Suddenly Applejack slapped Draco across the face. "Is this some kind sick game to you! How dare you joke around with this!"
Draco placed a hand onto the spot that was slapped while giving Applejack a confused expression. "Game? Joke? But Applejack, I really am your-"
"Don't say it! Don't you dare!" Applejack shouted, as tears formed in her eyes. Her clenched fists shook uncontrollably as she did her best to restrain her anger.
"A-Applejack?" Draco stuttered.
Applejack gulped and said. "I-If you really are my Pa, then where the hell have you been all this time?"
"I- I . . . I've been in Italy. All these years I've been hiding in Italy" said Draco.
"Oh? And why's that? If you really are ma Pa then why've you been in Italy? Why haven't you been here? Takin care a us?" asked Applejack.
"Because I . . . I . . . I just couldn't".
"And why couldn't you, huh? Why couldn't you watch us? You think that just cause yer wifes dead you think you can dump us off and leave us? Do we mean that little to you!?" Applejack asked, her voice slowly rising.
"No, Applejack that's not it-"
"Does family mean so little to you that you would fake your own death!? That you would pretend to be dead just so you wouldn't have to raise us?"
This made Draco mad. He rose from his seat and glared at Applejack. "H-How dare you. How dare you assume that I would do such a thing? Just so I wouldn't have to raise a family?"
"Then why'd you do it!" Applejack shouted.
"Because I didn't have a choice" said Draco.
"You always have a choice!"
Draco gave a hollow laugh. "Really? After everything that I've told you? After discovering the truth about us and learning everything that we've been through? You honestly believe that me? Of all people? Has a choice?"
"Ya! You damn right had a choice!"
"And what choice was that!" shouted Draco.
"HAVING CHILDREN!" Applejack shouted, accidently spiting on Draco.
Draco ignored it, and his expression fell to a deep sorrow. He sighed and looked to the ground. "Your right . . . I did have a choice. And it was a stupid choice . . . I chose to have kids with Almata . . . We were going to make a family . . . and live a nice peaceful life . . . o-on a f-farm . . . j-just the way s-she would h-have liked it"
Suddenly, Applejack was both startled and shocked at what she saw Draco do next.
Draco fell to his knees and started sobbing. "ONE THOUSAND AND SIXTY FOUR YEARS OLD! AND I STILL SCREW UP!"
Twilight and Sunset at this point had no idea what to do and decided to just sit back and see how this situation played out.
Applejack was mostly stunned, seeing the grown man just drop to his knees and start crying. She hardly knew what to do either.
Draco cried for a few moments, before speaking. "I'm a failure Applejack . . . I-I was then and I still am now. I failed trying to save the Sirens from Starswirl, I failed saving Maria from the portal Starswirl made, I even failed at trying to have a normal relationship with Almata! Everyone I love just . . . goes away in the end . . . everyone I've loved so far either dies, or goes away". He looked up to Applejack, letting Applejack see his now turning red eyes. "A-Applejack . . . I'm sorry . . . I-I truly am! I-I've wanted to be with you s-so bad! All these years I've wanted to be with you! And Big Mac! And Applebloom! B-But You . . . You . . . YOU DON'T DESERVE A PATHETIC FAILURE LIKE ME!"
Draco sobbed for a few moments, before speaking. "I mean look at you, look at how you've grown! Your so strong! You take care of your family! Why, I'd bet if you weren't the Element of Honesty, you'd be the Element of Loyalty, because you sure as hell are loyal to everyone you know! You never lie, cheat, or steal. And you always make sure to watch and protect everybody! Your . . . your like me . . . but a better version of me. Unlike me you haven't failed and you haven't made the wrong decisions. You defeated Sunset Shimmer when she turned into a she demon (Sunset sighed and face palmed in the background)! You defeated my girls in the battle of the bands! Although I'm not exactly happy with the outcome, fact is that you still succeeded! You didn't fail! You saw that everyone was in danger and you, alongside with your friends, made it your mission to protect not only those you care about but those around you as well! And if that wasn't enough, your the Element of Honesty for gods sake! You have been granted the privilege of wielding such power! All because of who you are. Some may think of you as a simple farm girl Applejack. But even that is more of an accomplishment then anything I've ever been able to accomplish my entire life! I mean, Almata tried to get me to use a tractor one time. Nearly set the field we were in on fire mere seconds after I turned it on!" Draco and Applejack chuckled for a second, before Draco's face immediately fell back to sorrow.
"But, that just comes to show you that I'm not worth anything. I never was, never will be . . . Applejack. Out of the entire time that I have had to spent in this dimension I have to say. You are truly the most magnificent girl that I have had the pleasure of meeting. And I truly wish that I could have . . . spent my time with you properly".
"Then why didn't you?" asked Applejack.
