Dose 1. Tutorial: Welcome to The Plagues!
-RADIO: You've found a new distress signal!-
'KKKKKKZZZZZZZT...ZZZZZT...KKZZZZZZZZZZZZZT...anypony...KKKKZZZZT...please...-ununderstandable-KKZZZZT...-message repeats- Hello? please...is anyone there? please please...I need help... I've been trapped in this small, filthy room for a month...M-my name is Inkwell. I used to work for the 'Lunar Glory' newspaper before...before everything went to hell. I'm...locked inside the printing room with all our machinery...I've survived eating moss, and the scarce provisions left by the last shift...I...I can hear them...haha...Still walking outside... and all over the building...I've tried to kill myself banging my head against every surface, using the machines, and even tried drinking the ink and eating the papers here...But i just poisoned myself. Now I'm dying on a slow and painful way... anypony, please... if you can hear this... I'm at the Lunar Glory's HQ building... trapped inside the printing room... please...please... if you come by here...End my agony. Before THEY do...-message repeats-
THE PLAGUES
Written by: Rampage
Only for Xbox 360!
-SYSTEM MESSAGE: Nearly two months ago...-
The subway was unusually empty of people that day, and I tried to review the notes i had taken from my last class while listening to a random selection of my favorite songs on my way home. As 'Between angels and insects' began to play at medium volume in my headphones i yawned and blinked twice, trying to ward off the sleep that threatened to overpower me. Seriously, did all high school students slept in the subway? Judging by those who accompanied me sitting in the almost empty wagon, yes. Blame the teachers and all those homeworks! Blame them and curse them! I felt like falling alseep, my eyes rolling inside of my skull before a beep on the wagon's automatic public address system made me jump and woke me up from my drowsiness.
'Evergrin square station, watch your step. Rainbows and smiles for you!' Oh shit, that was my station! I stood and gave myself a good shake before levitating my school briefcase from the wagon's floor, holding it floating beside me. I wore a typical mare student uniform: a navy blue jacket, with a white shirt below and a red checkered skirt. I sighed and looked at my reflex in the clean, stainless door window: a mare whose coat was a bright red color, with black mane and tail including multiple streaks of the same red on them, different color eyes one from each other, one iris of a darker red than my coat and the other one black, ears slightly cut by a chomp-bite like wound. -a dog accident from my fillyhood- , a set of black spots completing my look, one covering each shoulder, one over my left flank and two of them on my face, one for each eye looking like huge black circles. I looked like if I had one of those 'superhero' makeups.
My mane was shaved on the sides of my head and medium-normal lenght on the backside, falling over my back. I wore it long on the frontside, with a long fringe over my left eye.
I also had some piercings and small piercing earrings: two rings on my left ear, another one in the flesh between my nostrils. There was a piercing on my right ear, one in the middle of my tongue and the last one on my left eyebrow. Sadly, my parents never had allowed me to have tattoos.
I smiled a bit to the reflex, standing in front of the doors and as the subway train reached the platform and 'The Pretender' started to play I used my magic to squeeze the headphones deeper into my ears and then turn up the volume of my cellphone. The train finally stopped with the moan and the screech of the brakes against the train tracks, and once the doors were open, I left the wagon bobbing my head to the song while singing it in silence. Boy, the subway was really peaceful today! There were fewer than ten ponies in sight, all of them trotting to the exit tourniquets.
Evergrin square station was like the rest of the Yellow Line stations: the platforms were at the lower level, with the trains running in the middle, one in each direction, all the structures and roofs were arched and curved, built in grey concrete. Yellow signals like transhipments and arrows were everywhere, as well as advertising. the floor was decorated and made with black cobble. Still smiling, I headed towards the exit when a poster in one of those public announcement boards caught my attention. Squeeeeee! The annual mega exhibition at the history museum! How could i have forgotten!? It was a free event when the museum basically gathered the best of its repertoire and put it at exhibition, inviting everypony to a costumes party where they have to go disguised and dressed as it was done on their favorite time! Medieval, stone age...
Being ... an 'enthusiastic' of history, that is one of my favorite parties of the year, and one of the few to which I go.
-Inventory: Note added! 'History Museum's information poster:
'Hey you! Yes you! ...Hey! Have you read a book today? Do you know the date on which the Kickers won their first hoofball game? Or what about the date on which the steam engine was invented? If you've answered no to two or three of these questions, you need to pay your closest history museum a visit! ...Hah, by golly! We ARE your closest HISTORY MUSEUM! And we invite you to our annual mega exhibition! You can bring a friend, or a dozen! Its free! Visit us and spend some entertaining time at our annual costume party! Come dressed as a character from your favorite era, or simply as a citizen from your favorite era! This February 23th, 1:00pm to 8:00pm, live history as you've never done!
