Consciousness hit the young mare and she jerked awake, trying to sit up. Consciousness didn't hit nearly as hard as her forehead ramming into a stainless steel plate above her. She recoiled, convulsing in panic and pain. Her eyes darted left and right, trying hard to cope with her surroundings. The darkness made it difficult.
Golden Ring had no idea where she was. The air felt cold. With metal surrounding her sides, the faintest touch of freezing steel made the chill worse. At least the temperature dulled her aching head. While Golden didn’t seem to be in any immediate danger, that didn’t change the fact that she was trapped in a sturdy box. Her breath came in short, forceful gasps, strangely unable to leave telltale vapor in the frigid air as she beat on the walls.
“Help!” The sound of her hooves clanking against the metal surfaces was muffled by the volume of her screams. Suddenly, she felt a jerking movement and light flooded into the box, stinging Golden’s delicate vision. The mare felt herself being pulled out and into a large room where the air was much warmer. She shot upright, muscles tense and wings flaring.
An elderly stallion wearing a set of medical scrubs jolted back in fear, his eyes huge and focused on Golden. “How… how…”
The pony raised his left hoof, touching his chest. His knees wobbled and gave out, dropping him to the floor. He looked back at Golden, the expression on his face changing from surprise to grim horror. He gasped in pain, eyebrows furrowing as his hoof clutched tighter to his chest. Seconds passed slowly. The stallion slumped to the floor limply, as if drifting into a deep slumber.
Golden stared down at the body from her perch. Realization hit her and she glanced around wildly for anypony who could provide assistance. There was a door nearby. Seeing this, she leaped towards it, yanking the knob with both hooves.
The corridor outside was dimly lit and there were no ponies in view. Golden flew out into the hallway, glancing back and forth. She was alone.
Reluctantly dropping to the floor, Golden went back through the doorway. The prone stallion, whoever he was, still hadn’t moved. She approached and cautiously raised a hoof. After a tentative pause, she poked his shoulder. No reaction. No movement of any kind.
Golden swallowed hard. Did he have a heart attack? she contemplated. What could I possibly do? Naturally, if the poor soul was already dead, then the answer was nothing. Hindquarters slumping to the floor, her mouth hung ajar in shock. All Golden could mutter was, “Why?”
She observed her surroundings, this time pausing to take in every detail. The walls and floor were tiled. There were several gleaming stainless steel fixtures, including a table in the center of the room. A cylindrical container sat on a wheeled cart next to it. Marking the device was a label that read formaldehyde.
On one wall was a large refrigerator with drawers that made it resemble a filing cabinet. One of the drawers stood open. A small paper card was stuck to it and featured her name - Golden Ring.
A different kind of horror washed through Golden. Why was she in a place like this? What had happened? Looking down to check her body, she choked back a shriek directed at the dark red stains on her white coat and feathers. A frantic search, however, revealed no personal injuries. Running a hoof through her blonde mane brought Golden’s attention to a sticky matting coating half of her head.
A cold numbness settled into her frame, slight tremors almost developing into incapacitating shivers, but she somehow found the strength to focus. Golden considered the open cooler drawer for a moment before pushing it back in. It just seemed like the thing to do. Looking around the room again, she spotted a manila folder lying on the table. Her name was written on the front. Eager to know what was inside, though terrified by what it might be, Golden carefully picked it up.
Hoofshire Funeral Home
Name: Golden Ring
Cause of death: extensive wounds/exsanguination, appears to be mauling by carnivorous animal
Processing method: cremation - body too damaged for display
Golden desperately wanted to stop reading, but couldn’t. The information form was signed by her parents. Their respective signatures looked sad and broken with smudged ink.
Golden wondered why she was in Hoofshire, as she was a resident of Fillydelphia. As she blinked worriedly and looked again at the file of information, an unusual memory surfaced. Could this be the same place where she’d attended her grandparents’ funerals years ago, when she was still a young foal? Were her parents repeat customers of the same funeral home? It was a hugely morbid thought. Discarding it, she pressed on with the file to distract herself.
Next in the folder were three photographs; one of her face and one of her cutie mark for identification. The third was taken from the side, depicting a gaping wound in her neck that looked as if her throat had been shredded.
She dropped the picture in horror, backing away from the table. The red stains on her body matched, but the terrible injury did not. She shook her head, unable to accept the image as real.
Golden hesitated a moment, looking around for further clues. An array of large drainage needles stood ready beside a biohazard collection container. Other macabre equipment like scalpels and saws were arranged carefully around the table. Golden slowly backed away from the instruments, unwilling to look upon them any longer.
She hastily slipped out the door, not caring where she was going and not looking back at the dead stallion on the floor. All Golden wanted now was to be away from the room that, to her, resembled a torture chamber.
The floor in the hallway looked worn from long years. Perhaps wheels of carts and rolling tables had scarred it. An image of gurneys carrying dead bodies flashed in Golden’s imagination, forcing uninvited sickness upon herself.
While she was grateful that death had not greeted her here, this was still perhaps the worst situation she could ever imagine being in. Her hooves fumbled with every step, distraction making her movements clumsy.
A door marked “shower” presented itself. That sounded like an excellent idea to Golden, for she desperately wished to rid herself of the stains. After quickly glancing down the hall, she ducked inside. The room was utilitarian but perfectly serviceable. A window with frosted glass was opposite of the door. Moonlight showed through it.
How long have I been dea— Golden shook her head. That was the wrong line of thinking. Instead, she wondered, What time is it?
She stepped into the shower stall and cranked on the water. With soap, she swiftly began removing the crimson stains from her body. Her hooves pushed hard, almost pulling hair and feathers. To her relief, the blood cleared away with minimal effort.
Golden shut off the water, turning around to discover she’d forgotten to draw the shower curtain, but didn’t really care at the moment. She stepped gingerly into the accumulated puddle, shaking out her wings and wiping droplets from her face. After a moment to look around, it became apparent that there were no towels available. Compared to everything else, that was a relatively small problem. Golden would much rather be wet than covered in blood.