" . . . Because I lost Almata" said Draco.
There was a pause that lasted a few moments before Draco said. "Almata she . . . she meant the world to me . . . and I knew that she would be a great mother but . . . When she died I felt that it was all my fault. If I hadn't taken her to Italy, if I hadn't tried to start a family with her . . . she would still be alive. When she died, you, Applebloom, and Big Mac had been born. I wanted to raise you, I truly did. But I still had to return to Equestria. I considered bringing you three with me. But at the same time I was afraid that the portal would take too long to open. And by the time it did open you three would have adapted to this world and never want to return. At the same time I felt I didn't deserve to be with you. I'm a man cursed with the abilities of a vampire. You three would be ashamed of having a father like me. And without Almata by my side I just . . . I couldn't do it. So I located Almata's side of the family and left you three in their care. And ever since then you three have lived with your Grandmother. I never wanted to make any of you suffer the way I did. I never wanted any of you to feel the pain of having to live your life alone. I wanted you three to have a great life and I would do anything to help you have that great life. Even if it meant that I would never be able to see any of you". Draco placed a hand to a chair and lifted himself off the ground and into the seat. He stared at the ground for a few seconds before continuing. "You, your sister, and your brother deserve a happy life Applejack. You don't deserve me . . . I-I'm not good enough for any of you. Even though I have a family, I'm still going back to Equestria. Family is supposed to stick together, yet here I am. Leaving all of you".
There was a long silence before Applejack sat next to Draco. She sat next to Draco and slowly placed a hand onto his shoulder. "I don't like how you left us like that. But I see why you did it. But you do realize that we wouldn't care that you were a vampire, right?"
"But I drink blood in order to survive!" said Draco.
"Yeah, and we kill animals and eat them to survive. You don't see people throwin a fit over that".
"Well that's different! Eating meat is natural! Drinking blood isn't! And technically there are a lot of groups out there who hate it when people eat meat. Have you ever heard of Peta?" asked Draco.
"Ma point is, is that we wouldn't have cared! You have to drink blood to survive! We wouldn'ta thought any different a you".
"But I'm still leaving to Equestria. I'm leaving my family behind, doesn't that upset you?" asked Draco.
"Well if you were leaving us just fer the sake a leaving us, then yea, I would. But yer leaving so you can help yer life long friends! I woulda done the same thing! Although if it were me I woulda informed ma family first before hand instead a leavin them in the dark" said Applejack.
"Ya, I understand. I just . . . didn't want to leave such a burden on you. I mean, once I leave to Equestria I'll never come back. I didn't want to leave a weight like that on you" said Draco.
"Well a course you can come back anytime! Don't you know that Twilight made the portal so it can open whenever she likes?"
A record player could be heard scratching to a halt inside Draco's head. He looked to Applejack with an expression of complete and utter shock. " . . . . What?"
"Twilight made it so that she can open the portal whenever she likes" Applejack repeated.
" . . . You mean to tell me that I kept this secret from you for years because I didn't want to upset you or your family from the fact that I would be returning to Equestria and never come back. Got through all this trouble kidnapping you and your friends. All this, just to find out that Twilight not only has a key to open the portal, but to open it whenever she pleases? Not only that but if we had just asked, you would have help us?"
"Um . . . I guess?"
" . . . Heh . . . heh, heh, heh . . . AAAAAAAAAGH!!!" Draco screamed into his hands, making it sound muffled. "If I had know THAT! I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble!"
"Well you couldn't a possibly known" said Applejack.
"I still kidnaped you! I thought none of you would help us so I just assumed that we needed to kidnap you in order to . . . to . . ." Draco groaned. "Why!? Why must these things be so difficult!"
There was another awkward pause before Applejack spoke. "Well now you know that we'll be happy to help you. But there's something that I want you to do fer us" said Applejack.
"Ya, sure, what?"
"Well, since you can go through the portal anytime you like now. I was thinkin you could come and visit us at the farm. Plus, I do believe you still got a lot a explainin to do. If you really are ma Pa, then the least you can do is see the rest a the family".
Draco's eyes widen with shock as he looked back to Applejack. "Are you . . . are you accepting me as your-"
Applejack smiled and nodded.
Draco returned a teary smile as he gave his daughter a hug.
Applejack, excepting the hug and said, "now don't get the wrong idea. I'm still mad at you fer keeping this a secret. Although I can understand why you did it. I still feel hurt, so its gonna take awhile before I'm completely comfortable with you".
"I understand, thank you".
After releasing each other, Applejack asked. "So, how exactly did you meet my Ma?"
"Oh, well. It was about twenty years ago back in-"
Suddenly the door to the room burst open and Adagio stood there, a fear of panic present on her face. "Draco! Its Aria and Sonata! Its happening again!"
"No" said Draco, as he rushed out the door.
