Steel awoke as she often did, two hours after sunset. She had always preferred to sleep in, a habit developed during her marriage. She roused and set the doll back upon the dresser, looking at the photos as part of her ritual, before slipping out the door and downstairs. She missed the warmth of a living spouse but knew it wasn’t the same. Dusk was a rare creature. One that truly understood her on a level that would not be seen again. She knew, as she’d tried twice to take a new lover. Both had not worked out, and both she’d had to put down.
Steel didn’t feel pity for those two stallions, after all it was her or them, and she needed to slake her thirst somehow. Thus Steel had taken to her siren nature, being an alluring temptress, with a tow of handsome criminals and desperado’s bled dry time and time again. Of course she had permission to do so by her Godmother. She provided a service, and they were a bad sort that rubbed her godmother the wrong way. It was simply the way of things.
She shook her head and sighed, as she departed from her room, descended down the stairs, round the corner, and to the doorway beneath the stairs. She knocked three times, and heard stirring before a bump, then the door opened with Wind Runner rubbing her head. “A-Ah! Miss Steel… So that wasn’t just a terrible dream… I ummm… I’m ready to start learning.”
Steel smiled faintly, before nodding and looking to the childre, Steel considered for a few moments, she hadn’t agreed ever, but in a way she had finally caved to Dusk’s wish to adopt children. She chuckled light before nodding. “Come along Wind Runner. No need to be formal. I am your Elder, but this is my home, you are my guest. There will be more time for formalities later. Surely you must be hungry. I must teach you how to slake your thirst. It is important to our way of life.”
Wind Runner looked to Steel, somewhat nervous, before replying. “Slake my thirst? So it is true? I am a vampire?” Wind seemed jittery and nervous, Steel understood some of it, she had been slightly as Wind had been when she was embraced. However at least Steel thought to herself, she had been cared for by her Sire even if only temporarily. It had taught her valuable lessons.
Either way, Steel nods as they exited her household, and went through the streets of Canterlot. “The easiest places to find prey are bars, and clubs. I tend to more upper class type of club goers but, at the very least I hold my own in nigh almost any environment. I simply like to dress more for my times when I can.”
Wind looked to Steel as they headed through the streets, Steel leading them to a nearby club that she knew of. Either way Wind would finally reply, seemingly out of politeness. “Dress for your time? When were you… ummm… embraced I believe you said?”
Steel gives a brief look of amusement. “Somewhat rude to ask a lady her age. Still you are young, it is to be forgiven. I was born in 783 EC, and was turned in 801 EC. I was 18 when my ship crashed on the shores of the dread League.”
Wind blinks for a moment. “Is the Dread League real? Truly? I had always thought it was a myth, that the unicorns used to tell scary stories at parties and what not…”
Steel for once looked back less amused, seemingly disinterested, and annoyed at the topic. The first sign of unfriendliness Steel had shown towards Wind, Steel knew though that Wind would abandon her eventually, or Steel herself would get bored of her. It was the nature of Toreador obsession. Steel replied dryly. “As real as the sun and moon.”
Wind blinked blearily, before quieting down and continuing to meekly follow Steel, who eventually arrived at the doors of a club, being a bit flirty with the bouncer, and revealing a pass of some sort, getting both of them inside. Steel would then with the grace of a predator, weave and dance about the club, chatting up people, introducing her friend, and eventually zeroing in on a rich older gentleman, of no local relations.
Steel also happened to know he was a key member of a drug operation in Canterlot, and thus didn’t pity him much. Soon the trio were within a private venue room, Steel chatting and getting the older stallion drunk, before offering him to go home. She had a fun little basement that she liked to punish older gentle stallions in afterall… The drunken older fellow was puddy in her hooves after that point, as she lured him to her home, Wind being very nervous about this whole thing. Steel knew that sign, a wall flower, and likely a college maiden.
Steel shook her head, innocence what a beautiful and short lived thing. Either way, she would arrive at her home, situating the stallion in the basement, putting him into a trance of some sort, as she looked to Wind.
“This stallion is a bad pony. He is a key pin to the drug trade in Canterlot. You are to feed from him and slake your thirst. You are likely to go primal and beastial during this initial feeding, so you will most assuredly kill him. I chose him as you will have little regret later in killing him.”
Wind blinked and looked at Steel wide eyed. “W-Wait you want me to k-k-kill him? I can’t… do that! That’s wrong!” Wind started backing away, but Steel appeared behind her the second she blinked and pushed her forwards.
“You will not have a choice if you refuse to feed for much longer. Then you will do something you regret. Take it out on the evil and let it be done. You will get used to it eventually. It feels good. And if fairness he’ll feel good to. Think of it as humanely executing someone. There are worse ways to go.” Steel kept pushing Wind forward, until she was right up next to the stupored drugged, and drunken stallion, as Steel pricked him with a quick jab, letting a few drops of blood free, to tempt Wind.
