"Nothing beats a good book, unless it's about beating a book."
Chapter Nine
I Have a Story for You.
--------------------------------------------
Pinkamena opened her mouth widely, gasping with anticipation for her story. "I remember when I was so happy." Her voice chilled down in the room, leaving it to be silenced. "The world was a much better place. I would anticipate pride and cupcakes and joyful things. Even seeing sweet little filly faces," her mouth clamped softly, her dark eyes now piercing into Scootaloo's soul. "even yours. Then, while little Twilight Sparkle was conducting her experiments on Spike, I had pushed something over. She screamed at me for hours, cleaning up my mess and telling me to stick to baking cupcakes and acting like an idiot." Pinkie's mane dropped into her face and her eyes got wet. A tear dropped form her check and hit the floor. "The suspenders on my hooves. They hurt." She winced slightly.
Big Mac glared at her hooves, one was bleeding and the other had red marks. He sighed calmly and walked closer to Pinkamena. "Fine. Only for your story, though." He wrapped his hooves around the cuffs and pulled them apart, waiting for a click that would announce one hoof free. Pinkie's left hoof was free, and she had started to slap Big Mac in the face a few times.
"Don't you ever get near me, you creep!" She screamed loudly, Mr. Cake covering his ears with whimpers. "I need. To be. Free!" Pinkamena screamed even louder, Scootaloo covering her ears now, too. Pinkamena thrashed rapidly while Big Mac let her other hoof free. The pink pony decided to show her gratitude by spitting on Big Mac. "Don't touch me." She snorted and glared at Scootaloo with a demonic look. "So." She started.
"So, what?" Scootaloo muttered back, shutting her eyes to block the view of the pony who looked like she could have been a zombie herself. Blood covering her hooves, cuts and burns among her body and even one of her ears had a notch in it. Her view was shrouded with grotesque images.
"Who have you killed recently?" Pinkamena poked at the filly, a wide grin marked against her face and her eyes glaring deviously at the orange pegasus. "You're in the prison. You're a killer. We all are, though. Aren't we?" Pinkamena turned her head to face Big Mac, who was washing the spit off from his hoof. He looked up and his gaze met with Pinkie's.
"What're you talkin' about?" He snorted aggressively towards the pink killer, her mane covering on eye and his eyes locking on her right eye with concern. "I didn't kill anypony. I never would do a thing."
"Zomponies. Aren't they, still, ponies? How about Mrs. Cake? She was a pony. So wasn't Derpy, Carrot Top, Soarin'," There was a long hesitant pause. "Granny Smith." Pinkamena laughed loudly at Big Mac's reaction, her hoof pointing out sharply and her mouth wide with joyful behavior.
"You hush yer' mouth about Granny Smith! She was the most pony out of any of those you named, at least she did good to help others!" Big Mac's hoof slammed down on the floor with rage. The musty scent of blood puffed out from underneath his hoof.
"As I was saying," Pinkamena rolled her eyes and looked at the cowardly filly. "I saw the death of many, the perky side of me said, It's all okay! Their just sleeping off the pain. It turns out that sleep isn't possible anymore. I don't think it ever will be. Not with the gun shots firing in the background of our ambient lovely noises. Maybe the moaning is calming. Is the moaning calming to you, Scootaloo? Do you like to hear the crying of your friends?" Pinkamena glared at Scootaloo. She paused for about a minute, Scootaloo hadn't replied. "Do you?!" She screamed, slamming her hoof on the fillies arm. Her arms outstreched and went to grab the filly by the mane and pull violently.
"Big Mac, Help!" Scootaloo cried as her arm was covered in blood from Pinkie's arm, and her mane was being tugged on without mercy. Her heart was pounding loudly, feeling guilty for the pain she brought by attempting the murder of her friend. What would she say to defend herself when Apple Bloom got better. She wouldn't have to if she had died in Pinkie's grasp tonight. She dwelled on this, and waited for her bloody fate, being beaten while thinking about it. Then, the pain went away.
Pinkie was dragged away by her tail as Big Mac threw the monster of depression into a corner and tied her down with chains. "Scootaloo, get out. I'm goin' to take care of this monster right now." He walked away from Pinkamena, who was crying ferociously, and walked near the door. He muttered under his breath, and the door opened coolly. The bloody Scootaloo was close by, limping slightly. Big Mac walked her to the nurse calmly, and spoke soothingly. "Redhart, Scootaloo got attacked. She'd better get healed up, I gotta go get a gun." He snorted and walked away, Scootaloo glaring at the bloody body of Apple Bloom.
