My Vampire Companion

by kazamacat

Chapter 8 - Daybreaker

One of the fledgling vampires ran up to Rainbow Dash, clearly unnerved by the sight of Daybreaker. "Master...what do we do?" they asked.

Rainbow blinked and gulped. "She's dangerous. You...if you want to leave, I won't stop you, but I am staying. I have to see what she does. I'm sure that fire is dangerous so avoid it or put it out as quickly as you can if it reaches you."

The fledgling nodded at that and ran back among the others. The group quickly and quietly spread the word among themselves. Ultimately, they decided to stay. Some were too nervous to chance Daybreaker's attention, others were just as interested as Rainbow, and still others actually wished to protect their master.

Daybreaker knew of the interaction between Rainbow Dash and the fledgling though she was not interested enough to try and listen to the actual words exchanged. The vampires could wait their turn. For now, she had another matter on her mind. The fiery alicorn turned her head over to where Suri lay on the ground with a wicked smile. "My maker...Suri Polomare."

"That I am," Suri replied with a nod, bringing herself to stand as she felt some of her own strength return. "Help me, my child. I am not fully recovered yet."

"Help you?" Daybreaker asked. "How could I possibly help you? I am an agent of destruction now. Such is what you have made me."

Suri smirked at her. "Oh, I'm so sorry that your form came out too weak for that after all. My mistake. What was I thinking? And here I thought the Elements of Harmony would so much for you."

At that, Daybreaker's face twitched. Somehow Suri knew that was the right button to push on her. Two could play that game. The evil alicorn smiled back. "I suppose I could try."

"Sister, don't!" Luna yelled suddenly, having recovered from her fallen position by a wall.

Daybreaker turned around. "Oh...it's you." She spoke with calm contempt. "What do you want? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Sister, you must transform back..." Luna pleaded with her. "You've become like my Nightmare Moon form."

"I know, isn't it great?" Daybreaker replied cheerfully. She went on to to gloat, "Except that I am, of course, much more beautiful and powerful than you ever were in that form." She chuckled wickedly. "Now then...as I was saying..." She turned her attention back to Suri Polomare.

Twilight Sparkle suddenly ran to place herself between Suri and Daybreaker with a determined and defiant look. She said nothing. Fearful tears welled in her eyes.

Daybreaker's muzzle twitched in annoyance, but she said nothing either. With a golden light of her horn, she magically lifted Suri over Twilight and brought the maker's body closer to hers as she began to study the pink mare.

Rainbow Dash watched with careful and curious magenta eyes. She knew something was up, but she did not know exactly how it would all play out just yet. She had a vague idea though. Daybreaker was hateful, and that hate extended to Suri.

The young vampire was not sure if Suri knew that or had such confidence in her magic because she could resurrect herself. The whole situation put Rainbow Dash on edge. She stood ready as she observed the scene, just in case either of the mares turned their attention to her, her friends, or her fledglings. They were not fireproof as she had been. She was not even sure if she still was fireproof. The Elements or time may have undone the status by this point. It was not something she could feel or know in her own essence.

"Rainbow Dash, do something!" Twilight hissed at her, distracting the vampire from her thoughts.

Rainbow grimaced. "Shh!" she said in annoyance.

Twilight was taken aback at that. The gesture actually made Twilight nervous and afraid she had lost her friend to Suri once more. Coco Pommel stepped in view close to Rainbow Dash and looked at Twilight. She also motioned for Twilight to shush with a hoof over her mouth.

Luna watched the two vampires from her place and decided to comply with their line of thinking, to simply be quiet and observe...for now.

The vampire fledglings kept careful, nervous watch...as did the rest of Rainbow's friends, including Twilight Sparkle.

Suri was a little irked by the act of the magical lift, but she otherwise did not resist.

"Ah, yes, of course," Daybreaker noted. Suddenly, numerous golden strands could be seen inside of Suri's body. "Right...here." The alicorn's magic worked at some of the strands and began to tweak them in place here or there. They faded from view. She magically set Suri down onto the floor, standing. "Better?" she asked in a tone that almost sounded sweet and as if she actually cared about the quality of her work.

"Yes, my dear child," Suri replied, brushing off one of her shoulders with a pleased and proud smile. She made two quick strokes of her own mane, recomposing herself.

