//------------------------------// // Living Dead // Story: Music of the Night // by Bakmah Genesis //------------------------------// Music of the Night Living Dead Written by Bakmah Genesis Octavia woke with a yawn, sitting up in the bed and stretching out her arms. She smiled groggily, looking around the extra bedroom that was in Fluttershy's apartment. The apartment was actually top class and looked like it costed millions. When asked how she got it, Fluttershy just grinned. "Good Afternoon, sleepy head." Octavia yelped as Fluttershy suddenly appeared in her vision, hanging from the ceiling fan. The Pegasus laughed before doing a back flip onto the ground. "Jumpy when you wake up?" "When did you get in my room?" Asked the mare, covering her chest with the covers. "I thought I would do you a favor when I got up, sheesh." Octavia blinked before looking around the room, finding everything from her old apartment in the room. "You were moving in and I decided to do the moving for you." said Fluttershy. "Well...um...thanks." Octavia yawned before getting up, searching through the boxes for her clothes. "So, what is it we are doing today?" Asked Octavia, looking over her shoulder. "Well, I wanted to get training in but for now, we need to get your life in check." Fluttershy sat on the bed. "I keep my old job as an animal caretaker over at the Canterlot Zoo during the day and then kick ass at night. I suggest you keep up your day jobs as well." "But the orchestra is a mixture of day and night, should I keep that?" Asked Octavia, pulling on a pair of jeans. Fluttershy removed her eyes from the treble clef adorned flanks to look at Octavia. "To keep up your appearence, yes." Fluttershy got off the bed, grabbing a small stack of papers and Octavia's holster. She handed her the papers first. "These are a list of excuses you can use at your places of work as to why you were gone the past two days. As for why you moved, there are suggestions on the last page." She held out the holster. "Keep this under your jacket. You entered the underworld as a monster. You will be able to see things no one has before. You can see through a werewolves disguise, smell a Vampony, see the signs of a ghoul. "A quick education on ghouls." Fluttershy put a magazine in the chamber of Octavia's gun. "They are what happen when non-virgins are bit by a Vampony. The result is much like a zombie. There is no cure for these guys so don't hesitate to kill them. Always go for the head or heart." She pushed the holster on her chest. "Either than that, you should be fine!" Octavia took the holster and set it on the box while she finished putting her shirt on. "You aren't coming with me?" Asked Octavia as she strapped on her holster. Fluttershy shook her head before grabbing her gun once again. "The button down here is your saftey. Black side out means saftey is on, red out means anything in front of you is fucked. This little lever is to remove your clip and you just need to pull back on the top once to cock it." She handed the gun back. "And I guess you know what the trigger does." "I do." Octavia put the gun back in her holster. "So, go to workplaces, give excuse, come home?" "I actually want you to meet me in the downtown food district. I'm down there for patrol this evening. We could get something to eat while I show how the patrol works." said Fluttershy, the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. "I thought we couldn't eat pony food?" Asked Octavia. "We can't, that's why we order the special." Fluttershy winked. "Meet me there at seven. Oh! And keep an eye out for anyone, underworld wise, feeding on anypony. There is much more to it than that, but that's what I want you focusing on for now." Octavia nodded as she slipped on a black jacket, hiding her gun. "I'll see you then." Octavia winked before walking out the door. Fluttershy stood there with a blush before waving at empty space. Fluttershy wasn't kidding when she said she would notice things. She could easily see the extra brown fur patches on ponies that gave them away as werewolves. She even smelled a few Vamponies on her way to the auditorium. It was an odd expirence to smell and know what they look like before seeing them. Octavia constantly had to touch her gun just to see if it was real. Each time she would think about how absurd everything had become. One day she was walking home from another concerns and the next she was waking up underneath Canterlot Castle as a Vampony with a very lustful master. As the auditorium came into view, Octavia scanned the crowd curiously to see of anyone she knew wasn't who they were meant to be. Despite the time of day, she could make out groups of Vamponies as well as a good number of werewolves. She didn't recognize any of them and was glad for that. Because she knew if she ever caught any of them doing anything they weren't supposed to, she would have to be judge and jury. Just as she thought she was in the clear for any of her friends being anything supernatural, Fredric stepped out of the auditorium, lighting a ciggerette. Octavia could see the obvious patches off thick brown fur sticking out of his suit. Fredric looked up and froze when he saw her walking towards the auditorium. Octavia watched as he put out his ciggerette and quickly hurried inside. She already had some suspicion from him insisting that he follow her home a few nights ago and the fur didn't help. Octavia reached into her jacket and undid the clasp to her gun before doing a jog towards the auditorium doors. Once inside, Octavia sniffed around, following the scent of Fredric towards the backstage area of the building. As she walked along the halls, she pulled out the gun Fluttershy had given her and