Midnight Melodyby Caffeine JunkieChapters-(1)- Melody in the Wind -(2)- Long forgotten Times -(3)- The scratched Melody -(4)- Lost Composure-(5)- Friendship-(6)- Hollow-(7)- Doubt-(8)- What a brittle World-(9)- A vivid Night-(10)- Mistrust-(11)- Sisterhip-(13)- Attraction-(14)- Confusion-(15)- Fading Hope-(16)- Recurring Hope-(17)- Insecurity -(18)- Predator's Mind -(19)- Black Ash-(20)- Worries-(21)- From smoke to smother (part 1)-(22)- From smoke to smother (part 2)-(23)- Demons within-(25)- At the same time...(part2) [Vinyl's POV]-(26)- At the same time...(part3) [Vinyl's POV]-(27)- Waking a Demon-(28)- Requiem -(12)- Vinyl's Past-(24)- At the same time...(part1) [Vinyl's POV]-(1)- Melody in the Wind -(1)- Melody in the Wind It was one of those dark cold autumn days. No pony dared to walk through the streets that night, well no pony except one very naive mare. I was on the way to the stage, not that it was an important performance it was just another boring party at some nobles place. Still, my sense of duty made me rush down those dark cold streets. Now that I look back it might have been destiny that lured me there. Destiny! Oh what a funny way to say that you have no control over your own life. Still, that may have been the case back then. I was frail at that time, I doubted myself, I even experienced loneliness but I still enjoyed my life. I thought those careless days would last forever… I was wrong. Who would have thought that my greatest love would be my downfall, yes I am talking about music. At that particular moment you might think: Oh you silly mare, music never killed anypony. You really think that? BUCK YOU! You know nothing! If you think Equestria only consists of happiness then guess again! So there is darkness in Equestria you say. Well what about it you say. We still have the elements of harmony you say. I have to stop you right there. The solution to all of your problems won’t come in the form of the elements or the royal sisters. Yeah sure they saved all of Equestria from the draconequus, the changelings and other things but on that fateful night no one was there to help me. So where was I…oh right I was on the way to my performance. The cold wind brushed through my mane and it was if I heard a lullaby in the wind. Little did I know what this song really was back then, I just enjoyed it while galloping to my job. It was like the perfect background music for everything a pony could do I guess. Well there was one thing where it wouldn’t fit…if you know what I mean *giggle*. So when I finally arrived at the party…it just ended up as boring as I expected. Everyone talked about how rich, good looking or important they were and they completely ignored our work. Well, we knew that game already so we kept quiet and played along. My three co-workers always enjoyed to hear the newest gossip from Canterlot’s nobility. It made them feel like they belong to them even though all of us knew that we would probably never become part of that flashy world anyway. When I think about it now maybe even I was somehow drawn in by all this “fabulousity” as they'd say nowadays. While thinking about my life I unconsciously started to be influenced by the song I heard before. I played it and it sounded nice and solid but neither high class nor as extravagant as I recalled it. My partners stopped and it was only me playing the whole thing for 5 minutes before I finally regained my sense for the mood. Everyone was laughing at me, even my colleagues. Oh it was so embarrassing I wish I had died that day. However, the worst thing was I became THE topic of the party…for all the time that was left of the party. My co-workers told everyone that I lacked some sleep and that this could have happened to everypony. However I knew they silently enjoyed it, they enjoyed that it actually happened to me. Now we had at least some gossip going on about us and only my reputation was stained. Any press is good press as they say... From that moment forth my colleagues started to call me “miss head in the clouds”. Not that they needed a reason to call me names. Before my little "fauxpas" they referred to me as “little miss perfect”. It hurt…but not that much. To be honest our whole little group was nothing more than an alliance of convenience. After the party ended and I brought enough shame to myself to entertain everypony for the next two years I decided to go home. I left my cello where it was, knowing that the next performance would be in three days at the same time and place. Of course it had started to rain exactly when I left the party, just great. I tried to avoid the main streets and wandered through the tightly knitted alleys of canterlot where the raindrops wouldn’t reach. After wandering around for some time I started to hear the lullaby again. This time I tried to find the source of this enchanting music. Have you ever heard ponies say: Curiosity killed the cat? Well I have and I always answered: Cats have nine lives you know? What could possibly happen? Now I know that ponies just have one. So what happened when I looked for the source of the lullaby? Well, I walked deeper and deeper into the heart of Canterlot. Finally I found myself on a big street. A Street I have never seen before. A Street I should have known…because I know Canterlot inside out. All houses along the street looked like they belonged to a different century. There was even a sweet fragrance in the air, it was so sweet it would probably drive weaker minds insane. I walked down the road looking around in wonder when I finally reached the end of the street. There was a big black house. It seemed, unlike the rest of the buildings, not abandoned. It looked like a mansion built two centuries ago. The atmosphere around the mansion was heavy as if a dark veil was clad around it. I looked at the building in awe. My gaze wandered up and down and I began to wonder…could this have been the home of a famous musician? I tried to peek through the dark windows and through the shadows beyond but…suddenly I recognised there were lights glimmering inside. How could that be? I was looking at the mansion for several minutes and there wasn’t even a trace of light. Was the light avoiding my glare, just until it couldn’t anymore? The faint sound of the lullaby also evaded my ears when I watched this place. It seems whatever this place was it tried to be not seen. Now that I think about it: Didn’t the whole road try to be not seen? I mustered all of my courage and knocked on the dark wooden door. Nothing happened. I should have left like that. No one wanted to open. It should have been clear. It was not. Oh no, not for me… My curiosity was not satisfied, so I stood there for approximately thirty minutes, in front of a door that would probably never open and an uneay feeling I still can't describe. Suddenly the lights went off and I waited in anticipation for something to happen. There wasn't anything to see but my wet and soaked self, standing there and gazing upon the mansion. I let my eyes wander. It was full moon and I watched its beauty. Maybe nothing would have happened but then I began to hum the lullaby while my thoughts kept wandering. Suddenly I heard the door crack and it opened a bit. A male voice, sweeter than anything I have heard before said:” You shouldn’t be here my dear. You should run… This song wasn’t meant to be heard by the likes of you…” The door fell back and closed with a loud noise and I... I stood there the same way anypony would stand there if somepony shut the door right before their faces and told them you are not worth their work. I was seriously agitated! I would try again and I would bring my cello with me. I would show him who wasn’t worth whose work… Oh Octavia…arrogance will be your undoing… -(2)- Long forgotten Times -(2)- Long forgotten Times Have you ever played the wrong tune to the melody of life? I have and I tell you…It feels awkward. Guess what? The mansion I found the day before…it didn’t exist. I tried to find it again but all the roads I had encountered that night were gone. No pony I asked could tell me the way and even my map did not show me where this place was. Somehow I had lost track of reality I guess. Maybe it was true what Vinyl used to say about me back then: All work and no play make you a dull mare, Tavi. Even someone as dull as me should have fun from time to time she used to say. If you would ask her about how boring I hade been back then she would literally use up her whole day to make fun of it. Oh but I wasn’t boring…at least not that boring...I suppose. Where did I leave oh yeah… I tried to relax, believe me…it did not work! The lullaby was gnawing away at my sanity. I heard it all the time when I was lost in thoughts and that did happen a lot those days. I lived alone back then…no parents (celestia be blessed), no vinyl (it was so quiet back then) but also no diversions that could keep me from drowning in melancholia. A sad yet thoughtful life… Days passed, time moved forward but everything stayed the same. The only thing that slightly changed was me. I started to wander aimlessly through Canterlot everytime it was possible just to find that place again. Then, some fateful night, I heard the song again. It was so beautiful but this time it was different. I heard a voice. I stood there, right in front of the royal goldsmith, when I heard the fragile voice of a mare singing in the wind. It was way after bedtime and so I was once again all alone on the streets. I tried to find the source of the song but it was just then when I realised... I was lost. Lost? Lost in Canterlot once again? How? There shouldn’t have been paths I did not know, and even if there were I could not remember entering them. It was as if something tried to lure me back to that mansion and…it seems I was correct. I stood right in front of it again. It was still old, extravagant and it still tried to avoid my gaze. Everything would have repeated itself if it wasn’t for one thing. I began to chant the lyrics of the song in chorus with the real thing. The song was so sweet, still I could not remember the lyrics even after I sang them. They mesmerized me I guess… Well to get to the point, the door opened and this time for good. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” would have been something I had written over the door if I had been the owner; luckily I was not. A Colt with a big red hat and evening attire opened the door for me and shook his head. His coat was white as snow and his eyes…they were crimson and…well they seemed to pierce my soul itself. His cutie mark was a crimson clef that looks as if it was burning. He was in every way a noble…a noble without servants who opened the door himself…a strange noble. His face looked very sad and when he opened his mouth it was really creepy. His voice was angelic but it also contained so much sadness. “You lost your way little mare but it was not wise to search for it at this cursed place.” he said. I was really irritated by the cryptic choice of words and while I tried to think about what he said he continued to talk. “May I serve you some tea, dearest miss Melody?” he asked with his jolly yet gloomy voice while I was still standing in the doorway with my dumbfound look. How did he know my name? Who was he? A lot of questions echoed through my mind but I simply answered with “Yes” and entered the lion’s den. The inside was decorated in a way that was common for the pre-celestian age. Everything including the priceless antique furniture was rather dark and there must have been dozens of curiosities standing around. He led me into his library and offered me to take place on the big couch in the corner of the room. He offered me tea and biscuits before he got down to business. “My dearest miss Melody, what is it that your heart desires?” he asked with a soothing voice. I tried to explain him that I just followed the music, that it was curiosity that lured me here but he simply sighed and tried to ask me his question again but this time in a different way. “Why are you here?” he asked. I replied that it was the music I heard. I just followed it here. It was as simple as that. Still, he did not think it was that simple, pff colts… “This sound can only be heard by the ones who want to change their fate my dear. This century seems so vivid to me. I got a lot of visitors and everypony begged for their wishes to be fulfilled. The question is, is your wish safe for ponykind? If you wished to hold more power in your hooves than the royal sisters what do you think would happen? Do you think that wish would help or threaten ponykind? Oh and do not think a wish comes for free. We have to pay a prize for everything, never forget that..." “I do not have a wish. I just want to know what that song is called and what it is about.” I said. The colt sighed once again and began to tell a story. “Dearest miss melody, this song was composed by my beloved one long before the royal sisters had their clash so it goes way beyond your understanding of time. To keep it simple; I and my wife used to be musicians. We were a happy and ambitious couple that encountered a little box on our travels through the place now known as Equestria. The box was meant to be found. The box symbolizes change. The world needs to be in constant change so the box was bound to appear. Do you understand thus far?” I did not. He talked about being older than time and about a mystic box with its own will. I must have found Canterlots old abandoned asylum and there I sat with the last inmate who invited me for some tea. The colt, watching me bursted out in laughter and said “Hey that is a new one. I like it…oh yes I do” Wait…did he...did he just read my mind? “Of course I did, Octavia. I think we can drop the formalities now. My name is Victor van Hellsing. You probably only heard that name in old mare tales and even of that I’m not so sure. Things of the past tend to be forgotten, or even have to be forgotten…” “Well Victor, if that’s your true name, why are you still alive when you are this old.” I asked cautious. “The answer lies within the box. This, my little mare, is the thing that changes everything. This box grants wishes for a price. My wife and I read the inscription on the outside that said it would grant us our hearts desire. I wished to stay always with my wife. She said she would have wished for the same but it’d be boring to wish for the same thing so she wished for her music to be concerved for eternity.” “So that song is hers?” I asked with awe, nearly forgetting that everything he said could have been lies. “You are quick to catch on but no. My wife, Pandora, became part of the box, singing her lament for all eternity and now it is my duty to guard her. The box cannot be broken and people who are bound to meet it will encounter it. I can only warn you, tell you to forget about your wishes or to think them throughly. Do not state a wish you haven’t formulated perfectly.” “Who were this people who used the box? Were all of them famous? Did they change the world?” I asked with curiosity. “Some of them were, some of them were not. Just recently, not even three decades ago, a small filly entered my mansion. She wasn’t courageous and very shy. She was a unicorn with a lot of magical capabilities and she wanted to wish for more self-esteem. The personality of the little girl, I think she was called miss lulamoon, completely changed. She became very conceited but it seems as she has traded most of her magical power for her new character. He paused there, waiting for my reaction. I must have looked not very convinced so he went on. If you want to know a pony more famous who stated a wish in front of the box I could name Starswirl the bearded. He wished to understand the absolute order of all the things and their existence. The knowledge drove him mad. He came to the conclusion that all of nature’s laws are fragile and can be broken easily. Knowing about order made him transcend it, believing only chaos was absolute. He mysteriously disappeared laughing after he realised that and said that maybe in the future we could meet again…for tea, bloodshed or some games. A strange fellow indeed…” “So a pony could wish for anything?” I said with my mouth wide open. I really began to believe that colt. “You could but you shouldn’t. The wish for power to protect your friends could turn into the power of a tyrant ruling a kingdom with fear. The wish of a mare wanting to overcome her sister could turn into her descending into darkness. I have seen it all…” “Your life must have been very sad Victor… So much tragic things...I do not envy you” I told him. He froze. I did not know why. After a few minutes he suddenly had a smirk on his face. A smirk his serious face only showed once before, the time when he laughed at my thoughts. “You amaze me Octavia. I told you about the things the box could do and you care more about me than about it. A unique being…maybe there is still hope for ponykind, maybe…” I was a little bit emberassed so I tried to change the topic a litte. “You said you were a musician? What kind of instrument did you play Victor?” “I used to play the violin but that was long ago. My daughter loved when I played it. She always wanted to capture the hearts of people the same way I captured hers, by music. My dear daughter, how long has it been…” he said and his face became a lot gloomier. “It must be hard to survive all the ones you love, a sad story, a life in the shadows of ponykind.” I said with a serious expression. We talked through the whole night and both of us really enjoyed our conversation but all good things would eventually come to an end. This nice hours ended abruptly when I realised how late it was. I talked far too long with this pony. The hours flew by and I didn't recognise how long we were talking. I had a performance in the next few hours. I simply had to go otherwise I would be in big trouble. I told Victor that I would visit again. He answered with a subtle smile that he hopes that for himself but is scared about my wellbeing if I did. He said that being with him and near the box brings misfortune most of the time. I laughed at that and told him that he must be wrong. He wasn’t…I was. -(3)- The scratched Melody -(3)- The scratched Melody Did you ever have to realise that your grip on reality had loosened and you started to live in a world of fairy tales? No? Be happy! I realised far too late what was happening to me. All my free time I spent at Victor’s mansion. Was I that fascinated by him? Was it still curiosity or was it something more? If you think it might have been love…you are wrong. This colt would never love someone other than his daughter or his wife, Pandora. I could also never love him as an equal. He may have taken the place of a brother, a guide or even a father for me but certainly not the place of a lover. He told me about stories you couldn’t imagine. About a faceless pony that strolled through the woods looking for something. Stories about vampires: Yes according to him they truly existed in ancient times. He even told me that he was featured in some books as THE pony who killed the vampireking. I giggled when he said they got his first name wrong on purpose. His was apparently not sounding traditional enough and so they called him Abraham. I told him that I would fetch him one of those vampire books with him as the main actor but he refused my offer. He simply replied that he already knew three different versions of the story and none of them mentioned why the vampire came to be. They were always portrayed as vicious monsters and their true intentions were never explained. According to Victor the first vampire wished to resurrect the one she loved. She had to give up on her own life to accomplish her goal but her lover came back as a cursed being. He was neither alive nor dead and...he was all alone. Grief consumed the poor colt and after realising he couldn't bring back his wife he went mad. He tried to destroy the box that was responsible for this tragedy but Victor had to put a stop to him and his minions. All this brings us back to the strange box. I noticed Victor slowly started to relaxed near me and stopped always watching the box from the corners of his eyes. I guess I could even have made a wish without him noticing it back then but why would I do that…I was happy with my life …or so I thought. Another funny fact about the box was that if I had tried to destroy the box he would have to try and end me. According to him he has a link with the box which acts like a sixth sense that forces him to stop every danger to immediatly or pre-emptive. He had no choice about that, not back then with the vampires and not now. It really scared me to find out that this colt is the toy of well…a thing that seems like a toy? I’m not sure how to explain it…for me it is just really really weird. He also told me that he used to sing back in the day. When I asked how he sounds I told him that I expected something heavenly they way it is described in a fairy tale. He chuckled and replied that it was more of a song from the depths of hell. At first I didn’t get that he was making a joke about his name…I must have looked really scared taking him all serious and stuff. Well, enough about me and Victor. Do you want to know what happened to the mare called Octavia outside her life in her little dreamworld? Well, reality took its toll. My thoughts did always wander, I missed up a lot in my performances and my ensemble…well they kicked me out. Me! Just imagine that! It was the first time in my life I had to deal with being completely worthless. Whatever happened to me before wasn’t that bad because I could at least rely on my natural talent for music. Now even that wouldn’t help me. Naturally things look grim from time to time I told myself and at some point everything would turn for the better I thought. I was wrong...again. Two days after I lost my job I received a letter from my mother. It was the worst possible message I could have received. I was invited to a burial…the burial of my grandmother. I was devastated when I read the note. She died two weeks ago and nopony told me. It was so obvious. Mother never cared about Grandmother, they hated each other. She never felt the need to tell me about her death but to keep the appaerance of a happy family we all had to come mourning and look our part. Oh how I hate that part about my mother. Grandmother was a mare like no other. She was hard working, had a direct personality and never cared about what others thought about her. No wonder mother, who was just the opposite, could never get along with her. How great…now the only family member of mine who I really loved was gone. Then a shocking thought crossed my mind. Grandmother used to pay my rent. She always used to help me stand on my own hooves. My parents would never pay for my living expenses. For them I was a disappointment. Neither did I become famous nor truly a part of high society so they did not profit from me at all. The only thing they care about is their reputation. After the birth of their second daughter, my sister, I just turned out to be even more of an unwanted third wheel. She wasn’t very old back then, just a toddler, but she already had to go through a lot of courses teaching her to fit into nobility. She also has to learn the harp and the piano…they expected great from her. She wouldn't let them down because she turned out exactly the snob they wanted her to become but that does not matter back then. The problem was my living expenses were too high and everything grandmother left would belong to mother and father. It was an awful situation. I couldn’t live on like before and I couldn’t go back to them…really that was impossible…my sanity was at stake. So there I was sitting in my dark room and watching the walls. I couldn’t ask any friends, it would have been embarrassing for them to know. Well to be honest my so called "friends" back then were all just a bunch of snobby mares and colts who were…well snobs. Vinyl used to call them “oily slug ponies” or something like that. She was right I guess…*giggle* My family was out of question, it would be horrible no matter how it turned out. Victor…well...how do I put it... Victor scared me a little. I think he is fascinating but he is also very scary. If this colt watches you he seems to directly look into your soul…oh and he does in fact read minds on a regular basis...so he was out of the question as well. I did not want him to know all of my thoughts especially not those I have before I go to bed…yes at least some privacy would be nice. I just sat on my plot and thought and thought until I heard some drunks outside singing something they must have heard obviously in one of Canterlots cheap bars . I took a breath and ordered my thoughts. When was the last time I got completely wasted and didn’t have to think about my problems? Right... probably never. I told myself that if those low class ponies could enjoy their life without worries I deserved to do that too. I'd just hav to force mysel to have fun…even if it kills me. Yes...I was really desperate back then...do not remind me of that...it makes me blush even today when I think about that now. So I went down the dark roads of Canterlot avoiding my usual spots and tried to go where the second and third rate ponies used to have fun. Yes, a high class mare like me really checked out the cheapest nightclubs…and I didn’t even think about my reputation…well after a few appletinis I didn’t care about it that is. So there I was, sweaty, drunk and looking like a mess. It was great. I did not remember anything until I woke up. I regained my senses in a narrow room with a lot of equipment lying around the floor. The equipment seemed to be for some kind of electronic music or something. I did not know. That kind of music never had been a concern of mine. There were a lot of posters on the wall. Some of them showed a white unicorn mare with big purple glasses and others a colt dressed in black with a white tie and dark glasses. I felt kind of dizzy. Slightly irritated by some pressure on my ribs and the strange heaving I felt on my chest I looked down at my body. There was the same mare sleeping on top of me that grinned from the posters. That could not have happened… except it did. I had a fling with a DJ? Me? I abruptly tried to sit up and…well someone had to take the fall…so this overly relaxed DJ fell of the bed. Both of us let out a shout, me because of my slow reaction and she…because of the huge bruise on her head. “Hey, beautiful finally up? Try to have some fun in the morning as well?” she said with a smirk. I knew it, it really must have happened, great Octavia, you just did great. “I didn’t get your name last night. You were too busy screaming how good I am.” she tried again after she realised I was frozen solid. Then the door was opened with a loud bang. “Vinyl! Again? In my room? With another groupie? Why do I always have to…argghhh you make me sick you stupid DJ wannabee!” “Wannabee? You know that I am the one and only true DJ of this city?” “Of this city? You wish! Maybe of this bedroom! It seems that half of Canterlot sleeps in this bed but not its rightful owner.” “Well you said I could sleep here any time I want!” “I was just referring to the time were you still have to look for a room you loon! …and by the way I meant with me!” “You know I like girls!” “To the point that they can’t walk afterwards…yeah I know” They went on verbally like that for five more minutes and I was just sitting there in, what I later heard Neon Lights bed. I really messed up big times but a strange idea started to form in my head. It may have been thanks to my hangover but this mare maybe she could be of some help to me. “Vinyl...was it? Do you mind if I offer you a deal?” “You want to do it again? Woohoo, you truly are one awesome mare!” “That was not…I...you need a place to live right?” I said, starting to get really annoyed. Neon rolled his eyes saying something like "mares" and wandered off. Maybe he thought I wanted to have some more fun with the girl called Vinyl and rather passed on our dirty talk. Right after he left the door Vinyl rolled around laughing on the floor and said “His face, his face, have you seen his face…” She took around five minutes rolling around the floor laughing like a manic until she found the composure to tell me what "really" happened the night before. We never had something with each other. She only acted like that to make fun of the colt who just left the room. She also said that I acted like a party animal the previous night. I took the stage for myself and she took a liking to me. I must have had a lot of “cool flashy moves” and I even performed with an e-guitar which I used like a cello. It had been "so awesome" I was told. Furthermore was I the only mare besides her who she knew who had such flashy manecolors. Wait, did she say flashy…mane…colors? I rushed to the mirror and well, I think I had the biggest shock in my entire existence. My mane was colored black and red. I looked just like a jester and well…whatever it was that could describe vinyl. At that moment I truly hoped that no one had recognised who this crazy party mare really was. The DJ…surprised by my rather stiff reaction at the mirror started to joke around how I was in the newspaper as Canterlots newest celebrity and that my parents already declared I was disinherited. She made me smile even though my situation seemed worse than it ever was. She then proceed to talk. “To introduce myself again my name is Vinyl Scratch, one of the most famous DJs in all of Equestria.” she said and bowed down extravagantly. I chuckled and told her my name. I then asked her again if she wanted to move in with me. She seemed to beam when I asked her that. She may have thought that I would let her stay for free because her smile looked so forced after I told her that I have not enough money to live by myself anymore. She seemed to think it through and after a while she said that she understood my financial situation and that paying half of the rent would not be that much of a problem for her. With a big grin on her face she said that the true problem would be to live together with a DJ and not losing my sanity. Maybe you guessed it already but she was right…it would prove difficult to live together with her. “By the way Vinyl”, I asked “Do you really like mares or was that just to get rid of Neon?” I asked curiously. “So what would you do if it was true?” she asked sheepish. I shrugged my shoulders. It didn’t matter anyway…I did need someone to help me pay the rent. She may not be perfect but I had to take the bet… “Oh and Tavi, do you have two bedrooms or do we share a bed?” Maybe it was a bad idea after all… -(4)- Lost ComposureSome ponies may say that the rain itself is the cause of depressions but I know better. The rain makes one reflect upon his or her past, how things happened and more important why things happened. Those are the most common thoughts one has while watching the rain. The other thing you will realise is that the sound of the rain is relaxing but if you listen for too long, it just becomes as repulsive as every other repetition. Yeah that is exactly the thing that annoys me the most: All things in my life tend to repeat themselves and it disgusts me. When finally the wheel of fate started to move I had to realised that change doesn’t come without a price. I had lost my grandmother and would have to pay my rent without her help. I had found a pony to share my apartment with but she was well…it is hard to describe…maybe not very conventional would be a good choice of words I guess. Heck, how else should I know how to describe a DJ for crying out loud? She would turn out to be a problem, one of many. I even started to list all of my problems. First and foremost I had to find a job and I had to find it soon. Then I had to attend the funeral the next day…oh how much I anticipated mothers fake tears. The next problem would be her, the DJ-mare who would move in with me sometime this week. Oh and just for your information she didn’t even bother to tell me when she moves in because she had obviously better things to do. Then I also had the problem with Victor. This one is a bit hard to explain. I wanted to spend more time with him and at the same time I wished to distance myself from his world. His existence simply made my life a lot harder. Thanks to him I always had my head in the clouds and even lost my job. So I had a lot of problems going on back then and guess what…I didn’t try to take them on the most efficient way by taking out the biggest first...no. I tried to distract myself by sorting out the less annoying ones. I made a mental map of my apartment and distributed it between the DJ and me in my head already. At the same time I was wandering through the streets of Canterlot once again. When I finally stood at Victor’s porch a strange thought started to occupy my mind. The wish…I could use the wish to make my life happier. A life without problems. Yes that was what I needed the most. I entered Victor’s home beaming like the sun itself but he looked at me with pity and simply said: “No, it doesn’t work that way”. I looked a little ashamed. I hated to be read like a book. It made me even more unsure about myself than I usually was. To make things short; Victor told me that my wish couldn’t be fulfilled. A life without complications and absolute happiness was unachievable because the price would have been too high. Maybe I would have been put into coma only dreaming about the perfect and happy life I wanted. Another possibility would be that other ponies had to die in order for me to receive the exact amount of happiness needed to make my life perfect. It was a rather disappointing turn of events. So we just sat there and talked about trivial stuff. I told him about my problems and he just chuckled the whole time. He told me that losing a job wasn’t the end of the world and that I shouldn’t fear my mother because she had not control over my life, only I had. It was quite refreshing. He also told me that maybe the mare who’d move in with me might become a very good friend who would like my character and not just my status. He was really good at comforting and found a positive aspect to nearly all of my problems. The only thing where he did not find anything good was about me visiting him all the time. I was completely annoyed by his attitude concerning our friendship. I mean this wasn’t some cheap kind of vampire romance where the main protagonist, a vampire, didn’t want his girlfriend to be hurt, this was just us. We chatted a little while about this and that and after a while he sent me off, telling me to stay away from his place for the next few hours. That was new…he never did that before. I really wanted to investigate that but he also told me to hurry home, shut the doors and do not get worked up too much because…a storm was coming. I hurried home as fast as I could but nothing would have been enough to prepare me for what was coming. The storm he spoke of wasn’t the storm I expected. It was a bucking shitstorm! It didn’t take me long to get home but when I stood there right in front of my apartment it seemed like the gates of hell had opened. All my neighbours gathered before my apartment and started to complain. About what you ask? Well, guess who finally decided to move in. Yes…she was the reason! Or…to be more concrete her deafening music. I thought there was something wrong when I heard loud music three blocks ago but you couldn’t imagine my face when I found out it was coming from my apartment. Well, the loud music wasn’t all that bad…at least I didn’t understand all the complaints and insults of my agitated neighbours. Oh that mare had it coming… When I finally reached the inside of my apartment she greeted me as if nothing happened. “Hey Tavi, baby! Wazzup !” she said with a big smile. Even though it was amazing that her voice was still louder than the music I couldn’t help but to disregard that fact for just a moment and tell her the only thing that was on my mind. “Are you completely nuts? What the hell do you think you are doing?” I screamed. “House warming party? Is this the first one you ever attended?” she said still beaming. “You know what I mean! Drop this stupid act right now!” I shouted angrily. “What did you say? I should drop the bass?” “Oh don’t you dare…” Oh well guess what, she did. I thought my head would explode every minute. I tried to calm down, I tried to be rational but… “What the hell are you doing you psycho? Stop right now before I kill you with my own hooves!” “What did you say? I can’t hear you! I am too busy being awesome!” That did it! I snapped. Well, I wish I could have said I just pulled the plug. No, I did not. I smashed the stupid speakers. What? Did you really think my patience has no limits? Well, I’d come to regret that decision soon. The white mare had her mouth wide open when she saw what I did. I thought now she’d start screaming at me but…she started to laugh. “And here I thought you were just a grumpy old mare who thought she had class. I guess now both of us know that the later wasn’t true.” she said still giggling like an imp. I was surprised. Surprised about her and surprised about me. She was not mad at me and I did not strangle her. I think that worked out quite well…except it did not. “Well, tavi…that was fun but you have to pay for the speakers you just demolished.” There it was, the catch I was waiting for. So she was a cold calculating mare…ah I should have expected that from an entertainer. Of course she only played the carefree pony it should have been obvious that she was not really that crazy…she... “I give you three options Tavi! First option: You pay up…now! Second one: I do not have to pay rent for the next half year. Third one…hmm let me think…” and she started to giggle again. “What?” I said. “You could pay ma back with your body!” I must have looked really dumbfounded. She laughed and laughed at my misery…the same way all the others always did. After catching her breath she started to be rather calm and collected and began to talk. “You know girl…those speakers were trash. I just wanted to test the acoustic here. I was going to dispose of them anyhow. So you don’t owe me anything. Now there is just one more thing I want to know!” “What?” I asked visibly relieved. “Would you have taken option number three?” Great…now I live together with a mare who had obviously the sickest taste of humour…ever. Well, at least she was just trying to be funny and did not try to make my life purposely harder. Now I just had to tell her that she had to behave a little more and everything would be fine….well maybe “okay” would be the better word… “Vinyl…if you want to live here you have to accept a few things.” “Tavi you already know I’d accept your love anytime!” “Vinyl I’m trying to be serious here!” “Me too…” “Arghhh…you know what I mean. I just wanted to tell you that the neighbours complained because you were far too loud. You can’t do something like that here. We live in a rather posh quarter.” “Oh don’t you worry. I contacted the owner of the apartment beforehand and told him that it gets a little louder after DJ P0N3 settles in. He dealt a hard bargain but after signing just three autographs for him and his two kids I got what I wanted.” “You are kidding right…” “Why would I kid about something like that?” I facehoofed…maybe a little too hard (it was visible for the next hours). That mare most certainly was not to be underestimated. So everything turned out to be fine from her point of view burt how did she think I would be able to cope with my neighbours from now on? It isn’t like Vinyl could have bribed all of them. “Tavi…earth to Tavi…are you in there?” “Eh what…pardon me, I was a little…lost…” “Yeah I see that. I just tried to tell you that all of my stuff comes tomorrow. As you see the only thing I managed to get here today was that…” she said and pointed at the garbage pile that had once used to be a speaker. “Tomorrow? Tomorrow would be terrible. I already have a funeral to attend to…this might be a little too much” I said hoping she would postpone her plans a little. “Don’t you worry I did not plan to move in before the evening anyway…” Oh dear Celestia…I do not know what will be worse…my encounter with mother or the moment this lunatic really moves in… -(5)- FriendshipDid you ever fight a monster that knew all your weaknesses and was willing to exploit them? Yes? Well that’s funny…and here I was thinking that I was the only pony who has troubles with her mother. It was a beautiful day in Canterlot as beautiful as the typical cold autumn day could possibly get. The sun shined, the wind brushed through the last leafs and there wasn’t even the trace of a cloud in the sky. Oh, it would have been such a great day if there wasn’t that funeral today. To tell you the truth, I really loved my grandmother but I’d rather not see her off. I knew everything would turn out like a farce with my family around. I already had enough problems in my life without an annoying mother that would only make my life worse. How happy I’d be if this day comes to an end. After the funeral I would go straight home and take a long nap…oh sweet nothingness, how much do I enjoy your grasp… Oh, wait…the newest addition to my household would move in…so much for my happy time. I really hope that she would act a lot calmer today, if not she was dead meat. There was no way the encounter with my beloved mother would not put a strain on me, so Vinyl would be better off hiding… Then something strange happened. The doorbell rang…at 8:00AM…oh the nerve. And guess who it was…yes…CAPTAIN OBVIOUS and she rang again. I already wore my mourning dress and she looked really startled when I opened the door. “Oh, sorry I just…” she started. I sighed deeply and just told her to come in. I still had some coffee left which I offered her. She sat down and she told me that she had a night performance that ended four hours ago and thought it was a good idea to drop in. Originally she wanted to have some fun with me because she wrongly assumed that the funeral story was just made up. She thought I only created it so that I can clean up some embarrassing stuff or do some other boring things. I was somehow hurt by this distrust…however from her point of view it must have truly looked that way. As bad as her appearance that morning was…it at least distracted me from the things which were still to come. She told me a lot of gossip which was not really that interesting to me but I let her talk. Suddenly she had undivided attention. She mentioned that she had been fired already a week ago and that today was her last paid performance she had at that club. She did not like the club anyway and the best thing that happened to her was that she met me there. I was honestly surprised. So she does see me like a close friend already. I felt a little ashamed that I only thought about her as an annoying inconvenience until now. I told her that I also lost my job just recently and had a hard time to pay the rent but I was happy that it was specifically her that wants to move in and help me out of my pitch. She took a deep breath and told me what she was thinking right now, all of it. She told me that she was really “pissed” at the first part of my sentence because it seemed that I didn’t care whoever pony it was who moves in as long as they paid the rent. She then went on that the second part however made up for that and she seemed to blush a little… Wait she…she blushed…did I…what exactly did I say? Did I say some cheesy line like: ” I’m so happy that you came into my life?” I don’t think I did. No…it was just my imagination and by the way…we were both mares…there was no way that she could seriously be into… Well, to continue her small talk; she told me that she had been kicked out because her payment was too high for the club owner. When I asked her how much it was she simply replied that it wasn’t that much and the owner just couldn’t afford her and Neon. The audience consists majorly of young mares and they rather had their sexy colt DJ. All the colts however would have voted for her she tried to insure me. I just couldn’t hold it any longer and let out a loud laugh. “So you really can laugh if you do not drink…I am really happy…so you are not just a dull mare afterall…” “Me, dull? I am in no way dull. I merely try to hold up to the standards given by society and…” “Oh…so you are just as dull as your environment, I get it…” “No…that…” “Hey Tavi, you heard that noise two minutes ago...” “Pardon?” I asked slightly confused. “There must have been a bore-o-meter explosion somewhere two minutes…you know…cause you just laughed and stuff…” “Ha ha…very funny” I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes. She asked me if there was still something left in the fridge. She wanted to “grab a bite” because she still felt kind of hungry after her job. She didn’t even sleep before she visited me. She did walk around Canterlot waiting until it was more timely to drop in...so in her view she tried to be considerate showing up at 8:00 AM. I took mercy on her and told her she could take what she wanted. She decided on a sandwich and some cold cocoa. On the way back to the living room she suddenly realised that I had a cello. Dumbfounded she looked at me and the cello. I waited for her to get her composure back…well she never had some…so it would take her a bit longer I thought. Somehow it took that long that I couldn’t stop myself from letting a loud “WHAT?” escape. She sat down and asked me if I played it as a job or if it is more like a hobby. I asked her if she ever attended some high class parties. I told her that even if she had, she would probably never notice me because I just played in the background at those parties. She was kind of impressed. She told me that she thought my drunken performance at the club was already awesome as it was but now she finally knew why what made it so special. I never received much praise. People always tend to ignore me at work or act if whatever I did was the thing I was supposed to do…it was the saddest part of my job. It didn’t matter to those nobles if I played something easy or something hard…they did never comprehend the difference. This mare most certainly could…even though I probably wasn’t at my peak playing in a state of drunken frenzy she saw it. I wanted to show her how it was when I played seriously...I simply had to... So I took a big breath and started to play my cello for real…for her. I began with something easy, switched to something hard and watched how her expression changed whenever I changed the way how and what I played. The first time after some years I truly felt happy for myself. to play, She then asked me something strange. I should either play something I had composed myself or at least the work of an unknown artist. She wanted to hear something different from all these classics pieces. The thing that nearly made me drop my chin was when she started to compare all of the works and their componists. She explained in which way they thought and what she particularly liked about every single piece. That mare certainly wasn’t uncultivated…she just chose to appear a lot simpler than she truly was. I thought a little bit and then I started to play the lullaby I heard at Victors place. Vinyl seemed to like it but she probably thought the same thing I did. The glory was missing…the original was so glorious and I did not understand what I did wrong. Well, it didn’t matter, Vinyl applauded. She then said something that really made me finally understand her being. Well, you can't really understand VInyl Scratch but what she said gives you a rough sketch of her point of life. “Every piece you played was grace- and beautiful but this music is nothing new. It belongs to the past. I hate to try and copy others. I want to be myself. I want to be a different me every day and so I also strife to make different music, new music. I also do not want to do it for others but for myself. The last piece you played was not as great as the works of old but it had the beauty of something unheard...” She was truly unique. All the old classics she knew them, even respected them to some point but in the end she decided against them, against tradition. All of her life seemed like a rebellion against old…a rebellion against society. Maybe that was the difference between us. I tried to cope with society she did not. I chose order, she chose chaos. It all made sense now. So she is not crazy, just creative. I guess we were on par all along we just utilized what was given to us differently. I giggled after my realisation and she gave me a weird look. “I was serious! I know it is hard to understand but I really think that way Tavi so you shouldn’t make fun of me…” “Oh I know…I just…think it is funny how similar we are and yet so different.” She looked at me and a smile was forming. I guess it was also the first time for her that somepony accepted her flawed existence, accepted her the way she was. It seems as if our fates became connected…because I as well managed to get my first true friend at the same moment as her. Finally when I found someone I wanted to talk to all day long, I had to leave. The funeral was still at hand had to fulfil my duty. Vinyl asked if she could sleep at my apartment while I was away. Her furniture would come later that day anyhow so I didn’t see a reason to refuse. She fell asleep before I even left the room. Can you believe that? I still had to face my mother but at least I had a friend now who would get my back, no matter what happened. I was happier than ever before but how long would this happiness last? -(6)- HollowWhy does the word “funeral” contain the word “fun”? Obviously it is in name only but it feels kind of ironic. Why would I mention that you ask? Well…it worked the same way with “Octavia” in “Octavias family”. I as well most certainly was part of my family in name only. I was walking down the roads of Canterlot, my destination? Canterlots central cemetery. It was a big compound and you could see that only the rich could afford it to be buried here. Grandmother would have liked to be buried somewhere else of that I was sure. However mother decided on the place for her last rest. It might have seemed nice to outsiders, even considerate but I knew better. She only did it to keep up the façade of a happy family and to show everypony that our family is top notch. On my way to the mourning hall I passed all kind of different tombstones and ponies. One of them seemed to look directly at my face when I passed him and the small grave in front of him. Maybe he was one of those ponies who were in need of attention…well why would I care you ask? I had no idea…something about him seemed off…and I couldn’t put my hoof on it. Was I imagening things? Did I already develop some kind of paranoia because of the strange events that happened recently in my life? I went on until I reached a rather big building…built of marble. I took a deep breath before I opened and entered the hall. I knew I had to be strong. Then the obvious took place… Mother greeted me as soon as I entered the mourning hall. She already cried…great. That was one of Equestrias best actresses in action…a pity she had to retire due to my birth. Oh yes, I was one of the nails in the coffin that was once her life. My little sister stood also there, crying fountains. Funny how she never had any contact with grandmother because mother forbade it. Bad influence she used to call her. This little filly, she didn’t even know her grandmother and still there she was, crying as if it mattered to her. Then there was my father. He tried to look very grim and sad but I thought his expression was stoic. No tears, no cries. He stood there with exactly the composure a noble should have. He played the grieving son in law way better than I expected him to be honest. Well his facial expressions are a mystery to me anyhow…it probably was the first time he even tried to use his mimic for all I knew. Then there was me. I wore a mourning garb like mother but I did not cry. I just stood there and silently watched the whole ceremony in a state of emptiness. The priest began to comfort us with words of consolidation I didn’t even heard. I just looked at the dead mare in the coffin. It felt unreal. Well she was gone and won’t come back. The burial went over very quickly. Mother did not invite anypony…it wasn’t high class to make a fuss over the death of a family member, especially ony you are ashamed of. If my end came before hers I would also have no visitors other than my decorative family. The cleric left us after the ceremony was finished. When we finally were alone mother was already back to her usual cold business mode. She told me that I should accompany them to the noble café near the cemetery. I certainly did not want to but I sighed and gave in. We sat there together in the café. An outsider may have accidently thought we were a happy little family…oh to keep a charade was natural to us. We ordered some coffee and my mother began to talk. “Octavia, darling. A weak performance…and there I thought you really liked mother. No tears…I mean really? You could have done better. I already told you how to cry at will. You looked so cold and distant. Well, that stern look also had its merit…so it probably won’t matter much…” Was she always such a schemer you ask? Yes…she always was like that, since the day of my birth. “Honey, could you please use your horn to eat. Your sister may not have one and is therefore excused from lacking manners at the table but you shouldn’t take too much after her. She is a bad role model…after all she has to live with the misfortune of being born as a simple earth pony.” And there she started that topic again…just great… “Not that it is your fault in any way Octavia darling…and talking about faults… I heard you messed up pretty big at your last few performances my dear. There are even rumours that you lost your job. Those a probably just gossip…am I right?” She asked if she didn’t know but that terrifying witch knows everything that goes on in Canterlot. “Well, it isn’t that big of a deal, even if it was true. To be honest I just quit on my own. I wanted to have some free time to compose and try something new. I still intend to acquire some independence and work alone in the future…“ “But of course you do…I expected nothing less from you.” Of course she knew I just lost my job… …and of course she hoped that I find a way to earn money… ..and of course she still hoped that I would get famous on my own after all… ...and all of that just so that she can bask in my glory. It was always about her…it never was about me…oh how I hated that mother of mine. “Well Octavia…how do you plan to pay your rent now that you take a few weeks of?” Oh did she try to get some more control over this conversation…oh the nerve… “Starting today I’ll share my apartment with an amazing mare. She already has accepted to pay half of the rent so everything works out well…” “Good to hear. It would have been bad if a colt moved in with you. Just think about the rumours. It would have been unsightly. Well…so what does she do?” “She also makes music…that is probably the reason she wanted to move in with me. It’s not that hard to conclude, don’t you think so too? ” That one was nice. I got her with news she did not know and I also made a fool of her while at it. “What instrument does she play?” Maybe I should have thought my previous statement through. I had to come up with something on the spot but I think I did well… “Well she is very versatile. She can play a few instruments and she knows a lot of classic pieces.” “Oh...that sounds pretty solid…anything more that is to know about her?” “Well I do not know that much about her after all she’ll just move in today.” “Oh, well do not lose your composure around her. She might think you are weak and you know that you cannot let that happen right? Oh I know how hard it is for you, Octavia. You are the most hot tempered pony in our family. You never seem to be calm and collected. Even now you are barely managing.” Yes, right. I wished I could have rolled my eyes back then. All of that simply must have been the reason why the fillies in school always called me ice princess and treated me like a snob.Oh the irony… I really hated those family come togethers. However, today I managed great. I did not mess up around mother and I did not snap like I did at Vinyls “housewarming party” and most importantly I did not mention that she was a DJ. Mother will think of her as a high class musician and I'm rather fine with that. Now there was only one thing I had to wait for…the real reason she wanted to talk to me. She only cared about family when there was something she wanted. All this information gathering was just a diversity for her true aim and the more weakpoints she found while preparing to state her true intention the better it was for her. “Oh and darling have I already mentioned that your father and I want to take a five day trip to the crystal empire starting this weekend? We already managed to get a fillysitter for the last few days but we would be glad if you could watch over your little sister at the first day. Due to some personal circumstances the fillysitter can’t make it for first day. Luckily you seem to have some spare time now and even without a degree in child pedagogy you would suffice for just one day.” There it was…oh no…this I had to avoid at any cost. If my sister came close to my apartment she would tell my parents about Vinyl and then something other than the bass would drop… “There is no problem concerning that. When you depart I’ll see you off and afterwards I just take care of my sister.” “Oh, I did not anticipate you’d accept that quickly but…all the better.” she said while lost in thoughts. She was probably trying to find out why I did agree so quickly and what I could have been hiding... Well she wouldn’t get an answer from me even if she asked. Knowing that she would think of more things she could demand if I remained any longer I decided to go. Back at home the next pile of work already waited for me, I had to help Vinyl to settle in after all… Well, no matter what still would happen that day...the worst had already passed...or had it ? -(7)- DoubtDid you ever think about the ponies you passed on the street? The ones who looked at you in a very strange way? Was something wrong with them or with me? Were they stalking? Was it just me being insecure or was it even paranoia? I could not tell back then… So, I was leaving the my parents back at the café, letting them enjoy their time pretending they were the best of the best. Why would I care anyway? I had my own problems…and a DJ sleeping in my apartment. I already had to try my hardest to cope with the situation at home and… Who exactly was responsible for the weather in Canterlot that day? That couldn’t be right…just five minutes after I left the café it started to pour. Could it be that life really had it coming for me back then? The weather was still nice when I talked with my parents. Why did it happen exactly when I was on my way home that it becomes like this? Was that some kind of sick joke of the local weathermare? Well…it was disturbingly annoying…at best. I started galloping to the next bigger building trying to find some shelter. I stood in under a big doorway waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly a strange colt appeared next to me. Looking at how wet his coat was he also got surprised by the rain. Yet he was just another weirdo who liked to stare at me…like that one colt at the cemetery who…wait… Wasn’t that the colt I encountered at the cemetery? I tried to remember but I couldn’t. He was there I knew…but I had forgotten his appearance. Even know he looked at me the same way as before. I casually began to talk. “Oh it seems I was not the only one who was surprised by the weather…” “Seems so…” he answered very calm…still staring at me in a strange way. “Do you know that it is considered impolite to stare at another pony in such a way?” “I do not stare. Maybe you do? If you caught me taking a glance at you…could it be that you are interested in me?” “A glance? You have been looking at me the whole time since you were standing here…” “I would never do something like that…” “And…you did the same thing back at the cemetery!” Somehow the rain suddenly stopped and the colt looked as if I had hit him with a blunt weapon on the head. His eyes went over my body again and again and then…I suddenly realised it…he had the same eyes…the same eyes as Victor…unnatural eyes. “There is no way…you…” he started to talk way more stiff. He seemed disturbed and I somehow felt the strange urge to run…as if danger would arise if I would stay there. That was not good…I followed my intuition and for the first time in my life I was happy that I was that mares daughter. “Oh, did I get that right? So you were following me. You followed me all the way from the cemetery? How cute! So you were interested in me after all. Don’t think I am a fool I know exactly why you took cover here…” and I gave him a wink. I could see him relax…literally. It was what he wished to hear and every filly knew that the sweetest lies were the ones that were born of wishes. “So you knew I was kind of shy…and that a beauty as yours would attract any colt…” he started as if I had seen through him. Oh he wasn’t bad…but be certain that there was no pony alive that could lie better than the members of the melody family. “Well you certainly had luck with the weather if you wanted to get a chance to talk to me…” I continued. I guess I said something wrong because he stiffened a little when I mentioned the weather so I tried to give my lies a bit more of a backbone. “You know…now that the rain is gone you could accompany me to a fancy restaurant. That would make a good impression on a first date…” I hoped he would take the bait. There should be no uncleared suspicions left in that tiny brain of his if he just bought the lie. It was that disgusting type of mare, I really hated to play that helped me out of this pitch. I really acted like the most pitiful love-starved low class mare that could possibly exist and… “Oh that sounds good…” he said, finally with the casual tone he had when he first tried to speak to me. Oh it was priceless. There we were sitting in a fancy restaurant. Me the mourning mare and him the guy who tried to hit on me while doing some comforting. He paid my food, told me funny stories and always mentioned my beauty. This would have ended just great the way I planned it…with me telling him that nothing will ever happen on a first date with me. With that I would get rid of him…at least for the time being. Well there was one little thing I had not planned. Two ponies just entered the restaurant. Both of them wore fancy sunglasses and one happened to be my new roommate. BUCK IT! Things just got screwed over the turntable. Octavia…you were really out of luck. Wait…why did it matter that they could believe I was dating him…why did it bother me so? Vinyl and Neon sat down a few tables away. They did not recognise me instantly but after five minutes of joking with each other they also saw me…sitting there in the mourning garb with a guy hitting on me. Just when she got up…probably to confront me to explain the situation…I told my escort I had to go to the restroom. Vinyl followed me. Oh I accepted something bad but...I wasn’t prepared for what would hit me. “Mourning eh…yeah suuuure seems to look like it. Who is your friend? Never thought it would be appropriate to tell me that you were dating that guy heh? Everything is alright as long as I pay the rent huh?” I felt…strange. She didn’t scream at me, she was just completely disappointed. She trusted me and I fooled around with a colt pretending to be at a funeral. Yes Octavia…you understood what she might have thought and you could just explain it to her. “I guess I just pay you the rent for the year and buck off. You only seem to care about yourself like all the other snobs…or do you want to explain that to me…don’t even bother…I don’t care.” I just slapped her. I slapped her again…and I slapped her one time more. I never thought that anyone could make me that mad. She still looked at me with disappointment and had a fake smile on her face acting as if she liked my reaction. “You are certainly the most stupid, self-centred and self-pitying mare I have ever seen. Do you even know how I feel when you tell me all your stupid speculations about me and that weirdo?” I told her with my voice, slowly starting to break. My cheeks were wet…when did I begin to…well it didn’t matter. I had that stupid DJ mare in front of me and I would give her at least one or two more whacks. Suddenly her eyes lit up… “So he is a weirdo…eh? Why are you dating then, huh?” I slapped her, just as intended. This stupid mare she deserved so much more slaps than I could ever dish out. Yeah…that was the part of Vinyl Scratch that people tend to forget. She was simply a whiny and self-pitying mare whenever things went not her way. “Do you think I wanted to? If there was another option didn’t you think I would have taken it? Do you think that is the kind of pony I like? You truly are low class scum if you think of me like that.” I began to press through my teeth. She began to catch my hits after that. None of them hit anymore and she grinned at me. Oh yes, she truly was the biggest lunatic I knew but I also guess we were friends again. Vinyl told me that she had some kind of idea what was going on. She told me that she couldn’t leave the restroom, thanks to me. Her leaving the restroom, covered in bruises would not help in any way. I had to wash myself so that I wouldn't look like a pitiful picture of misery anymore. She then gave me…a card? "The ”queen of spades”? How is that supposed to help?" I asked in wonder. She began to chuckle and told me I should flash the card at Neon when I leave the restroom. He would understand immediatly the hidden meaning conveyed in that message. It is common knowledge to believe in the advice of friends in the times of needs. Well that most certainly is not true if the friend in question is called Vinyl Scratch. Oh…that was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I did as Vinyl said. When I went out the restroom Neon was already waiting for Vinyl and his eyes wandered down the card I just put in my pocket. He sighed. Then he came to our table and looked at me furiously. “Again? You dare to come here again? I tried to ignore you but...you make me sick. All you ever did was make me pay for your dinner and an expensive lifestyle. We are through! Do not follow me again you crazy mare! What about the girl? What about my escort?” “What do you…” I asked still unsure if it was confusion or embarrassment I felt. “The girl I just went here with…don’t tell me you did “that” with her in the restroom.” “I…” and I started to turn red…oh it was so embarrassing. “Every new girl I pick up….gosh. You jealous piece of filth. You only love my money anyway right? Should I just give you a thick check so that you stop ruining my life?” “And you…” and he turned to the colt who sat there next to me, who was frozen like a statue. “She doesn’t love you…she just wants to use you to get on my nerves. Oh and you also end up just like me. Paying for her dinner and other expensive stuff. That girl is a money-mare. She loves nothing but your money.” With that he stood up, threw a coin on my table went back to his. There he left some money for the waiter and walked out of the restaurant with an extremly grumpy expression. The colt next to me began to move again. After Neons speech he looked differently at me...this time it was complete disgust. The colt also left some money for the waiters and left the restaurant without saying another word to me. I went back to the restroom to tell Vinyl how it turned out but I did not need to. She was lying on the floor…of a restroom…think about it…a restroom!...and was rolling around laughing like the maniac she was. Oh, so she knew it would happen “exactly” that way? She probably already forgot about my slaps. Well she was in for the next hundred I guess...just kidding. As embarrassing as it was I head to sigh in relief. He would not follow me again…at least not if his expression was real. I owed Vinyl big times now… “Even though I can’t enter this restaurant ever again I have to thank you Vinyl. There was something very dangerous about that colt…have you seen his eyes?” “His eyes?” she asked. “I can’t remember them…I already can’t remember how he looked at all. Tavi…I think that guy used some kind of magic… Was he even a unicorn…he must have been but I don’t even remember that." “I am just happy we got rid of him!” I said happily. “Oh and Tavi...I think you have a lot of explaining to do…” How would I be able to explain something like that? I didn’t even know myself…but I knew somepony who could be of assistance...but there is one more urgent problem at hand right now. How do we get out of the restroom without causing a commotion? -(8)- What a brittle WorldLife is such a strange thing. At first you struggle alone in this big, big world. At some point in time you are bound to meet ponies to share your loneliness with. However, the second two ponies share their loneliness the concept of loneliness itself becomes non-existent. So, loneliness will be replaced by happiness if you encounter a mind similar to your own. That concept I vaguely started to understand but one thing I did not understand about it… Why did I want to have some distance even though I just filled the gap in my life with opening myself to her? Was it strange? Was I strange? I did not know…I never had a friend like her before…a true friend . I always thought I understood the concept of friendship…I did not…not until I met her... The reason for my complicated thought process should be obvious. After Vinyl and I got out of that restaurant and rid of that creepy stalker she started to dig up a lot of things I had kept to myself. She wanted to hear every little detail about the way my life derailed when I met that certain pony with that certain box. Oh her eyes started to sparkle when I mentioned what the box was capable of. However, the thing that surprised me the most was how calmly Vinyl accepted my stories. She truly believed me…or at least she was a better actress than my mother had ever been. I also told Vinyl about my life before I met her, about the emptiness, the loneliness, the gap in my life that never seemed to fill. She listened to all of it…she did not jest around…she seriously listened to all of it. I was truly happy. Vinyl tried to persuade me to lead her to Victors place. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to make herself a picture of the situation and wanted to find a solution to all of this. The appearance of the strange stalker who evaded our memories more and more made her uneasy as well. To me it seemed like that our current situation just mirrored how the world around us always used to work: Things we do not know make us fear them all the more… Do you now understand the problem I had back then? Of course I wanted her to know as much as possible and of course I wanted her to back me up in my quest to find the truth about all the craziness but… I did not want her to get involved any deeper in my problems. I did not want my newfound friend to suffer through something that had to be my fault to some extent… Even though it took me a long time I made her understand that this time I had to talk to Victor alone. She would, however be able to tag along the next time. Oh…how would I get out of that one? I did not know. Still, I bought some time…and that was all that counted. Her safety was my first priority now. I just hope she did not stir up some deep waters when she helped me get away from the creepy colt. It was no coincidence that he wanted something from me. Seriously no pony coincidently stalked another. I told Vinyl that she should make herself comfortable while I was gone and that it would become late if push came to shove. She looked very worried but put on a grin for me while she started to distract herself with music. Oh if I wouldn’t die from terrible news, my usual circumstances, a psychos stalker or anything else the neighbours would kill me when I came back. Vinyls music was something a normal pony wouldn’t be able to endure for hours… It didn’t use me long to find the way through the alleys of Canterlot. That time I also felt like some kind of prey with a creepy predator behind my back. I was happy when I lost them through ways one couldn’t find with their eyes. When I knocked and Victor opened the door he looked at me with a confused look. Of course…he could sense my paranoia…oh and he probably read my mind as well...I really hated that... He offered me something to drink while he led me to the library. He then politely asked what exactly startled me that much because according to him I looked like a mess. I told him that there was a strange pony at the cemetery who stalked me. He had crimson eyes like Victor and an appearance I already forgot. Victor became very stiff when I mentioned that took a deep breath and sighed loudly. He probably knew what was going on but wasn’t sure how to tell me…well I did not care how he’d tell me...he just had to. “Dear Octavia…do you remember the stories of old I used to tell you? The ones about vampires?” he asked. I gulped. That was moving in the wrong direction. I seriously did not want to hear any more of this. He already knew that but went on as if my reaction was nothing more than a cheerful “yes”. “Those vampires still exist among us. Well, not the savage and brutal ones but there are still a lot of vampires out there that still wander around us.” “Victor…stop kidding around…I mean…why would I start to see them now if they were there all along…” I told him faintly. That couldn’t be true I told myself…he just wanted to get a laugh out of me. “The vampire probably wanted to feed on you. You seemed like a lonely pony…one he could feed on without attracting too much attention. Once a vampire decides on his prey he wouldn't give up on it.” he told me in a serious voice. “B-b-but we got rid of him…” “How so?” he asked in a serious tone. “My friend made me look like a mare who only wanted to use him for my own benefit.” “Ah…impure blood...vampires tend to avoid that…” “I don’t understand…why…isn’t blood just blood?” “Well you could fill yourself a cup with muddy water from a pond or you could drink some vine…” “Oh…so he thought my tast was of? that I was…disgusting?” I asked curiously. “Well yes, he lost interest after he found out about you…” Oh so I was safe as long as I acted impure. That was a good thing to know. Vinyl would be safe as well because she did not seem very innocent to anyone. I guess we were safe. We just had to look out for red eyed…wait…a shocking thought crossed my mind. “Victor…are you one of them as well?” I asked very nervously. “Yes…indeed I was also affected by the curse of vampirism my dear.” he said. My mind went blank. I really messed up big times now. I had to get out of here as soon as possible. Oh if I look back at my behaviour from back then it must have been so much fun for Victor. I reacted in the most hilarious and cliché way ever. I jumped on my hooves and tried to run for the door. Victor just stood there watching me while I was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of heat. The room temperature must have risen by a few degrees. Something was wrong. When I finally stood in front of the door I had to back away. Just before the door their was fire dancing in the air. I looked back and saw a pony wearing the same red evening attire as Victor ablaze. It seemed as if he had caught fire himself a truly disturbing sight...if you asked me. I tried to scream but the heat was too much and…I collapsed. When I came back to my senses I woke up in a big dark bed. Victor was there waiting for me to wake up. This time I knew better than to run away…it would have been pointless anyway. “Well my dear I thought it would prove more effective to show you what exactly it is this world tries to cover up in its shadows.” he said with a calm, soothing voice. I looked at him in disbelief. I could not understand it. Why did such things always happen to me? I just couldn’t put up with anything that confusing any longer and I cried fountains. I cried away all my fear, all my sadness...all that was stuck up my conceited flank for all those years. It jus burst out... He watched me for a few minutes before he started to talk again. “I know it is hard to understand…but be sure…this fiery warhorse knows better than to hurt you. Do you understand? If I wanted to I could have killed you all the time but decided not to.” “Was that the reason why you wanted to chase me off the first time we met?” I asked with a dry throat and a lot of whimpering. “Well…I told you it would bring you no good if you associate yourself with me. I am a monster and I have an artefact that alters ones destiny in my possession. One must not be a genius to figure out bad things will happen when you stay around me.” “So…you killed p-ponies to drink their b-blood?” “No…after we drink their blood we make them forget about us. It is a hard task but at least we do not have to do that a lot as long as we do not overuse our powers.” “Powers? You mean those flames? Vampires can set things aflame by will?” I was shocked. This world was a dangerous place as it was...we certainly did not need any pyromanic vampires causing havoc in Equestria... “It isn’t that easy and you probably would not need to know. However…after putting you through this horrible experience I think I owe you at least some basic information. Every vampire has an ability to control nature to some extent. My ability allows me to raise temperature by will. Those flames came to be because I heated up the dust motes in the air. I also specifically raised the temperature of your body until you collapsed. It was the easiest way to show you. “ “Why didn’t you try another way than scaring the hell out of me and making me collapse?” I asked now really angrily. I mean heck that colt should be wiser than that...I mean after all the centuries he had lived one would suspect that right? “It was the safest way to show you that I had no bad intentions. I did not suck your blood and I did not kill you. You should know that I do not want you to be harmed.” “Maybe you could just have…well talked to me?” I told him agitated. Was he really that dense? “My dear…distrust is something I always want to avoid. However that wasn't my only reason to take actions as I did. Think about what you might have done with your wish if I just talked to you. Maybe you would have unleashed something more terrible than vampires could ever be in your fear. You are the first pony who did not use her wish on the spot...after all. Unknown things use to be far more dangerous than anything you could prepare for.” “So…I…scared you? You reacted like a psycho just because you did not know how to handle an unknown situation?” I asked expecting that he was just playing a joke on me. “Yes.” he said seriously. I wanted to facehoof...situations like that show it once again. Colts were the most helpless when you needed to count on it. Just great...he only relied on his experience and lost the last traces of common sense over the centuries. Well at least I was sure he did not want to hurt me. The information about the nature ability made also sense. So my stalker could make clouds gather and make it rain. Still there was one thing that bugged me a lot. “So…why do I forget how he looked? I didn’t forget you? What kind of trick is that? And why did I just recently start to recognise vampires? Any explanations for that?” I asked. Oh it must have seemed very impolite and demanding but why would I care in such a situation. I needed the answers. “Well, where do I start…hmm..." he said and took a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Yes wiping one pony’s memories is as natural for a vampire as breathing is for you. The reason why you didn't forget me is also easily answered. I allowed you to remember. It is something I have to decide on. Your last question is a little tricky and the answer to it more of a specualtion. I think you can remember a shadow of their existence because of a mistake on my behalf. When I told you off the last time you probably saw the bloodlust in my eyes. You may have not known what it was but once seen you would recognise it anywhere again. It may be called the survival instinct of a sane pony.” “That makes a lot of sense…” I mumbled to myself. “What should I do about them now?” I asked him curiously. “What have you done about them until now?” he said and formed a smile. He then went on. “They do not hurt you and if you act impure they do not even try to drink from you.” “So I should just ignore them?” I asked confused. “Yes that sums it up pretty well…” he said. He then proceeded to offer me some biscuits and we chattered on about me, my life and Vinyl. Still, it was awkward to suddenly realise that ponies were not the only dominant race of Equestria... When I was on my way home I dimly remembered something about a mare who would have been torturing all ponies around with her music. Oh, buck it. I guess I probably would have been easier of to take on all the vampires out there instead of my not so friendly neighbours when I came back home... Well I would find out eventually…and I chuckled at the thought. Nothing could surprisme me anymore...not after all those crazy revelations.... At least my mind was at ease because I knew for certain that Vinyl and me would not be further involved in this world of craziness…or so I thought. -(9)- A vivid NightDid you know that there are two kind of bad dreams? The first kind of dream is grey and depressing but at least you know how to handle it. The second kind is more random and you do not have a clue about what is happening. Now imagine if those two dreams would collide…what do you think would happen? Right! All grey would be flushed down by the rain until everything ends together in a whirl of crazy spinning colours. I did not remember when I went home. The sun had already set and I did not know what it was but it made me feel calm and at ease. Strange…I really enjoyed the cold breeze that blew through my mane. Everything seemed so peaceful; it was just me and the ocean of stars above. I ignored the angry ponies before my house. I ignored the fact that there was a bunch of whiney colts and mares walking beside me and demanding that I had to hold Vinyl in check. I did not care about silly things…never did… Wait…why was I that way… that was not my usual self. Something was terribly off. I didn’t simply not care about my surroundings… in fact it was exactly the opposite most of the time. I did not understand why I was so happy without a reason. I also did not understand why I didn’t care about the tremendous volume of music when I entered my home. Something was definitely off. “Hey Tavi! What took ya so long? I was growing old…and that all alone.” she began to chatter when I went straight into the living room. I looked at a lot of empty beer cans, opened crisp packs, broken plates and anything else one could describe as utter chaos. I ignored it. I moved my hoof into one of the opened packs got myself some crisps and went into the kitchen where I opened a nearly empty bottle of Applejack Daniels which I flushed down my throat. It was strange...I felt nothing. No shame, simply nothing. Vinyls eyes became big. She looked at me in wonder. She knew I was acting strange and I knew I was acting strange. I still did not know why though. What happened to me... “Tavi? Everything alright? I know I overdid it a lil…but no one was there and I felt very worried so I thought that I had to distract myself and…” She continued like that but I just sat on my flank, started to lower the volume of her (new?) speakers a little so that I could hear if she said something important…meh what could be important now. I was so happy…everything felt perfect except…it didn't...nothing made sense. “Tavi? You…you alright? Should I call a doctor?” She looked terrified as if I was about to die. Well something was wrong and we both knew that. Still I wondered what it was but then I understood. Those were not my emotions. Those emotions were the work of one of them… They must have followed me. Maybe it was the same colt who we shook of last time. It would make sense for him to verify if I was just impure or… if I really knew. “Vinyl…come over here…” I whispered softly in her direction. She came closer and I…I pulled her over and kissed her. No! It was not like that… I wasn’t drunk…and it was not love… No, it wasn't love…seriously…believe me. I wanted her to get a glance through the windows. I hope she would see something…but that stupid mare was far too focused on my action. At first she seemed shocked…then she put on a big grin and tried to be all over me but… “Vinyl…listen closely…I think we are being watched.” I told her as softly as possible, stopping any further unnecessary actions of her. “Tavi…? What exactly did you do while you were gone? You are freakin me out…” she said, obviously worried about me and trying to be as quiet as possible “Vinyl…I will tell you everything after…” I started to say but I couldn’t get out anything else because suddenly the doorbell rang. Who could that be…at such a time. Vinyl grinned as if she knew…and I…well I started to get a feeling who it was too. I just let him in, grinning like Vinyl did. Of course who else could it have been but Neon. Just great…two crazy DJs…and my personality still did not work the way I wanted. “Yo Vinyl, hey Tavi…” “Hey Neon! Wanna have a drink? More Applejacks is on the way…” I said and I wandered into the kitchen taking back with me two more bottles. Neons eyes widened now. He stared at Vinyl hoping for some clues about my behaviour but she just shrugged. Soon after we began to drink and Neon and Vinyl were influenced enough by the whiskey that they forgot about my strange behaviour. “So Tavi…seems you are as nocturnal as we are? Would make a good DJ..:” Neon pointed out. “Oh shut ya trap…I do not like to get hit on by girls like you…” I spouted out. Obviously the alcohol kicked in. “It was Neon who just talked to you Tavi…” Vinyl said with a grin. “Oh…I couldn’t tell. I mean he acts so feminine…way more than you ever could Vinyl…” “Touché!” she said with a smirk. “Hey Vinyl…why do you use those crap speakers again? I thought you bought new ones…those here suck! I mean does that quality suck or what?” Neon asked, trying to change the topic. “Well…Tavi…destroyed them somehow…” “She did what? Those things were worth more than what you could earn in a month!” “W-wait a sec…Vinyl said those things were garbage…I…” “Yaaay~ Way to go Douchbag Light! Just make her feel bad…and you wonder why you mess up with the girls all the time? Grow a tail!” Vinyl said furiously. “Duh that was a case for captain obvious anyways! Everyone should have seen that they were very expensive.” “I…did not…” I gulped. “Oh shut yer trap Tavi! There are other things to worry about…” she started and gave me a knowing glare. “My sexiness?” Neon asked while trying to aspirate the word as much as he could. “Your manliness!” me and Vinyl let out at the same time. “Why do I always have to hit on the girls who are interested in the wrong gender?” “Hey…it isn’t like that…” I stumbled out. “So what? Vinyl or me? Who’d you pick?” Neon asked trying to provoke me. “What a strange question! I do not love you…and Vinyl is a girl.” “Hah! She did not say that she did not love me…so I still get my way…” “What the hay was that supposed to…” I was cut off when Vinyl suddenly leaned forwards and kissed me. Oh…that damn drunken mare…she really overdid it. I had probably drunk too much as well because all of a sudden I blushed… “Oh she has gone all cherry head!” Neon spouted. “Cherry what now? No wait I do not even want to…” While we chatted the night away I finally realised three things. First and foremost, those ponies are good people worth more than hundreds of those so called friends I had up until now. The second thing I realised was that Vinyl already moved all of her belongings into my home…probably with Neons help. Finally the most important thing I realised was that after hours and hours my mood started to turn back to its regular state. Sadly the alcohol still worked and so I still was a giggling mess. At around three in the morning Neon decided to go…well Vinyl decided for him. He was rather…well how do you say…grumpy? “Vinyl! You damn psycho! Want me to freeze to death? Every time I help you I get in serious trouble. What kind of pony treats her friends like that and No…w…wait…no…don’t…aaarrgh” It seemed like she really loved to use poor Neon as a punching ball. Well…if I remembered correct he tried to grope our plots a dozen times…oh just buck him! He deserved it! When Vinyl came back to the living room where I was still lying…she put on a serious face, put down her drink and asked me to tell her the story…all of it. I sighed tried to muster some composure and told her. I told her everything about Victor and about my last meeting with him. I even told her how strange I felt when I came home. We both came to the conclusion that it was probably really was one of them who stalked me and his ability probably was something like...“manipulating emotions?” I was not sure to be honest but it was the best explanation I could find in that small time. He probably gave up stalking me after I turned out to be exactly that horrible kind of pony he suspected instead of a smart one who discovered their secret. I mean I even did kiss another mare…that was pretty impure right? Oh, talking about that… “Well…Tavi…what about the kiss? Can I get another try at that?” “Oh buck you!” I pressed through my teeth. She already knew why I did it…right? “Huh…funny way to phrase it…I’d rather like to buck you.” she said and gave me a wink. “Come on…you just like to play around with me do you?” “If you just wanted me to look out of the window you could have done something different. T here were better ways…so why kiss me if you don’t like me?” “Because…shut it Vinyl!” I shouted out angrily. “Oh how…mature…as expected of a high class mare…” “You…you make my brain melt…” “Oh that wouldn’t be a big loss…you work better without yours!” “Well if you still had yours you might not live like the mess you are.” “Yeah…as if I could take that serious coming from a melancholic alcoholic…” “I am not an alcoholic…” “Yeah those bottles drank themselves…” “You and Neon also…” “You drank more than both of us combined you drunkard!” “I am not a drunk! I have some class!” “Yeah "A class" tolerance to liquor of all kinds.” “One can’t belong to the upper class and drink that excessivly…it would not make sense!” “You drink BECAUSE of that you silly mare! You can’t take it otherwise!” “Then I should drink all the more when I’m with you!” Then there was a long pause where both of us glared at each other. We just seemed to have views far too different from another that showed up from time to time. Even though it was just a quarrel based on a joke I somehow felt bad and thought it would be good to apologise. “I’m sorry Vinyl…I shouldn’t have said that.” “Yeah you shouldn’t! But what does it matter…gotta take the snobs as they snot…” “The hay is that supposed to mean?” “I dunno…just sounded very awesome.” We both giggled a lot during our great conversations. It was all about stupid things no one would ever care about. We just wanted to get a joke out of the other and in the end we fell asleep on the floor…hugging each other and sinking into a world of dreams. My dreams were painted in crimson. There was blood everywhere…dark clouds and lots and lots of rain. I saw a silhouette in the shadows and thought that I had to catch it so I tried to follow it. When I finally caught up to it…my dream abruptly ended with me letting out a scream. Thanks to me we both woke up. It looked like we slept far too long into the day. Vinyl asked me if we should visit my friend Victor today. She wanted him to answer for a few things. I guess Vinyl thought that Victor was involved in all of this. She probably believed they followed me all the way back from Victor’s mansion. Well I couldn’t hold anything against that… I mean Victor was a shady guy and a vampire on top of that. Meh…I knew better but it would probably work out if they met each other…of that I was sure. Then I had to ask Vinyl the one thing that was on my mind for far too long. “Vinyl?” “Yeah…” “Why do you believe in all of my stories? Don’t I look like a loon to you?” “You sure do but I don’t think you are crazy. I remember nothing about the guy you were forced to date. I should…I always did remember people who caused a fuss for me. Why would I forget exactly the one colt who annoyed me the most?” “So because of that you believe all the vampire stuff as well?” “To be honest…the vampires may be cult fanatics or even some kind of secret agency with a lot of magic users among their ranks. I do not care about that. I don’t want you to be in danger so we have to sort things out.” “You do not care who you go up against?” “As long as it is for you I would even kick Celestia in the flank.” “Oh great…so you may be a pony who would help me to fight windmills as well right?” “That is not funny Tavi. You know how I meant that.” “Yes…but I don’t see you that serious most of the time. You should lighten up. Everything will probably work out and…” “Yeah…probably. That is the problem. It has to work out for certain. I will kick some flank from here up to Saddle Arabia if that is what we need to make hundred percent sure you are safe.” “So my job from now on will be to stop you kicking any ponies flank before you will put in jail…” She rolled her eyes and I let out another giggle. It must be as much fun for her when the roles were not reversed and I was the one who had to deal with all her craziness. “So when do we meet Victor? Today?” she asked. “Well probably a little later…my mother gave me quite the "lofty" task you see…” Instead of walking to Victor I told her that I would have to prepare for the worst day ever. I had some serious filly sitting to do after all. Vinyl sighed after she heard that and said it would be my funeral anyways. “Oh please don’t talk about funerals. You saw what happened after the last one.” She gulped. I guess she didn’t want to upset me in any way and failed without noticing it. “So…should I help you with the filly sitting?” “If you comb your mane, wash out the colour, don’t put on your shades and act if you were the high class snob you never wanted to be, sure why not.” “Then that is a no for me…” “As I thought…” “At least let me keep my hair colour.” she said with an impish grin. “No…that was supposed to be a joke…” “I know but I want to…” “No…” “Tavi…please…” “Buck it…fine.” “Yeah!” “Just promise me that you’ll behave.” “I think we’ll have a lot of fun tomorrow.” That did it. I bursted out in laughter. She had absolutley no clue exactly how bad my family was. Oh, Vinyl you just dug your own grave. “Oh and Vinyl...?” I pressed through my teeths still trying to keep myself from laughing. “What?” “You are not prepared.” Even though I couldn’t stop laughing at her utterly confused face I knew exactly how hard the task that was before us would be. I just hope Vinyl would not mess up…or kick my sister in her in the flank. Otherwise I had to kick her...to the moon that is. Well, my life had really turned out to be far more vivid…and even though some things really annoy me I could get used to a life like this. Maybe there really was a happy end for every pony and you just let to have it happen? Who was I kidding in life there is no thing like a happy end and soon even I would know that... -(10)- MistrustDid you ever wonder why ponies tend to avoid some situations? I guess you could answer that in a simple manner; they are not very brave. However, bravery may come in different forms. Are you brave if you fight a fight you are bound to lose? Wouldn’t that just be pure stupidity? I was not sure. The weather was once again cold and dark when I woke up. Everything seemed so sad and grey. Raindrops fell loudly on the skylight above my bed and played the same melody I always used to hear when I was unhappy. It is the same repetitive sound in the morning that would mark this day as the beginning of another disaster. Then my rather dark train of thoughts was interrupted by a certain pony who thought she had to use a weapon of bass destruction for an alarm clock. Oh waking up in such a manner…it truly was a dark day. I mean how would you feel if you were not sure if your roommate had just declared war on all the beings of Equestria via noise? After realising I wasn’t still dreaming I tried to move my flank to the shower but as you might have suspected…I was too late. I already heard the flow of water and a somehow happy Vinyl Scratch singing some songs. Oh…just great…I hate mornings…I hate them so much… I went into the kitchen and looked into the fridge. There was a lot of strange red sauce-looking stuff in there. Vinyl seemed to have strange taste…well why would I care. I just tried to get myself something of my own food and combined it into a sandwich. It didn’t taste like much and I didn’t really care. The only thing that really mattered was the coffee. I really needed some hot, bitter darkness I could throw down my throat. You want to know how I drink my coffee? Well, I drink my coffee black. No milk, no sugar, just plain coffee. Caffeine the one thing that truly sustains me… When I finally managed to swallow my sandwich, drink my first cup of coffee and was done with the newspaper I sighed. Vinyl was still not done…oh sweet mother of Celestia…how much longer would it take her. I wanted to avoid losing any more time so I prepared breakfast for her as well. I made a sandwich with…well, whatever it was that she had put in the fridge. It probably became some kind of exotic peanut butter jelly sandwich for all I knew. The coffee I made for her was something I could never drink myself. Besides the huge amount of milk she wanted in her coffee, she also claimet that at least seven sugar cubes were needed in there for her to even consider it drinkable. I just learnt that yesterday when she asked me to make her some coffee. Funny…but I guess it fits her hyperactive personality? Don’t you think so too? After I did prepare breakfast for her and she still was not done. I went back into my room and closed my eyes for a moment. I finally regained my senses when Vinyl shouted that the bathroom could be entered again and she must have already been sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. Oh...I really needed that shower. It washed away all these feelings of dizziness and morning grumpiness. It was one of the things beside my coffee that I really had to have in the morning just to keep functioning. After I was done, I brushed my teeth, kempt my mane and looked for flaws in my appearance on the mirror. I found none and decided to meet Vinyl in the kitchen. I was…amazed. I didn’t take her seriously when she said she will try to look a little more snobbish. She looked like a freaking diva, no kidding. Her mane might still have had that unnatural blue colours but…she looked more like…do you know those mares who sing at the opera? She looked more like that than like anything else I could think of... I felt a little shocked…she looked more noble than I did with her now curled blue hair her long eyelids and those beautiful magenta eyes. Come to think about it…she always wore her big purple shades. She seemed completely different now. Her behaviour however… “Hey Tavi, thanks for the breakfast. It tastes awesowmmm….*munch*” she said while still chewing around on that sandwich. “Oh it wasn’t much…” I said with a faint smile. “By the way…the coffee tasted like horse apples and I had to throw in four more sugar cubes…” she started to tease me. “Well…at least I know where you get your hyperactivity from…” “Meh…that isn’t trained…I was born with that. You on the other hoof do seem to live very unhealthy. Don’t you know that black coffee is bad for the heart?” she tried to say in a motherly way. “It helps me to keep up my appearance so what does it matter? Oh, and by the way…you look gorgeous Vinyl.” “I know that…seen myself in the mirror for my whole life. I probably already realised don’t you think…” “You know how I mean it…” “Nope…not…one…bit. Oh and I still need the other shades…” “Shades? You want to wear shades? Are you crazy?” She grinned impishly and vanished from the kitchen…giggling like the maniac she was. When she came back she wore magenta teashades. That…looked actually pretty good with her new style. “Now, what do you think…is the one and only Vinyl Scratch perfect or what?” “No…she is just a very beautiful big mouthed idiot…” “Well…pretty is the thing that counts…isn’t it?” She looked way better than me…more snobbish, more beautiful…more everything…it made me feel a little bit ashamed of myself. “Hey Tavi…now what do you think…am I suited to help you fillysit that brat?” “Not with that foul mouth…but except that…yes I think you are more than suited…” “Sweet! Now let us talk about my reward…” “Not…gonna…happen! You decided to tag along…so no rewards for you…none!” “Horse apples…” We still had some time until we had to meet up with my parents so we just sat there in the kitchen and discussed some things that buzzed around my mind. Minor things…or so I thought. “Vinyl…what exactly did you stuff in the fridge?” “Mostly hot chili sauces of different kinds…why do you ask…? I know I put a lot of them in there but…” “What the hay did you do that for? I thought you had at least some common sense. After those incidents everything that just looks a little bit like blood freaks me out. That stuff however does not only look a little bit like blood...but a lot…” “Yeah Tavi…that is right…I am a vampire…” she said and rolled her eyes. “That isn’t funny Vinyl…” “How was I supposed to know about your vampire problem before you told me?” she said a little offended. “Why so much sauces? Why don’t you put some solid food in there as well?” I asked now a little harsher. “You that dense? I supposed that you had stuff like bread at home. I don’t know what you like on your bread but I like these sauces so...suck it up, Tavi.” she said rather annoyed. Did I just hit a nerve? With a stupid topic like sauce? Looking at how worked up Vinyl got because of it I supposed...yes. Somehow a strange train of thought strucked me. What if she was part of them as well? Could I have been tricked? Was all just set up by them? I did not know but I had to find out. “Well I suppose you are right Vinyl.” I said and smiled. It was a fake smile...not very obvious but to a person who knew me better it should be obvious enough. Vinyl glared at me in a strange manner...even for her. I simply didn't care about it...wandered to the drawer and took out a spoon. I then moved to the fridge and opened one of her sauce-glasses. She looked at me with big eyes when I pulled the now crimson looking spoon out of the glass. That was strange why was she suddenly the serious one and I'm the one who fools around? Maybe I was right and she was a vampire? Did she really stack blood in the fridge? “So you don’t mind if I try that?” I said with the spoon full of “sauce” in my hoof. “Don’t do that Tavi…I warn you…” she said with a serious expression. “Well…it is just sauce so…why should it bother me…” I said and took a big sip. Then…I realised how stupid my actions really were. That sauce was hot…no not just hot…it was as hot as the freaking sun. My throat started to get tighter and I must have lacked some air. I needed water! I fetched myself a cup and drank two cups just to realise that it didn’t help. “Didn’t I say…I warn you?” she said and started to laugh. “You see I’m not much of a vampire after all. Hell that is what you deserve for suspecting me.” she said with a happy yet serious tone. Well, I guess it really served me right. I suspected her to be a vampire and got a burning throat for that. The concept of equal change… “Drink some milk…you hot, hot mare…it will ease the pain.” she told me teasingly. She now seemed to be back in her normal state of happiness and stupidity. I took her advice even though I did not know if it was still part of her revenge. However I decided to trust her and nearly emptied two milk bottles. It really did help. “Oh…kay….I…think…I learnt my lesson…” I told her completely exhausted. “Glad you understand now. Maybe next time you simply trust me and you can avoid something like that.” she said once again in a serious tune. “But how…how can you eat something like that…” I asked seriously interested. “Duh…because I like it? All of those sauces are either far too sweet or far too spicy for another pony. Who would be able to put up with my weird taste anyway…tell me….honestly…” None. That was the simple answer. Vinyl Scratch was in every way unique…who said her sense of taste wouldn’t be as well. This was a complete loss for me and I already banned the thought from my mind that Vinyl could have been a vampire. However my certainty was already shattered when I catched her stare... “Wh…what…the hay…” I started to stumble in disbelief. “What?” she asked once again pretty annoyed. “What are you…” I pressed through my teeth. “What the hay do you mean? I can’t read thoughts can I?” she answered already getting all agitated once again. “Your left eye…the iris…it is crimson…” I said with a sore throat and I already started to move away...slightly crouching. “Oh…buck…” Vinyl shouted while covering up her eye with one hoof and moving another around the floor. “How do you try to talk yourself out of that one?” I asked once again in an unusual sharp interrogating tone. “Don’t try to act funny or stupid and help me find my contact lens you dimwit…” Vinyl said in a completley furious tone. I didn’t move a muscle. I just looked at her. Was she thinking I was a fool? Does she think I would really believe her with all the evidence right before my hooves? “Oh don’t tell me…just after you said you would trust me…” she said really angry now. She just stood there and waited a little. I guess she wanted to shake her anger off. Then she walked slowly towards me. Her face looked completly motionless. As she came closer and closer I still couldn’t move. Would that be it ? Would she suck all of my blood dry now that I knew her secret? The answer was no. She just hit me really hard on top of my head. “Are you completely dense? I AM NO VAMPIRE! SEE! No fangs…” she shouted and showed me her teeth from different angles. Well…there were no fangs so I guess she was right about that but maybe they could hide them... “But...the…the eyes…” I began to stutter. “Yeah that is my true eye colour. I have some stupid condition with my eyes so what? I know they look creepy and that is why I use contacts if I am not wearing my normal shades. I would have explained it if you didn’t act like the intolerant snob that you are.” Vinyl began to sweat as she threw everything she had against me. Every one of those words she threw at me and all hit very hard. She even seemed to enjoy making me down and putting me back in my place. “I…I don’t…” I couldn't form clear sentences anymore. I also couldn't find any ways to force her into quitting her talk. “Yeah it is always scream first and act stupid and don’t even bother about asking the other pony why later. You most certainly are a full-fledged noble who judges on his first impression.” she went on in her rage, cutting me deeper and deeper. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…I…” I started...already on the verge of crying. “Yeah…blah, blah, blah…you know what if you don’t trust me in the slightest I just move out…okay? It will be easier for both of us…seriously...” she said. This time it was more of a cold calculated tone different to the one she used in her outburst. “Please don’t go…” I said sobbingly. Tears were already flowing down my cheeks. “Why shouldn’t I…after you didn’t even trust me a second time…I don’t know why I should…” she answered less cold but you still felt some bitterness and rage in her voice. “I can’t give you a reason either…but I just don’t want you to go…” I said…and it took me a lot of willpower so that I didn’t start crying on a far larger scale. “You even don’t have to pay the rent…please just don’t go…” i went on. What the hay was I saying…why was I saying that…that would hurt me a lot in the long run. She just looked at me. She must have thought that I was such a pitiful and unreliable creature without spine. She must have despised me, she must have wanted to sever all connections with me. I expected her to leave any minute but instead she just hit me another time on the head... “You are such an idiot! I really should have just gone through that door…” she said with a sigh. “…but I understand your circumstances. All those craziness around you was bound to take a toll on you. However you have to put yourself into my horseshoes… Would you like it if I mistrusted you...called you a monster?” “No…I’m…so…so sorry Vinyl…” I told her while carriyng on sobbing. “Just forget it. I won’t hold it against you anymore, just don’t you ever mistrust me again.” “I…” and I couldn’t bring out any words afterwards. I just hugged her and afterwards buried my face into her lap. It seemed so long when we just sat there. My face hidden in her lap, trying to cool off, waiting that all traces of my more unsightly expressions would just go away while she tried to comfort me at the same time. She told me that she was sorry that she had overreacted, that she only said those things because she was mad. Well…it doesn’t matter how sweet those lies sound…I knew that I was the one in the wrong. Now that I finally encountered true friendship I also had to learn that it was something very fragile…easily broken and hard to be fixed. “Tavi…you know you should better try to get yourself together and prepare yourself. We still have to get over to your parent's place right?” Oh…she was right there. I most probably looked really bad. I went back to the bathroom and fixed my appearance while she had to look for her missing lens. When I came back I apologised properly for my behaviour to Vinyl. She was already back in her “sunshine-mode” and said I shouldn’t worry that much and I should just focus on the task ahead. Vinyl and me then left for my parents mansion…the place where I had to face another problem. Well...no matter how it would turn out it couldn’t get worse than my quarrel with Vinyl right? Right? -(11)- SisterhipHave you ever had the chance to experience the presence of a great being? No, I do not talk about athletes, the elements of harmony, the royal sisters and such ponies. I am talking about somepony who could change the flow of the world just by existing… Vinyl seemed to be a pony just like that… After we made up after our little quarrel in the morning we had to hurry a little to get at my parent's place in time. The place was approximatley fourty minutes away on hoof...so it wasn't that big of a deal...we even arrived ten minutes before the designated time. My parents were already waiting at the front gates of their mansion and gave me their usual “you are late” stare even though I was perfectly in time. My little sister on the other hoof was nowhere to be seen. She probably waited inside doing something…gracious. Oh by the way…that was sarcasm. “Oh darling, finally! I already feared you had forgotten…” she started in her usual manner while her eyes wandered down Vinyl. She probably couldn’t figure out who this beautiful mare was. “Octavia…why didn’t you say that you would bring a guest? I could have prepared something…” Vinyl managed such a girly smile that even I was impressed. The whole situation felt so unreal and if that wasn’t enough she started to speak in a fine Canterlot tongue. “Oh you shouldn’t blame Octavia, we just happened to meet when she was on her way here. I haven’t seen her in years so I thought I may use my time to catch up on what I missed. Of course it wasn’t my intention to disturb the peace and if you rather want me to leave I would oblige.” She even sounded just like an aristocrat…her…the stupid DJ. “Oh Octavia never mentioned that she knew a mare as posh as you…” my mother said. “Oh please…you make me blush.” Vinyl answered. “Well what do you do for a living?” At that moment I wished with all my being that Vinly did not say that she makes music. My mother may be a snob but she was not stupid. If she put two and two together she would know that Vinyl was the one who moved in with me… “Oh, I am an artist. I used to act when I was younger but I wasn’t very successful. Then I focused my creativity into writing and well…I have to say everything worked out great. I would even be famous if I hadn’t decided to write under a pseudonym.” “That sounds…impressive my dear…” said my mother. “Oh I guess it sounds that way…” and she let out a girly laugh. “Well there is no need for you to be impressed…I mean you played the main actress in some of the greatest plays of Equestria. I read a lot of critics and they all mentioned you as the best Juliette and Isolde.” Vinly added. “Oh my…you seem to know a lot about art…” I was baffled. How did she know all that. Why was she able to pull such a thing off? Wasn’t she Vinyl Scratch a DJ without manners? I started to think I’d lose my sanity… They chatted a little while longer and it seemed as if my mother took a liking to Vinyl. After a while my father started to cough and reminded mother of the time. She then apologised to Vinyl for leaving so sudden and that she wanted to continue their talk some other time. Vinyl acted as if there was nothing she would like to do more and when they finally left for good she let out a sigh. “I think I have to puke. That was probably the most snobbish pony in all of Equestria…” “Yes…and you seemed like you were here biggest fan.” “Don’t get me even started Tavi, that mare is such a hypocritical…” and she paused, probably thinking I would be hurt by her words. “Oh…I do not mind if you tell me what you think about her…I couldn’t care less.” “Well…how do I say it… Do you know that there are two types of liars? One who lies for a benefit and one who lies just for the sake of lying?” I giggled when she said that. She probably still did not get my situation. “Oh you don't get it Vinyl. Do you want to know what I learned in this household?” “Eh…okay...” “Rule number one: Perception is reality. Rule number two: if you have to lie to get something you want just do it. Rule number three: if someone sees through your construct of lies try to explain why you lied with more lies.” “Tavi?” Vinyl asked with a feint voice. “Yes?” “Your family is sick…” “Oh I know…” and I let out another giggle. “So…your sister…” she said confused. “She is already like my mother…” “Oh…so I have to…” “Yes pretty much…” and I giggled again. “All day long?” “Yes but you seemed to know what to do with my mom…” “But…acting like that makes me sick…” “You wanted to tag along…” I said with an impish grin. “You knew what would happen…” “Pretty much…” “Why didn’t you warn me?” she asked jokingly. “Oh I guess there are things one has to experience oneself…” “Well maybe…I’ll end up just like you after this day…” “What do you mean?” “Maybe I become an alcoholic as well…” “I am not an alco…” I started indignantly. “Yeah….right…” she said and rolled her eyes. “Buck you Vinyl!” I said already annoyed. “My little drunkard, my little drunkard….” she started to sing “Vinyl!” “Oh you are so cute when you are angry….or drunk…or lying on top of me” “Vinyl…we shall never speak about any of that again…” “B-b-but I’m afraid. If you are completley smashed chances are good that you could get in an terrible accident …” she said playing all innocent and worried. “VINYL ! SHUT IT !” “And here I try to be a good mother for you…” she went on. “You know that you torture my head?” I asked with a faint voice. “As much as you torture my heart…” “That again? Come on that joke is not funny anymore…” “Hmm…” “What?” “You are a blockhead…” “I hate you!” “I know and yet you still can’t let me go. This kind of love...I like it!” There was no use in talking to Vinyl when she was like that, so I juzst rolled my eyes. We then proceeded to walk through the garden inbetween the gateway and the mansion. We entered the mansion and Vinyl...well she didn't seem very impressed by the interieur. After we wandered through a few empty rooms we finally encountered my little sister in a living room. Cesura, already waited for me. Filly sitting is not an easy task you see…and I’d rather not take responsibility for another equine being but I guess sometimes we have to face our personal horrors and emerge victorious from a battle that seemed lost from the very beginning. She looked in wonder when she realised that it wasn’t only me who came in but Vinyl as well. “Oh so mother managed to find me another teacher as well…” “No my dear, this is an old friend of mine…” I said. “So how should I call her?” “Vestige Record” she said with her unusual girly voice again. The jaw of my sister dropped and Vinyls eyes flashed in horror for a moment. Something just happened and I was the one who did not get it. “You are Vestige Record? The child prodigy?” “Yes…indeed…” I just listened to them. I did not have the slightest clue what was going on but Vinyl seemed to have taken the identity theft too far and had to deal with the concequences. “I heard you must have been a genius in your youth but in the end you couldn’t stand the pressure.” “Yes…seems like it…” she said in a flat voice. Was that true? Why didn't she tell me? Oh great...if it was true than I really brought her into an awfull situation. Great Job Octavia, great Job... “I wonder where you hid all these years. There was not a single sign of life until now…” “Well I…” “How fitting…the useless prodigy and my useless sister are friends…” Cesura said mumbling to herself. “How dare you talk like that about your sister you ungrateful brat?” Vinyl suddenly bursted out. Now she did it. She made my sister angry. That was very, very bad. When my sister was angry she became far crueller then any pony could suspect. She simply pierces your heart where it hurts the most. It was a feeling you can't shake off that fast. “Well she is in fact useless on several levels: She failed her career. She failed in love. She failed her life. She never reached the top in the music business no matter how hard she tried. Then there is also the obvious fact that she is just an earth pony. That alone would make her worthless. To keep it short she was a disappointment for our family.” “You worthless brat, how dare you talk about Tavi like that. Somepony should have paddled your flank years ago.