//------------------------------// // Immortality is My Bitch! // Story: The Equestrian Hero's Call: Homecoming // by Genis94 //------------------------------// It was a small, almost imperceptible sound. A small metallic click from the hammer of a firearm hitting a bullet. But the barely audible sound isn't what made everyone from the estate cry out in turmoil, it was what came after. There was a spray of crimson liquid that quenched the thirst of the blades of grass beneath. The one who had fought to save them in the past, the one who had only wanted to protect them, fell to the ground as his life blood poured out from his skull. The Princess of the Moon could only look on horrified at his lifeless body. She pleaded that it hadn't happened. She wished with all her might that he was still alive just as the others did, but there was no denying the truth of it. "That wasn't up for debate." Anderson said in an annoyed voice. "Why..? Why did he have to die? He was more than just a friend to me. I..." The tears that streamed down Luna's face continued, but her breathing became more labored as a new emotion joined her sorrow. Her eyes glowed a mystical white as her rage had reached its limit. Never before had she felt such pure hatred. The wind began to whip around her as she hovered into the air. She was the Night Eternal, the Light in the Darkness, and her fury would not be denied. "Ow... Ow. OW OW OW!" -------- I had no idea what had just happened, but I found myself waking on the ground with the worst headache I had ever experienced. It felt like the pounding from a hangover if I was living in a room with industrial lights and heavy metal blaring. I sat up from the ground with a hand clutching my still throbbing head. "Ow! What happened? I just blacked out for a second there." No response. I looked around to see everyone, the soldiers included, looking at me completely dumbstruck. "What? Why are all of you looking at me like that?" I asked in confusion. Nobody responded or even moved. This was officially starting to creep me out. Finally Anderson broke the silence. "Just what the hell are you?!" "What am I? The hell kind of question is that?" He pointed a shaking finger at me. "You..! That was a Goddamned headshot!" "What?! You shot me?! What the hell, man?!" I shouted. That's when what he said sank into me. I felt a chill run up my spine as I thought about the implications. "You... shot me... And I'm..." I turned and looked at Celestia. "Okay, what the hell is going on?!" She only shook her head as if to say "I have no idea.". *Click! Click! Click!* A series of searing pains rang out through my arm, chest, and stomach. "I'm bleeding! That fucker shot me! Again!" I looked down at the wounds and began gasping in shock. The holes where the bullets entered began to collapse into themselves as the lead was pushed out. My skin looked as though it had never even been touched. Not only that, but the shreds in my fabric began to mend themselves as well. "What the fuck...?" I barely whispered. "I don't believe it... That kid ain't human!" Anderson shouted in surprise and anger. That's when it all began clicking together. It wasn't the work of Celestia or some other outer force. I couldn't die. "Heh heh heh... Ha ha ha ha ha. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!" I began laughing menacingly. "W-what the hell are you?!" Anderson demanded. "I'll probably never get another chance to say stuff this badass, so better now than never." "A creature who stalks in the night. You might know me by many names. Nosferatu. Vlad the Impaler. Dracula. Or my personal favorite: Alucard. You would dare attack a vampire in the comfort of the night?! How foolish!" I ranted with a dark and menacing voice. Anderson seemed rattled, but he was hardly finished. "I don't believe this shit! Concentrate fire and shoot to kill!" Bullets flew through the air and entered my body. I stood my ground as my flesh began to tear to shreds. High caliber rounds punctured vital organs and snapped bones. Rounds that grazed my skin stripped my flesh of its protective cover. And finally a hollow point round hit my right arm with such force as to tear it from my body. I collapsed in a heap as blood continued to pour out. "Some vampire..." Anderson chuckled. My body began to regenerate, and a smile spread across my lips. