The Exchange

by DrakeyC

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle (EqG), Alternate Universe, Thriller, Drama, Horror, Equestria Girls, Sunset Shimmer
Length: 6127

Twilight makes a deal with a demon, but her motives intrigue the creature

With time short and a life on the line, Twilight goes to a forgotten corner of town seeking out an urban legend in the desperate hope it can help her. What she finds is all that she expected and more. A creature of darkness that offers favors for blood. But first it wants to know how Twilight found it, and why.

In the process, Twilight learns a valuable lesson. It's frightening enough to know that supernatural creatures actually exist, but what is truly terrifying is when those creatures know you exist. And one of them takes an interest in you.

Pre-read by RTStephens and TheAlbinocorn. Cover art by S-I-REN

Published 2022-10-29 17:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2022-10-29 17:10:02 UTC

Chapter 1

The bus stopped and its door creaked open. Twilight reached for the pole running from the ceiling to the floor and used it to pull herself up and step to the exit.

“Uh, miss?”

She paused and glanced at the front of the bus. The driver was leaning around in his seat, visibly confused. “Are you sure this is where you want to get off?”

“Yes.”

“Is there, erm, someone meeting you here?”

“No.”

“Alright. Just be careful.”

Twilight nodded and stepped off the bus. The door slid closed behind her and drove off, leaving her alone on the sidewalk.

Ordinarily, questions like that might be considered nosy or suspicious. But seeing where she had gotten off, Twilight knew the driver was merely concerned for her. It was past midnight and she had just gotten off of one of the last buses of the night on the wrong side of the tracks. Scratch that – this wasn’t merely the wrong side of the tracks, it was far past them.

Once a thriving industrial sector, a haphazard reimagining into a residential district instead turned the buildings around Twilight into a dusty slum. Abandoned factories and old warehouses filled the skyline, smokestacks and towers that hadn’t been active in years rising from them. At ground level were tiny one-story homes huddled together for warmth. Porches were rotting, windows were boarded up, gates and doors had been left open without care. Most of these houses had no one living in them; at least, no one who had the legal right.

Twilight pulled her coat tighter around herself and turned to follow the directions she had been told. It wasn’t that cold for a mid-October night, but a chill hounded her. The pavement under her shoes was cracked and weeds and grass grew from them in such numbers that the sidewalk had nearly returned to nature. She reached a street light and looked around – no vehicles coming from any direction – before crossing without waiting for the walk signal. She still walked briskly on instinct and then slowed down once she was on the other side.

The directions had been spoken in hushed tones, but she’d always had a good memory. There was no use of street names or address numbers, just physical walking directions using a few deliberately vague landmarks. 50 metres until you see the red security gate. Twilight looked to either side of the road and saw a bright red guard box with an arm stretched over the entrance to a parking lot. Head through the lot to the hole in the fence under the tree. Follow the path through the grass.

Her route took her through the parking lot, under the fence, along the sidewalk, down an alleyway, over a small bridge spanning an open sewer, along another sidewalk, and finally to a footpath that ran to a door into a large building. Hard to tell from this side what type, but Twilight would guess a warehouse. It was inconspicuous, dilapidated and grey like every other in the area for a fair distance.

That was the point.

As Twilight approached the door, she eyed a storage shed lying next to the path. The door creaked open and an old man in tattered clothes stood in the doorway, a few messy strands of blue hair hanging over his forehead.

“Hey, girl,” he called. He turned his head and coughed before continuing. “Ye get out o’ here. This is my factory, got it? No trespassin’.” He took a swig from a flask in his hand.

I made it. Twilight took a breath and faced him. “I’m here to see her.”

“See who?” The man scratched his chin.

“You know who.”

“Eh, I don’t employ women-folk. Go on, git.” He waved a hand and shooed her away.

Twilight reached into her pocket and held up a slip the size of a business card. Nothing was written on it; just the embossed image of a swirling sun. “I said, I’m here to see her.” She stepped closer and held the card out.

