Prelude to the Hunt
Night had come and gone, and while Cozy had fallen asleep on the sofa despite her best efforts just an hour ago, Quilt was still awake and curled up at my side. She'd said nothing all night, even when Graggle had visited.
After Graggle informed me the Mayors had left and Briefs was locked up, I'd had him take charge of the candle to Celestia, primarily writing to her on my behalf about all that had transpired and alerting me when she wrote back. That was the only official business I had permitted and things had been quiet since then.
"Mama," Quilt muttered. Looking down, I saw she had finally fallen asleep. Unfortunately, she was fidgeting and whimpering in her sleep. "Nm. Pe'r, don't go." I winced and laid my arm on her side, hugging her close. She hummed and calmed down a little. I dragged my free hand down my face and closed my eyes, deciding to slip down to Graggle. Drifting through the hall, I saw the dog in question plodding to our door, scroll in hand.
"Graggle," I said aloud causing him to flinch and grumble.
"Still not used to that, especially after such a long night," he shook his head. "In any case, the princess has replied, Master."
"Quilt just fell asleep, so let's see it out here," I responded, hovering over his shoulder. He hummed and huffed before opening the scroll.
"As you wish, but I must get some sleep afterward," he sighed, rubbing his eyes before adjusting the letter in his grip.
"Sure thing, just hold it still," I requested, leaning in to see what she'd written.
Peter,
Awful as it may sound, I admit these revelations you have shared offer some comfort to me, so I thank you. But much has transpired in only a few hours.
The Elements of Harmony have been compromised by the Enemy. Pinkie Pie has had a blood bond force upon her, and so her thoughts are laid bare to our foes.
As I'm sure you can imagine, this hinders our plans somewhat.
In three weeks' time, I would like you to come to Canterlot, along with this Briefs and his co-conspirators. The first meeting of the coalition will take place then, and over the course of at least three days, we will be discussing our mutual defense against the remnant of the Storm King's army and pursuit of Adam and his cohort.
It is imperative you attend, for in the absence of the Elements, your station as a 'counter-vampire' if you will, may be the hinge upon which all confidence in this arrangement pivots. I also have questions Briefs will be able to answer.
I apologize for such a formal reply, but my time for pleasantries has grown ever shorter.
Your friend,
HRM Princess Celestia.
P.S. Give Ms. Quilt my sincerest condolences.
Graggle looked in the direction he thought my face was as we both digested what she'd written.
"Things seem to have escalated, O' Dark One," he said with a yawn.
"Three weeks, huh?" I hummed, reading the letter again. "You're going with me. We can discuss this later once you've slept." Graggle bowed and rolled up the scroll.
"As you wish, Sire. I'll just slip this under your door," he cracked his back and waddled off towards Quilt's room. I didn't follow, as I was still wrestling with the news Celestia had sent me.
"Blood bond.. Fucking Christ," I thought, holding an ethereal hand over my mouth.
"Peter? Where'd you go?" I heard Quilt call through our link. Shit.
"Sorry, I'm on my way back," I replied, immediately flying to where I left my body, gliding over Graggle as he returned to his quarters.
"What were you saying about a blood bond?" Quilt asked as I slipped through the door and to my body. She was rubbing her eyes and stretching on her side.
"It's nothing, don't worry about it," I said, rising from the bed and making for the door.
"Where are you going?" She huffed as I retrieved the letter from the door.
"Just something Graggle delivered," I explained and sat on the edge of the bed. Before I could say anything further, she shot forward and yanked the letter with her teeth. I tried to snatch it back, but she scrambled away and vanished under the bed. I sighed and laid back.
"Why didn't you want me to see this?" I heard her ask, and I draped my arm over my eyes.
"You've got enough bullshit on your mind as is," I replied. The bed shifted, and I felt her flop down onto my chest.
"Says who?" She demanded. I hummed in response and scratched her side with my free hand. "I want in." I looked back at her and saw she wore a determined glare.
"Briefs made Grandpa set those monsters loose, and he's got a lot of investment in them." She took a breath and cast a dark grin my way. "I want to help trash his hopes and dreams." I smiled back.
"There she is," I replied with a chuckle. "We'll give 'em hell together, alright?" She held her grin but faltered after a moment, and she curled up on top of me.
"I'm going back to sleep for a little bit, okay?" She asked.
"Feel free. I think you could use it, to be honest," I replied, covering my eyes again.
"Will you be here when I wake up?" I peeked out and saw she had her eyes screwed shut. I wrapped my arms around her.
"Sure will. Cause we've got work to do," I said. She hummed and relaxed, so I rubbed her back. "Besides, you know I love you buddy."
"Mm, gross."
One day later.
Three weeks to the first coalition conference.
