Twi-Bite: A Vampire Storyby Lord Shadow EclipseChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 1Canterlot- Nighttime Twilight Sparkle was facing a dark and empty street by herself. It had been quite a long chore helping Applejack with her homework, but least she grasped trigonometry well enough to pass. Now, she had to walk home in the dark of night. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark; she had the comfort and pleasure of looking up at the stars. She also knew that Canterlot was a very safe city to live in. But there was something about being the only person walking down a neighborhood street in the dark that was quite unsettling. The longer she walked, the more she started to notice that there were quite a lot of bats flying around the area. It seemed like everywhere she looked, she saw small flying shapes darting through the light of the street lamps and covered the light of the stars. Some of them flew so close to her that she could hear the flapping of their wings. It was somewhat comforting to hear the sounds of a bat's wingbeats. As soon as she neared a wooded part of the street, the bats started to fly towards that particular road as it was nearest to the woods. "Maybe there's a cave or a large hollow tree where these bats are roosting," Twilight said. She continued walking past the woods with her chiropteran companions when she heard a sound coming from the woods. It sounded like a large animal moving through the forest. Whatever it was, it was big and fast. Twilight ran different thoughts through her head to figure out what that was. It sounded too small to be a bear and moved too fast to be a deer. Then again, Twilight had never heard of any bear sightings in the woods around the city. Either way, she had to focus on getting home. As soon as Twilight took a single step forward, something dark shot out of the trees and grappled Twilight to the ground. While they rolled along the ground, Twilight felt a pair of strong and cold hands clasp over her left shoulder and mouth. She tried to scream, but the hand clasped over her mouth prevented her form doing so. Twilight and her attacker found themselves in the front yard of a vacant house. She gazed up to see who or what her attacker was. All she saw was a tall figure wearing a black coat with a hood concealing their face. The only part of their face she could see were their eyes. The eyes that stared down at Twilight were seemingly glowing a luminescent shade of red. The pupils were greatly expanded like the eyes of an owl. "Hello, dear one," the figure said in a masculine voice that seemed to echo. "Tonight is your lucky night. You are about to receive a blessing unlike anything you can imagine". The figure raised his hand to his mouth and seemed to bite down on his wrist. The next thing Twilight saw was a bloody wrist being lowered to her face. Twilight felt both hands pry open her mouth with extreme strength. Twilight wanted to scream and try to fight off her attacker, but she had a feeling that this person would hurt her if she tried. The bloody wrist of the stranger found its way to Twilight's mouth. Twilight could feel drops of the figure's blood entering her mouth. The taste of the blood was terrible. It was if she was drinking medicine mixed with mushrooms. Her attacker then forced her mouth closed and started to stroke her throat, forcing her to swallow the blood. Once that was done, the stranger stood to his full imposing height. He backed away with a paternal look in his eyes. "Rejoice, dear child! Embrace your glorious future!" he said with the same echoed voice. With that, the figure swung his fist across Twilight's jaw. The Next Morning Twilight felt something warm and wet streak across her face. She slowly opened her eyes to see her faithful dog Spike laying on her chest and licking her face. "Morning, Twilight! You ready to start the new school week?" Spike asked. Twilight rose from her bed and tried to recollect how she got into her bed. She was walking home near the woods and... nothing. She couldn't really remember anything after that. Either way, she was glad to be safe at home. "It's such a beautiful day today, Twilight! Look!" Spike said, pulling back the curtains to her bedroom. The sunlight entering the room made Twilight feel like her eyes and skin were on fire! She jumped back into the bed and buried herself under the covers. She spoke to Spike in a hissing voice. "Spike! Close the curtains!" she shouted. "O-okay, Twilight!" Spike said with fear. Twilight heard the sound of the curtains being drawn back. She merged from the covers and went to Spike, who took an involuntary step back. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Spike. But the light hurts my eyes," Twilight said. "Are you okay? If light hurts your eyes, maybe you should see a doctor," Spike said. "I can't do that, Spike. I have to get ready for school. If I start feeling sick, I'll go see a doctor," Twilight said. Twilight walked to her bathroom and started to brush her teeth. As she stayed in the bathroom, she noticed that the bathroom didn't seem as dark as she thought. The lights weren't on, but she could see everything in the bathroom perfectly. She also noticed that she didn't have her glasses on. She looked at her reflection in the mirror to confirm what she suspects. Her eyes were different. Her pupils had enlarged to a degree that almost took up her entire eye. This explained why her eyes were more sensitive to light, since the pupil was the part of the eye that drew in more light to see. But why were her pupils so big? Maybe she should make an appointment with her optometrist. But right now, she had to get to school. She exited the bathroom and grabbed a pair of sunglass that sat on her desk and put them on. Twilight didn't know if this weird phenomenon with her eyes was permanent, but she didn't want to damage her eyes with the onslaught of sunlight. Twilight walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat before school. She grabbed a banana and started to take a bite. But when she tried to swallow it, her throat closed up. Twilight gagged and coughed up the wad of chewed-up banana. She grabbed a glass of water and downed it. The more water she drank, the more she realized how thirsty she was. Thankfully, the water seemed to quell the fire in her throat. She breathed a sigh of relief as she filled up the glass with more water to drink. She kept drinking and drinking until she felt her stomach completely fill with water. Once she was satisfied, Twilight left for school. Sunlight seemed to hate Twilight, as the light made her skin feel like she was on fire. Twilight saw that her skin was quickly turning red and starting to blister. But since Twilight liked coming prepared, she reached into her back pack and pulled out a jacket. Finally safe from the rays of the sun, Twilight made her way to school. Canterlot High- Homeroom Twilight sat in the thankfully windowless classroom thinking about the morning's events. First, her eyes have somehow advanced to the point the she could see in the dark and no longer needed her glasses, she couldn't eat a banana, and now the sunlight seemed to burn her skin at a fast rate. What is going on? First my eyes become better than ever and now the sun burns me? If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was becoming a... , Twilight thought before shaking her head. No, there's no way. I'm not turning into a vampire! That's just silly, Twilight thought in response. But then again, since magic exists, why not vampirism? Twilight had already had her entire worldview shaken ever since coming to this school that she may have to consider vampirism a possibility. If I am becoming a vampire, I need to go somewhere where I can test to see if this is the case, Twilight thought. The best place Twilight could think of that has the resources needed to test her blood for anything abnormal was Canterlot General Hospital. Specifically, their Hematology Department. Twilight made a mental note to visit there after school. For now, she just had to get through the rest of the day without incident. ... Cafeteria Twilight made her way down the line in the cafeteria to get her food. The more she looked at the usually-appetizing food, the more her stomach recoiled at the mere sight of the food. Losing my appetite for regular food. I'll take that as another sign of potential vampirism, Twilight said in her thoughts. Seeing as she couldn't bring herself to eat, she simply left her tray and walked over to where her friends were sitting. If I am turning into a vampire, will I have to drink blood to survive? Do I have to strictly feed on humans or can I feed from animals?, Twilight thought as she neared her friends' table. She waved to each of them as she sat down. Her friends were clearly happy to see her especially Pinkie Pie. Once she sat down, between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie raised her hand. "I like the new look, Twilight! You going through a cool-girl thing?" she asked. "No, Pinkie. I wouldn't normally wear sunglasses," Twilight replied. "Where's your food, Twilight? Not feeling hungry?" Applejack asked. "Well, the thing is I-" Twilight tried to reply before Rainbow interrupted. "Why are you wearing a jacket when it's early summer?" Rainbow asked. "That's what I wanted to talk to you girls about," Twilight said. The other girls all leaned in to hear what Twilight had to say. They all had looks of concern on their collective faces. "What's the matter, darling? Are you sick?" Rarity asked. "Whatever it is, know that we'll be here for you," Sunset said. Twilight took a deep breath and took of her sunglasses. The other girls recoiled slightly from looking at Twilight's dark bloodshot eyes. "Twilight. Your eyes... ," Fluttershy said. "I know. My eyes have changed. I no longer need my glasses and my eyes are sensitive to light," Twilight explained. "Really?" Sunset asked. "Yeah. But that's not all," Twilight said. "There's more?" Pinkie asked. "Yes. I tried to eat a banana this morning, but I physically can't eat normal food," Twilight said before pulling up the sleeve of her jacket. Twilight reached over to a spot on the table that was bathed in sunlight. To the horror and amazement of her friends, her skin started to quickly blister and burn. She pulled her hand away in pain. Her friends were now even more concerned over her health. Twilight was able to guess what they were all thinking. "Yes. I think... I