Twilight had barely finished her breakfast when she heard a knock at the door. She looked across the table at the others, who were not in any hurry to move.

“1-2-3, not it!” Said Pinkie Pie.

“Not it” came 2 simultaneous responses from Dash and Rarity. Grumbling slightly, twi got up, and answered the door. Much to her surprise, Applejack was waiting outside for her.

“So ya know now, huh? Ah told you they were vampires!”

Twilight was too tired for AJ’s nonsense. “Oh? All I know is that they’re better friends than you could ever be.”

“They’re manipulatin’ ya, twi! Why can’t you see that?” Applejack insisted. The commotion caused the door to open a second time, Rarity walking outside, standing besides Twilight, briefly nuzzling her.

“Applejack, you talk a lot about manipulation, now why could that be? Is there perhaps something you want to tell my Twilight? Something about vampires that you’ve neglected to mention?”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Why are you here, dork?”

AJ started stuttering, then stomped a hoof on the ground decisively. She inhaled deeply, and then said “I’m here to come clean to yall Twilight. Ah used to be a part of Rarity here’s little gang.”

“You?!” said Twilight, incredulously “but- you-” she stared at AJ, mouth agape

“ It’s a long story, alright? Just- hear me out until the end? Wouldya?” a nod prompted AJ to start. “A long, long time ago, I was selling apples for mah family at a concert in canterlot. The mare on stage, well, she was beautiful. I asked after her when the show was done, ‘n she agreed to meet me. And don’tcha know it, she shows her fangs to me, says she likes me a lot.” AJ blushed hotly “Anywho, the morning after-” twilight looked at the floor, embarrassed “- she tells me about her kin. Says she’d make me like her. And you know, twilight, I wanted to do every little thing she said. They get in your head, twilight.”

“But I don’t see what this has to do with rarity.” twilight rebuked “She doesn’t mind control me, or the others! -I think.” she added at the end, sheepishly

“Nah, that’s not rarity’s style, but My Lady, no, she loved to do it. She’d bend ponies to her will until they snapped, and further. After the transformation, ah loved her even more than ah did before. And ah loved her so much that I wanted to be with her f’rever.”

She grimaced. “The next bits are a blur. ah don’t remember much other than ecstasy and adrenaline, but when ah came to, ah was lyin’ in mah barn, alone. Ah called out for My Lady over an’ over, but she didn’t answer, so I went a-lookin’. I saw what we had done together, what she had made me do. We had eaten the entire crop of apples in mah family’s orchard. Ah ran as fast as ah could to the house, but…” she began to tear up “they were dead, twi. They must’a been dead a few weeks. The bodies were all drained’a blood.”

“AJ… I’m so sorry… I didn’t- I couldn’t have-” Twilight said apologetically

“Don’t worry for it, dear, Applejack here isn’t finished with her story, and I’ve a mind to tell it myself. You’d like that, Applejack.” Rarity stated, coolly
Applejack’s face ran through many emotions very quickly, from struggle to sadness, to anger, to a grimace, as she nodded.

Rarity smiled. “This is where I come in. I found Applejack wandering the everfree soon afterwards. She was so lonely, and so depressed, and I took it upon myself to help her, as often I do with ponies that catch my eye. She told me her tale, and I was heartbroken for her. Me, and my companion at the time, took her in, and showed her that eternity didn’t have to be a nightmare. We even managed to get her to move on from, as she calls her ‘Her Lady’. For a time, Applejack was my closest confidant, and my lover.”

Twilight’s eyes bulged in shock at this, but rarity continued, nonplussed.

“But it was too good to last, was it not, Applejack, dear? Do tell us what happened when your musician friend came back to town, looking for you.”

Applejack gulped. “Ah met her in the tavern one day, where ah worked at the time. She told me why she had done what she had.”

Rarity took control of the story again to continue. “You see, Applejack’s melodious friend was after revenge. She knew about Granny Smith’s murder spree as a wannabe vampire hunter, and set up the perfect, most poetic revenge for that. She requested Applejack specifically sell at her show, and charmed the girl into loving her. Then, she took her new toy back to Granny Smith’s prized orchards, and consumed everything she had spent her life building. She killed her family in her trademarked style: drinking all of the blood from their body. But that wasn’t enough for her, no, she wanted more. So, instead of killing her now useless toy, she decided upon the ultimate revenge for the apple family: to leave the last member alive, forever, so that they would always know what they had brought upon themselves.”

