Silence reigned throughout the encampment; only broken by the distant chirping of cicadas in the tree tops. The remaining ponies stood around, crying tears of grief and disbelief. Why had this happened to them? Their camp was so far out... they never imagined the trotters would get them out here, never mind attack them when they had their guards down. Though there were not many deaths, their group was small and close... every death was like a stab to the heart.
The remaining survivors of Ponyville just stood around crying, and comforting those who had lost someone close... but this time it was different for everypony. For not only had they lost some good ponies, they had lost a young filly... Sweetie Belle, she was such a young, sweet pony of only ten years of age... and those monsters took her life away from her. Yes everypony was absolutely devastated by the death of the young filly, but the one who was truly stricken by it was none other than her elder sister... Rarity.
Rarity had already lost her close family to the trotters, her own mother's throat was torn in front of her very eyes. Equestria was not suited for this kind of horror, it was always a land of peace and harmony; if you were to ask a random pony on what they thought about war, they most likely wouldn't of understood what you were talking about... yet, something much worse tore through the Equestrian plains.
A plague like no other seen before, not even horror stories could come close to the sickness which has befallen the ponies of Equestria. But it came out of the blue, not so much as a warning had occurred when it all began. Just through the night ponies became bitten, and the disease spread like wildfire. Not even the Princesses were safe from this nightmare, no… there weren’t any Princesses left all together…
The Elements of Harmony were rendered useless after Twilight Sparkle had been turned, the other elements were just relieved they did not have to witness the death of one of their closest friends, and the one who had brought them all together. The first few weeks were absolutely terrifying for the Ponyville survivors, but once they began to regroup, they left to far away lands to escape the horrors of Equestria.
When they set up camp far through the deer lands, they thought they were safe. Months had past and not one death had occurred, they had a safe haven in the great forests of the deer and an endless supply of food all around them. As the days went by the survivors began to become comfortable… less vigilant, thus letting their guard down. This was a grave mistake on their part, for in this cruel world, luck just isn’t on their side.
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The sun was always up these days… it never got dark anymore… Rainbow Dash sighed as she stared up at the blue sky through the dense canopy above her. The camp had a makeshift clock tower in the middle of the common area, which let everypony know what time it really was, “Alright everypony, it’s 9 pm, time to pack up for the night.” Rainbow announced to the ponies working around her.
There were a few sighs of relief as the ponies were working hard all day, especially Rainbow Dash, who had to fly all the way to the Dragon lands border to pick up a few clouds for drinking water, and to help water plants. But her watch was tonight, so she had to suck it up and do her duty, “C’mon ponies! Pack it up and get to bed, yah gotta get up bright and breezy!” she chuckled at the sound of the groans coming from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Scootaloo gave Rainbow the puppy dog eyes and begged, “Come on Dash, can’t we stay up a little longer?” she pouted, causing Rainbow to shake her head and stick her tongue out at the young pegasus, “Fiiiine…” she groaned and trudged her way over to her tent.
There was a slight springing noise coming from behind Rainbow, turning around she came face to face with a huge pink grin, “Hey Dashie, want me to stay up with you tonight? Huh? Do yuh, do yuh!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly, the other mare just shook her head in disbelief, oh Pinkie, always so happy.
“Nah, I’m cool Pinkie, it’s just a few hours until I have to change shift with Caramel anyway.” Pinkies ears drooped, but Rainbow just gave her a friendly hug and sent her on her way, “Night Pinkie!”
“Night night Dashie!” Pinkie said, as she dived into her tent home.
‘Alright, just gotta last a few hours then I can switch shifts with Caramel, that’s not so bad…’ Rainbow Dash thought as she leaned back against the trunk of a nearby tree, her eyes wide and alert, but so, so tired and heavy… ‘Just a few hours’ she reminded herself mentally.
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CRACK!
Her eyes shot up quickly, that was a twig... oh no she fell asleep! Her face fell in horror; quickly she flew up into the air doing a 360 to get a view of the surrounding area… they were here… th-the tents… they were at the tents! Rainbow Dash flew as quick as she could to the encampment. The trotters, they were already there, some were in the tents!