may be turning into a vampire," Twilight said. Chapter 2Canterlot High- Cafeteria "You think you're turning into a vampire?" Sunset asked Twilight. "After everything that's happened, it's the most logical conclusion that I can come to. That, or this some bizarre virus I've contracted," Twilight replied. The girls were all looking at each other with varying looks of interest and concern. If it was indeed the case that Twilight was turning into a vampire, something had to be done. ""Do you have a plan for seeing if you are becoming a vampire?" Applejack asked. "I think I'll head over to the hospital's hematology department to have my blood tested. If anything, my blood should reveal anything abnormal," Twilight replied. "That's a good idea. The hospital should have the resources necessary to help you," Rarity said. Pinkie slammed her fist on the table, startling the girls. Pinkie looked to Twilight with a determined look on her face. "If you're becoming a vampire, who's the vampire who turned you?" Pinkie asked. Everyone looked to Twilight curious about who was the one that infected her. Twilight put a hand to her forehead in concentration. "I think this happened last night. I was walking home from Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed a large swarm of bats flying near the woods, and then... nothing. I don't remember anything else. All I know is that I woke up in my house with these symptoms," Twilight replied. "Twilight, if you're turning into a vampire, are you going to drink blood?" Rainbow asked. Twilight had been dreading being asked that question. She had already asked herself that very question, but she couldn't say anything for certain. "That... may very well be a possibility. I don't know if I have to drink human blood or if I can drink animal blood. But I guess I'm going to find out at some point," Twilight replied. Sunset and Applejack put their hands on Twilight's shoulders. "Twilight, vampire or not, we'll be here for you," Applejack said. "If you need anything, even blood, we'll be there to help you," Sunset said assuredly. "Thanks, girls. I needed to hear that," Twilight said. Twilight got up and walked over to the water fountain on the far side of the cafeteria. The fire in her throat was starting to act up again and she needed to quench her growing thirst. She clicked the handle on the fountain and started sucking up water as if she had spent three whole days in the Sahara without any water to drink. Each cooling gulp of water was instant relief for her burning esophagus. Just like this morning, she gulped and gulped until she felt her stomach start to fill and even swell. She finished drinking by the time the bell rang for her to go to her next classes. Twilight had to go to the hospital tonight. Canterlot General Hospital- Late Afternoon Twilight waited until the sun was just low enough in the sky for it not to burn her skin. She fed Spike and made sure he was cozy and sleeping in her room. She walked into the main lobby of the thankfully mostly empty building and up to the desk. Nurse Redheart, a good friend of Twilight's, was at the desk. She looked at the changed Twilight with a look of concern. "Twilight, are you okay?" the nurse asked. "I would like to admit myself here, specifically to your Hematology Department," Twilight replied calmly. Twilight then explained everything that had occurred. Once she was finished, Nurse Redheart quickly escorted her to a room. Once Twilight was comfortable in her room, Redheart left and returned with a phlebotomy kit used for extracting blood. Redheart extracted a decent sample of Twilight's blood. Once that was done and Redheart removed the needle, she noticed that the wound closed up in a matter of seconds. Both of them looked into each other's eyes in concern. "I'll take this to the lab and run some tests. Just lie back and relax," Redheart said. Once Nurse Redheart left the room, she speed-walked down the hallway and bumped into one of the senior doctors she worked with. One look at the man's name tag confirmed the doctor's identity. Doctor Silverwood. An older doctor at forty-two years of age and a notable genius when it came to varying fields of medical science, he is a celebrated doctor that has even one awards for his discoveries and revolutionary treatments. A tall and muscular man with black hair graying at the temples, a chiseled face, pale skin, and bright green eyes, he was quite a handsome man for his age. He rubbed his head and looked at the young nurse. "Oh! Hello, dear nurse. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked with a deep yet calm voice. "I have some blood work I need to take a look at. I'm so sorry, doctor, but I'm kind of in a hurry," Redheart said before hurrying off. Doctor Silverwood walked down the hallway with his usual gait. When he walked past the room that Nurse Redheart ran out of, he peeked in to see a relaxed Twilight laying down on the bed. That was odd for Silverwood. Usually he was alerted to any new patients arriving so that he could attend to them. He knocked on the door to alert Twilight to his presence. "Evening, miss. Are you a recent arrival?" he asked. "Yeah. I haven't been feeling well lately," Twilight said simply. Once Silverwood looked at Twilight's eyes and paling skin, his left eyebrow twitched upward slightly. With a friendly smile, the doctor gave Twilight a small bow. "Well, I hope you have a good night, Miss Sparkle. I have other patients I must check on," Silverwood said. And with that, the good doctor took his leave. Once gone, the doctor made his way to his office. "Looks like I have work to do," Silverwood said. Later That Night- Hospital Nurse Redheart was in the hospital's hematology lab looking at a drop of Twilight's blood through a microscope. She tried to discover anything abnormal in Twilight's blood that may be causing her symptoms. So far, all she saw were what one would normally see in blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and even platelets. However, she eventually found an abnormality. What she saw was something she had never seen before. A collection of tiny agents that looked similar to a virus. She watched as one of these agents approached a normal cell and attach itself to it. The foreign viral cell was rapidly hijacking the uninfected cell's inner machinery and changing it into something else entirely. "What is this?" Nurse Redheart asked herself. A buzz from Redheart's pager brought her attention away from Twilight's blood work. According to the small device, her current patient's friends were at the front desk. "Maybe spending time with her friends will take Twilight's mind off things," Redheart said. She made her way out of the lab and towards the front desk. ... Twilight's friends were all waiting at the desk to see Twilight. After waiting a few minutes, Nurse Redheart appeared and greeted them with a smile. "Hello, girls. I take it you're here to see Twilight?" she asked. "Yeah. How is she?" Sunset asked. "Well... Follow me," she said. As they walked towards Twilight's room, Nurse Redheart tried to fill them in on the small amount of headway she had with this testing. "I've never seen anything like this. Whatever is infecting Twilight, it's acting similar to a virus, yet it itself isn't a virus. At least, not by any textbook's definition," Redheart said. "It's like a new microbial lifeform is hijacking her cells and changing them into copies of itself". "Did Twilight explain to you what she thinks is happening?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah. If I hadn't seen her physical symptoms and look at her blood, I probably wouldn't have believed it," she replied. Eventually, the girls arrived at Twilight's room. "Twilight? You're friends are here to-," Nurse Redheart was about to say. Twilight wasn't there. She was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't lying in the bed. "Twilight? Where are you?!" Redheart asked worriedly. The girls checked the room for any of where she could've gone. They checked the bathroom, but she wasn't in there. Nurse Redheart left to go to the nearest nurse's station to initiate a Code Gray, the code they use for when a patient is lost. Once that was done, Redheart returned to the rest of the Rainbooms. "Alright. I may need your help finding Twilight. We don't have many hands right now, so I need you to find her," Redheart said. "Alright. We need to split into groups of two, just in case Twilight's feeling thirsty," Sunset said. The girls split up to search different parts of the hospital for their friend. They just hope they're not too late. ... Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were running through the cold storage units of the hospital looking for Twilight. These storage units were filled with donated blood for those that need it. They were looking into each unit to see if Twilight went down there for food. "You think Twilight came down here?" Pinkie asked. "She had to have come down here. If she's an undead blood-sucker, these blood storage rooms should be an all-you-can-eat buffet to her," Rainbow said. "Wait, Rainbow! Even if we do find her and she's a vampire now, what do we do? We don't have any weapons or anything to defend ourselves from vampires," Pinkie said. "I... don't know. Maybe we'll be able to reason with her. Maybe," Rainbow said. A sound of growling coming from the last blood storage unit caught their attention. They both looked to the open door with wide eyes. Both girls slowly walked to the open door and peered inside. Thankfully, the room was lit. Twilight was indeed in the room with a bag of blood held up to her mouth. She was slurping them down like a glutton. A few other blood bags lay at Twilight's feet empty with bite marks bitten through them. Twilight was wearing a standard hospital gown. Her hair hung haphazardly and disheveled. She was making loud gulping and growling sounds as she drank. Pinkie took a step forward. "Twilight? Are you okay?" Pinkie asked. Twilight dropped her now-emptied blood bag and turned to face them. Her eyes appeared to have enlarged pupils with red irises just barely visible around her eyes. Her skin had paled to the point of making her appear dead. Her teeth were positively red with blood. Black veins were visible underneath her pallid skin. Her fingertips were slightly stained with fresh blood. Her stomach was greatly distended from the amount of blood she drank. She started to walk towards them with her hands held out in a