Dracula landed softly on the dead dark grass of the Everfree Forest. He wore dark jet black armor that shined in the dawning sky. He only wore the breast plate, the four boots, and the saddle plate. Around his neck was his dark hood he has always had. His piercing dark red eyes scanned over what was in front of him and saw a heavily armored Discord standing above three mares and signs of fighting around the ground. Dracula drew his sword and said,”Tell me where he went.”

Discord sheathed his knotted wooden staff and said,”I slowed him down. I can’t say I killed him because only you can, he has enchanted himself so only those with his blood can only kill him. It will take him awhile to manifest himself.”

Dracula sighed heavily and sheathed his blade and said,”Thank you for the help. If it wouldn’t be for you my job would have been harder and I can’t say these mares would be the alive. You did a good deed today Discord.”

He clopped his hoof on Discord’s shoulder and said standing next to him looking at the three unfamiliar mares and said,”Do you know who these are?”

Discord said,”The white one is Sweetie Belle. Sister of Rarity.”

Dracula said interrupting,”She looks the same age as Rarity. Are they twins?”

Discord moved his gaze away from Dracula and said rubbing the back of his head,”Living Shadow rapidly aged them and gave them twisted versions of themselves. Sweetie Belle got the worst of them, she is a Demon now.”

Dracula knew little on Demons as they are rarely seen in Equestria. Demonic Magic is very rare and very powerful. Demons guard the gates of Tartarus along next to Scorpan. Their magic is powerful and very rare to possess, as ponies are peaceful beings. Only the most powerful among ponies can gain the power of the Underworld. Dracula knelt down to Sweetie Belle and touched his horn to her head. He summoned his magic and pumped as much magic into her to wake her as possible.

That was the wrong thing to do.

When she woke up the brand on her chest engulfed in flames and exploded out of her chest was a large eruption of hellfire. Dark red and burnt off skin and bone. Luckily Discord saw this eruption before it happened and in the niche of time summoned a magical shield around him and the other two unconscious mares. But Dracula had to take the brunt of the incinerating eruption.

He felt his skin burn and begin to char as the hellfire cut right through him. He cried in pain at the beginning but his supernatural strength and immortality prevented him from total incineration. Instead when the hellfire stopped erupting out his skin, hair, and coat grew back with amazing speed. The same dark blue colored stallion stood up in the charred crater of what remained of the twenty foot clearing. Smoke rose from the charred ground and his hooves felt warm on the burnt soil.

Sweetie Belle stood at the ready with fire erupting out of her eyes and her magic at the ready. In an unworldly voice she said,”Tell me your name! Now!!!”

Dracula raised his front hooves and said,”I am Lord Dracula Silverdawn. I am here to help you and your friends.”

The fire erupting out of Sweetie Belle’s eyes subsided revealing bright green eyes. They were filled with innocence despite her age and she said,”My...friends.”

Discord deactivated his magical shield and said,”Yes. We are here to help you.”

Sweetie Belle felt something warm drip down her eyes and she knew she was crying. She said,”You mean...I could have...killed my friends if you didn’t come here?”

Dracula steps closer to her and says,”Yes but we saved them now. They need you to stay strong. Can you do that?”

The tears stopped and she nodded her head. Dracula said kneeling down in front of her meeting her eyes and said,”Now can you tell me exactly what happened to you and your friends.”

Sweetie Belle explained everything. She left out no detail. She explained what she and her friends were doing in the Everfree Forest and their encounter with Living Shadow. She explained what she went through specifically. When she was done explaining she said,”I can’t remember what happened next. The only thing else I remember was seeing you two with my friends. What’s wrong with me? I don’t feel the same as I was before.”

Dracula looked up at Discord telling him to tell her what she was. Discord drew out a heavy sigh and said,”You are a Demon. A Demon is someone chosen by Scorpan to guard the gates of Tartarus. But, what you are specifically is a Firebrand. What that means is your main powers come from that brand on your chest. You wield in your heart the powers of the darkest flames of hell. Firebrands have been known to transform into phoenix’s, so I’ve heard.”

Discord looks over at the other two unconscious mares who were slowly waking up and Dracula is motioning for Discord to follow him over and Discord says,”What should be done about them?”

Dracula says after a heavy sigh he replies,”Whatever can be done. The only problem I see is having Sweetie Belle controlling her powers, the only one capable of having her control her powers is Scorpan and he is mostly likely not to accept an outsider.”

