The projector groaned as it reached the end of the reel. Wisps of ether hissed upward as its old bulb flickered off, and the machine-spirit sank into its powerdown state. It was a very old thing, just like the stone walls around them. Vinyl reached out with a flicker of magic, then shrugged and let the aura around her horn fade.

"I think that's it for tonight. After that scene they had what they needed." Her eyes darted toward her accomplice. "I... thanks, Octy. For watchin' this with me, and... uh..." She scratched her mane. "Thanks for getting me into all this."

Octavia had closed her eyes. "You mean the Bon Hadescream Organization?"

"Yeah. I... eh... I don't think about it a lot, but you put it all on the line for me that night. An'... that means a lot, because... you knew me better than I knew myself." The vampire licked her fangs.

"What else could I have done?"

"You could'a ran. I would have."

The cellist smiled. "No, you would not have run, Vinyl. You would have wanted to, but deep down inside, you would not have been able. If our lives were reversed, you would have done the same."

Vinyl pulled the reel of film out of the projector and loaded it back into its case. "Yeah. I... I'd have tried, but I don't think I would have pulled it off quite the way you did. You knew I'd just gutted you, and you didn't run. You're a really rare mare, Octy."

"Hmm." The earth pony felt a blush creep along her cheeks. It was such a little thing, a scrap of praise, but coming from Vinyl it meant so much. She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. "I... I still do not fully understand why you showed me this. You know I forgave you long ago."

"I know. I just... I wanted to remember. Because ever since I hugged you that night... it's been one hades of a ride." The vampire rubbed her front hooves together. "And... that was our last night in Manehattan."

The grey mare nodded slowly. There was no longer a cellist named Octavia, the Organization had taken care of that. She was a ghost. Oh, they had given her a new name, a new identity, but she belonged to the Corporation now. Both of them did. She cleared her throat, "it was hard to leave."

"You can say that again," the vampire chuckled. "Still, you got to shoot zombies on the way out."

"I meant it was hard to let go of... well, I had come to think of Manehattan as home, Vinyl."

"Yeah," the DJ replied as she tucked the film tin into her red trenchcoat. "And we were burnin' down the house that night."

Octavia sighed.

"How did the news reports go... oh, yeah. Flash-mobs and gang activity, they called it a protest against affluence that turned violent." She giggled, "and ponies actually bought it!"

"The Bon Hadescream Organization would have done a much neater job of covering it up, but I suppose ARGUS did the best they could." The grey mare looked at her friend. "You do not understand, Vinyl. You have always lived in this world of predator and hunter. But... the common pony does not want to worry that there are monsters in the sewers, or phantom vapors that make you a prisoner in your own body, or even such mundane things as vampires. So when somepony gives them an explanation that lets them keep on going to work and worrying about..." she tapped her front hooves together, and felt a quiet grumble in her stomach. "About making enough to feed yourself and keep a roof over your head, it is easy to believe."

"But why wouldn't you wanna believe in all this awesome stuff? I mean, we already have a Sun Princess, giant cosmic bears, and... frack, have you seen what some of the high-tier mages can pull off?" The unicorn grinned. "The world is crazy, Octy. Why wouldn't you want to be in on everything?"

"Because when all you want to do is play your cello and have enough for dinner... you overlook certain things." The earth pony smiled at her friend. "And you're happier inside, because you think the biggest problem in the world is making the rent."

"I guess." The vampire scratched her mane. "Anyway... I showed you this because I think... I think we're going back."

Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Back... to Manehattan?" She shook her head. "No, Vinyl. Manehattan is ARGUS territory now. They own it, lock, stock, and barrel. When we left that night, it was part of an orderly withdrawal. I do not claim to understand it all, but ARGUS wanted to police the city exclusively. We were swept up by the evacuating forces, and engaged a few hostiles while leaving the city."

Vinyl smirked, then nodded toward the door. "That ain't how I remember it, Octy."

The grey mare swallowed hard as they stood to leave. The movie had been a thing of elegance, a piece of thought and art. The cameramare had sought beauty and meaning, even when her own sanity was endangered. Vinyl had been right to send them home, and after seeing their work she was happy that they had survived that night. Her own memories were far less beautiful.