Wind would try and resist a few moments longer, but eventually her primal need, the smell of the blood, and the morsel right there before her, drew her instincts, and she fed upon the stallion. Steel watched uncaringly as Wind steadily drained him, and after around 8 minutes, Wind could get no more, and the Stallion had stopped breathing, moving, or generally being alive. He’d died around 6 minutes ago, but Steel wanted Wind to have her fill, thus let her keep going.
Either way, Steel appeared again, right behind Wind, and pulled her away, with her inhuman strength, and restrained Wind til she came back to her senses, where she was in a bathtub, covered in blood, the tub filled with soap, and red. Either way, Steel, still dressed, as she had no will or interest in being intimate with her charge, tossed her a loofa. “Clean yourself up. I’ll deal with the blood stains once you are done.”
Wind seemed about ready to go off on Steel, but Steel was gone before she knew it, and Steel merely heard the mare crying nigh almost inaudibly quiet. Steel waited in the living room, awaiting for the girl to come out.
Steel merely began reading Lord of the Rings, she was at a part she rather enjoyed, Dusk had grown to love it too, a quote from Bilbo to Frodo “Obviously Aragorn thought the whole thing rather above my head, and he said that if I had the cheek to make verses about Earendil in the house of Elrond, it was my affair. I suppose he was right.”
She had always been amused by it, due to an experience she’d had early on as a Dread League Courtier, while Dusk had always loved it as there were poems not to be uttered in the court of Griffonia. One of many small bonds they shared over similar experiences. What a life Dusk had lived.
Either way she would put the bookmark in the book, and look up to Wind Runner. “I hope you are clean and not tracking blood in my home?” Steel eyed her up and down. “Good you are clean, and dry. Do you need anything more today? I think you’re thirst will be slaked for some time, so you have time to spare, and I wish to read more or less. However if you are overly eager I suppose some lessons are in store-”
Wind looked at Steel a small fire in her eyes. “You had me kill a pony! Not only that you forced me to wash his blood from my hooves. How can you act so detached that-!”
Steel glared at Wind, and appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye again, glaring daggers straight into Wind’s eyes. The eyes of a predator. Of a killer. Of a Monster. Steel had given this look to many. Only one had been spared this look from her. Wind had no right. “If you have the cheek to preach morals to your better, you will be finding somewhere else to live, and someone else to teach you very swiftly. If you wish to die at the hands of the Camarilla or the Inquisition, the door is there. Be my Guest…”
Wind looked fearfully into Steel’s eyes, before rushing off and vanishing into the room she had slept in before, crying to herself again, as Steel had heard her before. Steel simply rolled her eyes, and soon ascended upstairs once she was sure the girl was asleep. What a wonderful task she had gotten herself into…
Steel settled into her reading, as she sighed, and considered if she had been too hard on the girl. Either way, she had settled into reading and continued reading. This had always been her favorite part of the Fellowship of the Ring, the actual forming of the fellowship. She had always compared Dusk to Frodo, much to his annoyance. He always said he was more a sword wielding fellow. Steel saw beyond his bravado though. She wasn’t won over by his bravery. She was won over by his heart, passion, soul. She sighed before stowing the book away, just about to head to sleep, when she heard screaming from downstairs.
Steel rushed downstairs, closing the gap rapidly, noting she hadn’t heard anything, nor had any of the wards been triggered… Nor her security system… She then realized, that her charge had been of a Malkavian sire… the madness… of course. Either way, Steel opened the door rapidly. There were few ways to keep a Malkavian calm when they were having a more violent episode. She realized though as the door opened that Wind was having a more crippling and weakness inducing instance of madness. Either way, Steel would keel down beside the curled up Wind and take one of her hands, which was soon embraced by both of Wind’s. Wind muttered quietly, calmed slightly. “Mother please… please the shadows… they’re hurting me… I don’t want them to keep hurting me… Mother please… Don’t leave me… Don’t leave me…”
Steel closed her eyes, and decided she would play this role for now. Either way, she would squeeze Wind’s hand. “Hush little one… Hush child… your mother is here… You are safe… just come to me… focus on me… The shadows can’t truly harm you… I promise… You just get ill from time to time no? Trust your mother… I know it to be true…”
Wind would quietly cry a little, and Steel would eventually join Wind on the bed, embracing her and cradling her as a mother would her daughter, Steel feeling a sense of pity and remorse. Still Steel stayed with Wind that night, and held her close, until consciousness failed them both…
Steel Heart was not one to terribly enjoy the court of the Camarilla, it bored her greatly, and she tended to find her time much better served elsewhere in the city. Things had been slightly more interesting, with the Prince’s disappearance, and the arrival of the regency council. Whatever the case, the Ancillae running things had kept the Canterlot Principality stable and mostly free of vampiric crime. Steel looked towards the three regents. Court was continuing as normal, the Deer Cian being a bleeding heart as always, Holy Way some pious earth pony preaching against degeneracy, and Proud Wing, the only reason things were still running.
