He's a Vampire

by Gormless Wheaton

Pursuit

---

The conference room was gripped by a tense silence following Quilt and Frill's report of Mad Dog's destruction. The full complement of delegates around the table shared uneasy glances before their eyes fell upon Princess Luna, who had returned alone from Tartarus. They all were careful to avoid Ember's furious glare as she ground her teeth, intermittently huffing small gouts of fire as she did.

Van Katskills hummed and smiled as he paced the room. "Well, on the bright side, we've struck the first blow!" He chortled and slid next to Quilt before leaning down to grin at her, causing her and Frill to recoil with a shared scowl. "And we've proved that 'universal catalyst' of yours certainly works as advertised."

Luna nodded. "If Grogar is already taking direct action like this, I fear we do not have time to wait. We must use the opportunity given to us to strike while we're able."

Apollon shared a look with Calaeno at his side before leaning forward. "You mean.."

Luna nodded and looked at each delegate present. "We should follow the stone Minister Coal delivered and assail the fiend now." The eagle smiled and slapped Calaeno on the back before rising from his seat.

"I'll ready the fleet!" He declared.

"And I'll gather the troops," Coal added.

"Likewise," the Queen of Abyssinia said, rising and pulling her husband to his feet.

"But what about Peter?" Frill demanded, halting the excitement and drawing attention to her. She frowned and looked at Luna. "You said he was still talking with that monster."

Luna nodded with a somber hum. "Indeed. As near as we could tell, it did not seem like he had even begun the process of absorbing the fiend's power. Instead, the pair were in some deep discussion."

Quilt scowled. "So-"

"Now, now," Karl interjected, crouching between the pair. "As much as I'd like to say he's stuck down there where he belongs, and be done with him, from what I've heard, the bastard can just teleport around to wherever his Evil Eye falls. So, he'll be able to catch up with us pretty handily."

The sheep shared a frown leveled at the hunter who smiled in response. "And besides, he's got Celestia down there with him. So, I sadly can't believe he's in too much danger."

Frill shook her head and snorted. "If you wanted to take my mind off leaving him behind by making me mad, you're doing a very good job."

Karl smirked. "I live to hunt and to please."

Just then, the doors were thrown open and a guard came galloping in. "Princess! A report has just arrived that the Remnant Fleet has crossed the southern border and is heading this way!"

"What?!" Graggle squawked. "How are they still active?"

Novo blanched and held a hoof to her beak. "We left an entire garrison to keep them guarded."

"This cannot be mere coincidence," Luna scoffed. "Grogar must be behind this. He must be intending to divide our forces."

Ember shot to her feet and swept a claw through the air. "Divide nothing! I'll call for a few rowdier dragons and we'll sweep the skies clear!"

"If Grogar is behind this, that may also be his design," Graggle said, gnawing a paw. "Lure you and your kin into the open for another vampire to prey upon." His words caused the dragon to recoil.

Luna nodded and rose. "I shall journey with the Dragon Lord against the Remnant Fleet to obliterate any vampires that may be lying in wait. Celestia can journey with all of you against Grogar in the north."

Frill and Quilt shared a look before the former stomped her hoof. "But what about Peter?"

The princess solemnly nodded. "I shall discuss it with Celestia and with him if he can spare us a moment, but we cannot afford to wait." Frill whimpered and hung her head, comforted solely by Quilt who nuzzled her gently.

---

Frill sat curled up on her bunk in the lower deck of the ship, while Quilt and the rest of her friends gathered around. She sniffled and looked up at Quilt. "How do we know that monster isn't hurting him?"

Hasty hummed. "I mean, if I understood it all right, it sounds like it really wants to die, so," he shrugged.

"But what if it was lying?" Frill retorted. "What if-"

Cozy hopped up on the bed with Frill and pulled her face towards her. "Hey. Listen, Peter's way tougher than you're giving him credit for, and not just cause he's a vampire," she said firmly. "It's also cause he loves you so much. Quilt, too."

Cozy smirked and nodded at Quilt. "There's no way he'd let that ancient freak keep him from you. Remember what he did when Grogar popped up?"

Frill blinked and frowned. "He tried to rip his head off?"

"Exactly!" Cozy chirped. "And Grogar's way scarier than that dumb shadow monster."

"'Preciate that, Cozy!" Cozy shivered and slowly turned. Sunbeam screamed, and Blueblood drew his sword as the group huddled away from the apparition of Grogar standing behind them. He smirked and looked between each of them "What're you young'un's gossiping about?"

