The Past Bites 5
They encountered three more packs of thralls on their path to the clocktower. Each was swiftly dealt with between the two of them, the recovering newbloods told to join the others at the gate. And with each thrall they encountered, Vinyl’s expression grew fouler.
But, soon enough, they’d arrived at the building.
Standing against the wall to its side, Bon Bon pushed open the wooden door at the base of the tower with her forehoof. The interior of the clocktower was quite dim; a normal pony couldn’t have seen four feet in, not from outside.
Vinyl’s head pounded. All-too-familiar scents assaulted her nose. Dirt. Decay. Rotten meat. Aged copper.
She’ll be near the top, she said. Probably behind the clockface. It’s where I would have gone.
“Then let’s go.”
Vinyl stepped inside. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness instantly.
The chamber they’d entered was high-ceilinged but mostly empty. Thin beams of light snuck through gaps in the boards that covered the windows, their rays visible in the dust that hung in the air. A set of steep wooden stairs against the back wall lead up to the next level. None of these were what caught Vinyl’s eye, however.
No, what drew her attention was the trapdoor in the corner, both because of the broken pieces of the ladder that sat beside it, and because she could hear the faint whimpering coming from beneath it.
Blood locker… she murmured.
“What?”
Vinyl walked over to the trapdoor. Her horn lit, her magic aura wrapping around its iron handle. Slowly, as to not make noise, she lifted it open.
Dozens of eyes looked up at her from the darkness.
She held a hoof up to her mouth in a shushing motion.
We’ll be back for you, she told them. You’re going to be okay. I promise.
The one closest to the opening nodded up at her. She nodded back, and then carefully lowered the trapdoor closed.
They’ll be safer down there, Vinyl said to Bon Bon.
“Shouldn’t we let them out now?” she whispered. “While Skies doesn’t know we’re here?”
Oh, she already knows you’re here, Vinyl said. She could hear you coming from a mile away. Smell your shampoo, too, probably.
Her eyes flicked up towards the ceiling. She’s waiting for you to come to her.
“Well, what about you?” Bon Bon whispered.
I’m good at being quiet, Vinyl said.
“Then I guess there’s no reason to keep my voice down,” Bon Bon said. “Let’s go give her what she wants.”
Amber Skies lounged upon a velveteen throne, an ornate wooden chair likely stolen from elsewhere in the village. Above, the mechanism of the clock turned.
She looked up at them.
“Finally,” she said. “Don’t you know it’s rude to keep a mare waiting for her dinner?”
“Well, I hate to disappoint,” Bon Bon said.
Amber Skies’ orange eyes drifted over to Vinyl.
“Oh, and the mute!” she exclaimed. “Didn’t I tear your head off?”
It grew back, Vinyl said. Hello, Amber.
She snorted. “I see you’ve done your research.”
I like to know the names of the vampires whose messes I have to clean up after.
The Queen slipped off her throne, her wings fluffing themselves at her sides.
“Well, I’m afraid Amber Skies is dead,” she said. She grinned, fangs gleaming. “There’s only the Queen, now.”
Vinyl rolled her eyes. I swear, you kids get one drop of immortal blood in you and suddenly you’re queen of the thespians. Honestly, it’s embarrassing.
“That’s funny, coming from a bag-feeder,” the Queen said. “You and your pony-loving friends are a disgrace to our kind.”
Right back at ya, newblood.
“Can we get this over with?” Bon Bon said. “I have a wife to get back to.”
Amber flapped her wings, taking to the air. The light filtering in through the clockface silhouetted her form.
“Well, I’d hate to keep her waiting for your funeral!” she said, and then she dived.
Vinyl leapt to the left; Bon Bon rolled to the right. The Queen sailed between them, pulling up before she hit the wall.
Bon Bon! Vinyl yelled. Ground her!
“On it!” Bon Bon yelled back. Unfurling her hook’s rope, she hurled it with practiced precision at the pegasus. It wrapped around her right wing, hooked there. Bon Bon grit her teeth and pulled, sending the very surprised vampire careening back towards the earth.
Vinyl was waiting for her. Her hindlegs shot out. Crack! They caught her across the jaw with enough force to send her skidding across the floor.
Pain shot through Vinyl’s skull at the exertion, but she brushed it aside as she gave chase. She knew they couldn’t afford to let up for even a second.
