Stitching it Together

Chapters

Confronting Twilight
Research
Hearts and Hooves and Claws and Books
Spike's Mental Breakdown
You Hungry?
New Plan, Anypony?
An Awkward Conversation
Stripes
It Begins
The Coming Apocalypse
Gather the Ranks, We're Going In
Frontal Assult
Cure
What'll I Tell Them?
To Clarify
Epilogue

Confronting Twilight

"Just hold on!" I called up to Spike, running to a stack of fabrics in the adjoining room, yanking an especially thick one out of the middle. The rest toppled over, but as of right now, I really didn't care. I held the cloth out like a trampoline under the small dragon, just as his grip weakened and he fell from the fan blade. I caught him in the length of cloth, and he bounced a few times, eyes still screwed shut in fear, and newly-found wings clamped tightly to his sides.

I set the cloth gently on the floor, then lifted Spike and squeezed him tight.

"Are you alright?" I asked him. He nodded his head vigorously, still not trusting enough to open his eyes, "How did you even get up there?"

"I-I don't know. There was just this feeling near my shoulder blades, and the next thing I knew, I was hanging from the ceiling fan," one eye cracked open, looking up at me. It had a strange quality to it, sort of unreal. It's hard to explain, but I knew it wasn't right or normal.

"What happened? Did you see?" he asked innocently.

"Hmmm..." I set him down on the floor, turning to the door. I knew somepony who would know what to do. Maybe it was time to explain what I had done.

I trotted to my saddlebag rack, picking out the plainest, least conspicuous one out of the group. It was a light purple that complimented my mane, sans all frills and glitter that covered most of my wardrobe. It was just big enough to hold my scarf collection, or a small dragon.

I scooped up Spike and stuck him inside, "You'll have to be quiet and still, okay? We're going to Twilight's."

~~~~~

After several close calls in the streets, I had finally reached the library. I tapped my hoof lightly on the door, trying to keep a calm exterior.

"Yes?" called the familiar voice of Twilight Sparkle, slightly less cheerful than normal. She missed Spike as much as I had, of course.

"It's Rarity, dear. I wanted to... speak with you."

A magenta aura appeared around the door, and the face of an over-worked unicorn was revealed "Come on in, Rarity. I was just... cleaning up some old things."

She turned, and I followed her into the tree. I saw Spike's old bed sitting in a corner, a thin layer of dust already settling on it. As I watched, Twilight ambled up the stairs, wandering around in her bedroom, grabbing Spike's belongings and tossing them down into the bed. Each item landed in a small puff of dust on the blue dog bed.

"Well, what did you want to ask me?" Twilight reminded me.

"Oh, right. Yes, it was more of a... hypothetical conversation that I wanted to have with you,"

"Oh? That's interesting," she trotted back down the stairs, so as to talk to me snout-to-snout. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to start talking.

"Um... let's say, hypothetically, that love could bring somepony back to life," Twilight nodded, "And let's say that this-- um-- pony, then had an abnormal reaction. Something that couldn't happen in real life: like, er, a pegasus gaining magic abilities."

"So, a physical change?"

"Yes. But, not a-- I mean, not something-- It shouldn't be-- uhh..." well, that wasn't very discreet.

"What made you think of this, anyway?" Twilight now looked simply confused.

"You know what? I don't know! I'm just going to... leave now... goodbye!" I stumbled backwards over the pile of old blankets and gems, The worn-out strap of my saddlebag snapping, and the small, dark figure slidding across the hardwood floor.

I chuckled softly, awkwardly, as though I hadn't just resurrected friend and neglected to tell her.

"You know, " I told her, "this isn't nearly as bad as it looks."

Twilight just sat down in the center of the room, looking at me with a face that spelled out absolutely everything she was thinking.

"What?" I asked bluntly, edging my way toward Spike.

"Sit down, please," I sat.

"Now: explain. Explain everything."

Research

"And then... I don't know, he just... sprouted wings," I finished the story, still slightly hesitant about the whole thing, and maybe a bit remorseful.

"Did you see it happen?"

"No, I was in the next room," I explained, "So... what do you think?"

"What do I think about what?"

I turned to look at Spike, who was struggling to get a good look at his wings, "About Spike! What do you think happened to him?"

"I honestly don't know, Rarity."

I groaned, my head drooping, forelock falling in front of my eyes.

"But-- that's not important right now. Right now, I want to talk about what you did to Spike!"

"Oh," I shrank away from Twilight's cruel tones.

"What were you thinking? I missed Spike just as much as you did! I didn't grave rob for it! He was dead, and that was meant to be that! It's natural!"

Spike stood at the sound of 'dead,' and walked right up to Twilight, looking her right in the eye, "Are you saying that you, even though you could have done something, just ignored me?"

"Well... " Twilight's voice wavered a bit.

"You're a princess, Twilight! Is this what you're going to do when one of your other friends dies? Just ignore it?" Spike started to wander around the room, and eventually fell into the pacing pattern that Twilight often took, "I was like a brother to you, Twilight! How could you just cast me off!"

Twilight's face fell in guilt, as I looked at her, wondering if it was, in fact true: that when one of us died, she would leave it be. Maybe she would call it 'natural' and be done with it. By that time, she probably would have gotten some new, young friends that she would rather be with.

I shook my head to clear it, trying to focus on the here and now.

"I WILL NEVER ABANDON MY FRIENDS!" Twilight exploded, running up to Spike and holding him tightly by the shoulders, "It's not my fault. I'm not allowed to perform age spells. It's against royal law to interfere in the natural order."

Spike visibly gulped, shrinking away from Twilight. She sighed, letting her hooves slide off Spike's shoulders, then turned to me, "You know," she said, "maybe you did make the right choice."

~~~~~

"Okay, this book says," Twilight cleared her throat, reading a quote from a dusty old book, "The term undead describes beings in mythology, legend or fiction that are deceased yet behave as if alive. A common example is a corpse re-animated by supernatural forces by the application of the deceased's own life force or that of another being (such as a demon). Undead may be incorporeal like ghosts, or corporeal like ghouls, vampires and zombies. The undead are featured in the belief systems of most cultures, and appear in many works of fantasy and horror fiction."

"That doesn't help at all!" I moaned, throwing my hooves up in exasperation, "We have to know what actually happened to Spike, not what a stereotypical zombie is."

Spike still jumped at the word 'zombie,' but covered it by coughing a bit, then asking, "Can you please talk about me like I'm actually here?"

"Sorry, Spikey!" I called, snout stuck in a book like a certain purple unicorn.

"Yeah," Twilight whispered, "I don't think Spike is a stereotypical anything."

I gave Twilight a disapproving look, and she shrugged back. Spike yelled something, but neither of us really listened.

"You know, Twilight," I closed the book I was holding, "I'm beginning to think that this might not be... normal."

Twilight shut her book loudly, "No, really? I mean, you only resurrected a sentient being. That happens every bucking day!"

I looked back down at the stack of supernatural books next to me, taking another one off the top.

Twilight exhaled heavily, "I'm sorry."

"It's fine. What I meant was, it might not be traditional magic. This could be something entirely different," I stood up, carefully navigating through the books on the floor. Scanning the shelves, I saw the large brown book that had caused so much trouble in the past.

Using my magic, I carefully brought down the book, which had a design of stylized hearts decorating the cover, "I think it was the magic of love."

Twilight's shocked face reminded me, however, that nopony knew about my love for Spike.

Well, she did now.

Hearts and Hooves and Claws and Books

"Are you kidding me?" Twilight trotted over to a position beside me, looking over my shoulder at the book. It was the one from hearts and hooves day, the one the Cutie Mark Crusaders had used to create a powerful (and rather disgusting) feeling of love between Big Mac and Ms. Cheerilie.

The fact was, the information in this book had nearly torn the town apart, and Twilight had been stuck at the middle of it. She had originally given the book to the girls, and had been blamed as such. I'm sure all she wanted to do was tuck the book away forever, but it was our only clue to Spike's transformation.

"Look, Twilight," I opened the book to the table of contents, "I won't let things get out of hoof. I promise."

"Pinkie promise?"

I sighed, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Good! Now, let's see... go to the section about magic."

"I didn't use magic," I explained, exasperated, "I..."

"Rarity..." Twilight's voice was stern.

"I..." my voice squeaked a bit.

"Rarity, tell me."

"I kissed him!" I dropped the book, closing both eyes tightly. I opened one, however, at the shocked sound I heard from Spike. He was staring at me, with something between horror and exuberance written all over his face.

"Give me that book," I mumbled, pulling it away from Twilight and opening to a page on a unicorn named--

"Love Charmer?"

Twilight laughed, "Wow, obvious much?"

I cleared my throat, "It says here that over five hundred years ago, there was a pony who was in sorrow over the loss of her lover. She tried to save his life at the last minute, by giving him the kiss of true love. It turns out that love held some kind of magic, and filled the stallion with renewed strength and youth. After about an hour, however, the earth pony grew wings, followed by a unicorn horn a day later. He was executed by an extremist group who believed he wanted to take over the throne.

"But! After a week of being guarded twenty-four seven, the grave was found empty, and the guards had disappeared. It is unknown what the results of these occurrences were, as the records end here."

"That's... ominous," Twilight stated.

"Is that gonna happen to me?" Spike stood, coming over to the book. I shut it quickly.

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous."

"So... what they're saying is that the power of Eros is the same as the power of Phileo?"

"English, please?"

"That the magic of Love is the same as the magic of Friendship! Oh, this is a-mazing! I am going to learn so much from this!"

"Twilight! He is not a science experiment!" I pulled Spike near me, "He's just the same as before. Nothing's changed."

"Rarity, I think you're vision must be blurred. HE GREW BUCKING WINGS!"

"STOP!" Spike's claws were covering his ears, "Just stop it, both of you! I'm leaving!"

"Spike, no!" I ran after him, Twilight following close behind, as he ran down the streets. For some reason, they were eerily quiet. It's a good thing, too, since otherwise the town would have spiraled into a panic.

