Infected Equestria

by PonyTom

Chapter 1 - Rarity's Despair

All in all, Rarity had had a good run. At least, that's what she liked to think.

She shut the door behind her and fastened the locks in place; so many locks on one door. It was something she and her friends had managed during the past three months; several fortified bunkers to try to remain safe, to have somewhere to rest, to escape from what was outside. She had been stuck there, alone, for the past week. There was enough food to last her a few months alone if she rationed them, which she was thankful for, but she knew it would likely not mean anything in mere moments.

Rarity had holed herself up in the Riches' rather large study; bookshelves lined the walls, a fine desk sat at one end of the room before a window (which had been painstakingly barricaded on both ends with bars and sheets of metal, with but a tiny little hole to allow ponies to peak out into the town), and a lovely rug that pulled everything together. Slowly, she made her way to the desk at the end of the room and took a seat, sighing to herself as she stared at the door across the room. Any moment, she thought, they will come. They will pound at that door mercilessly. It will hold for a while, and some might even lose interest, but eventually, one of them will break it down. She would be trapped. Sure, she might have a chance to escape, but to where? There were even more waiting outside.

She had run herself into a corner. She had taken a dumb risk, and now, she was paying the price.

Rarity looked at a drawer on the desk before her. Perhaps she secretly wanted this? By all means, she admitted to herself that there were probably many other things she could have done when they had discovered her. Twilight had taught her a simple flare spell to cast in case of emergency. Could she yet be saved?

Did she want to be saved?

Rarity bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut; she hadn't worn makeup in so long. For the first month, she had continued her beauty regimen under the belief that when they were saved, she wanted to be photogenic. She had stopped when she had to abandon her beauty products when they lost another hideout. She placed a hoof on a drawer, pulling it open. Her horn glowed, and a photo levitated before her. Rarity's eyes welled with tears as a hoof stroked the image before her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry I wasn't strong enough for you..." she said to the photo. "... I... I tried so hard... I tried to push it behind me. I tried so hard for you... every day, telling myself I lived for you. That I would live my life to honor yours..." She stared sadly, brokenhearted at the image as tears rolled down her cheeks. "But... every morning when I woke up... I would realize it was another day you didn't get to see... and every night... I wish... I wish so desperately that that it be a bad dream... that I would wake up the next day... and you would be there... even... even if I had to live this nightmare... it would be worth it if I could hear your voice... see your smile..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ONE MONTH EARLIER...~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ponyville was quiet.

Brightly colored homes and buildings stood silent and still, their colors seeming to have begun to fade, some windows being broken or barricaded, and some homes even being damaged beyond repair, houses that had burned long ago standing as little more than the charred skeletons of the town. The streets were littered with detritus and debris; turned over carts, shattered glass, splintered wood, and even bits of paper littered the street. The air, once filled with the sounds of birds chirping and bees buzzing, of fillies and colts playing and giggling, and of general pony life, was ghostly silent, with only the wind blowing through alleys and trees keeping it from being lost to total silence.

Shuffling hooves broke the silence.

A stallion moved slowly, clumsily about the street. And then a mare. And another, and so on. Several ponies milled about, aimlessly, disorderly, non-orchestrated, unthinking. Their bodies all showed varying stages of necrosis and starvation. They were not bunched together; indeed, it was as if they simply shuffled into the same place by accident. The creatures made little noise; the sound of heavy breaths emitted from their lungs, although their need for oxygen was questionable at best. They were the citizens of Ponyville; the life of the town of the dead.

"How many are there?"

"... I think six, but I saw another walk around a corner, so who knows how many are wedged within the alleys..."

Rarity groaned, shaking her head. "I can't believe this... you promised us that most of them had left this area alone! You said that you had lured them away and lost them! Rainbow Dash, I swear, if we get out of this alive, I will kill you!"

"Hey!" shout-whispered Rainbow Dash in reply, "I did, alright!? How was I supposed to know there'd be stragglers? Or that they'da turned around or... whatever? I thought I had been thorough!"

"Girls, certainly there'll be a better time for this, don't ya think?" The two mares turned to face a large red stallion who was staring out a window from between the barricades. "They don't know we're in here, an' I'd rather it stay that way until we can make a break for it if that's alright with you."