Bon Bon seemed to know that, too. She dashed forwards, hook clasped between her teeth. She reared back to strike, but the the Queen was faster, rolling out of the way and letting Bon Bon’s blow come down on empty air. With another flap of her wings, she flipped into the air, darted forward, and sank her teeth into Bon Bon’s throat.
Bon Bon!
Or, well, she tried.
“Gah!” the Queen yelped, recoiling, hooves rising to her mouth.
“Always helps to come prepared,” Bon Bon said. Dented steel glinted through the holes the Queen’s teeth had torn in her cloak.
She spun around, reared up, and planted both hooves directly into her face.
The Queen stumbled backwards, stunned, giving Vinyl just enough time to run up behind her. She wrapped both forelimbs around the Queen’s neck, wrapped both hindlimbs around her barrel, and began to pull.
Time for a little payback, she said, grunting as she twisted. Since I’m ninety-nine percent sure you’ll get back up from this!
“Only… ninety-nine?” the Queen choked out, clawing at Vinyl’s hold. “Give me… some credit!”
She managed to get one of her wings free, then the other. She propelled both of them straight up and into the axle of one of the clocktower’s components, Vinyl taking the full brunt of the impact. It loosened her grip just enough that the Queen was able to throw her off. She herself remained in the air, hovering over them.
“So, a vampire and a hunter, working together?” She laughed. “You make me sick!”
“Funny,” Bon Bon said. “I was about to say the same thing about you.”
Vinyl picked herself off the cold wooden floor. Her head spun; she grit her teeth and tried to force her vision straight. But she needed time.
What are you trying to do, here? she asked. Why are you attacking the caravans?
“No caravans, no blood supply,” the Queen said. “Without blood, the vampires of Equestria will be forced to return to the old ways! Vampires on top, ponies as our prey!”
Funny thing to say, for someone who wasn’t there for the old ways, Vinyl said. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
“Oh, and you do!?” Amber shouted. “If you really were around back then, then you’d know that I’m right!”
That’s exactly why I know you aren’t!
She lunged forwards. Bon Bon followed her lead, once again sending her hook spinning into the air. This time, however, the Queen was ready for it. She dodged to the side, letting the hook sail past her.
“Sorry!” she said. “That’s not going to work twice!”
“Oh yeah?”
The hook wrapped around the axle and caught. Bon Bon reared up on her hindlegs and yanked on her end of the rope. Loosened form its cradle by the previous impact, it broke from its holdings with a metallic screech—falling down right on top of the Queen.
Caught under the axle’s immense weight, the Queen plummeted towards the ground. Gritting her teeth, she outstretched all four hooves and landed, the wooden floor splintering underneath her—but it held, just barely, as she arrested her fall, wings outstretched, the wrought-iron axle balanced lengthwise on her back.
This gave Vinyl plenty of time to act. Grabbing up a fallen piece of broken wood with her magic, she ran forwards and smashed it across the Queen’s face, the board shattering at the impact. Then, taking the jagged pieces that she still held, she plunged them towards the Queen’s neck.
One of the Queen’s wings shot out, shielding her from the attack but ruining several of her feathers. Snarling, the Queen heaved the axle off of her, sending it crashing to the ground. The whole building seemed to shake; it certainly caught Vinyl off balance, sending her head spinning once again.
“You two are more trouble than you’re worth!” the Queen said. “Who the heck are you!?”
“Just a couple of concerned civillians,” Bon Bon said. The Queen’s eyes widened; she’d been too focused on Vinyl to realize that Bon Bon had gotten behind her.
Bon Bon wrapped her forelimbs around the Queen’s shoulders and bent her backwards, pinning her wings and her legs and holding her in place.
“Vinyl!” she yelled. “Now would be a good time!”
Fighting to keep herself steady, Vinyl darted forwards, fangs bared, a shriek escaping her maw. Almost…
The Queen swung her hindlegs off the ground and kicked out at Vinyl, catching her in the face. Vinyl’s muzzle crumpled. She reeled back, black ichor flowing from her jaw.
Using the momentum, the Queen swung upwards, getting her wings free and flipping over Bon Bon’s head. Landing, she immediately kicked off again, ramming her shoulder into Bon Bon’s spine, sending her sprawling across the floor as well. She took to the air once again.