grabbing motion. "Twilight! It's us! Rainbow and Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow called. Twilight's only response was to growl and hiss at them. She crouched her legs in a lunging position. But before she could attack them, a small dart dug itself into Twilight's left thigh. The dart sent Twilight writhing to the ground in pain. There seemed to be steam rising from the wound the dart had created. Rainbow and Pinkie looked behind them. It was a doctor with a kind of blowgun in his hand. The name on his nametag was "Silverwood". He stood looking at Twilight with a steely look in his face. "Help me take our 'special patient' back to her room," he ordered. Chapter 3Canterlot General Hospital - Twilight's Room The Rainbooms, Nurse Redheart, and Doctor Silverwood were all standing around a restrained and thrashing Twilight. Silverwood had to put a muzzle over Twilight's mouth to keep her from attempting to bite everyone around her. Everyone was looking at Twilight with looks of shock and sympathy while Silverwood was suspiciously calm while looking at his patient. Rarity seemed to notice this. "You look like you've encountered this before, doctor," Rarity said. "That's because I have," Silverwood replied. Everyone looked to the doctor with looks of anticipation. Silverwood pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. He set his ironclad gaze on the girls. "I know you'll believe me when I say that vampires exist," Silverwood said. "Obviously! But what about Twilight?!" she asked urgently. "I know everything there is to know about vampires," Silverwood replied. "Why? Because I used to hunt them and destroy them". The girls all looked at Silverwood with looks of shock. It was quite the revelation that the jolly and friendly Doctor Silverwood was a vampire hunter. He looked to Twilight writhing on the bed. "We have to wait until sunrise. She'll calm right down. Her mind will go back to normal once the sun rises," Silverwood said. "Could you kindly explain what you know about vampirism?" Fluttershy asked the doctor sweetly. Doctor Silverwood leaned forward with a serious expression before he stood up. He motioned for the nurse and Rainbooms to follow him. Rainbow raised her hand in protest. "Is it really a good idea to leave Twilight all alone? What if she breaks out?" Rainbow asked. "Don't worry. I designed those restraints myself. Besides, newly-turned vampires don't have the increased strength of a mature vampire," Silverwood replied. With that, the girls reluctantly left Twilight thrashing in her bed to follow the best source of vampire information they had. They all walked down the halls of the hospital until they reached Silverwood's office. Silverwood opened the door to invite them all inside. Silverwood's office was a nice and organized room with bookshelves surrounding his large oak desk. There was a red rug in front of the desk with a couch on the right side of the room. The books on the bookshelves were medical textbooks, but there were also books on vampires, the occult, and alchemical tomes. There was a framed picture on the wall behind him depicting a younger Silverwood with a very beautiful woman with white hair, pale skin, pointed ears, and red eyes. "What do you want to know about vampires?" Silverwood said sitting at his desk. "Well... how does someone become a vampire? By biting the victim?" Rainbow asked. "No. That's movie crap. That would be the same as you getting a new brother or sister whenever you ate something," Silverwood replied. "Is there any way of stopping the infection or preventing it?" Rarity asked. "Do you watch 'The Walking Dead'?" Silverwood asked. "Yes. I watch it from time to time," Rarity replied. "It's kind of like that. Once vampirism enters the system, it's too late," Silverwood said. "Then how does this infection work?" Sunset asked. "First, the patient has to ingest the blood of a vampire. After that, the anomalous infection rapidly spreads throughout the body with symptoms manifesting with the first ten to twelve hours after initial infection," Silverwood replied. "What else? And why is Twilight acting like a rabid animal?" Rarity asked. "The infection works in stages. Right now, your friend is in Stage One of vampiric infection. She will enter a ravenous and hungry state of mind, wanting to attack and drink the blood of any living thing she see. This only occurs at night. She won't remember anything in the morning," Silverwood replied. "It's a good thing she came here where we can keep an eye on her". "How long does this stage last?" Fluttershy asked. "About a week after infection. Next, she'll enter Stage Two. That's when she'll fall into a hibernation-like state where the physical changes occur. She'll grow retractable fangs, her hair will turn white, her fingernails will fall off and be replaced with claws. That only lasts for a whole day," Silverwood reply. "Is there a final stage?" Nurse Redheart asked. "That would be Stage Three, where Twilight will wake up as a mature vampire. And she'll have the full powers of a vampire, too," Silverwood replied. "Well with the infection out of the way, what can you tell us about vampires?" Pinkie asked. Silverwood stood up and looked at his bookshelves. He seemed to be looking for a specific book. After going up a few rows, he finally found the book he was looking for. He pulled out a thin black book with the title written in a Gothic font. St. Joseph's Guide to Vampires by St. Joseph "Everything you'll need to know about vampires, the real information, is in that book," Silverwood asked. Sunset picked up the book and started looking at it. Everyone else gathered around Sunset to look through the book. Aside from physical information and descriptions, there were also illustrations for reference. One illustration they seemed to be fixated on was a picture of a vampire's skull. The skull looked mostly human with the exception of what appeared to be what the book called "sheaths" for the fangs to retract into when they weren't in use, like the claws of most big cats. There appeared to be fang sheaths in the upper and lower jaws. According to the book, the fangs would be hidden until the vampire was threatened or about to feed. Sunset closed the book and tucked it into her jacket. They may need more information on vampires if they were going to help Twilight. Fluttershy raised her hand to the doctor. "Does Twilight need human blood to survive or can she drink from animals?" she asked. "Vampires can feed from animals and be fine, but humans simply taste better," Silverwood replied. Silverwood leaned forward in his desk with his hands clasped together in front of his mouth. His green eyes were giving the girls a determined glare. "Now it's my turn to ask questions. How long ago was Twilight infected?" he asked. "Based on what she told us, just last night," Applejack replied. "Did she describe the vampire that attacked her?" he asked next. "No, she said that she was walking near the woods at night and she woke up in her room the next day with symptoms," Sunset replied. Silverwood glanced downward in thought. He squinted in concentration. He looked back at the girls with the same glare. "That doesn't make sense. Vampires don't just attack someone, turn them, and then leave them at their homes," Silverwood said. "What do you mean?" Redheart asked. "Vampires usually bring their intended spawn back to the nest, where they turn them and keep them there until they mature. They don't simply turn them and abandon them like that. This doesn't make sense," Silverwood said in reply. "'Nest'?" Pinkie asked. "Vampires are social creatures that live in groups called 'nests'. Most nests consist of five to twelve individuals, but there are some with over fifty. Each nest is led by an Alpha, usually the oldest and most powerful among them," Silverwood said. "So, Twilight doesn't belong to a nest?" Rarity asked. "It would appear not, if her sire abandoned her after infecting her," Silverwood said. "Why do you think her sire turned her if they weren't making her a part of their nest?" Applejack asked. "I couldn't bring myself to guess. But one thing is for sure, there's a new vampire in town that may be turning random people into vampires," Silverwood replied. The thought of some vampire turning random people struck the girls as frightening. Silverwood stood up with a yawn. "You all should go home and get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow once Twilight becomes more lucid," Silverwood said. "But before you go, I think you all should carry these". Doctor Silverwood pulled open a drawer in his desk and pulled out several daggers. From the looks of them they weren't made of steel. "Silver daggers. You have to use them if this new vampire decides to pay you a visit," Silverwood said. The girls and nurse all reluctantly took up a silver dagger and left Silverwood's office. Once they were gone, Silverwood looked at the framed picture of him and the beautiful woman on the wall. He stroked the picture with the same slowness and gentleness of a lover. He gave the picture a small smile. "We have a new fledgling, Loretta. She's going through a very difficult transition. I'll keep her safe and guide her as best I can. No one will ever hurt her," Silverwood said to the woman. "I may have to introduce her to the others once she has finally matured". Chapter 4Canterlot Hospital - Morning Twilight woke up to find the doctor she met last night, Silverwood, sitting in the same room as her. He looked as if he was watching over her the entire night. She tried to sit up in the bed to look around, but she was stopped by the restraints around her body. She looked down her nose to see a muzzle wrapped around her mouth. Twilight looked to the doctor in confusion. "What's going on? Why am I tied to the bed and wearing a muzzle like Hannibal Lecter?" she asked. The doctor got up from his seat and walked over to her left side. He looked down at Twilight with a small smile. "You just went through your first night of the first stage of vampirism. You don't remember what happened?" he asked. "Not at all," Twilight said shaking her head. "But why does my mouth taste weird?" "You broke into the blood storage area and helped yourself," he replied. Twilight's red eyes grew as wide as coins. She looked up at the ceiling. "If it makes you feel any better, I was able to stop you before you could munch on your friends," Silverwood said. "Wait! I attacked my friends?!" she