> Demonic Brother
>  by kurusagi16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prelude 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prelude




In the small village of Oaken, on a dark and eerie night, a small colt draped in a heavy cloak, hurried quickly and quietly down the streets and alleyways. He stayed close to the shadows, so that anypony who happened to be out would not be able to see him, as he headed toward his destination. Which, just so happened to be a lone shop that stood at the far end of the village, nestled between two taller, less shabby buildings. The colt wasted no time in trotting right up to the door and knocked. After a few moments, the door opened a crack, a single eye peering out from it.

"Who are you and why have you come, state your name and where you are from." said the pony that stood on the otherside of the doorway. 

The colt pulled down the hood of his cloak, revealing his young, pale face, and crimson-colored mane. He cleared his throat, and said, "My name is Drake, from Castle Alucard. I take it you're the town shawmare, Zecora?"

The door opened a bit wider, revealing the face of Zebra mare. "Yes indeed, what is it that you need?" she asked.

"I was sent here by Eldra, she placed an order from you, and I've come to pick it up." Drake replied.

Zecora eyed him carefully, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized him before finally opening the door all the way and beckoning him inside. 

"Yes, I have what you seek. To prepare this order was no easy feat. Please wait inside, it'll be ready in a bit. Until then, please do sit."

Drake took her offer and sat himself down on a nearby stool while Zecora headed into the backroom, and began to take in the inside of the shop and all of its curiosities. It was a fairly small room, with mysterious masks and talismans hanging from the walls, and bookshelves cluttered with books, bottles, candles, and dried out herbs. Never before had he seen anything quite as strange as this in his life. So strange was it, that it prompted Drake to get up from the stool and began to roam around, getting a closer look at what was laid before him. As his eyes scanned over the objects, he caught sight of something that quickly piqued his interest. It was a bottle filled with pearly liquid, as white as the freshest milk. Drake picked up the bottled and squinted at its insides, lightly swishing it around, and wondering what sort of concoction it was.
Just then, Drake's ears perked up as he heard the sound of hoofsteps approaching from the backroom. Not wanting to get in trouble for poking around the store items, Drake hurried back to his stool, and watched Zecora step back into the room, carrying with her a small, white paper bag in her mouth. 

She dropped it into his open hooves and said. "Take this to your mistress without delay, and tell her to give my required pay."

"She's not my mistress." grumbled Drake, getting up and heading for the door. "But I'll be sure to tell her that."

Zecora bade Drake farewell, as made his way home to Castle Alucard.



* * *



Castle Alucard was an ancient and magnificent structure that had long stood against the test of time. Made from strong, finely cut blocks of stone, it was a stronghold fit for a king, or in this case, the noble vampiric family that was the Alucards. For centuries it had been their home, passed down from generation to generation of each head of the Alucard family. However, since the true, current head of house had flown off to the New World, it had since been occupied by its next successor, Eldra.
And so it was, on this dark and eerie night, that Eldra was passing the time by lounging around and ordering the servants to do various tasks (for she liked watching how they would scurry about and fall over themselves in order to please her). As she was directing one servant on where to hang a grand pirtrait of herself, Drake had returned and entered the room with the package. 

"Ah, Drake." Eldra purred, noticing the colt. "Have you brought what I asked for?" 

Drake pulled out the bag and gave it to her. "Yes." he replied simply. 

Eldra snatched up the bag and took a peek inside. She grinned as she looked down at its contents. "Yes, this will work quite nicely." she murmured. 

"The shawmare wanted me to tell you that she'd like to be compensated for making your order." Drake added.

Eldra scoffed and waved her hoof absently. "Please, as if I'd actually pay the likes her. She should just be honored to know that I'd even allowed myself to consort with the likes of a witch. Hmph!"

Drake frowned disapprovingly, but said nothing. He knew it would be pointless, and that nothing he said or did would be able to compel Eldra to change her mind to pay back the shamare. Instead, he excused himself, and headed for his quarters. As he walked down the hallway, he wondered why it was that he had ended up getting stuck in the care of a pony like Eldra.
For you see, since he was brought to Castle Alucard just a few years or so ago, it had been declared that he was in Eldra's care and that she was his guardian. Drake could recall the times in which he'd went up to Eldra and asked how she became his guardian and what happened to his parents. To which she'd always reply that they were dead or that they abandoned him, that she was the only one who was there to rescue him from what would've been a terrible fate, and then she'd brush the discussion off to the side and change the subject. This made Drake often wonder about his parents, who they were, what they were like, and if they even loved him or not. He kept all these thoughts to himself however, because he knew that it'd be pointless to ask anypony if they knew, which they probably didn't. 
When Drake finally got to his room, he took off his cloak, and tossed it onto his bed. As he did this, something slipped out of its pocket and clattered onto the floor. Drake's eyes widened as they looked upon the object, which was the bottle with the white liquid he'd been looking at while in the shop. 

"How'd that get there?" Drake wondered aloud. Then he remembered how as he had hurried back to his stool, he had slipped the bottle into his pocket without even thinking about it. He slammed his hoof against his forehead and scolded himself. 'I'll have to try and return it later.' he thought to himself.

He went over and picked up the bottom from the floor, and noticed a label printed out on its bottom. He tilted the bottle so he could clearly read the script, and it read: Memorial Remedy, for the viewing and remembrance of the past.

Drake looked at the bottle in confusion, finding the label to be both informative and strange. He could understand the part about remembering the past, making it seem like this was some kind of memory potion, but he didn't understand what 'viewing' meant. Would he see the past flash before his eyes or something? A thought, or rather, a very curious thought, sprang into Drake's head. He wondered if taking the potion would help him remember his parents. It would be a long shot of course, since he didn't actually know if the potion worked or not, but even still, the possibility was almost to tempting for Drake to resist. He had long wished he could've met his parents, and now it seemed that the chance to had just fallen into his lap.
After giving it some considerable thought, Drake decided to drink the potion, but only a bit of it. He uncorked the bottle and sipped the milky liquid. It had an odd taste to it, but other than that, it wasn't too bad. He wanted a moment but nothing seemed to happen. He was about to call the potion a dud, when suddenly a light filled his eyes, and he felt himself being transported somewhere, even though he was still remaining in his room.
Drake blinked, and his vision cleared. He found himself in the living room of what appeared to be a humble cottage. "Where am I?" he wondered. He then noticed a Pegasus mare nearby, sitting in a great armchair and humming to herself as she knitted a blanket. Drake could tell she was pregnant, because of her swollen belly, and that's when he realized that this mare was his mother.

"See the twinkling stars, within their moonlit sky, dream the night away, as I sing my lullaby." The mare sang sweetly, pausing from her knitting, to rub her belly gently.

Drake just stood there, taking in the whole scene. "My wonderful baby, I can't wait to finally meet you." his mother whispered. 

He listened to every word she uttered, never before hearing her voice until now. He could feel his eyes beginning to well up, and quickly wiped them. Then, the scene began to fade away, bringing Drake back to reality. He looked down at the bottle, amazed at how it worked. His mother was making a blanket for him, was singing a lullaby to him,...she loved him. It filled Drake with a warmth that he'd never felt before, filling his heart and spreading throughout his body. Without hesitating this time, Drake took another drink from the bottle, this time a larger dose. 
Same as before, his eyes filled with a bright light, and he found himself back in the presence of his mother, this time lying tiredly in a bed. A mare in an apron came up to her and handed her two bundles before leaving her. Drake trotted up to the bed to get a closer look at the bundles. It was then he saw two Pegasus foals, one he recognized as himself, and the other was a filly that bore a similar resemblance to him, but had pink hair instead of crimson.

His mother beamed as she looked down at the pair. "I'm so happy." she breathed. "Happy to have been blessed with two adorable fouls." She cuddled them close to her chest and whispered, "Drake, Fluttershy, my beautiful babies."

Drake stared unblinkingly at the little filly next to his younger self. He had a sister. He had a sister. All this time, he'd thought he was an only child, the thought never crossed his mind that he could have a sibling, but now it turned out that he did! It all seemed incredible. For the next few minutes, he watched his mother contently as she doted on her dear newborns, but the touching scene was soon shattered, when a sinister laugh pierced from the shadows.

Drake's mother pulled her foals into a protective embrace, and called out, "Who's there?"

Out from the shadows, stepped Eldra herself, grinning cruelly. "My, my. Isn't this just precious!" she said sarcastically. "The touching sight of a mother and her spawn."

Drake felt frozen in place. What was Eldra doing here?

"What do you want?" his mother asked cautiously. 

Eldra inched past Drake to the bed. "What do I want? Quite simple really." she said. Then, in a lightening fast move, she pinned Drake's mother by her neck. "I want you and my brother's little brats dead, so that I can see the look on his face when he learns that his dear wife and newborns, who he loves more than anything in the world, are gone." 

A fire lit up in Drake's eyes. He ran at Eldra and tried to attack her, but ended up hitting nothing but air. 'That's right.' he thought. 'This is all just a memory.' 

"Please..." His mother choked. "Leave my babies alone. You can whatever you want with me, but let them be, they're innocent!" 

Eldra smirked. "As tempting as that sounds, I already have something quite dreadful planned for you." Her ear twitched a little and she added, "And they should be here at any moment now." 

"They?" 

Eldra didn't reply, but rather, she gazed down at the two fouls that Drake's mother was still clinging to. "On second thought, there's a slight change in plan." she said. With great ease, she wrenched young Drake from his mother's arms, causing both of them to cry out in protest. 

"NO! GIVE HIM BACK!" Her pleas fell upon deaf ears however. Eldra peered down at Drake's bundle, then looked over her shoulder at his mother and sneered at her.

"So sorry, wench, but as I said, there's been a change of plans." Then began to stalk off, adding, "Say goodbye to your darling son, and perish knowing there was nothing a weak thing like you could to save him, much less your daughter or yourself. Farewell." And with that, she was gone.

Drake's mother tried to get up from the bed, but was too tired and weak to do so. She collapsed onto the bed and broke out into heavy, hysterical sobs. Drake's ears then pricked up, as he heard the sound of ponies yelling and shouting coming from outside. He hurried over to the window and saw a mob of ponies with pitchforks and torches heading toward the house, cursing his mother. He watched as they began to set the house ablaze, the intense fire and smoke filling the room, suffocating his mother and sister. It was at this moment that Drake was pulled away from the memory. He let out a cry of protest as it happened, not wanting to leave her or his sister, but he had no control over it and returned to his room. 



* * *



For what seemed like forever, Drake sat on the floor in the middle of his room, processing all that he had seen. His mother...his sister...they were both taken away from him and left for dead...and Eldra was responsible! The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling like such a fool for doing as she said and helping in whatever tasks she gave him. Drake narrowed his eyes over at the potion, imagining Eldra standing in its place, mocking him and making snide comments about his family. He reached over and picked up the bottle, the remaining liquid within swishing as it moved. He still had more questions about the past, and this potion could help provide him with some of the answers he craved. And once he had them, he'd begin to plan his revenge. Revenge on Eldra, and make her pay for everything she'd ever done to his family, and everypony else. And so it began...
> The Capital
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Capital



Many years later, in the present....



Fluttershy was standing in the middle of a grand ballroom dressed in a resplendent ballgown. She immediately began to feel uneasy, as all the ponies present in the room stood around her in a large circle, staring at her and whispering among themselves. Fluttershy cringed, wanting to run away and hide someplace to avoid their looks. Then, a single voice spoke up, drawing her attention away from the spectators. 

"Ah, Fluttershy, my dear!" said Discord, who suddenly appeared before her, dressed in a handsome-looking tuxedo.  "I've been looking all over for you."

"Oh, Discord." said Fluttershy, feeling a teeny bit of relief. "Thank goodness, it's good to see you."

"My, my, what seems to be the matter my dear? You're all flustered." said Discord, causing Fluttershy's cheeks to turn a slightly deeper shade of red.

Fluttershy cast her eyes downward and pressed a clench hoof against her chest as she replied, "I can't help it, everypony keeps staring at me! I'm...I'm so embarrassed." 

Without any warning, Discord suddenly pulled Fluttershy into a tender embrace, pressing her against his chest, and lifting her chin up so that she was looking up at his face and into those bright eyes of his. 

"They are looking at you because you are lovely, and all of them are in awe because of it." he said sweetly.

"Discord..."  Fluttershy uttered.

"Just stay close to me, and you won't have to worry about all those other ponies, alright?"

Fluttershy wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head against his chest. "Oh Discord, that makes me feel better. Thank you."

It was certainly nothing short of an almost perfect and sweet moment, that is, until it was abruptly cut short by a loud voice ringing out, "DISCORD!!" And just like that, the scene shattered. 

Discord's eyes shot open and he quickly sat himself up from the table he'd been sitting at, feeling a bit of drool dripping from the side of his mouth. At first, Discord had no idea where he was, until he slowly began to process his surroundings and remember that he was at the Office of the Magistrate. He was in a dully-colored circular room, with little to no furniture, excluding the table and chair that Discord was currently in front of him. Discord looked straight ahead of him, and spotted the source of the interruption to his enjoyable and pleasant dream. It was none other than Magister Luna, and she didn't look very pleased, with her narrowed eyes and arms folded across her chest.

"Discord," said Luna, her voice filled with irritation. "If you're going to take this test with any shred of seriousness, then the least you can do is stay awake so that you can actually complete it!"

He glanced down at the table, and saw a few forms, some of which were still not quite finished, before him. It all came flooding back to him. He had come by order/request of the Magistrate to fill out some forms and take a few tests, so he could apply for citizenship in the New World. Discord also recalled how partway through he'd gotten bored by the forms and dozed off.

He rolled his eyes at Luna and replied to her, "Well to be frank, my dear, your paperwork here is so dry and dull that it'd put anypony to sleep."

Luna groaned. "No matter." she said. "Just finish it up, and then..." Using her magic, she heaved up a large book onto the table. "...You can go over these rules and regulations before completing the final forms."

Discord frowned at both Luna and the mountain of papers he had to go through. But instead of saying anything back, he merely grumbled under his breath and resumed the work he'd been doing before his little nap, occasionally glancing up at Luna who remained there to make sure he didn't fall asleep again.

It had been roughly a few months since he had been freed from his stone prison, and since he met Fluttershy and gotten those rouge vampires under control. During which time, Discord had been staying out at Fluttershy's villa, where the two of them recovered from their little ordeal with Eldra and took the time to just relax and get to know one another. It wasn't until a week ago that he'd gotten the letter from the Magistrate. 
When he'd arrived, Magister Celestia sat him down and asked what his intentions were now that he was free, and after a while the conversation drifted to a discussion of making him an official citizen of the New World. When Celestia first recommended it, Discord wasn't really sure if he wanted to go through the long and tedious process, but then he thought, if he was an actual citizen, then it'd be a lot easier for him to move about and not worry about getting caught and reported by ponies. Not to mention he'd get a better chance of getting to spend more time with Fluttershy, outside the villa and outside of his disguise.
And so here he was, the great, infamous Master/Lord/Spirit of Chaos, sitting down and doing paperwork. Answering boring questions. Sitting still in one place. With no other sound except the noise from the quill pen as it wrote on the paper. For a being like Discord, it was right along the line of torture. He was going stir crazy, as he itched to move around and do something outlandish and outrageous. Like turn the room upside down, give it bright and garish colors that clashed, or something as equally silly to Magister Luna. 
But, as much as he wanted to do that, he was stopped by one thing, the thought of how Fluttershy would react if she saw or found out what he'd done if he did it. She'd tell him how upset and disappointed she was in him, and she'd tell him how he'd have to make up for what he'd done and apologize to the Magistrate. (Something he wasn't too fond of doing, seeing how he was still working on how to be nice, and apologies were still something he had a bit of trouble giving out.)
Thus, Discord did his best to push those thoughts to the back of his head, and instead tried to distract his mind with something else, so he could finish his work and finally go back to the villa. He began to imagine Fluttershy there waiting for him with a piping hot plate of biscuits with jam and a cup of tea, and how she'd ask him how it went at the Magistrate, ready to be comforting and supportive when needed. For Discord, while the thought was indeed nice and pleasant, it still felt odd and foreign to him.
After all, he had been a wild and carefree spirit in the old days, and now he was living with a kind, adorable, beautiful little Pegasus, who treated him like dear friend.  He'd never had a friend before in all his days, and now that he had one, it seemed almost impossible to believe. And yet it was true. Dear, sweet little Fluttershy was his friend. His dear friend. His best friend. His...

"Discord!" said Luna sharply. "Do not doodle on the forms." 

Discord then took a closer look at his paper and felt his face grow warm. He had been so wrapped up in his own mind, that he accidentally scribbled little butterflies and hearts onto the paper. He quickly snapped his talons, and made the doodles disappear, and feverishly went back to completing the test. Luna arched an eyebrow at him, taking note of how embarrassed he seemed to be when she caught him. If she wanted, she could've pressed Discord to see what the issue was, but chose to just resume supervising the Draconequus. For the rest of that time, there was nothing but silence, and pen scratches.



* * *



Meanwhile, while all that was going on, Fluttershy and Twilight were riding together in a carriage, heading for the capital.

"It feels good to be going home." Twilight said aloud as she looked out the window at the passing scenery. "It feels like forever since I was back here, it'll be nice to Shining Armor and everypony again."

"I've never been to the capital before." said Fluttershy. "What's it like?"

Twilight mused over it for a moment, before explaining to Fluttershy what her hometown was like. "Well, it's pretty big, and there's a lot of different kinds of homes and establishments. My favorite has got to be the library, then again, the observatory's pretty nice too. But anyway, it's always pretty busy, a lot different from Wisteria and other country towns."

Fluttershy listened intently with wide-eyed curiosity. "Oh? Papa sometimes talked about capital from time to time. He said that it relies more on modern science than on traditional magic."

Twilight nodded. "Yep. You'll still see some magic used here and there, but for the most part, cities like the capital try to focus more on science and trying to create substitutions for spells and such. I guess you could call it the progress of the New World."

Fluttershy gave a small smile. "It sounds interesting, I can't wait to see it!" she said. "I wonder if Discord is having any fun there right now."

"Well, probably not right now, after all, he has to take that citizenship test, so he might have his...paws full." said Twilight.

Fluttershy lowered her head down a little. "Oh."

"But, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Once he finishes, he can meet up with us while we're taking a look around town."

"Really?"

Twilight nodded. "I made sure to send a quick letter to Magister Celestia, to let her know we'll be stopping by for a quick visit. So, I'm sure we'll all be able to catch in some sight seeing before we head back."

"That sounds like a lovely idea!" chirped Fluttershy. "Thank you, Twilight."

"No thanks necessary." Twilight replied. She turned back to the window, her eyes lighting up as she said, "Ah! We're here!"

Fluttershy also looked out the window, and watched as the carriage pulled into the capital. She stared unblinkingly as she looked at the town, feeling as though she'd stepped into an entirely different world. There were buildings that ranged from towering to medium heights, dozens of shops advertising their businesses, and even little apartment homes for the townsponies to live in.

