Rainbow in the Dark

by Raeligath

Chapter 12: Lock the Doors and Close the Blinds

In the dim light of the night, a shadow rolled and contorted in the middle of the dirt road. Galloping hooves echoed in the distance, but to him they were so tantalizingly close. His golden-yellow eyes shot open, staring with slit-pupils at the smaller figures as they vanished into the fog. With a sinister, hissing growl and a hoof held to his side, he forced himself to start limping after.

It was then that a familiar and comforting voice danced upon his thoughts. That of his blood-mother.

— Sweet child of the night, are you well? I sensed distress and pain… I hope none of the agents have discovered you. —

He stopped mid-pace, quickly righting himself on all fours and standing up straight. “Of course not, mother,” he said under his breath. “I’m simply having a bit of trouble with a mark. Nothing I can’t handle.”

— What sort of mark do you seek? Perhaps you ought to aim lower for now, and build your strength. —

The vampire pony let out a breathless yet nervous chuckle. “I can handle this. Besides, its not like I can aim any lower…”

— Do share, child. You may be strong, but I have much more experience. There may be something simple you have missed. —

“They won’t strike me again, mother. I won’t let them.” He growled again, taking off into a glide after his prey. “Besides, they’re just fillies. How hard can it be?”

— Fillies? As in children? —

“Hence me, erm… embarrassment. Apologies, Countess, I don't want to besmirch the good name of our clan.”

— Oh, you’re fine. I’m well aware that today’s youth can be quite the hoof-ful. Speaking of, compared to your ‘sister’, you’re doing just fine. —

The vampire pegasus smirked. “Which one? The little girl?”

— No. The celebrity. —

There was a pause as they both took time to ruminate over this, filled with little but the sounds of rushing winds. Then the stallion sniffed the air. His wings snapped up, open wide, as he parachuted to a skidding halt. As best he could tell, the threefold scent had left the road and was now coming from within a shady townhome.

The house was largely similar to each of the neighbors’, except for a number of signs of neglect. The curtains inside were half-drawn and lopsided, a welcome mat on the front stoop was crooked with the corner upturned, and the lawn was just a hair overgrown.

Most notably from the vampire’s perspective, however, was the mailbox. It wasn’t overflowing, but only barely. Numerous letters were crammed inside, many of which with scribbled, barely-legible to-lines on their faces. On top of that, the flag on the side of the box was beginning to droop like a wilting flower, and a number of packages were resting at the base with similar chickenscratch writing all over.

“Huh.” He scowled at the building with furrowed brow. “Why here? What’s the angle?”

— Most likely convenience. Maybe the door was unlocked… Wait, go back. What was the address again? —

The golden-eyed pony backpedaled until he could clearly see the number printed on the side of the mailbox post. “One-two-five Pinwheel Lane. Why?”

There was a moment of dead air on the telepathic line before Faerie Fire returned.

— Good news, child. This is the home of one of your blood-siblings, abandoned when they joined our family. Listen closely, and I will help guide you through as if you’d been inside hundreds of times. —

A fanged smirk grew across his face. “As you wish, mother. Watch me make our family proud.”

One’s own house can be a home, and typically is. Someone else’s house can be many things. A friend’s house can be a home away from home. A coworker’s house can be an extension of the workplace, droll grey-beige atmosphere and all. Yet all of these houses have a crucial thing in common: someone is actively living there.

The residence at 125 Pinwheel Lane had been untouched for a few days by the time Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo stumbled upon it. The front door had eerily creaked open when they approached, unveiling a dusty, rustic space. Furniture with scratchy fabric and ornate wood framing coupled with gaudy wallpaper and a positively medieval-looking chandelier made the whole front room feel like a confused time capsule. The floorboards groaned from every little gust of wind outside. Dust motes shone intermittently in the wafting moonlight coming in through the half-curtained windows, looking like tiny sprites from another world. To top it all off, every small movement the fillies made echoed throughout this harrowing space.