made sure it was loaded before hiding it in her coat. "D-did you kill the werewolf that attacked me, Master?" Asked Octavia. The question had bothered her ever since she woke up that day. Fluttershy took a deep breath as she looked up towards the sun. "When I found you, he was already long gone. Either he wasn't very hungry or just wanted to kill you or someone, but he didn't need to stay long." She turned around to face Octavia with a grin. "But trust me, he won't last long." "C-can I kill him?" Asked Octavia, her violet eyes starting to show a bit of red. Fluttershy placed a hand on her shoulder. "I will let you do whatever you want to him as long as it's within the law." "Oh, um, Octavia. A pleasant surprise to see you here." said Fredric with a strained smile. Octavia closed the door to the empty rehearsal room. She pulled out the gun from her pocket and pointed it at him. "Why, Fredric? Tell me why you decided to attempt to kill me." said Octavia coldly. Her eyes started to turn a slight red. Fredric frowned and grabbed a chair. He sat down and stared at her. "I was wondering how you are still alive and those eyes tell me all. And the gun says it was Haven." Fredric shook his head. "Never expected you to be so difficult to kill, Miss Philamonica." "But why, Fredric? Why would you try to kill your own friend?!" Hissed Octavia. Fredric growled, his pointed teeth showing. "Because I enjoy it. I enjoy watching ponies squirm as a tear into them. I love the sound of their screams!" He grinned. "And yours were simply divine, Octavia." A shot rang out in the room, a hole tearing its way through Fredric's chest followed by three more. Octavia breathed hard as she watched Fredric's body slump in the chair. She took a deep breath before holstering her gun and exiting the room. As she made her way out of the building, she passed ponies as they ran through the halls in chaos after hearing the gun shots. She exited the auditorium, gazing up at the sky. She still had two more stops to make that night. She just hoped none of her bosses were like Fredric. Octavia walked out of the café with a sigh. This time she didn't need to shoot anyone but she sure wished that she could have. Despite telling her boss she got deathly I'll for the past few days and it wouldn't happen again, the fat bloke still docked her for the two days she was gone and took a quarter of her pay of her paycheck. She massaged her temple as she made her way to her next place of work. While she did work in the area given, she did not work in a restruant as she had told Fluttershy. No, it was a bit more embarrassing than that. As Octavia walked into the upper district of Canterlot she could already hear the music from night clubs as the sky turned dark and the moon took over the sky. She knew she didn't have long before she had to meet Fluttershy so hurried over to her destination under the gaze of the looming Castle. Octavia came to a decent sized building, music blaring through the open door as a bouncer let ponies into the night club. When he saw Octavia approaching her opened the rope for her without question, giving her a nod as he did. Octavia nodded back as she entered the club. "Hey! Tavi!" Octavia blinked and turned to the bar to find Fluttershy sitting there talking with the bartender, a mulberry earth pony mare. The Vampony waved her over and went back to her drink. "Why are you here? I thought you were patroling downtown?" Asked Octavia, sitting down next to her. Fluttershy finished her drink and set it down. "I decided to talk with one of our agents in the area who is also Haven's personal bartender." Fluttershy gestured to the bartender who nodded back with a grin before going back to mixing drinks. "Wait, Berry Punch is the agent? How can she tell the difference if she is just a pony?" Asked Octavia. She could see no extra fur or smell the scent of a Vampony on her. Fluttershy was about to answer but Berry came around and did it for her. "Easy, babe. I look at how ponies react. It's my job as a bartender. Besides, you can smell the blood on a Vamponies breath after a few drinks. As for werewolves, their voice gets deeper and they start flinching at loud noises over the music." said Berry. She pointed down to the end of the bar to a stallion trying to hit on a very annoyed looking mare. "Him, for example, smells like he rolled around in his victims blood after he drank it all." "I'm surprised. I would never have guessed you of all ponies to work for Haven, Berry." said Octavia, astonished. Berry laughed. "I can say the same for you, Tavs. Oh, Vinyl is in her office and is pissed about you not being here last night." "I suppose I can't say I got attacked by a huge dog, can I?" Said Octavia with a sigh. "Oh well, I don't have to worry about him anymore, anyways." "Oh? You ran into him?" Asked Fluttershy, turning to face her. Octavia nodded as she stared at the counter. "Yeah, it was my friend Fredric. The ass was addicted to killing and I was just another victim. I left him with three rounds in his chest so I shouldn't have to worry about him anymore." said Octavia. "You said the chest right?" Octavia nodded. "Tavi, how close to the heart did you shooting?" Asked Fluttershy, a bit of concern in her voice. Octavia was a bout to answer when a white unicorn walked behind the counter of the bar. She slapped Berry's ass before grabbing a bottle of whiskey. "Hey, babe." said the unicorn with a grin, wiping her electric blue mane out of the way so Berry could see her magenta eyes. Berry groaned. "Vinyl, what did I tell you about slapping my ass in public?" Berry picked up a glass and started to clean it. "If you want any later I suggest you behave." Vinyl pouted. "Meany." Vinyl turned