Adventures in the Dark of Night

Jubilee was wide-eyed at the immensity of Las Pegasus. Ponies of all different kinds passed them by hastily as they landed on the ground, not paying attention to the two very different ponies. Draculin chuckled as Jubilee darted his head back and forth, trying to see all he could as if he were going to leave at any moment. "Don't strain your neck, Kiddo, we're going to be here for a while." Draculin said as they walked off through a crowd of anxious ponies.

* * * *

Meanwhile at Jubilee's house.....

"Oh Jubes, dear, are you sure you aren't at least....peckish?" Dawn Writer, Jubilee's mother, said as she walked into the room. The window was wide open. with the curtains flowing like something out of some fairy tale. She quickly looked in his bathroom, and in seeing he was not in the tub or on the latrine, she panicked and check her dresser for something. She moved onto his desk, seeing a paper with his hoofwriting, even though it was more-or-less mouthwriting.

Dear Mother,

I love you with all my heart, but this town isn't for me. I am leaving with a new friend of mine, he's a Vampony. He protected me today from bullies, and offered for me to come with him. I won't lie to you, he said it might be dangerous, and that I would never be allowed to see you again. I will miss you, and school sort of, and that silly filly Archer Wing. I just can't stay. This is my only way out. Please, understand. I love you forever and always.

Love forever,

Jubilee.

Her heart and mind raced over the fact that her colt, her only colt, had ran away with some stranger. Her brain ran through the most rational processes a mother would do when her child is missing: Panic, cry, scream, call the cops. In that order. She mixed step two and four, doing both at the same time at the authorities, and after they dismissed her as a crazy because of the "Vampony" comment. She ran to the kitchen and flicked through a large yellow book containing ads and phone numbers, AKA a phone book. Professional Vampony exterminator, call now. she read, hoping they would believe her. She dialed the phone and repeated step two and four, this time getting a better answer.

"You think your son was abducted by a Vampony?" a gruff, irritated voice came through the phone. Dawn's croaky, sobbing voice replied the best it could. "Y-yes, h-h-h-he stole away my Jubes right from his bedroom window!" She began crying again before the stallion told her to get a grip. "It won't be cheap, but I'm on my way." then he hung up. She sat on the couch sobbing into an arm pillow, letting it soak up her tears.

About 15 minutes passed before she heard a knock on the door, and as she opened it up, a tough-looking stallion with a sheathed sword and a crossbow on the back, leather vest covering his back, though it was open in the front. He had some sort of modified utility belt around his waist, sharp wooden stakes in each pocket, which spread across the entire strip of leather. His mane was ruddy brown, like mud, but his fur was black, making him look like a tire which ran through a fresh puddle of mud. His mouth was in an unflinching scowl or frown, while one of his eyes were covered by a Pirate's Patch, the other one with a long scar down the middle. "Tell me everything." he said in the same dusty voice.

* * *

Jubilee bounced up and down happily as him and Draculin neared a fair, probably open for some seasonally celebrated holiday. "You're taking me to the fair???" Jubilee clapped his hooves like the foal he was. "Yep, I'm guessing you've never been?" Draculin could tell Jubilee shook his head, since he felt how the foal could shake his hoof and it ended up shaking his entire body. "Settle down, kiddo, the night is young." Draculin teased, stepping into a line of patient fair-goers, all waiting for the Ferris Wheel.

They waited for a good fifteen minutes, until Jubilee got restless and impatient. In his eagerness he misplaced a hoof, falling onto Draculin's soft and large mane. "Geez, let's just go get some cotton candy while this line sorts itself out..." Draculin said, blowing a small current of air to get the hair from his eyes. He tossed his head back carefully, forcing the young colt to slide down his neck. "Okay." he said as they exited from the line, the love-struck couple behind them shifting upwards mechanically.

They approached the least populated candy counter. Running the counter they were at was a young, most likely just-joined-the-work-force mare with a blue and pink mane. She sent her current customers on their way after they received a large popcorn, which they eagerly took. Jubilee clapped his hooves once more, which seemed to be his favorite gesture tonight.

"The smallest cotton candy you have, please." Jubilee asked in his small voice. The mare at the counter smiled and started to turn around before Draculin held up a hoof, silently asking her to wait a moment. "Why the smallest, kiddo?" Draculin asked, looking back at Jubilee. "Momma usually only let me get smalls of candy..." he said, blushing at how he was still listening to his mother. "Well, 'Momma' isn't here, now is she?" he said with a sly smile, making the candy mare laugh. He turned back to her, once again silently talking to her. "Okay, lemme go get it." she said, winking at Draculin. She came back and handed the cotton candy to Draculin, who gripped the paper stick/cone firmly with his teeth. He twisted his head back, giving it to Jubilee.

