"The final battle approaches!" A cackle rang out in the throne room as a comically scrawny man in a robe taped his fingers together, his extremely oversized gauntlets and boots showing his true strength. The throne room is littered with bones, and skeletons of all different creatures line the walls as a stream of blood gurgled around the edges of the room. "Now, how should the great Leech greet his heroic guests?" Standing up the scrawny man known to all as "the Leech" let his blood red robes billow around him as he talked to himself.
"Should I appear as they would expect?" At this the man began to grow muscle and height (not that he wasn't already tall) and soon his gauntlets and boots looked at home on the behemoth of a man. "Or should I have a small army of guards that will defend me to the death?" Leech shrunk back down to his normal comical size and waved his hand over the stream, a rune on his gauntlet glowing blood red. From the blood forms began to rise and march forward, making a line infront of him until there was at least fifty knights in blood red armor.
"No, I am not a cliche villain with a loyal army who would protect me to the death." With another wave of his hand the knights melted and slithered back into the stream, which gurgled angrily in displeasure. "Or maybe I should summon a replica of their families and make them fight each other?" With a snap of his fingers a number of ghosts appeared before him, each an exact replica of the heroes's deceased family members. With a gag Leech snapped his fingers again and with a poof all of the illusions disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Definitely not, much too morbid for my tastes." With an exasperated sigh Leech slouched in his dark throne and placed a hand over his face and let it fall to his side. "Why is being a villain so hard?" He asked the empty air infront of him. A knock could be heard through out the room as someone outside his impressive throne room doors tried to get his attention. Bolting up straight he summoned a mirror to see if he looked evil enough and was satisfied with what he saw. Cracking his knuckles Leech stood up and took a deep breath.
"You may enter." Expecting to see heroes bristling to the teeth with an assortment of weapons Leech was happily surprised when his favorite assistant and only companion Mr. Ghoul opened the door. "Ah Mister Ghoul! Have our guests shown up yet?" To his delight Mr. Ghoul nodded his head and stepped to the side to reveal a band of six heroes.
"I was showing them to your mighty throne room master Leech." Gesturing for the heroes to step inside, Mr. Ghoul smiled when They did so very cautiously. "Now I am sorry but I must be off, I can smell the cooks making dinner and I forgot to tell them that I wanted my meatloaf rare." With that Mr. Ghoul took his leave, shutting and locking the door on his way out.
"Leech! we have come to stop you from destroying all of Quintoak!" The obvious leader of the band of heroes bellowed, his voice echoing through the great throne room. Leech stood stock still except for his eyes which looked over the heroes and without warning appeared infront of the leader.
"You think that your little group of heroes could ever beat me?" Leech laughed in the man's face and poked him in the chest with a finger, making the warrior grunt at the weight. "Your a veteran! You are way past your prime." Disappearing once again he reapeared infront of another man in the group. "A dashing rouge, out to avenge his fallen brothers! Oh how romantic." Leech made a gagging noise as he teleported infront of a heavily armored woman. "Can you even see out of that tin can on your head? It isn't even enchanted to resist magic!" Leech shouted in exasperation before he appeared slouched on his throne.
"Not to mention that your other three companions consist of a drunken dwarf, a little girl, and a ravishing mage." Leech said as he laughed uproariously, making tears stream down his face. "I'm sorry, but I think your looks are the only thing going for you mage."
"Well your not exactly what we expected either." The veteran said as he confusedly looked back at his companions who were just as lost.
"Not every villain is like one in a mediocre fantasy book." Leech said as he summoned a glass of blood and began drinking it.
"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be evil looking?" The little girl asked, making Leech spit the blood out.
"I am Evil looking! With a capital E even!"
"Really? Because you look like a big joke to me." The living suit of armor said with a hidden smirk, but one that could definitely be heard.
"Why you little... You want a joke?! Then how about this!" Raising his hands like a pupeteer his finger tips began to glow blood red. The living suit of armor began to jerk around like she couldn't control her body, which wasn't that far from the truth.
"Wha- s-stop! My armor is moving on it's own!" She yelped as her armor stopped jerking and got into a fighting stance, raising her sheild and sword in a sick mockery of life. Laughing like a lunatic Leech began to twiddle his fingers seemingly at random. The armor charged at the veteran without warning, but years of fighting makes one's reflexes sharp. Dodging to the side he pulled out his bastard sword, his other companions drawing their weapons as well. While the dwarf and the veteran held off their friend the rouge and the mage attacked Leech.
