Chapters As Octavia Melody rang the doorbell of the antique residence, she shook slightly in anticipation. Vinyl Scratch noticed this, as it wasn't normal for Octavia to act anything other than calm and relaxed. However, Vinyl understood why she was acting like this, as it was because of her that they were at this house anyway.
Less than a week ago, Vinyl was hosting a party at her house, while Octavia was on a trip to a concert in Fillydelphia. It didn't take long for things to get out of control, and the aftermath involved apple cider stains on the carpet, an overflowing sink of messy dishes, and cupcake wrappers littering the entire house. But worst of all was the state of Octavia's violin, which was broken in half, stained with cider, pierced with glass shards, and missing nearly all of its strings. Luckily, Vinyl knew a pony who knew a violin maker, who was generous enough to help fix the violin. If Octavia had not arrived early from her concert, Vinyl could have pretended that nothing happened at all. However, it wasn't long before Vinyl had to explain everything. And since then, Octavia had been waiting anxiously for the day she could pick up her fixed violin.
The door to the house opened. Inside was a young mare with a pale purple pony with a dark-coloured mane. "Good morning," greeted the mare. "Wataru isn't at home right now. But if you have a broken violin, I can give it to him to fix it for you."
"Actually, we're here to pick up my violin," Octavia explained, trying to keep calm. "It is fixed, isn't it?"
The mare scratched her head before giving a reply. "Well, he was working on a few violins in the past few days. He just finished polishing one of the violins last night. Although I can't say for sure if that was your violin. If you don't mind waiting, Wataru should be back in a short while. Otherwise, you could come back this afternoon."
"Oh, we don't mind waiting a few minutes," said Octavia in the calmest voice she could, despite clearly being impatient.
"Sure," agreed Vinyl, shrugging casually. "It's not like we really have anything too important planned for today anyway."
The mare led Octavia and Vinyl to the living room. The walls were a shade of light brown, but not too light, which complimented the wooden furniture. To the side was an area for fixing violins, with tables filled with woodworking tools and violins in the middle of being repaired. But one violin stood apart from the rest. It sat in a display case, with a customized violin case and a framed photo of a violinist.
There was something oddly familiar about the photo. And although Octavia couldn't recognize that violin, she was sure she had seen that violin case before.
About half a set of stairs down, there was a bed and a small dining table. As Octavia and Vinyl sat at the table, the purple pony went into the kitchen to get some snacks. Octavia still looked toward the violin case, her head resting on her hoof in deep thought. Where have I seen that violin case before? , she wondered, taking note of the unique design of the black violin case, which was decorated with a large piece of light, long fur. It doesn't look like any old violin case, and I doubt there are many more like that one.
Vinyl, meanwhile, was getting slightly bored, regretting that she forgot her headphones at home. She decided to start a conversation. "So, how exactly did you learn how to play the violin, Tavi?" she asked.
Octavia turned to Vinyl. "Haven't I told you before?"
"Nope. You've told the story about how you learned the cello about a dozen times, but you never really talked about how you learned the violin."
The mare had just arrived from the kitchen with a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a pitcher of orange juice. "That sounds interesting," she commented, sitting at the table with the two guests.
"Okay then. It will be a nice way to pass the time, I assume," said Octavia. She began to tell her story, as recalled her first violin class.
* * *
It started out as an average spring day. Octavia was a very young filly, but she was always intrigued by classical music. And since her parents were part of the Canterlot orchestra, she was always surrounded by it as well. In fact, she could hear beautiful violin music as she woke up that morning.
There was something wrong, though. Octavia could tell just by listening that it wasn't her mother or her father playing the violin. The tune was too unfamiliar. Octavia left her room and headed to the living room, where the sound came from.
In the living room sat a mare and a stallion. The stallion was playing the violin in the middle of the room, while the mare sat on one of the couches, listening to the melody while staring at the stallion with a dreamy look.
Yep, the mare was definitely Octavia's mother.
However, the stallion was a complete stranger.
Octavia quietly walked to the kitchen, where she found her father, who was bent over a newspaper. His eyes were twitching as he tried to suppress some sort of anger. Octavia tried to start up a conversation with him as politely as possible. "Good morning, father."
Mr. Melody's eyes looked up and toward her, brightening a bit. "Ah, good morning, Octavia." He didn't say any more after that, and he was still noticeably frustrated, so Octavia persisted to try to cheer him up.
"So, what is for breakfast?" she asked. She sat at the dining table, and reached for a piece of toast. It was whole wheat toast -- her least favourite -- but she knew how much her parents hated when she was a picky eater. Reluctantly, she took a bit bite. "Mmm, scrumptious!" she said, wincing as she swallowed, and reaching for the strawberry jam and peanut butter. "Okay, it didn't really taste scrumptious," confessed Octavia. "But you seem very upset today. I just want to make you happy. Or at least know why you're upset."
Mr. Melody gave a small smile, until he started hearing the stallion in the living room talk. "It's him," he answered, with a low voice.
Octavia listened with her father to the conversation the stallion and her mother were having. From the kitchen, she and her father also had a good view of the living room. The stallion had a light brown coat and a purple formal jacket. His dark mane was well-combed and fashionable, without being as fancy-looking as most of the high-class ponies in Canterlot. But what annoyed her and her father the most was the way he stood close to Mrs. Melody, with that romantic smile and those musical words that could entrance nearly any mare he met as much as it annoyed Octavia right now. Octavia could now understand why her father was so grumpy.
"Why don't you stop him?" asked Octavia.
"Because, for one, you know how your mother doesn't like being interrupted during meetings. And two, it would damage my reputation. That's Otoya Kurenai, one of the finest living violinists in all of Equestria."
Octavia took a moment to take in what her dad had said. "Alright then. I'll see what I can do to help," she told her father before trotting toward her mother.
"Good morning mother. Good morning, Mr. Kurenai," said Octavia with as much cheerfulness as she could. "Mother, what is Mr. Kurenai doing here?"
Otoya took a step back from Mrs. Melody and Octavia. "Uh, hello. Who are you?" he asked.
"Why, I'm Octavia Medley. Pleased to meet you! Mother , shouldn't be more polite and introduce your daughter ?"
Octavia had a feeling she would be grounded for at least a week when she saw her mother's bewildered and speechless reaction, but she could not help but smirk as she she saw Otoya equally bewildered and speechless. She glanced at her father, who was trying desperately to mask his chuckles with a serious face.
"So, what brings you here to the Melody residence?" asked Octavia with genuine curiosity, adding "Father says you are a talented violinist."
It took a few moments for her to get an answer, which came from her mother instead of the guest. "We have arranged this meeting so that I could ask Otoya a very important question."
Octavia's smirk wiped off her face, as everypony turned to Mrs. Melody with confusion in her face.
"Octavia, remember those violin lessons I told you about?" Octavia nodded to her mother in response.
"Otoya Kurenai, would you become Octavia's violin teacher?"
Octavia and Otoya slowly looked at each other. Neither of them were particularly happy.
Author's Note
There are quite a few Kiva crossovers, but very few (if any) explore the 1980s timeline so far.
Octavia was now headed to the local music store with her new teacher. She didn't know whether to feel happy that she was going to learn to play her first instrument, or annoyed that she had to spend the morning with this pony. At the moment, she seemed more annoyed, especially when Otoya stopped to chat with any mare that crossed their path. Which was a lot of ponies, considering the busy streets in Canterlot.
Octavia tugged Otoya's coat sleeve, trying to pull him to the direction of the music store. "Come on, Mr. Kurenai. We haven't got all day!"
Otoya and the mare -- a green pony with a curly magenta mane and a fancy dress -- turned to Octavia. "Do you know this filly?" asked the mare to the violinist.
"Ah, yes, just my new student," Otoya replied, trying to act completely normal.
"I see. Spreading your magnificent violin skills across Equestria," she complimented. "Well, I shouldn't be bothering you then," She walked away, glanced at her watch, then picked up her pace as she trotted away.
Otoya was about to call her back, when Octavia tugged at his jacket sleeve again. "Mr. Kurenai, that mare is probably running late for something, and so are we. If you stopped wasting time, we would be at the music store by now."
Otoya slipped his hoof out of Octavia's reach. "Didn't your parents teach you anything about patience?"
"They did teach me the importance about not wasting time," replied Octavia. She realised she was being a bit harsh to her new teacher, but she couldn't stand being treated like she didn't know anything just because she was a filly. And she really couldn't stand Otoya Kurenai. There was something about the way he walked, and the way he spoke to every mare he saw. No, he didn't just say hello to the mare. He would use that smooth voice of his to flirt with the her, as if he was in love with her, without even caring about whether the mare already had a special somepony.
It wasn't long before Octavia and her teacher had reached the music store, which significantly cheered up Octavia. She trotted inside, heading straight for the string instrument section. There were guitars, fiddles, cellos, violins, and even a couple of ukuleles. She turned to look behind her, to see that Otoya was busy having yet another conversation, this time with the female shopkeeper. Octavia rolled her eyes and looked back at the violins. She reached for a violin that was placed on a shelf just above her head. Unfortunately, she could not reach it without going on her hind hooves and risking falling down.
"Here, let me help you with that," offered one of the store assistants, who lifted the violin and a matching bow off the shelf with his magic and placed it in front of Octavia. Octavia was about to thank the shopkeeper, but when she looked up, she gasped.
The pony had some sort of stain or mark on his face, completely surrounding and covering his muzzle. The markings had a striking resemblance to stained glass patterns, like the ones she saw in pictures of Princess Celestia's castle.
The other pony noticed Octavia's surprise, and became anxious as well. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Octavia pointed to the shopkeeper's face, hesitating a bit. "You have something on your face. It looks like somepony face-painted stained glass marks all over your muzzle."
The shopkeeper's pupil's shrunk, and he quickly raised his front hooves in an attempt to cover his face. "Rats," he uttered under his breath, tears of sweat already starting to appear on his forehead.
Octavia didn't expect him to react this dramatically. She just assumed the pony would try to wipe his face off or something. Maybe he had a very strict boss and didn't want to get fired. "It's alright, sir. I'm pretty sure everypony gets paint on them once in a while." She reached for her saddlebag, and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, use this to clean it off." However, when she turned her head back to the stallion, the marks had disappeared.
Octavia froze, now more confused then before. The stallion, had accepted the handkerchief and started cleaning his face with it, not noticing that the marks had faded away already. Or perhaps he was aware of it, since he didn't rub his face too hard with the handkerchief, and it was more like he was pretending to wipe the marks off. He hastily gave the handkerchief back.
"Thanks. Well, I have to leave on lunch break now," said the shopkeeper, who headed out of the store as quickly as he could without running or trying to get anypony's attention.
