Twilight did not recover from her initial shock. Actually, it got worse when she got a better look at what startled her. Pinkie and Dash were exactly like what you'd expect vampires to be. Catlike eyes that glowed red, long fangs, tufted ears and leathery, bat-like wings marked them as they were.
“Vampires!” Twilight gasped. “You're seriously vampires! Applejack was right!”
Twilight was going to die! She followed the vampires back to their lair and now she was going to get killed!
“Twilight-” Dash began.
“Stay back!” Twilight scrambled backwards until she hit the couch. She grabbed the nearest object, a pillow, and threw it at Dash.
The pillow did nothing.
“Twilight!”
“No! Please don't kill me!” Twilight curled up into a ball, hiding her face with her hooves and keeping her neck scrunched up. “Please don't kill me!”
Twilight coward and coward for a pretty good time, but nothing happened.
“Twilight,” she heard Dash say, “we're not doing anything
Twilight slowly opened her eyes, peeking out at the three of them. Fair enough, they were all just standing there, save Pinkie who was waving and smiling at her enthusiastically.
“Hi Twitwi!” Pinkie called. “I'm a vampire! Well, technically a vampire fruit bat pony.”
“A what?” Twilight asked, opening up from her fetal position slightly. Actually, there was a much more important question to ask here. “You're not going to kill me?”
“We're friends, Twilight,” said Rarity. Twilight only now realized that Rarity had assumed the form of a vampony as well. Doing so had made her no less beautiful. In fact, those fangs and eyes were like marvelous jewels, glittering in the light of the dull flames. “We would never hurt you.”
“But.” Twilight came out of her ball and sat up. “But you kill other ponies? L-like Applejack said?”
All three of them laughed. Twilight didn't know if that was good or bad.
“Pinks already said we're vampire fruit bat ponies,” said Dash. “Sugar is the only thing we eat."
“I suppose we're supposed to eat fruit,” said Rarity, “but candy is actually far healthier and more delicious to us. Sugar is the only thing we really need to survive.”
“Yeah, silly! How do you think we eat bowls of candy every night and never get sick?”
Twilight's eyes darted between the three of them. It was true they ate nothing but overly sugary foods.
“And before you ask, no blood doesn't have nearly enough sugar in it to be food to us,” said Rarity. “Though maybe Pinkie's would come close.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight frowned at them skeptically. “Because I never heard anything about candy vampires, just ones that suck blood and stuff.”
“Twitwi, do you really think I'd kill a pony?” Pinkie asked.
“Well.” Twilight rubbed her shoulder. “I mean, no but-”
“What makes you even think we're killers? Hm?” Rarity asked. “Because you read a fictional book about vampires being evil? Or because it's what Applejack said?”
Well it was true she didn't have enough evidence to convict Rarity of anything, or even fairly accuse her, really. Twilight rubbed her head and collapsed onto the couch. Her mind was blank. This was just so much to take in! Vampires were real?
Twilight felt a little light headed.
“But Applejack-”
“I promised I'd tell you one of Applejack's secrets, yes?” Rarity asked. “She has a chip on her shoulder, an unfair grudge against all vampire. You see, a vampire, not me or anypony I've met mind you, but a vampire nonetheless hurt Applejack very badly. It was that same vampire who killed her parents."
“Yeah, Appledork just assumes we're all evil,” said Dash. “It's like blaming every pegasus for what Stormfront did. It's completely stupid!”
“I really must stress the don't trust Applejack part,” said Rarity. “She probably tells you I'm the one manipulating her, but she's the one trying to turn you against your friends over some petty race-grudge.”
“It's just like how she lied to you about Pinkie,” said Dash. “Just think about what else she's lying to you about.”
Was it possible Applejack just hated vampires irrationally? It would change the story. Applejack had been completely wrong about Pinkie, for example. But more importantly Rarity was so beautiful there was no way she could be lying! Twilight just wanted to stare at her forever. This vampire form was just so amazingly perfect she couldn't find a single flaw with it!
Something else Applejack said managed to work it's way into her head, somehow, even through all that amazement.
“And,” Twilight said, mesmerized. She couldn't even blink right now because that meant she wouldn't be looking at Rarity for that brief moment. “And you want to turn me into a vampire? Applejack said that's what you're trying to do.”