"Wait, I think I might have missed one," Daybreaker suddenly said and repeated much of the same process though more aggressively. She magically lifted Suri, and the golden strands became visible again. It happened too fast for Suri to try stopping her. The alicorn's magic pulled and tugged at some of the strands.

"S-stop..." Suri uttered. It hurt, and she actually sounded scared.

It was too late. The strands broke.

Suri flinched and hissed in pain.

Her numerous hairpins flew out of her mane, held up momentarily by Daybreaker's magic. They all instantly burned to a crisp, turning into tiny black ashes that fell to the lobby floor.

Suri's amber eyes widened in horror at the scene.

Daybreaker smirked. She pulled hard at one more of the magical golden strands in Suri's essence, tearing it apart viciously with an ever increasing malice in her expression. She dropped the sorceress to the floor. "No more self-resurrection. Almost done with you, dear Maker."

"What did she say?" Rarity uttered quietly among her friends.

Applejack merely put a hoof to her shoulder. "You heard right, Rarity. Still think it's best for us to stay put though."

Rarity nervously gulped.

Coco silently nodded, and the white unicorn reluctantly decided that would have to be enough. Her other friends followed that lead.

Luna at least drew in closer and more protectively to the group, sensing Daybreaker might turn her attention to them soon. Rainbow Dash's eyes quickly darted to her fledglings. They still stood nervously and carefully watching everything like she was.

Suri suddenly sneered and glared up at the alicorn. "You disobedient little monster. You're broken. It was those blasted Elements, wasn't it?" She hissed. "You will pay for that!"

Daybreaker scoffed. "You have no power over me as you did the vampires. I am more than they ever were, are, or will be." She closed her eyes in her prideful boast.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash sensed something. A call from Suri, maybe? She was not sure, but it was enough for her to quickly shift her magenta eyes and seek out the amber ones of her maker.

Such eyes were ready. Suri glanced over to Rainbow Dash. She was breathing deep pained breaths and frowning, but she winked, then bowed her head as if in defeat.

Rainbow Dash blinked thoughtfully but kept watching. Whatever that meant, it was not a plea for help in the current moment.

The fiery alicorn turned her head over to where Suri lay on the ground, eyeing the sorceress with disdain. She broke into a wicked grin. "Ready to die?"

Suri shook her head. "No...but if you kill me, I've got a plan in place—the payment promised, my child. It's all set."

Daybreaker sneered. "Liar. You are a conniving, creature. I know that much of you. It is you who shall finally pay—with your life."

She flared her large white wings up and suddenly shot out a bout of fire from her mouth, incinerating Suri's body in an instant. All of Rainbow's group of friends looked on in stunned horror. Rainbow Dash herself still watched intently. She actually did care for Suri, but she was not worried about the mare's death as much as the new creation she had left behind.

Rainbow's fledglings watched, horrified too, some with dropped jaws. Others gulped. Their eyes darted the doors. One made a break for it, but they were easily caught in a golden magical aura.

"No, no, no, my pet," Daybreaker said in a condescending tone. "I'll deal with your lot soon enough, and you simply must stay for now. I insist." She threw the vampire pony back into the fray of the others. The nearby fledglings helped the thrown one stand and looked back at Daybreaker.

The wicked alicorn began to laugh and laugh.

"Sister..." Luna's stern voice broke through the air, feeling that with Suri gone, it was time to finally speak.

Daybreaker turned around. "You again? What do you want?"

"Making threats to such innocents. Murder. I was quite angry with the wickedness of that mare too, but you just outright killed her!" Luna exclaimed.

"Hmm, yes, I did, didn't I?" Daybreaker said with as sly smile as she thoughtfully stroked her chin. "It was kinda fun—had a nice taste to it. I am rather looking forward to doing it again. Perhaps you should be next."

Luna grimaced. "I understand what Suri Polomare has done to you, Celestia, but I will defend myself, unlike that mare."

Daybreaker's face twitched in annoyance. "My name is Daybreaker!" the fiery alicorn declared with ferocity, punctuating her words louder as she spoke. She angrily shot a blast of magic at Luna. The younger alicorn dodged.

"Cease this attack! This change was forced on you!" Luna reminded her.

