//------------------------------// // The Battle of the Dragons // Story: The Legend of Spike: Dracula // by DiabloGuapo //------------------------------// Spike’s heart was pumping as he ran through the Everfree Forest with only one thought on his mind: to destroy Dracula. The vampire had already attacked his friends and murdered other ponies. He had to be stopped before anypony else was killed or worse. He just had to find the vampire’s hiding place and Spike had a hunch were it could be. Fluttershy had told him that she saw Dracula heading into the forest the other night. There were only a few notable places with the uncontrollable forest; they were Zecora’s hut, the Mirror Pool, and the Ancient Castle of the Royal Sisters. If Dracula was a self-respecting vampire, and if all those comic books and horror movie were to be trusted, then he would indubitably be at the castle. Spike had been to the old palace before. It was the same castle that Twilight and the rest of their friends ventured into the forest to find in hopes of locating the Elements of Harmony that fateful night all those years ago. If he recalled correctly, the castle laid in the center of the forest, directly south of Ponyville. As Spike brushed tree branches out of his way while he ran, he recalled the landmarks that led the way to the crumbling castle were based on the trials his friends had faced to get there the first time. Okay, let’s see if I remember, the dragon thought. The trials they faced on the way represented each of their respective Elements. I think Applejack’s was first. What was it? Oh yeah! It was the… “Cliff!” Spike yelled as he nearly ran straight off the edge of the fifty foot drop. Spike skid to a stop and waved his arms wildly to keep his balance as he teetered over the edge. His toes were hanging over the edge and he leaned back to move his center of gravity away from the cliff. He regained his balance and exhaled with relief. Then the edge gave away and Spike found himself in gravity’s merciless grasp. “Horseapples!” Thinking quickly, Spike reached out with an arm and stuck his claws into cliff face. His claws left four long streaks as Spike’s descent was slowed by his quick thinking. He came to a stop as he safely landed on the ground at the bottom. He cautiously opened an eye that had been squeezed shut and looked around. Seeing that he was safe, Spike relinquished his grip on the wall. “Woohoo! Oh man, I wish the girls could have seen that!” A manticore was snoring as it slept in its cave when it was woken by a purple and green blur when it sped past it. The lion like beast with a scorpion tail and bat wings snorted and opened its eyes, looking around in confusion. It saw the dragon running down the path and it shrugged as it went back to sleep. Spike ran through a grove of trees and came to a river. Without hesitation, he splashed into the river and wadded to the other side. A sea serpent with a well groomed head of hair looked on with curiosity. He would have offered the young dragon assistance, but the dragon had already reached the opposite shore and darted away. In the distance, Spike could see a dark castle looming in the distance. Its crumbling towers rose above the mist and fog that surrounded the ruins. There was a moat surrounding the castle and Spike looked over the edge to see nothing but more fog in the depths. He also spotted a rickety wooden bridge than spanned across the ravine. Extending a foot out, Spike tested the stability of the bridge. The wooden board creaked ominously as he put his weight into the step, but it remained intact. He repeated the process with the next board. Again, it creaked and the ropes stretched, but nothing happened. With each board, Spike’s confidence grew and he moved faster across the bridge. He made it to the other side and looked up at the misty ruins. He braced himself and ran up the stairs of the castle, ready to face his adversary. ***** In the Royal Palace of Canterlot, Princess Luna sat on the throne of the main hall of the castle. Her Night Guard were standing at the foot the dais and an assistant was at her side, holding a stack of documents, bills, and other papers that needed her signature. The Princess of the Night sighed. Sometimes she envied her elder sister for having more petitioners coming before her during the Day Court, but then remembered that the majority of them were conceded nobles that only asked for petty and trivial things. Just the other day, her very distant nephew, Prince Blueblood, was here pestering Celestia by asking for money so that he could purchase a new yacht to host a “charity” party. ‘Prince’ Blueblood indeed, the midnight blue Alicorn with an ethereal mane that resembled the night sky sarcastically thought. He’s only a prince because he shares a common ancestor with Celestia and me. Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight Sparkle are more royal than he will ever will be. They may not have been born royalty, but they have earned their crowns. What has he ever done besides abuse his title and bring shame to the Royal Family? Why can’t all of the nobles by like Sir Fancy Pants? As Luna finished signing the last piece of paper from the stack, she heard the sound of a piano being played. With no other business to attend to at the moment, the princess descended from the throne and headed towards the door, followed by her devoted Night Guard. She walked down the grand hallways of the palace to find the source of the music. She walked along the red carpets that ran down the center of the blue and white tiled floors. The walls were shades of purple and white with elegant tapestries and grand columns supporting the vaulted ceilings. Luna was lead to a large conference room that was usually used for galas. It was empty save for a grand piano and its player. The mare playing the piano was none other than the Princess of Sun, Celestia. It was almost comical for Luna to see her sister sitting on a piano bench that wasn’t built for Alicorn-sized pianists, but her amusement was suppressed by the melancholy sounding piece her sister was playing. It sounded so soothing that Luna just stood there at the doorway of the ballroom and closed her eyes as she absorbed the music. After a moment, Luna slowly approached her sister. Celestia had her back turned to her younger sister, but could hear the clip clop of her horseshoes against the tiled floor. “Good evening, sister,” Celestia greeted as she turned her head and looked at her younger sister with a small and almost sad looking smile. “Good evening,” Luna returned. “Is something wrong?” Celestia shook her head and continued to play. “No, I was just playing for a bit before I retired for the night.” “What was that piece?” “It’s my favorite song. It’s called Clair de Lune,” Celestia told her. “‘Light of the Moon’...” Luna translated, astounded and touched that such a beautiful piece of music was composed about her moon. “Who, may I ask, composed this lovely song?” “I did...” Celestia revealed, her sad smile becoming a sad frown. “...one thousand years ago.” This shocked Luna and her mouth opened a little in surprise. She wanted to say something, but couldn’t quite find the words. “...Why?” Luna finally managed to whisper. “I because I had just lost somepony very dear to me,” the white Alicorn quietly told her. “I realized far too late that she was suffering and I couldn’t do anything to help her.” Luna was speechless. Ever since she had returned from her imprisonment on the moon, the two sisters had tried to move on and let bygones be bygones. For the most part, it had been working and they were happy again, but every so often, the pains from the past would return. The conversation they had a few nights ago after Luna had comforted Spike brought back those bitter memories from a millennium ago. Celestia understood that some wounds just run too deep, a thousand years too deep, to be healed in the few short years that Luna has been home. As Celestia continued to play her song, she sadly recalled when she first presented it to her subjects. They cheered and applauded, thinking the song was to commemorate their princess’s victory over Nightmare Moon. What they fail to comprehend was that it was in fact a song of mourning for Equestria’s lost Princess of the Night and Celestia’s beloved baby sister. Celestia finished the song and turned to face Luna. The younger Alicorn stood before her, her teal eyes filling with tears. Luna squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force back the tears, but a few leaked out and ran down her dark blue cheeks. “Luna...” Celestia began in an almost pleading tone. Unable to deal with her overwhelming emotions, the Lunar Princess left the ballroom without a word. Celestia hung her head with a troubled sigh, her own emotions weighing heavily upon her heart. “Princess Celestia!” a voice called. The Alicorn with the ethereal mane that resembled the auroras looked up from the piano bench and saw an out of breath Pegasus guard running towards her carrying a letter. “I have an urgent letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia’s ears perked up when she heard