Rainbow Dash headed back to her cloud house, in a hurry that was unusual even for her. She needed to be at her top speed if she was going to be able to save her friends. But first, her Element of Loyalty. If Twilight said they’d need the Elements of Harmony, then they would need them, alright.
In her cloud house, she quickly found her Element and secured it in her saddlebag. Along with a few other essentials and things she thought they’d need, she left the cloud house, then flew to the outskirts of Ponyville.
Fluttershy would need the most help, Rainbow decided. She was probably scared half to death, with those things on the loose, and would be locked up inside, with her animal friends. Applejack could hold up longer, with the barn to hide in and Big Mac to help her fight those things off.
So she sped off to Fluttershy’s cottage, praying she wouldn’t be too late. The woods were unnaturally quiet, as if all the animals were holding their breath, hiding. Absolute silence, aside from the wind parting before her. It was unnerving.
Finally, she heard sounds of life, or rather, sounds of terror. Animals howling in fright, the harrowing screech of those monsters, pained moans of death… and Fluttershy, terrified.
“Hold on Fluttershy, I‘m coming!” Rainbow yelled, doubling her speed.
Nearing the ground, Rainbow saw a small group of about five of them terrorizing the critters around Fluttershy’s cottage, massacring all the animals unlucky enough to cross their path. Fluttershy was desperately attempting to herd as many of them as she could into the relative safety of her cottage, with limited success.
Anger at the monsters writhing inside her, Rainbow slammed into one of them at top speed, leaving a small crater. Already weakened by rot and decay, the spinal cord of the zompony all but shattered under the force of impact, and it fell, dead as it rightfully should be.
The sound of impact immediately caught Fluttershy’s attention, as well as the remaining four zomponies. They all turned to her, Fluttershy with relief and gratitude, the others without any emotion, only a cold hunger.
“Don’t you dare lay a hoof on her!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” Fluttershy said, running over to her. “What are those things? Where did they come from? Why are they here?”
“Get inside, Fluttershy,” Rainbow said. “I’ll take care of this.”
Nodding, Fluttershy herded the last remaining stragglers into her cottage, closing the door behind her. All the other animals were either dead, dying, or hiding in the woods. Alone, Rainbow Dash faced off against the four zomponies.
Calling on the skills she learned in her rough teenage years, she quickly flew past the zomponies, then came back around and took their legs out from under them. While they were busy getting up, she jabbed the soft underbellies, twice on each of them. Still, they showed no signs of having felt any of it, and were soon back on their feet.
Undeterred, Rainbow began flying circles around them, corralling them in a tight circle. The snapped at her repeatedly, but she was much too fast for them. After they were squeezed as close together as they could, she body slammed them, sending them tumbling over each other. Then, she flew up high and fetched a cloud, then brought it down on top of them. She bucked it repeatedly, creating lightning bolts that shocked them to the core.
Still, they got back up, unharmed. Now Rainbow was getting nervous. This time, she focused her speed into creating a small tornado, sucking them into it. There was one pegasus pony in the group, but it didn’t seem smart enough to use its wings and fly, thank goodness. With the wind speeds so high inside the funnel, the zomponies were whirled about, crashing into each other more often than not. Finally, after half a minute of letting them collide, she broke the twister and let their momentum fling them into a nearby boulder.
Once again, the four zomponies rose to their feet, as if nothing had happened. Why wouldn’t they stop? That first one fell easily enough, but she couldn’t fly high enough to achieve that kind of speed four times in a row, not after her previous efforts. Think, Rainbow! How else could you do it? What was it about that first attack that beat the first zompony?
And then she remembered. The moment she hit that first zompony, she heard a snap. It was a sound she was all too familiar with, having fallen victim to stunts gone wrong more times than she cared to admit. It was the sound of bones breaking. And since she had landed on the back, it could only mean one thing.
Break the spine.
Summoning the last of her dwindling reserve of energy, Rainbow flew above the four zomponies, then slammed onto the back of one of the zomponies. Once again, she heard the sickening snap of bones breaking at close range, and the zompony finally fell dead. Relieved that she finally found a way to beat these things, she quickly did away with the other three.