“ “Well of course you try to defend her. Losers stick together. Well, I am not mean so I even let you in in a little secret. Winners never quit and Quitters never win. Your existence is worthless as well. You had it all but you decided to give it up. That makes you a loser!” Suddenly there was a sound. It was as if the air itself was cut. My hoof felt very hot and the face of my sister looked a little bit to the right. My hoof was still there in her face. I really did. I never cared about what she said when it was directed at me but...when she started to verbally attack Vinyl I snapped. Oh this was be bad…very very bad “How dare you hit my face! You worthless earth pony! Your whole existence was a mistake and you still prove it on this day and…” The same noise…once again…but this time it wasn’t my hoof. “Now that you already did it…I thought it wouldn't make it any worse if I do it as well…” “Both of you are just low class scum and…” “Shut up spoiled brat…shut up and listen” Vinyl said enraged. “No…you better listen! I will tell mother and…” “And I will give a buck about that…your mother can’t do anything against me…” “But…I....I...” she stutterd. “Yeah you! You will behave or I…” “You can’t scare me…there is nothing you can do against me as well…” she said triumphantly. “She can’t but I can…” I said with a voice like ice. “You wouldn’t dare Octavia…” she said furiously. “Oh…I can tell mother a lot of your secrets…” I said in a very dry tone. “And why do you think she would believe you?” “Because I will just take your diary and hand it over to mother…” “Are you trying to blackmail me? You wouldn't dare.” “In fact…I do…” It didn’t feel right. I had hit my sister and now I even tried to blackmail her. I felt awful but then my mood changed abruptly when my sister began to laugh. “So you aren’t that stupid after all. You do think about ways to get the upper hand from time to time as well. It just seems so ridiculous that you won’t stand your ground against mother who tries to control everything. I am a victim as well but you are just like her trying to get control over me… Yes just beat the dead horse...do it...” “So you say you suffer under our mother as well? Don’t make me laugh…” “Oh yes? Don’t you even know how easy it is for you? She has no expectations for you at all. She gave up on you when you were born without a horn. Every other disappointment was just a calculated propability. She does not care about what you do only how you represent all of us. I on the other hoof have to carry everything you were not capable of on my back. I have to marry a noble one day. I have to become famous. I have to see to it that our family remains prestigious. You know nothing about the burdens I carry. You only have to do one thing…bring no shame to our family and even there you fail…” I was…baffled. That girl talked to me as if she was older than me…as if she had seen so much pain and misery. The worst thing about it was she could be right. Vinyl looked like she knew exactly what Cesura was talking about. Every time that filly spoke Vinyl had a painful expression on her face. “Well…you won. Take my diary…it is in my room on the desk.” she said with a faint glimmer in her eyes. Now I smirked. How cunning. Did she really think I was a total fool? I knew where she hides her real diary. I went to her room and raised a plank under her bed. There was a little black book. I completely ignored the cute pink one that was lying on the desk. It was just a fake she used to trick mother. Oh yes…mother most certainly read the diary of her daughter. When I went back in the room where I left Vinyl and Cesura behind, my sisters eyes widened in horror. JACKPOT ! “Not-a-word-sister. You get that.” I said with a big mile. She nodded and glared furiously at me. She knew she had lost. “I swear I will not use it against you” I said still grinning as if it was heartwarmings eve. “Well I do think you are not the type who would lay open all my secrets... but…I also didn’t think you would blackmail me…” she said angrily . Vinyl…well Vinyl did what Vinyl always did. She started laughing. “Hey Tavi…you know I never thought you had so much low-class emotions…” “Oh shut it..V…Vestige…” whooops I nearly called her Vinyl by accident. “Well you always seemed like a goody two shoes and now you turn out to have such a dark side..“ “Shut it…you stupid loon.” The little filly looked at us and then her eyes flashed in enlightenment. She got back her composure and started to speak in a sugarsweet voice . “Oh it is like that…” and a devilish grin widened on her face. Well…I guess you really do not want to share the content of my diary. If you did I would simply leak your secrets as well…” How pitiful she tried to threaten us even though there was nothing she has tu use against us. Vinyl sighed and told her that she was correct. Wait...what? Why did she say that? Did Vinyl really saw a threat anywhere or did she simply take pity on my sister. Well I would probably have to ask her later. The rest of the day wasn’t that bad. My sister even played a song she composed this year. She said that she won a contest with it. Most of her opponents were very pitiful. One group she remembered pretty well were some fillies without cutiemarks. They dressed up as a chicken, a robot and an apple and sang something that couldn't be described as music. We could even have a few laughs with my sister. However you should never let your guard down around her. She could not be trusted. Everything she did was for her on ends after all. Now that it seemed we were on her good side she probably just thought about using us later in life. Vinyl told me she felt exactly the same vibe from her. This filly just uses cold logic to get what she wanted. In some way she was scarier then all inequine beings could ever be… We decided that we would keep as much distance as possible to her from now on. However maybe some point in the future even she might be able to open up to someone special. It may be a friend, or who knows maybe her special somepony who breaks the ice around her heart. Time would tell…but the story of Cesuras life isn’t intertwined with mine…it only grazed it. . -(13)- AttractionThey prey on the weak…they always do... If something happens it always does when you are alone, when you are at your weakest. Those sinister beings that would try to take advantage of a lonely looking mare sitting on a park bench… Those poor excuses for colts...really get on my nerves. Oh yes I exaggerated a little…there was just one colt…and well technically he didn’t even hit on me but why would he sit down exactly on my bench when there had to be dozen empty ones in this park? He looked completely bland to me. There was nothing special about him. He had a grey coat, a brown mane and just seemed out of breath. He opened his bag and started to eat next to me. Do you believe that? What was wrong with him? Can’t he eat somewhere else? Oh...the nerve... After he was done he jumped up and went away as if nothing was wrong at all. Wait…did that…did that colt just completely ignore me? It was probably thanks to Vinyl that I even cared about such a fact. Yes…I never had a colt friend…so what? I suspected that I would at least attract some attention from males. I was just about to leave the park but there were two reasons I stayed. First and foremost I had to wait until Vinyl came back. What could take her so long anyways… The other reason...well it just seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. If I had to describe him I would probably say he was the exact opposite of the colt I had seen before. He was in no form just a common pony. He looked like a model for crying out loud. If Fleur de Lis had been born a male she would have probably looked similar to him. His coat was white as snow…his mane ice blue. Even his body was a little bit longer than the one of the average ponies. The smile on his face seemed like a gift from Celestia herself. Oh and those eyes…those azure eyes. When I looked into them I felt like I was falling… My heart started to beat. Was that it? Was that the feeling ponies described as love at first sight? If it was...it felt very painful. I had such a strange feeling…was it guilt? Why? Why would I feel guilty? The unicorn opened his perfectly shaped muzzle and asked me if he could take a seat next to me. I couldn’t press a word through my throat and just nodded. He gave me another smile and sat down. Oh…this was bad…really, really bad. I did enjoy sitting near somepony like him but if Vinyl came back something horrible was bound to happen. Even though I could have sat there for hours just admiring that colt I felt the urge to go. I simply knew it wasn’t worth it. My gut feeling told me I had to move...and I had to do it now... When I was about to leave the gorgeous unicorn took my hoof and looked deep into my eyes. He looked rushed this time and there was something else in his eyes… Was it curiosity? Was it sadness? I couldn't tell... He started to speak and even though his voice was so clear, smooth and full of emotion…I had to shiver. The thing that puzzled me the most however was what he did next. “Please do not go…” he said pleadingly. Suddenly it felt it far harder to leave. I knew I could do it but it would take a lot of my willpower to just leave him all alone on this cold park bench… What the hay…was I thinking? Oh this was alerting... If that was how true love feels...it was a ridiculous emotion. I could do without it. The only thing it did was to cause conflict in my thoughts. That was if it wasn't something other than love... “So…you do not like me?” he asked in a soft tune. Oh he was just like a puppy…and I nearly gave in...but I decided to stay strong. “I…I am sorry but I have to go…” I finally managed to get through. The colt sighed gave me another smile and went on in a warm voice: “Well maybe it was not meant to be today…but I am sure we will meet anew and when that time comes you shan’t decline to spend some time with me…” Then he got up and moved gracefully into the opposite direction of where I was leaving to. That seemed off. He spoke in such a strange manner. I have seen that before. I think it was at a ceremony princess Luna held some time ago. It was the way they spoke back in the Canterlot of old. His way of talking also reminded me a little bit of Victor and…wait a minute…could it have been… When I turned around he was already gone…just the smell of roses was left. Why was it just now that I realised he smelled like roses? I loved that smell. Well that didn't matter... I had a lot of questions burning on my mind. Who was that? Was it a vampire? If yes why weren’t his eyes crimson? Was he wearing contacts? Even more puzzling was the next question: Why was I drawn to him that much? I didn't feel any kind of attraction to the vampire I met before. I tried to collect my mind. Thinking everything through that just happened I came to realise a few things. Now that he was gone I do not feel the strange attraction towards him anymore. I still knew how he looked. It was an exact recollection and not just a hazy memory. If I thought about him now I could say he was probably the most beautiful male colt that ever walked Equestria. However just that fact ididn’t make my heart beat at all. I was sure that wasn’t love. For all I know it probably wasn’t a vampire either…he didn't show any of the characteristics. He didn't have crimson eyes, he didn't try to change the flow of nature and he didn't try as hard as the vampire before to make me fall for him. He just hit on me...saw that he had no chance and said he'd try again...was he a normal pony after all? Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me? I may be stressed out. Or were there more unknown creatures that inhibit Equestria? Maybe an incubus? I did not know…I needed Victor and I needed him now... Wait a minute...all that thinking made me forgot my most urgent problem... Where the hay was Vinyl? Did she try to buy snacks in the Crystal Empire? Oh…Vinyl…hurry we are in trouble, we… Then something hit me. Maybe she WAS already in trouble and the colt was just a distraction. Maybe somepony casted a love spell on us...maybe... Okay…I was freaking out. Stupid thoughts over stupid thoughts popped up in my head. I took a deep breath and decided on what I had to do. I would gallop in the direction Vinyl went and maybe I would find the store she talked about…yes that seemed logical for once. Now that I finally had a goal that swept away all the unnecessary thoughts that were bugging me I was ready to go…but I already saw Vinyl at the end of the park. It only took her a few moments to cross the distance. “Sorry to keep you waiting for so long Tavi…I just…” she said with a grin. Even though I was happy and relieved to see that she was fine and dandy I irrationally started to cry. “S-stupid…DJ…” I started while sobbing. Vinyl looked completely irritated. I would have been as well if I had been her I guess, However all of that didn’t matter at the moment. I was just happy she was okay. “What happened Tavi? Did someone hurt you? Or do you think I would let you here alone?” She asked me overly concerned…how uncommon. I tried to answer her so that she had not to worry about the situation anymore. “There was this… strange colt… and you…gone for so long and…I…I thought…” I managed to get out. “Slow down Tavi. Here take a can of coke and a chocolate bar and tell me everything that happened. Try to be as precise as possible… “ she said trying to calm me down. Vinyls face had a stern expression when I told her about what happened when she was gone. When I told her about the colt and my attraction towards him in special she flinched a little. After I ended the story for a long time she simply said nothing. I took some sips from the coke and already finished my chocolate bar and she still just sat there...silently ...staring at the space. When the uncomfortable feeling of silence became too much for me and I tried to say something however she was faster than me. “Well Tavi…I guess that really was love at first sight. Even if you feel guilty about it…it probably was love…” she said all of that without any visibly expressions on her face. Oh…my gut started hurting again. However this time it felt like a hot needle piercing through my abdomen. I tried to control myself…not letting anything like that come in the way now. “Good looking colt huh…seems I already lost there…” Vinyl said in a flat voice . “I tell you I don’t think it was love…it must have been magic or…” I said but stopped midway when I saw her face. Oh it nearly made me cry again…just seeing her like that. “Yeah…magic of love…for sure…” she said with a dead voice. “He did not look normal…he did not talk normal…he probably was a vampire…” I said hasty. I tried it that way even though he probably wasn't a vampire it may be enought to convince Vinyl. Maybe she would conveniently embrace this lie... “If he was a vampire you shouldn’t be able to tell how he looked right?” she said grim. Yes who was I trying to fool…she wasn’t really the type to fall for easy excuses. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted...once again by pain. The pain in my stomach…it got stronger. I began to sweat. I never reacted that bad when I felt guilty until now. I had to wrap that up quickly… “I just ask this out of curiosity. How exactly did he look? How great does he have to look if you’d take him over me just in the first heartbeat you saw him? Tell me!” she demanded looking like a mad mare. I pittied her so much when I looked at her. She looked kind of crazy, like a broken toy...it was as if her mind itself had been shattered. She probably hated the entire world around her at that time but the thing she probably hated the most was herself. I could and couldn’t comprehend her situation at the same time. I would be pretty devastated too when I just managed to get a sloppy second place in somepony’s heart. Well I didn’t know anything about love so I tried to compare her devastation to all of the times in my life were I managed to fail something I really wanted. The feeling must be enough to make her wish she rather gouged her eyeballs out. On the other hoof I couldn’t understand her. We were talking about me. I was nothing special. I was just a stupid mare with no perspectives whose only special trait seemed to be to get in more and more trouble. I shouldn’t be worth all her efforts. I mean…couldn’t she get someone better in the blink of an eye. Even though I didn’t want to hurt her I gave in and answered what she wanted to hear. “Well he was a unicorn, had a coat white as snow…an iceblue mane and those strange azure eyes they seemed as deep as an ocean …” I told her trying to keep my tone neither scared nor concerned. I messed up. The emotions were clearly conveyed..of that I was sure. I expected a reaction from her, yes...but not that one... Vinyl froze. She froze the very minute I said that. All her anger was washed away in a second. There was nothing... She seemed like she wanted to recollect something in her mind…but it didn’t seem to fit. “Impossible” she said under her breath. “What?” I asked curiously and my eyes grew larger. Why wasn’t the pain stopping…my stomach felt on fire. Something was off. “The cute colt you mentioned…he was there...with me…at the store.” Vinyl said in wonder. “So? ”I asked with a confused expression. I didn’t get what was so strange about that. Vinyl probably chatted the time away at the store while the guy was already on his way to the park probably in a fast pace…sheesh… “I left before him Tavi. There was no way he could be faster in the park than me..." Furthermore even if he had run...why didn't I see him pass me?” Vinyl said with a shocked face. Now that…really made no sense… She went on and explained that it normally takes around twenty minutes to the store and back. However she took a little longer because she talked with the shopkeeper a little and had to stop on her way back when she encountered an old friend of hers. That should have taken her around fifteen minutes more she said...oh and she also exchanged a few words with the strange colt in the shop. “What did you talk about with that colt?” I asked. Now a strange feeling mixed with the increasing pain I tried to endure. Why did she talk to a colt like him...didn't she say she liked me? Didn't she also say cute colt before? Now that I think about it she did...and it doesn't sit right with me. Could that be..jealousy? Was I jealous? No way...that couldn't be right... I probably was just worried...yes...it had to be... “Nothing much he just complimented me on my hairstyle and handed me the coke from a high shelf.” “The coke…” I said with a shocked voice and let the can fall. Where the liquid touched the ground it instantly turned into vapor. Vinyl’s eyes widened in shock. She shook me, asked me things, started to cry. She did all that while the pain increased and I heard less and less, saw less and less and even felt less and less… Just before I finally collapsed and lost my consciousness I tried to tell her something but was cut off short. What a pitty...the only words I managed to press through my teeth were: "Vinyl I…" Then I plunged in the seemingly endless darkness... -(14)- ConfusionI always thought dying felt peaceful. At first it was just me floating in the endless void, embraced by darkness. Things took a turn for the worse when I suddenly regained the feeling for my body. Shivers ran down my spine. My whole body felt as if had been shattered into little pieces. Everything felt so cold…yet burning… The agony seemed to last for so long…I already concluded I ended up in hell. Then suddenly all the pain was washed away… it had been replaced by something far sinister…a taste of this soul chilling cold. It was as if a thin layer of ice was spreading under my skin. It slowly began to grow…feeding on my essence. When the cold finally tried to clad around my heart trying to finish me off…I…well I had to throw up... I probably wasn’t alone because my unsightly awakening was accompanied by a loud shriek. I couldn’t see who it was because my eyes still burnt a little but the noise most certainly came from Vinyl. Even though I could already hear what was happening I remained a prisoner in my own body. As hard as I tried, nothing wanted to move… My whole body ached under pain. No, it wasn’t like the pain I experienced while I was out. If I had to describe it I would probably say it was as if all my muscles were sore. Combine that with the worst hangover you ever had and well…that was me just then.. “Truly, a fascinating specimen…” I heard someone mumble. It was probably thanks to the situation that my perception was reduced to feeling and hearing only that I heard that. If my eyes hadn’t been closed I probably would have missed it. I thought he also said something about “experiment”…but my head was probably still too messy and I only imagined that. “She alright doc??” a more familiar voice asked. “Hum… “ the unknown voice replied. “Maybe we should move her to the shadow…” Vinyl asked concerned. “Who conducts the treatment? You or me?” the voice replied rather annoyed. So…that voice belonged to a medic I assumed. However, the way he emphasized the word “treatment” gave me the shivers. It didn’t sit right with me. “I just wanted…” Vinyl tried to defend herself but was interrupted by the other pony. “Shh…her breathing seems to be stable again…” the “doc” remarked. “Miss? Can you hear me?” he asked in a loud voice. Sweet Celestia, I thought my head was going to explode. Could that buffoon of a medic at least try to go easy on me? Well I just had to reply…so I did…or at least tried to… “Uhmm…” was the only thing I got out. Oh right…can’t do a thing… Figures that bad stuff only happens to me… “Looking at how she is already able to react it probably was a mere case of food poisoning as I had suspected…” Whoever this medic was…he was pretty full of himself. What a worthless diagnosis… Normally a liquid does not just vaporize when it touches the ground right? “She should really visit the hospital…today would be best” he went on. I tried to get on my hooves but I failed. It really annoys me to be in such a helpless situation. Should have never left my bed today…that’s what I got for doing it anyways... “Try to hold onto that position for a few minutes longer, miss. Your circulatory system has to readjust. Seeing that you already barfed up all that was in your stomach you’ll probably be able to get up soon. “ the unknown medic informed me. A few moments passed when I finally opened my eyes. They still hurt a little but that wasn’t too bad. I looked around. I was still in the park. However the only ponies that were there were Vinyl and the one she called “doc”. Why was there a medic but no onlookers? Was I out for such a short time? Even if that was true how did that medic come here so fast? I was lost… I managed to get on my hooves soon after I caught a glimpse of my situation and took a good look at the medic. He just looked like an earth pony past his best years. His mane already lost its entire natural colour leaving back only an ivory-white tone. He wore thick glasses…and had a short boxed beard as white as his mane. His coat was ash gray and he smelled like antiseptic agent. Even though his appearance seemed warm and soft his dark brown eyes mustered me cold and calculating. He somehow looked very familiar but I just couldn’t put my hoof on it. “Well…how do you feel miss?” he asked with curiosity interrupting my flow of thoughts. “As if I was hit in the stomach by one angry apple bucker…wait…make that two…” I said rubbing my stomach while my head was still in a little disarray. “Well miss, if you’d like to we could move you to the hospital right now to get a clean check up on the situation and…” he started but I cut him off short. It would be of no use to go to the hospital anyways. “I feel fine…more or less…so don’t you worry…” You couldn’t help me anyways even if you wanted to. I had to see Victor and I had to do it soon. Whatever it was that happened to me he would most certainly know the answer to it. The medic looked at me…he probably wasn’t happy about my decision…at least according to his mimic. He took a deep breath and sighed when he saw the determination in my face. “Well…if you say so…but why don’t you come over tomorrow none the less? Just tell them the head physician wants to see you. I will find some time so don’t you worry…” he said, leaving us on our own. Did he just leave with a smug smile? I probably just imagined that. Oh and didn’t he just say he was the head physician? Now I know why I thought he looked so familiar. I’d seen him on a lot of jobs and in the papers. So he probably wasn’t a bad guy and just wanted to see that I am well… When I shook off my doubts about him I let my eyes wander to Vinyl. She looked strange. Her eyes were locked at the space where the medic left her field of vision. I didn’t know what I should do and just called out to her. “Vinyl? Everything alright?” What a strange development of events. I was the one who fainted and she should have been the one concerned about me but here I was worrying about her… “Eh…what…” she answered. Enough is enough. I could tolerate all the sick twists of fate up to now but come on…does everything have to feel all wrong? Nothing and I really mean nothing does make sense anymore. First the strange colt, then all the drama in the park, the “poisoned” drink, me fainting, the strange medic and after all of those stupid events Vinyl stared into the blue as if she had no cares in the world... All of that didn’t add up. I felt that all of it had to be connected but I didn’t know how. However my brain most certainly is not the wellspring of great and logical deduction so I had to use what I had. That may have sounded far more cunning then it really was…to put it simple I would just ask Vinyl what had happened and try to figure it out that way. “Do you still remember what we talked about before I collapsed? I seem to have forgotten.” I said blatantly lying. As if I would ever be able to forget that ever. It was a class-A drama where the both of us acted just like high school girls on their first period. Oh it was so hard not to blush in embarrassment. However I managed to somehow drive all emotions back into the corner of my mind, showing nothing more than curiosity when I asked . My expectations were met: Vinyl turned as red as a cherry… So she still knew… however that didn’t answer the big question why we acted like that? “I do…but it makes no sense to me now…” Vinyl said trying to avoid my gaze. “I acted all jelly and don’t even know why…” she went on . Even though I enjoyed watching her relive all this embarrassing moments just for the sake of telling me I had to burst out in laughter…did she really say jelly? Yes I know it wasn’t that funny but I had a hard day and hardly any laughs so I burst out in laughter nonetheless. “Did you really just say jelly? Like jellyfish? Or peanut butter jelly jelly?” “Does that really matter just now? I thought you wanted to hear what has…” Looking at her face I could see how everything fell into place. I knew she caught on when she blushed even more. Oh sometimes I could be so cruel…but I never said I wasn’t. It was all for the sake of knowledge anyways so…I couldn’t possibly be blamed for that could I? “You knew…you bucking knew and wanted me to tell you even though…” she said with a glare. Did that upset her so much? Well I suppose…watching her spit on the ground in disgust backed up that theory though. Still…you should have seen her face…priceless. “Oh I had to know…I mean…maybe I dreamed all of that while I was out cold…” I told her and giggled. Her emberassment and anger were replaced by something else...was itc oncern? It felt a little awkward but Vinyl was trying to talk seriously to me. Well sometimes even she seems to have those serious moments and I was thankful for that…or so I thought. “So…you think you are fine?” she asked. “Yes…I presume. I just feel like I had the mother of all hangovers…” “Maybe you should go to the hospital after all…” “No…they probably won’t be able to help me.” I said a little surprised. How could she not realise something so obvious. Nopony would believe I drank a can full of acid or whatever else it could have been? “Why? It was just some food poisoning…haven’t you heard the doc?” Vinyl responded still trying to remain serious. I couldn’t believe it…didn’t she pay any attention at all? “Vinyl? You saw how that the drink vaporized as soon as it hit the ground? That wasn’t normal at all!” I told her trying to remain as calm as possible. “What are you saying? That never happened. You really are imagining things now…” she responded in surprise. She looked so natural while talking…so I had to assume that she wouldn’t lie to me on purpose. However I couldn’t reign my frustration completely in. A sharp comment left my mouth. “What? Are you trying to mess with me you stupid DJ?” “No…honestly...you probably are still a little confused…” she said probably trying to make sense of my behaviour and calming me down. Well she could try for all I care but I still couldn’t believe it was all just in my head… “What about the colt`? The one who handed you the can in the shop?” “Who?” she said and her eyes widened. “The one who I met while you were still gone…” “You know that makes no sense Tavi? Maybe you should lie down…” she said, She probably was not sure if she should be concerned or freaked out by my behaviour by then. “No…I…” “If he met me at the store how could he be in the park with you? I also think you mixed up two memories there. I guess that is something that can possibly happen when you faint…” she said with a shrug. “What? No…Vinyl…” Vinyl looked at me in wonder. She didn’t get what I tried to say at all. “So you just went to the store bought some stuff and came back as soon as possible? Is that how it was?” I asked her…anticipating the answer. “Yes. As soon as I left the store I hurried back to you…why?” she responded. That made no sense, all of it. Was I going insane? The colt, the drink…was everything just my imagination? I tried once again... “What about your friend, the one you met on your way back?” “What are you talking about, Tavi? I wouldn’t let you wait in the park for any longer than necessary if I just went to buy something even if princess Celestia herself would invite me for tea…” “Something feels off Vinyl…and I can’t put my hoof on it.” “Maybe you should go to the hospital…” Cold anger overcame me. She was getting on my nerves and I stomped down in anger. I never felt so annoyed in my entire existence. Maybe I was going bananas…so what? Who am I to know what was wrong with me anyways? However her mistrust was another thing, it just made me want to smash things. Then I couldn’t hold it in any longer… “What is with you and the stupid hospital anyways…I said I am fine!” I said in a sharp tone. “Doesn’t seem fine to me.” she answered calm and composed. “I said I will go tomorrow so stop that…” I told and glared at her angrily, . For a few seconds everything was silent. Vinyl broke the silence deciding it was probably the best to just give me what I want for now and so she presented me with a situation where I could ask her another question. “So is there still something that haunts your thoughts? Something a little less crazy maybe?” “Yes…why did we both react like idiots when we talked in the park?” even though I asked that already. “Uh…I dunno. Give me a break. I don’t even want to remember that… You clang to me like me like politicians to their money…” she said half-heartedly smiling at me. “You did the same thing!” I replied. “I try not to think about that…” She looked away from me…probably fearing she would turn red all over again. I did the same for another reason. I had to think about something. Now that I calmed down a little I had to think about my sanity. Was she right? Was I imagining things now? Oh it was hard to say... How should you know you are crazy if you already are a lunatic? A tricky question indeed... When I turned back and took a glimpse at Vinyl was once again staring into the blue yonder I was assured that there was nothing wrong with my psyche. I wasn't sure about hers now though...oh just great… I knew Vinyl Scratch was a lot of things, a DJ, a friend and most of all an idiot who simply said what she thought but I certainly knew she was neither a liar nor trying to get a joke out of me when I was already a freaked out mess. I guess there was really just one pony or rather…one very eccentric vampire who could help me… I persuaded Vinyl to follow me to visit that certain friend of mine. At first she didn’t want to, probably because she still thought that I was just delusional. When I said I would go there even if she didn't follow she let out a deep sigh and told me she would tag along. We didn’t really keep a conversation up while trotting through Canterlot. Vinyl tried to persuade me to give up on my plan a few times though. She rather I just visited the hospital already. Was I freaking her out that much? I suppose the answer to that was yes. My patience ran short rather quickly. Soon after the third time she tried to convince me I didn’t even reply to her anymore…I just stomped my hoof angry at the ground forcing her into silence. Although I hate overhasty assumptions I knew there was something wrong with Vinyl and me. Even if I had chosen to ignore the fact that I probably drank something like acid without dying I had to get Vinyl fixed. Her behaviour seemed so strange…as if she was a broken toy or if somepony just played an old record over and over. Whatever happened to the both of us…I hope Victor could help. That was my only hope... I tried to get myself lost in the city as I did a dozen times before. I feared that I wouldn’t find the way now that Vinyl was with me but…surprisingly everything went far better than I expected. “Where are we…I don’t know this streets? Tavi…do you really think this is the right way.” Vinyl said at some point…clearly trying to hide her discomfort and miserably failing at that. When we finally reached the street where Victor’s mansion was located I could hear a song…so vague and yet so clear…it pierced my heart but also soothed the pain in my mind. Oh that melody...it never failed to amaze me. Looking at Vinyl’s face she probably had the same experience even though I wasn’t sure how clearly she could hear it. Even thought it was down just down the street now a thought crossed my mind. I already knew how Victor reacted to situations he was not used to…so I tried to give myself a head start explaining. When I told Vinyl she should just wait here until I call her she nodded absently. The music alone already washed away all of the doubt she had towards me. Why else would she let me go on my own only then? Or was the box messing with her? I did not know… When I managed to close the distance to Victor’s place and stood just a few yards away from the entrance something strange happened. The door swung open by itself... followed by a hot stream of gushing air that blew right out of the mansion. Just a few moments later Victor himself stood there emitting a murderous aura. Every cell in my body told me to run. The heat around him…it was suffocating. I was still 12 yards away and felt like I would probably collapse. However I was lucky. As soon as he realised it was me his sudden bloodlust faded and his disgusted mien was replaced by a confused look. He still wrinkled his nose in disgust looking at me as if he wanted to say...that smell came from you? “Octavia…you reek of vampiric pheromones…what happened to you?” Oh...I was right? So I really smelled horrible enough for ponies to attack me? Oh just great...well at least I wasn’t mad. The relieve that flushed through my body was so great I couldn’t keep it a secret. Victor didn’t smile at my thoughts probably seeing a connection between the smell and me which he didn’t like at all. He then hissed air through his teeth and exchanged the last bit of his predatory and animalistic instinct with his usual manner. “Oh Octavia, you truly have the gift to get caught up in unpleasant situations. Maybe you should just come inside and tell me everything…” Victor said with a gentle smile. “That would be nice, however I am not alone today…” I said. Victor raised an eyebrow in confusion and a little smirk started to form on his face. I called for Vinyl just a few moments later. He then chuckled and started to talk. “Dear Octavia…one can’t simply follow the hoofprints of destiny…by sheer will. Only a few ponies in history were able to walk them at all… Tthere would be no way that somepony could have fol…” “Whats up? Are you Victor? Tavi’s friend?” Vinyl interrupted his flow and let him fall into silence. Victor’s jaw dropped wide open when the unicorn suddenly showed up right behind me. He looked at both of us and wasn’t sure what to say…that was a first. When he finally regained his ability to speak he said: “You two probably have a lot of questions on your mind but so do I…” He welcomed us into his home but then when he closed the door just after us and I came to a sad conclusion. Equestria as we knew had just ceased to exist. It was locked away the very moment Victor closed the door. It was only shortly after that we had to accept that Equestria wasn’t the happy place we always thought it was. The real world was far more sinister… -(15)- Fading HopeWhen we entered Victor’s home I was shivering in anticipation. Finally I would know what kind of horror story I had gotten myself into this time. I expected him to lead us to the library offering us some tea and biscuits while explaining everything we wanted to know. My expectations were betrayed. He led us upstairs to another room…a room I have never seen before. Now you probably wonder what kind of room it was. Sure it had to be something special …that colt was a vampire after all…but wrong. The place he led us to was a simple bathroom. Okay the bathroom wasn’t simple…it looked expensive like hell but…you get my point. I was getting angry once again.That had to be a joke and a poor one at that. As soon as those thoughts started to form in my head a smile formed on Victor’s face. Who the hell did he think he was? How could he deny the answers I rightfully deserved! I didn’t have time for silly jokes like that.I just started demanding answers and decided to stomp with my hooves additionally to show him that I was here for serious business. I got even more annoyed when Vinyl suddenly mentioned the bucking hospital again. What was wrong with her? The worst thing however happened after that. Victor laughed her comment off saying…that the fact that we are in the bathroom is related to my strange behaviour. I started arguing with Victor telling him that I had enough of his petty games and that I wasn’t just a peasant he could order around. He didn’t even listen and rudely interrupted me saying that the bath already reached the perfect temperature. He looked at both of us with a smug grin and told me…yes he really did…to continue my tantrum when we were done bathing. At that moment I could have killed him I swear… He proceeded testing my patience by getting on my nerves. He stated, for example, that he would only answer our questions if we properly washed ourselves before…oh could you believe the humiliation. However I decided to play along with his stupid games. When I was done and had all the answers that I needed I would discard any affiliations to Victor anyways. His value for me would be zero by then… So I really went into the bathtub…well considering the huge size I rather say it was a pool. Somehow, as soon as I entered the hot water I felt strange. It was as if every burden was taken away from me…I felt at ease. Looking at Vinyl who entered soon after I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling more comfortable now. Then a horrible realisation crossed my mind. What the hay was I doing all day long? I acted like a tyrant, a spoiled brat and crazy choleric since I came back to my senses. What was I thinking? Embarrassment took a hold of me and I sank deeper into the water letting only me eyes surface. I also realised that I unconsciously created a huge distance between Vinyl and me. While I was there in the southeast corner of the big tub she was still at least 4 yards away at the corner opposed to me surrounded by huge towers of foam… She watched me from there...only Celestia knew since when. However, when our eyes met a grin flashed on her face and she splashed some water in my direction. “Testing out the waters” she said when she saw that she hit me right in the face. She was waiting for a reaction…a reaction that would never come. I just rolled my eyes and tried to get my thoughts together when Vinyl let out a loud moan, took a dive and surfaced next to me. She then moved a front leg around my neck and asked if I’m finally back to normal. I didn’t want to answer that one so I remained silent. That was a bad choice because Vinyl took that as a yes and therefore concluded whatever she did next wouldn’t have any consequences.She gripped me at the waist and pulled me underwater. When I managed to surface I let out a carefree laugh much to my oen surprise. She seemed pretty happy about my reaction… She probably still expected me to act like a douchebag… and well so did I to be honest. Her actions in the bath probably were stupid and inappropriate but why would I care? I wouldn’t expect anything else from my stupid yet loveable flatmate anyways… I could have fooled around in the bath all day long but after some time past Vinyl said she wanted to leave because the pool was getting far too cold. Strange…it still felt as warm to me as when we entered. Well I guess she was just as curious as me about all the things Victor would tell us… When we left the pool we spotted ourselves some towels on a huge shelf on the other side of the room. While crossing the room in fascination Vinyl mentioned that she had to get such an awesome bath as well. I guess even the royal sisters would be envious of Victor’s bath…I most certainly was. Our mood was on a new peak and I had to think about an old pony saying: Water washes away all bad memories. Guess that was true then… When we finally left the bath Victor was already waiting for us outside. He gave us a quick grin and led us into the library where he offered us some tea and biscuits. You would think Victor can’t be surprised easily being a vampire and such but there are some things that could even astonish him. Vinyl’s habit to put more sugar than tea in her cup was one of those things… When all of us were finally comfortable Victor proceeded to business. Victor asked us if we felt any different now looking particularly at me. Both of us answered that we felt a lot better after the bath. “So…what kind of magical water was that?” I asked him curiously. “Nothing special, just some plain water I heated up a little.” he replied. “But I feel so much better now…” I told him in surprise. “That was because you washed away the pheromones…” Victor said with a grin. While Victor asked me to tell him the story of our day Vinyl’s eyes began to wander to the box. Victor knew as well but it didn’t bother him at the moment. He knew how to stay in control of such a situation or he was just at ease because his gift to read minds would allow him to react fast enough no matter what happened… While I told him the story as I remembered it, Vinyl also added her view of what happened. Victor assured us that both of our versions were accurate at least according to our thoughts. That was puzzling. How could such a thing be? Both Vinyl and I waited for an explanation but it never came...Victor just sat there thinking about it himself. After a long time he sighed and just said that we should forget about it for now. He would consult a friend about that soon. When I changed the topic and asked him about the possible content of the can I drank Victor seemed to cringe. Oh…that didn’t seem good. “The thing you drank was probably an ordinary drink mixed with a little bit of venom. Normally it takes a pony out for at least a few hours. The equine stomach repels it forcing the one who drank it to throw up. A little portion however penetrates the stomach trying to spread inside the victim. We call that “planting a seed”…” Victor said. “What? So I’ll turn into a vampire? Just like that?” I asked in horror. “Did I say anything about that? Victor replied amused. “That guy sure likes to make it dramatic…” Vinyl said and rolled her eyes half jesting. “The seed is something vampires use on ponies that have become aware…” “Aware of vampires?” I asked. “Usually ponies we interact with lose their memories of us. However if they don’t forget about us we classify them as aware.Now to the bad part: There are three ways for my kind to deal with those ponies. “ he said in a more serious tune. “First one is…” Victor started. “You have to die!” Vinly interrupted him. “That is correct.” Victor said in a casual tone. “How do you know Vinyl?” I asked in surprise. “Duh, logic? Vinyl then answered and rolled her eyes while Victor chuckled already in response to her thoughts. “For most of us it wouldn’t make a difference if we squash a bug or kill a pony.“ “Oh…” was the only thing I could get out. “The second possibility is to offer you a place in our world. The seed acts as catalyst for vampiric powers. Sometimes if we find a pony rather intriguing we test if their special abilities would be a valuable addition to a clan. When they show signs of their ability we call that blooming. If it is something useful they probably will be turned at some point.” “But I haven’t shown signs of anything…” I asked completely shocked still thinking about the first possibility. “Possibility number three is that you work for them as a normal pony. Offering your blood, or just being one of their pawns in society, things like that. It is also the most common course of action.” he went on. I sighed in relief. Well it was better than death and becoming one of them so I guess I was lucky with the way things went. Still, my fortune looked very devastating… “However…you already displayed something rather strange to them. After taking in the seed you should have been out for hours Octavia…” My mind went blank and every part of my body froze. Even though Vinyl’s eyes were probably as widened in horror as mine Victor went on as if nothing happened. “They also made you emotionally unstable with all those different pheromone layers. Abilities normally awaken if an emotional requirement is fulfilled. Your friend must have been affected by all the pheromones on you and in that place as well…” Finally things started to make sense. The feelings of love, anger, superiority etc. were just forced on me so I wasn’t mentally unstable after all. Best news today... “Hey…why was I just acting like a love struck idiot and didn’t go through all of the other emotions Tavi displayed? I would have loved to go through the defiant age as well.” Vinyl said half joking half serious. “You are a unicorn she is an earth pony. Pheromones are directed at a certain species and sometimes even gender. I could for instance use love pheromones in this room. Octavia would be all over me while you would feel nothing. If you were affected by the pheromones than someone wanted Octavia to fall in love with a unicorn and…” Then Victor fell into silence. His face became unreadable. He was thinking about something that made no sense to him. Well we couldn’t do anything but wait until he was finished anyways. “What is the problem?” I asked in confusion. “Unicorns…well they can’t use pheromones…” Victor said flat. “What?” Vinyl and I asked at the same time. “There are three types of vampires. Every type roots in one of the three pony races. According to their race they inherit certain abilities in addition to their nature manipulation ability. Earth ponies either get inequine strength, speed or the power of attraction depending on their personality.” “So whoever used the pheromones on Tavi had to be an earth pony who wanted her to fall for a unicorn? So what is the deal…two of them worked together? Doesn’t seem that hard to figure out.” Vinyl said. “Our society doesn’t work that way. Normally we don’t work together that tightly outside of our respective clans. Could you describe the unicorn to me Octavia?” Victor asked with a curious tone. Well, he asked for it and I gave him the description of that certain, gorgeous, unicorn. Victor looked as if he knew him. His face looked darker and darker the more I told him about the colt. In the end Victor’s face looked unreal. Even though he tried to keep his appearance as neutral as possible it became a terrible grimace. His face was distorted by disgust and pure hate. When he finally decided to speak again his voice sounded like it came straight up from a grave. “That was Elusive Bliss.” and Victor pronounced every syllable with as much hate as possible. “So is he the major bad guy or something?” Vinyl asked what I was unable to. “He is one of the keepers…a clan leader” he added when he met our questioning eyes. “So he is one of how many head vampires exactly?” I asked in confusion and disbelief. “Yes he is, however my kind refers to them as keepers of the bloodlines. Together with the guardian those seven represent the council, the highest authority to vampires.“ “So why is it so bad that Tavi met that colt in particular?” Vinyl asked. “Bliss is a brilliant schemer who primarily uses nobility as his pawns. Whatever his goals are…we can only guess… ” “So…that shady guy wants me to be a vampire?” “I don’t understand what he wants myself. He can’t turn you into vampire because he is a unicorn and you are an earth pony. It isn’t possible. It would only work if he was an earth pony. However at least now we know that he works together with somepony else… Still, I don’t know with whom or why and what role “you” play in all of this dear Octavia…“ “So what should I do now? I neither want to be a vampire nor his pawn.” I said feeling slightly more uncomfortable now. “You won’t be. You can’t become a vampire without the council’s approval. Every new vampire has to be approved of. There is a simple reason why you can’t become a vampire as of now.” “What reason?” both me and Vinyl asked in wonder. “You could enter my domain which gives you the power to state a wish. Now think about what would happen if you were a vampire who could state a wish but had to obey the commands of your respective clan.” “One of the keepers could state a wish through me?” I asked and my eyes widened. “Exactly.” “So they rather let Tavi go to no one than to give her to another clan?” Vinyl asked. “You catch on pretty quick and no…they won’t kill her either.” he answered the question that formed in her mind. “Why are you so sure?” Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow. “The council decided upon that topic hundreds of years ago. Irregular beings that can’t be classified as simple ponies mustn’t be touched at any cost. As harbingers of chaos you fall under that category and are therefore off the charts.” Victor said. “Harbingers of chaos?” I asked now completely confused. “That is how we call ponies like you who are able to cast a wish that bypasses the laws of this world. However do not read too much into that name. A wish that defies logic and natural order could only be classified as chaotic, thus the name harbinger of chaos.” That explanation was a bit strange. Somehow I missed a very important point at that explanation but I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was. Just when I nearly figured out what wasn’t right I got interrupted by Vinyl… “So…now both of us are those harbinger thingies?” Vinyl said with a thoughtful expression. “Yes…” “So…” “Yes…just for the time being…” Victor responded with deep sadness in his voice. “Ah…” Vinyl said with a nod. “I am truly sorry…” Victor added seriously. “Oh don’t worry…I still have some time left…” Vinyl went on while her face seemed unable to move. “Destiny… isn’t always a pleasant thing…” Victor continued nearly voiceless. Wait…what? What did I miss there? It took me a few moments but then something in my head connected. At first i may have been just my faults and my problems yes…but now I realised I doomed her as well. The whole time my mind couldn’t work right because the lingering fear in the back of my head paralyzed my thoughts. I was acting so egoistic, only thinking about myself. I should have known I was pulling her into this mess. Even though she acted emotionless on the outside deep down she had to be devastated…and she probably would hate me. After all I was the source of this. Oh you couldn’t know how I regretted telling her all that stuff about vampires and leading her here … She probably tried to avoid thinking about how her days were numbered now. Ponies often refuse to believe what they hear if it isn’t to their liking. I knew someone who had been through it as well. My grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal disease. He laughed it off as a joke for approximately two weeks until he broke down under the terrible truth. Sometimes we simply can’t believe that our world was crumbling appart. Some of us need a lot of time to let it get through to them. Vinyl reacted like my grandfather…in denial. Thinking how Vinyl had to suffer because of me didn’t feel good. It was bad enough I was doomed but it was even worse if a friend had to suffer for my errors. There simply had to be a way to make everything work out. Think Octavia think... The solution I came up with wasn’t perfect but I thought at least it could sooth the situation a little. “So we both just won’t use that wish, then we are not to be touched by them. Everything will be just fine.” I said trying to raise Vinyl’s mood but I guess it looked very forced and was more a lie to myself than anything else. It backfired…of course. Both Victor and Vinyl looked at me with big eyes. Victor could only force a fake smirk on his face but Vinyl let out a constrained and hysteric laugh before she told me that I could be right in a unusually high pitched voice. The only thing that could have made my performance even worse would have been if one of my eyes had twitched the whole time while I said that. Still I had hopes that destiny wasn’t cut in stone… “So what about the seed you mentioned before? Will it disappear?” I asked mainly to get away from our unpleasant little topic even though my curiosity played it’s part as well. “Yes. It will probably evaporate through your skin in a matter of days. Just tell me if you feel some changes within your body. It would be nice to know where your speciality lies…” “Does getting yourself in trouble count as ability?” Vinyl asked with a smile and her usual carefree attitude. “Oh I had that one since birth so I guess it doesn’t …” I said with a giggle. Changing the topic seemed to work. We both fled into a world of forced happiness und useless chit-chat. It may be enough to raise the mood for now…or so I thought. “Both of you amaze me…even though the world looks so grim you can still enjoy yourselves. Don’t you fear the sword of Damocles at all?” Victor said with pure curiosity and interrupted our carefree chat. Silence fell on the room. I kept my mouth shut…and so did Vinyl. Both of us couldn’t even fully comprehend the situation we got in. Everything happened far too fast. We only kept up a happy façade and tried to distract ourselves by fooling around or asking rather trivial questions. Victor probably did not realise that we tried to avoid our upcoming demise in our thoughts. I wasn’t sure if he messed up like that because he was a vampire, an eccentric, an ancient being, a colt or just a fool who couldn’t read the mood but I guess it probably was a healthy mix of all those things. Well I wasn’t surprised by that…I had already seen that common sense wasn’t one of his strengths… Victor cringed when he read my mind. He probably only realised now that he had been completely tactless. Thanks to him we had to think about our approaching situations…once again. However deep inside there was still this spark of hope that if I tried hard enough I could make a difference… For a short moment it looked like Victor caught on to my thoughts and acknowledged my view by giving me a light nod while letting his crimson eyes meet mine. Oh yes, the eyes…they reminded me of something… “Victor…about the eyes…” “Yes…I figured what you want to ask. No, not all vampires have red eyes. The keepers of the bloodline for example retained their natural eye colours. The closer you are to the original bloodline the stronger your powers will be. Vampires with red eyes belong to the fourth generation and below. They are normally rather weak…in relation to other vampires that is. Just think of the keeper as generation one, the one changed by him as generation two and so forth.” So Victor must be pretty weak in relation to the other vampires. Well that was quite unexpected. I thought he would be rather strong considering how he was acting at the front door. He didn’t seem to me like a vampire who can’t lift a hoof when push comes to shove and... “Also my eyes aren’t crimson as a result of vampirism. They became that way because the box chose me to protect it. Vampirism was also born through that box so we could think about a possible connection there but…I guess that wouldn’t really interest you much …” he answered my unspoken words with. When we asked Victor about more information related to vampires he stated that he rather not provide us with more than necessary because every piece of knowledge could just get us deeper into trouble. We weren’t really satisfied with that answer but we both knew that we wouldn’t get anywhere if he had already decided on it. The last thing vampire related topic he mentioned was that he would have to inform the council that both of us were harbingers. So at least we wouldn’t have to worry about them for now. After the vampire talk had ceased Victor shifted his attention to Vinyl. He was fascinated by the fact that he had two harbingers under his roof and both of them didn’t use their wish on the spot. He stated a few theories related to the phenomenon. There were plausible theories like a change of values in society resulting in more cautiousness and less greed or farfetched ones like destiny wanted one of us to cancel out the wish of the other because one of us would bring death and devastation to the world. He really liked to talk every possibility through…and we really did not mind. We were happy about every distraction and Victor was happy because he had some new and exciting things to talk about. I guess Victor doesn't have it easy either. The world must look rather plain to somepony who had already lived for so long… Soon the discussion turned out to be less and less serious and we chatted the day away. Oh, what a strange bunch we were; an eccentric vampire and two ponies talking and laughing about stupid and casual things as if we had no cares in the world… Oh it was truly sad that such moments couldn’t last forever. At that time we had each other but soon the night would fall and we would have to go home. Could you think about sleeping…all alone with nothing but your darkest thoughts? The truth would sicker more and more through our consciousnesses and eventually tears would flow…of that I was sure. There was simply no pony who was cold enough to simply accept death or worse without batting an eye. -(16)- Recurring HopeNightmares, oh how I hated them...but right now I would rather be asleep, fighting off dreams than dealing with what my life had become. Well, so I had to learn it the hard way that the worst nightmares were those you couldn't wake up from... I knew before it sounded as if I was the strong one but hay…the glimmer of hope I held onto faded into nonexistence. My fears were fuelled by the darkness around me and it was a rather suffocating feeling. Why did it happen so late you ask? Well I guess acceptance was not one of my strong points. However looking at Vinyl I probably was still the stronger one… Who was I kidding…I was in no way less pathetic than her. I sat awake in my bed…covered in blankets looking directly at the moon through my skylight while letting tears flow nonstop. My thoughts were hunting me. All the plans I had for the future just turned into dust. Questions haunted my mind. Would it really matter how I lived my life from now on? Was everything predetermined or just some key elements of my life? What about my friendship with Vinyl? Talking about Vinyl, she wasn't even ready to face her problem. When we came home she acted still hyped up and occupied with everything but our impeding doom. For a short moment however I really thought she really did not care. Maybe she really was strong but the image of her that started to build in my mind was shattered when I saw her in her room. She was wearing those big headphones and stared at a blank wall. I watched her for a few moments and waited for her to let it all out. She never did. It broke my heart to see her like that. I knew that feeling far too well. Reality tried to break her apart as it tried with me back then. I would have been so happy if she simply snapped, hit me and blamed all her problems on me…but she didn’t. She just sat there and faced the wall… The sun raised and both of us weren’t capable of sleeping. When I entered Vinyl’s room and asked if she wanted to eat breakfast she still faced the wall but gave me a slight nod. How sad...that mare had really turned into a broken puppet… I made us some coffee and took out some cake I had put in the fridge before as well. My coffee tasted bitter as usual but even the cake that should have been sweet tasted like…well...horse apples. Vinyl didn’t come on her own so I had to call her. Without saying anything she just sat down and took the cup I offered her. A long time we just sat there with our coffee cups and two nearly untouched pieces of cake. I didn’t know what to say in such a situation it was just far too bizarre. After some time had passed and we still did nothing more than looking at each other and completely ignoring our food Vinyl broke the silence. “Well Tavi, I have thought about a few things tonight…” Vinyl said in an unusually depressing tone. “Such as…” I asked cautiously. “I know you probably torment yourself for pulling me into this whole mess…” she went on. I gulped. She was dead on. Of all the things I ever had to burden…the guilt of getting a friend in trouble was probably the worst thing I ever had to experience in my life. Well, I never had friends before…and I was pretty sure she would cut all her connections to me after all that happened. I could understand her pretty well…I was probably the most egotistical mare in Equestria. “…but it isn’t your fault. It was me who decided to help you and it was me who wanted to know more about the craziness that surrounds you. So don’t think I blame you. It just is a lot to take in you know…” she said with a breaking voice and a weak smile. “No…I am the one to blame. Helping me shouldn’t mean for you to lose your life. I never wanted something like that to happen. I just wish that I never had been born and…” I said and trailed off insilence letting my thoughts wander a sad path. “Tavi it is not your fault. Forget about it okay…” she said with a little more life in her voice now. “But…” “No…I think we should live our lives as if nothing has changed. Think about it... We still have some options. We can still be successful in life. We can still attain happiness. We still have each other. There is no reason why we should worry about our future. Nothing will change expect we'll grow fangs or have to donate blood on a weekly base. I think we should just give it a rest. ” she said trying to convince me as well as herself. Well, she raised my spirits a little and as far as I could see she tried to integrate what she said in her own mind-set as well. To be honest it was good that she found a grip on herself and even better that she didn’t hate me after all…even if I really deserved all of her hate. After thinking about what she said a little more I came to the conclusion that her personal solution to the problem wasn’t perfect but at least viable. The only thing where I would have loved to tell her she was straight out wrong was the end. I did not believe that you could have a happy yet meaningful life. However that I wouldn’t bring up now… “So what are you scheming?” I asked when I saw that the fire in her eyes was finally burning again. “Maybe we should enjoy ourselves a little more.” Vinyl said in her normal, cheerful way. “Vinyl I certainly think now is not the right time for…” “When would ever be the right time for someone like you?” Vinyl said and let her eyes roll. “Whatever do you mean? I can’t follow…” “You need to come out of your shell…” “Pardon me?” I asked in confusion. “You are far too introverted. You close yourself off from life Tavi. You see everything as a huge string of problems that comes crushing down on you but you know what? Buck it. Problems are just one small part of life. Just enjoy the time when you don’t have to deal with em.” My jaw dropped a little. Was that really how it looked to her? Somehow I didn’t believe it but at the same time I knew she hit the mark. I was surprised, a little offended, and swallowing a bitter truth all at the same time. I couldn’t even imagine how dumb I had to look. Well in the end, it seemed Vinyl just wanted to have some fun with me from time to time. Shopping, clubbing, basically whatever I felt up to. While at first I wanted to decline her offer, I simply gave in to her, and told her I’d be up for it. I mean, I did it for her...and maybe she was right. I mean, it wasn’t like I really was introverted...or didn’t like to have fun...and...oh whatever... Come to think of it...that stupid mare...she never failed to amaze me. She was probably the only pony in Equestria that could fall in depression and get back on her hooves that fast. She even brightened up my dark thoughts a little... I bet every psychologist would like to conduct research on her mind. Oh and thinking about medics…there was still this courtesy visit I had to make at the hospital. I guess the head physician would need to check if I was fine after all. Well, some things had to be done. I wouldn’t like it very much if I ran into him somewhere again and look like I didn’t give a horse apple about his advice. I told Vinyl that we could do something in the evening but I had to visit the hospital before. She told me that she thought that was a good idea and added that she would have advised me to do it anyways. She then, influenced by her crazy DJ mind, said she just hopes that I would get myself a sexy nurse outfit there as well. Naturally, I hissed at her comment. Well at least now I was sure she was back to normal… It was around lunchtime when I entered the hospital. At the reception they told me I had to wait for a few minutes until a doctor would have time for me. I nicely replied that the head physician told me to meet him in person. The receptionist, a cute mare with a bright pink mane and golden coat rolled her eyes and told me as sarcastically as possible that she believed me. She then said that she knew I had to be very busy because princess Celestia herself waited outside of the hospital for me. I sighed in response and told her that if that was the case I was done here. Oh sometimes life is just a comedy. She had such a stupid attitude and still…I was the one who had no job. However just when I was on the way out I saw the head physician passing the reception. He immediately spotted me and asked why I wasn’t directly coming to him as he told me before. With a fiendish grin I replied that I was trying to meet him however the receptionist just didn’t believe me. Oh I loved how her eyes widened in horror when she saw what she just had done. Normally I really wouldn’t stoop that low but…she had it coming. He gave her a cold look while I showed her a big smile before he led me into his office. “Well, miss. How about you tell good ol doctor Coldsteel how you feel?” he said with a smile. “I can’t really complain. I feel as healthy as a horse should feel.” I answered. “Did you show any strange kind of reaction?” he asked now a little eagerly. “Not really…” I replied short. His mind wandered off then. When I just wanted to ask him if I could already go he started talking again. “Not even emotional instability? It happens a lot when these things happen…you know?” Shivers ran down my spine. Those were in no ways symptoms of food poisoning. He simply knew about the pheromones. I felt very uncomfortable and suddenly had the urge to get out of here as soon as possible. “No…should there have been some?” I asked innocently. “You know what I hate most in the world?” Coldsteel asked in response. “No…” I said and gulped. “Misinformation and those who spread it…” he said now rather cold. “So…I have to wonder…why are you lying to me.” “I-I didn’t…I…” “Do you think I am a fool?” the colt cut me off short. “I-I…” “Why would you lie to me about your mood swings then? If you knew nothing about your situation you would have simply agreed to my last question or asked if there was a connection between food poisoning and emotional instability you never heard of. Everypony would have done that for self preservation. So to keep it short…you know far more than you want to let me know…” I couldn’t even manage to bring out another word. His question was just bait. He only used it to verify if I wanted to hide something. I was in deep trouble now…however wasn’t I untouchable according to Victor? But did he already inform that council thingy? I wasn’t sure. Should I just try my luck? Then another thought crossed my mind. I could still change my position… “Maybe I just wanted to get everything over with pretty quickly?” “Stop wasting our time. Your manner of speaking and body language show traces of nervousness not hastiness.” “What do you want to know…” I said, already accepting that I couldn’t lie to him. “Did you feel a major change within your body…” he asked bluntly. “No…there aren't any signs of pow…” I answered. I regretted that answer immediately I even wanted to facehoof. He never said anything about powers. Know he knows that I know far more than he anticipated…just great. His eyes already turned into slits…so I knew what would come. Well it was for the best if I changed my approach now. “No powers huh…and why would you know about that if you hadn't already achieved some?” “Because that is why you people planted that stupid seed to begin with? You wanted to test me and just look at that…I turned out a failure…happy now?” I answered in mockery. “Did he tell you?” Coldsteel now asked in confusion. “Yes, he did…why? Is there a problem with that?” I replied. So he knew about Victor…great. Once again my life just had to get super exciting for no reason. However that wasn’t the excitement I wished for. Why did I attract those stupid vampires anyway? “Hmm…I just don’t get what Bliss is after…” the colt now mumbled. “Elusive Bliss?” I asked in shock. “So he even gave you his name…what a strange turn of events…” the colt said lost in thoughts. “What is your relation to him?” I asked curiously. “Every answer has it's price.” he replied cold. “Oh…if that is how it is than pursue your answers alone…” I told him with an icy smile. “You think I would let you leave? I am the head physician. I can simply declare you insane and lock you away for my experiments. If that is what you want…try to flee…” he answered emotionless. I knew that there was no way around it so I braced myself to tell him my story. He would know if I hid something or lied to him anyways. “Okay, here is my story in a nutshell. I sat there on a park bench when suddenly a unicorn male appeared who tried to hit on me. I fell in love with the colt because I somehow managed to get covered in a lot of pheromones that were not his. I managed to get aways from him due to my sheer willpower without really talking to him. Then my best friend came back with a drink that contained vampire venom. Before I drank the venom we hit on each other thanks to the pheromones as well. After that I acted accordingly to all the other pheromone layers that were put on me until I washed myself. So that was my story…can I go now?” I answered trying to cover as much as possible. Lying would do me no good anyways. “Pretty interesting…but how did you know so much about pheromones and why those weren’t his in particular? I doubt he would tell you something like that. It also throws up some new questions. How did you learn about the seed or his name if you didn’t talk to him. How do you know so much about us anyways?” he now asked rather intrigued while polishing his glasses. “Well I know one of your kind. He is called Victor and I found him by following the hoofprints of destiny or something like that…” The colt’s eyes widened for a moment and then he put on his thoughtful expression once again. Did he know Victor? Was he convinced to leave me be now that he heard my tale? I hoped so. “Interesting…so you know the guardian… What a fascinating specimen you are. Your recovery rate after taking in the venom alone was extraordinary but now it gets far more interesting. The guardian and a keeper both took interest in you. Wait…you said you visited the guardian? What did you wish for?” he said now a little warmer and with real excitement. This cold calculating living lie detector just turned into a young filly who found himself a new toy. Oh great…guess aunty Octavia had to give him what he wants, so that she could leave. “I didn’t state a wish as of yet. About Victor, well he helps me to understand the mess I just slipped in. However what bugs me are this Bliss figure and you. I don’t know what both of you see in me.” “So that is how it is. Those informations were very valuable. I guess in that case you get some insight in my agenda as well.” the colt told me in his newfound warm tone. “Oh, where to begin with…well…who are you?” I mumbled. “Dr. Coldsteel, gatherer of ancient wisdom and keeper of a bloodline.” “What do you want from me?” “At first I was just curious because Elusive Bliss took an interest in you. If that unicorn is involved in something it shouldn’t be overlooked. I ordered some of my subjects to trail you after my informations were verified. However my reasons have changed since then. Now it is my goal to win you over.” he said with a smile. “Eh…I do not really date vampires…” I said with a little blush. What was he saying? “Not romantically speaking of course. To be more precise I want you as part of my clan.” he answered and gave me a wink. “So...what about Bliss? What does he want from me?” “Well he wants you to become one of us but I don’t know the reason for that either. After Bliss became aware that I took interest in his activities he told me about his fascination for you. He then explained that his curiosity overweight’s his personal benefit in that particular matter and offered that he would vote for you to become part of my clan just to see how you'd turn out. In exchange he merely wanted all the information I gathered on “bat ponies”. However that deal makes no sense. That information is trivial at best. It only has historical value and I don’t think that is what Bliss is after. I think he just wanted to offer me a deal I wouldn’t turn down.” he explained to me while lost in thoughts. “So…will you take his offer?” I asked curiously. “I’m still not sure…to be honest…” “You said you used your subjects to trail me?” “Yes I sent two members of my bloodline after you that one time. I even allowed them to use their bloodline on you as they saw fit.” “Bloodline?” I asked completley confused. Wasn't that just part of his title? Seems there was more to it than caught the eye. “The guardian didn’t tell you about that? Well…I guess it won’t hurt to give you just a little insight. On the contrary maybe it would even give you some initiative to join my bloodline.” He said with a smug face before he went on. “My clan has the ability to influence the psyche. This ability directly messes with your head so no pheromones involved. One of my loyal subjects for example has the ability of perferct memory others could possibly trap you in your mind, or take control over your body against your will. The ones I sent after you should have been pretty weak. Maybe they made you feel at ease…something like that…” Well,I figured bloodline powers were bad news as soon as he mentioned it. However that was simply terrible. So in addition to racial abilities and nature manipulation abilities I knew of, there was another power and it seemed by far worse than the other two. “So…what about Bliss? What can he do?” I asked...already fearing that the answer would give me nightmares. “The Bloodline of Bliss uses light as far as I know. I can’t tell you how wide their abilities vary because most of us keep our powers a secret. The only thing that I know is that their powers are extremely potent. The reason for that is that unicorns do not get additional abilities when they are changed…their magical power just raises exponentially in the process…” Oh well...light doesn't sound that evil I thought. The part about how unicorn powers grew to unknown peaks while affected by vampirism was another story. That really freaked me out. Great unicorns like Starswirl the bearded or Princess Twilight Sparkle before she became an alicorn were already powerful without any unnatural boost to magic. I thought I shouldn't think any longer about that and just ask another question. “You mentioned something about mind manipulation before. Why did you not use those powers on me? You could have forced me to talk through one of your subjects right?” I told the medic. “Obviously, I honour free will. That is also the reason why I want you to join me on your own. Why else would I offer you information even though I am not obligated to? You amaze me and I don’t want you to be killed or wasted as a pawn.” he answered unnaturally warm. “Oh…eh…well thank you I guess…but I rather stay a normal pony you know…” I answered him while crouching a little. “Well the choice is up to the council and I will honour your wishes but let me ask you one thing. What should I do if the decision came down to death or vampirism. Which one would be more to your liking?” he asked me with a serious tone and expression. “I would need some time to think about that…” I answered him honestly. “Well…I will vote for mortal servitude as long as that is a viable choice, so don’t you worry. You still have some time right?” “What about my friend, Vinyl? Do you have plans for her as well?” I asked now rather curiously. “No I don’t…and even Bliss didn’t seem to be that interested in her. She probably will end up as a pawn or dead. Neither Thanatos nor Bliss would be interested in a simple unicorn without great magical potential to begin with...” he replied cold. So they did not know about Vinyl being a harbinger…how interesting. Or did they know and just don’t care? Was a unicorn just measured by her raw magical powers? What about me then? What makes me special for an earth pony? Oh…there is so much I do not understand… “Well there is still something I need to know. Who put those pheromones on me back at the park ? And why does my friend have different memories of what has happened?” I asked carefully because I thought I already knew the answer. “Well after Bliss realised I knew of his newest obsession he confronted me directly. He asked me if I could lend him a hoof with planting the seed. Normally I wouldn’t aid Bliss. He is as far from trustworthy as a changeling but well as I said I took a personal interest in you because of his weird actions. His offer raised my curiosity even more… So, I placed a colt right next to you. He was the one who covered you in pheromones. Bliss told me he wanted you to fall for him, getting closer to you and giving you the seed via a kiss. However he also had a backup plan. In case you wouldn’t fall for him he already put some venom in a can which he would hand your friend at the shop. In addition he also wanted my subject to use love pheromones that worked on both unicorn genders. You see...that colt let nothing go to chance. However about your friends memories...that question seems to be worth some research...” he said and trailed off. “Well I guess that are all the questions I could come up with for now.” I said still rather disappointed about the last answer. “Good…I on the contrary still have one that needs to be answered…” “What do you want to know?” I asked now a little curious. It had to be something big as far as I could tell... “It is less of a question and more of an inspection. I will look for indications of power usage.” He then proceeded to inspect my body. He searched for the smallest pieces of evidence. However he didn’t find anything but a minor injury I got on my hoof when I stomped in anger back then and a blister on another. Well look at that…just as I said...I had no super powers…who would have thought.I could only reign in the impulse to roll my eyes in the last minute. I think it wouldn't be a good idea to make fun of him if he tried so seriously. After a while Coldsteel just sighed and gave up. Realising both of us were quiet for far too long he tried to explain himself. He said that he had hoped to find singed hair or raised electro static in my coat... I didn't really care, the results were still the same. After waiting for a few more silent moments I asked him if it was okay to go now. He nodded and told me I could come back and talk to him any time I wanted. I said that maybe I would take him up on his offer, gave him a smile and was gone. To be honest I didn’t really want to talk to him again because his personality was creeping me out. If I wanted some advice on the supernatural I could get it from Victor right? Furthermore he cooperated with that shady Bliss just to satisfy his curiosity. Well at least a lot of things started to make more sense now... Now there was only one more question to be answered: What should I tell Vinyl when I came home? Should I tell her the truth or should I act as if nothing happened. I did not know. I wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hear about vampires in the next few years and lying seemed so much easier. Well I guess it didn’t matter…there was no reason to bring it up anyways...was there? No lies? No tears? No guilt? What an elegant solution... A smug grin formed on my face…I started to be my usual self again. -(17)- Insecurity -(17)- Insecurity The smug smile on my face vanished once I finally arrived home. At first I suspected the usual; a loud crowd complaining about Vinyl or at least her doing something completely inappropriate but no…everything was silent, far too silent. Reluctantly I opened the door to my home, already suspecting the worst. Well…what I found was far from the worst. Honestly, I’d rather say it was an act of courtesy I never expected from Vinyl. She had left a note on the desk, addressed to me. Dear Tavi, I wasn’t sure when you’d be back so I thought I’d take my time to organise something for tonight. You already agreed to have some fun with me so I won’t let you get off the hook this time. I’ll probably be home at 09:30 PM to come for you… Enjoy your time till then... PS: I made you some fresh coffee, just before I left. Kisses, Vinyl Well, I didn’t see that coming but I should have, I guessed. Obviously I was rather sceptic when my eyes first wandered to the note because Vinyl didn’t seem like a pony who would explain what she did to others. However her reasons were probably to stop me from freaking out. If she was gone just like that what would I have thought? Maybe something like abduction by vampires or even more likely that she left because I had destroyed her life as well… I took a deep breath before I let go of those unneeded dark thoughts and filled my favourite cup with coffee. When I wanted to enjoy the hot bitter liquid I was in for a surprise…it was cold. How I hated it when Vinyl didn’t dispose of cold coffee. Wait didn’t she write she made me some fresh coffee? Suddenly a strange thought crossed my mind. No…it couldn’t be what I was thinking. I took a deep breath before I poured the cold coffee away and filled the cup anew. This time I was focused on the flowing liquid. It was still steaming when it entered my cup. However when the cup reached my mouth the coffee was cold once again. I tried it again and again but the outcome stayed the same. I decided that I wouldn’t give up easily. I prepared a new can of coffee for my little experiment. How strange this day turned out to be. First the medic turned out to be a vampire and now this... Wait…when did the coffee actually turn cold? In the can it remained hot. Mid-air it was still steaming. So while I was holding the cup in the one hoof I used the other to touch my lips. They were warm. I even touched the inside of my mouth but…it was also warm. So…the strange thing was the cup? What exactly was wrong with it? At first I thought that it was my ability that finally showed itself but now…it turned out to be truly disappointing. Yet I still wanted to solve the mystery and stared at the cup in wonder. Still holding it with one hoof I decided to put it back on the table to inspect it closely. Something I wouldn’t have to do anymore now that I let go of that cup. Where I touched it with my hoof it seemed to be covered in a layer of rime. I looked at that hoof in disbelief. It didn’t look any different but instead of that one blister Coldsteel found, I now had a few more. Only now I realised that those things weren’t blisters…those were chilblains. Oh it started to make far more sense now. The cold sensation while I was out, the bathing water that got cooler and now even the ice cold cup. Well…seemed like my classmates back then had been right all along, I really turned out to be an ice princess. The thought made me chuckle, yet I didn’t feel all too well about it. I didn’t have any control over that strange power. It wasn’t very strong right now but it was still enough to cover my hoof in chilblains. What if I really hurt somepony else? Normally I would have visited Victor immediately after my discovery but that was out of the question now that I wasted all my time playing with my coffee mug. The best course of action would probably be to take a powernap until Vinyl returned. I’d probably need all my energy to survive Vinyl’s idea of fun anyways. I moved my flank to the couch and fell asleep immediately, my eyes still locked on my chilblain covered hoof… I found myself again in the middle of the night. It was dead silent but I wasn’t alone. Cold winds gently blew through my mane while my hoof was covered in a warm and sticky liquid. Trying to find out what it was exactly I moved my hoof to my mouth. It tasted like blood. Oh that wasn’t good… I tried to run and run but my home had turned into a seemingly endless corridor only lit by a few rays of the crimson moon. Shadowy figures created by that twisted moon and bald trees were projected on the wall. They seemed to laugh at me while I was chasing down the endless room to escape the darkness. Finally I seemed to reach the end of the road where a gentle white source of light waited to comfort me. Coming closer I realised it was Vinyl who waited there for me. In a moment of sheer happiness I hugged her only to see her turn into ice and shatter into tiny pieces. As if that wasn’t enough I felt something touch my back… I shrieked when I found myself all sweaty on the couch while a concerned Vinyl Scratch apparently was trying to wake me up. She was still leaning over me and had her hoof on my shoulder. When I finally managed to get up she looked at me in pity and faintly whispered…”Nightmares again?” I gave her a simple nod as an answer before I got up. When she asked me if I wanted to tell her what my dream was about I simply let out a sigh and said that I’d rather not talk about it. After that I walked into the shower to wash away all the sweat and…to take a look at my hoof. I wasn’t really keen to tell Vinyl about the fact that I turned into a living refrigerator but if we would really try to have fun tonight she deserved to know, for her own safety at least. I tried to use my hoof on one of the walls while showering and to my delight I didn’t cover it in ice. Even though I wanted to enjoy my shower a little longer I heard an impatient voice call out to me. Vinyl wanted me to hurry for we shouldn’t be late. Oh…did she reserve something for us? That could truly end up very embarrassing. I sighed and stopped the flow of the hot water. It took me only a few more minutes to comb myself until I was ready to go. Vinyl took a look at me and mildly shook her head. Did she expect me to wear something flashy? I doubt that because she wasn’t anything flashy either. When I asked her where we would go she just beamed at me and said just one word…”surprise”. Vinyl told me our destination was about twenty minutes and we shouldn’t waste any more precious time. On our way I told her about my strange newfound ability. “Do you think it is fun? Using your power I mean…” she went on…completely staggering me. “Why would you think it is fun? I don’t have any control over it. Didn’t you listen? Things just freeze if I like it or not. It rather scares me to be honest. What if I hurt other ponies…” I replied. “Maybe you just have to learn it…like you have learned playing cello?” she asked. “My cello is not a tool to hurt people Vinyl…” “No but your mother is…” Vinyl said manically giggling. Well…she did it. She made me burst out in laughter. The corners of Vinyl’s mouth rose as she realised that she managed to lighten up the mood a little. “So…you want to tell me you are afraid to freeze ponies to death? Are you kiddin me?” Vinyl said holding on to her grin. “That isn’t funny Vinyl…what if I seriously hurt somepony?” I asked in disbelief. How could she be so easy going. I was a walking weapon by Discord’s beard. “Yeah right because the vamps would let you roam around free if you could kill ponies. Good way to keep their secret world save, Tavi.” Vinyl told me as sarcastic as she could. “Well…I guess you have a point there.” I said after thinking about it. “Sure have.” she replied smiling. “So what do you think about my power?” I asked curiously. I guess that could turn out rather entertaining. “I don’t think it is very special. Isn’t that just like Victor’s power in reverse?” she said scratching her head. “I’m still not sure how my power works exactly.” “Duh, you freeze things. What else is there to know?” Vinyl answered, rolling her eyes. “Do I really freeze things? Maybe I just absorb heat? Or maybe I’m able to make things turn from hot to cold and vice versa. I don’t know if making things freeze covers it Vinyl…” I said. “Hmm…you may be right there.” she said thinking about it. “However, does it really matter if the result stays the same? Your freezing stuff, no matter how you do it.” she added. We talked for a while longer about my powers until we finally reached our destination. My eyes widened in horror when I saw where we just had stopped. It was a club named Velvet Moon. Letting my gaze wander down at the announcement chart I realised that “DJPON3” was one of today’s DJ. The two of us couldn’t even look more different when we went through the entrance. Vinyl was all hyped up because of her gig and I...well I had scepticism written all over my face. Somehow I already came to regret that I let myself being talked into this… -(18)- Predator's Mind -(18)- Predator's Mind There it was again, the same feeling that haunted me since I was young. It was so cold, yet blazing hot. Imagine frozen flames flickering through your veins, burning you alive and freezing you at the same time. That feeling was called cold anger and my whole body brimmed with it. Did you ever try and think about what tools were best used to destroy someone? If you think about it long enough you’d probably come to the same conclusion as I; sadness and anger. Sadness is patient; It slowly wears your mind, the same way constant dropping wears the stone. Anger on the other hoof is something that comes in surges; sometimes it hits hard, sometimes it does less so. Contrary to sadness the anger lets you even go but don’t be fooled by false kindness. The only reason why the anger lets you go is so that it can hit you once again with its full unbridled force… Oh, it did hit me when we entered that club. The last time I remembered such an occurrence was when I still had been employed. There was nothing that hurt me more than the kind of treatment displayed by the ponies in here. As soon as we entered they formed a circle around us and focused all their attention on Vinyl. Well, I already know that they were here for her but it hurt nonetheless and I did not understand why? I certainly was not envious of Vinyl, was I? No, that was impossible. I knew that feeling. It was the feeling I had when ponies looked through me as if I wasn’t even there. It was the same feeling I had when my mother looked at my sister, when the audience didn’t care about my music and when my old conductor only had eyes for his “star prodigy”. I didn’t understand what happened right now. Yes, I wished for nothing more than approval in my life but...why would I ever want to be approved by Vinyl’s fans? I couldn’t understand myself, I only knew that my anger was rising. Calm and composed I fell back in the old pattern of focusing all my anger on myself and on how unfair life was. I should have been used to it by now, yet I was not. I had been playing the second fiddle for all my life, so why? Why did it still feel so bad? Why was I feeling that now? They sneered at me for years and even if the pain was sometimes rather numb and suppressed it never really ceased to hurt. After some time I even started to cope with the situation; I became cold. I took in all the sadness and buried it in my heart, covering myself with a protective shell. No matter how numb the cold made me…it still couldn’t supress my feelings completely. This time however, it felt especially painful. I felt betrayed. I knew it was irrational and I didn’t want to pin it on Vinyl but I couldn’t help but think about how this situation had to be her fault. I knew she wanted me to come to the club to enjoy myself. I knew she didn’t try to hurt me, even more not on purpose, but at that moment I could only think of her as the selfish DJ who wanted to satisfy her overgrown ego. When that thought crossed my mind I was a little shocked about myself. For all I knew Vinyl and I were both suffering due to the recent events however unlike me she at least tried to fight the sorrow and lethargy that befell us. Some kind of friend I was; while she was just trying to help me, I already tried to pay her back in ingratitude. Well, if she tried her best to raise my spirits I could at least try to look as if I enjoyed myself…for her. As soon as I settled on a course for the evening I had to find out that reality wasn’t kind enough to let me decide things on my own. The ponies who surrounded us came closer and started to push us, Vinyl towards the stage and me…to the ground. Well, just great. While Vinyl bathed in the cheers of her admirers and was even carried the last few yards to the stage I had to crawl around on the floor until I finally got out of the crowd. “My idea of fun exactly…why thank you for taking me to this place Vinyl.” I muttered under my breath when I finally managed to get back on my legs. My displeasure even grew when I caught a glimpse of my hyped up DJ friend on the stage. However, what hurt me the most was that she didn’t even glance in my direction. My anger instantly vanished and was replaced with something else…loneliness. Then something inside my head made click. Vinyl probably brought me here because she thought that being around ponies would do me some good. She didn’t want me to dwell in dark thoughts while she was gone. Well, it was a nice try but she failed nonetheless. Ponies might be all around me but in some way I was still alone… I sighed and slowly turned my back to the stage and graciously walked to the counter where I decided to rest my flank for the remainder of the evening. Ignoring all the cheers and the loud voices in the back I waved at the barman and ordered an Appletiny. I sipped on the drink for a few minutes before a cute voice ripped through my thoughts. “Oh you’re back princess?” the voice said in a jolly manner. The voice belonged to a cute barmaid with red pigtails. She was rather pale, had a white coat and heterochromatic eyes, one red and the other blue. She was wearing an ebon dress and makeup in the same tone. “Sweety, could you handle the tables? She is a friend of mine.” the barmaid said to her colleague. In response the colt slightly blushed and gave her a quick nod. The mare gave him a wink and he wandered with a big smile to the other side of the room looking for thirsty guests. “So you got that colour out of your mane, sweety?” she went on. Oh, was that were I knew her from? Was that the bar where I completely smashed myself? Just great. I didn’t even know how to respond without dying of shame. Well, I guess I could just give the truth a try. “Yes…it was a pain in the flank.” I told her with a smile playing along. “Trying to get completely smashed again?” she asked while her creepy eyes rested on mine. “No, I just accompanied a friend here tonight.” “Ah you mean her” she said and pointed towards Vinyl who just emptied a bottle of rum on the stage. “Yes…” I said and rolled my eyes. “Well…at least you make a cute couple.” she said with another gleeful smile. A little part of my Appletiny found its way through my nostrils when she said that. “Oh…so you are not an item?” she asked surprised and went on in a chatty manner “I concluded you had to be. I mean last time you left with her and this time you came back together.” “No we are just friends…” “Friends with benefits?” she asked, obviously teasing me. “No just friends…oh and if you’d be so nice” I said with a sigh and played with my empty glass. “So you don’t like her…romantically? Hmm…that’s a little sad…you look so good together.” “Well…I am into colts after all…” “Girl, I watched you that night and I guarantee you, you are not into colts. There had been a lot of colts who tried to hit on you that day and every one left with his tail between his legs .” she said trying to supress her giggles. “You got to be kidding…and it isn’t funny…” I told her in an icy tone. “No, I’m not. You even hit on me at some point and to be honest I really regret that I didn’t take you on that offer. Quite the wild thing you are, after you throw your morals over board that is. Another Appletiny?“ she said with a big grin already half on her way to refill my glass. Well, I was still very sober for my standards and even if that mare was a little demanding I think I’d rather talk to her instead of sitting here all alone for the rest of the night. I guess sometimes every pony is in need of some company even if it is just for some silly talk. “Make that an Applejack Daniels miss…ahem…what was your name again.” I said now rather embarrassed for obvious reasons. “Spectra...” she said with a wink. “So why do you even care about me? Aren’t I just another costumer?” I asked curiously. “Life is short and I just don’t want you to lose out on all the good stuff.” she said and pointed at the stage once again. “Not. Into. Mares.” I replied with the intention to make it sound final. Well, it didn’t come out the way I wanted. Instead of sounding serious my voice had some kind of amused undertone. It was probably due to the fact that the alcohol already started to kick in. However it didn’t really matter because I was pretty sure that she would have already caught on that I’m already done with that topic. “Sure, sure…whatever…” she told me and rolled her eyes in an attempt to mock me. “Hey sweety…” Spectra said and her eyes suddenly became wider. “I think you are in some trouble…” she said and glanced into the direction of three colts who moved in our direction“…because right now you look like somepony who was stood up by her date.” Oh buck it. The last thing that I needed right now was “that” kind of company. I had a terrible night, and felt still guilty for getting Vinyl in my mess. Top that off with the fact that I had to stay in this stupid club just to make her feel at ease and the mess is complete. Now that I finally found a way to relax just a little bit some thugs had to show up? Just great… Oh, I probably would have been very intimidated by their appearances if they didn’t look so cliché. All three of them wore leather jackets, had long unkempt hair and some metal junk in their faces. They did their best to look as “cool” as possible. To sum it up, they were just a joke. Of course they walked up right to the counter and took some seats to my right. One of them, I guess it was the leader took seat closest to mine. Well, I guess it could have been worse. There were no seats to my left, so they wouldn’t be able to annoy me from two sides. Due to the alcohol I even felt sure that I would be able to endure them for a while. The most important thing however was that I realised something. Those thugs, no matter how “evil” they were, they were just a joke. They couldn’t even hold a candle to vampires. With a little smirk I flushed down my drink and waited for what would certainly come. Just get it over with quickly, I thought. As expected the colt next to me started to hit on me. I gave him the cold shoulder and ordered another drink. He was pretty unimpressed by my refusal and started a boring monologue. He was talking about how he had joined the Wonderbolts when he was younger. The colt told me that he obviously left them because he was bored and all of Equestria was just the playground of “Black Lightning”. At first I was a little bemused, trying to figure out what “Black Lightning” was until I understood it was his name. I tried so hard not to burst out in giggles. That colt truly was pathetic. I wouldn’t even know that he was a Pegasus if he had not told me. Well, that pony did not make any sort of impression on me and to be honest in two days I probably wouldn’t even remember him. His friends were talking with each other, ignoring the two of us. I came to the conclusion that they probably were just here for the fun and to give their friend some support. As my glance wandered down those two earth ponies I heard a loud sound. “Crap Lightning” or how he was called managed to slap me on the flank. “Could you stupid excuses for a colt just leave already? Don’t you see that you are fighting for a lost cause? Besides, I am way out of your league anyways…” I said to that poor excuse for a pony. Either everything was happening too fast for him or that colt was just too dense. I couldn’t care less about it anyways and added something that even he would understand “To put it in terms that you understand: BUCK OFF” All three of them looked at me in disbelief. According to their dropping jaws it was probably a first that some mare turned down their boss in such a manner. Oh, it turned out even better. They started threatening me. They told me that some “bad things” would happen to me if I wouldn’t let that little molester have his ways. Oh they were so predictable, it nearly made me laugh. Well it was time to decide what to do with my prey. Should I play with them some more or should I just finish them off? Wait…what? What was I thinking? No, what was I even doing? That wasn’t like me at all. I should have ignored them and simply let them leave. Why did I mock them? Even worse, I treated them the same way I always had been treated. I looked down on them for no reason. Sure they were just some thugs whose threats were as hollow as their brains but that didn’t mean I had any right to treat them like ants. They were simply a minor annoyance, nothing I should really be all worked up about, yet I tried to put them in place for no reason. What was wrong with me? Just thinking about my actions somehow made me sick… Well, that was something positive I guess, so no pheromones involved this time. However, as I finished that thought something else hit me like lightning. I was acting like them. Didn’t all my actions thus far simply scream predator? Maybe I misinterpreted what happened when we entered the club. I probably wasn’t angry when the crowd ignored me; I was merely possessive of Vinyl. Oh, she probably would have loved to hear that. Well what else was there. I “let” the barmaid entertain me even though I normally rather liked to be alone. I took a seat next to the wall so that there were fewer directions to attack me from. The way I played those colts also started to remind me of a cat toying with its food. Yes, I guess this theory was plausible enough. Well, now that I figured out what happened I should also try to understand why? Okay, what was the strangest thing that happened today? Obviously I’d say that the seed took effect and I gained my special ability. Maybe it also triggered a switch in my head? It was a possibility and the best one I could come up with at the spot. Sadly I needed confirmation on that thesis. Right now I was merely trying to make sense of all the chaotic thoughts in my mind. My thoughts were unpleasantly interrupted by the three colts who were still very agitated. Well, I guess they weren’t as stupid as I thought. While the two earth ponies blocked the view the pegasus took his chance and slapped me in the face. The predator in me wanted revenge while my mind tried to apply logic to the situation. There was no way I could bring down the colt in any way other than with my ability, even if I wanted to and to be honest I certainly did not. Just thinking about killing someone so casually made me want to cringe. Well, at least my mind still seemed to hold some authority over my newfound instincts. I let my eyes wander through the colts, looking for an opening I could seize to flee. Sadly there was none. I realised only now that I had positioned myself to be able to fight, not to flee. My back was covered by the wall which provided me with an excellent defence against surprise attacks but it also took away any chance to escape. I was cornered by a wall, the counter and those thugs. Luck wasn’t on my side either. The barmaid left for some tables when the pegasus was still hitting on me. Well, what did I expect? Of course they wouldn’t have started an assault if there were any witnesses. On the bright side they wouldn’t be able to do something major to me at the club anyways. They wouldn’t dare to hurt or excessively molest me in plain sight. Then I realised it; logic doesn’t apply to this situation. Their leader was solely driven by emotion. Maybe he didn’t even care about any possible consequences for hurting me. For a short moment I even considered giving into my instinct. Even if my body wasn’t built to take on three colts I would at least gone down with a fight. Much to my pleasure it didn’t come to this because all of a sudden all the lights went out. Then some spots focused on the two earthpony thugs. “I present to you the winners for the cutest colt couple.” Vinyl suddenly announced, followed by a lot of applause and whistles. Both of the colts suddenly turned red while the third thug took some steps backwards. We both sat there with our jaws wide open and our eyes wide open in disbelief. Oh Vinyl, sometimes there is really just one word to describe you; awesome. Then I heard a chuckle from the barmaid who once again took the place at the counter. At the same time the leader of the thugs backed away even more. Well, I guess sometimes things turn out to be better than expected. When I tried to ask if the barmaid was involved in all of this she simply whispered in my ear that it would get even better. After the applause slowly faded Vinyl proceeded to give one of the colts the microphone telling him that the crowd wants to hear some warm words in response. Oh it was glorious. The colt turned red like a tomato and I already imagined what would happen next but much to my shock something completely different happened. “Well, my friend and I are very happy that we won the contest for the cutest colt couple. However, it came a little unexpected because I never had the guts to confess to my friend Rocky here. I always thought it was a one-sided thing. Seeing how we ended up as the cutest couple the feeling probably was mutual…cause I haven’t signed us up…” the colt said with a big smile before he gave the crowd a wink. I was baffled. Was that colt serious? Didn’t he see that this whole situation was set up? Well, I guess that guy was completely blinded by love. Oh the reaction of the other colt would be priceless. It would probably turn into the most embarrassing situation of their entire life. Rocky would let him fall like a hot potato for sure and… The applause faded and the other colt, still looking as if he had been struck by lightning took the microphone. “I don’t know what you are talking about, I never signed us up for this contest.” he said “but I love you too Sunny.” the other pony said and gave Rocky a kiss. The whole audience cheered and for all I could see there were only two ponies who looked dumbfounded, me and Black Lightning. Lightning went up two the two colts and told them that they made him sick and that their friendship was now official over. He muttered something like “bucking colt cuddlers” before he turned to me. He simply told me that it wasn’t over before he vanished in the crowd. My eyes once again locked at my empty glass I tried to understand what just happened when Sunny suddenly tipped on my shoulder. I watched him suspiciously, waiting for yet another surprise. “Ahem, miss? We just want to apologise for ruining your night. In fact we even want to apologise on behalf of Lightning. He may have some issues with his ego and his impulsiveness but he can be a very nice guy. Both of us had to keep up with a lot but I guess that is what friendship is all about. Sometimes you put your friends before yourself even if it means to live a lie and sometimes you put yourself before hurting all the ponies that you like. I guess what I want to say is we did a lot of bad things in the name of friendship, things we never should have done. We sincerely apologise, miss and we hope you can forgive us.” “That was a very unexpected, yet smooth speech. I truly am impressed…” I said still a little bemused. “Does that mean you’ll forgive us?” Rocky threw in. “Well, I don’t know a lot about friendship. To be honest I didn’t even have any friends a few weeks ago but I guess I would also go through stupid lengths to help out a friend. So…yes, I guess I’ll forgive you.” I said and put on a smile. “Does that include our pal, Lightning too?” Rocky asked. “As long as he doesn’t apologise himself? No.” “Well, I guess that is more than we could ask for anyways.” Sunny said. “May I ask you just one thing? I know it is a strange question but was it worth it?” “Never been in love have you?” Rocky said with a twitched eyebrow. Sunny shot Rocky a glance and he instantly shut up. “Love is always worth the fight, miss. It takes a lot of courage to confess to someone but it is even harder if the one you adore has the same gender. Society frowns upon same sex couples. However, society is biased. You know what most ponies clop to? Fillyfooler porn. I was really happy that everything turned out so well in the end. I may have lost a friend but I gained a lover.” “So you don’t care if Lightning is gone?” I asked surprised. “Well, I rather he remained my friend of course. Nonetheless what kind of friend is he if he can’t accept us the way we are? He’ll probably come back if he has cooled down enough. As I said he is a very impulsive person. However, if he doesn’t return we can’t blame him either. It is his decisions if he places what he places first, his beliefs or our friendship.” Sunny said. “You really gave me a lot to ponder on…” I said thinking about his words. “Well, if you ever want to talk again…try to stop at club on saturday evenings, we’ll be here.” Rocky said with a wink. While the colts walked to the dance floor, Spectra came closer again. She gave me a big smile and another glass of Applejacks before she started to speak. “See…I told you I knew my customers.” Spectra said and rolled her eyes. “You knew that they were…” I asked in surprise. “Yes silly but I wasn’t referring to that. Think about the mare who just saved you from those guys …” she said with a smug grin watching me turn as red as those two when the spots were on them. “Well I feel some gratitude for what she has done for me. Still, I can ensure you that both of us aren’t into each oth…” I said while watching Vinyl announce the winner for the cutest fillyfooler couple. “Well Octavia…it is your decision how you want to live your life however I want you to embrace one simple truth. Don’t let standards set by society get in the way of your happiness…” After announcing all the winners another DJ took over the stage and Vinyl joined me at the counter. “Sorry, Tavi. I hoped you would loosen up on your own but instead you were just sitting here alone at the bar, drinking hard stuff and getting hit on by some idiots…” she said a little disappointed. “Well, I had my fun talking with Spectra here.” I said and tried to point at the mare. However she was nowhere to be seen. Seriously that mare was one of a kind. One moment she tries to help you and the other she leaves you alone making you look like a fool. Well, I like her anyways. “Spectra?” Vinyl asked in wonder. “The barmaid with the heterochromatic eyes.” I said. “Sorry Tavi, didn’t see her.” Vinyl answered. “Oh, don’t worry it doesn’t really matter. More important I wanted to thank you. The way you got those thugs off me was just great.” I said with a big smile. “No biggie. I just did what I had to. After all we are friends right?” Vinyl said in confusion. “Yes…you are…” I said and gave her a kiss on the left cheek “and the first one I ever had.” “I may have been your first friend but it seems that wasn’t you first drink.” she replied with a smile and pointed at my glass. “Can’t I be thankful for your help without you blowing it out of proportion?” I asked and rolled my eyes the same way she usually did. “Well, I guess even you can loosen up a little if you want to…” “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked raising an eyebrow, still trying my best to mimic her. “Well, obviously…” Vinyl said in a very stiff and serious manner. “Well Vinyl, I guess in that case we better go before DJ MelodyMix makes her appearance…” I said grinning like an idiot. Vinyl didn’t immediately get it but after a few moments she burst out into laughter. Well, that was our cue to go. On the way out Vinyl softly whispered the following in my ear. “Oh by the way, that wasn’t even half bad for a stage name, Tavi.” We both laughed and the door behind us closed. As our lungs slowly filled with cold air, I let out a small moan. Well, this night turned out to be far more enjoyable than I had originally imagined. Even the moon seemed to illuminate our path home. Oh it was indeed a wonderful night… Vinyl and I were chatting the whole time. I was telling her about that stupid predatory instinct, about the three colts and about the strange barmaid. When I mentioned her I could have sworn that she was standing right behind us, watching us from the shadows. Well, I guess sometimes my imagination was just getting the better of me. -(19)- Black Ash-(19)- Black Ash There was an old saying that time passed differently for everypony. Sometimes ponies claimed that they experienced seconds that dragged on for an eternity as well as years that passed in a heartbeat. After living for a few centuries myself I slowly started to accept that those stories were indeed true. Decades passed and I saw a lot of ponies, influential ponies, come and go and to be honest I already forgot most of them. Time never showed favouritism; nobles and beggars alike had to face oblivion. Family, friends and sometimes even foes; those were the ponies who managed to earn their place in my memories. Oh those sweet, yet bitter memories… Those moments spent with my beloved ones were rather short lived but I wouldn’t want to miss them for anything in the world. However, the painful gap in my heart grew wider with every tombstone I had to erect. After two centuries I finally realised that it wouldn’t get any easier no matter how long I lived. The cruel reality was that we immortals had to face loss and guilt for eternity. We all had to come to terms with our fate and while some of us tried to be strong for those around us, others turned cold or even mad when they embraced the truth about immortality. It didn’t matter whether we were gods, monsters, ponies or something entirely different for all of us were subject to loneliness. In the end our whole existence was defined by the bonds we shared with others. Even though some of them acted like shackles and restrictions most of them were based on friendship and love. Now, how would an immortal whose bonds were shattered or forcefully severed react to the world? The answer to that question probably changed depending on the pony but in the end we all would sacrifice everything to meet those again that we lost. Sometimes when I closed my eyes I even saw it happening all over again… The night-sky seemed as if it was lit on fire. The whole town was burning and in the midst of chaos there was a simple mare. She stood beneath a rain of blaze and cinders watching as the whole world around her collapsed. The air was hot and suffocating but she didn’t care any longer for she seemed to be completely enthralled by the glory of the moment. Everything she ever loved perished in front of her eyes but she wasn’t sad for she knew that she had lived a good life. Happiness and pain, trust and betrayal, love and hate, she had experienced them all. With a smile she inhaled the flames and embraced her fate and thus her life came to an end. If I had been just a little faster or if I called out to her just a little louder, maybe she would have tried to run away with me. It had been the darkest day in my whole existence and yet 739 years later it still hurt to think about my sister’s final moment. Back then I didn’t