//------------------------------// // The Hunt Builds // Story: He's a Vampire // by Gormless Wheaton //------------------------------// "What's it matter?" Verko asked, waving a hand as he rocked in his chair. "So a few Abyssinians got got. Who cares? My boys had to eat!" Candy nodded, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Adam cares, in case that wasn't obvious," He replied, huffing a cloud of smoke as he studied the trio of Verko's lizard thugs in the office with them. "And he cares because word's already gotten back to their home about what happened. Meaning you let it slip." Verko groaned and waved a hand again. "It doesn't matter anymore, Candy," he laughed and relaxed back in his chair. "We're immortal, unkillable, and-" His spiel was cut off when Candy grabbed the lamp from his desk and hurled it at one of the thugs, who fell holding his broken, bloody nose to the shock of the other two. Verko snapped forward in his chair, and his jaw hung open. "Correction. Adam and I are unkillable," he stamped out his cigarette as the other two thugs hissed at him. "You and every other bum you decided to turn are tough as shit and got regen, sure, but you can still get hurt by normal means. Even killed if you get trashed hard enough." Verko gasped and stammered. "Adam wanted me to tell you that too," Candy continued, searching his pockets for something. "It's news to us too, fresh from the book we stole. Vampire spawn can't even change shape or work the Evil Eye." "So what?!" The broken-nosed lizard hollered, rising to his feet as his injury healed itself. Candy cast an annoyed glare his way. "We ran this operation just fine before we were so strong! And we sure didn't have you two creeps breathing down our necks either!" Candy hummed and scratched above his chin. "Yeah, but times have changed, you bozo. You're on our time now, and when you fuck up, chances are high it'll come back to bite us," Candy looked down at Verko, ignoring the three lizards as they whispered to each other. "You know the Catican's already caught wind of what these three did?" Verko furrowed his brow. "I thought Panthera gave them the boot?" Candy shrugged in response. "Our guy in Abyssinia says they're going independent," he sighed and turned to look through the window at the dark streets and clouds outside. "Adam's pretty damned certain they've got a guy on his way here." Verko laughed and rose to stand next to Candy, failing to notice his three thugs drawing wooden spikes. "I'm really not that spooked by a bunch of superstitious felines coming to tango, big man," Verko explained, patting Candy on the lower back. "We've dealt with worse. Folks coming for your head is just a matter of finding what their price is!" Candy took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "That shortsighted view aside, we've still got the issue of you ignoring Adam's instructions. He told you plainly to restrain yourself," he looked down at Verko. "In this case, that includes keeping your crew on a leash. People get hurt otherwise." "I got your 'hurt' right here!" One of the thugs screamed as the three hurled themselves across the room at Candy. Verko only had time to shout before they collided with the human-vampire, but their weapons struck sickly yellow vapor instead of flesh, and the three of them tumbled on top of each other, hacking and wheezing. Verko yelled again as he dove away from the cloud of poisonous fumes that slowly reformed into Candy. "I think that kind of makes my point," Candy muttered from his seat atop the trio, his clothing still partially vaporous and rolling down onto the group, slowly choking them to death. "And also the point Adam made about you." Verko murmured from behind his chair. "What do ya mean?" "You're treating this like it's just another weapon to browbeat thieves and criminals with," Candy explained, rising from his seat of corpses. "You ain't giving it the proper care Adam expects. Even after he told you to show restraint, you still let these three tear apart a whole caravan of cats." Candy slowly stepped to the front of Verko's desk and leaned on it. Verko stammered and gripped the edge of his desk with a desperate look in his eyes. "Hey now! It's not my fault!" He tugged at his tie. "I've been plenty restrained! It's those guys who-" He was cut off by the sound and sight of Candy's fingers digging deep trenches in the top of his desk. "You know?" Candy said in a strained voice that gave Verko chills. "You remind me of someone I knew. Someone from when I was alive." His fingers continued digging at the desk. "Small-time distributor, but an absolute tyrant all the same. He had to be, for reasons I know you can sympathize with," Candy hissed, and his right eye twitched before he held it closed. "Anyway, just like you, he had fuckers higher up on the ladder he had to keep happy. And when they came knocking, he made all sorts of excuses, too." Candy cracked his neck and clutched two handfuls of splinters from the desk. "Wasn't his fault we were down half a kilo. Nah, just cause he couldn't keep his nose out of our supply? Uh-uh, it was the cook's fault," Candy heaved a few breaths and stared through Verko, who was frozen in terror. He ground his teeth and looked at the pile of dead thugs. "Excuses like that are how your cook gets his door kicked open and gets three in the chest, you know?" He slowly brought his glare back to Verko. "I ain't fucked in the head like Dog. Violence was never my happy place," he said through heavy breath. "And Adam's a higher-purpose religious freak. Both those guys got, or had in Dog's case, something to keep them moving and outta their own heads. I don't." He reached into his pocket and pulled a handful of his alchemical crystals out, which he rattled around in his palm. "I'm simple. I remember things and can't get them out of my head," he held his hand forward. "This shit barely helps, but when I see you? When I hear you try to weasel all the blame on your boys like that?" He