It was a good ten minutes before I even moved; I was stuck there on the floor wondering what in Equestria had just happened. That bouncer had just come back and beat the day light out of Shakes, three stallions were dead, and Vinyl went somewhere and I had done nothing to stop her.
'Ah, what am I saying, I couldn't help her if I tried.' I thought to myself as I flopped backwards onto the floor.
'She would have done it anyway, all she seems to care about is her friends, and will even put her head on the line to keep theirs off of it.'
"How could she be so stupid..." I spoke to myself.
"She's not stupid, you know." I heard a ragged and shaky voice say from the other side of the room.
I shot up with the fear of another Vampire being here, but I let out a sigh of relief when I saw it was just Shakes.
She had propped herself up on the bar and coughed a bit, some blood coming up with it and onto the bar, but a toothy smile was on her face once the coughing fit had subsided.
I flopped back down, my head hitting with a thud. There was pain, but it was at the bottom of the list of things to care about right now. I let out a sigh just as I heard Shakes start rummaging, the sound of bottles clinking together. I turned my head to the side just enough to see her pouring herself a shot.
"Really?" I deadpanned.
She only shrugged and finished pouring the shot; downing at just as quickly. She steadied herself and wiped her mouth of some of the beer that missed her mouth before she limped her way over to me and sat next me on the floor.
"Mind explaining to me how she's stupid?" She asked.
I sighed.
"She shouldn't have given herself away. It was stupid of her to do that, I mean, if he threatened to take both your life and mine just to get her, then what he has planned for her is probably worse than death." I heard her chuckle lightly after I finished speaking.
"She's a tough one, a lot tougher than you or me, so trust me on this; whatever he has planned for her, it's going to take a lot more to really make her scream." She said.
"He said you gave him a run for his money, Vinyl didn't even land a hit on him..." I thought back onto that. "Say, how did you give him a run for his money anyways?" I asked with a cocked brow.
Shakes chuckled before she gave her response.
"Let's just say that the bars got a few more secrets than most would think." Was the only vague answer she gave me. I simply assumed that she meant the bar had some form of weapons hidden around it, but who knows, there might be something more than expected.
"Anyways," She started. "my sister should be getting here pretty soon to get me home, you might wanna do the same, but I won't stop you from staying here and drinking a bit if you want; just make sure you lock up."
"Are we not going after Vinyl?" I asked, concern clear in my voice.
"Not tonight, no. I really have no idea where he's taking her." She said with a glum and near sad tone.
"We might do something tomorrow morning when the sun is out, but right now, I need some rest." I couldn't blame her for wanting rest, and didn't protest against it. She looked like she had just been through quite a fight.
"Okay, I'll head back to my house. Will you stop by tomorrow?" I realized I was whining some what, but I was worried about her.
"First thing tomorrow morning." She said with a small smile as she laid back onto the ground.
"Unless you need me for anything else, I think I'll leave." She nodded and smiled before she rolled over, looking like she was getting ready for a nap.
I got up slowly and started to the door, as my hoof hit the broken handle, I turned back to Shakes.
"Thanks." It was short, but I meant it. She responded with a small snore as she dozed off.
I let out a small laugh before heading out the door.
*~~~*~~~*...Bigs...*~~~*~~~*
"Come on now." I said as I poked my prisoner with the broken bottle.
She didn't move any faster though, keeping the same pace, even as the broken glass poked her. I let out a sigh and decided just to not provoke her. Even if I had beaten her without breaking a sweat, I knew she was fast and could probably leave me in the dust if I gave her the chance.
I really wouldn't even call her a prisoner, she was pretty much going with me just to keep her friends safe. Though that one mare, the barkeeper, probably could have killed me if I were on my own. That mare delivered a flurry of bolts to all three of my partners almost as soon as they entered the room, and had even pulled the bolts from them to reuse; she used a cross bow that was attached to her hoof with a variety of straps, but I had managed to pry it off her when she fled back to her office. I had cornered her and, even if she shot and stabbed a few bolts into me, got her to spill some information about Vinyl.
