//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Fang-Freakin-Tastic // Story: Sunlight // by Albi //------------------------------// Dear Princess Twilight, This is going to sound really crazy—I’m having a hard time just writing it out—but a few days ago, I got bit by a bat. I was sick the next day, but it was just a passing cold, I was up and about a day later. But… I woke up this morning wearing my clothes from yesterday. I can’t even remember what I did after I got home. There were packets of blood on my desk, and I drank one of them! There was blood on my shirt, and when I looked in the mirror, I swear I saw fangs! Twilight, I think I’m a vampire! I know how that sounds, but I’m freaking out here! I don’t know what to do! Please write back as soon as you can! Sunset Shimmer Sunset snapped her diary shut, then continued to pace her room with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. The logical part of her brain wanted to disprove the crazy notion that she was a blood-sucking creature of the night. She could find excuses for just about everything. But then, she would flash back to just a few minutes ago, when she had torn open the packet of blood and sucked it dry. Try as she might, she couldn’t disprove that. “What do I do? Wait for Twilight to respond? Who knows how long that’s going to take! And what if she doesn’t know what to do either? I have to tell the other girls. But school’s about to start.” She paused and gripped the sides of her head. “Oh man, what am I going to do about school? I can’t go back there—I’ll be putting everyone in danger! Unless this… whatever it is only happens at night. I was fine yesterday. If it does only happen at night, it might be better for me to go now so I can tell the girls. But what if I lose control and bite someone?” Sunset rushed to her computer and flipped it open, anxiously tapping her foot while it booted up. When it came on, she hastily typed in ‘how to cure vampirism’ is the search bar. Unfortunately, most of the results were just about some stupid game called Skyrim. The only helpful suggestion she found was, in some movies, people were cured when the head vampire was killed. She bit her knuckle. There was no other vampire! What if she was the head vampire? What did she do then? A switch flipped in her brain. “The bat!” She had contracted vampirism from it, that’s the only place it could have come from. How, was another question entirely. “Maybe if I can find the bat, I can cure this!” Sunset’s jubilation crashed down in an instant. The bat was long gone by now. Heck, it could have already been dead, and Sunset was still a vampire. She shuddered. “A vampire. First, a raging she-demon, now, a vampire.” She threw her hands up. “Why me? I’ve been a good person… lately.” The time on her laptop read 7:54. School started in six minutes. Did she dare risk going out? No, better safe than sorry. She’d have to hide here until school ended and her friends could rush over. But it would be close to nightfall by that time. And what could her friends do, anyway? Sunset clenched a fist, then reached for her phone. They’re my friends! There’s nothing we can’t accomplish together! She furiously tapped her phone’s screen, sending a message to her fellow Rainbooms. Emergency! My apartment after school! She put her phone away and drummed her fingers on the armrest of her chair. What did she do now? She had alerted the Princess, rallied her friends. There was no known cure for this. What could she do now? “Call the hospital?” Sunset had promised Twilight she’d consult a doctor if things got worse. “No, this is out of their league—they wouldn’t even believe me. The police?” She looked at the packets of blood sitting on her desk. “All that would do is alert them to who stole from the hospital last night.” One of the blood packets found its way into Sunset’s hand. She stared at it, feeling her hunger act up again—hearing a voice that screamed, feed! Sunset flung the pouch away and turned her chair. She would not give in to those urges… at least not now. I’ll save them for when my friends come over. That way, if I have a worse craving later on, I can drink that instead of them. Sunset closed her eyes and breathed slowly. Seven hours alone without drinking blood. She could do that, easy-peasy. She stood up, grabbed the remaining packets and shoved them under her bed. “There, out