Five days post infection...
"C'mon Rainbow! We can't be out here all day! It just ain't safe!" Applejack tapped her hoof on the ground. She had been waiting for ten minutes already.
They had arrived at the Rainbow's house, or at least the remains of it, earlier. Because of the diminished magic, the airborne house had fallen to the ground, it's cloud-based structure collapsing in on itself. Rainbow Dash almost seemed to not mind the loss of her dwelling, though Applejack assumed it was more of the pegasi's denial in action.
Rainbow's hoof popped up from an errant cloud pile, "Wait! I almost got him!" She rummaged through the piles a bit more, then suddenly jumped out, "Gotcha!" In her hooves was a green tortoise, Tank, who looked up at her warmly. "See AJ? I knew he'd still be here! Didn't I Tank?" She affectionately nuzzled the tortoise's head.
Applejack chuckled, "That's great 'n all Rainbow, but we gotta get to the farm then hoof it back to the castle!"
"Yeah yeah, I know, 'imminent danger' or whatever." Rainbow hopped down, balancing Tank on her back.
The duo had left earlier in the morning, mainly for Applejack to check on her family at Sweet Apple Acres, but due to Rainbow's insistence, they had taken a detour for the retrieval of Tank. Luckily, the farm was nearby Rainbow's house, meaning they could quickly proceed to the farm.
A few minutes later, Sweet Apple Acres came into sight. Applejack picked up her pace, for she was eagerly awaiting the return to her family. Even after the events of the previous night, which had shaken up everypony, Applejack was certain that they would still be there. After all, even if the zomponies were wriggling through the ground like earthworms, from Applejack's own experiences, they were uncoordinated and random; hardly a threat that could take down a member of the Apple family.
Applejack stopped, normally at this point in the farm, she would have to step around the wooden barricades that had been set up. But now, the barricade lay flat on the ground. Could have just been the wind, right? But this was not so. Her eyes widened with horror when she looked to the right, the next barricade was tilted at an angle, completely splintered down the middle. Without a moment of hesitation, the orange earth pony set off on a gallop ahead to the farm.
Rainbow trotted after her, "Wait Applejack! Wait up!"
The Sweet Apple Acres farmhouse was in rough shape. The windows were shattered, walls broken in, and that awful rainbow goo was splattered onto its sides. It had clearly been the target of a deliberate attack.
"No no no! They just gotta be in here!" Applejack frantically searched through the remains of the farmhouse.
Rainbow Dash entered through the splintered doorway soon after and watched as the earth pony flipped over a whole shelf. "Applejack."
Breathing heavily, Applejack sat on the ground, "They're gone," she took off her hat, "They're gone and it's all my fault."
Rainbow placed a hoof on her shoulder, "It's not your fault," she said, trying to be reassuring, "there's nothing you could have done."
"But there was something dangit!" Applejack snapped back, "I could have gone back earlier! Or never have left at all! I just- I just promised to protect them, Rainbow. Granny, Big Mac," she paused, "Apple Bloom. But now, now they're all gone."
The two sat in silence for a long while.
As the sun overhead shone through the holes in the walls, the light bounced off a single tear that rolled down Applejack's cheek. Applejack, the pony who almost never cried. Rainbow looked at her sadly, "Let's get up, we should head back to the castle."
With reluctance, Applejack nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I guess you're right." The pony slowly walked out, her body slouching with sadness, but her eyes burned with a fierce determination. With fury. She would make them pay for what they did.
Nary a creature had slept at the Castle of Friendship the previous night, but currently, things were just quiet enough that some of the survivors were taking a break. Twilight had locked herself in the meeting room, and Rainbow Dash and Applejack had left earlier for a quick outing to the apple orchards.
With his main sources of amusement unavailable, Discord, who was feeling bored, was forced to find his own means of entertainment. This ended up being more puppet-based antics with Sweetie Belle.
Sweetie Belle drummed her hooves on the ground, "So you can imitate anypony you want?"
"Of course I can," Discord replied proudly, "Just one of the many perks of being a spirit based on an abstract concept. Of course, it's not as good as full-on impersonation, but it is one of the things I can still do with my limited chaos magic."
Sweetie Belle turned to look at Discord's oversized and lumpy brown bag, which had been placed against the wall. "Can you do Applejack?"
"Ha! Do pigs fly?" Discord paused, normally he would summon a flying pig for effect, "I mean yes. Yes they do."
The draconequus cracked his knuckles and cleared his throat, closing his eyes as he prepared himself. "Howdy y'all!" he said in a perfect imitation of Applejack's voice, "I'm Applejack! Boy howdy do I love apples! Apples apples apples!"
He paused, "Was that good enough for you?" he asked in his regular voice. He opened an eye, to see Sweetie Belle opening his sack.
