//------------------------------// // Long Road Ahead: One bad day... // Story: The Mane 6 And Lee Everett // by Can-dees_Murder_Weapon //------------------------------// Everyone is terrified. All of the ponies chose to sit by the table at the back of the vehicle with Clementine, while all the humans went up front. Kenny sat up front, driving the R.V. with his wife, Katjaa in the passenger seat holding Duck in her arms. Ben, Carley, Doug and David were on the seats by the window; that came with the vehicle, while Lee stood with his back leaned up against the sink. It is astonishing how everyone at the motel got away successfully without any casualties. Except for Rainbow Dash. Even though the pain in her wing has settled down, all the supplies were left back at the motel, leaving them nothing to use to take care of it. The bullet is allegedly still in there. All Rainbow Dash can do is sit there, as her bullet wound soaks up whatever bacteria there is around her. "We just lost, everything..." Applejack hears Lilly say, Applejack doesn't want to be bothered right now; her main concern being Rainbow Dash. Earlier in the drive, Applejack offered to let Rainbow Dash rest her head in her lap; in which Rainbow Dash didn't decline. Back at the motel when Applejack saw Rainbow Dash falling to the ground, she felt a monstrous wave of fear impact her. She thought she had just lost her friend and they weren't even talking to each other, well Applejack wasn't at least. When she saw her moving, she didn't care if there were still bullets flying out in the open; she just ran after her, without any thought for herself. If Rainbow Dash had actually died, it would've haunted Applejack for the rest of her life. Shes been ignoring her ever since they got back from the dairy and to have to watch Rainbow Dash go through such painful measures, makes her want to tell her she's sorry. Applejack brings a hoof to her friend's rainbow coloured mane and she gently strokes it. Rainbow Dash is too busy napping on her lap to even notice. "You're gonna be okay, sugarcube. You'll be perfectly fine," she whispers to her. She's not so sure about her wing though. At the moment, Dash isn't gonna be flying any time soon. It'll probably take more than a few months to heal, will it even heal? Rarity frowns at Twilight, who's stirring in her sleep. She considers maybe waking her up to bring her out of her alleged nightmare but decides against it and she lets her rest. Rarity starts to wonder what happened to her back at the motel. Was she injured? She didn't have any wounds on her, none that Rarity can see otherwise. Rarity chooses to ask her friends what happened, maybe they know? "Does anyone know what happened to, Twilight back at the motel?" "Rainbow Dash, only told me that she passed out," Fluttershy says. She still feels guilty over Rainbow Dash getting hurt, if she had just been assertive and told her to stay in the vehicle; she'd be unharmed. "This is my fault..." she quietly blurts out. It catches the attention of Everyone there at the table, except Twilight and Rainbow Dash for obvious reasons. Applejack looks at her, unsure of what she meant. "Uhh... what? What do you mean, sugarcube?" "It's my f-fault that, Rainbow Dash got hurt." Overflowing with guilt, Fluttershy starts to cry and she buries her face in her hooves. Applejack frowns. That doesn't make sense, she saw Rainbow Dash outside. She doesn't remember seeing Fluttershy out there. Unless she somehow caused her to get hurt. Pinkie Pie just stares at her friend, sympathetically. To be honest, Pinkie's starting to become exhausted trying to keep her cheerful attitude together. Fortunately, she is sitting right next to her yellow friend and she brings her into a hug; letting her sob into her chest. Pinkie can't help but feel like she's losing touch of her hapiness, seeing her friends cry, isn't something she enjoys. "D-darling, what do you mean it's your fault?" Rarity gently says, Wanting her clarify. Rarity already has a sense that Fluttershy isn't the one at fault but she needs to know the full story in order to console her friend. Fluttershy pulls away from Pinkie, wiping her tears with her hoof as she turns to look at Rarity. "W-when we were a-at the m-motel, Rainbow Dash brought in, Twilight." Pausing to take a glance down at Rainbow Dash before looking back at her friends. "She said she was gonna t-try and find you, girls... and I let her go. I knew it was a bad idea but I let her go anyway." She is taking the blame. Rarity can't help but feel slightly irritated at her. Why would she possibly think that it's her fault! If she wants to blame anyone, she should blame the bandits! If it wasn't for those cowardly-mask-wearing-rat-bags they wouldn't even be there in the