*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Maple...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*
The vampire's horn ignited in a red flare, bringing a sinister glow to the alleyway, and making her calm smile look all the more scary. Though I myself seemed to be paralyzed by the sight, it seemed that the others beside me didn't share that stance.
A bolt launched just past my head and flew at the cornered figure, though it went harmlessly past her and bounced off the cobble walls behind her. I managed to twist my head around to see that it was one of the rookies whom had taken the shot, though thanks to their shaking hooves they had missed their mark by a mile.
The way the others were set out around me almost made me look like I was supposed to be protected. The two supposedly experienced stallion's were on my left and right just in front of me and the other three were flanking both sides with one coming up directly behind me. Despite this protected position, I felt the most exposed.
The mare's smile flickered as her horn sparked a little, the ground just in front of us beginning to glow.
"She's going to try and throw dirt. Cheap..." The stallion to the front-left of me murdered, preparing for the dirt to come flying up towards his eyes.
The vampire's head tilted ever so slightly, as if she was confused by his actions, though the smile never faded.
I managed to catch it out of the corner of my eye, a faint red glow from the side of the building.
At first I was confused, but it quickly dawned on me what was happening.
A chunk of brick was ripped out of the building nearest to the stallion whom was preparing and slammed into the unprotected side of his face.
He quickly fell and for good reason. He was apparently hit hard enough that the chunk of bricks split, the cement not able to withstand the force, resulting with the single clump turning into individuals that went into the air.
The others, myself included, looked at the sight with horror.
But it was far from over.
With another spark from the vampire's horn, each individual brick that had been tossed into the air came to a stop and hovered inside of a red glow. The ends of them soon began readjusting, facing the rest of us.
My eyes widened just as the bricks began to barrage down at us at a ferocious speed.
They came down in a curved fashion, confusing us of what their true flight path was, and as a result they managed to crash into two of the ponies behind me. Just hearing the sound of the impact made me shiver a little.
The numbers of the group were quickly dwindling, the only ones left being myself, one of the newer recruits and the last standing experienced hunter. I wanted to help them, I really did, but every time I tried to channel magic into my horn the image of the disgusting sneer of the vampire in front of me threw me off. Even when I closed my eyes to do it it came as a haunting image that made my eyes bolt open.
Not to mention how degrading the fact was that she had just wiped out half of us with no effort what so ever.
The nostalgic sound of metal hitting metal brought me back as two bolts were fired at the hooded figure, with their mark being dead on this time around.
They came close, but once a familiar red glow pulled them to a halt just inches before their target was met, the small hope faded from inside me.
The bolts both slowly bend into a "U" shape, then dropped onto the ground with a clatter.
This time around, the vampire didn't bother to hide her attack, apparently confident that we didn't stand a chance whether we knew her true attack or not. Her horn made a quick winding sound as a bolt shot out and towards the stallion in the front.
The stallion, to his credit, dodged the bolt of magic flawlessly.
Well, he did at first.
The vampire's horn moved slightly to one side, and the bolt took a sharp left into the stallion's stomach. It hit him back into the wall with an audible thud accompanied by the breath leaving his lungs.
I thought that was the end of it, but the mare moved her horn to the opposite side and the stallions body was dragged off the wall and around me, right into the last of the rookies, slamming both of them into the other wall with another audible thud. Her magic released from them and they dropped to the ground where the others were now at, leaving the me the last one standing.
It was eerily quite as I stared at the face of what I may as well call death, her smile now calming itself down into what I could now call a reserved one. It was never big to begin with, but the size didn't necessarily matter when that kind of intention was being portrayed through a look.
I was still seemingly frozen, staring down that smile just as I was when the five around me where beaten down like they never had a chance to begin with.
And in all honesty, they probably didn't.
After a few minutes of silence, she did something I didn't quite expect.
She gestured for me to come to her, beckoning with her hooves as her horn lost its red glow.