Octavia had never seen a pony act so strange before, nor had she ever seen a pony with stained glass markings on their face. It took a while for Octavia to convince herself that she was imagining things. She looked at the violin, which was now in front of her. By now, Otoya and the other shopkeeper had reached the section of the store with the string instruments. "Mr. Kurenai, does this seem like a good violin?" she asked.
Otoya strolled over until he reached the violin that was placed on the ground in front of him. "You know, no fine instrument deserves to lie on the ground where it can be stepped on," he informed Octavia, as he picked up the violin and bow, playing a few notes. When he finished, he handed the violin to Octavia. "It seems good enough to me. But you'll be playing this instrument, so why don't you try out the violin?"
Octavia looked at the violin for a moment before picking up the bow that lay next to it. It was surprisingly easy, considering she was holding it with one hoof. Then she tried to pick up the violin in her other front hoof. Unfortunately, she lost her balance and fell on her back. She sat up, and picked up the violin again. After playing a few notes, she looked up at her teacher. "What do you think?"
"Yeah, you have a lot to learn," Otoya grimaced. However, his face soon turned into a big smile. "But trust me, when I'm done teaching you, you'll be one of the finest musicians in Canterlot!"
* * *
Octavia smiled as she trotted home with a purple violin case on her back. After hearing Otoya play the violin, and learning about how he was teaching Octavia, the shopkeeper was nice enough to give a "student discount" on the violin. As a result, it only cost about a fifth of the original price.
"SO, Mr. Kurenai, what will we learn first?" asked Octavia eagerly, before realising her teacher had starting flirting with another mare (again). Octavia sighed and sat on a nearby bench, waiting for him to finish. After all, it was easy to get tired when holding such a heavy violin case.
Octavia looked around at the busy streets and shopfronts, trying to imagine all of the sounds everything around her made. Like the chiming of the bell at the entrance of the ice cream store to her right, or the hooves of busy ponies hitting the ground. Or the birds that flew overhead. Or the puppies barking at the animal shelter.
Or that huge piece of glass that just fell from the apartment balcony in the alleyway. Octavia jumped when she heard the sound of broken glass. She glanced toward the alleyway, then at her teacher, then back into the alleyway. Jumping off the bench, she took some slow steps toward the alleyway. She took a closer look at the mess, which seemed to be a broken glass sculpture of a pegasus. She looked up at the balconies above. Nopony was there.
"Hello? Is anypony there?" she called out. Still, nopony came out onto the balconies. However, a large figure stepped forward from deep in the alleyway. The monster--it didn't look like any creature Octavia had heard of--was mostly black and made of many pieces of stained glass. But the image reflected in the glass scared her the most: the familiar face of the shopkeeper with paint on his face.
Octavia shook in fear before scrambling out of the alleyway and around the corner, stopping when she bumped into Otoya Kurenai.
The mare beside Otoya gasped. "Oh dear, it looks like you saw a ghost!" shrieked the mare.
Octavia pointed at the alleyway. "sc-scary...c-colourful glass th-thing, broken," the filly stammered.
"Hang on. The brave Otoya Kurenai is here to save you!" said Otoya, puffing out his chest and marching to the alleyway, pushing Octavia along. "Show me the problem."
Octavia walked to the entrance of the alleyway, pointing at the broken pegasus sculpture. Otoya looked around, and walked casually to the shards of broken glass. "I don't see anything here," he commented.
Octavia entered the alleyway cautiously, taking a look at where the stained-glass monster used to be. There was no sign of the monster anywhere. "There's no sign of him," noted Octavia, sighing in relief.
"See? It's all in your imagination. Now let's head home soon. I'm pretty sure your mother made something delicious for lunch," Otoya said, directing Octavia out of the alleyway and toward her house.
"Good idea," replied Octavia, taking a quick glance at the alleyway before hurrying home.
The next Monday, Octavia woke up early to get ready for school. Her mother was standing by the stove, making oatmeal. Her father was already at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.
"How strange..." mumbled Mr. Melody, shifting the newspaper in his hooves as his eyes scanned the page.
"What is it?" asked Octavia.
"There's a series of missing ponies around Canterlot. The most recent one was a pegasus mare that lives in one the apartments on Cardboard Street," he answered.
"Cardboard Street?"
"Yes. You probably passed it on the way to the music store the other day without noticing it. It's quite a run-down little road, now a mere alleyway in need of repaving and new streetlamps. Not too far from the ice cream shop."
Octavia's pupils slowly shrank in fear, recalling the events from a few days ago. She was almost certain that Cardboard Street was where she saw the stained-glass monster. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again, deciding not to tell her parents about it. When her father sensed that something was on her mind, she replied:
"Could I borrow your library card?"
* * *
During recess, Octavia found a calm corner of the schoolyard to practice her violin, near a large tree. She opened her violin case, and attempted to hold her violin in one forehoof and the bow in the other, leading to her falling on her back. She tried again, leaning on the tree trunk this time. She moved the bow across the violin strings, and after a few seconds, managed to play a few simple notes. However, the violin screeched a few times, and one of those screeching sounds was loud enough to catch the attention of a unicorn filly with an electric blue mane.
"What was that sound?" asked the filly, trotting toward Octavia.
Octavia winced. "Sorry, Vinyl. I've just started learning how to play violin this week, and I haven't quite got the hang of it. Sometimes, the violin screeches when I play a note wrong."
"Dude, the screeching sound is the best part! It's like trying to update a classing instrument for techno music or something." Vinyl put a hoof to her muzzle in a thinking pose. "Huh, electric violin. That should be a thing."
Octavia looked at Vinyl with a puzzled expression. "I don't see how classical music and techno music mix."
"I don't see why not," replied Vinyl. She pulled a small device with a few buttons and a set of headphones out of her saddlebag. "You can use this to play back music," she explained, sitting down near the tree. She opened the device with her magic, and inserted a small cassette. She then closed the device and gave the headphones to Octavia. "Put them on, and listen."
Octavia put on the headphones. "I don't hear any--"
An ear-splitting sound entered Octavia's ears as soon as Vinyl pushed a button on the device, causing Octavia to push the headphones off her head.
"Sorry, I guess I forgot to turn down the volume," apologised Vinyl, turning a knob on he device.
The bell rang, and everypony started walking back to the school. "Well, I guess I'll have to get you to listen to techno music later." She quickly stuffed the device into her saddlebag with her magic, and galloped to the school as fast as she could.
"Wait for me!" called Octavia, fumbling with putting her violin and bow in her violin case, unaware of the stained-glass creature hiding right behind the wide tree trunk.
* * *
After school, Octavia searched for a few books from the library. After skimming through the encyclopedia of classical musicians and Violins for Eggheads , she picked the books up and headed to the librarian's desk. The librarian, a unicorn with a light purple mane tied in a bun, stared at Octavia. "What are you doing here alone today, young filly?"
"The library isn't that far from school," Octavia explained, pulling out her father's library card. "I asked my father if I could sign out a few books, and he said I could take two books today."
The librarian sighed as she adjusted her glasses to inspect the library card. "Octavia, you are a very responsible filly, and I understand your parents are busy ponies, so I'll make one exception. But next time, come with your parents. You shouldn't be walking too far on your own. Especially with what's on the news--I mean, your parents will be worried."
Octavia had forgotten all about the morning headlines until now. She shook her head, trying to keep the stained glass monster out of her mind. "I'll be alright," she said to reassure herself. "After all, the Royal Guards are probably all over Canterlot now, assuming I really saw a monster in the first place." Once the librarian was finished checking out the library books, Octavia packed them into her saddlebag with her father's library card, and made her way back home.
It wasn't long before she became exhausted with the heavy saddlebag and violin case on her back. She found herself going slower than usual, and could hear her stomach rumbling. She paused for a moment to rest. She turned her head to a nearby street sign. "Hmm, I'm taking longer than I thought," she noted. She took a step toward the nearby ice cream shop, licking her muzzle as she looked inside the window. "A chocolate ice cream cone would be nice right now," she pondered. "But mother wouldn't like if I had dessert before lunch."
"Oh, I think she will have some bigger concerns than your eating choices," replied a deep voice.
Octavia turned her head to the noise. Before she could scream, a hoof covered her muzzle. She was dragged deep into a nearby alleyway, her violin case and saddlebag falling off her back. She looked around, at the broken streetlamps and cracked road.
She was on Cardboard Street once again.
And she was staring at the same stained-glass monster.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the monster in fear. In the stained glass, she now saw reflections of the salespony with the face paint from before.
"You already know too much," hissed the monster. "But you won't live to tell anypony."
Octavia frantically tried to free herself from the monster's grasp and call for help. It didn't work.
"Soon, you'll be nothing but--"
A string of chains slapped the monster's head, causing him to scream and let go of Octavia. They both turned to the source of the attack: an earth-pony mare with a black leather vest. The chain whip she wielded shrunk to form a dagger, which she used to keep the monster away as she stood between it and Octavia.
"How dare you hurt an innocent filly, fangire!" yelled the mare.
"Fangire?" asked Octavia, looking at the monster, then at her saviour.
The mare turned in response. "Run. Quickly." Octavia nodded, and galloped out of the alleyway as fast as she could. She didn't slow down or turn back until she reached her home.
After ringing the doorbell three times, her mother opened the door. Octavia rushed to the living room window and glanced outside at the road. "I lost him," she panted, taking a seat on a couch nearby.
"Octavia, why are you behaving so strangely?" her mother questioned. "You even forgot to bring your saddlebag home."
It wasn't until then that Octavia had realized she had left her saddlebag and violin case right outside Cardboard Street. "Uh-oh."
"Octavia, explain yourself!" demanded Mrs. Melody, before she saw the bruises on her hooves and muzzle and her stern face became a concerned one. "Oh, Tavi, what happened to you?"
"I'm alright now, mother," reassured Octavia. "There was a--something dragged me into Cardboard Street and tried to hurt me. But then this mare showed up and used her chain sword weapon to save me. I ran home so fast, I forgot my saddlebag and violin." Octavia took a look as the bruise around her muzzle, just starting to notice it. "This must be from when the mean thing was holding my muzzle so I wouldn't scream."
Mrs. Melody took a closer look at the bruise. "You just rest and take it easy. I'll get some cream for your muzzle and a warm bowl of soup." She went into the kitchen. Octavia could hear the sound of dishes being moved around and smell the tomato soup her mother made.
The doorbell rang. "Who could that be?" asked Mrs. Melody as she set a bowl of soup in front of Octavia, who took another cautious glance out the window. Mrs. Melody peeked out the door window before opening it. "Hello?"
"Good afternoon," answered a calm mare's voice, one that didn't belong to Octavia's mother. "Is Octavia Melody at home?"
Octavia walked toward the front door, peeking from the living room entrance to see who the visitor once. She recognized the earthpony mare with the long, dark mane as the pony who had saved her earlier. Except this time, she was dressed in a more casual sweater instead of a black leather vest. On her back, she was carrying Octavia's saddlebag and violin case.