The man took the card and looked at it. His eyes widened and he stood up straight. “Whoa. Sorry.” He nodded hurriedly and pocketed the card. “You just don’t look the type that normally comes around here.”

“Is that a problem?” Twilight asked.

“No, no, she don’t care. Just…” The man looked her over. Despite all the trappings one would expect of a homeless drifter, his demeanour had changed once he saw the card. He wasn’t ogling Twilight, he was sizing her up. “You uh, got anyone I should call, just in case?”

“I’ll be fine.” She gestured to the door. “Well?”

“Right, right.” The man nodded and shambled towards the door. He produced a modern key from a pocket on his jacket and unlocked a padlock above the handle. He slipped the lock off and pushed the door in. “Here.” He held another key out. “The long stairs at the back, on the left. There’s a hard hat area sign.”

“Thank you.” Twilight took the key and walked in. She heard the door close behind her and the lock click into place, but she wasn’t worried. This building was too big for there to not be some sort of other exit. No, this specific entrance was about the directions, knowing where to go relative to where you already were.

The interior was dark, cold, and full of old conveyor belts and packaging machines. Twilight slipped among them, following footsteps before hers that she could barely make out in the dust on the floor. She saw a faded yellow metal sign on a girder overhead, the scratched and grimy black letters reading, ‘head protection required in this area’. She turned left.

Against a wall, a long set of steep concrete stairs lowered into the earth. Twilight gripped the handle and took them slowly, one step at a time. Her footsteps began to echo off the walls as she descended, and she could feel the railing vibrate. Finally she reached the bottom, where only a metre or so ran to an ordinary metal door. She slipped the key she had been given in the lock on the handle, turned, and the door pushed in. Twilight took a breath and stepped inside.

She heard the door slam behind her and jumped with a squeak.

It hadn’t closed on its own.

“Hello.”

Twilight felt a chill go down her spine and swallowed a lump in her throat. The room was pitch black, not a single source of light to be found. She waited for her eyes to adjust, but even then she could only make out blurry shapes in the darkness, nothing clear enough to identify what it was. Crates, machinery, vehicles…or…

“Hmm…you’re not my usual type of customer.”

The voice was soft, almost calming if not for the undercurrent of menace and sensuality to it. Twilight took another breath. Something about the voice struck a chord with her, but she couldn’t tell why. “Do you care?”

“No. Blood is blood.” The voice came from a different part of the room now and Twilight turned to look in its direction, but when they spoke again they were somewhere else already. “If you’re here, I assume you know the terms.”

Twilight nodded. “A favour for a feeding,” she recited.

“Precisely…” The voice dragged out the syllables. “Now, what can I do for you?”

Twilight reached into the breast pocket of her coat, unzipped it, and reached in. She held up a small glass vial so that the voice could see it, wherever they were.

“I need a sample of your blood.”

The voice laughed. “If you intend to study it, you’re wasting time. Human laboratories cannot–”

“I’m not,” Twilight interrupted. “I’m not going to study it. I need to use it.”

She heard the voice let out a low murmur, almost a growl. There was silence, and she wondered if she had upset them.

“Please. I don’t even need the full vial. Well, that would be better, but–”

“Why?”

Twilight stopped mid-sentence.

The voice continued. “What do you intend for it?”

“I need it.”

“I want to know why.”

“That’s not part of the terms.”

“It is if I say so.” The voice was letting out a slight growl now. “My blood is not some scientific curiosity, nor some teenager’s desk trinket. I want to know what you’re going to do with it, or you won’t get a drop.”

“Fine.” Twilight dropped the vial back in her pocket. “Then here’s my new terms: I want to see you.”

“What?” the voice asked flatly.

“If you get a new term, so do I. Fair is fair. I want to see what you look like,” Twilight said firmly.

“Why?”

