Demonic Brother

by kurusagi16

Uncovered

Author's Note:

Please forgive me for such a late update. I've been swamped lately with school and stuff. On the plus side, I'm ready to head for college! I'll try to at least finish this story up as best as I can. To all those fans out there. Thank you for being patient with me. And to the rest, I only have this to say:

Uncovered

Alistair studied the map of the Old World intently, he and the rescue party had already searched through most of the vampire haunts. They were now finishing their search in an old cemetery, where many young or newly created vampires were said to lurk about. Sadly however, their efforts were giving them no results. With no clues as to where his daughter could possibly be, he was beginning to despair as to whether they'd ever find her again.

"Any idea where we should go next?" Asked Twilight.

Alistair lowered the map and heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I thought for sure we'd find something. But..."

"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Asked Discord, hovering just above their heads. Using his magic, he lifted up the map for both the ponies to see. "You said something about having an old castle around here, correct?"

"Yes," answered Alistair. "But I don't see--"

"Allow me to explain." Discord interrupted. "You also said before that since you left, the castle's been overrun with Eldra's little henchponies."

"What exactly are you getting at, Discord?" Asked Twilight.

"Why Twilight, I'd have thought you of all ponies would've figured it out." He said, causing Twilight to blush in anger and embarrassment. "As I was saying, suppose after hearing how their old mistress mysteriously disappeared, these henchponies decided to help complete her plans by kidnapping Fluttershy."

Twilight thought over this and replied, "That actually sounds like a good possibility. And if you're right, then that means that Fluttershy could be at the castle."

"Exactly!" He said.

Alistair let out a groan and smacked his hoof to his forehead. "I should've thought of that!"

"It's okay, Alistair." Said Twilight.

"No, it's not!" He shot back. "If I'd thought about searching the castle before, we would've found Fluttershy a lot sooner."

"That may be true, but it's not your fault." She said. "I mean, it took Discord this long to think of checking out the castle."

"Hey!"

Twilight ignored him. "The point is, we now have a new lead on where to find Fluttershy, and that's what matters."

Alistair gave her a small smile. "You're right. We mustn't waste another moment. To Castle Alucard."

"Aye aye!" Said Discord, snapping his talons. And like that, they were gone.

---

Meanwhile, at Castle Alucard, Drake had ordered his servants to prepare a little meal for his sister while they were catching up.

"And after he got back, Papa took me out on a picnic to make up for being away for so long." She said.

Drake smiled. "I'll bet it was nice," he replied wistfully. "Father sounds like a wonderful stallion."

Fluttershy looked down at her plate sadly. "He is...I wonder how he's doing now."

"You'll see him again soon," assured Drake. "You'll be back with him and your friends before you know it."

"What about you?" She asked, turning her gaze toward her brother. "What are you going to do once I leave?"

Drake didn't reply immediately, but soon, he found his voice and said, "There are some...things that I must take care of. You needn't worry about it."

"Oh." She murmured softly. "I see, I was hoping, if you wanted, you could come back with me to the villa, and we could spend more time together."

Drake looked at her with wide eyes, touched by her kind words. But he lowered his gaze and replied, "I would love to, but, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, aside from the business I need to take care of, I don't think it will work out if I go home with you. We've been apart for all these years, I'm practically a stranger! If I returned now...I'd just get in the way. There's no place for me in your life."

"That's not true!"

Drake looked up at Fluttershy, shocked by how she'd raised her voice, and the strong, determined look she had in her eyes.

"When I was alone in the Villa, the only other pony I opened up to and was honest with was Papa. I thought, aside from him, there was no one else I could open up to, that it would be impossible for me to let others in. That all changed when I met my friends. After we got to know one another, my little world began to open up, and I found myself feeling happy and comforted when I was around them." She reached across the table and touched Drake's hoof, causing him to flinch. "We may be strangers now, but that doesn't mean that we can't become friends."

Drake looked into her eyes as they shined with a gentle warmth. He felt a similar warmth spread through him. "Fluttershy..."

"I know how hard it is to let others inside," she continued. "But, at least think about what I said. Okay?"

Drake opened his mouth, about to reply, when suddenly, Spike and Thorax came bursting in through the doors. Both of them looking a little frantic.

"Master! Urgent news!"

"What is it?" He asked, turning toward them.

"Three figures just appeared outside the castle," said Thorax. "We recognized them as Lord Alistair, Discord, and that one Unicorn who was at the ball."

Fluttershy let out an excited gasp and rose from her seat. Her father and two dear friends had come at last!

"I see," said Drake. "Then we shall go out to greet them then."

Departing from the dining room, Fluttershy and Drake headed toward the entrance hall.

"Are you happy to be going home?" Asked Drake.

Fluttershy gave a nod. "Yes, of course I am! But...I wish we'd gotten to spend a little more time together."

"Perhaps some other time." He said. Drake then added, "Are...are you going to tell father, about who I am?"

