My name is Octavia Philharmonic. At first glance, nothing would stand out to you. I'm a light grey earthpony with a long, darker grey mane and a violet treble clef as my cutiemark. Nothing would pop out to you until you reach my eyes which are a bright red to rival blood itself. Sometimes they can actually glow. Some ponies ask me why my eyes are so red and I tell them that they're unique. It's a truth.
A few ponies have also asked me where I got the name 'Philharmonic'. And I tell them that my parents liked the name, so they gave it to me. That's a lie. The real reason why my name is Philharmonic is because it's my family's name. The Philharmonic family, a once prominent, musically inclined family that lived in Trottingham five hundred years ago. Then five hundred years back, they died out. And how could a family that died five hundred years ago be my family you may wonder. Well that's because I'm immortal. You may at first deny it and to a certain extent, you're right. It's very hard to do, but under certain circumstances its possible for me to die. Otherwise I could live for a very long time. You would probably now ask, how is this possible? It's just how my kind work I would answer with a shrug. You see, I'm not an ordinary pony.
I'm a vampire pony.
As you can guess I don't often make this information public as it usually leads to panic, mobs, torches, pitchforks, priests with holy relics, the whole package. Since ponies generally fear us, we usually hide our existence from the Equestrian populace. As you've guessed, I wasn't always a vampire. I used to be a normal earthpony mare, living in my hometown of Trottingham. How did my life end up like this? How did I end up turning? To tell that story, I'll have to start with my sister, Melody Note.
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In my family, I was different. I was the only earthpony in a family of unicorns. My mom was a unicorn, my dad was a unicorn...and my sister was a unicorn. Growing up, I hardly knew my sister. The year I turned six, an epidemic swept through town and a lot of ponies contracted the disease. Amongst them was my sister Melody Note. She was also amongst the ponies who died of that disease. My mother was a loving mare with a weak constitution so when she heard of my sister's death, she took to her sickbed and died soon afterwards. Then it was just me and father. Father grieved both my mother and sister, but soon enough he pulled himself together. He still had me to look after.
As for me, it wasn't easy growing up an earthpony in a family of unicorns. There were things that my dad could do that I couldn't, but luckily there were other earthponies in Trottingham who could help me with that. The real challenge was playing an instrument. Specifically, the cello, one of the instruments that was considered a unicorn instrument. I had to work harder than most musicians would to master the cello. Most musicians would ask me why I picked such a hard instrument and I would always tell them because of my sister. My sister died when I was just six, so what little I know of her are vague snatches of memory and what my dad told me while I was growing up.
Father told me she was a beautiful mare and always full of life. Even when she was sick. She was also very talented. More so than the rest of the family. My dad was a composer and skilled violinist and my mother had the voice of an angel (according to my dad). My sister could play any musical instrument she laid her hooves on, but she was most well known for her cello playing. But, although my interest in the cello started out as a way to feel closer to my sister, I soon realized I liked the cello as my instrument and not just my one thread to my sister. And it was when I reached this realization that my cutemark appeared.
But, while I had many admirers and some suiters, I had few friends that I suspected only hung out with me because of my father's wealth. And thus the only pony I actually felt close to was my father. So with few friends and companions whom I could share close relationships with, I focused much of my time with my music. I had my father and beautiful music and yet everything felt empty and a little pointless. And then one day, my world was rocked and everything changed.
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The Trottingham music hall rumbled with the stomps of several ponies and the air rang with their polite cheers. On the stage, a grey earthpony mare took a bow and when the curtains dropped, she went backstage. As she was tending to her prized cello, the door burst open and a black unicorn stallion with a white mane trotted in with a grin.
"Octavia, that was a wonderful concert!" He declared. "Your best one yet!"
"Bar Line, thank you." Octavia Philharmonic thanked him. "It seems as though the audience enjoyed it as well."
"Of course they did! What did you expect?" Bar Line asked. "You're a brilliant cellist. I especially liked that last piece you played. What is it called anyways? I've never heard it before."
