The Great Equestrian Virus

Back in Ponyville, all was well. The newly crowned Princess, Twilight Sparkle was walking through the town with Spike on her back. Everypony was happy as normal and bowed down to the lavender Alicorn as she passed. Twilight had gone out that morning to get some apples from her farming friend, Applejack, who Twilight could spot from where she was, the sun was at it's highest, the day was warm and the Pegasi had removed the clouds from last nights storm. The ground was still damp and puddles still littered the ground, puddles in which little colts and fillies were running around splashing in them. It was a Sunday, so tomorrow they would all have to go back to school. Twilight smiled as she watched the children. She knew they loved going to school and their lessons in their classes. Twilight was nearing Applejack's stall now, but paused when she felt something rub against her leg. She looked down to see a young yellow coated filly was looking up at her.

"Oh, erm. Sorry Princess." The little filly muttered and bowed.

"Don't worry little one. It's my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going. No need to bow either, what is your name?" Twilight asked with a smile, the filly paused for a moment, possibly debating if Twilight really did want her name, or perhaps the idea of giving it to a stranger, even if she is a princess. After a moment of silence however, the filly nodded, as she had made a decision.

"My name is Lavender, princess." The filly replied smiling. Twilight smiled back.

"Well I must be off, buying some apples, bye Lavender." Twilight said and walked off, the little filly giggled and ran off in the opposite direction. Twilight laughed quietly and looked to the sky, still not a single cloud. Pegasi were flying around happily and some were racing each other from random speck in the sky to another. "It is going to be a good day." Twilight muttered to herself, it was normally a 'good day' in Equestria, especially Ponyville, but today was just that extra special.

"Twilight!" Somepony from a distance shouted. Twilight jumped slightly and looked around. The shout sounded again and Twilight looked frantically around. She heard galloping which was getting louder and closer. Twilight noticed a figure as she looked down a road. A white, tall figure. A Pegasus perhaps, as the two wings were flapped down. But as the figure got closer Twilight noticed a long horn. A white Alicorn? Celestia? No, it couldn't be, she wouldn't come down from Canterlot, let alone, well, alone. Twilight began to walk toward Celestia slowly, the Alicorn was still running. Twilight could hear the other princess panting loudly.

"Celestia?" Twilight asked. Celestia reached Twilight and paused, panting deeply. The Sun Goddess was looking to the ground, tears were in her eyes and she looked messy, she had certainly walked, or flown all the way here. But why.

"Twilight. Luna, Luna is dead. Gather your friends, and Spike. We need to leave, now." Celestia panted.

"Luna? Dead? How, Princess you must explain more." Twilight replied, obviously shocked.

"I don't know how to explain my student, there were these, corrupt ponies, they wouldn't die. They were already dead, so the doctors said, they bit ponies, and they, they turned. The whole city was in chaos. I reached the castle but they got in. Hundreds of them, they spread so quickly. Luna was bitten, so, so was your brother Twilight. I do not know what happened to Cadence. I am sorry." Celestia muttered and began to cry. Here she stood, the ruler of all Equestria, she raises the sun everyday and raised both sun and moon for one thousand years whilst Nightmare Moon was in banishment. Now crying into Twilight's shoulder. Twilight repeated what the princess just said in her head.

"Shining Armor, was bitten?" Twilight muttered.

"Yeah." Celestia muttered, wiping her eyes. "He turned in a matter of seconds. Attacking those he had just called brothers earlier that day."

"We need to get out of here. But where, if the infection, or whatever this is, spreads so fast, it could be here at any moment, it could already be here. We have to clean and examine everypony." Twilight shouted, Celestia stopped her with a hoof.

"No, Twilight, it isn't a virus you can see, from what I saw. It's not a 'this' it's a 'they'. If they bite you, you join their ranks. The first one is still tied up in Canterlot, I presume. He and three others went into the Everfree to look for some poison joke for a researching test, but the doctors found the first already corrupt and had to tie him to a bed, the other three he, no, it. It had already bitten, they turned whilst I was there. About to leave as a matter of face. Biting into doctors, patients and soldiers alike. No discrimination. Only that biting. We can't go anywhere near the capital, as they have over run that, and anything that goes from and too Canterlot is doomed." Celestia said, stern look in her eye.