"Something scary jumped 'ya?" Nurse Redheart glared at the two bloody fillies. Apple Bloom nodded her head slowly and waved her hoof slightly. "I imagine. No way two little fillies can survive out there. I wonder how Pinkie managed. She acts like a filly, don't she? It's a shame this had to happen." The nurse grabbed a large gauze bandage and lifted up Scootaloo's hoof, wrapping it around and around. The blood was collected on the bandage, although there was little bloodshed on Scootaloo, she still needed to clean it off.
"Something really scary happened." Scootaloo muttered slightly as her hoof and arm were being cleaned off.
"What was it, Scootaloo?" Nurse Redheart looked concerned at the filly, her bun meeting Scootaloo's eyes as she turned around to grab a few drugs for Apple Bloom. She started to whisper. "Apple Bloom, sweetie?" There was a mutter coming from Apple Bloom's mouth. "You better take these vitamins. They'll help you store energy to heal." Apple Bloom looked up and opened her mouth as the nurse dropped the small, chewable pills into Apple Bloom's mouth.
"We were running." Scootaloo shut her eyes. "Running in the forest, playing tag. I told Apple Bloom to stay quiet and to stay down, stay close. She didn't want to, and because of her foolishness a zombie attacked her. I killed the Zombie, but slipped. The knife got her, I feel terrible." Her eyes opened again, the image of her lies made her sick.
"Sounds terrible." The nurse muttered, then watched as Big Mac walked back with a gun wrapped around his chest. She walked closer to the door near him. "Oh, Big Mac. Scootaloo'll be fine. The blood is mostly from Pinkie's arms. Not Pinkie's attacks." She looked at the gun and sighed. "Going to put her down? Would you like the medicine?" Her eyes gleamed with concern.
"Shooting her will be enough. She hasn't seen any Zomponies in a while. The virus can't attack her. If it does, we'll have a pony to clean up the prisoners. If she does become a Zompony and attacks us, we'll use the medicine." Big Mac muttered. "Did you give the medicine to Apple Bloom?" The nurse nodded warmly. "Good. Pinkie will be done soon." He moved away, leaving the nurse and Scootaloo speechless.
Big Mac pressed the door open again, and looked at the two prisoners. Pinkamena still held in her corner crying. "Big Mac. Please, don't do this. I just want to see the sunlight again, and help you. Protect the ponies, be a pony. I want to be by your side. I want to be with you. Big Mac," The large red pony had called over others to help the door, and Big Mac had walked in. "Big Mac. I think, I think I like you." The pink pony's blue eyes pierced into his green eyes. He muttered slightly under his breath. "Just... let me go." Her eyes gleamed with curiosity as he stared at her. Interesting, he thought.
He moved closer, and went to go lean in. Waiting for a kiss from Pinkie Pie, she had leaned in, too. Suddenly her hoof kicked the trigger of the gun and it smashed the latched that held her hoof down. She laughed in Big Mac's face as he fell down to the ground. "This is my world, Big Mac. You just have to live in it." She snorted and then started to moved the slightly deaf, slightly blind pony away to the chains. She lifted one of his front hooves up and latched him in. He opened his mouth to speak, but wasn't able to. Pinkie took the gun off from his chest and then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Being desperate won't help you with Nurse Redheart, Sweetie." She took on the gun and started to walk near the door, clapping her hooves sharply on the door. The ponies opened up, Pinkie Pie standing there with a smile. "Let me out." She shouted, pushing them away and running off. She trotted away towards the bags and supplies. Taking one large saddle-bag, two long strips of rope, ten apples, and a large container of bullets. She walked off as ponies coward away from her, laughing loudly.
She made her way out of the barn and started to breath in. "Taste those toxins." She purred warmly and walked away, following the trail of Rainbow Dash's cloud. Her throat humming warmly to the buzz of bees. Night was coming upon her, and Pinkie Pie was excited.
