Filthy Rich parked the van in a nearby parking lot. He flashed over to the orphanage's entrance. As he opened the door, he could smell the musty, old smell of the furniture mixed with bleach. He approached the main desk.
A girl, no older than Sunset, was sitting at the desk. She was typing away on the computer. The sound of typing was all that filled the otherwise silent orphanage. She was so busy typing, that she hadn't noticed that Filthy Rich was approaching her.
Filthy Rich approached the desk. His fangs extended as he smelled the rosy scent of the girl. He looked away, retracting his fangs. He wasn't going to risk revealing his real nature to her. Not until she gave what he wanted. Tapping the bell, he stood back.
The girl, hearing Filthy Rich ringing the bell, looked up. She held a gasp as she realized who was standing in front of her.
"M-mr. Rich, what are you doing here?" asked the girl.
Filthy Rich gave the girl a kind smile.
"I am here because I want to adopt some teenagers," replied Filthy Rich, leaning on the desk.
The girl grabbed the adoptions for Filthy Rich. She handed him a pen. As he grabbed the pen from her, she felt his cold skin brush against hers. She shuddered slightly.
"So Mr. Rich, if I may ask, why are you adopting" asked the girl.
Filthy Rich signed the forms. As he finished the last one, he handed the papers back to the girl. He smiled as his fangs extended once more.
"I am adopting because I want to get revenge against someone who has crossed me," replied Filthy Rich, walking up to the girl.
The girl got out of her chair. She backed away, her eyes watching Filthy Rich. Her back hit a solid wall which made her gasp softly. She gulped as Filthy Rich kept walking up to her.
"Now, should I attack you or save you for when I turn all those kids?" asked Filthy Rich.
"Um...what?" asked the girl, shaking as Filthy Rich met her gaze.
Filthy Rich saw fear in the girl's wide eyes. A small smile made its way onto his face. It pleased him to see that people feared him. He placed a hand on the wall as he leaned in close to the girl's neck. Her rosy scent was intoxicating. He wanted to kill her, to savor the taste of her blood. But he turned away, forcing himself to save her for the soon to be turned teenagers.
The girl watched as Filthy Rich leaned in one last time, breathing in. She held breath, afraid that he would sink his fangs in. But much to her relief, he walked away. She saw he was heading towards the kids' bedrooms. That made her realize that Filthy Rich had decided to let newly turned vampires kill her.
Back at Starlight's house, Sunset was being helped to her room. Applejack and Rainbow Dash set her down on the edge of her bed.
"Thanks, guys," said Sunset, coughing slightly.
Applejack gave Sunset a half smile.
"You're welcome, sugarcube," replied Applejack, sitting next to Sunset.
Sunset laid down on her bed. Her throat was starting to become sore from all her coughing. She felt sluggish, as though she was wading through deep water. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to stay awake.
Just then Starlight came in. She was carrying a small box of tissues in one hand. In the other, she had a glass of blood. The red liquid sloshed around as Starlight walked.
"Here you go, Sunset. I brought you tissues, just in case. And here's a drink as well." said Starlight, handing the blood to Sunset.
Sunset held the glass. Her eyes turned red as she eyed the blood. Lifting the glass to her lips, she took a sip. The blood tasted different than usual. It was like her body no longer craved it. She put the glass down as her eyes went back to their normal cyan color.
"Thank you, Starlight," Sunset said as she managed to smile through her exhaustion.
Starlight could see that Sunset needed rest. She grabbed the half-empty glass and left. Applejack and Rainbow Dash did the same. Closing the door quietly, all three joined the rest of the gang in the kitchen.
"How's Sunset?" asked Fluttershy.
Applejack looked sadly at Fluttershy. It was hard to see her friend look so sick. She looked down, removing her hat.
"Not good. She' lookin' sicker every minute. What could've caused this?" Applejack replied, looking up at Starlight.
Starlight, who had just finished washing out the glass, met Applejack's gaze. She wondered the same thing. Filthy Rich had hidden the knife fairly well. But she was sure someone saw something, anything, that would help figure out what knife he used.
"I am not sure, Applejack. Did you girls see anything?" asked Starlight, looking at the rest of the girls.
As Starlight asked the question, Twilight walked in. She sat next to Diamond Tiara.
"I saw something...I think," replied Twilight.
Starlight looked at Twilight.
"Please, tell us. Anything would be useful, Twilight." Starlight said, giving Twilight a slight smile.
Twilight smiled back. She racked her mind, trying to remember what she saw. Her head was beginning to hurt when she finally recalled something.
"I think the handle had a spider on it," replied Twilight.
"A spider on the handle? Did it also have a ruby in it by any chance?" asked Royal Moon as she entered the kitchen.
"Yeah, it did. How did you know that?" asked Twilight.
Royal Moon stood next to Starlight. Taking a deep breath, she began to answer Twilight's question.