shouted. "More like 'tried'. I shot you with a silver dart before you could hurt them," Silverwood replied. "Where are they now?" she asked. "I sent them home after giving them a crash course on vampirism," Silverwood said. Twilight squinted her eyes at the doctor. "You know about vampirism?" "I know everything there is to know about vampires because I used to hunt and kill them," Silverwood replied. "What?!" Twilight shouted. "Perhaps we should get your friends here to discuss how we'll move forward," Silverwood said taking out his phone. "Are you expecting me to ignore the fact that you're a former vampire hunter?" Twilight asked. "All will be revealed soon enough," Silverwood said. ... A Few Hours Later The Rainbooms, along with Nurse Redheart, arrived at the hospital and gathered in Twilight's room. Silverwood had drawn the curtains over the windows for Twilight's comfort. Twilight no longer wore the muzzle and was freed from the restraints. They all ran to Twilight and gave her a group hug, despite the previous night's events. "Twilight! Are you okay?!" they all asked collectively. "I feel like... I really have to pee," she said before running to the bathroom and shutting the door. Silverwood shrugged. "Makes sense. Blood contains mostly water". As they waited for Twilight to come back out, they detected the strong smell of ammonia in the room. "Why do I smell ammonia?" Fluttershy asked. "Vampires produce and secrete ammonia as a byproduct of their blood-based diet, just like vampire bats," Silverwood replied. Twilight emerged a few minutes later. She returned to the bed with a tired look on her face. Silverwood tucked her in and pulled a bag of blood out of drawer to give to Twilight. Twilight gently pushed away the offered bag, despite her stomach growling at the sight of it. Silverwood placed the bag on her lap instead. "The transformation tires you out. You have to feed to undergo the transformation healthily. If you don't drink blood, it will become painful for you once you enter the second stage," Silverwood said. With that, Twilight took the bag and reluctantly started to drink the blood through the tube in the bag. At first, she was drinking slowly. Then, she started to gulp it down greedily until the bag was a plastic raisin. She sighed with content as she slumped back onto the pillow. "I'll bring you a new bag every few hours. Make sure you drink all of them," Silverwood said. "But something tells me that I don't need to tell you that". "What do we do?" Pinkie asked. "I would suggest that, for now, you keep her company until the sun goes down. I'll restrain her at sunset," Silverwood said. "What about school? You said that Stage One lasts for a week," Sunset asked. "One of you can bring her homework and assignments here for her to work on during daylight," Silverwood replied. "What happens after I become a fully mature vampire? What will I do?" Twilight asked. "I'm going to put you in touch with Nightlife," Silverwood said. "What's Nightlife?" Applejack asked. "It's a vampire counseling program I help run here at the hospital. Once you've matured, Twilight, I'll invite you to the group and introduce you to other vampires," Silverwood said. The girls were shocked. There were other vampires in the city? And they came to the hospital for counseling? This was a lot to take in at once. "Don't worry, Twilight. These are very nice people. I've know them for a long time. Besides, you have good friends here," Silverwood said. That made Twilight feel a bit better. She thought about the inevitability of her meeting other vampires with anticipation. It would be nice for Twilight to be surrounded by other vampires like her. They could help her to adapt to this new state of being better than she could on her own. Besides, it wasn't like her sire was going to show her the ropes. "I hope they'll be able to help me out once I become a full vampire," Twilight said. "I know they will, Twilight. The oldest among them lived during the time of the Roman Empire, so she has centuries of experience," Silverwood said. That statement caught the others off-guard. Since the time of the Roman Empire? That would make this vampire two-thousand years old at the very least. Obviously, the part about vampires being immortal was true to them, now. "Well, it seems I'll have a lot of time to adjust to this," Twilight said with a laugh. Everyone except Doctor Silverwood started laughing. Silverwood just looked at all of them with a smile. It looks like Twilight is going to have a smooth transformation. I just hope her sire doesn't cause any trouble, Silverwood thought. "Yeah, we'll be here for you all the way, Twi!" Rainbow assured. Chapter 5One Week Later - Canterlot Hospital Silverwood was watching over Twilight at night as usual. He was cradling her head in his left hand while sticking part of an IV tube through the slits of the muzzle to Twilight's mouth. The tube was connected to a full bag of A+ blood, which Twilight was gulping down steadily. It was like a parent feeding a baby. The good doctor noticed that Twilight became more docile when being fed in this manner. She closed her dark eyes and started purring with contentment. Probably the fledgling instinct kicking in. Vampires are supposed to feed their spawn until they mature, damn it, Silverwood thought. During the week that Twilight had been in Stage One, her teeth had started to fall out. Small piranha-like teeth were growing in their place. If that was anything to go by, Silverwood determined the species of vampire Twilight was becoming. He patted her head affectionately as he spoke. "Looks like you're becoming a Strigoi, Twilight. A common species, that one," Silverwood said. Twilight just kept drinking until the bag was empty. She continued to suck until the bag was vacuum-sealed. She spat out the tube and started to screech for more. Silverwood calmly smiled and stood up to walk out the door. "Don't worry, Twilight. I'll be back with more blood for you," he assured. It was at that point that Twilight suddenly lost consciousness. Nurse Redheart happened to join the doctor when Twilight fell comatose. "Is Twilight alright, doctor?!" she asked in worry. "She's fine. She's finally entered Stage Two," Silverwood replied. "Better call her friends and tell them. Oh, and call this number, too". Silverwood handed the nurse a notecard with a phone number written on it. She took it and left Silverwood to watch over Twilight. ... Later The Rainbooms ran into the room and saw Twilight in her comatose state. Her readings on the monitors were slow, but consistent and indicative of life. They all sighed with relief knowing their friend was alive. "Twilight is starting to mature?" Sunset asked. "Yep. When she wakes up, she'll be a full-fledged Strigoi," Silverwood replied. "Strigoi?" Pinkie asked. "It's one of the different species of vampire that walk the earth," Silverwood replied. That caught the girls' attention immediately. They all stared at the doctor in a way that said they wanted him to elaborate on his statement. "There are different species of vampire around the world. The one that Twilight is becoming is called a 'Strigoi', one of the most common species," Silverwood said. "What other species are there?" Fluttershy asked. Silverwood put his thumb under his chin to think. He started counting off species with his fingers. "There are the Strix, Nachzehrer, Pontianak, Bruxa, Alps, Asanbosam, Jiangshi, Aswang, Vrykolakas, Lamiae, Moroi, Vetala, Baobhan-Sith, Empouse, and Upir," Silverwood replied. The silence and shock were so thick, one could cut them with a knife. They had no idea there were so many different species of vampire in the world. It made them question just how many of the people they interact with are secretly vampires. "With that out of the way, I've got a special guest coming over to help Twilight once she wakes up," Silverwood said. "Who?" Fluttershy asked. As if on cue, a familiar figure strode into the room. This figure was wearing a white jacket, a white short skirt with a musical note stitched along the hips, a pair of headphones around her neck, purple sunglasses, magenta sneakers. Her pale skin and electric blue hair identified her as someone the gathered friends knew. "Vinyl Scratch?!" they all cried. The famous school DJ stood there with a smile on her face. She pulled down her violet shades to reveal a pair of red eyes with slit pupils like a cat. Her fingernails grew longer and darker until they resembled claws. A set of fangs descended over her teeth and her ears grew slightly pointed. "Yo? What's up, Doc Silverwood?" she greeted the doctor. "I'm well and prosperous. You look like you're doing quite well, yourself," Silverwood said. Vinyl looked down at the prone and sleeping Twilight. "I take it this is the little pipistrelle you told me about?" "Yep. She's going to need a guiding hand when she wakes up. I trust you've told the others?" Silverwood asked. "Don't worry. They all know. They're all eager to meet her," Vinyl replied. The Rainbooms were confused. "Wait! Vinyl Scratch is a vampire?!" Rarity asked. "I'm a Moroi, to be exact. It's nice to be able to talk to my human peers in this form," Vinyl said. "I'm starting to wonder who else at school is a vampire? I may want to throw a vampire-human party!" Pinkie said. Vinyl chuckled at Pinkie's enthusiasm in a motherly way. "I would like that, dear. But right now, we have to focus on Twilight". "Wait, since you're a vamp - uh, Moroi, how old are you?" Applejack asked. "I'm about to turn 2,583 next month," Vinyl replied. The girls could catch flies with how long they kept their mouths open. Rarity especially seemed intrigued by that revelation. "Vampirism have some really tempting benefits," Rarity said. "It has its unique pleasures," Vinyl said. "And it looks like Twilight is going to know those pleasures soon enough". Vinyl walked to Twilight's side. She put her finger in Twilight's mouth and parted her lips. Vinyl looked at Twilight's teeth and nodded. "Looks like we've got a newborn Strigoi on our claws," Vinyl said. "That means she's going to have the cutest little bat ears!" Vinyl was acting as if she was talking about a newborn baby. It was quite wholesome to see. When one reached Vinyl's age, everyone around them must look like a child to them. Vinyl started to stroke Twilight's hair as she hibernated. "You all won't need to worry, girls. I'll make sure Twilight is nurtured like a proper vampire," Vinyl said. Silverwood and the Rainbooms smiled knowing that Twilight would be taken care of by a good friend.
