It had been a week since the portal closed and Sunset wasn't any closer to finding new friends. She wasn't used to socializing, she didn't know the places to go and meet people. She deeply missed her friends back in Equestria, but despite the loneliness, she didn’t regret her decision to return here. No matter how far apart they were she knew she’d never be alone in her heart. Using her laptop she searched for local events, coming across a post about a costume party being hosted by a local band, The Dazzlings.
According to the information she found online parties like this were normal. Every year around Halloween, the human world's equivalent to Nightmare Night, plenty of people would host them. Sunset decided to go with a simple costume this year, considering it was her first party and all. She went dressed in the clothes she normally liked to wear. Her favorite leather jacket, a simple blue top and jean combo, and her heeled boots. What made this a costume were the pair of fake fangs poking out from her lips, and the red contact lenses she bought at a Halloween store. Sunset had always been interested in vampires since she read about the deadly vampire sisters banished by Starswirl the Bearded many centuries before she was even born. Those were some of her favorite lessons.
Sunset held a slip of paper in her hand, looking at the address she’d written to ensure she came to the right place. Glancing up from the paper she found herself standing before a rather large mansion, the sounds of music and laughter coming from inside. Many cars were parked on the side of the road, more sitting in the parking lot leading to the mansion’s garage. This had to be the right place. Hoping off of her motorcycle she stepped through the front gate, approached the home as a young woman opened the door for her and gestured for her to come inside.
As she stepped through the doorway she immediately felt a chill run down her spine, though she couldn’t quite place a finger on why. Half the guest's eyes shot up, eyeing her with what appeared to be a hunger she couldn't quite explain. One of them took a step toward her with a grin, a young red haired woman dressed as a nurse, before faltering and stepping back to her previous spot. Sunset didn't have much time to consider the reasons behind these actions as she felt a warm breath tickle the back of her neck. Spinning around she came face to face with a young woman, her hair an orange blond mix. She wore a purple kimono, complete with a red gem around her neck. Her eyes wandered from Sunset's lips, up to her currently red eyes.
"Hello there, that's an interesting...costume" She spoke softly, grinning at Sunset in a way that could best be described as playful. "Do you come to parties like this often?"
Sunset stared blankly for a few moments before the reality of this situation hit her. This was her chance to make a friend! "Oh, um...Thank you! Normally no, this is my first one. I'm not used to public get-togethers"
"Then you should stick with me, I'll protect you" The woman replied with a wink, grabbing her hand and leading her past the party-goers who originally took an interest in her. Only now they seemed to be avoiding looking in her direction, for some reason.
Sunset followed, not pulling her hand away as the young woman brought her to the nearby snack table aligned with small sandwiches and other finger foods. She reached down and took a small cup of punch, sipping on it as she looked back toward her new potential friend.
"Thank you. My name is Sunset Shimmer. I came to the party hoping to make some friends" she explained excitedly, offering the other woman a kind smile. She smirked at that, bringing her hands to her hips as she replied.
"Well look at you, all ready to go. This is a good place for that. Tell me, my dear, what made you decide to come as a vampire?"
Her eyes lit up with excitement as she asked Sunset the question.
Sunset shrugged "To be honest I've always found them fascinating. I remember reading about them when I was a foa...a child" She coughed, trying to mask her slip up. "The stories I found most interesting were the ones I read when I got older. About three powerful vampire sisters whom all other vampires and... humans feared. My teacher at the time wanted me to read about them and many other mythical creatures"
"Interesting subjects for a teacher to give to a student" The woman replied, a devious grin returning to her face. "Mind if I ask which of the sisters you found most interesting? I’ve never heard these stories before"
"They aren't locally known stories. Just something I brought with me from home. My teacher taught me a lot of different subjects beyond just that. Mathematics, History...Magic" She whispered that last part as she sipped her punch again, more so just to herself and so low there was no way her company could have heard it. However, Sunset was sure she saw a reaction from the other woman as if her grin grew just a tiny bit. "As for which sister I found most interesting? I suppose I would have to pick the leader. She was known as the Queen of the Vampire by some. Her name was Adagio. The most powerful of the vampire, only followed by her sisters Sonata and Aria in terms of strength"
The woman nodded at that "A queen does deserve love and recognition. It makes sense that you found her the most interesting"
"A queen deserves love and recognition when she has earned it from her followers," Sunset replied. "Adagio did not earn recognition through kindness or love for her followers. She earned the title through fear and raw power. While I hate to admit this, I was like her once. I suppose that's why I found her so interesting. I had this lust for power... It's something I'm rather ashamed of" She looked down at her cup in shame as she spoke.
