Author's Note

It's been a while since I've done any writing, so I didn't feel too pressured to proofread this story as thoroughly as I normally do.

Trust

Babs looked over the railing at the chaos raging through the street below. Ponies were chasing after others and clamping their jaws onto their flesh. This is something that one would think only happened in movies and video games, the dead attacking the living.

Babs Seed was lucky enough to have escaped the carnage by hiding on the top floor of a seven story apartment building. Apparently the previous owner had left in a hurry as most of their belongings were either untouched or strewn about on the floor.

Babs was overwhelmed. She put her hooves over her ears and shut her eyes as tight as she possibly could.

"This isn't real. This isn't happening. This is all just a dream. A nightmare."

Babs trembled uncontrollably as she vainly attempted to convince herself that the horrors below weren't reality.

"Mom... Dad... I'm scared. I wanna go home!"

The young crusader was returning home from a crusader club meeting when hell broke loose. When ponies started to attack each other and the screaming began, Babs ran as fast as her little legs could carry her. Some tried to fight, but it was all in vain as they were soon overwhelmed and killed.

She locked the door and moved the couch, the biggest piece furniture her body could manage, in front of the only way in and out of the suite.

Having her backside against a wall in a corner was where Babs felt the most secure, a trait that she developed over years of ridicule for not having a cutie mark.

She curled up into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible. She just wanted to disappear.

"Mommy..."

"What is it honey?"

The sound of a familiar, caring voice pulled Babs out of the darkness and when she opened her eyes, she was shocked to discover that her surroundings had changed. Babs was no longer in the empty apartment and the pungent smell of death was replaced with the sweet aroma of freshly baked apple pie. She was home.

"Was... was it all a dream?"

"Was what all a dream?" The familiar voice inquired.

Babs blinked her eyes a few times to determine if what she saw was real. After the third blink and no change, Babs' fears quickly evaporated like they were never there. It was her mother. She had her back facing Babs and was busily cleaning the dishes.

Tears of joy began streaming down Babs' face, "It was horrible! I was all alone and ponies were dying and-"

"It's alright, there's nothing to fear now." Babs' mother turned and Babs' turned ghostly white with fear as all the blood drained from her face.

What stood before her was not the caring mare that raised her. All the features of the entity matched the exact appearance of her mother. All except for the face, or lack thereof. In its place was a blank space, void of facial features, except for two glowing blue dots that resembled eyes. It was constantly shifting and warping, as if looking through water.

She couldn't take her eyes off of the terrifyingly warped and twisted face, as if her eyes were being held open by an invisible force. No matter how much she tried, her body wouldn't respond to her commands.

Slowly, the entity approached Babs. It's breaths were strained, as if breathing heavily with a cloth over your mouth and it's hoof-steps made a sickening crunching sound that boomed in her ears. If Babs wasn't a child, the anxiety she was having would have probably given her a heart attack.

Soon, the figure was right in her face. Staring at her with an unwavering gaze. After what felt like an eternity of torture, the creature whispered in a low, creaky voice,

"You're safe here..."

Terrified, Babs threw open her eyes to the real world. In a way, she was somewhat relieved to be awake but at the same time, she didn't have any joy for what reality had to offer her.

Overwhelmed with the situation, her young body instinctively emptied the contents of her stomach. The bile combined with the smell of death was absolutely disgusting.

"Why... Why is this happening?" She gagged.

"Hello?!"

Every muscle in Babs' body tensed up and she slowly turned her head to the barricaded door. The voice was coming from the hallway. She didn't realize how loud she was and whoever was out there must have heard her.

"Is someone in there?" The stranger began knocking on the door, rather hard, "If someone is in there, please, could you let me in?"

Babs wiped her mouth, "Go away!"

The knocking stopped and that silence was even more terrifying than what was happening just outside the building. Living in the city has taught her that the loud ones are easy to deal with because you know everything they're thinking. It's the quiet ones that are the most dangerous.

"Hey kid, why don't you open the door and let me in?" The stranger spoke in a calming, fatherly, tone.

"I'm not a kid!" Babs barked defensively.

"S-Sorry!" The stranger apologized, "Why don't we help each other out, huh? They say that two heads are better than one for a reason, right? You seem like a smart kid, so I'm gonna say it straight. No living thing is going to survive this if they're alone, but if we work together, our chances increase drastically."

The filly took a moment to process the bit of insight she was just given. She wasn't ignorant. It made sense that working with the help of another is the best way to solve a problem.

"So, whaddya say? Will you let me in?"

"How do I know that I can trust you?"

"Just as I thought," The stranger chuckled, "You are smart and you're right, you don't know. I'm certain your parents have taught you not to talk to strangers. Not all ponies are nice. Now I'm not like the ones you need to watch out for, but that's completely subjective and you can choose to believe it or not. If you don't trust me, I wouldn't have any ill feelings against you if you want me to leave."

"T-Thanks..." The filly replied.

"Why don't we just talk? Introduce ourselves and get to know each other a little? Maybe build up some trust?"

"What's your name?" Babs asked without hesitation.

"I feel like I've been doing most of the talking. Why don't you start?"

"Pfft!" Babs scoffed, "That's not gonna happen. If you want me to let you in, you have to earn my trust."

"Assertive, I like that. Alright, my name is Fireside. I have- oh crap!"

"What's going on out there? What's wrong?"

"I hear them coming up the stairs. Kid, I think we're gonna have to save this conversation for another time. You're gonna have to make a choice and you're gonna have to make it within the next, like, seven seconds!"

Babs quickly climbed up on the couch blocking the door and put her ear against it and, faintly, could make out the sound of many hooves shambling up the steps. They were coming. The filly was conflicted. She still didn't really trust the stallion outside but at the same time she didn't want to just leave him to die a horrible death.

"Kid, what's it gonna be?!"

Babs hopped off the couch and with all the strength she could muster, pushed it away from the door. When there was enough from for the door, she undid the latch and the lock.

Babs threw the door open, "Hurry! Get in!"

Fireside graciously accepted Babs' generous offer and dashed inside. At the end of the hallway, not more than ten yards away, was an infected pony. It's eyes were faded like a dead fish. The creature's movements were slow and clumsy. The most disturbing feature was the pony's mouth and front which were liberally covered in blood. At first there was just one, then two, three, five... when their hungry stares met with Babs', they began to pick up the pace as they rushed towards her. Babs shut her eyes as tight as she could and leaned back with all her might and yanked the door closed. The loud crash of the door echoed in her ears and then silence.