“Oh, I'd absolutely love to turn you into my vampire fledgling, like I did with Pinkie and Rainbow Dash.” Rarity gestured back to them before trotting towards Twilight. “The process is hard and long, but at the very end, where I bite you, is pure bliss. It is the greatest ecstasy you could ever share with another pony, so much so that you form a connection that can last for centuries on that alone.”
Rarity came over and sat down next to Twilight. Twilight took back what she said about Rarity being just as beautiful, she was far more amazing like this. Those glowing eyes were the single most amazing thing Twilight had seen in all her life. They melted Twilight's heart, practically made her drool over them! Twilight was only vaguely aware that her mouth was open.
"And I do love you, Twilight,” Rarity nuzzled her mane. “You are exactly the sort of pony I would want by my side for centuries and centuries.”
When Rarity said she loved Twilight, it was the single greatest moment of her life. She felt her whole body swell with a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment. Twilight wanted this more than anything. She wanted to belong to Rarity in any way she could. Rarity was just so perfect and amazing! Nothing could be better than being by her side!
“Yes! Please!” Twilight threw herself at Rarity's hooves. “Please, I'll do anything to be by your side, Rarity! I love you too! I-I hate my life so much! You're the only good thing in my life, you've given me so much! I want to be your- your whatever it's called! Please!”
Twilight trembled and looked up at Rarity's perfection. Rarity smiled and leaned in close. She brushed her fangs along Twilight's neck sending a wave of pleasure through her. Then she moved her muzzle up to Twilight's ear.
“No,” she whispered.
Twilight's eyes opened wide. She felt so utterly crushed. “What?!” SHhei shot up back onto her hooves. “You were just trying to tempt me and now-
“-I wasn't tempting you at all, though you did bring up my first point. This is the first time you've seen me as a vampire,” said Rarity. “Maybe you haven't consciously figured it out yet, but the charm I have is far more intense like this. I imagine you're just dying to do any little thing to please me, yes?”
Twilight nodded. She was absolutely under some kind of spell, she understood that now, but it was so nice she didn't really want to get out of the spell.
“But that isn't entirely just you thinking that.” Rarity rapped Twilight on the nose. Then she closed her eyes and her vampire features, the fangs, the wings and the ear tufts, all retracted and vanished. She was back to her 'normal' self.
Suddenly Rarity wasn't the living incarnation of perfection. She looked almost ugly compared to what she'd been a second ago. Twilight already felt less light headed and realized it was exactly as Rarity said. Her vampire form had been warping Twilight's mind a little there.
“Ha! 'I want to belong to you, Rarity'!” Dash did her Twilight impression and laughed. “Rares hit you hard!"
“If it makes you feel any better, our little Dashie here actually kissed my hooves the first time she saw my true self.” Rarity turned to Dash with a coy smile. “It was adorable."
Dash blushed shied away.
Twilight wasn't sure if that 'charm' hadn't worn off entirely, but she still felt so much affection towards Rarity. She felt such a strong longing, wanted to be as close to her as possible!
“But I still want to-”
Rarity scooped Twilight up and hugged her very tightly. Twilight squeezed back hard. Rarity must have known exactly what Twilight had been thinking and it did relieve that longing a bit, but not entirely. Twilight still wished she could get even closer to Rarity somehow.
“The second reason I'm saying no is because becoming a vampire isn't as simple as me biting you.” Rarity gently rubbed Twilight's back, like she was trying to calm Twilight down. “It takes at least two months and is a bit of a grueling process. And finally, I can't let you make the decision so hastily. There's too many things you don't know about vampires and too many things you still need to consider.”
“But-”
“-now if you still want to be a vampire in a year, perhaps.” Rarity smiled like she still had fangs. “I think I would turn you, if you really wanted it. But until then, no. You're going to take your time making the choice whether you like it or not.”
Twilight shot Dash a desperate look, but the other pony just shrugged coolly.
“Can't be helped,” said Dash. “Those are the boss's rules. Some ponies just aren't meant for our awesome lifestyle. If we just up and turned you into a vampire you might get angry at us later and hold a grudge forever! I've seen it happen.”
“Okay, I guess.” Twilight rubbed her head. She was starting to feel just a little more in control.
