Seamus lies on Fluttershy's couch; he'd fallen asleep shortly after recanting the first part of his strange tale. Fluttershy went in her kitchen and grabbed a salad she'd kept from the castle visit. She went back into the living room and saw the young alicorn his back, smiling pleasantly with his huge wings spread, dwarfing his small body, which had been stopped from growing by the strange doctor he'd mentioned. He looked small, delicate, if not even fragile.

Her heart softened at the sight of his long legs and soft, mare-ish face. He seemed peaceful there, happy almost. Angel ran into the living room and tugged at her tail. The mare turned around and found him pointing at her salad. She gave him a piece of the lettuce and he went upstairs. She looked back at him to find him mumbling slightly in his sleep. She leaned close to him and she heard him whisper the one word she would dislike the most form that night onwards.

"Jakben." He whispered softly.

She stood back up and turned her head to the side.

"Why would he whisper…"

"Jak-ben." A disturbingly familiar voice crooned into her ear.

She remembered something she'd learned once, a long time ago. It echoed in her head faintly as she turned around to see a blue and blonde vampire staring into her eyes.

"Two syllables." He said nonchalantly. "I own the name, why do you speak of it so…" He was suddenly in front of her, a hairsbreadth from her face. "Reverently?

He brushed her mane out of her face and smiled, flashing long, dagger-like fangs. She was paralyzed in fear.

"I saw you that night at when they made they're deal for the whelp. You were so… beautiful." He puts his forehead against hers and lets out a long exhale that reeked of carrion. Fluttershy tried not to gag. "I saw you and knew you were perfect…" He whispered and leaned forward.

She leaned away, but he was so adept at anticipating ponies' movements he moved with her and had his lips by her neck, his hot, and rancid breathe wetting the fur right next to her artery. He kissed her neck and traced the vein with his tongue, letting out an animalistic growl of hunger. She tried desperately not to panic, but him that close to her, that close to being able to take her life was driving her heart to beat so fast it hammered in her chest like a drum, provoking him even more.

He licked a slow line from her neck to her ear, wetting the fur and making an icy chill cut her.

"Don't be afraid…" He whispers sensually. "I'll be gentle as I can."

He pushes against her and she moves backwards to keep her balance. He does it again, and again, backing her farther into the house. Before she knew it, she was between the kitchen counter and the vampire. He licked his lips and leaned in to kiss her. She pursed her lips to deny him, but faster that she could even think, his tongue was in her mouth, teasing her's, trying to get her to play along.

She wanted to gag; his tongue was dry as sandpaper and was like having a mouthful of ashes. She bit down on it and nearly broke her teeth. His tongue was hard as corded steel wire. He growled again and she tried to move to the side. Just as unthinkably fast, he blocked her.

All at once she was pinned to the counter, and he was forcing his disgusting tongue down her throat. He grabbed her mane and pulled at it so hard her eyes watered. He pulls her hips close and ground against her, snarling. She drew the line and kicked him right in the area she would think his genitals would be. He released her lips and frowned at her.

"That wasn't very nice." He chirped. "Maybe you need to get a better view."

Her eyes shrank to pinpoints and she kicked at him and tried to scratch his eyes. He looked at her with an expression that bespoke total boredom. He'd had enough. He slammed all four of her legs wide and turned his head to the side, smiling.

A soft, fleshy pop sounded and suddenly Jakben lost his smile. He went limp and fell off her to the hardwood floor. The blade of a butcher knife, broken from the handle, was sunk right between his third and fourth vertebrae, severing his spine. She looked toward the door to see Seamus, his sides heaving in anger and his horn glowing, a red aura still surrounding the blade. He looked at her and nodded his head to acknowledge her.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

She nodded, her mouth too dry and bruised to respond. Seamus went over to Jakben, who looked up from the floor with sanguine eyes that held a bottomless abyss of hatred. The vampire still had control over his body above where the blade had severed his spinal cord.

"Having fun?" Seamus asked.

"I was, teasing her succulent flank. Let me up so I can finish with my dinner and a show. I might let you live afterwards." He spits.

"Nah, I don't really feel like it." The young alicorn gave him a sardonic grin.

The vampire's nostril's flared. Seamus went over to Fluttershy and looked up into her eyes.

"Did he hurt you?" He asked gently.

She nodded and opened her mouth; her gums and tongue were cut in several places. Seamus looked at Jakben and shrugged.

"I hope you don't mind if I borrow some of your energy." He said.

A red glow surrounded Jakben and Fluttershy. Her cuts were healed immediately and the wounded vampire looked even more furious.

"Keep you magic to yourself, you pathetic, inbred runt."

Seamus shrugged and looked at him. "I learned what I know about magic from your book, so it's your own fault. Here's another thing I learned, too."

He levitated Jakben's motionless body and moved to the living room. Fluttershy followed behind them, licking her now flawlessly smooth teeth. Seamus dropped the vampire in the center of the room and stepped back a few paces. He closed his eyes and began to chant in a language that was probably long dead and forgotten in the backwaters of history.

A small flash lit the room and Seamus drew the blade out of the vampire. As soon as the blade was out, he sprang for them. He hit an invisible wall and spat at them in frustration.

"Stupid waste of life! Let me go!"

