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// Chapter 1- Refuge Refuse 
// Story: Apocalypse of the Century 
// by Ink Rain 
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It had been about a week since the madness had spread across Equestria. Since everypony was forced to stay indoors and lock up. The skies were grey and the pegasi have been unable to clear away the clouds or control any of the weather in general. The ponies were too scared to go out and fulfill their duties. No pony was brave enough to even look out their windows for they were afraid to meet the eyes of one of… those things. They all got the memo that it was too risky. It even blocked off communication between different parts of Equestria, especially between the ground and the skies. If there’s an update in one place, no other place will be let know. Unless luck allows a messenger pony to survive travel to deliver any messages.
Whatever what was going on, the authorities couldn’t figure out what it was either. This weird outbreak came suddenly without any warning and nopony was prepared for it. This was totally new. Everypony hoped and prayed that Princess Celestia was able to know how to put an end to it. 
But in reality, nopony could figure out what first caused the “virus” in the first place. Nopony even knows what has happened to any of the Princesses. Many feared that they too were infected by the virus. The virus that would take over the pony’s body, attack on the nearest well pony and feed on them. According to the news, scientists were unable to find a cure or even identify this strange virus. 
Living was beginning to become harder, the access to food and other much needed necessities that require any restocking was becoming scarce. Derpy Doo and her family were aware of that that quite well. Her sister, Sassaflash, allowed her and her children, Dinky Doo and Amethyst Star, to stay over at her house in Cloudsdale until the outbreak died down on the earth below. 
They were nearly forced to stay onto the ground since both Dinky and Amethyst were both unicorn ponies and only pegasus ponies are able to walk on clouds. Luckily Amethyst quickly searched through her bookshelf for her spell book and successfully found a spell to allow the two unicorns to walk on the clouds. 
Food was growing scarcer as each day passes. Unfortunately, since nopony in Cloudsdale were aware of what was happening in other places, they could only hope for the best to sneak out and get what they can take. That’s what Derpy and Sassaflash were relying on. It’s not what they were wanting to do, they’d rather be able to just fly over to the Cloudsdale market and pick up food. But it has been empty for a while since other ponies had already looted everything. 
Dinky approached the kitchen to see her aunt and her mother with their saddle bags on. She blinked in confusion.
“Mama?” She spoke. “Wh-where are you and Auntie Sassy going? Didn’t the police tell us to stay in the house?” Derpy gave her daughter a remorseful nod.
“They did, Sweetheart. But we still need to go get food. We’re going to try to go down into Ponyville to get food.” She turned to Sassaflash. “If the farmer’s market isn’t open, or has been looted, then we’ll see if my gardener friend Golden Harvest has any vegetables to spare”. 
“We can try to see if we can find any more alive ponies, too,” Sassaflash added. “Hopefully it won’t be as bad as it is here. And hopefully we aren’t alone.” 
“What won’t be as bad here?” Amethyst Star asked as she came into the kitchen. Her face quickly grew into a shocked expression. “You… you guys aren’t going outside, are you?”
Derpy Doo walked over to her daughter and hugged her. “We are, Amethyst dear. We have no choice. The markets in Cloudsdale are all looted and Ponyville is our only hope for food.” Amethyst’s breath began shaking and beads of tears formed in her eyes.
“What makes you think that the ground is any better? It was one of the first places to have this outbreak! Didn’t you see all those ponies being eaten before we left!?” She spat. “What if you get killed by those things?!”
Derpy tried to reply but just couldn’t. Amethyst’s point was a valid one. It was the first place to go down with the sickness when the outbreak began. That’s the veru reason why she was forced to move up into Cloudsdale with her sister. Sassaflash walked up to Amethyst and looked at her straight in the eye.
“Amethyst Star, you are right about Ponyville. But we don’t know the status of that place either. It could be just as bad as it was when you arrived. It could be even worse. Or it could be better. We got to try this.” Amethyst turned her head away in denial.
“But…” She said under her breath. “What if you guys never make it back? What then?”
“Don’t think that,” Sassaflash retorted. “Your mother and I will try our best to get back home. Okay? Just take care of your little sister until then. Remember the safety guidelines we taught you.” She turned to Derpy and nodded her head towards the exit of the kitchen. It was time to go. She and Derpy both exited the kitchen and approached the front door. 
“We’ll be back soon, kids.” Derpy called. “Be good.” Sassaflash opened and went out the front door. Before Derpy could go she was felt restrained. She noticed two lavender hooves around her neck. She turned her head and found Amethyst Star holding her tight.
“Be… be careful out there, Mommy, please!” She sobbed. Derpy nuzzled her daughter in comfort and love. 
“We will, Darling, we will,” she said. Her daughter finally released her and backed off. Dinky went over and stood right next to her sister, worried. Derpy waved to both of them and exited the house, closing the door behind her.