Confirming that they were truly dead, Rainbow half-walked, half-stumbled over to the cottage, where Fluttershy rushed over to help. Leaning on her for support, the two ventured inside, Rainbow plopping down on the couch as soon as she could. Around her, the various animals that had survived were looking at her with a mixture of awe, respect, gratefulness, and mild fear.
“Thank Celestia you’re alright,” Fluttershy said. “I just got so worried, when those monster just kept getting up, and I thought you couldn’t stop them.”
“I’d never let those things get their hooves on you,” Rainbow said, managing a small grin between gasps for air. “I’m just glad I got here in time.”
“That you did. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up. But what were those things?”
“Honestly, the only word I can think of to describe them is undead.” Fluttershy grew several shades of yellow paler at that. “I don’t know how they’re here or why they’re attacking, but I do know that we need to get out of here.”
“Leave? But I can’t leave all the animals behind, not with those monsters out there!”
“We don’t have a choice,” Rainbow Dash said. “Those things are all over town, and between them and the fire, we don’t stand a chance if we stay here.”
“But what will they do? How will they survive? Where would they go?”
“You can leave the food out so they can eat, and they should be quick enough to avoid those things if they come again. You can even leave a window or door open so they can come in and out.”
“What about Angel? I can’t just leave him behind, not after all we’ve been through together.”
Before Rainbow could speak up, said rabbit hopped over and made some gestures. While she wasn’t nearly as good with animals as Fluttershy was, the gestures and movements seemed to her to be some kind of reassurance.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Fluttershy asked, and Angel nodded his head several times. “Well, alright then. Just be sure to look after the others. I’ll be back, I promise.”
“We need to get moving,” Rainbow said. “Get your Element and say your farewells, then we’re heading for Sweet Apple Acres.”
“What about Twilight, and Pinkie, and Rarity?”
“Twilight’s okay. She told me to fetch you and Applejack while she helped Pinkie and Rarity. She said to meet at the lake afterwards.”
“I hope they’ll be okay.”
“I know they’ll be. Twilight’s got her magic, and Rarity’s tougher than she looks. As for Pinkie, well, she’s Pinkie. She’s probably got some crazy plan or contraption ready.”
“If you say so.”
After that, Fluttershy left to put the food out, so the animals could get to it any time they needed. She told them to be careful with it, since she didn’t know how long they’d be gone, and gave what little help to the injured animals she could. The wounds were fatal, but at least she could make their final hours as comfortable as possible. Fetching her Element of Kindness from upstairs, she took a moment to say her final goodbyes, then joined Rainbow Dash outside. Together, they flew towards Sweet Apple Acres, where, they hoped, Applejack would be waiting for them, alive and breathing.
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When they arrived at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, they found evidence of a fight. A good amount of truly dead zomponies lay at various distances from the gate, with bits of apple mush on the ground near their heads. Rainbow Dash had always known that Applejack could hit hard with her hind legs, but to cave in skulls? She made a mental note to never get on her bad side.
However, there was no sign of her, or Big Mac or Applebloom for that matter. There were tracks leading back to the barn, along with an occasional fallen zompony. Rainbow and Fluttershy decided to follow the trail, hoping that their friend was alright.
About halfway to the farmhouse, the two made a horrifying discovery. Granny Apple Smith lay in pieces, half her abdomen missing, and her intestines falling out in sausage-like tendrils. Poor Fluttershy nearly passed out then and there, and it took every ounce of Rainbow’s willpower to not empty her stomach on the spot.
“Just keep moving, Fluttershy,” she said, blocking view of the tragedy from her sensitive friend. “She’s in a better place now.”
“I… I hope so,” Fluttershy said, hanging on to consciousness by a thread.
Together, they continued the rest of the way to the farmhouse, encountering more fallen zomponies along the way. The scene from earlier wasn’t repeated, luckily. Rainbow doubted she could take another sight like that, to say nothing for her friend
Nearing the barn, they heard the unmistakable sounds of the undead. Worried, they flew the rest of the way.
