//------------------------------// // Day 1: The Day Equestria Died // Story: Left 4 Friendship: Magic is Dead // by UnweptSchlipps //------------------------------// Fall was just around the corner, and leaves had begun to turn into their beautiful shades of red and orange. There was not a cloud in sight, leaving the sun's rays bursting from its perch in the sky. The air was crisp and refreshing, nothing like the sweltering heat of the summertime. As was expected, everypony was outside, basking in the glory of this splendid autumn day. The streets were hustle and bustle as usual, with merchants, food carts, and other novelties lining the streets. Everything was…perfect. It was as if the world itself had no idea of the calamity that would befall that day. Just as they did every other day, the Elements of Harmony were all hanging out. They had all gotten together for some late lunch. It had been a busy week for all of them, with the Annual Running of the Leaves, the Fall Festival, and other jubilant celebrations. After so many ceremonies crammed into the one week, the ponies were happy to have some rest and relaxation. They were gathered outside next to a humble little restaurant called THE TELSTAR TAVERN, an eatery of Applejack's choosing. Everypony had eaten their fill, so they all settled in and made themselves comfortable. Stories were passed around, and giggles were shared. No harshness, no strife, just pure fun. But the serenity of that beautiful day was about to be shattered. It began when Rainbow Dash began to tell (for about the hundredth time) how she had won this year's Running of the Leaves, beating the likes of Applejack. The cowpony replied sourly, "Ah think you must be mistaken, RD. Ah definitely was the one who crossed that line first." "Well the medal doesn't lie, Applejack!" Dash replied cockily as she dangled the award in front of Applejack's snout. "That ref was betting 500 bits on you, an' you know it! That race was rigged!" At that point, Rarity decided to join in, chiding, "You are both acting like spoiled brats! Can't you see you are making a scene!" As they continued the argument, Spike and Twilight looked at each other and rolled their eyes in disbelief. Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie was happily munching down on her fifth slice of cake while Fluttershy sat there, trying to quietly get the quarreling ponies' attention. Spike lamented, "Think we're ever gonna get a break Twi'?" The lavender unicorn couldn't help but smile. She felt as though Spike could always find a way to brighten mood. But despite the light-hearted motive, the grim truth was that there would be no rest for the group. Suddenly, they heard the piercing sound of shattering glass from around the street corner, followed by terrified screams. Immediately the arguing ceased, and they all looked uneasily towards the commotion. The seven were so used to peaceful, quiet neighborhood of Ponyville. Things like this never really happened around town, so they were all unsure of what to do. But for some reason, the incident compelled them to trot over and see if they could help. A small group of ponies were already gathered in a circle, and shards of glass were littered across the ground. "Make room! Make room!" Twilight commanded. The spectators carefully moved aside, revealing one of the most gruesome sights Twilight had ever laid eyes on. There, in the middle of the jagged pieces of glass, lay the broken body of an earth pony. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, and she had a large wound in the side of her neck. Twilight could faintly make out teeth-marks lining the cut, as though made by some vicious, bloodthirsty animal. The sight made Fluttershy cower in fear, and even Rainbow and AJ couldn't help but cringe. But despite the blood, Twi' could faintly see the injured mare's chest slowly but surely rise up and down. Realizing that the pony was still alive (or so she thought), she told the group, "Somepony get a doctor." Applejack stepped forward, answering, "Don't worry Twi', I'll get 'im." "I'll come with you," Rarity added. "Besides, I need to check up on Sweetie Belle." Twilight nodded, and the two galloped off in search of the town's medic. "What do we do, Twilight? I mean, there must be something we can do to help," Pinkie asked. Truthfully, the unicorn wasn't sure how they could help. Reading books on medical practice was one thing, but putting it into action was another. But the lack of first aid experience didn't stop her from examining the broken body that lay before them. Being careful not touch the blood, the purple pony leaned down next to the body. She was…alive. That was all Twilight could tell. That and the fact that if they didn't get a doctor there soon, she wasn't going to stay like that for much longer. "Spike, can you see if there are any bandages back at the library?" "I'm on it!" Spike said, valiantly running off with utmost speed. "Hey, let me see!" Rainbow Dash said, crouching next to her friend. "Do you think she can hear me? Hey, can you hear me? Just listen to my voice, alright? We gonna get you to a hospital," she said with surprising comfort. Twilight was a bit skeptical about Dash's intention, however. The injured pony was unconscious, and surely there would be no response. But then the pegasus said, "Hey, I think she's trying to say something. Look, her mouth's moving." The unicorn began to examine the face. It was extremely pale like a ghost, a sight that sent a chill down her spine. A small trickle of blood seeped from the victim's mouth, which was something that didn't seem quite right. But sure enough, her mouth was very faintly moving. Twilight's heart brightened, and she thought that was a good sign. Dash directed her head closer to the mare's face. "What was that?" she said, leaning ever so closely towards the stranger's blood-stained mouth. Suddenly, the stranger's eyes darted open. But those eyes didn't have the lively shine of an ordinary pony. In those eyes, there was nothing at all. They were pure white, completely blank, and they seemed to glow. It was then that Twilight realized this was no ordinary pony. But before she could warn Dash, the creature suddenly leapt up from its prone position, lashing out at Rainbow with its jagged teeth. Rainbow had managed to pull her face away from the monster and shield her face, but not before receiving a bite on her