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Bullets won't work on me!" I got to my feet as lead chunks began pouring out of the holes that mended immediately after. My arm turned to dust and flew back to its rightful place, returning to a solid state. My clothes mended last with no signs of wear, tear, or even staining. "Now it's my turn." I charged forward as the soldiers clumsily fumbled with their ammunition. The first one was sent writhing on the ground with a broken nose. I turned to face another and kicked him off his feet into another member of his team. Two soldiers standing side by side nearly completed the process of reloading, but I grabbed their heads and cracked them together to knock them out. Anderson had reloaded his pistol in the time I had dealt with his subordinates, and he wasted no time unloading every round into me. "Die! Die!!!" He screamed. *Ka-chink chink* Anderson looked down in horror to see that his magazine was empty, and I was still advancing as my wounds began to heal. "Why...? Why won't you die?!" I grinned as the response came to mind. "There is more than just flesh beneath these garments, Mr. Anderson. There is a belief. A creed. A love. And those cannot ever be killed." I took his pistol away, along with a magazine. I loaded the gun and pointed it at my attacker. "You threatened my friends and family, tried to kill me, and you had the nerve to do it all with a smile." Anderson's confidence had left him entirely. "Please! Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!" *Click* I fired a single round to the side of his head. The round impacted the dirt harmlessly. "I would never stoop to such a low. Remember that." I sternly told him. I tossed his gun into the air and quickly unsheathed my sword. With a single swing, I cut through the weapon. "Now, get the hell off my lawn." Anderson nodded in a panic and ordered his conscious men to grab the two sleepers and evacuate. The chopper blades began to spin, and soon enough Anderson had fled from the place. A giddy grin spread across my lips as I turned to face the others. "Well, was I awesome or what?" Everyone was still dead silent. That is, except for the small thud my mother made as she collapsed on the lawn. "I laid it on a bit thick, didn't I?" I meekly asked Celestia. "Just a bit, 'Alucard'." Celestia teased as she found her voice. Luna rushed over to where I was, tears still streaming down her face. She buried her head in my chest, sobbing as she held me tightly. "*Sniff* I thought... I thought you were..." She tried to say. I held her closer to me to comfort her. "Hey, I haven't died yet. The only tears I ever want to see come from you are tears of joy." Luna's lips quivered, and she caught me completely off guard by her impulsive action. Her lips pressed against my own. I tensed up from how sudden it was, but my body relaxed to a state I had never experienced before. "What is this? Do I... Do I really love her?" Luna parted from the embrace and looked at me happily. "I never want to lose you again." She said. That was when I realized it. To hell with what society might think, or what my previous standings were. I knew there was a connection. I knew that deep down, I loved Luna. -------- After we got back inside, I asked my parents and Walter to leave the rest of us so we could talk privately. "Okay, so anybody have any ideas why I just took about a hundred bullets and lived?" I asked. Pinkie raised her hand. "Maybe you're really a vampire?" Well, as ludicrous as that sounded, anything was worth investigating at this point. I looked into a mirror and got a good look at my teeth. "No fangs. Not a vampire." I responded. "That kinda sucks. It would have been pretty cool being a vampire." Celestia stood up and walked over to me. "Perhaps I can find out." She enveloped me in her magic aura and closed her eyes in concentration. "This... I've never seen anything like this...!" She suddenly gasped. "What is it?" Twilight asked. "When he absorbed Teruza's spell, it threatened to tear his soul apart. Ragnarok took on the harmful effects of the spell, but a base portion of it remained. Gather mana and use it for a singular purpose. I used a healing spell on him while he was recovering in an attempt to assist him, and it seems that spell filled in the blanks of Teruza's." I blinked for a moment. "So what you're saying is: the reason I have immortality is because of the spell Teruza made?" Celestia nodded in confirmation. "Ha! Suck it you sociopath!" I shouted as I pointed down to the depths of hell. "But it's not so simple." Celestia continued. "Of course it isn't" I sighed. "The spell not only mends your wounds, but it also has slowed your aging process to a level comparable to an alicorn. But just as that is similar, you also share the weakness of