the words “urgent” and “Twilight.” As she took the letter in her golden aura, she wondered why Spike didn’t send it with his fire breath. She unrolled the scroll and read the contents. Her eyes widened and gasped at what her former student had to say. “Summon a squadron quickly and quietly and head to Ponyville,” Celestia ordered in an uncharacteristically serious tone. “I’ll go ahead.” “What about Princess Luna?” the guard asked. “Should I alert her as well?” “No,” Celestia said adamantly. “She must never know of this. It would destroy her. Now go.” The guard bowed and ran to the door as Celestia teleported in a flash of sunlight. As soon as the Pegasus exited the room, he came face to face with Princess Luna. Unbeknownst to him and Celestia, she had heard the entire conversation. “What is happening in Ponyville?” she asked sternly. “I-I’m not allowed to say,” the guard stammered nervously under the glare of the Alicorn. He then found himself lifted from the floor in a blue aura and the letter floated to the Night Princess in a matching glow. Luna read the letter and the guard fell to the floor with an “oof” when she lost her grip due to the shock of read its contents. Princess Celestia, We have discovered that a vampire has come to Ponyville. He has attacked Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, wounded two others, and killed another eleven. Spike has been framed for these attacks and the investigators that have been sent are hunting him down like an animal. I believe this vampire to be none other than Vlad Vanguard, returned from the grave. Please send help immediately. ~Princess Twilight Sparkle “Vlad...” whispered Luna before she too disappeared in a flash of moonlight. “I’m thinking of transferring,” grumbled the Pegasus to the pair of Night Guards that had been accompanying Luna. There was a brilliant flash and Princess Celestia was hovering over Ponyville’s town hall. Ponies that had been searching the town for the missing the Spike looked up and gasped when they saw their Princess of the Day. They bowed as the Alicorn touched down and she looked about. She saw a guard bowing and addressed him. “Where is Princess Twilight Sparkle?” “She is at Ponyville Hospital, Your Majesty,” he replied with his head still lowered. With another flash of magic, she teleported to the hospital. When she arrived, she was lead to the room where the victims were recovering. Upon entering the room, Celestia saw Zecora spooning feeding Rarity the Phoenix Flower Brew. The other Elements, along with Cheerilee and All Aboard, were awake and moving about. “Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed when she saw her fellow princess. “Twilight, I’m so glad to see that you’re okay.” The two Alicorns nuzzled each other and then turned to Zecora. “Zecora found Rainbow Dash in the forest with bite marks on her neck and made Phoenix Flower Brew to heal her,” Twilight explained. “They then came here and gave us some and our bites were healed as well, but Rarity doesn’t seem to be getting better.” Celestia walked over to the afflicted white Unicorn and saw that her external wounds were healed, but she still appeared to be in a weaken state. The Alicorn reached out with her magic and she could sense that a powerful curse had been placed on the fashionista. “The vampire has infected her with its own blood,” Celestia grimly announced. “If she dies, she will become one herself.” “But, you can cure her, can’t you Princess?” asked Fluttershy with pleading eyes. “The curse is strong; it is coursing through her veins in her blood,” Celestia explained. “It can be cured, but it will take time. The only way to instantly cure her is to destroy the vampire that infected her. His destruction is her salvation.” ***** Spike’s footsteps echoed as he entered the dark hall of the castle. Thanks to his draconic eyesight, he could see well in low-light environments. However, he almost wished he couldn’t see in the dark. Before him was a pack of Timberwolves, a group who zombie ponies, and worst of all, an army of skeleton soldiers. The Timberwolves growled as they started to circle the dragon. Since his adventure in the parallel world of Trotina, Spike had overcome his fear of the wooden beasts, but he had to admit that he still couldn’t stand the smell of their breath. The enchanted constructs crouched down, ready to pounce and Spike took a combative stance. “Stop,” a voice echoed in the darkness. The Timberwolves halted their attack and backed away from Spike. The dragon looked around, but couldn’t find the source of the voice. Then