'Does she want me to come to her for my death? Does she think she won't even need magic to beat me?' I thought, disgusted.
I found my hooves staggered over to her on their own, not necessarily of my own will but not necessarily against it either. As I saw it now, it was over for me one way or another, so their was no use in trying to run away from her. Flint had warned me to run when I first caught sight of the mare, though I guess the numbers we had gave me a bit too much hope.
As I got close enough, around a few feet away, she spoke.
"What do you know about Vinyl Scratch?" Her voice was calming and soothing, despite who it was coming from.
'Was this rhetorical? Or was she offering to spare me? Maybe if I said I didn't know anything, she would just let me walk away.' I asked myself. I knew that if she wanted me on the ground with the others then she could easily do just that, so why not?
"N-nothing..." I stammered.
Her smile frowned a little at that, her horn lighting up again as another chunk of brick was removed from the building with a disturbing amount of ease.
I felt my heart skip a beat.
*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*
A sudden light flooded the alleyway.
"What the hell?!" A sudden, slurred voice called from the light.
'An angel?' I asked myself, craning my head to look where the light was its brightest.
I wasn't quite sure why an angel was the first thought that popped into my mind, but I guess in the face of what I would call 'evil', a sudden shining light is usually a symbol of angelic intervention.
My eye caught sight of what actually turned out to be a drunken looking mare standing in the entry of a doorway to the alleyway. It was hard to tell what exactly she looked like since the red glow of the vampire's horn was near my eyes and obstructed her coloration.
"What the-" I began to stammer, but a chuckle from the vampire behind me reminded just what a position I was in.
She took a few shaky steps forwards, taking care to keep a hoof on the wall of the alleyway. The door fell shut behind her, and the light that I had thought was hope suddenly went out.
The drunk made her way over to the missing section of brick that the vampire had just ripped from the wall. She prodded around the hole, as if expecting a hidden switch to be where the chunk of brick had just been.
She let out an annoyed sigh.
"Coome onn, I jusst replacced this." She whined, her intoxication showing.
So this was my last sight huh? A drunk staggering into an alleyway clueless and whining about the brick missing from a building that was about to have some bonding time with my skull. I guess I would be a bit more depressed if this situation hadn't crossed my mind a few times before. I had always had a sneaking suspicion that this was how I would die.
I heard another chuckle and turned back to see that the piece of brick the mare was whining about was being quickly readjusted and aimed at her. She had just enough time to look up at the chunk and widen her eyes before it was thrown at her head at a dizzying speed. I wondered if the mare had managed to annoy the vampire, as this throw seemed to have a bit of effort packed into it.
The drunk luckily tripped, moving just out of the way of the brick as it smashed into the wall and shattered. Again, to her luck, the body of one of the fallen five was there to cushion her fall. I also thought I could make out another drunken mumble, something else about the wall.
Well, I thought she was going to fall.
I felt a pair of hooves give me a harsh shove, pushing me roughly into the wall at the side of the alleyway. The unexpected push made me close my eyes instinctively, making the pain from the fall a bit more bearable. The sound of shattering glass also managed to make itself know as I fell.
Did the vampire throw me away to focus on this mare more?
When I opened my eyes, I found a sight I hadn't quite expected to see.
The mare had apparently moved up far enough to push me out of the way and shove the vampire mare up against the end of the alley. Up against a dumpster to be more specific, and even grabbed and broke a bottle to use as a weapon to press against the vampire's neck.
The vampire still smiled, despite her apparent position. In fact I think it might have widened. She even looked like she was enjoying this sudden shift in power. Was this what vampire's enjoyed seeing? A potential threat to them? Was this what they had to see to have a good time?
Either way, the drunk mare also seemed to be enjoying this just as much.
I managed to catch her dulled eyes look closer at the hooded figure. Though that dulled down, drunken look in her eyes was quickly replaced with shock as her eyes widen and the smile turned into a slack jawed look.