growled and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Nuh-uh." He slipped his stones back into his pocket and began idling scratching into Verko's desk with one finger. "So do me a favor, okay? Cut the bullshit, and don't make me come back here. Cause I never liked you, and I'm betting dollars to donuts, Adam'd buy whatever excuse I gave about why I slit you up the belly and bit. Out. Your. Heart." He punctuated his threat by dragging his finger up Verko's body and flicking his nose. He leaned on the desk again and leered at the molerat. "We understand that?" He finally asked after a minute. Verko squeaked but cleared his throat. "Perfectly!" Candy smiled in response and patted him on the head. "Then I'll leave you to it," he turned and made for the door. "I'm taking up your guest room. Get those three cleaned up and post a guard for any steely-eyed Abyssinians or the like." He opened the door and stepped over the threshold. "What-" Verko cleared his throat again. "What do you need my guest room for?" "Adam needs me to make a call." "Peter?" "Mhm." "Can you open the coffin?" "Mm." "Peter, I need to use the little ewe's room." "Mhm," I reached one arm out and shoved the lid of the coffin open before drifting back to.. sleep, I guess. "Wow," a new voice said. I grumbled in response and reached up for the lid, but instead grabbed someone's neck. "Hello to you, too." I cracked an eye open and saw it was Twilight I had a grip on. I think. I mainly just saw a mass of purple shimmering down at me, and it had Twilight's voice. "I had no idea it would have such a profound effect on him," Luna, I think, muttered. I blinked and stretched, and slowly colors gained shape, confirming Twilight and Luna were peering down at me in my coffin. Slowly sitting up, I cried out when I suddenly tumbled onto the floor, flipping my coffin over as I fell. "Okay! Take it easy," Twilight said, levitating the coffin back to its place. I rolled onto my back and held a hand over my face. "Wha happ'n?" "Well, for starters it's almost noon," I heard Celestia reply. Peeking through my fingers, I saw her looking down at me with a hoof held to her mouth and mirth in her eyes. "You put on quite the show last evening before vanishing to your room." As my vision cleared I saw Quilt and Cozy holding each other as they tried and failed to contain their giggling. "Show?" I huffed. Celestia nodded and coughed away a laugh. "Not only did you give the delegates quite the theatric introduction, but you even put on a literal song and dance for them" she explained, and I felt the color drain from my face. "You even abducted some musical accompaniment." Twilight exclaimed and held up a hoof. "Also, Bippity and his brother said to thank you for getting them the show," she said with a smile. "Word about their performance spread through the castle staff, so they're getting booked left and right already." "Who's Bippity?" "In any case, Peter, my sister's gift allowed you to leave quite the impact on our guests," Celestia continued, sitting next to me on the floor. "Largely due to the audacity of your actions, but also your heartfelt assurances, the fears of our new allies were put to rest." "Even the King of Abyssinia, who was perhaps the most hesitant, has signed the coalition treaty," Luna added. "Good job, Peter!" Twilight praised. Quilt hacked out a laugh. "Yeah, great work!" She heaved as Cozy fell over. I looked at the two of them and blinked. "Thanks?" I looked around the room. "Where's everyone else?" Celestia nodded. "Things have carried on after your introduction, and your assistant and ambassador have worked with us in your stead," she explained with a wry smile. "Such are the benefits of delegation. Much can still be done even when one is indisposed, say, due to intoxication?" She winked. I groaned and nodded, before processing the fact Twilight was here. "Hold up, I thought you couldn't attend?" She nodded in response. "Yep, but things escalated a little, and your friend Quilt has a plan for us," she said pointing at the pair of sheep still giggling and pointing back at me. "Escalated?" I repeated. Celestia hummed and rose to her hooves. "The enemy made contact through Pinkie this morning and has requested a meeting," she explained, causing me to flinch. "But as Twilight said, Ms. Quilt presented a plan last night after you absconded with your favoritiest little sheep." I furrowed my brow as she giggled, which only encouraged Quilt and Cozy. The three alicorns turned for the door. "When you are ready, let the guards outside your door know and they will escort you to the throne room. In your coffin or as mist. It is daylight, after all." Luna explained as the three left. I huffed and shook my head. "Jeez," I muttered. "It's not as bad as you think," Quilt said, coming up to my side and kicking me gently. "It's actually perfect." "What do you mean by that?" I asked, looking at her and Cozy as the two shared a giggle. I heard a door open behind me. "Oh, you'll see," Cozy explained, looking over my shoulder. "But that can wait. You've got other stuff to worry about, Lord of Death." She and Quilt cackled and galloped out of the room. "What?" I muttered and then realized there was another set of hooves clicking against the floor. Turning, I saw Frill slowly stepping over and sitting between me and the coffin. She looked at me with an annoyed leer. I shuddered at the sight of her. Her wool was horribly matted in places, her dress was ruffled and crooked, and her braids were completely undone. "What happened to you?" Her eye twitched and she took a slow breath, drawing her head back as she did so, revealing a few shallow bite mar- Oh. She exhaled and stared into my eyes. "You carried me back here, nuzzled my wool, and gently bit me a few times. Then you fell asleep with me in your coffin," I stared back at her. She hummed and tapped her hoof a few times. "You also called me your 'favoritest little sheep' before chewing my braids until they fell