"Sorry Big Mac..." said Rarity with a sigh, shaking her head. "... I-I'm just a little on edge is all, after all, it was somepony's idea that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom come with us!"

Rainbow scowled. "Hey, it's been over a year and a half now. I know it sucks Rarity, but they're going to need to learn how to do this if we're going to live through this. With those fruit bats eating most of the apples, we're going to have to salvage more food from town while we figure out a way to deal with them."

"Yes, well, don't we have enough fruits and vegetables to last us a while?" Rarity looked inquisitively towards Big McIntosh, then smiled her most charming smile.

"Well..." Big Mac said, rubbing a hoof over the back of his mane. "... not... too much longer... I'm afraid that while some apple trees have been spared, we never know when the fruit bats'll come back. The apples and veggies we've got picked will last a couple days, maybe a week at best..."

"What?" Rarity stared in utter shock at the stallion. "B-but... what if the fruit bats don't return?"

"Then we get lucky" Big Mac nodded. "But our vegetables might still get pests; they're a little harder to deal with. We've gotta be sure to grab as much non-perishable produce as we can, otherwise we run the risk of starvin'."

"But don't we have a lot of soup in the cellar?" Rarity was panicking now, her fears beginning to mount. "What about all those canned goods in the cellar?"

Big Mac sighed. "We've got enough to last us another month... but split between us that's all we got... assumin' the worst doesn't happen." At the mere mention, the room fell silent. Everypony avoided one another's gaze, realizing what it meant; it was a reality they faced every day. That one day, one of them might not come back. One day, somepony might not survive.

In the next room, three fillies pressed their ears against the wall, listening to the conversation the older ponies were having. Scootaloo pulled back and frowned, looking to her fellow Crusaders. "Did you hear that? He says we're almost out of food!"

"What? No way, we've got enough for two months!" said Applebloom. "I mean, sure that ain't a lot, but I reckon it gives us plenty of time t' deal with the issue, don't ya think?" The two looked to Sweetie Belle and noticed her staring down at her hooves sadly. They both shared a frown and exchanged glances. "I reckon my brother an' sister have everything in hoof."

"Yeah!" whisper/shouted Scootaloo, crossing her forelegs. "And Rainbow Dash! They even brought us out here to teach us how to be as awesome as they are! How cool is that?" A small sniffle caught the fillies' attention, and they turned once more to Sweetie Belle, who had laid down on the floor and buried her face in her hooves. They looked towards one another, and then drew close to their friend.

"Sweetie Belle?" said Scootaloo, "Are you alright...?"

"No..." came her reply in a cracked voice. "I... I just want to go home... I want my parents... I don't want to do this anymore..." She began to quietly sob into the floor, her friends moving in close, laying at her sides and each putting a hoof over her back comfortingly, rubbing her back gently. Neither know what to say, and instead opted to let their company do the talking for now. "... I m... miss my mommy and daddy...."

"We know..." said Apple Bloom quietly. "... We're here for ya, Sweetie Belle..."

**********************

A yawn and a stretch. That's how she liked to begin her mornings. Rarity cuddled up with the pillow in her forelegs, nuzzling it lovingly. As the events of the previous night caught up to her memory, she realized she might be hugging her sister, and opened her eyes to see she was, indeed, hugging a pillow. Looking around, she noticed that it was now daylight outside, Big Mac was sleeping a short distance away, and sitting up, that the other two fillies were no longer in bed. Her heart began to race, fears running wild in her head. She quietly pulled herself away from her makeshift bedding, then made her way down the stairs. She almost cried out in relief when she saw the three crusaders staring out the window, and felt incredibly angry to see Rainbow Dash sleeping against the wall nearby.

"Girls?" she whispered, "What are you doing down here this early?" The fillies turned to look at Rarity, all of their faces the very image of worry and fear. Slowly, cautiously, Rarity approached, and looked out from between planks of wood. Rarity stepped back a few steps, and fell to her haunches, eyes wide and pupils as pinpricks. The other day, running away just seemed risky; now, it seemed downright impossible. She turned to the sleeping Rainbow Dash, feeling a powerful urge to strike her friend rise up; no, she might shout in response and that might give them away. Rarity instead opted to shake her friend vigorously, until Rainbow Dash sputtered and opened her eyes.

