Amore stretches as her and Sugar Fizz walk down the street towards a large skyscraper that has many colourful decorations outside of the entrance pertaining to a gaming event.

"Sugar, you know I wanted to go to the writer's convention today..." Amore sighs as they cross the street.

"There is plenty of time in the day for us to see both. I'm sorry for taking up a day with my factory visit." Sugar Fizz's smile fades a little.

Amore shakes her head and skips out in front of Sugar Fizz.

"No, I enjoyed the visit to your factory yesterday. It was nice. We can spend some time at this convention before going to the other one." Amore smiles at Sugar Fizz, which lifts her up a bit before they reach the entrance.

The two mares walk through the sliding doors into the Equestrian Gamer Convention, Amore looking around happily to the amusement of Sugar Fizz. The pair walked around the convention, indulging in their beverage offerings which appear to be composed of Sugar Fizz's brands making Amore raise an eyebrow at the mare in question.

"What? My company is a sponsor, sue me." The mare chuckles as she grabs a strawberry soda nearby before getting Amore a cherry soda.

"Right, you're not planning world domination are you?" Amore asks, taking the soda as they pass a cosplay stage show.

Sugar Fizz lets out a genuine laugh before sighing, "Amore, we practically rule the soda market without a doubt. I'm the meister of fizzy drink and I wasn't even the one to dub me as such."

Amore laughs with Sugar Fizz as they stop to watch several races on a racing game. Suddenly a dark grey stallion with a black afro and suit walked up to them wearing shades.

"Lady Von Heartstrings and Miss Amore, there is someone who'd like for you to join them in the upper office." The stallion states before walking off.

"Hmm... Let's go see what this is about." Sugar Fizz states as she begins to follow the stallion, Amore in tow.

Upon entering the elevator Amore notices that they are heading towards the top floor. Stopping on the intended floor, they are lead off and down a few corridors. The mares are lead into a decently sized office room with dark decor, two satin white sofas sat either side of a dark oak coffee table. The layout is much akin to the principal's office at Armonia, which Sugar Fizz recognised from her visit when Amore showed up. Exactly as she suspected, Princess Luna was sitting on the more visible sofa sipping a cup of tea. Opposite her sat a white Unicorn mare with a cobalt blue mane with cyan stripes. Standing up to stretch, she can be seen wearing a long white shirt, purple hip-length jacket, white loose trousers and matching colourful trainers. Around her neck are a pair of headphones much like Amore's but with eighth notes instead of her own.

"I hope you'll forgive my sudden summons for you during the convention, however, somepony was too stubborn to do it herself." Princess Luna eyes the pale mare who rubs the back of her neck.

Clearing her throat, the mare sighs before taking off her shades to reveal a pair of magenta eyes.

"It's been a small while Sugar Fizz. Hope Lyra and Bonbon are doing okay." The mare states, putting her shades inside her jacket.

"They are, thank you." Sugar Fizz walks past and sits down opposite Princess Luna where the mare sat.

She turns to Amore, "My name is-"

"Vinyl Scratch, owner and CEO of LP Records, a global recording company... I might be a fan, heh..." Amore rubs her left upper arm.

The comment makes Vinyl Scratch smile widely but slightly tear up too, nearly reaching for her signature shades by default. Taking a deep breath she directs Amore to sit beside Sugar Fizz and offering her a cup of tea, which she declines politely.

"Mind if I ask your name?" Vinyl Scratch asks, walking over to stare out of a window near the sofas.

"It's Am-" Amore is interrupted by a shaking head, which surprises her.

"Your real name, the one your mother gave you." She prompts again, Amore slightly stunned.

Working her jaw slightly, she passed several glances at Sugar Fizz who was giving her an intrigued look upon hearing what Vinyl Scratch said.

"I... When growing up I wanted to use another name till I met her and she could use it for the first time. He did at first, but I made him promise... My mentor told me its origin when I was old enough to understand things... My mother named me-"

"-Back Beat... For the powerful rhythm of a strong bass. I think I picked it rather well." Vinyl Scratch stole Amore's secret, glancing back at her before turning around fully.

Amore blinks several times at Vinyl Scratch while processing the implications of her exact meaning. Her words echoed and replayed in her mind over and over till they were etched into her and she couldn't deny them. Sugar Fizz held her cup midair, looking at Amore then Vinyl Scratch several times before coughing.