-Note added to scrapbook.
...I must admit, the announcement was garish, but it served its purppose! I walked away from it towards the tourniquets, taking out a headphone from my ear when I heard a familiar voice screaming my name far away behind me. 'Kora! Hey! ...hey wait!' I smiled and turned around to look at the chartreuse unicorn mare with light brown mane and tail, and light brown eyes running to catch up with me at the tourniquets as I placed my briefcase on the floor. Her mane was long and falling to the left side of her face, while her tail was shorter than most of the mare's tails. She wore the same uniform than me.
When Sayen catched up with me, I rose my hooves first to stop her skidding, and then to give her a hooves bump. 'Hey Sayen, I thought I had left you behind' I said with a casual smile, giggling in delight as i saw her blush and heard her protest. Sayen and I were friends since we were fillies, and now, after nearly 16 years of friendship we were like sisters... even though sometimes I dreamed of nibbling a specific part of her body without her knowing it... Anyway, I looked into the eyes of my sexy friend and smiled, she huffed but then gave my hips a nudge before we walked through the tourniquets togheter.
'So, how is the ghost hunt going?' She said with a wide smile. Oh yeah, have you seen that weird person who is in every classroom, the misfit of the group? Well, for my classroom, I'm that misfit, the alien. My briefcase was filled with bands, cartoons, videogames, paranormal, zombies and geek stickers and stuff. And recently, I've been more and more convinced that our school is haunted by ghosts. Ghosts who take your pen or pencil and place it on a different spot when you aren't looking, ghosts who take your notebooks and hide them, ghosts who make you trip on the corridors or down the stairs... yeah, that kind of ghosts. That's why I tried to use my magic on a spell to 'detect' them... without success.
'Ah...well... I'm about to almost catch one...' I said sheepishly playing with the piercing on my tongue, curling it up a bit and a bit outside my mouth. That won me small look of disgust and a blush from my friend as I smiled.
'Eeeeew! ... I hate when you do that!' She said giving my hip another nudge -something I sought to cause with my actions- before sighing, shaking her head with a smile. 'I thought you would say that. But I know you won't give up, you never do.' I smiled as we reached the subway's exit.
'Yep yep' Because I was headstrong, stubborn enough to persist in my efforts although others discouraged it. Up the stairs we went, and finally reached the open entrance leading to the Evergrin square when I noticed that something was wrong. Around us there were far fewer people than usual, and only a few groups of students walked through the large, open square with fast hooves...
Mission updated: Investigate in Evergrin square.
I sighed, looking around at the rest of ponies who tried to arrive on time to their destination with fast steps and elusive looks. The square was all paved in concrete and black paving stone, keeping with the style of our city: sober, stylized and imposing. Fresh air ran everywhere, the sky was clouded but the day was bright and no rain drop fell from the sky as I headed to the nearest group of students, Sayen was surprised by my change of plans but she followed me when I got close to them. They looked back at me, suspending their talk as I tried to speak but the words didn't leave my throat, I only made a squeak when feeling all their looks on me as Sayen sighed rolling her eyes and gave a friendly 'Hi guys.'
They smiled at my friend and their 'gang leader' -a blue stallion with short grey mane and tail wearing a leather jacket- stepped closer, returning her smile as he answered with his baritone voice 'Yo, what's up?' They seemed to be as nervous as the rest of the ponies trying to leave the square behind, and it started to send all kind of warnings to my brain... What had happened here? Perphaps someone was run over by a carriage? Had someone been shot? Perhaps Lizzy threw an incinerator spell to Ben? Somebody farted? Sayen continued talking with the group until she turned around with clear concern in her eyes.
'They say there was an 'important announcement' through the square's scenic displays half an hour ago. Apparently, a curfew was imposed to this city starting this night and until further notice...' I froze on my place and gaped at her in shock. 'No reason was given... Only the announcement... Why?' She said with clear concern in her tone, not because of fear but because of the uncertainty and doubt.
I cleared my throat as she leaned to my side and looked to the students group. 'Do you have any recordings of that announcement? I mean... It was a public transmission to the masses. So I bet at least one of you has a recording or a video.' I said as casually as possible, giving them a wide grin. Either my appearance and my piercings convinced them, or because Sayen was looking at them with a puppy dog look, they ended sharing a video recording with us. I rose my cellphone in my magic and hit the 'play' button.
