Heaven & Hell

Chapter III

"Impeccable timing as always brother." Henry said with a sly smile.

Bismark stepped towards them and said, "I find it oddly curious that the two main reasons for this party are hiding from it."

"Hiding is too weak a word to use Lord Bismark." Jack stated. "Secluded is more like it. Come along Henry lets show these guests just what happens when you have the two of Pie brothers under one roof."

Henry smiled as he walked over to Jack and said as they were exiting the room, "They will be in for a surprise of their own."

Their laughs could be heard as they walked away. The soft glow of torchlight filled the room and cascaded across the stone floor. Bringing forth the same dread filled feelings she originally felt before she arrived there. Bismark focused on his daughter, who wore a beautiful dark green gown. The gown accented very well with her illustrious dark red coat and long jet black hair. Her bright green eyes met Bismark's dark grey eyes. Bismark stated, "I do hope that you did not scold him too much."

"Do not worry father." Lucy replied, "There was no scolding involved. Unlike mother I knew when to keep my mouth shut."

Bismark chuckled slightly and said looking at the doors that Jack and Henry left to, "I truly hope that those two know what they are doing. I mean the best when I say this, they are truly fighting against all that society find is the norm. They wield a lesser power that Equestria is not ready for."

The look Bismark gave was one of sincerity and hope. She never heard such seriousness in his voice before, she quickly realized that he was not talking about Henry when he said those words. Lucy stepped closer to Bismark and said, "You have nothing to worry for father, I knew what I was getting into when I started this. If no one else besides Jack supports him then he needs all the help he can get."

"And it seems he would take this to his grave." Bismark looked downcast at the floor in a low tone and quickly returned his gaze back to his daughter's, "I worry for you is all. I'm only trying to protect you."

He paused and gave a slight grin and said, "What more would you expect from your father?"

Emotion began to fester and boil around his rock solid heart. Nothing made him this misty, Lucy knew the hardest thing for a parent was watching their foal grow up and leave them. But she never knew it would be this severe; let alone to one such as her father Sir Bismark. Bismark returned his warm and heart felt gaze to Lucy's eyes and said, "I think I would die if any harm would come to you..."

"Father I understand," Lucy interrupted with a small smile, "I don't think you would lose me if you tried. I'm your only daughter. I love more than you could ever imagine."

Bismark smiled and ran his hoof down her cheek and said, "I know. I guess I have to learn to accept the fact that you are not the same filly any more. You are a proper mare. I trust that you have made the right decision, all I want for you is the best. You must know this."

Lucy smiled and pulled him into a hug. She said muffled in his waist coat, "I love you father."

Bismark smiled and replied, "I love you too. Come on, you have an engagement party to get back too."

Bismark lead Lucy out into the back porch of the manor and exploding in the sky were fireworks. It was not the first time she had seen pyrotechnics and she knew it wasn't the last, but every time she saw them she was filled with unending joy and eternal happiness. Exploding reds, mystical blues, and bursting greens. All of them sending endless wonder through every pour of her body. This night was truly one she would never forget.

With hours past and a relatively clean back porch Jack saw the last of the guests out and shut the door with a loud slam. He turned back around to see his two siblings staring at him, both with looks of disapproval. Jack shrugged and said innocently, "Why are you two looking at me like that?"

Peppermint and Henry looked at each other and Henry said, "Amethyst? Really? Of all the mares you had to..."

"Oh don't lecture me Professor Henry," Jack said sarcastically walking past them, "There are precious things that we must cherish in this world, Amethyst is really the only one that connects with me."

"That's not the only thing..." Peppermint said under her breath. Jack laughed out loud and as he walked up the stairs to his room he said, "Good night you two. And Peppermint, please do make sure dear brother does not stay up too late."

Henry smiled and as did Peppermint. Peppermint looked over at Henry and said, "And don't you forget it, or I'll punish you like father."

Henry had the ghost of a smile and said, "I promise. Good night Mint."

Peppermint walked up the stairs as well and Henry heard the distant sound of a door slamming. He was now alone in a quiet manor. All to himself for the moment, he kept in the back of his mind that there could be unspeakable evils hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce and strike. His hoofsteps echoed as he walked to the door leading down into the basement of the house. Slowly as he descended down into further darkness the temperature dropped and reaching the bottom his hooves stepped on solid stone.

He moved over to some candles and lit one illuminating the room. Around him was a wide open room with various aged wooden cupboards, bubbling liquids in clear glass flasks, and many bookshelves lined the stone walls. The smell of aged wood and sulfur filled his nostrils with the smell he had grown up with when his father first showed him this. This was his apothecary, where he made alchemical substances that cured nearly any disease. Henry sighed heavily as he remembered those happy memories filling him with a sense of woe. He took off his over coat and slung it over the lounge chair on the left side of the room, revealing his dark red scarlet vest and his flower patterned cravat which accented very well with his bright white dress shirt. He looked at the makeshift desk with the journal he had kept ever since five years ago. Each page containing every thought he had about his project. No...not project, crusade.