She seemed to doubt herself for a moment, before finally opening her mouth an asking,
"Vinyl?" She slurred, the bottle's sharp edge letting off of the mare's neck just a little bit.
Her smile paused, and weakened.
"Let me go, please." She said in her still calm and soothing voice, though the danger lurking beneath was just as obvious.
"Why are you talkin so weird Vinyl?" The drunk slurred, her eyes squinting at the hooded figure.
How did this drunk even know Vinyl Scratch to begin with?
A whining sound pierced my ears and brought me back to the matter at hoof as the red magic from the mare's charged up to the point where it began to turn white at the center of her horn.
The drunk seemed to register the seriousness of the upcoming use of magic and released the vampire instantly. She turned to me and picked me up roughly, hauling the both of us to the exit of the alleyway with a surprising amount of strength. I managed to get a good glimpse of her face when she did it, showing a pair of sharp, aqua eyes despite the clear intoxication of the mare.
The second we turned the corner she dumped me onto the sidewalk and toppled on top me.
I looked up past her just in time to see a torrent of magic erupt from the alleyway, enough power behind it to make the front hairs of my mane blow backwards as if a gust of wind was hitting them.
Thankfully, it dissipated a few feet into the street - a result of not enough of focus being put into the blast - but did manage to singe through the edges of the alley it came from. I shivered at the thought of what might have happened if she had focused it, most likely the building next door ceasing to exist.
One last blip of magic rang from the alleyway, most likely the unicorn teleporting away. The drunk on me seemed to register it as well.
"Heh," I heard a chuckle from the mare atop me. "close one."
Only a single question floated through my head.
"Who are you?" I asked.
A mare that stumbled into an alleyway, clearly drunk as can be, managed to - on her own - subdue a vampire that had wiped the floor with six others whom were trained to deal with them. Not to mention, we were armed where as she had made due with a broken bottle and probably could have done without it as well. She had also managed to save my own life.
She pushed herself off me and fell backwards as a result, sprawling over the sidewalk in a goofy looking fashion. I heard a drunken hiccup come from her before she answered.
"Sh-Shakes." She muttered.
*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*...Octavia...*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*~~~~*
"Vinyl? Can you at least tell me what it is you're after before you go barging out the door like that?"
It had been not but a few hours before Vinyl's awakening before she had already gone back to more suspicious behavior. This time, she had froze up mid-speech and wordlessly gone to the door. Not to mention that it was dark enough that she could anywhere she pleased, which forced me to follow her with the fear that she would get lost otherwise.
"Smell." She murmured, nose to the cold night air.
"Smell?" I repeated, shivering from the same air.
"Smell." She said again, as if to confirm it.
'Well...progress is progress.' I mumbled internally.
"Could you perhaps tell me what exactly it is you smell?" I asked further.
She took a sudden right onto a back street and didn't bother to reply. I decided to not press any further, as it looked to be a fruitless effort.
She trotted on for another five minutes or so before arriving at a dead end area that was placed out of the way of even the back roads. It was shaped like a circle, stone walls erected a few meters high and a distinct lack of any form of pavement - nothing but sandy dirt to comfort ones hooves. Only one exit and entrance, the one that me and Vinyl had just entered.
In the center of the circle, lit by moonlight, was a dampened spot in the dirt.
Vinyl made a b-line to the spot and sniffed attentivly.
"Vinyl, would you please tell me what it is you smelled? Is that it there?" I asked her, trotting up beside her and staring at the dark spot, beginning to get a bit annoyed at her lack of response.
I noticed a pungent smell in the air.
"I believe it is the substance that goes by the name 'blood'." I haughty voice replied to me, causing both my head and Vinyl's to swivel.
A rather big stallion stood at the entry way to the small circular structure me and Vinyl stood in. He wasn't tall entirely, more of a hulky and well built stallion.
He put on an alarmingly disarming smile.
"Greeting young ladies, my name is-" The stallion began with a bow, only to be interrupted.