"HALT!" We screeched to a stop, at the sound of a familiarly tiny voice. Just over the hill in the road stood four ponies: all wearing fake armor and holding fake swords.

The three in the front were tiny, and tufts of red, purple, and lavender manes poked out from under bucket helmets. The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

The one in the back was a mare I would have recognized anywhere: an earth pony, with a dusty pink coat and a shockingly magenta mane. She was wearing a black sweater and a black ski mask, with some kind of night-vision goggles strapped to her forehead. She, miraculously, stood on her hind legs, with her front hooves folded in a disapproving pose.

Pinkie Pie.

Author's Note

Look, guys, I'm sorry the chapters are so short, but I'm doing the best I can. I cut it off where it feels appropriate, and leave it at that. So, if you could kindly read the story and just be patient, I would be eternally grateful.
Thank you in advance.

Spike's Mental Breakdown

"Pinkie! Hello!" I said with a false cheerfulness, moving Spike to a guarded spot behind me.

"Don't give me that! You made a Pinkie promise, and I always always know! Then I came to Twilight's to look, and I saw Spike all blackish and weird and then," Pinkie took a deep breath, "I went like this," she screamed, "and then I ran and got the Cutie Mark Crusaders, since I saw them with those costumes on, and then I tried to come to your house to destroy the zombie, and then you came and Applebloom was like 'HALT--'"

"Yes, Pinkie, we were here for that part," Twilight stopped her.

"Oh, yeah."

Spike ran out from behind me, "Pinkie, it's me!"

Pinkie shrieked again, and smacked him over the head with her cardboard tube. The Cutie Mark Crusaders took this as a sign to attack, and soon Spike was on the ground being smacked by four paper towel tubes, whining all the while.

"Stop it!" I yelled, running into the crowd and shooing the four mares away.

Spike made some kind of noise, not a normal noise, kind of like a hiss or a moan, and ran down the road on all fours.

"After him!" Pinkie yelled, but Twilight grabbed her mane with her magic. She lifted Pinkie into the air, running after Spike as Pinkie struggled against the iron grip.

Spike was running faster than anypony I knew, even Rainbow Dash, down the street and toward Applejack's farm. I galloped as fast as I could, trying to grab Spike with my own magic, but he was just out of reach.

I was so focused on trying to catch Spike, I didn't see a large rock in the street. my hoof caught on it, and I tumbled forward. Twilight back peddled, trying to get me off the ground, but I waved her forward.

I got up on shaking legs, a large gash sliced across my knee. It was bleeding heavily, the blood trickling down my left leg. I limped down the street, the sounds of the other five sets of hooves still echoing in the emptiness. Suddenly, however, they stopped, and I saw a tiny dark speck coming toward me at an alarming rate. It was Spike, and his eyes looked dead again, just an empty sheen that wasn't natural.

"Rarity! Run!" Twilight's voice came to me, and I skittered around a corner, ducking behind a barrel. I looked through a little hole in the wood, watching as Spike paused, sniffing the air like a dog. He stood stock still for a minute, then jumped, like he had been hit hard in the chest. When he stood again, he stood on two legs, his eyes back to normal.

"I told you! I told you! Spike's a zombie! He smelled your blood!" Pinkie Pie, panting, pulled me off the ground. Spike looked horrified, just staring at the cut on my leg.

The gentle clops of another set of hooves faded into being, as a pony's face leaned around the corner.

"Hey, Ah was out in the fields and Ah saw... " the pony looked down at Spike, not having much of a reaction at all.

"Uhhh... Ah guess Ah'll leave you alone... " Applejack tried to walk off, but Applebloom stood in front of her.

"Yeh can't tell nopony about this! Got that? Nopony!"

"Wasn't plannin' on it. But... don't ya'll think yer a bit out of yer depth?" She looked at each of us in turn, receiving the same confused glace from each of us.

"You don't even know what really happened, do you?" I said.

"Ah've watched enough horror films to know that this ain't right or natural. Ah think ya'll should explain, at the very least."

"There's nothing to explain!" Pinkie exploded, "Spike is a ZOMBIE!"

Twilight clapped her hoof over Pinkie's mouth, "Do you think we could refrain from using the 'z' word in a populated area?"

"You call this populated?" Pinkie ripped away Twilight's hoof, "I told everypony that there was a supernatural being on the loose, so they all hid in inside their houses."

"You did WHAT!?" I screamed.

"Well, everypony except Fluttershy, since her house was so out of the way. Oh, and Rainbow Dash. She was on her cloud trying to take a nap, and I didn't want to disturb her."

Twilight smacked her face with her hoof, and everypony else just looked at the ground. Spike looked completely terrified, and grabbed my leg for comfort. I gave him a peck on the forehead to calm him down.

Applejack just looked confused, but she said, "Well, let's get him down to the barn. He'll be safe there. Then, Ah guess the next thing to do is bring Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash over to explain," she pulled her hat down over her eyes, "Ah can't believe this. Ah I can't believe Ah'm dealin' with this."

"Well, you are, so get used to it," I sniffed.

"Come on, Spike. We'll getcha someplace safe," Applejack put her hoof behind Spike, sliding him out of the ally. We all followed her, and Twilight picked up the dragon and set him on my back. He fell against my neck, hugging me tightly as I trotted towards the barn. I think he fell asleep.

When we reached the barn, I laid him down in the hay stack farthest from the door, then made myself comfortable beside him. After only a few minutes, I was asleep too, dreaming of the day when I would have my Spike back. The real Spike.

You Hungry?

"Hey, Sugarcube," I felt a gentle hoof on my shoulder, lightly shaking me awake, "somepony's here to see ya."

My eyes drifted lazily open, to see the figures of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy just outside the door to the barn. The bright light of the afternoon sun left them as only silhouettes, but I recognized them Immediately. They were talking to each other, but turned to wave at me. I squinted at them, then looked frantically about me to see if Spike was still there.

"'S all right, Sugarcube. We moved him. He's in the loft."

"Oh, thank Celestia. You scared me to death," I rolled onto my legs, making a slow and stiff way towards the large double doors.

Rainbow, eager as always, pushed the door open a bit, "Hey, um, Twilight said it was urgent?" she phrased it like a question, trying to peak over my shoulder.

"Yes, well, I just think that--"

"Come on! Show us!" She leapt into the air, preparing to hop over me.

"NO!" I grabbed her tail with my magic and pulled it to the ground, the pony smashing into the wood floor.

"Um... I don't want to cause trouble... if this is a bad time, I could always--"

"It's fine Fluttershy. You go ahead, dear," i muttered through clenched teeth.

From inside, I heard the recognizable moan of Spike, who was just waking up, "Rarity?"

"Oh, just go in," I released Rainbow, giving up on all attempts to prepare her. I followed her inside, turning momentarily to grab Fluttershy's hoof and pull her inside. I closed the door behind me, ensuring that Fluttershy didn't just run away.

"Spike, sweetie!" I called

"Spike?" Rainbow looked at me like I had parasprites crawling out of my ears.

Fluttershy squeaked, running behind me as Spike lifted his head.

"Oh... my... Celestia..." I whispered.

Spike's head had grown to almost twice it's normal size, and his neck seemed to spiral up near the ceiling. All we could do was stare as he slid off the balcony, his now correctly proportioned wings slipping gently open to carry him down.

"What?" he asked, looking at us, who couldn't make a sound. he looked behind him, a short scream escaping him.

"Ah! What the BUCK?!" He spun around, desperately trying to get a look at himself. He actually hadn't grown much, but it was such a shocking difference that none of us could take it.

"Spike is ALIVE?!" Rainbow shrieked, her eyes going wide.

"Oh. Right. Well, yes," I said nonchalantly.

"But he was-- and I thought--" Rainbow made several panicked sounds, before getting herself under control and asking, "How?"

"Um-- well..." Twilight trailed off.

"Did you use your magic?" rainbow asked, "I thought it was impossible."

"I thought so, too! But-- well, Rarity-- and..." she trailed off again. Nopony seemed to be able to form complete sentences today.

"I brought him back. I brought him home and stitched him up, because nopony else seemed to care enough to try," I stated, glaring into the eyes of each of my friends in turn.

"Um, Rarity?" Fluttershy looked up at me from her place of submission on the barn floor, "Does that mean he's a... zombie?"

Spike jumped at the sound of the word, looking around nervously.

"Fluttershy, dear? Can we refrain from using the 'z' word around Spike, please?" I growled through clenched teeth.

"Oh. Yes, of course."

I sighed, "The truth is... " I leaned in close to my friends as Spike continued to inspect his wings, "I don't really know what he is."

"Well, there's one way to find out," Rainbow flew across the barn, hovering in front of Spike, "Hey, dragon: You hungry?"

~~~~~

"Okay: here's what we've got to do:" Rainbow had Spike sitting in Rarity's kitchen with a blindfold on.

"How come Rainbow's in charge?" Pinkie wondered.

"'Cause she's got a plan, Sugarcube," Applejack explained.

Rainbow grimaced, but continued, quieter, "We're gonna put two plates on the table: one full of gems, the other piled high with some cow meat. If he eats the gems first, we know we're safe. If he eats the meat first..."

"If he eats the meat first, we've got a zombie on our hooves," Applejack finished.

"Exactly. After that, I don't know what we do. Research is not my territory, so somepony else needs to handle that."

"So... where do we get cow meat?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know! What, do I have to think of everything? Go kill a cow, or something!" Rainbow threw her hooves up in exasperation.

Pinkie chuckled, "That was funny, Rainbow. What are we really going to do?"

Rainbow slapped her face with her hoof, "I was being serious."

"Well I think that it's absolutely disgusting. There must be a way around it," I said.

"I mean, we could just wait until he bites somepony else, and the zombie apocalypse begins. If that's what you want," Rainbow suggested. We were all silent, until she said, "Fine. I'll go catch a bucking fish or something."

This comment brought Fluttershy back from the verge of tears. I gave her one last stroke on her forelock before following Rainbow to the door, "Remember," I said, "Nopony can know about this. Ever."

