"An' this is where y'all will sleep. Sorry it ain't really too private, but we're kinda stressin' for space as of late..."
Applejack stepped down into the basement, followed by Stone Strong, Rusty, and Rainbow Dash. The room had a few twin bunks with iron frames. "We gathered a bunch of these for some friends... not... all of which managed to make it this far, sadly. I think we should have space for both of ya, jus' mind yourselves. Each bed has a single hooflocker for personal belongings... I can give ya a key if ya like..."
"Oh, maybe later..." Stone Strong nodded. "We got nothin' with us but my spear and empty bellies."
"Well" said Applejack with a sigh, "We don't pass out rations until usually later..."
"Well, for the boy, maybe?" The stallion sighed. "I can wait if I gotta, but he needs his food." Applejack looked from the stallion to his foal, who looked up at her with an uncertain look. The farm mare shook her head and smiled.
"Alright, alright... I think we can spare some of our rations for the lil'un." Applejack turned and made her way towards the pantry, then pulled her hat off her head. She placed her muzzle inside, and withdrew a key, placing it into the lock and twisting, pushing the door open. Stepping inside, she disappeared for a few seconds and returned, holding a can full of beans. She shut and locked the door back, placing the key back into her hat and setting it on her head. She trotted towards a nearby shelf, grabbing a can opener and prying the can open, and placing a spoon inside. Returning to the foal, she gave him the can and smiled. "Here ya go, lil'un. You eat up." The colt looked at the can with wide eyes, then up to her, then smiled.
"Thh.... thhhh.... thank you."
Applejack smiled, patting his mane gently as he began to scoop out beans and eat them ravenously as if he hadn't eaten for days - for all she knew, he hadn't. She turned and walked back towards the stairs. "If'n y'all need anything, we'll be upstairs. Later on, we'll give ya a rundown on our current situation."
"Thank you kindly, Miss Apple." The stallion nodded. "I'm forever in your debt."
Applejack passed Rainbow Dash who simply smiled at her, hooves crossed. The farm mare sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright, I can see how you felt you had to help 'em out... that kid's got sweet eyes, I don't think I could say no to 'em."
"I know, right?" Rainbow Dash chuckled.
"Besides, the right thing to do an' all... I'ma go check on Big Mac, make sure he's got everything planned for our lil' railroad trip." Applejack made her way out of the hall, and Rainbow Dash nodded. She was about to make her own way out when she decided to go in and check on the stallion and his son.
"Hey, you've had enough, gimme that can."
Rainbow Dash quirked her brow, somewhat surprised at the demanding tone in the stallion's voice. She slowly tip-hoofed her way down, trying not to make any noise, and peaked in at the two. The foal sat next to his father, a sad look on his face as the stallion greedily and hungrily dug into the can, stuffing his face with beans. Judging by how much he was eating, Rusty might not have even eaten a quarter of what was in the can before he took the food from him.
"D-d-d-daddy... I'm sssssstill hhhhhhungry..."
"Be quiet" the stallion seemed to whisper and yell at once, "You'll get food later. Your daddy needs his strength if he's gonna keep you safe. You wanna die? You want to die because your daddy couldn't protect you?"
The foal frowned. "N... nnn.... nnnnnn-"
"That's what I thought, now be quiet." She listened to the stallion as he shoveled the beans into his muzzle. She was angry, she was upset, she wanted to do something... but then, Rainbow thought better of it. She would talk to somepony else before she acted, realizing she might do something too brash. She creeped her way back up the stairs and trotted out of the hall, immediately bumping into Scootaloo.
"Heya Rainbow Dash! I heard that the train is done and that we'll be able to leave soon!"
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, we will, squirt..." Rainbow Dash sighed and smiled. "Twilight's got it all worked out. I'm guessing we'll be leaving within the week or so... we'll likely have to start moving stuff that we're taking with us over to the station though."
"So awesome!" Scootaloo fluttered her tiny wings, hovering in the air. "I'm gonna go tell the others! They'll be so psyched!" With that, the little orange filly trotted down the hall. Rainbow Dash smiled and shook her head. Ever since this whole situation began, that little filly had become like a sister to her; they spent a lot of time together, hanging out, and talking. She always wanted to have a little sister... secretly, she sometimes liked to pretend that little filly was. Rainbow Dash began her trot down the hall, deciding to hunt down Applejack.
************************************
"Hey, Applejack? Can I talk to you?"
