Midnight Melody

by Caffeine Junkie

-(21)- From smoke to smother (part 1)

Dear [Unknown Reader],

A long time ago my grandmother used to tell me that one could never truly appreciate the warmth of the sun without going through a heap of rainy days; Of course I never believed her. I just shrugged it off as her way of being considerate.

However, at some point even my dreadful childhood had to come to an end. Life went on and things changed. I moved away from my parents, got a well-paid job and managed to stand on my own hooves. For a moment it really seemed as if those dreadful rainy days had finally passed. Of course that moment didn't last. Time passed and I came to realise that I had been nothing but a naive and dellusional child. Life wasn't a fairy tale and there was no compensation for the hardships I had to endure. Even though I managed to break free from my parent's influence...I still never had the chance to experience true happiness.

After some time I simply accepted my fate. I gave up on the idea of a happiness and simply went on with my gray life. However, soon after I abandoned even the last bit of hope my grandmother died. It was only then that I realised that I probably still wasn't completly dead inside. Trying to run away from my pain and guilt I buried myself in work and wished for things to change...for my life to change...

Somehow my wish was granted. In the midst of Canterlot I began to hear some kind of beautiful melody and like a moth to the flame I let myself be lured in. Soon I found out that there was more to Canterlot than met the eye. I encountered Victor, a stallion who lived in a part of Canterlot that wasn't accessible to just any pony. Shrouded in mystery he had lived there for centuries guarding his most precious posession, a small box capable of granting wishes.

My life changed...but not in the way I originally wanted. Due to my encounter with Victor I started to live in two worlds: a timeless safehaven and the harsh reality. Of course it didn't work out. Soon I lost my job and my grip on reality seemed to weaken. I was even forced to take in a flatmate to cover for the rent.

However, I came to realise that every cloud had its silver lining. At first I thought of a flatmate as nothing more than a nuisance I had to put up with but Vinyl proved me wrong. Well, in the end it probably had to be her. There was no other pony that could have brought colours back into my life. That stupid DJ not only managed to pull me out of my depressions, she also chipped away at my cold personality. Isn't it kind of funny that a crazy mare like her would turn out to be...my very first true friend?

Once in my life I had no need to hide behind a fake personality. Vinyl accepted me as a broken puppet, as a cold turn off, and even as a hotheaded idiot. Right now my life could have been perfect if there wasn’t a little detail I forgot to mention; Vampires are in fact real.

However, this is not their story...it is mine.
This is the story of
Octavia Melody

That kind of story could have been quite amusing if it wasn't for several minor details. First off, even after I tried to make it look like a cheap intro for a bad vampire fic, it was still pretty much the story of my life. Secondly, even if I entertained the idea of self-irony, which I certainly did not, I still wouldn't be able to laugh at it. The fact that I finally could have attained happiness if it wasn't for them was just too cruel...

So...where was I? Oh yes…I was on my way to Victor to get some answers. However, when I looked up at the sky and remembered something my grandmother used to say about the sun and rainy days, I realised that something was off.

Even though I wasn't able to remember granny's whole speech, I was able to perfectly recall all of the thoughts I had in the last fifteen minutes. I then proceeded to create a fictional letter to see if I was just being paranoid…which obviously was not the case.

Ignoring my throbbing headache, I took a few deep breaths and decided not to think about it anymore. I simply made a mental note to add it to the list of questions I would have to ask Victor later on.

For the moment I just tried to focus on something more positive, like my meeting with Ditzy Doo. She seemed like a kind spirit, a little odd but I guess that was a given. I mean…anypony who was friends with Vinyl had to be at least a little bit odd? Oh wait, wouldn’t that include m-…

My train of thought was suddenly interrupted by me bumping into a crossing pony. Without realising into whom I just bumped I immediately muttered an apology.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” I managed to say before my eyes grew wide.

“You…” the pegasus said in an angry tone.

“Well, as I said I’m truly sorry for bumping into you…” I told him but he already dragged me into the small passage he came from.

“I told you I’d pay you back…you bucking whorse…” Black Lightning hissed.