“I’d…I’d feel more comfortable with…what we’re doing, if I can put a face to your voice. And besides, I’m likely never going to have a chance to see a…like you, again.”

“A what?”

“You know.”

“No, I want you to say it. Let’s hear it.” The voice was playful now. Twilight wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than angering it. “Don’t be afraid. Go on, say it. A…”

A hand came down on Twilight’s shoulder at the same time she heard the voice whisper in her ear.

“Vampire.”

Twilight screamed and jumped away, hurriedly flailing her arms. She stopped and turned, her heart pounding, eyes wide.

A spark came as a nail scratched against something metal, and a candle flame lit. It grew larger and illuminated the lantern it was in, giving Twilight enough light to clearly see who was holding it.

The creature that had come up behind her had pale skin, like dull sand. Red eyes glowed bright above a mouth that was set in a wide grin, showing two pairs of gleaming, pointed fangs. Their hair was red and gold and trailed down their back and their front in flowing waves. A dark orange top and a leather jacket clothed them, and Twilight could make out small metal studs shining in the light on the collar.

The vampire swung the lantern in front of their face and lifted their eyebrows.

“Better?”

Twilight struggled to formulate a response. A flurry of emotions ran through her. Terror was the first, and the second and third as well. But she was also intrigued; the creature looked every bit as she would have assumed a vampire would look, yet something about them didn’t fit what she was expecting. Personal curiosity then gave way to a different sort, as she wondered who this creature had once been, when they had lived, and how they had come to be here.

And, she added as a final point of note, the vampire was pretty. Beautiful, even. That was to be expected too; if pop culture had taught Twilight anything, all vampires were hot. But to actually be face-to-face with one and feel anything resembling attraction to what was, objectively speaking, a magically reanimated corpse…Twilight wasn’t as disturbed as she thought she should be.

“Yes…” the vampire swooped around beside her, and then behind her, before Twilight even saw them move. “This is much better…”

Twilight began to turn to look at them, but a hand on her chin made her turn the other way and she found herself staring into the creature’s eyes. She inhaled sharply, the crimson light reflecting off the glass of the lantern.

“You’re real…” she whispered.

“As real as you are, anyway.” The vampire leered at her, a fang poking over their lip. “I was sceptical when I saw you. The only kinds of humans who seek me out are lowlives and thrill-seekers. But not you. Not that I don’t enjoy a change of pace.” She ran a nail along Twilight’s cheek. Twilight shuddered; the nail didn’t hurt, but it certainly felt sharp enough to cut. “You look…” the vampire ran her tongue along her upper lip. “Tasty.”

Twilight swallowed. “That isn’t reassuring.”

“It wasn’t meant to be.” The vampire chuckled and stepped back. With a flick of the wrist she tossed the lantern up and it caught on a hook attached to a girder running from the floor to the ceiling. She didn’t even look away from Twilight as she did it. “Tell me your name.”

“No.”

“It wasn’t a request.” She snapped a hand up; Twilight gasped as she was pulled forward to stand in front of her. “Name.”

The red eyes bored into her again and Twilight clenched her eyes shut. Vampires had hypnotic powers in a lot of the stories. Does she? Could she hypnotise me? Her heart began to quicken and her breathing grew deeper. This was a bad, bad idea, she’s going to kill me and–

A finger flicked her nose.

“Ow!” Twilight’s eyes popped open and she scrunched her face. She looked at her nose and then back at the vampire.

The red glow had dulled slightly, allowing a glimpse of teal irises behind them. “I haven’t survived in seclusion this long by leaving a trail of corpses behind me. If I was going to kill you, I’d have done it.”

Twilight’s breath caught. “You’re telepathic?”

“No. But it’s obvious what you thought was going to happen. You were cowering, and your heart’s pounding like a dinner gong.” The vampire wagged a finger. “But if you want to press your luck, by all means, keep annoying me. Otherwise, let’s try again. Name.”

Twilight tried to calm herself. “Twilight.”