Rainbow Dash knocked on the door a few times, and heard a bit of shuffling come from behind. The door opened, and Applejack stood before her, her eyes pink and puffy, as if she had recently been crying. "Oh, hey Rainbow, how can I help?"
"A.J, you alright?" Rainbow Dash quirked a brow, tilting her head.
"'Course I am, why wouldn't I be?" Applejack snorted, glaring at the pegasus. "Now, is there anythin' I can help ya with? Or are you gonna continue askin' silly baseless questions?" Rather than push the subject, Rainbow Dash decided to simply move on with her reason for even being here.
"Yeah, about those ponies we just brought in-"
"I know I know" Applejack sighed. "You were right to do it, don't rub it in, alright?"
"No, it's not that..." Rainbow Dash looked behind her, as if they might pop up any second. "... The... Stone might be a bit... well, I was sort of sneaking around and he sort of-"
"Rainbow Dash, you know it ain't polite to eavesdrop on other ponies!" Applejack sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose with a hoof. "I mean, who knows what personal conversations they might be havin' that you're intruding on!"
"Look, I'm just saying we might wanna keep an eye on him, alright?" Rainbow Dash huffed. "He's kinda mean to his kid, and I'm gonna be honest if it wasn't for the colt, I'd have just as soon left Stone in that house."
Applejack grimaced, staring at Rainbow Dash for a few seconds. "... Right, I believe ya, but that's because it was you who brought him here. We'll keep an eye on him, but jus' remember, if he causes us any trouble, it's on yer head." Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded.
"Thanks AJ... I needed that pep talk..."
Applejack huffed. "Look.... if it's anything, Rainbow? I give ya points for wantin' what's best for that colt." Rainbow smiled a bit. "You got a good heart, Rainbow."
"Thanks AJ."
The orange mare sighed, looking back into her room. "Well, I gotta start plannin' for our lil' trip... I'm thinkin' we're gonna try to take off near the end of the week, givin' us time to decide what we're takin' and what we... gotta leave behind...." Applejack sighed and stared down at her hooves.
"You're gonna miss the farm, ain't ya...?"
"Been here my whole life..." Applejack sniffled a bit, wiping her nose with a hoof. "... It's... it's where my parents... my Granny... where they..."
"Hey, I know, I know..." Rainbow shook her head and put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Applejack... I can't imagine this is easy... but... I want you to know I understand."
"Do ya?" Applejack spoke in a somewhat bitter tone. "Did ya have to watch yer granny suffer when some psycho on the street bit her? Did ya have to put your own grandmother down to stop her from hurtin' your lil' sister?" She turned to face Rainbow, fresh tears in her eyes. "Did you have to do this, all while rememberin' losin' yer parents? Do you know how much it hurts knowin' that they ain't here to help us!?" Rainbow Dash simply stared silently at her friend, frowning. "You don't know nothin', so don't pretend ya do."
Rainbow sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go take off and go back to check on Twilight." The pegasus turned around and trotted away from her friend, keeping her head high.
"Rainbow, wait-"
"No, it's alright Applejack, really." Rainbow shook her head without looking back. "You're right. I have no idea. I can't even begin to comprehend what you're going through, so I've got no reason to stick around here. I hope you figure out whatever you're trying to figure out." She continued down the stairs, Applejack standing in the doorway to her bedroom, sighing and wiping her eyes as she stepped back in and shut the door behind her.
*********************
"Stupid... self-righteous... unfair Applejack!"
Rainbow growled as she soared through the sky, glaring down at the masses of the undead ponies below. "She thinks I can't help her? Then fine by me. She can just stew in her own juices for a while. I don't care." The pegasus grimaced hard, her bottom lip trembling. "Stupid Applejack...." She kept her eyes on the prize; the train yard. It wasn't too hard to miss, thankfully, what with the big wall of sheet metal that was once just a fence to keep intruders and thieves away from the precious train garbage. Twilight had managed to do that (with a bit of decorative help from Rarity - just because it was a defensive line didn't mean it couldn't be beautiful) in order to keep the herd from attacking them while they worked, and every day they worried about potentially losing that place; if the herd managed to get inside, it would be lost to them, and all of their hard work.