Great, just great. Not only did I manage to meet the only pony who harbored a grudge against me, no it also had to happen at a place like this. It wouldn't have mattered if I bumped into him somewhere crowded but no...I had to meet him when the whole bucking street was empty.

Maybe it would be for the best if I just screamed something like “rape” or “murder” in a high pitched voice. However, this wasn’t the upper quarter of Canterlot and I was pretty sure that most ponies would simply not care if I was assaulted.

“So…beating up a defenceless mare…huh? And here I thought even you couldn’t stoop any lower…”I said, especially emphasising the “you” and pointed at him.

“Oh no…but after I’m done with you…you’d wish I would have …” he said with a wicked smile and landed a punch right above my hind leg.

At that moment I felt my confidence waver and the first cracks started to show in my carefully put up façade. As soon as he realised that he was getting to me for once, his twisted smile grew even wider. While revelling in the fact that he had me where he wanted, my brain started to work overtime.

A few thoughts crossed my mind simultaneously. Obviously I could try to run…but there was simply no way for an earthpony to outrun a pegasus. Well, if I went deeper into the maze of small sheltered alleys…maybe there was a chance. However, there was still the possibility that he knew those alleys...

Another option was to scream but that would be most certainly pointless. Down here ponies had enough problems. So, as long as it wasn’t concerning them directly they would keep to themselves and try to stay out of any trouble.

That left me only with the last option; I had to fight. Obviously I wouldn’t really stand a chance if I decided to fight him hoof to hoof. So what options were left? Well, I wasn’t sure if it would work but I could at least try to freeze his co-…

“Do ye have a problem with my…friend…here, lad?” a harsh voice asked.

The voice belonged to a dark blue mare who casually leaned against a wall behind Black Lightning. How did she even get there? Did I miss her because I was too focused on the rapist wannabe? Well...it didn't really matter.

Now that there was an eyewitness Crap Lightning wouldn't dare to do a thing, so I let my eyes wander to the newcomer. To be honest she looked like a savage beast with her wild pitch black mane covering half of her face. Even though she tried to hide it under her man I could still see the scar running down the right side of her face.

“Buck off…you wh-...” Black Lightning lashed out in with his voice.

However, as soon as he turned around he immediately lapsed into silence. The mare was no longer leaning against the wall, instead she had already closed the distance between herself and my assaulter. It was only then, when she finally that close that I realised how intimidating her presence truly was.

“Let me tell ya a…tale lad…” the mare said and looked down at the colt who seemed to have lost a few inches.

“That lass there is important to my kind, ya understand?” she said and revealed two pointy fangs.

Black Lightning turned as white as a sheet when he realised that he was…bucked. Trying to evaluate the situation his eyes quickly wandered between me and the dark mare. My reaction or rather the lack thereof, must have truly surprised him because his look soon changed from “shaken to the core” to dumbfounded. Looking at the confused pegasus I immediately realised that this was the perfect opportunity to make sure that he would never bother me again.

I didn’t know why but something inside of me demanded retribution…and I’d lie if I said I wasn’t contemplated to follow my newfound urge for vengeance. The more noble part of me just wanted him to leave but the other part of me, the part who went through so much suffering in her life, wasn’t as nice.

Keen to strike fear in his heart I took some steps towards him. With the most innocent smile I could muster and a voice as sweet as sugar I whispered something in his ear and the colour immediately drained from his face. I waited a few moments to enjoy his misery…before I addressed him again.

“I really think you should leave…now.” I said, putting emphasis primarily on the last word.

Of course there was no need to repeat myself. Black Lightning immediately took off as soon as the magic words left my mouth. Leaving behind nothing but a trail of dust he managed to disappear in a matter of seconds. With a sly grin I watched enjoyed the spur of the moment before my attention moved back to the mare who just watched the whole “show”.

“Thank you for saving me...” I adressed the blue earth pony.

“Oh it certainly wasn’t you who I was… saving…” the mare said with a soft chuckle and shook her head.

“What? But…he was going to…” I said in disbelief.

“Great maker, now I know why we were ordered to keep an eye on you. You seem to be a natural when it comes to getting yourself into trouble, lass." she said before she winked at me and added" "...or maybe it's just ya beauty that attracts trouble?"

