> Undead Equestria
>  by MaskedxMaestro
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Awareness of the darkness around her came on slow but sure. Before, there was nothing, just an endless realm of nonexistence. But now, thoughts and emotions once foreign to her mind leaked into her system like heavy syrup. The realization of this utter emptiness caused her mind to explore thoughts that hadn’t been touched in what felt like years. What was this place?  Where  was she? Although there was nothing around her, the new emotions of fear, worry, and loneliness filled her like an overflowing cup.
“Wake up.”
A voice penetrated the darkness like an explosion. Just two words and yet it felt as though they were the first sound created since the beginning of time.  So loud and frightening they were, despite the context of them being so simple and calming. New thoughts began to form. Ones beyond emotion, beyond simple awareness. Thoughts such as, “Where am I?” and “Where was I before this?” came into play as her mind continued to form.
“Wake up, Twilight.”
Twilight? Who or what was Twilight? Wait... Was she... She was Twilight! Yes, Twilight Sparkle, the purple unicorn from Ponyville! Now everything was starting to make sense. Memories flooded back to her. Memories of her life, her friends, her family. She smiled to herself as they filled her mind.
...But where was she now? And how did she get here? 	

“Twilight, WAKE UP!”

Twilight Sparkle gasped awake. Wide eyed and confused, she blinked until everything around her became clear. She was lying on the floor of her personal library, her home in Ponyville. The room was dark save for a few beams of moonlight. Everything looked the same as she remembered. The same bookshelves, the same furniture... It felt so long since she had seen it. In fact, it felt as though it had been weeks since she’d been here, despite the fact that she had no memory of anything having happened during that missing time.  	“Rainbow Dash, she’s awake!”
The sound of a familiar voice snapped Twilight’s attention to her right. Rarity, a white mare with a lavishly rich purple mane and tail, was standing upright by a window. Her bright blue eyes showed nothing but concern as she stared at her fellow unicorn. But Twilight, however, hardly had enough time to respond with a confused “What?” before a light blue pegasus with rainbow colored mane and tail was flapping her wings in front of her. 
“Twilight, you’re awake! Perfect. Now we can finally get back to the barn.”
Twilight shook her head, a light headache buzzing at the front of her skull. 	
“Rainbow?” she asked, recognizing her friend immediately. “Go where? Did something happen? I feel like I should be remembering something important but I don’t know what it is.”
“There’s no time to explain! We have to go!” Rainbow Dash glided in behind Twilight and scooted her up off the floor, forcing her to stand. Her bones creaked painfully. She felt stiff all over as though she’d been asleep in the same position for a long time. Confused at the sudden rush of things as well as the pain of her cramped legs, Twilight didn’t respond to her friend, her mind racing with unanswered questions. 	“Now Rainbow, don’t be in such a rush!” said Rarity, who was walking her way over to Twilight. “I realize the lack of time we have on our hooves, but that doesn’t mean we can’t spend a little more on helping Twilight! The poor dear must be very confused.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but said nothing, choosing instead to race back to one of the upper windows and peek outside. Twilight stared hard at her friend Rarity, waiting on bated breath for her words.
“Twilight, what is the last thing that you remember?” Rarity asked, putting a hoof to her friend’s forehead, checking for a fever.
“Well...” started Twilight. She thought hard. What was the last thing she remembered? Taking a long pause to think and look for answers in the floorboard, she finally brought her head up. “I think I was headed to Canterlot for something. But I don’t remember what. After that it gets a little fuzzy. What happened to me? Was I hurt?” 	
“All you remember is heading to Canterlot? That’s it?” 	
“Yes..?” 	
“I see.” Rarity turned her head to glance up at Rainbow Dash. They both shared an uneasy look. Twilight couldn’t help but feel left in the dark.
“Is that... bad..?” Twilight asked, searching for answers in Rarity’s sparkling eyes. 
“No, darling, not at all!” reassured Rarity, patting her hoof against Twilight’s. “It’s just that you’ve been... asleep... for, well, about two weeks now.” 
“Two weeks?!” Twilight stammered. “ Was I knocked out?! What happened!?”
“Calm yourself, dear! You need to-” 	
“Stop fooling around, Rarity.” interrupted Rainbow Dash, who flew down from the window to land in front of the panicking Twilight. “Yes, Twilight, you were out cold for two weeks. And a lot has happened since then. We’re in a lot of danger and we need to get out of here as fast as we can.”
“Danger?” questioned Twilight, who had had enough of a hard time processing what had happened already, now there was danger involved?
“I’m afraid she’s right, Twilight.” Rarity said. “What we’re about to tell you will be hard to take and I’m quite sure that you won’t believe a word of it. But you must try, Twilight, because we wouldn’t lie to you. Not about something like this.” 
Twilight stared at her friends. She waited for the laughter, the cue for her to relax and realize it was all a joke, but the more time that passed only caused her heart to beat faster with each passing second. What danger could they be facing? Was it coming, or was it already here? And if they were in as much danger as they were suggesting, where were her other friends? Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. What about Spike? Were they okay? She looked around the library frantically, suddenly realizing that she hadn’t checked for her dragon friend until just now. Her expression turned to a concerned frown when she didn’t see him and turned to stare at her friends.
“Twilight,” began Rarity, biting her lip uneasily. “The dead have come alive.”	
“What?”
“Well... Ponies that were once... you know... passed on... have... sort of... risen.” 	
“I don’t understand.”  	
“Ugghh,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Rarity, you said it all wrong. Listen, Twilight. Zomponies are here and-” 	
“Don’t call them zomponies, Rainbow!” Rarity interrupted angrily. “That’s so... so... so crude!”
“Well that’s what they are, Rarity! It’s the undead! They’re zomponies!”
“Rainbow, those ponies out there aren’t some monsters! They were our friends! They just so happen to have... to have...”
“To come back alive from the dead? To have killed each other and-”
 “Don’t say that!” 	
“Well, it’s the truth!”
“I don’t care! You shouldn’t-”
“Girls, girls, GIRLS!” Twilight yelled. She stomped her hooves on the floor hard, which was honestly rather painful due to the stiffening feeling still tingling throughout her body, but she had to do something to stop them from arguing. “Rainbow, Rarity, I don’t know if this is a joke, but it’s a pretty cruel one if it is. Now please stop arguing and tell me the truth. I have a small headache, I just woke up from having apparently passed out for two weeks, and I need to know what happened to me and what’s going on!”
“Twilight, we’re telling the truth!” Rainbow Dash insisted. 
“Now I said you’d have trouble believing us...” started Rarity. “But you simply must! We’re all in terrible danger. I realize what we’re saying is strange, but it’s true and we need to go to Applejack’s barn in Sweet Apple Acres to meet up with the others.”
Twilight Sparkle stood still in silence. No words came to her throat and yet her head was commanding her to speak. The undead? Zomponies? Those were old mare’s tales, not reality. In all the books she ever read there was no spell nor information nor anything hinting towards the possibility of the dead rising from their graves. How would it even be possible?
Quizzically watching her friends, Twilight remained silent as she walked towards the front door of the library. Rarity and Rainbow Dash watched carefully, wondering what their friend would do. Twilight stopped in front of the door, staring at it, hesitating, before turning to face the other ponies. 
“Well.” Twilight said, as though waiting for them to speak. 	
“What?” Rarity asked. 	
“I’m waiting to learn if this is a joke before I walk outside and watch as the whole town laughs at me.”
In an instant Rarity took a step forward and Rainbow Dash flew a little bit closer.
“Twilight, please don’t be rash!” the white unicorn said, her voice filled with panic.
“We’re telling the truth! Don’t open the door!” Rainbow warned, raising up her hooves and shaking them.
“Joke’s over, guys. I’m not falling for it.” Twilight said, opening the door. Rainbow Dash and Rarity rushed over to their friend as fast as they could, but it was too late. Twilight had already opened it. They stopped suddenly, right before the entrance, watching with wide eyes and stunned silence from the darkness of the library as their friend walked through it. 	
“Twilight!” they both hissed frantically, but it was no use. The purple unicorn was already outside, the night air softly brushing through her mane.
Twilight stepped forward. Looking around, the town of Ponyville looked relatively normal in the moonlight. Or at least as normal as she could remember. Turning her head to look from building to building, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The stars were just as bright as she remembered. The houses looked just as cozy. Nothing seemed frightening or eerie about the place and the relatively calm atmosphere caused Twilight to nearly roll her eyes at the thought that she had seriously considered the possibility of what her friends were suggesting. But just as she was about to turn around and head back inside to gloat, however, Twilight heard a peculiar sound. A small rustling from her left. Turning sharply, she stared into the direction the sound came from. At first, she saw nothing. Just the ordinary Ponyville, a few buildings, including Sugarcube Corner. But upon closer inspection of the Cakes’ bakery window, she noticed something that she didn’t notice before. 
It was broken.
And inside that broken glass was a gray pony with a yellow tail, its head down far enough that Twilight couldn’t see who it was. He or she was snooping through the bakery items. Twilight squinted to see the cutie mark of the unknown pony, but it was too dark to see from so far away. Was the pony stealing? There had never been thieves in Ponyville, at least not for the entire time she’d been here, and it seemed unlikely that there would be one now. She turned to glance at Rarity and Rainbow Dash, but they were shaking their heads at her and motioning with their hooves for her to come back inside. Twilight rolled her eyes, promptly turned away from them again, and set off to figure out who the thief was.
Making her way towards Sugarcube Corner, Twilight’s attitude changed from irritable to angry. Her friends insisted upon a terrible joke that would mean that half the town was dead. Of all the jokes for her friends to make, did they really have to push it this far? Due to her frustration, this unfortunate thief was going to be her scape goat.
Finally she was right behind the gray pony. It was digging through the case of baked goods, mainly muffins and doughnuts. And now at this range, Twilight was better able to see the cutie mark: bubbles.
“Ditzy Doo!” Twilight yelled angrily. “What are you doing!?” She admitted that this pony was prone to confusion and this entire situation was probably a misunderstanding, but even if Ditzy Doo had come across the broken window and not caused it herself, it would still be thieving to take advantage of her sudden luck.
The gray mare pulled her head out of the baked items, a few muffins and doughnuts rolling to the floor. Slowly her head turned back to see Twilight, and the purple unicorn screamed in terror. Ditzy Doo’s face, if it was even Ditzy Doo to begin with, was covered in lesions and bite marks. Her eyes were terribly sunken in, and there was a large hole in the side of her neck, revealing the bones inside.
“Rraaauuuuuuhhggh!” the thing moaned, grinding its teeth. It reached out towards Twilight, who fell backwards onto the ground and stayed frozen there. 
Now adrenaline pumped through Twilight’s shaking frame. It was pure horror as she stared into the sunken eyes of what was once Ditzy Doo. Run! her mind called desperately, but it was no use. Her body wouldn’t move an inch, and she could only watch in terror as the mutilated gray mare walked slowly towards her.
“TWILIGHT!” Rainbow Dash yelled, zooming through the air at lightning speed. She tucked her blue hooves underneath Twilight’s arms, and lifted her to safety. Twilight, as though finally coming to realization of what had just happened, screamed and kicked with all her might. 
“Twilight, stop! Stop kicking!” the rainbow colored pony called, but the frightened mare couldn’t stop. She had lost all control as her mind washed over with the image of Ditzy Doo’s face. It was horrifying and unbelievable all mixed into one as Rainbow Dash carried her friend back to the library. The safety of darkness couldn’t save Twilight’s mind, however, as she was lowered into her bed. Rarity rushed to her side and Rainbow Dash remained in the air above her.
“Relax, hush, dear! You’re safe now!” Rarity said, calmly brushing her hoof through Twilight’s mane. 
“W-what was that?!” Twilight demanded hurriedly, her chest heaving with each breath.
There was a short pause of silence before Rarity spoke up.
“I know it’s hard to believe.”
Twilight’s breathing didn’t stop behaving erratically, but her mind was finally calming enough to focus.
“Z-zomponies are real?” she asked, as though needing confirmation to finalize what she had just witnessed. 
“Yes, Twilight. They’re real. They arrived in Ponyville two weeks ago. Most of the townsponies have gone to Canterlot to seek shelter there. Others, including Applejack’s extended family, have stayed in the barn. Almost everyone we know has survived thus far, but others... such as the one you just witnessed... have not made it through.”
Rarity’s head drooped at the sadness of her own words. Twilight stared hard at her, finding it difficult to believe what was she was hearing. 
“Once you’re able to stand,” interjected Rainbow Dash. “Rarity and I are suppose to bring you back to Sweet Apple Acres to regroup.”
Twilight stayed silent. She understood what her friend was saying, and given the circumstances, the idea sounded perfect. But it was still hard to take in so suddenly. How could she be expected to hear this dramatic of news and just accept it so quickly? Zomponies were real.  The cursed creatures of the night that she had only believed to exist in her books were here. Ditzy Doo was clear proof of that. And that was just one pony. Who else was under the curse? How did they change? Was she safe from the curse? Were her friends? She suddenly realized she knew nothing about zomponies and this lack of knowledge made her uncomfortable. 
“But who is okay and who isn’t?” Twilight asked. The thought of ponies she knew turning into that... thing... outside was horrifying and she wasn’t sure if she could handle the truth. But she absolutely had to know who was safe to put her mind at ease. That is, until her mind starting racing and Twilight continued asking questions. “Is everyone safe at the barn? Do they have food? What about water? Is anyone else stuck in Ponyville? What about these creatures? What are they and how are they turning other ponies into them? How do we-”
“Twilight!” Rarity interrupted, jumping up to place two hooves on the bed. “I know you’re confused and frankly so are we, but it will be easier to explain everything once we get back to the barn.”
Tears filled Twilight’s eyes and she sniffed. Rarity patted her hoof and cooed a small, “I’m sorry...” 
Twilight squeezed her eyes shut, the tears falling down her cheeks. After a moment she nodded and pushed Rarity’s hoof away gently. 
“Okay... You’re right, I’m sorry. Let’s go.” 
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Ponyville didn’t feel the same as they walked to Sweet Apple Acres. Given any other day, Twilight would have felt happy to make her way to her friend’s family farm, but this journey was nerve-racking to say the least. Every time she stepped forward, Twilight would look around nervously to see if anyone, or anything was watching them. And to make matters worse, Rainbow insisted upon everypony staying silent the entire trip (in effort to avoid any potential zompony complications), which made Twilight’s incessant need to ask questions torture.
“Girls, can you at least tell me who has survived?” she whispered. Twilight knew she would see soon enough, but it was concerning her that someone she knew could already be gone.
Rainbow Dash, who thought it best to fly above them to check for danger, glared down at her and motioned for her to zip her lips. Rarity, however, who was walking beside Twilight, took pity on her.
“Well, Twilight,” she began in a hushed tone as Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes at them. “Applejack and the rest of her family have all gathered there and are taking precautions to help everyone survive. The Cakes are there also, helping Cheerilee with the fillies and colts. And actually, I believe Zecora is there helping them too.”
“Zecora?” Twilight asked. “From Everfree forest?” 	“Yes.” Rarity explained. “And last but not least there is Thunderlane and Blossomforth.”
Twilight stared at her friend in astonishment. “That’s all the ponies that have survived?!”
“No, no, Twilight. Remember I said that most ponies have gone to Canterlot for safety. It’s just that a few of us have chosen to stay behind here in an effort to look for others.”
“What about Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie? Is Spike okay?”
Rarity didn’t answer. At least not at first. Instead she continued walking with no clear expression. But finally she turned to Twilight, worry now etched upon her face.
“I don’t know.” she said. “Spike has gone to Canterlot but the others...”
Twilight didn’t respond, choosing to watch the ground as they walked rather than to comment on the inevitable. There was no proof saying that they were gone for good, but in this new world of darkness where else could they be?
Sweet Apple Acres slowly came into view. Everything seemed the same, nothing was broken down or damaged in anyway. Rather than appearing bright and cheery as usual, however, the barn looked dark and desolate. The windows were all shut and no light could be seen between the cracks of the wood. Twilight considered the idea that she was projecting her emotions into making the barn seem spooky, but whether or not it was her emotions or the shadows, Sweet Apple Acres wasn’t looking so sweet.
Upon getting closer to the farm, Twilight noticed that the front yard seemed different. There were strange lumps lying about in the grass and dirt which she found quite peculiar. 
“What are-” Twilight began to ask but she was interrupted by her own realization.
They were bodies.
There must have been a dozen of them or so. All of them were ponies, littered across the ground with sprawled limbs and decaying bodies. Twilight resisted a squeal as she looked at each one, stopping in her tracks from shock. Rainbow Dash and Rarity didn’t seem to be bothered by the macabre view, but they stopped anyway, looking back at Twilight with sad expressions. They exchanged worried looks as they came closer to their friend, but Twilight didn’t take notice of their concern. Instead she continued to gape at the dead before her. Were they ponies she knew? She was afraid to look too close incase she recognized anyone and yet she couldn’t pull her eyes away. The bodies were further along in the decaying process, as though they had been dead for a long time.
Rarity and Rainbow Dash each stood on one side of Twilight, putting an arm around her. They gave her a nudge, which Twilight at first resisted by refusing to move, but finally they slowly guided her through the field of death, allowing time for Twilight to simultaneously shudder and tense up with each passing body. 
A tear ran down Twilight’s cheek as she looked at each one. Her first thought was wondering what had happened here. How were these ponies killed? Were they killed at all? Were they dead monsters left to rot or innocent victims? Could the monsters even be killed? She didn’t recognize any of them. Who were they and where did they come from? Endless questions poured into her brain and the more she thought about them the more she realized that she knew hardly anything about zomponies at all. With no books having been written on them (aside from fictitious stories, anyway), how was she to judge their actions? The only thing she knew about zomponies was that they were the dead come alive, and had a knack for eating anything in their path. How they acted, what specifically they ate, or where they originated from, was all a mystery to her. Could she trust the little information she had or would she need to start from scratch?
The barn door was just before them. Rainbow Dash flew ahead, rose up to one of the upper windows and pulled back the wood that had been covering it to get inside. Rarity and Twilight were left to wait patiently. Just as the barn door creaked opened, Twilight took one last look behind her, and then stepped inside.
Inside the barn, everything was pitch black. Twilight couldn’t see an inch in front of her nose. The only thing she could hear was her own loud heartbeat, pumping through her ears. She froze, not knowing what she’d bump into if she attempted to walk forward. After a moment of silence, a voice with a deep southern accent spoke out.
“Lanterns, everypony.”
A flickering sound crackled and instantly light filled the barn. Applejack, an orange mare with straw colored hair and a brown cowboy hat stood in front of Twilight and Rarity, a mixed expression of happiness and sadness upon her face. Twilight would have returned the smile had she not needed a moment to take in her surroundings. Looking around, she saw a great number of Apple Family relatives holding lanterns either on the ground or on the second level of the barn. Some she recognized, such as Big Mac, Granny Smith,  and Braeburn. Others were clearly extended family, some she even thought looked familiar from when she first came to Ponyville, but their names escaped her memory at the moment. 
The barn looked relatively the same as she remembered aside from one major thing. Haphazardly sewn blankets were covering the walls. Twilight was at first confused at this discovery but after putting two and two together from how the lanterns were only turned on after she was inside the barn, she knew straight away that they were being used to block any light from reaching outside through the wood crevices. Aside from that, however, the piles of hay, food storage off to one corner (not including the secondary storage that she knew was hidden in the floor boards), miscellaneous tools for farming, and individual fenced in areas were all the same.
Speaking of fenced in areas, Twilight caught the sight of multiple pairs of eyes looking back at her from inside one of the pens. Upon closer inspection she realized it was Cheerilee, the Cakes, and Zecora, who were all standing protectively among a small crowd of younger ponies. Briefly she reflected on how efficient of a decision this was, to keep all the younger ponies in one area but she brushed her thoughts away and focused on figuring out who she might recognize from the younger ones. Apple Bloom, Scootoloo and Sweetie Belle were there, but names of the other fillies and colts were not remembered. They were most certainly from Ponyville for she remembered walking by the school a few times and seeing them play outside, but the sudden memory caused her to frown. Where were their parents?
Looking up at the rafters Twilight noticed Thunderlane and Blossomforth. They appeared to be keeping watch by the uppermost windows of the barn, but now that light filled the room, they dared not open them to check.
“Twilight.” Applejack said with a smile. “You’re all right.”
Twilight nodded, unable to speak for she felt that if she did, she might cry again. She was so grateful to see them all alive and well.
“What was that screaming we heard?” Applejack asked, looking to Rainbow and Rarity.
“Oh, that...” Rarity began, looking at the ground. “It was... Twilight... She, ah... saw Ditzy Doo and...”
Applejack nodded solemnly, understanding enough of the story to know what had happened. Granny Smith, an old green mare with a graying mane appeared behind her, a lantern in her mouth. She sat the lantern down on the floor beside her and then spoke with an old high-pitched voice.
“You alright, Twilight?” she asked. The old mare’s eyes seemed to twinkle in the lantern light. 
“Yes, I’m alright.” she answered, unsure if her own words were the truth.
“Good. We’ve got plenty of room fer ya here. Why don’tcha rest up and we can explain what’s been happening around here in the mornin’?”
Twilight bowed her head to the old mare, always having admired Granny Smith’s wise words.
“That’s very kind of you.” she said. “But actually, I’d really like to get an explanation now. I don’t think I’d be able to sleep without one.”
“Can’t blame ya fer that.” Granny Smith said, trading a glance with her grandchild, Applejack, who returned a chuckle.
“Twilight, you always were one fer asking questions.” the orange mare giggled, turning around to face the center of the barn. “Why don’t you come down to the middle and we’ll fill you in.”
Everypony gathered closer together. As Twilight laid down on a square of hay near the middle of the room, she looked around at the ponies she knew and nodded to each. Candlelight from the lanterns flickered, causing long shadows to appear everywhere. On any other night, the barn would have felt like a fun sleep over among friends, but now it was only a safehouse, used to protect them from the dangers of the outside world.  The feeling was ominous, despite Twilight not properly understandably what exactly they were to fear. No one spoke a word. Rarity and Rainbow Dash gathered beside Twilight, both watching Applejack as she took center stage in the middle of everypony.	
“Alright.” Applejack started. “Why don’t I start with the big question? What happened these past two weeks while you were out.”
Twilight nodded. Finally her questions would be answered and her mind could have clear space to work with.
“Two weeks ago, everything in Ponyville was normal. It was the middle of the day,  and everypony was workin’ or playin’. Then a large flash of light came from the direction of Canterlot. It was so bright that fer a few minutes everypony was blinded. It seemed to fill every space, even inside the buildings. Once the light had gone, everypony was confused. Nothing had appeared to change, it was just a strange phenomenon of light. Eventually, things calmed down and fer the rest of the day nothing happened out of the ordinary. But then that night, ponies were attacked. The undead had risen straight out of their graves and began to come after Ponyville. Only a few were killed before others figured out what was happening.”
