dared her to do it. She dipped a carrot, then inched it toward her mouth, closer, closer; at the last moment she pulled her arm away. “I can’t.” To everyponies surprise, Rarity bit into the carrot stick, with dip on it, right from Pinkies hoof.

Dot looked at her in surprise. She moved in close. “Rarity you actually ate it.”

Rarity turned, placing the muzzles a little too close together. “Care to try one.” She teased Dot with a husky voice.

Midnight noticed that Fluttershy was turned away from these other ponies, not pleased and somewhat appalled with their behaviour. The Countess attempted to place a reassuring hoof on her shoulder, but Fluttershy slapped it away.

When she did this, Midnight turned her face, though Dot caught a glimpse of her reaction. This angered Midnight, though she decided to swallow her pride.

---

Applejewel had many questions about the North. “What Nightmare Moon is really like? How did the batpony’s come to be? How do you heat your cities without burning coal?” She asked questions faster then Midnight could answer them. The art pieces of the manor were of particular interest to her, so Midnight decided to offer everypony a tour.

They all took off. “Are you coming Fluttershy?” Applejewel asked.

“I’m feeling a little anemic. Would you mind terribly if I just stay here for now.”

“Would you like to bite someone.” Midnight asked, sounding concerned.

“No!” Said Fluttershy, perplexed and horrified by the very question.

After they were gone, Fluttershy got up and creeping slowly, made her way towards Midnight Sparkles private study. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched.

The library was in desperate need of a good dusting, like most of the manor. In fact the cleanliness of the books gave Fluttershy a clue as to what had been read recently.

One book had a page bookmarked with a spell called inspiration manifestation, another was an encyclopedia with a bookmark on the page for the lost Alicorn Amulet. As she tried to pull out a book titled Enchiridion, another book fell to the floor, open to a page near the middle.

The book that fell was a photo album. What Fluttershy saw amazed her, and not because colour photographs did not exist in her world, it was a picture of herself and Midnight Sparkle. The picture was taken in the village of the Holtfields, according to the label on the photograph. It featured Fluttershy, and Midnight side by side, they were laughing together, and most shocking of all, they were stark naked.

---

“This is impossible.” Fluttershy gasped.

“No! It was taken in the other world.”

Fluttershy looked toward the entrance to the library. Standing in the door way was a mare she had not been properly introduced to. It was Lily Valley.

“The other world?” Fluttershy questioned.

“Didn’t anyone tell you yet. Midnight traveled to another world. She met another Midnight, though this one called herself Twilight.” Lily pointed to the photo-album. “Twilight duplicated some books as a gift to Midnight.”

Fluttershy flipped though the pages, seeing things that seemed impossible. She saw Dot crossing the finish line at a Wonderbolts competition, she saw Pinkie officiating a peace treaty with Yakyakistan, most implausible of all she saw Applejewel bucking apple trees like a common farm filly.

“You didn’t have to come in here,” Lily told her, “Midnight was planning to show you that very book later tonight.”

Lily was not imposing to look upon, at this moment she seemed very normal and gentle for somepony who caught a neighbour snooping in her masters private things. She placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, in a comforting gesture, so Fluttershy confided in her.

“My fiance has been odd as of late. Not long ago, he… wanted to leave the city. I didn’t want to, he did. Now he doesn’t.”

“Oh that!” Lily seemed to think for a moment. She knew very well, what Fluttershy was leaving out of her confession. Macintosh was an obstacle, keeping Midnight and Fluttershy apart. Lily saw this. She owed every to her mistress, and it hurt her deeply to see Midnight stress because she did not know how to resolve this misunderstanding.

“Look at those photos.”

Fluttershy looked.

“These mean so much to Midnight, and right now it’s only a possibility, it’s something she hopes for. I didn’t want to see her lose that hope.”

She looked again at how every pony was nude in most of the photographs. “Were we lovers?”

Lily broke out into laughter. Soon they were laughing together.

When they finally calmed down, Lily softly spoke. “Please don’t let your worries taint things between the two of you.”

Fluttershy held up the photo album. “Miss Lily, you say Midnight wants this more then anything. Would she have done something ruthless to try and bring it about?”

“I swear she did not.” Lily seemed insulted by the insinuation. It occurred to Fluttershy that most would say, ‘would not.’

She held out the book again. “If this is really what Midnight wants, if that’s true, then maybe I can persuade her to help me.”

“Help you?”

“If she’s not responsible, then maybe she can figure out what is going on.”