He walked over to his journal and sat in his chair opening to a new page in the aged leather journal. He grabbed his quill and spoke as he wrote on the page,

"October 6, 3:35 A.M 1500 AAE,

"After rejection from the Highlord, delays must be made to my work. Doubts, endlessly ravaging my inner thoughts ripping and tearing against what I hold near and dear to my heart. I begin to wonder if they are right, if this is a fools errand...but I remember the wise words of my father."The only thing that's constant, is change."

"I have to see this through, for him. For my father. But How can I continue if my work is disapproved by everypony? Now I must find a willing subject for experiments on a normal pony. But who? Who would volunteer for such a thing?"

"That is something we all must ask ourselves. Dr. Henry"

Henry jumped and dropped his quill in fear. The voice echoed across the stone walls and sent unimaginable dread through his spine and hairs on the back of his neck. He closed the journal and looked through the dimly lit room. There were many shadows around the room for ponies to hide in. The voice was that of a stallion in a deep voice that sent fear through every fiber of his being. Henry stepped up from his chair and said in the darkness in a shaky tone, "Who...who...who are you? Where are you?"

The maniacal laughter of the pony echoed across the room and rang loudly in his ears. The stallion said, "I think you should recognize your number one fan of your work when you see him. Are you so new to rising fame as a great scientist?"

The voice shifted to the shadows near him and he heard the soft rhythmic sound of a pony breathing next to him. He slowly turned his head to the shadows and standing half way in the shadows and half in the light was a pale grey colored stallion with a mane of jet black shadows and his eyes shot open revealing dark crimson orbs that stared right into his very soul. A devilish smile crossed his lips and revealed two sharp fangs. He said, "I am the one you wish to experiment on."

Henry stood in utter fear and could not move a single muscle. With ever fiber of his being he wanted to gallop for the door and get the authorities. But he could not stop staring into those bright red eyes. He gave a look of not a normal pony, he gave the look of the predator finding its prey, ready to pounce on its prey. He said in a shaky tone, "Dra...Drac...Dracula..."

He bowed his head and said, "Indeed. While I find it amusing that you sputter and choke on your words, I feel it is utterly unnecessary. Please do try and relax, Henry."

As if a veil of dread lifted from him he could feel his muscles return under his control. His strength returned to him and he gasped for air as if the air from his lungs was being sucked out from him. He straightened his posture and said, "How...how are you here?"

Henry watched as his demeanor shifted from a predator to an enraged one. His gaze tightened and he said, "While I wish I was free from my bonds, I am sad to say that I remain within the cold grasp of imprisonment. I am here and I am not, a hard concept to grasp I understand but you must realize that while they tied me down physically they did not do so mentally.

"I am merely a shadow, Henry" Dracula stepped out of the shadows and visible on the other side of his body were scars and gashes along it and along his left eye was a long single scar. As he revealed his scar filled body Henry said under his breath, "Sweet Celestia..."

Dracula smiled and interrupted, "Yes I am afraid I am not in the most appealing garb, but that is how I am at the moment."

He moved his gaze around the room and started moving around, his hooves making no sound. Like he was made of shadows themselves. He said as he went around his long work table, "You should know that I have been a great devotee of your work. Simply amazing. But your colleagues do not share your same enthusiasm or your conviction. Do they?"

He stopped grazing his hoof along the surface of the table. No sound emanated from his hoof and this brought a small amount of fear in Henry's stomach. He simply shook his head and Dracula continued, "No of course not. They do not see the same vision we see..."

"We?" Henry said interrupting. Dracula shot his head towards Henry faster than a blink of an eye and he said, "Yes...we...I have seen your progress since those first hours five years ago. I must say I am impressed."

He focused his gaze on Henry and he said, "You wish to counter act the magic of Princess Luna. Break the supposed darkness in my soul. Separate the good and evil. Again, I am impressed. But you are approaching the entire situation wrong my friend."

He moved closer to Henry and he lowered his voice, mere inches away from his face, "We are the same if you look at the situation the right way. I am feared because of what I am capable of, as are you. We can work together you and I. I can give you what you need, and in return you may help me escape my prison."

Henry felt cold shivers rush through his spine. He broke the fear and said in a fierce voice, "Why should I help you? You're a monster."

Dracula stared long into his eyes. Dracula smiled and shot his hoof towards Henry's throat and he felt something slowly grip and constrict his throat. He choked and gasped for air as he was lowered to the ground. Henry saw his eyes flash a dark red color. He said in a threatening voice, "Why must everypony say that word, when they themselves cannot comprehend the word themselves!"

Dracula released his throat and Henry gasped for air and coughed, but he listened to Dracula's next words, "They say I am evil. When they cannot even begin to understand the meaning of the word."

He scanned his hoof and said in a distant tone, "They claim I have killed out of selfish sadistic feelings. All I want is to exist amongst you as another one of you. But its seems that can never happen."

His gaze returned to Henry and he helped him up to his hooves. Dracula stared deep into his dark blue eyes. Henry could see past the wall of intimidation and saw that in his eyes was the honest look that a father gave to their foal. He said in a tone of seriousness his cold breath brushing against Henry, "You wish to find a volunteer for your experiments, to find out whether or not it works on a normal pony; let alone one such as me."

Henry raised an eyebrow, "Who are you suggesting? You've been locked away for five hundred years. Who could you possibly mean?"

Dracula gave the same devilish smile and said planting his hoof on Henry's chest, "You."