"C'mon, Octy. We ran with our tails between our legs. The only reason the Organization didn't toast you and me as soon as they pulled up outside was because they were desperate." The DJ flicked off the lights and set her hoof on the doorhandle. "What do you really remember about that night?"

Octavia saw the vampire's eyes in the darkness, glowing bright crimson even through her glasses. "We... fled in fear of our lives as the servants of the ruinous powers clawed at our heels."

Time. Time was moving too slowly. She had taken a breath far too long ago, her lungs should have been screaming in pain. The Chimera AFV was moving at a hundred kilometers an hour, but the grey mare felt like she was laying atop the back of a particularly lazy metal turtle. In her hooves was a standard issue Garand-pattern lasgun, the only thing that seemed to be right in the world. Its emitter array cleanly discharged one lasbolt with each touch of her hoof to the will-sensitive trigger rune, though its sights were slightly off to the right. Easily compensated for, she was only missing one shot in every ten. A lucky thing, for there were only two more energy cells in her saddlebag.

The grey mare squeezed the trigger again, and a pursuing pegasi's head vanished. Green pus and red blood squirted out of his body as it crashed to the ground atop a mass of shambling horrors. She felt a slight thump as the Chimera's heavy treads mashed something that had stood in their way, but those bumps had lost their novelty long ago. Octavia was facing backward, keeping the horde that chased them at bay, while the two other Chimeras in their convoy cleared the road ahead. The monsters of Manehattan were reaching out tonight, like one of those Dionaea Muscipula her father had permitted her to garden. It was an indulgence of her mudpony traits. Such plants waited for prey to touch the sensitive hairs on their leaves, then snapped shut, trapping the prey and anything else unlucky enough to be nearby. She pulled the trigger once more, and another pegasus dropped. The real prey was in the Chimera below her, she was merely the wrong mare in the right place for the second time in an evening.

Octavia wasted no time bemoaning her lot in life. She had faced death already, and was in no mood to give it a second chance. She had clear orders, she had a gun, and she had an audience. Another gentle press, another corpse put to rest. Part of her wondered how all this would be covered up. Rogue lycans were one thing, ghosts could be busted by the Firehouse's Visible-Ops unit, but a mob of zombies chasing three Armored Fighting Vehicles down Manehattan's back roads should at the very least concern the police. She fired off the last shot in her clip, dropped the empty power cell, and slapped in another with barely a glance away from her pursuers. Those on hoof were little threat, relentless though they might be, they lacked the speed to catch up with the motorized Chimeras. The cellist felt a sense of peace. There was no fear, there was no pain, Vinyl had saved her. All that remained was the mission. She looked down the sights and lined up on a face with half its jaw rotted away.

In the compartment below the grey mare, Vinyl was staring down the softly pulsing barrel of a hoofcrafted plasma pistol. She put on a winning smile. "Hiya. Thought you trusted me."

The earth pony holding the pistol nodded. She kept the pistol leveled at the vampire, and with her other hoof drew a lollipop from inside her suit. The mint-colored unicorn sitting next to her gently peeled the wrapper off with a glow of her horn. With a nod of appreciation, the businessmare popped the lolly into her mouth and smiled at the vampire. Another muffled thump of their Chimera crushing something under its treads made her smile grow wider.

Vinyl leaned back in her seat. Above them, she heard Octy pew-pewing zombies. Why did she get all the fun? She cut her eyes to the mint unicorn, who smiled cheerfully. Still the same enigmatic, excitable harpist that Vinyl remembered from music school. They had been the best of friends, as close as Vinyl could let someone else get, until one day the mint unicorn had just vanished. No trace, no note, and the address the school had on file turned out to be a cemetery. The vampire had never really gotten over that feeling of betrayal.

Still, the harpist had vouched for her when the black-armored Operatives stormed into the crumbled Concertorium, and for Octy too. Octavia claimed that she and the harpist had performed together years ago, but drifted apart. When they met by chance again, and the mint unicorn learned of the grey mare's medical condition, she had enough pull with this Bon Hadescream megacorp to get the earth pony some pills and a job. How had her old friend gotten that kind of authority, and why was she wearing that monocle? The only way to find out had been to go with them, since they had wasted enough time stopping to respond to Octavia's beacon. However, not everypony had been enthusiastic about that idea...

