Spike shoves his claws into a can of Vegioli , the tin tearing open as he peels it back. The dragon sticks out his tongue before throwing it aside. The can flies over Starlight Glimmer's head, she ducks to avoid taking the can to the face. The Unicorn has been following the small dragon around the abandoned castle for what feels like nearly half an hour. Each Question the mare throws at the once happy lad going completely ignored.
"Spike? Do I need to wear a mask to protect myself?" Starlight questioning her safety, now knowing because of the papers that some kind of plague is to blame for absence of life. "How does it spread?"
Starlight struggles to walk through the room, the floor littered with empty cans, boxes, and broken furniture debris. As her hooves move cans tumble around creating loud clanging making it hard for the unicorn to even hear her own question. Spike tosses another can back and it smacks into the wall behind him splattering the contents inside onto the ground. The smell of peaches now floating in the air giving Starlight mixed feelings, however, Spike still remains silent. Spike picking up another can of food from the floor, tearing it open with his claws. The contents is a strange mixture of Vegioli and Spaghetti-OS. The dragon tilts his head back taking a big gulp drinking down the solid food like it is water.
"Are you drinking that!?" Starlight stumbles coming to a stop at Spikes side, tilting her head to read the faded label of Vegioli. "You are really drinking Vegiolie, Spike!?"
"Starlight ..." Spike tosses the can over his head and slowly turns to look over at the Unicorn. "I am a dragon ... I ate gems for more than half of my life. Drinking this feels easier than eating solid stones"
"NOW YOU SAY SOMETH" - Starlight stops as Spike shakes one finger in her face. The Dragon gets up and sets an empty can on top of the mares head. "I just wanted to have my questions answered"
"It isn't airborne, Starlight. You won't be needing a mask" Spike slides down a small pile of cans towards the exit and walks out the open door with a faint smile. "You don't even know what Manulus can do, being paranoid is worse than the plague"
"It is not knowing that scares me more ... were you always this messy? I don't remember you being this messy!" Starlight walks through the garbage and follows spike leaving behind wet hoof prints on the floor, "Gross!! My hooves are wet from who knows what"
"I have been this messy sense ..." Spike taps a talon on his chin and then shrugs walking to the main entrance of Friendship Castle to look out at the empty world. "Once Manulus took its course. Why should I keep the place clean?"
Starlight looks outside at Ponyville, the once busy market now left behind. The food that used to fill the shelves are now empty to never be filled again. Posters are stamped on the side of the structures, talking about the plague. Spike lightly pats Starlight on the leg before he steps outside into the streets outside. The unicorn watches only for a moment before following him to the market. The posters are all about the plague and it's symptoms, what everypony was and is suppose to look out for to know if they or somepony else was infected with Manulus.
"This is where you should start, Starlight" Spike lets out a deep breath and begins carving his name into the side of one of the structures with his claw. "It will help you more than it helped the ponies of Ponyville, I mean obviously but if anypony would like to object. You can be my guest ..."
Starlight's ears pin back and she moves closer to the faded posters to look at what information there is to know. The mare is hesitant but not knowing what she is truly dealing with is more scary right now. Spike digs his claw deeper into the wood before ripping it from the structure, he mumbles something under his breath. Focusing on the poster Starlight begins reading what the poster has to say. The words are faded but not enough to make it unreadable.
MANULUS SYMPTOMS ARE YOU INFECTED
Welcome to Ponyville, in order to keep this safezone safe. Please read this poster daily and report any signs of infection within the zone. Do it for your families, Do it for yourself, and Do it for the community! Report ALL signs of Manulus Immediately!
MINOR SYMPTOMS, MUST ADDRESS
Nausea, Chafing Hooves, Uncontrollable Crying, and Minor Redness in Eyes.
MAJOR SYMPTOMS, ADDRESS IMMEDIATELY
Bloody Eyes, Projectile Vomiting Blood, Deep Lesions, Temporary Blindness, Light Sensitive Skin, and Fur/ Mane Loss
REMEMBER THAT IT IS UP TO YOU TO KEEP THE ZONE SAFE FROM MANULUS, WITHOUT YOU THIS PLACE, LIKE MOST OF OUR WORLD WILL BECOME INFECTED. KEEP MANULUS OUT AND PREVENT MORTEM.
Starlight steps away with wide eyes and she almost backs up into Spike knocking him to the ground. She bites her lower lip as stress begins to build up inside of her. Safe Zone? Looking around it becomes clear that the posters were not enough to keep Manulus out, for how long has Spike been the only one left after the zone was clearly compromised? The only remaining question is, how did Manulus get in with so many posters posted? Who in the right mind would let something with these extreme symptoms get inside?
"We need to head back -" Spike is picked up by Starlight's magic being lifted face to face with the mare. In her eyes are more questions about Manulus. Spike's eyes widen and he cannot move, speechless from suddenly being yanked from the ground.