This house was no home. Not right now.

“Do you think we lost him?” asked Sweetie Belle. Beside her, Apple Bloom kept periodically peeking out the window. Scootaloo stood watch pressed up by the door. All three were shaking.

Scootaloo shook her head. “Doubt it. Rainbow was able to track me halfway across Everfree.”

“I still can’t believe you headbutt ‘em,” said Apple Bloom, nudging her unicorn hiding-buddy. “Both o’ ya. And I thought I was the hard-headed one.”

“Ehe… I wouldn’t recommend it,” said Sweetie Belle, rubbing her forehead, particularly around the base of her horn.

“Hey, at least when I headbutt somepony, I’m not stabbing them at the same time,” Scootaloo replied with a laugh.

The unicorn winced rather than laugh. “I-I panicked! I didn’t really want to hurt him, but I couldn’t think of what else to do!”

“Eh, even if ya did hurt ‘em, he deserves it. Self-defense an’ all that.”

Scootaloo shot Apple Bloom a harsh glare. “Knock it off, A.B.. If Rainbow Dash is a vampire, maybe this guy used to just be some normal pony too.”

The earth pony filly rolled her eyes. “Or he might be the one who turned Rainbow in the first place!”

“Girls!” Sweetie Belle hissed, motioning with her hoof for the others to quiet down.

Outside, they heard the flapping of leathery wings.

“What do we do?!” Apple Bloom whispered.

Scootaloo bit her lip. “I-I don’t know! I doubt we can fight back…” Then she did a double-take. “And hey, aren’t you usually the pony with a plan?”

The earth filly groaned, then said, “Come on, how am I supposed to figure out a plan when there’s vampires involved?”

“You were the one who kept reading the book,” Sweetie Belle added. “One way or another, we gotta do something, and quick!”

There was a loud thump at the door. From outside, a muffled malicious laugh rang throughout the house. “Come out, come out, little ones,” said a sinister male, voice absolutely oozing with sarcasm and a twisted glee. “I promise I won’t bite…”

Upon hearing that blatant lie, and as her friends cowered in the corner behind an end table, something clicked in Scootaloo’s mind. This was likely due to the adrenaline.

The pegasus filly tapped her hoof on the floor to get her friends’ attention. She then began to make additional gestures, all of which before her friends’ rapt attention. To an outside observer, it might have appeared to be a cross between Equestrian Sign Language, Semaphore without flags, and professional Mimery. In fact, that’s exactly what went through their hunter’s mind when he got a glimpse through the keyhole.

“There you are,” he growled.

There was another slam against the door. All three of the fillies hopped to their hooves with a fright.

“O-okay that’s gonna have to be good enough,” said Scootaloo. “Ready?”

“As we’ll ever be,” Sweetie Belle whimpered.

“Then go!”

Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle bolted further into the house just as the vampire pony busted out the door lock with a well-placed kick. A cloud of dust plumed out from the doorway only to be quickly brushed aside by bat wings. He tread softly yet deliberately on the wooden floor, softly-glowing eyes piercing the hazy dark.

Despite his enhanced sight, he could not spot any of the three. However, he could hear hints of where they may have fled. Bumps from the floor above, a still-swinging door to the stairs to below… and the remaining clatter of pots and pans that had not been silenced quite quickly enough.

The vampire pony smirked. “Hide and seek, eh? Fine. I’ll play.”

Before he would pursue them any further, the monstrous colt stopped to observe his immediate surroundings. Then he got an idea; a few loud protests from walls, floors, and furniture alike later, and the door and windows had been quite thoroughly barricaded by overturned chairs, tables, and an entire couch.

“And then there was nowhere left to run,” he muttered to himself. “Just in case these brats get any bright ideas...”

Beyond the entryway was the kitchen, though it was not immediately obvious. While the standard fare of refrigerator, stovetop, and pantry were present, these were obscured by stacks of cardboard boxes filled with various cutlery and knick-knacks.