~~~~~

"Here's your freaking fish," Rainbow complained, tossing several carcasses onto the small table near the door. They smelled of stale salt, and I made a small sound of disgust.

"Oh... could you at least take these somewhere besides the front room?" I asked.

Rainbow groaned, "Yeah. Fine. Just-- put Spike's blindfold on so I can dump these on the kitchen table," she picked up the fish again, standing impatiently near the door as I ran into the kitchen to fix the small bandanna around Spike's face.

"Bring them in, please," I called. Spike's nose wrinkled at first, then a small grin appeared on his face. I donated a few of my baby blue sapphires to the cause, setting them on the table as well.

"Okay, Spike," I murmured, "keep the blindfold on, but you can eat anything here you want, and as much of it as you want."

"Okay... Rarity?" Spike shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Is this a test?"

Before he had a chance to answer again, I galloped out of the room.

We watched from the door as Spike's fumbling claws felt around on the table. First, his nail tapped on the side of a gem, making the kind of sound two drinking glasses make when they hit eachother. His claw wrapped around the small gem, lifting it to his mouth. He crunched down on it, spitting it immediately back out onto the floor. He tossed the remaining piece down, reaching back across the table for another treat.

One sharp claw found the side of a fish, slicing it open and spilling some rather unappetizing things onto the table. His claw pulled away, but his nostrils twitched, and soon his snout was in the center of the mess, lapping at the organs on the table like a dog.

Fluttershy and Twilight looked nauseous, while Rainbow and Applejack seemed ready to pounce on him. Pinkie was off in her own world, while I just stared, wondering what this new horror would bring to our relationship.

What would happen to him now?

New Plan, Anypony?

"Uh... you know, I'd appreciate if you didn't treat me like a science experiment." This was the first sentence anypony had heard out of Spike in hours. He was laying patiently in front of the fireplace at Twilight's, staring thoughtfully into the crackling flame.

I went and laid by his side, rubbing his burned scales with my hoof comfortingly, "I'm sorry. I know how you must be feeling."

"No, you don't! Nopony does!" he stuck his snout under his front claws, which were now barely large enough to cover the entirety of it. He sobbed, but no tears came, just as there was no saliva in his mouth, and probably next to no blood in his veins.

I continued rubbing his side, but hissed to Rainbow, "Ix-nay the esting-tay!"

She looked aggravated, but nodded her consent.

"Spike, you can sleep at my house tonight, alright?"

He sniffed, and looked up at me, "Really?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I brought you into this mess, and I'll be the one to get you out. I swear," I told him, pecking him on the forehead.

"Thanks, Rarity."

"Yeah, well, this is all well and good, but Ah'm curious-- how are you gonna get him across town? He's more obvious than a bowling ball in a bag 'a diamonds," Applejack reminded us, using a trademark, southern-style simile.

I looked over at Twilight, "Well, somepony here must be able to lend a hoof in that."

She looked impassive. I gave her my sweetest smile.

"Ugh, fine! By the time I find that spell, it'll be morning, anyway..."

"Thanks, Twilight." I smiled

"I-I can help, Twilight," Fluttershy muttered, floating up toward the higher shelves.

"What're you going to do to me?" Spike asked, nervous.

"We're going to make you invisible," Twilight explained, "That way, you can walk through the streets without attracting unwanted attention."

"So... that'd be any attention, right?" Rainbow chuckled. Applejack punched her in her foreleg.

Twilight disregarded the comment, "Just be careful, because the spell won't last forever. You've got to be inside within five minutes of casting the spell, or it'll wear off."

"That's fine, the Boutique is only just down the street," I said, pulling Spike to his feet, "just find it, and we'll be on our way."

"Um... Twilight?" Fluttershy squeaked, "Is this what you were looking for?" she held out an old book, looking rather like every other spell book in the room. It was open to a page with a rather disturbing image: half of a pony, "I-it says 'invisibility spell' at the top."

Twilight pulled it out of Fluttershy's hooves with her magic, "That's it! Thanks, Fluttershy!" she placed the book on the floor before her, carefully reading the directions.

Twilight screwed her eyes shut, as she always did when she was concentrating on her magic. Slowly, her horn lit up with a magenta glow, as did Spike.

"Uh... I'm not so sure about this!" he said at the last moment. His tail was slowly consumed by the light, leaving not a trace in it's wake. It continued up towards his head, dissolving his neck, his ear fins, his eyes, and his snout.

He shrieked, and the wooden statue centerpiece flew across the room. Rainbow dodged it, pulling Applejack with her as it demolished a window.

"Sorry! Sorry!" there were several more thumping steps, and a bookshelf collapsed in on itself.

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Twilight yelled, "SPIKE! STOP MOVING!"

The noise ceased, "Sorry. I just-- I can't see myself! I don't know where my feet are until it's too late!"

Pinkie giggled, "That was kinda funny! It was like the room was going crazy!"

"You've walked out that same door a million times!" Applejack said, exasperated, "Just walk out the door and down the street. And don't make too much noise."

Spike made some sort of uneasy sound. His footsteps moved toward the door, and Pinkie jumped out the way. I followed the sound, which made it's way out of the small doorway and down the street.

It was near sunset now, so most of the ponies were inside. Of the few that still wandered, some of them seemed a little out of it, stumbling down the street in a somewhat distracted manner. Needless to say, they didn't pay us any attention. Or rather, me.

The Boutique was in sight. We had plenty of time. And then--

"Hey, Rarity!" a grey-blue pegasus floated in front of Spike, her yellow eyes focused on two separate points.

"Oh-- Ditzy. Hello," I groaned. There was no chance that Spike was getting around her without crushing her, not in this condition.

"It's Derpy. I wanna buy a dress!" She sound excited, and her entire body was rolling in slow circles as she attempted to hover in front of me.

"Uh... Now? Can't this wait until tomorrow, dear? I'm very busy right now." The mare was floating dangerously close to where Spike's snout was. Or, at least,where I thought it was. I really had no idea.

"Well, yeah, I guess it can wait. How about--n whoa..." She landed rather dangerously, staring at a point behind me. I turned to see the magenta glow of Twilight's magic, and the tip of a purple dragon tail. The spell was wearing off.

"So sorry! I have to be going!" I galloped down the street, looking behind me, watching as the small tail grew longer. Spike bounded after me, his claws thumping on the cobblestone street.

I threw open the door, ushering the dragon inside, then slamming it behind me. I pulled all the shutters closed, then peeked through the keyhole. Derpy was standing in the middle of the street, staring at my door. Eventually, she took off, spinning over the houses and out of sight.

I breathed a sigh of relief, turning to Spike. He was a little bigger than me now, and I had to look up to see the top of his head, "She's gone. You're safe."

"I feel sick," Spike managed to murmur, before he leaned out the window and threw up.

Except he threw up fire.

An Awkward Conversation

"I'm really worried," Spike whispered. It was very late, how late exactly I wasn't sure, but you couldn't see a foot in front of your snout.

I rolled over to face Spike, "About what?"

"I don't know-- everything, I guess. I don't feel like myself. There's this feeling in the pit of my stomach: like there's a snake in it or something. And I don't know what to do with my wings, and I can't get used to being so much bigger than I was," he sighed, "I'm just-- confused."

Deep inside, I realized that this was my fault. I was the one who had turned him into an disturbing freak-of-nature, I was the one who'd muddled his feelings to the point where he couldn't tell the difference between pain and bliss. I had turned him into a monster, and there was no kind way to reverse that.

"I know what you're thinking," Spike interrupted my thoughts, "And it isn't true. You weren't trying to do this, so it's not your fault. I don't blame you."

"I wish I could say that the feeling was mutual. I can't stop thinking about you."

Spike's eyes lit up, "I didn't mean it like that," I said, "Well... I mean... maybe I sort of did. But--"