Twilight glanced over at Fluttershy and chuckled. "Welcome to the capital, Fluttershy."




Shining Armor was standing in front of the stairs of the Office of the Magistrate, looking for any sign of his little sister. He was beginning to wonder what was keeping her, and if maybe something bad had happened to her. But the worry quickly disappeared when her a voice call out to him.

"Shining!" Shining Armor turned his head in the direction of the voice, and was immediately tackled in a hug by Twilight.

"Twily!" he cried joyfully, returning the hug. "I ,missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, BBBFF." replied Twilight. 

The two Unicorn siblings pulled away, Shining Armor ruffled the top of his sisters head and said, "It's great to have you back."

"It's great to be back."

Shining Armor then looked over Twilight's shoulder and spotted Fluttershy. "I'm guessing this is the friend you've been writing to me about." he said. 

Twilight nodded and motioned for Fluttershy to come closer. "This is Fluttershy, Fluttershy, this is my older brother, Shining Armor."

"It's nice to meet you." said Fluttershy with a little curtsy.

"Please, the pleasure's all mine." replied Shining, giving her a light bow. "To tell the truth, I was actually starting to worry a little about when you girls would get here."

"Sorry about that" apologized Twilight. "The carriage ride over here took a lot longer than I expected."

Shining Armor shrugged. "Well, no matter. What's important is that you girls are here, and now we can start catching up. A lot has happened while you were away Twily."

"Wait, what about Discord?" asked Fluttershy. 

"I think he's still busy with Luna in the exam room." answered Shining Armor. "No need to worry."

"He's right Fluttershy." interjected Twilight. "Like I said, when Discord's done, he can come and find us. Besides, I pretty sure he'll be fine on his own in the meantime."

Fluttershy glanced reluctantly at the Magistrate's building reluctantly before replying, "Well...alright then, if you're sure."

"Good, now that we've got that matter settled." said Shining, as he began to lead the mares down the street. "How's about I tell you a few stories about Twily when she was younger on our way to the Doughnut shop?"

Twilight's cheeks went red as she cried out in embarrassment, "Shining!"



* * *




"There! Finished!" cried out Discord in exhausted triumph. He had finally completed the stupid forms, and was no at last free to go. 

"Hold it." said Magister Luna, stopping him before he had a chance to teleport away and escape.

Discord let out a loud, annoyed groan. "Ugh, what now?"

"My sister would like to have a few words with you before you go on your way." said Luna, as she used her magic to neatly place the paperwork into an organized stack. 

"Fine." said Discord. "But it better be quick." With a snap, he teleported into Celestia's office, momentarily startling her.

"Oh, Discord, it's you." said Celestia, catching her breath. "I trust the application went well?" 

Discord scoffed. "If you call boring as Tartarus as going well, then yes." His gaze wandered around the office, as he added, "I was told you wanted to talk to me about something."

"Yes." said Celestia, getting right down to business. "I wanted to talk to you about young Miss Fluttershy."

This time, it was Discord's turn to be caught off guard, as he froze upon hearing the name of his dear friend. "W-what about her?" he asked.

"You've been living with her for quite a few months now, during which time you haven't been causing any of the usual chaos and mischief that you would've in the past. And I find that to be quite...interesting."

Discord narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms defensively over his chest. "What are you getting at?" he asked. 

"I want to know exactly what your relations with Fluttershy are." Celestia answered simply. 

He stared at her and gulped, not sure how exactly he should answer. True, Fluttershy was his friend, but recently, he'd begun to feel a mix of odd emotions. Emotions which led to peculiar thoughts of how lovely and nice she was, and even more peculiar dreams like the one he had earlier that day. It was very strange for him to be experiencing such things like this, and yet, he enjoyed experiencing them. Even though he didn't fully understand them or why he was having them in the first place. 

Clearing his throat, Discord answered, "She's just a friend, that's all." 

Celestia tilted her head, and studied him carefully. "Interesting, I never would've thought that a friend could inspire such change in you."

"Well, I do owe her quite a bit after what I did to her." he admitted. "But even after all that, she sees it in he heart to forgive a creature like me." A smile slowly spread across his face. "She certainly is a curious little thing." 

The corners of Celestia's mouth curved into a slight smile, recognizing the distant and happy look etched onto Draconequus' face. "I see. Then I take it you have no wish to use her or harm her for a means to your own ends?" she inquired.

Discord straightened and shot a glare at her. "That better be a joke, dear Celestia. Fluttershy is my friend, and after all she's done and been through, I can assure you that I would never use her or harm her."

"But you did when you first met her." Celestia pointed out.

"That was different!" said he said. "Besides, I've learned my lesson, or has the little incident slipped your mind?"

"No, it hasn't. Forgive me Discord, I just wanted some assurance that you weren't up to one of your usual tricks. After all, you are quite infamous for them." she said.

Discord grumbled to himself, but seemed to accept her apology. "Well, if your little interrogation is over, I really must be going." He turned to leave, when Celestia stopped him.

"Just a moment, Discord. Before you go, I think you should know that I received a letter not too long ago from Twilight, she and Fluttershy should be visiting the capital right about now, and have invited you to join them as soon as you finished the test."

"Fluttershy's here?" he asked, his mood noticeably beginning to lighten. "Then why didn't you say so sooner?" And with that, Discord was gone, off to find Fluttershy, wherever she was. 

Celestia couldn't help but chuckle to herself, finding it somewhat amusing that the mere mention of the Pegasus could bring such happiness to the trouble making spirit. "I'll have to keep an eye on those two." she said to herself. "I'm most interested to see what lies in store for them."
> Preparations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preparations



"So, Twily, how have things been in Wisteria?" Shining as casually, as he and the girls sat outside of the Doughnut Shop, enjoying some delectable apple fritters.

"Things have been pretty quiet." she answered. "Alistair's been a big help with my research, so that's coming along nicely."

"What about Rainbow Dash, what's she been up to?"

"Rainbow's dropped by the villa for a while." said Fluttershy. "But recently she headed for a town up in the mountains called Griffonton, said she wanted to meet up with an old friend of hers."

"I hear it's a pretty precarious climb up there, but knowing Rainbow, I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Yes." sighed Fluttershy, a touch of disappointment in her voice. "I was going to ask her to come with us to the ball, it's a shame she won't be able to make it." 

"What ball?" asked Shining Armor curiously. 

"The Blood Moon ball." clarified Twilight. "On the night of a lunar eclipse, when the moon turns as red as blood, a special celebration is held by Pure Blood vampires in honor of the occasion. Or at least, that's what Alistair told me."

Fluttershy nodded. "Papa always attended the ball, but I never really got to go until now, so this'll be my first time attending it!" she said, her voicing raising slightly with excitement.

"It's normally an event only held by vampires, but Alistair said it was alright for me to come. It'll be the perfect opportunity to collect more data for my notes."

"Are you sure it's safe?" inquired Shining. "I mean, there's nothing dangerous at the ball, right?"

"Yes, it's safe." Twilight said, with a little eye roll. "You don't have to worry."

"But--"

"Um, if I may." piped up Fluttershy. "If anything were to happen at the ball, I can assure you that papa will be right there to make sure Twilight will be safe."

Shining Armor looked at Fluttershy carefully, and then relaxed a bit. "Okay, if you're that sure. Just try to stay on your guard, okay Twily?"

"I will, big brother." Twilight said. 

Fluttershy smiled to herself as she watched the two siblings hug each other lovingly. It made her feel a teeny bit envious of them. For a long time now, it'd just been her and her father, but when he had to go away on business, she would be all alone. She never had any siblings like Twilight did, so there was no one for her to talk to and confide in as she waited for her father to return, wishing she could have at least one friend who could fill in the lonely void. Now, Fluttershy had friends, and no longer felt lonely, as she had before. But even so, she couldn't but think to herself, as she looked at Twilight and Shining Armor, 'It must be nice to have such a sweet a big brother.'

Fluttershy's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sudden appearance of a familiar face from out of nowhere, catching her completely off guard.

"Ah, Fluttershy, it's good to see you on such a fine day." said Discord with a large grin.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile back at him. "Discord, you made it!" she said.

"But of course, was there any doubt?" 

Twilight cleared her throat, prompting his attention. "Ahem! Discord, would you mind getting off the table?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the table top in emphasis.

Discord sighed, and then obliged, sitting down next to Fluttershy in a chair he conjured up. "Nice to see you too, Miss Sparkle." he said. "I hope you weren't having too much fun without me."

"Oh no." said Fluttershy. "We were just catching up with Twilight's older brother, Shining Armor." she pointed a hoof at the stallion in question. "I was hoping that you'd be able to join us soon, that way we could all take a look at the town together!" 

"How thoughtful." replied Discord. "After a day of doing nothing but tediously answering questions, heading out on the town with my dear friend is just what I need." He wrapped an arm around Fluttershy, giving her a small, yet tight hug.

Fluttershy giggled. "I'm glad to hear it." she looked over to Twilight and said, "Any idea where we should go next, Twilight?" 

"Well, I was thinking we could stop by some of the town's usual hot spots, and then along the way we can stop by some of my own favorite places." she said. Twilight looked to her brother adding, "I hope you don't mind."

Shining shook his head. "Not at all, I'm glad I still got to spend some time with you. Maybe next time, you and your friend could show me around Wisteria." 

Twilight smiled at him, and the two said their goodbyes. "It was nice to meet you Discord." he said to Discord. "And I hope you and Twily have fun at the ball."

Those last few words caught Discord's attention. A ball? As Shining Armor trotted off, he gave Fluttershy a questioning look.

She sighed and said. "I was planning to ask you after we finished going through town. But, I might as well ask you now." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "You see, there's a ball coming up on the night of the lunar eclipse, and I was wondering, if you'd like to come with me."

Discord blinked. "You mean...as a date?" he asked.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes." she said. 

Immediately, Discord's mind recalled that little dream he had of him and Fluttershy together at a grand ball. His heart began to beat a little faster. 

"Umm, so, would you like to go?" asked Fluttershy.

Discord didn't hesitate as he answered, "Of course I would!"

Fluttershy's eyes brightened. "Really?"

He nodded. "I'd be honored to accompany you as your date." He gave a light bow to Fluttershy, making her blush a little and giggle into her hoof. 

"If you're done." said Twilight, interrupting his antics. "We should probably get a move on if we're gonna be able to see all the sights before it's time to leave." 

Discord was too happy to retort, and instead obliged, as he, Twilight, and Fluttershy left the shop. His mind began to swim with thoughts about being Fluttershy's date, and the two of them together at the ball. And those thoughts would soon become reality in only a few short days.






In the room of an old country motel, Drake was going through his suitcases and trunks, making sure that everything was in order for his departure back to the Old World. For many long years, he had worked hard and carefully planned his revenge against his aunt Eldra, for what she did to him, his mother, and sister. And now, he had gotten it. With his vengeance achieved, there was only one last piece of business that he had to take care of. But first, before he left, he wanted tie up a couple of loose ends. One was properly disposing of Eldra's corpse, which he had done so quite nicely, and the other involved his sister, Fluttershy. 
He'd never gotten a chance to properly meet her while she was held captive by Eldra, but hopefully he'd be able to change that. Drake pulled out a piece of paper, which mapped out the location of this year's Blood Moon ball. 'It won't be long now, Fluttershy...' 

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Drake lifted his head up, hearing the sound of somepony rapping upon the door. "Come in!" he called.

Into the room, there stepped two figures, one was a small purple and green scaled dragon, and the other was a colt with a dark blue mane and a light blue coat. 

"Ah, you've finally arrived." said Drake.

"Master." the two said in unison, bowing toward him in respect. 

Drake motioned for them both to rise, and said, "I trust you've read through the instructions I've sent you?"

The dragon nodded. "Yes, master." he said. "We made sure to memorize them on the voyage over."

"Excellent." replied Drake. "You know what you need to do then." He trotted past them for the door. "I'll be out for a while, keep watch over this room until I return, understand?"

The two figures saluted to him. "You can count on us, master." they said.

Drake gave a nod, and left the two of them alone. They waited and listened, until they were sure that he was gone. 

"Okay, I think he's gone." said the colt. 

"Great, now let's get to work." said the dragon, moving to one of the large trunks, and rearranging its contents around.

"Are you sure we should do this, Spike?" asked the colt. "What if the master finds out? He'll be really upset with us."

"Look, I'm with you." said Spike. "But you know what Batty said, if we do this, then we'll be able to help Master Drake. You want to help him, don't you?"

The colt said nothing for a moment, before nodding in reply. "Yes."

"Then help me out with this, will ya?"

The colt went over to the trunk, and helped Spike in clearing out some room.

"Do you think that'll be enough?" asked the colt. 

Spike shrugged. "Hope so. Let's also hope the master doesn't find out about any of this until we get back to the Old World." 

The colt gulped. "Do you really think we can pull this off?"

"Hey, I'm sure we can, with you and me working together on this, what could go wrong?" And with those words, he slammed down the lid of the trunk, and he and the colt went over their plan in detail. Agreeing that they'd need to be careful, if they were to ever succeed.
> Matters of the Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matters of the Heart




Fluttershy was unable to help but feel thrilled as she trotted down the street with her friends, taking in the sights and sounds that the capital had to offer. Along the way to the stops where Twilight was leading them, she would gaze at the places in-between with intrigue. Places like a curio shop, a dozen or so cafes and fashion shops, an art gallery, a theater, and many more that you wouldn't normally see out in the country. She wanted to take in everything  that was around her, to make up what she missed for all these years.

"Why do I have to move around in this form, again?" asked Discord. At Twilight's behest, he was now in his Pony/Unicorn form, and didn't look too happy about it.

"Because." replied Twilight. "If you were to move about in your true form, everypony would freak out and end up calling for the police or something."

"But I'm a New World citizen now." he protested. "I have all the paperwork and writing cramps to prove it."

"You just finished today. That means you won't be fully processed and in the system. So, until then, you're just gonna have to deal with that form for now."

Discord looked like he wanted to argue with her, but kept quiet. Fluttershy slowed her pace so that she would be next to Discord, and asked him, "Everything alright?"

"I'm fine." he sighed. "I mean, I don't mind being a pony too much, but it can be rather bothersome. Not to mention it just doesn't compare to my true form." 

"Papa's the same way sometimes." she said. "After a long, hard day, he loves nothing more than to stretch out his wings and relax in his study.  Sometimes, I'd even find him sound asleep on the sofa in this vampire form." 

In his mind, Discord tried to picture Alistair sleeping peacefully on a sofa, but couldn't seem to properly visualize it. While the stallion had consented to letting him stay at his villa, Alistair never once smiled at him or showed him any kind of graciousness and warmth, unlike Fluttershy however who was more than hospitable. Then again, he supposed that was to be expected. Discord had managed to get off the hook for his team up with Eldra by saving Fluttershy, but he still wasn't quite forgiven for kidnapping her and getting her into the whole mess in the first place. 

"So, how is the old man anyway?" Discord asked, truly curious to know. "I haven't seen him in a while now."

Fluttershy's expression became serious and somewhat forlorn. "He's still out with the Pure Bloods, looking for Eldra." she said. "So far they haven't been able to find a single trace of her. They're thinking that maybe she went back to the Old World to go into hiding."

Discord's face softened. After Eldra's sudden escape after the fight, the vampires began to search for her, so that she could be properly tried for her heinous crimes. "What about you, what do you think?"

Fluttershy gulped. "Well, to tell the truth, I really don't know." Her body then began to shiver with fear. "Knowing that she's out there, and that she could come back..." She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to think about or remember her horrible aunt. To her surprise, Fluttershy felt an arm wrap around her, she looked to Discord, as he pulled her close to his side. She didn't object to this action and allowed herself to be held in his warm, and comforting touch.

"You don't ever have to worry about Eldra." he whispered into her ear. "After that little stunt she pulled, I doubt she'd ever show her face around here again."

"Really?"

He nodded, his eyes showing genuine sincerity. 

"Um, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" asked Twilight, who had stopped walking when she noticed how the two of them had also stopped and were now facing one another with glistening eyes. 

Their heads whipped toward Twilight, both of them hurriedly said, "No!" and looked away from one another in embarrassment. They had both momentarily had forgotten Twilight was there, as they were about to get swept up in the moment. 

Twilight gave them a bemused look. "Well, alright then. Let's keep going, the observatory should be just up ahead."

The two mumbled under their breath in reply, as they continue to follow her. Fluttershy took a quick glance at Discord and whispered, "Thank you, for trying to make me feel better."

"It...it was nothing." he whispered back. 

Twilight looked out of the corner of her eye, seeing the little interaction between the two. 'I wonder, are those two...?' She then shook her head and thought. 'No, there's no way. It's probably just nothing.' Thus, she shrugged the whole thing off, believing that it was truly nothing, as they went on with their little tour. 






As promised, Twilight had managed to show off all the notable hot spots in the capital, along with some her own favorite places. By the time they were done, the sun was already beginning to set, and nightfall was about to approach. So, with their fun visit coming to a close, the three of them went down to the city's edge, where the carriage was waiting. 

"What a day." said Fluttershy happily. "I never knew how much fun the capital was, we should come by here again sometime."

"That would be nice." said Twilight. "But right now, I just want to get back to the villa and relax. All that walking around and talking about different parts of town can be pretty tiring."

"I'll say." said Discord. "I'll feel good to be in my own body again." As they approached the carriage, he used his magic to open the door for the two mares. "I hope you have a safe journey back." 

Fluttershy hesitated before heading inside the carriage, turning to look at Discord. "You're not coming with us?" she asked.

"No, I think it'd be easier if I just head back on my own." he said.

"Are you sure? I mean, it'll be a little while before we get back, so you'll be by yourself for some time."

Discord waved a hoof. "I'll be fine. I'm sure I'll be able to find some way of entertaining myself while I'm on my own."

"On your own..." Fluttershy muttered to herself. His words stirred something in her, as she thought about those times she waited for her father to return, and how lonely she'd get being all by herself. "Wait!" she said, she then turned to Twilight. "Um, Twilight, is it okay if I head back with Discord instead?"

This questioned surprised both Twilight and Discord. Twilight considered it for a moment and answered, "I guess so, I mean, if that's what you want."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Well then, I guess I'll see you both later." And with that, Twilight stepped into the carriage, closing its door. The carriage pulled out and drove out of town, leaving Discord and Fluttershy behind to watch as it disappeared from sight. 

"So, shall we get going?" asked Fluttershy, turning back to Discord. 

Discord, said nothing, but merely nodded. He extended his arm out to Fluttershy, which she graciously too, and the two were instantly teleported back to villa, landing in the study. With a stretch of his limbs, Discord reverted back to his true self, feeling relief to be his unusual self once more. 

"You know, you didn't have to do that." he said to her. 

"I know, but I wanted to." she replied.

"I meant what I said before, I would've been fine just heading back without you."

"Yes, but you would've been all by yourself, and...well...I thought, maybe you'd like it better if you had somepony to keep you company." 

