*Earlier that day*
Starlight was sitting in the kitchen, next to Fluttershy. She stared at the marble countertop. The silence between her and Fluttershy was dense. She wasn't sure of what to say. She had tried to explain to Fluttershy why they didn't tell her earlier.
"Fluttershy, I am sorry. I wish you didn't have to find this out under these circumstances," said Starlight.
Fluttershy remained motionless. She was unsure of what to think. She would much prefer an animal's blood over her own. At the same time, she couldn't fathom the idea of killing animals. She cared for animals, big or small. She laid her head down on the countertop, hoping to stop the headache which was forming.
Diamond Tiara sat with the rest of the gang in the living room. She was uneasy being around so many people. She could feel her hunger growing. She did her best to ignore it as the girls talked.
"So, Diamond Tiara, how are you half vampire?" asked Rainbow Dash.
She stared at Diamond Tiara. She eyed Diamond Tiara's stiff posture. She understood why Diamond Tiara was keeping her distance. She recalled that Sunset behaved in a similar way when they first met.
"I think my dad is a vampire. My mother must've been human. Through their DNA, I have been created. But I am still new to knowing that I am a..." Diamond Tiara trailed off, not wanting to say the word vampire.
"A vampire?" asked Rarity.
"Yeah, that," replied Diamond Tiara.
She looked down at her hands. She didn't want to make any eye contact. She recalled what she saw in the bathroom mirror. She was shocked at how menacing she looked with her blood red eyes. A cold shiver ran down her spine at the thought of that.
She looked at the girls. She saw that Rainbow Dash was annoyed or bored, the show couldn't tell the difference. She heard a scuffle of feet as Fluttershy joined them. She saw that Fluttershy seemed timider than before.
Starlight chose to stay in the kitchen. She was getting hungry. She fixed herself a drink. She was about to put away the blood when she saw Diamond Tiara. She decided to be gracious and offer Diamond Tiara a glass as well.
"So, how did you guys feel when you found out your friend, Sunset, was a vampire?" asked Diamond Tiara, she wanted to change the subject.
The girls all looked at Diamond Tiara with surprised expressions. Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances of uncertainty. None of the girls had ever really thought about the day Sunset told them her secret.
"Well, I remember being a bit confused and afraid," said Applejack, rubbing the nape of her neck nervously.
Diamond Tiara couldn't picture the country girl being scared. She seemed to be confident, not at all like Fluttershy. She glanced over at the shy girl. She saw her flinch as their eyes met. She could see the fear which darkened Fluttershy's eyes. She looked away, her eyes burning as a tear formed.
"Well, I for one was terrified when I found out Sunset was a vampire. But...she did reassure me that she was my friend," added Fluttershy, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I recall that I was surprised. I wasn't expecting such a thing from a good friend," said Rarity, her dark blue eyes seemed to stare off into space.
Rainbow Dash looked her as she said, "I thought it was a bit weird at first. But she has some amazing abilities, and she helped me with my homework. So, I overlooked it."
Pinkie smiled. She remembered how she found out Sunset's secret as if it was yesterday.
"I was confused at first. But after she explained it to me, I was just excited to have such a cool friend!" exclaimed Pinkie.
Diamond Tiara wondered how she would be able to make friends being what she was. As she thought about her friends, Twilight crossed her mind. She looked around and for the first time, she noticed that Twilight wasn't there.
"W-where's Twilight? Did something happen to her?" asked Diamond Tiara, breaking the silence.
Starlight walked over to the living room. She handed Diamond Tiara a glass filled with animal blood. She took her own glass and sat next to Applejack.
Diamond Tiara looked at the blood. The color alone was making her mouth salivate. She was disgusted that her body craved the red liquid. She brought the glass up to her mouth. Her canines extended as the liquid touched her tongue.
Fluttershy looked at Starlight. She did her best to calm her upset stomach. She took a few deep breaths, allowing herself to not think about the red liquid. She felt a hand on her shoulder which made her jump. She looked up to see Pinkie smiling at her.
