A bright flash of purple light shot out of the upper floor of the Ponyville library. A slight electronic hum filled the air afterwards along with the sound of celebrating from an Aperture Science artificial intelligence personality core known as ‘Wheatley’. The celebrating AI core spun around in the air due to the levitation spell that was performed on him so he could move around with ease.
“Thanks, Twilight!” he said as he floated around in the air, “This is way better than the management rail.”
Twilight smiled, although she had only known Wheatley for two days, she could tell that he wasn’t going to be a problem, despite occasionally doing something stupid, he usually meant well. She had already sent a letter to Princess Celestia about him and the other ‘personality core’ that seemed to have an unhealthy obsession with space, although according to Wheatley it’s nowhere near as bad as it was before they crashed landed.
Ponies that felt the shockwave that Wheatley and the Space core made come from the park. But the thing that was bugging her was how exactly did Wheatley and the Space core end up on her doorstep?
Frowning, she watched Wheatley floated around the room, trying to properly control it and was occasionally bumping into things. Sighing, Twilight turned her gaze out the window and looked into the raging downpour of rain.
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Tank’s hoofprints were now small pools of water as him, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow dash, Witch, Jockey and Charger followed Hunter, who was tracking Jockey, who had run off to find Screamer.
Moving in the rain was uncomfortable with fur, even though he looked more like he did on Earth, despite his equine face and the hooves. Tank sighed, he could barely see the vague outline of Hunter’s crouched body running through the streets due to the rain. Suddenly, Hunter stopped and turned towards them.
Hunter’s ears flattened against his head as he growled at the building he was sitting in front of. There was nothing wrong with the building itself, but what was inside the building was what made Hunter stop. Just being this close he could literally feel the tension waves coming off of it. When everyone caught up, Charger asked him what made him stop.
“Something is very wrong in there,” Hunter said, not moving.
Fluttershy, who was soaked to the bone due to the rain, walked slowly towards one of the windows and peered inside.
Inside she saw Jockey sitting uncharacteristically still, Smoker standing against a far wall with his head on said wall with Spitter sitting beside him and Boomer sitting at a table looking over some papers.
“Um, it doesn’t look very wrong to me,” Fluttershy said quietly.
For most that would have been a slight strain to hear, but for Hunter it was clear as day, “Nothing is wrong with the building itself, but what’s happened in there. I don’t like it.”
Rarity sneezed and walked over to the door, “I don’t care what’s happened in there, at least it’s dry,” she said as she walked into Sugarcube corner.
“I gotta agree with Rarity on this, come on Fluttershy,” said Rainbow dash as she went inside with Fluttershy not far behind.
A third flicker of lightning cracked across the sky, startling Witch slightly. Tank shook his head, “Sorry Hunter, although you have bad feeling about this place, it is dry.”
And with that, Tank, Witch and Charger walked inside with the building leaving Hunter in the rain. Scowling, Hunter followed.
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Smoker opened his eyes and turned towards the door as he heard ponies enter the quiet bakery. He saw the rest of the absent infected enter along with Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow dash. Smoker sighed slightly and sat down beside Spitter, who seemed to have fallen asleep.
Smoker noticed Hunter’s wary movements and sighed again, despite being blind, Hunter could somehow manage to notice things better than all of them, due to his other senses being amped up. He watched as Hunter slowly walked over to him and sat down and scratched at his cut ear with his hind leg.
The silence was undisturbed, besides the occasional sound of Boomer writing down notes. Finally, it was Rainbow dash that broke the silence.
“Why is it so quiet in here? Did somepony die or something?”
“You could say that,” muttered Spitter as she slowly opened her eyes and got up to her hooves.
Boomer, Smoker and Spitter looked around at everyone, before eventually Boomer spoke for the first time in an hour.
“I believe it would be wise for everyone to see it. That includes you’re two missing friends. They have a right to know what is behind that door,” said Boomer as he gestured to the now silent room Screamer was in.
“Why?” asked Rainbow dash.
“It’s… pretty heavy,” sighed Spitter, “Boomer’s right. Someone should go get Applejack and Twilight.”
“What about Pinkie pie?” asked Rarity.
