"Group 1 is Dash, Sparks, Sprinkles, & zecora" twilight explained. Dash walked to a gate as the others from her group gathered around her.
"So Uh what exactly do we do" Sparks asked.
"Your objective is to investigate the Fields and outlying farm" The praetor replied. Dash nodded and led her group to the barn.
"Group 2 consist of the Praetor, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Owliscious" twilight explained.
"Might I ask why we have an owl?" the praetor questioned.
"He's quiet good for reconnaissance" twilight replied.
"Hmm...Very well and I suppose we search the house?" the praetor asked.
"Yep" Twilight said simply as the Praetor followed after rarity and Fluttershy to the apple home. Twilight watched as they went away and turned her attention to the remaining ponies and dragon.
"Now we are group 3 we have to investigate the barn and storehouse" twilight said.
"First Sergeant Studmuffin just follow behind me" twilight requested. The sergeant hesitated but nodded in acknowledgment.
"Good, Now if everypony is ready we can move forward" Twilight said using her magic to place the parchment into her pack. Spike tapped on twilight to get her attention.
"Uh... So twilight... What exactly are we looking for?" Spike asked as he clambered up onto twilight's back.
"Well Anything that can help us figure out what in the name of Celestia is going on..." Twilight said beginning a slow gait to the apple family barn.
AppleFarm: Barn Entrance
Twilight was the first to have the barn come into sight. She could see the black roof tip into the sky ominously. The structure had a dark reddish tint of the walls and gave off a deep eerie presence of cold and awkwardness. Twilight felt a shiver roll down her spine as she crested the hill to the barn. Spike stood up to get a veiw. Even though both the pony and dragon had seen the building hundreds of times they where still in awe at it's size and monstrous walls. In true hindsight it was a magnificent structure for the farm. As she came closer her eyes took in the all of the uneasy sights of the area. She could see the barn door left ajar as dash had explained in her story. As the distance between her and the barn decreased. The coming of a wretched smell increased. She could tell the origin of the scent came from with in the building. She looked at spike who seemed a bit unfazed by the scent.
"Do you smell that?" Twilight asked trying her best to protect her snout from the horrid scent of the inside of the darkened barn. Spike shook his head.
"Sorry twilight I guess since I'm a dragon the smell doesn't affect me as it does to you ponies. Twilight just sighed rolling her eyes as spike hopped off. He could see Studmuffin and pinkie creasting closer to them.
"Whoo wee what stinks?" Pinkie blurted immediately as she came within range of the smell. She recived a negative look from twilight and responded with a hesatent smile and shrug .She brought a hoof to also try and block out the smell ineffectively. "Spike if you could please grabbed us each a hankerchief out of my pack for each of us"
Spike did as the pink pony requested and pulled out three hankies and gave one to each pony. helping Studmuffin tie his due to armor he wore it restricted move much movement from his legs and hooves.
"So... Who's gonna go in?" Pinkie asked completing the knot on her make shift breathing apparatus. It wasn't perfect but it kept most of the smell out. Twilight gave a questioning look as she to had finished tying her mask. Opting to use magic instead of her hooves.
"Pinkie, You and spike will stay here and check out the barn... Me and Studmuffin will examine the storehouse" Twilight said as Studmuffin walked behind her and stood in pseudo attention stance.
"Why do we have to go in?" pinkie asked playfully. Twilight just gave an aggravated glare at the pink pony.
"Pinkie this is not the time to play around" Twilight scolded the mare. Pinkie drooped low nodding in agreement. "After this is done and over we can laugh and play but right now... We need to help our friend Aj in whatever problem she has"
The pink mare nodded in agreement staring silently at the ground. Finialy raising her head facing twilight.
"Time to get serious" Pinkie said with a fire in her eye. Twilight could help but chuckle at the comment.
"What?" pinkie asked confused at twilight.
"Nothing... Pinkie" Twilight said shaking her head.
"Seriously.. What I do?" Pinkie pressed on. Twilight just walked away followed silently by Studmuffin.
"Nothing at all" Twilight said as the distance between her and the mare increased. Pinkie stood silently as she watched her purple friend march away followed by the silent and stoic Studmuffin. After they disappeared from sight pinkie looked to spike nodding with a small grin.
"Spike can you grab the lantern from the farside pouch please?" Pinkie said a bit coldly causing spike to have a double take but eventually complied to the order and dug the lantern out and lit it with his breath. The wick within the kerosene lantern sparked to life in a minuscule flash. The light bounced within with a hueful dance as it's tip swayed to and fro from within. Spike watched it dance it's self within it's glass confines. He smiled as the yellow orange flame stayed on it's cotton perch silently obedient as to give light to all in it's surrounding area. Pinkie broke him from his trance with a hoof to his shoulder.
