[V] Lesson 03 - Another brick in the wall

>You sit in front of your house, on your doormat to be precise, leaning against your door.

>Inside you can hear Rarity talking already, the blood transfusion worked pretty fast apparently.

>You still can't believe that Rainbow Dash just...

>The door opens and you almost fall back, but instead of the hard ground your head lands on the soft chest of Applejack.

>You look up at her, she frowns...no wait, she's upside down, she smiles!

>Her forehooves enclose around your neck and she gives you a tight hug from behind “What happened, Anon? Where's Rainbow? You bein' grieved like that ain't an every day’s sight.”

>You fight back a tear and have trouble finding the right words for the bad news.

“I fucked up. Rainbow...Twilight tricked her. She's gone now.”

>Applejack's hug becomes a lot tighter, if the circumstances weren't the same you'd be sure that she were about to strangle you.

>You grab her arms, trying to comfort her even if it's just a drop in the bucket.

>At least you don't sit in the middle of a zombie apocalypse...or zompony, whatever.

>After a felt eternity she starts speaking again with a voice that is full of melancholy “If ya hadn't sent us t'ya house, we both would've jus' stormed into the hospital. Only seein' Rarity in her bad shape convinced us really. Ah would've been one o'them too if ya weren't there. She...she always was the rash one.”

“No, it wasn't a rash act of hers. Twilight...acted injured, Rainbow's loyalty was her doom, she couldn't just leave her like that. It was my fault, I couldn't stop her. I'm s-”

>”No!”  Applejack is suddenly all serious business “It ain't ya fault, Anon! And it ain't anyp0ny else's fault! Come, ah think ya wanna see Rarity, she sure as hay wants t'see YOU.”

>The tan mare walks inside, you follow her shortly after.

>Before the couch stands one of your bigger pots, filled with reddish water and a rag swimming inside.

>The marshmallow mare on your couch is smiling weakly at you, a blood pack hangs on your clothes rack next to her with a thin tube leading to the pit of her elbow.

>All the blood has been washed off of her coat and she looks much better already “Anon, my BIG and STRONG hero. You saved my life, how can I EVER repay you?” not even a near death experience can stop her from making it sound overly dramatic.

“I'm just happy you're okay, Rarity. Just...stay that way.”

>Hugs, hugs everywhere.

>She plants a weak kiss on your cheek and soon dozes off into a peaceful slumber again.

>You ask Applejack where the others are, she has no idea what you're talking about and redirects you to Nurse Redheart, who isn't faring much better than you did just moments ago.

>The white mare sits on your armchair in the corner, wrapped in one of your quilts. She is dead silent and appears to be completely abstent-minded.

>You approach her and squat down in front of her, you take her nurse's hat off and put it on the drawer next to the armchair. Then you caress one of her equine ears, it flinches and twitches until you find the right spots, and her attention you.

>Your voice is quiet and barely more than a whisper

“Did you wash Rarity?”

>Redheart doesn't look you in the eyes, she only responds with the slightest nod.

“You did a good job, saving Rarity, I mean. Well, the washing too I guess, but...*sigh*, how are you holding up?”

>She leans into your hand and sadly asks “You didn't find Nurse Sweetheart, right?” she knows the answer already.

>You lose track of time as you comfort her, from the things she tells you you can filter out that she had something like a mental breakdown while you were at the hospital.

>When you think that she has regained most of her composure you ask her

“Redheart, where are the others? On my way to the hospital I sent three p0nies this way.”

>The nurse nods and gets into a more straight position “Yes, three p0nies arrived. Derpy Hooves went into your bedroom and hasn't shown herself since, Rose and Caramel went out to get some things after I told them they should stay here until we have a better solution.”

>You guess it's safe outside as long as the sun is up.

>It still gives you a bad feeling, you feel...responsible for them.

>Responsible...

>...

>You need to see if you can find others!

>Nightmare Moon indicated that it takes three days to turn p0nies into...those, there must be countless p0nies still around who haven't been attacked yet!

>You stand up and Redheart asks you concerned “Where are you going?”