I really couldn't tell you for sure what happened next, or who started it. I just know that for the next minute or two, the lips of a dragon were pressed against mine, and that I was happy about it. Very happy.

~~~~~

Unfortunately, that was the end of my happiness for the foreseeable future. I woke up to a bed empty except for me and a few blackened dragon scales. I jumped out of bed, getting myself tangled in the sheets and crashing to the floor. I heard the scrabbling steps of Spike, as he struggled to make it around a corner.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sound frazzled.

"I'm fine, dear," I waved a hoof in the air, afterwards using it to pull me off of the floor.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief, "Good. Um... I... I have something to tell you."

"Well, what is it?"

"I was cooking breakfast, and I went to get Sweetie Bell, and... she was gone.

Several quick images flashed through my mind, ones that would not be ladylike to speak of, which terrified me. Images a Sweetie Bell...

I shook my head and blinked hard, trying to clear my mind.

"What is it?" Spike asked.

"N-nothing. Just... nightmare. She probably snuck out earlier to go crusading," I went to the mirror, trying to fix my mane.

I pulled a lock in front of my face, catching a glimpse of something brown in it. I got a closer look at it, trying to figure out what it was.

I couldn't, so I got it out of my hair as fast as possible, then turned to Spike, "Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine."

I was about to walk past Spike and into the kitchen, preparing to join in on cooking breakfast, when I saw something on his cheek. It was the same color as what was in my hair; a dried-on, crusty, Celestia-knows-what.

"Spike, there's something on your face, dear. Wash it off before you keep cooking."

Spike went to the mirror, and started scraping away at the spot with his claw. His sniffed the residue, and jumped back, flying into the hoof-board.

He was muttering something under his breath, when he ran up to Sweetie's temporary room.

"Spike, what is it?" I called after him, following at a swift trot.

He flipped back the bed sheets, revealing huge blood stains. There matching ones dripping down the sides, all cleverly hidden by the sheet. He pushed the bed out of the way, which was covering another smattering of blood, this time full of pink and lavender hairs. They were cury, dried into the blood in small clumps.

I sobbed, "Oh... oh, Celestia..." I looked at Spike, who was horrified.

"What made you come up here?" I demanded.

"I.. I-I... I could smell her... in the blood... the blood on my face..." he mumbled, bending down to sniff the blood on the floor, "that's hers, too," he stood, looking at me solemnly, "I may be able to sniff her out, bring her back and see if there's anything we can do."

I looked at him, horror written all over my face. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened here. I think Spike simply didn't want to see it.

I took small steps backward, moving slowly towards the door, "N-no, that's fine, dear. Don't bother yourself with that."

"Aren't you worried?" he looked confused with my apathy.

"Of course, but she's my sister, I will handle it. Just-- stay inside."

I galloped down the stairs and out the door, nearly vomiting in a nearby shrub from shear terror.

Spike had killed Sweetie. That was certain. The question was, had she stayed dead?

Author's Note

Sorry for any Sweetie Bell-waifus out there (if they exist), but let's be fair. You knew this was coming.

Stripes

I pounded my hoof furiously on Twilight's door, looking nervously over my shoulder for the appearance of Sweetie or Spike. There are no words to describe all of the thoughts running through my head, thoughts which were passing at such alarming speeds that I could barely process them.

I was breathing hard, though there wasn't really a good reason for it.

Twilight appeared, looking rather bedraggled, "What is it now, Rarity? This is no longer my responsibility, I hope you know."

"It's about to be your responsibility! Now, let me in! You're the smartest, and I need your help," I babbled.

She sighed, opening the door just wide enough to let me through. I smiled sheepishly, walking past her into the library.

It had rained overnight, so the air smelled damp and dewy, with the distinctive scent of wet wood floating around the building. All of the damage done by Spike the day before had been set right, though she probably did it herself.

"Now, what do you want? Because, while I love Spike as much as you do, I'm just about done with this undead business."

"Well... he bit Sweetie Bell."

Twilight turned to me, with a look that said both 'Dear Celestia,' and 'Well, duh.'

"I don't know where she is, but there was blood on Spike's face and all over her bed..." I trailed off, the tears I had been holding down starting to spill onto my cheeks.

"I hate to say this, Rarity, but it's your own fault.," Twilight said, "You did something that was never meant to happen, and now you have to deal with the consequences."

I sobbed out, "But I don't know what to do!" Then collapsed to the wood floor.

"I can't handle this... I can't handle any of this..." I murmured.

Twilight, rather reluctantly, put her hoof around my shoulder, "I know," she soothed, "I know."

I sniffed, smearing the back of my hoof across my face.

"Hey..." Twilight perked up.

"What?"

"I know somepony who could help!" she stood, galloping to the door, "Are you coming?"

"Where?"

"the Everfree, of course."

~~~~~

"Why have you come, my little ponies? Why are your faces so very stony?" the zebra looked concerned, though her rhyming made her seem not quite so serious.

"Something's happened," Twilight said simply, "And we think you may be able to help."

The door opened a bit father, but Zecora said nothing. Since she tended to rhyme all of her words, she only spoke when truly necessary.

There wasn't much room in the hut, for most of it was filled with pots and potion ingredients. It was difficult to walk from one side to the other without touching some unknown substance, so I sat down directly inside the door.

Twilight followed slowly after Zecora, who wandered toward the back of the room. the zebra grabbed a teapot and poured a mug for each of us, steam rising from the wood cups. Twilight passed the cup across to me, and I took a small sip of the strong drink, trying not to make a face at it's bitterness. I cleared my throat and set the cup down politely, not giving it a second glance. Twilight, on the other hoof, took a gracious sip, gulping it down delightedly. She sighed happily, leaving me to explain.

"Um... well, I don't know where to start."

"Begin at the beginning, how else would you say anything?"

I chuckled weakly at the rhyme, "Um... yes. Well, I've done something... something undo-able, and I've since regretted it. I created something that's causing a lot of trouble--"

Twilight cleared her throat loudly, giving me a look that prompted me to tell the whole truth.

Taking a deep breath, I blurted, "I brought Spike back from the dead!"

All were silent for a moment, as the weight of what had been done truly hit the three of us. Until this moment, it hadn't really been real. It was more like a story, something that was happening to somepony else.

"I know how you feel, for I have felt like that before. Once a zebra did the same, and he was abhorred."

I'm sure it was written all over my face how uncomfortable this made me feel.

"You see, although our tribe practices magic, never before had it turned so tragic.

A zebra whose name I shall not mention caused quite a large amount of tension.

A loved one whom he sorely missed was brought back, though she did resist.

The moment she returned to land, more from us did she demand.

Before we knew it, she'd killed many, only to return a-plenty.

We had to leave and burn the town, so no others would be brought down."

It was nearly impossible to draw enough information out of Zecora to know what was truly going on, seeing as she could only speak using a limited vocabulary of obvious rhymes. However, she knew more about this than anypony else, and I would get it out of her.

"That was your solution? Burn down the town?" Twilight had nearly choked on her tea, "There must be a better way."

"And I'm working on it to this day," she shrugged a bit, "Just try to keep him close to home, please be sure he doesn't roam."

I sighed, getting up to leave.

"There's one more thing that you could do--" Zecora called after me.

"And what is that?"

"Strike him down-- and bury him, too."

It Begins

We weren't ready. It's as simple as that. There was no way to be prepared for what was coming.

Twilight sighed, sinking a little lower into her chair, "I didn't sign up for this," she murmured, "I never asked you to do what you did. And now look: we're knee deep in this mess."

I didn't say anything. She was right, after all. This was my bed, and now I had to lie in it.

"I'm done with this," Twilight said firmly, "I wash my hooves of this! This is your responsibility, you take care of this! I'm done!" she stood, ushering me out the door.

"But-- Twilight, I--"

"GO!" She shoved me over the threshold, glaring at me with cold eyes, "I'm not helping you. Spike was dead. And it should've stayed that way. You're hurting him and everypony else out of stupid selfishness." she started to back away from the door, "Don't come back until this is over. I don't want to talk about it anymore."

And the door clicked shut.

She must've been holding this in for the last two days.

I turned and walked slowly back towards the boutique, not wanting to deal with anypony else for the rest of the day. But, of course, I had the flesh-craving, full-grown dragon at home. Looked like that wasn't going to happen.

And then, as if I needed one more push towards the brink of insanity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie spotted me from down the street.

It was like watching two bumblebees fight over a single flower. They came galloping toward me, firing questions about Spike and Sweetie Bell.

Did I mention the streets were packed?

Keeping my head down, I trotted toward the boutique, then galloped. Soon, I was sprinting out of control down the street, being pursued by the two most hyper ponies in the town.

Maybe I wasn't really running from them, but I didn't want anypony to hear about this disaster.

I ran wildly toward the front door of the boutique, throwing it open, and waving in the other two ponies.

They flew through the door, skidding and turning in perfect unison, Rainbow Dash utilizing her wings to slow herself down.

"Are you two out of your bucking minds?" I asked, as quietly and calmly as possible.

Pinkie Pie gasped, loud and dramatic, "Rarity!" she yelled disapprovingly at the dirty word.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie. It's just-- nopony knows about this. I don't want too many to find out."

"B-but I told everypony! I told them all!" Pinkie stuttered, looking confused.

Rainbow put her hoof around her shoulders, "Pinkie?"

She looked at Rainbow, confused and upset, "Yeah?"

"Everypony thinks you're crazy."

"RAINBOW!" I looked at Rainbow Dash, mouth gaping, disgusted by her rudeness.

"What?" she asked, feigning innocence.

I sighed, flopping onto a nearby plush couch.

"It's okay," Pinkie said, "Rainbow's been really stressed out because of the zombie attack."

"He's not a zombie," I muttered exaggeratedly, "He's just... different. He's still the same Spike inside."

Rainbow seemed to catch a glimpse of something in the backyard, and galloped toward the door. She stood on her hind legs, resting her front hooves on the window sill in the kitchen.

There was quite a spectacle on the lawn. It was surrounded by a small white gate, and the was bare dirt beyond that. The hole I had dug for Spike when he was little was still there, though it was much too small for him now.

Beyond the gate was Spike, just as big as a full grown stallion, if not a little bigger. His wings were the only thing that could be described as normal, since they weren't around to be burned when he...

Anyway, the rest of his body was rather mangled, and he still walked rather oddly, like he was limping. This was probably because one of the front legs had been completely severed, and I'd had to gather the skin in a way that made it significantly shorter. The thread, by now, was completely covered by new skin grown over it. Some of the sloppier stitches were rather visible, since the skin had grown around it, but not over the wound it was meant to heal. In these cases, muscle, sinew, and even organs and bones were visible under the skin. Some of his scales were peeling and cracking, and almost all were blackened at the tips. The worst of the burns were lower on his legs, and the right half of his face took on a grey-ish appearance from this distance.

Spike seemed to stop, motioning for something to follow him. This being was out of our line of sight, and Rainbow tried to bolt out the back door.

I snatched her tail with my magic just before she could grab the handle, "No, wait!" I hissed, not wanting him to be scared away.

A small, grey figure lumbered out into our sight. It looked-- thin, like the skin was only hanging limply on tiny bones. It's back was lumpy, for the shape of the spine showed through the thin bit of skin over it. There was an oozing wound on it's side, bubbling and very fresh. Her mouth was extended up the side of her face, the skin torn and ragged as her jaw tried to drop off.
One of the only things left untouched was the blank white flank, and one lock of lavender hair.

I gasped, tears stinging my eyes, as Spike helped her onto his back. They continued past our window, wandering towards the Everfree.

I turned around, sliding down the wall with my hoof clamped over my mouth, "H-he got Sweetie... she's--" that was all I managed to say before I burst into tears. My sobs were uncontrollable, and I found my self choked by a tight feeling in my throat.

Pinkie put her hoof around my shoulders, not saying anything, just rubbing me gently.

Rainbow looked furious, not at anything in particular, just angry. A type of deep seated anger that really means something, "Okay, THAT'S IT!" she yelled, making her way to the front door.