"Wait, what's happen to them?" asked Applejack, following Draco.
Twilight stood there for a moment before looking to Sunset and asking. "I guess we should follow them, right?"
Sunset shrugged. "Guess it okay to leave the room now". She and Twilight followed Applejack outside the room. Upon doing so, they discovered that they were inside what appeared to be an apartment. The hallway showed apparent marks that showed that picture frames had once been hung up for decoration. After exiting the hall, they found themselves standing in a small living room.
In the center of the living room was Sonata and Aria, bent over and on the ground in pain. Draco rushed over and crouched next to them.
"Sonata! Aria! Just stay calm! It'll pass in a-"
Before he could finish speaking, Adagio screamed in pain. She herself fell to the ground.
"What's happening to them?" asked Applejack.
"Its their age! Its catching up to them faster then I though!" said Draco.
Twilight gasped upon closer inspection. Twilight saw that the Sirens facial features had started to change. Their appearances became older, they now appeared to be in their mid fifties.
"Has this been happening to them often?" asked Sunset.
"Once yesterday. That's actually why we had to kidnap you so quickly. Originally we were going to wait a few days. But that changed when I saw that their situation was worse then I thought".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Fifty One Hours Ago~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Draco had just finished putting away leftovers when he heard a scream from the living room.
"Draco! Draco get in here!"
"Adagio!?!" shouted Draco. He immidiatly rushed into the living room and saw Sonata on the ground. She was clutching onto her chest and was screaming in pain.
"Is she having a heart attack?" asked Adagio.
"Heart attack? At her age? Here, let me-"
Before Draco could finish, Aria suddenly screamed and fell to the ground, clutching onto her own chest.
"What happening to- AAAAGH!!!" Adagio screamed, falling to the ground.
Now all three Sirens were on the ground, clutching onto their chests and screaming in pain.
"GIRLS!!!" Draco shouted, rushing to them. He grabbed hold of Sonata, telling her to calm down. As he attempted to hold her down, he placed his head to her chest. Her heart beat was abnormally fast. Draco stood up, thinking of a solution. Before he could finish, however, all the girls suddenly stopped. All of them were panting and sweating from exhaustion.
"What? What just . . . Oh my god!" Draco knelt close to Sonata, touching her cheek with his fingers to check her facial features.
"D-Draco? W-What are-"
"Shh, relax, don't talk. That must have been painful".
Suddenly, Sonata's eyes filled with tears, and she grabbed Draco by the neck and pulled him into a hug. "T-That r-really h-h-hurt!!!" she cried.
Draco took hold of Sonata and gently helped her to the couch. After setting her down, he went to do the same with the other two girls. There was silence in the apartment for over half an hour as the Sirens recovered from their pain. When the pain had settled, Adagio asked, "Draco, what the hell just happened?".
Draco looked to Adagio for a moment before sighing and turning his head. "I was wrong. About how fast you girls are aging".
"So were aging faster then you think?"
"No, your aging MUCH faster then I initially thought. What happened now was your bodies accelerating its aging speed dramatically. You girls probably aged a good decade right now. Once your bodies finished it returned back to its original aging speed again".
"How is that possible?" asked Aria.
"Don't know . . . This is extremely advance magical side affects that we are dealing with. So advance, it hasn't even been researched before. Or at least, back when we used to live in Equestria this type of magical side affects had never been researched. I don't know how much time you have left or if your bodies are going to do this again".
" . . . I-If you had to guess . . . h-how much time do you think we have?"
Draco frowned as he answered with a blunt tone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"One month!?" Sunset and Twilight shouted simultaneously.
"That's right, if I had to guess the Sirens only have a month left to live. There bodies are aging so much faster then I had initially thought. And when they end up like this, their bodies age by several years within a matter of minutes. Its only a guess but I believe they are aging by a decade when this happens".
Once the Sirens had stopped screaming and begun to calm down. Sunset, Twilight, and Draco helped the Sirens onto the couches.
Draco sat onto the sofa and sighed as he placed his face into his palms. "This situation is going down hill so fast. I need to get these girl to Equestria now. We don't have time to stay any longer".
"What if I help you?" asked Twilight.
"Would you be wiling to? Especially after what the Sirens had done to you before?"
"Well . . . although they did cause a lot of trouble back at the battle of the bands, its not something I'm going to let them die for!"
"That's nice of you and all, but what about your royal Equestrian duties?" asked Draco.
"My what?"
Draco let out an annoyed sigh. "Your a princess Twilight! Are you really going to allow four wanted criminals into Equestria? And what if our plan succeeds? What happens next? Are you going to have the girls and I thrown into prison for the rest of our immortal lives?"
"I hadn't really thought about that. But that's the least of my worries! We should worry about saving the Sirens first!"
