//------------------------------// // Why Not? // Story: Friendship Is Monsters // by spotty8ee //------------------------------// Twilight stared uncertainly onto her front lawn, glass door partly open as the midday sun beat down on her. She was stunned for a moment, as it appeared that, in all impossibility, there was a girl internally combusting on her walkway. Stirred by the clatter of her garage can she had left her lunch behind her to find a human form crumpled against the stone, skin peeling like lit paper and smoke billowing in thick black clouds. Twilight wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't even sure what had happened! Tentatively she hurried down her steps to the girls side. “H-hello?!” Twilight put her hand to the girl's back, careful of the flickering skin and trying not to gag at the smell of burnt flesh. “Are you alright?! What's happening?!” Twilight shifted around her, trying to find a better angle of observation when her shadow settled just over the exposed area of the girl's arm. The skin stopped burning and smoke settled. Before Twilight's eye the skin began to heal at an incredible pace. Shocked Twilight shifted , exposing the arm once again, only for it to burst to flames, the girl whining as it did so. Twilight was frozen... could it be... She shakily reached for the girl's hair, brushing back the red locks to find a black mark on the girl's skin. It had a striking contrast , swirling out elegantly in a detailed pattern, which was surprising for how small it was. Black lines crisscrossed along the junction of her neck and shoulder, all leading to, or originating from the same place. Two small puncture scars above her carotid artery. Twilight ripped her hand back, jumping away from the 'creature' on her yard. A vampire, a vampire was on her lawn! Twilight had of course read about them, she had read about all monster races if only for interests sake, but she never expected to see one in real life. Mostly because her gated community only allowed human residence. It also didn't help that it was almost noon in the middle of March... Half tempted to make a mad dash back into her house and lock the door, Twilight looked up and down the street to see if anyone else was out... Nothing indicated where this girl had come from, making it seem like she had just fallen out of the sky. Then again given what she had read about vampires that was entirely possible. Twilight bit her lip... What she had read about vampires. Yes, she had read a lot of books, but most of the books on the monster race in her town were by humans. They were also not very flattering. Most indicated on how to weed out the races from humans to destroy them, or were history books on how much suffering the humans has endured at their hands. A few were anatomical, but a majority were to point out weak spots and didn't go very deep into their actual function. It was truthfully the internet where was where Twilight had found most of her reliable information. Along with something Twilight hadn't expected. Like a werewolf girl who had a youtube channel to show how to apply make over fur, or a fawn who had pretty good skateboarding videos. From Twilight's gathered research, the races weren't much different from humans. Which meant the girl before her wasn't any different from Twilight herself. Except that this girl could be dying. Twilight went back towards her, trying to remember what she had read. Getting her out of the sun maybe all she needed. Twilight attempted to find a proper hold when a shout came from down the street. “I THINK IT WENT DOWN THIS WAY!” Twilight snapped her head around, not seeing anyone but hearing the chattering of an angry mob charging up the hill of her street. It wasn't had to figure out what they were after. Doubling her efforts Twilight hooked her arms around the girl, pulling her up. Choking on black smoke and struggling with the girls weight, Twilight was surprised when the vampire weakly raised her hands to push against her. “no...no stop, leave me...alone, please..please...” The redhead moaned weakly, not having the strength to break Twilight's gentle hold. “i-i just...i wanna go home...please...” Grimacing, Twilight dragged the girl up her path to the door, fumbling with the handle as the mob got louder, stomping closer with every rumble, and the girl in her arms had her hands drop to her sides in defeat, whimpering in Twilight's ear. 'i just...i want my m-mom...” The redhead released a sob as Twilight finally jimmied the door open and started in. Only to be met with a block. 'Ough!' Twilight coughed when it felt like she was pushing the girl against a wall rather than through a doorway. She knew the door was open... Pushing again Twilight just couldn't get her in! The girl whined at the pressure Twilight was applying to her battered skin and Twilight had to pause to think, her ears ringing with the loud shouts of the mob still approaching. Had the gated community built houses that repelled monsters from entering somehow!? Had her crazy grandmother done something to their house without her knowing?! Twilight racked her brain until an idea finally came to her wildly. “Y-you can come inside! Welcome to my house! Please come in!” Twilight said, trying to keep her voice low, although she was a little frantic at this point. Instantly the invisible wall vanished and both girls fell inside. The redhead sobbed loudly when Twilight landed on top of her, but Twilight had no time to apologize. She spun around, quietly shutting the door as the mob just began to reach her neighbor's home.Locking the bolt Twilight finally found time to breath. Vampires need to be invited to enter a home. Well check that under fact then. Looking down at the girl again, Twilight noticed the living room's bay windows were filling the space with natural light. Dam open floor plans! Taking the girl around the middle once more, Twilight dragged her down the hall, through the dining room and to the basement door. It was unfinished, and her parents had relinquished most of the small space to her to share with the laundry. Her lab was set up here and since it was in the basement that meant there was little sunlight to be had. She pulled the girl to the area under the stairs, then set to work making a fort around it. Setting up a few stored tarps to make a dark nest underneath. Twilight could hardly make anything out in the fort, but set up her brother's old cadet sleeping bag for the girl to lay on. Just upon entering the basement had been a vast improvement. Most of her skin was back and she was breathing easier. Placing her in the fort on the sleeping bag had her almost back to normal. Only she was still out of it, mumbling incoherently and whimpering. Thinking fast Twilight draped a blanket over her before hurrying to her laptop still on her desk. A quick search of google aaannnddd...