"I know that because..." She glanced at Starlight, "I lost someone to a knife like that." replied Royal Moon, lowering her head as she looked at the counter.
Twilight exchanged worried glances with her friends. She could tell that they weren't expecting that kind of news. Turning her attention to Starlight, she saw her rest a hand on Royal Moon's shoulder.
"Star, if the knife Twilight mentioned is indeed what Filthy Rich used, Sunset could be in very real danger," said Royal Moon, meeting Starlight's gaze.
*3 hours later*
At the orphanage, Filthy Rich was searching all the rooms. He hadn't seen one kid since he first arrived. But he could smell their scent over the bleach. Unfortunately, the bleach covered their scents just enough that he couldn't find them. He looked out the west window and saw that the sun was setting. Soon, the girl at the counter would leave, and he couldn't have that.
Filthy Rich called out, "Children, please come out. I just want to talk"
A scuffle of feet broke the silence. Filthy Rich spun around. He saw a young girl, about 15 years old, standing behind him. Cautiously, he took few steps towards her. Her messy blue and red hair hid one of her azure eyes.
"And what is your name?" asked Filthy Rich.
The girl looked as she answered.
"My name is Scarlet Shadow." said the girl, her voice a mere whisper.
Filthy Rich gave Scarlet a kind, yet deceiving, smile.
"Tell me, Scarlet, where are the rest of your friends? I would like to meet them," asked Filthy Rich, keeping his fangs hidden from Scarlet.
Scarlet pointed to a spot in the floor. Filthy Rich walked over to the spot where she pointed. He saw the floorboards were loose. Lifting one, he saw a large group of teenagers all huddled into one spot. He counted at least 8 teenagers in the hideout. That meant there were at least 12 others hidden elsewhere.
Filthy Rich let the floorboard fall back into place. He turned to see Scarlet running away. Flashing over to her, he grabbed her arm. Out of the corner of his, he saw movement by the couch. He walked over and shoved the couch out of the way. There, dug in the wall, was a large hole. He saw the last of the 12 teenagers that were missing.
"Very clever. But you know, you can't hide from me. I am a vampire which means I can smell your scent." said Filthy Rich, grabbing one of the teenagers, "Now, get out! All of you."
The teenagers, one by one, all crawled back out of the hole. Once all the teenagers were out, Filthy Rich slid the couch back to where it was originally. He turned his attention to Scarlet.
"Scarlet," Filthy Rich walked up to her, "Please, go get the rest of your friends," said Filthy Rich, his blue eyes meeting hers.
Scarlet did what Filthy Rich asked her to do. She knew that it was pointless to fight. Besides, how could she fight him? He had supernatural powers on his side, while she only had her wit. Lifting the floorboard up, she motioned for the rest of her friends to come out.
Once all the teenagers were gathered together, Filthy Rich grabbed Scarlet. He saw that she was standing by another girl, who appeared to be her sister.
"Scarlet, who is this?" asked Filthy Rich.
Scarlet looked at the girl. Smiling, she waved the girl over.
"This is my sister, Pearl Rose," replied Scarlet.
Filthy Rich looked Pearl Rose up and down. He could see that she was thinner than Scarlet. She also seemed to be paler as well. He turned his attention back to Scarlet.
"Is your sister sick, Scarlet?" asked Filthy Rich.
Scarlet nodded.
A sly smile spread across Filthy Rich's face. Pearl Rose's sickness gave him the perfect opportunity to make the teenagers into vampires. He rested a hand on Pearl Rose's shoulder, looking at her.
"Pearl Rose, what would you say if I could cure you?" asked Filthy Rich.
Pearl Rose remained silent. Though, her eyes lit up as she heard the word 'cure'. She nodded eagerly, smiling.
"Good. Now, this may pinch for a second. But it'll be over quick, I promise." said Filthy Rich.
Pearl Rose nodded just as Filthy Rich sank his fangs into her neck. There was a slight pinch as Filthy Rich's fangs dug into her skin. Her body froze as she felt her blood leave her body. After a few minutes, Filthy Rich pulled his fangs out of her neck.
Scarlet caught her sister as she started to fall. She sat Pearl Rose on the floor. Her eyes searched for any signs that Pearl Rose wasn't dead. A few seconds later, Pearl Rose's eyes fluttered open. But instead of her usual amber eyes, her eyes were blood red. Scarlet jumped back as her sister growled.
"What is she?" asked Scarlet, as her sister bared her fangs.
"A vampire, same as me," said Filthy Rich, showing his own fangs to Scarlet.
A scream escaped from Scarlet's throat as Filthy Rich lunged. She felt a set of fangs dig into her neck. In her shock of being attacked, she punched Filthy Rich. She screamed again as Filthy Rich yanked his fangs out. Her hand went straight to the bite mark.
