The Tainted: A Story of Those Under Evil's Curse

CHAPTER 2: Bon Bon: The Search for Those that Might Not Live

It was late when I got home.

It was always late when I actually got home.

Usually after dragging myself around all of Manehattan.

All because I've been looking for my marefriend and the one who was protecting her.

They've been that way ever sense we rescued Dr. Whooves.

I could only press through the door and then lean against it.

I don't feel safe though, I lack the energy and desire so I just crawl to my bed.

Laying here I still don't feel safe.

I roll off and crawl under, I feel a little better here.

I feel horrid that the only reason we're still in Manehattan is because of my love going missing when I should have been watching her.

I can't even remember how long I've been searching for her or how long it has been sense Octaiva has locked everypony out of her affairs; even her precious Vinyl Scratch hasn't gotten a word out of her.

How long has it been sense Dr. Whooves needed to breath? or sense Derpy was still cross eyed?

How long has it been sense we all just got together to have a party or do anything as friends?

It's been way to long it seems and all I can do right now is stare at the door.

The door that had been ripped off it's hinges after Neon Lights tried to hide Lyra here.

The only trace of her remaining is her lyre.

It mocks me with how it knows what happened.

It's changed just like everypony else has, no longer is it that glowing gold but that dingy brown.

It's as if it no longer knows the words to the songs that it used to play with while Lyra would serenade me with or the songs when she stole my heart.

It only knows songs of sorrow and solitude.

Some nights it plays for me in my dreams, songs of loneliness and lack of use as if it's trying to talk to me.

As if it's trying to tell me what happened but it doesn't know the words.

Tonight it's silent as I lay here.

Knock, Knock! Knock! KNOCK!KNOCK!!KNOCK!!!

I nearly hit my head from surprise before I could get from under the bed and then to the door.

I feel my heart pounding with my hoof on the doorknob, what if I should answer it?

I have to open it a little though, just a sliver couldn't hurt.

I turned the handle.

Suddenly I was on the ground.

Slam! Click.

I looked up in fear and felt relieved seeing that it was only Crimson Verse.

After seeing how scared she looks I feel the fear returning stronger than before "what's wrong Verse? is some-"

Pop! a hoof covers my mouth.

"Be quiet" -her whisper is sharp and terrifying- "don't speak."

I was nearly whimpering at the thought of something being so terrifying that Verse is scared.

I look around and a faint tune fills my ears, Lyra must be practicing.

Reality hits me hard.

"Lyra... isn't here..." I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks shortly.

Even in this state I can still hear the tune and then start to hum along.

Verse has calmed down enough that she isn't shushing me but is in now way calm.

She must need some coffee.

I continue to hum along to the tune as I make coffee; somehow I'm scared but calm at the same time.

The coffee finishes and I start to remember the lyrics, as a cup in hoof trades to a magic aura I start to sing.

"In a lang of imagination" -where did I learn these lyrics?- "the times of sorrow and peace are one and the same" -Verse looks afraid of me- "in the times of old Vampyres" -the words roll of the tongue awkwardly- "and the Lycans, we search for those that can coexist."

I don't understand where the song comes from but I continue to sing.

"The search takes many high and low, to dungeons and brothels and then to the very ends of the world and our minds" -Verse takes a long drink of her coffee obviously on edge; what the hell am I even singing? it just seems to come from deep inside of my being "that is where your friends end up fellow Vampyres and Lycans, always the land where you least visit and after the things you don't want to transpire have -somehow this song is calming the hysteria that it's causing- in the end your search repeat that you have found those that you sought out. Goodnight bella mortes, and other creatures of the night.

I stumble around and eventually find a chair, and then a pen and paper "what are you doing Bon Bon?"

"I'm writing that down, Lyra will love to hear the" -a brick wall hits my face- "she's still..." I still start to write them down finding a new resolve "I'm going to write them down for her anyway!" -my vigor to find Lyra is renewed- "I'm just going to have to find her first!" before I wrote another word Crimson Verse's magic took the pen and paper from me.

"I'll write it down Bon Bon, you need a shower or something"

Or something?

She stopped paying attention of me as the pen was scratching against the paper at an alarming rate; by the time I had found a towel for my bath she had finished.

I just went to the bathroom and turned the shower on, watched for the steam to start as well.

I hopped right in and the heat did something I didn't expect.

It dealt with the sickness that has been in my body.

A sickness that I felt begin to rise again as I sat under the streaming water.

Something was boiling in my body.

Blood... my blood is boiling.

I feel the pain spreading through my body, shortly it's causing me to whimper.

And then I'm screaming until my throat is raw and worst of all my eyes are burning.

I'm able to crawl but I can't get over the wall of the tub.

I was in tears, I don't know why I'm still screaming.

I've been in here for an eternity without relief.

I clasp my jaw to the wall of the tub.

My teeth feel like they're bleeding.

I crawl out screaming, I can feel them deep in my gut.

I fumble to the door and can't get it open.

I'm finally able to get it open and crawl out of the bathroom and then hear a scream; an extremely famine one.

"What's going on Bon Bon?!" I cry out in agony something welling up in my chest.

"Help... it burns..." I felt her magic around me but it doesn't stop the pain.

It was weird but I was lifted onto her back, her hair looked like it was red "I'll get you to Dr. Whooves and we'll stop this" with that we were out on the streets headed somewhere fast.

We passed a window and in that moment I knew I would never be the same.

I knew that it was going to haunt my nightmares, my whole body looks like it's bleeding.

I'm going to die...