Sunset's eyes shot open, waking to the sight of the bedroom of her grandmother's house. Her eyes were heavy and swollen from the previous night, everything coming back to her in a sudden flash that spelled out the realization of her reality.
Her beloved was dead.
She didn't want to believe it, but it was true, and that's what she despised the most. Getting over her mother was hard enough, and now, she had to move on without Twilight at her side. A feat she saw as impossible, but she knew it wasn't.
The next thing that came to her mind was how she'd ended up back here. All she had remembered was crying endlessly until she passed out on Twilight's corpse, so who had come to retrieve her in the cave?
Then she remembered her father.
That had to have been the one who brought her back here, seeing he was the only person who wasn't against her and aware of their current location.
Rather than debating it further, she decided to just see for herself, lifting the sheets from her body and finding her way to the door. It wasn't long before she was in the living room where her father sat in a position that spoke worry and concern, his wounds and horrid condition now gone and healed as if nothing had ever happened.
She was relieved, walking up to him and making her presence known fully in the light of the room. Vladimir slowly raised his head, and, without even a word, they embraced each other tightly for a long while.
It was quiet the entire duration, up until they finally let go, and Sunset spoke first.
"I have so much to expla-
Vladimir cut her off instantly, a smile dressing his face.
"I already know everything, sweety," he claimed. "Your grandmother already told me everything; the girl, the royals, and all."
Sunset let out a long sigh before speaking again.
"A-are you mad at me?" she questioned. "I'll understand completely if you are."
Vladimir raised an eyebrow.
"Mad at you? Sunny, if anything I'm absolutely proud of you," he explained. "Everything you did was out of good reason, and that's how a leader of our race should act, unlike how Molsken abused his power for the sake of vengeance. You also proved that what is supposedly an enemy race can be accepting to ours in all manners as well. You've proven that the royals are liars and have shown that they can be defeated."
Sunset smiled, relieved that she wasn't in trouble with her father, and more relieved that he saw her actions as acts not of defiance, but of good reason. Her smile faltered not long after though, the truth of reality hitting her yet again.
Her father noticed and spoke up.
"Why the long face, Sunny?"
"It's… what happened in the cave…
Her father expressed a sympathetic look, putting one of his cold hands on Sunset's right shoulder.
"What happened, honey?"
Sunset could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes as she attempted to respond, her voice starting to turn into sorrow.
"That girl that I was with… I-I…
A sudden interruption broke the sorrow, the front door opening and entering her grandmother and… Twilight?!
Sunset nearly passed out at the sight before her eyes, unsure if she was dreaming, hallucinating, or both in tandem. She was dead in the cave! She was absolutely sure of it!
Once Twilight saw the sight of Sunset in the living room, her composure broke into one of sorrow and happiness, running forward and embracing her beloved.
"I'm so glad you're finally awake!" she exclaimed through tears, confusing Sunset even more.
Sunset couldn't speak, frozen in a stunned state and unable to comprehend what was happening. Twilight pulled away and stared at Sunset with concern.
"What's wrong, Sunny? I thought you'd be happy to see me?"
Sunset's father cut in, attempting to resolve all the confusion.
"Perhaps it's best we tell her about what happened," he proposed.
"When what happened?!" Sunset demanded. "I'm happy but also completely confused on how this is even possible. Twilight, you were as dead as roadkill, so how the hell are you alive?!"
Twilight nodded, taking a seat on the couch.
"Well, technically, I'm not alive," Twilight explained, opening her mouth to reveal a pair of glistening fangs stained freshly with crimson blood.
Sunset gasped in horror, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. She didn't know how to feel, never wanting her beloved to endure this kind of life, but it was clear that the damage was already done.
"That bastard turned you…
She trailed off, tears escaping her eyes off the end of her words.
Twilight nodded as an answer, her father cutting into the conversation.
"When I found you and Twilight in the cave, I assumed the worst as well. However, after I collected you and started heading out of the cave, she suddenly started to show signs of life out of nowhere."
