*Two days later*
Twilight was leaving her class as the lunch bell rang. She saw her friends waiting for her in the cafeteria doorway. She waved to them as she approached the table.
"Hi, girls," said Twilight.
"Hey, Twilight. We sure are glad to see you," said Applejack, slinging her arm over Twilight's shoulder.
Twilight smiled at the girls. She was glad that they were her friends. She felt much more accepted here at CHS then she did at Crystal Prep. She followed her friends as they joined the lunch line.
"So, how's the search for Filthy Rich been?" asked Twilight.
She wanted to know the latest news on him. She had gotten a call two days ago from Starlight, telling her they knew of Filthy Rich's general location. Since then, she had kept up to date records of where they had searched for Filthy Rich.
"Not good I'm afraid. Starlight is running out of possible places for him to be," replied Rarity, she looked disappointed in their search results.
Twilight looked at the rest of her friends. She saw their disheartened expressions. She looked at her own tray of food, trying to see if there was a way to get some results.
The girls all sat at their usual table. Twilight still remained silent as she sat down. Her mind was calculating every possible way to find Filthy Rich. She finally came up with a semi-decent plan.
"Have you girls tried to search places, like the farmhouse?" asked Twilight.
The girls shook their heads. The idea hadn't crossed their minds. They looked at Twilight expectedly.
"Well, there is a slight possibility that he may have visited that place again." continued Twilight, adjusting her glasses.
"Well, we'll be sure to run that by Starlight, dear," said Rarity.
Twilight's eyes gleamed as she let a small delighted smile cross her face. She looked around the cafeteria as she continued to eat her food. She tried to spot Diamond Tiara. But there was no sign of her. She hadn't seen her all day and she was curious as to where she was.
"Where's Diamond Tiara? I haven't seen her today," asked Twilight.
Pinkie looked at Fluttershy, who shared her look of concern. They both knew that Diamond Tiara was having a bit of trouble adjusting. Starlight told them to not worry Twilight. They didn't want Twilight to have more stress considering that she was still recovering from the events of Tuesday night.
"She's at Starlight's house. She is, uh, doing okay," replied Applejack.
Twilight noticed Applejack uncertain demeanor. She gave her a concerned look, her normally bright purple eyes darkening.
"What do you mean she's doing okay?" asked Twilight.
Applejack's gaze shifted down to her tray. She didn't want to worry Twilight. But she was also morally obligated to tell her the truth, despite how bad it was. She took a breath, telling herself to not lie.
"She...is struggling. Starlight has been trying to help her control her abilities. But, she hasn't been able to." replied Applejack.
Twilight was speechless as she heard the news. She was hoping that Diamond Tiara would be adjusting much quicker. She looked down at her tray, no longer hungry.
"Sorry, Twi. I know you were hoping she would be doing better," said Applejack.
The bell rang, announcing that lunchtime was over. Twilight took her tray and threw it away without saying anything. She walked to her next class, ignoring her friends.
The rest of the school day passed without much else happening. Twilight was not looking forward to seeing the bandage on her arm be removed. She wasn't ready to see the scars left by Sunset's bite.
As the final school bell rang, she grabbed her stuff and hurried out of the classroom. She saw her mom's car pull up as she neared the exit. She saw her friends wave goodbye. She waved back before leaving out the doors.
"Hi, hon, you ready to go to the doctor's?" asked Mrs. Velvet.
Twilight nodded.
"Okay, then. Off we go," said Mrs. Velvet.
Twilight looked out the passenger window. She saw Applejack's truck pass her car. She hoped that Applejack and her friends had some better luck finding Filthy Rich. She continued to watch the houses and stores pass by until the car stopped. She saw that she was at the doctor's office.
As she walked in, she could smell the disinfectant. She coughed slightly as the smell overwhelmed her at first. She saw a few children who didn't look to be more than 5 years old. She kept her head down as she walked past them. She could feel their curious stares bearing down on her.
After her mother signed her in, she sat in the farthest chair from everyone. She hadn't been feeling good since she heard about Diamond Tiara. She didn't want to see a good person like her become someone who was like her father.
"Twilight Sparkle?" asked a nurse as she walked out of a door near the front desk.
Twilight and her mother got up and walked toward the nurse. She followed the nurse until they came to a small room with a stool and exam table. She sat on the exam table, making the paper crinkle under her. She waited for the doctor to come in.
Dr. Cloud Star opened the door. He saw Twilight and her mother waiting patiently for him. He put down his clipboard as he greeted them.