"Hello," said Octavia, walking to the front door. "Thank you for saving me. And for getting my violin and saddlebag, too."
"You saved my daughter from a pony who tried to attack her, I hear?" added her mother. "Thank you very much. Please come in and have some tea, or perhaps a cup of coffee."
The mare checked her watch. "I have a few minutes to spare," she replied. She turned to Octavia. "After all, I need to discuss the recent events with you both, if you don't mind."
"It seems like you met this monster before," noted the mare who had saved Octavia, who was now in the living room eating a bowl of tomato soup. "Is this true?"
Octavia nodded. "I think so, Ms. Aso. He was on Cardboard Street the day that pegasus went missing. And there was a broken pegasus statue there when I passed by."
"That makes sense. That statue must have been the missing pegasus."
"You mean the pegasus had a glass statue of herself?" asked Octavia, her head tilting.
"No," replied Ms. Aso. "She is the statue." Octavia gasped.
Ms. Aso continued. "Fangires hunger for ponies. They usually look like regular ponies, but they assume a monstrous stained-glass form when they get hungry, or feel like attacking," she explained. "Then they suck the colour and life energy out of a pony, causing them to turn into a colourless shell."
Octavia shivered. "Are there more of them?" she asked.
The mare sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. And lately, they have been attacking more often than usual. That is why the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization was created. We're an organization that hunts down the fangires so that they don't hurt more ponies."
"That's a funny name for a monster-hunting group," commented Octavia, before taking another spoonful of soup and swallowing it. "But if there's a whole organization for this, why are ponies still being attacked and turned into glass?"
"The fangires are very strong, and the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization is still developing a device powerful enough to defeat them," explained Ms. Aso, looking down with a small frown.
Octavia turned to the living room window nervously. "So, the fangires are still out there," she thought aloud.
* * *
Since the day she was attacked by the fangire, Octavia never left her house alone. Her bruises, being very minor, disappeared in a couple of days. In the meantime, she practiced playing her violin.
"I think I've improved a lot over the past week," Octavia told Mr. Kurenai. "Listen to this." Leaning on a wall for support, she began to play a short tune on the violin. "How was that?"
In response, Otoya Kurenai snored. In fact, he seemed pretty tired since the lesson began. "Mr. Kurenai?" Octavia asked, putting her violin down and walking over to her teacher. "Are you asleep, sir?" She stepped closer to her teacher's ear. "Mr. Kurenai, WAKE UP!"
Mr. Kurenai nearly jumped off his seat, startled. "Huh?"
"Are you alright, Mr. Kurenai? You look like you didn't get much sleep last night. Do you need some coffee? That always helps my father wake up in the morning."
"Don't bother making any," replied Otoya, yawning.
"I don't have to--not that I know how anyway. There's a coffee shop just around the corner."
"You sure we should go there?"
"Yes. You can't teach violin lessons in this state!" she answered, running to the front door.
* * *
Octavia and her teacher walked to a nearby coffee shop. A sign high above the entrance read 'Mal d'amour', the name of the restaurant. Octavia sniffed the air, smelling the aroma from the building. "I never tried coffee, but it does smell really nice," Octavia mentioned as the two ponies entered the coffee shop. Once they got inside, there was another set of doors with two large glass windows. When they opened those doors, they could see a room with tables and chairs on one side, and a counter on the other side, where the coffee shop owner stood. Near the back wall was a doghouse with a small puppy sleeping just outside of it. Lights hung above the tables and counter. Separating the two sides of the room were a couple of tables and the tall, wooden pillars that kept the building up. Although it wasn't too fancy, a classy Canterlot pony could easily feel at home here.
However, the first thing Otoya noticed was the waitress, who had also noticed the two ponies come in. Her eyes narrowed as she saw Otoya Kurenai walking toward her. "You."
Octavia, confused, turned to the waitress, who was surprisingly familiar. "Ms. Aso?"
The waitress turned her head slightly, her voice softening when she saw the young filly. "What brings you here?"
"My violin teacher needed some coffee to wake him up this morning. He keeps falling asleep," Octavia explained. When she turned to her teacher, though, his expression was less of a sleepy one and more of a dreamy look.
"See? I'm just a customer here," Otoya told Ms. Aso. "Aren't you going to take my order?"
Ms. Aso stared at the stallion sternly before raising up a notepad in one hoof. "All right, what would you like to order?"
"You."
Octavia facehoofed.
"That's it, get out!" ordered the mare.
When Otoya refused to leave without the waitress, one of the customers stood up. He was sitting in front of the counter with Otoya right behind him, which made it easy for him to swiftly pick up the musician and literally throw him out of the coffee shop. Octavia stood speechless where her teacher was standing moments ago.
Ms. Aso and the other customer locked the door seconds later, right before Otoya could come back in. Octavia could even hear his muzzle slam into the doors. "So... is he going to be alright?"
"I wouldn't worry much about him," said the other customer, a dark blue unicorn stallion with a short mane and sunglasses, who went back to where he was sitting and began examining the coffee prices. "20 bits for one coffee blend? That's a bit pricey, don't you think so?" he said to the coffee shop owner, who was cleaning a few glasses behind the counter.
"20 bits?" repeated Octavia. "That is expensive."
"I doubt your teacher needs it. He seems wide awake now," Ms. Aso commented.
Octavia climbed onto one of the seats in front of the counter. "Have you met him before?" Octavia asked her.
Ms. Aso nodded. "I would have defeated a couple more fangires by now if it weren't for that idiot."
Octavia's eyes widened in shock when she heard that word. "You must really hate him. What did he do?"
"He was so oblivious to the monsters, he was in the way of my attacks. Then he stole my weapon when he wasn't looking."
"Oh." Octavia looked back at the blue unicorn stallion, who had just finished arguing with the coffee shop owner about the coffee prices. "Does that unicorn also have a grudge with him?"
Ms. Aso shrugged. "I haven't seen him too often around here, so I couldn't be sure."
Octavia, unsure what to do, looked around the room awkwardly. "Well, I better head back home. Hopefully Mr. Kurenai hasn't gotten too far, or perhaps I'll be able to get home before a fangire sees me. It isn't too far anyway." She turned to the front door, which was still locked.
"I better unlock it before everypony thinks the store is closed," the waitress decided.
* * *
Outside, Mr. Kurenai was nowhere to be seen. "Looks like I'll be missing a violin lesson today," she thought aloud, walking home. She crossed the street and passed a white horsecart that was parked on the side of the road. As soon as she finished crossing, she felt her hoof step into something sticky. Looking down, she saw what looked like a thick, messy string of cotton. Octavia's eye's followed the string to find a fangire holding binoculars. This particular stained-glass monster looked somewhat bug-like, and because of the trail of string, Octavia assumed he was part spider. She tried to shake the webbing off of her hoof, but that caused the string to tug at the spider fangire's side, catching his attention.
Octavia cringed. "Not again.
The monster emitted a creepy laugh. "Looks like my web caught somepony," he giggled, putting away the binoculars. he held his front hooves--if they were hooves--in front of him, both of which had hoof puppets on.
"Wait, why do you have hoof puppets?" Octavia asked, her fear turned into confusion. "They look like you stole them from a kindergarten classroom."
The spider fangire froze, trying to think of an answer. "Uh, I just always assumed they were creepy, I guess. They aren't scary?"
"Nope," replied Octavia. "Perhaps if the puppets looked like they had been through some sort of trauma. Or you could always find an unusually furry puppet with a duck beak and scary eyebrows. Or clowns."
"Clowns," the fangire repeated, scratching his chin. "That's not a bad--" a small metal object bounced off his head before he could finish. "Ow!"
"It wasn't me!" yelled Octavia, frightened. She turned around to where the metal object should have landed behind her, but all she saw was a small shadow. She looked up, finding a metallic bat a bit larger than her hoof.
"Spider fangire! You haven't been sneaking on that fangire-hunter mare again, have you?" the bat asked.
"And what's wrong with planning to defeat one of them?" the fangire asked in response.
"Don't play dumb. Our sources tell us you have other plans that go against the rules of the fangire race. Now get out of here before I tell the Queen."
At the mention of the queen, the Spider fangire quickly ran away. "Thank you, Mr. Bat," she said to the mechanical flying creature.
"Don't assume that we'll get along well. The queen has a soft spot for ponies like you: she used to be a student to famous violinists and luthiers."
"Really?"
"Yes. It is her job to prevent fangires from breeding with other ponies. There were suspicions that this fangire was in love with a mare that works here. But enough talk, you should leave before the fangire king arrives," the bat warned. "He hates normal ponies."
Octavia nodded, and scraped as much of the web off of her hoof before running home.
"Another fangire?!" Mrs. Melody exclaimed.
"Don't worry, mother. This one wasn't really that scary, especially for one that looked like a spider," Octavia reassured her mother as she scooped some salad on her dinner plate, trying to avoid the onions.
"You could have been foalnapped! Or turned into glass!" shrieked her mother from across the dinner table.
Mr. Melody thought for a moment as he swallowed a spoonful of rice. "Where was your violin teacher during this time?"
Octavia shrugged. "He came back here after he got kicked out of the coffee shop. He did try to come back in, but the waitress locked the door before he could."
"But that still doesn't give him permission to leave his student behind!" her father argued, slamming a hoof onto the table.
"Dear, let's not put the blame on Mr. Kurenai. How would he know that a vampiric monster was going to attack? And he still continued his violin lesson as well." said Mrs. Melody.
"Oh, now your taking his side."
"No, I'm simply saying that we need to focus on the real problem, which are those horrid fangire monsters. At this rate, we may have to move out of town."
"Move out of town?" repeated Octavia. "But what about my violin lessons? Or all of my friends here? Or your jobs?"
"Octavia, your mother's idea seems like a reasonable choice right now," said Mr. Melody. "I hear there are some fine violinists in Manehattan that are willing to accept students. Or perhaps we could move to Ponyville, which is only a short train ride away from here."
"Octavia, we don't want to risk you coming home in more than one piece," added Mrs. Melody.
Octavia looked down at her dinner plate. "Well, you kind of make a point."
* * *
hat Friday, in the recess yard at school, Octavia continued to practice playing her violin. This time, she chose a spot close to the school building. The music from the violin would frequently be interrupted by the sounds of other foals playing. Many of them gave Octavia a quick glance, or stopped for a moment to see what she was doing, but it wasn't until halfway through recess time that two unicorn fillies started a conversation with her.
"What's up?" asked Vinyl. "Still practicing the violin?"
The other unicorn, a mint green filly named Lyra, got up on her hind hooves to take a closer look at the violin and bow in Octavia's hooves. "That's pretty neat. I play the harp sometimes, but I never understood how anypony could hold a bow in their hooves, not to mention use it to play music."
