//------------------------------// // High School Freshman // Story: Twilight and Sunset of the Vampires // by Anonomis //------------------------------// In preparation for her first day at school, Sunset found herself being both nervous and excited about it. That morning after eating breakfast, she decided on wearing her red shirt and yellow tights with the new boots. “Looks good. Are you ready to leave,” Lydia asked “As ready as I can get. Let's go before it gets late.” The two arrived early and Sunset was surprised by just how many students were going to be there. Before she could relax; Principal Celestia emerged as the students parted ways. “Would you please follow me,” Celestia asked Sunset heard many students whispering about why she was being met by the principal on the first day of school. All of that was ignored as she followed behind Celestia through the school. “Please have a seat. I'm Vice-principal Luna. Don't worry, it's just us here,” Luna said “Why exactly am I here? I didn't think it was possible to get into trouble on the first day of school.” “You are not in trouble as you might think. I trust you received our email, ” Celestia replied cryptically “I don't know which email you refer to.” “The one simply reading ‘We know what you are’. A mutual acquaintance explained you are from a place called Equestria and a vampire. The person in question emerged from the portal a short time after you left,” Luna replied “What now?” “Well; you seem to have handled yourself pretty well despite coming from a different world. As for the other; as long as you don't bite anyone, then there isn't a problem,” Celestia answered “All we ask is that you be careful.” “Of course. I wouldn't attack anyone here at school.” “Oh; you might notice CHS is a bit different than other schools. We teach junior high and high school here. Don't be alarmed about seeing students that don't seem to belong in high school,” Celestia added As the students filed inside the school; they took a look at the nearby bulletin boards to see the assignments for their homeroom teacher that day. Once inside; class schedules and maps were handed out before the students headed towards their first period class. “First up is Cheerilee’s English class.” Sunset grabbed a seat near the front as she arrived early enough and waited for the others to arrive. “You enjoying the CDs you bought,” Vinyl asked casually as she walked in “I am. The music reminds me of something I heard a while ago.” “Good to hear. Try listening to this sometime,” Vinyl said handing over a new disc from DJ Pon-3 “The name's Rainbow Dash; what's yours,” a rainbow haired girl asked, holding out a hand “Sunset Shimmer. Nice to meet you.” “Darling! It's good to see you again,” Rarity said excitedly “I like the choice of clothing you have. It suits you.” “Thank you. This shirt reminded me of my favorite that was torn up.” “I know you! Your parents were,” Pinkie started before Sunset covered her mouth “I'm not too interested in talking about that. Maybe another time.” “Sorry for bringing up a touchy subject. If you want to hate me, I'll understand,” Pinkie replied sadly; her hair deflating, before Sunset removed her hand “I couldn't bring myself to hate you for a misunderstanding. You are forgiven.” Thank you for that,” Pinkie said, her hair regaining its puffy form “Alright class. Please get settled in. I am Miss Cheerilee; your English teacher,” she said “We're going to start with some simple exercises.” With that; Cheerilee handed everyone worksheets on grammar as a refresher. Many of the others seemed to struggle with the questions as they determined what to do. Meanwhile Sunset completed hers in a few minutes and had it turned in. “That was fast; miss Shimmer. Are you sure there's nothing for you to redo,” Cheerilee asked skeptically “No ma'am. I had a tutor making sure my work was correct. It would be an insult to her if something was wrong.” “Until the others are done; you will need to find something to do,” Cheerilee decided Sunset grabbed a book that seemed interesting and started to read. By the time the bell rang; she had finished the book while the students handed the papers over upon exiting the room. “Next up; gym. This'll be fun.” On the other side of campus was the gym and it already seemed to be torture. Besides having a ten minute passing period; it came down to putting gym early in the day. Sunset figured she'd need a second pair of clothes just so the originals didn't smell like sweat the reminder of the day. “Alright, listen up! I am your PE teacher, Spitfire! You will address me as ‘Coach Spitfire’ or you will find yourselves in for serious PT! Understood,” Spitfire commanded “Yes Coach Spitfire,” the girls said in unison The girls were handed a set of gym clothes; consisting of blue shorts and a yellow shirt. Following that; they were instructed to select a locker whereby they received the