"W-what..." I couldn't finish the question.

"This ends. Now."

Author's Note

There you are. An excellent description of Spikey-wikey, if I do say so myself.

The Coming Apocalypse

Pinkie pulled me to my hooves, "Are you okay?" she asked, much more sincerely and and softly than her normal voice.

I smeared my hoof across my face, attempting to wipe away the tears, "Mm-hm," I took a shaky breath, "Umm... I think we need to check on Rainbow. Whatever she's doing, it's probably reckless and unecessary."

"I don't know, Rarity," Pinkie mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you don't exactly have things under control here! He just bit your little sister, and Celestia knows who's next!" Pinkie ranted.

I sighed, "Well, maybe so, but we still don't need the whole town trying to relocate. We'll keep this secret for as long as possible," I explained.

"Okay, Rarity," Pinkie said, a warning tone creeping into her voice, though it had returned to it's normal volume, "But remember-- this is your problem. Don't expect everypony else to pick up the pieces for you."

I followed her out the door, as she seemed to catch a glimpse of Rainbow down the street. She bounced after her, cheerfulness never dampened.

I trotted after the pink mare, trying to keep up with her ridiculous hopping. Under normal circumstances, I would've gone straight to Twilight. However, she was pretty angry. I mean, I suppose I understand. Spike was like a brother to her, and I had acted as though he only mattered to me.

Maybe it was wrong to bring him back. Maybe it was rash for me to up and decide to do such a thing, especially alone and in secret. But I still think Twilight should've given me a little more... I don't know, credit? Thanks?

"RAINBOW, WAIT UP!" I was jostled out of my contemplation by Pinkie Pie, who shouted after the flash of Rainbow's flank.

I brought my pace up to a hurried canter, trying to keep the same speed as Pinkie.

I saw the silhouette of Rainbow skid to a stop and turn to face us. She then seemed to change her mind and continued down the road.

"She must be going to Applejack's! I don't know anypony else this far from the rest of the town."

"Oh, no," I murmured. I knew for a fact that Rainbow relied on Applejack for tomcolt-related things. That could only mean one thing-- Rainbow was trying to build an army.

I was all-out galloping now, my mane blowing behind me like silky purple wave. Pinkie's, no matter how fast she was moving, barely ever came out of it's original shape.

I saw Rainbow take off, gliding down the last stretch of paved road to Applejack's barn. She landed just past the fence, Pinkie and I leaping over it in quick succession.

"Fine!" Rainbow stopped, "You got me! Rarity, you're not taking control. This is an all-out disaster! All of Ponyville is in danger, and you just wanna ignore it? Well I've had enough!" Rainbow, going much down the same path as Twilight, trotted off toward the barn, calling for Applejack.

I turned and stared to walk away.

"Huh? That's it? Aren't you gonna tell her how you can fix this with your love?"

I was about to scream at her, tell her that it was done, that Spike would be dead by morning, when something clicked, "Wait a minute..." my eyes lit up.

"What?"

"Pinkie, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Yes! How did I bring Spike back in the first place? I mean, just sewing him back up is ridiculous, he needed life. And how, may I ask, did he get that life?"

"Ummm...." Pinkie looked confused, "Wha?"

"No, no, listen: what if the power of love had the same power that friendship had?"

Pinkie said nothing, and just stared at me, her mouth gaping.

"Well, look how many things we've done with friendship! We saved Equestria innumerable times, we've healed old feuds, we've brought an entire kingdom back from the dead! So who says I couldn't do the same to one little dragon?"

"I think that there's the problem," I whirled about to see Applejack and rainbow standing right behind me.

"How long have you been--"

"You only gave Spike enough love for the little dragon. Now he's a big one, and he's runnin' outta love. As soon as he got all big and scary, ya gave him less love. Then, last night, for whatever reason, he got a little extra love. And that's when he attacked yer sis. 'Cause the instincts took over, and now he's somethin' he wasn't ever s'posed to be."

"Do you really think that's true?" I murmured, after a few minutes of contemplation.

"Ah know it's true. 'Cause yer right. I was readin' up on it, and I found a book on Hearts 'n' Hooves day. It said that love had brought back a lover--"

"That's right! the legend!" I remembered when I had looked up the story with Twilight, "But... Well, Applejack, it's just a story."

"Yeah, well try tellin' that to my Granny Smith. She has a journal from her great-great-great uncle. He was one of the guards at the tomb the stallion was buried in. She knows it's true. So why can't you get it through yer thick skull that this is real! It's happening now! It's your fault, and that makes it yer responsibility!"

"I AM SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYPONY TELLING ME THAT THIS IS MY FAULT!" I shrieked, loud enough for the whole town to hear. Even Pinkie covered her ears, "All I want you to do is to help me. Because I need you all if I'm going to make it through this."

Gather the Ranks, We're Going In

"What exactly is it you plan on doing, Miss high-and-mighty?" Rainbow asked with her typical skepticism.

"I'm going to love him," I said, though it came out sounding considerably less sincere than it sounded in my head.

Rainbow forced a laugh," Oh, yeah? I guess you're gonna love Sweetie Bell back, too! And, uh, while you're at it, there's a graveyard not to far from here. Maybe you could--"

"Rainbow Dash," I began, getting right up in her face, "For once in you're life, shut you're bucking trap. I'm getting to the point where your words don't even compute for me anymore."

Rainbow was quiet for the next few minutes.

"Um, Rarity?" Fluttershy had been brought over by Pinkie Pie, though she hadn't said much of anything until now.

"Yes dear?" I turned to her, since she was the only pony here who wasn't on my last nerve.

"Um, I was just wondering, what are you going to do when he's better?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. This was supposed to fix all of our problems. Why did she think there were going to be more?

"Well, it's just, you'd still have to keep him inside. I mean, you can't just tell everypony that you brought him back from the dead, right?"

"That's right," Applejack chimed in, "You'd be chased outta town."

I growled a bit, still gathering my materials for the trek to the Everfree.

"Um, Rarity? C-could you try not to growl like that?"

"Sorry, dear."

Rainbow was pouting in the corner, saying absolutely nothing. Her hoof kicked at the ground, before she jumped up and looked me right in the eyes, "It's not gonna work. So I'm gonna do the smart thing and kill him."

"Yeah, 'cause that stopped 'er last time," Applejack reminded us, pulling her hat down over her eyes.