Scarlet's vision blurred and darkened. She stumbled backward as she lost her sense of balance. Resting her hand in the wall, she struggled to see two inches front her. A new, unfamiliar smell wafted to Scarlet. She looked up and saw the girl, who was usually at the desk, walk in.
Filthy Rich held Scarlet back. He didn't want her to attack the girl, not yet. Turning her away from the girl, he squeezed her shoulder.
"Stay here. I want your friends to join in the fun," said Filthy Rich.
"What? What do you mean 'join in the fun'?" asked Scarlet, her own fangs extending.
Filthy Rich gave Scarlet a smirk.
"I am going to turn them into vampires, like you and me" replied Filthy Rich.
As Filthy Rich said that, he walked away. One by one, he bit all the teenagers. A few minutes later, every teenager was slowly becoming a vampire. Filthy Rich flashed over to the girl.
"Tell me, what's your name?" asked Filthy Rich.
"My name is Emerald Lilly, Mr. Rich," Emerald said, her voice shaking as she struggling to not shake.
"Well, Emerald, I going to let you be these kids first meal," said Filthy Rich, stepping aside.
Emerald looked at the teenagers. She saw the hunger in their red eyes. A few growls rose as the teenage vampires eyed her. She gulped, panicking as the teenagers surrounded her.
"No, please-" was all Emerald said before Scarlet jumped her.
Emerald screamed as a bunch of vampire fangs dug into her body. Eventually, she lost consciousness as her blood was drained from her body. A few minutes later, she was dead. Her lifeless body lay on the ground, mangled and covered in blood.
Scarlet was the first to stop drinking Emerald's blood. Her chin was covered in blood. The blood ran down her chin and onto her shirt. She took her sleeve and wiped the blood off her chin. Her sleeve was stained as a result.
"Scarlet, how do you feel?" asked Filthy Rich.
Scarlet looked at him. She went to walk to him. But instead, she flashed over to him, using her new speed. She was almost thrown off balance as she stopped.
"Woah, that was awesome!" Scarlet shouted.
Pearl Rose walked over to her sister. Her eyes now had returned their amber color. Her fangs had disappeared as well, leaving her normal canine teeth behind. She rested a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"So, we are really vampires, aren't we?" asked Pearl Rose.
Scarlet nodded. She ran a finger over one of her fangs. In doing so, she stabbed herself. She looked at her finger. The pinprick sized wound healed almost instantly as if it was never there.
"Yeah, we are vampires, Pearl," replied Scarlet.
Filthy Rich looked at the teenagers, smiling to himself. He was happy that he had the beginnings of an army. But one thing bothered him. What was he going to do about his daughter? He was sure she wouldn't give him another chance, not when Starlight had corrupted her. He sighed.
Scarlet approached Filthy Rich. She stepped over Emerald's body as she did. The smell of dried blood nearly brought back her hunger. Having to split Emerald with her friends meant she wasn't completely satisfied.
"Mr. Rich, where are we going?" asked Scarlet, soon joined by her sister.
Filthy Rich looked at the girls. He rested a hand on each of their shoulders.
"We are going home," replied Filthy Rich.
Meanwhile, back at Starlight's house, the girls were all watching the last few movies of their marathon. Twilight had been quiet for most of the evening. She was staring out the living room window, watching the sun disappear. Her thoughts swirled around Sunset. The idea of Sunset turning human wasn't something she could believe. Especially since she was still adjusting to her being a vampire.
Rainbow Dash was the first to notice that Twilight had been quiet. She elbowed Applejack and pointed to Twilight. Applejack rubbed her arm, glaring angrily at Rainbow Dash. She glanced at Twilight, seeing that her friend hadn't been paying any attention to the movie.
"What do you think's been botherin' her, Dash?" whispered Applejack.
Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. She knew one thing had to be on Twilight's mind; Sunset. Between finding out that Sunset is turning human and the attack, it was the only sure possibility.
"It has to be Sunset. There really isn't anything else that she could be thinking of, right?" replied Rainbow Dash.
Applejack nodded.
"Yeah, you're right, Dash," replied Applejack.
As the movie ended, Twilight got up and walked into the kitchen. She stood at the sink, staring out the sink window. She needed to be alone, away from her friends. Looking back, she saw that her friends were changing the movie for the last time. Twilight left the kitchen, going to her room. Thankfully, Starlight had labeled the doors so she wouldn't get lost, again.
The door opened with a loud squeak as the hinges moved. Twilight winced as the sound grew louder before stopping. She walked in and sat on her bed. It was still pitch black in her room, and she wanted to keep it that way. The darkness reminded her of the night when Sunset told her the truth.
"Twilight, wait! I won't hurt you!" were the words that echoed through Twilight's thoughts.
