> Dance in the Midst of Midnight
>  by Frozen Quill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Sugar Coated Blood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking down the dusty path through the Everfree forest, a canary yellow Earth Pony mare wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, a hip length blood red leather jacket and black boots, stops in the middle of the path to let down her rectangle silver coloured metal case, which has a black arm strap attached to either end. Taking several breaths, she wipes the burnt orange mane with black streaks out of her face as she drinks from a metal canteen which was attached to her hip.

"Because building an academy deep within a dangerous forest with a dirt path leading straight there was a good idea... Who does that?" She asks herself as she aims to catch her breath.

"Watch out!" The mare perks up at hearing a random voice yell from behind.

Turning around, the mare is just barely able to avoid a speeding pedal bike as it races past her, seemingly in slow motion. Atop the bike is a slightly cloudy white Earth Pony mare who has an elegant bubblegum blue mane and tail with the same cloudy white highlights. She wears a black skirt and blazer both with bright red trim, a white shirt, black stockings and black shoes. The mare's aquamarine eyes met the others emerald eyes for a brief moment before she continued in regular motion.

"Don't just stand in the middle of the path!" She heckles back as she vanishes further up the path towards the first mare's destination.

"Good job Amore, day one and you've already made a new friend by nearly getting run over... This should be fun." Sighing deeply, Amore shoulders her metal case before carrying on up the path where the other mare had gone just moments ago.





Speeding through an open pair of gothic styled gates the mare on the bike sways past several students wearing two different versions of her uniform. One is forest green with white trim while the other is aqua blue with white trim. Barely clipping a Unicorn mare's messenger bag she glances back to shout an apology.

"Slow down Sugar Fizz, the day is still early!" She yells after the mare on the bike, but she is already turning past the academy.

The facility itself appears to be a larger than normal square U shape school building which is more gothic and strange, especially as in the sky sits a blood red moon which wasn't noticeable before. Behind the academy is the track field, shower block and equipment shed, to the right is a set aside area which is home to a widespread greenhouse, to the left of the academy is seemingly just forest with a crypt entrance. Drifting her bike, Sugar Fizz quickly continues towards a holding area which is set up on the left side of the academy for students who have bikes. Hopping off it and locking it with a bike lock, Sugar Fizz adjusts her uniform and hair before taking a brisk walking pace inside and all the way up to the third floor where she follows a couple of corridors, eventually stopping in front of an engraved double door with a plaque which reads, 'Principal's Office'. Calming herself down with a deep breath she is about to knock before a voice speaks surprising her.

"You may enter, Miss Fizz." A gentle, yet regal voice states through the wood.

Nodding to herself, Sugar Fizz opens the door to enter the office, it being of fairly normal decoration, a coffee table with two midnight blue leather sofas near to the mahogany engraved desk where the Princess of the Night sat in a leather swivel chair. On the left side of the room were several display cases to show off the academies achievements while the right held two large bookcases with a pedestal to separate them, holding a bust of the princess herself upon it.

"Pardon the intrusion. You wanted to see me, Principal Luna?" Sugar Fizz asks as she walks over to the desk.

Also standing next to the desk is a pale silver-blue Earth Pony mare with a well-brushed midnight blue mane that has silver highlights. Her amethyst eyes are focused and confident as she stands with her arms crossed. The uniform she wears is the same colour scheme as the one Sugar Fizz has on.

"We have a new one coming today it seems. Her record suggests she makes trouble." The mare states catching Sugar Fizz's attention.

"Good Morning, Student Council President Symphony." Sugar Fizz smiles and bows slightly.

"Likewise, Vice President." Symphony replies, but remains in her current composure.

Princess Luna clears her throat before leaning back in her chair.

"Like Symphony just said, we have a new potential student coming in today. If she's anything like I imagine, you'll have your hands full. Though, from what I understand in her record that the Crystal Academy sent over, she normally needs to be provoked before-" Princess Luna is interrupted mid-sentence by a loud rumble which originates from the academy front gates.

"W-what was that?!" Sugar Fizz asks looking around before going to the window behind Princess Luna.

Looking down, she can see a group of three stallions who she knows tend to cause trouble. In front of them is Amore, the mare she passed on her bike.

"That, Miss Fizz, is Amore. Apparently, she was highly praised for her combat capability by the Crystal Academy sports team captain. You should be able to diffuse this situation by yourself, right?" Princess Luna looks at Sugar Fizz while now standing beside her.

"Y-yeah, sure, no pressure. How difficult can one mare be after all?" Sugar Fizz sighs internally as she takes her leave, exiting the office.

"Principal Luna, who exactly is that mare?" Symphony asks moving to stand in Sugar Fizz's spot.

"The daughter of a close friend..." Princess Luna sighs lightly before smiling a little.





Sugar Fizz rushes out of the academy main doors heading over to where the commotion is a short distance away.

"Stop making a mess of the place!" She demands, coming to a halt just shy of the action.

Taking a moment to stop trying to hit the three stallions, who are wearing forest green uniforms, she looks at Sugar Fizz.

"Oh, hey, you're the reckless mare on the bike. Sup?" Amore asks as she leans on her silver case.

Rolling her eyes, Sugar Fizz sighs deeply before looking at Amore sternly.

"Yes, hello, that's me. Now, can you please stop wrecking the place on account of these three?" Sugar Fizz requests before turning towards the three stallions.

"Screw you, Sugar Fizz! This freak gave us a funny look so we're teaching her a lesson!" The middle stallion states brashly.

Groaning and rubbing her muzzle, Sugar Fizz sighs. Taking her eyes off them for a second, they decide to charge Amore before being smacked hard by her silver case which forces the stallions to recoil as they hiss at her. Looking confused, Amore notices a little bit of steam rising off them where her silver case impacted.

"That doesn't normally happen..." Amore ponders as she looks at her silver case.

Looking confused, Sugar Fizz makes an assumption in her mind before hastily trying to shoo away the three stallions.

"I suggest you three leave before you cause enough trouble for the president to get involved." Sugar Fizz threatens which makes them look at each other before reluctantly leaving.

As she goes to leave, she stops upon hearing Amore's voice.

"Hey, looking around I can tell it's something significant. So, what exactly does your uniform mean?" She asks, leaning on her case.

"It's the uniform of the academy student council." Sugar Fizz states glancing back before she is stopped again by a rock thrown at the ground in front of her.

Turning around she frowns as the offender is clearly Amore who tosses a second rock into the air several times.

"I'm sorry, but if you're on the student council... I, Amore, would like to challenge you, Sugar Fizz, to a duel." Amore states with a serious expression.

"Are you kidding me? You fight with three students upon barely getting here and now you're challenging a member of the student council?!" Sugar Fizz recounts the flow of incidents leading up to this point.

"I think that sounds like an interesting idea." Symphony comments nearby as she stands a short distance between them, but more towards the academy.

"President..? You realise how stupid this is right? She didn't even declare a house and has no idea of the proper ethics at Armonia." Sugar Fizz groans as she folds her arms and rubs her eyes.

Chuckling in amusement, the student council president throws Sugar Fizz a midnight blue scabbard which holds a sheathed rapier.

"Then why don't you educate her, vice president, Sugar Fizz Von Heartstrings. House or not, she did challenge you with the proper duel formality that is to be expected." Symphony folds her arms again as she awaits Sugar Fizz's reply.

Sugar Fizz sighs before attaching the scabbard to her hip, clearing her throat and standing properly.

“I, Sugar Fizz Von Heartstrings, accept the challenge set forth by Amore.” Sugar Fizz draws her rapier and gives it a few test flicks.

Amore sets down her silver case and opens it up to reveal a snuggly fit blood metal longsword in the base section while in the top is a black electric guitar fit into the same material as the longsword. Amore takes out a pair of blood red headphones which were fitted next to the guitar with a black Mp3 player, which she attaches to her hip before putting the headphones around her neck. Amore then picks up the longsword and closes the case, so she can kick it aside for the moment.

“I hope your flank isn’t the only fine thing about you.” Amore comments as she prepares herself.

“I’ll make you eat that remark…” Sugar Fizz frowns as she limbers up.

“As a member of the Von Melody family, I shall be witness to this duel and vow to uphold the results regardless of personal attachments.” Symphony states before signalling the start of the duel.

Wanting to finish the duel as quickly as possible Sugar Fizz opts for charging at Amore, while the mare in question puts her headphones on, properly slotting the jack into the Mp3 player. Narrowly deflecting the precise rapier lunge, Amore jumps back slightly to gain a bit of distance.

"Running away already?" Sugar Fizz comments in an attempt to taunt Amore.

Detaching her Mp3 briefly she flicks through a few songs before settling on one she likes and preparing herself.

"Nah, just wanted to set up my music first." Amore smiles before flexing her sword arm a little.

Continuing the fight, Amore steps off her position to charge Sugar Fizz who blocks a slash from her longsword. Utilizing the rebound, Amore takes advantage of the momentum to strike again and again making Sugar Fizz slowly step backwards. Seeing an opening, Sugar Fizz strikes forward with a lunge to break Amore's assault, making the mare in question dodge slightly to the right to avoid it. Pressing the break, Sugar Fizz strikes hard and fast making Amore block or dodge her flurry of precise, lightning fast attacks. Dropping down into a very low squat, Amore spins around to sweep kick Sugar Fizz off of her feet before facing forwards again to slam her handle and free hand into her stomach, sending her flying across the floor. Once she stops rolling, Sugar Fizz coughs before getting up and wiping her mouth.

"Interesting..." Symphony strokes her chin as she continues to watch the fight.

"W-what kind of fighting style is that? Is that even allowed?" Sugar Fizz complains before Amore catches up to her.

Springing a barely manageable defence at the sudden lunge, Sugar Fizz's rapier slides along Amore's longsword before meeting at the hilt. Growing frustrated, Sugar Fizz kicks Amore in the stomach with a single straight kick. Stumbling backwards a little, Amore chuckles as she cracks her neck. Speeding towards Sugar Fizz, Amore jumps up to perform a two-step kick, the first blow landing in her stomach, the second carrying momentum to slam against her face, again sending her flying to roll across the floor. Coughing more this time and clenching her teeth, Sugar Fizz stands back up before taking a deep breath.

"I've had about enough of this embarrassment... I thought it might be prudent to hold off a bit as I wasn't sure if you knew about the true nature of this academy. You were surprised at the effect of silver on those students, which lead me to believe you are oblivious at this point, I'll relish putting you down..." Sugar Fizz states before spreading a pair of medium sized bat-like wings from her back and the mare's eyes turning blood red.

Charging yet again at Amore, Sugar Fizz attempts to finish the fight with a flurry of fast, precise attacks which are surprisingly deflected with Amore's own flurry of matched strikes. The speed difference is apparent as wounds begin appearing on Amore, including cuts in her outfit. Pushing herself forward, Amore continues to strike harder and faster, slowly catching up to Sugar Fizz's supernatural speed. Deep cuts and gashes appear on the ground around the pair as their duel continues to escalate. Breaking away a fair distance from each other, both mares are panting with an equal amount of wounds each. Sensing the same moment, both mare's ready their weapons before launching one final charge at each other to release their attacks at the opportune moment as they quickly pass each other. Sugar Fizz sheathes her rapier before straightening her uniform.

"Requiem of Lightning." Sugar Fizz states casually before Amore's outfit is cut brutally.

Amore drops her longsword as she falls to her knees, then starts to fall backwards. Her headphones cut in several places. Smirking widely, Amore whispers something before hitting the ground which makes Sugar Fizz stop walking suddenly and touch her stomach.

"Oh, that's a bother..." Sugar Fizz states looking at the blood on her hand before falling onto her front unconscious.

"Sure, I'll just clean up your mess... What is a student council president for anyway?" Symphony mumbles as she looks unamused.





Stirring from her rest, Amore blinks a few times as she looks up at a white ceiling. Taking a few glances around, she can see the room she is in appears to be the Academy infirmary. A sigh catches her attention, making Amore look towards the window to the right, where Symphony stands admiring the sunset in the distance.

"First day back of the new academic year and I already have to deal with this? You're already quite the handful aren't you, Amore." Symphony turns to glance at Amore who simply stares at her.

"Where am I?" Amore states, trying to sit up, but flinches in pain.

Turning around to face the mare properly, Symphony folds her arms.

"You're in the Armonia Academy infirmary, against my better judgement. Your duel this morning ended in a tie as you both hit the ground at the same time. I know this'll frustrate Sugar Fizz when she wakes up." Symphony chuckles slightly before taking a seat beside Amore's bed.

"Why not just take me to the Ponyville general hospital, then?" Amore asks confused.

Symphony shakes her head before smiling a little.

"Sugar Fizz was right, you are oblivious. I guess I shall have to educate you in her stead," Symphony clears her throat before looking seriously at Amore. "This is Armonia Academy, one of three academies dedicated to the coexistence between normal entities and supernaturals. The others include Crystal Academy and the Manehattan Institute for Advanced Learning. By your record, it states you attended both prior to coming here and only for a year each. Given this information, I'm surprised you haven't encountered our world before now. To make this transition simple, Sugar Fizz, as you saw previously, is a Vampire. I, too, am also of the Vampire race. Those three stallions you had an altercation with, were Lycans, an evolved Werewolf. Also residing here are a number of other supernatural races and half races. No doubt your arrival with a silver case stirred up a few of them." Symphony explains as she leans back in her chair.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. Didn't really expect it, but I'm not surprised." Amore states, making Symphony tilt her head slightly.

"Interesting... How do-" Symphony stands up suddenly, making Amore follow her line of sight.

Walking over to them is Princess Luna wearing a midnight blue dress with black trim that is slightly modified in places to be better for everyday use.

"Be still Symphony, I wanted to check on these two before starting my nightly duties. How are you feeling Amore?" Princess Luna asks with a calming smile.

"I'm okay... Sorry about the commotion I caused earlier. Those three started it, so I was just defending myself. Sugar Fizz, however... I have this thing where at a new place I have to challenge the strongest, if not one the strongest, students there in order to establish what I'm capable of. I've done it at the past two academies I attended." Amore explains as she sighs slightly.

"I understand. It was explained to me after I gave Principal Nike a call upon reading your record. It was an official duel established by the proper etiquette and witnessed by an established Vampire family representative. Also, an old friend vouched for you, too. Seems he knew you'd make your way here eventually." Luna states as she holds up a letter bearing a crimson bat holding a gemstone seal.

"When did master send you a letter?!" Amore sits up suddenly, but soon hisses in pain.

"A few years ago, but I was instructed not to open it unless you showed up. Seems you meant a lot to that old stallion. You're welcome to stay at our establishment, considering you're a registered student and such. I'll be seeing you around, Miss Amore. Maybe." Princess Luna puts the letter away before exiting the infirmary.

Standing up, Symphony stretches before walking in front of Amore's bed.

"When Sugar Fizz wakes up, give her this and she'll sort everything else out. I hope you enjoy your stay at Armonia Academy." Symphony passes Amore a note and bows before also leaving the infirmary.

Amore takes the note and watches her leave, slowly laying back down. Sighing, she suddenly looks at her clothing to find she is wearing a pair of white shorts and a shirt with her regular red underwear.

"Aww shit... I totally ruined my damn clothes... Ugh!" Amore slams back down into the bed now frustrated.
> You scratch my back, I... Well, I'm sure you can guess...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugar Fizz sighs deeply as she opens the door to her dorm room, entering slowly as she rubs her face. Following closely behind her, carrying a silver case is Amore, wearing the clothes she had on in the infirmary. The room is fairly plain with white walls and a powder blue border, on the left side of the room is an oak bunk bed with white sheets on the top and blue on the bottom, at the end of the bunk bed is a wardrobe with another on the opposite side of the room. Next to the wardrobe on the right is a desk with a white swivel chair, on the desk is a computer with a tower just under the desk to the side. Decorating the floor is a large rug with a soda bottle being opened on it while just to the right as you come through the door, is a sizeable mini-ish fridge bearing the same soda bottle relief on the front door. Past the fridge is a door which leads to the bathroom.

“You’re taking the bottom bunk; the top is mine.” Sugar Fizz states as she grabs a nearby towel while sitting down on the swivel chair.

Amore nods and slides her case under the bunk bed before sitting down on her bunk. Sugar fizz walks into the bathroom and begins running the shower before coming back through to tap the wardrobe beside the door.

“This wardrobe has stuff in it from before I came here. I’ve never really gotten around to clearing it out in the year I’ve been enrolled, so see what you like, I guess.” Sugar Fizz offers before closing the bathroom door.

“This is going to be an awkward time here…” Sighing, Amore gets up and opens the wardrobe to begin looking through it.

At first glance, Amore can see there are several hangers of various clothing including a couple of black and red female uniforms along with a few boxes in the base under the clothes. Shifting through the boxes she finds a few pairs of headphones including a nice pair of cherry red headphones like the ones she wore during the duel with Sugar Fizz. Taking the headphones out of the box to put around her neck, she also finds a couple pairs of musically themed pyjamas with a blood red sixteenth note pattern on a black background. Standing up, she inspects them before humming a little, putting them aside to continue looking through the boxes. After looking through most of the wardrobe, Amore lays back on her bunk to plug her new headphones into her Mp3 which survived the fight. Flicking through some songs, Sugar Fizz exits the bathroom in some pyjamas baring soda bottle decals like the floor rug.

“Bathroom is free if you want to freshen up.” Sugar Fizz states grabbing a glass soda bottle from the fridge before climbing up onto her bunk.

“Thanks, I found some pyjamas which look like they’ll fit, so with any luck I can change from this prison looking clothes.” Amore states getting up from her bunk and walking over to the bathroom.

“Sorry about your jacket, the fight had me pretty worked up… It looked pretty cool by the way, I’m sure our local needle whiz can put it back to how it was.” Sugar Fizz states as she rolls over to look away.

Smiling a little, Amore enters the bathroom and strips off the white infirmary clothes she was given before slipping off her blood red underwear. Sighing at the relief she looks around the bathroom which is tiled black on the floor with white tiles, opposite the door is a sink and mirror while beside it is a sizeable bathtub big enough for two. Opposite the bath on the other side of the room is the toilet, to the left of the toilet in an alcove, is the shower with a sliding door.

“For an academy, it has better accommodation than the other two I spent a year at.” Amore notes to herself before stepping into the shower and turning on the hot water.

Cooing and heaving a pleasurable sigh, Amore lets the water wash over her hair and through her coat. The warmth easing out her aches and pain from her duel before, taking a spare flannel, she begins washing with a cherry scented body wash nearby. After thoroughly washing she turns off the water and steps out, using the spare towel on the rack nearby to dry herself. Once dry enough, she tries on the pyjamas to find they fit perfectly, giving a slow twirl in the mirror above the sink. She cleans up the sink before leaving the bathroom, placing the white clothes in a wash basket beside the door. Yawning, she turns off the lights before climbing into her bunk and slipping under the comfy quilt to relax and shut her eyes, hoping tomorrow will be better.





Tossing and turning in her sleep, Amore is sweating a lot as she grips her quilt tightly. Suddenly she feels a presence touch her face making her open her eyes wide and sit up sharply. Looking around in a panic, she can see a partly dressed Sugar Fizz in her skirt and shirt minus the blazer and tights.

"Woah, you okay? You seem a little pale and are sweating rather heavily." Sugar Fizz states while looking in Amore's bunk from standing beside it.

Wiping her head, Amore looks around again but feels a bit calmer knowing Sugar Fizz is still there. Sighing, she flops back down before nodding.

"I'm... I'm fine... Just a stupid fucking dream." Amore rolls her eyes before shifting to sit on the edge of her bunk.

"You sure? Even during the night, you were making weird noises, then when I got up to get changed you got worse. It's pretty much time to get up for class, but we have a little bit before then because I tend to get up pretty early." Sugar Fizz continues getting dressed, sorting out her tie and tights on the swivel chair.

"I'll feel better after a shower, it's fine..." Amore gets up and stretches before quickly leaving to use the bathroom making Sugar Fizz frown.

"She's going to be an interesting one... Hmm?" Sighing she looks up at the door where a knock is heard.

Standing up, Sugar Fizz walks over to the door and opens it to see a light grey mare with a blonde mane and moderate gamboge eyes. She wears a blue with black trim post office worker outfit.

"Morning Sugar~ I have something for you." The mare smiles as Sugar looks at the mare's decently sized trolley cage beside her.

"Morning Derpy, I imagine it'll be for Amore." Sugar Fizz sighs as she signs Derpy's clipboard.

Eagerly, Derpy opens the cage and begins sifting through the packages before pulling out a brown paper package and handing it to Sugar Fizz.

"That should be everything, according to the manifest. Have a nice day~" Derpy sings as she begins to drag the trolley cage away.

"You too, Derpy." Sugar Fizz returns the gesture before closing the door and putting the brown package on her bunk.

After a few minutes, Amore walks out of the bathroom drying her hair with a towel, wearing nothing else.

"Who was that?" Amore asks ruffling her hair before draping the towel across her shoulders.

"Derpy, our resident academy mailmare as it were." Sugar Fizz turns around to continue speaking, but blushes brightly instead. "Amore... Why are you naked..?"

Amore looks at herself shrugging a little.

"I have nothing to change into." Amore states casually.

"I... That's hardly an excuse to not wear a towel! Do you have no decency?" Sugar Fizz asks as she begins looking through the second wardrobe.

"Well... Being roommates, we're bound to see each other naked at some point. I figured I'd speed along the process." Amore states as she double drys herself before putting the towel into the wash basket.

"While I will admit you appear... Fairly defined compared to most... You should still have some decency..." Sugar Fizz throws a pair of bright red panties and a bra to Amore. "Please, put those on. Looking at the sizes, they should fit given what you were wearing before."

"How do you know my clothe sizes?" Amore asks slipping them on to find they also fit perfectly like the pyjamas.

"The President has a tendency to... Tease me greatly about my sexual preference. Hence she sent me your clothing sizes from the recovered clothes she stripped from you to be repaired... She just happened to peek at your bra and panty sizes." Sugar Fizz coughs, making Amore smile a bit.

Sugar Fizz passes the package to Amore who raises an eyebrow but unwraps it anyway on the desk to reveal a box with a bow on it. Opening the box itself, Amore deadpans at the contents.

"I'm not wearing that..." Amore states, glancing at Sugar Fizz who wears a wide smile.





Sugar Fizz chuckles as her and Amore now walk down a corridor on the second floor of the academy main building. Amore walks beside her trying to adjust her skirt constantly. Sugar Fizz wears her regular black and red uniform while Amore was issued one of the aqua blue uniforms with white trim.

"The other academies had more modest skirts..." Amore grumbles making Sugar Fizz giggle slightly.

"I wouldn't know. You should have worn the tights that came with it." Sugar Fizz folds her arms and smiles smugly.

"Tights may look great on you, but they are not something I personally indulge in to wear." Amore states firmly as they approach a door.

Sugar Fizz blushes very slightly before clearing her throat.

"Yes, well... When we get in here try to behave. The class shouldn't have started yet but the teacher is likely already in there." Sugar Fizz explains as she opens the door and leads them inside.

Looking around the room, Amore can see it is set up like a classroom from a Japanese anime with the desks in rows and a teachers desk and chalkboard at the front. Sitting in most of the desks are a wide variety of hairstyles, colours, even a fair few varied races. Sitting calmly at the front teacher's desk is a pale gold mare with a long finely kept pale rose mane with cyan eyes. She wears an intricate black top which hugs her slightly curved figure snugly, it has two gold embroidered curved sections either side of the top. A canopy type section above the corset-like bottom covers her neck, chest, shoulders and half her upper arms with a zipper at the front. Connected to the canopy on the inside of her upper arm, is two sleeves which stop at her wrists with a slot missing halfway down her upper arm to expose some fur. The top of the corset-like top covers her important assets but leaves enough generous cleavage to let the mind wander. On her bottom half, she wears a pair of black trousers which are tucked into a pair of black leather boots.

"Ah, it would seem everypony is here now. Sugar Fizz, if you'd like to take your seat." The mare states before standing up.

Amore watches Sugar Fizz nod at the teacher as she walks over and takes a seat near the back next to the window seat. Clearing her throat gently to get everyone's attention, she brings Amore to the front of the class.

"Now, to make introductions go as smoothly as possible, I am Fluttershy, one of your S.N Etiquette class teachers. Could you please introduce yourself to the class?" Fluttershy asks with a gentle smile.

"Umm, sure," Amore looks out at the class. "My name is Amore and I guess you could say I'm a transfer student? I hope to get along with most of you, but I make no promises~" She smiles awkwardly.

There are many murmurs and whispers among the class, as Amore is directed by Fluttershy to take the window desk beside Sugar Fizz. While walking towards her new desk she makes out several comments from the male populace about her figure and availability while the females seem to make positive comments about her hair and figure. Blushing very lightly, Amore sits down at her desk and takes a light breath. Opening the door as Amore sits down, a white pegasus mare walks into the room holding a couple of books. She has a voluminous pink mane with aqua green streaks, with the same pink for her eyes. She's wearing a pair of jeans, black shoes and a simple pale purple long sleeve.

"Sorry, I'm late. Family problems..." She sighs before turning to the class. "Anyway, my name is Aurora Dawn and I'm your other S.N Etiquette class teacher." She states before taking a seat at the desk and opening one of the books.

"Okay, now that that is out of the way, we can continue from last time where we were discussing the general Vampire methods behind 'drinking' and how it should properly be handled. You might remember last time we talked about how it's very important to get the permission of whomever you might seek to drink from. Trust is a very important part of the process which leads to a more pleasant experience. While in general being drunk by a vampire carries with it an exquisite level of pleasure, it's important that the whole affair is consented to. There are many vampires out in the world who still harbour to the old ways, attacking and draining ponies at their leisure regardless of the consequences. We have evolved past this barbaric uncivil way, which is why we have this class to teach you the important values of our modern Supernatural society. I've been asked countless times by normal students why they have to take this class, and it's simply so that they understand and know how things should be properly handled and their rights when it comes to certain sensitive subjects like this one." Fluttershy explains with chalked diagrams and written points.

Leaning her head on one hand, Amore stares blankly out the window admiring the scenery of the sports track, fence and beyond trees. The one aspect which draws her attention most is the blood red moon which seemingly hangs in the sky despite it being only the late morning. The rest of the lecture took a few hours before the bell snapped Amore back to reality before she yawns, gently. Dismissing the class, Fluttershy begins to clean the chalkboard after a few students finish copying down notes. Amore leans back in her chair before being approached by two mares, one wearing the same uniform as her and the other wearing a forest green uniform.

"Umm, hey, my sister and I, wanted to introduce ourselves, my name is Scarlet Orange." The Unicorn mare in question wears an aqua blue uniform, has a pale orange coat, cherry red mane and reddish-brown eyes.

"Names Aqua Streak. I mainly wanted to inquire about that awesome mane, it's dyed right?" Aqua Streak asks, her being the forest green uniform Pegasus mare. She has an aqua blue coat, navy blue mane with slightly darker blue highlights and purple eyes.

"Nah, I promise it's all my natural colour." Amore smiles back, happy to get positive comments about her mane.

"That's very cool, we have to go to lunch now, but we'll hang soon." Aqua Streak states as her and Scarlet Orange wave before leaving the room.

Chuckling, Sugar Fizz gets up and sits on her desk.

"I'm surprised you made new friends so quickly. Shall we go to lunch?" Sugar Fizz gets off the desk and heads out the room, followed by Amore.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Those three yesterday had it coming when they picked the fight. Also, I have no money for lunch..." Amore admits holding her left arm with her right.

"I can cover it for you, but there is a condition to this. While I've only known your brash, rash behaviour for but two days... I would like to experience something new and figure you'd be the perfect opportunity." Sugar Fizz explains as they enter through some open double doors.

The cafeteria is fairly vast with many bench tables and an extensive food selection laid out in several different sized trays.

"Holy crap... I've never seen such a wide variety and in such quantity..." Amore drools slightly before wiping it up quickly.

The pair joins the line and Amore gets a tray. As they progress down the line, Amore grabs a big bowl of rice topped with a vegetarian curry, a varied salad bowl, a couple fresh baked small thick breadsticks and a bottle of grape flavoured soda. When they reach the counter, Sugar Fizz pays using a card which bears a vampire symbol in the top left corner. Barely able to contain her excitement, Amore hurries off to find a place to sit which gets directed by Sugar Fizz to be a shaded spot in the bottom left corner of the cafeteria.

"I didn't think you'd order that much... Granted you didn't eat since being unconscious yesterday." Sugar Fizz sits down beside Amore, getting comfortable.

"Thanks for buying lunch, despite how our duel went yesterday. I'm curious where your food is?" Amore asks as she begins eating the curry rice bowl.

"Your welcome and it was an official duel held with the proper etiquette, we can move on from it. Funny you should ask, I was hoping you wouldn't mind fulfilling that position." Sugar Fizz leans on her hand, her elbow on the table.

Amore chokes slightly and slowly looks at Sugar Fizz with a shocked expression.

"Are you being serious? Why in Equestria would you request something like that from me?" Amore asks opening her soda to help wash down her food.

"I've not drunk from a normal pony before, you noticed the sodas in my fridge, I imagine. Several are marked with a bat symbol which means they are intended for Vampires. However, their effects are minimal on normal ponies who can drink them without any effects; for Vampires, it's a supplement for drinking normal blood. Being roommates and seeing as we've already had a proper duel, I feel more inclined to trust you with this request." Sugar Fizz asks looking slightly hopeful.

"I can't really see a reason to refuse, but I've never been bitten by a vampire before... I heard a bit of what Fluttershy explained this morning, but I zoned out a little after that. Why me, though?" Amore asks taking a few more mouthfuls of curry rice.

Sugar Fizz leans in a little and takes a deep intake of air before sighing gently.

"Would you be offended if I said you smell nice and sweet? Like cherry flavoured glaze with a potent aroma and promising taste." Sugar Fizz tries to explain.

"Oh, I see... You did buy me lunch and I guess I wouldn't mind if you wanted to... I feel it's only right I 'pay' for your lunch too, right?" Amore smiles slightly, but feels very nervous.

"Then, would you kindly let me drink your blood, Miss Amore?" Sugar Fizz asks politely.

"Sure, please be gentle." Amore asks as she begins to adjust her uniform but is stopped by Sugar Fizz.

"It's adorable when you watch those who have never been drunk by a vampire. The neck is for a more intimate experience, I'll just need your wrist." Sugar Fizz giggles lightly, making Amore blush as she puts her uniform right again.

Giving Sugar Fizz her arm, the mare uncovers Amore's wrist and nips the underside slightly before revealing her prominent fangs and biting down to begin feeding off Amore. The fed on mare in question felt her entire mind go blank, only focusing on the initial pain and Sugar Fizz. Once the sharp pain quickly passed, it paved the way for an intense pleasure which filled Amore's body, forcing her to cover her mouth as she barely contained the cute noises and stifled moans she seemed to emit as a result. Sugar Fizz held Amore's arm gently, but firmly just in case she moved unexpectedly, drinking her sweet tasting blood eagerly, but not quickly as to draw out the experience for them both. Amore's blood itself tasted almost exactly how Sugar Fizz envisioned it would from her aroma, bearing a sweet yet not overpowering cherry flavour atop a subtle glaze base like she described. Finishing up, she licked the wound clean before making sure to cover it with her handkerchief. Waiting several minutes, she watched Amore in her mindless bliss as she held a hand behind Amore's back to stop her falling off the bench. Once she blinked several times, the mare wiped her mouth and looked around.

"Welcome back, Amore. How was it?" Sugar Fizz asks, letting go of Amore who restored her balance.

"I don't think I could put it into words... But it was very much like what Fluttershy described it to be. Umm... How did I taste? Which is a very weird thing for me to be asking somepony." Amore blushes before taking a generous mouthful of her soda.

"Almost exactly like I described with the cherry flavoured glaze, only much sweeter and something I could have only dreamed of. I am very thankful you let me feed on you, Amore." Sugar Fizz rests her head on her arms as she lays them, folded on the table.

"Will that be a regular thing with us now?" Amore asks seemingly innocently.

Sugar Fizz blushes, but laughs lightly and sighs before staring at Amore.

"Is that an offer? If so, I wouldn't mind." Sugar Fizz smiles.

Amore nods several times trying not to seem needy.

"It is. You can keep buying me lunch if you want, but it's not required to let you feed on me. I wasn't sure if I'd like it here, but in comparison to the other two academies... I think I'll enjoy it here." Amore smiles before going back to eating her lunch, Sugar Fizz watching her with a slight smile.
> Twins With a Side Order of Déjà Vu
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore stretches her arms up and lays back on the grass bank next to the track field. She wears a white shirt that hugs her upper body, aqua coloured shorts with white trim and aqua blue sneakers. Yawning lightly she stares up at the clouds before being joined by Sugar Fizz who is wearing the same uniform but in black with blood red trim.

"Working hard I see?" Sugar Fizz teases as she sits down.

"Just having a little rest, the teacher is a slaver..." Amore frowns in the direction of the teacher who is taking down track times below.

