Since the epidemic began he had felt numb.
His heart began to beat. This was not the end... it had only just begun.

~Infectious - Scarylover1998~

~Jaeger~

Morning came and my heart skipped a beat. Another night survived, this time with others. The monster that loomed overhead the previous night had left as the sun broke out. I recognised the sounds it made. That one was special to me. If anypony was to kill that one, it would be me, no questions asked.

We were all hungry, and the food Spike had packed would only go so far. "Where's Rainbow's cloud-home supposed to be?" I asked to nopony in particular. Naturally, Twilight was the one to reply.

"It's a little West between here and the Apple Orchard." she replied, her stomach growling afterwards. We had to eat something, but this bakery was dryer than the bread that used to flow through the ovens.

"We'll head to the Orchard and look for more food, then we'll double back to Rainbow's. Conserve your magic until the Zombies actually pose a threat. If we can outrun them, then we will. Spike, remain close to us and keep an eye on Rainbow Dash. We don't want her wandering off." I ordered. There were distracted confirmations from each member of the party as they gathered their things. "Rainbow, do you need to take anything with you?" I asked. The Pegasus in question stared at me for a moment before shaking her head.

"No, I'm good. Might look around at my place when we get there though." she replied, turning to stare at a wall.

I followed her gaze to see if there was anything interesting about the wall, but aside from the paint scraping away. It was rather dull. "Okay then. I'll be waiting by the door when you're all ready." I said, turning to descend the stairs. As I waited, I decided to listen in on their conversation, which had just begun.

~Twilight~

I felt safe with Jaeger around. Including Trixie he had the most experience out of all of us. His Shadow Slayer magic was what made me feel safest. He wouldn't have called it that if he hadn't tested it first. It could only mean that it worked.

As far as my teachings went, he wasn't really teaching me in the traditional sense. I found myself learning through observation and my own personal experiences. Cheerilee and Lyra were an example. It seemed as though Jaeger was trying to teach me to ignore the faces of my friends and focus on the intentions of those around me. Those with clear eyes were less likely to hurt me than those with cloudy eyes. Though he'd mentioned a few terms like 'bandits' and 'raiders', even 'marauders'. Evidently, Equestria did not unite under the Princesses' banner, but chose to go their own separate ways. It saddened me to think that there were fewer ponies protecting the Princesses. I'd have to ask Jaeger exactly how much he knew regarding them. Even if it wasn't much, it would still be something.

My train of thought was broken by Rainbow Dash who had been staring at a wall for the past three minutes. She had a look of absolute melancholy on her features. "I wonder if Scootaloo's alright?" she said. The query made us all stop what we were doing to look at her with sympathy.

Scootaloo; the flight-challenged Pegasus pony who looked up to Rainbow Dash the way I looked up to Princess Celestia, perhaps even more-so. I always loved how Rainbow Dash would play the big sister for her. In a way, it mightn't have been playing. A relationship like their s urged one to ask what the limits of family really were. Was it blood? Was it legal documentation, or was it the heart? The feeling of love you had for another that rivalled the love you had for your own family. Did that kind of love for somepony make them family to you?

"She must've been so scared!" I saw Rainbow begin to break down and I dropped my things to comfort her. She sobbed into my collarbone as we descended into a crouch. "I should have been there for her! I went to find you guys. I should have looked for her too! Why didn't I think to look for her too?" she sobbed. I held her tighter and tried to calm her down.

"It's okay, Rainbow. The situation messed with all our minds. I... I didn't even bother to look for you guys, I just ran to the Library Basement." I confessed to her. She gripped me tighter.

"S-so... I'm not a bad friend? I...I'm not the only one who couldn't handle the...the..."

"Situation? Yeah, you're not the only one. You're not a bad friend, Rainbow." I replied, slightly gladdened that she didn't resent me for my own lack of loyalty.

It was a full minute before Rainbow looked up at me with serious and desperate eyes. "Twilight... what are the chances of her surviving out there? Answer honestly." she pleaded. I was hesitant to give her an answer at all. How do you tell somepony that the chances of a grounded Pegasus surviving in the equivalent of Tartarus are slim to none?

"If she's with others, then her chances are good...ish. But alone...I honestly don't see a chance. Unless she somehow made it to your Cloud-home and has been living off of whatever food and water you have there." It was an unlikely scenario, but I figured she could do with something.