- Signs of Vampiric Sun Stroke- * Or why suntanning isn't a vampire's past time Twilight quickly clicked the link, hoping for something useful. Vampires are known for being creatures of the night, but in this new day and age that's almost impossible! While many modern advances have found ways to contradict the sun's rays on fragile vampiric skin, that doesn't mean it will always work. How easy it can be to forget your sunscreen SPF 1000, or to have your umbrella blown away. Maybe your injections just happened to wear off in the middle of that Las Vegas vacation you planned. Well worry not! This blog is here to point out the signs, symptoms and treatment of your Vampiric sun stroke! Twilight quickly skimmed down, checking off the symptoms she had seen earlier to find the treatment phase at the bottom. To start treating Vampiric Sun Stroke, begin by going to a dark, damp place. Anywhere the sun's grubby rays can't get you. Once you're healed, speed depending upon rank, it important to get a fresh feeding of blood. During Vampiric Sun Stroke, a lot of your body's fluid gets burned up trying to heal yourself while your skin boils away. As you know, the vampiric body is technically dead, so it won't be making more of its own blood anytime soon. Try to find something to siphon, such as if your are in a cave, try a rat. Twilight pushed back from her computer, shutting down the site. Blood... oh god. She rose from her seat and quickly ascended the steps. Where was she gonna get blood? Stepping into the kitchen Twilight spotted Spike staring up at the counter, looking wistfully up at her half eaten sandwich. Nope. The thought didn't even registered in Twilight's mind. Spike was many things, but a vampire snack was not one of them. She took the forgotten food and place it in Spike's bowl, the dog was quick to accept , licking at her finger before diving in. Turning Twilight found herself looking at the knife block on the counter. She was transfixed for a few seconds before shaking her head. No, she wasn't about to offer herself as an all you can suck buffet. She hardly knew this girl.... Besides, that could the plan B if all else fails. Thinking again Twilight turned to the fridge, opening it to look inside. And there before her was what she needed. Three Uncooked steaks were defrosted on a plate. Twilight snatched them up and took them to the counter. She took out a bowl, a cooling tray and a rolling pin, and set the objects up into a homemade press. Then she rolled out what little blood left in the stakes that she could. Sadly it wasn't much, but it would have to do. Putting the flattened meat back and carrying the bowl into the basement, Twilight slipped back into the darkness of the fort, finding the girl as she had left her. Going around to her head Twilight lifted her into semi-seated, placing the bowl to her slightly open mouth. The first of the dark red liquid slipped in, a bit dribbling down her chin. At first Twilight was worried at the lack of response, perhaps the blood was too old... Suddenly the girl's hands shot up, snatching the bowl out of Twilight's hand and swigging the rest of the liquid into her open maw desperately. She coughed, twitching a bit as the empty bowl slipped to the floor, her tongue lapping up the remains of the blood on her face it could reach. She whined softly. “ma..Mom can I have more...” Twilight paused, staring down at the girl sadly. “I-i'm sorry, but I don't have anymore...” The red head's eyes wobbled open, a bit hazy but still comprehending. “Wha...” “Uh, hello... Are you in any, uh, pain?” Twilight asked, leaning into her line of sight, pushing her glasses back onto her face. The redhead stared up at her, eyes turning from confused to alarmed. “W-who are you?... W-where am I?...” “Uh, I'm Twilight.... Twilight Sparkle. I found you outside my house, you were on fire, I think from the sun light?” Twilight winced when the girl weakly looked around her surroundings, eyes wide. “We're in my basement. You're safe here.” The redhead blinked, turning back to Twilight wearily. “w..why did you help me...?” “Why not?” The redhead stared at her, eyes narrowed in thought. She made no response to Twilight, instead opting to look around once more, her gaze falling on the bowl on the floor. Twilight looked at it as well, only to snap her gaze back to her patient, who began to shiver violently in her arms. “Whats wrong? Are you cold?” “N-naw, naturally cold...” The girl mumbled, wincing and placing a hand to her abdomen. “Just hurts...” “What dose?” The girl looked back at her, as though she were some kind of idiot. Yet the look lasted less than a second as it melted into a softer expression of realization. “W-well, vampires don't get enough oxygen from our own.. blood...Heart beats too... slow” She closed her eyes for a few seconds tiredly, taking a few deep breaths before continuing softly. “ Digestion tract is cut off from... rest of it to supply brain and muscles... need to eat blood so my organs will... get oxygen from it...” She frowned a bit as she opened her eyes. “W-without it they start to... shut down...” Twilight leaned in to the girl quietly. “You drink blood every day?” “N-no... Only every few... Body doesn't need much any more...heh..” She shivered again, curling in on herself with a whine. “T-that blood...” “Beef, I drain some of our fridge meat... I don't think it was the freshest. Sorry...” The girl shook her head. “Enough... Enough for now... I'm still.... Still need more but... I'll survive.” “For how long?” Twilight asked. “Hours...” Twilight stared at the girl as she quivered in her arms, whimpering softly. “W-what should I do?!” “T-twilight... Right?” She looked up at Twilight cautiously, relaxing when she received a nodded. “I'm, I'm Sunset.... Shimmer. I... need to call my-my mom... Phones in my b-bag.” Twilight blinked owlishly. “You didn't have a bag when I found you.” “...shit...” Twilight shook her head. “Just tell me the number , I can call it.” “Dunno... clan got...new phones... being harassed by ... someone... never got call.. myself.” She shivered again, rolling into Twilight side, who subconsciously held the girl closer. “D-dunno...” “Sunset, what your mother's name, maybe I can find her number.” Yet Sunset didn't respond. Twilight stared at her before frowning. “Sunset? Sunset!?” After giving her a little shake the girl lulled over in her hold. Twilight lay her back down, panicking for a moment, but when she set the girl down she found Sunset had simply passed out. “Ok...Ok. I can handle this... Uh, ok...” “TWILIGHT!” Twilight started, scrambling from the enclosure and looking up the stairs just as her father opened the door. “Twilight?! Oh there you are, come on, I'm starting dinner and I could use a hand.” “Oh, coming right up...” Twilight shot one last glance under the steps before wandering up to the main floor. “I just don't understand it.” Night Light grumbled for the fifth time in their meal. A fresh steak dinner with scalloped potatoes and green beans. Twilight was just pushing food around on her plate as her mother rolled her eyes. “Night Light, just let it go.” “No!” Her father pouted, looking at his wife. “He said they were the juiciest steaks they had!” “They always say that. They're trying to sell a product. Don't get fussy, we'll just shop at the other grocery store instead.” Velvet Twilight spoke calmly, patting her husband's hand. “M-maybe being in the fridge without a cover caused them to lose some moisture... or the grill was too high...” Twilight mumbled, knowing full well why the stakes were rather dry. “Well I guess that could have happened... Let's give them another chance. Maybe we just got a lousy batch.” Night Light agreed. “ I was just looking forward to it so much. I love steak and we hardly get to eat it.” Velvet smiled while rolling her eyes, but paused when her phone buzzed, causing her to retrieve it from her pocket. Twilight stopped shoving her food around long enough to take a mouthful of beans. Her mind, meanwhile, wondered to their unknown guest in the basement. It was starting to get dark outside. However she doubted