combination and had to memorize it. Spitfire stepped away so the girls could change in peace. “Head out to the gym once you're finished,” Spitfire ordered After everyone was inside the gym; they were instructed to complete 25 pushups and sit-ups before running five laps around the room. With her vampiric nature; Sunset found herself finishing first without breaking a sweat. “I don’t know anyone who can finish so quickly. I'm beat and I actually help on my family's farm. Name's Applejack, by the way,” she said as she changed “Sunset. I actually had plenty of free time at home. Sometimes I exercised for fun." The rest of the day seemed to drag on as the other teachers decided to hand out quizzes to test knowledge. Sunset was thankful for the time spent in Equestria learning as much as she could. Lydia was there to pick her up at the end of the day. “So; how was your first day at school,” Lydia asked curiously “It was alright for the most part. I'm probably going to dislike gym class, though.” “What's to dislike about that,” Lydia inquired “I could deal with it being my last class before lunch; but I'm going to need a second set of clothes when it's early in the day.” “I see what you mean. Bring something light to wear afterwards,” Lydia suggested “When we get home, I'll start your music lessons.” “Sounds good. I look forward to it.” Upon returning home; Sunset found herself changing into shorts and t-shirt to relax. With Lydia leading, Sunset was sitting in another room with a cello and multiple music books on a nearby table. “These will help you get used to actually reading music if you wish to learn. Otherwise, just draw the bow across the strings,” Lydia instructed Looking through one of the guides, Sunset found herself miming the diagrams in the book as she filed the information away. After a while of ‘air practice;’ she picked up the cello and started to play. In order to limit distractions; she had her eyes closed and just let the music flow. “That sounds beautiful. Anything you were thinking about,” Lydia commented “I wasn't thinking about anything; but let the music take over.” “Practice when you can and I see big things in your future,” she added Throughout the semester; Sunset proved to be ahead of the other freshmen with her grades. In PE; she stood above the girls despite not putting full effort into it. Since she found the assignments to be easy; drawing was a way of passing the time. “Nice picture. What's it supposed to be,” Dash asked, looking over Sunset’s shoulder “A pony designed after myself. The idea came to me in my sleep.” “Oh are you going to write a story to go with it? A pony based on yourself that gets turned into a vampire and sent through a portal to become human,” Pinkie asked wildly “That would make an interesting story. You certainly have no lack for imagination,” Rarity commented “I don't know about writing that. It could be interpreted the wrong way.” “Each of you are finished already,” Cheerilee asked, as they nodded “After school would the five of you like to have a sleepover at my house?” “Of course we'd like to. I'll have to ley my parents know about it,” Rarity replied as the others nodded They went through the remaining classes with some enthusiasm knowing something fun would take place that weekend. Waiting outside was Sunset and a female the girls didn't know. “Lydia; these are my friends. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rarity. I mentioned about having a sleepover tonight.” “That's fine. Climb in. There's plenty of room. You did inform your families; correct,” Lydia questioned “Yes ma'am. After lunch we let them know,” Rarity replied “So where are we heading,” AJ asked “It'll be a surprise.” Deciding on taking her time; Lydia took a much longer route to confuse her guests. Upon their approach; everyone was in shock at the size of the house. “This is yours? Your parents must be rich,” Dash said “They were. I'll answer that inside.” Following behind Sunset; everyone placed their backpacks in the living room as they found a seat. “What did you mean by that comment,” Rarity asked “My parents; Filthy and Spoiled Rich died months ago. We went camping in the Everfree Forest when we were attacked by wolves. They attacked me, but killed my parents. I inherited everything here afterwards.” “Sorry to hear that your parents died. Mine died when I was really young,” AJ replied “There's one thing you should know. That drawing wasn't entirely from my dream. I actually am a unicorn from the world of Equus. I lived in the country of Equestria before being sent here about eighteen months ago.” “Is the world the same as here,” Pinkie asked “Similar; but not exact. There are counterparts to all of you; but I've never met them. There are three main divisions of ponies: earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns. Equestria’s ruler; Princess Luna is what's known as an alicorn and controls the