Lily sweated slightly. Midnight probably did have methods of divination that could solve the mystery. Lily didn’t know what those methods were exactly, though in her mind the mistress of the manor could do practically anything.

How ironic, their first friendly bonding experience could end up being a witch hunt. Lily had good reasons to dislike witch hunts. She imagined Midnight scolding her, vowing never to forgive her. The thought was terrifying. Whether it was fear, or just a hasty decision to cut her losses, Lily’s next words were:

“I can put him back the way he was.”

Fluttershy’s lifted her brows in surprise, then face reshaped itself, she took on the stern, disapproving, and oddly powerful look known as the stare.

This surprised Lily. She knew so many spells, and even had a bottle of perfume hidden less then three feet away. Lily should not have been the one to feel intimidated at this point.

“Listen, I’ll put him back the way he was, I promise. We can keep this between us. I’ve never lied to Midnight before, I just left out a few things. You’re supposed to be the element of kindness, right? Please be kind to me.”

Lily barley realized, but she was know on the ground, covering her eyes, cowering in an almost subservient position.

---

“Did you have any trouble getting time off Pinkie.”

“Nah, Glimmer found a way to make the mine a whole lot safer, so we don’t get many emergencies anymore, just regular daily business.”

“She made the mine safer, how did she do that?”

“Well, can you keep a secret? The miners are not the ones working anymore. The whole town is in on it. You see…”

Midnight noticed that the door was ajar to her library, the next stop on the tour. Missing, whatever Pinkie was about to say, she creaked the door fully open and looked inside.

Lily and Fluttershy were just leaving. Everything seemed fine. Fluttershy explained that she got lost looking for the Fillies room, and Lily found her.

Midnight eyed them both, a little suspiciously, then seemed to forget the whole thing.

“Ladies, there is something I have very much been wanting to show you.” Excited, Midnight reached for the shelf, and grabbed a photo album.

---

Macintosh Appleton, the town Burgermeister, and Dr Abraham von Neighsayer were all playing go-fish in the servants quarters. Lily burst through the door in a panic.

The all stopped playing and grabbed certain items off the table. The first grabbed a hooficure file, the second, a basket of grapes, and the third a paper fan.

“Not now,” she said.

Lily fumbled through her cabinet for a few moments, then took out a vial of green liquid. She hoofed the vial to Macintosh.

“Go home, take this, then go to bed.”

Macintosh took the vial and left, without asking any questions or putting on a coat for the torrential rains.

Daisy gave Lily the look. What will that do?” She asked.

“It’ll make him normal, and he won’t remember anything.” She meant that he wouldn’t remember anything since being doused with a perfume that turned him into a slave, and by some definitions a zombie.

“What about those two?” Daisy pointed to “Van Neighsayer, ad the Burgermeister.”

“Those two were never normal.”

“Does this mean you’re abandoning your plan?” Daisy sounded pleased with the idea.

“No!

Midnight needed Lily. The flower pony knew this in her heart. Their world was harsher then the one in the picture book, and she needed someone willing to do whatever sorts of deeds the Princess of Friendship would abstain from.

“Midnight will take those girls on their friendship quest soon. That will give us ample time.” She faced one of her zombies. “Won’t it Dr Van Neighsayer?”

Comments

[Viper Pit]

what are their plans with those guys

[Cyndaquil]

9147435

The Burgermeister, and I kinda regret using that title, is the lead official of the city. With him as her puppet, Lily can control the local government, or at least deter people from raiding their house with torches and pitchforks.

Dr Van Neighsayer first came seeking to kill the elements of harmony. He was turned into a zombie so that Lily could get information. He may know the whereabouts of the pillars of the enlightenment. This is the organization that provides the guiding principles by which ponies of AU Equestria live. They move about and keep their whereabouts a secret to avoid invasion from the North. If Lily wants this info, then she might be plotting to overthrow the government or Church.

Aside from that, they're good for hooficures, grape peeling, fanning, and doing all Lily's chores when Midnight isn't watching.

[Viper Pit]

9147472
thats neat

[tsaukpaetra]

Ooh! An insurrection?
It will be interesting to see all their reactions to Midnight's intent. Will they take up the cause willingly? Will they have the same elements? Did the tree produce the same elements at all?
Keep going! ;)

[Neece]

Just found this out, and I like it. It does lack the AU tag though, I believe you would rectify that.

Anyway, favored and anxiously awaiting for more

[Cyndaquil]

9170504
AU Tag added.