"That's your real name?! W-w-w-w-w-w-w-wait! You're a Von Scratch?!" Sugar Fizz puts down her teacup, now extremely confused.

"M-mother..? The same voice that belonged to the mare who saved me when my mentor was killed, who rode the train all the way to Manehattan and never left my side until I reached my friends... T-the name you gave me was yours, how did I only now just remember that!" Amore slightly freaks out, unsure how to process this.

Vinyl Scratch sits down next to Princess Luna, showing tremendous restraint but her eyes betray her feelings, overflowing with tears and joy.

"Hey... Back Beat, sweetie." Vinyl Scratch couldn't hold it much more, finally saying what she'd been dying to say for the last nineteen years, the tears leaking a bit more.

Not able to hold back, Amore leapt up and practically tackled Vinyl Scratch into the opposite sofa, making Princess Luna move to sit with Sugar Fizz. The two embraced for a while, Amore having played through this scene a million times in her head. The mare never quite sure how she'd react when confronted with her true parent after so long. The princess and confectionary tycoon felt it'd be best for them to leave the room and give the reunited pair some privacy so they could talk.

After an hour or so of silent embracing, Amore was sitting properly on the sofa still very excited. Vinyl Scratch walked back into the room holding two soda bottles before handing one to Amore as she sits down.

"Thank you... This still feels like a dream..." Amore comments opening and taking a heavy swig of her cherry soda.

"I can assure you this is very real. I... I tried very hard not to miss many moments in your life, a few of that old stallions presents were from me on your birthdays. I also managed to catch when you got your cutie mark in that club your friend took you to. Luna knows how proud I was to see you enthral a whole club like that without any practice~" Vinyl Scratch takes a swig of her own grape soda, smiling at her blushing daughter.

"Heh... I was just as surprised, to be honest... It all just felt so natural and free." Amore chuckles a little, rubbing her arm.

Vinyl Scratch leans back in her seat, staring slightly at the mare opposite.

"You grew up to be more beautiful than I imagined... Leaving my foals with other ponies to raise has eaten at me since that day. If I didn't have anypony I trusted as much as those I did, I'd of risked raising you both." Vinyl Scratch sighs deeply.

Amore blinks several times stopping mid-swig, slowly putting down her bottle.

"'Foals', as in... I have a sibling?" Amore is now hit with another surprise.

"Ah... So, when I decided to hide you both away because of certain things at the time, I left you and your twin sister with two very different ponies. Firstly, I left you with my old mentor, leaving him a sword and my name for you on your 16th birthday. Your sister, Iluzie, or Turn Table as I named her, I left with your godfather... Fancy Pants. An odd choice, I know. Especially as he attended our rival academy in the Crystal Empire, however... He was always there when we needed him and was a good friend." Vinyl Scratch tries to explain the best she can while drinking her soda.

Amore's eyes widen as she stands up, looking surprised yet again.

"Iluzie! I used to spar with her at the Crystal Academy before I left for Armonia, she's my twin?!" Amore gasps, sitting back down and blinking several times.

"Oddly enough she had the same reaction when I told her who you were. You'll no doubt meet each other, but she has already completed her ritual. Twins would normally complete theirs' together." Vinyl Scratch states, finishing her soda.

Amore tilts her head slightly, looking confused. "What ritual?"

Vinyl Scratch takes a deep breath, realising just how much she wasn't told by their mentor.

"Okay... So, to start us off, you might have realised you have certain passive traits which would be abnormal for a non-supernatural to have. For an example, enhanced healing would be a common one for halfbreeds from a Vampire, like me." Amore nods, her eyes lighting up that her mother is a cool Vampire DJ, "Half-breed, of course, implies your 'father' was something else... In this case, she is an Earth Pony non-supernatural. The ritual is your last chance to finalise and decide your route. Basically, you can choose to be normal or a supernatural. Even if you pick one or the other, passive traits will still persist, the luxury of being a half-breed. For example, being able to gain benefits from normal food still as a Vampire, enhanced healing as a normal. It often varies but those are two basics." Vinyl Scratch tries not to overload Amore with too much information but feels she failed that already.