"Wha-huh? Who?" Rainbow brought her hooves up to her eyes and rubbed them, pulling them away and staring into the angry face of Rarity. "Rares...? What's up?"

"You fell asleep on watch duty is what's up!" whisper-shouted Rarity. "You forgot to wake me up!"

"Oh..." Rainbow smirked. "Sorry, I guess I kinda overestimated myself... no biggie though."

"No biggie? No biggie!?" Rarity was trying her hardest not to yell. "Look. Out. Side." Rainbow quirked a brow, slowly rose up and turned around to look out the window. She stared for a few seconds, then turned to face Rarity, frowning tightly. "Now, dear, tell me how many you saw."

"Lots" said Rainbow.

"Indeed. 'lots' about covers it. While you slept, we got surrounded."

"Well what would I have done if I was awake?" Rainbow Grimaced. "We're surrounded. It's not like I could have changed that!"

"No, but when more started moving in we might have been able to at least minimize the damage!" Rarity threw her hooves into the air. "Now, going outside would almost certainly be suicide!" Rainbow Dash bit her lip, looking once more out the window, then at the fillies. "We've got to wake Big Mac" said Rarity. "We've got to wake him and come up with a plan, lest we want to die in this hole."

******************

Big Mac stared out the window, jaw agape.

"Horseapples..."

"Big McIntosh!" gasped Rarity, "Language!"

"Sorry, Miss Rarity..." whispered Big Mac, eyes still glued to the sight before him. "There.... there's way too many of 'em... there's no way we'd be able to make it past all of 'em... we're even more trapped than we was b'fore..."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "Oh man... it could be days before they leave..."

"We don't have days!" Rarity grimaced, staring daggers at the window. "We have no food. We haven't eaten for two days, and if we go too long without food, when we finally do get a chance to flee - if we get the chance - then we'll be an easy meal for these things!"

The room fell quiet as Big Mac stared out the window. Sweetie hugged onto her sister tightly, Applebloom to her brother, and Scootaloo stood next to Rainbow Dash, totally not pressing against her side for comfort. The large stallion turned to look at the other ponies, then down to his sister, who stared up at him with big, scared eyes.

In those eyes, he saw what he had to do.

"... Girls... I... I'm gonna distract 'em. Lead 'em away from the house. When I do, you gotta run, ya hear me?"

"What!?" Rarity gasped.

"Are you nuts?" said Rainbow, grimacing. "Look, we can totally wait a few more days, it's no biggie. It'll suck, but I think we can make it."

"But what about the girls?" Big Mac put a hoof on his sister's head. "They'd be trapped here too... I'd rather they be somewhere relatively safe, somewhere with food. If it means riskin' my hide, it's worth it."

"Surely there's another way..." Rarity bit her lip, staring at Sweetie.

"Well, if you got any better ideas, then I'm listenin'. I'd rather not wait and risk that they just never leave, if it's all the same to you." Silence returned to him. "Right... so, here's my plan. I'm gonna run outside and draw their attention... then run like the dickens. You girls wait until they either clear our or leave a good opening. Once you see your window, I want you both to make a break for the farm if possible."

Rainbow Dash stepped before him. "But, what about you big fella?"

Big Mac grimaced. "I'll lead 'em away, try to give 'em the slip, and then find someplace to lay low until it's safe... until then, the girls take priority. Whatever you do, do your best to make sure they get back safe."

The mares exchanged glances, then nodded firmly to Big Mac. "Like you even need to ask" said Rainbow Dash.

"Indeed" Rarity smiled. "We'll protect them with our lives..." Big Mac smiled, then looked out the window. "... Well... best not wait for 'em to potentially group up more..."

"Big Mac, No!" Applebloom hugged her brother's leg tightly, staring up at him with sad eyes. "I don't want you to get hurt!"

The red stallion smiled and pulled his sister in for a hug. "I'll be alright, Applebloom... but I gotta make sure you're safe too..." He held her away, still smiling. "Promise me you'll be good for Rarity and Rainbow Dash?"

Applebloom frowned. "O-only if you promise to make it back safe..."