"I think that's best left up to you." Replied Fluttershy. "When you feel you're ready."

Drake gave her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, I hope you and your loved ones will have a safe journey ba--"

But before he could finish, the grand doors of the entrance hall were suddenly flung off their hinges. The doors flew through the air before crashing loudly onto the foyer floor. Fluttershy let out a startled cry.

"What the hell?!" Shouted Drake in alarm.

Then, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, a figure wielding a lance and riding atop a winged pig flew into the castle, letting out a battle cry, "For Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy blinked, recognizing the figure immediately. "Discord?"

Discord lunged toward Drake, pinning him to the wall with his lion paw and aiming the tip of his lance at his throat.

"So, you're the mysterious kidnapper?" Discord said, eyeing Drake. "Seems like somepony needs to teach you a lesson."

"Discord, stop!" Fluttershy cried, grabbing his arm.

Discord turned his attention to Fluttershy, looking at her with a befuddled expression. "Fluttershy, why--"

"Discord!" Fluttershy whirled toward the doorway, where Twilight and her father were rushing in. "I told you to wait for us!" She cried.

Upon seeing his daughter, Alistair rushed toward Fluttershy, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Oh Fluttershy! I was so worried about you!" He cried.

"Twilight! Papa!" Fluttershy cried, feeling a mix of happiness for seeing her loved ones again, and confusion for what exactly was going on.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded as she pulled away from her father. "Yes, I'm fine. But what's going on here?"

"Why, we're here to rescue you, my dear." Answered Discord. "From this, treacherous colt here." He pressed the lance's tip against Drake's neck.

Alistair narrowed his eyes as he glared at Drake. "You! You're the one who kidnapped my daughter?"

"What? No, you don't--!"

But Drake was cut off as Discord interjected, "Wait a minute, I've seen you somewhere before." Discord squinted his eyes at Drake before they widened with recognition. "Aha! It's you! You're that little minion who served under Eldra, Jake!"

"It's Drake." Drake said, frowning in annoyance.

Discord ignored him and turned his head toward the others. "He was there when Eldra released me from my prison. He was practically her second in command!"

"Is that so?" Alistair said, his anger noticeably rising, as his eyes started to glow a vibrant red.

"Everypony, stop!" Fluttershy said, trying to ease the growing tension. "Drake didn't kidnap me! It was all a big misunderstanding."

The three rescuers all gaped at Fluttershy in shock.

"A misunderstanding?" Questioned Twilight.

Fluttershy nodded. "Drake was trying to help me get back home to all of you. He even sent a letter to you to let you know where I was."

"Hmph! A likely story." Discord muttered.

"Fluttershy, how do you know for sure that what he's told you is the truth?" Asked Alistair.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before answering, "When I first met Drake, I didn't have must trust in him. But, he's shown me nothing but kindness, and has been so helpful, that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Drake stared at Fluttershy in surprise and awe, feeling touched by the way she was defending him.

"But wait a minute!" Said Twilight. "How did you meet Drake in the first place, and how did you come to be at your father's castle?"

Fluttershy's pupil's shrank a little, she cast her gaze downward as she tried to explain. "Oh, well um, you see...the ones who actually kidnapped me were Drake's servants, who brought me...here..."

"Aha!" Discord cried triumphantly, "I knew he was lying!

"But he said that he knew nothing of what his servants had done until it was too late. They acted on their own accord." Fluttershy defended.

"And you believed him?" Asked Twilight.

"Well...I wasn't sure at first." Fluttershy admitted.

"If he truly knew nothing about your kidnapping, then why did his servants take you in the first place?" Alistair asked.

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? That the servants wanted to cheer up their master by bringing him his long lost sister? She glanced briefly at Drake. She had agreed to let Drake tell their father the truth about himself, and she was going to keep to that agreement. "I'm not sure why." She fibbed. "But, whatever the reason, they didn't mean to harm me. As you can see, I'm perfectly alright."

Unfortunately for Fluttershy and Drake however, the three rescuers didn't seem convinced one bit.

"I've had quite enough of these games." Alistair said, trotting up to Drake with a hard look in his eye. "Not only did you kidnap my daughter, but you've somehow managed to convince her that you're not to blame, and made her see you as an ally."

"Papa, stop! Drake hasn't done anything." Said Fluttershy. Twilight held her back, as Alistair continued to speak.

"I don't know what sort of scheme this is that you thought you could get away with, but I won't stand for it any longer. We'll be taking you back to the New World, where you'll be tried and punished for your crimes."

"No!" Cried Fluttershy. "Papa, listen to me! Drake didn't do anything wrong, there's no reason to punish him."

"Isn't he?" Alistair retorted. "Discord, didn't you say that this colt was Eldra's second in command?"

Discord nodded. "I remember seeing him hanging around Eldra, going out all the time on errands for her."

Alistair bared his fangs at Drake. "So, is that it then? Was this all some sort of revenge plot against us for stopping your mistress?" He asked.