Rainbow landed, touching down in the train yard. She walked towards a door and pushed it open, stepping inside the warehouse; here, she saw the engine that would be hers and her friends' salvation, a series of crates and boxes (a lot of which had been opened), and a few other odds and ends. She made a brisk trot up some stairs to a catwalk, and made her way across until reaching a door. Rainbow pushed the door open quietly and peaked around inside; nearby there was a desk with various papers on it, written with such big words that Dash felt they might as well be a foreign language, covered in books about trains. There were four cots, and laying on one of them was Twilight Sparkle, a book in her foreleg, snoozing away with an empty coffee mug next to her. Rainbow Dash was sorely tempted to wake her friend up with an amazing prank, but she thought better of it; Twilight hadn't slept for at least 24 hours, and Dash knew the poor mare deserved this rest. Instead, she opted to make her way to one of the unused cots, climb into it, and make herself comfortable.
*******************
"Rainbow Dash?"
Mmmh.... five more minutes....
"Rainbow Dash, get up!"
Oh cruel world, why did you hate naps? Rainbow Dash groaned and slowly opened her eyes, seeing a tired Twilight Sparkle shaking her. "Rainbow, we've got a problem! Please, come with me!" Rainbow was quick to climb out of bed at the mention of problems. The desperation on Twilight's face didn't help much either, and she turned to see Big Mac standing nearby, his eyes wide and filled with as much panic as Rainbow had ever seen in that face.
"Wh... what's wrong?"
"I can't find Applejack!"
"What!?" Rainbow almost jumped, her own eyes widening. "What happened!? Where is she? Did she leave a note or anything!?"
"No!" Big Mac danced in place. "She jus' disappeared an' nopony knows where she went but Stone, an' he-"
"She's back where you found me an' my boy."
Everypony turned to see that Stone Strong had stepped into the room, son in tow, though Rainbow couldn't help but notice that the colt was hiding behind his father as if trying not to be seen. "I told her about some of our stash we had left behind, an' about how we had a bit of food stored up, an' she said she was gonna go look into it. I'da gone with her, but somepony had to look after m' boy, an'... well, no offense, but I just met y'all." Rainbow stared at the stallion for a few moments, and he seemed to get a bit nervous. "... I... kind of overheard y'all talkin' about this here train an' wanted to help."
"If you had food, why didn't you say so before I took you to the farm?" Rainbow scowled at the stallion, glaring daggers at him. She had only really seen him do one thing wrong... was that enough to be suspicious?
"Well..." He coughed and rubbed the back of his head. "... I... I just didn't think it'd be important. The way you talked, I thought you had lots more food than us, an' I figured 'hey, we can always come back here to get what we had'... I mean, you said your group salvages stuff..." Rainbow Dash felt all kinds of warnings running through her head.
"And why did you bring them here, rather than take them back there?"
The stallion grinned nervously. "... Mostly? ... Kinda... forgot where it was. After I mentioned the kind of area it was in, your friend seemed to just sort of figure it out on her own. I hadn't been in Ponyville long before the uh... outbreak."
Rainbow continued to eye the stallion, and turned to her friends, gesturing them to come closer, and so they all huddled. "I don't trust this guy one bit..." Rainbow whispered low enough so that Stone nor Rusty could hear. "He tricked AJ into giving his son a can of beans earlier and took them when she wasn't paying attention... I know it ain't much, but something's definiately fishy here. What do we do?"
Twilight hummed, tapping a hoof to her chin, exchanging glances with Big Mac. "... Well... why not make him come with us? We could keep a good eye on him then." With that, the group split apart and Dash cleared her throat.
"Alright, Stone. Twilight here will watch Rusty while you, me, and Big Mac go find Applejack. I remember where the place is, so it should be an easy enough task so long as we keep the herd off us."
"What? No!" Stone scowled. "I'm sure yer all very nice folk, but I don't know any of ya well enough to leave my boy with ya!"
"Don't be stupid!" Rainbow growled. "We're giving you food and shelter! What kind of monsters would-"
"Rainbow Dash." Rainbow stopped and looked back to Twilight, who shook her head and stepped forward. "How about this Mister Stone-"
"Oh, Mister Stone is my father" the stallion nodded. "Call me Mister Strong."
Twilight sighed. "... Stone Strong. Look, how about this? You and your son can stay here and I'll stay here with you. I can keep you and your son safe, and Rainbow Dash can take Big Mac to find Applejack. Once we've got that all sorted out, I can teleport all of us to Sweet Apple Acres." The stallion bit his lip, seeming rather tense. He looked down to his son, who seemed to become nervous in his gaze, and looked back to the group.