Stepping carefully through the puddle, Golden turned towards the sinks and mirrors across the room. After clearing the steam from it, she leaned forward and held the edge of the sink to view her reflection. Other than being dripping wet with her mane falling in front of her eyes, she didn’t look bad. All the bloodstains were gone, and despite the gruesome pictures in her file, she still hadn’t discovered any injuries.
Her eyelids dipped low over her blue irises while becoming slightly relaxed. The situation was weird and worrying, but nothing seemed to be wrong with her. She sighed and allowed herself a smile with the feeling of hope. Strange how the image in the mirror suddenly tore that optimism away.
Golden leaned forward. There was something in her mouth. With her tongue, she could feel an unusual addition. Balancing on two legs with gentle flaps of her wings, she put her hooves up to peel back her lips. Two pointed incisors greeted her, pearly white and wickedly sharp.
“What in the world…?” The teeth did not seem to affect her speech, and Golden observed how they seemed to fit snugly in her mouth as if they actually belonged there. She tugged on one, trying to remove it. All she got for her trouble was an ache in her gums.
Turning her head to get a better angle, Golden attempted to determine how to remove the offending teeth, but didn’t spot any bonding cement or other means of holding them in. The roots were anchored securely, deep in her upper jaw. A shot of panic running through her, Golden slammed a hoof into her mouth, trying to forcibly knock them out. One of the fangs actually loosened, but the pain was so great Golden was not about to try it again. Distracted as she was, Golden didn’t notice the loose tooth reset itself firmly back into its socket.
Fangs. That one word brought forth a memory of what had happened to her. The remembrance felt like a direct, mental blow to the head. Golden knew why she’d woken up in the funeral home. She had been murdered.
Golden fell backwards away from the mirror, her eyes squeezed shut and covered with her hooves as if that would block the visions her memories were bringing forth. That colt in her school class, the awkward, quiet one. He’d disappeared; dead, they said, but when she had encountered him later that night, the horrible truth had been revealed.
Gasping with choked cries, Golden rolled onto her front, uncaring of the water on the floor. The painful memories would not stop. She had tried to get away from her attacker, but he was too strong, too fast. His teeth, sharp pointed fangs had looked so out of place on his young face.
Golden remembered what had happened to her throat. She remembered the agony and fear as her life had been taken. After that, there was nothing but blackness. Nothing until she’d awoken in the cooler.
It was impossible not to jump to conclusions about how that was possible. There was only one possibility in Golden’s mind, although she forbid herself from thinking about it. She pried her eyes open, desperate for stimulation away from her thoughts. Drops of blood that mixed with the water coated the tips of her hooves. Jerking upright, she spun to face the mirror. Tears, bloody tears, ran down her cheeks. Her mouth was open in anguish, the expression her reflection wore was frightened and desperate. Golden had never seen such a terrifying creature.
Golden pressed her eyes closed, trying to halt her crying. She dashed for the shower again, this time uncaring about pulling the curtain. Vigorously scrubbing her face was painful, but Golden kept her muzzle turned to the shower head until the temperature ran cold. Even then, it took several minutes for her to consider getting out.
What now? She had no idea how to proceed. Leaving the funeral home seemed like a place to start. Golden forced herself to stop weeping before turning off the water and exiting the shower. Crying blood had come as a worse shock than possessing fangs.
She reached for the light switch on her way out of the shower room, but found that it was already off. Glancing back at the moonlit window, Golden started in surprise, discovering that her eyes could see so easily in the dim environment. Briefly flicking the light switch brought forth significantly more illumination, but she found that it wasn’t necessary.
Golden turned and carefully made her way through the dark corridors. Finding an exit, she stepped out of the building and into the night. A cool breeze played over her wet body, carrying with it the small sounds of various night creatures and insects. Golden’s ears twitched, seemingly more interested in her surroundings than she was.
If this was Hoofshire, Golden was nowhere near home. It would take all night to fly back to Fillydelphia. Was that what she wanted to do, though? Her parents thought she was dead. Surely her classmates in high school had heard the news. How would they react to her sudden appearance, especially now that she was...different?
There was a slight spark of hope. Golden’s coltfriend lived in Hoofshire. He was a year older, having graduated from school and gotten his own place. Under the circumstances, Golden reluctantly decided that visiting him was the best option. She just wished there was an easier way of breaking the news to him. Hello, I’m not actually dead, but there’s a problem…
She would just have to face that issue when she came to it. Golden spread her wings and took off into the night sky. The temperature dropped at altitude, but despite still being dripping wet, Golden did not feel cold.
Rich Mine lived in a small house several blocks from the funeral home, located near the edge of the forest outside Hoofshire. Despite being so young, his skills in acquiring precious metals and gems had already earned him enough money to pay for his own place. His mane, usually combed back, often loomed slightly over his jade eyes, complementing the blue coat that was always groomed thoroughly into a sleek shine. His cutie mark resembled a crisp diamond. With her own special talent for jewelry, Golden sometimes suspected it was something else, perhaps a similar-looking crystal of lesser value, like zircon, but had never asked.
She landed lightly on Rich’s doorstep. His bedroom light was on, giving her confidence to tap on the door. After the sound of knocking had faded, Golden thought she heard somepony speak from inside the house. Then came the sound of steps approaching the door. Golden was sure her hearing had never been so sharp before.
Rich opened the front door and blinked a few times in surprise upon seeing Golden standing before him. His jaw worked up and down as he tried to formulate a coherent sentence.
“G- Golden? You- but- what happened? Are you alright? How did you get here?” Without pausing for breath, Rich glanced down at Golden’s body and noticed her dripping coat. “Goodness gracious, you’re soaking! Come on inside, let’s get you dried off and then you can tell me what’s going on.”