“Well whoever you are,” she said, “You should have known better than to come after the Queen of Blood!”
Why that name? Vinyl asked, through gritted teeth. She’d managed to pick herself up, but only barely. Her vision swam. She was losing blood, she could feel it. More than she could afford. Why the Queen?
“The Queen of Blood was an example of what vampires are meant to become!” she said. “I’m just continuing her legacy!”
Aren’t you a bit old to believe in fairy-tales?
“The Queen of Blood was real!” Amber snarled. She perched atop the back of her ‘throne’. “And I have proof!”
“Every account of her appearing matches up to a historic natural disaster or a plague!” she continued. “Every single one! The council tried to cover it up, just like they did with everything else about us, but they couldn’t hide the truth forever!”
“And this town? This was the first to fall!” she said. “Two centuries ago, Windfall was wiped off the map! The records say it was a great fire, but I know different! The wall around the town? It was built afterwards, to keep her away!”
“Every single resident of the town perished!” she said. “Except for one! The Queen herself! She started here! Her name was—”
Vinyl tackled her through the clockface.
Glass rained down around them as they plummeted, flashing and glinting in the light of the setting sun as it tumbled alongside them. It cut into Vinyl’s skin.
Amber tried to open her wings, but Vinyl held them tight to her sides. Amber screamed. Vinyl did not, even as the ground rushed up at them.
They hit the dirt. The impact rattled Vinyl’s bones, knocked the wind from her lungs. She cringed as several of her organs tried to rearrange themselves.
She coughed. The bile came up black. She could barely see it anyway.
She heard a groan, beside her. The Queen of Blood peeled herself off the ground. She was bruised, and bleeding, but not as badly as Vinyl. One of her wings was bent backwards.
“Oh, you’re… so dead,” she said, through gritted teeth. She tried to move towards Vinyl… but winced. She glared down at her.
“You’ll be gone soon, anyway,” she muttered, and began to limp away, disappearing into the alleys of the town.
Vinyl lay on her back and tried not to move. The late afternoon sun beat down on her.
After some time, the door to the clocktower burst open.
“Vinyl!” Bon Bon yelled. She rushed over, knelt down beside Vinyl. “Are you okay?”
Vinyl winced. Do I look okay?
“No,” Bon Bon said. “You look very not okay.”
Darn.
“We need to get you out of here. I’m guessing you can’t walk?”
Do I even still have legs?
“Yes, you still have legs,” Bon Bon said. She reached under Vinyl’s shoulders, lifting her up slightly.
Good to know, Vinyl said, ‘cause I can’t feel ‘em.
Bon Bon began to drag her away from the crash site. For Vinyl, it hurt like the dickens, but dazed as she was, she couldn’t complain.
They took up refuge in one of the empty houses. Bon Bon kicked open the door and pulled Vinyl inside, depositing her on a rug in the entryway. It began to stain almost immediately.
Bon Bon slammed the door shut, threw the deadbolt, and peered through the window.
“No sign of her,” she said. “Yet, anyway.”
She’ll be back, Vinyl said. Eventually.
“I wish she knew how to stay down,” Bon Bon said. She turned around and knelt down beside Vinyl.
“Looks like a lot of external wounds,” she said, examining her. “Multiple broken bones, probably a bunch of fractured ribs…”
Vinyl coughed.
“…And a lot of internal bleeding.”
Thanks for the update, doc. What’s the bad news?
“I don’t get it, your wounds should be healing by now,” Bon Bon said. “Why aren’t—Celestia, Vinyl, when was the last time you ate?”
…Before the caravan, I think. she said. Maybe a few days before? I ran out. Was hoping they’d give guards a freebie, but—
“Before the caravan?” Bon Bon interrupted. “You mean before you had to regenerate your entire head!?”
…Yeah…
“And you’ve just been giving away your blood to thralls all this time!?”
They needed it!
Bon Bon rubbed her forehead. “Ugh, you and Lyra, I swear to…”
She reached around to the back of her neck. Her metal collar clanged as it hit the ground.
What are you…?
“Quiet,” Bon Bon said. She reached under Vinyl’s head, cradling it and lifting it up to her throat.
Bon Bon, no—
“Drink.”
Bon Bon, I can’t.