Proud Wing was quite thoroughly annoyed with the current case, slamming down the gavel and bellowing. “I’ve heard enough of this squabbling. The Anarchs are at fault. It was their responsibility to uphold their end of the deal, they have failed. If the Anarchs refuse to topple this problematic baron, my own will handle it. Begone now, before I decide to be less merciful.”
The court was very much a tasteful place, of Steel Heart’s preference, the prince and her had been from the same century after all, and the decor was very much of the Pegasi variety, Cloudsdale cloud fonts, and fountains adorned the palace, pillars of marble to mimic the clouds, and establish dominance in the traditional pegasi way. It appealed greatly to Steel’s sense of decor and grandeur. She had always wanted to show Dusk this place. Alas it had not been meant to be.
Steel frowned as she delved into her own thoughts, mulling over the Prince, and his sudden disappearance. It was disturbing to her, as it was already disrupting the peace. Several serial embracers had arisen recently, and been causing havoc. If something were not done soon, Luna would have to begin activating the secret police to scour the city. An unappealing and bloody line of events that Steel would not let happen. She had sworn it.
Either way Steel zeroed back into the court, her ear twitching to alert, at the sound of some creatures dragging in others. Something interesting surely was about to happen… Still she payed attention to the current proceedings, Proud Wing passing a judgment to approve a primogen’s proposals. “Yes I believe this in the interest of the Prince. See it done that the Anarch barons are submitting to our inspections. I approve of your methods for dissenters.”
The creatures were getting closer, it sounded as if they were dragging a pair, likely a serial embracer had been caught. She was amused that everyone was so enthralled with court today that no one noticed. The next presentation was brought out, by an anarch baron. This was Red Mane, a Earth Pony Gangrel who had been brought to heel recently, after one of his coterie had gone berserk, causing a scene in the Canterlot markets a few nights ago. Red Mane began speaking. “Apologies Regents, it has been discovered that my previous associate, had been starving himself out of guilt, and was indeed responsible for his own fate. It is a motion of solidarity between our two movements that execution will be carried out immediately. I apologize that this reflects poorly against myself and vampire society as a whole.
Proud Wing always got a thrill from people submitting to him, and apologizing to him. Steel knew it was an easy way to butter him up. Either way, Steel amusedly watched as Proud Wing made his last statement she assumed before the main event. “Your apology is accepted, we hope that you are more prudent in the future. You are dismissed.”
Steel continued gazing from the sidelines of the court, as something interesting began happening. Whispers and murmurs were heard from among the attending courtiers, the vampires of many walks and ages gazing to see something rare. A Vampire had been dragged before the court, what appeared to be a Malkavian, based on the color of his bindings. He was of course staked, while another was dragged in alongside them. A childre she presumed, and the pieces clicked into place. The Malkavian had embraced this pour pegasus without the blessing of the council. Steel sighed lightly as the case began being presented.
“Good councilors, we have arrested and detained the individual in question, he had completed embracing this Pegasus mare. We’ve yet to detain the other victims for judgment.”
Proud Wing frowned and mulled over this situation, before replying. “Death to the serial Embracer. He’s gone mad, there is nothing to be done. Death to the childre as-”
Steel was in front of Proud Wing before anyone could truthfully blink, Steel was before him, the Blue Mare, with purple eyes standing in front of him, before looking over the rest of the room. “The death sentence upon the embracer stands. The Childre will be spared. I will take them as my charge, until such a time that they are able to stand on their own.”
Proud Wing immediately got flustered and angry as he tended to when he was interrupted. “This is hardly a time to be stepping in on pity projects Steel! You know the problems that could arise with this! Let us not forget, that-”
Steel turned and glared at him, eying him up and down. “I represent the interests of the Camarilla as I have always done. I will handle her should she arise as a problem. Is that sufficient, or shall I get a royal grant pardoning her?”
Proud Wing glared daggers into Steel. “Let it be upon you and your head should she cause an issue. The Childre is spared, and the charge of Steel Heart. Execute the Embracer, and next case!” The executioner takes action, and soon the Embracer is naught but ash.
Steel walks towards the childre, and unbinds her bindings, before unstaking her. The pegasus mare breathed heavily, and looked up at Steel, seeming pleading and about ready to cry, however Steel simply spoke. “You are my charge. Arise if you can and follow me. We will be heading to my estate. If you cannot walk I will carry you.”