"Hello, Twilight. How are you?" asked Dr. Cloud Star.
"I am doing good, Dr. Cloud Star," replied Twilight.
Dr. Cloud Star sat on the stool, moving closer to Twilight. He checked the bandages on her wrist. He saw that the bandages were due to be changed. Seeing that, he walked over a drawer and pulled out fresh bandages.
"I am glad to hear that. Now, I am going to change your bandages. You may look away if you need to, Twilight." said Dr. Cloud Star.
Twilight nodded. After that, she felt the bandages on her arm being removed. She watched as her wound slowly came into view. She could see the bite mark had left a scar. She felt her chest tighten as she gazed upon her wound.
She saw the bottom and top teeth marks. But where Sunset's canines were supposed to be, there were two puncture holes. She remembered the feeling of Sunset's fangs piercing her skin. She had to keep from shuddering as Dr. Cloud Star wrapped new bandages over her wound.
"There, Twilight. You may remove the bandages in about three days. By then, I presume your wounds will most likely have healed. But you will have scarring due to the nature of the wound." said Dr. Cloud Star.
Twilight sighed. She wasn't too happy to hear that she would have scars. She didn't want a reminder of what happened. She wanted to forget that night.
"Thanks, Dr. Cloud Star," said Mrs. Velvet.
Dr. Cloud Star nodded and left them alone in the room.
Twilight looked at her mother. She was hoping her tears weren't visible. She wiped her cheeks dry as she said, "So, can we go home now, mom?"
Mrs. Velvet sighed. She could tell her daughter was crying moments earlier. She wrapped her arm around her daughter's shoulder.
"Sure, dear. We can go home now," replied Mrs. Velvet.
Twilight stood up and grabbed her stuff. She felt shaky after seeing the wound. She struggled to lift her bag as her body felt weak. She managed to sling her bag over her shoulder. She and her mother walked out of the hospital, heading back home.
Meanwhile, at the farmhouse, Sunset was beginning to stir. She blinked several times as her blurry vision adjusted. She saw the gray colored walls which surrounded her. As she looked around, she spotted a bathroom which was open.
She sat up slowly. But as she moved, she could feel the wounds, which had previously been undisturbed, burn against her movements. She screamed out in pain as she tried to move again. Once she was finally sitting up, she leaned against the wall. The cool, smooth, concrete felt good against her sore body.
She saw the cart which had five blood bags on top of it. She saw they were bags of squirrel blood. She looked down at her thigh, questioning if she should stand up. Deciding to try, she slowly braced herself onto her leg as she stood up.
She felt a searing pain go throughout her leg. She leaned against the wall, taking some weight off her injury. She could feel her shirt sticking to her abdomen and back. She grabbed one of the blood bags and walked into the bathroom. She set the bag down and ran the water for the bathtub.
She was glad that the hot water worked, though she was mostly glad that the water worked at all. She kept her shirt on but decided to remove her jeans. She carefully and slowly slipped her injured body into the warm water.
Sunset let out a gasp. She felt the warm water brush against her back. She could feel the still raw wounds sting against the water. She eased herself back, not wanting to aggravate her wounds anymore. She saw the water turn a deep red as the dried blood was rinsed off her body.
She felt a relief as her body relaxed. She took a few deep breaths as she focused on something other than her pain. After a few minutes of sitting there, she drained the tub. She waited for the bloodied water to disappear down the drain before she turned on the shower.
She felt the water hit her skin again. This time it didn't hurt as much. But she kept the water on the lowest setting. She didn't want to worsen her injuries. She watched as more red water ran off her as she cleaned her wounds as best she could.
She finished cleaning her wounds after she washed her thigh. She turned the water off and stepped out of the bathtub. She removed her shirt carefully. She peeled the fabric off her skin, wincing every time it pulled at her skin.
Finally, she was free of the wet fabric. She threw her shirt on the sink. She was amazed that her bra was unscathed by the rake and knife blades. She could see that the wounds were still open a little bit. She gingerly touched the surrounding areas. As she did that, her abs clenched in response. She figured it was best to avoid touching the wounds.
She turned around to see that her bra again, had escaped from being damaged. She saw the severe burns on her back. She was thankful some of them were already healing. But she knew that without human blood, the wounds wouldn't heal completely.
She turned to face herself again. She saw that her red eyes were slowing becoming cyan again. But her fangs were still present. She saw the monster that attacked Twilight. She held the blood bag in her hand. She recalled the night she tasted Twilight's blood. The iron-rich liquid tasted like honey to her.