Seamus looked at him and sighed. "Why are you here?"

"For my next meal and to give you a message." He growled.

"What's the message?"

"Sky is growing more and more uncooperative. Melody is beginning to question his worth and, by the way, she refused to bargain with your pathetic excuse for an ambassador. He's not for sale."

Seamus's eyes flew wide, and then he narrowed them and asked. "What exactly did she say?"

Jakben cleared his throat and blinked a few times. After his vocal warm-up, he began to speak in an exact replication of Melody's voice, down to the condescending, contemptuous tone of her voice.

'How are you Sea? Good? I hope you are. Your… friend is becoming more and more distraught with each passing day. He tried to take his own life last night."

Seamus' amethyst eyes flooded with tears as she told him of the tragedy.

'He is fine now; the doctor put an instant healing charm on him in case he tries it again. It truly is a shame, he has your looks and the same slender, long-limbed build as you. He begs to see you day and night but we can't, because you are there and we are here.'

Seamus felt like screaming at her, but he knew it wouldn't make a difference.

'As upset as he is, I can't bear to part with the cute little pegasaus. He is too near and dear to my heart. Anyway, I hope you are well. Have a good time being free. Sky will be here... totally alone… without you… forever.'

Jakben cleared his throat again and resumed speaking in his normal voice.

"I hope that you had a better idea than a knife to kill me." He rolled his eyes.

Fluttershy was looking down at Seamus, who was trying desperately not to cry. She felt so bad for the young colt, but even on the brink of tears, he was unbelievably beautiful. His long black mane covered his face as he bowed his head. He hated this vampire almost as much as he hated Melody. Almost. She put a comforting hoof on his shoulder, but that upset him even more.

Jakben saw the mare looking down at him with such compassion and he smiled.

"Oh, no." He chuckled humorlessly. "Oh my gods. You care for him, don't you? You have no idea what exactly you love? He is far too deep for you to even comprehend. You would never be able to keep up with him. How do you say 'out of your league'? Besides, you only care for him because you pity him. If he wasn't so cute and hurting so badly, you wouldn't be interested at all.

The emotion you're feeling, is not love. It is pity. You pity the boy and you're instincts tell you to comfort him. How pathetic are you?" He jeers. "I can count on one hoof how many times a relationship based on pity succeeded. Because there isn't any. In all my seven-hundred-sixty-two years, none ever have. Besides, he's an alicorn; he'll just outlive you and move on eventually. You would be one of his many exploits through the ages. I'd know, from flicking through your dearest ruler's journals. She has had, if I'm correct, six-hundred seventy-two. Most of which were guards or royals she courted discreetly for their favor. Once it was her own sister…"

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes. "How did you get into the castle?"

"I have ways, whore."

Her eyes grew wide as she figured it out. "The poisonings! You did that!"

"Bravo, you aren't completely devoid of wit." He mumbled. "Your ruler's a slut, by the way. Sometimes she manipulates her servants with seduction. And do have any idea what happens in that secret room of hers? Sick things I would think about after a year of concentrating. I envy her, almost. It takes a true innovator to think of that many ways to torture."

Seamus didn't care and wasn't listening. He was too busy thinking about Sky. How could he get him out of there without giving himself back to Melody? He tried to think about it and came up blank. The estate was a fortress, even if Celestia sent her entire army there, Jakben would cut through their ranks like a hot knife through butter.

That train of thought was the worst part. Going back. To the room, the place that was the source of all his nightmares. Melody's tower was the place he never wanted to be again. But that seemed to be the only way he could think of. He shook his head and changed his thought process.

He needed to figure out how to get rid of Jakben. He thought for a second, and then went up to the cage. He concentrated for a moment, and with a loud snap, the vampire was gone.

Fluttershy looked at him, confused. "Where did you send him?"

"Six miles below the crust." He answered nonchalantly,yawning like the entire situation was no cause for alarm.

They sat on the couch an hour later, Seamus was sleeping again and Fluttershy was thinking about the words of the enigmatic vampire. Was Jakben right? Did she only pity the colt, not really love him? She looks over at him, his small, sleek body surrounded by his large, silky black wings and his long mane in his eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the sight of his tiny chest rising and falling rhythmically. But he wasn't smiling, he had a scowl on his mare-ish face and his wingtips twitched. He mumbled and his horn would spark on occasion.

She didn't care if this was just a temporary love, it was real right now. She moved closer to him and wrapped her hooves around his small frame. A small spark of magic leapt from his horn and hit her skin right beside her nose. She felt an amazing electrical energy course through her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. Why did it do that? He wrapped his wings around her tightly and she felt her heart melt.

His horn sparked again and it hit her nose this time. It sent roiling waves of soul-crushing grief and pain through her. His emotions were literally held in the sparks of pure magic. She felt curious and decided it wouldn't hurt at all, so she reached up and touched his horn once, prodding it gently with her hoof. She felt the floor pitch out from under her and her vision become an abstract painting, a random wish-wash of colors that blended into one unreadable blob of gray-yellow. She felt the floor become the ceiling and the walls become the couch she lay upon, like the earth itself was melting.

The world gave one last enraged pitch, like a ship in a storm on the high seas, and everything faded to black.

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