Just an Old Ponytale...

by EternalShadow54

Chapter 3

Just an Old Ponytale...
Chapter 3-

'Day five of this accursed "infection" and I still haven't been able to get word from Zacora on how to fix all of this. This stupid storm has yet to show any signs of lifting and to make matters worse, I haven't heard any word on where Rainbow Dash is. Everypony that I have sent to find supplies hasn't come back and the others are getting worried. I fear the worst may have happened. I can only hope to Celestia that I can find a cure before the inevitable happens. Without me, we would all certainly be doomed...'

Journal Entry #3

-Twilight Sparkle

Twilight quickly rose from the floor to the hearing of a seemingly distant scream. She turned to look at where Sweetie Bell should be, but she was gone. Twilight took notice at the window and walked over to it. The weather was worse if not just as bad as it was yesterday and the room was extreamly dim due to the lack of light. The only light visible was that of the sun's rays trying to pierce the dark, gloomy clouds. "This is not right." Twilight told herself. "The storm should have ended by now."

Another much louder scream was heard. Twilight turned around to see Sweetie Belle slamming the front door and jumping behind a piece of funiture, cowering. This bewildered Twilight. "Sweetie Belle, what happened? Are you O.K.?" Sweetie Belle poked her head from behind the funiture with a face so terrified that it even scared Twilight herself.

"Tha- I- wha- and- then-" the little filly was stuttering. Twilight had to stop her.

"Slow down Sweetie Belle, just calmly tell me what happened." Twilight said as she made her way towards the frantic little filly. Sweetie Belle began to cry as she drew closer.

"Wha- Wha- Well..." Sweetie Belle sniffled. She was still trying to speak too fast. "I- I- I d- decided to g- g- go outside a- and get s- some fresh air wh- when a p- pony of th- the ugliest o- o- of green c- came up t- to me f- from th- the side a- and b- bit me." Sweetie Bell then turned to look at the horrified face of Twilight, who obviously knew exactly what had happened. Sweetie Bell became worried. "Wh- what's gonna h- happen to m- me?" Twilight was at a loss of words, for lack of a better phrase. Twilight's body didn't know how to process how she felt at this moment. A feeling of complicity along with grief and pity all washed over her at once.

"I... uhhhh..." Twilight was still in the process of collecting herself. "O.K. Sweetie Belle, I need you to stay calm." Twilight's voice was very shaky. "First off, do you know where Rarity is?" Sweetie Bell looked up at the ceiling with a quizzical look bofore answering.

"She l- left about an h- hour ago to go and g- get some supplies until t- the storm cleared up." Sweetie Belle was settling down which made Twilight's position a little bit better. "W- why...?" Twilight was caught off guard by the question, but ignored it. She turned her head to the side and spoke to herself.

"This is not good." Suddenly, another thought hit Twilight. A thought that she now wished she had a few minutes ago. "Sweetie Belle, was it you that I heard screaming a minute ago?" Sweetie Belle looked at Twilight, obviously perplexed at the question.

"Y- yea... Why?" Twilight's blood ran stiff as there was a loud bang at the door. Sweetie Belle started taking heavier breaths.

"Oh no." Twilight gulped. She looked at the small filly with a most concerning look. "Sweetie Belle," Her voice was even more nervous than before, with a hint of fear. "I... I'm afraid that you've been... infected." Sweetie Bell's eyes expanded to their limit.

"Y... you mean..." Sweetie Belle started on the verge of tears again. Twilight nodded. The bangs at the door became louder as Sweetie Belle looked at where the pony from earlier had bitten her. The area was slowly decaying away. Sweetie Bell cried again. "W... what's going t... to happen to me... now?" She was speaking in burst as her breathing became even harder. Twilight knew exactly what would happen, but she couldn't bring herself to tell Sweetie Belle that she would eventually have to actually "die" before becoming part of the "living dead".

"Y... your going to be fine... trust me..." Her lie wasn't very convincing. Sweetie Belle chuckled a bit as she looked Twilight dead in the eyes.

"The back exit... is through the... kitchen to the... left." Sweetie Belle wouldn't be long before she would convert. "And... you didn't... have to... lie... I was... up all... last night... with you studying... remember...?" Her words hurt Twilight to the very pit of her heart.

"I... I'm sorry Sweetie Belle, I promise to never do it again." Her words were void. Sweetie Belle looked at Twilight with a grin.

"Yea... I know... you won't... heh, you can't..." Sweetie Belle's mood finally changed back to the more appropriate one of fear. "Hey Twilight..." Sweetie Belle called as Twilight was just about to leave. The hinges of the door wouldn't hold for much longer.

"Yes Sweetie Belle...?" Twilight was fighting back her emotions as well.

"How come... you didn't... seem to care... that much when... when you told... us about... Applejack...?" Twilight almost didn't have time to answer before the door finally gave way.

"Because Sweetie Belle, I... I thought that I could fix it before anypony noticed... and I didn't think that it would be that big of a deal." The answer left Sweetie Bell abashed.

