//------------------------------// // 1. // Story: Millennial Redemption // by Hopefullygoodgrammar //------------------------------// Agonizing pain. An unrelenting torrent of shadows held her down, froze her pale skin and seared the gaping hole in her chest, causing her to writhe and scream like so many of her former victims, though they, at least, would have died at this undefinable point in time. But not her. This was her entire world, her universe, a universe of hellish torment, trapped within the body of an unholy monster. Alucard…. The very name name her wounds hurt. She was nothing but a plaything to him, a tool to be used against her allies, if they could even be called that anymore. She shuddered as she recalled the cold and callous way that the Major- a man whom she had devoted her entire un-life to- threw her away like she was less than nothing. The other souls within Alucard mocked her for her naivete, they berated her for putting trust in such a monster. And she wept every, single time. And so time slowed to a crawl and the minutes and hours and days blurred together until Time itself was alien to her. And still her torment continued. When the tide of suffering ebbed, even slightly, she would think. She would think about where it had gone wrong, she remembered joining Millennium and the Nazi party after her boyfriend had joined. It was somewhat funny, considering that she couldn't even remember what her boyfriend had looked like and it was actually funny to her that she hadn't even been attracted to him, but being a lesbian in that era was deadly, especially in regards to Nazi Germany. But Millennium allowed her to be free of that and many more restrictions besides. They had scorned the social norms and embraced the darkest and most taboo side of humanity. Though that was expected, considering they were Vampires, Witches and Freaks of nature. It only made sense that they would be drawn to the darkness. She had killed for Millennium, she had pulped heads and perforated torsos with her unnatural marksmanship. She had given up her humanity and become a vampire; she had lost count of the times that she had feasted upon the innocent. Now she was paying for it all. And, after thinking such thoughts for so long, she began to wonder whether she should give in and accept her fate. I’m a monster  she thought, and monsters like me deserve to be punished for all eternity. When Alucard is finished with me I’ll go to Hell… and my torment will just get worse, but I deserve it, I deserve all of it. I’m a monster. Then she was tossed about and twisted painfully as the floodgates opened. Then she was out in the real world, amidst a sea of blood and gunfire. She found, to her unending horror, that she had been fused to Tubalcain Alhambra, a man that she had been proud to call a friend and comrade in arms; now he was just a puppet. There wasn’t even enough of him to constitute a full puppet, so Alucard had just fused his mangled body with hers. She fired her gun off a few times, then was torn to ribbons by gunfire. And all she thought was: I deserve this. Then there was nothing. Warmth…. Warmth and a faint, gentle light. Rip opened her eyes and felt shock course through her entire being. She wasn’t in Hell, she wasn’t back in Alucard’s body with his other puppets, she wasn’t even in the endless darkness that some believed lurked on the Other Side. She was somewhere completely new: someplace bright, someplace that was filled with the scents of untainted nature; a place that was the complete opposite of the war torn slaughterhouse that was once London.   She lay there for what felt like hours, wondering at her predicament, but too mentally and physically exhausted to investigate. In time she felt fear and doubt creep into her mind. Could this be a trick? Will it all fade into fire and brimstone if I get up? Could Alucard be tricking me? She felt her guts clench at the thought of that demon smiling that jackal’s smile at her as she danced on invisible strings. Filling her lungs with air the former Millennium Huntress screamed, “I von’t be your puppet, Zamiel! You can kill me now or torture me until my body falls to pieces, but I von’t be your puppet!” She was surprised at how little her throat hurt from her yell, she was far less surprised at how little she believed in her own words. He’ll make me his puppet if he so chooses, you stupid fraulein. He’s your master now. You are his possession, I am his possession. But isn’t that what I deserve? Rip felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes, followed by the prickling sensation as they leaked down her freckled cheeks. I just want this to stop.  she thought as she began to cry softly. And, as always, her gentle gasps became harsh weeping, then-finally- she would abandon herself to miserable sobbing. The only difference this time was that there were no other tormented souls crying out alongside her. Her miserable cries drew the attention of something-no, someone. She didn’t hear said someone’s hoofsteps, though it would have taken her using her enhanced hearing to hear even the faintest sound. The being moved towards the sobbing vampire and came to a stop several feet in front of her. She- that was the being’s gender- stared at Rip with large, teal eyes that held an equal mixture of fear, caution and pity. She had no clue what the strange creature was, but the sounds of her crying were enough to break her heart. Rip had finally ran out of tears- at least for the moment- when she heard it: the clearing of a throat. The vampire looked up, readying herself for the inevitable cruel taunts of Alucard and the torture that was sure to follow, but what she saw instead was something new and altogether unexpected. It was a medium-sized horse-no, a pony. A pony with soft-looking, yellow fur, long pink hair that covered one side of her face and a pair of fluffy wings clasped tightly to her sides. It’s a…. a pegasus? she thought as she stared into the creature’s blue eyes. She had seen many strange and frightening creatures in her years serving the Major: vampires, ghouls, the last werewolf, an omnipotent catboy and a powerful witch. But this creature was something else altogether, namely in the fact that it didn’t look like anything that belonged in the world that she inhabited: it looked far too… cute, too kind and gentle to be a part of the world that she was familiar with.   