Daybreaker sneered. "I do not care. I want fire and bloodshed and power! The world is now mine for the taking." She laughed her high-pitched wicked laugh again before grinning wickedly and shooting another three menacing blasts of magic at Luna. She snarled with pleasure.

The night alicorn dodged the first two, but the third struck the side of her stomach, forcing Luna to fall to the floor.

"Alright, that's it!" Rainbow Dash said and flew to right in front of the night alicorn, with her back to Luna and facing Daybreaker. Feathered wings became bat-like. Magenta eyes turned red. Fangs in her mouth took shape. She had quickly taken on her vampire form.

"Well, if it isn't Maker's Pet," Daybreaker said in slow, annoyed disgust. "You do know I'm her favorite, right? If she were still alive that is. You were just the stepping stone to me. Your precious little fledglings are creatures that I can burrrn." Her voice grew ever more monstrous as she spoke before she shot out even more fire from her mouth, aiming for the fledglings.

Some vampires were struck and cried out in pain, rolling themselves on the ground. Others began to run toward the doors of the lobby.

"We need water! Or a fire extinguisher!" Twilight exclaimed to her friends.

Some fledglings paused at that, deciding the suggestion could help them too.

Luna had enough strength and magic left to conjure some to aid the weakened victims.

Even so, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Fluttershy were off to find any nearby aid they could.

Rainbow Dash sneered and forcefully threw her entire body into Daybreaker, shoving the tall mare back some across the floor of the lobby. Orange-plated hooves made a scraping sound as a result.

Daybreaker laughed. "You think you stand a chance against me? A mere vampire?! You may be the master among most of them, but I am an alicorn! An empowered, evil alicorn of fire—your kind's weakness! A monster beyond anything Equestria has ever seen!" She shot out her fire from her mouth again only to see Rainbow Dash pass right through it and throw a right hook at her face.

The strike was enough to stun Daybreaker as she put a hoof up to her cheek.

"I know I do," Rainbow snarled. It had been a gamble, but it paid off. "I'm still fireproof."

"Impossible...it should have worn off by now," Daybreaker uttered.

Rainbow Dash snickered. "Correction then. I'm permanently fireproof."

"What?!" the startled alicorn's wicked demeanor faltered at that news.

"Parting gift from Suri. Now I get it. She did it right after you healed her magic when she stroked her mane," Rainbow explained.

Daybreaker sneered and started to regain herself. "So what? I can still fight you! You're still nothing to me, little vampire, fireproof or not!"

She shot a golden blast of magic, but Rainbow Dash dodged it easily. The sky blue vampire dived and grabbed the alicorn by the neck, clutching tightly around it with her forelimbs. She then flew them both up high into the ceiling of the lobby again. Daybreaker flapped her large wings to try and escape, but Rainbow Dash still held tight. They veered and curved through the air. Like a wayward blue-and-white missile with a trail of rainbow fire, the pair tore through one of the walls to the castle, up into the night air. The hole left behind began to burn, but Luna saw it. She and the others would tend to that too.

With a quick hiss baring her fangs, Rainbow Dash dived back down again, crashing Daybreaker into the ground of the path leading up to the castle. She back-flipped off the larger pony and hovered in the air.

Daybreaker stood back up, hurt but not hurt enough to keep her down. She stared at the challenger with frustration and malice. "You are strong, but so am I." She shot another blast of magic that Rainbow dodged.

"But are you fast?" Rainbow Dash taunted her with a playful waggle of her eyebrows.

Daybreaker snorted. "Of course I am. You dare doubt me?"

"And ponies think I'm arrogant," Rainbow muttered quietly to herself. Then she addressed the evil alicorn with a playful air. "Care to prove it?"

"I hardly think I have to prove myself to the likes of you," Daybreaker replied with conceit and disdain.

Still hovering, Rainbow thoughtfully replied, "Maybe not, but are you really going to pass up the chance? You talk big, but I was the one who just rammed you into the ground just now. The 'mere vampire', remember?"

Daybreaker growled. "Grrrrrr..."

"Well?" Rainbow goaded.

"You want a race, you puny little creature. You can have a race!" Daybreaker fumed up at her. "The castle garden. Discord's statue and back. Now!"

The two shot off, leaving a trail of rainbow colors and fire.

Inside the castle lobby, Coco turned her head toward the doors. "Rainbow Dash, what are you...?"