"Heh, it's zombies... what did... you expect...?" Twilight was just about to respond when the door came crashing down. Twilight turned and ran for the back exit. Just before she was able to make it out, she heard the filly yell one last scream as she stepped out into the all too familiar wet and windy weather. 'This whole thing is my fault.' she thought to herself as she let a tear mix with the rain. 'I have to make this right.'

And with that, she started to make her way into town through the raging storm towards the only place she could possibly reach at this time. Sugarcube Corner. "Maybe the "infection" hasn't spread that far yet." she said to herself. "I can only hope..."

As Twilight started her way towards the center of town, she noticed a few houses with boards up on the doors and bars on the windows. "Oh no, this can only mean..." Twilight was cut short by a low growl from behind her. She turned, only mere hooves away from one of the infected themselves. The infected pony was of the same puke green Applejack was turning when she had left her, only that this one seemed to have parts of its fleash gone and rib bone sticking from its side. Twilight was frozen in fear as the "infected" pony slowly made its way towards her.

She turned to run but was cut off by another one with similar looks, but with a broken hoof and half a jaw. "Oh Celestia, what have I done!?" Twilight yelled as she was slowly being cornered by the two "infected" ponies. Twilight continued backing up to the side before she was stopped by a wall of brick. 'This is not good.' Twilight thought to herself. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she felt her hooves leave the ground. "What the?" Twilight looked up to see Fluttershy grabbing her from the waist. "FLUTTERSHY!" Twilight yelled. "Am I glad to see you!"

Fluttershy brought twilight up to the top of the building Twilight was cornered at before the wind finally knocked both of the ponies onto the roof with a crash. Twilight picked herself up and went to check on the fragile pegasis that had risked her life to save her. "Oh Fluttershy, you don't know..." Twilight noticed her friends slow and straining breaths. "...no..." Twilight thought as she came up to the pegasis and held her up. Fluttershy let out a cough and looked up at her friend.

"Oh, hey there Twilight... how are you...?" Fluttershy choked out before letting out another cough. Twilight looked at her freind with great worry.

"Fluttershy... how long has everypony been avoiding these... these monsters?" Twilight asked. The kind-hearted pony looked at Twilight with great astonishment.

"You mean... you don't know...? We... have been surviving for... two days now..."

'TWO DAYS!' Twilight thought to herself. 'I was alseep for two whole days!' Fluttershy's breathing started becoming slower. "No, no Fluttershy. You can't do this to me." Fluttershy looked sweetly at the scared unicorn.

"It's O.K. Twilight... it's not your fault..." she said as she held up her wing to she the spot that she had been bitten. Tears was the only thing coming from Twilight's eyes now as she looked at her slowly dying friend. Fluttershy didn't notice the crying on account of the rain. "I... was bitten just a few minutes... before I came across... you... so... I figured... I could help my... friend... one last time..." That was the last straw for Twilight. She bust out right there in front of Fluttershy, now making her feeling obvious. "Oh... don't cry please... there... was nothing you could do..." The words kept wrenching at Twilight's heart. Twilight suddenly felt Fluttershy's body give way as the sudden full weight of her body caused Twilight to drop her to the ground.

"NOOOO!!!" Twilight screamed as the strom continued to rage on. Twilight sat there and started sobbing. "It was all my fault." she told herself. "Every little bit of it is my fault..." Twilight looked up as she heard a odd sound come from the pegasus. Fluttershy's body jerked in several bone-breaking ways and let out a loud screech as it changed to that horrible green. Twilight watched in dread as her most delicate friend slowly turned into one of those wretched monsters.

"So... that's how it's going to be..." Twilight shook herself off as she squared her body just right with the new "infected" pony and reared her legs back. "I'm sorry... Fluttershy." She bucked as hard as she could, making sure to avoid the mouth, and knocked her once fragile and quiet friend off the roof and into the street below. "It's a good thing zombies can't fly..." Twilight said as she looked for a way to get to her original destination. Sugarcube Corner was only a few blocks away. "I think it's about time to tell everypony what has happened. I... just hope that they can forgive me."

Twilight jumped from roof to roof to avoid attracting any attention to herself from below. "I wouldn't want to bring a whole mob right at there doorstep." she whispered to herself. When Sugarcube Corner came into sight through the fog of heavy rain, what she saw nearly ripped her heart out.

Scootaloo quickly dashed to the left, then to the right. The shadows of the figures were everywhere as she ran through the town. The doors were nailed shut and the windows barred at every house. She came up to Sugarcube Corner and banged her hoof against the door. "LET ME IN!" she screamed. "Please let me in!" There was no answer. The rain had not lightened up since it had started two days ago. "Please..." she said as she slowly sulked to the ground. The dark figures were closing in ever so slowly. "Let me in..." There was a scream.

Twilight turned her head as she heard Scootaloo scream. The dark, hazy figures of the "infected" swarmed around the small filly. "So much for that idea." Twilight thought as she started making out where to go next. "I guess my best bet would have to be... Sweet Apple Acres..." Twilight sighed at the thought as she looked at her surroundings. "I guess I better get moving..."

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[Kit Wolfkat]

Is it bad if I smile?