Spike nodded as he handed the lantern to pinkie who held it in her mouth as she made her way inside the ever growing eeriness of the barn encompassed them. Pinkie stepped slowly one hoof in front of another through the ajared barn door. Slowly she let the darkness consume her body as spike simply followed behind through the door standing in the small square of moonlight permited only by the space the door allowed to be left open. Spikes small shadow blotched much of the moonlit rays out but was still granted enough to make his first steps into the foreboding innards of the old wooden structure. He looked back as the moon disappeared from view blanked out by the roof. Pinkie stood patiently as the baby dragon made his way quietly to her.
Spike took one last look out of the door as good measure of it's existence but had to make a double take as he swore his eyes had seen a small black shadow rush past the open doorway. He looked to pinkie as assurance and mouthed his thoughts silently. She stared hesitantly before saying no knowing full well that she to saw the odd shadow. Pushing the though back with an excuse that it was a regular loose animal she continued as the dragon finally made it to her. Those few feet felt like miles as climbed onto the pink ponies back and sat and took the lantern from the mare.
"Spike please try to keep the light ste-.." pinkie was stopped mid sentence as her foot was met with a wet squishing sound. Spike lowered the lamp to the ground revealing someponies bloody and mutilated remains. Pinkie felt a pit build in her throat as she inhaled deeply trying not to let spike know how she felt. Little to her knowledge the purple dragon also felt sick deep within himself. He looked at pinkie seeing she had no expression he though that if she was at all the least bit afflicted she was really good at hiding it.
Pinkie continued to investigate the remains in front of her silently in the dim light. Growing ever more concerned with the way how they came to be. The could see scores of maggots, roaches, and various other insects that riddled in and on the body. Finding a severed head she believed belonged to the body she nudged it slightly with a hoof.
The head rolled slightly away leaving a trail ooze and rotted flesh. One of the eyes had begun to melt out of it's socket pinkie felt like she would vomit as she could see millions of flesh eating maggots squirm out of the porous eye hole.
Her attention still atoned to the dead corpse of the undefinable body she felt it best to take spike and leave. The mare began to open her mouth to speak but stopped as her blood ran cold. She heard the door to the barn slam shut behind them blotting out the only known exit. Instinctively spike shakingly held tightly to the pony in fear.
"W...Who did that?" spike asked not letting go. Pinkie sighed silently as she made her way back in the relative direction of the entranceway.
"Was... Was it zombies?" Spike said receiving an odd look from pinkie.
"Heh... Sorry But, seriously do you have any idea?" Spike quickly apologized.
"I... I don't know Spike" pinkie said finally in range of the entrance to open it. She placed both hooves on it and pushed. The door did not budge cept for a few centimeters indicating that a wooden shaft had been put in it's pathway."It's locked from the outside... Cant open it unless we can put alot of pressure in a little time"
"Now what do we do?" Spike asked blatantly. Pinkie backed away from the door and thought to herself for a few moments before speaking.
"The only thing we can do... Look for a way to open that door" pinkie said ushering spike to hop off. He did so and took the lantern from the pink earth pony in the process.
"Ok... So how exa-..." spike was interrupted by a loud rustling from behind him. He turned his attention to it's relative location scanning the darkness as best he could.
"D...Di...Did you hear that?" Spike asked making sure the pony was still within arms reach. He felt her body shift awkwardly as she answered.
"Yes... Yes I did spike... Stay close to me" Pinkie commanded standing over the baby dragon. Here eyes darted across the darkness like bullets against a wall incapable of penetrating it. Silently she tried to pinpoint the location of the odd sound but could not.
The barn sat eerily quiet as the darkness still engulfed the two entities with complete silence. Slowly the rustling came back in a rhythmic pattern. Coming ever closer like a shark to a hapless animal in the ocean. Pinkie and spike felt their heart beat jump into over drive as they backpedaled from the unknown sound that grew ever closer with each passing second.
Pinkie felt the wall hit her flank as they had backed up as far as possible they where trapped between darkness, an unknown sound and a wall. Suddenly all went dead silent all that could be heard is the heart pumping blood into ones very ears.
Spike and pinkie looked unto each other dumbfounded as to what had happened. Spike inhaled deeply as he took several steps forward not waiting for a response or retort from pinkie. The dragon waved through the blackness with his lantern that held a dim orange hue.
Soon he could not pinkies expressions just that a blackened pink sillouet stood somewhere behind him. Pinkie however could see him in near entirety because of the lantern he held in his claws. The dragon estimated he was only about 10 feet or roughly 3 meters away from pinkie. As he returned his attention to the space in front of him. As his lantern lights inched ever forward a small set of dog paws. Spike unsure of what to do slowly backed up to tell pinkie it was a dog whom or what was lost to him. As the light faded the dog paws followed only to the brim of the ring. Spike began to tense up as that the unknown canine was in fact following him. Spike came into pinkies view slowly with little to moderate relief. Though she slightly frowned at the pace and direction in which the dragon was returning.
