//------------------------------// // Revealed Convict // Story: Monster Inside // by Penguin17203 //------------------------------// The piece of paper had been torn apart. The two former ponies stared at their pieces, numerous thoughts and emotions travelling through their minds. The magician's body trembled as both her hands curled tightly around the piece of paper, unintentionally crushing it. "Y-you... y-you... why? Why the hay would you do that!?" She screamed. If their previous scuffle hadn't already drawn the attention of the humans, her outcry surely did. "Would you calm the hell down already!? Jesus Christ, y'all have serious issues to work out!" The man wearing the trucker cap had to throw in his input. Trixie immediately turned her head in the man's direction and killed the distance between them. "Stay outta this! This has nothing to do with you!" "Y'all are yellin' at the top of your lungs! Yer gonna bring the walkers down on top of us!" Trixie wanted to rebuttal but held off on it. Just barely though, considering she was now stranded on this planet; all she did in response was let out an inwardly growl. The girls were all in the same boat, thinking the same thing. They were stuck here, the scroll had been torn; common sense would tell you that it would no longer work. The humans were silently watching from the sides even though they had just gotten into an argument a few moments ago, they can't but wonder if these girls had just escaped from a mental hospital. Applejack came over to Twilight, a troubled look on her face. The bookworm was muttering to herself, something about "being so stupid." "Twi, please tell me you have some kind of a backup plan. We aren't really... stuck 'ere. Are we?" She asked. "Well, we obviously are!" Rainbow interjected. "The scroll was destroyed! Of course, we're stuck here!" "Ah just wanna be clear before we start drawing to conclusions." Applejack turned to face the wonderbolt. "Well, you're 'conclusion' is that we're stuck here even I can see that. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." Applejack sighed through her nose, shaking her head before turning back to Twilight. "Twilight?" "H-huh, what?" She peeled her eyes away from the torn scroll in her hands. "Do you have a plan? As in, how are we supposed to leave this place with the scroll destroyed? That's presuming that you can't use it after it's been torn." It took a few moments before Twilight replied. She looked down at the scroll, mentally scolding herself for having acted so foolishly. This was their only way home, the only way they could get home, and merely moments ago she was acting like it was some type of elastic band that could stretch for miles! It was paper for Celestia's sake! Suddenly hit with a mixture between rage and impulsivity; she ditched the piece of paper causing Applejack to flinch at the sudden outburst. "We can't. Once a scroll-enchanted scroll... is destroyed we can no longer use it." Twilight's hand blossomed over her mouth as she thought over the past few events with disdain. Applejack felt herself grow hopeless. That wasn't it... right? It can't just be like that. Surely there was some type of failsafe or backup plan that would allow them to be transported back home. They couldn't be stuck here, right? "H-how are we supposed to get home?" Twilight didn't respond right away, she was still mulling over her thoughts. How could she have acted so moronically? She turned back to her friend and sighed. "I don't know but I'm definitely not gonna give up on finding a solution." "They're all completely insane," Kenny muttered as he watched the group of former ponies chat amongst themselves. "I-I'm sure they're just... s-shook up is all." Katjaa, Kenny's wife said. She, Kenny, and their son were by the counter of the pharmacy on the right corner of the room. "Everyone is shook up but they're just... completely delusional. Screamin' over some piece a' paper, ah mean seriously. Transporting back home? Are you kiddin' me!?" "We don't know the full story, Ken." Katjaa was comforting her son who was unnerved about the previous argument, the man, known as Larry threatening to toss them outside. "Yeah well, Ah've heard enough." A-are you girls gonna be okay?" The dark-skinned man known as Lee asked Rarity. "You guys seem like you have some... problems." "We'll... be fine. We're just a bit... fearful at the moment with everything that's going on." Rarity graciously replied. Lee overheard the argument and suffice to say, he wasn't sure if these girls were in the right state of mind although he was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. "That uhh scroll