He's a Vampire

by Gormless Wheaton

Wight on the Warpath III

Author's Note:

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"Peter!" Twilight cried.

"One sec," I replied and flexed my arm. Grogar let out a gurgle in response that rapidly swelled into a soulful wail.

I'd drank blood plenty of times. It was sweet. Raw, genuine life force was something else. At least from this guy, it was bitter and hot like coffee. As I leeched his energy, I felt its warmth hit my stomach and rapidly fill my entire being with its essence.

As a bonus, I watched the protective enchantment on his bell melt into my arm and travel up to my shoulder where it vanished in my cloak.

I grimaced in anticipation and definitely felt an unhealthy twinge, but luckily nothing came of it.

Grogar jolted. "BASTARD! LITERAL BASTARD!" He wrenched himself to the side, ripping his side open to free himself, before catching himself on his right hoof. "UNGRATEFUL, BASTARD CHILD!" With a roar, he pushed up off his hoof and exploded into the air as a swirl of smoke and rapidly fled into the woods.

I retracted my shadowy spear and blinked at the spot he'd touched. There was a smoking red hoof print on the earth. My gaze slowly drifted further down and I saw Frill and Quilt looking up at me in shock.

"Hey," I said with a smile. Before they could retort, a commotion erupted around us. All the monsters everyone'd been fighting recoiled and broke off. Many of the larger ones I could see leering at me with genuine fear in their eyes.

"The Devil's made an opening!" I heard Karl roar as he charged forward, waving his knife to urge his squires on. "By all that you hold dear, don't waste it. He'll never let us live it down!" As he and his boys ran on, he shot me a look that almost looked like gratitude.

"You heard the cat!" Coal bellowed, firing a shot into the air. "Push them back!"

"CHARGE!" Graggle, sitting on his shoulders hopped up to scream. Taking their words to heart, the circle of defenders pushed out and joined the fray, driving the horde further into the woods. The sight of Grogar turning tail seemed to completely demolish their morale.

"Peter!" I whirled about and saw Celestia with her wings extended. "Leave the spawn. We must find the Father."

I nodded and knelt down to Quilt and Frill who both threw themselves into my arms. "We'll catch up in a minute, alright?" I hugged them both tight. Just then, Blueblood, Hasty, Sunbeam, and Cozy gathered close.

"Master! You.. Wow," Blueblood murmured. I scooted Frill and Quilt next to them and stood up.

"Just promised we'd catch up in a minute," I declared with a smile. "Sit tight and stay safe."

"Peter," Celestia called as she came galloping up with Twilight and the rest. "We must find him, and if not destroy him utterly, drive him toward Mount Everhoof."

"That's where we're going to be waiting," Twilight declared.

"Roger that," I replied before stepping next to Celestia and holding out my hand. Considering me for a moment she raised her hoof and set it in my grip. Focusing, I immediately spotted him and warped us to him

He bent his head back to glare at us when we appeared. "DAMN IT!" He roared before rushing off again. Another smoldering hoofprint was left in his wake. My Evil Eye was just as fast, and this time when we appeared, though he was still in smoke form, Celestia was able to leap forward from my grip and pin him with a magical spear.

His snake-like form snapped before writhing around her attack, allowing me to rush forward and rake my hand across him. As I did, I formed shadowy claws on my fingers which cut into him despite his intangibility. Again, I felt a jolt well up inside, as I stole more of his vitality.

"Behind you, Peter!" Celestia cried just as my Evil Eye went off. I turned to mist and spread myself out, allowing a yellow beam to pass harmlessly through me. As I reformed, however, I was rammed in either side by a pair of Grogars. The attack knocked me sideways off my feet, which allowed me to see the two Grogars clap hooves as they passed, while a third further back leaped up and swept a scything blade of magic with a somersault.

Something strange happened then. The attack never traveled, but instead, it was like it just cut the space between where he conjured it and, well, everything beyond that point.

Including me.

As a result, I was cut cleanly in two at the hips while a thin trench was sliced into the earth under me. The two Grogars vanished, along with the pinned smoke Grogar, while the one who'd just cut me was bodyslammed by Celestia. While they skirmished, my body rapidly began stitching itself together, as thin tendrils of shadow leaped from my wounds and pulled me into one piece. All before I ever hit the ground.

When I did hit the ground, I launched myself his way, teleporting above the pair as Celestia

Oh my God, did she just physically suplex him?

As I floated in shock at the sight, she tumbled to the side while Grogar was suddenly launched into the air by a fiery explosion. Straight at me. As Celestia landed on her hooves she looked up and then recoiled in shock.

"Peter!" Her call snapped me out of my stupor and I violently jabbed my claws at him, catching him and sinking my shadowy grip into his flesh. He was still reeling from Celestia's attack, so the added sensation of having me suck the life out of him must have really sent his head spinning.

Because this time, I drained so much that he began to shrivel.

After just a few moments of this, he came to, glared at me, and tried to fire a blast into my face, forcing me to dislodge. As soon as I did, he was off again, racing through the woods as a whisp of black cloud. I pivoted in the air to try and land on my feet but instead landed on Celestia's back.

"No time to lose, we have him!" She cried as she beat her wings and we rocketed after him. Despite her being tangible, unlike Grogar, she was able to dive and duck between the trees just as nimbly as he could. However, just keeping pace with him meant we weren't gaining ground fast enough to pin him again.

Then a gurgling roar drew our attention. Just up ahead, one of the huge one-eyed things everyone had been fighting was running, ripping trees aside as it fled. Grogar's smoke leaped into the air and at the thing's face.