Horrified Rainbow Dash shouted “TROTTERS!” that’s when she heard the first scream… it came from Roseluck’s tent… sh-she let this happen, ponies were going to die because of her! Rainbow Dash sobbed loudly and with a glare of anger flew into one of the undead, hoof held out, making a sickening crunch on the creature's skull.
Ponies began screaming loudly and running from their tents, in mass panic, grabbing what weapons they could to fight back. There were… twenty. No, thirty trotters in the surrounding area, she needed to kill them quickly! Rainbow flew as fast as she could to the trotters that drew too near the unprotected, and ended them swiftly. She knew she couldn’t do this alone, and quickly went to find Applejack.
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Applejack was surrounded, one of her sisters friends Diamond Tiara lay shaking behind her, seeking protection from the undead horrors. She was no match for how many surrounded her, but Applejack was not one to give up easily, and took a defensive stance. She went to go buck a trotter in the muzzle, when a prismatic blur shot past her, hitting the thing on the side of it’s head, snapping it’s neck.
The blow was so powerful the bones began to pierce the skin of the things neck. Not dead yet, and with a stomp to the head, causing it’s… brain to spill out, the trotter was done for. It took the ponies a long time, but no longer did this scene of gruesome killing phase them. This world was too dangerous for the weak.
“Howdy Rainbow, ah reckon you just about saved my life, don’ think ah can handle this here bunch on mah own.” with a proud smile and nod, directed at the cyan mare; she quickly turned back to the problem at hoof. A trotter gained distance toward them, just in time for Applejack to swivel around and buck the things jaw, snapping it’s head backwards. Jumping high, she landed down on all fours on it’s head, quickly ending it.
“Hey, AJ you take them two down, I’ve got the ugly triplets over here.” Rainbow Dash said with much intensity, looking back at her orange friend, who nodded with a quick smirk. Flying high, Rainbow pumped her wings, and took a quick nose dive to gain speed, as she neared the ground she pulled up and aimed straight at the aforementioned trotters. With a speedy blur the trotters were all blown down by the massive force Rainbow Dash conflicted upon them.
Not to let them get up in time, she quickly smashed their skulls, her hooves were now soaked in the blood of the deceased. Shaking her head to clear it of vile thoughts, she looked to Applejack who just finished with her two, letting out a slight sigh, she relaxed her muscles a bit. Applejacks breathing stayed quick, her adrenaline slowly passing, but spoke up, “C’mon Rainbow, we ain’t finished yet, we still got us some friends to save…”
Applejack turned to Diamond Tiara, who still lay shivering on the ground “Diamond, ah want you to stay here, there ain’t no more trotters ‘round here, but if’n there are ah need yah to run to the rally point, ‘kay?” she looked at the young Filly with much intensity, who; the poor thing, only nodded absently, tears streaming down the fillies dirt mottled face.
After the confirmation from Diamond Tiara, Applejack quickly made her way to the storage area, where the trotters seemed to have held up the other survivors, “AJ, the others are all holding their ground behind the storage barricade, but there’s so many, I don’t think we’ll be able to stop them on our own!”
“Land Sakes!” Applejack exclaimed, she looked around for a solution, she looked to the western storage tent, which was away from the trotters and an idea hit her, “Rainbow, there are jerry cans in the western storage tent, quickly, you go ‘n grab a few and douse the trotters with the petrol, an’ I’ll light ‘em up with a match!” she said with determination.
Rainbow scanned the area below, “But AJ, what about the tents? They’ll burn down!” she looked to Applejack with a searching look, hoping for another alternative.
“Look Dash, we can live without a few of the tents, we ain’t got any alternative to this, we ain’t got the stallion power to take down these here trotters on our own! Now git!” Applejack shouted up authoritatively.
The pegasus gave a curt nod before zooming off to follow on the plan ‘Now ah jus’ gotta find me some matches!’ Applejack thought to herself, she desperately looked around through the tents, and remembered Davenport had some to burn up his fabric for fuel for the fire. She made her way to his tent, but when she made it, the smell of blood was thick in the air.
Applejack gulped as she pulled back the tent flap, and nearly gagged as she saw what used to be Davenport, laying on the floor still being eaten away at by a trotter, with a surge of rage she bucked the trotter in the back of the head for a quick kill.