Big Mac stared at his sister. He knew in his heart it was not a promise he could guarantee he'd keep. He knew the risk he was taking, and that the odds were stacked against him. But he also knew she might never let him go if she knew that. So, he smiled, and nodded. "I promise." Applebloom regarded him with uncertain eyes, but then moved to hug him again, and he returned the gesture. Soon enough, she moved to her friends' sides, looking up at her brother with worry as he made his way to the door, picking up a club with his mouth that was laying in an umbrella stand with a few other odds and ends items.

"Big Mac?"

He turned to Rarity, who stared at him with concern. "... Be safe."

He simply smiled and nodded. "Eeyup." Turning to the door, he took a deep breath, turned the knob, and opened it, stepping outside and shutting it behind him.

"Hey! Y'all! Everypony, soup's on! Ya just gotta catch it!" Big Mac began to run and wind around various rotted ponies, who lunged and tumbled and fell over one another once they took notice. Some were faster than others, able to keep up with Big Mac, while some seemed to be struggling just to remain standing as they walked. The girls watched as many of them, save for the slowest, seemed to disappear after the stallion, leaving behind only a few stragglers.

"Alright" said Rarity with as much determination as she could muster. "Now!"

The door swung open again, and the girls rushed out of the house holding different tools for weapons - a croquet mallet for Rarity, a machete for Rainbow Dash, and each of the fillies had clubs themselves. Rainbow swung at each and every creature that stood in their way, cutting them down and throwing them to the side, and Rarity would club any that came too close afterwards. The group rushed forward, past shuffling corpses that struggled to follow.

As they ran, they naturally passed several more on the streets, milling about, but not as concentrated as the ones near the house. "Why do you think so many came to our hiding spot" shouted Rarity, "I thought we were perfectly quiet?"

"Maybe" said Rainbow with a sigh. "Maybe somepony else had also run through though, and lead them there? Also possible that something saw us and knew we were in that area somewhere and the rest just congregated around them!"

"There's somepony else in this town!?" Rarity was honestly surprised by the very idea; she had thought their little group was all that had survived.

"Maybe? I mean, Ponyville's small, but it's not so small that it's unthinkable several ponies could spend a year here without ever seeing each other!" Rainbow Dash grimaced a bit at her next thought. "And, to be honest, after all this time I really doubt we're the only place stricken by this particular issue! We always have to consider somepony might be traveling from town to town!" Rainbow stopped just long enough to swing her blade upside the face of an infected pony that began to reach for her, cutting him down.

As they ran, Rarity nearly fell over when Rainbow stopped suddenly and backpedaled behind a nearby wall, and the fillies followed suit. Rainbow peaked around the corner, then turned to face the others with a look of horror in her eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?" Rainbow gulped, looking back over the corner and then back to Rarity.

"There's... there's a good few of them here... and I think I could see a body..." Rarity gasped. She could tell by the look on Rainbow's face that they both had the same concern.

"I... Is it Big McIntosh...?" Was he that fast? Could he have had time to get that far ahead of them and become a meal?

"I can't tell..." Rainbow gave a peak around the corner once more, before returning again to her group. "... They're kind of milling around, hard to see... plus, they're kinda blocking our way. If it was just you and me, I'd say we'd be able to get through them easily, but with the fillies here it'd be too much of a risk..." The two older mares stared at each other, contemplating their next move.

"Big Mac or no..." began Rarity, "We have to keep the fillies safe... protect them. We'll go around... we'll come back later if we have to, but we must keep the girls safe first and foremost." Rainbow Dash nodded, giving one last look around the corner, and then turning about. The ponies moved away from that particular path, going into a nearby alley, allowing Rarity just the slightest peak at the carnage; several ponies leaning over a corpse. Her heart began to ache when she could have sworn she saw a red hoof sticking from the mass of hungry corpses. She did not want to consider having to tell everypony they might have lost Big Mac.

Quiet as can be, the group made their way through the alley, moving slowly to keep the noise down, and staying alert. As they neared a corner peaking out into the street, Rainbow signaled for the others to stop before peaking out. Rarity took this chance to look to the fillies; Applebloom and Scootaloo looked worried enough, but Sweetie Belle was clearly on the verge of crying. Rarity moved slowly to Sweetie and leaned down to her. "Sweetie, are you alright?" she whispered. "We're going to be okay, I promise..."