"And what's wrong with that? Wanting power?" The woman asked. She reached out, her hand grasping Sunset's jaw, pulling her head up so that their eyes would meet. Sunset found herself looking into the other woman’s eyes for a long moment before breaking contact.
"What's wrong is the way I went about it. I believed power was the only way I could ever make somebody care about me. I was so desperate for friendship I would have forced everyone to accept me if I’d had my way. I'm happy to say I have friends now, and they showed me that the path I chose was wrong. I would like to be your friend too, miss"
"Gladly" The woman responded immediately. "You have this irresistible charm about you, Shimmer. Tell me, these friends of yours. Are they local? You mentioned the stories coming from home. I assume you hail from somewhere far away"
"I do, but I'd rather not get into that right now" Sunset deflected, knowing she couldn't go into detail about Equestria. "As for my friends, yes they are back home"
"So you're here all alone then? What a shame." The woman licked her lips before continuing. "During these parties, the hosts usually put together a little dance for all the guests. Would you dance with me, Sunset?"
Sunset smiled a little, nodding. "I don't mind, however, you still haven't told me your name."
"A surprise, for after the dance" She replied with a wink, offering her hand to Sunset as a soft melody began to play throughout the room. The woman took her to the center, one hand resting upon her hip, the other continuing to hold her hand, their fingers interlocking. Sunset placed her free hand upon the woman's shoulder and the two began to gently sway to the music. It became clear in seconds that Sunset had never danced before.
"Sorry" She embarrassingly whispered, trying her best not to stumble or throw off the rhythm shared between them. She felt bad enough for stepping on the poor woman's foot just a moment ago, her cheeks staining crimson from the humiliating action.
Her partner just chuckled, her hand sliding from Sunset's hip to her lower back. Slowly she pulled the two of them together, holding her there firmly as she softly spoke. "Relax dear, it's quite all right. Just follow my lead and enjoy yourself. You don't have to be perfect" she leaned in and rested her head on Sunset's shoulder then, continuing to sway to the gentle melody.
As the two danced, Sunset looked out at the rest of the party-goers. At first, everything seemed fine. But then she noticed several of the dancing couples had stopped in the middle of the song. One of the two having gone limp in their partner's arms. The color of their skin was much paler than she saw previously. In little time Sunset found that only she and her partner continued to dance, alarm bells screaming in her mind. Eyes flicking between the other dancers in an obvious panic, she noticed one duo, the woman's lips pressed to her limp partner's neck, blood trickling down from that very spot.
"I promised you my name, Shimmer" The woman whispered, her hot breath hitting Sunset's ear. She immediately tried to pull away as she felt the unexpected warmth but found herself held firmly against her partner's body. It was as if she was held by some unexplained force. The woman was holding her very gently, but despite this, she could barely move in her grasp.
Things started to click in Sunset's mind. Centuries before she was born Starswirl faced the vampire sisters and learned he did not possess the ability to defeat them. So using his magic he instead sent them to another world. Afterward, he sought out several other smaller vampire and also sent them away. This world, the human world, must have been where he sent them. Sunset's eyes once more darted around the room of vampires and their now dead partners.
Not only that, it explained many other things. The band's name, The Dazzlings. Adagio Dazzle was the leader. It explained why this woman was so excited by Sunset's costume. Why she asked Sunset her favorite of the sisters after she shared the story. Why she asked if she was alone here. Sweet Celestia Sunset told this woman her only friends were back in Equestria!
"Putting it together, Shimmer? I can feel how tense you are. Relax." She giggled, leaning her head into Sunset's neck, giving it a soft kiss. Sunset again tried to break free from the woman's grasp but to no avail.
This entire party was a trap! To lure in unsuspecting humans for the vampires to feed. And now Sunset was in the grasp of one. Even if she could break free, the room was filled with them, including the sisters. There was no way she could make it to the exit before she was swarmed.
Sunset could feel the woman's breath on her neck as she whispered her name. Her blood frosted in her veins as she heard it, and before Sunset could even respond she felt the fangs pierce her skin. This was Adagio Dazzle, Queen of the Vampire.