"I-I guess that's alright..."
"Excellent." Twilight turned to Rainbow and Big Mac. "You two go find Applejack. If you find her, get her back here. Worry about supplies later. Remember, get there quick, but don't do anything silly and endanger yourselves."
"Of course!" Rainbow grinned and flexed her hoof. "When you're as amazing as I am... and... uh... Big Mac I guess..." Big Mac snorted, his stoic expression not changing. "... Then you can do anything!"
"Well then, let's move!" Big Mac gestured towards the exit, and Rainbow began to make her way out, large red stallion in tow.
*************************
Rainbow had to stay low so as not to lose Big Mac. She wanted so badly to fly high and soar, to be in the clouds, but this was more important. It didn't help that she felt this was all some kind of trap. Maybe she was assuming the worst from too little, but something didn't feel right. Eventually, they reached the square they were aiming for, and Dash peaked around a corner.
"... Oh... buck me sideways..."
The house was there, but the door was broken down and infected were pouring into the building. Rainbow and Big Mac exchanged glances for a moment, and she knew they both had the same thought.
Kill all of them.
The two ponies rushed forward, weapons ready. Big Mac, carrying a large, stone-headed mallet, and Rainbow a bat with a bunch of nails through it. Mac bucked hard, knocking one of the infected into the crowd and knocking several others over. They began to take notice of the two ponies and began to turn their attention towards them. The workhorse gave a powerful swing of his hammer, striking several in the heads and knocking them down and out. Rainbow took her club and gave it a downward swing, the nails piercing into an infected pony's skull and lodging into their brain, killing them near instantly. She pried her weapon free, and repeated the process. As one of the fiends leaped towards Rainbow, it was brought to the ground with a sickening crunch. Rainbow turned around to see Big Mac grinning over the corpse. "Thanks Big Guy!"
"Eeyup!"
They continued this for several minutes, until they had killed the last of them. Shutting the door to buy some time, Big Mac looked around. "Okay, she's in this house, right? What room is she in?" The two ponies began to mill frantically about, looking for doors. Rainbow opened one, revealing a simple closet, and Big Mac opened another to find a pantry filled with empty cans and packaging. "So much for their secret stash..."
Rainbow flew upstairs to find three more doors. She pushed one open, seeing only the room she had met Stone and his son in. She made her way to another and pushed, but it wouldn't budge. "Weird..." She leaned in, pressing her ear against the door. She heard... something. Grunting and groaning sounds. She couldn't tell what it was, but there was something... somepony in there. She rammed against the door, though it stood strong. Not to be defeated, Rainbow turned around and, copying the technique she had seen her friend use so many times before, sent her rear hooves into the wood as hard as she could, tearing the door from it's hinges. She stepped into the room. The floor was littered in trash and detritus, as if somepony had spent a lot of time in that one room, and seemed to have been picked clean. What she noticed most of all, however, was Applejack, struggling against ropes around her hooves, tied to the bed in the room.
Rainbow dashed towards her friend. "Oh my gosh, Applejack! Are you okay?" Applejack looked to Rainbow, and the light in the room hit her just right. Her left eye was blackenned, her mane was messy, and she had blood trailing down her chin from beneath a makeshift gag made from a shir and something beneath it. She seemed to be favoring one of her legs, putting as little strain as she could manage on it; perhaps largely why she hadn't broken from her bonds just yet. Rainbow was quick to remove the gag. "What happened!?"
"That... that punk Stone happened..." Applejack coughed. "He... he told me y'all were here lookin' for some of his supplies, an' you needed my help. Like an idiot, I followed 'em... an' when I did, he hit me in the head with somethin'..." The mare groaned, wincing. Just then, Big Mac made his way into the room.
"AJ!" he shouted. "Y'allright?"
"I'm fine..." Applejack shook her head. "... jerk dislocated one of my legs... I think I got a few busted ribs..." Quickly, Rainbow got to work untying her friend, taking care to be easy on the damaged leg. Big Mac stared over his sister, grimacing, shaking his head. "He wanted to know where th' train was... took my key to the pantry... made his kid watch as he tortured me for information... our defenses, the train, all of it...."
Big Mac stared at his sister, his grimace turning into utter rage. "I'm gonna find 'em... and then? I'm gonna break his legs. After that, I'm throwin' 'em to the herd." The stallion turned around and began to make his way out.