Cozy set the candle down at the point where the road from Ramstead turned onto the road to Ruffleton and nodded at Sunbeam, who waved back at me. With my superhuman eyes, I could see her and the wick of the candle perfectly from the castle balcony. Focusing, I flicked a finger out and watched them jump as the candle suddenly and violently lit up.
"Hah!" I yelled triumphantly.
"Did you get it?" Frill asked excitedly. I pumped my fist in confirmation, and she clapped her hooves. "Very well done!"
Ever since the sun had gone down, I'd been practicing my spells while Quilt gathered some materials for another ritual she said would be useful for my training over the next few weeks. My fire spell could reach as far as I could see now, and at night when my vision was superhuman, that reach was positively insane.
"Alright, I found everything!" Quilt called as she stepped onto the balcony with a tome on her back and a full saddlebag. I spied out and saw Sunbeam pick Cozy up and fly her our way, so I turned my attention to Quilt as she opened the book and dropped her bag.
"Alright, so, you've got a good handle on pyrokinesis which is already pretty telling," she opened her saddlebag and pulled out a deck of cards and a brass bowl. "But it's time to see where your magical affinity really lies." She stamped on the deck and spread it out with her hoof.
"What's that exactly?" I asked, kneeling in front of her. Frill hummed with curiosity as we watched Quilt pull some twigs and strange-looking black leaves from her bag.
"This is old-school Equestrian stuff and a little Longhorn for fun," she replied as she ground the mess into the bowl and looked at her book again. She blinked and tilted her head. "Mm, it'll figure out what spell class you have the strongest connection to. They used to use this for unicorn foals before the connection between cutie mark and spell casting was really confirmed."
"There's classes to this shit?" I said, whipping up and studying a small ring of fire.
"Conjuring, enchanting, necromancy, transfiguration, and divination," she replied evenly before pouring a vial of water into the bowl and pointing at my ring of fire. "Boil this with that. This potion will unconsciously compel your card choice." I blinked and obeyed, flicking a finger and snaking the fire around the base of the bowl.
"What's fire fall under?"
"Conjuring. You're making something pop up, get it?" She explained still studying the tome, and nodded. "Okay! Drink that and pick a card." I levitated the bowl and took a breath before downing it.
"Oh, just the broth, though," Quilt added without looking up, causing me to stop with a mouthful of twigs. "Think we were supposed to strain it." I walked to the balcony edge and spat the debris out.
"You did that on purpose," Frill accused.
"And you can't prove that," Quilt replied. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve as I returned, and bent to grab a card.
"Any card, right?" Quilt hummed in confirmation as I slipped one up and looked at it. "It's upside down."
"Lemme see?" She asked and I handed it to her. "Wendigo in reverse.. Okay, two more." She tapped the deck with her hoof. I slipped two more out and immediately turned them over to her.
"The Wanderer in reverse and the Moon," she muttered, nodding as she read on. "Yep."
"What yep?" I asked. She slammed the book shut.
"Your vampirism is scrambling the ritual," she said with a smile. I stared hard into her eyes.
"So what was the point of all that?"
"Confirming your affinity is open-ended," she declared with a grin. I blinked and shook my head.
"What does that mean?" Frill asked in my stead. Quilt nodded.
"Besides the fact he can perform any spell if he's willing to learn and practice it, he can steal affinities by drinking other creatures' blood," she looked me up and down. "So if you were to drink the blood of an Enchanter, you'd be able to use enchantments without as much practice. Get it?" My eyes went wide, and I looked at my hands.
"Holy shit," I huffed.
"No kidding!" Quilt laughed before humming with a sinister tone. "Imagine if you drank Celestia's blood."
"He's planning on drinking Celestia's blood?!" Sunbeam screamed as she and Cozy fluttered onto the balcony. Cozy's legs were already scrambling before she touched the ground.
"Ah-hah! Playing the long con were you?!" Cozy cried. I grumbled as the pair surrounded me.
"God damn it."
"You did that on purpose, too," Frill accused.
"And you still can't prove that," Quilt retorted.
Two weeks, three days to the first coalition conference.
"Two, four, six!" Blueblood commanded, sweeping and stabbing his practice sword at me. It being made from ashwood meant that every time I failed to properly parry his attacks, my fingers and hands got stung. Even with my supernatural speed, since I was deliberately ignoring my Evil Eye my ability to predict his attacks heavily dulled. That was of course the point of this exercise.
"Seven!" Blueblood suddenly cried, and stabbed me in the ribs, causing me to wheeze. "And three with a one!" He clapped the sword against my elbow, before sweeping it into my face. I stumbled back and fell over.
"Never going to be a sword-stallion like that, Peter," Hasty called from outside the dirt circle we were practicing in, balancing his wooden staff on his back. I rubbed my face and rose to my feet.
"Not gunning for swordsman, just trying to shape up, y'know?" I flexed my fingers to shake away the pain and raised my training sword. "I thought magic was plenty until I fought Mad Dog." Blueblood waved his sword in an arc.