Inventory: Curfew public announcement added to notes-->cellphone-->media
It was an HD video showing a close up of one of the scenic displays with the news channel on, in the center, the newsmare wore a formal grey suit and tie while looking at the camera with a happy smile. 'We have received an important message coming straight from our beloved government: ATTENTION EVERYPONY, ATTENTION EVERYPONY.' She started to read from the prompter hidden behind the camera. 'For security reasons and your own health, a curfew has been imposed to Lunar city and its surroundings. Everypony must head home right now, before the curfew is activated today at eight PM o'clock, the reasons will be informed later. Everypony out from their houses past the curfew limit will be arrested and taken to adequate facilities using force. Sunshine and rainbows, and lots of smiles for you!' The newsmare cleared her throat before continuing with the usual news script. 'Well... you heard it here first, folks. Everypony go home, and do some hot cocoa tonight! This cold nights are giving me the chills! brrrrr... Untill next time---' Video ends here.
Inventory: Video added to phone's-->media for further reference.
Investigate in Evergrin square.
Mission updated: Go home and avoid punishment.
I stood there, looking at the screen before putting away the cellphone with a gulp... Curfew? Well shit... It had to be something much more serious than my first guesses. I gasped and rose the cellphone again, looking at the large numbers at the center of the screen: '7 PM o'clock' I froze in place and stammered before nudging Sayen's hip. 'H-hey! that newsmare said the curfew started at 8 o'clock right?' She nodded but gave me a 'Yeah, so what?' look and I forced her to look at my phone's screen. 'We are running out of time... and i don't want to spend my night sleeping on a prison's bulk bed, thank you.' I said before thanking the group in front of us, then turning around and starting to trot with a fast peace, Sayen at my side.
'Kora?' She asked as we trotted side by side on the black cobbled street, only a few sport model carriages running in the middle of the avenue... I swear I saw somepony inside one holding up a pistol and wickedly laughing his ass off.
I grunted a 'hmm?' in answer. Compared to hers, my voice was like a neigh, the voice of a girl that sounded more like a boy, with a slight gruffness on it. If you ever heard Rainbow Dash's voice, you can get an idea of it.
'I'm worried... You know... about our families.' She said while leaning closer to my flank as we walked, I smiled at her and give her neck a soft nudge with my muzzle.
'Come on... I'm sure they're fine. It's only a curfew... nothing has happened yet. No one has been killed, and there aren't meteors falling from the sky to kill us . Everything will-be-OK.' I ended with my most reassuring and comforting tone before smiling at her. She looked splendid with the twilight's light on her chartreuse coat, her brown mane beautifully glistening made me want to nibble it and pull her closer to me. Even with a threat upon us, I couldn't take my mind off her. She noticed my stare and blushed, looking to the side then.
'You're doing it again...' Wuuuht? 'Looking at me like that...' She smiled despite herself while shaking her mane off her eyes and returning her gaze to the street ahead us. If my coat wasn't red already, my blush would've turn me bright red! I only made a sheepish grin.
'Oh hehehe! I-- well... you see... hoh...he...hiheehe..!' I mentally facehoofed so hard that my hoof punched right through my skull spilling my brains on my back, then digged up a whole and buried myself in it. Well done Kora, so clever and proper... Your friend is worrying about her family in mid of a public emergency and you're giving her flank an appraising look. Sigh, so Kora-like.
I was a mare who takes up arms, a mare who acts, a mare who thinks an intelligent plan in the crossfire. Please, forgive my enthusiasm.
We were silent the rest of our way home. We lived on a large apartment bulding were our doors faced each other, so we entered togheter using our keys and walked inside the building's small and old drawing room. The walls' plaster was peeling off and it had a decrepit air with all the marks on the wooden floor. We looked around for the manager, but he was nowhere to be seen... so we headed for the elevator and entered in the booth, watching the doors closing. I whistled the chorus from 'The Ballad Of Mona Lisa' on the way up when I thought I heard a high pitched scream... I were silent for a while before Sayen looked at me with an inquisitive look. 'Heh... hallucinations... you know... crazy mare.'
'It wouldn't be the first time.' She said silencing a laugh with her hoof, I gave her a sheepish smile. Yeah... wouldn't be the first time, not after the psychiatric hos--- Ouch! We gasped when the elevator's booth gave a big shake throwing us down to the wooden floor, I hit my head with a grunt and she hit her back against one of the wooden walls. We hissed in pain before looking at each other while standing up. 'What the fuck was that!?' She said looking around like if she could find the source of the problem through the solid walls, the elevator didn't stop and kept moving.
