Chapter 9
Lightning flashed and the mighty thunder shook the castle ruins. The thunder of hooves and the blur of horses were like a moonlit racing derby. The wide doors of the tower came into view and they increased their speed. They hit the door with a powerful crash and broke it down.
They gasped at what they saw.
Apple Bloom was trapped in a large blue crystal, suspended above a huge coffin.
"It's over Fallen!" Twilight yelled "Let the kid go!"
"It's too late! I've already made the incantation and now there's no way to stop it!" Fallen yelled, turning to face them.
Eclipse entered through the window, carrying Sulky over his back and panted like a dehydrated dog in the dessert.
"How'd you get back up here so fast?" Pinkie asked.
"Ha!" panted the fop, running his hoof through his pompadour, "When you're a vampony, there's usually an easier way to deal with afterlife's problems, like turning into a bat for example."
Apple Jack lost patience
"You bastards let her go or Celestia help me…!"
"Oh what are you complaining about?" Sulky snapped, "So the brat's stuck in a big crystal and probably suffocating! Big deal! I broke a nail during that fall you threw me into!"
Apple Jack pounced with a scream and slammed Sulky hard into the wall. Eclipse went to her aid and was cut off by Rainbow Dash.
Before you could say "Ready? Fight!" The crystal began to glow, with a blinding light.
"At last!" Eclipse cried, standing on his hind legs, "the ritual is complete! The lord of darkness has returned! The vamponies shall rule the night! Count Dracalion lives!" he swung his arms and threw his head back in hysterical laughter as the light filled the entire room and a second deeper laugh joined in.
The smoke cleared and there he stood. With the wings of a terrible dragon and a horn as sharp as a snake's tooth, Count Dracalion observed all around him.
"I live." He said in a high but mellow voice. "I Dracalion have returned."
Everyone just blinked.
It was Pinkie who broke the silence.
"You're the Big Bad Dracalion? The grand Pooh-Bah?"
Dracalion let out an amused snigger.
"You are correct my dear. Does my presence frighten you?"
"Nah. I just thought you'd be, well…"
He laughed some more as he looked up at the pink filly.
"You thought I'd be ugly? I will admit that the years have been rather unkind to my ashes, but the blood of the virgin sacrifice usually helps me to appear refreshed. Not bad for someone centuries old."
"Actually, I was going to say I just thought you'd be, you know, taller."
Dracalion stared.
"…taller…?"
Then he realised that he had spent the entire conversation looking up at the ponies. He was supposed to be towering above them. He turned to increasingly jittery Fallen and measured where his head came up to Fallen's knees. Then he looked at his hooves. Bright yellow.
"You idiots!" he screamed "That wasn't the blood ritual! You but my soul into the scarifies body!"
Apple Jack made her move and pounced at Dracalion.
"Get outta my sister before I beat you out!"
"Master!" cried Fallen and Eclipse. They made a move to jump Apple Jack, but Spike leaped in front on them and hissed, on all fours.
"Not a good idea…"
Both vamponies back away. Twilight and Rarity stood with Spike, their horns glowing threateningly at the villains while the others went to help Apple Jack hold the laughably miniature Dracalion down. Twilight opened the bottle of purifier and poured it all over the small vamponie, who was thrashing about wildly.
"I knew I should have done the ritual instead of you!" Eclipse moaned "Take a virgin, slit her throat and pour the blood over the ashes. What the hell was so hard about that?"
"Yes!" Sulky joined in "What one of those three steps was so hard for you to get your retarded little brain around?"
"Well…I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt that child…so I figured that if I used a different incantation that would make everyone happy…"
Sulky gave a cry and rolled her eyes.
"You are such a dumbass! My philosophy is; make sure your own needs are met and screw the rest of the world. It's worked for me so far."
"Okay." Said Fallen.
Then he slit her throat with his wing, picked her up and threw her into the coffin.
Eclipse stood with his jaw open.
Then he screamed like a little girl.
"What in the name of Satin's Portion?"
Smoke filled the room, emanating from the coffin. Thunder and lightning roared and flashed.
There on standing on the pedestal with a huge horse with a horn like a snake's tooth and the wings of a fierce dragon.
"Much better." He said.
The seven goodies looked on. A moan from behind them attracted their attention.
Apple Bloom was coming around.
"Jackie…"
"Thank Celestia." Apple Jack whispered, folding little pony into her forelegs.
"Very touching." Said Dracalion. His voice was deep and smooth. "And now, I'm afraid that you seven are in my way. Once you are dealt with, Equestria will be returned to eternal darkness."
Twilight stepped forward. Her face showed no fear.
"Spike." She said "Take Apple Bloom home."
"But what about you guys?"
"We'll be fine. These guys may know a few magic tricks, but I know a better one."
"Okay. Come on, Bloom."
Spike led Apple Bloom through the door and the six fillies covered his exit.
Twilight stepped forward.
"You're about to be shown the door, old man. You don't belong in this world and you never will."
It is true. Count Dracula may be a master of disguise who can fit in almost anywhere, but he would look very out of place a colourful world inhabited by talking cartoon horses. Care Bears would be less out of place in a Sonic the Hedgehog game.
"Ha." Dracalion smirked "It is you very equines who keep calling me back. The powers of darkness grow due to the darkness in your souls. Wrath, anger, greed, deceit, selfishness. These elements exist in the harts of all living creatures."
Twilight just shrugged.