"Good. With all due respect, Master," he looked me up and down, before taking a step closer and immediately snapping my sword out of my hand in one motion. "Your grip on the basics is as tenuous as that on that sword." I held my hands up as he held the point to my throat.
"Fair assessment," I muttered. Hasty laughed and hopped into the ring.
"You ready to try the other thing you wanted?" He asked as he approached and shifted his staff into his hoof. I nodded and pulled out a cloth blindfold.
"Just a sec you two," I slipped it over my eyes and tied it. Waving my hand in front of my face and looking around, I confirmed I was blind. "Alright, whenever you're-"
My Evil Eye twitched and I got jabbed in the ribs. I gagged and was jabbed in the back of the knee, and then smacked in the head, bringing me to the ground.
"We're ready," Hasty declared. I growled and turned to mist just as one of them stabbed where I was lying. "Hey! You did it that time!"
"Narrowly. Now, reform and try again," Blueblood instructed.
One week to the first coalition conference.
The seven sheep at the table before me were divided by their reactions. On one side we had a unified trio holding their heads in shame and fear of the other side, all four of whom looked up at me with determination. The former were Cap, Doily, and Lace finally back from a busy few weeks spreading word of their misdeeds and conveying my decree and demand for elections. The latter four were their replacements, chosen only yesterday by the angry Woollachian public.
Graggle had made certain my decrees were spread across the country, and the sheep had taken to the idea of choosing their leadership like a fish to water once they'd learned how fucked everything had been. Luckily, the sheep had handled the transition of power peacefully and without us having to get involved.
We now had Dr. Shawl in Ruffleton, Velvet in Patches, Silk in Buttonburg, and Ernie in Threadbare.
"Congratulations on your offices, all of you," I said from my throne as Frill finished pouring wine for each of them. Graggle at my side hummed and stroked his chin.
"So, what will you do with your predecessors?" He asked, causing Lace and her cohorts to flinch.
"We're assuming Princess Celestia will want to speak with them, so we were planning to turn them over to you," Shawl explained, earning a nod from his peers. "Unless I'm mistaken, you still plan to join her coalition, correct?"
"Yeah, that's right," I replied, looking at the three conspirators. "And Celestia had requested these guys anyhow, so I appreciate you handing them over." The three wilted and whimpered.
"She.. wants to see us?" Doily whispered. I shrugged.
"Thems the breaks," she hung her head and stared at the ground in dread. I returned my attention to the new Mayors of Woollachia. "Speaking of the breaks. Where does that leave us?" I gestured between myself and them. They shared a look, and Ernie, the steely-eyed angry-looking sheep, looked at me.
"Ernie says let the sheep vote again," he rapidly explained in an evenly toned raspy voice. "Ernie got a whole town to run now, ain't got no time for decidin' whether or not to kick a dummy out."
"I figured you'd have already done that," I replied. He flinched and shot a hoof out at me.
"You trying to tell Ernie he mismanaging his time?!"
"Wh-"
"Ain't nowooly gonna tell Ernie how to spend his time!" He shot up onto the table. "Don't care if you a monster! You a dummy, and Ernie gonna lay you out!" He smashed the end of his glass and threatened me with the jagged remains. Doily screamed, and Cap jumped behind her chair.
"He's at it again!" Cap cried. "Somewooly stop him!" Lace sat with her head in her hooves.
"They gave my town to this idiot," she muttered. Ernie whipped about and pointed the broken glass at her.
"Aw, so now you wanna piece of Ernie?" He accused. Lace just shook her head without looking up. "Only piece you gonna get is a piece of glass in the face! Ernie gonna- hey!" I magically swept the glass out of his hoof and the shards from the table. Shawl held up a hoof, which calmed Ernie, who was bracing to charge me.
"We hadn't really had a chance to put your status to a vote," Shawl explained, earning a firm angry nod from Ernie. "The concept of voting took a full week to catch on across the country, and we had to make sure everywooly understood what they were voting upon."
"Plus, some sheep were awfully shaken up when they heard.." Silk tugged at her beret and adjusted her glasses. "What the Longhorns were going to do."
"Speak for yourselves," Velvet huffed and brushed her chest wool. "The majority of Patches' sheep were eager to finally have a say in who governed the town."
"Ernie's sheep was just eager to get Ernie in!" I rubbed my eyes as the Mayor of Threadbare returned to his seat.
"Alrighty, what about my proposal for the guard after my theoretical departure?"
"Ernie don't need no-" Shawl held his hoof up again.
"As we said, things have been hectic. If you could remind me?" He asked. I gestured to Graggle.
"If I leave, you four and Graggle will collaborate to keep the army in place," I explained and gestured at the room with my other hand. "He and the dogs operate out of the castle, and keep doing what they've been doing." The four of them looked at each other for a moment, before Velvet cast a sideways glare my way.