From their labels, Sweetie Belle assumed these to be evidence of a recent move. To or from where, however, she could not determine from a quick glance.

At the moment, she had more pressing concerns. While she hadn’t heard him since that cacophony by the door, she could now just barely see the outline of their vampiric pursuer silently drifting across the kitchen floor. Sweetie Belle held her breath, steadying herself as best she could. Her heart pounded in her chest, a cold sweat forming on her face.

Amidst numerous racing thoughts, an odd one stuck out to her. “We can’t just keep calling this guy ‘this guy’, right? He has to have a name. I mean, he was a pony before a monster.”

The unnamed vampire colt sniffed at the air, then resumed his slow and methodical search.

Sweetie Belle clung to this thought. It was grounding, much more productive than endless worry. “Nosey? No, that’s too generic. What about… Creepy Colt? Nah, that’s kinda lame.”

Suddenly, a piercing gaze locked onto the filly.

“Yellow-Eyes? That’ll have to do.”

A hissing snarl, the sound of a beast ready to pounce, crept forth from the silhouette before her. Sweetie Belle felt her breath catch in her throat. He took a step forward. She felt herself slip backwards.

Light glinted off his bared fangs.

Green light briefly shone off Sweetie Belle’s horn before she dropped behind the counter completely.

Yellow-Eyes froze. Sure, she was just a filly, but that was unicorn magic. He knew unicorns could do all sorts of things on a whim. What he didn’t know was what they could accomplish with such a short wink of arcane energy.

“What did you just do?” he grumbled.

His ears twitched. Something changed, but it was part of the white noise. He looked around the room again: nothing. Then he felt the sting of a foul odor.

“Is that… rotten eg— No. No, you didn’t…”

In a panic, he dove towards the stove. Just as he thought, one of the gas burners had been oh-so-gently flicked on, yet not ignited. He scrambled his hooves over the burner controls until he found the corresponding dial and switched it off.

“Are you out of your Luna-damned mind?!” he shouted, clearly beyond bewildered. “What was the plan, huh? Blow up the whole house?!”

One of the stacks of boxes shifted slightly. Yellow-Eyes pounced at it, but found only cardboard.

Then something more malleable whapped against his face. His vision was flooded with a white static as powder clouded the air. Then for good measure, the remains of the sackcloth were thrown over his eyes as well.

As he fought the flour and scraps left behind, he heard the frantic hoofsteps leading across the kitchen tile and the living room carpet. A door opened, then slammed shut. He stumbled after the noise just as he finished wiping his eyes clean.

“Into the basement? Alright, now I know you’re just stupid.” Yellow-Eyes sighed. “At this rate, I’m gonna kill these kids and not even feel all that bad about it.”

Meanwhile, about three meters straight up, Scootaloo stood motionless in the middle of a long hallway as she waited for the sounds of commotion to die down. “I didn’t hear a scream,” she thought. “Guess that’s a good thing. Please girls, be careful. I promise I’ll find us some help.”

Once the silence returned, she crept further down the hall. By some miracle, it was carpeted, greatly muffling the sounds of her own hooves. The teenaged filly had also had some experience in sneaking around at night, and thus knew just how and where to place her steps to minimize noise. Every so often, as she came to a door, she would carefully nudge it open and peek inside. So far she had found a bathroom and a storage closet, but knew from the house’s facade that there had to be a window somewhere.

When she opened the next one, Scootaloo had to shove a hoof in her own mouth to keep from yelping.

At first, she thought there was an entire, fresh, gruesome skeleton hanging from the door, sickly yellow bones rattling with red ribbons hanging loose and torn. Then she saw the plastic seams.

“Uhh… right,” Scootaloo muttered with an uneasy laugh. “It was Nightmare Night a few days ago…”

She opened the door just a bit wider, then gawked. This room looked like something straight out of a crypt. The walls were covered in stone-like wallpaper and posters depicting frightened ponies being chased by a variety of monsters, typically those of a spookier aesthetic. There were blatantly artificial spider webs in the corners and along the ceiling, complete with real fake spiders. Besides the door skeleton, there was another complete pony skeleton propped up in the corner, like one of those you’d see in a science classroom.