know why she wore that happy expression when the flames devoured her but in time I learnt what it meant. My sister believed that she would be reunited with all her beloved ones in the afterlife. What a foolish sentiment. If she had tried to escape both of us could have made it out alive. Did she abandon me in favour of her colt-friend or did she simply think I had perished as well? I would never get an answer… Well, in the end it didn’t matter why she gave up on life, I would have cried for her anyways. As I buried the remainders of her charred husk I finally realised that life was neither fair nor forgiving. It was an age of superstition and fear so it wasn’t unlikely to look for scapegoats if things couldn’t be explained. As the sole survivor of the inferno that had reduced my hometown to ashes I soon became known as the wicked witch’s child. Back then, being accused of witchcraft came close to a death sentence. According to my sister our mother was burnt on the stake for that particular reason. As years passed I learnt that she was nothing more than a simple herbalist who had tried to help ponies. At one point she probably couldn’t cure somepony and someone blamed her for her patient’s death. Even though I was too young to remember my mother I would always love her for what she did for us. Under torture she confessed that she had been a witch all along but even then she tried to save the life of her children. She told them that we were supposed to be sacrificed in order to summon a greater demon from the pits of tartaros. Furthermore she told them that the ritual required two untainted souls and therefore she had to keep us pure and uncorrupted. That was it…the final gift of our mother… However, after the inferno ponies of the surrounding villages started to believe that my mother had lied to them and began to look for me. Even though Celestia had prohibited witch hunts ponies still silently participated in them. It didn’t even take them a whole week to find and imprison me, the witch’s spawn. I was but a little filly back then and nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. They pierced my legs with hot iron nails, they crushed my hooves multiple times, they put me on the rack and they covered me in hot ashes. The pain was unbearable and for a long time there was nothing I could do but endure it. They didn’t care how much I cried or fainted under their torture my pleas never reached them. After three days of endless agony I wished for nothing more than that Celestia would banish those evil ponies to the sun. Of course she never came. That moment I finally realised that there was no justice. Celestia was no goddess and there was no way that something like a god could possibly exist if he watched innocent fillys being tortured without intervening. On the fifth day I suddenly found myself in the tower’s cell. They had given up on the torture because I wasn’t able to stand the pain anymore and just fainted. I wasn’t sure if I had told them anything and to be honest I didn’t even care at that point. Burning me at the stake was probably far more enjoyable than another day of torture. My whole body was aching and it took me some time to find enough willpower to open my eyes. As soon as I opened them I realised that I wasn’t alone in my cell. There was a colt with a white coat and ice blue mane sitting next to the barred window. He didn’t look like a prisoner and at first I thought he was just a hallucination but after a few moments he addressed me directly. “So…thou art Black Ash?” “Moonshine…” I corrected him with every ounce of strength I could muster. “Ah…indeed. We forgot that thy other name was given to thee by your persecutors.” The colt walked up to me and looked at me with a strange expression. Before he addressed me again he let out a deep sigh, came closer and lent me his ear. “Thy execution will be tomorrow, my dear. Hast thou any last wishes? We gladly listen to thy last words and pass them on to god.” At that moment I couldn’t help but to chuckle. They sent me a cleric? They still wanted me to repent for something I never did? “Tell thy god and his worshippers…that they…shall burn for eternity…in the pits of…tartaros.” Then the cleric began to burst into laughter. Suddenly his voice became so cold and piercing that I thought he was a demon from tartaros sent to collect my soul. “Oh my black little angel, it fills my heart with joy to see that their torture hath not broken thy spirit. ” For a few moments there was nothing but silence. It took me some time to realise that the mood had completely changed. The thoughtful expression of the colt was gone and instead he looked at me with burning determination. He bowed his head and softly whispered some words into my ear…words that changed my life forever. “Ash? Where are you?” a female voice called out to me. I immediately snapped out of my thoughts. This wasn’t the time for foalish sentiments because according to Bliss the gears of fate began to move again. Every minute of every day for the last few centuries he tried to shape destiny in the most favourable path and right now the pieces finally fell into place. All his scheming, all his carefully laid out plans now depended on the decisions of one single mare. However, the decisions she was about to make were never truly hers… “What is it…Glow?” I asked in a sweet voice. “Your presence is requested…” the voice answered through the door. “Tell the master that I’m still waiting for his delivery…” “The request wasn’t from the master…it was a challenge from an acolyte…” “Oh, so nopony told the foal?” I asked with a sad tone. “Well, some did but he seemed convinced that the master just favours you for your looks.” “So…his challenge was formal?” “Yes, he just asked for the masters permission to challenge you.” “How did the master react?” “Oh, he seemed amused and told the acolyte to make it entertaining…” I couldn’t help but giggle even though it made me sad to know that I’d soon have to kill yet another pony. Elusive Bliss was unlike any other colt I had ever met. While most immortals tried to hide their boredom for appearances sake he didn’t bother and showed it openly. It wasn’t how his followers expected him to act but at least it was far more authentic than a princess who supposedly cared for every puny bagatelle a noble could come up with. As I walked through the door Subtle Glow was already waiting. Even though she was a rather timid mare she seemed very excited today. Well, she always wanted to see what exactly I was capable of, if I remembered correctly. However, unlike a certain acolyte who just proclaimed his own death she would never be foalish enough to challenge anypony who was far stronger than her. Well, I didn’t hoofpick her to be my assistant for her offensive potential anyways. We walked down the stairs for a few minutes until we finally reached the lowest layer of the basement. It was a big hall that resembled an amphitheatre. It was lit by chandeliers and torches. The smell of blood and death were still hovering in the air even though there neither was an execution or some games in the last few decades. As I walked down the stone tribunes the crowd cheered. Well, crowd is a big word for around fifteen vampires who had taken a seat for this particular spectacular. The amphitheatre was built to impress the other clans on special occasions and offered seats for around 250 ponies. My challenger was already waiting at the bottom of the arena. His red eyes were probably locked on me since I entered the basement but I wouldn’t know because all the time I was looking at the master’s balcony. There he was, sitting on his stone throne smiling. The three slightly smaller thrones to his left and to his right remained empty. Usually they were reserved for the keepers, important guests or those closest to the clan head. When I reached the arena floor where my impatient challenger already walked in circles Elusive Bliss raised his hoof and began to yell. “I greet you my children. I’m happy so much of you could make it on such a short notice. However the reason for our gathering is a rather sad one, for today one member of our family will leave us permanently. The acolyte Blade Dancer, vampire of the seventh generation has told me that he doubts the capabilities of my second in command, Black Ash and therefore requests a fight to the death wagering his very essence. As most of you know, Ash is a vampire of the second generation and therefore protected by the power of the bloodline. Now all of you bear witnesses as I, Elusive Bliss, keeper of our bloodline, order Blade Dancer, vampire of the fourth generation, to surpass the limitations of his blood and fight Black Ash on equal ground.” I stood perfectly still in the middle of the arena while Blade Dancer already began to circle me. It was only when the master gave us the sign to begin that he conjured eight blades of light that moved around him acting like a shield. Well, he was not as foalish as I thought. I envisioned he’d immediately jump at me to be honest but he probably tried to get an idea of my power before attacking me. While he waited his wall of blades made him nearly untouchable. Not a bad strategy... “So…little filly…I guess this will be the end for the silver eyed witch.” he said trying to taunt me. “Oh please, drop the honorifics mr. acolyte…you make me blush…” I answered and gave him a wink. The whole crowd began to laugh and Dancer let one of his blades rush in my direction where it was blocked by a simple kinetic blade I conjured in response. Oh, such a hothead, maybe if he had waited for another century he might have had a chance… “Without the protection of the bloodline you are nothing more than a weak little filly…” he yelled at me. I gave him a wide smile as clouds of black ash began to form in the midst of the arena. He tried to fend them of with his swords but in the end he had to realise that he couldn’t cut through my ash clouds and tried to attack me head on. Evading his attacks I danced around my clouds and tried to break his line of sight. However he managed to surprise me when he made it rain some blades in addition to those he used as a shield. The number of blades he could control was probably ranging from twelve to fourteen. Of course I avoided them but he also managed to graze me on my shoulder. An admirable feat if I you asked me. “Well, not so cocky any more are we?” the colt yelled once again. I couldn’t help but to laugh in response. While I laughed the clouds around me grew wider and soon the whole arena was covered in my ash clouds. They weren’t hot or suffocating, no they were something entirely else. While I was just walking towards my enemy he couldn’t do anything but whirl his blades around him and hit into thin air. “Where are you? What strange kind of clouds are those? Face me little witch!” At that moment I pulled back my clouds and let them float around us, letting the crowd in on what happened. My hoof was all bloody and looked at the colt with a disappointed expression. “So…you managed to hit me…” I told him. “Of course I did…” he started to reply but I immediately interrupted him. “…but you didn’t even realise it. So there was really nothing more to those blades…” “It was more than enough to hurt you!” he yelled arrogantly. The clouds around us began to rise until they reached the ceiling. Nopony could see inside the ring any longer and I simply moved closer towards him and also began to conjure some blades of light. “So it is true…you do use light blades just like me…but why bother with those ash clouds then?” he whispered more to himself than to me. Then he attacked me with his blades. They pierced me, cut me and ripped my body apart. In the end he was standing above my lifeless body and smiled triumphantly only to find out that my body wasn’t real when he touched it. At the very same moment he was pierced by two kinetic blades. One went through his throat, silencing him and the other through his heart, paralysing him. “I bother with them because they conceal the truth.” I softly whispered in his ears. His eyes grew wide when he heard those words and for the first time I gave him a sincere smile. “Yes…everything about me is a lie…even my name.” With those words I cut off his head and took in his essence. It was a sad thing but it had to happen. It only took me a few seconds to take in all of his power and memories while his body rapidly aged. In the end nothing but dust and bones remained. Looking through his past I realised that if we had met in another life under other circumstances we possibly could have become friends. As soon as the ash clouds dispersed the others saw that I had been victorious once more and the whole theatre erupted in applause. Bliss congratulated me formally in front of the audience and waited until everypony was gone before he signalled me to follow him. We walked a few minutes until we finally reached our destination, his private chambers. He offered me a comfortable chair and a glass of wine before he took a seat opposing me. Bliss then gave me a gentle smile and let his azure eyes wander over my face before he began to speak . “Well Moonshine, how do you feel?” “I’m okay I guess…” I answered quietly. “Don’t lie to me…” “Is that an order?” I said and raised an eyebrow. “You know that I would never order you around, cute little angel of mine.” he said with a chucke before he carried on in a more serious tone. “I’m merely concerned about your wellbeing. I know that taking lives isn’t the easiest thing for you to do…” “Well, I still don’t like it but thanks to your advice my victims they become fewer in numbers…” “Is that so? Well, I’m happy that I could be of assistance…” he said and took a sip from his glass. Around two hundred years ago we had a discussion on the very same topic. I wanted to keep casualties as low as possible and therefore asked Bliss what I could do to make others think twice about challenging me. In the end he told me that there were three ways to achieve that goal. The first one was to try to be loved by your underlings. While that would have been the way I preferred he also warned me that some ponies would simply think that I was showing weakness and need to be replaced. The second one was to strike fear in their hearts by committing atrocious acts and executing my enemies in the most terrible ways. However, Bliss knew that I wasn’t capable of such things and told me the third option would suit my needs best. While fear proved a great way to control the masses and love made them prone to manipulation the third option lay in between; it was respect. “So tell me, what do you think about her?” Elusive Bliss interrupted my thoughts. “I’m not so sure. I mean she looks pretty ordinary at first glance but…there is…something more about her.” “So…you felt so too…hmmm go on…” he said while being a little lost in his thoughts. “Well, the seed already took effect but her ability didn’t look very interesting at first glance.” “What kind of ability did she develop?” Bliss asked now eagerly. “Some kind of ice-based ability I think. However, it is hard to say because the ability is still in an early state.” “Well, that is kind of disappointing but it doesn’t change much. So what else can you tell me?” “The seed already took root in her head. The way she was moving was closer to one of us than to the mortals. Her inner predator also made her look down on those around getting her in some trouble. However, I wouldn’t mention that if it was just the usual reaction. Contrary to my expectations she didn’t react like a cornered predator but like one who was completely in control…” “Now, that is indeed worrisome.” Bliss said with a thoughtful expression. “You described her as rather emotional but the only thing I could see was a calculating mind, toying with her soon-to-be victims. If she had been seriously assaulted she would have definitely resorted to violence. Yet, thanks to an unforeseen event the situation could be resolved without fighting” I carried on. “If what you say is true I have to adjust my plans a little…” Bliss said rather annoyed. He sighed and signalled me to wait while he left his comfty chair and crossed the room looking for something within his vitrine. When he returned he put a crystal bowl filled with chocolates on the desk and winked at me. Vampires didn’t need food other than blood to survive but we certainly could enjoy the taste of food. Even though within our kind there were different preferences both, me and Bliss, had quite the sweet tooth. Sadly most food was just insipid for vampires and only the most sweet, bitter, sour etc. flavours could be perceived by us. Those chocolates for example are thirty times sweeter than any other chocolates sold in Canterlot. Not wanting to let Bliss’ generosity go to waste I helped myself and took a piece. He then proceeded to take one as well and started our conversation anew. “So is there anything else I should know about her?” “Well, she pretty much spent her evening in seclusion. Other than those colts who bothered her she was only talking to her DJ friend and…” “… and whom?” Bliss asked now in confusion. “That is the point. I can’t remember.” “You can’t remember? Or you don’t want me to know?” Bliss asked with a raised eyebrow. “I would certainly have mentioned it if I didn’t want you to know, right?” I said and rolled my eyes. “So…you keep forgetting everything about that pony…than there is a way to find out.” Bliss said with glowing eyes. “Repeat to me the following names and try to picture them in your head. As soon as you find yourself incapable to, tell me. Celestia, Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Thanatos…” “Celestia, Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Thanatos…” I repeated. “Well, that doesn’t seem to work. Can you tell me what they talked about? You still remember what your target said do you?” Bliss said and looked at me in anticipation. “It was mainly some talk about relationships.” “Relationships, seriously? Did she talk with a succubus?” Bliss said and chuckled. “As if something ridiculous like that could be real…” I told him with a smile. “You know that some ponies say the same thing about us, do you?” “Blasphemy…we shall turn into bats and suck their sweet life juices.” I said playfully. “…and that is what I love so much about your company; you always manage to raise my mood.” We both chuckled for a few more moments before Bliss focused on the task at hoof again. I knew it probably wasn’t easy for him. He was permanently juggling dozens of plans inside his mind and even the slightest complication could force him change his plans all over again. “So, if you wanted to pressure our pawn, how would you do it?” Bliss asked now rather serious. “According to Cold Steels information she doesn’t really care about her family at all, so that is a dead end. However, according to the data there should be at least a chance of fifty percent that she would try to help her sister. I wouldn’t advise to do that though. Our best bet would certainly be to pressure her by using her DJ friend. Sadly that in itself is also nearly impossible. As one of the harbingers we aren’t allowed to touch her either…at least if we don’t want to start a war with the other keepers and the guardian.” I said reciting the facts. “That mare sure puts up a worthy challenge.” Bliss said with a sour expression. “So…what shall we do?” “That is the question now…isn’t it? I’ve been hoping that Cold Steel’s research would be able to help me out…but no…that mare just has to have no one she holds dear other than that DJ who happens to be another harbinger on top of being…” “Being what?” I asked in surprise. “…particularly interesting for reasons that I don’t understand …yet…” he said gritting his teeth. Then for a few terrible moments I sat there in silence watching as Bliss tried to wrap his mind around his problems. I knew the feeling of helplessness and it always pained me to see others experiencing as well, even more if they had always been kind to me. “So how can I help you until you figure out how to get that Octavia where you want her?” I said and broke the uncomfortable silence. “Well, if it wasn’t for Cold Steel’s data I probably would have sent you off to collect some more information on that Octavia’s family and friends but I doubt that he would have missed anything. I also looked through his notes about batponies and to be honest they proofed quite useful for my plans. You should send him my thanks. Oh and while you are at it I want you to write some invitations for a dinner party I am going to give soon.” he said while the fire in his eyes started to burn again. “Anything else?” I asked still wondering about what he was up to this time. “Yes, I also want you to get me the last report from Shadow Sleeper on Thanatos’ activities. I haven’t heard anything about his activities in the last few weeks but I’m very concerned that he could set his eyes on the second harbinger and interfere with my plans.” Bliss told me. “Consider it done.” I told him. “Oh and Ashy?” he said teasingly. “Yes…” “The next time when you enter my private chambers please don’t bring the skull of your last victim with you. Your ability to manipulate light in order to create illusions may be convenient but even if it looks perfect you still walk a little bit slower on three legs.” he said with a smirk. I was happy that as a vampire I couldn’t blush anymore and closed the door behind me before I headed off for the main hall. As soon as I entered I delegated all the tasks Bliss had given to me. While I did that I was also informed that the the delivery for the master had finally arrived. Of course I immediatley sent an acolyte with the package to his quarters. When everything was taken care of I finally went back into my chambers and placed the no longer invisible skull on my desk. Looking at the sole remainder of the poor pony whose life I had eradicated today I addressed him one final time. “Hello again, my name is Moonshine…“ -(20)- WorriesI always had those kind of dreams; dreams where I was falling. Usually those dreams were just about plummeting for eternity. However, this time they were far more unsettling…or rather…far more realistic. As I spiralled towards my demise I did no longer fear the fall itself, instead I felt the urge to run from whatever lurked beneath me. Soon I realised that it wasn’t “something” I feared…it was literally “nothing”. As I drew closer and closer to the seemingly endless void I felt the cold wind in my coat and shivers running down my spine. When I tried to look directly into it, it felt like the abyss gazed right back into my soul, unveiling the darkness within. All my secrets, all my pain…everything I ever was… it was laid bare in front of the unforgiving void. There was no way to conceal myself, no escape, no happy ending…and then my dream suddenly collapsed. Colours danced in front of my eyes and a new landscape began to form. I found myself in a strange room. Well, room was the wrong word because instead of walls there was just darkness. It looked as if the dream ended just there. The floor was made of glass and beneath it there was nothing but darkness. The only thing in the room was a big crystal throne and somepony sitting on top of it. It was hard to tell who that pony was because she was wrapped in a black hooded cloak. While I took a good look at her she was playing lazily with a small crystal stone on the throne’s armrest. The figure then proceeded to throw the crystal stone out of the room, forcing it to perish from existence. It was an intimidating display of superiority and more than capable of keeping me from fleeing. The cloaked mare then jumped on her hooves and came closer while I was still rooted to the floor. When she was finally standing right in front of me she embraced me. “Oh, it didn’t take you as long as expected.” the mare said happily. “Who…or rather…what are you? A dream?” I asked completley taken by surprise . “Oh I think you already know.” “I most certainly don’t.” “How cold…you could at least have pretended.” she replied amused. “So what do you want?” “I’m here to tell you something...” “And why should I trust you?” “Oh, you definitely shouldn’t. You see…I’m quite the liar.” she said with a chuckle. “So what do you want to tell me…” “There is a lot I want to tell you but for now the only thing you need to know is that you should be wary. Trust no pony other than yourself.” “I don’t need anypony to tell me that.” I said and rolled my eyes. “Well, so you didn’t tell some barmaid about yourself, right?” “I just…” “That was merely the tip of the iceberg. Oh and don’t even bother to lie…I know.” “So I should try to keep to myself?” “Yes…you should.” “What about Victor and Vinyl…do you think I can trust them?” “Well…if it were me I…” I never heard the answer to my question, instead I suddenly found myself in my bed, panting as if I had taken part in the running of the leaves. It only took me some moments to realise that there was smoke hovering in my room. I jumped up immediately running out of the room looking for the source of the smoke. When I entered the kitchen I found the culprit immediately and had to smirk. It seemed as if Vinyl finally managed to kill the toaster for good. Only two hardly recognisable pieces of toast remained from her last victim. I wondered if she had a better excuse for the toaster than for the blender. Speaking about the killer of household aids…where the hay was she? As soon as my pondering heart calmed down I realised that Vinyl was in fact taking a shower. So, in the end I got very lucky. Instead of a fire in the leaving room I just had to deal with Vinyl. Thank Celestia that there was one thing that always helped me to deal with such things in the morning, my beloved caffeine. While the coffee machine did its thing I grabbed myself a sandwich just and my favourite mug. As soon as the coffee was done I filled my precious black gold into the mug and took a sip. I couldn’t help myself but to splutter out that disgusting rinse water. At first I thought maybe I didn’t use enough coffee or the filter didn’t fit…but that wasn’t the case. So, Vinyl finally did it. Well, I hope she was prepared for my wrath. Fortunately she was saved by what happened next. I took a bite out of my sandwich…and it tasted like nothing. So Vinyl probably was not at fault here. Something strange was going on with my sense of taste. Was it the alcohol? Was I sick? I wasn’t sure. When I checked the fridge for something edible, Vinyl’s food gave me an idea. There were two ways to make food sweeter; either you change the quantity of sugar or you use a surrogate that is even sweeter. So in the end I changed the concentration of my coffee and used the same amount of coffee I usually use for a whole can to create one cup. It turned out quite nice even though it still lacked taste in some way. Then I grabbed the two burned toasts I fortunately hadn’t already disposed of and started eating them. They did taste way better than the sandwich. “Tavi? Why the hell are you eating that?” Vinyl asked and pointed at the toast. She was standing in the door, still a little dampening from her shower and her mane was still a little wet. Vinyl really looked cute with her hair like that. Wait…no…I wasn’t thinking that right now. “Why did you ruin the toaster?” I said and raised an eyebrow. “Oh…you know that is quite the funny story…you see…there is an expl…” she started hastily. “Sure there is.” I said and stopped her explanation with a wave of my hoof. Vinyl’s eyes wandered from me to the plate next to the fridge. The sandwich I had bitten into was still lying there and she now was probably wondering why I didn’t eat that instead. “Was there something wrong with your sandwich Tavi?” “I’m not sure. The moment it entered my mouth it tasted like…” “Like what?” “Sand…” “What about your coffee? You are still drinking that so maybe the sandwich just…” “It also tasted diluted before but I found a way to enjoy it nonetheless…” “Tavi…just let me make sure of something…please.” Vinyl moved to the fridge took out a bottle of juice and poured it into a glass. She then put the glass right in front of me and looked at me with a concerned expression. “Tavi…I want you to drink this and tell me how it tastes…” I looked at the orange liquid, took a deep breath and flushed it down my throat. Much to my surprise it didn’t taste diluted in any way. The flavour was rich and just a little bit too sweet for my taste. Vinyl looked at me in anticipation and even though I didn’t know what she expects I gave her my answer. “That juice tastes just fine…a tad too sweet but you know I’m not exactly what ponies call a sweet tooth.” “Tavi…you probably won’t believe me but that is the stuff I usually drink. It is the sweetest juice you can buy in Canterlot and I’ve even added twenty-three additional sugar cubes. Usually you should have spluttered it all over the place…” “If that is a joke then…” “Listen Tavi, this is no joke…as far as I can see you are suffering from a rare kind of hypogeusia.” “Hypo-what?” “It means your sense of taste has dulled…extremely.” “So…what should I do?” “Whatever you do...don’t consult a doctor…” “But…” “Don’t. Just trust me on that…” “Vinyl…what…” “Huh?” “What are you keeping from me?” “Tavi, look I…” However, before she could say anymore she was interrupted by the doorbell. We both looked at each other in surprise. It was rather uncommon for us to have visitors, even more so if they dropped by so early. There was only one pony I could think of who’d be brave enough to take on two grumpy mares in the morning. I raised an eyebrow and asked what we both were most likely thinking… “Neon?” “Probably…” Vinyl muttered. When I opened the door I was rather surprised to see that it wasn’t Neon who rang the bell. There was a cute unicorn filly standing right in front of the door showing me a toothy grin. With her pitch black coat and her silver mane she looked just like a fairy from my old storybooks. As soon as she began to talk I realised that even her voice sounded angelic… “Hello, are you miss Melody?” the filly asked innocently. At the same time I felt a cold breeze giving me the shivers. I subliminally put on a smile and nodded at her. While the filly was certainly adorable something just didn’t feel right put I couldn’t put my hoof on it. “You really look pretty, miss. Now I understand why he wants me to deliver this to you…” she said with a giggle and levitated me an envelope. At that moment I was rather happy that I had to deal with so many snobs in my life, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep up my smile. The whole situation seemed rather staged. It somehow reminded me of when my mother tried to set me up with somepony else back in my teens. Even though I wasn’t sure who sent that filly, that pony most certainly knew how to manipulate others. That filly was probably the most adorable trap ever. She certainly had lulled dozens of unsuspecting ponies by playing the adorable-card but there was something that immediately gave her away; she was too perfect. “Well, thank you…” I told her still keeping up my smile. “Hope to see you again, miss…” “Me too…but I hope next time you won’t stick that much to your script…” She didn’t even flinch when I said that. However, before I closed the day and she walked away she gave me a kind of smile I just knew all too well, the smile of somepony whose expectations had just been surpassed. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed by her behaviour or simply pitting her. If she was already that adapted to deception her childhood was probably as bad as mine had been. As soon as I turned around I saw Vinyl watching me with a big grin on her face. She most certainly had eavesdropped on our little conversation. “Looks like you also have your share of fans and admirers, Tavi.” she said chuckling. “Seems like it…” “Let me tell you…you’ve handled her like a pro…” she said and gave me a wink. “Oh…and with pro you are referring to…” “Yeah…the one and only...” “Why…am I not surprised?” “…because you’ve already adapted to…my greatness?” “Your…greatness? Seriously? ” I said with a raised eyebrow and started chuckling like a little filly. The look on her face was priceless. Of course I was just acting stupid and immature but…sweet Celestia…I simply couldn’t pass a chance to get a laugh out of Vinyl for once. Well, I couldn't help it; guess that mare's humor was rubbing off on me. As soon as she realised what I meant, she turned red like a tomato and that made me laugh even harder. After a few moments I probably would have reigned myself in but Vinyl hasted the process a little. “So, what do you think? Don’t you want to open the envelope?” “Why so curious?” I said playfully before I went to the drawer. I pulled out my paperknife and cut open the envelope. Within I found a simple letter and some kind of invitation. My eyes immediately wandered over the letter and the more I read the paler I looked. Vinyl realised that the content of the letter had to be really disturbing… “What does it say, Tavi?” Vinyl asked me concerned. It took me nearly a minute until I finally found my voice again but when I began to talk it probably sounded as if it came directly from the grave. “I…this…I got an invitation for a little private talk…” “The way you act it looks more like an invitation to a funeral. Who sent it?” “It was a personal message…from Elusive Bliss…” I answered incredulous. “No way…” Vinyl said and turned as pale as me. “The other thing seems to be a formal invitation for some event…” “So…will you go?” “Well, according to him it is up to me if I want to go…” I said rather flat. “So…eh…just don’t go.” Vinyl said a little insecure. “Vinyl…you’ve never received any invitations from nobles have you?” “Well, not really but…” “Usually your choice comes down to this; comply or deal with their vindictiveness.” “So you think that you’ll be royally screwed later, if you don’t go and meet him?” “Exactly…” “But you don’t know for sure…I mean…maybe this is a genuine option…” “I don’t think so. Do you recall what Victor has told us about him? He wouldn’t let things to chance would he?” “Well, maybe he thinks that you feel obliged to go…” Vinyl pointed out. “Maybe…” I mused. For a few minutes there was nothing but silence. Vinyl expected me to come up with a decision but I simply couldn’t. How could a simple pony like me beat a schemer like Bliss who most likely had all possibilities already planned out? Was I thinking too much into it? Maybe he was just in control…because I thought him to be? While I was entranced by some deep rooted psychological questions Vinyl paced up and down the room, trying to come up with her own answer to the problem. At some point she suddenly came to a halt and faced me with a mischievous smile. “Tavi?” “Yes?” “Buck it…” she said with a smile and ripped the letter in two. My eyes grew wide in disbelief. She just didn’t destroy that letter …did she? “Vinyl…do you have any idea what you…” I said before she rudely interrupted me. “Yeah…I just found a way to help you…“ “And how exactly was…that…supposed to help me?” I asked incredulous. “If that colt is as cunning as you think he is he’ll make you meet him one way or the other, right?” “I suppose…” “And if he isn’t?” “Then…” “Then you’ve proofed that you are able outsmart him.” “Vinyl you are…a genius.” “Has taken you long enough to figure that out…” I didn’t know any better way to express my gratitude than to give Vinyl a big hug. In the end it was really as simple as she said. Even if Bliss had me dancing to his tune, I’d at least show him that I wasn’t his obedient little puppet. “Well, I don’t know about you but I could definitely go for a drink just now.” “You know that it’s still early in the morning?” “Care to join me for some coffee instead? It’s on me.” I said. “Trying to get away from you worries, huh?” Vinyl said with a knowing look. “I guess so…” I replied. Walking through the wet alleys of Canterlot it took us a few minutes before we reached our destination, a rather small café. Looking at it from the street it was pretty obvious that this wasn’t one of the places where the upper class used to mingle. However, to me this place had a lot of sentimental value. I often used to come here with my grandmother when I was younger. Strange how things changed when I got older. Even though I always loved to come here I never did so for the last few years. I shook off my nostalgic thoughts and opened the door. The old mare sitting behind the counter immediately jumped up when she saw that two customers had just entered. She gave us a big smile and immediately offered us some freshly baked cake. Vinyl took her up on her offer and ordered a slice of strawberry cake for herself and a slice of coffee mousse cake for me. She also ordered a triple espresso and a white mocha before we took a seat at a corner booth. A few minutes later the old mare delivered our order and returned to the counter. I didn’t say anything to Vinyl in front of her but why would she buy me something if she knew that my sense of taste was gone. “Vinyl, I’m a little confused about that order…” I said before she cut me off. “Why don’t you try it before you jump to conclusion?” she said with a smirk. I sighed and took a bite from the cake while she was pouring sugar into her mocha. Much to my surprise it tasted rather good. It wasn’t sweet at all but the flavour tasted very rich. Vinyl probably enjoyed the confused look on my face. At least I thought so based on her not so subtle chuckling. “Wasn’t my sense of taste supposed to be…well gone?” “Do you remember what I’ve told you before? I’ve told you that your hypogeusia is kind of special…” “So, what is so special about it?” “Do you know what flavour enhancers are, Tavi?” “Yes...” “Do you also know that the equine tongue by itself is only capable of tasting four flavours; salty, sweet, bitter and sour? Everything else is dictated by our sense of smell.” “Yes…” “The whole thing is rather complex so I’ll try to explain it in laypony terms. A common hypogeusia should simply dull your sense of taste but what makes yours special is that it also turns the four flavours into flavour enhancers. So by increasing the concentration of one of those core flavours you are still able to enjoy your food.” “If what you say is true, how come that my cake tastes normal even though I haven’t covered it in sugar?” “You’ve been drinking a tripled espresso…” “So?” “That stuff is veeery bitter and its aftertaste lingers in your mouth for some time. To keep it simple; your drink acts as a flavour enhancer for the cake.” “Why do you know so much about these things Vinyl?” “You still haven’t connected the dots? And here I was thinking that you were a clever mare…” Vinyl said with a chuckle. “Don’t tell me…” I said in shock. My mind was working overtime. The thoughts I began to conjure were everything but pretty. Was she working together with the vampires? Why was she telling me? There was far too much to process… “Yeah…I also suffer from that hypogeusia stuff.” Oh well, so much for my theory. Well, I guess that invitation really got to me. I tried to rein those thoughts in; paranoia and mistrust would get me nowhere. Maybe I was really too focused on possible future events that I was failing to see what happens in the present. Would it have been easier if I waited for things to happen and evaluate them afterwards? I suppose. Was it possible for me? No way. I was never the type of pony who went with the flow when she had to face a difficult situation, I always needed some kind of preparation. However, even if it were possible to overcome my own nature, living wouldn’t feel right anymore. So, how should I go on? Maybe the same way like before but less judgemental and pessimistic? Oh sweet Celestia, my head hurt like hell. Why was I thinking so much? No…not why…how. How was it possible that I thought up so much in just a few seconds? What the hay was wrong with me? “Tavi…are you alright?” Vinyl asked cautiously. Was I spacing out? I was pretty sure everything happened extremely fast. Maybe all that stuff just made me sick. Yeah probably some posttraumatic stress thingy… “I just don’t feel…so good. My head hurts a lot… " “Yeah…I can see that…” “Really?” I asked in confusion. “Tavi, you look as pale as a corpse, even worse than Neon when he had broken one of his legs in an attempt to stage dive.” she said trying to lift the mood while comforting me. “I’ve been under the impression that the crowd would do anything for him…” “Well, that doesn’t really help if you are wasted enough to jump right into the fenced off area...” We both burst out into laughter. The old mare on the counter looked in our direction for a moment before she shook her head and murmured something along the lines of:”…to be young again…”. “So…why did you decide to tell me about your “hypogeusia”?” I asked after the laughter ended. “I guess the fridge’s content would have given me away after some time…” she said with a smirk. “So…that condition…is permanent?” “Yeah…sadly. As I’ve said, our kind of hypogeusia is rather unique. Back then, when I had still lived with my parents they paid the doctor who examined me a fortune to keep quiet about. They told me that they didn’t want me to end up as a test subject for some crazy new medicine. However, there true intention was probably to make sure that my record remained clean. For me it was rather clear; It just wouldn’t look good if someone dug up some dirt about their prodigy daughter later on.” she said and rolled her eyes. “So…hypogeusia goes hoof in hoof with terrible parents?” I asked amused. “Yeah…probably. Well, there had to be a significant tradeoff for our stunning looks…right?” she replied with a wink. “I suppo…ughh…” I said before I experienced the next jolt of pain due to my stabbing headache. “Tavi?” “It’s…just…my head…“ “You should take an aspirin if it’s that bad…” “Right now I’d rather go with a painkiller...” “Do you think it has something to do with all that vampire stuff?” she whispered curiously. “You mean something like self-induced brain freeze?” I asked sceptic. “No, that just sounds silly. Still, what if it is a side effect of the stuff you have drunken? It knocked you out and gave you some crazy kind of super power. Who said that it couldn’t have side effects like hypogeusia or headaches?” “Do you think I should meet up with Victor or the creepy vampire doctor?” “I would go for Victor because no matter how knowledgeable that shady doctor is you can’t trust him. I mean he has already told you that he follows his own agenda. Besides, just thinking about the combination of a vampire and a doctor gives me the shivers. As if syringes weren’t creepy enough on their own…” Vinyl said and visibly shuddered. “Yes…but we already talked to Victor and he didn’t mention anything about side effects back then. If he had known he would have told us, right? Or was he also just playing me and followed his own agenda? To make things even more complicated there is also the possibility that what I am experiencing now isn’t even related to the vampires.” I said hastily. “So…you are not sure if you should trust Victor?” Vinyl asked curiously. “Well, my gut tells me to trust him but due to the past events my mind tells me to stay wary. I’ve never felt so lost, Vinyl.” I explained hastily. “I’d go with my gut feeling. Victor seems like a chill colt…for a vampire.” “What if I’m wrong about him?” “Then you’ll figure it out in time. You’re a clever mare after all…” Well, she was probably right and even if she wasn’t…I simply should have had more confidence in myself. However, there was something else that came to my mind and it was utterly disturbing. Didn’t Cold Steel tell me about vampires that could manipulate the equine psyche? Was my mind being conflicted…just the result of a mind meddling vampire? Or was I just being insecure about the direction I wanted my life to take? No…to be incapable of trusting others couldn’t be the right decision. I had been there and as far as I could remember my life was horrible. Who knew maybe Victor really had some answers to my problem… Ignoring my stabbing headache I told Vinyl that she was right and that it probably was for the best if I paid Victor a visit. After a few more sips of coffee I also mentioned the strange dream I had and my fears that somepony was toying with my mind. Vinyl tried to assure me that my fears were unfounded and that everything was fine. She told me that I was probably just overwhelmed by everything that happened. However, I knew that she only tried to calm me down; I could see the worries in her eyes. Well, if I wanted certainty…I had to look for it myself… Shaking off those awful thoughts I waved the waitress over and paid for the food. While she was looking for some change in her purse I caught myself examining her. I just couldn’t believe it. If I wasn’t so keen to avoid appearing like a mad mare, I would have slapped myself across the face for that. I gave the waitress a gentle smile and a generous tip before I hurried down the rainy streets with Vinyl in tow. At first I was heading for Victor’s place but then suddenly a thought crossed my mind. If I was already trusting Victor with my mental health I could as well show him what Bliss had sent me. So we simply changed direction and headed for our apartment. Vinyl wasn’t too fond of the idea because she thought I would go crazy about that stuff all over again. It took some time but I managed to convince her that I’d rather be safe than sorry… When we reached the apartment we were up for a surprise. There was a mailmare knocking at our door. When I wanted to approach her Vinyl gently held me back and signalled me to stay where I was. Vinyl walked up closer to the poor pony slung a leg around her waist and shouted: “Booo”. Of course the mare turned around with a loud shriek. However, when she realised who had just startled her, she became visibly excited and hugged Vinyl. The mailmare couldn’t get out more than a simple “Vinyl? No way…” before Vinyl took the lead and introduced me to her friend. “Tavi, Ditzy. Ditzy, Tavi.” Vinyl said. “Nice to meet you…” I said. “Oh…so your name is Tavi…like in Octavia?” the mare asked with a thoughtful expression while I was still taking pity on her. The poor thing seemed to suffer from a serious case of strabismus and I wasn’t really sure how to approach her. It was the same kind of uneasiness I faced every time I had to talk with my mother; I didn’t want to provoke a storm. “Yes. Well, in fact my name is Octavia but that stupid DJ over there has made it a habit to shorten it for her own comfort…” I said a little amused. “Oh, it could be worse…trust me. Most ponies just call me Derpy because I’m terribly clumsy.” “That’s just horrible…” I replied in shock. “So what brings you here? I thought you are working in Ponyville now?” Vinyl interjected. “Canterlot is momentarily understaffed so they temporarily moved me and two colts from Cloudsdale here to help out.” she said and shook her head. “You don’t look very happy. Don’t you like Canterlot anymore?” Vinyl asked. “Well…I do like Canterlot but I’d rather be in Ponyville right now…” she replied flat. “Because of what…no...wait…because of whom?” Vinyl asked with a wide smile. “None of your business…” the pegasus said with a blush. “Ha, I knew it! So you found sompony new. Didn’t I tell you it would all work out?” Vinyl said gleefully. “What about you? Still picking up your groupies one after another?” she said and stuck her tongue out. “Does Tavi look like a groupie to you?” Vinyl asked obviously teasing me. Well…I’d bite. “So why can’t I remember you picking me up?” I replied in a similar tone. “Duh, because you were wasted. Don’t you remember when you woke up in bed with me?” Vinyl answered triumphantly. “But you…I…you know it wasn’t like…” I started to stammer but my noble effort to explain the situation got drowned under their laughter. “Well, I’d really love to talk some more…but I still have some mail to deliver. That reminds me...Octavia?” “Yes?” “Please sign here, and here.” she told me before she handed me a parcel and two envelops. “Maybe I’ll pop over again when I’m done with my work. I mean…you are living together…right?” “Yeah…” Vinyl replied. Then Ditzy took flight and left the two of us alone. However, just before she was gone she still managed to embarrass Vinyl. “Your taste in mares has really improved. I still remember the one with the bottle-blond mane who used to talk about her moist and sticky muffin all day. I couldn’t stomach to look at muffins for days…for days Vinyl...” Laughing I entered the apartment and went through the mail. Inside the parcel was a whodunit I ordered a few days ago. I put it on the bedside table for later before I opened the two letters. The first one contained sales promotions and as a result wandered immediately to the garbage can. I just hated it when they disguised something unimportant by putting it in an envelope; it was just a waste of paper. The other envelope looked far more formal. When I opened it a smile immediately spread across my face. Some rich ponies wanted me to play for them at a dinner party. Should my performance be to their liking they would not only reward me appropriately, they’d even offer me some jobs in the future. When my eyes flashed about their idea of a just reward I nearly collapsed. The payment was otherworldly good…twice the amount my old quartet would have made. If I was interested in their proposal I should just reply to them so that they could send me the notes for the pieces I had to perform. Furthermore they required that I had to wear a dress befitting the occasion. Well, all in all that looked like a very good proposal…nearly too good. Vinyl looked rather sceptic when I showed her the contents of the letter. She probably thought the same I did; it was just too good to be true. I sighed and my initial joy immediately faded. The timing was just too perfect. Was that fishy job offer the backup plan if I refused Bliss’ invitation? I wasn’t sure…but there was a simple way to find out. This time I was in control… I walked up to the garbage can and retrieved the pieces of the letter and the invitation that Vinyl destroyed previously. When I opened the invitation I was relieved. Both events were scheduled to take place on a different time and location. Furthermore I realised that the host of the party where I should play, was none other than prince Blueblood. Even though I wasn’t really fond of him, I was pretty sure that somepony so keen to get the attention of the media was certainly not a vampire. Finally something worked out the way it should. To celebrate my little triumph I even started to sing. Much to my chagrin I forgot that Vinyl was still in the room. Oh, she probably would never let me forget that. When she finally stopped laughing I told her that I was going to push my luck and visit Victor for some answers. When I was walking down the streets, happier than I should really be, I came to the conclusion that this day might not be as bad as I originally thought. Of course I was still concerned about my health and the vampires but…hay…I finally got a bucking job. Even the ponies on the street looked far more colourful, now that I was in such a good mood. The world looked so much brighter to me until something odd happened; for a moment I thought I saw that ebon filly on the other side of the street smiling triumphantly at me. -(21)- From smoke to smother (part 1)Dear [Unknown Reader], A long time ago my grandmother used to tell me that one could never truly appreciate the warmth of the sun without going through a heap of rainy days; Of course I never believed her. I just shrugged it off as her way of being considerate. However, at some point even my dreadful childhood had to come to an end. Life went on and things changed. I moved away from my parents, got a well-paid job and managed to stand on my own hooves. For a moment it really seemed as if those dreadful rainy days had finally passed. Of course that moment didn't last. Time passed and I came to realise that I had been nothing but a naive and dellusional child. Life wasn't a fairy tale and there was no compensation for the hardships I had to endure. Even though I managed to break free from my parent's influence...I still never had the chance to experience true happiness. After some time I simply accepted my fate. I gave up on the idea of a happiness and simply went on with my gray life. However, soon after I abandoned even the last bit of hope my grandmother died. It was only then that I realised that I probably still wasn't completly dead inside. Trying to run away from my pain and guilt I buried myself in work and wished for things to change...for my life to change... Somehow my wish was granted. In the midst of Canterlot I began to hear some kind of beautiful melody and like a moth to the flame I let myself be lured in. Soon I found out that there was more to Canterlot than met the eye. I encountered Victor, a stallion who lived in a part of Canterlot that wasn't accessible to just any pony. Shrouded in mystery he had lived there for centuries guarding his most precious posession, a small box capable of granting wishes. My life changed...but not in the way I originally wanted. Due to my encounter with Victor I started to live in two worlds: a timeless safehaven and the harsh reality. Of course it didn't work out. Soon I lost my job and my grip on reality seemed to weaken. I was even forced to take in a flatmate to cover for the rent. However, I came to realise that every cloud had its silver lining. At first I thought of a flatmate as nothing more than a nuisance I had to put up with but Vinyl proved me wrong. Well, in the end it probably had to be her. There was no other pony that could have brought colours back into my life. That stupid DJ not only managed to pull me out of my depressions, she also chipped away at my cold personality. Isn't it kind of funny that a crazy mare like her would turn out to be...my very first true friend? Once in my life I had no need to hide behind a fake personality. Vinyl accepted me as a broken puppet, as a cold turn off, and even as a hotheaded idiot. Right now my life could have been perfect if there wasn’t a little detail I forgot to mention; Vampires are in fact real. However, this is not their story...it is mine. This is the story of Octavia Melody That kind of story could have been quite amusing if it wasn't for several minor details. First off, even after I tried to make it look like a cheap intro for a bad vampire fic, it was still pretty much the story of my life. Secondly, even if I entertained the idea of self-irony, which I certainly did not, I still wouldn't be able to laugh at it. The fact that I finally could have attained happiness if it wasn't for them was just too cruel... So...where was I? Oh yes…I was on my way to Victor to get some answers. However, when I looked up at the sky and remembered something my grandmother used to say about the sun and rainy days, I realised that something was off. Even though I wasn't able to remember granny's whole speech, I was able to perfectly recall all of the thoughts I had in the last fifteen minutes. I then proceeded to create a fictional letter to see if I was just being paranoid…which obviously was not the case. Ignoring my throbbing headache, I took a few deep breaths and decided not to think about it anymore. I simply made a mental note to add it to the list of questions I would have to ask Victor later on. For the moment I just tried to focus on something more positive, like my meeting with Ditzy Doo. She seemed like a kind spirit, a little odd but I guess that was a given. I mean…anypony who was friends with Vinyl had to be at least a little bit odd? Oh wait, wouldn’t that include m-… My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by me bumping into a crossing pony. Without realising into whom I just bumped I immediately muttered an apology. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” I managed to say before my eyes grew wide. “You…” the pegasus said in an angry tone. “Well, as I said I’m truly sorry for bumping into you…” I told him but he already dragged me into the small passage he came from. “I told you I’d pay you back…you bucking whorse…” Black Lightning hissed. Great, just great. Not only did I manage to meet the only pony who harbored a grudge against me, no it also had to happen at a place like this. It wouldn't have mattered if I bumped into him somewhere crowded but no...I had to meet him when the whole bucking street was empty. Maybe it would be for the best if I just screamed something like “rape” or “murder” in a high pitched voice. However, this wasn’t the upper quarter of Canterlot and I was pretty sure that most ponies would simply not care if I was assaulted. “So…beating up a defenceless mare…huh? And here I thought even you couldn’t stoop any lower…”I said, especially emphasising the “you” and pointed at him. “Oh no…but after I’m done with you…you’d wish I would have …” he said with a wicked smile and landed a punch right above my hind leg. At that moment I felt my confidence waver and the first cracks started to show in my carefully put up façade. As soon as he realised that he was getting to me for once, his twisted smile grew even wider. While revelling in the fact that he had me where he wanted, my brain started to work overtime. A few thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously. Obviously I could try to run…but there was simply no way for an earthpony to outrun a pegasus. Well, if I went deeper into the maze of small sheltered alleys…maybe there was a chance. However, there was still the possibility that he knew those alleys... Another option was to scream but that would be most certainly pointless. Down here ponies had enough problems. So, as long as it wasn’t concerning them directly they would keep to themselves and try to stay out of any trouble. That left me only with the last option; I had to fight. Obviously I wouldn’t really stand a chance if I decided to fight him hoof to hoof. So what options were left? Well, I wasn’t sure if it would work but I could at least try to freeze his co-… “Do ye have a problem with my…friend…here, lad?” a harsh voice asked. The voice belonged to a dark blue mare who casually leaned against a wall behind Black Lightning. How did she even get there? Did I miss her because I was too focused on the rapist wannabe? Well...it didn't really matter. Now that there was an eyewitness Crap Lightning wouldn't dare to do a thing, so I let my eyes wander to the newcomer. To be honest she looked like a savage beast with her wild pitch black mane covering half of her face. Even though she tried to hide it under her man I could still see the scar running down the right side of her face. “Buck off…you wh-...” Black Lightning lashed out in with his voice. However, as soon as he turned around he immediately lapsed into silence. The mare was no longer leaning against the wall, instead she had already closed the distance between herself and my assaulter. It was only then, when she finally that close that I realised how intimidating her presence truly was. “Let me tell ya a…tale lad…” the mare said and looked down at the colt who seemed to have lost a few inches. “That lass there is important to my kind, ya understand?” she said and revealed two pointy fangs. Black Lightning turned as white as a sheet when he realised that he was…bucked. Trying to evaluate the situation his eyes quickly wandered between me and the dark mare. My reaction or rather the lack thereof, must have truly surprised him because his look soon changed from “shaken to the core” to dumbfounded. Looking at the confused pegasus I immediately realised that this was the perfect opportunity to make sure that he would never bother me again. I didn’t know why but something inside of me demanded retribution…and I’d lie if I said I wasn’t contemplated to follow my newfound urge for vengeance. The more noble part of me just wanted him to leave but the other part of me, the part who went through so much suffering in her life, wasn’t as nice. Keen to strike fear in his heart I took some steps towards him. With the most innocent smile I could muster and a voice as sweet as sugar I whispered something in his ear and the colour immediately drained from his face. I waited a few moments to enjoy his misery…before I addressed him again. “I really think you should leave…now.” I said, putting emphasis primarily on the last word. Of course there was no need to repeat myself. Black Lightning immediately took off as soon as the magic words left my mouth. Leaving behind nothing but a trail of dust he managed to disappear in a matter of seconds. With a sly grin I watched enjoyed the spur of the moment before my attention moved back to the mare who just watched the whole “show”. “Thank you for saving me...” I adressed the blue earth pony. “Oh it certainly wasn’t you who I was… saving…” the mare said with a soft chuckle and shook her head. “What? But…he was going to…” I said in disbelief. “Great maker, now I know why we were ordered to keep an eye on you. You seem to be a natural when it comes to getting yourself into trouble, lass." she said before she winked at me and added" "...or maybe it's just ya beauty that attracts trouble?" "Ehh...I beg your pardon?" I asked incredulous. "Oh, sorry about that. I haven't intended to slip back into dialect. It's something I've picked that up during my stay in the frozen north, a couple of centuries ago and well...old habits die hard...or so they say. ” she replied completly misunderstanding my question. She wasn't really trying to hit on me, was she? No…that would be just ridiculous. She also mentioned that she was pretty old. Could it be that she was she trying to -ouch- intimidate me? Hm...maybe. However, no matter what she did, she probably was just trying to get under my skin. Yes, I could certainly live with that…at least given the other option. Just the prospect of somepony older than my gran hitting on me sent shivers down my spine and wasn’t something I’d ever like to elaborate on. Wait...why was my mind overflowing with so many trivial -ouch- things and why the hay was I taking them so seriously? Why was I even thinking about all this nonsense? Shouldn’t I think about other more important things instead? For example, why wasn’t I surprised by the fact that she mentioned that the vampires were keeping me under surveillance? Oh right because that should have been obvious even to Canterlot’s biggest simpletons and –ouch-. Wait…was there a connection between all those crazy thoughts and the headaches? So…maybe my bucking head wouldn’t hurt anymore if I stopped myself from thinking that much? Was it really that simp –ouch-. No, it certainly wasn’t. Sweet Celestia… I’d give a kingdom for an aspirin… Focusing on the blue mare again I realised that she had probably seen my face react to every stupid thought that came across my mind; how embarrassing. Well, at least she had the decency to neither address the topic nor tell me that I had some screws loose. When she realised that I was no longer lost in thoughts she continued to talk. “Well lass, I bet you don’t have a day so let’s just cut to the chase. By now, you’ve probably figured out that you are under constant surveillance by my kind. Primarily we are here to protect you but…we are also here to make sure that you don’t cause any trouble. Something like…oh I don’t know…maybe killing a pony in cold blood…” she said half amused, half sarcastic. “I wasn’t about…I mean…I could never…” I started to mutter. “Could have fooled me.” she said and rolled his eyes. “And what exactly do you want to imply with that?” I asked, a lot more disrespectful than I originally intended. “Oh come on…no need to be ashamed ‘round me. I would have done the same if I’d been in your horseshoes; dat guy has been trying to rape you after all. I mean…technically it hasn’t been your fault that no one has mentioned the little detail of not killing other ponies with your “gift” in public. We won’t have your head for something as petty as a formal error…pirate’s honor.” she said and gave me an impish grin. “No, seriously…I’m not that kind of pony. I’ve never killed a pony in my life and I doubt I would be capable of something… like that. I’m nothing more than a simple cellist.” I replied. In retrospect I wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea to explain myself. There wasn’t really any need to but once again I fell victim to my worst habit; justifying my actions. Well, I guess I need to thank my mother for that quirk of mine… “Great Maker, do you think I’m stupid? Or possibly blind?” the mare asked now rather annoyed. “So let me get this straight. A colt with a grudge against you drags you into an empty ally and the first thing you do to insult him? No screaming? No begging for mercy? No, you simply decide that the best course of action is to insult him to his face. Yeah...right. I understand.” she said and rolled her eyes. “Well…if you put it like that it sure seems odd but…” I said trying to defend myself but was cut off short. “No it doesn’t…because I can see the bigger picture. You have purposely fuelled his rage to make him lower his guard and present you with the perfect opportunity to strike. Isn’t that right? Ah ah…don’t even think about denying it.” she said in what was probably her best “Sherlock Pones” impression. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble but my real plan was to stall some time by buttonholing him. Unfortunately, it seems as if my temper got a little out of hoof.” I replied. “Oh really…I guess in that case it must have been all in my head.” the earth pony said sarcastically before she went on in a playful manner. ”Well then, just answer me one more question. If you really didn’t want to kill him, why was your hoof aiming exactly at the center of his heart?” “That must have been a coinci…” I immediately tried to retort but was once again cut off. “Coincidence? My flank…” the mare said and spat on the ground. “You want to tell me that you’ve been pointing at the center of his heart for a whole minute by coincidence. Do you even know how unlikely that is? However, that isn’t even the best part. Your hoof has been perfectly in synch with the motion of his upper body. So that means…you’ve even been equating for his respiration by...accident.” she continued sarcastically and added “Oh…and from now on please do me a favor, will ya? Don’t bucking lie to my face.” Pondering about what she just said I decided to no longer try and defend myself. Of course her accusations were completely unfounded but I certainly wasn’t foalish enough to enrage her. The mere thought I could be capable of killing ponies in cold blood was just ridiculous… “I guess I’ll consider it. However, I can’t make any promises…” I replied hastily. Sweet Celestia… I should have thought my answer a little bit through before I blurted them out like that. Just great…my fears that Vinyl was slowly rubbing off on me were now ascertained. The dark blue mare was taken by surprise for a few moments but it was already long enough for me to start and panic. However, before my body could follow any of my minds arbitrary commands…it was my turn to look stupid. There was no reaction to my insolence…well there was…but not the kind I anticipated. A sly grin spread across her face before she raised her head to the sky and began to laugh… “You sure have a lot of guts, lass. I’ll give you that…” she said when her laughter finally ceased. “So, does that mean…you aren’t mad at me?” I asked in disbelief. “Why? Because you’ve been brutally honest with me? No...I don’t think so…” Phew…I really managed to dodge the bullet there. To be honest I was already prepared for the worst. Well, I guess for once I got lucky. However, I was really surprised by the fact there wasn’t at least some kind of rebuke. Hadn’t I spoken completely out of turn when I replied to her? Wait I had no longer any reason to ponder about something like that…I was off the hook…wasn’t I? “So, eh…do you work for Cold Steel, per chance?” I said trying to interrupt the awkward silence. The mare’s eyes went wide in surprise as soon as she heard his name but it didn’t take long until surprise turned into hostility. At that moment I was softly reminded with whom…or rather with what I was dealing. It had been my fault to think of her as a pony from the very beginning. No, she most certainly wasn’t a pony…she was a demon. Glowering at me with those creepy eyes she began to move closer and with every step I could feel her bloodlust grow. Sweet Celestia, I guess this time I had really put my hoof in it… “Listen up you cocky foal; I am no pony’s lapdog. As a mare who values honour above everything else I would rather die than to serve that spineless coward. However, measly snobs like you will never grasp the concept of pride. Well, I guess the only thing your kind truly cares about is sleeping your way up in society…” she replied spitefully. Wait…did she just say what I think she said? At that moment it felt as if a switch inside my head was flipped. Adrenaline rushed through my body and things began to change. No longer did I feel any kind of fear, discomfort or restraint. No…instead there was only one thing occupying my mind; vengeance… I just had enough of those self-righteous bloodsuckers. Destroying my life simply wasn’t enough, right? No…of course not. They just had to up the ante and add insult to injury. Well…buck them. If they seriously expected me to act like their obedient little pawn I’d be more than happy to prove them wrong… “Oh? So you seriously think that you are better than the common pony just because you have fangs? Well, guess what…you aren’t.” I said with a sneer before I continued putting her down. “Oh, you may think that you are superior…but in the end you are just a parasite…feeding on the blood and…lives…of innocent ponies. You are talking about honour? Well, come on then. Tell me. Where is the honour in preying upon the weak?” When the only reply I got was her dumbfounded face, a strange feeling of accomplishment began took root in my body. Even though I wasn’t a match for the mare physically, I was still more than capable of keeping up with her in a conversation. Ah yes…words…the most versatile weapon in the world. Every word acts as a tiny little blade and when ponies talk they subconsciously point thousands of them at each other. The moment a conversation starts we begin to carve their meaning onto the souls of our recipients. While we sometimes engrave beautiful ornaments on their souls we are also capable of inflicting a lot of damage. And right now that’s exactly what I wanted… Wait…what? What the hay was I thinking? Why was I trying to add even more fuel to the flames when the mare could already kill me on a whim? There was a fine line between playing with fire and gambling with your own life and I wasn’t really interested in finding out where that lies. Thinking about damage control I only found one possible solution; I had to row back. Maybe apologising would do the trick…or…I could always come up with some lies… However, before I could decide on the best course of action a strange noise broke my concentration. It sounded as if somepony was…clapping? Both, me and the blue mare, whirled around in an instant. As soon as I recognised the source of the noise, my blood immediately ran cold. In front of us stood none other than “Lucid Mind”, one of Equestria’s most brilliant psychiatrists. Oh buck…had she been eavesdropping the whole time? Just great…even in the best-case scenario she would probably think of us as lunatics… Wait…why was she even here? It didn’t make any sense. Despite her reputation as a renowned expert in psychology Lucid Mind was known to be reluctant towards media attention and quite publicity-shy or, as malicious gossip had it, even misequine. So, why was she, who tried her best to avoid any kind of attention, flaunting through the most run down part of Canterlot? The grey mare with the blonde mane coughed softly into her hoof and tapped off the dust from her jacket before she began to speak. “Greetings miss Melody. I’ve been looking forward to meet you for some time now…” she said and gave me a small nod. Then her eyes moved to the blue mare and she added: “…but I haven’t expected to find you in such…unpleasant…company.” While I was taken completely aback by the fact that Lucid Mind wanted to meet me, there was something even more surprising going on. The blue mare next to me was seething with anger…and this time it was all directed at her. “You…” the blue mare hissed and took a step closer to the other pony. “Yes indeed…unfortunately we seem to meet quite often these days…” the grey mare said and adjusted the yellow teashades on her muzzle. “I will rip you apart…” the blue mare nearly shouted. “Oh really? So…no longer bound to your master then?” the grey mare asked rather bored. “You buc-…” “As I’ve expected; all bark, no bite. Now if you’d please excuse me…I have some business to attend to …” she said and let her gaze wander in my direction. “This isn’t over…” the mare hissed. “Well, for me…it ended seventy-two years ago…” Lucid Mind replied emotionless. Those words seemed to have quite a strong effect on the blue mare because she immediately howled out in anger and tried to assault Lucid Mind. However, her hoof never managed to reach its destination. Instead it looked as if the mare had hit an invisible wall right in front of Lucid’s face. Even though the hoof was only inches away from her face, the grey mare didn’t even blink. It looked as if she had expected the blue mare to stop from the very beginning. Roaring in defeat the mare vented her frustration on the ground beneath her, leaving behind a small pothole as well as lots of rather long cracks in the pavement. The blue mare then turned her back on us and took her leave. However, before she completely disappeared from our vision she turned around and gave me a warning. “Be wary lass, for that…”mare”…isn’t what she seems to be.” Somehow I was really inclined to facehoof at her cryptic message. In the end she just pointed out the obvious. Of course Lucid Mind had to be more than just a simple mare. Why else had they been arguing about something that happened over seventy years ago? “So now that the nuisance is finally gone let’s talk…” the grey mare said and tapped off her jacket once more. “…or maybe we should change the location first…” she added after letting her eyes wander over the ruined pavement. -(22)- From smoke to smother (part 2)When Lucid Mind beckoned me to follow her I couldn’t help but shudder a little. No...it wasn't the fact that she wanted me to follow her into the dark alley that scared the hay out of me. It was something about her that gave me the chills... Silently we made our way through the narrow alley. Time passed but at some point it became abundantly clear that this alley turned out to be a dead end. My heart began to pound as I realized that I probably just sealed my own fate by following her. However, if she knew how I felt...she obviously decided not to show it. Suddenly a dreadful thought crossed my mind. Up to now that mare hadn't shown any emotions at all. So the reason why I felt so uneasy about her was because I didn't see a pony. All I saw...was just a mask... Those thoughts nearly made me cringe. All my life I had been about wearing masks. Seeing as society even encouraged that kind of behavior I never truly questioned it. However, looking at Lucid I couldn't help but wonder if I had given off a similar feeling whenever I acted cold towards others. Still a little lost in my thoughts I nearly managed to bump into Lucid when she suddenly decided to stop. As I wondered if the huge brick wall in front of us was just an illusion, Lucid simply turned to the porch on her left, took a step forward and knocked at the shabby door. Unable to conceal my surprise I looked, expectantly at the door. Could that possibly be a secret hideout in the lower city? However my thoughts were cut off short when a confused looking stallion opened the door. Okay…that pony certainly did not belong with Lucid Mind. Not only did he look like a mess...he also reeked of smoke, sweat and some other…bodily...fluids. While I was still busy hiding my disgust, the stallion’s eyes grew wide as he recognized who had just decided to pay him a visit. In an obvious attempt to look more cultivated he let his hoof wander through his three-day beard and began to address a visibly unfazed Lucid Mind. “So I wonder...what brings you to my humble home...miss Lucid Mind?” he asked while unleashing his alcoholic breath upon us. “I’d like to rent your home for the next few hours. I pre-emptively like to apologize for any inconvenience I may cause but I guess…this…” she said and tossed a small pouch of bits in front of his hooves. “…should be more than enough to compensate you for your lost time.” The stallion’s jaw dropped when he saw the bits well forth from the pouch. Greedily he picked up all the money and thanked his generous benefactor. “Now…if you’d excuse us…” Lucid Mind said, already entering the shabby home of the slimy stallion. “Oh, but of course, miss Mind." he said and paused for a bit before he continued "However, wouldn't it be terrible if word gets out that the famous Lucid Mind secretly meets with another mare in the lower city?" “Are you seriously trying to blackmail me?” Lucid Mind asked unconcerned. “No...of course not. Why would you ever think that? I am simply voicing my concerns. Being the nice stallion that I am, I've even decided to offer you my help in dispersing of those nasty rumors. Still...it's a lot of work to ensure that everything goes smoothly...so..." the shady stallion continued. “Fine…” Lucid Mind replied and took out a checkbook and a ballpen. Under the eyes of the greedy pony she made a swift motion and the check was signed. Well...that was rather odd. To be honest I couldn't say that I expected her to comply with his demand instead of just sending him flying. Well...maybe it wasn't that much money anyways. Then my eyes fell on the number she had just written down and I felt something inside of me die. That little scumbag just managed to extort more money from Lucid than I could earn in an entire decade... “Now then…enjoy yourself. Oh and when I come back I’d better see my house still be standing.” he said before he disappeared with a big grin. Wait…was he just implying that we had an affair? Sweet Celestia, he was. Oh...come on had all colts to be that way? At that moment I was reminded of the wise words of a drunken DJ; “Most colts don't think...and even the few who do, only do so with their little heads.” Even though she was talking about some of her fans I guess she'd be universally correct too... “Ahem…miss Octavia?” Lucid Mind interrupted my thoughts. “Oh…I’m sorry. Nowadays I just seem to be easily distracted…” I replied. Horseapples! Once again my mind seemed to be more occupied with trivialities than with anything important. As if that wasn’t annoying enough…I had to have that bucking headache on top of it. “I’ve expected as much.” the mare said without batting an eye. Without changing any other words I followed her into the stallion’s home. After wandering down a small corridor Lucid Mind led me into the sad excuse of a living room. Shuddering at the sight of dust, dirt and cobwebs it took me a few moments to realize that the room was nearly empty. The only things that closely resembled furniture were a filthy couch and a wobbly table. “So, I guess you too would rather stay than taking place on…that.” the mare asked, pointing at the couch. “Gladly…” I said, still eyeing several icky stains on the couch. “Well…now then…let’s cut to the chase…shall we?” the mare said taking off her shades. Slowly I felt the air around the mare changing. Life returned to her empty face and soon she stopped looking like the cold and apathetic mare she had been before. The formerly dull eyes began to glow in a vivid green and the corners of her mouth began to rise. With a faint smile she then removed her hairpins, causing her mane to fall in a natural manner. "Finally! But what do you think? Better…right?” she addressed me out of the blue. “I…eh…beg your par-…” I tried to say but she simply carried on. “Oh but of course it’s better. A wonder I haven't bored you to death by now..." she said, curling her mane around her hoof and chuckling softly. Somehow I felt like I was missing something very important. A pony’s personality shouldn’t be able to do a one-eighty just like that. One could argue that she had merely played a role in public but I wouldn’t really bet on that. Even a brilliant actress like my mother would be incapable of faking her personality to such an extent… “So…you are the famous Octavia Melody. Hmm…I’m quite impressed...” the mare told me while shifting her weight from one hoof to another. “Famous?” I replied and raised an eyebrow in doubt. Flattering would get her nowhere. “Yes…in certain circles your name raises quite a ruckus.” she said, giggling like a school-filly. “…and with certain circles you mean every last vampire out there?” I asked in resignation. Well…that certainly was not the kind of fame I had always dreamed of. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. Life just seemed to have a strange way of setting the stage for certain events. “…the princesses, some nobles I suppose…hmm maybe the spirit of chaos…but besides them…mostly my kind.” she said nonchalantly. “The princesses know?” I blurted out in surprise. “Of course they do. Celestia might be too soft for her own good but she certainly isn’t blind…and neither is her sister.” Lucid Mind retorted. “So why don’t they do anything against you?” I asked in confusion. “...because we share a symbiotic relationship with them. True Shot’s bloodline provides the backbone of Equestria’s military for example, while mine supplies the princesses with intel and scientific data. You see…you ponies profit quite a lot from us. Of course our “symbiotic relationship” also requires that we have to play according to some of the princesses tedious rules…” she said and rolled her eyes. “Rules?” “Well…something along the lines of keeping our existence a secret and refrain from killing any “innocent” ponies. Pretty boring stuff if you ask me…” she said while circling around me. How convenient that nopony ever mentioned that no-kill policy. Well...not that it really concerned me because this whole harbinger stuff seems to make me untouchable anyways but hay...it would have been at least one thing less to worry about. The thought of ponies dropping like flies all over Equestria wasn't something that let me sleep well at night. Now I really felt like a foal for believing that those monsters could do as they please. Of course princess Celestia would never… “Oh…don’t you think it is a little too soon to relax?” the mare said and pulled me back, causing me to fall on my flank. At the same time she also wrapped her forelegs around my neck and embraced me from behind. Paralyzed by fear I felt her cold(?) breath in my neck. My heart began to pound and shivers ran down my spine as she pulled me even closer. “Just because we know the rules…doesn’t mean that we can’t break them from time to time.” she whispered into my ear, immediately causing my blood to run cold. Without giving me any time to recover, Lucid Mind continued to scare the hell out of me. Still acting like a lifeless doll, my eyes widened in horror as I something wet wandering up my cheek. At that moment I was pretty sure that I was a goner...but much to my surprise she seemed to be content with the fact that she scared the hay out of me. “I wonder how you taste…” the mare said happily, before she pushed me away and got back on her hooves. “You are...as mad as a hatter…” I tried to say, yet I only managed to whisper the words. “Oh? So I guess the correct answer is salty…” Lucid Mind retorted, giggling at her own joke. When she realised that I wasn't reacting to her nonsense she laid her head in her neck and gave me a concerned look. "Is something wrong?" she asked me, in what I believe was a sad tone. “Thats exactly what I want to know. What the hay is wrong with you? One moment you are acting like an ice cold business mare and then you suddenly decide to go all sorts of crazy on me.” I replied, still besides myself. “Oh "they" haven’t…told you about me yet?" she said once again giggling like an idiot before she went on. "Well…I guess it is time for a proper introduction then. Just give me a second to…focus. ” she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. At that moment I felt the air around her changing once again. The mare suddenly looked a lot calmer and her eyes no longer reflected any madness. However, she also didn't look as apathetic as before. She still scared me but somehow I felt a lot more at ease. “I am Lucid Mind, Equestria’s greatest psychiatrist as well as Celestia and Luna’s personal counsellor. Bound by…shackles of blood…I am also acting as Cold Steel’s third in command, representing the interests of his bloodline.” she told me with a small bow. “Shackles of blood?” I interrupted her curiously. “Oh…did I really say it that? How strange…” she mused. “Well…it’s an archaic way of saying that you haven’t volunteered to become a vampire and still exist against your own will. However, saying that now feels kind of odd to be honest. I’ve already come to terms with my situation centuries ago. Hmm…I wonder if…” she continued before drifting into silence. “Oh right…I still haven’t answered your original question, have I?” Lucid Mind suddenly asked. "Ehh...which question?" "The [what the hay is wrong with you] question. Seriously Octavia...if you can't even remember the question I really doubt that you are actually interested in the answer." she said and gave me a disappointed look. "However, maybe I'm just mistaken and you are still interested in the answer. If that's the case I'll gladly provide you with an explanation. Even better, I'll offer you two explanations. One is simple, the other one is complicated. Take your pick." she said, obviously evaluating me. "I don't have time for your silly games. I'll go with the simple one." "The simple answer is that I am insane." she said with a victorious grin. "In that case I'd pick the complicated one..." I replied in resignation. "Good choice." she said with a smirk before she went on. "Well then…what do you know about our abilities?” "You can make ponies forget about you, you can manipulate nature to some extent, you…” “Okay I get…so let’s skip the basics and focus on the juicy parts shall we? What do you know about bloodline abilities?” “Well according to your master, every bloodline follows a common theme. Bliss and his minions use light for example." I recalled. “Well, I guess that makes my explanation a lot easier then. As you've been probably told the common theme of my bloodline is the mind. However, even among vampires of my bloodline, my ability, “mind meddler”, is rather unique. In fact it is an ability you’d rather associate with changelings than with vampires.” Lucid Mind started to explain. “Just like those pesky bugs I am capable of seeing an emotional aura attached to ponies. I know when they are jealous, I know when they are sad, I know when they are lying and I know when they want to go for the kill. However, unlike changelings I am capable of a little more; I understand how minds are constructed and how they operate. Given enough time I can even temper with them… at least a little bit…” “So you can actually brainwash ponies?” I asked in shock. “Well...not exactly. You see...my ability works more on an emotional base, not so much on a practical one. So while I’m not able to plant false information into your head or make you betray your ideals I can still work your mind in ways you couldn't even imagine. Let me give you some examples… Let’s say your coltfriend is a two-timing son of a whorse but you still decide to forgive him. Well…I can make sure that you are anything but a forgiving pony. Or let’s say you have killed countless ponies and can’t live with yourself anymore. I can take away all your guilt...forever. However, vampires are no gods and therefore even our powers have some limits. In my case that limit is my victim’s willpower. So even if I tried to alter a pony’s personality against their will it wouldn’t be possible. Kind of ironic isn’t it? Even though their bodies are quite fragile, their mental fortitude is nothing to laugh at.” she lectured me. “So…doesn’t that make your ability rather pointless then? I mean who would be stupid enough and allow you to work their brains?” I asked slightly confused. Lucid Mind gave me an incredulous look before she suddenly broke into laughter. “Octavia…I am a psychiatrist. Ponies pay me to...fix...them.” she said, still chuckling. “But…don’t they realise that you are using magic as an earth pony?” “Magic? Well…maybe it looks like that to the untrained eye but among experts said procedure goes by the name of hypnosis. Well…at least that’s what I tell my clients.” she explained with a sly smirk. “How terrible. Don't you feel any shame ?” “Oh come on, Octavia. We both know that you are telling me this because you think it is…the right thing to do…and not because you actually believe it.” she replied bemused. “No, I…” “Ah ah ah…” she said and shook her head. “There is no point in hiding it. I’ve seen your aura. However, feel free to convince me otherwise if you must. Watching ponies try to save face always proves to be quite amusing…” "I'll pass." I said with a deep sigh. "Just go on with your explanation..." "Splendid. So, remember when I told you that I can manipulate the minds of those who are willing?" "Yes..." "Well now here is the catch. Even though it isn't hard to meddle with the minds of foals, lunatics or torture victims there is somepony who is even easier to manipulate. So...any ideas on who that could be?" she asked expectantly. "You've got to be kidding me." I asked in disbelief before continuing. "You couldn't possibly mean..." "Yes...I'm talking about myself." she replied in a cheerful tone. "Why would you ever do that to yourself? " I nearly shouted. "Why you ask? Isn't the answer obvious? I'm trying to improve myself." "What?" "Think about it, Octavia. Ponies struggle all their lives to improve their selves and to adapt to certain situations. The only difference between them and me is that I can skip the process and immediately jump to the result. Instead of overcoming my fears I can simply erase the whole concept of fear. In fact there are a lot of unneeded emotions I've simply gotten rid of." "Emotions that you've gotten rid off? Isn't that like killing a part of yourself?" "So? What's the point of emotions like grief and sadness...or doubt and fear? I'm better off without them. The same goes for things like shame and guilt? Those feelings are detrimental to my selves. So, why would I ever want to keep them? " "Wait...your selves? Doesn't that mean..." "No, I don't suffer from multiple personality disorder...or anything alike. Just think of every personality as a different piece of clothing suited for a different occasions. So while you probably wouldn't wear a scarf in summer, I'd rather not show my true colors in public. I guess you'd understand why." "So...ahem...this personality right now. Is it your true personality or...just a mask?" I asked, genuinely curious. "This personality? This happy sounding, gentle and well-versed personality? You can't possibly imagine how much I loathe it." she said with an ice cold voice. "Why are you using it then?" "It was forced upon me by your beloved sun tyrant...princess Celestia. " she hissed. "You are lying. Princess Celestia would never..." "Oh believe me, your princess isn't the saint you ponies make her out to be. Although Celestia is a benevolent ruler at her core, she does whatever she deems necessary to help or protect those she cares about. Encasing an enemy in stone, banishing her sister to the moon, ordering the assassination of the fifth griffin emperor, taking down the crimson castle, employing my kind to fight for the greater good....all of these decisions...do they really look the acts of a kindhearted monarch? Well, to me they don't. To me those weren't the decisions of a kind ruler, those were the decisions of a wise one." she explained. "However, even though I respect her as a ruler I will never forgive her for forcing a personality like...this...on me." "What is so bad about your current personality? I mean aren't you...well...happy to exist?" "You probably won't understand...but this personality stands for everything I I'm not... for everything that I hate. It also serves as a constant reminder of...oh, never mind. I might as well just tell you how I've ended up like this..." she said and paused for a moment before she began her story. "A few decades after Nightmare Moon's banishment I was summoned to Celestia's castle for the first time. Much too my surprise she had taken quite the interest in my research on the equine mind and invited me to stay at Everfree Castle to further my research. Of course I took her up on her offer. I would have been a foal to pass on the chance to get free access to the grand library... At first things went very smooth for me, however after some time Celestia wanted to talk to me in private. She told me that she was concerned about my behavior. She had hoped that after a year at her court I would have already thawed up to the ponies around me but unfortunately that wasn't the case. At first I wasn't sure why she cared about my antisocial personality but soon I realised that she hadn't invited me to Everfree Castle for research alone. Celestia wanted me to fill the void her sister had left. All this time she had been looking for somepony who could understand her, somepony she could talk to. She longed for the company of a fellow immortal, an equal, who didn't care about her crown and status and could see her for what she truly was...just another sentient being with social needs. So the next time she wanted to talk, I told her that I knew of her intentions but that it could never work out between us. However, Celestia's reaction managed to surprise me. I expected her to be upset when I refused her friendship but the only thing I felt from her was disappointment. When she asked me why...I decided that she deserved to know the truth. So I told her about...my multiple selves and my abilities in general. A few days later my master paid Celestia a visit. Apparently there was some kind of emergency that only he could help with. Just think about how surprised he was when he learnt that I was the reason she had called for him. It didn't take her long to convince my master that he could help me. So he prohibited me from removing any more of my emotions and forced me to to create a personality of Celestia's design. While Celestia and Coldsteel were very happy with this rather...social and harmonious version of myself I couldn't help but feel betrayed. Why wasn't I given any choice in the matter? So when my master ordered me to use this personality around him and Celestia I told him that I would obey his order. However, at the same time I also made clear that I would neither forgive them nor put my trust in them ever again..." "Wow...that was quite a story. Still...there is one thing I still don't get." "And what would that be?" "If you hate this personality so much...why do you use it right now as we speak?" "The reason for that is simple, it's because of you, Octavia. I've seen how uncomfortable you feel around my emotionless self and I also know that my other self has managed to leave quite the negative impression on you. So in order to get to know you a little better I've decided to go with the personality you probably feel most comfortable around." "Why? Why would you go through such lengths just to talk to me. Am I really that special to your kind?" "That you are...and for a lot of reasons." "Such as?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where do I even begin? Well...let's see. You are a harbinger of chaos, yet you haven't stated a wish. The guardian himself seems to have taken a liking to you; a feat most of us have deemed impossible. Top that off with the fact that two keepers have shown a personal interest in you and you probably understand why there is such a hype about your person. However, there is even more..." she began to explain. "More?" "Maybe you haven't realized it yet but you are more special than you think. You see...I've come across a lot of things in my life but even for me it is quite rare to stumble upon an aura like yours. Usually a pony's mind should always be in harmony with itself. However, for some reason that isn't the case for you. Instead I've noticed that your aura suffers from countless tiny little fluctuations." "So...what you mean to say is that there is something wrong with my mind?" "Well...yes...but for now it's only a thesis. I still haven't enough information to..." she tried to assure me. "There are headaches...lots of them. Sometimes my way of thinking changes and I do or say things I immediately regret. My mind also thinks about a lot of things...at the same time. I am capable of reproducing everything we've talked about in the last..." I interrupted her. If she already knew that there was something wrong with my mind I decided that I might as well go the whole way and try to get a sound explanation. "I know these symptoms. However, in your case they make no sense..." she said and trailed off. "Why?" "Because those are the symptoms of the early transition stage within the vampirification process. However, as far as I can tell you are clearly not in the process of turning." "Wait...what? Sweet Celestia, what should I do?" I shrieked. "First off, don't try to think. Your body can't handle the stress of thinking on different layers. Secondly, I need to examine you. So, please lie down on...the couch. Sorry..." she replied with a smirk. As soon as I took place on that filthy piece of furniture Lucid Mind began her examination. At first she checked my heartbeat and took a look into my mouth but soon she let her hooves wander over my body. After some time she reached the place where Crap Lightning had hit me. It hurt quite a lot and as a result I let out a small shriek. At that point her eyes flashed victoriously and she decided to take a closer look. Her smirk immediately faded and was replaced by a concerned look. "Well...let's start with the good news first. You have still a heartbeat and you don't show any signs of fang growth. I also couldn't find any bite marks on your body. So there certainly have been no attempts to turn you. However, that bruise on your side is quite concerning. It is swollen and should hurt quite a bit, even without anypony touching it directly. Yet, you've only reacted to it after body contact. That means somepony hurt you with the intention of injecting you with an unknown substance and covering it up adding an anesthesia. Now here comes the part I'm really concerned about. The small puncture site on your wound isn't the only one I've found. There is a second one on your flank and it looks at least a few days old." "So...do you have any idea what I've been injected with? Or why?" "I don't have a clue but there are two viable options to find out. Either you let my master examine you thoroughly...or I can just hunt down your assaulter and force him to spill his guts." she said with an evil smirk. "You know what? Just do it. At this point I honestly don't care anymore..." "Seems like your condition is getting worse." she said, chuckling into her hoof. "You do know that you've just asked me to torture a pony...right?" she added upon realizing my confused expression. "Well at least it would teach him a valuable life lesson; every action has it's consequences..." I replied in an icy tone. "Oh my...I seriously haven't expected you to give up on your moral high ground. Well at least not after you've been trying so hard to convince me that manipulating ponies is a bad thing. So now I wonder..." she said and gave me a thoughtful look before she continued in a cheery voice. "Could it be that in the end you and I aren't so different after all? " As soon as her words hit me, I felt a shudder running down my spine. She was right. I really wouldn't be any different if I let her torture a pony on my behalf. What the hay was I even thinking? "Don't worry...I've just been teasing you. Assuming you are really experiencing something like the transition state you are currently going through some severe mental reconstruction. While your mind adjusts to thinking on different layers, there are some times when the line between emotions and thoughts becomes blurry. Not only does this often lead to inconvenient situations...it also tells others a lot about your true nature. Surges of cruelty and vindictiveness for example are an indication that life hasn't been easy on you and that your heart is filled with sorrow and hate. Sums you up pretty much...doesn't it? Oh come on...don't look at me like that. After all I'm just trying to help..." she said, obviously enjoying herself far too much. "So what about you then? Does "enjoying other ponies' misery" sum you up as well?" I retorted with an icy glare. "Somehow I guess it really does. Not only am I a psychiatrist who tries to understand the reason for a pony's misery and enjoys analyzing, dismantling and eliminating it, I am also a twisted psychopath who takes great pleasure in causing misery myself. So yes..."enjoying other ponies' misery" is basically what I live for." she answered my question while giving me me yet another smug smile. "Could you please cut it out already? I don't know what exactly you are after but dealing with your mind games is getting pretty tiring. A pony as false as you would probably have been better of with a name like Poison Whisper or Worm Tongue. " I told her, letting out a deep sigh. "Oh my...how cold." she replied in an innocent tone but for a second I was pretty sure that I had seen something in her eyes. "What do you really want? Just tell me the truth already...all of it..." I asked bluntly. For once my words seemed to have an impact. Lucid Mind's smile immediately crumbled and her eyes widened in horror. This time it was her turn to give me with an icy stare. Even though I didn't know why she suddenly decided to drop her playful act, I was pretty sure that it would make this discussion a lot easier. "What I want? Isn't it obvious? I want to know who...or rather what you truly are. There is just so much about you that makes no sense. It's as if your whole existence is but a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." she hissed. "What do you mean by what I am ?" I asked curiously before addressing yet another concern. "...and how come you are so angry all of a sudden?" "According to everything I've seen so far, I'm pretty sure that you probably aren't a pony." she replied, obviously observing my reaction. "...and to answer your second question; I'm not angry...I'm just extremely irritated." "Why?" "...because you've just ordered me to tell you the truth and I quote "all of it"." she said with a deep sigh. "So...why exactly are you following my orders?" "My master compelled the whole bloodline to make sure that no harm would befall you. Furthermore he also ordered us to...comply with your wishes...as long as they don't endanger you, the bloodline or ourselves." she pressed through her teeth. "Oh great...so I've stumbled upon a loophole in your orders." I noted. "However, shouldn't your master know that something like that could happen?" I asked, trying to hide how much I enjoyed that the tables had just been turned. "Usually ponies wouldn't try to order a vampire around because they still fear us. However, in case they actually do they give rather simple commands like "leave me alone" or "help me". My master probably thought we had to deal with a simple mare, not a fearless demon spawn from Tartaros." the mare replied and shook her head. "So you honestly want me to believe that I'm a demon from Tartaros?" I asked, raising an an eyebrow. "No...but I'm still sure that you aren't a normal pony. I've been checking your aura for any signs of mental instabilities and fluctuations but it doesn't really matter as long as I don't know what triggers them. Analyzing your personality and gauging your mental capabilities has also been a fruitless effort because it seems they are ever changing. To be honest...the closest I've ever seen to your aura is the one belonging to the spirit of chaos and disharmony...and even that only shares very few traits with yours..." she explained, matter-of-factly. "No...that can't be right. There is no way that my aura looks similar that monster's..." Once again it looked as if my words had an impact on her...but not in a good way. An evil smile crept on her face and her eyes flashed in new found excitement. Somehow I'd given her something to look forward to...and whatever it was...it wouldn't be good. "Well...there is a way to show you your own aura but..." she said, obviously trying to lure me in. "...but what?" "Taking a glimpse at your true self isn't something that comes without a price. Some ponies end up scarred for life, while others pay for it with their sanity. So I need to ask; Do you really think you have what it takes to walk away from that...unscathed?" "Why do you ask?" "Well...strictly speaking I'm ordered to keep you out of harm's way. Hay...in fact I am compelled to. So therefore I shouldn't even be able to come up with such a potentially dangerous proposal. Yet here I am...doing exact-..." she began to start yet another convoluted monologue. "Get to the point already..." I groaned, already tired of that mare's stupid antics. "Well...there is a reason why i'm able to circumvent my master's command." she explained and let out a small sigh before she continued. "You see...even I am not entirely sure if my offer poses an actual threat to you or not. Considering that you aren't exactly what I'd call an average pony, chances are pretty high that this little experience won't harm you at all. However, just because I assume that you'll be safe doesn't mean that my offer actually comes without any danger. Ultimately the choice is yours. So whether you stick with safety or give in to curiosity...just make sure you won't regret your decision afterwards." -(23)- Demons withinAs I paced up and down the room considering Lucid’s “offer” I felt my uneasiness grow with each passing step. Inner conflicts weren't something I usually had to deal with because most of the time I knew exactly what I wanted. However, this time it was different. This time it was really hard to make up my mind. Every time I came even close to make a decision my mind instantly filled with doubts. Was it because Lucid’s words were still ringing in my head? “Just make sure you won't regret your decision afterwards.” If it hadn’t been for those accursed words it would have been so much easier. At first I was convinced that she was just trying to play me, that she was merely following her own agenda, that she was nothing more than a monster…but now…now I wasn’t so sure anymore. If she truly had a hidden agenda she wouldn’t just leave things up to chance…would she? So what was she truly after? Was this just a carefully laid out trap or was she genuinely offering her help? There was also the possibility that both assumptions were wrong and she was merely trying to sate her curiosity. Oh why couldn’t the world be black and white for once? It would make things so much simpler… Casting a glance in Lucid’s direction I realised that she was still patiently waiting for my response. It was only now that I realised how quiet the mare had been. She never said a single word…not even once. Why? Wouldn’t it make more sense if she tried to talk me into one option or the other? Oh great…I just realised that I was thinking in circles again. Why did it have to be so hard anyways? Betting my sanity in order to sate my curiosity was probably the dumbest thing I could ever do…and yet it seemed so appealing. Could the information really be worth the risk? Hmm...probably… Come to think of it…wasn’t this a big chance to turn the tables? All this time I had been completely oblivious to everything that was going on around me. So maybe I could really use this to my advantage. Yeah…getting the information would probably be for the best… “Lucid?” “Yes?” “Show me…” When I gave her my answer, a smile began to spread across her face. “I knew that you’d be fun…” Lucid let her eyes wander around the room a finale time before she moved a hoof in her pocket and pulled out a small silver hip flask. Giving me a toothy smirk she then raised it and took a sip. As she poured the liquid down her throat I couldn’t help but shudder a little. