They Wait in the Dark
Chapter 1
A Few Days Prior
The sun was shining brightly. No clouds were in the sky, leaving a flawless blue space. This would perfect day to be outside. It was fairly cool, a light breeze gracing the area of Ponyville. The occupants could be seen, many moving with a happy demeanor. Little colts and fillies ran amok, playing with their friends. The older ponies, if not attending to business matters, enjoyed the mild weather. Some were on park benches, reading books, others nestled on blankets, indulging in picnics.
Not only did the ponies enjoy the pleasant day, but the animals as well. Birds flew through the park, singing beautiful melodies and swansongs. Rabbits bounded around, searching for tasty things to munch on. The day was seemingly perfect, like so many days before in Equestria.
If only things were as they seemed.
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Near the outer borders of the town, a house stood, alone. It had a menacing look, even if the sun shined merrily on the structure. It was painted black and a shade of dark grey, and every window had shutters closed tightly. The gloomy house was the home of one of Canterlot’s best scientists, Professor Sanative Averys, a red unicorn with golden mane. Averys was there to conduct medical experiments to find cures for the incurable. Of course, science has its risks. She was a brilliant scientist and doctor, but even the brilliant require some help.
Averys had an assistant. A young mare by the name Carrie Hadfield, who was a white earth pony with dirt brown mane helped and assisted with her studies and patients, even if she was ignorant to the Professor's true intentions.. One of her jobs was escorting patients to and from the Professor’s house. One particular patient was a rare medical case, which truly intrigued the Professor.
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“How do you feel Mr. Neighless?” The Professor said. She was speaking to a large green colt, which, at first glance, looked as if he was starving himself. He pushed some of his black hair out of his face, and sighed.
“Still the same. I haven’t had an appetite in two weeks. It’s awful having to feed through this nutrient tube.” He said, his tone severely depressing. The sound of his voice would wilt even the proudest sunflower in broad daylight. The mare smiled.
"Good, because I think I have a breakthrough." The mare left the colt's side and fetched a syringe from a cabinet. She smiled in glee. "This serum, if it should work, will restore your appetite." She made some double checks, making sure everything was in order. They both sat in silence for a few moments.
“Well? Are you going to give it to me?” The colt asked, seeming anxious. Averys nodded.
“I will, but it’s highly risky using non-approved medicine. Especially one that hasn’t been tested first.” At the words the colt stomped a hoof.
“I don’t care about the risks! If it’ll help, I WANT IT!” He demanded, looking almost psychotic. The Professor shrugged.
“Ok, but forcing me to do this means you understand and accept any side effects. Understand?” The colt nodded anxiously. Aveys sighed. “Let’s get this over with.” Drawing up a cotton swab with her magic, she soaked it in rubbing alcohol. “Just let me clean the injection site. She rubbed the upper part of his left forearm, decontaminating it. She then readied the syringe.
“Alright, I’m applying it now.” As soon as she sated it, she put the needle past his fur and rested the tip on his flesh. Piercing the skin, the tip of the needle entered his body. She pressed down on the leaver, releasing the experimental liquid into him. She took it back out, and quickly applied a bandage to it. “The bandage isn't all that necessary, but it’ll help keep it from getting infected.” Averys turned around and put the needle in the proper disposal bin.
"Carrie!" She shouted. "Where is that girl?" From the next room a voice resonated, reverberating off the walls.
"I'm here! Sorry Professor!" The assistant shouted, bursting into the Medical room. The mare began to fix her mane, which was wild. Averys rolled her eyes.
"Could you please escort Mr. Neighless back to his house? And did you fal asleep again?" She demanded.
"I'm sorry Professor! You had me working until dawn! I'm your assistant, not your apprentice." Carrie walked to the colt, ofering her arm. "Shall we leave sir?" He smiled feebly, and stood up, taking her arm.
"Thank you miss. You always lift my spirits." He said, and Carrie giggled.
"Aright, let's go sir." The young mare and the patient exited the Medical room, leaving the Professor alone. she clapped her hooves together.
"The serum looks promising." She began, talking to herself. "I think we may have finally cracked Mr. Neighless's case." Averys said, levitating a clip board and looking over a list. "Now...who's the next patient today?"
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The day had progressed. The glory and splendor of the beautiful morning was replaced by the swift and inevitable approach of night. The sun, hanging low in the sky, still fought to keep its rays shining over the land. Even though it was another perfect day in Ponyville, something awful happened. A terrible horror was about to be released.
Professor Averys and Miss Hatfield sat together, discussing the day. The talked about how good the weather was, wen over notes for all the patients they saw that day.
"So how do you think Mr. Neighless I coming along?" The Professor asked, sipping tea from a china cup.The younger mare yawned, flipping through papers.
"He seemed to be doing better today. I could have sworn it was him that i saw eating plate after plate of food in Sugercube Corner. I guess he likes cake." Averys laughed.