"It's really not too hard. When you don't have magic, you're kind of forced to use your hooves to pick things up most of the time," Octavia explained, noticing how Lyra was standing. "How do you stand on two legs without any support like that?"
"I just practiced a lot, I guess," said Lyra, now standing on four legs again. "I still have trouble doing it for too long, though."
"I wish I could do that," said Octavia. "It would make playing this violin much easier."
"It wouldn't hurt to choose a quieter spot, too," added Vinyl. "The tree you were at before seemed like a great spot."
Octavia nodded. "But recently, my parents decided that I should be under full-time supervision," she explained, turning head toward the school window. "They prefer if I'm close to the school during recess, where the teacher can see me."
"Dude, you're parents sure are strict," commented Vinyl.
"Well..." she paused to wonder how her friends would react. "...they believe I'm being targeted by vampiric glass-themed monster ponies, and that if I'm left alone again, I'll turn into a pile of glass shards."
Vinyl and Lyra looked at each other, then at their friend for a few moments. "Are you serious?" Lyra finally asked.
Octavia nodded as she sat down on the grass. "They are even considering moving to a different town."
"That's an awful idea!" exclaimed Lyra.
Vinyl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's not like they know if those vampires only live in Canterlot. Not to mention all of the other monsters that exist. Changelings, diamond dogs--" she stopped suddenly when she was nudged by Lyra.
"How do you know if all of the vampires are mean? Maybe there are nice ones too. Maybe they're like humans," suggested Lyra.
Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Humans aren't real, Lyra."
"Yes, they are!"
"Calm down," yelled Octavia, jumping between Lyra and Vinyl before their argument could escalate. "Lyra, what makes you think there would be friendly fangires?" she asked with curiosity.
"Well, you can't assume an entire species is purely evil. My parents always say that."
The bell rang, cutting the conversation short. "Well, see you in class," said Vinyl, heading to the school door as Octavia packed her violin. "Maybe we can convince your parents to let you come to my house for a sleepover." She turned to Lyra. "You can come too, if you want."
"Sounds great!" agreed Lyra.
* * *
After begging Octavia's father for ten minutes nonstop, Octavia was allowed to stay at Vinyl's house for a sleepover, under the condition that she and her friends didn't go too far outside without a grownup. That evening, the three fillies were playing board games and munching on chocolate chip cookies.
Lyra moved her player piece across the board, a big smile on her face. "Yes! I get to climb the ladder! I win!"
"I can't believe it. I would have won if it weren't for that snake near the end," commented Vinyl as she reached for another cookie. "So, want to play again?"
Octavia shook her head. "I'm getting tired of playing board games. Got any other ideas?"
"How about make-believe? We can imagine we're on an adventure or something." suggested Lyra.
Something made a loud crunching sound right after she spoke.
"Vinyl," Octavia scolded. "You shouldn't chew so loud."
"It wasn't me," said Vinyl. "That sound was too loud to be me."
The fillies heard another crunching sound. They turned to the window, which was wide open.
"You have some very loud neighbors," noted Octavia.
"They aren't usually this loud. Usually, they keep telling us to be quieter," explained Vinyl, giving a quick nod to the boombox and shelf of music disks at one side of the room. She stood up and trotted toward the window to take a look outside. "Woah!"
Lyra ran toward the window, Octavia following her cautiously. "What is it?" Lyra asked.
Vinyl pointed to a blue creature a few houses away. "Octavia, is that a fangire?" she asked.
Octavia squinted at the creature. "I can't tell for sure. It's about the same size, and has that scary look to it, but I don't see any stained glass."
"Hang on. I've been working on a spell," said Lyra, creating a bubble in front of Octavia. "This should work as a magnifying glass. It won't last too long, though."
Octavia looked though the bubble at the monster. It didn't have any stained glass features. However, it did have sharp teeth and a wolf-like face, as well as a horn. "It's not a fangire, I think. More of a wolf unicorn, I guess? And he's trapped another pony!"
The bubble disappeared, and Lyra took a few seconds to catch her breath. "Sorry... that's a... tough spell."
Vinyl hadn't moved her eyes from the window the entire time. "I see the other pony now. The monster just dropped her. Is she dead?"
Octavia looked closely. "Should we tell somepony?"
"Good idea. I'm telling Mom." As Vinyl ran out of the room, Octavia noticed something else happening outside.
"Lyra, do you think you could do that spell again? Just once more?"
Lyra nodded warily before making the magnifying bubble appear again.
Through the bubble, Octavia could see the werewolf unicorn turning into a regular pony. He didn't look too different, however, since he turned into a unicorn stallion that was almost the same hue of blue as the monster he was before.
Octavia's eye's widened as she recognized the stallion.
"That plan backfired quickly," commented Octavia is she walked out of the coffee shop with her teacher. It took Mr. Kurenai two hours to regain consciousness after consuming too much coffee.
"Got any other ideas?" he asked as he strolled across the street.
Octavia shook her head. "We will just have to hope that monster doesn't hurt any more innocent ponies. That might be why he would want to join the Blue Sky Organization," she guessed.
"Well, I'm not letting him keep me away from Yuri. In fact, I'm going to find her as soon as I drop you off."
"You're unusually persistent about being with Ms. Aso," Octavia noted. "Why?"
"There's a certain music about her," her teacher answered calmly. "A wonderful tune, that I just can't ignore."
Octavia tilted her head in confusion. "I didn't know Ms. Aso liked music that much."
The young filly passed her house, causing Mr. Kurenai to do a double take. "I think you went too far," he said, pointing at the house while trying to catch up to the filly.
"My parents will not be home until much later, so they asked Mr. and Mrs. Scratch to babysit. They're expecting me to come right after my lessons, and I'm already late," she explained, not slowing down a bit.
"They're gone awfully long."
"They had to fill in for a cellist and a violinist. The Scratches and I happen to be visiting one of them at the hospital today."
"The hospital?"
Octavia nodded. "The cellist sprained his front hoof, so he had to cancel many of his performances. I'm bringing my violin so that I can play some happy music and cheer her up."
Otoya smiled warmly. "How thoughtful, for a young filly to do that."
Octavia sighed. "If only music could actually heal things."
"Who said it couldn't?" asked Mr. Kurenai, taking his violin out of its case and picking it up. As he played the familiar tune, the shrivelled stems in the front yard of the house next to them grew, gaining bright green leaves and colourful flowers. Octavia crouched to get a better look at the lush green grass, which was a dead lawn moments ago.
She stood speechless until her teacher stopped playing. "It's so beautiful. I want to be an amazing violinist like you someday!"
Before Mr. Kurenai could reply, the owner of the property glanced outside his house, taking in the transformation his front yard went through. "This... is gorgeous!" he exclaimed, a big grin on his face. "It will be perfect for my picnic party next week."
Mr. Kurenai smiled proudly. "This has been brought to you by the once-in-a-lifetime expert violinist, Kurenai Otoya."
Then he added, "It costs one million bits."
The grin melted off the homeowner's face. "A m-m-million?"
Octavia frowned. "I take it back. You're a terrible role model."
* * *
A simple melody filled the hospital room. The sound came from the corner of the room, where Octavia sat on a chair, playing her violin. Her small audience included Vinyl and her mother, as well as an orange pegasus stallion sitting on the hospital bed. Once she was finished, she bowed.
"Impressive," complimented the pegasus. He raised his forehooves up to give a round of applause, only to wince and put them back down when he felt the pain in the left hoof. "If you keep practicing, you will become one of the most famous musicians in Equestria."
"Thank you," Octavia nodded. "How long until you can play the cello again?"
"I'm not sure," replied the pegasus, staring at his hoof. "I was in a pretty serious accident. It is good enough luck that only one hoof was injured."
"What happened?" asked Vinyl, listening intently. "Did you get bitten by a spider, or step on a sharp rock?"
The pegasus shook his head. "Nothing like that. I simply had a little accident when trying to get rid of a violin that my friend had. That is why your parents had to fill in for her as well."
"Did she get angry about you giving away the violin?"
"She was actually relieved when I did. It was a piece of art by itself, a finely crafted instrument with smooth, black varnish. However, I assume somepony was blackmailing her to make her give the violin away. She kept having nightmares so vivid, she thought they were real. She started wearing multiple turtleneck sweaters and neck scarves on the most scorching days, worried that some cross between a crystal pony and a thestral was going to suck the colour out of her."
"Like a stained-glass vampire?" Octavia asked, her eyes widening.
The pegasus looked back with a surprised look on his face. "Something along those lines, yes. In fact, That would be an accurate description of the costume the blackmailer was dressed as when he attacked me, right after I gave the violin to an auction. Hopefully, we shall not see him again anytime soon."
A nurse entered the room. "Sorry to interrupt, but the doctor will be coming in a few minutes to check on you," she told the patient.
"We better head home as well," said Mrs. Scratch, checking the time on the clock. "I still need to cook dinner."
After leaving the hospital, Mrs. Scratch led Vinyl and Octavia to the grocery store. "How about some pasta for dinner?" she asked them. They both nodded eagerly as they followed her into the store.
Or, one of them, at least. Octavia was held back by something tugging her violin case. She turned and saw a stallion with a black baseball cap, brown coat and sunglasses.
"Hand over the violin," he growled. "You aren't worthy of possessing it."
"Um, that's not very nice," said Octavia, trying to sound confident. "I might not be the best violin player, but--"
"Hand it over." The familiar stained-glass pattern now covered his face.
Octavia took a step back and scrambled to open her violin case. "Okay, you can have it, as long as it stops you from turning into a monster. Here it is." However, once she opened the case, the fangire shook his head. "My apologies, this isn't the Black Star."
"The Black Star?" Octavia asked, confused. Before she could think about it, a unicorn filly poked her head out of the grocery store.
"Hey, Tavi, what's taking you so long? And why is your violin..." Vinyl trailed off when she saw the stained glass markings on the stallion standing nearby.
She slowly pointed to the fangire, while looking at Octavia. "One of the monsters?"
Octavia nodded.
"MOM, THERE'S A MONSTER!"
"Wht's wrng?" asked her mother,holding a shopping cart in her mouth. She dropped it when she saw the fangire, who had fully returned to normal pony form by now. "Are you stealing from this this filly?" she asked accusingly.
One of the head shopkeepers appeared at the scene, attracted by the commotion. "Did someone say stealing? Is there a shoplifter?"
The fangire looked around at the growing number of people glaring at him. Then he ran as far as he could.
"The monster's getting away!" screamed Vinyl.
"Oi! After him, Clover!" the shopkeeper called. Moments later, one of the younger store workers sprinted out of the store and after the stallion.
Octavia stared at the violin at her hooves for a few moments. "That sure escalated quickly," she mumbled, closing the violin case hesitantly, questions settling in her head. "Perhaps too quickly."
