//------------------------------// // Don't Read This if You Want a Happy Life // Story: Friendship is Dead // by ratmage99 //------------------------------// Author's Note: I wasn't kidding with that title, this chapter is messed up. “Oh, shit, it was a trap!” Starspot held her breath, but it was a losing battle between her and her need for Oxygen. She and her friends all passed out. Starspot woke up after what she could only assume was an hour or so. She looked around. She was surrounded by cloaked ponies, most of them seeming to be stallions. “Yesssss.” The one Starspot assumed to be the leader hissed. “You will make a fine mother to our massster race of poniessss.” “M-mother?” Starspot’s eyes grew wide as she placed a hoof on her rump, feeling that it was sore. “N-n-no...” She gasped. She felt extremely violated. She gagged, vomit spewing to the floor. “Yesssss.” The leader narrowed his bright yellow eyes at her. “You should be proud that the world will sssssooon be filled with your sssspawn.” “You...you...you monster!” Starspot finally managed to choke out. She looked around. “Where are Conrad and Pinkie Pie?!” “They were.... unnecesssssary.” The leader grinned, his yellow teeth showing. “My.... asssssociatessss are taking care of them. They did not even have anything good on them. Tell me, what issss the ussse of some old bonesssss?” “Don’t hurt them!” Starspot begged. “Please!” “We do not harm. If they happen to fall into the manticore den, that isssss the supreme will of Celessssssstia.” The leader lowered his hood to reveal that his ears had been removed, causing his head to have the appearance of a skull with skin stretched over it. “I-I’ll kill you!” Starspot attempted to stand, only to find her hooves restrained, and she was too sore between the legs to walk anywhere anyways. “No, you won’t.” The leader glared at her. “You are powerlesssssss.” The door to the barn burst open, a blur flying around, pony after pony falling at the hooves of the mystery assailant. The blur stopped just in front of Starspot, and she immediately recognized the blue mane of Angel. “Stay... away... from MY MARE!” She screamed, tackling the leader and placing a hoof on each side of his head. She squeezed until she felt the crunch she was looking for. The stallion's eyes popped out of his head, the pressure from his squishing brain pushing them and bits of cerebrum out of the sockets. She stood, panting hard, rage filling her eyes. she looked at the rest of the ponies in the room, the ones that were conscious fleeing immediately. “Are you okay?” Angel took the key to Starspot’s shackles from the leader, undoing them. “Can you stand? What did they do to you?” Starspot shook her head, tears falling down her face. Conrad and Pinkie Pie walked in. “The people that had us were saying something about a superpony coming in here and killing their leader, what’s that all about?” Conrad blinked. “Those jerky lerkies took my bag!” Pinkie Pie said angrily. “Now I don’t have my radio!” “Or my grandma’s legs.” Conrad muttered a bit. “I want to go back.” Starspot said tearily. “I just want to go back.” Angel nodded understandingly. She picked her up, tying her to her back with rope. Angel flew Starspot to the library while Conrad and Pinkie Pie looted. Starspot cried the entire way there. Angel frowned. “I’ll run you a bath.” She said as she landed in front of the door. “No.” Starspot grabbed onto her tight. “I don’t want you to leave.” She sniffled. Angel nodded. “I’ll let you stay up there until your bath is ready, but then you need a bath.” “Can’t you stay in the room?” Starspot sniffed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Angel frowned. “After last night...” “Please... I don’t want to be alone...” Starspot looked at her with pleading eyes. Angel looked to the wall, deep in thought. “Okay.” She sighed a bit. “Thank you.” Starspot shook a bit from her traumatic experience. “You wouldn’t happen to know how make any medicine to stop.... to stop me from......” Angel frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don't know what you're asking for.” "Angel, the leader, he... he... Starspot allowed more tears to fall from her face. “This isn’t fair. Why me? Why me?” Angel hushed her, taking her to the bathroom and running water. Angel began to sing the song her grandma would always sing when she needed calming. “Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it’s time to go to bed.” Starspot hugged Angel close, and for the first time since they had been reunited, Angel didn’t get the fluttery feeling in her chest. This time, her chest was filled with pity for Starspot and contempt for the monsters that had done this to the mare she loved. Angel wanted so much to bring that evil pony back to life if only so she could once again kill him. She silently wondered if it was him who had done the deed. She shook her head a bit. No. That doesn’t matter at all. Starspot buried her face in Angel’s soft mane, wishing she could just disappear in it. I hate doing this to her. She thought. I’m just leading her on. We could never be together in this zombie-infested land. She tried to think of anything but what had just happened to her. Tears