At her coltfriend’s invitation, Golden felt some of the tension in her shoulders relax. She allowed herself to be shepherded into the home in Rich’s warm embrace. The mare leaned further into Rich’s shoulder, his body heat seeping into her own chilly frame. A thick, fluffy towel floated over towards the two of them from the bathroom, encased in Rich’s magic.
Golden took a seat on the couch in the living room when offered it by her coltfriend, sinking slightly into the luxuriously plush piece of furniture. He quickly sat beside her and hugged her close as he toweled her off with magic.
“You’re so cold, Golden,” said Rich. “What happened?”
It was the question she’d been hoping to avoid. She frowned a bit as she considered being honest and telling him everything, even the part about being...changed. In the back of her mind, though, there was a little niggling doubt that she couldn’t shake. Could he accept this? How would he react?
“Well, you see, Rich, it’s rather... it’s kind of like...” Indecision wracked her mind, her heart telling her to trust him while her instincts told her to be cautious. “I don’t really remember much of anything,” she finally said, resolving to follow her gut for now. “I was just strolling through the park back in Fillydelphia when I woke up suddenly in a f- in a freezer in the-” Golden had to stop as sobs threatened to overtake her body, the hugeness of the situation crashing over her like a tidal wave. She couldn’t even cry without revealing her changed nature.
Rich gently levitated the towel away, finished with drying her off. He squeezed her shoulder. “It’s alright, Golden, you’re here now, and you’re safe. I’m listening.”
The filly took a few calming breaths before continuing. “So, I just remember waking up in a freezer. It was really, really cold, so I started banging around until the drawer slid open and I could get out.” Technically it wasn’t a lie, but distorting the truth didn’t make Golden feel any better. “I stumbled around the place for a bit when I found the showers- I figured a hot shower would help with the coldness. I had just finished with one when I heard a bit of a commotion from back where I’d come from, so I took off before I could dry myself. I- you were the only pony nearby that I could think to come to.” That was stretching things quite a bit, but Golden wanted to keep her story consistent without giving away her condition.
“Oh, goodness, you must feel terrible! Let me make you some hot chocolate, it’ll warm you right up.” Rich stood up and helped Golden to her hooves, then led her across the room and towards his comfortably-sized kitchen. Golden took a seat at the mahogany table as Rich levitated out a pot and began heating a mixture of milk, cocoa, and sugar. It was a recipe Golden had tasted before, and she licked her lips in anticipation.
The scent of the melting chocolate mixing with the other ingredients was heavenly; Golden wasn’t sure she had ever been able to pick out such fine levels of the smells involved in making hot chocolate. For the moment, she was simply entranced by the scents and by watching Rich as he calmly stirred the mixture around inside the pot.
It wasn’t very long until Rich set the mixing spoon aside and levitated two empty crystal glasses from a cabinet above the stove, setting them and the pot of steaming cocoa on the table in front of Golden. She began to grin, but the feeling of her fangs against her spreading lips reminded her to restrain herself. Rich poured out two equal measures of chocolate into each glass, taking one for himself and offering the other to Golden.
Golden was about to take a greedy sip from hers when a sudden thought struck her, and she began to giggle. Lowering his own glass, Rich dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.
“Oh, I just thought it was funny how we were drinking hot chocolate out of fancy crystal glasses,” Golden said, still tittering a bit, though her mirth was somewhat mitigated by the ever-present need to keep her teeth out of sight.
A bit of a nervous frown appeared on Rich’s face. “You don’t like it? I can get a mug if you want.”
Surprised, Golden shook her head. “No, no, it’s fine, I just thought it was a little different. My parents don’t usually bring out the nice dishes at our house unless we have guests over.”
There was a lull in the conversation; Golden still distracted by her thoughts. Rich’s brow furrowed slightly, contemplating what Golden might have been meant by that, though the filly in question didn’t pick up on the expression.
“You know, I remember when we made these glasses,” Golden said after a few more moments, her eyes not really focused on the here and now. “It was one of the first activities we did as a couple, both of us being so talented with beautiful things.”
“Er, yeah, that was a while ago now, wasn’t it?” said Rich, his nervous expression slipping away at the change in topic. “I’ve been lucky to have you for so long.” He added a sincere smile to accompany his words. A bit of a blush crept into Golden’s cheeks as Rich reached over to take her hoof in his own, stroking it gently.
“You’re still really cold, babe! Why don’t we head upstairs, I have some warm, thick blankets in my room that you can use.” Golden thought it was a wonderful idea. They got up, Rich leading her towards his bedroom. He gestured for her to take a spot on the bed before shutting the door behind them. He set down the chocolate on a nightstand next to the bed, trotted over to the closet and opened it, pulling out a large, fluffy blanket from within.
A slight sound caught Golden’s attention from where Rich was fetching the blanket, sort of like a gasp that was barely audible. She shook her head, dismissing it as her coltfriend climbed into bed beside her and wrapped the blanket around the two of them. Its weight was comforting, as was the warmth of Rich snuggling up beside her.
Golden could feel her tension melting away as she curled up into Rich’s sturdy shoulder. A comfortable, bubbly heat began welling up from inside her, and she let her wings unfurl to a more relaxed, sprawled open position. She settled her head into the crook of Rich’s neck, nuzzling against him and relishing the softness and warmth of his coat against her cheek.
She felt his chin come to rest on the top of her head, mussing her already-tousled mane. Golden hummed, content for the moment to lose herself in Rich’s warm embrace.
“Feeling better, Goldy?” asked Rich, his voice low and quiet. “Or do you still need me to warm you up some more?”
Golden smiled; she could practically hear the silly grin in his voice, the one that he always made when he wanted to get a little more familiar with her. That could really help her forget her problems.
“I think that would be nice,” she said, humming a bit more and turning her head to kiss his neck. On an impulse, she flicked out her tongue and took a long lick of his throat. It tasted tantalizingly sweet and the tiniest bit tangy.