In the center of all of this morbidity was a bed with black dressings and a copious amount of pillows upon it, not to mention a stuffed toy resembling a bat.

Scootaloo warily worked her way around all of this in search of the windows. Without much light to go by, it was hard to distinguish between gray wallpaper and black curtains. Squinting, she felt along the wall farthest from the door until she found the windowsill.

Pulling back the curtains, she could see the streets they had left behind, so tantalizingly close. She carefully opened the window just wide enough that she could squeeze through, then drew the curtains back to hide her escape route.

“There. No we just need to group up and—”

Now that the light from outside could reach this macabre bedroom, Scootaloo spotted a few things she had previously missed; a dresser next to the door, adorned with pictures of a smiling mother and frowning daughter, and a bookshelf crammed with worn paperback novels. Curious, she slinked over the bed to take a closer look.

“I don’t think I’ve seen this filly around before,” she thought, puzzling over one of the picture frames. “Or this mare. Are they new in town? Or… were they?”

Her hoof felt something unexpected on the back of the frame. She flipped it over to reveal a sticky note that read as follows:

My dear Needlepoint, I will always love you and your creativity, no matter how dark your vision.
— XOXO, Mom

“Aww,” Scootaloo thought. “Lucky you, Needle. Hope you’re both still alright after all this…”

A harsh impact resounded from below, so powerful that it seemed to make the whole house jump. Scootaloo gasped in a panic.

“Oh no… Apple Bloom! Sweetie Belle! I’m coming! I’ll… I’ll do something. I’ll get us out of this, I swear!”

As she turned for the door, she caught sight of a particularly large tome on the bookshelf. Unlike most, this one was hard-cover, and strangely tall compared to the rest. According to the spine, it was some sort of reference guide to ‘creepy-crawlies’. But in Scootaloo’s eyes, it looked like something far more useful.

While the rest of this house had been shadowy, the darkness in the basement was absolute, save for a faint yellow glow slowly descending the stairs. Not that this mattered for a vampire; to Yellow-Eyes, the space before him looked about as bright as the underside of a tree at high noon.

The downside to searching an underground, concrete space was the echo. He could hear their tiny, frantic heartbeats coming from all directions. It was almost disorienting. Even scent was lost down there due to clouds of dust.

After carefully closing the door behind him, Yellow-Eyes glided down the stairs. He scanned the floor and clutter for any possible hint of recent activity as he proceeded to creep through at a snail’s pace.

As he rounded a storage shelf leaned up against the staircase, he caught the smallest glimpse of lavender hair.

“There you are, you crazy runt,” he thought, holding his tongue. The incident in the kitchen had taught him a lesson about unnecessary sinister banter.

He lunged forward, snapping his fanged jaws at the filly’s tail.

“Gyaaah!”

Sweetie Belle screamed, albeit from shock, not pain. She had completely lost track of Yellow-Eyes, thought she had lost him in the basement, and now he was almost literally right on top of her. Luckily, his bite hadn’t found purchase on any flesh, but it was close enough that Sweetie felt the wind a moment later.

As the vampire snarled, spitting out the loose hairs, Sweetie Belle scrambled across the concrete. The time for stealth had long since passed.

“Help! Somepony!!” the unicorn filly cried out.

Yellow-Eyes stayed close behind, periodically biting at the air like a rabid dog. Any semblance of reason or sapience had left his eyes, leaving behind only those of a voracious creature.

Sweetie Belle dove through a gap in the shelves, pushing aside a toolbox and scattering its contents over the floor. This did nothing to slow down Yellow-Eyes’ ravenous pursuit, as he effortlessly stomped upon nails, screws, and even a hacksaw with the business end up. Seeing this, and the complete lack of harm upon her pursuer, Sweetie Belle screamed once again.

