//------------------------------// // 11 Non-Random Encounters // Story: Ghost Hunter Twilight // by Keywii_Cookies55 //------------------------------// Lunch had ended. Which meant that Pinkie's business dropped back to less than active. She was used to getting maybe five customers an hour, and while it weighed on her, what didn't was what the lack of business also meant. And that was that she often had time to herself, like right now. She was busy in the kitchen, humming to herself with a smile on her face, a far more genuine smile than was reserved for customers to her bakery. She felt genuinely happy. There was a cake in the oven and she was currently mixing the frosting. It was a green affair and while it might have reminded Pinkie of the forest that flanked the district, to a young pony observing Pinkie, it just looked like another mistake made by a disgusting freak. Scootaloo looked down on Pinkie Pie with absolute disdain, her head phasing through the ceiling. "Why do I have to watch her?" Scootaloo thought to herself, mentally pleading with her friend, "I hate her, I want her dead like the insect she is." "Fuck you Pinkie." She pulled her head out of the floor in the second storey hallway and began pacing, something she was aware was a problem of hers, but she absolutely did not care at that time. "If Applebloom didn't want you dead at a specific time," She thought, looking at her surroundings in hate, "You'd already be a blood-dripping corpse by now." Scootaloo absolutely despised Pinkie Pie, not only did she know about her new life, free from her fucking shackles, but even when she was chained, she did nothing but make Scootaloo's life a living hell. Who had to clean up everything? Who had to spend days heavy lifting for something that lasted a couple hours? And who was the lowest fucking tier of the entire bullshit system ever since she was ripped from her home? And Pinkie did nothing but make her shitty life an everlasting hell on Earth! Did she think that being immune to the wipes was just her own problem? Stupid bitch didn't understand a single thing. Pushing her head back through the floor, Scootaloo saw that Pinkie hadn't left the kitchen. Which was only good in the sense that she knew where the mare was. It was bad in the sense that she had to look at what was possibly the sole cause of everything wrong in her life ever since she was displaced here. Pinkie saw something she probably thought was funny, which made Scootaloo fume. "We'll see who gets the last laugh tomorrow you everstanding slut." Scootaloo immediately pulled her head back out of the floor, she regretted knowing that she wasn't the best at recognizing her own anger, but it was part of the reason she didn't die. Now, though, was a time she realized she needed to back down. Her teeth were clenched painfully and her front hooves were shaking slightly. Worst of all though she wanted to start breaking things. Which she was absolutely against. Murder? Fine, sure, whatever, but Scootaloo would never purposefully destroy anything. She knew the work that went into building or moving things into place. The endless hours, the painful strain that put on your body, lifting, pulling, all the manual labour. If anyone ruined her work, she didn't know what she'd do. Probably kill them. And so she outright refused to ruin or destroy any construction. Pinkie just made her so...PISSED though, so outrageously angry. As if displacement wasn't enough, it had to be to the worst possible time and place. Scootaloo thought back on her plans to stab Pinkie in the chest. "You'll be killed by my own hooves, then we'll see who likes being 300 years in the future you fucking whore!" --- Sweetie Belle walked past the arts and crafts shop on her way to downtown Partyville, a smile on her face. Most ponies had gone back into their business', the ones that worked, so it wasn't too busy. Plus she really enjoyed walking around, so she always chose not to skip it. The birds in the sky, the gentle clouds rolling by, the sights and sounds of the carts in the street. even the smells of Partyville were something she enjoyed. She wasn't always in the mood for appreciating the world around her, so she made it a point to do so any time she was feeling good. And since next to nobody ever saw her, well, it was always nice to stroll and explore. Today though she was on a mission for her friends, and she didn't want to disappoint them. Not that she exactly agreed with what they were doing. Scootaloo was violent and reckless, and Applebloom was underhanded and devious, but...well that wasn't all they were. Scootaloo was also very thoughtful and hard working, and Applebloom was always so supportive and comforting. There was good in them, both of them, and even if it wasn't always on the surface, she would always be there with them. She loved her friends. Still though, Applebloom asked her to be somewhere, and Sweetie Belle would not disappoint. She quickened her step, careful not to alert any of the older ponies walking around by bumping into them. Shortly, she arrived at her