Rainbow ignored her, flying through the front door in a heated fervor. She wasn't coming back, and she was much past changing her mind. If I didn't save Spike before she found him, he would die.

~~~~~

I thumped my hoof relentlessly against the wood door, waiting for the zebra to appear.

"Do come in, it isn't locked. The door has now been thoroughly knocked."

I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm, even in rhyme it bothered me. I knew it wasn't exactly a polite thing to do, and under other circumstances I would have been more tolerant, but I was done with politeness. Now was a time for action, not decorum.

"Alright, enough rhymes. You need to be straight with me: is there a way to reverse what has been done to Spike? Humanely?"

Zecora sighed, thinking carefully about what she should tell me.

"There is a cure, isn't there? You're hiding it from me!" I looked her right in the eye, daring her to keep it a secret.

"You're not going to like it," She said simply, avoiding rhymes for once.

"Tell me, or I swear--"

"You'll have to die," she cut me off.

I was confused, "What?"

"The only cure is drinking the blood of the necromancer, and he's not going to stop after a few drops."

"I-I am not a necromancer."

"Actually," The zebra went back to mixing things in her cauldron, " a necromancer is defined as a being with powers capable of raising the dead. So you are."

"There has to be another way."

"I think it's rather fitting," Zecora muttered, tipping a vial of red powder into her pot.

"I'm sorry?" I hissed.

"You heard me! What you've done is wrong, in every way! Don't you think we all miss our loved ones? Don't you think that some of us wish we could have them back? Loving, living, and losing are all just part of life, you stupid mare! They may be dead outside, but they live on in your heart! I would think that you of all ponies would know that. You with your generosity and your power of friendship, you have no idea what the real world is like. You think you have all of this power, you think you're invincible just because a necklace tells you so. Well, guess what? The real world is cold. It's cold, and evil, and unforgiving and you will never understand that!"

I stuttered half a word, but she pointed her hoof at the door, "Leave. I'm not going to talk with you anymore. You deserve to lose him."

I stood for a moment, not sure of what to say. Then, deciding to leave Zecora alone, I turned on my hoof and marched out of the front door, slamming it loudly behind me.

Plus, I knew that Rainbow would be out here somewhere at this point. She was spiting me, for she knew that I wouldn't be able to beat her in a fight.

I stood near the door to Zecora's a moment, wondering where I could go that wouldn't be populated by ponies who wanted my head on a platter. The town? No good, I might pass Rainbow on the way, and she'd pulverize me without a second thought. Deeper into the woods? Perhaps, but I had seen Spike skirting near the edge. He was terrified of this place, and it's doubtful he'd go much farther than the hut behind me.

I was mulling over heading the back way to Sweet Apple Acres when I heard a sound in the bushes behind me. I spun around, scanning them fearfully for anything that could be dangerous. My breathing intensified, and I started to back away slowly from the source of the noise.

Two eyes stared out from the bushes, dappled by light that shone between the leaves. I sucked in a breath as I realized whom the eyes belonged to: Spike. They had an eerie look to them-- not really focused on any of their surroundings, but oddly fixated on the window of the hut. They looked unreal, like glass eyes that had no life to them. They didn't blink.

I could see the form of the dragon curling up in the bushes, winding up like a cat about to spring. At the last moment, just as I was realizing what he was about to do, I shrieked his name. His body sailed through the circular hole, the rest of the horror being played out in shadows on the far wall of the hut.

I saw a claw raise in the air, slashing through the flesh of the zebra, who didn't stop screaming until the life was taken from her. He clawed at her over and over, striped skin and gold jewelry flying in all directions. After the moans of death had finally left the mouth of the deceased animal, I saw the silhouette of Spike's jaw opening wide, then a squish as his fangs dove into her neck.

There was nothing I could do. So I ran. I ran faster than anypony had ever run, trying to escape the all-encompassing nightmare of my own creation. I galloped blindly through the woods, reaching town with barely a wisp of air left in my lungs. Panting hard, I scanned the street for other ponies. Seeing none, I galloped toward the boutique, seeing another hoof-made horror before I was even halfway there.

Sweetie Bell, looking grey and almost unrecognizable, lumbered down the street, followed by a three-legged Scootaloo and a nearly headless Applebloom. I screamed at the sight of the newly-made undead, still fresh and bloody from their turning. I scrabbled madly on the cobblestone road, finally managing to turn and head the other way.

Sugarcube Corner shown like a beacon just down the street, and I ran for my life, images of me being ripped apart by my younger sister driving me. I practically threw myself through the door, starting immediately to push heavy items against it.

"Hey-- Rarity? Is that you?" I turned to the surprised voice, seeing Pinkie Pie standing halfway down the stairs, "Gosh, Rarity. You look awful."

Still panting, I left the door and went to the display case at the desk. My once beautiful mane hung in stringy mats which circled my face. My cheeks and forehead were covered in patches of brown dirt and peppered with cuts and bruises. In fact, my whole body was rather beat-up, making me look less like a fasionista and more like a war criminal.

"Pinkie?" I said after finally catching my breath, "I need you to get the word out-- everypony needs to stay indoors. There is a clear and present danger to the whole town, and the more that have been infected, the harder it will be to stop them."

But that last sentence was the end of my composure. I watched helplessly as the reflection in the glass showed large tears cutting tracks through the dirt on my face. Pinkie ran to me, sitting me down on a small bench, "She got them, Pinkie!" I cried, "Sweetie got Scootaloo and Applebloom! And Zecora got bit, too... I was right there, I saw the whole thing happen... I should've been able to stop them, but I just-- I froze!"

Pinkie moved my head into her lap, and I cried uselessly, with no end in sight.

Pinkie gently stroked my tangled hair, whispering calming things to me as I sobbed endlessly.

Outside was only the sound of death, as our entire world crumbled beneath our hooves.

Frontal Assult

Only three. There were only three loose in the town, but they multiplied exponentially, the disease spreading like wildfire through a dry forest.

I only knew this because of the screams of terror and the anguished moans, not because I dared to look out of the window. Pinkie was still trying to comfort me, as I lay in her lap sobbing from sheer terror, and a deep anger at myself.

What was I thinking? There wasn't any good way to end this now, I'd let it get out of control. I mean why did I care about some stupid dragon when he was killing all of my friends and family?

Because I love him, whispered a small part of my brain. And it was true, I just didn't need to be reminded of it right now. Ever since that day he had first come to Ponyville, side by side with a non-social unicorn Twilight, there had been this sort of... stir deep inside me. Right in the middle of my chest, whenever I saw him, it was like getting punched. It took me a long time to realize that this is what love felt like, not a fluttering crush like I had on Blueblood, not an obsession like with Tom, but it hurt. A kind of a good hurt, though.

Every time I saw that little face, smiling up at me in awe, filled with wishes of a love he never thought possible, my heart swelled. That was what the pain was, my heart growing to accept all of the feelings it needed to. It's a shame I couldn't fully recognize the feeling until it was too late...

I was jostled from my reminiscence by a hoof pounding on the front door. I perked up, since it sounded more like a desperate, living pony than it did a hungry, dead pony.

Still smearing tears away from under my eyes, I ran to the door. Pinkie followed behindme, pressing her ear against the door.

"Who is it?" she called through the door.

"Twilight! Let me in, she's gaining!"

Pinkie helped me pull the block out of the way, the she opened the door, practically snapping the unicorn's tail in the door. We caught a glimpse of what was chasing her: a rotting corpse that resembled Ms. Cherilee.

Twilight fell against the back wall, breathing hard. Then she saw me, her eyes instantly narrowing.

"Ah, there she is. The little pony who started this disaster," she grumbled, "You know, all of our friends outside the three of us and Rainbow Dash are dead."

"F-fluttershy and Applejack are..." I stuttered, not even able to finish the thought.

"Yeah, they're dead! But not just dead, they're wandering around killing everypony else! And why? Because you," she tapped me on the nose with her hoof, "decided that the laws of nature are more like guidelines than hard-and-fast rules."

I sniffled, imagining Fluttershy missing a wing, and Applejack missing an eye. I gagged, my last meal threatening to come back up. I was just about to pass out, but Pinkie caught me, shaking me awake.

"I wanted to tell Celestia," Twilight hissed at me, "but you kept precious Spike too close for me to send a bucking letter. So now, unless you've got some kind of trick hidden in the mats of your disgusting mane, we're doomed," she sat down, a silent tear slipping across her cheek.

Pinkie was less subtle about her mourning, she collapsed into a sobbing mess. The only thing that saved me from spiraling into despair was the shock of it all. No wonder there was barely any information on the subject. All the stories were much too tragic. The whole of Ponyville was taken down in less than three days! How long would it take to spread through Canterlot? Equestria? The entire world? A week, maybe?

Twilight was turning toward the kitchen, looking for a place to lie down

"Twilight! What are you doing?" I asked her, as she let her body down on a flour sack, closing her eyes.

"I'm giving up," she told me, "There's nothing we can do. They'll find us eventually."

"There's always hope."

"Yeah, you would think that, wouldn't you?"

I was quiet, the only sound in the room was Pinkie's sobbing.

"Wait..."

Twilight lifted her head, looking at me in vague boredom.

"There's always a way! And do you know where the most hope there is?" I was getting excited.

Twilight sighed, "Where?"

"In places of creativity! Where did I bring Spike back in the first place?"

"Your dress shop?"

"Yes! And look where we are now! Sugarcube Corner! We've got an arsenal in disguise here!" I ran into the kitchen, followed by a sniffling Pinkie Pie and a grumbling Twilight.

I began wildly pulling things off the shelves, tossing away items that couldn't be used. There were several bags of baking soda, seeing as this was a necessary ingredient for most things cooked here, and a glass bottle of vinegar.

"Pinkie? Didn't you tell me once that Mr. and Mrs. Cake have a wine cellar?" I asked the pink whimpering pony.

"W-well, yeah, but they said it was only for special occasions," she muttered.

"Pinkie," I put my hoof on her shoulder, "We're about to be killed by a hoard of the undead, dear. If there was ever an occasion as special as this, we'd have known. Where's the cellar?"

Pinkie walked to the basement door, opening it with a creak. She disappeared into the darkness, returning with three large bottles of wine. She set them on the table gently, as though she was holding a baby.

"Thank you. Twilight, be a dear and dump them out into the sink."

Pinkie seemed dismayed at the image of Twilight pouring the wine down the drain, but she shrugged it off and asked, "What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to create an explosive reaction inside that bottle," I gestured at the bottle on the table, "then point it at the zombie's head and hit it in the face."

"Well, that'll delay three zombies," Twilight said with sarcastic joy.

"You know what, Twilight? Whatever happened to 'I will never abandon my friends,' hm? Or was that just talk? Now that Spike's a threat, you don't have a problem abandoning him, do you?"

Twilight was silent for a moment.

"Well, she's right. We're never going to get by with three shots," Pinkie reminded me.

"I know some other things that could help," Twilight told me, "Orange peels are flammable, as log as they're still a bit wet. Dry one's won't work as well."