The teacher in question is a cyan Pegasus mare with a rainbow coloured mane and cerise eyes. She is wearing a tracksuit top and bottoms with a cap, baby blue trainers and a whistle around her neck, holding a clipboard and pen with a stopwatch resting on it.

"That's it, that's it. Keep those laps coming ladies! Hey, Red?! I haven't seen you do a single lap yet; get down here and make up for lost time with thirty!" The mare yells at Amore, who sits up.

"That's cruel and unusual punishment!" Amore protests with a scrunched up muzzle.

"Having a 'little rest', right..?" Sugar Fizz chuckles as she rests her elbow on her knee before resting her head on her hand to watch Amore.

Amore gives Sugar Fizz an awkward smile before the teacher grabs her attention with more yelling.

"Forty now! If you don't get down here soon you'll be doing one hundred!" The rainbow-maned mare shouts at Amore.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Sighing deeply. she gets up and stretches.

"Mrs. Rainbow Dash tends not to tolerate slacking since her wife chews her out for it." Sugar Fizz chuckles as Amore heads down to the track.

Taking a few deep breathes, Amore begins her stacked up laps of the track field. By around the tenth lap, she is caught up to by Aqua Streak and Scarlet Orange.

"Ha, I see Mrs. Dash finally caught you slacking on the bank after, like, an hour." Aqua Streak laughs as she runs to the right of Amore.

"We told you it wouldn't take long. How many did she sting you for?" Scarlet Orange asks, keeping pace to the left of Amore.

Amore shakes her head and sighs.

"Forty laps... I have about thirty to go..." Amore groans deeply.

"Least you have dinner to look forward to? That's something." Aqua Streak states, already feeling her stomach growling.

Amore suddenly loses her balance and stumbles a little with a blush across her muzzle.

"Y-yeah... That's something to look forward to..." Amore coughs lightly.

The trio goes another ten laps together before Aqua Streak pipes up again to talk.

"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to ask you... Rumour has it that you're living in the vice presidents room as her roommate?" Aqua Streak asks with a concerned expression on her face.

"That's right, I never got around to telling you which room was mine nor who my roommate was. Yeah, I'm in the bottom bunk in Sugar's room." Amore chuckles as she looks at the concerned expression the two sisters share.

They go another lap in silence before Scarlet Orange decides to speak this time.

"You know in the year she's been here, she hasn't had a single roommate." Scarlet Orange states with a less cheery tone than normal.

"There are honestly very few who'd take the chance with the only daughter of the Von Heartstrings family. You must be brave or she might be using you." Aqua Streak continues explaining as Amore frowns.

"I don't believe she is like that, least she doesn't give me that vibe about her." Amore states looking weirdly at the two.

The sisters share another glance before another four laps pass them by.

"Hey... Does she suck your blood?" Scarlet Orange asks, catching Amore off guard.

The mare in question stumbles over onto the track floor making the other two raise their eyebrows at each other before Amore gets back up. She then catches up and coughs hard at the query.

"W-what gives you that idea?! Just because we share a room doesn't mean she is sucking me, I mean my blood!" Amore shakes her head before speeding off ahead of them.

Ignoring the two sisters for the rest of the lesson, Amore was still doing laps after everypony else went off to dinner in the cafeteria. When finished with her forty laps, Amore hit the shower block, stripping off and picking a stall halfway down the block to begin cleaning herself up. Not hearing the door, Sugar Fizz sat down next to Amore's gym bag on the bench next to the three rows of lockers, facing the showers. Once Amore was done, she dried herself and wrapped the towel around her waist before walking back to her bag.

"Nice shower?" Sugar Fizz chuckles as she stares at Amore.

Blinking, Amore jumps in surprise as she nearly drops her towel.

"Sweet fucking Celestia, Sugar Fizz! What the fuck?!" Amore sits down on the bench and tries to calm her heart.

Laughing lightly, Sugar Fizz looks very amused as she tilts her head.

"Did I startle you? I thought you'd expect me to pop out of places by now. Also... You were taking your time after class, so I came looking for you. We skipped my lunch remember?" Sugar Fizz pouts, slightly, as a light blush graces her muzzle.

"I just didn't expect you to be waiting here when I got out of the shower. Needless to say, the door was like a ninja... Sorry about lunch; I had to arrange something last minute for next weekend." Amore rubs the back of her neck.

The two mares sit in silence for a minute or two before Sugar Fizz coughs to get Amore's attention.

"Well, shall we?" Sugar Fizz prompts Amore who nods and holds out her arm.

As Sugar Fizz takes a long deep breath, running her muzzle up and down Amore's freshly cleaned fur, Amore can't help but think about what her friends were talking about. Sugar Fizz nipped Amore's wrist like before making the mare squirm, but stops when she speaks.

"Hey, Sugar Fizz... You're not using me, are you? You know, just for my fresh blood?" Amore asks, noticing a flash of pain across Sugar Fizz's expression.

Amore's stomach suddenly feels tight as she considers the mistrust she was suggesting despite the first lesson she was taught upon attending Armonia.

"I did wonder what those twins would have said to make you stumble over... I should expect as much, given I have lived alone since coming here. Nor had I fed on a pony before you, either... We've been doing this for a week now, though. Do you really think that?" Sugar Fizz asks, a tang of pain in her voice making Amore feel horrible.

"I... I'm sorry..." Amore takes back her wrist as she rubs it, "I feel like trust is important to you and I didn't believe them when they proposed the possibility..." Amore looks away from Sugar Fizz, feeling guilty she even asked her such a stupid thing.

Sugar Fizz sighs as she brings Amore's face back to look at her.

"You're still new to our world and I understand some things might feel a little confusing. I would be surprised if somepony didn't think the daughter of a prestigious vampire family, who suddenly got a new roommate, let alone fed on her willingly, wasn't using her. I mean, the thought did cross my mind when you beat me, but... It's not really my style." Sugar Fizz smiles warmly, making Amore feel a little better.

"Still, I'm sorry I asked such a stupid question... I should have known better when we talked about trust the first time. You still hungry or did I make you lose your appetite?" Amore asks holding out her wrist again.

Sugar Fizz hums lightly before taking an unexpected seat on Amore's lap as she licks and teases the mare's neck.

"Hmm, I do love the scent of your bodywash~" Sugar Fizz whispers into Amore's ear before nipping her collarbone.

The mare in question mewls and gasps under the vampire mare's sensual ministrations to her neck and surrounding areas.

"I-I thought you said that the neck was a more... Intimate area?~" Amore barely manages to ask through her gasps.

Chuckling, Sugar Fizz nips and licks Amore's neck.

"I did... I want to demonstrate how much I trust you despite only knowing each other for a week. It's important to me that you know and understand, I wouldn't do this with just anypony." Sugar Fizz states softly running her fangs along Amore's soft flesh.

Giving the mare little time to prepare herself, Sugar Fizz sinks her fangs into Amore's skin as she begins drinking her blood slowly. Amore is forced to hold onto Sugar Fizz as she is filled with even more exquisite pleasure than before. Her moans and mewls unable to be contained as they escape by Sugar Fizz's ear, encouraging the silent drinker to suck at various paces, testing the reactions from Amore. After too short of a time, Sugar Fizz finished up and licked the wound clean before it healed up.

"That'll always amaze me when you're normal. How your healing so quickly." Sugar Fizz leans back to stare confused at a pouting Amore.

"Why'd you stop?" Amore asks looking upset.

"I had my fill? Oh, you were really getting into it there, weren't you? Maybe I'll start doing your neck from now on when we're alone." Sugar Fizz chuckles and gets off Amore.

"You're evil sometimes..." Amore blushes brightly before getting changed, Sugar Fizz looking away respectfully.

Sighing to herself she waits for Amore to fully dress back into her uniform before holding the door open.

"Right, let's get you some dinner, shall we?" Sugar Fizz prompts Amore who nods eagerly.





Moving Amore along gently down the basement stairs of the 1st-floor left wing, the mare herself being extremely confused at their direction after dinner.

"Explain to me why you're taking me down a set of stairs, which I can only fathom leads to the academy basement?" Amore asks as they reach the bottom.

Looking around, Amore can see the 'basement' is a lot different than she imagined. It being a decently long corridor which she figures runs the length of the academy and is a lot more vibrantly coloured than she expected.

"Because your mane is a slight mess and I'd really like for you to have it fixed. I don't mean the casual mess you normally pull off. Just that it needs a slight trim, is all." Sugar Fizz pleads as she moves Amore along down the pink decorated corridor.

"It's not that bad is it?" Amore asks looking up at her slightly messy mane.

Stopping them in front of a door which has a pair of silver scissors on it. Sugar Fizz opens and pushes Amore through before closing it. Moving her past a few hanging purple curtains to reach a decorated cylinder room which has around four mirrors and swivel chairs in front of the same amount of sinks. Besides the curtains at the entrance, there are a few magazines laid about at each station along with various bottles of beauty products.

"He should be around here somewhere, likely not long got back from dinner. He runs a little bit into the evening as some customers come at quieter times." Sugar Fizz explains as she takes up a spare seat in the small lounge to the left.

"This place is decorative, to say the least... It's not overly vibrant, but it has a mild charm, I guess." Amore states, looking around.

Entering through a staff door opposite the lounge, an anthro male sea serpent with purple scales and brilliant orange hair and moustache that have brilliant yellow streaks within walks through reading a fashion magazine. He wears a pair of blue jeans, black dress shoes, with a white and navy blue plaid frilled cuffed and collar shirt with a red flannel sticking out of the top of his shirt.

"Ah, Sugar Fizz, nice to see you, hun. This would be your infamous new roommate who duelled you when she first came here." The Sea Serpent states putting the magazine down on the curved side which the sinks sit in.

"Hello, Steven. Amore, this is Steven Magnet, the academy hairdresser. She needs a trim if you'd be so kind?" Sugar Fizz states, as she grabs a nearby magazine.

Circling Amore, Steven checks her out, before stopping to spin the chair around to face her.

"If you'd be so kind as to take a seat, my dear." Steven Prompts Amore, who gingerly sits down.

Spinning Amore back around, Steven picks up a pair of scissors before humming to himself as he shifts from side to side behind Amore.

"We'll go with just a trim for now then, you'll have to come back another time should you desire a new style." Steven states before putting a barber cloth over Amore to keep her clean.

"I guess a trim is fine... I don't really see a problem with my current style." Amore states looking at Steven before he directs her back to the mirror.

Starting to trim and cut off various small edges of Amore's mane and tail, the Sea Serpent hums to himself while working.

"Granted, while your current style is fine, one always needs a change of pace at some point. To aid in this, a haircut is often a good way to freshen this perspective." Steven explains as he finishes with Amore's tail and moves back to trimming her mane.

After several minutes Steven brushes her off and removes the cover. Looking at her mane in the mirror, Amore smiles a little.

"It does look much better and tidy now, but still in its more natural messy state, if that makes sense." Amore states, standing up.

"Plenty. I'll waver the price this time, Sugar. I hope to see you both again soon." Steven waves to the pair.

Sugar Fizz gets up and the pair exit out of the salon before Amore stretches.

"That was nice... Thanks, for taking me here. I haven't really explored this academy in the short week I've been here." Amore smiles as she yawns lightly.

"I'm glad you feel refreshed, let's head back to the room and get some sleep." Sugar Fizz states as she walks off, Amore watching her for a moment before catching up.
> The Secret Life of a Mare in Red
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sighing deeply, Sugar Fizz lets the hot water from the shower rush over her body, easing out the aches of the day. Looking up into the running water, she runs through several things in her mind trying to block out the main one plaguing her. Opening and rolling her eyes in defeat, she turns off the water before grabbing a towel to dry herself. Doing her feet first, the mare is now able to walk into the main room and begin picking out fresh clothes.

"Ugh, it doesn't even matter... She'll still be home later. So, why do I feel so annoyed?" Sugar Fizz states looking at Amore's bed.

Looking out the window she can see the evening will be soon upon them. Sugar Fizz debates between a fresh uniform and her pyjamas. Shaking her head again the mare opens her wardrobe and spots herself in the door-sized mirror.

"Hmm... I think I need new bras when I next visit home..." Sugar Fizz comments, lightly groping herself.

Shifting through her underwear drawer, the mare picks out an elegant white lace set aiming for a comfortable evening, if nothing else. However, as she clothed herself, Amore's words still weighed heavily on her mind.





Amore stands in front of Sugar Fizz as they just left the cafeteria, the mare smiling awkwardly.

"Okay, so... You remember last Monday I mentioned about making arrangements for last weekend? Well, I set up the same thing this week and will be back later tonight." Amore rubs the back of her neck.

"What about dinner? You promised before we'd save it till this evening, that's why I skipped out on lunch for a longer night session." Sugar Fizz states, folding her arms.

Amore winces slightly and bites her lip.

"I know, I know... I'm really sorry and it totally slipped my mind. Do you think you can wait till I get back tonight? It'll only be a little after midnight, maybe one or something." Amore asks, with a pleading expression.

Sighing deeply Sugar Fizz rolls her eyes before scratching her head.

"Okay, fine. I was looking forward to it, but if you really want to go to your planned event I shouldn't stop you." Sugar Fizz shrugs and unfolds her arms.

Amore scampers on the spot slightly and hugs Sugar Fizz on impulse.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I'll make it up to you! See you tonight." Amore states after she lets go and runs off.





Sugar Fizz lays out her uniform as she sighs and begins to dress. Buttoning up her blazer and sorting out her skirt the mare takes a deep breath while staring at her reflection.

"You don't mistrust her... It's just, you feel," Sugar Fizz pauses and frowns at herself. "What do I feel?"

Shaking her head she closes the wardrobe and grabs her phone, one last check of the room and turning off the lights cements her conviction as she leaves the dorm. Making her way past various students on her way to the entrance, she stops when she notices Amore standing at the academy gate with Aqua Streak. Hiding, she watches them talk for several minutes before being joined by Scarlet Orange, known to be Aqua Streak's twin sister.

"The twins? Amore's friends, if I recall right..." Sugar Fizz continues watching as the pair now leave the academy gate and head down the path off campus.

Raising an eyebrow, Sugar Fizz frowns before spreading her vampire wings and taking to the sky. Feeling the wind blow through her mane helps to alleviate some of her stress but not by much as she spots them heading to a cover by a tree. Pulling the cover off the object, Aqua Streak reveals it to be a light blue motorbike with two helmets. Putting on one helmet, Aqua Streak passes the other to Amore who puts it on, Scarlet Orange being questioned by the mare before she pulls out her own vampire wings and takes to the sky. Speeding off on the bike, Sugar Fizz notices Amore has her silver case across her back.

"When did she pick that up from the room?" Sugar Fizz ponders as she flies lower to avoid Scarlet, who is gliding alongside the bike.

The trio of mares quickly made their way into Ponyville from the academy road and headed for a place Sugar Fizz knew well. Picking a spot in a nearby tree, the mare lands on a branch to watch her roommate and her friends pull over in Valentine's bar's small parking lot. The establishment's neon sign glowing bright red against the darkness of the night. Hopping off the branch as the three head into the bar, Sugar Fizz is stopped by three stallions wearing leather jackets, white shirts and jeans.

"Hey, do you want us to buy you a drink?" The middle stallion offers.

"To answer your questions in order, no, I'm a lesbian, and no you cannot 'turn me' as some of your gender suggest." Sugar Fizz folds her arms as her eyes flash crimson for a second.

"Woah, chill. We just thought we'd offer you a drink." The second stallion states raising his hands.

"Sorry, we'll get out of your way now." The middle stallion sighs before leaving with his two friends.

Rolling her eyes and sighing, Sugar Fizz continues towards the bar before entering through the brushed black oak door. Once inside she is hit with a slightly foggy atmosphere of booze and music. Taking a deep breath, Sugar Fizz flutters her eyelids slightly before smiling to herself. Looking around she sees the bar is fairly lit with a bar opposite the main door, to the left dropping down two steps is a double pool table area and two tables, to the right is a large table and chair area with a raised stage in front of some curtains. Beside the bar on the right side, leads to the second-floor stairs and the hallway which brings you to the toilets and even further to backstage, either side of her are two booth tables against the wall. Preparing herself mentally, the mare walks past several ponies and a gryphon to take a seat at the bar. The item itself is a brushed brown oak for the bottom and a polished black marble for the top, sparing no expense in taste. Shuffling over to her is a dark grey stallion with a silver mane and blood red eyes. He wears a very gentlecolt-like outfit in blood red and white with a white frock sticking out of his shirt and a pointed hat with a feather on his head.

"My comrade will help you out while I deal with customers over here, thank you." Turning to Sugar Fizz, the stallion's expression drops from his current smile. "Ah, shit..."

"Aww, Valentine, not happy to see me?" Sugar Fizz leans on her left hand as she smiles at him, her fangs showing.

Sighing and pouring a glass of whisky, the stallion downs it before pouring another.

"Not when you always cost me an arm and a leg every visit... What can I get you?" Valentine asks clicking his tongue.

"I'll have my regular, assuming you still know what that is?" Sugar Fizz asks as she gets comfortable.

Valentine pours Sugar Fizz a whisky like himself adding a few cubes of ice before sliding it over to her.

"How could I forget? You're a mare after my own heart, but I doubt you're here just for that old burn." Valentine states as he sips his own whisky.

Lifting and swirling her glass, Sugar Fizz savours the aroma before taking a healthy mouthful of her favourite drink, feeling the burn as it slides down her throat.

"Ah, I have indeed missed that feeling~" Sugar Fizz sighs before taking another sip. "I'm here for a mare dressed in jeans, a white shirt and a very distinct red leather jacket... She might have walked in with two mares wearing a version of my uniform?"

Valentine chuckles to himself before directing the mare's attention to the stage where she can see Amore and the twins setting up some instruments. Intrigued, Sugar Fizz gets comfortable to watch the show as Amore takes the microphone stand and adjusts her guitar.

"Hello. For those who remember, we played here last weekend and were invited back via Valentine by popular demand," Amore begins as a few ponies cheer at her. "Yeah, heh... Thank you. As such we have two to play tonight and with any luck, we'll be better than last time."

Amore smiles and nods to the girls as they begin playing. She starts them off by singing as they bring the instruments at the same time. Majority of the bar have their attention turned to the stage as the band liven up the atmosphere. Amore and Aqua decide to throw lyric lines between each other as they both sing while playing two guitars, Aqua Streaks being a bass guitarist and Scarlet Orange is playing the drums behind both of them. Sugar Fizz can't help but smile a little and sway herself gently as she watches her roommate play music, enjoying her whisky which gets refilled by Valentine who continues serving customers. As Amore and Aqua Streak finish singing a portion of the song they reach a long break of simply playing their guitars with Scarlet Oranges drumsticks as the background sound before they begin singing again.

"Since she started playing here last week my revenue has gone up and I've had more repeat customers. They decided to call themselves 'Bloody Love', although Amore likes to go by AMR-3 when playing her music." Valentine smiles as he comes back to his whisky.

"She has a certain charm, one I feel I'm not immune to... Hmm, that reminds me, I've never seen her cutie mark. Normally, when she's naked or changing I turn away... Now I'm intrigued to find out what it is." Sugar Fizz bites her lip as she drinks down her whisky getting another refill.

The girls come to a close and finish with the guitar before a fair portion of the bar applauds their playing. Amore taking a break, heads down to sit two stools away from Sugar Fizz, not noticing the mare.

"Having fun tonight?" Valentine prompts as he serves her a water.

"Very much so, thanks a lot for having us back. I'm adjusting to my new academy well enough and my roommate is awesome, but music helps me relieve stress or tension I can't otherwise." Amore explains as she gulps down half her water.

"I get it, another mare who used to go to that place did the same thing. That was nineteen years ago and business hasn't been the same. I'm grateful for your work and will reward you accordingly." Valentine winks at her, sipping his whisky.

Amore shakes her head and smiles, "You don't need to pay us, we already agreed we wouldn't play for money."

Laughing hard Valentine nods before sighing. "It's ridiculous how alike you and she are, one would think you'd even be related. The least I can do is give you three some money, if only so you have something to show for your effort. Maybe even buy somepony a nice present."

Amore bites her lip slightly as she considers it, "I'll talk it over with the girls and see what they say, thank you."

Amore finishes her water before rejoining the other two who have drunk from bottles of water and feel refreshed.

"Your aura cloak still works like always, Sugar Fizz. Seems a shame she doesn't know her inspiration is watching her." Valentine chuckles, catching Sugar Fizz off guard.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself, now." Sugar Fizz is tinged a slight red.

Taking a breath, Valentine sighs lightly, "While more complicated than I can explain, I'll just say she enjoys living with you and uses you for a big part of her inspiration on some things. To say in the most basic way, I think she likes you."

Valentine walks off to serve other customers while leaving Sugar Fizz to her thoughts and repressed feelings. The process of which is broken when Amore gets the bars attention again.

"Okay, so... We have one more to play before being done for the night, unfortunately. We hope you like it." Amore smiles as she signals Scarlet Orange to begin the song.

Amore starts singing the lyrics, a certain admiration in her voice and another emotion in her eyes as they progress. More or less the whole bar is paying attention to the stage as Aqua Streak provides the vivid back up vocals to Amore's main singing. Even the ponies playing pool watch the stage between shots. Sugar Fizz sips her whisky slowly as she listens to what Amore is saying, finding certain similarities between the song and herself. While she'd normally find insult with some words, past events would give more reason to why they are in there. The more pressing underlying tune of the song, suggests some form of affection towards the mare in question. The idea of which confuses Sugar Fizz, given they have only been living together for nearly three weeks, had several feeding sessions which had gotten more intimate since Amore let Sugar Fizz drink from her neck... The more she thinks about it, the more it seems stupid, but... As she listens and understands how art is meant to reflect the feelings of the one playing it... The more she is inclined to believe Amore might feel something for her. The mare singing getting more into the song as it heads towards the end. Amore and the girls finish up the song getting a several minute delay, before a much larger applause greets them from the whole bar. Smiling and bowing individually, they begin packing up as Amore heads backstage to put her guitar back in the silver case.

"So, such a bitch, huh?" Sugar Fizz states, making Amore jump and suppress a loud scream.

"W-when the fuck did you get here? Where the fuck have you been hiding?!" Amore states taking deep breathes to calm herself.

Chuckling, Sugar Fizz bites her lip before sighing.

"I might have followed you from Armonia and have been sipping whisky at the bar since then. So, I heard both songs." Sugar Fizz sits on a crate beside Amore.

"Oh... Umm... What did you think?" Amore asks, blushing brightly.

Actually giggling for once, Sugar Fizz leans back on the crate.

"I really liked it and I thought the last one was, in a way, very sweet." Sugar Fizz pushes herself off the crate before getting close to Amore, making her blush harder.

"W-what is it..?" Amore swallows hard.

Suddenly kissing the blushing mare on the cheek, Sugar Fizz simply begins to walk off.

"Nothing, just letting you know that you'll need more than a song, Amore with no house, if you plan to win me over." Sugar Fizz smiles before leaving backstage.

Touching her cheek, Amore smiles lightly and sighs.

"You never said it didn't work, though..." Amore bites her lip before closing her case properly.
> Sugar's Soda Emporium
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore yawns as she leans her head against the bus window on the right side, Sugar Fizz beside her reading a black hardback book with a red title and blood moon on the cover.

"Why didn't you tell me we had a trip in the morning..? I wouldn't have stayed out so late..." Amore groans covering her eyes from the sunlight.

"It was planned before the new year, I had forgotten to be honest. Besides, even if you did know, that wouldn't have stopped you from staying out late." Sugar Fizz chuckles.

Rolling her eyes, knowing the roommate was right Amore's attention is drawn to the book Sugar Fizz is reading.

"Is that my Dance in the Midst of Midnight hardback book you borrowed from me on Monday?" Amore shifts to look at Sugar Fizz.

Chuckling, Sugar Fizz nods as she turns a page, "It might be, yes. I figured I'd bring it along with us. Plus the author is going to be at one of the conventions. His wife teaches at our academy alongside Fluttershy in S.N Etiquette."

Amore blinks a few times at Sugar Fizz who simply stares back.

"You mean Aurora Dawn is married to him? I had no idea... I knew he was married, but I didn't exactly know who. Just that she was another author." Amore seems to be in shock.

"What rock did you live under? Surely you watched or read the news, yes?" Sugar Fizz asks closing the book and staring at Amore with a serious expression.

Amore shrugs and blushes, rubbing her left arm.

"I didn't pay much attention to the news when growing up and even less so after the incident..." Amore smiles awkwardly.

"Right... Either way, I have a slightly different plan for us to follow today. Which will leave tomorrow to check out the other conventions if you wish." Sugar Fizz states placing a second bookmark within the pages before closing it and putting it away in her bag.

Amore looks confused before their bus goes through a tunnel into Manehattan, the Earth Pony now looking out the window with a pleasant smile at the familiar scenery. Sugar Fizz watches Amore intently, enjoying the display she's getting from her roommate. The bus drives down several streets before stopping near a tall hotel building. As the bus comes to a stop, the students gather their things as Fluttershy stands up at the front of the bus.

"The other busses will be arriving later in the day, I'd like everyone to remember where our hotel is and try very hard not to get lost. We're here over today and tomorrow so make sure you see all of what you want to see during this time. As you all know, there are a couple of conventions happening within Manehattan this weekend, the writer's convention and the Equestrian Gamer convention happening at one of the well-developed skyscrapers nearby." Fluttershy explains to the bus before directing the students who slowly get off onto the sidewalk.

The pair steps off the bus as Amore stretches, picking her silver case up from the storage underneath. Sugar Fizz directs her to put it down, shaking her head.

"You won't need that, they can take it to our room for now. She said about not getting lost, however, I was born and raised here so we won't technically count as being lost." Sugar Fizz states shaking her head.

Nodding, Amore puts down her case to retrieve her headphones and mp3, closing it up as Sugar Fizz takes her hand and begins to lead her in the opposite direction of the conventions. Putting her headphones around her neck and setting up her mp3 player, Amore takes a deep breath, exhaling with a wide smile.

"I used to go to high school here several years ago before the Manehattan Institute stuff. I really enjoyed it here." Amore states jumping up and spinning around a lamppost.

Sugar Fizz gives the mare a surprised look before watching her like on the bus. Amore puts on her headphones while flicking through her mp3 for the perfect track to play during their journey.

"We're heading to the Sugar Emporium facility not too far from here." Sugar Fizz states while pushing the button on the crossing to turn the lights for them to cross.

"Hey Sugar Fizz, do you think we could stop by Bonbon's Confectionary on the way?" Amore asks with a hopeful smile.

Sugar Fizz deadpans at Amore before shaking her head and walks across the lights without waiting.

"Sugar Fizz, was it something I said? Sugar? Hey!" Amore sighs before putting her headphones on and pushing play on her mp3.

Skipping along the crossing once the lights turn green, Amore followed Sugar Fizz who began leading her around instead of the intended scenario. Amore showing she has extensive knowledge of Sugar Fizz's hometown, which she gained during part of her school years there. The pair took the opportunity to talk a lot about Manehattan, among other things before reaching a large factory a fair distance from their hotel. Emblazoned on the front is the logo of a large soda bottle in front of a circle, the words 'Sugar's Soda Emporium', is written around said circle. Coming to a stop outside the main gate, Sugar Fizz takes a deep breath as she turns to face Amore.

"Now, I hope I don't come across as a bit vain for having brought you here during our trip... I really wanted you to see, well... My factory, as it were." Sugar Fizz tries to smile, awkwardly.

Amore takes a couple of seconds, looking between Sugar Fizz and the factory's name several times before she takes down her headphones in sudden realisation.

"Oh shit, you own this place?! I didn't put it together till now. The carpet and mini fridge in our room, they came from your company!" Amore chuckles to herself for feeling so stupid and not figuring it out sooner.

"I always figured you'd piece it together from my cutie mark, eventually." Sugar Fizz states looking away slightly.

"W-well, I mean... I don't stare at your flank when you have it exposed... Should I have been?" Amore asks, blushing brightly.

Blushing herself, Sugar Fizz clears her throat, "N-no, I mean... If you wanted to I wouldn't be opposed, but... It's entirely up to you..."

The mare turns away from Amore to avoid blushing further as she walks to the gate, interacting with an intercom.

"Hello, who is it?" A female voice asks politely.

"Hey, Daisy Chain, I'm on a trip and decided to bring a friend to the factory." Sugar Fizz states calmly, the pair hearing a crash on the other end.

The mare is heard getting up quickly while shuffling a few things around or back into place before yelling.

"Melvin! Get that gate open and find some biscuits or something; the young mistress brought a friend over!" The woman is heard very clearly and loudly over the intercom making Sugar Fizz turn a little red.

Covering her face, she is left to sigh as a deep male voice is heard next.

"Lady, we're a SODA factory, not a Maryland COOKIE factory! Why don't you get ya own damn biscuits!" He yells back, grumbling slightly from a distance.

Amore bites her lip slightly and is unsure what to say.

"Are they always like this?" Amore looks at Sugar Fizz, who sighs.

"They are married..." She replies as the gate opens.

Sugar Fizz continues through the opening gate as Amore makes an 'O' shaped face before chuckling. Opening the white double doors, the mare is treated to a decorative lobby; a decently-sized display case in the middle of the room has several multi-coloured glass bottles on display, to the right is a white soda bottle mascot costume with black legs and arms within another display case, to the left were some examples of old machinery.

"Oh, do you give tours occasionally?" Amore asks, skipping off to eagerly view the soda bottles on display.

"Sometimes, often the lobby is open to the public on regular weekdays." Sugar Fizz states as a bright yellow Unicorn mare with a white mane and magenta eyes walks over to her. She is wearing a knee-length sundress with daisies on it that matches her eyes and black strapped shoes.

"Good morning Miss Fizz, we weren't expecting you~" Daisy Chain states happily while holding a clipboard.

Suddenly their attention is grabbed by Amore making a high pitched squeal, the mare in question pumping her fist into the air and wearing a happy expression.

"They used my suggestion!" Amore states wearing a wide smile.

Raising her eyebrow, Sugar Fizz walks over to Amore, "Which one?"

The ecstatic mare in question points to a displayed bottle which is a blood red with sweeping faded black highlights, kind of similar to her mane design.

"Oh...OH!" Sugar Fizz's eyes flared wide in sudden realisation, "I remember a mare in here a few years ago complaining about our bottles lacking a certain design, passing by at the time I told her to make the suggestion using our forms at the front desk. I knew it was hers when Daisy Chain presented it to me because it matched her mane... How did I forget that? It was around four years ago, but I could never find you again to thank you." Sugar Fizz explains, still looking very surprised.

"Heh, I sorta had to skip town shortly after on a trip back to Ponyville, I just wanted to see this place before I did." Amore rubs the back of her neck, smiling slightly.

Sugar Fizz frowns at that news and sighs, "Main reason is because it went on to become our best selling cherry flavoured soda for three years after that, up until last year."

Amore turns around looking offended, "What beat it?! I demand to know who dared challenge my cherry bomb!"

Sugar Fizz giggles and points to the dark purple glass bottle which is labelled grape soda. Amore deadpans before nodding in defeat. Having tasted them both, even she preferred the grape. Still giggling at the mare's antics, Sugar Fizz leads Amore through the pristine white factory, showing her the vast bottling machines and soda vats where they mix their ingredients.

"It smells like heaven in here~" Amore hums as they exit through another door out of the factory area.

Walking down several more corridors and a few elevated ramps, Amore is lead to two mahogany double doors, which Sugar Fizz opens. The room beyond has a red rug on a white carpeted floor, bookcases, two sofas and a coffee table between them, a lovely window view of Manhattan from the front of the factory and a very nice, polished wooden desk. Strolling over to a mini-fridge beside her desk, Sugar Fizz offers Amore a cherry soda before sitting down in her white swivel chair.

"What do you think? This desk was imported by one of my providers, it's high-value mahogany~" Sugar Fizz, explains stroking her desk.

"You seem to like that desk a lot," Amore states, taking a sip of her soda.

"Ma-hog-any~ I love it~" Sugar Fizz chuckles as she spins around in her chair.

Amore giggles at the desk-loving mare before drinking more of her soda.

"You know, I used to drink these a lot while going to school here. I spent six years in high school here in Manehattan, then went back to Ponyville. I have to say these sodas came in handy when studying late or just in general." Amore stands up and walks over to the window.

Sugar Fizz smiles and stands up to join Amore by the window, "What do you think to the little bat symbols on the bottles, just under the end of the name?"

Amore looks at Sugar Fizz with a wide smile, "I noticed them, yeah! I thought they looked very cool so I started collecting them... I had to move though, so I unfortunately got rid of them.

Sugar Fizz laughs as she moves to sit on her desk rather than the chair.

"You have two types, those with bat symbols and those without. The former contains enough blood hidden in the recipe to sustain a vampire between meals, the latter doesn't contain any blood." Sugar Fizz explains as Amore checks her bottle to see a bat.

"I've been drinking blood for ages?! I didn't even notice the slightest difference in the flavour!" Amore states, staring at her bottle in disbelief.