Discord did his best to remain composed, but the way she was showing such thought and consideration for him was making his heart beat so rapidly he could practically hear it. 

"You're an interesting pony, you know that?" 

Fluttershy tilted her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I mean, you're interesting. You're the first pony to consider me a friend, to think of my feelings and such, and..." His voice dropped a little to an almost barely audible whisper, "...the only one who's ever made me feel this happy before."

Fluttershy went up to him and rested a hoof on his paw, smiling up at him. The gesture made Discord's body grow warm, time seemed to stop, as he gazed down at the Pegasus. He took in her graceful features, her kind smile, and her deep, caring eyes. She was nothing short of an angel to him, for showing so much forgiveness, compassion, and understanding to him. She looked like she was about to say something, when the sound of an opening door interrupted her. Followed by a pony's voice calling out.

"I'm home!"

Fluttershy turned to the voice, her eyes lighting up. "Papa!" she cried. She made a dash for the study door, but stopped for a moment to look at Discord. "Um, Discord, you don't mind if I--"

"No, no, by all means, go ahead." said Discord. "After all, I'm sure you've missed your father quite a bit."

Fluttershy beamed at him. "Thank you Discord, you're the best!" 

Those simple words hit Discord right in his heart, leaving him standing in a daze as Fluttershy hurried out to greet her father. The best...she had said he was the best. He slowly placed a claw over his chest, and gulped with a very sudden realization, which in retrospective now seemed completely and utterly obvious. And it was with that sudden realization, that the very thought of it almost overwhelmed him. He had, without a doubt, deep feelings for Fluttershy. And it was all entirely possible...that he might even, love her.

His head was reeling, and all he could manage to utter with great anxiousness was, "Oh boy..."



* * *




Fluttershy rushed up to her father with open arms and wrapped him in a tender hug. "Papa, you're back!" she said happily.

Alistair chuckled to himself. "Yes, I had to settle a few matters before getting here, but I wanted to make it in time so that I'd be able to help with the upcoming ball." 

Fluttershy gasped. "Does that mean you're coming?" 

The stallion nodded. "Yes my dear, I wouldn't miss this year's ball for anything, if it means getting to see my beautiful daughter there."

Fluttershy smiled and blushed a little. "I'm glad you'll be there papa." she said.

"Oh, that reminds me, I brought you a little something in honor of the occasion." he said.

"Really? What?"

Alistair pulled out a box he had tucked under his wing and handed it over to her. Fluttershy didn't hesitate to open it and pulled out of it a splendid white gown. She pressed it against her chest. "Oh papa, I love it! Thank you so much." 

Alistair beamed. "I knew you would. When I saw that dress, I thought it of how lovely it might look on you." 

Fluttershy twirled around with the dress. "Can I wear this to the ball?" she asked. 

"That's exactly why I brought it for you. Why don't you try it out and see if it fits."

"Okay." Fluttershy dashed away to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. 

Alistair chuckled once more to himself as he headed for the study, it was there that he spotted Discord in his little daze. He cleared his throat loudly and said, "Good evening, Discord." he said.

Discord shook his head, coming back to his senses. "Oh, Alistair, good evening to you as well." he replied. "How was the little vampire hunt coming along?"

"Not too good I'm afraid." he said grimly. "It's completely baffling, all of it! I mean, it's been months now since Eldra was last seen, and there have been no reports of any attacks or killings since."

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?" questioned Discord.

"Under these circumstances, no. My sister, while cunning and patient, has always had a flare for dramatics. Even if she may be in hiding, you'd think she'd have sent a warning of some sort by now. Or that she'd show some trace that she was still here."

"Well, maybe it's like those other chaps said and she headed back for the Old World." suggested Discord.

Alistair shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I can't explain it, but, something doesn't feel right to me. It's almost as if Eldra has disappeared completely. It makes no sense."

Discord bit back a laugh as he watched Alistair pace. He then stopped and faced Discord with a serious expression. "I want you to promise me something." he said.

"Promise you what?" asked Discord. 

"Promise me, that no matter what happens, you'll protect Fluttershy with your life. That you'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

Discord blinked. "Um, not that I'm objecting or anything, but, why are you asking me?"

Alistair sighed. "Because, as much as I hate to admit it, I can't protect Fluttershy on my own. And since you're a friend of hers and seem to be quite capable of defense, you seem like you'd also be capable of protecting her."

Discord stood there in silence, and then finally answered, "I give you my word, that I will see to it myself that no harm will befall Fluttershy."

"Then it's settled." and with that, the two shook on it, sealing the promise. 

"Papa, I'm all dressed, come and see!" called Fluttershy. 

"I'll be right there!" Alistair called back. He stopped partway through the study door and said gravely, "Remember, I hold you to your word." and with that, he left Discord all alone, with his thoughts and feelings to himself.
> The Blood Moon Ball
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Blood Moon Ball




The days flew by quickly, and before anypony knew it, the day of the ball had finally arrived. The morning on that day showed promising prospects for things to come, with its cheery blue sky and crisp, calming breeze that lightly blew through the trees and grass. Fluttershy sat by her window sill, watching as the song birds dove and swooped through the air, chirping a merry song to greet those who were awake during this pleasant morning. However, even though it was a lovely scene that normally brightened Fluttershy's mood and look forward to her day, this morning's scenery did very little to improve the feelings she was experiencing now, in regards to tonight's ball.

Knock! Knock!

"Come in!" called Fluttershy, her attention being pulled away from the window.

The door opened and Twilight entered the bedroom. "Morning, Fluttershy." she said. 

"Morning, Twilight. Did you sleep well?"

Twilight shrugged her shoulders. "Kinda, I was so excited about tonight that I didn't get a lot of sleep, so instead I gathered all of my research materials and organized them for the trip. What about you?"

"I had a bit of trouble as well." Fluttershy admitted. "I was so anxious that I kept waking up at odd hours."

Twilight chuckled to herself lightly, "Guess we both had sleeping trouble last night, hopefully we'll be able to catch a little nap on the carriage ride over to the ball."

"Yes...hopefully..." Fluttershy said a little unsure.

"Is, everything okay, Fluttershy?"

"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine, like I said before, I'm just a bit anxious. That's all, nothing you need to worry about."

Twilight arched an eyebrow, but replied skeptically, "Okay, if you're that sure." And with that, she headed out of the room, saying, "I'll go see how breakfast is coming along and if Alistair needs any help loading the carriage." 

Fluttershy gave a small wave in Twilight's direction. As soon as she was out of sight, Fluttershy heaved a sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding?" she mumbled to herself. "A pony like me doesn't belong at an event like a ball, I'll just end up making a complete fool of myself."
At first, Fluttershy had been looking forward to the idea of going to the ball with her father and friends, but then those happy feelings quickly gave way to doubts and worries. What if she did something that embarrassed her father? What if everypony started to stare and judge her? What if she made a mess of everything and ruined the ball for everypony else? She squeezed her eyes tightly, cringing at the horrible thoughts. "Maybe it's not too late to ask papa if I can stay home instead, like always."

"And what fun would that be?" 

Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise, as she looked over to find Discord standing right behind her. "O-oh! Discord, um...how long have you been standing there?" 

"Oh, long enough." he answered vaguely. "Now then, what's all this talk about missing the ball?" 

Fluttershy looked down at her hooves and pawed at the floor. "I...It's just that...sigh! I don't know, I don't think that the ball is the place for me. I mean, it's going to be so big and lavish, with so many ponies, all of whom are probably refined and elegant."

"So?" questioned Discord. "If you ask me, you shouldn't be comparing yourself to all those high-class snobs. You are probably much lovelier and elegant than the lot of them."

Fluttershy rubbed her arm in embarrassment, a little touched by his words. "Maybe, but still, all the guests there will Pure Bloods, and I'm just hybrid, what if they--"

Discord cut her off by placing a finger on her lips and saying, "Now that's enough, Fluttershy. You are a wonderful pony, hyrbid or not, and if those other ponies can't appreciate that, then they're not worth your time. Besides, with me there, you won't have to worry about what other ponies will think, seeing as how they'll be too busy staring at me to notice you."

She looked up into Discord's face, and she could tell that what he was saying was genuine. A gracious smile appeared on her face. "Thank you Discord, that makes me feel a little better." 

Discord beamed. "Well I'm glad to be of service to you, my dear." He did a little bow in her direction, making her giggle. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to look into. Tata!" In the next instant, Discord disappeared completely. 

A few of Fluttershy's worries still lingered with her, but luckily, Discord's words had managed to relax her nerves, and made her once again willing to attend the ball. "Discord," she said to herself happily. "What would I do without you?"





That evening...


Fluttershy stood in front of her full-length mirror, examining her reflection to see that everything was in place. The white dress her father had gotten her was mage of white silk and lace, with an embroidery pattern of roses, carnations, and lilies. Her mane was done up in a loose bun, with some strands of hair trailing behind. She couldn't help but smile, looking at herself in such a beautiful gown made her feel confident and beautiful. 

"Now for the final touch." she said. She reached over to a nearby table, and placed into her hair, an array of beautiful white flowers. They were absolutely perfect, and seemed to tie the outfit together nicely. "There, perfect!" With her dressing complete, Fluttershy headed over to Twilight's guest room and rapped upon the door lightly.

"Um, Twilight, may I come in please?" she asked politely. 

"Yes, hold on a moment!" called Twilight from the other side. After a moment or so, the door knob turned under the influence of Twilight's magic, and opened right up to Fluttershy. She stepped inside, and caught sight of Twilight in her own charming gown. It had a black, high lace collar, short frilled sleeves, and was colored a deep indigo like her mane. Twilight twirled around for Fluttershy to get a full view of her dress. "What do you think? Is it good, or do you think it's too much?"

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, not at all, it looks lovely on you." 

"Thanks, you look pretty nice too!" 

"The carriage should be all ready to leave, so we should probably get going." 

"I'm all set." Twilight levitated a bulging bag that contained her research materials and slung the strap over her head. "Let's go."

Twilight and Fluttershy trotted side by side, talking to one another as they stepped out of the villa, outside, standing in front of the carriage was Discord and Alistair, both dressed in sharp tuxedos. Alistair gave a narrowed glance at Discord, noticing the way he was staring at his daughter, and cleared his throat roughly to call back his attention. 

"Are you ladies all set?" he asked.

Both nodded and said yes. In a true gentlecolt fashion, Alistair opened the carriage door for them and helped the mares enter the carriage. Discord frowned and folded his arms, mumbling, "Show off." 

With everypony piled into the carriage, they headed off for their destination.







The location of the Blood Moon Ball changes annually, based upon who is hosting the event, and what sort of places were available for the vampires' use. This year, the ball was held outside in a wide open clearing, with the blood-red-colored moon hanging directly above them, and casting its light upon it. Twilight took in everything she saw with great interest, writing down as much as she could as she entered the clearing. A small orchestra was set up on the far side of the clearing, playing lulling and elegant serenades, and on the other far side, there were some long tables with refreshments set up for some of the guests to enjoy after a break from their dancing.

"Goodness!' commented Fluttershy as she gazed at the table and its spread.  At the center part of the table, there was an assortment of glasses filled with apple cider, and a mountainous display of ripe apples. Her eyes widened as she stared at them."Those are the biggest, reddest apples I've ever seen!" 

Alistair chuckled, "I made sure inform this year's host of your special needs, and had him bring some things for you to enjoy."

"Thank you, papa." she replied, wrapping him in a small, grateful hug. 

Discord rolled his eyes, and glanced over at Twilight, who was busying herself with her note-taking. 'Well, that takes care of her.' he thought. 'Now to take care of Alistair...'

Just as Discord was about to snap his talons, one of the Pure Bloods, Selene, went up to Alistair and said, "Oh, Alistair, you've made it! Would you please honor me with a dance?"

Immediately, a bunch of other mares crowded around him, each volleying for the chance to dance with him. "Alright now, one at a time." Alistair said calmly, trying to establish order. "I promise, you'll each get the chance to dance with me." He looked over to his daughter and asked, "You don't mind, do you Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy looked up from an apple she was drinking from and shook her head politely. "Not at all, you go ahead and have fun, papa."

Alistair gave a nod in her direction, and went off with the mares, trying to select one of them for the first dance. Discord stood there and blinked. "Huh, well that was lucky." He teleported over to where Fluttershy was and straightened the tie of his tux. "Um, Fluttershy?" he asked.

"Yes, Discord?"

"Would you, like to dance, with me?"

Fluttershy instantly smiled at him. "Of course."

Flapping her wings gently, Fluttershy flew up to meet Discord's eye level, and the two of them took hold of one another and began to dance. It was Fluttershy's first time dancing with another, and it felt wonderful to her. Their bodies were at the mercy to the sway of the music, as they spun and dipped and glided with one another with the other dancers. To the other guests, they were quite an odd pair, but even they had to admit, they did look sweet together under the red moonlight. 

From the shadows of the trees, with his eyes locked on the delicate Pegasus, Drake entered the clearing. He was decked out in a crimson tuxedo, which complemented nicely with his mane and pale complexion. 

"This is it." he said to himself. "It's now or never." 

Discord and Fluttershy ran through three more dances together, until Discord told her he needed to stop for a moment and grab something from the carriage that he left behind. Fluttershy obliged, and watched him disappear. She gently rested a hoof upon her throat, thinking about returning to the table for another drink, when suddenly Drake appeared before. 

"Excuse me, miss, but would you do me the honor of gracing me with a dance?" he asked. Fluttershy blinked in surprise. She hesitated with her answer, when he added, "Of course, if you'd rather not, I completely understand."

"No, it's not that." said Fluttershy. "I...I suppose one little dance couldn't hurt."

Drake smiled kindly to her. "Thank you, dear lady." he said with a bow. He took Fluttershy hoof, and placed his own around her waist, as the two began to dance a waltz. At first, Fluttershy stumbled a bit, accidentally stepping on the colt's hooves. But he didn't seem to mind as he whispered, "Try to relax, and follow my lead."

Fluttershy took his advice, and gradually began to get better. "Thank you, sir." she said politely.

Drake chuckled. "No thanks are necessary. I take it this is your first time?"

"Doing a waltz or being at a ball?"

"Hmm...both."

"Then yes, it is my first time." she admitted shyly. "Is it that easy to tell?"

"Yes, but to be fair, not everypony's first ball always turns out perfectly." Fluttershy smiled a little, feeling oddly comforted by his words. His eyes flicked to the flowers in her mane, making him remark, "Casablancas, how nice."

Fluttershy blinked in confusion. "Casablancas?"

"Your flowers, that's what their called. In English, their name means 'White House'. They're very elegant flowers, almost like lilies."

"Well, I didn't know they were called that." Fluttershy said blushing. "I saw a picture of my mother with a bouquet of them, and asked my father if I could have some. He never mentioned what their name was." 

Drake chuckled. "Well, whether you knew their name or not doesn't change the fact that they suit you quite well."

Fluttershy looked at the mysterious colt with curiosity. Other than her father and Discord, no colt or stallion had ever been so...so sweet! And even though she was sure he was a stranger, Fluttershy could swear that there was something vaguely familiar about his presence, and the way he was treating her, it reminded her a bit of how her father would compliment and dote on her. 

Drake averted his gaze from Fluttershy, as he asked her shyly, "Can...I ask you something?"

"What is it?" asked Fluttershy, wondering what it was that he wanted.

"Are...are you happy? With your life and the ponies around you, I mean."

Fluttershy gave him a befuddled look. "Um, yes. I mean, I love papa, and I enjoy my friends' company, but, why do you ask?"

"No reason." he answered simply. "I just...was curious, that's all."

"Well, alright." though Fluttershy was still puzzled by this colt. Who was he? ANd why was he asking her these questions and being so nice?

The song came to an end. Drake took Fluttershy's hoof and lightly kissed it, before pulling away, and giving his last farewell. "Thank you again for the dance. I hope you have a pleasant night, Fluttershy."

It was at that moment that Fluttershy realized that she never told the colt her name. "Hey, wait!" she called out. But before she could question him, Drake had already disappeared into the crowd and was gone. Fluttershy just stood there staring at where she had last caught a glimpse of the colt, and wondered just who he was. She placed a hoof over her chest. She couldn't quite explain it, but when she was dancing with the stallion, she felt...complete, and now, she felt as though a piece of her were gone. 

"I haven't kept you waiting too long, I hope." said Discord as he reappeared by Fluttershy. 

"N-no, not long at all." she said. "Did you find what you left behind?" 

Discord nodded. "Yes, everything's taken care of. Now, we can pick up right where we left off."

What Fluttershy didn't know, was that Discord had lied. While they were dancing, Discord got the impression that there was somepony watching them from the shadows of the forest, and decided to quickly investigate to make sure that there was nothing there that could trouble them. Thankfully, he couldn't find a thing, and shrugged off the feeling as a case of nerves. With that behind him, he was more than happy to resume his dance with Fluttershy.






Skulking around in the bushes, just a few feet away from the clearing, Spike the dragon popped his head out and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! That was close! I thought we would've been caught for sure."

The blue colt popped his head out too. "You're telling me! I was worried that that Draconequus would've spotted us."

"Alright then, with that aside, let's get ready to put our plan into action. And remember." warned Spike. "We need to get this over with quickly before the master gets back to his room, and we need to be absolutely careful that nopony catches us. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Good, then let's go."

And the two of them carefully inched closer to the clearing, keeping their eyes on Fluttershy and her movements.
> Dastardly Deeds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dastardly Deeds



Everypony gazed up at the full moon, watching as its red hue slowly began to fade to its usual milky white, the ball itself would also soon come to its conclusion. Already a few of the guests were leaving early to retire for the night, some taking flight, and others riding in their own carriages. Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hoof, as she let out a long, soft yawn. 

"Everything alright, my dear?" asked Discord.

Fluttershy nodded lightly. "I'm just getting a little tired." she said. "I think I'll head back to the carriage to rest."

"In that case, I hope you have a peaceful rest." 

Fluttershy waved goodbye at Discord, and trotted away to the carriage. On her way, she passed by the refreshment table, and stopped for a moment. All that dancing had left her feeling very thirsty, so reached over and sipped a couple of glasses of apple cider before continuing on her way into the forest. From underneath the tablecloth, Spike and his companion peeked out and watched Fluttershy head off by herself. 

"Plan is a go, repeat, plan is a go." said Spike stealthily.

The colt gave a firm nod, as the two of them snuck out from the table and through the foliage after Fluttershy. 

As Fluttershy walked toward the carriage, she put a hoof to her forehead, feeling as though she'd collapse at any moment.

"I must be even more tired than I thought." Fluttershy murmured to herself. Her eye lids became heavier and heavier, and her yawning became much longer too. She tried to reach out and open the carriage door, but instead, she ended up falling against it, into a deep sleep. 

Spike and the colt popped out from the bushes and ran over to Fluttershy, working together to gently carry her body away with them. 

"Hurry, we've gotta get her into the cart and back to the room!" said Spike urgently.