“I do not see anything else that could be done.”Discord replied,”What would you suggest?”

Dracula looks at Sweetie Belle and watches as she helps her friends to their hooves. The amount of magic buried beneath that mare was unbelieveable. He himself almost surpasses Celestia and Luna’s power combined. But there was something else deep beneath all that hellfire in her soul, his mind began to split in half with all the magic he using. he stops and says to Discord,”The more she uses her power the more she’ll learn to control it. Bring them to Shadow Garden. Give them the proper provisions, they will join us in the final assault. When we take our forces to Ponyville take them and sabotage Chrysalis’ forces at the Castle of the Two Sisters. Do as much as you can until we arrive there.”

Discord nods and he looks at the three mares. The yellow one spoke out,”What’s goin’ on? Who’re you two?”

Dracula looks at the orange one and squints his eyes. Deep in her mind there was something blocking him from reading her thoughts. He steps closer to her and says,”Don’t move.”

Scootaloo replies,”O...kay?”

Dracula lowers his horn on her head and summons his magic and begins to break what was blocking him. It was a memory lock, and all of a sudden the memories came flushing into his mind as well as hers.

He saw Rainbow Dash flying through the night carrying Scootaloo in her hooves. Dracula saw something chasing her. He looked closer and saw a familiar dark face. Made of pure shadow and smoke was the eyes of Living Shadow. He endlessly laughed evilly through the night and saw Rainbow Dash land somewhere in the Everfree Forest. She out flew him but he was not far behind. She looks all around her and she is pressing the crying little baby filly of Scootaloo. Scootaloo was squirming and hollering and Rainbow Dash was crying immensely and cradled her in her hooves.

Dracula remembers this night. Rainbow Dash then winced when she heard the snarl of a wolf. She looked around her and coming out of the shadows was not just Timberwolves, these Timberwolves were martially made of black smoke and energy. She looked out and saw that the sky was covered with black smoke and she heard the dark voice of Living Shadow,

“You are destined to be more. Both of you. For this I cannot allow you to live. Kill them, leave no trace.”

The Timberwolves charged in and before they could land blows and rip them to shreds a bright glowing metal whip came coming down from the sky and smashed them all into burnt wood. Energy swirled out of their forms and went into the darkness. Rainbow Dash followed the wave with her eyes and saw it being absorbed into something. Then in the darkness two bright red eyes shoot open and they are glowing bright red and he came out of the shadows. He was wearing a long dark green leather trench coat with a metal spaulder and plate boots. His overall look was younger than he was in the present.

His mane was not as combed or pointed out. It was longer and flapped in the breeze. He shot his eyes at rainbow Dash and with all of his supernatural might he whipped the chain and it spun around his right arm. In a youthful and serious tone he asked,”Are you alright?”

He stepped closer to her and she hugged him with one free hoof. He had not had such a thing happen to him in a while. Nearly one thousand years. Dracula just stood shocked and dumbfounded. He sighs heavily as she released him. He says looking her in the eyes,”I’m sorry but I have to do this, if there was another way I would do it.”

He kneels down and lowers his head. Red magic swirled around his horn and swirled into Rainbow Dash’s and Scootaloo’s mind. He put a memory lock on them to forget him. But he felt a dark power over take him for a moment and he heard a dark voice say,”I cannot allow these two sisters know they each exist. I cannot allow my son a step closer to kill me.”

Dracula snapped back from the spell and reeled in magical exhausion. He rubs his head with his hoof and looks at Scootaloo who was looking at her hooves. She said,”I...did you...why?”

Dracula sighed heavily and said woefully,”I had to. At the time I couldn’t let anypony know that I existed, I’m sorry I didn’t know that those would be the effects of it. I didn’t know that I would erase both of you from your memories.”

Scootaloo slowly shook her head and said,”All this time...all these years not knowing who my family was only to find out some second rate unicorn erased my memory of my family. I will only help because there is a threat greater than both of us, but I will not support you after it is done.”

Dracula nodded his head slowly and said,”That seems fair. Discord take them to Shadow Garden. I need time to think by myself.”

Discord nodded his head slowly and in a bright flash of golden energy they were gone. Dracula shielded his eyes for a moment and when he opened his eyes again they were gone. Dracula said to himself,”You did become a monster when you were that young.”

