The Rotting

Chapters

I - The Promise
II - Strike the Source
III - Oathkeeper

I - The Promise

EMERGENCY ALERT!
Code Red Protocol: Evacuate Immediately

A mysterious virus has been detected in Ponyville, coming from the Tree Castle underground. Evacuate immediately!

bzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrttt!

Apploosa Press Just In: Ponyville has been taken by a mysterious virus that originated from the basement of the Tree Castle. Princess Twilight Sparkle is reported to be the creator, and unfortunately, is its first victim. Because of safety reasons, a proper burial is impossible.

bzzzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrttttt!

'This is Grace from Filly Delphia News Network, here with Dr. Stones from Manehattan. Thanks for joining us tonight!"

"Thank you, Grace."

"Now, a few questions on behalf of the population, how do you plan to take down this virus once and for all? The rest of the inhabitants of Ponyville have been moved to sterile facilities, to my understanding."

"They have, and eighty percent of them, as I've heard, are clean. For those who aren't clean, we will take a sample of the virus from them. The first priority is to get a vaccine out there to the ponies in close proximity of the source outward. Then we will have the most powerful unicorns move in and eradicate the virus for good."

"Right. And, I heard that Ponyville celebrities Rainbow Dash and Rarity have been infected, as well?"

"That is correct, Grace. The rest of them are suspected to be out of town."

bzzzzzzzzzzrrrrrrrrrrrrtttttt!

THE RAIN FELL IN HEAVY SHEETS INTO THE STREETS, exploding as they hit the hard concrete. The press's camera's flashed blinding light, so many of them there that she couldn't properly make her way down the street. She kept her grey eyes fixated on the passing sidewalk tile, her vision fuzzy from tears. She wore a semi-transparent poncho that made her yellow coat look reddish, her drooping, pink mane looking a deeper pink.

Her teeth chattered of cold and stabbing nervousness. She absolutely hated crowds, especially now. She'd just barely heard the news, and as soon as she heard Twilight's name mentioned among the dead, she bolted out of her hotel in a mess of tears. All she wanted to do now was fly, though she'd only be colder, and would be a mess when she reached the train station.

Around her, the press continued pressing microphones at her, some with FM numbers ranging from zero to one hundred twenty. Vanhoover News, The Filly Report, and Channel 7 News were on the microphone blocks all in flashy fonts. She, if she didn't know better, would rip the microphones from their hooves and bolt, but she kept her composure as much as she could.

"What do you think of Princess Twilight Sparkle's death?" asked one.

"Rainbow Dash and Rarity have been taken into care," stated another. "What say you in that?"

"Do you think this virus can be stopped?" demanded another.

Fluttershy backed into the ground. She just couldn't take it anymore; the questions, the flashing, the crowds... She felt a wail build up in her system, a disgusting, desperate one that needed to escape. Her chest burned with anxiety, her mind was clouded with fear, and her ears were deaf to the biggest and most guttural scream she'd ever accumulated, lifting her hooves to her head, trying to make this nightmare end.

For an alicorn, Fluttershy always wondered why Twilight was so obsessed with science experiments.

It's true that science and magic were two different things. The mass of this planet pulled us down to earth. That isn't magic, that's science. The way that unicorns can summon spells in exchange for effort, that was science. The result of that, however, is magic.

But wouldn't a powerful alicorn with a basic knowledge of science be enough? Fluttershy thought. What's she trying to prove?

Fluttershy brought her pace to a slow stop as she arrived at the front gate of the violet castle. Moreover, Fluttershy added, why did she bring me here? Any other one of the ponies would be more responsible than me, I'm sure of it. She studied the gate closely. Usually, the gate was locked down tight. Twilight was introverted in that way. But for some reason, the gate was unlocked, the door slightly ajar.

Fluttershy's heart stopped for a moment. Oh dear, she couldn't have been... Fluttershy crept up to the golden gate, newfound fear wrapping its ice-cold fingers over her heart. It was maybe three times her height, and she caught her reflection in the precious, polished gold. Her mane was a tad bit messier than usual because of rush, and she spotted a small twig behind her left ear, probably from the cute little robbin trying to make a nest on her head the previous day.

She scratched her ear. Boy, did she have a basket case to take care of yesterday. All of the creatures and critters were restless for some reason, and that usually meant bad omen. But all was relatively quiet afterward. They probably saw Zecora that day, she thought. Poor Zecora, all the animals being scared of her. Zecora normally came around Ponyville Tuesdays and was keen to visit as she ran errands. The town had gotten used to her visits, and they found her very sociable.