The creme colored earth pony cleared her throat. She outranked the harpist, but Vinyl still did not know who she was. Only that she had been ready to zorch everything in that Concertorium until the mint unicorn talked her down, and her comms officer brought in some gizmo. She had a long pink and blue mane that framed a youthful complexion, but now Vinyl cared to look she could see fatigue lines under the mare's eyes. Her voice was calm and commanding, with just a hint of irritation. "I have been assured that your interests align with those of my Corporation."

"You helped Octavia. She's my friend." The pale mare pointed at the mint unicorn, "and she owes me some answers."

"Which are classified," the businessmare said curtly. "And though I have been assured that you are an asset, I have yet to see it for myself, and I am currently of a foul temperament. This has been a very wretched night." She was quiet for a moment, letting the flavor of the candy in her mouth calm her nerves. "I came here to salvage what I could from this city, but instead fell into a trap laid by those I thought allies." The wooden stem of the lollipop wiggled in her mouth. "Naturally, I am not very willing to trust one of your kind at the moment."

"Hold on, back up. You said you got sold out." Vinyl leaned to the side. The barrel of the plasma pistol followed her. "I know you ain't stupid enough to trust the Elderati Council, they'd drain a mortal like you as soon as look at'cha. And whoever decided you needed to die has a lot of paranormal muscle... or enough control to look the other way... Oh." The vampire smiled toothily. "You decided to sign a 'peace pact' with ARGUS, didn't you?"

The businessmare's response was a cold stare. Vinyl pulled down her glasses and glared back. To her own surprise, the vampire blinked first.

"I have watched far too many of my employees die on this night. I came to this city to save them, since we are not strong enough to hold here, but my presence has only cost more lives. The ruinous powers my Organization battles have taken full advantage of my mistake." She paused, and the lines of fatigue deepened under her eyes as she lowered the pistol ever so slightly. "But you, vampire, you are not like those mindless beasts. I know that from looking into your eyes, and upon your works. You are a creature of chaos and violence, and yet you preserved the life of one of my employees." A note of something approaching curiosity entered her voice. "You preserved her mind, not merely her flesh."

"You're welcome." The unicorn adjusted her hat. "Nice of you to stop by, seeing as tonight's already a few fuses short of a rock concert for ya."

"We never leave a pony behind or unavenged, that is why we came for her." And because the mint colored unicorn had asked as soon as their communications officer had noticed the beacon. "However, we are abandoning this city." She wiggled the wooden stem of the lollipop and kept her aim steady. "You are correct. ARGUS wishes to be the dominant shadow in this little corner of the world. Tonight was supposed to be a simple passing of keys from one hoof to another... but when I arrived I found that those I thought to be allies thought I would prove more useful as a corpse."

Vinyl leaned to the side and raised an eyebrow. "I knew ARGUS was crazy, but... that's kinda low, even for them."

"We are not oppressive enough of your kind for their tastes, nor do we hold that massive civilian casualties are good, just, and necessary." The creme-colored mare twitched up one corner of her mouth. "You know what they would have done to your friend after you... ah, helped her."

"Click-clack, bang," the DJ replied. "So, they gave you a line about peace and co-operation, you bought it, and when you drove up they started shooting at you?" She snickered. Dead on arrival, no hope in hades.

Another thump, this one larger than most, jostled the passengers. The businessmare shook her head. "No. We arrived, and the meeting place was empty. Then the living dead swarmed in, followed by their overlords, and we were forced to fight our way to extraction." She leaned back slightly, and Vinyl caught a glimpse of a few metal chains dangling from a pocket inside her suit. They looked suspiciously similar to the kind worn by soldiers to hold identification tags around their necks. The vampire sniffed, and realized that the subtle scent of blood in the air was not from those splotches on the Chimera's floor, they were long stale. No, that recently-dried smell was all over those ID tags. Vinyl glanced from side to side, and noticed how many little duffel bags were stashed in the Chimera's cargo alcoves. She looked back at the creme-colored mare. "Kinda roomy in here, isn't it?"