Twilight gulped at the word “killed”. She had heard Rainbow Dash use that word earlier but given her confusion at the time it made sense that she overlooked it. Instinctively, she looked around at the others to see if they had reacted the same way but none of them appeared to do so. She shrunk at the thought of her reaction being out of the ordinary and decided to stay quiet, despite her urge to ask how it was that ponies were being killed.
“...Most packed their bags and fled for Canterlot, hoping Celestia would protect them.” continued Applejack. “Others stayed to fight and some ended up changin’ into the very monsters they were trying to get rid of.”
“Wait.” Twilight said, this time unable to control herself from interrupting. “Change into the monsters? What do you mean?”
Rainbow Dash decided to take over talking for Applejack.
“From what we’ve seen, zomponies try to eat you. They’ll tear out your skin and break your bones-”
“Rainbow!” Rarity yelled.
“-just to, okay fine. I won’t be as graphic. They bite. When you’re bitten, you change into one of them yourselves. That’s it. When Rarity and I were protecting you inside Golden Oak Library, we were to forced to watch as zomponies attacked innocent ponies. I tried to save as many as I could but there were way too many.”
Twilight blinked. Her heart rate beat faster as the images filled her mind but she choked them down. She couldn’t let her emotions get the best of her. This was important information to know and the more information she had, the better she’d be able to help. Even if the information was hard to take. Still, the images plagued her and she tried to remember if she had seen bite marks on the bodies outside. There were none that she recalled, but was she really expected to take note of such a thing while staring at such a horrifying thing? She took a moment to relax herself, then spoke.
“Okay.” she said in response to Rainbow, nodding her head. “So they live to feed on ponies, but they also change you into one of them at the same time. Do the zomponies retain any kind of conscious from their previous state or are they mindless?”
“It appears to be mindless.” Applejack said. 
“I... see...” Twilight said. Now that she knew more about the zomponies she almost wished that she hadn’t asked. Not only were they undead monsters that craved food, that food was them. Here she had assumed that these monsters were simply starving for normal food and would do anything to get to it, including killing everything in its path. But now she knew that it wasn’t just a matter of getting out of the way in order for the zomponies to get to the real target. They themselves were the target. She swallowed hard, unsure if she wanted to continue questioning. But she knew she had to. It was the only way for her to ease her mind. 
“So why are you all here and not in Canterlot? And why is the entire Apple Family here instead of just the ones from Ponyville?”
“I can answer that one.” Granny Smith said, stepping forward. “It has been a tradition in our family fer generations that whenever there is an emergency crisis, every member of the Apple Family is to come ta Sweet Apple Acres and gather at the barn.”
Twilight nodded. That made sense. Plenty of ponyfolk had set up family plans for extreme situations. Still, though, Ponyville was not exactly the safest place to be right now. “I understand that Sweet Apple Acres was the agreed location to meet.” she said, thinking her thoughts out loud. “But why continue to stay here if it isn’t safe now that you’ve all regrouped?” This time Braeburn took over.
“Because we’re still waiting on more family members to show up.” he said. “Not every city was attacked right away but it’s been slowly making its way throughout Equestria and with each day that passes, more family members arrive with more information as to what’s going on.”
“Plus Canterlot might not be the safest place to be right now.” Applejack added. “The cities that were attacked first were the ones closest to Canterlot, which could mean that that’s where it all started.”
“I see.” Twilight said quietly, putting a hoof to her lip in contemplation. Her eyes drifted down to the lantern in the center of the huddled ponies and the light flickered silently. She tried to repeat the information through her mind in order to remember it all. Two weeks ago everything was normal until a blinding flash appeared on the horizon. Ponies began to rise from their graves and infect others. Most everypony fled to Canterlot for safety but not all. It was possible that the zomponies had first arisen in Canterlot with a potential link to the bright light that had appeared but they didn’t know any of this until more evidence appeared which is why most everypony fled to Canterlot in the first place. Plus it’s just a theory anyway. But wait. Why doesn’t she remember any of this? 
“So then what happened to me while all of this was happening?”
The room remained quiet. The awkward silence made Twilight uncomfortable as she looked around. Each pony turned their gaze away from her and some embarrassingly looked at the ground to avoid her eyes. Confused, Twilight looked towards the fenced-in pen in the back of the barn but even the Cakes and Cheerilee nervously shifted in their places. Were they hiding something? But why? What made them nervous? It was a moment before Rarity piped up.
“Uh, well, Twilight, you were in Canterlot before all this started. Princess Celestia had invited you on urgent royal business. Rainbow Dash, Spike and I decided to go with you while Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy were too busy to go. When we arrived, the three of us enjoyed some time in the city while you had a private meeting with the Princess. The light came out of nowhere while we were in the middle of our lunch. Oh, it was such a fabulous lunch! French cuisine on the back porch of Canterlot’s very own La Petite Mare! Can you imagine? Me, on the balcony of La Petite Mare for all to see! Why, it was-”
“Rarity.” Applejack interrupted bluntly with an annoyed expression.
“O-oh, yes, sorry. Where was I? Yes. We thought perhaps the light had to do with you, what with you knowing magic spells and all, but when we rushed back to the castle, we were told it had nothing to do with you. It did, however, distract you from whatever it was you were actually doing and the spell you were conducting backfired and knocked you unconscious. Princess Celestia instructed us to rush you back to Ponyville and wait with you in your library no matter what happened outside and wait for you to wake up. In the meantime she would find out where the light came from. Now technically we didn’t follow that last rule since Rainbow Dash was helping fight and also relayed messages back and forth between everypony here at the barn and Spike and I back at the library, but regardless of that point here we are now.”
“So you’re saying that I just so happened to be knocked unconscious at a pivotal moment  right before an outbreak of crazy terrifying pony-eating creatures by my own spell? Well, that’s just great.” Twilight muttered, embarrassed at herself even if she had no memory of the incident. “When did Spike go to Canterlot?” 
“About a week ago.” Rainbow Dash said. “He ran out the door after yelling something about needing to talk to Princess Celestia.”
Twilight’s brain was full of mystery. While most of her questions had been answered she still felt as though there were some important missing holes. Where did the light come from? Was it coincidental or did it have significance to the zompony uprise? Why had Spike gone back to talk to the Princess? Did Celestia secretly know what the light was but she didn’t want to cause panic and as such sent everypony back to Ponyville while Twilight healed? That would certainly explain why Spike had gone back to Canterlot. Perhaps he wasn’t sure how long it would take for Twilight to heal and so he took it upon himself to ask the Princess himself. Twilight smiled to herself as she thought of her small friend being so brave and forward thinking.  If that’s what he was doing then he was very smart to have made that decision on his own. Still, though, the questions weren’t answered yet and Spike hadn’t returned which meant either Celestia didn’t have any answers, or else he... 
Twilight shuddered at the thought. She wasn’t going to think that way if she could help it. She returned to her previous thoughts and repeated the questions in her mind. But these mysteries only led to more issues that couldn’t be solved yet. Where were her friends? Could the zompony uprise be stopped? Would everything go back to normal? She bit her lip.
“So I went to Canterlot on royal business.” she said, repeating back the story out loud so that she would better remember it. “There was a flash of light before the zomponies-”
“Oh, not you too.” Rarity whined. “That horrible word!”
“They’re zomponies, Rarity! That’s what they’re called! They’re not our friends anymore!” Rainbow yelled. Rarity huffed and crossed her hooves while Twilight continued. 
“...Most everypony ran off to Canterlot for safety but you all stayed here. At the same time I was brought back home until I woke up.” Twilight looked around at everypony before her.
“Sounds about right.” Appleack said, nodding.
“So I understand why the Apple Family is here. But what about you, Cheerilee? Or Mr. and Mrs. Cake? Why are you all choosing to stay here? Even if it’s where the outbreak started, wouldn’t Canterlot be safer? The Princess could surely protect you and besides, everypony else has gone there.”
They stared at the floor and at each other. Twilight looked around, confused at their sadness. Finally Cheerilee, the dark magenta pony with the light pink hair, spoke up.
“It’s our home.” she said with pleading eyes.
Twilight lowered her head in shame. She shouldn’t have asked such a silly question. Of course they would want to stay. She stared around the barn at each individual pony, wishing for a way to help them. They all shared the same gloomy look and distance in their eyes. She didn’t have to ask if they were all thinking the same thing, asking themselves the same questions. Of course they were. Why did this happen? What would become of their home? When would this nightmare end? Twilight looked at the fillies and colts still grouped together in one of the pens with a pained expression. She opened her mouth to ask where their parents were, but she quickly stopped herself. Had they been left here while they ran off to Canterlot? Or worse, were they..?
“Twilight,” Applejack said suddenly, snapping back her attention. “I hope that brought ya up ta speed with things.” 	“Thank you.” Twilight said. “It certainly did. What’s the next step? Do we have a plan?”
“For now we haven’t been doing much besides surviving and having rescue missions. We’ve got blankets over the walls to block out the light. Blossomforth and Thunderlane have been keeping watch for any signs of danger. Big Mac and I have been taking daily trips out to the orchards to gather apples for everypony to eat. Braeburn has been teaching everypony to buck for survival techniques.”
“To buck? What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“Here, look.” Applejack said, taking one of the lanterns and shining the light behind her inside one of the pens. Inside were crudely sewn burlap sacks filled with hay that Twilight hadn’t noticed before. Red targets were painted upon them. “We’ve been teaching everypony how to buck like we do when we’re harvesting apples. That way everypony gains some muscle in case they have to... well... fight...”
Twilight blinked, staring at the sacks and then looking up at Applejack.
“Is that how the ponies outside died?” she asked quietly. “You fought them?” Applejack nodded. Twilight’s expression turned to a look of shock when she realized what that meant. There was no other explanation for where the bodies outside had come from. The idea caused her to swallow, the same as her reaction to the word “killed” from before. It meant her friends had taken lives, most of them being ponies they once knew. A pain struck her heart and she felt like crying. 
“Those ponies out there were our ancestors.” Granny Smith cut in. Twilight turned away from the target sacks to look at the green mare. “My own mother and father were among ‘em. Buried here on the farm, they was. Tried to attack the barn in the middle of the night two days ago.”
Twilight was taken aback by Granny Smith’s ability to stay calm when talking about such a serious situation. The very idea of something like that having happened was horrible yet all of this had been occurring while she was still unconscious. How much pain had the Apple Family gone through when the bodies of generations past had to be taken down? What was going through their minds when they had to look into the faces of those they once knew? She couldn’t imagine it.
“I...” Twilight began to say, but she had no response. What do you say to somepony after hearing such a thing? Granny Smith returned a soft smile and put a hoof to Twilight’s shoulder, a nonverbal way of communicating that she didn’t need to say anything. 
Twilight looked at Granny Smith with pity and tried to come to terms with what she had missed. So much had happened without her. Yet through all of this tragedy, all of these ponies were remarkably held together. How could they have accepted this new way of living so quickly? Perhaps she wasn’t thinking on the right train of thought. After all, it had been two weeks for them. And they hadn’t really accepted it, per se, so much as done what they had to to survive. For her, she was only just learning of the situation today. And even then, they had had a gradual way of learning how to handle everything where as she was being slammed with it all in a matter of an hour. Would she not have done the same thing had she been in their shoes? It was natural pony instinct to do what you can in any kind of emergency to survive. Certainly she would have fought back as well, even if it was painful or hard to do. 
Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. She took a moment before letting out a breath of air and opening her eyes in order to speak. 
“So, they can be killed?” Twilight asked, looking back at Applejack. She was surprised at herself for being able to say the word so easily but then again, once her mind switched from terrified filly to calm and effective leader, she was able to look past her discomfort for the good of all. 
“Yes. Only if you buck ‘em hard in the head, though.” she said. “Anywhere else and they’ll just keep moving.”
Twilight nodded, trying to figure out if she was happy to hear that there was a way to overcome them. Now that she had been caught up, there was no choice but to make efforts for survival and potentially killing an undead pony in the process. Could she do that? Could she make herself perform such a horrid act? There was a way to survive, that was for sure, but at what cost? Using the barn for protection and killing only those that came near... it could work. But would she be willing to face a dead friend and kill them? The ponies around her had already been doing so for at least a week. Surely she could defend herself if the time came? A new headache started to form. Here she was asking questions and plotting as though they were planning a battle during war. Strategizing on the best way to kill an innocent pony? She felt sick to her stomach. Imagining being thrust into a life or death situation where she would be forced to kill a friend wasn’t something she ever dreamed she’d be doing. When would she wake up from this horrible nightmare?
“Twilight,” Applejack said in a kind voice, touching a hoof against her friend’s. “I think we should all hit the hay. We can talk more about this in the mornin’.”
Twilight sighed but knew her friend’s idea was the best decision for the time being. There was still a lot to talk about but they couldn’t do much if they were tired. And perhaps she would feel better if she could have some time to think things through. She always felt better after she gave herself time to process things. That being said, she wasn’t sure how well she would sleep tonight. 
A few minutes later and lanterns were being slowly extinguished one by one. There was the sound of rustling hay as they all turned and flopped over in the spot they had decided was theirs. The fillies and colts all cuddled in one giant heap as Cheerilee, Zecora, and the Cake family surrounded them from all sides. Blossomforth lay stretched across one of the rafter beams as Thunderlane took the first nightly watch. The Apple family all curled themselves up in their own respective corners while Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack all joined together in the same pen to sleep. The four ponies laid together in a group, using each other’s warmth as a sub-conscious form of safety. They may not know whether or not they’d survive through the next day, but at least they had each other tonight. As everypony quieted and calmly dozed, Twilight tapped her three friend’s hooves gently.
“We’ll find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, right?” she asked. Her friends all gazed back with the same sad eyes. 
“I hope so, Twilight.” Applejack said as Rarity nodded. “I hope so.”
In the inky darkness of the barn, not a peep was made aside from the voices in their own minds. All the ponies tried desperately to sleep, despite the danger that lurked and waited outside. Little did they know that Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow were not the only newcomers to the barn. 
Something had followed them. 
And it had brought friends. 
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Darkness surrounded her once more. The same darkness that had covered Twilight in a strange unsettling stillness. This time, however, the stillness wasn’t unwelcome. In fact, it felt calm, collected, and held a sort of peace in its existence. She wondered if she should even call it an existence, considering there was nothing around her. Looking down, she saw her purple hooves standing on an invisible road. Or at least she wanted to call it a road. Everything was black but she felt grounded, as though she could walk on forever and still not meet anything. What was this place? Where was she? She tried to think of what the last thing she remembered doing was. Ponyville, the horrific news of zomponies, the barn.... Sweet Apple Acres! Yes, now she remembered. She had fallen asleep. Was this a dream?
Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, walking along the non-existent road with no intended purpose. There may not be an end in sight, but walking to nowhere was better than just standing and doing nothing. What a strange dream, if this even was one. Why wasn’t her mind coming up with anything? No buildings, ponies, not even a book for her to read. Wouldn’t her mind think of something to fill this endless void?
Not a moment passed after she thought of this that a piece of paper zoomed out of the darkness and flew past her. Startled, Twilight barely moved out of the way before the paper disappeared from view. How strange, she thought. Turning to continue her journey through endless space, suddenly more papers flew out of the darkness. It were as though the black mass had opened its mouth and released the contents of its belly, for the papers spewed forth and circled the unicorn as if propelled by a powerful gust of wind.
Twilight tried desperately to escape the tornado of shuffling papers, but every time she attempted to step outside of the tornado, it would follow her, continuing to encircle her in its trap. Twilight’s heart began to beat faster as she panicked. With each new heartbeat, the papers would swirl faster and faster until finally they were hardly a blur. Although she wasn’t in any real danger at the moment, she wasn’t sure what would happen next. Was this realm safe? Were the papers a defense mechanism? From what? After a few minutes of trying to escape, Twilight finally noticed something peculiar. The papers appeared to have writing on them. The second she made this realization, she stopped panicking, which caused the papers to slow until she could properly read them. Each paper held no more than a full sentence or less, some even containing just one word. Many of them read her name, “Twilight”, while others read “Wake up!”. As soon as Twilight read one, it would fly off into the darkness to disappear. Was she to read each one in order to make them disappear? One by one, she turned around to read the papers, all of them containing either her name, or a command to awaken. Soon enough there were only three papers left, but strangely enough they did not have the same words as the previous ones. Stepping closer, Twilight peered at the them. 
“Elements”
Elements? What did that mean?
“Look behind you”
Twilight turned around but nothing was there.
“Elements”
The papers disappeared. Twilight, confused, stared into the darkness waiting for more messages. What did the papers mean? If this was a dream, then the messages must be coming from her own sub-conscious, right? That made sense to her, but that didn’t explain what she was trying to tell herself. Could the words have to do with her lost memory? Maybe... but maybe not.
Twilight sat down and thought hard. All this confusing information was bothering her more than she could bear. But before she could scream out her frustration, the sound of wind came to her ears. Twilight perked up, looking around for the source of the sound. In this darkness, there was nothing to be seen, but the wind had to be coming from somewhere. It was fierce, flying past her in jagged waves of cold air. She found herself hardly being able to stand as the invisible force brought tears to her eyes. As she stared into the direction the wind was coming from, a white light appeared far off into the distance. Was it the sun rising in this dark world? The bright light became bigger and bigger until suddenly Twilight realized it wasn’t a light at all. It was a collection of papers, hundreds of them, all rushing straight for her. Twilight gasped and turned, running in the opposite direction as fast as she could. But no matter how fast she galloped, the papers came closer and closer until finally they were upon her. Circling her in one giant tornado, Twilight was lifted off the ground in a cluster of papers. The unicorn had squeezed her eyes shut but eventually she opened them, wondering if reading what they said would make them go away. 
“WAKE UP!” 	“WAKE UP!”
“WAKE UP!”
“WAKE UP!”
They all read the same thing. Each paper was yelling at her to escape the dream, but Twilight didn’t know how to appease them. They weren’t disappearing no matter how much she read them and instead of keeping a respective distance, they were closing in on her. Finally, without warning, they closed in on her completely, giving her only enough time to gasp.


“TWILIGHT, WAKE UP!” screamed Applejack.
Twilight, dazed and dizzy, squinted up at the orange mare. It took a few more seconds to realize what was happening before Twilight felt herself being shaken. Applejack had clearly been trying desperately to wake the unicorn and Twilight hadn’t noticed that she was being tossed like a rag doll until finally her mind caught up to reality. 
“What?! Woah, Applejack!” Twilight gasped, pushing her friend away. “What’s going on?”
“Twilight, hurry! They’re here!” Applejack warned, running off out of Twilight’s view.
“What?” Twilight asked to no one in particular, turning over and looking around. The barn was still dark, but this time there were rays of moonlight coming through the cracks in the large door. The blankets that had once covered it were lying in a heap off to the left. Applejack was running towards the barn door, meeting up with Big Mac, Braeburn, and a few other Apple family members who were staring out the cracks in the wood. Twilight shifted her attention to her left to see everypony else either waking each other up or huddling together towards the back.  	Cheerilee and Zecora were trying to hush the young ponies, while the Cakes were trying hard to keep their two foals asleep. What was happening?
Twilight heard the sound of wings and she looked up to see Rainbow Dash flying above her. 
“Twilight, move, we’re gathering everypony in the back.”
“Rainbow Dash, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, looking around in hopes of finding an explanation.
“Zomponies are here.” Rainbow Dash said as though it were obvious, pushing Twilight in the direction of Rarity, who was busy trying to console a white young filly with light lavender and pink colored hair in the rear of the group of young ponies. This small pony was Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister, and in this moment she happened to be tearing up, frightened by the collective panic clouding the room.
“Zomponies?” Twilight questioned, looking at Rarity for help.
“If that’s what you want to call them, yes.” The white mare whispered, brushing her sister’s hair for comfort. “They arrived just a few minutes ago. Thunderlane spotted them coming from the direction of Ponyville. They’re not quite at the barn door but they’re dreadfully close.”
Twilight turned around to look at the ponies peering through the cracks of the wood. She was grateful for their bravery. The Apple Family had a history of protecting their farm, but it wasn’t just their heritage that they were protecting this time. Twilight looked down at each young pony at her feet, all of them looking up at her with fear in their eyes. The older ponies were doing a wonderful job at consoling them, but it was clear that their soothing nature was only skin deep. It wasn’t just the little ponies that were scared, it was everypony. And as Twilight began to wonder if the inside of this barn was the last thing they were all going to see in their lifetime, her ears flicked at a sound she had hoped she’d never hear again. Everypony else seemed to hear it too as they all turned to face the barn door with wide eyes. The sound was low at first and barely audible, but slowly it grew until the young ponies were shriveling back to the barn wall and trying hard to resist a whimper.
Moaning deep and loud, the creatures outside made noises that were hardly pony. Their sounds were generally the same, either guttural drawn out notes or grainy teeth-grinding dissonance. The unpony sounds snaked their way into each ponies’ chest as the zomponies drew closer and closer. Twilight was at first frozen, unable to shake the feeling that she had experienced with Ditzy Doo, but after a moment of bracing herself, she quietly walked forward to the front of the barn, sliding in between Applejack and Big Mac to peer out one of the cracks.
If the sounds were horrible, it was nothing compared to the monsters making them. There had to be forty of them, all creeping slowly towards the barn as though they were sleep walking. And while the distorted motions of the ponies were frightening enough, their skins were covered in varying wounds, causing Twilight to regret her curiosity. Some had deep lacerations covering some or most of their bodies, others appeared to be rotting down to the bone from disease or festering infections. Some ponies even had broken bones or missing parts of their bodies, causing those ponies specifically to walk even more stranger than the others. But worst of all, as Twilight watched with trembling hooves, these ponies were ones she knew. They were all from Ponyville, and they all ranged in age. Over to the left was Mr. Waddle, an old light gray pony with hardly any dark gray hair left. To the right was Silverspoon, a young gray filly with light gray hair and blue glasses. In the back she could see Mayor Mare, a tan colored pony with graying hair, as well as Joe, the tan stallion with brown hair that use to sell donuts in his bakery. And right in the front was Golden Harvest, a yellow pony with orange hair. The whole crowd was recognizable! Mr. Breezy, Cheery Berry,  Lilac Links, Rainbowshine, so many ponies but there were too many to name. 
Never had Twilight seen anything so gruesome. These ponies were their friends, neighbors, and colleagues. They had all been turned into vicious monsters. Zomponies, forced to become mindless eating machines. If only they knew what they were doing. If only there was a cure...
“We have to take them.”
Twilight was so lost in thought she didn’t recognize who spoke. Glancing around, she finally looked up to see Rainbow Dash fluttering softly above her and Applejack.
