Rainbow looked up sharply as Alucard spoke, and her jaw dropped open to such a degree, Twilight feared she may have dislocated it. The rest of the Wonderbolts gave surprised cries of alarm, and took several shocked steps backwards. Twilight turned slowly as Alucard stepped through the wall to stand beside her. He surveyed the room of people with a calm indifference to the people that stood there. The Wonderbolts stared back at him, stunned into silence.

Trixie was the first to speak.

"I didn't think you would be joining us Alucard," she said matter of factly.

"These people will be watching me while I sleep," Alucard replied, not even looking in her general direction. "I wanted to see who I was putting my trust into."

"Wh-wh-what th-the hell?" Dash stammered, unable to take her eyes away from Alucard. "H-how the hell did you do that?"

"You still have your doubts Captain?" Alucard said, stepping closer. "Twilight Sparkle may be the lowest of the low, but you can be damn sure she's a vampire. Just, like, me."

Here he removed his glasses and stared into Dash's eyes, red eyes glowing with an almost livid fire, leaning over her, leering into her face. Dash, for her part, managed to remain almost totally composed. This was at the cost however of emitting a very feminine squeak and taking a nervous step backwards. Alucard smiled sadistically, straightening up and walking past Dash to closer inspect the Wonderbolts. As he neared the group, they each took one step back from him, save one tall, pale skinned hulking brute of a man, with crew-cut, straw hair and bloodshot eyes. He scowled and looked at Alucard with the most aggression he could command. Alucard looked into his face and laughed.

"And what do they call you sir?" he asked mockingly. The beast snorted.

"Bulk," he grunted. Alucard chuckled.

"Well then Bulk I think it safe to say you're either brave, or ignorant." His lips curled into a cold smile. "I think I'd settle on ignorant. Your colleagues knew better than to stand back from a significant threat. When a vampire attacks a mere, unarmed, mortal like yourself the smartest thing to do is run. You would have been the first to die if I had the mind to kill tonight."

"I don't back away from any freak," Bulk snarled.

"Then you're a fool," Alucard replied evenly. "That kind of pig-headed bravery is what will get you killed." Here he turned to the rest of the Wonderbolts. "If you have the chance to retreat so that you may fight on, then the sensible choice is to retreat. But if you've got your back to the wall, then you stand there tall and proud and kill as many of your enemy before your throat is ripped out in a shower of your own blood." He pulled off his sunglasses and locked his glowing red eyes with Bulk's. "You're working for Hellsing now. You either fight on, or die fighting. Cowardice is not an option, and neither is stupidity."

Bulk took a shocked step back at the sight of Alucard's glowing eyes. Alucard smiled at this. "You're learning already."

"Alucard would you kindly not terrorize the hired help?" Trixie asked casually. Alucard's smile at book withered a degree, but he stepped back regardless.

"As you command, my Master," Alucard said, bowing humbly in her direction.

He walked to Trixie's side and turned, facing back into the room of startled and now, thoroughly unnerved Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash fell back into her chair and stared agape at Alucard for the bets part of ten seconds, before she slapped herself, though not on the cheek Twilight had already turned pink. She looked back at Alucard to make sure he was still there. Confirming that he was, she plucked the cigarette from behind her ear and took a long, heavy drag from it. She breathed the smoke into the air, taking the cigarette from he lips before she let her head sag. She shook her head slowly. Then, she started to shake. At first Twilight thought she was crying, but then she caught the sounds of barely suppressed laughter. Dash threw her head back and roared with laughter, slapping her knee with her free hand and bending double. The other Wonderbolts stared at her, worried that their captain had just gone mad.

Eventually however, Dash settled down and her laughter became more manageable chuckles. She shook her head again, a beaming smile plastered over her face and a mad twinkle in her eyes.

"You," she said slowly through a few lingering chuckles. She pointed at Alucard when she said this. "I like you. You're a funny guy." Alucard raised an eyebrow. Dash took another long drag from her cigarette before looking at Trixie. "Now that is what I call a sales pitch! You show me something like that and you make me a believer. Whaddya think Soarin?"

She turned to a Wonderbolt standing just behind her left shoulder. He jumped as he realised she was now talking to him and he cleared his throat. "Well... it was impressive. I mean... damn... but..."

"But?" Dash asked, and there was a hint of danger in her voice. Soarin cleared his throat nervously.

"It's just a matter professional interest Cap. I mean, I'd like to know how much we're being paid for this job you know?"

Dash's smile returned in full force and she beckoned conspiratorially to Soarin. The Wonderbolt bent down to Dash's level and she whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he looked at her, amazed. "That much?" She nodded in confirmation, a cheeky grin plastered over her smug features. Soaring coughed, straightened up and smiled at Trixie. "Ma'am if the amount of our pay is as large as I've just been told then I'll believe whatever you want me to believe."