of sight, out of mind!” She rocked back and forth on her toes. She had gotten by yesterday without drinking any blood. Of course, she hadn’t been aware she was a vampire. These new instincts were at the center of her mind now, mingling with her everyday thoughts. Blood was the sustenance she needed to survive! Hunting helpless prey in the dead of night was her favorite way of getting it! Sunset pressed a hand to her head. “No, bad! Very bad!” She walked into the bathroom to clean herself off and change out of her bloodied shirt. She looked in the mirror, seeing the same girl she always saw. Her skin was still a little pale, but beyond that, she looked fine. She stretched her mouth open, finding no trace of the fangs. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Sunset slumped in her chair again. She checked her phone, finding a majority of her friends had responded, agreeing to come over but asking what was wrong. She didn’t bother replying. This was something she had to explain in person. ***** Sunset was sure an eternity had passed while she waited in her apartment. All she could do was watch the diary (it had made no movements whatsoever) and pluck at her guitar. Thanks to her somber mood and noise restrictions on the apartment, she couldn’t get herself to pony up, though it had given her something to think about. Could going into our magic forms get rid of it? Or would I just become some anthro pony vampire freak? She had wasted an hour pacing her room trying to figure that out. Ultimately, it was impossible without testing it. With an hour to go, Sunset was both stir crazy and starving. She could smell the blood coming from underneath her bed and from the surrounding apartments. Don’t think about it. You don’t need it. It’s disgusting. It’s human blood. Sunset curled in her chair, her whole body twitching. It doesn’t taste good. It’s warm body fluid. It’s for emergencies. This could be an emergency though. Just one sip before my friends come, maybe it’ll sate me. No, no… I shouldn’t be drinking it at all! But it’s in my nature. No, it isn’t! You’re not a vampire—you don’t need blood! Sunset’s mind grew hazy. Yes, I do! I need the strength! I need to quench my thirst! She tore the packet open and tilted her head back, pouring the contents down her throat, savoring every drop. She brought her head down, panting like she had just ran a mile. How had she even gotten this—she couldn’t remember moving from her chair! It was wrong—so very wrong! But it tasted so good. She hugged her stomach, feeling mentally ill, but physically great. “You’ll get through this, Sunset. That’s why you have friends now.” Assuming they still wanted to be friends with someone who could drink their blood at any given moment. Sunset chased the thought away. They would stand by her… probably. Her doorbell finally rang, and she could hear the collective voices of her friends outside. Sunset stuffed the empty blood packet into the trash and wiped her mouth. Okay, you had your snack. Now, stay in control. She opened the door and quickly ushered everyone inside before the light could hurt her. They discarded their things and followed Sunset into her room, trying to get comfortable in the small space. “Geez, Sunset,” Rainbow said, moving a hand toward the blinds. “It’s almost pitch black in here. Open a window or something.” “I kinda need it dark,” Sunset said, twiddling her thumbs. Applejack frowned. “What’s the matter, Sunset? Your eyes still buggin’ you?” Sunset bit her lip, grateful her fangs weren’t out. She turned her back to the group. “Y-yeah, that has something to do with it. Hold on.” Sunset slipped her sunglasses over her eyes and maneuvered over to the light switch, flipping it on. “Is that better?” Rarity nodded. “We’re fine, dear, it’s you we’re worried about. What’s this emergency?” “Well… remember yesterday, when I said vampires didn’t exist?” “Yeah…” Applejack said slowly. “Well… turns out… I was wrong.” Pinkie gasped. “There’s a vampire running around Canterlot?” Sunset nodded. “There is…” Twilight spoke up, dread and suspicion in her voice. “And how do you know?” “Because…” Sunset hunched her shoulders. “I’m the vampire.” There was only the sound of uncomfortable shuffling amongst the silence until Pinkie yelled, “Called it!” “Not helping!” Rarity chided. Sunset kept her back turned, both out of shame, and to help