"Too bad he ran away so soon," Vinyl thought aloud. "Why would he go after a violin, anyway?"
"That's the same thing I'm thinking," Octavia replied.
Author's Note
I got stuck a few times on this chapter, so sorry if it took longer than normal.
It was the first time Octavia's violin lessons took place in her friend Vinyl's home, a surprise to both her and her teacher. "Mother and father aren't usually away from home for more than a day," mentioned Octavia with a worried look on her face. "Are they all right?"
"Don't worry," reassured Mrs. Scratch with a smile as she put on a light jacket. "Your parents say they will be here as soon as possible." She turned to Mr. Kurenai. "In the meantime, you are welcome to have your violin lesson here, if you want."
"Ah, how kind of you," replied Mr. Kurenai. "And I suppose you would like to supervise?" he asked.
"I'm very sorry, but I have to go downtown. I'm quite busy planning an event for this weekend," she replied. "But Mr. Scratch will be at home fixing our music system, so if you need anything, feel free to ask him." With a flash of her magic, she disappeared.
Mr. Kurenai turned to Octavia and back to with a confused look on his face. "Music system? That's a little vague--" Loud dubstep beats interrupted his sentence, causing both of them to cover their ears. This was accompanied by a set of speakers crashing down the stairs near the entrance.
A stallion with a bright red mane followed after the speakers, shutting them off. "Sorry about that," he chuckled sheepishly. "Still trying to figure out how to stop these speakers from moving from the sheer power of sound waves. Uh, are you all right?" he asked. "It looks like you could use some tea or something."
Mr. Kurenai nodded, his mane still standing on end from the ear-bursting sound.
* * *
"Sorry about that," Octavia apologized, back at the coffee shop. "The Scratches are used to more of the louder, newer genres of music, especially the really loud sort. It takes a while for your ears to adjust to the volume."
"You don't need to apologize," replied Otoya. "It was probably for the better."
"Really?"
"Yep. The head of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization is here. He might be about to give out a mission."
"So you joined?"
"Not yet, but I will soon."
"And what makes you think the leader of the organisation will still let you join?"
"Because I see potential in him," replied an older pony with a short mane and a suit. "I'm the leader of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization. I believe you are the filly who encountered the one of the fangires on Cardboard Street a while back."
Octavia nodded. "Three of them now," she replied. "There was also a spider fangire with hoof puppets, and the third one tried to take my violin yesterday."
"What a coincidence," he remarked, taking a sip of his coffee. "I just sent Yuri and Jiro to retrieve a violin from nearby. It turns out that whenever a pony owns the violin, they are targeted by a specific fangire."
Octavia's pupils shrunk as she put two and two together. "That violin isn't at an auction right now, is it?"
"That's exactly where it is," he replied, revealing a newspaper clipping with the auction advertisement. "It's called the Black Star. If we can get our hands on it, we can use it as bait to defeat the fangire."
"Sounds like just the mission for me," commented Otoya.
"Are you sure?" the older stallion asked. "The auction is happening right now, and you appear to have a violin lesson to teach. I suggest you leave this to the professionals."
Before Otoya could protest, Octavia began to walk to the coffee shop's exit. "Well, so much for trying to join the organization, Mr. Kurenai. I guess we better go continue our violin lesson."
"Wait!" Otoya called to his student. "Where are you headed to? It will be impossible to continue the violin lesson at the Scratch residence."
"Do you know where the auction is?" she asked.
"The auction?" he repeated with surprise.
"I kind of want to figure out why that fangire was after the violin," Octavia explained. "So I'm coming with you."
* * *
"Looks like you can't go with him," commented Vinyl, sitting right outside the auction theater with Octavia. "But at least we get free ice cream." She took another lick of a blueberry ice cream cone. Across the road, Mrs. Scratch was helping to organize the opening of a new restaurant.
Octavia glared at the sign on the auction, reading 'No foals allowed '. "Silly grownup rules."
"Meh, it was probably boring anyway," Vinyl shrugged.
Lifting her violin out of its case, Octavia began to play it. "I may as well practice," she thought aloud. She frowned as she pushed the bow on the violin strings, the screeching sound becoming unpleasant. Then she stopped and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Vinyl asked, her ears turned to show confusion. "You don't sound as calm as you normally do."
Octavia looked at her instrument, her blank flack, and back at the violin before turning to Vinyl. "I've been learning how to play the violin for at least a month now, and I still haven't come close to mastering it. Even now, I can barely hold it in my front hooves without sitting down or leaning on something."
"That's crazy talk. You did great all those other times I heard you play. You heard the pony in the hospital: he says you're on your way to becoming a famous musician." reassured Vinyl. "And he should know, being a violinist himself."
"But what if he just said that to make me happy? What if other ponies don't like my music, and they think I don't deserve to play the violin?"
"And who would ever say that?" asked Vinyl in response.
Octavia shivered silently for a few minutes without responding. "The fangire from yesterday. When he tried to take my violin, he said I wasn't worthy of having it," Octavia finally explained.
Vinyl looked down at the road in front of her. The she looked up at Octavia with a determined smile. "But who cares what one fangire thinks! You can't let him bully you into not doing what you always dreamed of."
Octavia slowly nodded, the nod becoming quicker and more confident. "You make a point."
"Yes, Octavia! You can do this!" Vinyl cheered.
Octavia picked up her violin and bow once more. "Here it goes!" She began to play the instrument once more, this time with very little screeches or falters.
Then a string snapped in half.
Octavia's smile melted away, her eyes twitching. "It--it broke..."
"Tavi..."
Tears fell from the grey earthpony's face.
"Um, Tavi?"
Octavia didn't hear her friend's changing tone of voice.
"Tavi, he's right behind you!"
The crying filly turned her head. The fangire from the day before was right there, causing her to jump to her hooves and take a step back. However, he remained completely in pony form.
"It looks like you put too much pressure on the violin strings," he commented, taking a closer look at the broken instrument in front of him. "It shouldn't take too long to fix."
"Why should you care?" asked Vinyl, pointing a hoof at the stallion. "Just yesterday, you said she doesn't deserve to have a violin!"
The stallion shifted backward, alarmed by the accusation. "Perhaps I should have been clearer. I never meant for you to stop playing the violin altogether. I just thought you had the Black Star."
Octavia wiped away her tears, looking a bit confused.
"The Black Star is one of the finest violins I have ever made. I put years of time and effort to make it just right."
Octavia and Vinyl's eyes widened. "You made it?"
"Yes. However, no pony who has used it deserved to keep it."
Octavia shot the fangire an angry look. "That's harsh, and it doesn't make it right to hurt those ponies."
"I can't help it, though," said the fangire, trying to defend himself. "Whenever I hear the racket some of those ponies make, it drives me crazy. Not to mention how carelessly they handle the violin, treating it like some disposable object! Why can't I just suck the colour out of them and spare the world of a few--"
"Stop," interrupted Vinyl. "That's just rude. You do realize there are professional monster-hunters after you right now, do you?"
The fangire's eyes widened in fear.
Octavia noticed this. "Sir, the only way you have a chance of getting out of this mess is if you prove that you won't hurt any more ponies, whether you like their music or not."
"I don't believe I can guarantee it, unless I find a suitable owner for the Black Star. Either way, how could you two fillies help me?"
Octavia thought for a moment, wiping away her tears. "I think I might know just the pony."
Vinyl turned to Octavia in surprise. "Wait, we're going to help the creepy fangire pony?" she whispered to her friend.
"May as well try to reform him," she replied.
"I assume you couldn't get the Black Star violin." Octavia watched as Mr. Kurenai stumbled out of the auction, rubbing his head.
"I even bid two million bits on it, but Yuri and Jiro managed to win after knocking me out," the teacher explained.
"Well, we're going to need it back," said Octavia. "While you were there, my friend Vinyl and I met a pony who could help. But we have to give him the Black Star. If we do, that fangire will stop targeting musicians."
"And why should we trust this random pony?"
"If we don't, the fangire might attack Ms. Aso, now that she has the violin."
Mr. Kurenai jumped up and began galloping. "Okay, let's go get the Black Star!" he exclaimed, with Octavia quickly following him.
After a few minutes of running randomly around Canterlot, they began to hear the screech of a string instrument. "That sounds like Yuri," Mr. Kurenai commented, running toward the harsh sound.
Octavia's ears bent down in an effort to stop hearing the noise. "Are you sure?" Her teacher nodded, stopping at the edge of the park near a lake. There were a couple of benches placed alongside a hedge here. On the far edge of one bench sat Jiro, a slight grimace on his face as he tried to cover his ears. Near the other bench, Yuri Aso was attempting to play a jet-black violin, oblivious of the annoyed ponies around her.
"Stop." When Yuri didn't listen, Otoya repeated the word a bit louder. "Stop! That violin is screaming right now." He moved his front hoof to indicate that she had to give the violin to him.
She reluctantly stopped, but without letting go of the instrument. "Why are you acting so serious over a violin? We got the violin fair and square. Now leave."
"Ms. Aso, the monster will attack anyone who can't play the Black Star properly," Octavia told the mare. "And, no offence, but you could use a lot of practice."
"Octavia, there's no need to worry," Ms. Aso reassured the filly. "I've fought against many fangires before."
Jiro nodded in agreement. "With Yuri and I working together, the fangire will be shattered within minutes."
Octavia gulped as she tried to think of how to phrase her next sentence. "But what if, I mean, perhaps the fangire will stop if we just give him the violin."
"You really think any of those monsters can just be befriended, foal?" The unicorn questioned.
Octavia's mouth opened to speak, then closed again. She couldn't help but glare at him.
Jiro shoved Otoya to the side as he walked away. "Let's leave, Yuri." Yuri packed the Black Star and followed him.
They didn't leave too far, however, as a red and green stained-glass monster appeared from behind the hedge and blocked their path. This one had lime green projectiles that shot from its front legs.
"Fangire!" Yuri pulled out her whip.
"Don't worry, Yuri!" Otoya yelled, running into the fangire. However, the monster picked him up and threw him into the lake.
Octavia scrambled out of the fight scene, and toward the lake. "Mr. Kurenai?"
The violin teacher's hooves were flailing as he screamed like a foal. "Help! I can't swim!"
"Duck!"
Octavia ducked just in time for a yellow duck-shaped life preserver to fly over her head and land on the water in front of Otoya. She followed the rope attached to the life preserver to find a familiar filly.
"Vinyl! Where's the violin owner?"
"Hey, I tried to bring him with me, but he couldn't stand getting close to any loud sounds without going berserk," Vinyl shrugged, nodding toward the fangire behind her. "But at least I got everything we need, so it's all under control." She opened the saddlebag she brought with her, which was filled with random toys and a pair of headphones. Octavia's violin case stuck out of the opposite saddlebag.