"Ehh...I beg your pardon?" I asked incredulous.

"Oh, sorry about that. I haven't intended to slip back into dialect. It's something I've picked that up during my stay in the frozen north, a couple of centuries ago and well...old habits die hard...or so they say. ” she replied completly misunderstanding my question.

She wasn't really trying to hit on me, was she? No…that would be just ridiculous. She also mentioned that she was pretty old. Could it be that she was she trying to -ouch- intimidate me? Hm...maybe. However, no matter what she did, she probably was just trying to get under my skin. Yes, I could certainly live with that…at least given the other option. Just the prospect of somepony older than my gran hitting on me sent shivers down my spine and wasn’t something I’d ever like to elaborate on.

Wait...why was my mind overflowing with so many trivial -ouch- things and why the hay was I taking them so seriously? Why was I even thinking about all this nonsense? Shouldn’t I think about other more important things instead?

For example, why wasn’t I surprised by the fact that she mentioned that the vampires were keeping me under surveillance? Oh right because that should have been obvious even to Canterlot’s biggest simpletons and –ouch-.

Wait…was there a connection between all those crazy thoughts and the headaches? So…maybe my bucking head wouldn’t hurt anymore if I stopped myself from thinking that much? Was it really that simp –ouch-. No, it certainly wasn’t. Sweet Celestia… I’d give a kingdom for an aspirin…

Focusing on the blue mare again I realised that she had probably seen my face react to every stupid thought that came across my mind; how embarrassing. Well, at least she had the decency to neither address the topic nor tell me that I had some screws loose. When she realised that I was no longer lost in thoughts she continued to talk.

“Well lass, I bet you don’t have a day so let’s just cut to the chase. By now, you’ve probably figured out that you are under constant surveillance by my kind. Primarily we are here to protect you but…we are also here to make sure that you don’t cause any trouble. Something like…oh I don’t know…maybe killing a pony in cold blood…” she said half amused, half sarcastic.

“I wasn’t about…I mean…I could never…” I started to mutter.

“Could have fooled me.” she said and rolled his eyes.

“And what exactly do you want to imply with that?” I asked, a lot more disrespectful than I originally intended.

“Oh come on…no need to be ashamed ‘round me. I would have done the same if I’d been in your horseshoes; dat guy has been trying to rape you after all. I mean…technically it hasn’t been your fault that no one has mentioned the little detail of not killing other ponies with your “gift” in public. We won’t have your head for something as petty as a formal error…pirate’s honor.” she said and gave me an impish grin.

“No, seriously…I’m not that kind of pony. I’ve never killed a pony in my life and I doubt I would be capable of something… like that. I’m nothing more than a simple cellist.” I replied.

In retrospect I wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea to explain myself. There wasn’t really any need to but once again I fell victim to my worst habit; justifying my actions. Well, I guess I need to thank my mother for that quirk of mine…

“Great Maker, do you think I’m stupid? Or possibly blind?” the mare asked now rather annoyed.

“So let me get this straight. A colt with a grudge against you drags you into an empty ally and the first thing you do to insult him? No screaming? No begging for mercy? No, you simply decide that the best course of action is to insult him to his face. Yeah...right. I understand.” she said and rolled her eyes.

“Well…if you put it like that it sure seems odd but…” I said trying to defend myself but was cut off short.

“No it doesn’t…because I can see the bigger picture. You have purposely fuelled his rage to make him lower his guard and present you with the perfect opportunity to strike. Isn’t that right? Ah ah…don’t even think about denying it.” she said in what was probably her best “Sherlock Pones” impression.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble but my real plan was to stall some time by buttonholing him. Unfortunately, it seems as if my temper got a little out of hoof.” I replied.

“Oh really…I guess in that case it must have been all in my head.” the earth pony said sarcastically before she went on in a playful manner. ”Well then, just answer me one more question. If you really didn’t want to kill him, why was your hoof aiming exactly at the center of his heart?”

“That must have been a coinci…” I immediately tried to retort but was once again cut off.