apart." "Oh." "In front of Quilt when she came to check on us. She was, of course, very amused." "Oh." .. "May I plead 'Oopsie daisies, I'm a big dumb vampire'?" She glared hard into my soul. I slowly moved onto my knees and brought my hands together in a begging gesture. She growled, causing me to rest forward on my elbows with my hands still together. A soul-crushing eternity crawled by, and then she cracked her neck and huffed. "Well, it is Tuesday." I fell forward and bowed my head to the floor with a grateful whine. "But no more princess blood and you're helping me brush and braid my wool." "YesofcoursethankyouthankyouI'msosorry." Once I'd satisfied Frill's sense of style and begged forgiveness a few more times, I had the guards guide my mist to the throne room. As I slipped through the cracks before they could announce me, I found Twilight and her friends, as well as Celestia and Luna up on the dias where their thrones were. The only delegate from the conference present was Coal the Minotaur. Captain Calaeno and Capper were here however, and listening with the rest of the group to Coal. The entire room was dim, having blackout curtains over the stained glass and large basins full of burning material providing the only light. "The Storm King's occupation of the United Cities allowed his forces to take direct control of our trade enterprises," Minister Coal explained, stroking his beard as he spoke. "'Cause of that, many advancements still came about, most but not all of which the Storm King exclusively profited from. In fact, the storm generators his vampires are so fond of are a minotaur invention." "Greedy varmints," Applejack huffed. "That certainly explains why our trade agreements never halted," Celestia said with a sigh. "Exactly. Our enslaved brothers were forced by threats against their families to maintain trade relations with our neighbors, but all the money was funneled to the Army." "That's messed up," Rainbow Dash muttered. "And they were gonna do that to Equestria, too?" "It certainly seems that way," Rarity shuddered. "I can't imagine having all of one's hard work stolen like that." "You should probably stop giving me free clothes then," I retorted as I formed in the center of the room. "Peter!" Pinkie squealed, waving her hoof at me from her spot inside a salt circle. The rest of her friends smiled in my direction. "Derides my gifts while wearing one!" Rarity declared with a humph. "Vampire!" Coal declared, pumping his fist. I bowed as I stepped into the midst of the group. "Guilty as charged. Glad to see you again," I said to Coal, who was appraising me and stroking his beard. "Sobered up too. A nice surprise," the minotaur hummed. Before I could reply, Capper swept up beside me suddenly and wrapped an arm around me. "Hope he's not the only one, prince," he said with a grin. "Hate to think you forgot all about me and the good work I've done for you." I raised an eyebrow, turning to mist to slip from his grip. "I didn't, don't worry," I replied upon reforming, before sweeping my own arm around him. "And not to sell you short, but I recall her and I doing most of the heavy lifting when we met." I pointed a thumb at Calaeno, who folded her arms with a grin. Capper stammered and rolled his paw to find a retort. "Nice to be appreciated, but since you're here, why don't we get started?" Calaeno asked the princesses. I released Capper and held up a finger. "Well, hold on, where's everyone else? The other leaders, and Quilt and all?" Coal laughed in response. "After you took off last night, we agreed that in affairs relating to supernatural responses, our attendance wouldn't be necessary," he said, clapping me on the back and nearly toppling me over. "You, the captain, and Capper here are all part of the coalition's Hunter Team, which lets us focus on fighting the rest of the Remnant Army." Rainbow flew up and punched my shoulder. "Yeah! And once you guys get that creep outta Pinkie's head, we'll be joining you!" She declared. "Alright, fair enough," I looked around the room and up to Celestia. "But where's Quilt?" Celestia hummed and raised an eyebrow. "Hunting for another ewe already? Ms. Frill will be heartbroken!" I frowned and Coal erupted into laughter. Celestia giggled and nodded. "She's just preparing for the plan, she'll be along." I grumbled and then looked at Pinkie with a grimace. "Hi, Peter!" She said cheerily. "Hey." I clenched and unclenched my hands and knelt next to her out of the circle. "How you doing?" She beamed. "Oh, I've been pretty good! At first, I thought having Candy's voice in my head was awful, but then I realized I had someone on call twenty-four-seven who I could run all kinds of jokes by!" She frowned angrily. "He never tells me if they're funny, though." I couldn't help but smile at her implacability in the face of something so dire. "We'll have to give him twice as much hell for that, won't we?" "Shoot, you got that right!" Applejack cried. "Language, but I agree," Rarity chided, Fluttershy said nothing but nodded firmly with a severe glint in her eye. I hummed in response. "If all goes well today, that'll all come about real soon," I heard Quilt declare as she, carrying a potion, strode into the room with Cozy and Sunbeam, the latter of whom approached the base of the dais. "The pony team, including Prince Blueblood and Hasty, have been equipped, briefed, and are on standby Your Majesties," she declared with a salute. The sisters nodded and looked at Quilt who approached Pinkie. "Excellent, and I presume you found all you needed?" Celestia asked Quilt, who nodded eagerly. "Sure did! Grandpa would've lost it if he saw your alchemy garden," she declared with a giggle. I looked up at Celestia. "What's going on?" Twilight hummed excitedly and stepped towards me. "Quilt's expertise on Woollachian nosferatu and the rituals her Grandfather taught her are going to let us find the vampire who cursed Pinkie!" I gawped and looked at Quilt who leered smugly at me. "Hey now! What would