Truthseeker

by RB_

Symphony of Howls 3

Lyra and Octavia soon arrived at the disjointed home of the two musicians. Opening the door, Octavia called out to her roommate. “Vinyl, I’m back! And I’ve brought a guest!” The aforementioned alabaster unicorn poked her head out from the kitchen, then trotted over. “This is Lyra Heartstrings.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lyra said amicably, not expecting a response. The DJ’s mute nature was common knowledge in Ponyville.

‘Sup. Name’s Vinyl Scratch, a raspy voice announced in her head.

“What!? How did you do that?”

Vinyl tapped the side of her head with a hoof. Telepathic communication. Little trick I picked up a while back, and no, I can’t hear your thoughts. By the way, your mental defenses are paper thin. You’ll want to work on that. She turned to Octavia. So, what was it today?

“A life-draining shambling horror, most likely a product of the Haysead Swamps that snuck under Silver Shot’s radar.”

That was an unfamiliar name. “Silver Shot?”

He’s an Owl, works down south. Nicest lich you’ll ever meet. Turning her attention back to Octavia, she grinned. So, how long?

“…Forty seconds or so,” she replied, blushing slightly.

Vinyl whistled, eyebrows raising from behind her sunglasses.

“Well it’s not like it was much of a challenge, the thing barely had working limbs!”

Still awesome. Anyway, I’ve got salmon going in the oven. Lyra, I’m guessing you’ll be wanting the vegetarian option?

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, really. “Yes please, whatever you’re having would be fine. Unless you’re also a werewolf.”

This got a chuckle out of both of her hosts. I’m not, but I don’t think you’d like what I’m having. I’ll whip you up a salad. Drink?

“Just water, thanks.”

You got it. And with that, Vinyl went back to the kitchen.

“So, is Vinyl an Owl too, then?” Lyra asked her host.

“No, but she works with us occasionally. She has a lot of friends in the supernatural underworld.”

“Equestria has a supernatural underworld?”

Octavia chuckled. “Of course! Lycanequines aren’t the only supposedly mythical creatures hiding in plain sight. Although the term ‘underworld’ is a little misleading; we’re actually very civil. We even have our own holidays.”

A glass of water floated out from the kitchen; Lyra grabbed it in her own magic and took a sip. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Well, in lycan culture we have the Longest Night’s Hunt. We get together in packs on the Winter Solstice and go hunting in our fully shifted forms, letting our instincts take over. It’s quite thrilling!”

Something about the wild glint in the grey mare’s eye unsettled Lyra on an instinctual level. “You said Vinyl had a lot of friends in the underworld. Are nightclubs popular with vampires or something?”

This earned a snort from the usually refined mare. “Actually—“

Soup’s on, everypony! Well, there’s no soup, but you know what I mean. Onward to the dining room!

Lyra followed her hosts into the dining room; as it was located to the left of the front door, it was decorated in tasteful browns and greens, with a distinctly traditional musical theme. This was in complete contrast to the hallway they had emerged from, which lay to the right of the door and was thus awash with blues and purples.

“Okay, I have to ask: why did you decide to decorate like this?”

Tavi and I aren’t great at compromising, Vinyl explained as she laid out the dishes. We each like our own style, and we usually try to mix them together. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work all that well for interior decorating.

“In the end, it was just easier this way,” Octavia finished, taking a seat in front of a steaming plate of fish. “Oh, this smells delicious! Thank you, Vinyl.”

Thank yourself for being such a great teacher. How’s yours, Lyra? Too much dressing?

Lyra took a bite of her salad. “It’s wonderful.”

Good! Been a while since I had to make a salad that didn’t involve meat. Satisfied, Vinyl sat down at her own place. Lyra was surprised to see that, aside from a red-coloured drink, her place was bare.

“Is that all you’re having?” she questioned.

It’s all I need, Vinyl replied with a grin. A decidedly fanged grin.

“…Vampire?” Lyra asked calmly.

Vinyl looked put out. ‘Taaaaavi, did you tell her?