"That's... Both awesome and daunting at the same time... I'm half Vampire?!" Amore suddenly realises with a very wide smile.

"Heh, yes dear, you are half Vampire. Though your Vampiric side hasn't awoken yet, which might be due to not tasting the blood of another Powerful Vampire. I could do it, but I might want to leave that honour to your marefriend." Vinyl Scratch smirks, making Amore blush very red.

Amore downs her drink and adjusts her collar.

"S-she isn't my marefriend mom! S-she's just my roommate, I think... I mean... It'd be nice... I do like her..." Amore trails off after each piece of her sentence, getting more red.

"You're adorable when you blush, sweetie. Just to let you know, there isn't as much rivalry between Von Scratch and Von Heartstrings as there is with Von Melody. That said, I wouldn't encourage you for house alliances to sleep with your roommate." Vinyl Scratch chuckles lightly, "I hope something comes out of it. Oh, shit, I need to get going but I will see you again very shortly, I promise."

Vinyl Scratch and Amore stand up before embracing again, the DJ leaving the room after kissing her daughter farewell. Amore sits back down and sighs deeply, Sugar Fizz coming in soon after.

"So, Von Scratch, huh?" Sugar Fizz chuckles, sitting where Vinyl Scratch sat.

"It sure seems that way, yeah. I mean... I was given her name a few years ago, but I guess it slipped my mind. I haven't really been thinking about it much." Amore frowns, pondering for a moment.

"I suppose you found something else to focus on in comparison to always thinking about finding your mother?" Sugar Fizz asks, getting comfortable.

Amore suddenly blushes bright red when she thinks about it and only one thing, or should she say pony came to mind. At that moment, the doors burst open and around six ponies wearing full pitch black military gear with red accents rushed in before pointing their Ak-12's at the pair, Amore more startled than Sugar Fizz.

"Room is secure, Sgt. Orlov." A soldier with a thick Prussian accent states.

A mare with an alluring slim figure walked into the room, two silver shortswords sheathed on her lower back sticking out either side, instead of a rifle, she holsters two P-96 Prussian pistols on the side of her thighs. Across her chest is a bandolier holding seven silver kunai knives.

"Well, this is unexpected... Somehow, I doubt either of you would be the Queen of Vampires or their right hand... That said, Vampires take many forms." She states, also in a thick Prussian accent.

Sighing slightly, the mare quickly threw a knife at the thighs of both mares making Amore shout in pain while Sugar Fizz screamed as her wound sizzled slightly. All but two of the soldiers repositioned to keep their guns on Sugar Fizz now.

"What the fuck is your problem! We haven't done anything you crazy bitch!" Amore shouts, clearly annoyed but gets a smack round the face for her trouble.

"You'll be quiet and sit still or we'll put you in the same ditch as this Vampire parasite," she grabs Sugar Fizz's hair to pull her off the sofa and slam her head against the coffee table "You have no idea how much joy it'll bring me to execute you, but first we'll have some fun."

The mare turns Sugar Fizz around so she can start punching her over and over, from left to right, every impact making Amore flinch and feel even more helpless. After she lost count of the number of hits, she couldn't take it anymore and scrambled forward from the sofa to intercept a right hook which smacked her in the mouth. The impact made Amore flinch as she touched her now bleeding lip, licking it up as she glared at the mare. The two soldiers who weren't trained on Sugar Fizz beat down and kept Amore subdued, keeping her out of the way. Amore could feel something different stirring inside her, the blood she licked up was sweeter than normal and not the regular flavour of her own blood. Feeling her lips with her tongue, she found no reason that her blood would have been released. Amore's eyes widen as she realises the blood is Sugar Fizz's, transferred when she intercepted a hit from the mare's bloody glove. She could literally feel her body burning up, her heartbeat getting louder... More than her heartbeat, she could hear the hearts of every pony in the room... So loud and obnoxious on the mare's senses, shaking her head to try to get rid of the deafening noise.

"S-Sugar Fizz... H-help me..." Amore barely manages to breathe out as her mouth feels like it's on fire, her senses are being overloaded as they are heightened.

Suddenly the lights cut out and the room is plunged into darkness, Amore blinks several times but finds within the blackness she can still see. It is almost as if the room is illuminated decently, despite knowing otherwise. Two of the soldiers trained on Sugar Fizz fall to the floor without warning as two gunshots are heard and the muzzle flash is seen from the doorway.

