For such a big guy, the stallion moved with the grace equivalent of a ballerina. His large body allowed you to strike him a few times before he started to slice away at you. He feints a lunge and you fall for it, sidestepping right into his knife. The blade cuts you across the face. Specks of blood started to drip down to the floor. Your eyes were alright, but your right cheek hurt an awful lot.
“Did the baby get hurt?” The stallion mockingly cooed you.
He tries to strike you in the chest and you dodged his outstretched hoof. You grab his hoof in mid lunge and punch his elbow. A loud crack erupts and you can see his bones tried to rip through his skin. The stallion howled in pain and clutched at his broken elbow. He was backing into the rails and you tried to tell him to watch out before it was too late, but he backed right into it and slipped over it. Forgetting that this freak tried to kill you just now, you run over to the rail to see if you can grab his hoof to save him.
The stallion was already free falling. It all happened in slow motion as he landed on a table and went right through it, sending splinters everywhere. Not one of the fighters downstairs stopped to check if that stallion was even alive. Your attention shifts from the limp stallion to Gold’s office. Now that he was out of your way, nothing can stop you.
As you open the door, you started to doubt this was just an office. There was a large bed in the room and your mind nearly jams when you notice Vinyl had been tied to it. Her legs were outstretched and tied to the four corners of the bed post. Her mouth was tapped shut, but the grateful look on her face told you she was more than happy to see you.
The ties on Vinyl were just too thick for you to undo. The large thug from earlier was carrying a knife, you hoped he had dropped it before falling. You quickly walk back to the DJ booth and notice the blood stained knife lying on the floor. Once you retrieve the knife you return to Gold’s office and start cutting Vinyl loose.
After you cut the last tie restraining Vinyl and remove the tape covering her mouth, she quickly pulls into you and hugs you tightly. She sobs into your chest and you can only manage to hug her tightly in return. This tender moment was kind of ruined with all the sounds of grunts and punching going on down stairs. You finally found Vinyl, making this madness all worthwhile.
“Frost told his thugs to tie me up while he hanged around in the club. Before he left, Frost told me that he would make me…” Vinyl tried to finish her sentence, but was reduced to renewed tears.
Your heart ached at the sight of Vinyl breaking down. You had a pretty good idea what were Frost’s intentions with her and that knowledge only fueled the hatred you had for him. It took some time, but Vinyl finally calmed down. She looked up at you with her tear stained eyes, which ate away at your very soul.
“We need to get out of here.” You whisper urgently to her.
As you walked down to the first floor, your legs suffered from a surge of pain slightly. Were the effects of the pain killers already dying off? No matter, you still had to get Vinyl out of here. Her safety far outweighed yours. That moment of pain went, fortunately, unnoticed by Vinyl, not wanting to go in depth about why your leg was bothering you. The fighting was still going strong down here and you couldn’t see Ace, Gold, or Frost in the hoard. Broken tables and bodies littered the floor, like common street trash.
“Let’s go through the back.” You mutter, checking to see if Vinyl was still behind you.
To your dismay, Frost had retaken Vinyl hostage. He was placing a blood soaked knife, the same that the stallion used from before, right on her throat.
“Help me!” Vinyl gasped out before Frost pressed the blade against her neck.
Beads of blood could be seen dripping down from where the tip of the blade met her neck. “Frost, please don’t hurt her.” You begged.
“Sorry to say, but the stallion that you made fall through the table earlier was my brother. I must avenge him, to defend his honor.” Frost hissed, pressing harder with the blade on Vinyl’s neck.
“I’ll do anything you want! Just don’t hurt her anymore.” You yelled, sounding a little desperate now.
“Bring my brother back!” Frost demanded.
Without thinking, you try to punch or do anything to keep Frost from hurting Vinyl. Frost throws Vinyl aside and plunges his knife into your chest as you run into him. At first, the pain was nonexistent and you pulled the knife out without a hitch. Frost looked at you in horror as the blade was being pulled out. However, once your wound was open, pain flooded your entire body. Had the pain killer’s effects finally worn off or the pain you were feeling right now was so grave that it shattered through the numbing effects? Blood was starting to flow from your wound, like a little waterfall. Frankly, you were amazed there was so much blood in you.
Your body submits to the pain and you collapse to the ground at last. Frost was laughing manically, but to you he sounded very distant. An alarmed look takes over Frost’s face and he runs out of your field of vision, which had grown blurred. Ace looked at your wound and his usual charismatic smile died at the sight of it. He tried to put pressure on your wound, but the blood continued to flow freely. Vinyl tried to help Ace, but nothing could stop the constant flow of blood.