"A kindly proposal," she hummed. "And certainly not one that would allow you to continue ruling from the shadows."
"They are loyal to you after all," Silk added, studying me and my throne. I shrugged.
"If you really don't trust me like that, that's fine," I folded my hands and reclined. "I'm just worried about Woollachia being defended once I'm gone." The pair of ewes looked at each other. Shawl hummed and tapped the table to get everyone's attention.
"I think it might be best to put a pin in that discussion until later. Things have been crazy enough lately, and if the public still wants Peter, then the added stress of figuring out what to do with the guard will be a waste."
"Stress ain't nothing to Ernie, ram!" Ernie rebutted, stamping his hoof. "Ernie live for the stress!" Shawl nodded in contrast to the rest of the table who groaned.
"Understandable, but the rest of us aren't quite so strong," Shawl explained. "So again, I propose we pin the discussion on the guard until later." His peers hummed and nodded.
"Alrighty then," I said, leaning to one side of my throne. "But the first coalition meeting is in one week. Do you think we'll know if I'm in or out before then?"
"Most likely not," Silk replied and tapped her hooves together. "But I don't think anywooly would be opposed to offering support to the coalition with or without you."
"Agreed," Velvet nodded. "Take Senior Ambassador Tangle with you to the meeting. She'll see to it Woollachia's interests in the coalition are satisfied."
"Uh-uh! Ernie ain't got no interest in no coalition! Ernie don't need no help!"
"Good thinking, Velvet," I replied, staring at the ceiling. "How soon do you think we'll know if I'm in or out?" The table went quiet, and I heard them whisper but chose to tune out their hushed debate. Finally, after a minute, Shawl cleared his throat.
"If the meeting is in one week, I think a month after that will be fine," he said, earning a nod from the rest of the table. "You're.. Well, it's fair to say your situation is a bit more complicated. There's a lot of factors for the public to consider." I looked down at him.
"Such as?" He blinked in response.
"Well, keeping you fed isn't a problem, but you are one of the Longhorns' monsters. That connection might be a bit sour for most," he explained. The others nodded.
"On the other hoof, you've been a fair and popular ruler so far," Silk added with a shrug. "So, y'know."
"Fair enough," my eyes returned to the ceiling. "I was really hoping for a yes or no right away, but hey, thems the breaks."
"Ernie gonna break your nose if you try to rush him again!"
Three days to the first coalition conference.
Thunder boomed in the swirling clouds above the castle. I stood on the highest point of the tallest tower and swept my arms out, weaving my magic into the storm around me. While the clouds were conjured by the airship's storm machine, the movement of the storm was fully in my grasp. With a twist of my wrist and a brief flash of light, the storm was anchored to the sky above the castle.
"How's that look?" I called to Quilt.
"Looks good! We'll give it a few hours and check on it again," she replied. "Try the other spell."
I nodded cluched my hand in the air, drew it slowly back, and then shot it back out. A bolt of blue lightning screamed up from my hand and crashed into the clouds above, merging with it and agitating the lightning within.
"Hell yeah," I cackled, watching the clouds rumble with blue flashes of magical lightning before calming.
"Alright, now if the clouds stay put, I'd say you've got weather spells under wraps," Quilt declared mentally. I grinned and slowly worked up to a bout of laughter.
"Winds!" I roared, sweeping my arms out. The clouds rumbled.
"WINDS!" I repeated the gesture. The air became charged.
"WINDS!" I howled, and the wind responded, whipping up into a massive rush of air spiraling around where I stood and carrying the echo of my command across the plains around the castle.
"Show off," Quilt muttered.
Canterlot Castle, South Wing, Room 55
All in all, it had been a very productive few weeks for us all. Sunbeam had whipped Cozy into shape, their arsenal had been expanded and refined, Quilt had discovered and memorized the recipes for a few more magic potions, and Frill had finally accepted that I could not eat garlic despite its health benefits.
All four were now here at Canterlot with me, in addition to Graggle, Blueblood, Hasty, and Ambassador Tangle. As the sun was still up when we'd arrived, my useless ass was dumped in my room while the rest went off to see the city at Celestia's invitation. The quartet of Briefs and his co-conspirators had been delivered to the guards and were being held for questioning somewhere in the castle.
That all, unfortunately, meant I was alone with my thoughts. Truly alone for once, as I'd finally gotten the hang of only calling to Quilt when I wanted to.
I paced my candlelit room in a circle around my coffin set in the center of a circle of gold standing candle sticks on a red carpet. The candles themselves were black and had been burning long enough to fill the air with the smell of hot wax. All these elements and the blackout curtains covering the windows gave this simple guest room a thoroughly gothic atmosphere.