Sunset would be able to leave in her condition, not to mention she could get caught in the process. Meanwhile the one thing that could fix her was both plentiful and unobtainable. “Who is it Velvet? Is it Haiku again? I know she wanted you to edit those novels by Friday but she's crazy to expect all of them done in less than a week.” Night Light frowned, shaking his head. “No, it's not her. It the president of the homeowners association.” Velvet spoke, looking down at her phone. Twilight froze. “Well what do they want? Another potluck at the civic center?” “No Night Light. They apparently are sending out this message to everyone, so I suspect you'll get one to. Seems a vampire was seen around town today.” “A vampire?” Night Light looked up, surprised. “I didn't think any of the monster races would ever want to come here willingly, I mean if they could even get entry past the gate.” “Well I guess one got in.” Velvet said, frowning. “They say it just disappeared, so maybe it left...” “Well that good I suppose.” Night Light stirred his beans with some fresh butter. “Putting one of the monster races in this neighborhood is like putting a puppy on a crab breeding beach.” Night Light lifted one of his hands, echoing a crab clacking its claws in warning. “Speaking of puppies. Shoo Spike!” Velvet swatted at the dog begging by her feet. “Shoo! This foods no good for you!” Spike whined up at her, ducking her swatting hand and scuttling under Twilight's chair with a disappointed grunt. “Twilight are you alright? You've been so quiet.” Twilight jolted when her father spoke, looking at him wildly. “Wha...Oh, Yes, I'm Fine. Juuust.... thinking about my next experiment...” “What are you thinking of doing for your March Break Twilight? I remember last year's experiment, that home made solar panel is still working out in the yard.” Night Light said. “I'm not sure yet.” Twilight mumbled. “Maybe I'll take it easy this year... potato battery or something.” “Or maybe you could try a 'Social' experiment.” Velvet spoke, frowning at her daughter across the table. “Honestly Twilight, I know you're not that sociable in nature, but you at least need someone to talk to outside us.” “I...” Twilight swallowed, poking at her food again. “I dunno...” “At least try to get out of the house, ok?” Velvet said. “Ok. Im going to be researching subject tonight so I'll probably sleep downstairs in my lab.” Twilight looked up to her mother, catching her disapproving look before adding. “-and I'll take Spike for a walk tomorrow. Maybe into to town and see who I meet.” “Sounds like a plan!” Night Light agreed, taking the last bite of his steak before grimacing at the dry texture. After dinner was cleaned up and her parents were in their room, Twilight slipped back downstairs dressed in her pyjama bottoms and a more comfortable, older t-shirt. She carried a few spare clothes downstairs with her, saying they were in case she tried an experiment that night, but really it was in case Sunset wanted to change out of her soot smelling clothes. However the girl hadn't moved an inch. She was just as Twilight had left her... only she was pale and still. Upon checking her Twilight was frightened, it seemed like she was dead... but then again as a vampire she might not have been alive in the first place, did that mean these were good signs? She hurried to her computer again. 'How to tell if a vampire is dead.' Vampires are a creature that have bodies that seems to exhibit features of being dead at all times. However this is not the case. While their bodies have changed Vampires are not actually dead, but in a state of 'lessened' living. Like a sort of hibernation state, their bodily functions have slown down, such as a lower heart rate (5 bpm.) and they have slower breathing. (1 bpm.). Unless monitored constantly, the signs that they are indeed alive are hard to miss, but as long as you know the person in question is a vampire then it's actually easy to tell a living vampire from a dead one. Dead vampires don't actually have a body! Their bodies, upon death, turn to dust instantly. It doesn't even have to be from exposure to sunlight. Upon their demise, natural or otherwise, a vampire will just turn to ash. Ok. Ok she was still here so she wasn't dead. Yet... Twilight crept back to the den under the stairs, looking over Sunset quietly. Now that she had calmed a bit Twilight could see that Sunset hadn't take a turn for the best in the hours she had been gone. She was defiantly paler than before and when Twilight shook the girl's shoulder she was met without response. Twilight brushed a few stray hairs from Sunset's face, concerned about what step to take next. Maybe she could google Sunset's name. Find a social media account and find someone she knows from there. However Twilight paused when she spotted some flecks of dirt of the girl's cheek. Most likely from the stairs. Twilight swept it away, but paused when, instead of clearing the area there seemed to be a bit more. She tried again and was met with the same result. With no small amount of horror did Twilight realize when wasn't dusting off dirt, she was removing the beginnings of Sunset's deterioration. She really was dying then, or starting to anyway! Twilight whined tightly as she checked other areas of exposed skin. She found a similar build up on the girl's arms, her hands... oh god, now what!? Sunset said she'd be able to survive a few hours on the blood Twilight had given her. However it had been a few hours since Twilight had left her, so time was running out. She needed blood, now! Yet the only place to get it was Plan B. Her. Why didn't she try to think up another plan sooner?! Then again what could she have done? Robbed a blood bank? Kill a neighbour's cat? Gather her parents for a rousing game of doctor, I.V edition? She didn't even know if it was safe to offer Sunset her blood. She knew nothing about this girl, what she was like or even if she was going to give a crap if she drained Twilight of all her blood or not. While it wasn't something Twilight like to focus on, in the past it was well known that humans and monster races did NOT get along. Humans were like plaything for the most part and while many learned how to defend themselves to various monsters it didn't really level the playing field. Sure a stake soaked in garlic oils was better than nothing, but when a vampire has the power to snap your arm off one handed, there's only so much that toothpick will do. However about two hundred years ago the humans had allied themselves with the witches, whom had shared some interesting extermination techniques in return for a place amongst the human strongholds. Nowadays there weren't any differences between witches and humans. Humans, even monster hating one's, loved witches. After all, the witch race had left the humans to their own devices for the most part before the alliance, and were seen as heroes afterward. Not to mention they had a common enemy. The playing field was finally leveled. There could have been a full scale world war had the monster races not begun to reflect on past actions. With the sudden threat the monster leaders had convened, agreed they were kind of to blame and offered a peace treaty. And a very shaky peace was forged, that had lasted since this day. That didn't mean either side didn't have their opposers. Some monsters still had a sense of superiority that felt their pride wounded when the treaty was signed. Some humans and witches thought there should