Sweetie Belle sniffled. "... I wanna go home Rarity..."

Rarity cooed and pressed a hoof to the filly's cheek. "Sweetie, I know... I want to to... but... but I can't just make this all go away..." The mare hugged onto her younger sister tightly, brushing her mane with a hoof. "... if I could... I would... but I promise you, I'll get you home safely..."

"If you're done, I think we got an opening..." Rarity turned to see Rainbow looking at her, a sad, sympathetic smile on her face. Rarity nodded in return and stood back up, trotting forward to peak around the corner. Indeed, there were a few of them, but they didn't seem to be paying attention. The ponies began to hurry across the street into another alley filled with garbage. The first thing Rarity noticed was a horrid smell, but she kept moving rather than look for the stink; she knew the smell well enough to guess what it was. What she didn't expect was for one of the fillies to find it.

Sweetie Belle let out a piercing shriek, and everypony turned to face her, wide-eyed and horrified as she pointed at a mutilated pony head sticking out from between trash bags; his face had been ripped off, exposing everything underneath, and his body was in a state of decomposition. Sweetie rushed to Rarity, crying loudly and hugging her tight, and Rarity began to pat and hug her, shushing.

Everypony tensed up when they heard a guttural yell, turning to see a pony standing where they had just come from. Her flesh was in an advanced state of necrosis, body emaciated, missing most of her hair. She began to stumble forward. Before anypony could act, more began to make their way into the alley.

"Run!"

Everypony turned and ran the other way as more began to pour into the alley way. Rarity scooped Sweetie onto her back, and Rainbow grabbed both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They rushed to the other end of the alley and almost fell over when they emerged to another area populated by a larger-than-usual mass of the infected. Ponies gnashed and bit at where they had once stood, hooves reaching forward and making grabs for them, the fillies screaming every once in a while in fear and terror. Rainbow swung her machete, slicing a pony that tried to rush her, and again to strike another that followed it. Rarity gasped when she felt a tug and heard Sweetie shout, seeing hooves on her sister, and swung her mallet, smacking the pony aside. The ponies hurried, carving their way through the horde, trying to find reprieve, and emerging into an alley and continuing their running.

"We have to find a way to lose them!" shouted Rainbow. The ponies looked about frantically, then Rarity saw their salvation, she tugged on Rainbow's tail, who looked back, and Rarity pointed towards a familiar sight; one Sugarcube Corner.

"We'll run in there, go into the basement, and flee from the cellar!"

"Awesome idea!"

With that, the ponies made their way to the abandoned confectionery, opening the door and slamming it shut behind them, making sure to lock the doors. Most of the place had been picked clean already; shelves were bare, walls were dirty, and even ingredients had been taken to be used elsewhere. Quickly, the group hurried into the basement, hearing ponies slam into the door. Rarity knew it was only a matter of time before they broke it down, and lamented that this was not one of the places they had taken the time to secure as a safe zone. Shutting the basement door, they rushed for the cellar exit, throwing it open and stepping out, shutting it back behind them.

Everypony stopped to breathe, looking around; out front, they could hear ponies screaming and yelling, the sound of the door finally breaking down... so they quickly continued their mad dash. It was painful, but hopefully that would leave their pursuers confused and lost. As they trotted through the gardens of various houses, they would occasionally have to knock an infected out, but fortunately they didn't come across any groups. Eventually, they came upon a house. The girls opened the door and sidled inside, deciding they needed a break before making the last stretch. Shutting and locking it behind them, Rainbow trotted to a nearby window, peaking outside to see a familiar sight, and grinning confidently.

"We're almost home free! The trail to Sweet Apple Acres is just right there..."

"Excellent, I'm getting rather tired of running..." Rarity huffed, shaking her head. "I've almost lost Sweetie Belle a few times... how are you holding up, Sweetie?" Rarity's younger sibling simply responded with a nod against her back. "Sweetie? Are you feeling alright?" Rarity lifted her sister from her back with her magic, and levitated her before her. Sweetie seemed very tired and weak, and was losing color. "Oh my..." The fashionista placed a hoof against her sister's head to find that she was surprisingly warm. "Oh my! Sweetie, you've got a... a .... fever..." Rarity's eyes widened in shock. Quickly, she rotated Sweetie around to look her over, and the problem became clear to her immediately.

