The Sirens and the Vampire

by Merotik

The Vampires Sacrifice

"AAAAAAGH!!!" Draco scream, as he was hurled towards the portal.

Mere seconds before he hit the portal, a bolt of magic fired at Draco, causing him to fall down and crash into the cliff.

"Draco!!!" shouted Phoenix.

"I-Is he?" said Leo.

Draco laid on the ground for a few moments. Then slowly lifted himself to his hooves.

"He's alive! But- but how?" asked Leo.

Phoenix sighed with relief. "Starswirls force field must have protected him".

Starswirl looked completely bemused. "W-WHAT!?!"

Several guards looked to the sky and gasped.

Phoenix looked to what they were looking at and frowned. "Sweet Celestia".

"P-Phoenix! What's happening? Is the portal supposed to look like that?" asked Leo.

"I knew it. I knew this would happen" said Phoenix.

The portals bright spectrum of colors had suddenly changed. Flashing between black and red. Its smooth swirling motion had also gone out of whack. Rapidly changing its speed of motion, turning from and oval shape to a triangle to a square. Bolts of magic were firing down and striking the ground below at random.

"What!?! What happened to my portal!?!" shouted Starswirl.

"Its just like I told you Starswirl!" said Phoenix, glaring angrily at Starswirl.

"Y-You!!! You must have done this!!! You sabotaged my portal!!!" shouted Starswirl, pointing at Phoenix.

"No! All of this was you! I told you that no pony is meant to travel through dimensions! It rips holes in the fabric of reality if you do! You opened the portal and had it stabilized at first. But as soon as you sent the Sirens into the other dimension, that's what did it! That's what cause the portal to become unstable! You sent those Sirens to another dimension, and NO PONY IS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!! THE PORTAL IS NOW UNSTABLE!!! AND IT IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"

"But, but, but I-"

Suddenly, a bolt of magic fired towards the cliff, striking one of the guards. The guard screamed, then disintegrated. Several more bolts fired after that, striking more and more guards. Some were protected by their shields. Others weren't so lucky.

"Oh my Celestia!!! Their dead!!!" shouted Leo.

Phoenix slammed her hoofs against the force field. "CLOSE DOWN THAT PORTAL BEFORE THE ENTIRE CITY DIES!!!"

Starswirl lit his horn, only for it to flicker, then die out. "I can't! The portal is too strong! I can't control it anymore!"

A bolt of magic struck down, aiming towards Starswirl.

"LOOK OUT!!!" Draco shouted. He pushed Starswirl out of the way, and was hit with the bolt. He screamed in pain, then fell to the ground.

"DRACO!!!" shouted Phoenix.

"Why didn't he turn to ash?" asked Leo.

"The bolt must have grazed him. But that wound looks like its fatal!" shouted Phoenix.

Starswirl was confused. Once he was aware of what had just happened he walked up to Draco. He knelt down next to him and gently placed a hoof to his chest. He saw a deep cut on his side, it was severely burnt. "I-I don't understand. Why would you save me, even after I tried to banish you?"

Draco laughed, spewing a few drops of blood. "I may be a monster in your eyes old man. But not every monsters bad. It doesn't take . . . a good eye . . . to see the good ones . . . it . . . takes . . . a good . . . . heart". Slowly, Draco closed his eyes, and let his head fall limp to the side.

"Kid?" Starswirl nudged Draco. He didn't move. "KID!!!" Starswirl shouted. He looked to Phoenix, pure fear in his eyes. "Please help me! I was wrong and I don't know how to fix this! Please! HELP ME!!!" He released the force fields, dropping Phoenix and Leo back to the ground.

Phoenix ran to Draco and placed her ear to his chest. "His heart is failing! I'm going to try my best to recover him! Starswirl! I may know a way to fix this, but we need help! Do you know the Spirits of Harmony?"

"Indeed I do" said Starswirl.

"Good, find them! We need them here now!"

"Actually Phoenix! That won't be necessary" came a voice nearby.

Phoenix turned to the voice and saw three ponies standing a few yards away, approaching them quickly.

One was a brown earth pony with a red orange mane and tail. He had a shield and a sword on his back. He wore a blue pointed cap and tunic, as well as brown boots and gauntlets, both with metal armored plating's

Next to him was a white pegasus with a hooded cloak and a bow holstered onto his back. He had blue eyes and freckles.

The third was a unicorn. She wore a pink, white, and purple robe, a golden jewel encrusted head band, and had a staff with a small crystal sphere attached holstered onto her back.

They ran up to Phoenix quickly. The earth pony gave Phoenix a smile. "Long time no see Phoenix".

"Buttonamous? How did you get here so quickly?" asked Phoenix.

"There's a giant figgin portal in the sky killing everypony!!! Of course I'm going to be here!!! What did you think I was going to do? Wait it out hiding at home?" said Buttonamous, sarcastically.

Phoenix smiled at Buttonamous. "Well I'm glad your here! This stallions been hit, and I'm losing him fast!"

Buttonamous frowned as he realized the stallion hit was Draco. "Wait, I know this stallion! Is he okay?"

Phoenix checked his wounds for a minute, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know if I can save him".

"What about your phoenix magic? Can't you save him with that?" asked the unicorn Spirit of Harmony.

"No, I'm sorry but I don't think even that will work this time. His wound is fatal, I can't heal fatal wounds!"

"He's going to die?" Buttonamous asked with an expression of pure disbelief.

"I-I'm sorry. I can't save him . . . I'm sorry. The best we can do is try and seal that portal" said Phoenix.

"But Phoenix, he's suffering. It is not apparent due to him currently being unconscious. However, if he is still alive then subconsciously he is in sever pain. If he is inevitably going to die, then shouldn't we end his suffering?" asked the pegasus Spirit of Harmony, with a very calm voice.

"I-I . . . I don't know. That would be the best thing to do. But I'm not going to kill him!" said Phoenix.

"Well we can't let him suffer either!" said Buttonamous.

"Well I don't think we have the time to worry about this! I want to save him! And I don't want him to suffer! But there's nothing we can do! We have to focus on saving the world!" shouted Phoenix.

"World?" asked the pegasus Spirit of Harmony.

