• Published 6th Jul 2012
  • 85,108 Views, 5,603 Comments

My Roommate is a Vampire - Dennis the Menace



Silly Octavia, Vinyl's not a vampire, right?

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The Secret World

You could call me many things. A renaissance mare. A musician. An artist. A fool. I was all of those things. Now could add "monster" to the list.

They were carrying me to some cottage near the Everfree.

"Go away! No candy here! No visitors on Nightmare Night!"

"Fluttershy, it is I, Princess Luna! We need your assistance!"

How did it all come to this? Was it a series of bad decisions all on my part? Was this all a situation of circumstance and coincidences?

"Oh my," the Pegasus squeaked. "That looks nasty."

No. There were no choices made. Things just happened. One thing led to another. That was life. And life, my friends, was unfair. The circle of life. It doesn't stop, it doesn't end. It just keeps going, like time. That was how life worked. You could spend your life asking those questions, like why me? What if? My life had been full of what ifs and maybes lately with some could haves, would haves, and should haves. Looking back, if I had done something differently, would anything have changed? Would I still be the same Octavia today, currently walking that fine line between life and death?

"Lay her on the couch. Prop up her head," a soft voice commanded.

"Octy, stay with me. You're gonna be just fine," Vinyl said, touching my forehead. "She's hot." She lowered her head, her horn near my wound before Luna pushed her away gently.

"We would not advise that. Magic may be helpful for small cuts and scrapes, but it might only serve to worsen the injury if you try."

Vinyl nodded, looking and probably feeling helpless. She stamped a hoof, growling.

Fluttershy asked, "If you don't mind me asking, shouldn't we take her to the hospi-"

"No!" Vinyl and Luna shouted.

She squeaked.

If I had done something differently, it would be somepony else looking back, asking a different set of questions. Right now, something was changing on the outside and inside. Something monstrous.

The pain in my leg seemed to grow more and more as I writhed. Fluttershy came closer, a roll of bandages in her mouth.

"I'm sorry," she told me.

"Please, do your best Fluttershy," Princess Luna said soothingly as she worked on my side.

The gashes were fairly shallow, though they oozed profusely. She used her magic to dab at them, causing me to wince. She set about trying to use some rubbing alcohol. The touch of the soaked cotton ball to my side made me whimper, though it was nothing compared to the pain in my leg. I could've used a drink right then and there. Something strong enough to make me pass out. I weakly gasped. Fluttershy inched closer, pouring a bottle of water over the bite marks in my leg. I hissed, clutching the sheets beneath me.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Vinyl let me squeeze her hoof. I squeezed it as tight as I could. The blood washed away from the bites in my leg, I wasn't prepared for what came next. Fluttershy began pouring some rubbing alcohol on my leg. It was like my leg was being set on fire. I couldn't help it. I cried, I screamed. Throwing my head back, I thrashed, trying to fight Vinyl and Luna's grip on me, howling. Fluttershy wouldn't stop apologizing, even as she began bandaging my leg and Luna began using butterfly stitches on my side. The pain was unimaginable, to the point that I was going blind. I couldn't see anything. The sides of my vision were blacking out.

And then, it seemed, that the pain had begun to subside. I lay there, my chest heaving as I stared up at the ceiling, watching the fan spin around and around.

"Hey."

"Hey," I croaked back, sitting up to look at my leg. Something compelled me to look. Morbid curiosity? The pain in my side seemed to multiply as I tried moving.

"Oh, don't do that!" Fluttershy said.

I eased back onto the cushions, breathing slowly.

"How do you feel?" Luna asked.

"Better," I answered curtly. "Are you going to 'deal with me' now?"

She looked rather surprised. "Well...no. Did you hear that?"

I nodded lamely. The Princess of the Night didn't seem so mysterious and imposing anymore as she seemed to shrink a little and blush.

"We are...sorry."

She was apologizing?

"Our word choice could have been a little better," she admitted. "Though we must say that it was very rude to eavesdrop."