However, the sound of the fangire shooting Yuri and Jiro caught Octavia's attention. Despite getting injured, Yuri deflected the attacks with her whip, giving the few bystanders nearby time to escape. Jiro tackled the fangire and chased him to an emptier edge of the park. Behind Octavia, her teacher had managed to get out of the lake and was heading toward the fight. "What do we do now?" she asked her friend.
"I'll get the violin. See if you and the crazy violinist can calm the fangire down," suggested Vinyl, throwing her saddlebag back onto her flank and running to the bench.
Octavia nodded and galloped closer to the secluded edge of the lake. She skidded to a halt behind a nearby bush. In front of her, Jiro transformed into a vicious werewolf.
"He's a monster," a voice gasped.
Octavia noticed the sound coming from the bush she was hiding behind. "Mr. Kurenai?"
A messy brown mane poked out from the mess of leaves and twigs. "Who would have known he was a werewolf?"
"I told you. Now, how do we calm down the fangire?" Octavia thought aloud as the werewolf clawed at his opponent. The fangire leaped into the lake to escape. Jiro growled angrily, returning to his pony form.
Yuri caught up soon after, limping slightly on her injured hoof. "Jiro, where's the fangire?"
"He escaped," he muttered.
Yuri glared at the Otoya as he brushed some leaves off of his face. "The Black Star is missing too."
"I don't have it!" Otoya defended himself.
Vinyl ran toward the group, dragging a large black violin case behind her with a big smile. "I got it!"
Otoya and Octavia exchanged glances, looking at the unicorn filly, then to the fangire hunter.
"Something wrong?" she asked.
Octavia looked at Vinyl while pointing her head slightly to Yuri.
"Oh." Vinyl casually handed the violin case to the mare. "Here you go."
"Thanks. The integrity is appreciated," Yuri told the filly.
Vinyl grinned again. "Come on Tavi."
Octavia turned to Yuri before leaving. "Are you sure you won't get attacked by the fangire again, Ms. Aso?"
"I'll be fine," she reassured the filly. "You should be more concerned about your own well-being. The fangires are dangerous, and it's better if you try not to get involved."
"But--"
"Tavi, quick!"
"Coming!" she called, galloping to catch up to her friend. Mr. Kurenai and the fangire--now calmer and his pony form--were with her.
"Too bad we couldn't get the violin. Sorry," Octavia apologized.
The fangire shook his head. "It was my fault. I couldn't control myself from becoming my fangire form."
"Hey! Who said we didn't have the violin?" said Vinyl, levitating Octavia's violin case and opening it in front of her friend. Inside it was a jet-black violin and matching bow.
Mr. Kurenai's eyes widened. "Wait, if the Black Star is here, then--"
"I'll explain later. We better hurry home."
* * *
"Let's hope Otoya doesn't bother us anymore," said Yuri Aso. She picked up the case with her injured hoof, wincing slightly.
"Let me pick it up," Jiro offered, reaching for the violin case.
"It's fine, I got it," she reassured him, pulling the case back. The case slipped out of her hooves and opened. Inside, instead of a violin, were the contents of a typical colt or filly's toy box: tennis balls, dolls, wooden building blocks, and even a Rubik's cube.
"Looks liked it got switched," Jiro commented. "Just what are those ponies thinking?"
* * *
After adjusting the new string on Octavia's violin, the fangire gave the instrument back to the filly. "It should be fixed now. Luckily, the damage to the violin wasn't too serious."
"Thank you very much!" Octavia smiled as she received the violin, beginning to play a few notes. Otoya picked up his own violin and joined in, creating a melodious tune. Vinyl sat nearby, silently holding up a recording device. The fangire pony relaxed. For once, he was completely peaceful.
Then Octavia stopped. "Wait, you need the Black Star back."
The fangire shook his head. "I think I have finally found someone worthy of keeping it." He picked up the Black Star and offered it to Otoya."Never before have I felt such calmness from hearing another pony play any instrument," he explained. "I could practically survive on nothing but that melody."
The violin teacher was quiet for a moment. "This violin is one of the best that I have ever seen, but it is just not meant for me," he replied. "I'm sorry."
The fangire nodded his head in return, picked up the Black Star, and began to leave.
"Hang on, you can't just leave!" Mr. Kurenai called.
"We can't let a fangire run out to hurt more ponies," Octavia chimed in.
"After hearing your teacher play, I won't have to hurt anypony," the fangire insisted. "I really could survive the rest of my life with just his music."
"Promise?"
The fangire nodded earnestly.
Vinyl pulled the headphones out of her saddlebag. After attaching the headphones to the recording device, she pressed the 'play' button and gave it to the fangire. "This should help," she commented. The fangire held the strange device in his hooves for a moment before putting the headphones on his ears. A smile spread on his face as he closed his eyes and listened to the recording of Otoya's music, then walked out of the house.
"I think we've successfully reformed a monster today," Octavia told Vinyl and Mr. Kurenai after the fangire left.
"Someone better let those monster hunters know," added Vinyl.
"I'll do it!" Mr. Kurenai volunteered. "Anything to see Yuri again before the day is over."
As another day passed, Octavia began to worry for her parents. It had seemed like forever since they had left for their concert, and the Scratches had gotten very little recent news from them.
Then the newspaper arrived.
'Silence as Monsters Shatter City Train Station ' read the headline. The Canterlot Train Station had been shut down after the staff were attacked, according to the paper. All that was left was a vast mess of glass shards covering half of the station, blocking trains from getting in or out. The Canterlot guards were brought in to investigate.
"How could one fangire do all of this?" Octavia wondered aloud. She turned to Mrs. Scratch, who was reading the paper at one of the tables in the coffee shop. "Will my mother and father be alright?"
Mrs. Scratch tapped Octavia's head reassuringly. "Don't worry. According to your parents, their train ride back home was meant to be this afternoon. They're just going to be a little bit late, now that they'll have to change their plans to get home."
"In the meantime, we have developed a new technology to stop the fangire," added the leader of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization, who also happened to be at the coffee shop that morning.
Yuri Aso looked up from the table she was cleaning. "Mr. Shima, you don't mean..."
The older stallion nodded, holding up a large device that matched the colours of the Canterlot Guards: blue, white, and gold. Although it wasn't shaped like a traditional horseshoe, it was clearly meant to be worn on a hoof. "This is the IXA horseshoe. By stamping the ground with the hoof that this horseshoe is worn on, the wearer will become a masked, armoured warrior of sorts. In other words, they will become a superhero capable of defeating the fangires."
"Ah yes, my mother mentioned plans for a device like that a few years ago," Yuri recalled, before her excited expression deflated. "That was before she... turned into glass..."
Octavia's ears pointed up with curiosity. "Is that why you became a fangire hunter, Ms. Aso?" Octavia asked.
Yuri nodded, then reached her hoof to Mr. Shima. "Please, let me use the IXA horseshoe," she requested. "I've been training hard and waiting for this day to come."
Unfortunately for Yuri, Mr. Shima shook his head. "After your injuries from the last fangire battle, it would be too risky to let you use this equipment for the first time. After all, I have someone else in mind." With that, the leader of the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization tossed the horseshoe over to Jiro, who had been silently enjoying his daily cup of coffee throughout the entire conversation. The dark blue unicorn stallion used his magic to lift up the IXA horseshoe so he could examine it. Yuri and Octavia's eyes both widened: the first in plain shock, and the other on fear.
"Mr. Shima, Jiro has barely been on the team," Yuri began to argue.
"And if I recall correctly, you were the one who suggested that I should hire him," Mr. Shima replied. "Besides, you're still injured from your last fangire encounter."
Yuri sighed, not knowing what to say next. After a while, Mrs. Scratch looked at the clock on the wall. "Hmm, your teacher is really late today. Are you sure he holds classes on Thursdays?" When Octavia nodded, the unicorn mare muttered to herself: "It's been almost half an hour."
"Perhaps he thought today's class was at your house?" suggested the coffee shop owner.
"Maybe," replied Mrs. Scratch, getting up from the table. "Come on, Octavia. Let's head back."
* * *
A few minutes after leaving the Mal d'Amour coffee shop, Octavia and Mrs. Scratch had gotten halfway back to Vinyl's house, and the older pony had sent a quick message to Vinyl's dad to let them know they would be home soon. They were on a road that was usually calm, but still a lot emptier than usual.
"Ouch!" Octavia took a step back to look at what her hoof stepped on. Under her foot was a shard of glass. It was then that Octavia realized how close she was to the Canterlot Train Station.
Mrs. Scratch took a close look at the walkway in front of them. "Perhaps you should stay off the ground here," she suggested, letting the filly ride her back for the rest of the walk home. "Looks like somepony decided to be a little rude."
Octavia looked around frantically. "Um, Mrs. Scratch?"
"Yeah?"
"Which train station got attacked last night?"
Mrs. Scratch looked at the train station nearby. "Oh my, I'm pretty sure it was this one."
"And how long does it take for the royal guards to investigate crimes?"
"I'm not quite sure. Depends on how big it is, I would assume."
"So how long were those helmets lying around there for?"
The older mare's pupils shrank. She turned to see what Octavia pointed at: a golden Royal Guard helmet, surrounded by shard of glass. Upon closer inspection, more glass and armour littered the entire area outside the station. Then the sound of crunching glass broke the silence.
Mrs. Scratch glanced at the filly. "Hold on tight."
She galloped as fast as her hooves could take her away from the crime scene, only to get pulled back by a sticky rope of some sort. Octavia turned around to see two familiar hoof puppets holding the other side of the web. "Oh no, it's that pony again!"
The spider fangire giggled. "And this time, I have friends to help me out!"
Mrs. Scratch, who was now stuck in place, tried to turn her head to see what was going on. "Oh no, he's got puppets," she said sarcastically, before using her magic to lift the puppets off the fangire's hooves and throw them into the station.
The spider fangire gasped. "How dare you!" He ran into the station to retrieve his puppets. "Hang on Bob! I'm coming Sam!"
With a smirk, Mrs. Scratch scrambled to get untied and continued to run, only to stop as two more fangires jumped out of the bushes and in her way. glass structures nearly as big as Octavia's head surrounded the two ponies, with the sharp end of each piece of glass pointing at them like fangs. Mrs. Scratch quickly conjured a force field around her and the filly, only to see that the glass was sucking up the energy of the field.
"Give up, old mare," said one of the fangires. "You'll be a goner either way."
As her energy started to fade away, a familiar violin case appeared, slapping the fangires in the head and distracting them for a moment. Behind them was Otoya Kurenai, with pieces of sticky spiderweb on his familiar bright formal jacket.
"Well, that wasn't the most ideal way to start violin class," commented Otoya, trying to untangle some the spiderweb from his mane.