“It's not even noon yet, I want to see if I can find more p0nies. They must know what's going on, I need to warn them. The hospital is a death zone and when night falls, the whole town will be.”

>She leans back and points to Applejack “I think she knows more about those...vam-” you stop her.

“No, please. Don't say that word.”

>She looks at you puzzled “W-Why? Are you superstitious?” she asks with a slight sultry undertone.

“No, ah, well...with these bloodsuckers around we probably should but,...it just sounds so ridiculous.”

>Redheart shrugs you an okay and you go to Applejack. She stands in the door and looks around while being lost in thoughts.

“Wanna look for survivors with me? Might be fun. I also heard you might know more about what we're up against?”

>The tan mare nods outside, indicating you to follow her. After just a few steps she looks at you with an 'I've seen some shit' face.

>She comes closer until her nuzzle is right next to your ear “Neighsferatu.” she whispers, trying to make the word sound spooky.

>The two of you walk a bit while she tells you about stuff which you would have brushed aside as stupid occultism if you weren't in this exact situation right now.

>She tells you:

> - “They can't enter ya home uninvited, its a curse, but jus' the slightest suggestion of an invitation is enough and they can enter.”

“Okay, Sounds useful.”

> - “They cannot cross runnin' waters, crossing the nearby river should make for an excellent emergency plan.”

>Meh.

> - “They have super strength and speed, can vaporize into mist and reappear on a whim, on top of'at they are immortal!”

>Not good.

> - “They can only be killed if ya ram a stake through their heart and decapitate them simultaneously. Or expose'em to bright sunlight fer a couple o'minutes.”

>Okay, that explains why Twilight appeared pretty pissed after that incident.

> - “And never look into their eyes, Anon. Not for more than a few seconds. Never. They hypnotize ya.”

>You are amazed at her knowledge about those things, when you ask her about where she knows this stuff from she answers “Well, nop0ny believed me that flyin' saucers were real until ya appeared, so ah figured ah should extend mah knowledge in those kinda things. As ya can see, ah was right all along.”

>She looks mighty proud of herself.

“Well, I didn't exactly arrive in a flying saucer...”

>”What was that? Ah couldn't hear ya.”

“Nothing. So, how are we going to do this?”

>”Easy as makin' lemonade. Ya take the southern part of Ponyville, and ah take the northern. Always stay in t'light, when in doubt, don't do it. Many of them p0nies have already invited one o'them suckers into their homes, is it okay if ah send'em t'ya home?” the only things that are missing her are a battered duster, a belt with stakes and garlic, and a crossbow, that would definitely complete the image you currently have of her.

“I guess we don't have to send all of them to me, every place these bad p0nies can't enter is a safe haven in theory, we just need to inform the survivors properly.”

>AJ gives you an enthusiastic nod “Great thinkin', pardner. Let's go!”

~

>In the afternoon you meet up with Applejack again at your place, you are more than happy to see that she brought Pinkie Pie along, or rather...Pinkamena.

>Extreme situations call for extreme measure, you guess. Happy Pinkie would probably invite these...neighsferatu...to a party.

>The summary at the end of the day is devastating, only 14 survivors were found and you found no suitable hideouts.

>Applejack tells you that alongside with Sweet Apple Acres, Pinkamena kept Twilight and her ill brood successfully out of Sugarcube Corner.

>AJ will take care of a few survivors at her farm and Ms. Pie takes charge of the Sugarcube Corner hideout. With your own house and yourself included there are three hideouts in total, and 21 survivors.

>When you ask for Fluttershy they only shake their heads, guess she was too kind to deny Twilight entry. Funny how the mane6's elements betray them now...

>The sun starts to set and you decide that it's better for them to return to their hideouts, before Applejack leaves you go to her.

>”Ya comin' along, Anon? Don't'cha wanna stay home?” she asks while you accompany her on her way.

“Yes, but I wanted to warn you, Applejack.”

>You put a hand on her back.

“I've met Applebloom.”

>The tan mare's face darkens immediately.

“The only reason she didn't attack me was because she drank over a dozen blood packs and had trouble moving. She was over and over smeared with blood and asked me to get Twilight for her, like it was nothing.”