"If I hadn't ate anything solid for two weeks, I'd be tearing up cake. Although something more nutritious wouldn't hurt." The Professor said with a curt smile.
"I doubt well have any more problems with his case." Carrie said. Only casual sounds, such as the of shuffling of paper and sipping of a drink.
A loud and frantic knock at the door caused both mares to jump to their feet, startling them.
"What is that, someone slamming a cockatrice against the door?" Carrie exclaimed. She ran to the door, where the knocking continued. She skidded to a halt and opened the oak door, and in fell Mr. Neighless. Carrie caught him, and helped him to his feet.
"Mr. Neighless? We were just discussing you. What seems to be the prob-" the Professor began and then stopped dead., eyes wide. Looking at the colt, he seemed worse off than before. He didn't have the vacant and gloomy look he possessed the past two weeks,. It was instead replaced by one of pure terror. Another feature greatly disturbed Averys, shaking her foundations. Blood. He was stained with blood. Mostly it was around his muzzle, and on his forelegs. "What happened to you?" She demanded. The col groaned.
"Please, I need help! i'm in so much pain!" He shouted, barely able to stand. The Professor hesitated, and then shook her head.
"C'mon Carrie, let's get him to the Medical room. Now!" She barked the order. Struggling under the weight of the heaver pony, Carrie managed to help the distressed colt down the hall and through the Medical room doors. Averys assisted with her magic, levitating him onto a metal bed.
"Hook him up to an IV and the heart monitor. I want to see if this has anything to do with the serum." the Professor demanded, and Carrie obeyed without question. Applying and IV into the colt's right foreleg and attaching the heart monitor's sensor to him, Averys walked up to his side. His eyes were squinted, pain coursing through his body. He moaned and groaned, unable to stay completely still. Averys took ahold of the colt's right hoof.
"Tell me how you feel." She asked, beginning with the obvious question first. He opened his eyes and looked at her.
"I already told you, I'M IN PAIN!!" He shouted, and Carrie finished setting up the monitor. It clicked on, but nothing happened. Aveys didn't notice it yet, but Carrie did right away.
"Umm...Professor?" the assistant said. Averys paid no mind to her.
"What happened to you? Were you attacked?" She inquired. The colt shook his head.
"No! I..ate." He said, quietly. Averys stared at him, daring to continue her questions.
"What did you eat exactly?" She said in a stern tone. The colt in question gulped, and spoke in a shaky voice.
"Everything....anything....I couldn't stop feeding on things. Food wan't helping, so I thought that if i ate...something else...it might stop it. But it only made it worse. I was sweating so much afterwards, and then this pain!" He screamed, beginning to shake his body. Averys held his arms down, or at least tried to, and attempted to calm him down.
"You need to calm yourself Mr. Neighless!" she shouted at him. Carrie stood there, still mortified by the monitor.
"Professor?" She said in a sterner voice. Averys still ignored her, trying to keep the colt calm. Huffing, Carrie walked over to the Professor and smacked her.
"When I say, "Professor", I should get a damn response!" She yelled at Averys. The unicorn glared at the younger mare.
"Carrie, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?' She spat back. The earth pony, on the verge of cracking skulls, pointed at the monitor.
"Look. It's not working. Either the machine is broken or the impossible is happening." Averys stared at the screen.
"It's broken. Just let me check his pulse then." she said, passing off the faulty tech with a wave. taking a wristwatch, she placed her hoof to the patient's neck and started to count the pulses between seconds. Two seconds passed...then five seconds...then ten seconds...forty-five...and then, after a full minute, she stopped. She took a step back, and stared at him.
"That's not possible." She said softly. Utilizing a stethoscope that was ever so conveniently around her neck. She put it to his chest, and listened for a heartbeat. She tried her hardest, but to no avail. The colt had no heartbeat, no pulse, yet he was before them.
"'It's not possible..." Averys repeated herself. "You don't have a heartbeat...you can't be like this...it's not possible." She stood there, mortified. She hadn't noticed that Mr. Neighless fell silent, eyes closed, twitching. "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" She shouted. Suddenly, the colt stopped twitching. His eyes snapped open, and he lunged at Averys. He grabbed a hold of her, and dug his teeth into her neck. She screamed. And not just in anguish. It was a bloodcurdling shriek that could shatter glass, and strike fear into Death itself.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The sound of Averys's voice petrified Carrie. The colt pulled back, and tore off a massive chunk of her neck. She fell back, and landed on the cold ground with a loud smack. Blood flowed in a puddle from the open wound. The younger mare stood there, unable to move. Averys slowly moved, and looked at Carrie with pitiful eyes.
"Run." The Professor said in a raspy voice. She coughed up blood, causing more crimson to spatter on the floor. She still did nothing but stand there. The colt began to move off the metal bed. "RUN!" She screamed at Carrie. The younger mare took a few steps back, and ran into a table. She hit it, causing medical tools to fly into the air, scattering among the floor. The colt, now on his hooves, stared at her. His eyes were no longer the blue they once were. They had become black, and bloodshot. He opened his mouth, and some excess blood from the Professor dripped from inside his maw. Carrie slowly stepped back, unable to break her stare with him. Averys coughed again, and raised her head.