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it was… Lucid who obviously noticed my disgusted glances began to speak in an amused tone. “You think watching me drink is bad? Try to be the one drinking it instead.” she said and rolled her eyes before she continued “I swear this stuff tastes awful. Not a surprise…considering it’s neither fresh nor pure...” “So…eh…is there any reason why you are doing this now?” I asked, eyeing the flask. “Well…what I am about to do next requires a lot of energy… energy I don’t have because I haven’t fed in quite a while.” she said and took another sip. It took Lucid only a few moments before she finished her…drink. As soon as she was done she put the flask back into her jacket and threw it on the dirty couch. Then she also discarded her jacket, raised one of her forelegs and ordered me to take a step back. “Come forth…Obsession” she said with an otherworldly voice. As she said those words shadows began to gather around her and slowly crept up her body. Mesmerized by the spectacle I watched as the shadows slowly liquefied at the tip of her hoof. The dark liquid began to trickle down in mid-air…closely resembling water running down a spider’s thread. When the shadows were finally close to reaching the ground the flow suddenly changed its direction. The shadows crept upwards until they reached their summit and branched off in a right angle. All the shadows which were still dormant up to this point now also began to swirl around Lucid and the strange construct she was holding. For a few moments the whole room was shrouded in darkness. As the darkness faded and Lucid surfaced I was struck with awe. The mare was now clad in a blood red hooded cloak. That tattered cloak looked as if it belonged in some kind of horror story. However the thing that Lucid was holding in her hoof was far more unsettling. It was an elegant black scythe with blood red ornaments engraved onto it. She truly looked terrifying…yet at the same time somehow familiar. My mind only needed a few moments to associate her with a certain painting in the royal museum of visual arts. “…the blood-soaked goddess…” I breathed. “Oh my…I haven’t heard that one in a very long time. Considering that most ponies tend to write off Ponet’s later works as the first sign of his descent into madness, I’m quite surprised that you actually know the title of that particular painting.” Lucid said with a smile before she pulled back her hood. “So that pony on that portrait…that goddess…is she really …” “Yes…that pony is supposed to be me…or rather an idealized version of myself.” she said and let out a deep sight before she continued “You see…to Cloud I’ve always been a source of inspiration…a muse…if you so like.” “You were…an item?” I asked in disbelief. The mare raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that was half questioning and half annoyed. However, after she realised that I really meant what I said she suddenly burst into laughter. “Oh...he wished. Unfortunately for him…the feeling wasn’t mutual.” she said with a wink. “While I prefer to surround myself with those who are especially brilliant or talented…it doesn’t mean that I’m romantically attracted to them. However, this isn’t the time to talk about my past. Maintaining Obsession the way I am right now isn’t easy…and takes quite the toll on me… “Obsession? You mean that creepy scythe…” I asked and pointed at the weapon “…or that strange get-up?” “Octavia…for somepony who faces one of Equestria’s most dangerous creatures you act far too carefree.” she said and shook her head. “Well…how would you expect me to react? Considering everything that has happened so far I’m amazed that I’m still among the sane…” I replied with a smile. When I realised the annoyed look on her face I immediately began to regret my words. That answer was most certainly not what she wanted to hear. Wait…did I actually “piss her off” by telling her that she doesn’t scare me? “Be that as it may…” she said in an icy tone. Oh great…I really did buck up. Maybe I should try to… “…I need you to focus, Octavia. What I’m about to do could turn out quite awful if you let yourself be distracted in any way. Try to calm down and reign in your emotions before we begin…” she said and let out a sigh. So…I actually didn’t “piss her off”. Oh my…how awkward. “Begin? Begin with what?” I asked. “You will take “Obsession”, the physical manifestation of my soul, and subdue it.” Lucid replied with a wicked grin and pointed at her scythe. “Wait…wh-what?” I stuttered and my jaw dropped. “Ah…that’s more like it. So you do have an instinct for self-preservation after all…” she said and chuckled. “That thing…” I nearly screamed and pointed at her weapon “…is actually your soul?” I asked in disbelief. “Well…actually my hood and the scythe both are…” “So what if your weapon was destroyed?” “Then I’d die.” she said with a shrug and rolled her eyes. “Come on Octavia…it doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out…”Lucid added as if we were just discussing the weather. “You can’t be serious. That makes no sense at all…” I immediately retorted. “What fun is there in…oh wait…I’ve already told you that I’m insane…right?” “Sweet Celestia… are you trying to mess with me again?” I replied in resignation. “Well, as much as I’d enjoy messing with your head…I’m actually telling the truth. Unfortunately I have to explain a few things beforehoof, in order for you to understand. So…you probably have heard about the tr-…elements of harmony…right?” she said and bit her lips. “Well…Pandora’s box is basically the antithesis to…them. So while the element bearers represent the powers of harmony, vampires are supposed to be the paragons of chaos. However, unlike the spirit of of chaos and disharmony most of us…value balance. As long as chaos and harmony are closely balanced everything works out but as soon as one of them gets the upper hoof…the world itself tries to even things out. Discord’s reign of chaos and the rule of the two sisters were both instances where the balance was severely disrupted and we both know how that turned out. So…that brings us back to the physical manifestation of my soul. The longer we creatures of chaos live, the more chaos and power we accumulate. The strongest of us are therefore capable of creating weapons by using our very essence. However, even among the strongest of us that kind of power isn't common. Not only is it very hard to aquire…it also acts as a double edged sword. Alicorns also show a similar increase in power when they grow older because they accumulate harmony. You can see that in their astral manes and feel it in their presences…yet I’m pretty sure they simply use their power to enhance themselves. The act of ripping out one’s soul and wielding it as a weapon just doesn’t seem very…harmonious.” she explained matter-of-factly. “So what happens when I touch it? What exactly happens…” I said and my eyes narrowed. “Oh good you are learning.” she said and gave me a wink. “Well…unlike many other soul-weapons mine is actually a little bit special. Obsession is a weapon that tears enemies apart and the more I’m obsessed with something the sharper it gets. It can basically cut through steel or dragon skin if my desire to kill or dissect something is just strong enough. However, now comes the creepy part. “Obsession” devours the souls of those it kills, imprisoning them and basically allowing me to feed on their madness and obsession in order to boost my battle potential. So if you touch it be prepared to face the wrath of…hmm let’s say…at least a few hundred angry souls…” Lucid said with an evil smirk. “What?” “Oh come on…you’ve already volunteered to take a peek at your own soul. So dealing with a few echoes of my victims shouldn’t be that scary…right?” Lucid replied before she broke into laughter. However, this time there was no warmth in her voice; it was cold and cruel… “My soul…?” I gasped in shock. “Oh my…haven’t I mentioned that your aura is basically the visible extension of your soul? Woops, that must have slipped my mind…” Before I could even react to her sudden change in behaviour she already lifted her scythe and threw it into my direction. Without thinking I caught the weapon in mid-air…and immediately came to regret it. Lucid wasn’t lying. The moment I touched her scythe my vision became blurry and I started to hear voices…hundreds of them. Some were angry, some were wailing but most of them were whispering. At first I couldn’t hear them but as time passed their voices became more and more distinct. Some of the whispers turned out to be promises of power, others offered me...eternal slumber... Of course I tried to let go of the accursed thing…but it wasn’t possible anymore. As soon as I tried to break free from their influence the voices changed their approach. They were no longer whispering…they were lashing out at me…all of them. The pain was unimaginable. It felt as If every part of my body was lit on fire and pierced with a hot iron at the same time. However the pain wasn’t even the worst. It was the fact that the pain just didn’t seem to end… “You resist us? You cling to your life as if it actually matters? You will learn…for time has no meaning here…” a cruel voice whispered. I just wanted it stop, I even cried out to Lucid…but only now did I realise that she was no longer here; no one was. It was just me…in the midst of darkness… “Why do you try to fight fate? Resisting us will do you no good…” one of the voices whispered. “Just think about what you could accomplish with our help. All who ever wronged you, every single one of them would have to bow before you…” “Our power and wisdom knows no bounds, milady. Take us in…break our prison…and we’ll be yours to command…” I tried to run away from the voices…I tried to shut them out…but that was easier said than done. Among hundreds and thousands of whispers some were bound to get through to me. They were slowly gnawing away on my sanity and after some time I wasn’t even sure if my thoughts were really my own. It was only when I collapsed on the cold onyx floor that I noticed the strange ornaments engraved into it; the same as on Lucid’s scythe… At the same time a small barrier formed around me and the pain started to fade. However, I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t stop the pain for long, considering that could already see the first few cracks forming on in its surface… “Lucid?” I thought, still shivering in pain. “So you’re finally able to reach out to me?” her voice happily echoed through my mind before it turned icy once again “Now pull yourself together, subdue those hyenas and get my bucking weapon under your control.” “Please…just make them stop…” I pleaded. “I can’t. Currently your soul and those trapped inside my weapon are fighting over dominance. The only way to make them stop is to beat them into submission and claim control of…their prison. ” “What if I fail?” “Have you ever heard the legends surrounding one of Tartaros’ greater demons…the one called Legion? You’d probably end up like that…just...well...considerably weaker…” Speaking of weak…the barrier didn’t look as if it would last much longer. The cracks already deepened significantly and even began to wander. Realising that I had only a few minutes at best, I decided to ask what I needed to know the most. “So what do I have to do to get out of here…” “You have two weapons in here that they don’t; your mind and faith. The weapon you are currently holding onto is nothing but a projection of your mind. As long as you have faith in the things you conjure…you should be able to beat your opponents with ease. Now get ready… the barrier will collapse soon…” As soon as those words echoed through my mind the barrier broke and the invisible assaults continued. However, this time I was ready. I raised the scythe and swung it around. If Lucid was right…and I really hope she was…than I should be capable of hurting those things… The voices suddenly changed their approach. They still came at me but they no longer tried to unnerve me by talking. Instead they seemed focused on talking to each other. “Back down…the reaper didn’t restrict her…” an angry voice hissed. “The reaper isn’t stupid. Of course she…” “Then how could that mare hurt us?” “Clearly the reaper helps her…” “Does she? Hmm…I wonder why…” “So…taking her on like that won’t work?” “Maybe we don’t have to…” “Let her do the work I say…” “Hmm…I guess we could try…” “Pff…I doubt it could get any worse anyways…” “Don’t jinx it…” “Hmm…I like the idea.” “Yeah…at least we’d have a shot…” “It’s unlikely that she’d succeed but...” “We should at least try…” “I’m game…” “I’m against it. I mean…just look at her.” “What do you mean?” “She can’t even see us….she just swings her weapon blindly…” “I told you she is useless…” “Let’s just go all in and crush her …” “No…we’ll go with the plan…” All their talk was really confusing but it gave me an idea. The scythe already allowed me to hurt them…so I could try to give it additional properties. First off I need to see them… As soon as I thought about I could see them…and my jaw nearly dropped. Hundreds of ghostly apparitions were circling around me…just like vultures. Some of them were shaped like griffins; some of them were shaped like changelings…hay I could even make out the silhouettes of two dragons…but most of them still resembled ponies. At first their numbers scared me but then an evil smile spread across my face. I nearly forgot that my powers were only limited by my own imagination. Oh the possibilities were endless…or so I thought… As it turned out my powers weren’t that strong after all. In an attempt to end this quickly I tried to conjure a hail of deadly arrows while holding them off with the scythe…but somehow it failed. Setting them on fire or impaling them also didn’t seem to work. Hay, I even tried to conjure a giant hoof from the sky in order to crush them… “Well of course something like that wouldn’t work. There has to be a connection between you and the objects you are trying to conjure. You have to literally put your soul into it. So…unless you have a hidden hoof fetish there is no point in wasting your time with something like that.” Lucid’s voice echoed through my mind. However, this time it was neither cold nor amused…it was strained. Well…so much for taking the easy way out. So I guess I just had to strike down all of them individually. What a bummer! However, before I could come up with an efficient way to do so the souls started to converse with each other again… “The preparations are complete…” “Excellent.” “So…how much time you think we have?” “…ten minutes…at most.” “Hmm…I guess it’ll do…” “No…it has to.” “Well then…brothers, sisters…let’s do this…” At that point I saw something that would probably haunt me for the rest of my days. All the ghostly apparitions began to rot in fast motion. Yes…even though they were nothing more than disembodied souls they actually managed to putrefy right in front of my eyes. For a few moments I watched in horror as all the specters turned into nothing more than a repulsive puddle of…liquid spectral flesh. It didn’t take long and the gooey substance began to creep across the floor, gathering at one spot. The repulsive sludge started to bubble violently and before I could do as much as blink something horrible emerged from the pool. The creature might even have passed for some kind of Alicorn…at least for some species that only learnt about them from books... Unlike real Alicorns…this vile and fiendish being had a jagged horn, the leathery wings of a dragon, and talons instead of fore hooves. The legs were covered in holes and her white spectral mane flowed graciously in the non-existing wind. Locking her gaze on me the grotesque figure then revealed two pointy fangs and began to speak in an otherworldly voice. “Abandon all hope…for we are…death incarnate.” As soon as those words passed her lips I could feel the blood freeze in my veins. Without a warning the black monstrosity suddenly raised one of its talons and the rest of the ooze began to gather right in front of her. It was only then that I realised how familiar that scene looked… Of course my worst fears became reality and the creature really conjured a weapon for itself; a coal black halberd. While the scythe I was still clinging onto was without a doubt creepy… the monster’s polearm was scarier by far. However, the reason for that didn’t lie in its design; it was the fact that the weapon’s edges emitted the same spectral glow its master’s mane. The weapon actually looked as if it was a part of her… All my instincts urged me to run but…it was already too late. The monster closed the gap in the blink of an eye and was now only inches away from my face. With a haughty smile she threw the halberd into the ground and raised her foreleg. “Your despair…it tastes…oh so sweet…” A swift motion later I was lying on my back. While I had still been processing her words she simply knocked me down. She didn’t even need a weapon…she just did it with her leg. Was my life really only worth that much? That hurt… Wait…I was literally staring death in the eye and the only thing I was concerned with was my pride? Oh my…somehow the thought was quite amusing. As her eyes bore into mine I realised that she wasn't amused by my antics; she looked disgusted. Well…for all its worth...at least I managed to piss her off before I died… “You seek refuge in madness…because you can’t cope with the horrors of reality? Pathetic…” At that moment I was no longer thinking. I already accepted my fate and calmly anticipated my end. Unfortunately she had other plans for me. A sadistic grin spread across her face when she laid her talon around my throat and slowly began to squeezing it. Using the same talon she then lifted me up by the throat. Pulling me a little closer she whispered in an icy tone. “Oh no…little pony…we aren’t done just yet. We are going to make you suffer…and not even losing your mind will end your torment…” In a swift motion she raised her second talon and let it softly wander across my chest. Giving me a wicked grin she repeated the motion, however this time she actually ripped through my flesh. The pain was intense…worse than anything I had experienced so far. My vision became blurry and tears began to flow… “Oh…it seems you’re quite enjoying my little…gift. It’s based on a special brand of venom…usually used only by changeling inquirers. Not only does it keep your wound from closing…it should also incapacitate you through sheer pain…” I wanted to scream but my throat was no longer working. The monster then tossed me away and started to laugh. Soon I realised that it wasn’t blood that was gushing from my wound. It was a thick green gooey substance…just like…oh no… "Lets see how long it takes until your soul bleeds dry..." That wasn’t good…that wasn’t good at all. I had to stop the bleeding. With all my remaining willpower I focused on healing…but it was in vain. Mending wounds just wasn’t part of who I am… I nearly succumbed to my fate but when I noticed that the grotesque figure was watching me with a devious smile…something inside of me urged me to fight on. That sick psychopath obviously enjoyed watching me struggle…but I wouldn't let her... No…I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. At least I had to put up a fight. Vinyl would literally kick my flank if I just decided to lie down and die. Yes…dying on my hooves…fighting…was preferable after all… Under great pain I tried to get back on my hooves…but my wobbly knees just didn’t want to comply. Among all the pain I didn’t even notice it…but part of my body had already gone numb. No…that wasn’t fair. I didn’t want to die…not like that…not like that... “Tell me, little pony…can you feel death closing in on you? Can you feel its icy touch?” Words…it said some words…yet I couldn’t understand them. My vision was failing and darkness started to cloud my mind. What was it saying? Was it even important? I didn’t know…I just felt so tired. Yes…tired…and lonely…and cold…oh so col-…COLD! My consciousness clung to that little word as if it actually meant something. Why…why was that word so important? As I tried to remember memories flooded my mind instead. Oh no...not the happy ones...no it was the kind I usually tried to suppress… “Oh look…if it isn’t the ice princess. Don’t think we’ll treat you any different just because your mom’s famous…” a small unicorn filly said and flicked her tail into my face. “Hey…princess…did you finally get your cutie mark for being a loser?” another filly, I believe her name was Higher Standard, said with a haughty smirk. “Pff…Octavia isn’t anything special…that pony was spoon-fed her entire life…” a classmate told the transfer student. “Of course she is no competition for me…that mare is only third rate anyways…” a stallion whispered to another. “Earth pony…mud pony…who cares! Playing an instrument without magic will only get you so far…” two nobles argued after one of my performances. “Unfortunately she had to be born an earth pony. Well…at least our other daughter wasn’t such a disappointment.” I once overheard my parents. “Cold as ice…never nice…run away before she cries…” I heard the cruel fillies of my past singing. ENOUGH! That was exactly why I tried to distance myself from others. Everything they said always hit home. Coping with that was just too much. I tried so much but in the end there was only one thing I could really do; on the outside I stopped caring…I grew cold... There it was again…cold. Why did it have to be cold? Just thinking about it hurts. I hate that word! I hate it and everything it reminds me of. Oh why does the world have to be such a cold and cruel place? Heartless parents, merciless classmates, guileful colleagues…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What did I ever do to deserve a life like that…a life void of warmth? “What did you ever do…to deserve any better? Besides pitying and loathing yourself, of course. You might think that everypony is entitled to lead a happy life as long as they just follow the path of harmony…but deep inside you know that it’s nothing more than a sugar-coated lie. The sad truth is that a pony’s happiness always comes at the price of another’s. So either you mare up and fight…or you lie down and die; the choice is yours…” the more aggressive portion of my mind argued. Unfortunately…those thoughts were volatile. They washed over me and even though everything seemed so clear in the spur of the moment…they already faded from my memory. However, just like before there was one word important enough for me to remember…FIGHT. I had to fight… Yes…I had to fight...the cold… As that thought flashed through my mind…I could feel the grip of the darkness weakening. My consciousness returned but so did the pain. Unable to scream I realised that my body was still paralysed by either venom, pain or that green stuff that was gushing out of my chest. However, besides the pain and the numbness there was now some sensation flooding through my body. It was rather faint but I could feel it softly pulsating beneath my skin. When I tried to focus on it some more I noticed that it actually was a current of power flowing through me. While I could feel it all over my body there were certain spots with a higher concentration. Like a thin veil it covered my organs and tried to stop my essence from seeping through my wound… Then suddenly a strange thought crossed my mind. This stuff...this energy had to be a part of my body…or part of my mind. Well…at least I was pretty sure that it was a part of me. So instead of trying to heal my wound this time I redirected the flow of energy. At first I thought I seriously bucked up because all across my body the pain started to increase. However, at the same time I noticed less and less of my essence leaving… Somehow I actually managed to find a way to mend my wound. Now I just had to hope that the monster wouldn’t catch on before I finished closing it. However, for once it seemed as if luck was on my side. While my wound still hadn’t closed completely…I could already feel the pain and the numbness of my body wearing off. Even my senses started to return… The stench of rotting flesh hung heavily in the air and began to fill my lungs. The smell was revolting but I had to keep my breathing steady. When I tried to focus less on my sense of smell I discovered a bad metallic taste in my mouth…most likely blood. It wasn’t much of a surprise considering that my throat was basically crushed by that thing. Oh my…I should really consider myself lucky. If that had actually happened to me in any other place I most certainly would have kicked the bucket… However, my thoughts came to an abrupt halt when I realised that I could hear something strange; the sound of a barely beating heart. It was faint and the rhythm was off…yet it was still working. Yes…my heart was still beating…I was still alive… Then, out of the blue, the next wave of pain hit me. My nerves burned as if they were on fire…letting me experience a completely different feeling where “pain” and “no-pain” alternated quickly. Considering that the numbness was now nearly gone I figured that it probably had something to do with the venom wearing off. Only seconds later I could feel my body touching the smooth stone floor. I was lying face down and my coat was covered in sweat. Beneath me there was a puddle of thick, warm…liquid. Even though I couldn't believe how much of that stuff had seeped through my wound I didn’t dare to look. After all, that…thing…was still close. I tried my best to keep as still as possible but now that I got the feeling for my body back it turned out to be quite the task. I had to keep my breathing even, I had to keep my ears from twitching, I had to remain an expressionless face and worst of all I had to deal with that irritating itching of my closing wound. Even though the itching was nothing more than a side effect of the healing process it made “playing dead” a lot harder. “Ah…looks like the bleeding will stop any second now. Soon the mare will perish and freedom will finally be ours…” I heard the monster mumbling. Shivers ran down my spine as I heard the monster’s heartbeat accelerating in excitement. Wait…what? Why would I be able to hear… I never finished that thought because something else demanded my attention. A cold presence was wrapping itself around my heart. Unable to stop its advances I could do nothing more than wait motionless as it slowly worked its way inside. At first I tried to fight it off by redirecting the energy stream within my body…but soon I realised something terrible; the energy and the cold presence were one and the same. So all I did...was hastening my own demise... It only took a few moments and it finished invading my heart. However, much too my surprise I didn’t feel any worse. On the contrary; my heartbeat, even though a tad slower than before, was now rhythmic again. However the presence wasn’t done just yet; it continued spreading throughout my entire body…soothing the pain and revitalizing me. Even though the presence itself didn't seem to be malevolent, I was suddenly overcome with the inexplicable need to drive it out of my system. I didn't know why I felt that way...but I knew that bad things would happen if I didn't. However...at the same time there was a another part of me, a sick and twisted part, that wanted to hold onto it. All the things I could do with that kind of power... Wait...what was I even thinking? That wasn't how we ponies do things. Whatever that presence was...it already started messing with my head. No, there was no other way. I had to force it out of my body before it was too late. I simply had to... "Oh really and why is that? Because you had a gut feeling? Because you fear things you don't understand? Oh wait...I know. Because you are trying to do the right thing. Oh...don't even try to deny it. You use it as a bucking justification for simply everything. Can't go wrong with doing the right thing, right? Wrong! Ideals and morals are a luxury you can't afford in your situation. Right now that power is the only thing that stands between you and certain death...yet you still refuse to clutch at the last straw...because something about it feels off. Do you even know how conceited that sounds? Even if that power had been given to you by none other than Nightmare Moon herself...you should be grateful. After all it is the only reason why you are still alive..." the other part of my mind argued. Hmm...a crossroad. What a pain in the flank spot to end up in. So what should I do? Should I stick to my principles...or should I just try to survive? Idealism or survival? Probably the hardest decision since the dawn of time... As I pondered over my options I came to realize a few interesting things about myself. My ideals were important to me, yet I certainly wasn't ready to sacrifice myself for them. No...I was neither a hero nor a martyr. Just like any common pony I'd always put survival first. However, at the same time I would never put my life before those I care about. In the end I came to realize the sad truth. I was a terribly selfish pony. To me, the only thing that truly mattered was that my friends and I could live a happy life. Even if the rest of the world were to go to tartaros, I probably wouldn't even give a buck... "So...how far would you go to ensure the happiness of those you care about?" I could hear the darkest part of my mind whisper. "I'd do anything..." “Even if you had to build their happiness on a pile of corpses?” “Yes…” -(25)- At the same time...(part2) [Vinyl's POV]In my life there are a few things I take pride in; my friends, my work and…my choices. So even though tricking the guard might come back and bite me in the flank someday, I'd probably would have done it all over again. However, maybe I was just being pessimistic, maybe the guard would take it with humor... "You...you've planned this..." the guard shouted and pointed frantically in my direction. ...or maybe he was exactly that kind of sore loser I should have expected in the first place. "Yeah sure..." I said and rolled my eyes."cause...it totally wasn't you who wanted to switch glasses." The whole bar broke out into bellowing laughter, leaving the guard speechless with shame. Yeah...this was probably the moment where even he had to realize that every last pony here had lost their respect for him. Not that he ever had it but... "This isn't over..." he hissed barely audibly. After the laughter had finally ceased the stallion put his helmet back on and addressed Salty again. This time however, he wasn't beating around the bush and simply skipped to the part where he has to recite all of Salty's supposed crimes and stuff. The typical guard routine thing... "Salty Grafter...in the name of her majesty, princess Celestia, I hereby put you under arrest on suspicion of smuggling, selling&trading with state secrets, cooperation with the changeling hive and several violations of the thirteenth amendment of the tribalism law. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense, if you do not mention when questioned, something which you will later rely on in the solar court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand? Do you have anything to say in your defense?" "Do I have something to say? Sure I do. Who the hay fed you that nonsense, kiddo? Every other day three or four guards show up at my bar and search for smuggled goods and they always return empty hoofed...guess why?" Salty shouted at the guard. "Eh...well...I've only been stationed in Canterlot since last wee-" the guard started to defend himself. "You think someone who lives in the same rundown bar he operates..." Salty said and let his hoof wander around the room "makes big money selling government secrets? Sure thing. But hay...even if that was the case...you are forgetting one very important thing; in order to deal with state secrets I would have to get them first. So...take a look...do you see anyone of rank and power among us? Do you spot one of your higher ups? a minister? Princess Celestia perhaps? No? Neither do I...welp." he said with his face awfully close to the guard. "...no...I...but...but what about the changelings and the tribalism law...I..." "Sure I cooperate with changelings, who wouldn't? They pay so well. It isn't like they are a completely different species with a completely different currency, right? I mean...in what would they even pay me? Hugs? Bug goo? Liquid love? " Salty continued his rant and the guard slowly started to back down. "I...I'm..." the guard began to stutter. "Oh and about the tribalism thingy. Yeah...I totally refused to serve some ponies their drinks. However, that wasn't because they were unicorns but because they insulted me, my bar or my customers. Do you really think my bar would still be in business if simply refused to serve a third of my customers? No, wait...scrap that; I have a better question. Do you even use your eyes? Isn't the mare right next to you a unicorn?" he said and pointed at me. "Well...you see...I..." "Oh yeah I see! I see exactly how it is! You've been sent here by lord Flankface or lady Moneybags because this old pony" he said and pointed at his chest "refuses to kiss up to them". Well guess what...no matter how many guards the send after me...I'll never bow down to them. So...if you are just another one who wants to drag me to court for refusing to kiss plot...be my guest." "I eh...well...I'm just trying to do my job and..." "...even if everything I said was true...you still have to follow the procedure. Yeah, yeah...I know how it goes. Just give me a few minutes to arrange my replacement and I'll quietly follow you to the guard post." the old pony said after letting out a loud sigh. Salty walked to a small door to the right of the counter and gently knocked at it. When nothing happened Salty began to hit the door a lot harder. While the patrons already started to laugh at Salty's expense the guard obviously had no clue what was happening. "BLACKOUT! Move your bucking plot to the counter or I swear you'll spend the next weeks sleeping under a bridge." Salty bellowed. A very grumpy looking earth pony suddenly opened the door. At first I thought he would start to unleash hell upon Salty but as soon as he noticed the guard his anger was replaced with something else; disgust. He shot the guard a venomous glare before he took Salty's place at the counter and began to dry some glasses. When the guard and Salty finally left the bar Blackout no longer tried to hide his anger and started to rant and rave about the guards. Most patrons seemed to enjoy his rabble-rousing speech and some even presented their own twisted views of how things should be handled in Canterlot. Just when I thought that the creepy pony Neon wanted me to meet wouldn't show up...the room grew silent again. Emptying my glass I slowly turned around and did the same thing every other pony within the bar did...I took a good look at the newcomer. As soon as my eyes fell upon him I could feel that there was something terribly wrong with him. While he looked just like any other common pony my gut told me that there was more to him than that; he was dangerous. The grey stallion didn't seem to be bothered that the hole room was watching his very step, in fact I even had the impression that he didn't even notice anypony besides Neon. While I watched the weird pony coming closer, Neon unmistakably became more and more nervous. "Mr. Lights." the grey stallion said and nodded to Neon before he suddenly turned into my direction. "...and according to the description I've been given...you must be miss Scratch." "Eh...yeah...nice to meet you too." I replied. "So...what can I do for you?" "The master wants to have a talk with you and mr. Lights. Now...if both of you would just follow me..." "Well...I'm not sure if..." Neon tried to wiggle his way out of that one. "The master cares little for your wishes..." the grey pony said matter-of-factly. Neon gulped and slowly nodded. Wow...I really can't say that I saw that coming. However, intimidating Neon is one thing...but intimidating me? Well...good luck. What threat could he possibly pose to a pony who has nothing left to lose? "...and I don't give a horse-apple that sprouted wings about your master..." I answered. Neon's eyes widened in horror as he realized what I just said...but the white maned pony didn't even bat an eye. "Not entirely unexpected." the pony said and hoofed me a small note. "...but if you were to refuse the master's invitation I've been tasked to give you this..." With a confident smile I took the little piece of paper. However, when I realized what that pony had just given me...my face immediately turned into a mask of horror. It was a simple "we know", the address of Tavi's parents...and...a part of her sister's mane. BUCK! "Now that you understand, just follow me quietly. The master doesn't like to be kept waiting..." "Fine..." I replied in resignation. Neon eyed me warily. He knew that I'd never reconsider something I had already decided upon, unless there was a very important reason to do so. As a matter of fact Neon probably knew that the situation was far worse than originally expected. "Well...let's get this farce over with." I hissed behind gritted teeth. "Please...lead the way Mr...." "Bones" the pony replied dryly. -(26)- At the same time...(part3) [Vinyl's POV]The place Bones lead us to, was completely different from what I had anticipated. Originally I expected him to escort us to a shady hideout full of ponies in dark robes or something like that...instead we soon found ourselves in one of Canterlot's parks. At first I thought we were simply passing through...but when we reached the big fountain in the center...Bones suddenly announced that we had arrived. Neon shot me a puzzled look but due to the fact that I was just as confused as him I could do nothing more than shrug in response. Letting out a deep sigh I was just about to ask where this "master" of him was...when I suddenly heard somepony giggling. Both, me and Neon, turned around in a flash and came face to face with a small filly. The cute little thing looked at both of us with huge eyes and a wide smile. However, just when she was about to open her mouth and say something...her eyes focused on something else; our guide. The filly's smile grew even wider and before we even realized what was happening she jumped at Bones and hugged one of his foreleg. "Bones-y, Bones-y...who are your friends?" the pink little thing shouted happily. "Lady Whisper." Bones replied and nodded at the little pony. "Hey...who are you? Are you a couple?" the filly suddenly whirled around and addressed us. "Ugh...no, we..." Neon stuttered. "Shh, Whisper...how many times do I have to tell you that bombarding ponies with questions doesn't make for a good introduction?" a jolly voice suddenly interrupted Neon's ramblings. The voice belonged to a brown stallion with a red mane and matching necktie. Ignoring Neon and me the unicorn made his way to the little filly and nuzzled her. "I'm sorry daddy." the little filly said and stared uncomfortable at the ground. "It's just...they look as if they belong together...so I thought..." "Oh don't you worry, sweety...everything is alright." he said and put his hoof on her head. "But what if they are angry at me?" the filly asked and pointed at me and Neon. "Oh Whisper, who could ever be angry with a cute filly like you? Furthermore...asking questions is a good thing. Just try to be not as overzealous next time, ok?" "So...eh daddy...why do they look so weird..." the filly whispered. "That's because both of them are DJs, sweety." her father replied. "Daddy?" "Yes, darling?" "What's a DJ?" the filly suddenly asked. "A...musician." "Like the ones in the orchestra?" "N-...yeah...but their music is a little bit...different..." "Oh..." Both Neon and I exchanged confused looks as the hushed conversation of those two continued. Of course we could clearly hear every little word they were talking about...because the filly didn't seem to know how much she'd have to lower her voice until we couldn't understand her. However, the thing that was really terrifying was that the stallion knew about our professions and even referred to us as "their friends". Could he be the one that... "Oh my...where are my manners. May I introduce myself? The name is Joycraft..." the stallion said and took my hoof. "...and you must be the charming miss Scratch I've heard so much about. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." he finished, completing his gentlecolt-greeting by kissing my hoof. "Ah, mr. Lights...I'm glad you found the time to join us as well." he said and offered Neon his hoof. "Not that I had much of a choice..." Neon mumbled barely audible. "I hope my...associate..." the stallion said and shot Bones a deadly glare. "...wasn't too...assertive...in his endeavors to arrange this meeting. You see...unfortunately he isn't very good with ponies..." "Yeah, Bones-y is veeeery bad with ponies. Even daddy sometimes shakes his head when Bones-y messes up in public." the little filly suddenly commented. "Hmm, honey? Why don't you show mr. Lights some of your favorite shops? Miss Scratch and I have to discuss some...business." "...buuuut daddy..." the little filly began to whine. "Didn't you want to know what a DJ is? I bet mr. Lights would be happy to tell you about his line of work?" "Eh...yeah sure...but..." Neon stuttered in reply. "Bones?" the stallion asked and focused his attention on the stiff figure in the back. "Please make sure that Whisper and mr. Lights stay safe." "Yes, master." Bones said and nodded. "Oh...and mr. Lights?" he asked when they were already on their way. "Earlier today, I've taken the liberty to clear all of your debts." "You...what?" Neon whirled around and looked at him in confusion. "Just think about it as compensation for all the trouble my invitation must have caused you." "B-but...you...I..." "You heard some nasty rumors about Bones and figured I'd have to be even worse, correct?" the brown stallion asked amused. "Well...I..." "Ah, don't feel bad about yourself. To err is equine after all." the stallion replied with a cheery voice. "Yeah...everyone makes mistakes. Sometime ago...even I made one. You see...I thought Bonehead would be a good nickname for Bones-y but..." the filly began to chatter, while leading Neon down the road. When all three of them were finally out of view I decided to give that stallion a piece of my mind. Not only did he have the nerve to threaten me...no he also decided to use the life of two fillies as a safety-precaution; Tavi's sister and his..."daughter". "So...what the hay is this all about?" I hissed between my teeth. "First you intimidate me...then you bring along an innocent filly just to prove that you could go through with your threats...and now you're even going as far as to make sure that we are all alone? What do you want...you bucking leech?" "You are quite the forward type...aren't you?" he said and chuckled into his hoof. "Well...I certainly appreciate that in a mare. However, I think you are a little overreacting..." "You..." "Yes, I'v threatened you...and for that I'm terribly sorry..."he said and let out a deep sigh. "However, I seriously doubt that you would have come and visited me without any kind of extrinsic...motivation. Usually I would have tried to sway you with some bits...but we both know that you aren't the type that cares about money..." the stallion said and looked up at the sky. "To still find mortals with such admirable traits..." he added before he shook his head and focused his attention on me once again. "Well...not that it matters much. After all...the important thing isn't how I've arranged our meeting...but why." "Ok then, just tell me whatever it is that you need to say...so that we can get this over with quickly." I replied with a sigh. "Well, first off...I'd really like to apologize for everything you and your friend must be going through. Getting involved in our...world...certainly isn't pleasant for most mortals. Believe me, I know how you must feel...I've been there too." he said and gave me a sad smile. "Hmm...I seriously doubt that..." "Oh believe me...I know exactly what you are going through. The world you've been living in...is slowly crumbling apart. You try to cling to the things you know...to the way it's always been...but soon you realize that there is no way of going back. The shadow of death looms over you, watching your every step...yet it isn't fear that drives you crazy. No...you've already come to terms with your fear. The thing that's really bothering you is that everything in your life has become uncertain. You can't even look at other ponies without thinking they have a hidden agenda or some kind of dirty secret. The only ones you still trust are those you are already close with...right?" the stallion explained, "Wha...but how? I haven't..." "It's what most ponies experience when they realize the truth about this world...when they realize that harmony is a lie. Well...not harmony per se...just the princesses teachings of harmony. They preach honesty........but all the ponies around you lie or keep secrets. They preach generosity....but most ponies only give cause they expect something in return. They preach loyalty...........but a lot of ponies only care about themselves. They preach kindness.......but only a few ponies truly are. They preach laughter........but how many ponies laugh in madness instead of joy? They preach friendship.....but who do you consider a friend and who...merely company? They preach harmony.......but in the end it's nothing more than a choice. The choice to cling to the ideals of harmony...or to pursuit a darker, more disharmonious path. In the end everypony has to decide for him or herself which path he wants to follow. However, if I were to give you some advice: cling to your equinity...no matter what happens. Things around you will get worse before they get better and should you lose sight of who you are. You see, certain events can change ponies...and if you let them change you to much, you'll probably end up as cruel and twisted as some of my brethren." the unicorn ended his lengthy speech. Okay...this turned out to be quite differently from what I had expected. No threats, no demands...just posing as one of the good guys in front of me. Hmm...what could he be after? My trust? Unlikely. They don't need my trust...they have leverage... "What's with the pensive look? Trying to figure out what I'm after?" he said and gave me a knowing look. "How do you..." I tried to ask but then I suddenly understood. "Wait! I've got it! You can read minds...can't you?" The stallion didn't even look at me for a second before he broke out in bellowing laughter. His laughter continued for a few more moments until he finally decided to address me again. "Great Maker, I haven't laughed like that in quite a while. My thanks, miss Scratch." he replied, still trying his best to suppress the urge to laugh again. "...but to answer your question; No...reading minds isn't really my forte. By now I merely know how to read ponies..." "..." "Well...enough of that. I guess I'd rather tell you why I'm here before Whisper and the others comes back." the stallion suddenly said. "I'm not sure if you know but...soon the keepers of the bloodlines will come together and decide the fate of you and your friend." "Yeah...I know..." I replied quietly. "Is that so? Well...in that case you already know all of the possible...outcomes, right?" I gulped...and simply nodded. "Things really don't look good for you, miss Scratch. Based on the information I have Thanatos and Coldsteel want you dead 9/10 times. However, at least Rhythm and Victor will back up your decision. Black Mist will probably just go with his gut and base his vote on the impression you make on him. Now here is where things get complicated. True Shot thinks Bliss is up to something and therefore plans to vote in a way that foils his plans. As for Bliss...he still hasn't decided on the best course of action." "H-...how do you know all of that? Who are you?" "The name is Joycraft...and I'm the owner of Dolls&Doodles on Canterlot Square." he said with a wink. "Furthermore, I'm Canterlot's most reclusive vampire. Well...at least that is what the others would tell you about me. Thing is...I don't really care about politics or the standing within my bloodline. I merely try to live my life..." "So if you don't care about politics and stuff...why are you even here?" "Because a veeery powerful friend told me about your predicament and asked me to pass along a message and a warning for you." "Victor?" I asked in confusion. "Probably as wrong as you could get. The name you are looking for is..." he said and made a dramatic pause. "...Elusive Bliss." "Bliss?!" I shouted in surprise. "Bingo!" the stallion answered in a sing-sang voice. "Why the hay would I care about anything he has to say?" I spat at him. "Cause he is...whether you believe it or not...quite sorry that you got caught up in all of this." "Why do I find that hard to believe?" I said and shot him a skeptical glance. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not...but Bliss really takes no joy in ruining the lives of innocent bystanders." "So...what does he want?" "You remember the vote I've mentioned earlier on? Bliss offers you his assistance in that matter. However, first he has to know what your preferable outcome is. Secondly he wants to warn you about joining Thanatos in case you consider becoming a vampire." "Why? Does Bliss want me for himself?" "Oh...I think you are misunderstanding something, miss Scratch. Bliss isn't interested in your services at all. Should you really decide on becoming one of us...the only bloodline that is capable of and willing to take you belongs to Thanatos. However, you certainly don't want that to happen." "Why?" "...because not only is Thanatos a sadistic vampire supremacist who thinks of ponies as nothing more than livestock...that monster also conducts experiments on the members of his own bloodline. The mere thought of it...sickening." the stallion answered with a disgusted look. My face immediately turned as grey as ash. Well...it wasn't like I'd ever consider becoming a vampire but holy horseapple...that Thanatos guy sure seems messed up. However...something Joycraft said felt a little odd. Why wasn't Bliss interested in me? Weren't Tavi and I both those harbinger thingys? Wouldn't it be a lot simpler for him to go after me instead of focusing all the attention on Tavi? "Well...thanks for the warning. However...there is something I don't understand." "And what might that be?" "I'm just a little curious...but why doesn't Bliss want me to become part of his bloodline?" "Well, that's a tricky question. Unfortunately even I don't know the answer for your particular case. However, I can tell you how he usually chooses who gets to join..." "How?" "Bliss surrounds himself with two kind of ponies. On the one hoof there are the ambitious toadies he only tolerates because they have certain gifts he needs...and on the other hoof those he truly cares about." he explained. "So you want to tell me that he turned you into a vampire...cause he cared about you?" I asked in disbelief. "Well I guess in a way that's true..." he replied with a chuckle. "What?" "I guess it's easier to show you." he said and our horns touched. Suddenly I found myself in a place that certainly wasn't Canterlot anymore. Right now I was sitting upon a cliff and facing the great ocean. Taking a quick look around I could see how the place around me got richer and richer in details. Just when I thought nothing more would happen, the day turned into the night. However, the moon wasn't radiating in it's usual soft white...instead the mare at the moon looked down upon me while it's prison bathed everything in an eerie red. With wide eyes something in front of me began to materialize. It looked like...an altar of some sort. Just when I wanted to ask what this was supposed to mean...I could see them. Dozens and dozens of hooded ponies who marched up the cliff. Suddenly the...cultists?...made way for their prisoners. Two adults and...seven little fillys... Oh no...please no. I knew where this was leading to... "Behold my brethren...today we've gathered under the crimson moon to take our place above those who thought themselves our betters." the head cultist shouted. "Sacrificing seven innocent souls and spilling the blood of two ponies who share a bond of true love...the path to the Crimson Castle will finally reveal itself to us." Fortunately the time began to move in a faster pace. As soon as the blur of colors stopped there was only one figure left...to be sacrificed; a pony that looked just like Joycraft. "Please...don't do this..." he begged. The head-cultist however had no mercy and simply laughed while he cut open Joycraft's stomach, pulling out his entrails. I wanted to shout but only now did I realize that I couldn't. As the events in front of me unfolded I could do nothing more than scream in silence...while the alternate version of Joycraft screamed in agony... When I had already given up on the thought that torturer would ever finish his gruesome display, a white stallion with an iceblue mane appeared. "Greetings, Bloodmoon-scum. I'm here to finish you...once and for all!" the stallion shouted with a voice full of authority. The time started to move at an incredible speed again and soon every cultist was gone. Yep...not dead...just gone. There was no sign of where they could have gone when Bliss walked past the corpses of the poor sacrifices and the barely breathing Joycraft. When Bliss finally came to a halt he stood right in front of the head-cultist. "Oh...this isn't the end...this is just the beginning..." Bliss hissed at the cultist. "...the beginning of eternal suffering..." In the blink of an eye the cultist found himself skewered by dozens of spears and howling in pain. However, Bliss was no longer looking at the lowlife who had just turned into a needle cushion. Instead he bowed down to Joycraft and began to talk... I on the other hoof felt somehow entranced by the the last cultist. Something about him was strange. Yeah...it was as if...as if I actually knew him. Stepping a bit closer I could finally get a glimpse of his face...and nearly fell to the ground. The head-cultist was none other than Joycraft's servant; Bones... Panting and sweating I found myself back in the park next to a very grim looking Joycraft. "Back then Bliss gave me a choice...to die in peace, knowing that he would exact vengeance for me...or to get a second chance at life even if it was no longer the life of a pony..." "What was that place? Who were those ponies?" I said, still shivering at the atrocities I just witnessed. "You've just witnessed the the aftermath of the great blaze...the massacre of San Horsé. And that scum..." he said and spat on the ground. "...was called the Circle of the Bloodmoon. They believed that by finding the remains of the very first vampire they can become as powerful as a the princesses and the keepers combined..." "So...eh...I hope you don't mind if I ask but...why did the head-cultist look like Bones?" "That's cause Bliss stood true to his word. Bones is all that's left of Bonecarver, the former leader of the cultists. Bliss broke his body and mind and decided to grant him what he always wanted; eternal life. However, Bliss made sure that a vampire of the lowest generation turned him. That way he'd be so weak that even walking under the sun would cause him an immeasurable amount of pain. To make his punishment even more draconian he ordered him to be my personal assistant...unable to perform any action unless given the command." "I get that he deserves punishment...but isn't that a little much?" "You've seen what kind of pony he was. He deserves no mercy." he replied in a cold tone. "Is there anything else you want to know or..." "Yeah...there is. Bliss saved you in the spur of the moment...right? I thought you had to bring this to a vote..." "Ah...right. You wouldn't really know how we usually handle this." he said with a thoughtful expression. "Unlike you miss Scratch, I never had the powers of one who could change the flow of history. Usually there are only three criteria that have to be met in order to turn a pony. The first one is that of power balance.The number of vampires has to be artificially regulated...otherwise the world would try to correct its mistake...leaving only death and devastation in its path. There is also a delicate balance between the clans themselves...but let's not talk about politics." he said with a smile. "What about the other two criteria?" "The other two criteria were part of a treaty we have with the royal sisters. In order to turn a pony they had to be willing to forsake their ties to harmony...and they also had to be of sound mind." "Sound mind? But...weren't you about to die when he changed you? " "Well...my case was a particularly tricky one. Not only was I about to die...no I was also consumed by thoughts about vengeance. Of course he knew what could happen in case of such a major violation of the agreement...but he did it nonetheless. To make things even crazier...he didn't even try to hide it... On the same day he marched into Celestia's palace and told her about the cultists and everything else. Celestia was furious. Bliss had clearly claimed the soul of an innocent...even though our pact with the forces of harmony strictly forbade it. Already knowing that this could have meant his end he proposed something unthinkable to the princess. He swore on his blood...meaning he would die if he decided to break his word...that he wouldn't obstruct any of Celestia's plans for the next two centuries. In addition he also promised Celestia to get the one thing back she misses the most; her sister. Celestia wasn't sure what to think of his proposal. The terms were just too good. A bloodline that would cause her no trouble for two centuries was far preferable than dealing with Bliss' possibly troublesome successor. In addition Bliss even promised on his life that he'd help her to retrieve her sister. Something about it felt just wrong... Bliss, however wasn't done with his proposal. He walked up to Celestia and did what no other keeper would have dared. He cut off his own horn and threw it right in front of her hooves. Celestia was shocked...for she knew the significance of Bliss' gesture." "He did what??? Why?!" I nearly shouted. "To prove a point..." "That's insane...or does the horn of a vampire grow faster than that of a normal unicorn?" "Cutting off your own horn as a vampire is no different than as a pony. It is probably the only thing a vampire can't regenerate within a few days of rest. However, as if that wasn't bad enough...he was also a keeper. You see...as the head of our bloodline...the whole clan had the right to freely challenge him for his position." "That's just crazy..." "Celestia said the same thing. She asked him who I was that he'd risk so much for me and Bliss simply replied with the words: A pony who has seen the same tragedy as I...and yet he still hasn't given up on the world. Celestia was confused by the way Bliss was acting. She never thought that a pony as cold and calculating as Bliss would do anything for others...so she tried to spring a trap on him. Celestia told him that she would pardon him...if he swore on his blood that this wasn't just part of an elaborate plan. Bliss who probably knew that this was coming did as he was told..." the stallion said with a chuckle before he added. "I wish I could have seen Celestia's face that day...it must have been priceless..." "So I guess next you want to tell me that nopony in his clan attacked him because everypony in your clan loved him?" I asked, seriously doubting that he had told me anything other than bull in the last few minutes. I mean...Bliss as a the savior of the poor and weak? Yeah sure...and Celestia is Discord in disguise... "Of course not." the stallion said still chuckling. "That's the best part. On that day Bliss eradicated nearly half of his bloodline. He utilized his own weakness to weed out all the ambitious toadies who dared to strike at him at his weakest." "His own...but that's just terrible. How many did he...no how did he even win without a horn?" I asked dumbfounded. "That...I don't know. Nopony does..."he said and shook his head. "Hmm..." I answered neutrally. "No need to keep it to yourself, miss Scratch...It's only natural to doubt my words." "So...I guess that means at least one thing you said was true. You are good at reading ponies..." "Well I'd be rather stupid if I still hadn't gotten the gist of it by now...don't you think so too?" he replied with a chuckle. "True..." I said and this time even I managed to crack a smile. There were still a few things I wanted to ask but unfortunately a young and very loud voice proclaimed that the time for questions & answers was already over. "We're back daddy!" And before I could even realize what was going on she was once again hugging Joycraft. "Ah...Whisper darling. Did you have a nice time?" "Yeah...it was awesome! Mr. Neon even bought me some ice cream!" the filly replied with a brilliant smile. "Oh is that so? Hm...I'll guess I owe you my thanks, mr. Lights." "T'was nothing..."Neon responded. "Mr. Joycraft...there is still one last thing I'd need to ask you." I said because I suddenly remembered something important. "Oh?" the stallion said and gave me a thoughtful look. "Whisper? Gentlecolts? Would you give me and miss Scratch two more minutes?" Bones and Neon simply nodded but the filly didn't seem to like the idea. With a pouty face she pulled at Joycraft's leg and told him "...but just two. I'll make sure that Bones-y stops the time..." before all of them left our hearing range. "So what is it you still need to know?" "Well...it's about that filly..." I tried to voice my concerns. "Is she...I mean...eh...why do you..." "Oh my...I see how it is. You're probably thinking I've abducted her...or worse..." the stallion replied calmly. "Well, I...eh..." I tried to formulate my fears. I mean It's not like I haven't experienced some sort of vampiric mindbuckery myself. "Whisper's parents died when she was merely three years old. Both of them belonged to Canterlot's lesser nobility and were dear friends of mine. Her father was always busy organizing charity events while her mother used to buy large amounts of toys for Canterlot's less fortunate. They were both good ponies...however some saw something else in their hospitality; wealth. In the end both of them died at the hooves of a robber who raided their home for treasures." Joycraft said and shook his head before he continued. "Due to the fact that I still owed her parents for a...favor...I decided to take the poor foal in and raise her as my own. As for what happened to the robber; he was lucky. The guard almost caught him immediately and therefore he fell under the jurisdiction of a court...instead of mine." "So...she knows?" I asked in disbelief. "Of course not! " the stallion answered in a hushed whisper. "I've decided to tell her when she is old enough to understand the implications of the situation. You'll probably understand when I say that the last thing I want for my daughter is to get pulled into this mess..." "Yeah...I sure do..." "MISS SCRATCH! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" a deep voice suddenly rang in the air. "THE GUARDIAN REQUIRES YOUR ASSISTANCE! QUICKLY! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" I didn't know where the voice came from...but it sounded serious enough to make me move. Ignoring Joycraft, Bones and a confused looking Neon I immediately headed for Victor's place. Galloping through the streets of Canterlot, it didn't take me long to finally get to the place where the real Canterlot ended and the hidden space began. However, as soon as I reached that point...I froze in my tracks. Nothing I had ever experienced could have prepared me for what I was witnessing at that moment... - at the same time in the park- "Whisper? Would you be so nice and buy me some postcards?" Joycraft asked his daughter. "Sure thing daddy. Come on Bones-y! We are going to pick the bestest postcards for daddy!" As soon as both were out of range the stallion let out a deep sigh and addressed his surroundings. "You can come out now Ash. I've realized you've been there since the very beginning..." "Spoilsport..." the black little filly said and jumped out of a nearby shrub. "So...is there any reason why you've been spying on me?" "Spying? Pff...don't be ridiculous." the filly said and gave him a haughty smile. "If I wanted to spy on you...you would have never discovered me. The word you're looking for is...eavesdropping!" "Uh-huh..." the stallion said and rolled his eyes. "So...why did you tell her so much about yourself? Isn't that kind of dangerous?" "Bliss told me to be honest with her....and to make sure she sees us as more than just monsters." "I wonder why he asked you instead of me..." Black Ash mused. "Probably cause honesty isn't really your forte..." "Says the stallion who left out the most...interesting part...of Bone's punishment." "You know exactly why I didn't tell her..." Joycraft hissed between his teeth. "Oh come one...don't be like that. Isn't there even a saying about it; A soul in a doll is worth two in a bush...or something like that? "Shut it, Ash." the stallion replied now obviously annoyed. "Sure, sure. The wicked witch bows to your will...oh great Vodoo-master." "Is there anything else you want...or do you really want to become a part of my collection that badly." "Actually...there is. Her blood...didn't it strike you as odd..." the black filly asked with a toothy smirk. "Yeah...now that I think about it." the stallion said with a thoughtful expression. "It smelled so plain...yet oddly familiar." "Yeah..." "Do you have any ideas why?" the stallion looked expectantly at the filly. "Nope, I'm as clueless as you. I just know that the smell is very faint. If she hadn't hurt her hoof I probably would have never noticed it." "Hmm..." -(27)- Waking a Demon"I'd do anything..." Those words still resonated cold and clear within my mind. They were the ultimate proof that I still hadn't given up...that I still wanted to live. As if to prove my conviction icy winds suddenly began to whirl around me when I got back on my hooves and opened my eyes. The demon-like creature turned around in an instant but instead of attacking me it even took a step back... "The pact...is sealed."I heard my own voice echoing through my head all the while my body started to laugh. It was a cold and heartless laugh that even managed to scare the monster a little. Raising the scythe once more I immediately took the initiative and jumped at the creature. Wielding the scythe by instinct I unleashed a series of complicated, yet precise moves that not only caught my opponent by surprise but would also put a lot of weapon-masters to shame. Of course my opponent wasn't beaten that easily and soon it adjusted to my attacks. However, even stranger than the fact that I was wielding the scythe so formidably was the fact that my defense was even better. Somehow I managed to fight a creature that should have the knowledge of a thousand beings to a stalemate. The creature snarled and hissed in many voices but at the same time I could also see a smile growing on its face. That was something I couldn't comprehend. Why would it ever be happy? "It seems like we clearly underestimated you..." the monster said and made a short pause before it added. "A mistake we'd better correct..." Black energy started to swirl around the monster's weapon and its power increased significantly. At first I was kind of confused. If the monster really had that much power why didn't it use it earlier? As if to answer my unspoken question the grotesque figure suddenly began to speak. "We are Legion, for we are many. No matter how many weaklings we have to sacrifice as long as we'll obtain victory...it will be worth it." Celestia be damned, I forgot that changelings had that kind of skill. Wait...why would I even know that? I shook my head. It didn't matter whether I picked it up at a party or somewhere else. This just wasn't the time to think about stuff like that. I had to concentrate on fighting that...eh...thing. The monster's smile began to widen as it realized that it was giving me a hard time. The sound of steel clashing filled my ears and I began to get more and more nervous. My enemy on the other hoof didn't get nervous but impatient. Not only did the fiend sacrifice to empower itself now it also started to use energy bolts to interrupt the flow of battle. Those bolts weren't any stronger than a regular unicorns but if used in the right way I had to deflect instead of being able to counterattack. For the moment I could do nothing more than defend. "Now it is time to finish this! Taste true despair..." the otherworldly voice of the creature suddenly shouted in a cruel tone. At that moment the creature spread its wings. Of course I had read enough stories about dragons to know what that usually meant. Without losing any time I jumped out of the creatures way, only dodging the dark blue ball of fire by a hair's margin. However, even though I got out of the fireball's way I could suddenly feel an excruciating amount of pain flush over my body. Letting my eyes wander down, it was only now that I realized that I had been far too careless. Just because my enemy used the abilities of a dragon didn't make him one. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the creature never intended to hit me with the fireball in the first place. Its attack was merely a distraction to get off a clean hit with its weapon. Pulling out the halberd of my body the grotesque figure began to laugh "Tell us little pony...do you know the difference of being regal and being arrogant?" the creature asked with its head held high. "No?" The creature immediately used its second paw and slapped my face. Not only did it manage to tear off a lot of flesh from my face, it also sent me flying. Once more I could hear nothing more than her terrifying laughter... "The difference is strength. As long as your skill can't match your arrogance you are nothing more than a conceited little brat..." the creature answered its own question and walked up to me, still wearing that twisted smile. "And yet...even though you should have understood the difference between us long ago...you are still arrogant enough to think of yourself as my equal..." the fiend said with a disgusted look and once again sent me flying. However, this time it utilized the blunt part of its weapon and a lot more strength than before. Vinyl would have probably put it in more simple terms; Its weapon was used as a bat while I was merely...the ball. "Oh please...knock it off already. That thing shouldn't even be able to touch you. After all even the amalgamation of trash is still nothing more than trash." I heard the darkest part of myself hiss in frustration. "Well...if you are so smart why don't you tell me how to turn the situation around." I replied to myself in frustration. "Listen, this place is governed by your mind and your beliefs, therefore winning and losing seem to be more of a matter of self-perception than actual skill. So, as long as you don't doubt yourself this mismatched creature shouldn't be able to buck with you at all." While I was still lying on the floor and trying to figure out how to ban all thoughts of doubt from my mind the grotesque thing came closer and kicked me in the stomach, thus forcing me on my back. Giving me a haughty look the figure then raised its halberd directly above me and tried to thrust it through my heart. "Rely on your instinct..." I could hear the voice in my head again. I immediately rolled out of harms way and jumped back at my hooves, causing the weapon to pierce the ground. Sweating and panting I took on a defensive stance and raised my weapon once more. At first the creature looked at me in disbelief but soon the expression was replaced with one of anger. "There should be no more hope left in your heart..." the monster's otherworldly voice rang in the air. "...so why won't you despair?" "You stinking piece of trash..." the voice in my head whispered in contempt. However, I wasn't really listening. Right now I was far too pissed of by that bucking creature. Who did it think it was to lecture me about despair? "...how dare you compare pain and...despair." both me and the voice in my head replied in unison. Shocked by our venomous tone and the sudden change of demeanor the creature subconsciously took a step back. Shifting to a much more aggressive stance I immediately took the initiative and charged at the demon-spawn. Attacking it with a barrage of quick strike the monster could do nothing more than defend against the blows, while the wounds on my body were once again closing themselves. "Such arrogance! How dares a mere pony to..." "It is about time to take its head...don't you think?" the voice inside my mind urged me to. Swinging the scythe with all I head I managed to crush the monster's defense and took off its head without much difficulties. Looking at my decapitated foe's body I started to laugh like a mad mare. Green liquid started to shoot out of its neck like a fountain but I didn't give it much of a thought. My eyes were glued to the head of that thing. With a sadistic smile I raised a hoof above it's head and simply crushed it. That was the moment when I felt a terrible pain at the place where my heart should have been. Looking down at myself I saw a dark, ornamented halberd sticking out of my chest. Oh, buck... "Foalish pony...as if taking my head would make any difference." I could hear my enemy's victorious voice when it retrieved its weapon from my chest. However, this time I did not fall. Still standing on my hooves a cruel smirk spread across my face...and I began to cackle. "Bwahaha..." I laughed icily while looking at the gaping hole in my chest and simply replied:"...but you thought piercing my heart would?" At that moment I could finally see it; fear. The monster looked as if I had just grown a second head. Oh...how much I enjoyed the look of terror on its face when the hole in my chest filled itself with solid ice. It was probably that very moment that the creature realized that this was no longer the same mare it had dealt with before. No, now that I was in charge I'd definitely exact my vengeance for all the humiliation that thing had caused me. I'd probably start easy...by shattering all the bones in its body. Clearly feeling the pressure of my presence the creature couldn't help but frantically ask: "Who...who are you?" With a sadistic smile I revealed two pointy fangs and gave him the answer he was so desperately looking for. "Me? Why, this pony's better half of course. Thanks for waking me up..." -(28)- Requiem -(28)- Requiem Leaving behind nothing but a blurry afterimage I instantly closed the gap to my enemy. With one swing of my scythe and giving it no chance to retaliate I immediately sent it flying. As the creatures eyes widened in shock I couldn't help but laugh. Rather pleased with both, my speed and my strength I appeared right next to where it landed. "Foalish pony! You think you can withstand eons* of hatred?" the creature hissed in contempt. "Well, guess again..." At that moment the air around the creature began to change. While it still looked like the same beat-up oozy mess I could feel that its presence started to grow more cold and sinister for every moment that passed. However, that wasn't something that could scare me. The thing that really peaked my curiosity was that the creature's recovery speed significantly increased. In the blink of an eye it managed to undo all the damage I had previously done to it. Huh...and just when I thought I had finally beaten it. Well, too bad... "Behold! The extent of our true power!" it said and attacked me with its halberd. Even though I managed to block the attack just in time, I was still pushed away by the force of the impact. At that moment the smile on my face grew even wider. Oh, I couldn't even fathom how many of its weaker parts it had to sacrifice in order to mach me in strength. Ten? Twenty? Maybe even a hundred? Ah well...it's not if the number actually mattered. At the end of the day I'd make sure that it died at least a thousand times. Yeah...a thousand little deaths...** "Is that all you've got?" I asked disappointed. "Pathetic..." So, besides a little boost in strength and recovery speed nothing else had changed. Meh...and after all its talk I thought this thing would actually pose a threat now. Hmm...well if that was the case there was only one thing left... Moving at insane speed I appeared right next to the creature and tried to rip it apart in one swing. However, much to my surprise it easily blocked my attack. Hmm...so even though its movement speed was inferior to mine it could still keep up with me in battle. Interesting... Aiming with the blade at its faint I suddenly changed my attack and tried to hit the creature's head with the other side of my weapon but once again it seemed to know exactly what I was doing and blocked me with as little effort as possible. The smile I had previously dropped reappeared on my face once again. This was indeed interesting... Using a quick motion I used the scythe to aim at the creature's chest. Of course it immediately managed to deflect my attack. However, this time my attack was merely a decoy. My real goal was to distract my opponent with a flashy move while I used my control over ice to conjure some frozen projectiles that aimed for its eyes. Unfortunately it managed to pull away its head at the last moment. Letting out a sigh in frustration I let my icy powers wander down my weapon, creating a second blade on the other side. This way my chances to deal a blow would increase at least a little bit. Striking at the creature again and again I became more and more infuriated. Why was that thing suddenly so strong? And why the hay was it only defending? Was it trying to show me that I was inferior to it in every single way? "Enough!" I said and jumped back a few yards. "Seems like you've finally realized it; The outcome of our battle had already been determined the very moment we decided to go all out against you." the creature said in a mocking tone. As I heard those words I couldn't help but feel the flames of rage consuming my heart. However, the target of my anger wasn't my enemy; it was myself. Once again I had failed due to my own shortcoming in power...once again I had failed to be strong enough to take what was supposed to be mine. Once again I... Than the feeling of fury faded and was slowly replaced with something else; understanding. So what if I was inferior to that thing in power? My mind and my spirit were still a lot stronger than the creature's. Then all of a sudden a laugh escaped my mouth... Giving me a puzzled look the creature was about to let out another one of its haughty remarks but just before it could decide which words it should throw at me it gave me an evil glare and closed its mouth again. Only now did it realize that instead of helplessness I once again radiated confidence. Giving him the most twisted smile I could muster I pressed forth the words that would finally shake it to the core... "Yeah...I've finally realized." I said and drove my weapon into the floor. "I've realized...that this place...is MY domain." Cracks appeared on the surface of the floor and before I knew it they grew into fissures. Stones of pristine white started to to sprout wherever the obsidian floor had shown even the slightest bit of weakness and soon after the world around us turned into something new. When the endless black space had finally collapsed, some giant structures began to erect themselves in the distance around us. However, even though our battle field had suddenly become a confined space...it was still a very vast area. Concentrating on the strange structures that were encircling us, my eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise when I realized what they actually were; grand stands. So...the whole place had transformed into a giant...amphitheater? How interesting... Wait...interesting? The scenery suddenly changed and the only thing I could think about was...that it was interesting? What the hay? Wasn't the more appropriate reaction at a time like that to be...worried? So why was I feeling so calm and at ease? It nearly seemed as if that place was specifically tailored to accommodate my needs. "Maybe...it was" I could hear the other part of me whisper in my head. As for how she came to that conclusion; I had no clue. However,the moment those thoughts flashed through my mind I immediately knew that they had to be the truth. "What is this? What have you done? Answer me, cursed pony!" the creatures slightly panicked voice resonated through the air. "Why...setting the stage of course..." I replied with a confident smirk. Well, it wasn't like the change of scenery happened on purpose but why would I ever tell the enemy. Wasn't it far better to let the creature freak out and bait it into making a mistake? "So you are responsible for this? Well...it matters little." the creature commented on the situation as if it was merely talking about the weather. However, beneath its calm facade the creature was shaken to the core. I could nearly feel the sheer terror emanating from my enemy's body as it was trying to make sense of what had just happened ... Giving the creature no time to cope with its situation I did the only thing that came to my mind; I acted on instinct. Raising my weapon to the sky icy gales started to rush down on me, forming a protective layer of ice all around my body. If somebody had seen me at that moment they'd probably would have thought that I wasn't an earth but a crystal pony. When the icy winds finally started to calm down I realized that they still weren't done with me. As I watched them brush gently against my crystallized coat I could see something form on top of my body; a long gown and a circlet of purest white. No longer focusing on myself I let my eyes wander to my opponent just to be surprised once more. I thought that I would catch the creature with a dumbfounded expression, instead it was looking at me with eyes filled with terror. Quivering with fear it suddenly started to whisper... "No...this can't be. The empress...it really is the empress..." it spouted like a madmare. "DISPERSE! Abandon the plan!" a voice suddenly shouted. That voice obviously belonged to one the souls that just left the body of my enemy. Which one...I could not determine because those who decided to leave the sinking ship were just too many. Among their voices wasn't a single one that wasn't full of despair and hopelessness... "Please forgive us..." "I yield..." "My empress...." "If we knew it was you...we'd never..." "Spare us your grace..." "This misguided foal pays his respect to you, your highness..." "Please...oh empress...please..." "The hive's memories run deep. I'd be an honor to offer them to you..." "This old dragon knows when he is outmatched..." "My wisdom is yours, milady." "I'd gladly join you on the battlefield once more, my liege." "I bow down to the empress." "Blessed are we who witnessed the return of our empress..." "I'd never dare resist you...oh great empress." "We can still be useful to you, milady." "Empress...this lowly servant awaits your command..." Even though there were all sorts of apologies and/or greetings thrown at me, it didn't take a genius to figure out that they only did so cause they were driven by fear. Driven by fear of this ominous empress...who was supposedly...none other than me. Well, it wasn't as if I didn't enjoy the fact that I managed to strike fear in their hearts but to be honest I'd rather I was feared due to my own power. This kind of victory wasn't satisfying at all... Just when those thoughts crossed my mind the great soul exodus had finally ended. While those who had given up on fighting let themselves being consumed by my weapon, the rest of them were still holding on to their fused form. Even though the creature looked very volatile I was far too curious to attack it in its weakened state. The thought of it, exploding and showering everything in blood and gore was just too exciting to pass up. After all...it shouldn't be hard to finish it off now that it lost nearly half its strength. Therefore I simply decided to wait how it would play itself out... In the end it turned out that waiting was a waste of my time. Not only did the creature not explode...it even ended up losing a lot of its former glory. Reduced to the size of a normal pony the creature, who had finally managed to stabilize itself, was now merely a shadow of its former self. Panting and sweating it raised its weapon as if it still felt capable of taking me on. Hmm...what a joke... "Idiots...every single one of you! There is no way that this weak mare..." the creature yelled and pointed in my direction. "...is the empress. Just think about it; the real empress would have obliterated us the moment she had set her eyes on us. Besides the empress was a unicorn...not a mere earth pony and..." the creature ranted on. "Oh my...could it be that you've finally decided to change your approach? Do you want to bore me to death now?" I mocked the creature. "Cocky imposter! I'll tear you to shreds..." it hissed and immediately charged at me. "Too slow..." I said, evading its attack with ease. "You might use a similar magic and you might wear the same attire as her but you are definitely not...the...empress." Catching its weapon with my bare hoof and shattering it the same moment I touched it a grin began to spread across my face and I replied in an amused tone: "You are correct. I'm certainly not this empress you've been babbling about. Hay...I've never even heard of her. However, in order to deal with small fry like you, I'm pretty sure that this ominous empress won't be needed." ...and with those words I sent it flying. If you truly desire to break a pony...you don't aim for the head or the vitals. Doing that would mean letting them off easily. No, in order to truly destroy them you have to shatter either their spirit or their pride. That way they'll lose all their motivation to go on... Caught up in my vindictive thoughts...I could feel a soft throbbing within my head. Already aware of the unpredictable nature of this place I concentrated on the strange feeling. Much too my surprise I came to a very disturbing conclusion; something was trying to break into my mind. Looking at the pathetic state of my opponent I deducted that it certainly wasn't the source of my pain. But...if it wasn't my enemy...then who would dare to... My eyes narrowed as I came to the only other conclusion; my weaker self. However, it made no sense. Even if the other me was strong enough to take back control, she would never do that. No...not as long as the creature was still taking breath. Cold and calculating as we both are she should know that she stands no chance against the creature if she solely relies on her own power. So...who is....ah... Pain suddenly flushed all over me and I felt as if my body was literally on fire. Whoever did this...I'd make sure to make the culprit suffer... "Octavia...stop it." I could hear a familiar voice in my head. "Lucid?" I replied in confusion. "Listen to me, Octavia. You have to stop going beyond your limits. If you keep up whatever it is you are doing...I'm pretty sure your body won't last much longer. Actually the fact that you are still alive boarders on a miracle..." "And how...pray tell...should I do that? Roll down and die so that my body becomes a vessel for the amalgamation of stupid, incompetent and disappointing demon-wannabes? Yeah...no. I'd rather sacrifice my own body before I let that happen. So, unless you stop being all vague and mysterious...and give me some actual info for once...you better shut the buck up and let me finish this quickly..." I mentally hissed back at Lucid. "Hmm...truly fascinating. So, the real Octavia couldn't take it anymore and her subconsciousness paired with the prematurely formed, complementary, chaotic mind fragment filled in for her." I heard Lucid's thoughts resonating within my mind. "If my analysis is correct there is only one thing left for me to do..." "And what would that be?" "Pulling the pluck..." Lucid said in an overly amused tone. "What do you...arrrrgh...my head. What have you done you buc-..." Pain filled every fiber of my being but before I could try anything to stop it the world around me was already fading to black. Just when I thought the darkness around me would be the last I'd ever see, my vision finally returned. However, something felt different. It was as if everything that had happened just now felt so distant as if it was merely a dream; as I myself wasn't really there... "Welcome back Octavia. I hope you enjoyed your little nap..." "Lucid...what did you..." "No time for lengthy explanations. Just take down the rest of those pesky little souls. I promise that I'll answer all your questions once you are back to the real world..." Lucid said and waited for a few moments before she added. "It shouldn't take very long, now that you've already gotten the gist of how to control this space..." Gotten the gist of...oh right. I did change the scenery somehow. However, instead of concerning myself with it any further I started a one sided slaughter. My eyes immediately flashed in the direction of the creature. As soon as our eyes met it flinched and backed away a few steps. However, even though the creature was in such a sorry state I felt absolutely nothing. No pain, no hatred...no nothing... Ughh...Lucid really owes me a lot of answers... Well...she already promised me some answers so I should just focus on that thing for now. However, the sudden lack of emotions on my face probably caused the creature to try and get some distance between us. Not that it mattered for what I was doing next... Raising the scythe to the sky I whispered one little word that soon resonated throughout the entire place: "Requiem". Even though it seemed like nothing more than a simple word...it was so much more. If I had to describe it I'd probably say that it was no longer an abstract description of the word's true concept...but rather the concept itself. To put it even simpler: A word is nothing more than the shortest possible description of something far too difficult to comprehend; the profound truth*** behind said word. So when that word left my lips, I immediately knew that it was nothing less than the true power of a words raw concept. Every fiber of my being was brimming with awe while my heart was filled with joy and pain. A truly strange sensation...**** However, it wasn't only me who felt that power...the whole environment did. Snow started to fall and a terribly sad and glorious melody filled my heart with a deep longing for all the things I had lost in my life; even those I had long forgotten about. Whether it'd be the grandmother I lost just recently, or if it was something else I had cherished in the past...it was no longer different. The loss of my favorite marble at the age of five, the slow gradual loss of my idealism, the death of my grandmother...at that moment it all weighed the same. My eyes went all teary and as I began to cry some of the icy gales took form. However, those ponies made from icy winds did not attack me, instead they let out timber-wolf like howls and accompanied me in my mourning. As the melody approached the end the feeling of joy slowly started to outweigh the pain of my losses and I felt a certain kind of happiness that I had at least the chance to get to know all of what I had before I lost it. That feeling was truly cathartic... As the song came finally to its end all the icy specters around me faded and turned back again into their natural state. It was only now that I realized that those creatures looked strikingly similar to the illustrations of the dreaded windigos. However, unlike the windigos from the hearth-warming pageant those creatures didn't seem to have any malicious intentions... Speaking of malicious... My eyes immediately flashed into the direction of a small dot in the distance. Even though it wasn't much time that had passed, the creature still managed to get quite the distance between us. Unfortunately it was to no avail... Raising the scythe once more the intensity of the snow and wind increased and it didn't take more than a few seconds and the whole theater was engulfed in a terrible blizzard. As the retreat came slowly to an halt, the icy apparitions took form once more. However, they didn't close in on it. Instead they were simply circling above it...just like buzzards. Huh...so they already knew. Well, I guess in the end it was pretty obvious. After all the purpose of a requiem is to send off and/or honor the dead. How would the true meaning of a requiem ever be met with nopony dying... Without giving it anymore thought I simply watched as thick black chains suddenly erupted from the floor and began to wrap around the creatures limbs. At first it still tried to struggle but the chains remained relentless. "No...it can't end like this. We've waited too long for..." the creature yelled with all its might. That moment its form finally broke and it turned back into its components. However, it was already too late. More and more chains started to erupt from the floor, wrapping themselves around every last one of them. As the chains pulled all of them down, the windigo-like creatures let out a victorious howl and followed them in the depths... "Be it god or demon...in the end everyone is bound by the chains of fate..." I softly whispered before I shook my head in confusion. Where the hay did that come from? Hmm...not that it really mattered. There were certainly a lot of better places to reflect on my philosophical standpoints. Maybe at home with Vinyl and a cup of pure black happiness... With that thought in my mind and a wide grin plastered all over my face I finally opened my eyes in the real world...***** -(12)- Vinyl's PastDarkness swept over me. There was no light, no warmth, no sound just the endless void. I didn’t feel my surroundings I probably was still falling…falling in the endless abyss. Then something suddenly changed. It became colder and colder. Gradually it became less comfortable. Finally when I couldn’t endure it any longer I let out a scream…a scream that reached way beyond this world and managed to wake me up. I felt horrible. I had a throbbing headache, I was all sweaty, still dizzy and confused by my dream. The situation did not change much when a certain somepony entered my room, holding a frying pan in her hoof. Oh it was hilarious…I couldn’t help but laugh in that situation. Maybe it was still a dream. “Everything right, Tavi?” “No…I had a terrible nightmare, my head hurts and a frying pan swinging loon just entered my room…” I said in a humorous voice. “Um…no…eh…I…I was about to make breakfast you know?” she said “Vinyl it is around 04:00 AM…you still look like you were asleep moments ago…” “No…I wasn’t…I wanted to get up this early…” “Come on…it is really kind of cute that you tried to defend me with a pan.” I said and smiled at her. Suddenly she blushed. Now that I think about it that has to be something new to her. Vinyl Scratch probably never got such compliments….I mean she is more of a tomboy so I understand if she was kind of embarrassed. “So what was your dream about? Must have been something creepy? Maybe…” I raised an eyebrow in anticipation for whatever she would say. “Moooooaaaar Vampiiiires Tavi ! Roooooaaaar!” My pillow flew exactly in her face. She used the chance and let herself fall backwards. She then bit in my pillow and shook her head furiously. It was such a sight. I couldn’t help but laugh. Then she threw the pillow in the corner of the room and jumped on my bed. She came closer, terribly close. When the distance of her face to my neck was finally nearly non-existent she said…sorry Tavi. I nearly shrieked when she lowered her head and…kissed me on the neck? That mare really knew how to get me worked up. I pushed her off and sighed. “Vinyl? You probably won’t be happy until my heart stops beating? That nearly gave me a heart attack." “Nah…I need you with a beating heart, Tavi. How else would you blush…” That made me wonder. I did not blush, did I? No…why would I…I…simply wasn’t. She lied to me… “Great now you are blushing again because…you blushed?” she said grinning like the biggest moron in Equestria. “Shut it, Vinyl.” I said and left her alone in my bed. I went to the fridge trying to eat something when I realised that the stupid DJ must have been a little sorry for me. She put a tag on most of her things. “Spicy, far too sweet, the hottest thing ever…etc. It made me chuckle. As annoying as Vinyl could be I really have to say she has grown on me. I always thought about my life as a starless night. Now I had a sparkling star who kept me company and saved me from loneliness. Does that sound strange, I wonder? It must be… I sat on the table for about ten minutes when Vinyl showed up. “I fetch myself a mug and some coffee, “Tavi.” “As long as you do not touch the white one…” “It’s far too small…I go for the big cups…” she said with a grin. “Oh, by the way Vinyl…what were you doing in my bed?” “I was just lying there…” “Really?” I asked curiously. “Would you rather I had said I pillow hum…” “On second thought…I rather believe the first explanation.” I said hastily. She smirked at me. Oh no…here it come…something dreadful…she would propose a dreadful idea. I so knew it. She would unleash hell on Equestria with whatever she wanted next, she… “Hey Tavi…do you like to visit the park with me?” “That seems far too normal…where is the real Vinyl Scratch?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “I just thought we could talk about some stuff…” “Well…I don’t see why not…” Time flew by and soon the sun shined warm enough that we could really make our way to the park. We sat down on a park bench and I curiously waited for whatever it was that Vinyl wanted to talk about. At first I suspected she wanted to talk to me about vampire stuff or my family when it was something completely different. “So Tavi, you said you wanted a job.” “Well of course I do but…” “Maybe I can get you one at my next working place…” “I am NOT a DJ…you get that Vinyl.” I said in a dry voice. “Maybe it is a club that also pays some other musicians…I didn’t say I would work in a disco next. If it is a nightclub and they had thematic evenings it might work out…” “That is all nice and good but I do not think a job was the reason you wanted to talk to me.” “Ah…to be honest it was something different.” she said and looked a little bit ashamed. “I figured…go on.” “Well you know about how I called myself while fillysitting?” “Yes…Vestige Record…” “I rather you never mention that ever. I really messed up back then. I didn’t think that she would know.” “Do you want to tell me your story Vinyl? Maybe you feel better afterwards.” Vinyl gulped and started her story. As I suspected she was the heir of a rich family. They always wanted her to be successful and therefore put her through a lot of terrible “training”. It must have been similar to what my sister has to endure now. However one day she decided she couldn’t go on like that. She liked music, yes but she didn’t like her life so she used all the bits she had to leave her home. No more Manehatten for Vinyl Scratch. At first she roamed free through the streets of Canterlot. No pony who gave her orders, no pony who could force her to do things she didn’t like. Everything seemed perfect…until she ran out of bits. Soon Vinyl had to find out that living without bits proofed to be difficult. She tried to sleep where all the homeless ponies did but even there were some ponies who wanted to send her to the orphanage. How could a high class girl like Vestige Record remain undiscovered you ask? Well at first she didn’t have a cutie mark back then so there was no pony who could recognise her by that. Then there was the thing she did to her mane. She dyed it in different blue tones. Her blue lenses that she used to wear back then were thrown away already and had been replaced by magenta once. That probably was the true birth of the mare now better known as Vinyl Scratch. So the blue haired filly without cutie mark, money, friends, family and a home lived with the street bums for a few weeks. When it got colder two of the bums saw it as their responsibility to deliver Vinyl to the local orphanage. She wouldn’t last the winter otherwise… Vinyl felt betrayed of course, however she understood that the ponies only wanted to help her. The days in the orphanage seemed dark and lonely, better than her life with her parents but still. It must have been very terrible for Vinyl back then. I feel some pity for her. The life in the orphanage with all the other fillies made her open up a lot. Her personality slowly changed from introverted to extroverted and after a while she got adopted by a young childless couple. She told me that they were nice to her…a caring family. They even decided to rename the poor Jane Doe, a name that female ponies without known origins received, to Vinyl Scratch after seeing how much that filly liked listening to those vinyls. However it was on a special day when she viewed a rock concert where she finally realised that there is much more to music than what she knew. When she realised that she got her cutie mark...in the middle of a concert. Can you believe that? The story of how I got my cutie mark pales in comparison. She looked through a lot of different types of music until she finally encountered what it was she wanted to do. This was the birth of DJ PON3. As you can see she had a lot of success as a DJ. When she knew what it was that made her truly happy she told her foster father. He then presented Vinyl with the same type of shades she even wears today. He was really proud of his little daughter and how she turned out. Even though Vinyl was so successful and happy with her new family she still had some kind of trauma going on. Her real parents…she had to face them eventually...what would they think? Would they be proud of her? I doubt that. Would they be disappointed even though she had success as a DJ? The answer was most certainly yes. The meeting with my sister probably opened up some old wounds. I was responsible for it so I tried to comfort her. “Vinyl…you know even if your parents are not happy about how you turned out…” She had a very painful expression written all over her face…oh it made me hurt a lot to see her like that. “…all people besides them love you just the way you are. Your fans, your family…even I do." She beamed at me, even though she was about to cry a minute ago. Oh, Vinyl Scratch…in fact you are so soft…you just do a good job to hide it but when your weaknesses are visible it makes you loveable all the more. Then I….kissed her on the cheek. She looked baffled… “Don’t you worry if you ever want or have to face your parents you will not be alone. I promise..." I said. Then something happened that I did not expect. She started to hug me and…started to cry. She cried so much it nearly made me cry along. She looked so vulnerable…so unlike herself… She then tried to talk to me…still sobbing. “You…you know…I..I do not deserve you as a…” she said and started to cry again. “Shhh…Vinyl…just let it all out…” I said. “I…I love you Tavi…” and she buried her face in my chest. Warm tears rolled down my body and I finally began to realise that Vinyl needed me as much as I needed her because no pony had an easy task with fighting her personal darkness all alone… “I know…I know…” I told her petting her back. When all the tears dried up and Vinyl finally got her composure back she started in her usual tone. “That was kinda pathetic of me right?” “Oh…it certainly wasn’t as pitiful as when I cried back then…” “Well…but for me it is different. I am usually tough. I can’t let people think I am that soft…” “Yes…that reaaaaaly shocked me” and I rolled my eyes. “You know they called me ice princess back in school because I seemed to have no emotions?” I carried on. “Really? No way” she said surprised. “Yes indeed. Thanks to somepony however I lost control over my emotions far too often in the last few days.” “So…I turn you on so much that you can’t concentrate? Yeah! 2 points for Vinyl!” she said. “No…you don’t…stop that already.” “You already said you love me…” “I certainly did not…” “Yeah you did!” “But in a different way…” “You said I look cute while you were comforting me!” “That was while you were crying and…” Oh I messed up…I never said that…I only thought about it. However that didn’t mean a thing right? Right? “Aha! Got ya…so you think I like cute…” she said with a smirk. “You get that all wrong…looking cute doesn’t equal I love you.” “Saying that you love me, kissing me on the cheek and telling me that I look cute all don’t? And here I thought you were a good liar…” she said and rolled her eyes the same way I normally did. “Vinyl there is no way that I love you… I do not know why I am attracted to you. It isn't even physical attraction you know? All of it is just a strange coincidence…” I tried to explain. “You never had a relationship before? “ she said and interrupted me shorthand. “What has that to do with anything…” I asked clearly annoyed. “I was right? Wow…no wonder it is so hard to get to you…” “Vinyl stop fooling around…it gets old.” I said already agitated. “You probably never even considered liking girls because it isn’t the norm?” “Of course I didn’t. Why would I love mares when I am one myself?” “You really are so dense, Tavi.” she said and started to giggle. “Stop messing with my head …stupid.” “Cupid…it is pronounced cupid…C-U-P-I-D” “Vinyl…if you really love me…even though you probably really just like to get on my nerves I have to disappoint you…because I will NEVER, I repeat it NEVER...N-E-V-E-R...fall in love with someone like you.” “Challenge accepted! I will try all the harder now…” “Oh sweet Celestia…cut me some slack…” “Nope I won't. I could fetch us some snacks however. There should be a store a few minutes away.” “Do what you want…I need some time to cool off anyway.” “I hope you won’t miss me in the next five minutes.” “How could I miss you if you don’t leave already…” “Tavi, when I'm gone please try to not drool while thinking about me. It is for your own good.” “Just…go already…you …you lunatic. I pressed through my teeth. She then took off, seriously amused while I still had to wonder about her crazy nature. After she was gone I let my thoughts strife but in the end I still had to think about her...yes her. I mean she really was hard to understand…at some times. Not that I thought about her looking cute or…arrrgh. Well seems like this was just another ordinary day for Octavia Melody, a simple mare who was lost in life, acquainted to a crazy pony and sitting all alone on a park bench simply waiting for events to unfold themselves. -(24)- At the same time...(part1) [Vinyl's POV]Soon after Tavi left the apartment I made myself comfortable on the couch. Letting out a deep sigh, I put my head back and let my eyes rest on the skylight. In an attempt to find some inspiration I spent the next few minutes watching some lone clouds floating in the sky. It didn’t take long and I came up with some vague ideas of what I wanted. However…vague ideas weren’t enough to compose a tune that would live up to my standards. Jumping back on my hooves I wasted no time and headed for my bedroom. Opening the nightstand, I then picked up my personal notes. That pile of unorganized sheets contained pretty much everything that happened this month and concerned my work. Annoyed by the fact that I had put off organizing my stuff again, I levitated the bundle back to the living room. Dropping the sheets on the couch, I let out a deep sigh. Well…it could be worse. At least Tavi wasn’t here to rub it in… A mischievous grin spread across my face as soon as I became aware of the implications. Maybe this time there was another way to get myself some inspiration. Passing the fridge, I grabbed myself something to drink and walked into Tavi’s study. To be quite frank…I never liked that room. It was all bleak and gloomy. How Tavi could get any work done in a place like that was far beyond me. I’d probably go nuts… Ignoring the shelves and everything else that was emitting the uncomfortable feeling of…excessive cleanliness my eyes fell on the only thing that looked remotely interesting; a wooden drop-front desk. Unlike any other object in the room this one was actually covered in dust. Was there a reason why Tavi didn’t bother to clean that particular desk? Well…only one way to find out… “Buck!” I hissed. Of course it was locked. What was I even hoping for? However…the lock didn’t look like a proper one. Yeah…probably just one of those worthless, decorative locks that even a foal could pick. Moving an ear close to the lock, my horn lit up in a subtle glow. Even though the lock was as simple as expected it took me a lot of time to pick it. Maybe things would have gone a bit quicker if I had used a paperclip instead of raw magic. Nah…I guess this was the safer option. A clip might leave some marks on the lock. Besides, it also reminded me of the good old times. I could still remember the grin of my foster father when he found out that I taught myself lock picking just to avoid mom’s curfews. When I finally opened the desk I probably had a similar grin plastered across my face. What I saw wasn’t what I expected. Instead of an organized workplace with files and folders I found myself in front of the worst hodgepodge I had ever seen. There were books, notes, ripped out pages, envelopes, pictures, even an old newspaper. Curious as to why Tavi would keep such an old newspaper, I pulled it out of from under the papers. My first assumption was that she had probably kept it out of vanity. After all it was a pretty big deal for most ponies when they got into the papers for the very first time. However...once I caught a glimpse of the headline…I knew that I’d been wrong. Royal Guard drops all charges against Venal Melody Today was truly a glorious day for justice. Venal Melody (51), former CEO of Sweet Symphonies and his wife Glamorous Act (42) are now finally able to close the darkest chapter of their life. Always in pursuit of justice, the royal guard finally managed to accumulate new shocking evidence in Mr. Melody’s case. As it turned out all the allegations against Mr. Melody were in fact unfounded. Three up to now unknown ponies (19, 23 & 25) fabricated those lies in an attempt to discredit the poor victim. However, according to the guards that was just the first step of the villains’ ruthless plan. Their real goal was to make Mr. Melody desperate enough to pay them in order to tell the truth. Yes…as horrible as it may sound…those three especially picked Mr. Melody to be the target of a convoluted extortion scheme. However, no matter how smart they were they couldn’t outrun the long leg of the law. After their plan failed and they got caught they testified that Mr. Melody was never on the take, never purposely forced anypony into bankruptcy and never attended any kind of tribalistic meeting. As a result even “Shining Armor”, the captain of the royal guard, publically apologized for all the trouble they had put him through. Nevertheless, Mr. Melody didn’t accept the apology. “Please captain, there is nothing you have to apologize for. You were just doing your job…and a good one at that. I don't even like to think what might have happened if your guards weren’t so persistent in pursuing the truth. “ our humble victim replied. ... At that point it looked as if everything important had already been said...so I only skimmed over the rest. Justice was served...the wife had also a few words...yada yada yada...and everypony was happy and buttering each other up. Blergh... Just when I thought there was nothing more to the article I spotted two words beneath it. The letters were barely readable but I could still recognize what was left them as Tavi's hoofwriting. After concentrating for a few more moments I finally got their meaning; Bucking Liar. Shaking my head I put the newspaper aside. Well to be honest that didn't really come as a surprise. I already figured that Tavi's parents were no saints but the possibility that if her father really forced innocent ponies into bankruptcy was no laughing matter. However...it wasn't my place to sell out her family. That was a problem Tavi had to sort out herself... Letting out a frustrated groan I focused my attention on the other stuff that was lying right in front of me. Tavi's half finished compositions immediately piqued my interest...but I was NOT here to rip-off Tavi's work, I was here for some inspiration. So instead of dwelling on Tavi's actual work...I took a look at some of the postcards and photos in front of me. While most of them showed Tavi on some boring formal occasions there were a few intriguing ones among them. One of them, for example, showed an elderly mare smiling in front of the rainbow falls. When I flipped it around it read: Enjoying my vacation so far, love Gran. The next picture I eyed a little closer made me giggle. It looked like a big fancy dinner party with a younger Tavi, her family and a lot of nobles. However, amidst all of them one particular stallion stood especially out. Apparently Tavi wasn't very fond of him, considering that she had actually put some effort into replacing his face with a crude drawing and putting the words Prissy Plotface right on top of him. Hmm...that was actually quite adorable... Never thought that the same Tavi who always tried to act so mature in front of others could be such a childish pony. Well, except when she was wasted or getting high on vampire pheromones. Vampire pheromones...the fact I even considered something like that...was proof of how messed up my life really was. Sometimes I still hoped that all of that was just some kind of big prank... However, my thoughts came suddenly to an halt when I spotted a certain tear stained letter. What in the world could be bad enough to make Tavi cry? I knew that it probably wasn't something for my eyes but... Dear unknown pony, if you are reading this I've finally mustered enough courage to do what I should have done a long time ago. All my life I simply carried on because I had the hope that one day things would finally get better. As it turned out I had been wrong. Well...at least I somehow shook off my cowardice and finally managed go through with it... I didn't need to read any further. No...I couldn't read any further. My gut was revolting and I felt the sudden need to slap a certain pony repeatedly across the face. Stomping on the ground in anger, I could hear my own raspy voice. "That idiot! That bucking idiot..." I continued venting my anger for a few more moments before my thoughts caught up to me. That bucking drawer was covered in a thick layer of dust...so Tavi probably never opened it since she had lost her job. However, what if she was still thinking about stuff like that? What if... Then I slapped myself. What the hay was I even thinking? If all that devastating vampire stuff wasn't enough to break her...there was no way it would ever happen. Still...bottling stuff up and keeping secrets like...that. Tavi had a lot of explaining to do...and I sure as hay wouldn't let her off the hook easily... When I finally calmed down enough...I realized that my right forehoof was glinting with blood. Letting my eyes wander from the damaged hoof to the floor I noticed several glass shards scattered across the room. Buck, my glass! I must have dropped it when I found Tavi's stupid note. Well...at least it was already empty when it hit the floor. That would make cleaning the mess at least a little bit easier. Fetching a broom, I immediately started to give the floor a sweep. A few moments later I was already covering my traces. I locked the drawer and tried to come up with a way that would make it look as neglected as before. Of course, being a unicorn and a bucking genius helped quite a bit with the last part. Who besides me would ever think about blowing into a heater and catching the dust motes with her magic? So after I repeated said process a few times, I sprinkled the dust on top of the drawer. Assured that it would be enough to fool Tavi, I made my way back to the living room. Of course I knew that I had to confront her...but I'd rather not have her come home and freak out over the opened drawer while I wasn't even there. Back in the living room my mood dropped even further when I spotted the huge pile of forgotten papers I had left on the couch. Right...I had originally planned to get some work done. However, after all that stuff I had to deal with...there was no bucking way that was still gonna happen. At least not with my current attitude... In order to make good, successful music...I had to be happy. No pony in all of Equestria would enjoy the work of uninspired artists in a foul mood. However...there was something I could still do; organizing my stuff. Hmm...why not? At least all that way all of the bureaucracy wouldn't get in my way when inspiration finally decided to hit me. So the first thing I did was to split the huge stash into four smaller ones; The first one was for everything concerning my gigs and appointments. The second one was for the stuff I scribbled down whenever I got a surge of inspiration. The third stash was for everything I could already dispose of. The fourth was for everything else. As I worked myself through the papers I felt a smile spreading across my face whenever I caught a glimpse of my previous ideas. Oh yeah…that stuff would pretty much write itself. However, when I set eyes on a certain piece of paper I immediately froze. The note was kept rather simple and only contained a name, a date and a time; Neon, today and according to Tavi's clock… “Buck!” …twenty minutes from now on. Horseapples! I couldn't stand up Neon...again. Last time I did that he got all sulky and stuff... So without wasting any more time, I headed for downtown. Rushing through the streets and using every possible shortcut I barely wasted any thoughts on the stuff I had just left in the living room. The only thing I did regret was that I hadn't left a note for Tavi but hay...she'd figure out that I'd been in a hurry... Panting and sweating I finally arrived at our usual meeting spot; the Salty Snob. It was just the usual run of the mill pub with the typical old and grumpy barkeep. However, there was something ponies should know about this place before visiting... “Buck off, blowhard. Your kind isn’t welcome here…” I could hear the angry voice of the barkeep. Only seconds later a puzzled stallion hurried out of the pub. Straightening his bow-tie and murmuring something about illiterate brutes he then gave the place a last disapproving look and trotted away haughtily. Well...I couldn't say that I was surprised. Down here it was a well known secret that the the owner, Salty Grafter, waged a vendetta against Canterlot's elite. So whenever one of those clowns makes an appearance at the Snob, Salty makes sure that they won't come again. Hay, that old pony even went as far as to name his pub the Salty Snob just to spite those pesky nobles. Putting on my trademark smile I entered. A lot of heads turned in my direction and ponies began to whisper. While some of them were probably confused why a successful entertainer like me would visit a rundown pub like that...most of the steady customers simply nodded when I passed them. That was one of the things I truly loved about that pub; the ponies here kept to themselves. I bet even Discord could march in and order a couple of beers and no pony would give a buck about it... Walking towards my usual spot at the counter I noticed that the old barkeep had already picked up the pace. Before my flank could even touch the stool, Salty had already finished preparing my favorite cocktail; the bramble. “Sup, Vinyl? Haven’t seen you in a while.” the old pony said and hooved me the drink. “Well, I’ve been quite busy…” “Busy…eh? What kind of busy are we talkin about?” “The worst kind, Salty…the worst…” I said and took a sip. “Huh? So…they’ve bothered you too? S’ppose they haven’t found anything. Buckin waste of tax money if you ask me…“ he said and rolled his eyes. “Nah…I wasn’t talkin about the guards. I just had a lot of… private stuff going on…” “Oh…I see how it is.” the old pony said with a knowing grin. “So…the great Vinyl Scratch is no longer on the market huh? What a shame. I guess some of your fans will have to cry themselves to sleep now. Or they’ll simply continue doing what they’ve always been doing; fantasizing bout you and clopping their hooves off...” he added slyly. Of course he had to say that exactly at the moment when I was taking a sip. Half laughing, half coughing I spilled some of my drink. “Nice one.” I replied and put my glass back on the counter. “Ahhh…just tellin the truth, Vinyl. Can’t help but bein sexy, can you?” “Nope. Unfortunately…I was born this way.” I replied theatrically. “So Vinyl…what brings you here?” he asked before he added in a barely audible voice “Trying to buy something…special?” “Nope. I’m just here to meet a friend. Oh...and of course I'm also here to enjoy the most excellent service only an establishment like yours can provide, good sir.” I added in my best posh noble impression. “Celestia be damned, I hope that’s not your way of telling me that you’re now bucking a lawyer?” “A lawyer? As if I’d ever risk a house ban for something boring like a lawyer." I replied and gave him a wink. "So...mind telling me who it is? That colt must be pretty special if he managed to tame a wild mare like you..." he said and wiggled with his eyebrows. "First, it's a mare, secondly...it's non of your business." I answered now clearly annoyed. "Come on Vinyl...spill some of the juicy stuff. How is she in bed ?" "For the love of Celestia...if you don't shut up...I swear I'll rip you a second..." "I don't think Tavi would approve of your strange fetishes, Vinyl. Ripping other ponies a second plotho-..." a male voice suddenly interjected. "Hey Neon..." I said and faced him with a devious smile. "...I was just thinking about that one time when you offered to share your bed with one of your groupies. What was her name again...Cross Dress?" Neon turned visibly pale. However before he could even come up with a snarky remark Salty already took interest in what I said. "Oh that sounds interesting. What happened? Was Neon too wasted to find the entrance?" "Nothing happened. Not...a...thing."Neon replied icy. "And Vinyl...I thought we agreed to never mention it again..." "Oh come on, you know old Salty can keep a secret." the old man tried again. Well...as amusing as it was to watch Neon trying to avoid that particular topic I decided it was time to put him out of his misery. "So...what's the reason I'm here again?" I asked Neon and the nosy old guy immediately grew silent. "Ughh...so...you remember when I told you about that creepy stallion two weeks ago?" he asked. "Nope. Can't say that I do. I had a few other things on my mind..." "Well...during my last gig the same dude showed up at the VIP lounge. After I was done performing he walked up to me and asked if you were a friend of mine. Confused to where that was leading I told him; sure I'm friends with Vinyl. You have a problem with her?" "Ugh...drop all the heroic stuff and just tell me what he wanted." I sighed. "He wanted to meet at a place you feel comfortable and talk some business with you." "Please tell me you didn't..." "Well...according to my cousin that guy is pretty...influential." Neon said and looked around the room before he lowered his voice. "So even if you aren't interested...at least hear him out, kay?" "Huh? Your cousin? You aren't talking..." and I also lowered my voice considerably "...mafia, are you?" "What? No! Of course not..." Neon said but I could see him getting more and more nervous. "So...what's so scary about that stallion?" I inquired. "Well yeah...you see...thing is...even the mafia seems to be afraid of that dude..." Neon said, now visibly uncomfortable. "The mafia...or just your stupid cousin?" I asked with a deadpan expression. "I know that Dim Light might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but hay...if he says that the whole mafia is afraid of somepony...I bucking believe him. Besides...you of all ponies should know how highly he thinks of his...buddies." Neon said, obviously referring to that one time where his cousin tried to hit on me. "Do you really think he'd sully their name by calling them cowards?" "Uhh...yeah...whatever..." Not that I didn't value Neon's opinion...but at that point I'd dissent. The few times Neon's cousin actually had tagged along with us were more than enough to figure out what kind of pony he was; a boastful shmuck. Even though I was pretty sure that his loyalty to the mafia ran deep...he also struck me as a gullible idiot. So, no...unlike Neon I wouldn't think of that guy as a reliable source. However, instead of blurting out that his cousin had probably just been on the wrong end of a bad joke...I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. After all...to Neon that pony was family...and I had to accept that, whether I like it or not. "Dim Light? You mean the Funnypony? Isn't he the errand colt of..." Salty tried hijack the conversation but...he immediately lapsed into silence when the door swung open. In fact he wasn't the only one; the whole room was suddenly quiet. All the eyes were glued to the pony who had just entered the pub. Ignoring anypony else the guard walked up to us as if he owned the place. "Salty Grafter, I presume?" he asked haughtily. "Who wants to know?" Salty replied, deliberately focusing on cleaning a glass instead of the stallion. "The equestrian crown...and you rather not forget that...peasant" the guard hissed. "I'll try to remember it." Salty said and paused for a moment before he continued "So, what can I do for you Mr. Equestrian Crown?" While Neon and I tried our best to keep a stoic expression, most costumers already started chuckling. Sweet Celestia...if that guy wasn't right next to us we probably would have joined in. "So you think your funny?" "No, sir..." Salty said "...why would you ever come to that conclusion? I merely offered you my assistance Mr. Crown." "My name isn't Equestrian Crown you senile fart." the guard shouted before the chuckles started anew. "Oh my...I'm terribly sorry, sir. It seems there has been a misunderstanding. It never has been my intention to poke fun at you. Hmm...I guess that means I owe you a reconciliation drink." Salty said with a smirk. "Hey, Salty...can you get me something...unusual while you're at it?" I suddenly threw in. Salty reached for a dark green and a bright yellow bottle and began to mix me something called "Zebrican Hellburn" before he shifted his attention to two black bottles. One of them was some kind of berry syrup while the other was probably Salty's cheapest batch of rum. When Salty put down the drinks in front of us the guard eyed his drink suspiciously while the customers started to place bets on him. "Oh...that's gonna be good. Ten bits he actually drinks it." "Twenty bits he is gonna cry..." "Oh come on...don't be such a scaredy-cat. Salty isn't that kind of pony. I'd trust him with my life..." I whispered to the guard who was still eyeing his glass warily. "If you trust him so much why don't we just exchange drinks and see what he is really made of." the guard hissed under his breath. "Fine..." I said, took his glass and flushed it down in one go. "Sweet Celestia...I must have switched the drinks." the barkeep said aghast when he looked at my empty glass. "Knew it! Have fun at the toilette..." the guard hissed with a smirk before he downed his drink. "Ah...sir...maybe you shouldn't drink tha-..." Salty said just a moment too late. A moment later the stallion was coughing and sweating. He got rid of his helmet and began to fan himself. Without the helmet, the guard enchantment was no longer working and we could see a pink stallion with teary-eyes and a very red head. At that moment a lot of bits changed owners... "Oh my...what's wrong buddy? You don't look so...hot."