"Gah eh?" he asked, with the paper part still in his mouth. "Yeah, I have it." Jubilee said with an eager smile. Draculin nodded and turned back to the mare, dropping the correct amount of bits on the counter. "Your brother is absolutely adorable, he's so lucky to have such a caring big brother!" she said, giggling. "Heh, thanks, uhh...." he squinted his eyes at the small white name tag on the girls red and white thick pinstripe shirt. After a few seconds of focusing he made out the small letters. "Candy...huh, well lookit that!" he said with a smile. She laughed again, sending them off with a thank you and a small soda on-the-house.

"She was a nice mare." Jubilee said, taking a bite of the sugary ball of whipped air. Draculin nodded, heading back towards the ferris wheel line which had gotten smaller as the more sensible mares and stallions headed home. "Draculin, look!" Jubilee pointed a hoof at the large sign which displayed two pictures and a line of words. One picture was of Soarin', the other of Spitfire, leader of the amazing Wonderbolts.

'The Wonderbolts Night Show, get your tickets now!' the sign read, making Jubilee bounce up and down in anticipation. Draculin winced a bit as the constant shifting of weight on his back felt a bit irregular. "Well, you wanna go see them?" he asked, smiling again at Jubilee. Jubilee gasped, his eyes lighting up the small area around them in excitement. "Oooohh, can we, can we???" the little foal clapped again, hugging Draculin from behind. Draculin laughed and walked up to the ticket taker, asking for two. "Sorry, we're sold out." he said, shrugging. Jubilee's face was overtaken by dismay, getting so excited to see the Wonderbolts then being told he couldn't.

"Listen buddy, this means the world to the kid, could you please let us through?" Draculin asked once more, biting his lip, he made sure to keep his fangs hidden, though. The stallion, who got rather irritated at the continued bother, replied with an aggravated response. "Listen, buddy, I don't care if the little twerp wanted to see them, we're sold out."

Draculin didn't appreciate the rudeness, and it certainly hurt Jubilee's feelings, being called twerp. Jubilee's eyes welled up with tears, which weren't ready to be let go yet. Draculin got an intense look across his face and brought his face inches from the ticket takers, making him jump a little. The Vampony stared deeply into the stallions eyes, which soon glazed over into some sort of daze. "You will let us through to see the Wonderbolts." Draculin said, focusing intensely on the stallion. "I will let you through to see the Wonderbolts." he repeated back to Draculin, mouth wide open in his trance. "And you won't tell security we went through here." he commanded the dazed stallion, who repeated it back in reverse. Jubilee had a look of confusion across his face, not understanding what had just transpired. The stallion who was entranced by Draculin open up the gate barring their way, letting the two pass.

"Draculin, h-how did you do that?" Jubilee asked, rubbing the un-shed tears from his eyes. "Simple Vampony mind tricks." Draculin said, shaking his head. "The nerve of some ponies!" Draculin said in a hushed, irritated voice. "Being so mean to a poor little foal..." he ranted. "I should've just drained him dry, the little...little....twerp." he mocked, making Jubilee wince a bit at the thought of Draculin drinking from somepony. Suddenly, the lights dimmed, a group of them focusing on the stage.

Soon after, the curtains opened up to a group of ponies in flashy suits. "The Wonderbolts!" gasped Jubilee, climbing up on top of Draculin's head to see better. After a short speech from Spitfire, the leader of the flying stuntponies, they shot at almost break-neck speeds over the crowd, Jubilee almost spilling his soda. "Woah!" Jubilee exclaimed as they maneuvered through the air in a uniform motion, causing the crowd to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at their seemingly difficult motions. Jubilee was ecstatic the ponies' stunts, slupring down his soda and devouring his cotton candy, which only left little bits of it on his mouth, which eventually dyed the area around the little colts mouth pink and blue.

The festivities ended after the Wonderbolts finished, most ponies heading home. As the duo walked out with the crowd, Draculin looked back at Jubilee who was fast asleep on his back, most likely from a sugar crash. Draculin giggled and went into the air as gently as he could, heading towards the nearest condemned building.

He stopped at an all-night store and bought a bushel of blankets to keep the little one warm, after which he departed once more towards the buildings. Draculin silently and softly landed on the top of a building, going in through the unlocked door down one level, stopping in a room with fully boarded up windows. He set Jubilee down carefully atop a blanket, before laying another one atop the colt. Draculin look at him for a long moment before reciting something his mother had sung to him. He wasn't much of a singer, so he was content with quietly saying the words.

"Go to sleep little one
It’s time to say goodnight
Lay your head upon the pillow
I will tuck you in so tight

Say your prayers and they’ll be answered

Dream of dreams so bright
Lay your head upon the pillow
It’s time to say goodnight
Oh lay your head upon the pillow
It’s time to say goodnight."

Draculin shed a small tear, something he hand't done in a long, long time. Unnerved by this happening, he stood up and left, making sure Jubilee was sleeping comfortably.