“Coincidence? My flank…” the mare said and spat on the ground.

“You want to tell me that you’ve been pointing at the center of his heart for a whole minute by coincidence. Do you even know how unlikely that is? However, that isn’t even the best part. Your hoof has been perfectly in synch with the motion of his upper body. So that means…you’ve even been equating for his respiration by...accident.” she continued sarcastically and added “Oh…and from now on please do me a favor, will ya? Don’t bucking lie to my face.”

Pondering about what she just said I decided to no longer try and defend myself. Of course her accusations were completely unfounded but I certainly wasn’t foalish enough to enrage her. The mere thought I could be capable of killing ponies in cold blood was just ridiculous…

“I guess I’ll consider it. However, I can’t make any promises…” I replied hastily.

Sweet Celestia… I should have thought my answer a little bit through before I blurted them out like that. Just great…my fears that Vinyl was slowly rubbing off on me were now ascertained. The dark blue mare was taken by surprise for a few moments but it was already long enough for me to start and panic.

However, before my body could follow any of my minds arbitrary commands…it was my turn to look stupid. There was no reaction to my insolence…well there was…but not the kind I anticipated. A sly grin spread across her face before she raised her head to the sky and began to laugh…

“You sure have a lot of guts, lass. I’ll give you that…” she said when her laughter finally ceased.

“So, does that mean…you aren’t mad at me?” I asked in disbelief.

“Why? Because you’ve been brutally honest with me? No...I don’t think so…”

Phew…I really managed to dodge the bullet there. To be honest I was already prepared for the worst. Well, I guess for once I got lucky. However, I was really surprised by the fact there wasn’t at least some kind of rebuke. Hadn’t I spoken completely out of turn when I replied to her? Wait I had no longer any reason to ponder about something like that…I was off the hook…wasn’t I?

“So, eh…do you work for Cold Steel, per chance?” I said trying to interrupt the awkward silence.

The mare’s eyes went wide in surprise as soon as she heard his name but it didn’t take long until surprise turned into hostility.
At that moment I was softly reminded with whom…or rather with what I was dealing. It had been my fault to think of her as a pony from the very beginning. No, she most certainly wasn’t a pony…she was a demon.

Glowering at me with those creepy eyes she began to move closer and with every step I could feel her bloodlust grow. Sweet Celestia, I guess this time I had really put my hoof in it…

“Listen up you cocky foal; I am no pony’s lapdog. As a mare who values honour above everything else I would rather die than to serve that spineless coward. However, measly snobs like you will never grasp the concept of pride. Well, I guess the only thing your kind truly cares about is sleeping your way up in society…” she replied spitefully.

Wait…did she just say what I think she said? At that moment it felt as if a switch inside my head was flipped. Adrenaline rushed through my body and things began to change. No longer did I feel any kind of fear, discomfort or restraint. No…instead there was only one thing occupying my mind; vengeance…

I just had enough of those self-righteous bloodsuckers. Destroying my life simply wasn’t enough, right? No…of course not. They just had to up the ante and add insult to injury. Well…buck them. If they seriously expected me to act like their obedient little pawn I’d be more than happy to prove them wrong…

“Oh? So you seriously think that you are better than the common pony just because you have fangs? Well, guess what…you aren’t.” I said with a sneer before I continued putting her down.

“Oh, you may think that you are superior…but in the end you are just a parasite…feeding on the blood and…lives…of innocent ponies. You are talking about honour? Well, come on then. Tell me. Where is the honour in preying upon the weak?”

When the only reply I got was her dumbfounded face, a strange feeling of accomplishment began took root in my body. Even though I wasn’t a match for the mare physically, I was still more than capable of keeping up with her in a conversation.