Frill, your favoritiest little sheep think if she saw you staring at me like that?" She said, sticking her tongue out at me. I threw her an annoyed grimace, causing her to giggle. "Anyway, yeah, this potion will make her more sensitive to the spiritual tides. If you mesmerize her then, after that freak calls her, you can make her see what he was seeing and feel out the general direction he was calling from." She hummed and nodded at Calaeno. "Then we go hunting. My ship and crew are the fastest in the skies, and Capper knows how to wring info outta folks," she declared, stepping closer and punching me in the arm. "So we sail around asking for any weirdos who look like you, and you jump him once we corner him." She chuckled and tapped me on the chest. "That last bit is the main reason I'm confident we can pull it off." "And you'll take this with you," Coal demanded, presenting a gift-wrapped box with a gigantic bow. "United Cities' finest innovation in personal military engineering." He frowned and raised an eyebrow in thought. "Finest innovation we kept from the Storm King's grasp," he added with a nod. I nodded back and took the box, at which point he clasped his hands together, and gave me a look that was somehow expectant yet hadn't changed at all. I frowned and slowly opened the wrapping paper, finding a wooden case with the letters U C C A emblazoned in brass on its top. "United Cities Combat Armaments," Coal explained, urging me on with a delicate gesture of his fingers. I hummed and opened the box finding- "Holy shit?" "Language," Rarity chided and Coal laughed, clapping his hands. I looked upon what I was pretty sure was a matchlock pistol with four rotating barrels and sixteen paper cartridges. Before I could say anything, he handed me a small pamphlet. "Instructions are in here. Tell me how it handles when you get back." "Sure thing?" I huffed as I took the three-paper thick booklet. "Thank you?" "Quite welcome, on one condition" he nodded holding up a finger. "It might not put down a vampire, but I expect you to put a few rounds into any storm beasts working for them." "Sure thing, boss," I replied with a nod. He grinned and held out a fist before firmly grabbing my open hand and bumping the two against each other. "We greet each other like so in the Cities," I nodded at his declaration. "Keep this in mind for your return." I closed the box and returned his grin. "Wonderful to see us all getting along even in such dire times," Celestia declared. "But now we must see to the matters at hoof." She looked at Quilt in the circle with Pinkie. "Are you two prepared prepared?" "Sure am," Quilt replied. "Yepyepyep!" Pinkie cheered. Celestia nodded and gestured to Quilt, who handed the bottle to Pinkie. Celestia and Luna descended the throne and stood by Twilight and the others. "Everyone, please come to our side," Luna asked and we all obeyed. By the time we'd lined up beside the two, Pinkie was coughing and shaking her tongue, having finished the potion in one swig. "That wasn't very tasty," she muttered. Quilt hummed and waved me forward. "Well, just look in Peter's eyes and you won't remember it at all," she nodded at me, but just as my eyes met Pinkie's I flinched. "Hold up," I turned to Quilt. "Won't he just read her mind about all this?" She grinned and tilted her head at Pinkie. Looking back at her I saw she was swaying and humming in an obvious daze. "Even if he does, he will perceive it as merely a dream she had, thanks to my recommended additions to the potion," Luna declared, causing Pinkie to giggle. I hummed in approval, reaching forward and taking her under the chin to cast my mesmerization upon her. "Now Peter, it is imperative you say nothing," Celestia declared as I returned to the line with Quilt. "Anything you say may compel Pinkie to answer, and this could reveal our deception." I nodded and was jostled by Coal slapping my back again. "So, no musical numbers," he said firmly, wagging a finger in my face. I huffed and nodded. Celestia suppressed a snort and cleared her throat. "Luna, if you would?" Her sister nodded and cast a spell at Pinkie, who slumped to the ground snoring. As soon as she had, Celestia cast a spell of her own, sweeping the salt away. "Awaken, Pinkamena!" Luna yelled and stamped her hoof. At her command, Pinkie jumped and stood up. "What happened?" She asked with a yawn. The ponies all nodded and Twilight stepped forward. "Pinkie, can you let Candy know the princesses are here?" Pinkie hummed in response and rubbed her eye. "Sure! Just a sec.." A gentle quiet held the room, marred only by Pinkie as she quietly muttered in thought, holding her eyes shut. "Okie dokie!" She finally said, but then frowned. "How'd you know that? Oh! Right, mind reading, duh!" She giggled. "What's he saying?" Twilight asked. "He said he was expecting all the coalition members to be here," Pinkie replied, occasionally looking up at the ceiling. My jaw opened, but I clamped it shut firmly. "He knows about the coalition?" I mentally asked Quilt. "Nice save, smart guy," she replied. "And yeah, he mentioned them all by name. Even you.." I grimaced at that revelation and sighed quietly. "He must understand that when called for in such an unorthodox manner, especially while we are already busy, not every attendee will be readily available," Celestia said. "Hey, at least I'm here, you cannon-crushing little bastard!" Coal declared before bellowing with laughter and holding his sides. "Oh wait! Dog got killed didn't he?!" His laughter rang out as Pinkie winced and squinted, presumable relaying everything to Candy. She looked in my direction. "He wants to know what you've got to say, Peter, since you, er.. you know." I felt everyone's eyes fall on me, so I pursed my lips and shrugged with a shake of my head. She hummed and sent my response his way. Then she gasped. "Hey! That's not nice!" She cried, stamping a hoof. "Yeah, but I'm not saying any of that!" She looked left and right in the air and