I stared at the ugly pistachio green paint of the walls and the old wooden floor before clearing my throat. 'No idea... Felt like if we had hit something... stupid old elevator.' I said before the elevator finally stopped and the doors opened with a light hiss. We found ourselves looking to the familiar corridor and doors. Everything was OK. 'See? everything is OK.' I said echoing my thoughs while we walked home, our hooves clopping on the wooden floor before we reached our destination.
I turned around and gave my old friend a hug -with a slight neck nuzzling- and wished her a good night after we stopped a couple of minutes to discuss the fun things that happened to us today, and the scary ones too. I turned around again and inserted the key inside the door's latch. I stopped for a second, my slightly incomplete ears shot up... I swear, I heard funny noises far away downstairs with another of those screams, this time so low and silenced that I could barely hear it... Bah, no more horror films marathons. Maybe our neighbours from the lower levels were having some fun? Hehehe.
I turned the key in the latch and opened the door, stepping inside before closing it behind me. 'I'm home!'
Go home and avoid punishment.
I looked around our drawing room, but i didn't see a soul. Not Mom, not Dad... Well, I started to feel uncomfortable now. I took some steps, leaving my briefcase on the floor and starting to take the jacket off, I could hear and feel my own breathing while I took some more steps to the kitchen, trying to avoid all the floor flower pots and the furniture. The drawing room and the rest of the house was in darkness, I squinted my eyes to try and catch the glimpse of a shape in the dark, feeling my heart beating faster, my breathing becoming heavier and faster.
Did i mention that I'm affraid of the dark?
After trying all the light switches, I walked to the kitchen, practically drenched in sweat while keeping my flank against the wall, looking around in all directions while flicking the light switch on. I grunted in frustration when the lights didn't turn on and then moved with slow, wide steps trying to reach the drawers chest at the left corner of the room, sliding past the stove and oven before reaching for a drawer's handle with my teeth -If I couldn't see it, I couldn't use my magic on it- opening it and searching for a lighter or a matchbox inside. I gasped in joy when I found a battered matchbox with only six matches inside, I lit one up and sighed in relief once I had some light.
Two matches and a candle later, I turned around and looked at the fridge, putting the candle close enough to look at a small paper sheet taped to the door.
-Inventory: Note added! 'Note from your parents':
'Hello sweetie! Two of our foci are ruined, ka-boom, dead! So Mom and I had to go to the nearest store to get new ones before the curfew starts. We'll be back soon... I pressume that if you're reading this note you've already found the matches and the candle...-doh- Sorry about that. I would've taped this to the door, but we were in a rush...Love, Dad.
-Note added to scrapbook.
Sigh... Dad... That's the way he is... absent-minded and eloquent.
System Message: Fifteen minutes later.
I don't know how or when did I fall asleep, but the beating on my door surely made me jump out from my drowsiness -once again-. I cleaned a line of drool from my lips and gave a long yawn before the beating was stronger and I grunted in frustration. 'Coming! Uuuuuuugghhh!!! FUCK! I'M COMING!' I yelled while tripping with the carpet, crawling and rushing to the door before opening it with a firm kick from my telekinesis. 'WHAT!?' I yelled in the face of a well known chartreuse mare who eeped and jumped backwards, visibly shivering... I looked to her light brown mane and tail and light brown eyes... Oh fuck.
Well done Kora, so clever, so proper. You're the queen of good manners!. Fuck me...
I made a sheepish grin from my fury face before sheepishly rubbing my hoof on the floor. 'Oh... hehe...hehehe! ...Sorry about that...Sayen , I was taking a nap and...' She gave me a 'Fucking monster' look before softening it and returning to our usual friendship tone.
'Oh Kora, I went home and found this.' She said in anguish before she held up a note that I took to look closer at it, both of our magic telekinetical fields glowing on the dark hallway.
-Inventory: Note added! 'Note from Sayen's parents':
'Hi Sayen, me and your Dad went to the store with Kora's parents. We need to buy supplies for an emergency, the curfew could be the preamble to something big. We'll be back soon, love , Mom. PD: Kora's Dad had the idea to go to the store togheter, isn't he a smart guy? We will be safer!
-Note added to scrapbook.
Dad... Y U NO texted me instead!? I grunted and closed my eyes tightly before looking at Sayen, smiling at her. 'Come on, we can wait togheter on my house. I've got some snacks and blankets.' I said as casually as posible while turning around before letting her in; she rolled her eyes and snorted before I closed the door behind us.