"Seems you started the party without me." Amore recognises the voice, belonging to Vinyl Scratch, but sounds distorted somehow.

Two more of the soldiers are dropped before long and the mare growls, reluctantly retreating to the door.

"Fall back, we'll deal with them in time!" She runs to the right, the only two surviving soldiers following behind.

Vinyl Scratch rushes to Amore's side, putting down the mare's silver case beside her.

"Honey, you okay? I got the report as soon as I entered the security office... Are... Are you looking directly at me? Your eyes aren't even wandering to figure out where to look..." Vinyl Scratch comments with a frown.

Amore groans as she is still in pain, her own leg wound now sizzling with the silver kunai knife stuck in it, grabbing Vinyl Scratch's attention. Pulling out the knife and throwing it aside, she holds Amore gently before looking around and stops on Sugar Fizz.

"I think I get what happened... Oh, honey... The pain will die down, I promise. Your sister went through the same feelings." Vinyl Scratch sets her down gently before moving to look Sugar Fizz over.

The mare shakes her head and groans, "I was stupid and didn't act fast enough, help her before she gets hurt even further..."

Looking back over towards her daughter, Vinyl Scratch could see the silver case was wide open, Amore's longsword, Mp3 and headphones gone.

"Back Beat! Shit!" Vinyl Scratch swears more, but continues tending to Sugar Fizz as fast as she can.

Stumbling down the hallway, Amore groans as her leg wound is taking longer to heal then she'd like. Spotting a stairway sign nearby, she continues towards the door before being blocked by one of the soldiers who ran with the Prussian mare. The soldier pushed Amore over to try and halt her progress, but was met with a rebound as she grits her teeth and used both legs to spring back and kick the soldier in the face, putting him out cold on the ground. Amore groans in agony as she gets back to her feet, leaning against the wall to get her balance back.

"This bitch is getting on my last nerve..." Amore takes a few deep breathes before tightly gripping her longsword, pushing through the door and starts up the stairs towards the roof access.

Finally making it up the stairs, Amore is shot in the right upper arm by the second soldier who was waiting at the top by the roof door.

"Stay back or else I will be forced to eliminate you! We're not meant to hurt normal ponies, but you're pushing it!" He states reaffirming his stance.

Amore groans and leans back against the wall, taking deep breaths as she tries to gather herself. 'What the fuck am I doing? He's got a fucking gun for Celestia's sake... Sugar is fine, I'm fine... Just let them go.' Amore closes her eyes and tries to relax before a voice cuts through every other noise in her mind.

'Crying again? Hmph... They beat you up? So what? Are you really going to let those young punks push you around?'

Amore flinches slightly and grips her arm tightly with her left, "T-they are bigger than me... They insulted mom again, I don't even know who she is..."

The soldier gives Amore a weird look, slightly taken aback by the mare's odd outburst, but keeps his stance.

'So, you're going to let a couple of bloated leprechauns disrespect your family so easily, huh? Maybe your mother would have been better dropping you at an institution, Back-'

Amore grits her teeth and shakes her head hard, messing up her hair, "M-my name is Amore! Only mom can call me that name!"

'What makes you think she'll want such a worthless shrimp like you? As if her family has need of such an easily beaten down weakling.'

Amore grips her longsword tightly, pushing herself off of the wall, "I'll show you, grampa! I'll show everypony! You'll see, I'll be stronger than you, stronger than mom, I'll never let anypony insult those I care about again!"

'Then stop resisting who you are and start doing something about it!'

Amore opens her eyes again, this time being blood red compared to her regular aquamarine and a pair of large bat-like wings spread from her back. Groaning, it can be seen a vampiric pair of fangs from within her mouth to complete the overall look of her true form.

"Get outta my way!" Amore yells as she lifts and glides up the stairs, taking the soldier by surprise. Knocking him into the wall, cracking it hard to render him unconscious.

Cutting through and kicking open the door, Amore runs out onto the rooftop ignoring her wounds at this point.

"Well, you are one persistent little-" The mare stops when she notices the Vampire features, suddenly taking off her mask. "Who the fuck are you?! There was no reaction when I threw the knife into your thigh... You're a normal!"

