Author's Notes:

This is only the beginning of what I have planned. *evil laugh*

Rainbow Dash awoke in cold sweat and breathing heavily. But she felt hooves lower her on the bed and heard a familiar voice say,”Easy now my child. For you have a disease. One that must be treated at ease.”

Rainbow said breathing heavily,”Zecora...why...what happened to me?”

Rainbow Dash felt the pain in her haunch start to burn and rise through her body. She was about to scream in pain until she felt a soothing feeling touch it and it died down. Zecora answered,”You have been wounded by a sick Child of the Night. One that has an infectious bite.”

A chill shot through her spine and shivered her bones. She admitted it, she was terrified. Infected with who knows what by something called a Child of the Night. Rainbow slowly sat up, trying desperately not to put too much pressure on her right haunch. She said,”What is a Child of the Night?”

It was night again which meant that she was knocked out for an entire day. She suspected Spike dragged her over to Zecora’s. Zecora looked out one of her windows in her hut and said,”A creature of the dark they are. One’s made by Luna thus far. They are what our nightmares become, at the mercy of the night they succumb. Strong and powerful that’s their tale. Bred for war and death is everything they entail. Werewolves, Vampires, and Phantoms these are what they are. Haunting through the night like a bright star.

“The one who has scratched you is a Werewolf. Cornell the Omega is what he calls himself. A legendary leader is what he is. But does not see eye to eye with Marrok the Alpha, a brother of his. You have the curse in your veins. And finding a cure will take great pains. For this I cannot remedy. It appears that this might be destiny.”

Rainbow Dash gulped in fear and thought horrible things. She had heard stories about Werewolves when she was just a filly. Monsters destined to eat and hunt ponies, mindlessly. She could not bear the thought of what her friends might think of her. Rainbow slumped and said,”How long do I have until I turn?”

Rainbow looked up at Zecora and saw that she was staring at her. She stared long into Rainbow’s dark violet eyes and said,”Hmm...it is quite amazing that you are still the Element of Loyalty. This curse normally changes your talent to add variety. But it seems you are unchanged, nothing was exchanged. Cornell has plans for you. And I suspect it is not something to push through.”

Rainbow lowered her head to think. She turned her body over and looked at the wound on her haunch. It looked black and infected, three scratch marks. She turned back over and her mind began to wander. She had to stay loyal with her friends and find out what is going on, but how could she if she does not know how to control her curse.

Rainbow lifts her head and says,”How long until I can be up and moving again?”

Zecora was unphased as she grinded some herbs and said,”Only a few hours, and you will be able to find out your new powers.”

Then the door to the hut opened and she saw Spike enter holding some herbs and he said,”Oh thank Celestia you are okay Rainbow. I was so worried about you, you just passed out and changed somehow. You transformed into a wolf thing, but you still saved me.”

Rainbow was surprised, she thought that she would be mindless when she turned into a Werewolf. But she said,”Spike come with me.”

Rainbow got out of bed wincing at the pain and Spike said,”Where are we going?”

Rainbow Dash stepped outside in the dark moonlit forest and said,”We’re going to find a Werewolf.”

“Do you sense anything else Mother?”Dracula asked as they walked through the streets of Gemini gathering the other eight Vampires. Luna did not draw her attention away when she answered,”Yes, I also sense some uncorrupted Werewolves nearby. The Omega Pack.”

Dracula was dumbfounded and said,”The Omega Pack? But they died many years ago.”

“Or so we thought,”Luna said as they gathered the last of the Vampires, she continued,”They very well might have lived in seclusion all these years. All we can hope for is that they are still loyal to us.”

The only ones they were waiting on were Heartfire and Blazer, they were escorting Twilight and Rarity out of Gemini. Dracula said,”What of the Beta Pack? Can you sense them?’

“No I cannot,”Luna responded looking over at Dracula,”I can only sense the ones that are connected to me remember. I can’t sense Alpha or Beta.”

Dracula says as Heartfire and Blazer arrive,”What are we to do?”

Luna says,”We are going to find Omega Pack. We need all the help we can get if we are to retake Ponyville.”

They all nodded their heads in agreement. Dracula breathed out a heavy sigh through his snout and said,”Then let us not waste anymore time.”

They set out into the Everfree forest once again. All ten of them and Luna, Dracula, Heartfire, and Blazer were in the front leading the way. Here is something that all Children of the Night shared, when they were next to their Mother their strength both magically and physically are doubled, making them almost unstoppable in a fight.

They walked for almost an hour in the dark, seeing everything in their way and sensing any danger. Luna stopped them and they stopped. She sensed that they were surrounded by something. Things holding great dark magic. Then they stepped into the moonlit clearing, they were the false Werewolves that were really Changelings. But they were different now, they made no attempt to show that they were the shadow corrupted.