"Maybe it'd be easier if I wasn't in this disguise anymore." said the colt. In a flash of green flames, he transformed into a changeling, and used his horn to levitate Fluttershy toward their getta way cart and placed her carefully in the back.

"Thanks, Thorax." said Spike. "Now let's get a move on."

Spike hopped onto the cart, while Thorax attached himself to its front. With everything in place for them, Thorax galloped away into the night.






"Mares and gentlecolts, I thank you all for coming to our grand ball, and I hope that all of you will have a safe return home." The guests applauded after their host finished speaking, and were all exiting the clearing so that they could leave. Alistair said his farewells to the mares and walked alongside Twilight.

"I trust everything went well with your research?" he asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes! Thanks again for letting me come."

"No thanks necessary." He looked around for a moment for any sign of a certain Draconequus. "It seems as thought Discord has wandered off."

"He said he wanted to head back on his own." said Twilight. 

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about him causing any mischief on the trip back." 

The two ponies trotted over to the carriage and climbed inside. Alistair's eyes widened as he looked around for his daughter. "Where's Fluttershy?" he asked worriedly.

"Maybe she headed back with Discord." suggested Twilight. "After all, she did do that with him a few days ago." 

"Then we should hurry back as soon as possible." said Alistair. "I don't want to leave that Draconequus alone with my daughter for too long." 

Thus, they headed back for the villa, not knowing that Fluttershy was already faraway from them, and that she would not be there waiting for them at the villa. As was the plan of our two certain ponynappers.






Back in their master's room, Spike and Thorax were placing Fluttershy into the large trunk that they'd been clearing out, and were keeping an eye out for their master's return.

"So far so good." said Thorax. "But, are you sure doing this will help the master?"

Spike sighed. "I know you're having your doubts about this Thorax, believe me, I have my own too. But if Batty says that this is what we need to do, then we've gotta trust him."

"I suppose so, but ponynapping? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Hey, you remember what the master's plan is, a crisis like this calls for some desperate actions."

Then, the two froze as they heard the sound of hoofsteps making their way to the door. 

"Gah, the master's back!" hissed Spike. Thorax quickly closed the trunk lid and locked it tight, just as Drake opened the door and entered the room.

"Welcome back, Master Drake." said Thorax. "Did you have a nice night?"

Drake nodded a little, a slight smile appearing on his face for a moment. "Yes, all went well."

"Um, so, did you get to see Fluttershy again like you wanted?" asked Spike, even though he knew the answer.

"Yes, she seems to be doing well after the incident. And she seems to be quite happy too. I just wish I could've spent a little more time with her."

"You still can." offered Thorax. "I mean, you can always come back and see her again."

"That is a nice thought, but...no. She's already had enough trouble without me needing to add more. I'm just glad that I got to see her this one last time." he said. 

Spike and Thorax gave each other a quick glance before Spike replied a little hurriedly, "So, master, would you like us to fetch you something to each? You must be pretty hungry."

"No, I'm good, I grabbed a little meal on my way back here. But thank you anyway." He trotted over to the bed and collapsed onto it. "For now, please take my luggage down to the docks and make sure it arrives at the castle. Okay?"

"You can count on us, master." said Spike and Thorax with a salute. Thorax donned on a Unicorn disguise, and levitated the trunks out of the room with Spike following close behind. 

Drake heaved a sigh, as he rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He thought about his sister, and how it felt good to see her again under better circumstances. Ever since he saw her in that memory when he was little, he decided he would do whatever it took to make Eldra pay for what she did. And so he worked hard in secret, using whatever means he could to find a way to exact his revenge in such a way, that it would cause his aunt to suffer. For many years he thought his sister had died, along with his mother in the fire. But when he found out that Fluttershy was alive, and the object of Eldra's cruel scheme, his plans changed, so that he could not only save his sister, but also see her again after all this time. And he was happy to know that she was living well and happily in her own life. Silently, Drake wished that he too could be a part of that life, but he knew better. 
Somepony like him didn't belong with his sweet, innocent sister. He beleived that it'd be best to let her live out her life, not knowing that he had ever existed. 'Be happy sister.' he thought to himself. 'I've vanquished the monster, and now, you can live in peace.'
> Sneaky Surprises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sneaky Surprises



By the time Twilight and Alistair returned to the villa, it was nearly daybreak. Both were tired from the all the excitement they had had, and were just about ready to hit the hay. When they entered the household, they quickly found Discord out like a light on the long sofa. 

"Looks like I was worried over nothing." said Alistair. He then let out a loud yawn. 

"Fluttershy's also probably sound asleep by now, do you want to tell her we're back?" asked Twilight. 

Alistair shook his head. "No, let her rest. In fact, I'd say that we should get some rest as well. Once we've all recuperated, we can all sit down and talk."

"Sounds good." said Twilight through a yawn, trying to keep her eyes open for just a little bit longer. 

Believing that all was well, not knowing in the slightest of what had occurred last night, or what had happened to their dear Fluttershy, the two ponies retired to their rooms to regain their strength. While Fluttershy was about to receive a startling surprise to say the least...







Fluttershy let out a soft moan, her eyelids slowly fluttering open, waking up to darkness at first. She tried to move around, but found herself confined in some small space, like she was inside a box. "Hmm? What's going on?" she wondered aloud. Her eyes quickly adjusted, and she was able to get a better look at her surroundings. She found that she was indeed, in some kind of box, with a few articles of clothing stacked underneath and on top of her. Panic immediately raced through Fluttershy. 

"Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no!" she cried worriedly. It had happened again. Once more, she had awoken in a strange place, and was trapped, and had been taken against her will to someplace she knew not. Fluttershy started to hyperventilate, and frantically felt and searched around for a way to get out, but to no avail.  "Why? Why did this have to happen again?" 

A thought then crossed her mind that sent fear down her spine. "Could this be Eldra again?" she asked herself. Eldra had been the one who had had her kidnapped the first time, so who's to say she wouldn't try it again? Maybe she'd been there at the ball in secretly, waiting to strike. Maybe she wanted to finish what she started all those months ago. Or....or worse! Fluttershy did her best to try to remain calm, but that didn't stop her heart from beating feverishly. 

"No, you need to stay calm Fluttershy." she said. "You may be in a scary, unfamiliar place, and your cruel aunt may be waiting for you outside to do who knows what to you..." as she said this aloud, her panic continued to rise. "But panicking will do you no good. You need to be brave. Just be brave."

Her ear twitched at the sound of a door opening. She let out a squee of fright and froze, as she listened carefully to the sounds outside the box. From what she could hear, it sounded like two colts, who were talking to one another. Their steps drew closer to the box. Fluttershy's body was preparing itself for what it could sense was happening next. The sound of latches flipping up sounded. The lid of the box began to open up. 
Not wasting a moment, Fluttershy sprang out of the box, surprising the two figures and knocking them onto the floor. She wildly looked around for a way out and spotted the nearby door, which was open just a crack. She then bolted for it, not looking back at the two who'd opened the box, and instead focusing on getting as far away as possible before they could catch her. Fluttershy dashed through halls and ran down stairs, all of which seemed to blur right past her as she galloped, not stopping once. It wasn't too long until she found the door out, and hastened to leave through it. 



 


Drake was approaching Castle Alucard, as he flipped through a well-worn book while he waited for the carriage to stop. It was then that a pink and yellow blur that ran past the carriage window caught his eye. "Stop the carriage." he called. The carriage stopped. He stepped outside and looked in the direction of where the blur was running to. He narrowed his eyes and focused on the figure, and found that he recognized it. "That...looks a lot like Fluttershy." 

"Master!" cried Spike. He and Thorax were running toward him, both panting and out of breath. "Master, you're back." wheezed Spike.

Drake pointed a hoof at the disappearing figure. "Who was that just now?"

"That was Flu--" Spike covered a claw over Thorax's muzzle, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. 

"Uh, nopony! Nopony whatsoever." said Spike, craking a nervous smile. 

Drake narrowed his eyes. He could tell that something was obviously up. "She looked an awful lot like Fluttershy." he said.

"That's because it--" Spike rammed his other claw over Thorax's muzzle and gave him a narrowed look before looking back at Drake with a nervous expression.

"I'm sure it's just a coincidence." he said. 

"Why are you two out here anyway?" asked Drake.

"Oh, uh, we just wanted...to come out and greet you. Yeah, that's it."

Drake wasn't buying it for a moment. "Spike, do you want me to have to do the thing to you?"

Spike gulped. "No."

"Then tell me, who was that, and what is going on?"

Spike twiddled his claws and anxiously rocked on his heels. "Well....umm...you see, we--"

This time it was Thorax's turn to interrupt, as he blurted, "The pony was your sister, Fluttershy. We brought her here from the ball, and she ran out of the castle just now when we went to check on her." 

Drake stared at him. Spike slapped his palm against his forehead. "You....did, WHAT?!!" shouted Drake.

Thorax quivered. Before Drake could yell at them any further, a thought crossed his mind that made him stop. He looked over his shoulder in the direction of where Fluttershy had just ran and heaved a sigh. "Go back to the castle and wait for me, I'll deal with you two later." Drake opened up his wings, letting them transform into bat wings before taking off into the sky.

Spike and Thorax stood there, looking up into the sky. "Ooh, he sounded pretty angry." shuddered Thorax nervously.

Spike gave him a look. "Ya think?"






Fluttershy was beginning to slow down a bit, attempting to catch her breath before going any further. As she stood there, she got a better look at where she was. She seemed to be on some kind of forest path, surrounded by tall, thick trees. 

"Oh, what do I do now?" she wondered. "How do I get back home? Sigh! I wish there was somepony here who could give me directions."

Her ears perked up, as she heard the sound of a twig snapping. She let out a gasp and whirled in the direction where she heard the sound. "W-who's there?" she squeaked. 

A deep, guttural growl sounded back in reply. Fluttershy slowly back away, but soon froze, as she heard the growl coming from behind her, and then at the sides too. Glowing green eyes peered through the darkness and foliage, and the air filled with a foul sort of stench that made one sick to their stomach. Fluttershy could hear her heart pounding, as she stared straight ahead, watching, as from all sides came a fearsome band of creatures. They were made up of all sorts of bits and pieces of wood, and were circling around Fluttershy, their legs positioning to pounce upon her.

'Somepony...' Fluttershy thought. '...anypony....' The creatures then sprang into the air, let out a ravenous snarl. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes tightly shut. 'HELP ME!'

The creatures however, did not land on Fluttershy to tear her to pieces. Instead, they were all knocked to the ground by a speeding body that had swooped down from the sky. Wondering what was going on, Fluttershy slowly opened an eye to peek. What she saw made her eyes open wide. A Vampire colt was staring down the creatures with a venomous glare. His eyes were as red as blood. The creatures growled and snarled at him, but were backing away, sensing that he was a threat to them. The vampire snarled, revealing his gleaming fangs. This was enough to make the creatures run away howling into the night. 

Fluttershy could not believe what had just happened. the shock and excitement overwhelming her so much that she fainted and collapsed onto the ground. 

Drake turned and looked at Fluttershy, letting out a sigh of relief to see that she was no worse for wear. He bent down and heaved her onto his back, and proceeded to carry back with him to Castle Alucard. Where he would have a lot of questions for Spike and Thorax, and would also have a lot of explaining to do.






Meanwhile, back at the villa, a cry rang out, waking up both Discord and Twilight. "SHE'S GONE!" 

Discord and Twilight quickly teleported to where Alistair was, which was in front of Fluttershy's bedroom.

"Alistair, what's wrong?" asked Twilight.

"It's Fluttershy, she's gone!" said Alistair. "I went to check on her, but she was nowhere to be seen."

Discord entered the room, and looked around. Sure enough, there was no trace of Fluttershy anywhere. 

"Let's not panic, I'm sure she's somewhere around here." said Twilight.

"Yes." said Discord. "After all, she went to the carriage last night, so we know she made it back here."

Twilight and Alistair stared at Discord with fearful expressions.

"What did you say?" asked Twilight.

"That Fluttershy went to the carriage last night? I mean, she was awfully tired after everything, so she went to the carriage to wait till you all arrived." 

"Did you see her get into the carriage?" asked Alistair.

"Well, not exactly..."

Alistair's face went pale.

"What's going on?" asked Discord, starting to get a little worried.

"Fluttershy wasn't in the carriage." said Twilight. 

Discord's eyes widened. "She...what?!"

Twilight nodded. "We thought maybe she went here with you, like last time."

"I didn't, I thought....I thought she went to the carriage! I came here on my own."

"Then....what happened to Fluttershy?" 

Discord's throat tightened, as he looked from Twilight to Alistair, and answered regretfully, "I...I don't know."

"You, IDIOT!" shouted Alistair, as he suddenly barred his fangs and pounced on Discord. 

"Alistair!" cried Twilight. 

Discord quickly snapped his talons and appeared over Alistair, who whipped around to face the Draconequus, his eyes narrowed with anger. 

"You should've been with her! You gave me your word that you'd keep her safe, but didn't. And now, she's gone because of you!"

His words hit Discord hard, mostly because a lot of what he said was true.

"Alistair, that's enough!" said Twilight, stepping between the two of them. "Now listen, yelling and blaming isn't gonna get us anywhere. If we want to find Fluttershy, we need to investigate and try to figure out what happened."

Alistair sighed and calmed himself down. "You're right. We don't have a moment to lose, we must leave at once before anything bad happens to her." 

Twilight turned, and was about to follow him, when she stopped and looked over at Discord. "Are you coming?" she asked.

Discord shook his head. "No, if you don't mind, I think I'll conduct my own investigation. Besides, I think it's best if I give dear Mr Alucard some space." 

"Alright then, come and find us when you're done." And with that, Twilight left. 

Discord turned and positioned his fingers, getting ready to disappear. "Hold on Fluttershy," he said. "I promise we'll find you." In a flash of light, he was gone.
> The Arrangement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Arrangement 



Drake took one look inside the guest bedroom before closing the door tightly, he had just laid his sister to rest upon the canopy bed, so that she could properly recover from her ordeal before making any attempt to talk to her. He turned on his hoof and went into the grand dining hall, where Spike and Thorax were waiting for him.

"Now then." began Drake all too calmly as he paced in front of his two servants. "I want you both to tell me, exactly, why you thought it was a good idea to kidnap my sister."

Both of them were shivering and gulped. "We're sorry, master." said Spike. "W-we just....we--"

"It is not their fault, master!" cried a voice from high up. Swooping down from the rafters, came a very large black bat, who keeled down before Drake, in front of the other two. "It was Batty's fault entirely, master."

Drake regarded the bat carefully. "What do you mean, Batty?" he asked.

The bat, Batty, replied, "Batty knows of what has been going on with master. Batty was worried, all of us were worried. When Batty heard about master's sister, Batty thought that...perhaps maybe, she'd help  master, that she'd change master's mind, and that master would be happy. So Batty sent them to get master's sister and bring her here. Batty only wanted what was best for master."

"THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN KIDNAP HER!" roared Drake. 

Batty bowed his head so low that it touched the floor. "A thousand apologies, master, please forgive Batty!" 

Drake sighed and rubbed his temple in stress and frustration. After calming down a bit, he addressed his servants and asked, "How soon can we send her home?"

"It would be very difficult." answered Batty, lifting his head to look up at him. "Many boats have already gone, and others are booked by other ponies. We could send a letter back for them to pick up master's sister, but it may take time."

Drake thought it over and considered his options. "Very well, I shall send a letter to her friends for them to pick her up. While it may take time for the letter to arrive, I'm sure that spirit Discord will be here in an instant to get her.  Until then however, she'll have to stay here. See to it that she's given every available courtesy."

"So...we're not in trouble?" asked Thorax.

"Oh, you're still in trouble alright." said Drake. "You two will apologize immediately to Fluttershy, and you both will work yourselves to the bone until I feel you've been sufficiently punished."

"And Batty, master?" asked Batty. 

"You," said Drake, pointing a hoof at Batty. "Will clean out all the dust and cobwebs from the cellar and attic, and then you are to go to Zecora's where you'll be doing some grunge work for her."

"As you wish, master." all three said, bowing to him. 

Right as they were about to leave, Drake stopped them and said, "There's one more thing, I want to make absolutely clear to you all. While Fluttershy is here, you are to not tell her a thing about me being her brother or any information in regards to us being related. Is that clear?"

The servants were silent for a moment, before they all replied in unison, "Yes, master."






Fluttershy began to stir, waking up to find herself laying in a comfortable bed. For a brief moment, she believed herself to be home, and that what she'd experienced before had all been a horrible nightmare. But as her eyes adjusted, she realized that this was not her room, and that what had happened before was real. Her eyes began to water and tear up, just as the door to the room opened.

A gentle and familiar voice spoke up. "I see you're awake now, are you alright?"

Fluttershy looked in the direction of the voice, and saw the colt she'd danced with at the ball. "You." she said. "You're that colt from before!"

He nodded and gave her an apologetic look. "I want to say I'm sorry and hope you'll forgive me and my servants for causing you this inconvenience."

She looked at him with a completely baffled expression. "W-what do you mean? What's going on? Where am I?"

Drake held up a hoof, and began to explain. "First, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Drake, and this is my castle. As to where you are, you are in the country of the Old World."

"The Old World?" asked FLuttershy, her eyes widening. 

He nodded. "Yes, you see, I went over to the New World to take care of some business and to attend the Blood Moon Ball. But, after I came back here, I discovered that my servants had cooked up a half-baked scheme that involved kidnapping you and bringing you here. I questioned them after I saw you running past my carriage, and quickly followed after you, to make sure you wouldn't get hurt." 

Fluttershy remembered running into the creatures, and then being saved by a vampire, who she realized was this colt right here. "You saved me, from those monsters." she said aloud.

"Timber Wolves." said Drake. "Vicious beasts, and rather tiresome too. But once you establish your territory and power they'll know to stay away."

"So...you're not going to hurt me?" asked Fluttershy.

"No, not at all. If there's anyone I want to hurt it's my servants for their incompetence." he said.

Fluttershy looked at him questionably. "How do I know if you're telling the truth? How do I know that this isn't some kind of trick, and that you're just waiting for a chance to strike?"

Drake just stood there calmly. "You don't know. I don't expect you to trust me, seeing as how anyone would be skeptical if they were in your position. There is a town not too far from here called Oaken, if you stick to the path you should reach it in an hour's time. If you wish, you can go there and look for a place to stay. But, I'm also willing to let you stay here if you'd like."

"Stay here...with you?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yes. Temporarily of course. I have already sent a letter to your family, telling them where you are and asking to come and get you. It may take a while till they get here, but until then, you're more than welcome to stay here for the time being. Or in the village, if you'd prefer."

Fluttershy was speechless. The whole situation felt so strange to her. And yet, here was this colt, Drake, taking the time to explain things and offer her to choose what she should do. She continued to look at him as she thought about her answer. While she didn't know who he was, and didn't quite trust him, she felt a genuine air of kindness from him, and that he was truly sorry for her being in this craziness. 

After giving it some considerable thought, she finally answered, "Thank you for the offer, but...if you don't mind, I think I'd like to stay in the village for the time being."