-(1)- Melody in the Wind -(1)- Melody in the Wind It was one of those dark cold autumn days. No pony dared to walk through the streets that night, well no pony except one very naive mare. I was on the way to the stage, not that it was an important performance it was just another boring party at some nobles place. Still, my sense of duty made me rush down those dark cold streets. Now that I look back it might have been destiny that lured me there. Destiny! Oh what a funny way to say that you have no control over your own life. Still, that may have been the case back then. I was frail at that time, I doubted myself, I even experienced loneliness but I still enjoyed my life. I thought those careless days would last forever… I was wrong. Who would have thought that my greatest love would be my downfall, yes I am talking about music. At that particular moment you might think: Oh you silly mare, music never killed anypony. You really think that? BUCK YOU! You know nothing! If you think Equestria only consists of happiness then guess again! So there is darkness in Equestria you say. Well what about it you say. We still have the elements of harmony you say. I have to stop you right there. The solution to all of your problems won’t come in the form of the elements or the royal sisters. Yeah sure they saved all of Equestria from the draconequus, the changelings and other things but on that fateful night no one was there to help me. So where was I…oh right I was on the way to my performance. The cold wind brushed through my mane and it was if I heard a lullaby in the wind. Little did I know what this song really was back then, I just enjoyed it while galloping to my job. It was like the perfect background music for everything a pony could do I guess. Well there was one thing where it wouldn’t fit…if you know what I mean *giggle*. So when I finally arrived at the party…it just ended up as boring as I expected. Everyone talked about how rich, good looking or important they were and they completely ignored our work. Well, we knew that game already so we kept quiet and played along. My three co-workers always enjoyed to hear the newest gossip from Canterlot’s nobility. It made them feel like they belong to them even though all of us knew that we would probably never become part of that flashy world anyway. When I think about it now maybe even I was somehow drawn in by all this “fabulousity” as they'd say nowadays. While thinking about my life I unconsciously started to be influenced by the song I heard before. I played it and it sounded nice and solid but neither high class nor as extravagant as I recalled it. My partners stopped and it was only me playing the whole thing for 5 minutes before I finally regained my sense for the mood. Everyone was laughing at me, even my colleagues. Oh it was so embarrassing I wish I had died that day. However, the worst thing was I became THE topic of the party…for all the time that was left of the party. My co-workers told everyone that I lacked some sleep and that this could have happened to everypony. However I knew they silently enjoyed it, they enjoyed that it actually happened to me. Now we had at least some gossip going on about us and only my reputation was stained. Any press is good press as they say... From that moment forth my colleagues started to call me “miss head in the clouds”. Not that they needed a reason to call me names. Before my little "fauxpas" they referred to me as “little miss perfect”. It hurt…but not that much. To be honest our whole little group was nothing more than an alliance of convenience. After the party ended and I brought enough shame to myself to entertain everypony for the next two years I decided to go home. I left my cello where it was, knowing that the next performance would be in three days at the same time and place. Of course it had started to rain exactly when I left the party, just great. I tried to avoid the main streets and wandered through the tightly knitted alleys of canterlot where the raindrops wouldn’t reach. After wandering around for some time I started to hear the lullaby again. This time I tried to find the source of this enchanting music. Have you ever heard ponies say: Curiosity killed the cat? Well I have and I always answered: Cats have nine lives you know? What could possibly happen? Now I know that ponies just have one. So what happened when I looked for the source of the lullaby? Well, I walked deeper and deeper into the heart of Canterlot. Finally I found myself on a big street. A Street I have never seen before. A Street I should have known…because I know Canterlot inside out. All houses along the street looked like they belonged to a different century. There was even a sweet fragrance in the air, it was so sweet it would probably drive weaker minds insane. I walked down the road looking around in wonder when I finally reached the end of the street. There was a big black house. It seemed, unlike the rest of the buildings, not abandoned. It looked like a mansion built two centuries ago. The atmosphere around the mansion was heavy as if a dark veil was clad around it. I looked at the building in awe. My gaze wandered up and down and I began to wonder…could this have been the home of a famous musician? I tried to peek through the dark windows and through the shadows beyond but…suddenly I recognised there were lights glimmering inside. How could that be? I was looking at the mansion for several minutes and there wasn’t even a trace of light. Was the light avoiding my glare, just until it couldn’t anymore? The faint sound of the lullaby also evaded my ears when I watched this place. It seems whatever this place was it tried to be not seen. Now that I think about it: Didn’t the whole road try to be not seen? I mustered all of my courage and knocked on the dark wooden door. Nothing happened. I should have left like that. No one wanted to open. It should have been clear. It was not. Oh no, not for me… My curiosity was not satisfied, so I stood there for approximately thirty minutes, in front of a door that would probably never open and an uneay feeling I still can't describe. Suddenly the lights went off and I waited in anticipation for something to happen. There wasn't anything to see but my wet and soaked self, standing there and gazing upon the mansion. I let my eyes wander. It was full moon and I watched its beauty. Maybe nothing would have happened but then I began to hum the lullaby while my thoughts kept wandering. Suddenly I heard the door crack and it opened a bit. A male voice, sweeter than anything I have heard before said:” You shouldn’t be here my dear. You should run… This song wasn’t meant to be heard by the likes of you…” The door fell back and closed with a loud noise and I... I stood there the same way anypony would stand there if somepony shut the door right before their faces and told them you are not worth their work. I was seriously agitated! I would try again and I would bring my cello with me. I would show him who wasn’t worth whose work… Oh Octavia…arrogance will be your undoing…
-(2)- Long forgotten Times -(2)- Long forgotten Times Have you ever played the wrong tune to the melody of life? I have and I tell you…It feels awkward. Guess what? The mansion I found the day before…it didn’t exist. I tried to find it again but all the roads I had encountered that night were gone. No pony I asked could tell me the way and even my map did not show me where this place was. Somehow I had lost track of reality I guess. Maybe it was true what Vinyl used to say about me back then: All work and no play make you a dull mare, Tavi. Even someone as dull as me should have fun from time to time she used to say. If you would ask her about how boring I hade been back then she would literally use up her whole day to make fun of it. Oh but I wasn’t boring…at least not that boring...I suppose. Where did I leave oh yeah… I tried to relax, believe me…it did not work! The lullaby was gnawing away at my sanity. I heard it all the time when I was lost in thoughts and that did happen a lot those days. I lived alone back then…no parents (celestia be blessed), no vinyl (it was so quiet back then) but also no diversions that could keep me from drowning in melancholia. A sad yet thoughtful life… Days passed, time moved forward but everything stayed the same. The only thing that slightly changed was me. I started to wander aimlessly through Canterlot everytime it was possible just to find that place again. Then, some fateful night, I heard the song again. It was so beautiful but this time it was different. I heard a voice. I stood there, right in front of the royal goldsmith, when I heard the fragile voice of a mare singing in the wind. It was way after bedtime and so I was once again all alone on the streets. I tried to find the source of the song but it was just then when I realised... I was lost. Lost? Lost in Canterlot once again? How? There shouldn’t have been paths I did not know, and even if there were I could not remember entering them. It was as if something tried to lure me back to that mansion and…it seems I was correct. I stood right in front of it again. It was still old, extravagant and it still tried to avoid my gaze. Everything would have repeated itself if it wasn’t for one thing. I began to chant the lyrics of the song in chorus with the real thing. The song was so sweet, still I could not remember the lyrics even after I sang them. They mesmerized me I guess… Well to get to the point, the door opened and this time for good. “Abandon hope all ye who enter here” would have been something I had written over the door if I had been the owner; luckily I was not. A Colt with a big red hat and evening attire opened the door for me and shook his head. His coat was white as snow and his eyes…they were crimson and…well they seemed to pierce my soul itself. His cutie mark was a crimson clef that looks as if it was burning. He was in every way a noble…a noble without servants who opened the door himself…a strange noble. His face looked very sad and when he opened his mouth it was really creepy. His voice was angelic but it also contained so much sadness. “You lost your way little mare but it was not wise to search for it at this cursed place.” he said. I was really irritated by the cryptic choice of words and while I tried to think about what he said he continued to talk. “May I serve you some tea, dearest miss Melody?” he asked with his jolly yet gloomy voice while I was still standing in the doorway with my dumbfound look. How did he know my name? Who was he? A lot of questions echoed through my mind but I simply answered with “Yes” and entered the lion’s den. The inside was decorated in a way that was common for the pre-celestian age. Everything including the priceless antique furniture was rather dark and there must have been dozens of curiosities standing around. He led me into his library and offered me to take place on the big couch in the corner of the room. He offered me tea and biscuits before he got down to business. “My dearest miss Melody, what is it that your heart desires?” he asked with a soothing voice. I tried to explain him that I just followed the music, that it was curiosity that lured me here but he simply sighed and tried to ask me his question again but this time in a different way. “Why are you here?” he asked. I replied that it was the music I heard. I just followed it here. It was as simple as that. Still, he did not think it was that simple, pff colts… “This sound can only be heard by the ones who want to change their fate my dear. This century seems so vivid to me. I got a lot of visitors and everypony begged for their wishes to be fulfilled. The question is, is your wish safe for ponykind? If you wished to hold more power in your hooves than the royal sisters what do you think would happen? Do you think that wish would help or threaten ponykind? Oh and do not think a wish comes for free. We have to pay a prize for everything, never forget that..." “I do not have a wish. I just want to know what that song is called and what it is about.” I said. The colt sighed once again and began to tell a story. “Dearest miss melody, this song was composed by my beloved one long before the royal sisters had their clash so it goes way beyond your understanding of time. To keep it simple; I and my wife used to be musicians. We were a happy and ambitious couple that encountered a little box on our travels through the place now known as Equestria. The box was meant to be found. The box symbolizes change. The world needs to be in constant change so the box was bound to appear. Do you understand thus far?” I did not. He talked about being older than time and about a mystic box with its own will. I must have found Canterlots old abandoned asylum and there I sat with the last inmate who invited me for some tea. The colt, watching me bursted out in laughter and said “Hey that is a new one. I like it…oh yes I do” Wait…did he...did he just read my mind? “Of course I did, Octavia. I think we can drop the formalities now. My name is Victor van Hellsing. You probably only heard that name in old mare tales and even of that I’m not so sure. Things of the past tend to be forgotten, or even have to be forgotten…” “Well Victor, if that’s your true name, why are you still alive when you are this old.” I asked cautious. “The answer lies within the box. This, my little mare, is the thing that changes everything. This box grants wishes for a price. My wife and I read the inscription on the outside that said it would grant us our hearts desire. I wished to stay always with my wife. She said she would have wished for the same but it’d be boring to wish for the same thing so she wished for her music to be concerved for eternity.” “So that song is hers?” I asked with awe, nearly forgetting that everything he said could have been lies. “You are quick to catch on but no. My wife, Pandora, became part of the box, singing her lament for all eternity and now it is my duty to guard her. The box cannot be broken and people who are bound to meet it will encounter it. I can only warn you, tell you to forget about your wishes or to think them throughly. Do not state a wish you haven’t formulated perfectly.” “Who were this people who used the box? Were all of them famous? Did they change the world?” I asked with curiosity. “Some of them were, some of them were not. Just recently, not even three decades ago, a small filly entered my mansion. She wasn’t courageous and very shy. She was a unicorn with a lot of magical capabilities and she wanted to wish for more self-esteem. The personality of the little girl, I think she was called miss lulamoon, completely changed. She became very conceited but it seems as she has traded most of her magical power for her new character. He paused there, waiting for my reaction. I must have looked not very convinced so he went on. If you want to know a pony more famous who stated a wish in front of the box I could name Starswirl the bearded. He wished to understand the absolute order of all the things and their existence. The knowledge drove him mad. He came to the conclusion that all of nature’s laws are fragile and can be broken easily. Knowing about order made him transcend it, believing only chaos was absolute. He mysteriously disappeared laughing after he realised that and said that maybe in the future we could meet again…for tea, bloodshed or some games. A strange fellow indeed…” “So a pony could wish for anything?” I said with my mouth wide open. I really began to believe that colt. “You could but you shouldn’t. The wish for power to protect your friends could turn into the power of a tyrant ruling a kingdom with fear. The wish of a mare wanting to overcome her sister could turn into her descending into darkness. I have seen it all…” “Your life must have been very sad Victor… So much tragic things...I do not envy you” I told him. He froze. I did not know why. After a few minutes he suddenly had a smirk on his face. A smirk his serious face only showed once before, the time when he laughed at my thoughts. “You amaze me Octavia. I told you about the things the box could do and you care more about me than about it. A unique being…maybe there is still hope for ponykind, maybe…” I was a little bit emberassed so I tried to change the topic a litte. “You said you were a musician? What kind of instrument did you play Victor?” “I used to play the violin but that was long ago. My daughter loved when I played it. She always wanted to capture the hearts of people the same way I captured hers, by music. My dear daughter, how long has it been…” he said and his face became a lot gloomier. “It must be hard to survive all the ones you love, a sad story, a life in the shadows of ponykind.” I said with a serious expression. We talked through the whole night and both of us really enjoyed our conversation but all good things would eventually come to an end. This nice hours ended abruptly when I realised how late it was. I talked far too long with this pony. The hours flew by and I didn't recognise how long we were talking. I had a performance in the next few hours. I simply had to go otherwise I would be in big trouble. I told Victor that I would visit again. He answered with a subtle smile that he hopes that for himself but is scared about my wellbeing if I did. He said that being with him and near the box brings misfortune most of the time. I laughed at that and told him that he must be wrong. He wasn’t…I was.
-(3)- The scratched Melody -(3)- The scratched Melody Did you ever have to realise that your grip on reality had loosened and you started to live in a world of fairy tales? No? Be happy! I realised far too late what was happening to me. All my free time I spent at Victor’s mansion. Was I that fascinated by him? Was it still curiosity or was it something more? If you think it might have been love…you are wrong. This colt would never love someone other than his daughter or his wife, Pandora. I could also never love him as an equal. He may have taken the place of a brother, a guide or even a father for me but certainly not the place of a lover. He told me about stories you couldn’t imagine. About a faceless pony that strolled through the woods looking for something. Stories about vampires: Yes according to him they truly existed in ancient times. He even told me that he was featured in some books as THE pony who killed the vampireking. I giggled when he said they got his first name wrong on purpose. His was apparently not sounding traditional enough and so they called him Abraham. I told him that I would fetch him one of those vampire books with him as the main actor but he refused my offer. He simply replied that he already knew three different versions of the story and none of them mentioned why the vampire came to be. They were always portrayed as vicious monsters and their true intentions were never explained. According to Victor the first vampire wished to resurrect the one she loved. She had to give up on her own life to accomplish her goal but her lover came back as a cursed being. He was neither alive nor dead and...he was all alone. Grief consumed the poor colt and after realising he couldn't bring back his wife he went mad. He tried to destroy the box that was responsible for this tragedy but Victor had to put a stop to him and his minions. All this brings us back to the strange box. I noticed Victor slowly started to relaxed near me and stopped always watching the box from the corners of his eyes. I guess I could even have made a wish without him noticing it back then but why would I do that…I was happy with my life …or so I thought. Another funny fact about the box was that if I had tried to destroy the box he would have to try and end me. According to him he has a link with the box which acts like a sixth sense that forces him to stop every danger to immediatly or pre-emptive. He had no choice about that, not back then with the vampires and not now. It really scared me to find out that this colt is the toy of well…a thing that seems like a toy? I’m not sure how to explain it…for me it is just really really weird. He also told me that he used to sing back in the day. When I asked how he sounds I told him that I expected something heavenly they way it is described in a fairy tale. He chuckled and replied that it was more of a song from the depths of hell. At first I didn’t get that he was making a joke about his name…I must have looked really scared taking him all serious and stuff. Well, enough about me and Victor. Do you want to know what happened to the mare called Octavia outside her life in her little dreamworld? Well, reality took its toll. My thoughts did always wander, I missed up a lot in my performances and my ensemble…well they kicked me out. Me! Just imagine that! It was the first time in my life I had to deal with being completely worthless. Whatever happened to me before wasn’t that bad because I could at least rely on my natural talent for music. Now even that wouldn’t help me. Naturally things look grim from time to time I told myself and at some point everything would turn for the better I thought. I was wrong...again. Two days after I lost my job I received a letter from my mother. It was the worst possible message I could have received. I was invited to a burial…the burial of my grandmother. I was devastated when I read the note. She died two weeks ago and nopony told me. It was so obvious. Mother never cared about Grandmother, they hated each other. She never felt the need to tell me about her death but to keep the appaerance of a happy family we all had to come mourning and look our part. Oh how I hate that part about my mother. Grandmother was a mare like no other. She was hard working, had a direct personality and never cared about what others thought about her. No wonder mother, who was just the opposite, could never get along with her. How great…now the only family member of mine who I really loved was gone. Then a shocking thought crossed my mind. Grandmother used to pay my rent. She always used to help me stand on my own hooves. My parents would never pay for my living expenses. For them I was a disappointment. Neither did I become famous nor truly a part of high society so they did not profit from me at all. The only thing they care about is their reputation. After the birth of their second daughter, my sister, I just turned out to be even more of an unwanted third wheel. She wasn’t very old back then, just a toddler, but she already had to go through a lot of courses teaching her to fit into nobility. She also has to learn the harp and the piano…they expected great from her. She wouldn't let them down because she turned out exactly the snob they wanted her to become but that does not matter back then. The problem was my living expenses were too high and everything grandmother left would belong to mother and father. It was an awful situation. I couldn’t live on like before and I couldn’t go back to them…really that was impossible…my sanity was at stake. So there I was sitting in my dark room and watching the walls. I couldn’t ask any friends, it would have been embarrassing for them to know. Well to be honest my so called "friends" back then were all just a bunch of snobby mares and colts who were…well snobs. Vinyl used to call them “oily slug ponies” or something like that. She was right I guess…*giggle* My family was out of question, it would be horrible no matter how it turned out. Victor…well...how do I put it... Victor scared me a little. I think he is fascinating but he is also very scary. If this colt watches you he seems to directly look into your soul…oh and he does in fact read minds on a regular basis...so he was out of the question as well. I did not want him to know all of my thoughts especially not those I have before I go to bed…yes at least some privacy would be nice. I just sat on my plot and thought and thought until I heard some drunks outside singing something they must have heard obviously in one of Canterlots cheap bars . I took a breath and ordered my thoughts. When was the last time I got completely wasted and didn’t have to think about my problems? Right... probably never. I told myself that if those low class ponies could enjoy their life without worries I deserved to do that too. I'd just hav to force mysel to have fun…even if it kills me. Yes...I was really desperate back then...do not remind me of that...it makes me blush even today when I think about that now. So I went down the dark roads of Canterlot avoiding my usual spots and tried to go where the second and third rate ponies used to have fun. Yes, a high class mare like me really checked out the cheapest nightclubs…and I didn’t even think about my reputation…well after a few appletinis I didn’t care about it that is. So there I was, sweaty, drunk and looking like a mess. It was great. I did not remember anything until I woke up. I regained my senses in a narrow room with a lot of equipment lying around the floor. The equipment seemed to be for some kind of electronic music or something. I did not know. That kind of music never had been a concern of mine. There were a lot of posters on the wall. Some of them showed a white unicorn mare with big purple glasses and others a colt dressed in black with a white tie and dark glasses. I felt kind of dizzy. Slightly irritated by some pressure on my ribs and the strange heaving I felt on my chest I looked down at my body. There was the same mare sleeping on top of me that grinned from the posters. That could not have happened… except it did. I had a fling with a DJ? Me? I abruptly tried to sit up and…well someone had to take the fall…so this overly relaxed DJ fell of the bed. Both of us let out a shout, me because of my slow reaction and she…because of the huge bruise on her head. “Hey, beautiful finally up? Try to have some fun in the morning as well?” she said with a smirk. I knew it, it really must have happened, great Octavia, you just did great. “I didn’t get your name last night. You were too busy screaming how good I am.” she tried again after she realised I was frozen solid. Then the door was opened with a loud bang. “Vinyl! Again? In my room? With another groupie? Why do I always have to…argghhh you make me sick you stupid DJ wannabee!” “Wannabee? You know that I am the one and only true DJ of this city?” “Of this city? You wish! Maybe of this bedroom! It seems that half of Canterlot sleeps in this bed but not its rightful owner.” “Well you said I could sleep here any time I want!” “I was just referring to the time were you still have to look for a room you loon! …and by the way I meant with me!” “You know I like girls!” “To the point that they can’t walk afterwards…yeah I know” They went on verbally like that for five more minutes and I was just sitting there in, what I later heard Neon Lights bed. I really messed up big times but a strange idea started to form in my head. It may have been thanks to my hangover but this mare maybe she could be of some help to me. “Vinyl...was it? Do you mind if I offer you a deal?” “You want to do it again? Woohoo, you truly are one awesome mare!” “That was not…I...you need a place to live right?” I said, starting to get really annoyed. Neon rolled his eyes saying something like "mares" and wandered off. Maybe he thought I wanted to have some more fun with the girl called Vinyl and rather passed on our dirty talk. Right after he left the door Vinyl rolled around laughing on the floor and said “His face, his face, have you seen his face…” She took around five minutes rolling around the floor laughing like a manic until she found the composure to tell me what "really" happened the night before. We never had something with each other. She only acted like that to make fun of the colt who just left the room. She also said that I acted like a party animal the previous night. I took the stage for myself and she took a liking to me. I must have had a lot of “cool flashy moves” and I even performed with an e-guitar which I used like a cello. It had been "so awesome" I was told. Furthermore was I the only mare besides her who she knew who had such flashy manecolors. Wait, did she say flashy…mane…colors? I rushed to the mirror and well, I think I had the biggest shock in my entire existence. My mane was colored black and red. I looked just like a jester and well…whatever it was that could describe vinyl. At that moment I truly hoped that no one had recognised who this crazy party mare really was. The DJ…surprised by my rather stiff reaction at the mirror started to joke around how I was in the newspaper as Canterlots newest celebrity and that my parents already declared I was disinherited. She made me smile even though my situation seemed worse than it ever was. She then proceed to talk. “To introduce myself again my name is Vinyl Scratch, one of the most famous DJs in all of Equestria.” she said and bowed down extravagantly. I chuckled and told her my name. I then asked her again if she wanted to move in with me. She seemed to beam when I asked her that. She may have thought that I would let her stay for free because her smile looked so forced after I told her that I have not enough money to live by myself anymore. She seemed to think it through and after a while she said that she understood my financial situation and that paying half of the rent would not be that much of a problem for her. With a big grin on her face she said that the true problem would be to live together with a DJ and not losing my sanity. Maybe you guessed it already but she was right…it would prove difficult to live together with her. “By the way Vinyl”, I asked “Do you really like mares or was that just to get rid of Neon?” I asked curiously. “So what would you do if it was true?” she asked sheepish. I shrugged my shoulders. It didn’t matter anyway…I did need someone to help me pay the rent. She may not be perfect but I had to take the bet… “Oh and Tavi, do you have two bedrooms or do we share a bed?” Maybe it was a bad idea after all…
-(4)- Lost ComposureSome ponies may say that the rain itself is the cause of depressions but I know better. The rain makes one reflect upon his or her past, how things happened and more important why things happened. Those are the most common thoughts one has while watching the rain. The other thing you will realise is that the sound of the rain is relaxing but if you listen for too long, it just becomes as repulsive as every other repetition. Yeah that is exactly the thing that annoys me the most: All things in my life tend to repeat themselves and it disgusts me. When finally the wheel of fate started to move I had to realised that change doesn’t come without a price. I had lost my grandmother and would have to pay my rent without her help. I had found a pony to share my apartment with but she was well…it is hard to describe…maybe not very conventional would be a good choice of words I guess. Heck, how else should I know how to describe a DJ for crying out loud? She would turn out to be a problem, one of many. I even started to list all of my problems. First and foremost I had to find a job and I had to find it soon. Then I had to attend the funeral the next day…oh how much I anticipated mothers fake tears. The next problem would be her, the DJ-mare who would move in with me sometime this week. Oh and just for your information she didn’t even bother to tell me when she moves in because she had obviously better things to do. Then I also had the problem with Victor. This one is a bit hard to explain. I wanted to spend more time with him and at the same time I wished to distance myself from his world. His existence simply made my life a lot harder. Thanks to him I always had my head in the clouds and even lost my job. So I had a lot of problems going on back then and guess what…I didn’t try to take them on the most efficient way by taking out the biggest first...no. I tried to distract myself by sorting out the less annoying ones. I made a mental map of my apartment and distributed it between the DJ and me in my head already. At the same time I was wandering through the streets of Canterlot once again. When I finally stood at Victor’s porch a strange thought started to occupy my mind. The wish…I could use the wish to make my life happier. A life without problems. Yes that was what I needed the most. I entered Victor’s home beaming like the sun itself but he looked at me with pity and simply said: “No, it doesn’t work that way”. I looked a little ashamed. I hated to be read like a book. It made me even more unsure about myself than I usually was. To make things short; Victor told me that my wish couldn’t be fulfilled. A life without complications and absolute happiness was unachievable because the price would have been too high. Maybe I would have been put into coma only dreaming about the perfect and happy life I wanted. Another possibility would be that other ponies had to die in order for me to receive the exact amount of happiness needed to make my life perfect. It was a rather disappointing turn of events. So we just sat there and talked about trivial stuff. I told him about my problems and he just chuckled the whole time. He told me that losing a job wasn’t the end of the world and that I shouldn’t fear my mother because she had not control over my life, only I had. It was quite refreshing. He also told me that maybe the mare who’d move in with me might become a very good friend who would like my character and not just my status. He was really good at comforting and found a positive aspect to nearly all of my problems. The only thing where he did not find anything good was about me visiting him all the time. I was completely annoyed by his attitude concerning our friendship. I mean this wasn’t some cheap kind of vampire romance where the main protagonist, a vampire, didn’t want his girlfriend to be hurt, this was just us. We chatted a little while about this and that and after a while he sent me off, telling me to stay away from his place for the next few hours. That was new…he never did that before. I really wanted to investigate that but he also told me to hurry home, shut the doors and do not get worked up too much because…a storm was coming. I hurried home as fast as I could but nothing would have been enough to prepare me for what was coming. The storm he spoke of wasn’t the storm I expected. It was a bucking shitstorm! It didn’t take me long to get home but when I stood there right in front of my apartment it seemed like the gates of hell had opened. All my neighbours gathered before my apartment and started to complain. About what you ask? Well, guess who finally decided to move in. Yes…she was the reason! Or…to be more concrete her deafening music. I thought there was something wrong when I heard loud music three blocks ago but you couldn’t imagine my face when I found out it was coming from my apartment. Well, the loud music wasn’t all that bad…at least I didn’t understand all the complaints and insults of my agitated neighbours. Oh that mare had it coming… When I finally reached the inside of my apartment she greeted me as if nothing happened. “Hey Tavi, baby! Wazzup !” she said with a big smile. Even though it was amazing that her voice was still louder than the music I couldn’t help but to disregard that fact for just a moment and tell her the only thing that was on my mind. “Are you completely nuts? What the hell do you think you are doing?” I screamed. “House warming party? Is this the first one you ever attended?” she said still beaming. “You know what I mean! Drop this stupid act right now!” I shouted angrily. “What did you say? I should drop the bass?” “Oh don’t you dare…” Oh well guess what, she did. I thought my head would explode every minute. I tried to calm down, I tried to be rational but… “What the hell are you doing you psycho? Stop right now before I kill you with my own hooves!” “What did you say? I can’t hear you! I am too busy being awesome!” That did it! I snapped. Well, I wish I could have said I just pulled the plug. No, I did not. I smashed the stupid speakers. What? Did you really think my patience has no limits? Well, I’d come to regret that decision soon. The white mare had her mouth wide open when she saw what I did. I thought now she’d start screaming at me but…she started to laugh. “And here I thought you were just a grumpy old mare who thought she had class. I guess now both of us know that the later wasn’t true.” she said still giggling like an imp. I was surprised. Surprised about her and surprised about me. She was not mad at me and I did not strangle her. I think that worked out quite well…except it did not. “Well, tavi…that was fun but you have to pay for the speakers you just demolished.” There it was, the catch I was waiting for. So she was a cold calculating mare…ah I should have expected that from an entertainer. Of course she only played the carefree pony it should have been obvious that she was not really that crazy…she... “I give you three options Tavi! First option: You pay up…now! Second one: I do not have to pay rent for the next half year. Third one…hmm let me think…” and she started to giggle again. “What?” I said. “You could pay ma back with your body!” I must have looked really dumbfounded. She laughed and laughed at my misery…the same way all the others always did. After catching her breath she started to be rather calm and collected and began to talk. “You know girl…those speakers were trash. I just wanted to test the acoustic here. I was going to dispose of them anyhow. So you don’t owe me anything. Now there is just one more thing I want to know!” “What?” I asked visibly relieved. “Would you have taken option number three?” Great…now I live together with a mare who had obviously the sickest taste of humour…ever. Well, at least she was just trying to be funny and did not try to make my life purposely harder. Now I just had to tell her that she had to behave a little more and everything would be fine….well maybe “okay” would be the better word… “Vinyl…if you want to live here you have to accept a few things.” “Tavi you already know I’d accept your love anytime!” “Vinyl I’m trying to be serious here!” “Me too…” “Arghhh…you know what I mean. I just wanted to tell you that the neighbours complained because you were far too loud. You can’t do something like that here. We live in a rather posh quarter.” “Oh don’t you worry. I contacted the owner of the apartment beforehand and told him that it gets a little louder after DJ P0N3 settles in. He dealt a hard bargain but after signing just three autographs for him and his two kids I got what I wanted.” “You are kidding right…” “Why would I kid about something like that?” I facehoofed…maybe a little too hard (it was visible for the next hours). That mare most certainly was not to be underestimated. So everything turned out to be fine from her point of view burt how did she think I would be able to cope with my neighbours from now on? It isn’t like Vinyl could have bribed all of them. “Tavi…earth to Tavi…are you in there?” “Eh what…pardon me, I was a little…lost…” “Yeah I see that. I just tried to tell you that all of my stuff comes tomorrow. As you see the only thing I managed to get here today was that…” she said and pointed at the garbage pile that had once used to be a speaker. “Tomorrow? Tomorrow would be terrible. I already have a funeral to attend to…this might be a little too much” I said hoping she would postpone her plans a little. “Don’t you worry I did not plan to move in before the evening anyway…” Oh dear Celestia…I do not know what will be worse…my encounter with mother or the moment this lunatic really moves in…
-(5)- FriendshipDid you ever fight a monster that knew all your weaknesses and was willing to exploit them? Yes? Well that’s funny…and here I was thinking that I was the only pony who has troubles with her mother. It was a beautiful day in Canterlot as beautiful as the typical cold autumn day could possibly get. The sun shined, the wind brushed through the last leafs and there wasn’t even the trace of a cloud in the sky. Oh, it would have been such a great day if there wasn’t that funeral today. To tell you the truth, I really loved my grandmother but I’d rather not see her off. I knew everything would turn out like a farce with my family around. I already had enough problems in my life without an annoying mother that would only make my life worse. How happy I’d be if this day comes to an end. After the funeral I would go straight home and take a long nap…oh sweet nothingness, how much do I enjoy your grasp… Oh, wait…the newest addition to my household would move in…so much for my happy time. I really hope that she would act a lot calmer today, if not she was dead meat. There was no way the encounter with my beloved mother would not put a strain on me, so Vinyl would be better off hiding… Then something strange happened. The doorbell rang…at 8:00AM…oh the nerve. And guess who it was…yes…CAPTAIN OBVIOUS and she rang again. I already wore my mourning dress and she looked really startled when I opened the door. “Oh, sorry I just…” she started. I sighed deeply and just told her to come in. I still had some coffee left which I offered her. She sat down and she told me that she had a night performance that ended four hours ago and thought it was a good idea to drop in. Originally she wanted to have some fun with me because she wrongly assumed that the funeral story was just made up. She thought I only created it so that I can clean up some embarrassing stuff or do some other boring things. I was somehow hurt by this distrust…however from her point of view it must have truly looked that way. As bad as her appearance that morning was…it at least distracted me from the things which were still to come. She told me a lot of gossip which was not really that interesting to me but I let her talk. Suddenly she had undivided attention. She mentioned that she had been fired already a week ago and that today was her last paid performance she had at that club. She did not like the club anyway and the best thing that happened to her was that she met me there. I was honestly surprised. So she does see me like a close friend already. I felt a little ashamed that I only thought about her as an annoying inconvenience until now. I told her that I also lost my job just recently and had a hard time to pay the rent but I was happy that it was specifically her that wants to move in and help me out of my pitch. She took a deep breath and told me what she was thinking right now, all of it. She told me that she was really “pissed” at the first part of my sentence because it seemed that I didn’t care whoever pony it was who moves in as long as they paid the rent. She then went on that the second part however made up for that and she seemed to blush a little… Wait she…she blushed…did I…what exactly did I say? Did I say some cheesy line like: ” I’m so happy that you came into my life?” I don’t think I did. No…it was just my imagination and by the way…we were both mares…there was no way that she could seriously be into… Well, to continue her small talk; she told me that she had been kicked out because her payment was too high for the club owner. When I asked her how much it was she simply replied that it wasn’t that much and the owner just couldn’t afford her and Neon. The audience consists majorly of young mares and they rather had their sexy colt DJ. All the colts however would have voted for her she tried to insure me. I just couldn’t hold it any longer and let out a loud laugh. “So you really can laugh if you do not drink…I am really happy…so you are not just a dull mare afterall…” “Me, dull? I am in no way dull. I merely try to hold up to the standards given by society and…” “Oh…so you are just as dull as your environment, I get it…” “No…that…” “Hey Tavi, you heard that noise two minutes ago...” “Pardon?” I asked slightly confused. “There must have been a bore-o-meter explosion somewhere two minutes…you know…cause you just laughed and stuff…” “Ha ha…very funny” I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes. She asked me if there was still something left in the fridge. She wanted to “grab a bite” because she still felt kind of hungry after her job. She didn’t even sleep before she visited me. She did walk around Canterlot waiting until it was more timely to drop in...so in her view she tried to be considerate showing up at 8:00 AM. I took mercy on her and told her she could take what she wanted. She decided on a sandwich and some cold cocoa. On the way back to the living room she suddenly realised that I had a cello. Dumbfounded she looked at me and the cello. I waited for her to get her composure back…well she never had some…so it would take her a bit longer I thought. Somehow it took that long that I couldn’t stop myself from letting a loud “WHAT?” escape. She sat down and asked me if I played it as a job or if it is more like a hobby. I asked her if she ever attended some high class parties. I told her that even if she had, she would probably never notice me because I just played in the background at those parties. She was kind of impressed. She told me that she thought my drunken performance at the club was already awesome as it was but now she finally knew why what made it so special. I never received much praise. People always tend to ignore me at work or act if whatever I did was the thing I was supposed to do…it was the saddest part of my job. It didn’t matter to those nobles if I played something easy or something hard…they did never comprehend the difference. This mare most certainly could…even though I probably wasn’t at my peak playing in a state of drunken frenzy she saw it. I wanted to show her how it was when I played seriously...I simply had to... So I took a big breath and started to play my cello for real…for her. I began with something easy, switched to something hard and watched how her expression changed whenever I changed the way how and what I played. The first time after some years I truly felt happy for myself. to play, She then asked me something strange. I should either play something I had composed myself or at least the work of an unknown artist. She wanted to hear something different from all these classics pieces. The thing that nearly made me drop my chin was when she started to compare all of the works and their componists. She explained in which way they thought and what she particularly liked about every single piece. That mare certainly wasn’t uncultivated…she just chose to appear a lot simpler than she truly was. I thought a little bit and then I started to play the lullaby I heard at Victors place. Vinyl seemed to like it but she probably thought the same thing I did. The glory was missing…the original was so glorious and I did not understand what I did wrong. Well, it didn’t matter, Vinyl applauded. She then said something that really made me finally understand her being. Well, you can't really understand VInyl Scratch but what she said gives you a rough sketch of her point of life. “Every piece you played was grace- and beautiful but this music is nothing new. It belongs to the past. I hate to try and copy others. I want to be myself. I want to be a different me every day and so I also strife to make different music, new music. I also do not want to do it for others but for myself. The last piece you played was not as great as the works of old but it had the beauty of something unheard...” She was truly unique. All the old classics she knew them, even respected them to some point but in the end she decided against them, against tradition. All of her life seemed like a rebellion against old…a rebellion against society. Maybe that was the difference between us. I tried to cope with society she did not. I chose order, she chose chaos. It all made sense now. So she is not crazy, just creative. I guess we were on par all along we just utilized what was given to us differently. I giggled after my realisation and she gave me a weird look. “I was serious! I know it is hard to understand but I really think that way Tavi so you shouldn’t make fun of me…” “Oh I know…I just…think it is funny how similar we are and yet so different.” She looked at me and a smile was forming. I guess it was also the first time for her that somepony accepted her flawed existence, accepted her the way she was. It seems as if our fates became connected…because I as well managed to get my first true friend at the same moment as her. Finally when I found someone I wanted to talk to all day long, I had to leave. The funeral was still at hand had to fulfil my duty. Vinyl asked if she could sleep at my apartment while I was away. Her furniture would come later that day anyhow so I didn’t see a reason to refuse. She fell asleep before I even left the room. Can you believe that? I still had to face my mother but at least I had a friend now who would get my back, no matter what happened. I was happier than ever before but how long would this happiness last?
-(6)- HollowWhy does the word “funeral” contain the word “fun”? Obviously it is in name only but it feels kind of ironic. Why would I mention that you ask? Well…it worked the same way with “Octavia” in “Octavias family”. I as well most certainly was part of my family in name only. I was walking down the roads of Canterlot, my destination? Canterlots central cemetery. It was a big compound and you could see that only the rich could afford it to be buried here. Grandmother would have liked to be buried somewhere else of that I was sure. However mother decided on the place for her last rest. It might have seemed nice to outsiders, even considerate but I knew better. She only did it to keep up the façade of a happy family and to show everypony that our family is top notch. On my way to the mourning hall I passed all kind of different tombstones and ponies. One of them seemed to look directly at my face when I passed him and the small grave in front of him. Maybe he was one of those ponies who were in need of attention…well why would I care you ask? I had no idea…something about him seemed off…and I couldn’t put my hoof on it. Was I imagening things? Did I already develop some kind of paranoia because of the strange events that happened recently in my life? I went on until I reached a rather big building…built of marble. I took a deep breath before I opened and entered the hall. I knew I had to be strong. Then the obvious took place… Mother greeted me as soon as I entered the mourning hall. She already cried…great. That was one of Equestrias best actresses in action…a pity she had to retire due to my birth. Oh yes, I was one of the nails in the coffin that was once her life. My little sister stood also there, crying fountains. Funny how she never had any contact with grandmother because mother forbade it. Bad influence she used to call her. This little filly, she didn’t even know her grandmother and still there she was, crying as if it mattered to her. Then there was my father. He tried to look very grim and sad but I thought his expression was stoic. No tears, no cries. He stood there with exactly the composure a noble should have. He played the grieving son in law way better than I expected him to be honest. Well his facial expressions are a mystery to me anyhow…it probably was the first time he even tried to use his mimic for all I knew. Then there was me. I wore a mourning garb like mother but I did not cry. I just stood there and silently watched the whole ceremony in a state of emptiness. The priest began to comfort us with words of consolidation I didn’t even heard. I just looked at the dead mare in the coffin. It felt unreal. Well she was gone and won’t come back. The burial went over very quickly. Mother did not invite anypony…it wasn’t high class to make a fuss over the death of a family member, especially ony you are ashamed of. If my end came before hers I would also have no visitors other than my decorative family. The cleric left us after the ceremony was finished. When we finally were alone mother was already back to her usual cold business mode. She told me that I should accompany them to the noble café near the cemetery. I certainly did not want to but I sighed and gave in. We sat there together in the café. An outsider may have accidently thought we were a happy little family…oh to keep a charade was natural to us. We ordered some coffee and my mother began to talk. “Octavia, darling. A weak performance…and there I thought you really liked mother. No tears…I mean really? You could have done better. I already told you how to cry at will. You looked so cold and distant. Well, that stern look also had its merit…so it probably won’t matter much…” Was she always such a schemer you ask? Yes…she always was like that, since the day of my birth. “Honey, could you please use your horn to eat. Your sister may not have one and is therefore excused from lacking manners at the table but you shouldn’t take too much after her. She is a bad role model…after all she has to live with the misfortune of being born as a simple earth pony.” And there she started that topic again…just great… “Not that it is your fault in any way Octavia darling…and talking about faults… I heard you messed up pretty big at your last few performances my dear. There are even rumours that you lost your job. Those a probably just gossip…am I right?” She asked if she didn’t know but that terrifying witch knows everything that goes on in Canterlot. “Well, it isn’t that big of a deal, even if it was true. To be honest I just quit on my own. I wanted to have some free time to compose and try something new. I still intend to acquire some independence and work alone in the future…“ “But of course you do…I expected nothing less from you.” Of course she knew I just lost my job… …and of course she hoped that I find a way to earn money… ..and of course she still hoped that I would get famous on my own after all… ...and all of that just so that she can bask in my glory. It was always about her…it never was about me…oh how I hated that mother of mine. “Well Octavia…how do you plan to pay your rent now that you take a few weeks of?” Oh did she try to get some more control over this conversation…oh the nerve… “Starting today I’ll share my apartment with an amazing mare. She already has accepted to pay half of the rent so everything works out well…” “Good to hear. It would have been bad if a colt moved in with you. Just think about the rumours. It would have been unsightly. Well…so what does she do?” “She also makes music…that is probably the reason she wanted to move in with me. It’s not that hard to conclude, don’t you think so too? ” That one was nice. I got her with news she did not know and I also made a fool of her while at it. “What instrument does she play?” Maybe I should have thought my previous statement through. I had to come up with something on the spot but I think I did well… “Well she is very versatile. She can play a few instruments and she knows a lot of classic pieces.” “Oh...that sounds pretty solid…anything more that is to know about her?” “Well I do not know that much about her after all she’ll just move in today.” “Oh, well do not lose your composure around her. She might think you are weak and you know that you cannot let that happen right? Oh I know how hard it is for you, Octavia. You are the most hot tempered pony in our family. You never seem to be calm and collected. Even now you are barely managing.” Yes, right. I wished I could have rolled my eyes back then. All of that simply must have been the reason why the fillies in school always called me ice princess and treated me like a snob.Oh the irony… I really hated those family come togethers. However, today I managed great. I did not mess up around mother and I did not snap like I did at Vinyls “housewarming party” and most importantly I did not mention that she was a DJ. Mother will think of her as a high class musician and I'm rather fine with that. Now there was only one thing I had to wait for…the real reason she wanted to talk to me. She only cared about family when there was something she wanted. All this information gathering was just a diversity for her true aim and the more weakpoints she found while preparing to state her true intention the better it was for her. “Oh and darling have I already mentioned that your father and I want to take a five day trip to the crystal empire starting this weekend? We already managed to get a fillysitter for the last few days but we would be glad if you could watch over your little sister at the first day. Due to some personal circumstances the fillysitter can’t make it for first day. Luckily you seem to have some spare time now and even without a degree in child pedagogy you would suffice for just one day.” There it was…oh no…this I had to avoid at any cost. If my sister came close to my apartment she would tell my parents about Vinyl and then something other than the bass would drop… “There is no problem concerning that. When you depart I’ll see you off and afterwards I just take care of my sister.” “Oh, I did not anticipate you’d accept that quickly but…all the better.” she said while lost in thoughts. She was probably trying to find out why I did agree so quickly and what I could have been hiding... Well she wouldn’t get an answer from me even if she asked. Knowing that she would think of more things she could demand if I remained any longer I decided to go. Back at home the next pile of work already waited for me, I had to help Vinyl to settle in after all… Well, no matter what still would happen that day...the worst had already passed...or had it ?
-(7)- DoubtDid you ever think about the ponies you passed on the street? The ones who looked at you in a very strange way? Was something wrong with them or with me? Were they stalking? Was it just me being insecure or was it even paranoia? I could not tell back then… So, I was leaving the my parents back at the café, letting them enjoy their time pretending they were the best of the best. Why would I care anyway? I had my own problems…and a DJ sleeping in my apartment. I already had to try my hardest to cope with the situation at home and… Who exactly was responsible for the weather in Canterlot that day? That couldn’t be right…just five minutes after I left the café it started to pour. Could it be that life really had it coming for me back then? The weather was still nice when I talked with my parents. Why did it happen exactly when I was on my way home that it becomes like this? Was that some kind of sick joke of the local weathermare? Well…it was disturbingly annoying…at best. I started galloping to the next bigger building trying to find some shelter. I stood in under a big doorway waiting for the rain to stop when suddenly a strange colt appeared next to me. Looking at how wet his coat was he also got surprised by the rain. Yet he was just another weirdo who liked to stare at me…like that one colt at the cemetery who…wait… Wasn’t that the colt I encountered at the cemetery? I tried to remember but I couldn’t. He was there I knew…but I had forgotten his appearance. Even know he looked at me the same way as before. I casually began to talk. “Oh it seems I was not the only one who was surprised by the weather…” “Seems so…” he answered very calm…still staring at me in a strange way. “Do you know that it is considered impolite to stare at another pony in such a way?” “I do not stare. Maybe you do? If you caught me taking a glance at you…could it be that you are interested in me?” “A glance? You have been looking at me the whole time since you were standing here…” “I would never do something like that…” “And…you did the same thing back at the cemetery!” Somehow the rain suddenly stopped and the colt looked as if I had hit him with a blunt weapon on the head. His eyes went over my body again and again and then…I suddenly realised it…he had the same eyes…the same eyes as Victor…unnatural eyes. “There is no way…you…” he started to talk way more stiff. He seemed disturbed and I somehow felt the strange urge to run…as if danger would arise if I would stay there. That was not good…I followed my intuition and for the first time in my life I was happy that I was that mares daughter. “Oh, did I get that right? So you were following me. You followed me all the way from the cemetery? How cute! So you were interested in me after all. Don’t think I am a fool I know exactly why you took cover here…” and I gave him a wink. I could see him relax…literally. It was what he wished to hear and every filly knew that the sweetest lies were the ones that were born of wishes. “So you knew I was kind of shy…and that a beauty as yours would attract any colt…” he started as if I had seen through him. Oh he wasn’t bad…but be certain that there was no pony alive that could lie better than the members of the melody family. “Well you certainly had luck with the weather if you wanted to get a chance to talk to me…” I continued. I guess I said something wrong because he stiffened a little when I mentioned the weather so I tried to give my lies a bit more of a backbone. “You know…now that the rain is gone you could accompany me to a fancy restaurant. That would make a good impression on a first date…” I hoped he would take the bait. There should be no uncleared suspicions left in that tiny brain of his if he just bought the lie. It was that disgusting type of mare, I really hated to play that helped me out of this pitch. I really acted like the most pitiful love-starved low class mare that could possibly exist and… “Oh that sounds good…” he said, finally with the casual tone he had when he first tried to speak to me. Oh it was priceless. There we were sitting in a fancy restaurant. Me the mourning mare and him the guy who tried to hit on me while doing some comforting. He paid my food, told me funny stories and always mentioned my beauty. This would have ended just great the way I planned it…with me telling him that nothing will ever happen on a first date with me. With that I would get rid of him…at least for the time being. Well there was one little thing I had not planned. Two ponies just entered the restaurant. Both of them wore fancy sunglasses and one happened to be my new roommate. BUCK IT! Things just got screwed over the turntable. Octavia…you were really out of luck. Wait…why did it matter that they could believe I was dating him…why did it bother me so? Vinyl and Neon sat down a few tables away. They did not recognise me instantly but after five minutes of joking with each other they also saw me…sitting there in the mourning garb with a guy hitting on me. Just when she got up…probably to confront me to explain the situation…I told my escort I had to go to the restroom. Vinyl followed me. Oh I accepted something bad but...I wasn’t prepared for what would hit me. “Mourning eh…yeah suuuure seems to look like it. Who is your friend? Never thought it would be appropriate to tell me that you were dating that guy heh? Everything is alright as long as I pay the rent huh?” I felt…strange. She didn’t scream at me, she was just completely disappointed. She trusted me and I fooled around with a colt pretending to be at a funeral. Yes Octavia…you understood what she might have thought and you could just explain it to her. “I guess I just pay you the rent for the year and buck off. You only seem to care about yourself like all the other snobs…or do you want to explain that to me…don’t even bother…I don’t care.” I just slapped her. I slapped her again…and I slapped her one time more. I never thought that anyone could make me that mad. She still looked at me with disappointment and had a fake smile on her face acting as if she liked my reaction. “You are certainly the most stupid, self-centred and self-pitying mare I have ever seen. Do you even know how I feel when you tell me all your stupid speculations about me and that weirdo?” I told her with my voice, slowly starting to break. My cheeks were wet…when did I begin to…well it didn’t matter. I had that stupid DJ mare in front of me and I would give her at least one or two more whacks. Suddenly her eyes lit up… “So he is a weirdo…eh? Why are you dating then, huh?” I slapped her, just as intended. This stupid mare she deserved so much more slaps than I could ever dish out. Yeah…that was the part of Vinyl Scratch that people tend to forget. She was simply a whiny and self-pitying mare whenever things went not her way. “Do you think I wanted to? If there was another option didn’t you think I would have taken it? Do you think that is the kind of pony I like? You truly are low class scum if you think of me like that.” I began to press through my teeth. She began to catch my hits after that. None of them hit anymore and she grinned at me. Oh yes, she truly was the biggest lunatic I knew but I also guess we were friends again. Vinyl told me that she had some kind of idea what was going on. She told me that she couldn’t leave the restroom, thanks to me. Her leaving the restroom, covered in bruises would not help in any way. I had to wash myself so that I wouldn't look like a pitiful picture of misery anymore. She then gave me…a card? "The ”queen of spades”? How is that supposed to help?" I asked in wonder. She began to chuckle and told me I should flash the card at Neon when I leave the restroom. He would understand immediatly the hidden meaning conveyed in that message. It is common knowledge to believe in the advice of friends in the times of needs. Well that most certainly is not true if the friend in question is called Vinyl Scratch. Oh…that was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. I did as Vinyl said. When I went out the restroom Neon was already waiting for Vinyl and his eyes wandered down the card I just put in my pocket. He sighed. Then he came to our table and looked at me furiously. “Again? You dare to come here again? I tried to ignore you but...you make me sick. All you ever did was make me pay for your dinner and an expensive lifestyle. We are through! Do not follow me again you crazy mare! What about the girl? What about my escort?” “What do you…” I asked still unsure if it was confusion or embarrassment I felt. “The girl I just went here with…don’t tell me you did “that” with her in the restroom.” “I…” and I started to turn red…oh it was so embarrassing. “Every new girl I pick up….gosh. You jealous piece of filth. You only love my money anyway right? Should I just give you a thick check so that you stop ruining my life?” “And you…” and he turned to the colt who sat there next to me, who was frozen like a statue. “She doesn’t love you…she just wants to use you to get on my nerves. Oh and you also end up just like me. Paying for her dinner and other expensive stuff. That girl is a money-mare. She loves nothing but your money.” With that he stood up, threw a coin on my table went back to his. There he left some money for the waiter and walked out of the restaurant with an extremly grumpy expression. The colt next to me began to move again. After Neons speech he looked differently at me...this time it was complete disgust. The colt also left some money for the waiters and left the restaurant without saying another word to me. I went back to the restroom to tell Vinyl how it turned out but I did not need to. She was lying on the floor…of a restroom…think about it…a restroom!...and was rolling around laughing like the maniac she was. Oh, so she knew it would happen “exactly” that way? She probably already forgot about my slaps. Well she was in for the next hundred I guess...just kidding. As embarrassing as it was I head to sigh in relief. He would not follow me again…at least not if his expression was real. I owed Vinyl big times now… “Even though I can’t enter this restaurant ever again I have to thank you Vinyl. There was something very dangerous about that colt…have you seen his eyes?” “His eyes?” she asked. “I can’t remember them…I already can’t remember how he looked at all. Tavi…I think that guy used some kind of magic… Was he even a unicorn…he must have been but I don’t even remember that." “I am just happy we got rid of him!” I said happily. “Oh and Tavi...I think you have a lot of explaining to do…” How would I be able to explain something like that? I didn’t even know myself…but I knew somepony who could be of assistance...but there is one more urgent problem at hand right now. How do we get out of the restroom without causing a commotion?
-(8)- What a brittle WorldLife is such a strange thing. At first you struggle alone in this big, big world. At some point in time you are bound to meet ponies to share your loneliness with. However, the second two ponies share their loneliness the concept of loneliness itself becomes non-existent. So, loneliness will be replaced by happiness if you encounter a mind similar to your own. That concept I vaguely started to understand but one thing I did not understand about it… Why did I want to have some distance even though I just filled the gap in my life with opening myself to her? Was it strange? Was I strange? I did not know…I never had a friend like her before…a true friend . I always thought I understood the concept of friendship…I did not…not until I met her... The reason for my complicated thought process should be obvious. After Vinyl and I got out of that restaurant and rid of that creepy stalker she started to dig up a lot of things I had kept to myself. She wanted to hear every little detail about the way my life derailed when I met that certain pony with that certain box. Oh her eyes started to sparkle when I mentioned what the box was capable of. However, the thing that surprised me the most was how calmly Vinyl accepted my stories. She truly believed me…or at least she was a better actress than my mother had ever been. I also told Vinyl about my life before I met her, about the emptiness, the loneliness, the gap in my life that never seemed to fill. She listened to all of it…she did not jest around…she seriously listened to all of it. I was truly happy. Vinyl tried to persuade me to lead her to Victors place. She wanted to talk to him, wanted to make herself a picture of the situation and wanted to find a solution to all of this. The appearance of the strange stalker who evaded our memories more and more made her uneasy as well. To me it seemed like that our current situation just mirrored how the world around us always used to work: Things we do not know make us fear them all the more… Do you now understand the problem I had back then? Of course I wanted her to know as much as possible and of course I wanted her to back me up in my quest to find the truth about all the craziness but… I did not want her to get involved any deeper in my problems. I did not want my newfound friend to suffer through something that had to be my fault to some extent… Even though it took me a long time I made her understand that this time I had to talk to Victor alone. She would, however be able to tag along the next time. Oh…how would I get out of that one? I did not know. Still, I bought some time…and that was all that counted. Her safety was my first priority now. I just hope she did not stir up some deep waters when she helped me get away from the creepy colt. It was no coincidence that he wanted something from me. Seriously no pony coincidently stalked another. I told Vinyl that she should make herself comfortable while I was gone and that it would become late if push came to shove. She looked very worried but put on a grin for me while she started to distract herself with music. Oh if I wouldn’t die from terrible news, my usual circumstances, a psychos stalker or anything else the neighbours would kill me when I came back. Vinyls music was something a normal pony wouldn’t be able to endure for hours… It didn’t use me long to find the way through the alleys of Canterlot. That time I also felt like some kind of prey with a creepy predator behind my back. I was happy when I lost them through ways one couldn’t find with their eyes. When I knocked and Victor opened the door he looked at me with a confused look. Of course…he could sense my paranoia…oh and he probably read my mind as well...I really hated that... He offered me something to drink while he led me to the library. He then politely asked what exactly startled me that much because according to him I looked like a mess. I told him that there was a strange pony at the cemetery who stalked me. He had crimson eyes like Victor and an appearance I already forgot. Victor became very stiff when I mentioned that took a deep breath and sighed loudly. He probably knew what was going on but wasn’t sure how to tell me…well I did not care how he’d tell me...he just had to. “Dear Octavia…do you remember the stories of old I used to tell you? The ones about vampires?” he asked. I gulped. That was moving in the wrong direction. I seriously did not want to hear any more of this. He already knew that but went on as if my reaction was nothing more than a cheerful “yes”. “Those vampires still exist among us. Well, not the savage and brutal ones but there are still a lot of vampires out there that still wander around us.” “Victor…stop kidding around…I mean…why would I start to see them now if they were there all along…” I told him faintly. That couldn’t be true I told myself…he just wanted to get a laugh out of me. “The vampire probably wanted to feed on you. You seemed like a lonely pony…one he could feed on without attracting too much attention. Once a vampire decides on his prey he wouldn't give up on it.” he told me in a serious voice. “B-b-but we got rid of him…” “How so?” he asked in a serious tone. “My friend made me look like a mare who only wanted to use him for my own benefit.” “Ah…impure blood...vampires tend to avoid that…” “I don’t understand…why…isn’t blood just blood?” “Well you could fill yourself a cup with muddy water from a pond or you could drink some vine…” “Oh…so he thought my tast was of? that I was…disgusting?” I asked curiously. “Well yes, he lost interest after he found out about you…” Oh so I was safe as long as I acted impure. That was a good thing to know. Vinyl would be safe as well because she did not seem very innocent to anyone. I guess we were safe. We just had to look out for red eyed…wait…a shocking thought crossed my mind. “Victor…are you one of them as well?” I asked very nervously. “Yes…indeed I was also affected by the curse of vampirism my dear.” he said. My mind went blank. I really messed up big times now. I had to get out of here as soon as possible. Oh if I look back at my behaviour from back then it must have been so much fun for Victor. I reacted in the most hilarious and cliché way ever. I jumped on my hooves and tried to run for the door. Victor just stood there watching me while I was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of heat. The room temperature must have risen by a few degrees. Something was wrong. When I finally stood in front of the door I had to back away. Just before the door their was fire dancing in the air. I looked back and saw a pony wearing the same red evening attire as Victor ablaze. It seemed as if he had caught fire himself a truly disturbing sight...if you asked me. I tried to scream but the heat was too much and…I collapsed. When I came back to my senses I woke up in a big dark bed. Victor was there waiting for me to wake up. This time I knew better than to run away…it would have been pointless anyway. “Well my dear I thought it would prove more effective to show you what exactly it is this world tries to cover up in its shadows.” he said with a calm, soothing voice. I looked at him in disbelief. I could not understand it. Why did such things always happen to me? I just couldn’t put up with anything that confusing any longer and I cried fountains. I cried away all my fear, all my sadness...all that was stuck up my conceited flank for all those years. It jus burst out... He watched me for a few minutes before he started to talk again. “I know it is hard to understand…but be sure…this fiery warhorse knows better than to hurt you. Do you understand? If I wanted to I could have killed you all the time but decided not to.” “Was that the reason why you wanted to chase me off the first time we met?” I asked with a dry throat and a lot of whimpering. “Well…I told you it would bring you no good if you associate yourself with me. I am a monster and I have an artefact that alters ones destiny in my possession. One must not be a genius to figure out bad things will happen when you stay around me.” “So…you killed p-ponies to drink their b-blood?” “No…after we drink their blood we make them forget about us. It is a hard task but at least we do not have to do that a lot as long as we do not overuse our powers.” “Powers? You mean those flames? Vampires can set things aflame by will?” I was shocked. This world was a dangerous place as it was...we certainly did not need any pyromanic vampires causing havoc in Equestria... “It isn’t that easy and you probably would not need to know. However…after putting you through this horrible experience I think I owe you at least some basic information. Every vampire has an ability to control nature to some extent. My ability allows me to raise temperature by will. Those flames came to be because I heated up the dust motes in the air. I also specifically raised the temperature of your body until you collapsed. It was the easiest way to show you. “ “Why didn’t you try another way than scaring the hell out of me and making me collapse?” I asked now really angrily. I mean heck that colt should be wiser than that...I mean after all the centuries he had lived one would suspect that right? “It was the safest way to show you that I had no bad intentions. I did not suck your blood and I did not kill you. You should know that I do not want you to be harmed.” “Maybe you could just have…well talked to me?” I told him agitated. Was he really that dense? “My dear…distrust is something I always want to avoid. However that wasn't my only reason to take actions as I did. Think about what you might have done with your wish if I just talked to you. Maybe you would have unleashed something more terrible than vampires could ever be in your fear. You are the first pony who did not use her wish on the spot...after all. Unknown things use to be far more dangerous than anything you could prepare for.” “So…I…scared you? You reacted like a psycho just because you did not know how to handle an unknown situation?” I asked expecting that he was just playing a joke on me. “Yes.” he said seriously. I wanted to facehoof...situations like that show it once again. Colts were the most helpless when you needed to count on it. Just great...he only relied on his experience and lost the last traces of common sense over the centuries. Well at least I was sure he did not want to hurt me. The information about the nature ability made also sense. So my stalker could make clouds gather and make it rain. Still there was one thing that bugged me a lot. “So…why do I forget how he looked? I didn’t forget you? What kind of trick is that? And why did I just recently start to recognise vampires? Any explanations for that?” I asked. Oh it must have seemed very impolite and demanding but why would I care in such a situation. I needed the answers. “Well, where do I start…hmm..." he said and took a few moments to collect his thoughts. "Yes wiping one pony’s memories is as natural for a vampire as breathing is for you. The reason why you didn't forget me is also easily answered. I allowed you to remember. It is something I have to decide on. Your last question is a little tricky and the answer to it more of a specualtion. I think you can remember a shadow of their existence because of a mistake on my behalf. When I told you off the last time you probably saw the bloodlust in my eyes. You may have not known what it was but once seen you would recognise it anywhere again. It may be called the survival instinct of a sane pony.” “That makes a lot of sense…” I mumbled to myself. “What should I do about them now?” I asked him curiously. “What have you done about them until now?” he said and formed a smile. He then went on. “They do not hurt you and if you act impure they do not even try to drink from you.” “So I should just ignore them?” I asked confused. “Yes that sums it up pretty well…” he said. He then proceeded to offer me some biscuits and we chattered on about me, my life and Vinyl. Still, it was awkward to suddenly realise that ponies were not the only dominant race of Equestria... When I was on my way home I dimly remembered something about a mare who would have been torturing all ponies around with her music. Oh, buck it. I guess I probably would have been easier of to take on all the vampires out there instead of my not so friendly neighbours when I came back home... Well I would find out eventually…and I chuckled at the thought. Nothing could surprisme me anymore...not after all those crazy revelations.... At least my mind was at ease because I knew for certain that Vinyl and me would not be further involved in this world of craziness…or so I thought.
-(9)- A vivid NightDid you know that there are two kind of bad dreams? The first kind of dream is grey and depressing but at least you know how to handle it. The second kind is more random and you do not have a clue about what is happening. Now imagine if those two dreams would collide…what do you think would happen? Right! All grey would be flushed down by the rain until everything ends together in a whirl of crazy spinning colours. I did not remember when I went home. The sun had already set and I did not know what it was but it made me feel calm and at ease. Strange…I really enjoyed the cold breeze that blew through my mane. Everything seemed so peaceful; it was just me and the ocean of stars above. I ignored the angry ponies before my house. I ignored the fact that there was a bunch of whiney colts and mares walking beside me and demanding that I had to hold Vinyl in check. I did not care about silly things…never did… Wait…why was I that way… that was not my usual self. Something was terribly off. I didn’t simply not care about my surroundings… in fact it was exactly the opposite most of the time. I did not understand why I was so happy without a reason. I also did not understand why I didn’t care about the tremendous volume of music when I entered my home. Something was definitely off. “Hey Tavi! What took ya so long? I was growing old…and that all alone.” she began to chatter when I went straight into the living room. I looked at a lot of empty beer cans, opened crisp packs, broken plates and anything else one could describe as utter chaos. I ignored it. I moved my hoof into one of the opened packs got myself some crisps and went into the kitchen where I opened a nearly empty bottle of Applejack Daniels which I flushed down my throat. It was strange...I felt nothing. No shame, simply nothing. Vinyls eyes became big. She looked at me in wonder. She knew I was acting strange and I knew I was acting strange. I still did not know why though. What happened to me... “Tavi? Everything alright? I know I overdid it a lil…but no one was there and I felt very worried so I thought that I had to distract myself and…” She continued like that but I just sat on my flank, started to lower the volume of her (new?) speakers a little so that I could hear if she said something important…meh what could be important now. I was so happy…everything felt perfect except…it didn't...nothing made sense. “Tavi? You…you alright? Should I call a doctor?” She looked terrified as if I was about to die. Well something was wrong and we both knew that. Still I wondered what it was but then I understood. Those were not my emotions. Those emotions were the work of one of them… They must have followed me. Maybe it was the same colt who we shook of last time. It would make sense for him to verify if I was just impure or… if I really knew. “Vinyl…come over here…” I whispered softly in her direction. She came closer and I…I pulled her over and kissed her. No! It was not like that… I wasn’t drunk…and it was not love… No, it wasn't love…seriously…believe me. I wanted her to get a glance through the windows. I hope she would see something…but that stupid mare was far too focused on my action. At first she seemed shocked…then she put on a big grin and tried to be all over me but… “Vinyl…listen closely…I think we are being watched.” I told her as softly as possible, stopping any further unnecessary actions of her. “Tavi…? What exactly did you do while you were gone? You are freakin me out…” she said, obviously worried about me and trying to be as quiet as possible “Vinyl…I will tell you everything after…” I started to say but I couldn’t get out anything else because suddenly the doorbell rang. Who could that be…at such a time. Vinyl grinned as if she knew…and I…well I started to get a feeling who it was too. I just let him in, grinning like Vinyl did. Of course who else could it have been but Neon. Just great…two crazy DJs…and my personality still did not work the way I wanted. “Yo Vinyl, hey Tavi…” “Hey Neon! Wanna have a drink? More Applejacks is on the way…” I said and I wandered into the kitchen taking back with me two more bottles. Neons eyes widened now. He stared at Vinyl hoping for some clues about my behaviour but she just shrugged. Soon after we began to drink and Neon and Vinyl were influenced enough by the whiskey that they forgot about my strange behaviour. “So Tavi…seems you are as nocturnal as we are? Would make a good DJ..:” Neon pointed out. “Oh shut ya trap…I do not like to get hit on by girls like you…” I spouted out. Obviously the alcohol kicked in. “It was Neon who just talked to you Tavi…” Vinyl said with a grin. “Oh…I couldn’t tell. I mean he acts so feminine…way more than you ever could Vinyl…” “Touché!” she said with a smirk. “Hey Vinyl…why do you use those crap speakers again? I thought you bought new ones…those here suck! I mean does that quality suck or what?” Neon asked, trying to change the topic. “Well…Tavi…destroyed them somehow…” “She did what? Those things were worth more than what you could earn in a month!” “W-wait a sec…Vinyl said those things were garbage…I…” “Yaaay~ Way to go Douchbag Light! Just make her feel bad…and you wonder why you mess up with the girls all the time? Grow a tail!” Vinyl said furiously. “Duh that was a case for captain obvious anyways! Everyone should have seen that they were very expensive.” “I…did not…” I gulped. “Oh shut yer trap Tavi! There are other things to worry about…” she started and gave me a knowing glare. “My sexiness?” Neon asked while trying to aspirate the word as much as he could. “Your manliness!” me and Vinyl let out at the same time. “Why do I always have to hit on the girls who are interested in the wrong gender?” “Hey…it isn’t like that…” I stumbled out. “So what? Vinyl or me? Who’d you pick?” Neon asked trying to provoke me. “What a strange question! I do not love you…and Vinyl is a girl.” “Hah! She did not say that she did not love me…so I still get my way…” “What the hay was that supposed to…” I was cut off when Vinyl suddenly leaned forwards and kissed me. Oh…that damn drunken mare…she really overdid it. I had probably drunk too much as well because all of a sudden I blushed… “Oh she has gone all cherry head!” Neon spouted. “Cherry what now? No wait I do not even want to…” While we chatted the night away I finally realised three things. First and foremost, those ponies are good people worth more than hundreds of those so called friends I had up until now. The second thing I realised was that Vinyl already moved all of her belongings into my home…probably with Neons help. Finally the most important thing I realised was that after hours and hours my mood started to turn back to its regular state. Sadly the alcohol still worked and so I still was a giggling mess. At around three in the morning Neon decided to go…well Vinyl decided for him. He was rather…well how do you say…grumpy? “Vinyl! You damn psycho! Want me to freeze to death? Every time I help you I get in serious trouble. What kind of pony treats her friends like that and No…w…wait…no…don’t…aaarrgh” It seemed like she really loved to use poor Neon as a punching ball. Well…if I remembered correct he tried to grope our plots a dozen times…oh just buck him! He deserved it! When Vinyl came back to the living room where I was still lying…she put on a serious face, put down her drink and asked me to tell her the story…all of it. I sighed tried to muster some composure and told her. I told her everything about Victor and about my last meeting with him. I even told her how strange I felt when I came home. We both came to the conclusion that it was probably really was one of them who stalked me and his ability probably was something like...“manipulating emotions?” I was not sure to be honest but it was the best explanation I could find in that small time. He probably gave up stalking me after I turned out to be exactly that horrible kind of pony he suspected instead of a smart one who discovered their secret. I mean I even did kiss another mare…that was pretty impure right? Oh, talking about that… “Well…Tavi…what about the kiss? Can I get another try at that?” “Oh buck you!” I pressed through my teeth. She already knew why I did it…right? “Huh…funny way to phrase it…I’d rather like to buck you.” she said and gave me a wink. “Come on…you just like to play around with me do you?” “If you just wanted me to look out of the window you could have done something different. T here were better ways…so why kiss me if you don’t like me?” “Because…shut it Vinyl!” I shouted out angrily. “Oh how…mature…as expected of a high class mare…” “You…you make my brain melt…” “Oh that wouldn’t be a big loss…you work better without yours!” “Well if you still had yours you might not live like the mess you are.” “Yeah…as if I could take that serious coming from a melancholic alcoholic…” “I am not an alcoholic…” “Yeah those bottles drank themselves…” “You and Neon also…” “You drank more than both of us combined you drunkard!” “I am not a drunk! I have some class!” “Yeah "A class" tolerance to liquor of all kinds.” “One can’t belong to the upper class and drink that excessivly…it would not make sense!” “You drink BECAUSE of that you silly mare! You can’t take it otherwise!” “Then I should drink all the more when I’m with you!” Then there was a long pause where both of us glared at each other. We just seemed to have views far too different from another that showed up from time to time. Even though it was just a quarrel based on a joke I somehow felt bad and thought it would be good to apologise. “I’m sorry Vinyl…I shouldn’t have said that.” “Yeah you shouldn’t! But what does it matter…gotta take the snobs as they snot…” “The hay is that supposed to mean?” “I dunno…just sounded very awesome.” We both giggled a lot during our great conversations. It was all about stupid things no one would ever care about. We just wanted to get a joke out of the other and in the end we fell asleep on the floor…hugging each other and sinking into a world of dreams. My dreams were painted in crimson. There was blood everywhere…dark clouds and lots and lots of rain. I saw a silhouette in the shadows and thought that I had to catch it so I tried to follow it. When I finally caught up to it…my dream abruptly ended with me letting out a scream. Thanks to me we both woke up. It looked like we slept far too long into the day. Vinyl asked me if we should visit my friend Victor today. She wanted him to answer for a few things. I guess Vinyl thought that Victor was involved in all of this. She probably believed they followed me all the way back from Victor’s mansion. Well I couldn’t hold anything against that… I mean Victor was a shady guy and a vampire on top of that. Meh…I knew better but it would probably work out if they met each other…of that I was sure. Then I had to ask Vinyl the one thing that was on my mind for far too long. “Vinyl?” “Yeah…” “Why do you believe in all of my stories? Don’t I look like a loon to you?” “You sure do but I don’t think you are crazy. I remember nothing about the guy you were forced to date. I should…I always did remember people who caused a fuss for me. Why would I forget exactly the one colt who annoyed me the most?” “So because of that you believe all the vampire stuff as well?” “To be honest…the vampires may be cult fanatics or even some kind of secret agency with a lot of magic users among their ranks. I do not care about that. I don’t want you to be in danger so we have to sort things out.” “You do not care who you go up against?” “As long as it is for you I would even kick Celestia in the flank.” “Oh great…so you may be a pony who would help me to fight windmills as well right?” “That is not funny Tavi. You know how I meant that.” “Yes…but I don’t see you that serious most of the time. You should lighten up. Everything will probably work out and…” “Yeah…probably. That is the problem. It has to work out for certain. I will kick some flank from here up to Saddle Arabia if that is what we need to make hundred percent sure you are safe.” “So my job from now on will be to stop you kicking any ponies flank before you will put in jail…” She rolled her eyes and I let out another giggle. It must be as much fun for her when the roles were not reversed and I was the one who had to deal with all her craziness. “So when do we meet Victor? Today?” she asked. “Well probably a little later…my mother gave me quite the "lofty" task you see…” Instead of walking to Victor I told her that I would have to prepare for the worst day ever. I had some serious filly sitting to do after all. Vinyl sighed after she heard that and said it would be my funeral anyways. “Oh please don’t talk about funerals. You saw what happened after the last one.” She gulped. I guess she didn’t want to upset me in any way and failed without noticing it. “So…should I help you with the filly sitting?” “If you comb your mane, wash out the colour, don’t put on your shades and act if you were the high class snob you never wanted to be, sure why not.” “Then that is a no for me…” “As I thought…” “At least let me keep my hair colour.” she said with an impish grin. “No…that was supposed to be a joke…” “I know but I want to…” “No…” “Tavi…please…” “Buck it…fine.” “Yeah!” “Just promise me that you’ll behave.” “I think we’ll have a lot of fun tomorrow.” That did it. I bursted out in laughter. She had absolutley no clue exactly how bad my family was. Oh, Vinyl you just dug your own grave. “Oh and Vinyl...?” I pressed through my teeths still trying to keep myself from laughing. “What?” “You are not prepared.” Even though I couldn’t stop laughing at her utterly confused face I knew exactly how hard the task that was before us would be. I just hope Vinyl would not mess up…or kick my sister in her in the flank. Otherwise I had to kick her...to the moon that is. Well, my life had really turned out to be far more vivid…and even though some things really annoy me I could get used to a life like this. Maybe there really was a happy end for every pony and you just let to have it happen? Who was I kidding in life there is no thing like a happy end and soon even I would know that...
-(10)- MistrustDid you ever wonder why ponies tend to avoid some situations? I guess you could answer that in a simple manner; they are not very brave. However, bravery may come in different forms. Are you brave if you fight a fight you are bound to lose? Wouldn’t that just be pure stupidity? I was not sure. The weather was once again cold and dark when I woke up. Everything seemed so sad and grey. Raindrops fell loudly on the skylight above my bed and played the same melody I always used to hear when I was unhappy. It is the same repetitive sound in the morning that would mark this day as the beginning of another disaster. Then my rather dark train of thoughts was interrupted by a certain pony who thought she had to use a weapon of bass destruction for an alarm clock. Oh waking up in such a manner…it truly was a dark day. I mean how would you feel if you were not sure if your roommate had just declared war on all the beings of Equestria via noise? After realising I wasn’t still dreaming I tried to move my flank to the shower but as you might have suspected…I was too late. I already heard the flow of water and a somehow happy Vinyl Scratch singing some songs. Oh…just great…I hate mornings…I hate them so much… I went into the kitchen and looked into the fridge. There was a lot of strange red sauce-looking stuff in there. Vinyl seemed to have strange taste…well why would I care. I just tried to get myself something of my own food and combined it into a sandwich. It didn’t taste like much and I didn’t really care. The only thing that really mattered was the coffee. I really needed some hot, bitter darkness I could throw down my throat. You want to know how I drink my coffee? Well, I drink my coffee black. No milk, no sugar, just plain coffee. Caffeine the one thing that truly sustains me… When I finally managed to swallow my sandwich, drink my first cup of coffee and was done with the newspaper I sighed. Vinyl was still not done…oh sweet mother of Celestia…how much longer would it take her. I wanted to avoid losing any more time so I prepared breakfast for her as well. I made a sandwich with…well, whatever it was that she had put in the fridge. It probably became some kind of exotic peanut butter jelly sandwich for all I knew. The coffee I made for her was something I could never drink myself. Besides the huge amount of milk she wanted in her coffee, she also claimet that at least seven sugar cubes were needed in there for her to even consider it drinkable. I just learnt that yesterday when she asked me to make her some coffee. Funny…but I guess it fits her hyperactive personality? Don’t you think so too? After I did prepare breakfast for her and she still was not done. I went back into my room and closed my eyes for a moment. I finally regained my senses when Vinyl shouted that the bathroom could be entered again and she must have already been sitting in the kitchen eating breakfast. Oh...I really needed that shower. It washed away all these feelings of dizziness and morning grumpiness. It was one of the things beside my coffee that I really had to have in the morning just to keep functioning. After I was done, I brushed my teeth, kempt my mane and looked for flaws in my appearance on the mirror. I found none and decided to meet Vinyl in the kitchen. I was…amazed. I didn’t take her seriously when she said she will try to look a little more snobbish. She looked like a freaking diva, no kidding. Her mane might still have had that unnatural blue colours but…she looked more like…do you know those mares who sing at the opera? She looked more like that than like anything else I could think of... I felt a little shocked…she looked more noble than I did with her now curled blue hair her long eyelids and those beautiful magenta eyes. Come to think about it…she always wore her big purple shades. She seemed completely different now. Her behaviour however… “Hey Tavi, thanks for the breakfast. It tastes awesowmmm….*munch*” she said while still chewing around on that sandwich. “Oh it wasn’t much…” I said with a faint smile. “By the way…the coffee tasted like horse apples and I had to throw in four more sugar cubes…” she started to tease me. “Well…at least I know where you get your hyperactivity from…” “Meh…that isn’t trained…I was born with that. You on the other hoof do seem to live very unhealthy. Don’t you know that black coffee is bad for the heart?” she tried to say in a motherly way. “It helps me to keep up my appearance so what does it matter? Oh, and by the way…you look gorgeous Vinyl.” “I know that…seen myself in the mirror for my whole life. I probably already realised don’t you think…” “You know how I mean it…” “Nope…not…one…bit. Oh and I still need the other shades…” “Shades? You want to wear shades? Are you crazy?” She grinned impishly and vanished from the kitchen…giggling like the maniac she was. When she came back she wore magenta teashades. That…looked actually pretty good with her new style. “Now, what do you think…is the one and only Vinyl Scratch perfect or what?” “No…she is just a very beautiful big mouthed idiot…” “Well…pretty is the thing that counts…isn’t it?” She looked way better than me…more snobbish, more beautiful…more everything…it made me feel a little bit ashamed of myself. “Hey Tavi…now what do you think…am I suited to help you fillysit that brat?” “Not with that foul mouth…but except that…yes I think you are more than suited…” “Sweet! Now let us talk about my reward…” “Not…gonna…happen! You decided to tag along…so no rewards for you…none!” “Horse apples…” We still had some time until we had to meet up with my parents so we just sat there in the kitchen and discussed some things that buzzed around my mind. Minor things…or so I thought. “Vinyl…what exactly did you stuff in the fridge?” “Mostly hot chili sauces of different kinds…why do you ask…? I know I put a lot of them in there but…” “What the hay did you do that for? I thought you had at least some common sense. After those incidents everything that just looks a little bit like blood freaks me out. That stuff however does not only look a little bit like blood...but a lot…” “Yeah Tavi…that is right…I am a vampire…” she said and rolled her eyes. “That isn’t funny Vinyl…” “How was I supposed to know about your vampire problem before you told me?” she said a little offended. “Why so much sauces? Why don’t you put some solid food in there as well?” I asked now a little harsher. “You that dense? I supposed that you had stuff like bread at home. I don’t know what you like on your bread but I like these sauces so...suck it up, Tavi.” she said rather annoyed. Did I just hit a nerve? With a stupid topic like sauce? Looking at how worked up Vinyl got because of it I supposed...yes. Somehow a strange train of thought strucked me. What if she was part of them as well? Could I have been tricked? Was all just set up by them? I did not know but I had to find out. “Well I suppose you are right Vinyl.” I said and smiled. It was a fake smile...not very obvious but to a person who knew me better it should be obvious enough. Vinyl glared at me in a strange manner...even for her. I simply didn't care about it...wandered to the drawer and took out a spoon. I then moved to the fridge and opened one of her sauce-glasses. She looked at me with big eyes when I pulled the now crimson looking spoon out of the glass. That was strange why was she suddenly the serious one and I'm the one who fools around? Maybe I was right and she was a vampire? Did she really stack blood in the fridge? “So you don’t mind if I try that?” I said with the spoon full of “sauce” in my hoof. “Don’t do that Tavi…I warn you…” she said with a serious expression. “Well…it is just sauce so…why should it bother me…” I said and took a big sip. Then…I realised how stupid my actions really were. That sauce was hot…no not just hot…it was as hot as the freaking sun. My throat started to get tighter and I must have lacked some air. I needed water! I fetched myself a cup and drank two cups just to realise that it didn’t help. “Didn’t I say…I warn you?” she said and started to laugh. “You see I’m not much of a vampire after all. Hell that is what you deserve for suspecting me.” she said with a happy yet serious tone. Well, I guess it really served me right. I suspected her to be a vampire and got a burning throat for that. The concept of equal change… “Drink some milk…you hot, hot mare…it will ease the pain.” she told me teasingly. She now seemed to be back in her normal state of happiness and stupidity. I took her advice even though I did not know if it was still part of her revenge. However I decided to trust her and nearly emptied two milk bottles. It really did help. “Oh…kay….I…think…I learnt my lesson…” I told her completely exhausted. “Glad you understand now. Maybe next time you simply trust me and you can avoid something like that.” she said once again in a serious tune. “But how…how can you eat something like that…” I asked seriously interested. “Duh…because I like it? All of those sauces are either far too sweet or far too spicy for another pony. Who would be able to put up with my weird taste anyway…tell me….honestly…” None. That was the simple answer. Vinyl Scratch was in every way unique…who said her sense of taste wouldn’t be as well. This was a complete loss for me and I already banned the thought from my mind that Vinyl could have been a vampire. However my certainty was already shattered when I catched her stare... “Wh…what…the hay…” I started to stumble in disbelief. “What?” she asked once again pretty annoyed. “What are you…” I pressed through my teeth. “What the hay do you mean? I can’t read thoughts can I?” she answered already getting all agitated once again. “Your left eye…the iris…it is crimson…” I said with a sore throat and I already started to move away...slightly crouching. “Oh…buck…” Vinyl shouted while covering up her eye with one hoof and moving another around the floor. “How do you try to talk yourself out of that one?” I asked once again in an unusual sharp interrogating tone. “Don’t try to act funny or stupid and help me find my contact lens you dimwit…” Vinyl said in a completley furious tone. I didn’t move a muscle. I just looked at her. Was she thinking I was a fool? Does she think I would really believe her with all the evidence right before my hooves? “Oh don’t tell me…just after you said you would trust me…” she said really angry now. She just stood there and waited a little. I guess she wanted to shake her anger off. Then she walked slowly towards me. Her face looked completly motionless. As she came closer and closer I still couldn’t move. Would that be it ? Would she suck all of my blood dry now that I knew her secret? The answer was no. She just hit me really hard on top of my head. “Are you completely dense? I AM NO VAMPIRE! SEE! No fangs…” she shouted and showed me her teeth from different angles. Well…there were no fangs so I guess she was right about that but maybe they could hide them... “But...the…the eyes…” I began to stutter. “Yeah that is my true eye colour. I have some stupid condition with my eyes so what? I know they look creepy and that is why I use contacts if I am not wearing my normal shades. I would have explained it if you didn’t act like the intolerant snob that you are.” Vinyl began to sweat as she threw everything she had against me. Every one of those words she threw at me and all hit very hard. She even seemed to enjoy making me down and putting me back in my place. “I…I don’t…” I couldn't form clear sentences anymore. I also couldn't find any ways to force her into quitting her talk. “Yeah it is always scream first and act stupid and don’t even bother about asking the other pony why later. You most certainly are a full-fledged noble who judges on his first impression.” she went on in her rage, cutting me deeper and deeper. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…I…” I started...already on the verge of crying. “Yeah…blah, blah, blah…you know what if you don’t trust me in the slightest I just move out…okay? It will be easier for both of us…seriously...” she said. This time it was more of a cold calculated tone different to the one she used in her outburst. “Please don’t go…” I said sobbingly. Tears were already flowing down my cheeks. “Why shouldn’t I…after you didn’t even trust me a second time…I don’t know why I should…” she answered less cold but you still felt some bitterness and rage in her voice. “I can’t give you a reason either…but I just don’t want you to go…” I said…and it took me a lot of willpower so that I didn’t start crying on a far larger scale. “You even don’t have to pay the rent…please just don’t go…” i went on. What the hay was I saying…why was I saying that…that would hurt me a lot in the long run. She just looked at me. She must have thought that I was such a pitiful and unreliable creature without spine. She must have despised me, she must have wanted to sever all connections with me. I expected her to leave any minute but instead she just hit me another time on the head... “You are such an idiot! I really should have just gone through that door…” she said with a sigh. “…but I understand your circumstances. All those craziness around you was bound to take a toll on you. However you have to put yourself into my horseshoes… Would you like it if I mistrusted you...called you a monster?” “No…I’m…so…so sorry Vinyl…” I told her while carriyng on sobbing. “Just forget it. I won’t hold it against you anymore, just don’t you ever mistrust me again.” “I…” and I couldn’t bring out any words afterwards. I just hugged her and afterwards buried my face into her lap. It seemed so long when we just sat there. My face hidden in her lap, trying to cool off, waiting that all traces of my more unsightly expressions would just go away while she tried to comfort me at the same time. She told me that she was sorry that she had overreacted, that she only said those things because she was mad. Well…it doesn’t matter how sweet those lies sound…I knew that I was the one in the wrong. Now that I finally encountered true friendship I also had to learn that it was something very fragile…easily broken and hard to be fixed. “Tavi…you know you should better try to get yourself together and prepare yourself. We still have to get over to your parent's place right?” Oh…she was right there. I most probably looked really bad. I went back to the bathroom and fixed my appearance while she had to look for her missing lens. When I came back I apologised properly for my behaviour to Vinyl. She was already back in her “sunshine-mode” and said I shouldn’t worry that much and I should just focus on the task ahead. Vinyl and me then left for my parents mansion…the place where I had to face another problem. Well...no matter how it would turn out it couldn’t get worse than my quarrel with Vinyl right? Right?
-(11)- SisterhipHave you ever had the chance to experience the presence of a great being? No, I do not talk about athletes, the elements of harmony, the royal sisters and such ponies. I am talking about somepony who could change the flow of the world just by existing… Vinyl seemed to be a pony just like that… After we made up after our little quarrel in the morning we had to hurry a little to get at my parent's place in time. The place was approximatley fourty minutes away on hoof...so it wasn't that big of a deal...we even arrived ten minutes before the designated time. My parents were already waiting at the front gates of their mansion and gave me their usual “you are late” stare even though I was perfectly in time. My little sister on the other hoof was nowhere to be seen. She probably waited inside doing something…gracious. Oh by the way…that was sarcasm. “Oh darling, finally! I already feared you had forgotten…” she started in her usual manner while her eyes wandered down Vinyl. She probably couldn’t figure out who this beautiful mare was. “Octavia…why didn’t you say that you would bring a guest? I could have prepared something…” Vinyl managed such a girly smile that even I was impressed. The whole situation felt so unreal and if that wasn’t enough she started to speak in a fine Canterlot tongue. “Oh you shouldn’t blame Octavia, we just happened to meet when she was on her way here. I haven’t seen her in years so I thought I may use my time to catch up on what I missed. Of course it wasn’t my intention to disturb the peace and if you rather want me to leave I would oblige.” She even sounded just like an aristocrat…her…the stupid DJ. “Oh Octavia never mentioned that she knew a mare as posh as you…” my mother said. “Oh please…you make me blush.” Vinyl answered. “Well what do you do for a living?” At that moment I wished with all my being that Vinly did not say that she makes music. My mother may be a snob but she was not stupid. If she put two and two together she would know that Vinyl was the one who moved in with me… “Oh, I am an artist. I used to act when I was younger but I wasn’t very successful. Then I focused my creativity into writing and well…I have to say everything worked out great. I would even be famous if I hadn’t decided to write under a pseudonym.” “That sounds…impressive my dear…” said my mother. “Oh I guess it sounds that way…” and she let out a girly laugh. “Well there is no need for you to be impressed…I mean you played the main actress in some of the greatest plays of Equestria. I read a lot of critics and they all mentioned you as the best Juliette and Isolde.” Vinly added. “Oh my…you seem to know a lot about art…” I was baffled. How did she know all that. Why was she able to pull such a thing off? Wasn’t she Vinyl Scratch a DJ without manners? I started to think I’d lose my sanity… They chatted a little while longer and it seemed as if my mother took a liking to Vinyl. After a while my father started to cough and reminded mother of the time. She then apologised to Vinyl for leaving so sudden and that she wanted to continue their talk some other time. Vinyl acted as if there was nothing she would like to do more and when they finally left for good she let out a sigh. “I think I have to puke. That was probably the most snobbish pony in all of Equestria…” “Yes…and you seemed like you were here biggest fan.” “Don’t get me even started Tavi, that mare is such a hypocritical…” and she paused, probably thinking I would be hurt by her words. “Oh…I do not mind if you tell me what you think about her…I couldn’t care less.” “Well…how do I say it… Do you know that there are two types of liars? One who lies for a benefit and one who lies just for the sake of lying?” I giggled when she said that. She probably still did not get my situation. “Oh you don't get it Vinyl. Do you want to know what I learned in this household?” “Eh…okay...” “Rule number one: Perception is reality. Rule number two: if you have to lie to get something you want just do it. Rule number three: if someone sees through your construct of lies try to explain why you lied with more lies.” “Tavi?” Vinyl asked with a feint voice. “Yes?” “Your family is sick…” “Oh I know…” and I let out another giggle. “So…your sister…” she said confused. “She is already like my mother…” “Oh…so I have to…” “Yes pretty much…” and I giggled again. “All day long?” “Yes but you seemed to know what to do with my mom…” “But…acting like that makes me sick…” “You wanted to tag along…” I said with an impish grin. “You knew what would happen…” “Pretty much…” “Why didn’t you warn me?” she asked jokingly. “Oh I guess there are things one has to experience oneself…” “Well maybe…I’ll end up just like you after this day…” “What do you mean?” “Maybe I become an alcoholic as well…” “I am not an alco…” I started indignantly. “Yeah….right…” she said and rolled her eyes. “Buck you Vinyl!” I said already annoyed. “My little drunkard, my little drunkard….” she started to sing “Vinyl!” “Oh you are so cute when you are angry….or drunk…or lying on top of me” “Vinyl…we shall never speak about any of that again…” “B-b-but I’m afraid. If you are completley smashed chances are good that you could get in an terrible accident …” she said playing all innocent and worried. “VINYL ! SHUT IT !” “And here I try to be a good mother for you…” she went on. “You know that you torture my head?” I asked with a faint voice. “As much as you torture my heart…” “That again? Come on that joke is not funny anymore…” “Hmm…” “What?” “You are a blockhead…” “I hate you!” “I know and yet you still can’t let me go. This kind of love...I like it!” There was no use in talking to Vinyl when she was like that, so I juzst rolled my eyes. We then proceeded to walk through the garden inbetween the gateway and the mansion. We entered the mansion and Vinyl...well she didn't seem very impressed by the interieur. After we wandered through a few empty rooms we finally encountered my little sister in a living room. Cesura, already waited for me. Filly sitting is not an easy task you see…and I’d rather not take responsibility for another equine being but I guess sometimes we have to face our personal horrors and emerge victorious from a battle that seemed lost from the very beginning. She looked in wonder when she realised that it wasn’t only me who came in but Vinyl as well. “Oh so mother managed to find me another teacher as well…” “No my dear, this is an old friend of mine…” I said. “So how should I call her?” “Vestige Record” she said with her unusual girly voice again. The jaw of my sister dropped and Vinyls eyes flashed in horror for a moment. Something just happened and I was the one who did not get it. “You are Vestige Record? The child prodigy?” “Yes…indeed…” I just listened to them. I did not have the slightest clue what was going on but Vinyl seemed to have taken the identity theft too far and had to deal with the concequences. “I heard you must have been a genius in your youth but in the end you couldn’t stand the pressure.” “Yes…seems like it…” she said in a flat voice. Was that true? Why didn't she tell me? Oh great...if it was true than I really brought her into an awfull situation. Great Job Octavia, great Job... “I wonder where you hid all these years. There was not a single sign of life until now…” “Well I…” “How fitting…the useless prodigy and my useless sister are friends…” Cesura said mumbling to herself. “How dare you talk like that about your sister you ungrateful brat?” Vinyl suddenly bursted out. Now she did it. She made my sister angry. That was very, very bad. When my sister was angry she became far crueller then any pony could suspect. She simply pierces your heart where it hurts the most. It was a feeling you can't shake off that fast. “Well she is in fact useless on several levels: She failed her career. She failed in love. She failed her life. She never reached the top in the music business no matter how hard she tried. Then there is also the obvious fact that she is just an earth pony. That alone would make her worthless. To keep it short she was a disappointment for our family.” “You worthless brat, how dare you talk about Tavi like that. Somepony should have paddled your flank years ago.“ “Well of course you try to defend her. Losers stick together. Well, I am not mean so I even let you in in a little secret. Winners never quit and Quitters never win. Your existence is worthless as well. You had it all but you decided to give it up. That makes you a loser!” Suddenly there was a sound. It was as if the air itself was cut. My hoof felt very hot and the face of my sister looked a little bit to the right. My hoof was still there in her face. I really did. I never cared about what she said when it was directed at me but...when she started to verbally attack Vinyl I snapped. Oh this was be bad…very very bad “How dare you hit my face! You worthless earth pony! Your whole existence was a mistake and you still prove it on this day and…” The same noise…once again…but this time it wasn’t my hoof. “Now that you already did it…I thought it wouldn't make it any worse if I do it as well…” “Both of you are just low class scum and…” “Shut up spoiled brat…shut up and listen” Vinyl said enraged. “No…you better listen! I will tell mother and…” “And I will give a buck about that…your mother can’t do anything against me…” “But…I....I...” she stutterd. “Yeah you! You will behave or I…” “You can’t scare me…there is nothing you can do against me as well…” she said triumphantly. “She can’t but I can…” I said with a voice like ice. “You wouldn’t dare Octavia…” she said furiously. “Oh…I can tell mother a lot of your secrets…” I said in a very dry tone. “And why do you think she would believe you?” “Because I will just take your diary and hand it over to mother…” “Are you trying to blackmail me? You wouldn't dare.” “In fact…I do…” It didn’t feel right. I had hit my sister and now I even tried to blackmail her. I felt awful but then my mood changed abruptly when my sister began to laugh. “So you aren’t that stupid after all. You do think about ways to get the upper hand from time to time as well. It just seems so ridiculous that you won’t stand your ground against mother who tries to control everything. I am a victim as well but you are just like her trying to get control over me… Yes just beat the dead horse...do it...” “So you say you suffer under our mother as well? Don’t make me laugh…” “Oh yes? Don’t you even know how easy it is for you? She has no expectations for you at all. She gave up on you when you were born without a horn. Every other disappointment was just a calculated propability. She does not care about what you do only how you represent all of us. I on the other hoof have to carry everything you were not capable of on my back. I have to marry a noble one day. I have to become famous. I have to see to it that our family remains prestigious. You know nothing about the burdens I carry. You only have to do one thing…bring no shame to our family and even there you fail…” I was…baffled. That girl talked to me as if she was older than me…as if she had seen so much pain and misery. The worst thing about it was she could be right. Vinyl looked like she knew exactly what Cesura was talking about. Every time that filly spoke Vinyl had a painful expression on her face. “Well…you won. Take my diary…it is in my room on the desk.” she said with a faint glimmer in her eyes. Now I smirked. How cunning. Did she really think I was a total fool? I knew where she hides her real diary. I went to her room and raised a plank under her bed. There was a little black book. I completely ignored the cute pink one that was lying on the desk. It was just a fake she used to trick mother. Oh yes…mother most certainly read the diary of her daughter. When I went back in the room where I left Vinyl and Cesura behind, my sisters eyes widened in horror. JACKPOT ! “Not-a-word-sister. You get that.” I said with a big mile. She nodded and glared furiously at me. She knew she had lost. “I swear I will not use it against you” I said still grinning as if it was heartwarmings eve. “Well I do think you are not the type who would lay open all my secrets... but…I also didn’t think you would blackmail me…” she said angrily . Vinyl…well Vinyl did what Vinyl always did. She started laughing. “Hey Tavi…you know I never thought you had so much low-class emotions…” “Oh shut it..V…Vestige…” whooops I nearly called her Vinyl by accident. “Well you always seemed like a goody two shoes and now you turn out to have such a dark side..“ “Shut it…you stupid loon.” The little filly looked at us and then her eyes flashed in enlightenment. She got back her composure and started to speak in a sugarsweet voice . “Oh it is like that…” and a devilish grin widened on her face. Well…I guess you really do not want to share the content of my diary. If you did I would simply leak your secrets as well…” How pitiful she tried to threaten us even though there was nothing she has tu use against us. Vinyl sighed and told her that she was correct. Wait...what? Why did she say that? Did Vinyl really saw a threat anywhere or did she simply take pity on my sister. Well I would probably have to ask her later. The rest of the day wasn’t that bad. My sister even played a song she composed this year. She said that she won a contest with it. Most of her opponents were very pitiful. One group she remembered pretty well were some fillies without cutiemarks. They dressed up as a chicken, a robot and an apple and sang something that couldn't be described as music. We could even have a few laughs with my sister. However you should never let your guard down around her. She could not be trusted. Everything she did was for her on ends after all. Now that it seemed we were on her good side she probably just thought about using us later in life. Vinyl told me she felt exactly the same vibe from her. This filly just uses cold logic to get what she wanted. In some way she was scarier then all inequine beings could ever be… We decided that we would keep as much distance as possible to her from now on. However maybe some point in the future even she might be able to open up to someone special. It may be a friend, or who knows maybe her special somepony who breaks the ice around her heart. Time would tell…but the story of Cesuras life isn’t intertwined with mine…it only grazed it. .
