//------------------------------//
// Sweet dreams
// Story: MLP:IPC
// by NavyBr0wnie
//------------------------------//
"Ah... B-...", Dash cried as a hoof sent her reeling backwards. Landing on back she felt the ache surge through her weakened self as she pushed herself to rise from the ground. She heard the sound of hooves crushing stale dirt come closer. She inhaled deeply as she straightened herself, leg still bleeding a now rustic red since dirt had begun to mix into with her blood. She sat upright seeing that the figure had slowly been moving towards her as she tried to scoot away. She continued to scoot back, the figure following suit. She felt a small log as she scooted back. She had bumped into it unknowingly ,but since she has has it, she had an idea.
"Come on ugly, You wanna bit, COME GET IT!!!" Dash yelled, perking the figures interest even more. "YEA, DINNERS RIGHT HERE!!"
The figure roar as it began to charge at the grounded pegasus. And as it came into range dash quickly pulled the log out from behind her and slammed it into the figures head. The impact reverberated throughout the trees as the log cracked in two upon impact. A peice of the wood got lodged into the pony as it slid onto its side sending dust and debris into the air.
"Heh, I think,... I... Think... I feel... Sick" Dash felt as her stomach began to churn inside her. She felt as sweat began to streak across her body. Her head began to pound sending painful shocks through out her body. It was like earthquakes were exploding in her brain. Unrelentingly the pain intensified as time passed by. She convoluted as her body tossed around on the ground unable to slow or halt the pain. Then came the vomiting. She saw as another rainbow of colors poured from her insides. She knew if she continued to vomit soon shed puke out her own insides but, her body wouldn't stop, everytime she tried to stop it she's feel her body get extramly weak resulting in her face planting in the nearest puddle of bile. Eventually the pain became to unbearable as dash blacked out but, not before seeing a flash of white spur from the corner of her eye. She turned to see as bright white light emanating from behind a wall of trees but soon darkness and pain overwhelmed her vision. All that was left was silence.
Unknown location
Unknown Time
"Argh!!!" She screamed as she awoke. The area was dark, she wondered where she was, knowing she wasn't in the same place before she blacked out.
"Wh...Where am I?" She said trying to see in the darkness. As far as she could tell she was in a room, a fillies room, she was lying on a bed, and it was extremely dark. She slowly slid off the bed noticing her body didn't hurt any more. In the dim lit darkness she noticed she wasn't wearing her bandages. Stretching a foreleg she felt like she was back to normal.
"That's... Weird" She said as she reached a hoof towards the nearest night stand. Clicking the lamp on the stand the room was illuminated showing the sky blue wall paper, The various bits of wonderbolts memorabilia, and a small mirror. Dash stared in awe at the room she stood in, and felt a weird sensation as if she'd been here before. She moved closer to a shelf and pull lee the dust off of it. It had various figurines of the greatest fliers in wonderbolts history.
"I never understood why you collect those..." A calm voice said breaking dash out of her trance. She spun around to see a dark blue pegasus with a red vest slowly walk into the room.
"D...Da...Dad?" The word quivered out of her mouth.
"Yes?"
"Is that... Is that really you?" dash said taking a step forward.
"Yes, Why wouldn't it be" The pegasus replied. "Dash, What's wrong? Your acting like you have never talk to me in years..."
"It c... Can't be... Y... Your dead..."
Apple farm, Storehouse
1:40 Am
Twilight and Studdmuffin walked silently of the small hills and dirt mounds that dotted their path towards the Applefamily storehouse.
"Studdmuffin," Twilight said stoping to call back at the guard. The soldier looked up to the unicorn with a look of curiosity.
"Yes ma'am?"
"You've been silent since you and the other arrived, Why is that?" Twilight, asked turning back to walk. The guardspony looked down to think of his answer.
"It's just how I am"
"Hmm, Interesting... Very well thank you" Twilight, replied.
"Uh... Ok?" the soldier said as he moved a bit faster to catch up to her. "Ms. Sparkle, might I ask you a question?"
"Sure, Shoot... I'll try my best to answer" Twilight said with a semi-Smile.
"Do you know why are we searching this place?
"Uh, To find clues relating to why my friend went crazy on rainbow..." Twilight said rubbing her chin with a hoof.
"No, I mean me, the praetor, and the rest of delta"
"Because, I asked princess celestia for assistance?" Twilight responded stopping and turning to the soldier.
"No, That's not it either"
"Well, What other possible reason would you be here?" Twilight, said as she moved closer to the sergeant.
"Princess celestia ordered us to not speak of this, at least not yet... But, I don't feel right letting you walk into a situation you most likely won't be able to walk away from" The sergeant said as he took a seat on the grassy hill the stood on.
"Wh... What do... What do you mean?"
"The world Ms. Sparkle, I'm talking about the world"
"I'm still not following..."
"Ms. Sparkle, Your friend applejack... Is already... Dead but, I am using that word very lightly..." Studmuffin said as twilight also sat next to him.
"Well, What do you mean by... Dead?"
"I mean, don't look for her, she can't be helped, at least not in the way you want to..."
"Why not?"
"Because, she infected... With a virus... It turns you into a mindless, flesh eating, cannibal monster..."
"A zombie, Really... Ugh... How many ti-..."
"NO!" Studmuffin, said interrupting twilight.