an alicorn. Our immortality is granted to us due to the high levels of magic that run through our body, but it is also what can kill us." "Like water quenching your thirst, but too much causes you to drown." I reasoned. "In a way. Concentrations of volatile magic, such as a destructive beam spell, cause the magic in our own bodies to flow out of disrupted areas, akin to a wound. Like wounds, the magic flow is restored, but during the brief time it is disrupted, we are vulnerable." She concluded. "Well, at least that leaves very few things that can kill me." Rainbow looked at me with a devilish grin. "So..." "So?" I asked. "Aren't you gonna tell us how long you and Luna have been snogging?" I felt my cheeks turn red and I became flustered. "W-what?! I-I... That was my first-" "Ohh~ This is simply juicy, darling! Your first kiss goes to Luna. Oh this is such wonderful gossip." Rarity giddily said. Vinyl pat me hard on the back. "Dude, you've gotta let me crash at the castle if I'm ever up in Canterlot." "B-but I-" "I believe I know who you'll be giving that second ticket to now." Octavia said with a grin. Fluttershy gave me a warming grin. "I'm so happy for you both! I wonder what the foals will look like..." "WHAT?! We're not even married yet! W-wait, I mean-" "Another Canterlot wedding between a princess and a captain in the royal guard! I think we all know who the bridesmaids are going to be~." Rarity began teasing. My face turned red enough to be mistaken for a tomato. Applejack stepped over and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't go worryin' you're little head about them teasin' you about the wedding." She suppressed a chuckle and continued. "Because what y'all should be worried about is the honeymoon!" Everyone but Luna and I burst out laughing. Luna seemed embarrassed, but the look on her face told me she was daydreaming about the possibilities. I'd had enough of all this. "Forget you guys, I'm going to bed." I said as I grumbled up the stairs. Ragna ran along after me and hopped up on my shoulder. Walter greeted me as I reached the top and directed me to the guest rooms. "Each room comes with a king sized bed, plasma screen TV, bathroom, and as per request by your parents, each shall be outfitted with an Xbox 360 by the end of tomorrow." As amazing as all the features were, I frowned at one distinct problem. "There's only six rooms..." "Quite right, but the beds have more than enough room to accommodate you and your friends." I groaned and walked over to the first room. "Just tell the others that they have to share rooms. This one's mine." Walter bowed politely. "Of course, sir." I walked inside and plopped down on the bed, only pausing to take off my coat. I directed Ragna to make himself at home on the lounge chair in the room. I was tired and I just wanted to get some sleep. -------- I stirred in the middle of the night from discomfort. Probably too much warmth from the clothes I was wearing. I shifted so I could get them off, but a small sound made me pause. It was a small pattern of breathing. Likely from someone who was asleep. I turned to look at the left side of the bed, and nearly jumped out of my skin from who I saw. "L-Luna?!" The Princess of the Night yawned and raised herself up to look at me. Her eyes were still tired, but those weren't what I was looking at. From where she lifted up, I could see that she was stark naked under the covers. My blush intensified, and I could feel the warm sensation of blood running down my nose. I quickly averted my gaze. "I apologize for not informing you, but I decided to share the room with you." She paused and moved to get back into my line of sight. "Is something the matter?" "Y-you're not wearing any..." Luna tilted her head in confusion. "I do not understand. Do humans require clothing within the bed as well?" I stammered as I tried to explain. "W-well, when you're sharing a bed... It's kind of a modesty thing..." "I do not fully understand, but I will try to learn more and improve... for you." She said endearingly. "A-alright. I-I guess we should just go back to sleep." I suggested. "Very well, I will see you in the morning." Luna rested her head back to the pillows and slowly drifted off to sleep. I did the same, albeit with two fairly large... "distractions" rubbing against my back as Luna shifted in her sleep. "Why must I be tortured so? Must not act on primal instincts. Celestia would vaporize me... Or worse, Keep me alive and torture me for all eternity." Despite the discomfort and anxiety, I finally managed to drift off to sleep.