"Wait!" Rainbow rushed out and stopped the stallion, placing her hoof on his back. "Look, I know you're angry... so am I... but this is my problem. I brought him here. I brought him upon us..." Rainbow moved in front of Big Mac, staring at him pleadingly. "Please... let me take care of him. You take Applejack back to the farm and keep her safe." The stallion stared at her for a few seconds before sighing and nodding.
"You bring him back to me alive. I wanna be the one that kills 'em." Rainbow Dash nodded and watched the stallion move to Applejack's side. "Alright AJ..." he frowned. "Bite down on this pillow... this is gonna hurt a bit..." Rainbow wasted no time in rushing out of the house and taking to the sky; fortunately drawing the undead away from it. She didn't really want to be there when Applejack had her foreleg popped back into place. As she flew up into the sky, the sight of fireworks flaring upward, popping and bursting right over the train yard did nothing to improve her mood.
Rainbow Dash bolted, fast as a bullet, in the direction of the train yard, landing immediately. Several boxes of Pinkie Pie's fireworks had seemingly been lit and were flaring upwards. 'He's trying to draw the herd's attention here? But why?' Rainbow quirked a brow, and then gasped. "He's still here with Twilight!" That thought was all she needed to rush to the warehouse and kick the door open, running inside. She flew up onto the catwalk, and immediately made her way into the office-turned-sleeping quarters. There, she found a familiar purple alicorn laying unconscious on the floor, bleeding from the head. "Oh sh-Twilight!" Rainbow rushed to her friend's side and hefted her front end up and gave her a little shake. Twilight's eyes fluttered open a bit, but then she winced and hissed, placing a hoof on the back of her head.
"Ah.. wh... what ha..." she pulled her hoof back, seeing it covered in blood. "Is that...?" Rainbow was quick to move her friend to a nearby cot and flew towards the emergency first-aid kit on the desk, flying back to the princess with it and fishing out some bandages, immediately getting to work wrapping them around her head.
"Twilight, what happened!?"
Twilight hissed once more in pain as the bandaging was applied. "I... I don't know... last thing I remember was talking to Rusty about trains... and then... I think I got hit on the head...?" She winced, placing a hoof over her head. "Ugh... wow that smarts..." Once more, a hiss, but this time not from Twilight. Both ponies ears perked up, and they exchanged glances.
"The train!"
Twilight tried to stand, but Rainbow held her down. "Twilight, rest! Or... teleport! That punk set off some fireworks and this place might get flooded in a bit!"
"I can't use magic.." Twilight groaned and rubbed her head. "Magic after sustaining a head inju-"
"Fine! Be right back!" Rainbow bolted away from her friend and, throwing concern to the wind, smashed through the window. Much to her irritation, the train had already begun it's move to get to the main track. 'Stupid Twilight's and her stupid smartly laid out early preparations!' Rainbow flew after the train, thankful that it hadn't yet reached full speed, and landed on the back. Pulling the door open, she saw Stone and Rusty both turn to her in shock.
"What the fu-"
A hoof slammed into his mouth, and Stone's body slammed into the wall.
"That was for stealing your kid's food!"
Stone began to move around, shaking his head. Another hoof struck him and he slammed against the control panel.
"That was for hurting my best friend!"
Rainbow grabbed either side of his face.
"And this is for making that poor foal watch you did it!"
Rainbow slammed her head against his, the back of his head striking the wall, and the stallion simply slumped, down for the count. Rainbow snorted and spat on him, then turned her attention to the control panel. "We're gonna get this thing turned around... uh... somehow... go back to Ponyville, and then we'll decide what we're doing with you..."
"I... " the stallion sputtered.
"Shut up."
"I am not going back!"
Stone jumped up and grabbed Rainbow Dash, and the two began to struggle. "I am not going back to that hell hole!" Stone then delivered a kick, sending Rainbow backwards, and bumping into something.
"Daddy!"
Both turned and watched as Rusty was flung backwards, flying off the back end of the train. Instinct kicked in for Rainbow Dash, and she jumped from the train, spreading her wings, hoping against hope to save him. There was little she could do, however; mere seconds after she took flight, the boy bounced off the ground, and his body fell slack. Rainbow pushed with all her might to go forward and grabbed him mid-air, and then shifted to doing everything in her power to stop her own momentum. Slowly, the pegasus came to a stop, and she landed safely in some nearby grass, where she held the foal up and started to speak, to ask him if he was okay. Rainbow stopped the moment she saw those big, innocent eyes, so filled with terror, staring back at her. Through her. Into eternity. "No..." She whispered it to herself and shook her head. She placed a hoof on his chest, and felt nothing. No beat or breath. No twitch or spasm of muscle. Nothing. "No...."