Drake frowned and replied, "I didn't give a flying feather about that witch. As far as I'm concerned, she can go to hell. Believe me, the world will be a much better place now that she's dead."

"Dead?"

Twilight stepped forward, giving Drake a bemused look. "How did you know Eldra is dead?"

"What?!" Fluttershy cried in shock. "Eldra is dead?'

"We found her body not too long after you were kidnapped. It seems she's been dead ever since she went missing." Said Discord.

Twilight nodded. "She was only found recently, so word hasn't yet spread of the news. So how is it that you knew of Eldra's death?"

Drake swallowed. "I... I mean, she had to be! The way she disappeared for months without word or incident! What other explanation could there be?"

Twilight arched an eyebrow at him, clearly not buying it. "I don't think so. The only way you'd know if Eldra was dead is if you saw her for yourself...or if you're the one who did it."

Fluttershy gasped. "Twilight...are you saying that you think Drake is responsible for Eldra's death?"

"It's possible." She answered. "We found the body drained of blood with some bite marks that look a lot like the kind vampires usually leave behind."

Fluttershy looked to Drake, whose face had become a shade paler. "Drake...is this true? Did you really kill Eldra?"

Drake glanced for a moment at each creature gathered in the room before heaving a sigh and looking Fluttershy in the eye, "So what if I did?" He asked.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth. "Drake...how...how could..."

"What? How could I do the world a favor and get rid of that inhuman beast? After everything she did, she deserved to die." Drake said, his voice full of contempt as he thought of Eldra.

Fluttershy shook her head. "No...Eldra may have been horrible...even monstrous, but that doesn't mean you should kill her." She said.

Drake stared at her in disbelief. "You've seen first hand how cruel and demented she was, Fluttershy. Are you saying that you'd rather have her alive and well than dead and done with?"

Fluttershy brushed her mane out of her face as she looked at Drake. "I'm not saying what she did was justified, but neither are your actions for killing her."

"They're completely justified!" He shouted. "All those years of torment I've endured, waiting for the day when I could finally pay her back for all the misery she's caused. I hoped you'd be thrilled to have her gone!"

"Not like this!"

In that moment, Drake felt his rage take over as he shouted, "Why can't you be grateful for what I've done instead of acting so oblivious and foolish!"

There was a moment of silence. Drake immediately regretted his words and wished he could take them back, but it was too late. Fluttershy began to tear up and looked away from Drake.

"Fluttershy, I..."

But Drake was silenced as a zipper appeared on his mouth, shutting him up.

"I think you've said quite enough." Said Discord tartly.

Alistair nodded. "I think it's best if we take leave and head back home." He said. He went over to Fluttershy and wrapped a comforting arm around her as she softly wept. He looked up to Discord and said, "For now, let's leave this wretch here in my castle. Make it so he doesn't leave. That way we can give the vampire counsel proper time to discuss his punishment."

"With pleasure." Said Discord, and with a snap of his talons, everyone was gone, except for Drake, who now sat upon the floor in a heap.

"Master! Master!" Called two voices.

Spike and Thorax hurried to their master, looking quite frantic. "Master, some kind of barrier has appeared around the castle!" Said Spike.

Drake stood up and walked toward the gaping doorway. Sure enough, just outside it, he could see a barrier with a golden magical aura surrounding the outside of his castle.

"Hey, where's Mistress Fluttershy?" Asked Thorax.

Drake stiffened before replying, "She's...gone home."

"Gone home?" Asked Spike.

Drake didn't say another word, as he retreated back up the staircase.

"Master? Where are you going?!"

Drake ignored his servants' cries as he locked himself away in his study. He leaned against the door and hung his head. How could he say something so thoughtless? So cruel? Perhaps his father had been right, and he did deserve to be punished.

"I sense that something troubles you." Drake slowly looked up at the glowing stone as it continued to speak. "Such a shame what happened between you and your dear sister. But, perhaps it is for the best."

"What do you mean?" Asked Drake.

"Sooner or later your sister was bound to find out about your little secret. What might she think now of her long lost brother? Why, she might even think that he's no different from the detestable aunt that he's killed."

"Shut up!" Shouted Drake, his eyes flashing red. "What happened is none of your concern."

"You're right, it's not. Now that your sister is gone however, that means that there's no unfinished business left for you. Correct?"

"Correct." Drake sighed.

"Then I take it that you are ready to fulfill our contract, once and for all?"

Drake shut his eyes tightly. His mind drifted to Fluttershy and how she'd cried after he yelled at her. He'd believed that he'd bring nothing but trouble for her, and he was right. He opened his eyes as he stared at the glowing stone, showing no trace of hesitance. "Yes, I am ready." He said.

The stone pulsed excitedly in reply. "Excellent."

Comments

[Phantom Dragon]

Oh no ! Don't do it damn it. Poor Drake

Also I remember that song

[Dr midnight]

hooray another chapter.