She would have arrived early, that I was anticipating. Perhaps a night or two before scheduled to be here. Naturally, she managed to defy any point in setting a date, and appeared on the night before the day I would not be returning home.

And so she stood there, menacing, angry, a true pillar of evil and sin. Eight years of repressed emotions threatened to bubble over, every one of them smothered instantly due to my race’s uncanny ability to control ourselves. All but one. And so instead of weeping, and pleading for her to leave, I merely felt a powerful desire to scorn her, to reduce her to nothing more than a corpse. All the anger that came with seven years of abuse and hatred surged over the fear, the pain, the disgust and the guilt.

We Vamponies have a term for such a state. We call it being emotional. One does not want to cross an emotional Vampony.

“Mother” I said, letting every ounce of hatred I could possibly muster seep into the word.

“Well? Who did you spend the day with, Octavia? I suggest you tell me now, or I guarantee there will be no happiness in your life until I find out. If I discover some lover on the other end of this, I swear you shall not see the light of the moon again for a year, let alone a dick! You disgusting whore; do you not realise that you are Royalty! An heir to MY land will NOT be caught sleeping with the scores of common Vamponies that occupy Canterlot! Why can you not be more like your sister? Better yet, why is she not the oldest! She was always so much-”

I walked straight past her. I had heard this speech before, and I had no intention of going through it again. I had the very brief pleasure of hearing her sputter in shock as I blatantly ignored her, and I could imagine the ghost of a grin threatening the corners of my lips, but I knew the instant after this that I would regret my moment of childish disobedience.

I felt the sting of her hoof as she stuck me across the back of my skull, right at the base. The blow alone was not hard enough to make me see stars, but I fell to the ground anyway, bracing myself for the next hit.

“Mrs. Harmonica, please.” I heard Brandon say. “I am certain lady Octavia merely wanted to get inside. She has likely been gathering fruit, and only wanted to sit down.”

“She has been out all night working on her school project, as we told you. She must be very hungry. Surely you can forgive her such a small slight in attention?” Mark backed him up.

My boys never ceased to amaze me, performing such meaningless attempts to coddle and placate her. She has had nobles in her court beaten for mere interruptions of her speech, and yet the pair of them, in all odds, would be attempting to distance her from me, knowing my mother well enough to be aware that they would not get off the hook easily for such a transgression. Hopefully she was too focused on my misbehaviour to notice theirs.

“Of course she is. My poor child must be so exhausted from her hard night of school work.” I could hear the false sweetness in her voice, like a horseshoe grating along a chalkboard. “Tell me, dear, if you were working so hard all night long, what are these!”

She stomped on my hooves, right over the burn marks, and only through years of interaction with my mother did I succeed in stifling the cry of agony that threatened to overcome me. Although I had anticipated them healed by the next day, in my pain induced state of mind I had forgotten that we Vamponies have our super-pony abilities, such as enhanced healing, reduced or eliminated as a result of direct sunlight. Therefore, they had not had time enough to heal properly. They would have disappeared had she arrived when she was scheduled to, of course, but my mother’s bad habit of trying to catch me performing acts outside her approval was not a surprise to me. Sadly, she had finally succeeded.

“Well, Dear? I do not have all night. Why do you have burn marks on your body! Are playing some disturbing fetish that involves fire? Do you like pain? Because I will make sure you feel so much of it, such horrible desires shall never be a problem again!” She kicked my side, and I felt the abused skin tighten in protest.

“I wonder if you might learn the error of your ways if I break the surface, hm? You know what happens, right Octavia, when one of our kind’s skin is cut?”

My breath caught in my throat. “You would not dare kill me.” I wheezed. “Father would-”

“Your father would never hear of it, is that not right, boys?” She hissed, turning towards Mark and Brandon, who stood rooted to the spot, eyes flashing between my mother and myself. She had never told me where she picked the pair up specifically, and they had never felt inclined to share much about their past. Now I regret not having pressed them about it further.

My mother gave them a few moments before smiling at their indecision. “Not as loyal as you thought them, are they, daughter? Now, answer my question! Who did you spend the day with!” She punctuated her question with another kick, this time in the ribs.

I gasped as I felt something give, and a part of me knew I could not take much more abuse. Since I had been hit by the sun, my body was weaker: my skin was frailer, my natural regeneration was slowed, my reflexes dull, and I felt weak as child. It would take a several days for me to regain full strength, and more still for my body to heal fully. If she found out the truth behind my burns, she's chain me to the ground outside herself.