Rich rolled over onto his side, slowly bringing Golden with him, so that she was nestled against his underbelly. He rested a hoof across her cool flank and began stroking her gently, moving up to trace slow circles across her chest and wings. She in turn continued to nuzzle against his shoulder and neck, inhaling his delicious scent and kissing his firm body.
It wasn’t long before the colt let his hooves wander further down Golden’s body, massaging her abdomen with long strokes and light pressure. As his hooves brushed against her nipples he was rewarded with the first pleasurable moan of the night.
“Oooh, Rich,” mumbled Golden, her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks flushed with delight. Almost unconsciously, her rear leg lifted itself up, allowing access to the lowest part of her body.
Her coltfriend didn’t waste any time in capitalizing on the fact, and in moments one of his hooves slid lower and lower across her soft belly before coming to rest over her nethers. Golden hummed again, the feeling of his hoof poised over her entrance causing her body to shiver in anticipation. She couldn’t help but let out a brief gasp as he brushed his hoof over her treasure, the sensation spurring her on.
Golden let herself meld into Rich, her hips beginning to buck and squirm in time with his hoof as it stroked and massaged her tender flesh while his other hoof continued to minister to her nipples and belly. She sighed in pleasure, feeling herself become damp in her nethers; the filly soon had a hefty trickle of arousal leaking from her marehood, which Rich’s hoof spread about, wetting and electrifying her whole lower self.
“You haven’t changed a bit, Goldy,” breathed Rich, his voice low and hot. He made a quick twist with his forehoof around the filly’s most sensitive spot and she squealed in response, bucking her hips. He nipped her ear lightly with his teeth, eliciting another gasp from her.
Golden was vaguely aware of the irony in his statement, but the mind-numbingly hot sensations emanating from her marehood to her shivering body kept her from focusing on much of anything else. A gleeful purr rumbled in her throat as she felt a warm, fleshy appendage beginning to press against the cool inside of her raised thigh just above her throbbing treasure.
“Somepony’s a little excited,” Golden panted. She moved one of her forehooves down to Rich’s pride and pressed it firmly but gently against her marehood, cooing softly at the warmth coming off of it. Once more her hips began to move of their own accord, grinding her against his rapidly hardening member and coating him with her juices. The filly grinned as she was rewarded with a breathy groan from her coltfriend and a quick jerk of his hips against hers.
“Ah, Goldy, are... are you ready?” Rich asked, sliding his now-unoccupied hoof all the way up her body to her chin, tipping it back to expose her throat to a deluge of kisses and licks.
Golden breathed a heavy gasp before responding with a breathy “Yes, please!” She willed her lower half to stop gyrating on his tool and took it in her hooves, guiding it towards her entrance solely by the heat she could feel coming off of it. She pressed his tip against her nether lips, shuddering at the sensation of it.
Rich pressed his hips forward tantalizingly slowly, sliding his way into her inner self inch by inch. Both ponies let out long, intensely satisfied groans at the feeling of his member parting her slick nethers, stopping only to catch their breath when he finally seated himself fully inside of her.
“Oh, baby,” Golden mumbled, her breath short and quick, the feeling of him pulsing against her walls bringing her blood to a flourishing boil. “Give me some more of that.”
“Coming right up, Goldy,” said Rich, a playful, sensual ring to his voice. He pulled his hips back, sliding his stallionhood out of Golden and sending a wave of pleasure through her body. When he was almost completely out, he paused and slid his way back in again, even slower than the first time.
Golden sighed in pleasure for a moment, then breathed “Rich, stop teasing me! Oh, you- oh, yes...” The filly trailed off as he once again stuffed himself entirely inside of her folds, filling her up nicely.
Rich pulled out again, more quickly this time, sliding out easily, and thrust into her with a little extra force and speed. Golden gasped and moaned in delight, bucking her hips back in return. Another retreat from Rich and another thrust into her marehood followed, the two lovers synchronizing themselves into a steady rhythm of ins and outs, backwards and forwards, all accompanied by the wet, fleshy slapping of Rich’s hips against Golden’s.
Things got rather blurry for Golden as she lay on her side, taking his pounding cock with breathy coos and soft moans. Her nethers dripped and squeezed her coltfriend’s member, the slight friction heating her chilled insides like a burning bonfire. His hooves slid down to her flanks, holding her steady to more effectively stuff his tool inside her; that left her head free to move about once again.
After she lost count of how many times he’d slid in and out of her, she began to become aware of an odd, yet alluring sensation- she could easily hear and especially feel his heart beating solidly in his chest. The sound stirred an urge deep within her, something new and primal. Still grunting and groaning, she leaned her head back and turned her nose to his throat once again. She inhaled deeply, the intoxicating scent of stallion musk filling her nostrils and sending another wave of chills down her spine.
Mixed in with Rich’s distinctive scent was another smell, and Golden felt her mouth begin to salivate much like her lower lips; she smelled the blood coursing through his veins. The blood coursing through his body, and by extension hers as well, counting his little friend currently thrusting into her marehood. After a particularly forceful pounding from Rich, a thought wormed its way into her pleasure-numbed mind.
I wonder what he tastes like.. what he really tastes like, on the inside...
Acting on instinct, Golden let her tongue snake out of her mouth and trace a path along his exposed throat, her taste buds rasping just the faintest bit against his coat. Not satisfied, she opened her mouth a bit wider and clasped a small pinch of his skin between her flat front incisors. The tender, novel sensation filled her with excitement, and she took another small nip at his neck. Out of a sense of rhythm, she began biting Rich with her blunt teeth for each thrust he made into her nethers, sending her mind reeling with ecstasy.
It wasn’t long after that she began to breathe heavily, irregularly, and her inner walls clenched tighter and tighter against Rich’s cock. She felt her finer motor control slipping away, and Golden could barely restrain herself from wildly thrashing her hips against his.
