//------------------------------// // Act two // Story: Blood is Magic // by Crimson Rose //------------------------------// The girls looked at Crimson Rose, a bat pony who helped Daring escape the dark land. Rainbow’s jaw dropped when she said the last line in the book before she could finish before shaking her head in disbelief. “Yeah right! You probably have the same book and just used that pony’s name!” Rainbow said, not believing the mare. “That is my name, Rainbow Dash.” Crimson said, narrowing her bat eyes at her. “How do you know my name?” Dash looks at her with wide eyes. “I know all of your names,” Crimson shrugs before pointing a hoof at Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, Kindness,” she moves it to Twilight. “Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic,” She puts her hoof down. “Rainbow Dash, Loyalty….and a bit too cocky for my tastes.” “Hey!” Dash growls. “And of course, Princess Luna,” She bows to the princess of the night. “I do wish we could’ve met in other circumstances.” “What about me?” Spike asked, crossing his arms across his chest, narrowing his eyes at her. “What am I? Chopped Liver?” “Sir Spike, Princess Twilight’s assistant and the savor of the Crystal Empire.” Crimson said. “My daughter is a big fan of yours.” Spike grins, blushing deep red, holding his tail. “Oh really?” The bat mare nodded. “News of all of your achievement spread throughout my travels.” She turns to Fluttershy. She was crying still uncontrollably. “You five, follow me.” The mare said before walking off. The mares and the little drake looked at each other before shrugging before following the mare. “C’mon Flutters,” Dash pushes the yellow Pegasus in the direction. “Princess?” Twilight walked over to Luna, who was looking back with guilt and sadness for the bat who died for nothing. “I promise, your death will be avenged, my child.” Luna promised. “And this time...I will keep it.” before looking at Twilight. “We do not want to be left behind, come Twilight Sparkle.” She said before walking off. Twilight turned to the platform one more time before finally leaving with the others. The mare lead over to an old cidery. A sign hung over the door saying it’s closed. Crimson puts her hoof on the door and barely pushes it open. The door creakily opened, when it swung open, the door fell off of it’s hinges and fall to the ground, splitting in half. “I promise this village was in much better shape before those two started slaughtering every bat here.” Crimson said. Inside was pitch black. The gang could barely see a table flipped on it’s side and a broken cider bottle. Luna and Crimson moved inside, seeing the darkness while the others couldn’t. Twilight used magic to make her horn glow with brilliant white light. She tilts her head and moved it around as if it were a flashlight. It looked like the main floor was a little pub. “Wow...this place is a dump.” Dash commented, going inside and looked around. “I am so glad the owners of the Night Lounge did not hear you make that comment, Rainbow Dash.” Crimson said, glaring at her. “What’s that?!” Fluttershy shouted, pointing a shadow moving in the far wall. No pony has ever heard her be that loud since Iron Will’s treatment. “I got it!” Rainbow said to the rescue. She charged at the shadow figure. “Rainbow stop!” Crimson shouts before going after Rainbow. “Lets go girls,” Twilight said before she, Flutters and Luna ran after them. Going at it blind, Rainbow ending up crashing into a few walls, several tables, a head of a Chimera mounted on the wall. She even went through the several doors to capture the shadow figure. “Stop running!” Crimson ‘s voice rang in Rainbow’s ears but Dash didn’t stop. Filled with adrenaline and the scene of what happened filled her mind. She was angry and wants to release it. This chase and capturing the shadow was what the doctor ordered. Rainbow ganged up on the shadow and tackles it. They rolled around the ground in a rapid pace before the rainbow maned mare pinned the shadow, standing over it, breathing heavily, sweat dripping off of the cyan Pegasus. “Now I finally….huh?” Her head tilts when she got a good look at who she was pinning. Suddenly, Crimson charges in, shoving Rainbow off with great force, sending the Pegasus to the wall where she peeled off and hit the hard wooden floors with a bang. Rainbow groans, holding her head before meets a blood red gaze of Crimson. “Touch her again and I will kill you, Rainbow Dash.” There was something temptation about the look on the mare’s face. “Mama!” The shadow cries, hugging the bat’s leg. “Mama?” The other girls repeated what the shadow is. Twilight shines the light around the old storage room, they saw that the shadow was actually a little black dragon with yellow feathered wings and bright orange eyes. There was a wound on her arm from where RD tackled her. “Whoa...it’s another dragon….” Spike said, looking at her. “Oh you poor wittle thing,” Fluttershy said softly, snapping out of her scared trance and flew over to the baby dragon. “That mean stranger hurt me!” The black dragon cried loudly. The bat mare hugged the little dragon and glares at Rainbow. “If you would just stop when I said, you would’ve realize that this baby is my daughter.” she growled ferociously at her. “I didn’t know, okay I’m sorry,” Rainbow said, her ears went flat. She felt bad for tackling a kid. “Oh it’s okay little one.” Fluttershy said, petting the baby dragon. “Let’s get all fixed up and maybe we can get some ice cream.” The dragon turns to the mare and sniffled, rubbing her eyes. “With extra