“Are you crazy?” Applejack asked.
“No!” Rainbow Dash spat. “We have to take them! They could attack the barn and if we don’t get the upper-hand while we still can, then we’re all dead!”
“Or we could stay silent and avoid any possible danger!” Applejack hissed.
“Oh yeah? Okay, let’s say that happens. They avoid the barn. Then what, Applejack? They’re just going to attack other innocent ponies. Do you want that blood on your hands?”
Applejack opened her mouth to speak but stopped short. She appeared to be thinking as she turned her head away from Rainbow Dash to look out the cracks of the barn again. Twilight watched with worry. She could tell without even looking at Applejack that they were thinking the same thing. Defeating a monster was one thing, but when the monster is someone you recognize, what do you do then? Twilight imagined having to hurt one of them and she felt a chill run down her chest. What are they to do..?
Twilight looked around the barn, now taking Rainbow Dash’s idea into consideration. The fillies and colts who were still huddled all the way against the wall, were cowering in fear. Who knew how many innocent ponies were out there right now desperately seeking shelter and not finding any? Were Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie one of them?  If they didn’t attack now, would they be ultimately sending the creatures to somepony else’s doom? The barn was perfect protection for now and could be used for a good battle strategy. Wouldn’t it be unwise to not take advantage of the opportunity?
She understood both sides of the argument. Both of them ended with death, which meant they were certainly stuck between a rock and a hard place but as much as she agreed with Applejack, Rainbow did have a better point.
“Applejack,” Twilight whispered gently. “I think we should fight.” 
Silence was Applejack’s first response. She said nothing and didn’t move an inch from looking outside. By now Big Mac and the rest of the gathered ponies were looking at her. The right action to take was clear to all of them but no one was going to say anything until Applejack spoke. It would be her word that would be final.
She turned to look at Granny Smith. The old mare stared deeply into her granddaughter’s eyes before nodding once.
“Alright.” Applejack said. “We’ll fight.” 
Everypony nodded to each other. 
Apple Fritter, a yellow pony with green hair stepped out from her spot by the barn door. “What’s the plan, then?” she asked, looking to Applejack for an answer.
“Ah, well...” Applejack began, staring awkwardly at the ground. “Twilight, any ideas?”
Twilight, who at this point was still in the process of staring outside, was startled. “O-oh! Uhm, well...” she started to say. In past times she had often been seen as a natural leader and organizer but in this situation she felt uncomfortable. Shifting her eyes back and forth and taking a step back, Twilight tried to think of an excuse to not take on the role of battle planning when suddenly Rainbow Dash literally interjected by flying down in front of her.
“This is what we do.” Rainbow said, clearly itching for a fight. “We open these doors and everypony fit for fighting rushes out and kicks them all good and hard. We partner up and stay back to back in order to protect each other’s hides out there. Twilight you will create a forcefield around the barn so that we don’t have to worry about the ponies inside. Are we ready? Let’s go!” Rainbow Dash prepared to zoom towards the door but Applejack snatched her tail with her mouth to stop her. 
“Hold it!” Applejack yelled through gritted teeth. “That’s a good plan but we need to prepare.” She let go of Rainbow’s tail as the blue pegasus sighed, frustrated, and landed on the floor with a soft thud.
“Yes, we need to be ready.” Twilight said, finally able to speak up. With a good plan now in place, she could properly handle the situation. Although in all honesty she wished they had more time to think about this, she knew that if they thought too hard about it that they’d never do what needed to be done. She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. “Cheerilee and Rarity, stay back in the barn to protect the young ones. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, I assume you’ll be doing the same with your fouls. Zecora, I need you to stand in front of the barn door once everypony is out in case any of them is hurt. Drag them into the barn if they are. I’ll be standing next to you in order to create the forcefield. Everypony else set up to fight. Form two columns and line up two-by-two in front of the barn door. Once we’re ready, we’ll go.”
The next few minutes were filled with nothing but anticipation. Twilight stood by the door where she was prepared to open it with the help of Zecora, watching as almost every Apple Family member lined up accordingly, as well as Rainbow Dash, Blossomforth, and Thunderlane hovering above them. They were all ready to rush forward and face the creatures outside, none of them thinking too hard on what they were about to do. Each one of them was prepared to fight to the death for what they believed in and everypony knew that “fight to the death” was a very real possibility for some of them. As Twilight looked at each pony one by one, she was suddenly filled with inspiration. While before she had only been filled with nervous jitters, the feelings of hope began to seep into her stomach. After all, they had fought plenty of times before this. Twilight hadn’t experienced it yet. She would have to be brave like them in order to properly face this fight. 
Taking one last look at them, Twilight nodded to everypony, then turned to face the door.
“Ready...” Twilight said, allowing her voice to be loud and clear. The sound echoed throughout the barn, causing everypony to crouch down in preparation. The zomponies outside seemed to perk up at her voice and inquisitively began to move towards the barn. “And...” Twilight drew out her word even louder, causing the zomponies to start herding towards the barn.
“GO!!!”
Zecora and Twilight pulled the barn door open with a loud bang. Everypony rushed out of the barn with an angry roar, determined to defend their home. The slam of the barn door added an intimidating affect to the flood of ponies racing towards the creatures. Their battle cry was like the sound of screeching falcons zooming towards their prey. The zomponies, who were too fixated upon their goal to hesitate, moaned louder as soon as the ponies appeared. Their mouths hung open like thirsty leeches as they drooled and breathed heavily. The imagery was horrible but the Apple family and their friends had left their fear behind and continued racing forward. As they became closer and closer, Rainbow Dash was the first to make contact. She claimed to be the best flyer in all of Equestria, after all, and with this reputation to defend, she flew forward with great velocity and lunged at one of the zomponies, specifically Golden Harvest, with her back left hoof. The hit was direct on target and Golden Harvest fell flat against the ground, the first to fall upon the battlefield.
The battle had begun! As ponies and monsters mixed together, there was hardly more than a blur of color against the moonlit field. Two by two, the ponies kicked, punched, and pushed as the zomponies bit, clawed, and shoved. Big Mac could be seen bucking two zomponies at once and Thunderlane was busy kicking out heads from the air. Granny Smith was displaying athleticism that nopony had ever realized she could perform while back-to-back with Applejack who was hardly breaking a sweat from all the practice of collecting apples throughout the years. Rainbow Dash was diving in and out of zomponies, hitting here and there with great force, as Blossomforth was flying in circles to confuse them. The fight was going well, and no pony so far was getting hurt.
Twilight Sparkle, however, was having difficulty. Her job was to create the forcefield around the barn, which was an easy task for a magic student such as herself, but for some reason her magic wasn’t cooperating. At first she thought it was her reaction to seeing so many zomponies at once. It had taken her a while to regroup after opening the barn door and seeing all those twisted disgusting faces to even remember she had a plan involving her magic spell in the first place. But after having choked back her body’s wish to heave, she had gathered herself only to realize her magic was sputtering like it was damaged.
“Twilight Sparkle, what is wrong? Your magic spell is taking too long.” Zecora, the rhyme-speaking zebra looked concerned as she stood next to the purple unicorn. 
“I... I don’t know.” Twilight said, concentrating hard on her magic. Her horn would light up and even spark as she tried, but it would do no more than that. Her heartbeat began to race as her panic level began to rise. The fight was doing fine and no zompony was close to the barn, but still she worried that something would go wrong and it would be her fault that the forcefield wasn’t up. She spread out her hooves, balancing herself better against the ground, and closed her eyes, concentrating with all her might. Wincing and even causing herself a bit of pain, Twilight tried with all her might to create a forcefield. Suddenly a bit of magic shot out and a purplish-pinkish bubble appeared around half of the barn. It stayed in tact for only a few seconds before popping.
“Forgive me if I sound a jerk, but I don’t think that’s going to work.” Zecora said. Twilight moaned in frustration and her eyes teared up. Why wasn’t her magic working? Turning towards the ground, she attempted a practice shot against the ground. A blast of light hit the grass, burning a few of the blades. Okay. So some of my magic works... she thought. But why not the forcefield?
“TWILIGHT!” somepony screamed. The unicorn and the zebra looked up frantically at the battleground. Searching the crowd for who had yelled her name, there was suddenly screaming from behind them. Twilight realized that the yelling of her name had not come from in front of them but rather from behind as she turned sharply around to see a horrifying sight.
At the back wall of the barn, the fillies and colts were spreading out like panicked flies towards the front of the barn. Cheerilee and the Cakes were chasing them, trying to calm them down. But there, all the way in the back by the wall, was Sweetie Belle, Rarity’s sister, trapped under the hooves of a pegasus zompony. There was a hole in the barn wood, which was apparently how the zompony had gotten in. Rarity was holding onto her sister’s front hooves, trying desperately to pull her away. The zompony was screeching loud and hard, pulling the frightened and screaming filly towards itself. 
“Zecora, get help!” Twilight yelled as she ran as fast as her hooves could go towards the back of the barn.
“LET MY SISTER GO!” Rarity screamed, tears running down her face. Sweetie Belle began to cry, unable to slip herself away from the zompony’s grasp. Twilight continued to run, and just as she was close enough to help Rarity, the white unicorn lost her grip and the zompony, clutching Sweetie Belle harshly, dragged the filly back through the hole.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“SWEETIE BELLE!!” Rarity screamed in anguish, rushing for the hole as Twilight followed her. As soon as they were back outside, they looked frantically around for where the zompony had gone. A few seconds later (which felt more like minutes), Rarity pointed to the sky. About 10 feet above them was the pegasus zompony, gripping Sweetie Belle, who had passed out from shock. It was flying towards the nearest tree, possibly intending to hide amongst the branches to eat its meal.
While Twilight and Rarity followed it from the ground, Applejack came out from the other side of the barn. Running as fast as she could, the orange earth pony was like a raging bull, huffing and puffing towards the tree. Applejack was much faster than Rarity and Twilight, as she was stronger from working hard on the farm. Suddenly, Twilight had an idea. 
“Applejack, get ready to buck the air!” she screamed. 
“What?!” Applejack yelled, confused, but refusing to turn around to face Twilight or she would slow down.
“Get ready to buck like you did when fighting and I’ll transport you close enough to hit it!” Twilight explained, already lowering her head to point her horn at Applejack.
“Okay!” Applejack yelled back, slightly confused, but trusting her friend. Twilight concentrated with all her might, knowing that without this magic spell, Sweetie Belle would be lost forever. She had to do this, she couldn’t allow this spell to not work like the forcefield on the barn. It was now or never, kill, or be killed.
ZZZZSSHHPTTPOP!
Light from Twilight’s horn raced with lightning speed towards Applejack, who was already mid-jump and leg outstretched to kick. With a loud pop and a bang, Applejack was transported directly in front of the zompony, who by this time was next to the tree and flying up the trunk towards the branches. Applejack’s hooves landed perfectly against the zompony’s head, slamming it against the trunk of the tree with a loud crack. As the zompony’s grip on Sweetie Belle relaxed and its body started to slowly descend from its airborne state, Applejack smirked in triumph. But the victory was short lived as she stared in horror at what lay before her. The zompony twitched slightly, curled up on the ground in a defeated manner, but that wasn’t what Applejack was looking at. Inside the arms of the zompony was a silent mass of white, purple, and pink. 
Sweetie Belle wasn’t moving.
“Sweetie Belle!” screamed Rarity, who had finally caught up behind Applejack. The farm pony did not respond, instead continuing to stare in shock at the lifeless body of her friend’s sister.	
“Sweetie Belle?!” Rarity asked in desperation, rushing forward to pull the filly’s body from the wreckage.
“Rarity! Applejack! Is she okay?” Twilight asked, the third to appear on the scene. She glanced from Sweetie Belle’s body to Rarity, and then to Applejack. No one spoke a word. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath as everypony’s mind was catching up to reality. It was a painful silence. Rarity moved a hoof through her sister’s mane, beginning to tear up. Applejack was still stunned even when Twilight finally stepped forward to assess what happened. There, at the front of Sweetie Belle’s left ear was a swelling bruise. From what it looked like, when Applejack bucked the zompony, she also bucked Sweetie Belle on accident. Twilight tried to think back to what she witnessed had happened. The zompony, its grip on the filly, flying up the tree... How was it possible? The only way that would have worked was if the zompony had raised Sweetie Belle up in its arms to protect itself. Did the creatures have enough conscious for that? From what she had learned, they were mindless eating machines, did they have enough understanding to defend themselves?
Twilight shook her head. This was not a time to think of such things. Looking over at Rarity, the purple unicorn walked forward and put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. Twilight looked down at Sweetie Belle’s resting body. Her hair was matted, there were dark marks on her sides from where the zompony had held her, and then there was the bruise.
“Rarity...” Twilight began, tearing up as she spoke. “Oh...” There were no words to be said. There was nothing she could do but wrap her arms around the white unicorn’s shaking form and cry into her shoulder. Rarity pulled Sweetie Belle to her chest, too caught up in her thoughts to notice that Twilight was even there.
“I..”
Applejack, trying desperately to shake off her frozen reaction, could only manage to say one word before she too was tearing up. Guilt flooded through her body like icy water. It filled her veins like a slow moving drug and soon her legs began to wobble.
“I...”
She couldn’t move. Watching Rarity’s pain was torture, and staring at Sweetie Belle’s body was impossible. Applejack finally was able to lower her head in shame as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry...” she said shakily, her knees finally giving way and forcing her to sink to the ground in despair.
Twilight looked up at Applejack with sad eyes. She knew the orange mare would never have meant for a thing like this to happen but at this moment she couldn’t comfort her. Her mind wished that she could rush forward and hug Applejack too but Twilight found herself unable to move. Rarity was trembling, sobbing into her sister’s mane. How could Twilight let go?
From around the other side of the barn, Big Mac suddenly appeared. He was followed by the other ponies from the fight including the Apple Family and the pegasus’, who were walking rather than flying. They looked tired, a few limping on sprained hooves, but for the most part unwounded, and while their appearance most likely meant victory in the battle, this was no time for celebration. They walked forward slowly, some unsure of what had happened, others knowing without looking, but all respectfully staying quiet. Upon getting closer, a few ponies gasped, others began to cry.
Zecora stepped forward from the crowd, her eyes full of concern, and put a hoof upon Rarity’s shoulder. 
“Oh, my dear, you are in such pain, your agony we can see quite plain. Without her you have anguish, true, but come inside and we’ll help comfort you.”
Big Mac and Braeburn stepped forward as Zecora attempted to gently pull Sweetie Belle away, but Rarity clutched her sister closer, not wanting to let her go. Zecora nodded to Big Mac and Braeburn, and Twilight moved away from Rarity’s side as the two stallions helped steady Rarity onto her feet and walk her towards the barn. As the crowd began to split to let them through, Twilight looked over to Applejack. The earth mare was still looking at the ground, her shoulders bouncing whenever she sniffed. 
“Applejack...” Twilight began, stepping towards her friend. Applejack didn’t look up, instead turning her face further away. Twilight frowned, standing next to Applejack. She said nothing, understanding that there was nothing she could say to comfort her poor friend. The guilt was obvious, and Twilight’s words would not be able to heal such a deep and painful wound. So instead of talking, Twilight put an arm around Applejack’s shoulders and forced her friend to stand. Stepping through the crowd, everypony looked at Applejack. They were unaware that it was her fault, and assumed that she was crying over the sadness of Rarity’s loss, not the guilt from killing her sister.
The ponies followed Twilight and Applejack to the front of barn. They were headed back inside but Twilight took a moment during their walk to look over at the field where the battle had taken place. Zompony bodies littered the area. Twisted forms of mutilated ponies so horrible that she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Broken bodies of ponies she knew, and as Twilight’s throat forced her stomach to not become sick, the unicorn gave Applejack a small push to lead her into the barn. 
Once everypony was inside, it was an awkward silence. No pony knew what to say to the other as Rarity sobbed in the furthest right corner of the barn next to the body of her sister. Even Rainbow Dash, who was normally an arrogant loud-mouth, remained quiet in the rafters, looking up at the ceiling rather than focusing on her friend’s agony. Applejack refused to let anypony touch her as she buried her head into the opposite corner of the barn. A group of ponies were trying hard to console Rarity, but the white unicorn only seemed to cry harder. Sweetie Belle’s friends Applebloom and Scootaloo were looking at her through the wood of the next door pen. They were but young fillies, hardly old enough to understand what death was, let alone have it forced upon them in such a heart-wrenching way, and seeing their friend’s lifeless form was hard to understand.
Twilight Sparkle stood by the doors of the barn. While everypony else was sharing the same feeling of gloom, Twilight wished to clear her head of what she had just witnessed. It was clear that everypony needed time to mourn and that this was the perfect opportunity to step away for a moment and think. 
Walking outside, she stood in the wind, allowing it to caress her mane and tail. This gentle act of nature was relaxing and allowed Twilight to focus rather than letting her mind drag down to melancholy thoughts. Looking up, Twilight noticed the stars slowly disappearing. The darkness of night was still upon them, but dawn would be approaching soon. She could just make out the start of pink and purples hues peeping out from the horizon. The sunrise would be beautiful, no doubt. 
Stepping forward, she looked out at the battlefield. So many ponies lost. So many friends gone forever. Twilight wondered for a moment if the zomponies truly were mindless. She tried to imagine being trapped in a killing machine’s body, unable to stop it from happening. A chill ran down her back and she shook off the feeling. That was enough of thinking like that. 
Her eyes fell upon the zompony closest to her. It was a pegasus stallion with blue fur and there were so many wounds covering the rest of the body that Twilight couldn’t tell who it was. Even the cutie mark had been mutilated and she couldn’t make it out. As she stared, though, something started to seem amiss. The zompony body bothered her but she wasn’t sure why. Squinting her eyes, Twilight glared at the stallion, allowing her eyes to scan the wounds closely. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what. Nothing appeared to be a problem given the circumstances, but still she was bothered. What was so strange about it? Twilight thought hard, trying to think if she could remember anything. Did it have to do with her lost memory? No, that wasn’t it. Was it her dream? The dream of those strange papers and...
Wait.
Twilight’s eyes widened. Turning around sharply on her hooves, she sprang forward and ran towards the barn. But instead of running inside, she ran around it towards the back. She spotted the tree where the zompony which had caused the death of Sweetie Belle still lay motionless. Running up to it, Twilight stopped in front of it. Just as she thought.
This zompony looked exactly the same.
During the chase for Sweetie Belle, Twilight hadn’t paid any attention to the coloring of the zompony. She didn’t care what it looked like so long as they saved Rarity’s sister. But that body in front of the barn simply had to be the same as this one. And while it was true that twins did exist in Equestria, this zompony even had the same wounds as the other one in the same exact places. The cutie mark was mutilated in exactly the same fashion. What did that mean? And come to think of it, this zompony even flew! All the zomponies outside the barn regardless of type walked, and even the unicorns didn’t use magic. If they could fly or use magic, why didn’t they? Certainly they would take advantage of these skills if they were conscious enough to realize they had them, so long as they weren’t damaged, right? None of the zomponies in front of the barn used these abilities and there were plenty of them that appeared unwounded in those areas. If, as Twilight was now guessing, zomponies were unable to fly and use magic, then how did this one do so?
Twilight stared at the zompony in complete confusion. She was driving herself to a headache trying to come up with an answer but she simply didn’t have one. There was no information to be found on the subject of these creatures that she knew of, so how would she find out the truth? Was this normal for zomponies? Who would know? Who would she ask?
Princess Celestia was the first pony to come to mind. But if the Princess already knew information on them, wouldn’t she help her people? If Equestria was in danger, which it certainly was, then the Princess would surely find a way to defeat these creatures, no matter how odd the circumstances. Why hadn’t she done so yet? Was it possible that even the Princess didn’t know anything about zomponies? And if she didn’t, and Twilight asked her what to do, what would the Princess tell her? Twilight thought hard. What would the Princess have her do?
	Elements...
Twilight gasped. Elements of Harmony? The papers from her dream! Was that what the dream was telling her? 
Look behind you...
Twilight gasped again. How did it know? Somehow her mind had told her to look behind her, clearly relating to the barn and how they hadn’t set up a defense in the back. Bewildered by her strange dream’s foretelling she fell backwards onto her tail and sat down, staring straight ahead. Regardless of how it happened, her sub-conscious had told her what to do. Would it work? Would the Elements of Harmony help in this situation?
Twilight stood back up. It was certainly worth a try. Any hope in this existence was worth it. She looked to her left where the sky was starting to turn pink and orange from the rising sun. The Elements of Harmony had helped in desperate times before, it only made sense that they try it again. The memories of Nightmare Moon and Discord flooded back to her. In those cases it was only one pony and thing to worry about it. This time it was hundreds, possibly thousands of creatures. What if it failed..? Well. She wouldn’t worry about that right now. 
Twilight raced back to the barn. If she was going to try this idea, she would not only have to inform the others, but plan it carefully as well. They would need to find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, as well as get the Elements from Golden Oak Library. It would take time, but hopefully the idea would prove fruitful.
Back at the barn, the other ponies were still in mourning. Staying respectfully quiet while Rarity released her tears. 
“Everypony!” Twilight announced, breaking the silence and bursting through the door. “Listen! We need to find the Elements of Harmony!” She knew very well that it was quite rude of her to interrupt a well needed rest and reflection, but she was desperate to end the tragedy before her. Everypony turned to look at her aside from Rarity, but no pony spoke a word. Most seemed agitated that she would interrupt while others stared in confusion.
“We need to find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and then get the Elements of Harmony from my library. It’s our only chance to defeat these zomponies. I’m sure all of us agree that we don’t want any more pain and no more deaths to come from this. The Elements have saved us before, it will save us again!”
There was awkward shuffling. Everypony glanced at each other in an attempt to see what the others were thinking. It was a hard time to try and be hopeful. And it was an especially hard time to find morale after having just lost a filly. Even if the idea seemed like a good idea, the timing was strange and nopony appeared to know how to properly deal with it. 
Twilight waited for a response, praying that they would understand. Then an unexpected voice was heard. 
“Get the Elements, Twilight.”
Everypony turned their heads with open mouths to see Rarity. Even Applejack, who was still hiding in the corner, turned her head to face her friend with wide eyes. Rarity’s tearstained face and bloodshot eyes were painful to look at. Mrs. Cake looked down at her with concern, but backed up a few steps to allow her more space for her to speak. Rarity still clutched Sweetie Belle in her arms, refusing to let go. As everypony stared at her, the white unicorn seemed to glow brightly with inspiration. “Go. Find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Sweetie Belle won’t ever come back to me, but there are other fillies out there that need our help. I refuse to have anything like this happen again. Those... those zomponies won’t hurt another filly, if I can help it, and I swear that by Celestia’s name! Get the Elements and destroy those things! I will avenge my sister if it’s the last thing I do!”