flowed down her face as she wondered what she could do. She was violated, she was impure, and nothing could ever change that. Who the hell were those ponies that had attacked her? What were they trying to do? She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she realized she would have to go back to that barn... the barn where it had happened. For now, though, she just wanted to feel safe, and in Angel’s care, she knew nothing bad would ever happen to her. Angel reluctantly helped Starspot clean off, trying to avert her eyes most of the time, mostly because she couldn’t stand to see her friend in such immense pain. Starspot was crying silently the whole time. Angel wished and prayed to Celestia that she could just take away all of her friend’s pain. She would take it herself if she needed to, just as long as Starspot didn’t have it. Angel looked at the ground, knowing that her friend was right. As long as Equestria was a land of zombie ponies, they couldn’t possibly ever be together. After what had happened earlier that day, she knew that people in this land would do anything to get by, or would just plain do anything, and she knew that neither of them could think logically while their hearts belonged to each other. “Star?” Angel spoke softly. “I’m sorry.” She frowned. “Not just for what happened to you. I’m sorry to try to make you into something you aren’t. You aren’t interested in mares, and I can’t change that.” Starspot shook her head. “We’ll talk later. For now, I just.... I just want..... I don’t know what I want. To turn back time? I wish. What just happened.... that happened. Nothing will ever change that. I may..... I may have a foal forming in me soon.... I’m so scared.” Tears began flowing freely from her face. “I hate them.” She spoke shakily. “I hate stallions. I hate them so much.” She burst into a fit of tears. “Even Conrad?” Angel asked softly. Starspot nodded angrily. “I hate all stallions, maybe even all ponies.” “No, you don’t.” Angel hushed her. “You’re just lashing out. Conrad is your friend.” Angel drained the tub and helped Starspot dry off, eyes averted. Starspot hugged Angel close. “Thank you for saving me.” Angel blushed a bit. “I’m sorry I didn’t show up earlier.” She frowned. “If I did..... I could have stopped it... I could-” “Oh, hush, you silly filly.” Starspot choked back tears. “You did what you could.” “B-but... it wasn’t enough.” Angel spoke softly and looked at the ground. “Nothing can change what just happened. I’ve accepted that. I may have a foal forming in me soon, nothing can change that.” Starspot looked at Angel. “And nothing can change that you are in love with me.... or that I am with you.” She added the last part with a hint of sadness. Angel looked up at Starspot worriedly. “Are you sure you’re okay? You must not be thinking straight.” “I am.” Starspot frowned. “I love you, but we cannot be together. There is far too much that needs to be done and... and I don’t want you putting yourself in even more danger for me.” Angel frowned as well. “I was thinking the same thing. I can’t hold you back from saving Equestria.” “And after this... I don’t think I’m ready for any kind of relationship, and won’t be for a very long time.” Starspot looked to her friend. “Please understand.” Angel hugged her lightly. “I do. I know that we can’t... we couldn’t survive as a couple out there.” Starspot frowned a bit. “I’m sorry to do this to you.” “Don’t be.” Angel frowned. “I’ve waited a long time, a few more years won’t matter.” Starspot kissed Angel’s cheek. “Thank you. Tomorrow we’re going to head for Cloudsdale after Twilight’s funeral, but we have to be careful, we may have to pass by Manehattan.” Angel blushed at Starspot’s kiss. “Just like you, Starspot. Even after what happened you always have a plan.” Starspot smiled, blushing a bit herself. “Like I said, I can’t change what happened. Might as well just do something to distract myself.” Angel turned away from Starspot so she couldn’t see the blush. “Ummm... you should get some sleep.” Starspot nodded a bit. She stood shakily, walking slowly to the bedroom with Angel close behind to catch her if she fell. “Nice fighting earlier, by the way.” “You were in trouble, I had to do something.” Angel blushed a bit. “It was amazing! I’ve never seen you like that.” Starspot smiled, laying in her usual spot. She pulled a large blanket over herself. “I’m going to sleep now.” She closed her eyes to sleep, but when she did, all she could see were the eyes of that awful leader pony as he stared at her after the deed had been done. She shrieked aloud. Angel rushed to her side. “Is everything okay?” “N-no.” Starspot shuddered. “When I closed my eyes... I saw....... him.” She started crying again. Angel put her hooves around the mare, holding her close. She sang a very calming song to her. “The bad of the day can never take away, can’t ever be bad enough, to make these arms stop their gentle sway, now darling, darling, be tough.” Starspot sniffed, burying her face in Angel’s mane. “Please don’t leave.” She whispered. Angel nodded, laying on the ground next to her. She hugged her friend close, continuing the song. “Stand up, little pony, and we will make it through, Stand up, little pony, and smile. Stand up, little pony, and please stop being blue, And I’ll be by your side for a while.” Starspot began to snore gently. Angel wiped away her sleeping friend’s tears, allowing herself to drift off too. ---===--- Angel woke up to a smack to the back of her head. Conrad stood over her, nostrils flaring. “How could you take advantage of her while she was so vulnerable?” He hissed quietly. “I-I-” “That’s a nokie dokie.” Pinkie pie whispered angrily. “It wasn’t like that!” Angel whispered. “She needed my help taking a bath-” “Oh, here it goes.” Conrad rolled his eyes. “And after that she needed sleep. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing the monster that did this to her, so I sang her to sleep.” Angel explained quietly. “Fine, we’ll talk in the morning.” Conrad grunted. Pinkie Pie glared at her angrily. Angel sighed, allowing herself to rest her nose on Starspot’s head. Was that what I was doing? She thought. Was she taking advantage of a pony that was admittedly very troubled? Was she no better than that cult? She shook her head. No. She said she loved me, and besides, it’s not like we had sex. I’m just helping her through a difficult time. Angel was unable to sleep for the rest of the night. ---===--- Starspot woke up early the next morning. She yawned widely, She snuggled closer to Angel, taking in the familiar and comforting scent of her friend’s mane. “Morning.” She whispered. “Morning.” Angel said a bit awkwardly. “You feeling better?” “Loads, thanks to you.” Starspot looked up at her. “You’re a great pony.” Angel blushed, pulling away from her a bit. “Starspot, please, don’t.” “Don’t what?” Starspot blinked. Angel fought back tears. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I know that you’re vulnerable and I don’t want to take advantage of you.” “B-but Angel, you aren’t...” Starspot frowned a bit. “I think it’d be better if we didn’t use this sleeping arrangement until at least after the zombies are gone.” Angel said with a hint of sadness in her voice. Staspot nodded a bit, still not fully understanding what had changed Angel’s mind. She pulled away from her, stretching out. “I’m going to go talk to Spike for a bit.” She stood up, walking slowly down the stairs. She tapped Spike on his tail to get his attention. Spike turned to her, yawning. “Hi Spike.” She smiled a bit. “Hiya Star.” Spike stretched out. “You feeling... better?” Starspot nodded. “I guess. But... I’m having some... trouble... have you ever been in love?” “No.” Spike said quickly. “Everything you’ve heard about me having a crush on Rarity is a lie!” Starspot blinked. “Um... okay. But I’m talking about me... I’m worried that Angel and I might... well, I think we...” “You don’t need to tell me, I could tell.” Spike smiled at her. “The eyes gave it away the first time you brought her back.” Starspot blushed a bit. “Well, last night, I couldn’t sleep because of... what had happened, so I had Angel sleep with me. We’ve agreed that we can’t be together until the zombies are gone, so... am I a bad person? Am I just leading her on?” “I’m not sure.” Spike frowned a bit. “But I think you should probably lay off on the sleeping together if it’s not in your agreement, but... if you two love each other, why not live while you can and just be together?” “Maybe... maybe...” Starspot thought for a moment. “Spike, are you sure you’re up to what we have to do today?” “Burying...” He gulped a bit. “Twilight? Yes, she would have wanted me to be there, and... I want to see her...” He shook his head a bit, as if the sadness was simply crumbs he could swipe off and be done with. “Oh! By the way, I know you like magic, so I grabbed a few of Twilight’s old magic books. You can take them with you.” Spike quickly changed the subject. “Okay. Thank you, Spike, for everything. Especially for making these new bags. They will sure come in handy.” Starspot hugged the dragon’s foreleg. Starspot waited for the other ponies to make their way down. “Okay, we’re going to do this funeral, then we have to book it. Unfortunately, Pinkie Pie’s bags got taken by those.... those ponies... So we can only have a real funeral for Twilight.” The other ponies agreed silently, no one wanting to talk about the elephant in the room. Starspot sighed a bit. “Okay, we’re going to get this out of the way now. Yes, I was...” She had an issue saying the word. “I was... raped... But we have more important things to deal with. We need to get to Cloudsdale and Canterlot. With how long this has been going on... there may not be any ponies left alive pretty soon, and that includes us. Now let’s get going.” Starspot led them out to Twilight’s grave. “Spike, you knew her best, why don’t you say a few words?” Spike sniffed a bit. “Yes...” He sighed a bit. “Twilight was... a hero. She saved all of Equestria from eternal night after Nightmare Moon attacked. She was brave, she never backed down when she knew her friends were in need. She had so much l-” Spike choked back tears. “She had so much love to give to her friends. I was proud to be her assistant, and I am proud to have... to have known her for as long as I did. I know she probably can’t