No more than a couple moments ago the streets of Gemini were bare and quiet. But, now all 1500 that survived the raid at Canterlot and the Children of the Night that were not corrupted. Luna and Celestia stared at each other for a while, both unmoved like statues. Luna said towards the crowd behind her,”Dracula, Twilight, Rarity. Come with me.”

Celestia did the same,”Emerald come with me the rest of you become accustomed to the change of scenery.”

They trotted to a building that they could talk in. It was the Council building of that town. Once everypony was in Celestia said closing the door,”I cannot believe you Luna. After all these years you still haven’t changed. You still went behind my back and did something without telling me first.”

Dracula stepped into the conversation and said,”She did but you felt you were the more powerful sister and refused her request. Had she not have done what she did, most of your survivors would be dead. DO NOT!!!Try and make her feel guilty for your own weakness!”

There was dead silence after he said those words. All eyes were on him and Celestia shot her head over and said,”And you Dracula. Do not meddle in our affairs. It is bad enough that Rarity is dying, do not intercept in this conversation.”

“Why does his opinion matter so little?”Twilight exclaimed,”If I was going to interrupt you would not mind me. He has every right to speak what is on his mind, he has every right to speak as everypony in this room.”

Celestia was surprised at this. She hoped that Twilight would take her side in this argument. Celestia looked at Twilight and saw a tough look on her face. Celestia did not want to talk down to Twilight so continued her conversation with Luna. Celestia continued,”I thought I could have trusted you Luna. I should have known when you brought Dracula to the castle.”

Luna finally said,”You were too blind to see the bigger picture. You were too deaf to listen to me. So I decided not to ask permission. I was the one that took all of those ponies. I am proud of it, like Dracula said if it wasn’t for my rebellion so long ago your survivors and maybe even you might not be alive right now.

“All I wanted was to reign with my older sister. But instead all you did were things that helped you. Everypony loved and cherished your daylight. Did anyone care for my beautiful nights? No, and you made no attempt to help me. You were too blind to see your sister’s unhappiness. And I just have one final question for you, are you happy now?”

Luna slumped down in tears and Celestia breathed out a heavy sigh and said leaning over to comfort her little sister,”I am sorry for snapping at you earlier. But, you have to understand that everything I did, I did for us.”

“Then why did you refuse my proposal of Children of the Night?”Luna said not looking at her sister. Celestia continued,”Because we had more important things to worry about, we had subjects to please first before ourselves.”

Luna shook her sisters comfort away and said,”Then you haven’t changed after all these years. YOUR subjects were dying and needed a place to live and eat. I saved a hundred thousand of your subjects. I kept them safe, and I ruled over them with kindness and comfort. Like a mother, not like a ruler. I learned from my mistakes, you have not. You are still as cold and as bitter as you were before.”

With her last words she stormed out of the room and Celestia lowered her head in sadness and defeat. She said as a tear rolled out of her eye,”I never wanted to hurt you Lulu. You are right, I was too blind to see your unhappiness.”

Dracula walked towards Celestia and said,”Perhaps this is your only chance to make peace with your sister. A lesson that you could not teach your student because you did not know it yourself. Go, patch the scar that you left open so many years ago.”

Celestia always hated Dracula. But her perspective had changed at that moment, he spoke with more wisdom than herself. Celestia nodded and trotted after her sister. Dracula breathed in a heavy sigh and looked at Emerald who had his eyes on him for the entire time. Dracula said,”I am sorry but...can you stop staring at me?”

Emerald said nothing but rushed over and hugged him. Emerald said,”I am so glad you are okay Silver. I thought you were dead. Oh this is a good day.”

Emerald released Dracula and said in response to the look Dracula was giving him,”You are my brother. Do you...do you not remember me?”

Dracula shook his head and Emerald turned away in shock and said to himself,”Then father was right. Silver Dawn is gone, but he lives on as Dracula.”

Dracula was still perplexed at this and Emerald finally lowered his head and using magic filled their shared memories. Dracula felt a rush of memories long forgotten, and emotions he could not remember. His body felt hot and his mind was clear letting the memories to enter. Emerald pulled away and waited for something. Dracula looked in his eyes and said,”Brother?”