“I am freely offering this to you,” Bon Bon said. “No guilt. I trust you.”
You shouldn’t.
“Yeah, well, against my better judgment, I do, and I need you alive right now,” she said. “So get it over with.”
Hesitating for just a moment, Vinyl opened her jaw wide, wider than any pony should have been able to. The tips of her fangs pressed against Bon Bon’s skin. Her eyes shifted towards Bon Bon’s.
This is going to hurt. Like, a lot.
“Just don’t turn me.”
Never, Vinyl said. You’d make a terrible vampire.
She bit down. Her teeth sank easily into Bon Bon’s throat.
And as she did, she also tore a small hole in the inside of her own cheek. Just big enough to bleed.
Bon Bon’s teeth grit. She grunted, but nothing more.
Vinyl grabbed one of the tatters of Bon Bon’s cloak and ripped it off with her teeth. She wrapped it around Bon Bon’s neck and tied it tight, making a makeshift bandage for her.
“Thanks,” Bon Bon said. She lay sitting against the wall.
How do you feel? Dizzy? Nauseous?
“A little of both.”
It’ll pass, Vinyl said. It’s just minor hypovolemia. You’ll feel better once you get some water.
Bon Bon nodded. “I’ve lost blood before.”
Alright, Vinyl said. Are you okay to walk?
“Yes.”
Good. She stood up. Go back to the gate and wait for me there.
Bon Bon sat up. “What?”
You’re in no condition to fight, Vinyl said. Go to the gate. I’ll take care of Skies.
“By yourself?”
I can handle her, Vinyl said. Now, anyway.
Bon Bon shook her head. “Vinyl, I’m not going to let you—”
I’m not giving you a choice. Go to the gate. Wait for me there until sundown. Don’t look back.
“Alright, fine, I’ll go.” She began to stand. “Don’t blame me if you get—”
Her eyes widened.
“Did you just…?”
I’m sorry, Vinyl said. You can punch me for this later. Go.
Bon Bon’s glare was legendary, but nonetheless she turned on her hooves and headed to the door.
“You and I are going to have words if you live through this,” she said, and then she was gone.
Vinyl let out a breath. After a moment, she too turned towards the door.
A warmth she hadn’t felt in almost two centuries coursed through her. Already she felt her strength returning. And… other things long since buried.
Something ancient settled on her face. Her eyes shone. She grit her teeth.
Accept no substitutions, she thought to herself. She looked towards the clocktower, just visible through a window.
Tonight, the real Bloody Queen would live again.
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So... did Bon Bon get Vamp'd?
And yeah, the time when you get to really meat your idols. It never turns out well, you always get let down. Not always gently.
9193943
A little vamp mind power compulsion at the end when she was drained and tired..
9194067
I mean, I got that part, but RB_ did draw attention to the fact Vinyl bit her cheek to draw blood, and you have to give blood to a thrall to make them a vampire. Maybe I'm reading too much into this.
9194140
That was vinyl regrowing her fangs, vinyls cheek, not bon bons, sorry, mistook the askance.
9194174
Yeah, which is why I was thinking Bon Bon might have gotten vamp'd. Some of Vinyl's blood from the cheek wound making it's way into Bon Bon while Vinyl was feeding, a sort of vampiric backwash. Like I said, maybe I'm reading this wrong.
9194177
SHE WASN'T TURNED. THAT IS EXPLICITLY SAID THAT VINYL WOULDN'T TURN HER. THERE IS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT VINYL LIED. VAMPIRES CAN USE HYPNOTIC SUGGESTIONS ON ANYBODY, EXCEPT THRALLS AND MOST VAMPIRES.
This is because the Thralls are already under the vampire's control, and other vampires would be, if not outright immune, then they'd know what the hypnotic suggestion feels like.
There's something you should know.
"What, you're the Queen of Blood?"
Besides that.
"Wait, what?"
I am not left hoofed.
"Wait, wha—"
What a mess...
9194250
9194177
9194174
Just for the sake of clarification: no, Bon Bon is not being turned here. Stratovarian is correct. Vinyl introducing some of her own blood into Bon Bon's system is how she gains power over her. As it stands in my head right now, vampirism is passed on only when a pony is completely drained.
Apologies for the confusion. I'll edit things to be more clear on this point when I get the chance.