"RUN ALREADY DAMN IT!!" She screamed, calling both Carrie and Mr. Neighless's attention. Finally, she turned tail and ran. She sprinted for the Medical room doorway. Once such a short distance seemed like minutes as she attempted to escape the horror. She dared not look back, for she feared she wouldn't be able to move again.
Finally reaching the metal doors, she pushed her way through, leaving them swinging be hind. Carrie stopped, and looked back.
"That won't keep him in there!" She looked around, searching for something, anything. As she glanced around, something caught her eye. "The broom!" She quickly grabbed a hold of it, and slid the handle between the two door handles. Sighing, she stepped back and sat down. She was shaky, and breathing heavily. From the other side, she heard scraping and squishing noises. Every now and then, a moan was uttered from the other side.
"I'm sorry Professor...You didn't deserve this..." Carrie said, mourning for her friend. She wept, adding her sounds to the occasional ones from the barricade Medical room.
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Carrie did not sleep. Night had passed, and a new day began, bright and sunny as the last. She sat there in silence, sleep deprived. The noise in the other room had stopped long ago, leaving a strange and eerie mood. Just as the mare was about to fall over to let sleep claim her, a loud knock came from the door. She bolted up, and looked at the front door. Silence. Then a second knock sounded. Carrie jumped to her hooves, and tentatively walked to the door. Reaching it, she slowly opened it.
"Hello?" She asked, almost in a whisper. She caught sight of three ponies in gold armor.
"Open in the name of the Princesses!' A Royal Guard, unicorn, said in a commanding voice. Gulping, she puled the door open.
"How may I be of assistance?" She asked, still a bit shaky. The Guard that spoke talked again.
"We come upon behalf of the Princesses. They have ordered to conduct an inspection to see if it would still be necessary to continue her research here in Ponyville. Let us in, miss." He ordered. Carrie looked confused.
"Expiriments? She's a medicinal doctor, she only seldom worked on anything." The guard shrugged.
"I would very much like to get this over with. Let us pass." He said again in his stern voice. A look of panic came across her face.
"No! You can't, the Professor is sick! She is unable to see anypony!' she said, attempting to make them leave.
"I'm sorry, but it's the Princesses's orders." He and the other two ponies pushed past Carrie and entered the dark house. "Where is the Professor?" He asked.
"She's in the Medical room, but like I said earlier, she's sick! You cant disturb her." She said, attempting to preventing them from progressing further inside. They came to the end of the hallway, and the lead stared at the door.
"Why is the door barred? Cur! You two, take hold of her. You will be held responsible should any harm have befallen the Professor." As he said this, Carrie got in between the Guard and the Medical room door.
"Don't open the door! You'll let them out!" She said, trying with all her might not to collapse. The unicorn glared at her.
"Move out of my way." He said, coldly. The two other Guards grabbed a hold of Carrie. The Guard removed the broomstick from the door handles and pushed his way inside. The room which was once bright and almost always the Professor's domain was now dark. The light was off, for somepony, or something, broke it. Medical tools were scattered among the floor from Carrie during her escape. Since the lighting was poor, the unicorn lit up the room. The light from his horn didn't reach far, but what he saw wasn't very far. A few feet away stood the Professor, staring at him with black and bloodshot eyes. He jumped, and regained his posture.
"Professor! You scared the life out of me. Are you alright? Did your assistant...Celestia, what happened to your neck?" He asked the Ex-Averys, who only stared back. The bite that Mr. Neighless took out of her had quickly festers and turned black. She took a step forward, and so did the Guard. "Here, let me help you. Let me just find a bandage-" He was cut short. The colt Neighless had sneaked up on him, and tackled the Guard. "Hey! It's alright! I'm here to help!" the clueless unicorn said, trying to get the colt off him. What came next stunned him. Neighless bit down on the Guard's unprotected leg, and ruptured skin.
"AHH! Get off me!! Help!!!" He shouted for the other two Guards. Out in the hallway, they let go of Carrie and rushed into the room.
"Don't go in there! It's too late for him!" She futilely screamed after them. The other two colts burst into the room, and saw Neighless ripping skin and fur from the unicorn's leg.
"Get him off me!!" He screamed at his comrades. They hastily ran to them, grabbing a hold of the raged colt. Instead of focusing on his meal, he whipped his head back, and attempted to bit the other Guards. Surprised, they let him go and hesitated. He lunged forward, and sunk his teeth into the neck of the nearest Guard. He screamed, and his shrieks soon were gargled as blood flowed into his airway. The last Guard drew up a crossbow he brought and fired it at Neighless's leg. He stumbled, and began to move towards the remaining colt.