Octavia paused her gentle polishing of her cello and her gaze became distant. "It's called Underneath the Moon. And it's one of the last pieces that my father composed."
Bar Line winced. "Sorry. I forgot that today is that day."
"It's not your fault." Octavia said softly. "It's just that today is the first anniversary of my father's death, so I figured I should play one of his compositions in honor of his memory."
"It's still a very beautiful composition." Bar Line said. "So, do you want to come to my place for a drink?"
"Maybe next time." Octavia said. "Right now I just want to be alone."
"Right...again, I'm sorry for dredging up bad memories." Bar Line apologized again.
"And again, I forgive you." Octavia said with a smile. "I just want some time to myself."
"Okay. You take care of yourself." Bar Line said. "Make sure to get home safe. Remember, they haven't caught that serial killer and I don't want to lose another marefriend to that guy."
"So I'm your marefriend now?" Octavia asked with a cocked eyebrow and Bar Line's muzzle reddened.
"O-only if you want to." He stuttered out.
"Hmmm. Maybe one day." Octavia said. Bar Line looked ready to skip into the sky, wings or no wings. Octavia had to stifle a giggle.
"W-well, I'll see you later." Bar Line said and he left. Octavia smiled and began packing her things to get ready to leave. Bar Line was a good enough stallion. Very kind and a gifted musician. There were even a few mares who'd made up a small fan club just for him. Octavia had never really been that obsessed with him, but she did like him a little and she wondered if their relationship would go anywhere.
When she was finished packing up her things, she left the hall and began the journey to her home. This time however, she took the long way home so that she could be left to her thoughts and memories of her father. It was hard to believe that a year ago on this very day, her father had died of natural causes. He'd been very old at that time so it wasn't much of a surprise, but to Octavia it was still a little unbelievable. Violet eyes cast their gaze upwards towards the moon. Tonight it was full and cast its silvery light down on the darkened streets below and Octavia could clearly see the Mare in the Moon. Tonight she felt that the moon was especially beautiful today.
As she watched, clouds blew in to cover the silvery white disk and Octavia felt a shiver crawl up her spine as her gaze dropped down from the sky. Somepony was watching her. This wasn't a new feeling for her. For as long as she could remember, she'd always felt like somepony was watching her. But it always felt like a gentle protective gaze that made her feel safe and when she was a filly, she believed it was her guardian angel. This time the gaze felt hostile and hateful and Octavia cast her gaze about the area to see if she could spot somepony.
The streets were quiet and she couldn't see anypony. Octavia continued on with a bit more caution in her step, but she could still feel the malicious gaze boring into the back of her neck like a fire. The once peaceful air tensed until it could be cut with a knife. It felt like somepony was crouched in the darkness, waiting to strike. Like a snake in a bush. Then Octavia suddenly felt herself being swept off her hooves and the world momentarily blurred due to sudden swift motion. When everything finally settled into place, Octavia found herself on the ground with her back to an allyway wall and standing in front of her was a cloaked figured.
The earthpony tried to stand, but found herself pinned firmly to the ground. Though the pony wasn't on top of her, the glow under their hood suggested that Octavia was being pinned down by magic. Before she could even ask anything, a knife wrapped in a magical aura floated out from under the cloak and stabbed into her hindleg. Octavia screamed or at least tried to. But when she started to scream, she found that her mouth couldn't open because the magic holding her muzzle shut. All that came out was muffled screams of pain as her attacker stabbed her several more times.
"You think you're good enough for him?" A feminine voice hissed at her maliciously. "You're just some earthpony floozie who doesn't even deserve to lick the dirt off my hooves." As she spoke, she twisted the knife in Octavia's side. The earthpony whimpered but by this point her pain was numbing as everything grew cold and darkness edged in on her vision. But her mind remained completely aware and it had made a sickening realization.