Rainbow simply sat there, in the field outside of Ponyville, staring at those eyes, into the eyes of death. She felt a pain worse than anything she had felt before. She felt a burning sensation in her eyes, and it felt as if her chest were going to implode as her body trembled. She cradled the foal in her hooves, and pressed her forehead against his.
And Rainbow Dash wept. Focus no longer on the train that continued to chug, making it's way into the distance.
****************************
Rainbow Dash stared with empty eyes at the makeshift tombstone - a rock with a name etched into it. One of several rocks, each one bearing either a name or a cutie mark. She had never really known the foal, and yet his loss had utterly destroyed her.
'Rusty'
"Rainbow Dash? You should come inside. It's gettin' late."
Rainbow didn't respond. She simply stared at that stone. Applejack trotted up next to her, her own eyes tired and stressed, pink even, and placed a hoof on her back. "Dash... you been out here for hours... come back inside before it gets too dark..."
"I killed him, Applejack."
"Pardon?"
"I killed him..." Rainbow bit her lip. "... I was responsible." Rainbow continued to stare at the rock that marked the foal's grave. "If I hadn't gone off on my own... if I hadn't found them... if I had done something when his father stole his food... if I had listened to my gut when we came looking for you.... maybe he'd still be alive..."
Applejack frowned. "Rainbow Dash..."
"No..." Rainbow's voice cracked a bit. "Don't you even bother telling me it wasn't my fault. Don't you dare..." The pegasus turned to her farm friend. "The worst part of it is... the worst part of it is that had I just let him go? Had I just let the train go and forget them? Maybe Rusty'd be alive. He'd still be with his jerk father, but he'd be alive! He'd have the food his dad stole from the pantry to keep them satisfied until they reached the next town!" Rainbow's lip trembled. "... Instead... instead, he's dead..." She choked a bit, shaking her head. "... He's dead... and it's all my fault..."
The orange mare sighed, staring at her friend with utter pity. "... Fine. I won't tell you it couldn't have been better." Rainbow didn't respond. Applejack wanted to give her a lecture, wanted to tell her something, but what could she say? She sighed. "... But... this is the way it is. And there's no changing that... I'm sorry sugar cube..."
Rainbow Dash turned to look at the stone again, her lip trembling once more. That cold rock seemed to bore into her very soul.
"Rainbow?"
The pegasus turned to her friend. "... If you want... if you want a shoulder to cry on... I promise... I promise I won't tell anypony." Rainbow glared at Applejack, as if offended she would even suggest the potential that she might cry. But then, her glare softened. Soon, she had her hooves wrapped around the other mare, and buried her muzzle into her mane. Applejack hugged her back, and began to gently stroke her friend's mane and upper back as Rainbow began to sob into her.
She didn't know if it was a good time or not to tell Rainbow Dash that the train had not been fueled properly and would likely run out in the hills, long before reaching another town.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The three ponies stalked around a corner and Pinkie Pie took a quick peak. She turned back and giggled. "Right! there's a bunch just in front of the Town Hall, but I got one more Pinkie Pie's Party Pooper Projectile Party Popper Pipe (Patent Pending) left, so I think I can distract them!" Reaching into her bag, Pinkie withdrew another pipe and spat it into her hoof. Grabbing a match between her teeth, she struck it on one of her rear hooves, lit the fuse, and then hurled it past the crowd. Then, they sat, and waited. And waited.
And waited.
"What's taking so long?" Rainbow scowled.
Pinkie bit her lip. "Uh.... uh-oh. That must have been a dud?"
Rainbow Dash suppressed a groan and shook her head. "Great! Now what do we do?"
"Well..." said Rarity, biting her lip. "... they're distracted. Maybe if we're quick and quiet, we can sneak past them?" Rainbow stared for a bit, wanting to say 'yes' but knowing it might be less risky to simply find somewhere else to go.
"Let's go around them... maybe we can find somewhere else to hide."
Rainbow tried to help Rarity turn, but the fashionista simply nodded and pulled away. "Thanks Rainbow... I think I have enough strength to walk on my own now..." Rainbow Dash simply nodded, and the three ponies began to move around the house.