destination: a lone Information stand run by the one of the only ponies Sweetie Belle trusted outside her group of friends. The stand was filled with a wide range of things. Newspapers, maps, pamphlets, and even a list of all the places to eat in Partyville. It truly was the most well-versed place that tourists could go to in order to learn about the district. The unicorn behind the stand looked somewhat bored as she approached, but that was normal. Just before Sweetie got within sight of the stand, she allowed other ponies to see her again, always remembering the last time she forgot to do that and sort of ruined everything. Thankfully nobody lived in Pyrmidia anymore. She smiled genuinely as she noticed the white unicorn's face light up at her sight. "Sweetie Belle! It's good to see you again." Sweetie Belle loved talking to the mare, she was almost like a sister to her. "Hi Vinyl, thank you, I've been okay." She greeted to the unicorn, walking over to the side of the stand, the place she usually stood when she came to this hotspot. Vinyl Scratch, to her credit, had a beaming smile on her face. She was a chipper unicorn with an electric blue mane. Not only that though, she was probably the most connected pony in all of Partyville as well as the four adjacent districts. If you wanted information on any pony nearby, she was probably the one to ask. It always cost money though, so Sweetie was just happy not really knowing, and just being near her. "So what brings you to my little slice of heaven today?" Vinyl asked, motioning around herself to the wheeled stall she'd often set up in the most populous of locations. Smiling, Sweetie lightly hit a button on the side of the stand. From inside it a metal slab extended from the side. When Sweetie installed it, Vinyl was hesitant, but she often used it herself when she was on break and she wanted somewhere to sit. Sweetie climbed onto it and sat down. "It's been a while, I wanted to hear some of your stories." Vinyl raised at eyebrow at the comment, "And see the ledger?" She asked, smiling, she regarded the young unicron as a friend, and so she was levitating a clipboard out from under the stand's small counter. Sweetie blushed slightly, "If you don't mind, thank you." She knew that Vinyl didn't mind; she always looked at the ledger to see who bought what, when and how much they paid for which items. She'd never explain why of course, she wanted Vinyl to continue to like her, but she needed to. "Hey," Vinyl said, leaning back inside the stand, a smile on her face as she watched Sweetie Belle studying the ledger, "I know my favourite kiddo, I don't know WHY you're always so curious, but it's charming." Upon hearing the word ‘curious’, something innate inside Sweetie Belle turned on. Outwardly nothing changed, but inside, Sweetie began absorbing ambient levels of energy from around herself. Her levels were optimal, superoptimal even. She didn't know why, but the nearby levels were charged beyond what they'd ever been. She was absorbing more power than she knew what to do with. Was this just from the new unicorn in town? Had business picked up with Vinyl? were the clones responsible? She had no idea why the background levels of Curiosity had skyrocketed, but she was ecstatic about it. But she knew that she needed to answer Vinyl, and also refrain from using her newfound power. It was three times the amount she normally got, but it wouldn't do to waste it just because she had it. Sweetie looked up and the mare and smiled, blushing slightly from losing focus on her friend. "Thanks Vinyl, and I just like seeing who's buying your things." Vinyl smiled and put the clipboard back where she normally hung it. "Business is going fine, Sweetie, you don't need to worry." The blue-maned unicorn grinned. Sweetie Belle was a curious little kiddo, and it was nice to see the younger sort show an interest in the more experienced ponies. Sweetie Belle knew without a shadow of a doubt that with wherever this extra power came from she'd absolutely be able to create an illusion; it'd use a lot, but she was now certain that she could. "Hey Vinyl?" She asked just before the mare was about to actually start telling one of her stories. "Would you like to meet my friends tomorrow?" She didn't like lying to people she cared about of course, but it was required. The smile in return was more than enough answer. --- As Twilight left the loft above Oakfields, Spike listened carefully. While he liked sharing the things he got up to, there was certain things he didn't think she was ready to know. For starters, nobody just sat quietly while somebody lived rent free above their store. It was either a favour, an agreement, or a plan. Favours you do for friends or relatives, perhaps you owe somebody something. Agreements were either on the table or under it. Any lease or paperwork was an agreement. Plans were a different sort, and oftentimes went on behind the scenes. Spike didn't exactly know who was really in charge in the area, and finding out would require some grunt work, but it needed to be done. But