be steep reprimand to the injustices they had faced for so long. The legacy of such feelings were laying before Twilight, dying on her basement floor. Even with the fear of possible death, Twilight knew she couldn't just stand by while this girl crumbled to dust. So, not really knowing what she was doing, Twilight lifted Sunset into her arms again, ready to give her what she desperately needed. Only... how did she do that? Should she slit her wrist? That seemed a bit over the top, not to mention it would freak out her parents.She could imagine how that conversation would go. In the movies, vampires typically went for the neck. So... then maybe... Twilight shifted Sunset to the crook of her neck, offering the exposed skin to the unconscious girl. She pressed Sunset's mouth to the junction and shivered when Sunset's barely open mouth scrapped a stray fang over her flesh, the feeling akin to a sharp knife point. This might not have been a good idea. Only there was no time left for second guesses, or rethinking or even backing out. It could have been the heartbeat in Sunset's ear, maybe the smell of food but whatever it was that roused Sunset, it drove her to feed on the food so graciously placed before her. And from the first moment Twilight knew the movies were all wrong. What was typically shown as two small pinprick suckled out of like a straw were so far from the truth it was laughable. Twilight was frozen in shock as Sunset basically ripped her shoulder apart with her mouth. Fangs used to pierce needle like holes in movies ripped through the flesh of her shoulder. Muscles shredded and Twilight now knew the horrible feeling of teeth clacking the underside of her collar bone. Then two fangs sank into the area where the belly of her levator scapula muscle would be, holding both Sunset and her meal in place in order for her to feast at the geyser of blood that had erupted from the wound. The girl lapped, almost like a dog, swallowing blood down her throat at a ravenous rate, her tongue grooving into cuts and tears in the wounds to aggravate the injury more, drawing more nectar to her. Twilight could safely say this was the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Had she the power she would have started to scream or cry, or both maybe. However she was frozen, only offering a squeak when Sunset, her power returning, shifted herself to grab Twilight in an almost bone breaking hold with both hands. She again ripped into Twilight shoulder, seemingly unsatisfied with the feed she had gotten and plunged her ripping fangs so deep they drug on her first rib. Here things had started to get blurry, even if the pain didn't dissipate any. Twilight could only hiccup weakly, whimpering as tears found their way down her cheeks. This was it then, this was how she was gonna die. Not in a lab accident, not on some scientific expatiation, not even as an old women, toiling over some research results in her offices, falling asleep on them and never waking up like she had statistically thought. She was gonna die without having done a damn thing with her life. Twilight shuttered, pain stabbing violently into her and her view blurred by tears and blood loss. This was really it. Sunset suddenly seemed to lax her hold on Twilight. Hands stopped gripping and were more just supporting her, her desperately lashing tongue slowed to a lazy licking, as she seemed to melt in relief of her suffering. Through the painful fog Twilight had the nice thought that at least Sunset would be ok. Then Sunset froze. There was a few seconds of nothing before she shifted, hands clenching before they wrapped themselves around Twilight to hold her weight as Sunset drew her fangs away. If the girl was saying anything then Twilight couldn't hear her, but she did feel a hand in her hair, pulling a large strand from the side of her face and out of her wound , clearing her shoulder. Hands shifted again, swiftly, and at an almost frenzied pace, before Sunset's mouth was back. Twilight shivered, sniveling softly before Sunset's fangs punctured a little farther up her neck. This time they were still, not tearing or shearing like before. They held the spot before pulling out and sinking in again closer to her shoulder. Sunset continued on like this, nipping around the wound's edges until Twilight could feel a change. Pain receded. Slowly it slunk away until the unholy burning in her shoulder had gone to a numb sensation, then to a comfortable warm feeling. Twilight opened her eyes, finding things still blurry and that none of her limbs responded to the commands she gave them. She then felt the sensation of Sunset's tongue in her wound again, prodding the deepest area of the flesh with apprehension. It felt freaking amazing. Had Twilight been more aware she would have blushed at the soft moan that left her lips, but right now she could barely register what was going on. The vampire that held her began to weave her tongue along the gash, much more organized than the pace before. As it rung around the depths of the cut Twilight could actually feel the laceration grow shallow. It only took a few moments for the grizzly sight to feel like smooth, unmarred skin. Twilight wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not but the shoulder didn't feel like it was damaged anymore. Of course it could have been whatever glorious substance Sunset had injected into her, but she was so woozy she couldn't ask. She was shifted again until she was the one being held in Sunset's arms. Opening her eyes again she could see the other girl was talking to her, her mouth was moving. What was she saying? Twilight tried to read Sunset's lips but she just couldn't warp her head around it. The redhead looked upset and worried, and Twilight finally found some limb control so she could lethargically lift her arm enough to pat Sunset on the shoulder. Twilight murmured softly, not really hearing what she said through a veil of cotton. Sunset seemed to relax a little and leaned closer to her with some of the blurriness melting away. Are my glasses on? Twilight lifted her hand enough to flop it down on her face. Nope. No glasses. Course had they been on they could have broken when she literally slapped herself.. She blinked accusingly at her hand, thinking for a morbid moment it had enjoyed hitting her. Not that that was possible.... Whoa, how lucid am I? Twilight licked her dry lips, looking up again to Sunset who was inspecting Twilight's old T-shirt. Sunset's cloths had droplets of blood on them, she could only imagine her own top was soaked through. As Sunset set Twilight down on the sleeping bag she had once been resting on, the human started to nod off. The rest of the night was a blur to her. Twilight would drift in and out of consciousness, waking to find Sunset changing her shirt, to being alone under the stairs, to being in Sunset's arms. At some point her hearing came back because she was awoken by Sunset humming nervously. Then whatever Sunset had given her had worn off. Her shoulder felt stiff and sore, sometimes when she shifted it would groan at her, stippling painfully. Finally a few rays of sunlight slunk into the basement windows. Beaming a few stray rays across the room. Their lair was undisturbed and Twilight was finally feeling a little more... herself. She stretched a little, cracking her neck with Sunset bristling at her her movement. “Whoa, hey don't do that. You could pull on newly formed fibres. You wanna give it a few days to settle in