Author's Notes:

Sorry for the short delay but here is the latest chapter. Oh, and I have a new story. It's called Insanity go check it out.

Dracula closed his eyes for a moment and thought to himself. It was almost over, what he absorbed was only a fraction of the power he is going to absorb from the Harvest Well. He wished for all of this to be over, so he may live in peace by Twilight’s side. He reopened his eyes and saw that in the morning rays of the sun the Children of the Day were doing a sweep of the battlefield, making sure the Changelings were all dead. He scanned the field and found Twilight Sparkle examining her Blade of Shadow. He trotted over to her.

She saw him coming and they hugged each other, Twilight said still embracing Dracula,”I’m so glad you are okay.”

Dracula let go and he said looking into her eyes,”Did you expect otherwise?”

Twilight laughed and said,”No. I saw you moments before the battle ended. You had so much power inside you. It is...indescribable.”

Dracula hung his head in shame and said,”I know. I had to. If I didn’t then we might never had a chance in beating the Changelings.”

Dracula turned his head and Twilight turned it right back with her hoof and said,”I am not mad at you. You shouldn’t be mad either, you seemed in control. You even gave some of your powers to our allies. This is your victory, you should be celebrating not hanging your head in shame. You saved us. You saved me.”

Dracula smiled slightly and he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He stared long into her eyes, he felt warm knowing that there was somepony who cared about him. He hovered the key over to him and held it in front of him. His face turns serious and he says under his breath,”I know now what I must do.”

Before Twilight could say a thing he summoned his dark wings and flew off into the sky. Twilight knew exactly where he was going, he was going to complete the ritual alone. Twilight nervously bolted through the streets of Ponyville and stopped when she found the three mares she was looking for, Luna, Celestia, and Rarity. She stopped in front of them breathing hard and said,”Dracula...he’s...gone and...he’s going to start the ritual alone. With no one else there.”

Luna nervously looked up in the sky and said,”You old fool. You’re going to get yourself killed. Quickly, we must follow him. Celestia, I request that you stay here, to keep the soldiers in check and just in case Chrysalis sends reinforcements”

Celestia nodded in agreement as she saw Spectra and Twilight run towards the Everfree forest, and her sister Luna take off into the air. It did not bother Luna that he was the one absorbing the energy, only he could. But, he needed fonts of magic to help keep his magic from wildly going out of control. They would also be there to help contain the magic. Luna knew that something bad would happen, she just didn’t know what. He was their only way to find the other Children of the Night, and he might turn out to be dead. Luna just hopes that she isn’t too late.

Dracula slowly walked to the Well. He held all three keys with his magic and advanced towards the well. Thoughts nervously ran through his head, but he paid no attention to them. He stood looming over the stone well. He slowly inserted the three keys and turned them.

He heard stones move and finally a loud click. At first nothing happened but then the stones cover the hole to the well began to slowly open. Swirling out of it was red energy that shot up almost ten feet in the air and disappeared in the sky. It continuously did this. Fearfully he stepped closer to the well, he could feel an immense amount of magic coming from the well. More powerful magic than he had ever sensed before.

Dracula took a deep breath. He had to do this alone, to make up for destroying the Elements of Harmony. He had to become the key to Equestria’s safety now. He even thought he could revive the link between the Elements of Harmony. And he knew that once he did this there was no turning back, he could make no mistakes. No interruptions. He kept his eyes closed and summoned all of his magic before him and said in a loud and deep tone that shook the very foundation of the world,

“I am speak for the night,

I will carry out its word,

I will carry the names of the infamous,

I will break the bond between mortal and immortal,

After these words I will be something else,

Something more.

I will become what it means to be shadow,

I will show how rewarding it can be to be the embodiment of evil,

I will prove to the world that I am more than just a pawn,

More than a part of a prophecy,

I will become a Lord of Shadow.”

He continued to keep his eyes closed and he was lifted into the air. He could feel energy slowly rushing inside of him and pulsate throughout his body. When he opened his eyes he knew he would never be the same. His powers would be nearly unlimited, matching if not expanding the magical ability of Luna and Celestia combined. He would surpass the power of Friendship.

They were too late. Dracula had already started absorbing the well. He was summoning a storm that stretched out for miles to come. Lightning crashing through the sky, thunder blasting loudly through the wind. Wind gusting wildly and uncontrollably, they saw Dracula hovering in the air and red energy coming out of the well. All of which was being absorbed into his chest. Luna was so stunned she could barely move.

Twilight as well could not move because she was so stunned. Her face bore the emotions of concern and wonder. She knew that his mortal form could not contain that much magic from what she researched, the Originals divided the power equally. Twilight knew having that much power in a mortal body was bad, bad enough to cause catastrophic events. This was the last thing that she wanted, to lose a pony she had just learned to love.

Dracula then lowered to the ground, floating down like a feather. There was a slight red glow about him and he shot his eyes open. They were a crimson red, his corneas were bright white and his pupils like a cat’s. The corner of his eyes cracked and red energy seeped out of it. As a matter of fact the visible parts of his body were cracked and had red magic seeping out of them. The raw power emanating off of him was almost unbearable, it felt as if the air around him was not from this world.

However, Luna could feel something she hadn’t felt in years. She could feel the connection again. She knew where each and every Child of the Night was. The connection was reestablished and they could now look for Shadow Garden. But now came the task of Dracula containing his powers.