Phoenix pointed to the portal. "The portal hasn't stopped expanding ever since Starswirl opened it! It'll keep expending until all of Equestria is covered! Even after that it'll continue to expand until it has covered the rest of the planet! The fate of Equestria isn't in danger! The fate of the WORLD IS!!!"

"This is all my fault!" said Starswirl, sitting down besides Draco.

"Yes it is! But there's no time to worry about that! We need to focus on getting that portal closed now! I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do for Draco!" shouted Phoenix.

"Draco . . . he died saving my life . . . an old stallions life . . . I don't deserve to live" said Starswirl.

"Well that's too bad cause your still alive! So you might as well stop mourning and put yourself to use! There's nothing we can do for Draco!" shouted Phoenix.

Starswirl frowned. "Indeed . . . there's nothing we can do . . . nothing at-" Starswirl froze. He looked to Draco, then to Phoenix. "No, there's nothing you can do". He jumped to his hoofs and charged his horn. "But I still have a trick up my sleeve!"

"What are you-"

There was a flash of light, then Starswirl was gone.

"Did he just teleport?" asked the pegasus Spirit of Harmony.

"You coward! Fine! We don't need you!" Phoenix shouted, turning towards the Spirits. "Okay, here's what were going to do. That portal was created due to a imbalancement in our worlds magical frequency which was also caused by the moons position. I know, confusing, doesn't make sense, how did the writer come up with this garbage? But! Let's just pretend that we understand what's happening! Well I know what's happening but you lot must have no idea since you just got here. There is no time to explain so your just going to have to trust me! What we need to do is rebalance the frequencies in the portal. It should close the portal, but its physical form still remains. Then there will be a large swirly colorful circle in the sky that has no purpose what's so ever. It won't harm anypony anymore, that is until the portal reopens again in three and half years. That's when the freuquecnies are messed up again"

"Well why don't we just close the portal each time then?" asked Buttonamous

"Because the only way to close the portal is to restore the frequecnies at the source!"

"But somepony will have to physically enter the portal to do that!" said the unicorn Spirit of Harmony.

"I am aware. Don't worry about that for now. We still have another problem. Once we close the portal we still have the portals physical form to worry about. We can't let it just sit in the sky for the next three and a half years. We need to find a way to get rid of it! But its not that simple! We can't just get rid of the portal, its too powerful! We need to somehow store that portal into a stabilized environment. Or place it into an object that will allow it to stabilize"

"What item could do that?" asked the unicorn Spirit of Harmony.

"I don't know! Any item could work, but it has to relate to the portal somehow!"

"Relate? What does that mean?"

"To put it simply, imagin if the item and the portal had minds of its own. They have to agree with each other and accept each other!"

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"NOT ALL MAGIC MAKES SENSE!!! JUST HURRY UP AND FIND SOMTHING THAT'LL WORK!" shouted Phoenix.

The Spirits nodded and left. Phoenix turned to Leo. "Leo, I need you to go and help them. Find me an object that I can store the portal into. But make sure its big!"

"Y-Ya! Sure! I'm on it!" said Leo, as he ran off towards the castle.

As they all left, there was a flash of light, and Starswirl appeared. "Oh what now?" said Phoenix. She turned and saw Starswirl. She walked up to him and slapped him across the face. "Any particular reason why you left!?!"

Starswirl rubbed the cheek that was slapped and handed something to Phoenix. "I left because I knew of a way to save Draco".

"What? But his wounds are fatal! Magic can't restore fatal wounds" said Phoenix.

"This isn't magic, its . . . just take a look" said Starswirl.

Phoenix took the object from Starswirl and observed it. It was a crimson red heart shaped amulet with black metal side trimming. Seconds later, she instantly knew what it was. "Starswirl, please tell me this isn't what I think this is".

"I know you said not to. But I couldn't resist" said Starswirl.

Glaring at Starswirl, she pointed to the amulet. "This is from the Vamperisael Cave, isn't it?"

Starswirl didn't answer, he didn't need to. Slowly, Phoenix came closer to Starswirl, placing her face directly into his. "You idiot . . . you blubbering idiot! Your the reason behind those vampony attacks, aren't you?"

"I had to study these amulets to ensure the safety of-"

"Safety!? SAFETY!?! By stealing this amulet, you have endangered the lives of ponies all over Equestria! I told you all of these had to be destroyed! If even a single amulet remains, the vamponies who made these could sense it! Their probably heading here right now!"

"But don't you see! We can save Draco with this amulet! Plus, once he puts on the amulet the source will be lost. Vamponies will no longer be able to trace it-"

"But then he'll have the vamponies curse on him! He will physically become a vampony!"

"Once the amulets healed him he can just take it off! We saved those ponies last time!"

"Yes but this is different!"

"How so?"

Phoenix rubbed her head and groaned in frustration. "Those ponies that were under the vampony curse were just mere slaves. The amulets around their necks caused them to do things beyond their free will. But, those amulets were controlled by the master vampony himself! With his amulet!"

"I am aware of this! I was there too! Now how is this relevant?"

"Because! This isn't a slave vampony amulet! This is a master vampony amulet! If he puts it on he will not act like a vampony because there is no pony to control him! He is in control of his own free will!"

"Well that's good! Right?"

"No its not good! Its not good at all! I restored those slaves to their rightful selves again specifically because they were under control in the first place! The vampony influence had taken the slave ponies real selves and locked them away. That way their real selves would not interfere with the vampony influence. But at the same time, this saved them. The amulets separated their real selves from their vampony selves, preventing them from mixing! That way when I saved them from their vampony influence, they returned back to their normal selves again! But because Draco will not be under any influence, his true self will mix with his vampony self. And although he will be self aware and have full control over his actions. He will be stuck as a vampony permanently!"

"But I saw you! I saw you save all of those ponies from being enslaved and turned into vamponies? How did you restore the master vampony?"

"I didn't" said Phoenix.

"You didn't? But I thought that by removing the amulet from the master vampony, he would lose his control over the enslaved vamponies".

"Yes, that's exactly how I saved the enslaved ponies! I made the master vampony remove his own amulet!"

"Then you saved him".

"I never said that".