Startled, the crowd could do nothing but turn back to look at Twilight, wondering what the unicorn would say.
Twilight was just as shocked as anypony else. She stared in awe at her friend who only stared back with powerful eyes. Twilight nodded. 
“You have my word, Rarity. I’ll do my best.” she said. Twilight walked forward to the middle of the barn, looking up and around at everypony surrounding her. They still looked tired from the fight, but in all they were willing to continue their struggle. Rarity’s words had refueled their spirt. They each nodded to her in turn as Twilight circled to face them individually. Their strength meant hope, and Twilight drank it in, feeding off the commitment all of them gave to each other. Knowing that they had each other was the most important part of their survival. 
Twilight opened her mouth to speak, her voice filled with the sound of a leader.
“Let’s get the Elements of Harmony.”
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Getting the Elements of Harmony would be no easy task. Or rather, Twilight thought, getting the ponies needed to complete the Elements of Harmony would be no easy task. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both were no where to be found, and as Twilight soon learned, figuring out where to go to find them would be just as difficult as it is to paint in the dark. And to make matters worse, everypony knew that splitting up into multiple groups to search more than one location at a time would be a very bad idea. After a long debate, it was decided that a small search party would be gathered, while the rest of the ponies stayed at the barn. 
“If we split up, we’re dead.” Braeburn said to everypony. “It only makes sense to send a few out.”
“He’s right.” agreed Twilight Sparkle, who was looking at a map of Equestria that was lying flat upon a crate. “I would think three to five ponies would do. If everypony is alright with that, I would like to volunteer to be a part of it. Does anyone disagree?”
No one raised a voice while a few shook their heads. 
“Rainbow Dash, will you join me?”
“Most definitely!” Rainbow Dash said with confidence, swooping down from the rafters of the barn. She landed next to Twilight and put a light blue hoof upon the crate. The pegasus turned to look around the barn at each pony individually. “Who else is with us?”
Many ponies shuffled their feet uncomfortably. It appeared as though that while each and every pony was willing to help if forced, it was a different situation entirely when a choice was given. Twilight frowned, understanding the hesitation in the crowd. This was a quest filled with a high level of danger, and no pony was willing to leave the safety of the barn after having experienced the zomponies face to face in the battle the night before. 
“I am.” said a sudden and unexpected voice. Each pony turned to look at Applejack, who was stepping out of her shadowed corner towards the middle of the room. “For Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie’s sake, but also for Rarity.”
For a moment, no one spoke. They stared at the orange mare with confusion and worry. It was a painful understanding that most of the ponies in the room were unsure of sending Applejack out now that everyone had been filled in on what had truly happened with Sweetie Belle. While the battle of the night prior had shaken everyone to its core, it was obvious by now that the farm pony still needed some time to heal over her unfortunate accident. Everypony looked between Applejack and Twilight with uncertainty but the orange mare didn’t take her eyes off of Twilight, waiting for permission with a determined stare to join the search party. Despite the crowd’s worried glances, however, Twilight nodded, confident that Applejack wouldn’t let them down.
Big Mac stepped forward and stood beside his sister.
“Joining us too?” Applejack asked, looking up at Big Mac with gratitude. 
“Eeyup.”
Applejack smiled sadly, bowing her head slightly to touch manes with her brother. Big Mac returned the gesture, a small moment of comfort well needed. 
“Well,” Applejack said, tilting her head back to look at Twilight. “Where to?”
Twilight looked down at the map before raising her head to look around. 
“Does anypony have any clues as to where Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy might be?” she asked.
Immediately ponies began to whisper and talk amongst themselves to see who might have any information. Many phrases of, “Where would they have gone?” or “I haven’t seen them.” were heard. Even the Cake family were unsure as to where Pinkie Pie might have gone despite living in the same house. They claimed she wasn’t home during the time they escaped to the barn. Just when Twilight began to believe there was little hope of an easy search-and-rescue, Zecora suddenly spoke up.
“A blur of yellow and pink I saw when I left my forest hut. Whether pony or animal I’m afraid I don’t know what. But one thing is for sure that I know without a doubt, it ran into the forest with a very big scream and shout.”
Reflecting on this new information, Twilight stared at the floor in puzzlement with a hoof against her chin. It sounded like Fluttershy. The colors matched her description at least, but why would she run into the Everfree Forest? Her shy and quiet friend was always afraid of the darkness and the tall trees that existed there. To find safety there was strange... or was it? 
“It has to be Fluttershy.” Twilight confirmed. “If the town was uninhabitable, she’d either follow her pony friends or go with her animals. Clearly no pony was able to find her or at least not any of us, so there’s no doubt her woodland friends would help her. Animals are not about to go seek out another city, but rather find an environment outside that would shelter them. The Everfree Forest is dangerous, but not to those that know it well. Fluttershy must have been following her animal friends to hide there.”
“That makes sense to me,” Applejack said. “But the Everfree Forest is a big place.”  	
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash agreed. “There’s no way we could search the entire forest without wasting a lot of time.”
“It’s the only clue we have.” Twilight explained. “We need to at least try. You’re right about not be able to search the entire forest, but how about looking in a small section? How about we go as far as Zecora’s Hut and then return back to Ponyville and if we haven’t found her by then, we’ll assume she’s not there.” Twilight turned to Zecora and tilted her head upward while looking at the zebra.
“If you are going to my hut,” responded Zecora. “ Then a guide you will need. Allow me to join the party, and I will gladly lead.”
Twilight smiled and nodded her head. “Great. Then it’s best that we leave as soon as possible.” The purple unicorn folded up the map before her and tucked it away while Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Big Mac, and Zecora began to scour the barn for any necessary items they might need for the trip.
The Apple Family barn proved to be more fruitful than expected when it came to travel accessories. Each pony was able to fasten a saddle-bag upon their backs with various items such as rope, flint, or lanterns. And with Granny Smith pointing out the trap door to the cellar, the rescue party was able to add hay and apples to the mixture. Twilight couldn’t help but lose herself to her thoughts as she took the jars of preserved fruit from the oldest member of the Apple Family. Would this be the last time she laid eyes upon the silver-haired mare? Would this be the last time she saw anyone that they’d be leaving behind in the barn? Memories flooded her mind as she stared into the eyes of her old friend. Memories of the first day she came to Ponyville, where she first met the entire Apple Family. Who could forget the happy celebratory attitude they all had when they forced her to eat all those apple related foods? Foods that had filled her stomach so full that she was willing to bet she was still digesting it. And now the Apple Family was doing it again. Handing her jars of preserved apples for their journey, with a hopeful smile on the old mare’s face. That cracked smile that had once brought Twilight so much happiness to see, now only filled her with dread. She didn’t want to admit it, but the returning smile she gave to Granny Smith was a forced one, and she had to fight back tears over the green mare’s optimism. 
“Thank you.” Twilight said, unable to say anything else. She bit her lip, put the jars into her saddle-bag, and turned to the group that were all ready to go. They stood by the door looking back at her, and as Twilight locked eyes with each of them, she was startled. For each of them held the same hopeful smile that Granny Smith had held just before. Strong and confusing emotion filled Twilight’s stomach as she stared at each ponies’ expression. Whether it was the Apple Family optimism that had flowed out into the room as soon as Granny Smith smiled, or else Twilight was unable to see the hope that had always been there, the purple mare was never the less able to find that lost sense of faith that had disappeared the moment Sweetie Belle met her end.
Tears threatened to escape, but Twilight was able to hold them back long enough to step forward and join the search party by the door. Looking back at the ponies that would be left behind, Twilight gave an honest smile, one that seemed to gleam in the darkness of the barn. A trusting smile. One of hope, faith, and everything that was needed to secure the ponies with the thought of a promising future.
“We’ll see you when you get back!” An Apple family member called out from the back of the group.
“Good luck!” Another rang out.
“Go get her!”
“I know you won’t let us down!”
“WAIT!!!”
The party stopped dead in their tracks and they all twisted their heads to see who had shouted so loudly. Twilight’s heart beat fast, the immediate shot of adrenaline in her system no doubt an instinctual reaction she had learned from needing to constantly be on her hooves. She scanned the barn to see who had spoken but it appeared as though even the ponies in the barn were confused as they looked around for the source of the voice. 
Suddenly, two small fillies popped out from the crowd. It was Apple Bloom, Applejack’s yellow bodied and red haired younger sister, and Scootaloo, a young orange with purple mane pony. Both were Sweetie Belle’s best friends and school companions.
“We want to come too!” Apple Bloom said. Her voice was confident but the rest of the barn did not share her bravery. The crowd behind them were too stunned to speak and they looked to the search party with gaped mouths to see their response. 
Twilight shifted between her hooves uncomfortably. But before she could speak, Scootaloo piped up.
“We don’t want to stand by and be useless! We want to help!”
“Girls, I...” Twilight began. “I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we appreciate your willingness to help, but... It’s really not safe out there. And-”
“That’s not fair!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Sweetie Belle is dead and we have to just stand by and let more of our friends die?!”
Immediately a chill ran through the room. Everypony appeared uncomfortable at the words spoken by the young filly. While they all had been very much aware of the reality of the situation, hearing a pony so young speak so bluntly about it seemed to make the whole thing worse. Still, the fillies had a point to be upset. And it was difficult to find the words to explain why they couldn’t join the party without accidentally insulting them. 
“Apple Bloom, you can’t come with us.”
Twilight looked back to see who had spoken and watched as Applejack stepped forward. Her face reflected a no-nonsense attitude and her voice was frank.
“Why not?” Apple Bloom spat, spreading her legs slightly apart as though instinctively readying to fight. 
“You’re too young.”
“We are not!” Apple Bloom fought. Her eyes furrowed in anger and she dared not take her stare away from her older sister. Her defiance was not, however, equally shared by Scootaloo as it once had been. She seemed to shrink slightly as Applejack stepped closer to them. 
“You’re staying here.” The orange mare said, her business-like attitude refusing to crack.
“We don’t want to! We want to defend everypony! We want to defend Sweetie Belle!”
“Well, you can’t. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Just let me do this!” 	“No!”
The spat continued, both sisters raising their voices with each passing sentence. Most of the ponies around them were too anxious to intervene and even Twilight was too in shock to speak up. But eventually, after a moment or two longer of the girls throwing words at each other, Granny Smith stepped forward to put her hooves gently around Apple Bloom. 
“No!” Apple Bloom yelled, attempting to push the old mare away. The little one squirmed frantically while Scootaloo, whose expression bent into discomfort and awkwardness, backed away nervously. 
“No, you can’t just keep us here! We have to defend her!” 
The stronger Apple Bloom wiggled, however, the more her voice began to crack. The strain was beginning to take its toll on her already stressed body and she began to shake from nerves. Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes as she continued to shout for her right to join the party. Granny Smith was struggling to hold her still and eventually Braeburn came forward to help pull her back.
“You have to stay here.” Applejack said with finality, her voice returning to a calm state now that her younger sister was being restrained. Apple Bloom, meanwhile, ceased her shouting and kicking and began to cry, lowering her head to face the ground. The older sister turned away, ready to walk out the door once more. Twilight attempted to meet her eyes but the orange mare refused to look anywhere else but forward.
“I hate you.”
Applejack stopped walking but she didn’t turn around. The entire barn perked up at the words and they looked between the two sisters with shock. Twilight stared wide eyed at Apple Bloom and she turned to look at Applejack with concern. The orange mare wasn’t moving.
“I hate you.” Apple Bloom repeated, this time raising her head to look at her older sister with anger in her eyes. “Sweetie Belle is gone because of you and I hate you!”
The crowd spoke not a word as all eyes laid on Applejack. Apple Bloom continued to cry but she tried in earnest to refrain from breaking down. Her anger fueled her hatred and Twilight swore she could feel the burn from the filly’s glare, even if the emotion wasn’t meant for her.
Tension filled the air. It was up to Applejack to break it but the orange mare wasn’t moving. Twilight wondered if her friend might be too shaken to respond and it suddenly occurred to her that perhaps she could ease her friend’s pain by putting a hoof on her shoulder. But as Twilight stepped forward to do so, Applejack suddenly moved forward and avoided her friend’s touch.
“Move on, everypony.” she said matter-of-factly, refusing to look back. Twilight hesitated, slightly perturbed by Applejack’s refusal of comfort. Her shoulders sunk and she looked at the ground briefly in sadness while the rest of the party moved to follow the orange mare. Giving herself a moment to recover, Twilight raised her head to catch up with the rest of the group. She gave one glance back at the barn, where upon Granny Smith could just be seen nodding her head a single time in the sliver of the closing doors before her view was shut out completely. As she caught up with the search party, Twilight’s eyes trailed up to where Applejack  led in front. The purple unicorn was at first strongly motivated by her friend’s strength but she couldn't break her eyes away from her friend’s face. The farm pony walked with her head held high and her movement undaunted. 
But the sunlight reflected the tears on her cheeks.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sun shone bright upon the backs of the five ponies heading north east. The red-orange glow of the afternoon was warm against their fur, and the sun’s rays danced with their long shadows. The playful sunlight, however, was not met with a joyous reception. Instead, the seemingly regular and normal weather bathed the ponies with nothing more than light to guide them. They ignored the warmth, staying silent with bowed heads and walking single-file without so much as glancing at each other.
Whether the silence was due to the shared uncertainty of the quest, or the fear for all of Equestria, nopony would say. But it didn’t take an admittance to agree that everypony was thinking the same thoughts as they walked. It was easier to understand each other without saying a word.
One could, however, beg to differ that the reason the ponies stayed silent was that they were all faking a message of hope instead of sharing a bad thought. After all, if no one brought the realization to life with their mouths, then the outbreak of the zomponies might not be real. Unless the words were spoken, the  countless deaths, injuries, and trauma could still be a horrible nightmare and they could wake at any moment. Sweetie Belle would still be alive, and all of their friends would be back in Ponyville as it should be. A quick pinch and it would all be over.
But of course this wasn’t a dream. And the reality of the situation need only be realized by feeling the hot sun against their backs. For only in real life could a pony actually feel a physical feeling of warmth, and as such the round fiery object in the sky was not a symbol of happiness, but that of mockery and pain. Its flames licked at their hooves in a manner of which caused their legs to drag and sweat drip from their brow. Suddenly the darkness of the barn that they had left behind didn’t seem so bad after all. A dark, cool place hidden from the hot sun, and of course, a shelter from the predators outside. Hungry predators that didn’t bother to wait for prey to come out of concealment. No, instead they walked with sluggish movements constantly searching for food. The kind of predator that everypony feared, no matter how brave they appeared to be.
It was with this fear, that the five ponies heading for the shade of the trees ahead, couldn’t be kept from nervously glancing around. Even with the sweltering sun baking their poor hides, each one checked every cranny, nook, and corner for any sign of movement. The slightest shift in vision caused the entire party to pause like deer and hold still, panic sweeping over them like a blanket of frost. Wide eyed and ears perked up, no one moved until it was equally decided that a monster was not lurking in the shadows. Like a slow moving train, the trip to the Everfree Forest took the group an hour and a half to get there rather than forty-five minutes as it normally would with normal walking speed.
Despite the terrifying circumstances, no zompony had approached the party during that time, much to their relief. Soon the tall trees of the forest were coming into view, and before they knew it, the ponies had officially entered the Everfree Forest.
The temperature dropped almost immediately, a few ponies shivering from the sudden shift. The shade was much nicer on their bodies, and their hooves loosened the soft dirt beneath them with each step that they took.
With pros, however, there always comes cons. And although the cool temperatures were calming, the darkness had the opposite effect. The sharp branches above clustered together in tight packs, blocking the sun’s bright light and forcing the ponies’ eyes to adjust before continuing. Fifteen minutes later, the group had to stop and take a break. The shaded forest wasn’t enough to refresh them from the hot sun, and it was clear by the heavy breathing coming from each of their muzzles that everypony would benefit from rest. 
Sitting in a circle, the group took a moment to ease their cramping legs, too tired to consider the idea that they might be safer continuing their journey rather than staying in the same spot. They traded cold water around, Twilight Sparkle taking the most advantage from the drink. She was panting from the hot weather they had just come from, clearly having the most trouble. While Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow Dash were use to working hard in such heat, Twilight was use to staying inside and reading, hardly ever working her muscles to exercise. She was exhausted, glad to remove the pack she had had strapped upon her back.
Rainbow Dash laid upon the ground, letting her wings touch the cool dirt. Zecora tucked her legs up under her stomach while Applejack removed her hat to wipe her brow. Big Mac returned the water to his bag as soon as Twilight was finished and then sat back with his head raised to look at the sky. A few moments passed in silence before Zecora spoke up.
“Only ten minutes further before we’re there, for the worst I’m afraid we must prepare.”
Another silence. This time full of despair and shifting glancing looking for doubt against the zebra’s words. None came. At least not at first.
“We still have those ten minutes.” Applejack said, trying hard to be hopeful. Rainbow Dash nodded. 
“We’ll find her.” The blue pegasus added, sounding more confident than the earth pony. “And if we don’t find her by the time we get to your hut, then we’ll find her on our journey back.”
Twilight Sparkle smiled at her friend’s confidence. She wanted to jump up and agree with them, but she found herself unable to do so. She instead appreciated the warm feelings surrounding her and stared at the ground.
A twig snapped behind her. 
Twilight gasped, jumping up frantically toward Rainbow Dash and turning around to face the direction of the sound. Everypony stood and stared beside her, all of them wide eyed with fear. It was the same reaction they had had when they were still walking single file back in Ponyville. This time, however, the feeling appeared to increase in strength for the new setting of a dark forest heightened their shared fear. It took a long time for the ponies to calm, longer than usual, but eventually the feeling subsided and everypony was able to relax their muscles. As Applejack turned to look at Twilight with a half-smile of a joking attitude at their silly reaction to a twig snapping, her attitude changed completely when the sound was heard again. 
This time from the opposite direction.
Eyes widening and pupils dilating, each pony turned on their hooves to the direction of the sound. Everypony held their breath as they stared into the inky darkness beyond the trees. Nothing was in sight, but it was clear that the sound was no accident.
Another snap to the right. 
Hearts racing, the ponies became a tight circle, each pony facing a different direction. Their tails nearly touching, it was enough to feel the back legs of each other to refrain from falling over in fright. The ground felt as though it were trembling from the shaking of their hooves, and Twilight couldn’t help from sucking in a gasp as another sound, this time of a bush shaking as though something had brushed past it, came from in front of her. While the thought of a zompony rushed through everypony’s minds, that wasn’t the only monster that could be lurking in the Everfree Forest. It could be anything. The images of various creatures flashed through their minds, everypony trying to decide what the least frightening one could be and trying to imagine that that was what was coming at them.
Was it possible for the light to get darker? Or was it just a trick of their minds, the response of fear clouding their judgement? The ponies tried desperately to back closer together, even though no space was available for them to do.
Suddenly the sound was only coming from one direction, the direction in which Twilight was facing. The ponies all turned to look at it head-on, backing away slowly and unable to tear their eyes away from whatever was coming at them. No one had the mindset to turn to the other and decide what to do should a worst-case-scenario happen. What if they were attacked? What if they were outnumbered? What if they died right here and the ponies back at the barn were to forever wonder what had happened to them? Is this what happened to Fluttershy? Was there no hope? Thousands of questions flooded their minds before suddenly Twilight screamed as something burst forth from the trees.
It was a small white rabbit.
Hearts still racing, no pony moved as they stared.
The rabbit blinked.
The ponies did too.
“Angel?” Rainbow Dash asked aloud.
The rabbit jumped up and down, waving at them. 
“Angel?!” Twilight exclaimed, her whole body relaxing. The entire group collapsed in frustration and shock. “What are you doing here?!”
Then something seemed to click within the purple unicorn’s brain. 
“Did you come here with Fluttershy? Is she here?! Is she safe?!”
The rabbit disappeared, running off. 
“Follow him!!” Twilight screamed, pointing in the direction Angel had gone. Everypony moved in a blur of color, grabbing their packs as fast as they could and running frantically towards the rabbit. Each of them was tired and nopony felt like running but none of them wanted to admit the possibility of their friend being dead and Angel was a ray of hope in the darkness they had gathered along the trip.
Their hooves smacked the ground in a pitter-patter of sound, dust clouding in their wake. Rainbow Dash, who was flying rather than running, beat the air with her wings hard. Angel was just ahead of them, his small footsteps giving him a surprising amount of speed. The trees whipped past as the ponies galloped. The anticipation of finding Fluttershy gave each of them a large gust of last-minute adrenaline which allowed them to forget that they were ever tired.
Angel twisted suddenly to the right, causing the entire party to shift without warning. Zecora changed direction with ease, as did Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, but Big Mac nearly slipped over himself, causing the need to catch up slightly. 
Then, without warning, Angel disappeared.
Twilight skidded to a halt, everypony behind her nearly running into her. 
“He’s...” Twilight said, gasping for breath. “...gone!”
Each pony turned around, looking frantically for where the rabbit might have vanished.
“Wait! Look!” shouted Rainbow Dash from above, pointing at the ground. 
Everypony looked at the direction to which she was pointing but there was only a tree. 
“Rainbow, what do you-” Twilight started to say before she was cut off. They all ran to the tree and looked down. There, in the ground just under the roots, was a large deep hole. It was big enough for even Big Mac to fit through. The ponies stared at the dark hole hesitantly, unsure if they should take the plunge when no pony had technically seen Angel go through. But soon a white shape with long ears popped up from the ground and beckoned them inside. Without pausing for confirmation from the others, each pony flew forward and dove into the hole, too exhausted and desperate to wonder if this was a good idea.
Into the hole they went, all of them hitting each other as soon as they were inside, sliding down a tunnel of dirt. It was short and quick, but still they all yelled out in panic as if realizing what they had just done.
Five bumps and a thud later, the ponies landed in a pile. Groaning and holding their heads  from the pain, they blinked and looked around. They were inside a large circular room, or rather, a large hole or tunnel, in the ground. Tree roots were hanging down from the ceiling and the ground was covered in dirt and rocks. In the back of the room, next to a small pile of food, was a separate tunnel doorway that must have led to a further complication of tunnels or perhaps even more rooms. There were animals everywhere, every kind that you could imagine living in a forest. Birds, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, and even one bear. But that wasn’t what the ponies were looking at. For there, in the middle of all the animals, was a yellow and pink pony cowering in fear. It covered its head and whimpered until the white rabbit, Angel, poked it on the shoulder. Bright turquoise eyes fresh from crying looked up, and gasped in shock when it laid eyes upon the pile of ponies near the tunnel that they had just fallen out of. 
“Fluttershy!” the five ponies yelled. Scrambling out of the pile, they all ran forward to the yellow pegasus.