Emerald smiled and said,”Yes I am here.”

Luna stood in the garden where she told Dracula about the new Harvest Well. She heard hoofsteps walk behind her and she turned to see her sister walking next to her. Luna said still with tears in her eyes,”Come back to hurt your sister some more?”

Celestia said in response,”No. I came to apologize. I’m sorry that I was too weak to help you. I am sorry that I was too blind to see your unhappiness. I am sorry I was too deaf to listen to you. I am sorry that I have lost a sister so long ago. I want to prove to you that I have changed.”

Luna turned and said looking into her sister’s eyes,”Then support my decision with the Children of the Night and help us retake their home. You will need our help if you want Canterlot back, these Changelings are more powerful than before. More than 80% of your guards died.”

Celestia blew out a sigh of relief, while quick to anger she is also quick to apologize. Celestia said,”What’s our first move?”

Luna responded,”First we have to revive the magical connection that me and my children possess. In order for this to happen we need to unlock the Harvest Well.”

“Harvest Well?”

“Yes the Harvest Well. It is a Children of the Night tradition. They do this to keep their powers and to not go into an endless sleep. Although the connection is still active right now, I cannot sense them. Only a handful are fully connected to me and I fear of I try and reconnect the connection I’ll injure myself. So, Dracula will absorb the energy in the Well and will not only revive the connection but his powers will also greatly increase.”Luna explained in the cold night air that brushed past them. Celestia listened with great intent, until she learned of what Dracula would do. She asked,

“But, won’t he transcend into an Alicorn by doing this?”

Luna puts on a face of sorrow and says,”Well yes and no. He already has enough power to transcend into an Alicorn, the connection keeps him from transcending. But, my only fear about this plan is that he’ll die from the exhaustion or break the connection. I don’t know. I pretty much raised him like a son and I would hate to see anything bad happen to him.

“I made Children of the Night because after what we witnessed in Equestria, it was only going to get worse. I thought to myself, how do you fight darkness? With darkness. I made them who they are because they could be a line of defense, if we could not handle it ourselves.”

Celestia truly felt bad about refusing her sister’s proposal now. She did not know this was her intent, to use them as a line of defense against darkness. Not only was she protecting her subjects but also protecting her sister. Celestia could do nothing more than admire her sister’s devotion to make things right and to protect Equestria itself. For once in their long existence the tables were turned. Instead of Luna admiring Celestia, it was Celestia admiring Luna. Celestia couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Rarity abruptly opened her eyes to a low lit room. Candlelight was the only thing that shone in the darkness. She could feel a draft in the room and a presence in the room. She could not speak, fear had tightly gripped her vocal chords. She heard laughter echo through the room and finally she saw Dracula step out of the darkness.

He did not look right. Shadows swirled off of him and his eyes were glowing bright red and his teeth were as sharp as daggers. He also had batlike wings, she knew that she was looking at a corrupted Alicorn Dracula. Dracula finally spoke out saying,”Ah, your death is coming soon and all of your pains will end. But for now you will suffer while your friends watch and observe.”

The room became more lit and she saw her friends not in restraints and were watching with great intent as Dracula approached her with a scalpel. Rarity tried to lash out and run but she was tied to ropes and suspended in air. Dracula took the scalpel and made a rectangle on her throat.

She tried to cry out in pain but a gag was around her mouth and only heavy breathing and tears formed. Dracula then ripped the skin and some of the meat and revealed her inner anatomy of her throat. Dracula looked around for something in particular. Finally he found what he was looking for and said,”You need to know something. Each time I was in your dreams I used a fear spell making you incapable of screaming. But I am going to mix it up. Instead I am going to rip your vocal chords out and laugh as you try and scream.”

With his final words he ripped out her vocal chords. His magic activated and she felt a weight on her shoulders lift and she tried to scream when he ripped them out but could not. And just as he said he laughed. It truly frightened her, it turned from a normal laugh to a laugh with the hint of insanity behind it and struck true fear in her eyes. She looked at each of her friends and saw that they made no attempt in helping her, but join in on the maniacal laughter.