"Yup, that's the whole point behind our recipes, to any who don't know the secret it's just an alternate small design choice. The point is the flavour is the exact same, but only those of races who drink blood would be able to tell the actual difference." Sugar Fizz states happily as she smiles at Amore.

"That's genius... It's also a good way for vampires to sustain themselves if just enough to get by without having to feed violently." Amore continues drinking her soda, seemingly forgetting about the blood thing.

Standing up, Sugar Fizz places her empty bottle in the trash and prompts Amore to follow her out of the office and back the way they came.

"That was the general concept behind it, yes. Since then, we supply the worlds single largest source of alternate feeding in the form of flavoured soda." Sugar Fizz explains as they leave the factory's lobby, waving to Daisy Chain while walking out the front gate.

"That was really amazing, you owned your own company for a while... Wait, what was your house name again?" Amore stops just short of the sidewalk and looks at Sugar Fizz with a raised eyebrow.

Giggling and sighing slightly, the white mare smiles before nodding. "My full official name is, Sugar Fizz Von Heartstrings."

Amore's eyes light up, finally realising who her potential parents were.





Sugar Fizz sits on one of two hotel beds which populate their decently spacious room. Amore can be heard squeaking in the bathroom as she runs the tub. Coming out, she's now just in a pair of bright red slightly plain yet comfortable looking underwear.

"I still can't believe your mother is Bonbon and your, well, technically 'father' is Lyra Heartstrings. I used to spend an unhealthy amount of time and bits in her shop near my old school when I lived here." Amore states stretching.

Sugar Fizz chuckles, but finds it difficult to focus on her reading with Amore walking around in barely anything.

"It surprises most ponies, however, they normally recognise my house name pretty quickly." Sugar Fizz comments, shutting Amore's book before putting it down.

"I haven't really focused on much the past couple of years... I guess it took a little bit to put things together." Amore sighs as she lays on her bed.

Humming slightly, Sugar Fizz's gaze is drawn to the mare's flank in wonder.

"Amore, while I don't think that this is an appropriate question... Mind if I see your mark?" Sugar Fizz asks laying on her stomach, looking at Amore.

Blushing slightly, Amore obliges by slowly slipping off her panties to fully reveal her cutie mark, a bold sixteenth note emblazoned on her ample flank. Sugar Fizz's muzzle is graced with a slight red tinge as she wasn't expecting Amore to fully strip her panties, coughing to recompose herself.

"I knew it had to be music, combat or food related, as those three things you love the most, two you are really good at." Sugar Fizz props her head up with her hands.

"Thanks... I discovered it here actually, least, in Manehattan. I was visiting a nightclub in the area called, 'Fangtasia', with a friend who insisted I should check it out. I was fascinated with the music and somehow ended up being pulled up onto where the DJ deck was... Things just sorta flowed from there." Amore sighs before getting up to check the tub.

Sugar Fizz smiles slightly, having learned something new and interesting about her roommate.

"Least yours didn't involve a chemistry set and some explosions." Sugar fizz sighs at the memory of her eagerly presenting a vial of her original formula to her parents.

"That is a story I have to hear sometime. Anyway, I'm going to hop in the bath now." Amore goes to shut the door, but stops when Sugar Fizz interrupts her.

Moving to lay down on Amore's bed, she takes a position which enables her to see Amore's head if she was lying in the bath.

"You could always leave the door open and we talk for a while? If you'd prefer complete privacy I'd understand. We are roommates, though..." Sugar Fizz plays with her words slightly, feeling they might fail her.

Thinking about it, Amore decides to take the chance and leave the door open before slipping in the nice hot bath, letting out a satisfied moan as she gets comfortable.

"I suppose I could... To start with, though, you're telling me this story about you and that chemistry set." Amore smiles and sighs.

"Deal... Now, where to begin... Oh, right. You see, my uncle Starmix was in town..." Sugar Fizz begins as she smiles, telling Amore about the very fond memories of the event.
> When Prussians Attack on Wings of Silver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore stretches as her and Sugar Fizz walk down the street towards a large skyscraper that has many colourful decorations outside of the entrance pertaining to a gaming event.

"Sugar, you know I wanted to go to the writer's convention today..." Amore sighs as they cross the street.

"There is plenty of time in the day for us to see both. I'm sorry for taking up a day with my factory visit." Sugar Fizz's smile fades a little.

Amore shakes her head and skips out in front of Sugar Fizz.

"No, I enjoyed the visit to your factory yesterday. It was nice. We can spend some time at this convention before going to the other one." Amore smiles at Sugar Fizz, which lifts her up a bit before they reach the entrance.

The two mares walk through the sliding doors into the Equestrian Gamer Convention, Amore looking around happily to the amusement of Sugar Fizz. The pair walked around the convention, indulging in their beverage offerings which appear to be composed of Sugar Fizz's brands making Amore raise an eyebrow at the mare in question.

"What? My company is a sponsor, sue me." The mare chuckles as she grabs a strawberry soda nearby before getting Amore a cherry soda.

"Right, you're not planning world domination are you?" Amore asks, taking the soda as they pass a cosplay stage show.

Sugar Fizz lets out a genuine laugh before sighing, "Amore, we practically rule the soda market without a doubt. I'm the meister of fizzy drink and I wasn't even the one to dub me as such."

Amore laughs with Sugar Fizz as they stop to watch several races on a racing game. Suddenly a dark grey stallion with a black afro and suit walked up to them wearing shades.

"Lady Von Heartstrings and Miss Amore, there is someone who'd like for you to join them in the upper office." The stallion states before walking off.

"Hmm... Let's go see what this is about." Sugar Fizz states as she begins to follow the stallion, Amore in tow.

Upon entering the elevator Amore notices that they are heading towards the top floor. Stopping on the intended floor, they are lead off and down a few corridors. The mares are lead into a decently sized office room with dark decor, two satin white sofas sat either side of a dark oak coffee table. The layout is much akin to the principal's office at Armonia, which Sugar Fizz recognised from her visit when Amore showed up. Exactly as she suspected, Princess Luna was sitting on the more visible sofa sipping a cup of tea. Opposite her sat a white Unicorn mare with a cobalt blue mane with cyan stripes. Standing up to stretch, she can be seen wearing a long white shirt, purple hip-length jacket, white loose trousers and matching colourful trainers. Around her neck are a pair of headphones much like Amore's but with eighth notes instead of her own.

"I hope you'll forgive my sudden summons for you during the convention, however, somepony was too stubborn to do it herself." Princess Luna eyes the pale mare who rubs the back of her neck.

Clearing her throat, the mare sighs before taking off her shades to reveal a pair of magenta eyes.

"It's been a small while Sugar Fizz. Hope Lyra and Bonbon are doing okay." The mare states, putting her shades inside her jacket.

"They are, thank you." Sugar Fizz walks past and sits down opposite Princess Luna where the mare sat. 

She turns to Amore, "My name is-"

"Vinyl Scratch, owner and CEO of LP Records, a global recording company... I might be a fan, heh..." Amore rubs her left upper arm.

The comment makes Vinyl Scratch smile widely but slightly tear up too, nearly reaching for her signature shades by default. Taking a deep breath she directs Amore to sit beside Sugar Fizz and offering her a cup of tea, which she declines politely.

"Mind if I ask your name?" Vinyl Scratch asks, walking over to stare out of a window near the sofas.

"It's Am-" Amore is interrupted by a shaking head, which surprises her.

"Your real name, the one your mother gave you." She prompts again, Amore slightly stunned.

Working her jaw slightly, she passed several glances at Sugar Fizz who was giving her an intrigued look upon hearing what Vinyl Scratch said.

"I... When growing up I wanted to use another name till I met her and she could use it for the first time. He did at first, but I made him promise... My mentor told me its origin when I was old enough to understand things... My mother named me-"

"-Back Beat... For the powerful rhythm of a strong bass. I think I picked it rather well." Vinyl Scratch stole Amore's secret, glancing back at her before turning around fully.

Amore blinks several times at Vinyl Scratch while processing the implications of her exact meaning. Her words echoed and replayed in her mind over and over till they were etched into her and she couldn't deny them. Sugar Fizz held her cup midair, looking at Amore then Vinyl Scratch several times before coughing.

"That's your real name?! W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait! You're a Von Scratch?!" Sugar Fizz puts down her teacup, now extremely confused.

"M-mother..? The same voice that belonged to the mare who saved me when my mentor was killed, who rode the train all the way to Manehattan and never left my side until I reached my friends... T-the name you gave me was yours, how did I only now just remember that!" Amore slightly freaks out, unsure how to process this.

Vinyl Scratch sits down next to Princess Luna, showing tremendous restraint but her eyes betray her feelings, overflowing with tears and joy.

"Hey... Back Beat, sweetie." Vinyl Scratch couldn't hold it much more, finally saying what she'd been dying to say for the last nineteen years, the tears leaking a bit more.

Not able to hold back, Amore leapt up and practically tackled Vinyl Scratch into the opposite sofa, making Princess Luna move to sit with Sugar Fizz. The two embraced for a while, Amore having played through this scene a million times in her head. The mare never quite sure how she'd react when confronted with her true parent after so long. The princess and confectionary tycoon felt it'd be best for them to leave the room and give the reunited pair some privacy so they could talk.





After an hour or so of silent embracing, Amore was sitting properly on the sofa still very excited. Vinyl Scratch walked back into the room holding two soda bottles before handing one to Amore as she sits down.

"Thank you... This still feels like a dream..." Amore comments opening and taking a heavy swig of her cherry soda.

"I can assure you this is very real. I... I tried very hard not to miss many moments in your life, a few of that old stallions presents were from me on your birthdays. I also managed to catch when you got your cutie mark in that club your friend took you to. Luna knows how proud I was to see you enthral a whole club like that without any practice~" Vinyl Scratch takes a swig of her own grape soda, smiling at her blushing daughter.

"Heh... I was just as surprised, to be honest... It all just felt so natural and free." Amore chuckles a little, rubbing her arm.

Vinyl Scratch leans back in her seat, staring slightly at the mare opposite.

"You grew up to be more beautiful than I imagined... Leaving my foals with other ponies to raise has eaten at me since that day. If I didn't have anypony I trusted as much as those I did, I'd of risked raising you both." Vinyl Scratch sighs deeply.

Amore blinks several times stopping mid-swig, slowly putting down her bottle.

"'Foals', as in... I have a sibling?" Amore is now hit with another surprise.

"Ah... So, when I decided to hide you both away because of certain things at the time, I left you and your twin sister with two very different ponies. Firstly, I left you with my old mentor, leaving him a sword and my name for you on your 16th birthday. Your sister, Iluzie, or Turn Table as I named her, I left with your godfather... Fancy Pants. An odd choice, I know. Especially as he attended our rival academy in the Crystal Empire, however... He was always there when we needed him and was a good friend." Vinyl Scratch tries to explain the best she can while drinking her soda.

Amore's eyes widen as she stands up, looking surprised yet again.

"Iluzie! I used to spar with her at the Crystal Academy before I left for Armonia, she's my twin?!" Amore gasps, sitting back down and blinking several times.

"Oddly enough she had the same reaction when I told her who you were. You'll no doubt meet each other, but she has already completed her ritual. Twins would normally complete theirs' together." Vinyl Scratch states, finishing her soda.

Amore tilts her head slightly, looking confused. "What ritual?"

Vinyl Scratch takes a deep breath, realising just how much she wasn't told by their mentor.

"Okay... So, to start us off, you might have realised you have certain passive traits which would be abnormal for a non-supernatural to have. For an example, enhanced healing would be a common one for halfbreeds from a Vampire, like me." Amore nods, her eyes lighting up that her mother is a cool Vampire DJ, "Half-breed, of course, implies your 'father' was something else... In this case, she is an Earth Pony non-supernatural. The ritual is your last chance to finalise and decide your route. Basically, you can choose to be normal or a supernatural. Even if you pick one or the other, passive traits will still persist, the luxury of being a half-breed. For example, being able to gain benefits from normal food still as a Vampire, enhanced healing as a normal. It often varies but those are two basics." Vinyl Scratch tries not to overload Amore with too much information but feels she failed that already.

"That's... Both awesome and daunting at the same time... I'm half Vampire?!" Amore suddenly realises with a very wide smile.

"Heh, yes dear, you are half Vampire. Though your Vampiric side hasn't awoken yet, which might be due to not tasting the blood of another Powerful Vampire. I could do it, but I might want to leave that honour to your marefriend." Vinyl Scratch smirks, making Amore blush very red.

Amore downs her drink and adjusts her collar.

"S-she isn't my marefriend mom! S-she's just my roommate, I think... I mean... It'd be nice... I do like her..." Amore trails off after each piece of her sentence, getting more red.

"You're adorable when you blush, sweetie. Just to let you know, there isn't as much rivalry between Von Scratch and Von Heartstrings as there is with Von Melody. That said, I wouldn't encourage you for house alliances to sleep with your roommate." Vinyl Scratch chuckles lightly, "I hope something comes out of it. Oh, shit, I need to get going but I will see you again very shortly, I promise."

Vinyl Scratch and Amore stand up before embracing again, the DJ leaving the room after kissing her daughter farewell. Amore sits back down and sighs deeply, Sugar Fizz coming in soon after.

"So, Von Scratch, huh?" Sugar Fizz chuckles, sitting where Vinyl Scratch sat.

"It sure seems that way, yeah. I mean... I was given her name a few years ago, but I guess it slipped my mind. I haven't really been thinking about it much." Amore frowns, pondering for a moment.

"I suppose you found something else to focus on in comparison to always thinking about finding your mother?" Sugar Fizz asks, getting comfortable.

Amore suddenly blushes bright red when she thinks about it and only one thing, or should she say pony came to mind. At that moment, the doors burst open and around six ponies wearing full pitch black military gear with red accents rushed in before pointing their Ak-12's at the pair, Amore more startled than Sugar Fizz.

"Room is secure, Sgt. Orlov." A soldier with a thick Prussian accent states.

A mare with an alluring slim figure walked into the room, two silver shortswords sheathed on her lower back sticking out either side, instead of a rifle, she holsters two P-96 Prussian pistols on the side of her thighs. Across her chest is a bandolier holding seven silver kunai knives.

"Well, this is unexpected... Somehow, I doubt either of you would be the Queen of Vampires or their right hand... That said, Vampires take many forms." She states, also in a thick Prussian accent.

Sighing slightly, the mare quickly threw a knife at the thighs of both mares making Amore shout in pain while Sugar Fizz screamed as her wound sizzled slightly. All but two of the soldiers repositioned to keep their guns on Sugar Fizz now.

"What the fuck is your problem! We haven't done anything you crazy bitch!" Amore shouts, clearly annoyed but gets a smack round the face for her trouble.

"You'll be quiet and sit still or we'll put you in the same ditch as this Vampire parasite," she grabs Sugar Fizz's hair to pull her off the sofa and slam her head against the coffee table "You have no idea how much joy it'll bring me to execute you, but first we'll have some fun."

The mare turns Sugar Fizz around so she can start punching her over and over, from left to right, every impact making Amore flinch and feel even more helpless. After she lost count of the number of hits, she couldn't take it anymore and scrambled forward from the sofa to intercept a right hook which smacked her in the mouth. The impact made Amore flinch as she touched her now bleeding lip, licking it up as she glared at the mare. The two soldiers who weren't trained on Sugar Fizz beat down and kept Amore subdued, keeping her out of the way. Amore could feel something different stirring inside her, the blood she licked up was sweeter than normal and not the regular flavour of her own blood. Feeling her lips with her tongue, she found no reason that her blood would have been released. Amore's eyes widen as she realises the blood is Sugar Fizz's, transferred when she intercepted a hit from the mare's bloody glove. She could literally feel her body burning up, her heartbeat getting louder... More than her heartbeat, she could hear the hearts of every pony in the room... So loud and obnoxious on the mare's senses, shaking her head to try to get rid of the deafening noise.

"S-Sugar Fizz... H-help me..." Amore barely manages to breathe out as her mouth feels like it's on fire, her senses are being overloaded as they are heightened.

Suddenly the lights cut out and the room is plunged into darkness, Amore blinks several times but finds within the blackness she can still see. It is almost as if the room is illuminated decently, despite knowing otherwise. Two of the soldiers trained on Sugar Fizz fall to the floor without warning as two gunshots are heard and the muzzle flash is seen from the doorway.

"Seems you started the party without me." Amore recognises the voice, belonging to Vinyl Scratch, but sounds distorted somehow.

Two more of the soldiers are dropped before long and the mare growls, reluctantly retreating to the door.

"Fall back, we'll deal with them in time!" She runs to the right, the only two surviving soldiers following behind.

Vinyl Scratch rushes to Amore's side, putting down the mare's silver case beside her.

"Honey, you okay? I got the report as soon as I entered the security office... Are... Are you looking directly at me? Your eyes aren't even wandering to figure out where to look..." Vinyl Scratch comments with a frown.

Amore groans as she is still in pain, her own leg wound now sizzling with the silver kunai knife stuck in it, grabbing Vinyl Scratch's attention. Pulling out the knife and throwing it aside, she holds Amore gently before looking around and stops on Sugar Fizz.

"I think I get what happened... Oh, honey... The pain will die down, I promise. Your sister went through the same feelings." Vinyl Scratch sets her down gently before moving to look Sugar Fizz over.

The mare shakes her head and groans, "I was stupid and didn't act fast enough, help her before she gets hurt even further..."

Looking back over towards her daughter, Vinyl Scratch could see the silver case was wide open, Amore's longsword, Mp3 and headphones gone.

"Back Beat! Shit!" Vinyl Scratch swears more, but continues tending to Sugar Fizz as fast as she can.





Stumbling down the hallway, Amore groans as her leg wound is taking longer to heal then she'd like. Spotting a stairway sign nearby, she continues towards the door before being blocked by one of the soldiers who ran with the Prussian mare. The soldier pushed Amore over to try and halt her progress, but was met with a rebound as she grits her teeth and used both legs to spring back and kick the soldier in the face, putting him out cold on the ground. Amore groans in agony as she gets back to her feet, leaning against the wall to get her balance back.

"This bitch is getting on my last nerve..." Amore takes a few deep breathes before tightly gripping her longsword, pushing through the door and starts up the stairs towards the roof access.

Finally making it up the stairs, Amore is shot in the right upper arm by the second soldier who was waiting at the top by the roof door.

"Stay back or else I will be forced to eliminate you! We're not meant to hurt normal ponies, but you're pushing it!" He states reaffirming his stance.

Amore groans and leans back against the wall, taking deep breaths as she tries to gather herself. 'What the fuck am I doing? He's got a fucking gun for Celestia's sake... Sugar is fine, I'm fine... Just let them go.' Amore closes her eyes and tries to relax before a voice cuts through every other noise in her mind.

'Crying again? Hmph... They beat you up? So what? Are you really going to let those young punks push you around?'

Amore flinches slightly and grips her arm tightly with her left, "T-they are bigger than me... They insulted mom again, I don't even know who she is..."

The soldier gives Amore a weird look, slightly taken aback by the mare's odd outburst, but keeps his stance.

'So, you're going to let a couple of bloated leprechauns disrespect your family so easily, huh? Maybe your mother would have been better dropping you at an institution, Back-'

Amore grits her teeth and shakes her head hard, messing up her hair, "M-my name is Amore! Only mom can call me that name!"

'What makes you think she'll want such a worthless shrimp like you? As if her family has need of such an easily beaten down weakling.'

Amore grips her longsword tightly, pushing herself off of the wall, "I'll show you, grampa! I'll show everypony! You'll see, I'll be stronger than you, stronger than mom, I'll never let anypony insult those I care about again!"

'Then stop resisting who you are and start doing something about it!'

Amore opens her eyes again, this time being blood red compared to her regular aquamarine and a pair of large bat-like wings spread from her back. Groaning, it can be seen a vampiric pair of fangs from within her mouth to complete the overall look of her true form.

"Get outta my way!" Amore yells as she lifts and glides up the stairs, taking the soldier by surprise. Knocking him into the wall, cracking it hard to render him unconscious.

Cutting through and kicking open the door, Amore runs out onto the rooftop ignoring her wounds at this point.

"Well, you are one persistent little-" The mare stops when she notices the Vampire features, suddenly taking off her mask. "Who the fuck are you?! There was no reaction when I threw the knife into your thigh... You're a normal!"

Amore swings around her longsword a few times before pointing it at the mare.

"I was... But things change quite quickly these days, more than we're comfortable with sometimes... You hurt a pony I care about and I'm going to make you pay for that." Amore states, staring at the unmasked mare before her.

The dark grey Prussian mare in question spreads her wings, drawing the two shortswords sheathed on her back. She focuses her sky blue eyes on the mysterious Earth Pony before her, blowing stray royal blue and black mane strands out of the way.

"I've been brought up to respect proper duel etiquette, if nothing else... My name is Veronica Orlov." Veronica flips her right shortsword around to face her properly.

"Amore Von Scratch..." Amore glares at Veronica, flicking her sword a few times, now able to move more freely due to her healing wound.

Amore takes a deep breath, putting on her headphones which makes Veronica raise an eyebrow slightly before smirking lightly. Turning on her music, she closes her eyes for several seconds taking in the beat as it progresses before getting slightly heavier. As the lyrics begin to sing, Veronica speeds forward aiming for a quick finish by attacking Amore with a few slashes which are blocked at inhuman speeds. Opening her eyes again, Amore pushes her front forward striking at Veronica in various directions as they battle across the rooftop. The sparks and clashes of their blades illuminate the darkness of the night, even against the sparse red lights that glow in the corners of the rooftop.

"You're quite spry despite how scared you seemed in the room back there!" Veronica states, sliding around the right side of Amore to drag her blades across the floor before stopping to charge at her.

Amore glares at Veronica while ducking underneath her charge, blocking and deflecting her shortsword strikes again and again.

"I was, I still am! However, I refuse to be bullied or let those I care about get hurt because somepony felt the need to attack them!" Amore yells as she charges closer to Veronica.

Amore sticks her sword into the ground, using her first foot to land one kick in Veronica's chest before following it up with her second which impacts the mare's face spinning her around and onto the ground hard. Amore lands her feet firmly and pulls her sword back up with expertise, a refined two-step kick compared to what she used on Sugar Fizz when they first met. Veronica growls and quickly stands up, spitting blood onto the floor as she sighs.

"SHE IS A MONSTER! That 'friend' of yours is a bloodsucking freak, a parasite upon Equestria like the rest of her kind. Ponies like us are left to suffer in their wake. We have to live in fear of them every day!" Veronica flips her shortswords around, firmly gripping their handles.

"Then I suppose that makes me a monster too, doesn't it?!" Amore yells back, sprinting towards Veronica.

The Prussian mare grits her teeth before charging Amore, the two near the left edge of the rooftop. Upon colliding Amore manages to aim one of her double kicks directly at Veronica's stomach, catching her off balance and with her newfound strength, easily send her flying over the edge and down into the city below. Amore rushes over to the edge, panting but cannot see any sign of the mare she'd just been fighting. Leaning back against the short wall, Amore takes several breaths, touching her many fizzing wounds as she closes her eyes.

"Amore!" The mare in question vaguely opens her eyes to see Sugar Fizz rush over and take down her headphones.

"Oh... Hey Sugar..." Amore breathes a sigh.

Sugar Fizz rolls her eyes, sighing deeply.

"You're an idiot, you know that right? You could have been killed!" Sugar Fizz mock punches Amore's shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't let her... Body moved by itself." Amore chuckles, glancing up at Sugar Fizz.

"I figured... You live on impulse, you silly mare..." Sugar Fizz looks up and sighs harder.

Sugar Fizz is suddenly picked up by the back of her neck and flung across the rooftop. Standing over Amore now is a bulky stallion wearing the same tight outfit as Veronica, with the same two pistols holstered either side of his thighs. His coat is pitch black and his mane is blood red like her longsword while his eyes contrast with a pale blue.

"Looks like she couldn't handle a simple elimination mission, psh... What a disgrace to the Hooviet Union. It seems that they were right to send me along." The stallion draws his right side pistol and aims between Amore's eyes, glaring down at the 'slightly out of it' mare.

The stallion suddenly feels something hit the back of his head, making him growl as he turns around. Looking down at the ground he can see a powder white phone. Glancing up he spots Sugar Fizz holding Amore's longsword.

"How about you tangle with more feisty prey! Leave my roommate alone!" Sugar Fizz shouts, gripping the handle tightly.

Leaving Amore, the stallion walks over slowly to Sugar Fizz putting away his pistol. Once a few inches away, Sugar Fizz attempts to attack him but is easily blocked by a quickly drawn silver shortsword which is a cleaner, sharper shape than Veronica's. Growling, he deflects and kicks Sugar Fizz's leg bringing her to heel before spinning around to kick her hard in the face. Letting go of Amore's longsword, Sugar Fizz slides across what little roof was between her and the edge, smacking hard into the short wall.

"Little mare, I admire bravery... However, it is pointless to struggle against inevitable." He leans down to pick Sugar Fizz up by her head. "Maybe in next life you won't be Vampire and this won't happen to you again."

Groaning, Amore glances up to blink several times, spotting Sugar Fizz across the rooftop being held by the stallion. Opening her eyes fully, she scrambles without thinking or paying attention to her pain, her body once again deciding not to do nothing. Charging as hard as she can Amore ploughs into the stallion, the sudden strong impact of power toppling him over the edge of the rooftop. Letting go of Sugar Fizz, he grabs Amore as they hurtle towards the city streets below. Crawling atop the stallion, Amore continues to pepper his upper body and face with many punches which make him flinch before being able to grab her hands.

"Leave her alone!" Amore growls towards the stallion who glances before them, glaring at her.

Trying to push her away, the stallion finds they are being glided across the city using Amore's new Vampire wings as she continues to have the aerial combat advantage, beating on him continuously. Finally getting some strong hits in, his small victory is short lived as Amore ignores her pain and keeps pushing her onslaught. Growling loudly, the stallion pushes past her punches to grip and break the base of Amore's left wing, causing her to scream out in sheer agony as she quickly begins to lose her flying capabilities. The stallion is suddenly kicked in the chest by a surprise dive attack as Amore is grabbed tightly.

"NO!" The stallion yells as he descends much quicker towards the city streets below.

Amore winces in pain before looking up at her saviour, being none other than Vinyl Scratch.

"What will I do with you both..." She sighs deeply, running her free hand through Amore's mane before she passes out.





Groaning, Amore very slowly opens her eyes, covering them with her arm to block out the little light from the window.

"That stings slightly... I ache like a bitch," She tries to move, a sharp pain emitting from her back which puts her back down, "Nope, fuck that..." she sighs deeply before glancing to the side to see Aurora Dawn, her lecturer for S.N Etiquette reading the book she brought with her.

Lightly closing the book, Aurora brings her attention to Amore. "Finally up then? I knew you took after the mare, but sometimes you're too alike."

"Sup teach... When did the sun get so annoying..." Amore groans, flipping onto her side to bring the hospital bed cover over her head.

"When did-" Aurora pauses to laugh lightly. "That fills a few of the blanks in Vi's rushed explanation." Aurora gets up to fully close the blinds and curtains. "The sun became 'annoying' when your vampiric blood was woken up. Haven't you been paying attention in class?"

"I daydream a lot..." Amore groans, now able to properly see her surroundings.

Amore notices she is lying in a hospital bed, the room itself being white with a window to the right.

Aurora sighs before taking her seat. "So did your mother... How's the change, what little of it you have gotten to experience?"

"Last night is such a blur... I remember getting some of Sugar's blood in my mouth when I tried to help... Then this intense burning in my chest, like my insides were on fire. Then the deafening sounds of several heartbeats and even when the room went dark I could see just fine... Every one of my sense was in overdrive last night, calmer now but still a lot sharper than before..." Amore reachers over her shoulder to touch her back, wincing in pain again.

"If you broke something last night, I wouldn't bother it. Best to let your blood fix it on its own." Aurora states before getting up to move the chair bedside. Taking her seat, she pulls up her left sleeve and extends her arm towards Amore. "Drinking will help the process along."

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure about a lot of this... I only learned last night I was a half-breed and eventually I'd have to pick between being a Vampire or normal pony..." Amore sighs and trails her hand idly in circles on the hospital bed.

Aurora shakes her head lightly. "I can't really say I understand how that must feel. And I can, to an extent, see how it may be daunting. You don't have to drink if you don't want to. I'm the last pony that would force you into anything like this. I can always go grab you a couple of Fizz's sodas. They'll help some, too, but the healing process will work better and quicker if it comes from the source, especially since the change is new."

"I suppose but... I'll just take a soda for now... I'm not sure about drinking yet or anything like that. Isn't it important to a Vampire who you first drink from?" Amore asks, looking up at Aurora.

Aurora withdraws her arm, pushing her sleeve back down. "For some, yes. For others, no. It also depends on the situation one finds oneself in, and, hopefully, but not always, whether or not the one they want to drink from is willing to allow it. Drinking, first time or not, isn't always an emotional thing. It can be a lustful thing. It can be a simple bloodthirst, which doesn't happen very often anymore. It can just be a need, for if, say, one is injured. All depends on the vampire that needs to feed and what they want."

"I don't know what I want... Which goes beyond me becoming a Vampire. I've transferred across three different academies, looking for my mom... Now I've found her I don't know what to do next or what my new goal is... If I stay at Armonia or not." Amore groans and buries her face into the pillow.

Aurora shakes her head. "You're asking about your first feeding as if it's a kiss. I think you know at least one thing that you want."

"What's that?" Amore asks, looking curious.

"That's not for me to answer." Aurora laughs.

"That doesn't help... Aren't you meant to be the lecturer here?"  Amore sighs as she blows a stray red hair out of her face.

"I can teach you about Supernatural/Normal relationships. How to interact with any of them. I work well with Shy, I'm close to your mother, my husband is a pixie... I can teach you how to get along. But if you honestly need me to tell you what you want?" Aurora shakes her head. "Spoilers."

"That's so unfair... Who are you to mom anyway? I get you're our second Etiquette teacher, but isn't Fluttershy meant to supervise our group?" Amore asks sighing as she rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

"Technically, yes, but because Frozen's at the convention I was already here, and Vinyl knows me better than she knows Shy. As for who I am to 'mom'," Aurora chuckles, "I am a mom, for starters. One of the girls is attending Armonia. And then on top of that, there's a reason you grew up in Ponyville and it wasn't just because that's where the old man decided to raise you. Illuzie grew close to Fancy. You did so near me. I never got involved, but I only stopped watching when you left and Fancy could take the position for the time. Even then, I got constant updates. I still get them about Illuzie."

Amore rolls onto her front, looking curiously at Aurora. "Why would you get updates about us?"

"You really not following?" Aurora scratches her head. "Fancy's your godfather. I'm your godmother. Two children, separated, two godparents, to keep watch over and protect each."

Amore stares blankly at Aurora. "You're our godmother?!"

Aurora simply nods. "Don't believe me, you can ask Vinyl or Fancy."

"I don't see what you'd have to gain from lying. I guess it's nice to know more than just the old man was looking after me..." Amore smiles slightly, the first she has done so since waking up.

"Not that I really needed to." Aurora lightly shrugs. "He kept you safe until you decided to head to Manehattan. Then it was up to Fancy to keep you out of as much trouble as he could."

"There was a lot of trouble at my old school so master thought it better we moved to Manehattan to a new upper school... I still found plenty of trouble by myself~" Amore sounds happy about that last fact.

"That's not exactly a good thing." Aurora replies, shaking her head. "Look where it gets you..."

"Normally in a hospital or infirmary bed," Amore chuckles lightly and looks up at the ceiling. "What doesn't kill me..."

Aurora sighs. "Okay... You fight, you get stronger. You get injured, you come back, you train harder. Where's the denouement? What is your end goal?"

"End goal? I don't think there is one, to be honest... I really like to fight, I want to be stronger to protect those I care about, that's even more important in the supernatural world where beings are stronger than an average pony," Amore frowns and plays idly with the hospital blanket. "Past that? I... I don't know... I spent all my life thinking what 'Amore' wants; to find her mom, to find her family... I have only just stopped or even felt able to finally think about what 'Back Beat' wants..." Amore states looking very sad, unsure and a little lost.

"Well..." Aurora pauses for a moment to think. "Amore and Back Beat, they're one and the same pony. Maybe the intention of Amore was a separate goal, but they're both you. What Beat wants is what Amore wants, and vice versa. You just need to figure out what that want truly is." Aurora states.

"I suppose... I just never thought about what came after I found her... What I could or should do with my life." Amore sighs, clearly thinking deeply.

"Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out. You are still rather young, and that blood of yours has quite the potential to extend that lifespan." Aurora states reassuringly.

"From what I understand, that'd give me eternity to figure it out... Oh Luna, there's something I haven't thought about before. My lifespan, provided I don't get killed, is technically unlimited..." Amore groans as she covers her face with the blanket, her new change perplexing her a little.

"Only when assuming that, when you make your decision, you choose your vampire side." Aurora comments.