Unlike the alicorn that nearly took off her muzzle. Fluttershy jumped back as the gate flew open, uttering a small eep! Standing in the gateway was none other than Twilight Sparkle. Her mane was an absolute mess, the red stripe in her hair spread all over the place. She smelled strongly of sweat, her lavender coat greased down and seeming singed in some places, her wings in desperate need of preening. Her deep violet eyes were bloodshot, and she breathed through her mouth erratically.

She nodded tiredly toward Fluttershy and gestured her into the commons. To the right and left were stairwells, the right wing leading to the library, the left wing leading to the throne room, the sleeping quarters, and the viewing tower. However, there was a new addition in the front-center of the room. There was yet another stairwell leading down into the roots of the tree. Yellow light danced on the rear wall of the hole.

"Come on down," huffed Twilight, and she hobbled to the stairwell that led deep underground.

"Um, Twilight, are you sure?" Fluttershy asked. "You seem really, really tired."

Twilight shook her head and flashed a hoof to Fluttershy's direction. "No, no, I... I've gotta show you this... er... thingy." She stepped onto the first stair, wobbling like jelly.

"Twi—!"

"Don't worry 'bout me," she slurred as she slid her way down the stairs. "Just come on... I have something to... to show you."

Fluttershy bit her lip. She would do anything for her friends, but Twilight was pushing herself too hard! What she needed was rest, and a nice, long bath. But, she knew Twilight. Possibly the only way to get her to do something is to do the thing she asks of you. Even if it was descending into a dark, cramped hole that probably led to unexpected scientific discovery.

She took a deep breath and climbed down the stairs. Under every two wraps of steps, a torch was placed on opposite sides of the stairwell. This setup was horrible; the wrap in between the torches would be pitch dark, and Fluttershy couldn't really tell where the steps were, which was very disconcerting up to the point where she slipped on the edge of the step. Her flank touched down on the (thankfully) carpeted stairway and she slid down like butter in a skillet at a great speed. She glided into Twilight at the base of the stairs, landing one on top of the other. Fluttershy nearly zipped over Twilight's slick fur, but decelerated just enough to stop mid-flip, looking at Twilight's face. Fluttershy wondered how Twilight got those big, round buck teeth for a second when she realized Twilight was scowling at her upside-down.

"Oh!" Fluttershy squeaked, lifting one leg after another off of her, "I'm sorry!"

Twilight held her twitchy scowl, then sighed. "It's all right," she said. "I'm just a little cranky, that's all."

Fluttershy nodded in understanding. She then glanced at the lab in front of her, and that glanced turned into a stare. Many test tubes and flasks were dotted about wooden shelves, all containing odd liquid, all in many different colors. A strong, grape-like smell filled the room, similar to the smell of liquid cold medicine.

"What is this?" Fluttershy asked in wonder.

Twilight stood up unsteadily, and walked toward her creations. "This," she said, putting a hoof gingerly on the side of a flask, the contents of which were blue, "is medicine." She smiled gleefully. "There are children in the middle east who are infected with a sort of virus. One that, quite oddly, seems parasitic; it eats its victim on the inside out, and..." Her voice faltered. "... yeah."

Fluttershy was extremely glad that she didn't go into detail as per usual. She minimized her gawking. "Twilight... that's amazing! I didn't know making medicines were a part of the princess's job description."

Twilight shrugged wearily. "Eh, we do our best."

"How long have you been at this?"

"Four days," Twilight sighed. "Almost nonstop. And I'm not done yet."

Fluttershy frowned. Four days consecutively, she thought, yet it still isn't done? She studied Twilight again, who'd started preening her feathers, an activity she personally thought was sensual. Fluttershy looked away. At least she's getting a little self-conscious and is starting to clean up. But, I need to persuade her to get her rest.

"How much more needs to be done?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight spat out the gunk from her feathers from inside her mouth. "Note to self," she mumbled, "don't wait too long to preen." She raised her voice. "All that needs to be done now is to make it become stable enough for pony consumption. If I don't do it soon, gases will release, gases of the deadly sort."

Fluttershy's heart sank. I guess there's no way I can convince her now, she thought, sighing. "Well, I'll leave you to that."

"Wait, Fluttershy! The reason why I called you down here is because it's so unstable. A concoction like this can turn into just about anything."

"I'm sorry, Twilight, but I have a train to catch to Vanhoover for an animal convention that I'm speaking at. I've never had such of an opportunity." She tried to say that as calmly as possible, but she was scared out of her mind. Stage fright had it out for her, waiting for its time to strike.

Twilight sighed. "Everypony else is busy," she muttered. "Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"Just... promise me one thing. That if anything goes wrong, you'll help to sort it out."

Fluttershy thought the question was silly. She's just being herself, she noted, always overestimating outcomes on an extreme level. "I promise," Fluttershy ensured.

Twilight sighed for relief. "Good."

