Just an Old Ponytale...
Chapter 12-
"Is she going to make it?" Twilight asked, looking at her bed bound friend. Big Mac glanced at her, and shook his head.'
Traversing back down to the generator proved easy since Pinkie had distracted the hoard of "infected" that had once swarmed the area. After checking her surroundings to make sure there were no lingering zombie ponies that may have been left behind, she focused all her attention and energy in casting a shock spell to kickstart the generator once more. She strained as her energy reserves were slowly being spent on the casting of the spell, leaving her in complete exposure.
Suddenly, a hoof sprung from the ground under her, causing her to almost lose control of the spell. "Oh no! My calculations must have been wrong. The shift must be happening now!" The hoof quickly became two as the undead monster slowly raised from its grave. "Almost... got it..." Twilight muttered, trying to finish the spell before she was bitten. The creature was only a mere hoof away when Twilight finished. There was a flash of light as the current of electricity rocoiled back on the lavender mare, flinging her a great deal of distance.
She landed on her back with a loud thud, suddenly surrounded by a rough circle of raising dead still half buried. All her energy had been spent on casting the spell, in hopes of saving the infirmed from an untimely demise, and had caused her fatigue of a large magnitude. Her vision was blurry as the rain continued to drench her coat and the "infected" gathered around, staining the air with the stench of death. "It was worth it..." she said with a low whisper. "At least I could help... before they eventually... got me..."
"Twilight!" a voice called through the drizzle. She perked, but only a bit, looking in the direction of the call. She knew who it was, but she had wished she didn't. It was Rarity, galloping trough a small hole in the growing circle and then, holding her purple friends head in her hooves. "Twilight, my dear, We have to go! These monsters are popping out everywhere left and right!" Twilight looked at her friend with a exhausted sigh.
"Rarity... I'm too tired... go on without me... I powered the generator..." A sharp pain hit Twilight as Rarity's hoof struck her cheek, sending a dose of adrinaline through her bloodstream, and knocking some sense into her. She rose quickly, turning head in all direction to see only a closing group of "infected" ponies encasing hopes of escape, and her terrified friend, only just realizing the predicament she had just gotten herself into.
"Quickly, grab hold of me!" Twilight yelled to Rarity, who hastefully wrapped her hooves around her friends midsection, clinging for life and nearly choking her. She focused her thoughts on her library, lowering her horn and with a flash, teleporting both her and Rarity to her once wonderful home just before the group lunged at them.
Water soaked books shot in all directions as the two mares flashed into the room, shining a blinding light into the lifeless eyes of another small group of wretched "infected". Twilight's legs wabbled as she stood with her tightly clung friend, looking into the eyes of a mutilated puke green pony, which was strangely wearing a dirt brown cowboy hat. Rarity gasped as she also gazed into what was once her best friend's eyes, nearly drawing a tear from her eye.
"A... Applejack?" Rarity whispered. The "infected" mare gnarled its teeth as it realized what was in front of her. Food. It lashed, throwing its body into the two and bringing its teeth down towards the flesh of the drama mare, only just missing as she jerked her body from benieth, tripping the zombie, causing it to slam into the ground.
Rarity stood up and grabbed the exhausted Twilight, who could barely move now on account of all her energy being spent, and threw her upon her back, now dashing out the hole within Twilight's house and making way towards the outskirts of town. It was pretty much a maze as she ran throughout town, dodging hooves as they sprouted from the ground, and evading the alreadt resurrected zombies that unfortunately stood in her path.
She was weakening, energy being used faster than normal because of the dead weight lavender mare on her back. Rarity reached the very edge of town, nearly out of reach of most of the "infeted", when a hoof sprouted from beneath her and tripped her up, throwing Twilight a few hooves in front of her and sending her to the earth with a crash. There was a tugging at her leg as she tried to stand back up, only to be caught by the steel grasp of a horrid "infected" holding her leg. "Twilight!" she screamed, trying to wake the mare from her tired drowsyness.
Twilight opened her eyes, seeing her friend struggling with a monster at her back. "Rarity!?" she yelled, jumping to her feet. Her friend waved her hoof at her magical friend.
"GO!" she screamed, the monster behind sinking its teeth into her hind leg, and causing her to let out a shriek of pain. Twilight stood there, her mind shooting thoughts. Rarity turned around and kicked back the zombie that had bit her, and set herself ready to hold back any that should follow. "What are you waiting for? GO!"
Twilight turned, sprinting along the path while her mind raced once more, causing her to loose all feeling of fatigue as she ran. After a while though, even her thoughts could not hide her fatigue. Twilight was nearly give out, her body a burden because of the rain and the casting of the spells. She took a moment to catch her breath, taking a break before dashing off again to stay ahead to the mob following close behind, hearing her friends cries. "It couldn't be too much further to where ever I'm going." Twilight said to herself just as she saw it. Sweet Apple Acres. "Finally!" Twilight yelled as she had a sudden burst of energy, sprinting through the gates towards the farm. She ran up to the old building and started banging mercilessly on the boarders nailed on the door. "Open up! I'm not infected!" She screamed. The mob was closing in behind her.
A voice came from inside. "Who's there!" Twilight instantly distinguished the voice. A small, red maned pony peeked through the cracks in the barrier. "Twilight?" Apple Bloom gasped. The small filly quickly undid the borders and hastefully let the heavily saturated unicorn in. Apple Bloom instantly started back on the boarders as soon as Twilight was inside the venerable building. "You got here all by yourself?" Apple Bloom as she finished putting the barrier back up. Twilight flinched.
"Not... exactly..." Twilight said with a sigh.
"Well... then how'd ya get here? Other than runnin' that is."
"It's a long story." Twilight soulfully answered, shaking off the rain while she took notice of her surroundings. It was to her surprise to see Derpy, Big Mac, Colgate, and a few other ponies that she recongnized, but couldn't name off the bat, all standing around a small lantern, glaring at her with a look of suspicion. She shied back, turning to Apple Bloom. "What's all these ponies doing here?" she asked. Apple Bloom looked at her, seemingly perplexed by the question.
"They are stayin' here cuz of them creatures outside. We've been skeptical of takin' in other ponies." Apple Bloom grabbed Twilight's shoulder and started to spin her around, observing her coat as she did so. "Don't fret, just checkin' if ya really ain't been bit is all." There was a loud, booming voice in the distance while she was being investigated.
"TWILIGHT!" the happy voice of a dear friend called. Twilight turned, knowing who it could only be, with smile plastered on her face as Pinkie Pie crashed into her, knocking her on top of poor Apple Bloom and giving Twilight a huge hug. "I'm so glad you made it! Are you OK?" Twilight returned the embrace to her pink friend.
"Yes, I'm fine Pinkie..."
"WELL I'M NOT!" Apple Bloom said as she was scrambling from under the two mares bodies. Twilight and Pinkie stood up and allowed the small filly to regain her breath before they continued talking.
"I thought for sure I would see you again, just not so soon." the purple unicorn said. Pinkie giggled.
"Really? I was wondering why you didn't get here sooner." The two laughed as Apple Bloom finished looking at Twilight while they were in conversation.
"You look fine ta me. Now, how'd ya get here again?" Twilight stopped her laughter, and looked grimly at the ground.
"Oh... yea... Well, you see, it's like this..."