“You’ve killed me!” Dracula glared at Fluttershy with unquenchable fury. “You think yourself so high and mighty, but this is no different than killing me yourself. What do you think is going to happen to a Dracula with no power?”
“I’m not going to just leave you here,” Fluttershy said. “I told the creatures of this town that I would help them, and that’s what I plan to do.”
“Don’t patronize me by placing yourself as my bodyguard after you put me in danger. Just accept what you’ve done. Perhaps you can be ‘friends’ with whatever takes my place.”
“The creatures of the night aren’t as bloodthirsty as you think they are,” Fluttershy told her. “If you still bothered to actually lead them, you’d know that.”
“What, was it me who attacked you in the guild? The dungeons?”
“Yes!” Fluttershy took a step closer to Dracula and pointed at her accusingly. “It was your lazy, uncaring, power-hungry ruling that led to all of that. If you want this town to change, then you have to change first.”
“You’re a fool,” Dracula snarled. “Delusional. I’ve lived for millennia, watching and learning how creatures work, and you think you know better than me? Bah.” She huffed indignantly. “Enough of this. Return my power to me.”
“I’m not going to do that,” Fluttershy said.
“I wasn’t asking.” Dracula hissed. “I am your Lady, and I command you to return my power to me at once!”
“You are not My Lady,” Fluttershy replied. “I am not your Heiress. I am Nothing. There’s no creature that exists that can give me orders. Only you had the power to so much as touch Nothing, and now Nothing has taken that power back. I am Nothing, and I serve Nothing.”
“You’ll kill us all!” Dracula bared her fangs and leaped at Fluttershy’s throat with killing intent in her eyes.
Fluttershy didn’t move.
Dracula couldn’t touch Fluttershy. She simply flew past and landed back on the floor as though nothing had been there at all, which, for the most part, was true.
Nothing was there, and Nothing looked incredibly calm as she turned to face Dracula once more.
“Coward,” Dracula spat. “Hiding in your shadows. That’s all you’ve ever done, run and hide, and now you’re hiding from what you’ve done to me. Well, you’ll see. I’ve no intention of waiting quietly for my death.”
Dracula turned away from Fluttershy and made for the door.
Fluttershy gave her a puzzled look. “Where are you going?”
“Into town,” Dracula told her as she swung the door open. “I may as well enjoy the sunlight.”
Then the door shut with a heavy thump, and Dracula was gone.
Pinkie and Fluttershy both looked at the door for a moment. Then they looked at each other, and as soon as their eyes met they both started running for each other.
When they met, Fluttershy grabbed Pinkie in a tight hug and pulled her into the air, kissing her cheek gently. “Oh, Pinkie, I’m so glad you’re alright.”
Pinkie nodded and pressed herself up against Fluttershy without a word.
Fluttershy squeezed her, then started to hold her with one leg as she brought her hoof up and twisted it through Pinkie’s limp mane. “I’m so sorry I put you through all of this.”
Pinkie shook her head. “I didn’t go through anything,” she said. “You’re the one who got hurt.”
Fluttershy sighed and stroked Pinkie’s mane as she floated back to the ground. “It’s almost over. I can’t get hurt anymore. I just have to see things through.” Fluttershy pulled Pinkie’s mane aside and kissed her forehead. “Then we’ll figure everything out, okay?”
Pinkie nodded meekly.
Fluttershy gave her another squeeze. “Wanna see what I see?”
Pinkie tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
Fluttershy grinned. “Here, look.”
She held Pinkie tight and, without even needing to move, pulled them both into the world of shadows. The world vanished around them, only visible as a shadow of what it had just been. It took some effort on Fluttershy’s part to make sure Pinkie could see at all, but she managed it well enough.
Pinkie’s jaw fell open. “Woah. You see this all the time?”
“Well, yes and no,” Fluttershy said. “It’s always there, but I tune out most of it. Kind of like how you don’t see your own nose.”
“Wow…”
Fluttershy looked over at Pinkie and got a giddy grin on her face. When Pinkie noticed, she shot back a look of annoyance.
