Angel of Justice: Blood Moon

Inside Ponyville Town Hall, Twilight reluctantly sat and bided her time with the ponies around her.

The two townsponies were understandably nervous as they sat quietly together. Twilight’s presence seemed to reassure them ever so slightly, as was natural for the unicorn and her infectious charm and genuine care for those around her, but they were still fearful of making the slightest peep or movement that could upset the pale mare watching them.

Over by the far wall, the vampiric earth mare was sitting as well, though she wore an impatient expression on her face. Her vibrant red eyes clashed with her washed-out white fur and bouncy blue curls. She looked like she would be some soft-spoken or refined pony, were it not for the corruption flowing through her veins and twisting her personality to her master’s will.

Looking up and catching Twilight’s gaze, the pale mare wrinkled her eyes. “Hey, what are you looking at?” She hissed.

Twilight immediately looked away and kept her eyes low, but she could still feel the piercing red orbs staring into her.

The pale mare watched her prisoner for a moment, paying no mind to the two other ponies tensely waiting and hoping not to be focused on. She snorted, “If you think you’re just waiting for your friends to come save you, think again. When the Prince gets here, they’re all going to die.”

While the thought did settle a twinge of fear into her core, Twilight had her doubts. “Is Dusk really coming here? Or is he just using you as a distraction?”

Hearing this, the smugly amused expression on the earth mare’s face narrowed and tensed. Her jaw trembled as a silent growl reverberated within. Finally, she got up and started walking over to the purple unicorn.

Twilight stiffened up at this expected reaction. The other ponies looked to her with concerned faces. They looked like they wanted to distance themselves or try to help, but they just remained where they were, frozen like statues as the pale pony approached.

“How dare you speak of the Prince like that.” The mare growled, her eyes flaring as the noise shifted to a more feral sound briefly. “We are his children! He would never abandon us!”

Fighting against her instinct to flinch back, Twilight struggled to keep a straight expression. “If that’s the case…” She swallowed, eyes wavering and voice diminished, “then why is he off fighting the princesses while you’re here? What are you even doing here?”

The mare seemed to pause at this briefly, her fierce eyes shifting in thought before she returned her glare in full force. “You’re… you’re trying to trick me into revealing our plan, aren’t you?! They always said you were clever, but I always thought you lucked into being Celestia’s student!”

Although it was probably just the vampiric influence talking, the thought that some ponies genuinely thought that way of her was a touch hurtful. Still, now wasn't the time.

“What plan?” Twilight prodded. “Because it sounds to me like you don’t have a plan to reveal. Does your Prince really think so highly of you if he didn’t even bother letting you in on his- ACK!”

Twilight croaked as a hoof was abruptly shoved into her throat. She was aggressively pushed back toward the wall behind her, and then into it. Her neck burned and her lungs started to strain as the pale mare got on hind legs and lifted her up.

The other two ponies in the room gasped. The lone stallion started to rush forward to assist the purple mare when a vicious growl and a fanged visage of death sent him scrambling back to the floor in fear.

“You insolent little tramp!” The mare snapped. “The Prince doesn’t need to waste his time giving us his every reason for his instructions! He made us stronger, gave us his gift of immortality! The least we can do to repay him is follow his every word! So what if the others are more important than us? Every part of his plan is important!”

Others...? Twilight narrowed her eyes at that. However, she couldn’t react much outwardly, as the pressure on her windpipe mounted.

She clutched her hooves to her throat, but the mare’s unnatural strength was too great. Finally, she tried to light her horn and teleport to the other side of the room. Unfortunately for her, her fading vision and mental clarity made it difficult for her to focus on a spell.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and the pale green pegasus mare from before entered. As she saw the scene before her, she snapped her eyes open. “Hey!”

Almost immediately, the earth mare dropped Twilight, letting the unicorn slide to the floor in a gasping and coughing fit while she faced her comrade.

“I thought you were supposed to be the level-headed one?” The pegasus said, a bit surprised.

The blue-haired mare shifted her eyes to the floor and turned her head to the side. “Sorry… She was speaking ill about the Prince. I… I couldn’t help myself.”

Hearing this, the pegasus narrowed her eyes at Twilight briefly. “Even if she deserves it, you know the Prince wants her in one piece when we get out of here.”

“Speaking of which, what’s the situation out there?” The earth mare asked.

The pegasus let out a stressed exhale as she looked over her shoulder toward the door. “I think the other groups are dead.”

The earth mare suddenly adopted a sober look. “What makes you say that?”

“More of those weirdos in the vests keep showing up, and they weren’t here to begin with.”

“You think they split up when they first arrived?” The earth mare asked.

The pegasus sighed, “Yeah… which means that they’re done with whatever it was they were doing.”

The earth mare looked to the floor briefly. If a vampire could show worry, that was what was currently shimmering in her eyes. She glanced up to Twilight, who was being circled and comforted by the two civilians, and hardened her stare, causing both of them to flinch.

“So, what’s the plan? It could be hours until the Prince comes for us for all we know.” The earth mare said.

The pegasus looked to her companion with a stern expression. “I think we’re fighting a losing battle here. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of them show up and they get brave enough to break in here… especially if that slayer guy is with them.”

“What are you insinuating?” The earth mare inched back, her red eyes soft and fixated on the other mare.

“I think I’m going to have to take her and make a break for it while you guys distract those idiots outside.” The pegasus said, nodding toward Twilight.

Twilight’s eyes went round at the sudden shift in focus to her.

The earth mare seemed shocked as well. “What?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Look… I’m the only one here with wings. There’s no way any of us would make it out of here on hoof.” The pegasus explained earnestly. “The Prince wants her and her friends, and I would rather cut our losses and deliver her to him than die without doing anything useful.”

There was a bit of a pause after that as the blue-haired pony stewed over her colleague’s words. Judging from her tensed jaw and darting eyes, she seemed conflicted on what to do. Finally, she sighed and shook her head.

However, before she could speak, Twilight interrupted her. “My friends will never let you out of here! They’ve got the whole square surrounded!” She protested before an angry snarl silenced her.

“Quiet, you!” The pegasus shouted.