Pinkie grabbed a few from the top of a compost bin, "Here!" she yelled, tossing it Twilight.

"There's oil in the skin. If you flex it a bit, it comes to the surface and you can light it."

"What else?" I asked, rummaging through the shelves desperately.

"Uh..." Twilight racked her brain, "Flour! Flour is flammable! You put it in a glass jar, then stick a rag in the top. Light the rag, then toss it like a grenade. The glass shatters, the flour ignites, and you've got a wall of flame."

"Fantastic! Make some of those, Pinkie!" I was about to run to the window to check the ETA for the zombies, but I turned to Twilight, "How exactly do you know all of this?"

"Eleventh grade chemistry. HURRY UP!" She shooed me to the front room, dumping the contents of random glass jars out of an open window.

Out of the front window, I could see a slowly ambling hoard of zombies. They were on their way, but they moved at less than half of a normal walking pace. We had a while to prepare.

"THEY'RE PRETTY FAR DOWN THE STREET!" I called to the other two, galloping back to the kitchen, "We've got, at the most, an hour before they get here. Make as much as you can!"

Suddenly, the room was a flurry of fast-moving hooves and glowing horns. I ran up and down the stairs countless times, fetching bottle after bottle of wine. Twilight and Pinkie were delving int the kitchen cabinets, searching for glass jars.

"Rarity! We're outta flour! Now what?" Pinkie panicked.

"Scrape some shellac off of the floor with a knife! It's just as flammable as flour," Twilight told her.

We were running out of space on the counters, and were moving to the floor for more space. We could now hear the mob just a few houses away: they were moaning, some even whining in agony. Hoofsteps shuffled along the cobblestone road, but none of us dared look outside.

After I had emptied the cellar of wine bottles, pouring their contents down the sink, I moved to the orange peels. I used my magic to flex them, hearing pops and squishes as the cell walls broke, oil dripping from the pores. After I had used up oranges, I moved to other citruses, soon stealing fresh ones from the fridge to peel, putting the whole goopy mess in an enormous pile. Under normal circumstances this would have disgusted me, but right now it was a lot more inviting than the alternative.

Without warning, there was a loud thump at the front door. It was heavy enough to be an entire body throwing itself against the door. The only thing that saved us was the shelf wedged under the handle.

"Ready?" I asked, lifting one of the peels.

"Ready," the other two confirmed in unison, hoisting their own weapons.

We waited silently, hearing the incessant thumps against the door, waiting for the moment when it would splinter.

"Rarity?" Twilight mumbled, addressing me but still keeping her eyes fixed on the door.

"Yes?" I replied, already breathing hard.

She didn't answer me right away, as though she was rethinking it. We heard the door crack, and saw a large fissure run down the center.

"I'm sorry."

The door split, and it was like the world went into slow motion. We screamed in fear and determination, but held our ground, launching flaming items at our enemies. Pinkie tossed wildly, her front leg spinning around like a windmill blade. Twilight, with her superb magic, corked and uncorked bottles faster than I thought was possible, the caps rocketing into the faces of the zombies, and, in a few cases, knocking out eyes or teeth. I held a candle on one side, with my pile of citrus peels sitting on the other. I snatched peels one at a time, lighting them with the candle before tossing them at the faces of the undead. The best part was that, since they were flat, they seemed to always stick to the faces they hit, burning for a generous amount of time before they slid onto the floor.

We saw many ponies we knew and loved, in another life. Here, however, they were only the enemy. I launched an orange peel which stuck to Sweetie Bell's horn, catching her mane on fire and melting part of her face. Pinkie splattered us all with the blood of Roseluck, as well as Matilda and her husband. Twilight sobbed as she hit her fillyhood friend, Lyra, in the eye with a cork, exploding it and showering us with unidentifiable white goo.

We were doing well, for three against the town, but it was short-lived. Twilight ran out of ammo. She turned to grab something, anything to throw, when Thunderlane caught her from behind. She shrieked, trying to escape, but he bit down on her neck. She screamed louder, but the pegasus stallion wasn't done. He took several large chunks from her flesh, tossing them across the room. One hit the back of my neck, dripping down my spine, then running down the back of my leg. I gagged, losing my focus and dropping a lemon peel on the wood floor. It only took a few seconds for it to catch, and it did so with a loud pop.

I leapt backwards, as did Pinkie, and we dashed for the back door. There was a small group of stragglers waiting by the back walk, and they perked up at the sight of fresh meat.

We ran. We ran blindly, galloping for the Everfree forest. At least the Everfree had places to hide. Maybe it was safer there.

Dear Celestia, I've never been so wrong in my life.

Author's Note

All of the reaction science in this chapter is 100% accurate. Come at me, bro. I did research.

Cure

Thin branches smacked my face, some leaving small cuts in my skin. Pinkie was beside me, running as fast as she could, eyes screwed shut. The ground, in small clumps, was littered with mashed organs and skin, as well as the ground squishing under my hooves. They came away stained dark red.

The only sounds were the beating hooves, the swishing branches, and our own panting breaths. We must have run a mile or two when the cold air started to freeze my teeth, followed by what felt like it sinking down to the bottom of my lungs. I choked, losing my balance and falling into a pile of bloody things near a tree. They squirted everywhere, smattering my right half and Pinkie's hooves with stomach acid and blood. She backpedaled, but I just stood up, ignoring it.

"I doesn't matter. We need to keep going," I was about to start running again, but my knees buckled and I fell forward.

"I don't think you can last any longer, Rare!" Pinkie told me, helping me to my hooves, "We need to take a rest."

I fell back to the ground as soon as Pinkie removed her grasp. The wind left my lungs, as my reflexes hadn't been fast enough to stop my fall. I struggled to take another breath, Pinkie moving me into denser shade. I managed to take a shaky, halting breath, which sent a wave of pain through my body. I sobbed once, which only hurt me more.

"I think your rib's broken!" Pinkie told me, starting to get genuinely nervous. She shook a bit, looking at my side as if she could tell just from the top layer of skin.

My horn fizzled to life, sputtering a bit like an old motor. Eventually, the blue glow was constant, though the sound wavered. I focused hard through the pain, and watched as the same glow lit me from the inside of my chest. I clenched my teeth as I maneuvered the bone fragments into place, speeding the healing progress and mending the wound.

"Th-there. See? No p-problem," I murmured, still stunned from the pain.

Pinkie, for once, was utterly speechless. She opened her mouth to speak, but the voice I heard did not belong to her.

"Oh, Celestia. This is just bucking perfect," a voice complained from beyond the bushes. It was muffled, but still recognizable.

"Rainbow! Don't be a coward, get out here!" I called, standing on shaky legs.

"Oh, fine. The last thing I need is to be called a coward by the biggest coward in all of Equestria."

I braced myself, preparing for an attack. There was more rustling in the bushes, and Rainbow Dash emerged, hovering slightly over the ground. She was wearing an outfit similar to that the Cutie Mark Crusaders had thrown together: trash can lids, rope, and her prop helmet from the Hearth's Warming Eve Pageant. A large blade was strapped to the helmet, it might have been a kitchen knife with the handle removed. Regardless, it didn't look very stable, and it looked like a hard enough blow would knock it clean off.

I backed up slowly, looking around for something to hit her with, "What do you want, Rainbow?"

"You know what I want: to put everything back the way it should be." My eyes landed on a large branch. Rainbow wasn't really paying attention to me, she was too busy talking, "Something needs to be done about this. You've really screwed up this time, Rares. I know you've done some crazy things in the past..."

I continued backing up, very slowly, waiting until the branch was to my right. Pinkie could see what I was trying to do, and she started side-stepping into Rainbow's line of sight.

"...You just don't get it, do you? This is for the good of the entire town, when what you did only benefited yourself."

"I've got something to tell you," I caught Rainbow's attention with this phrase.

"What?" She looked curious.

"The whole town's dead," her face fell, as I grabbed the branch with my magic and hit her over the head.

Wood clanged on metal as I started to gallop, going anywhere as long as it was away from her. Pinkie was close on my tail, and I heard I frustrated growl as Rainbow scrambled to her hooves. Soon enough, a third set of pounding hooves joined the chase. I knew Rainbow was fast, but it seemed that the armor slowed her on the ground, and harried her in the air. If I could just find a place to hide...

I grabbed Pinkie's hoof and pulled into the bushes. She landed on top of me, knocking all of the air out of my lungs for a second time. Rainbow's shadow fell over us, as she wandered a bit to find us. Pinkie took a deep breath, but I was losing consciousness from lack of oxygen. I pushed Pinkie off me, taking a deep breath. Faster than I thought possible, Rainbow's face was right in mine. She was grinning maliciously as she took hold of my back hoof and dragged me back into the light. I kicked her in the chest and she let go.

"Pinkie! Run!" I shouted, rolling back over and ducking around Rainbow's unusually slow punches. I dove under her, her swiftness diminished by the weight of her 'armor,' and continued to gallop down the small dirt path.

"Why can't you just accept it?! SPIKE IS DEAD!" Rainbow screamed.

I turned to face her, since wasn't running, "Because I haven't lost hope that he can live again."

"Yeah?" Rainbow scoffed, on the verge of laughter, "And how exactly do you think that's going to work out? You can't love him back to life, I know that."

"I already did once," I said.

"Yeah, about halfway. Now he's about four times bigger, not to mention dangerous and apparently backed by an army of zombies."

"Dangerous on the outside, maybe. But on the inside, he's the same."

Rainbow sighed, "Jeez, don't pull that crap again. He's a monster. He's killed hundreds by now, and I can't believe you want to help him!"

"He still knows who he was, he just needs help realizing who he is now. I have faith in him. He isn't a complete loss. There are still things we can do to help him."

"Maybe there are. But I'm not willing to take it there."

As if on cue, a guttural growl rang through the trees, seeming as though it was on all sides. We ran together, our old friendship still meaning something, I suppose. We stood rump-to-rump, looking at the bushes for any sign of the being who had made the sound. It had to be big, bigger than a pony, but not by much.

Rainbow did a double take, moving back several steps and nearly shoving me off the path. I whirled about, seeing two glowing purple eyes in the bushes.The pupils were no more than pin-pricks, and the eyes really did seem to be giving off light.

As we watched, the eyes rose, horns and fins appearing above the bushes. An enormous neck slithered up, and Spike's mouth dropped open, his snake-like tongue lolling out of the unnaturally wide grin. Deep in histhroat I saw another glow. This one was orange, and it was rising...

We couldn't even scream. We just turned, running all-out toward a small patch of sunlight ahead. Rainbow was throwing off armor, trying to slow Spike down, but the dragon had caught sight of his next meal. And a hungry dragon isn't about to let a meal slip away.

There was a metallic clang as the lid Rainbow had been wearing on her chest hit Spike in the face. He stopped but a moment to rip it away, then continued after us. On either side of us, dead family and friends were lurching out, making wild grabs and snaps at us in slow motion. None of them made any noise, which was the scariest part in my opinion. There was no sound, just the beating of hooves on hard-packed earth.

The small patch of light grew, changing from dappled sunlight to a clearing as we grew closer. What appeared to be tiny in perspective was, in reality, huge.

And an army, an army unable to die, was waiting there for us.