“O-oh my goodness!”  Fluttershy exclaimed, both scared and relieved at the sudden arrival of hugs from all around her.
“We found you!” Twilight said happily, tears in her eyes. 
“You’re alive!” Applejack said, crying. The earth pony allowed the tears to fall, trembling with her arms around her friend’s neck. She was the happiest to find the yellow pegasus, for another death so soon from what had happened back at the barn would have been too much for her to bear. “You’re alive...” she repeated, this time quieter.
“You are too...” Fluttershy replied, barely a whisper, into the orange mare’s ear. They shared the moment gratefully, each of them shedding tears upon the other, both of them feeling as though they were no longer alone in the world.
The ponies around them smiled, not wanting to break the elation they all felt. They were safe, their quest was a success, and for the first time in weeks, they were happy.
Eventually the two ponies released their embrace.
“Where was everypony and how did you find me?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought everypony was gone.”
“We were at Applejack’s barn.” Rainbow Dash explained. “Hiding from the zomponies. Zecora thought you were in the Everfree Forest.”
The zebra nodded to confirm Rainbow’s story.
“Ohhh...” Fluttershy’s lip trembled at the mentioning of “zompony”. She closed her eyes and whimpered slightly. Twilight was quick to intervene.
“We thought you were lost, but we found you and you’re safe.” she said. “We’ll explain more about what happened to us but why don’t you tell us how you got here first.”
“Oh... well...” Fluttershy began very quietly. It was obvious that she didn’t want to talk about it, wishing that the conversation would turn to a lighter topic. “I... I was at home gardening and making new nests for some new birds that decided to live in my tree when.... when something.... abnormal... came up to me... it was like a pony but... but it was...” Fluttershy whimpered but with one understanding nod and a frown from her friends, she was able to continue. “...It was covered in wounds and I was so scared so I ran into town. But when I got there, everypony was either gone or running away! They were so far away that I couldn’t chase after them and so all I could do was just... sit there and... cry... and... then the monsters came... and... before I knew what was happening, my animal friends found me just in time and I followed them here. We’ve been safe hiding in this fox hole. We even made the hole bigger so that Mr. Honeycomb could come in.” She looked up at the bear who grinned cheesily back at her.
Twilight took in this new information with a hoof to her chin. She pictured her poor friend sitting in the middle of the street surrounded by zomponies. Fluttershy was always shy and frightened by the smallest of things, but picturing her friend in such a horrifying situation, it was almost too much to bear. She wished she had been there to comfort the pegasus, even though she knew that that might not have been enough. Why did the purple unicorn  have to have been knocked unconscious for so long? How many ponies could she have helped save had she not been asleep?
Filled with frustration, Twilight glanced up at the animals surrounding her friend. A shot of guilt flew through her heart and instantly her frustration disappeared to make way for newfound sadness. She realized how much in debt they were to these animals. How lucky were they that their pegasus friend had been saved by them? Sure, the animals didn’t have to worry about being targeted by the zomponies (at least, Twilight assumed) so whisking Fluttershy away to safety was surely a breeze for them, but that didn’t mean they were any less frightened by the situation.  How could Twilight, or the rest of them for that matter, ever repay them?
Frowning, she put her hoof to the floor and looked up at the yellow pegasus.  Twilight was startled to see that Fluttershy was in the middle of talking. Clearly the purple unicorn had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard anyone ask Fluttershy a question.
“...can’t and so the animals go into the forest to bring the berries and leaves. They know right where to go and can avoid being on the ground.”
Avoid being on the ground? Twilight thought. Oh, the animals who can climb trees can keep away from the zomponies... The idea seemed quite brilliant to her and so she decided to keep a mental note of using that tactic later should the time come. Though of course, she hoped she wouldn’t have to use that tactic at anytime. When would she even use it? The buildings in Ponyville might be a good example. If they stood on the rooftops and locked the doors to the first few floors, that would be a good way of survival. Though of course that wouldn’t work because there would be no way of keeping food up there forever. Or at least, not without sending a group of ponies off to go fetch for more. How lucky pegasus's were during this outbreak! One hint of danger and all they had to do was fly into the clouds. She wondered briefly if Cloudsdale had had trouble with the zomponies in their city. Certainly it would be problematic with zomponies flying around... then again, pegasus zomponies she had seen so far weren’t able to fly... Except for that one... Ugh, where was Spike when she needed him? He was always good to bounce ideas off of.
Shoot. She had become lost in thought again. She had missed more conversation from her friends. This time it was Applejack explaining what had happened to them and the rest of Ponyville, including the flash of light they had all seen.
“Oh, I saw that too!” Fluttershy interrupted. “I was at home with Angel baking some nice nut cookies for our bird friends when a bright light flashed outside the window. It was so bright I had to close my eyes.”
“Right.” Applejack said. “Everypony seems to have seen it. I bet that figuring out what that light was and what caused it might explain how this zompony business got started.”
That’s right. Twilight thought. Why hadn’t she spent more time thinking about that? The light, which had flashed mere hours before the outbreak occurred, had come from Canterlot. Why Canterlot? What had happened to cause a flash of light that bright and that far-reaching? Did it reach all of Equestria or just spread far enough to Ponyville? Did Princess Celestia know the source? Surely the Princess would have known about it. Then again, if the princess did know about it, it was strange that she didn’t try and help Ponyville. Was she too busy trying to save Canterlot? Was Canterlot overrun? What if the Princess needed help? Shouldn’t they go there to at least investigate? Then again, Twilight knew that investigating Canterlot with others might be a problem. The ponies back at the barn wanted to stay here because Ponyville was their home, they wouldn’t just stand up and go to Canterlot just to see what was happening there. Or would they? This was a dangerous situation, after all, and most ponies would want to help each other. Perhaps some could stay at the barn while others made the journey? That would work. The more she thought about it, the more Twilight couldn’t shake her idea that Canterlot would be a good place to go. Even if it wasn’t safe, neither was the barn forever, and at least they’d understand a little more about what had happened.
A sharp cry caused Twilight to return from her thoughts. Looking around, she noticed everypony was staring at Fluttershy with mournful looks. The yellow pegasus had her head buried in her hooves. Zecora had a hoof on Fluttershy’s arm, Rainbow Dash was petting her back and even Big Mac had a hoof on her other arm for support. Applejack was sitting in front of the crying pegasus staring at the floor in shame. 
Twilight blinked in confusion and concern, stepping forward to join in on the support, even if she didn’t quite understand what was going on. Her thoughts definitely needed to be set aside now. It was important to figure out what was happening in Equestria, but at the moment it was far more important to console her friend.
“Sweetie Belle...” Fluttershy moaned before sniffling back into crying. Twilight felt her heart turn to ice at the name and she nearly teared up. Placing her hooves onto Fluttershy’s, she touched her forehead against the crying pegasus before her.
The fox hole was filled with nothing but Fluttershy’s heartbreaking cries. The animals around them looked at the floor, feeling their pony friend’s sadness. For a long time nothing moved except for Fluttershy’s softly bobbing shoulders. Even Applejack, who knew more than any of them how hard the death was to take, felt that Fluttershy might be taking it the hardest. Her sensitive nature wouldn’t fare well in this new dark existence. Twilight wondered briefly how well Fluttershy would function once they got her back to the barn. Hiding in a shelter was one thing. Facing an onslaught of zomponies was another. Still, the moment was treated with respect. After all, it was not only a death of a loved one, but that of a young filly, one not even old enough to have witnessed the birth of her cutie mark. 
Yet while the cloud of mourning surrounded the ponies, it was not to last. For above them, on the surface world of the Everfree Forest, the trees were alive with movement. And it wasn’t long before the ponies were forced to slowly break away from their huddled state and stare at the tunnel from which they had entered. For dirt was trickling down the tunnel as though something were at the top and strange sounds could be heard from above. The sounds were quiet at first but grew in force like something very large and very fast was coming towards them. Fluttershy whimpered in fright while the other ponies were alert with ears up and eyes wide open. The moment was broken and all were suddenly alert with preparation.
The sounds of gnashing teeth and moaning could be heard. And then what sounded like claws scraping the dirt came next. Louder teeth-grinding and growls could be heard. Sounds so loud and heavy that they echoed throughout the hole and nearly hurt the ponies’ ears. The ground above them shook and dirt began to fall from the tree roots above them. The animals around the ponies began to chitter and yell, frightened by whatever was happening. 
“What’s going on?!” screamed Twilight, her voice straining to fight the loud clamor from above.
“I don’t know!” yelled Applejack.
Suddenly something began to slide down the tunnel of dirt and every pony and animal started to back away from it. A medium sized gray mass slipped down and hit the floor like a sack of sugar. As it raised its head with a moan, the six ponies raised their heads in terror.
A zompony.
There was only one but that didn’t change the atmosphere of the situation. While it could have been easy to take one out with a single kick, the loud roars from above hadn’t ceased. The sounds were not that of a zompony and the mystery of what the horrid noise belonged to was far more concerning. Could it be that even if the zompony were alone, it had brought something bigger and far more threatening with it?
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Is there another way out of here?!” But Fluttershy didn’t answer. She couldn’t answer. Paralyzed in fear, she wasn’t able to respond. Instead she stared at the zompony, growing paler with every second that passed. The ponies lifted the pegasus together off the ground where upon Rainbow Dash pulled her up onto Big Mac’s back.
“Near the back, behind the bear!” Twilight yelled, pointing in the direction where she had seen the second tunnel earlier.
The zompony lifted itself off the ground and began to move towards the group. Immediately the animals in the hole began a maneuver of every-creature-to-itself and shot out the second tunnel that Twilight had seen when they first came down. The ponies followed as fast as they could, the zompony being much slower than the average pony.
The tunnel they entered was dark, but by following the sounds of the running animals in front of them, the party was able to make their way. The danger wasn’t gone, however, for the dirt above them still shook, and the horrifying sounds they had heard back in the large hole behind them did not stop there. While the sounds did seem to be located behind them, it was still in distance above them and everypony wondered what was making them. A thought struck Twilight that perhaps they didn’t want to exit the tunnel for whatever was waiting above might be worse than what was behind them. What if the zompony was bait to get them to come out? She shook her head mentally, however, for whatever was up there was back near the fox hole entrance and they were running away from that. And besides, the idea of a zompony at their heels kept her from debating if they were about to run into a worse beast at the end of the tunnel.
Luckily for the ponies the path they took was relatively straight, and nopony had to worry about hitting a sudden turn. Whether or not there were any adjoining tunnels nopony paid attention to, not even Twilight who was usually a stickler for details. All that mattered was getting out, and getting out alive. And soon enough, that dream became a reality, for the tunnel swept upwards and the ponies (and animals) found themselves back in the forest.
Taking a breather was not an option, though. For as soon as they broke the surface, the loud yells they had heard below ground were much louder now, and sounded more like screaming and howling than yelling. The animals took off immediately, leaving the ponies behind. Twilight, who had been at the back of the group looked up at her friends, who were all turned around to face her. They weren’t looking at her, however. Instead they were looking behind her, and not just behind her, but upwards as well. Whatever they were looking at, it was huge, and Twilight was hesitant to turn around. Eventually she did turn, though, and tracing her eyes from the ground to the large thing, beast, monster before her, she realized what had made those terrifying noises.
A timberwolf. 
Make that three timberwolves.
Glowering down at the ponies with bright green eyes, the timberwolves snarled and hissed. And if it couldn’t get any worse, at their feet stood a dozen or so zomponies, all staring in their direction as well.
“Oh no.” Rainbow Dash muttered, voicing what all of them had just said in their minds.
“I-I think we should be going now...” Applejack stuttered.
“Eeeyup!” Big Mac stated.
They turned on their hooves and ran with all their might. The timberwolves took off after them, scratching the dirt with their claws. The zomponies followed as well, albeit slower. The sounds of the timberwolves’ claws against the ground were blood curdlingly close, and the huff and puff of their breath was even worse. 
“Everypony follow me!” Zecora yelled, trying to be heard above the loud noises the timberwolves were making. “To my hut, we must flee!” The zebra darted to the left and everypony repeated her action without question. Twilight felt that she hadn’t run this fast in all her life. There had been plenty of times in which she had to test her strength, but up until this moment she had always thought she wouldn’t have to test it again. Her leg muscles strained with the force she exerted upon them. She was sure the other ponies agreed for even Rainbow Dash was grunting from how fast she flew.
While the timberwolves were fast, the ponies were able to keep a safe distance from them. Outrunning them was out of the question, but at least they were beyond reach. Twilight began to doubt if she would be able to make it, but just as her mouth began to open and her tongue rolled to the side of her mouth in exhaustion, she spotted Zecora’s home in front of them. In a last minute burst of speed, everypony dashed for the door and before Twilight knew it, they were all inside, huddling as far away from the door as they could get. Nopony paid attention to a few bottles and decorations falling off the wall, and even Zecora bumped a shelf in an attempt to get away from the threat that was coming their way.
The timberwolves slowed and entered the clearing that the hut was in. They sniffed the air, as if not understanding where the ponies had gone, but soon one of them looked through a window and spotted them. Growling and howling, it called to the others to show them where their prey was hiding. All the ponies braced themselves for what they thought would be the end, but after a moment of nothing happening, Zecora pointed.
The timberwolves were circling the house rather than trying to attack it.
“Why aren’t they trying to get in?” Rainbow Dash asked. Twilight stepped forward in a daring attempt to get a closer look. She observed the timberwolves carefully, noticing the detailed way in which the wood they were made of lined their bodies. Then she turned her attention to the ceiling, as well as the entire house in general.
“Zecora lives inside a tree. I don’t think the timberwolves want to damage it. It’s part of the forest, and they’re technically part of it too.”
The other ponies stepped forward cautiously to survey the timberwolves safely from the windows and sure enough the wolves would not come closer. They waited impatiently and growled threateningly.
How were they to get out of this alive? Twilight thought about the options but unless it was fighting their way out, she couldn’t think of another possibility. Would the others be desperate enough to do that? Or would they rather wait it out and see if the timberwolves would go away on their own? One look at Fluttershy and Twilight understood her friend’s answer. The poor pegasus was buried in a ball, shivering.	Fluttershy was desperate for the horror to go away. Twilight didn’t want her or her friends to end up like that. And besides, they would run out of food eventually and they might as well take advantage of their strength now. Plus it would be easier to fight off the timberwolves now before the zomponies caught up. They would have to fight. To protect Fluttershy, and to protect themselves.  	“We need to fight.” Twilight said after a moment. The ponies all stared at her in shock, but slowly their first reaction faded away from their face. The idea wasn’t completely crazy, and they knew that Twilight would only speak the most logical answer. Still, though, saying wasn’t the same as doing, and nopony moved first. That is, until-
“Let’s go and do it, then!” Rainbow Dash said, pumping her fist into the air. “We can take them on!” her confidence seemed strange compared to how Twilight had just seen her friend, running away just the same as anypony else had.
“Alright, but how?” Applejack asked.
“Simple.” Rainbow Dash replied. “I attack from above, you use your lasso skills with the rope we brought, Big Mac bucks them with his legs, Twilight uses her magic, and Zecora... Zecora uses a potion?” Rainbow Dash stared confused at the zebra, unsure of how she fared when it came to battles. Zecora nodded. 
“I should have something lying around.” she said. “It will be something to bring those timberwolves down.”
Everypony nodded at the other, and then they began to prepare. Applejack got out the rope from her pack, Big Mac and Twilight stood by the door, Rainbow Dash flew towards one of the windows, and Zecora began to search her shelves and cupboards for anything useful. 
Fluttershy still lay in the corner of the room, unable to speak or even turn her head towards the others. She would clearly be unable to aid in the fight. 
Twilight focused on the doorknob of the hut. Was she really going to run out there and fight three timberwolves head on? And what of the zomponies? They were slow and not at the hut yet, but they surely would be at some point. Would they be able to fight both enemies at once? She looked up at Big Mac, searching for an answer in his eyes, but he wasn’t looking at her. He was lost in thought as well. Twilight returned her gaze to the doorknob. But the inanimate object wasn’t a living being, and couldn’t feel her desperation, so Twilight looked back up at Big Mac with pleading eyes. She found him staring back and they looked into each other’s eyes, wondering if what they were about to do was the best idea.
He nodded. And so did Twilight. 
Then they opened the door.
“CHARGE!” Rainbow Dash yelled, flying out the window and into the sky. Big Mac and Twilight ran out the door with Applejack close behind.
Rainbow Dash hit first, diving out of the air to hit a timberwolf in the head, nearly missing its eye. The beast shrieked and tried to snap at the pegasus. Rainbow was too quick, however, and flew to the other side of it, punching and kicking its shoulder. The wood was strong and Rainbow Dash had to shake her hoof in an attempt to rid the pain from hitting such a hard object.
Big Mac headed for the second timberwolf, charging it in a a position as though he were about to head butt the animal, but just before he connected, he twisted his body around and bucked the timberwolf as hard as he could, sending the monster to its side. 
Twilight ran towards the third timberwolf, and when she was within fifteen feet, she stopped, braced herself, and lowered her head. Her unicorn horn began to glow, but Twilight suddenly felt sick. The glow sputtered and stopped. Gasping, Twilight watched as the timberwolf barreled towards her, ready to chomp as soon as he was close enough. Just as Twilight thought it was too late to run, Applejack appeared out of no where to kick the creature straight in the jaw, holding the lasso in her teeth.
Shaking her head, Twilight ran, knowing she couldn’t stop and gape at what had just happened. Why had her magic quit like that? Why did she feel sick? There was no time for questions. Bolting for the hut, she stood near the door before turning towards the fight. Rainbow Dash was still diving in and out of reach of the first timberwolf, coming too close to contact in Twilight’s opinion. Big Mac was charging the second timberwolf again, but the wolf seemed ready this time and batted Big Mac out of the way, sending him to the ground. Twilight gasped, poised to run after the stallion to help, but Big Mac stood as though nothing had happened and charged the beast again. Twilight turned to Applejack and watched as the farm pony used her lasso to tie around one of the loose sticks poking out of the timberwolf’s head. She was using it to pull it down to the ground where upon she was able to buck the wolf in the snout. It was a smart idea, but also dangerous as it was close to the snapping mouth.
Twilight lowered her head, ready to try her magic again. Her friends were doing so well and trying their best to fight, she had to join in the battle! Just as she was about to concentrate, however, Zecora burst through the door behind her.	
“Twilight, I have something that will do! But I’m going to need your help if this idea will be played through!”
Twilight nodded and was just about to run inside when suddenly Rainbow Dash yelped behind her. Turning, the purple unicorn was just in time to see the blue pegasus being flung through the air and crushing into a boulder not too far away. Rainbow slammed hard into the rock, and collapsed to the ground.
“RAINBOW DASH!” screamed Twilight.
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sound of Rainbow Dash hitting the boulder caused everypony to turn and look in her direction. Even the timberwolves glanced to see the victorious kill they had no doubt accomplished. A small cloud of dirt floated away from the pegasus. Everypony held their breath to wait and see if she would move, but as the seconds ticked by, they slowly realized that Rainbow wouldn’t be moving anytime soon. The creature that had swatted the blue pegasus growled happily and trotted over to see whether or not the unmoving pony was dead, but no sooner had it taken a few steps before Big Mac and Applejack were on its heels. The two farm ponies had dropped their fight with the individual timberwolves they were facing and turned to help their fallen comrade. Twilight Sparkle and Zecora stood stunned, unsure of how to help and frozen in wide eyed stares as they watched their friends gallop for the boulder. 
The first timberwolf that was sniffing Rainbow Dash turned to face the oncoming ponies. The other two snarled and raced after Big Mac and Applejack from behind, determined to take both ponies down as their beastly companion had just done. Two ponies against three timberwolves were not good odds, and Twilight knew that looking at the situation logically, there was no way this fight would turn out in their favor.
Twilight turned to speak to Zecora, to plead that the zebra had to have some sort of potion that would help, but as she looked at the expression on the witch-ponies’ face, the unicorn knew the situation was about to go from bad to worse. For the zebra before her was not looking at her, nor the timberwolves, but behind her. Twilight knew from just minutes before back at the fox hole what that look meant, and for the second time that day, the unicorn was forced to slowly turn around and look at whatever could possibly be coming after them.
“Rrrrgggahhhh...”
Zomponies. Dozens of them, all coming straight after them. They had finally caught up, and if Twilight had had any hope for how the battle would turn out before, it was gone now. Panic grew inside of her like a balloon and her heart was racing. Her legs began to tremble as she thought of what would come next. Gnashing, scratching, and pulling. Hundreds of images flooded her mind of gruesome acts that would happen to her friends and herself. Frozen in fear, her eyes began to fill with tears as not even her critical thinking could help in this situation.
“TWILIGHT! Take this!” 
The unicorn snapped to attention and turned quickly to face the zebra who was just in the middle of throwing a glass bottle at her. 
“And take care not to miss!”
Twilight stared confusedly at the bottle, unsure of what she was suppose to do with it. Throw it at who? What would it do?
“Specific potions, no pony will need. If simple oil and fire can do the deed.”
Twilight stared at the zebra with a quizzical look. Suddenly, though, something snapped in her mind and she realized what Zecora meant.
“Zecora, you’ll need to-” Twilight began to say but the zebra was already ahead of her, beginning to use a flint stone to spark a fire into the sticks beneath her cooking pot. The unicorn nodded and turned towards the battle in front of her.
Rainbow Dash was still on the ground with no change. Big Mac and Applejack, however, were trying their best to fend off the timberwolves. Staying close together they were surrounded by the gigantic beasts, each of the wolves taking turns to snap at the ponies in the middle of them. The sibling ponies were sweating, tired from all the fighting that was happening. It was obvious that their movements were slowing, and if Twilight wasn’t quick enough, it would be too late.
The zomponies were split between who they were going after. Some were walking towards the timberwolves, others were heading in the direction of Zecora’s hut. Just as Twilight was ready to take off to the left, Zecora appeared beside her, a few bottles of oil in her mouth. Tossing a few more bottles in the unicorn’s direction, the zebra ran off to the right, causing Twilight to realize the answer to her question. She would head in the left direction so that both of them would be able to cover the most ground. 
Hooves scraping into the dirt, Twilight bolted for the left. Picking up speed from her momentum, the purple unicorn approached her first zompony up ahead to the right of her. Tossing the open bottle in its direction, the oil splashed upon the zompony’s head. It didn’t appear to notice, however, and the only thing it did appear to do was turn slightly in the direction that Twilight was running as though slowly understanding that its prey was no longer in front of it. 
Confidence replaced the fear that Twilight had had inside of her. Zecora’s idea was wonderful, and so long as they had enough time to spread the oil, it would work. As Twilight spread the liquid from zompony to zompony, she glanced over at the zebra who was doing the same. Never had Twilight seen Zecora run as fast as she did now.