She ripped the bag open and drank its contents. She placed the now empty bag in the sink. She stared into her eyes as a few drops of blood hit the sink bowl. She saw the primal hunger which existed in her. She knew that she was seeing exactly what Twilight saw that Tuesday night.
She punched the mirror. It shattered with a loud crack. Glass shards flew everywhere as the mirror shattered. Sunset pulled her hand away and removed some glass shards from her hand. She threw them into the sink. She staggered back, her sore body hurting more with each step.
She stumbled out of the bathroom. She didn't want to be there anymore. She leaned against the cart as she walked out of the bathroom. She slowly slid down the wall, her back screaming at her to stop. She finally did when she was sitting down. She fell out of consciousness as exhaustion took over.
Back at CHS, Filthy Rich was sitting in the parking lot. He saw Rainbow Dash and Rarity leaving. He remained in his car until a majority of the students had gone home for the day. Once the coast was clear, he got out. He sped over to the entrance.
Walking in, he looked around for something to let him know about the next public event. He glanced up and down the hallways. He found a flyer lying face down on the floor. He picked it up and flipped over.
Fall Formal!
Come, buy your tickets before they are sold out!
The Fall Formal is next Friday!
Filthy Rich smiled to himself. He took the flyer with him and left the school building. Once he was in his car, he scribbled a hasty note on the back. He looked around before he drove out of the parking lot. Seeing that no one was around to spot him, he sped off.
He found Starlight's house easily. He hadn't expected her to be so close to the school. But nonetheless, he found it. He parked a few feet away as he spotted Starlight standing in the driveway.
Starlight was about to go into her house when she received a text. She pulled her phone out and looked at it. She saw that it was from Applejack.
'Twilight says Filthy Rich may have swung by his farmhouse, again. So, check there.’
Starlight sighed and tossed her phone into the passenger seat of her car. She decided that she should check it out. Any lead was better than none. She turned her car back on and drove to the farmhouse.
Filthy Rich waited until Starlight's car was out of sight. He jumped out of his car and ran to her house. He taped the flyer with his note facing forward, onto her front door. He made sure the note was secure before he left.
He made it back to his car. He ducked down as Fluttershy drove by in her van. He was glad she didn't spot him. Once he was in clear, he sat back up. He let an evil smirk spread across his face as he imagined Starlight's reaction to the note.
With that, the drove off. He was going to pick up some fast food for the coming days. He would need his strength and energy.
Starlight arrived at the farmhouse a half hour before dark. She grabbed a spare flashlight which she had in case if emergencies. She turned it on and stepped out of her car. She thought the farmhouse seemed creepier in the twilight of the fading day.
She shook off her fears and walked in. She was cautious to set off any booby traps which might've been set. She was glad that she made it into the house without a single trap. She saw the basement door. She stared at it until a shimmer ran across it. She figured that it was locked by magic.
She walked over to it, still checking for any traps. She made it safely to the basement door. She placed her hand and uttered a few words of a reversal spell. She waited to see if it undid the spell.
Sunset heard a shuffle of footsteps in front of the basement door. She tried to call out, but her voice was still sore from screaming the day before. She tried again and this time she got a weak scream. She tried one more time, but her voice gave out. She started to sob silently.
She wanted to be free. She wanted to see Twilight again, even if she was met with fear from her. She just wanted to hug Twilight and tell her that she loved her. She continued sobbing as her mind flashed over to Twilight.
Starlight tried to open the door. But the spell which was still unbroken shot her back against the wall. She gave up, knowing that spell was placed by Filthy Rich. She walked away, ignoring a feeling that Sunset was there.
She drove back to her house, a few tears staining her cheek. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. She didn't like not knowing if Sunset was okay. She was considering that Sunset could possibly be dead at this point.
She pulled into her driveway. As she was about to turn her car off, she spotted something o her door. She walked out of her car, leaving her headlights on. She saw that a note was taped to her door. She pulled it off the door and read it.
'Starlight, I will be at the Fall Formal, with Sunset. She is mostly okay, but don't pull any more tricks on me. Or she will suffer, again. Bring the staff and I will trade her for it.'
Starlight felt weak as she read the note. She looked up and stared at her car. Her thoughts were racing. She needed to talk to the girls; and fast. She turned off her car and ran inside. She sent a message to Applejack.
'AJ, please rally the girls and Twilight. We need to talk and soon. I will explain tomorrow. We'll meet in the morning.’