The Great Equestrian Virus

It was now just coming up to mid afternoon when the group finally saw Cloudsdale in the distance, the Pegasi were tired and the Earth/Unicorn ponies were in deep want of some sort of safety. Especially if that meant one hundred feet of sky between hell and safety. They still all grieved and cried out, many scared that the great Pegasi city had fallen to the dead. They were scared by the fact the dead had begun to rise and eat other ponies. Everypony was scared at that fact. Nopony knew why they had risen or where it began, apart from the theory it started with that pony in Canterlot. But that was just a theory, he had been the thing that caused this destruction, but ponies all over the world could have fallen to this virus, Celestia wanted to find out. Whilst she traveller the world warning ponies she met to evacuate to Cloudsdale, until Twilight had built a defendable town for them, the sun princess would try to track down where this had all started. If she found the source, she could perhaps find a cure, or at least a way to stop it. Or stop more deaths happening.

Celestia, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew at the front of the group. Rainbow panting as she had just had her turn at driving. Celestia wanted to see if the city had fallen, and if it had, what they would be facing.

"We three shall go ahead, rest now. We will be back in an hour. If not, move on, go to Ponyton as agreed." Celestia announced, it really didn't help morale after Celestia just said they may not return from a city the same three had previously deemed safe. Ponyton was probably one of the worse places to go, it had most likely already fallen to the undead, being so close to the Everfree and Ponyville. Ponyton was closer to the forest than it's sister town. Much of the forest was growing around homes and pathways. But it still wasn't proven that it was the Everfree. For all ponykind knew, the Everfree was the safest place to be right now. The three left the group and began flying toward the main entrance to the city, one could of course just fly in and land anywhere, but if the city hadn't fallen then the local guard wouldn't be very impressed, even if it was the princess. It was common courtesy to enter any city through the gates, in case of times like this, well, more natural times such as war, the city would be on high alert and want to check everypony and everything that enters and leaves the city. The gates looked closed and two figures were aimlessly walking on the cloud near it. Celestia instantly thought the worse and could see the look in Twilight's and Rainbow's eyes. The trio continued to fly toward the city, slower now. Not wanted to cause any unwanted attention, even though they could just fly away it would be better to not alert the corrupt ponies of their presence here. If in deed they were the undead. Questions flooded everypony's minds though. If they were dead, how did they get up here. Did the plague start in multiple places, multiples a Patient Zero was made up here? Was somepony bitten and didn't change until hours, maybe days later. What happened up here? But as the trio got closer. Their questions dropped. The two ponies at the gates were certainly ponykind. Wearing Silver Cloudsdale armour and holding long pikes in their hooves and attached to their saddles. The two must have seen the three flying toward them due to the fact that by the time the three ponies landed, the guards counted near to twenty or thirty. One pony, presumably the leader stepped forward to the trio, now standing on the cloud layer.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight. What brings you here?" The captain asked.

"Do you not know?" Twilight replied.

"Know?" The captain asked, then paused. "Oh, you mean down there. Of course we know, everypony knows. It has been spreading like a forest fire. Just would have thought you would be defending Canterlot, is all Princesses." The captain replied.

"Oh I see. Well, Canterlot has fallen,from what I can presume, that was what fell first." Celestia said softly.

"Well, I believe your info is off Princess. No offense of course, but our Intel has shown that this all started in Manehatten, nearly six days ago."

"Six? It has only been three days since the capital fell. Do you have any survivors from Manehatten?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. A few Pegasi. But you haven't answered why you are here."

"Well, I would very much like to speak with them, when we are free of course. I, we are here because Ponyville also fell. Thousands died but a few lived, none are bitten or wounded in anyway but many need some sort of solid support under them, as it were."

"You have Earth and Unicorn ponies in your number?"

"Along with a few Pegasi yes. Our group is all on the cloud layer just below this one captain. And I would very much be honoured if you would allow them to stay, for a while anyway. Until my student here can find them a suitable location on the ground, that is." Celestia replied. The captain blushed a bit. Her next sentence was full of false starts and stutters.

"Y-Y. Yes Princess. You can, can bring them up. I am-" The captain paused, she was obviously bewildered Celestia had used the word such as 'honoured' in asking if the Ponyvillians could stay. "-Yes of course, my troops will give them good, solid homes and we will take care of them as best we can. It will fill up some of the empty feel of the city. All of the civi's left soon after word of Manehatten's fall came about. Left for somewhere, no pony really knew. Just out of Equestria."

"I sew. Well thank you captain?-" Celestia asked.

"Galloria Princess, Captain Galloria." She said and saluted.

"We Captain Galloria, we shall soon return and then if you could kindly take me to those Manehatten survivors you were talking about. I will require some ink, feathers and parchment, to take notes." Celestia smiled.

"Of course. Notes for what may I ask?"

"Well, I need to know where this all started, so I can find a way to end it."

"Oh." Galloria paused again. "I see. Well then, I am sure Twilight and her friend can get the ponies here, whilst I take you to the survivors. The sooner the better eh?" She added. Celestia looked to Twilight and Rainbow who both nodded and flow off. Celestia then walked with the captain. The gates to Cloudsdale opening as they went.