Author's Note
I may add an epilogue later on, but for now I'll just say that I ended up crying myself while writing this, and I hope the same happened to you.
Based off of the comic, "Friendship lasts more than a lifetime"
Hey buddy...
Applejack and Winona were playing a game of fetch, a normal but meaningful pastime. It allowed Winona to get her much needed exercise and Applejack to show her love for Winona, and Winona understood her owner's love. Their love for eachother was something they've been told no Pony, Griffon, or Princess could ever hope to separate, and Applejack knew that with all her heart.
Winona caught the stick in the air, and ran it back to her owner as quickly as she could. Which was followed by the routine movements of Applejack picking it up with her tail and chucking it as far as she could. This time when Winona went to grab the stick, Applejack's face changed from happiness, to alarm.
"Winona, come here!" She shouted, "Hurry!"
Winona didn't understand why she had suddenly changed her emotion, until something hit her head on. She looked to see one of the shambling corpses that had began plaguing Equestria, and the rest of the world. This one was a Pegasus, and had a slightly faded Rainbow colored mane. Winona had seen this mare before, and knew the face. She wagged he tail and began to yip happily at the familiar face.
The Zombified Pony looked at Winona, and began to dive down to bite her. She was blocked by Applejack, who wrestled the crazy mare away. With a quick motion, she pushed the mare against a Tree and bucked her until she stopped moving. Applejack began to move towards Winona, but winced in pain as she fell.
Applejack look at her foreleg, and noticed something she never wanted to see. The zombified Pony had bitten into her right foreleg, and blood had already begun profusely coming out and staining her fur.
"No..." She chirruped. "no, no, no, no, no, no! This can't have happened. Celestia Damnit!"
Applejack kicked the tree behind her, startling Winona. Winona whimpered in response, evoking Applejack to remember who she was around.
"Heh, sorry girl," Applejack said, now much more serene. "I'm just not exactly used to having a Pony bite me."
Hey buddy...
Winona tiredly walked next to her ever-loving owner Applejack, who was now a shambling corpse and was heading towards a pile of dead Ponies.
It's nice to know you're still here...
They both crossed into the Ponyville border, which was now infested with other zombified Ponies. Winona saw a stick, and ran to pick it up. She stopped infront of the stick, giving it a questioning glance as she remembered this stick. This was the exact same stick Applejack had thrown their last time playing fetch.
A rat came next to the stick, and Winona's stomach rumbled. She had barely been able to find any food, and her body represented that. Her chest had thinned, allowing somebody to see the indent of her ribs, and her face always seemed to be sunken.
The Rat was taken by surprise, as a corpse toppled on top of it, and Winona watched in shock as a Zombified Pony chewed it's way through both the dead body and the Rat.
It's getting kinda scary...
Winona hesitantly picked up the stick her and Applejack had constantly used for Fetch, and ran back to her owner's side. Applejack continued her way to the pile of dead Ponies, not paying attention to Winona running up to her.
It's getting sorta lonely...
Winona looked up to her owner, hope in her eyes.
But that's okay, because you're still here.
Applejack stopped at the pile of dead Ponies, and joined the other zombies who had gathered around it, eating and gnawing at limbs and other parts of the Ponies that had been exposed.
Winona noticed another Rat, this time it was dead, and cautiously walked up to it. She dropped the stick, and began to sniff the Rat. It didn't seem as if it were rotten, but something about it didn't quite fit right as she picked it up and ran over to Applejack's side.
I'm getting really hungry buddy...
Winona laid down, staring at Applejack as she put a piece of a dead Pony's foreleg into her mouth hurriedly.
But you must be hungrier...
Winona put the Rat down beside her owner, and waited for Applejack to eat the Rat. It took her awhile to notice it, but when she did she quickly put it into her mouth.
A loud, thunderous sound grabbed the attention of Applejack and the rest of the horde she was with, and Winona grabbed the stick she held so dearly as she followed her owner on the way over there.
Applejack stumbled into the Everfree forest, with Winona close behind her. Most of the survivors who lived in Ponyville had fled to the dense trees within the forest. It provided enough cover for any of them to fire a couple shots of their gun and then disappear into the dense vegetation.
Winona stood on top of a busted Carriage, watching Applejack happily as she trudged along at her slow pace. A slick, silver barrel poked out of a bush, grabbing the attention of Winona. She saw the eyes of whoever was holding the gun, and could tell that they were full of hate. They intended to hurt her beloved owner.
She gave a growl of warning, before dropping the stick and jumping off the carriage to attack the person who wished to harm Applejack. The pony fired it's gun, and Winona crumbled to the ground.
Hey buddy...
Applejack stopped infront of the dieing Winona, and her lifeless eyes began to tear up.
Even though we don't play anymore...
Winona looked up to her owner, and coughed up a small amount of blood as her bullet wound began to bleed profusely.
Even though you don't call my name anymore...
Winona closed her eyes, and let out one final breath before slipping into the dark sea that was death.
I love you...
A tear rolled down the zombified Applejack's cheek, and the Pony that had shot Winona immediately ran off. Other corpses would be running around soon, and they didn't intend on fighting off that many zombified Ponies.
Applejack sat down beside her beloved pet, and kept weeping uncontrollably. Why did Winona have to constantly follow her?
Applejack put her muzzle close to her pet's neck and breathed out a heavy sigh, helping her cope with what recent events just happened.
Other zombies began crowding around the area where Winona had been shot, and slowly approached Winona's dead body, only thinking of it as a snack. Applejack turned, and gave the closest thing to a growl as she could, which was a low moan. The other Zombies stopped in their tracks, standing there as Applejack warded them away from Winona.
I don't care that you thought you were being selfish...
The other Zombies began trotting away from Applejack and her pet, allowing Applejack to put her attention back to Winona. She placed her mouth on Winona's neck, and bit down as hard as she could.
Because...
Applejack backed away from Winona, and sat down by the carriage Winona had stood on. The stick they used for fetch was still up there, and Applejack grabbed with her tail.
I want to be with you...
Applejack heard a moan, and turned around again to attack whatever Zombie was about to make a meal out of Winona, but she was instead greeted by a different four legged creature.
Forever and always...
Winona had been reanimated by Applejack's bite, and was now happily trudging her way over to Applejack.
Don't you want that too Buddy?
