Previous Chapters Next
Close
1.1: Survival of The Fittest2,522 words
1.2: The Beginning2,978 words
1.3: Arrival2,521 words
1.4: Tampered Wings1,854 words
1.5: Regrets2,190 words
1.6: Forest of Sorrow1,849 words

1.4: Tampered Wings

Rainbow Dash soaked the cloth with warm water and squeezed the final drops into the sink. She made her way to the wheezing filly, her wings laying at a crooked angle. Scootaloo breathed heavily, squeezing her eyes in pain as each breath led to another stab of piercing pain. Rainbow Dash placed the warm cloth on to Scootaloo's forehead, covering her red scratched mark, which covered a portion of her body. Scootaloo winced in pain as the cloth sat, causing Rainbow Dash to sigh once more.

The dark room, lit only by a dim candle, smelled slightly sour, and was made mostly out of bright brown wood. A locked cellar door rested on the ceiling of the room, banging and scratching erupting from it. Moans and groans filled the small room, worrying Rainbow Dash to the point of sheer agony. Rainbow Dash never knew when the moment would come, the moment that the creatures would finally break down the door and eat both pegasi.

Scootaloo whimpered, some tears strolling down from her eyes to her cheeks. Rainbow Dash used her hoof to both serve for the tear and to calm down the scared filly. Rainbow Dash shushed her in a motherly tone, trying her best to keep her own composure as well. Scootaloo found the strength to open her eyes wide and look at the cyan coloured pegasus.

"Rainbow Dash, I'm scared," Scootaloo said. Rainbow Dash brushed Scootaloo's hair lightly, shushing her once more.

"Don't be. It'll be okay."

"What happens when the monsters come down the door?" At first, Rainbow Dash would have said that they wouldn't, and even if they did, Rainbow Dash would have protected her with her athleticism. However, the moment she realized that everything she thought was wrong, she decided to say nothing and continue to brush her hair. Rainbow Dash didn't like to lie, but at the time it felt necessary.

Rainbow Dash remembered the first day of the outbreak. Rainbow Dash thought she could have saved everypony, that it would be just like a parasprite spread. But it was an entirely different story the moment it happened. Ponies were eaten left and right, and there was absolutely nothing that she could have done. She felt powerless, stripped of her abilities, almost as if she was frozen, and she couldn't move.

The banging and scratching grew worse as every second ticked. Rainbow Dash stared at the cellar door, sweating much more than she has ever sweat, including her usual athletic activities. As every moment passed, as every breath coming from the filly erupted from her mouth, the more unsure Rainbow Dash became. A small opening cracked open in the cellar door, some light invading the dark room. Rainbow Dash gasped, immediately holding Scootaloo. Scootaloo started to breath heavier, before being calmed down by the cyan coloured pegasus.

Rainbow Dash grabbed the shovel with her free hoof, waiting for the worst to come. The hole only grew bigger and bigger, before a bloody gray hoof eventually bursted through the door, nabbing at nothing. Scootaloo screamed at the top of her lungs, while being shielded by Rainbow Dash.

"Don't worry! I'll get 'em!" Rainbow Dash left the fearful filly and ran to the cellar door, swinging her shovel wildly. She sliced the hoof away, blood spraying on to the pegasi's face, and the zombie's hoof laying on the cold wooden floor. Another hoof tried to get through before being sliced. The hole in the door became just big enough for the muzzles of foaming creatures to fit. Sharp, thrashing teeth bit at Rainbow Dash's shovel, with Rainbow Dash trying to avoid the vicious bites. One set of teeth clamped on to the shovel, and didn't let go. Rainbow Dash waved the shovel left and right, before ripping out the set of teeth from the creature. Rainbow Dash looked at the set of teeth for a moment, before grabbing it off the shovel and continued swinging.

By then, the hole had grown increasingly bigger, enough for three heads to fit at one time. Rainbow Dash knew the shovel would not last long; it was a very old shovel that was used for mining in caves, and the very fact that it was about to break drove Rainbow Dash to the mental brink. The end of the shovel where the metal stuck snapped into two, causing Rainbow Dash to fall to the floor, with only the stick and nothing else. She crawled backwards, realizing the horrible fate that had befallen her; she was about to die, and she could not do anything about it.

As her fate dawned on her, Rainbow Dash looked at the scared filly that was laying there in the makeshift bed for the very last time. She crawled over to Scootaloo and hugged her. Scootaloo sniffled.

"Are we gonna die?" She asked.

"I am so sorry," Rainbow Dash replied, tugging the filly tightly. As the screeching and moans grew louder, Rainbow Dash clamped her eyes shut, and awaited her death. But nothing came of the sort. Instead, only the sound of clanging knives and invasion of dead skin filled the room. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked at the sight. Rainbow Dash immediately felt okay at the sight of her old pink friend.