They said their farewells, and Fluttershy ascended the stairs, expecting to see her after the trip was over.

But that was not the case.

"Fuck me!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "Why did I have to take her request for granted? Now she's gone! And two of my friends are going to die because of it! Because I put my own wants in front of me instead of hers! Now, nothing can heal this wound! My friend died because of me! How can I live with that?"

Fluttershy didn't care now how wet or cold she'd get. She flew, knocking the poncho off her as she extended her wings. The rain drenched her, flying into her eyes, blinding her as she soared for the train station. But she didn't make it far until her chest met a tree branch. She fell about six feet, landing smack on her side, the shock of the impact throwing her into a coughing fit.

She picked her head up, grimacing in pain. Why? she thought, slamming her hoof into the ground. Why did this all happen? Why did she have to die? She hit the ground again, her sobs making it impossible to breathe. Then she remembered Twilight's last request.

Promise me... if anything goes wrong, you will help sort it out, she had said.

Fluttershy grit her teeth. I... I promise! She slammed her hoof into the ground. There's nothing I can do to bring you back, but... I will honor your death. Trust me. I'll do whatever it takes to reclaim Ponyville! For you!

Memories of Twilight flashed in her mind. Her nerdiness, her quirkiness, all among her intellect, understanding, and care for every one of her friends. Fluttershy could almost see her right in front of her, smiling down at her as she gained the resolve to stand again.

Fluttershy let out a yell. Not a cry of anguish, not a wail of self-hate, but a war cry. A statement of morale that shook the ground and the mountains, and every heart around her.

"WHATEVER IT TAKES!" Fluttershy bolted up to her hooves, and leaped into the sky and took of, disregarding any shortcomings.

It was a two day train ride down to Ponyville. Well, Ponyville's approximate location, that is.

The car that Fluttershy was situated in was a fairly decent one. It was somewhat of a high class train, with a homey look that was profound even when you stepped into the car. The seats could've used a little more padding; Fluttershy found herself constantly adjusting her seating position to avoid pain. When Fluttershy heard the announcer call that they were nearing first infirmary facility, she sighed in relief. The car was filled up with people, and some of them tried to engage conversation with her. Fluttershy was at least thankful that it wasn't as bad as the ride up.

The train screeched to a halt, puffing out steam like a proud animal. As she walked out of the car, everything seemed to be fine. Just with the addition of an acre-long tent about a mile away from the town. Fluttershy looked at the town hopefully for a second, then the memories hit her of what happened down there. She looked away from the town, eyes burning.

There were only three ponies that dismounted and stayed, including Fluttershy. The rest were probably here to see what had happened, she figured. They walked back into the train car quite quickly, though.

The other two she could recognize from a mile away. One was a small filly with a drifting deep pink mane and a tan coat. Her wings looked small and undeveloped on her barrel. The other was older, an earth pony with white-and-silver striped mane with a tri-shade hair clip hanging over back. Her coat was creamy white, which somehow reminded Fluttershy of cold winter days sipping on heavenly white hot chocolate.

"Scootaloo? Coco?" Fluttershy called.

The two turned. "Fluttershy..." Scootaloo whimpered, sprinting toward her with glassy eyes. She rammed into her chest, wrapping her hooves around her neck, and sobbing into her chest. Fluttershy rested her head on hers, and gently wrapped a hoof around her. "It's all right," Fluttershy cooed, though with a broken voice. She felt a stab of pain in her as the lie's sweet coating turned bitter.

Coco walked up hesitantly. She narrowed her eyes in a speculative manner. "You're friends with Rarity, aren't you?" she said with a vague eastern accent.

Fluttershy nodded. "Yes. I decided to drop by on my way down."

Coco nodded back. "If I may ask, where are you going, exactly?"

Fluttershy gulped. Is it a good idea to tell her? she thought. I don't want anypony trying to stop me. But the health department was on its way to figure out the mess; maybe she could wait it out. Fluttershy shook her head. No, she had valuable information. Who knows what'll be out there.

"Are you all right?" Coco asked.

Fluttershy snapped out of the deep thought. "Yeah, just became deep in thought again."

Coco crossed her hooves ashamedly. "I'm sorry if I reminded you of her."

Fluttershy managed a smile through profound heartache. "Don't worry about it." She gestured to the town. "She's been on my mind all the time."

Coco cocked her head. "Fluttershy... you're much different than what I remember..."

Fluttershy shook her head. "No. I just... have a promise to keep."

The wind howled emptily on the plain, almost trying to breathe life into the abandoned town to no avail. Fluttershy chocked a sob. Just three days ago this town was lively, she remembered. Now it's just empty. Empty and depressing. Probably even the animals have caught the virus by now. Fluttershy hugged Scootaloo closer to her chest, who had started calming down, cooing almost infant-like in the embrace.

