//-------------------------------------------------------// Mare Hunters -by BronySis- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Out in the Town of Trottingham //-------------------------------------------------------// Out in the Town of Trottingham Out in the town of Trottingham everything is silent, as if someone told a horrible joke. Except then there's pony's to be silent, but here there's almost no pony. The only pony's there are three mares. There's a light brown unicorn on top of one of the stray buildings, perched with a sniper rifle, ammo laying besides her and her brownie colored hair up in a pony tail. Then there's a light violet pegasus with a mini pistol and a huge sword swung across her back, shes in the lower layer of clouds looking north expecting her target to approach, shes also looking over the cabins, mahogany brick colored sidewalks, and the marble statue of princess Celestia in Trottingham. Lastly there's a cyan blue unicorn, with a ocean and sky colored mane with leather gloves on her hoof, and a strap that goes across her chest with a variety of gadgetry, shes pacing around the sidewalk impatiently. All the mares only have two things in common of what there wearing, there all wearing googles to protect there eyes, and they all have saddle bags on there backs with the same symbols on them. But on the bags in the corners were engraved there names, the brown unicorns said Pixie, the pegasus bag say Thunderfly, and the cyan unicorns bag says Lulu. Trottingham is a desert city that borders the bad lands. The village was evacuated, again that's normal for recent events. But this time it was different. A different kind of monster was coming, what once was a simple assignment turned to a full scale fight against a monster no pony knows about. Everything is dead silent, until a large breeze comes through. The pony's liven up a bit, Pixie loaded up a round, Thunderfly took her huge sword in hoof, Lulu grew a excited smile and trotted to the middle of the sidewalk making sure she is clearly visible. Storm clouds started rolling in with loud roles of thunder and large gusts of wind. Things are getting dark, with a large crackle of thunder heavy rain started. The mares except Pixie whose in the tower, started getting soaked. "This is going to be fun tango with the beast and weather, well Pixie loves a challenge." Lulu remarked looking up to the dry mare in the tower. Wet sand was now blowing in the wind. At this point it was getting bad up in the clouds till Thunderfly eventually flew down and into the tower Pixie was perched in and with a quick wave of her hoofs waved to Lulu. With a quick burst of lightning something was hovering above them, with one more blinding flash the "thing" came down, its a serpent like creature very long yet not as thin as one would expect. It had two large horns, the only way you could tell this is because they glowed a very vivid blue. The monster came down for a dive for Lulu. Lulu smile grew insanely large, when the monster passed Lulu with a tight grab took a hold of one of the large spikes. The spikes on the monster are as big as her and she like the rest of the mares was eighteen and nineteen. The monster stared to turn and head for the tower till a gleeful laugh was heard and a explosion went off on the scale Lulu was once on but now she was heading for the head. "Mare, she looks like shes having fun, should we let her handle this while we kick back?" Thunderfly asked, shuffling through her saddlebag. Pixie gave a eye-role thinking the situation more serious then Thunderfly thinks. Pixie looked down at the pegasus and started in her Manehatten accent. "No Lulu might get in trouble and if she gets in trouble she is going to need are help, and if she needs are help we will be slacking off, so she might get hurt, and!" Thunderfly interrupts her and with slight annoyance says. "OK let me rephrase the question," A loud crash is herd outside the two mares look outside. The monster crashed into once was a restaurant and is now rubble. But the dragon is already back up in the air Lulu still on it, shes actually close about thirty-feet away from its face. The monster pulls up into the clouds. "Thunder go gets her," Pixie orders in her authoritative voice. "Come on shes fine," Thunderfly assured her. Pixie gave a nasty glare to the pegasus. "What she is," Thunder snapped getting defensive. After that a loud scream was herd, it was Lulu falling from above the clouds. With a quick sprint Thunderfly fly's as fast as her wings can carry her. As she approached she noticed Lulu has a few injuries, nothing