"But if he removed his amulet then-"

"Starswirl, HE'S DEAD!!! I made the master vampony kill himself by removing his amulet!"

"What! He . . . died removing his amulet? But, he wasn't even a real vampony. He was turned into a vampony just like the others with the amulets".

" . . . Ponies lives were in danger. Sacrifices had to be made. He removed his amulet and it killed him. His vampony self had mixed with his real self. By removing his amulet, he forcibly removed his vampony self which ripped his real self apart. In other words, it destroyed his life force, thus killing him. And if we make Draco remove this amulet, the same will happen to him".

"But this is the only way. Magic cannot save a fatel wound-"

"But a curse can? Is that what you want to do? Curse him?"

Starswirl shook his head. "I just want to fix what I have done wrong".

Phoenix turned away from Starswirl and said, "this is beyond fixing. If anything, you've just made it worse".

Starswirl didn't answer.

Phoenix looked back to Starswirl with an expression of anger and hatred. "Starswirl . . . Starswirl the Bearded. The greatest unicorn to have ever lived, now reveals his true colors. I feel sorry for the ponies who look up to you, making you their hero. But look at you! Your not a hero! Your a . . . a . . . I can't even think of a word! You disgust me!" Phoenix turned and walked up to Draco. It was clear that he only had a few minutes to live. Phoenix sighed, then knelt down to Draco. She brought the amulet close to his head, hesitated, then turned to Starswirl. "First you banish three innocent children to another world, then you endanger the entire planet with your power hungry plan, and now you have the blood of everypony who has been killed by that portal tonight on your hoofs! And to top it all off. You not only nearly killed this pony who had just risked his life for you after having just watched you banish his friends to another dimension! But now the best you can do to save his life is by cursing him for the rest of it! You claim that those girls you banished were monsters, but the only one I see who has been a monster tonight was you!"

Starswirl didn't answer, he looked away, hiding his shame.

Phoenix turned back to Draco. "I'm sorry . . . I'm so, so sorry". She placed the amulets chain over his head, placing the amulet onto his chest.

The amulet lit up, and engulfed a dark red smoke that covered Draco. From within the smoke, Draco could be heard coughing and gasping for air. After a few moments, the smoke disappeared, leaving a pony who no longer looked like Draco in his place.

He had bright white hair, dark gray fur, and piercing red eyes. His horn had turned sharp, and he now had leathery bat wings. The amulet continued to glow for a few moments before it stopped.

Draco suddenly shot his eyes open, as he sat up, panting. "What! I! What just-"

"Sh! Sh! Sh! Calm down! Everything's going to fine. Your going to live" said Phoenix, placing a reassuring hoof to his shoulder.

Draco calmed himself, and slowed his breathing. He looked to Phoenix, then to Starswirl, then back to Phoenix. He looked at the piles of ash around him and heard the screams coming from the city down below. Slowly, he began to remember what was happening. "You . . . you saved me?" he asked Phoenix.

Phoenix frowned. "I, well . . . not exactly. He did". She cocked her head, indicating to Starswirl.

Draco glared at Starswirl, then slowly stood to his hoofs (with some help from Phoenix). "You saved my life?"

Starswirl didn't answer. He turned away towards the edge of the cliff. "Ponies in this city are dying. The least I could do is save at least one poor soul tonight".

"Ya, that's the absolute least you cou- . . . what?" Draco had suddenly realized the amulet that had attached itself to his chest.

Phoenix saw this and frowned. She knew this would happen. The amulet had physically attached itself to Draco's chest during the transformation process.

Draco tried to take it off but found that he was unable to. He grabbed it from the sides, pulling as hard as he could. It didn't budge. After trying to pull out the amulet, that is when he realized that something about him was different. He looked at his hoofs and saw that his fur was no longer light brown, but a dark gray. He looked at his back and nearly screamed when he saw the leathery bat wings. He felt around his head frantically, and gasped in pain when he accidently stabbed his leg against his now sharp horn. He pulled out a piece of his hair and saw that the dark brown color had now turned white. He felt around the inside of his mouth with his tongue and found out that four of his teeth had now turned sharp. "What! W-What happened to me!?" Draco shouted.

"Draco I-"

"Why is there an amulet inside my chest!!!" Draco shouted, interrupting Phoenix.

"Draco you need to-"

"Its because of me Draco" said Starswirl, interrupting Phoenix.

Draco glared at Starswirl for a moment, breathing heavily from him panicking. "Y-You did this to me?"

"It was the only way I could save your life. You sacrificed yourself to save my life, now it was my turn to save yours" said Starswirl.

"Save- SAVE MY LIFE!?! THIS WAS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN SAVE ME!?!" shouted Draco.

"I didn't have another choice!" said Starswirl.

"YOU'VE TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!!!"

"Draco I'm sorry! It was the only way I can save you!" said Starswirl.

Draco paused for a moment, attempting to calm himself down. When he had returned his breathing to a normal speed he said to Starswirl. "Is this permanent?"

" . . . Yes" .

"I can't just take this stupid amulet off?" asked Draco, struggling to keep himself calm.

"I'm sorry Draco. If you take that amulet off, you will die" said Starswirl.

"Oh . . . so I'm stuck looking like this forever . . . just tell me one last thing. What am I?"

"Could you speci-"

Draco rushed to Starswirl at lighting speed. He grabbed Starswirl by the hems of his robe and lifted him above the ground. He glared at Starswirl, his eyes burning with rage. "WHAT AM I!?! WHAT HAVE I BECOME!?!" he bellowed into Starswirls face.

Starswirl did not show fear. He did not show any sign of wanting mercy, he knew that he deserved this. "This amulet has given you the abilities of a vampony. That is why I did not have a choice. Your wounds were fatal, and the only way to heal a fatal wound is with a magic so strong, it can literally defy death. And vamponies have incredible- GAH!"

Draco had socked Starswirl in the jaw and thrown him towards the edge of the cliff. Starswirl nearly rolled off the edge before he stopped himself. Before he had a chance to stand, Draco grabbed him again and lifted him over the edge of the cliff.

"YOU'VE TURNED ME INTO A VAMPONY!?!" shouted Draco.