"Don't touch that bag!" he yelled; his voice suddenly dripping with venom as his claw slapped away the filly's hooves.
The unicorn filly stumbled backwards, landing on her rump. She looked up at Discord with those big eyes, "What? I only wanted to see what puppets you have!"
"Hmph," Discord sniveled, all warmth gone from his voice, "that bag is my property. And I don't want any pony touching it."
Claude walked past Sweetie Belle and Discord, who ignored him. He grumbled to himself. The two were playing puppets again or something, not that he cared. Who cares about puppets, when your well-being is at stake?
He had tried to convince the group the previous night, tossed out a few ideas and suggestions, but they, especially that Twilight, had refused! Despite the apparent "princess's" wishes, Claude had decided to take matters into his own hooves.
He toddled through the front hall, and down the corridor he had ran down when he first entered the castle. Beads of sweat rolled down his face as he struggled to maintain his limited magic on the shovel floating next to him. Oh yes, he knew if the zomponies were "beneath" them, they just had to be in the tunnels. The tunnels Twilight refused to open again. But Claude planned to, he planned to open those the tunnels, go down, and take care of the problem once and for all.
He stopped in front of the familiar entrance. Sure enough, it had been closed again, but without her advanced spells, all Twilight could do was move the entrance back in place. Something that could be easily undone.
Claude stopped and sighed, then jammed the shovel into the crack of the door. He grunted, straining as hard as he could as the shovel began to bend. With groan, the door creaked, and cracked open. He laughed to himself, and playfully kicked the door open. He took a step forward then stopped.
A pair of pure white eyes stared back at him. A pony, a purple unicorn with a dark purple mane, stood still at the top of the stairs. Quick to regain his composure, Claude yelled and swung the shovel at the zomponies head. Instead, the shovel harmlessly clattered to the ground, as the magic from his horn flickered and vanished.
A single drop of rainbow dripped from the unicorn's mouth as she tilted her head. Behind her, more pairs of eyes appeared in the darkness.
In the meeting room of the castle, the central cage was still covered. Twilight was in her deep state of thought, jotting down different things with chalk and ink. Spike was there as well, taking a much-needed nap against the wall. Suddenly, a scream echoed through the castle. Twilight twisted her head and Spike jolted awake.
"Oh no, was that-" Twilight began, before dropping everything she was doing. Spike was also quick to react, grabbing his fire poker and dashing out the room. Twilight began to follow him, before suddenly jerking to a stop. She heard something, a voice, from the cage.
"Twilight?"
Twilight turned, her eyes filling with confusion and sadness, "Pinkie Pie?"
"What's going on?" Spike hurriedly asked as he ran up to Discord and Sweetie Belle.
"Who knows?" Discord replied snidely, picking up the puppets scattered about. The scream from down the hall had startled both of them, causing Discord to knock over his bag and scatter his puppets everywhere.
"I know!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. She pointed a hoof down the hall, "That!"
Into the front hall walked Starlight Glimmer, her mane messy and a rainbow trail of drippings following her. Her horn was dented and dirty and flickered violently with pulsing magic. Magic that suspended Claude mid-air above them, who flailed his limbs about, like a marionette tangled in its strings.
Spike gasped, "Starlight?" He could swear Starlight almost smiled in response before the unicorn let out a sudden burst of magic, flinging him off his feet. The dragon skidded and rolled on the ground before colliding with a pillar. He grunted as he stood up again, "I don't want to hurt you, but I can't let you do this!" He inhaled deeply and jumped forward. A plume of green flames poured out of his mouth, causing the zomponies to back away.
However, this defense was short-lived as Spike was suddenly pounced on from the side. The dragon and his attacker rolled on the ground until Spike found himself pinned on the ground and gasped as he stared up at the snarling jowls of his attacker, Rarity.
During the commotion, attention had been turned away from Discord's puppet bag. Having been knocked over, the bag lay open, exposing its insides to the loud noises outside. Noises that attracted the attention of someone inside.
The cloth began to rustle as a pegasus shimmied her way out of the bag and rolled onto the floor. Fluttershy, her wings, hooves bound, and her mouth gagged, was angrier than ever. Discord had taken her with him the day prior, refusing to part with his favorite pony.
Her limbs straining, Fluttershy snapped to attention, looking hungrily at Sweetie Belle, who's back was turned. The yellow pegasi's hunger had already ballooned since first entering the castle, but now, the magic and noise made her voracious. Fluttershy viciously gnawed at the spit-soaked rag tied around her muzzle. Her wings flexed, the feathers bending as they buckled the rags keeping her bound.
Then, after the previous hours of non-stop aggression, the frayed ropes snapped, falling limply to the floor. Fluttershy shuddered as she stretched out her limbs once again, free. Free to go and pursue her prey.