While that and all my advancements should have been reassuring, I still remembered getting trashed by Mad Dog. If I'd fought him completely alone, with no outside help, I'd never have gotten past his Evil Eye.
And if that was just one, I couldn't imagine what a pain in the ass the other two would be. That was the motivation for the past three weeks, but that only brought a new line of thinking.
What the hell had they managed to do in that time? Especially with Celestia's book in tow. Was all that work enough? Would we have time for more? What if the Woollachians give me the boot?
A knock came at the door. I waved my hand and opened it.
"Enter if you dare," I warned. A giggle came in response.
"Oh dear! I seem to have stumbled into the lair of a genuine menace," Celestia laughed as she stepped inside. "Whatever will I do?"
"Hey, lady," I smiled as she approached and hugged me with a wing. "Great to see you again."
"Likewise, Lord of Death," she teased, nudging me with a hoof. I hissed and clutched at the spot she touched, and flames erupted beneath my hand. She gasped and jumped back. I laughed and let the spell disperse. She stared wide-eyed at me for a moment before leveling an amused glare my way.
"You came dangerously close to being purged just now, Peter," she said with a smirk.
"Would'a been worth it," I laughed and clapped my hands free of smoke. "So.. today's the day, huh?" She hummed and nodded.
"Yes, and luckily all the persons I'd invited have either arrived already or are confirmed to be arriving by sundown," she explained but frowned. "Such a tragedy Twilight or her friends cannot attend. A few of these creatures they've made friends with already."
"Twilight can't be there?" She shook her head as we sat down on the black sofa near the door.
"As I explained, poor Pinkie Pie has had a blood bond force upon her, and all her thoughts are laid bare to the enemy," she sighed. "Any critical details she learns will also be conveyed to them. So, for security reasons, Twilight and the others have elected to withdraw from the operation until the vampire responsible has been destroyed." I furrowed my brow as she spoke.
"Why all of them?"
"As close as the girls are, it is all too possible that something might slip. And as Twilight had said, they are at their strongest together, Elements or no." She smirked at me again. "Fortunately, to quote Rainbow Dash, 'Peter should be able to fill the void.'" I winced and folded my arms.
"At least she's certain." Celestia hummed and she teleported a package into the room.
"She's not the only one," she said, dropping the package on my lap. "Rarity has such confidence in you she demanded you update your wardrobe with this."
"Damn, that makes two suits she's fixed for me," I huffed, peeling back some of the paper. I looked Celestia in the eyes. "But it still doesn't put me fully at ease. Did anyone explain the Woollachian situation to you?" She nodded.
"Yes, and I imagine that is weighing on your mind somewhat," she smiled brightly at me. "Rest assured, you have a home here if nowhere else." I hummed and scratched at my neck.
"Thanks, that helps a bit. A lot actually." She nodded again.
"I'm glad, for there is at least one other who has faith in your ability, Peter," I looked up at her. "I had to be honest with the evening's attendees on the subject of the Elements, as they are Equestria's greatest defense. To put the delegates' minds at ease, I presented you and your talents." She shook her head.
"I did not do this lightly, my friend, and it may please you to learn it did offer them some comfort. Especially, or perhaps even those who have faced Adam and his cohorts in the past." I hummed at her words.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," I winced and clicked my fangs. "But I feel I gotta ask: What the heck should I even say? These guys are all, like, world leaders and all that." I looked over at her and shrugged with my hands.
"And I feel like they aren't all as nice as you with strangers," she giggled at my assessment and nodded.
"Rest assured, the individuals present are all either allies of Equestria already or are simply seeking reassurance and confidence," she brushed me with a wing. "So! Try to exude confidence in yourself. Be friendly, be firm."
"Friendly and firm," I repeated.
"And try not to be perturbed by the knowledge that a few of these creatures, such as King Panthera of Abyssinia, and Lord Apollon of Orithia are new allies of Equestria, so your first impression reflects us as well," she added. I glared at her with wide eyes and a firm frown. She snickered and hugged me with a wing. "You'll do fine. Your friends will be there and have your back." I huffed and looked at the ceiling.
"Who all's going to attend?" She hummed and tapped her chin.
"The two I mentioned, Panthera from Abyssinia and Apollon from Orithia, which are the nations Capper and Captain Calaeno hail from respectively. I believe you remember them," she began, and I nodded. She smiled and continued. "Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs, my niece Princess Cadance, Ember the Dragon Lord, King Thorax from the Changeling Hive, Prime Minister Coal from the United Cities, and-" She flinched and stared ahead. I leaned forward to try and meet her eyes.
"What's up?"
"The elder of Griffonstone," she replied. I furrowed my brow.
"Is that a problem?" She took a shuddering breath in response.
"Only a slight one, I believe. Though he might disagree," she said quietly towards the end. She stood to her hooves. "Is Ms. Quilt in the city?" I nodded and she hummed, turning for the door.
