She couldn't do it. How could Lynne bring herself to fire an arrow at her own daughter?
She could only stand there in terror and sadness as Lucille lunged at her, ready to bite down.
"NOOO!"
A sleek blue reptilian figure tackled Lucy, tumbling and pinning her to the ground. Meanwhile, Ellie began holding off the three heads of the Hellhound.
"SAVE HIM! SAVE HIM!" Dina cried. Lynne almost thought she was crazy. She was going to get herself killed.
But that's when she realized something. If Lucy failed to listen to the words of her mother…she'd only listen to someone else.
She slithered up to help her wife, when suddenly she felt a knife to her throat as Lucy knocked Dina off and screeched, tackling her through the door, breaking and smashing it to pieces.
"Are you forgetting someone, Miss Dark?"
Bloody Mary! Lynne spotted a wounded Maria patching herself up with more green lightning. Learning to harness the lightning within much like her creator.
"It must be terrifying to see someone you love die, and be powerless to save them." The fourth bride and assassin said. "She won't survive, and you won't either if you interfere. One movement of resistance…and she'll only have A mother…"
Lynne tried to stay calm. Tried to remember her teachings.
"Why not get revenge directly?" She asked. "SHE'S the one who killed your sister."
"Oh, why kill when you can torment? All I needed against that other bride was simply the powers I gained from the Mirror World. Yet still…perhaps a summon could take work of you. I'll have her watch as Abogora swallow and digest you whole…"
Twirling a dagger, Bloody Mary stabbed the snake monster right in the abdomen, making her scream in pain before kicking her away.
"LYNNE!"
In an instant, Randy began burning Ellie, who resisted his fire. That's when a shield bash from Cobalt stunned the Hellhound, who got grappled by Lissandra. All the while, Bloody Mary slitted her palm and wrist and slammed it to the floor.
"Mirror mirror, on the wall! Heed the deadliest of them all! From the darkest pits, I awaken the beast! Come, Abogora! Time for your feast!"
The blood puddled before her, and suddenly, a red bloody serpent-like creature, with a long neck and a human skull with glass shards for monstrous teeth, rose with a monstrous wail and roar.
Everyone save for Frankenstein and Van Helsing (still battling Dracula) rushed to battle the summon, with Cobalt and Lissandra handling Randy. All while Bloody Mary rushed at Ellie and pinned a dagger to her throat from behind.
"Now I shall avenge my sisters, and prove once again to the Dark King that I am worthy of the name Bloody Mary." She hissed. "I wonder…how does DEMON blood taste?"
"You have no fangs. You cannot bite me to find out…"
"Oh…I have THESE little beauties doing the biting for me. So I wonder, succubus. Have you confessed your sins?"
She slit the throat, with the succubus dropping down. But Mary had heard stories of the Makai. Something fatal like that was but a scratch to them. They could recover from it no problem.
Like it mattered. All she needed to do was drain her of every last drop and pint of that blood. Using her Blood Magic, she gathered the molten-like demon blood into a large orb the size of her hand.
"Your life…my plaything." She only chuckled. "Now…Bon appetit…"
And with a swift motion, she drank it all down as if alcoholic. But once she finished, she felt something burning! Her throat! Her throat was on fire!
"AUGH! B-Burning! How?!"
Ellie only chuckled as she got back up, the wound already regenerating.
"You call us demons, is that right?" She asked. "From a land of fire and pain? Well…sometimes we become one with our element in order to survive. And there is no demon bloodline than that of mine: That of Satan's. Our blood is as molten as lava. And given how you're from the Mirror World…"
Bloody Mary suddenly found herself screaming in pain. She reached out with a clawed gauntlet…before ultimately superheating from the molten heat she digested into a mass of crimson red glass. Ellie only heard her heels clack as she walked up, caressing the statue's cheek.
"Long live…the Queen…"
She gave the statue a kiss goodbye, the slight pressure of her lips beginning to crack the glass statue. Ellie backed away, and watched as the statue shattered into hundreds of sharp fragments. At least her future daughter-in-law wouldn't have to worry. Lucille's blood was just as red and ordinary as any humans was. And warm to the touch.