-(13)- AttractionThey prey on the weak…they always do... If something happens it always does when you are alone, when you are at your weakest. Those sinister beings that would try to take advantage of a lonely looking mare sitting on a park bench… Those poor excuses for colts...really get on my nerves. Oh yes I exaggerated a little…there was just one colt…and well technically he didn’t even hit on me but why would he sit down exactly on my bench when there had to be dozen empty ones in this park? He looked completely bland to me. There was nothing special about him. He had a grey coat, a brown mane and just seemed out of breath. He opened his bag and started to eat next to me. Do you believe that? What was wrong with him? Can’t he eat somewhere else? Oh...the nerve... After he was done he jumped up and went away as if nothing was wrong at all. Wait…did that…did that colt just completely ignore me? It was probably thanks to Vinyl that I even cared about such a fact. Yes…I never had a colt friend…so what? I suspected that I would at least attract some attention from males. I was just about to leave the park but there were two reasons I stayed. First and foremost I had to wait until Vinyl came back. What could take her so long anyways… The other reason...well it just seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. If I had to describe him I would probably say he was the exact opposite of the colt I had seen before. He was in no form just a common pony. He looked like a model for crying out loud. If Fleur de Lis had been born a male she would have probably looked similar to him. His coat was white as snow…his mane ice blue. Even his body was a little bit longer than the one of the average ponies. The smile on his face seemed like a gift from Celestia herself. Oh and those eyes…those azure eyes. When I looked into them I felt like I was falling… My heart started to beat. Was that it? Was that the feeling ponies described as love at first sight? If it was...it felt very painful. I had such a strange feeling…was it guilt? Why? Why would I feel guilty? The unicorn opened his perfectly shaped muzzle and asked me if he could take a seat next to me. I couldn’t press a word through my throat and just nodded. He gave me another smile and sat down. Oh…this was bad…really, really bad. I did enjoy sitting near somepony like him but if Vinyl came back something horrible was bound to happen. Even though I could have sat there for hours just admiring that colt I felt the urge to go. I simply knew it wasn’t worth it. My gut feeling told me I had to move...and I had to do it now... When I was about to leave the gorgeous unicorn took my hoof and looked deep into my eyes. He looked rushed this time and there was something else in his eyes… Was it curiosity? Was it sadness? I couldn't tell... He started to speak and even though his voice was so clear, smooth and full of emotion…I had to shiver. The thing that puzzled me the most however was what he did next. “Please do not go…” he said pleadingly. Suddenly it felt it far harder to leave. I knew I could do it but it would take a lot of my willpower to just leave him all alone on this cold park bench… What the hay…was I thinking? Oh this was alerting... If that was how true love feels...it was a ridiculous emotion. I could do without it. The only thing it did was to cause conflict in my thoughts. That was if it wasn't something other than love... “So…you do not like me?” he asked in a soft tune. Oh he was just like a puppy…and I nearly gave in...but I decided to stay strong. “I…I am sorry but I have to go…” I finally managed to get through. The colt sighed gave me another smile and went on in a warm voice: “Well maybe it was not meant to be today…but I am sure we will meet anew and when that time comes you shan’t decline to spend some time with me…” Then he got up and moved gracefully into the opposite direction of where I was leaving to. That seemed off. He spoke in such a strange manner. I have seen that before. I think it was at a ceremony princess Luna held some time ago. It was the way they spoke back in the Canterlot of old. His way of talking also reminded me a little bit of Victor and…wait a minute…could it have been… When I turned around he was already gone…just the smell of roses was left. Why was it just now that I realised he smelled like roses? I loved that smell. Well that didn't matter... I had a lot of questions burning on my mind. Who was that? Was it a vampire? If yes why weren’t his eyes crimson? Was he wearing contacts? Even more puzzling was the next question: Why was I drawn to him that much? I didn't feel any kind of attraction to the vampire I met before. I tried to collect my mind. Thinking everything through that just happened I came to realise a few things. Now that he was gone I do not feel the strange attraction towards him anymore. I still knew how he looked. It was an exact recollection and not just a hazy memory. If I thought about him now I could say he was probably the most beautiful male colt that ever walked Equestria. However just that fact ididn’t make my heart beat at all. I was sure that wasn’t love. For all I know it probably wasn’t a vampire either…he didn't show any of the characteristics. He didn't have crimson eyes, he didn't try to change the flow of nature and he didn't try as hard as the vampire before to make me fall for him. He just hit on me...saw that he had no chance and said he'd try again...was he a normal pony after all? Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me? I may be stressed out. Or were there more unknown creatures that inhibit Equestria? Maybe an incubus? I did not know…I needed Victor and I needed him now... Wait a minute...all that thinking made me forgot my most urgent problem... Where the hay was Vinyl? Did she try to buy snacks in the Crystal Empire? Oh…Vinyl…hurry we are in trouble, we… Then something hit me. Maybe she WAS already in trouble and the colt was just a distraction. Maybe somepony casted a love spell on us...maybe... Okay…I was freaking out. Stupid thoughts over stupid thoughts popped up in my head. I took a deep breath and decided on what I had to do. I would gallop in the direction Vinyl went and maybe I would find the store she talked about…yes that seemed logical for once. Now that I finally had a goal that swept away all the unnecessary thoughts that were bugging me I was ready to go…but I already saw Vinyl at the end of the park. It only took her a few moments to cross the distance. “Sorry to keep you waiting for so long Tavi…I just…” she said with a grin. Even though I was happy and relieved to see that she was fine and dandy I irrationally started to cry. “S-stupid…DJ…” I started while sobbing. Vinyl looked completely irritated. I would have been as well if I had been her I guess, However all of that didn’t matter at the moment. I was just happy she was okay. “What happened Tavi? Did someone hurt you? Or do you think I would let you here alone?” She asked me overly concerned…how uncommon. I tried to answer her so that she had not to worry about the situation anymore. “There was this… strange colt… and you…gone for so long and…I…I thought…” I managed to get out. “Slow down Tavi. Here take a can of coke and a chocolate bar and tell me everything that happened. Try to be as precise as possible… “ she said trying to calm me down. Vinyls face had a stern expression when I told her about what happened when she was gone. When I told her about the colt and my attraction towards him in special she flinched a little. After I ended the story for a long time she simply said nothing. I took some sips from the coke and already finished my chocolate bar and she still just sat there...silently ...staring at the space. When the uncomfortable feeling of silence became too much for me and I tried to say something however she was faster than me. “Well Tavi…I guess that really was love at first sight. Even if you feel guilty about it…it probably was love…” she said all of that without any visibly expressions on her face. Oh…my gut started hurting again. However this time it felt like a hot needle piercing through my abdomen. I tried to control myself…not letting anything like that come in the way now. “Good looking colt huh…seems I already lost there…” Vinyl said in a flat voice . “I tell you I don’t think it was love…it must have been magic or…” I said but stopped midway when I saw her face. Oh it nearly made me cry again…just seeing her like that. “Yeah…magic of love…for sure…” she said with a dead voice. “He did not look normal…he did not talk normal…he probably was a vampire…” I said hasty. I tried it that way even though he probably wasn't a vampire it may be enought to convince Vinyl. Maybe she would conveniently embrace this lie... “If he was a vampire you shouldn’t be able to tell how he looked right?” she said grim. Yes who was I trying to fool…she wasn’t really the type to fall for easy excuses. My train of thought was suddenly interrupted...once again by pain. The pain in my stomach…it got stronger. I began to sweat. I never reacted that bad when I felt guilty until now. I had to wrap that up quickly… “I just ask this out of curiosity. How exactly did he look? How great does he have to look if you’d take him over me just in the first heartbeat you saw him? Tell me!” she demanded looking like a mad mare. I pittied her so much when I looked at her. She looked kind of crazy, like a broken toy...it was as if her mind itself had been shattered. She probably hated the entire world around her at that time but the thing she probably hated the most was herself. I could and couldn’t comprehend her situation at the same time. I would be pretty devastated too when I just managed to get a sloppy second place in somepony’s heart. Well I didn’t know anything about love so I tried to compare her devastation to all of the times in my life were I managed to fail something I really wanted. The feeling must be enough to make her wish she rather gouged her eyeballs out. On the other hoof I couldn’t understand her. We were talking about me. I was nothing special. I was just a stupid mare with no perspectives whose only special trait seemed to be to get in more and more trouble. I shouldn’t be worth all her efforts. I mean…couldn’t she get someone better in the blink of an eye. Even though I didn’t want to hurt her I gave in and answered what she wanted to hear. “Well he was a unicorn, had a coat white as snow…an iceblue mane and those strange azure eyes they seemed as deep as an ocean …” I told her trying to keep my tone neither scared nor concerned. I messed up. The emotions were clearly conveyed..of that I was sure. I expected a reaction from her, yes...but not that one... Vinyl froze. She froze the very minute I said that. All her anger was washed away in a second. There was nothing... She seemed like she wanted to recollect something in her mind…but it didn’t seem to fit. “Impossible” she said under her breath. “What?” I asked curiously and my eyes grew larger. Why wasn’t the pain stopping…my stomach felt on fire. Something was off. “The cute colt you mentioned…he was there...with me…at the store.” Vinyl said in wonder. “So? ”I asked with a confused expression. I didn’t get what was so strange about that. Vinyl probably chatted the time away at the store while the guy was already on his way to the park probably in a fast pace…sheesh… “I left before him Tavi. There was no way he could be faster in the park than me..." Furthermore even if he had run...why didn't I see him pass me?” Vinyl said with a shocked face. Now that…really made no sense… She went on and explained that it normally takes around twenty minutes to the store and back. However she took a little longer because she talked with the shopkeeper a little and had to stop on her way back when she encountered an old friend of hers. That should have taken her around fifteen minutes more she said...oh and she also exchanged a few words with the strange colt in the shop. “What did you talk about with that colt?” I asked. Now a strange feeling mixed with the increasing pain I tried to endure. Why did she talk to a colt like him...didn't she say she liked me? Didn't she also say cute colt before? Now that I think about it she did...and it doesn't sit right with me. Could that be..jealousy? Was I jealous? No way...that couldn't be right... I probably was just worried...yes...it had to be... “Nothing much he just complimented me on my hairstyle and handed me the coke from a high shelf.” “The coke…” I said with a shocked voice and let the can fall. Where the liquid touched the ground it instantly turned into vapor. Vinyl’s eyes widened in shock. She shook me, asked me things, started to cry. She did all that while the pain increased and I heard less and less, saw less and less and even felt less and less… Just before I finally collapsed and lost my consciousness I tried to tell her something but was cut off short. What a pitty...the only words I managed to press through my teeth were: "Vinyl I…" Then I plunged in the seemingly endless darkness...
-(14)- ConfusionI always thought dying felt peaceful. At first it was just me floating in the endless void, embraced by darkness. Things took a turn for the worse when I suddenly regained the feeling for my body. Shivers ran down my spine. My whole body felt as if had been shattered into little pieces. Everything felt so cold…yet burning… The agony seemed to last for so long…I already concluded I ended up in hell. Then suddenly all the pain was washed away… it had been replaced by something far sinister…a taste of this soul chilling cold. It was as if a thin layer of ice was spreading under my skin. It slowly began to grow…feeding on my essence. When the cold finally tried to clad around my heart trying to finish me off…I…well I had to throw up... I probably wasn’t alone because my unsightly awakening was accompanied by a loud shriek. I couldn’t see who it was because my eyes still burnt a little but the noise most certainly came from Vinyl. Even though I could already hear what was happening I remained a prisoner in my own body. As hard as I tried, nothing wanted to move… My whole body ached under pain. No, it wasn’t like the pain I experienced while I was out. If I had to describe it I would probably say it was as if all my muscles were sore. Combine that with the worst hangover you ever had and well…that was me just then.. “Truly, a fascinating specimen…” I heard someone mumble. It was probably thanks to the situation that my perception was reduced to feeling and hearing only that I heard that. If my eyes hadn’t been closed I probably would have missed it. I thought he also said something about “experiment”…but my head was probably still too messy and I only imagined that. “She alright doc??” a more familiar voice asked. “Hum… “ the unknown voice replied. “Maybe we should move her to the shadow…” Vinyl asked concerned. “Who conducts the treatment? You or me?” the voice replied rather annoyed. So…that voice belonged to a medic I assumed. However, the way he emphasized the word “treatment” gave me the shivers. It didn’t sit right with me. “I just wanted…” Vinyl tried to defend herself but was interrupted by the other pony. “Shh…her breathing seems to be stable again…” the “doc” remarked. “Miss? Can you hear me?” he asked in a loud voice. Sweet Celestia, I thought my head was going to explode. Could that buffoon of a medic at least try to go easy on me? Well I just had to reply…so I did…or at least tried to… “Uhmm…” was the only thing I got out. Oh right…can’t do a thing… Figures that bad stuff only happens to me… “Looking at how she is already able to react it probably was a mere case of food poisoning as I had suspected…” Whoever this medic was…he was pretty full of himself. What a worthless diagnosis… Normally a liquid does not just vaporize when it touches the ground right? “She should really visit the hospital…today would be best” he went on. I tried to get on my hooves but I failed. It really annoys me to be in such a helpless situation. Should have never left my bed today…that’s what I got for doing it anyways... “Try to hold onto that position for a few minutes longer, miss. Your circulatory system has to readjust. Seeing that you already barfed up all that was in your stomach you’ll probably be able to get up soon. “ the unknown medic informed me. A few moments passed when I finally opened my eyes. They still hurt a little but that wasn’t too bad. I looked around. I was still in the park. However the only ponies that were there were Vinyl and the one she called “doc”. Why was there a medic but no onlookers? Was I out for such a short time? Even if that was true how did that medic come here so fast? I was lost… I managed to get on my hooves soon after I caught a glimpse of my situation and took a good look at the medic. He just looked like an earth pony past his best years. His mane already lost its entire natural colour leaving back only an ivory-white tone. He wore thick glasses…and had a short boxed beard as white as his mane. His coat was ash gray and he smelled like antiseptic agent. Even though his appearance seemed warm and soft his dark brown eyes mustered me cold and calculating. He somehow looked very familiar but I just couldn’t put my hoof on it. “Well…how do you feel miss?” he asked with curiosity interrupting my flow of thoughts. “As if I was hit in the stomach by one angry apple bucker…wait…make that two…” I said rubbing my stomach while my head was still in a little disarray. “Well miss, if you’d like to we could move you to the hospital right now to get a clean check up on the situation and…” he started but I cut him off short. It would be of no use to go to the hospital anyways. “I feel fine…more or less…so don’t you worry…” You couldn’t help me anyways even if you wanted to. I had to see Victor and I had to do it soon. Whatever it was that happened to me he would most certainly know the answer to it. The medic looked at me…he probably wasn’t happy about my decision…at least according to his mimic. He took a deep breath and sighed when he saw the determination in my face. “Well…if you say so…but why don’t you come over tomorrow none the less? Just tell them the head physician wants to see you. I will find some time so don’t you worry…” he said, leaving us on our own. Did he just leave with a smug smile? I probably just imagined that. Oh and didn’t he just say he was the head physician? Now I know why I thought he looked so familiar. I’d seen him on a lot of jobs and in the papers. So he probably wasn’t a bad guy and just wanted to see that I am well… When I shook off my doubts about him I let my eyes wander to Vinyl. She looked strange. Her eyes were locked at the space where the medic left her field of vision. I didn’t know what I should do and just called out to her. “Vinyl? Everything alright?” What a strange development of events. I was the one who fainted and she should have been the one concerned about me but here I was worrying about her… “Eh…what…” she answered. Enough is enough. I could tolerate all the sick twists of fate up to now but come on…does everything have to feel all wrong? Nothing and I really mean nothing does make sense anymore. First the strange colt, then all the drama in the park, the “poisoned” drink, me fainting, the strange medic and after all of those stupid events Vinyl stared into the blue as if she had no cares in the world... All of that didn’t add up. I felt that all of it had to be connected but I didn’t know how. However my brain most certainly is not the wellspring of great and logical deduction so I had to use what I had. That may have sounded far more cunning then it really was…to put it simple I would just ask Vinyl what had happened and try to figure it out that way. “Do you still remember what we talked about before I collapsed? I seem to have forgotten.” I said blatantly lying. As if I would ever be able to forget that ever. It was a class-A drama where the both of us acted just like high school girls on their first period. Oh it was so hard not to blush in embarrassment. However I managed to somehow drive all emotions back into the corner of my mind, showing nothing more than curiosity when I asked . My expectations were met: Vinyl turned as red as a cherry… So she still knew… however that didn’t answer the big question why we acted like that? “I do…but it makes no sense to me now…” Vinyl said trying to avoid my gaze. “I acted all jelly and don’t even know why…” she went on . Even though I enjoyed watching her relive all this embarrassing moments just for the sake of telling me I had to burst out in laughter…did she really say jelly? Yes I know it wasn’t that funny but I had a hard day and hardly any laughs so I burst out in laughter nonetheless. “Did you really just say jelly? Like jellyfish? Or peanut butter jelly jelly?” “Does that really matter just now? I thought you wanted to hear what has…” Looking at her face I could see how everything fell into place. I knew she caught on when she blushed even more. Oh sometimes I could be so cruel…but I never said I wasn’t. It was all for the sake of knowledge anyways so…I couldn’t possibly be blamed for that could I? “You knew…you bucking knew and wanted me to tell you even though…” she said with a glare. Did that upset her so much? Well I suppose…watching her spit on the ground in disgust backed up that theory though. Still…you should have seen her face…priceless. “Oh I had to know…I mean…maybe I dreamed all of that while I was out cold…” I told her and giggled. Her emberassment and anger were replaced by something else...was itc oncern? It felt a little awkward but Vinyl was trying to talk seriously to me. Well sometimes even she seems to have those serious moments and I was thankful for that…or so I thought. “So…you think you are fine?” she asked. “Yes…I presume. I just feel like I had the mother of all hangovers…” “Maybe you should go to the hospital after all…” “No…they probably won’t be able to help me.” I said a little surprised. How could she not realise something so obvious. Nopony would believe I drank a can full of acid or whatever else it could have been? “Why? It was just some food poisoning…haven’t you heard the doc?” Vinyl responded still trying to remain serious. I couldn’t believe it…didn’t she pay any attention at all? “Vinyl? You saw how that the drink vaporized as soon as it hit the ground? That wasn’t normal at all!” I told her trying to remain as calm as possible. “What are you saying? That never happened. You really are imagining things now…” she responded in surprise. She looked so natural while talking…so I had to assume that she wouldn’t lie to me on purpose. However I couldn’t reign my frustration completely in. A sharp comment left my mouth. “What? Are you trying to mess with me you stupid DJ?” “No…honestly...you probably are still a little confused…” she said probably trying to make sense of my behaviour and calming me down. Well she could try for all I care but I still couldn’t believe it was all just in my head… “What about the colt`? The one who handed you the can in the shop?” “Who?” she said and her eyes widened. “The one who I met while you were still gone…” “You know that makes no sense Tavi? Maybe you should lie down…” she said, She probably was not sure if she should be concerned or freaked out by my behaviour by then. “No…I…” “If he met me at the store how could he be in the park with you? I also think you mixed up two memories there. I guess that is something that can possibly happen when you faint…” she said with a shrug. “What? No…Vinyl…” Vinyl looked at me in wonder. She didn’t get what I tried to say at all. “So you just went to the store bought some stuff and came back as soon as possible? Is that how it was?” I asked her…anticipating the answer. “Yes. As soon as I left the store I hurried back to you…why?” she responded. That made no sense, all of it. Was I going insane? The colt, the drink…was everything just my imagination? I tried once again... “What about your friend, the one you met on your way back?” “What are you talking about, Tavi? I wouldn’t let you wait in the park for any longer than necessary if I just went to buy something even if princess Celestia herself would invite me for tea…” “Something feels off Vinyl…and I can’t put my hoof on it.” “Maybe you should go to the hospital…” Cold anger overcame me. She was getting on my nerves and I stomped down in anger. I never felt so annoyed in my entire existence. Maybe I was going bananas…so what? Who am I to know what was wrong with me anyways? However her mistrust was another thing, it just made me want to smash things. Then I couldn’t hold it in any longer… “What is with you and the stupid hospital anyways…I said I am fine!” I said in a sharp tone. “Doesn’t seem fine to me.” she answered calm and composed. “I said I will go tomorrow so stop that…” I told and glared at her angrily, . For a few seconds everything was silent. Vinyl broke the silence deciding it was probably the best to just give me what I want for now and so she presented me with a situation where I could ask her another question. “So is there still something that haunts your thoughts? Something a little less crazy maybe?” “Yes…why did we both react like idiots when we talked in the park?” even though I asked that already. “Uh…I dunno. Give me a break. I don’t even want to remember that… You clang to me like me like politicians to their money…” she said half-heartedly smiling at me. “You did the same thing!” I replied. “I try not to think about that…” She looked away from me…probably fearing she would turn red all over again. I did the same for another reason. I had to think about something. Now that I calmed down a little I had to think about my sanity. Was she right? Was I imagining things now? Oh it was hard to say... How should you know you are crazy if you already are a lunatic? A tricky question indeed... When I turned back and took a glimpse at Vinyl was once again staring into the blue yonder I was assured that there was nothing wrong with my psyche. I wasn't sure about hers now though...oh just great… I knew Vinyl Scratch was a lot of things, a DJ, a friend and most of all an idiot who simply said what she thought but I certainly knew she was neither a liar nor trying to get a joke out of me when I was already a freaked out mess. I guess there was really just one pony or rather…one very eccentric vampire who could help me… I persuaded Vinyl to follow me to visit that certain friend of mine. At first she didn’t want to, probably because she still thought that I was just delusional. When I said I would go there even if she didn't follow she let out a deep sigh and told me she would tag along. We didn’t really keep a conversation up while trotting through Canterlot. Vinyl tried to persuade me to give up on my plan a few times though. She rather I just visited the hospital already. Was I freaking her out that much? I suppose the answer to that was yes. My patience ran short rather quickly. Soon after the third time she tried to convince me I didn’t even reply to her anymore…I just stomped my hoof angry at the ground forcing her into silence. Although I hate overhasty assumptions I knew there was something wrong with Vinyl and me. Even if I had chosen to ignore the fact that I probably drank something like acid without dying I had to get Vinyl fixed. Her behaviour seemed so strange…as if she was a broken toy or if somepony just played an old record over and over. Whatever happened to the both of us…I hope Victor could help. That was my only hope... I tried to get myself lost in the city as I did a dozen times before. I feared that I wouldn’t find the way now that Vinyl was with me but…surprisingly everything went far better than I expected. “Where are we…I don’t know this streets? Tavi…do you really think this is the right way.” Vinyl said at some point…clearly trying to hide her discomfort and miserably failing at that. When we finally reached the street where Victor’s mansion was located I could hear a song…so vague and yet so clear…it pierced my heart but also soothed the pain in my mind. Oh that melody...it never failed to amaze me. Looking at Vinyl’s face she probably had the same experience even though I wasn’t sure how clearly she could hear it. Even thought it was down just down the street now a thought crossed my mind. I already knew how Victor reacted to situations he was not used to…so I tried to give myself a head start explaining. When I told Vinyl she should just wait here until I call her she nodded absently. The music alone already washed away all of the doubt she had towards me. Why else would she let me go on my own only then? Or was the box messing with her? I did not know… When I managed to close the distance to Victor’s place and stood just a few yards away from the entrance something strange happened. The door swung open by itself... followed by a hot stream of gushing air that blew right out of the mansion. Just a few moments later Victor himself stood there emitting a murderous aura. Every cell in my body told me to run. The heat around him…it was suffocating. I was still 12 yards away and felt like I would probably collapse. However I was lucky. As soon as he realised it was me his sudden bloodlust faded and his disgusted mien was replaced by a confused look. He still wrinkled his nose in disgust looking at me as if he wanted to say...that smell came from you? “Octavia…you reek of vampiric pheromones…what happened to you?” Oh...I was right? So I really smelled horrible enough for ponies to attack me? Oh just great...well at least I wasn’t mad. The relieve that flushed through my body was so great I couldn’t keep it a secret. Victor didn’t smile at my thoughts probably seeing a connection between the smell and me which he didn’t like at all. He then hissed air through his teeth and exchanged the last bit of his predatory and animalistic instinct with his usual manner. “Oh Octavia, you truly have the gift to get caught up in unpleasant situations. Maybe you should just come inside and tell me everything…” Victor said with a gentle smile. “That would be nice, however I am not alone today…” I said. Victor raised an eyebrow in confusion and a little smirk started to form on his face. I called for Vinyl just a few moments later. He then chuckled and started to talk. “Dear Octavia…one can’t simply follow the hoofprints of destiny…by sheer will. Only a few ponies in history were able to walk them at all… Tthere would be no way that somepony could have fol…” “Whats up? Are you Victor? Tavi’s friend?” Vinyl interrupted his flow and let him fall into silence. Victor’s jaw dropped wide open when the unicorn suddenly showed up right behind me. He looked at both of us and wasn’t sure what to say…that was a first. When he finally regained his ability to speak he said: “You two probably have a lot of questions on your mind but so do I…” He welcomed us into his home but then when he closed the door just after us and I came to a sad conclusion. Equestria as we knew had just ceased to exist. It was locked away the very moment Victor closed the door. It was only shortly after that we had to accept that Equestria wasn’t the happy place we always thought it was. The real world was far more sinister…
-(15)- Fading HopeWhen we entered Victor’s home I was shivering in anticipation. Finally I would know what kind of horror story I had gotten myself into this time. I expected him to lead us to the library offering us some tea and biscuits while explaining everything we wanted to know. My expectations were betrayed. He led us upstairs to another room…a room I have never seen before. Now you probably wonder what kind of room it was. Sure it had to be something special …that colt was a vampire after all…but wrong. The place he led us to was a simple bathroom. Okay the bathroom wasn’t simple…it looked expensive like hell but…you get my point. I was getting angry once again.That had to be a joke and a poor one at that. As soon as those thoughts started to form in my head a smile formed on Victor’s face. Who the hell did he think he was? How could he deny the answers I rightfully deserved! I didn’t have time for silly jokes like that.I just started demanding answers and decided to stomp with my hooves additionally to show him that I was here for serious business. I got even more annoyed when Vinyl suddenly mentioned the bucking hospital again. What was wrong with her? The worst thing however happened after that. Victor laughed her comment off saying…that the fact that we are in the bathroom is related to my strange behaviour. I started arguing with Victor telling him that I had enough of his petty games and that I wasn’t just a peasant he could order around. He didn’t even listen and rudely interrupted me saying that the bath already reached the perfect temperature. He looked at both of us with a smug grin and told me…yes he really did…to continue my tantrum when we were done bathing. At that moment I could have killed him I swear… He proceeded testing my patience by getting on my nerves. He stated, for example, that he would only answer our questions if we properly washed ourselves before…oh could you believe the humiliation. However I decided to play along with his stupid games. When I was done and had all the answers that I needed I would discard any affiliations to Victor anyways. His value for me would be zero by then… So I really went into the bathtub…well considering the huge size I rather say it was a pool. Somehow, as soon as I entered the hot water I felt strange. It was as if every burden was taken away from me…I felt at ease. Looking at Vinyl who entered soon after I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling more comfortable now. Then a horrible realisation crossed my mind. What the hay was I doing all day long? I acted like a tyrant, a spoiled brat and crazy choleric since I came back to my senses. What was I thinking? Embarrassment took a hold of me and I sank deeper into the water letting only me eyes surface. I also realised that I unconsciously created a huge distance between Vinyl and me. While I was there in the southeast corner of the big tub she was still at least 4 yards away at the corner opposed to me surrounded by huge towers of foam… She watched me from there...only Celestia knew since when. However, when our eyes met a grin flashed on her face and she splashed some water in my direction. “Testing out the waters” she said when she saw that she hit me right in the face. She was waiting for a reaction…a reaction that would never come. I just rolled my eyes and tried to get my thoughts together when Vinyl let out a loud moan, took a dive and surfaced next to me. She then moved a front leg around my neck and asked if I’m finally back to normal. I didn’t want to answer that one so I remained silent. That was a bad choice because Vinyl took that as a yes and therefore concluded whatever she did next wouldn’t have any consequences.She gripped me at the waist and pulled me underwater. When I managed to surface I let out a carefree laugh much to my oen surprise. She seemed pretty happy about my reaction… She probably still expected me to act like a douchebag… and well so did I to be honest. Her actions in the bath probably were stupid and inappropriate but why would I care? I wouldn’t expect anything else from my stupid yet loveable flatmate anyways… I could have fooled around in the bath all day long but after some time past Vinyl said she wanted to leave because the pool was getting far too cold. Strange…it still felt as warm to me as when we entered. Well I guess she was just as curious as me about all the things Victor would tell us… When we left the pool we spotted ourselves some towels on a huge shelf on the other side of the room. While crossing the room in fascination Vinyl mentioned that she had to get such an awesome bath as well. I guess even the royal sisters would be envious of Victor’s bath…I most certainly was. Our mood was on a new peak and I had to think about an old pony saying: Water washes away all bad memories. Guess that was true then… When we finally left the bath Victor was already waiting for us outside. He gave us a quick grin and led us into the library where he offered us some tea and biscuits. You would think Victor can’t be surprised easily being a vampire and such but there are some things that could even astonish him. Vinyl’s habit to put more sugar than tea in her cup was one of those things… When all of us were finally comfortable Victor proceeded to business. Victor asked us if we felt any different now looking particularly at me. Both of us answered that we felt a lot better after the bath. “So…what kind of magical water was that?” I asked him curiously. “Nothing special, just some plain water I heated up a little.” he replied. “But I feel so much better now…” I told him in surprise. “That was because you washed away the pheromones…” Victor said with a grin. While Victor asked me to tell him the story of our day Vinyl’s eyes began to wander to the box. Victor knew as well but it didn’t bother him at the moment. He knew how to stay in control of such a situation or he was just at ease because his gift to read minds would allow him to react fast enough no matter what happened… While I told him the story as I remembered it, Vinyl also added her view of what happened. Victor assured us that both of our versions were accurate at least according to our thoughts. That was puzzling. How could such a thing be? Both Vinyl and I waited for an explanation but it never came...Victor just sat there thinking about it himself. After a long time he sighed and just said that we should forget about it for now. He would consult a friend about that soon. When I changed the topic and asked him about the possible content of the can I drank Victor seemed to cringe. Oh…that didn’t seem good. “The thing you drank was probably an ordinary drink mixed with a little bit of venom. Normally it takes a pony out for at least a few hours. The equine stomach repels it forcing the one who drank it to throw up. A little portion however penetrates the stomach trying to spread inside the victim. We call that “planting a seed”…” Victor said. “What? So I’ll turn into a vampire? Just like that?” I asked in horror. “Did I say anything about that? Victor replied amused. “That guy sure likes to make it dramatic…” Vinyl said and rolled her eyes half jesting. “The seed is something vampires use on ponies that have become aware…” “Aware of vampires?” I asked. “Usually ponies we interact with lose their memories of us. However if they don’t forget about us we classify them as aware.Now to the bad part: There are three ways for my kind to deal with those ponies. “ he said in a more serious tune. “First one is…” Victor started. “You have to die!” Vinly interrupted him. “That is correct.” Victor said in a casual tone. “How do you know Vinyl?” I asked in surprise. “Duh, logic? Vinyl then answered and rolled her eyes while Victor chuckled already in response to her thoughts. “For most of us it wouldn’t make a difference if we squash a bug or kill a pony.“ “Oh…” was the only thing I could get out. “The second possibility is to offer you a place in our world. The seed acts as catalyst for vampiric powers. Sometimes if we find a pony rather intriguing we test if their special abilities would be a valuable addition to a clan. When they show signs of their ability we call that blooming. If it is something useful they probably will be turned at some point.” “But I haven’t shown signs of anything…” I asked completely shocked still thinking about the first possibility. “Possibility number three is that you work for them as a normal pony. Offering your blood, or just being one of their pawns in society, things like that. It is also the most common course of action.” he went on. I sighed in relief. Well it was better than death and becoming one of them so I guess I was lucky with the way things went. Still, my fortune looked very devastating… “However…you already displayed something rather strange to them. After taking in the seed you should have been out for hours Octavia…” My mind went blank and every part of my body froze. Even though Vinyl’s eyes were probably as widened in horror as mine Victor went on as if nothing happened. “They also made you emotionally unstable with all those different pheromone layers. Abilities normally awaken if an emotional requirement is fulfilled. Your friend must have been affected by all the pheromones on you and in that place as well…” Finally things started to make sense. The feelings of love, anger, superiority etc. were just forced on me so I wasn’t mentally unstable after all. Best news today... “Hey…why was I just acting like a love struck idiot and didn’t go through all of the other emotions Tavi displayed? I would have loved to go through the defiant age as well.” Vinyl said half joking half serious. “You are a unicorn she is an earth pony. Pheromones are directed at a certain species and sometimes even gender. I could for instance use love pheromones in this room. Octavia would be all over me while you would feel nothing. If you were affected by the pheromones than someone wanted Octavia to fall in love with a unicorn and…” Then Victor fell into silence. His face became unreadable. He was thinking about something that made no sense to him. Well we couldn’t do anything but wait until he was finished anyways. “What is the problem?” I asked in confusion. “Unicorns…well they can’t use pheromones…” Victor said flat. “What?” Vinyl and I asked at the same time. “There are three types of vampires. Every type roots in one of the three pony races. According to their race they inherit certain abilities in addition to their nature manipulation ability. Earth ponies either get inequine strength, speed or the power of attraction depending on their personality.” “So whoever used the pheromones on Tavi had to be an earth pony who wanted her to fall for a unicorn? So what is the deal…two of them worked together? Doesn’t seem that hard to figure out.” Vinyl said. “Our society doesn’t work that way. Normally we don’t work together that tightly outside of our respective clans. Could you describe the unicorn to me Octavia?” Victor asked with a curious tone. Well, he asked for it and I gave him the description of that certain, gorgeous, unicorn. Victor looked as if he knew him. His face looked darker and darker the more I told him about the colt. In the end Victor’s face looked unreal. Even though he tried to keep his appearance as neutral as possible it became a terrible grimace. His face was distorted by disgust and pure hate. When he finally decided to speak again his voice sounded like it came straight up from a grave. “That was Elusive Bliss.” and Victor pronounced every syllable with as much hate as possible. “So is he the major bad guy or something?” Vinyl asked what I was unable to. “He is one of the keepers…a clan leader” he added when he met our questioning eyes. “So he is one of how many head vampires exactly?” I asked in confusion and disbelief. “Yes he is, however my kind refers to them as keepers of the bloodlines. Together with the guardian those seven represent the council, the highest authority to vampires.“ “So why is it so bad that Tavi met that colt in particular?” Vinyl asked. “Bliss is a brilliant schemer who primarily uses nobility as his pawns. Whatever his goals are…we can only guess… ” “So…that shady guy wants me to be a vampire?” “I don’t understand what he wants myself. He can’t turn you into vampire because he is a unicorn and you are an earth pony. It isn’t possible. It would only work if he was an earth pony. However at least now we know that he works together with somepony else… Still, I don’t know with whom or why and what role “you” play in all of this dear Octavia…“ “So what should I do now? I neither want to be a vampire nor his pawn.” I said feeling slightly more uncomfortable now. “You won’t be. You can’t become a vampire without the council’s approval. Every new vampire has to be approved of. There is a simple reason why you can’t become a vampire as of now.” “What reason?” both me and Vinyl asked in wonder. “You could enter my domain which gives you the power to state a wish. Now think about what would happen if you were a vampire who could state a wish but had to obey the commands of your respective clan.” “One of the keepers could state a wish through me?” I asked and my eyes widened. “Exactly.” “So they rather let Tavi go to no one than to give her to another clan?” Vinyl asked. “You catch on pretty quick and no…they won’t kill her either.” he answered the question that formed in her mind. “Why are you so sure?” Vinyl asked with a raised eyebrow. “The council decided upon that topic hundreds of years ago. Irregular beings that can’t be classified as simple ponies mustn’t be touched at any cost. As harbingers of chaos you fall under that category and are therefore off the charts.” Victor said. “Harbingers of chaos?” I asked now completely confused. “That is how we call ponies like you who are able to cast a wish that bypasses the laws of this world. However do not read too much into that name. A wish that defies logic and natural order could only be classified as chaotic, thus the name harbinger of chaos.” That explanation was a bit strange. Somehow I missed a very important point at that explanation but I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was. Just when I nearly figured out what wasn’t right I got interrupted by Vinyl… “So…now both of us are those harbinger thingies?” Vinyl said with a thoughtful expression. “Yes…” “So…” “Yes…just for the time being…” Victor responded with deep sadness in his voice. “Ah…” Vinyl said with a nod. “I am truly sorry…” Victor added seriously. “Oh don’t worry…I still have some time left…” Vinyl went on while her face seemed unable to move. “Destiny… isn’t always a pleasant thing…” Victor continued nearly voiceless. Wait…what? What did I miss there? It took me a few moments but then something in my head connected. At first i may have been just my faults and my problems yes…but now I realised I doomed her as well. The whole time my mind couldn’t work right because the lingering fear in the back of my head paralyzed my thoughts. I was acting so egoistic, only thinking about myself. I should have known I was pulling her into this mess. Even though she acted emotionless on the outside deep down she had to be devastated…and she probably would hate me. After all I was the source of this. Oh you couldn’t know how I regretted telling her all that stuff about vampires and leading her here … She probably tried to avoid thinking about how her days were numbered now. Ponies often refuse to believe what they hear if it isn’t to their liking. I knew someone who had been through it as well. My grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal disease. He laughed it off as a joke for approximately two weeks until he broke down under the terrible truth. Sometimes we simply can’t believe that our world was crumbling appart. Some of us need a lot of time to let it get through to them. Vinyl reacted like my grandfather…in denial. Thinking how Vinyl had to suffer because of me didn’t feel good. It was bad enough I was doomed but it was even worse if a friend had to suffer for my errors. There simply had to be a way to make everything work out. Think Octavia think... The solution I came up with wasn’t perfect but I thought at least it could sooth the situation a little. “So we both just won’t use that wish, then we are not to be touched by them. Everything will be just fine.” I said trying to raise Vinyl’s mood but I guess it looked very forced and was more a lie to myself than anything else. It backfired…of course. Both Victor and Vinyl looked at me with big eyes. Victor could only force a fake smirk on his face but Vinyl let out a constrained and hysteric laugh before she told me that I could be right in a unusually high pitched voice. The only thing that could have made my performance even worse would have been if one of my eyes had twitched the whole time while I said that. Still I had hopes that destiny wasn’t cut in stone… “So what about the seed you mentioned before? Will it disappear?” I asked mainly to get away from our unpleasant little topic even though my curiosity played it’s part as well. “Yes. It will probably evaporate through your skin in a matter of days. Just tell me if you feel some changes within your body. It would be nice to know where your speciality lies…” “Does getting yourself in trouble count as ability?” Vinyl asked with a smile and her usual carefree attitude. “Oh I had that one since birth so I guess it doesn’t …” I said with a giggle. Changing the topic seemed to work. We both fled into a world of forced happiness und useless chit-chat. It may be enough to raise the mood for now…or so I thought. “Both of you amaze me…even though the world looks so grim you can still enjoy yourselves. Don’t you fear the sword of Damocles at all?” Victor said with pure curiosity and interrupted our carefree chat. Silence fell on the room. I kept my mouth shut…and so did Vinyl. Both of us couldn’t even fully comprehend the situation we got in. Everything happened far too fast. We only kept up a happy façade and tried to distract ourselves by fooling around or asking rather trivial questions. Victor probably did not realise that we tried to avoid our upcoming demise in our thoughts. I wasn’t sure if he messed up like that because he was a vampire, an eccentric, an ancient being, a colt or just a fool who couldn’t read the mood but I guess it probably was a healthy mix of all those things. Well I wasn’t surprised by that…I had already seen that common sense wasn’t one of his strengths… Victor cringed when he read my mind. He probably only realised now that he had been completely tactless. Thanks to him we had to think about our approaching situations…once again. However deep inside there was still this spark of hope that if I tried hard enough I could make a difference… For a short moment it looked like Victor caught on to my thoughts and acknowledged my view by giving me a light nod while letting his crimson eyes meet mine. Oh yes, the eyes…they reminded me of something… “Victor…about the eyes…” “Yes…I figured what you want to ask. No, not all vampires have red eyes. The keepers of the bloodline for example retained their natural eye colours. The closer you are to the original bloodline the stronger your powers will be. Vampires with red eyes belong to the fourth generation and below. They are normally rather weak…in relation to other vampires that is. Just think of the keeper as generation one, the one changed by him as generation two and so forth.” So Victor must be pretty weak in relation to the other vampires. Well that was quite unexpected. I thought he would be rather strong considering how he was acting at the front door. He didn’t seem to me like a vampire who can’t lift a hoof when push comes to shove and... “Also my eyes aren’t crimson as a result of vampirism. They became that way because the box chose me to protect it. Vampirism was also born through that box so we could think about a possible connection there but…I guess that wouldn’t really interest you much …” he answered my unspoken words with. When we asked Victor about more information related to vampires he stated that he rather not provide us with more than necessary because every piece of knowledge could just get us deeper into trouble. We weren’t really satisfied with that answer but we both knew that we wouldn’t get anywhere if he had already decided on it. The last thing vampire related topic he mentioned was that he would have to inform the council that both of us were harbingers. So at least we wouldn’t have to worry about them for now. After the vampire talk had ceased Victor shifted his attention to Vinyl. He was fascinated by the fact that he had two harbingers under his roof and both of them didn’t use their wish on the spot. He stated a few theories related to the phenomenon. There were plausible theories like a change of values in society resulting in more cautiousness and less greed or farfetched ones like destiny wanted one of us to cancel out the wish of the other because one of us would bring death and devastation to the world. He really liked to talk every possibility through…and we really did not mind. We were happy about every distraction and Victor was happy because he had some new and exciting things to talk about. I guess Victor doesn't have it easy either. The world must look rather plain to somepony who had already lived for so long… Soon the discussion turned out to be less and less serious and we chatted the day away. Oh, what a strange bunch we were; an eccentric vampire and two ponies talking and laughing about stupid and casual things as if we had no cares in the world… Oh it was truly sad that such moments couldn’t last forever. At that time we had each other but soon the night would fall and we would have to go home. Could you think about sleeping…all alone with nothing but your darkest thoughts? The truth would sicker more and more through our consciousnesses and eventually tears would flow…of that I was sure. There was simply no pony who was cold enough to simply accept death or worse without batting an eye.
-(16)- Recurring HopeNightmares, oh how I hated them...but right now I would rather be asleep, fighting off dreams than dealing with what my life had become. Well, so I had to learn it the hard way that the worst nightmares were those you couldn't wake up from... I knew before it sounded as if I was the strong one but hay…the glimmer of hope I held onto faded into nonexistence. My fears were fuelled by the darkness around me and it was a rather suffocating feeling. Why did it happen so late you ask? Well I guess acceptance was not one of my strong points. However looking at Vinyl I probably was still the stronger one… Who was I kidding…I was in no way less pathetic than her. I sat awake in my bed…covered in blankets looking directly at the moon through my skylight while letting tears flow nonstop. My thoughts were hunting me. All the plans I had for the future just turned into dust. Questions haunted my mind. Would it really matter how I lived my life from now on? Was everything predetermined or just some key elements of my life? What about my friendship with Vinyl? Talking about Vinyl, she wasn't even ready to face her problem. When we came home she acted still hyped up and occupied with everything but our impeding doom. For a short moment however I really thought she really did not care. Maybe she really was strong but the image of her that started to build in my mind was shattered when I saw her in her room. She was wearing those big headphones and stared at a blank wall. I watched her for a few moments and waited for her to let it all out. She never did. It broke my heart to see her like that. I knew that feeling far too well. Reality tried to break her apart as it tried with me back then. I would have been so happy if she simply snapped, hit me and blamed all her problems on me…but she didn’t. She just sat there and faced the wall… The sun raised and both of us weren’t capable of sleeping. When I entered Vinyl’s room and asked if she wanted to eat breakfast she still faced the wall but gave me a slight nod. How sad...that mare had really turned into a broken puppet… I made us some coffee and took out some cake I had put in the fridge before as well. My coffee tasted bitter as usual but even the cake that should have been sweet tasted like…well...horse apples. Vinyl didn’t come on her own so I had to call her. Without saying anything she just sat down and took the cup I offered her. A long time we just sat there with our coffee cups and two nearly untouched pieces of cake. I didn’t know what to say in such a situation it was just far too bizarre. After some time had passed and we still did nothing more than looking at each other and completely ignoring our food Vinyl broke the silence. “Well Tavi, I have thought about a few things tonight…” Vinyl said in an unusually depressing tone. “Such as…” I asked cautiously. “I know you probably torment yourself for pulling me into this whole mess…” she went on. I gulped. She was dead on. Of all the things I ever had to burden…the guilt of getting a friend in trouble was probably the worst thing I ever had to experience in my life. Well, I never had friends before…and I was pretty sure she would cut all her connections to me after all that happened. I could understand her pretty well…I was probably the most egotistical mare in Equestria. “…but it isn’t your fault. It was me who decided to help you and it was me who wanted to know more about the craziness that surrounds you. So don’t think I blame you. It just is a lot to take in you know…” she said with a breaking voice and a weak smile. “No…I am the one to blame. Helping me shouldn’t mean for you to lose your life. I never wanted something like that to happen. I just wish that I never had been born and…” I said and trailed off insilence letting my thoughts wander a sad path. “Tavi it is not your fault. Forget about it okay…” she said with a little more life in her voice now. “But…” “No…I think we should live our lives as if nothing has changed. Think about it... We still have some options. We can still be successful in life. We can still attain happiness. We still have each other. There is no reason why we should worry about our future. Nothing will change expect we'll grow fangs or have to donate blood on a weekly base. I think we should just give it a rest. ” she said trying to convince me as well as herself. Well, she raised my spirits a little and as far as I could see she tried to integrate what she said in her own mind-set as well. To be honest it was good that she found a grip on herself and even better that she didn’t hate me after all…even if I really deserved all of her hate. After thinking about what she said a little more I came to the conclusion that her personal solution to the problem wasn’t perfect but at least viable. The only thing where I would have loved to tell her she was straight out wrong was the end. I did not believe that you could have a happy yet meaningful life. However that I wouldn’t bring up now… “So what are you scheming?” I asked when I saw that the fire in her eyes was finally burning again. “Maybe we should enjoy ourselves a little more.” Vinyl said in her normal, cheerful way. “Vinyl I certainly think now is not the right time for…” “When would ever be the right time for someone like you?” Vinyl said and let her eyes roll. “Whatever do you mean? I can’t follow…” “You need to come out of your shell…” “Pardon me?” I asked in confusion. “You are far too introverted. You close yourself off from life Tavi. You see everything as a huge string of problems that comes crushing down on you but you know what? Buck it. Problems are just one small part of life. Just enjoy the time when you don’t have to deal with em.” My jaw dropped a little. Was that really how it looked to her? Somehow I didn’t believe it but at the same time I knew she hit the mark. I was surprised, a little offended, and swallowing a bitter truth all at the same time. I couldn’t even imagine how dumb I had to look. Well in the end, it seemed Vinyl just wanted to have some fun with me from time to time. Shopping, clubbing, basically whatever I felt up to. While at first I wanted to decline her offer, I simply gave in to her, and told her I’d be up for it. I mean, I did it for her...and maybe she was right. I mean, it wasn’t like I really was introverted...or didn’t like to have fun...and...oh whatever... Come to think of it...that stupid mare...she never failed to amaze me. She was probably the only pony in Equestria that could fall in depression and get back on her hooves that fast. She even brightened up my dark thoughts a little... I bet every psychologist would like to conduct research on her mind. Oh and thinking about medics…there was still this courtesy visit I had to make at the hospital. I guess the head physician would need to check if I was fine after all. Well, some things had to be done. I wouldn’t like it very much if I ran into him somewhere again and look like I didn’t give a horse apple about his advice. I told Vinyl that we could do something in the evening but I had to visit the hospital before. She told me that she thought that was a good idea and added that she would have advised me to do it anyways. She then, influenced by her crazy DJ mind, said she just hopes that I would get myself a sexy nurse outfit there as well. Naturally, I hissed at her comment. Well at least now I was sure she was back to normal… It was around lunchtime when I entered the hospital. At the reception they told me I had to wait for a few minutes until a doctor would have time for me. I nicely replied that the head physician told me to meet him in person. The receptionist, a cute mare with a bright pink mane and golden coat rolled her eyes and told me as sarcastically as possible that she believed me. She then said that she knew I had to be very busy because princess Celestia herself waited outside of the hospital for me. I sighed in response and told her that if that was the case I was done here. Oh sometimes life is just a comedy. She had such a stupid attitude and still…I was the one who had no job. However just when I was on the way out I saw the head physician passing the reception. He immediately spotted me and asked why I wasn’t directly coming to him as he told me before. With a fiendish grin I replied that I was trying to meet him however the receptionist just didn’t believe me. Oh I loved how her eyes widened in horror when she saw what she just had done. Normally I really wouldn’t stoop that low but…she had it coming. He gave her a cold look while I showed her a big smile before he led me into his office. “Well, miss. How about you tell good ol doctor Coldsteel how you feel?” he said with a smile. “I can’t really complain. I feel as healthy as a horse should feel.” I answered. “Did you show any strange kind of reaction?” he asked now a little eagerly. “Not really…” I replied short. His mind wandered off then. When I just wanted to ask him if I could already go he started talking again. “Not even emotional instability? It happens a lot when these things happen…you know?” Shivers ran down my spine. Those were in no ways symptoms of food poisoning. He simply knew about the pheromones. I felt very uncomfortable and suddenly had the urge to get out of here as soon as possible. “No…should there have been some?” I asked innocently. “You know what I hate most in the world?” Coldsteel asked in response. “No…” I said and gulped. “Misinformation and those who spread it…” he said now rather cold. “So…I have to wonder…why are you lying to me.” “I-I didn’t…I…” “Do you think I am a fool?” the colt cut me off short. “I-I…” “Why would you lie to me about your mood swings then? If you knew nothing about your situation you would have simply agreed to my last question or asked if there was a connection between food poisoning and emotional instability you never heard of. Everypony would have done that for self preservation. So to keep it short…you know far more than you want to let me know…” I couldn’t even manage to bring out another word. His question was just bait. He only used it to verify if I wanted to hide something. I was in deep trouble now…however wasn’t I untouchable according to Victor? But did he already inform that council thingy? I wasn’t sure. Should I just try my luck? Then another thought crossed my mind. I could still change my position… “Maybe I just wanted to get everything over with pretty quickly?” “Stop wasting our time. Your manner of speaking and body language show traces of nervousness not hastiness.” “What do you want to know…” I said, already accepting that I couldn’t lie to him. “Did you feel a major change within your body…” he asked bluntly. “No…there aren't any signs of pow…” I answered. I regretted that answer immediately I even wanted to facehoof. He never said anything about powers. Know he knows that I know far more than he anticipated…just great. His eyes already turned into slits…so I knew what would come. Well it was for the best if I changed my approach now. “No powers huh…and why would you know about that if you hadn't already achieved some?” “Because that is why you people planted that stupid seed to begin with? You wanted to test me and just look at that…I turned out a failure…happy now?” I answered in mockery. “Did he tell you?” Coldsteel now asked in confusion. “Yes, he did…why? Is there a problem with that?” I replied. So he knew about Victor…great. Once again my life just had to get super exciting for no reason. However that wasn’t the excitement I wished for. Why did I attract those stupid vampires anyway? “Hmm…I just don’t get what Bliss is after…” the colt now mumbled. “Elusive Bliss?” I asked in shock. “So he even gave you his name…what a strange turn of events…” the colt said lost in thoughts. “What is your relation to him?” I asked curiously. “Every answer has it's price.” he replied cold. “Oh…if that is how it is than pursue your answers alone…” I told him with an icy smile. “You think I would let you leave? I am the head physician. I can simply declare you insane and lock you away for my experiments. If that is what you want…try to flee…” he answered emotionless. I knew that there was no way around it so I braced myself to tell him my story. He would know if I hid something or lied to him anyways. “Okay, here is my story in a nutshell. I sat there on a park bench when suddenly a unicorn male appeared who tried to hit on me. I fell in love with the colt because I somehow managed to get covered in a lot of pheromones that were not his. I managed to get aways from him due to my sheer willpower without really talking to him. Then my best friend came back with a drink that contained vampire venom. Before I drank the venom we hit on each other thanks to the pheromones as well. After that I acted accordingly to all the other pheromone layers that were put on me until I washed myself. So that was my story…can I go now?” I answered trying to cover as much as possible. Lying would do me no good anyways. “Pretty interesting…but how did you know so much about pheromones and why those weren’t his in particular? I doubt he would tell you something like that. It also throws up some new questions. How did you learn about the seed or his name if you didn’t talk to him. How do you know so much about us anyways?” he now asked rather intrigued while polishing his glasses. “Well I know one of your kind. He is called Victor and I found him by following the hoofprints of destiny or something like that…” The colt’s eyes widened for a moment and then he put on his thoughtful expression once again. Did he know Victor? Was he convinced to leave me be now that he heard my tale? I hoped so. “Interesting…so you know the guardian… What a fascinating specimen you are. Your recovery rate after taking in the venom alone was extraordinary but now it gets far more interesting. The guardian and a keeper both took interest in you. Wait…you said you visited the guardian? What did you wish for?” he said now a little warmer and with real excitement. This cold calculating living lie detector just turned into a young filly who found himself a new toy. Oh great…guess aunty Octavia had to give him what he wants, so that she could leave. “I didn’t state a wish as of yet. About Victor, well he helps me to understand the mess I just slipped in. However what bugs me are this Bliss figure and you. I don’t know what both of you see in me.” “So that is how it is. Those informations were very valuable. I guess in that case you get some insight in my agenda as well.” the colt told me in his newfound warm tone. “Oh, where to begin with…well…who are you?” I mumbled. “Dr. Coldsteel, gatherer of ancient wisdom and keeper of a bloodline.” “What do you want from me?” “At first I was just curious because Elusive Bliss took an interest in you. If that unicorn is involved in something it shouldn’t be overlooked. I ordered some of my subjects to trail you after my informations were verified. However my reasons have changed since then. Now it is my goal to win you over.” he said with a smile. “Eh…I do not really date vampires…” I said with a little blush. What was he saying? “Not romantically speaking of course. To be more precise I want you as part of my clan.” he answered and gave me a wink. “So...what about Bliss? What does he want from me?” “Well he wants you to become one of us but I don’t know the reason for that either. After Bliss became aware that I took interest in his activities he told me about his fascination for you. He then explained that his curiosity overweight’s his personal benefit in that particular matter and offered that he would vote for you to become part of my clan just to see how you'd turn out. In exchange he merely wanted all the information I gathered on “bat ponies”. However that deal makes no sense. That information is trivial at best. It only has historical value and I don’t think that is what Bliss is after. I think he just wanted to offer me a deal I wouldn’t turn down.” he explained to me while lost in thoughts. “So…will you take his offer?” I asked curiously. “I’m still not sure…to be honest…” “You said you used your subjects to trail me?” “Yes I sent two members of my bloodline after you that one time. I even allowed them to use their bloodline on you as they saw fit.” “Bloodline?” I asked completley confused. Wasn't that just part of his title? Seems there was more to it than caught the eye. “The guardian didn’t tell you about that? Well…I guess it won’t hurt to give you just a little insight. On the contrary maybe it would even give you some initiative to join my bloodline.” He said with a smug face before he went on. “My clan has the ability to influence the psyche. This ability directly messes with your head so no pheromones involved. One of my loyal subjects for example has the ability of perferct memory others could possibly trap you in your mind, or take control over your body against your will. The ones I sent after you should have been pretty weak. Maybe they made you feel at ease…something like that…” Well,I figured bloodline powers were bad news as soon as he mentioned it. However that was simply terrible. So in addition to racial abilities and nature manipulation abilities I knew of, there was another power and it seemed by far worse than the other two. “So…what about Bliss? What can he do?” I asked...already fearing that the answer would give me nightmares. “The Bloodline of Bliss uses light as far as I know. I can’t tell you how wide their abilities vary because most of us keep our powers a secret. The only thing that I know is that their powers are extremely potent. The reason for that is that unicorns do not get additional abilities when they are changed…their magical power just raises exponentially in the process…” Oh well...light doesn't sound that evil I thought. The part about how unicorn powers grew to unknown peaks while affected by vampirism was another story. That really freaked me out. Great unicorns like Starswirl the bearded or Princess Twilight Sparkle before she became an alicorn were already powerful without any unnatural boost to magic. I thought I shouldn't think any longer about that and just ask another question. “You mentioned something about mind manipulation before. Why did you not use those powers on me? You could have forced me to talk through one of your subjects right?” I told the medic. “Obviously, I honour free will. That is also the reason why I want you to join me on your own. Why else would I offer you information even though I am not obligated to? You amaze me and I don’t want you to be killed or wasted as a pawn.” he answered unnaturally warm. “Oh…eh…well thank you I guess…but I rather stay a normal pony you know…” I answered him while crouching a little. “Well the choice is up to the council and I will honour your wishes but let me ask you one thing. What should I do if the decision came down to death or vampirism. Which one would be more to your liking?” he asked me with a serious tone and expression. “I would need some time to think about that…” I answered him honestly. “Well…I will vote for mortal servitude as long as that is a viable choice, so don’t you worry. You still have some time right?” “What about my friend, Vinyl? Do you have plans for her as well?” I asked now rather curiously. “No I don’t…and even Bliss didn’t seem to be that interested in her. She probably will end up as a pawn or dead. Neither Thanatos nor Bliss would be interested in a simple unicorn without great magical potential to begin with...” he replied cold. So they did not know about Vinyl being a harbinger…how interesting. Or did they know and just don’t care? Was a unicorn just measured by her raw magical powers? What about me then? What makes me special for an earth pony? Oh…there is so much I do not understand… “Well there is still something I need to know. Who put those pheromones on me back at the park ? And why does my friend have different memories of what has happened?” I asked carefully because I thought I already knew the answer. “Well after Bliss realised I knew of his newest obsession he confronted me directly. He asked me if I could lend him a hoof with planting the seed. Normally I wouldn’t aid Bliss. He is as far from trustworthy as a changeling but well as I said I took a personal interest in you because of his weird actions. His offer raised my curiosity even more… So, I placed a colt right next to you. He was the one who covered you in pheromones. Bliss told me he wanted you to fall for him, getting closer to you and giving you the seed via a kiss. However he also had a backup plan. In case you wouldn’t fall for him he already put some venom in a can which he would hand your friend at the shop. In addition he also wanted my subject to use love pheromones that worked on both unicorn genders. You see...that colt let nothing go to chance. However about your friends memories...that question seems to be worth some research...” he said and trailed off. “Well I guess that are all the questions I could come up with for now.” I said still rather disappointed about the last answer. “Good…I on the contrary still have one that needs to be answered…” “What do you want to know?” I asked now a little curious. It had to be something big as far as I could tell... “It is less of a question and more of an inspection. I will look for indications of power usage.” He then proceeded to inspect my body. He searched for the smallest pieces of evidence. However he didn’t find anything but a minor injury I got on my hoof when I stomped in anger back then and a blister on another. Well look at that…just as I said...I had no super powers…who would have thought.I could only reign in the impulse to roll my eyes in the last minute. I think it wouldn't be a good idea to make fun of him if he tried so seriously. After a while Coldsteel just sighed and gave up. Realising both of us were quiet for far too long he tried to explain himself. He said that he had hoped to find singed hair or raised electro static in my coat... I didn't really care, the results were still the same. After waiting for a few more silent moments I asked him if it was okay to go now. He nodded and told me I could come back and talk to him any time I wanted. I said that maybe I would take him up on his offer, gave him a smile and was gone. To be honest I didn’t really want to talk to him again because his personality was creeping me out. If I wanted some advice on the supernatural I could get it from Victor right? Furthermore he cooperated with that shady Bliss just to satisfy his curiosity. Well at least a lot of things started to make more sense now... Now there was only one more question to be answered: What should I tell Vinyl when I came home? Should I tell her the truth or should I act as if nothing happened. I did not know. I wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hear about vampires in the next few years and lying seemed so much easier. Well I guess it didn’t matter…there was no reason to bring it up anyways...was there? No lies? No tears? No guilt? What an elegant solution... A smug grin formed on my face…I started to be my usual self again.
-(17)- Insecurity -(17)- Insecurity The smug smile on my face vanished once I finally arrived home. At first I suspected the usual; a loud crowd complaining about Vinyl or at least her doing something completely inappropriate but no…everything was silent, far too silent. Reluctantly I opened the door to my home, already suspecting the worst. Well…what I found was far from the worst. Honestly, I’d rather say it was an act of courtesy I never expected from Vinyl. She had left a note on the desk, addressed to me. Dear Tavi, I wasn’t sure when you’d be back so I thought I’d take my time to organise something for tonight. You already agreed to have some fun with me so I won’t let you get off the hook this time. I’ll probably be home at 09:30 PM to come for you… Enjoy your time till then... PS: I made you some fresh coffee, just before I left. Kisses, Vinyl Well, I didn’t see that coming but I should have, I guessed. Obviously I was rather sceptic when my eyes first wandered to the note because Vinyl didn’t seem like a pony who would explain what she did to others. However her reasons were probably to stop me from freaking out. If she was gone just like that what would I have thought? Maybe something like abduction by vampires or even more likely that she left because I had destroyed her life as well… I took a deep breath before I let go of those unneeded dark thoughts and filled my favourite cup with coffee. When I wanted to enjoy the hot bitter liquid I was in for a surprise…it was cold. How I hated it when Vinyl didn’t dispose of cold coffee. Wait didn’t she write she made me some fresh coffee? Suddenly a strange thought crossed my mind. No…it couldn’t be what I was thinking. I took a deep breath before I poured the cold coffee away and filled the cup anew. This time I was focused on the flowing liquid. It was still steaming when it entered my cup. However when the cup reached my mouth the coffee was cold once again. I tried it again and again but the outcome stayed the same. I decided that I wouldn’t give up easily. I prepared a new can of coffee for my little experiment. How strange this day turned out to be. First the medic turned out to be a vampire and now this... Wait…when did the coffee actually turn cold? In the can it remained hot. Mid-air it was still steaming. So while I was holding the cup in the one hoof I used the other to touch my lips. They were warm. I even touched the inside of my mouth but…it was also warm. So…the strange thing was the cup? What exactly was wrong with it? At first I thought that it was my ability that finally showed itself but now…it turned out to be truly disappointing. Yet I still wanted to solve the mystery and stared at the cup in wonder. Still holding it with one hoof I decided to put it back on the table to inspect it closely. Something I wouldn’t have to do anymore now that I let go of that cup. Where I touched it with my hoof it seemed to be covered in a layer of rime. I looked at that hoof in disbelief. It didn’t look any different but instead of that one blister Coldsteel found, I now had a few more. Only now I realised that those things weren’t blisters…those were chilblains. Oh it started to make far more sense now. The cold sensation while I was out, the bathing water that got cooler and now even the ice cold cup. Well…seemed like my classmates back then had been right all along, I really turned out to be an ice princess. The thought made me chuckle, yet I didn’t feel all too well about it. I didn’t have any control over that strange power. It wasn’t very strong right now but it was still enough to cover my hoof in chilblains. What if I really hurt somepony else? Normally I would have visited Victor immediately after my discovery but that was out of the question now that I wasted all my time playing with my coffee mug. The best course of action would probably be to take a powernap until Vinyl returned. I’d probably need all my energy to survive Vinyl’s idea of fun anyways. I moved my flank to the couch and fell asleep immediately, my eyes still locked on my chilblain covered hoof… I found myself again in the middle of the night. It was dead silent but I wasn’t alone. Cold winds gently blew through my mane while my hoof was covered in a warm and sticky liquid. Trying to find out what it was exactly I moved my hoof to my mouth. It tasted like blood. Oh that wasn’t good… I tried to run and run but my home had turned into a seemingly endless corridor only lit by a few rays of the crimson moon. Shadowy figures created by that twisted moon and bald trees were projected on the wall. They seemed to laugh at me while I was chasing down the endless room to escape the darkness. Finally I seemed to reach the end of the road where a gentle white source of light waited to comfort me. Coming closer I realised it was Vinyl who waited there for me. In a moment of sheer happiness I hugged her only to see her turn into ice and shatter into tiny pieces. As if that wasn’t enough I felt something touch my back… I shrieked when I found myself all sweaty on the couch while a concerned Vinyl Scratch apparently was trying to wake me up. She was still leaning over me and had her hoof on my shoulder. When I finally managed to get up she looked at me in pity and faintly whispered…”Nightmares again?” I gave her a simple nod as an answer before I got up. When she asked me if I wanted to tell her what my dream was about I simply let out a sigh and said that I’d rather not talk about it. After that I walked into the shower to wash away all the sweat and…to take a look at my hoof. I wasn’t really keen to tell Vinyl about the fact that I turned into a living refrigerator but if we would really try to have fun tonight she deserved to know, for her own safety at least. I tried to use my hoof on one of the walls while showering and to my delight I didn’t cover it in ice. Even though I wanted to enjoy my shower a little longer I heard an impatient voice call out to me. Vinyl wanted me to hurry for we shouldn’t be late. Oh…did she reserve something for us? That could truly end up very embarrassing. I sighed and stopped the flow of the hot water. It took me only a few more minutes to comb myself until I was ready to go. Vinyl took a look at me and mildly shook her head. Did she expect me to wear something flashy? I doubt that because she wasn’t anything flashy either. When I asked her where we would go she just beamed at me and said just one word…”surprise”. Vinyl told me our destination was about twenty minutes and we shouldn’t waste any more precious time. On our way I told her about my strange newfound ability. “Do you think it is fun? Using your power I mean…” she went on…completely staggering me. “Why would you think it is fun? I don’t have any control over it. Didn’t you listen? Things just freeze if I like it or not. It rather scares me to be honest. What if I hurt other ponies…” I replied. “Maybe you just have to learn it…like you have learned playing cello?” she asked. “My cello is not a tool to hurt people Vinyl…” “No but your mother is…” Vinyl said manically giggling. Well…she did it. She made me burst out in laughter. The corners of Vinyl’s mouth rose as she realised that she managed to lighten up the mood a little. “So…you want to tell me you are afraid to freeze ponies to death? Are you kiddin me?” Vinyl said holding on to her grin. “That isn’t funny Vinyl…what if I seriously hurt somepony?” I asked in disbelief. How could she be so easy going. I was a walking weapon by Discord’s beard. “Yeah right because the vamps would let you roam around free if you could kill ponies. Good way to keep their secret world save, Tavi.” Vinyl told me as sarcastic as she could. “Well…I guess you have a point there.” I said after thinking about it. “Sure have.” she replied smiling. “So what do you think about my power?” I asked curiously. I guess that could turn out rather entertaining. “I don’t think it is very special. Isn’t that just like Victor’s power in reverse?” she said scratching her head. “I’m still not sure how my power works exactly.” “Duh, you freeze things. What else is there to know?” Vinyl answered, rolling her eyes. “Do I really freeze things? Maybe I just absorb heat? Or maybe I’m able to make things turn from hot to cold and vice versa. I don’t know if making things freeze covers it Vinyl…” I said. “Hmm…you may be right there.” she said thinking about it. “However, does it really matter if the result stays the same? Your freezing stuff, no matter how you do it.” she added. We talked for a while longer about my powers until we finally reached our destination. My eyes widened in horror when I saw where we just had stopped. It was a club named Velvet Moon. Letting my gaze wander down at the announcement chart I realised that “DJPON3” was one of today’s DJ. The two of us couldn’t even look more different when we went through the entrance. Vinyl was all hyped up because of her gig and I...well I had scepticism written all over my face. Somehow I already came to regret that I let myself being talked into this…
-(18)- Predator's Mind -(18)- Predator's Mind There it was again, the same feeling that haunted me since I was young. It was so cold, yet blazing hot. Imagine frozen flames flickering through your veins, burning you alive and freezing you at the same time. That feeling was called cold anger and my whole body brimmed with it. Did you ever try and think about what tools were best used to destroy someone? If you think about it long enough you’d probably come to the same conclusion as I; sadness and anger. Sadness is patient; It slowly wears your mind, the same way constant dropping wears the stone. Anger on the other hoof is something that comes in surges; sometimes it hits hard, sometimes it does less so. Contrary to sadness the anger lets you even go but don’t be fooled by false kindness. The only reason why the anger lets you go is so that it can hit you once again with its full unbridled force… Oh, it did hit me when we entered that club. The last time I remembered such an occurrence was when I still had been employed. There was nothing that hurt me more than the kind of treatment displayed by the ponies in here. As soon as we entered they formed a circle around us and focused all their attention on Vinyl. Well, I already know that they were here for her but it hurt nonetheless and I did not understand why? I certainly was not envious of Vinyl, was I? No, that was impossible. I knew that feeling. It was the feeling I had when ponies looked through me as if I wasn’t even there. It was the same feeling I had when my mother looked at my sister, when the audience didn’t care about my music and when my old conductor only had eyes for his “star prodigy”. I didn’t understand what happened right now. Yes, I wished for nothing more than approval in my life but...why would I ever want to be approved by Vinyl’s fans? I couldn’t understand myself, I only knew that my anger was rising. Calm and composed I fell back in the old pattern of focusing all my anger on myself and on how unfair life was. I should have been used to it by now, yet I was not. I had been playing the second fiddle for all my life, so why? Why did it still feel so bad? Why was I feeling that now? They sneered at me for years and even if the pain was sometimes rather numb and suppressed it never really ceased to hurt. After some time I even started to cope with the situation; I became cold. I took in all the sadness and buried it in my heart, covering myself with a protective shell. No matter how numb the cold made me…it still couldn’t supress my feelings completely. This time however, it felt especially painful. I felt betrayed. I knew it was irrational and I didn’t want to pin it on Vinyl but I couldn’t help but think about how this situation had to be her fault. I knew she wanted me to come to the club to enjoy myself. I knew she didn’t try to hurt me, even more not on purpose, but at that moment I could only think of her as the selfish DJ who wanted to satisfy her overgrown ego. When that thought crossed my mind I was a little shocked about myself. For all I knew Vinyl and I were both suffering due to the recent events however unlike me she at least tried to fight the sorrow and lethargy that befell us. Some kind of friend I was; while she was just trying to help me, I already tried to pay her back in ingratitude. Well, if she tried her best to raise my spirits I could at least try to look as if I enjoyed myself…for her. As soon as I settled on a course for the evening I had to find out that reality wasn’t kind enough to let me decide things on my own. The ponies who surrounded us came closer and started to push us, Vinyl towards the stage and me…to the ground. Well, just great. While Vinyl bathed in the cheers of her admirers and was even carried the last few yards to the stage I had to crawl around on the floor until I finally got out of the crowd. “My idea of fun exactly…why thank you for taking me to this place Vinyl.” I muttered under my breath when I finally managed to get back on my legs. My displeasure even grew when I caught a glimpse of my hyped up DJ friend on the stage. However, what hurt me the most was that she didn’t even glance in my direction. My anger instantly vanished and was replaced with something else…loneliness. Then something inside my head made click. Vinyl probably brought me here because she thought that being around ponies would do me some good. She didn’t want me to dwell in dark thoughts while she was gone. Well, it was a nice try but she failed nonetheless. Ponies might be all around me but in some way I was still alone… I sighed and slowly turned my back to the stage and graciously walked to the counter where I decided to rest my flank for the remainder of the evening. Ignoring all the cheers and the loud voices in the back I waved at the barman and ordered an Appletiny. I sipped on the drink for a few minutes before a cute voice ripped through my thoughts. “Oh you’re back princess?” the voice said in a jolly manner. The voice belonged to a cute barmaid with red pigtails. She was rather pale, had a white coat and heterochromatic eyes, one red and the other blue. She was wearing an ebon dress and makeup in the same tone. “Sweety, could you handle the tables? She is a friend of mine.” the barmaid said to her colleague. In response the colt slightly blushed and gave her a quick nod. The mare gave him a wink and he wandered with a big smile to the other side of the room looking for thirsty guests. “So you got that colour out of your mane, sweety?” she went on. Oh, was that were I knew her from? Was that the bar where I completely smashed myself? Just great. I didn’t even know how to respond without dying of shame. Well, I guess I could just give the truth a try. “Yes…it was a pain in the flank.” I told her with a smile playing along. “Trying to get completely smashed again?” she asked while her creepy eyes rested on mine. “No, I just accompanied a friend here tonight.” “Ah you mean her” she said and pointed towards Vinyl who just emptied a bottle of rum on the stage. “Yes…” I said and rolled my eyes. “Well…at least you make a cute couple.” she said with another gleeful smile. A little part of my Appletiny found its way through my nostrils when she said that. “Oh…so you are not an item?” she asked surprised and went on in a chatty manner “I concluded you had to be. I mean last time you left with her and this time you came back together.” “No we are just friends…” “Friends with benefits?” she asked, obviously teasing me. “No just friends…oh and if you’d be so nice” I said with a sigh and played with my empty glass. “So you don’t like her…romantically? Hmm…that’s a little sad…you look so good together.” “Well…I am into colts after all…” “Girl, I watched you that night and I guarantee you, you are not into colts. There had been a lot of colts who tried to hit on you that day and every one left with his tail between his legs .” she said trying to supress her giggles. “You got to be kidding…and it isn’t funny…” I told her in an icy tone. “No, I’m not. You even hit on me at some point and to be honest I really regret that I didn’t take you on that offer. Quite the wild thing you are, after you throw your morals over board that is. Another Appletiny?“ she said with a big grin already half on her way to refill my glass. Well, I was still very sober for my standards and even if that mare was a little demanding I think I’d rather talk to her instead of sitting here all alone for the rest of the night. I guess sometimes every pony is in need of some company even if it is just for some silly talk. “Make that an Applejack Daniels miss…ahem…what was your name again.” I said now rather embarrassed for obvious reasons. “Spectra...” she said with a wink. “So why do you even care about me? Aren’t I just another costumer?” I asked curiously. “Life is short and I just don’t want you to lose out on all the good stuff.” she said and pointed at the stage once again. “Not. Into. Mares.” I replied with the intention to make it sound final. Well, it didn’t come out the way I wanted. Instead of sounding serious my voice had some kind of amused undertone. It was probably due to the fact that the alcohol already started to kick in. However it didn’t really matter because I was pretty sure that she would have already caught on that I’m already done with that topic. “Sure, sure…whatever…” she told me and rolled her eyes in an attempt to mock me. “Hey sweety…” Spectra said and her eyes suddenly became wider. “I think you are in some trouble…” she said and glanced into the direction of three colts who moved in our direction“…because right now you look like somepony who was stood up by her date.” Oh buck it. The last thing that I needed right now was “that” kind of company. I had a terrible night, and felt still guilty for getting Vinyl in my mess. Top that off with the fact that I had to stay in this stupid club just to make her feel at ease and the mess is complete. Now that I finally found a way to relax just a little bit some thugs had to show up? Just great… Oh, I probably would have been very intimidated by their appearances if they didn’t look so cliché. All three of them wore leather jackets, had long unkempt hair and some metal junk in their faces. They did their best to look as “cool” as possible. To sum it up, they were just a joke. Of course they walked up right to the counter and took some seats to my right. One of them, I guess it was the leader took seat closest to mine. Well, I guess it could have been worse. There were no seats to my left, so they wouldn’t be able to annoy me from two sides. Due to the alcohol I even felt sure that I would be able to endure them for a while. The most important thing however was that I realised something. Those thugs, no matter how “evil” they were, they were just a joke. They couldn’t even hold a candle to vampires. With a little smirk I flushed down my drink and waited for what would certainly come. Just get it over with quickly, I thought. As expected the colt next to me started to hit on me. I gave him the cold shoulder and ordered another drink. He was pretty unimpressed by my refusal and started a boring monologue. He was talking about how he had joined the Wonderbolts when he was younger. The colt told me that he obviously left them because he was bored and all of Equestria was just the playground of “Black Lightning”. At first I was a little bemused, trying to figure out what “Black Lightning” was until I understood it was his name. I tried so hard not to burst out in giggles. That colt truly was pathetic. I wouldn’t even know that he was a Pegasus if he had not told me. Well, that pony did not make any sort of impression on me and to be honest in two days I probably wouldn’t even remember him. His friends were talking with each other, ignoring the two of us. I came to the conclusion that they probably were just here for the fun and to give their friend some support. As my glance wandered down those two earth ponies I heard a loud sound. “Crap Lightning” or how he was called managed to slap me on the flank. “Could you stupid excuses for a colt just leave already? Don’t you see that you are fighting for a lost cause? Besides, I am way out of your league anyways…” I said to that poor excuse for a pony. Either everything was happening too fast for him or that colt was just too dense. I couldn’t care less about it anyways and added something that even he would understand “To put it in terms that you understand: BUCK OFF” All three of them looked at me in disbelief. According to their dropping jaws it was probably a first that some mare turned down their boss in such a manner. Oh, it turned out even better. They started threatening me. They told me that some “bad things” would happen to me if I wouldn’t let that little molester have his ways. Oh they were so predictable, it nearly made me laugh. Well it was time to decide what to do with my prey. Should I play with them some more or should I just finish them off? Wait…what? What was I thinking? No, what was I even doing? That wasn’t like me at all. I should have ignored them and simply let them leave. Why did I mock them? Even worse, I treated them the same way I always had been treated. I looked down on them for no reason. Sure they were just some thugs whose threats were as hollow as their brains but that didn’t mean I had any right to treat them like ants. They were simply a minor annoyance, nothing I should really be all worked up about, yet I tried to put them in place for no reason. What was wrong with me? Just thinking about my actions somehow made me sick… Well, that was something positive I guess, so no pheromones involved this time. However, as I finished that thought something else hit me like lightning. I was acting like them. Didn’t all my actions thus far simply scream predator? Maybe I misinterpreted what happened when we entered the club. I probably wasn’t angry when the crowd ignored me; I was merely possessive of Vinyl. Oh, she probably would have loved to hear that. Well what else was there. I “let” the barmaid entertain me even though I normally rather liked to be alone. I took a seat next to the wall so that there were fewer directions to attack me from. The way I played those colts also started to remind me of a cat toying with its food. Yes, I guess this theory was plausible enough. Well, now that I figured out what happened I should also try to understand why? Okay, what was the strangest thing that happened today? Obviously I’d say that the seed took effect and I gained my special ability. Maybe it also triggered a switch in my head? It was a possibility and the best one I could come up with at the spot. Sadly I needed confirmation on that thesis. Right now I was merely trying to make sense of all the chaotic thoughts in my mind. My thoughts were unpleasantly interrupted by the three colts who were still very agitated. Well, I guess they weren’t as stupid as I thought. While the two earth ponies blocked the view the pegasus took his chance and slapped me in the face. The predator in me wanted revenge while my mind tried to apply logic to the situation. There was no way I could bring down the colt in any way other than with my ability, even if I wanted to and to be honest I certainly did not. Just thinking about killing someone so casually made me want to cringe. Well, at least my mind still seemed to hold some authority over my newfound instincts. I let my eyes wander through the colts, looking for an opening I could seize to flee. Sadly there was none. I realised only now that I had positioned myself to be able to fight, not to flee. My back was covered by the wall which provided me with an excellent defence against surprise attacks but it also took away any chance to escape. I was cornered by a wall, the counter and those thugs. Luck wasn’t on my side either. The barmaid left for some tables when the pegasus was still hitting on me. Well, what did I expect? Of course they wouldn’t have started an assault if there were any witnesses. On the bright side they wouldn’t be able to do something major to me at the club anyways. They wouldn’t dare to hurt or excessively molest me in plain sight. Then I realised it; logic doesn’t apply to this situation. Their leader was solely driven by emotion. Maybe he didn’t even care about any possible consequences for hurting me. For a short moment I even considered giving into my instinct. Even if my body wasn’t built to take on three colts I would at least gone down with a fight. Much to my pleasure it didn’t come to this because all of a sudden all the lights went out. Then some spots focused on the two earthpony thugs. “I present to you the winners for the cutest colt couple.” Vinyl suddenly announced, followed by a lot of applause and whistles. Both of the colts suddenly turned red while the third thug took some steps backwards. We both sat there with our jaws wide open and our eyes wide open in disbelief. Oh Vinyl, sometimes there is really just one word to describe you; awesome. Then I heard a chuckle from the barmaid who once again took the place at the counter. At the same time the leader of the thugs backed away even more. Well, I guess sometimes things turn out to be better than expected. When I tried to ask if the barmaid was involved in all of this she simply whispered in my ear that it would get even better. After the applause slowly faded Vinyl proceeded to give one of the colts the microphone telling him that the crowd wants to hear some warm words in response. Oh it was glorious. The colt turned red like a tomato and I already imagined what would happen next but much to my shock something completely different happened. “Well, my friend and I are very happy that we won the contest for the cutest colt couple. However, it came a little unexpected because I never had the guts to confess to my friend Rocky here. I always thought it was a one-sided thing. Seeing how we ended up as the cutest couple the feeling probably was mutual…cause I haven’t signed us up…” the colt said with a big smile before he gave the crowd a wink. I was baffled. Was that colt serious? Didn’t he see that this whole situation was set up? Well, I guess that guy was completely blinded by love. Oh the reaction of the other colt would be priceless. It would probably turn into the most embarrassing situation of their entire life. Rocky would let him fall like a hot potato for sure and… The applause faded and the other colt, still looking as if he had been struck by lightning took the microphone. “I don’t know what you are talking about, I never signed us up for this contest.” he said “but I love you too Sunny.” the other pony said and gave Rocky a kiss. The whole audience cheered and for all I could see there were only two ponies who looked dumbfounded, me and Black Lightning. Lightning went up two the two colts and told them that they made him sick and that their friendship was now official over. He muttered something like “bucking colt cuddlers” before he turned to me. He simply told me that it wasn’t over before he vanished in the crowd. My eyes once again locked at my empty glass I tried to understand what just happened when Sunny suddenly tipped on my shoulder. I watched him suspiciously, waiting for yet another surprise. “Ahem, miss? We just want to apologise for ruining your night. In fact we even want to apologise on behalf of Lightning. He may have some issues with his ego and his impulsiveness but he can be a very nice guy. Both of us had to keep up with a lot but I guess that is what friendship is all about. Sometimes you put your friends before yourself even if it means to live a lie and sometimes you put yourself before hurting all the ponies that you like. I guess what I want to say is we did a lot of bad things in the name of friendship, things we never should have done. We sincerely apologise, miss and we hope you can forgive us.” “That was a very unexpected, yet smooth speech. I truly am impressed…” I said still a little bemused. “Does that mean you’ll forgive us?” Rocky threw in. “Well, I don’t know a lot about friendship. To be honest I didn’t even have any friends a few weeks ago but I guess I would also go through stupid lengths to help out a friend. So…yes, I guess I’ll forgive you.” I said and put on a smile. “Does that include our pal, Lightning too?” Rocky asked. “As long as he doesn’t apologise himself? No.” “Well, I guess that is more than we could ask for anyways.” Sunny said. “May I ask you just one thing? I know it is a strange question but was it worth it?” “Never been in love have you?” Rocky said with a twitched eyebrow. Sunny shot Rocky a glance and he instantly shut up. “Love is always worth the fight, miss. It takes a lot of courage to confess to someone but it is even harder if the one you adore has the same gender. Society frowns upon same sex couples. However, society is biased. You know what most ponies clop to? Fillyfooler porn. I was really happy that everything turned out so well in the end. I may have lost a friend but I gained a lover.” “So you don’t care if Lightning is gone?” I asked surprised. “Well, I rather he remained my friend of course. Nonetheless what kind of friend is he if he can’t accept us the way we are? He’ll probably come back if he has cooled down enough. As I said he is a very impulsive person. However, if he doesn’t return we can’t blame him either. It is his decisions if he places what he places first, his beliefs or our friendship.” Sunny said. “You really gave me a lot to ponder on…” I said thinking about his words. “Well, if you ever want to talk again…try to stop at club on saturday evenings, we’ll be here.” Rocky said with a wink. While the colts walked to the dance floor, Spectra came closer again. She gave me a big smile and another glass of Applejacks before she started to speak. “See…I told you I knew my customers.” Spectra said and rolled her eyes. “You knew that they were…” I asked in surprise. “Yes silly but I wasn’t referring to that. Think about the mare who just saved you from those guys …” she said with a smug grin watching me turn as red as those two when the spots were on them. “Well I feel some gratitude for what she has done for me. Still, I can ensure you that both of us aren’t into each oth…” I said while watching Vinyl announce the winner for the cutest fillyfooler couple. “Well Octavia…it is your decision how you want to live your life however I want you to embrace one simple truth. Don’t let standards set by society get in the way of your happiness…” After announcing all the winners another DJ took over the stage and Vinyl joined me at the counter. “Sorry, Tavi. I hoped you would loosen up on your own but instead you were just sitting here alone at the bar, drinking hard stuff and getting hit on by some idiots…” she said a little disappointed. “Well, I had my fun talking with Spectra here.” I said and tried to point at the mare. However she was nowhere to be seen. Seriously that mare was one of a kind. One moment she tries to help you and the other she leaves you alone making you look like a fool. Well, I like her anyways. “Spectra?” Vinyl asked in wonder. “The barmaid with the heterochromatic eyes.” I said. “Sorry Tavi, didn’t see her.” Vinyl answered. “Oh, don’t worry it doesn’t really matter. More important I wanted to thank you. The way you got those thugs off me was just great.” I said with a big smile. “No biggie. I just did what I had to. After all we are friends right?” Vinyl said in confusion. “Yes…you are…” I said and gave her a kiss on the left cheek “and the first one I ever had.” “I may have been your first friend but it seems that wasn’t you first drink.” she replied with a smile and pointed at my glass. “Can’t I be thankful for your help without you blowing it out of proportion?” I asked and rolled my eyes the same way she usually did. “Well, I guess even you can loosen up a little if you want to…” “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked raising an eyebrow, still trying my best to mimic her. “Well, obviously…” Vinyl said in a very stiff and serious manner. “Well Vinyl, I guess in that case we better go before DJ MelodyMix makes her appearance…” I said grinning like an idiot. Vinyl didn’t immediately get it but after a few moments she burst out into laughter. Well, that was our cue to go. On the way out Vinyl softly whispered the following in my ear. “Oh by the way, that wasn’t even half bad for a stage name, Tavi.” We both laughed and the door behind us closed. As our lungs slowly filled with cold air, I let out a small moan. Well, this night turned out to be far more enjoyable than I had originally imagined. Even the moon seemed to illuminate our path home. Oh it was indeed a wonderful night… Vinyl and I were chatting the whole time. I was telling her about that stupid predatory instinct, about the three colts and about the strange barmaid. When I mentioned her I could have sworn that she was standing right behind us, watching us from the shadows. Well, I guess sometimes my imagination was just getting the better of me.