"You're right. We never learn. Maybe someday we will, but in the meantime, I'll see your wrath, anger, greed, deceit and selfishness and raise you a lethal helping of kindness, laughter, generosity, honesty and loyalty. Ready Girls?"
"Damn right!"
Twilight's horn filled the room with a blinding light and the others began to glow.
Fluttershy's eyes shot open.
"Benignities!"*
A gold necklace snapped around her neck, adjourned with a crystal butterfly, exactly the same as the three that formed her cutie mark.
Pinkie followed suit.
"Rideo!"
Then Rarity.
"Liberalities!"
Then Apple Jack.
"Probitas!"
And finally Rainbow Dash.
"Fides!"
The six then spoke in unison.
"When these five elements are united, a spark will ignite the sixth."
Then Twilights glowing eyes opened.
"Amicitia Est Veneficus!"**
The whole area was filled with light and when it died down, Twilight's head was adorned with a crown. The bearers of Harmony stood firm.
Eclipse, meanwhile was messing around in the coffin. Sulky was still alive but fading fast. Thankfully, he had time to act; giving that it was a rather lengthy transformation sequence that our heroines were performing.
"I know you had your whole life ahead of you Sulky, but for the sake of us being together, I must bite you. I want to bite you sulky. I'll be gentle I promise. If you love me, you'll let me."
Sulky couldn't speak (hurray!) but she could mouth (Drat). Eclipse's lip ready skills were a bit shoddy but he could make out- "Just fucking bite me, you fucking undead moron."
The battle began with hoof thundering like a cattle drive. Fallen took a dive at Fluttershy who jumped back and slammed her wings down at his sides. With a yelp he flopped to the floor and Rainbow jumped on his back.
Apple Jack tackled Eclipse hand and fast, sending him crashing into the wall where Rarity was waiting with a bolt of unicorn magic to set his hair on fire.
Sulky faced off against Pinkie.
"Look at me! I now have the powers of a vampony!"
Pinkie just stood with a smile.
"Is that supposed to impress people?"
"Of course it is! I now have super strength and can turn into a bat and drink blood! How can you not be impressed?"
"Because you try too hard. You're so busy trying to be special you forget all the good things in your life."
Sulky lunged at Pinkie with her fangs ready to sink in. She hit the wall. Pinkie was behind her.
"You've blow me off every time I tried to be your friend, but you didn't think I was 'special' enough to give the time of day. No pony was!"
"That's not true! Eclipse is special! It's just that I'm the only one who could see it!"
"Why is he so special?"
"He sparkles!"
"You decide that he was worth taking the time to befriend, just because he sparkles? You're judging by outward appearances. That is soshallow!"
"Shut up!" Sulky screamed, diving at Pinkie again. She fell flat on her face as Pinkie dodged again.
"You know, you make me laugh, Sulky. But that's only because I think you're kind of pathetic."
Twilight dashed right at Dracalion and dived at him. He turned and landed on top of her. His teeth just about poked her flesh when her horn powered up. She roared and a shock wave came from her body throwing Dracalion clean off. If not for the crown of harmony's magical protection, she would have been completely helpless. He jabbed at her with his horn and she parried with hers. They continued to parry like angry fencers. Dracalion turned and back-kicked Twilight, knocking her into the wall.
"I'm finished playing wench! The game is over and I have won!" he reeled onto his hind legs ready to crush her to death.
"I don't think so!"
With a final grunt she charged forward and thrust her horn straight into Dracalion's chest. He roared in agony. Twilight had hit her target- his heart.
"Rainbow! AJ! Do it now!"
Rainbow Dash rocketed towards the vampony and sliced her wing clear through his throat. He stumbled back, reeling in agony as blood poured from his neck.
Apple Jack ran up to him turn and pounded her hind legs into his head so hard that his head shot clean off and flew out the window. Flailing about with blood pouring everywhere, his body crumbled and turned to dust.
Everything stopped. Dracalion was out of the fight and the vamponies were outnumbered two-to-one.
"Well, it looks like you posers have a choice to make." Said Twilight, "Get out of Ponyville or stay and get your assess handed to you. Take your pick."
"Oh please stay!" said Rainbow, "We haven't shown just how powerful our Rainbow of Light trick really is!"
Eclipse sighed.
"We might as well leave. We won't get another chance to resurrect him for another one hundred years."
"I was getting tired of being an evildoer myself." Said Fallen "Ever since that Zebra gave me my soul back it just doesn't feel right."
The three vamponies headed towards the window. Fluttershy stepped forwards. Fallen turned to face her. Her eyes burned into him like oak steaks.
"If you ever let me catch you causing trouble here again, I promise that I'll send you straight back to hell, where you belong."
He turned whiter than most vampires are capable of being. Fluttershy may have had the voice of an angel but those eyes told fallen that she meant every word. The three frightened vamponies flew out the window, never to step hoof in Ponyville again.
The battle was over. The menace had past. The bearers of Harmony left the castle and caught up with Spike. As they looked back at the castle, Twilight had no idea that she had an even bigger problem brewing.
•·•·•·•·•·•·•
* To make the summoning of the Elements of Harmony look a bit more magical, our heroes are calling out the names of their elements in Latin.
Benignities- Kindness
Rideo- Laughter
Liberalita- Generosity
Probitas- Honesty
Fides- Loyalty
** The final line of the morphing sequence "Amicitia Est Veneficus" translates to "Friendship Is Magic".