keep her hunger under control. It was easier to manage if she wasn’t staring at their necks. “Yeah… so…” “Wait,” Rainbow said, “That means you were the one who drank the blood out of all those people and sent them to the hospital?” Sunset paled. “Dear Celestia, I totally forgot about that!” “Again, not helping!” Rarity snapped. Mental queasiness overtook Sunset, and her knees buckled. How could she have ignored that? It all added up now, didn’t it? People losing large quantities of blood, her insatiable appetite. That’s what she had been doing at night: stalking people and sucking their blood out. Someone placed a hand on her shoulder. Sunset looked up, surprised and glad to see it was Twilight. “It’s going to be okay, Sunset.” Sunset looked down at her own hands before her thirst could kick in. “I want to believe that,” she whispered. “I just… I can’t believe I’m a monster again.” Twilight took Sunset's hands and pulled her to feet. “You’re not a monster. You’re still you. That’s what you told me, remember?” “Yeah… I did say that.” Sunset remembered the first time she had stumbled across Twilight, huddled under the bleachers and crying her eyes out. It had taken a while, but Sunset got her to calm down. Near the end, she had even managed to get Twilight to smile. “Besides—” Rarity spread her arms out “—you’ve got all of us to support you. Monster or not, we’re here to help.” Sunset wiped away the tears trying to fall from her eyes. “Thanks, girls. You’re taking this better than I thought.” Rainbow shrugged. “Well, all things considered, we’ve already seen you turn into a raging she—ow!” She clutched her side and glared at Rarity, who had two fingers up and was poised to strike again. “All right, I get it, not helping.” “You told the Princess about this, right?” Applejack asked. Sunset pointed to the diary sitting on her bed. “Of course, but she hasn’t responded yet.” “So what do we do in the meantime,” Fluttershy asked. “I don’t know.” Sunset pulled up her chair and looked at the floor. “I’ve been hiding in here all day. I’m afraid to go out in public in case I lose control. But at night… I guess I lose it anyway, because I’ve been drinking people left and right.” She pressed her teeth into her tongue. “Honestly… being in the same room as all of you is making me hungry.” Applejack moved a hand to hide her neck. “You wouldn’t actually bite one of us, would you?” Sunset kept her eyes focused on the floor. She could hear their collective heartbeats, smell the fresh blood flowing through them. Her throat was scratchy and dry again. Between the bags of blood under her bed and the girls standing in front of her, Sunset knew which choice her instincts craved more. “I don’t know, Applejack. I’m not sure what I wouldn’t do right now.” An apple sailed through the air and landed on Sunset’s lap. “There, drink that!” Pinkie said. “Why?” Sunset held the apple in her hand, turning it over a few times. It was a lovely shade of red. “Well, maybe if you pretend you’re sucking the blood out of someone when you bite into it, it’ll help!” Rainbow shook her head. “Pinkie, that’s stupid.” Sunset was willing to try it, however. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine the apple as someone’s neck. She pushed the apple against her teeth. The skin was too smooth, and the fruit was too round. Part of her wanted to gag as actual food tried to pass through her mouth. Still, she pressed on, breaking the apple’s skin and letting the juice flow. She forced her imagination to pretend it was blood, warm and sweet. Her fangs shot out, and she slurped the remaining juice from the apple, reducing it to a shriveled husk. Her friends gasped when she came up for breath and let the apple fall to the floor. Her gag reflex kicked in, sending the juice back up her throat before she forced it back down. “It’s not blood,” Sunset said as her fangs retracted, “but… the hunger seems a little more distant. I guess just the act of sucking things helps sate me.” Rainbow bit her lip and snickered. “Oh, grow up!” “All right, Ah can just get you some apples to suck on,” Applejack said, ignoring Rainbow’s continued snickering. “That should keep you busy until the Princess responds, right?” Sunset slouched in her seat. “I don’t know. I told you: it’s not blood. It might stop me now but… when night falls…” She shook her head. “I don’t know if I can control