"I'd best seek her out. Sorry to cut our talk so short, Peter," she said as she walked out. I blinked.
"Uh, alrighty. See you later tonight?" She hummed cheerily and closed the door. "Weird." I looked down at my package, peeled it open, and pulled the outfit out.
"Holy shit."
Frill had helped me get my new suit on and left with the other Woollachian delegates for the meeting. The sun wasn't down yet, but the other attendees had requested to start the meeting, specifically demanding to hear what Lace, Cap, and Doily had to say to 'provide context for impending operations' or something. I was stuck waiting for the sun to fully set at which point Frill would be sent to fetch me.
I looked down at my new suit Rarity'd made for me. Instead of a simple tuxedo, she'd fashioned a dark grey suit with a gold vest under a black long coat with a red lining and collar, a silky red cape, and knee-high cuffed boots. The reds and golds bore an intricate swirling pattern of a slightly lighter shade than the rest of the material.
I cast no reflection, but Frill assured me I looked absolutely killer. She'd even found me a simple cane to go with the ensemble.
"Should help with first impressions," I mumbled, making a mental note to send her some form of compensation. I gently peeled back the curtains and saw the light outside was rapidly dimming. "Almost showtime." I clenched my teeth and wrung my hands.
"I believe I can empathize," came the voice of Luna at my door. I bowed as she entered the room.
"Evenin' princess," I greeted and she returned the gesture. As I straightened back up, I noticed she carried a smallish blue bottle in her magic.
"Good evening to you as well, Peter Harlow. I came to wish you luck for the meeting." I nodded.
"I surely appreciate that," I sighed. "Your sister was joking, but I'm still worried that I might mess things up for you guys." She smiled.
"As I said, I believe I can empathize," she hovered over the bottle to my hands. "When I first returned to my sister's side at the helm of Equestria, I was constantly beset by such fears. Concerns that I would fumble some critical speech or appearance and, as you say, 'mess things up.'" There was a lot to unpack there, but no time to do so. She sighed and averted her eyes for a moment, before smiling again.
"My sister held me up through such times, and while she will be there with you, I would also like to offer my aid," she gestured with the bottle and I took it gently. "I must attend my duties, however, and provide a vigil against our enemies in the realm of dreams. So I offer this in my stead." I turned the bottle over but couldn't find a label.
"I appreciate it, but what is it?" I looked up and she opened one wing, under which I saw a small bandage adhered to her coat.
"I understand the moon's light provides your kind with some tranquility, so I suspect a draught of blood from she who wardens the moon will have a similar effect." I gawped and stuttered.
"I- wow, I don't," I muttered looking squarely at the bottle. She nodded and turned for the door.
"Think nothing of it," she stopped and looked over her shoulder at me. "Best of luck to you, Peter Harlow." I bowed to her.
"Thank you, genuinely," I said. She smiled and disappeared out the door. "Fuckin' hell." I anxiously looked over the bottle and pulled the cork. I delicately took a sip.
"Huh," I chirped, smacking my lips. I took a bigger swig. "Not bad. Don't really feel anything, though."
"Prince Peter, may I come in?" Frill called at the open door. She looked around inside and saw it was dark, save for the moonlight now streaming through the windows. "The sun has gone down, so- Eeep!" She was suddenly yanked inside by an unseen force and flipped onto her back. Blinking, she saw the glowing, unblinking eyes of Peter leering down at her as he gently cradled her near the floor.
"Hello, beloved servant," he whispered. She blinked again.
"H-hello, Peter. Erm," she squirmed in his grasp and under his gaze. "The sun has gone down, and they sent me to get you."
"Very well," he replied, gently sweeping her back to her hooves. She huffed and straightened her dress, looking up at Peter as he gently bowed for her to lead. Furrowing her brow she took a single step.
"HARK!" She jumped when he yelled, whipping around to see him leaning near the window with one hand cupped to an ear.
"W-"
"Musicians of the night," he cut her off, turning with a sinister grin. "Such music they make.." Silence gripped the room as she tried to hear what he was talking about.
"What are-" Before she could ask, he threw his hand towards the window and threw it open, before rushing forward and leaping out into the night air and vanishing from view. Frill blinked and looked around in bewilderment.
"What the scruff?"
At the corner of Mane and Second, a team of five stallions played their instruments quietly. The bassist looked up over his sunglasses and sighed through his thick mustache when he saw nopony stopping to listen.
"This gig sucks," he muttered. Seemingly agreeing, the rest of the band stopped playing and all sulked.
"Man, Bippity," the one with the wide fedora muttered to the bassist.
"Yeah, Boppity?" Bippity replied.
"When we said we were heading to Canterlot, I figured we'd be playing for rich cats," Boppity sighed, removing his hat. The other three nodded in agreement. The cellist with the beard so long it reached his hooves perked up.