raising and lowering of the sun and moon.” “How can one being take charge of that,” Fluttershy asked “I believe there was a legend of Nightmare Moon banishing Daybreaker. Because of that one incident; Luna had to take over both duties.” “You said you came through a portal, right? Can you return there,” Dash asked curiously “I can but it'll be a while. I entered on Nightmare Night, err; Halloween. From that point; it would be thirty moons before I leave. It should reopen for three days during Spring Break next year.” “When you do go back, could you bring us something,” Rarity asked curiously “I can try. I'm not sure how the portal will respond to bringing objects over.” “Fair enough. Even the drawings would be fine,” AJ replied “Why is the ruler a different species,” Fluttershy asked “Alicorns are extremely rare in nature and have the strength of an earth pony, wings of a pegasus and unicorn’s magic. I actually never learned much about it.” “Why did you end up here,” Applejack asked “I remember trying to sneak into the castle and getting caught. From that point forward to my entrance into this world; everything has been blocked from my memory.” “Changing the subject; where's your room,” Pinkie asked curiously “Downstairs. I'll show you.” With that; the girls were led downstairs into the room. More amenities were added to the rest of the room. A gray couch and loveseat were positioned by a 42 inch television with a cabinet containing multiple game systems. “This is one big bedroom,” AJ commented, giving a whistle “Why'd you want to move everything down here? Surely the rooms upstairs are big enough,” Rarity asked “They are; but I like the privacy of being down here.” “What sorts of things are you doing that you need that much privacy for,” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow “I'm sure the maids would understand about you ‘flicking the bean’.” “Nothing like that. I just like being alone. Sex is the last thing I'm worried about.” “Is that where your mind goes when it's not thinking about sports,” AJ asked curiously “It's natural to do that anyways. You can't tell me that none of you do that,” Dash countered “Moving on. What did you have in mind for the sleepover,” Fluttershy said definitively “It's the first one I've ever had so I'm not sure.” “Well, we can paint one another's nails, if you're interested is that sort of thing,” Rarity suggested “Pizza party,” Pinkie added enthusiastically “Watch scary movies,” Dash said, wiggling her fingers in front of her “All in favor say ‘I’,” Sunset said as everyone agreed With everything set up; Lydia ordered four pepperoni pizzas for the girls while the room was temporarily rearranged. Six wooden chairs were used to create a blanket fort big enough for them to sit under. “So what do you think about your first sleepover; Sunny,” Pinkie asked “It's fun. I just wish I could have shared this with my younger sister.” “She's still in Equestria; I take it,” Rarity guessed “Yes. I hope when I return that she didn't forget about me.” “As long as your sister thinks of you; you won't be forgotten. I may not remember my parents as well as my older brother; but I still look at their picture,” Applejack replied “Thanks for that. It helps cheering me up.” “So; what do you have,” Dash commented “Monster movies?” “I'm a fan of the classics. Specifically vampires.” “Oh I know! You're secretly a vampire and wanting to drain our blood,” Pinkie said “On the first part of that; what would you say if I actually was a vampire?” “It would be interesting to say the least. Knowing you could live forever; I mean. Kind of romantic to think about,” Rarity said “As long as you don't kill us, I don't mind,” Fluttershy replied The night progressed without incident as everyone enjoyed themselves. Sunset was glad to have friends that hopefully wouldn't care about her dark side. By the end of the first year at CHS, Sunset had collected an award for having the highest grades amongst all freshmen. As typical; not everyone cared for the fact Sunset was a genius. “What's the big idea? Trying to prove you're better than everyone,” a girl demanded “I just work hard in class. If your grades aren't that good; then it's not my fault.” “Let's go Gilda. It's not worth it,” a second girl replied “You should listen to your friend Lightning Dust. Fighting is not permitted on campus,” Celestia warned Without warning, Gilda proceeded to attack Sunset. She grabbed the redhead around the throat, slamming her into a wall before punching Sunset repeatedly in the chest and stomach. Gilda released her grip and decided to taunt her. “Not so smart are you bitch,” Gilda spat Gilda decided to attack Sunset again before she countered. To everyone's surprise; Sunset drove her palm into her attacker, sending Gilda flying backwards. “Sunset! Are you okay,” Dash asked, running towards her “I'm alright.” “Please get Sunset to the nurse's office. We'll take