//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A Night of Agony in the Falling Snow // Story: The Vampirization of Octavia Melody // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// ~The Vampirization of Octavia Melody~ 　　She jerked upright in an instant, another shiver of fear jolting down her back as she stood there like a deer caught in the lantern light of an approaching carriage, ears perking up all the way as her muscles locked themselves down in panic. Only a few seconds passed by before she turned around, though they each felt longer than the last as she slowly spun in place to gaze at the one who had snuck up behind her. The sight that greeted her was enough to allow her muscles to relax some and her superior attitude to come back in an instant. “And who do you think you are, sneaking up on a lady in the dark of the night?” She haughtily stamped her hoof down onto the ground, advancing on the shrouded and huddled figure now that she saw it was just an old stallion who had no business being there. 　　 　　Her mouth opened to reprimand the pony even further, but her voice faltered in the wake of his grinding chuckle. “Who do I think I am?” Octavia found herself backing away from his advances now, her entire body trembling now from the fear of his rumbling voice. “Who do I think I am?” The voice had been getting louder as he got closer and closer, ending off in an angry shriek of rage that left a ringing in Octavia’s ears. “Well, little stuck up mare, I am something that you should be very afraid of.” His hooves sink down into the snow as if it wasn’t even there, the frozen particles almost seeming to bend to his will as he got closer to the musician. “Perhaps you might have heard of me in your darkest nightmares.” 　　 　　Octavia jerked backwards from the stallion as he leaned close to her neck and sniffed at her, repulsed that a pony like him would dare to act so vulgar towards somepony of higher stature. She didn’t get very far, however, as the second she lifted her hoof the snow that surrounded it suddenly froze into ice that held her there near the pony’s greedily sniffing nose. “G-Get away from me!” Quick as a flash, Octavia brought her head down into the nose that was almost perversely taking in her scent, causing a great roar of pain to fill the air as the stallion recoiled violently with a hoof held up to his nose. 　　 　　“You idiotic mare! Have you still not realized what I am?” The ragged voice was even more ragged now that there was blood dripping down from its owner’s now-ruined nose. “I was going to make it quick, but now...” Octavia’s skin crawled as she stared obstinately into the cruel topaz eyes of her attacker. There was nothing but a fiery anger there now, instead of the hunger that was lingering before. “Now I shall enjoy your cries of pain.” The stallion slowly smiled a chilling smile, his teeth glinting in the light from the partially obscured moon. Octavia tried once more to pull free from the ice, a few whinnies leaving her mouth as her mind whirled around in a panic. She watched with wide eyes as those bright teeth got even closer to her, terror now her only thought as the pointed tips spread apart slightly. “Ah, I see now that you finally understand how stupid you were to provoke me.” The pointed tips of enamel clicked together menacingly as the pony kept them bared, their glinting only adding to their menacing presence. “Too late, I’m afraid.” 　　 　　A hot pain flashed from her neck, just above her chest but it soon spread along her body in scalding tendrils of agony. “N-No...” Her body shook violently as her mind urged her to gallop away, but her struggles grew weaker with every passing second as she felt the blood slowly leaving her body through the molten bite in her neck. “H-Help... Me...” The world around her grew darker as she futilely tried to push herself away from the vampony who had sunk his fangs into her, though even freed from the ice, her hooves were simply too weak to push him away. 　　 　　Just when she thought that she might finally be done with the searing pain and pass on into the next world, the teeth suddenly pulled out of her skin and let her collapse onto the white snow, which was now stained with spots of crimson red that shone dully in the dim light. “Now now, you can’t quit on me now.” The stallion’s voice was barely audible as Octavia slowly slid between the line of consciousness and the black void that was reaching out to her with open arms; arms that, given the choice, she would leap into gratefully. “The fun has only just started, my dear mare, and I haven’t even had half my meal yet.” A hoof kicked into her side, eliciting a weak yelp from her as she tried to shuffle away from the pain, the snow only slightly relieving the fiery pain that was throbbing at the holes in her neck. 　　 　　Another cry of pain left her throat as those terrifying teeth sunk back into her, this time sending the throbbing pain up her leg and into her flanks as the stallion held her down with a firm hoof on her back. She dragged herself away slowly only to be yanked back painfully by her leg, barely able to muster up any strength at this point now as her mind screamed for it all to end. “P-Please...” Just when her world had almost faded to black, a dark figure shot across her narrow vision accompanied by a shout that she couldn’t quite comprehend. Seconds ticked past as she slowly regained a sense of self about her, her mind darting about frantically in an attempt to get her legs moving while her ears kept picking up fragments of sound. 　　 　　“Get away...her!” 　　 　　“Stupid...How dare...interrupt my meal!” 　　After what felt like forever and a half, Octavia finally managed to force herself into a standing position, though her violently trembling legs wouldn’t carry her far until she fell back down into the cold snow. One step was all it took for her vision to swim and sway with the throbbing pain that kept coming back stronger with each beat of her heart. Her ears swiveled along with her head as another sound behind her rang out into the air, a harsh shout of pain followed by a loud crack that echoed back to her from the stone walls of the seemingly empty houses that lined the street. Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the vampony bending down over another who lay with his motionless limbs at odd angles. As she traced up the still figure, Octavia’s heart seemed to fall out of her chest as she got to the face of her momentary savior. “S-Six Strings...?” Almost as if he could hear her, the stallion she thought she had left behind at the performance hall turned to look directly into her eyes, pain evident in his own as he slowly mouthed one word. 　　 　　Run. 　　 　　Her hooves dragged through the snow as she stumbled backwards, trying to get away while the predator was busy with his unexpected meal. The icy cold particles clung to her coat, though the chills that trembled down her spine had nothing to do with the cold as she kept her eyes locked on the haunched figure that was slowly draining the life out of a pony that had just saved her life, for now at least; a pony that she had scorned just an hour before. It took all of her willpower to keep moving away at her slow, painful pace, but in her hazy mind she knew that if she didn’t get away she wouldn’t see another sunrise again. The sound of flesh being ripped away rose up from the two figures that were now a good distance away, followed by a cruel, harsh laughter that echoed to and fro. “Ah, what a delicious meal... But now I am quite ready for my dessert.” Octavia froze for just a moment as the stallion turned to face her, blood now coating his muzzle and face as he smiled at her with bloodred fangs. “And that is you, my dear.” 　　 　　She spun around and started to hobble away as fast as her damaged body could take her, crying out in pain as her leg and neck throbbed painfully with the sudden motions. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she slogged her way towards an alley, her glances only revealing that the stallion had been walking ever so closer with every second, that same cruel smile still on his face. Octavia wanted to hurl insult after insult at him, to scream into his face and kick out in retaliation, but she knew that even if she had the energy for it,she would just end up like Six Strings with her bloodied and battered body laying in the snow. No sooner than she had entered the alleyways somewhat comforting darkness did she collapse against one of its walls and slump to the ground, having completely exhausted herself. 　　 　　The last thing she saw before descending into darkness were those fangs glinting in the moonlight.