Boomer sighed, “Honestly I don’t think she’s in any condition to see what’s in there again,” he turned to Rainbow dash, “I told this to Pinkie pie, whatever is crossed out is not true. Do not get any crazy ideas, alright?”
Rainbow dash nodded, slightly confused at Boomer’s statement. She overheard Smoker speaking with Hunter.
“Alright, so remember, knock this time. Don’t go bashing through her window,” Smoker told Hunter.
Hunter sighed, “Yeah, yeah, got it.” with that, Hunter bolted out of the quiet bakery and back into the rain.
“Where’s he going?” asked Rainbow dash.
“He’s going to get Applejack and Twilight,” said Spitter, “We figured he’d be the fastest.”
Rainbow dash stared at her in disbelief, “Uh, hello? I’m Rainbow dash, the fastest flier in Equestria. I’m way faster than Hunter.”
Boomer raised an eyebrow and looked up from his notes, “You haven’t seen Hunter in action. He’s the fastest out of all of us. Well, besides Witch, that is.”
It was Rainbow dash’s turn to raise an eyebrow, “Witch? Seriously? She doesn’t seem so fast to me.”
Boomer chuckled, “That’s because she’s not after you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Boomer’s expression became stern, “Ever heard of the phrase, like a bat out of hell? Well, imagine the fires of hell personified with a rage that cannot be satisfied unless she, or whoever was stupid enough to piss her off, is dead.”
Rainbow dash looked back at Witch, who was resting beside Tank, who nodded in agreement with Boomer, “Do you know why I am always by Witch?” he asked.
Rainbow dash shook her head, even though she guessed that he was protecting her.
“I am close to Witch not only to protect her, but to protect everyone else from her as well. Even I’m afraid of Witch when she’s angry.”
As if on cue, Witch mumbled something in her sleep and started to growl softly. It didn’t sound very threating, but it did sound hollow and eerie. The more Rainbow dash looked at Witch’s red wing tips, the more they looked like blood stained claws. Witch made an odd crying sound in her sleep, making Rainbow dash shudder as Tank started muttering something, which seemed to calm Witch down.
More lightning cut through the sky accompanied by the roar of thunder.
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There was a loud thump at Twilight’s door as she walked down to answer it with Wheatley hovering not far behind. When she opened it, she saw Hunter clutching his head in his forehooves and groaning in pain.
“Ugh.”
“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.
Hunter sniffed the air slightly, “Yeah, stupid thunder, anyway, we need you and Applejack at the bakery place. Smoker says it’s important. Everyone else is there too.”
Twilight looked at him oddly, “Why, exactly?”
Hunter shrugged, “I’m not too sure, but he, Spitter, Boomer and Pinkie pie seem to know though.”
Twilight sighed, she could easily just not follow Hunter but an odd sense of curiosity got the better of her, sighing, she agreed to go with Hunter. Wheatley, who was watching from inside the library, asked if he could go long too.
Hunter gave the impression of looking at him; he sniffed the air growled slightly to get a mental image of him. To his surprise, he got floating metal sphere. Shrugging, Hunter bounded off back into the rain with Twilight and Wheatley following close behind.
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Applejack grunted as she kicked another damp apple tree. Apple bucking was always much more difficult to do in the rain because of all the mud. As the tree’s worth of apples fell into the placed basket, she noticed something that sounded like a pony and wolf oddly crossed together. She stopped briefly before some tree branches rustled slightly behind her.
Applejack turned to face the tree before hearing a few twigs snap and Hunter fall into the mud, causing her to jump slightly. After noticing who it was, Applejack walked up to Hunter, annoyed.
“Just what the hay do you think you’re doing?”
Hunter groaned, “Trying to find you.”
Applejack frowned, “why are y’all trying to find me?”
There was more rustling as Twilight emerged from nearby with Wheatley hovering towards Hunter.
“Apparently Smoker wants us all to see something in Sugarcube corner. Hunter says that everypony else is there too.”
Applejack nodded, keeping her gaze on Wheatley, “I just have one more question, what the heck is that?” she asked gesturing to Wheatley.
“Oh, that’s Wheatley. He has an, err, interesting story about how he got here. He’s also partially responsible for that shockwave a few days ago,” explained Twilight.
Applejack nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer, “Alright. I guess I’ll go with y’all to see whatever it is we’re supposed to be seeing.”