-(19)- Black Ash-(19)- Black Ash There was an old saying that time passed differently for everypony. Sometimes ponies claimed that they experienced seconds that dragged on for an eternity as well as years that passed in a heartbeat. After living for a few centuries myself I slowly started to accept that those stories were indeed true. Decades passed and I saw a lot of ponies, influential ponies, come and go and to be honest I already forgot most of them. Time never showed favouritism; nobles and beggars alike had to face oblivion. Family, friends and sometimes even foes; those were the ponies who managed to earn their place in my memories. Oh those sweet, yet bitter memories… Those moments spent with my beloved ones were rather short lived but I wouldn’t want to miss them for anything in the world. However, the painful gap in my heart grew wider with every tombstone I had to erect. After two centuries I finally realised that it wouldn’t get any easier no matter how long I lived. The cruel reality was that we immortals had to face loss and guilt for eternity. We all had to come to terms with our fate and while some of us tried to be strong for those around us, others turned cold or even mad when they embraced the truth about immortality. It didn’t matter whether we were gods, monsters, ponies or something entirely different for all of us were subject to loneliness. In the end our whole existence was defined by the bonds we shared with others. Even though some of them acted like shackles and restrictions most of them were based on friendship and love. Now, how would an immortal whose bonds were shattered or forcefully severed react to the world? The answer to that question probably changed depending on the pony but in the end we all would sacrifice everything to meet those again that we lost. Sometimes when I closed my eyes I even saw it happening all over again… The night-sky seemed as if it was lit on fire. The whole town was burning and in the midst of chaos there was a simple mare. She stood beneath a rain of blaze and cinders watching as the whole world around her collapsed. The air was hot and suffocating but she didn’t care any longer for she seemed to be completely enthralled by the glory of the moment. Everything she ever loved perished in front of her eyes but she wasn’t sad for she knew that she had lived a good life. Happiness and pain, trust and betrayal, love and hate, she had experienced them all. With a smile she inhaled the flames and embraced her fate and thus her life came to an end. If I had been just a little faster or if I called out to her just a little louder, maybe she would have tried to run away with me. It had been the darkest day in my whole existence and yet 739 years later it still hurt to think about my sister’s final moment. Back then I didn’t know why she wore that happy expression when the flames devoured her but in time I learnt what it meant. My sister believed that she would be reunited with all her beloved ones in the afterlife. What a foolish sentiment. If she had tried to escape both of us could have made it out alive. Did she abandon me in favour of her colt-friend or did she simply think I had perished as well? I would never get an answer… Well, in the end it didn’t matter why she gave up on life, I would have cried for her anyways. As I buried the remainders of her charred husk I finally realised that life was neither fair nor forgiving. It was an age of superstition and fear so it wasn’t unlikely to look for scapegoats if things couldn’t be explained. As the sole survivor of the inferno that had reduced my hometown to ashes I soon became known as the wicked witch’s child. Back then, being accused of witchcraft came close to a death sentence. According to my sister our mother was burnt on the stake for that particular reason. As years passed I learnt that she was nothing more than a simple herbalist who had tried to help ponies. At one point she probably couldn’t cure somepony and someone blamed her for her patient’s death. Even though I was too young to remember my mother I would always love her for what she did for us. Under torture she confessed that she had been a witch all along but even then she tried to save the life of her children. She told them that we were supposed to be sacrificed in order to summon a greater demon from the pits of tartaros. Furthermore she told them that the ritual required two untainted souls and therefore she had to keep us pure and uncorrupted. That was it…the final gift of our mother… However, after the inferno ponies of the surrounding villages started to believe that my mother had lied to them and began to look for me. Even though Celestia had prohibited witch hunts ponies still silently participated in them. It didn’t even take them a whole week to find and imprison me, the witch’s spawn. I was but a little filly back then and nothing could have prepared me for what was to come. They pierced my legs with hot iron nails, they crushed my hooves multiple times, they put me on the rack and they covered me in hot ashes. The pain was unbearable and for a long time there was nothing I could do but endure it. They didn’t care how much I cried or fainted under their torture my pleas never reached them. After three days of endless agony I wished for nothing more than that Celestia would banish those evil ponies to the sun. Of course she never came. That moment I finally realised that there was no justice. Celestia was no goddess and there was no way that something like a god could possibly exist if he watched innocent fillys being tortured without intervening. On the fifth day I suddenly found myself in the tower’s cell. They had given up on the torture because I wasn’t able to stand the pain anymore and just fainted. I wasn’t sure if I had told them anything and to be honest I didn’t even care at that point. Burning me at the stake was probably far more enjoyable than another day of torture. My whole body was aching and it took me some time to find enough willpower to open my eyes. As soon as I opened them I realised that I wasn’t alone in my cell. There was a colt with a white coat and ice blue mane sitting next to the barred window. He didn’t look like a prisoner and at first I thought he was just a hallucination but after a few moments he addressed me directly. “So…thou art Black Ash?” “Moonshine…” I corrected him with every ounce of strength I could muster. “Ah…indeed. We forgot that thy other name was given to thee by your persecutors.” The colt walked up to me and looked at me with a strange expression. Before he addressed me again he let out a deep sigh, came closer and lent me his ear. “Thy execution will be tomorrow, my dear. Hast thou any last wishes? We gladly listen to thy last words and pass them on to god.” At that moment I couldn’t help but to chuckle. They sent me a cleric? They still wanted me to repent for something I never did? “Tell thy god and his worshippers…that they…shall burn for eternity…in the pits of…tartaros.” Then the cleric began to burst into laughter. Suddenly his voice became so cold and piercing that I thought he was a demon from tartaros sent to collect my soul. “Oh my black little angel, it fills my heart with joy to see that their torture hath not broken thy spirit. ” For a few moments there was nothing but silence. It took me some time to realise that the mood had completely changed. The thoughtful expression of the colt was gone and instead he looked at me with burning determination. He bowed his head and softly whispered some words into my ear…words that changed my life forever. “Ash? Where are you?” a female voice called out to me. I immediately snapped out of my thoughts. This wasn’t the time for foalish sentiments because according to Bliss the gears of fate began to move again. Every minute of every day for the last few centuries he tried to shape destiny in the most favourable path and right now the pieces finally fell into place. All his scheming, all his carefully laid out plans now depended on the decisions of one single mare. However, the decisions she was about to make were never truly hers… “What is it…Glow?” I asked in a sweet voice. “Your presence is requested…” the voice answered through the door. “Tell the master that I’m still waiting for his delivery…” “The request wasn’t from the master…it was a challenge from an acolyte…” “Oh, so nopony told the foal?” I asked with a sad tone. “Well, some did but he seemed convinced that the master just favours you for your looks.” “So…his challenge was formal?” “Yes, he just asked for the masters permission to challenge you.” “How did the master react?” “Oh, he seemed amused and told the acolyte to make it entertaining…” I couldn’t help but giggle even though it made me sad to know that I’d soon have to kill yet another pony. Elusive Bliss was unlike any other colt I had ever met. While most immortals tried to hide their boredom for appearances sake he didn’t bother and showed it openly. It wasn’t how his followers expected him to act but at least it was far more authentic than a princess who supposedly cared for every puny bagatelle a noble could come up with. As I walked through the door Subtle Glow was already waiting. Even though she was a rather timid mare she seemed very excited today. Well, she always wanted to see what exactly I was capable of, if I remembered correctly. However, unlike a certain acolyte who just proclaimed his own death she would never be foalish enough to challenge anypony who was far stronger than her. Well, I didn’t hoofpick her to be my assistant for her offensive potential anyways. We walked down the stairs for a few minutes until we finally reached the lowest layer of the basement. It was a big hall that resembled an amphitheatre. It was lit by chandeliers and torches. The smell of blood and death were still hovering in the air even though there neither was an execution or some games in the last few decades. As I walked down the stone tribunes the crowd cheered. Well, crowd is a big word for around fifteen vampires who had taken a seat for this particular spectacular. The amphitheatre was built to impress the other clans on special occasions and offered seats for around 250 ponies. My challenger was already waiting at the bottom of the arena. His red eyes were probably locked on me since I entered the basement but I wouldn’t know because all the time I was looking at the master’s balcony. There he was, sitting on his stone throne smiling. The three slightly smaller thrones to his left and to his right remained empty. Usually they were reserved for the keepers, important guests or those closest to the clan head. When I reached the arena floor where my impatient challenger already walked in circles Elusive Bliss raised his hoof and began to yell. “I greet you my children. I’m happy so much of you could make it on such a short notice. However the reason for our gathering is a rather sad one, for today one member of our family will leave us permanently. The acolyte Blade Dancer, vampire of the seventh generation has told me that he doubts the capabilities of my second in command, Black Ash and therefore requests a fight to the death wagering his very essence. As most of you know, Ash is a vampire of the second generation and therefore protected by the power of the bloodline. Now all of you bear witnesses as I, Elusive Bliss, keeper of our bloodline, order Blade Dancer, vampire of the fourth generation, to surpass the limitations of his blood and fight Black Ash on equal ground.” I stood perfectly still in the middle of the arena while Blade Dancer already began to circle me. It was only when the master gave us the sign to begin that he conjured eight blades of light that moved around him acting like a shield. Well, he was not as foalish as I thought. I envisioned he’d immediately jump at me to be honest but he probably tried to get an idea of my power before attacking me. While he waited his wall of blades made him nearly untouchable. Not a bad strategy... “So…little filly…I guess this will be the end for the silver eyed witch.” he said trying to taunt me. “Oh please, drop the honorifics mr. acolyte…you make me blush…” I answered and gave him a wink. The whole crowd began to laugh and Dancer let one of his blades rush in my direction where it was blocked by a simple kinetic blade I conjured in response. Oh, such a hothead, maybe if he had waited for another century he might have had a chance… “Without the protection of the bloodline you are nothing more than a weak little filly…” he yelled at me. I gave him a wide smile as clouds of black ash began to form in the midst of the arena. He tried to fend them of with his swords but in the end he had to realise that he couldn’t cut through my ash clouds and tried to attack me head on. Evading his attacks I danced around my clouds and tried to break his line of sight. However he managed to surprise me when he made it rain some blades in addition to those he used as a shield. The number of blades he could control was probably ranging from twelve to fourteen. Of course I avoided them but he also managed to graze me on my shoulder. An admirable feat if I you asked me. “Well, not so cocky any more are we?” the colt yelled once again. I couldn’t help but to laugh in response. While I laughed the clouds around me grew wider and soon the whole arena was covered in my ash clouds. They weren’t hot or suffocating, no they were something entirely else. While I was just walking towards my enemy he couldn’t do anything but whirl his blades around him and hit into thin air. “Where are you? What strange kind of clouds are those? Face me little witch!” At that moment I pulled back my clouds and let them float around us, letting the crowd in on what happened. My hoof was all bloody and looked at the colt with a disappointed expression. “So…you managed to hit me…” I told him. “Of course I did…” he started to reply but I immediately interrupted him. “…but you didn’t even realise it. So there was really nothing more to those blades…” “It was more than enough to hurt you!” he yelled arrogantly. The clouds around us began to rise until they reached the ceiling. Nopony could see inside the ring any longer and I simply moved closer towards him and also began to conjure some blades of light. “So it is true…you do use light blades just like me…but why bother with those ash clouds then?” he whispered more to himself than to me. Then he attacked me with his blades. They pierced me, cut me and ripped my body apart. In the end he was standing above my lifeless body and smiled triumphantly only to find out that my body wasn’t real when he touched it. At the very same moment he was pierced by two kinetic blades. One went through his throat, silencing him and the other through his heart, paralysing him. “I bother with them because they conceal the truth.” I softly whispered in his ears. His eyes grew wide when he heard those words and for the first time I gave him a sincere smile. “Yes…everything about me is a lie…even my name.” With those words I cut off his head and took in his essence. It was a sad thing but it had to happen. It only took me a few seconds to take in all of his power and memories while his body rapidly aged. In the end nothing but dust and bones remained. Looking through his past I realised that if we had met in another life under other circumstances we possibly could have become friends. As soon as the ash clouds dispersed the others saw that I had been victorious once more and the whole theatre erupted in applause. Bliss congratulated me formally in front of the audience and waited until everypony was gone before he signalled me to follow him. We walked a few minutes until we finally reached our destination, his private chambers. He offered me a comfortable chair and a glass of wine before he took a seat opposing me. Bliss then gave me a gentle smile and let his azure eyes wander over my face before he began to speak . “Well Moonshine, how do you feel?” “I’m okay I guess…” I answered quietly. “Don’t lie to me…” “Is that an order?” I said and raised an eyebrow. “You know that I would never order you around, cute little angel of mine.” he said with a chucke before he carried on in a more serious tone. “I’m merely concerned about your wellbeing. I know that taking lives isn’t the easiest thing for you to do…” “Well, I still don’t like it but thanks to your advice my victims they become fewer in numbers…” “Is that so? Well, I’m happy that I could be of assistance…” he said and took a sip from his glass. Around two hundred years ago we had a discussion on the very same topic. I wanted to keep casualties as low as possible and therefore asked Bliss what I could do to make others think twice about challenging me. In the end he told me that there were three ways to achieve that goal. The first one was to try to be loved by your underlings. While that would have been the way I preferred he also warned me that some ponies would simply think that I was showing weakness and need to be replaced. The second one was to strike fear in their hearts by committing atrocious acts and executing my enemies in the most terrible ways. However, Bliss knew that I wasn’t capable of such things and told me the third option would suit my needs best. While fear proved a great way to control the masses and love made them prone to manipulation the third option lay in between; it was respect. “So tell me, what do you think about her?” Elusive Bliss interrupted my thoughts. “I’m not so sure. I mean she looks pretty ordinary at first glance but…there is…something more about her.” “So…you felt so too…hmmm go on…” he said while being a little lost in his thoughts. “Well, the seed already took effect but her ability didn’t look very interesting at first glance.” “What kind of ability did she develop?” Bliss asked now eagerly. “Some kind of ice-based ability I think. However, it is hard to say because the ability is still in an early state.” “Well, that is kind of disappointing but it doesn’t change much. So what else can you tell me?” “The seed already took root in her head. The way she was moving was closer to one of us than to the mortals. Her inner predator also made her look down on those around getting her in some trouble. However, I wouldn’t mention that if it was just the usual reaction. Contrary to my expectations she didn’t react like a cornered predator but like one who was completely in control…” “Now, that is indeed worrisome.” Bliss said with a thoughtful expression. “You described her as rather emotional but the only thing I could see was a calculating mind, toying with her soon-to-be victims. If she had been seriously assaulted she would have definitely resorted to violence. Yet, thanks to an unforeseen event the situation could be resolved without fighting” I carried on. “If what you say is true I have to adjust my plans a little…” Bliss said rather annoyed. He sighed and signalled me to wait while he left his comfty chair and crossed the room looking for something within his vitrine. When he returned he put a crystal bowl filled with chocolates on the desk and winked at me. Vampires didn’t need food other than blood to survive but we certainly could enjoy the taste of food. Even though within our kind there were different preferences both, me and Bliss, had quite the sweet tooth. Sadly most food was just insipid for vampires and only the most sweet, bitter, sour etc. flavours could be perceived by us. Those chocolates for example are thirty times sweeter than any other chocolates sold in Canterlot. Not wanting to let Bliss’ generosity go to waste I helped myself and took a piece. He then proceeded to take one as well and started our conversation anew. “So is there anything else I should know about her?” “Well, she pretty much spent her evening in seclusion. Other than those colts who bothered her she was only talking to her DJ friend and…” “… and whom?” Bliss asked now in confusion. “That is the point. I can’t remember.” “You can’t remember? Or you don’t want me to know?” Bliss asked with a raised eyebrow. “I would certainly have mentioned it if I didn’t want you to know, right?” I said and rolled my eyes. “So…you keep forgetting everything about that pony…than there is a way to find out.” Bliss said with glowing eyes. “Repeat to me the following names and try to picture them in your head. As soon as you find yourself incapable to, tell me. Celestia, Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Thanatos…” “Celestia, Luna, Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Thanatos…” I repeated. “Well, that doesn’t seem to work. Can you tell me what they talked about? You still remember what your target said do you?” Bliss said and looked at me in anticipation. “It was mainly some talk about relationships.” “Relationships, seriously? Did she talk with a succubus?” Bliss said and chuckled. “As if something ridiculous like that could be real…” I told him with a smile. “You know that some ponies say the same thing about us, do you?” “Blasphemy…we shall turn into bats and suck their sweet life juices.” I said playfully. “…and that is what I love so much about your company; you always manage to raise my mood.” We both chuckled for a few more moments before Bliss focused on the task at hoof again. I knew it probably wasn’t easy for him. He was permanently juggling dozens of plans inside his mind and even the slightest complication could force him change his plans all over again. “So, if you wanted to pressure our pawn, how would you do it?” Bliss asked now rather serious. “According to Cold Steels information she doesn’t really care about her family at all, so that is a dead end. However, according to the data there should be at least a chance of fifty percent that she would try to help her sister. I wouldn’t advise to do that though. Our best bet would certainly be to pressure her by using her DJ friend. Sadly that in itself is also nearly impossible. As one of the harbingers we aren’t allowed to touch her either…at least if we don’t want to start a war with the other keepers and the guardian.” I said reciting the facts. “That mare sure puts up a worthy challenge.” Bliss said with a sour expression. “So…what shall we do?” “That is the question now…isn’t it? I’ve been hoping that Cold Steel’s research would be able to help me out…but no…that mare just has to have no one she holds dear other than that DJ who happens to be another harbinger on top of being…” “Being what?” I asked in surprise. “…particularly interesting for reasons that I don’t understand …yet…” he said gritting his teeth. Then for a few terrible moments I sat there in silence watching as Bliss tried to wrap his mind around his problems. I knew the feeling of helplessness and it always pained me to see others experiencing as well, even more if they had always been kind to me. “So how can I help you until you figure out how to get that Octavia where you want her?” I said and broke the uncomfortable silence. “Well, if it wasn’t for Cold Steel’s data I probably would have sent you off to collect some more information on that Octavia’s family and friends but I doubt that he would have missed anything. I also looked through his notes about batponies and to be honest they proofed quite useful for my plans. You should send him my thanks. Oh and while you are at it I want you to write some invitations for a dinner party I am going to give soon.” he said while the fire in his eyes started to burn again. “Anything else?” I asked still wondering about what he was up to this time. “Yes, I also want you to get me the last report from Shadow Sleeper on Thanatos’ activities. I haven’t heard anything about his activities in the last few weeks but I’m very concerned that he could set his eyes on the second harbinger and interfere with my plans.” Bliss told me. “Consider it done.” I told him. “Oh and Ashy?” he said teasingly. “Yes…” “The next time when you enter my private chambers please don’t bring the skull of your last victim with you. Your ability to manipulate light in order to create illusions may be convenient but even if it looks perfect you still walk a little bit slower on three legs.” he said with a smirk. I was happy that as a vampire I couldn’t blush anymore and closed the door behind me before I headed off for the main hall. As soon as I entered I delegated all the tasks Bliss had given to me. While I did that I was also informed that the the delivery for the master had finally arrived. Of course I immediatley sent an acolyte with the package to his quarters. When everything was taken care of I finally went back into my chambers and placed the no longer invisible skull on my desk. Looking at the sole remainder of the poor pony whose life I had eradicated today I addressed him one final time. “Hello again, my name is Moonshine…“
-(20)- WorriesI always had those kind of dreams; dreams where I was falling. Usually those dreams were just about plummeting for eternity. However, this time they were far more unsettling…or rather…far more realistic. As I spiralled towards my demise I did no longer fear the fall itself, instead I felt the urge to run from whatever lurked beneath me. Soon I realised that it wasn’t “something” I feared…it was literally “nothing”. As I drew closer and closer to the seemingly endless void I felt the cold wind in my coat and shivers running down my spine. When I tried to look directly into it, it felt like the abyss gazed right back into my soul, unveiling the darkness within. All my secrets, all my pain…everything I ever was… it was laid bare in front of the unforgiving void. There was no way to conceal myself, no escape, no happy ending…and then my dream suddenly collapsed. Colours danced in front of my eyes and a new landscape began to form. I found myself in a strange room. Well, room was the wrong word because instead of walls there was just darkness. It looked as if the dream ended just there. The floor was made of glass and beneath it there was nothing but darkness. The only thing in the room was a big crystal throne and somepony sitting on top of it. It was hard to tell who that pony was because she was wrapped in a black hooded cloak. While I took a good look at her she was playing lazily with a small crystal stone on the throne’s armrest. The figure then proceeded to throw the crystal stone out of the room, forcing it to perish from existence. It was an intimidating display of superiority and more than capable of keeping me from fleeing. The cloaked mare then jumped on her hooves and came closer while I was still rooted to the floor. When she was finally standing right in front of me she embraced me. “Oh, it didn’t take you as long as expected.” the mare said happily. “Who…or rather…what are you? A dream?” I asked completley taken by surprise . “Oh I think you already know.” “I most certainly don’t.” “How cold…you could at least have pretended.” she replied amused. “So what do you want?” “I’m here to tell you something...” “And why should I trust you?” “Oh, you definitely shouldn’t. You see…I’m quite the liar.” she said with a chuckle. “So what do you want to tell me…” “There is a lot I want to tell you but for now the only thing you need to know is that you should be wary. Trust no pony other than yourself.” “I don’t need anypony to tell me that.” I said and rolled my eyes. “Well, so you didn’t tell some barmaid about yourself, right?” “I just…” “That was merely the tip of the iceberg. Oh and don’t even bother to lie…I know.” “So I should try to keep to myself?” “Yes…you should.” “What about Victor and Vinyl…do you think I can trust them?” “Well…if it were me I…” I never heard the answer to my question, instead I suddenly found myself in my bed, panting as if I had taken part in the running of the leaves. It only took me some moments to realise that there was smoke hovering in my room. I jumped up immediately running out of the room looking for the source of the smoke. When I entered the kitchen I found the culprit immediately and had to smirk. It seemed as if Vinyl finally managed to kill the toaster for good. Only two hardly recognisable pieces of toast remained from her last victim. I wondered if she had a better excuse for the toaster than for the blender. Speaking about the killer of household aids…where the hay was she? As soon as my pondering heart calmed down I realised that Vinyl was in fact taking a shower. So, in the end I got very lucky. Instead of a fire in the leaving room I just had to deal with Vinyl. Thank Celestia that there was one thing that always helped me to deal with such things in the morning, my beloved caffeine. While the coffee machine did its thing I grabbed myself a sandwich just and my favourite mug. As soon as the coffee was done I filled my precious black gold into the mug and took a sip. I couldn’t help myself but to splutter out that disgusting rinse water. At first I thought maybe I didn’t use enough coffee or the filter didn’t fit…but that wasn’t the case. So, Vinyl finally did it. Well, I hope she was prepared for my wrath. Fortunately she was saved by what happened next. I took a bite out of my sandwich…and it tasted like nothing. So Vinyl probably was not at fault here. Something strange was going on with my sense of taste. Was it the alcohol? Was I sick? I wasn’t sure. When I checked the fridge for something edible, Vinyl’s food gave me an idea. There were two ways to make food sweeter; either you change the quantity of sugar or you use a surrogate that is even sweeter. So in the end I changed the concentration of my coffee and used the same amount of coffee I usually use for a whole can to create one cup. It turned out quite nice even though it still lacked taste in some way. Then I grabbed the two burned toasts I fortunately hadn’t already disposed of and started eating them. They did taste way better than the sandwich. “Tavi? Why the hell are you eating that?” Vinyl asked and pointed at the toast. She was standing in the door, still a little dampening from her shower and her mane was still a little wet. Vinyl really looked cute with her hair like that. Wait…no…I wasn’t thinking that right now. “Why did you ruin the toaster?” I said and raised an eyebrow. “Oh…you know that is quite the funny story…you see…there is an expl…” she started hastily. “Sure there is.” I said and stopped her explanation with a wave of my hoof. Vinyl’s eyes wandered from me to the plate next to the fridge. The sandwich I had bitten into was still lying there and she now was probably wondering why I didn’t eat that instead. “Was there something wrong with your sandwich Tavi?” “I’m not sure. The moment it entered my mouth it tasted like…” “Like what?” “Sand…” “What about your coffee? You are still drinking that so maybe the sandwich just…” “It also tasted diluted before but I found a way to enjoy it nonetheless…” “Tavi…just let me make sure of something…please.” Vinyl moved to the fridge took out a bottle of juice and poured it into a glass. She then put the glass right in front of me and looked at me with a concerned expression. “Tavi…I want you to drink this and tell me how it tastes…” I looked at the orange liquid, took a deep breath and flushed it down my throat. Much to my surprise it didn’t taste diluted in any way. The flavour was rich and just a little bit too sweet for my taste. Vinyl looked at me in anticipation and even though I didn’t know what she expects I gave her my answer. “That juice tastes just fine…a tad too sweet but you know I’m not exactly what ponies call a sweet tooth.” “Tavi…you probably won’t believe me but that is the stuff I usually drink. It is the sweetest juice you can buy in Canterlot and I’ve even added twenty-three additional sugar cubes. Usually you should have spluttered it all over the place…” “If that is a joke then…” “Listen Tavi, this is no joke…as far as I can see you are suffering from a rare kind of hypogeusia.” “Hypo-what?” “It means your sense of taste has dulled…extremely.” “So…what should I do?” “Whatever you do...don’t consult a doctor…” “But…” “Don’t. Just trust me on that…” “Vinyl…what…” “Huh?” “What are you keeping from me?” “Tavi, look I…” However, before she could say anymore she was interrupted by the doorbell. We both looked at each other in surprise. It was rather uncommon for us to have visitors, even more so if they dropped by so early. There was only one pony I could think of who’d be brave enough to take on two grumpy mares in the morning. I raised an eyebrow and asked what we both were most likely thinking… “Neon?” “Probably…” Vinyl muttered. When I opened the door I was rather surprised to see that it wasn’t Neon who rang the bell. There was a cute unicorn filly standing right in front of the door showing me a toothy grin. With her pitch black coat and her silver mane she looked just like a fairy from my old storybooks. As soon as she began to talk I realised that even her voice sounded angelic… “Hello, are you miss Melody?” the filly asked innocently. At the same time I felt a cold breeze giving me the shivers. I subliminally put on a smile and nodded at her. While the filly was certainly adorable something just didn’t feel right put I couldn’t put my hoof on it. “You really look pretty, miss. Now I understand why he wants me to deliver this to you…” she said with a giggle and levitated me an envelope. At that moment I was rather happy that I had to deal with so many snobs in my life, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep up my smile. The whole situation seemed rather staged. It somehow reminded me of when my mother tried to set me up with somepony else back in my teens. Even though I wasn’t sure who sent that filly, that pony most certainly knew how to manipulate others. That filly was probably the most adorable trap ever. She certainly had lulled dozens of unsuspecting ponies by playing the adorable-card but there was something that immediately gave her away; she was too perfect. “Well, thank you…” I told her still keeping up my smile. “Hope to see you again, miss…” “Me too…but I hope next time you won’t stick that much to your script…” She didn’t even flinch when I said that. However, before I closed the day and she walked away she gave me a kind of smile I just knew all too well, the smile of somepony whose expectations had just been surpassed. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed by her behaviour or simply pitting her. If she was already that adapted to deception her childhood was probably as bad as mine had been. As soon as I turned around I saw Vinyl watching me with a big grin on her face. She most certainly had eavesdropped on our little conversation. “Looks like you also have your share of fans and admirers, Tavi.” she said chuckling. “Seems like it…” “Let me tell you…you’ve handled her like a pro…” she said and gave me a wink. “Oh…and with pro you are referring to…” “Yeah…the one and only...” “Why…am I not surprised?” “…because you’ve already adapted to…my greatness?” “Your…greatness? Seriously? ” I said with a raised eyebrow and started chuckling like a little filly. The look on her face was priceless. Of course I was just acting stupid and immature but…sweet Celestia…I simply couldn’t pass a chance to get a laugh out of Vinyl for once. Well, I couldn't help it; guess that mare's humor was rubbing off on me. As soon as she realised what I meant, she turned red like a tomato and that made me laugh even harder. After a few moments I probably would have reigned myself in but Vinyl hasted the process a little. “So, what do you think? Don’t you want to open the envelope?” “Why so curious?” I said playfully before I went to the drawer. I pulled out my paperknife and cut open the envelope. Within I found a simple letter and some kind of invitation. My eyes immediately wandered over the letter and the more I read the paler I looked. Vinyl realised that the content of the letter had to be really disturbing… “What does it say, Tavi?” Vinyl asked me concerned. It took me nearly a minute until I finally found my voice again but when I began to talk it probably sounded as if it came directly from the grave. “I…this…I got an invitation for a little private talk…” “The way you act it looks more like an invitation to a funeral. Who sent it?” “It was a personal message…from Elusive Bliss…” I answered incredulous. “No way…” Vinyl said and turned as pale as me. “The other thing seems to be a formal invitation for some event…” “So…will you go?” “Well, according to him it is up to me if I want to go…” I said rather flat. “So…eh…just don’t go.” Vinyl said a little insecure. “Vinyl…you’ve never received any invitations from nobles have you?” “Well, not really but…” “Usually your choice comes down to this; comply or deal with their vindictiveness.” “So you think that you’ll be royally screwed later, if you don’t go and meet him?” “Exactly…” “But you don’t know for sure…I mean…maybe this is a genuine option…” “I don’t think so. Do you recall what Victor has told us about him? He wouldn’t let things to chance would he?” “Well, maybe he thinks that you feel obliged to go…” Vinyl pointed out. “Maybe…” I mused. For a few minutes there was nothing but silence. Vinyl expected me to come up with a decision but I simply couldn’t. How could a simple pony like me beat a schemer like Bliss who most likely had all possibilities already planned out? Was I thinking too much into it? Maybe he was just in control…because I thought him to be? While I was entranced by some deep rooted psychological questions Vinyl paced up and down the room, trying to come up with her own answer to the problem. At some point she suddenly came to a halt and faced me with a mischievous smile. “Tavi?” “Yes?” “Buck it…” she said with a smile and ripped the letter in two. My eyes grew wide in disbelief. She just didn’t destroy that letter …did she? “Vinyl…do you have any idea what you…” I said before she rudely interrupted me. “Yeah…I just found a way to help you…“ “And how exactly was…that…supposed to help me?” I asked incredulous. “If that colt is as cunning as you think he is he’ll make you meet him one way or the other, right?” “I suppose…” “And if he isn’t?” “Then…” “Then you’ve proofed that you are able outsmart him.” “Vinyl you are…a genius.” “Has taken you long enough to figure that out…” I didn’t know any better way to express my gratitude than to give Vinyl a big hug. In the end it was really as simple as she said. Even if Bliss had me dancing to his tune, I’d at least show him that I wasn’t his obedient little puppet. “Well, I don’t know about you but I could definitely go for a drink just now.” “You know that it’s still early in the morning?” “Care to join me for some coffee instead? It’s on me.” I said. “Trying to get away from you worries, huh?” Vinyl said with a knowing look. “I guess so…” I replied. Walking through the wet alleys of Canterlot it took us a few minutes before we reached our destination, a rather small café. Looking at it from the street it was pretty obvious that this wasn’t one of the places where the upper class used to mingle. However, to me this place had a lot of sentimental value. I often used to come here with my grandmother when I was younger. Strange how things changed when I got older. Even though I always loved to come here I never did so for the last few years. I shook off my nostalgic thoughts and opened the door. The old mare sitting behind the counter immediately jumped up when she saw that two customers had just entered. She gave us a big smile and immediately offered us some freshly baked cake. Vinyl took her up on her offer and ordered a slice of strawberry cake for herself and a slice of coffee mousse cake for me. She also ordered a triple espresso and a white mocha before we took a seat at a corner booth. A few minutes later the old mare delivered our order and returned to the counter. I didn’t say anything to Vinyl in front of her but why would she buy me something if she knew that my sense of taste was gone. “Vinyl, I’m a little confused about that order…” I said before she cut me off. “Why don’t you try it before you jump to conclusion?” she said with a smirk. I sighed and took a bite from the cake while she was pouring sugar into her mocha. Much to my surprise it tasted rather good. It wasn’t sweet at all but the flavour tasted very rich. Vinyl probably enjoyed the confused look on my face. At least I thought so based on her not so subtle chuckling. “Wasn’t my sense of taste supposed to be…well gone?” “Do you remember what I’ve told you before? I’ve told you that your hypogeusia is kind of special…” “So, what is so special about it?” “Do you know what flavour enhancers are, Tavi?” “Yes...” “Do you also know that the equine tongue by itself is only capable of tasting four flavours; salty, sweet, bitter and sour? Everything else is dictated by our sense of smell.” “Yes…” “The whole thing is rather complex so I’ll try to explain it in laypony terms. A common hypogeusia should simply dull your sense of taste but what makes yours special is that it also turns the four flavours into flavour enhancers. So by increasing the concentration of one of those core flavours you are still able to enjoy your food.” “If what you say is true, how come that my cake tastes normal even though I haven’t covered it in sugar?” “You’ve been drinking a tripled espresso…” “So?” “That stuff is veeery bitter and its aftertaste lingers in your mouth for some time. To keep it simple; your drink acts as a flavour enhancer for the cake.” “Why do you know so much about these things Vinyl?” “You still haven’t connected the dots? And here I was thinking that you were a clever mare…” Vinyl said with a chuckle. “Don’t tell me…” I said in shock. My mind was working overtime. The thoughts I began to conjure were everything but pretty. Was she working together with the vampires? Why was she telling me? There was far too much to process… “Yeah…I also suffer from that hypogeusia stuff.” Oh well, so much for my theory. Well, I guess that invitation really got to me. I tried to rein those thoughts in; paranoia and mistrust would get me nowhere. Maybe I was really too focused on possible future events that I was failing to see what happens in the present. Would it have been easier if I waited for things to happen and evaluate them afterwards? I suppose. Was it possible for me? No way. I was never the type of pony who went with the flow when she had to face a difficult situation, I always needed some kind of preparation. However, even if it were possible to overcome my own nature, living wouldn’t feel right anymore. So, how should I go on? Maybe the same way like before but less judgemental and pessimistic? Oh sweet Celestia, my head hurt like hell. Why was I thinking so much? No…not why…how. How was it possible that I thought up so much in just a few seconds? What the hay was wrong with me? “Tavi…are you alright?” Vinyl asked cautiously. Was I spacing out? I was pretty sure everything happened extremely fast. Maybe all that stuff just made me sick. Yeah probably some posttraumatic stress thingy… “I just don’t feel…so good. My head hurts a lot… " “Yeah…I can see that…” “Really?” I asked in confusion. “Tavi, you look as pale as a corpse, even worse than Neon when he had broken one of his legs in an attempt to stage dive.” she said trying to lift the mood while comforting me. “I’ve been under the impression that the crowd would do anything for him…” “Well, that doesn’t really help if you are wasted enough to jump right into the fenced off area...” We both burst out into laughter. The old mare on the counter looked in our direction for a moment before she shook her head and murmured something along the lines of:”…to be young again…”. “So…why did you decide to tell me about your “hypogeusia”?” I asked after the laughter ended. “I guess the fridge’s content would have given me away after some time…” she said with a smirk. “So…that condition…is permanent?” “Yeah…sadly. As I’ve said, our kind of hypogeusia is rather unique. Back then, when I had still lived with my parents they paid the doctor who examined me a fortune to keep quiet about. They told me that they didn’t want me to end up as a test subject for some crazy new medicine. However, there true intention was probably to make sure that my record remained clean. For me it was rather clear; It just wouldn’t look good if someone dug up some dirt about their prodigy daughter later on.” she said and rolled her eyes. “So…hypogeusia goes hoof in hoof with terrible parents?” I asked amused. “Yeah…probably. Well, there had to be a significant tradeoff for our stunning looks…right?” she replied with a wink. “I suppo…ughh…” I said before I experienced the next jolt of pain due to my stabbing headache. “Tavi?” “It’s…just…my head…“ “You should take an aspirin if it’s that bad…” “Right now I’d rather go with a painkiller...” “Do you think it has something to do with all that vampire stuff?” she whispered curiously. “You mean something like self-induced brain freeze?” I asked sceptic. “No, that just sounds silly. Still, what if it is a side effect of the stuff you have drunken? It knocked you out and gave you some crazy kind of super power. Who said that it couldn’t have side effects like hypogeusia or headaches?” “Do you think I should meet up with Victor or the creepy vampire doctor?” “I would go for Victor because no matter how knowledgeable that shady doctor is you can’t trust him. I mean he has already told you that he follows his own agenda. Besides, just thinking about the combination of a vampire and a doctor gives me the shivers. As if syringes weren’t creepy enough on their own…” Vinyl said and visibly shuddered. “Yes…but we already talked to Victor and he didn’t mention anything about side effects back then. If he had known he would have told us, right? Or was he also just playing me and followed his own agenda? To make things even more complicated there is also the possibility that what I am experiencing now isn’t even related to the vampires.” I said hastily. “So…you are not sure if you should trust Victor?” Vinyl asked curiously. “Well, my gut tells me to trust him but due to the past events my mind tells me to stay wary. I’ve never felt so lost, Vinyl.” I explained hastily. “I’d go with my gut feeling. Victor seems like a chill colt…for a vampire.” “What if I’m wrong about him?” “Then you’ll figure it out in time. You’re a clever mare after all…” Well, she was probably right and even if she wasn’t…I simply should have had more confidence in myself. However, there was something else that came to my mind and it was utterly disturbing. Didn’t Cold Steel tell me about vampires that could manipulate the equine psyche? Was my mind being conflicted…just the result of a mind meddling vampire? Or was I just being insecure about the direction I wanted my life to take? No…to be incapable of trusting others couldn’t be the right decision. I had been there and as far as I could remember my life was horrible. Who knew maybe Victor really had some answers to my problem… Ignoring my stabbing headache I told Vinyl that she was right and that it probably was for the best if I paid Victor a visit. After a few more sips of coffee I also mentioned the strange dream I had and my fears that somepony was toying with my mind. Vinyl tried to assure me that my fears were unfounded and that everything was fine. She told me that I was probably just overwhelmed by everything that happened. However, I knew that she only tried to calm me down; I could see the worries in her eyes. Well, if I wanted certainty…I had to look for it myself… Shaking off those awful thoughts I waved the waitress over and paid for the food. While she was looking for some change in her purse I caught myself examining her. I just couldn’t believe it. If I wasn’t so keen to avoid appearing like a mad mare, I would have slapped myself across the face for that. I gave the waitress a gentle smile and a generous tip before I hurried down the rainy streets with Vinyl in tow. At first I was heading for Victor’s place but then suddenly a thought crossed my mind. If I was already trusting Victor with my mental health I could as well show him what Bliss had sent me. So we simply changed direction and headed for our apartment. Vinyl wasn’t too fond of the idea because she thought I would go crazy about that stuff all over again. It took some time but I managed to convince her that I’d rather be safe than sorry… When we reached the apartment we were up for a surprise. There was a mailmare knocking at our door. When I wanted to approach her Vinyl gently held me back and signalled me to stay where I was. Vinyl walked up closer to the poor pony slung a leg around her waist and shouted: “Booo”. Of course the mare turned around with a loud shriek. However, when she realised who had just startled her, she became visibly excited and hugged Vinyl. The mailmare couldn’t get out more than a simple “Vinyl? No way…” before Vinyl took the lead and introduced me to her friend. “Tavi, Ditzy. Ditzy, Tavi.” Vinyl said. “Nice to meet you…” I said. “Oh…so your name is Tavi…like in Octavia?” the mare asked with a thoughtful expression while I was still taking pity on her. The poor thing seemed to suffer from a serious case of strabismus and I wasn’t really sure how to approach her. It was the same kind of uneasiness I faced every time I had to talk with my mother; I didn’t want to provoke a storm. “Yes. Well, in fact my name is Octavia but that stupid DJ over there has made it a habit to shorten it for her own comfort…” I said a little amused. “Oh, it could be worse…trust me. Most ponies just call me Derpy because I’m terribly clumsy.” “That’s just horrible…” I replied in shock. “So what brings you here? I thought you are working in Ponyville now?” Vinyl interjected. “Canterlot is momentarily understaffed so they temporarily moved me and two colts from Cloudsdale here to help out.” she said and shook her head. “You don’t look very happy. Don’t you like Canterlot anymore?” Vinyl asked. “Well…I do like Canterlot but I’d rather be in Ponyville right now…” she replied flat. “Because of what…no...wait…because of whom?” Vinyl asked with a wide smile. “None of your business…” the pegasus said with a blush. “Ha, I knew it! So you found sompony new. Didn’t I tell you it would all work out?” Vinyl said gleefully. “What about you? Still picking up your groupies one after another?” she said and stuck her tongue out. “Does Tavi look like a groupie to you?” Vinyl asked obviously teasing me. Well…I’d bite. “So why can’t I remember you picking me up?” I replied in a similar tone. “Duh, because you were wasted. Don’t you remember when you woke up in bed with me?” Vinyl answered triumphantly. “But you…I…you know it wasn’t like…” I started to stammer but my noble effort to explain the situation got drowned under their laughter. “Well, I’d really love to talk some more…but I still have some mail to deliver. That reminds me...Octavia?” “Yes?” “Please sign here, and here.” she told me before she handed me a parcel and two envelops. “Maybe I’ll pop over again when I’m done with my work. I mean…you are living together…right?” “Yeah…” Vinyl replied. Then Ditzy took flight and left the two of us alone. However, just before she was gone she still managed to embarrass Vinyl. “Your taste in mares has really improved. I still remember the one with the bottle-blond mane who used to talk about her moist and sticky muffin all day. I couldn’t stomach to look at muffins for days…for days Vinyl...” Laughing I entered the apartment and went through the mail. Inside the parcel was a whodunit I ordered a few days ago. I put it on the bedside table for later before I opened the two letters. The first one contained sales promotions and as a result wandered immediately to the garbage can. I just hated it when they disguised something unimportant by putting it in an envelope; it was just a waste of paper. The other envelope looked far more formal. When I opened it a smile immediately spread across my face. Some rich ponies wanted me to play for them at a dinner party. Should my performance be to their liking they would not only reward me appropriately, they’d even offer me some jobs in the future. When my eyes flashed about their idea of a just reward I nearly collapsed. The payment was otherworldly good…twice the amount my old quartet would have made. If I was interested in their proposal I should just reply to them so that they could send me the notes for the pieces I had to perform. Furthermore they required that I had to wear a dress befitting the occasion. Well, all in all that looked like a very good proposal…nearly too good. Vinyl looked rather sceptic when I showed her the contents of the letter. She probably thought the same I did; it was just too good to be true. I sighed and my initial joy immediately faded. The timing was just too perfect. Was that fishy job offer the backup plan if I refused Bliss’ invitation? I wasn’t sure…but there was a simple way to find out. This time I was in control… I walked up to the garbage can and retrieved the pieces of the letter and the invitation that Vinyl destroyed previously. When I opened the invitation I was relieved. Both events were scheduled to take place on a different time and location. Furthermore I realised that the host of the party where I should play, was none other than prince Blueblood. Even though I wasn’t really fond of him, I was pretty sure that somepony so keen to get the attention of the media was certainly not a vampire. Finally something worked out the way it should. To celebrate my little triumph I even started to sing. Much to my chagrin I forgot that Vinyl was still in the room. Oh, she probably would never let me forget that. When she finally stopped laughing I told her that I was going to push my luck and visit Victor for some answers. When I was walking down the streets, happier than I should really be, I came to the conclusion that this day might not be as bad as I originally thought. Of course I was still concerned about my health and the vampires but…hay…I finally got a bucking job. Even the ponies on the street looked far more colourful, now that I was in such a good mood. The world looked so much brighter to me until something odd happened; for a moment I thought I saw that ebon filly on the other side of the street smiling triumphantly at me.
-(21)- From smoke to smother (part 1)Dear [Unknown Reader], A long time ago my grandmother used to tell me that one could never truly appreciate the warmth of the sun without going through a heap of rainy days; Of course I never believed her. I just shrugged it off as her way of being considerate. However, at some point even my dreadful childhood had to come to an end. Life went on and things changed. I moved away from my parents, got a well-paid job and managed to stand on my own hooves. For a moment it really seemed as if those dreadful rainy days had finally passed. Of course that moment didn't last. Time passed and I came to realise that I had been nothing but a naive and dellusional child. Life wasn't a fairy tale and there was no compensation for the hardships I had to endure. Even though I managed to break free from my parent's influence...I still never had the chance to experience true happiness. After some time I simply accepted my fate. I gave up on the idea of a happiness and simply went on with my gray life. However, soon after I abandoned even the last bit of hope my grandmother died. It was only then that I realised that I probably still wasn't completly dead inside. Trying to run away from my pain and guilt I buried myself in work and wished for things to change...for my life to change... Somehow my wish was granted. In the midst of Canterlot I began to hear some kind of beautiful melody and like a moth to the flame I let myself be lured in. Soon I found out that there was more to Canterlot than met the eye. I encountered Victor, a stallion who lived in a part of Canterlot that wasn't accessible to just any pony. Shrouded in mystery he had lived there for centuries guarding his most precious posession, a small box capable of granting wishes. My life changed...but not in the way I originally wanted. Due to my encounter with Victor I started to live in two worlds: a timeless safehaven and the harsh reality. Of course it didn't work out. Soon I lost my job and my grip on reality seemed to weaken. I was even forced to take in a flatmate to cover for the rent. However, I came to realise that every cloud had its silver lining. At first I thought of a flatmate as nothing more than a nuisance I had to put up with but Vinyl proved me wrong. Well, in the end it probably had to be her. There was no other pony that could have brought colours back into my life. That stupid DJ not only managed to pull me out of my depressions, she also chipped away at my cold personality. Isn't it kind of funny that a crazy mare like her would turn out to be...my very first true friend? Once in my life I had no need to hide behind a fake personality. Vinyl accepted me as a broken puppet, as a cold turn off, and even as a hotheaded idiot. Right now my life could have been perfect if there wasn’t a little detail I forgot to mention; Vampires are in fact real. However, this is not their story...it is mine. This is the story of Octavia Melody That kind of story could have been quite amusing if it wasn't for several minor details. First off, even after I tried to make it look like a cheap intro for a bad vampire fic, it was still pretty much the story of my life. Secondly, even if I entertained the idea of self-irony, which I certainly did not, I still wouldn't be able to laugh at it. The fact that I finally could have attained happiness if it wasn't for them was just too cruel... So...where was I? Oh yes…I was on my way to Victor to get some answers. However, when I looked up at the sky and remembered something my grandmother used to say about the sun and rainy days, I realised that something was off. Even though I wasn't able to remember granny's whole speech, I was able to perfectly recall all of the thoughts I had in the last fifteen minutes. I then proceeded to create a fictional letter to see if I was just being paranoid…which obviously was not the case. Ignoring my throbbing headache, I took a few deep breaths and decided not to think about it anymore. I simply made a mental note to add it to the list of questions I would have to ask Victor later on. For the moment I just tried to focus on something more positive, like my meeting with Ditzy Doo. She seemed like a kind spirit, a little odd but I guess that was a given. I mean…anypony who was friends with Vinyl had to be at least a little bit odd? Oh wait, wouldn’t that include m-… My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by me bumping into a crossing pony. Without realising into whom I just bumped I immediately muttered an apology. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” I managed to say before my eyes grew wide. “You…” the pegasus said in an angry tone. “Well, as I said I’m truly sorry for bumping into you…” I told him but he already dragged me into the small passage he came from. “I told you I’d pay you back…you bucking whorse…” Black Lightning hissed. Great, just great. Not only did I manage to meet the only pony who harbored a grudge against me, no it also had to happen at a place like this. It wouldn't have mattered if I bumped into him somewhere crowded but no...I had to meet him when the whole bucking street was empty. Maybe it would be for the best if I just screamed something like “rape” or “murder” in a high pitched voice. However, this wasn’t the upper quarter of Canterlot and I was pretty sure that most ponies would simply not care if I was assaulted. “So…beating up a defenceless mare…huh? And here I thought even you couldn’t stoop any lower…”I said, especially emphasising the “you” and pointed at him. “Oh no…but after I’m done with you…you’d wish I would have …” he said with a wicked smile and landed a punch right above my hind leg. At that moment I felt my confidence waver and the first cracks started to show in my carefully put up façade. As soon as he realised that he was getting to me for once, his twisted smile grew even wider. While revelling in the fact that he had me where he wanted, my brain started to work overtime. A few thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously. Obviously I could try to run…but there was simply no way for an earthpony to outrun a pegasus. Well, if I went deeper into the maze of small sheltered alleys…maybe there was a chance. However, there was still the possibility that he knew those alleys... Another option was to scream but that would be most certainly pointless. Down here ponies had enough problems. So, as long as it wasn’t concerning them directly they would keep to themselves and try to stay out of any trouble. That left me only with the last option; I had to fight. Obviously I wouldn’t really stand a chance if I decided to fight him hoof to hoof. So what options were left? Well, I wasn’t sure if it would work but I could at least try to freeze his co-… “Do ye have a problem with my…friend…here, lad?” a harsh voice asked. The voice belonged to a dark blue mare who casually leaned against a wall behind Black Lightning. How did she even get there? Did I miss her because I was too focused on the rapist wannabe? Well...it didn't really matter. Now that there was an eyewitness Crap Lightning wouldn't dare to do a thing, so I let my eyes wander to the newcomer. To be honest she looked like a savage beast with her wild pitch black mane covering half of her face. Even though she tried to hide it under her man I could still see the scar running down the right side of her face. “Buck off…you wh-...” Black Lightning lashed out in with his voice. However, as soon as he turned around he immediately lapsed into silence. The mare was no longer leaning against the wall, instead she had already closed the distance between herself and my assaulter. It was only then, when she finally that close that I realised how intimidating her presence truly was. “Let me tell ya a…tale lad…” the mare said and looked down at the colt who seemed to have lost a few inches. “That lass there is important to my kind, ya understand?” she said and revealed two pointy fangs. Black Lightning turned as white as a sheet when he realised that he was…bucked. Trying to evaluate the situation his eyes quickly wandered between me and the dark mare. My reaction or rather the lack thereof, must have truly surprised him because his look soon changed from “shaken to the core” to dumbfounded. Looking at the confused pegasus I immediately realised that this was the perfect opportunity to make sure that he would never bother me again. I didn’t know why but something inside of me demanded retribution…and I’d lie if I said I wasn’t contemplated to follow my newfound urge for vengeance. The more noble part of me just wanted him to leave but the other part of me, the part who went through so much suffering in her life, wasn’t as nice. Keen to strike fear in his heart I took some steps towards him. With the most innocent smile I could muster and a voice as sweet as sugar I whispered something in his ear and the colour immediately drained from his face. I waited a few moments to enjoy his misery…before I addressed him again. “I really think you should leave…now.” I said, putting emphasis primarily on the last word. Of course there was no need to repeat myself. Black Lightning immediately took off as soon as the magic words left my mouth. Leaving behind nothing but a trail of dust he managed to disappear in a matter of seconds. With a sly grin I watched enjoyed the spur of the moment before my attention moved back to the mare who just watched the whole “show”. “Thank you for saving me...” I adressed the blue earth pony. “Oh it certainly wasn’t you who I was… saving…” the mare said with a soft chuckle and shook her head. “What? But…he was going to…” I said in disbelief. “Great maker, now I know why we were ordered to keep an eye on you. You seem to be a natural when it comes to getting yourself into trouble, lass." she said before she winked at me and added" "...or maybe it's just ya beauty that attracts trouble?" "Ehh...I beg your pardon?" I asked incredulous. "Oh, sorry about that. I haven't intended to slip back into dialect. It's something I've picked that up during my stay in the frozen north, a couple of centuries ago and well...old habits die hard...or so they say. ” she replied completly misunderstanding my question. She wasn't really trying to hit on me, was she? No…that would be just ridiculous. She also mentioned that she was pretty old. Could it be that she was she trying to -ouch- intimidate me? Hm...maybe. However, no matter what she did, she probably was just trying to get under my skin. Yes, I could certainly live with that…at least given the other option. Just the prospect of somepony older than my gran hitting on me sent shivers down my spine and wasn’t something I’d ever like to elaborate on. Wait...why was my mind overflowing with so many trivial -ouch- things and why the hay was I taking them so seriously? Why was I even thinking about all this nonsense? Shouldn’t I think about other more important things instead? For example, why wasn’t I surprised by the fact that she mentioned that the vampires were keeping me under surveillance? Oh right because that should have been obvious even to Canterlot’s biggest simpletons and –ouch-. Wait…was there a connection between all those crazy thoughts and the headaches? So…maybe my bucking head wouldn’t hurt anymore if I stopped myself from thinking that much? Was it really that simp –ouch-. No, it certainly wasn’t. Sweet Celestia… I’d give a kingdom for an aspirin… Focusing on the blue mare again I realised that she had probably seen my face react to every stupid thought that came across my mind; how embarrassing. Well, at least she had the decency to neither address the topic nor tell me that I had some screws loose. When she realised that I was no longer lost in thoughts she continued to talk. “Well lass, I bet you don’t have a day so let’s just cut to the chase. By now, you’ve probably figured out that you are under constant surveillance by my kind. Primarily we are here to protect you but…we are also here to make sure that you don’t cause any trouble. Something like…oh I don’t know…maybe killing a pony in cold blood…” she said half amused, half sarcastic. “I wasn’t about…I mean…I could never…” I started to mutter. “Could have fooled me.” she said and rolled his eyes. “And what exactly do you want to imply with that?” I asked, a lot more disrespectful than I originally intended. “Oh come on…no need to be ashamed ‘round me. I would have done the same if I’d been in your horseshoes; dat guy has been trying to rape you after all. I mean…technically it hasn’t been your fault that no one has mentioned the little detail of not killing other ponies with your “gift” in public. We won’t have your head for something as petty as a formal error…pirate’s honor.” she said and gave me an impish grin. “No, seriously…I’m not that kind of pony. I’ve never killed a pony in my life and I doubt I would be capable of something… like that. I’m nothing more than a simple cellist.” I replied. In retrospect I wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea to explain myself. There wasn’t really any need to but once again I fell victim to my worst habit; justifying my actions. Well, I guess I need to thank my mother for that quirk of mine… “Great Maker, do you think I’m stupid? Or possibly blind?” the mare asked now rather annoyed. “So let me get this straight. A colt with a grudge against you drags you into an empty ally and the first thing you do to insult him? No screaming? No begging for mercy? No, you simply decide that the best course of action is to insult him to his face. Yeah...right. I understand.” she said and rolled her eyes. “Well…if you put it like that it sure seems odd but…” I said trying to defend myself but was cut off short. “No it doesn’t…because I can see the bigger picture. You have purposely fuelled his rage to make him lower his guard and present you with the perfect opportunity to strike. Isn’t that right? Ah ah…don’t even think about denying it.” she said in what was probably her best “Sherlock Pones” impression. “I’m sorry to burst your bubble but my real plan was to stall some time by buttonholing him. Unfortunately, it seems as if my temper got a little out of hoof.” I replied. “Oh really…I guess in that case it must have been all in my head.” the earth pony said sarcastically before she went on in a playful manner. ”Well then, just answer me one more question. If you really didn’t want to kill him, why was your hoof aiming exactly at the center of his heart?” “That must have been a coinci…” I immediately tried to retort but was once again cut off. “Coincidence? My flank…” the mare said and spat on the ground. “You want to tell me that you’ve been pointing at the center of his heart for a whole minute by coincidence. Do you even know how unlikely that is? However, that isn’t even the best part. Your hoof has been perfectly in synch with the motion of his upper body. So that means…you’ve even been equating for his respiration by...accident.” she continued sarcastically and added “Oh…and from now on please do me a favor, will ya? Don’t bucking lie to my face.” Pondering about what she just said I decided to no longer try and defend myself. Of course her accusations were completely unfounded but I certainly wasn’t foalish enough to enrage her. The mere thought I could be capable of killing ponies in cold blood was just ridiculous… “I guess I’ll consider it. However, I can’t make any promises…” I replied hastily. Sweet Celestia… I should have thought my answer a little bit through before I blurted them out like that. Just great…my fears that Vinyl was slowly rubbing off on me were now ascertained. The dark blue mare was taken by surprise for a few moments but it was already long enough for me to start and panic. However, before my body could follow any of my minds arbitrary commands…it was my turn to look stupid. There was no reaction to my insolence…well there was…but not the kind I anticipated. A sly grin spread across her face before she raised her head to the sky and began to laugh… “You sure have a lot of guts, lass. I’ll give you that…” she said when her laughter finally ceased. “So, does that mean…you aren’t mad at me?” I asked in disbelief. “Why? Because you’ve been brutally honest with me? No...I don’t think so…” Phew…I really managed to dodge the bullet there. To be honest I was already prepared for the worst. Well, I guess for once I got lucky. However, I was really surprised by the fact there wasn’t at least some kind of rebuke. Hadn’t I spoken completely out of turn when I replied to her? Wait I had no longer any reason to ponder about something like that…I was off the hook…wasn’t I? “So, eh…do you work for Cold Steel, per chance?” I said trying to interrupt the awkward silence. The mare’s eyes went wide in surprise as soon as she heard his name but it didn’t take long until surprise turned into hostility. At that moment I was softly reminded with whom…or rather with what I was dealing. It had been my fault to think of her as a pony from the very beginning. No, she most certainly wasn’t a pony…she was a demon. Glowering at me with those creepy eyes she began to move closer and with every step I could feel her bloodlust grow. Sweet Celestia, I guess this time I had really put my hoof in it… “Listen up you cocky foal; I am no pony’s lapdog. As a mare who values honour above everything else I would rather die than to serve that spineless coward. However, measly snobs like you will never grasp the concept of pride. Well, I guess the only thing your kind truly cares about is sleeping your way up in society…” she replied spitefully. Wait…did she just say what I think she said? At that moment it felt as if a switch inside my head was flipped. Adrenaline rushed through my body and things began to change. No longer did I feel any kind of fear, discomfort or restraint. No…instead there was only one thing occupying my mind; vengeance… I just had enough of those self-righteous bloodsuckers. Destroying my life simply wasn’t enough, right? No…of course not. They just had to up the ante and add insult to injury. Well…buck them. If they seriously expected me to act like their obedient little pawn I’d be more than happy to prove them wrong… “Oh? So you seriously think that you are better than the common pony just because you have fangs? Well, guess what…you aren’t.” I said with a sneer before I continued putting her down. “Oh, you may think that you are superior…but in the end you are just a parasite…feeding on the blood and…lives…of innocent ponies. You are talking about honour? Well, come on then. Tell me. Where is the honour in preying upon the weak?” When the only reply I got was her dumbfounded face, a strange feeling of accomplishment began took root in my body. Even though I wasn’t a match for the mare physically, I was still more than capable of keeping up with her in a conversation. Ah yes…words…the most versatile weapon in the world. Every word acts as a tiny little blade and when ponies talk they subconsciously point thousands of them at each other. The moment a conversation starts we begin to carve their meaning onto the souls of our recipients. While we sometimes engrave beautiful ornaments on their souls we are also capable of inflicting a lot of damage. And right now that’s exactly what I wanted… Wait…what? What the hay was I thinking? Why was I trying to add even more fuel to the flames when the mare could already kill me on a whim? There was a fine line between playing with fire and gambling with your own life and I wasn’t really interested in finding out where that lies. Thinking about damage control I only found one possible solution; I had to row back. Maybe apologising would do the trick…or…I could always come up with some lies… However, before I could decide on the best course of action a strange noise broke my concentration. It sounded as if somepony was…clapping? Both, me and the blue mare, whirled around in an instant. As soon as I recognised the source of the noise, my blood immediately ran cold. In front of us stood none other than “Lucid Mind”, one of Equestria’s most brilliant psychiatrists. Oh buck…had she been eavesdropping the whole time? Just great…even in the best-case scenario she would probably think of us as lunatics… Wait…why was she even here? It didn’t make any sense. Despite her reputation as a renowned expert in psychology Lucid Mind was known to be reluctant towards media attention and quite publicity-shy or, as malicious gossip had it, even misequine. So, why was she, who tried her best to avoid any kind of attention, flaunting through the most run down part of Canterlot? The grey mare with the blonde mane coughed softly into her hoof and tapped off the dust from her jacket before she began to speak. “Greetings miss Melody. I’ve been looking forward to meet you for some time now…” she said and gave me a small nod. Then her eyes moved to the blue mare and she added: “…but I haven’t expected to find you in such…unpleasant…company.” While I was taken completely aback by the fact that Lucid Mind wanted to meet me, there was something even more surprising going on. The blue mare next to me was seething with anger…and this time it was all directed at her. “You…” the blue mare hissed and took a step closer to the other pony. “Yes indeed…unfortunately we seem to meet quite often these days…” the grey mare said and adjusted the yellow teashades on her muzzle. “I will rip you apart…” the blue mare nearly shouted. “Oh really? So…no longer bound to your master then?” the grey mare asked rather bored. “You buc-…” “As I’ve expected; all bark, no bite. Now if you’d please excuse me…I have some business to attend to …” she said and let her gaze wander in my direction. “This isn’t over…” the mare hissed. “Well, for me…it ended seventy-two years ago…” Lucid Mind replied emotionless. Those words seemed to have quite a strong effect on the blue mare because she immediately howled out in anger and tried to assault Lucid Mind. However, her hoof never managed to reach its destination. Instead it looked as if the mare had hit an invisible wall right in front of Lucid’s face. Even though the hoof was only inches away from her face, the grey mare didn’t even blink. It looked as if she had expected the blue mare to stop from the very beginning. Roaring in defeat the mare vented her frustration on the ground beneath her, leaving behind a small pothole as well as lots of rather long cracks in the pavement. The blue mare then turned her back on us and took her leave. However, before she completely disappeared from our vision she turned around and gave me a warning. “Be wary lass, for that…”mare”…isn’t what she seems to be.” Somehow I was really inclined to facehoof at her cryptic message. In the end she just pointed out the obvious. Of course Lucid Mind had to be more than just a simple mare. Why else had they been arguing about something that happened over seventy years ago? “So now that the nuisance is finally gone let’s talk…” the grey mare said and tapped off her jacket once more. “…or maybe we should change the location first…” she added after letting her eyes wander over the ruined pavement.
-(22)- From smoke to smother (part 2)When Lucid Mind beckoned me to follow her I couldn’t help but shudder a little. No...it wasn't the fact that she wanted me to follow her into the dark alley that scared the hay out of me. It was something about her that gave me the chills... Silently we made our way through the narrow alley. Time passed but at some point it became abundantly clear that this alley turned out to be a dead end. My heart began to pound as I realized that I probably just sealed my own fate by following her. However, if she knew how I felt...she obviously decided not to show it. Suddenly a dreadful thought crossed my mind. Up to now that mare hadn't shown any emotions at all. So the reason why I felt so uneasy about her was because I didn't see a pony. All I saw...was just a mask... Those thoughts nearly made me cringe. All my life I had been about wearing masks. Seeing as society even encouraged that kind of behavior I never truly questioned it. However, looking at Lucid I couldn't help but wonder if I had given off a similar feeling whenever I acted cold towards others. Still a little lost in my thoughts I nearly managed to bump into Lucid when she suddenly decided to stop. As I wondered if the huge brick wall in front of us was just an illusion, Lucid simply turned to the porch on her left, took a step forward and knocked at the shabby door. Unable to conceal my surprise I looked, expectantly at the door. Could that possibly be a secret hideout in the lower city? However my thoughts were cut off short when a confused looking stallion opened the door. Okay…that pony certainly did not belong with Lucid Mind. Not only did he look like a mess...he also reeked of smoke, sweat and some other…bodily...fluids. While I was still busy hiding my disgust, the stallion’s eyes grew wide as he recognized who had just decided to pay him a visit. In an obvious attempt to look more cultivated he let his hoof wander through his three-day beard and began to address a visibly unfazed Lucid Mind. “So I wonder...what brings you to my humble home...miss Lucid Mind?” he asked while unleashing his alcoholic breath upon us. “I’d like to rent your home for the next few hours. I pre-emptively like to apologize for any inconvenience I may cause but I guess…this…” she said and tossed a small pouch of bits in front of his hooves. “…should be more than enough to compensate you for your lost time.” The stallion’s jaw dropped when he saw the bits well forth from the pouch. Greedily he picked up all the money and thanked his generous benefactor. “Now…if you’d excuse us…” Lucid Mind said, already entering the shabby home of the slimy stallion. “Oh, but of course, miss Mind." he said and paused for a bit before he continued "However, wouldn't it be terrible if word gets out that the famous Lucid Mind secretly meets with another mare in the lower city?" “Are you seriously trying to blackmail me?” Lucid Mind asked unconcerned. “No...of course not. Why would you ever think that? I am simply voicing my concerns. Being the nice stallion that I am, I've even decided to offer you my help in dispersing of those nasty rumors. Still...it's a lot of work to ensure that everything goes smoothly...so..." the shady stallion continued. “Fine…” Lucid Mind replied and took out a checkbook and a ballpen. Under the eyes of the greedy pony she made a swift motion and the check was signed. Well...that was rather odd. To be honest I couldn't say that I expected her to comply with his demand instead of just sending him flying. Well...maybe it wasn't that much money anyways. Then my eyes fell on the number she had just written down and I felt something inside of me die. That little scumbag just managed to extort more money from Lucid than I could earn in an entire decade... “Now then…enjoy yourself. Oh and when I come back I’d better see my house still be standing.” he said before he disappeared with a big grin. Wait…was he just implying that we had an affair? Sweet Celestia, he was. Oh...come on had all colts to be that way? At that moment I was reminded of the wise words of a drunken DJ; “Most colts don't think...and even the few who do, only do so with their little heads.” Even though she was talking about some of her fans I guess she'd be universally correct too... “Ahem…miss Octavia?” Lucid Mind interrupted my thoughts. “Oh…I’m sorry. Nowadays I just seem to be easily distracted…” I replied. Horseapples! Once again my mind seemed to be more occupied with trivialities than with anything important. As if that wasn’t annoying enough…I had to have that bucking headache on top of it. “I’ve expected as much.” the mare said without batting an eye. Without changing any other words I followed her into the stallion’s home. After wandering down a small corridor Lucid Mind led me into the sad excuse of a living room. Shuddering at the sight of dust, dirt and cobwebs it took me a few moments to realize that the room was nearly empty. The only things that closely resembled furniture were a filthy couch and a wobbly table. “So, I guess you too would rather stay than taking place on…that.” the mare asked, pointing at the couch. “Gladly…” I said, still eyeing several icky stains on the couch. “Well…now then…let’s cut to the chase…shall we?” the mare said taking off her shades. Slowly I felt the air around the mare changing. Life returned to her empty face and soon she stopped looking like the cold and apathetic mare she had been before. The formerly dull eyes began to glow in a vivid green and the corners of her mouth began to rise. With a faint smile she then removed her hairpins, causing her mane to fall in a natural manner. "Finally! But what do you think? Better…right?” she addressed me out of the blue. “I…eh…beg your par-…” I tried to say but she simply carried on. “Oh but of course it’s better. A wonder I haven't bored you to death by now..." she said, curling her mane around her hoof and chuckling softly. Somehow I felt like I was missing something very important. A pony’s personality shouldn’t be able to do a one-eighty just like that. One could argue that she had merely played a role in public but I wouldn’t really bet on that. Even a brilliant actress like my mother would be incapable of faking her personality to such an extent… “So…you are the famous Octavia Melody. Hmm…I’m quite impressed...” the mare told me while shifting her weight from one hoof to another. “Famous?” I replied and raised an eyebrow in doubt. Flattering would get her nowhere. “Yes…in certain circles your name raises quite a ruckus.” she said, giggling like a school-filly. “…and with certain circles you mean every last vampire out there?” I asked in resignation. Well…that certainly was not the kind of fame I had always dreamed of. I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or cry. Life just seemed to have a strange way of setting the stage for certain events. “…the princesses, some nobles I suppose…hmm maybe the spirit of chaos…but besides them…mostly my kind.” she said nonchalantly. “The princesses know?” I blurted out in surprise. “Of course they do. Celestia might be too soft for her own good but she certainly isn’t blind…and neither is her sister.” Lucid Mind retorted. “So why don’t they do anything against you?” I asked in confusion. “...because we share a symbiotic relationship with them. True Shot’s bloodline provides the backbone of Equestria’s military for example, while mine supplies the princesses with intel and scientific data. You see…you ponies profit quite a lot from us. Of course our “symbiotic relationship” also requires that we have to play according to some of the princesses tedious rules…” she said and rolled her eyes. “Rules?” “Well…something along the lines of keeping our existence a secret and refrain from killing any “innocent” ponies. Pretty boring stuff if you ask me…” she said while circling around me. How convenient that nopony ever mentioned that no-kill policy. Well...not that it really concerned me because this whole harbinger stuff seems to make me untouchable anyways but hay...it would have been at least one thing less to worry about. The thought of ponies dropping like flies all over Equestria wasn't something that let me sleep well at night. Now I really felt like a foal for believing that those monsters could do as they please. Of course princess Celestia would never… “Oh…don’t you think it is a little too soon to relax?” the mare said and pulled me back, causing me to fall on my flank. At the same time she also wrapped her forelegs around my neck and embraced me from behind. Paralyzed by fear I felt her cold(?) breath in my neck. My heart began to pound and shivers ran down my spine as she pulled me even closer. “Just because we know the rules…doesn’t mean that we can’t break them from time to time.” she whispered into my ear, immediately causing my blood to run cold. Without giving me any time to recover, Lucid Mind continued to scare the hell out of me. Still acting like a lifeless doll, my eyes widened in horror as I something wet wandering up my cheek. At that moment I was pretty sure that I was a goner...but much to my surprise she seemed to be content with the fact that she scared the hay out of me. “I wonder how you taste…” the mare said happily, before she pushed me away and got back on her hooves. “You are...as mad as a hatter…” I tried to say, yet I only managed to whisper the words. “Oh? So I guess the correct answer is salty…” Lucid Mind retorted, giggling at her own joke. When she realised that I wasn't reacting to her nonsense she laid her head in her neck and gave me a concerned look. "Is something wrong?" she asked me, in what I believe was a sad tone. “Thats exactly what I want to know. What the hay is wrong with you? One moment you are acting like an ice cold business mare and then you suddenly decide to go all sorts of crazy on me.” I replied, still besides myself. “Oh "they" haven’t…told you about me yet?" she said once again giggling like an idiot before she went on. "Well…I guess it is time for a proper introduction then. Just give me a second to…focus. ” she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. At that moment I felt the air around her changing once again. The mare suddenly looked a lot calmer and her eyes no longer reflected any madness. However, she also didn't look as apathetic as before. She still scared me but somehow I felt a lot more at ease. “I am Lucid Mind, Equestria’s greatest psychiatrist as well as Celestia and Luna’s personal counsellor. Bound by…shackles of blood…I am also acting as Cold Steel’s third in command, representing the interests of his bloodline.” she told me with a small bow. “Shackles of blood?” I interrupted her curiously. “Oh…did I really say it that? How strange…” she mused. “Well…it’s an archaic way of saying that you haven’t volunteered to become a vampire and still exist against your own will. However, saying that now feels kind of odd to be honest. I’ve already come to terms with my situation centuries ago. Hmm…I wonder if…” she continued before drifting into silence. “Oh right…I still haven’t answered your original question, have I?” Lucid Mind suddenly asked. "Ehh...which question?" "The [what the hay is wrong with you] question. Seriously Octavia...if you can't even remember the question I really doubt that you are actually interested in the answer." she said and gave me a disappointed look. "However, maybe I'm just mistaken and you are still interested in the answer. If that's the case I'll gladly provide you with an explanation. Even better, I'll offer you two explanations. One is simple, the other one is complicated. Take your pick." she said, obviously evaluating me. "I don't have time for your silly games. I'll go with the simple one." "The simple answer is that I am insane." she said with a victorious grin. "In that case I'd pick the complicated one..." I replied in resignation. "Good choice." she said with a smirk before she went on. "Well then…what do you know about our abilities?” "You can make ponies forget about you, you can manipulate nature to some extent, you…” “Okay I get…so let’s skip the basics and focus on the juicy parts shall we? What do you know about bloodline abilities?” “Well according to your master, every bloodline follows a common theme. Bliss and his minions use light for example." I recalled. “Well, I guess that makes my explanation a lot easier then. As you've been probably told the common theme of my bloodline is the mind. However, even among vampires of my bloodline, my ability, “mind meddler”, is rather unique. In fact it is an ability you’d rather associate with changelings than with vampires.” Lucid Mind started to explain. “Just like those pesky bugs I am capable of seeing an emotional aura attached to ponies. I know when they are jealous, I know when they are sad, I know when they are lying and I know when they want to go for the kill. However, unlike changelings I am capable of a little more; I understand how minds are constructed and how they operate. Given enough time I can even temper with them… at least a little bit…” “So you can actually brainwash ponies?” I asked in shock. “Well...not exactly. You see...my ability works more on an emotional base, not so much on a practical one. So while I’m not able to plant false information into your head or make you betray your ideals I can still work your mind in ways you couldn't even imagine. Let me give you some examples… Let’s say your coltfriend is a two-timing son of a whorse but you still decide to forgive him. Well…I can make sure that you are anything but a forgiving pony. Or let’s say you have killed countless ponies and can’t live with yourself anymore. I can take away all your guilt...forever. However, vampires are no gods and therefore even our powers have some limits. In my case that limit is my victim’s willpower. So even if I tried to alter a pony’s personality against their will it wouldn’t be possible. Kind of ironic isn’t it? Even though their bodies are quite fragile, their mental fortitude is nothing to laugh at.” she lectured me. “So…doesn’t that make your ability rather pointless then? I mean who would be stupid enough and allow you to work their brains?” I asked slightly confused. Lucid Mind gave me an incredulous look before she suddenly broke into laughter. “Octavia…I am a psychiatrist. Ponies pay me to...fix...them.” she said, still chuckling. “But…don’t they realise that you are using magic as an earth pony?” “Magic? Well…maybe it looks like that to the untrained eye but among experts said procedure goes by the name of hypnosis. Well…at least that’s what I tell my clients.” she explained with a sly smirk. “How terrible. Don't you feel any shame ?” “Oh come on, Octavia. We both know that you are telling me this because you think it is…the right thing to do…and not because you actually believe it.” she replied bemused. “No, I…” “Ah ah ah…” she said and shook her head. “There is no point in hiding it. I’ve seen your aura. However, feel free to convince me otherwise if you must. Watching ponies try to save face always proves to be quite amusing…” "I'll pass." I said with a deep sigh. "Just go on with your explanation..." "Splendid. So, remember when I told you that I can manipulate the minds of those who are willing?" "Yes..." "Well now here is the catch. Even though it isn't hard to meddle with the minds of foals, lunatics or torture victims there is somepony who is even easier to manipulate. So...any ideas on who that could be?" she asked expectantly. "You've got to be kidding me." I asked in disbelief before continuing. "You couldn't possibly mean..." "Yes...I'm talking about myself." she replied in a cheerful tone. "Why would you ever do that to yourself? " I nearly shouted. "Why you ask? Isn't the answer obvious? I'm trying to improve myself." "What?" "Think about it, Octavia. Ponies struggle all their lives to improve their selves and to adapt to certain situations. The only difference between them and me is that I can skip the process and immediately jump to the result. Instead of overcoming my fears I can simply erase the whole concept of fear. In fact there are a lot of unneeded emotions I've simply gotten rid of." "Emotions that you've gotten rid off? Isn't that like killing a part of yourself?" "So? What's the point of emotions like grief and sadness...or doubt and fear? I'm better off without them. The same goes for things like shame and guilt? Those feelings are detrimental to my selves. So, why would I ever want to keep them? " "Wait...your selves? Doesn't that mean..." "No, I don't suffer from multiple personality disorder...or anything alike. Just think of every personality as a different piece of clothing suited for a different occasions. So while you probably wouldn't wear a scarf in summer, I'd rather not show my true colors in public. I guess you'd understand why." "So...ahem...this personality right now. Is it your true personality or...just a mask?" I asked, genuinely curious. "This personality? This happy sounding, gentle and well-versed personality? You can't possibly imagine how much I loathe it." she said with an ice cold voice. "Why are you using it then?" "It was forced upon me by your beloved sun tyrant...princess Celestia. " she hissed. "You are lying. Princess Celestia would never..." "Oh believe me, your princess isn't the saint you ponies make her out to be. Although Celestia is a benevolent ruler at her core, she does whatever she deems necessary to help or protect those she cares about. Encasing an enemy in stone, banishing her sister to the moon, ordering the assassination of the fifth griffin emperor, taking down the crimson castle, employing my kind to fight for the greater good....all of these decisions...do they really look the acts of a kindhearted monarch? Well, to me they don't. To me those weren't the decisions of a kind ruler, those were the decisions of a wise one." she explained. "However, even though I respect her as a ruler I will never forgive her for forcing a personality like...this...on me." "What is so bad about your current personality? I mean aren't you...well...happy to exist?" "You probably won't understand...but this personality stands for everything I I'm not... for everything that I hate. It also serves as a constant reminder of...oh, never mind. I might as well just tell you how I've ended up like this..." she said and paused for a moment before she began her story. "A few decades after Nightmare Moon's banishment I was summoned to Celestia's castle for the first time. Much too my surprise she had taken quite the interest in my research on the equine mind and invited me to stay at Everfree Castle to further my research. Of course I took her up on her offer. I would have been a foal to pass on the chance to get free access to the grand library... At first things went very smooth for me, however after some time Celestia wanted to talk to me in private. She told me that she was concerned about my behavior. She had hoped that after a year at her court I would have already thawed up to the ponies around me but unfortunately that wasn't the case. At first I wasn't sure why she cared about my antisocial personality but soon I realised that she hadn't invited me to Everfree Castle for research alone. Celestia wanted me to fill the void her sister had left. All this time she had been looking for somepony who could understand her, somepony she could talk to. She longed for the company of a fellow immortal, an equal, who didn't care about her crown and status and could see her for what she truly was...just another sentient being with social needs. So the next time she wanted to talk, I told her that I knew of her intentions but that it could never work out between us. However, Celestia's reaction managed to surprise me. I expected her to be upset when I refused her friendship but the only thing I felt from her was disappointment. When she asked me why...I decided that she deserved to know the truth. So I told her about...my multiple selves and my abilities in general. A few days later my master paid Celestia a visit. Apparently there was some kind of emergency that only he could help with. Just think about how surprised he was when he learnt that I was the reason she had called for him. It didn't take her long to convince my master that he could help me. So he prohibited me from removing any more of my emotions and forced me to to create a personality of Celestia's design. While Celestia and Coldsteel were very happy with this rather...social and harmonious version of myself I couldn't help but feel betrayed. Why wasn't I given any choice in the matter? So when my master ordered me to use this personality around him and Celestia I told him that I would obey his order. However, at the same time I also made clear that I would neither forgive them nor put my trust in them ever again..." "Wow...that was quite a story. Still...there is one thing I still don't get." "And what would that be?" "If you hate this personality so much...why do you use it right now as we speak?" "The reason for that is simple, it's because of you, Octavia. I've seen how uncomfortable you feel around my emotionless self and I also know that my other self has managed to leave quite the negative impression on you. So in order to get to know you a little better I've decided to go with the personality you probably feel most comfortable around." "Why? Why would you go through such lengths just to talk to me. Am I really that special to your kind?" "That you are...and for a lot of reasons." "Such as?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where do I even begin? Well...let's see. You are a harbinger of chaos, yet you haven't stated a wish. The guardian himself seems to have taken a liking to you; a feat most of us have deemed impossible. Top that off with the fact that two keepers have shown a personal interest in you and you probably understand why there is such a hype about your person. However, there is even more..." she began to explain. "More?" "Maybe you haven't realized it yet but you are more special than you think. You see...I've come across a lot of things in my life but even for me it is quite rare to stumble upon an aura like yours. Usually a pony's mind should always be in harmony with itself. However, for some reason that isn't the case for you. Instead I've noticed that your aura suffers from countless tiny little fluctuations." "So...what you mean to say is that there is something wrong with my mind?" "Well...yes...but for now it's only a thesis. I still haven't enough information to..." she tried to assure me. "There are headaches...lots of them. Sometimes my way of thinking changes and I do or say things I immediately regret. My mind also thinks about a lot of things...at the same time. I am capable of reproducing everything we've talked about in the last..." I interrupted her. If she already knew that there was something wrong with my mind I decided that I might as well go the whole way and try to get a sound explanation. "I know these symptoms. However, in your case they make no sense..." she said and trailed off. "Why?" "Because those are the symptoms of the early transition stage within the vampirification process. However, as far as I can tell you are clearly not in the process of turning." "Wait...what? Sweet Celestia, what should I do?" I shrieked. "First off, don't try to think. Your body can't handle the stress of thinking on different layers. Secondly, I need to examine you. So, please lie down on...the couch. Sorry..." she replied with a smirk. As soon as I took place on that filthy piece of furniture Lucid Mind began her examination. At first she checked my heartbeat and took a look into my mouth but soon she let her hooves wander over my body. After some time she reached the place where Crap Lightning had hit me. It hurt quite a lot and as a result I let out a small shriek. At that point her eyes flashed victoriously and she decided to take a closer look. Her smirk immediately faded and was replaced by a concerned look. "Well...let's start with the good news first. You have still a heartbeat and you don't show any signs of fang growth. I also couldn't find any bite marks on your body. So there certainly have been no attempts to turn you. However, that bruise on your side is quite concerning. It is swollen and should hurt quite a bit, even without anypony touching it directly. Yet, you've only reacted to it after body contact. That means somepony hurt you with the intention of injecting you with an unknown substance and covering it up adding an anesthesia. Now here comes the part I'm really concerned about. The small puncture site on your wound isn't the only one I've found. There is a second one on your flank and it looks at least a few days old." "So...do you have any idea what I've been injected with? Or why?" "I don't have a clue but there are two viable options to find out. Either you let my master examine you thoroughly...or I can just hunt down your assaulter and force him to spill his guts." she said with an evil smirk. "You know what? Just do it. At this point I honestly don't care anymore..." "Seems like your condition is getting worse." she said, chuckling into her hoof. "You do know that you've just asked me to torture a pony...right?" she added upon realizing my confused expression. "Well at least it would teach him a valuable life lesson; every action has it's consequences..." I replied in an icy tone. "Oh my...I seriously haven't expected you to give up on your moral high ground. Well at least not after you've been trying so hard to convince me that manipulating ponies is a bad thing. So now I wonder..." she said and gave me a thoughtful look before she continued in a cheery voice. "Could it be that in the end you and I aren't so different after all? " As soon as her words hit me, I felt a shudder running down my spine. She was right. I really wouldn't be any different if I let her torture a pony on my behalf. What the hay was I even thinking? "Don't worry...I've just been teasing you. Assuming you are really experiencing something like the transition state you are currently going through some severe mental reconstruction. While your mind adjusts to thinking on different layers, there are some times when the line between emotions and thoughts becomes blurry. Not only does this often lead to inconvenient situations...it also tells others a lot about your true nature. Surges of cruelty and vindictiveness for example are an indication that life hasn't been easy on you and that your heart is filled with sorrow and hate. Sums you up pretty much...doesn't it? Oh come on...don't look at me like that. After all I'm just trying to help..." she said, obviously enjoying herself far too much. "So what about you then? Does "enjoying other ponies' misery" sum you up as well?" I retorted with an icy glare. "Somehow I guess it really does. Not only am I a psychiatrist who tries to understand the reason for a pony's misery and enjoys analyzing, dismantling and eliminating it, I am also a twisted psychopath who takes great pleasure in causing misery myself. So yes..."enjoying other ponies' misery" is basically what I live for." she answered my question while giving me me yet another smug smile. "Could you please cut it out already? I don't know what exactly you are after but dealing with your mind games is getting pretty tiring. A pony as false as you would probably have been better of with a name like Poison Whisper or Worm Tongue. " I told her, letting out a deep sigh. "Oh my...how cold." she replied in an innocent tone but for a second I was pretty sure that I had seen something in her eyes. "What do you really want? Just tell me the truth already...all of it..." I asked bluntly. For once my words seemed to have an impact. Lucid Mind's smile immediately crumbled and her eyes widened in horror. This time it was her turn to give me with an icy stare. Even though I didn't know why she suddenly decided to drop her playful act, I was pretty sure that it would make this discussion a lot easier. "What I want? Isn't it obvious? I want to know who...or rather what you truly are. There is just so much about you that makes no sense. It's as if your whole existence is but a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." she hissed. "What do you mean by what I am ?" I asked curiously before addressing yet another concern. "...and how come you are so angry all of a sudden?" "According to everything I've seen so far, I'm pretty sure that you probably aren't a pony." she replied, obviously observing my reaction. "...and to answer your second question; I'm not angry...I'm just extremely irritated." "Why?" "...because you've just ordered me to tell you the truth and I quote "all of it"." she said with a deep sigh. "So...why exactly are you following my orders?" "My master compelled the whole bloodline to make sure that no harm would befall you. Furthermore he also ordered us to...comply with your wishes...as long as they don't endanger you, the bloodline or ourselves." she pressed through her teeth. "Oh great...so I've stumbled upon a loophole in your orders." I noted. "However, shouldn't your master know that something like that could happen?" I asked, trying to hide how much I enjoyed that the tables had just been turned. "Usually ponies wouldn't try to order a vampire around because they still fear us. However, in case they actually do they give rather simple commands like "leave me alone" or "help me". My master probably thought we had to deal with a simple mare, not a fearless demon spawn from Tartaros." the mare replied and shook her head. "So you honestly want me to believe that I'm a demon from Tartaros?" I asked, raising an an eyebrow. "No...but I'm still sure that you aren't a normal pony. I've been checking your aura for any signs of mental instabilities and fluctuations but it doesn't really matter as long as I don't know what triggers them. Analyzing your personality and gauging your mental capabilities has also been a fruitless effort because it seems they are ever changing. To be honest...the closest I've ever seen to your aura is the one belonging to the spirit of chaos and disharmony...and even that only shares very few traits with yours..." she explained, matter-of-factly. "No...that can't be right. There is no way that my aura looks similar that monster's..." Once again it looked as if my words had an impact on her...but not in a good way. An evil smile crept on her face and her eyes flashed in new found excitement. Somehow I'd given her something to look forward to...and whatever it was...it wouldn't be good. "Well...there is a way to show you your own aura but..." she said, obviously trying to lure me in. "...but what?" "Taking a glimpse at your true self isn't something that comes without a price. Some ponies end up scarred for life, while others pay for it with their sanity. So I need to ask; Do you really think you have what it takes to walk away from that...unscathed?" "Why do you ask?" "Well...strictly speaking I'm ordered to keep you out of harm's way. Hay...in fact I am compelled to. So therefore I shouldn't even be able to come up with such a potentially dangerous proposal. Yet here I am...doing exact-..." she began to start yet another convoluted monologue. "Get to the point already..." I groaned, already tired of that mare's stupid antics. "Well...there is a reason why i'm able to circumvent my master's command." she explained and let out a small sigh before she continued. "You see...even I am not entirely sure if my offer poses an actual threat to you or not. Considering that you aren't exactly what I'd call an average pony, chances are pretty high that this little experience won't harm you at all. However, just because I assume that you'll be safe doesn't mean that my offer actually comes without any danger. Ultimately the choice is yours. So whether you stick with safety or give in to curiosity...just make sure you won't regret your decision afterwards."