"Hey, man, what if we snuck into the castle?" He proposed. Bippity shook his head.
"That's a good way to get arrested."
"Also a good way to get some exposure," the bearded pony retorted. Bippity hummed and turned to the heavy-set trumpet player.
"Whatchu think, Tumble?"
"Mhm," Tumble replied. The other four nodded.
"Yeah, that's true," Bippity rubbed his chin. He looked to Boppity to suggest a plan but blinked. "Hey, Boppity, your hat's crazy, man." The other pony beamed.
"Hey-hey! Thanks!" He reached a hoof up and realized his hat was gone. He blanched and looked up to see it floating away down the street. "Hey!" He took off after it, followed by his bandmates.
Tracking the phantom hat as it bobbed down the road and suddenly slipped off into a dark alley, they came to a screeching halt when they found a dead end with no hat in sight.
"Aw, man!" Boppity cried and looked around. "This gig sucks!" His bandmates patted him on the back sadly, and they turned in unison back to the alley with heads hung low.
"Whoa," Tumble huffed. The team looked up and saw a silhouette standing before them. The only thing visible on the tall, bipedal shadow were its two glowing red eyes. And Boppity's hat on its head.
"Hey! That's mine!" He yelled.
"Where you get off stealing my brother's hat?" Bippity yelled. The creature leaned close.
"You want in the castle?" It asked.
"Yeah," the cellist replied plainly.
"I can help with that," the shadow said. The band shared a look.
"What's that got to do with stealing my hat?" Boppity demanded.
"Look into my eyes, and all will be made clear.."
The meeting hall was in an uproar. The team of Lace, Doily, and Cap had been stood in the center of the hall, before a wide curving table at which sat the delegates from abroad, with those from Woollachia having the leftmost edge to themselves.
"Nocatty cares, Gruff!" King Panthera XVII screamed, pounding his black-furred fist into the table. "It's a name! Why are you so fixated on it?!" The old griffon whipped around to point his claw at the Abyssinian.
"Because it's ridiculous!" He raged, pounding his wings in fury. "Some sheep running around with the same name as me?! Too confusing!"
"Please, everyone, let's not lose sight of why we are here," Celestia begged. They immediately glared at her.
"And that's another thing!" Gruff shrieked. "Where's this vampire of yours?! Never seen one before! Get him out here!" Cadance sitting to the left of her aunt held up a hoof.
"We sent his attendant to collect him, I'm sure he's just.." She hummed and looked Graggle's way. "Still getting ready?" Graggle nodded and stood up from his seat.
"Prince Peter is simply taking great care in looking his best," he explained, only slightly wilting as the griffon glared his way. "He told me he'd hate to show up looking like a slob." Gruff's feathers ruffled.
"So he's a namby-pamby fop?!" The griffon screamed. Celestia brought a hoof to her face as the arguing continued. The Ex-mayors of Woollachia sat huddled together, thanking the stars that the room's attention had left them once their report reached the topic of Quilt's grandfather.
Quilt was snuggled up to Cozy, but was taking the revelation that the representative of Griffonstone shared her grandfather's name in stride. The moment he flew into a raging rant, which was as much a contrast for the Gruff she was familiar with as night and day, she'd relaxed a bit. Ambassador Tangle tapped her hooves together anxiously, wishing she was anywhere else than in the room with the raging griffon.
At the opposite end of the table, Dragon Lord Ember picked at her teeth with a claw and nodded to the hushed conversation she was having with King Thorax from the Changling hive. Then she jumped when Prime Minister Coal from the Minotaur United Cities hurled his chair over the table before rushing Gruff and screaming at him, seemingly solely to be involved in the fight.
"I had less of a migraine when the Storm King was besieging us," Apollon, the Eagle Lord of the Orithian Peaks, whispered to Queen Novo who shook her head and huffed. Celestia leaned back in her seat as Panthera climbed onto the table to jam a claw in the face of Minister Coal, who had Gruff in a headlock, all while Cadance begged for them to calm down.
"Oh dear," she huffed, silently praying for Peter to arrive. She beamed when the doors opened but subtly wilted when she instead saw Frill step inside. "Ah, here's Prince Peter's attendant now!" The fight in front of her halted, and all eyes fell on the maid who blinked.
"Oh! Uhm," she stammered looking over the whole room. "I uh, only thought I should.. well.." She shuffled her hooves and averted her eyes.
"Go on! Out with it!" Gruff choked.
"Yes! Where is the vampire?" King Panthera added.
"We were making fantastic progress before you butted in!" Coal declared. Frill wilted and hummed, stepping next to where the ex-mayors sat.
"I uh," she whispered before finding her courage. "I thought I should tell you that Prince Peter flew out his window.. And I'm not sure where he is now." Cadance audibly whined.
"HE WHAT?!" King Panthera cried.