“Erm…” The earth pony started hesitantly, causing her companion to look back at her. “As much as I hate agreeing with her, she has a point. With how many of us there are, we wouldn’t be able to distract them enough to keep their eyes off you.” She explained. It was unsettling just how fast she accepted giving up her life for a potential gain for her Prince.

The pegasus let a half-smirk tug at her otherwise grim features. “That’s why I sent the boys upstairs to turn that pretty little monster hunter. I’ll bet seeing her coming for their throats would keep them occupied.”

Hearing this, Twilight’s heart dropped. She felt a cold sweat working its way over her. She had to do something to help Glitterball.

Before she could come up with some brazen plan to get past her captors, however, her captors shifted their attention to her.
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..
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Outside in the square, tensions were rising as Shining Armor and the others prepared for their assault on Town Hall.

Up on the balcony, Glimmer Shine, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie hugged the wall between windows near the north side of the building.

Getting all of them upstairs discreetly was a bit of a challenge, but with the combined efforts of the few pegasi and unicorns present, they managed to sneak up and over while staying out of view.

While Pinkie kept watch through a window, Rarity did her best to pay close attention to Glimmer Shine as the yellow stallion fitted her with Glitter’s discarded vest and instructed her on some of the more important tools on it.

"My word… how do all of you stand these things?" Rarity protested softly. "They're so scratchy… and the fabric doesn't breathe in the least!"

Glimmer did his best not to externalize a smirk as he finished buckling her in. He could practically see her thinking of how to go about overhauling their uniforms for them. "Sorry. You're the closest to Glitter's size."

"What diet do you use, Rarity?" Pinkie asked. "I mean, it makes sense that Glitter's so thin. She runs around hunting monsters all day."

Rarity chuckled, "A lady never reveals her secret."

“Alright, girls. Game-faces on. As soon as Shining gives the word, we make our move.” Glimmer said, glancing to the window off to the side that would be their entry. As far as they knew, there was meant to be a vampire keeping watch inside, not to mention however many more there were on the second floor.

Pinkie stiffened up slightly and gave a solemn nod. She looked like she was about to go to war, which wasn't much of a stretch.

Rarity merely steadied herself and made a mental note of where all her new equipment was. Although, in truth, she only vaguely knew how to use the crossbow from Glimmer’s instructions, and the popper was too dangerous to everyone else involved without being that useful against the pale ponies, so she was probably going to stick to the silver dagger and strobe.

Seeing his companions ready to go, or at least as ready as they could be, Glimmer held a hoof to his ear and thought to his gray friend down on the first floor.
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..
…
“Sparkplug, what’s your status?” Glimmer Shine’s voice tickled the inside of her ear.

Sparkplug reached up to her ear on instinct, though she paused to take a look at her companions.

Shining Armor was just before the window that most directly led to the east side of the building. He kept his body pressed against the wall beside him and discreetly peered in as best he could. A stoic expression was stuck on his face that could only come from worrying about one's sister being slaughtered by bloodthirsty monsters.

Applejack was right behind the stallion, clutching a silver dagger tightly and waiting for the signal to be given. She seemed eager and confident enough, but even she had a bit of stiffness to her movements that indicated some level of fear, not that Sparkplug could blame the orange mare.

Sparkplug gave a stressed exhale and lifted her head as she pressed her hoof into her ear. “We’re as ready as we’ll ever be… Although, I kinda wish we weren’t spreading the guards out so much.” She said, causing her two companions to look over at the sudden conversation.

“It can’t be helped. We don’t know if Glitter saw all of the hostages on her way to wherever they took her, or if they’ve moved since then.” Glimmer said.

“Ugh… I wish we knew more.” Sparkplug fretted before shifting her thoughts elsewhere. “Glitter, are you there? We could really use some intel out here.”

Nothing but silence responded, even after several seconds. Although the unicorn was normally sporadic in her communications with them, she had always answered by now.

“That’s not good…” Sparkplug sighed, sliding down the wall behind her slightly.

“Is Glitter not answering?” Shining Armor asked, causing the gray mare to look up. She merely shook her head.

“Maybe she just can’t talk right now?” Applejack reasoned, though the look in her eyes seemed to betray her suggestion.

Shining Armor groaned internally before tensing his jaw. “As much as I don’t like it, we can’t risk waiting around much longer. How far out is Sunspot?” He asked, looking to the only one among them able to communicate between their scattered friends.

Sparkplug felt her stomach knotting, but she looked ahead and shifted her thoughts to the suited pegasus anyway. “Sunspot, how soon do you think you’ll get here?” She asked, including Glimmer in the conversation to keep him updated.

After a moment, a slightly strained voice came through in both her and Glimmer’s heads.

“Just a few more minutes. We’re going as fast as we can.” Sunspot assured, voice laced with reluctance and concern.

Glimmer Shine’s trademark conflicted sigh came through. “We’ll try to wait for you, Sunspot, but we have to get in there at the first sign of trouble or if Shining gives the word.”

“Yeah… I know. Just keep everyone alive. If I get there and someone is hurt, I’m kicking all of your tails, understand?”

“Copy that.”

“You got it.” Sparkplug deflated tensely as she dropped her hoof from her ear. Applejack tried to reassure her, but the palpable dread in the air was hard to deny for any of them.

Shining Armor looked back to the window and bit his lip.

“Twilight… Glitter… please be ok.”

“Agh!”

Glitterball yelped as the pale unicorn kicked her side. She curled inward, instinctively trying to protect her stomach, but there wasn't much she could do on the floor with her hooves tied behind her back.

“Did you really think you could pull a fast one on me?!” The unicorn mare bellowed, giving another kick to Glitter’s already bruising abdomen.

It had only been by chance that the vampiric pony noticed the glowing aura around Ms. Mayor’s hoof and Glitter’s ear, or perhaps it was her keen senses at work. Either way, she was taking out her anger on the defenseless unicorn.

“Leave her alone!” Mayor Mare pleaded. Pushing her fear aside, she rushed forward to try and pull the pale pony off Glitterball.

The vampire slapped Ms. Mayor across the face, sending her to the floor with a pained yell. Seeing both mares in danger, the stallion rushed forward as well and tried to tackle the pale unicorn, only to be shoved backward with surprising strength.