My mother, the vile hell spawn, wound back for another kick. “You will yield to me the information I seek, you disgusting whore, or suffer a beating the likes of which you will not soon forget!”

I would not live, if her threat held any truth, but I doubt she was thinking clearly. Be it accident or intentional, should I stay silent, I would not see Vinyl again.

“My science partner.” I gasped. “I was with her after we finished working. We continued late into the morning, and thus I lost track of time and did not think to check it. I opened the door to return homeward and the sun hit me!” It was not entirely a lie. I had been out with her the night before, and this evening. And the sun was the cause of my burns.

The mare who calls herself my family looked down at me appraisingly, as if judging whether or not she might simply kill me regardless of the level of truth behind my statement. Then I saw her look to the side, at the witnesses who, despite her certainty, had not ended up answering her question. Her leg returned to the ground.

“I doubt you, I hope you’re aware of that.” She said. “Lift your tail so I can see just how recent it was attended to. After all, I arrived a mere half hour before daybreak yesterday, and your kind servants told me you were off with that… mare.” She spat. “If I smell even a hint of anything that does not belong to you or the boys…”

In my current state, the last thing I wanted was to stand, but I knew if I did not my mother would only be angered further, and I saw no gain from drawing further ire should there be a way to avoid any such thing. Therefore, I clenched my teeth and tried to ignore the stabbing pain where my mother had stomped on and kicked me. Instead, I thought of Vinyl’s succulent flesh, and forced my pain to the back of my mind, drowning it in hunger instead.

As my mother began her inspection, making no allusion to gentle intentions, I thought back to how I had seen the pony mere minutes ago. I had not eaten in a fairly long time, since earlier the previous night. It being early fall, I had likely gone at least 14 hours without any form of sustenance. And yet, hunger had been the last thing on my mind after I had insured Vinyl had her medicine and was recovering.

A small feeling of pride swelled in my chest, but I did my best to ignore it. Losing my desire for her flesh was not a good thing, no matter the circumstances. I must remember, she is prey, regardless of her physical condition. A friend, yes, but also a servant. The thought left a bad taste in my mouth, like tainted boar.

My mother growled. She slapped my tail back down and took a breath. I knew what her actions meant. She had no proof of any fornication on my part. She would now spend the next few days addressing me with false kindness, all the while watching my every move, hoping I might slip up so she could punish me, no matter how petty the crime.

“How hungry you must be.” She said, her voice flatter than her mood and smooth as a bed of spikes. “Eat. It is the weekend, so you shall have all day to show me how much practice you have dedicated to learning the ninth symphony of our wonderful lunar monarch.”

I held the most realistic imitation of a smile I could. Between Vinyl’s appearance and illness, the last time I had even touched my cello was prior to my arrival. My mother would likely lash out at how poorly I was sure to perform. “I have had little time for practice, mother. My science project-”

Her voice took on a deathly chill. “You are not to tell me that you are wasting the only talent you possess due to a useless school science project. I shall not have you disobey me anymore, dear child. If you do, I shall have you pulled out of that school, and you will live back home! I do not know how your father managed to convince to me to allow you to leave my sight, living on your own like this. The heir to my land, to my title, to my family. How I wish my son had been converted, instead of you.” She paused for a moment, taking a breath.

“You WILL practice your music every day, from this moment on. You are useless to me otherwise; you barely know manners, you have little experience as a noble. You became the heir eight years ago, when my son died, and yet you have nothing to show for it. No skills in politics, mathematics, history. Oh certainly, you get fine grades. But you lack the ability to excel in any field that is useful! And so, you shall become the best entertainer that has ever roamed Equestria, or you shall learn to excel in a noble skill! If you cannot, then I shall insure you are no longer the heir to my house. Do I make myself clear, Octavia?”

‘You think I want your stupid name?’ I fumed silently. ‘I would give anything to go back to being a proper family, with my father, my sister and my real mother!’ I would love nothing more than to shout my ire to the heavens, to leave this woman behind and live with my remaining family, be it in a mansion or on the streets. But my mother could not have my father walk out on her; such actions would lead the nobles to see her a foul light, and my mother is nothing without her reputation. She would go to any length in order to stop any action that may endanger it.

Thus said, I swallowed my pain, my anger, and any other emotions I had. In the most neutral, most ambivalent voice I could manage, I sighed out “Yes mother.”