"Forget the violin classes for now," Octavia told her teacher. "Duck!" Otoya ducked just in time before the glass fangs could get to his neck. The fangs hit each other instead, shattering.
At that point, a metal whip appeared and hit one of the fangires at the side. Yuri and Jiro arrived at the scene, the latter holding the IXA horseshoe. As Yuri used her weapon to distract the fangires for a little longer, Jiro placed the horseshoe on his hoof and stomped in into the ground.
A robotic voice came out of the horseshoe. "READY."
"Transform," Jiro said, causing a magic hologram to appear from the horseshoe and grow into the shape of a suit of armour. In a flash of light, the suit materialized on the unicorn: a black full-body undersuit, with white armour accented with gold and blue. A matching helmet had also appeared on his face, with the golden details opening to reveal the crimson eyepieces of the helmet. In barely five seconds, he had become IXA.
With a single punch, IXA managed to knock one of the fangires off-balance. A white and gold sword appeared from the IXA horseshoe, giving IXA a weapon to slash the monster with.
As Yuri kept the other fangire at bay, IXA took a whistle from the strap around one of his forelegs, and blew the whistle. This caused the sword to light up with electricity. At the same time, the sun seemed to shine much brighter than usual, blinding the fangire before IXA shattered it into a thousand colourful pieces.
Everyone else turned in shock, including the other fangire, who fled before he could be destroyed too. Yuri put away her weapon and Jiro de-transformed, while the other ponies took a sigh of relief. Jiro, exhausted by the fight, immediately fell to sleep on the ground.
* * *
Later, at the hospital, a nurse was talking to Mr. Scratch, while his wife rested in the hospital bed in the room. "Luckily, there's nothing wrong with her vital signs. A lot of rest is recommended, and she should refrain from using too much magic for the next few weeks," the nurse told him. "We can also book an appointment with the magic therapist..."
During their conversation, Octavia was telling Vinyl all about the events of that day.
"Whoa. So you're pretty much saying you guys got ambushed by fangires?" exclaimed Vinyl. "And you survived?!"
"Yeah, thanks to the werewolf pony of all people," replied Octavia. "For someone that secretly attacks ponies, he was quick to save us."
Vinyl smiled. "Well, I'm just glad you're all alright." She gave Octavia a big hug, and then went over to the hospital bed to give her mother a hug as well. "Mom, you were so cool! Standing up to the fangires with your bare hooves! Well, with your magic powers too, but still!"
Octavia couldn't help but smile as well, with Vinyl being so upbeat and optimistic.
Just then, Otoya poked his head into the room. He had been a few rooms away, where Jiro was recovering. "Uh, have any of you seen the IXA horseshoe?" he asked. Octavia and Mrs. Scratch shook their heads, while everyone else just looked at the stallion with confused expressions. "Well that's no good. Jiro forgot to bring it back with him from the train station, and Yuri doesn't have it either."
Vinyl and Octavia looked at each other, then at the violin teacher, then back at themselves. "That's a bad thing, isn't it."
Author's Note
Sorry that I have not updated this story in a long time (I don't even know if anyone is still reading this. These days I do less writing. I mostly just edit for other toku crossovers like Shining Lucky Stars by Axle the Red Exorcist. If you want a toku crossover that is more consistent with it's chapter-posting schedule, check it out!)
So if you happen to still be reading this story, thanks and I hope you enjoy it!
Octavia returned to the train station, this time accompanied by a Canterlot guard. Many other guards and volunteers were already there, cleaning up the area and setting up yellow 'Caution' tape. The guard supervising the trio looked at the filly. "Is this where you were attacked?" he asked, pointing to a chalk circle on the ground that marked where the fangire had shattered earlier that day. The stained glass shards had been sweeped up for evidence.
The little filly nodded. "Yes, this is the exact location." She pointed a few hoofsteps away. "Mrs. Scratch started running somewhere around there. Then she tripped on the giant spiderwebs there," she moved her hoof to the pile of webs that two ponies were still struggling to clean up.
Otoya walked up with another guard, explaining his side of the story to her. "...and then I happened to see them over here, being attacked by a fangire. And like the heroic stallion I am, I knocked down both of the fangires with my violin case." He used his front hooves to imitate the way he swung his violin case earlier, watching to see if the guard would be impressed. Instead, she rolled her eyes and continued to write down the notes about the crime. "And if you need any more details, I can write down my phone number for you too, Diane."
The guard's eyes narrowed. "I believe you have explained your side of the story more than enough. And the name is Diamond. Officer Diamond to you."
Yuri walked up to the first guard with a photo of the IXA horseshoe on her muzzle, which she placed on the ground in front of him. "Officer Shield, none of the guards or the volunteers have seen the IXA horseshoe anywhere," she told him.
Shield nodded slightly as he took in this information. "This is dangerous. There are still two more of these strange thestral monsters on the loose."
Octavia raised a hoof. "They're fangires, not thestrals. Plus, we'll need to make sure we catch the fangires that attacked the train station, and not some other random ones."
"And what makes you suggest that there are any good fangires?" the guard questioned.
Octavia looked at Otoya, and then back to the guard. "Well, you see--"
Diamond interrupted the filly. "Well it's a good thing one of the guards that was here before the second attack took some pictures before he turned into glass," the second guard commented, levitating some photos from her saddlebag. These photos included a couple of photos of the fangires. Judging by the angles the pictures were taken and the blurriness of some of the photos, they were clearly taken in a hurry. She held the photos toward the other ponies. "Do any of these monsters look familiar?"
Yuri, Otoya, and Octavia took a closer look.
"Yes, that's the one Jiro defeated." Yuri nodded as she pointed to the left of the first picture.
"And there's that other one I hit with my violin case, right next to the first one," added Otoya.
Octavia pointed at a completely different picture: a close-up of a toy duck. "And that's one of the spider fangire's puppets!"
The guard took turned that last photo so that she could see it for herself, slightly surprised at what the filly said. "Huh. That sort of explains that."
The other guard pony jumped to attention. "Duck!" Everyone ducked as a barrage of glass fangs zoomed toward the two guards and the civilians, and the guards created a shield around the five of them. Unlike Mrs. Scratch's shield from earlier, this one was strong enough to shatter the glass projectiles.
Diamond opened one eye, then both of her eyes as she looked around. "Is everypony else alright?" Everyone outside the shield were caught by surprise, either panicking or frozen in fear. Luckily, all of them were unharmed. As the guards deactivated the force field, they noticed that the glass shard only surrounded those five ponies. Along with the glass shards, there was a duck-shaped hoof puppet holding a note in its beak. The guard picked up the note, and she began to read it:
'To the fangire hunters:
You dropped your fancy super horse-shoe, so I picked it up. No you cannot have it back. Like, you can definitely try, but you'll probably fail. Then you will be broken glass. Or you can let me keep this thing. Then I can turn lots of ponies into broken glass. Including you. Either way, I keep this and everypony turns into broken glass. Also this train station is mine now. Or the king's I guess. Apparently I owed him a new personal transportation business or something! So leave.
From: Spider Fangire.
P. S. Actually, could you please come back with Bob? The duck doesn't like being around strangers. Thanks. I'll be inside the train station, near the 4th platform. Look for the table with the tea and biscuits!'
By now, Officer Diamond was clearly tired of this whole investigation. "Well I guess we're dealing with an entire royal family of these fangires now!" she exclaimed in the most exasperated tone possible.
Yuri took one look at the note before picking up the duck, putting it in her saddlebag, and trotting toward the building. Octavia ran toward her. "Wait, Ms. Aso! Are you sure about this?"
Yuri nodded without slowing down. "Mother wouldn't want her entire life's research to be wasted as a weapon for the fangires to hurt more ponies. I'm getting the IXA horseshoe back."
"But I thought your boss said you were injured?"
"He's just being overprotective. The only injuries I got were some minor bruises and cuts. It's pretty much healed now."
Otoya ran up beside the two ponies. "Well, you're going to need some help then," he said, before crashing into an invisible field in front of him. "Ow."
The two royal guards from earlier walked up to the trio. "Each unauthorized pony needs to be accompanied by a guard at all times in the crime scene, " Officer Shield said. "We're coming too."
"Alright then," Yuri replied to the guards. She turned to Octavia. "Are you sure you want to come?" The filly nodded in response.
The five ponies headed into the building. As they got close to the fourth platform, they slowed down to a tiptoe, making sure to watch where they went and stay near possible hiding places.
The spider fangire's voice could be heard not too far away. "And some tea for you," he said to himself, before switching to a high-pitch voice. "Aw thanks. I'll have three tablespoons of sugar with that please! And eleventy-three cookies!"
The guard mare rolled her eyes as she turned her head away from the platfrom and toward the other ponies hiding behind the wall. She nudged her head over to the platform, indicating for the others to look over at what she saw: the spider fangire had set up an entire table of toy teacups and cookies, surrounded by seven hoof puppets.
"Now, where is Bob, I wonder?" the fangire asked, now using a low-pitched voice.
Otoya held out the duck hoof-puppet on his hoof so that the fangire could see it. "Right here!"
The spider fangire grinned. "Bob! You're just in time for-- oh no, it's you ." His grin dropped as he saw the dark-haired stallion walk away from his hiding place, along with the other ponies. "Seriously, did you all really need to be here?" He shrugged. "Well, more food for me then."
As he stood up, he shook some of the extra hoof puppets off of his arms, revealing the IXA horseshoe on one of his front arms. He stamped the horseshoe into the ground, initiating the transformation sequence. "READY."
The spider fangire grinned wildly. "Transform." As the familiar white suit of armour materialized on him, the other ponies braced themselves.
The eight-legged IXA pointed the horseshoe at the ponies, shooting them. Otoya and Yuri rolled out of the way while the unicorn guards made a shield in front of Octavia. As the violinist galloped toward IXA to attack with his violin case, Yuri got her metallic whip to attack the fangire from afar.
IXA summoned his sword. With one arm, he swung the sword at Otoya, while he used the horseshoe arm to shoot Yuri. Another fangire jumped down from his hiding place to chase the rest of the ponies.
The second fangire summoned a barrage of glass fangs in the air, shooting them at Octavia. Instinctively, Octavia hid behind her large violin case. Diamond and Shield blocked the attack with their combined shield, only for more fangs to appear.
Diamond ducked to dodge another fang, which hit under her helmet. "Aagh!" She sliced her mane with a pocket knife from her saddlebag, saving herself from the attack. The strands of her mane she cut crashed on the floor as they turned into glass. She threw the knife at the fangire, but it didn't make a dent.
Shield used the distraction to get Octavia to safety near the tea table. "Hide here," he told her.
Octavia hid under the table. "I don't think I thought all of my choices through earlier," she commented.
"It would have probably been for the better if we took you back home, I agree," the guard replied, watching as Diamond kept the fangire distracted. "Your parents must be worried sick."