The vampire smirked and barked out a laugh. “I’m Sunset.”

“Isn’t that a little on the nose?”

“Exactly.” Sunset winked and went to the girder holding the lantern. She had to have walked a short distance there, but Twilight didn’t see or hear footsteps, it was almost as if Sunset glided across the floor. “So, Twilight…” She leaned back against the girder. “How did you find me? You don’t seem the type to skulk around dark alleyways and seedy taverns.”

“I have my sources.”

“Don’t play games.” Sunset narrowed her eyes. “If someone like you could find me, that may be a concern. Answer me.”

“I…” Twilight coughed slightly. “I was standing outsidea bar…”

“Mhm.”

“I was!” She found herself surprisingly indignant at the creature’s scepticism. Sunset’s response was to smirk and look away. Twilight huffed before continuing. “About a month ago, a friend convinced me to go with her, but I didn’t want to go in so I stayed outside. I overheard some people talking and went to look.” She looked sheepish for a moment. “Yes, it was in the alley, a man and a woman. I heard the man say they know someone who does ‘favours’, and they asked the woman if she believed in the supernatural. And then he talked about you and showed her a card. Said if she really wanted her boss taken care of, follow the directions on it. There’s no way the cops would ever investigate a vampire attack.”

“I remember that one.” Sunset tilted her eyes up. “Jealous that a co-worker had gotten promoted in her place because she slept with their boss, and she was going to get fired for confronting her over it.” She stuck out her tongue. “He tasted rancid. Heavy smoker, disgusting.”

“You can taste that stuff?” Twilight asked.

“You think decades of tobacco use doesn’t affect your blood?”

“Fair point.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Anyway, I was walking earlier tonight, I bumped into someone on the street and recognized the woman. I ran after her and asked if she really had met a vampire. She was hesitant to say anything, but I explained why I wanted to see you and she gave me the card and the directions to get here.”

“Which brings me to my next question.” Sunset held up a hand and flashed a glass vial between her fingers. “What do you want my blood for?”

Twilight reached to her breast pocket and felt her open zipper. When did she… she shook her head. “I need it to help someone.”

“Help someone?” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new one.” She casually tossed the vial back to Twilight and she quickly moved to catch it before it could shatter on the ground. As she clutched it to her chest, Sunset kept talking. “Normally when someone looks for me, they want someone dead. Or even more boring, they want me to break into a bank or something. Such a waste of my time.”

Twilight looked up at her and saw Sunset inspecting her nails. “Worst, occasionally it’s a thrill seeker or someone with a death wish. And they ooo and aaa over finally meeting a real vampire and act like getting bitten is some sort of mark of pride.” She snorted. “I usually refuse to even let those types in here. Unless I’m really hungry; then I’ll string them along a bit before draining them entirely.”

“Drain entirely. You mean…”

“Kill them,” Sunset said simply. Twilight shuddered. “Oh, don’t act squeamish. It’s as much self-preservation as spite. I’ve survived this long because I stay hidden and only talk to people who can keep their mouths shut. I don’t need emo teenagers posting selfies of their bites on the internet and bringing their friends to visit me.”

She paused and glanced at Twilight. “You don’t seem that type. But…altruism? An intriguing motive…” She lifted her hand and waved her forward, and Twilight felt herself moving until she was a foot away. Sunset lowered her hand and held her gaze. “Tell me more. Who is it?”

Twilight looked down at the small vial in her hand. She turned it and read off the medical information on the side, not removed since she slipped it into her pocket from a physician’s tray. “…My brother’s fiancee.” She closed her eyes and took a shaking breath. “I was supposed to pick her up from an appointment, but I had a lot of homework and called to tell her I couldn’t make it. So…she called a friend to drive her instead, and…they…” She felt a tear run down her cheek. “There was an accident.”

“She’s dead?” Sunset asked simply.