Chapter 1Canterlot- Nighttime Twilight Sparkle was facing a dark and empty street by herself. It had been quite a long chore helping Applejack with her homework, but least she grasped trigonometry well enough to pass. Now, she had to walk home in the dark of night. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark; she had the comfort and pleasure of looking up at the stars. She also knew that Canterlot was a very safe city to live in. But there was something about being the only person walking down a neighborhood street in the dark that was quite unsettling. The longer she walked, the more she started to notice that there were quite a lot of bats flying around the area. It seemed like everywhere she looked, she saw small flying shapes darting through the light of the street lamps and covered the light of the stars. Some of them flew so close to her that she could hear the flapping of their wings. It was somewhat comforting to hear the sounds of a bat's wingbeats. As soon as she neared a wooded part of the street, the bats started to fly towards that particular road as it was nearest to the woods. "Maybe there's a cave or a large hollow tree where these bats are roosting," Twilight said. She continued walking past the woods with her chiropteran companions when she heard a sound coming from the woods. It sounded like a large animal moving through the forest. Whatever it was, it was big and fast. Twilight ran different thoughts through her head to figure out what that was. It sounded too small to be a bear and moved too fast to be a deer. Then again, Twilight had never heard of any bear sightings in the woods around the city. Either way, she had to focus on getting home. As soon as Twilight took a single step forward, something dark shot out of the trees and grappled Twilight to the ground. While they rolled along the ground, Twilight felt a pair of strong and cold hands clasp over her left shoulder and mouth. She tried to scream, but the hand clasped over her mouth prevented her form doing so. Twilight and her attacker found themselves in the front yard of a vacant house. She gazed up to see who or what her attacker was. All she saw was a tall figure wearing a black coat with a hood concealing their face. The only part of their face she could see were their eyes. The eyes that stared down at Twilight were seemingly glowing a luminescent shade of red. The pupils were greatly expanded like the eyes of an owl. "Hello, dear one," the figure said in a masculine voice that seemed to echo. "Tonight is your lucky night. You are about to receive a blessing unlike anything you can imagine". The figure raised his hand to his mouth and seemed to bite down on his wrist. The next thing Twilight saw was a bloody wrist being lowered to her face. Twilight felt both hands pry open her mouth with extreme strength. Twilight wanted to scream and try to fight off her attacker, but she had a feeling that this person would hurt her if she tried. The bloody wrist of the stranger found its way to Twilight's mouth. Twilight could feel drops of the figure's blood entering her mouth. The taste of the blood was terrible. It was if she was drinking medicine mixed with mushrooms. Her attacker then forced her mouth closed and started to stroke her throat, forcing her to swallow the blood. Once that was done, the stranger stood to his full imposing height. He backed away with a paternal look in his eyes. "Rejoice, dear child! Embrace your glorious future!" he said with the same echoed voice. With that, the figure swung his fist across Twilight's jaw. The Next Morning Twilight felt something warm and wet streak across her face. She slowly opened her eyes to see her faithful dog Spike laying on her chest and licking her face. "Morning, Twilight! You ready to start the new school week?" Spike asked. Twilight rose from her bed and tried to recollect how she got into her bed. She was walking home near the woods and... nothing. She couldn't really remember anything after that. Either way, she was glad to be safe at home. "It's such a beautiful day today, Twilight! Look!" Spike said, pulling back the curtains to her bedroom. The sunlight entering the room made Twilight feel like her eyes and skin were on fire! She jumped back into the bed and buried herself under the covers. She spoke to Spike in a hissing voice. "Spike! Close the curtains!" she shouted. "O-okay, Twilight!" Spike said with fear. Twilight heard the sound of the curtains being drawn back. She merged from the covers and went to Spike, who took an involuntary step back. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Spike. But the light hurts my eyes," Twilight said. "Are you okay? If light hurts your eyes, maybe you should see a doctor," Spike said. "I can't do that, Spike. I have to get ready for school. If I start feeling sick, I'll go see a doctor," Twilight said. Twilight walked to her bathroom and started to brush her teeth. As she stayed in the bathroom, she noticed that the bathroom didn't seem as dark as she thought. The lights weren't on, but she could see everything in the bathroom perfectly. She also noticed that she didn't have her glasses on. She looked at her reflection in the mirror to confirm what she suspects. Her eyes were different. Her pupils had enlarged to a degree that almost took up her entire eye. This explained why her eyes were more sensitive to light, since the pupil was the part of the eye that drew in more light to see. But why were her pupils so big? Maybe she should make an appointment with her optometrist. But right now, she had to get to school. She exited the bathroom and grabbed a pair of sunglass that sat on her desk and put them on. Twilight didn't know if this weird phenomenon with her eyes was permanent, but she didn't want to damage her eyes with the onslaught of sunlight. Twilight walked down the stairs and went into the kitchen to grab something to eat before school. She grabbed a banana and started to take a bite. But when she tried to swallow it, her throat closed up. Twilight gagged and coughed up the wad of chewed-up banana. She grabbed a glass of water and downed it. The more water she drank, the more she realized how thirsty she was. Thankfully, the water seemed to quell the fire in her throat. She breathed a sigh of relief as she filled up the glass with more water to drink. She kept drinking and drinking until she felt her stomach completely fill with water. Once she was satisfied, Twilight left for school. Sunlight seemed to hate Twilight, as the light made her skin feel like she was on fire. Twilight saw that her skin was quickly turning red and starting to blister. But since Twilight liked coming prepared, she reached into her back pack and pulled out a jacket. Finally safe from the rays of the sun, Twilight made her way to school. Canterlot High- Homeroom Twilight sat in the thankfully windowless classroom thinking about the morning's events. First, her eyes have somehow advanced to the point the she could see in the dark and no longer needed her glasses, she couldn't eat a banana, and now the sunlight seemed to burn her skin at a fast rate. What is going on? First my eyes become better than ever and now the sun burns me? If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was becoming a... , Twilight thought before shaking her head. No, there's no way. I'm not turning into a vampire! That's just silly, Twilight thought in response. But then again, since magic exists, why not vampirism? Twilight had already had her entire worldview shaken ever since coming to this school that she may have to consider vampirism a possibility. If I am becoming a vampire, I need to go somewhere where I can test to see if this is the case, Twilight thought. The best place Twilight could think of that has the resources needed to test her blood for anything abnormal was Canterlot General Hospital. Specifically, their Hematology Department. Twilight made a mental note to visit there after school. For now, she just had to get through the rest of the day without incident. ... Cafeteria Twilight made her way down the line in the cafeteria to get her food. The more she looked at the usually-appetizing food, the more her stomach recoiled at the mere sight of the food. Losing my appetite for regular food. I'll take that as another sign of potential vampirism, Twilight said in her thoughts. Seeing as she couldn't bring herself to eat, she simply left her tray and walked over to where her friends were sitting. If I am turning into a vampire, will I have to drink blood to survive? Do I have to strictly feed on humans or can I feed from animals?, Twilight thought as she neared her friends' table. She waved to each of them as she sat down. Her friends were clearly happy to see her especially Pinkie Pie. Once she sat down, between Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Pinkie raised her hand. "I like the new look, Twilight! You going through a cool-girl thing?" she asked. "No, Pinkie. I wouldn't normally wear sunglasses," Twilight replied. "Where's your food, Twilight? Not feeling hungry?" Applejack asked. "Well, the thing is I-" Twilight tried to reply before Rainbow interrupted. "Why are you wearing a jacket when it's early summer?" Rainbow asked. "That's what I wanted to talk to you girls about," Twilight said. The other girls all leaned in to hear what Twilight had to say. They all had looks of concern on their collective faces. "What's the matter, darling? Are you sick?" Rarity asked. "Whatever it is, know that we'll be here for you," Sunset said. Twilight took a deep breath and took of her sunglasses. The other girls recoiled slightly from looking at Twilight's dark bloodshot eyes. "Twilight. Your eyes... ," Fluttershy said. "I know. My eyes have changed. I no longer need my glasses and my eyes are sensitive to light," Twilight explained. "Really?" Sunset asked. "Yeah. But that's not all," Twilight said. "There's more?" Pinkie asked. "Yes. I tried to eat a banana this morning, but I physically can't eat normal food," Twilight said before pulling up the sleeve of her jacket. Twilight reached over to a spot on the table that was bathed in sunlight. To the horror and amazement of her friends, her skin started to quickly blister and burn. She pulled her hand away in pain. Her friends were now even more concerned over her health. Twilight was able to guess what they were all thinking. "Yes. I think... I may be turning into a vampire," Twilight said.