A howl from Abogora melting away had Ellie turn. Only a frenzied Randy remained. And she was reminded of Lucy.
As Ellie rushed to help, she only prayed to Dina to save her…
…
The pain ached and pulsed all over as Dina felt herself tumble down the stairs with Lucy. Once they were at the bottom, Dina got on top of her again, using all her supernatural strength to keep the beast down.
"Lucy, please!" She begged. "You have to come back! This isn't you!"
Lucy only screeched like mad and blasted hellfire right at Dina's face. The lizard girl screamed as she reeled away from the flames, allowing Lucy to grab her and fly upwards, slamming her against the walls of the castle. Dina knew that she might not survive, but she had to try. She just couldn't accept that Lucy was gone. She had to be in there…
The Hellbat threw Dina to the bottom of the stairs of a lobby and began mauling and beating her. She grabbed the hands to try and stop her, tears of desperation in her eyes.
"FIGHT IT! PLEASE, FIGHT BACK! I CAN'T LOSE YOU! NOT LIKE THIS!"
Lucy only roared again, and with a swift motion, she ripped off the lizard's arms, the girl screaming as the black blood stained the dark floors. And the monster kept pummeling her hard, tears spilling in with the blood.
"NO! STOP! LUCY! STOP IT! PLEASE, STOOOOOP! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Dina's pleas fell on deaf ears. With each savage blow, she felt her faith and hope begin to flicker away with her life. If Lucy really was dead…why let herself continue to survive?
And then, what felt like hours when only seconds, Lucy ceased the beating to eye her prey. Dina only sobbed and coughed, mortally weakened as she felt the nothingness coming to take hold.
Finally, with a triumphant roar, Lucy lunged down with claws and teeth bared to finish her prey.
"I love you…"
The beast froze. Her fangs inches from her throat. It was either hearing the words or seeing the broken state that triggered…SOMETHING.
A twitch. Another. And another. She felt like she couldn't move. As if two minds were clashing within her.
Finally…the monster began remembering. SHE began remembering.
The first came when she was young. Having moved to Hollowville after she lost control for the first time. There, she met her. A little girl, just like her. Her first friend. Her first NEW friend.
They bonded for years. They grew together. And soon…they became sisters. That bond only strengthened when she revealed she was just like her. Her scales are as dark blue as the very oceans. As if to match the light blue in her eyes that seemed to hold the very skies in them.
But those were distant memories. The greatest and happiest came in adolescence.
That kiss. That very first kiss. It was…wow. She had heard of it, and even saw her mothers do it. Finally, she knew how it felt.
That love only continued to bloom. They dated for over four years ever since. Some drama here, some embarrassment there, and a little bit of relationship ups and downs everywhere. But she wanted to refrain from intimacy until they were both of legal age.
Then came tonight. Her 18th birthday. The present was one thing…but she was even better. She wasn't a weakness. She was…she was…
"Enjoying the view?"
"I…I am now…But…I think I have to let something off my chest here. Once every year…I feel like I really do belong. Everyone would think I'm a freak if they saw me on any other night. But I was…RAISED like a human. Even though…I'm not. Despite looking like one. Sometimes I wish that…I could CHANGE things. So that we could live among them without fear or hatred OR the need to scare. But still…do you think there's a place where…we wouldn't need to worry about them?"
"Like…New Transylvania?"
"Bigger. MUCH bigger. Like a whole separate world. But…I shouldn't be stressed like this. Not tonight. I feel like I really am the queen of the world. Well…I'm GONNA be, but…not of THIS world. And…I don't really think your kind's allowed."
"You think…you're a freak among freaks?"
"Sometimes…maybe even freakier."
"I don't care if you really are part monster and part demon. You've never been more human. And you…you're the most human person that I've ever met…"
"So…I'm not exactly sure how demon politics work, but…would you…like to rule alongside me?"