Fluttershy looked to Coco again. "We should go inside and check on Rainbow and Rarity," she proposed.

Coco shook her head. "It's no use. They won't let us in. They say it's for our own safety, that the virus is contagious, spreading by air." Coco looked at the town. "But if the illness was airborne, one would think it would be here by now. The breeze is coming from Ponyville anyway."

Fluttershy knit her eyebrows. It was possible, with being in close proximity to them. Her heart sank into the earth. This may have been the final chance she had to visit her friends. If she ends up dying in this endeavor, she knew she would regret it. But part of her resisted, wanting to just go. Who knows what bad condition they'll be in... Fluttershy thought. But then another flashed in her mind. You're being selfish, Fluttershy! She shook her head. Dying alone, unfairly due to a dire turn of events, the least I can do is give them hope. Hope that they will see another day. Fluttershy clamped her eyes shut, a cool, false light growing in her eyelids.

"W-well, at least I will pay them a visit," Fluttershy stammered.

Coco's eyes widened. "Eh?" she gasped, then took a lowly stance. "... Are you sure? It may be dangerous."

"No!" Scootaloo cried in her breast. "I'm at risk of losing two friends now!" She buried her face in Fluttershy's bristly fur. "Please don't add a third!"

Fluttershy suppressed a gasp. She was thinking one-sidedly. For some reason, it didn't occur to her until just then how much Scootaloo needed her. Her parents died in an accident, Fluttershy recalled. Tragically, the same accident the Applejack's parents were involved in. She glanced down at Scootaloo, who was still refusing to break the embrace. Adopted by foster parents who are barely home. Fluttershy suddenly felt heavier. There was no right way to go about this. She made a promise, a promise among the rotting, that she would right this wrong. The stakes were high, higher than the sky's reach. But in order to knock down that iron-clad pillar, she needed information. Information from the doctors. She wanted to assure her friends that everything was all right before they gave up completely.

Fluttershy kissed the crown of Scootaloo's head. It was like just then she felt like a mother to her, and that thought hammered into her head, raising emotion that she wouldn't otherwise have. For one second, she didn't want to leave her, but as much as this familial feeling pierced her heart in all the wrong places, she couldn't leave her other family to die. Her sisters, they needed her.

"I'm sorry, Scootaloo," Fluttershy soothed, "but I must do this." Fluttershy felt her voice breaking like shattering glass. "I promise you, I will come back. I won't have this disease get the better of me."

"B-but..." Scootaloo rubbed her face into Fluttershy's chest. "You can't... you... I love you... you can't..."

Fluttershy gulped down a sob. "I love you too, Scootaloo..." As much as it hurt her, Fluttershy looked to Coco. "If you would..."

Coco nodded. Without another utterance, she pried Scootaloo from Fluttershy, whose hooves were loose in such anguish that Fluttershy's heart felt like it was being trampled on as they swiftly fell away from her neck. Coco swung Scootaloo with difficulty over her back, who was now kicking and screaming. Coco looked back at Fluttershy, with a trustful, but determined expression. "I trust you to help our friends," she said, and without a second glance, she turned toward the stationed train that was puffing steam out of the exhaust. Scootaloo's face was now turned toward her, her hoof outstretched, with red eyes and a dampened face. Fluttershy did another thing that killed her on the inside: she turned away.

I have a duty to tend to, Fluttershy thought, locking her eyes on the infirmary tent, not daring to look back. I will not fail.

Author's Note

Just a final warning here: the next chapter is going to be very graphic in gore. So if you're squeamish, you may want to turn back now. If you want to brave the gore, don't say I didn't warn you.

II - Strike the Source

AS FLUTTERSHY NEARED THE FLOWING FLAP DOORS, she heard voices on the inside of the infirmary tent, hushed down enough she could barely hear them.

"Did you hear?" one of them said, feminine and gentle. "Soul said he saw activity near the town. He thinks some of the ponies are still there!"

"Yeah," another feminine, but gruff voice confirmed. "But, what's taking him so long, anyway? The curious bastard probably went around the architecture again."

"What's so different about Ponyville's architecture, anyway?"

"Exactly! But he does it regardless of the danger." Fluttershy heard a shuffling. "In any case, Light and Resonance caught the disease. They're in the back, right next to the celebrities."

"Shit..." Fluttershy heard something being kicked and a ploomf when it supposedly hit the tent wall. "They were the best operators on the team. Very skilled with magic."

"It's odd, you know..."

"Hm?"

"The majority of the victims... they seem to be all unicorns..."

