//------------------------------// // Step one: Grow // Story: Creature: beginnings // by Lovecraftia //------------------------------// The new virus sits there. Waiting. Withing the hour a random pink cell shaped much like a football with two holes on each end comes into view, Carelessly swimming along. The unlucky cell swims to close to the Virus and the Non-living Organism the attaches itself into the pink cell and injects its DNA. The pink cell begins to twitch uncontrollably until, suddenly, it stops. The membrane of the cell begins to change, it becomes harder and turns black, the viral cell then resumes its journey, but with a deadly payload and an insatiable hunger for other cells. The cell swims in a straight line, randomly changing direction. Eventually the Infected cell comes across another similar pink cell, and with a sudden burst of speed impales it. It injects its now multiplied DNA into the new cell and binds its membrane with the newly infected Single-Cellular organism, creating a Multi-cellular organism. The now arrowhead shaped creature begins to swim along, with slightly more intellect. With this new-found brainpower the organism learns to store water inside of itself to use when impaling other non-viral cells. The double-celled creature swims up to a group of pink cells and instantly begins to attack. It quickly shoots forwards and stabs throught the first cell, injecting DNA and fusing with it, before using the new cell to impale the next one. It then changes shape to more resemble an line with an arrow at the end than an arrowhead and uses the back end of itself to impale a fleeing cell, fusing with it and making itself larger. This madness continues until all 12 of the cells were impaled, stabbed, cut, or jabbed and joined the viral organism. The organism now resembled a ball its new intellegence allowed it to activly seek out Prey cells. Which would be all cells. “Are you sure about this?” Scootaloo asked Applebloom. “Ah’m sure as hay!” Applebloom smiled at the small orange pegasus, maybe a little too big of a smile, because it only served to make Scootaloo more nervous. “O-okay. If you say so” “There you go!” Sweetie belle spoke happily. The Crusaders were currently exploring the Everfree. They decided to try and get their Cutie marks in Exploration. But Scootaloo was wisely having second thoughts about their decision. “Ah’m sure we’re gonna be fine. Not like some manticore is gonna come up and eat us.” The yellow filly reassured. They continued to drag their cart through the Unusual woods, the cart was slapped full of different maps and tools normally used for Cartography. “Hey uh, Sweetie did you ever mark the path back to Ponyville?” Scootaloo asked. “Yea! It should be right over-“ Sweetie belle stopped when she realised that the bag she was holding had a hole in it. “Oops” “Oops what?” Applebloom then chose this time to pop up in their conversation. “oh no. Ohnononononono.” “Calm down Scoots. Why she actin’ like that?” Applebloom stared at Scotaloo for a moment before turning to Sweetie, whom had the same fear-stricken look on her face. “What’s wrong with y’all?” “SWEETIE DROPPED THE MAP!!!!” Scootaloo shouted before panicking. “WHAT!?!” Applebloom stared at Sweetie with a hard look. “I DIDINT KNOW THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BAG!!” Sweetie shouted back. “Okay okay okay calm down. Yer gonna get some monster to come after us with yer yellin’”. Applebloom said, making the rest of the CMC stop and think. “You’re right” “Yea. And that would be bad.” “Good. Now lets try and figure out how we’re gonna git home.” Applebloom reached into the cart and grabbed a compass and aimed herself north. “Ah think we were comin’ south when you went an’ dropped the map. So we gotta go north.” “How’ed you?” Scootaloo stared at Applebloom with wide eyes until she shook her head. “Nevermind.” “OW!!!” Sweetie randomly shouted. “What?” Scootaloo and Applebloom asked in unison. “I don’t know. My hoof hurts now.” Sweetie looked at her hoof before looking up at Applebloom. “Are we going to sit here or are we going to get back home?” “Ah’m workin’ on it ah’m workin’ on it” The yellow Earth-pony said to Sweetie. They began to drag the cart back towards where they believe Ponyville was. And in a lucky one to one billion shot they managed to aim themselves in the right direction. But unbeknownst to any of them. The viral creature entered Sweetie’s bloodstream when it attacked her hoof, and is now slowly but surely making it’s way to her heart.