*******

After a well prepared, delicious feast, courtesy of Brandon and Mark, my mother commanded them to tend to my wounds. Hate me though she will, even she realised I was more useful to her purposes while healthy. The pair rubbed a special cream, similar to sunscreen, which was made to protect against the harsh light of the sun, and heal any burns it might have caused. In direct sunlight, the cream might add a minute or two to a Vampony’s life, which would not amount to much, but it was preferable to going out bare. Coupled with a thick cloak that covered the entire body, and my kind could survive in the early indirect light long enough to find shelter, or so the rumour went.

I would not criticize, however, as it did reduce the pain, and improved the appearance of the scars under what little of my fur was left. Patches were missing due to the sunlight, and I knew it would take many days for my coat to grow back. It would be weeks before it returned to its luscious state, and thusly, me to my beautiful self, but such was the price I paid for a friend in need.

The boys also tended to my angry bruises and whatever my mother had done to my legs and ribs. After setting and splinting the bones with magic, they offered my every subtle painkilling magic they could, but I refused them all. My mother would only get angrier.

Once I had recovered to a state of decency, the situation considered, my mother shooed me off to my music studio, locking the twins outside. I felt some trepidation, being locked in a room with her, but saw no rhyme or reason to voice my concerns.

On the subject of, I took a moment to contemplate what such a horrible woman could possibly see in my father, as I had numerous times previously. She was, of course, a unicorn. Bred from a wealthy family with a long history of horns, she had inherited all of their land during the conversion. It was a “mystery”, how she ended up being the only living member of her family and extended family to survive the conversion. Of course, I have reason to believe she was the converter of said family. If she had gotting changed far before the rest of them, it would have been quite simple for her to insure none of the group survived the assault, including her first husband.

The why of her decision to kill him escaped me, but due to her choice, she needed to find another male, lest she become a widow and therefore run the risk of losing her estate and title. Although women are the superiors in the Vampony community, it was not that way at the start. So she went after my father, and took him from my mother, leaving her to die. But that is quite apart from her tale, and not one I wish to re-live.

Initially, males had ruled the populace, and therefore, her land may have been given away due to a combination of new laws that were fashioned just after the changing and old laws that were being removed, replaced or reworked. However mere months after the conversion finished, the Vampony females assembled, numbering over triple the male population, and as one returned power to themselves, as it had been before. Many changes and power struggles followed this upheaval, and the community as a whole did not settle until three years later.

Miraculously, my mother, with the aid, however unhelpful or unwilling that my father gave, managed to secure herself a seat on the counsel of Canterlot, as well as maintain ownership of her birthright. Her family had merely been advisors back in the days of ponykind, but with some shrewd negotiations with the powerful families, and a well-placed assassination, she had achieved her family’s ambition, to control a part of the wealthy city that is the capitol of Equestria.

Once her quest for power was complete, she began fixing the situation so that her only son would be the heir to her land, and her seat of power, instead of my sister or me. I, of course, never showed even a sliver of interest in such a horrible position, wishing instead for a carefree life of music and sex, but my sister, on occasion, would attempt to convince our mother to allow her to take the seat in my place, should her son not return.

She was devastated when, after her three year struggle, her son had yet to return home, or even to signal the he still lived. My step-mother spent an entire day in mourning. Since then, she has been attempting to raise me as she had her son, grooming me for succession in his place. But he had been prepared since his birth, whereas I, who wanted nothing more than to revolutionise the world of music, was expected to do as well as a boy who had near twenty years of training.

Of course, based on the new laws, the seats passed in proper, monarchy style. That is to say, the eldest child would inherit the most prominent titles, land, and otherwise. This is the sole reason of many a quarrel between my sister and I, which caused a rift in our family. I remember little of her from before the great Turning, but I certainly know we had gotten along better in the past.

Thus the reason I begged father to leave home, following the scandal at my previous educational centre. He readily agreed, knowing full well the horrible torture that was dealing with both my mother and sister on a daily basis.

I was pulled from my musings by my mother’s bored drawl. “Now, daughter of mine, pick up your instrument. I shall not have your only skill wither due to your inability to manage your time properly. Until you have displayed to me a perfect ninth symphony, you shall see neither hide nor hair of another Vampony, be it your servants or your little science partner.”

My mother had little interest in hobbies and pass times, of which she considered music to be a part of. True though it may be that the world of musical entertainment had diminished since the turning, as had every hobby that did not include a sexual connotation, it still held a respectable following in the present day world. Employment in the industry was at an all-time high, with a new market opening for strip-orchestra mere months ago. Many business ponies saw music as a great addition to the world of sex, courtesy of clubs, and were hoping to incorporate it into several different marketed services, such as organised orgies.