Pinkie Pie was always described as crazy, but Rainbow Dash accepted her craziness at the time of dire need. Pinkie Pie used two daggers in each hoove, stabbing the ponies faces and intruding their hearts. She flew daggers across the room, pinning a zombie to the wall, immediately ending it's afterlife. She hoove-kicked and punched zombies out of the way, making them tumble into each other, giving her the advantage of killing them one by one. Time went by, as wave after wave of zombies invaded the room, but never visually giving the crazy pink pony any fatigue of any sorts.

At last, the last zombie stood in the corner, waiting for the time to strike. Pinkie Pie stared at the zombie with determination and anticipation. The zombie screeched and charged at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie dodged the zombie's bite and sank her knife into the zombie's heart. The zombie moaned and fell to the floor. Pinkie ripped the body open, blood spilling out of it. The zombie attempted to move, before a dagger pierced through it's brain, stopping it's movements. At last, the zombie was dead, and Pinkie Pie sheathed the bloody knifes back into her pockets. Rainbow Dash stood in awe of what became of her friend. Pinkie Pie was crazy, but she never mentioned taking training of combat before, which scared Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie Pie turned around and smiled at the two sitting ponies. She started jumping in glee and squealed in delight.

"Yay, that was fun! I mean, I just stabbed a zombie in the face, ripped open it's body, which was filled with red stuff and guts, and finally, dodging a zombie then killed it! It was the most fun I've had all day!" Pinkie Pie squealed, making the two pegasi uncomfortable. Pinkie Pie looked at Scootaloo, with instant worry.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright, Scoots?" Pinkie Pie inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good! Even though you're feeling okey-doky-lokiely good, me and Fluttershy have supplies for you!"

"Wait, Fluttershy's here too?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised to see that Fluttershy, timid and weak, happened to make the outbreak as well. Fluttershy poked her head down the cellar door, with a nervous expression.

"Um, is everything okay down here? I don't want to get eaten by those things," Fluttershy uttered quietly, scanning the amount of dead carcasses in the room before laying eyes on the pained filly. Fluttershy gasped and rushed down the staircase and fell to Scootaloo's bedside, opening her knapsack on her back to take out supplies. She took out a red medical kit and started treating Scootaloo's wounds. While she was doing that, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie shuffled to the other side of the room and talked.

"Where were you when the outbreak started?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We were still in Ponyville, looking for you guys. We didn't figure you would be in the cold icelands. It's so cold out here!" Pinkie Pie explained.

"That was the plan. We figured if we had a shelter in the midst of the ice, the zombies wouldn't follow us because it would be too cold! However, it just seems there's more zombies here than they were in Ponyville."

"Hey, we noticed that too! Everywhere we went, there was these swarms of dead ponies walking around like they own the place! Do you think it means anything? I mean, I'm not really sure, because I'm not an expert in zombies, which would've been really helpful, because then I would've known what to do and we could find a cure and then everything would've turned back to normal!" Rainbow Dash thought for a moment, then gasped.

"Wait a minute. I just had an idea!"

"What is it?"

"There's only one smart pony that we know right know, and that's Twilight! All we have to do is find her, and then we could fix up this mess!"

"But how are we gonna find her? I mean, the last time we saw her was when we were looking for Sweetie Belle, and that was it!"

"I know. I just don't know what else to do..." Rainbow Dash looked at Scootaloo. Fluttershy mended some bandages to her forehead, much to the pain of Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash frowned and drooped her head down.

"I almost lost Scootaloo because I wasn't strong enough. I thought I could protect her and save her with my strength. But I couldn't, and you guys had to bail me out of my failure. I mean, what does that tell me? That I'm not as strong as I used to be?" Pinkie Pie looked at Rainbow Dash and put a hoof on her shoulder.

"Rainbow, just because you weren't able to save Scootaloo on your own, doesn't mean you're a failure. It's just that you needed some help, that's all. Besides, nopony would've been able to shake off that many zombies on their own anyways, so don't let yourself get down for a mistake that anypony else would've made." Rainbow Dash took those words to account and decided that Pinkie Pie was right. Rainbow Dash hugged Pinkie Pie, and Pinkie Pie took the hug back.

"Thanks for helping me out back there," Rainbow Dash said.

"Anytime, Rainbow," Pinkie Pie replied.

"Anytime."

Author's Note:

I am COMPLETELY sorry that it took a while to create this chapter. I've been caught up with Christmas, New Years, and a bunch of other stuff. Anyways, I know this is relatively shorter than the other chapters, but I figured it would be a good way to start up the new story arch with the other half of the Mane Six.

Also, it was a handy way to get out of writing Zecora's dialogue.

"Give me a stick; Don't be a dick" Riffmaster

987 views