myself.” They fell silent again, each with a contemplative look. Then, Pinkie snapped her fingers and held a hand up. “Oooh, oooh, a sleepover!” Rarity shook her head. “That seems counterintuitive.” “Silly, we’re not actually going to sleep! We’ll just be there to make sure Sunny doesn’t go batty! We’ll be like guardians!” Sunset bit the inside of her cheek. Being monitored sounded good in theory, it was certainly better than staying here by herself. “But what about all of you? You’ll all be in danger, staying in the same house as me.” Rainbow crossed her arms. “Pfft, yeah, because we’ve never been in magical danger before.” Pinkie slid up and wrapped an arm around Sunset. “I’ve got flashlights and garlic at my house! And if push comes to shove, we’ll lock you in the closet!” Ignoring the over-excited smile Pinkie had over locking Sunset up, it was a decent idea. Well… it was really the only idea they had. Sunset looked over at her still diary. Hopefully being surrounded by her friends would give her an incentive to keep her fangs to herself long enough for Princess Twilight to respond. “All right then. Sleepover at Pinkie’s.” ****** The girls departed to prepare for the sleepover, leaving Sunset to organize her own supplies. She packed her sleeping bag and guitar. Being able to play music at max volume might provide a good distraction from her hunger. She could feel it acting up again; the craving for warm blood, the urge to stick her fangs into someone and let their lifeforce slide down her dry throat. She reached under her bed and pulled another packet out, tearing it open and sucking it dry before coming up with a gasp and a shudder. It was going to be a long and painful night. Her face twisted in revulsion as she took another packet and stowed it in her jacket pocket. Please let the apples be enough. Balancing her backpack, sleeping bag, and guitar while riding her motorcycle had not been easy, but she had managed. She marched up Pinkie’s driveway to her gray, stoney-looking house. It was such a contrast to Pinkie’s bright personality, though it matched the rest of her family. The door opened before Sunset could ring the doorbell, and Pinkie pulled her inside. “There you are, Sunset! You didn’t stop to bite anyone on the way here, did you?” Sunset put her stuff down. “No.” She spotted a bowl of apples in the kitchen. In one swift motion, she moved from the living room to the bowl and back, now with an apple in hand. “Whoa.” Pinkie looked between Sunset and the fruit bowl. “That was super-fast.” Sunset bit into the apple, her fangs extending deep into the fruit. She sucked it dry and tossed it into the trash can, fighting the urge to throw up. She wiped the excess juice on the back of her hand. “I’m going to be doing that all night, I just know it.” “Well, better fruits than us, right?” “Yeah,” Sunset said, casting her eyes downward. She traced a finger over her pocket. Dear Celestia, give me the strength to not bite my friends. Twilight was next to arrive, bringing with her an armful of books. “Just a little light reading if things slow down.” Both the sight of Twilight and her nerdy habits cheered Sunset up. She helped Twilight find a place to set her books down, while Pinkie went to order the pizza. “So, how are you feeling?” Twilight asked. “Hungry and a little nauseous after sucking an apple. But I suppose that’s a good thing. Maybe if I make myself sick, I won’t want any blood.” Sunset watched Twilight kneel down and place her sleeping bag near the couch, exposing the back of her neck. She was perfect. Perhaps her blood wasn’t the greatest, but it was the one Sunset craved the most. She wanted anything that tasted like Twilight. Twilight stood up and turned around, her calm, purple eyes snapping Sunset out of her trance. “Just remember,” she said, “you’re not a monster. You can control yourself.” A thin smile eased onto Sunset’s face, masking her uncertainty. “I’m really surprised you’re so calm about this.” “Well…” Twilight put on a guilty smile of her own. “I’m actually kinda freaking out on the inside. But, having turned into a monster a month ago and seen actual magic first hand kinda softens the blow.” Her smile turned sympathetic. “Besides, I know you’re already having a tough time. Me freaking out isn’t going to help.” Gratitude hit Sunset with such a force that, if Pinkie weren’t in the next