"I-It was the only way to save you! The vamponies healing abilities saved you from death-"

"THAT'S BECAUSE VAMPONIES ARE IMMORTAL!!! YOU IDIOT!!! YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME!!! YOU'VE CURSED ME!!! I CAN'T DIE ANYMORE!!!" bellowed Draco.

"Draco I cannot ever understand what you are feeling. But just know that you are not the only creature that is immor- AAGH!!!"

Draco had dropped Starswirl, caught him a second later, then lifted him up again. "I DO NOT WANT TO BE IMMORTAL!!! I DO NOT WANT TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THE PRINCESS!!! OR THE SIRENS!!! OR THE PHOENIX PONIES!!! OR ANY OTHER CREATURE WHO CANNOT LIVE AND DIE A NORMAL LIFE!!! I DO NOT WANT TO LIVE THE REST OF MY LIFE KNOWING THAT I CANNOT LIVE A NORMAL LIFE!!!"

"But Draco, what about your marefriend? You can still have a love life! The amulet only affects you! So if you were to have children then they should remain normal!" shouted Starswirl, a tone of panic was apparent in his voice.

"OH AND HOW DO YOU THINK MARIA WILL REACT WHEN SHE SEE'S THIS!?!" Draco suddenly gasped. " M-Maria?"

"Draco, what are-"

Draco head butted Starswirl and turned him the opposite direction, towards the city. "Maria is down there! In the city! Where everypony is dying! All because of your stupid plan!"

"Draco I'm sor-"

Before Starswirl could finish, Draco threw him to Phoenix's hoofs. He glared at him with an expression of pure hatred. "If she dies, then I will NEVER forgive you!"

"Draco, we need to close the portal so that-"

"YOU CLOSE THE PORTAL!!! I'M GOING TO FIND MARIA!!!" Draco shouted, interrupting Phoenix.

He ran off the cliff, extending his brand new wings and descended towards Canterlot below.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You see. About a year ago, Buttonamous helped Draco learn the magic of friendship. Shortly after, Draco was able to make friends. He was a lonely cranky pants before. Now, he was a lot nicer. He stopped drinking a lot, and he stopped flirting with a bunch of mares. And one day he got a marefriend! And from what Draco's told us, she was truly special to him. She was an orphan like Draco, and most ponies didn't treat her very well, just like Draco! They both had a lot in common, and Draco said that's one of the reasons why they fell in love with each other. Maria loved fighting like him, she liked party's like him, Maria meant the world to Draco! And . . . well . . . what happened next it . . . broke his heart" said Sonata, frowning.

Applejack looked to Twilight, then back at Sonata. "What happen? He didn't save Maria?"

Sonata sighed. "Well no, he didn't save her. But its what she did to him that made it worse. It's actually one of the reasons why Draco absolutely hates Starswirl".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Draco crashed onto the ground. He wasn't adjusted to his new wings yet. He quickly stood to his hoofs and looked about the chaos around him, searching for Maria. "Maria! Maria where are you!?!"

Ponies where screaming. Not only at the portal that was killing everyone, but also at the vampony who had just arrived.

Draco didn't care, he had to find Maria! "Maria! Where are you!?!" He ran through the streets of Canterlot, between alleyways, everywhere he could think of. He tried to search her home, but it was destroyed entirely. He search Maria's favorite places, her parents home, everywhere. He searched for nearly half an hour, until at last, he finally found her. She was running through the crowd of ponies with one of her friends. She and her friend were trying to get ponies to safety, giving them directions and what not.

"Maria!" Draco shouted, running to her.

She and her friend saw Draco coming and immediately became afraid. The ponies around them saw Draco coming and ran to get out of his path. "Maria! He said your name!" said her friend.

"What!" shouted Maria.

"I think he's trying to attack you!" said her friend.

Just as Draco had come close, he attempted to give her a hug. But Maria's friends stepped between them and socked Draco in the jaw. "Maria! Run! I'll take care of the vampony!"

Maria nodded and ran.

"Wait! What are you-GAH!" Draco had tried to get up, but Maria's friend stomped a hoof onto him.

"Stay down vampony!" she shouted.

"What! Monica you dumb ash! Its me! Draco!"

She gasped, having just recognized his voice. "D-Draco? W-What happen to you!?"

"No time! Now MOVE!!!" he pushed Monica off of him and galloped towards Maria. His new vampony abilities made him much faster then he used to be. He quickly caught up to Maria. He tried calling her name, but she ignored him and tried to escape. She ran down an alleyway, and nearly slammed into a wall in front of her. She was trapped. She turned and saw Draco approach her. His movements were slow and calm. "Maria, Maria its me, Dra-"

"Stay away!" she shouted. Positioning herself in a fighting stance.

Draco was taken aback. He froze for a second, then tried to come closer to Maria. "Maria? Don't you recognize me?"

"I SAID STAY AWAY YOU MONSTER!!!" she shouted.

Draco froze. 'She . . . doesn't know who I am . . . she thinks I'm a monster . . . maybe if I told her it's me she wouldn't think that way' he thought to himself. He stopped and sat down five feet away from her. She saw this and calmed a bit, but maintained her fighting stance. Draco cleared his throat and smiled at her.

Maria gave Draco a confused look. "W-What do you want with me?"

"Maria, I need you to calm down and just listen. Please, just listen" said Draco.

"What? Are you trying to trick me or something? So you can suck my blood?" she asked.

"No Maria! No, just . . . just listen" said Draco.

Maria glared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine, I'll listen".

Draco sighed with relief. "Good, okay just hear me out. I know I look a bit terrifying right now. Me being a vampony and all, and please don't freak out with what I am about to tell you. Maria, its me, Dra-"

Before Draco could finish speaking, a bolt of magic struck down, hitting Maria directly. She screamed, then there was nothing left but a pile of ash.