Meanwhile...
Twilight quickly tore the cover off the cage. She looked inside, staring at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie looked back, not with the dead-eyed stare like before, but with her normal, bright eyes. No rainbow dribbled from her mouth, in fact, the pony almost looked happy for a moment.
Pinkie Pie didn't say anything at first, only turning her head to look at Twilight with her big blue eyes. Eyes that held an expression of indiscriminate sadness, "Why am I in here Twilight?" The question hit Twilight like a hammer. "Did I do something wrong?" Pinkie asked, her poofy mane deflating.
"Pinkie Pie," Twilight sputtered, stepping closer to the cage, "I- I thought you were sick!"
"What?" Pinkie tilted her head like a curious puppy.
"You!" Twilight said, "And Fluttershy, and Rarity, and almost everypony else! You were sick, I didn't know what to do."
"I don't feel sick," Pinkie stated, "Can I go out?" Twilight didn't answer, instead deeply sighing as she looked down. This was enough for Pinkie to see what Twilight was going to say. "Why not?" Pinkie asked, "Aren't I your friend?"
"I can't let you out this early!" Twilight yelled out, tears beginning to well up in her eyes, "Not without knowing if you're still sick."
"Twilight! Please," Pinkie stared at her, her lower lip quivering, "I don't wanna be in here anymore! It's so cold." She sniffled, her mane deflating even more.
"I just can't," Twilight quietly sighed.
Pinkie Pie sniffed and lowered her head and began to softly weep, her hooves clutching the cold, metal bars of the cage. This was enough to break the alicorn. "I'm sorry Pinkie! Don't cry," exclaimed Twilight, who was now crying as well, "I'll let you out! I'm sorry." With a burst of concentration, Twilight lifted the cage with her magic, allowing the pink pony inside to crawl out. Overhead, the crystal walls of the castle flickered, like a lightbulb losing power.
"I never meant to hurt you! Please forgive me."
"Stand back Sweetie Belle!" Discord chortled, his claws outstretched, "I shall handle these intruders!" He snapped his fingers, causing a baguette to appear mid-air. Not the weaponry he wanted, but it more useful than his magical flops previously.
With a pathetic war-cry, the draconequus charged, running face-to-hoof at the nearest zompony, who, unfortunately, happened to be Bulk Biceps. With a single swipe, Discord was sent careening through the air and cratered face-first into a pillar.
As he peeled off the wall and groggily stood up, Discord made a weary proclamation, "Note to self, do not charge the largest zombie first."
A scream to his right made him snap back to attention. Discord curved his neck to see that Fluttershy had somehow escaped his bag! The pegasus had pounced on Sweetie Belle and sunk her teeth into the filly's ear. Discord ran to the rescue, quickly using his tail to wrap around and incapacitate the pegasus, suspending her upside-down mid-air.
"Now Fluttershy," Discord tsked, "You were not supposed to come out so early!" Fluttershy merely snapped at him in response. From a combination of Discord and her surroundings, Fluttershy had become much more aggressive than the other infected. Around them, the walls of the castle flickered as Discord turned to see Starlight and the zombies advancing. Certainly, things seemed lost.
Suddenly, a loud yell rang out through the front hall as a hoof swept out, connecting Starlight right in the forehead. The sick unicorn flew back, her horn cracking and breaking in two, shattering the unicorn's horn and magic. The magic overhead dissipated, leaving Claude to scream as he fell into the mob of zomponies beneath him.
The top half of Starlight's horn rolled on the ground, coming to a rest at the hoof of a pony. It was Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Tank, who had arrived back from Sweet Apple Acres! With a look of fury, Applejack galloped at the zomponies. She didn't hold back, kicking out her legs and hooves as she fought back the zombies.
Meanwhile, Rainbow dashed to the aide of the others. "Come on guys! We need to get outta here!" Her expression soured upon noticing the infected Fluttershy caught in Discord's tail. "Is that Fluttershy?"
Discord nervously chuckled, "Well, the funny thing is-"
Rainbow angrily waved him off, "Not the time! Get Sweetie Belle to somewhere safe!" She motioned a hoof to the sobbing unicorn on the ground.
Next, Rainbow yelled out to Spike. "Spike! We gotta go! The castle's a lost cause!"
Spike turned to her wearily, he had been, reluctantly, fighting off Rarity the whole while. "Right behind you! Let me just get Twilight first!" He shot out another burst of flame, driving back Rarity once more, before he dashed off to the meeting room.
There was only one more pony Rainbow needed to save, "Applejack!"