“No!” Twilight quickly shook her head. “She’s alive, she’s in the hospital. But…” she choked back a sob. “She’s not expected to make it. They’re doing all they can for her, but they said we should be prepared…” The sob broke out this time. “Shining asked the chaplain if she could perform a marriage, in case they don’t think…”

She looked up at Sunset, tears running down her face. “I should have been the one to pick her up. If I had, there wouldn’t have been an accident. I’m a very cautious driver, I wouldn’t have crashed! It’s my fault.” She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “Cadence has been my baby-sitter since I can remember. She and Shining love each other like I’ve never seen. They shouldn’t lose what they have because of me.”

She tightened her hand on the vial. “And they won’t, because I can save her. You can save her. Vampire blood has healing properties, right? If I can get it to her in time, there’s a chance it can help her. I know there’s no guarantees, but if it could work, I owe it to them to try. So please, please.” She gave Sunset a pleading look. “Help me help them.”

Sunset didn’t say a word as Twilight finished her outburst and fell silent. Her crying slowed and ceased, and she took a breath that wasn’t swallowed through sobs. She lowered her head in supplication and held the vial up.

“I almost feel sorry for you.”

She lifted her head and saw Sunset watching her. The glow in her eyes had subsided almost entirely, revealing pale aqua eyes. “Really?”

Sunset shrugged. “Don’t get too excited, I said ‘almost’. Tough break, sure, but that’s the world for you. People die all the time. Some of us more than once.”

“But not Cadence!” Twilight shouted. “Please!” She reached up to the collar of her jacket and pulled it back with her shirt as far as it would stretch, exposing her neck. “A feeding for a favour, right? Then get it over with. Just leave me enough that I can get your blood to Cadence.”

“And if you collapsed at the hospital doors, would you die happily?” Sunset asked.

“I…” Twilight blinked and let go of her jacket. “What?”

Sunset began to step towards her – this time with slow, deliberate steps. Twilight backed away, but Sunset kept advancing.

“You knew you were seeking out a vampire. A creature that might kill you. You came here desperately looking for slim hope that might not even exist.”

Twilight bumped against some sort of wooden object behind her and in that instant Sunset was in front of her, eyes glaring red again. Twilight went to move to the side and was stopped when Sunset’s arm slammed beside her head.

“Either you never stopped to worry about your own safety, or you don’t care.”

She looked up at her. “You said you wouldn’t kill me.”

“Did I?” Sunset put a finger on Twilight’s chin and grinned. “I don’t recall saying that.”

Oh god…

“Or, better yet.” Sunset ran the tip of her tongue over her lip. “I could turn you.”

Twilight’s heart skipped a beat. “Turn me…into…”

“A vampire, of course.” Sunset opened her mouth, letting Twilight watch her run her tongue around her fangs. “I haven’t seen another of my own kind in decades, much less travelled with one or worked with one.” The finger on Twilight’s chin softly stroked her skin. “It might be interesting to have a…partner…and you are a cutie.” She waggled her eyebrows. “What do you think?”

“No!” Twilight clenched her eyes and furiously shook her head.

“Your heartbeat says otherwise. Is that fear or anticipation pumping through you right now?”

Twilight steeled herself and opened her eyes. “I have a family. I’m here for my family. I won’t leave them.”

“If I turned you, you’d feel very differently about that.” Sunset snickered. “I could pay them a visit, too, if you don’t want to lose them. One, big, happy, undead family.”

“NO!” Twilight’s terror turned to anger. “Leave them alone!”

“Oh, you’re no fun.” Sunset flicked her nose again and Twilight huffed. “I was joking. Half a dozen vampires running around together? Might as well advertise our existence with neon signs.” She tapped Twilight’s nose again, letting her finger linger. “Much better to stick to just one…or two…”

“Find someone else then,” Twilight said firmly. She pushed Sunset’s hand aside. “I’m not here to help you find a girlfriend, I’m here to save Cadence.”