major. So how and why did she let go? With a quick swoop Thunderfly grabbed Lulu by her hoofs and put her on her back, Lulu looked distance her focus couldn't stay on anything, her eyes were bloodshot, and her mane was more roughed up then usual. With a quick bolt Thunderfly took Lulu to safety of the tower. Thunderfly flew in with a breeze behind her. Pixie turned to the two and gave a concerned look to Lulu. "No...No they wouldn't stupid smoke," rambled Lulu. The other two mares looked at each other and Pixie gets a bitter look. "For once, just ONCE can you plez listen to me I know what I am saying once in a while but no, Thunder is always right and Pixies always wrong," Pixie growled and didn't notice that Thunderfly was trying to comfort Lulu, and also trying to hide her frustration. She couldn't calm down Lulu enough to get her talk. With a loud, painful sigh Thunder got up and went near the window ready to go take on the beast outside until. CRASH! The long beast hit the tower with a light force. The whole tower shook, Thunderfly felt the urgency and quickly flew outside sword in mouth. With a quick swoosh Thunderfly flew around looking for the beast. Until she looked up and saw the monster was circling for round two.  With quick and graceful flaps and flutters to maneuver to come close to the beast to be able to attack. While this is happening Pixie is trying to snipe the beast out of the sky. Thunderfly gets about five feet away steady's herself to slice its underbelly.Slice! Thunderfly successfully injured the monster. Bang!Pixies rifle goes of shooting a explosive bullet to its mouth. A large blast goes of. The beast gives a cry of pain and with a sharp turn starts for the sky. Thunderfly makes a effort pursue but the wind, wet sand, and rain gets caught in her wings she realizes this and starts to head for the ground. Once she got to the ground she immediately starts to head across the bairn town towards the tower. Once she got there, and up the infinite spiral stairs not realizing she can just fly. She comes to a odd sight. Lulu was crying and Pixie was just staring at Thunderfly, a bland look on her face. "Did you take care of it," Pixie barked in a rather impatient tone, Thunderfly looked at her and trying to hide her stress informed. "No I didn't it got away." Pixie at first got a bitter look the it soften to a worried look. "We better inform the princess about what happened here,"  Pixie stated, Thunderfly nodded and asked. "What are we going to do about Lulu?" Pixie looked over and in a stern voice said. "Lucenic, get up" Lulu looked over, wiped her tears away, and got up. With that she gets up and all three of them start heading for the train station. //-------------------------------------------------------// A Long Ride Home //-------------------------------------------------------// A Long Ride Home The walk to the train station was quiet as the three mares walked in the red stained sand from the bricks. Pixie was busy looking at a map, Thunderfly was looking towards Lulu her face full of concern, and Lulu was just staring at the ground as if it was infinity. They were almost twenty feet away from the train station when the silence broke. All of the sudden Lulu stopped. She was looking a little tipsy. "Hey Lu, you OK?" Thunderfly stopped and asked the cyan unicorn. Pixie rolled her eyes and growled. "Shes fine, now lets finish this up," Lulu then sounded like she was choking but before any pony could respond she coughed up a pitch black ooze. The other two mares looked at Lulu shock and fear in there face, with a loud thud Lulu fell to the the sandy ground. "Oh Buck! What do we do?" Panicked Pixie fear across her face."This normally only happens with Alpha type monsters not that thing," it was true the black disease normally was only found in alpha type monsters or higher ranked monster. While Pixie was panicking Thunderfly as gently as possible got the mare on the ground onto her back. "We get her to Canterlot as quickly as possible, besides what your doing isn't helping," Thunderfly said as if it was suppose to be obvious. She darts off making sure to also be careful of not dropping Lulu "Wonder what version of the version of the virus you have?" Thunderfly paused then started again. "But I am sure the doctors can take care of you," Lulu gave a small nod almost not visible. Thunderfly was going as fast and as carefully as her wings can carry her, while Pixie was trailing far behind her. They approached the train station, witch looks just oddly like Ponyville train station. Except there's no train, they forgot to