Applejack didn't respond, ignoring Rainbow as she bucked a hoof right into the snout of a zompony, whose nose crunched as it bended backwards. She kicked out again, wiping Bulk Bicep's hooves from beneath him. The oversized pegasus fell to the ground with a loud thump. But Applejack didn't stop. She kicked at him, again and again. She kicked until hooves grabbed her from behind and dragged her back.
"Applejack! Stop!" Rainbow yelled, "You can't hurt them!"
"Why not?" Applejack barked, "These aren't ponies, they're monsters! And a monster should be put down!" She jerked in Rainbow's arms, but her grip was firm enough that Rainbow was able to drag Applejack to the castle door.
"You're just upset," Rainbow said sternly, trying to escape the castle as more zomponies poured up from the tunnels, "I know how you feel, but hurting others isn't going to make it better!"
Applejack froze, then sighed as she stopped thrashing. "I get ya, but-"
Rainbow hushed her, "How about we wait until we're not in moral peril?"
Applejack softly smiled, "Yep, that would be preferable."
Applejack relaxed again as Rainbow let go of her and stood up. The duo of ponies, leaving the door open for Spike and Twilight, ran away into Ponyville, leaving behind the mob of zomponies who stood at the door and watched.
"I'm sorry," Twilight sobbed again, having curled up against the wall, "I never meant this! I didn't know!"
"No Twilight, I'm sorry." Twilight looked up, her eyes focusing on Pinkie standing before her. Pinkie stood still, frowning slightly, her eyes filled with remorse.
"Wha- what?"
Pinkie sniffed, "I'm sorry. Sorry for-" but she never finished the sentence, her words getting caught in her throat as the pink pony began to cough. Violently.
Taken aback, Twilight stood up, only then noticing the two other ponies that had entered the meeting room. A unicorn and a pegasus.
Twilight began to breathe heavily, "Rarity? Fluttershy?"
The walls flickered ever-so-slightly, darkening the room a bit more. Fluttershy and Rarity stood at either side of Pinkie, who's coughs turned to gags as the brightly colored ooze began to seep from her throat once more. Fluttershy and Rarity stood at attention, staring at Twilight with those white eyes, ignoring Pinkie as she began to cry loudly, not from pain, but from grief.
The gagging and crying stopped as quickly as it started. Pinkie Pie twisted her neck up to stare at the alicorn. She blinked once, revealing the pure whiteness that Twilight had come to dread. Then Pinkie pounced. Twilight tried to charge up a spell, any spell, with her horn, but it flickered and extinguished immediately. In an instant, Pinkie Pie knocked Twilight to the ground.
Twilight, her back and wings spread on the floor, looked up in horror as the three infected ponies walked up to her. Rarity and Fluttershy moved first, each violently clutching a hoof and a wing and pinning them to the ground. Tears stinging her eyes, Twilight tried to free herself, but it was no use.
Pinkie Pie stepped over her, looking down on the fallen alicorn. Rainbow ooze poured from all three of their mouths and dripped toward their prisoner's face. Twilight wailed and twisted her head, but it was too much, she could only grimace as the hot and sticky bioluminescent slime dripped onto her fur and slowly slid into her mouth.
She convulsed as the rainbow made its way down her throat, but suddenly Twilight could hear voices. New voices. Voices she couldn't recognize.
A deeper voice spoke first, a voice that felt familiar yet was completely unknown, 'Oh, you ponies. So easy to manipulate, so easy to control.'
A shrill chorus of voices joined.
'To control. To pull. Our puppet.'
'Your emotions made you weak,' the deeper voice continued, 'Much easier than the other princesses, but don't worry, we can fix you.'
'We can. We shall. We will.'
Pinkie Pie gagged once more; her head recoiled as the stream of rainbow came out thicker than ever before. Twilight shook her head and cried as Pinkie shuddered and her neck bulged unnaturally. A long, thin, sinewy leg appeared, delicately grasping the side of Pinkie's mouth. Three more legs appeared, and eventually, a small head. An undersized head with six glassy eyes and a set of buzzing mandibles poked out. The head was connected to a bulbous, fleshy sack, pulsing with rainbow-colored light and bulging veins. The bug chittered once and began to crawl out onto the pony's tongue.
The shrill voices began again, disjointedly chanting as Pinkie Pie jerked yet again, her head twisting as the bug began to slowly lower itself to Twilight from a single strand of rainbow goo. Twilight shuddered, trying to keep her mouth closed, but the creature latched onto her lips with its claws and pried them open. With a sudden burst of speed, the creature leapt at her face, and crawled into her throat.
Twilight sputtered and gagged, her body violently shaking as it was held down by the emotionless shells of her former friends. Her eyes rolled back as she screamed, the voices in her head growing louder and louder as they blended together as a mass of incoherent crying and screaming when suddenly, everything stopped, and faded to darkness.