"Spike What is it?" Pinkie tried her best to whisper to the purple reptile. She waited for a response as the distance between them closed. Once spike was in range she tapped him on the shoulder startling the little dragon. She saw his eyes where wide with a hint of fear as she asked him the question again.
"A dog.... Some dog... Probably Applejacks... I don't know" spike replied hesitantly. Pinkie began to see the for legs of a pawed creature. Spike looked up to her quietly as her body shifted awkwardly.
"Hey pinkie it is Aj's d-..." Spike was interrupted by a hoof. He let his eyes roll up to the pony. Pinkie dropped her head close to his and whispered in his ear.
"Look closer... It's not her dog... At least not anymore" Pinkie said pointing a hoof. Spike gave further examination although in the lowlight situation he could see the dig almost in whole. It's eyes were covered in a milky like film almost like those of a dead thing. It's fit was matted with blood and various other liquids. Fur that surrounded it mouth was the most bloody with a piece of unknown hanging flesh.
"Hey Wha-..." Spike started to speak but was soon interrupted by an extremely fast orange flash. It flew past him like a bullet. He stood trying to take a double take on it. He turned to face where it landed. She saw Pinkie pinned down to the ground by what looked like applejack. Pinkie was barely holding her back by the neck with her right foreleg and her snapping mouth with left one. The two ponies struggled in this position for some time. Spike watched silently at the ordeal in awe at the event happening before him. He did not expect to get into a tussle himself as he was broadsided by Applejacks dog winonia. He flew back into the ground launching the lantern away from him. He skidded across the hay covered ground silently. As he attempted to get stabilized the dog rushed him again with open jaws. Spike saw how unnaturally large it's moth had opened as it flew through the dark air.
Spike inhaled deeply as he blew the biggest fire he could muster engulfing the dog but not effectively deterring it. The dog landed to spikes side and did a B-line to do a low charge and get at the stubby dragons legs. Spike readied himself as he protracted a set of claws on his hand. Shocked at his success he brought them across the dogs face. As the claws scraped against flesh. They rendered long gashes across the fur covered skin causing the dog to whine away slightly but coming again at twice the force.
"Spike!!" spike heard his name being called by pinkie. He could see she needed help but he couldn't figure out exactly how to do so. He snapped back to reality as he got taken down. He brought up an arm getting it caught into the dogs mouth. The first few big were deflected by the dragons armor like skin.
"Heh... Scales girl" Spike said as he was about to bring a fist to it's face but was stopped as he felt the bites get ever closer to penetrating. He brought a fist as hard as he could knocking away the crazed canine. The dog flew back bouncing like a ball along the way. Spike looked at his arm it was fine except for a few deep holes and some blood.
"Spike!!" he heard his name called once more from the pink pony. Snapping back to reality like a rubber band he began a head on charge. He moved like a battering ram using his entire body mass to his advantage. He collided with the orange pony at a fast pace into her side. The pony collapsed in on spike as they for a split second became one. Afterwards they split falling off in directions engulfed by darkness. Panting hard pinkie sluggishly rose from the ground. Having mild difficulty she unmatched her pack as it slide down her flank and onto the ground. Afterwards she stumbled her way to the lantern and picked it up in her mouth. She scanned the ever calm darkness in silence. Slowly she felt an eerily cold shiver climb up her back. Quickly she turned to face the nothingness behind her jumping again as she felt it return. She felt like eyes where everywhere prodding her slowly behind empty black fog covered walls. She could feel the darkness creep around her beckoning for her submit to it's whim and be absorbed by it. She sighed as she tried to calm her mind and focus on finding spike. She move forward from what felt like an eternity of silence.
She used the lantern as it gave pitches for an increased line of sight. Biting tightly onto it as if her life depended on it's safe carriage it weaved to and fro flickering it's orange life source. Pinkie could see the light bouncing on the shadows to a silent beat she could not hear herself. The flames moved ever so softly like in a rehearsed ballet of silence. After more time then forever the darkness gave up it's reward of the unconscious baby dragon. Sighing pinkie set the lantern down and raised to her hind legs holder him in her right foreleg and the lantern in her left.
Sure he was secure under her care she made her way unknowing of the blood that trickled slowly from the dragons arm. She made her way to the blocked ban door she set the baby dragon down in a curled up fetal position. She then set the lantern down next to the baby dragon. Facing the door she dropped to all fours and adopted her orange friends applebucking technique. She reared her hindlegs high up into the air and released them like two massive shotgun blast. The wood slightly splintered from the strike. Dissatisfied she reared again bringing her hoofs down once more. The door bounced open hearing a loud crack of agreement from the other side.
