The Chronicles of Sunset: Crimson Promise

by VioletNightWriter

Chapter 7: Competing Enemies

Meanwhile, Sunset and Starlight went up to their mountain cabin. They bought it so when they went to these 'hunting' trips, they could restock their blood supply. Sunset enjoyed the fresh, crisp mountain air. She also enjoyed the view that came with it.

"Sunset, let's go before more hunters come," shouted Starlight, interrupting Sunset's thoughts.

Sunset jumped down from the tree she was in. She ran inside, grabbing the bloodletting tools along with a funnel and several milk jugs.

She saw Starlight running ahead of her into the darker part of the forest. They figured out pretty quickly that most human hunters avoided this part because it was too dark. They had managed to make some good kills in this part of the forest. Though, they had been spotted several times.

Sunset quickly spotted a few a rabbits. Using her super speed she grabbed them and broke their necks. She handed them to Starlight, who was setting up the bloodletting equipment.

"Good job, Sunset. Now, we need 30 more rabbits for your lunch for the next month," said Starlight. Sunset nodded, dropping off her ten rabbits before speeding off. She did three more runs and managed to get the last thirty rabbits.

Sunset rested after her last run. She was glad that she had her super speed, but she still got exhausted after a while. She sat on a rock near Starlight.

"So the rabbits any good?" asked Sunset.

Starlight nodded, saying, "They are the best ones we've gotten so far. You did a good job picking them. When you get done resting, be a dear and fetch us some deer. I think we'll need at least 20 deer to last us at least three months."

Sunset looked at Starlight and smiled. "Will do. After this, will we be done for the day?" asked Sunset. She was anxious to do something today. She had planned to see if she could find a beautiful purple sapphire. She wanted to make Twilight a necklace that would protect her.

Starlight heard the urgency in Sunset's voice. "What's the rush?" asked Starlight.

Sunset sighed. "I have a plan to do something later," replied Sunset.

Starlight giggled quietly to herself. She figured that Sunset was planning on making Twilight a present. She looked up from the rabbit she was working on. "Okay, but come back before dark. I don't want us exposed to the nearby humans," replied Starlight. With those words, Sunset raced off.

It took ten trips of carrying two deer each to get the full 20 deer Starlight needed. But once she was done. She cleaned up and began her search for a purple amethyst.

She looked for hours in a nearby abandoned rock quarry. As she was about to look elsewhere, a glittering object caught her eye. She investigated it.

As she pulled the object up, she noticed that seemed to be a dark purple, almost violet. She realized that she found a rare colored sapphire.

She immediately rushed back to the cabin, the stone in her hand. She ran inside and washed the stone in the kitchen sink.

Once she saw it washed up, she knew that it was the perfect stone for Twilight. She placed it in her room. She ran back downstairs to see Starlight holding a bag of squirrel blood; Sunset's favorite.

"What occasion calls for squirrel blood, Starlight?" asked Sunset. She sat down, opening the squirrel blood. She drank it as Starlight spoke.

"The occasion is Twilight. I want you and her to be friends, if not more. I was wrong to overreact yesterday." said Starlight. Sunset beamed as she heard Starlight say that. She was thankful that Starlight wanted her and Twilight to be together.

"Thanks. Do you mind if tomorrow I take the day off? I found what I was looking for and I would like to buy some supplies to fix it up." asked Sunset.

Starlight, guessing what Sunset was doing, decided that she could gather the last few animals on her own. "Yes, you may. But be careful, my dear. This town isn't too fond of us blood drinkers." warned Starlight.

She often feared for Sunset's safety in Canterlot, but here in the town of Ponyville, they were in more danger than in Canterlot. She watched as Sunset headed to bed. She prayed that wouldn't be the last time she'd see her.

Sunset laid in bed, her mind revisiting the memories of her and Twilight.

She noticed that Twilight had seemed skittish around her after she said that she would tell her about what happened between her and Trixie later on. She wondered why. She hoped that Twilight, like what Pinkie said, would accept her for her. She soon fell asleep, exhaustion wearing what little energy she had away.