Fluttershy took in a deep breath. Here goes, she thought as she pulled open the heavy canvas door flap, What she saw at first horrified her. Many ponies, left and right, faces sunken in, eyes cloudy, hooves skin and bone, their rib cages visible through their chest. Their bellies were visibly sunken in under linen sheets, as if they were readying a death bag for them. Fluttershy slapped her hoof to her mouth, keeping a scream and sick back. The smell was putrid, like rotting. This ever reminded her of the abused animals she'd seen in the town before, a helpless look that pierced the soul so easily.

"... Miss, what in the world are you doing here?" addressed the gentle voiced mare. Fluttershy turned to see her, an older mare with a yellow-orange mane, and a deep blue curled coat that reminded her of the sun over the sea. Her eyes were a coral green, filled with newfound concern.

"Er..." The sudden social anxiety struck Fluttershy from behind, the preemptive attack leaving her speechless. There it was, finally out of the curtain.

"You need to get out of here," the other mare said, flipping a drooping black mane over one side of her face, a greenish coat visible under scrubs. She approached Fluttershy. "We don't know how contagious this disease is, or how it spreads. So, get out of here before—"

"Ah-hah!" proclaimed a voice from the back of the infirmary. Running toward them was a pegasus with a salmon coat and a light brown mane pushing back against the air. Between his teeth was a thin stack of paper. "I'bve go'it!"

The black-maned mare turned an eye from Fluttershy. "That was quick, Soul," she admitted, a slight hint of amusement in her voice.

"Indeed," he replied, tracing his hoof down his chest as if pulling a tie. He trotted to a nearby stretcher with a near corpse situated in it, and set the papers down. "We have medical records."

The black-maned mare didn't move an inch. She still glared wide-eyed at Fluttershy, her death gaze pushing her near the door flaps. Fluttershy adverted her gaze, feeling as if she was going to catch fire spontaneously.

"That won't be necessary, Nightmeadow," Soul sighed. "Come over to see and you'll get what I mean." The way he narrowed his eyes at her and responded so quickly gave Fluttershy the notion the two had a history, outside the professional world.

Nightmeadow sighed. "Fine." She shot a fiery eye at Fluttershy. "But. Don't. You. Dare. Move."

Fluttershy nearly sank into the floor, meeping.

Nightmeadow turned sassily to Dr. Soul and his thin papers. "Medical records, eh?" she said, walking toward him with a notable sway in her hips. "... There are barely fifty of them."

Soul nodded. "And how many ponies do we have here?"

The yellow-orange-maned mare crossed her legs. "We have forty-seven..."

Soul pointed at her with one hoof while gently spreading out the medical records with the other. "Precisely. That means there are three missing, among them, Twilight Sparkle."

Fluttershy felt a sob well up in her throat as the stallion said her lost friend's name. The memories flashed over her again, and imagination of her rotting body made her gut twist and churn. Fluttershy tried desperately to get her erratic breathing under control, while trying to keep the sick down once again.

Nightmeadow cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah... but why would you think we'd only have fifty patients?"

Soul waved his hoof dismissively. "I was just getting to that. The reason why I only have fifty records is that the residents of Ponyville are really good at not hurting themselves. Including maternity, these fifty have had a special operation with a unicorn surgeon." Soul took a look at the yellow-orange-maned mare. "Shore, tell me, have you ever been operated on by a unicorn?"

Shore shook her head. "No, I have not."

Soul adverted his gaze to Nightmeadow. "You?"

Nightmeadow mirrored Shore's gesture. "I haven't."

Soul then looked at Fluttershy. "I don't know what the fuck you're doing here, but have you ever been operated on by a unicorn?"

Fluttershy thought back. "No, Dr. Soul," she said, "I have not been."

Soul smiled like a foal on Hearth's Warming. "What are the odds?" He made a gesture as if to slam his hoof on the stretcher, but refrained. "Us three—four, I mean—have not caught the disease. There is a very small percentage of those who did. The fifty have either been unicorns or people gravely injured and operated on by a unicorn surgeon." His smile grew. "Which tells us...?"

It clicked. Fluttershy felt butterflies in her stomach as she said, "... the disease dwells on magic, perhaps?"

Nightmeadow glared at Fluttershy, but Soul pointed at her, nodding. "Give this mare a cookie. The disease can only transfer to magic-affected bodies."

Nightmeadow stomped on the ground. "But what does magic mean to them, then?" Her eyes narrowed, passing glares between the both of them. "If it's for sustenance, why do the ponies here look more or less like cadavers?"

Soul smirked. "Shore, where is the tumor we cut out earlier today?"

Shore nodded. "I'll grab it."