“You two stay out of this if you know what’s good for you!” The pale mare growled. She turned and walked back up to Glitterball before lighting up her horn and roughly picking the monster hunter up.

“What were you doing?!” The mare demanded, floating Glitterball up face to snarling face with her.

Glitter flinched and tried to turn her head, but the magical aura around her was impeding her movement. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking ab-”

“Don’t lie! I know an aura when I see one, and I sure as buck didn’t make it!” The pale unicorn reached out and grabbed Glitter’s horn, allowing the white mare to fall slightly to put pressure on the sensitive appendage.

Glitter squeaked in pain and tried to shoot her hooves up, only to find them still restrained. “Ow, ow owww! Please! I didn’t do anything! I… I-I won’t do it again, I swear!”

The red-eyed mare’s tense features were split by a sadistic smirk as she eyed up the horn in her grasp. “Oh, I’m sure you won’t. I’ll make sure.”

Feeling even more pressure and a sharp pain radiate down into her head, Glitterball yelped and clenched her eyes shut. She tried to move her head to somehow lessen the pain, but nothing she did helped.

Over by the stallion still recovering on the floor, Mayor Mare gasped softly and widened her eyes as she watched the monster hunter being tortured right in front of her. The bound unicorn had tears welling up from the sheer amount of pain she was going through.

“Stop! Please!” Ms. Mayor begged. Her cries fell on deaf ears as the sadistic pony kept going.

Then, just before Glitter thought her horn might snap off entirely, the door behind them opened and the pain lessened as the pale mare eased off. The magical aura around her faded, allowing her to flop back to the floor.

She panted softly and waited a moment for the rest of the throbbing pain to fade before squinting her eyes open and looking up to see what had stayed the vampiric mare’s hoof.

The two pale stallions that had ferried her to her latest traumatic experience were entering the room. One was carrying a knife in his mouth, while the other was carrying something small and red that wasn't immediately identifiable, though it looked like glass.

“What is it? Can’t you see I’m busy?” The pale unicorn gestured to Glitterball with a sort of annoyed wrinkle to her brow.

The stallion with the smaller object spoke, “Sour Patch has a new plan.”

“Oh yeah?” The unicorn rolled her eyes. “What’s she got in mind this time?”

“She wants us to cause a distraction so she can take that Sparkle chick to the Prince.”

Hearing this, the pale mare lifted her brows in surprise. “Hmm… sounds dangerous… and fun. It’s about time we did something other than wait around.” She smiled eagerly before adopting a confused expression. “But how does she think we’re going to distract those bozos outside long enough?”

The other stallion transitioned the knife from his mouth to his hoof and looked to the bound mare on the floor. “Simple. She wants us to turn her.” He pointed the knife toward her.

Glitterball’s pupils shrank as all three vampires shifted their attention to her. She looked up at the knife the stallion was carrying, a slight tingle causing her to tuck her chin in to protect her neck. She then looked up to the small red object the other pony was carrying.

As she got a better look at it, she realized it was a vial of liquid, and not just any liquid. It was blood. More than likely Dusk’s blood, which meant only one thing.

“H-Hey… l-let’s not get too hasty now.” Glitterball tried her best to wriggle away using her hind hooves, but she wasn't making much progress. They seemed to be enjoying her attempts for a moment as they slowly inched toward her.

“Heh… You should be thanking us. After everything you’ve done, you still get to receive the Prince’s gift.” The pale unicorn said.

“Wh… what’s this about a gift?” Mayor Mare asked hesitantly. However, it didn’t take much deduction for her to realize what the knife was for. “Leave her alone. Use me inst-” She started to move forward, when the pale unicorn turned and growled at her with eyes flaring and fangs bared, causing her to scramble backward once more.

“Stow it!” The unicorn yelled before calming herself and turning toward Glitterball with a smirk. “Now, come here you little worm.”

Seeing the pale mare’s horn light up and feeling a slight tingle around her form, Glitterball struggled to remain on the floor. However, a magical aura picked her up and gently floated her toward what seemed to be her fate, despite her best wriggles.

“Ngh! Let me go!” Glitter protested. As she was gently floated in front of the unicorn, she yelped again as she was roughly taken by the foreleg and turned to face the two stallions.

“Don’t be such a baby. It only hurts for a minute.” The unicorn grinned.

The two stallions shared a sadistic laugh as they watched the white mare squirm. The one with the vial waited nearby as the one with the knife stepped forward and brought his weapon of choice toward their prisoner.

Glitterball receded backward, but the unicorn behind her kept her from moving. She felt her heart pounding in her chest as the blade drew nearer and nearer to her neck. Her eyes trembled, and her jaw tensed as her life flashed before her eyes.

Off to the side, Mayor Mare watched with a horrified sense of hopelessness welling up inside of her. Was she really about to watch the monster hunter die?

No. She couldn’t just sit by and let that happen. Glitter had risked her life to try and relay critical information to her teammates so that everyone could be saved. And while she herself might not have been the bravest or the best at fighting, she couldn’t just do nothing while another pony was in danger.

Getting to her hooves, the emboldened mayor rushed forward, making a beeline for the unicorn holding Glitter.

She made it about halfway toward a tackle before the pale mare looked to the side and noticed her. Then, she felt her whole body being thrown backward violently, sending her form crashing into the wall behind her.

“Ngh!” Ms. Mayor flinched her eyes shut as her back and head erupted into dizzying pain. She crumpled to the floor in a heap.

The stallion gasped and rushed to the injured mare’s side. “Ms. Mayor!”

Meanwhile, the pale unicorn scoffed at the sight of the brazen pony on the floor. “I warned you about being a-” Suddenly, she felt a pain strike her muzzle as she turned into Glitterball reverse headbutting her. “OW!”

As the pale pony recoiled in pain, Glitter fell back toward the floor. Not wasting her only opportunity, she turned ahead to the stallion with the knife and kicked out her hind leg just before smacking into the ground.

The stallion had the knife knocked up and out of his hoof. While he followed the flying blade with his eyes in stunned surprise, the white mare kicked out again, catching the side of his jaw and sending him reeling back with a pained grunt.