"What's he doing?" I yelled. The smoke hit the monster in the face and then rapidly swam up his nose and into its mouth. Celestia snapped her wings and landed as we watched in bewilderment.

The monster quivered for a moment, clenched its teeth, then dissolved into a puddle of black sludge. Grogar quickly burst up from the sludge, looking refreshed and relaxed. He shot me a smirk before turning to smoke again and fleeing.

"He can do that?" I huffed.

"I can't say I'm shocked," Celestia replied before taking off again. As we flew, I took note of all the monsters that had made it this deep into the woods, seemingly without being pursued.

"I think we're going to have to drive him to Twilight and the rest," I said. "He can just keep healing himself with those things."

"I fear you are correct, which requires we cut him off." I nodded and gripped her tight before seeking him with my Evil Eye. I frowned when I saw him.

He was physical again, and grinding his hoof into the ground with an unreadible expression. I leaned to Celestia. "Brace yourself. He's up to something."

She nodded and tensed her wings as I warped us to where he was, managing to place him between us and the mountain. We leaped from each other and rushed him from opposite sides. Celestia conjured several balls of fire, while I created a spear of shadow.

Grogar smirked and rolled away, before vanishing in a yellow flash. There was another smoldering print where he'd been standing. We stopped and ran towards each other. I found him with my Evil Eye again, right as he teleported once more.

I blinked and recoiled as he now rapidly warped from place to place, slamming his hoof every time he reappeared, before finally he paused. After just a moment, he glanced back at me and smirked.

"C'mon," he chirped, nodding his head my way. He jostled his bell with his hoof, and a piece of it broke off. "Things are getting good." I frowned and then recoiled when I realized where he was standing.

"Something's wrong."

"What is?" Celestia pressed. I looked at her with a frown.

"He's waiting at the base of Everhoof." We stared at each other in silent consideration for a minute before she hummed.

"Let's not keep him waiting," she declared, raising her hoof. Hesitantly, I took her hoof and warped us right to him. He was actually sitting and shuffling his hooves to a happy tune when we arrived. He smiled at us while we scanned the narrow clearing for Twilight and the rest before Celestia hissed.

"This is the wrong spot," she whispered.

I shuddered and clenched my teeth. "How many SPOTS are there?!"

"Oh, don't worry, you two!" Grogar said. "They'll be along momentarily. Can't imagine they'll be able to ignore this."

He grinned darkly. "I do have to commend you, whatever your name is. Just like Celestia, you nearly had me there," he said with a laugh. "Can't tell you how much of a thrill this has been." Ignoring him, I quickly sent out my Evil Eye and found Twilight and the rest in a separate clearing, hiding among the brush.

I leaned to Celestia. "I'm going to warp them here," I whispered. She nodded.

"Couldn't help but notice how you didn't bother taking my magic though." I jolted and looked up at him. He shrugged. "Besides what was keeping my bell intact. The little bastard who gave you this power could've easily sucked up both my life force and magic at once."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Wonder why you didn't?" Celestia furrowed her brow and snorted.

"Enough games, fiend."

"Did you just not nab that feature?" He pressed, causing me to recoil.

"I-"

"Do you just not know how?" He tilted his head. His face split in a fang-filled grin. "You afraid of something?" I paused and stared at him.

"You-"

My vision was suddenly cut off by a wing. "Enough! Peter quickly!" Celestia stomped forward with her horn lit up.

"That's it! You're scared to take my dark magic!" He cackled. "Scared of what the darkness would do to you!"

"Peter!"

"I, however," Grogar raised his hoof, revealing another glowing red print. "HAVE no such inhibitions." He slammed his hoof down on the print. There was an ear-piercing shriek that split the air. At the same time, the sky grew darker and where his hoof rested, shakey red bolts of magic raced through the ground in all directions, racing back into the forest.

Whirling around, I saw beams of red light shooting up from all throughout the forest, including back where I'm pretty sure we first gave chase. I looked back at Celestia whose fearful eyes were also fixed on the forest. Then, the shriek cut off with a crack that made us both jump. Turning to its source, we watched Grogar's bell fall from his neck in pieces, while the goat himself was now..

Well, glowing probably wasn't the best word. Instead, it was like he was shrouded in a darkness so vacant and deep that by contrast the rest of the world seemed bright. His eyes rolled back and he slumped over. Before either of us could react, something rushed along the ground between us, followed by another and another.

Scanning the ground, I saw dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pools of black sludge rolling across the ground toward him. Most of them had the faint shapes of faces in them, while others had full-on body parts and heads sticking out. Features identical to all the monsters he'd summoned.

"Is he," I began, recoiling at the sight. "Eating them all?" Celestia didn't answer, but confirmation came in the form of a scream.

"No! No! This wasn't part of the deal!" I turned and saw Lace, half-melted, being dragged towards him. At her side was an unresponsive Briefs, who leered hatefully my way.

"Peter, we must withdraw," Celestia said, drawing my attention back to her. "Take me to Twilight and then go warn our allies to flee to the remaining ships."

"Prince Peter!" I whirled back to see Lace reaching out for me as she slithered towards Grogar, black tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry! HELP ME!" I hesitated, but Celestia extended a wing.

"We are too late for her. Do as I say."

"Ain't that the truth," Briefs grumbled before melting away completely. Grogar by now was no longer visible under the mountain of black tar that had piled upon him. However, a pair of yellow orbs lit up towards the front of the pile.

With that dreadful sight and the sound of Lace's cries for help before vanishing, I grabbed Celestia and warped to Twilight.

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Comments

[Fireeaters]

What, is the first nosferatu hanging off of peter like some sort of male angler fish or something; waiting for peter to need the rest of him?