"It is possible. I read once that grounded Pegasi, are able to fly for a short time while running on adrenaline. Natural instincts take over and even if you didn't know how to fly before, the instincts do it for you." Trixie added. Rainbow looked to Trixie with a hopeful smile on her face. Thinking back, I'd read that book too. How stupid of me to forget it. "Only, if she managed to get onto a cloud, she'd be stuck there. Once the adrenaline leaves your body, you go back to being grounded." she added. Despite that last bit of unneeded information, it did nothing to deter Rainbow's Spirits.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Rainbow said, a sudden spring in her step. She reminded me of the old Rainbow Dash.

~Jaeger~

I stepped out of the way just in time to avoid getting knocked over by an overexcited Rainbow Dash. Having heard the conversation, I understood why she was so giddy. While I didn't know Scootaloo, Rainbow did. And if she was certain that she'd find Scootaloo, then the grounded Pegasus must have been alive. I hadn't known these ponies long enough to feel so confident in their 'feelings', but something about them all just made me trust their instincts, such as they were.

It was a good hour before we made it to the Orchard. For such a small town, it sure took a while to get around. Though Rainbow seemed excited to be flying again. The town was virtually empty, devoid of any life, and death. The Shade from last night must have recalled everything, even the zombies. Twilight's theory was correct, then. The Shades, or at least that one could control the virus. I decided to refrain from telling the others about this discovery. They had enough on their plates. I was too nice for my own good.

Upon reaching the Apple's household, we repeated the entry procedure, sans barricade. Winona and I searched upstairs while the others raided the kitchen. I was looking for something in particular. I managed to find Applebloom's room. Going in, I saw the place completely trashed. Whoever, or whatever did this didn't matter.

I went to the bed and searched around on the floor before finding what I wanted on the bedside table. Face down was a picture. Three little fillies, one with a bow on her head. Each wore little red capes round their necks.

I never thought I'd live to see anything cute in this world. Yet I was proven wrong. Then again, there was Twilight so I was proven wrong alrea-

"Find anything, Jaeger?" Twilight's voice said from behind me. I jumped in the air, and I think I screamed. Turns out I did scream. Twilight's attempt to hide a snigger attested to that. With a deep sigh, knowing I wouldn't live this down, I handed Twilight the picture in my hand. She took it with a smile on her face and examined it.

"Just like before. Scootaloo's the Pegasus, obviously. She kind of looks like Rainbow Dash, the way she styles her mane, and that fearless confidence in her eyes... I miss them all so much." she began.

I placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "We'll find them. All of them." I said, walking past her.

"You're a good guy, Jaeger. I just want you to know that." she said.

"Thanks, you too." I replied, leaving her in Applebloom's room. I noticed Winona seemed especially sad to be back here. She just sat in the doorway to Applejack's room, her ears folded back. I'd never seen a dog so sad. I approached her and knelt down beside her, patting her head in sympathy. "It's alright, Winny. You'll see them again. I promise you that." I said. Winny rested her head against my leg for a moment before returning downstairs. I decided to follow, catching Twilight along the way.

Trixie, Spike and Rainbow decided to stop and have breakfast before heading off to Rainbow's home. I saw no problem with that.

It was strange; seeing everypony sitting down to a meal and chatting as if there weren't a care in the world. It was like they'd taken the opportunity to forget about their worries and recapture the glory days. They chatted about nothing in particular. The weather, the possibility of establishing a home front somewhere. Not a bad idea. I suggested a mountain. The scene would allow sounds to travel, and while it would make it easier for the Shades and zombies to find us, it would also make it easier for us to tell when they were coming. They agreed that it was a good idea, but the debate over whether an open area or a closed in area would be better.

In one hand, closed in area meant greater defences, but also limited our escape routes, whereas open areas would leave us defenceless, but provide us with a better chance of escape. I suggested somewhere near a waterfall. Shades tended to avoid running water, and a waterfall would provide the perfect escape. Twilight then added to my idea by suggesting we established the fort behind the waterfall. It would do to disguise our sounds as well as make us hard to detect. Trixie then suggested an alarm system of sorts to place around the entrance to the waterfall, should the water itself fail to protect us. Trixie was good at illusions, so should the alarm go off, she could disguise the fort in a sort of fake wall.

All were excellent ideas. Twilight even wrote them down. But as Breakfast was finished, and the day was moving on without us, We decided to take whatever was left over and continue to Rainbow's cloud-home.

Once again, the journey went by unimpeded. A bad sign in my experience. Despite her keen eye, Twilight seemed not to notice, or at the very least didn't seem to want to voice her opinion on the matter.

The cloud house rested around one-hundred-and-forty above us, still in good condition. Given that Cloudsdale was gone and ponies were fighting for their lives, there were no Pegasi to regulate the wind. Everything was stagnant.