Trixie smiled content. "I hoped so. Captain I'm sure you'll find your accommodations quite comfortable. As the most experience military officer here I feel confident handing the safety of the Hellsing manner over to you and your team."

Dash raised an eyebrow. "Not to be rude ma'am, but your butler said we were to replace the members you lost recently. And, well, she made it sound like there were some survivors."

"And so there were," Trixie explained. "The most senior officers handed in their notice shortly after. The rest that remain are newer recruits, and though they have had more time to become accustomed to Hellsing procedure, they lack the experience in combat that would be required for me to entrust them with any possession of authority. Congratulations Captain, you've been promoted from Captain of the Wonderbolts to Captain of the Hellsing Guard."

Dash gave a coy grin. "I like the sound of that."

Applejack leaned back in her chair and laughed, wiping imaginary tears from her eyes. Rarity smiled to herself as she poured Twilight another cup of tea, whilst the lavender haired young woman sat back in her chair and scowled.

"Sweetheart?" Applejack asked chuckling. "She actually called ya sweetheart?" Twilight nodded stiffly and Applejack laughed again. "Guess she didn't know that was the kiss o' death eh? What'd ya do?"

"I... I kind of slapped her," Twilight grumbled. Applejack howled again to the ceiling.

"I imagine that must have hurt coming from a vampire," Rarity tittered.

"Ah remember the last time someone tried using the sweetheart card on ya," Applejack smirked. "That night out, when we both went down to the club. And then the bartender tried hittin' on ya!"

"I imagine he had it coming then," Rarity smiled.

"She," Twilight mumbled. Rarity raised an eyebrow, as she began sorting out the clothes in Twilight's wardrobe.

"I didn't think you were that way inclined dear," she said.

"I'm not!" Twilight snapped.

"She kinda is," Applejack whispered to Rarity.

"Applejack!" Twilight cried out.

"What? 'Snot like you make a big fuss of it before."

"What do you mean by, 'kind of'?" Rarity asked.

Twilight blushed and looked away. Applejack rolled her eyes and looked at Rarity. "You could say Twi's door swings both ways."

Rarity's eyes twinkled in mirth, a sudden realisation hitting her. "Is that why you slapped the Captain then?"

Twilight looked up sharply: "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well if I do say so myself the Captain is a handsome young woman. Now I can't say I'm that way inclined but I'm sure someone might be interested in her."

"I am not interested in the Captain!" Twilight snapped. "I just met her!"

"I never said you were darling. I was merely making a point that to the right eye she may be, visually appealing shall we say?"

"I... you..." Twilight fumed.

"Twi, just say you think she's a looker an' Rarity'll leave you alone," Applejack sighed. "It don't mean you have to sleep with her or anything."

Twilight glared at her, as if to say 'It's your fault we're even having this conversation.' Then she sighed and looked to Rarity. "I guess she is kind of... well..."

"Yes?"

"I'm thinking of a word! She's not what you'd call cute at any rate. I mean... striking? Maybe?"

"She's hot? That what you're gettin' at?" Applejack asked. Twilight blushed and nodded. Applejack shrugged. "Was that so hard?"

"With you it's always difficult," Twilight sighed. "Why are we even talking about this?"

"Because Rarity's an ol' gossip," Applejack smirked, receiving a strike to the back of her head for her troubles.

"This 'Ol Gossip' as you so put it managed to take down a Titan, despite her brittle bones and old age!" Rarity chided. "Remember who your cross!"

As if to emphasise her point, a tendril of blue light danced around her finger. Applejack cowered back at the sight. "Yes ma'am."

Satisfied with the reaction she got, Rarity returned to her previous duties. Or she would have, had her pager not decided that this was the moment to deliver a message from Sir Trixie. She removed it from her pocket and examined the message, before replacing it and turning to the two other women in the room.

"Sir Trixie would like to speak with the two of you in her study."

"How come you got a room all to yourself?" Soarin asked, looking around at the Captain's luxurious stately bedroom. Dash wrinkled her nose at the statement.

"Trust me, that sandtrap we just came from had more tasteful decoration than this place," she grunted. Her eyes however had found her four-poster bed. "More comfortable here though."

"Gotta agree with you there Cap'," Soarin smirked. "I mean damn. Have you seen this place? Can you imagine where her ladyship sleeps if this is the standards of our sleeping quarters?"

"Oh now I'm jealous," Dash chuckled. The motion caused her to wince slightly and she picked up the ice pack she'd dumped into the wine bucket beside her bed. Soarin grinned.

"Still sore huh?" he asked. Dash nodded stiffly.