>Applejack tries to stifle a giggle, but can't hold it in “He he, yeah, that sounds a lot like her.” you can't really see the humor in that.

“Yeah, uhm. What I wanted to say is that she may come visit you tonight. I know you can handle yourself, so I won't tell you what to do, just be careful...and good luck.”

>You come to a halt and give her a rough pat on the back “See ya t'morrow, Anon, bye!”

>And with that you return to your own hideout again.

>Caramel and Rose brought additional blankets and pillows, they actually went several times.

>When asked about the excessive amount of sleep tools, Rose answers “Well, if we are stuck here for some time, then we can at least make it as nice as possible.”

>And by 'nice' she meant turning your bedroom into a pillow fort.

>These p0nies...the third night hasn't even begun and they already...hey wait, what are you talking? Pillow forts are AWESOME!

>When you end that train of thought you give Rose an appreciative thumbs-up and a wink, then you gather all of the survivors together.

>Time for a briefing.

>Redheart, Derpy, Caramel, Rose, and last but not least, Rarity.

>You tell them what's going on, what will likely happen and what they should not do in any case.

>Together you eat supper and the girls retreat to your bedroom, you and Caramel have to sleep on the couch...

>You cannot put your disappointment into words, the pillow fort...you wanted to...sleep in the pillow fort...

>But you can take it.

>You wipe away the single lonely and equally manly tear and go to bed/couch, Caramel makes himself comfortable on the armchair.

>And so the night begins.

>You fall asleep relatively fast, the mares are talking till late inside your bedroom.

>You wake up a few times, the sound of some p0nies sneaking around your house can be heard clearly. Caramel hears it as well.

>At about 3 a.m. you are scared shitless out of your sleep as a sudden, loud and frequent knocking starts at your door.

>It goes on for about 30 minutes and you can hear Sweetie Belle outside, begging you to let her in and that she wants to see her sister.

>Rarity comes out of the bedroom, worried beyond sanity. Luckily she isn't dumb enough to fall for her sister's tricks, probably because Rarity almost died because of her.

>You can also tell that Sweetie Belle isn't alone out there, too many hoofsteps can be heard.

>Nothing else happens.

>The dawn shoos the mosquito p0nies into their own hideouts, now that you think about it...probably every second building is probably infested with vamp0nies, aww shit, now you said it.

>Damn, well, fuck, whatever.

>You make sure to share your thoughts with the others and they agree.

>Redheart gives you a piece of her mind over breakfast, regarding the current undead population of p0nyville “Considering the amount of p0nies that got bitten the first night, and assuming it takes three nights of getting bitten without a pause in between, I suppose that one third of p0nyville is already lost.”

>Rose speaks up ”Yes, but doesn't that mean that it takes at least three more days and none will be left besides us?”

>The rest of the meal is consumed mostly in silence.

>When the sun has driven off the night completely you go to the town square. The others leave as well, doing whatever they deem important...or not.

>You wait for Applejack and Pinkie.

>Soon Applejack arrives, and with her Big McIntosh and Cheerilee.

>As you wait for Pinkie's party, Applejack approaches you “Anon, there's more.” she begins.

>You don't like the sound of that...

>”Those vamp0nies are worse than ah thought. This night we lost two of our group, Apple Fritter and Golden Delicious. Anon, those things didn't even hypnotize 'em, they're convincing, beautiful, their sex-appeal jus' ain't right.” Applejack sounds slightly intimidated.

“How did that happen?”

>”They jus'...up and left. Jus' marched outta the door, they didn't even scream when they sucked 'em dry.”

“Shit...where's Pinkie? Shouldn't she be here already?”

>”Yeah, let's go lookin'.”

>Big Mac and his special somep0ny go their own ways and together with AJ you go to Sugarcube Corner.

>On your way you exchange glances with the tan mare countless times, communicating non-verbally. She feels as bad as you about this, Pinkie is always on time...

>After a brief walk Sugarcube Corner comes into view, your fears are confirmed. The doors and windows stand open wide, not a single soul is left.

>Reluctantly you search for clues, but except for blood staining a few spots on the floor, nothing indicates even a fight.