“And what if I said the price to save her now was becoming my girlfriend?” Sunset’s voice was soft, so soft it was hard to hear even in the utter silence of the darkened room. “Would you accept my help then?”

“No.”

“Why not? You already took the risk I’d kill you by coming here. Either way, you’re gambling your life for hers. It’s just a question of how you lose.”

Try as she might, Twilight couldn’t refute that logic. Either turned into a corpse or turned into a vampire, dead was dead, wasn’t it? Would she turn into a creature of the night to save Cadence? Was Sunset right, was her guilt so deep she was willing to sacrifice herself to correct her mistake? She thought for a long moment.

“Well?”

Twilight cracked her lips. “You said it yourself; I came here knowing the risk. I guess that answers it, doesn’t it?”

Sunset murmured and her eyes flickered. “I take it back. I do feel sorry for you.”

Once again, Twilight was not reassured, and she was fairly sure that wasn’t Sunset’s intent this time either.

“A feeding for a favour.” Sunset repeated. “Alright then. Last chance to back out.”

“Can your blood save her?”

“It can. It will. She’ll have a second chance at life.” Sunset leaned closer. “But will you be able to live knowing the price that was paid?”

“If Cadance and I both live through this, I’d say it was worth it.”

“You think so now, but…” Sunset tilted her eyes up and rocked her head, a slight smile on her lips.

The hair on Twilight’s neck tingled. “What?”

“Nothing.” Sunset smiled wider. “Deal. Give me the vial.”

The tension coiling in Twilight’s body released, and she nodded. She held up the vial and offered it to Sunset. The vampire took it, removed the rubber stopper, and lifted it to her lips. She twisted her mouth and pierced her lower lip, then pressed the vial against the wound. Bright red blood trickled down into the glass, a few drops splattering the sides. When it was almost three-quarters full Sunset removed it and pressed the stopper into it.

“That ought to do it.” She reached her hand out and dropped it into the pocket of Twilight’s coat. With her other hand she wiped off the blood on her lip.

“Thank you,” Twilight said.

“My turn.”

Dread creeped up on Twilight again, and the reminder she had no guarantees this creature would leave her alive. She closed her eyes and turned away, and reached up to her coat.

“No. Let me.”

She felt Sunset’s hand slide into hers, and looked back at her. Sunset weaved their fingers together and leaned in closer until Twilight felt her weight pressing her back. Sunset inhaled deeply – vampires couldn’t breathe, was she smelling her?

“Are you–”

Sunset pressed a finger to her lips and shushed her. Her eyes were crimson mists, swirling and toiling and drawing Twilight in. Was this the hypnosis she had feared? Or just the natural charisma of the ethereally beautiful undead girl holding her?

“Don’t be afraid.”

Somehow, Twilight got the sense that this was meant to be reassuring.

She felt Sunset’s nail press against her lower lip, and Sunset’s eyes darted down. “Just a little appetiser.”

Twilight jumped when she felt a prick of pain. Sunset held her finger in place for a few seconds, then drew it back, Twilight’s blood pooled in her nail. She looked into Twilight’s eyes as she popped her finger into her mouth and sucked.

The red seemed to blaze a bit brighter for a moment.

“I was right – you are a tasty one.”

Sunset’s eyes grew lidded and Twilight noticed her face coming closer. She traced her finger down Twilight’s face and stopped when she was cupping her cheek. The cold hand holding hers squeezed.

“You’re going to want to hold on to something. Or someone.”

She was so close that Twilight couldn’t see anything but her face and hair. With her body quivering, she found the strength to speak.

“Will it hurt?”

Sunset’s fangs gleamed in the red light around them.

“Absolutely. And you’ll like it.”

The last two things Twilight saw were Sunset’s eyes and lips descending upon her.

Twilight groaned and shifted position.

“Twilight? Are you awake?”

Twilight weakly opened her eyes and saw a concerned face looking over at her. Her vision cleared and she could make out features. “Dad?” she croaked.