Amore swings around her longsword a few times before pointing it at the mare.

"I was... But things change quite quickly these days, more than we're comfortable with sometimes... You hurt a pony I care about and I'm going to make you pay for that." Amore states, staring at the unmasked mare before her.

The dark grey Prussian mare in question spreads her wings, drawing the two shortswords sheathed on her back. She focuses her sky blue eyes on the mysterious Earth Pony before her, blowing stray royal blue and black mane strands out of the way.

"I've been brought up to respect proper duel etiquette, if nothing else... My name is Veronica Orlov." Veronica flips her right shortsword around to face her properly.

"Amore Von Scratch..." Amore glares at Veronica, flicking her sword a few times, now able to move more freely due to her healing wound.

Amore takes a deep breath, putting on her headphones which makes Veronica raise an eyebrow slightly before smirking lightly. Turning on her music, she closes her eyes for several seconds taking in the beat as it progresses before getting slightly heavier. As the lyrics begin to sing, Veronica speeds forward aiming for a quick finish by attacking Amore with a few slashes which are blocked at inhuman speeds. Opening her eyes again, Amore pushes her front forward striking at Veronica in various directions as they battle across the rooftop. The sparks and clashes of their blades illuminate the darkness of the night, even against the sparse red lights that glow in the corners of the rooftop.

"You're quite spry despite how scared you seemed in the room back there!" Veronica states, sliding around the right side of Amore to drag her blades across the floor before stopping to charge at her.

Amore glares at Veronica while ducking underneath her charge, blocking and deflecting her shortsword strikes again and again.

"I was, I still am! However, I refuse to be bullied or let those I care about get hurt because somepony felt the need to attack them!" Amore yells as she charges closer to Veronica.

Amore sticks her sword into the ground, using her first foot to land one kick in Veronica's chest before following it up with her second which impacts the mare's face spinning her around and onto the ground hard. Amore lands her feet firmly and pulls her sword back up with expertise, a refined two-step kick compared to what she used on Sugar Fizz when they first met. Veronica growls and quickly stands up, spitting blood onto the floor as she sighs.

"SHE IS A MONSTER! That 'friend' of yours is a bloodsucking freak, a parasite upon Equestria like the rest of her kind. Ponies like us are left to suffer in their wake. We have to live in fear of them every day!" Veronica flips her shortswords around, firmly gripping their handles.

"Then I suppose that makes me a monster too, doesn't it?!" Amore yells back, sprinting towards Veronica.

The Prussian mare grits her teeth before charging Amore, the two near the left edge of the rooftop. Upon colliding Amore manages to aim one of her double kicks directly at Veronica's stomach, catching her off balance and with her newfound strength, easily send her flying over the edge and down into the city below. Amore rushes over to the edge, panting but cannot see any sign of the mare she'd just been fighting. Leaning back against the short wall, Amore takes several breaths, touching her many fizzing wounds as she closes her eyes.

"Amore!" The mare in question vaguely opens her eyes to see Sugar Fizz rush over and take down her headphones.

"Oh... Hey Sugar..." Amore breathes a sigh.

Sugar Fizz rolls her eyes, sighing deeply.

"You're an idiot, you know that right? You could have been killed!" Sugar Fizz mock punches Amore's shoulder.

"Sorry, I couldn't let her... Body moved by itself." Amore chuckles, glancing up at Sugar Fizz.

"I figured... You live on impulse, you silly mare..." Sugar Fizz looks up and sighs harder.

Sugar Fizz is suddenly picked up by the back of her neck and flung across the rooftop. Standing over Amore now is a bulky stallion wearing the same tight outfit as Veronica, with the same two pistols holstered either side of his thighs. His coat is pitch black and his mane is blood red like her longsword while his eyes contrast with a pale blue.

"Looks like she couldn't handle a simple elimination mission, psh... What a disgrace to the Hooviet Union. It seems that they were right to send me along." The stallion draws his right side pistol and aims between Amore's eyes, glaring down at the 'slightly out of it' mare.

The stallion suddenly feels something hit the back of his head, making him growl as he turns around. Looking down at the ground he can see a powder white phone. Glancing up he spots Sugar Fizz holding Amore's longsword.