The filly ducked behind a tub of old miscellany for cover. The vampire barreled into the container at speed, shoving it rapidly towards the far wall.

Through tears, Sweetie Belle glanced behind her, only to see a solid cinder block wall. She sparked her horn, a faint green glow casting over it and her side of the storage unit.

The two strained against one another, but despite her efforts, she couldn’t entirely stop herself from being pinned against the hard wall. While she wasn’t badly hurt, the wind was knocked out of her and her head was sore.

Yellow-Eyes bared his fangs, saliva dripping from his snout. He leaned in towards the filly close enough for her to feel his breath; it was strangely ice cold, but still uncomfortably humid.

The vampire opened his jaws even wider, fangs angled straight for his prey…

“Help! Somepony!!”

Apple Bloom felt her heart sink. A nagging thought told her she had to do something, to save her friend before it was too late. However, a more mature and rational thought told her to wait.

The earth filly slinked behind the monster, careful to use the clatter of the chase as noise cover. She kept looking for an opening, barely taking time to blink. It felt like she was channeling Winona, hunting a hunter to protect her own.

For a few years now, Apple Bloom had fantasized on occasion about facing off with the Battacabra. She’d played out a variety of situations in her head of how it might go, what she might do to catch the monster, what it might do to try to hurt her.

Now that it was just about real, she was worried she might not be fast enough. Or strong enough.

Yellow-Eyes started pushing a storage tub, and Apple Bloom heard a yelp from the far end. The earth filly moved without thinking, rushing up behind and leaping into the air.

As the vampire reared up for the kill, he was suddenly cut off by a flying tackle.

To Apple Bloom, it was like diving onto an iron beam. A shock reverberated through every bone, but she clung to the bigger pony’s back.

He bucked and whipped around wildly. Her hooves began to slip. She only grit her teeth harder. She raised her head, revealing something sharp in her mouth. Yellow-Eyes saw, and a look of terror washed over his pale face.

Apple Bloom came down with the stake. It squelched into the stallion’s neck, spurting blood, before he collapsed onto the floor. He repeatedly clutched at the stick as he thrashed and squirmed.

Sweetie Belle, now no longer fighting against the supernatural strength of the vampire, freed herself with a brief telekinetic spell. She gasped for a deep breath. Apple Bloom jumped between the two, pulling another makeshift stake from her bag. Sweetie Belle levitated another out, brandishing it like a sword against Yellow-Eyes.

Before their eyes, he stood up, steadying himself with his wings. His shoulder twitched once, twice, then with a grunt of pain, the stake was ejected from his wound. The puncture itself was already beginning to close.

“Well now,” he said, cracking the joints in his neck, “that one hurt.”

Now, Apple Bloom knew she wasn’t a weak pony. She was an earth pony, an Apple, and a farmer. Just this last harvest season, she was bucking apples just like any of the adults! But this guy was walking off that stab like it was nothing.

“It’s gotta be in the heart, Apple Bloom,” said Sweetie Belle. “All or nothing, I guess…”

“Oh, please,” said Yellow-Eyes, stomping on the fallen stake and twisting his hoof to shatter it to splinters. “You fillies never stood a chance. Since we crossed paths, you’ve done nothing but annoy me.”

Mid-sentence, Sweetie Belle jabbed her stake forward. The vampire flinched, hopping back with a dramatic sweep of his bat-like wings.

“There’s gotta be something to this,” Sweetie Belle whispered to Apple Bloom. “He’s scared.”

“I am not!”

“Are too!” Apple Bloom countered with a smirk. “In fact, you’re lookin’ mighty scared for a bloodsucker. And of what, a couple of ‘fillies’? And their sticks?”

She blinked, and he was in their faces once more. The girls yelped as he slashed a wing at them, only to hear the clatter of wood on concrete a moment later.

“I will not be humiliated like this,” Yellow-Eyes growled. “No more games. I tried to take it easy on you kids. I thought I could have a little fun. But no!”