He looked up at the sunlight that peaked above the tall gnarled trees of the Everfree Forest. He closed his eyes and focused his magical energy and began absorbing the leftover magical energy and his power grew stronger. He lowered back down and bowed his head. This feeling of woe did not last very long as he felt a sharp pain enter his left side. He cried in great pain and looked to see a wooden stake sticking out of his left rib. He grabbed the stake with his magic and yanked it out with a loud crunch as he broke his ribs.

He however focused his magic again and healed his wounds. He threw the stake away and looked around to try and find the source of the stake. He looked around the edge of the dark clearing and saw nothing. He then saw the shadowed form of a pony wearing a large wide leather brimmed hat and another stake was shot at him, this one landing its blow in his arm. He winced in the pain and yanked that one out as well. His wound healed when the stake exited the wound and he said to the shadowed form,”Reveal yourself hunter. And I will decide whether or not I will kill you and tell your other two friends.”

A pink mare revealed herself to him and her mane was straight and combed down, as well as her tail. She held a metallic crossbow mounted on her arm aiming it straight at him. She also wore a long leather trench coat also made of black leather. Her dark blue eyes focused on him and she gave a fierce look. She said in a high pitched but serious tone,”How do you know that I have two others? I could have more?”

Dracula began pacing and a devilish smile crossed his face as he said,”I can sense their fear. Fear of meeting a fate worse than death, facing death where they become something like me. Please come out, I will not harm you.”

He made sure to use his compulsion magic to try and make them come out of the shadows. He saw a bright yellow mare come out first and following after her was an orange coated mare with blonde hair with a country hat on the top of her head. The orange mare had a serious face and stared long at Dracula, trying desperately to read his face. The yellow one looked at the ground shyly. He said dropping the smile,”Tell me your names. Let us be civilized about this.”

The pink one answered in a cold voice,”You do not have to tell him. He’s trying to tempt you so he can feed off of your blood.”

Dracula laughed in an evil tone and replied,”My...I would never have guessed that the Belmont family will have gone and merged their family with a family of rock farmers. Seems too rustic and not like them at all.”

The orange one answered in a southern accent,”How’d you know about the Belmonts?”

Dracula looked at her further and saw that she had an apple cutie mark and a smile crept across his face,”So, they continue to mate with apple farmers. Yes, I know all about your family. They have hated me and hunted my brothers and sisters mercilessly for no reason. They call us the monsters when it is them who hunt the innocent.”

The pink one stepped closer and snapped,”Innocent? Innocent! Do you call murdering someponies parents for nothing innocent? No, your kind hunt ponies for food and your the worst of them all. You are their king. You are Count Dracula.”

Dracula snaps his head towards the vampire hunter and says,”Count Dracula? You allowed them to fill your head with lies and tell them that I am the monster that murdered so many ponies. I am Dracula Silverdawn, the student under Princess Luna. I am trying desperately to save my brothers and sisters, as well as your necks from being Living Shadow’s eternal slaves. Every moment we waste continuing this pointless debate the more strength the Living Shadow is gathering.”

The question bore great weight behind it, the pink one lowered her crossbow slightly and thought for a moment. Dracula waited patiently. But the orange one grabbed the crossbow and shot a stake in his shoulder and another one in one of his knees. The yellow one turned away in horror as she saw blood spill and seep from the wounds. Dracula fell to the ground in great pain and could barely move. She said,”Where is Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity? I won’t ask again.”

Dracula laughed evilly and pulled the stakes out of their wounds and they instantly healed when they exited. The wind began to kick up and he hovered in the air. His wings beat loudly in their ears and he said in a dark and dread filled voice,”Such conviction and such ignorance. You wish to treat me like a monster then so be it. Feel what it means to know true fear.”

His eyes glowed dark red energy and his horn glowed the same color. He lifted his left front hoof and he was drawing energy from their minds. He was erasing every memory they had of him and instilled another spell that caused them to pass out for the next few days. They lost all energy to keep them from falling unconscious and fell to the ground. The wind slowly died down and he continued to hover in the air and he said turning his head back towards them and said,”And so the sins of past generations carry on to force more into their misguided Order.”

With those final words her flew off to Shadow Garden and with great haste. For the final battle was nearing and plans were to be made. The Children of the Night now graciously waited for their leaders to plan the counter invasion.