"I think not!" With a wave of his hand a magic sheild surrounded him, blocking some throwing knives and fireballs. "Do you really think that you can win when I am so close to victory?" With a snap of his fingers a portal appeared behind his throne. "Now if it's all the same I'll be on my wa-"
"Oh no you don't! I am not letting you get away, even if it kills me!" A wave of snow and ice broke through Leech's sheild, freezing him in place, literally. A growl could be heard from inside the block of Ice as two blood red eyes glared out of it before it exploded outwards. Leech lifted his hands again and the living armor was lifted into the air. Before any could react Leech clenched his fists, the armor crumpling like paper until it was a warped hunk of iron with blood seeping from every opening.
"You bastard!" The rogue shouted as he charged at Leech, who simply chuckled and grabbed the rouge's head. Lifting the man he punched his fist through the rouge's chest and tore out his still beating heart in a spray of blood. Crushing the heart he dropped the mans lifeless body, the mage and the veteran stood before Leech ready to fight to the death. A quite sob came from behind him made him spin around and look in open shock. The little girl he had brushed off earlier as being unimportant was somehow able to change the destination of the portal as it was pink now.
"Good bye Leech." Something slammed into his back, sending him flying into the portal with a scream. The portal closed and the three remaining heroes collected their dead and left, never to return to this gods forsaken place.
Author's Note
The names in the beginning are just nicknames, not the character's actual names. That is all.
It was another calm and relaxing day in Equestria as clouds lazily drifted through the air and the sun sat high in the sky. Inside the Everfree forest It was also surprisingly calm, as not a single predator stalked in the shadows of the trees. In a ruined castle deep inside the Everfree a large amount of energy was forming in the throne room. With a rush of energy a portal opened up, spat out a red and steel bundle, then disappeared. With a growl Leech jumped to his feet and looked around in rage.
"I swear, when I get back to that hero infested planet, I'm going to blow it up!" Leech began to pace back and forth in thought as he looked around the decaying room he was in. "Now I could easily start over here, then make sure to destroy the world before any heros can try to stop me and leave to do the same to another." Tapping his chin with the side of his hand Leech let out a whimper and slouched into the old throne. "I am a horrible villain..." Leech trailed off when he noticed something that surprised him. There was something in limbo here in the throne room, trying it's hardest to break out of the endless loop.
"I wonder what it could be?" Leech stood up and using what little energy was in him, which wasn't much as it had all gone to powering the portal since it was a much longer range than he wanted plus he didn't feel like dying, cast a resurrection spell. Within a few minutes a pile of ash had appeared and quickly became a glob of slime. Poking the pure black slime it made a strange suckling noise then returned to its normal form. Thinking nothing of it Leech picked up the glob of slime and placed it on his shoulder like a pirate's parrot.
"Unhand me this instant you foal!" A small voice said in the back of Leech's mind, making him jump in the air while the black slime seemed to hold on. Looking around Leech couldn't see who had spoken so he shrugged and was about to leave the old throne room when something squeezed his shoulder. "Do not ignore me you insolent brute!" The voice said again, this time Leech saw that two little stars had appeared in the slime and were somehow looking at him with anger.
"Well aren't you just the cutest!" Leech said as he pulled the slime off of his shoulder and held it close to his face, a large grin showing off his unnaturally sharp teeth. "Acting all tough when your just a pile of goop!" Leech used one of his fingers to tickle the slime as he cackled.
"D-dont d-d-do tha-t! I-it t-i-ck-les!" The voice in his head said as he let up on his tickle assualt, though it did take Leech a bit longer to stop laughing.
"So, Who do I owe the pleaseure to?"
"I am Nightmare Moon, the rightful queen of the night!"
"Ah milady, tis an honor to meet thee." Leech said with a bow as he pulled his hood back to reveal his face. He shook his head so that his shaggy hair was out of his eyes. "My name is Leech!"
"I hate to admit it, but it is... Nice to meet you."
"Well I would hope so Nighty! I'm the only thing you have talked to since you died!" Leech said as he placed Nighty on his shoulder and tried to open the throne room doors. Unfortunately the hinges had rusted tight since the last time they were opened, but a good punch cleared up that problem. As the two doors shattered into decayed pulp Nighty squeezed his shoulder again.
"Do not call me Nighty!" She was infuriated! No pony had ever had the audacity to mock her!
"I am the one who brought you back to life, therfore I get to call you what I wish!" Leech said as he walked out of the throne room and busted through the adjacent wall, not wanting to stay inside the stuffy castle any longer. "Plus I am your only means of transportation and will protect you from any danger, because I know when I can fully resurrect you that you will be my companion in this new and strange world!" With a dramatic wave of his hand, Leech jumped out of the hole and landed outside the castle.