“Davenport, you were a good stallion… rest peacefully…” a tear slid down her cheek, she was sick of these monsters killing her friends!
Taking a few deep breaths, she quickly scanned the bloody tent for any sign of matches, there in the stallions front pocket lay the box… nervously she reached over and pushed the box out of the pocket, and quickly bent down and grabbed it in her mouth, “Phew, that was a close’n…” as she turned to leave she heard a quiet moaning, she cursed her luck and turned around to end it swiftly.
With a stomp to the head it was done, “I was hoppin’ ah wouldn’t hafta do that…” she sighed and ran for the direction of the storage tents, already she saw Rainbow Dash pouring the petrol over the trotters, while she also taunted them to keep their attention on her. The ponies trapped behind the barricade of the storage area quietly, and quickly ran off to a safer distance as they noticed what was going on.
As Applejack readied the match, she noticed her brother, Big Macintosh round the corner of where the others ran to, strapped to his hoof was the old hunting shotgun they found near the… eaten body of a griffin. Applejack smiled as she saw him approach, she quickly lit the match and threw it into the crowd of trotters, and with a cheer of victory Applejack and Rainbow made their way behind Big Mac, who was using the gun to keep the flaming trotters away from them.
After an intense while, and a close call while Big Mac reloaded, the trotters were gone! There were a few tears of joy, some of sadness and grief; but at least they were safe for now. “Alright…” Big Macintosh said in his booming voice, “Everypony roll call.” all the remaining ponies gathered around in a circle, and as Big Mac was about to begin…
“Sweetie? Sweetie Belle!?” Rarity screamed, “Where’s Sweetie Belle!?” she begged loudly from the group, everypony looked around and murmured a bit about where they last saw the small filly. But all went silent when they heard it…
“AAAAAAH”
The scream echoed all around them, the scream of none other than the missing filly herself, Rarity looked absolutely mortified, and quickly went and snatched the gun of some nearby pony in her magical grip, and she ran to the source.
“SWEETIE BELLE!?” she screamed, tears streaming down her face. With an angered look she crashed through the tent where she had heard it, the mess tent.
There on the floor was a cowering, sobbing Sweetie Belle, above her was… Roseluck… she had been bitten, turned into a mindless flesh eating monster! Rarity in a fit of madness shot the trotter in the chest, making it stumble backwards, she took this moment to knock it over and stamp on it’s head… over and over…
She turned briskly and scooped her injured sister in her magic and ran with all she could to the rest of the group. She reached the horrified ponies, and with a sob crashed to the ground, holding her little sister in her fore legs. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked on from afar crying, and holding eachother as they shivered.
“Please, somepony do something!” Rarity begged as her sisters breathes grew more rapid, the ponies around her shifted nervously, not sure as to what to do, “Please…” she said so quietly.
But such a defeated tone was evident in her voice… her sister wasn’t going to make it… why, why was this world so cruel? To take a young, innocent filly’s life away.
The ponies around her began to disperse to give her time alone, Rarity pulled herself up against the trunk of a tree and held her little sister in her fore legs, slowly stroking her unkempt mane.
“I do-don’t w-w-wanna d-die Rarity… please…” Sweetie Belle sobbed.
Her voice… she was so quiet, but Rarity could still hear her sweet little sister’s voice…
“Shhh, it’s okay Sweetie, it’s okay…” she stroked the young fillies mane in soft slow motions, holding her close, not daring to let go. This was it… she was going to die, and it was all her fault, she had sworn to protect her sister with her life after her Mother died, and she failed… "It’s okay, Sweetie, everything will be fine…" she said softly, into her ear.
“P-promise?” she asked as the life began to slowly seep from her eyes.
“Pinkie promise…” Rarity replied with a whisper, Sweetie Belle smiled softly as she drifted off, “I’m so sorry Sweetie Belle, I couldn’t protect you, I… I was busy protecting myself, I…” Rarity burst into loud sobs and cried into her sisters dirt crusted coat. She just sat and cried and cried for so long, she had lost track of time.
“How am I the Element of Generosity, when all I did was protect myself and not abide to my promise!” Rarity shouted in despair to the heavens. She couldn’t believe this was happening, first one of her closest friends, then her parents… and now… now her little sister! This truly is a cruel, cruel world.