My suspicions were confirmed that the barkeep was indeed a vampire hunter, if not she could certainly qualify as one, though she was more like a guardian than a hunter. I would have expected her to kill Vinyl the second she found out about her rather than protect her; I guess she might have gone rogue and was now helping the vampires, but it seemed unlikely. Both her bolts and the crossbow were far out of date, either she had gotten them from another, much older, family member, or she had found them. Regardless of that, she was extraordinary at using them, and if they were up to date she would have mopped the floor with me and my comrades.
I choose not to linger on the loss of my comrades, though I do indeed feel sad from their deaths, I suppose it was worth it. Three lives might be worth this mare's if it will bring my master and his constant expending of troops and resources to an end. She knew nothing of what was going on behind the scene of her life. We put nearly forty men out the night we heard she disappeared and half of them didn't even come back, and the half that did didn't look that good either. The districts they searched were, well, lets just say unfriendly.
The rest of the near four hour long walk to the castle was in complete silence.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*
We arrived at the castle just as the morning sun began to peak itself over the horizon, sending a small tingle of pain down my body.
The whole 'Vampires can't go out in the sun or else they will evaporate' thing isn't entirely true. In fact, they don't even begin to evaporate. The feeling that we get is close to a hot iron being pressed into the skin of a regular pony, so yes, we don't exactly jump at the chance to go in the sun. Also, our skin doesn't curl up and peel off our bodies while our eyes turn to liquid or any of that nonsense, we just feel a lot of pain.
I practically pranced down the isle to where his throne was, glee clearly in my face while I left Vinyl to follow along at a much more reluctant pace. I didn't worry about her running, if the guards didn't get her then the sun would, and even if she did find someway to get away from the sun, she was still about four hours away from her home and I doubt she would find her way back before we caught her.
"Oh Master." I sang out in a sing song voice.
He turned around in his chair, his face visibly displeased from my disruption, but his eyes scanned around me, and when the landed on Vinyl, they turned soft. He slowly got up from his seat with an expression of pure shock and disbelief on his face. He trotted slowly and carefully over to Vinyl who was twisting her head from side to side, string in awe at the castle. He finally reached her and stopped, her focus finally falling on him.
"So it's actually you..." He spoke softly as he stared at her.
She looked back up in disgust at him, as to be expected.
"Am I supposed to know you?" She spat as she scanned over him.
He chuckled lightly, something that I had never dreamed of hearing him do.
"No...you aren't," He began "I know plenty about you however."
"That's a bit weird." She said, earning another soft chuckle from my master.
"Tell me dear, would you like to join me in my study? Have some tea? There is much I would like to discuss with you."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing; we wasted valuable men, important resources and essential time for him to just have a spot of tea. I was fuming by that point, the veins on my head pulsing as I barely held myself back from pouncing on that man and beating the sense that must have fell out somewhere back into him.
"You're funny." She let out with a haughty and exaggerated laugh. "You think I'm going to "join you for a spot of tea" after your friend here threatens the lives of my friends and nearly kills one? Man you must be dumber than he is." She spat at him.
He turned his head to me, staring daggers at me as I shrunk in front of him.
I couldn't believe it, he was mad at me for bringing her to him. If anything he should be thanking me right now! I felt my body nearly pummel the man when he gave me a scolding shake of the head.
"Please, excuse him, he is a bit on edge as of late and must have gotten a bit angry." My master said as I began to bite into my cheek to stop myself from screaming.
"Let's make it up to you in some way, but let's have tea first." He said as he began to guide her to a door at the side of the room, giving her very little choice in the matter. She even pressed her hooves into the ground in an attempt to stop herself, but he just pushed her as if there was no resistance.
I felt my cheek begin to bleed as my bite increased.
Not only was this the most I had ever heard him speak at once, but my master sounded like a girly little foal wanting to have a tea party. My master, the one that had killed countless of his own for giving him the slightest lip, and here was this mare that just gave him more than nearly all of the others, and he was trying to "make it up" to her.