"Not a zombie, but if only it was that easy..."
"Well if she's not a zombie... Then what is she?"
"Like I said before an insane mindless cannibal"
"Well, is there a cure... A treatment... Can't we stop it?"
"No, You really don't know... Princess's trusted pupil... Yet you know so little..." Studmuffin said spitefully. Twilight looked at the guardspony in complete confusion as he simply gave a mindless chuckle.
"Please, Tell me, this is making no sense"
"You really want to know, I'd say ask the princess, but she'd probably lie to you, like she's lying to the entire region of equestria" Studmuffin said as he looked into the unicorn's now worried eyes.
"You see, This... Incident isn't the only time it's happened, nor is it the biggest, it's happened in several cities... Haltergate ,Trottingham ,Baltimare... Canterlot..."
"Haltergate... I thought that was the reactor incident, and Trottingham... There was a destructive flood, Baltimare... The news said it was a parasorite infestation"
"It's called a cover up kid, And think... Can a flood cause 50 meter deep holes in the ground, but Baltimare did have an infestation... Just not with the parasprites"
"But, Canterlot... How can no pony know what's happening there... Wait... Is it the refurbishing?"
"Ding, Ding, Ding ladies and gentle colt's we have a winner, almost half of canterlot has been set under 'Refurbishing', though... With all the combative units spread so thin, which is why... In about a few hours celestia is calling a meeting of all the leaders... Gryphons, Dragons, Zebras, Diamond dogs... She hopes they can... Work together" Studmuffin, said looking at the blank sky.
"H... How long has this been going on?" twilight asked looking for whatever the sergeant was looking at.
"A month... Maybe two..." The sergeant said with a sigh.
"So, You say there's no way to save AJ..."
"None that I know of..."
"So this search is only putting my friends and your lives in danger?"
"Pretty much..."
Twilight simply sighed as her head sunk low.
"I'm so... Stupid, why didn't I see this before..."
"Hey, Kid don't be so hard on yourself... Anypony can make the mistake..."
"Yea, But I'm going to fix it... Let's regroup with the others... Let's get back to ponyville... Maybe create a strategy..."
"Still trying to fight, fine... But if you die... Don't say I didn't warn you"
"Right, Now let's move... Let's get back to the barn"
Apple farm, Barn remains
2:20 Am
"What, What in celestia's name happened here?... PINKIE, SPIKE!!"
"I told you, Bad things were going to happen... I just hope... Your friend died quickly..."
"She's not dead, she can't be... PINKIE, SPIKE!!" Twilight howled as she frantically searched around the charred barns remains till she tripped on something. Looking to see what it was she felt a surge of relief when it was spike.
"Oh spike, I was so worried... But your all... Bloody... Oh no... Spike... SPIKE, SPIKE WAKE UP PLEASE!"
"Yes rarity, I... Like ice cream" twilight felt relief again as the dragon mumbled more things in its sleep.
"Well, ya found one of em..."
"Pinkie is still missing... Studmuffin, I'm going to take spike back to the boutique, you make your way to the outer fields and warn group two, when I come back I'll warn group one"
"Varywell, Pointless but, I'll do it"
"Good to know" Twilight, Said as a purple flash whited out the are around her. The flash blinded Studmuffin making him turn away momentarily.
Apple farm, House
1:33 Am
"Uh... Rarity... Are you sure... I... I... Can't wait back at the boutique?" fluttershy whimpered.
"Like I said before, I'll say again... In a time like this, the more eyes the better, and faster we can get done with this... And probably stop trudging through this... Filth" Rarity explained.
"Ladies, I don hope you intend to do more walking, and less talking..." The praetor called back.
"Right, Sorry..." rarity quickly replied. The praetor turned away just before rarity started mocking him. Fluttershy gave a small chuckle at rarities impersonation of the guardspony.
"How long till we get there?" Faikus, called back stopping rarities impersonating.
"Uh, Not much further... I estimate over the next hill" Rarity said as the group saw another small hill come into sight. The praetor was the first to crest it and made it to the stairs in front of the house.
"Ladies, Watch your step... It's a bit... Slippery" The praetor said standing atop the hill.
"Slippery, Fluttershy... Stay here" Rarity said as she galloped over the hill to see what the praetor was talking about. "My, That's... Blood
Rarity traced from the base of the steps to the porch and deep into the house a streak of blood, like somepony had bee gutted and dragged into the house.
"Tread lightly" The praetor said as he dug underneath his cape. His face returned to visibility as he held a long blade in his mouth. He then started to walk around a corner.
"Wh... Where are you going?" Rarity asked. The paetor laid the blade down.
"Searching the perimeter" he replied.
"And what of us?" Rarity asked looking back at fluttershy who kept trying to stay away from her shadow.
"Secure the inside of the house"
"Are you sure that's... Safe?" Rarity asked, no answer was given prompting her to look and find the praetor had already left. Rarity sighed as she turned to fetch her friend.
"Fluttershy, Dear... We need to go inside"
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Authors note:
Very short chapter, But to the point and almost entirely about the main six.
Think... Backstory chapter, Twilight learns about the infection or at least why Aj is so flesh hungry.
Dash is somewhere... Is she alive? Infected? In limbo? In her mind?
I Don't know...
And for those who were asking for fluttershy... Here's my answer (Thumbs Down.jpg)... Still confused think... Rome