Glitter ignored her sore body and flopped onto her side while simultaneously lighting her horn. She started to wrap her aura around the falling knife when another aura of a different color clashed with hers.

Looking up at the sound of a growl, Glitter shrank back at the sight of the pale unicorn mare glaring down at her, bruised nose and chipped tooth already healing.

However, before the unicorn could do anything, a fierce yell came from the side as the brown stallion charged into the vampiric mare and tackled her.

With the other magical hold over the knife broken, Glitter immediately whisked it toward herself. She barely got it halfway to her bound hooves before she looked up and noticed the pale stallion with the blood vial rushing toward her.

“Eeep!” Glitter seized up in a panic. With frantic thoughts and racing heart, she channeled her magical energies toward another spell and pointed her horn toward the attacking pony.

A blast of concentrated energy shot out of the white mare’s horn and collided with the stallion mid-pounce. It exploded, leaving a slight scorch mark on his fur and sending him flying backward with a yelp.

Shifting her attention to the other stallion, Glitter noticed that he had recovered from her previous kick and was already leaping toward her. She widened her eyes and rolled over as fast as she could, managing to get clear just moments before the pale pony landed with a frustrated grunt.

Not wasting what little time she had, Glitter took the knife still clutched in her corona and zipped it behind her. She didn’t even look, deciding to save time by only using spatial awareness at risk of cutting herself as she slid the blade between the ropes and her hooves and yanked.

The knife made quick work of her bindings, and while she felt a slight pain from an inch-long cut caused by her haste, she didn’t care. All that mattered was that she was free.

With the room descending into chaos, and the three vampires now fully after her and her two reluctant companions, Glitter did the one thing she could do to improve their chances of survival.

She raced her hoof to her ear.

“Guys, help!” She exclaimed, only just managing to get the words out before the stallion she dodged before slammed into her and sent her rolling along the ground.

They rolled to a stop. Glitter found herself being shoved into the floor by her shoulders. She flinched her eyes open, only to hear a snake-like hiss and see a fanged maw lunging down toward her.
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Suddenly, both Glimmer Shine and Sparkplug heard their unicorn friend in their ears. Her voice was frantic and laced with fear, and her message was clearly received, sending a wave of adrenaline through both of them.

Glimmer Shine put a hoof to his ear, making sure Sparkplug heard as he turned to Rarity, Pinkie, and the guards around the corner. “Go now! Move, move, move!” He exclaimed before jumping into action.

Downstairs, Sparkplug widened her eyes and stumbled over herself to get the message out to her friends as she rushed toward the window. “Go!”

Not even wasting a moment, Shining signaled with a hoof to the watching teams of guards just in view around the building before lighting his horn and sending a blast of energy through the window.

Applejack and Sparkplug followed the stallion as he jumped through the window into town hall. They circled each other and darted their eyes around, uncaring of the broken glass beneath their hooves.

There was a door ahead of them with a few squares of frosted glass set into it. A break room, judging from the label. And judging from the readings they got from their locator, this was where the hostages were being held on this floor.

Shining unsheathed his dagger and started to wrap his magical hold around the doorknob when the sound of another door bursting open drew his attention away.

Frantic hooves came from the hallway to their left, and soon enough two pale ponies came to a halt before them.

"What the hay?!" An earth mare with blue hair reeled back in surprise at seeing the trio before her. Her companion, a bulky-looking earth stallion, snorted and lowered himself into a fighting stance.

Seeing the threat before them, Applejack stepped forward and spread her weight into a more stable stance. She turned to Shining Armor with a serious look in her eyes. "Go! We'll take care'a these two!"

After a tense breath, Sparkplug pulled her own dagger out and stood with the orange mare. "She's right, we got this!"

Shining cast a concerned glance between the bold mares and their opponents. He didn’t want to leave such powerful foes to them, but there were other lives in danger here. If he waited, the vampires inside the room would most likely harm the hostages.

With a solemn nod, the white stallion turned to the break room door and threw it open. He stepped inside, dagger poised and ready as he quickly scanned the area.

He found ponies in the room alright. However, none of them were pale or had red eyes. And, perhaps more worrisome, there was no sight of Twilight or Glitterball.

A pair consisting of a black and blue unicorn stallion and a white and gray earth mare were huddled in the corner. They jumped slightly when Shining entered, but they were quickly relieved to see another living, breathing pony instead of one of the vampires. Not only that, but it was Prince Shining Armor, captain of the royal guard.

Shining looked around the room once more, briefly glancing back at a few yells and a crash from outside, before shifting his attention to the two civilians.

"Was there anyone else in here with you?" He asked, unable to hide some urgency.

The mare lifted a stiff hoof and pointed back out the door. "They took Twilight just before you got here! They were talking about bringing her to some Prince guy."

All the color drained from Shining’s face as his eyes went round. However, he couldn’t dwell on his shock for long, as the commotion outside grew louder.

"You’re not hurt, are you?" He asked, already taking a few steps back toward the door. Receiving head shakes from both of them, he deflated a bit with relief. "Good. Stay here. You'll be safe until we get rid of those pale jerks."

Back out in the hallway, Applejack struggled against the stallion pinning her to the wall. She got in a few good punches and kicks, but his form looked like it could take a beating even before he became a vampire.

Off to the side, Sparkplug was having her own fight with the pale mare. And with her dagger lying uselessly on the floor beneath her, Applejack was out of options to retaliate.

Throwing a particularly hard headbutt into the stallion’s skull, Applejack was surprised at just how much of a bad idea that was. He barely flinched, and the pain she received wasn't worth the result.

“Guh… get off’a me, you… you overgrown mosquito, you!” She huffed.

The stallion wrinkled his expression and tilted his head, lessening the pressure on her neck slightly in his confusion.

“What?” Applejack sighed. “Sorry if m’ vast southern vernacular don’t include better vampire insults!”

Sparkplug chimed in, “Actually, that one wasn't so b-WAH!” She yelped as the pale mare flung her through the air down the hall.

After stealing a concerned glance at her friend, Applejack turned back ahead as a fierce snarl came from the stallion. She flinched back as she saw him preparing to bite into her.