>You sit down on a chair, beaten.

“Applejack...we lost more than half the surviving p0nies, in just the first night...”

>How are you going to survive this madness? How is anyone, anyp0ny?

>Applejack rummages through some stuff, eventually she stops and says more to herself than to you “Ya need t'invite only a single one, that one can invite the rest.” she sighs deeply “Anon, ah'm gonna try and leave p0nyville. See if ah can find help. I'll leave right away, every second counts.”

“Yeah, probably for the best...”

>AJ leaves soon after, it only lights up a tiny spark of hope, but it's all you have right now.

>Big Mac takes charge of the Sweet Apple Acres hideout.

>The day progresses uneventful, most of the buildings with vamp0nies inside are obvious, as all the window shutters are neatly locked.

>Your spirits rise when you come back to your house/hideout and the room is filled with the scent of freshly baked muffins.

>Derpy is credit to team.

>You make sure to tell her that in more than one way.

>Night falls again eventually and the five p0nies of your group are back safe and sound.

>Nothing happens during the night until the nightsky slowly becomes brighter, showing that a sunrise is imminent.

>It is just a gentle knocking at the door that wakes you up.

>A few times only, barely audible.

>You dare to open the shutters of a window, the impending sunrise encourages you and you ignore your common sense. Reluctantly you open the door, they can't enter, right?

>Well, you're about to find out.

>All you have to do is to avoid eye contact. It's that easy.

>As you slowly swing the heavy door open a warm breeze blows past you. Twilight sits there on her haunches with a sly grin on her face. No signs of any wounds from the incident at the hospital are visible, not even the slightest scar.

>Her fangs are bigger than before, now they stick out of her mouth even when closed. There is a faint red tint in the corners of her mouth.

>”Aaaanooon...burning me to a crisp, then leaving me to die, that's not how you treat your friends, you know?” she mocks you.

>She feels strangely appealing, her voice sounds alluring and your instinct tells you to mate with her right now.

>This must be what Applejack meant.

“Funny. What do you want, Twilight?”

>”Won't you bid me inside?”

>Be careful with your choice of words...

“No.”

>She acts insulted, intentionally bad, just to mock you even further.

>”Well, I don't have much time left.” she makes the slightest indication towards the point in the sky where the sun will rise soon “I just wanted to give you this.”

>From behind her she spawns a rag and throws it through the open door into your hands.

>While you are still confused she gets up and with a “Goodbye.” trots away.

>You close the door and turn around, you want to inspect the thing she threw you but Caramel and Nurse Redheart are staring at you angrily from the other side of the room.

>Quickly they approach you “Anon! What was that about?! Are you crazy?! You are endangering all of us!” Redheart is boiling with anger “I can't believe what you just did! That could have been the end of us! Don't you dare do something like that again!” she continues to berate you like a little kid.

>You don't say anything, she is right after all, that was stupid.

>As she continues to verbally pound your ass the others wake up, one by one, asking what's going on. By now you are kneading the rag in your fingers nervously, telling her you're sorry and that it won't happen again countless times.

>Then she angrily snatches the thing out of your hands “What's that she gave you?! Is tha-”

>Her sentence is interrupted by a gasp “Oh no. No!” she becomes pale.

>After a minute of silent discomfort she brings the item into the light, for everyone and everyp0ny to see. In her hooves she presents a brown cowboy hat, a stetson, a few drops of red can be seen on one side.

>Your stomach turns, you go and sit on the couch, burying your face in your hands.

>You hear Rarity whisper a prayer.

>When you still haven't gotten up from the couch after one hour, Redheart sits next to you. A soft hoof rubs your shoulder and she says sympathetically “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so harsh on you, I just got angry...and...”

>You answer to her with little emotion.

“No...you are right. I wasn't thinking. Should have never opened that door.”

>The marshmallow nurse leans against you “That wouldn't have changed anything. Twilight could have just left it in front of the door, or even nailed it to it just to scare us.”

>You lean back and she nuzzles into your chest.

>You are in no mood to argue.

“Hm, guess you are right.”

