The Chronicles of Sunset: Crimson Promise

by VioletNightWriter

Chapter 18: New Developments

Diamond Tiara was awake all night, thinking. She couldn't easily forget what Sunset mentioned. She looked at her clock and saw the time was 3:35 am. She had school in the next few hours. She didn't want to go, especially when so many questions remained unanswered in her head.

Suddenly a knock on her door startled her. She pulled the blanket off of her. She walked over to her door, wondering who could possibly be knocking on her door. She opened her door to see her mother. She sighed.

"What is it now, mother?" asked Diamond Tiara.

Mrs. Rich looked around, seeing if her husband was around. Not seeing or hearing him, she walked into her daughter's room. She closed the door behind her. Once she was sure no one other than her and Diamond Tiara were home, she pulled out an old leather journal.

Diamond Tiara saw the journal. She also could smell that the journal was at least eighty some years old. She looked at her mother, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She wondered what the journal was about and whose it was.

"This was your father's first journal. He showed it to me when he revealed himself to me. It contains the first few years of his life after he was turned." whispered Mrs. Rich, not letting her guard down.

Diamond Tiara was confused by her mother's words. She didn't understand what her mother meant by 'revealed himself'. Finally, her curiosity got the better of her.

"Mother, what exactly are you implying? That daddy some super vampire or something?" asked Diamond Tiara.

Mrs. Rich nodded. She placed the journal in Diamond Tiara's lap. She looked around as if her husband might jump out any second. After she looked around, she stared directly into Diamond Tiara's eyes.

"I give you this journal so that you may find out what has been happening to you. And that girl he had you visit, she is to be trusted. Listen to her. I have been under your father's control for far too long. I will be leaving soon, get with that girl and her elder and stay with them, no matter what." replied Mrs. Rich.

Diamond Tiara struggled to adjust to what her mother just said. She couldn't believe that her father of all people was a vampire. She fell back on her bed, sitting with the journal in her hand.

"L-leaving?! What exactly should I do to get away from daddy? How is he not going to notice me disappearing?" asked Diamond Tiara.

Mrs. Rich grabbed her daughter's hand. She held it tightly as she spoke.

"Trust the girl that you visited yesterday. She and her friend will protect you and keep him from corrupting you," replied Mrs. Rich.

Diamond Tiara looked at her mother. She nodded. Then just like that her mother up and left. She knew this was probably the last time she would ever see her mother. She looked at the journal in her hand.

She put the journal away. She placed in a secret cubby that her mother helped her make. She hoped that her father wouldn't discover the journal in her possession. She laid back down, her mind racing over the events that just played out. She hoped that school was a good distraction.

Back at Starlight's house, Twilight was lying awake in Sunset's bed. Her mind flashed with images of Sunset's eyes stricken with panic. She couldn't shake the fear that something might happen to Sunset.

She wiped a tear that fell down her cheek. She didn't want to cry because she knew that she wouldn't be able to stop. She hated how she could've thought that Sunset was bad. She sat up, thinking she saw Sunset out of the corner of her eye. She looked to see that it was a simple hallucination.

She jumped when she heard a loud knock on the door. She opened it to see Starlight standing there. She looked down, hiding her puffy eyes.

"Hey, Twilight. I heard you moving around. I wanted to see if you were okay." said Starlight.

Twilight nodded. She didn't really feel like talking. Yet, she felt it would be a relief as well.

"Well, I am not okay. I worry that something could happen to Sunset. I know that I just met her, but she made me feel like I could be myself. I..hope she is okay." replied Twilight, her voice cracking as she spoke.

She felt a set of arms wrap around her figure. She looked up to see Starlight smiling at her. She held onto Starlight, the sobs she held back coming out with full force. She was crying so hard her body shook with each sob.

Starlight held onto Twilight's sobbing figure. She waited until the sobs died down to speak.

"I know Sunset. She will be fine. She is capable of handling herself. She will make it back to you. I just know it." said Starlight.

Twilight looked at Starlight's persian eyes. She saw the kindness and caring nature that made them twinkle. She wiped a few stray tears away.

"Thanks. I really needed a shoulder to cry on." Twilight let go of Starlight, "Well, I better get some sleep if I am to attend school in the morning." said Twilight.

Starlight and Twilight said their goodnights before parting. Twilight fell asleep, her body seemingly relaxed after releasing some of her stress.