In another blink, he was behind them. Apple Bloom was enveloped in his wing, the talon at its tip just barely grazing her forehead. Sweetie Belle stared at this, trembling.

The vampire sighed. “I’ve been told that I’m allowed to kill you two. Not that I’m happy about killing children, mind you, or anypony else for that matter, but I will if I must. But if I’m going to take that leap off the deep end, I might as well go for broke, yeah? And so, while I’m not allowed to take your other friend’s life… I can make her watch while I take yours.”

Apple Bloom struggled in his grip. He just pulled her in tighter.

“Ah-ah-ah,” Yellow-Eyes scolded. “Easy now. If you’ll just cooperate for a minute here, I promise I’ll make it quick.”

The earth filly fell limp in his grasp. The vampire nodded towards the stairs, and Sweetie Belle followed.

The vampire looked pensive for a moment, then puzzled. “I know,” he muttered under his breath, such that only Apple Bloom could hear. “I will, mother… I’ll adapt. For the good of the family…”

As they reached the foot of the stairs, Yellow-Eyes stopped.

Sweetie Belle followed his eyes to the top of the stairs. To her surprise, the door was open, and the light in the hall above was on.

“I shut that,” the vampire said. “Hey! Come on out! I’ve got your friends, it’s over!!”

Nopony responded. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle shared a vaguely hopeful look, only to be cut off when Yellow-Eyes threw the former to the floor.

“Stay here,” he growled. The girls didn’t have to be told twice.

Yellow-Eyes trudged up the stairs one at a time, watching the doorway like a hawk. Then, just before he reached the top, the door swung shut. He rolled his eyes at this, reaching to pull the door back open. “Enough of these childish—”

He was promptly silenced by the weight of a teenaged pony, at speed, focused through a large, blunt object.

“Surf’s up, asshole!”

Scootaloo drove her weight into Yellow-Eyes, riding a large book like the board of her scooter. The sheer force of the impact sent the vampire reeling onto his back. He spread his wings in a desperate attempt to steady himself, but there just wasn’t enough room at the top of the stairwell. His skull slammed against the corner of one step, then another. With the makeshift board driven between his jaw and collarbone, he rattled limply down the staircase.

At the foot of the stairs, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle dove out of the way just as their friend and their captor slammed into the concrete. Scootaloo tumbled with the remaining force, but the vampire was left in a state somewhere between a pile and a puddle.

For good measure, Scootaloo kicked the board one more time.

“You girls okay?” she asked as she caught her breath.

Sweetie Belle reached up a trembling hoof, wiping an ambiguous reddish substance off of her friend’s face. “I-I think so…”

Scootaloo touched the same spot, sniffed what was left of the substance, and promptly retched. She wiped her hoof off on the motionless stallion’s coat. “Well you look fine, anyway. He didn’t bite you, did he?”

“Got pretty darn close,” said Apple Bloom. “But um… is he gonna be, uhh…”

“I mean, that’s what they say in zombie movies, right? Aim for the head? I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

A leathery wing twitched against Scootaloo’s hoof, causing her to jump.

“Nevermind,” she whimpered.

Apple Bloom squinted at the body. “I dunno, Scoot. I’ve seen rats still twitchin’ after they get snagged in the plow. I think that’s just somethin’ dead bodies do.”

Sweetie Belle groaned with worry. “He’s no rat, though. He was so super strong earlier, and just shrugged you off…”

Then Yellow-Eyes groaned from beneath the tome.

“Not dead! Not dead!” Scootaloo shouted. “Vampire healing thingy— we gotta go. We gotta go, go, go!!”

She led the way up and out. Her friends followed at a sprint. Out of the basement, up the stairs, and out the window they went, bounding haphazardly out of the second story.

All the while they ran, an echoing groan carried after them.

Diamond Tiara looked so peaceful laying in the grass, bathed in moonlight. It was almost like she had just fallen asleep, gracefully fainting into an earthen bed. Her midsection rose and fell with small, subtle breaths, but her eyes were still. At this hour, a pony in deep sleep would be in the midst of a dream. Her stillness showed she was merely unconscious.