to face Octavia. She set the bottle on the counter and crossed her arms. "And where has my waitress been? You wouldn't believe how many horny stallions asked me where their favorite eye candy was." Octavia sighed. "I had some personal buisness to take care of and didn't have time to call in. I'm sorry, I'll make sure it won't happen again." apologized the Vampony. Vinyl looked her over before nodding. "Alright. I'll give you an extra day but I want you here tomorrow and ready to work, alright?" She looked over at Fluttershy who sipped on her beer with a bored expression. She then looked back at Octavia then back at Fluttershy. "So what, are you two marefriend's or something?" Fluttershy did a very impressive spit take with beer as her wings shot out. Octavia herself went rigid. "No!" said the two at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed. "Just friends." said Octavia. Vinyl nodded with a grin. "Sure. Friends with benefits. Got it." Vinyl laughed as their blush grew deeper. "Leave them, Vinyl." said Berry with a chuckle. Fluttershy got her blush under control and turned back to Octavia. "So, about my question regarding Fredric. How close were you?" Asked Fluttershy. Vinyl raised an eyebrow while Berry waited patiently. Octavia opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by screams out by the door. Fluttershy reached into her coat and pulled out her gun. Octavia did as well, following the motions as well. Vinyl stared at them and was about to ask her marefriend what was going on but stopped when she saw Berry load silver shells into the shotgun that was kept under the counter. Just before Vinyl could question them, a werewolf bursted through the front door of the night club, the bouncer getting sent across the room into the DJ booth. The werewolf was clearly larger than a normal pony and had three bullet holes randomly placed in his chest. Fluttershy blinked before looking back at Octavia. "Tavi, you suck at aiming." Octavia snorted. "Your fault for giving a mare a gun when she hasn't even touched one her entire life." Octavia took aim this time and shot off a series of rounds at Fredric. The werewolf jumped to the side, taking one in the arm before the other two mares began taking shots. Ponies began running towards the alley exit in the back of the night club as the sound of gunshots rang through the building. Vinyl herself hid behind the counter while the other three moved for a better advantage point, Octavia just following Fluttershy. "How the hell is he still alive?" Asked Octavia as she ducked under a toppled table, just barely missing a chair thrown at her. "Like I said, your aiming is shit. Werewolves are harder to kill because of their build. If you want to kill one, shoot more than one round at the heart, not just spray them!" Shouted Fluttershy before popping back up. Octavia could hear her curse as she lowered her gun. Berry and Octavia looked at each other before popping their heads over the tables. They watched in horror as Fredric shoved his head behind the bar counter. Vinyl screamed, grabbing the nearest bottle of whiskey and breaking it over his head. Fredric growled and snapped at her, just missing. "Mother fucker... " Berry raised her shotgun to shoot him but Fluttershy quickly stopped her. "You shoot and you risk setting all that spilled whiskey on fire." said Fluttershy as she holstered her gun. She took off her leather jacket so she just had on a black T-Shirt. "Wait until I get him away from the bar, then shoot." Another scream came from behind the counter, this time pained. Fluttershy cursed, grabbing a knife from her hip and jumping over the tables. She settled on the counter before running over to Fredric and mounting his back, shoving the blade into his shoulder. Fredric howled in pain as he backed away from the bar, trying to reach around and grab Fluttershy. While her Master fought with Fredric, Octavia ran over the bar. She jumped over the counter and went over to Vinyl, gasping as she caught sight of the bit mark in her leg. "Berry!" Cried out Octavia, popping her head over the counter. "She has been bit!" Berry cursed before running over to them. She knelt down and examined the bite. "Shit. We need to get her back to Haven." said Berry as she picked up Vinyl. "Why? It ps only on her leg." said Octavia. Berry was about to answer when there was a gunshot followed by a loud thump. Fluttershy stood up on the fallen Fredric's back and emptied the rest of her clip into his head. Once empty, she made her way over to them. "For werewolf bites, you don't need to be virgin. You just need to be bit and then you are on your way to becoming one." said Fluttershy, sitting on the counter. "And there is no way in hell he is getting up now." Octavia took out her own gun and shot the rest of her clip into his body. She holstered it when it was empty. "Making sure he was dead." She looked down at Vinyl who looked like she was about to pass out. "So what will they do when she gets to Haven?" "Monitor her as she changes. Once that is done, then they do the same thing as the rest of us. Enroll her and get her used to her new body." said Berry, stroking Vinyl's mane. "Vampony blood is an option but it only works on virgins. I should know for a fact that she isn't. She wasn't before we started dating." "We better get moving. I don't want to have her change while walking down the streets." said Fluttershy, hopping off the counter and making her way towards the door. Octavia looked over to Berry. The mare only sighed before slinging Vinyl over her shoulder and making her way over to the door. Octavia looked back at Fredric's corpse. "Hope you liked that, asshole." muttered the earth pony before joining the others.