"That's true, I suppose..." Amore sighs, pulling down the blanket again.

Hearing a noise on the balcony, a pure white male Pegasus with a pitch black mane that has ice blue highlights and eyes, steps through into the room before stretching and walking over to Aurora.

"Morning hun, I brought coffee in case you needed it given how late Vinyl decided to invite herself into our hotel room..." He states yawning slightly.

"I'll pass on the coffee. It's been awhile, certainly, but keep in mind that this used to be normal for me." Aurora replied, handing the book towards him.

"Except it was Vinyl always in the infirmary if I recall. She could have made 'you should see the other mare', a copyrighted catchphrase." The Pegasus takes the book with an intrigued noise, "Ooh, one of mine, among the most popular collection too~"

Amore simply blinks several times, staring at the strange stallion and Aurora, unsure what to say to the exchange.

"I was more referring to having to never sleep because of that mare, but you're not wrong either. And that copy's Amore's." Aurora replied, motioning towards Amore.

"Hi..." Amore waves very slightly.

"Oh, I see. That makes more sense, I guess," The Pegasus states putting the book down as he then retrieves an inkwell and quill from his inner pockets. "Hun, you know our publisher constantly asks me why I don't switch to a more modern pen? It's insulting, like he's forgotten the beauty of perfect quill strokes. It's a lot more personal, using my own blend of ink with one of my feathers to sign works. Pens he says..." The Pegasus picks a nice open spot on the second visible page to begin signing.

Amore shakes her head. "He hasn't forgotten anything. He's just stating that pens are faster."

"Be that as it may, I prefer quality over quantity." He sighs before finishing. "Plus with a reasonably quick drying custom ink, it doesn't really have drawbacks." Leaving the signature to dry, 'Frozen Quill', as he signed, proceeded to drink both cups of coffee.

Aurora shrugs. "Pens write smoother, quicker, and sturdier. Quills are fragile, so you have to be gentle with them. Not saying I prefer pens, as I don't, but I do understand why he'd recommend them."

"Even when we have future pens of whatever description, I'll always have my ink and feathers. That is a 'Frozen Quill' approved guarantee." He states giving Aurora a kiss before leaving the room out the door.

"He's... Unique... I'll make sure to come down to the bus before it leaves. I should get some rest though... Could you pass me my book, please?" Amore asks laying on her left side.

"That's one word to describe him," Aurora replied, getting up to retrieve the book. Handing the book back to Amore, Aurora ruffled her hair. "You know where to find me should you need someone to talk to." She stated before taking her leave.

Amore sighs slightly, feeling a little better compared to when she woke up. Glancing down she can see the autograph was made out to 'Back Beat' rather than 'Amore', making the mare smile. Putting her book to the side, she opts to get a nap before wanting to head down to the bus.
> When Words Aren't Enough...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore groans as she lies her head against the cafeteria table, causing the neighbouring Aqua Streak and Scarlet Orange to worry about their friend.

"As two of your friends-"

"Two of your only friends." Aqua Streak interjects.

Scarlet Orange glares lightly at her sister, "-we couldn't help but notice that you've been a little down this afternoon."

Amore groans in reply, causing Scarlet Orange to sigh.

"We cannot help you if you don't tell us what's wrong." Scarlet Orange states firmly making the yellow mare sigh deeply.

"I... I had a fight with my roommate this morning..." Amore turns her head to the side, facing the girls.

Glancing at each other, the two sisters appear confused before turning back to Amore.

"How in the name of Celestia did you manage to do that?" Aqua Streak asks, folding her arms.

Amore pulls herself up to cross her arms on the table, propping her head upon it.

"I haven't been adjusting too well to my new transformation... Or rather, part transformation. It's kinda in a state between the two without fully switching to one or the other until I make my choice... It's been kinda a stressful learning curb since we returned from the trip and she thinks I've been ghosting her outside of our room..." Amore explains looking sadly at her friends.

"I'm sure you haven't been-"

"I have been, though!" Amore buries her face in her arms, sighing deeply.

"-oh..." Scarlet Orange grimaces.

Patting her friend lightly on the back, Aqua Streak looks to Scarlet Orange. 'What do I do?', Aqua Streak mouthes and gestures to Scarlet Orange who glares at her. 'I don't know, think of something!', Scarlet Orange mouthes back and points sharply to Amore.

"It's not exactly a normal thing for you to avoid the mare you like." Aqua Streak states suddenly, shrugging slightly.

"It's not... Between juggling all this half-breed shit, I've been trying to learn something which will help me treat her a little..." Amore lays her head on the side again.

"Da fuq have you actually been learning?" Aqua Streak asks, furrowing her brow at Amore.

The mare in question blushes and rubs the bridge of her nose before whispering something, "Dancing..."

The sisters look at each other confused before Scarlet Orange speaks up.

"Amore, we didn't hear you properly..." Scarlet Orange stands up and walks around to sit the opposite side of Amore.

"Luna, damn it, I said dancing!" Amore shouts, yelling into her arms.

Only a couple of faces turn around but don't stop long, knowing Amore antics on a normal basis. Aqua Streak snickers lightly which earns her a glare from Scarlet Orange.

"Drink, now." Scarlet Orange demands, making her sister raise her hands in defence before leaving for the vending machines, "Sorry about her... It's not abnormal for Vampires to indulge in more classic dancing for flirting with each other, 'some old traditions never lose taste', as my mother puts it."

"I know... I don't even know why I blew up at her this morning, it seems so fucking stupid now... She didn't even get breakfast or lunch now... This transition phase is pissing me off a bit and I haven't even been able to focus on learning what I want, which might cheer her up." Amore sighs before looking at her phone and standing up sharply, "Fuck! I'm now late for my lesson!"

Amore gets out from the bench table and starts running out of the cafeteria, which earns her a scolding by Fluttershy whom she passed quickly. Scarlet Orange sighs before waiting for her sister to get back so she can finally eat.





Amore rushes down the hallways before turning a sharp left through the medium sized double doors almost opposite the main building entrance, a note on the door saying, 'private lesson'. Taking her time to catch her breath, she can see Aurora waiting for her on a chair, reading a book.

"If I didn't know how stubborn your blood is, I would have expected you to stay missing." She states, not looking up.

"Sorry, I'm late... I lost track of time spilling my woes to Aqua and Scarlet..." Amore stands upright and walks over to Aurora.

Aurora closes the book, shaking her head lightly. "If you're going to request private lessons, the least you could do is make it on time."

"Sorry... It's this whole change choice thing, I've been more on edge then I should be and I blew up at Sugar this morning..." Amore rubs her right arm, looking depressed.

Aurora gets up and heads onto the stage. "Whilst I'm curious how that transpired, let's just set to learning how to make it up to her, shall we?"

"Yeah... Though I'm not sure if it'll help now." Amore joins Aurora on the stage.

"You say that, but remember who she chose." Aurora holds out her hand for Amore, "She'll forgive you. Especially if you're trying."

Amore takes Aurora's hand, placing her free one on her left hip while Aurora's goes on Amore's left shoulder, "I called her a pale bitch before storming out this morning... From what I understand, this is like the 'courting' stage? Essentially a slightly lengthy trial period where the two or more involved 'flirt' with each other. Least I think that's how Fluttershy explained it... My mind trailed a little."

"You called her... You realise you're also kind of a vampire, right? And I don't think that can be considered flirting." Aurora raises an eyebrow before sighing lightly.

"Obviously... I think it was mainly directed at her coat colour, oh..." Amore looks awkward as Aurora's coat is essentially nearly the same shade of white, "it was just stupid stuff... So many new things to think about or control and instead of asking for her help, because of how I am, I just fucking blew up at her when she wasn't even the one I'm frustrated with, it's myself..."

Amore sighs as she's lead into the beginning of a waltz, doing vaguely resembled one, two, three steps as instructed.

"Language. Cursing won't keep you calm. As for the frustration, while she would be a good option to help you, Shy is just as available as I am. Your mother will answer everything as well and as often as she can. And Luna is more approachable than you may think. You have options if you want to learn about that blood of yours and how to deal with it."

"That's just it though, knowing who my mother is, do you think it's so easy for me to ask for help?" Amore states, her ears falling flat.

"If you're alluding to her fame, I'm a little confused as to why not. If it's something else, depending on that something, I may understand."

"How often did my mother ask for help?" Amore asks, assuming Aurora knows the answer and how it relates.

"In my experience? Very, very occasionally, but to be fair, she rarely needed to." Aurora states as she directs Amore's steps.

The pair continues practising the waltz, Amore still no better as she is lead by Aurora, who appears to know the dance very well.

"I just... It's not so easy for me. I'm fairly stubborn, remember? I just end up suffering until shit like this morning happens, then I get depressed about it..." Amore sighs deeply.

"How is it easier for you to ask me about classical dancing than it is for you to ask your mother about your blood?" Aurora raised her eyebrow again.

Amore sighs, "I suppose it shouldn't be any different... I start to wonder how stupid I am sometimes..."

Amore tries harder to keep up, slowly but slightly, improving despite her mood.

"Shouldn't be different? For you, asking her should be easier. Your mother would not ask for something like this." Aurora smiles lightly.

"She never danced like this?" Amore asks, slightly looking better.

"She, you, comes from a vampire bloodline. Difference being she grew up with them. So, for that reason, she never had to ask, she already learned when she was young. But, should she have had never learned, it isn't one of the things she would have come to me with. At least... I don't think it is." 

"I really should ask... I've been very grouchy since getting back too. Hearing heartbeats when I don't want to, takes its toll..." Amore sighs lightly.

"I can't even begin to understand that. That is definitely a thing to ask one of them." Aurora states, again correcting Amore's steps.

"I'll give my mom a call after we finish, with any luck I'll be decent enough to make it up to Sugar..." Amore states, the pair now dancing a bit better than before on Amore's part.

"If dancing is how you want to try to do that, I'd wait for at least another session or two. You're improving at a quicker pace than most would, but you aren't quite to the point I think you want to be at, yet." Aurora comments, smiling at the improvement.

"I could wait, but I'm not sure... I wanted to treat her tonight or tomorrow night as it's the middle of the week. I just want to explain everything to her and why I'm being so difficult..." Amore states, trying to seem hopeful.

"If you want to dance properly for it, you should probably wait. But, honestly, I don't think she'll care how you go about it." Aurora states bringing them to a stopping point.

"I could wait... I'd like to impress her a little..." Amore states sighing slightly, "I could still do something for her in the meantime. How much time is left for lunch?"

"It's just about over, actually." Aurora states, looking at the clock above the hall door.

Letting go of Aurora, Amore groans and gets out her phone, "Crap, that doesn't give me a lot of time... At most I have two more periods, then the evening, but I need the evening to set up."

Aurora shakes her head, "What exactly are you wanting to do? Fluttershy doesn't necessarily need me for today's lessons. I can get things set up in the meantime."

Searching through her phone, Amore stops to consider the offer. "Well... I need to find someone who knows the piano in order to get the full effect of the song I want to play for her. Before that I need to call Valentine and try to see if he can lend me the whole bar tonight, that'll cost me no doubt... So, unless you know a pony who plays the piano..."

"I do know a couple, actually. As far as getting the bar vacant, leave that to me as well. You just worry about getting your mare there. Okay?" Aurora states reassuringly.

Amore nods, taking a few deep breathes before leaving the hall.





Sugar Fizz sighs deeply as she checks her phone while standing outside of Valentine's bar. The time reads 12:30 Am, the late night obviously not being much of a problem for the Vampire. Taking a deep breath, she enters the bar the regular smell of alcohol and light smoke permeating the air, however, the room was fairly chilled compared to normal. Confused, Sugar Fizz looked over to the bar, seeing Valentine in his usual spot, cleaning glasses.

"Where is everpony? It's unnatural to see your bar so empty-" Sugar Fizz stops talking when Valentine places a finger upon his lips.

Pointing her in the direction of the stage to the right, the mare raises an eyebrow before obliging. Turning to her side, Sugar Fizz is treated to the sight of Amore with her guitar, who waves slightly. Appearing even more confused and now angry, the white mare begins walking towards the stage. Taking a deep breath and making Sugar Fizz stop in her tracks, Amore begins playing her guitar in the hopes music could convey what her words could not. As Amore begins to sing, her hands glide along her guitar with practised grace and determination. While the song progresses Sugar Fizz is taken by surprise at the seemingly heartfelt lyrics, which she can only imagine are meant to be about her. Amore's eyes remain fixed on her roommate, never needing to glance at her guitar or anywhere else in the room, her constant attention focused on Sugar Fizz and the message she wants to convey.

"Amore..." Sugar Fizz folds her arms, the mare's feelings now mixed between admiration, mild annoyance and a dwindling anger.

She is taken by surprise yet again as a piano enters the mix, bringing another level to the music as the two instruments blend and carry each other through the song. Sugar Fizz rubs her left arm, now unsure exactly why she was mad, but not forgetting the neglect her roommate has displayed during the week. The song begins to come to a close as Amore finishes up her lyrics, letting her guitar fade out. Taking deep breaths, she removes her guitar before leaving the stage and laying it on the table nearest to Sugar Fizz.

Slapping her roommate, Amore rubs her cheek at the point of impact, "Hi..."

"You silly, stupid mare..." Sugar Fizz sighs and cups her roommate's cheeks gently, "I can see why your mark is connected to music... What's so wrong that you'd be avoiding me since we got back and had to sing me a song to finally talk to me. It was a beautiful song by the way."

"I'm sorry... I should have, I know that... I've not been sleeping well since we got back Monday. I have trouble turning off the enhanced senses thing... I end up hearing the heartbeats of the entire dorm and it drives me nuts. Then I made you mad because most of the soda was gone and I didn't know how to tell you about it..." Amore sighs deeply, feeling very stupid she made the situation so difficult.

Laying her forehead against Amores, Sugar Fizz sighs lightly, still stroking her cheek.

"I'm not mad about the soda... I was just grumpy because, without you, I haven't been able to get my proper meals, I was just hungry. You could have come to me. I'm a Vampire hun. You didn't need to suffer in silence when I was literally just above you. While I don't believe vampires can live off each other, as you have still to make your final choice, I should still be able to feed off you. Failing that, your blood will still have flavour to it, as does mine, so we can still drink each other. It just doesn't give any nutritional benefits." Sugar Fizz explains as she lifts her head off Amore's.

"I'm sorry... I feel so stupid now that I realise how easy this would have been... I'm not used to having help or depending on anyone, so asking for help is still new for me." Amore sighs gently, holding Sugar's arms.

Nodding and taking a deep breath, Sugar Fizz pushed herself forward to softly place her lips on Amore's, taking the mare by surprise. Her eyes drifted close and she indulged herself in her new senses, only able to hear the heartbeat of her roommate, not even Valentine behind the bar could be heard. The air around them was permeated with the aroma of a strawberry scented body wash, coming from Sugar Fizz who showered prior to coming to the bar. Assaulting Amore's taste was a silky, yet sweet mixture which she could only imagine as being Sugar Fizz's saliva, the former mare encouraged by said taste, driving the kiss a little deeper.

"Hmm..." Sugar Fizz reluctantly breaks the kiss slowly as to savour every little taste and feeling, "That was about as amazing as I'd imagined my first kiss to be."

"You are a very conserved teen, I hope you know that... While not my first, it was my first as a Vampire so... I kinda feel that resets it." Amore chuckles a little nervously.

Laughing, Sugar Fizz can't help but give the adorable mare another couple light kisses, "I don't think it works like that, but if that's what makes you happy. Let's go home, Amore."

Nodding, the red-haired mare picks up her guitar, the pair walking closely as they head towards the bar exit.
> The Band, Sugar! The Band!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugar Fizz groans as she slowly spins around in the swivel chair, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. Sitting on the bottom bunk with her headphones on while tuning and cleaning her guitar is Amore, humming along with the tune. Scattered across the desk in somewhat organised piles are various documents and files with lists and statistics written on them.

"Student council work can be so demanding..." Sugar Fizz sighs deeply as she stops spinning.

Glancing to her right, she decides to take a small break and watch Amore fully immersed in her music, just nodding her head as she glides the cloth across the surface of her guitar. Sugar Fizz tilts her head as she watches, seeing the mare in question move on to tuning the instrument, despite wearing headphones and listening to other music. After several more minutes, Amore takes down her headphones and looks at Sugar Fizz with a playful smile.

"How long do you plan to take a break and watch me?" Amore asks carefully putting away her guitar in the silver case which lay on the bottom bunk.

Blushing lightly, Sugar Fizz clears her throat and turns herself back towards the desk.

"I was... Observing. Is it illegal for me to want to spectate my roommate in her natural habitat?" Sugar Fizz remarks back, making Amore laugh lightly.

Standing up, Amore stretches to crack a few idled limbs before sighing in content.

"I suppose not... Maybe I should be naked next time." She chuckles before walking to the bathroom.

"Very funny, not that I'd mind much..." Sugar Fizz bites her lip, "However, I'm finding this year's festival a bit more difficult to plan compared to last year."

Amore splashes some cold water on her face before washing her hands, running and dabbing a cold flannel on her neck.

"W-why is that? What do you seem to be missing?" Amore asks in a more breathy tone than normal, a heat rising within her despite the wind from the window alluding to the opposite for weather outside.

Standing up and walking over to the doorway of the bathroom, Sugar Fizz leans on the frame to give Amore a certain 'look', one which is both of concern and annoyance.

"What did I tell you about leaving my sight when your hunger flares up? We had a long talk when we got home from Valentine's that night..." Sugar Fizz properly enters the bathroom to place a hand on Amore's shoulder.

Glancing up at the mirror, Amore looks into Sugar Fizz's eyes and sighs lightly.

"I'm sorry... I spoke to mother this morning after you ate breakfast and left for the student council meeting. She's unsure how long exactly but wagers I have, give or take two weeks before this process turns extremely violent." Amore explains taking a couple of deep breathes.

"Want to go pick up some lunch? They should have progressed from the breakfast menu by now." Sugar Fizz offers, making Amore shake her head slightly.

Splashing some more water on her face, Amore walks back into the bedroom past Sugar Fizz before searching in the mini-fridge.

"I can manage with a soda for now... What are these deep red ones?" Amore asks, picking one up to show Sugar Fizz.

Following Amore back through, she smiles and adjusts her hair slightly.

"Those, are the benefit of courting a mare who happens to be a Vampire soda tycoon~," Sugar Fizz chuckles slightly before sitting on the swivel chair, "I had Daisy Chain concoct the recipe and send over twelve of them in various flavours I know you like. They contain three times the amount of blood than our regular formula which we mass produce. About two per day should see you through the more tougher periods of that hunger, but on the safe side drink plenty of other fluids and still eat your regular meals."

Amore hums lightly, looking at Sugar Fizz before drawing her attention back to the chilled glass bottle in her hand. Taking the nearby bottle opener off the top of the mini-fridge, she pops off the lid to pour a healthy amount into her mouth before swallowing. The potent cherry flavour is offset by the more evident pleasant taste of blood which seems to quell the hunger she felt inside.

"Oh that is so much better~" Amore sits down on the bottom bunk, drinking more with a content sigh. "So, what are you missing for the festival?"

"Well," Sugar Fizz turns to look back over her documents, "The stands have been mostly filled out and booked by groups or clubs seeking to promote one thing or the other. The fireworks have all been handled if I have to be honest... We're missing the main evening portion of the festival, music. You see, we used to have a general music club but over the years, interest died down and the orchestra club isn't quite what we're looking for." She explains, looking back at Amore with a raised eyebrow.

Amore wears a large grin as she pours the rest of her drink into a more secure travel mug, standing up and heading for the door.

"Could you do me a huge favour and handle the paperwork for a new music club?" Amore asks, grabbing her silver case and wearing it carefully with its regular straps.

"This is a very sudden request... You realise you'll need a name?" Sugar Fizz prompts, fishing out the required document from her folders.

"I'll text you it later," Amore checks she has everything including her headphones and Mp3.

Sighing slightly Sugar Fizz looks perplexed, "The names of those you will have in your club?"

Amore thinks for a moment, "I'll text you that later too."

The mare in question began quickly out of the doorway making Sugar Fizz groan.

"Do you at the very least have a lecturer to oversee the club activities?!" Sugar Fizz shouts out the door after Amore.

"Just put down Aurora Dawn!" Amore shouts back, getting further away.

Sugar Fizz goes to write before frowning and looking back out the door.

"Did you even ask her yet?!" She asks sounding annoyed.

"Not yet, but it's fine!" Amore manages to shout back before sliding down the bannister of the stairwell.

Sugar Fizz groans writing down Aurora Dawn, she then stands up and heads to the bathroom to begin running a hot bath.





Amore runs down the second-floor hallway as she eagerly approaches her intended target room. Just as she is about to touch the door handle, her entire world is plunged into pitch black nothingness. Everything else fading out of existence and replaced with eerie music. Confused, Amore turns around frantically, looking for anything within the endless black.

"H-hello?! Is anypony there?!" Amore shouts, hoping to get a reply.

"Hmm... So, you're the one I sensed several days ago. Took me a little while to find you, so many new powerful presences since I was last awake. You're ever so pretty too~" A light but mature voice states making Amore turn around several times.

Turning around once more, Amore is now facing an ocean blue Unicorn mare with a purple mane that has black highlights and purple eyes. She wears a black corset with white accents and blood red laces, black tight trousers and long black leather gloves which stop at her upper arms.

"W-who are you and where did the academy go?" Amore asks, swallowing as she subtly adjusts her case slightly.

"Tsk tsk, no need to be defensive and move to get to that sword more easily. I'm not here to hurt you, just satisfying my curiosity. This space is my private domain where we won't be disturbed and can talk freely." The mysterious mare explains as she floats around Amore.

Amore relaxes a little but not by much, still unsure what to make of the mare or her oddly chilled surroundings.

"Right... Are you a ghost?" Amore asks, making the mare laugh.

"I'm as much alive as you are, dear child. I'm a powerful seer and have been sleeping for a long time, but your perplexed state of being piqued my interest. What I sense from you would make an incredibly powerful Vampire and while one might think the human submissive gene would be a waste, I'd wager on the contrary. It'd prevent if not limit that which ails the Vampiric gene greatly, thus making you that much stronger." The mare leans forward to lightly stroke Amore's chin before pulling back slightly and looking around.

"W-what's wrong?" Amore swallows hard.

"It would appear our time here has come to a close. While I'm powerful indeed, there are those I'd never wish to cross... Your beloved principal has always been one such mare. Come by the crypt on the left side of the academy if you'd wish to learn more about what you might be capable of." She states before vanishing.

Suddenly Amore finds herself back in the hallway, just about to touch the door handle as if nothing happened at all. Shivering slightly, she looks around feeling somewhat shaken by the encounter. Shaking her head and taking a couple of deep breaths, Amore enters the room to see Aqua Streak sitting on a desk tuning her guitar while Scarlet Orange is practising on the drums.

"Hey Amore. Holy shit, you look pale and that's saying something." Aqua Streak comments, putting down her guitar.

"Is everything alright?" Scarlet Orange states as she stops playing to focus on Amore.

Amore nods several times, putting down her case on the teacher's desk. The classroom specifically is made to accommodate music lessons.

"Yeah, I'm good... You girls get my text?" The two mares looked at each other before nodding back at Amore, "So, I figured since we have some form of band going now, we could use that and start up the music club again. This would also help out the student council as they haven't been able to sort out the music selection for this year's festival." Amore states smiling widely.

Aqua Streak leans back on the desk and deadpans at Amore.

"You mean it'd help 'Sugar Fizz' out as she is the one in charge of setting that kinda thing up." Aqua Streak states, making Amore blush deeply and her ears to fall down slightly.

"Well... I guess it'd benefit her in that case... It's still music, right?" Amore states in a weak defence.

"Sweet Luna, you are so hopeless when it comes to the vice president." Scarlet Orange sighs lightly.

The group's attention is grabbed when the door opens and a familiar dark grey Pegasus mare whose newly cut royal blue and black mane sticks out against the academies aqua blue normal student uniform. Glancing around the room, her sky blue eyes glare at Amore making her frown for a moment before opening wide.

"What the fuck are you doing here?! I mean, I'm happy you're alive, despite trying to kill Sugar Fizz and then me, but what the fuck are you doing HERE?!" Amore asks stepping back slightly, keeping by her silver case.

"I was told by Principal Luna that I could find you here... As for 'how' I am here, you're mother caught me after you kicked me off the rooftop of that building. She landed me back up, to be held by a couple of security guards while she flew after you and my old boss. At said time, Sugar Fizz was already being taken to a hospital nearby to treat her more serious wounds." The mare explains, folding her arms.

Looking confused, Aqua Streak and Scarlet share another glance before one of them clears their throat to get Amore's attention.

"Huh? Oh, this is umm... Veronica Orlov, she is part of a Prussian Order unit?" Amore asks, not entirely sure, but the statement alone causes Aqua Streak to glare.

"Former... My unit was more or less killed and my boss painted the sidewalk of Manehattan, nice job by the way. He might have been an asshole, but he was strong. I admire you were actually able to defeat him. As for why I am here and wearing one of your uniforms... Your mother persuaded me, or rather my father, to transfer me here as part of a new Prussian exchange program. He never liked that I joined the Order and since we failed so badly I heard they dismantled the venture altogether... I realise that when last we spoke I spouted no love for Supernatural creatures of any kind, however... I made a deal with your mother to give 'this' a try and seeing as you're the only mare I even know here, it made sense to seek you out..." Veronica sighs as she leans beside the door on the right side.

Amore opens and closes her mouth several times while searching for the words she wanted to convey but nothing seemed to flow till Aqua Streak spoke up.

"So, you're not Order anymore? We don't have to worry about you shanking one of us in the back when we least expect it?" Aqua Streak asks still glaring at the mare.

"Unless you piss me off, most likely not," Veronica states with an oddly straight face, which makes Amore even more confused.

Aqua Streak nods a few times before relaxing her posture.

"She can hang with us then if you'd like, Amore." She states towards the now even more confused yellow mare.

"What the fuck is even happening here? I'm so fucking confused!" Amore groans before sighing deeply, "Do you know how to play an instrument?"

Chuckling lightly, Veronica slowly walked over to and caressed a beautiful ebony piano which was placed in the opposite corner of the room to Scarlet Orange's drums.

"I know a fair few pieces of classical music and took extensive lessons before... Well, before joining the Order." Veronica explains grazing her fingers across the neglected keys.

The group's attention is stolen yet again by the door opening and this time Derpy entering the room. Gazing upon the blonde-maned mare, Veronica's world seemed to slow down as she takes in every feature about the new mare.

"Oна красива..." Veronica states swallowing slightly.

"Спасибо," Derpy replies back with a light blush and smile at Veronica.

The mare in question blushes deeply and chokes slightly as she didn't think her words were given voice.

"Well, that just happened... Did you bring your guitar, Derpy?" Amore asks, taking a couple of deep breathes.

Nodding, the mare in question produced a guitar case which is strapped to her back, "Yup, thanks again for inviting me."

"No problem, let's start with some practice pieces and see how this goes," Amore states as they begin setting up to play.





Amore sighs deeply as she leaned her head against the shower wall, letting the hot water wash over her body. Slowly she feels a pair of hands trace along her curves and cuddles close to her, warming up her back slightly.

"Rough day?" Sugar Fizz asks, resting her chin on Amore's shoulder, her breath tracing across her ear.

"You could say that... The music portion of the festival shouldn't be a problem now for you. The music club can handle it." Amore sighs, letting Sugar Fizz hold their bodies together.

"I wasn't sure if this would be okay to do... If you'd prefer to shower alone, I can wait in the room." Sugar Fizz states, reassuringly.

The powder white mare attempts to move away but finds her hand held in place by Amore.

"I want you to stay... Even if we're just courting at this point, I'd prefer your company where you can give it." Amore states, making Sugar Fizz rest against her gently, "Veronica Orlov came into the club room today, the mare I kicked off the roof in Manehattan..."

Sugar Fizz remains silent, taking a deep breath as she starts to wash Amore's mane and tail gently.

"What did the she-devil want?" Sugar Fizz finally asks after a minute.

Amore hums while Sugar Fizz washes her, being even more relaxed than before.

"My mother convinced her father to transfer her to our academy as part of a Prussian exchange program. I'm inclined to believe mother made some deal with her to give all of this a try, the twins were okay with letting her hang with us for now." Amore explains as Sugar Fizz rinses out the hair wash.

Amore then lets out a blushing moan as her shoulders were suddenly massaged hard nearly causing her to lose balance.

"Heh, if nothing else, I believe that Mrs. Von Scratch can be very persuasive, at least that's what I hear. I'm sure things will be alright. If not I'll kick her ass myself." Sugar Fizz purrs lightly into Amore's ear making her shiver.

Amore nods and blushes deeply, "Thank you... I honestly don't know what I'd do without you... Hey, Sugar Fizz?

The mare in question stops rubbing Amore's shoulders so she can turn around, noticing a vivid blush across her muzzle.

"Mhmm... What is it?" Sugar Fizz asks, using as few words as she can.

"There is somewhere I'd like to check out tomorrow, but will you please go with me?" Amore asks, biting her lip.

Sugar Fizz plays with Amore's freshly washed mane and sighs deeply.

"Of course, shall we get out now? I can brush your mane if you brush mine~" Sugar Fizz turns off the shower and swiftly exits after grabbing a towel.

Amore takes a couple of deep breathes, leaning back against the wall as she tries to calm her racing heart.
> The Seer Who Gambles With Fate
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Three days before the festival...





Amore shivers slightly as she slowly descends down the stone steps into the forsaken crypt on the left side of the academy. Following just a little behind her is Sugar Fizz who isn't bothered by the biting chill that seems to ferment the atmosphere. Before the pair lies a decently thick, black metal gate with flat metal skulls on either side. Amore takes a deep breath, but jumps when Sugar fizz suddenly pokes her side.

"Gah! Could you not scare me to shit when I don't even know what's down here?!" Amore exclaims trying to calm her heartbeat, Sugar fizz giggling as she wraps her arms around Amore's neck.

"To be honest, taking a Vampire to a crypt could seriously be considered a romantic gesture. I mean a normal mare might not take an interest, but one such as myself is more than intrigued." Sugar Fizz smiles and strokes Amore's cheek before letting go to inspect the gate.

Amore finds her climbing anxiety start to lower as she feels safer with Sugar fizz by her side. Likely the reason she asked her along on such a ridiculous request in the first place. She was curious to properly meet the mare who'd ambushed her in the hallway in front of the music room yesterday. Amore's attention is drawn back to reality when Sugar fizz slowly pushes the gate open enough for them both to slip through and press further into the crypt down the presented corridor. Once past the eerie passage lit dimly by candles held in the eyes of many skulls set up on shelves either side of the pair, the mares come to a bigger room with curved arches above them for support and alcoves in the walls for stone coffins.

"How many do you think are buried down here?" Amore asks as they look around, inspecting the coffins to check the names.

Sugar Fizz hums lowly as they eventually come to the end of the room, seeing this crypt goes deeper than she imagined.

"Truthfully, I'm not sure. They all appear to be from the same 'house'. Not so much related, but close enough to be considered family." Sugar Fizz explains as they descend another set of steps which leads them down.

As the couple get deeper the chill becomes more prominent and Amore shivers more, making Sugar Fizz hold her hand and walk closer, trying to warm the mare up. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they come out into a much bigger room, filled to the brim with countless coffins and shelves all belonging to the same house as Sugar Fizz described just moments ago.

"There are so many..." Amore swallows deeply, now feeling she should turn back.

"One hundred sixty-six to be precise. The Von Bone family was quite a large collective of necromancers after all." A voice states in the room, causing Amore to jump. She recognises it as belonging to the girl in the hallway.

Revealing herself, the mare floats down in front of them wearing a sly smile which Sugar Fizz finds off-putting.

"You're the last member of their family?" Sugar Fizz prompts, letting go of Amore's hand to take a more passive-defensive stance.

Giggling slightly before turning around, she starts leading the pair past all the coffins towards the back of the room and through a thick stone double door. Taking them into a fairly plain room with a round stone table in the centre with three chairs around it.

"You'll find that I'm the original house founder, the most powerful necromancer of the pirate era, Shintaku Von Bone." The mare states, taking the chair on the other side of the table.

Amore and Sugar Fizz sit down in the two empty chairs, noticing the room is lit by creepy looking candles with purple flames.

"I think I remember some stories about you during said era... Impressive to begin with but gets lesser the further along you go in generations." Sugar Fizz states coldly, crossing her legs.

Coughing and laughing lightly, Shintaku nods and looks at Amore.

"Well, it's true my house might have fallen a bit far towards the end, but there was little I could do to help." She takes a deep breath to refresh herself, then turns to Amore, "I believe you came here because I gave you an offer?"

Amore nods and swallows hard, "You said I should come to the crypt if I wanted to learn more about what I might be capable of?"