"Away demon!" Blueblood roared, waving his sword. "AUNTY!" Grogar chortled at the sight before pursing his lips and leering at Quilt, who slowly trotted up to him. She fixed him with a hard glare, which drew a smile back to his face.

"Well, aren't we looking disgustingly courageous and hopeful," he chuckled, laying down to meet her at eye level.

"Scruff yourself," she spat before blinking and looking left and right to see Cozy and Frill standing beside her, the former having her cutie-fix drawn and the latter with a vial of dispelling oil readied. Grogar chuckled and eyed the pair.

"Aw, lookit you, Quili-lily. Acting all tough in front of your friends," he hummed and tilted his head while staring at Frill. "But don't be shy. Why don't you tell Grandpa what you've been cooking."

Quilt raised an eyebrow before she turned and saw the dispelling oil. "Oh, that?" She snorted. "That's what we're giving Mr. Katskills to help kill all your scruffed-up monsters."

Grogar hummed. "Yeah, I saw the number it did on Tyler. How'd you manage that anyhow?"

Quilt took a daring step forward. "Same way you clawed your rotten rear end back to the land of the living. I used my blood." Grogar actually recoiled slightly, which caused Quilt to smirk. "I figured since we're related, and blood has power, there was a chance mine could work as a universal catalyst for Mr. Katskills' potion. And it worked."

Grogar humphed and scowled. "Well, that's annoying. Good work, though," his scowl slowly shifted to a dark smile. "You sure it'll help all that much?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

Grogar gave a fang-filled grin and chortled. "Because I don't know how many bottles of that stuff you've got, but I can just conjure up more of whatever you kill," he raised an eyebrow. "Just like I already brought Tyler back. Mind you, he's a little shaken from the pain that stuff caused, but we motivated him to stay in line." He jumped to his hooves with a start and looked to the right.

"It scarcely matters, devil," Celestia declared as she descended the stairs and stood before him. She spread her wings, and Twilight and her friends, adorned with their elements jumped out at her sides. "For that is not the only weapon we have brought against you."

Grogar narrowed his eyes as he studied the steely-faced mares. "Spooky," he smirked again. "But! You're not the only one with more than one trick up their sleeve."

His eyes fell upon Quilt. "For instance, once I've trashed this sad little fleet you're coming after me with, I think I'll find that vampire you're in love with and rip his soul out," he bared his fangs again as his eyes went black. Quilt wilted at the sight and his words. "Make him a true child of the dark, and then let him see to your prolonged torment."

He hummed a laugh and leaned close as Celestia raised her horn. "After all!" A brilliant light filled the room. "Your despair is still my favorite." The apparition was gone as the light faded. Quilt recoiled and gasped before tumbling over, only to be caught by Frill. She panted and met Frill's eyes before looking at Cozy, and finally, Celestia who came to loom over the three.

"Fear not," she said as she knelt down before her. "While there is breath in my body I will not allow him to claim you or Peter."

"You got that right!" Rainbow added.

"Yeah! Don't listen to that big dumb bully!" Pinkie cheered. Quilt locked eyes with Celestia, took a few heavy breaths, and wiped her eyes with a hoof before nodding.

"Thank you," she whispered.

---

Twilight held the homing stone aloft as she scanned the horizon. All around them miles below were trees and in the distance, a towering mountain range, with a single gargantuan peak in its midst, began to take shape.

"Bits to donuts, that's where he's holed up!" She declared.

"Mount Everhoof?" Celestia huffed and leered at the woodland below. "I suppose that makes sense. Despite the short trip from more civilized lands, few kindly creatures ever dwelt in this region."

She blinked and narrowed her eyes. "And on that topic." She pointed a hoof below. "It seems he has swelled their number." Everyone on the main deck that was nearby moved to the railing and peered down. Far below, in a clearing full of freshly fallen trees and stumps, a large host of bipedal pig-like monsters were at work, chopping logs into smaller bits or cutting down other trees, all with crude stone axes.

"What the heck are those?" Calaeno murmured. Apollon grimaced and looked back at the rest of the fleet following them.

"Trogs," Twilight replied. "Hoof soldiers of Tambelon, Grogar's old fortress."

"He uses dark magic to twist ordinary animals into those shapes and bends their will to his own," Celestia added.

"That's awful," Fluttershy squeaked.