The barn doors were shut tight, and the dead were trying in vain to force their way in. Hoping for the best, the two flew up to look through one of the upper-floor windows. Inside, Applejack, Applebloom, Big Mac and, surprisingly, Scootaloo, were huddled together. Relieved, Rainbow Dash knocked on the window. The group inside flinched, but when they saw who it was, they beckoned her in. Breaking through the window, Rainbow landed in the midst of their group, Fluttershy following soon afterwards.
“Thank goodness you two are alright,” Applejack said. “Ah’ don’t know where those things came from, but they sure ain’t friendly, and there sure is a lot of ‘em.”
“No need to worry about me,” Rainbow said. “I could fly circles around those slowpokes all day!”
“I’m just glad you’re all okay,” Fluttershy said. “After what we saw back there, I was worried they’d gotten to you, too.”
“Nah, we managed to get here alright,” Applejack said. “I just wish I could say ta’ same for Granny.”
“What about Granny?” Applebloom asked. “She’s gonna be alright, ain’t she?”
“... Yeah,” Applejack said, taking just a second too long to be convincing. “She’ll be alrighty, I reckon.
“Anyways,” Rainbow said, eager to change the subject, “How did you all end up holed up in here in the first place?”
“Well,” Applejack started, “Me and Applebloom here were just about ready to hit the sack, then Winona started barking up something fierce. Ah’ went down to check what was going on, and ah’ noticed a thick cloud of smoke coming from Ponyville. Me and Big Mac were going to go investigate when Scootaloo comes a ‘running, with a bunch of those things on her tail. We managed to stop those first few before they got to the gate, but the ruckus just kept drawing more of them, ‘til eventually we had to run for it. Lucky those things ain’t smart enough to open the doors, so we just had to push a few crates in the way to keep ‘em from breaking in, but now we’re stuck in here ‘til those things leave, and something tells me they ain’t leaving any time soon.”
“Well, we can’t just stay here. Twilight and the others will be waiting for us at the lake.”
“Then how do you suppose we get past those things? You and Fluttershy might be able to fly right over ‘em, but the rest of us are stuck here on the ground.”
That was something Rainbow couldn’t get around. And with the large numbers waiting outside, they couldn’t hope to make a run for it. For a moment, she thought about taking them all on herself, but she quickly dismissed the thought. Five of them were almost too much for her, and even if she now knew the secret for bringing them down, there was no way she’d be able to get away with attacking the dozens of zomponies outside.
On the other hand, who said that she needed to dispose of them?
“Got it!” Rainbow exclaimed, startling the others, who had lapsed into silence. “I just lead as many of them as I can away from here, then the rest of you can sneak out when the coast is clear!”
“You sure about that, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “If those things catch up to ya, it ain’t gonna be pretty.”
“What, those slowpokes? I could outrun them in my sleep.”
“Ah’ ain’t kiddin’ around here, Rainbow. Those things are downright dangerous. There ain’t nothing that’s gonna stop them from getting ya if you get hurt out there.”
“Well, somepony has to do something, or you’ll be stuck here forever.”
“Ah’m just saying you need to be careful out there. Ah’ don’t want you getting hurt, or worse.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Rainbow assured her. “Just be sure to be careful yourselves. Oh, and Twilight said to bring our Elements as well.”
“The Elements?” Applejack said. “Well, alrighty then. The house should be pretty much clear, what with those things drawing each other here with their noise. That is, if you think you can really draw them away.”
“You know me,” Rainbow said, already flying out the window. “I always know how to draw a crowd!”
“That‘s what I‘m worried about,” Applejack said under her breath.
Outside, Rainbow got another good look at the crowd of zomponies. They kept banging at the doors, paying no mind to each other or anything around them. Now, how to get their attention…
“Hey, slime for brains,” she shouted, “Over here!”
That got some of their attention, but there were still too many pounding at the barn. She needed to do something more, something that would be sure to get their attention. Hatching an idea, she quickly flew up to the sky and retrieved a thundercloud, then brought it down and gave it a good buck. The resulting thunderclap got them all shuffling after her.