sprinkles?” “I never seen another baby dragon in a long time.” Luna said, inspecting the baby. “Same age as young Spike here. What is her name?” “He name is a Coral,” Crimson said, her eyes returning to normal. “I raised her since she was a little egg.” She smiled motherly. “So have I with Spike.” Twilight said, looking down at her assistant. “She’s your daughter?” Spike asked confused. “I thought ponies can’t lay eggs...can they?” He looked really confused. “I adopted her,” Crimson said. She then lowers herself to her daughter’s height. “Sweetie, how are the others?” “They’re fine...just shaking up from what that big meanie Count said.” Coral said as Fluttershy treated her wound. “Where are the others?” Luna asked, looking down upon the dragon. Coral looked at her mother before Crimson nods. “Over here.” she said, spreading her wings and took off flying towards a staircase that leads down. The girls followed their new dragon friend. Twilight had to drag Spike because he was just standing there and looking at Coral stupidly The baby dragon led the ponies to the cellar. Large barrels of cider stacked quite nicely along the walls. It was rustic and large area. The smell of fear stunk the air. “That is a lot of cider,” Luna commented, looking around. “I never knew any pony that could have this much stored.” “Well, Luna, it is a pub, they have to serve something,” Crimson said, going to one of the barrels. “Now..which one is it again? Coral?” she turns to her daughter to see if she knew. The dragon just shrugs indicating that she had no clue either. “No one is here...can I take one of them home?” Rainbow asked going near one a lushful look on her face and a sudden dry throat. She reached to a spout and turns it. But no cider was spilling all over the floor. “Hey! They’re empty!” After she said that, a loud click heard near here. “Huh?” A large piece of the tile just moved slightly five feet from the Pegasus. The girls walked over to tile. “Congratulations Dash, your love of drinking cider has a trap door.” Twilight said sarcastically before Crimson and Coral pushed the tile aside. Inside was a secret room, around twenty or thirty bat ponies crowded in fear. All bat, unicorn and earth ponies stuffed in this room. “It’s alright everyone.” Crimson said calmly to her fellow bats. “These strangers will help you.” “ARe you going to kill the Count and his wife?” a dark blue bat stallion asked. “There will not be any more blood shed.” Luna said, walking up to them. “I will make sure of that.” The bats gasped and bowed to the princess. “Now, the only way for us to stop the villains is if we go into the castle.” “Uh princess, you do realize that we can’t just waltz up to the front doors. Right?” Dash asked. “I know a way.” A dark brown unicorn bat pony with a quill and scroll cutie mark said, raising his hoof. The stallion used teleportation and appeared right in front of the mares. He shook his head, getting rid of the dizziness he was feeling. “I’ll never get used to that.” He said. “Well hello,” Rainbow said, gawking at him. “What’s your name?” She asked him. “Dark Fire” He said, telling them his name. “I used to be the Count’s personal assistant. I left before these sacrifices start.” “Dark Fire, you have a child,” Crimson said, stepping in. “If you leave. There might be a chance that you’ll not come back to him.” “I know..and it is a chance I shall take. The Count must be stopped.” He said, desire and determination. “This will not go without reward.” Luna said. “Show us the way.” Twilight said before looking at Spike and Fluttershy. “I need you two to stay here. Keep the others safe and try make their spirits up.” “Thank you!” Fluttershy squealed and was the first one to dive into the room. “I wanna come.” Coral said to her mother. “So do I.” Spike said. Twilight and Crimson said. “No!” in the exact same time in unison. “This mission is just too dangerous for children.” Crimson said. “Sorry darling but I’m putting my hoof down.” “I’ll take care of them.” Fluttershy said. Both dragons pout before walking towards the other bat ponies. “Lets go!” Rainbow said before flying out. The mares and the stallion ventured off to the castle. The gang followed Dark Fire towards a gated cemetery. Far from the direction of where the Count and Countess were. “What is the meaning of this, Dark fire? Why have we come here?” Luna asked. “Just beyond the cemetery, there’s a secret door in one of the mausoleums.It’ll lead to the underground catacombs. From there, we’ll emerge into the library.” “It’ll take too long, why can’t we just use the princesses’ teleportation magic.” Rainbow Dash suggested. “Dash is right, we need to end this quick.” Twilight said. “I wouldn’t.” Crimson said but Twilight tried to use her teleportation magic, but instead of teleporting, she made it rain kittens. A couple in fact hit Dash in the face. “Light magic doesn’t work properly here. You girls used up what proper magic at the the square” she turns to Dark Fire. “I see.” Twilight said, shaking the kittens off. The spell lasts about a few minutes before the rain stopped. “This is a land where black magic rule.” Luna said, looking at the lock. “I am afraid that I do not know any dark spells.” “Great, long way around.” Rainbow complained. “Dark fire,” Crimson nods at him. The unicorn walks up to the gate. He closed his eyes, a thick blue and green aura manifests off of his horn. He shot a beam from his horn at the lock of the gate. The gate responded to it and it broke off, the gate swung on it’s own. “Once more unto the breach,” Luna said as Dark Fire lead the girls inside.