growled. "Nuh-uh!" She stamped a hoof again. "Yeah-huh!" She and the unseen vampire continued to have a mental debate, while we all shared a look. Twilight cleared her throat. "If you don't mind Pinkie, and no offense, I'm still just wondering why he chose you to form this bond with," she offered. "Yeah, no offense Pinks, but.. I can't even imagine what's going on inside your head half the time," Rainbow added, and their friends nodded solemnly. Pinkie laughed. "Yeah, me neither. But that's a good question!" She narrowed her eyes at the air, before shaking her head. "That doesn't make sense, Twilight doesn't have a donkey. Huh? Aw, thank you!" "What'd he say?" Quilt asked. "Oh! He said my voice is nice compared to the voices he's already got in his head," she said with a smile, then scratched her chin. "He said it wasn't preplanned, he just needed to pick one of us who he could force to do the ritual." She gasped. "And he took the babies hostage!" She angrily pranced in place. "Oooh! You rotten meanie!" "What about me?" Fluttershy peeped before shuffling her hooves. "I mean, at least then the Baby Cakes wouldn't have been threatened." Pinkie hummed and raised her eyebrows then scowled. "He says you live all alone, so there was a chance no one woulda noticed and got you to the hospital!" She growled. "Like we wouldn't check on our friends!" "Horrid creature probably doesn't have any friends," Rarity growled and shook her head. "But what did he say about Twilight?" Pinkie humphed. "He said he refused to try with Twilight," she furrowed her brow and rubbed her chin again. "He said her neurotic ass gives him the creeps." I wheezed and gripped my hand over my mouth. "I don't have a donkey," Twilight muttered. I whipped my head over and saw that, based on a shared look of confusion contrasted with looks of amusement or insult, only she, Pinkie, and Cozy didn't really grasp what had been said. Even Celestia, despite the circumstance, had a hoof firmly pressed to her lips and was weathering a glare from Luna. "Well," Celestia cleared her throat and took a breath. "I believe that explains that in any case." She ruffled her wings and clenched her jaw as Luna leered at her. Her sister shook her head and looked back at Pinkie. "That all said, we will hear what he has to say." Pinkie nodded and looked up again. She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "What's that mean?" She pursed her lips and hummed. "Oh! He says he's speaking on Adam's behalf. Adam has demands." She smiled as she continued rolling her head back and forth. The rest of us shared a look before Celestia nodded. "And what are his demands?" She asked. Pinkie hummed happily but then stopped and her face went blank. She furrowed her brow and then gasped. "That's awful! I can't-" She winced and grumbled, screwing her eyes shut. "Fine." She looked up sadly at Celestia and sighed. "He says Adam wants peace," she fidgeted in response to the group's look of shock. "He wants peace with Equestria, and tribute from Abyssinia, the United Cities, and Mount Aris." She averted her eyes and gritted her teeth. "He-" She winced. "He says tribute needs to be in money and citizens' blood. And if we won't give it willingly, he'll unleash the Remnant Army and take it by force." She shuffled her hooves and whined. "Okay, I'm telling her! He- he says you can't be everywhere princess, and it's easy for them to make more vampires." She murmured and shook her head angrily. "You can have peace, or you can fight a disease with no cure," she grumbled and huffed. "And if you want to fight you can chase after rumors of Adam.. Huh?" She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "Oh. Does he always talk like that?" She hummed and nodded. "Uh, chase rumors of Adam or hunt down small parties of the.. unlimited evil power he can unleash. Doing both will stop neither and ignoring one for the other lets the former worsen. He said those're Adam's exact words." I growled and looked at Celestia and saw she and Luna sharing a look. "May we have some time to think about his offer? And of course, we'll need to convey his demands to our allies," Luna said after a moment. Pinkie blinked and looked up. "Uh.. he says okay. He'll call back in a day." A moment passed and Twilight leaned in. "Is he gone?" She asked. "I think so," Pinkie replied with a shrug. Quilt came up in front of her and looked her up and down before nodding. "Alrighty, ask her where Candy is." I nodded in response and approached. "Pinkie, where is Candy?" Her eyes went wide and then she regained that dazed look. "Uh," she huffed, swaying and narrowing her eyes. "I dunno. South, " I looked down at Quilt who was focusing on Pinkie. "Uh, I see.. Hey, that's that molerat guy. In Klugetown.. Why's he.. talking with him.." she murmured and slowly slumped onto the floor. "Bingo," Quilt said with a grin. Celestia sighed and I heard cheers and cries of joy from behind me. I looked back and saw Twilight and her friends bumping hooves and celebrating. "We got him! Great work, you two!" Twilight cheered. I hummed and folded my arms, as Luna stepped past me and picked up the sleeping Pinkie in her magic. "I'll see her to bed, best of luck, Peter Harlow," she said, brushing me with a wing as she teleported away. Coal laughed and made for the door. "Be sure to tell me how the firearm handles!" He called with a wave, which I returned. I looked at Celestia and the rest. "So hey, silly question," I began. "I know we probably need to hurry and this is supposed to be my job and all, but if that Ember chick is the boss of all the dragons, why not just have her bear a whole army down on them?" "Hey! That's a good idea," Capper agreed, turning to the ponies. "If he's in Klugetown, we could just have her ransack the place!" Calaeno hummed and rubbed her chin, seemingly agreeing with my suggestion. Then Celestia shook her head. "A fair plan, but so long as Adam and his strangely named cohort are active, it is doomed to fail," she declared. Twilight