first place. "Now, Fluttershy you listen here," she sternly says. Thinking that Rarity is mad at her, Fluttershy reluctantly looks towards her elegant friend. Rarity looks her dead in the eye. "Darling... you are not at fault." Fluttershy thought everypony would be mad at her, her judgment has clearly been misplaced. Rarity ignores the puzzled expression on Fluttershy's face and she continues. "You need to stop blaming yourself for matters you didn't commit." Fluttershy opens her mouth to say something, but Rarity already knows that she's going to try and make excuses; she cuts her off. "Darling, don't even try it. This is not your fault and that's final. Rainbow Dash made the decision, not you." Applejack isn't paying any attention towards her friend's conversation, she is more concerned with what Lilly and the others are talking about. She clearly hears what they're talking about and she does not like it, Lilly's throwing the blame onto Carley. Turns out, Applejack isn't the only one that's eavesdropping into their conversation. She finds Pinkie Pie with a frown on her face, looking intently towards Lilly and the others. "Look me in the eye, and tell me you didn't have anything to do with it." From where they're sitting, they see Lilly leaning closer and closer towards Ben as if she is about to break him. "I-" He is gonna answer but the R.V. jolts, abruptly The slight collision ends up waking Rainbow Dash in the process. "What's going on up there?" Lilly concernedly asks. "I hit something. We gotta stop," Kenny replies from the driver's seat. Rainbow Dash slowly lifts up her head from Applejack's lap, making her notice. The van comes to a slow stop after it slightly turns. "Everybody out!" Lilly sternly says. Everyone gets out of their seats, not wanting to anger her any further. Lilly is the first one to exit the R.V. and everyone else follows after; leaving Applejack, Rainbow and Katjaa with Duck. Rainbow's throat suddenly feels scaly, as she starts to regain all her consciousness back. "How're you feelin', sugarcube?" Applejack suddenly says in her gentle voice. "I'm-" Her voice is hoarse, Rainbow Dash stops herself to clear her throat before continuing. "My back hurts..." she says, her voice now clear. "Your wing, you mean?" Applejack corrects. "Uhh... yeah." Rainbow Dash fully lifts herself up from Applejack's lap and she takes a seat beside her. Silence rains over the two ponies with loud voices coming from outside the large vehicle, which Rainbow Dash is oblivious to what they're talking about. She turns her head to the right finding her purple unicorn friend still passed out on the seat next to her. "A'hm sorry," Applejack suddenly says. Right after Applejack says that, Rainbow Dash frowns and she turns to look at her friend in confusion. "For what?" "Whaddya mean "for what", for the way a'have been treatin' you!" Applejack snaps, which not at all phases Rainbow Dash. Rainbow lets out an "oh" before going back to idly staring down at the table while pain aches over her shoulder. Rainbow's lack of enthusiasm in her apology catches her off guard and she stares worriedly at her friend. She studies her friend, intently. Applejack didn't expect that her friend would act so disinterested. After all, isn't she the one thats been trying to mend fences with her? Instead, she just shook it off like it was no big deal. "You... okay, sugarcube?" "Huh?" Rainbow Dash pulls away from her stare and she looks at her friend. "Umm, yeah? Why wouldn't I be?" "It's... just that... you're not actin' yourself." Rainbow wants to say something but her mind couldn't conjure up anything. It is just blank. It leaves her sitting in silence, debating whether or not she should change the subject. The sudden sound of a gunshot is heard throughout the area, startling Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Promptly jumping out of her seat, nerves off the charts and running over to the doorway; Applejack finds Doug lying on the ground with blood oozing out of the back of his temple. Lilly, with her gun pointed in his direction, her face full of shock. Carley's just staring down at him, her mouth agape and her skin pale. In a fit of rage, Lee grabs Lilly's wrist, specifically the one with the gun and he pins her to the R.V. "Drop it." Lilly drops the gun, likes she's given up. "Holy fuck..." Kenny mutters to himself. Ben kneels down to survey Doug's lifeless body. "Kenny! What's happening!" Katjaa frantically yells from inside the R.V. Kenny immediately replies after. "Keep, Duck away from the windows! Jesus Christ!" While Kenny angrily suggests to leave Lilly behind, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy can only helplessly watch all the humans work out the dilemma. Neither of the ponies wanted