Images of past newspapers flashed through her mind. Young mares had been found in alleyways, stabbed multiple times all over their bodies before they'd been stabbed through the heart. So far there'd been six victims and they were all either earthponies or pegasi. And if her current situation was any indication, then she was about to become the seventh victim. And all her life she'd been told that seven was a lucky number. It's amazing what the mind can come up with when faced with the end. Octavia didn't even notice that her murderer had released her magical grasp on her. Her eyes were entirely focused on the blade that had been raised high above her heart.
"Die you filty, earthpony hussy." She said and Octavia caught a glimpse of an insane and bloodthirsty grin stretched across a blue muzzle. Then the knife dropped. Octavia couldn't find the strength to move or even close her eyes and wait for the inevitable. Time felt like it had slowed to a crawl as she watched the bloody blade inch closer and closer and even prick the skin over her heart...only for it to vanish.
For moment, Octavia couldn't comprehend the sudden disappearance of the blade and the other mare seemed equally confused and was looking to the side as a metallic clang faintly rang in Octavia's right ear. The mare snarled animalisticly as she turned to the entrance to alley.
"Who dares attack an avenging angel?!" She demanded.
"Lady, you're not any sort of angel." A second feminine voice came from somewhere out of the earthpony mare's line of sight. And for some odd reason, it sounded familiar. But her memory and mind were to muddled for her to place it. The newcomer continued. "You're just some filly who's several cards short a full deck."
"You dare INSULT ME!!?" The first mare screeched.
"Yeah I do. Because..." The mare paused for half a beat and when she spoke again, her voice had become so dark and threatening that it sent chills up Octavia's spine. "...you've just made the biggest mistake of your life."
Octavia didn't even blink when suddenly the new cloaked mare appeared in front of the first, standing on her hindlegs with her forelegs up in a jumping motion. The two mares then vanished from her sight when the first was tackled by her savior but she could still faintly hear them fighting. Cold numbness continued to slowly engulf her body and Octavia looked up. From where she was laying, she could see the moon. The clouds had moved away from the moon's face, letting it shine down on the severely bleeding earthpony. It may been some sort of hallucination due to her lack of blood, but at that moment the moon was no longer silvery white. Instead it was a deep blood red.
Then, before she knew it, the sounds of struggle ceased and the Victor stood over her. Octavia quickly surmised that it was her savior who had won when the pony gently pulled her up and looked over her injuries. When she finished, she sighed sorrowfully and her shoulders drooped like a hundred pounds had suddenly been dropped onto her back.
"I'm so sorry." Her rescuer apologized. "Your injuries are too severe and you've already lost too much blood. If I'd have been here sooner, I would be able to save you."
"I-its okay." Octavia said weakly. "At least...you're here to hold my hoof...at the end."
The stranger pulled her close and hesitated a moment. "I can't save you by any conventional means, but there is is an unconventional way for me to save your life." The mare said. "But the cost is the life that you've made here. You won't be able to see the ponies you care about except from a distance. You will basically be starting a completely new life. Is that something you want?"
"I don't have much of a life here." Octavia said. "My entire family is dead, so its just me and I don't really have friends that are there for me. They just like my money."
"What about that stallion, Bar Line?" Octavia didn't even think to ask how she knew about Bar Line.
"I was interested in him and I could tell he liked me too." Octavia huffed. "But we didn't get the chance to dig deeper into our relationship so there aren't many romantic feelings. But at least with that mare taken care of, he'll be able to keep his marefriends."
The mare glanced back towards where Octavia assumed the serial killer was and the earthpony had a feeling that she was grinning. "Yeah, I guess that is one positive to this whole mess. So if you're certain, then very well."
The mare leaned towards Octavia until the earthpony could see the snow white muzzle beneath her hood. She felt a breath brush her ear and the mare whispered into her ear.
"By the way, you're wrong. You do have some family."
Before Octavia could even ask what that meant, she felt a sensation on her neck like a pair of teeth puncturing her neck and any lingering pains and aches melted away as she felt herself go slack and the darkness that once edged her vision, began to overpower it. And the last thing Octavia Philharmonic saw before her vision faded to black was the blood moon.