"Stay away! I don't want to hurt you! We were trying to help!" He shouted at the ex-colt, a tear escaping from his eyes. He kept stepping back, and bumped into something. Averys. He whipped around, and then cowered in fear. "We were just trying to help..."
A horrifying scream escaped from the Medical room, but Carrie had already made it out the front door. She ran onto the wooded porch, leaped down the stairs, and tripped. She fell down the rest of the way and landed in the dirt. She got back on her hooves, and ran towards the town. She didn't look back. She dare not....
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Back at the house, the front door was left cracked. A rasping sound came from behind as it was slowly opened. It creaked the whole way, till it was completely open. What was once the kind Mr. Neighless slowly shuffled out the door, and paused on the porch. It smelled the air, and then snarled. It smelled meat. Fresh meat. Behind him, the ex-Professor made its way out the door, also pausing and smelling the air. After a moment of standing there, they began to walk down the stairs.
The true horror had begun.
They Wait in the Dark
Chapter 2
The Stench of the Dead
Another beautiful day shined. Ponies were outside, enjoying the fair weather once again. They went along their business, everything flowing like clockwork. As the day prior, the ponies had picnics, frolicked in fields of green, and swam in the lake. It was yet another perfect day in Ponyville.
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Fluttershy walked through the park, wearing the gentle smile she usually bore. The birds once more sung songs in the cool air. A few of the animals enjoying themselves stopped to watch their kind friend walk by. A bunny here and there decided to follow the mare, bouncing behind.
"Oh how are you doing today?" She asked, pausing and bending down to one of the rabbits. It made a few squeaking sounds, as if talking to her. "No, I'm sorry. I haven't seen your brother today. Are you sure he didn't just sleep in?" As she spoke, the rabbit rolled its eyes and bounced away. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help..." She said after the bounding rabbit. Fluttershy sighed, and continued to walk. The further she progressed down the park trail, the fewer animals she saw. "Where is everypony?" She asked, finding herself completely alone. She looked ahead of herself, and saw a cart. The cart sat there, seemingly abandoned by its owner. As she looked, a pony stepped out from behind the wooden transport. Shade from a nearby tree obscured the pony's features, but she smiled and trotted towards them.
"Hello there! Excuse me, but have you seen a lost bunny around?" She spoke, determined to help that poor bunny. The other only stood there, silent. Fluttershy looked down. "I don't mean to be a bother. I'm just trying to hep a bunny find their lost brother." The pony across the way only stood there, staring back at her. The eerie silence made her uncomfortable, as if something was wrong.
"I'm sorry...I'll be going now..." She said, shrinking away and talking quieter. As she turned around, she heard a low moan like sound from the unknown pony. Her ears perked, and she looked back at them. "Are you ok?" She asked, concern now settling in, replacing the defeated feeling of not finding help for the bunny. The other pony slowly stepped forward, dragging a hoof. In the light, the pony's features finally came into view. "Oh, is that you Mr. Neighless? I haven't seen you since yesterday." She took a few steps toward him, but then backtracked, holding her nose. "I'm sorry, but if it isn't too much, you should take a bath...you don't smell the best right now..." She said to the colt. Once more, he spoke no words. His mouth slightly opened, a horrid stench escaping it, along with what sounded like a low growl. When the smell wafted over her, she almost puked. "And I think you should brush your teeth..." She said, gagging and taking a few more steps away. The putrid smell of something she'd smelled many times came to mind. Death. Animals, long since passed, decaying in the forest. But for it to come from a pony, and an alive one no doubt.
"But what if he isn't alive?" The thought came to her mind. She then fully took in Mr. Neighless's features. His face was sunken. He looked the worst he's ever been. His eyes had changed, the irises turned black, and the whites bloodshot. A nasty brown colored spittle dripped from the corner of his mouth, and the hoof he was dragging left a black-ish gooey residue on the ground. "I think you need help..." She walked off the trail, and around to put that cart between her and the strange colt, who never broke his stare on her. Not paying attention to where she was walking, her gaze was fixated on Neighless. Her pace quickened, feeling the need to get behind the cart faster. She took another step, and her hoof caught something. She fell forward, and face planted the grass. She turned to look at what she tripped on, and she eeped.
"Oh no! Who could have done this?" She asked herself, holding her muzzle. She stared at the dead body of a pony, or at least what was recognizable as a pony. The poor pony had been feasted upon by some beast. Their chest was busted open, throat shredded. The corpse's jaw was missing, leaving an open maw. A face of pure terror would be forever painted on the pony's face. Apparently, they had been the owner of the cart she landed down next to. She thought that maybe a manticore was loose, slaying unsuspecting ponies. She took a closer look, on the verge of spilling her breakfast and fainting. The body had some teeth marks on it. What scared her the most, aside from the heavily mutilated body, was the shape of the marks. It didn't look like it belonged to a manticore, or a wolf, or even a a bunny. It resembled that of a pony's teeth.