he saw the glowing blue eyes of the vampire looking down from a dais. Outside, the moon shone through a cracked window and illuminated the hall and Spike could clearly see a dark gray Unicorn with a black mane and goatee standing atop of the dais. He was wearing a black suit and a black cape that flowed around him like a living shadow. The vampire looked down at the young dragon, who was wearing a backpack. The vampire studied him and then smirked. “I commend you for your bravery. You must be Spike.” “And you must be Dracula,” Spike said back to the undead stallion. “I am Dracula,” the vampire said slowly with a polite nod of the head. “And I bid you welcome.” “I’m here to destroy you!” Spike declared, still in the combative stance. “Is that so?” Dracula raised a brow with amusement. As he descended the dais, Spike noticed that the light from the moon behind the vampire didn’t cause him to cast a shadow. Spike shudder at bit at the unnerving sight as Dracula reached the bottom of the dais. “Why?” “Because of what you are and what you have done!” “We must all do what we must to survive. Hay and apples for ponies. The blood of ponies for me. What is the difference?” the vampire rationalized. “The difference between good and evil.” Dracula scoffed at Spike’s explanation. “Good and evil are just points of view,” the vampire told the dragon. “You attacked my friends! You attacked my family! You murdered innocent ponies!” Spike shouted. The Timberwolves growled at the dragon, being protective of their master. “Innocent, ha!” Dracula laughed contemptuously and looked over to the remains of Count High N’Mighty and his cohorts. Dracula pointed a hoof the zombified count. “These dishonorable vermin? You do realize that this is the same insect that once tried to seduce your beloved?” Spike’s gaze left the vampire and looked at the moaning red Unicorn corpse with a deep purple mane. The once haughty look that belonged to those lifeless yellow eyes was nowhere to be found. “It doesn’t matter. They didn’t deserve to die,” Spike claimed, causing Dracula to chuckle. “Truly, you must be a noble dragon. I do not wish to harm you, but I cannot have you interfering in my plans. Go now and return your home,” Dracula told him as he turned and walked back up the dais. “No,” Spike refused. “I must stop you!” “As you wish,” Dracula causally said as he looked down at Spike. There was a snarl and Spike turned his head in time to see a Timberwolf leaping at him. Spike ducked and it went sailing over his head. Immediately, another one pounced at the dragon, but Spike was ready for it. An emerald flame leapt from the dragon’s mouth and incinerated the Timberwolf midair. A pile of burning wood landed at Spike’s feet and he looked up to give a cocky smirk to the remaining Timberwoves. He took a deep breath and exhaled a torrent of green fire as he spun around. The Timberwolves that were closest to him burst into flames and crumbled. The ones that were not caught in the fiery tornado yelped in fear and made a run for it. Spike watched as the remaining Timberwolves fled out of the castle, but turned to see the thirteen zombies lumbering towards him. The green glow of the flames bathed their undead bodies in an eerie light. The first zombie to reach him was none other than N’Mighty. Spike balled his claw into a fist and delivered an uppercut to the zombie’s jaw. As the zombie was knocked onto his back, Spike felt a sense of satisfaction for finally being able to hit the sleaze that dare to harass Rarity. However, the moment was short lived because the zombie got back up and the other twelve joined him. Spike then remembered that zombies were relentless and didn’t have a sense of pain to hold them back. He was hesitant to use his fire breath because, even though they were monsters, they still looked like ponies. He also thought the Elements of Harmony could revive them. The Crystal Ponies in Trotina were turned into zombies, but the Elements there were able to heal them. No, Spike thought. Those ponies were still alive. They were only zombies because of a curse. These ponies are already dead. With that concern put to rest, Spike unleashed another blast of green fire. The fire consumed the zombies and Spike watched in pity and disgust as their once colorful coats were burnt away. He could see what used to mares and stallions burn and wither away before his eyes. A sandy colored Unicorn with a mustache and a blue Earth Pony with a slate colored mane were among the burning corpses. Spike closed his eyes and turned his head as the last of them fell, feeling