“What?” Pinkie asked.
“Nothing,” Fluttershy said, “it’s just… You’re still pink.”
“Of course I’m pink, I’m Pinkie.”
Fluttershy laughed. “Of course. It’s just cute.”
Pinkie huffed.
“I should probably get going if I want to be there in time for whatever Dracula’s doing,” Fluttershy said. “Do you want to come?”
“Um…” Pinkie looked away and frowned. “You said you can’t get hurt?”
“Mm-hm,” Fluttershy hummed. “It’s not possible if I don’t have a body to hurt, and I only need to be seen for this, not felt. They can’t touch me.”
“Well, then…” Pinkie swallowed nervously. “Is it okay if I don’t come? It sounds like a lot, and now that I know you’re okay, I kind of just want to be alone.”
“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “Here.” She shifted her perspective, and the scene around them changed. Suddenly they were no longer in the throne room, but somewhere else.
Then Fluttershy stepped them both out of the shadows, and they stood in her room at the top of the castle.
“This is my room,” Fluttershy said, “so it’s your room, too. I’ll be back as soon as I can be, okay? If you need anything, just… Go onto the balcony and yell for Vale. He’s probably out there.”
Pinkie nodded. “Good luck,” she said, “and, um…” her voice trailed off.
Fluttershy kissed her cheek. “I love you, too, Pinkie.”
Then Fluttershy vanished in a puff of smoke, and Pinkie was alone. After a quick glance around the room, she went and laid down at the massive window that overlooked the world outside and stared out at the horizon.
A crowd was already gathering around the stage when Fluttershy got there. The crier had hopped down to join them, and Dracula stood alone on the wooden platform. She seemed to be waiting for more onlookers to appear.
Fluttershy didn’t feel any need to wait, so she stepped out of the shadows beside Dracula. There were gasps around the crowd, but Dracula didn’t so much as turn her head.
“The audience is down there,” she told Fluttershy.
“I know,” Fluttershy replied. “Whatever you’re planning on saying, I’m probably going to want some input.”
“And why, exactly, should you be allowed to interrupt me?”
“Because I want to,” Fluttershy said, “and you can’t stop me. I can’t let you mislead these creatures. This is the time for you to step up and actually be a leader.”
Dracula sneered. Then, evidently, she decided that the crowd was large enough, because she finally addressed them.
“Creatures of the night,” she said, her voice loud and commanding, “I come to you today with grave news, news that will likely shock and worry you.”
Fluttershy frowned.
“All of my power has been stolen from me,” Dracula continued. “I can no longer protect you.”
There were nervous murmurs throughout the crowd.
Fluttershy huffed. “B-But, that’s no reason to be scared,” she said to the crowd. “Equestria isn’t the horrible place you’ve been led to believe it is. You don’t need protection.”
“This girl is a delusional fool,” Dracula replied. “She lacks my experience, my wisdom. She would kill us all.”
“I—” Fluttershy frowned and decided she needed a different approach. She looked out to the crowd. “Um, crier? Could you return to the stage, please?”
The crier, who’d been sitting right up front, hopped up effortlessly to join them. “How may I help you, Heiress?”
“I’m not the Heiress,” Fluttershy said. “Just call me Fluttershy. Do you think you have a good idea of the needs and fears of the town?”
“Well, of course,” the crier said. “It’s my job.”
“Good,” Fluttershy said. “I need you to bring up any objections you think of while we talk, alright?”
Dracula rolled her eyes. “What a farce.”
“I can do that,” the crier said. “Um, to start, you haven’t really actually addressed what Dracula has always said about the outside world. That if just one of us were to do something bad, we’d all be held responsible.”
“Well, I can’t really say that that wouldn’t happen,” Fluttershy said, “but Equestria has at least changed enough that you wouldn’t be hunted. Honestly, it’s sad to say, but you probably would be treated unfairly. It happened to Princess Luna. It’s just… Something that will take a lot of work to get past. I’m willing to commit to that work, though, and I think it’s worth doing when the other option is to continue to keep your existence a secret.”