"Some vampire!" Gruff cackled, still grappled by Coal.
"He killed himself?" The minotaur quietly asked with a look of genuine concern.
"What a waste!" Apollon huffed, leaning back in his seat and waving a claw. "The living weapon you got me all excited for flew the coop! Literally." He shook his head.
"I can't say I'm too confident devoting any hippogriffs to this coalition if the Elements are compromised and your vampire isn't fighting for us," Novo declared sadly.
"I agree! If Adam's made more of his kind, they'll tear my soldiers to pieces!" Panthera said, pacing the table. "I only showed up 'cause you said we had a vampire on our side!" He winced and clutched his paws together.
"I'll have to apologize to the Catican," he muttered.
"Lame," Ember muttered, resting her head on one arm.
"What's the 'Catican'?" Thorax asked her.
"My condolences for your loss," Coal offered with a somber nod at Graggle, who had his head in his paws. Celestia sighed and took a sip from her tea.
The doors flew open and boomed against the walls with such force the candles lighting the room went out. The attention of every delegate fell on the dark doorway as lime green flames lit up every candle, bathing the room in an eerie light.
"Dreadfully sorry to keep you all waiting," called the tall figure in the door slowly stepping into the room, whose bowed head was mostly obscured by the brim of his hat. "But unlike our lovely host, the fiery ball she superintends is not so kind to me." His words and steps were punctuated by the thwack of the cane he held in one hand, gesturing to Celestia with his other.
The princess herself cast an unamused look at the newcomer over the tea cup she quietly sipped from. The room was silent except for the racket of his cane as he stepped past Frill and stood in the center of the hall. The delegates shared a look, as the three previously quarreling parties slowly returned to their seats.
"And are you," King Panthera began, studying the creature carefully. "The vampire?" The creature stopped dead, and looked up for the first time, allowing his faintly glowing eyes to meet the king's own. He smiled, baring a mouth of exclusively fangs. The Abyssianian's ears twitched and his breathing became uneven. The creature bowed deep with a theatric sweep of his hat.
"I am the Prince of Woolachia," he swept from his bow into a stride, slowly making his way from the center of the room to the table edge. His eyes drifted from one delegate to the next. "Some call me 'The Dark One.'" He reached where Queen Novo sat, and she and Apollon leaned away from him and the leering grin he cast upon them.
"Others.. 'The Lord of Death,'" he exclaimed with a shuddering gasp the pair mimicked in earnest.
"Sick," Ember said quietly, leaning on the table with an expectant smile. He smiled again, sweeping his arms and cane out as he twirled to the center of the room.
"But above all else, I am simply Peter Harlow." He turned back to the table with a bow.
"Your friend, ally, and to the best of my ability, if you would allow me the honor," he took a deep, hissing breath through his teeth. "Stalwart defense against lesser living dead." He released his breath and held his bow. The room was packed by a tense silence and the delegates couldn't take their eyes off him. Quilt was stiff as a board as she desperately and futilely screamed at him mentally for an explanation. After a moment, Celestia hummed and sat her teacup down.
"Well, it's certainly-"
"BUT!" He cried, snapping up straight, startling the table, and cutting her off.
"Alright," she replied with a nod.
"It titles alone do not impress?" The delegates leaned back as his manic eyes looked over them all. "If mere words are not convincing?" He snapped his fingers and a pony jazz band came galloping through the doors.
"Then allow me to elaborate," he hissed before bowing his head and throwing a pointing hand back at the band.
"HIT IT!"
And it goes a little something like this
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Ah sh*t this guy's higher than a kite isn't he.
Yaaay. He nailed that entrance! Menacing intro, kings shaking in their chairs, and even a freaking dragon is impressed! And then...hold on
.
*Disney song plays *
Wait, does anyone hear that flushing sound
? Oh right. That his awesome street cred going down the drain
. 
That said, I feel like 'No More Mister Nice Guy ' from the movie Swan Princess would have fit better here. His style, magic, jazz band music, and even the situation would have fit like a glove. Heck, he could have hypnotized a few of the female rulers to sing backup.
Second pick would have been 'In the Dark of the Night' from Anastasia.
...........
....... Let me get this straight.
They are connected to Pinkie Pies mind..... Pinkie Pies ..... Mind.
They are bonded to the mind.... of....Pinkie......
😳
May the gods have mercy on their souls.
Monk
“He really, really wished that he could say he was surprised by this whole mess. But that would be a complete lie. Stupidity was a universal constant, after all.” -Greatazuredragon
11784284
You're right. Now they're confronted by Adam. The other vampire is stranded in Pinkie pie's madness. It was a mistake to confront the craziest mare in equestria.
I wish Peter wouldn't blaspheme so much.
That was one heck of an entrance, I think Ember is in love.
11851782
He can't help it. He worked in HR, so even before becoming undead he had no soul.