Quilt scowled and looked up at Celestia. "Would dispelling oil even work on those?"

The alicorn smiled with a nod. "Certainly, and in fact, as the oil only disrupts dark magic, it would likely free whatever they used to be."

"Free's a strange way of putting it," came another voice, followed by a squawk of pain from Apollon, who fell to the deck clutching his leg. "I'd call it hobbling." Everyone whirled around to see a lone ewe with steel-grey wool and a cool smile on her face.

"Lace?" Quilt huffed.

"Hey~," Lace replied. The crew of the ship came charging forward with a shout and formed a circle of swords pointed at the sheep, while others ran to Apollon's aid. The eagle rolled over with a grunt of pain, still clutching his leg which had a loose bundle of threads hanging from it.

Celestia looked between the eagle and the sheep before gasping. Acting quickly, she thrust her horn forward and a faint yellow bubble appeared between the ring of swords and the sheep. As soon as it did, tiny rings of impact shuddered all around the inside of the barrier, causing the crew to recoil in shock.

"What the heck was that?" Calaeno cried.

"Look!" Sunbeam squealed, pointing a hoof at Lace. Her grey wool was shifting as if caught in an invisible breeze, but on closer inspection, it became obvious that thin threads of her wool were lashing or stabbing out like tentacles. The ewe giggled as they looked at her in shock.

"What devilry is this?" Celestia demanded.

"Like I said, you'd call removing the magic Grogar gives us freedom," she smiled with a mouthful of fangs. "But I'm a bit more enlightened." Just then an explosion rang out, drawing their attention further back in the fleet, where the balloon of another ship had gone up in green flames. Another boom roared out, as a shrieking beam of yellow energy pierced a whole other ship.

A cloud of bats raced up and swarmed the deck of another, and yet another ship was in an obvious state of distress as a large dark shape whirled about on its deck, hacking down the crew as it went. Before anyone could fully react to what was happening, there was a shrill grinding from inside Celestia's bubble. Turning, they saw that Lace had vanished down a freshly carved hole in the deck.

"Oh no," Frill squeaked. Within moments following that, a similar grinding echoed out from the side of the ship, and a cluster of faintly shimmering grey threads shot up, severing the support cables holding the ship to its balloon.

"Hold on!" Calaeno cried as the entire ship began to droop to one side. As the entire crew scrambled to grab onto something, Celestia beat her wings and took to the air. Spreading her wings wide, her horn shimmered and enveloped the entire ship. With a grunt, she heaved her horn up and the ship shuddered before suddenly appearing in the midst of the clearing they'd been hovering over.

She sighed and drifted to the ground. The ship followed shortly after and hit the earth with a booming thud that shook everyone aboard. Moments after that they began to disembark.

"Princess, what do we do?" Hasty cried. Celestia hummed and scanned the skies, looking at each ship in turn. The two ships that had exploded were sadly lost, though luckily a number of winged figures could be seen abandoning them as they fell. The other two, however..

---

Briefs groaned as again, despite his size as a Lycan, he was hauled up and slammed down on his head in one whopper of a suplex. A cheer boomed up from the minotaurs and diamond dogs on deck, which fell into more chanting.

"Coal! Coal! Coal! Coal!" They roared as the Prime Minister grimly climbed up from the railing of the ship to the support ropes.

"Not the top rope," Briefs moaned.

"Indeed! The top rope!" Graggle retorted with a pointing claw just before the Prime Minister came crashing down on Briefs' chest, elbow first.

---

Mad Dog gurgled over his slit throat, and strained against the dozens of knives that had his arms outstretched and practically crucified to the door of the captain's cabin. All around him in a circle, Catican squires and Abyssinian soldiers stood, warding totems and spears held up, while just before him stood Karl van Katskills, whistling and casually reloading the blunderbuss he's blown Mad Dog's leg off with. Karl met his eyes and smiled as he primed the hammer.

"Fuck," Dog squelched, which drew a laugh from the Queen of Abyssinia just beyond the crowd.

---

"We must look to our defense for the moment," she declared, turning and nodding towards the trees around them. The crew and everyone else followed her gesture and saw the Trogs, along with a host of other horrible creatures leering at them wickedly from the woods.

Twilight scowled and shared a look with her friends, which turned to a nod as they stepped forward and prepared their elements.

---

Comments

[Fireeaters]

I seem to be caught up now. Looks like we're right around the climax

[Mr Aquila]

Ma boy coal COMING IN WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!!!