Alucard staggered back, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. With a heavy cough he sent droplets of red spattering the ground at his feet. He looked up and saw a flash of something sparkling and clear before his face exploded into agony. He screamed in pain and stumbled back again, hands clasped to his face as the skin blistered and peeled away from his face, sinking into the wet and bare muscle beneath. And still Alucard screamed in pain, the Holy Water burning through his flesh like acid, sinking in until it reached the very bone of his skull.

A sickly, sticky secretion of something like blood but thicker - much thicker - dripped haphazardly to the ground. Alucard pulled his hands away from his ruined face, strands of now waxy flesh and skin clinging to his gloved palms. His eyes were filled with blood and tears, bloodlust and agony as he tried wildly to see something, anything past this haze of utter torture. Steam coiled from his face as the flesh returned, though the process was slow, and excruciating in its efforts.

Something struck Alucard in the chest and he toppled backwards, his legs caught on a low grave. Something landed heavily on his splayed limbs, pinning them, in his agony, to the ground. He tried to throw whatever lay on top of his right arm clear, but he had been rendered weak by the pain he felt.

And then pain exploded in his chest. He screamed with an agony that could not be reproduced by animal nor man as something pierced his heart, punctured his body and suck into the soft ground beneath him. He thrashed wildly where he lay as further spikes impaled his arms and legs to the ground. By this point his vision had returned and he looked up at whoever stood there.

A tall man, with pale skin and burning lilac eyes glared down at him, flanked by several others, each one armed with some heavy implement of death. His breathing was heavy and laboured, his face bruised and bloody but there was a cruel smile on his face as he stared down at Alucard.

"This is the end," he panted. "After all these years you have feasted and mutilated the hearts and minds of men, you shall pay for your crimes, vampire."

Alucard smiled, blood bubbling from between his teeth.

"Are you here to kill me, Van Hellsing?" he managed to wheeze.

Abra Van Hellsing nodded slowly.

"It seems the only fitting punishment," he agreed. He crossed his chest in a rapid motion and lifted a bottle high in the air. Holy Water.

"Permit me, one request," Alucard blurted suddenly. Abra lowered the bottle slightly. One of his companions gripped his arm in fear.

"Do not let him speak Abra!" he hissed. "He will work his devilry upon you! He will turn you against us!"

"He is no threat to anyone anymore," Abra replied, shrugging his grip. "And besides, we are no better than he if we do not allow him one final request before we end his life."

Alucard wheezed a sigh of relief, smiling through bloody lips. "Where is the girl?"

Abra winced, scowling. He took a deep breath in before answering. "Gone. Beyond your reach and our own."

Alucard sighed again. "Thank you."

Abra nodded before he lowered the bottle in a rapid slash.

Alucard jerked awake, panting slightly. He looked around his dark and gloomy chambers, confused as to where he was. The memories of his dreams haunted his mind still, and he gripped the arms of his chair until his knuckles turned white.

"Just a dream..." he whispered. "It was only a dream..."

"And that's when he finally decided to wake up and help me. And after I dragged his coffin from a plane without a parachute from three thousand feet in the middle of an air raid."

"No offence there Rares," Applejack said, "But Ah'm findin' this mighty hard to believe."

"Such cheek!" Rarity exclaimed as though she had been wounded, though the slight smile she gave revealed her facade. "Are you insinuating that just because I appear to be a weak and feeble woman that I cannot, pardon my language, 'kick some ass?'"

"It's just because we just see you around the house doing all the odd jobs for Sir Trixie," Twilight explained. "I guess it's hard for us to picture you as some kind of super soldier."

"I guess you're right," Rarity laughed. "I suppose I wouldn't believe it either if someone of my age told me they were once one of the best vampire hunters in Equestia."

Twilight chuckled and took another sip of her tea. It had been several weeks since she and Applejack has joined Hellsing. In that time they had both become fast friends with Rarity. Alucard was a different matter. The older vampire appeared randomly, though Twilight was pretty sure that he was often nearby, keeping a close watch on her. She wasn't sure why. She'd shown no signs of developing any astonishing vampire powers like he had.