System message: Half an hour later.
Our parents should be arriving anytime soon, and we've been laying here next to my room's window, looking to the street. Sayen has fallen asleep beside me, and I've taken her and moved her closer to me, covering us with a blanket.
Sigh, I've been hearing stuff all the time since we fell in silence. The barely audible 'screams', the sound of movement some rooms below or next to us, but untill now, nothing important has happened; only my imagination playing tricks on me while I looked at Sayen sleep beside me. She looked so cute and calm... I must admitt that our friendship has been growing over the years... growing towards something deeper. I'm scared of it and happy at the same time... I love her, I know that for sure...
I put a headphone on and hit the play button in one of my most cloying love songs while looking at her and giving her cheek a slight nuzzle when there was a loud THUD and then the sound of a loud SLAM from the street. I jumped to the sound but Sayen was still asleep, I grunted and removed the headphone before peering through the window. I wish I'd never done that.
On the street below our building, hell had broken lose. Three ponies were fleeing down the street, while a fourth one ran behind them, I couldn't see him or her very well in the moonlight, but there was something wrong about him-her.
Suddenly and out from nowhere, there was a BANG and the fourth pony fell with a THUD, the upper half of his-her head missing while his-her brains spilled out and painted the wall and the floor around him. I gasped when I heard the shot and and saw him falling, and Sayen jumped next to me, her alarmed words passed through my ears but my mind was busy with the view below us...
I looked to the side, keeping my head down now that I had heard and seen someone shooting, and there at the start of our street I saw a black line at the distance. As it moved closer, I could make out the ponies forming it. Their firm stomps resounded against the ground as they marched with order, withouth a single variation in their movement. They wore the dark blue anti riot armor used by the police forces, a helmet with a hardened plastic visor over their faces. They marched forward towards the confused survivors.
One of the three ponies stepped closer, a smile dying on his -her?- lips when the law enforcers took out their A7 Firm Stomp police batons on a swift, expert motion. The click produced by those metal sticks being unfolded made my blood freeze... No... They wouldn't! ...They couldn't! I saw in horror when they kept marching forward, completely blocking the way back to the boulevard as they boomed with one voice: 'Please turn yourself in! , a curfew has been imposed!' 'Please turn yourself in! , a curfew has been imposed!'
I tried to imagine that the situation would have a happy ending... I really did... But I already knew what would happen next. As the survivors stepped closer to 'turn themselves in' , the ruthless shock line brought its batons up, and then discharged upon the poor victims with one blow at the unison. There was a resounding CRACK, and a sickly POP when the victim's bones broke, their internal organs being smashed by the repetitive attacks when they brought their batons up and down as they walked over the innocents.
I gasped when they walked away from the result: instead of three ponies, heaps of gore, blood and entrails remained. There was nothing to indicate what had they been seconds before the assault, and the heaps still moved somehow, oozing blood and rests around in small ammounts before they finally stood still. I swear I saw their ribs and bones jutting out from the heap...
I looked at the remains for a long while, fascinated and horrified at the same time. Fascinated by the violence and gore and, at the same time, horrified by the death of three innocent ponies. Beside me, Sayen retched but finally calmed down.
I petted her back and held her close as she sobed. 'What the hell is going on here!? ... they... they butchered those innocents... and... shot one of them... the fourth one... didn't look normal... he was tripping and groaning and swaying when he chased them...! Kora... what the hell is happening?'
I closed my eyes and thought about all those horror movies, I thought about our parents, still out there. I thought about the movies and all the fiction we -Sayen and me- had seen, and felt tears starting to make their way to my eyes. Mom... Dad... their possibilities to be alive... If these tugs were roaming the city searching for curfew violators... And, of course, there was the other possibility I had thought.
I looked down to the street once the ...enforcers? were gone, and gave the fourth pony, the chaser, and appraising look. I took out my cellphone and using the zoom, took some photos from his corpse.
-Inventory: Image files added to cellphone's media. 'zombie1 and zombie2'
We looked at the pictures... and we hissed in frustration. Battered, wounded and mutilated body... deep gruesome injuries, one or two bullet wholes... He had been tripping and swaying to the sides when chasing them... With all those injuries already on him. Only an accurate shot to the head had stopped him...
There was no doubt about it... We had seen a zombie chasing three innocent ponies.
.
.
.
.
.
'...Celestia have mercy...' I murmured.
System Message: TO BE CONTINUED...