So it was with great annoyance at her presence in my musical chambers that I began to prepare myself for an audience of one. My mother had not the ear nor the taste required to sample fine music, and would no doubt be unable to distinguish a perfect performance from one led by a half drowned alley cat, stuck out in the rain, with a frog in its throat as it yowled the ABC’s. Nevertheless, I would play for her, probably for hours, until she decided she had had enough, and rescinded her punishment.

Just as I put the bow to the strings, my mother held out a hoof, sniffing the air confusedly. “Do you smell that?” She asked. “It smells horrible, not unlike chlorine bleach.”

My mother got up from her seat and wandered my music hall, sniffing the air and making repulsive faces every time she did so. “What did you do, shit on the floor and the bathe it in bleach?” She asked. My mother was not known for her tolerance of anything less than perfection.

“The smell is a broken vial of wood polish and finish, if you must know. The fumes are toxic if inhaled in too large a frequency, for a long period of time, so I took bleach to the mess and scrubbed it out, to ensure I would be safe to practice.” I said. I could hardly smell the bleach after so much time had passed, but it did not surprise me that she had detected it. She was unable to overlook even the slightest inadequacy.

She stared me down, and I saw the gears in her mind turning. “You mean to say, you had your servants clean the room, of course.” She questioned, watching me for a reaction.

My mind froze. If I said I’d had the boys clean the room, she would no doubt go ask them if they had done such a thing. I did not know how they would respond; would they lie, assuming that I had lied to my mother, or would they tell the truth, perhaps anticipating a trap? On the other hoof, I could tell her I cleaned it myself, but I would need a good reason for willingly performing manual labour, else she would assume there was foul play involved. But maybe there was another option…

“My science partner.” I said slowly. “Was curious about my musical collection. I decided to show her the room. She knocked over the bottle by accident as she passed by. I had just been planning to cl-”

“I thought you said you were the one who broke it.” My mother interrupted. “Are you lying to me, Octavia?”

I met her stare as confidently as I could, considering the lie I was spinning. “No, I did not. I said that was the cause of the need for bleach. My partner offered to clean it up, seeing as it was her mistake. I attempted to stop her by telling her I had servants for such a task, but she insisted.” I wrinkled my snout. “She did a good job of clearing the polish, but considering the amount of bleach wasted in addition to the stench, I made sure to discourage her from cleaning with-in the near future.”

I waited as though transfixed, for my mother’s answer. She watched me for a moment, appraising my words, possibly trying to think of cleaver comments that might make me reveal a hole in-

“Very well then, out. I am not interested in sitting in such a horridly scented room listening to the whining racket you have dubbed music.”

I could hardly believe my ears. Years of living with my step-mother had trained me in the art of keeping a blank face, but even so, I could not keep my eyes from widening, ever so slightly.

“What, you expect me to sit in this horrible mess you call a studio listening you play a composition you have never practised while one of my least favourite scents assaults my faculties, for hours on end! I’ll not have it! OUT!” She roared.

I wasted no time in complying. My cello was stood up in record time and I bolted from the room, my mother muttering nonsense in my wake. “I shall be in the sitting room. You may go do whatever you wish.” She stomped down the hallway, something clearly set in her mind.

I could not believe she bought my lie so easily! It was miraculous; my mother, who had gone from a lowly duchess to the sole heir of her family, acquiring power in the council of Canterlot, a seat in the court, and many noble allies during her rise to power which was fraught with lies, deception and hatred, had let me walk out completely un-touched.

I almost smiled, but managed to keep my emotions in check. Good job too, as a moment later my mother, who had barely left my sight, popped back and said “You are not to leave the house.”

I nodded, and she stormed off once again. I felt a strange thing inside myself, something I do not ever remember feeling before. I was no stranger to happiness, but this was not that. It was stronger, and made me feel like hopping about. A word leapt unbidden to my lips. “Giddy. I am giddy.”

With no need to fear my mother for the next few hours, and knowing Vinyl was recovering at home, my mind leapt unbidden to a conversation between the boys and myself. One we’d had recently. One that reminded me of a very real, very neglected part of myself that, very suddenly, reared its magnificent head and demanded attention.

*****

Mark and Brandon had just finished cleaning the kitchen and dining rooms when they felt it. Her lust was not a thing one could ignore; their noses were trained to detect the scent, and it hit them mere moments before the mare herself pounced on Mark.

“You asked for it, well here it comes~”

Author's Notes:

Feels like ages since I did this whole writing thing. I'll admit, it does feel awesome to do it again though.

Oh wow, a whole year, minus like 6 weeks. My bad guys.