nodded and looked up at me. "Dragons have always been reluctant to work together, even when the Dragon Lord demands it. Instead, the Dragon Lord has to use the magic of the ruby scepter to enforce their will," she explained with that textbook tone I was familiar with before her expression fell. "That presents a problem where nosferatu are concerned. A nosferatu's mesmerization is all but guaranteed to work on a dragon, no matter how old because of their natural vulnerability to magical compulsion." "Yikes," I replied. Celestia sighed and nodded. "If we took them by surprise, ideally while they were in Stupor, then an army of dragons could incinerate their fortress or wherever they were hiding, but fire alone cannot destroy a vampire forever," she looked me in the eye severely. "And all it would take is just one of them catching a glimpse of Adam's eyes for his spell to take hold." "Ember won't admit it, but just like the other creatures at the meeting, I think she was hoping for some assurance her kingdom would be okay," Twilight added before smiling and nudging me. "Once the vampires are done with though, yeah, we can just have her tear apart the whole Remnant Army." She said with a chuckle. "Roger that." "Well, you'd better get a move on, Peter," Celestia said, ushering me towards Capper and Calaeno with her wing. "He might not be in Klugetown for very long." "Hey, I doubt he can outrun my ship," Calaeno declared before jabbing me in the chest with a finger. "All the same, hurry and get that coffin of yours loaded. We're leaving immediately." As Calaeno and Capper rushed the door, Twilight tugged at me with her magic. "Just head for the ship. I'll bring it down," she said with a smile. "Sun's still out and teleporting is faster." I frowned but nodded. "Good thinking." "Very good thinking!" Rarity added. "I shall be quite cross with you if you let that outfit catch fire!" I smiled and gave a thumbs-up as I turned for the door. "Give 'em what for!" Applejack called. "See you down there Peter!" Quilt called following Cozy and Sunbeam out a side door. I looked back at Celestia. "See you soon," I said with a smile which she returned. "I look forward to your triumphant return. For now, I must summon the coalition to inform them of your movements, and most likely present Briefs for interrogation," she said making her way to the door with me. "Speaking of, I've been meaning to ask," I began quietly while we stepped out the door together. "How big a problem is that Grogar joker? I've heard the name a few times, but, y'know." She hummed and nodded. "Quite a problem, if Briefs is being genuine," she said. We came to a stop and she looked back in the throne room where Twilight and her friends were still talking. "Tell you what. Twilight?" She called, and Twilight came galloping up. "Yes?" "Why don't you quickly gather some things and go along with the Hunter Team?" Celestia offered to our mutual surprise. "Peter has a few questions I believe you could answer, and I imagine having the Element of Magic and a princess in their company will be beneficial. And I'm certain the rest of your friends can keep Pinkie company in your absence." She smiled as Twilight looked between her and me. "Well.. Alright, if you think it'd be best! Let me just go tell the girls," she replied and bowed before galloping back in. I looked at Celestia. "Trust me," she said with a wink. I laughed. "Been doing that since the day we met, pretty much," I said with a smile, pulling her into a hug that she returned. The dining cabin of Calaeno's ship was already kept dark from a lack of windows, so that was where my coffin was laid. I sat at the table with Twilight, memorizing how my new weapon worked while she explained the details of Grogar to me. "At his full strength, Grogar had the magical power to turn nightmares into reality. I think I told you he was responsible for most of the monsters lurking in the world today, right?" "Yeah, I think so. When I was recovering from Blueblood setting me on fire," I replied, inspecting the mechanism of my pistol. Turning it in my hand, I looked at the pan where the firing powder went. "You think I could just use fire magic to set this thing off?" Twilight hummed and stood up a little to get a better look. "Yep, but I wouldn't. That might set all the loaded cartridges off by accident," she sat back down and cleared her throat. "So, Grogar could make monsters, and since like I said he fed off despair and fear, all the terror those monsters caused just kept him fed and strong. It created a horrible cycle that only got worse as time went on." She tapped her hoof to get my attention. "That was long before we had the Elements of Harmony mind you," she explained, holding up an illustration of the trinkets themselves. "If Grogar was brought back, so long as he didn't have his bell, the Magic of Friendship would completely overwhelm him." She flipped the card over displaying a cartoon goat getting disintegrated by a rainbow. I nodded and set my pistol down on its instructions. "Very good to hear, if I'm finally understanding this all," I rubbed my chin and rested an elbow on the table. "But what's this about a bell?" She stowed her card and pulled out a thick textbook which she then flipped through. "Grogar's dark magic had grown so strong that all our experts agree he was at risk of a magical singularity," she presented a page to me that contained a lot of magical text and a drawing of a unicorn that appeared to be shriveling up. "When something like that happens in a living being, the magic consumes and transforms them." She turned the page and the same unicorn now had wings. "With good magic, the transformation is beneficial, and that's how alicorns are made," she said, spreading her wings with a smile. Then she frowned and turned the page. "With dark magic, it eats away at the soul, and leaves the victim a shadow of their former self." The picture now displayed was a green-eyed mass of darkness with fangs and a red