Chapter 2Canterlot High- Cafeteria "You think you're turning into a vampire?" Sunset asked Twilight. "After everything that's happened, it's the most logical conclusion that I can come to. That, or this some bizarre virus I've contracted," Twilight replied. The girls were all looking at each other with varying looks of interest and concern. If it was indeed the case that Twilight was turning into a vampire, something had to be done. ""Do you have a plan for seeing if you are becoming a vampire?" Applejack asked. "I think I'll head over to the hospital's hematology department to have my blood tested. If anything, my blood should reveal anything abnormal," Twilight replied. "That's a good idea. The hospital should have the resources necessary to help you," Rarity said. Pinkie slammed her fist on the table, startling the girls. Pinkie looked to Twilight with a determined look on her face. "If you're becoming a vampire, who's the vampire who turned you?" Pinkie asked. Everyone looked to Twilight curious about who was the one that infected her. Twilight put a hand to her forehead in concentration. "I think this happened last night. I was walking home from Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed a large swarm of bats flying near the woods, and then... nothing. I don't remember anything else. All I know is that I woke up in my house with these symptoms," Twilight replied. "Twilight, if you're turning into a vampire, are you going to drink blood?" Rainbow asked. Twilight had been dreading being asked that question. She had already asked herself that very question, but she couldn't say anything for certain. "That... may very well be a possibility. I don't know if I have to drink human blood or if I can drink animal blood. But I guess I'm going to find out at some point," Twilight replied. Sunset and Applejack put their hands on Twilight's shoulders. "Twilight, vampire or not, we'll be here for you," Applejack said. "If you need anything, even blood, we'll be there to help you," Sunset said assuredly. "Thanks, girls. I needed to hear that," Twilight said. Twilight got up and walked over to the water fountain on the far side of the cafeteria. The fire in her throat was starting to act up again and she needed to quench her growing thirst. She clicked the handle on the fountain and started sucking up water as if she had spent three whole days in the Sahara without any water to drink. Each cooling gulp of water was instant relief for her burning esophagus. Just like this morning, she gulped and gulped until she felt her stomach start to fill and even swell. She finished drinking by the time the bell rang for her to go to her next classes. Twilight had to go to the hospital tonight. Canterlot General Hospital- Late Afternoon Twilight waited until the sun was just low enough in the sky for it not to burn her skin. She fed Spike and made sure he was cozy and sleeping in her room. She walked into the main lobby of the thankfully mostly empty building and up to the desk. Nurse Redheart, a good friend of Twilight's, was at the desk. She looked at the changed Twilight with a look of concern. "Twilight, are you okay?" the nurse asked. "I would like to admit myself here, specifically to your Hematology Department," Twilight replied calmly. Twilight then explained everything that had occurred. Once she was finished, Nurse Redheart quickly escorted her to a room. Once Twilight was comfortable in her room, Redheart left and returned with a phlebotomy kit used for extracting blood. Redheart extracted a decent sample of Twilight's blood. Once that was done and Redheart removed the needle, she noticed that the wound closed up in a matter of seconds. Both of them looked into each other's eyes in concern. "I'll take this to the lab and run some tests. Just lie back and relax," Redheart said. Once Nurse Redheart left the room, she speed-walked down the hallway and bumped into one of the senior doctors she worked with. One look at the man's name tag confirmed the doctor's identity. Doctor Silverwood. An older doctor at forty-two years of age and a notable genius when it came to varying fields of medical science, he is a celebrated doctor that has even one awards for his discoveries and revolutionary treatments. A tall and muscular man with black hair graying at the temples, a chiseled face, pale skin, and bright green eyes, he was quite a handsome man for his age. He rubbed his head and looked at the young nurse. "Oh! Hello, dear nurse. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked with a deep yet calm voice. "I have some blood work I need to take a look at. I'm so sorry, doctor, but I'm kind of in a hurry," Redheart said before hurrying off. Doctor Silverwood walked down the hallway with his usual gait. When he walked past the room that Nurse Redheart ran out of, he peeked in to see a relaxed Twilight laying down on the bed. That was odd for Silverwood. Usually he was alerted to any new patients arriving so that he could attend to them. He knocked on the door to alert Twilight to his presence. "Evening, miss. Are you a recent arrival?" he asked. "Yeah. I haven't been feeling well lately," Twilight said simply. Once Silverwood looked at Twilight's eyes and paling skin, his left eyebrow twitched upward slightly. With a friendly smile, the doctor gave Twilight a small bow. "Well, I hope you have a good night, Miss Sparkle. I have other patients I must check on," Silverwood said. And with that, the good doctor took his leave. Once gone, the doctor made his way to his office. "Looks like I have work to do," Silverwood said. Later That Night- Hospital Nurse Redheart was in the hospital's hematology lab looking at a drop of Twilight's blood through a microscope. She tried to discover anything abnormal in Twilight's blood that may be causing her symptoms. So far, all she saw were what one would normally see in blood: red blood cells, white blood cells, and even platelets. However, she eventually found an abnormality. What she saw was something she had never seen before. A collection of tiny agents that looked similar to a virus. She watched as one of these agents approached a normal cell and attach itself to it. The foreign viral cell was rapidly hijacking the uninfected cell's inner machinery and changing it into something else entirely. "What is this?" Nurse Redheart asked herself. A buzz from Redheart's pager brought her attention away from Twilight's blood work. According to the small device, her current patient's friends were at the front desk. "Maybe spending time with her friends will take Twilight's mind off things," Redheart said. She made her way out of the lab and towards the front desk. ... Twilight's friends were all waiting at the desk to see Twilight. After waiting a few minutes, Nurse Redheart appeared and greeted them with a smile. "Hello, girls. I take it you're here to see Twilight?" she asked. "Yeah. How is she?" Sunset asked. "Well... Follow me," she said. As they walked towards Twilight's room, Nurse Redheart tried to fill them in on the small amount of headway she had with this testing. "I've never seen anything like this. Whatever is infecting Twilight, it's acting similar to a virus, yet it itself isn't a virus. At least, not by any textbook's definition," Redheart said. "It's like a new microbial lifeform is hijacking her cells and changing them into copies of itself". "Did Twilight explain to you what she thinks is happening?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah. If I hadn't seen her physical symptoms and look at her blood, I probably wouldn't have believed it," she replied. Eventually, the girls arrived at Twilight's room. "Twilight? You're friends are here to-," Nurse Redheart was about to say. Twilight wasn't there. She was nowhere to be seen. She wasn't lying in the bed. "Twilight? Where are you?!" Redheart asked worriedly. The girls checked the room for any of where she could've gone. They checked the bathroom, but she wasn't in there. Nurse Redheart left to go to the nearest nurse's station to initiate a Code Gray, the code they use for when a patient is lost. Once that was done, Redheart returned to the rest of the Rainbooms. "Alright. I may need your help finding Twilight. We don't have many hands right now, so I need you to find her," Redheart said. "Alright. We need to split into groups of two, just in case Twilight's feeling thirsty," Sunset said. The girls split up to search different parts of the hospital for their friend. They just hope they're not too late. ... Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were running through the cold storage units of the hospital looking for Twilight. These storage units were filled with donated blood for those that need it. They were looking into each unit to see if Twilight went down there for food. "You think Twilight came down here?" Pinkie asked. "She had to have come down here. If she's an undead blood-sucker, these blood storage rooms should be an all-you-can-eat buffet to her," Rainbow said. "Wait, Rainbow! Even if we do find her and she's a vampire now, what do we do? We don't have any weapons or anything to defend ourselves from vampires," Pinkie said. "I... don't know. Maybe we'll be able to reason with her. Maybe," Rainbow said. A sound of growling coming from the last blood storage unit caught their attention. They both looked to the open door with wide eyes. Both girls slowly walked to the open door and peered inside. Thankfully, the room was lit. Twilight was indeed in the room with a bag of blood held up to her mouth. She was slurping them down like a glutton. A few other blood bags lay at Twilight's feet empty with bite marks bitten through them. Twilight was wearing a standard hospital gown. Her hair hung haphazardly and disheveled. She was making loud gulping and growling sounds as she drank. Pinkie took a step forward. "Twilight? Are you okay?" Pinkie asked. Twilight dropped her now-emptied blood bag and turned to face them. Her eyes appeared to have enlarged pupils with red irises just barely visible around her eyes. Her skin had paled to the point of making her appear dead. Her teeth were positively red with blood. Black veins were visible underneath her pallid skin. Her fingertips were slightly stained with fresh blood. Her stomach was greatly distended from the amount of blood she drank. She started to walk towards them with her hands held out in a grabbing motion. "Twilight! It's us! Rainbow and Pinkie Pie!" Rainbow called. Twilight's only response was to growl and hiss at them. She crouched her legs in a lunging position. But before she could attack them, a small dart dug itself into Twilight's left thigh. The dart sent Twilight writhing to the ground in pain. There seemed to be steam rising from the wound the dart had created. Rainbow and Pinkie looked behind them. It was a doctor with a kind of blowgun in his hand. The name on his nametag was "Silverwood". He stood looking at Twilight with a steely look in his face. "Help me take our 'special patient' back to her room," he ordered.