Then again, she wasn't entirely sure that was a bad thing either.

"Would you care for a refill of your tea Twilight darling?" Rarity asked.

"What? Oh, no thank you Rarity."

"Are you sure? I can always make a fresh pot if we run out after all."

"No it's fine Rarity. I think I've had my fill of tea for today."

"If you say so dear," Rarity said, narrowing her eyes at Twilight.

Twilight smiled in return as Applejack poured herself another cup of tea. Her smile froze however as she felt a familiar chill rush up her spine. She looked over her shoulder just in time to see Alucard step through the wall. He straightened up and adjusted his glasses, fixing Twilight with his gaze.

"Sir Trixie requires your presence," he said simply. "A rather troubling matter has arisen."

"Alucard are you feeling alright?" Rarity asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I am perfectly fine," he said, his voice it's usual self, and yet Twilight heard the faintest shard of ice in his words. "Memories. Nothing more."

"I see," Rarity said, nodding in understanding, getting to her feet. "I'll be waiting for you three in armoury."

"Let's go AJ," Twilight said, following Rarity's example. "We've got work to do."

"So what's all the who-ha about?" Applejack asked.

"The 'who-ha' as you have so elegantly put it AJ, is something of great concern," Trixie muttered.

"Vampires?" Twilight asked.

"I wish it were so simple," Trixie sighed. "No Twilight, it's not simply a vampire."

"Then what?" Twilight asked.

"It would appear... Iscariot is moving against us."

Twilight blinked and looked at Applejack. The other woman shrugged.

"Um, beg pardon Sir Trixie, but that's muddin' the issue for me and Twilight."

"The Iscariot Organization is.... well perhaps the most accurate way of describing Iscariot is to call it a Sister to Hellsing."

"A Sister?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were made aware of the vampire threat when by ancestor, Abra van Hellsing. The two were... divided however on how to act against the threat. Luna believed that we could be able to utilize the night against itself, whereas Celestia believed such an idea was abominable. In the end they remained divided, and went their separate ways. Celestia travelled out to the Equestrian colonies while Luna remained in Equestria where, where with Abra's help, she founded the Hellsing organisation. Celestia meanwhile created Iscariot. The source of the our origins causes tension between members of Iscariot and Hellsing alike. We have an unspoken non-aggression pact but there will often be a time when a fight is picked on one side or another."

"And is that what's happening now?" Twilight asked. Trixie nodded.

"It would appear Iscariot is trying to get our attention about something. And now they have it we need to know what they're jumping up and down in our sights for. I'm sending you three out to find out what the issue is."

"Not to blunt but are we certain that this is Iscariot?" Alucard. "After all there have been times when vigilantes have struck lucky against the forces of the night."

Trixie dropped something on her desk. An old fashioned sword bayonet with a polished, enameled handle. The blade was made of a glittering metal, and the handle some enameled material. It was the sharpness of the blade however that drew Twilight's attention however. It felt like she would cut her very vision if she even looked at that sharp edge for too long. It seemed, dangerous to her. That wasn't to say she didn't handle dangerous objects of course but this... it was dangerous to her because she knew it was meant to kill her. The weapons she handled as an agent of Hellsing may have been designed to kill vampire kind, but some of them were also designed to be used by vampires. This blade was designed to kill any vampire its user saw.

"This was found near Hollow Shades. Recently there have been a series of vampire reports there. Our local operators there found this instead. What do you make of it Alucard?"

"A blessed blade," he whispered in appreciation. "A weapon only issued to the most elite demon hunters and exorcists Iscariot commands. I am convinced Sir Trixie. This will be dealt with in a matter of hours."

"I have no doubt about that," Trixie said smiling. "Though Alucard you must remember this is not a Vampire you're pursuing. I want whoever this is scared but not dead."

Alucard bit the inside of his lip and frowned ever so slightly. Then he relented. "Of course. As you command Sir Trixie."

"Then proceed down to the armoury. I am certain Rarity is waiting for you."