Sunset had promised her that she wouldn't harm her. Yet, she broke that promise that night she attacked Twilight at the chapel. Instinctively, Twilight's hand reached for the bite mark. As her fingers brushed against the scarred skin, it sent a jolt up her arm. She pulled her hand away, not wanting to feel the scar.
In the living room, Rarity noticed Twilight's absence. She looked around the living room. But there no sign of her friend. She knitted her eyebrows in confusion. Turning to Applejack, she hoped that she would know where Twilight was.
"Applejack dear, where is Twilight?" asked Rarity.
Applejack met Rarity's worried gaze.
"I don't know, Rarity. She seemed pretty distant earlier. My guess, she wants to be alone." replied Applejack.
Rarity looked at the staircase. She figured that Twilight would've headed to her room. She turned attention back to the movie, figuring it was best to give Twilight her space. After all, she had been through a lot in the last few days.
Meanwhile, in Sunset's room, Sunset was struggling to sleep. Every time she would close her eyes, a round of small coughs would hit her. She sighed, giving up on sleeping. As she took a deep breath, a familiar scent wafted to her. A sweet, rose-like scent.
"Twilight?" muttered Sunset to herself.
It took a lot of strength to sit up and pull the blanket off her. But Sunset wanted to see why Twilight wasn't with their friends. She stood up and walked to her doorway. As she went to take another step, a stinging sensation stopped her. She pulled her pant leg up, revealing the dark red blood stain appearing on her bandages.
Sunset dropped her pant leg, covering the bloodied bandage. She made her way to Twilight's room, albeit, slowly. Once she was there, she knocked on the doorframe.
"Hey there, Twi," said Sunset, leaning casually against the doorframe.
Twilight jumped at the sound of Sunset's voice. She hadn't expected Sunset to come to her room. Holding a hand over her racing heart, she glanced at Sunset.
"H-hi, Sunset. How did you know I was in here?" asked Twilight, calming down.
Sunset pushed off the doorframe and walked over to Twilight. She sat down on a chair which sat in front of a small desk. She didn't want to be too close to Twilight knowing that she was still skittish around her.
"Vampire, remember? I could smell your scent from my room," replied Sunset, giving Twilight a half smile.
Twilight tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked away.
"Oh, right..." Twilight adjusted her glasses, "I didn't mean to bother you." said Twilight.
"You didn't. I couldn't really sleep anyway. Coughing kind of keeps you up." Sunset said, looking down.
Another round of coughs threatened to start. Sunset fought the urge and managed to keep from coughing. She didn't want to make her friends sick as well.
"So, Twilight, why are you here instead of enjoying the movie with our friends?" asked Sunset, looking at Twilight.
Twilight gulped. She knew that was probably why Sunset came to see her. But that didn't lessen her nervousness. With Sunset it wasn't easy to open up. Though, a part of Twilight desperately wanted to.
"I just needed some time...alone," Twilight replied, hoping she hadn't made Sunset regret talking to her.
Sunset's face fell. Once again, she interrupted Twilight when she wanted to be alone. She thought about leaving, but a part of her wanted to stay with Twilight. It was hard to not kiss Twilight right then and there. But she reminded herself that Twilight was still frightened. Frightened of her.
"Do you want me to leave, Twi? Because I will if that's what you need," asked Sunset.
Twilight looked up, and for the first time since the conversation started, she met Sunset's eyes. The kindness she saw when they first met was there. A small smile appeared on her face. It had been a while since Twilight felt safe, especially around Sunset. But for a moment, any fear she had, was gone.
"Sunset, I don't want you to leave. But, I-I need some time to think," replied Twilight.
Sunset's half smile returned, this time it showed in her eyes as well.
"Okay, Twi, I understand. I will give you some time," said Sunset, standing up.
As Sunset left, Twilight felt a bit lonely. Suddenly her dark room felt bigger than before. She hugged herself as she shivered. There was a digital clock which sat in the bedside dresser. Twilight glanced at it and saw that it was 10:40 pm. She decided to get some sleep. The stress of the past few days wore her down.
As Twilight pulled her shoes off, another knock rang. She looked up to that Pinkie Pie was standing in her doorway.
"Oh, hey Pinkie," said Twilight, sitting up.
Pinkie Pie walked in and sat on Twilight's bed.
"What are doing? It's not time to sleep yet, silly," asked Pinkie, in her usual cheery voice.
Twilight yawned and stretched.
"It is for me, Pinkie. I am really tired. So if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep now." replied Twilight.
Pinkie Pie, seeing Twilight yawn, got up. She gave Twilight an unexpected hug.
"Okie dokie, Twilight. I will let the others know," said Pinkie Pie, breaking the hug.
Twilight gave Pinkie a small smile before she too left her room. Getting up, Twilight closed her door. She walked back to her bed and flopped lazily onto it. As her head hit the soft pillow, she fell asleep.