Twilight then turned her attention to Big Mac and Applejack. They were cornered now, against the boulder and over the body of Rainbow Dash. The unicorn was getting closer to them, but she still had a few zomponies to cover in oil before she could get to them. Time seemed to fly faster than normal and Twilight felt like they were running out of it. There was no way she’d get to them in time. Not even Zecora was further ahead of her. They were both in equal distance from the farm ponies and upon closer inspection of the siblings, it looked as though Applejack might be hurt. The orange mare was wincing slightly, although Twilight wasn’t sure what exactly was wrong and only Big Mac dared to buck any of the Timberwolves that got close enough.
Luckily for the oil spreaders, the zomponies were slow. A few tried to reach for them, but none caused harm. And after just a minute longer, both Twilight and Zecora had successfully splashed the last bit of oil on the zomponies.
Unfortunately for them, however, as soon as the zebra and unicorn reached the timberwolves, the friends realized they were both out of oil. They had had just enough for the undead, but not enough for the beasts. Staring up at the timberwolves, the creatures at first didn’t see them, but after Applejack and Big Mac both began to yell for the two of them to get away, the wolves turned to look behind them.
“Zecora..!” Twilight yelled, unsure of what to say now that she grabbed the zebra’s attention.
“Go to the hut and get the fire! I’ll stay here, a distraction you’ll require!”
Twilight didn’t have time to argue. Zecora jumped into the air as soon as a timberwolf narrowly snapped her legs with its powerful jaws.The zebra was able to kick the wolf in the nose before high-tailing it away from the unicorn. Enraged from the kick, the timberwolf growled and chased after Zecora.
Twilight turned around to head back to the hut but came face to face with a zompony. It moaned angrily, raising its hooves to grab onto Twilight. She screamed in terror before twisting her legs to propel her away from it, charging for Zecora’s hut. Each zompony around her was groaning, a few of them slipping in the liquid they were covered in. The smell of rot mixed with oil caused Twilight to choke slightly as she ran through the crowd. The thought of her friends struggling behind her kept the unicorn from stopping to catch a breath of fresh air. She was so close to the hut now but looking ahead she noticed there was an entire line of zomponies blocking the door. The only options she would have would be to push through or jump. Pushing would require coming into contact with them, which would be dangerous for two reasons. One being that they could bite which would mean death, and two the oil would stick to her which would mean she’d burn along with the rest of them. Jumping was definitely more safe, but would she be able to make it? She wasn’t as athletic as Rainbow Dash, nor did she have a pegasus’ wings. Should she dare try it?
It was now or never. Push or jump. The horrible gnashing faces of the zomponies came up before her. With no time left to think, Twilight crouched low before pushing with all her might off the ground. The zomponies reached high with their hooves to grab at their prey. Only one zompony came in reach, but it barely brushed Twilight’s underside by a hair and so the unicorn landed with a grunt, safe behind the line.
She wasn’t completely safe, though. And she knew it. Twilight ran for the door and crashed through, slamming it shut behind her. 
Fluttershy, who was still huddled in the same spot, shrieked as the unicorn burst through. Twilight glanced at her scared friend, pausing slightly to pity her before returning her focus to the cauldron before her. The sticks beneath the cooking pot were popping and crackling with the soft heat. How many would be needed to take care of the creatures outside? The amount of sticks under the cooking pot should be enough to handle them, but how many could she carry at a time? Her friends outside wouldn’t last long enough for her to carry two at a time, returning to the hut every time she ran out.
Twilight’s eyes raised towards the yellow pegasus in the corner. Would she..? No. Fluttershy wouldn’t be able to... well...
“Fluttershy...” Twilight said softly, stepping towards the frightened pony. The pegasus looked up with puffy eyes. “I need your help...”
Fluttershy whimpered.
“I know you’re scared, but Rainbow Dash is hurt. She can’t move and everypony else is trying their best to protect each other. All I need you to do is fly above and drop a few sticks. Can you do that?”
Fluttershy stared at Twilight with wide eyes. She looked at the sad smile on her friend’s lips, knowing full well that Twilight wouldn’t ask unless she truly needed help. In her heart, the pegasus knew that her friends needed her, she just wished she was more brave. Brave like Applejack, brave like Rainbow Dash. She winced at the thought of going outside. 
“You won’t come into contact with any of them if you just fly.” Twilight urged. “It’s just dropping a few sticks, that’s all.”
Fluttershy’s heart pounded. But the more she stared into Twilight’s eyes, the more she tuned in to the screams of her friends coming from outside the hut, the more she realized that bravery doesn’t mean not being afraid. Running into the darkness unafraid is inspiring and rewards a great deal of pride, but running into the darkness while you’re still scared  is what brings about real bravery. Bravery is facing your fear even if you are scared. 	
Fluttershy’s lip wavered. She closed her eyes, and a tear dripped down her cheek. Then her eyes opened, and the yellow pegasus nodded at her friend.
Twilight sighed in relief and helped her friend to stand before leading her to the cooking pot.
“Take as many sticks as you can. I need you to fly and drop them onto the zom-... onto the crowd.”	
Fluttershy nodded, pale but willing. She took a few sticks out from the pot, careful to keep the flames away from her. Twilight did the same, then brought her friend to the door.
“I’ll go first, okay?” she said. Fluttershy nodded in response.
The door opened and they both went out.
Screaming was the first thing they heard. Big Mac and Applejack appeared to have given up and were cowering over the body of Rainbow Dash. Applejack’s right eye was beginning to swell and turn red. Was she wounded? Was that why she was wincing before? Zecora was trying desperately to distract the timberwolves and zomponies from the trio but the enemies were too focused on easy prey. The timberwolves leaned threateningly over them like three hungry vultures. The zomponies at their feet were closing in, mouths open. It wouldn’t have taken much to imagine them drooling with the anticipation of food. 
“Fluttershy, now!” Twilight yelled. The yellow pegasus nodded her head, her shoulders shaking in nervousness. While the shy pony took off to the skies, the unicorn rushed towards the line of zomponies in front of her. Only going as close as she would dare, Twilight threw one of the sticks. The flaming piece of wood flew through the air, twirling as it went, before landing right on target. The zompony instantly burst into flame, screeching in pain. It began to run in panic, hitting other zomponies near it, causing a chain reaction of small explosions. Monstrous screaming could be heard as the fire spread. The creatures began to shake and squeal in agony.
It worked!
But this was no time for celebration. Twilight looked above at Fluttershy to watch as the yellow pegasus was flying frantically towards the timberwolves. The sound of the explosions had caused the timberwolves to turn and look at what was going on. The zomponies, however, stayed focused on their target. Once Fluttershy was directly above the wolves, she threw a stick as hard as she could. It missed the wolves, but hit a zompony nearby. It erupted into flame, in turn causing more chain reactions around it. The timberwolves whined in fright before leaping out of the way of the flaming zomponies. They were smart, knowing when to jump out of the way.
“Applejack!” Twilight screamed, running towards the three cowering ponies, or rather the four of them now as Zecora was near them, trying to see if Rainbow Dash was okay.
“Twilight?!” Applejack yelled out. 
“Use your rope!” the unicorn shouted.
“Use my... Oh!”
Applejack turned to look at Big Mac while bringing out the rope she had put by her side. 
“Can you manage one last run?” she asked. 
“Eeyup.” Big Mac responded, taking one end of the rope in his teeth. Applejack picked up the other end and they took off towards the timberwolves.
“I’ll help you!” Twilight yelled, running alongside Applejack. The two farm ponies ran to the right, headed in behind the timberwolves while Twilight ran to the left, all the listening to Applejack shout,
“HEY! You big bullies!! You’re just a big pile of sticks!!”
The orange mare continued to shout out various insults, attracting the timberwolves’ attention and allowing them to follow her towards the crowd of zomponies. She was careful not to get them too close to the fire, though, or else they’d suspect what she was trying to do. Twilight looked up at the sky to find where Fluttershy was. She finally spotted her way off to the left, still throwing sticks at the ground where upon a few bursts of flame would appear briefly. Good, she was still keeping the fire going.
“Applejack! Big Mac! NOW!” Twilight suddenly screamed. The farm ponies appeared from behind the timberwolves, using their last bit of speed to catch up to the wolves. They moved swiftly together up one side of them before Applejack quickly galloped across the front of all three. Halting with all their might, Big Mac and Applejack slid into the ground, causing the rope to pull taut and tripping all three timberwolves perfectly into the fire of burning zomponies.
Screaming and howling, the timberwolves twisted among the flames, the fire burning deep into their bodies. The flames rose higher as though the entire forest was on fire. Sparks flew into the sky and smoke was beginning to build. One of the timberwolves leapt about, trying to get the flames off of itself, but jumping only seemed to make it worse, and the wolf ended up knocking into the other wolves and zomponies. Crashing into everything, the timberwolf suddenly tripped and collapsed upon Zecora’s hut, the entire tree exploding into flame. Zecora gasped as she watched her entire home being eaten in fire. The timberwolves squealed in pain before all three jumped out of the middle of the chaos. Still burning, they ran into the darkness of the forest, howling as they went.
There was a moment of silence among the ponies. Was the battle over? It appeared to be...
Or was it?
Another squeal pierced the air and Twilight, Applejack, and Big Mac all looked up to see Fluttershy floating down from above to where Rainbow Dash was lying with Zecora. The three ponies ran towards the scene in time to see Fluttershy lie on the ground, face in the dirt as though in pain.
“Fluttershy, are you-” Twilight began to say, but she gasped as she realized there was a large burn mark across the pegasus’ back. How foolish had they been to not wait for Fluttershy to move before tripping the timberwolves?
“Oh, Fluttershy, I’m so sorry!” Twilight said, convinced that it was her fault that her friend was in pain.
“I-it’s okay.” The yellow pegasus managed to say. “I-I’m okay. P-Please check on Rainbow Dash...”
Twilight leaned down to put a hoof against her friend’s shoulder before nodding sadly and moving over to talk to Zecora. 
“How is she?” Twilight asked, afraid of the answer. The zebra looked up at her with a frown. 
“Unconscious and wounded, but alive.” she responded. “Damaged, but she’ll survive.”
Twilight, Applejack, and Big Mac moved in closer to inspect their friend. Rainbow Dash lay sprawled against the ground. Her arm was twisted in an odd angle, her left wing was beginning to bruise, and her left eye was scratched with four lines from forehead to cheek. It didn’t look good, they all could agree on that, but they were thankful that she was still living. They were thankful that all of them were living. 
The unicorn turned to look at the burning ground behind them. The flames still reached high, despite the timberwolves having already left. The hot glow reflected against their faces but just as the sun had not been welcoming on their walk here, the flames were no more welcome now. Each of them in turn shifted their eyes towards the fire, watching as the zomponies and the tree that Zecora had once called home burned to a crisp.
Nopony spoke. They had all survived, which would have been a time of celebration, but it felt like nothing of the sort. Many were wounded, Zecora’s hut was gone, and somehow the burning of the bodies before them caused sadness to seep into their minds rather than relief. Everypony’s stomach felt empty. Zecora looked away from the fire, not wanting to watch as her home became nothing more than a memory. 
Twilight looked up at Applejack. Her friend’s right eye was indeed hit somehow. It was not bruised quite yet, but it would undoubtedly turn purple with time. Big Mac was beside his sister. Nothing appeared to be cut or scraped on him, but he was sweating, panting with tiredness, and looked ready to collapse in exhaustion.
They had survived, alright. But at what cost?
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hours passed before the ponies felt strong enough to make it back to Sweet Apple Acres. The toll from the fight had left them breathless and unmotivated to move quickly despite the dangers that may still lurk in the forest. While getting back to the barn was imperative, it was just as important to take the time to heal and properly regroup before making the journey back. The damage that Rainbow Dash had suffered was troubling and she would need to be carried back very carefully. Her left wing and arm were undoubtedly broken and the slam against the boulder had knocked her clean out. They felt lucky in that her eye had not been damaged but that was hardly a plus given her other injuries. Using the forest’s natural surroundings, the ponies were able to makeshift a splint for Rainbow’s wing and arm out of wood and vine. Her wounds would heal but they were uncertain as to how long it would take and also how long it would be before she woke up. 
The fires from the Timberwolf fight had burned long into the afternoon. Zecora’s tree was nothing more but a smoldering chunk of wood, ash and smoke filling what once was a comfortable home. Both Twilight and Applejack had tried to console the zebra but it was clear from the expression on Zecora’s muzzle that she didn’t want to talk about it and in the end they both respected her need for silence. It was possible that Zecora’s response was not only fed from her home being destroyed, but also from how the area around her tree currently looked. The burned bodies of zomponies were sprawled haphazardly everywhere. And while the charred remains could hardly be taken for more than a pile of dirt at this point, they themselves knew what those suspicious lumps of gray ash were and it was enough to make all of them sick. Zecora’s home had not only been destroyed, but it had been poisoned by the literal smell of death. It was hardly a wonder that she didn’t wish to discuss her lost home because in all reality she had lost more than just a home. She had lost her normal way of life. And of course she had already accepted this given the fact that she had been living and fighting amongst the Apple family and seeing the piles of zomponies outside of the barn for two weeks but it was much harder to take when it was literally on her own doorstep.
Each in their own right felt affected by the day’s happenings. Applejack’s guilty conscience from Sweetie Belle only increased from the lack of being able to protect Rainbow Dash and Twilight’s confusion over her magic still not cooperating turned to frustration. Fluttershy mentally kicked herself at not being brave enough to help until the very end and Big Mac didn’t want to admit how tired he felt, knowing how dependent all of them were on him. Everyone felt that they could have provided more help than what they had actually given and it was this guilt that lingered in their minds. 
Their spirits had most certainly dampened. And it reflected on the group’s outward appearance as well as on their general speed back to the barn. Big Mac was pulling Rainbow Dash in a makeshift sleigh, his natural farm stallion strength making it easy for him to pull her. His movements were slower than usual due to the fight with the Timberwolves having affected him so greatly but still he remained vigilant in his duty. Sweat poured from his brow despite the temperature of the forest being generally cool and airy. It was up to Fluttershy to wipe his forehead every so often with a dry cloth, and it was also she who felt the need to step back and walk next to the sleigh to watch carefully for any sign of movement from Rainbow Dash. It might have been easier to hover above the sleigh and watch both of them at the same time, but Fluttershy’s back was still freshly burned and while it wasn’t as serious as the injuries her friends had suffered, she still felt better walking where she could allow her burn to not be aggravated. At the head of the party was Twilight and Applejack, who both felt the desire to lead even if they didn’t feel quite up to the task. Neither of them spoke but they knew it wasn’t necessary. The task at hand required nothing more than simply leading the way and they could do that in silence. It allowed them all to process the events that had just occurred on their own which would prove to be a healthy decision by the time they reached Ponyville. Especially for Zecora, who trailed behind at a slower speed than the rest, her tail tucked between her legs in sadness and her head pointed towards the ground in disappointment. 
“Almost there, everypony.” Applejack said, spotting the barn in the distance. The unexpected voice made all of them snap to attention. So lost in thought had each of them been that they hadn’t realized how long it had been since anypony had spoken. But as they each recovered from the mild interruption and everypony raised their head to look up, the party stopped moving in order to stare. 
The view of the farm from where they stood was spectacular in the setting sun’s glow. The hillside was full of warmth and the sky was painted with an array of colors. Pink, yellow, and orange spread across the sky like a large blanket and white clouds were pulled and stretched out towards the horizon. The sun, richly orange and bright in its light, extended its rays like a cat reaching out its limbs after a long nap. Its light fell upon the valley like a warm bath, soaking into every crevice and pore. The farm had never looked so beautiful. And the sudden change from a cold and dark forest to a bright and welcoming hillside made each of them realize how much they missed the feeling of sunlight.
“Oh...” Fluttershy whispered meekly, too caught up in her own emotion to stop the sound coming from her lips. 
A strong breeze fluttered by and caused the grass to whip against their hooves. The fresh air allowed them to breathe more deeply and some even closed their eyes to feel the effects of the wind in their mane. It had been a long time since any of them had felt such a wonderful feeling. A feeling of normal. A feeling of what life had been like before the madness. Before the need to remain cooped up inside a shelter that hid the sunlight and spread the seed of fear that had been planted in their minds. 
The sight was rejuvenating. Even Twilight could feel the shared joy seep through them one by one. It was like a dry well being filled with fresh water for the first time in years. And she knew that if she was feeling this way after only having gone through a single day of this horrible nightmare, that the others must be feeling ten times as much relief from how long they had been living it. In one day they had lost so much. In two weeks they had lost so much more. How much would be lost by the time a whole month passed? Two months? How long before the zomponies’ reign would end? 
Twilight turned to look at her friends and they in turn shifted their gaze to her. Big Mac’s eyes changed from exhaustion to determination, Zecora lifted her head from the ground to look her in the eye, Applejack nodded despite the pain behind her eyes, and Fluttershy returned a soft smile. Glancing between them she knew in that moment that they were expressing their desire to be in this together until the end. They knew there would be pain. They knew there would be suffering. And Celestia knows how much longer this entire affair would go on for. But one thing was for certain: They were a team. A family. And a family doesn’t give up or stop protecting each other no matter the issue. 
“Back to the barn.” Twilight said after a moment. Each of them nodded before stepping forward to continue their journey. 


-----------------------------


“Set her down over here.” Granny Smith said, pointing towards an empty pen to the side of the barn. Thunderlane and Golden Delicious lifted Rainbow Dash out of the makeshift sleigh and carried her over to lay her down into a small patch of hay. Cheerilee and Mrs. Cake, who had both already gotten use to attending wounds throughout their stay at the barn, quickly moved in to assess the situation. 
“What happened?” Braeburn asked as Applejack walked in after Big Mac.  She turned to look at him and opened her mouth to speak but she choked back her words. Suddenly the idea of explaining seemed too much for her and the guilt that she had temporarily repressed at the sight of the sunset came flooding back. She glanced at Rainbow Dash and then to everypony else in the barn, who all flocked to the door as soon as they heard their arrival. Luckily her needing to explain was interrupted by Fluttershy, whose entrance into the barn caused a flurry of excitement. The yellow pegasus was hardly two steps into the building before her name was being called out, everypony relieved so see that she was safe. She was happy to see her friends so relieved for her safety but the sudden rush of being surrounded on all sides felt a little too overwhelming and she shrank at the sound of all the questions being asked.
“Fluttershy!” called a familiar voice. And the yellow pegasus turned just in time to see a flash of white and purple break through the crowd and rush towards her. Rarity nearly tackled her in desperation. 
“Oh, Rarity!” Fluttershy exclaimed, falling into the arms of the white unicorn. “I’m so glad you’re safe!”
“I was afraid I’d never see you again!” Rarity said, tears forming in her eyes. Her hooves wrapped around Fluttershy tightly until the pegasus cried out in pain. Recoiling, Rarity looked to see what she had done to cause her friend’s pain and her eyes saddened at the sight of the burn. 
“Darling, what happened?” she asked as Fluttershy recovered. She protectively put a hoof against her friend’s arm.
“Well...” The yellow pegasus began. She trailed off, looking at the ground and then glancing back to watch Twilight enter the barn.  Rarity followed her gaze and looked expectantly at the purple unicorn. Twilight recognized the look of concern on her friend’s face and knew what she had to do. Before she spoke, she let Zecora quietly slip past her.
“I can explain.”
She took a moment to set herself in the middle of the room before speaking again. After a moment of making sure that everypony was listening, she began her speech. She started with explaining what happened after they entered the forest, continued on to how they found Angel and Fluttershy, then went to the unexpected arrival of the zompony, and finally ended with the Timberwolves and the fire. 
A collective gasp was heard from the crowd when Twilight mentioned timberwolves. Everypony knew how dangerous they were and how lucky their friends had been to avoid their clutches. But the gasp was nothing compared to the whispers that flew around the room when the purple unicorn described that both timberwolves and zomponies had been present in the same area. Twilight didn’t have to read minds to make an educated guess about what they were questioning. She had been wondering the same thing herself. 
“I don’t think they’re working together.” she explained after finishing the story. A few ponies breathed a sigh of relief but others weren’t so easily convinced. “Neither parties seemed to cooperate with the other during the fight. Each focused on their own battle and it seemed like they weren’t aware of the other’s existence. I think that it was simply a happenstance that they were there at the same time and we just so happened to be what both of them wanted.” 
Most of the ponies nodded. 
“Did anything happen while we were gone?” 
“No.” Granny Smith answered. “It’s been quiet. We used the time to patch up that there hole in the back of the barn and in the meantime we’ve been waitin’ for Rarity to finish up her project so’s we can have a proper burial for Sweetie Belle.”
“Project?” Twilight asked, turning to look at Rarity. The white unicorn immediately flinched and instinctively looked away from Twilight. Her discomfort was overridden by her desire to inform her friend of what she had been doing, however, so after a moment or two, Rarity looked back up. 
“I... I’ve been making an outfit for her...” she said, glancing between Twilight and the ground. “I only have what’s here in the barn for material... So... you know... flour sacks and straw and all that... but... it was all I could think to do...”
Twilight’s heart sank. No wonder Rarity was so nervous talking about it. She had spent the whole day making a funeral outfit for her own sister. And what’s worse, she was forced to use scrap material which wasn’t a bad thing necessarily but Rarity, she was sure, would have preferred to give her sister better material than some old sack found in the corner of a barn. 
Twilight walked over to her friend and hugged her tightly. A tear ran down Rarity’s cheek and the white unicorn sniffled before pulling away from the embrace. 
“Don’t make me cry again. I’ve been crying all day.” Twilight offered a heartfelt smile at her friend’s good natured humor and they each shared a moment through the underlying sadness. They only stared for a brief pause before they were interrupted by an Apple family member. 
“Now that you’ve found Fluttershy, you just need Pinkie Pie, right?” 
Twilight turned to see Apple Fritter and realized that everypony was staring at her. She nodded her head, understanding why they were already jumping to move to the next step. They had been patient so far but now that everyone was back and everyone had clearly survived, she gave no fault for them to push. The sooner this was over, the sooner no other pony would be hurt.
“Yes.” she said, pulling away from Rarity and facing the rest of them again. “Once we find Pinkie Pie and make sure that she’s safe, then we can use the Elements after Rainbow Dash is awake. I suggest we-” 
“Shouldn’t everypony rest before you head out again?” Cheerilee asked, stepping out from the pen that Rainbow Dash was being held in and finally joining the conversation. Her voice was filled with concern and her eyes floated over to Big Mac where upon as soon as she locked eyes with his, he embarrassingly looked away. 
“You’re right.” Twilight said. “I would still like to join the search party for Pinkie Pie but if everypony is willing to wait an hour or so before we head out I would be grateful.”