front legs. She screamed, "What the hay!" as she pushed her assailant to the ground. Twilight was completely dumbfounded at the scene that had just occurred before her. Somepony had just attacked her friend right before her eyes! And to make matters worse, the creature was turning its attention on her. With startling speed, the injured pony darted towards Twilight. She tried to turn and run, but the act was futile. The animal launched itself at her, pinning her to the ground. It was making a gruesome growling noise, and from that close Twilight could see its bloodstained teeth ready to sink into her flesh. She could see those eyes, blank and colorless, and yet shining with animalistic ferocity. All she wanted was to valiantly stave off her attacker and get back up. But that definitely did not happen. Instead, she basically had a panic attack. Twilight could hear Fluttershy squealing in fright and Pinkie Pie screaming, "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!" And of course, there was a bloodthirsty beast trying to kill her. The unicorn could feel her heart beating out of her chest, and fear flushed through her veins, turning the bookworm's blood into ice. The one thought that flashed through her mind was "I'm going to die". She closed her eyes and prepared for the creature to plunge its teeth into her neck. But instead of the pain, she felt the pony jerk off of her with a yelp. Twilight opened her eyes to see the infected pony shoved away by Rainbow Dash. The monster was sent into the ground, trying to scramble back to its feet. But before it could regain its balance, Dash pinned it to the ground. In her teeth she held a large jagged piece of glass. The creature tried to pry itself from Rainbow's grasp, squirming and tossing to no avail. Rainbow said through the glass, "This one's for biting me, you mule!" With a yell, she plunged the sharp weapon deep into the pony's eye socket. The squirming ceased. The grunting stopped. The beast was dead. Leaving the glass in the corpse of their former attacker, Dash slowly flew over to the others, clutching her leg. It was bleeding, not as badly as the wound on the other pony, but it was still quite serious. But there would be no time to patch it up. Rainbow barely had time to say, "What the hell was that?" before all hell broke loose. Suddenly, a cacophonous wail echoed throughout Ponyville, causing the four to shiver in fright. Then, as if on cue, more of the mindless beasts poured out into the streets. From buildings, from the plains, from everywhere it seemed, they kept streaming out. And when those creatures came in, the world as they knew it went out. The group had no time to stay and watch their neighbors be horribly mutilated by the zombies. With a voice filled with both fear and urgency, Twilight called to her friends, "We need to get out of here!" "But what about Applejack and Rarity?" Fluttershy squealed. But the lavender spell-maker could only look sadly at the timid pegasus, and she knew what had to be done. Although they absolutely hated themselves for it, there was no other choice. They started galloping. Rainbow flew above, whacking incoming zombies with a broken plank. Twilight led the grim convoy, levitating a piece of metal from a broken cart. Pinkie Pie was behind her, keeping a hold of Fluttershy who was clearly scared out of her wits. But as they ran through the slowly crumbling village, it seemed like Ponyville had gotten two times bigger. It seemed like they were weaving and dodging those infected beasts for a lifetime. The screams of the infected and the healthy alike echoed all around them. The group saw the looming tower of Town Hall ahead. At first it seemed as though safety was in their sights. But then the friends caught a glimpse of a poor pony being ripped to shreds by some hooded pony with sharp claws for hooves. Twilight would've just broken down right then and there if Rainbow hadn't shouted, "Just keep going girls! We'll be alright." Truthfully that statement seemed highly unlikely at that time, but nonetheless it kept them going. A few hundred meters away, Twilight could see the edge of the Everfree forest, which surprisingly didn't have any zombies coming out. So she said, "Into the forest! It looks safe!" "The Everfree forest? Are you crazy!" Pinkie Pie yelled, still having Fluttershy in tow. "It's our only chance, Pinkie!" the unicorn responded. So they ran faster and faster, barreling through the chaotic hordes toward the destination. As they say, it was so close and yet so far. They kept getting closer and closer, dodging the zombies every step of the way. Until finally… The group leapt into the dense woods, not looking back at the carnage they had left. Although they had made it, they didn't stop running until they were far into the grim darkness of the Everfree. It was only after twenty minutes did the tired escapees stop to take a breather. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy sank down next to a tall, gray tree. Their faces were grim, and Fluttershy was quietly sobbing. Rainbow, seeing as though the foliage was too thick to fly, paced along the ground furiously. And as for Twilight, she was just still. The unicorn slowly bowed her head in disbelief. Their home, in the span of a single day, was reduced to an infected wasteland. It was like some nightmare that they wished they could wake up from. But the harder they tried to pretend it was a dream, the more it became clear that this was all too real. Twilight began to stare at their surroundings. The bleak, terrifying forest that they had sought safety in. Everything was just as mysterious and scary as ever. But she began to realize the chaos that was ensuing outside, and she could only think how ironic it was. This once dangerous forest that nopony would dare to venture into was now a safe haven. Rainbow said, "What do we do now, Twilight? We can't stay here forever." She was right of course. There was no way they could survive in there. The extent of their supplies included a broken plank, a bar of metal, and zero food and water. At first they didn't know what to do. But soon the answer became unmistakably clear. And unfortunately for the scared group of survivors, the solution was hardly better than staying in the Everfree. They were going back in. ~~~~ Sup bronies! Just wanted to say that I'll updating this story every week, so stay tuned! 'K...that is all.