"How long does that cloud-walking spell last for again, Twilight?" I asked.

"Three days. Don't worry, you're not gonna fall through the clouds." she said, reassuring me. I groaned inwardly as I stared at the cloud.

"Alright, fine. Let's get this over with." I said. Twilight nodded and activated her magic. All but her and Rainbow Dash were encased in her aura for a few moments before being released. She gave me the thumbs-up, indicating that it had worked. Rainbow took to the air and headed straight for her home, followed by Twilight. I activated my own magic and teleported everypony else, including Spike and Winona to the cloud-home. Rainbow was waiting there for us. As she opened the door, she zoomed inside and began searching the place. Each of us casually walked in and began looking for either Scootaloo or Applejack's note. I found the note almost immediately, on the kitchen table left of the front door.

Dear Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie,

Fluttershy will have placed this letter here for us. We've yet to find anypony else. Fortunately, none of us have been bitten. We tried searching for Scootaloo, but she was nowhere to be seen. We can only assume the worst. Seems that's all we can think about now. All the hapiness, the magic in the world... It's all gone. I wish Twilight were here. I wish everypony were here.

We're headed for Apple Loosa. Rarity agrees that we should try to rescue as many of our families as we can. Apple Loosa was closer to Ponyville, so we're looking for Cousin Braeburn. Once we're done there, we'll go to Manehattan to find Rarity and Sweetie's parents. I hope for all our sakes that they're still alive.

Hope you find this letter, and eventually us;

Applejack, Rarity, Sweetie Belle,Applebloom and Fluttershy.

"I can't find her." Rainbow said, looking worried.

"Neither could the others. Applejack and Rarity have assumed the worst for her." I replied. Rainbow slumped down on the cloud and sighed.

"I should have known it was too good to be true." she said. I didn't know what to do. My eyes darted in every direction aside from hers.

It was then that I spotted another note, under the one Fluttershy left us. "Looks like somepony else left a message." I said, getting Rainbow's attention. The ink was still wet, meaning it was written recently. I read this one out for her to hear.

"Dear Rainbow Dash,

I don't know if you'll ever get this. I looked for you around Ponyville, but I couldn't find you. I knew if you came looking for me, you'd at least try here. It wasn't easy getting up here, especially with a broken wing, but I did it. Got Pinkie Pie's Party Cannon to thank for that. Found it just left there in the middle of the street.

I survived for as long as I could on the food that was here. I was surprised to find out that you were well stocked up. I always thought you were the kind to eat take out every night, or just buy enough to get you through the day or something. Makes me wonder what the pay for Weather Patrol leader was like after all.

Still, I've run out of food and I can't get down from here. I'd hoped that the wind would blow some clouds my way to use for stepping stones, but there hasn't been a breeze since just after this all started. I realized quickly that I was going to starve to death up here. I didn't want that. I don't know when you'll get this or even if you'll get it. All I know is that I held out as long as I could.

I've decided not to wait for hunger to take my life. I'd rather take it myself. I waited as long as I could for you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad at you for not finding me in time. I understand that a lot of things could have prevented you from getting to me. I know you're the best, Rainbow Dash. I always have. But these things are unlike anything you've told me about before. I saw what they did to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. I'd be laughing now if it weren't so sickening. I never liked them. But it made me think.

I could take the plunge and fall off the edge. Maybe I'd get lucky and survive. Ponies tend to survive falling into trees and stuff, right? But then I thought, if I did survive, I could wind up dying the same way Diamond and Silver did. I'd rather not suffer like that.

You'll find me in the attic.

Goodbye, Rainbow Dash.

I love you;

Scootaloo."

It took a second for the letter to hit us. I had no idea what Rainbow Dash was thinking, but I just concentrated on the ink. It was still wet, which meant that it was written very shortly before we arrived. It would take a while for her to set up-.

We heard something above us. Rainbow and I looked at each other for a second before running as quickly as we could to the attic. The speed at which Rainbow moved surprised me. She was faster than the Shades. She took flight up the stairs, distorting them which made it difficult for me to get a good hoofhold. Nevertheless, I kept up with her, adrenaline forcing me past my physical limits.

I followed Rainbow to the Attic entrance. It was locked. I pulled her out of the way and charged my magic. A wide beam shot through the doorway, blasting the cloud away. I even made a little sun roof. Rainbow wasted no time afterwards. She dove up through the hole and began screaming frantically. I jumped through and followed the source of the scream. Rainbow was on the ground, crouched in front of a still swinging Scootaloo.

Author's Note

Hey guys, what's the worst question ever after reading a chapter like this? THIS IS!