The next day, Flim and Flam opened their pawn shop. They placed the open sign on the door. They set up all the cash registers and stands for exclusive items. As they finished cleaning up, they had an unwelcome face show up.

"My, my, what a good business you two trouble-making twins have. Too bad I have to run you out of it," said Filthy Rich. He smirked as he saw a cheap knockoff of a 24 karat diamond ring. "I do hope that your costumers never learn that the items they buy are cheap and fake." continued Filthy Rich.

Flim and Flam looked at Filthy Rich as he examined their shop. They didn't take to kindly to his looking around at their stuff.

They made sure to keep at an arm's length from their most valuable item; a beautiful magical staff which could grant a vampire immunity from anything that could them.

"They won't know because you will keep your mouth shut," replied Flim. He looked at Flam, worry showing across his face.

Filthy Rich scoffed as Flim and Flam spoke.

"Well, how exactly do you plan on doing that?" asked Filthy Rich, folding his arms across his chest. He wondered how the cheating twins could ever beat him into being quiet.

He looked at his limousine, seeing his wife and daughter. He needed to move this along. "Never mind. I'll keep quiet, for now," said Filthy Rich.

Flim and Flam watched as Filthy Rich left their store. They were annoyed at him. He was their competition, and he was very steep competition. They finally had their first customer not too long after that incident. They stay open until noon when they left for their lunch break.

Meanwhile, back at the cabin, Sunset was hard at work with the stone. She had managed to sand with holy water as the lubricant. She needed the stone to protect Twilight from her.

She didn't want to know what could happen if she ever hurt Twilight. That was one risk she wasn't taking. She managed to finish sanding the stone out of the rock.

She now needed to cut it just right so it would protect Twilight and look good on her. She began to cut when Starlight walked in.

"Hey, you're going to miss lunch. Wow, that is a beauty. I have never seen such a dark purple in a sapphire." said Starlight as she walked in. She handed Sunset a bag full of rabbit blood.

Sunset took the bag, drinking it gleefully. She hadn't noticed that her hunger was as bad as it was. She finished the bag in minutes.

Starlight was astonished. She grabbed Sunset the second one. When she came back though, Sunset was back to work on the stone.

Sunset continued working on the stone till the sun fell. She realized that she hadn't eaten much that day. She immediately ran to the kitchen where she was greeted by Starlight.

"Let me guess; You are starving, no?" asked Starlight. Sunset nodded as Starlight threw her a bad of fresh deer blood.

"Mmm, this tastes so good. Is this how human blood tastes?" asked Sunset in the blur of the moment.

Before Sunset realized what she asked, Starlight got and walked towards the sink. As Starlight placed her hands on the sink, she indented it with her handprints. Sunset cautiously walked up to Starlight.

"I am sorry that I said that. I know that you hate when I mention that. But do you mind telling me why it is so hard for you?" asked Sunset. She had always wondered why Starling cringed at the words 'human blood'. She sat back at the table, finishing her blood. She hoped that Starlight would let her in.

Starlight sighed as she finally let her grip loosen off the sink. She joined Sunset at the table, her normal persian blue eyes now crimson red.

She saw that Sunset seemed to be upset."Okay, you want to know why I hate the words 'human blood'? It is because I have tasted it. I will tell the story behind it." said Starlight. She took a deep breath as she began to recall her first taste of human blood.

*Flashback*

"It all began when I returned home after having been turned. I attempted to rebuild my relationship with while balancing my hunger," said Starlight.

A young Starlight ran up towards her sister as she greeted her at the door. She was always so happy to see her sister return from her day job. She loved her sister dearly.

"Hey Star, how was your day?" asked Starlight's sister. Starlight let go of her sister as she answered.

"My day was good. I missed you terribly. But I am happy you're home." replied Starlight.

Starlight rushed to her room to grab her favorite game; Snakes and Ladders. She loved that it was simple yet fun. She ran downstairs as she saw her sister cooking dinner.

