Friendship is Infectious

by Brony-327

Chapter 8 Origin

Chapter 8
Origin

“Hush sasa, utulivu sasa, ni wakati wa kuweka kichwa yako usingizi...”
The flickering light from her cauldron illuminated Zecora in a dim half-light. She trotted from shelf to shelf, picking ingredients and carefully measuring amounts into the pot in the center of the room. Twilight had requested this creation specially. Pyrotechnics were not Zecora’s strong point, but for Twilight the zebra was willing to give firework crafting a shot.

As Zecora continued mixing, she was unaware of a small creature watching her from a high shelf. The little parasprite was curious about the colorful bubbling pot, and wanted to look closer. Who knew, maybe it was tasty. Good to eat.

The small insect squirmed closer and as it did, a wingtip bumped a nearby jar, and both parasprite and jar toppled, landing directly into the cauldron. The concoction immediately began to froth, the rainbow colored steam turning jet black. Zecora noticed the change and hurried over, intent on fixing the issue. As she drew closer, the acrid smell from the cauldron hit her senses. She inhaled the new scent and began to cough. The zebra trotted towards the window to clear the room, when she felt a twinge in her stomach. She was hungry. But for what, exactly?

“Meat...” Whispered a guttural voice.

Zecora realized the words were coming from her own lips. Something was very wrong. She was changing into...into what?

Her mind began to swim. Nothing was making sense, just a red fog tunneling her vision, and the now oppressive hunger making logical thought almost impossible.
“What is this voice speaking inside? The hunger that won’t be denied? I must discover what went wrong, before the hunger gets too strong.”

Zecora turned and began wobbling back towards the cauldron, fighting the screaming inside her head, the thirst for blood. But she could feel herself succumbing to the sheer force of the attack. She began summoning images in her head. Of Ponyville. Of Twilight. Of Applebloom. She used these images to focus her remaining will towards her goal. But the monster inside her was stripping these images from her mind almost as fast as she could generate them. Soon there would be nothing left. Nothing but hunger and pain.

She began adding more items to the pot, trying to counter the poisonous gases. Almost done...Zecora told herself. Almost won... Wait. Zecora. Was that her name? Why was she here? She was wasting time when she could be eating. NO. I AM ZECORA.

Are you sure? Asked another voice in her mind. Could we not be something...better? Of what do you speak? What is it that you seek? Join me. let me dwell inside you. We can do great things together. Never. I would rather live in endless strife, then surrender to you my only life. Then you shall serve me unwillingly, but serve me you shall. Pain split the zebra’s skull. An endless screaming, piercing her mind...

The zebra twitched, dragging herself upright. A smell was on the air. The smell of food. And another scent. Danger. She turned as five black skeletal ponies came crashing into the room. She reacted with a new instinct, leaping on one of the attackers and biting down on his throat. She held on until his twitching ceased. Almost immediately she sensed a new presence in her mind. That colt was like her now. Stronger. Better. Hungry.

She now understood that while food was necessary, one little bite and others would join her cause. Here was a way to live forever. She must share this gift with others. But not everypony would be worthy of such a gift. That pony in the corner. She was...unworthy. An excellent feast however. By now the rest of the Blanks had been turned, and only one remained. The lone mare snarled defiantly, but the zebra knew this would be a short struggle.
*****

They finished their meal, but all were still hungry.
Must find more food. thought Zecora. The others nodded, understanding without words. They knew where to find food. And lots of it. The nearby town of Ponyville. From there they would spread the power across all of Equestria. They would live forever. Rule, forever. Zecora knew that Equestria would not be enough, however. She had heard tales of another realm.

With enough unicorns combining their powers, plus the new power that she would give them, they would go to this place, this Earth, and feast on the creatures that lived there. So much food. They thought.
But we must pace ourselves. Tonight, we will begin with Ponyville.