In the dark of the night

Twilight awoke to the cool night air on her back and snuggled up to Artemis, who in some way she could never quite fathom, had managed to steal all of the covers.

Again!!

As a shudder from the cold ran down her spine, she looked at the pegasus mare in her bed and suddenly had what could only be considered a VERY naughty urge... for a vampony anyways.

As her fangs extended and she leaned in towards the sleeping mares neck, that she might re-start where they had left off only hours before... she stopped and found herself staring at her lover. She looked at the way her fangs extended past her lips to acute points, offsetting her seemingly permanent half-smile. The way her raven hair fell lazily over her muzzle and neck. The way she had looked when... A strange feeling coursed through her, it wasn't one of love, lust or even affection.

She felt a shiver run down her spine that wasn't from the cold.

It was from a fear that she thought she had long lost.

Retracting her fangs, Twilight looked back over to the writing station, framed in the first vestiges of mornings new light. Easing herself out of bed, she walked over to it and took up her quill again. She was able to pick up right where she had left off.

The groups laughter had lasted but a short while. Each of them knew the reason they were there, and it wasn't for a meet-and-greet.

"Alright you two, is everything set?" Vinyl asked seriously. Both of them nodded and made a motion towards the trees.

"Yup. They volunteered when we told them what was happening." Pinkie said, her usually bubbly voice taking on a tone to match Vinyl's.

Fluttershy looked to Twilight as though beseeching forgiveness when she said. "I guess this takes out the part about telling you we're vamponies. I'm sorry we hid it from you."

Though Twilight was shocked, she could only smile at her friend.

"It's okay Fluttershy. I know now, that's all that matters. After all," Twilight said with a chuckle as she revealed her own fangs. "I'm a vampony now too!"

Pinkie nodded and said, "We told them to meet in Sweet Apple Acres. They should be there by now."

"Then let us not tarry further." Luna said with a sense of finality before Pinkie and Fluttershy joined the group and they were enveloped by the indigo aura of Luna's magic and they teleported to Sweet Apple Acres.

Artemis yawned a big yawn as she woke up. Twilight glanced over her shoulder and smiled as she watched her stagger out of bed like Berry Punch at a party. Slowly, Artemis made her way over to Twilight's stationary where her mate had stopped writing at the sound of her yawn.

Looking over her shoulder at her writing, Artemis chuckled.

"Didn't even wake me... you're getting better at this."

"I learned from the best." Twilight responded.

With a grin and a kiss on the cheek, Artemis scanned through what Twilight had written since she had awoken.

"Was it really so much a shock for you that Pinkie and Fluttershy were vamponies?"

"Not so much with Pinkie Pie... That mare has always had something about her. Something that nothing could explain. Science. Alchemy. Magic. Metaphysics of every sort... Nothing else could truly explain Pinkie. Fluttershy on the other hand... I would never have guessed. She's such a gentle, caring soul. To think that she was a vampony? That would have been absurd on most every level. Most ponies would agree on that."

Artemis nodded. "It's hard to believe sometimes as to just who IS a vampony among who you know. I mean, honestly, would you have expected that Vinyl was a Vampony? Much rather less that I knew her for more than a hundred years before my sleep?"

Her question carried a lot of truths for Twilight.

"No, honestly I wouldn't have suspected her." Twilight said as she looked back down at the scroll before her.

"I keep asking myself what I would have done if I had known back then... back before Luna turned me."

"You probably would have freaked out worse than that one time you were "tardy" getting that one friendship report in to Celestia." Artemis teased.

Twilight looked over into her lovers eye with a wistful glance.

"Oh don't even start! Luna showed me the memory of how you 'reacted' in Zebrica that one time when you were both down there for 'negotiations' between Equestria and the Zebra's! That face was priceless by the way."

Artemis blushed and turned away.

"You had to be there to really understand what I went through! I mean... SERIOUSLY!!! What I saw there shattered any expectations for Equestrian stallions!"

Twilight grinned at her victory.

"That's not so bad though, is it? After all... You have me now."

Artemis looked back at Twilight with a rueful grin.

"Yes, that I do."

Leaning in for a kiss, Artemis quickly found herself stopped by Twilight's hoof.

"Sorry Love, but you've got some hydra-breath this morning. Go brush!" Twilight said with a giggle.

The pouty look on Artemis's face wasn't enough to sway Twilight in the least, so she turned towards the bathroom as Twilight continued her writing. After all, she was getting to the first of several scarring moments in her new life! Who wouldn't want to write about that?!

As the group appeared within a section of the Apple family's sprawling orchards, Twilight felt a sense of unease sneak up on her. Each of the ponies around her had started walking in one direction, none making eye contact with her. Even Pinkie Pie hadn't looked whenever Twilight tried to make some sort of eye contact. As Twilight's head started to fall, she heard Amaranth beside her.

"They're worried. You of all ponies should now be aware that this is no small matter which we are about to face. With that said... Equestria will need the absolute best defense it has ever had."

"Why won't the Elements of Harmony work on Caedis?" Twilight asked, a bit of irritation rising in her voice as the question that had formed in her mind during the carriage ride surfaced.

Amaranth's expression fell slightly, making usual smirk seem to turn into a sad smile.

"It's odd that you should ask that..." He said, looking ahead into the clearing that was now ahead of them.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, an edge of panic playing through in her voice as Amaranth stopped. as did everypony around her. Just as she was about to ask again, she looked at the ponies that now stood in front of the group she was in.

For the second time that night, her jaw hung slack as she tried to process what she saw before her.

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were sitting on the edge of one of the many ponds that dotted the apple orchards. All three were staring up at the moon in silence until Luna cleared her throat.

Each of them turned around to see the group of them, including the shell-shocked Twilight.

"TWILIGHT?!" All three of her friends asked in unison, wide-eyed.

Just as Twilight was about to ask what the rest of her friends from Ponyville were doing and why they were being brought into this, a thought dawned on her.

"A-are you vamponies too?!"

"No. Well... not yet anyways." Rarity said haltingly.

"Will be by the next rising sun though." Applejack said nonchalantly.

Applejack's statement made Amaranth's earlier quip hit her like a ton of bricks.

All six of the Elements of Harmony would soon be Vamponies.

"I... what?? How?! Why?!" Twilight stammered as her friends came closer to her.

"Take it easy sugarcube, we'll explain on the way." Applejack said, laying a supportive hoof on her friends shoulder.

Nodding dumbly, Twilight followed the group of ponies as they walked towards the edge of the Everfree Forest.