meant a lot to you guys huh?" "Well yes, it's kind of a... p-personal thing." Rarity wasn't going to tell him the truth, the whole group probably thinks they're crazy; didn't want to add fuel to the fire. "Ah, right I understand. So what are you guys planning on doing now?" She paused for a moment. There really wasn't much to do other than to wait until Twilight figures out a way home or... something else happens. She wasn't confident that they would get home now that the scroll was destroyed and as far as she knew, there was no magic in this world. If there was, Rarity has yet to come across any source of it. Pinkie didn't want to stay here, understandable. The pony or rather girl was hoping for a fun adventure instead they ended up in a world where corpses are somehow still alive and walking; devouring any living creature they could get their filthy hands on. Rainbow Dash was standing beside Fluttershy who was still out cold. The wonderbolt was conflicted about the situation. On one hand, she just wanted to leave, leave and never come back but on the other, she wouldn't feel right leaving the humans here to fend for themselves. Suppose it didn't matter now that the scroll was ripped in half... the choice was made for her. "We never should've come here, we never should've come here. I told you it was a bad idea but no you guys just always have to find something to do doncha? You just can't leave things be well look where we are now!" Trixie exclaimed. She and Starlight were standing over by the restroom where the walker laid just a few feet away from them. Starlight thought it'd be best to stay there since it was furthest away from the group. "Starswirl said it was safe." Starlight rebutted. "Well, it obviously isn't. Take a look at that-that... monster Starlight. Does that look safe to you?" Trixie pointed at the dead walker. Starlight refused to do so, She already saw enough of them outside. She didn't need to see another one. "Trixie, I'm sure Twilight will figure something out, and then we'll be home." The magician scoffed. "I doubt that. We might as well identify as humans now because we're stuck here, probably forever and as far as I know there's no magic here. I can't even use my magic. Can you?" Starlight paused for a moment. "No... no, I can't." "Exactly which in other words, we're doomed." Lee went over to the door that lead into the office of the pharmacy. He went to grab the doorknob when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the girl with curly hair standing behind him with a solemn look on her face. "W-what's in there?" She asked. Lee did a double-take at the door. "Oh, in there? Dunno, I-I haven't been in there before." There was a flash of hurt in the man's eyes but it was gone in an instant. "D-do you mind if I can go with you?" Lee smiled at her. "Of course. Oh and uh by the way I'm Lee." "I'm Pinkie Pie." The party girl introduced herself. Lee raised a brow. "Umm Pinkie... Pie?" "Yeah, that's my name." "...R-right well..." He turned away from her and grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open; a squeak coming from it's hinges. The room was a mess, blood trailing along the floor, a mattress with a blanket coated with crimson. There were a couple of cupboards, furniture in the room. One of them with a television. Pinkie sighed through her nose, seeing the room in such a state. What happened in there? She was curious but at the same time, she didn't want to know about the possible horrors that took place here. "W-what are you guys doing?" Came a small feminine voice from behind them. Pinkie turned to see the little girl with the hat they came in with. "O-oh hi!" "H-hi." The child timidly waved at her. "What's your name?" Pinkie leaned down to her level with a cheery smile. "Clem-Clementine." "Clementine? That's a nice name!" "Thanks." The child smiled back at her. "W-what are you doing?" "We're trying to figure out a way to get into the checkout area so we get Larry his pills." Lee was the one who replied. Pinkie frowned, looking back at the man. "His pills-wait who's Larry again?" "The grumpy old guy." Lee simply replied. Pinkie gasped. "Oh! The mean one? W-what does he need pills for? Is he sick?" They went further into the room and the door closed behind them. "I... guess you could say that. He's got a heart problem apparently." "Oh well that's no good, you said you were trying to get into the checkout area?" Pinkie strode over to the door leading into the checkout. It was blocked by a large table with cabinets and there was a pallet sat up against it. "Is it through here?" She pulled back the wooden pallet, it was slightly heavy but it