Smiling pinkie brought her legs higher this time and brought them down once more breaking the plank that blocked the door and dealing the door large cracks near where her hooves landed. the door swung ajar letting in a massive ray of moonlight to shine in on her. Feeling happy that her ordeal was almost over and so she could tell twilight of all that she learned. She turned to grab spike but felt her blood run cold as a loud growl came from the darkness. She mumbled something under her breath as she faced the darkness with the moon to her back she relied on her ears for what ever would happen. Slowly winonia came from the shadows barring her teeth underneath ravaged flesh and scared bone. The dog flared it's nose as it sunk into a leaping stance. Pinkie braced herself for the on coming attack. Without warning the dog leaped into the air with razor sharp teeth exposed. Pinkie looked into it's cold dark eyes seeing nothing stare back but a bloodlust seeking animal her mind was in a frenzy of fear, Awe, and confusion. The impact from the beast was enough to snap the pony back to the real world. The small dog stood on her barking with saliva and blood flowing out like shotguns. Pinkie was only able to hold it back so much before resorting to a firm blow to the side of it's head with her hoof. The dog flew to her side with a whimper but skidded back to it's feet coming once more in a B-line. Pinkie hopped back up and dropped into a low stance into the path of the oncoming bloodhound. Cocking her Forleg like a shotgun she released it into the underside of it's head flipping the beast into the air splattering blood in several directions followed by the sound of a broken jaw or neck. After minuets of waiting her body relaxed itself relieving the tension that it had built up. She exhaled profusely trying to catch her breath as best she could.
Even as she relaxed she did not let her eyes nor her mind wander off of the unconscious or dead dog that lied before her. After she was sure it wouldn't get back up anytime soon she went back to where spike had lain in his curled position.
"It's almost over spike" She said looking sympathetically at the baby dragon. She could feel a tear trace down from her eye as she picked the dragon up once more with the lantern in tow. Slowly she limped out of the barn emotionlessly through the gaping double doors.
She felt happy now as she made it ever further away from the barn entrance.
"Pinkie..." a cold shiver rocked her bones. Her mind kept saying run to leave no more just take spike and go but, her legs wouldn't move and instead of going away her head faced the barn as terror and fear had taken final control of her. Into the barn she saw the sillouet of Applejack and her dog standing steady. Though she couldn't see their expressions she could tell that their cold eyes beamed in on every part of her body.
"Why can't you just... Leave me alone!!!" pinkie screamed out at the shadows.
"Because pinkie... We are hungry... And we need to feed... We need you" A raspy voice replied. Pinkie tried to hold back her fear as she looked onward.
"Pinkie... Please.... Feed us... It would make us sad... If you didn't" Applejack said unmoving.
"No...Shut up... Just shut... And Leave me alone" Pinkie screamed louder.
"But, pinkie... Think of the fun it'd be... If we could cut you up into little... Bite sized peices" AppleJack taunted. Pinkie had finally snapped from then.
"I.... SAID.... SHUT UP AND....LEAVE.... ME..... ALONE!!!!" Pinkie cried as she charged head on into applejack breaking once more into the darkness landing into the orange pony like a sledge hammer. They both skidded across the ground as pinkie lost her grip on the lantern in her mouth. It flew away bouncing on the Hay covered ground with several dull thuds. Pinkie decided not to go after it and instead dropped several deep blows on applejack's face. The orange mare roar in anger as she launched pinkie off of her. The pink pony flew back a few paces but came running back determined to end this fight. She lunged at applejack with her hooves outstretched hooking around the mares neck like a close line she came down slamming the orange pony to the ground receiving a nasty crack from the impact. Applejack didn't give up on the attack she still resisted pinkie even when she was put in a stranglehold. Pinkie tightened her arm cutting the air from her friend turned enemy. Applejack began to flail her arms in an attempt to hit pinkie's face a few hits landed causing pinkie to lose control of applejack. Pinkie felt back as trickles of blood streamed down her nose and over her left eye.
Pinkie rolled over to her side attempting to gain proper footing. She spat out a bit of blood gritting her teeth as she charged once more at the orange pony. Applejack returned the charge dropping low just before the two collided with one another causing pinkie to leap over applejack.
The pink pony slid away from the orange mare causing some dust around her to be thrown into the air. Both pinkie and applejack stood in the dark silently starring each other down from behind the veal of darkness. Pinkie felt her muscles twitch as another charge from applejack came making the two tumble head over hoof into the ground. Both Vied for control over the other fighting for total control. Applejack held pinkie down with both hooves attempting to strangle her. Pinkie gasped for air as applejack continued to pushed down on the brightly colored horses air passage. Pinkie let her eyes dart across the area for something to help her.
Her eyes landed on the nearby lantern which was still lit from before she reached as far as she could clasping her eyes shut she out stretched her arm as best she could feeling it's thin metal hoop she enclosed around it and in a quick motion she swung it in front of her.