“It will be dark out.” mentioned Granny Smith. “Sure you want to go out then?” Twilight paused to think for a moment before she responded. 
“The zomponies have attacked us during daylight before. Unless you can think of an example where they are suddenly more powerful during nighttime, I see no reason to put off the search. Especially if we attempt a shorter trip than going to Zecora’s hut. We could go to Sugarcube Corner and back, for example. That shouldn’t take us more than an hour in itself.”
Twilight looked up towards the back of the barn and focused her eyes on Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who looked at her with worried expressions. 
“I know you said you didn’t see her at home before you left to come here,” Twilight explained. “But there’s always the possibility that she went back later to hide.”
The Cakes nodded and looked around to see if anypony objected. Nopony appeared to do so. Even Granny Smith appeared satisfied with the answer.
“Then Sugarcube Corner it is.” said the old mare.
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You’re absolutely sure?” Twilight asked. 
Two hours had passed since the search party had returned from their trip to the Everfree Forest. During that time, the ponies had taken the opportunity for rest or conversation, much of which included catching up Fluttershy on all they had learned about the zomponies. While the shy pegasus would have far preferred discussing the joys of animal care compared to the hideous monsters currently infecting Equestria, she braved through it with a stiff upper lip, knowing full well that if she wanted to continue helping her friends in the future, then she needed to have as much knowledge on them as the rest of everypony. Only once did she make the mistake of inquiring as to whether or not the zomponies were just misunderstood creatures but after having been given a stink eye of the century by all the ponies in the barn, she silenced her pondering and never brought it up again.
At the moment, Twilight Sparkle was standing by the open doorway, looking back at two ponies that had decided to join her in the search for Pinkie Pie. While it had been agreed that three ponies were all that were needed in this particular venture, Twilight admittedly had her doubts on whether or not it would work. It wasn’t that she was worried over whether or not three ponies would be enough, but rather she wondered if the specific ponies that had decided to join the group would actually be of any real benefit. Well, okay, one pony in particular. She had absolutely no problem with the first pony that had volunteered. Braeburn had fought his case valiantly, refusing to take no for an answer after seeing how much damage Applejack and Big Mac had taken during the last search outing. He made an excellent candidate for the team and Twilight had no problems with him. But the second pony... 
“Yes, I’m sure.” Fluttershy said, nodding her head. The yellow pegasus’ request to join had been met with many questioning eyes but the shy pony had insisted. While her fear of the zomponies was no doubt the strongest out of anypony in the barn, she felt it was only fair that she help find Pinkie Pie since it was her fault that so many of her friends were so badly hurt from finding her. Had they not needed to come find her in the Everfree Forest, the Timberwolf fight would never have happened, and Rainbow Dash would never have undergone such serious damage. It was hard enough for the pegasus to look at Applejack with her bruised eye, but looking at Rainbow Dash and her crumpled unconscious body, it was enough to force Fluttershy into action. Like Braeburn, the pegasus refused to take no for an answer. 
“You’ll have to guide me.” Braeburn said. “I haven’t been to Ponyville enough times to know where I’m going.”
“That’s fine.” Twilight replied, pulling her eyes away from Fluttershy to look at Applejack’s cousin. She raised her gaze to the rest of the barn and spoke loud enough for most of the barn to hear her without disturbing the night air. “We’ll be back in an hour. If we’re not back by that time, send a scout.” 
“We’ll be keeping an eye out.” Blossomforth said from one of the rafters above the crowd. Thunderlane, who was seated beside her, nodded in agreement. 
“Alright, then, let’s go.” Twilight said, stepping out into the night. 
The air was cool and calm. There was hardly a breeze as they walked together towards Ponyville. Temperature-wise it was just low enough that Twilight briefly wished she had brought a light blanket for warmth but otherwise everything was strangely soothing. While before, the warm sunlight and bright colors had filled her with inspiration and strength, the serene night was relaxing her. She wasn’t darting her eyes all around like she had done before during her first trip to the barn and the bright stars made her feel like she was making the right decision to walk without worrying. It was perhaps a little strange for her to feel so calm given the circumstances, especially at nighttime, but she tried not to question it and instead took advantage of her small moment of peace.
Fluttershy, however, did not seem to share her comforted mood. Instead, the pegasus looked around with worry, never dropping her guard and sticking uncomfortably close to Braeburn and Twilight. She tip toed and gritted her teeth in fright, making a slight “Eeep!” sound anytime something moved. After ten minutes of dealing with Fluttershy’s constant shaking and having to deal with her panic anytime a leaf floated by, Twilight asked her friend if she wanted to go back to the barn. The pegasus said nothing in response aside from squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head forcefully. It was clear that she secretly wished she could go back to the barn but she was forcing herself to stay true to her word. At any other time, Twilight might have felt proud of her friend for facing her fears, but at the moment Fluttershy’s “bravery” was frustrating and if it weren’t for the fact that they were already out of sight of the barn, the purple unicorn might have forced the pegasus to return. The group continued onward despite the disturbances and soon both Twilight and Braeburn ignored Fluttershy’s small shouts of fright.
As they entered Ponyville, Twilight’s thoughts drifted to thinking about all the empty buildings that stood on either side of them. What had happened to all the ponies that lived in them? She hoped that they had all escaped to Canterlot successfully but she knew in her heart that the reality of things wasn’t so hopeful. In fact, as she passed Golden Harvest’s home, a pit formed in her stomach and she had to tear her eyes away in order to try and distract herself from thinking too hard about it. Instead she tried to focus on what remained. All the empty beds and items left behind. Homes left as if paused in time, waiting for their owners to return. Would anypony return to them at all? Or would Ponyville forever be doomed to become a ghost town? 	
Twilight shivered and shook her head from the thought. 
“Is that it?” Braeburn suddenly asked. 
Startled, Twilight looked up. Sugarcube Corner was before them. She sighed, realizing that her thoughts had consumed her to the point where she hadn’t even realized where she was. She kicked herself for not paying attention.
“Yes.” she answered. Looking up at the darkened building with a pondering eye, she wondered if Pinkie Pie was inside. But before her thoughts could drift any further, suddenly her mind snapped to attention and she immediately jumped back and braced herself, staring in alarm at the familiar-looking broken window on the first floor. Fluttershy gasped and nearly toppled over in fright. Braeburn was thankfully fast enough in his reflexes to move out of Twilight’s way as she jumped.
“Woah, there, partner, you look like you just spotted a rattlesnake!” Braeburn said. “What’s going on?”
Twilight didn’t answer at first. She was too busy focusing on the window, but after staring for a few seconds, she relaxed and released her tension. She sighed, feeling guilty that she had caused her friends to panic. 
“I’m sorry.” she said. “I was by this same building before a few days ago. It just came back to me that this was where I saw my first zompony. She was in that broken window, there, eating. I guess I thought I might see it again and so it was just my instinct to brace myself after seeing it again.”
“E-Eating..?” Fluttershy managed to stutter, her voice barely audible through her chattering teeth. 
Braeburn made a concerned face, sharing the troubled thought with the pegasus beside him. Neither wanted to look at the window now, afraid that they might see something they would never forget. 
Twilight, however, blinked and stared at her friends. It had never occurred to her to think about what specifically Ditzy Doo had been eating. But now that she thought about it, the memory of the gray earth pony didn’t involve any kind of grotesque imagery at all. In fact, Ditzy Doo had been seen digging through the regular bakery items. Didn’t zomponies eat ponies and not regular food? If that was the case, then what was Ditzy Doo doing? Come to think of it, the zompony also hadn’t followed her or Rainbow Dash back to the library after hearing Twilight scream. If zomponies were drawn to sound, like Twilight had theorized, then why didn’t Ditzy Doo follow them?  It made no sense at all.
“Actually...” Twilight trailed off, giving a puzzled look to the window before turning to her friends. “She was eating muffins... But that doesn’t make sense... Right?”
“Do we really know enough about these creatures to assume what all they eat?” Fluttershy asked. Twilight paused, staring at her friend in thought. 
“I... I guess not.” The purple unicorn said.
“Well, either way,” Braeburn interrupted. “That there zompony might still be in there. We should be careful when we go in.”
Twilight nodded and led the way to the front door. Regardless of the muffin mystery, they still had a job to do. Twilight could ponder the wonders of zompony diets later. 
Stepping into Sugarcube Corner, the three ponies stayed close together as they looked around the front room. Surprisingly, the store wasn’t a complete disaster. In fact, aside from the broken front window and the pilfered-through bakery items that lay hear it, the store looked relatively normal. The average looking room did not make Twilight lose her guard, however. She knew better than to unbrace herself just because something seemed ordinary. The world in general was no longer ordinary and couldn’t be taken for granted.
Braeburn moved to study the half-eaten muffins on the floor while Fluttershy stayed close to the front door (most likely in an attempt to keep a clear escape route available for herself). Twilight, on the other hoof, moved towards the back of the store. She knew the first thing to do was to check if anything was in the building with them. 
The front room was empty but the rest of the building was a mystery. Deciding to save the upstairs for last, Twilight stepped forward to check each space individually: Behind the counter - clear. Inside the closet - clear. Pantry - Clear. The only thing left downstairs to check was the kitchen. But as Twilight began to move past the stairs towards the kitchen door, a strange sound caught her ears. It was low, like a soft growl, but it was more of a grunt than a moan. Without a doubt the noise had come from up the stairs but Twilight felt frozen, not wanting to look in case her theory of what had caused the sound were true. 
Another sound. This time a snort.
“T-t-twilight!” squealed Fluttershy from behind. The purple unicorn turned her head slowly to look up the stairs. At the top stood a grey pegasus with lifeless eyes. It turned it’s head to look at all three of them before making a distressed groan. It was Ditzy Doo. But before any of the three ponies could react to her, the grey zompony turned around to flee into a door down the hallway. 
Twilight blinked, her momentary fear fading away and leaving her with confusion.
“Wait…” Braeburn began, trotting over to Twilight but keeping his eyes on the stairs. “Did that zompony just… run away from us?”
“I… I think it did.” Twilight answered. The three friends shared an equally perplexed expression.
“Well… I guess we… follow it?” Braeburn offered hesitantly. He shrugged as he looked between the yellow pegasus and the purple unicorn. 
“We don’t have a choice.” Twilight responded. “We have to make sure Pinkie isn’t here.”
Shaking off the confusing reaction they had just felt, Twilight led the way as the three ponies stepped up the stairs. 
Why had Ditzy Doo run away from them? Were zomponies not completely mindless after all? Or was it possible that Ditzy Doo had not completed transformed yet, leaving her in a trapped state of being half-aware? These and other questions filled Twilight’s constantly curious mind as she made her way to the second level of the shop.
It wasn’t until the ponies were looking down the upper floor hallway when Twilight suddenly realized that Ditzy Doo had not run into just any room. She had run into Pinkie Pie’s bedroom. 
A chill ran down Twilight’s spine as she made this realization. There was no proof yet that her friend was trapped inside but the very idea made her anxious. Then again, if Ditzy Doo wasn’t completely transformed then perhaps Pinkie Pie would be safe? 
“Want me to go in first?”
Twilight flinched, her thoughts broken by Braeburn’s question.
“What? Oh! Sorry.” she answered, shaking her head. “No, I’ll go.” She put one hoof tentatively forward, paused, took a breath, and pushed the door to Pinkie Pie’s bedroom open. 
The door creaked ominously. Inside, the room was eerily quiet and dark. The only light entering it was through a window at the far side of the room. At first there was nothing unusual to be seen. A long table setup in the middle, a bed to the far corner. A few random items lain about here or there. A relatively normal bedroom. But upon closer inspection, there were strange artifacts sitting in the chairs at the middle table. A bucket of turnips, a rockpile, a sack of flour, and a large dust bunny all sat like unmoving members of a dinner party.
Twilight walked over carefully to look at the items, unsure of what to make of them. She knew straight away that Pinkie had something to do with them given her friend’s unusual hobbies but even this caused her some concern. Braeburn, who was even less use to Pinkie Pie’s nature, took one look at the table and shot a queer expression to both Twilight and Fluttershy.
“Uh, is this… normal… in Ponyville?” he asked. Before either pony could respond to him, a voice shot through the darkness.
“I don’t remember sending any of you an invitation to this party!” 
Startled, all three search-party ponies jumped back in alarm with Fluttershy yelping the loudest of all of them. They scanned the darkness with wide eyes, trying to find the source of the voice. Or, at least, Braeburn and Twilight did. The yellow pegasus, meanwhile, was too busy shielding her eyes and shivering behind the others. 
After a moment, Twilight’s shocked face tightened into suspicion.
“Pinkie?” she asked. 
As if on cue, a pink mare appeared out of seemingly nowhere at the far end of the table. Her hair was long and straight, and her pupils had shrunk to mere pin points within her eyes. She grinned in a distorted manner, the corners of her lips twisting upwards almost painfully. It was indeed Pinkie Pie, but her physicality was off. 
“What are you doing here?!” The pink mare demanded, slamming her two front hooves on the table. 
“Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy and Twilight exclaimed at the same time. The two ponies forgot their fear in an instant and rushed to the other side of the room as fast as their hooves could take them. Their relief of finding their friend was overwhelming, showcased by their immediate embrace with the pink mare. Both the yellow pegasus and the purple unicorn began to cry, so happy to have found their friend safe and sound. 
“You’re. Not. Suppose. To. Be. Here!” Pinkie yelled in anger, pushing her two friends away. 
“Pinkie Pie, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked, confused at her friend’s detachment.
“We’re your friends!” Fluttershy assured, setting a hoof against Pinkie’s shoulder in an attempt to console her. But Pinkie Pie was not having any of it. She swatted the pegasus’ hoof away and yet again raised her voice.
“My friends wouldn’t have left me behind!”
Twilight looked back and forth between Pinkie’s two eyes with concern. She wasn’t sure what Pinkie was talking about. But she wasn’t sure if she could deny what her friend was accusing given that she herself had only been brought to the barn a few days prior. Who knows what had occurred beforehand.
Turning to look at Fluttershy, Twilight searched the pegasus’ face for answers but she knew right away that the pegasus would know even less than she. It was Braeburn who interrupted the silence.
“Now, wait just a minute.” The stallion said in annoyance, trotting closer to the group. “They didn’t leave you behind. They were only found within the last three days and Ponyville has been overrun. It would have been too dangerous to send a search party here until now.”
Twilight eyed Braeburn with a curious look. “Well, wait a minute. Rarity and Rainbow Dash brought me to the barn. If they could came to find me at the library, why couldn’t they have stopped by Sugarcane Corner to see if Pinkie Pie was here?”
Braeburn reacted as though caught in a lie. He flinched, looking at the purple unicorn uneasily.
“Well, I…” he began. “Listen, I know how it looks but it was too dangerous. It’s best to send a search party to one location and then back again. If we start searching too many areas at once we risk running into trouble.”
The answer was questionable but Twilight couldn’t argue it. It was possible that she would have made the same decision had she been in charge at the time. And she wasn’t aware of the situation then so who was she to wonder if the right actions had been made?
Regardless, Twilight felt stuck in the middle. She understood why Pinkie Pie was upset. Even she was slightly peeved at the idea that they (Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and herself) could have made a small detour to check on SugarCube Corner before heading to the barn. But one thought of how Ditzy Doo had been in the shop window at the time and had clearly frightened her made Twilight realize that Braeburn’s assessment of limiting search areas was probably right. 
A sudden thought sparked in Twilight’s mind.	
“Wait a minute.” she said aloud with authority. “Where did the zompony that came in here go?” 
For a moment every pony looked at each other in silence. How foolish they had been to be so distracted by Pinkie Pie to not check whether or not they were safe! Immediately the search-party ponies backed up to circle the pink mare, each of them facing a different direction to look at different parts of the room. Pinkie, meanwhile, stared at them in annoyance. She opened her mouth to complain about how close they were to her but she was cut off by a noise that came from underneath the bed in the corner of the room. 
A soft moan curled out from the darkness. Fluttershy, who was closest to the bed, let out a sharp “Eep!” as her teeth began to chatter in fright. 
A grey hoof poked out from under the bed. It gripped the floor tensely before pulling itself backward, thrusting the body it was attached to forward. A grey head with a dirt-covered blond mane appeared in the moonlight, its eyes contorted into sadness.
“Ditzy Doo!” Twilight squeaked. “Everybody get back!”
Braeburn, Fluttershy, and Twilight all scooted backward in the opposite direction of the bed. Pinkie Pie, who was caught in the middle of the movement, made her disagreement clear. 
“Hey, what’s the big idea?!” she spat, clearly not happy with the current situation. 
“Pinkie Pie, that’s a zompony!” Twilight answered, her eyes glued to the gray mare now squeezing itself into the open air. “Somepony needs to buck its head!” 
“Buck its head?” Pinkie Pie questioned as though it were the strangest idea she’d ever heard of.
“I’ve got it!” Braeburn announced, separating from the group and charging forward. The stallion skidded to a halt before turning on his front hooves and tucking in his back legs. Fluttershy gasped and covered her eyes, not wanting to see the violence that was about to happen. But before Braeburn could make a successful hit, Pinkie Pie unexpectedly appeared on the scene, having broken away from Twilight and Fluttershy in order to fling herself at Braeburn’s hooves.
“WAIT! STOP!” she cried, clinging to the stallion’s front legs.
Braeburn, caught off balance, toppled sideways with a big “Ooof!”. This time it was Twilight’s turn to gasp as Ditzy Doo leaned her head down toward Braeburn and sniffed his legs. The stallion braced himself for the inevitable bite, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth.
But…
No bite occurred. 
Peeking his eyes open, Braeburn saw that the zompony was standing still, doing nothing to insinuate an attack. Confused, he turned to look at Twilight, who looked equally puzzled. Moving to Fluttershy, she was just lowering her hooves from her eyes to see the damage. Or lack there of. Finally, he shifted to Pinkie Pie, his eyes begging for answers.
“What’s your problem, buddy?” Pinkie Pie accused angrily. “Were you honestly trying to knock her brains out?” 
The search-party ponies glanced at each other in shock. None of them could speak. 
The pink mare stood up properly, crossing the floor to stand next to Ditzy Doo. The grey pegasus appeared to smile and flapped its wings slightly. 
“See? She’s fine.” Pinkie Pie said, slapping a playful hoof against Ditzy Doo’s back. Upon slapping the zompony’s fur, one of her wings promptly snapped off and fell to the floor. 
The entire room gasped from shock, Fluttershy fainting immediately. Ditzy Doo reacted with a startled moan but otherwise remained still. Pinkie Pie was the only one who didn’t react with fright. Instead, she looked down at the fallen appendage with wide eyes, stuttering to come up with a response.
“Pinkie Pie, that’s not Ditzy Doo anymore!” Twilight said, shaking her head to clear her mind and stepping forward.
“N-no!” Pinkie Pie said, now backing up and looking around the room to look for an escape. “She’s my friend! The only one who didn’t leave me!”
“Pinkie Pie,” Twilight cooed softly, approaching the pink mare as calmly as she could. She glanced at Ditzy Doo as she passed, still unsure if the zompony was completely safe to be around. “I know you’re hurt over nopony coming to your aid until now but I promise we never would have left you alone forever. We’re here now which proves that.”
Pinkie looked away from her friend, biting her lip. She mulled the thought over in her mind, her hair slowly beginning to fade from straight to curled. 
“We want you safe.” Twilight continued. “And staying here with this…” she paused, looking at the grey creature to her left with hesitation. “Well, with Ditzy Doo isn’t a safe place to be.”
Pinkie Pie glanced over at the grey pegasus, who was now sniffing her detached wing, snorting at it. Then Pinkie looked down at the floor, debating her friend’s words. A few seconds passed in silence while her hair began to puff back to its normal crazy appearance. Eventually she sniffed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. 
“I’m sorry.” she said quietly, finally meeting the purple unicorn’s eyes. Twilight smiled, relieved to see her friend coming back to her senses. She leaned forward to hug the pink mare before turning around to face the other two.
“Okay. Mission accomplished. We found Pinkie Pie.”
Braeburn refused to move, still lying sideways on the floor and looking up at Ditzy Doo.
“Uh…” he said, his eyes shifting between the zompony and Twilight. 
The purple unicorn understood what the stallion was trying to convey.
“Pinkie Pie,” she stated, turning to look at her pink friend. “The entire time you’ve been here, Ditzy Doo hasn’t tried to hurt you?”
“Of course not!” she responded in a suddenly cheerful tone, seemingly forgetting that she had been upset just seconds before. She bounced across the floor to stand next to the zompony, raising her arm in an attempt to hug the grey mare but at the last second deciding perhaps it wasn’t the smartest decision. She lowered her hooves. “Why would she?”
“Uh, well…” Twilight began awkwardly, turning to look at the others for help.
“All the other zomponies have tried to attack us.” Fluttershy piped up.
“Yeah.” Braeburn confirmed, taking the time to finally stand up. “And not everyone has gotten lucky with facing them.”
Pinkie Pie blinked at him. “What do you mean?” she asked in a semi-serious tone.
Suddenly the room became quiet and the search-party ponies looked at each other silently, trying to figure out who would be the one to fill her in. 
“We have a lot to talk about.” Twilight said finally. “But let’s all talk on the way back to Sweet Apple Acres. That’s where everyone else is waiting for us.”
“Oh. Okay.” she said with a nod. The grave tones caused Pinkie Pie to drop her smile. It was clear from the other ponies’ expressions that this was no time for fun and games. She waited for the others to walk ahead of her before following suit. Just before they left the room, Pinkie Pie turned around to look at Ditzy Doo.
“Are you coming?” Pinkie Pie she whispered, trying not to attract attention from the others. Ditzy Doo raised her head, moaned in delight, and trotted forward with a mangled grin.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Pinkie Pie’s return caused less of a commotion in the barn than Fluttershy’s. Which isn’t to say that the yellow pegasus was cherished more than the party-loving pony, but the fact of the matter was that most of the ponies in the barn were asleep by the time the search party had returned. 
They had been greeted only by Apple Cinnamon and Apple Split, who had taken the place of Blossomforth and Thunderlane as barn look-outs. They were more than happy to see that Pinkie Pie was safe, however, they were extremely suspicious of the strange mutilated gray mare that had been spotted following the returning ponies at a short distance. Their suspicions only increased when it was discovered that Twilight, Braeburn, and Fluttershy each had no idea that they were being followed at all and when they all turned around to look at the zompony, it was Pinkie Pie who argued for the protection of the tag-along mare. A heated debate continued for more than fifteen minutes on whether or not to leave Ditzy Doo alone. But in the end, Pinkie Pie’s refusal to enter the barn without knowing for sure that her undead friend was safe won the argument and it was decided that the grey mare would be tied to a nearby tree (behind the barn, out of sight) to satisfy everypony.