"What is it, Coco?" Twilight asked.

Coco sighed. "I'm going out there to keep an eye on things. Those two just left the area for a race."

"A race?" an annoyed Applejack asked her.

"They're coming back," Coco noted.

"Perhaps you should accompany Coco while we tend to the fire and fledglings here," Rarity suggested. "Best be ready when those mares return."

Coco nodded in agreement.

Applejack sighed. "Yeah, alright." She joined Coco as they walked out of the castle.

"I can't believe those two are racing at a time like this. Doesn't Rainbow Dash know what's at stake here?" Applejack grumbled.

"I've been wondering the same thing," Coco answered. "Maybe there's a logic to it. This race keeps Daybreaker busy instead of killing off her fledglings or other ponies or Spike."

"Yeah, but it's not like a race is gonna last long enough to do much," Applejack muttered.

"It might. I might not. We're having the time to talk now after all. What would you have her do instead?"

"Bring back Celestia with the Elements of Harmony!"

They both paused at the realization of a possible opening thanks to the time granted to them, but then...Coco grimaced. "I'm not sure that's an option with how Suri used their magic to make her."

Applejack gulped at that thought, but it was still something she was willing to try. She quickly went back inside to suggest the idea to her friends.

Not far from where Coco and Applejack had spoken with each other, Daybreaker ripped through the air, flying just above the patches of grass leading to the castle garden. Her flames did not touch their surface, leaving the area intact for now. She was deeply annoyed at the sight of a sky blue bat pony flying upside down alongside her with a smug smile. The red gem glinted in the moonlight, seeming to taunt her. "Thought you were fast," Rainbow said with a playful waggle of her eyebrows.

She suddenly picked up speed and passed Daybreaker altogether. It did not take her long to find her target. The sky blue vampire gave a little tap to the statue before using a forehoof on Discord's goat horn to swing herself around and take off back to the castle. She felt a slight pulse in the lightning bolt of her necklace, but given how slight it was, she did not find it at all concerning. Discord remained encased in stone.

Daybreaker glared, but she made sure to give the statue a tap too, with enough force to knock thing down to the ground. It did not break or suffer any damage. Like Rainbow Dash, she felt a slight pulse in the gem on her necklace and like Rainbow Dash, she ignored it. It was slight and weak, and she was the most powerful thing in existence. Discord was still in his stone prison. Even if he somehow escaped, that would just give her some other powerful creature to kill later. She paid it no mind and silently fumed at her main enemy for the moment, the one causing the rainbow trail ahead of her.

Rainbow Dash arrived with Daybreaker extremely close behind her. The vampire tapped a hoof to the castle lobby doors. "I win!" she said happily, congratulating herself.

To her surprise, her friends looked up at her with ready positions. She quickly figured out that Spike, Luna, and her fledglings were still in the castle lobby. The Elements of Harmony, Coco suggested to her telepathically.

Rainbow smiled at the idea. She remained hovering by the lobby doors. Each gem began to charge. The usual rainbow ribbon did not form. Instead, there was a thick solid white beam that aimed for Daybreaker as she drew closer. However, the fiery alicorn was protected by some kind of force-field, denying their power.

"What?" Fluttershy uttered in horror.

"Oh no," Applejack murmured.

"Now what do we do?" Pinkie Pie asked her friends.

"This is horrible," Rarity noted.

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight said in a deeply sad voice. "How are we going to get her back now?"

"I'll figure it out!" Rainbow said to them with a determined look.

Daybreaker huffed as she descended to the ground. "So much for that idea," she said to the group before she looked up and scowled at Rainbow Dash. "I don't need to be fast as you can see. I am Daybreaker! Ruler of Equestria. I have all the power I need to get rid of anypony who stands in my way, including you." She charged her horn again, only to have Rainbow Dash swoop in and give the horn a quick swipe.

"You sure about that?" the vampire asked with another taunt.

Daybreaker tried to grab her with a telekinetic grip but received an electric shock for her efforts. "What?!"

Rainbow smirked at her. "Maybe you're not so powerful after all or I'm more powerful than you think. Maybe Suri gave me a few boosts before we set out to transform you. She could be generous in her own twisted way, you know."

Daybreaker snarled. "I will defeat you, Sis-" she caught herself.