Twilight was the first to step forward, she slowly lifted her hoof and touched Dracula’s chest. She looked up in his eyes and said,”How does it feel?”

Dracula unmoved said in a deeper toned voice,”Its like I can face anything. Nothing would be able to stop me. I can revive the Element of Generosity inside of Rarity and you’ll be able to use the Elements once more. Speaking of which where is Spectra?”

Twilight pointed her hoof and Dracula turned to see Sectra standing in awe at him. Dracula approached her and he said,”I am still the same Dracula.”

“Yes but you have much more power now,”Exclaimed Spectra,”What will be the first thing you do?”

Dracula smiled and said,”I will revive a mistake I recently made.”

Spectra thought for a moment and said,”No. Don’t, I accept who I am now. No amount of magic can change this. I’m sorry darling but this mistake has to stay.”

“What are you saying?”

Spectra sighed and said,”I’m saying I am Spectra now. You don’t need to fix what isn’t broken, you saved me from Living Shadow. You saved me from utter darkness and I can do nothing but thank you.”

Dracula turns away in disappointment and before he walks off he says,”I wasn’t going to do this for my own selfish means. I was going to do this for Twilight. You can see it in her face, she longs for her old friend. I have destroyed a friendship between two ponies. I even destroyed the Elements of Harmony, Equestria’s only defense against evil.”

Dracula trudges off and Spectra is left alone to ponder her decision. She now thinks that maybe she chose her words poorly. Spectra knew he was right. She had no idea what he was feeling, a one thousand year old pony has certainly made more mistakes than she did in a day.

Luna caught up to Dracula and she said,”You mustn't feel this way. You both have fair points. You cannot change the future and she cannot see that her friendship with her and Twilight are almost nothing now. But, you cannot blame yourself for these things. If it makes you feel better, blame fate or destiny.”

Dracula sighed once more and said,”Perhaps you are right. But all I want to do now is keep Twilight happy, she is the greatest thing that has happened to me. I haven’t felt like this since before the darkness came and took Shadow Garden. I don’t want to lose that feeling.”

Luna placed one of her hooves on his shoulder and said,”And you deserve nothing more than to be happy. Let me just say that I am proud to call you my son.”

Dracula smiles and looks in her eyes and said,”And I am proud to call you my mother.”

And what happened next is something that hasn’t happened in nearly a thousand years, they shared a hug. Tears began to swell in Luna’s eyes but she forced them to stay in. They then heard hoofsteps approach and they stopped hugging. Dracula saw two faces he hasn’t seen in a long while. It was the faces of Riptide and Night Dancer.

Dracula said,”Well, if it isn’t Riptide and Night. It is great to see you, it has been too long. Where is Marrok? Have you not met him yet? Is he dead?”

Riptide and Night Dancer looked at each other and Riptide responded,”We don’t know. All we can remember from our last moments there was Marrok going crazy and we woke up at some sort of pool of water.”

Dracula thinks for a moment and says,”Well, perhaps we will see him soon.”

Dracula turns to Luna and says,”So where is Shadow Garden?”

Luna says,”Shadow Garden is in a section of the Everfree Forest. Near the eastern edge. We can make it there in at least a day. They are all there, it seems Chrysalis and Sombra are gathering them up for something important. Probably one final attack at Ponyville.”

They waited for everypony to arrive, Celestia, Rainbow Dash, Cornell, and Emerald. Dracula thought for a moment and finally he said,”We cannot take everyone to Shadow Garden. And no doubt they will find a way to Gemini. Their forces are split at Canterlot and Shadow Garden. Canterlot to the north and Shadow Garden to the east.”

Dracula materialized a map of Equestria and held it open with his magic. He thought for a moment and said,”Chrysalis is most likely at Canterlot and Sombra at Shadow Garden. Sombra is most likely not in his own body yet, therefore he is in a weakened state due to not being able to use all of his magic. We will split in different teams. Riptide and Night Dancer will both guard Ponyville and Gemini with the Vampires, Royal Guards, and the Werewolves. Divide them up as you see fit.

“We will all take them on separately. For certainly they will give each other strength. With our recent grab of Ponyville Chrysalis will surely go there first. Riptide and Night Dancer will act as the diversion as we go to face Sombra at Shadow Garden.”

Dracula turned towards Riptide and Night Dancer and said,”Hold out for at least two days. On the first light of the second, look to the east.”

Dracula then motioned to Luna, Celestia, Twilight, Cornell, Rainbow Dash, Spectra, and Emerald and said,”Prepare to leave tonight. We will surely arrive at Shadow Garden tomorrow night.”

They all nodded and felt the same way. They felt that Dracula’s plan was foolproof. Twilight had the feeling that there was a foreshadowing somewhere. His destiny would surely reveal itself soon. Dracula turned and said before leaving with the map,”May I suggest that you all rest now. For there will be no rest points on the way there to save time. Meet at the eastern exit in about three hours.”

Dracula then left and they all knew he was the leader of this Crusade of Darkness. Luna and Celestia would surely write this event down in the history books. To teach the future generations how the Children of the Night and Children of the Day first knew of each other’s existence. Dracula will never be forgotten in history, and neither would any of them.