and regain elasticity.” Sunset said, sitting the girl up in her arms. “...How are you feeling?” Twilight looked up at her through her fuzzy vision, yawning a bit before flinching at the throat muscles that spasmed at the movement. “Sore... a little. I'm ok otherwise.” I think. Sunset assessed her again before grunting. “Yeah, you're gonna be like that for a bit...” Sunset looked away, frowning at the tarp nest around them. “Ah, dammit!” She swore loudly and tensed up. “I can't believe I did that! I'm so sorry, I mean-” “It's ok.” Twilight said. “It's OK?!” Sunset stared down at her, shocked. “Twilight, I almost killed you!” Twilight frowned and lifted her heavy hand to her shoulder, feeling around under the new t-shirt she had on. Between her bra strap she found the skin unmarred. It was almost as if nothing had happened. She looked back up at the vampire. “Almost. Not quite though...” Sunset looked away, with a shadow of self-loathing written on her face. Twilight stared at her before blinking. “How did you... heal 'that' anyway?” “Healing saliva. We gotta activate a certain gland.” Sunset said, still not looking at her. “What about that stuff you injected?” “Kind of a paralyzing pain killer. It injects as we... tear in... but typically it's to stop prey from struggling...” Sunset frowned. “My mother taught me safely feed from others. She doesn't want anyone dead and sometimes if there's nothing else around you have to ask someone. Typically you want to drug the area before you... start. This time around...” The vampire scowled. “I just dunno. I couldn't even get up, how did I take you down and attack you.” “Uh...” Twilight stared up at the girl, shocked. “You..You didn't. I lifted you up to my neck and let you?” Sunset blinked, this time looking back at her. “What?” “You were getting all... dusty. I was worried you were going to disintegrate. So I thought I could try...” “Dammit...” Sunset threw her head back with a groan before glaring at her. “ Listen don't go around shoving your neck into random monster's mouths! If I was two more inches medial, it wouldn't have mattered how much spit I used. When you get the jugular it's usually unfixable.” Her glare softened. “That being said... Thank you. I must have been pretty bad if you saw me sulfracating.” “Sulfracating-?” “Turning to dust.” “Oh.” Twilight wrung her hands, before realizing she was still sitting in Sunset's lap. She sat up, shifting onto the floor. “Do you want something to eat?” “Sure. I heard your parents leave an hour ago.” Sunset spoke, standing up and opening the tarp for them. Twilight went to join her, but wobbled half way up when some vertigo set in. Sunset reached out to steady her, helped her stand and exit the enclosure, then assisted her up the stairs. When they reach the main floor Sunset took her to their kitchenette bar, seating her on a stool. Then fished around in her front jacket pocket before handing Twilight her glasses. “These might help.” “Thank you.” Twilight set them in place before turning to her guest. “So what do you want? We have cereal, eggs, bread..” “Cereals fine. Where is it? I can get it together, you just sit here.” Sunset quickly got started after some instructions from Twilight. As the vampire worked Twilight looked around, noting that all the blinds on the main floor were closed. “Uh, Sunset... when did you close the blinds?” “About three am. I kinda came up here to scope out where I was. Don't worry, I didn't touch the second floor, I just wanted to secure the area.” Sunset pulled the milk out of the fridge. “You have a cute dog by the way. He kind growled at me when he saw me last night but settled down when I started to scratch him behind the ear.” “Thats his weak spot.” Twilight smiled, looking to the calendar to tell her what she already knew. Spike had a vet appointment today. Mom must have already taken him. Sunset set the two bowls full of cereal down before them. As they started to dig in Twilight looked at the vampire beside her. Her wondering eyes ran to Sunset's exposed neck and the detailed black markings found there. “Like it?” Twilight jumped as Sunset began to laugh. “Relax, It tends to draw attention. It's my Ortus. Its represents the end of my old life and the beginning of my new one. You know... as a vampire.” Sunset took another bite of her cereal. “Vampire can't have kids themselves, so they have to adopt.” “Oh.” Twilight put a hand to her neck quietly. “How easy is it to do that...?” Sunset looked up at her before snorting. “Don't worry. You have to be pretty powerful to change people over. My mother is god-tier, which is pretty powerful, but most vampires need to hire someone her level to do it. I have a long way to go before that's a possibility for me.” Sunset shrugged. “I couldn't turn you if I tried and even if I could, it takes a while to set up for it.” Twilight blinked at her. “What were you before?” “Human. My mother adopted me when I was three but I was turned at fourteen, so two years ago...” Sunset looked back at her food. “Don't worry though, she asked me if I wanted to turn, it wasn't mandatory, she's adopted in the past but none of them took her up on it. I kinda understand why, I mean yesterday wasn't much fun, for either of us, but I still enjoy the fringe benefits.” Twilight smiled back, eating the rest of her cereal quietly. Time ticked by as the two ate, side by side with Twilight looking to her guest every now and then. Ever curious by nature Twilight was almost bursting at the seems with more questions, but felt a little rude to just keep grilling her guest, especially after such a traumatic event. However the silence of their meal shattered when Sunset dropped her spoon mid air, allowing it to clatter to the counter and spilling its contents without reaction. Twilight looked up at the girl, concerned. Yet Sunset was still, almost eerily still, hand poised in its previous motion. Suddenly she looked around the room behind them, movement jerky and hard. “Uh, Sunset?” Twilight said, a little unnerved. “Are you...?” Sunset snapped her head around to look at her. In the shadows of the dimly lit floor she could see the other girl's eyes glowing, whiting out her irises. Twilight froze but the vampire didn't even acknowledge her. Instead she looked back into the kitchen, then rose out of her seat, pushing the stool to the ground in the process and hurried to a counter area near the sink, her walking motion slight twitchy. Twilight watched her go, still frozen in shock. Sunset snatched up the mail her parents had brought in the other day and began to shuffle through it. The glasses wearing girl blinked owlishly when Sunset dropped all of them but a letter from the home owner's association. From what Twilight could see it was addressed directly to her house, which meant someone living here had messed up. It happened from time to time, Twilight would blow something up in the house or her Dad would have his car radio on too loud. Though Sunset was enthralled with it, and not even the contents, just the unopened envelope. She seemed to mumbled to herself, rereading the simple address and return postage a few time. Then she emitted and loud, grumbling growl. Twilight had heard growls before. Spike growled, animals on tv growled, her father growled when his boss pushed him too hard that day. This growl seemed to vibrate in Twilight's very being, it rumbled deeply, echoing out the rage felt by its owner. Something small in Twilight screamed at her to get as far