Shintaku nods and summons a glass ball of some description, smiling at the pair as she conjures a knife to throw into Amore's heart. Sugar Fizz glares at Shintaku but remains seated as the knife is slowly pulled out of Amore, taking with it a crimson red glowing thread. Shintaku takes the knife and leads the thread to the glass ball which absorbs the end into itself. Coming to life, it begins to show Amore's life from when she was dropped off to her mentor's house, through her school life and upwards.

"Since the start, you have shown remarkable adaptability and survival skills. You were given a mentor but ultimately were forced to find your own way." Shintaku explains as the images progress.

The next few show the death of Amore's mentor and her trip with the hooded figure to Manehattan. Seeing everything actually played before her, Sugar Fizz's expression cannot help but soften for the mare beside her.

"You were given a name, one you held onto and searched for information regarding their inner workings. Vinyl-" Shintaku hums, frowning deeply as she sees images of their reunion and catching up, "I see... I didn't realise you were a Von Scratch, how interesting."

Amore nods, now feeling very nervous, "Umm... Yeah, I recently managed to find and reconnect with my mother while in Manehattan."

Moving on quickly to show images of Amore's time at the two previous academies, she stops on the Crystal Empire Academy.

"Your time here was most fascinating, you hadn't stopped to really look at anypony while searching for your mother. However, strength gave you pause. Selene Bloodmoon made you stop and look, didn't she?" Shintaku now smiles evilly as she displays images of Amore and Selene's relationship.

Amore nods, her ears falling flat against her head. The images were intimate, no further than a little kissing and cuddling but enough to make Sugar Fizz a little jealous.

"You moved on when you believed she cheated on you with your third sparring friend, Midnight Allure and you quickly left to avoid complications." Shintaku sighed and gave Amore a sly look, "But, you didn't stop thinking about her, did you? Even while courting Sugar Fizz, you still think about your old flame."

Sugar Fizz glanced at Amore but kept her attention on Shintaku, knowing the old hag is trying something on her roommate.

"I mean... I've thought about her recently... But not in the romantic sense, just random thoughts... I'm courting Sugar Fizz now, anyway. It doesn't matter." Amore states feeling a little flush, her new condition not helping matters much when it comes to control.

"I think I've heard enough..." Sugar Fizz states, standing up and glaring at Shintaku. She then turns to Amore with the same look before leaving.

Amore could feel her heart sink, Sugar Fizz having never given her the glare she just did. An expression of pure disgust as she hastily left the room and seemingly the crypt. The mare quickly got up, looking back at a smiling Shintaku as she tries desperately to catch up to Sugar Fizz, but even as Amore leaves the crypt she cannot be seen anywhere, even in the sky.

"Sugar Fizz... Come back." Amore pleads weakly to thin air, gripping the blazer above her heart.





By now it is well into the evening, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon and the atmosphere becomes chilled. Veronica takes a deep breath, enjoying the ambiance of fall as she watches leaves fall from the trees.

"This place is beautiful, if nothing else..." She muses, exhaling to see her breath given white form in the air.

Passing by the track field, something catches her attention out the corner of her eyes. Turning to face the field properly, she can see a pony with a burnt orange mane doing laps. Raising an eyebrow, she descends the nearby stairs for a closer look and frowns upon finding it's Amore wearing her P.E clothes. Calling out several times attempting to glean any sense of reply were met with failure and the continued silence of being ignored alienated her greatly. Sliding off her blazer and removing her tie, she places both on the steps beside the track field while loosening her shirt slightly, keeping her skirt purely for modesty reasons. Unbeknownst to the troubled mare, she soon found herself running alongside Veronica who had slipped in to join her when she passed the steps a couple of minutes ago.

"What are you doing here, Veronica?" Amore asked, looking confused but doesn't glance in the Hooviet mare's direction.

"I wondered how long you've been running laps. Judging by your dishevelled state, I'd say a long while," Veronica replies in observation.

"Since early this morning," Amore confesses, her pace is more than normal but less than what she is capable of.

Veronica ponders the mare for a moment, her dress, appearance, reluctance to look at Veronica.

"You haven't stopped running since then. Missing breakfast, lunch and dinner... What happened?" Veronica asks, frowning when Amore doesn't slow down.

Suddenly grabbing Amore's wrist, the trained mare manages to stop and spin her around before hooking her right leg behind Amore's left leg and expertly puts her on the ground where she is kept by a knee.

"H-hey, what the fuck V?" Amore exclaims trying to look mad but finds her other emotions coming out on top.

"Don't ignore me. I've only spent two days here, it's true... However, you today compared to you yesterday, something is off. I'm asking as your... Friend," Veronica has a tiny bit of trouble with the word, "What happened to you today that has put you in such a mood you'd skip meals?"

Amore wants to argue against her logic, wants to deny they are friends, but... If not, what are they? Staring back into Veronica's eyes, Amore can honestly see an air of concern. She sought Amore out when she first arrived. Considering her, perhaps, the only friend she had among an academy of strangers. Relaxing her tensed fist, Amore sighs deeply and chokes a little. Having a chance to calm down and properly inspect the mare on the floor beneath her, Veronica could see that Amore had been crying heavily, perhaps all day even. Her eyes were sore and she had dark wet lines on her cheeks.

"I... I... I don't know... I mean, I know what happened, but I don't know what happened... I took Sugar Fizz somewhere this morning and... We met a mare... She said and showed us some stuff before Sugar Fizz left and she gave me such a look which stabbed my heart..." Amore struggles to explain as she painfully holds back the tears.

"Seeing you like this... As somepony who considers herself your friend and rival, it makes me sad and pisses me off. Not knowing the full story, I can't really do much of anything to help. However..." Veronica helps pick Amore up and dusts her off, "I was given my own room, so... If you need somewhere to crash, come use my spare bunk."

"W-what about a change of clothes and my case?" Amore asks, looking sad and internally conflicted.

"I'll get whatever you need from your room. We should get in as it'll get cold soon. You need to eat and it's fortunate the cafeteria runs a little late into the night." Veronica states as they go to walk but Amore's legs give out.

Veronica manages to catch Amore and put her arm over her shoulder to keep her up.

"I've got you, красный. I've got you," Veronica states in a sad sigh before they continue towards the stairs.
> The Worries of Friends and Colleagues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day one of the festival...




Armonia was more lively this morning than it had been previously, marking the start of the academy's fall festival which would continue over the next three days. From the entrance of the academy towards the front gate and leading around to the track field, several booths are set up selling a variety of things from food to clothing to carnival games. At one stall in particular, halfway down the left side was a bright red coloured stall which was making various tinted muffins and candy floss. Swaying her hips slightly, Derpy is mixing the batter in a large bowl happily. Aqua Streak is idly swirling a stick around in the pink candyfloss machine, while her sister on the opposite side of the stall is eagerly producing blue candyfloss sticks with flare. Veronica stretches back in the chair behind the cloth-covered desk at the front of the stand.

"Hmm~ Least it's a beautiful day out and we've had decent sales," Veronica states, checking their sheet.

"Hey, has anyone seen Amore this morning?" Aqua Streak asks, leaning against a pole on her side of the stalls.

"She's taking some time to get ready; the last few days haven't been easy on her," Veronica states with a deep sigh.

Turning to her side, Aqua Streak gives Derpy a weird look as she pulls a tray of blue and pink muffins out of the oven. "Derpy. Why cotton candy flavoured muffins?" Aqua Streak asks, looking confused.

The mare in question puts the tray down and picks up one to show Aqua Streak, hopping on the spot slightly. "Muffins!~" She exclaims happily.

"'Nuff said, I think," Amore comments as she steps into the stall from the right side, looking a little rough.

Veronica stands up so Amore can take over the seat, leaning against a pole to the left of the stall instead.

"You look like shit." Veronica chuckles.

Amore groans and buries her head in her crossed arms on the table. The group look at each other with worry, even Derpy who was happy a moment ago.

"Umm, excuse me?" A mid-range male voice asks, the group looking in front of the stall to see a male Griffin normal student.

The Griffon has crimson red feathers on his neck and a silver coat, his talons being a dull gold. His oddly kind eyes are an ever so slightly shiny silver as he turns to his companion for a short conversation. Other than being a normal student, he wears a beautiful silver chain around his neck, however, what it's attached to is hidden within his blazer. His partner appears to be a female Bat Pony with a lavender coat, her fuchsia mane and tail have light burgundy streaks within, reaching halfway down her back. Her turquoise eyes smiling back at the Gryphon's as her bat-like wings flutter every now and then against her supernatural uniform. As the two converse, all the group can hear is adorable squeaks which come from the Bat Pony, which is seemingly understood by the Griffon.

"I'd like one of each of the candyfloss, please?" He asks placing the bits in front of Amore.

Blinking, Scarlet Orange quickly rushes to provide the previously prepared treat as she passes them to the pair with a smile. Smiling back, he takes them before passing one to the Bat Pony who takes a small nibble to sample it, giving the happiest and most adorable squeak the group has ever heard. Content with their purchase, the two depart towards more stalls, their free hands entwined.

"That was..." Veronica tries to find the words.

"Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cuuuuuuuuuuuuuttttttttttttteeeeeeeeeeeee!~" Derpy squeaks as she shivers slightly.

Veronica nods before noticing Amore staring at the obvious couple who had just visited them, but before she could say anything the mare stood up and turned to leave.

"You guys should be fine for an hour or two, I need to go for a walk." Amore sighs as she leaves the stall.

Aqua Streak checks to make sure Amore is gone before rubbing the back of her neck, "It seriously pains me to see her like this..."

"I know what you mean..." Scarlet Orange adds, rubbing her left arm.

Veronica sits back down, sighing deeply as she ponders a little, unsure how to cheer up her recently acquired friend.





Standing in the hallway on the second floor, left side of the main academy building, Amore was hovering in front of a door with a plaque which reads, 'Teacher's Lounge'. Eventually, she takes a deep breath and knocks loudly on the door.

"Auntie! I badly need help!" Amore pulls back her hand to look at it before idly placing it by her heart, "Fluttershy said you'd be in here and... I didn't know who else to go to, yet..." Amore states sounding extremely sad.

Aurora opens the door and ushers Amore in before locking it behind them. Aurora walks back over and sits on the arm of the sofa before asking a single word. "Sugar?"

Amore nods and sits down on the sofa, the opposite end to Aurora. The teacher's lounge is about what you'd expect, with two sofa's in an L shape next to a decently sized coffee table, a small kitchen area with a microwave, coffee machine, kettle and sink with cupboards above it. At the back of the room are windows which allow a view down into the back courtyard of the building.

"I don't know if it's me this time... I haven't seen Sugar in a few days and she hasn't even come back to the dorm room from what I'm told. I've been staying with Veronica up until now..." Amore sighs, her eyes looking tired and worn out.

"What exactly happened to split you two?" Aurora asks, curiously.

"I was... Approached, by an odd mare who said she could tell me more about my potential. I took Sugar Fizz with me to the old crypt, where the mare said she was... She took this crimson thread out of me and showed us things using her ball." Amore holds her left arm and squeezes lightly, "Then I guess she shifted when she learned my house name... She... Showed images of me and Selene, my ex... Said I'd been thinking of her recently."

"True? Or false?" Aurora inquires, bluntly.

"I have been, but not in any sense she was implying... I was thinking about how things were left. How... Immaturely I dealt with what I saw. When Midnight kissed Selene, I used it as an excuse to leave CPA... I was scared of getting attached to somewhere or someone before I'd completed what I set out to do..." Amore brings her legs onto the sofa, holding them in a curled up position, her head on her knees.

"You're telling me Sugar left without allowing you to explain? That seems unlike her." Aurora states, confused as to her motive.

Amore nods, not looking sure about it herself. "Yeah... She said she had heard enough, gave Shintaku a glance then gave me the same chilling look before leaving. I tried to follow her but she'd vanished by the time I got outside... Then I spent the entire day on the tack field just running. Didn't eat, didn't care about the burn, I just... Ran..."

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?" Aurora asks, crossing her legs.

"None. I checked the library, Valentine's, even asked Symphony... All turned up nothing. She hasn't even returned my countless texts and missed calls... I don't know what to do Auntie, I'm at a loss here..." Amore sighs deeply, burying her face against her legs.

"I can see about calling your mother to get into contact with Lyra. I wouldn't worry too much, though. After all, the festival started today. The games are soon to follow. I don't think she'd miss it, whether she wanted to or not." Aurora states in a comforting attempt.

"It just bugs me how she vanished so suddenly and without letting me explain, it's weird and frustrating... Which makes me realise that I was an asshole when I left CPA without talking to Selene... I'm a horrible pony." Amore grumbles and lays on her side, curling up into a ball.

Aurora lightly shakes her head. "Mmm... I don't think so. See, there's a few things wrong with that thought process." Aurora walks over and crouches in front of Amore, so she's at eye level. "First problem. If you call yourself a horrible pony for that, you're calling Sugar a horrible pony for doing what she has. And I think we both know that isn't the case."

"No... But I don't know what I did wrong, I don't know what to fix... I'm at a loss of what to do. She hasn't left my side since I came here, then things developed and now suddenly she just vanishes. It hurts and I don't know how to deal with it... I've not been this attached before and it scares me." Amore states curling tighter into her ball.

"That much was made clear in Manehattan. You hospitalized yourself in order to keep her alive..." Aurora pauses. "You want to know what to do? Just go spend time with your friends. I can send Frozen over to the factory and I can get see if her parents know anything. That way you can have ponies out looking and you can be right here when she gets back, whether we find her or she returns of her own volition. Okay?"

Amore nods, sniffling. "Yeah... Can I lay here for a bit?"

"On the condition that I don't find you here when I come back," Aurora replies.

"Okay... I have the concert to play in the evening anyway... If I play." Amore groans and sighs.

"If you aren't up for it, try and find someone to stand in for you. Don't push yourself." Aurora replies, brushing Amore's hair out of her face. "I need to go let Fluttershy know where I'm going, but then I'll head out. I'll be back either with or after Sugar comes back."

"Okay... Sorry to be a burden." Amore tries to smile weakly, silently thankful for Aurora's comfort.

Aurora shakes her head, looking Amore in the eyes. "Far from it; it's what I'm here for."  Aurora ruffles Amore's hair lightly before getting up and heading for the door. "Be back soon, hun."

Amore nods as Aurora leaves, sighing deeply to herself before trying to get a nap so she can rest till the early evening.





Sitting up to stretch, Amore glances towards the clock above the lounge door to see it's nearing the evening hours close to when her club is meant to perform for the festival like she promised Sugar Fizz. Sighing deeply, Amore checks her phone noticing the many missed calls and texts from her friends which makes her rub the back of her neck awkwardly. She stands up, putting the phone in her skirt pocket before walking out the lounge door heading towards Veronica's room.

"Taking a nap in the lecturer's lounge, the one place we didn't think you'd be..." Veronica's voice is heard from behind, making the mare turn around.

Approaching her are the twins, Veronica and Derpy, the middle mare looking less than impressed at their elusive friend.

"Hey, guys... Sorry about vanishing before, I just needed to be alone for a bit and ask someone for help." Amore looks to the side and rubs her arm, "Hey, umm... I was wondering if I could skip this evenings performance?"

The girls look at each other with a mixture of confused, concerned and puzzled expressions before glancing back towards Amore. Shaking their heads in unison, Veronica and Aqua Streak move either side of the mare, holding her arms as they begin to drag her in the direction of the main hall, where Amore had dance lessons. She struggles against her captives and tries to plead with them.

"Come on! Please, I'm not feeling it tonight!" Amore begs as Scarlet Orange is left to lift and carry the mare's legs.

"This is an intervention. I let you work it out in silence since that night, but... Music is you. It's your song choice tonight and we're not cancelling, we won't let you." Veronica states bluntly.

"Bloody Love isn't the same without the love part, right? You need a proper outlet for your emotions and music is emotion so deal with it." Aqua Streak comments as they use a back entrance to the hall.

Once they reach backstage they let Amore down and Derpy directs her to the mare's silver case nearby.

"Wait, who carried it here?" Amore looks over her friends who glance around, stopping on Scarlet Orange.

"You need to play... We need you to play." Scarlet Orange states with a slight smile.

Amore feels guilty about the circumstances, causing one of her supernatural friends to get hurt because of her state.

"We don't want an apology, just that our friend feels better." Aqua Streak states, adjusting her own guitar.

Amore groans and bites her lip, conflicted, but nods at her friends as she picks up her guitar taking several deep breaths.

"I don't deserve friends like you, but... I'll try my best." Amore smiles as her mood allows as they all take their places behind the curtain.

As the audience outside settles, the curtain is drawn back to reveal the band minus Veronica who is in the back. Amore looks around trying to find one particular face, believing if nothing else she wouldn't miss the music portion of the festival. After a couple of seconds, she glances back towards the girls, signs of doubt flashing across her face. Not backing down their support, Scarlet Orange begins the beat with her drums accompanied by foot stomps from Aqua Streak and Derpy. Flashing the girls a thankful smile, Amore turns around to begin the vocals, the song chosen, being one she had glanced at before. After several seconds she leads in the guitars pouring as much of what she feels into her music, picking the only outlet which makes sense to her in which to voice her emotions. The guitar tempo picks up and Amore continues to sing passionately, hoping that wherever Sugar Fizz is she can hear how she feels. The crowd is ecstatic to hear the group play, not confined to their seats as they cheer loudly. By the time of Amore's guitar solo, Valentine is seen hanging around by the open doors, peeking in on the performance.

"You could go in," Valentine comments to his left where Sugar Fizz stands against the wall fighting with her composure.

"I... I didn't realise... She made me so angry..." Sugar Fizz listens to every word and sound coming from the hall.

"Amore?" Valentine raises an eyebrow.

"Shintaku... I've never felt such anger, such defensive and protective inclinations towards somepony before... Then when I got back to the room I saw Amore had two bottles left so I took off for Manehattan to get away a little... I forgot to leave a note." Sugar Fizz grips her chest feeling such an unknown level of pain.

"You are courting my dear. She tried to break you two away and your emotions replied to that threat. Amore is clearly passionate about how she feels." Valentine comments as the solo ends.

"Amy is passion... That's all she knows to be, fragile and strong somehow at the same time. The song is catered towards her ex and her desire to move on with me... Because of what she showed us..." Sugar Fizz sighs deeply and closes her eyes.

Valentine wears a sombre expression before turning back to the performance as it moves towards its climax. Amore and the girls finishing up their lyrics and remaining parts before Amore's guitar fades out as they come to the end. The crowd get louder as they cheer, Amore panting from how much effort she just sunk into her performance. The club all gather on the stage to bow together, as Amore looks up she can see Sugar Fizz out in the hallway past the entrance to the main hall, Valentine nowhere to be seen. Quickly taking her guitar off, Amore hands it to Aqua Streak before jumping off the stage, suddenly sprouting her vampire wings for the second time as she glides over the audience. Sugar Fizz has already turned away and started walking towards the left corridor. Just barely sticking a dodgy landing, she sprints after Sugar Fizz through the door as it is pushed fully open to simply swing closed after.

"Amore, wait-" Symphony pops out from behind the corner of the left corridor in an attempt to block Amore.

The mare, in her determination, slid underneath the presidents skirt catching her off guard as she continued after Sugar Fizz. Frowning, the mare in question looked behind her at the rushing footsteps and is surprised with a gripping hug which hits her hard, but nothing her vampiric strength couldn't stop from barely balling them over.

"A-more, I-" Before she is allowed to utter more, Amore closes Sugar Fizz's mouth with her own in a passionate kiss.

Smiling to herself and not wishing to interrupt the reunion, Symphony simply left for the main hall where the music continued for the evening.
> Burning Bridges and Emotions of the Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 2 of the festival...




Amore groans as she lightly stretches and attempts to adjust her position, only to be stopped by something soft.

"Hmm?" Confused, Amore opened her eyes slightly to see her vision filled with white.

Hearing chuckling, Amore's attention is drawn upwards where Sugar Fizz is staring down at the mare nestled between her chest.

"Feeling better? No more tears and countless apologies?" Sugar Fizz asks, stroking Amore's chin.

Blushing at the unexpected situation she finds herself in, Amore nods slowly, reluctant to move much at all. Content to lay against the warm soft coat she feels cuddling.

"I thought it was my fault you vanished... I didn't eat at all that day since we visited the crypt..." Amore states burying her face in Sugar Fizz's coat.

The white mare in question sighs lightly and slowly runs her fingers through her favourite scarlet and black mane, thinking idly on how best to ease Amore.

"I refused to play that hag's twisted game. I suppose in a way, by disappearing as I did, you were set up to act exactly like she wanted which makes me sick I allowed it to happen... I've played enough corporate games growing up that I know a couple of tricks. Tricks I put to use during my visit to Manehattan where I procured more of your 'medicine'. I didn't mean to leave you alone without notice, I'm sorry Amy." Sugar Fizz kisses Amore's forehead before cuddling her closer.

The pair shares an intimate moment before a sudden knock on the door interrupts the moment, making Sugar Fizz groan loudly.

"Excuse me, miss vice president? I'm super sorry to disturb you, but Pearl would like to request you meet her in the student council room to go over a few budgeting plans she has for the Supernatural Games." A sweet female student states from beyond the door.

Stretching slightly, Sugar Fizz sighs deeply, slowly pulling herself from Amore's grasp to stand up. "That's like a month away, right? I swear she plans the budget for everything way in advance... I guess that's why she's good at her job, though." Sugar Fizz chuckles before searching for a fresh uniform.

"The Supernatural what now?" Amore asks sprawling out on her bunk, enjoying a refreshing stretch before settling on her back.

"Don't worry about it for now dear. You should get dressed soon and help your friends tend to your stall. I'll be around later to spend more time with you." Sugar Fizz gives Amore a parting kiss on her cheek before leaving the room.

Sighing to herself, Amore's glance floats over to the alarm clock, which makes her eyes go wide as she scrambles to fall off the bed.

"Fuck! I'm late!" Amore exclaims, jumping up to frantically search for a clean uniform. Eventually finding one, she attempts to get dressed while fleeing the room in a hurry.





Sugar Fizz sighs as she opens the door to the student council room, spotting a light wisteria female Unicorn sporting a two-toned blue-violet mane that was dominantly brushed back over her right side, her smiling lilac eyes appraising a pile of paperwork she'd just finished, seemingly happy with her work.

"Pearl..." Sugar Fizz states, sliding the door closed before walking over to a chair to the right of where she sat.

The room has posters and charts of prior events or financial reports for reference on the walls. There are three tables set up in a rather square U shape with chairs around the outside, the two being on the right.

"Sugar, glad you could pull yourself away from her to come and meet me." She states in a calm, albeit slightly sour demeanor.

"I had an errand to run in the city, company stuff. A mare said you had documents for me to look over?" Sugar Fizz is slid the stack of papers which she begins going through.

The more pages she flips over, the clearer this visit becomes as each report is finished to a pristine quality, typical of the student council treasurer.

"So, I was wondering if I might trouble you with a query?" Pearl states leaning her right elbow on the table to prop her head up.

"There it is," Sugar Fizz sighs, putting the papers back neatly to slide towards Pearl who smirks, "Even I know you never need anyone to look over your financial documents..."

Pearl chuckles and plays with the long strands of her hair using her free hand.

"Guilty. The President doesn't share our concerns but we have reservations about whom you're courting currently... Ignoring her family name, there are a few of us that believe she is a bad influence on you Sugar. The mare's grades barely scrape by as it is and she is the exact opposite of what we thought would attract your attention." Pearl comments making Sugar Fizz frown.

"Pearl, is this about her influence on me or the fact that she doesn't fit into your shipping fantasies of me?" Sugar Fizz asks folding her arms.

Pearl sighs and adjusts her paperwork, "Call me elitist if you will, but we don't think she is a good fit... Ignore or heed this as you will, I'm simply telling you what we think." Pearl stands up before leaving Sugar Fizz alone.

Letting out a deep sigh, Sugar Fizz unfolds her arms to rub her face and groan.





"That bitch had the audacity to have me fetched like a common peon, all so she could prattle on about how whom I court is a bad influence on me!" Sugar Fizz leans back on a black swivel chair that has gold trim, "She's been single for ages! Fucking give me advice on my courting relationship..." Sugar Fizz finishes off a magenta coloured liquid from a wine glass before holding it out in front of her, demanding more.

Laying on the bottom bunk of that room's beds is a rather lax Symphony with her shirt slightly open and no stockings seen to be worn. The rooms decor and furniture reflect her high status but mainly theme a purple & gold whereas other items are like the chair Sugar Fizz sits on with black & gold. Held in Symphony's left hand is a wine glass half-filled with the same liquid, the mare in question pours Sugar Fizz some more while trying to stifle her giggles.

"I'm honestly not surprised Pearl was the one to express her distaste with your choice. I assume many don't oppose said relationship due to your status, dear." Symphony comments taking a slight sip, more enjoying its flavourful aroma.

Sugar Fizz stops herself halfway through a mouthful to reply with hand gestures, "That's the thing though! Why say anything at all when I'm clearly content with how it's progressing!" Sugar Fizz slumps down and coddles her glass before glancing up at Symphony, "Do you think she isn't right for me?"

Sighing with a smile in her eyes, Symphony envelopes her glass in a crimson aura to levitate it over to the desk as she sits up to bring Sugar Fizz closer by her knees.

"I do so enjoy how adorable you get during these rare drunk rants and maybe I'm a bad friend for encouraging you." Symphony leans on the mare's legs gently, "Though I am a curious mare, enjoying the odd social experiment here and there... I've never been one to hold my tongue or not say what's on my mind. If I didn't support you, dear, I'd tell you so. How the two of you work intrigues me, I can't say I've seen you go so out of your way to have an entire formula created simply to help a friend through their transition period. That's not the Sugar Fizz I knew from last year... Meeting Amore changed you and I personally like how much happier you seem for courting her. " Symphony gives Sugar Fizz a supporting smile, making her sigh and return the favour.

Sugar Fizz turns to pour more of the liquid from a wine bottle before it's floated out of reach.

"Mrr... Gimme..." Sugar Fizz reaches for the bottle.

"Nope, we need to sober you up for this evening, can't let the music club have all the fun." Symphony boops Sugar Fizz's nose making her scrunch up slightly, causing the mare to laugh, "You are precious~"





Amore stretches as she briskly walks down the corridor from her dorm room, stopping to slide down the banister of the right side academy stairwell, stopping on the second floor when she sees Symphony.

"Evening, Amore." She greets with a sly smile.

"President. What brings you here this late? The music club's performance starts in a few minutes." Amore states suspicious of the mare.

Symphony walks with Amore to the ground floor of the academy, practically escorting her towards the main hall.

"Nothing in particular, just wanted to let you know that the music club can relax this evening." Symphony smiles as they approach the double doors.

Amore gives Symphony an even more confused look which makes her smile widely.

"I'm not sure I follow... I thought the music club was in charge of providing the festival music?" Amore asks, a little confused.

Symphony nods, "True, you are. This afternoon a certain pony confided in me about a conversation they had with another earlier in the morning about their view on the distasteful union of classes in your courtship," Amore frowns and goes to say something as Symphony raises her hand to stop her, "That's why your club was relived for this evening. I lent her a selection of my best entourage for her performance. So she could form her reply to you and make a statement to those who covet their discontent, knowing my musicians are backing her, displays my support."

Amore takes a deep breath and sighs, "You're something else entirely, prez... Kinda scary actually."

Symphony chuckles lightly, making Amore a little nervous, a feeling which fades as the gathered crowd's whispers fall to silence as the curtains open and a light reveals Sugar Fizz accompanied by a pianist, guitarist and drummer. Sugar Fizz takes a deep breath before speaking.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming, we thought it would be nice if the student council mixed things up a little and pitched in with the festival entertainment," Sugar Fizz adjusts her tie slightly. "So, hopefully, you'll bear with me. It's been a few years since I've sung properly."

Nodding to herself and her present company, the pony begins playing her keyboard on the left getting in several notes before Sugar Fizz begins singing, taking Amore by surprise at how utterly enchanting the mare's singing voice is, despite her modest comment prior. After a couple of lines, the drums join the vice president accompanied by the right guitar as she slowly feels more comfortable, letting her feelings flow in the form of song. Symphony smiles to herself as she watches the light in Amore's eyes stare in wonder at her marefriend, seemingly understanding the feelings behind her song, sighing very lightly as if afraid to interrupt her perception towards Sugar Fizz. As the song progresses Amore continues, unblinking in her concentration, what feels like an eternity passing before her eyes as she envelopes herself in the music, not noticing when Symphony left her side, no less mysterious than she was before. The song concludes sooner than Amore would have liked, Sugar Fizz and company bowing before the mare slips away as the remaining three provide more music for the evening.

Exhaling deeply, Sugar Fizz sat down on a nearby crate to catch her breath, her heart still racing from the performance. Suddenly, her attention is drawn to the subtle approach of her roommate, who is oddly playing with a stray bang.

"Hey, you... You're acting abnormally timid, what's up?" Sugar Fizz prompts Amore who takes a sharp breath.

"You were beautiful... I wasn't quite expecting the president to hijack the entertainment nor that you'd end up performing, but... I can't say I'm disappointed." Amore walks over to stand in front of Sugar Fizz.

Sugar Fizz chuckles as she takes Amore's hands and sighs, "It wasn't something I planned and truth be told my head is pounding from the blood wine I drank prior to this evening... The president, however, felt it was important not only to sing you a reply but to display a message for those like Pearl who don't approve of our courting. It's a stupid Vampire status thing..."

"She did say something like that but I wasn't really listening... I wanted to apologise for how difficult I might have been since the trip to Manehattan. This whole Vampire thing and then everything else that just seems to get piled on top like Shintaku... I really appreciate you staying by me, even after the shit she tried to pull." Amore states with a sigh.

Sugar Fizz chuckles before pulling Amore closer to lean her forehead against the mare's, "Don't be silly. I suppose I've been invested in you since the day I met you and someone commented today that she hasn't seen me quite so happy before this started." Sugar Fizz adjusts to give Amore a brief, yet deep kiss, "As often as she likes to meddle... She is never far wrong."

Amore blushes lightly as the pair nuzzle each other, "Can we go for a walk? I really feel like a late evening stroll would be perfect." Amore asks, coaxing Sugar Fizz from her perch as she lets herself be guided to the door.
> One Does Not Simply...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Final day of the festival…

Amore took a deep breath, sighing lightly as it’s her turn to tend the candy floss machine while Scarlet Orange was baking the abnormal candy floss muffins. Aqua Streak sighs as she leans back in the chair, sighing deeply.

“Does anyone know where Veronica and Derpy are?” Amore asks putting the new tray of pink candy floss on the table.

“I’m not entirely sure; they haven’t shown up yet this morning. Hey, I don’t suppose you could get us some more supplies from the home ec room?” Scarlet Orange asks putting a tray into the oven next to her.

Amore nods and leaves the stand to head back towards the academy, the home ec classroom being on the right side of the second floor. Taking a small detour back in the direction of her room first.





Entering her dorm room, Amore stretches as she wanders over to the mini-fridge, grabbing a cherry flavoured soda. Popping the cap with a nearby bat styled bottle opener, Amore heads to the bathroom before a shooting pain prevents her from drinking. Leaning over to grab the sink, another pulse of a stronger pain flows up inside her, causing her to drop the soda bottle. The glass fell and smashed against the tiled floor, spilling its contents. Amore stumbles, holding her chest tightly as she works to stabilize her balance, the black shoes protecting her feet from the glass shards.

“Ngh… Fuck-“ Amore is hit by another wave, forcing her against the opposite wall as her body begins to heat up. “I didn’t think skipping breakfast would hurt like a bitch!”

Amore groans in pain, sliding over to fall into the shower. As she falls, Amore manages to turn on the cold water, allowing it to drench her heating body. Glancing towards the door, Amore’s vision begins to blur before she completely passes out.

“Amore?!” The voice of Sugar Fizz rings through Amore’s ears, making her blink open her eyes.

Amore’s vision is still blurry, but she can make out Sugar Fizz navigating the glass to squat down beside the shower entrance. Her expression is filled with worry for the downed mare before she is suddenly grabbed from behind by what looks like Shintaku.

“Poor thing. You’re not looking too good, are you?” Shintaku chuckles, “I’ll be taking her now. All you had to do was suffer more and destroy yourself, but even that seemed too complicated for a Von Scratch.”

Shintaku waves tauntingly before vanishing in a spell of coloured light. Amore stumbles forwards, only succeeding in planting herself face first into the floor. Blinking in distress, she outstretches her hand in the direction Sugar Fizz was standing, flopping down to pass out again.





“What the fuck happened in here?” Veronica’s voice is the next to grab Amore’s attention, making her groan, “Derpy, grab one of Amore’s sodas. They are the bright red bottles!”

The next thing she knows is the sensation of having liquid force fed to her as she tries to drink as much as possible. Amore coughs and slowly manages to blink open her eyes, as the blurriness fades.

“Where the fuck have you two been?” Amore asks bluntly, making Veronica sigh.

“That doesn’t matter, what does matter is this mess. What happened here?” Veronica asks as both her and Derpy help Amore to stand.