Rarity brought Twilight over to the couch and set her down, sitting close next to her. Twilight's mind was still reeling, but she felt like she was just now able to actually think about what happened, free from the initial shock and Rarity's magical charm powers.
“But why didn't you tell me this earlier?” Twilight asked her first question. “It does seem like kind of a big deal! After all those times I called Applejack an idiot.”
“Applejack is an idiot,” said Dash, “so you can relax there. But anyway, we only tell ponies we trust about this. The general public isn't so accepting, in case you haven't noticed.”
“And vampires have seriously been able to keep this a secret for however long it's been?”
“A secret from some,” said Rarity. “But Celestia and her inner circle know about us. They are the ones who decided all of this needs to be secret, not us.”
“Celestia? Why the buck would she try to keep vampires a secret?"
“Think about it.” Rarity tapped Twilight's head. “What's Celestia's entire excuse for why she alone should rule forever? Why does she say the masses should pamper her, tirelessly devote their lives to her, sacrifice their happiness for hers?"
Twilight knew the answer to that without thinking. She'd gone to Sunday school for over a decade where the answer to that was drilled into her head by rote. Celestia was immortal, her life was so much longer than yours that anything that happened to you was insignificant compared to what happened to her. That's why it was important to sacrifice yourself for Celestia, to put her before yourself in all things.
Because she was ageless.
“Wait!” Twilight felt an electric surge through her body at the realization. “Is it really because she thinks ponies won't worship her if they're ageless too? Is Celestia seriously that petty?”
Rarity nodded. “The whole philosophy she furnished is that longer lasting things are more important than fleeting things. Just the knowledge that other immortals exist is threatening enough to that. If vampirism became public knowledge many ponies would seek out our eternal youth. Make everypony's life potentially as long as hers and all that pampering could vanish overnight. Every time one of us tries turning too many ponies, or spreading word of our longevity too far, Celestia goes on a genocidal rampage against us.”
“Dang.” Twilight collapsed one of her elbows on the arm of the couch and plopped her head down on her hoof. “I knew making it illegal to question her and making us all worship her was kind of sketchy – but this just makes her sound... almost evil.”
“In my opinion she kind of is,” Dash said. “If anything I'm surprised she's still got you thinking she's above morality and all that.”
Twilight still wasn't sure where she stood on the 'Celestia is above morals' thing anymore, but- “But hold on.” She sat back upright. “If Celestia's the one keeping us – er, you – down, then wouldn't becoming a vampire put me at risk? I don't want to have to deal with Celestia hunting me down!”
“We have a sort of understanding with Celestia,” said Rarity. “Celestia would beat us, but at great cost and her victory wouldn't be permanent. So long as we don't give her too big a headache and stay in the darkness Celestia simply leaves us alone. I have no intention of trying to overthrow the government and so long as you don't either, you'll be safe.”
“Won't be permanent? Celestia couldn't just kill you all?”
“Celestia isn't the only 'true immortal'. There is another princess out there, a vampire princess, who, like Celestia, cannot be killed by any means. She will always live on and thus there will always be vampires. Though that's all I can tell you about the vampire princess for now.”
For now... that's right. Twilight had just realized there was a whole new dimension of the world she'd never even heard of. There were so many new things to learn here! New cultures, biologies, magics, histories, and possibly even physics were just waiting there for her. And if Twilight loved one thing it was learning!
“I have so many questions!” Twilight's smile was becoming more excited now. “How does vampire magic work? Are there a lot more vampires? How long do you live and why don't you age? Is that magic too? Where did the first vampire come from? How do ponies become vampires? Do you die in sunlight? Well, I guess I already know you don't, but what does kill you? How does the biology of that transformation work out? How do-?”
Twilight found herself yawning despite herself. The coffee was starting to wear off and now she was back to exhaustion, but even worse than before. Her limbs felt impossible to move.
“But on the other hoof I'm so incredibly tired,” said Twilight. “Staying up all night takes the, uh, the buck? Yeah, the buck out of you.”
“Takes the buck out of you?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I think maybe this was too much for you.”
“But hey!” Pinkie bounced over to Twilight and came halfway up onto the couch in excitement. “Since you're already here we could just have a sleepover! Maybe even an eternal sleepover?”
“Wuh?” Twilight gave Pinkie an exhausted look. “But you just said I don't get to be a vampire.”