away from that angry thing as possible. Yet she remained frozen to the stool. Then the growling stopped. Sunset stood still again, letter fluttering from her grasp before her knee quaked and she nearly fell over, managing to catch the counter just in time. The redhead shuttered before panting a little. “Ah...” Twilight whimpered. “Sunset?” The girl managed to regain control of her knees enough to stand again without assistance. She looked back at her host quietly, swallowing a little. “Yah...?” “I don't mean to be rude but... what the heck was that?” Twilight asked, wincing slightly. Sunset wobbled to her side, righting the stool again. “That was... my mom.” Twilight blinked. “What?” “My mom. She god-tier, like I told you, so she's pretty powerful.” Sunset slumped into the seat, looking a little tired. “She's a matriarch, which is a fancy word for being the leader of a vampire clan or a small collection of vampires. Ours is pretty small, but my mom is one of the most powerful vampires in the world, not to mention one of the oldest. So she knows and can do pretty much every vampire trick in the book. What you just saw is called puppeting.” “Puppeting... So she was controlling your actions?” “It's more than that... Puppeting pretty much hands over all body control. She could see through my eyes, control my body and if she wanted, speak through my mouth.” Sunset said, rubbing her eye. “Used to be for back in the day when you had a huge vampire army to control, you'd grab a random, far off underling, use their bodies to issue orders and then do it again in another body on the other side of your land.” Sunset groaned. “She doesn't use it cause unless you're high up power wise, you're pretty much drained afterward. Ergo why I'm suddenly so tired... I'll bounce back but it's not fun when it's happening either... She must be pretty worried if she use it...” “Well she saw my address, maybe she going to come get you?” Twilight smiled. “Oh, there's no guess work about that.” Sunset nodded. “She's probably already in the community, she might have been looking for me since nightfall...” “She knows you're here? Wait...” Twilight looked at her. “Why are you here? Didn't you know this community is... not the nicest to people who are-” “Monsters? Yah, I figured that out on my own, thanks.” Sunset grumbled, looking sour before wincing. “Ah, dammit, I'm sorry. Yes. I knew about this being a humans only town before I snuck in.” “Then....” “It was stupid.” Sunset sighed. “Two of my buddies and I were kinda nettled because we were harassed by some humans cops in Mid-Canterlot. You know, the intermixing area of the city.” “I've never been there, but I've heard of it.” Twilight nodded. “Well we weren't really doing anything wrong, maybe besides loitering, when they came up and started harassing us for no reason.” Sunset frowned. “To be fair the area usually pretty good and there are cops of all races, in fact most human officers before didn't bother us so I guess it was just these old ones. Anyway they pretty much left after yelling at us with a bunch of bigoted remarks before going back on their rounds. We were a little steamed...” Sunset grumbled slightly. “My one friend Rainbow especially so. Since she a bit of a hot headed daredevil she actually convinced us to follow the guys, then when they were talking outside a cafe she snuck up behind one and somehow looped a string through his belt without him noticing and tied him to a bike rack. Then, just as amazingly she snuck away and didn't get caught. “How'd the officer react?” Twilight giggled. “Well the bike rack was pretty flimsy, so he just broke it, and knocked over about twenty bikes. I've never seen so many people that mad at once.” Sunset smiled. However it dropped when she continued. “Then Rainbow get kicked up on adrenaline and dares AppleJack to do something to. So nothing doing we go to a store owned by some humans. It wasn't a random thing though, this store's owner had a daughter that picks on Applejack's little sister pretty bad... So Applejack goes in and asks to speak to the owner, cause they know each other pretty well and the guy is a nice guy. So Applejack starts telling him that someone stole a flower from from her family's garden, an important one, and she wants to put up signs. See, she's a tree spirit, which means she like a living plant person, so plants are very important to them.” “Wow, I've heard of those. Isn't it true if you see some kind of hollow in their back you die or something?” Twilight asked. Sunset snorted a little. “Oh no, trust me that's fake. Speaking of which Applejack starts to spin this tale to Filthy Rich, the store owner. Telling him the flowers are important because it is used to 'impregnate' their people in order to reproduce or something stupid. Told him her brother had been growing it because he had taken a shine to a girlfriend and wanted to be prepared if they decided to move their relationship along. Then she starts to describe the flower in great detail, explaining that in order to get pregnant with it you need to put it behind your ear and wear it in your hair.” Sunset chuckled. “Then Mr Rich goes all pale and Applejack runs out of there saying she'll be back with the posters later. Once she's outside she informs us that he sister had grown the same, basic old flower for show and tell three days ago, but Mr Rich's daughter had snipped it and had been lording it in front of Applejack's sister by wearing it in her hair, behind her ear! I have never see a man run that fast!” Twilight smiled with her. “I mean, Mr Rich started to run around downstair, hyperventilating and Diamond Tiara, his daughter, was in his arms looking like she'd seen a ghost, the wife yelling like a crazy person. Applejack decided to let them off the hook and goes back in. Told them they had found the flower, it was under some brush they cut, and that it was all accounted for so she didn't need to put up the posters. They all almost melted with relief.” Sunset frowned. “It seems a little mean spirited now, but nobody was hurt.” “Course...” Sunset looked down at her feet. “Then Rainbow decided to dare me...and I, like and idiot, decided to accept.” Sunset shook her head. “She dared me to sneak in here, go to the middle of the town and steal the flag from the flagpole. I mean with some basic vampire powers it was easy at first. I snuck in, slipped around without anyone seeing me, got the flag and stuffed it in my bag, then started to get out.” Sunset scowled. “Then some people saw me, but no big deal. I was almost home free, but then...” “Then?” Twilight nudged patiently. “The automatic sprinkler system turns on, like on every yard in town.” Sunset said. “I got splashed and it washed off most of my sunscreen lotion, then I started to burn up. It got pretty bad, people were chasing me and I guess I dropped my bag, or it caught fire, or something. Then I collapsed on your yard.” “Yah, I heard my garage cans knock over and came to see.” Twilight stared at the vampire quietly. “My friends probably waited a while before freaking out that I wasn't back, then told my mom what happened.” Sunset sighed. “She's gonna be mad... I mean she warned me not to come here, at least alone.” “Yah, Everfree Estates isn't a welcoming community, not even for humans.” Twilight said. “The house owners association gets mad if you don't cut your grass to the right height.” Twilight jumped when Sunset stood suddenly again. Yet before Twilight could asked the other girls