Amore gets her bearings and manages to lean up against the wall as her haze clears up and she can think straight again. “That damn seer or whatever she is took Sugar Fizz while I was in one of my episodes… Judging by this one, I’m only getting worse.” Amore sighs deeply as she rubs her eyes.

Veronica leans against the opposite wall while Derpy goes and tries to find a mop and broom. Taking a deep breath, Veronica looks at Amore.

“I can’t tell you what to pick and I don’t believe anyone can tell Amore Von Scratch how to live her life. Nor can I understand what you are going through or how it feels.” Veronica sighs, “What I can tell you, is as a friend, I want you to pick the choice that is right for you, that it’s what you want.”

Amore smiles at the support, pushing off the wall to stretch before moving into the bedroom. Getting undressed fully as Veronica steps through, she finds herself a set of fresh clothes and grabs her longsword from its case.

“Thank you… For more than just your support. Even back to the rooftop when we were enemies, I can trust you to be honest.” Amore puts the headphones around her neck and places the MP3 player in her blazer pocket, “I’m going to go kick some old ladies’ ass, then I’ll be back… One does not simply fuck with a Von Scratch.” Amore states and walks out the door.

Veronica smiles as she watches Amore leave the room with her sword, intent on causing trouble. Sighing deeply, she heads back towards the bathroom to start cleaning up the glass while she waits for Derpy to return.





Amore takes a couple of deep breathes, her sword stuck in the ground as she stands before Shintaku’s family crypt. Using the blade of her sword, she pops the top of a new soda bottle before starting to drink it. After downing the entire bottle, Amore throws said now empty bottle against the crypt to shatter it. She then picks up her longsword and heads inside and down the stairs.

The mare stops as she notices very disturbing changes since her last visit, such as the open coffins and off-centre tomb lids. “Oh, for fuck sake… Really?”

Amore groans as she prepares her longsword, the sounds of shuffling bones getting louder towards her. After several seconds throws of skeletons wielding cutlasses come up the stairs to spill onto Amore’s floor.

“Nice to see you recovered, saves me the pleasure of ending you myself.” Shintaku chuckles evilly.

“The fuck is your problem? I only met you a few days ago, the shit did I ever do to you?” Amore asks, assuming her stance, longsword angled towards the ground.

Ignoring Amore’s question, the horde of skeletons begin their assault by charging the mare. Their movements and attacks are erratic, coming from every direction and in a relentless rhythm that Amore can barely block. The undead army soon forces Amore into a corner, running out of crypt to defend from. Leaning back in surprise, the skeletons in front of Amore suddenly explode into fragments as their skulls are blown apart. Standing near the entrance of the crypt's entrance is Veronica wielding a Russian P-96m.

“I figured you could use a hand. Derpy had nearly finished cleaning up your mess.” Veronica states with a smile, unloading the remainder of her magazine to give them some breathing room, ejecting it once empty in favour of a new full magazine from a holster around her thigh.

Kicking a skeleton back, Amore cuts through a small group of four as she turns to Veronica. “Thanks for the rescue… I didn’t expect her to raise an entire crypt against me.” Amore states in frustration as she continues to push back the undead.

Battling for around half an hour, the duo finally pushes the house as far back as the stairs leading down to the second floor. Both mares are panting and feeling more than a little fatigued against the relentless defence.

“So… The Von Bone necromancers, huh?” Veronica chuckles while reloading yet another magazine. “I’d wager we’ve put down about sixty-six or so…”

Amore laughs lightly as she leans on the handle of her sword. “That’d leave about one hundred members left between us and Shintaku…”

Veronica gives Amore a blank look before drawing a silver short sword from under the back of her shirt. Adopting a new stance, the Hooviet mare cracks her neck slowly as she begins to walk down the stairs. The gunshots and grunts indicating she’s begun clearing out their obstacle.

Finally catching her breath, Amore kicks up the blade of her longsword, putting on the headphones as she takes out her MP3 to cycle through for a song. Finding one she likes, Amore charges down the stairs to join Veronica. Letting the beat guide her, Amore takes out a skeleton who’d snuck behind Veronica. Running along the wall, Amore manages to land in front, cutting down a swath of bones before Veronica leaps over her shoulder, shooting another group with key precision. The Hooviet rolls out of the way behind a tomb as she reloads, popping up to suppress the horde while Amore cuts them down one by one, blocking, dodging or deflecting cutlasses, longswords and spears. Pushing the crypt to its limit, the flow of undead trickles lower before fizzing out as they stop.

“There, that should be all of them. I’ll hang back here while you deal with the head bitch.” Veronica gives Amore an encouraging tap on the shoulder as she begins to search the second floor of the crypt.

Taking down the headphones, Amore mounts her longsword on her shoulder, reaching the double stone doors of Shintaku’s room. Coiling her leg back and using her new strength, she easily kicks open the doors, causing them to crack against the wall. Proceeding into the plain room, almost directly in front of her is a badly beaten and bloody Sugar Fizz. Gasping, Amore drops her sword and slides to her side, cradling the mare gently.

“Sugar Fizz! You alright?!” Amore asks, shaking her gently.

Sugar Fizz groans and slowly opens her eyes. “I held out as long as I could… She’s quite powerful for a hag…”

Sugar Fizz coughs harshly and spits blood out to the side. In front of the pair is Shintaku, flipping a pair of knives up in the air. “Nice of you to finally join us, half-breed…” Shintaku grins as she summons and plays with two more knives.

Amore grabs her longsword and charges at the seer, slashing in her direction. Shintaku blocks Amore’s blade with two floating knives, using the free pair to cut across Amore’s thighs. The afflicted mare unlocks her sword, attempting an X-shaped slash, but Shintaku leans backwards each time. Grinning widely, she spins around Amore,  using all four knives to cut and slash her arms and torso, stopping back in front of Amore. Shintaku spins a final time to land a harsh kick in Amore’s stomach; the resulting impact sends her flying back across the floor, stopping just short of Sugar Fizz, her longsword only a few meters away.

Coughing loudly, Amore reaches for her longsword, only to have Shintaku throw a knife into her right hand. “Aah! What the fuck is your problem, bitch?!” Amore holds her hand in pain, kneeling up as she sits back.

“I suppose I should explain the agony you’re about to endure and eventually die by…” Shintaku throws a knife into Amore’s left upper arm, eliciting another scream. “Where to begin...? A very long time ago, your ancestor, Sempre Forte ‘The Devil’s Musician’, a pirate both feared and respected sailed under a certain flag. The Bloodmoon Pirates, led by Lula Bloodmoon… That undead witch ruined me, but it was your bitch ancestor who played the melody that haunted me for centuries…” Shintaku throws her last two knives into Amore’s thighs.

“Luna fucking damn it! Will you stop!” Amore groans as she shuffles back to Sugar Fizz, “Why punish me?! I’ve done nothing to you!”

“You. Don’t. Get. It!” Each word is accompanied by the harsh impact of four more summoned knives. Amore’s right shoulder, left lower arm, right leg, and finally her right chest, all four making her exclaim in pain.

Amore coughs hard, spitting blood out onto the stone floor. “No… I do. You’re a crazy old bitch…”

Shintaku laughs hard. “Even in your final moments, you’re defiant… How very Von Scratch of you. Though the fight you put up was rather short. Say goodbye to your roommate before I end you both.” Shintaku summons an army of floating knives.

Sugar Fizz reaches to hold Amore’s left hand very tightly. “Amore… It’s okay. We tried; nobody could ask for more…”

Amore shakes her head, “No! We’d barely begun! I finally found my mom… You helped me move past it. You made me pause, made me forget why I was running…” Amore starts to tear up, staring into Sugar Fizz’s eyes.

“10… 9… 8… 7…” Shintaku wears a big grin, opening her arms wide.

Amore looks at Shintaku as she counts down, turning her gaze back down at Sugar Fizz, frantically searching for an answer before stopping at her hand, seeing her blood. “Sugar… I need your permission… Please.” Amore pleads, making Sugar Fizz look confused.

“Amore… You need to be sure…” Sugar Fizz squeezes Amore’s hand tighter.

Amore nods, “I’ve never been more sure of anything.” Sugar Fizz smiles in reply and adjusts to expose her neck.

Amore takes a deep breath, spreading her wings and turning her eyes blood red before gently sinking her fangs into Sugar Fizz’s neck, drinking her blood deeply.

“Aww, that’s cute, but it’s a bit late now dear.” Shintaku chuckles and throws her arms forward.

The knives all begin flying towards Amore and Sugar Fizz, the mare’s Vampire wings seemingly growing in size at a gradual pace as she drinks slowly. Amore’s wings cover Sugar Fizz, taking numerous knives that don’t miss or hit her body instead. After being sure all the knives have been used, Amore spreads her wings, shaking out most of the blades, letting out a deep exhale as she lifts her head.

"How do you feel…?” Sugar Fizz asks, glancing up at Amore.

Amore flexes her wings and tries to settle on how to describe the sensation she feels.

“Odd? But in a good way? It’s hard to explain. How are you? You had already lost a lot of blood.”

Sugar Fizz chuckles and pulls herself up into a sitting position.

“I’ll be fine, just need some rest… I believe you need to deal with her…” Sugar Fizz states, pointing to Shintaku.

Nodding, Amore picks up Sugar Fizz and sits her on the left side of the door, leaning her up against the wall. She then walks back over and flips her sword up into the air using her foot, catching the handle.

“This is an unexpected outcome… However, it makes little difference, you’ll both die down here and my revenge will take a step closer…” Shintaku states, summoning a plethora of new knives.

Amore grits her teeth as she clenches both hands tightly, her right gripping the longsword handle. Inside she can feel herself channeling something new and powerful, almost magical in nature. Taking a deep breath, the growing crimson aura around her calms and flows more naturally making Shintaku frown.

“You’re so stupid… Holding onto a centuries-old grudge like it’s all that mattered… Then you attempt to try and take away my happiness, the first I’ve had in several years…” Amore’s aura grows even more.

“W-what do you think you’re doing?!” Shintaku sends a couple of knives towards Amore, only to have her deflect them with greater speed than before.

Amore steadies her breath, seemingly fighting with herself, the aura reflecting this struggle. “That’s the scary part, I don’t know… It feels like a raging fire inside, burning through my veins” Amore is brought to her knees in pain, her fangs full and her wings are slightly larger than a normal Vampire.

Shintaku scoffs as she combines three knives into a larger version, sending it towards Amore. The mare doesn’t dodge, letting it fly past her face, slicing across her cheek. The only indication Amore knew she was bleeding, came from the many droplets that landed on her sword blade.

Amore’s aura wraps around her longsword, engulfing it entirely. Suddenly the aura blinks and evolves into a brighter more vibrant red as the blood drops are absorbed by the sword. Standing up, Amore takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Holding out her sword, the aura begins to shift and change, morphing the longsword into an entirely new shape. The handle curves and extends to create a detailed oval with grooved design structure and ridges for grip. The blade follows suit curving before going straight, its back arching as it slides down again, curving into a point. Once finished and the aura died down, the final product resembles a detailed, elegant scissor blade. Amore swings it around, testing it as she does a couple of twirls while spinning her new blade around.

Shintaku’s eyes widen as she watches Amore, the mare’s figure shifting to a smiling black silhouette wearing what looks like a pirate hat and trench coat, wielding a similar scissor blade.

“Even after all this time, you still mess with me! Curse you Sempre Forte!” Shintaku sends as many knives as she can towards Amore in a fit of searing rage, constantly spawning more.

Amore’s gaze turns sharply, her attention focused on the hail of sharp knives heading in her direction. Slowly walking forwards, Amore adjusts her headphones while deflecting select knives, allowing her to slide, sidestep and spin around others while she sorts out the MP3 with a suitable song. Once found, Amore slips the device back into her blazer pocket before speeding forwards, deflecting many more knives as she cuts a path directly to the seer. Growling, Shintaku spawns a menacing curved blade with a skull as the hilt.

“You come into my life,” Amore spins as she slams her scissor blade against Shintaku’s sword, actually pushing her back slowly as the impact ripples throughout the room, “Try to ruin what I have,” Amore puts more force behind her blade, making Shintaku jump backwards, “I don’t care for your grudge… By fucking with my girlfriend, you made it personal!” Amore’s blood red eyes shift to match her aura as it still tempers inside her.

Shintaku grows in frustration as she summons another curved skull sword, charging back towards Amore. The pair collide, trading multiple slashes and deflects as Sugar Fizz is treated to a fast-paced spark show. Amore flips over Shintaku, spinning as she does. Upon landing, the mare manages to get in a strike across her back. Turning sharply with a fierce scowl, Shintaku constantly sees flashbacks of Sempre Forte during the time she knew her.

“Enough!” Shintaku lets out a burst of energy, forcing Amore to backflip away from her. “I’m sick of your games… This. Ends. Now!”

“I couldn’t agree more!” Amore flips her scissor blade backwards as she charges at Shintaku yet again.

When the two collide for the second time, Amore takes the offensive, managing to gain the upper hand in speed. Landing a few precise slashes, Amore sticks her blade into the floor performing a more powerful two-step kick to Shintaku’s chest and face, causing her to reel back. Spinning her scissor to gain momentum, Amore releases it in Shintaku’s direction, skewering her through the chest. Dropping her swords upon impact, she is carried to the opposite side of the room and pinned against the wall.

“Gah!” Shintaku exclaims in pain as she weakly attempts to pull the blade out of her chest.

Amore pulls down her headphones sharply, “Please just stop!” Amore exclaims loudly, emitting a flash from her aura. “Will you please just stop… Look at yourself, you used to be head of a vast necromancer coven till someone came along and ruined your life. I get it, I do… But what do you think you’re doing? What makes you any different? I’m not my ancestor!”

Shintaku gives pause, taking the time to properly look at Amore. Slowly the silhouette fades as the mare comes into focus, looking around her before down at the scissor blade.

“T-this isn’t over Amore Von Scratch!” Shintaku snaps her fingers, vanishing in a cloud of white dust.

Amore heaves a sigh of relief, turning back towards Sugar Fizz, who is standing just behind her. Amore wears a slight smile.

“That wasn’t so bad-“ Amore cuts out as she collapses into her lover’s arms.

Sugar Fizz gently cradles Amore in her arms, sighing deeply as she strokes a strand of hair out of the mare’s face.

“Welcome to the fold, my beloved Amy.” Sugar Fizz gives Amore a light kiss, draping her over her shoulder as she begins to shuffle out of the crypt.
> In the Dark of the Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sugar Fizz stares into the bathroom mirror, sighing deeply as she looks over her dishevelled state. The mare's mane is slightly scruffy, her white shirt is unbuttoned at the top and she lacks her skirt or stockings. Slapping her face gently, Sugar Fizz finishes filling a bowl with cold water before carrying it through to the main room.

Sitting down on their desk chair, she pulls closer to the bunk bed, placing the bowl atop the chester drawers between the bed and desk. Exhaling a deep breath, Sugar Fizz casts a concerned glance towards Amore who laid naked on a towel. She was panting and sweating heavily, a flannel already across her forehead.

"Please hang in there..." Sugar Fizz picks up the flannel, squeezing out the warm water into another bowl on the desk, exchanging it for the fresh cool water before putting it back.

The small gesture seemingly puts Amore at ease, if only a little, causing Sugar Fizz to smile lightly. Her attention is suddenly grabbed as their bedroom door is cracked open, Scarlet Orange peeking in.

"How is she?" Scarlet Orange asks, moving further into the room slowly.

"Sleeping about as well as she can at the moment. Her pattern follows the same as the last two days since the night we left the crypt..." Sugar Fizz leans back in the chair.

Scarlet Orange passes a soft sad glance between the two mares, moving to place her hand on Sugar Fizz's shoulder.

"I can watch her for a little bit; you should stretch a touch and talk to someone, okay?" Scarlet Orange bears a comforting smile.

Sugar Fizz nods, groaning as she stands up, searching in the darkness for a skirt, forgoing her stockings as she slips on a pair of shoes. Grabbing a small bottle, she sprays herself with the perfume in the bathroom, taking a small inhale.

"Thank you, Scarlet Orange... It's been a rough two days." Sugar Fizz grabs her blazer, but sighs as she puts it back down, placing her phone in a skirt pocket instead, before heading to the open door.

"Hey..." Scarlet Orange states making Sugar Fizz pause and turn back towards her, "I know when Amore first came here, my sister and I didn't think too much towards you... Nor whatever you had planned for Amore, but I'm happy she has someone like you."

Sugar Fizz shakes her head, smiling a little at Scarlet Orange. "I've not always been there for her... Half the times I 
wasn't, you two were. She is... Unique. I'll be back soon." Sugar Fizz states before leaving, closing the door properly behind her.





Sugar Fizz stretches lightly, walking along the corridor in the early morning, students still getting to their classes. Eventually, Sugar Fizz reaches the lecturer's lounge, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door gently.

"Come in, Miss Fizz," Aurora calls from the other side of the door.

Sugar Fizz opens the door, "How did you know it was me?" She asks stepping inside the room as the door slowly closes.

Aurora sits up on the sofa before placing a bookmark in and closing her book and setting it on a table nearby. "I lived with Amore's mother back when we were students. You learn to listen."

Sugar Fizz shuffles towards and sits down beside Aurora, practically flopping back in the seat, "It's not like she's been quiet... I shouldn't be surprised, everything she does is loud." A light chuckle can be heard as Sugar Fizz rubs her eyes.

Aurora shrugs. "She's a vampire, Sugar. She may not seem it, but she can be exceptionally quiet when she wants. And with a mare like her... Anyway, that's not what you're here for. Is something wrong?"

"Amore in general is loud. Vampire or not, quiet isn't how she rolls..." Sugar Fizz sighs and rubs her neck slightly, "She's been in that state since the night she defeated Shintaku on the last day of the festival... Gave me a scare when she suddenly started screaming, such agony and pain in one voice... She's more restful during the day, but at night..." Sugar Fizz shivers and sighs deeper.

Aurora sighs. "I wish I could say there's a cure all, but there isn't. All you can really do is keep her hydrated and comfortable. If she'll drink, it should ease the transition some, especially if she'll take from the tap," Aurora states, tapping her neck, "but she didn't seem all too keen on the idea before. And even if she were to, and someone was willing, it would only help so much."

Sugar Fizz ruffles her mane in frustration, "I hate this, the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach like I want to throw up or throw myself into a moving train... Neither are likely to kill me, mind you..." She leans back again, "I haven't slept since a couple of hours before her process started. So, about nearly sixty or so hours I've been awake... I've missed classes, but neither my fatigue or my falling behind are what make me feel like this... I can't do anything and I feel utterly useless in this situation." Sugar Fizz rubs her eyes more, groaning.

Aurora shakes her head. "If she manages to rest relatively calmly during the day, sleep with her then. You need rest just as well. Keep her hydrated. Keep her as comfortable as you can. If you can convince her to feed, and can find a willing donor, keep her fed. And just... Be there when it's all over with. That's the biggest thing. I know it's hard, and it's a little scary," Aurora sighs, shaking her head. "Understatement of the millennium, but this is the kind of pain that only goes away with time. First thing she's going to want to see when she's fully conscious is you, by her side."

"Scary? I'm fucking terrified. I've never had to deal with anything close to this. Corporate espionage and cutthroat businesses have nothing on this. Not even my mothers had to do anything like this. Bonbon was turned, she didn't go through all this hybrid stuff. Least turning is a somewhat swift and not nearly as painful process... Give me a company that owns the market and within a few years I'll have toppled them... Give me my first courting partner writhing in pain during a hybrid adjustment process and I'm like a leaf..." Sugar Fizz sniffles, feeling so out of sorts, "Were you taught this advice or?"

Aurora shakes her head, laughing lightly. "We teach you lot quite a bit, but covering hybrids and their transitions, especially if they take to their supernatural sides... Nothing prepares you for that. I had a partner back before the fall of the Empire. She was a vampire hybrid who took to her vampiric side as well. Fun week..."

Sugar Fizz blinks, "So, you've literally been where I am... How did you cope? Because I don't think I'm doing a good job of it..."

Aurora shakes her head, laughing a little harder. "You're funny. I didn't. Not really. How could I? I just did what I could, as best I could. I made sure she had water when she was calm enough to drink. I kept her as comfortable as possible. Replaced covers and pillows when needed. I had her feed if she needed it. I insisted upon it at least once a day. Eased the pain, even if only just a little. And I stayed close. Closest thing I had to coping was to simply push through it. She'd be well again eventually, and I'd be there until she was and after."

Sugar Fizz takes a deep breath before looking up at the ceiling, "I had such a clear cut path in my mind for my second year. Get ahead in studies, expand, maybe even delve into my mother's speciality of sweets to try that out... Then, practically at the start of the academic year, I meet Amore. Everything thrown into disarray. Is that an effect Von Scratch's have? I feel it's an effect." She chuckles and holds back a mild yawn, shaking it from her mind gently.

Aurora tilts her head, laughing a little. "I only really know Amore and Vinyl, but basing it off those two, quite possibly. But, I mean, is it a bad thing?"

Sugar Fizz shakes her head, "I don't feel it is, but then I haven't slept for sixty hours so..." She chuckles before standing up to stretch hard, "I should be getting back... Scarlet is capable, but..."

Aurora nods. "Get some sleep when you can... And do try to convince her to feed. And I don't mean from your concoctions. They can soothe one over if need be, but you know they aren't close to the actual thing."

Sugar Fizz nods, "I do... Least I did after Amore let me drink from her. I have a lot of improvements and dose adjustments to make when I've got the time... I'll try to ask one of her friends, if possible."

Aurora smiles lightly. "Those girls are too good for her. That likely won't be a huge problem. The obstacle is more getting her to agree to it. She did live as a normal until recently."

"If she'd get any benefit from it I know she'd happily drink from me, but... That's not how it works for normal Vampires, even hybrids." Sugar Fizz sighs again, "I'll figure something out. If she remains stubborn, there is little I can do about it."

Aurora nods lightly. "Ain't that the truth."

"Thank you, for the advice and listening. If she isn't too bad I'll get some rest back at the room." Sugar Fizz takes some time to collect herself before leaving the lounge.





Sugar Fizz walks down the hall, glancing out the window at the Everfree beyond their academy, sighing to herself before she frowns softly. In the distance, towards the dorms,  she could hear the soft lull of a soothing melody, being sung so sweetly. Following her original path, she finds the source is from her own room, making the mare even more confused before she blinked at who it sounds like. Slowly and softly opening the door, she peeks in to see Princess Luna sitting in their desk chair beside the bed, leaning over to gently stroke Amore's mane.

"Come, little children, the time's come to play, here in my garden of shadows~" Princess Luna lulls sweetly as her melody ends, passing a glance at Sugar Fizz before she moves her hand to lay in her lap instead, "Afternoon, Miss Fizz."

Sugar Fizz steps inside, closing the door behind her as softly as possible, "Principal Luna, I didn't... I didn't expect you to or... I didn't think you'd..."

Princess Luna smiles softly and waves her hand gently, "Amore is Vinyl's daughter, whom is not only a dear friend, but an invaluable right hand for the last nineteen years... Keeping an eye on her is the least I could do to return all she has given me."

Sugar Fizz nods and sits on the edge of the bunk, close enough she can check Amore's forehead and condition.

"Thank you... I've been struggling to make her comfortable or feel I'm helping her." Sugar Fizz states with a sad expression.

Princess Luna sighs softly as she turns Sugar Fizz by her chin to look at her, "Oh, little one... I could quell her nightmares, 'tis true. Though, she only truly settled once you were felt at the door. Were only I could shed even the tiniest light on how much you have eased her. I know Vinyl would want to be here, if only our situation wasn't so demanding... As a mother, I can understand her frustration. She has observed from afar, Amore's progress, often missing certain events because of her work for me... I can imagine that if I were to get my daughter back after all this time, I'd not wish to miss anything substantial like her transition."

Sugar Fizz frowns, "You were a mother, Princess Luna?"

"In these conditions, simply Luna will suffice, Sugar Fizz." Princess Luna smiles slightly, "I was, around 508 years ago in the early 1500s, such a beautiful and strong spirited mare she was."

"Princess-" Sugar Fizz takes a breath, "Luna. What happened to your daughter?"

"I don't know. She went off and I haven't seen her since. Naturally, I hope she's alive somewhere, but I suppose we'll see." Princess Luna sighs lightly as she stands up and brushes off her dress. "Trust me when I say, you're doing just fine here. It'll be over soon, I promise."

Sugar Fizz bows slightly as Princess Luna leaves the room. Exhaling lightly, Sugar Fizz brushes Amore's mane aside while she looks over her. Sugar Fizz slowly strips her clothing piece by piece, leaving them on the floor before sliding into bed next to her lover, pulling the quilt over them as she settles. Giving Amore an affectionate nuzzle, she closes her eyes as she narrowly misses a peaceful expression flash across Amore's face.
> History of the Name Von Scratch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore rubs the back of her neck as she rests against the comfy limo seat, glancing out the tinted window at the passing countryside as they leave Ponyville.

"How do you feel?" Sugar Fizz asks from the seat beside her, very gently holding the mare's free hand.

"Hmm... Tender mostly, a bit achy. It doesn't hurt as much as last night when I woke up," Amore smiles lightly as she now looks at Sugar Fizz.

Sugar Fizz looks around their compartment before finding a fridge, from which she retrieves two red soda bottles.

"During the time you were making your choice and the transition, I realised that my recipe wasn't as efficient as I'd like to believe... Otherwise, I wouldn't have needed the alternative recipe from Daisy Chain which I had made especially for you." Sugar Fizz pops the top and takes a mouthful. "While they are nice and flavourful... They hold only enough content to be considered a snack. Not enough to even begin to replace blood packs or adequate feeding..."

Amore frowns as she does the same, tilting her head from side to side. "I guess, but then that wasn't even your original goal. They were a supplement, not a meal replacer, least from how I understand it. Could always do a line of 'dark' sodas with heavier flavour," Amore chuckles jokingly as Sugar Fizz stares at her, blinking.

"That's..." Sugar Fizz kisses Amore gently, smiling, "You are amazingly oblivious to your own partial genius, you realise this?"

"Uh..." Amore frowns and raises an eyebrow.

"Exactly," Sugar Fizz giggles and gives her another kiss.

Amore shrugs to herself and just decides to enjoy it before turning her attention to the driver who was behind a retractable pane of black glass. "Hey, you work for my mother, right? What exactly do I call you? I'm assuming it's not Alfred," Amore asks the driver, the black window being lowered slightly shortly after.

Amore is met with the mysteriously chilling yet oddly comforting glance from the blood-red eyes in the rear view mirror. "I think you'll find, M'lady, Alfred is a Von Melody butler."

Amore gives a slight chuckle as she looks at Sugar Fizz who nods, "Wait, you're not fucking with me? Symphony legit has a butler called Alfred?!"

"I'll do my best to answer any queries you may have." The stallion glances at her again, making her shiver.

"Uh... How long have you been a butler for my mother?" Amore asks, staring, unsettled, but not disturbed.

Sugar Fizz leans back, sipping her soda as she seems equally interested.

"My colleagues and I have been Von Scratch family butlers for the past sixteen years, M'lady. Though only one of us specifically is Lady Von Scratch's personal butler," He answers as they continue through the countryside.

Amore sips her soda before glancing out the window briefly. "So, who do you and the last butler belong too?"

Just before Amore is about to get an answer, they suddenly stop outside of a sizeable mansion, confusing both mares.

"Were we not just in the countryside? W-what? H-how?" Sugar Fizz opens the door and looks around, seeing the estate gates down the road from them.

As Amore tries to process the ever so sudden skip in the scenery, her door is opened and she is greeted by a tall, yet elegantly refined middle-aged grey Earth Pony stallion with a well-groomed, short black mane and tail. Bearing a chilling, yet oddly comforting smile which matched his eyes.

Accepting his help in getting out of the limo, Amore more clearly takes in their surroundings and swears she should have seen their family estate before ending up in the driveway, surely. "How... How did you get us here so fast..?"

"I am simply one hell of a butler," The stallion smiles as he bows slightly, giving her hand a light kiss, Sugar Fizz watching in amusement as Amore shivers.

Their attention is turned towards a loud chuckle from Vinyl, who is atop the mansion steps. "You're unsurprisingly early."

Amore and Sugar Fizz proceed up the stairs, followed by the butler as Vinyl leads them inside. Amore looks around in wonder at the oddly robust and refined decor, surprised that this is her family home. "Wow..." She notices the portraits on either side of the corridor they enter, most specifically, one titled 'Sempre Forte'.

"I see you've found an interest in our history," Vinyl states walking up beside Amore who glances at her, "She's one of our more renowned ancestors from the pirate era, or should I say the most notorious."

"She sailed under the Bloodmoon pirates, right?" Amore asks randomly, remembering what Shintaku said.

Vinyl smirked, "Yup. Also known as the 'Devil's Musician', misfortune befell all who were lulled in by her sombre melody. She's also the first of our house to become a Vampire, although she has no sire." Vinyl looks at Amore briefly, "Oh, right. That's typically what we refer someone as, who has turned another into a Vampire."

"Ah, I see, that makes sense," Amore stares at the portrait.

Vinyl leads Amore down the rest of the decorative hallway, opening a set of double doors, she takes her into a well-furnished sizeable living room. In the middle of the rectangle-shaped room, is a stone fireplace with two luxury sofas and an armchair in front of it, with a coffee table between them. Lifting herself out of the armchair, an azure Earth Pony mare flips her similarly coloured hair with black highlights to the side, smiling towards Vinyl and Amore before brandishing what looks like the other half to Amore's scissor blade from beside the chair. Suddenly growing a wide grin across her face, Amore flicks out her wrist to summon her scissor before moving so fast she seemingly appears in front of the mysterious mare, their blades slamming together. The resulting impact sends out a shockwave which shakes the room slightly.

"Been a few months since I've seen you, sis," The mare's smile grows.

"I had honestly no idea about any of this when we met, I wish I did..." Amore states before the pair break away, trading a few slashes before clashing hard again.

The mare chuckles, pushing Amore away to try and spin kick her, which is deflected. "By the time I learned of your true identity, you were leaving CEA and I didn't get the chance to tell you anything."

Dropping their swords, the two embrace instead of sparring, Amore wearing an extremely happy expression.

"I'm glad we got on well at that academy, I almost didn't walk because of you, but..." Amore flinches, remembering her ex.

The mare shakes her head, "No, it's okay. Your girlfriend was a bitch, I understand why you had to get away. Though..." She looks past Amore at Sugar Fizz, "I didn't anticipate such a delicious upgrade~"

Amore blushes, stroking her arm, "Sugar Fizz is amazing..."

Vinyl walks over, shaking her head before sighing deeply. "Well, that's one way to greet each other... Back Beat, this is your twin sister, Turn Table, or as you know her... Iluzie."

Iluzie waves her hand slightly before bowing with a wide smirk, "Also, trouble works most of the time too~" She comments, making Vinyl roll her eyes.

Amore giggles, "Fairly sure I gathered that from the time we spent together at CEA." She smiles as Sugar Fizz joins Amore's side.

"A pleasure to see you again, Iluzie. I haven't had the pleasure since our last Supernatural Games," she smiles, giving a slight bow.

"Aquatic sports, I think, was last years theme. You didn't look half bad if I recall~" Iluzie purrs making Amore blush and wave her hands.

Amore frantically shakes her head, "No, no no!" She pouts and frowns at Iluzie who can't help but laugh.

"Oh, yes, definitely siblings with similar taste." Sugar fizz giggles.

Suddenly the butler from before appears beside Amore and gently clears his throat to garner her attention, making her jump slightly.

"Where the devil did you come from?!" Amore exclaims which earns her an amused chuckle from the stallion in question.

"Pardon M'lady, your room has been prepared and a bath drawn should you desire refreshment before this afternoon's event," The stallion states with a slight bow.

Amore nods slowly, opting to slip away with Sugar Fizz to try and find her room as they exit through two sizeable doors at the opposite end of the room they entered from. Vinyl rubs the back of her neck, glancing at the stallion nervously while Iluzie heads back to sit down on the nearby armchair.

"Alexander, do you think I'm trying too hard by bringing her home this early?" Vinyl asks, sighing as she looks at the stallion.

Brushing his mane aside for the moment after having bowed, he takes a second to think before replying, "It's generally tradition for Vampires to celebrate transitions or the coming of age process for their offspring. Mistress, if I may, it's my observation you're simply doing what any other mother would do for their child. You'll have to excuse me, we have some preparations to complete before other members of the family arrive." Alexander bows as Vinyl nods, promptly vanishing when she looks away.

Vinyl heaves a heavy sigh as she approaches the window, pouring herself a glass of whiskey from the collection bottles set up on display. "Sweet Luna... I wish you were here to help me through this, you stupid orange bitch..." She downs the glass before pouring herself another.





Amore slowly creeps open a fancy engraved dark oak door, entering as Sugar Fizz follows close behind. Both of them walk further into the room, admiring the fairly large space, adorned with a queen-sized four-poster bed in the middle opposite the door, a Chester draws and bedside table next to it. To the right of the room were two wardrobes and a dressing table, while to the left, beside the bathroom door was an outfitted desk and chair. The carpet is soft and an appealing shade of steel grey while her walls were painted crimson.