I stormed off to the barracks, I needed to punch something or else would pop a blood vessel.
*~~~*~~~*...Octavia...*~~~*~~~*
I tossed and rolled over in my bed for the sixth time in the last five minutes; my thoughts were racing, and as a result, my mind and body were wide awake. I had tried doing everything that I could think of that would help me in going to sleep, but they all seemingly did nothing. I had tried taking a hot shower, drinking some tea, I had even tried tiring myself out but they all did nothing to aid me in my quest for slumber.
It was Vinyl.
I had been thinking about her of course, and I'll give myself some credit, that I hadn't thought about her that much on the way home, but that might have been from the shock of nearly loosing my life. She had crept back in though, the fear and worry of what might happen to her was eating me up from the inside; What if they killed her? or even worse; What if they didn't kill her? What if they kept her there and tortured her?
The image of her chained and beaten appeared in my mind as I felt a tear begin to swell.
"I can't take this anymore." I declared to myself as I threw the covers off my bed and got up.
I caught a glimpse of the clock that read 3:43, even if it was close to tomorrow morning, it was still to long to wait for Shakes.
I couldn't just sit there and try to go to bed, and I couldn't wait for who knows how long until Shakes arrived, which left me one option: I would go alone and find Vinyl myself.
I wouldn't bring anypony else into this, I already know how hectic its made my life. I trotted over to my dresser and rummaged around, looking for something to wear. My bow tie was like a part of me, always there no matter where I was or what the season was. In a way, I guess they were like Vinyl's glasses; only removing them rarely for a few occasions. I finished putting on my bow tie and now I was ready.
I trotted out my door, though I didn't know where she was, I had an idea on who could help me find her. Though I was sure he wouldn't like it anymore than I would.
*~~~*~~~*~~~*...Bigs...*~~~*~~~*~~~*
I had gone down to the barracks to blow off some steam, and well, I did succeed in doing so. It felt great too, especially when I pretended those wooden targets that I buck across the room where the head of either a certain obnoxious mare or a stupid stallion. I had spent around thirty minutes down in the barracks doing nothing but knocking a wooden target into pieces, fixing it, and repeating the process. A couple of others decided to look on, but most left and continued about their business after about the third time. Some called out cheers and words of motivation, other did the opposite and asked me to stop, but I ignored them for both my sake and theirs.
It wasn't until a familiar voice got my attention that I stopped.
"Bigs." I heard a voice, one that I was recently pretending to stomp into the ground, call from behind me.
I turned to face him and his wrath for something that I did to Vinyl's friends, or something else similar to that.
"Yes master?" I near spat at him, only giving him a fraction of my attention as I cast him a glance over my shoulder
"I wanted to..." He trailed off and even began to look strained, a rare sight from him, and it was because of this that he gained the rest of my attention and I turned to face him.
"I wanted to...to thank you."
What?
Now this was odd. I know it sounds weird that I think of a simple thank you as weird, but coming from him, it was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. He never thanked anyone, he was not reliant at heart, but had others do his bidding. He basically counted them as just extensions of himself; to him, this was like thanking himself.
"Thank me?" I re-asked to make sure I hadn't misheard him.
"Yes...I asked you to bring her to me...and you did, so I have to thank you." He seemed almost reluctant to thank me, but it was a thank you, so I didn't push my luck and ask for more. I did want to know one thing however.
"What are you going to do with her?" I asked.
I didn't care what it was, I just wanted to know what it was. I wanted to make sure that my three comrades, who still might be alive, were worth it.
He cracked a smile and chuckled as he turned his head away from me and started towards the exit until he stopped at the doorway.
"This is about your brethren isn't it?" He asked. "Wanting to make sure that all that time, effort, and lives that were put into getting her was worth it." He said as he turned and looked me in the eyes.
"You may have subdued her, Bigs, but you have yet to see what she can really do." He, once again, turned away and started out the door.
"Oh," He spoke out on last time. "Don't worry about your comrades, you'll be getting a new, and much better, one soon."