And bumped into an infected around the first corner.
They all stopped, staring wide-eyed as the beast looked down at them, each one standing stone still.
Fourth Rule of the undead: Their senses are dulled. Slow movements and silence will not usually draw their attention too easily, with the only one of their senses that is sharpened being their sense of smell.
The creature lunged forward, letting out a horrified screech.
Fifth rule of the undead: When close to an infected pony, ignore all of rule 4 accept for one part - they have a sharpened sense of smell.
Rainbow Dash swung her club forward, striking the creature's head, watching it spin halfway around as it's body fell limp. The mass around the corner began to moan and groan loudly. "Go around! Go around!" The group hurried on the way they were running earlier, hoping that, if nothing else, an escape might have been made. Peaking around the corner, Rainbow saw several of the undead making their way towards the alley they had been peaking from. Seeing their chance, all of them began to slowly creep across the street, towards the building. Ascending the steps, Rainbow grabbed the doorknob and twisted pushing it open and hurrying her three friends inside, shutting it back behind them.
"That was close!" Rainbow huffed and slid against the door. Pinkie fell to her side and let out a 'whew' and Rarity simply fell to her stomach.
"First thing I do when I get back to the farm... I'm going to ask Fluttershy to give me a massage..."
"Oh?" Pinkie chirped. "I thought the first thing you'd do would be walk into the house? I mean, I guess Fluttershy might be somewhere else but-"
"Oh Pinkie" interrupted Rarity, "Don't you ever dare change."
"I'll try! That should be easy cause ponies don't usually change, although Twilight kind of did so-"
Suddenly, the door began to jar and shake as something slammed against it, knocking Rainbow Dash over. The mares all jumped to their hooves, staring in horror at the door as it shook and rattled violently as something struck it.
"I thought we got past them...!" whispered Rainbow Dash.
Rarity gulped. "They... might have caught us turning the corner...?"
The door kept rattling and shaking as hooves slammed into it, the hinges loosening. "Run everypony!" With that, all three ponies bolted away from the door and up a nearby staircase, reaching the second floor. Rainbow pushed the door open, the sound of the one downstairs finally breaking off it's hingest their signal to keep up the pace. Looking over the ledge, they realized that they might have made a dead end.
"Rainbow, you have to fly us down!"
Rainbow Dash bit her lip, looking to Rarity and Pinkie. She wanted to say no. She promised herself she wouldn't. Her arrogance had caused so much harm.
"Rainbow Dash!"
But if she didn't, their alternative was to either jump into the horde below or try to run through the one on the other side of that door, which began to shake violently from a pounding inside. Quickly, Rainbow grabbed hold of Rarity and flapped her wings, lifting off. She felt a great deal of strain as she picked her friend up; it had been so long since she had really flown, her muscles were likely weaker even than Fluttershy's at this point. It took some effort, but she finally got Rarity to a balcony on a house across the street (on the side facing away from Town Hall).
A crashing sound and a scream turned her attention back.
Pinkie was hanging by her only forehoof from the ledge as the undead ponies reached down for her; she had gone past the railing and the only way to her would be through it, something Rainbow knew they'd have no problem doing as she watched a few lean too far and fall into the crowd below. "Hold on Pinkie!" She flapped her wings as hard as she could, dashing towards her friend. Just then, one of the infected fell over the ledge and landed on Pinkie, knocking her down, eliciting a horrible cry from Pinkie.
Until Rainbow swooped her up and flew around, back to where she had taken Rarity.
She dropped Pinkie onto the balcony and fell on her stomach, panting and heaving. Her wings ached terribly like they might fall off; for all she knew, they might. "You... you weren't bitten were you?"
Pinkie placed her hoof around her body, looking herself over. "Uhh... nope, I'm good!"
"Me too" said Rarity with a sigh. "Though I dare say I think I've had more than enough excitement for one lifetime..."
"Me too..." Rainbow groaned. "Ugh... I broke my vow..."
"And not a moment too soon, I say..." Rarity smirked. "I dare say, had you kept it, we'd all be a three course meal by now."
"Yeah! I'da lost more than my little hoofsy!" Pinkie waved her stub around. "I gotta live long enough for Twilight to figure out how to give me a really cool prosthetic, or a peg leg, or a hook! I can be a pirate!"