Ah yes…words…the most versatile weapon in the world. Every word acts as a tiny little blade and when ponies talk they subconsciously point thousands of them at each other. The moment a conversation starts we begin to carve their meaning onto the souls of our recipients. While we sometimes engrave beautiful ornaments on their souls we are also capable of inflicting a lot of damage. And right now that’s exactly what I wanted…

Wait…what? What the hay was I thinking? Why was I trying to add even more fuel to the flames when the mare could already kill me on a whim? There was a fine line between playing with fire and gambling with your own life and I wasn’t really interested in finding out where that lies. Thinking about damage control I only found one possible solution; I had to row back. Maybe apologising would do the trick…or…I could always come up with some lies…

However, before I could decide on the best course of action a strange noise broke my concentration. It sounded as if somepony was…clapping? Both, me and the blue mare, whirled around in an instant.

As soon as I recognised the source of the noise, my blood immediately ran cold. In front of us stood none other than “Lucid Mind”, one of Equestria’s most brilliant psychiatrists. Oh buck…had she been eavesdropping the whole time? Just great…even in the best-case scenario she would probably think of us as lunatics…

Wait…why was she even here? It didn’t make any sense. Despite her reputation as a renowned expert in psychology Lucid Mind was known to be reluctant towards media attention and quite publicity-shy or, as malicious gossip had it, even misequine. So, why was she, who tried her best to avoid any kind of attention, flaunting through the most run down part of Canterlot?

The grey mare with the blonde mane coughed softly into her hoof and tapped off the dust from her jacket before she began to speak.

“Greetings miss Melody. I’ve been looking forward to meet you for some time now…” she said and gave me a small nod. Then her eyes moved to the blue mare and she added: “…but I haven’t expected to find you in such…unpleasant…company.”

While I was taken completely aback by the fact that Lucid Mind wanted to meet me, there was something even more surprising going on. The blue mare next to me was seething with anger…and this time it was all directed at her.

“You…” the blue mare hissed and took a step closer to the other pony.

“Yes indeed…unfortunately we seem to meet quite often these days…” the grey mare said and adjusted the yellow teashades on her muzzle.

“I will rip you apart…” the blue mare nearly shouted.

“Oh really? So…no longer bound to your master then?” the grey mare asked rather bored.

“You buc-…”

“As I’ve expected; all bark, no bite. Now if you’d please excuse me…I have some business to attend to …” she said and let her gaze wander in my direction.

“This isn’t over…” the mare hissed.

“Well, for me…it ended seventy-two years ago…” Lucid Mind replied emotionless.

Those words seemed to have quite a strong effect on the blue mare because she immediately howled out in anger and tried to assault Lucid Mind. However, her hoof never managed to reach its destination. Instead it looked as if the mare had hit an invisible wall right in front of Lucid’s face.

Even though the hoof was only inches away from her face, the grey mare didn’t even blink. It looked as if she had expected the blue mare to stop from the very beginning. Roaring in defeat the mare vented her frustration on the ground beneath her, leaving behind a small pothole as well as lots of rather long cracks in the pavement.

The blue mare then turned her back on us and took her leave. However, before she completely disappeared from our vision she turned around and gave me a warning.

“Be wary lass, for that…”mare”…isn’t what she seems to be.”

Somehow I was really inclined to facehoof at her cryptic message. In the end she just pointed out the obvious. Of course Lucid Mind had to be more than just a simple mare. Why else had they been arguing about something that happened over seventy years ago?

“So now that the nuisance is finally gone let’s talk…” the grey mare said and tapped off her jacket once more. “…or maybe we should change the location first…” she added after letting her eyes wander over the ruined pavement.

Comments

[Banshee]

Finally! a Ray of light on this dreary day this update has been for me

[Caffeine Junkie]

5083590
You are welcome.

[roker12]

OH MY GOD IT LIVES!!!! :D

i wub you :3

[Twiggy Vampony]

O.O its aliiive!
dont you stop writing this story! See this thing to end, please? :3

This chapter is also really good even though it might be a little un-important for the storyline, i still rather enjoyed it.

[Caffeine Junkie]

5085549
Well duh...of course it's alive. Isn't that what necromancy is all about? ^^

5086769
I know that this chapter looks rather unimportant but that's only because I had to cut it in half. After passing the 10k word mark for a single chapter I've decided to split it in two parts. So when I'm done writing the second part, this chapter will probably make more sense...

[Twiggy Vampony]

5087374
That is great news!
Im so hyped for part 2 :3