Them

Twilight was in a laboratory, studying some equations and chemical components, when Trixie sat on a chair beside hers and wrapped their tails.

"Trixie..." Twilight said.

"I'm not doing anything that is keeping you from working properly!" she said, looking into a microscope.

Twilight sighed and shrugged before going back to her equations. Her eyes suddenly widened and she smiled, then levitated a quill and started writing.

"AHA!" she shouted, startling Trixie.

"What was that for?"

"I found a miscalculation! Maybe that's what we were doing wrong!" she took a deep breath and Trixie covered her ears. "SPIIIIIIIIKE!!!" she started writing on a different scroll and soon spike entered the room.

"Yes, Twilight?"

She levitated the scroll in front of him and he grabbed it. "Take this to the deposit and bring me those components!"

"Um..."

She followed her assistant's gaze and noticed he was staring at her tail, which was tangled with Trixie's.

"Hurry!"

He nodded and left the laboratory.

"Well, guess that cat is out of the bag!" Twilight said, then got up, freeing her tail, and prepared a few instruments on a table. Trixie got up and joined her.

"Do you think that will work?"

"I'm very confident about this one!"

Less than an hour later, Spike returned with a few chemical components and placed them all on the table.

"Thanks, Spike!"

"Anything else?"

"Yes! Could you bring a test subject, please?"

"On it!" he saluted her and left the room. She started working with the components.

"Are... Are you sure about this, Twilight?" asked Trixie. "Being in the same room with one of them is pretty dangerous. Not to say scary!"

"It's ok, Trixie. The chains are magically improved. Strong enough for ten griffins to pull it on different directions and not break! We'll be safe."

"Ok. I trust you, Twilight!"

"And I won't let you down, Trixie!"

* * *

A few hours later, Twilight and Trixie were still working. An infected was chaining to the wall, struggling and groaning, trying to set itself free. Spike was sitting on a chair, watching them. They didn't noticed the cracks appearing on the wall, next to the bolts keeping the chains in place and preventing the infected from escaping.

Twilight was levitating a vial with a glowing golden liquid in it.

"Do you think that willl work, Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Only one way to find out!" she slowly approached the infected, but Trixie stopped her.

"It's not safe to go so close, Twilight."

"I know, but I can't magically force his mouth open. And it's chained to the wall, after all. I'll be ok!"

"I don't know, Twilight..."

"Here, allow me!" Spike said, grabbing the levitating vial and walking toward the infected.

The moment Spike touched its muzzle it broke free, leaving a hole on the wall were the chains were attached to. It knocked Spike aside and dashed toward Twilight. She wanted to scream, but it wouldn't change nothing. She closed her eyes and turned, not wanting to see what was about to happen to her. She was knocked to the ground and waited for it to happen.

But nothing happen.

She opened her eyes when she felt something wet on her face; Trixie was standing on top of her, tears running down her face.

"The chains..." she said, breathing heavily. "The chains were strong... But the wall wasn't... Wasn't strong enough..."

Twilight noticed blood on Trixie's right foreleg. She gasped when she saw the infected with its teeth buried deep in Trixie's shoulder.

"No... No, this can't be happening! This-This did not just happened!"

Spike tackled the infected off Trixie and pinned it to the ground, then proceeded to punch its face. Trixie fell on top of Twilight, who hugged her.

"You're gonna be fine, Trixie. You're goona be fine. Here, we have a cure! Spike, give it to me!"

But Spike was too busy punching the infected's face, too enraged to pay attention on his surroundings.

"I will not let any of you stupid zombies lay a hoof on Twilight!! You hear me?! Not a hoof!!"

"It's... It's ok, Twilight..." Trixie said, smiling. "I... I can't feel the pain anymore... You... You're safe... That's all that matters now..."

"No! You matter too, Trixie! You're gonna be fine! You're gonna be fine, you're goona be fine, you're gonna be fine..."

Trixie closed her eyes. "Just promise... Promise me that... You will take... Take care of... Overheal's family... For me..."

Suddenly there was no sound, no light, nothing. Only darkness. "And that you won't... Let me turn..."

* * *

"Triiiiiiiixiiiiiiieeeeeee..."

"Wh-Who is it? Who's there? Where am I?"

"Triiiiiiiiiiixiiiiiiieeeeeeee..."

"Where are you? Show yourself!"

"Right behind you!"

She quickly turned around, but there was nothing there but darkness, like everywhere else she looked.

"I can't see a thing."

"I'm sorry. Allow me!"

