Sugar Fizz stares into the bathroom mirror, sighing deeply as she looks over her dishevelled state. The mare's mane is slightly scruffy, her white shirt is unbuttoned at the top and she lacks her skirt or stockings. Slapping her face gently, Sugar Fizz finishes filling a bowl with cold water before carrying it through to the main room.

Sitting down on their desk chair, she pulls closer to the bunk bed, placing the bowl atop the chester drawers between the bed and desk. Exhaling a deep breath, Sugar Fizz casts a concerned glance towards Amore who laid naked on a towel. She was panting and sweating heavily, a flannel already across her forehead.

"Please hang in there..." Sugar Fizz picks up the flannel, squeezing out the warm water into another bowl on the desk, exchanging it for the fresh cool water before putting it back.

The small gesture seemingly puts Amore at ease, if only a little, causing Sugar Fizz to smile lightly. Her attention is suddenly grabbed as their bedroom door is cracked open, Scarlet Orange peeking in.

"How is she?" Scarlet Orange asks, moving further into the room slowly.

"Sleeping about as well as she can at the moment. Her pattern follows the same as the last two days since the night we left the crypt..." Sugar Fizz leans back in the chair.

Scarlet Orange passes a soft sad glance between the two mares, moving to place her hand on Sugar Fizz's shoulder.

"I can watch her for a little bit; you should stretch a touch and talk to someone, okay?" Scarlet Orange bears a comforting smile.

Sugar Fizz nods, groaning as she stands up, searching in the darkness for a skirt, forgoing her stockings as she slips on a pair of shoes. Grabbing a small bottle, she sprays herself with the perfume in the bathroom, taking a small inhale.

"Thank you, Scarlet Orange... It's been a rough two days." Sugar Fizz grabs her blazer, but sighs as she puts it back down, placing her phone in a skirt pocket instead, before heading to the open door.

"Hey..." Scarlet Orange states making Sugar Fizz pause and turn back towards her, "I know when Amore first came here, my sister and I didn't think too much towards you... Nor whatever you had planned for Amore, but I'm happy she has someone like you."

Sugar Fizz shakes her head, smiling a little at Scarlet Orange. "I've not always been there for her... Half the times I
wasn't, you two were. She is... Unique. I'll be back soon." Sugar Fizz states before leaving, closing the door properly behind her.

Sugar Fizz stretches lightly, walking along the corridor in the early morning, students still getting to their classes. Eventually, Sugar Fizz reaches the lecturer's lounge, taking a deep breath before knocking on the door gently.

"Come in, Miss Fizz," Aurora calls from the other side of the door.

Sugar Fizz opens the door, "How did you know it was me?" She asks stepping inside the room as the door slowly closes.

Aurora sits up on the sofa before placing a bookmark in and closing her book and setting it on a table nearby. "I lived with Amore's mother back when we were students. You learn to listen."

Sugar Fizz shuffles towards and sits down beside Aurora, practically flopping back in the seat, "It's not like she's been quiet... I shouldn't be surprised, everything she does is loud." A light chuckle can be heard as Sugar Fizz rubs her eyes.

Aurora shrugs. "She's a vampire, Sugar. She may not seem it, but she can be exceptionally quiet when she wants. And with a mare like her... Anyway, that's not what you're here for. Is something wrong?"

"Amore in general is loud. Vampire or not, quiet isn't how she rolls..." Sugar Fizz sighs and rubs her neck slightly, "She's been in that state since the night she defeated Shintaku on the last day of the festival... Gave me a scare when she suddenly started screaming, such agony and pain in one voice... She's more restful during the day, but at night..." Sugar Fizz shivers and sighs deeper.

Aurora sighs. "I wish I could say there's a cure all, but there isn't. All you can really do is keep her hydrated and comfortable. If she'll drink, it should ease the transition some, especially if she'll take from the tap," Aurora states, tapping her neck, "but she didn't seem all too keen on the idea before. And even if she were to, and someone was willing, it would only help so much."

Sugar Fizz ruffles her mane in frustration, "I hate this, the sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach like I want to throw up or throw myself into a moving train... Neither are likely to kill me, mind you..." She leans back again, "I haven't slept since a couple of hours before her process started. So, about nearly sixty or so hours I've been awake... I've missed classes, but neither my fatigue or my falling behind are what make me feel like this... I can't do anything and I feel utterly useless in this situation." Sugar Fizz rubs her eyes more, groaning.

Aurora shakes her head. "If she manages to rest relatively calmly during the day, sleep with her then. You need rest just as well. Keep her hydrated. Keep her as comfortable as you can. If you can convince her to feed, and can find a willing donor, keep her fed. And just... Be there when it's all over with. That's the biggest thing. I know it's hard, and it's a little scary," Aurora sighs, shaking her head. "Understatement of the millennium, but this is the kind of pain that only goes away with time. First thing she's going to want to see when she's fully conscious is you, by her side."

"Scary? I'm fucking terrified. I've never had to deal with anything close to this. Corporate espionage and cutthroat businesses have nothing on this. Not even my mothers had to do anything like this. Bonbon was turned, she didn't go through all this hybrid stuff. Least turning is a somewhat swift and not nearly as painful process... Give me a company that owns the market and within a few years I'll have toppled them... Give me my first courting partner writhing in pain during a hybrid adjustment process and I'm like a leaf..." Sugar Fizz sniffles, feeling so out of sorts, "Were you taught this advice or?"