Soul straightened up, a deviant smile pulling on the corners of his lips. "This disease, as Shore and I have figured out, forms tumors in the abdominal area, but we have discovered aberrations in this pattern. Some tumors were found in forelegs, hindlegs, and sometimes in the genital area. But these tumors seem to have spread to the same point: the abdomen, the greatest store of fat on any pony's body." He narrowed his brow. "So, it wouldn't be a far-fetched assumption if they gained sustenance from body fats, thus disproving, obviously, that they're abstemious."

Shore meandered around stretchers and gingerly set a bloody quart jar between the three. Inside was a translucent pink bulge, glowing with a deep blue aura. The bulge nearly eclipsed a thin sheet of flesh, with black fur coating around the bottom. The sight was the final straw on the camel's back for Fluttershy; she lurched forward and heaved, a green, chunky ooze escaping from her mouth and nose. Stomach heaving, nostrils burning, she wiped the remaining bile from her mouth, spitting out the remains of her undigested food.

The doctors seemed unfazed. Soul just nodded. "That pretty much describes this little bit here, eh?" he said. "But, if you were here a couple hours before, this tumor would be a lot smaller. Within that time, it has fully consumed the chunk of flesh in there."

Shore tilted her head. "Why do they need magic, then, if they gain nourishment from consuming nutrients from the pony's body?"

Soul tapped his hoof. "Interesting question. I suppose that the alleged virus needs magic more. Like water, if you will. You may need food. But water you cannot live without. But, Nightmeadow, do you remember what happened yesterday?"

Nightmeadow cocked an eyebrow. "You mean the unicorn, Rarity? Yeah... her magic didn't seem reduced... it actually seemed stronger."

Soul frowned. "Interesting, eh? So, this virus isn't using magic as sustenance. So, why would they need magic to live inside a host?"

There it was again: the click. Fluttershy nearly bounced in her hooves. "They need a place to live."

Soul stared blankly at her. "Come again?"

"They're not using magic for sustenance," Fluttershy echoed, "and it's getting stronger with this virus' presence." She gulped. If Rarity underwent this process... "Sounds a lot like the virus is building a home within magic. It's stronger. It sounds like this virus is much intelligent than you think."

Soul tilted his head, narrowing his eyebrows. "Explain."

Fluttershy explained Twilight's concoction with a bitter taste in her mouth. This was her first time talking to anypony about it, and she figured that she would feel anxiety bite at her. It was like that at the beginning, but as she explained the words naturally slipped out of her mouth like water from a broken dam. She felt lighter, the weight of the burden flowing off of her. When she was done talking, she was near tears, but not really because of the touchy subject. She sighed for relief. "I know it's an odd concept," she said, "but—"

Soul flashed a hoof up. "Oddly, it makes sense. I think we can count on that." He frowned at the ground near Fluttershy's hooves. "Oh, and Shore, if you would, please clean up the vomit near Miss Fluttershy. It's supposed to be a sterile facility, dammit."

Shore sighed, sulking. "Right... our janitor's sort of down, is he?" Fluttershy stepped away from her original position, Nightmeadow glaring at her.

"So, back to the question at hoof," she said, "What is your business here?"

Fluttershy's heart sank. She had completely forgotten about them in the midst of the excitement. "My friends, Rainbow Dash and Rarity should be here. I came here to visit them."

Nightmeadow cocked an eyebrow. "Your friends? They're probably conked out, knowing the number that the disease did on them."

"I don't care." Fluttershy's bottom lip began to quiver. "I just want to see them. Before I..."

"I see..." Nightmeadow took a step forward, her expression relaxing. "You're a part of the six. The friends who are associated with Princess Twilight Sparkle."

Fluttershy gulped. She'd left out that fact as she was explaining, and she dove right into that. "Yes... I promised her that I would try to put an end to this."

The corner of Nightmeadow's lips pulled downward. She didn't look as aggressive as she did before; more like... sympathetic. "I know that you want to honor the dead," she said lightly, "but this disease is all it is; a disease. The only way to stop it is to let it do its work..."

"That isn't exactly true," Soul stated. "That sort of magic that Fluttershy described can be just about anything. The most she can do is to go back and strike the source. A spell is nothing without its caster, anyway."

Fluttershy's gut churned. "What's that supposed to mean..." She was lying. She knew exactly what he meant. But part of her wanted to deny it, to shut it out.

Soul picked up the papers from the linen sheet. "Nothing. Just go visit your friends."

Fluttershy felt like a bee nest was knocked down in her stomach, the raging bees stinging all around. She glanced, horrified at Soul, who's eyes were half-closed, eyebrows knit, frowning deeply. "Right..." she whispered, almost coughing out the word.

Her friends were on the opposite side of the tent, maybe four or five ponies away from the south entrance. There they were, right next to each other, hoof in hoof, an odd gesture to see from Rainbow Dash. They were both awake, sunken eyes and cheeks, a smile curling up on both their lips. Fluttershy could hear Rarity start to sniffle.