"Really Octy?"

"I thought there were no more secrets!" I roared suddenly. My voice was hardly elegant, betraying my lack of composure. Vinyl looked horrified. I had screamed at her in jest only several times. This time, I was truly furious. "I'm...sorry," I said slowly, ashamed. "But you promised me, didn't you?"

"It's okay. That wasn't Octy speaking."

What did she mean by that?

Luna continued to pester me. "Are you sure you are all right? Any discomfort? Cravings?"

"I'm fine, really," I snapped a little more testily than I should have.

"You were bitten by a creature most foul, Octavia."

"I shouldn't have followed you two," I sighed, leaning back. "Of course there would be wolves in there."

Vinyl and Luna glanced at each other, once again keeping me out of their imaginary conversation.

"Yes...a wolf," she said slowly. "Right."

"Could you open the window? It's a bit stuffy in here."

"Of course."

I had to get out, I had to move around. I felt almost rejuvenated. I felt drawn to the moonlight shining through the window. I rolled over slowly into a standing position.

"Oh, oh!" Fluttershy panicked.

Vinyl was frantically waving her arms. "Don't!"

I hobbled over. "I just need some fresh air."

I moved closer to the window. tearing it open and basking in the light of the moon, breathing slowly. Unbeknownst to me, my deep breaths slowly turned into ragged huffs. I felt itchy all over. I began to salivate for no particular reason, panting with my tongue out as my tail wagged.

"Eep!"

I turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What?" I growled.

They all stared. Fluttershy gasped, pointing at me, stammering, pale as ever.

"Fluttershy, you must promise not to speak of what you are about to see!"

"I-I don't understand!"

"Promise me!"

"I p-p-promise!"

Vinyl raised her hoof, ready to knock her out.

"Vinyl, don't you dare!" I snarled, lunging at her. I'd moved faster than I'd ever moved before. Vinyl sat, her jaw agape as she sat on her hindquarters, staring at me. "Why are you all looking at me like that? Don't look at me like that. Do I have something in my teeth?"

They all shook their heads.

"Show me."

"Octy..."

"Show me!"

They all glanced worriedly at each other. Princess Luna nodded and Vinyl brought the mirror over, wrapped in her magic. My ears wilted and I cocked my head, trying to process the creature looking back at me in my reflection. The first thing I noticed was that my mane was a disaster, absolutely horrendous. It seemed as if I was having a bad hair day, if you could call it that. My gray coat had grown exponentially, at least an inch or two longer. On the end of my muzzle I now had a nose, black and wet. My eyes had turned yellow, bloodshot and feral. Opening my mouth, I could see that not only had I grown canines, but that I had two sets of very sharp teeth on my upper and lower jaw, meant for ripping and tearing. Down at my hooves, I'd grown a pair of wicked-looking claws.

I was going to need one heck of a manicure after this.

My eye twitched and I stared at myself for a while, trying to take it all in.

"So what, is this some kind of a joke?"

That would have been nice, wouldn't it? In my imaginary world, Vinyl would have told me that this was all some elaborate prank on her part. The fangs in her mouth would be plastic and I wouldn't be a...

"Am I a werewolf now?" I asked, my voice a low growl. It was deeper and much more harsh to listen to. It was hard to to talk with a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"Not quite. Werewolves only transform in the light of a full moon. While that still applies to you, it would make more sense to call you a...lycan, yes."

A lycan. A monster.

"Unlike a werewolf, you have been gifted with the ability to transform at will."

"Gifted?" I scoffed, wheeling on her. "You think this is a gift?!"

"I believe your situation is not as awful as it seems," Luna said quietly.

Was this a curse? Or a blessing? Peeling off the bandages would reveal my wounds already beginning to heal. I felt stronger, faster, sharper. My hearing was starting to become more acute and already I was beginning to experience new smells.

I turned away, gasping, resting my hooves against the windowpane, my claws digging into the wood. "I never wanted this."