Diamond Tiara drank the blood within minutes. Her red eyes seemed to glow for a few seconds before they went back to their normal eye color. She set the glass down as she turned to Starlight. She wanted to know what happened to Twilight.
Starlight sensed what Diamond Tiara wanted to know. She finished her drink, setting it next to Diamond Tiara's glass. She looked at the girls, seeing their expressions. She could tell they were still shaken by the event.
"Twilight...was attacked," replied Starlight.
Diamond Tiara felt her heart stop. She wasn't sure if she heard Starlight correctly. She didn't want to think that she did. She looked at the other girls, who gave a few small nods. She blinked rapidly as her brain tried to process the news.
"Attacked?! Attacked by who?" shouted Diamond Tiara, jumping from her seat.
The girls all looked at Diamond Tiara. They were shocked by her reaction. Starlight stood up and placed a hand on Diamond Tiara's shoulder.
"She was attacked by your father...and Sunset," said Starlight, after a long pause.
Diamond Tiara yanked Starlight's hand off her shoulder. She glared angrily at the girls. She couldn't believe that their friend would hurt Twilight. She also couldn't see her father wanting any part of that. She turned and stormed out of the house.
She was furious at Sunset. She wanted to beat Sunset until she felt satisfied that she got justice for Twilight. She kicked a rock, sending it flying. She clenched her fists and punched the van door. She left a huge dent in the metal.
Hearing a loud metallic clang, the girls ran outside. They saw Diamond Tiara standing in front of the van. As they looked at the van, they saw the dent. Applejack let a gasp slip from her mouth.
Diamond Tiara spun around, looking panicked. She hadn't expected to be that strong. She saw the girls approach the van. She stepped back as they examined the damage she caused. She looked at Starlight, hoping to not see the anger in her eyes.
She watched as Starlight walked over to the van. She yanked on the metal door. In one pull, the door looked like it had never been dented in the first place. She gasped in amazement. She didn't think Starlight could fix it.
"I-I'm sorry, Starlight. I shouldn't have acted out that way. I was just so angry that-"
"I understand, Diamond Tiara. You, like Sunset, care about Twilight," said Starlight, stopping Diamond Tiara from speaking.
Diamond Tiara looked at Starlight. She was unsure of what Starlight meant when she said Sunset cared about Twilight.
Starlight saw Diamond Tiara's confusion. She smiled as she sat on the porch steps.
"If you had let me explain earlier, you would've known that Sunset was forced to attack Twilight, by your father," said Starlight.
Diamond Tiara wasn't sure she could see her father being so...immoral. She sat next to Starlight. She felt sick to her stomach as she tried imagining the scene in her head.
"So, Starlight, have you found anything on Sunset's location?" asked Rainbow Dash, leaning against the house.
Starlight shook her head. She had tried for a few more hours to find clues. But, alas, none were found. She was beginning to worry that Filthy Rich caught onto her plan.
"No. It seems Filthy Rich wants to remain hidden from now on. I hope that Sunset is unharmed." replied Starlight.
Diamond Tiara watched the girls' expressions fall. She saw that they weren't hoping for that news. She was about to speak when a black car sped up the driveway.
Starlight was the first to run to the car. She was greeted by Royal Moon. They hugged as they greeted each other.
"Star, I came with some urgent news," said Royal Moon.
Diamond Tiara was just as confused as the rest of the gang was. She looked at Royal Moon. She saw a glint of red in her light rose eyes. When Royal Moon smiled at them, she saw what appeared to be fangs.
Seeing the girls confusion and surprise, Starlight introduced her friend.
"Girls, this is my old friend, Royal Moon," said Starlight.
Royal Moon waved at the girls. She was taken by surprise when Pinkie Pie walked up to her. She could smell Pinkie's scent, which smelled of cotton candy. She kept her eye on the pinked haired girl as she circled her.