The Mare muttered as best she could simply uttering. “T-Thank you…” Steel sighed and lifted up the mare, princess carrying her as they made their way outside of the palace. “You are welcome childre.” The Mare would cling desperately to Steel, as Steel made her way out of the building, before wandering the halls, then arriving at the villa gate, going suddenly insanely fast, the pair unable to hear anything but the dash of wind. Either way, Steel would come to a stop in front of a two story small house, and pass the garden gate with ease, before setting down the mare, who eventually got to her feet, as Steel unlocked the door before beckoning the mare inside.
“Welcome to my home. Do you have a name?” Steel would maneuver and take a seat in the living room as the mare stumbled along, before arriving at the seat opposite of Steel, seemingly still in shock.
The mare would gather herself though, as Steel waited patiently, the mare finally meekly answering the question. “I am… I am Wind Runner. You are… Steel Heart yes…?”
Steel would offer a somewhat soft smile, seemingly just trying to comfort the poor mare, nodding. “Yes I am Steel Heart. I will not overly educate you now, but come tomorrow night I will teach you what I can. Now… I will leave it at some ground rules. You will be sleeping on the ground floor, within the guest room. You are not allowed to go upstairs under any circumstance, unless I explicitly invite you. Otherwise you are free to roam the first floor. Am I understood?”
Wind Runner would nod meekly as Steel explained such, before asking. “Why… why is it so dark here?” Wind Runner would rub at her arm, seemingly trying to bring herself warmth that was truthfully no longer there.
Steel would sigh and come over to the girl, kneeling in front of her and taking one of her hands. “We are Kindred. Vampires. The sun has no love of us. I am sorry to say, but you will never know the true warmth of the sun, or life again. It is a hard truth to bear but it is so. Worry not of this tonight though. Let us get you rested.”
Wind Runner squeezed Steel’s hand as they rose, but went along with Steel, as Steel led her through the first floor, going deeper to the inner section of the building, arriving at a room with no windows, built seemingly into the staircase. “For now, I will have you rest here. It’s not the best I know but-”
Wind Runner would squeeze Steel’s hand, as Steel went to look to her, seemingly perplexed before Wind Runner replied. “No, it is fine. Thank you, it’s better than where I was before… that man… the one who… turned me? He lured me to him by… promising me a better world…”
Steel would squeeze Wind Runner’s hand. “I am sorry, this life did not choose you, but it is yours now. Do you need anything more?” Steel would get Wind Runner situated in the room, and release Wind’s hand, as Wind cozied up within the bed.
Wind would smile to Steel. “N-No it’s fine. How do I get to you if I need you?”
Steel would offer another faint smile, before replying. “Simply call for me. I can hear quite well, doubly so within my home. Now then… rest. I will handle your feeding tomorrow.” Steel would close the door, and await a few moments, before wrapping around the corner, and ascending the stairs.
She would arrive at the top of the stairs, and turn the corner, heading towards the master bedroom, slipping inside swiftly, and resting against the inner end of the door, going to find the mirror in the room, a dresser, she looked into the empty mirror, lacking her reflection, looking along the edges, seeing her wedding photos, a proud looking middle aged Griffon, of white head, gray body, and wings. He looked so good that day… Steel frowned as she closed her eyes, her undead heart sinking. It was lonely… so crushingly lonely these days… She opened her eyes, and stared at a plush doll, of similar appearance to her deceased husband, staring at it for a long while, before picking him up and cradling him close to her chest, starting to pet it lightly, before Steel started crying lightly, arriving at her now empty bed, as she settled there, tears running down her cheeks uncontrollably, even if slow and steady, she couldn’t cease them.
She sat there quietly embracing the last thing Dusk had even given her, shedding tears, her emotions running amuck and wild. “Some spy I am Dusk… Emotional bonds are a terrible thing to have, doubly so for I. I’m sorry my love… I tried… I tried so hard… I… I’m sorry Dusk… My beloved Dusk Quill… I should’ve been more prepared… You were a griffon after all… there was never a guarantee that I could embrace you… I killed you though… I can’t… I still can’t forgive myself Dusk… I know you told me… Life or true death… you would always love me… I can’t do it though dusk… I can’t get over the fact I drained you… and you were unable to accept my blood… Why couldn’t it just take… You just had to be a griffon… of all the creatures I could come to love with all my being… to bring my dead heart back from the brink… Alas… I saved someone today… someone who was embraced… I’ll teach them… as I would’ve you… Maybe… Maybe then it won’t hurt so much…”
Steel would cry a while longer, before wiping them up, and settling on the bed, cozying up under the covers, and settling in for rest, holding what remained of Dusk against her, the tragedy of what had taken place was… forever… Not even her godmother Luna could do anything… nothing but ensure Dusk’s soul found rest in the font… Steel squeezed the doll closer to her, before eventually lulling off to a dreamless sleep…