"Tavi! Look! It's him!" Vinyl squealed, trotting in place to express just how excited she was at whomever this stallion was. A friend of hers I hadn't heard about?
I raised a brow at her.
"Do you know him?" I asked.
"It's the guy of the game you were showing me! The one with the small houses and..." She mumbled off, looking to the sky with a hoof to her chin.
I gave the stallion - who was looking as confused as ever - a once over and it finally clicked. Vinyl and I had been trying to find a way to pass the time at my apartment and ended up running across an old box of things I had stored up over the years. When I first saw them, I was a bit embarrassed to have Vinyl look at them. Though when she looked at them in the same light as a child would, her eyes light up in excitement and I found myself having a little pride in them.
One game in particular caught her eye and she had wanted to learn how to play it.
"Monopoly?" I guessed.
"Yeah, that!" Vinyl chirped, almost shivering with excitement to meet the stallion on the front of the box
I gave a bit of a sheepish chuckle at her accidental rudeness.
"Vinyl, I don't think that he's th-"
"Yeah, you're right." She cut me short, her neck craning to look closer at the stallion.
"He looks more like the one from the can of chips. But this guy's got the eye glass thingy. " She nodded, as if it was what I was going to say in the first place.
I gave her a deadpanned look.
The stallion cleared his throat and brought our attention back to him.
"If you two are quite done?" He asked, raising a bushy brow and eye up to look at us.
We looked to each other.
Vinyl gave me a shrug.
"Yes?" I replied.
"Good." He said, his smile returning.
"I am the local leader of a small group - whom is part of a bigger group by association - who enjoys to hunt a select group of ponies for...fun." He said, pacing back and forth as he spoke.
"The name 'Vinyl Scratch' has caught some attention in the past few decades and, as a result, I have been given the simple task of including you into one of these lovely games. And thanks to the confirmation of you, my dear lady..." He gestured to me and I realized I had addressed Vinyl earlier.
"...I now know this is the mare I seek." He said, looking at Vinyl with an almost lusty look in his eyes. It was uncomfortable to say the least.
"However, you will not get time to run and hide like you might imagine. The hunt began when I was given this task, whether you agree to the terms..."
He readied a device on his arm I couldn't make out; judging by the sound it made, it couldn't be good.
"...or not."
It went eerily silent before Vinyl spoke up in response.
"You're part of that order thing, right?" Vinyl asked.
"Indeed. It seems the prey is more versed in its predators than I thought." He said, giving a sneering grin.
Vinyl giggled.
"Is this about that group I apparently hurt? If it is, I'm real sorry about that but-"
The stallion interrupted her with a sharp tone.
"This is not about that!" He suddenly shouted, his head dipping down enough to hide his face in the dark of night.
"You are prey. That is the reason you are hunted." His voice had grown dark and a sinister look overtook his form.
Vinyl's smile wavered at the harsh tone, her ears flattening at the sudden outburst. However, it quickly found itself back on her face; it looked hurt, but still hopeful.
"Look, I don't like fighting you guys. And from how most of you all end up getting hurt, I'm sure you all don't either." She protested.
The stallion slowly walked up to her, his body almost a shadow that loomed over us, and stopped just short of Vinyl.
"Perhaps..." He began, his voice gruff and disgusted.
One of his hulking hooves shot out from the darkness of the night and all but smashed into Vinyl's throat. She made a breathless and pained sound at the impact, clearly not expecting it. My eyes widened as his hoof clenched and lifted her high into the air with ease, leaving Vinyl dangling in the air with her hooves off the ground. Vinyl's hooves went to her neck and clawed at it, but to little avail.
The stallion's face finally lifted up to meet her glasses, an angered squint to his eyes as he looked at her.
He raised her a bit higher before slamming her into the dirt below, hard enough to kick the dirt up and to disorient Vinyl enough for her to cease her struggles to remove his hoof.
He leaned his head down and hovered his mouth right next to Vinyl's ear.
"...or perhaps you have never met someone who truly wants to kill you."