wasn't much of a big deal. When pulling it back, a big stick fell onto the floor with a crack. Pinkie frowned, getting a closer look at it. It was a cane. "Ooh look! A cane!" She plopped the pallet to the side and bent down to pick it up. Lee came over to her. When she noticed the man, she showed him the cane. "Look what I found." "What's that?" Clementine asked, looking at the cane with curiosity. "It's... my dad's cane." Lee took the cane from Pinkie's grasp. "Y-your dad's?" Pinkie frowned. "W-wait, do your parents live here? Where are they?" There was that same look of hurt that flashed across his eyes again, she noticed it earlier when they first came in the room. She was starting to wonder if something had happened to his parents. Perhaps they owned the place... and something happened? "Let's just get this outta the way, okay?" The man said dismissively, putting the cane against the pallet and going over to the large table. Pinkie wanted to push the subject but decided that it wasn't any of her business, something obviously happened. It may be too painful for him to discuss, she noted to herself that she'll try later. She walked over to the table to move it out of the way of the door. "Can I help?" Clementine abruptly asked with a smile on her face. "Of course." Lee returned the smile before turning back to the table. He grabbed it along with Pinkie and Clementine. "Alright, here we are. Be with your fingers in the drawers." They began moving the table away from the door, Pinkie clenched her fingers and biceps when she discovered that the large piece of furniture was pretty heavy. "Things have been... pretty scary lately huh?" "Yeah," Clementine replied. Pinkie couldn't agree more, a world where full of corpses that wanted to eat flesh wasn't what she was expecting when she was sucked through the vortex. She should've known something was wrong when they first arrived here, having not come across any spec of life. The only thing they did come across though was the ruins of a deserted town. Suppose they were also lucky, they could've come across the walkers and not the humans. "How are you holding up Pinkie?" Lee asked, bringing her out of her train of thought. "Huh? O-oh, uh not good... I guess." Pinkie replied more serious for her liking. Lee nodded understandingly. "Yeah, things haven't been too good." "No, they haven't." They continued moving the table. Once there was a large gap between the table and the door, Lee began turning it sideways. "Do you have kids?" Clementine asked abruptly. "No." Lee simply answered, seeing where the conversation was heading. "Y-you don't have a family?" "Let's just move this thing." "O-oh okay." Pinkie could see Lee wasn't very thrilled on the topic. Maybe she could uplift the mood? "Hey! What's your favorite food?" "Favorite food?" Lee repeated as they were moving the table sideways to push up against the wall. "My favorite is candy!" Clementine enthusiastically answered. "Oh really!? Me too!" The child frowned at the older girl. "I thought adults don't like candy?" "What!? You're never too old for candy!" "Oh because every time I ask adults if they want some candy, they always say they don't like it." "Pfft, I love candy!" Pinkie turned at Lee. "Do you like candy? Please-please-please, tell me you do?" "Uhh... I prefer chocolate actually." Lee said with an amused grin. "Oh well, at least you like some type of sweets. Better than not liking aaaany sweets!" They began to push the table up against the wall when Clementine let out a yelp. Pinkie and Lee immediately stopped to check was on her, the child was clutching her finger. It was bleeding. "Oh no! Are you okay?" Pinkie asked, concerned. "I hurt my finger!" "Is it bleeding?" Lee inquired. "A little." The man picked up the child and gently sat her on top of the table. "I'll go look for a bandage." Pinkie turned away from them and began scanning the office. It didn't take long for her to spot the red medical box on another table, this one was a basic table. One that had no cabinets or drawers. She went to walk over to it when she saw a smashed frame on the floor near the mattress. There was still a photo inside of it just hanging halfway out. She picked but felt a pang in her heart when she recognized the contents. It was a picture of Lee with presumably his family, an elderly couple with another man dressed in medical scrubs. She looked back at Lee who was examining Clementine's injured finger. "Umm, Lee?" She walked over to him. He turned to look at her. "Yeah?" "Uh, here." She held out the photo for him. "I-I found it on the floor there." He looked at it for a moment before that look of hurt came