“Dying in a pool of my own blood, that’s not usually how the hero’s in the comics died at least. Then again, I’m not exactly a hero.” You mutter sadly, letting your fur soak in your blood.
“You’re my hero.” Vinyl whispered, nuzzingly you on the neck.
“That means the world to me.” You manage to reply, being reduced to whisper now. “Hey Ace,” You turn your focus on him now. “Give it to her.”
“Give it right now? I figured you’d do it yourself.” Ace replied.
Blood starts dripping from the corners of your mouth now. Frost must have impaled your lung with the knife. “Please Ace, do it… for me” You pleaded.
Ace nods slowly and pulls the necklace from his saddle bag. He puts it around Vinyl’s neck and says nothing more.
“It’s…beautiful.” Vinyl whispered, her eyes glazing with tears. She hugs you tightly and kisses you on the lips. If the pain hadn't been so unbearable, you would have leaned into the kiss some more. Even with pain knocking on you and the taste of blood in your mouth, the minty and sugary taste of Vinyl was evident.
“Come on champ, we can still make it to the hospital if we move now!” Ace tries to lift your spirits when he barely can help his own.
Vinyl parts away from the kiss, blood staining her lips and hoofs now. “He’s right. You need help.” If she hadn’t sounded so terrified, you might have fallen for it.
Ace picks you up on his back and trots out to the back exit, Vinyl following close by. Breathing itself had become a difficult task now. Every time you tried to take breath of air, blood would keep filling your mouth up. Red had always complained about the lack of blood donors, yet here you were ready to supply enough blood equivalents to three volunteers. Without warning, Ace hits the ground. You couldn’t be that heavy…right?
“Ugh, stupid thugs stepped all over my legs back in the club.” Ace hissed through grit teeth. “Vinyl, do me a favor, there are three syringes in my saddlebag. Inject me with one, if you would.”
Vinyl did what was asked without asking questions. A few moments after being injected, Ace looked more dazed than ever.
“I don’t think this is adrenaline.” Ace mumbled before his head bounced off the pavement.
“What happened to him?” Vinyl tried to wake Ace back up with no success.
“Clara lied to us. It seemed like she wanted to kill us, or rather me, off.” You reply, rolling off Ace and wincing in pain at the progress. He’ll be fine. His heart was still beating slowly; it was just that he was knocked out.
“You can lean on me.” Vinyl offered. “How did you expect I got you to my place?”
You can’t help but laugh at the thought, blood started gushing out of your mouth at a rapid rate as you did so. Vinyl, all by herself, dragged you to her place. She could have ditched you, having only met you a day or two ago, yet Vinyl did it anyway. You were well aware you fell flat on your face for her, but did she do the same?
Vinyl had only managed to help you to the front entrance of Erotica before you collapsed again. Your ribs screamed in agony more than ever. Everything was becoming more distant and blurred again. A faint sound of sirens could be heard, but you pay it no mind. Vinyl was trying to say something. You could see her mouth move, her words just failed to reach you.
Lip-reading wasn’t exactly your strength, yet you knew this might be the last thing Vinyl can say something to you.
She was saying three words, repeating them and growing more emotional every time. Could she really be saying that? Did Vinyl honestly care that much? You try to reply, but all the blood was building up in your mouth and lungs now. Uttering a word, let alone three, was begging for a sooner death. If this might be it, you wanted to try.
“I…love…” You heart starts slowing down dramatically and you feel a terrible cold shiver run down your spine. Vinyl looked down at you, her eyes brimming with tears. She opens her mouth to form one word. By the looks of it, she was dying for you to finish and so were you. Blood gurgled in your throat now and a familiar darkness wanted to consume you.
“You.”
You’re hoof was right on Vinyl’s chest, right over her musical note necklace. Her red eyes were the last thing you were able to see when the darkness ate away at your vision. Tears were running down them though. A hero always saves the girl and kicks the bad guys flank. You only did about half of that. Still, at least you did half of it. All too soon, Vinyl’s captivating red eyes soon started to fade. Go figure, just a few hours ago, you would have loved to die.
But now…there was a reason to live and breathe again. The world didn’t feel so cold and empty as it used to. Was there hope, even for a soul like you? Just one more time…that’s all you would want, to see her smile again instead of crying…