room, she might have taken Twilight right then and kissed her. And then maybe just a quick nibble. Sunset snatched another apple from the bowl and sucked it dry. No! No thinking about friends as snacks! Twilight looked away, adjusting her glasses. “That might take some getting used to though.” One-by-one the rest of the Rainbooms arrived. Applejack refilled the fruit bowl with a variety of apples. Pinkie came around and gave everyone, save for Sunset, a flashlight and a clove of garlic. Sunset eyed the cloves. “You know, other than just smelling really bad, I don’t think garlic has an effect on me, Pinkie.” “Well, we can’t be sure until you try to bite one of us—” “Which you won’t do!” Twilight interjected. “Right, of course!” Pinkie nodded fervently. “Just a precaution.” Late afternoon slowly melted into evening. The pizza arrived, luring everyone into the kitchen for a slice. Sunset remained in the living room, tuning her guitar. She looked out the window, watching the world turn orange. Soon, the real test would begin. She strummed a few chords, releasing a few slow notes, devoid of any pep. She stuck her tongue out. Just because she was a little worried didn’t mean her music had to suffer. She jumped to her feet and played a riff, feeling the vibration run up her guitar. With a wide grin, Sunset strung together a melody from one of the half-finished songs in her head. She hopped on the balls of her feet, feeling the flow of the music take hold. As she continued to play, light shone around her. Magic blossomed within her heart, and with it, she felt the transformation take place. Her ears elongated, reverting back to their original pony state. Her hair lengthened, forming a ponytail in a sparkling flash. She played on, her feet leaving the ground. In that moment, her worries were miles away. She played chord after chord, riff after riff until finally, she ran out of notes. Her feet touched the floor, though the transformation still lingered. Sunset wiped the sweat clinging to her brow. That little performance had been quite the unexpected workout. A round of applause snapped her attention to the kitchen door, where her friends were crammed in the threshold. Rarity squeezed through first. “That was quite the solo, dear. You were at it for nearly ten minutes.” “Really?” Sunset looked out the window again. “It didn’t feel that long.” The rest of the girls came in with their plates of pizza. Sunset’s transformation finally petered out, returning her ears and tail to normal. Fluttershy looked at her curiously. “Sunset… do you think that maybe…. helped you with your, um, condition?” Sunset pulled the guitar over her head and gently set it down. She swallowed, her throat still scratchy and dry. Her eyes looked longingly at the pizza, but her stomach rejected the thought of eating it. “No,” Sunset said, dejected. “I’m still a vampire.” She sat down on the floor, taking an apple from the table as she descended. “Hey, maybe if we all play our instruments, it might help,” Rainbow suggested. Sunset shook her head. “Unless you can curve the rainbow to come and hit me, I don’t think that’ll work.” She reached over for her diary. Still no response. “Don’t worry, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a comforting smile. “Ah’m sure the princess will come through.” “I really hope so.” Sunset slipped the diary back into her bag. The evening progressed smoothly. The girls chattered and laughed, moving from one topic to the next over the course of an hour. They played a few card games, using the Monopoly dollars as betting money. The later it got, the more apples Sunset sucked on, filling the trash can with their dried corpses. “Okay, Sunny, are you in or out?” Pinkie’s voice brought Sunset's attention away from Twilight’s figure and back to the cards in her hand. Two queens, a five, and a ten. Not bad. “I’m in.” Pinkie nodded. “All right, then, lay ‘em on the table.” Rainbow put her down first. “Read it and weep—two eights and two tens!” Applejack smirked. “Ha, Ah got a straight!” “You mean the thing Sunset isn’t,” Rainbow said with a laugh. Sunset gave her a rude gesture and huffed as she laid her cards out. “Pair of queens.” “Ahahahaha!” “Not bad,” Pinkie said, her face unreadable. “Buuuut—” she broke into a devilish grin and slammed her hand down. “Four aces! I win!” “What?” Rainbow stared, awestruck as Pinkie took