Suddenly a bright light appeared right in front of her. The source of the light was shaped like a pony. Soon the light faded, leaving on its place a white pony wearing Royal Guard armor.

"Hello, Trixie!"

"Overheal, I'm... I'm sorry!"

"For what?"

"You saved me, just so I could die later." Oveaheal chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"I'll tell you later. First, tell me what happened!"

"A test subject escaped and it was going to attack Twilight! I couldn't allow that to happen, so I jumped on its way. Ang got bitten..."

"Do you regret doing that?"

"Not at all! My Twilight is safe and sound, that's all that matters."

"'Your' Twilight?"

Trixie blushed. "Yeah, we sort of... Had a thing! We were planning on going out on a date once everything was back to normal." she looked down, sighing. "Guess this will never happen!" Overheal chuckled again. "Are you mocking me?!"

"I would never do that?"

"Then why do you keep laughing when I tell you the saddest things that happened to me?"

"You're not dead, Trixie!"

"What? But I asked them to not let me turn! Did they really let me become a monster? Or maybe they didn't heard me. Or did I imagined me saying that?" she looked around again. "Is this what infected ponies see?"

"Yes. And no!"

"What do you mean?"

"This is an inconscient pony's subconscient. This is what everypony sees when we're not awake. Sometimes it can be a blank page like now, or a whole new world, which we call dreams."

"Does... Does that mean infected ponies are just... Asleep?"

"You can say that!"

"And we've been killing them..."

"Believe me, all of them would rather die than kill another pony! All, most of them would... What matters is, we can still save them!"

They heard a beep. And another one. And another.

"What's that?" Trixie asked.

"The outside is interacting with your subconscious. Happens when you're about to wake up!"

"So, does that mean I'm alive? That's great! Oh, one more thing: why are you here? In my head, I mean."

"Then you're not really you? Just an image my brain created? A... Dream?"

"You could say that."

"Then how do you know all those things I didn't knew about?"

"My dear Trixie, a pony's brain is capable of things we can't fully comprehend yet."

The sound of beeping grew louder. She could hear voice of ponies, but couldn't understand what they were talking about.

"Will I see you again?"

"last time you checked, I was still under ubservation. And if you're still alive, the cure you and the others developed works. Of course you will se me again! The real me this time!"

Trixie smiled and Overheal faded.

* * *

Trixie opened her eyes. The beeping sound was coming from a machine monitoring her heartbeat rate and the voices were of Twilight and her friends talking to Dr. Stable.

"Twi... Light..."

She stopped talking and looked at the bed. There was a mask on Trixie's snout, helping her breath, but she could see by her expression that she was smiling. Twilight hugged Trixie.

Trixie winced. Her right shoulder was covered in bandages.

"Congratulations, Trixie!" Applejack said, taking off her hat.

"You just saved the whole world!" said Pinkie Pie while bouncing.

"I... Did?"

"Sure did!" Twilight said. "Our equations were correct. It worked!"

"You used it... On me?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I was desperated! You were bitten and I didn't knew what to do."

"Don't be sorry... I'm glad I could... Be your test subject..."

Twilight smiled, moved the mask away from Trixie's snout and kissed her. Trixie gladly kissed her back. After the kiss was over, Twilight hugged her. Soon the other five mares joined them in a group hug.

"Doctor?" Trixie called.

"Yes?" Dr. Stable asked.

"When can I get out of here?"

"We just need to do a few more check-ups. You're probably leaving tomorrow!"

"Good." she then whispered something in Twilight's ear, who blushed immediately.

"Tr-Trixie!" she nearly shouted.

"What? I stodd between you and an infected, saving both your life and the cure! I think I deserve a reward, don''t you think?"

"B-But, still..." she sighed. "Rarity, I need a favor!"

"Anything for the savior of the world, darling!"

* * *

The next morning, Dr. Stable opened the door to Trixie's room with a smile on his face.

"Good news, miss Trixie! You can--"

His jaw almsot hit the floor when he saw what was going on there: Twilight Sparkle, dressed like a nurse, feeding Trixie grapes..

"D-D-Don't look at me!" Twilight said, covering herself with Trixie's blanket.

Trixie was laughing her flank off. Twilight glared at her.

* * *

FOUR YEARS LATER...

Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack opened the door of the house. She took a deep breath.

"Still smeels the same!" she said, smiling.

Big Macintosh stepped in and looked around. "Eeyup! We need to fix a few things, though..."

"No worries." Apple Bloom said, exhibiting her Cutie Mark: an apple with a wrench in front of it. "Ah can fix it!"

Winona barked happily.