Then, a stabbing sound came, followed by a pained scream. Before she could even open her eyes, the hold over her neck vanished, allowing her to plop to the floor. As she looked up, she saw a vaguely equine form burning away into a scattering of embers, along with a silver dagger floating in a magenta aura.

“You ok?” A familiar voice asked as a white foreleg stretched toward her. She looked over to see Shining Armor standing there.

“Thank ya kindly, sugar.” Applejack grunted softly as the unicorn helped her to her hooves. Shifting her attention back to Sparkplug, she raced to grab her own dagger off the floor where it fell. However, by the time she picked it up, an agonized yell came from down the hall.

Initially fearing the worst, the pair looked up to see the familiar sight of sparks and embers exploding into a cloud before blinking out, leaving a vest-clad gray mare on the floor sticking a single foreleg up and holding out a silver blade.

Sparkplug coughed a few times, seemingly having gone through a similar strangling to the orange mare, and pushed herself up slightly with her forehooves to look ahead at her friends. “I’m good… I’m good… Just give me a minute.” She flopped her head back down and struggled to catch her breath.

Shining Armor trotted over to the resting mare with a sense of alarm in his eyes. “Sorry, but there’s no time to waste.” He said, practically grabbing her hoof and pulling her up. “They’re planning to get away with Twilight.”

“What?!” Sparkplug widened her eyes.

Applejack gasped as she realized the severity of the situation. If the pale ponies disappeared with the unicorn and brought her back to Dusk, she was as good as dead. “But… how?! We have guards all over the place!”

“That pegasus we saw earlier is probably gonna try to slip by while we’re busy dealing with her friends.” Shining reasoned.

Sparkplug wrinkled her face with concern as she thought back to the pale pegasus. “She did seem like she was calling the shots.”

Not wanting to waste a moment, Shining trotted ahead before turning to the two mares and gesturing. “Come on. We’ve gotta find her!”

With that, Applejack and Sparkplug both rushed off with Shining further down the hallway. They had a deceptively small amount of ground to cover, but not much time to cover it in if they wanted to save Twilight.

Meanwhile, upstairs and a few moments earlier,

*CRASH*

The sound of glass shattering rang out as Glimmer Shine kicked the window. Once the passage was relatively clear, he shielded his face and jumped inside.

Immediately, a pale unicorn stallion stumbled back as Glimmer jumped in, soon followed by Rarity and Pinkie.

Seeing the pale pony snarling and beginning to light his horn, Rarity lit hers first. She wrapped her influence around his whole body and jerked to the side as hard as she could. Although she was hindered by the unnatural essence within him fighting her magic, she managed to slam him into the wall hard enough to cause a pained yelp.

Before he could even recover, the pale unicorn looked up to see Glimmer Shine rushing at him. Glimmer made a stab with his knife, and while the stallion tried to dodge, he wasn't fast enough to get clear before the silver blade plunged into his chest.

“AGHH!!” The stallion rocked his head back and yelled as his form erupted into flames. Soon enough, only a collapsing ashen skeleton was left to mark his presence.

With their adrenaline still pumping, Glimmer and the two mares darted their eyes around the immediate area, searching for wherever was most likely to lead them to their friend. They converged eyes on the lone room set before them. This must have been where Glitter was.

However, as they started to move, a loud thud and some muffled shouts came from within the room, along with a few feral noises that they had come to associate with their vampiric opponents.

“Come on!” Pinkie said, gesturing wildly. “It sounds like she’s in trouble!”

Glimmer and Rarity needed no confirmation of the obvious, but they knew she was right either way.

All three of them rushed to the door. Rarity immediately threw it open with her magic while also grabbing her dagger and keeping it beside her. However, she froze as she saw what was waiting for them.

The room had descended into chaos. Mayor Mare and an earth stallion were each trying and failing at holding their own against two pale stallions.

One of the vampires tossed the earth stallion across the room like he was nothing. He screamed and flailed trying to right himself in the air, but he couldn’t stop his momentum before he crashed into a hanging shelf, knocking over several papers, knick-knacks, and books as he spilled off it and to the floor.

Ms. Mayor wasn't even trying to fight. She was trying to survive. Every time the pale stallion would make a lunge or grab at her, she would deftly duck out of the way and scramble to somewhere else. However, she yelped and smacked into the floor as she felt a yank on her tail.

The fierce fracas was enough to catch Glimmer and the two mares off guard. But as they shifted their eyes to the back of the room, their pupils shrank at what they saw.

A bruised and battered Glitterball was up against the wall on her hind legs, struggling against a pale unicorn mare. She had a black eye, along with several scuffs across her fur and a small cut along her foreleg, but she still had fight left in her, however much it mattered against the super-strong mare.

Suddenly, the pale unicorn gained the upper hoof. She jerked her hoof away from Glitter’s hold and used it to pull the struggling pony close before digging her fangs into a soft, warm neck. A startled yelp died out as Glitter widened her eyes at the abrupt pain.

Glimmer Shine gasped, “Glitter!” Without even missing a beat, he shifted his dagger into his non-dominant hoof and pulled out his crossbow, unfolding it with a flick and leveling it toward the red-eyed unicorn hurting his friend and colleague.

Hearing a distinctly crossbow-like sound, the pale unicorn pricked her ears up and pulled away from her meal. Her mouth was slightly bloodied, as was Glitter’s neck, but it didn’t seem like too much damage had been done.

Turning and seeing the trio in the doorway, with one holding out a crossbow toward her, the vampiric mare barely had time to put two and two together before a searing pain erupted into her shoulder.

“AGH!” She cried, leaning against the wall and clutching her now flaming wound. The ring of embers spreading out nearly overtook her entire foreleg, just stopping shy of its circumference.

That didn’t matter, however, as a white hoof suddenly socked her in the side of the head, sending her flopping backward and to the floor.

Glitterball panted and clutched a hoof to her neck as she fell back into the wall behind her. She cast a sluggish look to her friends in the doorway, a bit of appreciation shining through the pain and exhaustion in her eyes, before shifting her attention to the threats still in the room.

Lighting her horn, the rainbow-haired mare wrapped her magic around the stallion about to pounce on Mayor Mare and threw him toward the wall by the door.