a lot of it could wait; the first thing that needed doing was figuring out how secure the place was. Nobody knew how easy it was to hide cameras and sensors. Fortunately, even if they were wireless, there was always a transmitter of some kind. "Getting onto the roof shouldn't be a problem," He thought, getting off the couch and walking over to the window. Age had fused it shut, which was both good and bad in a few ways. Next he looked up at the ceiling. The building itself didn't have a slanted roof, but the ceiling was also quite a bit lower than the roof was, meaning a crawl space of some kind, possibly even an attic. He made his way over to the staircase, paying close attention to just how heavily his steps were. He knew that any sudden changes meant unwanted attention. Listening closely he learned that he actually had a lighter step compared to Twilight. He nodded in approval, silence fit him well overall, as a person who didn’t speak. "Time to see what the owner has to say." Spike thought, walking down the stairs. He saw the store in front of him, the aisles, the books, which he ignored on his way to the counter. The stallion working there had an unpleasant look on his face, almost like a more bearable Twilight when she was really pissed off. It was almost cute how much he wanted to look upset with Spike. It was a problem though, considering he was friendly not even an hour ago. Something changed, and Spike had a sneaking suspicion that it was heavily in Twilight's department. --- Twilight was distraught. This was a situation she had no idea how to handle. No one wanted to talk to her. She...it was...it wasn't like in Panhandlershot, this was far more disturbing, more wrong. She stepped back from the group in front of her, confused and anxious. It didn't make any sense. She had to figure out what people knew about the farmer, but these people wouldn't talk to her. Twilight turned and saw a lone pony walking by himself, she decided to try him too. When she walked over to him though, even before she got into talking range, he leveled a warning glare at her. Why though? Was it because she was smarter than them? She didn't remember actually insulting anyone out loud, it was all things she thought without saying, right? How fast did gossip travel in Partyville? This wasn't what they were like! They were talking to her, so nobody had cast a Disquiet spell. It was sudden, so it wasn't something somebody did to her. But what was it? Twilight saw that even just standing still she was getting looks from people she didn't even intend to talk to, they were just upset with her...like she didn't belong. Her eyes widened as she slowly backed into a wall, she needed to be away from here. Twilight needed to be away from judging eyes before she started hyperventilating. She picked a direction and ran. "Why?" she asked herself, "Why did everything change?" She didn't realize it, but she was continuing to repeat the question to herself as she ran, attempting to make sense of the situation. The edges of her vision began to get foggy, but she knew that would subside as soon as she was alone. Thankfully she found an alley that, while still surrounded by shops and ponies that were glaring at her, was at least secluded from lines of sight. She ran into the alley and threw herself behind a dumpster, ignoring the smell as she breathed heavily, holding her hooves to the sides of her head. "Why is everyone acting so wrong?" she asked herself as the rest of the world faded away around her, "How? How could they all just agree all at once to hate me? What happened?" Getting the questions out felt better, but she was still confused and anxious. "When did this even start? Was it a single event or a progression? IS somebody behind it all? Who could even do that? Where did this all start?" Twilight couldn't even begin to understand the disgust on everyone elses’ faces. It all came out of nowhere, and she was inside for most of it. Spike was outside shortly before he went up to talk to Twilight, and he didn't mention anything of the sort. Maybe it was just her? If so it could have been a slow rumour that spread, but they were all idiots, how could they organize something this elaborate? "No, they were clearly acting the entire time." She said, having now stopped shaking against the dumpster, "It was all acting, that's the only way any of this makes sense. None of them can be trusted." They all somehow knew she was a Hunter, and because Partyville is the ghost capital of St. Orangeberg, they were all against her, all from the very start, yesterday. "Ha, ha, ha, wow, is that what you think? That this is all about you?" A feminine voice spoke out of Twilight's sight line, which meant it was someone walking into the alley behind her and her dumpster. "You're more self absorbed than I remember." Twilight almost recognized whomever was speaking, but couldn't quite place it. Before she could even wonder why she was being spoken to, when clearly nobody wanted anything to do with her, the voice spoke again, "This is called an Information Lockout."