remorse for the fallen. The sound of rattling bones got Spike’s attention and saw the army of skeleton warriors raise their weapons. They opened their mouths and a let out a raspy cry. Two pinpoints of red lights shined from their eye sockets. They marched towards the dragon and Spike prepared himself. One of them raised their sword and brought it down. Spike dodged the attack, causing the blade to clang against the stone floor. He had no time to rest and had to roll away from a spear that was thrust at him. He grabbed a hold of the spear and pulled it from the skeletal pony’s grasp. He swung the end of the shaft against its owner, shattering the dry bones of the reanimated warrior. Spike hissed in pain and winced when he felt a sharp sting in his side. He looked down saw that a skeleton had slashed at his side. Thankfully, Spike’s hard dragon scales saved him and there was no damage. Angered by the attack, Spike brought the spear down on the warrior’s head and shattered the skull. Knowing that their weapons couldn’t do any lasting damage to him, Spike threw himself into the midst of the skeletons, smashing them left and right with the spear. “Enough!” The skeletons retreated from Spike, who was surrounded by shattered bones and rusted armor, and looked back up to Dracula. The vampire didn’t want to waste anymore of his forces on the dragon. “You fight well, as the dragon that you are should, but you have caused me enough trouble. Again, I ask you; leave now while you still can.” “And again, I tell you; I’m here to destroy you!” Spike retorted. The purple dragon growled with anger at the vampire. “You attacked my mother and you forced the mare I love to drink your blood.” “I did not force her to drink,” Dracula corrected. “I gave her a choice. I gave her the opportunity to live forever. I would have thought that you would appreciate that. She could have been yours forever. Do you not want this?” “Yes, but not like this,” Spike said with a shake of his head. “I don’t want her to become a monster like you just to be with me. It’s not worth it. Nothing is worth it. Now, I must save her and to do that, I must destroy you.” “So, this is how it has to be,” Dracula said with disappointment. Those icy blue eyes narrowed as they looked down at Spike from the dais. “What a shame. It would have been an honor to have one such as yourself fighting by my side. We could have been brothers-in-arms. We could have built a new kingdom together with your beloved at your side as your bride throughout all eternity. Truly, it is a pity, but I am afraid I cannot let you stand in my way, and if you will not stand aside, you will be struck down.” “I’m not going anywhere,” Spike declared, gripping the spear tighter. “I won’t let you harm another pony.” “What is a pony!?” the vampire challenged, his face contorting and his eyes glowing red. “A miserable little pile of secrets, but enough talk! Have at you!” Before Spike could react, Dracula launched a red bolt of magic from his horn and struck Spike in the chest. The force of the attack sent Spike sprawling on the floor. With a groan, Spike sat up and reached for his spear, but a hoof came down on the weapon, shattering it. Spike looked up and saw the bared fangs and burning eyes of the vampire. It roared and lashed out with a hoof that turned into a claw. The blow struck Spike across the face, causing him to fall back to the floor. The vampire immediately grabbed him by the shoulders, lifted him off the floor, and threw him across the room with another roar. The purple dragon skid and tumbled across the stone floor. He grabbed his head with a claw and looked up to see the room was spinning. When everything came back into focus, he saw the snarling master of darkness stomping towards him. Spike remembered his backpack and reached into it. The vampire was only a few feet away, but froze in its tracks when it saw Spike pull out a garland of garlic. Dracula howled in displeasure and Spike waved the garlic in front of him to keep the vampire at bay. Dracula growled, and then roared at the garlic, causing it to burst into flames. “Uh-oh,” Spike said to himself as he looked at the ashy remains of the floor. Desperate, he sprung himself at Dracula, but fell through the vampire as though he wasn’t there. As he raised himself off the floor, he felt something grab his tail. His body lurched as it was swung off the floor and then slammed into the wall behind him. Pain shot through Spike’s body and the walls reverberated from the impact. With a roar, Dracula pulled Spike from the wall and again threw