>She catches your apathetic tone “Anon, we can't lose hope now. The other shelters may be gone, but we haven't lost a single p0ny yet. There is something we are doing right, something the others did not. Somep0ny will find a solution for this, and if everyp0ny fails, Celestia will get it right!”

>You don't tell her what you heard Nightmare Moon say in that one night, that she is hunting her sister down to stop the sun from rising...

“Do you think this...vamp0ny plaque will spread over all of Equestria? It  seems epidemic and unstoppable to me.”

>”I honestly don't know.” you put your hand on her back and caress her softly.

“Oh, yeah. Applejack's hideout isn't gone, she went out of p0nyville yesterday morning to find help. Big McIntosh now leads them.”

>Redheart smiles and snuggles up to you “See? Not all hope is lost.”

>The day goes by faster than you realize. Only a few buildings are left, all the others are now occupied again, probably by their former residents.

>You don't give Big McIntosh the bad news as you meet up with him on the town square, you just can't find the courage. It is probably better to leave him this little remaining bit of hope.

>There are only eleven of you left now, the rest has fallen into the...fangs of Twilight and her undead.

>Damn them...oh wait, they already are damned!

>Ha ha!

>Anon 1:0 Twilight and her vamp0nies

~

>Night falls.

>In the middle of the night you wake up and go to the door, silently you open it, careful not to wake up Caramel or the others.

>You want to talk with Twilight again, you have countless questions. If there is the least bit of her old personality left she will answer your questions, she loved lecturing others...

>To your surprise it only takes a few minutes until Twilight appears.

>She sits down on her haunches and grins at you slightly, waiting for you to speak.

“You look pale.”

>Only her eyes are moving, she looks down, then back to you, you almost looked into her eyes...damn.

>She just raises a brow.

“Twilight...just...could you please stop sucking everyp0nies blood?”

>Her brows furrow and her head moves backwards a little, she acts like she just heard something very disturbing, but still doesn't say a word.

>This becomes unnerving...

“Is this all just a big joke? Because you can stop now, it isn't funny anymore, it never was to begin with.”

>You sit down on the floor.

“What did you do to Applejack?”

>Still no answer.

“Do you know that Rarity almost died? She was literally on the verge of death when I took the blood packs from the hospital.”

>Finally Twilight gives you an answer “Give them back, please. We need them. It will take another week before we get the next delivery.”

>Maybe you can...

“I'll give you the blood packs if you give me Applejack.”

>Twilight slowly starts shaking her head.

>Her unnatural appeal is starting to make itself notable, there are primal needs in the back of your head that are telling you to rut her so pregnant until she can barely walk anymore.

>You rub your eyes with an index finger and a thumb.

“Ugh...do you even realize the effect you're having on me?”

>”I don't know what you're talking about.” she says that with a tone that has a message of its own, you translate it into 'Hey Anon, I turned into a manipulative, bloodsucking bitch and I'm just playing with you'.

“This is pointless.”

>You are about to get up when the pale purple mare blurts out “Anon, you should just give up. Even if you can keep me and the others out, when Nightmare Moon finds Celestia, eternal night falls. Then you will have to choose between giving up or starving.”

>You just shake your head as you swing the door half-heartedly close and go to the bathroom to take a piss.

>For a moment you contemplate if you should make some jarate to get mini-crits, but discard the thought again just as quick as it surfaced. It would only make the purple one angry.

>Is she angry already? You burned her pretty bad and almost killed her, she oughta be. If she is, she is hiding it pretty damn well...

>While you relieve yourself you can hear Twilight's voice again, you ignore it.

>You pack your noodle away after extinguishing the little imaginary fire, then sneak to the door and listen to what's going on. Apparently Twilight is talking to someone.

>”...and it doesn't even hurt, on the contrary, the more I learn to control these new powers, it becomes more and more of a pleasure. Look into my eyes, do I look like I'm lying?” wait a minute...she isn't trying to creep you out, she is talking t-

>Her words sink in and suddenly it clicks, you bolt out of the bathroom.

“NO!”

>Caramel is already halfway through the door.

>You lunge after him and try to grab him, but are too slow. Before you reach him he is gone. Beyond the threshold of your door, impossible to reach.