Two weeks earlier
Vladimir Shimmer couldn't believe the sight before him; his daughter, emotionally exhausted and passed out on a human's torso, and a dead royal on the floor. On one end he was relieved that he wasn't losing another loved one to a royal, but on another, he was wondering how the hell this was going to be covered up successfully.
That could wait for later though. He was exhausted and wanted to just get himself and his daughter to safety, so he proceeded to doing so, lifting his daughter from the corpse of the human girl who had saved his life, and positioning her in his arms to where he could carry her with comfort.
Before turning from the sight however, Vladimir gave his thanks and condolences to Twilight in her peaceful eternal slumber.
"I'm so sorry it turned out this way, but I sincerely appreciate all that you've done for my daughter and I. Your generosity will not be forgotten, human girl. May you rest in peace, wherever you are now."
Using his ancient fingers to close Twilight's eyes, he turned from the sight and moved to the exit of the cave. He was just about to cross the opening when he suddenly heard a disruption that caused him to stop in his tracks. An eruption of coughs and gasps suddenly filled the cave, to which he turned around to inspect and became shocked at the source of the disturbance.
The girl who was dead as a lawn buried in snow just moments ago was coughing, moving, and showing clear signs of life.
Vladimir gently lay Sunset up against the wall of the cave, then moved back to the girl. Upon one glance of the girl, he immediately knew what was happening and just how dire the situation was.
Newborn vampires needed immediate attention, otherwise they'd die.
The girl opened her eyes to reveal her newly gained red irises and eyed Vladimir with desperation, her voice coming out as nothing more than a weak rasp.
"P-please...s-so…thirsty…
Now, Vladimir had a choice to make; let it starve and die or feed it to health. It was a simple choice for him, given the display he'd found when he first arrived. He knew his daughter cared dearly for this girl, so he ran off to find her an animal to sink her fangs into.
Sunset started to understand. While she had hoped for Twilight to not endure this life, she had to accept it. Twilight was now a vampire, immortal, part of her kind's species, and most critically, she was now her guide in this new world.
Their relationship had officially become an eternal partnership, and now, it was Sunset's duty to teach her everything about her world, knowing that Twilight's old world was null and void. It was a sad realization, but it was the reality of their existences, so it was best to just accept it.
"The venom must work slower on humans, and that's probably the reason why her transformation was delayed," Sunset guessed.
"Most definitely," her grandmother chimed in. "However, none of that matters now. What matters is that this girl is now your responsibility. She's your partner for eternity now, which means it's up to you to protect and help her in our world until she is fully educated and trained to survive it."
"I know, and I'm willing to take that responsibility with utmost sincerity," Sunset confirmed. "and will hold my word to the day that our eternity ends."
Sunset's grandmother nodded and smiled in response, proud of her granddaughter.
"Very good. Now, over the two weeks you were out, I've given Twilight the basics on hunting, but she still struggles with actually going through with it. She's still not fully aware of what she is, and it'll take awhile for her to come to full acceptance of what she is now."
"I'll do my best," Sunset stated confidently, holding her gaze with Twilight's, both of their faces holding the same expression.
With the potentially lingering danger and Twilight still new to her life as a vampire, Twilight had decided not to immediately return back to her home. While she missed her parents dearly, she didn't want to cause them any unintentional harm or give the royals any targets to use in their rebellion against Molsken's defeat.
Newborn vampires were subject to the inability to control their instincts, so if she went back now, there was the chance of her attacking and killing not just her parents, but also any human being within a mile's radius.
Not only that, but her appearance had changed as well. How would she explain her new eye color and ice cold skin in a way that made sense? The simple answer was that she couldn't, at least not in her current state and age as a vampire.
She'd need loads of training, experience, and control before she could ever go near her parents ever again; a truth she had come to accept. One that hurt her deeply, but she'd hate herself more if she ever killed her parents on accident.
She'd return someday, but only when she was ready to go home. For now, her life was solely her guide and beloved in her rebirth, and she knew Sunset would help her to reach her goal of seeing her parents again, but only time would tell how long it would take.