"*Sigh* And I suppose nothing I say will change your mind?" Nighty said with defeat as she held on to the strange man's shoulder, how she was even able to move her now gelatinous body was still confusing her.
"Nope! None of my siblings could ever change my mind so good luck trying!" Leech cackled as he began to walk in a random direction, which just happened to lead to a rope bridge. Looking at the bridge Leech knew that it wouldn't be able to hold him and his armor, so he took a running start and jumped over it. Now most people who might have tried this in the past would have been a bloody splatter mark on the floor of the ravine. Fortunately, Leech is not like most people.
"Are you insane! Actually, I think I would feel safer if you didn't answer that question." Leech chuckled and once more chose a random direction, this time he found a river that had a very strong current. Finding that there was no way across a large grin appeared on his face as he looked down at Nighty.
"Please dont." Nighty whimpered as she knew what he was going to do and squinted her eyes shut. Right before he could take a running start a sea serpent rose from the water, It's purple scales and well manicured mustache dazzling in the sunlight.
"Would you like some help sir?" It asked as parts of It's body rose out of the water and created a sort of bridge.
"Thank you!" Leech walked across the serpent and waved as the serpent swam up stream. "That was nice of him." Leech continued his walk through the forest, admiring the sheer beauty of it.
"I'm just happy that you didn't have to jump across." Nighty stopped squeezing as hard on his shoulder as she relaxed.
"No worries Nighty! I'm sure there will be more fun later." Leech began to walk up a hill that was seemingly formed from a land slide. Getting to the top he found a well worn path and decided to follow it as he was just getting extremely lucky here. He stopped though before getting on the path as something simply divine smelling caught his attention. As if to remind him that he hadn't gotten to eat his dinner his stomach growled in protest. Following his nose, as it knew best, leech stumbled through the forest until he burst into a clearing with a large tree in the middle of it.
"Where is that smell coming from?" As if to answer his question a stream of smoke floated out of an open window in the tree. "Huh, didn't notice that." The tree was actually a large house with a few windows and a door, though it was very well hidden in the forest. Sneaking to the window, Leech and Nighty both looked in to see a woman cooking something in a cauldron. Leech had to blink a few times as he was surprised that the woman's skin was stripes of light gray and dark gray. "What the hell?"
"That is a zebra, I remember her attacking me when I was trying to stop some ponies from defeating me." Nighty said as she leaned forward a bit to see better.
"Then I don't want to go anywhere near her, cause who would attack you?" Leech said as he walked away from the tree house not noticing that Zecora had seen him. Taking a path that wasn't far from the tree house he found a clearing where neon blue flowers grew.
"STOP! Those are poison jokes, flowers that are made of chaos!" Nighty tried to climb up Leech's hood to get away from the flowers. To her great displeasure, he picked up a poison joke and took a big whiff of it, blue glittery powder flying up his nose.
"Ahhh, smells like home." Taking a few pedals off of the flower and putting them inside of her gelatinous body where they dissolved, he popped the rest of the flower into his mouth, the sound of breaking glass accompanying each chew. "Tastes like it too." Leech said as the world around the began to change, fairies fluttered around them as they walked through the field of poison joke, hand-in-hand. Looking to his right Leech found the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on holding his hand with a goofy smile that reflected his own. Walking through the woods four figures stood in there path, but with a wave of his hand the four burst into smoke.
Nightmare looked to her left and found a handsome rouge gently holding her hand, holding in the crook of his other arm a baby. The moon and the sun fell from the sky at her, but with a jolly laugh they began to happily dance around them. The trees lined up into rows as they found themselves in front of a strange priest, the sun and the moon circling above his head as he read something from a large book. The trees melted away as the sun and moon returned to the sky, a golden light appeared from thin air as a blood red mist leaked out to meet it. The light and the mist mixed together, forming a yin-yang symbol before fading. Leech shook his head, looking around he found that he was now standing in a field, a bridge in front of him had a village on the other side of it.
"Did you see what I saw?" Nighty asked as she looked around, trying to avoid looking at her carrier.
"Yes."
"Let us never speak of it." She said as he nodded and stood there, thinking. Shaking himself out of it, Leech looked down at Nightmare, their eyes meeting for a spilt second before a large grin formed on his face.
"Let's go make some friends!" Leech said as he marched over the bridge, a giggle his only answer.