“It’s me, sweetie.” Night Light reached out and ruffled her hair. “Sleep well?”

“I…feel…” Twilight’s senses returned to her and she sat up.

She was in a private sitting room in the hospital. Her mom sat across the table, slouched in her chair and sleeping with a light snore. Twilight blinked and tried to stand, and she put a hand on the table to steady herself when she felt her legs wobble.

“Whoa, careful.” Night Light stood and put a hand on her shoulder. “I think your legs are still asleep.”

“Sleep?” Twilight looked up at the clock on the wall – almost four am. She put a hand to her head and sat down. “How did I get here?”

“I’m not sure.” Night Light shrugged. “I remember you said you were going out for some air, but that was well before midnight, around eleven I think. We must have been asleep when you came back.”

“Oh…” Twilight blinked and sat in silence. How did I get back here? I don’t remember taking the bus. She remembered going to see Sunset, talking to her. But everything after Sunset gave her the vial of blood was a blur. The blood! She reached for her jacket pocket.

The door to the room flung open with a bang. Twilight and Night Light jumped, and Twilight Velvet jerked awake. “Wha?”

Shining Armor stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. “Guys, it’s a miracle!”

While Twilight’s parents began to ask what he meant, she was already on her feet and staring. “What happened to Cadence?” Twilight asked.

“Ah, sir?”

Shining looked behind him and took a step into the room. A doctor came in behind him and gently closed the door. She brushed a strand of blue hair from her eyes. “I have news about Cadence.”

Doctor Hope, Cadence’s surgeon. Twilight’s heart fluttered. “Yes?”

“Cadence’s condition is looking well.” Hope looked over a tablet in her hand and swiped through it. “Vitals have improved, blood circulation is good. We’ll have to take her for x-rays when she wakes up to be sure, but a cursory examination now indicates that the damage to her sternum and back may be less severe than we thought.”

“She’s going to be okay,” Shining finished, his eyes bright.

“It’s not quite that simple,” Hope said, holding up a hand. “She’s not out of the woods yet, but she is not near as deep into them as she was when she came in.” She swiped on her tablet more and raised her eyebrows. “I’ll be blunt, normally when someone in Cadence’s condition comes in, we’re told to prepare loved ones for the worst. She’s doing much better than I’d have expected, surprisingly so. Still–.”

“Doctor,” Velvet interrupted wearily. “I don’t mean to be rude, and I know you’re being careful not to give us false hope, but it’s been a long night and I’m sure you have other things to do. Just tell us the bottom line.”

Hope looked up at the family and took a breath. “The bottom line is she still has a long way to go and anything could happen. And you’re right, you shouldn’t get your hopes up just in case. But if I’m being completely honest, considering her current condition and assuming no unforeseen complications…” She nodded and smiled. “Yes, she’ll be okay.”

Twilight laughed and threw her arms around Shining. He lifted her up in a hug and squeezed back. Behind her Twilight heard their parents cry, laugh, and move to embrace as well. Shining let her go and Twilight automatically turned to hug her dad while Shining did the same to Velvet.

“Thank you, Doctor Hope,” Velvet whispered.

“Of course. Again, no promises, but there’s reasons to be optimistic.” She bowed her head and opened the door. “I’ll let you know when we learn anything else.”

The door clicked shut and the family continued exchanging hugs and tears and cries of joy. Twilight smiled and felt tears on her cheeks. Cadence…it was worth it…

Night Light cleared his throat to get their attention. “I think I can safely say at this point we’re all wide-awake and energised. It’s a bit early for the hospital cafeteria to be open, but there should be somewhere we could get some coffee while we wait.”

“I want to stay with Cadence,” Shining said.

“You could still use some rest, dear. You’ve been in that room for almost twelve hours now, and you barely ate anything last night.” Velvet reached up to fix his hair, messy from sleep and stress. “There’s a twenty-four hour convenience store on the corner down the block. Why don’t you and Twilight go get some snacks and we’ll keep an eye on Cadence, hm?”