Hours went by as Rarity sat there with the motionless body of her little sister, the tears never stopped coming, she cried for hours on end, until she eventually passed out from fatigue. Big Macintosh had noticed this and stood by, in case Sweeti- the trotter wakes up before Rarity, he was always so protective of ponies, he wouldn’t just leave her.
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Rarity awoke to a faint rumbling sound, groggily waking up she looked down to her sister, she was beginning to stir… this was it, this was the end for sure, she would have to put her sister down, she couldn’t let her live on as some monster, no.
“I’m so sorry…” she said softly to the shifting form of Sweetie.
It began to rise, and started snapping it’s jaws, but it was too weak against Rarity. It tried to bite into Rarity’s neck, but she held her head with a hoof softly, yet firmly with one fore leg around her neck holding her in place. Tearfully she began stroking her mane again, so soft…
“Sweetie Belle, I know I wasn’t always the best big sister in the world…” she began as she slowly raised the gun she had from before, in her magic, “We had our fights… our ups and our downs. But, we always came together in the end and, I loved you…” she let out another small sob as she spoke, “But this isn’t who you are Sweetie Belle, I’m so sorry.”
BANG!
The small form in her fore legs slumped over, the restraint she felt before vanished, just the small, frail form of her once innocent and oh so lively sibling, she cried again, just looking at her… it would have been so easy to save her, so easy to just keep her by her side… but no, she couldn’t do it, she wasn’t able to keep that promise she made to her Mother.
Lonely… no family left, just her. She had her friends, but… that’s not the same, your friends cannot bring you the love a family does, and now that love was non-existent. She was on her own. Ponies nearby had heard the bang and quickly came around to inspect, though upon seeing Rarity’s… hollow form sitting there, holding her deceased sister as a gun floated in her magic.
The deed was done, there was a wash of grief over the ponies, who stood gazing down… somepony so young, so inexperienced of life's full potential, dead at the hooves of one of those…things. Thinking it to be the best course of action to leave the grieving mare alone, the survivors all filed away back into the camps common area, off to burn the remaining trotters bodies, and bury those of their friends. Three dead… Davenport, Roseluck… and Sweetie Belle. Great ponies, all gone.
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As the other ponies trotted off, probably to ready the dead, Rarity’s mind raced over her life’s events, specifically those of which included Sweetie Belle, so many… happy memories. One in particular she was fond on… the day of the Sisterhooves Social, a happy sigh escaped her lips.
She loved Sweetie Belle so much! Now she was gone, gone forever… how generous could she possibly be? She took her own safety in account without even realizing of her sister’s danger… she was not fit to live up to her element… or- Or maybe she was… her magic shone brighter, raising the object in it’s mystical grip.
One last act of generosity, it was true… this was generous! She could take her own life, and… and be with her family! It would mean one less mouth to feed, more food and supplies for the others! Yes…
CLICK!
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Everypony began gathering around the body pile they had stacked up of all the unburnt trotters, some had helped in dousing the pile in petrol, while others dug the three graves or their fallen. This was a terrible day for the survivors, no doubt it wouldn’t be the last, though…
Rainbow Dash and Applejack made their way over to their two friends Pinkie Pie, whose mane was flat, and Fluttershy who hugged Pinkie, whilst also shaking like a leaf, tears flowing from both of their eyes. Rainbow and Applejack gave their friends sad smiles, and approached them with an open embrace.
The four hugged each other tightly while tears were shed from them all, surprisingly Fluttershy was the first to speak up, “I… I think we should go check on R-Rarity, we need to see how she is…” everypony nodded in agreement.
BANG!
Rainbow Dash’s ears fell, “Oh no…” she whispered and hopped into the air as fast as her wings would take her, “Rarity… she wouldn’t…” she saw the scene before her as reached to where Rarity had been, a defeated cry of grief came out of her mouth as her eyes flowed strongly with tears…
Rarity lay motionless by her sister, the gun laying on the ground nearby. She had really done it.
The other made their ways around the corner, they already were sobbing as they had figured what had happened by Rainbows sobs, they all huddled together and cried as they mourned the death of yet another great friend.
“Sleep well… Rarity.”