"They aren't home. Their return trip got cancelled when the fangires attacked the station."
Shield paused for a moment. "Oh."
After a moment, the young filly spoke up. "I might have a plan. But I'll need a way to get the IXA horseshoe off of the spider fangire."
"Leave that to me," the guard told her. "What's the plan?"
As Octavia explained her idea, IXA had thrown Otoya a couple of meters away from him. "You won't beat me this time!" he snarled.
"Oh really?" replied the stallion with a smirk as he got back up onto his hooves and charged at the armoured fangire. He picked up a steel rod that had broken off of a nearby armrest to block the sword, but the fangire used his other legs to kick Otoya away again.
IXA turned to Yuri. "You may as well give up. It's useless to try and win." He motioned with one arm around the room. "The guards can't stand a chance against a fangire, your musical friend is getting beaten to a pulp, and the only other pony here to help is a tiny fi--hey!" He saw Octavia throwing Bob the duck hoof puppet up in the air repeatedly. "Stop that!"
"But it's fun!" Octavia replied, kicking a few more puppets into the air and trying to juggle them.
IXA pointed his sword at the filly. "You put them down immediately, you little foal! Don't you know that stealing is rude?"
Otoya raised his dizzy head. "Says you."
By now, Octavia had gathered all of the hoof puppets. "Sorry about that. Here!" She threw Bob across the room for the spider fangire to catch, before picking up another puppet. "Take them all back!"
Otoya caught on to the plan as soon as he recovered, and picked up two of the hoof puppets to throw at IXA.
"Cut it out!" the spider fangire yelled, catching a puppet in each of his free hands before they could hit the floor. "I can't keep my balance!"
In unison, Octavia and Otoya both threw another hoof puppet at IXA. He caught the two hoof puppets in on his free legs, bringing a total of six puppets on his legs.
"Are all of you alright?" he asked his puppets. "Yes? That leaves Debbie and Boris at the tea table... am I missing something?" He glanced at all of his legs. "Six puppets, one super horseshoe, one leg for standing, and the sword is... not here?"
Diamond had grabbed the sword with her magic and slashed at the other fangire rapidly, causing it to shatter. "Finally!" Diamond sighed and wiped the sweat from above her eyes.
Meanwhile, Shield used his telekinesis to yank the IXA horseshoe away from the fangire. "It won't budge!" he told the others.
"It must be designed like that on purpose to prevent it from being stolen," Yuri thought aloud, still avoiding the blasts from the IXA horseshoe. "Hold his hoof still!"
Shield held the fangire's hoof in place with his telekinesis, with Diamond joining in to help. Otoya ran toward the fangire with his violin case once more, aiming for the horseshoe. The spider fangire moved his hoof puppets out of the way, leaving a clear path for the violinist to knock the IXA horseshoe off of his leg. Octavia ran and caught the horseshoe, as the spider fangire de-transformed.
"Hey, give that back! I'll... I..." the spider fangire trailed off, slumping on the ground in fatigue. He yawned for a while. "Never mind... I can't..."
The guards took this moment to rest, while Yuri walked up to the fangire sternly. "Leave, and tell your fangire king that he can't have this place as his private train station."
The spider fangire looked up at the mare, holding up one of his eight legs. "First of all, too tired." He raised up another leg. "Second, he will have his train station. And third..." he raised up the leg with Bob the duck puppet and switched to a nasally voice. "Don't be so confident." He dropped his head on the floor and fell asleep.
That's when five more fangires appeared.
"Octavia!" Yuri yelled, reaching a hoof out for the filly to toss her the IXA horseshoe. Octavia threw the device, but a fangire intercepted it, only for Otoya to knock it back away from the fangire and into the air, landing on the ground near Yuri. As another fangire ran to the horseshoe, Yuri lunged and caught it first.
Yuri stamped her hoof onto the horseshoe, putting it on while starting the transformation. "READY."
Yuri stood up, facing the fangire. "Henshin."
Author's Note
Um, so I just realized that there were tags for specific types of warnings. Last I really looked at the tags was many months ago (at least a year? About as long as that big hiatus this story was on, right before Chapter 10.)
A team of Canterlot guards sped past the Scratch residence toward the mare who collapsed not too far away. Mr. Scratch stood on the front porch of her home, speaking to one of the guards. Meanwhile Vinyl, Octavia, and Lyra listened and watched from the living room.
"It's never been this loud or busy outside our house before," commented Vinyl. "This is the most exciting sleepover ever!"
"Vinyl, there's a monster victim outside. I don't think that's a very good thing," reminded Octavia.
"Maybe not," admitted Vinyl with a shrug. "But it's not everyday you get to help stop a crime."
"We didn't stop any crime," argued Octavia. "We just reported it."
Lyra rubbed her head. "Either way, I could use some rest. After doing that spell twice..." her yawn interrupted her sentence.
"Twice?" repeated Vinyl, her ears pointing up in mild confusion.
Octavia nodded. "The second time was while you left the room. I saw the the monster turn into a pony," she explained gravely.
Vinyl's eyes widened. "You got to tell this to the cops, Tavi!"
"The cops?"
"The guards! If you tell them, it could make it much easier to catch the monster. Come," she grabbed one of Octavia's front hooves and dragged her to the front door.
"Whoa, Vinyl, are you sure about this?" Octavia asked. But Vinyl already dragged Octavia to the front porch.
"Dad, Octavia has something to say to the guard."
Mr. Scratch turned to Vinyl in surprise, then back at the guard. "Sorry about that, sir. My daughter can be a bit loud--"
"No need to apologize," replied the guard, who turned to look straight at Vinyl. "You have crucial evidence?"
"Yes, sir. Octavia saw the attacker herself." She lightly nudged Octavia in front of her. "Tell him, Tavi."
Octavia looked up at the guard's sharp, scrutinizing eyes. She took a deep breath.
"The attacker is a blue unicorn stallion with a short mane. He's dark blue, but not as dark as navy blue."
The guard nodded. "That would explain the lack of major bruises, cuts, or other injuries on the victim. Any more details? Perhaps his height, or the design of his cutie mark? Some sort of defining feature."
"Well, he does turn into a big blue werewolf," explained Octavia. "From what we saw, he strangled the victim in wolf form, then turned into a unicorn and left."
The guard paused for a moment. He opened his mouth, then closed it. "Uh, well, we didn't see any wolf costume at the scene of the crime."
"It wasn't a costume, sir. He transformed somehow!"
Mr. Scratch chuckled warily. "Perhaps you were imagining things," he suggested. "Why don't you fillies get some sleep. It's almost midnight."
Octavia's ears pointed down as she and Vinyl went back to the living room.
"That didn't go as planned," commented Vinyl.
"No grown-up would believe a werewolf was behind it."
"But you would expect them to still look into it. I mean, even if they ruled out werewolves, they could assume he used unicorn magic or something to disguise himself. Isn't that right, Lyra?"
Lyra snored.
* * *
"How did you manage to come back here?" Octavia asked, sipping her glass of apple juice from a straw. She and her violin teacher were back at the Mal d'Amour coffee shop. Her parents were initially wary about letting her leave the house again, but they had to fill in for some fellow musicians at the last second. This gave Mr. Kurenai and Octavia more than enough time to stop by at the coffee shop.
"One of the main customers here gave me a chance to join the Wonderful Blue Sky Organization," Mr. Kurenai explained.
"So you finally believe in the fangires," presumed Octavia. "I wouldn't expect you to be a monster hunter."
"I joined it to be around pretty mares."
Octavia facehoofed. "How do you expect to join the Organization with that motive? Don't you need to be able to actually fight monsters and save other ponies?"
"Already did. You should have seen the weird spider guy I was up against," explained Mr. Kurenai, waving his hooves dramatically. "Yuri was taken hostage, and--"
"Wait, who's Yuri?"
The familiar dreamy expression was on his face again, as he gestured toward a familliar waitress, who was across the room taking other customers' orders. "It is her, my fated special somepony."
Octavia turned to look at the waitress, then quickly turned back to her teacher. "But that's Ms. Aso. Why would a mare like her need you to save her?" She paused for a moment. "Actually, if you saved her from the spider fangire, why isn't she thanking you?"
The smile on her teacher's face became a grimace as he turned to the front counter. "Because he took credit for it."
"Seriously?" replied Octavia, her head slowly turning to look in the same direction her teacher was. "Your getting furious at one pony because they saved a random mare you liked--"
She stopped when she saw the pony he was referring to.
"Oh no, it's him!" Octavia covered her mouth with her hooves in surprise, staring at the dark blue unicorn stallion.
"Yes, it's the same pony who kicked me out last time,"
"It's not that, Mr. Kurenai. It's just..." Octavia hesitated, wondering if her teacher would believe the unicorn was a werewolf. "That stallion is a monster, literally," she whispered.
"Literally?"
Octavia nodded.
"Are you absolutely sure you're using that word right? Because that would mean he actually, physically is a monster."
Octavia nodded again. "I saw it myself."
The two musicians and the puppy took another glance at the unicorn. "That would explain why he wasn't targeted like the rest of the customers here," Mr. Kurenai thought aloud.
"Perhaps we can lure him to a trap. All we need is bait." Octavia scratched her head as she observed the light-haired puppy sniffing the air. "Good idea." Hopping off the chair, she trotted to the counter. "How much for one liter of coffee?"
The coffee shop owner looked up from the coffee mug he was cleaning. "That's a lot of coffee for a little filly."
"It's for my teacher," Octavia explained.
Mr. Kurenai's eyes widened. "Eh!?"
"It's for the plan," Octavia whispered to Otoya. "The culprit will smell the coffee in your breath from a mile away. He will come running, thinking you're just another regular customer. Then, you'll get credit for capturing him." Her teacher nodded.
A mare trotted to the counter. "Did I hear somepony is going to ingest an entire liter of coffee?"
"I'd pay to see that!" exclaimed another customer.
As everypony gathered around the counter, the owner poured two cups of coffee into a large glass. "Here you go."
Mr. Kurenai lifted the heavy glass from the counter with both front hooves. By now, most of the customers had gathered around the violinist, waiting for him to consume the contents of the glass. He took a deep breath, and with a determined face, he began guzzling the coffee.
Everyone watched in amazement as he drank a quarter, then half, then three quarters of the drink without stopping. Once he reached the end of the drink, he triumphantly lifted the glass in the air, laughing as everypony cheered around him.
Then he fainted.
"Um, Mr. Kurenai? Are you alright?" Octavia asked. "He didn't die, did he?" she asked.
Ms. Aso crouched to take a closer look at the fainted stallion. "He isn't dead. The coffee just knocked him out."
"Well, that's a first," commented the coffee shop owner.
"What a spectacular failure," the dark blue unicorn added, casually sipping his cup of coffee.
Octavia glared at the unicorn stallion.