“If you’re going to say…yeah, okay…” Shining put his arm around her shoulder in a half-hug. “Thanks, mom.” He looked over at Twilight. “Twily, up for a walk?”

“Definitely, BBBFF.” Twilight grinned. She pointed a finger between her parents. “Double-double with sweetener, triple cream and one sugar?”

Night Light nodded. “And two raisin bran muffins. Plus whatever you two want. And some sort of candy.”

Shining held open the door and gestured for Twilight to leave first, and followed her down the hall. She heard her parents come out behind her and the four walked down the hall. Twilight eyed the door she knew was Cadence’s and paused when her future sister-in-law’s room came into view, the door closed.

Night Light put a hand on both their shoulders. “You kept watch through the night, son, we’ll take it from here for a little bit.” Twilight noticed Shining had also stopped, and he nodded at their father. Night Light and Velvet opened the door and Twilight approached. She leaned her head to see if she could catch a glimpse of Cadence, but the curtain was pulled around the bed to give her privacy and she only saw a shadow that was likely an attendant checking on her.

“You can’t imagine how happy I am,” Shining whispered.

“I can tell,” Twilight replied. Her heart did backflips in her chest as the siblings walked down the hall.

It was all worth it. The money, the risk, the blood, the…Sunset. Worth it. Totally worth it. She took a deep breath. She’ll be okay. Cadence will be okay. Give it time, and the last twenty-four hours will seem like it was just a long, bad dream.

They reached the elevators and Shining pressed the button to call them. “So, where did you head out last night?” he asked.

“Oh. Um, just, out.” Twilight shrugged and pretended to look at a vending machine. “Took a walk, you know.”

“You were gone for quite a while. You came back around one or so. I said hi but you didn’t answer me. I thought maybe you’d gone to a bar, you were kinda out of it.”

“No, no bars, alcohol, ew.” Twilight shook her head. “Just tired.”

“Yeah, no need to explain that. Good thing you had that girl to help you back.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. She snapped her head to stare at her brother. “What?”

“The girl that walked you in,” Shining repeated. “Red and yellow hair, leather jacket? I didn’t catch her name, but she said she was a friend of yours and making sure you got here.”

Her blood turned to ice and her head felt light. “You spoke to her?”

“Well, yeah, my sister comes in with a stranger, I’m gonna wonder who it is. She didn’t come into the room, she just hung out for a couple minutes after you came back and left when I went to the bathroom.” Shining gave her an odd look. “Are you sure you didn’t go drinking?”

Twilight began to breathe faster. “You go to the store, I have to check something.” She spun and bolted down the hall before Shining could answer. She reached a bathroom and practically slammed into the door.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, she tugged the collar of her jacket down and looked at her bare neck.

Nothing. She pulled back the other side and saw nothing there, either.

“What?” Confused, Twilight looked over her arms for any sign of wounds, and then her legs. But there were no marks of any kind. “Did she…she must have.” She looked in the mirror and examined her face closely. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

As she contorted her face to try and find where Sunset had bitten her, she ran her tongue around in her mouth. She felt something and paused. Wait. She moved her tongue back and forth. She didn’t… She came closer to the mirror and grabbed the corners of her mouth to pull down.

On the inside of her mouth, just behind her lower lip, were two small, fresh scabs.

Twilight let go of her lip to spring back into place, stunned.

“She bit me…on the lip…” she whispered. She carefully touched a finger to the small mark on the front of the lip where Sunset’s nail had pierced her. She ran her tongue in her mouth again and felt the scabs bump against it. “On the lip…the lip…” The more she repeated it the more absurd – and disturbing – it sounded.

“The blood…she must have given it to Cadence, right? Or I did…” She reached into her jacket pocket for the vial.

Her fingers came out holding a small piece of paper.

“Yum. Come back anytime.”

The letters were written in blood.