"Oh, this AFV was packed as tight as a jar of jellybeans when this night began." The businessmare bit down hard on the sturdy wooden shaft of her lollipop. "ARGUS sent us a communication as soon as we had escaped. They were so sorry that they could not make it to the meeting, there seems to be so much activity in the city tonight, their hooves are full just holding the line." The mint unicorn chuckled softly. With a nod of agreement, the earth pony continued. "ARGUS has never been about holding the line. They seek only power and glory. We are the Bon Hadescream Organization, and for centuries we have spoken for the lost. We find profit in Harmony, and liability in Chaos. If the world will be shaped only by strength, it will be shaped with ours."

"And yet, you're running tonight." Vinyl Scratch leaned her head to the side. "Because ARGUS is stronger than you, and they've said they ain't gonna help. In fact, they want to see you burn, because it means less competition. Still, they're stronger."

"We lease these very Chimeras from them," the businessmare confirmed, "but after tonight, that contract is terminated. R-and-D has been begging for funding anyway, claiming they can build a superior model. Mmm, that reminds me," she glanced to the front of the vehicle. "Officer Rollins?"

"Yes, m'lady!" A gryphon chirped. "One second, had to pry off the plating. Almost-" a shower of sparks flew from the driver's compartment. The mint unicorn leaned forward, putting herself completely between them and the earth pony. "Got it! One side!" The gryphon emerged from the front compartment, clad in matte black armor and wearing a bulky bundle of antennas and amplifiers like it was a backpack. He held in his talons a sparking hunk of metal, and trundled between the passengers on his way to the back hatch. With a gentle tap of a button, he opened it just enough to toss the unwanted scrap into the mob behind them. "All done, our convoy's off the grid, ma'am, er, m'lady." He smiled, then seemed to notice the vampire.

"Hiya." Vinyl wondered if he realized he had just walked in front of a plasma pistol. Would she even risk firing that thing in here? If so... this earth pony was the cool kind of crazy.

Rollins edged toward the businessmare. "Ah-"

"Thank you, Officer Rollins. Return to your post." The creme colored mare said, and waved him back to the driver's compartment. Once he was gone, she lowered her pistol a few centimeters and took a deep breath. "On this night, I have underestimated the ruthlessness of those who once called me friend, and I have paid the price in the blood of my employees. What few remain are evacuating the city, but... well, you saw outside what creatures have been coaxed up from the abyss to destroy me, with the winking approval of this city's protectors."

From the front, the communications officer yelled, "m'lady, Echo-Seven reports that they were not able to hold this evac route. Recommend diverting to-"

"Unacceptable," the creme colored mare replied. "All nearby routes are already at capacity. We cannot cram more than three AFVs onto one road." Not only would it put too many eggs in one basket, Manehattan's streets were never designed for the bulky Chimeras.

"M'lady, Echo-Seven is at thirty percent. If we delay one of the convoys on routes twelve or fourteen, we can divert to them and-"

Her head snapped toward the driver's compartment. "Tell Echo-Seven to disengage and prep for extraction. That is an order, Officer Rollins."

The gryphon nodded quickly and leaned over his console, though there was a worried look in his eyes. The businessmare looked at the mint unicorn next to her, who produced a golden watch without further prompting and held it up for both to see. With a nod, the creme colored earth pony looked back to the vampire.

"If you listen, you can hear your friend proving her worth with her marksmareship. I have no idea what you are worth, vampire, but I do know that you are a bloodthirsty creature of Chaos."

"You say the nicest things," Vinyl smiled.

"I expect little of you. I know your loyalty is not to me, but to your friend. You saw what she thought of me."

The vampire nodded. Octavia had curled up into a little grey ball and started whimpering to herself when the mare in the suit had found them. She had been expecting a regular combat team, led by a cell commander she knew.