Twilight began to tear up. Was this really what had been eating away at applejack for all these years? It was understandable why she had turned out this way, why she had done what she did.

But rarity had not finished. “And, then, dear Applejack fell into a depression. She could never forgive herself for what had happened, and began to hate us for who we were. But more than that, she hated herself. And so, out of a place of pure love for her, I offered to make it all go away. I offered to bring her true death. But she saw it as malice, and she ran away from the town, not to be seen for nearly a century. Does that cover it, Applejack?”

AJ nodded, a look of shame on her face. “Yes it does, and… Ah- Ah’m here to say sorry…”

Rarity gave a look of bemusement “To who, dear?”

AJ began to tear up, but wiped her eyes “Ah can’t forgive ya’ll yet, Rarity… But ah’ll try, and ah’ll start by apologising to Twilight.”

Twilight felt sorrow and empathy for Applejack, knowing the whole truth. She didn’t forgive her, but it wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?

“I accept your apology, AJ. But I can’t just forget what you’ve done. You tried to bucking kill my friends, and-” she blushed “and you hurt my marefriend.” Rarity’s smile radiated pride.

AJ simply nodded, and walked away. There was a long pause as she walked out of sight.

“So, that was a surprise.” commented Rarity

“Yeah, who’d have thought that, um, bucking dork would be here this early? And wait, don’t vampires lose their powers in the sunlight? How did she walk around in the light all this time? Wouldn’t she age?”

“I was talking about the fact that you called me your marefriend, but alright, I can answer those questions too I suppose.”

Twilight turned a shade of pink, and mumbled something awkwardly

Chuckling, Rarity continued. “She’s a bit of a special case, you see. Earth vamponies age slower in the light. As for us unicorns, we grow far more magically powerful, and pegasi gain more agility and speed.” she paused for a moment before adding “And, if you’d be willing to, after that long talk, I feel like having a good meal, and at someplace fancy.”

“Would it be a d-date?” Twilight stuttered, hopefully. She felt a butterfly feeling in her stomach.

“Mmm, was that a question, or a request?” Rarity teased, walking back inside, and beckoning Twilight to follow.

“Ooh ooh!” came an excited voice from inside “twitwi’s going on a date!”

“It’s not a d-” she started, before getting a smug look from Dash, and stopping herself. “Yeah ok it’s a date.”

“I never said that, now, did I?” Rarity said. It didn’t exactly make Twilight happy, being teased by Rarity, but, in a strange way, it made her feel loved. It was strange, really, how much Rarity could push and pull her.

“Aww, the dork’s growing up!” teased Dash, ruffling Twilight’s mane “Just don’t be out too late, I hear there are dangerous ponies about these parts.”

“Oh, be quiet you two,” said Rarity, walking right up to Twilight, almost muzzle to muzzle. She put her mouth right to Twilight’s ear and whispered “now, Twilight, where would you like to go, hmm?”

Twilight felt chills down her spine, and her mind blanked for a second. Rarity chuckled dryly. “I know some places, I was just enjoying teasing you a little, my Twilight.” She embraced the purple unicorn, and started towards the door, Twilight in tow.

A moment passed in silence, until Dash spoke up.

“Pinks, do you… do you think mistress still loves AJ?”

Pinkie deflated a little, and thought for a moment. “I think a part of her will always love AJ,” she said, sadly, before regaining some of her usual vigor “but she has us now, and we’re way more fun than that dork!”

Rainbow Dash smiled. “I guess so! I mean, she’s not so hung up over another certain somepony, so…”

They sat in silence for a while, musing over the past. They were at last interrupted by a knocking at the door.

“1-2-3-” began Pinkie, before being interrupted.

“Ugh, I’ll get it.” said Dash “I bet it’s another group of mystery-solving ponies with a bucking talking dog, or something.”

“Oooooor maybe it’s a dreadstalker here to ask politely if he can eat you up! Rawr!”

“Pff, shut up Pinkie,” said Rainbow, opening the door “I bet it’s just.... Oh.”

“It’s what? Who?” called back Pinkie.

“Pinkie! We’ve got a Guest. Get her something sweet!” Rainbow shouted in reply.

Fluttershy smiled happily. “I’m glad my little Rarity has taught you some manners, Rainbow Dash. May I come in?”

Author's Note

Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. Buck, this took me a long time. I think. How long is a chapter meant to take anyway? Regardless, welcome yall to my take on the classic au fic, corruption! Enjoy!
or dont that works too but Ill be sad
so
you know
whatever