"How about you tangle with more feisty prey! Leave my roommate alone!" Sugar Fizz shouts, gripping the handle tightly.

Leaving Amore, the stallion walks over slowly to Sugar Fizz putting away his pistol. Once a few inches away, Sugar Fizz attempts to attack him but is easily blocked by a quickly drawn silver shortsword which is a cleaner, sharper shape than Veronica's. Growling, he deflects and kicks Sugar Fizz's leg bringing her to heel before spinning around to kick her hard in the face. Letting go of Amore's longsword, Sugar Fizz slides across what little roof was between her and the edge, smacking hard into the short wall.

"Little mare, I admire bravery... However, it is pointless to struggle against inevitable." He leans down to pick Sugar Fizz up by her head. "Maybe in next life you won't be Vampire and this won't happen to you again."

Groaning, Amore glances up to blink several times, spotting Sugar Fizz across the rooftop being held by the stallion. Opening her eyes fully, she scrambles without thinking or paying attention to her pain, her body once again deciding not to do nothing. Charging as hard as she can Amore ploughs into the stallion, the sudden strong impact of power toppling him over the edge of the rooftop. Letting go of Sugar Fizz, he grabs Amore as they hurtle towards the city streets below. Crawling atop the stallion, Amore continues to pepper his upper body and face with many punches which make him flinch before being able to grab her hands.

"Leave her alone!" Amore growls towards the stallion who glances before them, glaring at her.

Trying to push her away, the stallion finds they are being glided across the city using Amore's new Vampire wings as she continues to have the aerial combat advantage, beating on him continuously. Finally getting some strong hits in, his small victory is short lived as Amore ignores her pain and keeps pushing her onslaught. Growling loudly, the stallion pushes past her punches to grip and break the base of Amore's left wing, causing her to scream out in sheer agony as she quickly begins to lose her flying capabilities. The stallion is suddenly kicked in the chest by a surprise dive attack as Amore is grabbed tightly.

"NO!" The stallion yells as he descends much quicker towards the city streets below.

Amore winces in pain before looking up at her saviour, being none other than Vinyl Scratch.

"What will I do with you both..." She sighs deeply, running her free hand through Amore's mane before she passes out.

Groaning, Amore very slowly opens her eyes, covering them with her arm to block out the little light from the window.

"That stings slightly... I ache like a bitch," She tries to move, a sharp pain emitting from her back which puts her back down, "Nope, fuck that..." she sighs deeply before glancing to the side to see Aurora Dawn, her lecturer for S.N Etiquette reading the book she brought with her.

Lightly closing the book, Aurora brings her attention to Amore. "Finally up then? I knew you took after the mare, but sometimes you're too alike."

"Sup teach... When did the sun get so annoying..." Amore groans, flipping onto her side to bring the hospital bed cover over her head.

"When did-" Aurora pauses to laugh lightly. "That fills a few of the blanks in Vi's rushed explanation." Aurora gets up to fully close the blinds and curtains. "The sun became 'annoying' when your vampiric blood was woken up. Haven't you been paying attention in class?"

"I daydream a lot..." Amore groans, now able to properly see her surroundings.

Amore notices she is lying in a hospital bed, the room itself being white with a window to the right.

Aurora sighs before taking her seat. "So did your mother... How's the change, what little of it you have gotten to experience?"

"Last night is such a blur... I remember getting some of Sugar's blood in my mouth when I tried to help... Then this intense burning in my chest, like my insides were on fire. Then the deafening sounds of several heartbeats and even when the room went dark I could see just fine... Every one of my sense was in overdrive last night, calmer now but still a lot sharper than before..." Amore reachers over her shoulder to touch her back, wincing in pain again.

"If you broke something last night, I wouldn't bother it. Best to let your blood fix it on its own." Aurora states before getting up to move the chair bedside. Taking her seat, she pulls up her left sleeve and extends her arm towards Amore. "Drinking will help the process along."

"Hmm... I'm not entirely sure about a lot of this... I only learned last night I was a half-breed and eventually I'd have to pick between being a Vampire or normal pony..." Amore sighs and trails her hand idly in circles on the hospital bed.