hear me at all, but... Twilight, I want you to know, that I am going to miss you every day, and I wouldn’t want to spend my life any differently than by being your assistant... and your friend. You will never be forgotten. I still remember how jealous I got of Owlowisious when he first came, and you taught me that you could love both of us... I’ll never understand why you’re gone, but I can only hope that whatever happens when you die is better than what is going on down here. Don’t worry about your great granddaughter. She’s a wonderful girl that’s stronger than any pony I’ve seen since... since the last time I saw you. And she’s taking after you, Twilight! She has such great friends, and a great mate, just what you always wanted for her! You would be so very proud of her...” Spike coughed a bit, his tears choking him. “I’ll never let Equestria forget you, I promise!” Spike sniffled, digging a hole where the ground was disturbed. He gasped a bit at the sight of her coffin. Starspot opened the coffin, floating the skull to the coffin. She set it in gently as Angel began to sing a beautiful ballad. Spike was crying heavily. Starspot put a hoof on the dragon’s leg, a long moment of near silence following. The only sound that could be heard was the soft sound of Angel’s voice. Starspot was about to close the coffin when she noticed a note sticking out of it. She lifted the note out, reading it aloud. “Dear Spike, If you are reading this, that means that I am dead and you slept through my passing. I left this note to tell you not to blame yourself. I know that you already are, but I’ve known that I was close to death for a long time. Ponies just don’t live as long as dragons do, and even my magic can’t stop the flow of time. I chose not to tell you because I couldn’t bear to see the look on your face. You were always so cute while you were sleeping, like a child.” A few tears had stained the paper here. “And that is what you were. You were my child, but more than that, Spike, you were my companion. I cannot thank you enough for the help raising Sunshine after my mate’s passing. I know you loved him as much as I did. Do not worry, I have someone to take care of matters around the library after I am gone. I have left you a large sum of gems stashed away in Rarity’s shop, I know they’re your favorite food. I’m afraid I must cut this note short here, for I fear my time has come. Goodbye, my number one assistant. Love, Twilight Sparkle.” Spike sniffed. “She was so kind.” He said softly. Starspot patted his leg. “Spike, we’re going to go. You take as much time as you need... I’m going to miss you... I promise to visit once we fix this thing.” “You will always have a home in Ponyville.” Spike turned to her, his eyes red. “Any time you come here, you will be treated like a princess.” “Thank you.” Starspot told him, walking away to leave him with Twilight’s note. The sound of the dragon’s cries followed them hauntingly to the outskirts of town. The four began the long, arduous walk towards Cloudsdale, without really knowing what they’d even do when they arrived. They walked for what seemed like hours on a dirt road that seemed to go nowhere. Starspot squinted, spotting a city in the distance. “Okay, we’re nearing Manehattan.” She said. “Everyone be on your guard. This place is likely to be crawling with zombies.” The four ponies crept closer to the city. A loud scream made them all jump. A lone colt stood in the center of a group of nearly forty zombies. “We have to help him!” Starspot gasped. “Angel, you fly over the zombies and pick that little guy up to take him to safety. Everyone else, charge!” Starspot began running towards the large group of zombies. Her horn flashed as many of the zombies heads exploded. She ran at the nearest zombie, kicking it hard in the head, hearing a satisfying crunch. About this time, Conrad reached the large group as well. He kicked a zombie hard in the chest to ground it. He aimed for the head and kicked, but his aim was a bit off. He ended up kicking his hoof directly into the ground. The zombie took the opportunity to lean forward and take a large bite out of Conrad’s leg. Conrad screamed as blood gushed from the severed vein. “Conrad!” Starspot screamed, smashing the zombie’s head with her hoof. The zombie’s mouth released, the chunk of meat it had taken out of Conrad lay on the ground, still attached to him by a few strands of muscle fiber. Angel had reached the colt at this point and landed near it. “Don’t worry, I’m here to help.” She reached out and touched the foal, and suddenly, all of the ponies, zombie and regular, froze. They could do nothing to move their paralyzed bodies at all. A low buzz emanated from the foal. A voice came from the strange colt. “Welcome to Manehattan, welcome to the facility of Equus Industries.” Suddenly the filly’s buzzing rose in pitch, then everything went black for the ponies. ---===--- Hi! It's me again, Pinkie Pie! I'm here to ask Ratmage99 what the hell is wrong with him! These are cute little ponies, for goodness sakes! Shame on him. Anyways, maybe next week he will fix everything and make things okey dokie and everypony will live happily ever after! Maybe...