"Even after our happy ending, Lulu…"
The kiss. And every single kiss that had ever come before it. It all flashed again in her mind.
"There. I feel SO much better now."
"I…Me too…"
"Ugh. What a killjoy. Well, gotta relieve SOME stress."
"Yeah. An epic scare AND a good hunt. I'd say this is a win-win. Happy birthday, baby."
"Happy Halloween, Dee-Dee…"
Finally…the monster shed two tears. One from each eye. And they began pouring out, remembering the fire. The monster, about to bite her. To KILL her. She got in the way, as planned…and ended up freakier than even the freakiest of freaks.
At long last…the pupils emerged in her eyes. And Lucy Dark looked down at her fatally wounded girlfriend.
"D…Dina…"
Instantly, she grabbed and kissed her as hard as she could. She forced out all of her dormant magic, all for a single purpose.
As if with the magic of true love, she began healing Dina. Fully restoring her wounds. AND her arms. She began crying as well, hugging Lucy tightly.
And when they could breathe no more, they parted.
"Y…You're back…" Dina sobbed. "You're finally back…"
"I…I love you too." Lucy smiled.
They stared at each other for what felt like hours. But she knew. She knew what had to be done.
"Where is he?" She asked.
"The very top." Dina smiled. "Kick his ass, Batgirl."
Spreading her wings, Lucy flew upwards and, in seconds, reached the throne room. The sight of which caught the eye of everyone there.
Randy Dark only roared like a demonic werewolf and charged. So, he became one too. Her eyes only narrowed.
With no fear left in her, she tackled Randy, got behind him, and bit him on the neck of the middle head. The monster roared and trashed about as she began draining the dark curse magic and swallowed it whole, making the monster go limp in seconds before she let go, dropping him.
And then, Randy took a deep breath and coughed violently.
"AH! AH! OH MY GOD! DARK! SO DARK!"
He only coughed some more and panted heavily for breath. Cobalt only turned to Lissandra with a stunned look.
"A bite being a cure?!" He asked.
"Wow. THAT'S new…" She only replied.
"W-What happened?! Where am I? What year is it?! Is the Rock president?!"
A hug from behind shut him up. He'd know those arms anywhere.
"Is…it that you?!"
"I am SO sorry for being such a screw-up these last few hours." Lucy said. "That all changes NOW."
The rest of her family embraced her as Dina re-entered the room. She only smiled with a tear in her eye.
Cory felt himself about to cry too. She was back. Lucy and Randy were finally back. Truly a touching moment…
BONG!
That sound echoed through the castle! Cory's eyes went wide as he whirled around.
BONG!
"No…"
BONG!
The hands…the hands on the clock! T…They were…!
BONG!
Dracula only chuckled at this.
BONG!
"Didn't I tell you, Lucille?" The Dark Lord asked.
BONG!
"I told you that you and your brother would bring about the age of darkness."
BONG!
Van Helsing was petrified. For the first time in a long time.
BONG!
A diversion. Lucy and Randy…were a DIVERSION!
BONG!
"Uh…sir?" I.G.O.R. asked over the comms, fear also in his tone.
BONG!
The Moonstone Machine…was at full power!
BONG!
"NOOOOOOO!"
BONG!
Too late. Lucy Dark was too late.
The machine fired. The blood crimson red beam of dark magic skyrocketed into the air faster than a bullet. It broke through the atmosphere in seconds like an arrow piercing each and every target.
And in mere seconds, it reached its target. The beam containing the dark magic of all seven Moonstones slammed into the face of the glowing green moon. Spreading like wildfire, the color red began to cover the entire natural satellite. The sunlight reflected off became even more deformed than ever before. And soon, all of the entire planet of Earth became cloaked in the darkest of shadows. The sun…could no longer reach it.
As the monster roars and howls could be heard all across the world, Dracula only laughed back at the castle.
"THE TIME HAS COME!" He declared in a deep demonic tone. "THE ETERNAL NIGHT…BEGINS!"