him across the room. “Spike, you disappoint me,” the vampire taunted the dragon that was trying to get back on his feet. “Surely, you can do better.” With a frustrated growl of his own, Spike got up and slashed at the vampire with his claws. Dracula easily avoided each blow with his supernatural speed. Agitated by his failure to hit the vampire, Spike took a deep breath and blew a large jet of green fire at the vampire, but it turned into mist and disappeared. The mist gathered together again and Dracula was now floating in the air. “Very good,” Dracula called down to Spike. “Now, see why they call me ‘the dragon.’” Dark clouds of evil magic swirled around Dracula and the room was filled with a vortex of the shadowy mass. The mass of dark clouds came together to form a shape and a hellish red light glowed within. From the storm of dark magic, a dragon made of shadows emerged, the red light glowing from its eyes, nostrils, and maw. The incorporeal beast roared and Spike backed away from the towering monster. It spread its wings, reared back on its hind legs, and came back down with its maw opened. Spike realized what was about to happen and ran as hellfire burst from the shadow dragon’s mouth. He knew that he was fireproof, but he didn’t want to test his scales against the vampire. Spike ran out of the blast radius, but ran into the range of the shadowy giant’s tail. The black mass that made up the tail struck Spike, sending him flying again. He crashed into the wall and fell floor with a thud. The battered purple dragon tried to get up, but his body refused. With more effort, he tried again. His limbs protested, but they begrudgingly obeyed. Spike propped himself up against the wall and panted as he looked up to see the dark dragon approach him. He hung his head in defeat. It was hopeless; it was like trying to fight a shadow. No matter what he did, he couldn’t harm the vampire. Dracula was untouchable during the night. If only if it was day. If only if it was day? Spike suddenly thought of something. He reached into his bag and felt around. To his joy, he found that the strange metal ball that Twilight was working on was still in one piece. Yes! Now all I need is… He looked around and saw a sword of a fallen skeleton warrior at his feet, but a shadowy claw stepped on it. Spike looked up and saw the vampire dragon glaring down at him with its fiery eyes. It was now or never. Spike raised the device and smashed it down on the castle floor. The shadow dragon roared in fury as a blinding light filled the castle. The solar energy that was stored within Twilight’s experiment was unleashed and it dispelled the dark magic that formed the dark dragon, leaving Dracula standing before Spike. Dracula’s body trembled, his strength drained by the light of day and his powers weakened. The vampire roared and rubbed its blinded eyes. Seizing the opportunity, Spike grabbed the broken sword at his feet and ran it through the distracted vampire’s chest. The jagged blade went through the vampire’s black dress coat, between its ribcage, and pierced its lifeless heart. Dracula’s red eyes widened with shock and disbelief. He looked down at the hilt of the sword that stuck out of his chest and staggered away from Spike. His dark blood spilled out from the wound. He looked up at the dragon that had run him through then fell onto his back. It cannot end this way… Dracula thought. My quest for vengeance… Spike groaned as he lifted himself from the floor and stood over Dracula, his body throbbing with pain. The vampire looked up at the one who defeated him and smiled as he coughed up blood. For some strange reason, he felt no malice toward the young dragon. Like himself, the young dragon was fighting for his loved one. “Well played… Spike…” Dracula managed to wheeze out between coughs. “Well… played…” The vampire fell silent and the skeletal army crumbled to dust. Spike turned, staggered over to his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He took one last look at the fallen warlord and walked away. It was a hollow victory for him. He saved Ponyville… no, all of Equestria from the threat of the vampire king, but he couldn’t return home, for he was a wanted criminal. Clue Finder, Cold Case, and Gum Shoe had turned the ponies of his home against him. Ponies that he once thought were his friends chased him with torches and pitchforks! No matter what, they wouldn’t let him live in peace, for he was a dragon. At least Rarity, Mother, and the girls are safe now, he thought as he walked out of the castle. Where was he going, he did not know.