Hunter growled again, and leapt off towards a path that led back to Ponyville with Wheatley hovering beside him and Twilight and Applejack running after them to get out of the rain.
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The sound of a door opening made Boomer look up from some of the notes he was looking at to see Hunter with Twilight, Applejack and the white sphere from yesterday. Boomer raised an eyebrow and collected the papers on the table and put them into a neat stack. Wheatley briefly glanced at them before Boomer began speeking.
“So, I guess everyone is here. Now, the reason I asked all of you to come here is because there is something important behind that door,” he gestured to the silent door that Screamer was behind, “Well, just to warn you all, you may see some disturbing things behind that door, most of which is true or soon will be.”
“What do you mean, ‘most of which is true or soon will be’?” asked Twilight.
Smoker coughed, “Screamer sometimes draws on walls as his way of predicting something. In our time of knowing him he hasn’t been wrong once.”
“So… a prophecy or something?” asked Rainbow dash.
Boomer nodded, “Yes, it is prophecy like, but not exact. There are some errors, which have been crossed off. I believe there was a rather, disturbing, event that has thankfully been crossed off. I believe it involved you and Miss Pie.”
There was a pause, then Hunter sighed impatiently, “I ran through rain, lightning and thunder, which you know hurts me like hell, to get everyone here. Now, can we see what Screamer drew?”
Boomer nodded, “Yes, I believe we’ve kept you in the dark about this long enough. Don’t worry about Screamer, he should be fine soon.”
Twilight looked to Boomer oddly, “What happened to him?”
“I believe he has contacted the same illness that Hunter had yesterday, but far less threatening. The worst he could do is scream until his voice gives out, which doesn’t take very long,” said Boomer.
Nodding, Boomer walked to the room Screamer was in and opened the door until everyone was inside. The then shut the door behind him with a quiet click.
“It starts on the far wall, with the nine bipeds. Continue clockwise until you get to here,” he pointed at the final picture depicting the currently unknown dead pony.
The fourteen began to look at the drawings and slowly become more and more disturbed at the story they had to tell.
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For the second time that day, the main lobby of Sugarcube corner was dead silent. The wind howled outside and the rain continued to pound down upon the town. Some of them, like Fluttershy and Applejack, were stunned by what supposedly will happen. Others like Rainbow dash and Charger simply refused to believe some of the events, despite Charger knowing that they will inevitably happen. Others like Wheatley (who Twilight had introduced inside the room when Rainbow dash finally asked what he was) couldn’t properly comprehend what the pictures meant and was being silent because he assumed it was polite to be at this moment.
The picture that Tank found the most disturbing was one that was a near identical picture of Witch when she was on Earth, but with wings and crying blood. Another disturbing picture for Rainbow dash was the crossed out one that had scared Pinkie pie. And finally, Twilight found the picture of the currently unnamed Alicorn that seemed to be attacking a tall, slender looking bipedal creature.
Lightning cracked outside causing Hunter to whimper slightly as he prepared himself for the painfully loud crash of thunder.
Overall the mood of the building was depressing, as Smoker had returned to his previous spot with his head against the wall and Spitter beside him. It was unspoken, but assumed that they would all seem to have to stay the night as the storm was picking up even more and was merciless. Finally, Wheatley broke the silence.
“So, uh, I guess that was shocking or something like that?”
“That was beyond creepy,” muttered Rainbow dash. She paused for a moment, “Uh, does anypony know where Pinkie pie is? I kinda need to talk with her.”
“I think I saw her go upstairs a few hours ago. Haven’t seen her come back down,” said Smoker.
Rainbow dash nodded and bolted up the stairs. They all watched her go and lapsed into relative silence, even though Spitter was quietly speaking with Smoker and Boomer talking with Twilight about Screamer’s no failure rate.
Throughout all of this, not a single giggle was heard from Jockey. Charger assumed it was because he was worried about Screamer, for whatever reason that was. ‘Well, Smoker did say that they found them around the same area, maybe they knew each other before the infection?’ Charger thought.
Whatever the reason was, it was throwing Charger off even more that the peculiar drawings by Screamer. She watched briefly as Wheatley slowly hovered around, introducing himself better to everyone before closing her eyes and slowly falling into a troubled sleep.