Once they were all in the barn with the door shut behind them, the look-out ponies informed the group that not much had happened while they were gone. The only major thing that had been discussed was the idea that Sweetie Belle would be buried in the morning. Otherwise, the plan was simply to wait until both Pinkie Pie and the Elements of Harmony had been found. Thus, the current best plan of action was to wait until morning.
In most cases, Pinkie Pie would have rather appreciated a more loud and crowded greeting, but in this particular case she was grateful for the quiet atmosphere. For upon having been brought up to speed on all that had happened without her during their walk, Pinkie’s mood had quickly turned sour and melancholy.
A lot of pain and hardship had happened without her and the pink mare was distraught at discovering how selfish she had been to remain cooped up in her room.  While she had been busy believing everyone had rudely left her behind, the others had been hurt, scared, or even killed depending on the situation. She hadn’t even noticed that Fluttershy’s back was burned. And the very idea of not having been around to comfort Rarity when she most needed it was heartbreaking to Pinkie and she felt incredibly guilty for only thinking of herself.
When the group had finally dispersed to be alone to think by themselves, Pinkie Pie found herself looking around the area with saddened eyes. So many tired and struggling ponies, all simply trying to survive. Why hadn’t she thought of how hard it must be for everypony else rather than focusing on herself? She gasped slightly at the sight of Rainbow Dash, whose crumpled body caused her to bite her lip. How selfish she had been indeed. 
Pinkie Pie turned to look at Twilight with a frown. The purple unicorn met her eyes with a glum expression before deciding to force herself to weakly smile. Putting a hoof against Pinkie’s, she nodded softly.
“I know.” she whispered, careful not to wake anypony. “But it’s okay. Let’s try to get some rest and we’ll talk in the morning.”
Pinkie Pie nodded despite her outward appearance expressing that she wasn’t really feeling up to sleeping. She obeyed her friend’s request by finding a small section of hay in the corner of a nearby stall but she sat upright, staring at the floor quietly. 
Twilight shot a concerned look to Fluttershy, who returned the gaze with a pout. Without saying anything, the yellow pegasus trotted over to Pinkie Pie and sat next to her. After a while, the two laid down together, both finding comfort in the other one’s warmth.
Twilight, on the other hand, did not need convincing to sleep. She had had only an hour’s rest between the Timberwolf attack and the search for Pinkie Pie which meant her body was absolutely exhausted. Her bones creaked joyfully as she laid down, curling her legs to her chest. She let her entire body sigh heavily, telling herself to enjoy the moment knowing that there was no promise of getting a full night’s rest in the future. Before she could close her eyes, however, she took a long look around the barn. All six of her closest friends had managed to come together at last. She was beyond grateful to know that they were safe, albeit a bit damaged either physically or mentally. And she was also grateful that the rest of the ponies in the barn were okay, too. It pained her to be so logical at a time like this, but even the fact that Sweetie Belle was the only loss during the prior zompony attack was a blessing. So many more could have been killed.
A rustling sound distracted Twilight from her thoughts. She turned her head to see Braeburn settling in for the night. He nodded at her. She nodded back. Then the stallion laid down his head to rest.
Twilight, too, lowered her head to the floor. She thought of how much hope rested on her. How many ponies were probably thinking of nothing but the Elements of Harmony and how it could help them. Would she be able to get them safely?
She shot a glance towards the pen that Rainbow Dash was resting in. Twilight hadn’t even considered whether or not the blue pegasus would be able to use her element once the time was necessary. Would they still work if one of the ponies was not in good health?
Twilight tried to think positively. Perhaps the elements would heal Rainbow Dash. Then again, maybe they’d be forced to wait until she was properly healed to even use them. That wouldn’t be too bad if all they had to do was wait it out, right?
But then…
What if the Elements didn’t work at all?
Twilight blinked, her heart seeming to jump into her throat the moment the thought crossed her mind. What if?
At first she tried to shake the idea from her mind. Of course that wasn’t possible. The Elements of Harmony were powerful artifacts. Of course they’d work. But the more she considered the idea, the more her brain was compelled to ask herself what their next step would be should the worst happen. It was always a good idea to think of all the possibilities, right? Even if they weren’t ideal. 
Canterlot jumped to the front of her mind and Twilight nodded to herself that that was indeed the right course of action. Should, Celestia forbid, the Elements of Harmony not work, they should head for Canterlot.
Her mind now satisfied with her thinking, Twilight closed her eyes. A few moments later and she was sound asleep, her body thankful for rest. 


———


“Twilight.”
Darkness again. The same strange yet calm darkness that had happened twice before. It was familiar and yet still unknown. Cold, but not uncomfortable. No breeze. Everything was still.
The feeling of an invisible road beneath her hooves caused Twilight to open her eyes. Which really didn’t help her considering the only thing she could see was herself if she happened to look down. But she was not surprised by this lack of scenery. In fact, she expected it. The second the cold darkness had enveloped her she understood that she was dreaming once more.
“Yes?” she called out strongly and clearly to the darkness. If the second dream had truly given any kind of foresight like she theorized, then Twilight was sure to respond immediately to any message she was given, in case the messages were dependent on her being completely focused on receiving them. She also promised herself that she should consider all possibilities of what the messages could mean, should she get one. Having misinterpreted the last message cost them Sweetie Belle and Twilight was sure to not make the same mistake again.
“Twilight.” the voice called again.
“Yes!” Twilight spoke louder. “Yes, I can hear you! Or, er, I can hear me? Do I have a message for myself?” she felt silly talking to herself in this manner but she tried to take it seriously. There was always the possibility that the damage she had taken during whatever had happened when she was out for two weeks had caused a disconnect between herself and her self-conscious. Perhaps these dreams were trying to get herself back on track? But then, that wouldn’t explain how she’d know about the future…
A paper formed out of nowhere and fell to Twilight’s hooves.
Twilight, it’s me.
The purple unicorn watched as the paper disappeared as soon as she read it.
“Who?” she questioned. Another paper. This time the message appeared as “Open your mind”. Twilight didn’t understand but she decided it was best to just ignore who was sending her the messages and focus instead on what the message was. She couldn’t afford to waste time.
“What do I need to know?” Twilight asked the darkness.
A third paper fell to her feet and she read the message eagerly. But if she had been confused before, it was nothing to how she felt now. 
	Look behind you.
What? Twilight shook her head from how discouraged she felt. Look behind you? Hadn’t that been referring to the lack of protection at the back of the barn? Perplexed, the purple unicorn stood frozen in thought, her mind racing to try and come up with an explanation for the message. Look behind her? She turned around immediately, incase the message had been meant to be taken more literally. But she saw nothing but more black emptiness. Was the message metaphorical? Was she suppose to look in the past? And if that were the case, could it be referring to the memories she had lost when the zompony outbreak had occurred? How was she suppose to unlock those? 
Her thoughts were interrupted by another paper.
Look behind you.
Twilight groaned in both anger at the sender as well as frustration at herself for being unable to understand the message. But no sooner had she expressed her anger when more papers began to form around her. They began to circle her as they had once before, growing steadily in number as well as speed. They whipped around her head, giving no time for the purple unicorn to read them.
“STOP!” Twilight angrily shouted, stomping her hooves to the floor. The papers obeyed, freezing in place before slowly falling to the floor. 
Look behind you. Twilight, it’s me. Open your mind. 
Every paper held one of these three messages. Each disappearing as she read them. When she was finally alone once again, Twilight sighed. Feeling defeated, she sat down on the invisible ground and slumped her shoulders.
“I don’t understand…” she said quietly aloud. She waited for a response but it was apparent after a few minutes that she wasn’t going to get one. That was fine with her. She no longer felt like engaging with the mysterious messenger. To further prove her point, Twilight laid down fully on the invisible ground and closed her eyes. She felt like ignoring anything that caused her to think and so attempted to empty her mind completely. No more questions, no more mysterious messages, and especially no more trying to decipher them. Just plain regular sleep.
After a minute or two, Twilight’s wish was granted. 


———


Twilight was one of the last ponies to wake up the next morning. By the time she had awoken, it was already past 11, which was very late for her standards. 
She learned that no pony wanted to wake her as they felt that she needed the extra time to sleep. And she hadn’t really missed anything anyway since during that time everypony else was simply preparing for Sweetie Belle’s funeral (the most of which required making sure the area was safe for everypony to be outside). 
Twilight also learned that Pinkie Pie had taken the time to make her rounds with everypony, assuring them that she was fine and apologizing for worrying them. Rarity had apparently clung to Pinkie harder than expected, most likely due to Sweetie Belle’s death, which caused her to feel more strongly about showcasing her feelings to her friends. 
The last thing Twilight learned was that Rainbow Dash was awake. She was shocked to hear this but also relieved and found herself rushing out of her makeshift bed to see how her friend was doing.
Rainbow Dash was surrounded on all sides. Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, the Cakes, and a handful of fillies were all listening as she boastfully recounted her fight with the Timberwolves. Twilight couldn’t resist a smile as she trotted up to the blue pegasus. She should have known her friend wouldn’t let her injuries change her attitude. Even with a makeshift cast on her arm and bandages on both her eye and wing she was still acting as though she barely felt a thing.
“…and then POW! I hit the boulder with a huge smack and I was down for the count!”
“Wow, Rainbow Dash, you’re so cool!” Scootaloo said, looking at the blue pegasus with dreamy eyes.
“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow replied. She tried to cross her arms and grin with her one good eye closed, but flinched when the action caused her muscles in both her arm and her wing to pull painfully.
“It’s nice to see you awake and well, Rainbow.” Twilight said. Everypony turned to look at her as she approached. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” Rainbow Dash said. “Learned the hard way about an hour ago that I wasn’t well enough to fly yet.”
Twilight rolled her eyes but it was Rarity who responded for her.
“Of course you’re not okay enough to fly!” she said. “You’re going to lay down and relax until you’re completely healed.”
“I know.” Rainbow said in an annoyed tone, laying on her side and brooding towards the floor. 
Twilight stared at Rainbow’s bandaged eye. She tried not to think about how Rainbow would probably never see correctly out of that eye now, or even at all if the injuries were more severe.
“Thanks for all your help back there.” she said. “Without you, we never would have made it out of Everfree Forest alive.”
Rainbow’s expression changed from moody to pleased in an instant and she turned to look at Twilight with a smile.
“Happy to help.” she said.
Granny Smith’s voice was suddenly heard behind the purple unicorn.
“It’s all set.” she announced. Twilight, at first unsure of what the old mare was talking about, took one look around the ponies’ fading smiles around her before understanding. Sweetie Belle’s funeral. 
Twilight looked up at Rarity with worry. Everypony else appeared to have the same idea and soon all of them were staring at the white unicorn. She refused to look at any of them, choosing instead to stand up and focus her attention on Granny Smith in silence. She walked forward with a strength that Twilight admired greatly. She bowed her head slightly as her friend passed, cursing her sudden awkwardness and wishing she knew how better to help.
Remembering her thoughts from last night, Twilight suddenly perked up and walked over to Granny Smith. The old mare looked at her with interest. 
“Before we get started, I think it would be best to plan ahead.” Twilight said.
“We already have look-outs set up on the roof, there, dearie.” Granny Smith explained with a wink.
“No, no.” Twilight shook her head. “That’s not what I meant. I mean that after the funeral I’ll most likely be leaving with a few others to get the Elements of Harmony from my library. I think we should send a scout to Ponyville in order to see how things look there before we leave. And if we send a pegasus now then we’ll waste no time.”
The old mare stared long into her eyes, debating her request.
“Yeh, I think you’re about right.” she said eventually. “Go on ahead outside with everypony else. I’ll let one of them know.”
Twilight nodded her thanks before looking back to see Jonagold and Pinkie Pie helping lift Rainbow Dash so that she, too, could join everypony outside. Twilight waited long enough for Cheerilee and the Cakes to explain that they’d stay inside with the youngest fillies since it would be too great of a risk to take them outside, just in case, before heading out of the barn herself. 
Despite the depressing occasion, the morning was actually quite nice. The sun was shining bright but the clouds were spaced just right so that nopony felt the need to shield their eyes. Twilight could see that everypony was gathering towards a tree towards the right of the barn. As she trotted over, she remembered Pinkie Pie’s strange request from last night which caused her to pause and look in the direction behind the barn.
Ditzy Doo was still tied to a tree a short distance from the barn. The grey mare was standing motionless but was staring in the direction of the noise. Even in the bright light of day, the pale eyes of the zompony spooked Twilight and she quickly looked away, instead focusing her attention at the yard directly outside of the barn door. She titled her head, suddenly realizing that the ground should have had far more bodies then it currently held, which was none. Alarmed, Twilight looked around in vain to find them, suddenly concerned that the bodies had somehow risen overnight. But her frantic searching was calmed when her friend Applejack approached her from behind. 
“Don’t worry.” she explained. “We spent the morning moving ‘em. We didn’t want anypony to have to see them during all this.” 
Twilight didn’t have to ask to know that “anypony” was more or less meant to represent Rarity but she understood that a funeral of these circumstances wouldn’t feel right by any of them if they were surrounded by dead zomponies the entire time. Good thinking on Applejack’s part.
They walked together towards the right of the barn. It took a few minutes, but eventually everypony that wasn’t on guard was standing outside. A hole had already been dug near a tree and Sweetie Belle’s lifeless body rested beside it. Twilight could see from where she stood that the young filly was covered in crude material. Rarity stood near the body, staring down at the ground mournfully. Rainbow Dash had been sat down next to her (per her request), and both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie stood nearby as well. 
Twilight exchanged a glance with Applejack before they both moved to stand next to their heartbroken friend. A tight circle had formed around the hole and everypony was respectfully silent. 
At first, nopony knew what to do. None of them had actually chosen somepony to lead the event and as such the silence turned to awkward shifting of eyes. But after a while, a brief shuffling ran through the crowd and soon Apple Bloom appeared with Scootaloo close behind. They approached Sweetie Belle’s body slowly. Nopony tried to stop them from getting too close. In fact, their movement appeared to be exactly what the group needed to break the ice. 
“Sweetie Belle, you were our very best friend.” Apple Bloom said aloud, standing in front of the body with Scootaloo beside her. The orange and purple filly nodded to agree. 
“You were a great Cutie Mark Crusader.” she continued. “And we loved spending time with you.” 
A sharp sniff broke through the air and Twilight found herself glancing with just her eyes towards Rarity. The white unicorn’s eyes were filling with tears, still staring down at the ground in pain. Twilight lowered her head further and listened as Scootaloo began to speak. 
“You were always there for us and we wish you hadn’t left so soon.” The two fillies hesitantly stepped forward before carefully leaning forward to hug Sweetie Belle’s body. They stayed still a moment, Apple Bloom starting to cry during the process, before both of them finally let go at the same time. 
“Rest easy, Sweetie Belle.” Scootaloo said. 
“We’ll never forget you.” Apple Bloom added. 
The two friends backed up so that they stood with the rest of the circle again. They appeared satisfied with their goodbye and everypony seemed to respect the maturity the two fillies had just shown. 
Everypony waited for the next pony to pay their respects. A few ponies stepped forward to bow their head in respect but none of them provided a speech. Eventually it was clear that it was time for Rarity to say something, if she wanted to say anything at all. But nopony knew how to ask her. Twilight took the initiative to turn and look at her friend with polite expectation. 
The white unicorn was trying her hardest not to break. She looked at Twilight with shining eyes before nodding. She was slow, but she brought herself to move closer towards her sister’s body, all the while trying to swallow her own tears. Looking down at the misshapen heap below her, Rarity’s lip began to quiver. It soon turned to shaking and then her eyes were squinting in agony. Fluttershy was quick to action, stepping up to stand next to her friend in support. Applejack joined in by approaching Rarity from the other side. Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, all three of them agreeing with just their eyes to stay put so that they didn’t overcrowd their poor friend.
“I could have made it so much better…” Rarity managed to say through her short sobs. Twilight’s shoulders sank at her words. She pitifully looked at Sweetie Belle’s outfit made from hay and sacks.
“She deserved better…” Rarity added, her tears increasing. Applejack put a hoof against Rarity’s arm and the white unicorn took advantage of the touch by leaning into it, eventually collapsing into the farm pony’s arms. The orange mare frowned heavily, lowering her head so that her hat covered her eyes. A single tear could be seen rolling down her cheek.
Rarity continued to cry as Twilight watched two Apple family members approach the hole. It was Half Baked Apple and Golden Delicious, both of whom waited a few seconds before reaching for Sweetie Belle in order to lift her up. 
“Oh, wait, please, wait!” Rarity stammered once she realized what they were doing. She released herself from Applejack’s arms and stretched out her arms to place them on top of Sweetie Belle’s head and back.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle…” she said, pushing her muzzle into her little sister’s mane. “I’ll miss you so much…”
Half Baked Apple and Golden Delicious frowned at the sight but waited until Rarity was finished. When the unicorn finally pulled away, the two Apple family members continued their duty, slowly lowering the little filly into the ground. 
Fluttershy and Applejack each caught Rarity as she slumped forward. She raised her hooves to her eyes and she began to sob once more. The yellow Pegasus and the orange farm pony each hugged her tightly as she cried.
Once Sweetie Belle was placed properly, each pony in the circle took their turn to toss a bit of earth into the hole. The action was done in silence and everypony was allowed their right to pay their last respects to the poor filly. When they were finished, the ponies slowly made their way back to the barn, leaving Twilight with her five friends as well as a few stragglers including Haked Baked and Golden Delicious (who had taken it upon themselves to finish filling the hole).
Twilight approached Applejack cautiously, not wanting to disturb the emotions being felt. The orange mare looked up at the purple unicorn and met her eyes.
“Go ahead back to the barn, Twilight.” she said. “We’ll take a few more minutes out here.”
Twilight nodded before turning to help Pinkie Pie lift Rainbow Dash. She couldn’t imagine what Rarity was going through and she wanted to console her friend but knew it was best to leave her with Fluttershy and Applejack. Carrying Rainbow carefully, Twilight looked up at the barn. On top of it were three ponies, all looking in different directions. She was thankful for their assistance in keeping everypony safe. 
“I hope Rarity will be okay…” Pinkie Pie said quietly.
“Me too.” Twilight responded. 
Once back in the barn and most everypony settled, Twilight looked around to figure out what the next course of action was. She didn’t want to rush after such an emotional event but she didn’t want to lose time either. The barn may have been safe for now but who knows what other cities in Equestria were going through. The sooner she found the Elements, the better. 
Granny Smith must have had the same thought for she approached Twilight after only a few minutes and cleared her throat.
“Scout came back.” the old mare said. “Ponyville is mostly clear. Only two zomponies were spotted and they weren’t near your library.”
Twilight nodded. “Thank you, Granny Smith.” she said. “Sounds like I’ll only need a few ponies with me. Maybe even just one.” 
“You sure?” the old mare asked.
“I think so.” Twilight nodded. She didn’t like the idea of running into trouble but she felt strongly that keeping the search party down to one pony would be the best decision.
“Well, alright.” Granny Smith said, turning to leave.
“Oh, but I also need to talk to you about something!” Twilight said quickly. The old mare turned back around with a raised eyebrow.
“I actually need to talk to all of you about something.” Twilight said a little louder, getting everypony’s attention in the barn. All eyes were on her as the purple unicorn stepped into the center of the giant room.
“I know we all don’t want to think about it but I really think we need to talk about what we should do if the Elements of Harmony don’t work.”
Whispers immediately began to flood the barn. Everypony turned to each other in suspicion and alarm. Twilight knew to expect this reaction and waited a moment before continuing.
“I want them to work as much as the rest of you. And I have strong hope that they will. But I think, given the circumstances, that we should think about the worst, just in case.”
The whispers died down but nopony spoke up to directly agree with her. It was apparent by the looks on their faces that they hadn’t wanted to consider this option, even if it was the logical thing to do. There was an uncomfortable silence until Braeburn suddenly spoke.
“She’s right.” He said, stepping forward. “It would be smart to have a plan B. We gotta take these things very seriously. That being said, what exactly are you suggesting?” Braeburn turned to look at Twilight with curiosity. The purple unicorn paused, looking at the Applelooza pony with a stiff upper lip.
“I think we should go to Canterlot.” 
The Apple family ponies met her words with great distaste. While none of them boo’d her idea, the looks on their muzzles were enough to convince Twilight that not everypony was happy with this plan.
“Not all of us.” she quickly corrected, turning in a circle to make sure she looked at everypony equally. “I already know that the Apple family has a plan for what to do during emergencies and I wouldn’t want to force you all out of the barn. But some of us should go. I think that if the worst should happen, some of us, including myself, should travel to Canterlot in order to investigate more about what has happened in Equestria. In fact, now that I think about it, I think some of us should go even if the Elements of Harmony do work so that we can figure out exactly what happened here and how we can prevent it from happening again.”
Most ponies nodded. Some murmuring traveled throughout the room.
“But especially if they don’t work,” Twilight added. “We should figure out who would want to stay and who would want to leave.”
“Sounds like a smart plan.” Rainbow Dash said with confidence, bringing all eyes to her. “I’d definitely go with you, Twilight. I’ll always have your back.”
“Me too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, nodding with a grin. 
Twilight smiled at them both before looking at the rest of the ponies in the barn. Some of them looked away from her uneasily. Others simply stared with blank expressions.
“I don’t expect you all to have an answer right away.” Twilight said. “But I think everypony should think about it while I’m gone. I’ll be leaving soon to retrieve the Elements from my library and my intention is to be back before sunset.”
“I hope you’re not leaving without me.” a voice called from the front of the barn. Twilight and everypony else turned to see Applejack just walking in.
“You sure you want to come with me?” Twilight asked. “I figured I’d only take one other pony with me so if you really want to come along, you should know it would only be the two of us.”
“Fine by me.” the orange mare replied with a small shrug. Applejack trotted over to Twilight as though she hadn’t just come from a funeral. The tears were completely gone from her cheeks and she even managed to smile a bit.
“Alright. Then let’s head out soon. There’s no time to waste.”
“Tch. What’s new?” Applejack asked. But her words were meant in a joking manner rather than annoyance so Twilight replied with a roll of her eyes and a smirk.
“Is Rarity okay?” Twilight asked more seriously.
“She will be.” Applejack said. “She’s still outside with Fluttershy. Probably good to leave her alone.”
Twilight nodded, then turned just in time to see Granny Smith bringing her a small pack.
“Short trip or not, yer gonna need some food.”
“Thanks, Granny.” Applejack said. “We’ll be back in no time.”
Twilight shifted the pack onto her back before moving towards the door with Applejack. Before she left, she turned back to look at everypony one last time.
“Don’t lose hope.” she said simply. And then they were gone.