sent the notice saying for the trains to come. All of them were silent till another heart wrenching choking cough was heard more of the choking black slime came out, its one of the worst pains a pony can face coughing up pure darkness. "Man this is sickly, I am so sorry," Lulu said in a soft voice almost as if it pained her to say it. Pixie scratched her head and started to think, meanwhile Thunderfly is gently setting the weak mare down on the wood of the station. "OK I will write a letter to the princess telling them to send a train ASAP, Thunder you see what you can do to get Lulu comfortable." Pixie formulated, Thunderfly nodded, Pixie went to write the letter, while Thunderfly went to try to help Lulu get as comfortable as a mare in large amounts of pain can get.  As Thunderfly gets her sleeping bag and pillow out of her saddle bag she asks. "Whats it like, I mean I heard it feeds of negative emotions in different was so whats yours like?"Lulu looked away distance in her gaze. She was deep in thought but finally she spoke. "Nah I wouldn't want to be a like Pixie besides you cant f-horse this," a chocked cough came from the unicorn more blackened muck came from the in pained mare. Before Thunderfly could react Pixie barged over and announced. "I informed the princess about are situation, and help is on the way, your welcome," Lulu gave a playful head shake, while Thunderfly cringed and gave a large eye role, her patience being tried to many times today. Time passed, more black muck, more sand , and more time passed. Finally a train pulled up full of pony's wanting to go home. Pony's start to quickly file out of the train. After the groups of pony's got out the faded candy colored carts. Pixie levitates as carefully as magic can muster, Lulu into the very front train cart. "How far is she in?" The mares look up to where the stallions voice was coming from. "Commander?" Lulu asked in a sickly voice. "How far is the virus?" The voice asks again. Pixie went over and looked over at the sick mares cutie mark, its a blue shield and a small teal heart. "Not to step three, we have time," There are four stages to the virus, the first is dependent on the pony, second is the body trying to expel the virus, third is the virus trying to take over your life and/or magic, fourth stage is where the pony's body most likely cant take the pressure of the virus and its awful. The train starts to head at a mild speed towards Canterlot. "How did she get it, this isn't a Alpha type monster mission," Yup that was the commander. The commander is Lulus older parental figure growing up but he was more of a older brother figure trying to be a parent. A soft voice came for the sick mare. "I was on the monster heading towards the head, it seemed like a snake type monster, but we got through the clouds and everything went black, then it started," Lulu gave a small yet noticeable shiver. Pixie saw this but it seemed Thunderfly didn't, again Thunderfly is the newest edition to the team. Pixie also caught on to something else she saw fear in Lulu, unusual for a upbeat and fearless mare. Pixie sat down next to the sickly mare, thankfully its only contagious from monster to pony/pony's around said monster. The train was going fairly fast towards Canterlot. Pixie was trying so hard to comfort and help her teammate. After heading through a oak forest, the rural town of Ponyville, and finally at the rim of Canterlot is a big white building about three stories tall, its the Hunters if Equestria base or HE. Pixie helped Lulu up, Lulu was so weak at this pony, but again by now a regular pony would probably be far into the third stage, shes a tough little pony.The two slowly get off the train. "We got a Alpha case!" There was a nurse just waiting for them. Lulu was quickly rushed away to the third floor where the injured pony's were taken. After Lulu was in the building the other two mare gathered in the center of the paved courtyard. "What should we do?" Thunderfly looked over at Pixie. Pixie shrugged and looked at the building. "Lulu will be fine, she is a sturdy pony, come on lets rest in are rooms." the two mares head off for the double doors of headquarters. After a what was thought was twenty minutes or so of quickly reading about the Alpha virus recovery process recovery minute nap Pixie wanted to go check on Lulu, By now they at least stabilized Alpha virus victims. She trotted out of her room and went out to the hall. The halls in this place are just like hospital halls, bleach white. They are long and a eyesore to look at. Pixie starts to think as she walks down the halls.