Cold Hearts Never Thaw

Gathered around the stranger, Double Diamond could almost feel the air filled with awe, admiration, and a small thing he decided to leave in the unknown, simply due to the mass majority of the other stallions in the room more or less being the cause of it. His attention was on Red, gazing at her, watching her eat slowly. He couldn't help but notice how she seemed reluctant to eat the sweets Sugar Belle brought her, and the slight grimace she wore as she chewed in a deliberate, slow manner. Sugar Belle seemed oblivious, and Double Diamond didn't think the sweets were bad at all. Sugar Belle was an amazing baker!

"You aren't much of a sweets pony are you?" he asked, sitting next to her. He watched as the mare slowly sipped her drink, apple juice, and she grimaced further, placing the glass down and she tensed, letting out a soft hiss. Double Diamond blinked, and he asked, "Are you okay miss?"

"Mm..just a small burn..I haven't had...apple juice in a long time.." Red responded, her eyes narrowed as she forced herself to take another bite, chewing slowly, ignoring the gaping ponies around her. When she swallowed, she added quietly. "These sweets are fine. But when you go so long without them, you tend to forget, and when you finally have some again, the taste is rather...shocking." She sighed, taking another bite of her muffin.

Double Diamond could have sworn she wanted to say, 'repulsive' rather than 'shocking' from her tone of voice, but he simply knit his brow together, "I am sorry for that. If there is anything we can do to make your stay any more comfortable, please, don't be afraid to ask!" He said, smiling cheerfully at her.

"How about some privacy, and a warm bed?" she asked, "I might stay a few days. See what this little town has to offer. Even I have to consider settling. It's such a quaint and..cute little town here. I might start letting it grow on me. The ponies here simply delightful if a bit invasive of space..." she said in a low voice, gazing calmly at a stallion who was leaning towards her from her left.

"Oh..o-of course!" He said, bouncing some as he listened. She was going to stay? How awesome was that! And so, he cleared his throat, looking at Sugar Belle first, "Could you go set up one of our spare houses for Red? If she is staying, she may as well be comfy right?" He asked, chuckling some.

Sugar Belle simply nodded, giggling as she turned and trotted out, humming to herself as she went. Double Diamond looked at the other ponies, and he cleared his throat again, "Can you give Miss Red some space? Everypony out please." he said, giving them all a firm look. The ponies left reluctantly, casting looks at Red, but she seemed oblivious to them, nibbling her muffin in silence.

After a few minutes passed, Red would look around at Double Diamond, "Thank you.. It was getting rather irritating to have so many...gawkers.." she murmured, and she slowly rose, stretching out her hindleg, and she sighed, "Care to show me around?" she asked.

"Sure!" Double Diamond smiled, leaping up and trotting out, "I can show you where everything is at!" he smiled, gazing back at Red. The mare smiled, following him slowly, but confidently, and she nodded. Double Diamond smiled back, and he led the way.

The pair walked around the town, the night still young, and Double Diamond was more than excited at the idea of Red becoming a citizen. He showed her the bakery, the salon, the funhouse, and more, showing her the cave in which they had once had their cutie marks held captive. Red seemed intrigued, yet she was mostly silent, asking questions from time to time, but she answered little about herself. Double Diamond began to find it aggravating, and he soon gave up.

"Alright..here you are." He said, showing her the small house in which was meant for her. It looked like any other house in the village, but Double Diamond was already figuring ways to reconstruct them into something more...appealing to the eyes. He watched as Red walked up to the door, and she paused, looking back at Double Diamond.

"Sleep well dear." Red murmured, smiling softly, "I shall see you in the morning." Giving him one last look, the mare opened the door and went inside, shutting the door behind her.

Double Diamond finally relaxed, his eyes flickering close as if he was swept away with exhaustion. It had been a very tiring night...Only realizing that she had never answered about her cutie marklessness. He made as if to knock on the door, but then he hesitated, backing away. Frowning, the stallion turned, "I will ask her tomorrow." he said to himself, and he began to trot off, humming to himself, unaware that an orange face was watching him from the window.

Red watched him from the window, her mind mulling over the possibilities that were being presented to her, when a faint glow of turquoise filled her peripheral. With reflexes honed from years of practice, the orange mare dodged the first blast, the hair on her pelt rising as she felt the energy that had been shot at her. She snapped her head around, and her voice was quiet.

"Do that again and I will scream murderer loud enough to wake the Princesses from their slumber." Red murmured, her dark eyes narrowing as she took in the aggressive stance of Starlight Glimmer.