During one of her bucks and nips, Golden slipped forward a bit and accidentally bit him harder than normal. Rich let out a brief yelp but kept pounding away at her pussy. Golden went to lick his neck, hoping to make it feel better, when her tongue felt a warm, succulent liquid on his skin. Surprised, she lowered her muzzle and glanced at the spot. Her eyes began to shrink to the size of pinpricks at the sight of blood on his throat. The sight of the thick, red liquid drew out once more the deeply-buried urge she felt. It burned at her mind like hot coals from a fire, and after a long moment she gave in, planting her muzzle into his neck to lap away at the small trickle of blood, its exquisite taste on her tongue sending spasms of pleasure to her entire body.
It was enough to put her over the edge; she felt the storm brewing in her body about to explode, so she nipped him again, drawing another light flow of blood right next to the first to drink greedily of his life fluids. With her face buried in his neck and his pride buried in her marehood, Golden felt her body seize up, and she cried out in raw, primal ecstasy. Even as she rode out the waves of her orgasm, she felt his cock twitch and jerk and then shoot streams of hot, sticky liquid into her inner self; combined with the mouthful of blood she swallowed, a sweeping feeling of being stuffed full enveloped her and she moaned loudly again.
Golden let her body come to a rest after another buck or two against Rich’s softening member, which began to shrink back down to normal size. The pleasantly stretched gap it withdrew from let a steady stream of both their fluids leak out of her, leaving a warm trail running down her inner thigh and rump. She breathed deeply several times, taking in the feel of Rich’s warm and sweaty pelt against hers, the steady thump of his heartbeat keeping pace with her own-
The filly paused, her muscles stiffening a bit as a realization hit her.
That’s not my heartbeat. Wait a second, I can’t even feel my own-! Golden had to struggle to keep panic from overtaking her as the euphoric buzz from her intimacy was instantly stolen away. Oh no, I can’t let Rich notice! He’ll get suspicious and I’ll have to tell him about what happened!
Trying to keep her movements normal, Golden sat up on the bed, which allowed the rest of the remaining cum to pool under her on the blanket.
“Golden? Everything alright?” Rich asked, shooting a concerned look up at her. She shrugged in response before giving a verbal answer.
“Yeah, I just needed to go and, er, get a little something to clean up our mess. Be right back!” Golden didn’t wait for a response before trotting out of the room. She shut the door gently but quickly behind her and sagged against the wall opposite it.
My heart doesn’t even beat anymore. That’s bad enough already, but- what if there’s more stuff that’s different now? Am I- am I even still- Her thoughts in that direction were quickly crushed, and she hastened towards the bathroom just down the hall. There has to be something that hasn’t changed about me, something that’s the same!
Moving to the bathroom, Golden quickly scanned around for anything that could be potentially useful in proving her continued status among the living. Finding a thermometer in the medicine cabinet, she quickly scooped it up into her mouth and waited for the red bar to climb up towards the high end. A minute or two passed, and with impatience she checked the thermometer. When she saw the reading on it, her body slumped and her muscles slackened in shock, allowing the instrument to fall to the tiled floor and shatter into pieces.
Not even room temperature... The filly began to realize just how cool her skin really was, as the chilly night air didn’t phase her in the slightest. She was colder than it was.
I really am dead. None of the expected vital signs were present in her body. There was no denying it any more, and Golden began crying, no longer caring that it would leave bloody streaks down her face. She collapsed fully to the floor, sobbing quietly at the loss of the life she once knew. I can’t do this. I can’t go on like this.
The urge to get angry at fate fluttered into her mind, but Golden didn’t even bother to consider it. What was the point anyway? It wouldn’t change anything. Nothing could change her more than she had already been changed.
A few minutes passed. Golden stood up shakily, determined to do something, at least. She half-stumbled back towards Rich’s room feeling a vague need to speak with somepony, and he was the closest. In this darkest of moments, companionship would be a welcome comfort.
She had almost reached the door to Rich’s bedroom when she heard a pair of soft voices coming from inside. One sounded like Rich. The other was female. Straining her hearing through the door’s keyhole, Golden picked up parts of the conversation.
"It was kind of weird of her to get up and leave like that, not to mention the fact that she bit you hard enough to draw blood!"
"Yeah, but then again, everything about her showing up here has been weird. Last I heard, she’s supposed to be dead! And yet, here she is on my doorstep, dripping wet like she’d just hopped out of a lake, and all sorts of other weird."
"I wonder what’s going on with her? Truth be told, I kind of wanted to meet her. And, well, I heard you two going at it from the closet, it was pretty hot!"
There was a sound as if Rich had just facehoofed.
"I haven’t told her about you yet, Doily. I wasn’t sure how she’d react. And of course you’d be hot for listening to sex in a closet, wouldn’t you?" Rich’s tone shifted to playful, hiding a grin that spoke of intimate things to come.
Golden’s eyes unfocused as her mind reeled from the implications of what she was hearing. I- He was- Rich is cheating on me! On me! She was hiding in the closet when I got to the bedroom- she heard everything! She was- Rich was going to be with her!
Unconsciously, Golden felt her sad frown turn into an angry, hard grimace, exposing her fangs to the world. She could feel a building rage lurking in the back of her mind, beginning to take over from the despair she’d felt not too long ago. Golden raised her hoof and brought it crashing down on the door. Through her anger, it didn’t even surprise her that the impact snapped the lock and the door swung open.
Two ponies stood beside the open closet door, their muzzles locked together in a passionate kiss. One was the familiar form of Rich, and the other a bright, fluffy pink pegasus mare. Her thoroughly tousled mane was white with blue highlights. Probably doesn’t bother to straighten it between lays, thought Golden. She noted that the pink pony’s cutie mark was a heart with two different colored halves locked together as if in a lustful embrace. This was most likely ‘Doily’.
At the sound of the door nearly being ripped from its hinges, the pair separated in surprise. Both stared at her with wide, astonished eyes, horrified by the bloody tears on Golden’s face and by the violence in her movements.