Rainbow Dash carefully brushed the younger mare’s mane back over the pinpricks in her neck.

“Hey, Fae? Would it be weird to fly her home at this point? I feel like it’d be weird, but I don’t want to just leave her...”

— She will be fine, child. You showed plenty of restraint with your feeding. As promised, she will awaken in a few hours with little to no memory of you or what has happened tonight. —

“Okay, good,” said Rainbow. Still, she couldn’t take her eyes off of her ‘victim’. “But what if—”

— Oh, forget about her, Rainbow! What about you? How does it feel? — A telepathic chuckle echoed in Rainbow’s mind. — How, pray tell, does it taste? —

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, only for a drop of red to fall from her fangs. Instinctively, she dropped to the ground, sniffing around until she found it again, then softly lapped it up out of the dirt.

As she came back to her senses, her face flushed as she groaned and squirmed. She flopped over, hooves on her head as she processed what she had just done.

“I… I-I don’t know,” she mumbled. “Ugh, this is stupid. I’m being stupid. This is wrong. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t li— Er, I mean-- “

— Your words are only for your own benefit, child. I can sense how you really feel. Who are you really trying to fool? This is what you are. Embrace it. —

Rainbow Dash strained against herself, tapping her head with her hooves. “I… I…”

“I loved it,” she finally said. “I hate that I loved it but… oh my gosh, I just feel so alive right now! Like I can see miles away, hear these tiny little animals, smell… okay, well mostly all I can smell is more blood, but— and sweet Celestia, the taste!” Rainbow slumped over, drooling and cooing at the memory on her lips. “That was like the sweetest cider ever! Like some rich and juicy… I don’t even know what! It was basically perfect, and… and I…”

Her eyes widened. “Oh horsefeathers, I am so messed up right now.”

— No, child! You aren’t ‘messed up’, you are finally fed! Animal blood can only last you so long, but this, the blood of your fellow pony, this is what sustains you. This is what it means to be a child of the night. You have done so, so well, child. —

Rainbow Dash held herself as she shivered. Her eyes drifted back to Diamond Tiara.

— Can you tell me, wholeheartedly, that you do not desire more? —

“... no.”

— Then I hereby formally welcome you to the family, Rainbow Dash. —

“...”

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo raced blindly through the streets of Ponyville. Images of the battered stallion they left behind still flashed in their minds. It probably didn’t help that that same stallion’s cries of anger were getting closer.

“If I ever had any ideas, they’re all out the window now,” said Apple Bloom. “I mean, we could try to wait for sun-up, but I doubt we have that kinda time!”

Scootaloo shook her head. “We need help. Let’s head to the School of Friendship, I’m sure somepony there can—”

“All the way across town?!” Apple Bloom countered.

“Look, you’re the one who said you’re out of ideas. It’s an idea! Let’s just—”

“HEEEELLLP!!”

Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both winced as their third screamed into the night. Sweetie Belle glared back at them.

“Are you crazy?,” said Apple Bloom. “Those agent-spook guys’ll hear ya!”

Sweetie Belle huffed. “And? We don’t have time to be picky.”

The other two shared a look.

“SOMEPONY, ANYPONY!!”

“HELP! PLEASE, SOMEBODY, HELP!!”

The three continued their chorus of desperate pleas as they ran. Unfortunately, they barely made it to the nearest street corner when Sweetie Belle, the loudest of the three, was pushed to the ground by an unseen force. By the time the others had turned to see, Yellow-Eyes was already on top of her.

“You…” he snarled. He turned her over, glaring straight into the terrified filly’s eyes with feral fury. “Look at me, girl. Listen closely: I need you… to shut the hell u—”

“Eyes! Don’t look him in the eyes!” Scootaloo shouted.

The next thing she knew, she was the one being pinned.

“What did you just say? How did you— What do you know?!”