"No!!" She stumbled to her hooves, and saw that Neighless was still staring in her direction. The ex-colt stood on the other side of the cart, making a low growling sound again. "How could you do this to somepony!" She shouted, accusing the Infected. A little ways behind Fluttershy, a second pony was running towards them. They had a look of fear and determination. The pony was the white mare, with the short brown mane.
"Run! Get away from him!" Carrie shouted to the yellow mare. Fluttershy looked at her, and something clicked in her mind.
"It's not safe here. Something's wrong." She took a few steps away, and focused on the new pony. "Help! Please! He attacked somepony!" She shouted back. The earth pony closed the distance between the two, and ran past Fluttershy, who gasped. "Don't! He may attack you too!" She spoke frantically. Carrie stopped, and turned her back on the cart and ex-Neighless.
"I know just how dangerous it is." Carrie said with a cold tone. She raised her hind legs and bucked the cart, forcing it into the colt's side. It knocked him down, and the cart came crashing onto it's side, pinning him underneath. The contents of the cart were sent flying out. Tools and equipment of all sorts landed onto the ground surrounding the trapped Infected. Carrie had a triumphant grin and looked at Fluttershy. She walked up to the yellow pegasus and put a hoof on her shoulder. Her face went from triumph to concern. "Get out of here. Find somewhere to hide. It isn't safe out in the open." Behind them, the infected pony snarled and thrashed, stuck halfway under the wooden cart. Carrie sighed, and walked around the overturned cart. Neighless paused from his thrashing to look at her, and attempted to reach her, snarling once more.
"Now what to do with you? If our places were switched, you wouldn't hesitate to kill me." She said coldly. Taking a glance at the cart, many of its items had overturned. Gardening tools, and other items, were scattered. Clippers, a rake, and a push mower were among these items. Other tools, such as a machete and a hacksaw, seemed like they were reserved for wild lawn care.
"What're you doing?" Fluttershy asked, still hanging around. Carrie looked up and met her gaze.
"Something I have to do." Taking some black ribbon that was with the lawn tools, she retrieved the machete. She knelt down, and picked it up with her mouth. Carefully laying the blade flat on her right foreleg, she wrapped the ribbon around it. Tying it down tightly against her leg, she stood back up. Neighless flailed even more, fruitlessly attempting to attack Carrie. She stared down at the living corpse, and felt a light sensation. "Goodbye." She said in a soft whisper. Raising the mounted blade high in the air, she swung at his neck. A sickening thud came from Neighless, and Carrie jerked the blade, cleaving off his head. Black blood was flung from the blade, a few drops hitting Carrie's cheek. Nasty black fluids came out of his body in rivers. The stench that escaped from his mouth earlier now smothered the area. Both of the mares put a hoof over their mouth, gagging. Fluttershy, this time, lost her breakfast. She bent over, releasing the contents of her stomach on the side of the trail. Carrie turned away from her, trying herself not to throw up.
"God, these thing smell awful." Carrie said, now holding her nose. Looking through the cart's contents again, she found two paisley cloths, one red, another blue. She tossed one the red one to Fluttershy, which fell short and landed on the ground. "Here, wipe your mouth." The pegasus nodded, and took a few steps to pick it up. After grabbing it, she looked up at Carrie.
"Umm.....you've got a little something...on your cheek..." She said, still recouping from her recent stomach expulsion. Carrie raised an eyebrow, and took the blue cloth to wipe her cheek. She looked at the cloth afterward, and saw smeared black blood.
"That's nasty." She shivered, and tied the paisley cloth around her neck, making it a neckerchief. She sighed, and turned around. She started to walk down the path. Seeing as how she was going to be left alone, Fluttershy eeped again and hurried to follow. Carrie looked at her, and frowned. "Didn't I already tell you to hide somewhere?" Fluttershy looked down, nervous.
"I know you did, but it's just..." She trailed off, biting her lip.
"It's just?' Carrie asked.
"It's just..." She said, quieter this time.
"Just what?" She demanded, stopping. She looked at Fluttershy, who begun to tear up.
"I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!!" She cried, grabbing Carrie and wrapping her hooves around the mare. "I don't want to become one of those things! I don't want to be eaten like that poor pony I tripped on!" She hugged Carrie tightly, crying into her mane. She tried to push away, but Fluttershy's grip was tighter. Unable to get unstuck from her, Carrie sighed.
"Fine, if I have you stay with me, will you calm down?" She asked the sobbing mare. She let go, and wiped her face.
"Yes please. I just don't want to be alone." She said, a slight sob still in her voice.
"Alright, you can come with me. But don't drag your hooves." She took a step forward, and paused. "What're you waiting for?" She motioned for her to follow, and Fluttershy trotted to her. "C'mon. It's not safe out in the open. By the way, what's your name?" Carrie asked, walking.
"Fluttershy. You?"
"Carrie Hatfield."