Draco chuckled, "one minute your angry at us because you thought we were evil, the next you want to help us. Funny how things turn out like this . . . . alright, if your really going to help us then here's how this is going to end. Once the Sirens have regain there magic then you are to let them free and never come across them ever again! And instead you will imprison me for the rest of my immortal life, understand?"
"You want me to just let the Sirens go?" asked Twilight.
"Yes, you'll let them go, and you will take me instead".
Twilight thought about this for a few moments. As she did so, Sunset leaned close to her ear and asked, "if what Draco said is true, then none of them are wanted for anything. None of them has done anything wrong!"
"Yes, but the Sirens are probably still in trouble for what they did. And Draco's probably still in trouble as well for assisting in their escape".
"Their still in trouble for something they did over a thousand years ago!?".
"I'm afraid so. I could be wrong, but there's a possibility that Celestia is against them. If she wasn't, then how come Starswirl was never punished? Why has the history books never mentioned any of this happening?"
"You think Celestia had something to do with that?"
"Possibly, that's the only explainable reason for the history books never mentioning something as big as this! She must have kept this a secret!"
"Why would she do that?"
"I don't know. Its just an assumption for now, I'll ask Celestia once this situations over".
"So what are you going to do then?"
"I . . . I don't know. They are possibly still criminals so I can't just let them walk without a form of punishment. At the same time they technically haven't done anything wrong. What we could do is help them for now. Once the Siren's have their magic I can send them to my castle and have them stay there until I can get this situation with Celestia handled".
"You're going to have them stay as prisoners?"
"No, I'll have them stay as guests. They can enter and exit the castle whenever they want as long as they don't cause any trouble and don't leave Pony Ville. Their welcome to stay at the castle as guests until I talk to Celestia. I'm sure if I explain to her Draco's side of the story she'll remove any charges against them".
"Will she be that forgiving?"
"Of course she will! This is Celestia we're talking about! She cares about everypony and creature. She's kind, generous-".
"Then what happened to Glee?" asked Sunset, cutting her off.
"I, what, Glee?"
"Glee, my brother! You said that he ran away".
"Well ya but-".
"I haven't seen Celestia in over a decade. I don't know if she's changed during that time or not. But one things for sure, Glee didn't just run away for no reason. Someone or something must have made him run away".
"And your blaming Celestia?"
"Well I have to blame someone-"
"So Celestia!?!"
"Then why did my brother run away Twilight!? Why isn't Glee in Equestria anymore!?"
"I-I . . . I . . . I don't know" said Twilight, frowning and looking to the ground.
"How can you not know? You said you were his friend-"
"No I wasn't, I wasn't his friend. I was his best friend, one of them at least-".
"Then how do you not know!?"
" . . . Because Celestia wouldn't let me know".
"Celestia?"
Twilight nodded. "Celestia told me I wasn't allowed to see Glee anymore when I was ten years old. And I wasn't allowed to talk about him. So I did as I was told and eventually forgot about him. I'm not sure what reminded me of him, but when I was fourteen I asked Celestia what had happened to Glee. And she told me . . . she told me that he was gone . . . and when I asked where she told me that he ran away and that he left the country. I tried to ask why but she wouldn't tell me. All she said was that he ran away due to personal matters".
"Personal matters? So Celestia does have something to do with Glee leaving?"
"She said it was personal. It could have been anything. It could have been her or it could have even been you".
"Me!?"
"You did treat him like dirt before leaving to this world".
"Gee, thanks for the reminder".
"I'm just saying! We shouldn't accuse Celestia of things we don't fully understand! I am sorry that Glee is gone! And I wish I could see him again too! But there are three dying Sirens that we need to help first!"
" . . . Your right, your right. So, your absolutely sure that Celestia will forgive them?"
"Absolutely!"
"Are you girls going to be finished with your conversation anytime soon? Because I do believe we have company" said Draco.
"Yes we're finished. We were just saying- um, company?"
"Someone's outside the window" said Draco, pointing.
Suddenly, a large white canister crashed through the window and landed in the middle of the floor. Making a hiss sound, the canister started spewing a thick white smoke, covering the entire room.
"Smoke bomb! Girls! Get up!" shouted Draco, running to the Sirens.
The Sirens, ignoring the pain in their bodies, leapt from the couches and ran to the opposite side of the room. "What's happening!?!" shouted Sonata.
"We're under attack! What do you think is happening?" said Aria.
"But who would-" before Twilight could finish, everyone in the room heard a familiar voice outside the window shout, "Sunset! Are you in there!?"
"Rainbow!?!" Sunset shouted.
"Don't worry! We're busting you out!" Rainbow shouted.
"Wait! Rainbow! There's been a misunderstanding!"
Rainbow didn't hear Sunset, she was busy throwing several more smoke bombs into the apartment.