"Something about you seems familiar. Are you by any chance a vampire?" asked Pinkie.
Royal Moon nodded.
Pinkie smiled to herself as she said, "Thought so!"
The girls, except for Diamond Tiara, chuckled a little at Pinkie's response. They all knew Pinkie well enough to know that she knew things that weren't physically possible to know. The girls one by one introduced themselves to Royal Moon.
"Let's head inside, Royal Moon. Then you can tell us your news," said Starlight.
Royal Moon nodded in agreement. She followed Starlight as she walked towards the house. As she passed Diamond Tiara, she felt a tingle go down her arm. She sensed that Diamond Tiara was different.
Once the whole gang was inside the house, Starlight locked the front door. She joined them in the kitchen. She sat in the only available seat, next to Royal Moon.
"So, Royal Moon, how long have you know Starlight?" asked Applejack.
Royal Moon turned to Applejack. She was amazed at the cowgirl's relaxed posture in her presence. If she didn't know any better, she would say the cowgirl was used to being near vampires. She smiled as she spoke.
"I have known her for a good 100 or so years," replied Royal Moon, elbowing Starlight slightly.
The girls' eyes widened with surprise. None of them expected to hear that. Rarity was the first to regain her composure. She cleared her throat before she said, "Wow, that is an awfully long time to be friends. I am glad to hear you're still friends."
Royal Moon and Starlight exchanged smiles. But Starlight's faded as she thought about the news Royal Moon came to deliver. She could tell that whatever it was, it wasn't good.
"Royal Moon, you said you had some urgent news. What is it?" asked Starlight.
Royal Moon looked at her friend. She could see the stress had gotten to her. She took one if Starlight's hands in comfort. She didn't want to tell her friend the bad news she had.
"Star, Filthy Rich came to my house," said Royal Moon.
Starlight wasn't surprised. Royal was the only half vampire/ half witch that she knew of. She figured Filthy Rich probably visited Royal Moon to see about the staff. She shifted nervously in her seat as she waited to hear the rest of Royal Moon's news.
"He had a staff, but it wasn't the real one. Did you pull that trick on him, Star?" asked Royal Moon.
Starlight nodded.
"I did have some help from a few friends of mine. They're the ones responsible for the replica you saw," said Starlight.
Royal Moon raised one eyebrow as a sly smirk crossed her face. She was amazed at how Starlight managed to fool people until the last second. She looked at Diamond Tiara, seeing her red eyes met her own. She saw that Diamond Tiara was half vampire.
"Unusual. I haven't seen anyone who is half vampire in a long while. Most people like her die within hours of birth." thought Royal Moon.
She turned her attention back to Starlight. She wanted to deliver the rest of her news.
"Well, unfortunately, I had to tell him the staff wasn't real. When he received the news, he drove off with Sunset in a blind rage," said Royal Moon.
The room went still. No one dared to move for fear of disrupting the conversation. They all stared at Royal Moon, wanting to hear more. They all wanted to know if Sunset was okay.
"Was...Sunset okay? She didn't seem hurt, right?" asked Starlight, her throat felt dry as she spoke.
Royal Moon looked at the faces around her. She wasn't sure if their friend was okay. She took a deep breath, delivering the last of her news.
"I am not sure. I only saw Filthy Rich yell at her before he drove off. She seemed okay, though she appeared to be tied up," replied Royal Moon.
Starlight felt her body go cold. She didn't want to know what Filthy Rich would do to Sunset. She hoped that whatever he did, Sunset would be able to survive. She hung her head as she imagined what could happen to Sunset.
Royal Moon hated seeing her friend so upset. She rested her hand on Starlight's back. She wasn't sure there was much she could do. She thought about doing a locator spell, hoping that maybe it might help.
"Star, do you think if I use a locator spell to find Filthy Rich, it would help?" asked Royal Moon.
Starlight looked up at her friend. She felt a glimmer of hope. She looked at the girls, who except for Diamond Tiara, seemed willing to try it. She got up and pulled Diamond Tiara aside.