"We have time to talk about this, Spike. If anypony else objects they can let me know" Starlight says in reference to his statement made from earlier. " How does something like this -" Starlight lets go of Spike as he burps out fire to cause her to let go of him.
"Nopony can object because EVERYPONY is dead!!" Spike looks to the sky as the sun begins to set, looking back at the castle. The dragon closes his eyes and huffs out angry puffs of smoke from his nostrils, clenching his fists holding back a scream. "We need to be inside I will explain-"
"You need to, Spike" Starlight takes a deep breath, however, unlike spike she doesn't bottle up her anger. That never did her any good in the past. "I know everypony is gone and I just don't wanna be like them. I don't have anypony else!! Twilight, Trixie, Pinkie ... I just have you, Spike. You are the only one who can help me - prevent me from becoming like them"
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
Spike closes the door to his bedroom and turns on a lantern hanging by the door, making sure it is dim as if to keep himself from being spotting from the outside. Starlight sits by the bed waiting for the dragon to tell his story, she raises a brow as the dragon dims the light. The room is still very dark even with light of a flame, Spike moves a talon over his mouth motioning her to keep quiet and he takes a seat next to the unicorn.
"Yes ... this was a safe place but it didn't last. Ponies think they can control the inevitable by putting up a wall" Spike closes his eyes shifting through memories. His lips clench up as he remembers the night when the remaining ponies in the zone ... disappeared. "T-Twilight-"
"Twilight!! Please be quiet!!!" Spike falls to the floor running to the side of the Alicorn. Tears filling his eyes as the mare begins to cry uncontrollably, blood dripping down in her tears. "PLEASE!! Stop Crying!!!"
Twilight lays on the floor in tears with spike at her side, pieces of her fur sticking to the dragons claws as it easily rubbed off of her. Loud knocking from outside as the ponies from the zone are eager to get inside, to take care of the princess, the door is locked to prevent them from reaching her.
"Spike - Let us inside!!" A stallion hollers with all his breath, ramming his whole body up against the large castle doors. "You are making a huge mistake!! Soon it will be to late!!!" The banging continues as the stallion is aided by many as they ram up against the doors to try and break it down.
"There has to be another -" Spike pulls away from Twilight as she sits up suddenly, opening her mouth as blood shoots from her mouth as she begins to puke onto the castle floor. "Twilight!! Please!!!" Spike backs away to not let the infected blood get near him. Twilight hears the dragon moving away and once the puking comes to a stop for awhile, the alicorn looks around frantically for him, even though he is only a few feet away.
"SPIKE, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!!" Twilight looks around, blinded by Manulus and is now unable to see the ones she loves during these symptoms. "Where are you!!!" Twilight screams and begins to gagging until the vomiting returns, the clotted blood spatting onto the floor sticking under her chin and hooves.
"I am right here -" Spike jumps as a loud crack echoes from the front door, the ponies outside are making progress on the front doors. "There has to be another way, Twilight!! You can fight this-"
"I CAN'T DO THIS-" Twilight screams and it only causes her to vomit more, harder than before she falls to the ground and lays in the blood pool she has created through vomiting. Once stopped she takes deep breaths, clinging on as hard as anypony has when going through this stage. "S-Spike ... I don't wanna -"
"You won't -" Spike hears a loud crack again and one of the ponies screams into the hallway to spike. The voice is full of fear, warning him of the inevitable.
"She will and you know it!! Do it child!! END IT BEFORE IT SPREADS!!" The stallion screams louder as he tries to squeeze in, however, is too big to do so yet. Spike stomps his foot as he looks to his sister, laying in the puddle of blood.
"T-Twilight- " Spike picks up the fire poker, the only tool available at the time. The tool shakes in the grip of his claws, looking over at the once strong princess. Twilight doesn't move as her energy begins to fade, she is still alive and that scares Spike. "I AM SORRY, TWILIGHT!!" --
Spike's eyes open and he looks to a locked closet when suddenly the sound of something pressing up against the door from the inside can be heard. Starlight jumps from her seat looking over to the closed closet door, however, she feels Spikes claws grab hold of her causing her to trip falling to the floor. The fall is sudden enough to cause her to loose the air in her lungs, being stunned by having the air pulled from her lungs in a gasp.
"Fuck- Spike ... What the" Starlight struggles to speak trying to catch her breath after being tripped up. "What happened? If you killed her" Starlight can only assume that from the story told so far, Spike must have had to do the unthinkable and kill his sister to prevent her from spreading Manulus any further than she was doing with the excessive blood puking. Tears fill Starlight's eyes thinking about it, Twilight suffering from this painful death.
"Starlight ..." Spike says softly, the creaking from the closet becoming louder than before as if somepony was trapped on the other side trying to get out. "I didn't kill, Twilight ... I couldn't kill my sister. I wasn't strong enough to put her out of her misery and because of that. Everypony else suffered after her"