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Back in Ponyville, no one was enjoying the weather. Absolute pandemonium and discord seized the town. Ponies were running panicked through the streets. Minutes ago, something terrible happened. Ponies began to attack other ponies. Not the occasional hoof fight or pony wrestling, but lethal attacking. At first, it happened in the back alleys during the night prior. Stray ponies were picked off by the first infected hosts. Now, a few hours later, a good amount had accumulated and now attacked in the daylight. Most boarded up their houses, barricaded themselves in. Others made a rush for the train station or the highroad, eager to escaped the impending doom.
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A mass of ponies swarmed the train station. They fought in line for tickets, and many were injured. Some that couldn't purchase the tickets, which prices seemed to increase dramatically within the last few hours, offered to sell their possessions, or any services they could provide. The train, packed tightly, was dangerously overpopulated.
"Mommy? Why does everypony look scared?" A little red unicorn filly asked her mother. She was sitting on her mom's back so she wouldn't get lost in the fray. Her mom smiled, and tried her best to keep her calm.
"There were some mean ponies in town. But we're away from them now." She said. Her mother had already bought them tickets, and the pair was waiting in a line to board the train. "We're going to go see daddy in Canterlot!" She told the filly, taking a few steps forward.
"Really? Yay!" She jumped in the air in excitement. She dropped to the ground, and started to trot circles around her mom."I get to see daddy!" Her mom gasped, and put a hoof out to stop the filly.
"Amaryllis!" She scolded. "Don't do that! You scared me. I don't want you to leave my side." The little pony looked down, sad.
"I'm sorry mommy." Amaryllis apologized. Her mom smiled, and brushed some of the filly's white hair out of her face.
"It's ok. I love you." She hugged her daughter, and the filly smiled.
"I love you too mommy." The hug didn't last very long. Surrounding ponies began to push and shove, moving faster than before. Then a pony shrieked.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The scream froze Amaryllis blood, and the same for her mom.
"Mommy? What's that noise?" She asked, scared. Ponies began to panicking again, pushing and shoving towards the train. Some pushed into the filly and her mom, and they got separated. She looked around, terrified that her mom was nowhere to be found. Cries came from every single pony. "MOMMY!" She screamed.
"Get out of my way!"
"They're here too!"
"I don't want to die!"
"Amaryllis!!" Not too far away, she heard her mother calling her.
"Mommy! Where are you!" She had heard her mom, but still didn't know where she was. A little ways away, she was getting pushed away by the mass of ponies heading into the train. She was elbowing and shoving ponies, trying her best to get her Amaryllis.
"Move! Get out of my way; I need to get my daughter!!" She shouted, being forced further and further away. "Let me go! AMARYLLIS!!" She shouted, being forced into the train. The little filly, all alone, had fear seize her. All around, ponies were attacking other ponies. She ran, trying to hide somewhere. Tears escaped her as she ran. Coming across a bench, she didn't hesitate to hide under it. From here, she watched the terror take over the train station. Bad ponies, what her mom told her they were, attacked everyone. They bit them, tearing their skin from bone. She covered her eyes, and curled up into a ball.
"I want my mommy..." She quietly sobbed, the turmoil still in progress.
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Twilight was having a perfectly normal day. She was reading an old magic book while basking in the sunlight coming from her bedroom window. Spike had gone down to Sugarcube Corner to get sweets, and hopefully bring some back to share. It was another normal day. She preferred monotony. That was, until someone was knocking furiously on her door. She sighed, and set her book down. Standing up and stretching out her wings, she made her way down from her bedroom to the library room. She approached the door and opened it.
"Hello?" She asked. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all fell inside. They looked like something bad happened. "Girls? What's the rush?" She asked, confused. Dash shot up, and slammed Twilight's door shut, locking it.
"Something happened!" Dash said, flying over to a chase lounge. She attempted to move the piece of furniture to block the door. At a great level of disapproval, Twilight levitated the rainbow mare and brought her over to her.
"I think you should elaborate on the subject before you begin re-arranging my house!" She said. Dash gulped, and nodded.
"I was out doing my morning cloud kicking when I saw ponies attack other ponies." She said, struggling to escape the magic. Twilight raised an eyebrow, and Applejack interjected.
"It's true. Ah saw it with mah own eyes. Ponies attacking one another and whatnot. They even attacked Rarity!" As she said this, Rarity raised her left foreleg. A nasty bite mark showed through her fur.
"It was absolutely horrendous. Here I was, in the market, minding my own business, when some pony bit into my leg! It was a good thing Aj happened to walking past. She bucked them off me, and we headed over here immediately after. If it wasn't for her, I don't want to think about it." She said, shuddering. Twilight sighed, and released Dash. She continued her attempts to move the lounge. Aj pitched in, and together they slid it across the floor. It made a loud screeching noise as it skidded along the floor. Twilight and Rarity twitched, holding their ears. Annoyed by it, Twilight picked it up with her magic and levitated it the rest of the way. She dropped it down next to the door, barricading them inside. She nodded, and turned to them.