Chapter 3Canterlot General Hospital - Twilight's Room The Rainbooms, Nurse Redheart, and Doctor Silverwood were all standing around a restrained and thrashing Twilight. Silverwood had to put a muzzle over Twilight's mouth to keep her from attempting to bite everyone around her. Everyone was looking at Twilight with looks of shock and sympathy while Silverwood was suspiciously calm while looking at his patient. Rarity seemed to notice this. "You look like you've encountered this before, doctor," Rarity said. "That's because I have," Silverwood replied. Everyone looked to the doctor with looks of anticipation. Silverwood pulled up a nearby chair and sat down. He set his ironclad gaze on the girls. "I know you'll believe me when I say that vampires exist," Silverwood said. "Obviously! But what about Twilight?!" she asked urgently. "I know everything there is to know about vampires," Silverwood replied. "Why? Because I used to hunt them and destroy them". The girls all looked at Silverwood with looks of shock. It was quite the revelation that the jolly and friendly Doctor Silverwood was a vampire hunter. He looked to Twilight writhing on the bed. "We have to wait until sunrise. She'll calm right down. Her mind will go back to normal once the sun rises," Silverwood said. "Could you kindly explain what you know about vampirism?" Fluttershy asked the doctor sweetly. Doctor Silverwood leaned forward with a serious expression before he stood up. He motioned for the nurse and Rainbooms to follow him. Rainbow raised her hand in protest. "Is it really a good idea to leave Twilight all alone? What if she breaks out?" Rainbow asked. "Don't worry. I designed those restraints myself. Besides, newly-turned vampires don't have the increased strength of a mature vampire," Silverwood replied. With that, the girls reluctantly left Twilight thrashing in her bed to follow the best source of vampire information they had. They all walked down the halls of the hospital until they reached Silverwood's office. Silverwood opened the door to invite them all inside. Silverwood's office was a nice and organized room with bookshelves surrounding his large oak desk. There was a red rug in front of the desk with a couch on the right side of the room. The books on the bookshelves were medical textbooks, but there were also books on vampires, the occult, and alchemical tomes. There was a framed picture on the wall behind him depicting a younger Silverwood with a very beautiful woman with white hair, pale skin, pointed ears, and red eyes. "What do you want to know about vampires?" Silverwood said sitting at his desk. "Well... how does someone become a vampire? By biting the victim?" Rainbow asked. "No. That's movie crap. That would be the same as you getting a new brother or sister whenever you ate something," Silverwood replied. "Is there any way of stopping the infection or preventing it?" Rarity asked. "Do you watch 'The Walking Dead'?" Silverwood asked. "Yes. I watch it from time to time," Rarity replied. "It's kind of like that. Once vampirism enters the system, it's too late," Silverwood said. "Then how does this infection work?" Sunset asked. "First, the patient has to ingest the blood of a vampire. After that, the anomalous infection rapidly spreads throughout the body with symptoms manifesting with the first ten to twelve hours after initial infection," Silverwood replied. "What else? And why is Twilight acting like a rabid animal?" Rarity asked. "The infection works in stages. Right now, your friend is in Stage One of vampiric infection. She will enter a ravenous and hungry state of mind, wanting to attack and drink the blood of any living thing she see. This only occurs at night. She won't remember anything in the morning," Silverwood replied. "It's a good thing she came here where we can keep an eye on her". "How long does this stage last?" Fluttershy asked. "About a week after infection. Next, she'll enter Stage Two. That's when she'll fall into a hibernation-like state where the physical changes occur. She'll grow retractable fangs, her hair will turn white, her fingernails will fall off and be replaced with claws. That only lasts for a whole day," Silverwood reply. "Is there a final stage?" Nurse Redheart asked. "That would be Stage Three, where Twilight will wake up as a mature vampire. And she'll have the full powers of a vampire, too," Silverwood replied. "Well with the infection out of the way, what can you tell us about vampires?" Pinkie asked. Silverwood stood up and looked at his bookshelves. He seemed to be looking for a specific book. After going up a few rows, he finally found the book he was looking for. He pulled out a thin black book with the title written in a Gothic font. St. Joseph's Guide to Vampires by St. Joseph "Everything you'll need to know about vampires, the real information, is in that book," Silverwood asked. Sunset picked up the book and started looking at it. Everyone else gathered around Sunset to look through the book. Aside from physical information and descriptions, there were also illustrations for reference. One illustration they seemed to be fixated on was a picture of a vampire's skull. The skull looked mostly human with the exception of what appeared to be what the book called "sheaths" for the fangs to retract into when they weren't in use, like the claws of most big cats. There appeared to be fang sheaths in the upper and lower jaws. According to the book, the fangs would be hidden until the vampire was threatened or about to feed. Sunset closed the book and tucked it into her jacket. They may need more information on vampires if they were going to help Twilight. Fluttershy raised her hand to the doctor. "Does Twilight need human blood to survive or can she drink from animals?" she asked. "Vampires can feed from animals and be fine, but humans simply taste better," Silverwood replied. Silverwood leaned forward in his desk with his hands clasped together in front of his mouth. His green eyes were giving the girls a determined glare. "Now it's my turn to ask questions. How long ago was Twilight infected?" he asked. "Based on what she told us, just last night," Applejack replied. "Did she describe the vampire that attacked her?" he asked next. "No, she said that she was walking near the woods at night and she woke up in her room the next day with symptoms," Sunset replied. Silverwood glanced downward in thought. He squinted in concentration. He looked back at the girls with the same glare. "That doesn't make sense. Vampires don't just attack someone, turn them, and then leave them at their homes," Silverwood said. "What do you mean?" Redheart asked. "Vampires usually bring their intended spawn back to the nest, where they turn them and keep them there until they mature. They don't simply turn them and abandon them like that. This doesn't make sense," Silverwood said in reply. "'Nest'?" Pinkie asked. "Vampires are social creatures that live in groups called 'nests'. Most nests consist of five to twelve individuals, but there are some with over fifty. Each nest is led by an Alpha, usually the oldest and most powerful among them," Silverwood said. "So, Twilight doesn't belong to a nest?" Rarity asked. "It would appear not, if her sire abandoned her after infecting her," Silverwood said. "Why do you think her sire turned her if they weren't making her a part of their nest?" Applejack asked. "I couldn't bring myself to guess. But one thing is for sure, there's a new vampire in town that may be turning random people into vampires," Silverwood replied. The thought of some vampire turning random people struck the girls as frightening. Silverwood stood up with a yawn. "You all should go home and get some sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow once Twilight becomes more lucid," Silverwood said. "But before you go, I think you all should carry these". Doctor Silverwood pulled open a drawer in his desk and pulled out several daggers. From the looks of them they weren't made of steel. "Silver daggers. You have to use them if this new vampire decides to pay you a visit," Silverwood said. The girls and nurse all reluctantly took up a silver dagger and left Silverwood's office. Once they were gone, Silverwood looked at the framed picture of him and the beautiful woman on the wall. He stroked the picture with the same slowness and gentleness of a lover. He gave the picture a small smile. "We have a new fledgling, Loretta. She's going through a very difficult transition. I'll keep her safe and guide her as best I can. No one will ever hurt her," Silverwood said to the woman. "I may have to introduce her to the others once she has finally matured".