A few hours later at CHS, Twilight was about to meet up with Sunset's friends. She wasn't sure how to tell them what happened that Saturday night. She walked up to them, clutching her backpack tightly.

"Hello, darling. How are you doing?" asked Rarity.

The rest of the gang managed to give Twilight weak smiles and a slight wave. Except for Pinkie, she gave Twilight a hug as she walked over. They also noticed the small bandages on Twilight's head.

"Hello, girls. I am doing...okay," replied Twilight, hesitating as she remembered that night.

Rainbow Dash was the first to notice Twilight's uneasiness. She looked at Applejack who also saw the same thing. She exchanged a glance of worry.

"Does that mean she told her, ehm, secret?" asked Rarity.

The girls looked nervously at Twilight. They had wondered how it was going to go. They waited with anxious breathing.

"Yes. She told me that she was a...vampire," replied Twilight in a soft voice.

The girls sighed with relief. They were happy to not have to continue lying. But Rainbow Dash looked at her watch. She noticed that time is usually when Sunset would come by.

"Hey Twi, you know where Sunset is? It's not like her to be this late," asked Rainbow Dash.

Twilight shifted from one foot to another nervously. She was dreading telling them the news of what happened to Sunset. She cleared her throat, managing all the courage she could.

"Sunset was kidnapped by Filthy Rich. He is the reason I have the bandages on my head. He attacked me and ran off with Sunset." replied Twilight.

The gang fell silent. They had looks from shocked to surprised expressions. Twilight felt awkward as they stared at her. She looked down, wondering if they were going to say anything.

"Well, that is certainly distressing news. I do hope that you and Starlight have some idea where she is," said Rarity.

Twilight looked up and nodded. She let the girls in on her and Starlight's plans. She was about to tell them that Starlight had some concerns about Diamond Tiara but the bell rang.

She and the gang went their separate ways as they headed to their classes. Twilight spotted Trixie in Sunset's seat. She sat next to her, not caring to talk to her.

"Hello, Twilight. The great and powerful Trixie senses that you know Sunset is a vampire," said Trixie as Twilight sat down.

Twilight was shocked to hear that Trixie knew Sunset's secret. She looked around to see if anyone else hears what Trixie said. Thankfully, if anyone did hear, they didn't show that they did.

"How is it exactly that you know that?!" whispered Twilight.

She glared angrily at Trixie. She didn't exactly take kindly to Trixie's bullying her. She crossed her arms, waiting for Trixie's response.

Trixie's smile was replaced by a regretful frown. She looked down, nervously playing with her pencil. She hadn't seen much of her supposed 'friends' since Sunset threatened her. She now understood what it meant to be lonely. She missed having someone to talk to.

"I know that because a few years ago I found out Sunset's secret. She ended up helping me with my magic all summer," replied Trixie.

Twilight realized that was what Sunset hadn't wanted her to know when she first asked about Trixie. She looked at Trixie, noticing that she seemed less like her usual self. She wondered why that was.

But before she could ask any more questions the late bell rang. She saw Celestia walk in. She took one last look at Trixie before she turned attention to Celestia.

Trixie spent the whole class thinking about Sunset. She felt sick to her stomach just thinking about how Sunset had it so easy.

"She's a vampire and yet she has friends that don't care. I'll bet they even support her and comfort her when she has done something wrong." Trixie sighed, "I wish I had that kind of friendship. Maybe I will try to sit with them at lunch." thought Trixie.

The class ended with no further discussion between Trixie and Twilight. They grabbed their stuff and left. Twilight went to her next class which she had with Rarity.

Twilight saw Rarity sitting in her usual seat. She walked up to Rarity, setting her bag down on the floor next to her. She pulled the chair out as she sat down.

"Hello, darling. I am glad that you know our little secret," said Rarity.

Twilight smiled at Rarity. She was happy to know the secret as well. She looked around to see Trixie's friends smirking at her. She felt that they had something planned and she wasn't going to like it.

Twilight tried her best to pay attention to the lesson. But her thoughts were racing about Sunset. She wondered if she would ever see Sunset again. She looked at Rarity who was working on a few fashion designs while she took notes.

She looked away when she caught Rarity's eye. She saw that Rarity seemed concerned for her. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how she treated Rarity last Friday. She grimaced as she recalled her words.

Twilight looked back at Rarity. She knew that she had to apologize for her behavior on Friday. She cleared her throat, her stomach forming knots. She spoke as best as she could manage.