The stallion landed with a grunt and smacked his head, knocking down a small picture frame which also fell on him. He started to get up and glare at Glitter, when a pink blur came from his side, planting a silver blade into his chest.

“Nobody hurts our mayor, meanie!” Pinkie pouted at the disintegrating stallion, though he was already too skeletal to hear or care.

Off to the side, the earth stallion on the floor did his best to shield himself from the pale pony’s assaults. However, as the vanishing yell of the other pale stallion rang out, the vampiric pony was distracted and turned away from him.

Rarity and Glimmer Shine inched back cautiously as they sized up their opponent. Not wanting anyone else to get hurt in close quarters, the unicorn floated her dagger up and sent it flying forward.

The pale stallion dodged to the side of the blade, and again as it turned and sprang forward once more. He would have continued dodging, if he didn’t have one of his hind legs kicked out from behind, causing him to stumble.

Before the vampiric pony could even think about turning to the earth stallion, Rarity whipped her dagger around and plunged it into his neck, flinching her eyes away from the brutal act as she did. The ensuing scream fading into crackling flames and eventual silence filled her with a faint sense of regret, but the thankful look she received from the earth stallion replaced this with a sheepish smile.

Meanwhile, with her shoulder and most of her upper foreleg still smoldering, the pale unicorn cringed in pain as she looked up to see her companions vanquished. She tried to get up, but a yellow hoof gently pushing her other shoulder down kept her pinned to the floor. She looked up, only to find Glimmer Shine standing over her, dagger in hoof.

Glimmer started to reel his foreleg back to stab into the pale pony when he felt his dagger nudge slightly in his grip. Looking up, he noticed a familiar blue aura trying to lift his blade.

Looking ahead, he found Glitterball working her way to all fours again. She was out of breath, her neck was bleeding slightly from two puncture wounds, and her whole form was a bit shaky from a mixture of adrenaline and exhaustion.

Seeing this, Glimmer decided to let go, allowing the knife to float up into Glitter’s magical hold. He figured that she deserved some payback after everything she had been through.

“Ngh… hhh…. Hang on… wait a second...” The pale mare inched away from the battered unicorn looming over her, only to run into a set of yellow forelegs. “We can work something out!”

In between her panting, Glitter frowned a bit as she looked to the blade floating in front of her. However, her expression lifted into a grim line as she shifted her eyes back to the pale mare. “Don’t worry… it’ll only hurt for a minute.”

“Wait… wait, wait, n-AGHHH!”

Mayor Mare lifted a hoof to block out the sight of the mare erupting into flames as she approached the group. “Good heavens…” She muttered, a bit unsettled. Then again, she was glad to be free from the sadistic ponies. “Thank you so much, Ms… Glitter, was it? I think I speak for both of us when I say we are eternally grateful for what you did for us.” She said, glancing back to the stallion, who was wearing a similar expression.

“Yeah… don’t mention it…” Glitter dropped the blade clattering to the floor and shifted her weight forward, letting her shoulders droop and her head hang as she caught her breath.

Suddenly, she was wrapped up into an abrupt hug as Pinkie rushed forward.

“Glitter! I’m so glad you’re ok!” Pinkie squeezed the white mare a bit, taking care not to touch any injuries.

“Thanks, Pinkie…” Glitter managed a genuine smile as the pink mare let her go. She turned to see Glimmer and Rarity huddling close as well, pausing for a second at the sight of the unicorn in what could only be her vest. “Huh… I think that looks better on you than it does on me, Rarity.”

Rarity smiled a bit, “I appreciate the compliment, darling, but I think it’s time I returned this to its rightful owner.” She said, unbuckling the vest and slipping it off before holding it up for Glitter to take.

And take it she did. Glitter held her proud uniform up by one hoof. However, before she could do anything else with it, she cringed and brought her free hoof up to her neck.

“Are you ok?” Glimmer asked, resting a gentle hoof on the mare’s back.

After a moment of dealing with the pain Glitter squinted her eyes open. “Y-yeah…” She said before her thoughts seemed to drift elsewhere as a more grave expression formed. “But we don’t have time to worry about me. We need to save Twilight and the other hostages.”

Glimmer Shine flashed a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I’m sure Shining and the others already have that taken care o-”

*CRASH*

The familiar sound of shattering glass came from outside, faint and muffled. It almost sounded like it came from beneath them.

Sharing a look of confusion, and then alarm, with the others, Glimmer Shine led the charge by being the first one to rush off toward the door. Rarity and Pinkie followed after, with Glitter bringing up the rear and racing to put on her vest.

A little bit earlier,

The pale pegasus snuck through the downstairs hallways and rooms, trying her hardest to avoid being seen. Ever since she heard the distant breaking of glass, stomping hooves, and shouting, she knew that they were out of time.

“Gah… why are you so heavy?” She cast an annoyed scowl back to the unicorn across her back. Twilight was too unconscious to respond, but she could already hear the irritating comeback. “The Prince better have something special planned for you for how much trouble I’m going through getting your fat flank to him.”

Hearing voices up ahead, she ducked back around the corner and hugged the wall. Peering out ever so slightly revealed a pair of guards in the next hallway.

Thankfully for her, the two armor-clad stallions rushed into a room ahead, most likely part of their systematic clearing of the building in search of hostages.

Tensing her jaw, the pegasus quickly made her way past, hoping not to be seen or heard. Against all odds, she somehow made it around the corner with no issue.

She shifted her eyes around feverishly, searching for something or someone. “Come on… where is she? That featherbrain better not have gotten herself killed. Something tells me I’m going to need her to get out of h-”

“OVER HERE!”

A voice rang out, drawing the pale mare’s attention down the hall to her side. Standing at the end was a gray earth mare in a vest who was staring her way and waving frantically. Soon, one of the other elements of harmony and Prince Shining Armor of all ponies rushed over and noticed what their companion was pointing to.

“Oh, buck my life!” The pegasus exclaimed as she turned and ran down the hallway.

“HEY!” Shining yelled, already starting to sprint off toward the pale pony ferrying his sister.

Even though her unnatural condition meant her heart was still, the pegasus could almost swear it was racing as she raced down the hallway.