spoke. “My mom's nearby.” “You can tell?” “Its weird. She says it'll go away once I'm twenty... Some kind of vampire youngling thing.” Sunset grunted. “Hey do you have a garage we can use?” “Ah yes. Let me just open the door...” Twilight managed to her feet unassisted this time, crossing the main floor to the garage and tapping the door opener. Mechanisms whirled as gears pulls the door up, clanking slightly as it shifted to allow entrance. Twilight watched the quiet street, feeling Sunset shuffle behind her trying to avoid the light coming in the door. “Are you sure she's here?” Twilight craned her neck to look up and down the street. “Yes, I'm one hundred percent sure.” Sunset spoke. “Well I don't see anything-” Twilight paused when a black car started to pull up the driveway. It was quite a big, muscular car. Matching something of a Short Stretch Hummer. It drove right into the garage, and with the windows tinted black so she couldn't make out anyone inside. The driver door opened, and an elderly man hopped from the intimidating vehicle, needing to use the running board just to get down. Dress in an impeccable tux the man quickly made his way to the door where Twilight stood. “Madam. Will you kindly shut the shop entryway?” “Oh, uh right, of course.” Twilight pushed the button again, unable to take her eyes from the man. Sunset looked over Twilight's shoulder as the door began to shut. “Carrion!” “It is good to see you in good health Ms Sunset.” Carrion spoke, stepping back down to the ground quietly, just as the door closed. “If you would come with me, the Mistress would like to see you.” Sunset slipped past Twilight and swiftly stood beside Carrion as the man opened the back car door. In an instant she leap inside. “Mom!” “Sunset!” Twilight couldn't see well with the dim light of the garage and the dark inners of the car, but she could make out the silhouette of a tall, lithe women holding Sunset closely. Sunset herself was clinging tightly back, whimpering. “Mom, oh god I thought I'd never see you again yesterday!” The women simply held her tighter, mumbling something into Sunset hair. “I know, I'm sorry....” Sunset spoke softly. “I didn't mean to scare you...” “All that matters is your safe.” The women responded, her voice had an elegance to it Twilight had never heard. “I love you so much, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you.” She nuzzled Sunset's hair softly. “You mean the world to me...” Twilight watched the two silently before her gaze was drawn to another figure inside the car. Shadowed as well the figure sat straight like a board, however a pair of glowing blue eyes stared out at her, narrowed into a sort of glare. Twilight quickly averted her eyes from the car. She found Carrion scuttling towards her before the short man grabbed her elbow and began to lead her towards the vehicle. Any protest Twilight had was lost when he simple stood by the open door, holding her at his side. The blue eyed figure slide to a seat near the door, leaning out just enough for Twilight to see her properly. She herself was a light blue in complexion. Having dark hair with what seemed like twinkling stars in them. Her eyes were still narrowed, a look of sharp thought on her face. She then breathed in with her mouth a moment, seeming to take in Twilight scent, much like a cat would. “Who are you?” She asked coldly. “Uh, I um...” “She's Twilight.” Sunset spoke, looking up at her mother. “She saved me yesterday. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here right now.” The vampire matriarch seemed to think about this before looking to Twilight as well. Her eyes were soul pricing and suddenly Twilight had a feeling akin to an ant standing before a dragon. The glowing, golden eyes seemed to assess her before Twilight's attention was stolen away. “Why did you save Sunset.” The blue women asked sharply. Twilight, shaken a bit, turned to look at her and answered without thought. “Why not?” Twilight squeaked when the blue woman snatched the front of her shirt with one hand, yanking her closer with a wordless snarl. “Insolence!” She barked in a loud voice that left Twilight's ears ringing. “I will NOT tolerate such complacency! When I ask a question, I want a actual answer, not this half assed dribble!!” The woman had her face inches from Twilight's, baring her sharp fang that had Twilight flinch. “Listen to me human! I will not take such bull from a being that has not seen even fifty winters! I could -” “Luna.” The commanding voice in the car froze the blue women mid rant. She seemed to take stock of herself before grumbling, releasing Twilight from her grasp. “That is not how we show our gratitude.” “No, it is how we get killed by a honeypot!” Luna sneered slightly. “If it were the-” “It's not Luna. We are in the now.” The matriarch spoke in a finalized fashion, closing off all future conversation. Luna frowned but scooted away from the car door. Again the matriarch looked to Twilight, eyes glowing in the shadows of the cab, her hand loosely clasping Sunsets as the girl sat beside her. “You will have to forgive my sister. She has only recently rejoined our clan from a long slumbered exile, she isn't well versed in today's age.” “N-no problem...” Twilight said softly, checking the slightly torn fabric at the front of her shirt. “Come inside Twilight.” The vampire cocked her head. “We must talk.” Twilight swallowed, but when she felt Carrion push her back a bit she got into the car, twitching when the door shut behind her. She relaxed a bit when the car didn't start, or the garage door didn't start to sound, emphasizing it opening. However the car was dark, and all she could make out were the glowing vampiric eyes staring at her. As her eyes adjusted a bit she made out Sunset's mother patting the seat beside her, so Twilight nervously slipped into it. “Twilight.” The vampire began, looking the girl up and down. “You have saved my daughter's life.” “Uh, it was nothing, really-” Twilight froze when Luna hissed at her. The matriarch silenced her sister with a look in her direction. “It was not nothing to me Twilight.” The women continued, looking back at her. “I have lived for a very, very long time. Much of that time without loved ones to share it with. I greatly value the ones I have now.” She looked again to Luna. “And the ones I have only just had returned to me.” Luna was quiet, yet her eyes looked to the floor. “What you have done for me is a great service.” The women leaned in a bit and Twilight could see the women's soft white skin and youthful complexion. “In fact, I would dare say miracle.” “I...” Twilight blinked, swallowing harshly. “I understand, but really, to me I just was... doing the right thing. If it were me I'm sure you wouldn't have left me wounded outside your house...” Luna scoffed slightly. The matriarch didn't respond to Luna this time, her attention directly on Twilight. “ I see. Yet my gratitude remains, nonetheless. So it stands that I owe you a debt.” “Celestia! You don't know a damn thing about her!” Luna nearly shouted, but this time her was voice soaked in fearful desperation. “You don't know what she will ask!!” Celestia seemed to regard her sister now, though with a look of concern. She sighed gently before speaking. “I will assess her, then we will know for sure and you can be at ease Luna.” Said sister slunk down in her seat, relieved greatly. “Mom?” Sunset asked. “What are you...?” “Nothing dangerous, I assure you.” Celestia spoke to her daughter