Rainbow Dash sighed, shaking her head. "... But flying makes me arrogant, and I-"
"Is this about that foal?" Rarity sighed. "Rainbow? Look. As somepony who knows what she's talking about, yes, it's horrible, but it's in the past. You can spend the rest of your life beating yourself up over it or... or..." Rarity blinked, sighed and slapped a hoof against her own face. "I feel so stupid..." Rainbow Dash quirked a brow, staring at her marshmallow friend. "I was about to... to kill myself for failing Sweetie Belle and here I am giving you the lecture you should be giving me!"
"Wait, you tried to kill yourself!?" Pinkie piped.
"Rainbow Dash..." Rarity stood up and walked towards the pegasus, sitting next to her. "What happened to little Rusty was terrible... but it couldn't be helped."
"I could have-"
"Yes, you could have" Rarity interrupted. "You could have ignored them and left them to die in that hovel. You could have taken him from his jerk father and, yes, I know on retrospect that would have been better for him, but with what you knew at the time, it would have been wrong and, essentially, kidnapping." Rarity put her hooves on Rainbow's face, turning her to face her. "I won't pretend you couldn't have made better choices, Rainbow. We all could have... but sometimes, you do the best you can, and you have to play with the hoof you're dealt. You did what you thought was best at the time. You can spend the rest of your life letting that hurt you... or you can honor Rusty's memory and do everything in your power to prevent it from happening again. And you know what? You may even fail at that. But if you keep this up, you stand to lose a lot more." Rainbow looked away from Rarity, back to her hooves.
"Rainbow Dash... I hate to say it... but this... this is not about saving everypony... this..." She gestured between her and her friends. "This is about saving everypony you can. This is about doing as much good as you can, knowing you can't save them all. If you can't accept that... then your life may be a short and miserable one. It's a harsh truth, but..." Rarity took a deep breath and sighed, shaking her head. "... But there will be times when we fail. It maybe small, or it maybe great. All we can hope to do is keep our failures small..." The unicorns turned from her friend, and made her way from the room. "I'm going to make sure we don't have company... Pinkie? Be a dear and follow?" Pinkie Pie nodded and followed Rarity, giving Rainbow one more glance and a sad smile before leaving the room.
Rainbow stared at the door as they left and frowned a bit, shifting her attention back at her hooves.
*******************************
It was dark out, and there was little light save that which was offered by the moon. The sounds of the dead outside had become commonplace; it almost disturbed Rainbow Dash at how accustomed she was to it. She stared silently up at the ceiling, pondering upon everything that had happened in the past twenty four hours. She turned to look over at Rarity, who was sleeping next to her; Pinkie Pie on the other side of Rarity, all of them sharing a queen sized bed. Rainbow snickered to herself at all the jokes she could come up with in a split second. She turned to look out the window at the starry night sky. She gave one more glance back at her friends, and then slowly eased herself out of the bed, making her way to the balcony door. Gently easing it open, she stepped outside and shut it back as quietly, and peaked over the edge of the balcony; the alley was empty. Rainbow bit her lip and looked up at the stars. She took a deep breath, and let go.
Rainbow then spread her wings, and began to flap.
And so, she soared. High above the city; high enough that the herd below would never notice her. Not as fast as she once did, but that was not important. No, Rainbow had something else right now, something that she had missed. Freedom. Not just freedom from the harsh reality below her, but freedom from everything that had plagued her.
That thought halted her mid-air. No. She would not be free from everything. She couldn't let herself be entirely without responsibility.
That night, she made a new vow.
She would save all she could, and remember the foal she failed until her final breath.
And if she ever saw Stone again? Well... she would reach that bridge when she came to it.
~~~~~~~~~~~ THREE MONTHS AFTER THE INFECTION BEGAN ~~~~~~~~~
".... No no no, don't slow down on me, come on... come ooon..."
Stone began to panic as he fumbled with the controls, the train slowing to a halt. "Don't do this to me baby! Ain't I been good to you? Come on! Come on!!" He kicked the panel whimpering and hyperventilating as the train finally hissed to a stop. He grumbled and pushed the door open, climbing down from the armored steam engine. He swore as loud as he possible could, kicking the train and letting out a long string of curses and swears.
He only stopped when he noticed movement. Stone turned around looking into the darkness of the trees. "I'm on the hills" he thought to himself. "... Ain't nopony stupid enough to wander out here during an infection..." It was then he heard a loud screech.
Stone jumped around just in time to get pounced by a manticore.
He didn't even have time to scream.