"Of course, I understand." said Drake. "You may leave as soon as you'd like. Once you arrive in the village of Oaken, look for a pony named Zecora, tell her I sent you and she'll be able to help."

"Thank you." said Fluttershy, getting up from the bed. 

"Oh, and one more thing before you go." said Drake, turning and making a motion for somepony to come in. 

Fluttershy's eyes widened in surprise, as a small, purple and green scaled dragon, and a black-bodied pony creature with insect wings and fangs entered the room.

"These are the servants I mentioned before." explained Drake. "Spike and Thorax, and they both have something they want to say to you." He gave each of them a look, prompting them to shuffle forward toward Fluttershy and lower their heads in her direction.

"We're so sorry, miss!" they said in unison.

"It was wrong, stupid, and foolish of us to kidnap you, and we're very sorry for causing you all this trouble." said Thorax.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to harm you or anything. We just...we're sorry. And, if you don't feel like forgiving us, we understand, but at least know that we're willing to make it up to you in any way possible." said Spike.

Fluttershy looked between the two of them. What they did was certainly wrong, but, they had come to apologize, and they were willing to make amends for their actions as well! "I accept your apology." she said politely.

"Thank you, miss." they both said.

Drake clapped his hooves, calling his servants to his side. "I wish you the best of luck, and hope you make the best of your stay in the Old World. If there's anything you need of us, all you need to do is ask."

"Um, I'll keep that in mind." said Fluttershy. She walked past Drake, and added. "Thank you, Drake...goodbye."

"Goodbye." he said softly enough for her to hear. Once he was sure Fluttershy was gone and out of sight, Drake addressed Spike and Thorax. "When Batty is finished with his cleaning, tell him to keep an eye on Fluttershy, and to inform me if anything happens to her." 

"But master, if you want to keep an eye on her and make sure she's safe, why not keep her here?"

Drake shook his head. "This is probably the last place Fluttershy would want to stay at." he said. "No, it's best if she's away from here, and is somewhere where she feels more comfortable staying."

Spike and Thorax looked at each other before looking back at Drake. "If you say so, master." said Thorax. 

The two of them left to attend to their work, while Drake remained, lost in thought. "I can't let this get in the way of my plans." he said to himself. "I will see it through to the end...even if it means giving up everything..."







Taking Drake's advice, Fluttershy stuck close to the path, and before she knew it she came upon a quaint little village. It was even smaller than Wisteria, but it still possessed a certain sense of familiarity to her. She strolled down the streets for a bit, looking around for somepony who wasn't too busy who she could ask for directions to Zecora's. But, there didn't seem to be too many ponies out and about, and the ones that were looked like they had their hooves full with their own problems. 

She was starting to think she should just try looking for Zecora for herself, when she spotted and old stallion, finishing up putting new candles into the street lamps. "Um, excuse me, sir?" she asked politely. "I'm looking for a pony named Zecora, do you happen to know where I can find her?"

"Zecora?" asked the stallion. "She lives down over there near the other edge of the village." he pointed a hoof at an old building that was a little ways away. 

Fluttershy smiled and gave him a small curtsy. "Thank you!" She then headed off toward the building. When she got there, she knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. 

The door opened. The inside was dark, but Fluttershy could see the face of a Zebra mare coming into view. "Um, are you Zecora?"

The Zebra nodded. "Yes, I'm the one you seek, come on inside and let us speak."

Fluttershy obliged and stepped inside the old shop. The door closing behind her with a loud, shrill creak.
> Searching
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Searching



Twilight and Alistair and returned to the clearing to search for clues, but found very little that could help. They found that some of glasses of cider and some of the apples had been spiked with some kind of sleeping brew, but other than that, they didn't have much else to go on. This frustrated Alistair very much, as he then began to see each and every Pure Blood Vampire that had attended, and questioned them about Fluttershy. And all replied that they weren't really paying attention, or that they saw her leave the clearing by herself. He let out a sigh, as he and Twilight stepped out of the home of one of the vampires, and were preparing to head back and see if Discord could dig up anything they couldn't find. 

"Do you suppose this is the work of Eldra?" asked Twilight, tapping her chin as she thought. 

Alistair's mind raced, as he considered this and answered, "Normally I'd say yes, but...I'm not too sure. If Fluttershy had been kidnapped by my sister like last time, then surely she would've gloated about it, or left some kind of calling card behind to rub it in my face." He lowered his head down, looking quite depressed. "This is twice now that I've allowed this to happen. And both happened because of my neglect to Fluttershy."

"What? Alistair, it's not your fault!" protested Twilight.

"Isn't it though?" he replied. "I made a promise to Maia that I would protect our daughter, and for many years, I thought I had. When all I did was made her feel lonely and neglected, giving others the ample opportunity to snatch her away from me without my notice." he closed his eyes tightly, holding back the tears that threatened to escape. "If anything bad were to happen to her now, as with Eldra, it'd be all because of me. Because I'd failed her...and failed Maia."

Twilight had been listening carefully to what he had to say. She couldn't help but feel pity for the poor stallion as she told him, "You shouldn't place all the blame on yourself though. While it's true you might not have been there for Fluttershy all the time, she still loves you nonetheless. And what you're doing right now, blaming yourself and wallowing in self-pity, isn't going to do anything to help the situation. The best thing we can do for Fluttershy is to track down the culprits who kidnapped her and bring her back safe and sound."

Alistair stared silently at Twilight and then sniffed. "You're right. feeling sorry won't help, will it?" he wiped his eyes and put on a determined expression. "Let's hurry back to Discord, and see what he's found."

"Yes." said Twilight with a smile. "With him on our side, I'm sure he's bound to have come up with something."






"I've got nothing." said Discord aloud as he slumped his whole body over the study's sofa in defeat. 

He'd considered the possibility that Eldra was behind this trick like she had before, and had gone to locations where he'd last seen her to search for clues. When that didn't work, he made himself turn to the magistrate for help, asking them to check records for anything that sounded suspicious or could've been related to the kidnapping. But, nothing turned up. It was maddening. Simply maddening! What was he supposed to tell Alistair and Twilight when they got back?

Right at that moment, the two ponies he'd been thinking about had returned. 'Oh crud.' he thought. "So, any luck?" he asked then anxiously.

The two shook their heads. "No, we were hoping you might've come up with something." said Twilight. 

Discord gulped and looked away. "I loathe to admit it...but, I wasn't able to find anything either."

Alistair stamped his hooves in anger. "Damn it!"

Twilight gasped a little. Alistair looked at her apologetically. "Pardon my language, but...this is just infuriating! We've searched all over for some hint as to where Fluttershy could be or who took her, and have come up with nothing! It's almost as if she's disappeared completely." 

"Like Eldra." Discord couldn't help but mutter. 

The three of them were interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. "I'll get it." said Alistair. When he returned, he was holding an open letter, his eyes wide as he stared at it.

"What is it?" asked Twilight. 

"It's...it's Eldra." said Alistair. "They've found her."







Meanwhile, in Zecora's shop, Fluttershy was sitting quietly on a futon, sipping some tea that the Zebra had offered her. 

"Um...you're probably wondering why I'm here." Fluttershy began as Zecora took a seat across from her. 

"Yes I am, but please, tell me if you can." replied Zecora. 

"Alright." said Fluttershy, taking a deep breath. She then explianed who she was to Zecora and how she'd been kidnapped by Drake's servants. She then concluded with how Drake told her to come here and seek her help.

"Ah, young Drake, I can see he is eager to undo this mistake. It seems not too long ago when he first came here, and even now he's still a pony most queer." said Zecora thinking back on the memory. "After a mistake he made on that day, he has done what he can to try and repay. I have forgiven him already of course, but he still tries, the stubborn horse."

"Oh my." said Fluttershy said softly. "What did he do?"

Zecora waved a hoof at her words. "That is of no concern to you, for now, let me see what I can do."

"Do?" she asked.

"You are welcome to stay here, as my guest. That Drake sent you here, shows that it's best."

"Stay here? I don't know, I'd hate to impose."

"Nonsense, I say!" said Zecora. "There is no reason for me to object to your stay. And besides, I admit, it can be quite lonesome living by oneself. With no pony to talk to but the masks on my shelf."

Fluttershy glanced over at peculiar masks. She then looked back to the Zebra and smiled politely saying, "In that case, I thank you for letting me stay here for the time being. And I promise that I'll try not to be too much trouble for you."

"It is no trouble dear filly, for you to think so is really quite silly." said Zecora. She got up from her seat and headed for the back of the shop, motioning for Fluttershy to come with her. "Come and we shall get you all settled in, after which I think dinner shall begin." 

Fluttershy followed, taking one last look behind her at the decorum of the shop, and wondering what sort of things awaited her now in this strange place.
> Answers Uncovered and Questions Unanswered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Answers Uncovered and Questions Unanswered



"They...they found Eldra?" asked Twilight, making sure that she had heard right.

Alistair nodded slowly, his face still wearing a somewhat grim expression. "This letter is from Scarlet." he said. "She says that her search party was doing another sweep of the harbor town that Discord said she stayed in when she first arrived. They were about to head back when they detected an odd scent. They followed it to a burial mound and from it they uncovered Eldra's remains."

Discord gave Alistiar a befuddled look. "So then...she's dead?" 

"It would seem so." said Alistair. "I can't say I'm sorry for her death, though it is still quite a shock."

Discord poofed into an officer's uniform, and crossed off some writing on a notepad. "Well, guess we can cross her off the suspect list." he said. 

"Wait." said Twilight, catching their attention. The young Unicorn appeared to be in thought. "Maybe we should check out Eldra's remains for ourselves."

"Why?" asked Alistair. "Do you think it could be some kind of trick?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, it's just that, I'm curious as to how she died. I mean, somepony obviously buried her, and it's quite possible that they might also be responsible for killing her as well."

"But what does that matter?" asked Discord. "Whether she's been murdered or not, she's still dead. That means she couldn't have taken Fluttershy and we can move on."

"I think Twilight's right." said Alistair.

Discord scoffed. "Of course you'd agree with her." 

"I too am curious as to my sister's demise. If we take a look it could perhaps shed some light on some things."

Discord let out a groan. "Fine, have it your way." He snapped his claws and teleported them all to the burial mound, where Scarlet and some of the searchers were. They were momentarily surprised by the sudden appearance of the trio, but quickly recovered when they recognized who it was. 

"Alistair." said Scarlet, walking toward him. "I'm glad you made it."

"Where is she?" asked Alistair.

Scarlet motioned for them to follow her and led them to a cot they had set up near the hole, and on it laid Eldra's dead body. Her hair was messy and brittle, her coat was pale and stiff, and her eyes, though dried out, were glassy and wide with what looked like fear. The fear of death.

Twilight put a hoof over her mouth but did not look away. "How long do you think she's been like this?" she asked.

"A bit difficult to say." answered Scarlet. "Vampires decay like they age, very slowly. But when we age, we reach a point where we just stop and our bodies are preserved in that form for the rest of out lives. When a vampires dies though, it takes a while for the flesh to decay. Years, even decades, depending on how well preserved the body is."

"So, you're saying it'd be impossible to tell when she died?" asked Twilight. 

Scarlet shook her head. "Not impossible, just more difficult. After all, we are quite different from you mortals." 

Twilight lowered her gaze back at the body, looking at it thoughtfully. 

"I think I might have a good idea on when she died." said Alistair, taking many of the ponies around him by surprise. 

"Really, when?" asked Twilight. 

"Right around the time she disappeared all those months ago." he answered. 

"How do you figure that?" asked Scarlet.

Alistair sighed. "I can't be certain, but...it feels like it makes sense. After all, when she disappeared, there were now reports of any attacks whatsoever and nopony could find her. The reason for that would likely either be because she had left the New World for good, or she was dead. And now it appears to be the latter."

Discord waved a paw dismissively and looking a touch bored. "Yes, yes, this is all very fascinating. Now that we know for certain that she's dead, can we please go and look for Fluttershy now?"

"But wait, how did she die?" asked Twilight. "From what I can see, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her."

Scarlet's face looked dark as she moved closer to the body. "That's because this is what killed her." she turned the head over to the side, exposing the side of her neck, where two deep holes were punctured. 

This got Discord's attention, as he looked at the mark with curiosity.

"Are those...bite marks?" asked Alistair.

Scarlet nodded. "Yes. And before you ask, we do believe that they're from a vampire."

"So then...vampires can be killed from blood loss the same as ponies?" asked Twilight.

"No, it doesn't quite work like that." said Scarlet and Alistair at the same time. 

Scarlet then continued to explain. "There have been very rare cases in which a vampire has drunk another's blood, done in either desperation or madness. But even then, there is little effect on the vampire being bitten than feeling weak and disoriented. Even if all their blood were drained they'd just fall into a coma until their blood is replenished. But no, even though Eldra has had her blood completely drained that isn't what killed her."

"Then what did kill her?" asked Twilight.

"That's the part that has me stumped." said Scarlet. "Except for this mark, there is no other indication of anything that could've killed her, so I'm left to assume that this bite is somehow the cause. Though it's quite troubling to not know for certain. I'll have to report this to the others and let them know the search is over."

"Thank you for telling us, Scarlet." said Alistair, who turned away from his sister's corpse. "You've been very helpful."

Scarlet smiled politely. "I'm happy to have been of service, and I wish you the best of luck in finding your daughter."

With their farewells said, Discord took them back to the villa. "Well, that was a waste of time." said Discord.

"It wasn't a waste." protested Twilight. "We now know what happened to Eldra, and that the person who killed her was a vampire."

"Yes, but what use is that in finding Fluttershy?" snapped the Draconequus. "While you're busy taking notes for your little journals, Fluttershy is out there somewhere probably fearing for her life!"

"You don't think I don't know that!" spat Twilight. "I just thought that maybe there'd be something we missed."

"Both of you stop it!" said Alistair sharply. "This is getting us nowhere."

"Finally, we agree on something." grumbled Discord.

Alistair ignored him. "While I'm grateful to finally know what became of Eldra, and as puzzling as her death may seem, there's little else there that can help point us in the right direction to help find my daughter."

The gears in Twilight's head were grinding like mad, as she quickly went over what they'd just learned a few moments ago. She then asked, "Alistair, in order for somepony to have killed Eldra, they'd have to been close to her. Do you know anypony like that that she'd keep around?"

Alistair shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Eldra was not well liked, to say the least. If there were anyone that'd be close to her, I'm sure it'd be only a one-sided attraction."

Discord opened his mouth, about to say that this was of little consequence, when something clicked in his head. He suddenly called up a memory that had been in the back of his head, of a certain Pegasus stallion with crimson hair and a cream-colored coat.

"That stallion..." he muttered to himself. 

Both Twilight and Alistair heard him and turned their attention to him.

"That stallion?" questioned Twilight. "Who are you talking about?"

"When I was freed by Eldra, there was a stallion with her, who she seemed to have quite an attraction with."

"Wait, are you saying Eldra had a partner?" asked Alistair.

"I suppose so, if you want to put it that way."

"And you didn't mention this before, why?" asked Twilight, feeling that this was information they could've used months ago when Eldra had disappeared.

Discord held up his arms defensively. "Hey don't get all mad at me, Miss Sparkle. I simply forgot. I only saw a few times and even then we didn't exactly converse much. So as someone of little consequence, he didn't seem worth remembering until now."

Twilight goraned and rubbed her temple.

"What did the stallion look like?" asked Alistair.

Discord thought it over. "Mmm, fairly young, he was a Pegasus, and he had a very red mane and a very pale coat. ANd I think his name was Blake or something. That's all I can really remember about him."

Alistair's eyes lit up with recognition at the description. "Wait a minute...at the ball, I remember seeing Fluttershy dancing with someone I'd never seen before, who matches your description perfectly."

"Wait, Fluttershy was dancing with a stranger?!" asked Discord in surprise.

"You didn't know?"

"I was busy checking the bushes around the clearing, I thought that somepony was watching us so I wanted to check without worrying Fluttershy."

"I wonder..." mused Twilight. "Suppose if this stallion from the ball is also the same one who was Eldra's partner, could he have been the one who kidnapped Fluttershy?"

Silence fell among them, as the three thought over the possibility that had just been brought up.

"If it is...was could be his motive for kidnapping Fluttershy?" asked Alistair.

Twilight shrugged. "Revenge maybe?"

"Doubtful." said Discord. "I could easily tell that Drake was quite irritated by Eldra, and if he did kill Eldra why seek vengence for that?"

"I don't know, but right now he seems like the best suspect we've got." said Twilight.

"He's also the only suspect we've got." muttered Discord.

"Discord, this partner stayed with Eldra in the same harbor town she was in, correct?" asked Alistair.

"Yes. Why?"

"If we go down to the docks and ask if anypony has seen this stallion recently, perhaps it could help us find him. As Eldra's partner, he may have some clues as to where Fluttershy is." 

Twilight agreed to the idea, while Discord was still a bit unsure. He wanted to find Fluttershy as soon as possible and didn't want to waste anymore time than they already had. And yet, a twinge of hope filled him, as he thought about how this could possibly be a clue to find her. So ultimately, he agreed as well. The three had found answers to some their questions, but in turn, even more questions arose, and hopefully, by searching for their answers, they'd be able to find their dear Fluttershy. Hopefully.
> Curiosities and Concerns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Curiosities and Concerns



In the back room of her shop, Zecora was busy brewing up a delicious stew within her cauldron, stirring the broth till it was rich and thick. Fluttershy stepped up to Zecora, breathing in the zesty aroma.

"Mmm, it smells good!" she said.

Zecora beamed with pride. "I'm glad to hear it my dear, hopefully its taste shall also bring you good cheer." 

"I'm sure it will." Fluttershy said sincerely. "And thank you again for the bed, it's quite cozy." 

"Not at all, I'm more than happy to help. Now please, you're my guest, enjoy yourself." replied Zecora. 

Fluttershy took a seat at a rickety old table, and decided to try and strike up a conversation with the interesting Zebra. "So, um, you said before that you know Drake?"

Zecora nodded, as she tested the soup to see whether or not it was at the right consistency and ready to be served. "Years ago as a young colt we met, on a day I shan't soon forget. He came on an errand on which he did take, one of my potions quite by mistake."

"Oh my." said Fluttershy. "So that's the mistake you mentioned before. What kind of potion was it?"

"It was in all essence a powerful brew, one that could allow past secrets revealed to you." answered Zecora.

"Past secrets?" she inquired.

Zecora stared at the steam rising from the cauldron, a far off look in her eye. "Many have secrets deep in their past, casting on ponies shadows quite vast. Despite it all he has grown up quite well." She turned to Fluttershy and said, "I'm afraid the rest is for Drake to tell."