"Ok, I need you guys to tell me everything you saw. Maybe there's an explanation in one of these books." She said.
"Doubt it." Dash said under her breath.
XXXX
Night had finally fallen on the not-so-sunny day. The panic and terror that swept through the streets had subsided, leaving the streets empty. Well, not completely empty. Infected wandered in place of the absent ponies. If it wasn't safe during the day, it would be complete madness to go out at night. Back inside Twilight's now barricaded home, piles upon piles of books in random assortments lay around the library. The mares were tirelessly searching through all the books they could get their hooves on.
"It's not in Magical Diseases of the Last Century." Dash said, tossing the book behind her. Aj ducked as the book sailed over her head.
"Watch it! Ya'll almost took mah head off." She retorted, going back to flipping pages. "Nothin' in Medical Mysteries either. Are ya'll sure we'll find anything about this here predicament?" She said, waving a hoof. Twilight shook her head.
"I didn't say for sure we'd find anything." Twilight suddenly froze. "Spike! How could I have forgotten about him?" She said, becoming frantic.
"What do you mean darling? By the way, where is he?" Rarity asked, lying down in a corner attempting to read the books.
"He went to Sugarcube Corner just before...." She ran to the door. "I need to see if he's ok!" Twilight shouted. She tried to move the couch barricade, but Aj and Dash sat down on it, impeding her.
"You can't go outside Twi! We still have no idea what we're dealing with." Dash said. She attempted to push them out of her way.
"NO! I need to get Spike! I don't care how dangerous it is!!" Twilight yelled back. she glanced outside before Aj and Dash attempted to tackle the Alicorn. "Wait!" She said suddenly. The change in her tone caused them to hesitate. She stared outside, staring at a pair of ponies running in the distance. "There's somepony out there!" Twilight said in a hushed voice.
XXXX
With a sickening sucking sound, Carrie removed her machete from the skull of a dead Infected pony. She flicked the blade, causing the black blood to be flung off the steel. She looked over her shoulder.
"You can come out now. They're all dead." Carrie said. Behind her, Fluttershy came out from a building she was hiding in. She looked at Carrie as she took a few steps into the open. The white mare stood surrounded by the dead bodies of four Infected ponies.
"I knew her...that one over there was Berry Punch." She pointed at the one whose skull Carrie had just recently removed her machete from.
"Friend of yours?" She asked. Fluttershy shook her head.
"No, just somepony I knew...this is horrible." She complained, looking at the mess.
"I'm sorry, it isn't a clean job killing these guys. And the smell doesn't help" She said, smiling. Fluttershy smiled back.
"I guess so. I could never do any of that, no matter how evil they can be." The slight happy moment was cut short. Not too far away, they heard a pony scream. And not a grown pony either.
"That's a little filly!" Fluttershy said, charging off into the scream's direction. Carrie did a double take and chased after her. She caught up with Fluttershy, who replaced her look of fear with determination.
"So now you're all for charging into a situation?" Carrie poked ast her, and couldn't help but feeling proud for her.
"Of course! Those things may be evil, but if you dare mess with a filly, I'LL TEAR YOUR HEART OUT!!" She screamed, running faster. Carrie smiled, and followed her lead.
"Kick ass. I'm glad I picked you up Shy."
XXXX
"No! Leave me alone!!" Amaryllis yelled at an Infected. During the day, she managed to get behind the ticket booth counter. She had been safe until now. An Infected pony was at the counter, attempting to climb over it. With a good deal of motor skills failing, it was having a hard time. It snarled at the filly, putrid stench escaping its mouth. "Go away!" She shouted again. From the doors, two ponies burst through.
"Where are they at?" Carrie asked, scanning the room. Fluttershy was staring down the Infected at the counter.
"I don't suppose she's buying a train ticket." The pegasus said.
"What now?"
"Nothing, I think they're over there!" She said quickly, pointing in the Infected's direction. Carrie rushed to the counter almost immediately. She raised her right foreleg, and swung at the ex-pony. Hitting the back legs, they shrieked and backed off the counter. It looked her in the eyes. For a sudden moment, Carrie thought she'd seen emotion in the Infected. It lunged towards her, and she brought the blade up to meet it. She slashed again, this time removing the Infected's mandible. Carrie pulled her bladed leg back, and stabbed forward into the open maw of the Infected. She jerked the blade upward, slicing the skull in half. Black blood sprayed everywhere, along with the stagnant stench of death. Carrie covered her mouth, and looked back at Fluttershy. The yellow mare had kept a good distance from it.
"All clear I guess." She flicked the machete clean, and slowly walked over to the counter. "Hello? It's safe to come out now." Carrie said, dropping her harsh tone to that of one caring. Fluttershy had walked up to her side by now. From behind the counter, a little filly poked her head out.