“G- Golden?” Rich stuttered, taking a step back from her.
“Yes? What is it, Rich?” said Golden, her tone ominously neutral.
“Are you- are you alright?”
It was deathly silent for a few seconds.
“No!” shouted Golden, “No, I am not alright! Do you know what I’ve gone through? I woke up in a cooler for bodies, everypony thinks I’m dead, and now I find out that my coltfriend was getting some on the side the whole time!”
Rich didn’t respond, having not yet regained control of his speech. Golden realized he wasn’t looking her in the eye, instead staring at a point a few inches lower. Her lips were pulled back, fangs on full display. His eyes widened in understanding and a fearful look came into them.
“You’re a-”
“Yes, I know,” Golden said bitterly, cutting him off. A harder tone crept into her voice as she continued. “I hoped that you would understand, that maybe I would still have a friend in the world.”
“I’m sure we can still be friends,” the pink pegasus chimed in, a nervous and weak smile on her face.
Golden rounded on the other mare, fury in her gaze. “Shut up! I’ll deal with you when I’m finished with him.”
Rich winced as Golden swung her eyes back to his face. Her expression softened, but only slightly. “I loved you, Rich. I was so scared when I found out what happened to me. I came here because I trusted you. I thought I could count on you. Please, don’t be like this!”
Rich swallowed hard, clearly uncomfortable and unwilling to take his eyes off Golden. “I think you should go.” Inspiration appeared to strike, and Rich quickly added, “You aren’t welcome in my house anymore.”
All three ponies paused, expecting something dramatic to happen. A moment passed. Golden relaxed some tension she didn’t know she was holding. It seemed that the old mythological stories about vampires needing to be invited into houses weren’t true. Of course, she should have known that the old tales were false the moment she saw her reflection in a mirror.
Not only had Rich been dishonest, but now he wanted to be rid of her. Golden dropped her gaze to the floor, ears sagging. The blood that streamed from her crying had begun to dry and she felt the stickiness on her face. Quietly, she asked, “Don’t you love me?”
Several seconds ticked away as the question hung in the air. Rich didn’t reply. Tortured with his silence, Golden looked up. He was backed against the wall, staring with terrified eyes as if she was a grotesque monster. Taking a careful step in his direction, Golden started to say, “Rich, please; I’m so sorry I-”
Smack. His hoof collided with her face. In the next instant, Golden’s toothy maw was open wide and lunging for his throat. Even as her mind cried out to stop, her reflexes responded with a counterattack.
Until she experienced it personally, Golden had no idea that tearing skin and flesh made a sound. A ferocious growl from deep in her throat blotted out most of the wet squelching of spurting blood and rending flesh, but she distinctly noticed her fangs clicking against Rich’s vertebrae as she gouged into his muscle and tissue. Thick fountains of blood exploded into and onto her muzzle and face, coloring her vision red and painting everything within range of the spray a deep crimson.
She slammed him against the wall, pinning his body so Rich could not struggle as she mauled him. The grim sound of her gnawing was completely drowned out by Doily’s ear-piercing, cacophonous screams, which to Golden’s ears created a grisly, macabre melody to complement the feast.
Windpipe severed, Rich was unable to cry out. He fumbled about for several moments, struggling against Golden’s implacable hold. She felt and heard his panicked heart pounding fiercely in his chest, just as he managed a slight turn of his nearly-dismembered head. He locked eyes with Golden, fear and revulsion burning in his rapidly fading gaze.
In a fit of rage, Golden snapped her jaws shut with a powerful crack, severing his spine and sending a final spurt of blood from a ravaged artery all over her and the walls. Her bite was so fierce that even the ceiling was spattered with a few drops.
Golden slowly let her grip loosen. The mutilated stallion dropped to the floor, his wounds even worse than those in Golden’s postmortem pictures. His frightened slap to her cheek seemed like such a pittance in comparison.
I killed him... Golden licked her lips. It was- She didn’t finish her thought, but the word would have been delicious. Despite Golden’s desperate mental objections, her body had overwhelmingly decided that blood was her new favorite meal.
She swallowed and turned away from the body, spotting Doily cowering on the other side of the room, now managing to form actual words rather than mere shrieks. “Stop! I wouldn’t be here if Rich hadn’t invited me! The timing was terrible! I’m supposed to be home right now!”
A fresh surge of anger went through Golden. Here was the mare responsible for Rich’s unfaithfulness. On top of that, she was the only other pony who knew Golden’s new and true identity, and had witnessed what she had done.
“Please don’t!” whimpered Doily as Golden approached, the cries becoming more subdued and plaintive as the two locked eyes. “I just want to go home!”
“So do I.” Golden glared at her, the vampire’s soft hoofsteps the only other sound in the room. “But I can’t; I can never go back, not anymore. I didn’t ask for this, I didn’t want things to end this way. I’m sorry.”
Doily made a desperate break for freedom, aiming for the window, but was caught by the vampire’s hooves. Golden noted with detachment that her appendages now seemed more dexterous than usual. Additionally, it felt as though her strength had increased tenfold, making it easy to drag Doily’s struggling form away from the window.
Changing direction, Doily squirmed free of Golden’s iron grip and sped for the bedroom door. All too easily, Golden’s hooves lashed out and knocked her to the floor, pinning the desperate mare beneath her with little effort. Her pink feathered wings beat ineffectively against the floor and Golden’s body.
Doily ceased her struggles, staring with terror into the waiting teeth of her assailant. “Do it! Just... make it quick, please...”
The request came unexpectedly, causing Golden to pause from simply digging in because of pure surprise. The welcome was inviting, but counterbalanced by the even larger surprise of Doily’s moistening slit. Golden realized that her knee was inadvertently rubbing the pink pony’s sensitive spot. “You... you’re turned on by this?!”