"A-alright." said Fluttershy as though she understood, though in truth, she felt even more confused and curious for answers. She wanted to press the question further, but then thought, 'It really isn't any of my business, I suppose.' She also recalled how her own family had their share of secrets, which they tried to keep hidden in fear of what others would think and do. Perhaps Drake had something similar, something he didn't want anyone to find out. With those thoughts in mind, Fluttershy decided to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Um, Zecora, what kind of Pony id Drake like?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask me that question, in which case I'll give you my impression." Zecora trotted over to her cupboard and continued to talk as she pulled out two wooden bowls. "Drake as I've known him has always been lonely and sad, not to mention at times he can get easily mad." she then added as she dished up the wooden bowls with soup, "But all in all he has a good heart deep inside, despite the pain he tries so hard to hide. But what about you dear Fluttershy, what do you think of him when looking him in the eye?"

Fluttershy stared down at her bowl of soup, not sure how to answer exactly. "I...I don't know. He's been nice enough to try and help me out, and he's tried to make me feel more comfortable after what happened, he even saved me from those Timber Wolf monsters that attacked me. But..."

"You still don't trust him yet, filling your heart with regret." finished Zecora. 

Fluttershy only nodded, not looking up from her bowl. "I hardly even know him, so I don't really know what to think of him, or if this some kind of trick of his." she sighed. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I can't shake the feeling that Drake is hiding something from me, something important."

"The answers you seek will come in time, but for now I insist that you dine." Zecora motioned for Fluttershy to drink her soup, while she set down a loaf of bread between them. 

Fluttershy smiled politely at her and replied, "Thank you, after everything that's happened, I've forgotten how hungry I was." she dipped her spoon in and took a sip. "Mmm! This is delicious!" 

Zecroa grinned, and was about to say something, when there was a loud rapping sound coming from a high window near the ceiling. "Now who on earth could that be?" She got up from her seat and trotted beneath the window, pulling a nearby cord that opened up the window. From it, flew a rather large black bat, carrying with him a rather large bag, and a scroll in his claws, flapping with all his might. "Why, if it isn't dear Batty I see." 

Batty panted, out of breath as he landed on the floor. He held up the letter to Zecora. "Master sent Batty with a letter." he said. He then fainted from exhaustion. 

"Oh my goodness." cried Fluttershy, getting up from her seat. She knelt down by Batty and took him in her arms. "Are you alright?"

After a few minutes, Batty came to, his eyes landed on Fluttershy. "It is very kind of Mistress to be concerned for Batty, but Batty is fine." He jumped out of Fluttershy's arms and went over to the large sack that he'd brought with him. "Master also sent Batty with an apology gift for Mistress. Said that Mistress would love these." Batty undid the sack and revealed what was inside.

Fluttershy gasped. Inside, were plump, ripe, red apples. Her eyes widened with hunger, her throat yearning to get a taste of the sweet juices that filled the fat fruit. So great was her craving, that she completely overlooked the possibility of them being poisoned, and dove right in. She dug her fangs into one apple after the other, draining them to empty husks, and in a matter of seconds, she managed to finish off at least a quarter of the apples. Fluttershy licked her lips. 

"Mmm, that hit the spot!" she said.

Batty smiled and bowed to her. "Batty is glad Mistress approves."

"Well now," said Zecora, interrupting the two, having finished reading the letter. "It seems that Drake has me another companion, I should offer my thanks to the young stallion."

"Another companion? What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"Master is punishing Batty for Batty's mistake. Batty is told to work for his punishment with the Zebra Zecora, and Batty is willing to do what Batty can to make up for what Batty did."

Zecora nodded. "I'm sure that there are some tasks in which you can assist, and check on any errands that I might've missed."

"Batty will do his best." said Batty. flew up into the air, and bowed to Fluttershy once more. "Goodnight Mistress, and take care." 

"Thank you, I will." replied Fluttershy taking her seat, and watching the little bat fly up to the rafters. Her gaze then drifted over to the window and she thought to herself, 'Papa, Discord, Twilight, I hope you're all doing okay...wherever you are now. I'll be home soon!'






At the docks, the trio had been going around asking several of the dockworkers if they'd seen anypony matching the description of the mysterious. It seemed like it'd be a dead end, when one worker replied, "Oh him, yeah I've seen him."

"Really?" asked Twilight. 

The worker nodded. "I saw him board one of the ships about a day or so ago, he had two helpers carrying a mighty large, heavy trunk." 

Their eyes widened, as they all came to the same realization at the possibility of Fluttershy being stowed away inside of a large trunk, and that they were probably right in suspecting the mysterious stallion in being Fluttershy's kidnapper.

Discord pushed Twilight aside and looked at the worker with a narrowed gaze, asking gravely, "Where?"

The worker gulped and answered, "Um...I think it was heading for the Old World. But other than that I don't really know anything else."

"Thank you, you've been quite helpful." said Alistair, leading Twilight and Discord away so that they could talk.

"So, the Old World is it? Well, I'll have us there in--" But before Discord could teleport, Twilight froze his paw with her magic.

"Hold on, before we do anything, we need to come up with a plan." she said.

Discord rolled his eyes. "Oh please, with me around a plan is hardly necessary."

Twilight gave him a look. "Really, and how or where you hope to find Fluttershy once you get there?"

"Pfft! As if I need to go into such trivial details." he replied snarkily.

"Enough." said Alistair. "It would be best to come up with a plan and make so travel arrangements. After all, the Old World is quite vast, filled with ancient and strange things that could prove to be very troublesome on our mission."

Discord bit the inside of his cheek, but let out a defeated sigh. "Fine! But let's make it quick, I have a Fluttershy to save after all." 

"We know, and we'll do what we can to make sure that she'll return safe and sound." said Alistair. 

Discord let out another sigh, looking up at the night sky and thinking to himself before teleporting them away, 'Hold on a little longer Fluttershy, try to wait until I get there.'






In his private chambers, Drake turned toward a long, ancient staff that was propped up against a large oak table. Embedded in the staff, was a large blood-red jewel that seemed to pulse with light, not unlike a beating heart. Drake looked at the jewel coldly, walking toward it with tentative steps. An ominous voice spoke from the jewel.

"So, I see that you've returned." it said.

"Of course, as I've said before I'm a stallion of my word." replied Drake.

"Then I take it you're ready to fulfill your end of our bargain?" 

"Not quite yet." 

The light from the jewel paused for a moment before the voice started back up again. "You still wish to stall?"

Drake frowned. "I don't have much of a choice, my servants brought my sister here against her will, and until she's returned home, I can't just leave her here to fend for herself. I need more time, to make sure that nothing happens to her here, once she's gone I'll hold up my end and give you what you oh so desire."

The jewel said nothing at first, but then replied, "Very well then, let be known that I'm quite accommodating to the needs of those I do business with. But I warn you now, dear Drake, that if you continue to hold me off like this, I'll have no choice but to take drastic measures."

"I'm well aware, and I assure you that I have no intention of going back. I promised to see our agreement through to the end, and I intend to keep that promise." he said.

"Good, if it's one thing I despise it's traitors who go back on their word. I shall await you a little longer, dear Drake, and I am at the ready to receive my promised compensation."

Drake lowered his head to the jewel. "Understood." And with that, Drake left the private chamber and the jeweled staff alone. 

The jewel chuckled to itself maliciously. "The long lost sister has returned, eh? Well now, this should be quite interesting...perhaps she could be quite useful to me, one way or the other."
> Mysterious and Miserable Master
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mysterious and Miserable Master



A few days had passed, and Fluttershy was beginning to feel a little more comfortable with her surroundings at Zecora's shop. Each day Zecora would set about brewing up potions and attending to any customers that stopped by to peruse her wares. Then of course, there was Batty, who flew around the back room (so as not to frighten or disturb the customers), doing whatever chore that Zecora had assigned for him. As for Fluttershy, she also did little chores around the shop, like helping with the cooking and cleaning, wanting to make herself useful to her caretaker during her stay. 

"I thank you very much for your help, but as my guest you needn't trouble yourself." Zecora had said when Fluttershy told her she wanted to do some work around the place. 

To which she replied, "It's no trouble at all, I'm helping because I want to. Besides, it's the least I can do after you were nice enough to take me in and all."

After that, everypony began to settle nicely into a little routine, with everyone doing their part around the shop, and concluding at the end of the day with a quiet, peaceful evening. It was during such an evening that Fluttershy, who'd just finished her dinner and was stepping outside behind the shop for some fresh air, spotted Batty trying to carry a basket of herbs and ingredients he'd brought for Zecora. Unfortunately for the little bat, the basket was a bit too cumbersome for him to carry in his little claws. Thus, the basket handle slipped from his grip, and ended up falling toward the ground. 

"Oh no." he cried, trying to make a dive for the basket. 

Fluttershy sprang into action, flying much quicker than Batty, and managing to catch the basket before it could hit the ground or spill its contents. 

Batty let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you mistress. Batty is most grateful." 

"You're welcome." Fluttershy said with a smile, as she set the basket gently on the ground. "But you shouldn't try to carry such big, heavy loads next time. You could end up hurting yourself if you strain yourself too much."

"Mistress is right. Batty will be sure to be more careful in the future." he said.

"Good." she said. "Now then, have you had anything to eat yet?"

Batty shook his head. "No mistress, Batty has not eaten a thing."

"Well, let's fix that, shall we?" Fluttershy stepped into the shop for a few moments, and returned with a few of the leftover scraps of food Zecora had from their dinner. "I'm sorry it isn't much, but if you'd like, I could try to find you some nice insects or something next time."

Batty took the scraps and began to devour them. "Mistress is so kind." he said sincerely. "After what Batty has done, Batty does not deserve such kindness from the mistress." 

"What you've done? What do you mean?" Fluttershy questioned. 

Batty took a big swallow, hanging his head in shame as he began to explain. "Batty is very ashamed to say, that he's responsible for the trouble the mistress is in."

"Huh?"

"Batty was the one who told Spike and Thorax to kidnap the mistress, and to not let the master know. Batty was the one who put convinced them, even though he knew the mistress would be scared and upset, but Batty did so anyway. And for that, Batty is truly sorry and ashamed of his actions." He bowed low before a surprised Fluttershy, his head touching the ground. "Please mistress, Batty begs for your forgiveness, and that you accept Batty's apology." 

Fluttershy was silent for a few moments before speaking once more. "You were the one you planned to kidnap me?" Batty nodded, but did not lift his head to face her. "But...but why? Why would you--"

"It was for master's sake." interrupted Batty. "Everything Batty did, was for master's sake. Master was in need, so Batty thought if he brought mistress here, it would help master, and master would be saved!" 

Fluttershy stared at him, completely baffled. "Saved? What do you mean? And...and how could bringing me here possibly help Drake?"

Batty sat up, covering his mouth with his claws, but then spoke once more. "Batty cannot say much, Batty has been sworn not to tell mistress what the master does not wish for mistress to know. However, Batty will say this. Master has been through many hardships, living an unbearable life with an unbearable monster. Recently, master had defeated the monster, and is pleased to have found some peace, but, he defeated that monster at a terrible price. Oh, such a horrible price! Master believes he must pay this price no matter what, and that would result in master being gone forever!" The poor bat burst into tears. "T-t-that's why...that's why Batty couldn't let master succeed. Master has much to live for, so Batty brought you here, to change his mind, to show him...that he doesn't have to disappear."

Fluttershy stood there, watching Batty cry, and then she tentatively rested a hoof on him, and begin to stroke his back comfortingly. "Shh, there, there." she crooned. "That's it, just let it all out."

Batty sniffed back his tears, and looked up at Fluttershy with wet eyes. 

"I may not know you or Drake very well, and I may not know how you thought I could be of any help, but I can see that you care a lot about your master, and that you were desperately trying to help him." she said.

He nodded. "Yes, Batty was."

"And while I may not be too happy about you kidnapping me all the way to the Old World." she scolded, causing the bat to shrink in fear, only to be soothed once again by the Pegasus' gentle strokes. "I am willing to put that behind me and forgive you."

Batty blinked and looked at her with wide eyes. "R-really?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes." she replied.

"Oh, thank you mistress! Thank you!" Batty cried happily. 

"However," Fluttershy added. "That doesn't change the fact that I am disappointed in you for doing such a thing, and you'll need to work hard if you want to earn my trust."

"Yes, of course! Batty will do anything for mistress." Batty said, eager to be of service. "Just say what you want of Batty, and Batty shall do it." 

"Well first, I think you can start by getting these ingredients to Zecora." said Fluttershy. "And you shouldn't try to do such mean and sneaky things like that again, okay?"

Batty flapped into the air and gave a light bow of his head in her direction. "As mistress wishes, it shall be done!" He picked up the basket and flew it into the shop. While Fluttershy continued to stand there, watching the bat until he was out of sight. When he was gone, she let out a sigh. So many questions were in her head. Just what was going on here? And why had Batty brought her here? He'd said it was for Drake's sake, but why? What made her so special that Batty thought she could help whatever problem his master was in? It seemed to Fluttershy that more and more questions just seemed to arise since she came to the Old World and Zecora's shop. And while now it didn't seem like she had the answers, Fluttershy made a silent promise to herself to figure things out and to get to the bottom of this whole thing.






That night, Fluttershy had a peculiar dream. At first, it began with her back in the forest, surrounded by dark, twisted trees and shadows. Then, a pair of eyes glowed from the darkness, piercing into Fluttershy, freezing her with fear. The eyes drew closer and closer, until the figure that they belonged to came into view. It was Eldra.

"No." Fluttershy whispered. "It can't be."

Eldra threw her head back, and let out a malevolent laugh, as she began to advance on Fluttershy. A vicious predator about to attack its innocent and helpless prey. Fluttershy tried to run away, but found her hooves glued to the spot. Her wings were stiff against her sides, and her voice suddenly became trapped in her throat. 'No, stay away!' Eldra's wings transformed into bat wings, and razor fangs grew from her jaw. 'No! NO!' 

Just then, out of nowhere, Drake appeared, and attacked Eldra, taking her by surprise. Eldra let out a scream as he pinned her down. His fangs grew out, and he opened his jaw wide. Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock and horror as Drake bit down hard on Eldra's neck, and began to suck her blood. Eldra gurgled, and then let a soft gasp, as she dropped down dead. Fluttershy looked down from her aunt's dead body, to Drake. His eyes glowed as red as his mane, his fangs and muzzle dripped with blood, a dark shadow crossed over his face, giving him an intimidating presence. Fluttershy shivered with fright, wondering what he was about to do next. 

But much to her surprise, Drake suddenly collapsed, he looked at her with a weak, pleading look and whispered hoarsely, "Help...me..." The scene then disappeared into an empty void, and Fluttershy found herself plummeting into the abyss of darkness. It was then that Fluttershy woke with a start, panting as she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. She was relieved that it was a dream, but she placed a hoof onto her forehead and murmured to herself, "What was that...just now...?"





Meanwhile, in his castle, Drake had had a similar nightmare, in which he'd saved Fluttershy from Eldra. But when he looked down at the corpse, it had suddenly changed into Fluttershy, and the blood in his mouth turned black and tasted of bile. A sinister voice laughed, mocking him, as a vision of the glowing stone appeared before him, pulsing with each echoing laugh. Drake awoke with a gasp, breathing heavily over what he'd just witnessed. 

"What the Tartarus?" he asked himself. He rubbed his brow and groaned. After all these years, he'd thought he'd finally managed to rid himself of the effects of nightmares, but it seemed instead that he was still just as vulnerable as he was before. "Damn." He got up from his bed and began to pace around his room, trying to relax himself so he could get some more rest. But he didn't really feel much like sleeping, so instead, he opened his bedroom window open, and soared from it, for a little midnight flight to clear his thoughts. 

The cold night air wrapped around Drake, as he flew over the forests and hills, taking in the still and quiet beauty of the night. It wasn't long until after a while, he neared the village of Oaken, and thought that it couldn't hurt to take a quick visit to check on Fluttershy and Batty while he was there. He swooped down with great speed, and came to a gentle stop behind the old shop. He went up to the back door, and opened it just a little, peaking inside. And inside, he caught a partial glimpse of his sister, who had managed to resume sleeping just before he came, and spotted Batty, sleeping high in the rafters. 

Drake let out a soft, yet high whistle, which was able to wake Batty up. Batty recognized immediately who the whistle was from, and saw his master through the crack in the doorway. 

"Master." Batty flew down and went to his master's side. "It's good to see the master is well."

"Thank you, Batty." replied Drake. "How are things here? Is Fluttershy alright?"

Batty nodded. "Yes, mistress has been fine, though, Batty admits that he has told her that he is the reason for being here." 

"You didn't tell her anything else, did you?"

Batty shook his head. "No, but master, why not just tell mistress? After all, mistress is master's sister so--"

"I've told you no." said Drake sharply. "Besides, once she's gone, it'll be time for me to move on, and to fulfill my end of the bargain."

"But master can't." said Batty. "Please, reconsider, master doesn't need to throw his life away, master can live, for himself, and for his sister. Please!" The bat began to cry. 

Drake softened, and began to rub the bat's head. "Batty, you know I can't go back on my word. I've tampered with some dark magic, and there's no telling what kind of consequences may arise if I don't fulfill the promise I made. I very well might end up causing even more pain and trouble for Fluttershy than I already have."

"That's not true! Master is not a trouble to mistress. Master can find another way, master can....can be happy." sniffed Batty.

"There is no other way." said Drake. "Your concern for me is touching, but my decision is final, and nothing can change that."

"B-but!" 

"It's final, Batty."

Batty closed his mouth and hung his head. "Yes, master."

"Good. Have a good night, Batty." And with those last words, Drake left, heading back for his castle. 

Batty sighed and whispered. "Oh master, why must you be so stubborn...?"
> Seeking Fluttershy (and Answers)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seeking Fluttershy (and Answers)



All was quiet on the docks of Port Rouge, the ponies working the docks were getting ready to head home for the day. One of the younger stallions had finished tying off the ships to the poles, when all of a sudden, a bright flash of light appeared, and startled him. The stallion fell back into a bucket, and gaped with wide eyes as three figures appeared in the spot where the light had been. The first two figures looked like normal ponies, but the third one was the bizarre creature he'd ever seen, the very sight of which caused him to faint.

Discord glanced over at the passed out stallion and smirked a little. Even though he'd decided to change himself for the better for Fluttershy, he still found the reactions of ponies to his sudden appearances to be just as amusing as ever. He then returned his attention to Twilight and said, "Alright, we're here. What now, Miss Sparkle?" 

"Um, well...I think for now, we should find a place to stay until we find Fluttershy." she said. 

"I know just the place." said Alistair, as he began to lead his companions down the docks. "There's an old inn here that should suit our needs nicely. It's been a while since I lasted visited the place, but it should still be in business." 

"That's right, you used to live in the Old World, didn't you." said Twilight.

Alistair nodded, a distant look appearing in his eyes. "Yes, at the heart of the countryside in Castle Alucard." He blinked and shook his head. "But that was a long time ago. Since I left, the castle was put into Eldra's care, so there's no telling what changes she's made to it. No doubt she made it to suit her own tastes and needs."

"You might be right." said Twilight. "I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have mentioned it."

"No, no. It's quite alright. I did have my regrets about abandoning my ancestral home, but I've already put them long behind me. Besides, we have more pressing matters to deal with."