* * *

Pinkie Pie entered Sugarcube Cormner with the cake twins and Gummy on her back.

"This is where old mommy and daddy lived with us?" Pumpkin Cake asked.

"Don't forget new daddy." Pound Cake said. "She lived here too!"

"Yes, we all lived here together." said Pinkie Pie. "A big and happy family. And now we're living here again. A not-as-big-family, but still happy."

"Is new mommy going to live us too?" the unicorn filly asked.

"Of course, Pumpkin." she cuddled her adoptive daughter. "As soon as she is finished with the stuff she need to finish in her old boutique, she is moving!"

"Yaaaay!" both foals cheered. The toothless alligator just stared at a random wall.

* * *

Rarity barely walked in her old home and was already sewing dresses. Her sister Sweetie Belle was watching her.

"We just came back home and you're already working, sis?"

"But of course! I want to re-open my loved Carousel Boutique as soon as possible and I need dresses to sell."

Sweetie Belle looked at her Cutie Mark, a microphone with its cable wrapped around a big pink heart, and smiled. "Do you want me to sing while you work? You know, so you can relax and I can practice for your great re-opening!"

Rarity stopped sewing and looked at her sister, smiling.

"I'd love that, darling!"

* * *

Rainbow Dash jumped on the bed in her old cloud home and yawned.

"So, now that everything is over, the Wonderbolts can finally be a thing again!" Spitfire said, sitting on a cloud chair.

"Yep, that's awesome!" Rainbow Dash said while stretching.

"So, are you going back to the Academy?"

"I don't think I will. My new job will take a lot of my time!"

"I thought you were only going to be a Royal Guard while we were 'at war'."

"You're right! I'm not a Royal Guard anymore."

"Then...?"

Rainbow Dash sat on her bed. "Princess Luna decided to resurrect her old Elite Team, the Shadowbolts. And she asked me to be the captain of the team!"

"Wow, this... This is amazing! Congratulations, Rainbow Dash."

"Thanks! And I already have somepony willing to take the tryouts. Right, Scoots?"

Scootaloo entered the room, wearing an uniform similar to the one Rainbow Dash used in the Wonderbolts Academy, except this one had a darker shade of golden and purple instead of blue. Her Cutie Mark, an orange lightning hitting a flaming scooter wheel, was on display and she was "polishing" it with a handkerchief.

"100% right, mom!"

Spitfire cocked an eyebrow. "Did she just called you 'mom'?"

"Well, she was in an orphanage, after all. And you know what adults do when they find in there a kid they really like?"

"They... Adopt them?"

Rainbow Dash nodded as she ruffled Scootaloo's mane. Spitfire asked.

"Well, since you're forming a new team, guess this makes us rivals."

"I guess so!"

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep the Wonderbolts on the top. So you better do whatever it takes to try to surpass us, ya hear me?"

They hoofbumped.

"My plan since the start!"

* * *

"Is that your cottage?" Bright Sky asked, pointing his hoof at the tree with a door and windows.

"Yes, it is!" Fluttershy said, opening the doors. "I'm so glad everrything is over and we all can finally go back to our old houses."

"Your house is awesome, Fluttershy!" Dark Cloud said, looking around.

"Awesome and empty! Where are all your animals?"

"Oh, they must have left when they noticed I wasn't returning anytime soon. Good for them, I would hate to come back and see all of them here, dead of starvation!" Angel jumped off his owner's back and went straight to the couch. Fluttershy giggled. "Angel Bunny is feeling home already."

"Well, guess this is where we part ways." Bright Sky sighed. "It was nice meeting you and being your assistant, Fluttershy!"

"Everything he said!" agreed Dark Cloud.

"It was a pleasure having you two around too."

Cloud and Sky jumped on Fluttershy and hugged her. She happily hugged them back.

"So, will I see you two again?"

"We'll be around. Right, Cloud?"

"Yup! We'll be around."

She hugged them one more time.

* * *

"Everything is exactly where I left." Twilight said, checking the shelves. "Except that there are no infected this time!"

"And it's better that way." Trixie said. "I got dangerously close to one of them and I don't want to see another one ever again!"

"So, is Trixie going to live with us from now on?" Spike asked.

"Sure will!" Twilight said, nuzzling her marefriend.

"Then I want my own room. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night and see you two in the middle of the action!"

"Sp-Spike!!" Twilight shouted, blushing.

Trixie laughed and wrapped her tail around Twilight's, who rested her head on her marefriend's shoulder. Spike laughed too and ran upstairs, followed by Owlowiscious.

The showmare wrapped a foreleg around her. "Everything will be just fine." she said.