“This is all assuming we won’t be hunted down,” Dracula argued, “and I find that to be a very risky assumption.”
“The town could stay hidden,” Fluttershy said. “It can exist as a safe haven, but there’s no reason to keep the creatures trapped here. You’re holding them all in a cage because you’re afraid, but you won’t do what needs to be done to address that fear.”
“You were what we needed,” Dracula snarled back. “I signed my life away to you so that this town could move forward. Is that not commitment?”
“You have more to offer this town than your title,” Fluttershy said. “Your idea of commitment would sacrifice all the good you could do, and for what? I’m already here, and I’m not going to leave just because I’m not Dracula. You could have just asked for help.”
“Um, she’s making good points,” the crier said. “A lot of us have never known you as a ruler at all. You were just… There, in the castle.”
Dracula glared at him. “Excuse me?”
The crier flinched back. “S-Sorry!”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” Fluttershy said with a huff. “They’re all too afraid of you to speak up and tell you how to be better! That’s what ruling with fear and power brings, and it’s made you no less of a tyrant than your father was.”
There were shocked gasps all around the crowd. Dracula snapped her gaze towards Fluttershy. “You know nothing of tyranny. My father would have stood over the entirety of this world, had he been able to. He would have burned it down and rebuilt it in his image. Compared to him, I am a saint.”
“What, so you wouldn’t wrest power from the Princesses if you thought you could? You wouldn’t change the world to your liking if you had the chance?” Fluttershy shook her head. “You’re no different from him.”
Dracula growled. “Girl, you had better hope I never find a way to hurt you.”
Fluttershy gestured out towards the crowd. “Look at them. When’s the last time you did something to help one of them?” She turned her attention to the creatures. “Has she ever helped any one of you? Even a little? Please, speak up if she has.”
The crowd was silent. There was an awkward cough near the back.
“Look around you,” Dracula said to them. “This town is what I’ve done for you”
“You know what? That’s true,” Fluttershy said. “You did make this town possible, thousands of years ago. And, despite how poorly you went about it, you brought me here because you saw a problem. That’s why I know you can lead, that you have the capability to do great things as Dracula if you just… Just…” Fluttershy sighed. “Just get over yourself.”
Dracula growled. “Enough of this. I came here for a reason.” She stepped up to the edge of the stage and addressed the crowd once more. “Creatures of the night, I am powerless, and I’ve no desire to hide away from what is to come. If you’ve been waiting, here’s your chance. Come, and claim the throne of Dracula.”
She stood up tall and proud as she looked down at the creatures, who nervously shifted their gazes around at each other. Some of them whispered, some left to avoid any bloodshed. It was quiet, and the air was tense.
And nothing happened.
No creature stepped forward to challenge Dracula. None of them even seemed to consider taking the easy shot at power. They all just looked around and waited for something to happen.
Eventually, Fluttershy stepped up beside Dracula and spoke to her quietly. “They don’t want power, Dracula. They don’t want to rule over this village. They just want to live the best lives they can, and even with all the horrible things you’ve done, they see in you the power to make that happen. You just have to try.”
Dracula looked out over the crowd in silence. She gave no indication she’d even heard Fluttershy, but she didn’t say anything more. She just looked from face to face, taking in the expression of each and every creature that was there to listen to her speak.
Then she scoffed and turned away from them with a dramatic flip of her cloak. “So be it. I’ll await my death on my throne.”
Then she hopped off the stage and walked confidently back up the path towards the castle.
A few minutes later she disappeared through the gate, and Fluttershy turned around to look over the crowd. They were looking up at her expectantly, and suddenly she felt very hot. “Oh, um… Well, I think that’s it.”
“What happens now?” The crier asked.
Fluttershy shrugged. “Now we work. We make things better.”
“And Dracula?”
“I think she’ll calm down soon enough.”
“So, we just… Go back to normal?”
“I guess. For now, at least, I think…”
A tiny smile came to Fluttershy’s lips.
“I think it’s over.”