"Hey," said Rainbow Dash, her squeaky voice raspy. "Glad you're okay."

Fluttershy lifted her hoof to her mouth, blinking. Tears dribbled down her face. "I'm glad you're still here," she managed.

"Ah..." She nudged Rarity with her inside elbow. "We're fighters. It seems like some of the other patients have just given up though. Cheerilee, almost surprisingly, was among them."

Fluttershy froze. During the delivery of her first child, Cheerilee nearly died during labor. She would usually go on about the unicorn that had saved her from her demise. But tragically, the baby that was born was a miscarriage, and died nearly eighteen hours after birth. "She was really strong..." Fluttershy mumbled in dismay. "Why...?"

Rarity shook her head. "I wouldn't dwell on it," she said, voice hoarse and broken. "Even the happiest ponies can be the saddest on the inside." She cast her eyes around the room. "Say, have you seen Twilight around here? Is she safe?"

Fluttershy hesitated. She didn't know. As much as it pained her that Twilight had the disease and may or may not be dead, she couldn't say that to them. She couldn't say that she was missing. "I... I'm sure she's safe," she lied, upon saying, she became suddenly lightheaded.

Rarity narrowed her eyes skeptically. "All right... I'm glad to hear that."

Fluttershy nodded the tunnel in her vision away. "I will help in any way that I can," she said. "Twilight asked me specifically to end this, so I will."

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow weakly. "Fluttershy...?"

"No you will not!" Rarity snapped, tears finally escaping from her eyes. "It would be suicide if you went there. What if you caught the disease? I do not want another friend—"

"It won't affect me," Fluttershy retorted. "The virus can only live inside those who possess unicorn magic, naturally or surgically. I will be just fine."

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash addressed, "what's wrong with you? You're not being yourself..."

A piercing scream filled the air. Fluttershy winced, the scream too short and too sudden for her to cover her ears. Ears ringing, Fluttershy shook the resounding sound out of her head. She then shot her gaze left then right when she realized the southern entrance was open. Behind the flap was a pony, looking as diseased as the forty-seven in the room. The stallion had a red coat and dirty blond mane, scruffed up with dirt clumps and blood. Around his neck was a green yolk, loose enough now that it hung on his neck like a loose choker. In his mouth was Shore, lifeless eyes, blood tracing from the nape of the neck where he was carrying her.

Rarity's jaw dropped. "No way... that cannot be..."

Big Macintosh flung Shore to the side, her limp corpse falling to the ground. His sunken in eyes stared at Fluttershy aggressively, licking the blood from his lips. He charged, mouth agape, breathing erratically like an animal. Fluttershy backed away, screaming as she saw a flash in front of her. Rainbow Dash landed a hook to Big Macintosh's temple with a sickening crunch! His body fell limp, blood spewing from his ears and face, his skull flattened.

Rainbow Dash yelled in pain, holding her right hoof. Blood traced down her foreleg. It was bent and twisted in unnatural ways. Bone stuck out near the hoof, becoming red in the blood gurgling out from under it.

"Nightmeadow! Check Shore! I will get the patient!" Soul skidded as he stopped leaning down near Rainbow Dash, studying the broken bone. "Shit, it punctured the artery. Sho—ah, dammit!" He pointed at Fluttershy. "Put pressure"— He tapped a place on her upper leg— "right here. I need a rope."

Fluttershy complied. She pushed down where Soul suggested, Rainbow Dash yelping in pain. "Big Mac..." she groaned. "... No wonder." She darted her eyes to Fluttershy. "Twilight isn't here, is she?" she asked, voice nearly gone.

Fluttershy cursed under her breath. "No, she isn't."

"She must be still alive then, yes?"

"I don't know! She took the brunt of the disease; she was the one who accidentally created it."

Rainbow Dash shot her eyes around the room. "Then go."

"Rainbo—"

"I don't care! The doctor has the rope. He'll take care of me as well as he did before. You'll just have to trust him. Just go! Undo what the bitch has done!"

"Rain..." Fluttershy bit her lip. I can't leave her behind... she thought. But staying here won't help anypony. She clamped her eyes shut. "I'll do it. I'll go." And, just like that, she felt the late afternoon breeze on her face as she soared toward Ponyville. She took a look back at the acre-long tent, admiring it for the last time.

Anything it takes, Fluttershy thought.

III - Oathkeeper

After about fifteen minutes of flying, Fluttershy stopped at the western entrance of Ponyville, behind her, the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres lay abandoned.

In front of her, she saw the same; empty and desolate, not half the town she used to know. She took a step onto the pavement, her hoofstep knocking, the sound bouncing off building by building. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves as she walked into the once lively town.