Draco stared at what just happened for a few moments. Completely stunned. Slowly, he walked up to the pile of ash and placed his hoofs into it. He lifted some of the ash and watched it fall out of his hoofs and back into the pile. Tears fell as he realized what had just happened. Maria was dead. She died not knowing who Draco was. She died, thinking that he was a monster. More tears fell, and quickly, Draco started sobbing into the pile of ash. "NOOOOO!!!" he shouted. He sobbed for several minutes, hugging the pile of ash in his legs. "Why!?! Why did this have to happen!?! WHY ME!?! W-Why did it h-have to be m-me!" he shouted. He couldn't control his sorrow any longer, and he shouted into the sky. "WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST LET ME DIE OLD MAN!?! WHY!?!" Sudden realization hit Draco, and he stood up, brushing the ashes off of him. "You . . . this is your fault . . . all your fault . . . you killed her . . . Starswirl, YOU KILLED MARIA!!!" He turned and shot straight into the air, flying back to the cliff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight, Sunset, and Applejack stared at Sonata. All with shocked expression.

"That, that just, couldn't have happened! It just couldn't have! Something like that would surly have been recorded! How come that incident isn't in the history books?" asked Twilight.

"I'm with Twilight. If all of that actually happened, then wouldn't it be in the history books?" said Sunset.

"But its not! The history books say that you and your sisters fought Starswirl. Then he banished you into the human world! There was no Phoenix Sprite! No Spirits of Harmony! And no pony died!" said Twilight.

"Well your books must be wrong! Why else do you think Draco is so mad at Starswirl?" asked Sonata.

"I-I don't know! But its impossible! None of this can be real! Starswirl was the greatest unicorn to ever lived! He wasn't a power hungry maniac searching for the ultimate way to banish evil!"

"Well from my perspective that's exactly how he seemed" said Draco.

All the girls gasped, startled. They were unaware that Draco had been behind them, listening the entire time.

"I thought you had something to talk about with Adagio and Aria?" said Sonata.

"I did but I decided to take a break and enjoy story time with you" said Draco, smiling.

"Well since your here you might as well tell us who you are!" said Twilight.

"Haven't you been listening to Sonata? I don't know what your worlds history books have been telling you. But by the sounds of it, it seems that your history books are wrong! Sonata isn't making up a story. She really is telling you what actually happened that day!" said Draco.

"If that were true, then how come she knows everything that happened even after she was banished?" asked Applejack.

"Because I told them" said Draco, bluntly.

"Oh, I see".

"Wait, hold on a minute! So if the sirens were just innocent kids who were banished to this world by Starswirl the Bearded. Then how come your here? It sounds to me like you manage to escape being banished" said Twilight.

"Well I may have dodged a bullet there at first". Draco stopped, seeing Twilights confused expression. "Oh, right, human expression. I dodged the bolt you see. Do ponies still have crossbows?" asked Draco.

"Ponies have crossbows!?" asked Applejack.

"Well crossbows are mostly used by creatures who have fingers or claws. But there are some forms of modified crossbows that allow ponies to wield it" said Twilight.

"That doesn't make sense, how to you hold it?" asked Applejack.

"We . . . hold it in our hoofs. The same way that you hold things" said Twilight, giving Applejack a confused expression.

"But, but how? Your hoofs are just a flat surface. Are you telling me that ponies in your world can carry things the same way we do in our world?" asked Applejack.

Twilight nodded.

"I . . . that just amazes me how well a society of ponies can live" said Applejack.

"Back to what I was saying. Yes I was able to avoid being banished once. In the end, however, I had to go through the portal" said Draco.

"What? Why?" asked Sunset.

"Well you couldn't expect me to just leave these girls in this world by themselves! Nope, they were just children, they wouldn't have survived! I had to come and help them! But . . . that wasn't the only reason" said Draco.

"What was the other reason?" asked Twilight.

Draco smiled and sighed. "The portal had to be closed. The only way to close it was if somepony physically closed it on the inside. Somepony had to be sacrificed, and that pony was going to be me".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"STARSWIRL!!!" Draco roared, as he flew straight towards the cliff.

The Spirits had returned with a bunch of assorted items. Starswirl didn't even have time to react when Draco crashed into him, bringing them both to the ground. Draco got on top of Starswirl and started punching him repeatedly.

"Draco!" shouted Phoenix, pulling Draco off of Starswirl. But Draco was too strong. He was much stronger then he used to be, thanks to the vampony powers. He ripped himself away from Phoenix and started punching Starswirl again. This time, the unicorn Spirit of Harmony captured Draco in a force field and lifted him into the air. "Again with the force fields!?! Let me go!?! Let me go right now!?!"

"Not until you calm yourself!" said the unicorn Spirit of Harmony.

"Calm myself!?! CALM MYSELF!?! ITS TOO LATE FOR THAT!?!"

"Draco what are you-"

"SHE'S DEAD!!! MARIAS DEAD!!!" Draco shouted, interrupting Phoenix. Draco pointed at Starswirl. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT OLD MAN!!! YOU KILLED MARIA!!! YOU KILLED THE ONLY MARE THAT I LOVED!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!! I'LL BUCKING KILL YOU!!!"

"Draco restrain yourself! I know what he has done is wrong! But we mustn't lose our heads! We need him to help us stop the portal!" said Phoenix

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYPONY ANY MORE!!! YOU CAN ALL DIE AND BURN IN TARTERUS FOR ALL I CARE!!!" shouted Draco.

"Draco, you don't really mean that-"

"YES I DO!!! MY MAREFREIND IS DEAD, I'M A MONSTER, AND BECAUSE OF THIS ASH HOLE, I CAN NEVER DIE! EVEN IF I COULD DIE I HAVE NOTHING TO LIVE FOR ANYMORE!!!"

"Draco! Look around you! Do you see this city! This city is full of innocent lives! All of which are dying because that portal if still open! Now you say you don't have anything to live for anymore but these ponies do! They all still have something to live for! And so did Maria! Maria died because of this portal! Don't let her death be in vein!" shouted Phoenix.

Draco glared at her for a moment, then slowly frowned. Tears fell from his cheek, as he looked away.

"Bella, release him please" said Phoenix.

The unicorn Spirit of Harmony nodded, and released Draco from the force field. Draco fell to the ground and didn't move. Phoenix walked up to him and helped him to his hoofs. Then taking Draco by surprise, she hugged him. "I know it hurts. Losing the one that you love. But you mustn't let yourself mourn just yet. We can't let her death be in vein, that's why you need to help us close that portal. She would want you to keep going, even without her. She would want you to not give up and save everyone's lives. Wouldn't she?"