It was a wait Twilight dreaded to endure, but she knew it was for the best, so she did her best to just adapt to her new life and self, doing her best to embrace the long life she had left to live.
With Molsken no longer being an issue, Sunset and Twilight were free to roam as they pleased, and one area they chose to visit as a reminder of how their lives came to be as they were was the spring they had first shared their deepest personal conversation at.
It was a beautiful and calm little piece of paradise that they could return to and reminisce about their new life together in eternity, and do whatever they wished without anybody telling them what to do.
The two sat on the shore admiring the calming natural body of water, the only sound being of the steady flow of the clear water and whatever else nature had to offer on that evening in particular. The two were dressed only in their bathing suits, dry as the Sahara Desert in a romantic embrace. Twilight had her head rested on Sunset's left shoulder, her hair pulled up in a ponytail, and her legs laid out on the shore in a relaxed state.
Sunset only held herself up with her arms, the rest of her sprawled out on the shore, and hair down. Her hair contrasted with the glow of the sun perfectly, seeming to glow in the radiance of the light, to which Twilight admired with her crimson eyes.
They'd been sitting there like that for nearly an hour, just allowing the natural sounds and ambience of mother nature to caress their minds and envelope them in natural bliss. It was perfect harmony, and the two lovers had needed this after what they'd been through with Molsken.
"Hey, Sunset?" Twilight suddenly asked.
"Hmm?" Sunset replied.
"Do you really believe this can last?" Twilight questioned.
Sunset raised an eyebrow, sitting up more steadily on the shore, causing Twilight to lift her head from her shoulder.
"What do you mean?" Sunset replied.
"You know? This. This peace. It's been almost a month since we defeated Molsken, and don't you think things have been too quiet for comfort?"
This was the question Sunset had hoped to have never had to answer, but she knew eventually it would come up, and she had thought the same thing. She assured Twilight with a comforting smile.
"Knowing how my life has gone, it's only a matter of time before something new pops up. I've thought the same, wondering why things have stayed quiet ever since that night, but at the same time, I've also just tried to enjoy the time we have been given before the day comes that we must face the royals again. As my mother once told me, you can't anticipate what may not come, otherwise, you'll miss out on what's really important in life."
"Your mom was a very wise woman," Twilight complimented. "While I'm still trying to accept and come to full reality on what I am, I know I'll always have a piece of my human self inside me, and that piece of me will always keep me wondering what's coming next in this new life and world."
Sunset pulled Twilight closer to her in a comforting embrace.
"I know, and I won't force you to rid yourself of something that still holds that connection to what you were born as. You'll always be human in some way and I can accept that. That's the version of you that I fell in love with and will always see as the one I love.
Your skin may be cold as ice, your eyes may be as red as your only life support now, and your heart may no longer beat like a drum, but none of that matters. I'll always love you no matter what, my little Sparkle."
Twilight's face immediately wore a blush at the compliment, her lips forming into a smile.
"And while you may not be as bossy as when we first met, I'll always love you as you are, Sunny," Twilight returned.
"Oh, so you did like my bitchiness," Sunset teased.
"No! No! I was just joking, Sunny!" Twilight quickly answered.
Sunset merely laughed in her victory.
"I know. I'm just teasing, Twi," Sunset assured. "But, if you do want me to act like a bitch, I'll happily oblige."
"No thanks. I love you just the way you are."
Sunset chuckled at Twilight's cute gesture, noticing that the sun was close to going down.
"We should probably head back now," Sunset alerted.
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Twilight agreed. "But before we leave, can we take one swim? Just like old times?"
Sunset smiled, making her way to her feet.
"Alright, but just one," Sunset agreed, proceeding to remove her bathing suit in a teasing manner.
Twilight smiled seductively at the action, doing her own strip teasing as she undid her bathing suit. Once they were done teasing one another, they raced each other into the spring and, starch naked as a newborn at birth, shared one long and romantic swim in their own personal paradise.
While the future was unsure, the two knew they would find a way to overcome any obstacle in their eternity together.
Royals.
Humans.
Natural disaster.
Death.
Their love would find a way to overcome them all in eternity and beyond.