But that would make it a very clever illusion. she thought as the pegasus moved a few inches closer, If I don’t talk to it, then maybe Alucard will get bored and stop the charade. Then the pegasus spoke in a soft, feminine voice that carried with it an emotion that she had heard more times than she could count: fear. “H-h-hello?” Rip clenched her jaw and looked down, trying to focus on the shadows that had pooled underneath her legs. If I don’t talk she’ll go away, if I don’t talk she’ll go away, if I don’t talk she’ll go away- “Are you alright?” Rip perked up slightly when she heard a new emotion enter the voice, it had been so very long since she had heard it that she doubted that she had heard correctly, but then it came again. “Uhm… are you okay? Are you hurt?” Rip felt her eyes start to water again, it was foreign, but still unmistakable. It was kindness. It made her heart ache for the time before she had ever joined Millennium, before she had gone down the wrong path, before she had been killed. But it’s still just a trick.  she reaffirmed herself. Then she felt something rest on her shoulder, something very soft and warm. Rip’s breath caught in her throat and she began to tremble as her body relayed the information to her mind, forcing her to accept that the creature wasn’t an illusion. “Oh my Celestia, you’re shaking!” exclaimed the pegasus, sounding worried, “Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Rip couldn’t take it anymore, The kindness in her voice, the gentle touch of what she assumed to be her hoof on her shoulder and the concern that she was showing, it was all so real. “But you aren’t real…”  she whispered. “Pardon?” asked the pegasus. “You’re not real” she said, louder this time, “You can’t be real, you are just an illusion.” There was silence for a moment, then the pegasus said, “O-of course I’m real.” Rip looked up, showing the pegasus her sharp teeth as she hissed, “No, you’re an illusion created by Alucard.” She pulled herself away from the illusion’s touch and backed away on all fours like a whipped dog. When she was a few feet away from the pegasus- who was looking at her with confusion as well as pity- she curled into a ball and covered her face. Rip tried desperately not to hear the pegasus move towards her, tried to blot out all senses, tried not to let that seed of doubt in her mind flower and take root, tried to stop the pain of the cruelty that the vampire god was inflicting upon her. Something settled next to her and a second later she felt something as soft and downy drape itself over her back; it took her a second to realize that the pegasus had laid a wing over her. Like an angel comforting a sinner. she thought, Only no angel would ever come near something like me, I’m tainted, evil, and this pegasus should run away from me as fast as she can. If she’s even real at all. But that seed of doubt was steadily growing, slowly blossoming and eating at her resolve. She didn’t want to be tricked, but she also wanted with all her heart  to believe that what was happening was real. “There, there, it’s going to be alright.” said the pegasus, “I won’t leave you here alone.” Rip Van Winkle’s resolve crumbled even more at those soft, soothing words. Words that made her remember her mother tucking her in as the sun set outside her window, her and her sister playing in the meadows on the outskirts of their little town, her first, secretive kiss with a girl whose name had been lost amidst the seas of time. Why would Alucard do something like this? Why would he do anything kind at all, that isn’t Zamiel’s way. Her blue eyes snapped open, He wouldn’t do... anything…. kind- “Zis is r-real.” she said in a small voice, gazing at the yellow pegasus with watering eyes. “Uhm… yes, I’m real.” she said with a gentle smile. Those two words made the flower of doubt blossom fully into realization and Rip Van Winkle, the former first lieutenant of Millennium, began to cry. She cried out of relief, she cried out of happiness, she cried out of remorse. The yellow pegasus looked taken aback for a moment, then she gently pulled the strange, weeping creature into a warm embrace. Rip felt the soft fur tickle her skin and heard the creature’s heart beat a slow rhythm. She reached her long arms out and clung to the pegasus like an infant clinging to its mother, savoring the warmth and the feeling of love that came with it. Soon- far sooner than she had thought- she fell asleep, still whimpering and hugging the yellow pegasus tightly. Fluttershy cradled the strange, sharp-toothed creature for awhile until she heard the tell-tale gentle breathing that signaled sleep. She gently laid her- she was certain that the creature was female- on the grass and got to her hooves. She looked down at her, taking in the bloodstained blue and white garb, the long hair, the strange silver pendant that lay around her neck and the slightly cracked glasses that were perched awkwardly on her small nose. Fluttershy leaned in and gently brushed the hair away to get a better look at her face: she had a soft, youthful face dotted with freckles, a small nose and a slightly pointed chin. Her face reminded Fluttershy of her friend Pinkie Pie, but there were a few major physical differences in their appearance. But there was one other difference that presided over the others: her face, although slack with sleep, was haggard and gaunt, her skin was pale and covered in small cuts and bruises, her eyes were sunken in and ringed with dark circles, her cheeks were hollowed and her lips were chapped and raw. Fluttershy felt the pity that had nestled in her chest rise up and fill her eyes with tears. She brushed the feathers of her wings across the female’s brow, You poor, poor thing she thought sadly what happened to you?  The female gave no answer, save for a tiny, pitiful whimper.