“Try and keep up,” she said, flying off. She had to make a conscious effort to go slowly, keeping them in sight and occasionally stopping to allow them to catch up a bit so they would stay interested in her. Finally, after leading them a good distance away from the others, Rainbow sped off back to the barn. She found that they had already left, and went to their house, where Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Applebloom were waiting outside.
“Rainbow Dash, you’re back!” Scootaloo said, hopping with joy. “I knew you’d make it!”
“Was there ever any doubt?” Rainbow asked sarcastically.
“Applejack and Big Mac are inside,” Fluttershy said. “I think they’re fetching a few things they want to bring with them, so they can remember Sweet Apple Acres.”
“It’s cool, so long as they don’t take too long. I lead those things a good ways away, so we should have some time.”
After a couple of minutes, AJ and Big Macintosh emerged, carrying saddlebags filled with mementos. Applejack had her signature lasso at the ready, though Rainbow doubted it would be of much use if it came to a fight with those things.
“All set?” Rainbow asked.
“Just a moment,” Applejack said. “Ah’ never thought I’d see the day the Apple Family would have to leave Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Don’t feel bad about it,” Fluttershy said, comforting her friend. “I’m sure you’ll be back someday.”
“Ah hope so. It won’t be the same, though. I don’t think anything will ever be the same.”
There was nothing anyone could say to that, so instead they went towards the gate. Their route didn’t take them close to Granny Smith’s remains, for which all the grown ponies were grateful. The whole experience was going to be traumatic enough for the young fillies without having to see what had happened to her.
The sight waiting for them on exiting Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t pleasant. Almost all of Ponyville was aflame at this point. Many buildings had collapsed, the town hall at the center among them. The market area was fully engulfed. But most disturbingly of all, aside from the faint crackling of the fire in the distance, there wasn’t a single sound to be heard.
They didn’t know how long they stared at the flames. Applejack was the first to break out of the trance. “Enough gawking, y’all, let’s keep moving. Twilight said she’d be waiting at the lake.”
The path to the lake was uneventful, if uneasy. It seemed that the majority of the undead were in Ponyville proper, with only the occasional group of stragglers wandering elsewhere. They should be safe here if they didn’t attract too much attention.
Whether it be fate or ill luck, however, they soon heard faint moans from the direction they came from. The horde from Sweet Apple Acres had followed them all this way. The sound they were making would inevitably draw more of their ilk. If they didn’t take care of it soon, they would be overwhelmed.
“Fluttershy, you go find Twilight and the others,” Rainbow said, thinking fast. “Tell them the lake isn’t safe, and to stay put until we come and get them. I’ll see if I can lead a few of those things away.”
“Nope,” Big Mac said, blocking her with a hoof. “Not this time. I’m done running.”
“What’chu talkin’ ‘bout, Big Mac?” Applebloom asked.
“These things have caused a lot of pain, and they’re only going to cause more. Running away isn’t going to work forever. Way I see it, only way to stop them is to get rid of ‘em.”
“Hold on, now,” Applejack interjected. “If you’re going for a ruckus, then I’m going too!”
“You’ve got more important things to worry ‘bout. Celestia’s going to need you and your friends to put an end to this, and little Applebloom needs her big sis at ‘er side.”
“But-”
“No but’s, missie,” Big Mac interrupted. “There are some thing’s a pony’s gotta do on their own.”
AJ was going to continue, but she stood down when she saw the fire in her brother’s eyes. It brokered no argument, would stand no disagreement. This wasn’t about just him. He was doing this for Granny Smith, Applebloom, for her and her friends, and all the ponies in Ponyville who suffered or died because of those monsters. There wasn’t a force in the world that could talk him out of it at this point.
“You do what you have to do, then,” Applejack relented. “Show them what the Apple Family can do when the going gets tough.”
“Eeeyup,” Mac said, already walking to face off the undead horde.
“Where’s he going?” Applebloom asked once her brother was a good distance away.
“He’s going to meet with Granny, Applebloom,” Applejack answered, holding back the emotional turmoil she felt inside.
It was only 15 minutes until the rest of their friends arrived to meet them. And only two more when the horde from Ponyville started shambling their way.