"Nice to see even the Von Scratch family doesn't skimp when it comes to furnishing their rooms~" Sugar Fizz giggles and crawls across Amore's bed with a subtle purr, "Oh, yeah...That's what a real quilt feels like~"

Amore can't help but give a chuckle at her marefriend, walking over to the bathroom door to see it's not vastly different to their dorm room, except the bath is in more of a rounded square shape and is set a little further from the sink but shares an expanded alcove space with the shower beside it. Whistling slightly, she turns back around, still glancing at the bath.

"Yo, you have to see this... The bath is like two and a half what we have at the academy-" Her statement is cut short as she turns her head into the room, seeing a suddenly stripped Sugar Fizz that causes her heart rate to increase and her cheeks to feel warm. "D-did you want to join me?"

Sugar Fizz can't help but suppress a growl at the poor mare, slowly walking towards her as she only melts the closer Sugar Fizz gets. "Well, you weren't having it all to yourself~" She giggles and strokes Amore's cheek, delivering the final blow as her blush spreads fully.

Amore follows Sugar Fizz back into the bathroom, stripping her uniform as she watches the alabaster mare slowly descend into the bath with a deep pleasured sigh. Eventually free of clothing, Amore shuts the door before joining Sugar Fizz, eliciting the loudest most ecstatic moan she has ever heard even making her blush a little.

"Oh, sweet Luna every fibre of my being is screaming in bliss~" Amore sighs and sinks herself low enough the light blue water encompasses her chest just below her neck.

Sugar Fizz giggles as she coats herself with hot water, sinking her face and mane beneath the surface before slipping closer to cuddle up to Amore when she comes back up. Slowly stroking her nimble fingers up and down the mare's stomach lightly under the water.

"Feeling a little jealous of the water, you never moaned for me like that~" Sugar Fizz chuckles as she lays her head on Amore's shoulder, "I can only imagine this bath feels like such bliss given the raw beating your muscles went through for several days."

Amore nods and leans her head back, feeling Sugar Fizz give her neck some playful nips and licks. "This bath feels like euphoric ecstasy after all that searing pain. Speaking of which... The girls told me you never left my side, but I figured that as I felt your presence during my process which really helped," she states, stroking Sugar Fizz's mane gently.

Sugar Fizz nods and cuddles closer, happy to get a more peaceful moment with her marefriend as they relax in the soothing hot water that caresses their bodies. "I even went to Aurora because I felt so helpless... After speaking with her I was a little better, but it still didn't ease the pain of watching you writhe like that."

Amore pulls her marefriend closer tightly as she nuzzles her lovingly, stroking Sugar Fizz's sides as they embrace. "I'm sorry... I know it'd be silly of me to apologise for being selfish given it was going to happen eventually... I'm sorrier I wasn't strong enough to beat Shintaku without putting you through that so early and right after dealing with her too."

Sugar Fizz chuckles as she moves Amore so she can start washing their manes. After several more minutes of bathing, the two get out of the bath and dry off before entering the bedroom again, Amore raising an eyebrow as she notices two sets of clothes laid out on the bed. They look at each other before inspecting the beautifully tailored casual dresses with short skirts, complimented with lace underwear in their respective colours. Amore blushes deeply, glancing to the side away from Sugar Fizz, the mare in question giggles before stroking Amore's hips.

"Don't these look gorgeous~" Sugar Fizz smiles before letting go to slowly get dressed, teasing Amore. Gracing her soft skin with the finely tailored pair of pure white lace panties, gracefully sliding the beautiful dress over her head and adjusting it. Turning around to show her back to Amore, glancing at the mare over her shoulder.

"O-oh right..." Amore swallows a little, still naked as she steps forward to help zip up the back of Sugar Fizz's dress.

"Thank you, Amy. I'll go on ahead and let you get dressed. Please don't be long, I get lonely without your company," Sugar Fizz gives Amore a gentle kiss on her lips before leaving the room.

Amore takes a deep breath, falling back onto the bed before groaning with a deep sigh. Throwing a casual glance towards the garment laid out for her, picking up the red lace panties with a blushing face. "Damn it, mother..."





Amore walks down the main staircase to see Alexander at the bottom seemingly waiting for someone before turning to bow slightly at the mare throwing her off at the sudden action.

"M'lady, if you'll allow me to escort you, most of the others have already gathered in the hall." Alexander lends his arm, Amore hesitantly taking it as she is guided down the corridors of her family's home.

They eventually reach a pair of old oak doors, Alexander releasing himself from Amore as he reaches forward to open them wide. The flurry of lights inside let loose as she is treated to the most splendid sea of colours, manes of varying colour and vibrant hues littered the sizeable gathering hall. Amore's face left in awe as she stepped forward past the bowing Alexander, glancing around the room at all the new faces. Everyone took the time from their conversations to give the mare a proper look over, their expressions seemingly in acceptance at this new random mare who had entered into their family.

"Took you long enough, sis," Iluzie is heard before coming into view in front of Amore who blushes deeply, "Loving the dress."

Amore brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, taking the time to appreciate her sister's different styled navy blue dress, reaching her ankles in a streamlined fashion. "You look beautiful too, Turn Table?" Amore states in question.

Iluzie laughs softly before wiping her face a little, "Sounds a little weird calling each other by our proper names, but I'm happy to do whatever you'd like to."

Amore nods, blushing slightly. "Then, Iluzie. There are so many people here... Is our family really this big?" She asks, looking around in wonder.

Smirking, Iluzie takes her sister's hand, leading her further into the mass to get her a glass of punch from one of the buffet tables, making Amore drool.

"Heh, steady sister, you're drooling." Iluzie chuckles before getting a flask out of her hanging pouch, pouring a touch of whiskey into either glass.

"Mhmm, you're definitely my sister~" Amore seemingly relaxes as she takes several heavy sips of the mixed beverage.

Iluzie gives a slight bow before leaning on the mare, "So, to answer your question, they come from all across Equestria and beyond. Most corners of the world you can think of, someone here is from there. This event was planned in advance since your transition began after your condition was relayed to mother."

Amore's eyes widen, looking around in wonder before stopping on a pure white mare with a slicked-back red mane with black highlights. She wears a blood red waistcoat which bares a dark red skull pattern on it, navy blue jeans with a black belt and a black leather armband around her right arm while sporting a pair of dark blue pilot shades.

"Who is that? She looks strong." Amore states sipping her drink while staring at the mare in question.

Iluzie glances in the direction of Amore's gaze, "Oh, that's our aunt, Hope. She's part of the Lycan side of our family." Amore looks at Iluzie with a confused expression, "A more evolved Werewolf basically."

Amore nods slowly, more surprised they had both sides within the family. She continues to glance around before stopping on one particular view, Amore's breathing catching in her throat which piques Iuzie's interest. Sipping her drink, she glances in the same direction to witness the same treat of Sugar Fizz standing out through one of the window doors that lead to the garden balcony. The colours in her mane made to shine and illuminate the mysterious dark, causing Amore to blush and feel her chest tighten.

"W-wow..." Amore's eyes barely blink, feeling entranced as her breathing shallows, worried to spoil the moment.

"Shit, was that your heart? I think half the room just heard your chest skipping there," Iluzie smirks before giggling, "I bet even Sugar heard it."

Amore shakes her head with a deeper blush, "N-no, there's no way-" She catches Sugar Fizz sneak a subtle glance in her exact direction with a sly smirk, "... She definitely heard it..." Amore looks around the room to see several people looking at her making her blush deeper.

Iluzie smirks, giving Amore a nudge forward making her grasp her glass, looking back to see her give a thumbs up. Swallowing, Amore pressed forward in a timely fashion, wanting to get out of the hall quickly as she suddenly runs into someone dropping her drink. Before she can even process the encounter her glass is held in front of her still with every drop of its contents. Confused, Amore looks up slightly to see the smiling face of whom she bumped into. In front of her stands a tall white stallion with a burnt orange mane similar to Amore's with brown highlights, a pair of crimson shades just barely hiding his light blue eyes, wearing a loose suit of some description and a regular gold hoop in his left ear.

"Steady there, anyone would think you're in a rush," He states, handing Amore her drink back.

"Thank you... Umm... I'm Amore." She states, introducing herself.

"The fabled niece I only got to hold once, much like her sister;" he smiles, bowing his head slightly, "my name is Long Play, Viny's brother. I'd add the Von Scratch, but there's little point at a party like this." He stands up straight again as Amore seems in awe again.

"I-I've heard several things- You were the DJ playing that club in Manehattan when I got my mark!" Amore exclaims as her eyes widen.

Long Play waves his arm to bow slightly with a smirk, "I hope it's treated you well. I'd have been remiss if I didn't take the chance to see what kind of Von Scratch you were born to be. I was not disappointed in the slightest, not to mention you have your mother's eye for taste." He turns to look towards Sugar Fizz, who is playing with a strand of her bubblegum blue mane as she stares up at the moon.

Amore blushes as she shuffles, shifting her mane to cover part of her face making Long Play smile, "Y-yeah... I can't imagine anyone else as my marefriend." She tucks the strands out of the way behind her ear as he leans back with a wide smirk.

"Don't worry, I got you, kid." Long Play taps her shoulder before turning to walk off towards the band.

Amore takes a few deep breathes before walking out onto the terrace, where Sugar Fizz stood by the railing. Calming herself, she placed her drink down and coughed lightly, "Hey..."

Sugar Fizz turned to Amore, wearing an extremely smug grin. "Saw something you like, I take it?"

Biting her lip, Amore suddenly hears the music change inside as a piano makes itself known, altering the overall atmosphere drastically. Stepping closer to Sugar Fizz, Amore abandons her whisky laced punch to place one hand on her hip while the other slides up Sugar Fizz's arm to take her palm softly. "You could say something like that, Miss Fizz..."

It was Sugar Fizz's turn to feel her chest tighten and heartbeat in her throat, as the sudden action took her by surprise. Amore smiling gently as she begins to lead the mare back and forth on the terrace landing swiftly, making Sugar Fizz question her capabilities. "Well... The mighty and rebellious Amore knows how to dance like a refined mare... When in Equestria did you make time for this?" She asks, a distinct crimson blush across her muzzle.

Choosing to keep it a mystery for just a little bit longer, Amore glides Sugar Fizz around smoothly. The pair making their way back inside through the crowd who part upon seeing them as they join similar couples also dancing to her uncle's piano playing. Not caring for the large crowd in the hall, Amore's entire focus was on her marefriend. "When we got back from Manehattan, I had a lot going through my mind... Somewhere in all that, I wanted to learn something that would pleasantly surprise you if the opportunity ever came up. As you know, I also let things get away from me and neglected our time together..."

"Amy..." Sugar Fizz cannot help but pull them closer together, sighing softly. "You're by far the sweetest mare I know. I'm not simply talking taste... The first mare I've ever courted, yet-" She is about to stroke Amore's cheek when the sudden resounding crash of the hall doors bursting open abruptly halts the music.

Standing in the doorway of the hall entrance is an angry Shintaku, glaring as she looks around the room. Her eyes find and fix on Amore who is still holding Sugar Fizz. "Amore! How typical for a Von Scratch to run away from her responsibilities when we have unfinished business!" She points dramatically in the mare's direction.

"Indeed we do..." A chilling yet alluring sultry voice is heard gently throughout the hall, sending intense shivers all over Shintaku's body as her eyes widen.

The room grew deathly quiet as a prominent chill spread through the hall, followed by the harrowing pull of a violin string. As the crowd turns towards the sound, slowly parting, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared in the darkness of the side corridor entrance to the hall. Amore looks confused as the entity begins singing, the stage band obliged to accompany while they stepped out of the shadows. The voice belonged to a finely dressed Unicorn mare, her silky looking alabaster fur complimented by the pirate era attire she is adorned with. The tight black pants and heeled boots accentuating her movements as she placed one leg close in front of the other, progressing into the hall. Jumping up onto a buffet table, gliding across it with simple ease while playing, spinning to show off her red-accented brown leather jacket that stopped halfway down her thighs which was open to view the black doublet she wore, a V let many eyes wander to her ample sized cleavage. Jumping off, her actions are followed by a trail of visible chill before she makes it a note to spend a little time near Amore seemingly eyeing the mare up before winking, tipping her brown pirate hat while her bow continued the song as it remained held in her magical grasp. Amore found interest in her blood-red mane and bright orange highlights before a sudden realisation hit her, making the mare feel a slight shiver in her stomach. Wearing a wide smirk, the mysterious Unicorn spun away heading towards Shintaku which seemed to fill her with fright as the song was slowly ended, drawing it out gently as she took hold of the bow once more.

"S-S-S... T-That's not possible, y-you died! T-They all died! Begone spectre, h-how dare you-" Shintaku rambles on before silencing herself as the mare's bow was pressed to her neck.

"Hath thou quite finished disturbing my little one's celebration, dear?" Her voice states, sending shivers once again through Shintaku. 

Amore raises her eyebrow as she can clearly hear both their hearts beating rapidly, Shintaku's sounding exactly like Amore's did towards Sugar Fizz. Finding interest overwhelm her, Amore walks over to the pair, her partner unsure if she should follow.

"E-Excuse me..?" Amore swallows gently, the mysterious mare turning to face her.

"Ah, yes, I apologise for my beloved's abrupt and venomous behaviour..." She strokes Shintaku's cheek, causing her breath to catch in her throat as her eyes softened. "I had plans after tonight's party to finally finish some business I've put off for the past few centuries..." The mare glances back towards Shintaku.

"Y-You're the 'Devil's Musician', I saw your portrait in the hall... Sempre Forte, right?" Amore's eyes are alight with intrigue and awe making Sempre smile.

"Hmm, indeed, thou art quite the observant one." Sempre looks around, clapping her hands together. "You'll have to forgive my early intrusion. Please continue the party as normal, tis Back Beat's night after all." The rest of the house bows gently before going back to their business, "Come now, Long Play, I was quite enjoying thy piano playing, wouldst thou be kind enough to continue?"

Long Play nods as he adjusts his suit a little, going back to his piano. Sempre sighs gently as she takes the seer's hand, motioning for Amore to follow as she led them both towards and out onto the terrace balcony so they didn't disturb the party further.

Shintaku grips Sempre's hand as she chokes, "The paper said everyone perished! That there were no survivors in the navy skirmish... I thought that banshee led you all to the grave." Her face sours, feeling so angry, "I couldn't find you in either life... I looked so hard..."

Sempre sighs deeply, her expression gentle but her heart deeply pained. "I know... I saw. I took part in the final voyage, stood by my beloved captain's side till the end of my service whence she released me from my ties as she faced Gold alone." She looks up towards the crescent moon, taking a deep breath. "I still recall... The delightfully toxic stench of so much death filling my senses, the smell of burning wood and salty sea air. On my captain's final orders, I fought till my needs were filled, gorging myself on the blood of the arrogant whelps in the navy as they whittled us down." Sempre turns back to face Shintaku. "When the smoke settled and the sea grew still, I played my violin once more for my loved captain before departing home... I... I wanted... You had such obligations to your house and after how things were left... I didn't... I watched you search for me, felt your pain..."

"Why didn't you just come back to me? You know my feud was never with my beloved musician... I just felt so angry after searching for decades, building inside me as it hurt so much... I grew resentful. Of Lula, you for leaving with her... When I met Amore, hearing your last name again boiled it all up. I never got told 'why'..." Shintaku's soft eyes burn her more, making Sempre clench her chest.

"I made a promise... I swore myself to that magnificent bitch the day I met her, that all I am or could be belonged to her. Such passion for not only her dreams but the sea and all its values enthralled me." Sempre sighs, holding Shintaku's cheeks, "Then I met the most gorgeous necromancer I'd ever seen... Please, don't hate Lula either. I know that's extremely hard to hear and I seriously don't blame you when we took her there so you could revive our captain. She saw how I looked at you, even offered me freedom from the pirate life to be with you... I refused given the number of enemies we had, I never wanted them to find you. Even after the end I systematically went from place to place, town to town, ending the bloodlines of every single person who had wronged me while serving in the Bloodmoon pirates."

Amore struggles to find air but eventually manages to speak, "W-what kept you from Shintaku after you killed them all?" She questions as Sempre wears a comforting smile.

"You did little one... Or, perhaps, not exactly you per se, but I needed to ensure my legacy was passed on to a suitable heir of my house before I could indulge my own desires. Speaking of which, you can stop hiding Miss Fizz." Sempre states, glancing passed Amore at the mare in question, who was just beside the doorway.

Sighing a little, Sugar Fizz walks out to stand beside Amore, instinctively taking her hand tightly. "I didn't mean to impose..."

"Nonsense, you've taken good care of little Back Beat. For that, I am very grateful. As such, I wish to entrust this to you specifically." Sempre pulls a vial out of a hip pouch before cutting her hand using a fang, filling it with her luminescent red blood. The flow soon stopping as her healing kicks in, Sempre offering her hand to Shintaku, who blushes brightly as she gently licks it clean, nuzzling it lovingly once the blood is gone.

While Sempre corks the vial, Shintaku turns to the pair, "You two... I apologise for my behaviour up to this point. I took centuries worth of resentment out on you and dragged my house into my selfish tantrum. Your dedication to Amore, even after my childish attempts was beautiful." She states to Sugar Fizz who holds Amore's arm softly. "I didn't get to mention this before... But I am a seer as well as a talented necromancer, I took a glance into your future. Oh, Back Beat... Sweetie, there will come a moment where you'll be tested. What it will be or when it'll come, I cannot say for sure, only that you'll be forced to choose between what's expected of you and what burns in here." Shintaku gently taps Amore's heart.

Amore's expression drops, feeling troubled at the grime news, before Sempre lifts her chin gently. "Do not despair, child, thou art a Von Scratch and I know you'll charge headfirst towards that which rings true to you. Now, Sugar Fizz, I'd very much like you to safeguard this for Amore. Tis my legacy and what I have waited centuries to impart upon a suitable heir."

Sugar Fizz takes the vial to slip into her pouch purse for safety. "I-I'll do my best, but why me and wouldn't Vinyl need to pass it down?"

Sempre shakes her head, "Until now I've not found a worthy heir to inherit the true power of our family legacy. Even Vinyl, the poor dear, bears the deep scars from failing her trial... However, Back beat, I feel you are the one I've long-awaited to inherit this potential. I'm going to retire to my chambers now and hopefully catch up on what feels like a millennium apart from Shintaku." She takes the mare's arm, Sugar Fizz and Amore standing aside to let them pass.

As they walk back through the party, Shintaku gives Sempre an odd look who responds without looking, "Go on, don't be afraid to ask, dear."

"What makes you so sure about her?" Shintaku asks, glancing back at Amore who is taking comfort in Sugar Fizz's arms.

Sempre wears a soft expression, "In the crypt, I tasted the blood she left behind. So familiar, yet incomplete, missing something... I've met her before, sampled the cherry glazed flavour of her blood once upon a time, years before now. Yet, this party is the first time I've met Amore as she is right now."

Shintaku frowns, "You mean..." She looks back sharply, "That doesn't make sense..."

Sempre shakes her head, "It's not our place to understand. I simply feel my role in her story has been fulfilled and in return, I was rewarded." She lays her head against Shintaku's arm gently, "I wish thou luck... Back Beat Von Scratch."
> Heartbeats under Moonlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore lays awake, holding the vial of luminescent blood her ancestor gave Sugar Fizz at last night's party. "What was all that even about and what am I meant to do with this?" Amore sighs deeply, the moonlight barely peering through her bedroom curtains as it's still very early.

Amore suddenly feels a light squeeze on her side that snaps her back to reality, seeing Sugar Fizz cuddled up to her. "Hnnn... You did sleep, didn't you?" Sugar Fizz asks while yawning cutely and nuzzling Amore's chest gently.

The mare in question puts the vial back in the pouch before laying it on the bedside table. "Kinda... I did manage a little but just ended up staring at the vial for the past couple of hours." Amore admits, softly stroking Sugar Fizz's arm, "I could get used to sleeping together..."

Sugar Fizz giggles as she traces her fingers across Amore's chest idly, "Hmm, we've only slept together three times now. Once when I got back from Manehattan, again when you started your transition and last night... But I wanted to talk to you about our sleeping arrangement." She looks up into Amore's eyes as she adjusted to see her better, "I want to move down with you on the bottom bunk. I feel I want to take a step in our relationship and for us courting, I want that step to be sleeping together regularly..." Sugar Fizz blushes deeply.

Amore blushes back as she leans down to press her lips against Sugars, kissing the mare deeply while squeezing her back to bring her closer. After a minute the pair part, breathing shallowly while staring into each other's eyes. "I'd love to sleep with you more often Sugar Fizz, I still don't quite understand courting... But I'm happy to go at your pace." Amore nuzzles Sugar Fizz gently.

"That's a relief, I was a little worried you might think it too soon." Sugar Fizz glances over to see the time, sighing deeply as she shuffles to sit on the edge of the bed, "I wish I could stay in bed a bit longer, but my ride home will be here soon. My parents are throwing a little party this evening at our family estate on the other side of Ponyville. You're welcome to join me if you feel so inclined, cross meeting each other's parents off the list while we're at it."

Amore rolls onto her front, staring at Sugar Fizz as she searches around for her clothes, smiling to herself. "I'd be remiss if I declined a party invite from my marefriend. You'll have to text me directions later when you get a chance so I can find my way there. What are they like..? Your parents I mean."

Sugar Fizz hums and she slips on her skirt, zipping it up before finding her bra and shirt. "My mother is pretty playful and sweet. My father can be... I guess, protective, but in general, they are supportive. Umm, neither of them knows I started courting yet..." She blushes deeply with a sigh, finishing her preparations. "You'll understand why when you meet my family, I promise I'd never be ashamed of you... I didn't want to deal with my older sister yet."

Amore tilts her head as she frowns, "What's wrong with your sister? Is she intense or?" She gets comfortable, nuzzling the pillow as her eyes fluttered.

Sugar Fizz giggles as she strokes Amore's mane gently, "Something like that... You'll see. For now, please get some more rest for me and I'll text you later." She leans down to give Amore a loving kiss, "I love you, Amy." Sugar Fizz stands up to quietly leave the room.

Amore yawns before closing her eyes fully, "I love you too..." The mare soon slips back into the thrall of sleep, hoping to get a few more hours of rest before needing to get up.





After a few hours, Amore comes walking down the main lobby staircase, wearing a pair of crimson red pyjamas covered in black sixteenth notes like the ones she found in the old wardrobe when she moved into Sugar's room. Taking the time to explore, she wanders around the mansion to fully take in how truly grand it is and how utterly surreal her family home appears to be.

"Family home huh..." Amore states to herself, sighing deeply as it slowly sets in.

"Is the décor to your liking, perhaps?" A familiar voice suddenly states from behind her as Alexander appears out of nowhere.

Amore jumps slightly, startled as the butler places a finger over his lips which causes her to quiet down. "Sorry, it's just you surprised me... Do you guys always do that?" She asks, rubbing her arm.

Alexander chuckles softly, prompting Amore to follow him as he leads her down the bottom right corridor. "Not exactly, no. You see, the company my fellows and I belong to are uniquely known for their aptitude. They train the most sought after and highly recommended valets in all Equestria..." He informs her as they walk.

Amore hums, finding what Alexander said very interesting, "That sounds pretty cool... I think I saw moms butler at the party last night but there was so much going on..." She sighs heavily.

"Indeed, Lady Forte does not honestly leave her room so much these days, or rather she didn't before. I believe she was out in the garden maze this morning." Alexander stops briefly to glance at Amore, "You'll have to forgive me, my lady. You asked me a question yesterday and I have yet to reply, for you see... I am none other than your personal butler such as my colleague is Lady Iluzie's. Mistress Von Scratch thought it best not to overwhelm you with too much upon your first visit home."

Amore swallows slightly, unsure exactly how to reply as she plays with a strand of her mane. "Wow... I wasn't expecting that, though I should have guessed..."

The pair stop outside a set of double doors, which lead to the dining room as Alexander bows slightly. "Please excuse me, there are some errands that demand my attention. Enjoy your family breakfast, my lady." Alexander stands up straight before leaving.

Amore tilts her head, feeling she could have asked the mysterious butler more. Shaking her head, she slowly opens one of the doors to enter the dining room. Looking around, Amore is treated to a large space with a moderately sized table at its centre with the left-most end beset upon by her mother and uncle on one side while Iluzie is sat opposite.

Iluzie spots Amore with a wide smirk before she is hesitantly joined, "Sup sis, sleep much last night?" She nudges the mare with a wide grind and a wink.

Amore blushes deeply as she shakes her head rapidly, "S-sis! Don't be lewd! We haven't gotten that far..."

Iluzie giggles as Amore takes some pancakes to drench in maple syrup. "Jeez I'm only teasing, plus I think Ante Forte wins the longest night award."

At that moment, Sempre Forte walks into the room, stretching as she goes to sit in the seat at the head of the table. "I've not had such a workout in centuries. I still find it troublesome thou haft shortened ancestor to ante... Makes me feel old."

"You are old, though," Amore states bluntly, making Sempre Forte flinch as Vinyl bursts into laughter catching everyone's attention.

Long Play stops mid-bite to stare at his sister, "V..? Are you seriously laughing?"

Vinyl wipes her eyes as she nudges his arm with her fist, "What of it? You dork, don't make it weird." She stands up with a sigh, "I have some calls to make, please let me know if you two need anything, I love you."

As she leaves Long Play holds his arms out, "Where's my love?"

"Bite me, ginger." Vinyl comments with a flat expression as she opens the dining-room door.

"We love you too!" Both Amore & Iluzie reply in sync, making Vinyl smile before she leaves.

Long Play wipes his mouth with a napkin, leaning back to glance at the pair. Adjusting his shades, he takes a deep breath, "Hey, you two..." The twins turn to look at their uncle, "We live in a world that doesn't always appreciate what it has. I've not heard my sister laugh so genuinely in 20 years... So, try not to let the world take you for granted and live full lives for me so she has more reasons to be happy."

Sempre Forte sips from her wine glass slowly as she looks at Long Play, "Feeling rather profound and clingy this morning aren't we LP. I have an inkling you don't need to worry about Vinyl's girls." She stands up after finishing her drink, glancing to Amore, "Back Beat dear, would you care to join me for a stroll in the garden?"

Amore happens to finish her pancakes before looking confused, "Umm, sure. Hey Iluzie, I'll catch up with you later, okay?" She gets up to follow Sempre Forte who is already leaving.

Sempre Forte hums a classical tune as she leads Amore down the corridors, making it outside to the large gardens and hedge maze behind the mansion. As they walk past the bright and vibrant flower beds, Amore finds herself captivated by their beauty. "Does thou like them? One of the maids quite enjoys tending the family gardens. She has quite the talent for horticulture...  I apologise for laying such a heavy burden on thy shoulders last night, perhaps I was too hasty."

Amore blushes as she stares at a patch of white roses, "No- I mean, it's fine. I was more surprised than anything else and I still don't know a whole lot about this side of the world." She holds her hands in front of her.

Sempre Forte smiles lightly at Amore's blush, leading her deeper into the garden. "Maybe I should explain what you'd like to know then. I'm sure you're most curious about what Vinyl said at my portrait, that I have no sire... Which is true, I was not turned or born a Vampire. Instead, a curse was placed upon me during one of our adventures and I grew a hunger for blood, became sensitive to sunlight but gained tremendous strength and power. However, the curse didn't happen how they wanted and I was the start of our dark bloodline, a Vampire Lord, unlike Luna who is the Vampire Alpha ."

Amore hums, intrigued as she thinks for a moment. "I didn't know Luna was an Alpha. Do all the prominent bloodlines have a Vampire Lord?"

Sempre Forte motions for Amore to sit on a nearby bench next to a four-tiered water fountain. "You could say that. Each of the three main Vampire families in Equestria have a Vampire Lord or more in their ranks."

Amore leans back, sighing deeply as she takes in all the new information, processing it slowly. "Is it especially difficult to ascend to Vampire Lord or?" She asks, tilting her head in curiosity.

Sempre Forte laughs briefly, sighing as she looks up. "Dear child, thou art quite inquisitive. It reminds me of when I sailed with Lula... Stars, I had questions upon questions about the world," She looks back at Amore with a smile, "But enough about that, I'll explain more when you're ready. For now, I want to ask you something... How does Sugar really make you feel?" Sempre Forte leans on her hand as she crosses her legs, staring at Amore with such intense intrigue.

Amore blushes brightly, unsure exactly how to answer that question as she hadn't thought much on it in a while. "What does Sugar Fizz make me feel? Well... Warm. When I'm with her it's safe, like I can trust her entirely with my heart. I mean, I'd never expected to feel this strongly about somepony, ever... When I met Sugar, I challenged her to a duel simply because I thought her to be one of the strongest at Armonia. It was quite the coincidence I was put as her roommate, so we spent more time around each other. My second day in we worked out a feeding arrangement which... Normally I'd have found weird but it was an interesting experience." She blushes, looking down as her hands clasp together, remembering how their relationship progressed. "Several things happened to move us closer as time went on... It wasn't until she suddenly vanished after meeting Shintaku that I started to realise how much she impacted my life. H-how badly I couldn't stand to be without her... After my transition, everything feels jacked up to eleven, especially last night... Am I ill Ante?"

Sempre Forte sighs deeply as she reaches forward to gently pet Amore's head, "Dearest Back Beat, thou art not ill. Thou'st be in love" She could see Amore's face light up at the sudden realisation as her eyes widen. "It also took some time before I first realised it with Shintaku. Every one of your senses was heightened my dear so I don't doubt thou could hear the evidence, especially last night. Thou heart belongs entirely to Sugar Fizz Von Heartstrings, just as mine does Shintaku Von Bone, yes?" Sempre Forte raises an eyebrow as Amore collects herself.

Amore hums slightly as she looks up at the sky. "That honestly sounds accurate... I haven't thought of anyone else since meeting her, I didn't even pine for Selene, my ex. Isn't Vampire courting meant to be some long process?"

Sempre Forte can't help but laugh loudly at Amore's words. "Vampire courting is only slightly slower than dating. Though by the sounds of it, you've been growing a lot closer before you even started. The act of feeding on you regularly with permission would have nurtured some deep trust between you, it's not a light commitment when you feel how you do. I've no doubt she held herself back a lot when with you."

Amore blushes deeply thinking about it. "I mean... I know feeding was intense and honestly, I encouraged her a lot. I used to pout when she finished as it felt amazing. Perhaps I was moving too fast..."

Sempre Forte shakes her head as she stands up, prompting Amore to follow as they lead them back towards the mansion. Taking a slightly different route than before, Sempre Forte guides the mare to the darker right wing where the master bedroom is. Knocking on the door they stop at, she smiles. "Let's see if she is awake yet." Sempre Forte opens the door to enter with Amore.

Progressing into the room, Sempre Forte opens the curtains slightly to illuminate the room a little. Everything looked somewhat vintage from her aged four-poster bed to the victorian dressing table beside an equally themed wardrobe. An assortment of alcohol bottles lined up on the unit under the window where the mare in question poured two glasses of whisky.

"Hmm... Back from breakfast already?" Shiktaku's voice is heard before she rises from the bed, naked, with a yawn, making Amore blush.

Sempre Forte carries the glasses over to sit on the bed, exchanging a kiss with Shintaku before she takes her drink. "Indeed, I cut my walk a little short to aid this poor dear in understanding her relationship. Which, might I add, she thinks could have been too fast to begin with."

Shintaku laughs as she sips her whisky giving Amore a gentle look, "Unless you were pinned to a wall minutes after performing a complex ritual and passionately seduced by a Vampire pirate, you don't know what too fast is Amore."

It's Sempre Forte's turn to blush brightly as she swallows a mouthful of her drink. "I seriously couldn't help it... After the really important matter was taken care of, I gave in to resist my urges. As I recall, you never complained."

Shintaku smile as she stretches to adjust, "Because I felt it too. Something I couldn't see excited me very much. So, Amore, I think you're doing fine and you built an extremely strong foundation before starting to date Sugar Fizz. Allowing your life to be put in your lover's hands when they feed? There is no greater sign of trust you could show a Vampire, in my opinion." She crawls a little to lay her head in Sempre Forte's lap.

"You think so? I didn't honestly put much thought in it when we made the feeding arrangement... But there was a point where my friends doubted her intentions towards me." Amore plays with her hands in her lap, "So, to prove she didn't have ill will towards me... She sat on my lap after our P.E shower and drank from my neck instead of the wrist." She blushes deeply.

Sempre Forte downs her drink before levitating both empty glasses back over to the side, "Several less than educated might argue against her intentions... The neck, however, is intimate and iconic for Vampires. Hence why I find her switch to be very sweet and feel she was growing quite fond of you." She smiles, moving Shintaku to stand up and open her wardrobe.