Dracula continued taking her apart piece by piece. When it was all said and done she was dripping blood onto the floor and she was covered in it. Finally Dracula’s form shifted and turned into the Living Shadow. His laughter was not much better, deep bellowing through the darkness. It was amazing that she was alive. But she heard the sound of a breaking window.

The large stained glass broke and Dracula was the one that crashed through it. He wore a hood over his face and black steel armor. Living Shadow turned around and said,”You cannot stop what I am doing. She is already near death, you can do nothing to help her.”

Dracula stood up and dramatically lifted his head and said,”That is where you are wrong. Your powers might seem like it lasts forever but in reality it only lasts for a few minutes. But my magic can last a lifetime. Prepare to be defeated.”

As fast as lightning he bashed his hooves into the Living Shadow’s face and crushing his skull under his supernatural might. With each landing blow her vision flickered. From both non reality and reality. Finally with all of his might he crushed the Living Shadow’s skull, brains and blood gushing out of his cracked skull. The ropes disappeared and she fell to the ground.

She was too weak to get up and so she lied there on the floor. Dracula rushed over to her and rested her head on his back legs. She looked up at him and mouthed the words “Thank you friend.” Her eyes closed shut and her vision went black.

Rarity heard a familiar voice say,”Rarity...Rarity...Rarity.”

Rarity opened her eyes and saw her looking up at Dracula. It was about to be dawn and she saw his bright red eyes. She felt so weak, and she looked at herself and saw she was covered in blood. She said,”What happened?”

Dracula said,”You lost control of your body. Living Shadow took you over and summoned some of his demonic minions to kill us. With all of my power I killed his minions and expelled him from your body. But unfortunately, pushed your death closer.”

Rarity was crying, tears rolling down her unclean face and said,”Please Dracula. Make me a Vampire. I can’t leave my friends yet. Give me the cure.”

Dracula winced and a tear rolled down his face and said these dark words and as he did dark clouds swirled atop of him,

“When death comes
I’ll need not love –
Consumed,
No wreath or dove
Could offer me salvation,
Not when I’m no more.

A weathered stone will bear my name –
Identity of once a being
Living out existence in
A world of risk, and never seeing
Sense of why we’re here.

My genes will die away thro’ child –
Hue of eyes and hair, the way of thought,
Will quickly dim with generation –
Bow to future dominance –
Memories of provenance
Resigned to curious few.

When death comes
I’ll need not grace
Below; no grieving face
Will call my resurrection,
Not when I’m at ground –

Death and I so bound.”

With those final words he lowered his horn that was glowing and swirling with red energy. He summoned all the magic he could and he did not strain or quiver. Rarity closed her eyes and felt as a rush of magic energy enveloped her. Red energy swirled around her and she felt her strength return and felt her magical ability return as well. She opened her eyes and looked at herself.

She was no longer white coated but it was now a dark grey. Her mane and tail were still a blue color but is was a lighter shade of blue, it also was not the same style. It was more finely combed and shorter as well as not as poofy. Her cutie mark was no longer three diamonds but three diamond stars. She asked Dracula in a voice of pristine crystal,”What is my special talent now?”

Dracula smiled and he got up and said,”If you really want to know. You can absorb ponies powers and keep them for yourself. It doesn’t work on Children of the Day however. Welcome to the family Rarity. Or should you be called something else now that you are a Vampire?”

Rarity thought for a moment and said,”Call me Spectra. I am Spectra.”

She also felt strange. Like something was missing inside of her. When she stood up she had great strength that she never had before. Now came the task of telling her friends what happened to her. Which she knows will not be an easy task. She walked next to Dracula and said,”What will we do now?”

Dracula motioned for her to follow him and he said,”We will now regain control over Ponyville. Then we will find the missing key.”

Dracula and Spectra gathered everyone and explained the plan. At the darkest point of that night they would have the Omega Pack silently kill the patrols that guarded the roads. Then they would have Dracula, Luna, and Spectra lead the Vampires to find any and all hostages in the town. Twilight, Celestia, and Emerald will lead a distraction group to the Changeling reinforcements. They will draw them to the city square where the final engagement will begin. And as soon as it started they will have Ponyville with them.

Everypony nodded and agreed to the plan. That nightfall will be the Siege of Ponyville.