We skittered to a hasty halt, the wood behind us burning bright from Spike's fire. The undead seemed hesitant before this light. And that gave me an idea

"Fire!" I shouted, "They don't like fire! If the corpses burn, there's nothing left to attack."

"Yeah, that might work, or it could turn an angry undead horde into an angry undead horde on fire."

"Maybe, but it's all we've got," I said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Fine. I've got my target," She snatched a branch near the edge of the flame in her mouth, only the very tip on fire, and lunged at Spike.

I jumped at her, tackling her sideways into three or four other ponies. There was no chance she was going to end Spike before I'd had a chance to save him.

Rainbow, using all four legs, launched me away from her. I hit a tree, my mane catching fire briefly. i rolled over the damp grass, and it extinguished, though my hair was ruined.

And, somehow, that just didn't matter to me anymore. On any level.

Rainbow was up again, looking for another suitable branch. Well, you weren't going to see me wasting time. Not today of all days. I went to work, beating down my old friends left and right, ponies falling by my side. Celestia knows where Pinkie went, she was just... gone.

And then I saw them. Applejack, missing her bottom jaw and a good bit of her back. Fluttershy, both ears gone as well as part of the skin on her head, exposing grey, pulsing brain matter. Pinkie Pie, without the last joint on her front leg, and large swaths of skin torn away, so that nearly every movement she made caused the movement of muscles now visible.

Lastly, Twilight. Bones stuck out of her wings, skin flaking away from the wounds. Her togue flopped uselessly out of a broken jaw, and the skin on the right half her face was complelety torn away. The eye socket on that side was also empty. Her chest cavity was sliced open, some brown organ sliding out, and slapping against her leg when she walked.

I balked at the sight of my friends, my best friends, no matter what they had said to me.

Then there was fire. Rainbow lashed at them, hacking them to pieces with a branch, sharp and burning. She sobbed. Huge, heaving sobs that roared over all other sounds. She cut and sliced and lunged, until there was nothing left that could be identified as pony.

I was too shocked to cry. It was like I'd dried up, too many tears in too short a time, and now I couldn't cry even if I wanted to. So I just watched.

Now... now there nothing left. If I couldn't get Spike or Rainbow out of this, there would be absolutely nothing left to live for. Of course, if Spike did survive this, it would mean that I would be dead.

And finally, after so many times hearing it and thinking it, the idea hit me. I was never, ever, going to be with Spike again.

And I never even told him how much I loved him. All the silly things about him, the way he practically floated after me through the town. The way he would make silly or obvious excuses to spend time with me. The way his snout wrinkled when he laughed. His Dragon Code of honor and nobility. His confidence, even though he wasn't truly accepted by ponykind or dragonkind. He was still happy with himself.

That was something I never was. I was never happy with myself. There was always one more thing, I could always be a little bit prettier, or a little more elegant. And that was my fatal flaw. That I was never really satisfied.

Something inside me snapped. I just-- I was done with having to suffer through this. This was going to end.

Now.

I leapt at Rainbow, hooves flying as I screamed, "I COULD HAVE SAVED THEM! DON'T YOU BUCKING GET IT?! I COULD HAVE SAVED THEM!"

I punched Rainbow again and again. I was sitting on her chest, clamping her front legs down, so she could barely even breathe. Hit after hit flew at her face, blood steaming from her nostrils and mouth as she choked and gagged, begging for me to stop. But I was relentless. She'd killed them, really killed them, and there was no way I could save them now. Eventually Rainbow stopped making noise. And, after a few more swings, the light in her eyes had all but disappeared.

And that was that. My last friend, the last of the elements besides me, was dead. And I'd killed her.

I stood, slowly, numb to the feeling of blood on my hooves. I pushed through the crowd, killing as many as I could, with a single goal in mind. I had to get to Spike. Nopony was going to stand in my way. I stood before him, his form and face all but unknown to me.

"Spike!" I called. Deep in his eyes, I saw a glimmer of recognition. He turned to look at me, not at all trying to attack, "Now, if I'm going to allow you to take my lifeblood, you're going to listen to what I've got to say," he blinked, though his eyelids weren't entirely there, "You are amazing. And impossible. You shouldn't exist, you shoudn't be standing here, alive, but here you are. And why? Because of me," I sighed, turning my head to the ground. The hoard was being cut off by the flame. There were only three on the far side of the clearing, and they were missing back halves. I had time, "It's because of me. Did I know this would happen? No... no, but even if I did know, I would have done it anyway. And the reason is so... so complicated. It's so hard to say, though the words are so short and so small. But they are what I believe to be the three most powerful words in the universe. Do you want to know what they are? Of course you do. I'll tell. Because I know, deep inside this monster, my Spike is there. And he listens to my every word. He always listened. And if this is going to be my last sentence, then somepony had better hear it. So, here goes:"

I went up to the dragon; the huge, hulking disgusting brute before me. I put my front hooves on his chest, and I craned my neck up to reach his face.

"I love you," I whispered, and I kissed him. He stood still for a minute, then he pulled away, waiting for me to open my mouth to shove his snout inside. He bit down on my tongue, blood gushing freely. I wanted to tell him again, to tell him one thousand times, but I didn't get the chance.

The last thing I saw was the unfamiliar eyes turning back. And the horror that filled them when he saw me.

Then, I died.

What'll I Tell Them?

"You're fine, Spike!" I celebrated, giving the dragon one final squeeze before setting him down, "You're just fine! I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"Through... what?" Spike's voice droned, with an odd space between the words.

I, thinking quick on my hooves, made up a clever lie, "Um... your, uh... Surgery! Yes, that's it, surgery!"

"That's not... true..." Spike mumbled, "I was... cold. And alone. And something... grabbed me. It was clammy and slimy and it was inside me!"

Spike's claw wiped away a generous few tears that spilled onto his scales, "I think that I was... dead."

The word hit me hard in the chest, and my breath caught in my throat and choked me. My soul seemed to drop through the floor as I stared into the face of my dear Spike, who knew I was lying through my pearly white teeth. He only stared back, a look behind his eyes that looked a little like sorrow, and a little bit like hate.

Now it was my turn to burst into tears, as it hit me that what I had done was completely ridiculous, and maybe not all in a good way. I fell to the floor in front of the little dragon, burying my snout in my forelock, thinking about what I would tell the others. Was Spike truly back from the dead, or was he only a--

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS: ZOMBIE SLAYERS!" I heard the little girls' voices from outside, and galloped to the front door of the boutique. The fillies were decked out in pots, pans, and trashcan lids, all roped together with clashing leather belts and twine.

"How do they do that so fast?" I whispered to myself, but soon filed the thought away to be pondered later.

In the meantime, I dashed back to the back door, scooped up the tiny dragon with my magic, and tucked him under the kitchen table.

The CMC, toting used paper towel tubes as swords of some kind, scampered into the room, hooves sliding on the tile floor. They looked a bit perturbed, but proceeded to search the room for any sign of the dragon.

I cleared my throat, "Yes, girls?" I asked as calmly as she could, while moving to a place blocking the table.

"Don't pretend nothing happened!" Sweetie ran up to me and gave me the stink eye, "I saw you resurrect Spike in the backyard! You made me help!"

I was completely silent for a moment, preparing to explode in my younger sister's face. I counted to ten, slowly, in my head, then leaned down and whispered, "Can I talk to you alone, Sweetie?"

She looked hesitant, but followed with quick steps after me into the next room. I shut the door with my magic, then fell on the floor at my sister's hooves, "Sweetie Belle, please! I don't want anypony to know about this! And, although it shames me, I want you to tell your friends that it was one of Rainbow's dumb pranks that I was... roped into."

My younger sister stared at me as though I had grown three heads, then said, "Why shouldn't I tell them the truth?"

I sat up, trying to think of a quick reply, "It's... grownup stuff," I landed on, "you'll understand when you're older."

Sweetie thought on this a moment, "Alright. But!" she interrupted just as I was getting up, "It's going to cost you."

I sighed, "Fine, I'll do your chores for--"

"No! I want you to spend a whole entire day with me, doing whatever I want to do."

"But, Sweetie--"

"No buts!" it was clear the young filly enjoyed lording over her older sister.

I grumbled, then whined a quiet agreement under my breath.

"What?"

"I said 'FINE!'" I shrieked.

The two stared at each other for a few moments, grimaces twisting across our faces. Until--

"I FOUND HIM!" Scootaloo yelled from the other room.

I practically howled as I blew through the double doors and tackled the pegasus filly to the floor. A black shape flew from between the hooves of the filly, shattering on the floor.

"Oh," Scootaloo seemed disappointed, "I guess it was just a vase."

I glared at the filly beneath me, adding an appropriate snivel in before letting her get up, "Get out of my house, before I throw you out."

"We don't gotta do nuthin'!" Applebloom revolted.

"It's 'we don't have to do anything,' and, yes! You do!" I turned to my sister, "Sweetie Belle, tell them the truth."

"Um... Rarity says that it was all a big joke that Rainbow Dash put together."

Scootaloo looked pleased, "Yeah, that seems like the type of awesome thing she'd do. Is she here? Where is she?"

I stuttered trying to find words in my frustration, "Not here! Now, GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

I shooed the girls out the door, closing it, relieved, behind them. She sat there a moment or two, trying to catch my breath, before remembering that Spike was still hiding in the kitchen. I ran into the neighboring room, slipping on the tile floor that had been scrubbed within an inch of it's life. I flipped the edge of the teal tablecloth, only to find that Spike wasn't there.

"Spike? Spike, where did you go?"

"Rarity? Help!"

I turned my gaze upward, only to see Spike hanging from the ceiling fan, two tiny wings drooped at his sides.

That wasn't really meant to happen.

To Clarify

"I'm confused," Pinkie stated, rubbing her chin thoughtfully with her hoof. Spike still had his snout buried in fish guts.

"What is there to be confused about?" Rainbow asked, "Spike is obviously a zombie!"

"Just because he ate a fish? I don't get it. He's a dragon! He has fangs!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"So? As far as we know, dragons don't eat fish, just gems," Rainbow explained.

"No, Pinkie's right," Twilight said, coming to a realization, "Spike's the only dragon we know, and he's been raised by ponies. I doubt he'd eat normal dragon food."

I slapped my forehead with my hoof, "Rainbow, your plans are terrible. Remind me never to listen to you again."

"Heh, heh," Applejack chuckled, "Next time, maybe you should wave your plot in his face. If he takes a bite, he's definitely a zombie!"

Rainbow growled under her breath, glaring at Applejack out of the corner of her eye.

Epilogue

I can't remember my name. Well, not the whole thing. It stared with an 'S'... Sam, maybe? Stewart? Spike? Hmm... Spike. I like that one. That's who I am... I am Spike.

All I can see is death. They're all dead, all of them. I don't know what they are, but they aren't like me. I'm pretty sure I'm a dragon. Yeah, that sounds right. A dragon.

Okay, good. I'm a dragon named Spike. And the only other thing I can remember is that I'm wrong. I don't know what that means, but it rings as the single truth in this empty land.

Oh, and there's one other thing. Soft, echoing words that whispered to me. Three little words, that I will hold dear for the rest of my life:

I love you.

But I don't remember who said them.