Amore plays with a strand of her hair as she ponders it all, "I never thought on it, being new to the supernatural world, it didn't occur to me... I'm not even sure when I started thinking of her that way. I'd just fallen from CPA and Selene, it felt as if Sugar Fizz randomly appeared to catch me." She feels her flush cheeks, the mare's life brought to a grind so her thoughts can catch up.

Sempre Forte sighs as she flicks through several dresses in various styles making Amore feel the wardrobe is a time machine, "I feel something red or aquamarine would suit you best. As I understand it the Von Heartstrings are hosting a party this evening, I'd planned to finally attend events after so long away." She hums before a short-skirted backless white dress is levitated out onto the bed in Shintaku's aura.

Shintaku rolls over onto her front, glancing at Amore with a smile, "I am happy things turned out like this, by meeting you I was reunited with my beloved... I regret the part I played in your sorrow, my only hope is that I can earn your forgiveness. Oh, darling, stop-" She waves her hand towards Sempre Forte who turns slightly while keeping her place in the wardrobe. She slowly pulls out a sleeveless short backless orange dress with a gap at the front that covers her chest to show decent cleavage, making Sempre Forte blush brightly, "You're welcome, dear. I think if you spend some time tonight with Sugar under this new perspective, your heart might just unravel and everything will become crystal clear."

Amore bites the inside of her cheek, staring at Shintaku who winked at her as she slipped out of bed. "Did you see that in a vision?"

She smirks, putting a finger to her lips, "Spoilers." Shintaku leaves the pair for the bathroom to freshen up.

Amore is left with her thoughts before being brought back to reality by Sempre Forte who smiles warmly at her. "My dear, if you think too much you'll never hear what your heart desires. Just relax and focus on enjoying the evening with your marefriend."

Amore nods before suddenly shooting up with a shocked expression in realisation. "Oh fuck, I'll meet her parents!"





Amore takes a deep breath as Alexander opens the limo door, offering the mare a hand to step out onto the path. She wears the white dress Shintaku had picked out for her with short black heels and a necklace bearing a sixteenth note. On the opposite side of the vehicle, Sempre Forte is helping Shintaku out, the mare wearing the dress she had Sempre stop on previously matching the colour in her mane.

"I can't believe you're following that silly tradition..." Sempre Forte blushes as she adjusts the navy blue accented version of her regular pirate attire.

Shintaku smiles as she brushes a strand of hair behind her ear, "You're just embarrassed I'm flying your colours, love. I thought it was still common practice in Vampire society to wear the colour belonging to your partner as a symbol of their love and deep affection." She strokes Sempre Forte's cheek softly as Amore looks intrigued.

Amore tilts her head gently, "What tradition?" She asks as the pair join her on the pavement.

"It's a very old Vampire courting tradition to wear a colour that symbolizes your partner. It's a public but subtle way to show your loyalty and devotion without having to state it directly." Sempre Forte explains as Shintaku takes her arm.

While processing that information, Amore's attention is drawn to the metal gate in front of them that has several musical notes in its design. Beyond lies a modest-sized mansion that looks like a smaller version of the Von Scratch estate. As Alexander drives the limo away, the gate opens to allow the trio entry. Amore follows Sempre Forte's lead as they walk up the short path around the fountain to ascend some steps, reaching the front double door. Before they have a chance to open it, an older steel coloured Pegasus stallion with a faded silver mane and tail, wearing a butler uniform does so as he greets them.

"Welcome Lady Forte and company, Lady Heartstrings will be delighted you finally made it." He lets them into the small lobby that has three double doors leading other places. The stallion takes a sudden interest in Amore as a warm smile graces his muzzle. "You must be Lady Back Beat, Lady Fizz has talked a lot about you since she returned. My name is Chalice, loyal butler and confidant to Lady Sugar Fizz. This way please." Chalice states as he opens the north doors.

Looking around Amore can see they have a large hall with a grand staircase at the end which splits off in either direction to the second floor. Spotting a buffet table with a big punch bowl, she excuses herself so she can get a much-needed drink. Amore spoons some punch into a cup, nervously downing it before sighing deeply. Grabbing another cup, she decides to explore a little, managing to get lost among the corridors of the right-wing before trying a random room to avoid a pair of maids. Glancing around, Amore can see it's some form of study with a sofa, coffee table, rug, stacked bookcases and a stone fireplace which softly illuminates the surroundings. Standing in front of the hearth holding a whisky glass is a mint green Unicorn mare that has faded green streaks in her white mane and tail, wearing a navy blue suit.

"Tell Bonnie I'll be out in a minute, sweetie-" She looks at Amore, "My, my, you're not exactly one of my daughters, are you?" She coaxes her forwards with her finger, the mare finding her legs moving on their own.

Amore swallows nervously, not sure how she feels about the sudden movements as they promptly stop. "I'm sorry, I came here with my Ante and her wife. I didn't mean to intrude."

The mare chuckles, finishing her drink before shuffling just to her right to pour two more glasses of whisky. "Lyra Von Heartstrings; Sugar's 'father', as it were. I apologise for the vampiric compulsion, I didn't want you to run away. Though, I'm surprised it barely worked for long on you. It means you're already quite powerful, Back Beat." Lyra states as she levitates Amore's punch cup onto the coffee table, handing her one of the whisky glasses.

Amore takes the glass, sitting down on the sofa after Lyra's prompt. "Y-you know who I am? I really shouldn't be surprised by now... I'm also-"

"Sugar's elusive marefriend. I pieced it together when you walked in and could strongly smell her scent on you. Bonnie and I did wonder what she wanted to talk about tonight that was so important. By the looks of it, you were just as nervous as she was." Lyra smirks, sitting beside Amore as she leans back into her seat to take a sip of whisky.

Amore takes a heavy sip of her drink, sighing gently. "Of course I was nervous... I've been going out with Sugar for a couple of hectic months now. It's just... Lately, as everything slowed down, I started thinking a lot, especially after I became a Vampire and everything got louder..." She held her glass tighter, "Courting isn't just slow dating for Vampires, is it? It's also to curve the intense emotions we feel, right?"

Lyra smiles, downing her whisky before sliding the glass across the table, "Tell me, Amore, what do you feel so intensely? You're not wrong, we do feel things intensely and at times our desire can get us in trouble. So, we court or go at their pace when we encounter someone we care about and want to be sure how we feel."

"Thank you for the drink, Mrs. Heartstrings." Amore stands up and walks to the door, turning around as Lyra speaks.

"Please, Lyra is more than enough for now. I assumed because of your dress you were taught about certain things so, I want to share something with you..." She whispers something softly, enough that Amore's ears still pick it up and make her blush brightly before she leaves.

Amore leans against the parlour door, touching her chest as she tries to still her beating heart. After calming down a little, Amore walks back to the main hall. "Enjoying the party thus far, Lady Von Scratch?" The alluring voice is felt across her ear as a hand graces her waist gently.

Amore shivers at the notion, already lulled in by their sweet vocal melody and tender touch, "It's not quite the kind of party I'm used to, but I don't dislike-" As Amore turns around, her words catch and she loses what little breath she had left. Assuming Lyra was merely teasing her, Amore didn't expect to see Sugar Fizz wearing a slender, shoulderless dress that hugged her curves so sensually. What took her breath away, even more, was that the dress was a vivid canary yellow that matched Amore's coat.

"See something you like Von Scratch?" Sugar Fizz smirks as she leans into the mare, touching their lips so gently together.

Amore is further taken aback by the contact, leaning into Sugar Fizz while a second hand is placed upon her free hip. Amore placing her hands on Sugar Fizz's right cheek and left waist while they made out softly. After what felt like an eternity, they slowly parted their lips softly. "You could say that, I didn't expect you to be wearing a yellow dress tonight."

"I didn't think you paid attention in supernatural culture class. I'm pleasantly surprised, mi amor." Sugar Fizz states, pausing to grab two wine glasses from the tray of a passing server.

Amore takes several large sips, choking lightly. "Actually, I didn't... My Ante's wife picked the dress and the custom was only explained to me when we arrived."

Sugar Fizz sighs with a gentle smile, swallowing her whole drink before passing the now empty glasses onto another server's tray. "I'm glad she did, it's been difficult keeping my family in suspense. My mother has been very sceptical about what I want to tell her and 'father' has her own theories."

"Button! I was wondering where you got to, seems you've found good company." Lyra exclaims, approaching them with a smirk while holding a wine glass.

Beside her, wearing a short mint green dress is a cream coloured Earth Pony that has a cobalt blue and purple mane & tail with arctic blue eyes. "I'm happy to finally meet you Back Beat, my name is Bonbon." She states with a warm smile.

"Mom, Dad... This is Amore Von Scratch a.k.a Back Beat and my marefriend." Sugar Fizz states bluntly as Bonbon blinks, Lyra looking amused while Amore blushes.

Grabbing the stunned mare a nearby glass, Lyra smirks. "We've already met in the study, I assumed by how she smelt and wore your colours, she was your partner."

Sugar Fizz nods, "I didn't really have time to tell you both... It kinda happened progressively but dating wise, I'd say..."

"After the Manehattan trip..." Amore blushes, tugging on Sugar's dress gently, looking nervous as hell that makes Bonbon melt.

The mare in question moves to hug Amore softly, "Oh, dear, don't be nervous. It's just we never saw her take much interest in relationships growing up and especially when she started at Armonia. The one girl she did like seemed to vanish several years ago in Manehattan, the poor dear."

Sugar Fizz blushes profusely, biting her lip as she coughs softly. "A-actually, mother... Amore is the mare I met that day in the factory. I learned on our trip that she had to move abruptly..." She explains, Amore smiling as Bonbon let's go to pet her daughter.

"That's really sweet Sugar, I just hope your sisters will be as happy for you as we are." Bonbon smiles, hugging both girls to her.

Lyra coughs lightly, "We should go mingle with the guests and leave Sugar to entertain her marefriend. Don't do anything I wouldn't~" She chuckles, making Sugar Fizz blush brightly before Bonbon is pulled away to leave the pair in peace.

Amore strokes Sugar Fizz's arm gently, giving her a slight smile. "Your 'dad' is about as subtle as my mom."

Sugar Fizz sighs lightly, stroking Amore's cheek. "Sorry about that, she means well. It's not my parents I was worried about though... My older sister is very judgmental and it's why I abstained as long as I did, till meeting you."

"Hmm, is Sugar Fizz von Heartstrings calling me irresistible?" Amore chuckles, smirking widely.

Sugar Fizz laughs, pulling the yellow mare closer. "There are many irresistible things in the world, my darling. You are definitely one of them..." She leans in to steal a quick kiss before their attention is stolen by a sudden piano interruption.

Looking to the left of the band in their alcove was a pure ivory piano on the right side of the main hall, sat upon by none other than Sempre Forte. Gliding her hands across the keys with her eyes closed, she begins gently as the band joins her in a subtle jazz rendition. Slowly, the attention of most patrons in the room are focused on the mare as they play. Many pairs are gently dancing or swaying, enthralled by the melody or each other. Amore takes a deep breath before grabbing Sugar Fizz's hand, taking her towards a more open area and placing her hands on Sugar's hips. Surprised, Sugar Fizz indulges her lover's action and drapes her arms over Amore's shoulders before entwining her fingers. The song picked up slightly, pairs gliding about the floor, mixing amongst each other, Amore and Sugar Fizz staring deeply into one another as if nothing else existed.

Amore can't help how fast her heart is racing, a familiar yet more intense feeling filling her chest. Slowly losing the definition of where she begins and Sugar Fizz ends. "I can't... My heart won't stop being so loud. It all feels so sweetly intense, like a sugar high you never want to come down from, but for emotions."

Sugar Fizz giggles, moving one of her hands to stroke Amore's cheek, "It's so adorable watching my mare go through her Vampire emotions, now you know why courting is a thing. To stem certain strong impulsive feelings so we don't get ourselves in trouble by moving too fast. It can be scary, difficult at first to control, but please never hate what you are now. Take it in slowly and grow used to it..." She tries to comfort Amore who blushes brightly, pulling them closer together.

"What if slow isn't something I'm used to..," Amore comments, her lips hovering inches away from Sugar's teasingly.

She can hear a small purr escape Sugar Fizz's throat, brushing their lips together lightly. "Then I won't force you to... I just want you to be sure and confident in the emotions you feel in here." She gently touches Amore's chest.

Amore brings their arms to the middle, holding Sugar Fizz's hands. "I get it now, how much you had to hold back for me... I feel so intense... While this full version will take getting used to, I want you."

Sugar Fizz tasks Amore's hand, leading her partly up the hall stairs. "Then I won't hold back any longer when it comes to my marefriend. Let's abdicate to my room for the night.

Amore blushes deeply as she follows behind Sugar Fizz, holding her hand tightly. The evening progressing as anyone would expect with a guest performance by the Devil's Musician but the lovers were not seen again for the parties remaining duration.
> Getting the band back together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Amore hums a joyful tune, sitting in the cafeteria beside Veronica as she eats a cucumber and lettuce sandwich. Opposite them are Aqua Streak with Scarlet Orange drinking blood from her wrist. Amore taps her foot while using her spoon to play with her bowl of rice and curry.

Veronica raises an eyebrow, adjusting Amore's silver case between them. "Someone has definitely recovered from their particular dilemma. However, I dare say you're happy about something else?"

Scarlet Orange licks her sister clean before glancing up at Amore with a squint, "I dare say, she's practically glowing... Wait... No!" She leans forward, looking the mare over as she blushes brightly.

Aqua Streak comes out of her daze as she blinks, looking between everyone, "Oh come on, it's not like she had sex with Sugar F-" Her voice dies down as Amore blushes a very bright red, staring down into her bowl.

The three girls stare at each other with a smile as they gang up on the poor mare in question. Amore tries to look innocent as possible while eating her curry. Scarlet Orange bites her lip while leaning forward to place her head in her hand.

"So, how was indulging your first Vampire love session? It's different from how you felt as a normal, right?" Scarlet Orange asks, staring with admirable envy.

Amore plays with her rice, biting her spoon thinking, "It was... Intense. Everything was on fire and every fibre of my being was buzzing with electricity... Sugar Fizz is the most unexpected and indulgent experience I've ever had."

Scarlet Orange squees as she leaps up to hover, sitting down beside Amore, and hugging her. "Aww, our little Amore is spreading her wings at last~," The mare nuzzles her cheek gently.

Hearing someone clear their throat, the pair look up to see Sugar Fizz smiling with a raised eyebrow, making Amore blush deeply.

"Should I be jealous? I told you they'd notice it fairly quickly." Sugar Fizz smirks, adjusting a clipboard under her arm so she can lean across the table to give Amore a gentle kiss.

Aqua Streak stands up and rubs the back of her neck, "Hey, Scarlet and I were talking... We're very sorry for what we said before when you and Amore started being roommates. Back when we were foals, the three of us used to be good friends. I'm sorry we didn't try harder." She states, looking down.

Sugar Fizz smiles, standing up to gently stroke Aqua's chin, lifting it. "We don't have to dwell on it, she... Has a peculiar effect on people, it seems." She looks over a sheet on her clipboard, humming softly before smiling.

The yellow mare finished her lunch and looked at Sugar Fizz curiously, "What's up, do I have curry on my face?" She asks wiping her mouth, making Sugar Fizz smile.

Sugar Fizz shakes her head, passing Amore two sheets of paper. "Do you think you could help me with some student council business? I need to check on these departments to make sure everything is progressing smoothly for the Nightmare Night festival." Amore looks at the sheet, nodding before glancing at the second form which is a team registry.

Aqua Streak and Scarlet Orange look excited, "Oh, is it that time already? It feels like yesterday we had our last Supernatural Games." Scarlet Orange smiles widely.

Sugar Fizz nods, "We're handing out the team registry early this year to let groups have ample time to prepare their seven members. The games are an excellent way to test the strength of all the participating academies, offering rewards to the winning team." Sugar Fizz explains, seeing Amore's eyes light up with glee.

Scarlet Orange smiles and glances up, "Will the student council be taking part again this year?"

Sugar Fizz sighs, "Alas, not everyone on the council wanted to participate this year so likely not. Though I've thought about forming a team myself, as much fun as I'd have relaxing I'd relish putting Miss Light in her place." 

Aqua Streak sits back down chuckling, "You two have the most unhealthy rivalry..."

Sugar Fizz rolls her eyes and waves her hand, leaning down to kiss Amore before leaving to continue her work. Amore ponders the sheet while biting her lip and humming, before glancing at the other piece of paper.

"I guess I should check on these departments first..." Amore states standing up as Veronica makes a whip noise causing the mare to blush, Scarlet Orange simply laughing.

Amore grabs her case from under the table, "Fuck you both! Assholes, let's go Aqua..." She states, leaving with the Pegasus in tow as she sipped a cola and adjusted her bag.





Aqua Streak is looking over the sheet Amore was given, the girls finding themselves on the west side of the third floor.

"According to this, our first stop is the book club..." Aqua Streak hums with an inquisitive look as she glances over the other clubs.

Amore glances back at Aqua Streak, raising an eyebrow. "What's up? Is the club president notorious or something?"

Aqua Streak laughs before sighing, "She used to be. Not going to lie, I'd say she'd rival you in being rebellious, but... Everything changed when we enrolled in Armonia; our little group was hit with various responsibilities that kinda just left Scarlet and me. I think Sugar has motives behind wanting you to check in on these particular clubs."

Amore contemplates it for a moment as she shrugs, "I don't mind running errands for her, I have a feeling today will be... Exciting~" She smiles widely, making Aqua Streak sigh in envy of her carefree spirit.

The pair come to a stop at the end of the corridor, seeing the plaque for Armonia's book club. Amore knocks on the door before sliding it open. Entering they can see the room is fairly decorated like a study. On one side are two sofas and an armchair around a coffee table meanwhile on the opposite side is a fully stocked bar.

"The fuck kind of book club is this?" Amore asks smiling at the bar, seeing all the bookcases stocked with a multitude of titles and scriptures.

"The fun kind, I assure you." A white Pegasus mare stated, closing a book and folding her glasses to put them both aside. Standing up, she straightens her forest green uniform and brushes a strand of teal hair with purple highlights behind her ear while walking toward the bar. "Might I interest Armonia's notorious rebel in a drink?" The mare asks, pointing to the whisky bottle on a cabinet beside the door before reaching over the bar to grab two glasses.

"From what I heard, you weren't far off my level not so long ago," Amore smirks, grabbing the bottle as she walks over to occupy the space beside them.

The mare sighs gently, "Once upon a time I suppose, but responsibility provides quite the shackles. I'd assume you told her about me?"

Aqua Streak shrugs, "I felt it was prudent to inform her who she was being sent to see, Tranquil Wind."

Tranquil Wind pours a little whisky into either glass, humming as both mares swallow it whole. "Hmm, I have a feeling this will be an interesting conversation. I can only assume Sugar has taken to playing her old game again."

"She sent me to check on the festival preparation of your club," Amore states, putting down her case to get comfortable.

Tranquil Wind pours them two more glasses, savouring the aroma as she swirls the amber liquid around for a moment or two. Leaning back against the bar she looks up at the ceiling, "I'll be honest... The commotion you've made since attending our little slice of estranged paradise has been beyond intriguing. Picking a fight with three of my pack the instant you arrived, then the fight with Sugar Fizz was entertaining. I didn't expect you to try to win; let alone manage to end the fight in a draw." Both mares down their drinks before being filled a third time.

"My mentality at the time was to find one of the strongest here and kick their ass..." Amore blushes deeply, swallowing the third glass. "I never expected any of this; especially not dating the mare I fought-" She suddenly frowns very deeply and practically scowls.

Aqua Streak chuckles loudly, drawing Amore's attention. "My sister put a bet on how long it'd take you to realise the rather amusing connection when you told us about Selene. How you fought her over at CEA before dating soon after."

"F-fuck off! I do not have a thing for mare's who kick my ass... Selene was false promises while Sugar was an unexpectedly sweet inspiration." Amore prompts Tranquil Wind for another refill which she knocks back eagerly.

Aqua Streaks holds her hands up in surrender, "Don't look at me. Scarlet started it." She shrugs with a playful grin.

Tranquil Wind chuckles before laughing, sighing as she matches Amore's pace. "You two being here reminds me of our high school days, fuck it was so lively and happy. Anyway... Please let Vice President Fizz know everything is progressing normally for the book club."

Tranquil Wind stands up, nodding slightly to Amore before heading for the door. The mare in question frowns, looking down at the two sheets of paper she was given, her eyes staring at the team registry. "No," Amore states placing her hand down and looking at the mare.

"Pardon?" Tranquil Wind bites her lip with a smirk, turning around to glance at Amore with amused curiosity.

Amore shakes her head, standing up to refill their glasses, sliding the other glass across the bar to stop closest to Tranquil Wind. "I'm putting the offer out. Join me and live a little; fight on my team for the games."

"A generous offer, but you see I'm quite content with the role I play. I admire you, Amore, but I chose my cage," Tranquil Wind shrugs, turning back towards the door.

"Let me give you the chance to spread your wings again... You claim to be content, but that doesn't mean you're satisfied. Are you the Armonia pack alpha or was that just a title flex?" Amore asks, staring at Tranquil Wind with a sincere expression, standing her ground.

Tranquil Wind struggles, glancing at the whisky glass and Amore feeling conflicted but not enough she couldn't see a clear choice. "Argh! Luna damn it, Scratch... You have some fucking big claws calling me out like that. Screw it, should be a pen here somewhere..." She downs the whisky before putting the glass aside, reaching over the bar to find a pen so she can sign the team registry.

Amore smiles, swallowing her last glass before putting it aside, too. "I'm sorry if I went too far-"

Tranquil Wind lightly taps Amore's chest with her fist, shaking her head. "Mhm, don't. I see no reason that anyone should apologise for speaking the truth, as harsh as it can be. My parents aren't average ponies, so I felt pressured to try and live up to everyone's expectations as their foal but... They never forced me into a path or tried to dictate what I should do, fuck I thought if I could be less like my 'father', then ponies wouldn't give me shady glances or whispers. Didn't want mom to be disappointed in me but she'd only be disappointed I thought lying to myself and them is something they'd want."

"Stuff happens and we deal with it. Sugar came back around. I'm guessing she missed you, too, sending Amore to your door," Aqua Streak comments with a smile, practically leaping to hug her friend.

Amore folds up the papers and puts them in her pocket, "I'm glad she did; even since starting here, I haven't really ventured outside the twins and her for friends till Veronica happened to join us. After the incident with Shintaku, I can only imagine she wanted to surround her marefriend with strong ponies I could count on should something like that occur again."

Tranquil Wind pries Aqua Streak off her after a minute or two, "Likely, Sugar enjoyed pulling strings. Manipulation was her forte and fuck if she wasn't damn good at it. The tailors were on your list, right? I would very much like to accompany you, there's something I've put off for a little while now."

Amore nods before all three girls leave the book club and follow Tranquil Wind who leads them off the third floor back down to the first, stopping outside a bathroom door.

"What's up?" Amore looks confused, tilting her head at Tranquill Wind.

Tranquil Wind looks around, humming lightly before glancing at Amore's case, "Could I borrow your sword for a moment? It's not ideal but we'll see how it goes."

Amore shrugs, setting her silver case down and carefully opening it before handing her scissor blade to Tranquil Wind, who then entered the bathroom. "Any idea what she could need with a sharp implement and a bathroom?" she asks, looking up at Aqua Streak.

Aqua Streak looks equally as puzzled while giving her a gentle shrug, "I can think of a few things, but none of them would apply here..."

After waiting for several minutes, Tranquil Wind steps back out of the bathroom to throw Amore her sword, both mares now wearing surprised expressions. Stretching hard, Tranquil Wind sighs deeply as she fiddles with what is now an improvised medium-length mane that drapes over the left side of her face. The right side has been trimmed back the best she could using Amore's scissor blade, the whole thing now a bit more eccentric. "You've no idea how much better this feels, shall we?"

Walking off towards the basement stairs, Amore snaps out of her daze as she puts away the sword before following close behind with Aqua Streak, "I mean, it suits you a lot better, but we could have visited the salon; it's literally right there."

They turn the corner to pass the salon, going only two doors down to the tailor. "I honestly couldn't wait to have my mane cut, this is a little urgent for me."

Aqua Streak is smiling widely, looking very giddy as Tranquil Wind leads them inside. After passing through a small thick archway, the room opens up into an oval shape with dress designs and charts covering the wall, racks of dresses at all stages of completion spread around, metal cages and rods holding various spools of fabric or other materials, a circle podium in the centre to display the current project. Coming out of a similar doorway on the left side of the room, from a closet which appeared to hold the majority of the finished works, was a light silver Earth Pony mare with a slender body and subtle curves, her dull pink mane having dark grey streaks in it. She wears the same colour uniform as Tranquil Wind but is styled with a dull silver scarf that's wrapped around her neck. Taking a deep breath, Tranquil Wind quietly approaches the mare.

"No, no, I've told you countless times now, I need that order of black material now. The festival is literally upon us and you've no idea how popular black is dear. I implore you to do your best, but if certain promises cannot be kept, well..." The mare states, appearing to talk to someone on an earpiece.

Amore and Aqua Streak watch as Tranquil Wind slides up behind her to squeeze her hip, making her spin around with a surprised expression. "Silver Stitch, working hard as always it seems."

The mare hangs up the phone and throws her earpiece off to the side onto a workstation as Tranquil Wind picks her up, Silver Stitch practically wrapping her legs like a vice around the mare's waist. "You took your bloody time, darling. How rude to make a lady wait." Her ocean-blue eyes lower halfway as the pair share a deep tender kiss.

Aqua Streak leans towards Amore to whisper, "They used to date back in high school, but when Tranquil put all that responsibility on herself she asked to break up. Silver, not one to let the mare go, promised to wait for her regardless of anything Tranquil tried to say. I've been dying for this exact moment to finally happen." She claps lightly, biting her lip.

"You know, for the tomboy one, you have some oddly girly moments." Amore nudges Aqua Streak who punches her arm in return, blushing deeply.

After several minutes, the couple in front of them let go of each other as Tranquil Wind puts Silver Stitch down gently. "You can thank Amore for 'this.' She prompted a good opportunity I couldn't say no to." She smiles while looking back at the pair by the door.

Silver Stitch brushes off her jacket, walking over to Amore to give her a tight hug. "I don't care how you did it, but it seems I owe you a great deal, my dear. You'll be sure to let me know if you need absolutely anything at all. You've already seen my handiwork with the piece you wore at the Von Scratch mansion."

Amore blushes deeply, "I did, thank you; it was beautiful. I'm glad to have been an influence here, even if I'm not entirely sure what I did. Sugar Fizz just asked me to check around a few clubs for their progress."

Silver Stitch smiles, looking at Tranquil Wind who shrugs at the statement, "Indeed, I've no doubt you were given three clubs, all of which are run by her high school friends. I don't know what you did to her, but that mare also appears much happier since you burst onto the scene."

Amore blushed further, "She makes me very happy..."

Silver Stitch smiles, "My, you are precious. I can assure you Sugar feels the same way. Just from watching the pair of you, it's obvious to us. Shall we go visit Miss Dusk then? See if we can't interrupt her afternoon nap." She giggles, now leading the group out of the tailors.

While walking further along the corridor, Amore hums a little before getting an idea. She glances at Silver Stitch while pulling out the registry in her pocket.

"I don't suppose you'd be interested in the Supernatural Games?" Amore asks, showing her the form.

Taking a breath, Silver Stitch shakes her head. "Dear me, no. I'm afraid not. I was taught a little self-defence but I'm more into making outfits and designing garments like my mother. I tried it once, last year, but it was a little more than I could handle admittedly. Despite my darling asking for some distance, the result of my match prompted her to push my opponent a little hard when they were put against each other. In her own way, it was super sweet." She glances back at Tranquil Wind who is blushing, looking to the side.

Reaching the end of the basement hallway, the group stopped in front of a door that has a ghost holding a teacup on the front of it. Looking confused, Amore frowns before Silver Stitch smiles, opening the door and letting them inside. The room beyond is fairly vintage, with a few cabinets and display units holding various objects from cups to figurines or other occult items. A medium-sized round table sits in the centre of the room with a few chairs set up around it, a tea tray with a fresh steaming pot sitting in front of a sleeping mare. From what she can see, Amore notices that they have a lavender coat, royal purple mane and tail with swirling pink highlights. Her uniform also appears to be that of a Supernatural student, adorned with a white lab coat and blue magician's hat with stars on it.

Silver Stitch goes to sneak up on her but stops as she suddenly speaks, "Ngn... Nice try Stitch. Is that Tranquil, as well?" The mare groans, lifting herself as she stretches.

"May I present, Moonlit Dusk, president of the occult research club and proprietor of the festival decorations," Silver Stitch smiles, holding her hands behind her back.

Moonlit Dusk rubs her eyes, yawning gently before looking at the group. Amore tilts her head, seeing that she has different coloured eyes, the right a peach colour while the left is a very distinct midnight blue. "Nobody told me we were getting the band back together; I would have worn my lucky lab coat." She smirks, standing up with a spin as she flares out her attire, "Oh, wait, I did~" Moonlit Dusk swallows her cup of tea.

"Umm, it's a pleasure to meet you, I'm-" Amore starts introducing herself but stops when Moonlit Dusk appears in front of her face, checking her out.

Moonlit Dusk hums, moving around Amore before clicking her tongue, "She could have done worse. Your reputation precedes you, Miss Scratch. Come on, let's walk."

The strange mare pulls Amore out of the room, followed closely by the others as they walk back down the corridor heading for the stairs. "Well, this has been a super productive morning~" Aqua Streak smiles widely, looking particularly happy.

Silver Stitch pets the energetic girl softly, smiling as well. "I'm sure your sister will be equally happy her friends have been reunited despite the year they spent estranged."

Amore suddenly feels the Supernatural Games team registry float out of her pocket and into the air where it weaves around her hands before going to Moonlit Dusk. "Ooh, the Supernatural Games, I'd forgotten about that. I didn't bother last year, so it slipped my mind. Gimme your back Wind." She states, placing the paper against Tranquil Wind's back as she summons a quill pen.

"H-hey, what's wrong with the wall?" Tranquill WInd states in protest as she's made to correct herself, being forced to face forward again.

Taking a moment to sign her name, Moonlit Dusk hands the piece of paper to Amore as she leaps to the front and makes the quill vanish. "Let's go see if we can catch her in the middle of work~" Moonlit Dusk smirks widely.





Sugar Fizz sighs deeply, sitting on the edge of the academy rooftop behind the railing as she stares at Symphony below. The mare is looking at a clipboard while talking to some other students as they sort out placements for the Nightmare Night festival.

"I didn't know you were adept at playing chess," Amore states, leaning against the railing beside Sugar Fizz who inhales lightly.

Sugar Fizz smiles warmly as she notices Tranquil Wind, Silver Stitch and Moonlit Dusk heading over to interrupt Symphony's work. "It doesn't sound as if my queen is complaining," she chuckles, standing up to glance at Amore.

Leaning against the mare, Amore inhales softly while nuzzling Sugar Fizz gently. "I think my king trusted me to be myself with helping her friends back together. Although I'll be honest, it doesn't feel like I did all that much passed recruiting Tranquil Wind. The rest just seemed to fall into place from that point on."

Sugar Fizz holds Amore's hand as they glance down at the scene below, seeing Symphony smile at the trio, talking and laughing. "Tranquil did what Symphony and I did, take on a load of responsibility when we graduated to Armonia. On top of that, she swiftly took over the Armonia wolf pack which added to her list of responsibilities much to Silver Stitch's chagrin. I'd like to imagine they are back together as I know it's been a long year for both."

Amore nods, "It was our next stop after I convinced her to join my team for the games. Silver Stitch's reaction made it feel like it had been a long time waiting for either of them. Then they took us to see Moonlit Dusk who was intrigued to join my team. Also, her club is... odd."

"Tranquil Wind is president of the book club and her pack often helps out with the labour for the festivals. Silver Stitch isn't so much a club as it is simply she and her mother who run the academy tailor. They generally provide costumes, dresses, and our uniforms. Moonlit Dusk would be the outlier other than when it comes to Nightmare Night as she is president of the occult research club, thus able to provide unique themed services for that time of year. I'm sure you know being president of the music club means the student council will look to you first for providing music for events and such." Sugar Fizz explains, pulling away from the rooftop railing to tug Amore with her.

Amore willingly gets moved away from the edge as she is pulled close to Sugar Fizz, "I did anticipate that, yeah. It's what I love to do and I can't imagine the club having any complaints about getting to play more music. Hmm, it's getting pretty late and I don't think we have anything else today if you wanted to retire to our room?"

Sugar Fizz smiles, "I've been questioning a lot since we met how I managed to earn such an amazing mare's affection. I'd love to. I want to indulge your attention as much as possible before we both become particularly busy with upcoming Nightmare Night preparations."

They both share a deep tender kiss before heading back inside and towards their dorm room. The reunited group below in the academy courtyard seemingly increased in excitement as the newly acquired trio convinced Symphony to take a break as everyone appeared to be moving toward town, no doubt aiming for Valentine's.