------------------------------
The gun shot had shocked Rainbow Dash to jump, she lifted her gun and started to aim sharply at the Zombies faces, her hoof trembling with fear. "Please don't miss." She muttered as her hoof pulled the trigger with confidence, it had hit one pony in the mouth, they fell over, half way dead and half way undead. Another shot fired from under her, hitting another zombie to fall down. Blood was raining, now. As the ponies under the cloud were sharp shooting, Rainbow Dash has been missing repeatedly, sobbing under her breath. She's broken, now. Her confidence failing her and rubbing into her face. One more shot, she had finally killed the one zombie. It was close enough for the blood and brains to hit over her body. The undead caping her face. She screamed and wiped it off, her gun pointed down. She lifted her hoof back up and started firing wildly, shooting at least two zombies every five shots. Blood was raining down, and the ground had looked like a gore fest. Some earth ponies walked over to the mess and chewed calmly on the remains of their friends. Nasty.
Applejack pushed a hole in the top of the cloud and looked up to see Rainbow Dash's blood covered face. "Ah're you okay, Rainbow? Did you get bit?"
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "You have some sharp shooters. I was perfectly fine. Some of the zombie's got de-winged, so they're all dead, probably. I hope." Rainbow Dash shut her eyes and coughed loudly, moving over the cloud and throwing up with pain. She opened her wings and flew down to enter the cloud.
"Rainbow Dash, you could've been killed." Fluttershy muttered under her breath. "You shouldn't get so angry, you'll end up killing yourself." Fluttershy walked closely to Rainbow Dash and rubbed her back. Rainbow Dash sighed, her eyes clamping against each other.
"I'm sorry, Pizzelle. You deserve to stay here. It was you who was shooting, right?" Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked warmly at the pegasus.
"Braeburn helped, but, yes. Candy Apples de-winged some of them. We should be safe for the rest of the night. I'd hope." Pizzelle muttered, watching the sun fall down. "D'you think Celestia is waiting for survivors?" Pizzelle sighed calmly.
"We all hope so, Pizzelle." Braeburn muttered.
"If she is, we will assist her defense." Fluttershy nodded, curling up for a good night's rest.
Rainbow Dash shut her eyes. She felt herself getting heavier, and heavier. She fell over against a rock- her head letting out a dark thud as she crashed over in the lack of sleep. Her wings crinkled up and hurt. Her back hooves bloody and dark. Her head let out a wind of confusion and pain.
Fluttershy was sitting on a rock with dark eyes sof depression. "Scootaloo died a long time ago. Rainbow Dash thought she had lived." Applejack was sitting near Fluttershy, her eyes just as dark. Although her pupils were large, she had looked like she had paranoia.
"I thought... I thought that Rainbow Dash would've lived, too."
Dark images flashed through the scene, one of Derpy lying dead, blood pouring from her neck as her eyes twitched rapidly. Her hooves taping against the dirt and grass and her jaw hanging wide open. Her ears perked up and ready, as if listening to another story from Time Turner. She looked terrible injured, a few burns on her stomach and a huge rip from her throat.
Another image, this time of Scootaloo, crying loudly and being chase by a zombie, getting her tail tugged on and pulled away, her back leg being ripped apart and chewed on evilly by Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom's laughter shrouding her thoughts. Scootaloo's blood forming a pool, which after eating Scootaloo's leg, Apple Bloom swam in. "Nice water, want a swim, Rainbow?" She taunted.
Rainbow Dash's leg was pulled on, her eyes opening as blood formed around her head. "Wake up, Rainbow!" Fluttershy sobbed, shouting at the same time. "You could've died, again." Fluttershy moved Rainbow Dash up to a chair, Rainbow Dash acting drugged looked at the pool of blood.
"What... Happened?" Rainbow Dash glared at the blood and looked at her hoof, more blood.
"You fell over while tryin' to tell us somethin'. Braeburn, Pizzelle and Candy Apple all went to go raid that store. We stayed here to make sure that you survived. We drugged you up a bit, though. You should be feeling some pain anytime soon. We've ran out because you had to take so many. When you started to come to, we were shocked." Applejack muttered, looking around slightly.
"How long... was I out?" Rainbow Dash looked at her other hoof, which touched her head and had blood on it.
"A day. Lots of hours gone by, we didn't know what to do. We should've brought Nurse Redheart, but she has healin' to do over there, too." Applejack sighed.
"Where's Poundcake?" Rainbow Dash muttered, glaring around a bit.
"He's learning to fly, Fluttershy is going to teach him soon. We had to stay here a bit for you wakin' up, though. You might have amnesia." Applejack calmed down and looked at Rainbow Dash with a smile. "Get some rest." Applejack rested her hoof on Rainbow Dash's shoulder and let the pony lay down. Rainbow Dash's eyes shut, and she started to fade away into a different reality, a dream reality. Where everything would be normal again, she hoped.