Suddenly, she skidded to a halt as she saw some guards up ahead. As loud as she was being, they of course turned their heads to notice her.

“Stop right there!” One of them demanded as they started to move.

The pegasus groaned as she turned back around, “Can’t a girl kidnap a national heroine in peace?!”

She ran again, hoping to duck down some intersection. However, she didn’t get far before she could see Shining Armor and the two mares coming down the hall toward her.

Time wasn't on her side, and she was out of escape routes, or so she initially thought. As she shifted her attention to the windows to her left, she let out a stressed exhale before steeling herself.

Shining gasped as he watched the pale mare take a running start before crashing through the window and spreading her wings just before he and the others could get there.

They all rushed out onto the veranda outside and propped their hooves on the railing as they watched her taking off into the night sky. Shining tried to light his horn and grab his sister, but they were already out of his range.

“We gotta do somethin’! She’s gettin’ away!” Applejack stated before looking at the gray mare beside her. “Sparkplug, shoot her down with that fancy crossbow you guys got!”

Sparkplug reached halfway to her vest for a moment before stopping. “I can’t! I might hit Twilight!”

Hearing more hoofsteps coming up behind them, Shining turned to see a small group of guards rushing over. And among them, there were two pegasi.

“Get after them! Save Twilight!” He pointed toward the fleeing mare.

“Yes sir!” The guards said in unison, already spreading their wings and taking off.

The trio watched as the pair swiftly gained altitude and gave chase to the fleeing vampire. However, before they could get very far, disaster struck.

A magical zap preluded a bolt of energy shooting toward one of the guards. It pierced into his side, clipping part of his wing. He yelped and clutched the injury, dropping several feet before fighting to make a more controlled descent.

Shining and the others widened their eyes as one of the stallions roughly impacted the ground in the square ahead. They turned to where the bolt came from, only to spot another pale pony, a pink unicorn mare with blonde mane, standing just around the side of the building.

“Hey!” Sparkplug yelled. She pulled her dagger out and rushed toward the pale pony.

The unicorn mare noticed Sparkplug coming for her, but instead of focusing on self-preservation, she turned back toward the other guard still flying away and lit her horn.

In the few seconds it took for Sparkplug and Shining Armor to reach her, she cast her magical hold into the sky and just barely caught the guard’s hind leg before yanking down as hard as she could.

With his balance thrown off and a force pulling him down, the stallion was sent crashing into one of the houses on the outside edge of the square. He tumbled off the roof and destroyed an awning on his way down, culminating in a painful-looking, but thankfully survivable crash into the hard ground below.

Realizing that her number was up, the unicorn mare turned to the approaching group and grit her teeth. “Long live the Prince!” She cried before flinching back as Sparkplug tackled her, stabbing a silver blade into her form.

Shining Armor ignored the fading screams and flickering orange light as he turned back to watching his little sister getting further and further away. “No… no, no, no! Twilight!”

Hearing rapid hoofsteps behind them, the trio turned to see Glimmer Shine’s group making their way out onto the veranda with them.

“What’s going on?” Pinkie asked, darting her eyes around the area in mild alarm. “Where’s Twilight?!”

“Oh no… is that her up there?” Glitterball felt her heart sink as she noticed the winged shape in the air carrying a familiar purple form.

Shining tensed his hooves against the railing. “That pegasus is taking her to Dusk… We have to stop her!”

Almost immediately, Glimmer Shine lifted a hoof to his ear as he tensely stared out toward the fleeing pony. “Sunspot, we need you here right now! One of the vampires is getting away with-”

Just then, a rush of air blasted by the building, followed soon after by another. Two blurs of color, one cyan and rainbow, and one orange and black were zooming past and making a beeline for the fleeing pegasus.

“Way ahead of you, Glimmer. Don’t worry, we’ll get her back.” Sunspot’s voice emanated in all three of her teammates’ ears, sounding confident as ever.

Glimmer couldn’t help but smile with relief. “Better late than never…”
.
..
…
Twilight groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her head was a foggy mess, but she could definitely feel her fur and mane being blown in a breeze.

As her vision clarified, a jolt of adrenaline suddenly went through her as she processed the sight of buildings and trees whizzing by below. Much further below than she was comfortable with.

“AH!” She jerked slightly, only to flail and cling back to the only solid shape underneath her. A familiar-looking pale pegasus.

“Unless you want to paint the town red, I suggest you shut up and hold on.” The pale pegasus turned back to cast an agitated look at the unicorn. However, her expression shifted and her eyes widened briefly as she looked behind. “Oh, crap…”

Without warning, Twilight was forced to cling harder as the pale mare picked up speed. She contemplated trying to teleport away, but as if expecting this, the pegasus lifted higher and higher into the air, sending the purple mare’s heart leaping into her throat.

“Put me down!” Twilight protested, though that was about all she could do. She wanted to punch the mare’s side, but she figured it was best not to agitate her only saving grace from gravity.

“What did I say about shutting up?!” The pegasus yelled. Once again looking behind her and seeing the two shapes giving rapid chase, she grit her teeth.

As the pale mare suddenly angled herself downwards and zipped into a dive, Twilight squealed fearfully and shut her eyes. She thought she might lose her hold numerous times as the pegasus corkscrewed and pulled a few hairpin-turns through the clouds.

Then, with little warning, a colorful shape slammed into the pegasus from above, separating her from Twilight and sending the both of them into a speedy fall toward the town below.

“AHHHH!!” Twilight screamed and clenched her eyes shut as her stomach dropped nearly as fast as she did. However, before she could have her life flash before her, she felt herself being caught midair by something.

Feeling herself in a furred embrace and feeling the familiar steady glide of pegasus wings, she squinted an eye open, only to find a familiar face staring back at her with a sly grin.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight felt all of the tension leaving her body as a smile formed.

“Hey, Twi… I was in the neighborhood and figured you could use a lift.” Rainbow said lightheartedly.

Twilight chuckled, perhaps still feeling a bit of a jolt from almost dying, and deflated back into her friend’s forelegs. “I’ll take you over my last ride any day.”