Aurora shakes her head lightly. "I can't really say I understand how that must feel. And I can, to an extent, see how it may be daunting. You don't have to drink if you don't want to. I'm the last pony that would force you into anything like this. I can always go grab you a couple of Fizz's sodas. They'll help some, too, but the healing process will work better and quicker if it comes from the source, especially since the change is new."

"I suppose but... I'll just take a soda for now... I'm not sure about drinking yet or anything like that. Isn't it important to a Vampire who you first drink from?" Amore asks, looking up at Aurora.

Aurora withdraws her arm, pushing her sleeve back down. "For some, yes. For others, no. It also depends on the situation one finds oneself in, and, hopefully, but not always, whether or not the one they want to drink from is willing to allow it. Drinking, first time or not, isn't always an emotional thing. It can be a lustful thing. It can be a simple bloodthirst, which doesn't happen very often anymore. It can just be a need, for if, say, one is injured. All depends on the vampire that needs to feed and what they want."

"I don't know what I want... Which goes beyond me becoming a Vampire. I've transferred across three different academies, looking for my mom... Now I've found her I don't know what to do next or what my new goal is... If I stay at Armonia or not." Amore groans and buries her face into the pillow.

Aurora shakes her head. "You're asking about your first feeding as if it's a kiss. I think you know at least one thing that you want."

"What's that?" Amore asks, looking curious.

"That's not for me to answer." Aurora laughs.

"That doesn't help... Aren't you meant to be the lecturer here?" Amore sighs as she blows a stray red hair out of her face.

"I can teach you about Supernatural/Normal relationships. How to interact with any of them. I work well with Shy, I'm close to your mother, my husband is a pixie... I can teach you how to get along. But if you honestly need me to tell you what you want?" Aurora shakes her head. "Spoilers."

"That's so unfair... Who are you to mom anyway? I get you're our second Etiquette teacher, but isn't Fluttershy meant to supervise our group?" Amore asks sighing as she rolled over to stare at the ceiling.

"Technically, yes, but because Frozen's at the convention I was already here, and Vinyl knows me better than she knows Shy. As for who I am to 'mom'," Aurora chuckles, "I am a mom, for starters. One of the girls is attending Armonia. And then on top of that, there's a reason you grew up in Ponyville and it wasn't just because that's where the old man decided to raise you. Illuzie grew close to Fancy. You did so near me. I never got involved, but I only stopped watching when you left and Fancy could take the position for the time. Even then, I got constant updates. I still get them about Illuzie."

Amore rolls onto her front, looking curiously at Aurora. "Why would you get updates about us?"

"You really not following?" Aurora scratches her head. "Fancy's your godfather. I'm your godmother. Two children, separated, two godparents, to keep watch over and protect each."

Amore stares blankly at Aurora. "You're our godmother?!"

Aurora simply nods. "Don't believe me, you can ask Vinyl or Fancy."

"I don't see what you'd have to gain from lying. I guess it's nice to know more than just the old man was looking after me..." Amore smiles slightly, the first she has done so since waking up.

"Not that I really needed to." Aurora lightly shrugs. "He kept you safe until you decided to head to Manehattan. Then it was up to Fancy to keep you out of as much trouble as he could."

"There was a lot of trouble at my old school so master thought it better we moved to Manehattan to a new upper school... I still found plenty of trouble by myself~" Amore sounds happy about that last fact.

"That's not exactly a good thing." Aurora replies, shaking her head. "Look where it gets you..."

"Normally in a hospital or infirmary bed," Amore chuckles lightly and looks up at the ceiling. "What doesn't kill me..."

Aurora sighs. "Okay... You fight, you get stronger. You get injured, you come back, you train harder. Where's the denouement? What is your end goal?"

"End goal? I don't think there is one, to be honest... I really like to fight, I want to be stronger to protect those I care about, that's even more important in the supernatural world where beings are stronger than an average pony," Amore frowns and plays idly with the hospital blanket. "Past that? I... I don't know... I spent all my life thinking what 'Amore' wants; to find her mom, to find her family... I have only just stopped or even felt able to finally think about what 'Back Beat' wants..." Amore states looking very sad, unsure and a little lost.

"Well..." Aurora pauses for a moment to think. "Amore and Back Beat, they're one and the same pony. Maybe the intention of Amore was a separate goal, but they're both you. What Beat wants is what Amore wants, and vice versa. You just need to figure out what that want truly is." Aurora states.