"Diamond Tiara, are you okay? You seem...worried," said Starlight.
Diamond Tiara nodded. She wasn't willing to see her father. But she also wasn't going to be in the way of Sunset's friends finding her. She looked at Starlight.
"I don't want to see my father. If what you said earlier is true, I don't want to see him," said Diamond Tiara.
Starlight looked Diamond Tiara in the eye. She pursed her lips as she nodded. Then she walked back into the kitchen with Diamond Tiara.
"Yeah, it would. What do you need for the spell?" asked Starlight.
"I have most of the ingredients back at my house. You can come and help me gather them. But...there is one thing I don't have." said Royal Moon.
Diamond Tiara was confused. She wondered what Royal Moon needed. As she went over her mental list, she realized what Royal Moon needed.
"You need something that meant a lot to my father, don't you?" asked Diamond Tiara.
Royal Moon nodded.
"Yes, that is exactly what I need. Do you have something like that?" asked Royal Moon.
"Yes. Before my mother left, she gave a diary of his. It's from the first few years when he was first turned. Would that be what you need?" asked Diamond Tiara.
"Yes," said Royal Moon.
Starlight nodded. She stood up and began to make a plan.
"Okay, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Applejack, you girls can come with me and Royal Moon to gather the ingredients we need," said Starlight.
Pimkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack nodded. They headed out, standing next to the van.
"Diamond Tiara, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, you girls head to Diamond Tiara's house and grab the diary," Starlight grabbed the car keys for her car, handing them to Rarity, "You can take my car." continued Starlight.
Rarity took the keys, thanking Starlight. She, Rainbow Dash, and Diamond Tiara walked out to the car. Rarity unlocked the car, getting into the driver side.
Royal Moon and Starlight walked out of the house. Starlight made sure to lock her house before she made her way to the van.
"Star, follow my car. I will lead you to my house," shouted Royal Moon before she got into her own car.
Starlight nodded and got into her van. Once all the girls were in the van, she started the engine. She waited for Royal Moon to back out before she followed her, keeping a distance between the two vehicles.
Rarity looked at Diamond Tiara. She noticed that she seemed nervous. She felt sympathetic for her. She figured that it must be hard to find out that she was half vampire and that her father wasn't who he said he was.
"You okay, darling? You look a bit pale," asked Rarity.
Diamond Tiara was jolted out of her thoughts. She looked at Rarity. She did her best to smile.
"Y-yeah. It's just a lot to take in. I didn't think life could be this complicated." replied Diamond Tiara, sounding unsure of herself.
Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash. She could see that Rainbow Dash was thinking the same thing. She and Rainbow Dash exchanged worried glances before turning their attention to the task ahead.
"So, Diamond Tiara, where is your house at?" asked Rainbow Dash.
Diamond Tiara typed her address into her phone. She handed her phone to Rainbow Dash, who placed it on her lap.
"Alright then, let's go," said Rainbow Dash.
Rarity drove out of the driveway, careful to watch her rearview mirror. The drive to Diamond Tiara's house was uncomfortably quiet. Diamond Tiara busied herself with staring out the car window. She watched the houses and apartments pass by. Once they passed the school, she knew her house wasn't far.
Rainbow Dash was shocked as she saw Diamond Tiara's house or rather her mansion. She felt her jaw drop as they pulled into the driveway.
"Y-you live here?!" asked Rainbow Dash, not hiding her excitement.
Diamond Tiara simply nodded. She didn't think her house was anything special. Sure, it was luxurious, but it didn't mean much to her. Not after all that she just learned. She got out of the car, remaining silent.
Rainbow Dash was checking out the neighborhood. She saw that the houses all seem identical to one another. As she was scanning up the street, she saw something. She squinted, thinking that she saw a familiar car.
"Uh, Diamond Tiara, I think that your dad may be driving down the street," said Rainbow Dash, backing up towards the house.