Chapter 4Canterlot Hospital - Morning Twilight woke up to find the doctor she met last night, Silverwood, sitting in the same room as her. He looked as if he was watching over her the entire night. She tried to sit up in the bed to look around, but she was stopped by the restraints around her body. She looked down her nose to see a muzzle wrapped around her mouth. Twilight looked to the doctor in confusion. "What's going on? Why am I tied to the bed and wearing a muzzle like Hannibal Lecter?" she asked. The doctor got up from his seat and walked over to her left side. He looked down at Twilight with a small smile. "You just went through your first night of the first stage of vampirism. You don't remember what happened?" he asked. "Not at all," Twilight said shaking her head. "But why does my mouth taste weird?" "You broke into the blood storage area and helped yourself," he replied. Twilight's red eyes grew as wide as coins. She looked up at the ceiling. "If it makes you feel any better, I was able to stop you before you could munch on your friends," Silverwood said. "Wait! I attacked my friends?!" she shouted. "More like 'tried'. I shot you with a silver dart before you could hurt them," Silverwood replied. "Where are they now?" she asked. "I sent them home after giving them a crash course on vampirism," Silverwood said. Twilight squinted her eyes at the doctor. "You know about vampirism?" "I know everything there is to know about vampires because I used to hunt and kill them," Silverwood replied. "What?!" Twilight shouted. "Perhaps we should get your friends here to discuss how we'll move forward," Silverwood said taking out his phone. "Are you expecting me to ignore the fact that you're a former vampire hunter?" Twilight asked. "All will be revealed soon enough," Silverwood said. ... A Few Hours Later The Rainbooms, along with Nurse Redheart, arrived at the hospital and gathered in Twilight's room. Silverwood had drawn the curtains over the windows for Twilight's comfort. Twilight no longer wore the muzzle and was freed from the restraints. They all ran to Twilight and gave her a group hug, despite the previous night's events. "Twilight! Are you okay?!" they all asked collectively. "I feel like... I really have to pee," she said before running to the bathroom and shutting the door. Silverwood shrugged. "Makes sense. Blood contains mostly water". As they waited for Twilight to come back out, they detected the strong smell of ammonia in the room. "Why do I smell ammonia?" Fluttershy asked. "Vampires produce and secrete ammonia as a byproduct of their blood-based diet, just like vampire bats," Silverwood replied. Twilight emerged a few minutes later. She returned to the bed with a tired look on her face. Silverwood tucked her in and pulled a bag of blood out of drawer to give to Twilight. Twilight gently pushed away the offered bag, despite her stomach growling at the sight of it. Silverwood placed the bag on her lap instead. "The transformation tires you out. You have to feed to undergo the transformation healthily. If you don't drink blood, it will become painful for you once you enter the second stage," Silverwood said. With that, Twilight took the bag and reluctantly started to drink the blood through the tube in the bag. At first, she was drinking slowly. Then, she started to gulp it down greedily until the bag was a plastic raisin. She sighed with content as she slumped back onto the pillow. "I'll bring you a new bag every few hours. Make sure you drink all of them," Silverwood said. "But something tells me that I don't need to tell you that". "What do we do?" Pinkie asked. "I would suggest that, for now, you keep her company until the sun goes down. I'll restrain her at sunset," Silverwood said. "What about school? You said that Stage One lasts for a week," Sunset asked. "One of you can bring her homework and assignments here for her to work on during daylight," Silverwood replied. "What happens after I become a fully mature vampire? What will I do?" Twilight asked. "I'm going to put you in touch with Nightlife," Silverwood said. "What's Nightlife?" Applejack asked. "It's a vampire counseling program I help run here at the hospital. Once you've matured, Twilight, I'll invite you to the group and introduce you to other vampires," Silverwood said. The girls were shocked. There were other vampires in the city? And they came to the hospital for counseling? This was a lot to take in at once. "Don't worry, Twilight. These are very nice people. I've know them for a long time. Besides, you have good friends here," Silverwood said. That made Twilight feel a bit better. She thought about the inevitability of her meeting other vampires with anticipation. It would be nice for Twilight to be surrounded by other vampires like her. They could help her to adapt to this new state of being better than she could on her own. Besides, it wasn't like her sire was going to show her the ropes. "I hope they'll be able to help me out once I become a full vampire," Twilight said. "I know they will, Twilight. The oldest among them lived during the time of the Roman Empire, so she has centuries of experience," Silverwood said. That statement caught the others off-guard. Since the time of the Roman Empire? That would make this vampire two-thousand years old at the very least. Obviously, the part about vampires being immortal was true to them, now. "Well, it seems I'll have a lot of time to adjust to this," Twilight said with a laugh. Everyone except Doctor Silverwood started laughing. Silverwood just looked at all of them with a smile. It looks like Twilight is going to have a smooth transformation. I just hope her sire doesn't cause any trouble, Silverwood thought. "Yeah, we'll be here for you all the way, Twi!" Rainbow assured.
Chapter 5One Week Later - Canterlot Hospital Silverwood was watching over Twilight at night as usual. He was cradling her head in his left hand while sticking part of an IV tube through the slits of the muzzle to Twilight's mouth. The tube was connected to a full bag of A+ blood, which Twilight was gulping down steadily. It was like a parent feeding a baby. The good doctor noticed that Twilight became more docile when being fed in this manner. She closed her dark eyes and started purring with contentment. Probably the fledgling instinct kicking in. Vampires are supposed to feed their spawn until they mature, damn it, Silverwood thought. During the week that Twilight had been in Stage One, her teeth had started to fall out. Small piranha-like teeth were growing in their place. If that was anything to go by, Silverwood determined the species of vampire Twilight was becoming. He patted her head affectionately as he spoke. "Looks like you're becoming a Strigoi, Twilight. A common species, that one," Silverwood said. Twilight just kept drinking until the bag was empty. She continued to suck until the bag was vacuum-sealed. She spat out the tube and started to screech for more. Silverwood calmly smiled and stood up to walk out the door. "Don't worry, Twilight. I'll be back with more blood for you," he assured. It was at that point that Twilight suddenly lost consciousness. Nurse Redheart happened to join the doctor when Twilight fell comatose. "Is Twilight alright, doctor?!" she asked in worry. "She's fine. She's finally entered Stage Two," Silverwood replied. "Better call her friends and tell them. Oh, and call this number, too". Silverwood handed the nurse a notecard with a phone number written on it. She took it and left Silverwood to watch over Twilight. ... Later The Rainbooms ran into the room and saw Twilight in her comatose state. Her readings on the monitors were slow, but consistent and indicative of life. They all sighed with relief knowing their friend was alive. "Twilight is starting to mature?" Sunset asked. "Yep. When she wakes up, she'll be a full-fledged Strigoi," Silverwood replied. "Strigoi?" Pinkie asked. "It's one of the different species of vampire that walk the earth," Silverwood replied. That caught the girls' attention immediately. They all stared at the doctor in a way that said they wanted him to elaborate on his statement. "There are different species of vampire around the world. The one that Twilight is becoming is called a 'Strigoi', one of the most common species," Silverwood said. "What other species are there?" Fluttershy asked. Silverwood put his thumb under his chin to think. He started counting off species with his fingers. "There are the Strix, Nachzehrer, Pontianak, Bruxa, Alps, Asanbosam, Jiangshi, Aswang, Vrykolakas, Lamiae, Moroi, Vetala, Baobhan-Sith, Empouse, and Upir," Silverwood replied. The silence and shock were so thick, one could cut them with a knife. They had no idea there were so many different species of vampire in the world. It made them question just how many of the people they interact with are secretly vampires. "With that out of the way, I've got a special guest coming over to help Twilight once she wakes up," Silverwood said. "Who?" Fluttershy asked. As if on cue, a familiar figure strode into the room. This figure was wearing a white jacket, a white short skirt with a musical note stitched along the hips, a pair of headphones around her neck, purple sunglasses, magenta sneakers. Her pale skin and electric blue hair identified her as someone the gathered friends knew. "Vinyl Scratch?!" they all cried. The famous school DJ stood there with a smile on her face. She pulled down her violet shades to reveal a pair of red eyes with slit pupils like a cat. Her fingernails grew longer and darker until they resembled claws. A set of fangs descended over her teeth and her ears grew slightly pointed. "Yo? What's up, Doc Silverwood?" she greeted the doctor. "I'm well and prosperous. You look like you're doing quite well, yourself," Silverwood said. Vinyl looked down at the prone and sleeping Twilight. "I take it this is the little pipistrelle you told me about?" "Yep. She's going to need a guiding hand when she wakes up. I trust you've told the others?" Silverwood asked. "Don't worry. They all know. They're all eager to meet her," Vinyl replied. The Rainbooms were confused. "Wait! Vinyl Scratch is a vampire?!" Rarity asked. "I'm a Moroi, to be exact. It's nice to be able to talk to my human peers in this form," Vinyl said. "I'm starting to wonder who else at school is a vampire? I may want to throw a vampire-human party!" Pinkie said. Vinyl chuckled at Pinkie's enthusiasm in a motherly way. "I would like that, dear. But right now, we have to focus on Twilight". "Wait, since you're a vamp - uh, Moroi, how old are you?" Applejack asked. "I'm about to turn 2,583 next month," Vinyl replied. The girls could catch flies with how long they kept their mouths open. Rarity especially seemed intrigued by that revelation. "Vampirism have some really tempting benefits," Rarity said. "It has its unique pleasures," Vinyl said. "And it looks like Twilight is going to know those pleasures soon enough". Vinyl walked to Twilight's side. She put her finger in Twilight's mouth and parted her lips. Vinyl looked at Twilight's teeth and nodded. "Looks like we've got a newborn Strigoi on our claws," Vinyl said. "That means she's going to have the cutest little bat ears!" Vinyl was acting as if she was talking about a newborn baby. It was quite wholesome to see. When one reached Vinyl's age, everyone around them must look like a child to them. Vinyl started to stroke Twilight's hair as she hibernated. "You all won't need to worry, girls. I'll make sure Twilight is nurtured like a proper vampire," Vinyl said. Silverwood and the Rainbooms smiled knowing that Twilight would be taken care of by a good friend.
