//------------------------------// // Earth: 2149 "Vampirism is Magic" // Story: Equestria Unlimited // by Bateman66 //------------------------------// Earth #: 2149 Codename: “Vampirism is Magic” In this Earth a vampiric plague swept through Equestria, devastating all in its wake. Although difficult to determine where and when first infection occurred, individual outbreaks of most settlements where recorded. In Ponyville, a week before any major incidents were reported; a handful of individuals had been reported to have several symptoms that mirrored that of Tiny Pox. This included dehydration, itchy eyes, insomnia, and vomiting. All those infected where quickly quarantined within the local hospital, as was regulation when a Tiny Pox outbreak was spotted. Patient contact with the outside was quickly cut, closed off by the large steel door to the quarantine ward. The only interaction they had was with certain doctors, authorized only to bring food and be fully equipped with hazmat suits at all times. For a week the sick ponies sadly bumbled around in their prison-like containment. No entertainment was provided, the hospital food was bland, and the doctors delivering the rations were very quick in their duties, hopeful to leave the ward as quickly as possible. Soon, the ponies lost most of what little energy they had left and spent most of their days sadly sitting in bed, moaning over their decrepit situation. It wasn’t until the next week that a body was discovered. Three hazmat doctors where sent into the ward to retrieve and prepare the body for cremation. After sterilization of their suits, the trio silently stepped into the ward as the vault door slowly locked behind them. Three minutes later, the first screams were heard. Desperate pounding could be heard against the steel door with muffled cries coming from one of the doctors. The sealing door was immediately opened and a single doctor stumbled out. His mask was torn of his face, his suit was horridly ripped, and blood covered his entire torso. As several other doctors rushed over to the dazed survivor’s aid, a figure jumped out of the still open quarantine door. At that precise moment, power to the entire facility was unexpectedly cut, sending the entire building into darkness. Records cease from this point in time. Following the multiple reports of disturbances in the area surrounding Ponyville’s hospital, several guards where dispatched to apprehend the perpetrators. However, by the time the guards reached Ponyville later in the night, they instead turned their attention to the town itself. Several citizens had been severely wounded by attacks similar to those in the hospital area. Eyewitnesses said that “thugs were beating and biting everypony they saw, jumping from roof to roof only to dive back down and attack someone else.” Many of those attacked were promptly treated by emergency workers on the scene, but the attacked also began to show signs that mirrored that of Tiny Pox. It was reported that the attackers were “soaked in blood, incredibly quick, and very resistant to physical force but not invincible”. However, no single attacker was able to be properly examined due to the frequency of their attacks and quick evasion from apprehension. Announcements by Mayor Mane at the time were for all ponies to stay indoors and await further instruction by the guards. Although this did help in reducing the consistency of the attacks, several homes where broken into and the occupants harmed. This cycle continued into the pre-dawn hours, where as the thugs where reported to have suddenly disappeared. Peace had returned by morning but at the cost of over half the population of Ponyville now showing signs of Tiny Pox. The hospital was quickly sealed and all media attention was diverted by the guards. Although no pony knew precisely what had been found inside the building, the implications from the guards was one of absolute terror. A group of scientists were requested to travel from Canterlot to Ponyville immediately to gather and study samples found within the hospital. By this point in time, several other settlements in Equestria where having similar occurrences to what had happened in Ponyville. Guards where sent to every corner of the country, their primary goal of maintaining order at all costs. A few days later, after basic blood testing of the bio-matter found within the hospital, a startling discovery was made. The infected that had been held within the hospital had not been infected with Tiny Pox at all, but instead a previously thought eradicated disease, vampirism. Although some thought vampirism as an ancient and mythological plague, the signs could not be ignored. The attacks, the ailments, the infected, all mirrored the ancient stories of before Celestia’s and Luna’s rein. This realization sent waves of unease through Equestria and it would only be a matter of time before all Hades broke loose. More than a quarter of Equestria was infected with vampirism and society began to show cracks in its facade. The next weeks of the outbreak are the most obscure in terms of information. It can be gathered from the few remaining pieces of personal records kept by survivors; that this was a period of downward anarchy. The normal work cycles of nearly all business and organizations (except for the guards) grinded to a halt, fear clutching the entire populace. And with this slump in productivity, essentials such as food and clean water began to run low. Martial law had been in effect for weeks but it was only until now that dissident began to take hold. Many ponies, upset with the lack of food and protection they believed the guards should be giving them, held riots in all still standing settlements. This obviously accomplished nothing but add to the growing chaos. All non-resisting citizens were moved to several evacuation zones along the Equestrian borders and coastlines. Everyday, thousands willingly moved away from their homes, aware that they might not return to them ever again. The refugees settled in large swafs of unoccupied land, set aside by the friendly Zebra and Griffon kingdoms. Although the conditions were not incredibly pleasant, some resemblance of order was kept by the guards and remaining politicians. Two months later, any remaining survivors in Equestria were either overwhelmed by the infected, ran out of supplies, or hunted down by themselves. The guards were the last to pull out of the nation, but not before implementing a scorched earth policy to cover everypony’s escape. Battalions of guards would march through cities in the daylight hours and tactically rig small fires in and around the center of the city. By nightfall, once the guards had reached a safe distance, the entire city would be ablaze, cutting off and burning any infected trapped within inferno. This process was repeated upon until most cities were either a pile of ashes or abandoned by the infected. With this in mind, Central Command called for a tactical retreat from Equestria, stating: “We’re done here.” On a humid spring morning, the last group of guards slowly trotted across the Equestrian/Griffon border, triumph and sadness both in their hearts. A captain walking with the rest of the foot soldiers turned around for a moment and stared back down the pathway. He saw something, or at least he think he did. He didn’t want to speak up if it was nothing, but he was sure it was something. He couldn’t make out much, but he swore that whatever it was, it was following them. Taking out a pair of binoculars from his saddle bag, he stared down the dirt road and caught a glimpse of the object. It was an infected, earth-pony, female, green and pink in complexion, and coming towards them. He yelled to everypony around him, but before their weapons could be brandished the infected screamed something, hobbled to the right, slipped on the ground, and fell. The group moved in on the fallen infected and encircled it with their swords at the ready. It appeared to be dead, but no chances could be taken. The captain waited a moment for any sudden movement and then stepped forward. One of the guards yelled at him to get back, but he ignored them. He could see something in the monster before him, something important. He lowered himself down and glanced around the dead creature. It looked disgusting. Dried blood caked its still open mouth with thin cobalt eyes stuck staring onto the ground. A line of blood streaked down its head. Its mane was disheveled with thick clumps of mud solidified along the ends. The thing looked more dead then alive. Fixing his eyes on several key points of its body, he began to inspect the monster. The eyes, the head…the stomach, all pointed towards something. He put his hoof to its throat and felt for a pulse. He waited for a moment, then smiled and stood up. “They’re starving!” he proudly announced to the group.