"No pony does."

I'd never asked for any of this. But since when did I ever have to invite trouble in? Trouble came to me. I was like a magnet for trouble.

"Fluttershy, you can come down now," Luna called upstairs.

"Oh nooo! Thank you Princess. That's very kind of you, but I'd rather not see anything that would get anypony in trouble!" her sweet voice chimed. "I'm plugging my ears and blindfolding myself right now and Angel is tying me to a chair!"

Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil, do no evil.

"Is this...permanent?"

"...Yes."

I laughed, right in her face, "You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry."

I was outraged, and understandably so. I had a right to be. I felt cheated by the world. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs at the injustice of it all. I wanted to find somepony to blame. Somepony to focus my anger on. Never before had I felt so...predatory. Violent, even.

"There has to be a, a cure, or something like that! Anything, please!" My voice cracked.

"If there was I'd give it to you. But unfortunately for you, and that lost soul that bit you, there isn't."

"Wait, wait, lost soul? That lycan that bit me, what happened to them?"

Luna sighed, a far away look in her eyes. "They were past the point of no return. That poor creature you met has probably lost all its mental faculties. Its memories, its personality. Only through guidance and support lycans are able to live as normal ponies." She faced me. "You mustn't lose yourself."

In the face of the demon inside me, I laughed. I just laughed, throwing my head back and laughing at all of it. "At least it's only once a month, right? A full moon only comes around every once in a while!" I reasoned, pacing around, nearly stumbling when I tried to step forward with my claws, touching the mirror.

Still in one piece! Everything was fine. I was still me. Still Octavia, just a little more bitchy. Get it? Hah!

"Careful!"

Turning around, my eyes locked with my tail. There was a desire in me to chase it, of all things. I began following my tail, trotting around in a circle as I tried biting it.

"Octavia!" Vinyl yelled.

Not now, Vinyl. Busy chasing tail. Must have tail.

I snapped out of it, shuddering. "It's not so bad! See?" I smiled widely. The smile was painfully fake and apparent. "Everything's fine..."

The facade was still there. The mirror wasn't broken. Who's that in my reflection? Octavia! See? I'm right there! Just a little furrier...

"Octy..."

"I mean sure it's a little inconvenient, but you can't have your cake and eat it too, right?" I giggled, a sob creeping in. "I'm right, right?!"

There was a crack in the mirror.

"Octy!" Vinyl grabbed hold of me.

I was frantic. Panicking. "This is great! Just great!"

"Octavia!" She shook me, holding me.

My metaphorical mirror shattered into thousands of tiny little pieces. I was trying hopelessly to put the pieces back together, trying to solve the puzzle, cutting myself in the process. I couldn't help it, I cried. I broke down. My laughter slowly broke into sobs and then the waterworks came. It must have looked pathetic to Luna, looking on silently as I held Vinyl, trying to burrow deeper into her coat. I felt a comforting hoof on my shoulder, and it wasn't Vinyl's.

"All is not lost, Octavia!" Luna cried triumphantly. "There is hope! Salvation!" She began to rise, hooves to the sky.

Jeez, and I thought I was a drama queen.

"For you are not the only one! There is an organization dedicated to helping ponies like you, and Vinyl as well!"

I bit my lip. What choice did I have? "Go on," I sniffed.

"I extend a hoof, and welcome you," she paused, most likely for dramatic effect, "the Inner Circle!"

I wiped a tear away and found myself chuckling. "Really?"

"What?" Luna descended from the air, rubbing her head where she had bumped it into the ceiling.

"The 'Inner Circle'? I could have come up with a better name."

Luna flushed. "It is a perfectly legitimate and innocuous sounding name for an organization! Does it not strike fear into your heart? Does it not sound mysterious?"

"The Inner Circle makes it sound more like a crime syndicate!" I snickered. "What about Vampires Anonymous? Or Supernaturals?"