"Y-Yes, yes s-she would" Draco cried.

"Then help us. Help us close that portal. You may look like a monster, but tell me, are you a monster?" asked Phoenix.

"N-No" Draco whispered.

"What was that? I didn't hear you. I said, are you a monster!"

"No" said Draco, with more confidence.

"ARE YOU A MONSTER!?!" Phoenix shouted.

"NO!" shouted Draco.

She released Draco and gave him a smile. "Then what are you then?"

Draco wiped his eyes and smiled. "I am not a monster. I am not a vampony. I am a unicorn, cursed with the looks and powers of a vampony. But that doesn't mean that I have to be one! I AM DRACO SANTINO JACK!!! AND I AM NOT A VAMPONY!!!"

"Phoenix! I'm back" shouted Leo, having just arrived dragging something large with a rope attached. It was hidden underneath a large tarp.

"Leo! Where have you been? You were gone the longest! And you only brought one item!?" shouted Phoenix.

"Well you wanted me to bring something big! And this was the biggest item I could find that wasn't too heavy!" said Leo.

Suddenly, the portal cracked with thunder, and fired more bolts of magic onto the city.

"No time to explain what it is! Just put it with the rest of the items!" shouted Phoenix.

Leo did as he was told.

"Alright! I'm going to take each item one at a time and see which one corresponds with the portal! Once I have the right item we will have to close the portal! Then store the portal into the item!" Phoenix explained.

"But you still haven't told us how you are going to close the portal!" said Buttonamous.

"Don't rush me! I'll get to that after I find out which item the portal corresponds to!" Phoenix shouted.

She grabbed the first item (a large crystal ball) and walked to the edge of the cliff. She lifted it up and waited a few moments. Then, a bolt of magic shot towards Phoenix, hitting the ball. Phoenix was launched backwards several feet. When she stood to her hoofs, she saw that the ball had disintegrated. "Nope! That wasn't the right object!" Phoenix grabbed another object and repeated the process. Again with the same results. One after another, each object failed to correspond with the portal. "Dang it! What do we have left?" asked Phoenix, lifting her self up for the twenty seventh time.

"All we have is the object that Leo brought" said Buttonamous.

Phoenix ran to the object and ripped the tarp off of it. It was a large mirror. The same one that Draco had seen down in the basements.

"That's supposed to be in the basements! You carried that all the way here!" shouted Draco.

"Phoenix wanted me to find the biggest object!" said Leo.

"That mirror is huge!" said Buttonamous.

"Its the biggest object we've had! Hopefully its the one that will work" said Phoenix.

She dragged the mirror to the edge of the cliff. She then flew to the top and pulled, tilting it so the mirror could face directly at the portal. She waited for several minutes, struggling from the weight of the mirror. "Come on you blasted portal! Show me what you've got!" shouted Phoenix.

Suddenly, the portal fired a bolt at Phoenix, hitting the mirror. The was a flash of color, followed by the sound of an explosion. When the flash was gone they saw Phoenix lying several yards away, disorientated. She quickly got to her hoofs and shook the dizziness out of her head. She ran to the mirror and turned it for everypony to see.

The mirror hadn't disintegrated like the other objects. In fact, the glass was now shinning with a spectrum of colors. Pure magical energy could be felt radiating off of the mirror.

Phoenix cheered. "It worked! The mirror has corresponded with the portal! Once we close the portal, we can store the portals physical form into this mirror! And it'll remain stabilized!" She turned to the others. "Starswirl, Buttonamous, Bella, Oxford, and Draco. All of you need to concentrate your magic into a failsafe spell. But you need to maintain a frequency related to Starswirls. He created the portal, so the portal will only react to his magic! If you four can mimic his magic, then you should be able to cause a reaction to the portal!"

They did as they were told. A few seconds later. Each was holding a small ball of pure magic. "Great! With Starswirls advance magic! Combined with The Spirits of Harmony's harmony magic! COMBINED with Draco's vampony magic! The strength of all that combined should make this spell strong enough to close the portal. There's only one problem. Unicorn magic and harmony magic can be combined and still maintain itself. But combining vampony magic will disrupt the balance of the magic, making it useless. So here's what we're going to do. Your going to combine your magic by force!"

"But you can't combine different types of magic like that by force! Magic like this would explode if we force it to combined!" said Buttonamous.

"Exactly! The explosion should be able to close the portal. However, we need to keep that explosion in a stabilized environment so that it can stay in a state of combustion! While it is frozen in that state, we can deliver that explosion to the portal, unfreeze it from that state, and let it go BOOM!" said Phoenix.

"How can we freeze it in its state of combustion?" asked Draco.

"Simple. If my knowledge does not deceive me, which it never does. I should be able to use my phoenix magic and form a bubble out of pure phoenix fire. That should keep the spell in its state of combustion. Then we will deliver it to the portal and set it off!"

"But how are we going to do that? You still haven't told us how we are going to get this spell into the portal?" asked Bella.

"Ah, yes, well, here's the thing. I know I said that "we" were going to deliver the spell. But in truth its actually going to be me" said Phoenix.

"WHAT!!!" the group shouted simultaneously.

"The portal is too powerful for anyone to get close to it. A pegasus would get sucked into it. And we can't just throw it into the portal, phoenix fire must be maintained on hoof. And no it cannot be maintained with horns. Phoenix fire doesn't work that way so there's no possibility of levitating it into the portal. Somepony has to physically deliver this spell into the portal, and that ponies going to be me" said Phoenix.

"But you'll get trapped in that other world!" shouted Leo.

"Ha! The awesome and amazing Phoenix doesn't care! Does she look worried to you?" asked Phoenix, walking closer to them.