to leave Lilly behind, they all know what she went through, being there themselves but at the same time, they don't feel safe around Lilly anymore. Fluttershy can't take it anymore and she runs back inside the R.V., pushing past Applejack. Rarity follows shortly after in an act of traipse with her head hanging and full of hopelessness. "What are we gonna do with her?" David asks. "Leave her for the walkers!" Kenny snaps, glaring at Lilly. Lee finally lets go of Lilly and he gives her a merciful look. "Get in, we'll figure out what to do with you." "It's a bad idea, Lee! She's a murder for shit's-sake!" Kenny throws his hand at her, accusingly "I'm a murderer? You've had, Lee with you this whole-" "I don't give a shit about what he did before!" Kenny cuts her off, already knowing that Lee was a convicted murderer before the outbreak. "I was trying to protect all of us!" Lilly's voice breaks causing Pinkie to sympathetically look at her. "I don't have-" "Ah don't wanna hear it! Just get in!" Kenny yells before Lilly can finish her sentence. Lilly was put at the back of the R.V. with her wrists tied behind her back by Lee. After he did so, he slides the glock across the brown wooden table towards Ben. With his elbows still on the table, Ben reluctantly picks up the gun and he partly aims it towards Lilly. Hearing about what happened to Doug, made Applejack wary of Lilly and she observantly eyed her beside to Ben's left. There is barely any room left in the R.V. and since Twilight, by some miracle is still sleeping, she was left in the same spot. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy were left to lay on the floor near Lee. "Lee, a word please?" Lee takes a glance towards the driver's seat before heading there himself, frowning in thought of what Katjaa needs. Pinkie Pie watches as Lee strolls towards the front of the large vehicle before looking back down at the floor. She is still trying to process the entire scenario, Doug is dead! It all happened so fast before she was even able to react! First, the motel is gone and now when they all managed to get away, Lilly went and killed Doug... By mistake! Lilly wasn't even going to kill Doug, she was going to kill Carley but Doug dragged her out of the way. It isn't possible, there is no possible way that this can get any worse! Pinkie Pie thought. She already felt her heart break multiple times since they've first arrived to this disease-ridden planet. Pinkie Pie notices Lee coming back to sit down next to Clementine who leans her head against him. He has... some sort of expression on his face, like he just gotten some unpleasant news. "Duck, is bitten," he finally lets out. Pinkie's mane deflates. She looks away to face the wall and she silently cries to herself, hoping no one not even her friends would notice. All the ponies know exactly what happens when someone gets bit. Pinkies gotten close to Duck, shes even become good friends with him. She would play hide and seek with him throughout the motel and at other times she would tell him stories about her and her friends saving Equestria from various creatures. Remembering all the fun they had, only makes her cry harder making it apparent to everyone. She still tries to be quiet about it even though everyone already knows she's crying. Besides Duck's parents, the news devastated Pinkie Pie much worse than everyone else. She suddenly feels someone gently touch her shoulder and she slowly turns around to find Rarity with sympathetic eyes. Rarity engulfs Pinkie into a hug and the pink pony tightly clings to her as she lets out all the tears onto her friend's chest and muttering out incoherent words. As Rarity continues to soothe her friend's pain, Carley begins to tear up, thinking about Doug. She was a fond of him and she is sure that the feeling was mutual. Pinkie Pie suddenly lifts her head out of Rarity's chest to look at her. "R-r-rarity, I *SOB* don't want to stay here *SOB* -nymore. I wa- *SOB* want to go home!" Not knowing what to say and nearly crying herself. Rarity closes her eyes and she inhales before stuttering out. "W-we will... darling, w-w-we will get home." Still sobbing, Pinkie Pie leans the side of her head back onto Rarity's shoulder. "W-w-when *SOB* we get home... *SOB* c-can we bring *SOB* everyone?" "Of cour-" Pinkie Pie abruptly lifts her head up from Rarity's chest again. "No! I m-mean everyone. Lee, Clementine, Carley... *SOB* even, L-lilly." Lilly eyes widen and she continues to stare at the brown wooden table. She thought she would've been left behind by Lee and the fact that Pinkie Pie is still looking out for her after what she did, is incomprehensible to her. Rarity nods her head in understanding. "Yes, of course, darling. Of course they can." END OF CHAPTER...