//------------------------------// // Long Road Ahead: What happened? // Story: The Mane 6 And Lee Everett // by Can-dees_Murder_Weapon //------------------------------// Despite the awful circumstances, Chuck's guitar echoes throughout the vicinity, calming everyone's moods. The others wait patiently while Lee and Kenny try to get the locomotive moving again to keep from traveling on foot. Duck hasn't been getting any better, but I suppose that's what happens after you get bitten. The child's complexion was already losing it's colour, his temperature is abnormally high and his eyes have already begun to grow dark faint rings around them. Fluttershy's been doing all she can for him but unfortunately, none of it has made a difference. She wants to take the boy's pain away from him, she wants to make it stop. This isn't the average flu she comes across with her animals that can easily be solved with a bit of antibiotics and some rest, no. She barely knows anything about this virus and it irks her. It is within her nature tell help and sitting there not being able to do anything kills her. She wants to stop the Child's pain but she can't, this world isn't letting her; all she can offer is her kindness and a few comforting words. Although it hurts to think about, Fluttershy doesn't want to stick around once he passes away. She knows that he isn't going to make it and there is nothing she can do to prevent it. "Alright y'all, train's on 'n ready t' go. We don't have much left, so jus' gather whatever you have," Kenny says to the group. While Kenny wanted to leave Lilly behind on her own, Rarity and Lee were the ones to protest. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were too focused on Duck to pay Lilly any attention. Applejack was more focused on taking care of Rainbow Dash. And Twilight, well... if she wanted to leave Lilly behind, she didn't say anything about it. She was one of the last few who entered the train. It was easy to convince Kenny to bring Lilly along, considering Kenny trusted Lee; however he told him and Rarity that they were responsible for Lilly and that he wasn't going to be looking out for her. Lee and Rarity didn't like that but they let it go. Rarity hopped onto the train while Lee went to retrieve Lilly from the R.V. She walked in reluctance with Lee beside her. Fortunately, no one protested or asked why she was coming along as she got on the locomotive. She chose to sit by the left corner, away from everyone else. Duck's condition is becoming more apparent to others around him. Everyone already knew the boy is gravely ill. Fluttershy is still by Duck's side with Pinkie Pie. Katjaa is eternally grateful to know that Duck is able to have such great friends around him before he passes on. After several weeks, she still couldn't believe that there are talking ponies by her side, right now in this present moment. Duck starts coughing up blood, this is it. Katjaa can no longer be in denial, her son is going to pass away, "Lee! I need you right now," Lee immediately rushes over after he sees the blood flowing out of Duck's mouth. He kneels down, capturing the blood with a white silk cloth that was laying by Katjaa. "He's out of time, we need to stop this train," Katjaa desperately says. "...okay," Lee says, nodding sympathetically to her. Before Lee leaves, she adds a sorrowful "please". Lee leaves the cart to get Kenny to stop the train. Fluttershy looks up from Duck pale figure to Katjaa who looks emotionless. She can't even imagine the amount of distress Katjaa is in right now. She lays a hoof on Katjaa's forearm to try and ease her grief. Katjaa looks down at the gesture, she gives her a small smile. It's not too long now, once the train stops, she'll say goodbye to her son. Just after Lee exits the train cart, Rarity takes a quick glance towards Twilight who is sitting by the exit door. She can see that Twilight is blankly staring at the wooden floor. She has yet to portray any emotion, none that Rarity can see anyway. Deciding that now is an acceptable to speak to her, Rarity gets up from her seated position and walks over to her. While making her way over to Twilight, she hopes that her lavender friend won't still be frustrated since Duck is not doing well. The last thing that Rarity wants for Duck is for him to witness Twilight's aggressive demeanor before he... dies. Rarity is so glad that Sweetie Belle isn't here, she's practically Duck's age. A horrific image of Sweetie Belle's decaying body pops into Rarity's head. Sweetie Belle's fur rapidly losing colour, her mane tangled among atrocious waves. Rarity cringes inwardly and she shakes her head at an attempt to be rid of such a horrible thought, she wouldn't know what she would do if Sweetie Belle was in Duck's position. Rarity nearly makes it over to Twilight when she sees that her lavender friend hasn't noticed her yet, "Twilight?" Rarity says, now in front of her. Twilight's head snaps up at Rarity, her face holding a startled look, "Yes, Rarity?" "Do you mind if I took a seat?" Twilight quickly takes a glance next to her before looking back up at Rarity, "N-no, go ahead." Rarity takes a seat beside her. A pause occurs between the two. Rarity takes another look at Duck before deciding to speak, "Today... hasn't been a good day, has it?" Twilight sighs before she answers, "No, it hasn't." A short pause between them before Rarity decides to ask, "Where do you think we're going?" "I don't know, Rarity. I just hope that we find a safe place to stay, at least for a while." Twilight says, gazing between Rainbow Dash and Duck. "I hope so too, Darling. If we're lucky, we may find a bed to sleep in. Wooden floors aren't exactly a luxury." Twilight nods but doesn't say anything. The train suddenly starts slowing down with a hissing noise. Chuck, Ben, David and Rarity exit the train cart while a few others stay on board. Rarity glances at Lee and Kenny who are trailing towards them. Kenny goes over to Katjaa and Duck. Duck is laying on his side near the edge of the train cart, he's barely breathing and his face has lost all of it's colour. His condition couldn't get any worse, the dark rings around his eyes have become more visible. Katjaa has her hand on the side of Duck's head and his temperature is hot to the touch, "Ken, I... I think it's time." Kenny clenches his eyes shut in an attempt to keep himself from breaking down. He sighs before turning to look at everyone else, "the boys been bit, 'case you haven't figured that out." He turns back toward his family. Everyone all have pity written on their faces. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are clutching tightly to each other while sobbing. Pinkie is sobbing much more harder than Fluttershy is, her face is buried into Fluttershy's chest as she sobs. "What do you need?" Lee softly asks. Kenny and Katjaa exchange sorrowful looks. There's a short pause before Katjaa looks back at her son, "We can't allow him to become one of those things." "B-but what if... what if he doesn't," Kenny asks in denial. "Kenny, I love you very much. I love our son more than life itself." Katjaa's voice breaks. "What you're saying, that he may not turn... is foolish." "But-" "No!" Katjaa turns directly to her husband. Rarity can see the pain in Kenny's eyes and she can feel it herself. Tears are welling up in her eyes and she tries to keep herself from breaking down. Losing a child doesn't even come close to devastating. Images of Sweetie Belle flash in her mind but she immediately closes her eyes and she involuntarily shakes her head. "There's... c'mon, Kat." "If you think of one, you let me know." "Isn't there some sort of pill or... something we could just give him?" Kenny desperately asks. "Stop it..." Katjaa whispers, devastatingly. Kenny turns towards Twilight, who is sitting close by them with a pitiful look on her face. "T-Twilight, you have magic, right? Y-you can cure him?" Twilight slowly shakes her head, furrowing, "I can't, I'm truly sorry, Kenny." Kenny turns to Rarity, "Rarity? Y-you... can help him right?" Her eyes fill with pity as she looks at him, "I'm sorry, darling, but I can't." Kenny immediately turns back to his wife, he can't believe his son is dying. "Kat, come on! This is our son!" "I know!" "Just-" Kenny drags both of his hands across his face. -"Who then... you want to?" "No. You don't have to." "Fuck... I... I can do it." "No... you don't have to." "I'll do it," Lee interjects. "No, it should be a parent," Katjaa says. "Parents should not have to do anything like this," Twilight softly adds. Kenny shakes his head before he speaks, "they're right, Kat. We should say our goodbyes and... let that be it." Katjaa is still unsure but they're right, she doesn't want to do this. "I don't know, Lee... you'd be doing this family a great service." Katjaa turns back around to Duck. "Why don't we take him into the forest? So, Clementine doesn't have to see." While the family tries to get through the hard ordeal, Applejack just watches feeling nothing but empathy for them. It's impossible for her to imagine the pain that they're feeling. Katjaa picks up Duck and Kenny starts following her into the woods. Duck is barely holding onto his mother. David walks over to Rarity, he had noticed that she was barely keeping it together during the exchange. "How you doing?" He quietly asks. It takes a moment for Rarity to answer, she keeps her gaze locked onto the path that leads into the woods, where Kenny and Katjaa entered a moment ago. "Not-" her voice breaks but she quickly manages to regain her composure. "-not well... what about you?" David remains impassive while Rarity awaits his answer. He huffs, "Well... I have one student. I guess that's something." He pauses for a moment before continuing, "When the bandits first raided my camp, they would either take or kill. It was mainly the females who were taken and the others... well." Rarity listens, feeling anxious as she visualizes what happened. It fears her to think about what would happen to the ones who were taken alive. How David is managing to keep himself together, confuses and amazes her. "Eventually, I was able to escape and I ran until Ben and... Travis found me." "Do you... feel any guilt over what happened?" Rarity asks, being careful not to make him feel at fault. He sighs, "Sometimes... until I-" *BANG* A sudden gunshot rings throughout the area, startling everyone. The sound of Kenny's frantic "NO!" alerts everyone. "Ben, take, Clementine onto the train. I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, Lee springs off onto the trail that leads into the forest. Ben does exactly what Lee told him to and he gets Clementine onto the train. Carley pulls out her pistol, which only has a few bullets left in them and she uses the train cart's wall for cover. Twilight, Rarity, David, Chuck and Carley all get prepared just in case if they needed to start fighting again. Applejack stays with Rainbow Dash since she isn't going to be able to defend herself very well due to her injured wing. Both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, being the less capable combatants of the group, stay in the train cart. They all hope that it wasn't anyone or a group of people who are dangerous, they may not survive another firefight. They all wait for Lee to come back out of the woods with Kenny. No, they are all waiting for someone to come out of the woods to start attacking them. They wouldn't be surprised after what happened yesterday. The anticipation is killing them. As seconds pass, all of them grow more and more anxious. They all keep expecting that some random maniac would jump out of the woods and charge at them. Rarity jumps at the sudden gush of wind. Twilight and Chuck keep their gazes locked on the forest, ready to defend the group if necessary. In a sense, their courage and determination manages to make everyone feel slightly better although it still isn't enough. *BANG* Another abrupt gunshot has been fired, startling everyone yet again. "This is preposterous! What on Equestria is happening out there?" Rarity exasperatedly asks. Her patience is wearing thin and she does not like waiting around near the forest, especially after what had happened at the motel. "We're just gonna have to wait a little longer, they'll be back," David tries de-escalating the situation. "We'll see..." Carley quietly mutters to herself. Not even a minute later, Twilight sees two figures that are starting to appear from the forest and she realizes it's Kenny and Lee... but where is Katjaa? They all calm down once they see Kenny and Lee leave the forest. They are all quick to notice, Kenny's tear streaked face as he completely ignores them and walks back to the control room. Twilight and Rarity look to Lee for an explanation. They both don't know what to think, why had Katjaa chosen to stay in the woods? Everything is dead silent. Lee doesn't answer them instead he motions for everyone to get back into the train. END OF CHAPTER...