Shifting her attention back to her orange companion, Rainbow trailed her eyes downward, only to catch sight of Sunspot still plummeting toward the ground in a somewhat controlled descent with the pale pony hitched along for the ride.

“Hold tight. We should help Sunspot take care of that creep.” She said before gently diving down. Twilight put a foreleg around the cyan mare’s shoulder and did her best not to look down as they made their way toward the sleepy streets below.

Meanwhile, Sunspot was approaching the streets at a much faster pace. She kept a firm grasp on the pale pony’s shoulders, keeping her from flailing around too much or breaking off.

The pale pegasus looked up and glared at the suited mare. She tried to push Sunspot away, but nothing she tried worked. Then, before she could even speak a word, they both crashed into a surprisingly unforgiving hay roof and bounced off.

As they rolled off the roof and fell to the ground, Sunspot maneuvered herself to be on top by the final impact. The pale pony had all of the wind knocked out of her and bucked her head up from the force, stifling her pained yelp into a muted sucking sound.

Sunspot reached for a holster sewn into her suit where she kept her dagger. She barely managed to unclasp the top before she felt two hind hooves dig into her stomach as the vampiric mare reared up.

With a mighty push, the pale pony kicked Sunspot off and sent her flying back a half dozen or so feet. She hit the dirt road on her back with a grunt and rolled tail over head before settling to a stop.

“Ngh…” Sunspot flinched a bit before shaking off the pain and looking ahead. Seeing her foe already up and charging, she quickly grabbed her crossbow and flicked it ahead before firing.

The pale pegasus dodged to the side, leaving the silver bolt to zip past uselessly. She yelled as she approached and reared up for a stomp, but Sunspot rolled out of the way as she struck.

Pushing herself back onto all fours, Sunspot dropped her bow and got light on her hooves as another punch was thrown her way, followed by an attempted grab.

“Hold still!” The mare growled.

Sunspot scoffed, “Yeah, right!”

Hearing a swooping sound, both of them turned to see Rainbow Dash hovering down to the street, carrying Twilight with her.

“Never fear, the cavalry’s here!” Rainbow boasted.

“I had it covered.” Sunspot smirked.

Seeing that she was outnumbered, the pegasus inched back and stared at the trio tensely. Finally, she turned tail and bolted down the street toward an alleyway.

Then, just before she reached it, Twilight blinked into existence right in front of her, wearing an understandably displeased expression.

“Don’t make this harder on yourself.” The unicorn said.

Backing up once more, the pale mare turned, only to see Rainbow Dash and Sunspot flanking her. She was trapped, and she knew it. Even with her enhanced abilities, she stood no chance of fighting her way out.

“Wait…” She squeaked before cowering down as Sunspot raised a silver knife high. “Wait, wait, wait! Please don’t kill me!”

As she saw genuine fear in the mare’s crimson eyes, Sunspot hesitated.

“I’m… not like the others! I was just faking it so they wouldn’t hurt me!”

“Oh, please.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Are we really going to buy this?”

However, even Rainbow gave pause as the pegasus trailed her eyes down and showed what they could only imagine being regret in her face. Then, she looked up, and her eyes shifted in color from an eerie red to a soft amber. Her green fur became more vibrant and lively, resembling an actual living pony’s.

“My name is Sour Patch… I… I-I didn’t want to hurt you guys. I didn’t want any of this!” She clasped her hooves together. “I tried resisting, but the Prince kills anyone that fails him. Please… I don’t want to die.”

Sunspot wrinkled her mouth and let her dagger droop. She took a glance at her companions, who both seemed unsure. It had only been half a day at most since the pegasus and the others had been turned, so it was theoretically possible for her to fight off the thirst for this long.

Twilight stared at the cowering mare, sizing her up and searching her eyes for any signs of deceit. Seeing nothing but a fellow pony staring back, she frowned softly before straightening her expression and stepping forward.

“Say you hate Dusk,” Twilight said, a serious air about her.

The pegasus blinked. “Wh… what?”

Twilight inched back but kept her eyes on the mare’s. “If you’re really telling the truth and Dusk doesn’t have full control over you, say you hate him. We can help you… but you have to prove it to us.” She reached a hoof out, letting it linger in the air between them.

“Twilight…” Rainbow Dash muttered uneasily. As much as she wanted to entertain the possibility, she couldn’t stop worrying about what could go wrong.

Sour Patch seemed to contemplate the unicorn’s words for a while.

“I… I…”

Her brow tensed, and her face wrinkled. A silent growl came as she clenched her teeth. Finally, she looked up, eyes flashing red and fur shifting pale as she lunged toward Twilight. “I would never say that about my Prince!”

Rainbow Dash and Sunspot gasped. “Twilight!”

The cyan mare reached to the side where she had placed her own silver dagger, only to strangely find it missing. She started to question this when an abrupt stabbing sound filled the air.

Both pegasi watched as the pale pony stopped in midair before screaming as a torrent of fire and ash overtook her. A lone silver dagger was left floating in the air, held aloft by a magenta aura as Twilight stared ahead grimly.

Twilight watched the last few embers vanish into the night winds. It almost reminded her of watching her human friend disappear. She had a hollow feeling in her stomach despite their victory.

Noticing the somber look on her friend’s face, Rainbow Dash walked up and gently took the dagger out of the unicorn’s magical grasp. She then patted Twilight on the shoulder, letting her hoof linger a bit. “We did it. We saved the town.”

“And with no casualties to boot,” Sunspot added, her mouth curling up ever so slightly.

Twilight pursed her lips and softened her eyes at that before putting on a fragile smile. “Right…”

“Come on… Let’s get back to the others.” Sunspot suggested, already turning around and putting a hoof to her ear so she could let everyone know that they were safe.

Rainbow Dash followed after, sparing a moment to look back to Twilight, who also reluctantly came along. However, the unicorn paused briefly and looked back to nothing but thin air.

I’m sorry, Sour Patch… I wish I could have met you before this happened.

And with that last thought lingering in her mind, Twilight picked up her pace to catch up to her friends. While some small celebration was in order for their success in protecting Ponyville, she knew that the war wasn't over. She only hoped that there would be no further casualties to speak of in the fight with Dusk.