“Actually there was something else we wanted to ask you,” said Rarity.
The three of them sat down in front of Twilight. This sort of thing had only happened when Twilight was in trouble before, but Pinkie's excited smile was reassuring.
“You know how you gotta go to school soon?” Pinkie asked. “And how you'll be stuck at your job and school all the time and never be able to have fun ever again?”
Twilight didn't know about the 'ever again' part, but nodded. She'd been thinking about that a lot recently as well. She only had a few weeks of summer vacation left, then she'd be going to school and working full time. Twilight either had to stop sleeping or else cut out her job, schooling or friends. She didn't like any of those choices, but her friends were the only one her life didn't depend on. Twilight wouldn't be able to hang out with them like this any more.
“Well,” said Rarity, “the three of us talked it over and we decided that, if you wanted, you could come and live with us, at least until you're done with school.”
“And then you won't need a job!” Pinkie jumped forward, landing on her front hooves an inch away from Twilight. “You can stop doing your boring old work and play with us after school instead!”
“Yeah!” Dash pushed Pinkie aside and gave Twilight a confident bump of her hoof. “Most ponies your age don't need to worry about working full time jobs, you know. Why should you have to?”
“L-live here?!” Twilight pulled back a little. She wasn't sure if she really understood the offer. “You mean like, I'd move out of my apartment? And stay here?”
They all nodded.
“And- and how much rent would-”
“-no rent.” Rarity put her hoof over Twilight's mouth. “No nothing! I'll even buy your food and whatever else you need, darling. If you accepted... why we'd consider you part of our family for as long as you stayed.”
“You mean like-” Twilight wasn't sure what she was even going to say.
Getting to actually live somewhere rent free again, like she had with her parents, would be amazing! The only thing was that it'd be a bit too amazing. Twilight had only known these three for like a month or two and they were already offering to adopt her. Something in the back of her head kept screaming that there had to be a catch.
"I wouldn't have to agree to be a vampire or anything?” Twilight looked at each of them in turn for some clue about the catch.
“If you want to leave for college afterward that will be your choice,” said Rarity. “Though if you'd like to stay for, perhaps forever instead, well I'd be much more willing to bite you if you still want it by then.”
Rarity flashed her fangs. Some unconscious part of Twilight made her shrink her neck whenever Rarity did that.
“You'd be an honorary vampire, Twi,” said Dash.
“But why would you do so much for me? I mean, letting me live here without rent would be a huge thing! It'd be unbelievable nice, don't get me wrong but... I guess it's the 'unbelievable' part that makes me want to know why?”
“We don't like you being all alone either, you know,” said Pinkie. “How would you feel if one of us was in your place, huh?”
“And if you were insanely rich,” Rarity added, “to the point helping would be incidental to you.”
Twilight seriously thought about that. It wasn't hard to imagine Pinkie in her head, living on the streets as she had been before Rarity found her. She didn't like the thought of her friend being forced to look for food in a dumpster.
Yeah. Twilight would help Pinkie if that were the case, she would let Pinkie stay in her underground mansion, even though they'd only known each other for a few months. Granted Twilight's current situation was nowhere near as bad as that, but she could understand what they meant.
“I say you stop being so paranoid.” Dash gave Twilight a playful jab. “The only question you should be asking here is whether you'd rather live with us or stay where you are! Don't worry about all this crap about what's normal.”
“Well. I would want to live here,” the words came out so easily. That was true. Twilight could say with absolute certainty that would be a dream come true. “I would love to live with you three! You're my best friends ever. It'd be amazing! It's just- I dunno! Getting so much in exchange for nothing – it's not even that I think you're trying to trick me, it just feels wrong.”
“You think you're nothing?” Rarity asked. “We'd be getting you, wouldn't we?”
Twilight so badly wanted to say yes. It would be so great if she said yes. She wanted a family again so badly. Why was she even hesitating? Was it really just her sense of 'normal' holding her back?
Or maybe it was something else. Applejack's words always seemed to come ringing back into Twilight's head no matter how hard she tried to forget them. Was she really not good enough for them, like Applejack said?
Rarity put a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. “You have a couple of weeks to think about it."
Twilight nodded.
“This is so great!” Pinkie gave a leap into the air. “We're gonna get a new vampire! We're gonna get a new vampire!”