“Caramel, come back!”

>You can see that he is looking directly into Twilight's eyes, his face looks empty, Twilight though, is grinning like she just won a Nobel-Prize in books and being nerdy...or evil.

“No, Twilight, stop. Please don't do this. Let him go. You don't want to do this.”

>She laughs “Ha ha! The stallions are the easiest to influence.” as she looks at you, you see that her irises have a slight shimmer of crimson red. Quickly you avert your eyes, lest you follow Caramel.

>Your shouting has woken up the sleeping p0nies. They reluctantly approach the door and look at the drama that is about to happen to Caramel.

>They all mumble words of denial until Twilight raises her arms like a crazy scientist...like the crazy scientist she is and proclaims giggling “Now, behold little lambs. That even the shyest p0ny becomes a bloodthirsty lunatic when turned! Ha! Ha! Ha!”

>While she laughs, Fluttershy steps out of the darkness and into the shine of the lamp. She sports a grin, showing everyone her new fangs. You can see many more p0nies just at the verge of the illumination, but can't identify any, as they mostly stay in the dark.

>Caramel is still dazed when Twilight shoves him into Fluttershy “Drink!” she commands “Show them how feral you are!”

>You expect the most horrible sight, just as the other survivors, but Fluttershy hesitates. Suddenly her grin wears off, she looks to the side and her ears lay flat “I...I don't think that would be nice. Sh-Shouldn't I ask him for his...his approval first? I don't want to startle him-”

>Suddenly Twilight's facade begins to crumble, a look of great annoyance spreads across her face, through gritted teeth she grumbles loud and clear to the shy mare “Dammit, Fluttershy. We talked about this, just do what I told you!”

>Flutters consequently avoids eye-contact with the purple vamp0ny “B-But I don't want to hurt him...what if it hurts him so much that he screams, that would most certainly startle me and our new powers aren't developed properly, not to mentio-”

>You can't help but laugh as Twilight nervously pushes her yellow friend out of sight.

“Bloodthirsty lunatic, huh?”

>Guess it takes more than dying and turning into an undead, soulless creature of the night to change Fluttershy...

>For a moment you actually consider stopping to resist them, your fellows do the same, you can tell...then you remember that you are dealing with Twilight here and that it's all an act most likely.

>You scold the others with stern looks to keep them from doing something they will regret.

>The vamp0ny crowd outside dissolves quickly, Caramel gets dragged off and Twilight comes back faster than your eyes can see. She has a 'sorry, I don't know what that was' face and feigns ignorance “If you could just stop putting up this futile resistance, that would be great.”

>Rarity steps forward “Twilight, are you even aware that I almost died at my sisters hoof?”

>The purple mare looks like she is about to give you another lecture, furrowed brows and all “No, I am not. You would have been fine either way, Rarity. After Sweetie Belle quenched her thirst you fell into an induced coma, I haven't resarched this phenomenon enough to be 100% certain, but this happens when a vamp0ny drinks too much.”

>There she goes, she even brandishes her hoof for further emphasis on the important parts.

>”It is some kind of a unnatural occurrence that prevents you from dying and...” bla bla bla, you could never listen to her explanations.

>You sit on the couch while she goes on for what feels like hours.

>When she is done explaining that nop0ny were in actual danger to begin with, she tries to convince them that it isn't bad at all to become one of her kind. This is when you step in.

“Twilight, stop your charade. I know what you're up to.”

>She looks at you appalled “This isn't a charade, Anon! I only want the best for them!”

>You cross your arms and frown at her.

“You try to convince them, but in the end you don't leave them a choice. You would force your...vampirism onto them if you had the choice. Don't act so noble.”

>Now you pissed her off, she glares at you angrily and snarls, displaying her fangs once more in an attempt to intimidate you.

>You have to admit that it does make you feel uncomfortable, but slam the door in her face before she has the chance to do anything that could become problematic later on.

>After that it's dead silent outside, Twilight's angry display reminded the others about the gravity of the situation.

>Fluttershy didn't seem to be just acting...but then again you don't know how much she really changed.

>You honestly don't know what to think anymore...