The vampire chuckled. "Is that it? You think I'm like your big sister that you have to outdo with how Suri made each of us and then used me to create you? Big Sis just beat you in a race."

"No!" Daybreaker denied immediately. "You are nothing but a tiny ant that I will squash." She lifted herself from the ground, flapping her large white wings as she began to hover in the air. "You might be fireproof, but your pony friends and fledglings are not."

Another monstrous bout of fire shot from her mouth straight for Coco Pommel.

Rainbow saw the target and swiftly swooped down in time to pick up Coco. They moved clear of the shot. The fire landed on a nearby tree and began to burn.

"Oh no!" Applejack uttered. She and the others immediately went back into the lobby.

Daybreaker did not stop there. Fire swirled around her body as she laughed. Rainbow Dash immediately set Coco down, then flew towards Daybreaker and rammed her forehooves into the alicorn's side, but the fire shot forth nonetheless at some grass.

Coco gulped and fearfully backed away from the flames.

Canterlot was burning, and its ruler did not care. Instead, she grinned. "That's more like it, but I think we need something with a little more oomph."

Instead of going for Coco, she glanced into the castle lobby and grabbed two of the closest fledglings she could find, then tossed them into the burning tree nearby.

Fsfwwshhhhhh A white mist covered them as Pinkie Pie sprayed a fire extinguisher over their bodies and the tree itself.

Luna and company arrived not long after, doing their best to put out the other flames before more of Canterlot took damage from it all.

The whole thing annoyed the fiery monster. "They're in the way," she muttered to herself. Her gold eyes darted about, assessing her options. She spotted Coco again, but she knew she needed a little something more, something extra to delay and distract Rainbow Dash just enough.

Eyeing the fledgling vampires and Rainbow's other friends, Daybreaker smirked to herself. "But they're also leverage." Her horn lit with its magical golden glow as she lifted them all.

Luna grit her teeth and did her best to use her magic to pull them back to herself. Unfortunately for her, the force was too much. Just as she had experienced against Suri's magic before, a strong electric magic zapped her. She was once again immobilized for the time being.

Rainbow's eyes widened, and she inhaled nervously. Coco's eyes widened too.

With a wicked smile, Daybreaker flew even further into the city of Canterlot, carrying the numerous pony bodies with her.

The two vampires followed. Rainbow's own fledglings inside the castle lobby sensed their master's apprehension, and some led the others out to see what was happening.

Satisfied with her location above an empty street with some buildings, Daybreaker waited for Rainbow Dash.

The sky blue vampire arrived and hovered with nervous breaths before the fiery alicorn. Galloping hooves on the ground announced Coco's arrival to the scene.

"Well now," the evil alicorn said. "I've got friends and fledglings with me. If I drop them, you cannot possibly save them all—fast as you are, dear Sis—I mean, you pathetic creature. You'll have to choose. And of course, then there's your own master below." She laughed her energetic high-pitched wicked laugh. "So vulnerable. Let's see what you do."

Rainbow Dash gulped. Daybreaker was right. Fluttershy could fly. Twilight might be able to use her magic to soften any fall, same as Rarity, but she could not assume they would. Not to mention Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Coco might be able to grab one or two of them in time unless Daybreaker grabbed her too fast.

Daybreaker smiled with ever wicked gold eyes as she released her magical grip on the entire group.

They fell—and just as Daybreaker released them, she grabbed a nearby Coco Pommel in her magic.

Desperate tears in her eyes, Rainbow Dash swooped down in arc She thought one powerful, pleading thought to everything happening. HELP!!!

She suddenly sensed some other magic at work and scanned the area.

A large red magical aura surrounded her friends and the two fledglings. Rainbow's lips parted in awe. How? She was no unicorn. Her eyes shifted about until she remembered to look down. There, several of her own unicorn fledglings stood, smiling proudly, as they gently guided their previous saviors to the ground with them.

"Rainbow Dash!" a soft voice pleaded, drawing the sky blue vampire's attention away from the relief.

Rainbow Dash nervously looked around. That was Coco's voice—in pain, but Coco was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Daybreaker. The vampire grimaced and took a deep breath.

"They went that way," one of her fledglings informed her and pointed even further into the city.

Rainbow nodded and set off.