Doily wriggled beneath Golden, intimate parts of herself searching for relief against Golden’s lower body. “It’s not like I want to be... You’re making it difficult, though, you know!”
Golden’s clenched teeth partially sheathed themselves behind her lips, too flattered by the complement to focus on what she was instinctually doing. Doily went on, a defensive edge to her voice. “You’re on top of me, being completely dominating, right after you got laid by a hot stallion. You’re not even that bad-looking yourself! So, you can kind of understand why I might be a little excited!”
Golden considered the pink pegasus, pondering how she seemed to be so open and inviting. Truthfully, Doily wasn’t really at fault here. Golden couldn’t really blame her.
With the upsetting changes in Golden’s life, in front of her was an opportunity she might never encounter again. She carefully brought her hoof down under Doily’s neck and lifted her head. Doily’s eyes instinctively closed as their mouths met.
Golden had never in her life been in such a position with the same sex, something she regretted now more than ever. The taste of Doily’s lips and tongue resembled sweets, and her pearly whites were notably lacking something; a feature Golden was learning to live with, something which she only found within her own mouth. A pair of razor sharp fangs. Something could be done about that, and Doily seemed willing, but... waiting for the transformation would be far too time consuming, and Golden wanted Doily’s body now.
Their lips separated, Doily’s tongue reaching out to prolong contact as long as possible. Once Golden broke the kiss, her soon-to-be dead friend squealed in arousal and fear, but mostly from arousal. That made the next part all the more jarring.
With her hooves on either side of Doily’s neck, Golden violently jerked the other mare’s head back, baring her throat for easy access. Doily gasped but only managed a brief whimper before Golden’s teeth sliced through her skin. Struggling was ineffective, and her strength to fight ebbed away. Pinned as she was, her efforts were in vain; even as she tried to scream, Golden clamped down on her windpipe, cutting off Doily’s air and silencing her.
The bite Golden had inflicted was not immediately fatal. It merely opened up a large blood vessel on one side of Doily’s neck. It was hard not to compare the flow to a water fountain as Golden eagerly swallowed as much as possible, trying not to let any leak past her lips. Doily’s warm body made an excellent place to rest as Golden continued to gulp mouthfuls of blood straight from the source.
The solid thumping of Doily’s heart grew fainter and its output of blood began to slack. Golden kept drinking right up to the point when the beating faded altogether.
Satisfied and feeling pleasantly full, Golden rolled sideways and lay beside Doily’s limp form. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, licking blood from her lips. There was more on her face, but it was unreachable with her tongue. Wiping at it with her hooves, Golden paused, staring at the mess she’d made.
Sitting up, the full extent of the scarlet painting her coat and the rest of the room became clear. Golden paused, astonished by how much blood she’d imbibed and how much more was splashed around the room. As Golden sat gazing at what she’d done, the reason for her shock was not horror. She began to quiver and shake.
It doesn’t bother me at all, she thought, staring intently at the pink and red corpse of Doily, still warm and pliable, although slack and dull, her healthy complexion completely faded. The loss of so much blood left her body small and slightly shrivelled, like a raisin left to dry in the sun The sight of it didn’t even cause Golden to bat an eye. That’s why I can’t stop shaking. Golden’s gaze shifted to her own hoof, which couldn’t seem to stick in the same spot for more than a second.
Golden’s full stomach suddenly seemed burdensome. Her lips twitched, suppressing a horrified gasp. All this gore, her work; she’d liked it. The filly quickly rose to her hooves and staggered towards the bedroom door, a need to get away from everything spurring her frayed thoughts on.
Tears began to flow again, but this time there was no stopping them. Golden blinked hard, unable to continue forward due to her choked sobs.
A shot of guilt and shame went through Golden, but there was no taking this back. Two ponies had died by her actions. She was a monster. There was no way to change that; no way to fix things, but...she could stop this from happening to anypony else.
She went over to the bed and broke three of its legs, effortlessly snapping the wood. Small droplets of blood followed her, smearing into sticky hoofprints on the floor. Golden positioned the splintered end of one of the table legs over Doily’s heart. Golden knew its location, as she’d heard the organ beating just minutes before.
Throwing her weight into it, the improvised stake split the ribs of the deceased pony, driving deep into Golden’s target. Another vampire was the last thing Equestria needed. Golden pulled away, the splintered wood firmly embedded in Doily’s torso.
Still weeping, Golden moved across the room to Rich. She tried to keep from looking at the damage she’d done, but couldn’t resist a last glimpse of his face. Despite what Golden may have felt about his betrayal, nopony deserved death and especially not the kind she’d given him.
Golden closed her eyes as she forced the shaft of wood into his chest, not wanting to observe. Despite that, a wet squelching noise and cracking bones didn’t leave much to the imagination.
Her task nearly complete, Golden took a reluctant look around the room, one last horrible reminder, before carrying the final bed leg out the door and into the back yard. She knew that the ghastly scene inside the house would eventually be found by some poor pony that she had no qualms against. She felt sorry for whoever that would be, though it was slightly diminished by the fact that it would be just another sin on her shoulders.
Celestia knows I have enough of those already. I- I never asked for this! I never wanted things to end like this... Still, Golden knew that no matter how far she’d sunk, she could at least do something to try and set things right. To that end she had to gather all her courage for the task ahead; it was something she couldn’t afford to back out of, not now. Golden wasn’t sure if she was brave enough for a second attempt.
Taking to the sky, she rose up to a comfortable altitude. No, higher. I need to be sure. Golden kept beating her wings, slowly moving out over the forest behind the house. The building itself looked like a tiny speck when Golden finally decided that she was high enough.
The jagged end of the table leg felt rough against her chest. Golden held it close, slowly steeling her will.
There was a pink glow on the horizon, a signal of the coming sunrise. Golden gazed at it longingly, but knew she had something more important to accomplish. Carefully holding her improvised problem solution in the correct position, Golden tucked her wings and began to fall.