horn. "Glad you chose the path of the light," I said, studying the picture before me. Her description sounded like what Celestia said happened to most vampires when they're awakened. "Ha-ha," she said in a monotone, before turning a few pages. "Anyhow, it's generally accepted Grogar was already as bad as he could get, so even he wasn't certain what would happen if he was reduced further." The page she turned to had a drawing of a weird-looking stone bell. "So he stored the greater share of his magic in his bell. The scary thing is it still turned into a magic singularity and transformed. It became indestructible," she turned to an image of the bell creating some kind of portal that a distressed pony was caught in. "And it could steal the magic from other creatures, letting Grogar add their power to his own." She sighed and grimaced. "If he had his bell, there's no telling the damage he could do even if we used the Elements," she closed her book and replaced it in her bag. I drummed my fingers on the table, pondering her explanation. "If he was so dangerous with his bell, how'd he lose it? Hell, how'd he wind up dying?" Twilight nodded and pulled out another book. "Gusty the Great was an ancient unicorn from those days. She ventured into Grogar's lair alone, and managed to steal his bell and hide it away," she showed me an illustration of the story. "After that Grogar spent a lot of his power hunting for her and the bell, and was eventually ambushed in his weakened state by a warband of pegasi and griffins." The image she ended on showed the goat himself being sliced to ribbons by spears and claws. "That's pretty metal, but how'd she actually steal his bell?" She closed the book and huffed. "Very good question. Since she went in alone, we don't really know," she tapped her hooves on the cover of the book. "The theory I subscribe to is that she let the bell suck up a delayed sleeping spell and then set it off inside him effectively." I raised my eyebrows. "That can happen?" She shrugged. "Theoretically, but nopony's ever managed to reproduce it. Gusty might've just been that good at magic," she giggled over her hoof. "Starswirl the Bearded had a pretty funny theory. He proposed that Grogar had grown so strong he grew tired of always winning. So Gusty managed to convince him to wager the bell on a coin toss." I narrowed my eyes incredulously. "A coin toss," I said plainly, and Twilight nodded. "Yep. A game of chance he had no power over, so something he wasn't guaranteed to win," she giggled again. "Like I said, pretty funny." I thought it over for a minute before laughing to myself. "Pony Satan beaten by his gambling addiction," I hummed and nodded. "Yeah, that's a good one." I sat in my open coffin idly turning the barrel of my pistol, letting its faint click harmonize with the ship's creaking. We'd sailed through the night, and Calaeno told me we'd arrive by noon, which was leagues faster than most ships she'd added. I'd been left alone in the dark cabin while everyone else made preparations for landfall. Much of the plan relied on Capper digging for details on where Candy was hiding, but we were also going to be paying a visit to Verko, the local crime boss. If anyone knew where Candy, or maybe even Adam, were hiding it'd be him. And if we could get the storm generator up and running, that'd let me walk around freely making the business of actually getting him to talk way easier. But for once, my thoughts now that I was alone weren't on whether I could handle the problem before us. No, I was too focused on what I did to Frill, and how I was going to make it up to her. I growled and pinched the bridge of my nose as I mulled over what to do before the door to the cabin opened. "Well, well, well!" Quilt chirped as she came up to my coffin. "Looks like you're not so good at keeping your thoughts inside as you thought." I groaned and pulled the lid shut. She knocked on it a few times. "Look on the bright side," she said, slightly muffled. "I really only picked up that you were stressed about something without any specifics." I pushed the lid open a crack and met her eyes as she peered inside. "I fill like shit because of what I did to Frill. She said she forgave me, but-" Quilt snorted and laughed, drawing an angry glare from me. "Yeah, she seemed real upset with that big goofy smile she had on when I walked in," she said with another laugh before stepping away from the coffin. I frowned and threw the lid off, rising to a sitting position. "What the fuck does that mean?" Quilt rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You really think I'd have just left her with you if you were actually hurting her?" She said with a smug leer. "We butt heads, sure, but it's not like I want her dead or anything." "What-" She giggled and punched my shoulder. "She was into it, you dweeb," she laughed again when my jaw dropped. "She was just mad you two got caught is all." I furrowed my brow. "Frill isn't like that," I huffed and folded my arms. Quilt pursed her lips and hummed. "Uh-huh, she's an innocent lil' cinnamon bun, for sure!" She raised her eyebrows at me in another smug leer. "And your track record for guessing what sheep are really like is so pristine." I grimaced and grumbled, ignoring the heat in my face and her continued giggling. "That's-" "Hey, we got problems!" One of the pirates declared bursting through the door. "Klugetown's on fire!" On deck in ghost form with Calaeno and the other members of the hunting team, even from this distance and without needing supervision, it was plain that a pillar of black smoke was rising from the center of the shanty town. Looking up, we could see the trailing ends of storm clouds steadily getting carried off in the breeze. "Well, that smoke is coming from the square where the storm machine was set up. And it sure looks like there's a fire down that way," Capper declared. "You think someone blew up the machine?" Twilight asked studying the clouds above. Capper hummed and folded