the pile of money, cackling like mad. “I swear, if you cheated—” “Pinkie cheats at life, Dash,” Sunset said, leaning back in her chair. “No point in getting mad about it.” Rainbow was silent for a minute. “After graduation, we’re going to Vegas.” Pinkie looked over her pile of money, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows. “Whoa, Dashie, take me to dinner first.” Everyone snorted with laughter, even Rainbow. Sunset’s was cut short by a stabbing pain in her stomach. She quickly reached for an apple, only to find the bowl empty. The pain spread, and she wrapped an arm around her stomach. “Sunset, are you okay?” Twilight asked. The words sounded distant. Sunset could feel it now—her urge to feed growing stronger. She could hear all of their heartbeats, see the blood flowing through their veins. How badly she wanted to tear into them, drink them, relish the taste and satisfaction. What did it matter if they were here friends? She was hungry! She was thirsty. Sunset bolted up out of her seat with a desperate look toward Applejack. “There’s more apples in the kitchen, right?” Applejack nodded, eyes wide with concern and a hint of fear. Sunset paid it little mind and raced for the kitchen, the door swinging shut behind her. She grabbed an apple from the bag on the counter and bit into it. This time, however, she could not get the juices down. She spat the apple out onto the floor, dry-heaving at the taste that had befouled her tongue. What was she doing, trying to feed on apples when there were six healthy girls a room over? It was a free six-course meal! She tried to shake her mind of the fog, and reached into her jacket pocket. Instead of a pouch of blood, her hand rubbed against sticky, congealing fluid. Breathing hard, Sunset pulled out the pouch, a tiny hole punctured near the bottom. No… No, no, no! She tried to lick the blood off her fingers and suck the pitiful remains within the packet. There, that should be good enough, right? The pain stabbed at her again, and she doubled over. Spit hung from her lip—the urge to bite into each one of those girls in the other room grew more intense with each passing second. No! I can’t! Those are my friends! But I’m starving! I haven’t eaten anything since this afternoon; and that was just a measly snack! I’m not drinking my friends’ blood! But I need nourishment! I need to feed! I don’t care! The argument circled around in an endless circle in Sunset’s head. All the while, she didn’t notice her fangs growing longer, or the red haze creeping across her vision. ****** Twilight tapped her fingers together. “She’s been in there for a while.” Rarity nodded, her head facing the door. “Agreed. Something isn’t right.” “You don’t think she just ran away, do you?” Pinkie shook her head. “All the windows have garlic on them, she couldn’t run if she tried.” Twilight sighed, easing her way out of the chair. “Pinkie, even though we’re living out a fantasy horror film right now, I still have to question the validity of vampires being weak to garlic. Why would they be weak to garlic?” “Oi! Less talky, more finding out if Sunset is okay!” Rainbow shouted. They all grabbed their flashlights (and, at Pinkie’s insistence, their cloves of garlic) and rushed to the kitchen. Rainbow entered first, waving her flashlight about. Twilight looked over her shoulder, seeing no other signs of life. “Uh oh.” Rainbow pointed her light down to the floor, where a bitten apple lay in a pool of its own juices specked with bits of red. Panic ran across the Rainbooms faces. “Okay, let’s not get hysterical yet,” Applejack said, her calm voice straining. “She can’t have gotten far. If—and this is a mighty big if—Pinkie’s garlic theory holds true, then she’s still somewhere in the house. Let’s find her real quick and get her trussed up.” “Right!” “Let’s split up, gang!” Pinkie yelled. Twilight looked up from the spill of apple juice. “Wait, are you sure that’s a good—” Before she finished, the kitchen was empty. “—Idea.” She switched her flashlight on and tightened her grip on the garlic. Pinkie’s house wasn’t that big. Sure, it was bigger than Twilight’s, but not big enough that someone couldn’t hear her scream. She returned to the living room first, finding everything still in its place. She turned the flashlight off and stood a little straighter. The door creaked behind her, and Twilight whipped