Like Ponyville, Cloudsdale came down with the sickness as well, and everybody was aware that infected pegasi were able to fly as well. It earned their nickname of “gliders” from Dinky, either that or they would be walkers or runners if their wings were decapitated. Earth ponies and unicorns would also be walkers or runners. Since the infected unicorns seemed to have the knowledge or the mental capacity for magic they are forced to stick with their hooves. At least nopony had to worry about the infected teleporting ponies.
The two sisters maneuvered through the city quickly and quietly. They grew extra wary of their surroundings and where they flew. As they approached the nearest edge of the puffy city they took a quick glance back at it. It was a mess.
The clouds of the city were all a very dark and depressing grey. A majority of the houses had their doors or windows boarded or covered, some of them were either uncovered or broken in to. Dead ponies were scattered all over the ground of the city. 
Most of the gliders were feasting on the fresh dead bodies on the streets. Apparently other ponies had the same idea right before they did. As bad as it is that those ponies were being eaten, there wasn’t anything Derpy or her sister could do. All they could do is hope that the zombified ponies will be distracted long enough for them.
“Poor little Sparkler,” Sassaflash said shaking her head. “Let’s hope that we will make it back home.” Sassaflash has always nicknamed Amethyst Star “Sparkler” ever since Derpy had adopted her when she was a little filly. Derpy wasn’t quite sure why, the name didn’t really suit Amethyst that well. But she didn’t try to stop Sassaflash from calling her that since the lavender unicorn seemed to like the name. She still does to this day. 
Derpy couldn’t help but think of memories of little Amethyst and baby Dinky, the times way before these. Changing Dinky’s diaper and getting the young unicorn’s daily after school snack. Both daughters giggling and laughing and enjoying life as they grew. Everything was happy and peaceful. It’ll be a long time before that peace can ever come back.
“Come on! We don’t have all day,” Sassaflash said as she opened her wings and flew off of the edge of Cloudsdale. Derpy followed her sister off of the cloud, looking back to make sure none of the infected pegasi were trailing behind them. 
Derpy felt guilty. She didn’t want to leave her two children all alone. Amethyst Star was still just a child and didn’t know too much defense magic. Little Dinky didn’t know much about magic at all in general. She was able to levitate a few small things here and there, with a bit of physical strain, but that’s all that the filly knew.
The grey Pegasus was forced out of her worrying when she found herself wobbling in her flight. Stupid eyes! She thought to herself. Whenever she felt stressed, Derpy’s right eye would wander over to the opposite direction. She’s had this condition ever since she was a young filly and it definitely didn’t help at certain times. The condition even forced her to give up her childhood dream of being an acrobat, like the Wonderbolts.
She closed her eyes for a mere three seconds and concentrated really hard on getting her eye back into the right direction. She popped her eyes open again and she was able to see clearly again. The landscape of Ponyville was now visible. However, it didn’t look any better than when Derpy escaped the town. In fact, the condition of the town became much worse. Both of the pegasi hovered from up high to take in the scenery they have stumbled upon to.
Puddles of blood dotted the ground along with a few streaks of dried blood, looking as if it was from a dragged body. Some walker ponies were slowly wandering through the town; their flesh rotten and flushed to a dull, gross shade of green, some having one or more limbs amputated, some having missing pieces of their manes or tails, some missing other body parts such as their mouths or noses missing. Some of the houses were destroyed or damaged, some set on fire and producing black smoke, or painted with blood splatters or bloody hoof prints. Derpy felt her breath becoming shallower as she drank in the sight of the city.
“Sassa—Sassaflash?” she whispered. “I don’t think this is safe enough anymore. Maybe we should head home instea—.”
She was interrupted by a harsh sound of a sickeningly familiar snarl of a glider, which was flapping its wings vigorously and violently. It was darting towards Sassaflash and Derpy.
“Hurry!” Sassaflash yelped from the other direction. Derpy turned her head to see her sister dashing downwards to Ponyville.
“Sassaflaaaash!” Derpy yelled as she zipped right after her sister. 
“Quick, where does Golden Harvest live?” Sassaflash asked as Derpy caught up to her. 
“She lives… uh… er…” Derpy tried to focus her mind onto detecting her friend’s house, but she couldn’t get her mind off of the glider chasing them. She felt the stress go right into her eye, causing it to wander.
“Derpy!” Sassaflash screamed as Derpy lost control of her coordination and flapped her own wings violently. She ended up tumbling onto the ground. Sassaflash landed next to her sister and pushed her side to make her stand up. 
“Come on, Derpy! We don’t have much ti—“the blue pegasus was interrupted by the nasty snarl of the glider, still coming after them. Sassaflash screeched as the glider nearly reached them. 
THWACK! The zombie was taken down by a bow to the eye. It stopped flapping and landed into the ground. Sassaflash glanced behind her to meet her and her sister’s savior. The light yellow pony lowered the bow as she met Sassaflash’s glance. It was Golden Harvest.