Diamond Tiara and Rarity looked at the street. They did so just as a car that Filthy Rich appeared to be driving, showed up. They both blinked and the car was gone along with its driver. Shaking their heads, they walked up to the front door.
Diamond Tiara unlocked the door and let Rarity go first. She followed after Rainbow Dash, closing the door behind her. She avoided looking around much. She remembered the morning her mom left her. She shuddered as she shook the thought from her mind.
"Okay, my room is just up this staircase. I hid the diary in case my father should come looking for it," said Diamond Tiara.
She walked up the staircase. She did her best to keep her hunger under control. But as Rarity walked behind her, she felt her fangs extend. She continued walking down the hallway, keeping a good distance between her and Rarity. She stopped once she was in front of her door.
"This is my room." sais Diamond Tiara as she swung her door open.
Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity gasped. They were taken aback by the sheer size of the room. It appeared to be a master suite. They looked around, admiring every inch of the room. Rarity was checking out the view out of the floor to ceiling windows.
Diamond Tiara, on the other hand, went straight to her closet. She opened the secret cubby and removed the diary. She closed the cubby before the girls could see it.
"Here's the diary. When you two are done examining my room, can we leave?" asked Diamond Tiara.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash looked at Diamond Tiara. They saw the diary and decided to leave. But as they look at Diamond Tiara, they noticed her fangs.
"Diamond Tiara, are you hungry? You don't look so...good," asked Rarity.
Diamond Tiara met Rarity's blue eyes. She saw a flash of fear before it vanished. She sighed and looked down.
"Yes. The sooner we get to Starlight's the better. It's getting harder to not want to attack you." replied Diamond Tiara.
Rainbow Dash and Rarity nodded. The girls left Diamond Tiara's room and made their way back to the car. Once they were back in the car, Diamond Tiara felt woozy. She gripped the door handle as she watched as her vision grew distorted.
Rarity noticed Diamond Tiara struggling to see right. She hoped that she could drive fast enough to get to Starlight's house and soon.
The ride back to Starlight's house was a struggle for Diamond Tiara. She curled into a fetal position as she tried to block Rainbow Dash and Rarity's scents. She bit her lip, releasing some of her blood into her mouth. She felt her hunger weaken a little as she licked her lip.
Finally, they arrived at Starlight's house. They arrived as Starlight and Royal Moon pulled up. Everybody piled out of the vehicles. Diamond Tiara struggled to keep in control as more people walked near her. She looked at Starlight, hoping that she could see what was happening.
Luckily, Starlight did. She ran to the door, unlocking it. She and Diamond Tiara made their way to the kitchen. Starlight grabbed a jar of deer blood and poured Diamond Tiara a glass.
Diamond took the glass and drank the contents. She felt her stomach stop churning as she emptied the glass. She handed the glass back to Starlight, saying, "Thank you, Starlight."
Starlight nodded and joined the rest of the group in the living room. Royal Moon had already set the herbs up and had the locator spell ready. She looked up to see Diamond Tiara and Starlight walking in.
"Do you have the book?" asked Royal Moon.
Diamond Tiara handed Royal Moon the diary. She sat next to Starlight, not wanting to chance her hunger coming back. She was feeling anxious about the results of the spell. She didn't want to see her father, not until she knew the real truth.
Royal placed the diary in the middle of the table. She grabbed her pendant, which she used mainly for locator spells. She held it over a map of Equestria. She then held some of the herbs over the book. As she chanted, she crumbled the herbs over the book.
The group watched as the pendant swung in a circle. Royal Moon lowered the pendant and it spun around faster. Once she held it over the map with only a few millimeters to spare, it landed near the area of the high school.
"Filthy Rich seems to be heading towards the school," said Royal Moon.
The was a collective gasp as they heard the news. Everyone just stared at the map, unsure of what to do next. Starlight was the first to speak.
"Well, I guess now we know where he is. Let's hope, for her sake, Sunset is unharmed," said Starlight.