onto his features once more. "Thanks, Pink-" Right when he looked up at her, he frowned. Seeing his look, she turned and became slightly startled to see a woman standing there. It was the same girl that saved and brought them inside. "Find anything?" "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie." The party girl introduced herself. Upon hearing the name, the woman gave her a confused look. "I'm... Carley." "Carley? You guys have such weird names..." Pinkie trailed off. "Weird names? Says the one who calls herself Pinkie Pie; anyway..." Carley then fixed Lee with a wary expression. "I know who you are," she said which in return earned her a frown from him. "You're Lee Everett, you were a professor at Athens who killed a state senator who was sleeping with your wife." Pinkie stilled for a moment, processing what the woman had just said. Lee killed somepony, well actually someone in this case but that didn't matter, he killed someone!? She turned back at him to find that he was still eyeing the woman look that almost seemed like a glare. "This is your parent's store. Folks around know town know the owner's son got himself a live sentence but I'm a reporter for W-A-B-E in Atlanta." "A reporter?" Pinkie's voice lost it's cheery tune to it and was replaced by another that followed the atmosphere of the conversation. "Yeah, I paid attention to that trial. Maybe, you're a murderer but I don't really care. Frankly, that's a skill that might come in handy." "L-Lee you... killed before?" Pinkie reluctantly asked. He sighed and nodded. No words were needed to answer. "O-oh, was it a bad pony-I-I mean person?" That was a stupid question... obviously he was a bad person. He was sleeping with Lee's wife, she was married! But... did he really need to turn to murder though? Carley looked at Lee with a knowing look. For a few moments, he didn't answer. "Yes, yes he was..." "Have you told anyone out there who you were or that you were tied to this place?" "Well, I know now sooooo... I-I guess that's a yes?" Pinkie half-grimaced, holding both her palms upwards and cocking her head. "No, no one does... except Pinkie." Lee then answered Carley's inquiry. The reporter paused. She seemed to be sizing him up. Pinkie looked between both of them, unsure of whether she should say something or stay quiet. In other circumstances, she most likely would've come up with some joke but in this case; the mood was as somber as it's definition. "You seem like an okay guy. The last thing we need is drama out there." The reporter finally spoke and she nodded her head in direction of the door leading into the store. "Yeah, I think we've had enough drama for one day. Especially with that fat meanie outside with the heart problems." Pinkie replied. "I don't even think he knows what good for him, he just doesn't know when to lay off... believe me I know." Carley turned her attention back to Lee. "Look, my point is if this continues to stay in the dark and then later you become some sort of... miscreant to the group? We'll have a problem." "I hear you." The man responded with caution. "I'll just keep it to myself." Pinkie smiled but kept her silence. They both wrapped up their conversation with Lee thanking the reporter. Once she left the room, the room became quiet again which was strange for Pinkie. Although it ended on a good note, she still couldn't believe Lee had killed someone. She was so shocked when she first heard it, it felt like everything had frozen for a second. She couldn't remember the last time she heard of a murder in Equestria, what was it? Centuries? And even then most of them were just accidents. How common was it over here? She hoped that she wouldn't be around to find out that answer. Lee seemed like a nice person even though he... murdered someone. "U-uhh Lee?" "Yeah?" He turned away from the door, he discovered it was locked a few seconds ago. He looked at the girl, he knew what she was going to ask. Not exactly the question but the subject. "Uhh... d-do you want me to keep this as a secret or...?" He gave her a reassuring smile after sensing she was still a tad bit uncomfortable about the subject. "I would appreciate it if you kept it to yourself, Pinkie." "Oh alright!" Pinkie then began doing hand gestures while saying some sort of weird chant. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Lee silently stared at her for a few seconds. "...What?" "That was a Pinkie promise! Made by yours truly!" She ended it off with a bow. "You are certainly random, Pinkie." He said with slight amusement. "I know, it's one of my traits!" With that, they both began discussing what to do about the locked door.