"I suppose... I just never thought about what came after I found her... What I could or should do with my life." Amore sighs, clearly thinking deeply.

"Well, there's plenty of time to figure it out. You are still rather young, and that blood of yours has quite the potential to extend that lifespan." Aurora states reassuringly.

"From what I understand, that'd give me eternity to figure it out... Oh Luna, there's something I haven't thought about before. My lifespan, provided I don't get killed, is technically unlimited..." Amore groans as she covers her face with the blanket, her new change perplexing her a little.

"Only when assuming that, when you make your decision, you choose your vampire side." Aurora comments.

"That's true, I suppose..." Amore sighs, pulling down the blanket again.

Hearing a noise on the balcony, a pure white male Pegasus with a pitch black mane that has ice blue highlights and eyes, steps through into the room before stretching and walking over to Aurora.

"Morning hun, I brought coffee in case you needed it given how late Vinyl decided to invite herself into our hotel room..." He states yawning slightly.

"I'll pass on the coffee. It's been awhile, certainly, but keep in mind that this used to be normal for me." Aurora replied, handing the book towards him.

"Except it was Vinyl always in the infirmary if I recall. She could have made 'you should see the other mare', a copyrighted catchphrase." The Pegasus takes the book with an intrigued noise, "Ooh, one of mine, among the most popular collection too~"

Amore simply blinks several times, staring at the strange stallion and Aurora, unsure what to say to the exchange.

"I was more referring to having to never sleep because of that mare, but you're not wrong either. And that copy's Amore's." Aurora replied, motioning towards Amore.

"Hi..." Amore waves very slightly.

"Oh, I see. That makes more sense, I guess," The Pegasus states putting the book down as he then retrieves an inkwell and quill from his inner pockets. "Hun, you know our publisher constantly asks me why I don't switch to a more modern pen? It's insulting, like he's forgotten the beauty of perfect quill strokes. It's a lot more personal, using my own blend of ink with one of my feathers to sign works. Pens he says..." The Pegasus picks a nice open spot on the second visible page to begin signing.

Amore shakes her head. "He hasn't forgotten anything. He's just stating that pens are faster."

"Be that as it may, I prefer quality over quantity." He sighs before finishing. "Plus with a reasonably quick drying custom ink, it doesn't really have drawbacks." Leaving the signature to dry, 'Frozen Quill', as he signed, proceeded to drink both cups of coffee.

Aurora shrugs. "Pens write smoother, quicker, and sturdier. Quills are fragile, so you have to be gentle with them. Not saying I prefer pens, as I don't, but I do understand why he'd recommend them."

"Even when we have future pens of whatever description, I'll always have my ink and feathers. That is a 'Frozen Quill' approved guarantee." He states giving Aurora a kiss before leaving the room out the door.

"He's... Unique... I'll make sure to come down to the bus before it leaves. I should get some rest though... Could you pass me my book, please?" Amore asks laying on her left side.

"That's one word to describe him," Aurora replied, getting up to retrieve the book. Handing the book back to Amore, Aurora ruffled her hair. "You know where to find me should you need someone to talk to." She stated before taking her leave.

Amore sighs slightly, feeling a little better compared to when she woke up. Glancing down she can see the autograph was made out to 'Back Beat' rather than 'Amore', making the mare smile. Putting her book to the side, she opts to get a nap before wanting to head down to the bus.

Author's Note

After much thinking and going over, the latest chapter in DMM is finally done. I know these chapters take time and that's not all to do with my proofreader's laptop situation, which you can read about in the blog post he did on my profile explaining it. It's also because I'm determined for it to feel right, to be right. I want the fights to feel right, flow with the music as much as possible but still be good on their own. That and I'm trying to have key points mean more, be a lot more relevant than just happening. For example, Amore's transformation is affecting her visibly a lot more than in the original and it was mostly shrugged off or skipped over. Here I wanted to detail what she felt and how the change was affecting her body, try to put you in her place so you could imagine how it could feel. Least, I guess that's my aim? I just want the DMM rewrite to feel more, to be more. With this version, I feel closer to that goal than before and I'm trying my hardest to get it right. I hope you guys continue to support it like you have done and the old lovers of the fic come back to support it as well.