A large bite mark was on the little filly's back.

Rarity slowly turned Sweetie to face her again, staring her sister in the eyes. "No..." She shook her head, staring up at Sweetie, whose own gaze was so tired, barely even there. "No... oh no... no, no not my Sweetie..." Rarity pulled Sweetie close and hugged her tight, making sure to not pressure her injury. "Nononono..."

"Rarity..." said Sweetie weakly. "... I'm so hot... and sleepy... and hungry..."

"No no no no!" Rarity whimpered and pressed her face into her sister's mane. "No no no no no..." Scootaloo and Applebloom stared with wide eyes, tears welling up, although only Applebloom openly whimpered. Rainbow Dash had a hoof over her own muzzle, trying to hold back any emotional response, but her own eyes glistened as well.

"No!" Rarity's expression became determined. "No, we're going to get you back to the farm! I promised you I would, and I will!" She stood up, placing her sister on her back. Rainbow Dash immediately confronted her, however.

"Rares... I know this is tough, but we-"

"No it's not" interrupted Rarity. "It's the easiest thing in the world. I'm going to take Sweetie Belle back to the farm, we'll get in touch with Twilight, and she'll make sure Sweetie doesn't turn. She has twenty four hours, if I recall?"

"At most" Rainbow grimaced, looking sympathetically at her friend, then to the filly on her back; indeed, Sweetie seemed to be barely there. She didn't have the heart to tell her that the filly likely didn't have anywhere near that long. She didn't know what to say. She had no siblings of her own. She couldn't even begin to fathom what Rarity was going through right now. Rainbow turned to see Scootaloo comforting Applebloom, who hugged and sobbed against her friend. That pegasus filly was the closest thing she had to family right now; would she do the same thing?

"Rares..." Rainbow took a breath and sighed. "... I'm sorry... but... Twilight's told us she can't do that... remember? That's how we lost Granny Smith... how we lost the Cakes... she can't stop the infection once it's been placed..."

"You don't know that!" shouted Rarity, her eyes desperate, begging Rainbow to let her have her fantasy. "She's been holed up in that hospital for months now doing research! M-maybe she found something!? Maybe she's got a cure!?"

"Rares.." the rainbow-maned pegasus closed her eyes tight and shook her head. "... If Twilight had a cure, don't you think she'd have told us by now?"

Rarity bit her lip, staring at her friend. ".. But... but we've been trapped in that house for-"

"Yes..." Rainbow Dash looked to the filly again. "... But... we've never heard word... we've never gotten any messages... it might be months... years even before anything comes of that... and it may never happen..."

"Rarity?"

The voice was tired and weak, but it seemed to be the loudest. Rarity levitated her sister off her back and looked into those tired, glazed eyes. "What is it, Sweetie?"

Sweetie Belle smiled tiredly. "... I... I love you..."

Rarity's eyes began to well and glisten. She looked past her sister at Rainbow Dash, whose own torn expression was betrayed by tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked up to her sister again. "... I... I love you too, Sweetie..."

Sweetie Belle simply nodded. "... I'm tired..."

The elder sister choked a bit, staring at her sister, her heart falling apart at the seems. She wanted so desperately to save her. She wanted so horribly to stop this. To take it away. To take it herself if she could. But as she looked at her sister, she could deny it no more. The light in her eyes was fading fast.

"24 hours at best..." Rarity said to herself, gulping as she recited the rest of what she knew. "... Five minutes at worst... with foals being unlikely... to make it past half a day..." There it was. The truth she denied to herself, written plain as day. Her sister wasn't even fortunate enough to have that half a day. Rarity stared upon the filly who seemed to be clinging to only a thread of consciousness. She was lost. It was not long now before she would enter the death state, from which she would revive an undetermined period of time later.

Either way, she was lost.