"Yes as a matter of fact you do! I know you Phoenix. I've traveled with you for three years Phoenix. You boast when you are happy or excited. You talk normal when you are serious, and you talk in third person when you are afraid! Whether your afraid of something small, like when your afraid that ponies will forget about you, or they don't know who you are! Or something big! Like getting sent to another world! Phoenix you act all high and mighty but I can tell! Your afraid! Your afraid and you know it-"

"Well what other solution do you have then huh!?! Just let the whole world die!?!" Phoenix shouted. She turned away, rubbed her temples, then turned back to Leo. "You say you know me, but you don't! You just don't! Because you've never seen the real me! But you see this! You see what's happening right now! THIS IS THE REAL ME!!! Every time something bad happens in this world, I'm the one who has to make it better! I'm the one who has to fix it! ITS ALWAYS ME!!! IT ALWAYS IS!!!" Phoenix's voice cracked at the last words. She sniffed, rubbed her eyes, then looked back to Leo. "Its always me . . . saving the day . . . and the results are always the same. I save the day and a few days later something bad happens and I have to go and save it again! And most of those times ponies die! They die! And no matter how hard I try to save them they still die in the end! Do you see how many ponies have died tonight! You say you know me but you don't! Tonight! What's happening tonight! This is who I am! All these ponies who have died tonight! This is considered a normal night for me! . . . AND ITS NOT FAIR!!! Do you think I enjoy this!? That I enjoy seeing ponies die every other day!? Well I don't!? I hate it!!! I hate it SO MUCH!!! . . . But when your me . . . you don't have a choice". Phoenix took the magic from all five ponies and combined it into one. She quickly blew a light gray flame from her mouth, covering the spells into it. Once she stopped, everyone saw a small explosion, covered in a light gray see through fiery orb. "When your me, your going to see death. And when your me, your going to have to make sacrifices, to try and prevent as much death as possible. Even if it means you won't come out alive. Funny, sacrificing myself for the greater good. Its really has become a habit". She looked to the sky and gulped. "Four times I've died saving the lives of others. And now . . . looks like its going to be a fifth. Its always the same . . . its always the same". She turned to Starswirl. "As soon as I close the portal I want you to store its physical form inside the mirror. Then everything should be safe from there. Make sure you lock up the mirror though. I have a feeling that portals still going to open in another three and half years. Although it won't start killing everypony, it can provide anypony the means of transporting their way to this new world. So don't let them! This mirror is a one way ticket! It'll take you to that world, but it can't bring you back" said Phoenix.

"So, you can never return?" asked Draco.

"Well, not until the portal could somehow manifest a way to develop a second portal and place that second portal into an object that could also correspond to the portal. But that could take, oh I don't know . . . eight hundred years? Maybe even a millennium! But by then, I'll be gone, so there's really no point".

"Wait I didn't catch that. The portal manifesting into another portal that makes a second portal and does . . . something with another object? . . . I'm sorry, that explanation made no sense!" said Buttonamous.

"I haven't the time to explain! The portal needs to be closed now!" shouted Phoenix. She took the spell and flew towards the portal. She turned to Leo before leaving. "Leo! Thank you for everything! It was an absolute pleasure getting to travel with you!" said Phoenix.

"I had a good time as well!" shouted Leo.

"Oh and one more thing! Don't forget me! Please! Don't forget me at all! I don't want to become a fictional character that no pony believes in! So please! Don't forget me!" she shouted.

"Don't worry! I'll never forget!" shouted Leo.

"Farewell Phoenix!" said Oxford.

"Goodbye! Thank you!" shouted Bella.

"I'll make sure you are never forgotten!" shouted Buttonamous.

"Thank you Phoenix. Thank you for everything!" said Starswirl.

Draco didn't say anything. He stared in disbelief at the mare above them. The mare who was about to sacrifice herself for them.

Phoenix waved goodbye, then flew off towards the portal

"S-She's just . . . going to sacrifice herself for us?" asked Draco.

"Indeed she is" said Starswirl.

"But she has so much to live for! She has friends! She has . . . I don't know! Lots I assume! I don't know much about her, but I do know that she's done too much for this world to go out like this!" said Draco, angrily.

"Sometimes that is the life of a hero. You can do so much. You can save thousands of life's, save the planet more then once. You deserve a life of riches and rewards. But sometimes that is not the case. Sometimes when you live the life of a hero, you will also die a hero. Sacrificing yourself for the greater good. Yes she deserves more. Phoenix Sprite deserves far more then this. But this is the life of a hero. Sacrificing ones self, in order to save the world" said Starswirl.

"A hero . . . must sacrifice for the greater good? . . . But . . . she'll die" said Draco.

"The portal will not kill her. She will be trapped in that world for the rest of her life. Then she will pass away from age" said Starswirl.

"She . . . will be trapped there . . . forever . . . for a THOUSAND YEARS!?!" Draco suddenly turned to Starswirl. "That thing that Phoenix had just said! She said that there's a possibility that she could return someday!"

"Yes, but it is highly unlikely. For you see, it could take the portal at least a millennium to develop a portal in the new world. And although that would allow Phoenix to return to our world. She would not be alive for when that time does come. Phoenix ponies have long life spans, but not that long!"

"But Vamponies are immortal! So if I went there then I would still be alive for when that day came!" shouted Draco.

"What are you suggesting Draco?" asked Starswirl.

Draco bent his knees and prepared to take off. Before he did, he looked to Starswirl for the last time. "Old man, I hate you, and I always will. Don't ever make the same mistakes that you have made tonight! Because I swear! I will return someday! And if I find the Sirens then I'm bringing them back with me! You can count on it! I WILL RETURN!!! AND THE SIRENS WILL TO!!!"

"Draco! You-"

"Goodbye old man. I hope your happy with what you've done!" He turned to the Spirits of Harmony. "Kind of a chick move not telling me that you were one of the Spirits of Harmony Buttonamous. But that's cool, I understand you had to keep it a secret. Although, now I really wish we could hang out more. But I guess this is good bye"

"You better hurry, she's about to enter the portal" said Buttonamous, giving Draco a smile.

Draco smiled back and launched himself into the air at full speed. "Goodbye, Spirits of Harmony" he whispered to himself.

He mostly used his wings for steering, since he was not quite accustomed to using wings just yet. However, he managed to levitate himself quick enough to catch up to Phoenix. Once he caught up he shouted, "Excuse me miss? I do believe that this portal is off limits! So I'm going to have to ask you to return back to the ground!"

Phoenix turned and glared at Draco. "What the tartarus are you doing here!?!"

He flew up to Phoenix and placed his hoofs against the spell. He could feel his hoofs burning from the phoenix fire covering the outer layer.

