//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Losses // Story: My Little Necromancer // by Midnight Moon //------------------------------// “What do you mean they’re not coming?” Pinkie asked. “They wouldn’t leave Pumpkin and Pound. They’re their babies!” “They know what’s out there,” Twilight said. “They know we can’t fight our way through all of them.” “But there’s still the alleyway! They could sneak through here with us!” “Not with all those monsters out there. I don’t know how intelligent those things are, but they know we’re in here. If they can’t find anypony inside, they’ll tear the place apart looking for us.” “We’d be long gone by then. We can run faster then they can.” “Not while carrying Pumpkin and Pound,” Twilight said. “I’m sorry it had to come to this Pinkie, but they made their choice.” “But- but… but… Pumpkin… Pound… They wouldn’t just leave them, would they?” Pinkie Pie was on the verge of tears. “That’s why they’re doing this. They want them live through this, whatever the cost.” “No… No, no, no, no no nononononono! Mr. Cake, Mrs. Cake, I can’t let you do this!” She started towards the cellar stairs, but Twilight used her magic to hold her back. “Let me go! I’ve got to save them!” Tears flowed wildly from Pinkie’s eyes, and Pumpkin and Pound were crying with her. “There isn’t anything you can do about it!” Twilight insisted. “There’s too many of them. “I’ve got to do something! Anything!” “And break your promise?” At that, Pinkie stopped struggling. “You made a Pinkie Promise that you would get the Twins out of here safely. If you go back up there, you’d be putting them in danger. Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Cake would want that?” “But if I don’t do anything, they’ll die!” “They knew that when they made their choice. Someday, when you have little foals of your own, you’ll understand.” Pinkie was torn over this. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were practically parents to her, and she cared about them with all her heart. If anything happened to them- A soft tug at her mane pulled her out of her thoughts. Pumpkin and Pound were staring at her, their sad little eyes and trembling lips begging for help… her help. They were counting on her. They needed her now more then ever. She made a Pinkie Promise to their parents to keep them safe. And she would never break a Pinkie Promise. Even if she had to fight her way through all the monsters out there on her own, she would keep them safe. “Alright then,” she said, voice filled with a seriousness her friends had never heard from her before. “Now come on, we can’t stay here much longer.” With an air of courage and determination, Pinkie went back to the cellar exit into the alleyway. Twilight and Spike were surprised to see her acting this way, but they followed her lead. Even the Cake Twins seemed to draw strength from her. There were no zomponies in the alleyway. Towards the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, a mass of them fought and clawed their way to the entrance, each one trying to get to Mr. and Mrs. Cake first. Luckily, they were all so focused on that that they didn’t notice Twilight, Spike, Owlowiscious, Pinkie, and Pumpkin and Pound sneak out. Pinkie paused for just a moment to wish the Cakes good luck before going the other way. ========================================================== Aside from the howling of the dead from Sugarcube Corner and the crackling of the spreading fire, there wasn’t a sound to be heard in Ponyville. Twilight didn’t want to think about what that meant, instead focusing on getting to Rarity’s Boutique before it was too late. Behind her, Pinkie still carried Pumpkin and Pound, determined to keep them safe from the zomponies. Spike still clung to Twilight’s back, but he didn’t seem nearly as scared as before, though whether it was courage or numbness she couldn‘t tell. Overhead, Owlowiscious flew in a circle, keeping watch for any approaching zomponies. They arrived to find the windows of the Boutique smashed and the models broken, with ripped and torn pieces of clothing and dresses scattered about. There must have been quite a fight here. Inside, multiple rotted bodies lay in true death. Observant, Twilight noticed that not all of them were struck in the head. Apparently, if you did enough damage to the spinal cord or nervous system, whatever magic that animated them would disperse. That was good to know. But there was no sign of Rarity, or Sweetie Belle for that matter. Could they have already fled? Or did the zomponies get them? She couldn’t afford to think like that. There was just enough light inside for her to see by, so she had Owlowiscious stay outside and warn them if any of the zomponies approached. Pinkie Pie, Spike, and the Cake Twins stayed in the lobby, keeping a careful eye for any signs of danger. All through the first floor of the Boutique, there were signs of a struggle and a hasty retreat. The more she looked, they more she worried that she was too late. She could still sense that Rarity was alive, but she wasn’t sure she could trust it anymore. When she couldn’t find her one the first floor, she was nearly ready to panic, but there was still the upstairs to check. There were a few more truly dead bodies upstairs. Twilight made sure to check every room, but her mounting panic only grew each time she found nothing. Finally, she checked the last room, Rarity‘s bedroom. Nothing but dead bodies. Was she too late? Did Rarity and Sweetie Belle already leave? Were they killed by the zomponies? Did she miss their bodies somehow? Would she ever see them alive again? Would she ever see them at all? She didn’t know which would be worse, finding them dead or never finding out what happened to them. She was about to leave when she heard a faint noise. She turned around, but nothing had changed. She heard the sound