around, flashlight on and garlic ready to be thrown. “Whoa there, Twi, it’s just me!” Applejack held her hands up. Twilight relaxed, blushing. “Heh, right.” She followed Applejack into the hallway, where she gestured for Twilight to go check upstairs. Twilight complied, though trepidation weighed her every step. Even with the lights on, Pinkie’s house was dim and gloomy, casting odd shadows against the walls. Every board creaked under Twilight’s foot. She stopped and looked over her shoulder every three steps, dismayed none of her friends were behind her. She hunched her shoulders and kept climbing, waving her flashlight at every shadow that looked humanoid. At the top of the stairs, Twilight heard rustling coming from the master bedroom. “Girls?” she squeaked in a hoarse whisper. She stepped closer, tightening her grip on the flashlight. She pressed herself against the wall next to the door. Okay, if it’s a vampire, scream as loud as you can. Twilight nodded and eased her head around the corner. Like the rest of the house, the room was poorly lit. Twilight’s heart pounded in her chest as she stepped inside. A gasp escaped her, one that quickly turned into a sigh of relief. Pinkie stood in the doorway of the closet, moving clothes around. Twilight shook her head and left, moving further down the corridor. The last room on this side of the house was Pinkie’s, and even without the light on, it was brighter than most of the house. Twilight stepped inside, admiring the sunshine yellow walls and large, puffy bed covered in stuffed animals. The door softly closed behind her, and Twilight whirled around to come face-to-face with Sunset. Her eyes were blood red, hypnotic and glowing with hunger. Fangs protruded from her top lip, unnaturally white and glistening with saliva. Her normally brushed hair was disheveled and hung around her shoulders in a tangled mess. Two pointed ears poked out from the top. “Y-y-y-you, y-you really are…” Twilight shook and stammered. Even with the magic she had already witnessed and been a part of, staring a vampire in the face was on a new level of unbelievable. Sunset took a step forward, and reached a hand out, showing off her sharpened nails as she pushed down Twilight’s flashlight. Twilight’s trembling hand finished the job and dropped it. A loud voice in Twilight’s head told her to scream, but Sunset’s half-lidded crimson eyes told her to be silent. “Good evening, Twilight,” Sunset whispered. She placed a cold finger under Twilight’s chin and lifted her head. “You’re looking… delicious tonight.” Twilight’s heart drummed in her chest. “T-thank you?” “You know, I meant what I said yesterday, about you being pretty.” She pulled her body closer to Twilight, their breasts pushing against each other. “I don’t know why I was being so shy about this before. We have a lot in common, Twilight.” The neurons in Twilight’s brain kicked into overdrive trying to process everything that was happening. The intimate physical contact was stirring something within her, but the bone-chilling fear negated any pleasure she was supposed to be feeling. Scattered thoughts shot around in her head—her feelings for Sunset, the time they had spent together, the gravity of the situation she was in. Sunset moved her hand to the small of Twilight’s back. “I’m feeling… daring tonight, Twilight. I’m so, incredibly thirsty right now, but standing here, looking at you, I remember that I have a thirst only you can satisfy.” Twilight’s body locked up. Sunset leaned her head in near Twilight’s neck. “I want to drink you, Twilight. I’m dying to see how you… taste.” As the word drifted through the air, Sunset ran a finger across Twilight’s waist, making her shudder. “I think I need an adult.” “Technically, I am an adult.” The door banged open, and the Rainbooms rushed in, shining their flashlights on Sunset. She hissed, throwing an arm over her eyes and leaping to the side. “Begone, foul demon!” Pinkie cried, flinging her garlic clove. It nailed Sunset right in the eye. “Ha! It worked!” Sunset glared at Pinkie with her good eye. “Just wait, I’m going to suck you dry.” She moved with incredible speed, her hair a red and gold blur. The window crashed open, and Sunset leaped out, gliding into the night. Everyone gathered at the window, staring open-mouthed as she flew away. “Pinkie,” Rainbow said in monotone, “your garlic theory sucks.”