"You respect strength, and at the moment I am able to show none. My army is in retreat, I am not particularly imposing of form, and my city is burning with an invisible flame. This night is a dark one, for it marks the beginning of one of the few eras that the Statue of Liberty will not be safeguarded by Operatives of the Bon Hadescream Organization since our founding." She breathed in slowly. "This means nothing to you, but much to us. In the eyes of my Corporation, I am a failure."

"You're desperate." The pale mare smiled again.

"I am very, very desperate." The earth pony returned the expression, and lowered her plasma pistol a centimeter further. "They think they have broken me. I am a mare who has watched my father die, and killed my own uncle in self-defense on the same day. Compared to that, what I must do now is as easy as signing a check."

"M'lady, Echo-seven cannot withdraw. They are still engaged, three hundred meters out-"

The steel frame of the Chimera rumbled as a terrible sound washed over them. "Warphound," the businessmare said in a level tone. With a sigh, the mint colored unicorn nodded, still holding up her gold watch. "Officer Rollins, order our escorts to form cover and deploy on each side of the road. Driver, adjust speed. In five seconds I want a full one-eighty, slew us to a stop behind the parked Chimeras." She leaned to the side and spoke into a communicator held in the soft glow of her assistant's aura, "Miss Octavia, brace yourself."

"What's up?" The vampire asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"We are all about to die." The businessmare smiled wide, and wiggled the wooden stem of her lollipop. "Ahead of us is an abomination from the very depths of hades, a creature forged from the unmourned souls of ancient murderers and the spite of those who called themselves mighty. It is here for me."

"Everypony hang on!" The driver yelled, and abruptly the world spun. Vinyl felt her head smack back into the cushion, and out of the corner of her eye saw what looked like thin fishing line wrap the two mares across from her into their seats. There was a wretched screech, a horrid thump against the Chimera's side, and suddenly all was quiet. Then, with barely a beat missed, the vampire heard a pew-pew from her friend's lasgun as she resumed firing.

"Your friend knows her duty, and you have seen how I honor even the least of those in my employ." The creme colored mare smacked a control with a hoof, and the back hatch of the AFV slammed down. A horrible roar tore into the metal vehicle and echoed through their souls. "I am the Lady Bon Hadescream, and that is what I fight. I do not offer you glory, or pampering, or a plea for aid. I offer you enemies, vampire. Enemies, bloodshed, and the chance to justify your existence as something more than a leech upon Celestia's blessed land. I have lost this city, but I will not lose this war. Judge me not by the strength you now see, but by the might of the enemies who seek my life." The mare pointed out the hatch, through which poured an unearthly purple light and the chatter of many lasguns firing. "If you are with me, I have only one order for you. Search. And destroy."

Vinyl stood up, and rolled her neck. "Do I get paid?"

"Only if we survive."

The pale mare licked her fangs, then looked at the mint unicorn. "You an' I got a score to settle. But for right now..." She took off her red hat and tossed it to the monocle-wearing mare. "Hold my hat and watch this."

Author's Notes:

To everyone who has waited patiently for this story to resume, thank you. I have been keeping my commitment to my other story, Love is its Own Reward, but that commitment has been fulfilled. I fully intend to honor my commitment to this story as well. While I finishing up LiiOR, I decided to expand the scope of Bon Hadescream. It will not be a simple retelling of Hellsing, I hope to incorporate elements from many different sci-fi and horror universes into Equestria. If you have read Love is its Own Reward, think of Bon Hadescream as a deeper glimpse into some of the more insane parts of the world that Sir Fancypants ventured into. This story is set before Nightmare Moon's return, and I am doing my best to keep all these events canon-plausible.

I do not plan on radically altering the story's core dynamic, but I hope you will be pleasantly surprised if Vinyl and Octavia take on assignments that the Hellsing Organization would not. In the next chapter, I spend a little time showing off how the Bon Hadescream Corporation operates like a privately funded military group, but of course we'll see Vinyl grab a piece of the action first!

The next chapter, Back for the Attack, will go up on Tuesday, October 15th. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear your feedback on it! What did you think of the Lady Bon Hadescream and her assistant? Did I spend too long explaining the situation with the conversation between her and Vinyl, or is it just enough detail? Please leave a comment, it helps me to improve.