reassuringly. “She'll be fine.” “What?” Twilight spoke, nervous. When Celestia turned to her again she gently tilted Twilight's chin up with her fingers. “Whats going on? What are you going to-” Her eyes met Celestia's once more but suddenly things... things were weird... like really, really weird. What was going on... her head felt heavy. It sunk down into a pair of cradling hands under her chin, which adjusted themselves to hold her comfortably. Eyelid drooped to a near close, and she was kinda... tired. Her head also felt strange... like she was thinking, but she wasn't really thinking cause thoughts weren't coming to her... It was soothing kind of. She could make out a pair of far of voices. “Whats she doing? Whats going on?” “Hush Sunset. Let you mother work.” Twilight could only focus on the glowing golden orbs before her, which stared back with an intensity the likes of which Twilight had never known. She felt someone brush a stray hair from her face before the eyes shut before her. In an instant Twilight was fully aware once more. She jerked her head out of the soft, gentle hands that cradled it, Celestia leaning back comfortably before she looked to her sister, eyes opening only when she had broken sight of the human before her. "She is clean of deceit Luna." When the starry haired woman opened her mouth, Celestia held up a hand. "She fed Sunset her own blood, Luna." Luna's mouth opened and closed in a fish like motion before sighing and looking to the floor, defeated. Celestia turned to look down at Sunset next, whom withered under the attention. "Sunset. I know the situation you were both put in, but I'd liked to remind you that your actions always have consequences. Even if it 'seems' like no one will be harmed, there is always a chance. We must make our decisions wisely." Sunset joined her aunt in looking at the car's carpeting pattern. "Yes mom, I understand..." "Good. Then you'll understand why I am going to double your workload at home?" Sunset looked up at her, but quickly withered again. "Yes Mom..." "Then all is forgiven. At least on my end..." Celestia looked to Twilight again. The girl blinked rapidly before swallowing tightly. "Oh, uh.. no, I'm fine with it! I mean, I offered, so...." Celestia and Sunset offered a small smile before the matriarch continued. "I should let you know, though Sunset, that your friend's families have been told about your shenanigans yesterday. They will all be over tonight for dinner, so we can talk, together about this." Sunset swallowed tightly this time. "E-even Granny? "Yes, even Miss Granny Smith with be present, I hope you will think of a proper apology." Celestia nodded, watching her daughter fidget. "So we must be getting home." She looked to Twilight again, with a smile and lifted her hand. "It was a pleasure Twilight. You have my gratitude and thanks, once again, I owe a great debt." Twilight blinked before accepting the handshake, freezing when the two hands glowed lightly in the dark car cab. She heard Luna huffed unhappily on the other end of the seats as the light started to fade. Carrion opened the door just as the glow disappeared. Twilight was half tempted to ask about the strange light, but the smile from Celestia put her at ease and had her shuffling from the car. Partway from the cab Twilight stopped and looked back at the mother and daughter, the former having put a comforting arm over her nervous charge. "Uh.. Sunset..." The redhead looked to her, as did everyone else. Twilight winced at the luminescent eyes staring back at her. "Yes Twilight?" "Uh, I was just wondering if you want to... hang out? Sometime?... Not here... I mean NOT because I don't want you here! It's just with the neighbours- not that I care what they- uh..." "That sounds fun Twilight. I'll message you online, kay?" Sunset said with smile. "Y-yah, ok. " Twilight stepped from the monstrous vehicle, stumbling a bit before Carrion caught her arm to steady her. She turned back to the car before standing up a bit straighter. If her grandmother had taught her anything, it was manners... Then again seeing to whom she was using them for, might have her grandmother in the midst of a heart attack. "I-it was very nice to meet you! I hope to see you again soon!" Twilight said, bowing slightly to the open car door. Celestia looked amused by the display, while Sunset was slightly confused. Luna, however, cocked a brow in a mild expression of pleasant surprise. "As to you." Celestia nodded just as Carrion shut the door. The small old man bow to Twilight slightly before scuttling back into the car, climbing the large gap to his seat. As the car started to pull out Twilight followed it the edge of her garage, watching it back out onto the street and drive away. Soon it had turned the corner and was gone, like it never happened... Twilight scratched her head before she rubbed her sore shoulder. It was a few days later.... Twilight moaned slightly as she sat down at her computer, Spike hopping into her lap eagerly. Scratching him behind the ear she scrolled down her Tumblr page. After cleaning up the nest under the steps and throwing away her two ruined shirt Twilight could have almost sworn Sunset and her family had been a vivid dream... The aches of her body had faded, and there was still no sign of Sunset online... She hadn't tried to look for Sunset herself. As far as she was concerned, if Sunset didn't want to actually hang out with her, that was fine... She may have wanted to forget this fiasco all together and Twilight didn't blame her. Almost dying was NOT fun to remember... There was a knocking up at the top of the stairs that had Spike barking, and when Twilight swiveled around to see she found her mother looking down at her. "Honey, you're still down here. What about what we talked about? You know, being more social?" Velvet frowned. "I know..." Twilight said softly, shrinking a bit. "Well I just don't want you to be alone Twilight... you may not notice it but the more you distance yourself the harder it is to reach out. Just try a little more... for me? You mother. Who never asks for anything?" Twilight snorted as she mother laughed lightly, closing the door as she left. Spinning back around in her chair Twilight sighed. She couldn't really think of any girls at school that would hang out with her... She was the big nerd on campus at her private school. Most of them avoid her like poison. Which she was to their social standing... Reaching the end of anything new on her feed, Twilight switched over the Facebook, pausing when she saw she had a message... Twilight tried to settle her excited jitters... Most likely more mean remarks from classmates or something... Opening the chat Twilight blinked. Sent from Sunset Shimmer: 1:30 pm Hey Twilight! Sorry it took so long for me to message you, I was too busy with all my new chores... and I lost my old phone so yeah, there's that. I'm gonna be in Mid-Canterlot next Saturday with a few friends for a movie, you wanna join us? Twilight blinked, rereading the message a few times... So Sunset did want to hang out, but Mid-Canterlot... her Grandmother would throw a fit, it wouldn't be easy to get to... Quickly typing a response she sent it off, jumping when her father yelled from upstairs. "Twilight! Dinner! Steaks are WAY better this time!" Giggling the girl turned and hurried upstairs, Spike barking behind her and racing her up leaving her computer behind. Sent from Twilight Sparkle: 6:oo Pm I'd love to! -------------