Starlight bared her teeth, her horn smoking from the blast she had sent, but she relaxed, her eyes filled with contempt. "That was simply a paralyzing spell. Meant to subdue. I wouldn't kill you, monster, until I learned every possible way to make you suffer."

"Oooh~ A vigilante? Let me guess darling." Red cooed, smirking as she slowly stalked around the living room, her head tilted back, "You did a whoopsies? And now you have been..hm.. loosely accepted back into your old home in which you were exiled? And I suppose you want to prove that you are in fact, a good mare now? A very... clichéd, story. And a story where the wannabe vigilante doesn't win. You see, you call me monster...but who is the real monster here? Me? The new mare who has been polite and nice? Or the mare who has proven her word is little more reliable than a mockingbird's?" Red laughed, her eyes narrowed as she sat down on the couch, reclining and draping her wings over her body, "You tell me, who your fellow villagers will believe..."

Starlight glared at Red through her speech, her ears folded back, "Well at least I don't kill ponies and harvest them.." she snarled, "At least I am not a monster. At least I don't have to lie about who I am."

"Anymore." Red added, chuckling softly. "Oh little miss Starlight Glimmer...I have heard quite a bit about your...exploits..from your fellow villagers... You have been a naughty, naughty little mare.." Red giggled, shaking her head, "They aren't very...pleased with you, to put it nicely.."

"Oh yes. Just keep rubbing it in my face why don't you?" Starlight sneered. "Like you know anything about what I have to go through to be accepted!"

"Yet again, you assume I know little. Oh I know your struggles Starlight Glimmer...I know them all too personally..." Red cooed, her hoof moving to stroke her flank. "Try being...what is it the young ones call...a blank flank? An adult blank flank....and sadly, I will never get my cutie mark.." Red sighed, giving a soft look of sadness to Starlight.

"And...why not? I thought all ponies got their cutie marks.." Starlight hesitated, her eyes drawn to the flank that held no mark.

"What was it you just called me? A monster? Yes...a monster can never get a cutie mark...and really Starlight?" Red laughed, but it was cold, and thoroughly amused, "All ponies get their cutie marks? Then why is it I hear you got rather...upset by an old friend getting his? If you knew you were going to get yours eventually, why would you be so set on taking others' cutie marks?"

"Because I never got to see him again! He was taken away from me because he got his cutie mark!" Starlight argued, her ears folding back again and she glared at Red. "And I called you a monster because that is what you are, and if you hurt my frie-"

"Friends?!" Red cut her off, and the mare threw her head back, cackling and snorting, "If I hurt your friends? What are you going to do darling? Let me answer for you...nothing. You can do nothing to me, as you will know, you have the disadvantage in...trust. Your friends are already quite uncomfortable with you here...and so why not be so ready to kick you out in a moment's notice hm?" Red rose from the couch, chuckling as she strode closer to Starlight. The room seemed to darken, and as Starlight's horn illuminated so she could see, it outlined the grinning face of Red.

Starlight's eyes widened in terror, as she saw the clear outline of what she saw lining the front of Red's mouth. "Fangs..." she whispered, "You...you are a...a..."

"Vampire?" Red cooed, grinning maliciously, "A blood sucking monster? An abomination of night? Was that what you were going to guess dear sweet Starlight?" she laughed, and the orange pegasus backed away, the room filling with the moons silver glow, as Red flopped back onto the couch. "Oh do tell your friends about me...see how fast they call you a liar.."

Starlight stood there, and she hesitated, before she turned to leave, only to pause and look back to Red, "You won't get away with this.."

"Get away with what? I have no agenda. I have no sinister plans. I am just a mare without a cutie mark, wanting a place to...hm..belong." she said, glancing at Starlight from the corner of her eye. "And I heard that here, equality was top priority...my how things seemed to have changed..in the blink of an eye..." she chuckled softly, "Sleep well Starlight." she murmured, rising from the couch and vanishing into the bedroom.

Starlight hesitated some more, her brow knitting and she looked around. She slowly opened the door, peeking out, then back at the room Red had gone into, and she slowly exited the building. "I won't let her do this...she won't get away with...whatever she has up her sleeve.." but in the back of her mind, Starlight was filled with doubt. What if what Red had said was true? What if she was in fact, overly eager to prove herself? Red hasn't shown herself to be inclined for...violence...

"But she is still a monster...and the sooner I prove it..the faster she will be gone.." she said, and Starlight took off, heading to the one place she knew she could go for help...