Gilda,” Luna decided Sunset found herself surrounded by her friends who helped her to see the nurse. The school's nurse; Raindrop Lilly examined Sunset while the others returned to class. “Why exactly are you here,” Lilly asked “I was assaulted by Gilda Griffin. She grabbed me by the neck and started punching me, while keeping me pinned against a wall by my throat.” “You said you were punched repeatedly in the chest and stomach,” Raindrop Lilly asked skeptically “Yeah; why?” “There's no bruising from the attack. Not even your neck suffered from being choked,” she replied “That's good; right?” “I honestly don’t know if it is or not. I'll inform the principal about this,” Raindrop said ● PRINCIPAL CELESTIA ● “I'm afraid this is the last straw. You will be taken to see the nurse; but you are going to be expelled from Canterlot High School,” Celestia said simply Gilda was led to see the nurse with Lightning Dust and Luna assisting. While she was being examined; Raindrop saw Gilda becoming irritated when her sternum was examined and recommended x-rays be taken at the hospital. A day later, it was revealed Gilda suffered a bruised sternum and would need to take it easy. ● SUNSET ● “Miss Shimmer; are you sure you're okay,” Celestia asked “I am. The nurse reported no injuries from the assault.” “Speaking of injuries; miss Griffin was diagnosed with a bruised sternum from the counterattack you used. With your nature; it's all to easy to injure someone,” Luna commented “I will try to be careful in the future. Any damage that occurred was not intentional on my part. All I wanted to do was stop her. I am glad that it wasn't worse.” “All we ask is that you are careful. Go ahead and return to class,” Celestia said “Sunset! Welcome back,” Pinkie said excitedly “Nice of you to join us, miss Shimmer. Principal Celestia informed me of your late arrival,” Cheerilee said Sunset found herself taking it easy the rest of the day due to the attack. Spitfire was understanding and gave her light exercises to complete instead of the usual workout. “Are you alright? Principal Celestia informed me of what happened,” Lydia said frantically “I'm alright; but I guess a small ‘drink’ wouldn't hurt.” “Alright. Let's go,” Lydia said When they headed home; Sunset dropped her backpack off in her room before retrieving a blood pint from her fridge. “Well; I try to drink only one pint a month, but I guess this is needed.” She proceeded to open the bag and finished it in a matter of a few gulps. A short time later; Sunset did find herself feeling much better and decided to check her email. Only one came in and it seemed important. ‘Be careful in fights. You were lucky to only cause minor damage to Gilda Griffin. You are also too young to mention drinks and not have it assumed to be alcohol. Just take blood in private. -A friend’ “I guess whoever wrote this is right. I wasn't trying to do anything except defend myself.” ● HUMANE-FIVE ● Later that evening; Pinkie was sitting at a table in Sugar Cube Corner with her friends. Noticeably absent was Sunset; who wasn't invited to the meeting. “Pinks; why did you call us together,” Applejack asked “It's about earlier today. All of us watched as that meanie Gilda attacked Sunset,” Pinkie said “And we saw Sunset use a palm strike to push her back. What's the big idea,” Dash added “She should have been bruised; but there wasn't a mark on her whatsoever. Plus that comment she made during the sleepover,” Pinkie continued “So what if that is true? Are we going to treat Sunset differently,” Fluttershy quietly “No. We just need to be cautious about Sunset. Prevent her from getting into a fight any chance we can,” Pinkie answered “I agree. If that is true; than we need to be careful not to have anything happen,” Rarity replied “Alright than I guess it's settled. Operation ‘Sunset Protection’ is a go,” Dash said ● CELESTIA ● “Tia; are you alright,” Luna asked “Lost in thought. It's about earlier,” Celestia answered “Gilda Griffin deserved her expulsion from school. She had been held back on multiple occasions and had enough fights; but that last was in front of us,” Luna said “That is partially what it is. I'm mainly bothered by Sunset.” “What exactly is it,” Luna inquired “We were informed about Sunset being a vampire by your counterpart Princess Luna; but I'd guess that it's more common in that world. There's only one vampire I know of in our world.” “I see what you mean. Vampires are supposed to be fictional; but we've seen the immense strength they possess. It's only a miracle Gilda suffered a bruised sternum and nothing more,” Luna said, with a sigh “We'll just have to keep a better eye on Sunset. This was too close for comfort. I am glad we can't inform the princess about this incident. I'd fear what would have happened,” Celestia said, with a shudder “Definitely glad about that. Just you mentioning that caused a shiver up my spine,” Luna replied