Twilight stepped down from the back of the Hellsing transport and drew the Bat to shoulder height, the sights lined up in her eyes. She flicked her eyes through the dark trees. The wind was in her face tonight, blowing her hair out of her face, but also blowing the now bitter sweet smell of blood into her face. She couldn't help but let a shudder of hunger run up her spine, even though the blood she smelt was stale, dried. Old blood. Spilled within the few days yet still haunting the air with its scent.

"Do you think the vampire is still out there?" Applejack asked, the Bitten in her grip.

"It would not be unlike Iscariot to leave the creature alive," Alucard said. "They are merely here to get our attention on what we do not yet know. They may have left the vampire alive simply because it is our problem no their's. They simply want our attention."

"They have it," Twilight said. "Let's get to work."

She strode for the treeline, the Bat flicking this way and that as Twilight responded to the slightest noise picked up with her vampiric hearing. Alucard and Applejack followed suit, the other vampire merely content to walk casually as if it were just a normal stroll through the woods. Applejack on the other hand kept turning around and walking backwards,keeping her eyes trained on the way they had come before turning back around to focus on where she was walking.

They remained in silence as they walked, focussed on trying to discern any detail in the shadow and quiet. It seemed like the silence pressed in on them from all sides. The smell of blood was growing stronger and stronger as they drew closer to a clearing in the centre of the forest. Twilight could see buildings through the gaps in the trees. The smell of blood was almost overpowering. Applejack made a small retching sound.

The crossed the treeline and moved through a small backstreet. Hollow Shades was little more than a small cluster of houses in the centre of its namesake forest. Small enough that it couldn't be called a village, yet big enough that it couldn't be described as a hamlet.The smell of blood pervaded Twilight's nostrils as she and the others walked down the gap between two houses and entered what might be the town centre. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

A well marked the middle of the small cluster of houses. The brick structure was filled to the brim with stagnant blood. Human corpses lay bloated and blue around the blood well. Rotting flesh was strung from every surface. Great grooves had been carved into the dirt where things had been dragged away, and where a car of some description had carved its wheels into the earth.

"Was this the vampire?" Twilight whispered.

"Indeed," Alucard muttered. "What concerns me is why the bodies have been left in this state."

"This is what vampires do though isn't it?" Applejack asked, gowling. "Kill and maim?"

"Yes. But recall that an agent of Iscariot has been here too. Or so we thought."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

Something exploded behind them. Far behind them. At the edge of the forest.

"The transport," Alucard hissed in alarm. At these words Applejack grabbed the radio from her belt and pressed a button.

"Driver this is AJ are you there? Over." She released the button and static filled the air. She looked at Twilight, fear in her eyes. "Ah... ah didn't even know his name..."

"Sir, was Iscariot here?" Twilight asked.

"I do not believe so. Any member of Iscariot would have cared for or at least removed these bodies before leaving. No we have been lured Police-Girl."

"So it would appear even the great Alucard can be tricked!"

At once the three Hellsing agents trained their respective guns on the source of the cry.

A young woman, with pale grey sink, lavender eyes and midnight black hair, stood on the roof of the building behind them. She wore a pearly white suit with a sickly grey overcoat, the sleeves of which flapped in the wind, empty. Under her suit blazer she wore a charcoal grey blouse, the collar tied with a bright pink bow-tie.

"Allow me to introduce myself!" she hailed them, lifting a cigarette to her lips and lighting it, her lavender eyes glowing red. "I am Octavia Valentine!"

Author's Note

Fuck me I'm sorry this took so long guys. A-levels you know?

So anyway thanks to:

Black-card Duelist,
Oubliette,
axel106106,
Shadowy Demon Pony,
Blaze Song,
aponymous1028,
lord scoro,
Nostromo_Crew,
Thorn_the_Just,
Ula Star,
Millenium, (Very appropriate name for this story btw XD)
BloodyMarey,
justlolit,
waterfairy556,
johnlebrex,
zpeder,
Lightning blade,
Vinyl Scratch Jr.,
Afroed Sorcerer,
Mobiusman

for favouring Hellsing: Equestria and putting up for my hiatus,