She waited anxiously for her sister finish the prepping of their dinner. Once her sister was available, they played the game.

They played until dinner was done. Starlight ate her dinner quickly, wanting to get to her secret blood supply.

As she sped down to the basement where she kept a hidden freezer full of blood, she didn't realize that her sister was following her.

"Where's my little sis off to in such a hurry?" thought Starlight's older sister. She watched as her sister opened the freezer. She saw what appeared to be blood, but she couldn't tell if it was human blood or animal.

As she went to get closer, she knocked a book off a shelf. She gasped as Starlight looked in her direction.

"W-who's there?" stammered an agitated Starlight. She finished the blood bag in her hand. She then crept around until she found her way to the stairs. She looked up, her crimson red eyes seeing her now completely terrified sister.

"Star, w-what are you?" asked Starlight's hyperventilating sister. She was scared as she saw Starlight's red eyes looking back at her. As she stared though, she saw that Starlight's eyes glistened with tears of hurt. She could see that her sister meant no harm. She calmed down enough to breath normally again.

"I am a vampire. I was turned a few decades ago. Mom helped cover for me when you were born. So technically I am the older sister." confessed Starlight.

She was glad that her sister calmed down. It was getting hard to keep from attacking her sister. She moved away as her sister sat down on the bottom step.

"Well, that sure explains a lot. Like your inability to age normally. And the weird way you act when someone is injured. And how you can be so strong and fast." said Starlight's sister.

Starlight did her best to laugh.

Starlight went to say more but they were called to go to bed.

As they finished getting ready for bed, Starlight's sister pulled her into a hug. "I am glad you are my sister," said Starlight.

"It was a few years after my sister found out the secret that I made the worst mistake of my life. I lost control because I didn't feed regularly." Said Starlight as Sunset listened.

Starlight had received a call from her sister, saying that she was coming over.

After work ended, Starlight drove home as fast as she could. She went to her basement grabbing two blood bags to drink.

She finished the second one as her sister arrived. She opened the door to see her sister, happily smiling back at her.

Starlight's sister could tell her sister had recently fed because her breath smelled of the iron of blood. She walked into as Starlight closed the front door. She set her bag down as she took off her coat.

"So enjoying your first job now that you look the age?" asked Starlight's sister.

Starlight nodded, saying, "Yes, I do. I can't imagine a job more enjoyable." said Starlight.

They decided to watch a movie as they caught up on each other's life. Soon the time flew by, and Starlight felt her hunger returning. She looked at her sister and decided that she could wait a little while longer.

But that was a decision she was to regret. As Starlight felt her hunger grow stronger, she smelled human blood. She looked around and saw that her sister had cut her hand badly. She gulped as she felt her hunger surge. She turned away, her eyes turning red. She felt her breathing speed up. She felt her willpower slip away. She lost control as she attacked her sister.

"As I finished, I realized that my sister was dead. But I remember the sweet but bitter taste of her blood as it entered my mouth. Since then I have followed a strict regiment of animal blood. And this is also why I hate the mention of the words 'human blood'." said Starlight, her voice breaking as a tear streamed down her cheek.

*End of Flashback*

Sunset gulped as she heard Starlight finish the story. She now understood why the old films were important to her. She also understood why Starlight flipped when she mentioned the kiss between her and Twilight.

"Wow, I am sorry to hear that. It must've been horrible to know what happened afterward," said Sunset, trying to comfort Starlight.

As Starlight sat there, she realized what time it had become.

She looked at Sunset, saying, "Thanks. But now I believe that it is time for us to get some sleep or we'll never finish our blood run." said Starlight. She saw that Sunset was tired too. They said their good nights before each headed off to their separate rooms.

As Sunset laid in her bed, she kept thinking over Starlight's story. She wondered if she would ever dare to hurt Twilight like that. She shook her head, telling herself that she wouldn't. With that, she soon was deep in sleep.

Author's Note:

I really hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am. Let me know what you think of this chapter. Thanks for all the support and encouragement!!