Octavia stifled a giggle behind a hoof. “I haven’t said a thing. Also, you never told me it was supposed to be a surprise.”

But usually ponies make a big deal out of it when I flash the fangs…

“Vinyl, earlier today I watched a werewolf fight a… what did you call it, a ‘shambling horror’?” Octavia nodded “Right. Earlier today I watched a werewolf fight a shambling horror. That’s kind of hard to top.”

…Fair enough.

“So I’m guessing that’s blood, then?” Lyra gestured towards Vinyl’s ‘drink’. “Should I be worried about where it came from?”

Don’t worry, it’s donated medical. I haven’t drunk from a pony in… about a hundred and sixty years, I think?

This caught Lyra off guard. “A hundred and sixty— How old are you?”

Two hundred next June. Vinyl smiled, clearly happy that she had at least gotten something out of the green mare. Pinkie’s been planning the party for years. No idea who she’s going to get to do the music.

A few moments passed where the only sounds were those of eating (or in Vinyl’s case, drinking).

“Okay, so this is entirely going off of foal’s stories, but aren’t vampires and werewolves supposed to hate each other?”

“Not hate, at least not anymore. Perhaps a bit of a rivalry, but that’s all.”

It was pretty bad for a while, but things got way better after the massacre of 854. Vinyl added. Turns out working together to ensure the survival of both species is better than facing an army of hunters alone, who knew?

“So how did you two meet?”

Octavia answered. “If it weren’t for Vinyl, I wouldn’t have become a lycan; I’d have become a lycan’s dinner.” She sighed. “The lycan that turned me was a filly named Dela Crème. She was a noble’s daughter; he’d been locking her in the basement of his mansion every full moon. Do you remember what I told you earlier about trying to confine a feral lycanequine?” Lyra nodded. “Well, this was a perfect example of why that is a terrible idea. She got loose, ran wild across half of Canterlot, and nearly mauled to death a certain musician who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Vinyl fought her off and brought me to a hospital.”

“You fought off a werewolf!?”

She was only a pup, and I had experience and rational thinking on my side, but yes. And I’d do it again.

“What happened to her?”

“Currently she’s residing at her family’s rather sizable summer estate.” Octavia answered. “She still writes me, actually. Sweet filly.”

The three fell into a comfortable silence. Soon enough, they had each finished their meals, and Vinyl had brought slices of apple pie out for dessert.

The DJ broke the silence. We’ve spent all night answering your questions, now it’s my turn! What’s your moniker?

“Vinyl! There’s no-”

“No, she’s right,” Lyra cut in. “It’s Truthseeker.”

Not bad, not bad. You’ve got some kind of blessing that lets you detect lies and things, right?

“And see through disguises.”

“Glamours as well. Pinkie thinks she might be able to break perception filters too,” Octavia added.

Cool. How’s life as an Owl treating you?

“Honestly… It hasn’t been all that different.” Lyra fixed her eyes on her pie. “I’ve been an Owl for about two months now, and today was the first time I was called. And mostly I just watched! After Pinkie gave me the induction speech, I was sort of expecting… more? And I know how that sounds, but I feel like I haven’t…”

“Done anything?”

Surprised, she looked up at Octavia. “Yeah.”

“I know how you feel, but for what it’s worth, that’s fairly normal.”

Yeah. ‘Tavi’s by far the most active of all the locals, and she usually only sees action once every couple months. Fact of the matter is, civilization as we know it can’t be in danger all the time.

“Vinyl’s right. Besides which, after you’ve gotten a bit more experience, you’ll be thankful for the times of peace.” Octavia’s expression shifted. “Honestly, after seeing some of the things the others have to deal with, I’m glad they rarely see action.”

Agreed. Remember the mind flayers?

The two shivered; Lyra decided it best not to ask.

Recovering, Octavia gave her a reassuring smile. “What we’re trying to say is, don’t worry about it. Your time will come.”

“Thanks. Both of you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

No problem.

Comments

[What_is_a_name]

This feels like the day to day life of monsters in a Chronicles of Darkness game.