"Are you one of the bad ponies?" Her voice was shaky. Her grey-ish hair was partly in her face. Carrie smiled, and shook her head.
"No sweetie, we're the good ponies. We've come here to rescue you." She walked over to the counter. "C'mon. We need to get moving. More will come." The filly pulled herself onto the counter. She held out her hoof to the filly, and pulled her onto her back. "What's your name little one?" Carrie asked, walking back to Fluttershy.
"Amaryllis, miss." She spoke in a quiet tone.
"Amaryllis? That's a beautiful name. This here is Fluttershy." Carrie said, introducing the pegasus.
"Hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said with a smile.
"And my name is Carrie. We'll be keeping you safe now."
XXXX
They walked through the doors, leaving the train station behind them. The newest member rode on Carrie's back, sitting in silence.
"I didn't know you could be so nice Carrie." Fluttershy said, smiling still. Carrie looked at her.
"Hmm? Oh, that. It's for the filly, Shy. She didn't deserve any of this. By the way, why were you in the train station in the first place?" Carrie asked the filly on her back.
"I was with my mommy this morning. Then bad ponies got in the station, and I lost mommy. She was put on the train, and kept calling out my name until it left." She said, tears welling up.
"Hey now, don't cry. It'll be ok." Fluttershy cooed. As she talked, the other mare stopped walking. Fluttershy followed suit, pausing. "Is everything ok Carrie?" She asked. An eerie silence took hold. Carrie was looking down a dark alley, standing still.
"Keep your voices down. There's something...off. It feels like there's something down there, watching us." Carrie said, looking scared.
"Are you sure? I don't see anything." Fluttershy said, looking down the same alley. Carrie shrugged.
"It was just a feeling. We've got to keep moving." She started to walk again, with Fluttershy next to her. The yellow mare lookd down the street, and cracked a smile.
"Hey! My friend Twilight lives down here!" She said with a bounce in her step. She took off towards her house, and Carrie did a double take.
"Shy, don't go running off! We don't even know if she's there!" Carrie shouted to the running pegasus. From a nearby house, two Infected burst through the front doors. "What? I didn't know they could run..." As she said this, the Infected furthest away turned in Fluttershy's direction. With a snarl, it began to charge towards her. Carrie gasped. "SHY! RUN!" The pegasus turned around, and then went from happy to terrified.
"They can run?" She turned back around and sprinted to Twilight's house. "Stay away from me!" She shouted. Looking on towards Twilight's house. "TWILIGHT!!" She shouted, hoping her friend was still home. Ahead, the door slightly opened and light escaped from inside.
"Fluttershy?"
"Are you serious?"
"Get this outta tha way, let her in!" The three mares said, freeing the door. Fluttershy ran in, but paused.
"Wait! We can't close the door yet!" She said as the other three began to re-barricade the entrance.
"I'm sorry Fluttershy, but now isn't the time to make friends with flesh eating ponies!" Dash snapped at her. Fluttershy shook her head.
"Not the Infected! Carrie, and Amaryllis! They're still out there!" she said. "I refuse to abandon them!" She said, stomping the ground. Back down the street, Carrie was running, Amaryllis holding on tight. The Infected that stayed behind lost a leg, and not to mention it's head. The earth pony sprinted towards the library. Outside the door, the Infected that chased Fluttershy was pawing at the door, trying to gain access.
"The door can't be opened right now! One of those things are right outside!" Twilight held the yellow mare back. "It isn't safe!" As she spoke, a loud slicing sound came from outside, followed by a soft thud. Outside, a pony knocked on the door.
"It's dead. Mind if we come in?" Carrie asked, and knocked a few more times. Twilight made to open the door, but Dash didn't seem all too happy about that idea.
"Why should we? How do we know you aren't one of those in disguise?" She questioned. On the other side, the white mare facehoofed.
"If I was one of them, I wouldn't be able to talk. Please open up. I have a little filly with me." Applejack pushed Dash out of the way and approached the door.
"Ah'll let you in. Somepony needs to remember her manners." She said, frowning at Dash. She opened the door, and Carrie sighed.
"Thank you." She stepped inside, and Amaryllis jumped off her back.
"This place is nice and warm." She said, running to one of the couches. Carrie followed the filly, and sat down next o her. Aj took Dash off to the side to talk with her, while Flutteshy and Twilight approached the two on the couch.
"Fluttershy told me that you protected her since earlier today. Thank you for keeping my friend safe." Twilight spoke in a very sincere tone. "You seem to be a very formidable fighter against these...Infected, as Fluttershy said earlier."
"I learned quickly if you don't kill them, they'll kill you. That's why I decided to protect these two. But now that we've found a safe place, I need to get back to my original mission." Carrie got up, and ruffled Amaryllis's hair. "Be safe little one." Carrie begun to walk towards the door when Twilight raised one of her wings and stopped her.
"Wait. I have something to ask of you." She said in a stern voice. Carrie sighed.
"Ok princess, what is it that you want?"