"Exactly." said Discord, cutting into the conversation.  "Like finding Fluttershy, which we'd be doing much faster if you did less reminiscing and show us to the inn already." 

"Right, of course." said Alistair, picking up the pace. "Here it is."

The name of the inn was "The Scurvy Scallion", the building itself looked very old and worn down, but the lights and sounds from inside indicated that it was very lively regardless. 

"It hasn't changed a bit." said Alistair. "I'll head inside and take care of all the proper arrangements."

As Alistair stepped inside, Twilight turned toward Discord and said, "You might want to put on a disguise while we're here." she said.

"Do I have to?" whined Discord.

"Yes." Twilight replied with a pointed look. "Unless you want to draw attention to yourself and alert the kidnappers that we're here."

Discord gave her a sour expression, but conceded. "Oh, fine." In an instant, he was now in his pony disguise. 

"There, now that wasn't so hard now was it?" 

He grumbled to himself under his breath just as Alistair returned outside. "I've gotten us all a room. We can rest there for now and begin our search first thing tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?!" said Discord. "Why not right now? We've wasted enough time already with all your little travel preparations, so why waste anymore time?"

"Because it's getting late, and we'd have better luck searching when it's light out." answered Alistair.

"But what about Fluttershy? There's no telling what those kidnappers have been doing to her all this time, but instead of searching so we can rescue her, you want to put it off for another day?!"

Alistair's jaw clenched, but he spoke as calmly as he could. "Look, I want to find my daughter just as much as you, but for now, we need to set up a base of operations, and we need to work on an actual rescue plan."

Discord looked like he wanted to argue some more, but instead, he bit back his tongue and stormed ahead, going inside the inn. 

"He's right about some things." Alistair admitted to Twilight. "If we wanted to, we could begin our search now. But I can't help but worry about what kind of risks there might be if we go in unprepared."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get her back." said Twilight, trying to cheer up Alistair's mood. 

"I know." he said. "I just hope in the meantime, that wherever Fluttershy is, that she hasn't been harmed and that she's well."









Fluttershy had another strange dream about Drake. In this dream, he was walking through a dimly lit cave, with dozens of stalactites and stalagmites all around, looking almost like the teeth of some horrible monster. Drake walked calmly, without a single trace of fear on his face, his eyes were bright with determination. He eventually stopped at the end of the cave, where he beheld the object he'd been searching for. Wedged between two large rocks, there stood a long staff, with a red pulsating gem at its tip. As Drake drew closer, the light in the cave gave way to heavy shadows, leaving only the glowing gem, that shined brightly upon his face. Fluttershy couldn't explain it, but she felt something horrible and unnatural about that stone. Each pulse of light it radiated sent chills down her spine and made her heart beat with fear. What was this mysterious stone?

Drake reached out toward it. Fluttershy tried to call out to him, to tell him to stay away from it, but no sound came out. He seized the staff. A blood-chilling whisper echoed through Fluttershy's mind. "Young vampire....you are the first in a long time to seek me out..."

"Then you know what I want of you." said Drake.

"Yes." replied the voice, "I can see clearly the dark ambition that has long been growing inside your heart. I shall help you to fulfill it, but, you understand the consequences of my arrangements."

Drake still wore his determined expression, but Fluttershy could see a bead of sweat drip off his brow, and his legs quivering ever so slightly. "Yes, I am fully aware."

The voice chuckled. "Then I look forward to doing business with you."

The red light intensified, until it became too bright for Fluttershy to see. When she reopened her eyes, she was awake, and lying in bed. It was morning now, and she could smell breakfast being cooked in the kitchen. 'What does it mean?' she wondered. 'Those dreams I've been having...are they trying to tell me something? Something about Drake?' 

Fluttershy hopped out of bed and went to the dining table. "Um, Zecora?" 

"Yes, what can I do? Is there something that is troubling you?" 

Fluttershy shook her head. "No, well, not exactly. It's just, I was wondering, if it'd be okay if I went to pay Drake a visit."

"Oh? Is that so?" 

"Y-yes. I want to thank him for what he's done for me...and, there are some things I'd like to ask him."

Zecora's eyes studied her for a moment before she smiled. "You're more than free to visit Drake, besides, I've been meaning to give you a break. You've worked so hard without asking for rest, so I think some time to yourself would be best."

"Thank you, Zecora." said Fluttershy. "I'll try to be back as soon as I can."

Zecora waved a hoof. "Take your time, and go to Drake. There's no need to hurry for my sake." 

And with that, Fluttershy left Zecora's shop, and headed for Drake's castle, hoping that once there, she'd be able to get some answers to her questions. 







Twilight had been sleeping soundly, when all of a sudden, her peaceful slumber was interrupted by the sound of bugle playing. It surprised her so much that she ended up rolling out of bed and onto the hard wooden floor.

She looked up and saw Discord, dressed in some kind of army uniform, holding the bugle he'd used to wake her up. He gave her a smug smirk. "Rise and shine, sleepy head. There's much to do and little time to waste." 

Twilight glared at him. "Discord..." But he quickly interrupted her with a snap of his fingers, conjuring up a bath tub with a shower head and placing Twilight inside. A curtain appeared around her and the shower head turned on. "Gah!!" she cried. For the water from the shower was icy cold. The shower disappeared in an instant. Twilight stood there, dripping wet, when a giant hair dryer was conjured up, and blew her dry. Her mane then went up in frizzed curls. 

"There, all ready to start the day." said Discord, clearly enjoying himself. 

Twilight gritted her teeth. "Discord!" 

"What? I did nothing wrong." he said innocently. A halo appearing over his head. 

Twilight was about to yell at him once more, when Alistair stepped into the room. "Good morning, all." he said. He looked over at Twilight's mane. "Oh dear, did you wake up with a case of bed head, Miss Sparkle?"

Discord snickered. Twilight shot him a glare and said, "No, just a little mishap when my hair was being dried."

"Well, it's easily fixable. Once you're ready, we can begin going over the map and figuring out where to search." he said.

"Right." she said, levitating a comb over and running it through her mane. "Got any idea in particular of where to search?"

"Well, if I remember correctly, there are some places in here in the Old World that vampires go to meet and interact with one another, similar to Scarlet's mansion. We usually refer to them as haunts." he said.

"So, you think Fluttershy might be at one of these haunts?" she asked.

"It's a possibility. But if she isn't there, there might be somepony who's seen her, or could give us some clues we could use."

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Discord. "Let's get started." Thus, the search officially began.








Fluttershy had arrived at the castle and was welcomed inside by Spike, who now lead her down a hall. "The master will be glad to see you again." he said. 

"Oh, really?" said Fluttershy.

"Er, yeah, after all he'd be glad to see how you're doing with your new arrangements."

"Right." Fluttershy said softly. 

Spike ushered her inside the piano room and said, "You can wait here while I get the master. Feel free to look around if you want." 

He closed the door, leaving Fluttershy alone. The piano room was fairly large and grand. Two large book shelves lined the far wall, a grand ebony piano sat in the corner, and plush sofas took up the center space. Fluttershy traced her hoof lightly over the piano keys, then over the spines of the books, taking in the lovely decorum. It reminded her a bit of the study back home in the villa, where she'd sit and read herself to sleep. A twinge of homesickness went through her heart. She missed her friends, and her father, and she hoped that they'd come to get her soon. She knew that they must've been worried sick about her. 

Fluttershy then came up to the fireplace at the far end of the room, she looked up above the mantle, and saw a painting that made her eyes widen with shock. In the painting, there stood a dashing depiction of her father. Alistair looked just as he did now, if not a touch younger, dressed all in finery. He looked very regal, like a prince or a king, commanding power and respect from all that looked at him. But in his eyes, there was a warmth that Fluttershy was all too familiar with. 

Her eyes became wet with tears as she reached out a hoof toward the portrait. "Papa..." she uttered softly.

Drake then entered the room. She saw Fluttershy, and her gaze on the portrait. "F-Fluttershy." he said.

Fluttershy turned toward him. "Why do you have a picture of papa?" she asked. 

"I...I..." Drake was at a loss for words.

Fluttershy walked up to him and said. "Ever since I've got here, there have been some questions that popped up. About you, about why all of this is happening, and now this." She pointed to the picture and then looked Drake in the eye. "I came here to get some answers, so please, tell me what's going on."

Drake was silent before letting out a heavy sigh. "You're right, you're entitled to some answers, and it's probably time that I gave them to you."
> Secrets Revealed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secrets Revealed





Drake made a motion for Fluttershy to sit and make herself comfortable on a nearby loveseat. A heavy sigh escaped through his nostrils as he carefully considered how to tell Fluttershy the answers he'd promised her. 

"First, I need to ask you, did your father tell you what Eldra said, about the night that Maia died?"

Fluttershy was silent for a moment before replying, "Y-yes...he...he told me that Eldra had came to my mother to torment her before the village mob came..." her eyes started to prick with tears. "...and how that I also had a brother who...who..." Fluttershy couldn't get the words to come out. After the kidnapping incident, her father had sat her down to discuss what happened, and explained what Eldra had told him. To learn that Eldra had been partially responsible for her mother's death, and that she'd had a brother who was killed by him as well...it was almost too much for her to think about. 

Drake gave her a sympathetic look as he gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. "It's alright." he soothed. "I'm sorry to have brought up what I'm sure is a painful subject for you...but, what I have to say involves what occurred that night."

Fluttershy sniffed and looked up at him with watery eyes. "Huh?"

"What Eldra said about killing your brother, that was a lie, I know for a fact that he's very much alive."

"But...but how can you know that?" asked Fluttershy. 

"Because, I am him." he answered. "I am your brother, Drake Alucard." 

In that moment, Fluttershy felt as if time had stopped. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart nearly stopping, as she looked at Drake with wide eyes filled with shock. "W-what?!"

Drake nodded with a very serious expression. "Yes, it is true. Though, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to tell you."

"But I don't understand." said Fluttershy, trying to comprehend the strangeness of what was happening to her. 

"I suppose I should try to explain." sighed Drake. "You see, originally Eldra had planned on killing me, but then later came up with what she considered to be a better idea. She decided that she would make the son of Alistair Alucard into her personal slave, and that it would be more demeaning to her brother than simply killing me. So, for years, I've grown up in this castle, and served under Eldra's command."

Fluttershy still remembered how horrible and vile Eldra had been to her, as well as the ponies around her, she couldn't imagine what it'd be like to have to live with her and be her servant.

"Did she tell you about how she kidnapped you? Is that how you know?" asked Fluttershy.

Drake shook his head. "No, despite all the horrible things that Eldra did, that might have been the only kindness she ever did me by not telling me. Growing up, I knew Eldra was rotten, but I just put up with it and waited for when I could leave on my own. It wasn't until I met Zecora that I found out the truth."

Fluttershy then remembered what Zecora had told her before. "That potion you stole, it showed you what had happened."

Drake nodded. "After I found out, I was confused, angry, and wasn't really sure of anything. But after a while, I came to grips with what I saw and decided that I would do what I could to teach Eldra a lesson for what happened that night. To have her get what she deserved. So, I waited until I could find the right time to do just that, when I found out about Eldra's plans for you and the New World. I decided that I would try to foil Eldra's plot and help you before it was too late." 

A fuzz memory surfaced in Fluttershy's mind, of a figure dressing her wounds while in Eldra's prison. "You, you were the one who treated my injuries."

Drake nodded. "It was a little something I had Zecora fix up, just in case." 

"But, if your my brother, why didn't you just say so?" asked Fluttershy.

Drake turned away from her, a shadow covering part of his face as he said, "I've done some things...things I'm not proud of. Unlike me, you've led a much nicer, more innocent life, and you don't need a brother like me who'll only drag you down." 

Fluttershy got up from the couch, "That's not true!" she argued. "Whatever you did in the past doesn't matter to me. You're still my brother regardless, aren't you? I want to get to know you, and in turn, I want you to get to know me."

Drake said nothing, but just stood there. Fluttershy slowly approached him and gently laid a hoof on his shoulder. He flinched slightly at her touch, but gradually relaxed. "...You're...you're really willing to give me a chance?" She gave him a firm nod. "Ha. You're an odd pony."

"Hey!" said Fluttershy a little defensively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." said Drake, chuckling lightly. "But, if you're that set on getting to know me and giving me a chance, I see no reason why not to oblige. Besides, it gives me a chance to finally talk to my sister."

Fluttershy smiled at him. "Where should I start?"

"The beginning is always best." 

And with that, the two siblings, reunited, began to talk among themselves, learning about their other half, and beginning to feel happy for having met one another.
> Uncovered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Uncovered


Alistair studied the map of the Old World intently, he and the rescue party had already searched through most of the vampire haunts. They were now finishing their search in an old cemetery, where many young or newly created vampires were said to lurk about.  Sadly however, their efforts were giving them no results. With no clues as to where his daughter could possibly be, he was beginning to despair as to whether they'd ever find her again. 

"Any idea where we should go next?" Asked Twilight.

Alistair lowered the map and heaved a sigh. "I don't know. I thought for sure we'd find something. But..."

"Mind if I make a suggestion?" Asked Discord, hovering just above their heads. Using his magic, he lifted up the map for both the ponies to see. "You said something about having an old castle around here, correct?"

"Yes," answered Alistair. "But I don't see--"

"Allow me to explain." Discord interrupted. "You also said before that since you left, the castle's been overrun with Eldra's little henchponies."

"What exactly are you getting at, Discord?" Asked Twilight. 

"Why Twilight, I'd have thought you of all ponies would've figured it out." He said, causing Twilight to blush in anger and embarrassment. "As I was saying, suppose after hearing how their old mistress mysteriously disappeared, these henchponies decided to help complete her plans by kidnapping Fluttershy."

Twilight thought over this and replied, "That actually sounds like a good possibility. And if you're right, then that means that Fluttershy could be at the castle."

"Exactly!" He said.

Alistair let out a groan and smacked his hoof to his forehead. "I should've thought of that!"

"It's okay, Alistair." Said Twilight. 

"No, it's not!" He shot back. "If I'd thought about searching the castle before, we would've found Fluttershy a lot sooner."

"That may be true, but it's not your fault." She said. "I mean, it took Discord this long to think of checking out the castle."

"Hey!" 

Twilight ignored him. "The point is, we now have a new lead on where to find Fluttershy, and that's what matters."

Alistair gave her a small smile. "You're right. We mustn't waste another moment. To Castle Alucard."

"Aye aye!" Said Discord, snapping his talons. And like that, they were gone.







Meanwhile, at Castle Alucard, Drake had ordered his servants to prepare a little meal for his sister while they were catching up.

"And after he got back, Papa took me out on a picnic to make up for being away for so long." She said.

Drake smiled. "I'll bet it was nice," he replied wistfully. "Father sounds like a wonderful stallion." 

Fluttershy looked down at her plate sadly. "He is...I wonder how he's doing now."

"You'll see him again soon," assured Drake. "You'll be back with him and your friends before you know it."

"What about you?" She asked, turning her gaze toward her brother. "What are you going to do once I leave?"

Drake didn't reply immediately, but soon, he found his voice and said, "There are some...things that I must take care of. You needn't worry about it." 

"Oh." She murmured softly. "I see, I was hoping, if you wanted, you could come back with me to the villa, and we could spend more time together."

Drake looked at her with wide eyes, touched by her kind words. But he lowered his gaze and replied, "I would love to, but, I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because, aside from the business I need to take care of, I don't think it will work out if I go home with you. We've been apart for all these years, I'm practically a stranger! If I returned now...I'd just get in the way. There's no place for me in your life."

"That's not true!"

Drake looked up at Fluttershy, shocked by how she'd raised her voice, and the strong, determined look she had in her eyes.

"When I was alone in the Villa, the only other pony I opened up to and was honest with was Papa. I thought, aside from him, there was no one else I could open up to, that it would be impossible for me to let others in. That all changed when I met my friends. After we got to know one another, my little world began to open up, and I found myself feeling happy and comforted when I was around them." She reached across the table and touched Drake's hoof, causing him to flinch. "We may be strangers now, but that doesn't mean that we can't become friends."

Drake looked into her eyes as they shined with a gentle warmth. He felt a similar warmth spread through him. "Fluttershy..."

"I know how hard it is to let others inside," she continued. "But, at least think about what I said. Okay?"

Drake opened his mouth, about to reply, when suddenly, Spike and Thorax came bursting in through the doors. Both of them looking a little frantic.

"Master! Urgent news!"

"What is it?" He asked, turning toward them.

"Three figures just appeared outside the castle," said Thorax. "We recognized them as Lord Alistair, Discord, and that one Unicorn who was at the ball."

Fluttershy let out an excited gasp and rose from her seat. Her father and two dear friends had come at last!

"I see," said Drake. "Then we shall go out to greet them then." 

Departing from the dining room, Fluttershy and Drake headed toward the entrance hall.

"Are you happy to be going home?" Asked Drake.

Fluttershy gave a nod. "Yes, of course I am! But...I wish we'd gotten to spend a little more time together."

"Perhaps some other time." He said. Drake then added, "Are...are you going to tell father, about who I am?"

"I think that's best left up to you." Replied Fluttershy. "When you feel you're ready."

Drake gave her an appreciative smile. "Thank you, I hope you and your loved ones will have a safe journey ba--"

But before he could finish, the grand doors of the entrance hall were suddenly flung off their hinges. The doors flew through the air before crashing loudly onto the foyer floor. Fluttershy let out a startled cry.

"What the hell?!" Shouted Drake in alarm. 

Then, suddenly and quite unexpectedly, a figure wielding a lance and riding atop a winged pig flew into the castle, letting out a battle cry, "For Fluttershy!" 

Fluttershy blinked, recognizing the figure immediately. "Discord?"

Discord lunged toward Drake, pinning him to the wall with his lion paw and aiming the tip of his lance at his throat.

"So, you're the mysterious kidnapper?" Discord said, eyeing Drake. "Seems like somepony needs to teach you a lesson."

"Discord, stop!" Fluttershy cried, grabbing his arm.

Discord turned his attention to Fluttershy, looking at her with a befuddled expression. "Fluttershy, why--"

"Discord!" Fluttershy whirled toward the doorway, where Twilight and her father were rushing in. "I told you to wait for us!" She cried.

Upon seeing his daughter, Alistair rushed toward Fluttershy, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Oh Fluttershy! I was so worried about you!" He cried.

"Twilight! Papa!" Fluttershy cried, feeling a mix of happiness for seeing her loved ones again, and confusion for what exactly was going on.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked.

Fluttershy nodded as she pulled away from her father. "Yes, I'm fine. But what's going on here?"

"Why, we're here to rescue you, my dear." Answered Discord. "From this, treacherous colt here." He pressed the lance's tip against Drake's neck.

Alistair narrowed his eyes as he glared at Drake. "You! You're the one who kidnapped my daughter?"

"What? No, you don't--!" 

But Drake was cut off as Discord interjected, "Wait a minute, I've seen you somewhere before." Discord squinted his eyes at Drake before they widened with recognition. "Aha! It's you! You're that little minion who served under Eldra, Jake!"