again, but she couldn’t figure out were it was coming from. Taking a closer look around, she noticed that the dead bodies were piled in the dead center of the room. Directly above them… “Rarity? Sweetie Belle? Are you up there?” There was the sound of hushed voices, then a section of the ceiling was raised and moved. Rarity and Sweetie Belle peeked through, and sighed with relief when they saw it was her. Rarity lowered a retractable ladder and ushered Twilight up. “Thank goodness you’re both okay,” Twilight said once she was up. “I was so worried when I saw what a mess the place was. It looked like you had quite a struggle on your hooves.” “We certainly did,” Rarity said, pulling up the ladder and closing the trapdoor. “I don’t know where those things came from, but there sure was a lot of them. How did you know we were up here?” “A patch of ceiling was faded. Anypony with your eye for detail wouldn‘t have left it that way unless there was something important about it.” “Well, it’s a good thing you know me so well. But what brings you here, with all those things out there?” “We need to get out of Ponyville,” Twilight insisted. “Between the fire and the zomponies, we can’t afford to stay here. Do you have your Element with you?” “Well, I keep it with my earnings in my safe downstairs. Is it really so bad that we need them?” “I hope not.” In truth, she was pretty sure that they would, but she didn’t want to scare Sweetie Belle anymore then she already was. The poor filly couldn’t stop shacking from fright. She had seen things none of them should have ever had to see, things that would scar her for life. “Well then, we should best be on our way,” Rarity said. “But tell me, what about the others? Do you know what happened to them?” “Pinkie and Spike are downstairs keeping watch,” Twilight said, to Rarity’s relief, “And Rainbow Dash should have found Applejack and Fluttershy by now. We’ll met them at the lake.” “What about Applebloom?” Sweetie Belle asked. “And Scootaloo? Are they going to be okay?” “Don’t worry, dear,” Rarity assured her. “Applejack would never let those things touch Applebloom, and I’m sure Scootaloo is doing just fine. You’ll see.” “And besides, don’t you want to see the Cake Twins?” Twilight asked. “They’re right downstairs with Pinkie Pie.” “They are?” Sweetie Belle immediately perked up at this, and opened the trap door and rushed downstairs to see the babies. She had been infatuated with them ever since she first saw them, and always saw went to see them whenever she had the chance. “Thank Celestia they’re okay too,” Rarity said. “But what about Mr. and Mrs. Cake?” Twilight sighed and looked away, not saying anything for a moment. When she did speak up, her voice was cracking with sadness and regret. “They didn‘t… At Sugarcube Corner, there was a whole bunch of them… They said to take the cellar and sneak out through the alleyway. They made her Pinkie Promise… “I see…” Rarity sighed before continuing. “Well, let’s not let their sacrifice be in vain. We better hurry. No time like the present, and all.” The two mares went downstairs, where Sweetie Belle and Pinkie Pie were busy playing with Pumpkin and Pound. Even Spike had gotten past his fear of the undead and was playing along with them. As much as she wanted to linger and enjoy some time with the Cake Twins, Twilight knew that every second mattered. “It’s nearly time to get going,” Twilight said. “Rarity, where’s your safe?” “Just a second,” Rarity responded. “It should be right about- there!” She was behind the counter, rummaging through the contents of the bottom shelf. She had a look of concentration on her face, and was opening the small safe hidden at the back of the compartment. “Now, just a twist here, a turn here, push it in a bit, and here we are,” Rarity said, extracting her Element of Generosity from the safe. “Good, now let’s get moving,” Twilight said. “Hopefully, Rainbow Dash and the others will be there waiting for us.” “Then what are we waiting for?” Pinkie said, having put Pumpkin and Pound back into the baby carriers. “Let’s get going!” From outside, Owlowiscious gave an all clear, and Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Sweetie Belle silently left. The moans of the dead had all but silenced, which made them nervous, but they concentrated on heading towards the lake, outside of town. When they arrived, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Applebloom, and Scootaloo were waiting. Unable to contain their excitement, Twilight and her group rushed to them, embracing each other in relief. “Thank Celestia you’re all alright!” Twilight said. “Did anything happen? Are any of you hurt?” “We’re fine, thanks to Rainbow here,” Applejack said. “There were a few mighty close calls, but we got away with nothin’ worse then a bruise or two.” “Scootaloo! Applebloom!” Sweetie Belle shouted. “You’re okay!” “Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo and Applebloom shouted together. Even the tomcoltish Scootaloo was so excited and relived that she joined up in their group hug. “Well, now what do we do?” Applejack said, after a long moment in which they all just giggled and laughed and hugged, so happy they were to see each other. “Go to Canterlot,” Twilight said. “The high walls and mountains should keep us safe once we’re inside.” “Good thinking, Twilight. Those things didn’t seem to be very smart or agile.” “But how are we going to get there?” Rainbow said. “I mean, Fluttershy and I can just fly there, but what about the rest of you?” “I… didn’t think about that,” Twilight admitted. “I was just so focused on getting away from those things, I guess I didn’t think it all the way through. Don’t worry, I’ll think of something.” “You, uhh, might want to hurry up with that,” Rarity said, looking back to Ponyville. Where the entire undead horde was heading straight toward them.