-(23)- Demons withinAs I paced up and down the room considering Lucid’s “offer” I felt my uneasiness grow with each passing step. Inner conflicts weren't something I usually had to deal with because most of the time I knew exactly what I wanted. However, this time it was different. This time it was really hard to make up my mind. Every time I came even close to make a decision my mind instantly filled with doubts. Was it because Lucid’s words were still ringing in my head? “Just make sure you won't regret your decision afterwards.” If it hadn’t been for those accursed words it would have been so much easier. At first I was convinced that she was just trying to play me, that she was merely following her own agenda, that she was nothing more than a monster…but now…now I wasn’t so sure anymore. If she truly had a hidden agenda she wouldn’t just leave things up to chance…would she? So what was she truly after? Was this just a carefully laid out trap or was she genuinely offering her help? There was also the possibility that both assumptions were wrong and she was merely trying to sate her curiosity. Oh why couldn’t the world be black and white for once? It would make things so much simpler… Casting a glance in Lucid’s direction I realised that she was still patiently waiting for my response. It was only now that I realised how quiet the mare had been. She never said a single word…not even once. Why? Wouldn’t it make more sense if she tried to talk me into one option or the other? Oh great…I just realised that I was thinking in circles again. Why did it have to be so hard anyways? Betting my sanity in order to sate my curiosity was probably the dumbest thing I could ever do…and yet it seemed so appealing. Could the information really be worth the risk? Hmm...probably… Come to think of it…wasn’t this a big chance to turn the tables? All this time I had been completely oblivious to everything that was going on around me. So maybe I could really use this to my advantage. Yeah…getting the information would probably be for the best… “Lucid?” “Yes?” “Show me…” When I gave her my answer, a smile began to spread across her face. “I knew that you’d be fun…” Lucid let her eyes wander around the room a finale time before she moved a hoof in her pocket and pulled out a small silver hip flask. Giving me a toothy smirk she then raised it and took a sip. As she poured the liquid down her throat I couldn’t help but shudder a little. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what it was… Lucid who obviously noticed my disgusted glances began to speak in an amused tone. “You think watching me drink is bad? Try to be the one drinking it instead.” she said and rolled her eyes before she continued “I swear this stuff tastes awful. Not a surprise…considering it’s neither fresh nor pure...” “So…eh…is there any reason why you are doing this now?” I asked, eyeing the flask. “Well…what I am about to do next requires a lot of energy… energy I don’t have because I haven’t fed in quite a while.” she said and took another sip. It took Lucid only a few moments before she finished her…drink. As soon as she was done she put the flask back into her jacket and threw it on the dirty couch. Then she also discarded her jacket, raised one of her forelegs and ordered me to take a step back. “Come forth…Obsession” she said with an otherworldly voice. As she said those words shadows began to gather around her and slowly crept up her body. Mesmerized by the spectacle I watched as the shadows slowly liquefied at the tip of her hoof. The dark liquid began to trickle down in mid-air…closely resembling water running down a spider’s thread. When the shadows were finally close to reaching the ground the flow suddenly changed its direction. The shadows crept upwards until they reached their summit and branched off in a right angle. All the shadows which were still dormant up to this point now also began to swirl around Lucid and the strange construct she was holding. For a few moments the whole room was shrouded in darkness. As the darkness faded and Lucid surfaced I was struck with awe. The mare was now clad in a blood red hooded cloak. That tattered cloak looked as if it belonged in some kind of horror story. However the thing that Lucid was holding in her hoof was far more unsettling. It was an elegant black scythe with blood red ornaments engraved onto it. She truly looked terrifying…yet at the same time somehow familiar. My mind only needed a few moments to associate her with a certain painting in the royal museum of visual arts. “…the blood-soaked goddess…” I breathed. “Oh my…I haven’t heard that one in a very long time. Considering that most ponies tend to write off Ponet’s later works as the first sign of his descent into madness, I’m quite surprised that you actually know the title of that particular painting.” Lucid said with a smile before she pulled back her hood. “So that pony on that portrait…that goddess…is she really …” “Yes…that pony is supposed to be me…or rather an idealized version of myself.” she said and let out a deep sight before she continued “You see…to Cloud I’ve always been a source of inspiration…a muse…if you so like.” “You were…an item?” I asked in disbelief. The mare raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that was half questioning and half annoyed. However, after she realised that I really meant what I said she suddenly burst into laughter. “Oh...he wished. Unfortunately for him…the feeling wasn’t mutual.” she said with a wink. “While I prefer to surround myself with those who are especially brilliant or talented…it doesn’t mean that I’m romantically attracted to them. However, this isn’t the time to talk about my past. Maintaining Obsession the way I am right now isn’t easy…and takes quite the toll on me… “Obsession? You mean that creepy scythe…” I asked and pointed at the weapon “…or that strange get-up?” “Octavia…for somepony who faces one of Equestria’s most dangerous creatures you act far too carefree.” she said and shook her head. “Well…how would you expect me to react? Considering everything that has happened so far I’m amazed that I’m still among the sane…” I replied with a smile. When I realised the annoyed look on her face I immediately began to regret my words. That answer was most certainly not what she wanted to hear. Wait…did I actually “piss her off” by telling her that she doesn’t scare me? “Be that as it may…” she said in an icy tone. Oh great…I really did buck up. Maybe I should try to… “…I need you to focus, Octavia. What I’m about to do could turn out quite awful if you let yourself be distracted in any way. Try to calm down and reign in your emotions before we begin…” she said and let out a sigh. So…I actually didn’t “piss her off”. Oh my…how awkward. “Begin? Begin with what?” I asked. “You will take “Obsession”, the physical manifestation of my soul, and subdue it.” Lucid replied with a wicked grin and pointed at her scythe. “Wait…wh-what?” I stuttered and my jaw dropped. “Ah…that’s more like it. So you do have an instinct for self-preservation after all…” she said and chuckled. “That thing…” I nearly screamed and pointed at her weapon “…is actually your soul?” I asked in disbelief. “Well…actually my hood and the scythe both are…” “So what if your weapon was destroyed?” “Then I’d die.” she said with a shrug and rolled her eyes. “Come on Octavia…it doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out…”Lucid added as if we were just discussing the weather. “You can’t be serious. That makes no sense at all…” I immediately retorted. “What fun is there in…oh wait…I’ve already told you that I’m insane…right?” “Sweet Celestia… are you trying to mess with me again?” I replied in resignation. “Well, as much as I’d enjoy messing with your head…I’m actually telling the truth. Unfortunately I have to explain a few things beforehoof, in order for you to understand. So…you probably have heard about the tr-…elements of harmony…right?” she said and bit her lips. “Well…Pandora’s box is basically the antithesis to…them. So while the element bearers represent the powers of harmony, vampires are supposed to be the paragons of chaos. However, unlike the spirit of of chaos and disharmony most of us…value balance. As long as chaos and harmony are closely balanced everything works out but as soon as one of them gets the upper hoof…the world itself tries to even things out. Discord’s reign of chaos and the rule of the two sisters were both instances where the balance was severely disrupted and we both know how that turned out. So…that brings us back to the physical manifestation of my soul. The longer we creatures of chaos live, the more chaos and power we accumulate. The strongest of us are therefore capable of creating weapons by using our very essence. However, even among the strongest of us that kind of power isn't common. Not only is it very hard to aquire…it also acts as a double edged sword. Alicorns also show a similar increase in power when they grow older because they accumulate harmony. You can see that in their astral manes and feel it in their presences…yet I’m pretty sure they simply use their power to enhance themselves. The act of ripping out one’s soul and wielding it as a weapon just doesn’t seem very…harmonious.” she explained matter-of-factly. “So what happens when I touch it? What exactly happens…” I said and my eyes narrowed. “Oh good you are learning.” she said and gave me a wink. “Well…unlike many other soul-weapons mine is actually a little bit special. Obsession is a weapon that tears enemies apart and the more I’m obsessed with something the sharper it gets. It can basically cut through steel or dragon skin if my desire to kill or dissect something is just strong enough. However, now comes the creepy part. “Obsession” devours the souls of those it kills, imprisoning them and basically allowing me to feed on their madness and obsession in order to boost my battle potential. So if you touch it be prepared to face the wrath of…hmm let’s say…at least a few hundred angry souls…” Lucid said with an evil smirk. “What?” “Oh come on…you’ve already volunteered to take a peek at your own soul. So dealing with a few echoes of my victims shouldn’t be that scary…right?” Lucid replied before she broke into laughter. However, this time there was no warmth in her voice; it was cold and cruel… “My soul…?” I gasped in shock. “Oh my…haven’t I mentioned that your aura is basically the visible extension of your soul? Woops, that must have slipped my mind…” Before I could even react to her sudden change in behaviour she already lifted her scythe and threw it into my direction. Without thinking I caught the weapon in mid-air…and immediately came to regret it. Lucid wasn’t lying. The moment I touched her scythe my vision became blurry and I started to hear voices…hundreds of them. Some were angry, some were wailing but most of them were whispering. At first I couldn’t hear them but as time passed their voices became more and more distinct. Some of the whispers turned out to be promises of power, others offered me...eternal slumber... Of course I tried to let go of the accursed thing…but it wasn’t possible anymore. As soon as I tried to break free from their influence the voices changed their approach. They were no longer whispering…they were lashing out at me…all of them. The pain was unimaginable. It felt as If every part of my body was lit on fire and pierced with a hot iron at the same time. However the pain wasn’t even the worst. It was the fact that the pain just didn’t seem to end… “You resist us? You cling to your life as if it actually matters? You will learn…for time has no meaning here…” a cruel voice whispered. I just wanted it stop, I even cried out to Lucid…but only now did I realise that she was no longer here; no one was. It was just me…in the midst of darkness… “Why do you try to fight fate? Resisting us will do you no good…” one of the voices whispered. “Just think about what you could accomplish with our help. All who ever wronged you, every single one of them would have to bow before you…” “Our power and wisdom knows no bounds, milady. Take us in…break our prison…and we’ll be yours to command…” I tried to run away from the voices…I tried to shut them out…but that was easier said than done. Among hundreds and thousands of whispers some were bound to get through to me. They were slowly gnawing away on my sanity and after some time I wasn’t even sure if my thoughts were really my own. It was only when I collapsed on the cold onyx floor that I noticed the strange ornaments engraved into it; the same as on Lucid’s scythe… At the same time a small barrier formed around me and the pain started to fade. However, I was pretty sure that it wouldn’t stop the pain for long, considering that could already see the first few cracks forming on in its surface… “Lucid?” I thought, still shivering in pain. “So you’re finally able to reach out to me?” her voice happily echoed through my mind before it turned icy once again “Now pull yourself together, subdue those hyenas and get my bucking weapon under your control.” “Please…just make them stop…” I pleaded. “I can’t. Currently your soul and those trapped inside my weapon are fighting over dominance. The only way to make them stop is to beat them into submission and claim control of…their prison. ” “What if I fail?” “Have you ever heard the legends surrounding one of Tartaros’ greater demons…the one called Legion? You’d probably end up like that…just...well...considerably weaker…” Speaking of weak…the barrier didn’t look as if it would last much longer. The cracks already deepened significantly and even began to wander. Realising that I had only a few minutes at best, I decided to ask what I needed to know the most. “So what do I have to do to get out of here…” “You have two weapons in here that they don’t; your mind and faith. The weapon you are currently holding onto is nothing but a projection of your mind. As long as you have faith in the things you conjure…you should be able to beat your opponents with ease. Now get ready… the barrier will collapse soon…” As soon as those words echoed through my mind the barrier broke and the invisible assaults continued. However, this time I was ready. I raised the scythe and swung it around. If Lucid was right…and I really hope she was…than I should be capable of hurting those things… The voices suddenly changed their approach. They still came at me but they no longer tried to unnerve me by talking. Instead they seemed focused on talking to each other. “Back down…the reaper didn’t restrict her…” an angry voice hissed. “The reaper isn’t stupid. Of course she…” “Then how could that mare hurt us?” “Clearly the reaper helps her…” “Does she? Hmm…I wonder why…” “So…taking her on like that won’t work?” “Maybe we don’t have to…” “Let her do the work I say…” “Hmm…I guess we could try…” “Pff…I doubt it could get any worse anyways…” “Don’t jinx it…” “Hmm…I like the idea.” “Yeah…at least we’d have a shot…” “It’s unlikely that she’d succeed but...” “We should at least try…” “I’m game…” “I’m against it. I mean…just look at her.” “What do you mean?” “She can’t even see us….she just swings her weapon blindly…” “I told you she is useless…” “Let’s just go all in and crush her …” “No…we’ll go with the plan…” All their talk was really confusing but it gave me an idea. The scythe already allowed me to hurt them…so I could try to give it additional properties. First off I need to see them… As soon as I thought about I could see them…and my jaw nearly dropped. Hundreds of ghostly apparitions were circling around me…just like vultures. Some of them were shaped like griffins; some of them were shaped like changelings…hay I could even make out the silhouettes of two dragons…but most of them still resembled ponies. At first their numbers scared me but then an evil smile spread across my face. I nearly forgot that my powers were only limited by my own imagination. Oh the possibilities were endless…or so I thought… As it turned out my powers weren’t that strong after all. In an attempt to end this quickly I tried to conjure a hail of deadly arrows while holding them off with the scythe…but somehow it failed. Setting them on fire or impaling them also didn’t seem to work. Hay, I even tried to conjure a giant hoof from the sky in order to crush them… “Well of course something like that wouldn’t work. There has to be a connection between you and the objects you are trying to conjure. You have to literally put your soul into it. So…unless you have a hidden hoof fetish there is no point in wasting your time with something like that.” Lucid’s voice echoed through my mind. However, this time it was neither cold nor amused…it was strained. Well…so much for taking the easy way out. So I guess I just had to strike down all of them individually. What a bummer! However, before I could come up with an efficient way to do so the souls started to converse with each other again… “The preparations are complete…” “Excellent.” “So…how much time you think we have?” “…ten minutes…at most.” “Hmm…I guess it’ll do…” “No…it has to.” “Well then…brothers, sisters…let’s do this…” At that point I saw something that would probably haunt me for the rest of my days. All the ghostly apparitions began to rot in fast motion. Yes…even though they were nothing more than disembodied souls they actually managed to putrefy right in front of my eyes. For a few moments I watched in horror as all the specters turned into nothing more than a repulsive puddle of…liquid spectral flesh. It didn’t take long and the gooey substance began to creep across the floor, gathering at one spot. The repulsive sludge started to bubble violently and before I could do as much as blink something horrible emerged from the pool. The creature might even have passed for some kind of Alicorn…at least for some species that only learnt about them from books... Unlike real Alicorns…this vile and fiendish being had a jagged horn, the leathery wings of a dragon, and talons instead of fore hooves. The legs were covered in holes and her white spectral mane flowed graciously in the non-existing wind. Locking her gaze on me the grotesque figure then revealed two pointy fangs and began to speak in an otherworldly voice. “Abandon all hope…for we are…death incarnate.” As soon as those words passed her lips I could feel the blood freeze in my veins. Without a warning the black monstrosity suddenly raised one of its talons and the rest of the ooze began to gather right in front of her. It was only then that I realised how familiar that scene looked… Of course my worst fears became reality and the creature really conjured a weapon for itself; a coal black halberd. While the scythe I was still clinging onto was without a doubt creepy… the monster’s polearm was scarier by far. However, the reason for that didn’t lie in its design; it was the fact that the weapon’s edges emitted the same spectral glow its master’s mane. The weapon actually looked as if it was a part of her… All my instincts urged me to run but…it was already too late. The monster closed the gap in the blink of an eye and was now only inches away from my face. With a haughty smile she threw the halberd into the ground and raised her foreleg. “Your despair…it tastes…oh so sweet…” A swift motion later I was lying on my back. While I had still been processing her words she simply knocked me down. She didn’t even need a weapon…she just did it with her leg. Was my life really only worth that much? That hurt… Wait…I was literally staring death in the eye and the only thing I was concerned with was my pride? Oh my…somehow the thought was quite amusing. As her eyes bore into mine I realised that she wasn't amused by my antics; she looked disgusted. Well…for all its worth...at least I managed to piss her off before I died… “You seek refuge in madness…because you can’t cope with the horrors of reality? Pathetic…” At that moment I was no longer thinking. I already accepted my fate and calmly anticipated my end. Unfortunately she had other plans for me. A sadistic grin spread across her face when she laid her talon around my throat and slowly began to squeezing it. Using the same talon she then lifted me up by the throat. Pulling me a little closer she whispered in an icy tone. “Oh no…little pony…we aren’t done just yet. We are going to make you suffer…and not even losing your mind will end your torment…” In a swift motion she raised her second talon and let it softly wander across my chest. Giving me a wicked grin she repeated the motion, however this time she actually ripped through my flesh. The pain was intense…worse than anything I had experienced so far. My vision became blurry and tears began to flow… “Oh…it seems you’re quite enjoying my little…gift. It’s based on a special brand of venom…usually used only by changeling inquirers. Not only does it keep your wound from closing…it should also incapacitate you through sheer pain…” I wanted to scream but my throat was no longer working. The monster then tossed me away and started to laugh. Soon I realised that it wasn’t blood that was gushing from my wound. It was a thick green gooey substance…just like…oh no… "Lets see how long it takes until your soul bleeds dry..." That wasn’t good…that wasn’t good at all. I had to stop the bleeding. With all my remaining willpower I focused on healing…but it was in vain. Mending wounds just wasn’t part of who I am… I nearly succumbed to my fate but when I noticed that the grotesque figure was watching me with a devious smile…something inside of me urged me to fight on. That sick psychopath obviously enjoyed watching me struggle…but I wouldn't let her... No…I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction. At least I had to put up a fight. Vinyl would literally kick my flank if I just decided to lie down and die. Yes…dying on my hooves…fighting…was preferable after all… Under great pain I tried to get back on my hooves…but my wobbly knees just didn’t want to comply. Among all the pain I didn’t even notice it…but part of my body had already gone numb. No…that wasn’t fair. I didn’t want to die…not like that…not like that... “Tell me, little pony…can you feel death closing in on you? Can you feel its icy touch?” Words…it said some words…yet I couldn’t understand them. My vision was failing and darkness started to cloud my mind. What was it saying? Was it even important? I didn’t know…I just felt so tired. Yes…tired…and lonely…and cold…oh so col-…COLD! My consciousness clung to that little word as if it actually meant something. Why…why was that word so important? As I tried to remember memories flooded my mind instead. Oh no...not the happy ones...no it was the kind I usually tried to suppress… “Oh look…if it isn’t the ice princess. Don’t think we’ll treat you any different just because your mom’s famous…” a small unicorn filly said and flicked her tail into my face. “Hey…princess…did you finally get your cutie mark for being a loser?” another filly, I believe her name was Higher Standard, said with a haughty smirk. “Pff…Octavia isn’t anything special…that pony was spoon-fed her entire life…” a classmate told the transfer student. “Of course she is no competition for me…that mare is only third rate anyways…” a stallion whispered to another. “Earth pony…mud pony…who cares! Playing an instrument without magic will only get you so far…” two nobles argued after one of my performances. “Unfortunately she had to be born an earth pony. Well…at least our other daughter wasn’t such a disappointment.” I once overheard my parents. “Cold as ice…never nice…run away before she cries…” I heard the cruel fillies of my past singing. ENOUGH! That was exactly why I tried to distance myself from others. Everything they said always hit home. Coping with that was just too much. I tried so much but in the end there was only one thing I could really do; on the outside I stopped caring…I grew cold... There it was again…cold. Why did it have to be cold? Just thinking about it hurts. I hate that word! I hate it and everything it reminds me of. Oh why does the world have to be such a cold and cruel place? Heartless parents, merciless classmates, guileful colleagues…and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What did I ever do to deserve a life like that…a life void of warmth? “What did you ever do…to deserve any better? Besides pitying and loathing yourself, of course. You might think that everypony is entitled to lead a happy life as long as they just follow the path of harmony…but deep inside you know that it’s nothing more than a sugar-coated lie. The sad truth is that a pony’s happiness always comes at the price of another’s. So either you mare up and fight…or you lie down and die; the choice is yours…” the more aggressive portion of my mind argued. Unfortunately…those thoughts were volatile. They washed over me and even though everything seemed so clear in the spur of the moment…they already faded from my memory. However, just like before there was one word important enough for me to remember…FIGHT. I had to fight… Yes…I had to fight...the cold… As that thought flashed through my mind…I could feel the grip of the darkness weakening. My consciousness returned but so did the pain. Unable to scream I realised that my body was still paralysed by either venom, pain or that green stuff that was gushing out of my chest. However, besides the pain and the numbness there was now some sensation flooding through my body. It was rather faint but I could feel it softly pulsating beneath my skin. When I tried to focus on it some more I noticed that it actually was a current of power flowing through me. While I could feel it all over my body there were certain spots with a higher concentration. Like a thin veil it covered my organs and tried to stop my essence from seeping through my wound… Then suddenly a strange thought crossed my mind. This stuff...this energy had to be a part of my body…or part of my mind. Well…at least I was pretty sure that it was a part of me. So instead of trying to heal my wound this time I redirected the flow of energy. At first I thought I seriously bucked up because all across my body the pain started to increase. However, at the same time I noticed less and less of my essence leaving… Somehow I actually managed to find a way to mend my wound. Now I just had to hope that the monster wouldn’t catch on before I finished closing it. However, for once it seemed as if luck was on my side. While my wound still hadn’t closed completely…I could already feel the pain and the numbness of my body wearing off. Even my senses started to return… The stench of rotting flesh hung heavily in the air and began to fill my lungs. The smell was revolting but I had to keep my breathing steady. When I tried to focus less on my sense of smell I discovered a bad metallic taste in my mouth…most likely blood. It wasn’t much of a surprise considering that my throat was basically crushed by that thing. Oh my…I should really consider myself lucky. If that had actually happened to me in any other place I most certainly would have kicked the bucket… However, my thoughts came to an abrupt halt when I realised that I could hear something strange; the sound of a barely beating heart. It was faint and the rhythm was off…yet it was still working. Yes…my heart was still beating…I was still alive… Then, out of the blue, the next wave of pain hit me. My nerves burned as if they were on fire…letting me experience a completely different feeling where “pain” and “no-pain” alternated quickly. Considering that the numbness was now nearly gone I figured that it probably had something to do with the venom wearing off. Only seconds later I could feel my body touching the smooth stone floor. I was lying face down and my coat was covered in sweat. Beneath me there was a puddle of thick, warm…liquid. Even though I couldn't believe how much of that stuff had seeped through my wound I didn’t dare to look. After all, that…thing…was still close. I tried my best to keep as still as possible but now that I got the feeling for my body back it turned out to be quite the task. I had to keep my breathing even, I had to keep my ears from twitching, I had to remain an expressionless face and worst of all I had to deal with that irritating itching of my closing wound. Even though the itching was nothing more than a side effect of the healing process it made “playing dead” a lot harder. “Ah…looks like the bleeding will stop any second now. Soon the mare will perish and freedom will finally be ours…” I heard the monster mumbling. Shivers ran down my spine as I heard the monster’s heartbeat accelerating in excitement. Wait…what? Why would I be able to hear… I never finished that thought because something else demanded my attention. A cold presence was wrapping itself around my heart. Unable to stop its advances I could do nothing more than wait motionless as it slowly worked its way inside. At first I tried to fight it off by redirecting the energy stream within my body…but soon I realised something terrible; the energy and the cold presence were one and the same. So all I did...was hastening my own demise... It only took a few moments and it finished invading my heart. However, much too my surprise I didn’t feel any worse. On the contrary; my heartbeat, even though a tad slower than before, was now rhythmic again. However the presence wasn’t done just yet; it continued spreading throughout my entire body…soothing the pain and revitalizing me. Even though the presence itself didn't seem to be malevolent, I was suddenly overcome with the inexplicable need to drive it out of my system. I didn't know why I felt that way...but I knew that bad things would happen if I didn't. However...at the same time there was a another part of me, a sick and twisted part, that wanted to hold onto it. All the things I could do with that kind of power... Wait...what was I even thinking? That wasn't how we ponies do things. Whatever that presence was...it already started messing with my head. No, there was no other way. I had to force it out of my body before it was too late. I simply had to... "Oh really and why is that? Because you had a gut feeling? Because you fear things you don't understand? Oh wait...I know. Because you are trying to do the right thing. Oh...don't even try to deny it. You use it as a bucking justification for simply everything. Can't go wrong with doing the right thing, right? Wrong! Ideals and morals are a luxury you can't afford in your situation. Right now that power is the only thing that stands between you and certain death...yet you still refuse to clutch at the last straw...because something about it feels off. Do you even know how conceited that sounds? Even if that power had been given to you by none other than Nightmare Moon herself...you should be grateful. After all it is the only reason why you are still alive..." the other part of my mind argued. Hmm...a crossroad. What a pain in the flank spot to end up in. So what should I do? Should I stick to my principles...or should I just try to survive? Idealism or survival? Probably the hardest decision since the dawn of time... As I pondered over my options I came to realize a few interesting things about myself. My ideals were important to me, yet I certainly wasn't ready to sacrifice myself for them. No...I was neither a hero nor a martyr. Just like any common pony I'd always put survival first. However, at the same time I would never put my life before those I care about. In the end I came to realize the sad truth. I was a terribly selfish pony. To me, the only thing that truly mattered was that my friends and I could live a happy life. Even if the rest of the world were to go to tartaros, I probably wouldn't even give a buck... "So...how far would you go to ensure the happiness of those you care about?" I could hear the darkest part of my mind whisper. "I'd do anything..." “Even if you had to build their happiness on a pile of corpses?” “Yes…”
-(25)- At the same time...(part2) [Vinyl's POV]In my life there are a few things I take pride in; my friends, my work and…my choices. So even though tricking the guard might come back and bite me in the flank someday, I'd probably would have done it all over again. However, maybe I was just being pessimistic, maybe the guard would take it with humor... "You...you've planned this..." the guard shouted and pointed frantically in my direction. ...or maybe he was exactly that kind of sore loser I should have expected in the first place. "Yeah sure..." I said and rolled my eyes."cause...it totally wasn't you who wanted to switch glasses." The whole bar broke out into bellowing laughter, leaving the guard speechless with shame. Yeah...this was probably the moment where even he had to realize that every last pony here had lost their respect for him. Not that he ever had it but... "This isn't over..." he hissed barely audibly. After the laughter had finally ceased the stallion put his helmet back on and addressed Salty again. This time however, he wasn't beating around the bush and simply skipped to the part where he has to recite all of Salty's supposed crimes and stuff. The typical guard routine thing... "Salty Grafter...in the name of her majesty, princess Celestia, I hereby put you under arrest on suspicion of smuggling, selling&trading with state secrets, cooperation with the changeling hive and several violations of the thirteenth amendment of the tribalism law. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense, if you do not mention when questioned, something which you will later rely on in the solar court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. Do you understand? Do you have anything to say in your defense?" "Do I have something to say? Sure I do. Who the hay fed you that nonsense, kiddo? Every other day three or four guards show up at my bar and search for smuggled goods and they always return empty hoofed...guess why?" Salty shouted at the guard. "Eh...well...I've only been stationed in Canterlot since last wee-" the guard started to defend himself. "You think someone who lives in the same rundown bar he operates..." Salty said and let his hoof wander around the room "makes big money selling government secrets? Sure thing. But hay...even if that was the case...you are forgetting one very important thing; in order to deal with state secrets I would have to get them first. So...take a look...do you see anyone of rank and power among us? Do you spot one of your higher ups? a minister? Princess Celestia perhaps? No? Neither do I...welp." he said with his face awfully close to the guard. "...no...I...but...but what about the changelings and the tribalism law...I..." "Sure I cooperate with changelings, who wouldn't? They pay so well. It isn't like they are a completely different species with a completely different currency, right? I mean...in what would they even pay me? Hugs? Bug goo? Liquid love? " Salty continued his rant and the guard slowly started to back down. "I...I'm..." the guard began to stutter. "Oh and about the tribalism thingy. Yeah...I totally refused to serve some ponies their drinks. However, that wasn't because they were unicorns but because they insulted me, my bar or my customers. Do you really think my bar would still be in business if simply refused to serve a third of my customers? No, wait...scrap that; I have a better question. Do you even use your eyes? Isn't the mare right next to you a unicorn?" he said and pointed at me. "Well...you see...I..." "Oh yeah I see! I see exactly how it is! You've been sent here by lord Flankface or lady Moneybags because this old pony" he said and pointed at his chest "refuses to kiss up to them". Well guess what...no matter how many guards the send after me...I'll never bow down to them. So...if you are just another one who wants to drag me to court for refusing to kiss plot...be my guest." "I eh...well...I'm just trying to do my job and..." "...even if everything I said was true...you still have to follow the procedure. Yeah, yeah...I know how it goes. Just give me a few minutes to arrange my replacement and I'll quietly follow you to the guard post." the old pony said after letting out a loud sigh. Salty walked to a small door to the right of the counter and gently knocked at it. When nothing happened Salty began to hit the door a lot harder. While the patrons already started to laugh at Salty's expense the guard obviously had no clue what was happening. "BLACKOUT! Move your bucking plot to the counter or I swear you'll spend the next weeks sleeping under a bridge." Salty bellowed. A very grumpy looking earth pony suddenly opened the door. At first I thought he would start to unleash hell upon Salty but as soon as he noticed the guard his anger was replaced with something else; disgust. He shot the guard a venomous glare before he took Salty's place at the counter and began to dry some glasses. When the guard and Salty finally left the bar Blackout no longer tried to hide his anger and started to rant and rave about the guards. Most patrons seemed to enjoy his rabble-rousing speech and some even presented their own twisted views of how things should be handled in Canterlot. Just when I thought that the creepy pony Neon wanted me to meet wouldn't show up...the room grew silent again. Emptying my glass I slowly turned around and did the same thing every other pony within the bar did...I took a good look at the newcomer. As soon as my eyes fell upon him I could feel that there was something terribly wrong with him. While he looked just like any other common pony my gut told me that there was more to him than that; he was dangerous. The grey stallion didn't seem to be bothered that the hole room was watching his very step, in fact I even had the impression that he didn't even notice anypony besides Neon. While I watched the weird pony coming closer, Neon unmistakably became more and more nervous. "Mr. Lights." the grey stallion said and nodded to Neon before he suddenly turned into my direction. "...and according to the description I've been given...you must be miss Scratch." "Eh...yeah...nice to meet you too." I replied. "So...what can I do for you?" "The master wants to have a talk with you and mr. Lights. Now...if both of you would just follow me..." "Well...I'm not sure if..." Neon tried to wiggle his way out of that one. "The master cares little for your wishes..." the grey pony said matter-of-factly. Neon gulped and slowly nodded. Wow...I really can't say that I saw that coming. However, intimidating Neon is one thing...but intimidating me? Well...good luck. What threat could he possibly pose to a pony who has nothing left to lose? "...and I don't give a horse-apple that sprouted wings about your master..." I answered. Neon's eyes widened in horror as he realized what I just said...but the white maned pony didn't even bat an eye. "Not entirely unexpected." the pony said and hoofed me a small note. "...but if you were to refuse the master's invitation I've been tasked to give you this..." With a confident smile I took the little piece of paper. However, when I realized what that pony had just given me...my face immediately turned into a mask of horror. It was a simple "we know", the address of Tavi's parents...and...a part of her sister's mane. BUCK! "Now that you understand, just follow me quietly. The master doesn't like to be kept waiting..." "Fine..." I replied in resignation. Neon eyed me warily. He knew that I'd never reconsider something I had already decided upon, unless there was a very important reason to do so. As a matter of fact Neon probably knew that the situation was far worse than originally expected. "Well...let's get this farce over with." I hissed behind gritted teeth. "Please...lead the way Mr...." "Bones" the pony replied dryly.
-(26)- At the same time...(part3) [Vinyl's POV]The place Bones lead us to, was completely different from what I had anticipated. Originally I expected him to escort us to a shady hideout full of ponies in dark robes or something like that...instead we soon found ourselves in one of Canterlot's parks. At first I thought we were simply passing through...but when we reached the big fountain in the center...Bones suddenly announced that we had arrived. Neon shot me a puzzled look but due to the fact that I was just as confused as him I could do nothing more than shrug in response. Letting out a deep sigh I was just about to ask where this "master" of him was...when I suddenly heard somepony giggling. Both, me and Neon, turned around in a flash and came face to face with a small filly. The cute little thing looked at both of us with huge eyes and a wide smile. However, just when she was about to open her mouth and say something...her eyes focused on something else; our guide. The filly's smile grew even wider and before we even realized what was happening she jumped at Bones and hugged one of his foreleg. "Bones-y, Bones-y...who are your friends?" the pink little thing shouted happily. "Lady Whisper." Bones replied and nodded at the little pony. "Hey...who are you? Are you a couple?" the filly suddenly whirled around and addressed us. "Ugh...no, we..." Neon stuttered. "Shh, Whisper...how many times do I have to tell you that bombarding ponies with questions doesn't make for a good introduction?" a jolly voice suddenly interrupted Neon's ramblings. The voice belonged to a brown stallion with a red mane and matching necktie. Ignoring Neon and me the unicorn made his way to the little filly and nuzzled her. "I'm sorry daddy." the little filly said and stared uncomfortable at the ground. "It's just...they look as if they belong together...so I thought..." "Oh don't you worry, sweety...everything is alright." he said and put his hoof on her head. "But what if they are angry at me?" the filly asked and pointed at me and Neon. "Oh Whisper, who could ever be angry with a cute filly like you? Furthermore...asking questions is a good thing. Just try to be not as overzealous next time, ok?" "So...eh daddy...why do they look so weird..." the filly whispered. "That's because both of them are DJs, sweety." her father replied. "Daddy?" "Yes, darling?" "What's a DJ?" the filly suddenly asked. "A...musician." "Like the ones in the orchestra?" "N-...yeah...but their music is a little bit...different..." "Oh..." Both Neon and I exchanged confused looks as the hushed conversation of those two continued. Of course we could clearly hear every little word they were talking about...because the filly didn't seem to know how much she'd have to lower her voice until we couldn't understand her. However, the thing that was really terrifying was that the stallion knew about our professions and even referred to us as "their friends". Could he be the one that... "Oh my...where are my manners. May I introduce myself? The name is Joycraft..." the stallion said and took my hoof. "...and you must be the charming miss Scratch I've heard so much about. A pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." he finished, completing his gentlecolt-greeting by kissing my hoof. "Ah, mr. Lights...I'm glad you found the time to join us as well." he said and offered Neon his hoof. "Not that I had much of a choice..." Neon mumbled barely audible. "I hope my...associate..." the stallion said and shot Bones a deadly glare. "...wasn't too...assertive...in his endeavors to arrange this meeting. You see...unfortunately he isn't very good with ponies..." "Yeah, Bones-y is veeeery bad with ponies. Even daddy sometimes shakes his head when Bones-y messes up in public." the little filly suddenly commented. "Hmm, honey? Why don't you show mr. Lights some of your favorite shops? Miss Scratch and I have to discuss some...business." "...buuuut daddy..." the little filly began to whine. "Didn't you want to know what a DJ is? I bet mr. Lights would be happy to tell you about his line of work?" "Eh...yeah sure...but..." Neon stuttered in reply. "Bones?" the stallion asked and focused his attention on the stiff figure in the back. "Please make sure that Whisper and mr. Lights stay safe." "Yes, master." Bones said and nodded. "Oh...and mr. Lights?" he asked when they were already on their way. "Earlier today, I've taken the liberty to clear all of your debts." "You...what?" Neon whirled around and looked at him in confusion. "Just think about it as compensation for all the trouble my invitation must have caused you." "B-but...you...I..." "You heard some nasty rumors about Bones and figured I'd have to be even worse, correct?" the brown stallion asked amused. "Well...I..." "Ah, don't feel bad about yourself. To err is equine after all." the stallion replied with a cheery voice. "Yeah...everyone makes mistakes. Sometime ago...even I made one. You see...I thought Bonehead would be a good nickname for Bones-y but..." the filly began to chatter, while leading Neon down the road. When all three of them were finally out of view I decided to give that stallion a piece of my mind. Not only did he have the nerve to threaten me...no he also decided to use the life of two fillies as a safety-precaution; Tavi's sister and his..."daughter". "So...what the hay is this all about?" I hissed between my teeth. "First you intimidate me...then you bring along an innocent filly just to prove that you could go through with your threats...and now you're even going as far as to make sure that we are all alone? What do you want...you bucking leech?" "You are quite the forward type...aren't you?" he said and chuckled into his hoof. "Well...I certainly appreciate that in a mare. However, I think you are a little overreacting..." "You..." "Yes, I'v threatened you...and for that I'm terribly sorry..."he said and let out a deep sigh. "However, I seriously doubt that you would have come and visited me without any kind of extrinsic...motivation. Usually I would have tried to sway you with some bits...but we both know that you aren't the type that cares about money..." the stallion said and looked up at the sky. "To still find mortals with such admirable traits..." he added before he shook his head and focused his attention on me once again. "Well...not that it matters much. After all...the important thing isn't how I've arranged our meeting...but why." "Ok then, just tell me whatever it is that you need to say...so that we can get this over with quickly." I replied with a sigh. "Well, first off...I'd really like to apologize for everything you and your friend must be going through. Getting involved in our...world...certainly isn't pleasant for most mortals. Believe me, I know how you must feel...I've been there too." he said and gave me a sad smile. "Hmm...I seriously doubt that..." "Oh believe me...I know exactly what you are going through. The world you've been living in...is slowly crumbling apart. You try to cling to the things you know...to the way it's always been...but soon you realize that there is no way of going back. The shadow of death looms over you, watching your every step...yet it isn't fear that drives you crazy. No...you've already come to terms with your fear. The thing that's really bothering you is that everything in your life has become uncertain. You can't even look at other ponies without thinking they have a hidden agenda or some kind of dirty secret. The only ones you still trust are those you are already close with...right?" the stallion explained, "Wha...but how? I haven't..." "It's what most ponies experience when they realize the truth about this world...when they realize that harmony is a lie. Well...not harmony per se...just the princesses teachings of harmony. They preach honesty........but all the ponies around you lie or keep secrets. They preach generosity....but most ponies only give cause they expect something in return. They preach loyalty...........but a lot of ponies only care about themselves. They preach kindness.......but only a few ponies truly are. They preach laughter........but how many ponies laugh in madness instead of joy? They preach friendship.....but who do you consider a friend and who...merely company? They preach harmony.......but in the end it's nothing more than a choice. The choice to cling to the ideals of harmony...or to pursuit a darker, more disharmonious path. In the end everypony has to decide for him or herself which path he wants to follow. However, if I were to give you some advice: cling to your equinity...no matter what happens. Things around you will get worse before they get better and should you lose sight of who you are. You see, certain events can change ponies...and if you let them change you to much, you'll probably end up as cruel and twisted as some of my brethren." the unicorn ended his lengthy speech. Okay...this turned out to be quite differently from what I had expected. No threats, no demands...just posing as one of the good guys in front of me. Hmm...what could he be after? My trust? Unlikely. They don't need my trust...they have leverage... "What's with the pensive look? Trying to figure out what I'm after?" he said and gave me a knowing look. "How do you..." I tried to ask but then I suddenly understood. "Wait! I've got it! You can read minds...can't you?" The stallion didn't even look at me for a second before he broke out in bellowing laughter. His laughter continued for a few more moments until he finally decided to address me again. "Great Maker, I haven't laughed like that in quite a while. My thanks, miss Scratch." he replied, still trying his best to suppress the urge to laugh again. "...but to answer your question; No...reading minds isn't really my forte. By now I merely know how to read ponies..." "..." "Well...enough of that. I guess I'd rather tell you why I'm here before Whisper and the others comes back." the stallion suddenly said. "I'm not sure if you know but...soon the keepers of the bloodlines will come together and decide the fate of you and your friend." "Yeah...I know..." I replied quietly. "Is that so? Well...in that case you already know all of the possible...outcomes, right?" I gulped...and simply nodded. "Things really don't look good for you, miss Scratch. Based on the information I have Thanatos and Coldsteel want you dead 9/10 times. However, at least Rhythm and Victor will back up your decision. Black Mist will probably just go with his gut and base his vote on the impression you make on him. Now here is where things get complicated. True Shot thinks Bliss is up to something and therefore plans to vote in a way that foils his plans. As for Bliss...he still hasn't decided on the best course of action." "H-...how do you know all of that? Who are you?" "The name is Joycraft...and I'm the owner of Dolls&Doodles on Canterlot Square." he said with a wink. "Furthermore, I'm Canterlot's most reclusive vampire. Well...at least that is what the others would tell you about me. Thing is...I don't really care about politics or the standing within my bloodline. I merely try to live my life..." "So if you don't care about politics and stuff...why are you even here?" "Because a veeery powerful friend told me about your predicament and asked me to pass along a message and a warning for you." "Victor?" I asked in confusion. "Probably as wrong as you could get. The name you are looking for is..." he said and made a dramatic pause. "...Elusive Bliss." "Bliss?!" I shouted in surprise. "Bingo!" the stallion answered in a sing-sang voice. "Why the hay would I care about anything he has to say?" I spat at him. "Cause he is...whether you believe it or not...quite sorry that you got caught up in all of this." "Why do I find that hard to believe?" I said and shot him a skeptical glance. "It doesn't matter if you believe me or not...but Bliss really takes no joy in ruining the lives of innocent bystanders." "So...what does he want?" "You remember the vote I've mentioned earlier on? Bliss offers you his assistance in that matter. However, first he has to know what your preferable outcome is. Secondly he wants to warn you about joining Thanatos in case you consider becoming a vampire." "Why? Does Bliss want me for himself?" "Oh...I think you are misunderstanding something, miss Scratch. Bliss isn't interested in your services at all. Should you really decide on becoming one of us...the only bloodline that is capable of and willing to take you belongs to Thanatos. However, you certainly don't want that to happen." "Why?" "...because not only is Thanatos a sadistic vampire supremacist who thinks of ponies as nothing more than livestock...that monster also conducts experiments on the members of his own bloodline. The mere thought of it...sickening." the stallion answered with a disgusted look. My face immediately turned as grey as ash. Well...it wasn't like I'd ever consider becoming a vampire but holy horseapple...that Thanatos guy sure seems messed up. However...something Joycraft said felt a little odd. Why wasn't Bliss interested in me? Weren't Tavi and I both those harbinger thingys? Wouldn't it be a lot simpler for him to go after me instead of focusing all the attention on Tavi? "Well...thanks for the warning. However...there is something I don't understand." "And what might that be?" "I'm just a little curious...but why doesn't Bliss want me to become part of his bloodline?" "Well, that's a tricky question. Unfortunately even I don't know the answer for your particular case. However, I can tell you how he usually chooses who gets to join..." "How?" "Bliss surrounds himself with two kind of ponies. On the one hoof there are the ambitious toadies he only tolerates because they have certain gifts he needs...and on the other hoof those he truly cares about." he explained. "So you want to tell me that he turned you into a vampire...cause he cared about you?" I asked in disbelief. "Well I guess in a way that's true..." he replied with a chuckle. "What?" "I guess it's easier to show you." he said and our horns touched. Suddenly I found myself in a place that certainly wasn't Canterlot anymore. Right now I was sitting upon a cliff and facing the great ocean. Taking a quick look around I could see how the place around me got richer and richer in details. Just when I thought nothing more would happen, the day turned into the night. However, the moon wasn't radiating in it's usual soft white...instead the mare at the moon looked down upon me while it's prison bathed everything in an eerie red. With wide eyes something in front of me began to materialize. It looked like...an altar of some sort. Just when I wanted to ask what this was supposed to mean...I could see them. Dozens and dozens of hooded ponies who marched up the cliff. Suddenly the...cultists?...made way for their prisoners. Two adults and...seven little fillys... Oh no...please no. I knew where this was leading to... "Behold my brethren...today we've gathered under the crimson moon to take our place above those who thought themselves our betters." the head cultist shouted. "Sacrificing seven innocent souls and spilling the blood of two ponies who share a bond of true love...the path to the Crimson Castle will finally reveal itself to us." Fortunately the time began to move in a faster pace. As soon as the blur of colors stopped there was only one figure left...to be sacrificed; a pony that looked just like Joycraft. "Please...don't do this..." he begged. The head-cultist however had no mercy and simply laughed while he cut open Joycraft's stomach, pulling out his entrails. I wanted to shout but only now did I realize that I couldn't. As the events in front of me unfolded I could do nothing more than scream in silence...while the alternate version of Joycraft screamed in agony... When I had already given up on the thought that torturer would ever finish his gruesome display, a white stallion with an iceblue mane appeared. "Greetings, Bloodmoon-scum. I'm here to finish you...once and for all!" the stallion shouted with a voice full of authority. The time started to move at an incredible speed again and soon every cultist was gone. Yep...not dead...just gone. There was no sign of where they could have gone when Bliss walked past the corpses of the poor sacrifices and the barely breathing Joycraft. When Bliss finally came to a halt he stood right in front of the head-cultist. "Oh...this isn't the end...this is just the beginning..." Bliss hissed at the cultist. "...the beginning of eternal suffering..." In the blink of an eye the cultist found himself skewered by dozens of spears and howling in pain. However, Bliss was no longer looking at the lowlife who had just turned into a needle cushion. Instead he bowed down to Joycraft and began to talk... I on the other hoof felt somehow entranced by the the last cultist. Something about him was strange. Yeah...it was as if...as if I actually knew him. Stepping a bit closer I could finally get a glimpse of his face...and nearly fell to the ground. The head-cultist was none other than Joycraft's servant; Bones... Panting and sweating I found myself back in the park next to a very grim looking Joycraft. "Back then Bliss gave me a choice...to die in peace, knowing that he would exact vengeance for me...or to get a second chance at life even if it was no longer the life of a pony..." "What was that place? Who were those ponies?" I said, still shivering at the atrocities I just witnessed. "You've just witnessed the the aftermath of the great blaze...the massacre of San Horsé. And that scum..." he said and spat on the ground. "...was called the Circle of the Bloodmoon. They believed that by finding the remains of the very first vampire they can become as powerful as a the princesses and the keepers combined..." "So...eh...I hope you don't mind if I ask but...why did the head-cultist look like Bones?" "That's cause Bliss stood true to his word. Bones is all that's left of Bonecarver, the former leader of the cultists. Bliss broke his body and mind and decided to grant him what he always wanted; eternal life. However, Bliss made sure that a vampire of the lowest generation turned him. That way he'd be so weak that even walking under the sun would cause him an immeasurable amount of pain. To make his punishment even more draconian he ordered him to be my personal assistant...unable to perform any action unless given the command." "I get that he deserves punishment...but isn't that a little much?" "You've seen what kind of pony he was. He deserves no mercy." he replied in a cold tone. "Is there anything else you want to know or..." "Yeah...there is. Bliss saved you in the spur of the moment...right? I thought you had to bring this to a vote..." "Ah...right. You wouldn't really know how we usually handle this." he said with a thoughtful expression. "Unlike you miss Scratch, I never had the powers of one who could change the flow of history. Usually there are only three criteria that have to be met in order to turn a pony. The first one is that of power balance.The number of vampires has to be artificially regulated...otherwise the world would try to correct its mistake...leaving only death and devastation in its path. There is also a delicate balance between the clans themselves...but let's not talk about politics." he said with a smile. "What about the other two criteria?" "The other two criteria were part of a treaty we have with the royal sisters. In order to turn a pony they had to be willing to forsake their ties to harmony...and they also had to be of sound mind." "Sound mind? But...weren't you about to die when he changed you? " "Well...my case was a particularly tricky one. Not only was I about to die...no I was also consumed by thoughts about vengeance. Of course he knew what could happen in case of such a major violation of the agreement...but he did it nonetheless. To make things even crazier...he didn't even try to hide it... On the same day he marched into Celestia's palace and told her about the cultists and everything else. Celestia was furious. Bliss had clearly claimed the soul of an innocent...even though our pact with the forces of harmony strictly forbade it. Already knowing that this could have meant his end he proposed something unthinkable to the princess. He swore on his blood...meaning he would die if he decided to break his word...that he wouldn't obstruct any of Celestia's plans for the next two centuries. In addition he also promised Celestia to get the one thing back she misses the most; her sister. Celestia wasn't sure what to think of his proposal. The terms were just too good. A bloodline that would cause her no trouble for two centuries was far preferable than dealing with Bliss' possibly troublesome successor. In addition Bliss even promised on his life that he'd help her to retrieve her sister. Something about it felt just wrong... Bliss, however wasn't done with his proposal. He walked up to Celestia and did what no other keeper would have dared. He cut off his own horn and threw it right in front of her hooves. Celestia was shocked...for she knew the significance of Bliss' gesture." "He did what??? Why?!" I nearly shouted. "To prove a point..." "That's insane...or does the horn of a vampire grow faster than that of a normal unicorn?" "Cutting off your own horn as a vampire is no different than as a pony. It is probably the only thing a vampire can't regenerate within a few days of rest. However, as if that wasn't bad enough...he was also a keeper. You see...as the head of our bloodline...the whole clan had the right to freely challenge him for his position." "That's just crazy..." "Celestia said the same thing. She asked him who I was that he'd risk so much for me and Bliss simply replied with the words: A pony who has seen the same tragedy as I...and yet he still hasn't given up on the world. Celestia was confused by the way Bliss was acting. She never thought that a pony as cold and calculating as Bliss would do anything for others...so she tried to spring a trap on him. Celestia told him that she would pardon him...if he swore on his blood that this wasn't just part of an elaborate plan. Bliss who probably knew that this was coming did as he was told..." the stallion said with a chuckle before he added. "I wish I could have seen Celestia's face that day...it must have been priceless..." "So I guess next you want to tell me that nopony in his clan attacked him because everypony in your clan loved him?" I asked, seriously doubting that he had told me anything other than bull in the last few minutes. I mean...Bliss as a the savior of the poor and weak? Yeah sure...and Celestia is Discord in disguise... "Of course not." the stallion said still chuckling. "That's the best part. On that day Bliss eradicated nearly half of his bloodline. He utilized his own weakness to weed out all the ambitious toadies who dared to strike at him at his weakest." "His own...but that's just terrible. How many did he...no how did he even win without a horn?" I asked dumbfounded. "That...I don't know. Nopony does..."he said and shook his head. "Hmm..." I answered neutrally. "No need to keep it to yourself, miss Scratch...It's only natural to doubt my words." "So...I guess that means at least one thing you said was true. You are good at reading ponies..." "Well I'd be rather stupid if I still hadn't gotten the gist of it by now...don't you think so too?" he replied with a chuckle. "True..." I said and this time even I managed to crack a smile. There were still a few things I wanted to ask but unfortunately a young and very loud voice proclaimed that the time for questions & answers was already over. "We're back daddy!" And before I could even realize what was going on she was once again hugging Joycraft. "Ah...Whisper darling. Did you have a nice time?" "Yeah...it was awesome! Mr. Neon even bought me some ice cream!" the filly replied with a brilliant smile. "Oh is that so? Hm...I'll guess I owe you my thanks, mr. Lights." "T'was nothing..."Neon responded. "Mr. Joycraft...there is still one last thing I'd need to ask you." I said because I suddenly remembered something important. "Oh?" the stallion said and gave me a thoughtful look. "Whisper? Gentlecolts? Would you give me and miss Scratch two more minutes?" Bones and Neon simply nodded but the filly didn't seem to like the idea. With a pouty face she pulled at Joycraft's leg and told him "...but just two. I'll make sure that Bones-y stops the time..." before all of them left our hearing range. "So what is it you still need to know?" "Well...it's about that filly..." I tried to voice my concerns. "Is she...I mean...eh...why do you..." "Oh my...I see how it is. You're probably thinking I've abducted her...or worse..." the stallion replied calmly. "Well, I...eh..." I tried to formulate my fears. I mean It's not like I haven't experienced some sort of vampiric mindbuckery myself. "Whisper's parents died when she was merely three years old. Both of them belonged to Canterlot's lesser nobility and were dear friends of mine. Her father was always busy organizing charity events while her mother used to buy large amounts of toys for Canterlot's less fortunate. They were both good ponies...however some saw something else in their hospitality; wealth. In the end both of them died at the hooves of a robber who raided their home for treasures." Joycraft said and shook his head before he continued. "Due to the fact that I still owed her parents for a...favor...I decided to take the poor foal in and raise her as my own. As for what happened to the robber; he was lucky. The guard almost caught him immediately and therefore he fell under the jurisdiction of a court...instead of mine." "So...she knows?" I asked in disbelief. "Of course not! " the stallion answered in a hushed whisper. "I've decided to tell her when she is old enough to understand the implications of the situation. You'll probably understand when I say that the last thing I want for my daughter is to get pulled into this mess..." "Yeah...I sure do..." "MISS SCRATCH! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" a deep voice suddenly rang in the air. "THE GUARDIAN REQUIRES YOUR ASSISTANCE! QUICKLY! BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!" I didn't know where the voice came from...but it sounded serious enough to make me move. Ignoring Joycraft, Bones and a confused looking Neon I immediately headed for Victor's place. Galloping through the streets of Canterlot, it didn't take me long to finally get to the place where the real Canterlot ended and the hidden space began. However, as soon as I reached that point...I froze in my tracks. Nothing I had ever experienced could have prepared me for what I was witnessing at that moment... - at the same time in the park- "Whisper? Would you be so nice and buy me some postcards?" Joycraft asked his daughter. "Sure thing daddy. Come on Bones-y! We are going to pick the bestest postcards for daddy!" As soon as both were out of range the stallion let out a deep sigh and addressed his surroundings. "You can come out now Ash. I've realized you've been there since the very beginning..." "Spoilsport..." the black little filly said and jumped out of a nearby shrub. "So...is there any reason why you've been spying on me?" "Spying? Pff...don't be ridiculous." the filly said and gave him a haughty smile. "If I wanted to spy on you...you would have never discovered me. The word you're looking for is...eavesdropping!" "Uh-huh..." the stallion said and rolled his eyes. "So...why did you tell her so much about yourself? Isn't that kind of dangerous?" "Bliss told me to be honest with her....and to make sure she sees us as more than just monsters." "I wonder why he asked you instead of me..." Black Ash mused. "Probably cause honesty isn't really your forte..." "Says the stallion who left out the most...interesting part...of Bone's punishment." "You know exactly why I didn't tell her..." Joycraft hissed between his teeth. "Oh come one...don't be like that. Isn't there even a saying about it; A soul in a doll is worth two in a bush...or something like that? "Shut it, Ash." the stallion replied now obviously annoyed. "Sure, sure. The wicked witch bows to your will...oh great Vodoo-master." "Is there anything else you want...or do you really want to become a part of my collection that badly." "Actually...there is. Her blood...didn't it strike you as odd..." the black filly asked with a toothy smirk. "Yeah...now that I think about it." the stallion said with a thoughtful expression. "It smelled so plain...yet oddly familiar." "Yeah..." "Do you have any ideas why?" the stallion looked expectantly at the filly. "Nope, I'm as clueless as you. I just know that the smell is very faint. If she hadn't hurt her hoof I probably would have never noticed it." "Hmm..."
-(27)- Waking a Demon"I'd do anything..." Those words still resonated cold and clear within my mind. They were the ultimate proof that I still hadn't given up...that I still wanted to live. As if to prove my conviction icy winds suddenly began to whirl around me when I got back on my hooves and opened my eyes. The demon-like creature turned around in an instant but instead of attacking me it even took a step back... "The pact...is sealed."I heard my own voice echoing through my head all the while my body started to laugh. It was a cold and heartless laugh that even managed to scare the monster a little. Raising the scythe once more I immediately took the initiative and jumped at the creature. Wielding the scythe by instinct I unleashed a series of complicated, yet precise moves that not only caught my opponent by surprise but would also put a lot of weapon-masters to shame. Of course my opponent wasn't beaten that easily and soon it adjusted to my attacks. However, even stranger than the fact that I was wielding the scythe so formidably was the fact that my defense was even better. Somehow I managed to fight a creature that should have the knowledge of a thousand beings to a stalemate. The creature snarled and hissed in many voices but at the same time I could also see a smile growing on its face. That was something I couldn't comprehend. Why would it ever be happy? "It seems like we clearly underestimated you..." the monster said and made a short pause before it added. "A mistake we'd better correct..." Black energy started to swirl around the monster's weapon and its power increased significantly. At first I was kind of confused. If the monster really had that much power why didn't it use it earlier? As if to answer my unspoken question the grotesque figure suddenly began to speak. "We are Legion, for we are many. No matter how many weaklings we have to sacrifice as long as we'll obtain victory...it will be worth it." Celestia be damned, I forgot that changelings had that kind of skill. Wait...why would I even know that? I shook my head. It didn't matter whether I picked it up at a party or somewhere else. This just wasn't the time to think about stuff like that. I had to concentrate on fighting that...eh...thing. The monster's smile began to widen as it realized that it was giving me a hard time. The sound of steel clashing filled my ears and I began to get more and more nervous. My enemy on the other hoof didn't get nervous but impatient. Not only did the fiend sacrifice to empower itself now it also started to use energy bolts to interrupt the flow of battle. Those bolts weren't any stronger than a regular unicorns but if used in the right way I had to deflect instead of being able to counterattack. For the moment I could do nothing more than defend. "Now it is time to finish this! Taste true despair..." the otherworldly voice of the creature suddenly shouted in a cruel tone. At that moment the creature spread its wings. Of course I had read enough stories about dragons to know what that usually meant. Without losing any time I jumped out of the creatures way, only dodging the dark blue ball of fire by a hair's margin. However, even though I got out of the fireball's way I could suddenly feel an excruciating amount of pain flush over my body. Letting my eyes wander down, it was only now that I realized that I had been far too careless. Just because my enemy used the abilities of a dragon didn't make him one. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the creature never intended to hit me with the fireball in the first place. Its attack was merely a distraction to get off a clean hit with its weapon. Pulling out the halberd of my body the grotesque figure began to laugh "Tell us little pony...do you know the difference of being regal and being arrogant?" the creature asked with its head held high. "No?" The creature immediately used its second paw and slapped my face. Not only did it manage to tear off a lot of flesh from my face, it also sent me flying. Once more I could hear nothing more than her terrifying laughter... "The difference is strength. As long as your skill can't match your arrogance you are nothing more than a conceited little brat..." the creature answered its own question and walked up to me, still wearing that twisted smile. "And yet...even though you should have understood the difference between us long ago...you are still arrogant enough to think of yourself as my equal..." the fiend said with a disgusted look and once again sent me flying. However, this time it utilized the blunt part of its weapon and a lot more strength than before. Vinyl would have probably put it in more simple terms; Its weapon was used as a bat while I was merely...the ball. "Oh please...knock it off already. That thing shouldn't even be able to touch you. After all even the amalgamation of trash is still nothing more than trash." I heard the darkest part of myself hiss in frustration. "Well...if you are so smart why don't you tell me how to turn the situation around." I replied to myself in frustration. "Listen, this place is governed by your mind and your beliefs, therefore winning and losing seem to be more of a matter of self-perception than actual skill. So, as long as you don't doubt yourself this mismatched creature shouldn't be able to buck with you at all." While I was still lying on the floor and trying to figure out how to ban all thoughts of doubt from my mind the grotesque thing came closer and kicked me in the stomach, thus forcing me on my back. Giving me a haughty look the figure then raised its halberd directly above me and tried to thrust it through my heart. "Rely on your instinct..." I could hear the voice in my head again. I immediately rolled out of harms way and jumped back at my hooves, causing the weapon to pierce the ground. Sweating and panting I took on a defensive stance and raised my weapon once more. At first the creature looked at me in disbelief but soon the expression was replaced with one of anger. "There should be no more hope left in your heart..." the monster's otherworldly voice rang in the air. "...so why won't you despair?" "You stinking piece of trash..." the voice in my head whispered in contempt. However, I wasn't really listening. Right now I was far too pissed of by that bucking creature. Who did it think it was to lecture me about despair? "...how dare you compare pain and...despair." both me and the voice in my head replied in unison. Shocked by our venomous tone and the sudden change of demeanor the creature subconsciously took a step back. Shifting to a much more aggressive stance I immediately took the initiative and charged at the demon-spawn. Attacking it with a barrage of quick strike the monster could do nothing more than defend against the blows, while the wounds on my body were once again closing themselves. "Such arrogance! How dares a mere pony to..." "It is about time to take its head...don't you think?" the voice inside my mind urged me to. Swinging the scythe with all I head I managed to crush the monster's defense and took off its head without much difficulties. Looking at my decapitated foe's body I started to laugh like a mad mare. Green liquid started to shoot out of its neck like a fountain but I didn't give it much of a thought. My eyes were glued to the head of that thing. With a sadistic smile I raised a hoof above it's head and simply crushed it. That was the moment when I felt a terrible pain at the place where my heart should have been. Looking down at myself I saw a dark, ornamented halberd sticking out of my chest. Oh, buck... "Foalish pony...as if taking my head would make any difference." I could hear my enemy's victorious voice when it retrieved its weapon from my chest. However, this time I did not fall. Still standing on my hooves a cruel smirk spread across my face...and I began to cackle. "Bwahaha..." I laughed icily while looking at the gaping hole in my chest and simply replied:"...but you thought piercing my heart would?" At that moment I could finally see it; fear. The monster looked as if I had just grown a second head. Oh...how much I enjoyed the look of terror on its face when the hole in my chest filled itself with solid ice. It was probably that very moment that the creature realized that this was no longer the same mare it had dealt with before. No, now that I was in charge I'd definitely exact my vengeance for all the humiliation that thing had caused me. I'd probably start easy...by shattering all the bones in its body. Clearly feeling the pressure of my presence the creature couldn't help but frantically ask: "Who...who are you?" With a sadistic smile I revealed two pointy fangs and gave him the answer he was so desperately looking for. "Me? Why, this pony's better half of course. Thanks for waking me up..."
-(28)- Requiem -(28)- Requiem Leaving behind nothing but a blurry afterimage I instantly closed the gap to my enemy. With one swing of my scythe and giving it no chance to retaliate I immediately sent it flying. As the creatures eyes widened in shock I couldn't help but laugh. Rather pleased with both, my speed and my strength I appeared right next to where it landed. "Foalish pony! You think you can withstand eons* of hatred?" the creature hissed in contempt. "Well, guess again..." At that moment the air around the creature began to change. While it still looked like the same beat-up oozy mess I could feel that its presence started to grow more cold and sinister for every moment that passed. However, that wasn't something that could scare me. The thing that really peaked my curiosity was that the creature's recovery speed significantly increased. In the blink of an eye it managed to undo all the damage I had previously done to it. Huh...and just when I thought I had finally beaten it. Well, too bad... "Behold! The extent of our true power!" it said and attacked me with its halberd. Even though I managed to block the attack just in time, I was still pushed away by the force of the impact. At that moment the smile on my face grew even wider. Oh, I couldn't even fathom how many of its weaker parts it had to sacrifice in order to mach me in strength. Ten? Twenty? Maybe even a hundred? Ah well...it's not if the number actually mattered. At the end of the day I'd make sure that it died at least a thousand times. Yeah...a thousand little deaths...** "Is that all you've got?" I asked disappointed. "Pathetic..." So, besides a little boost in strength and recovery speed nothing else had changed. Meh...and after all its talk I thought this thing would actually pose a threat now. Hmm...well if that was the case there was only one thing left... Moving at insane speed I appeared right next to the creature and tried to rip it apart in one swing. However, much to my surprise it easily blocked my attack. Hmm...so even though its movement speed was inferior to mine it could still keep up with me in battle. Interesting... Aiming with the blade at its faint I suddenly changed my attack and tried to hit the creature's head with the other side of my weapon but once again it seemed to know exactly what I was doing and blocked me with as little effort as possible. The smile I had previously dropped reappeared on my face once again. This was indeed interesting... Using a quick motion I used the scythe to aim at the creature's chest. Of course it immediately managed to deflect my attack. However, this time my attack was merely a decoy. My real goal was to distract my opponent with a flashy move while I used my control over ice to conjure some frozen projectiles that aimed for its eyes. Unfortunately it managed to pull away its head at the last moment. Letting out a sigh in frustration I let my icy powers wander down my weapon, creating a second blade on the other side. This way my chances to deal a blow would increase at least a little bit. Striking at the creature again and again I became more and more infuriated. Why was that thing suddenly so strong? And why the hay was it only defending? Was it trying to show me that I was inferior to it in every single way? "Enough!" I said and jumped back a few yards. "Seems like you've finally realized it; The outcome of our battle had already been determined the very moment we decided to go all out against you." the creature said in a mocking tone. As I heard those words I couldn't help but feel the flames of rage consuming my heart. However, the target of my anger wasn't my enemy; it was myself. Once again I had failed due to my own shortcoming in power...once again I had failed to be strong enough to take what was supposed to be mine. Once again I... Than the feeling of fury faded and was slowly replaced with something else; understanding. So what if I was inferior to that thing in power? My mind and my spirit were still a lot stronger than the creature's. Then all of a sudden a laugh escaped my mouth... Giving me a puzzled look the creature was about to let out another one of its haughty remarks but just before it could decide which words it should throw at me it gave me an evil glare and closed its mouth again. Only now did it realize that instead of helplessness I once again radiated confidence. Giving him the most twisted smile I could muster I pressed forth the words that would finally shake it to the core... "Yeah...I've finally realized." I said and drove my weapon into the floor. "I've realized...that this place...is MY domain." Cracks appeared on the surface of the floor and before I knew it they grew into fissures. Stones of pristine white started to to sprout wherever the obsidian floor had shown even the slightest bit of weakness and soon after the world around us turned into something new. When the endless black space had finally collapsed, some giant structures began to erect themselves in the distance around us. However, even though our battle field had suddenly become a confined space...it was still a very vast area. Concentrating on the strange structures that were encircling us, my eyes couldn't help but widen in surprise when I realized what they actually were; grand stands. So...the whole place had transformed into a giant...amphitheater? How interesting... Wait...interesting? The scenery suddenly changed and the only thing I could think about was...that it was interesting? What the hay? Wasn't the more appropriate reaction at a time like that to be...worried? So why was I feeling so calm and at ease? It nearly seemed as if that place was specifically tailored to accommodate my needs. "Maybe...it was" I could hear the other part of me whisper in my head. As for how she came to that conclusion; I had no clue. However,the moment those thoughts flashed through my mind I immediately knew that they had to be the truth. "What is this? What have you done? Answer me, cursed pony!" the creatures slightly panicked voice resonated through the air. "Why...setting the stage of course..." I replied with a confident smirk. Well, it wasn't like the change of scenery happened on purpose but why would I ever tell the enemy. Wasn't it far better to let the creature freak out and bait it into making a mistake? "So you are responsible for this? Well...it matters little." the creature commented on the situation as if it was merely talking about the weather. However, beneath its calm facade the creature was shaken to the core. I could nearly feel the sheer terror emanating from my enemy's body as it was trying to make sense of what had just happened ... Giving the creature no time to cope with its situation I did the only thing that came to my mind; I acted on instinct. Raising my weapon to the sky icy gales started to rush down on me, forming a protective layer of ice all around my body. If somebody had seen me at that moment they'd probably would have thought that I wasn't an earth but a crystal pony. When the icy winds finally started to calm down I realized that they still weren't done with me. As I watched them brush gently against my crystallized coat I could see something form on top of my body; a long gown and a circlet of purest white. No longer focusing on myself I let my eyes wander to my opponent just to be surprised once more. I thought that I would catch the creature with a dumbfounded expression, instead it was looking at me with eyes filled with terror. Quivering with fear it suddenly started to whisper... "No...this can't be. The empress...it really is the empress..." it spouted like a madmare. "DISPERSE! Abandon the plan!" a voice suddenly shouted. That voice obviously belonged to one the souls that just left the body of my enemy. Which one...I could not determine because those who decided to leave the sinking ship were just too many. Among their voices wasn't a single one that wasn't full of despair and hopelessness... "Please forgive us..." "I yield..." "My empress...." "If we knew it was you...we'd never..." "Spare us your grace..." "This misguided foal pays his respect to you, your highness..." "Please...oh empress...please..." "The hive's memories run deep. I'd be an honor to offer them to you..." "This old dragon knows when he is outmatched..." "My wisdom is yours, milady." "I'd gladly join you on the battlefield once more, my liege." "I bow down to the empress." "Blessed are we who witnessed the return of our empress..." "I'd never dare resist you...oh great empress." "We can still be useful to you, milady." "Empress...this lowly servant awaits your command..." Even though there were all sorts of apologies and/or greetings thrown at me, it didn't take a genius to figure out that they only did so cause they were driven by fear. Driven by fear of this ominous empress...who was supposedly...none other than me. Well, it wasn't as if I didn't enjoy the fact that I managed to strike fear in their hearts but to be honest I'd rather I was feared due to my own power. This kind of victory wasn't satisfying at all... Just when those thoughts crossed my mind the great soul exodus had finally ended. While those who had given up on fighting let themselves being consumed by my weapon, the rest of them were still holding on to their fused form. Even though the creature looked very volatile I was far too curious to attack it in its weakened state. The thought of it, exploding and showering everything in blood and gore was just too exciting to pass up. After all...it shouldn't be hard to finish it off now that it lost nearly half its strength. Therefore I simply decided to wait how it would play itself out... In the end it turned out that waiting was a waste of my time. Not only did the creature not explode...it even ended up losing a lot of its former glory. Reduced to the size of a normal pony the creature, who had finally managed to stabilize itself, was now merely a shadow of its former self. Panting and sweating it raised its weapon as if it still felt capable of taking me on. Hmm...what a joke... "Idiots...every single one of you! There is no way that this weak mare..." the creature yelled and pointed in my direction. "...is the empress. Just think about it; the real empress would have obliterated us the moment she had set her eyes on us. Besides the empress was a unicorn...not a mere earth pony and..." the creature ranted on. "Oh my...could it be that you've finally decided to change your approach? Do you want to bore me to death now?" I mocked the creature. "Cocky imposter! I'll tear you to shreds..." it hissed and immediately charged at me. "Too slow..." I said, evading its attack with ease. "You might use a similar magic and you might wear the same attire as her but you are definitely not...the...empress." Catching its weapon with my bare hoof and shattering it the same moment I touched it a grin began to spread across my face and I replied in an amused tone: "You are correct. I'm certainly not this empress you've been babbling about. Hay...I've never even heard of her. However, in order to deal with small fry like you, I'm pretty sure that this ominous empress won't be needed." ...and with those words I sent it flying. If you truly desire to break a pony...you don't aim for the head or the vitals. Doing that would mean letting them off easily. No, in order to truly destroy them you have to shatter either their spirit or their pride. That way they'll lose all their motivation to go on... Caught up in my vindictive thoughts...I could feel a soft throbbing within my head. Already aware of the unpredictable nature of this place I concentrated on the strange feeling. Much too my surprise I came to a very disturbing conclusion; something was trying to break into my mind. Looking at the pathetic state of my opponent I deducted that it certainly wasn't the source of my pain. But...if it wasn't my enemy...then who would dare to... My eyes narrowed as I came to the only other conclusion; my weaker self. However, it made no sense. Even if the other me was strong enough to take back control, she would never do that. No...not as long as the creature was still taking breath. Cold and calculating as we both are she should know that she stands no chance against the creature if she solely relies on her own power. So...who is....ah... Pain suddenly flushed all over me and I felt as if my body was literally on fire. Whoever did this...I'd make sure to make the culprit suffer... "Octavia...stop it." I could hear a familiar voice in my head. "Lucid?" I replied in confusion. "Listen to me, Octavia. You have to stop going beyond your limits. If you keep up whatever it is you are doing...I'm pretty sure your body won't last much longer. Actually the fact that you are still alive boarders on a miracle..." "And how...pray tell...should I do that? Roll down and die so that my body becomes a vessel for the amalgamation of stupid, incompetent and disappointing demon-wannabes? Yeah...no. I'd rather sacrifice my own body before I let that happen. So, unless you stop being all vague and mysterious...and give me some actual info for once...you better shut the buck up and let me finish this quickly..." I mentally hissed back at Lucid. "Hmm...truly fascinating. So, the real Octavia couldn't take it anymore and her subconsciousness paired with the prematurely formed, complementary, chaotic mind fragment filled in for her." I heard Lucid's thoughts resonating within my mind. "If my analysis is correct there is only one thing left for me to do..." "And what would that be?" "Pulling the pluck..." Lucid said in an overly amused tone. "What do you...arrrrgh...my head. What have you done you buc-..." Pain filled every fiber of my being but before I could try anything to stop it the world around me was already fading to black. Just when I thought the darkness around me would be the last I'd ever see, my vision finally returned. However, something felt different. It was as if everything that had happened just now felt so distant as if it was merely a dream; as I myself wasn't really there... "Welcome back Octavia. I hope you enjoyed your little nap..." "Lucid...what did you..." "No time for lengthy explanations. Just take down the rest of those pesky little souls. I promise that I'll answer all your questions once you are back to the real world..." Lucid said and waited for a few moments before she added. "It shouldn't take very long, now that you've already gotten the gist of how to control this space..." Gotten the gist of...oh right. I did change the scenery somehow. However, instead of concerning myself with it any further I started a one sided slaughter. My eyes immediately flashed in the direction of the creature. As soon as our eyes met it flinched and backed away a few steps. However, even though the creature was in such a sorry state I felt absolutely nothing. No pain, no hatred...no nothing... Ughh...Lucid really owes me a lot of answers... Well...she already promised me some answers so I should just focus on that thing for now. However, the sudden lack of emotions on my face probably caused the creature to try and get some distance between us. Not that it mattered for what I was doing next... Raising the scythe to the sky I whispered one little word that soon resonated throughout the entire place: "Requiem". Even though it seemed like nothing more than a simple word...it was so much more. If I had to describe it I'd probably say that it was no longer an abstract description of the word's true concept...but rather the concept itself. To put it even simpler: A word is nothing more than the shortest possible description of something far too difficult to comprehend; the profound truth*** behind said word. So when that word left my lips, I immediately knew that it was nothing less than the true power of a words raw concept. Every fiber of my being was brimming with awe while my heart was filled with joy and pain. A truly strange sensation...**** However, it wasn't only me who felt that power...the whole environment did. Snow started to fall and a terribly sad and glorious melody filled my heart with a deep longing for all the things I had lost in my life; even those I had long forgotten about. Whether it'd be the grandmother I lost just recently, or if it was something else I had cherished in the past...it was no longer different. The loss of my favorite marble at the age of five, the slow gradual loss of my idealism, the death of my grandmother...at that moment it all weighed the same. My eyes went all teary and as I began to cry some of the icy gales took form. However, those ponies made from icy winds did not attack me, instead they let out timber-wolf like howls and accompanied me in my mourning. As the melody approached the end the feeling of joy slowly started to outweigh the pain of my losses and I felt a certain kind of happiness that I had at least the chance to get to know all of what I had before I lost it. That feeling was truly cathartic... As the song came finally to its end all the icy specters around me faded and turned back again into their natural state. It was only now that I realized that those creatures looked strikingly similar to the illustrations of the dreaded windigos. However, unlike the windigos from the hearth-warming pageant those creatures didn't seem to have any malicious intentions... Speaking of malicious... My eyes immediately flashed into the direction of a small dot in the distance. Even though it wasn't much time that had passed, the creature still managed to get quite the distance between us. Unfortunately it was to no avail... Raising the scythe once more the intensity of the snow and wind increased and it didn't take more than a few seconds and the whole theater was engulfed in a terrible blizzard. As the retreat came slowly to an halt, the icy apparitions took form once more. However, they didn't close in on it. Instead they were simply circling above it...just like buzzards. Huh...so they already knew. Well, I guess in the end it was pretty obvious. After all the purpose of a requiem is to send off and/or honor the dead. How would the true meaning of a requiem ever be met with nopony dying... Without giving it anymore thought I simply watched as thick black chains suddenly erupted from the floor and began to wrap around the creatures limbs. At first it still tried to struggle but the chains remained relentless. "No...it can't end like this. We've waited too long for..." the creature yelled with all its might. That moment its form finally broke and it turned back into its components. However, it was already too late. More and more chains started to erupt from the floor, wrapping themselves around every last one of them. As the chains pulled all of them down, the windigo-like creatures let out a victorious howl and followed them in the depths... "Be it god or demon...in the end everyone is bound by the chains of fate..." I softly whispered before I shook my head in confusion. Where the hay did that come from? Hmm...not that it really mattered. There were certainly a lot of better places to reflect on my philosophical standpoints. Maybe at home with Vinyl and a cup of pure black happiness... With that thought in my mind and a wide grin plastered all over my face I finally opened my eyes in the real world...*****
-(12)- Vinyl's PastDarkness swept over me. There was no light, no warmth, no sound just the endless void. I didn’t feel my surroundings I probably was still falling…falling in the endless abyss. Then something suddenly changed. It became colder and colder. Gradually it became less comfortable. Finally when I couldn’t endure it any longer I let out a scream…a scream that reached way beyond this world and managed to wake me up. I felt horrible. I had a throbbing headache, I was all sweaty, still dizzy and confused by my dream. The situation did not change much when a certain somepony entered my room, holding a frying pan in her hoof. Oh it was hilarious…I couldn’t help but laugh in that situation. Maybe it was still a dream. “Everything right, Tavi?” “No…I had a terrible nightmare, my head hurts and a frying pan swinging loon just entered my room…” I said in a humorous voice. “Um…no…eh…I…I was about to make breakfast you know?” she said “Vinyl it is around 04:00 AM…you still look like you were asleep moments ago…” “No…I wasn’t…I wanted to get up this early…” “Come on…it is really kind of cute that you tried to defend me with a pan.” I said and smiled at her. Suddenly she blushed. Now that I think about it that has to be something new to her. Vinyl Scratch probably never got such compliments….I mean she is more of a tomboy so I understand if she was kind of embarrassed. “So what was your dream about? Must have been something creepy? Maybe…” I raised an eyebrow in anticipation for whatever she would say. “Moooooaaaar Vampiiiires Tavi ! Roooooaaaar!” My pillow flew exactly in her face. She used the chance and let herself fall backwards. She then bit in my pillow and shook her head furiously. It was such a sight. I couldn’t help but laugh. Then she threw the pillow in the corner of the room and jumped on my bed. She came closer, terribly close. When the distance of her face to my neck was finally nearly non-existent she said…sorry Tavi. I nearly shrieked when she lowered her head and…kissed me on the neck? That mare really knew how to get me worked up. I pushed her off and sighed. “Vinyl? You probably won’t be happy until my heart stops beating? That nearly gave me a heart attack." “Nah…I need you with a beating heart, Tavi. How else would you blush…” That made me wonder. I did not blush, did I? No…why would I…I…simply wasn’t. She lied to me… “Great now you are blushing again because…you blushed?” she said grinning like the biggest moron in Equestria. “Shut it, Vinyl.” I said and left her alone in my bed. I went to the fridge trying to eat something when I realised that the stupid DJ must have been a little sorry for me. She put a tag on most of her things. “Spicy, far too sweet, the hottest thing ever…etc. It made me chuckle. As annoying as Vinyl could be I really have to say she has grown on me. I always thought about my life as a starless night. Now I had a sparkling star who kept me company and saved me from loneliness. Does that sound strange, I wonder? It must be… I sat on the table for about ten minutes when Vinyl showed up. “I fetch myself a mug and some coffee, “Tavi.” “As long as you do not touch the white one…” “It’s far too small…I go for the big cups…” she said with a grin. “Oh, by the way Vinyl…what were you doing in my bed?” “I was just lying there…” “Really?” I asked curiously. “Would you rather I had said I pillow hum…” “On second thought…I rather believe the first explanation.” I said hastily. She smirked at me. Oh no…here it come…something dreadful…she would propose a dreadful idea. I so knew it. She would unleash hell on Equestria with whatever she wanted next, she… “Hey Tavi…do you like to visit the park with me?” “That seems far too normal…where is the real Vinyl Scratch?” I said with a raised eyebrow. “I just thought we could talk about some stuff…” “Well…I don’t see why not…” Time flew by and soon the sun shined warm enough that we could really make our way to the park. We sat down on a park bench and I curiously waited for whatever it was that Vinyl wanted to talk about. At first I suspected she wanted to talk to me about vampire stuff or my family when it was something completely different. “So Tavi, you said you wanted a job.” “Well of course I do but…” “Maybe I can get you one at my next working place…” “I am NOT a DJ…you get that Vinyl.” I said in a dry voice. “Maybe it is a club that also pays some other musicians…I didn’t say I would work in a disco next. If it is a nightclub and they had thematic evenings it might work out…” “That is all nice and good but I do not think a job was the reason you wanted to talk to me.” “Ah…to be honest it was something different.” she said and looked a little bit ashamed. “I figured…go on.” “Well you know about how I called myself while fillysitting?” “Yes…Vestige Record…” “I rather you never mention that ever. I really messed up back then. I didn’t think that she would know.” “Do you want to tell me your story Vinyl? Maybe you feel better afterwards.” Vinyl gulped and started her story. As I suspected she was the heir of a rich family. They always wanted her to be successful and therefore put her through a lot of terrible “training”. It must have been similar to what my sister has to endure now. However one day she decided she couldn’t go on like that. She liked music, yes but she didn’t like her life so she used all the bits she had to leave her home. No more Manehatten for Vinyl Scratch. At first she roamed free through the streets of Canterlot. No pony who gave her orders, no pony who could force her to do things she didn’t like. Everything seemed perfect…until she ran out of bits. Soon Vinyl had to find out that living without bits proofed to be difficult. She tried to sleep where all the homeless ponies did but even there were some ponies who wanted to send her to the orphanage. How could a high class girl like Vestige Record remain undiscovered you ask? Well at first she didn’t have a cutie mark back then so there was no pony who could recognise her by that. Then there was the thing she did to her mane. She dyed it in different blue tones. Her blue lenses that she used to wear back then were thrown away already and had been replaced by magenta once. That probably was the true birth of the mare now better known as Vinyl Scratch. So the blue haired filly without cutie mark, money, friends, family and a home lived with the street bums for a few weeks. When it got colder two of the bums saw it as their responsibility to deliver Vinyl to the local orphanage. She wouldn’t last the winter otherwise… Vinyl felt betrayed of course, however she understood that the ponies only wanted to help her. The days in the orphanage seemed dark and lonely, better than her life with her parents but still. It must have been very terrible for Vinyl back then. I feel some pity for her. The life in the orphanage with all the other fillies made her open up a lot. Her personality slowly changed from introverted to extroverted and after a while she got adopted by a young childless couple. She told me that they were nice to her…a caring family. They even decided to rename the poor Jane Doe, a name that female ponies without known origins received, to Vinyl Scratch after seeing how much that filly liked listening to those vinyls. However it was on a special day when she viewed a rock concert where she finally realised that there is much more to music than what she knew. When she realised that she got her cutie mark...in the middle of a concert. Can you believe that? The story of how I got my cutie mark pales in comparison. She looked through a lot of different types of music until she finally encountered what it was she wanted to do. This was the birth of DJ PON3. As you can see she had a lot of success as a DJ. When she knew what it was that made her truly happy she told her foster father. He then presented Vinyl with the same type of shades she even wears today. He was really proud of his little daughter and how she turned out. Even though Vinyl was so successful and happy with her new family she still had some kind of trauma going on. Her real parents…she had to face them eventually...what would they think? Would they be proud of her? I doubt that. Would they be disappointed even though she had success as a DJ? The answer was most certainly yes. The meeting with my sister probably opened up some old wounds. I was responsible for it so I tried to comfort her. “Vinyl…you know even if your parents are not happy about how you turned out…” She had a very painful expression written all over her face…oh it made me hurt a lot to see her like that. “…all people besides them love you just the way you are. Your fans, your family…even I do." She beamed at me, even though she was about to cry a minute ago. Oh, Vinyl Scratch…in fact you are so soft…you just do a good job to hide it but when your weaknesses are visible it makes you loveable all the more. Then I….kissed her on the cheek. She looked baffled… “Don’t you worry if you ever want or have to face your parents you will not be alone. I promise..." I said. Then something happened that I did not expect. She started to hug me and…started to cry. She cried so much it nearly made me cry along. She looked so vulnerable…so unlike herself… She then tried to talk to me…still sobbing. “You…you know…I..I do not deserve you as a…” she said and started to cry again. “Shhh…Vinyl…just let it all out…” I said. “I…I love you Tavi…” and she buried her face in my chest. Warm tears rolled down my body and I finally began to realise that Vinyl needed me as much as I needed her because no pony had an easy task with fighting her personal darkness all alone… “I know…I know…” I told her petting her back. When all the tears dried up and Vinyl finally got her composure back she started in her usual tone. “That was kinda pathetic of me right?” “Oh…it certainly wasn’t as pitiful as when I cried back then…” “Well…but for me it is different. I am usually tough. I can’t let people think I am that soft…” “Yes…that reaaaaaly shocked me” and I rolled my eyes. “You know they called me ice princess back in school because I seemed to have no emotions?” I carried on. “Really? No way” she said surprised. “Yes indeed. Thanks to somepony however I lost control over my emotions far too often in the last few days.” “So…I turn you on so much that you can’t concentrate? Yeah! 2 points for Vinyl!” she said. “No…you don’t…stop that already.” “You already said you love me…” “I certainly did not…” “Yeah you did!” “But in a different way…” “You said I look cute while you were comforting me!” “That was while you were crying and…” Oh I messed up…I never said that…I only thought about it. However that didn’t mean a thing right? Right? “Aha! Got ya…so you think I like cute…” she said with a smirk. “You get that all wrong…looking cute doesn’t equal I love you.” “Saying that you love me, kissing me on the cheek and telling me that I look cute all don’t? And here I thought you were a good liar…” she said and rolled her eyes the same way I normally did. “Vinyl there is no way that I love you… I do not know why I am attracted to you. It isn't even physical attraction you know? All of it is just a strange coincidence…” I tried to explain. “You never had a relationship before? “ she said and interrupted me shorthand. “What has that to do with anything…” I asked clearly annoyed. “I was right? Wow…no wonder it is so hard to get to you…” “Vinyl stop fooling around…it gets old.” I said already agitated. “You probably never even considered liking girls because it isn’t the norm?” “Of course I didn’t. Why would I love mares when I am one myself?” “You really are so dense, Tavi.” she said and started to giggle. “Stop messing with my head …stupid.” “Cupid…it is pronounced cupid…C-U-P-I-D” “Vinyl…if you really love me…even though you probably really just like to get on my nerves I have to disappoint you…because I will NEVER, I repeat it NEVER...N-E-V-E-R...fall in love with someone like you.” “Challenge accepted! I will try all the harder now…” “Oh sweet Celestia…cut me some slack…” “Nope I won't. I could fetch us some snacks however. There should be a store a few minutes away.” “Do what you want…I need some time to cool off anyway.” “I hope you won’t miss me in the next five minutes.” “How could I miss you if you don’t leave already…” “Tavi, when I'm gone please try to not drool while thinking about me. It is for your own good.” “Just…go already…you …you lunatic. I pressed through my teeth. She then took off, seriously amused while I still had to wonder about her crazy nature. After she was gone I let my thoughts strife but in the end I still had to think about her...yes her. I mean she really was hard to understand…at some times. Not that I thought about her looking cute or…arrrgh. Well seems like this was just another ordinary day for Octavia Melody, a simple mare who was lost in life, acquainted to a crazy pony and sitting all alone on a park bench simply waiting for events to unfold themselves.
-(24)- At the same time...(part1) [Vinyl's POV]Soon after Tavi left the apartment I made myself comfortable on the couch. Letting out a deep sigh, I put my head back and let my eyes rest on the skylight. In an attempt to find some inspiration I spent the next few minutes watching some lone clouds floating in the sky. It didn’t take long and I came up with some vague ideas of what I wanted. However…vague ideas weren’t enough to compose a tune that would live up to my standards. Jumping back on my hooves I wasted no time and headed for my bedroom. Opening the nightstand, I then picked up my personal notes. That pile of unorganized sheets contained pretty much everything that happened this month and concerned my work. Annoyed by the fact that I had put off organizing my stuff again, I levitated the bundle back to the living room. Dropping the sheets on the couch, I let out a deep sigh. Well…it could be worse. At least Tavi wasn’t here to rub it in… A mischievous grin spread across my face as soon as I became aware of the implications. Maybe this time there was another way to get myself some inspiration. Passing the fridge, I grabbed myself something to drink and walked into Tavi’s study. To be quite frank…I never liked that room. It was all bleak and gloomy. How Tavi could get any work done in a place like that was far beyond me. I’d probably go nuts… Ignoring the shelves and everything else that was emitting the uncomfortable feeling of…excessive cleanliness my eyes fell on the only thing that looked remotely interesting; a wooden drop-front desk. Unlike any other object in the room this one was actually covered in dust. Was there a reason why Tavi didn’t bother to clean that particular desk? Well…only one way to find out… “Buck!” I hissed. Of course it was locked. What was I even hoping for? However…the lock didn’t look like a proper one. Yeah…probably just one of those worthless, decorative locks that even a foal could pick. Moving an ear close to the lock, my horn lit up in a subtle glow. Even though the lock was as simple as expected it took me a lot of time to pick it. Maybe things would have gone a bit quicker if I had used a paperclip instead of raw magic. Nah…I guess this was the safer option. A clip might leave some marks on the lock. Besides, it also reminded me of the good old times. I could still remember the grin of my foster father when he found out that I taught myself lock picking just to avoid mom’s curfews. When I finally opened the desk I probably had a similar grin plastered across my face. What I saw wasn’t what I expected. Instead of an organized workplace with files and folders I found myself in front of the worst hodgepodge I had ever seen. There were books, notes, ripped out pages, envelopes, pictures, even an old newspaper. Curious as to why Tavi would keep such an old newspaper, I pulled it out of from under the papers. My first assumption was that she had probably kept it out of vanity. After all it was a pretty big deal for most ponies when they got into the papers for the very first time. However...once I caught a glimpse of the headline…I knew that I’d been wrong. Royal Guard drops all charges against Venal Melody Today was truly a glorious day for justice. Venal Melody (51), former CEO of Sweet Symphonies and his wife Glamorous Act (42) are now finally able to close the darkest chapter of their life. Always in pursuit of justice, the royal guard finally managed to accumulate new shocking evidence in Mr. Melody’s case. As it turned out all the allegations against Mr. Melody were in fact unfounded. Three up to now unknown ponies (19, 23 & 25) fabricated those lies in an attempt to discredit the poor victim. However, according to the guards that was just the first step of the villains’ ruthless plan. Their real goal was to make Mr. Melody desperate enough to pay them in order to tell the truth. Yes…as horrible as it may sound…those three especially picked Mr. Melody to be the target of a convoluted extortion scheme. However, no matter how smart they were they couldn’t outrun the long leg of the law. After their plan failed and they got caught they testified that Mr. Melody was never on the take, never purposely forced anypony into bankruptcy and never attended any kind of tribalistic meeting. As a result even “Shining Armor”, the captain of the royal guard, publically apologized for all the trouble they had put him through. Nevertheless, Mr. Melody didn’t accept the apology. “Please captain, there is nothing you have to apologize for. You were just doing your job…and a good one at that. I don't even like to think what might have happened if your guards weren’t so persistent in pursuing the truth. “ our humble victim replied. ... At that point it looked as if everything important had already been said...so I only skimmed over the rest. Justice was served...the wife had also a few words...yada yada yada...and everypony was happy and buttering each other up. Blergh... Just when I thought there was nothing more to the article I spotted two words beneath it. The letters were barely readable but I could still recognize what was left them as Tavi's hoofwriting. After concentrating for a few more moments I finally got their meaning; Bucking Liar. Shaking my head I put the newspaper aside. Well to be honest that didn't really come as a surprise. I already figured that Tavi's parents were no saints but the possibility that if her father really forced innocent ponies into bankruptcy was no laughing matter. However...it wasn't my place to sell out her family. That was a problem Tavi had to sort out herself... Letting out a frustrated groan I focused my attention on the other stuff that was lying right in front of me. Tavi's half finished compositions immediately piqued my interest...but I was NOT here to rip-off Tavi's work, I was here for some inspiration. So instead of dwelling on Tavi's actual work...I took a look at some of the postcards and photos in front of me. While most of them showed Tavi on some boring formal occasions there were a few intriguing ones among them. One of them, for example, showed an elderly mare smiling in front of the rainbow falls. When I flipped it around it read: Enjoying my vacation so far, love Gran. The next picture I eyed a little closer made me giggle. It looked like a big fancy dinner party with a younger Tavi, her family and a lot of nobles. However, amidst all of them one particular stallion stood especially out. Apparently Tavi wasn't very fond of him, considering that she had actually put some effort into replacing his face with a crude drawing and putting the words Prissy Plotface right on top of him. Hmm...that was actually quite adorable... Never thought that the same Tavi who always tried to act so mature in front of others could be such a childish pony. Well, except when she was wasted or getting high on vampire pheromones. Vampire pheromones...the fact I even considered something like that...was proof of how messed up my life really was. Sometimes I still hoped that all of that was just some kind of big prank... However, my thoughts came suddenly to an halt when I spotted a certain tear stained letter. What in the world could be bad enough to make Tavi cry? I knew that it probably wasn't something for my eyes but... Dear unknown pony, if you are reading this I've finally mustered enough courage to do what I should have done a long time ago. All my life I simply carried on because I had the hope that one day things would finally get better. As it turned out I had been wrong. Well...at least I somehow shook off my cowardice and finally managed go through with it... I didn't need to read any further. No...I couldn't read any further. My gut was revolting and I felt the sudden need to slap a certain pony repeatedly across the face. Stomping on the ground in anger, I could hear my own raspy voice. "That idiot! That bucking idiot..." I continued venting my anger for a few more moments before my thoughts caught up to me. That bucking drawer was covered in a thick layer of dust...so Tavi probably never opened it since she had lost her job. However, what if she was still thinking about stuff like that? What if... Then I slapped myself. What the hay was I even thinking? If all that devastating vampire stuff wasn't enough to break her...there was no way it would ever happen. Still...bottling stuff up and keeping secrets like...that. Tavi had a lot of explaining to do...and I sure as hay wouldn't let her off the hook easily... When I finally calmed down enough...I realized that my right forehoof was glinting with blood. Letting my eyes wander from the damaged hoof to the floor I noticed several glass shards scattered across the room. Buck, my glass! I must have dropped it when I found Tavi's stupid note. Well...at least it was already empty when it hit the floor. That would make cleaning the mess at least a little bit easier. Fetching a broom, I immediately started to give the floor a sweep. A few moments later I was already covering my traces. I locked the drawer and tried to come up with a way that would make it look as neglected as before. Of course, being a unicorn and a bucking genius helped quite a bit with the last part. Who besides me would ever think about blowing into a heater and catching the dust motes with her magic? So after I repeated said process a few times, I sprinkled the dust on top of the drawer. Assured that it would be enough to fool Tavi, I made my way back to the living room. Of course I knew that I had to confront her...but I'd rather not have her come home and freak out over the opened drawer while I wasn't even there. Back in the living room my mood dropped even further when I spotted the huge pile of forgotten papers I had left on the couch. Right...I had originally planned to get some work done. However, after all that stuff I had to deal with...there was no bucking way that was still gonna happen. At least not with my current attitude... In order to make good, successful music...I had to be happy. No pony in all of Equestria would enjoy the work of uninspired artists in a foul mood. However...there was something I could still do; organizing my stuff. Hmm...why not? At least all that way all of the bureaucracy wouldn't get in my way when inspiration finally decided to hit me. So the first thing I did was to split the huge stash into four smaller ones; The first one was for everything concerning my gigs and appointments. The second one was for the stuff I scribbled down whenever I got a surge of inspiration. The third stash was for everything I could already dispose of. The fourth was for everything else. As I worked myself through the papers I felt a smile spreading across my face whenever I caught a glimpse of my previous ideas. Oh yeah…that stuff would pretty much write itself. However, when I set eyes on a certain piece of paper I immediately froze. The note was kept rather simple and only contained a name, a date and a time; Neon, today and according to Tavi's clock… “Buck!” …twenty minutes from now on. Horseapples! I couldn't stand up Neon...again. Last time I did that he got all sulky and stuff... So without wasting any more time, I headed for downtown. Rushing through the streets and using every possible shortcut I barely wasted any thoughts on the stuff I had just left in the living room. The only thing I did regret was that I hadn't left a note for Tavi but hay...she'd figure out that I'd been in a hurry... Panting and sweating I finally arrived at our usual meeting spot; the Salty Snob. It was just the usual run of the mill pub with the typical old and grumpy barkeep. However, there was something ponies should know about this place before visiting... “Buck off, blowhard. Your kind isn’t welcome here…” I could hear the angry voice of the barkeep. Only seconds later a puzzled stallion hurried out of the pub. Straightening his bow-tie and murmuring something about illiterate brutes he then gave the place a last disapproving look and trotted away haughtily. Well...I couldn't say that I was surprised. Down here it was a well known secret that the the owner, Salty Grafter, waged a vendetta against Canterlot's elite. So whenever one of those clowns makes an appearance at the Snob, Salty makes sure that they won't come again. Hay, that old pony even went as far as to name his pub the Salty Snob just to spite those pesky nobles. Putting on my trademark smile I entered. A lot of heads turned in my direction and ponies began to whisper. While some of them were probably confused why a successful entertainer like me would visit a rundown pub like that...most of the steady customers simply nodded when I passed them. That was one of the things I truly loved about that pub; the ponies here kept to themselves. I bet even Discord could march in and order a couple of beers and no pony would give a buck about it... Walking towards my usual spot at the counter I noticed that the old barkeep had already picked up the pace. Before my flank could even touch the stool, Salty had already finished preparing my favorite cocktail; the bramble. “Sup, Vinyl? Haven’t seen you in a while.” the old pony said and hooved me the drink. “Well, I’ve been quite busy…” “Busy…eh? What kind of busy are we talkin about?” “The worst kind, Salty…the worst…” I said and took a sip. “Huh? So…they’ve bothered you too? S’ppose they haven’t found anything. Buckin waste of tax money if you ask me…“ he said and rolled his eyes. “Nah…I wasn’t talkin about the guards. I just had a lot of… private stuff going on…” “Oh…I see how it is.” the old pony said with a knowing grin. “So…the great Vinyl Scratch is no longer on the market huh? What a shame. I guess some of your fans will have to cry themselves to sleep now. Or they’ll simply continue doing what they’ve always been doing; fantasizing bout you and clopping their hooves off...” he added slyly. Of course he had to say that exactly at the moment when I was taking a sip. Half laughing, half coughing I spilled some of my drink. “Nice one.” I replied and put my glass back on the counter. “Ahhh…just tellin the truth, Vinyl. Can’t help but bein sexy, can you?” “Nope. Unfortunately…I was born this way.” I replied theatrically. “So Vinyl…what brings you here?” he asked before he added in a barely audible voice “Trying to buy something…special?” “Nope. I’m just here to meet a friend. Oh...and of course I'm also here to enjoy the most excellent service only an establishment like yours can provide, good sir.” I added in my best posh noble impression. “Celestia be damned, I hope that’s not your way of telling me that you’re now bucking a lawyer?” “A lawyer? As if I’d ever risk a house ban for something boring like a lawyer." I replied and gave him a wink. "So...mind telling me who it is? That colt must be pretty special if he managed to tame a wild mare like you..." he said and wiggled with his eyebrows. "First, it's a mare, secondly...it's non of your business." I answered now clearly annoyed. "Come on Vinyl...spill some of the juicy stuff. How is she in bed ?" "For the love of Celestia...if you don't shut up...I swear I'll rip you a second..." "I don't think Tavi would approve of your strange fetishes, Vinyl. Ripping other ponies a second plotho-..." a male voice suddenly interjected. "Hey Neon..." I said and faced him with a devious smile. "...I was just thinking about that one time when you offered to share your bed with one of your groupies. What was her name again...Cross Dress?" Neon turned visibly pale. However before he could even come up with a snarky remark Salty already took interest in what I said. "Oh that sounds interesting. What happened? Was Neon too wasted to find the entrance?" "Nothing happened. Not...a...thing."Neon replied icy. "And Vinyl...I thought we agreed to never mention it again..." "Oh come on, you know old Salty can keep a secret." the old man tried again. Well...as amusing as it was to watch Neon trying to avoid that particular topic I decided it was time to put him out of his misery. "So...what's the reason I'm here again?" I asked Neon and the nosy old guy immediately grew silent. "Ughh...so...you remember when I told you about that creepy stallion two weeks ago?" he asked. "Nope. Can't say that I do. I had a few other things on my mind..." "Well...during my last gig the same dude showed up at the VIP lounge. After I was done performing he walked up to me and asked if you were a friend of mine. Confused to where that was leading I told him; sure I'm friends with Vinyl. You have a problem with her?" "Ugh...drop all the heroic stuff and just tell me what he wanted." I sighed. "He wanted to meet at a place you feel comfortable and talk some business with you." "Please tell me you didn't..." "Well...according to my cousin that guy is pretty...influential." Neon said and looked around the room before he lowered his voice. "So even if you aren't interested...at least hear him out, kay?" "Huh? Your cousin? You aren't talking..." and I also lowered my voice considerably "...mafia, are you?" "What? No! Of course not..." Neon said but I could see him getting more and more nervous. "So...what's so scary about that stallion?" I inquired. "Well yeah...you see...thing is...even the mafia seems to be afraid of that dude..." Neon said, now visibly uncomfortable. "The mafia...or just your stupid cousin?" I asked with a deadpan expression. "I know that Dim Light might not be the sharpest tool in the shed but hay...if he says that the whole mafia is afraid of somepony...I bucking believe him. Besides...you of all ponies should know how highly he thinks of his...buddies." Neon said, obviously referring to that one time where his cousin tried to hit on me. "Do you really think he'd sully their name by calling them cowards?" "Uhh...yeah...whatever..." Not that I didn't value Neon's opinion...but at that point I'd dissent. The few times Neon's cousin actually had tagged along with us were more than enough to figure out what kind of pony he was; a boastful shmuck. Even though I was pretty sure that his loyalty to the mafia ran deep...he also struck me as a gullible idiot. So, no...unlike Neon I wouldn't think of that guy as a reliable source. However, instead of blurting out that his cousin had probably just been on the wrong end of a bad joke...I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. After all...to Neon that pony was family...and I had to accept that, whether I like it or not. "Dim Light? You mean the Funnypony? Isn't he the errand colt of..." Salty tried hijack the conversation but...he immediately lapsed into silence when the door swung open. In fact he wasn't the only one; the whole room was suddenly quiet. All the eyes were glued to the pony who had just entered the pub. Ignoring anypony else the guard walked up to us as if he owned the place. "Salty Grafter, I presume?" he asked haughtily. "Who wants to know?" Salty replied, deliberately focusing on cleaning a glass instead of the stallion. "The equestrian crown...and you rather not forget that...peasant" the guard hissed. "I'll try to remember it." Salty said and paused for a moment before he continued "So, what can I do for you Mr. Equestrian Crown?" While Neon and I tried our best to keep a stoic expression, most costumers already started chuckling. Sweet Celestia...if that guy wasn't right next to us we probably would have joined in. "So you think your funny?" "No, sir..." Salty said "...why would you ever come to that conclusion? I merely offered you my assistance Mr. Crown." "My name isn't Equestrian Crown you senile fart." the guard shouted before the chuckles started anew. "Oh my...I'm terribly sorry, sir. It seems there has been a misunderstanding. It never has been my intention to poke fun at you. Hmm...I guess that means I owe you a reconciliation drink." Salty said with a smirk. "Hey, Salty...can you get me something...unusual while you're at it?" I suddenly threw in. Salty reached for a dark green and a bright yellow bottle and began to mix me something called "Zebrican Hellburn" before he shifted his attention to two black bottles. One of them was some kind of berry syrup while the other was probably Salty's cheapest batch of rum. When Salty put down the drinks in front of us the guard eyed his drink suspiciously while the customers started to place bets on him. "Oh...that's gonna be good. Ten bits he actually drinks it." "Twenty bits he is gonna cry..." "Oh come on...don't be such a scaredy-cat. Salty isn't that kind of pony. I'd trust him with my life..." I whispered to the guard who was still eyeing his glass warily. "If you trust him so much why don't we just exchange drinks and see what he is really made of." the guard hissed under his breath. "Fine..." I said, took his glass and flushed it down in one go. "Sweet Celestia...I must have switched the drinks." the barkeep said aghast when he looked at my empty glass. "Knew it! Have fun at the toilette..." the guard hissed with a smirk before he downed his drink. "Ah...sir...maybe you shouldn't drink tha-..." Salty said just a moment too late. A moment later the stallion was coughing and sweating. He got rid of his helmet and began to fan himself. Without the helmet, the guard enchantment was no longer working and we could see a pink stallion with teary-eyes and a very red head. At that moment a lot of bits changed owners... "Oh my...what's wrong buddy? You don't look so...hot."