“Twi hasn't agreed to anything yet, Pinks,” said Dash. “Don't get too excited."
“Well, duh! But the obvious choice is 'yes',” said Pinkie, “and Twilight's smart so she'll realize that. But for now- sleepover!”
That brought a little bit of energy to Twilight. She'd never had a sleepover before! They could make smores or something! But then the energy faded already and she yawned.
“Sheesh. Maybe we could get to the sleeping part a little early, though?” Twilight asked.
“Of course,” said Rarity. “We'll talk more about Vampires tomorrow."
"And”, Pinkie added, “we'll do the smores and makeovers and stuff that you normally do at sleepovers. It'll be like a reverse sleepover!”
That sounded like a good plan, the sleeping part especially. The three of them lead Twilight down a hall, then down some stairs, then down another hall. This was way bigger than what three ponies would need. Twilight silently wondered what was behind all the doors she passed, but wearily wondered which was the guest room more.
"We have two bed rooms.” Rarity pushed open one of the doors at last. “This is the main one and our other is right across.”
Rarity pointed to the adjacent door.
“Only two bedrooms?” Twilight glanced at the door behind her, then back to the main bedroom. “In all this? And there's three of you!"
“Well normally we all sleep in the same bed,” said Rarity. “The other room is for guests or when I want to be alone with just one of my marefriends?”
“You all sleep together?” Twilight peeked into their main room and sure enough there was only one bed in there. “In the same bed?"
Once again, Twilight found herself staring at them dumbfounded. You'd think that'd stop happening at some point, but nope! They just kept pulling out crazier and crazier ideas.
“You never slept in bed with somepony?” Pinkie asked.
Twilight shook her head. Sharing a bed just sounded so wrong! Who did that? Even spouses typically had two beds, Twilight knew her parents did. Sure they technically got in the same one to do... necessary things... but it wasn't like they'd spend the night cuddling together afterward!
“It's really not that different from hugging.” Dash shrugged. “You should try it! Sleeping in a pony pile is the best way to sleep, Twi. Trust me, have I ever steered you wrong?”
“I dunno.” Twilight found herself glancing away. Part of her wanted to, Dash was right that everything she said was great really was great. But then there was that old part of her, screaming this was absolutely immoral. “I guess you haven't.”
“Don't feel like you have to do anything you don't want to, Twilight.” Rarity jumped into the bed and sat down near the head. “If you want the guest bed take it.”
“Oh!” Pinkie gave a small leap into the air. “Of if you want to feel like you're roughing it you can use the inflatable! I just remembered we had that thing.”
The feeling of resistance was coming back. Twilight didn't last two seconds against it this time because she didn't want to. She knew resisting this temptation wasn't going to do her any good. But giving in...
“Wait!” Twilight stopped Pinkie just before she left to get the inflatable. “Maybe – I guess I can try sleeping in bed with you! If it's still alright, I mean.”
Rarity just beckoned to Twilight. With trembling hooves, Twilight pulled herself onto the bed. She knew her ears were probably pinned all the way down.
“You're sure this is, uh, fun right?” Twilight tried to smile.
“Cuddling when you're awake is great,” said Pinkie. “But when you're going to sleep it's like a hundred times better! You'll see!”
“And, uh, you do want me to, right?” Twilight looked down at the open sheet one more time.
“We'd love for you to,” said Rarity.
Twilight nodded and laid down and a moment later the blanket was thrown over her. She was under the covers with Rarity now.
Rarity pulled Twilight close and tucked Twilight's head under her chin. Whenever they cuddled, Rarity would always take this sort of dominant stance, but that was the way Twilight liked it, in all honesty. It filled her with this warm feeling of complete affection and safety when Rarity just did it. Twilight felt like the need to resist was gone now and that familiar feeling of relief came back.
Dash came in and settled on the other side of Rarity, throwing a wing over her with just the tip of it reaching Twilight. Pinkie, meanwhile, came in from the other side and glomped onto Twilight, throwing several legs around her.
Twilight closed her eyes and relaxed. This really was the best. Just like Pinkie said, cuddling was greatly enhanced by being in bed and by going to sleep while you were doing it. Secure, warm, soft, love.
And the feeling just got better and better as Twilight sank into the affection and as she sank into sleep.