Rarity looked to her friend, and to her sister's friends, then back to Sweetie. "... I... I know Sweetie... d-don't worry... I'll put you to bed..." Rarity sat her sister on her back, gently, and began to trot up a nearby staircase. Everypony followed her quietly, until they reached an empty bedroom, letting her and her sister be alone as she stepped inside and lay her sister on the bed.

"Rarity...?"

The elder sister bit her lip, her voice cracking a bit. "Yes, Sweetie?"

Sweetie Belle smiled tiredly. "Thank you... for being the best sister ever..." Rarity's heart sank as she stared at the filly.

"Impossible..." she smiled a sad smile. "... For Sweetie... you're the... the best sister ever..."

Sweetie Belle almost seemed surprised, but smiled more. "... You mean it?"

"Yes..."

Sweetie giggled tiredly. "Thanks... R... ari...."

And then, Sweetie fell still, and a sigh left her. That smile still on her face, those eyes staring at her sister. But those eyes, those sweet, innocent eyes, no longer bore life. Rarity stared at the filly, before laying her head over her and breaking down, sobbing over her sister. Everypony stepped into the room, and Rainbow Dash placed a hoof over Rarity's withers, stroking her back some. The crusaders approached the other side of the bed and stared at their friend, and both began to sob openly over their lost friend.

Rarity knew in her heart that she had lost her purpose, her reason for being.

There was nothing in this world worth saving for her anymore.

Several minutes had passed before Rainbow Dash had found the will to speak. "... Do you want to...?"

"No..." said Rarity with a sad croak. "... I... I can't do it..."

Rainbow Dash frowned. "Want me to...?" Rarity just shook her head, and Rainbow frowned. "... You can't save her, Rarity..."

"I know..." Rarity sniffled. "... But... but I can't... but... I'm the one who should..." She turned to face Rainbow Dash, her eyes wet and puffy. "... I'll... I'll do it... j... just go down stairs and wait for me..." Rarity opened her saddlebag and pulled from it a simple pocket knife. Rainbow Dash stared at it and nodded solemnly, and began to usher the other fillies out of the room. Rarity turned to her sister, her lip quivering.

"I'm... I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle..." she whispered. "... You deserved better..."

*******************

After several minutes of waiting, Rainbow's ear twitched at the sound of a door shutting upstairs, followed by the sounds of hurried creaks as Rarity came down. "Let's leave this awful place." Rainbow Dash simply nodded to her, then turned to the fillies. "Girls, you can ride my back back to the Acres." The two foals nodded, climbing onto Rainbow Dash's back. All of them gave one last look into the house as they left, leaving behind their friend.

Inside the house, up those stairs, behind that door in that tiny bedroom, a filly lay in the bed, no life to be had in her. Nearby was a note, stuck to a wall by a knife.

To whom it may concern.

The filly in this room's name is Sweetie Belle. She was once a sweet, loving foal with great dreams and a wonderful heart. If it has been your misfortune to have to end her misery where her sister failed, please know you have my thanks as well as my despair for ending her suffering.

For I am too much of a coward to do it myself.

~ Rarity

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESENT DAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rarity stared at the photo of her and her family they had taken during a trip, her hoof brushing over it. She had lost them all, but her purpose truly died when she lost Sweetie Belle. Not a day went by where she wasn't haunted by the knowledge that her sister probably revived and, to this day, was locked up in that small room. She had never told any of her friends, and none of them had said anything, so she could only hope none of them happened upon the proof of her cowardice. She had promised that one day she would return and give Sweetie the rest she deserved, but deep in her heart, she knew she never could. Even if it wasn't her sister anymore, she could never bring her harm again.

"I'm a failure..." she whimpered to herself.

No. Rarity would not run. Not anymore. She was tired. She was weak. She was exhausted. All the running, all the killing, all the salvaging to survive... for what? To do it again the very next day? To do that until the day she died? What was the long term goal? To see another day where she'd try to survive to see another day where she'd try to survive?

It was all too much.

Rarity let her eyes wander to another drawer in the desk she sat at. A drawer with something in it that was only to be used in a dire situation where one felt escape was impossible. A drawer that she now saw as her only salvation. Her horn glowed and pulled it open, and slowly levitated a small bottle out. She choked as she stared upon it.