Aurora shakes her head, laughing lightly. "We teach you lot quite a bit, but covering hybrids and their transitions, especially if they take to their supernatural sides... Nothing prepares you for that. I had a partner back before the fall of the Empire. She was a vampire hybrid who took to her vampiric side as well. Fun week..."

Sugar Fizz blinks, "So, you've literally been where I am... How did you cope? Because I don't think I'm doing a good job of it..."

Aurora shakes her head, laughing a little harder. "You're funny. I didn't. Not really. How could I? I just did what I could, as best I could. I made sure she had water when she was calm enough to drink. I kept her as comfortable as possible. Replaced covers and pillows when needed. I had her feed if she needed it. I insisted upon it at least once a day. Eased the pain, even if only just a little. And I stayed close. Closest thing I had to coping was to simply push through it. She'd be well again eventually, and I'd be there until she was and after."

Sugar Fizz takes a deep breath before looking up at the ceiling, "I had such a clear cut path in my mind for my second year. Get ahead in studies, expand, maybe even delve into my mother's speciality of sweets to try that out... Then, practically at the start of the academic year, I meet Amore. Everything thrown into disarray. Is that an effect Von Scratch's have? I feel it's an effect." She chuckles and holds back a mild yawn, shaking it from her mind gently.

Aurora tilts her head, laughing a little. "I only really know Amore and Vinyl, but basing it off those two, quite possibly. But, I mean, is it a bad thing?"

Sugar Fizz shakes her head, "I don't feel it is, but then I haven't slept for sixty hours so..." She chuckles before standing up to stretch hard, "I should be getting back... Scarlet is capable, but..."

Aurora nods. "Get some sleep when you can... And do try to convince her to feed. And I don't mean from your concoctions. They can soothe one over if need be, but you know they aren't close to the actual thing."

Sugar Fizz nods, "I do... Least I did after Amore let me drink from her. I have a lot of improvements and dose adjustments to make when I've got the time... I'll try to ask one of her friends, if possible."

Aurora smiles lightly. "Those girls are too good for her. That likely won't be a huge problem. The obstacle is more getting her to agree to it. She did live as a normal until recently."

"If she'd get any benefit from it I know she'd happily drink from me, but... That's not how it works for normal Vampires, even hybrids." Sugar Fizz sighs again, "I'll figure something out. If she remains stubborn, there is little I can do about it."

Aurora nods lightly. "Ain't that the truth."

"Thank you, for the advice and listening. If she isn't too bad I'll get some rest back at the room." Sugar Fizz takes some time to collect herself before leaving the lounge.

Sugar Fizz walks down the hall, glancing out the window at the Everfree beyond their academy, sighing to herself before she frowns softly. In the distance, towards the dorms, she could hear the soft lull of a soothing melody, being sung so sweetly. Following her original path, she finds the source is from her own room, making the mare even more confused before she blinked at who it sounds like. Slowly and softly opening the door, she peeks in to see Princess Luna sitting in their desk chair beside the bed, leaning over to gently stroke Amore's mane.

"Come, little children, the time's come to play, here in my garden of shadows~" Princess Luna lulls sweetly as her melody ends, passing a glance at Sugar Fizz before she moves her hand to lay in her lap instead, "Afternoon, Miss Fizz."

Sugar Fizz steps inside, closing the door behind her as softly as possible, "Principal Luna, I didn't... I didn't expect you to or... I didn't think you'd..."

Princess Luna smiles softly and waves her hand gently, "Amore is Vinyl's daughter, whom is not only a dear friend, but an invaluable right hand for the last nineteen years... Keeping an eye on her is the least I could do to return all she has given me."

Sugar Fizz nods and sits on the edge of the bunk, close enough she can check Amore's forehead and condition.

"Thank you... I've been struggling to make her comfortable or feel I'm helping her." Sugar Fizz states with a sad expression.

Princess Luna sighs softly as she turns Sugar Fizz by her chin to look at her, "Oh, little one... I could quell her nightmares, 'tis true. Though, she only truly settled once you were felt at the door. Were only I could shed even the tiniest light on how much you have eased her. I know Vinyl would want to be here, if only our situation wasn't so demanding... As a mother, I can understand her frustration. She has observed from afar, Amore's progress, often missing certain events because of her work for me... I can imagine that if I were to get my daughter back after all this time, I'd not wish to miss anything substantial like her transition."

Sugar Fizz frowns, "You were a mother, Princess Luna?"

"In these conditions, simply Luna will suffice, Sugar Fizz." Princess Luna smiles slightly, "I was, around 508 years ago in the early 1500s, such a beautiful and strong spirited mare she was."

"Princess-" Sugar Fizz takes a breath, "Luna. What happened to your daughter?"

"I don't know. She went off and I haven't seen her since. Naturally, I hope she's alive somewhere, but I suppose we'll see." Princess Luna sighs lightly as she stands up and brushes off her dress. "Trust me when I say, you're doing just fine here. It'll be over soon, I promise."

Sugar Fizz bows slightly as Princess Luna leaves the room. Exhaling lightly, Sugar Fizz brushes Amore's mane aside while she looks over her. Sugar Fizz slowly strips her clothing piece by piece, leaving them on the floor before sliding into bed next to her lover, pulling the quilt over them as she settles. Giving Amore an affectionate nuzzle, she closes her eyes as she narrowly misses a peaceful expression flash across Amore's face.

Author's Note

An extra chapter treat that wasn't in the original, but I felt it important to showcase more of Amore's transformation and how it was affecting her. I hope for the continued support!~