his arms, casting a brief glance that way. "If they did, it's pretty obvious it was running up until then," he clicked his teeth. "Which ain't too surprising if Candy was around and palling around with Verko like we thought." Calaeno narrowed her eyes and leaned forward before pulling out a spyglass. "Maybe Klugetown decided to rise up against the vampires?" Cozy offered. "Or perhaps it just malfunctioned?" Blueblood put forth. "Good grief," Calaeno muttered. We all looked at her as she pointed to where she was spying. "It's kind of obscured but there's an airship hull crashed into one of the houses on the square. The cables to its balloon are all cut. That's what's making most of the smoke." "Cut?" Twilight parroted, rearing up and leaning on the edge of the ship. "What could do that? Why?" "Me, if I was pissed off enough," I replied, turning to slip back to my body. "I'll meet you all down there." "What are you-" Before Twilight could finish her question, the doors to the cabin burst open and my swarm of bats came rushing out. The moonlight streamed in through the barred window of Briefs' cell. It had been a very interesting day, as he was finally brought before Celestia and the coalition. Just as with Peter, he'd simply laid his story out for them and took no small amount of joy in seeing their repulsed reactions. But it had been several hours since then, and he was alone in his cell again. He wasn't even certain where his former peers were being kept, or if they were even alive. He was certain he didn't care, however. The creak of the dungeon door opening rang out, followed presently by the click of hooves making their way toward his cell. Slowly looking back, he saw Princess Celestia pull his cage door open and step inside with him. "Well, hello again," he greeted warmly. "And how can I help you?" Celestia returned his smile, but he could see through her mask that hers was also fake. "I'd hoped I could clarify a few things with you," she began, sitting on the floor before him. "Certain things I didn't think it best to bring up in front of the coalition. Your tale is already enough that half of them are asking for you to be executed, after all." Briefs grinned and nodded. "Well, what was it I said that was so bewildering to you that you don't want me dead yet?" "It's certainly a very convincing tale, especially for one as emotional as Peter, who I believe was the intended audience you crafted it for," Celestia explained, still smiling and tapping her hoof. Briefs raised an eyebrow and moved to retort before she continued. "But there are several elements that strike me as strange. Your haste in delivering these facts is among them, but I suppose you have an answer for that." She hummed and tilted her head. "Perhaps something along the lines of 'knowing the truth won't stop anything,' even when the truth you present is, at least partially, a lie." Briefs let out a sigh that turned into a growl. "But that is more difficult to confirm than my next point," she tapped her chin before looking him squarely in the eyes. "If you are so attuned to the movements of the spirit world, why haven't you commented on my sister's presence?" Briefs' breath caught in his throat, and his jaw hung open. "What?" He finally huffed. A tingling noise rang out in his cell and he saw Princess Luna form out of the ether right at her sister's side. "I've been spying upon you in astral form ever since you arrived, yet never once did you even acknowledge me or my questioning," she looked at Celestia in faux surprise. "As you said Celestia, I would have imagined a seer such as this ram would have been quite talkative with me in that form." Celestia pursed her lips and hummed as the two nodded at each other. "Very strange to be certain," Celestia added, casting a dangerous glare Briefs' way. The ram's eyes darted back and forth, and his mouth flapped dumbly. He finally clenched his teeth and let out a hiss, at which Celestia nodded again. "What have you withheld or lied to us about?" Briefs slowly met the sisters' eyes with a hate-filled glare and breathed deeply. The sisters held their gaze until finally, he growled again. "Grogar has already been reborn, you withered pair of fools," he snarled. "He has not regained his full strength, but as soon as Adam-" "Why did you not destroy Peter before he awoke?" Celestia demanded. Briefs' froze at her question. Luna hummed as she appraised his expression. "Perhaps the first genuine reaction you've given," she said. Celestia nodded in agreement. "Allow me to elaborate. You knew Peter was, allegedly, an engine by which Gruff the ram sought to thwart Grogar's activities, yes?" Celestia tilted her head. As Briefs sat in silent shock, she continued. "If that was all true, why did you not dispatch him while he was still asleep?" Briefs' jaw hung open again and his head slowly dipped forward. "Take all the time you like, Briefs," Luna said with a grim smile. "I at least am simply impressed by how genuine all of your lies have sounded so far, and am somewhat eager to hear more." The sisters' ears perked up as he mumbled something. "Pardon?" Celestia asked, leaning forward. Briefs met her eyes slowly. "I couldn't." The sisters flinched as the ram huffed and puffed. His wool bristled and appeared grey in the moon's light "You've been there, haven't you? That chamber. It's warded. He warded it." "I noticed no such enchantments," Celestia replied, narrowing her eyes at the ram as his own gaze fell to the floor. He laughed darkly. "They weren't meant for common creatures, only for my kind. So unless you knew what to look for, of course you wouldn't notice." The sisters shared a look and rose in a shared defensive stance. "What are-" Briefs suddenly looked up and met her eyes with a crooked smile of ugly yellow fangs. His eyes were white, and his wool fell from his skin in greyish-black globs, revealing coal-black flesh beneath. Luna jumped back as he rose to his hooves, which now split into jagged claws. "Lycan!"