"I'm, uh sorry, Rarity," said Twilight.

"Sorry for what, dear?" Rarity looked at Twilight, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Twilight glanced at her shoes. She took a deep breath. She owed Rarity an apology. She glanced back at Rarity, her purple eyes full of tears.

"I am sorry for my actions on Friday. I should never have said what I did." Twilight wiped her eyes as a few stray tears ran down her cheeks, "I was upset, but you weren't the reason why." replied Twilight.

Rarity smiled at Twilight. She placed a hand on her shoulder. She pulled Twilight's eyes to hers. She looked into the teary-eyed girl's eyes as she spoke.

"Darling, I have forgiven you already. I am partially to blame because I was doing right by Sunset. But, I am your friend, and nothing is going to change that." said Rarity.

The tears dried onto Twilight's cheeks as she smiled at Rarity. She was glad that Rarity had forgiven her despite the fact that she a bit harsh. She was about to say something but the bell rang, dismissing the class.

Later that day, lunchtime was about to start. Twilight saw her friends waiting for her. She waved to them as she walked up to join them.

"Good, you're here Twi. Let's go I'm starving!" said Rainbow Dash, clutching her stomach as it rumbled.

Applejack sighed.

"Alright, we going to eat. Don't be so impatient, Rainbow," said Applejack, placing a hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder.

Rainbow Dash shrugged Applejack's hand off her shoulder. She rolled her eyes as she walked into the cafeteria. She pulled Twilight alongside her.

"So, is it cool that Sunset's a bloodsucker?" asked Rainbow Dash in a hushed voice.

Twilight looked down. She herself wasn't sure she knew that answer. She was still trying to adjust to Sunset as a vampire. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the wall.

"I-I don't know. I haven't had enough time to think about it," replied Twilight, sounding unsure.

Rainbow Dash placed her around Twilight's shoulders. She smiled in a comforting way, her magenta eyes full of sympathy.

"It's okay, Twi. It took me a long to adjust as well. But, trust me, it will get easier." Rainbow and Twilight moved along with the line as it moved, "And you'll see, she is still awesome, but not as awesome as me." added Rainbow Dash, despite the glares the girls were giving her.

Twilight looked at the gang. They all gave her sympathetic smiles. She felt okay as long as they were there. She and the gang grabbed their lunches and walked to a table in the middle of the cafeteria.

As they went to sit down, Trixie's friends walked up. The gang looked at each other, glancing at the two girls. They weren't too happy to see their lunch interrupted.

"Well, well, if it isn't Twilight Sparkle. We never got to finish what we started on Friday." said one of the girls who was wearing a pair of ripped jeans.

Twilight placed her tray on the table just as the girl grabbed her shirt. She was yanked back and slammed against a wall. She gulped, her fear making her sweat. She spotted Trixie, who just looked away.

"Oh, don't worry. We didn't forget our old friend. She will see that she is nothing but a weakling." said the girl.

Twilight flinched as the girl raised her hand up, forming a fist. She felt the first hit on her cheek, slamming her head against the wall. She didn't have time to recover as another one came. She was about to prepare for a third when it stopped.

She opened her eyes to see a red-eyed Diamond Tiara holding the girl's fist. She staggered away as Diamond Tiara looked at her. "Starlight was right. There is something different about Diamond Tiara." thought Twilight.

As she looked at Diamond Tiara. She tried to find signs of her being a vampire. Unlike Sunset, Diamond Tiara was warm to the touch and she wasn't as pale either. But her red eyes told a different story. She decided to ask Starlight about after school.

Diamond Tiara twisted the girl's arm until a sickening crunch was heard. The girl's friend gasped as her friend yelled out in pain. Twilight and the gang realized that Diamond Tiara broke the girl's arm.

"Hey, Twilight," said Diamond Tiara

Diamond Tiara noticed that Twilight and her friends seemed almost afraid of her. She wondered why for a second. But as she ran her tongue over her teeth, she felt that her canines were now sharpened fangs.

She looked at Twilight with panic-stricken eyes. She looked around, seeing that everyone was staring at her. She realized that because she hurt a fellow student all eyes were on her.

The gang looked at Diamond Tiara, their eyes not filled with fear but surprise. Applejack went to walk up to Diamond Tiara. But before she could even take two steps, Diamond Tiara ran off.

"I reckon we need to talk with Starlight about this," said Applejack, turning to face her friends.

They all nodded in agreement