Something changed they were now stronger than they were ever before. There was thirty of them at least. They growled and snarled as they encircled them, like predators cornering their prey. But they do not know what happens when you corner a wounded Vampire. One spoke out and said in a deep and raspy voice,”Leave the Princess alive, Sombra’s command. Kill the rest.”

There was a pause before they charged. Dracula charged his horn ready to blast one of them and also summoned metal claws that ignited flames that always burned, Luna summoned a shadow storm swirling around her, and Blazer and Heartfire both ignited their manes.

With the last words he had spoken the rest charged at them. Luna was the first to attack them. She blasted one with her powerful magic having it erupt in blood, another she bashed with her hooves crushing it with her supernatural strength. Luna then exploded the swirling shadows around her as two of them pounced at her. Her eyes turned pure white and glowed like the moon in the sky.

She drew away having five of them follow her, allowing her Children an opening for an advantage. Dracula saw this and his eyes burst and turned into pure red energy. He stepped out and two struck at him. One missed their blow but the other swiped across his body, Dracula growled in anger and released his charge and blasted one into pieces. He turned to the other and attacked him.

Swiping and maiming, cut many times through his target. Blood splattering all over him. He turned to another false Werewolf and concentrated his magic, soon his foe fell to the ground steam coming out of him. Dracula had evaporated his blood in his body. With even more powerful blows from his claws he brought another down.

Dracula looked over at Heartfire and Blazer, they were aiding the other Vampires, they were on the advantage now. Dracula then looked down the way that Luna had drawn some Werewolves away from the fight. He galloped down the path and stopped when he saw Luna kill the last one, killed it with her bare hooves. Blood stained them both, each carrying wounds from the fight.

Blood flowed like a river, a dark green river that flowed away from them. Luna lowered her head in disgust, she has never killed something in a long time. She never thought she would be forced to do such an evil act again. Dracula walked next to his Mother and comforted her, he said in reassurance,”You do not need to bang yourself up. These were Changelings, ones who have countlessly tried to destroy Shadow Garden. Many times they attempted an invasion, each time they were unsuccessful. But they have taken it, and removed it somewhere else.”

Dracula lifts his mother’s head and says into her dark blue eyes,”But I for one will not let this folly go unpunished. It forced you into a one thousand years of exile, forced me into a thousand years of loneliness. Forcing me to raise and lower the moon each night.” Dracula paused as he walked into a ray of moonlight and as he did his armor and grey coat glistened in the moonlight, as he stood there the other Vampires arrived to hear what he had to say,”And each night I begged Celestia to release you from exile, but she refused every time. Tension began to simmer between the two of us, and finally I made a promise. That through any hardship and through any event I shall be behind my mother’s heavenly shadow. And I also promised that Celestia’s actions will be met with repercussions. Maybe not from me and maybe not from Mother, but her actions will be met with justice. It might take hours, weeks, months, and maybe even years but her action to banish you to the moon will be met, and I fear that there shall be bloodshed in the glorious moonlight or in the fiery rays of the sun.

“Each celestial body shall be stained with the blood of their followers. And I will be there, not as one who will fight her. Not as one who will partake in the bloodshed, but as one who will look out on the vast sea of dead ponies. Look out and step in the bloodstained soil and will curse all who started the fight. A Shadow Among the Dead, this is what I promised.”

Dracula looked back at his mother and he finished,”I will not fall and I will not bow to no other than you, Mother.” Dracula bows graciously and as he does so does the other Vampires. Heartfire. Blazer. All bow to Princess Luna and in that moment, Luna no longer felt ashamed of what she had done. These Changelings threatened their home. More importantly threatened her Children of the Night. Luna now knows what she must do, she must find her children and rally them to retake their home. She motioned for everyone to rise, she said,”I have never felt more proud than I do now. I have never felt so honored to call all of you my Children than now. We will take back our home, this I promise to thine. In a night as glorious as this one. This is only the starting battle of many. For us to retake our home, thou all needs roles to play. Dracula, thou shall be my general of our future army.” Dracula nodded his head and said,”I shall not let you down Mother.”

Luna turns her gaze to Heartfire and Blazer and says,”Both of you shall act as Commanders, of the Star Flare Battalion.”

Heartfire and Blazer nodded. The rest of them nodded in agreement, the rest will act as soldiers and they were fine with that. Not all were fit to lead. What they have just started was the start of a new and great crusade. A Crusade of Darkness. Dracula stepped next to Luna and said,”Lead the way and we shall follow. Guide us to the Omega Pack.”

Luna nodded her head and sprouted her wings and lifted off into the air. Low enough so they could see her and high enough so that she could be invisible to their enemies. They charged into the night looking for their long lost brethren. That night was the first battle of the Crusade of Darkness, and the blood was ready to flow.