"It's Drake." Drake said, frowning in annoyance.

Discord ignored him and turned his head toward the others. "He was there when Eldra released me from my prison. He was practically her second in command!"

"Is that so?" Alistair said, his anger noticeably rising, as his eyes started to glow a vibrant red.

"Everypony, stop!" Fluttershy said, trying to ease the growing tension. "Drake didn't kidnap me! It was all a big misunderstanding."

The three rescuers all gaped at Fluttershy in shock. 

"A misunderstanding?" Questioned Twilight.

Fluttershy nodded. "Drake was trying to help me get back home to all of you. He even sent a letter to you to let you know where I was."

"Hmph! A likely story." Discord muttered.

"Fluttershy, how do you know for sure that what he's told you is the truth?" Asked Alistair.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before answering, "When I first met Drake, I didn't have must trust in him. But, he's shown me nothing but kindness, and has been so helpful, that I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt."

Drake stared at Fluttershy in surprise and awe, feeling touched by the way she was defending him.

"But wait a minute!" Said Twilight. "How did you meet Drake in the first place, and how did you come to be at your father's castle?"

Fluttershy's pupil's shrank a little, she cast her gaze downward as she tried to explain. "Oh, well um, you see...the ones who actually kidnapped me were Drake's servants, who brought me...here..."

"Aha!" Discord cried triumphantly, "I knew he was lying! 

"But he said that he knew nothing of what his servants had done until it was too late. They acted on their own accord." Fluttershy defended.

"And you believed him?" Asked Twilight.

"Well...I wasn't sure at first." Fluttershy admitted. 

"If he truly knew nothing about your kidnapping, then why did his servants take you in the first place?" Alistair asked. 

Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say. What could she say? That the servants wanted to cheer up their master by bringing him his long lost sister? She glanced briefly at Drake. She had agreed to let Drake tell their father the truth about himself, and she was going to keep to that agreement. "I'm not sure why." She fibbed. "But, whatever the reason, they didn't mean to harm me. As you can see, I'm perfectly alright." 

Unfortunately for Fluttershy and Drake however, the three rescuers didn't seem convinced one bit.

"I've had quite enough of these games." Alistair said, trotting up to Drake with a hard look in his eye. "Not only did you kidnap my daughter, but you've somehow managed to convince her that you're not to blame, and made her see you as an ally."

"Papa, stop! Drake hasn't done anything." Said Fluttershy. Twilight held her back, as Alistair continued to speak.

"I don't know what sort of scheme this is that you thought you could get away with, but I won't stand for it any longer. We'll be taking you back to the New World, where you'll be tried and punished for your crimes."

"No!" Cried Fluttershy. "Papa, listen to me! Drake didn't do anything wrong, there's no reason to punish him."

"Isn't he?" Alistair retorted. "Discord, didn't you say that this colt was Eldra's second in command?"

Discord nodded. "I remember seeing him hanging around Eldra, going out all the time on errands for her."

Alistair bared his fangs at Drake. "So, is that it then? Was this all some sort of revenge plot against us for stopping your mistress?" He asked.

Drake frowned and replied, "I didn't give a flying feather about that witch. As far as I'm concerned, she can go to hell. Believe me, the world will be a much better place now that she's dead." 

"Dead?"

Twilight stepped forward, giving Drake a bemused look. "How did you know Eldra is dead?"

"What?!" Fluttershy cried in shock. "Eldra is dead?'

"We found her body not too long after you were kidnapped. It seems she's been dead ever since she went missing." Said Discord. 

Twilight nodded. "She was only found recently, so word hasn't yet spread of the news. So how is it that you knew of Eldra's death?"

Drake swallowed. "I... I mean, she had to be! The way she disappeared for months without word or incident! What other explanation could there be?" 

Twilight arched an eyebrow at him, clearly not buying it. "I don't think so. The only way you'd know if Eldra was dead is if you saw her for yourself...or if you're the one who did it."

Fluttershy gasped. "Twilight...are you saying that you think Drake is responsible for Eldra's death?"

"It's possible." She answered. "We found the body drained of blood with some bite marks that look a lot like the kind vampires usually leave behind."

Fluttershy looked to Drake, whose face had become a shade paler. "Drake...is this true? Did you really kill Eldra?"

Drake glanced for a moment at each creature gathered in the room before heaving a sigh and looking Fluttershy in the eye, "So what if I did?" He asked.

Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth. "Drake...how...how could..."

"What? How could I do the world a favor and get rid of that inhuman beast? After everything she did, she deserved to die." Drake said, his voice full of contempt as he thought of Eldra.

Fluttershy shook her head. "No...Eldra may have been horrible...even monstrous, but that doesn't mean you should kill her." She said.

Drake stared at her in disbelief. "You've seen first hand how cruel and demented she was, Fluttershy. Are you saying that you'd rather have her alive and well than dead and done with?"

Fluttershy brushed her mane out of her face as she looked at Drake. "I'm not saying what she did was justified, but neither are your actions for killing her."

"They're completely justified!" He shouted. "All those years of torment I've endured, waiting for the day when I could finally pay her back for all the misery she's caused. I hoped you'd be thrilled to have her gone!"

"Not like this!"

In that moment, Drake felt his rage take over as he shouted, "Why can't you be grateful for what I've done instead of acting so oblivious and foolish!" 

There was a moment of silence. Drake immediately regretted his words and wished he could take them back, but it was too late. Fluttershy began to tear up and looked away from Drake. 

"Fluttershy, I..."

But Drake was silenced as a zipper appeared on his mouth, shutting him up.

"I think you've said quite enough." Said Discord tartly. 

Alistair nodded. "I think it's best if we take leave and head back home." He said. He went over to Fluttershy and wrapped a comforting arm around her as she softly wept. He looked up to Discord and said, "For now, let's leave this wretch here in my castle. Make it so he doesn't leave. That way we can give the vampire counsel proper time to discuss his punishment."

"With pleasure." Said Discord, and with a snap of his talons, everyone was gone, except for Drake, who now sat upon the floor in a heap. 

"Master! Master!" Called two voices. 

Spike and Thorax hurried to their master, looking quite frantic. "Master, some kind of barrier has appeared around the castle!" Said Spike.

Drake stood up and walked toward the gaping doorway. Sure enough, just outside it, he could see a barrier with a golden magical aura surrounding the outside of his castle.

"Hey, where's Mistress Fluttershy?" Asked Thorax. 

Drake stiffened before replying, "She's...gone home." 

"Gone home?" Asked Spike.

Drake didn't say another word, as he retreated back up the staircase.

"Master? Where are you going?!"

Drake ignored his servants' cries as he locked himself away in his study. He leaned against the door and hung his head. How could he say something so thoughtless? So cruel? Perhaps his father had been right, and he did deserve to be punished.

"I sense that something troubles you." Drake slowly looked up at the glowing stone as it continued to speak. "Such a shame what happened between you and your dear sister. But, perhaps it is for the best."

"What do you mean?" Asked Drake.

"Sooner or later your sister was bound to find out about your little secret. What might she think now of her long lost brother? Why, she might even think that he's no different from the detestable aunt that he's killed."

"Shut up!" Shouted Drake, his eyes flashing red. "What happened is none of your concern."

"You're right, it's not. Now that your sister is gone however, that means that there's no unfinished business left for you. Correct?"

"Correct." Drake sighed. 

"Then I take it that you are ready to fulfill our contract, once and for all?"

Drake shut his eyes tightly. His mind drifted to Fluttershy and how she'd cried after he yelled at her. He'd believed that he'd bring nothing but trouble for her, and he was right. He opened his eyes as he stared at the glowing stone, showing no trace of hesitance. "Yes, I am ready." He said.

The stone pulsed excitedly in reply. "Excellent."
> Sins and Sacrifices
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sins and Sacrifices




As soon as everyone had returned to the villa, Fluttershy quickly retreated to her room and flopped onto her bed, burying her head into her pillow. How could he? How could Drake do such a cruel thing? Right now, Fluttershy could feel a whirlwind of emotions washing over her, she wasn't sure what to think. A part of her was a little glad that Eldra was gone, and yet the thought of her being killed in cold blood...and by a person who had treated her so kindly. 

A knock sounded on the door, followed by Twilight asking softly, "Fluttershy, may I come in?"

Fluttershy sniffed and slowly lifted her head up. She glanced at the door and squeaked in reply, "Yes."

Twilight entered the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind her as she sat down at the foot of Fluttershy's bed. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I don't know." Fluttershy answered. "I just..."

"Hey, it's okay." Said Twilight, rubbing a hoof on Fluttershy's back. "You've been through a lot, you just need time to get things in order."

"You're probably right." Sniffed Fluttershy, sitting up to face Twilight. "How are papa and Discord?"

"Oh they're fine." Said Twilight. "Right now they're getting in touch with the purebloods to let them know about Drake."

"I see." Said Fluttershy quietly.

Twilight frowned. "Fluttershy, what exactly happened while you were away?"

Fluttershy looked unsurely at Twilight then glanced down at her hooves. "If I tell you, promise you won't tell papa or Discord?"

"If you want to keep it between us, then you have my word." Replied Twilight.

Fluttershy sighed. "Alright then." 

She then went on to explain the whole story to Twilight, including what Drake had told her back at the castle. During the whole thing, Twilight would interrupt on occasion, but for the most part, she listened carefully to what her friend had to say. 

"And that's when you guys appeared to rescue me." Concluded Fluttershy.

"Wow." Said Twilight. "So then, Drake is actually your brother?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes, he is."

"But...then why didn't you tell your father? I mean, he has the right to know that his son is still alive."

"I thought that was best left to Drake to explain." Said Fluttershy. "He feels ashamed of himself, and I felt, that since he decided to tell me that he was my brother, it should be up to him whether or not to tell papa about himself."

"I guess that makes sense." Said Twilight. "But, you got to admit, the scheme his servants pulled off is pretty crazy."

"I know, but they seemed genuinely sorry for all the trouble they caused, especially Drake, he wanted to help make up for everything I was going through, and tried to give me my space."

"Even so...he still killed Eldra, and even though Eldra was pretty wretched, that doesn't excuse the crimes he's commited."

"I know." Sighed Fluttershy. "I still have a hard time believing he could do such a thing."

"Well, it's not that surprising." Said Twilight. "I mean, Eldra was pretty crazy, it's not hard to imagine her pushing somepony over the brink. He probably couldn't take her anymore, especially when he heard what she was going to do to you."

Fluttershy was silent for a moment as she thought over it. Twilight did have a good point. All those years, tormented by Eldra, the things he must've endured...it was any wonder he hadn't snapped earlier!

"Twilight...you have a brother, if you were in my position, what would you do?" Asked Fluttershy.

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise, then she tapped her chin thoughtfully before replying, "Well, like you I'd be pretty upset if I found out Shining had done something so horrible. But, after giving it some time, I think I would try to work with my brother through the situation. Help him to make up for what he's done."

"So...I should forgive him?" She asked.

"Well, yes. Your brother's going to be sentenced, right? I think helping him to make up for his crimes is a good step to move past this."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Fluttershy smiled sweetly. "Thank you Twilight, I feel a little bit better now. Though, I think I'd like some time to myself if you don't mind." 

"Of course." Said Twilight, getting up from the bed. "If there's anything you need, just ask." And with that, Twilight left the room, with Fluttershy alone to go over her thoughts. 





Meanwhile, at Castle Alucard, Drake was sending his servants to work on the preparations for the upcoming ritual. Batty however, was hanging from the rafters, too upset to come down and help out.

"Master...foolish, foolish master." He whimpered. "Why must you do this?" 

Unable to bear being in the castle, Batty flew as fast as he could down to the village and down to Zecora's. There, he interrupted the Zebra as she was brewing up a potion.

"Ah, it's dear Batty I see, what is it that brings you to me?"She asked him.

"Oh Zecora, it's horrible. Master is about to make a terrible mistake, the mistress is gone, and Batty doesn't know what to do!" The poor bat then slumped to the ground, his wings wrapped over his head as he cried. "Poor master!"

Zecora smiled softly. "Cheer up little bat, there's no need to cry. It is quite good that you have flown by."

"Really?" Asked Batty, lifting his gaze up at her.

Zecora nodded. "I have a potion for entering one's dream, just dab it over your eyes like a cream. With a piece of the one whose dream you wish go in, will help you save your master and undo his great sin."

"Really?! You mean, I get contact the mistress through her dreams?" Zecora replied with a simple nod. "But, what do you mean by a piece of her?"

"Just a personal item from the young mare, such as an eyelash or strand of hair." She answered.

Batty smiled and swooped around in the air joyfully. "Oh thank you Zecora, thank you!"

"Your thanks is appreciated indeed, but you still have yet to succeed." She said.

"You're right!" Cried Batty. "There isn't much time, the ritual will begin soon! I will have to stall for time, at least until the mistress arrives."

Zecora handed the potion bottle to him and replied, "I wish you the best of luck Batty, and don't worry, this potion is on me."

After giving his thanks one more time to the kind Zebra, Batty flew off back to the castle, hoping that there would still be a chance of stopping his master from going through with his decision." 





Fluttershy didn't feel like leaving her room just yet, so she asked for it to be brought to her instead, but even then, she scarcely touched it. Then, Fluttershy caught the faint scent of Discord, as he quietly appeared in the room. She didn't say anything, and instead waited for him to speak up.

After a moment of silence, he finally said, "I...I wanted to see if you were enjoying your meal."

"...I'm not feeling very hungry." Fluttershy replied without turning to face him.

"I see." Said Discord. The atmosphere in the air was stiff and awkward. "You know...we were all pretty worried about you...I was pretty worried about you. But, it's good to know that you weren't hurt or anything. Still, I can't imagine that that vampony's company was anything pleasant."

Fluttershy swallowed hard, her hooves clutching the sheets tightly. "He was actually quite nice." She said softly.

"Nice?" Discord cried in disbelief. "Nice?! Oh sure, other than the fact that he kidnapped you and held you against your will, I'm sure he was quite charming."

Turning around, Fluttershy got a look at Discord, and was surprised to see the bitter look on his face. "Discord, are you okay?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Am I okay? What about you? There we were, ready to rescue from the clutches of one of Eldra's wretched minions, only to find out that you two have become such good friends! You didn't seem the least bit scared or concerned, you didn't even want us to punish him for what he'd done."

"Like I said before, it was all a misunderstanding." Said Fluttershy. 

"Oh sure, I'm sure he didn't mean to kidnap you, just as he didn't mean to kill Eldra, or do any of her bidding." 

"He didn't have a choice." Fluttershy replied defensively. "He wasn't in the position to stop her, just like you were."

Discord's body noticeably tensed. "We are nothing alike. Not alike at all."

"Discord, why are acting like this? This isn't like you at all."

"Well how do expect me to react? Did you want me to just stand aside while you and that...that Drake looked sweetly into each other's eyes? Blech! The thought of it sickens me."

"We weren't looking into each other's eyes." Then a thought struck Fluttershy. "Wait, Discord are you...jealous?"

Discord froze. "Jealous? Me?! Of that little rat? Don't be ridiculous."

"But you are, you are jealous."

"Am not."

"But why? Why are you jealous of Drake?"

"I'm not jealous."

"Discord, it's clear something's bothering you, so please just tell me why you're jealous."

"I told you already I'm not jealous."

"Then why are you acting like this?"

"Because I'm in love with you okay?!"

Fluttershy gasped. Discord just then seemed to realize what he'd said and covered his mouth with both paw and claw. The two looked at each other for a moment before Discord spoke once more.

"Now you know, I love you, alright?" He then turned his back to her and didn't say anymore. 

Fluttershy got up from her bed and slowly walked over to Discord, tapping him lightly on the back. "I'm sorry." She said.

"For what?" Asked Discord, looking down at her curiously. 

"I didn't realize that you felt that way about me." She said. 

"You have no reason to be sorry for that." He replied. 

"So...for how long?" Fluttershy asked.

Discord shrugged. "I can't say. I...I believe it may have started when I was trying to trick you under Eldra's orders. But, it wasn't until quite recently that I came to understand what this feeling was. Believe it or not I'd never felt this way about anypony before."

"Really? Never?" She asked.

Discord shook his head. "You are the first thing to a friend I've ever had, and in what seems like such a short amount of time you've become so much more. That's why...when you'd been kidnapped, I was determined to rescue you. Part of me thought, in some small way, this would be a way for me to officially make up for my tricking you back when we first met." 

Fluttershy quickly recalled her conversation with Twilight. "Go on." She pressed. 

"I was looking forward to seeing you again, and how you would react when I saved you. I'd swoop you up into my arms, and you'd smile, happy to have been rescued by the one you..." He cut off momentarily and cleared his throat. "Anyway, that was what I was hoping for. But, at the castle...the way you and Drake acted toward Drake, how nice you were to him, it made me feel..."

"Jealous?"

"As much as it pains me to admit, yes. Imagine that, the Spirit of Chaos jealous over a second rate henchpony."

"Discord, you have nothing to be jealous of. Drake and I...we were good friends, nothing more." She said somewhat sadly.

"Really? You seemed pretty close." 

"I mean it, I  just saw him as a friend. But, right now I'm still trying to figure things out and decide just how I feel toward Drake. I want to forgive him and keep being his friend, but I can't ignore what he's done."

"Hmph! If you asked me, he deserves whatever punishment he gets." Said Discord.

"What about you, Discord?" Said Fluttershy. "I wasn't lying before, you and Drake are quite similar, if you were in his position, would you want me to turn my back on you and leave you to your fate?"

That silenced Discord, until he admitted, "No. I would feel ashamed. Ashamed for you and myself."

Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around Discord's middle and gave him a little hug. "It's okay Discord, I've already long forgiven you. You've worked so hard and have changed so much. You're very dear to me, as much as papa and Twilight are." 

Discord placed his paw and claw on Fluttershy's hooves and gave them a little squeeze. "Thank you Fluttershy."

"Thank you too, Discord."

"What for?"

"You, and Twilight too, have given me some needed insight. For that, I'm grateful."

Discord turned around and returned Fluttershy's hug. "Glad I could be of help."





That night, Fluttershy felt completely drained, and had fallen sound to sleep. At first, her dream seemed foggy, until she spotted a black blur flying towards her. 

"Mistress!" The blur called. 

Fluttershy instantly recognized the voice. "Batty?" She asked.

Indeed it was Batty, who had now come into sharper focus. He let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness Batty has found you. Batty was worried Zecora's potion wouldn't work."

"What potion?" Asked Fluttershy. "What are you talking about?"

"Batty used a special potion to enter your dreams, because Batty needs the mistress' help. Mistress must come back."

"Please, slow down Batty." Soothed Fluttershy, trying to calm down the frantic bat. "What's this all about?"

Batty took a deep breath and said, "Batty came to ask the mistress for help. Master is in trouble, mistress must help master before it is too late!"

"Too late? What do you mean too late?"

"If mistress doesn't help master, then master will die."