"I like it," she mumbled.

"Are there introductions? 'Hi, my name is Octavia, and I'm a lycan. Hi Octavia!' Is there a twelve-step program?"

"Names aside, what the Inner Circle does is no laughing matter. For centuries now since its inception, we have worked together to assist and aid vampires, lycans, and creatures alike with coping with their...condition. I am its founder."

"Princess? Does your sister, err, Princess Celestia," I asked, "Does she know what you are?"

Luna smiled. "Of course. She is perfectly aware of my vampirism, though not afflicted with it herself. In fact, once, she allowed me to feed off her—"

"Okay, too much information!" I shouted quickly.

"Yeah, T.M.I. Princess."

She huffed. "In any case, Vinyl Scratch's recent actions have nearly led to us being compromised. Her parents, who donate generously might I add, were willing to cover the cost of damages." She glared at her. "Really? That was the best you could come up with?"

Vinyl smiled cheekily. "Improvise."

There was still some reservations. "Princess," I gulped, "will there be problems? In our relationship?"

"Pardon?"

"Well, see, the thing is, Vinyl and I are together."

"How sweet. What problems do you speak of, Octavia?"

"Well, seeing as I'm this lycan and Vinyl's a vampire..."

"No, you two will not be at odds," Luna sighed, rolling her eyes. "It seems that many think that lycans and vampires are locked in a fierce war."

"I don't get it either," Vinyl piped up. "I mean, it'd make sense if we were like, cats, or something. Why can't we be friends?" she sang.

That was a relief. "What do members of this circle do, Princess?"

Luna cleared her throat. "First and foremost, our goal is to help each other. Our second goal is perhaps a little less...noble."

"We're the ones who help keep things the way they are, if ya know what I mean," Vinyl said. "Equestria's not ready to know about us, and you've got ponies like me to make sure things stay that way."

"You mean you work to keep our existence a secret then."

By any means necessary.

She nodded. I frowned, studying my claws. It's not like I had a choice. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I extended my hoof.

Luna smiled, shaking it. "Welcome to the Inner Circle."

"When do I start?"

"Meetings are every Friday. And you can also get in on a very lucrative deal at your local supermarket..."

"Do you guys have a secret underground cave where you hold all your meetings?" I asked excitedly.

Luna frowned. "No, we just meet at the local donut shop."

My ears perked up in alarm.

"Ah, it seems that the moonlight beckons."

Shh, blue pony. Want to go out.

I let my new body take over, darting through the open window into Fluttershy's yard. I sniffed the ground, my rear in the air as I clawed around.

"Hah, she's like a dog!"

I barked. "I beg your pardon? I am no such thi—SQUIRREL!"

"Bahah!"

Maul later. Squirrel now.

"Hey Octy!" She waved a stick around. "Fetch!" Vinyl hurled the stick away.

I came back with a tree.

"Grrrr!"

"Who's a good girl! Yes you are! Yes you are! Wait, hey, whoa! OUCH! HEY! OW!"

Luna laughed, amused at our antics. I lapped at Vinyl's face, having tackled her to the ground.

"Blegh!"

I planted my haunches down, howling a bone-chilling howl. "Awoooooooo!"

"That was a good one," Vinyl said nervously.

"I shall have my guards monitor you two for the rest of the night while I leave. I trust you won't enter yourselves into any costume contests?"

Once upon a time in the magical land of Equestria, where mystical creatures roamed, there was a secret world. A secret world where supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves were real. A secret world where magic and myth, legends and conspiracies came to life before your very eyes. And now, it seemed, I was a part of this secret world.

So that was it, huh. I'd live the rest of my life as this...lycan. Sunshine and rainbows from here on out? Maybe we'd all share a laugh at the end of all this. Was this my happily ever after?

There were no happy endings. I lied to myself that it was over. It wasn't.

Not by a long shot.

Fluttershy whimpered, "H-Hello? Is anypony there? Can somepony untie me?"