Wind whistled in her ears and the tall forest trees loomed larger and larger. Fear crept into Golden’s senses, but she was committed to finishing this. Lower she dropped, approaching the leafy canopy. The skewer she’d fashioned led her descent.
It would only be a few moments now until she was dead, well and truly dead. She couldn’t keep her breath from accelerating to a frantic pace as her end rushed to meet her. Golden had to forcibly restrain the powerful instinct burning in her mind to pull up and abort her mission.
The morning sun crested the horizon and flashed Golden’s sensitive eyes with brilliant light. She winced, but kept true to her task. The trees came rushing up. Golden closed her eyes.
The tallest branches raked at her body and Golden clenched her jaw to stifle a cry. Her bone-jarring plummet through limbs and boughs ended with a crashing halt on the unforgiving earth.
Golden’s body continued its motion even after the wooden shaft had stuck into the ground like a jagged tooth. The sharp spear punctured her skin easily, every inch it penetrated bringing a fresh agony. The point burst from her back, completing its journey through Golden’s body. She thudded against the ground with a crack of breaking bones.
The songbirds had gone silent at the disturbance, but the moment stillness returned to the forest, they began to sing again. Their colorful figures flitted quickly between boughs and branches, curious as to what might have transpired. A small gathering of forest creatures congregated around the unmoving body of the white filly. The chirping and sounds of activity found its way to Golden’s ears. One of them twitched in response.
The first thing she realized was how much her chest hurt; it was as though somepony had lit a bonfire and stuffed it in her heart. She screamed at the sudden feeling as though she’d been punched in the gut by a manticore, scattering the animals. Lying on the ground, Golden writhed around trying to mitigate the agony wracking her body. Nothing helped, and she desperately continued trying to learn the source of her torture.
Golden put one hoof down and rolled herself over, groaning sharply and lifting her head from the ground. The soil around her looked similar to the horrific scene she’d left behind in Rich’s house, blood spattered all about. Glancing down, Golden noticed that the stake was protruding grotesquely from her body at an awkward angle.
That really hurts, Golden thought, her thoughts sluggish in the midst of the torturous feeling of being impaled on a wooden stake. Judging by the location of the puncture wound, the shaft had torn her skin as it hit the edge of her sternum and veered slightly to the side to stab through her liver and left lung before ripping out the other side of her torso. Her target-the heart-had been missed.
The skin around the stake was rough and shredded, oozing more blood onto the ground. Gritting her teeth, Golden reached up with both forehooves and gripped the wood tightly. A sharp jab of twisting pain shot from the wound, but she did her best to ignore it and took a deep breath.
Golden ripped the stake out of her chest. Once again it felt as though she were literally being burned alive, the tortured pain in her chest ripping through her. Blood spattered all over, much of it from her earlier meal. She screamed in agony and relief, the bloody stake falling from her limp hoof.
That was when the pain started to recede. Golden’s eyebrows shot up as she saw the edges of the wound begin to creep together, sealing itself up right before her eyes. It was several moments before Golden could formulate a cohesive thought.
I can’t even kill myself. She let her head slump back down to the ground and lay flat as a flood of thoughts overtook her. I can’t even do that right, after everything that’s happened. She stared at the motes of sunlight that filtered through the trees, her emotions somehow managing to sink lower than before. I’m cursed. I can’t die, but I can’t live with myself. I have to do something! But I can’t . What do I do? I’m cursed...I can’t die... Golden’s thoughts trailed off into a jumble of despairing, cyclical incongruities.
The sun was still rising, but other than being an annoyance, Golden had already determined that it wouldn’t burn her alive. She was unable to pay for her sins, nor could she escape them. The sun welcomed her to the first day of the rest of her life. A life that every moment she would spend in regret and disappointment.
I can’t do this. There’s no way. Golden kept still. Getting up meant that she agreed to struggle on. It was simply impossible for her to do.
Minutes turned to hours. Golden lay, her feelings stripped to nothing but raw pain. Even that began to fade. Through the day, various sounds filtered through the trees. Sounds of animals, ponies, and the city beyond. Even when sirens approached the nearby house, Golden did not move. There was no reason to go on.
As the sun began to set, a rabbit hopped out of the trees. It sniffed at a strange scent. Was that blood? A soiled white form lay on the ground. It wasn’t breathing. Could it be dead?
The rabbit hopped closer, blinking in surprise as the pony turned her head in response to movement. Oh good, she wasn’t dead. Ponies were nice, and sometimes gave treats. Something was wrong, however. The rabbit noticed how the mare’s eyes kept watch like a predator. There wasn’t a hint of compassion or thought in them. More like a mindless wild creature, something that killed to survive.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. The rabbit began to back away. The pony-shaped thing moved with blinding speed, cutting off any escape routes. There was a flash of dangerous teeth, sinking into the rabbit’s flesh before the poor creature could react.
Drinking the rabbit’s blood was quick work. Sated for the moment, the predator moved deeper into the forest, operating on instinct rather than lucid thought. A beast, a monster, did not need feelings. There was no use for companionship and a sense of regret. It cast aside emotions to protect itself from further harm. Golden Ring had made that decision, and now she was no more.
The night went on, not seeming to have a beginning or end. The blood-soaked creature was not aware of time passing, as there was little use for it. Animals did not measure time, living not for life itself, but only to get through another day.
Author's Note
Kurt Vonnegut once said:
No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
"First Day" started out as a simple backstory for Golden Ring, but seems to have turned into an experiment in emotional writing. I did my best to make the reader feel something; whether it was sympathy, lust, horror, or dissapointment. I would appreciate your feedback on my effectiveness.
A big thank you to Art Inspired and Brony Tom for their expertise. Sometimes it can be difficult to express intangible thoughts with words, and the help of a couple collaborating minds is appreciated.
Golden Ring made her first appearance in the third story of the Vampire Cheerilee series. I recommend this series if you want all the vampiric action but with more humor and slightly less tragedy.