"That girl can smack," she confirmed.

"She is a vampire," Soarin reminded.

"So we've been led to believe," she countered. "That other guy though. Now that I'll admit is the vampire."

"If you say so," Soarin shrugged. "Personally Cap' I thought she almost broke your neck with a hit like that."

"You aren't the only one," Dash admitted. "Damn girl got a swing on her." She paused. "Did I already say that?"

"Yeah."

"D'you think I've got a concussion?"

"Well you managed to say concussion so I'm gonna say no on that one Cap."

"Good." She set the ice pack down again. "Pretty sweet digs we got here." She strode over to her window, something Soarin was only just now noticing. She looked out over the estate, resting on the window sill. "And a pretty sweet gig too," she muttered.

"Sorry, what was that Cap?"

She turned to look at Soarin, a smile wider than a mile plastered on her face. "We're being paid to hunt vampire dude! How awesome is that? We are living a dream here!"

Soarin gave his own small smile. "I guess we are." His expression then became an uncomfortable one. "How long is this gonna last us though Cap?"

Dash raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, security detail... it's a long haul. I mean it's... it's almost like a full-time job."

"Pays a damn sight better though am I right?"

"Yeah but how long for?"

She sighed and turned back out the window. "Imma be honest with you Soarin... I don't know. It's gonna last as long as it lasts. Right now, the Wonderbolts have a contact, and a good one. It pays well, the job has some good security and the expiry date on the contract looks to be one hell of a ways off. I say we could still be here within the next year, maybe longer."

Soarin smiled, looking out the window himself, looking past Dash's shoulders. "You know what Cap? I don't mind that in the slightest."

"So we're heading off without Alucard for this one?" Twilight asked.

"Correct," Trixie confirmed. "Alucard won't be able to keep the two of you safe all the time and I'd rather you two learned how to defend yourself should such a time come."

"Well Ah can't say Ah like it," Applejack said. "But Ah can't deny it makes sense."

"So what's the job?" Twilight asked.

Trixie paused, before placing a picture on the desk for them to see. "She was found near Vanhoover," she said, her voice drawn.

Twilight looked at the picture and felt disgust. Both at what she saw and the sudden hunger that rose in her throat. Applejack meanwhile looked at the image and fought hard not to vomit. The picture was a gruesome mess of organs ripped and torn, flesh chewed and stripped and bones twisted and cracked. What remained barely even resembled a person, neigh, a corpse, let alone a woman.

"The dental records were accurate enough to tell us that this was Susan Pinkerman," Trixie told them. "She would have been seven next week."

Twilight didn't have the words to express the horror of what she was hearing and seeing. Applejack, likewise, decided her best course of action was to bolt to the window. The sound of her emptying her guts made Trixie wince in distaste. or perhaps that was due to her leaning forward to reclaim the picture that had aroused such nausea in her soldiers.

"What did that?" Twilight asked, though she was not sure she wanted to know.

"A werewolf," Trixie replied calmly. "We haven't seen one in quite a while."

Twilight paused, her mind at work.

"The last full moon was a week ago right?" Trixie nodded. "So this girl was killed last week?"

"This girl was killed two nights ago," Trixie corrected. "Contrary to popular belief, a werewolf does not require the light of the full moon to transform from man to beast. They are certainly more deadly when there is a full moon yes, but they merely need the light of the moon to become a monster."

"So what moonlight strikes their bodies and they transform?" Applejack asked, wiping her mouth against the back of her hand.

"More of less yes. It is a remarkable, although painful, chemical reaction that occurs."

"The moon's light is reflected from the sun though. If all they need it the light from the moon, why don't they transform in the middle of the day?" Twilight asked.

"It is the reflection that gives the light of the moon a specific property that initiates the transformation," Trixie explained. "It's not a concentrated as when it comes from the sun. I believe the occult term for moonlight in this sense is, Blutz waves."

"Blutz waves... right," Twilight muttered.

"So, we find this werewolf and shoot him?" Applejack asked.

"Essentially," Trixie confirmed.

"Consider it done sir," Twilight said, snapping to attention, before she and Applejack went to leave. Before they managed it however, Trixie spoke up again.

"Ladies." They stopped and turned. Trixie was looking at the picture and didn't look up. "Make it as painful as you can."

Author's Note

Ah fuck it! I can't be so mean to you guys. I'll let you have this one right now seeing how I'm nice.

Anyway, thanks to:

Oh... wait... the fuck?

...

Right either I'm being stupid or I can't find out who's favourited my story anymore.

Well.... shit.

How am I supposed to grovel to the amazing people who think my story is worth adding to their favourites now?

If I am being an idiot would someone please tell me so I can fix this travesty at once!