"Don't touch that! It'll burn you! Get back down there before its to late!!!" shouted Phoenix.

"Sorry Phoenix, but I'm done taking orders from you! Your listening to me now! Got that! I'm taking this spell into the portal! And your going back down to safety! Understand!" Draco shouted.

"HAVE YOU GONE MENTAL!?! DRACO!!! YOU'LL BE TRAPPED IN THE OTHER WORLD FOREVER!!!" Phoenix shouted.

"Not until the portal reopens in a thousand years like you said!" shouted Draco.

"THAT'S ONLY A GUESS! IT HAS A FIFTY SEVEN PERCENT CHANCE OF ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!!" shouted Phoenix.

"Fifty seven? Good enough for me!" Draco shouted, grabbing the orb from Phoenix. He yelped in pain as he felt the orb burning into his hoofs. "Look! I'm immortal now! So if I get sent into this world, then I can live long enough for the portal to open! That is, if it even opens! But you won't live long enough! You'll die in that world and I can't allow that to happen! I'm taking this orb through that portal and that's that!"

"But you'll be trapped in that world! I can't let you do that to yourself!" shouted Phoenix.

"Rest now, my warrior".

"Well Phoenix that makes two of us!" said Draco.

"Draco this is no time for . . . do you hear that?" asked Phoenix.

"What?"

"That! It sounds like . . . singing". Slowly, Phoenix and Draco looked to the portal.

"I do hear singing, is it coming through there?" asked Draco.

"Yes, its coming through the portal" said Phoenix.

"But what could be causing it?" asked Draco.

Phoenix gasped. "The Sirens!"

"The Sirens? Their . . . singing? But why?" asked Draco.

"Sometimes sirens express their emotions through their songs. I can tell that this song . . . it isn't a cry for help . . . they think there is no help" said Phoenix.

"What are they feeling?" asked Draco.

"This music . . . it has a strong meaning . . . yet a sad rhythm. They are sad, scared, and alone. Yet they are trying to be brave, despite their circumstances! But . . . they are crying" said Phoenix

"Are they now? Huh, those brave children" said Draco.

"Draco, how old are they?" asked Phoenix.

"Five, all of them" said Draco.

"Triplets?"

Draco nodded.

"I see, they will need someone to guide them, and keep them safe".

"And that someone will be me!" said Draco, with confidence.

"No Draco! I'll go there and watch them-"

"No you will not!" shouted Draco.

"Why can't you just let me-"

"Because I can't!!! I promised those girls that I would protect them! That I wouldn't let anything bad happen to them! Now there stuck in another dimension! I failed! But now I have the chance to go there and protect them again! I will fulfill my promise! I will be their guardian!" shouted Draco.

"Draco . . . why do these Sirens mean so much to you?"

" . . . Because they remind me of myself" said Draco.

Phoenix was taken aback, not expecting that type of answer.

"All their lives these girls have been treated like monsters. They have no friends and they have no family! All their lives they've been alone! And that's exactly how my life's gone! I know their pain because I too have lived my whole life alone! Day and night, ponies fearing you just because your different! Just because of your look or your special talent! They treat you like a monster and you have no one to help or comfort you! But that is the difference between me and them! That I didn't have anyone to comfort me! But them! They have each other! They are sisters! And somepony needs to protect them!"

"Draco . . . I-I-"

Draco didn't let her finish. Taking her by surprise, Draco quickly gave Phoenix a hug. "You have shown me that I am not a monster. I may look like one, and I'll probably have to start eating like one. But that doesn't mean that I have to be one". He looked into Phoenix's eyes. Both he and Phoenix had tears shimmering in their eyes. "You have so much to live for Phoenix, so much. And I thought that I didn't. But now I see that I as well have so much to live for! And this is it! This is what I have to live for! I need to sacrifice myself! I need to go to that world! Somepony needs to watch over the Sirens . . . and that ponies going to be me. It is my destiny".

"We all have our destinies, and it's up to us to find these destinies. And although we may not like the outcome of it, we still have to pull through. Stay strong, never give up, and most importantly, always believe in yourself. If there is a destiny that must be found, a destiny that must be completed, then there's no pony better for the job, then you. We can chose our destinies. But sometimes its best . . . to let the destinies choose you".

"I have chosen it, and it has chosen me. Then let me begin my destiny!"

He gently kissed Phoenix on the forehead, then gave her one last smile. Tears fell from his cheek as he did so. "Goodbye Phoenix Sprite. And may a happy life be blessed upon you".

He released Phoenix, giving her a slight nudge so that she could fall back to the surface. He extended his wings, allowing the force of the portal to pull him in. He did not struggle, he did not curse, he did not become angry. Draco was as calm as ever, as he accepted his fate.

"I am not a monster. I am not a vampony. I am a hero! I am a friend to the Sirens! I am a stallion who will now start his destiny! I am Draco Santino Jack! Now, let this destiny begin".

He closed his eyes and entered into the portal. As soon as he entered, he released the orb, freeing the explosion from its frozen state. The force of the explosion blasted him back, increasing the speed he was traveling in.

"My Sirens . . . my poor poor Sirens, there's no need to cry anymore".

He felt like he was falling, except instead of down, he was falling upwards.

"I will protect you".

The force of the portal grew stronger, he was now traveling through at an incredible speed.

"I will guide you".

He felt a sudden change in his body. Fingers started sprouting out of his hoofs. His spine was beginning to realign itself.

"I will watch over you".

He saw a bright light, as he came to his final destination.

"I will be your guardian".

Comments

[Asashi - Dark Fist Inari]

Okay I wanted to gag with this chapter, are you freaking kidding me man?

[Merotik]

6181197
What? Is it because nothing bad happened to Starswirl?

[Asashi - Dark Fist Inari]

6181995 A little too..........................sentimental here. But that one too.

[Merotik]

6185030
Ya, sorry. Nothing bad happens to Starswirl. And I wish I could explain why, but that's for another story.

[Asashi - Dark Fist Inari]

6185684 He needs a magical boot up his ass-hole.

[Merotik]

6186677
Agreed! Lol

[Asashi - Dark Fist Inari]

6186864