"I'm so sorry, Sweetie Belle..." she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. "... I've failed you yet again... but I can't do it anymore..." She choked again and sniffed. "... I hope you can forgive me... and I hope... I hope that we meet again soon..." Her magic popped the top of the bottle open and cast it aside. Looking inside, she saw several tiny pills; pills that, if taken in small doses, worked to relax and calm a pony.

She didn't want to be relaxed.

She took the bottle and tipped her head back, pouring several pills into her mouth. She swallowed them, grimacing at the bitter taste they left and the discomfort of them all running down her throat without a drink to smooth the transition. It wouldn't matter soon enough. Not a moment too soon, she heard the doors in another room break open; they had finally breached the place. It wouldn't be long before they found her. With some luck, maybe the chemicals will remain in her body and poison any of them that eats her?

She smiled as she felt the drugs kick in, taking the edge off. Slowly, her energy began to fade and disappear, and she made her way to a nearby couch and lay down on it. Soon, it would be over. Soon she would leave this nightmare behind and be at peace. Soon, she could be with her sister again. Rarity slowly closed her eyes as she felt the world fade away, a smile on her face.

"You..." she said to herself quietly. "... are the best sister ever... Sweetie Belle..."

Then, silence.

......

......

.......

"RARITY!!"

"Sweetie Belle!?"

Rarity jumped up, eyes bulging, and immediately began to vomit; the pills she had taken spilling onto the floor. She coughed and sputtered, looking around, body shaking, vision blurry. "Sweetie Belle!? I'm here Sweetie! Where are you!?"

"Rarity! Oh thank goodness Rarity!"

She felt somepony hug her tightly; somepony way too big to be her little sister. As her focus returned, she realized she was being hugged by none other than Rainbow Dash. "I heard Sweetie Belle! Where is Sweetie Belle!?"

Rainbow Dash pulled away, staring angrily at her friend. "What the hell, Rarity!?" She brought a hoof across her face, slapping Rarity hard - much to the mare's surprise as she knew Rainbow Dash usually preferred full-out punching, and even the slap felt halfhearted. As she began to regain her grasp of reality, she saw the cyan mare's eyes glistening and wet with tears, and her voice cracked when she spoke. "What the hell is wrong with you!? Why would you do that to yourself!?"

Rarity shook her head, eyes wide. "... I... I thought I heard... I thought they were going to..."

Rainbow Dash, however, hugged onto her friend again, very tight. "Rarity, you scared the hell out of me..." her voice cracked as she soaked the marshmallow mare with tears. Rarity was completely at a loss for words, and put her hooves around Rainbow Dash, returning the hug. At first, halfheartedly, but then she realized that Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, was crying. She was crying that she had almost... almost...

Rarity's heart sank. "... Wh... what was I thinking...?"

She returned the hug as tight as she could (though she was still quite weak) and felt her own eyes well up with tears as she buried her face into her friend's neck and sobbed. She wanted to say so much; to apologize for Sweetie, to apologize to Rainbow for what she had nearly done, and to ask how she had gotten past the hordes outside, but she couldn't. All she could do was cry into her friend as she realized everything. Rarity had nearly given her friends the same grief she now struggled with. She had been so selfish in this moment of weakness that she nearly lay her own death on their heads just to get it over with.

But no. She wouldn't say anything. She didn't need to at the moment. At the moment, she simply needed to know somepony cared. She needed somepony to cry on. She needed a reminder that life was worth living.

And now she realized that so long as any of her friends yet lived, she had something to live for.

Author's Note:

Yeah, I had this in my head a while, had to get it out there. Hope you enjoy!

Comments

[Thorai]

Now this really looks promising so far, can't wait to read more!

One thing, tho... maybe I just missed it, but what about the pegasi? Can they still fly - and if not, why doesn't Rainbow lead the 'Zomponies' away, just staying in the air?

[PonyTom]

3977267

I intend to get to that. But one thing at a time - if I explained it all away at the begining you'd have no reason to keep reading!

[A7X Camerooni]

You Sir/Ma'am are an amazing author. My words cannot stress how much I love this story; the style, the feels, the way you wrote Rarity's guilt (especially the part with the letter and Sweetie), were all very amazing. Keep up your amazing work