She soon found Daybreaker standing on a platform of gold magic, and the vampire was horrified. Not only was Coco in the alicorn's magical grip, but the powerful monster was doing just what she had done to Suri with the golden strands of magic. Rainbow knew she was probably planning to mess with them and make Coco Pommel mortal once more, just to kill her afterwards.

"No!" Rainbow uttered to herself in fear.

She did not wait or think of anything except to fly as fast as she could and push Daybreaker with all the force she had in her. It was even enough to make another Rainboom that night. The alicorn had not expected Rainbow's arrival so soon and was too shocked to respond. The jolt was enough to break Coco free from the magic.

Coco fell, and Rainbow quickly grabbed her master. She flew away from the wicked alicorn as fast as she could. Cradling Coco in her forelimbs, the younger vampire asked nervously, "Did she...?"

"No," Coco replied. "You got there just in time," She smiled a sweet, grateful smile. "Thanks, Precious, for being my hero."

Rainbow blushed. Before she could think of what to say, she sensed and dodged a blast of golden magic. "Dang it. That mare just does not let up. Sorry, my love, but I've got to take care of this."

Coco giggled, touched at the chosen moment for such words. "Okay."

A couple of bat ponies were approaching, and Rainbow passed Coco to them. "Please look after her. I'll handle Daybreaker."

They quietly nodded.

Rainbow Dash returned to the fiery alicorn waiting for her. "Just you and me. Leave the others out of this already, Daybreaker."

Daybreaker sneered. "I suppose that was a little overkill," she admitted, briefly thinking of how easily she grabbed Twilight Sparkle. "So, fine...back to just us, little vampire. Then I can have my destruction and fire and bloodshed. But—you first." The fiery alicorn flew as fast she could straight at Rainbow Dash, but the vampire used her agility and speed to shift slightly to the right and dodged the strike entirely. She struck a hoof to Daybreaker's neck, causing the alicorn's necklace to shatter.

Daybreaker descended to the ground level and quickly recovered, shaking it off. She shot a blast of magic that finally struck Rainbow Dash. The vampire winced and wiggled her hoof.

Daybreaker laughed. "It's only a matter of time before I wear you down, Si...I mean, Rainbow Dash!"

"Then I better up my game and be quick," Rainbow muttered.

She flew swiftly enough to create her rainbow trail right past the alicorn.

"You missed!" Daybreaker said to her and shot her magic, but the pegasus zipped right past her again. The alicorn narrowed her eyes, not entirely sure what was happening. Back and forth Rainbow Dash went, flying by with a moderately strong wind that passed the alicorn each time.

Magic and fire extinguished too quickly within the passing prismatic trail. The vampire kept changing her trajectory slightly. With each pass, it was not obvious at first that she was changing her elliptical path to a more closed in circle. The movement created a rainbow tornado before Rainbow Dash whammed her body, momentum and all into Daybreaker, crashing the pair into the pavement of the empty street. Her ready fangs bit onto the alicorn's neck—hard.

Daybreaker's fire flared upward as she screamed, setting the pavement on fire in the process. The scream wasn't anywhere on the level of Suri's scream earlier, but it was enough to know she was in pain. "You'll pay for this!" Daybreaker snarled with her numerous sharp teeth visible. Her horn lit as it summoned the shattered pieces from her necklace closer to the pair. "I'll make a monster out of you worse than Suri Polomare ever could!" She pulled the Loyalty necklace off Rainbow Dash. Her horn lit, and she desperately called out her magic to do something horrible. Monstrosity was her focus in a plea to the earlier touch of chaotic power in the shattered gem, which was about to cause several problems for everyone.

Author's Note:

Discord | Patreon

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My other Rainbow Dash vampire stories:

The Master Mev is my main work. It is both lighter and longer than this story, my true pride and joy.

Vampires About Ponyville was a very similar concept last year of me being in the mood to write something involving Rainbow Dash as a blood-drinking vampire and similar in planned length of this story.

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Well, I did it. I made this chapter longer and published this weekend. I hope you enjoyed it. There are some notable changes from my earlier drafts of this chapter that I'll have to account for in the next one. Even so, I hope to publish Chapter 9 on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, bringing this story to a conclusion.

Comments

[Yubella]

Oh boy. This will be intresting