A bright light appeared ahead of them, temporarily blinding them both. Blinking her eyes, Scootaloo could see two adult ponies silhouetted by a streetlamp, both adorned in identical trench coats, sunglasses, and brimmed hats.

“Let her go, creature!” barked one of the two, evidently a mare.

“Oh, lay off it, you worthless dogs!” Yellow-Eyes said back, hissing.

The other agent took a step forward. “By order of the Royal Equestrian Peace Bureau,” he said, ”the Agency of Equestrian Inquisitions of the Obscure and Unnatural, and her royal highness Princess Twilight Sparkle, you are under arrest for crimes against Equestria and her denizens!”

The vampire scoffed. “Careful, my hoof might slip,” he said, shoving Scootaloo even harder against the wall. “Besides, you lot are in way over your heads. Nothing you mortals can do can stop us as a whole. You’re all little more than cattle to us.”

“Last warning,” said the female agent. “Drop the girl. Now!”

Yellow-Eyes stared intently at the agent who last spoke. “I could end her life and be gone before you can lift a hoof. No, you’re going to leave, reconsider your life choices, and never come back.” He paused, then frowned. “Ah, that’s probably why you have the glasses. Well then, let’s try this: whatever you could possibly do to me won’t stop the coming dark. No, we’re far beyond that now. And once we have our way… The Night will last forever.”

There was a high-pitched whine, then the light from the flashlights intensified. Scootaloo felt a growing warmth that quickly turned into way-too-hot as her captor screamed. He let her fall to the ground as he dove out of the way.

To the three fillies’ shock, Yellow-Eyes was on fire.

The vampire took off into the sky, rolling and thrashing to try to put out the fire now billowing from his coat. The male agent followed after on hoof, training his light on the monster as he vanished against the sky.

Meanwhile, the female agent came to Scootaloo’s aid. “Young Ma’am, are you hurt?”

“Sore, maybe, but nothin’ I can’t walk off,” said the filly in a meek and dazed tone.

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle caught up moments later, with the latter leaning on the former for support. “Thank you so much,” said Sweetie Belle. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t come when you did.”

The agent shined her torch across the three. She then sighed, stowing the device. “Are you three aware of the curfew?”

The crusaders shared a nervous glance.

“Technically, you are in violation, and thus are to be placed under arrest,” said the mare. “However, given your involvement with this particular incident, I believe we can come to a more suitable arrangement.”

“Yes, please!” said Apple Bloom. “I’ll do whatever you want, just so long as my sister’s none the wiser ‘bout all this.”

“Very well. If you three will come with me back to the town hall and assist us in a line of questioning, we may be able to waive sentencing.”

“Wait,” said Scootaloo. “‘May’? Come on, you’re acting like we’re the ones who did something wrong. Didn’t you see that v— er, creepy guy? We’re victims here!”

“And that may be so, but protocol requires a full statement from each of you following an encounter such as this. If you can give us useful information, you won’t have to spend a night in jail.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” said Sweetie Belle.

Scootaloo just rolled her eyes. “You know, I’d be more mad about getting arrested if I wasn’t almost just killed.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Apple Bloom with a sassy flair.

“Excellent. This way, please.”

The mare motioned for the three to go ahead. Sweetie Belle took the lead, followed by an unsteady Apple Bloom. Scootaloo tried to hold out, but clearly her patience wasn’t going to last nearly as long as this stoic pony’s. With an exasperated groan, she followed her friends towards what she knew would be cells or interrogation rooms.

“I hate cops…”

Comments

[Stinium_Ruide]

Oh my god, this piece has finally been updated!

[Munro]

PF those 3 never learn about action have consequence why bother xD

i don't really fell bad about diamond, if it would have bin silver tho...

[Dr Freaky]

This was great and while I have never been a fan of voices in main characters heads I did enjoy this story. It was nice having rainbow dash be a vampire it felt very refreshing

[TearingNose24]

AEIOU hehe... he