"But the Ponyville train, that goes straight into Canterlot. And will be coming back soon. We have to find my friends, tell everypony to head south, thats the only place we can go." Twilight replied, speaking fast, she was naturally scared and twitching.

"Okay, you go find your friends, I will warn the town, met back here in ten." Celestia agreed. "Lathough we may not have that long." She added, in the distance she could see the smoke of a train, it didn't look like the smoke had been tended too for a while. If the train was infected, the driver must have tried to escape and become bitten on the way back, so any and all passengers would be corrupt. If the train had gone into Canterlot, it could have stopped, or needed to turned back for some reason.

Celestia and Twilight ran off in opposite directions, Twilight was running toward Applejack's stall and Celestia to the town hall.

Twilight reached AJ in a matter of seconds. Looking at her friend quickly and running close to her.

"Oh hey Sugarcube, how may I be'in of a service to ya today?" The orange farm pony said with a smile.

"We need to leave, Celestia's orders, we are to met at the edge of town in ten minutes, you know. Where the sign is. I will explain when we are all together, go get Granny Smith and the rest if you want, but we are leaving. Whatever you do, bring lots of apples and food." Twilight shouted quickly.

"Er Twi. You okay there?" Applejack asked.

"AJ, just please trust me, get your family and supplies and go to the RV point." Twilight replied, without pause, twitching violently.

"Okay Twi. I trust ya. Wonder what the Princess wants." Applejack muttered. "Well, Princess Celestia anyway. Because you're a princess now sugarcube." She added. Then walked off. Leaving her stall unattended. Twilight then ran to Fluttershy's house, where she loudly knocked on the door, Twilight felt like she would break it if she knocked any louder. After a brief pause the door opened, only to have nopony there, well, until Twilight looked down, Angel was at the door.

"Hey Angel, where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. The rabbit pointed inside and got out the way so Twilight could come in. Doscord and Fluttershy were sitting together. "You two, we need to leave now. Get supplies and head to the east side of town. Just trust me." Twilight ordered, Flutterhsy jumped at the sound of a voice but then fixed her posture when she realised who it was.

"Oh, hey Twilight. What will we need?" Fluttershy said quietly.

"Food and water, we are on a mission from Celestia." Twilight said.

"Oh, okay." Fluttershy replied and got up to get her saddle bags. Discord looked puzzeled.

"What's all this about then?" He asked, then paused. "Princess." He added and bowed.

"What do you know of ponies supposedly dying then coming back, different?" Twilight asked, suspecting him, although to be fair on the god, this would be his first mess up in almost three years.

"Different?" Discord asked.

"Biting other ponies, then the bitten, become one of them." Twilight elaborated.

"You mean, like zombies?" Discord asked, the Alicorn paused, then nodded.

"Well what do you want to know. They are undead and bit ponies." Discord said, confused.

"Do you have the power to, spawn them? Or even, get rid of them?" Twilight asked. Discord gave a confused facts, then lowered his voice as Fluttershy began singing, still getting supplies.

"Is this what this is about. There are actually, zombies in Equestria?" He asked quietly.

"Yes, Luna and my brother are dead, Canterlot has fallen and Princess Cadence is missing." Twilight muttered. "Celestia is here warning the town to evacuate as a train that has just gone to Canterlot is coming back as we speak and may be full of infected. So I am gathering my friends, their families and any extras, and we are leaving. Heading south, somewhere." She added.

"Well, Canterlot has fallen to the dead. This is bad." Discord genuinely sounded worried, even, scared. "Undead creatures, zombies or any other spawn of that kind of Chaos has been out of my power for near on three thousand years, I only had that power when I first became Chaos God, but then I lost any knowledge of it when I preferred Joke Chaos, rather than Evil Chaos. I fear there is nothing I can do in this matter." He muttered, saddened by that fact.

"Well by all means come with us, we are going to the east end of town in ten minutes. Please hurry her." Twilight replied looking at Fluttershy, who was now feeding ever one of her animals. Individually. Twilight ran out of the house, letting Discord think on the matter at hand. "This isn't my doing at all, Zack is far more Chaotic than even my power, too evil. Whatever caused this, is not of Equestria, something of the Verfree perhaps?" He asked himself. Then heard Fluttershy singing again. "Fluttershy dear, please hurry up, we wouldn't want to be late for the meeting with Celestia." He called, then got up to help her.