As she made her way to the other side of the town, she started to discover bodies. Bodies of ponies, her age and older, sometimes younger were scattered in alleyways, with lumps of flesh torn off them, pools of blood lay stale on the concrete. The stench was enough to make Fluttershy gag again, the rot entering her nostrils as if foreshadowing her own demise. She stayed toward the center of the street, where nopony seemed to have been eaten alive.

When she finally reached the purple crystal castle, she was amazed how old it seemed. Vines were starting to crawl its way up its trunk, spiny and thick. The color seemed a little unsaturated, as if discorded. Fluttershy fought off memories of Discord as she sneaked her way up to the golden gate that seemed rusted. The bar was down, a heavy one made of the same material. Fluttershy struggled as she heaved the bar upward, falling with a crash onto the concrete. She put one hoof forward and pushed the door open with a small squeak. It was nearly pitch black inside at this rate; the sun was low on the west horizon, giving the castle interior a daunting red glow.

Fluttershy slowly made her made in, making sure to be relatively quiet. Twilight is missing, she reminded herself. I don't want to run into her while I'm at this. She approached a trapdoor at the end of the room, the passageway to the underground lab. The trapdoor was makeshift; warped two-by-fours laying atop a page of sheeting. An ominous sound like breathing lay underneath, not shrill, like she'd heard at the infirmary, but low, almost sleeping. Too low to be a pony's.

Fluttershy attempted to lift the trapdoor to no avail. With a cocked eyebrow, she studied the trapdoor, circling around it once or twice. She noticed a lock holding the two-by-fours down, a lock inaccessible without keys. Fiddling with the chain binding it down, Fluttershy discovered it had some give. The sheeting was not locked down.

Great! Fluttershy thought. I just need something to pry the two-by-fours off... a crowbar would be ideal... Fluttershy brought up locations to thought; scavenging the castle didn't seem like the best idea, stores and most houses would be locked up by then... and it clicked. What other perfect place than a farm to find one of those tools!

Fluttershy bounded back west to Sweet Apple Acres. She didn't have time to waste. Who knew when the other two would find the infirmary... She shook the thought out of her head; she couldn't afford to be distracted.

Five minutes later, she arrived at destination. Sweet Apple Acres wasn't only abandoned, but it was wrecked, especially the barn. Most damages were near to the ground, such as caved in corners and dented walls. A stampede, Fluttershy figured. The running crowds would've spooked the animals, no doubt. Her eyes were fixated on the barn. The structural integrity was failing as it leaned threateningly toward her. Its smashed doors were ajar, the left one hanging on the bottom hinge.

I bet a crowbar would be somewhere in there, she thought. The Apples don't store tools in their houses as far as I know. The only thing I need to watch out for is the barn itself. She stiffened her jaw as she walked toward the foreboding structure.

She peeked past the door, the smell of rot filling her nostrils. She tossed her head aside and gagged, and with one final breath, glanced at it again. It was dark enough inside that the only window of light filtered in through the door and cracks in the wall. Lying in the very center of the barn was a cow. Its light coat was stained red with blood, the upside gnarled and stripped of skin and muscle, strings of it wrapping around the exposed bone. Gnats and flies buzzed around it, landing all around the wound and the popping, open eyes of the cadaver. But sticking from its head stood the tool she needed.

Fluttershy raised her hoof to her nose, inhaled and bit her tongue, the reflex to gag slowly subsiding. The reeking stench hammered her senses once again. "I can do this..." Fluttershy mumbled to herself, lowering her hoof. She sneaked into the barn, though she wasn't sure why. Something nagged at her, the feeling of being watched. She sped up her pace, her muffled hoofsteps managing to echo in the large room, until she was finally upon the creature.

Fluttershy gulped. The prying end is stuck really deep into there, she thought, feeling a drop of sweat tracing from her brow. How will I do this... The crowbar was nearly parallel to the ground, and there was no possible way to shove it down to pry it out. She would have to lift it, and hopefully the structure would hold up to the prying. She licked her teeth. This will hurt, she told herself as she bent down and wrapped her teeth around the metal tool. She could swear she heard something rustling as she pulled on the crowbar, the cow's skull creaking and cracking along with her bottom set of teeth. She gave it one final yank, painfully, along with a fragment of her tooth, there was a loud distinct pop! The cow's body jolted as the tool came free, the force nearly sending Fluttershy on her back. She regained her hoofing. A shard of the cow's skull skid across the room, then there was a sudden clack!

Fluttershy looked up to find a silhouette of a sunken-in figure. From what she could depict, his coat was pitch black in the sundown light. His mane was curly, and bobbed up and down when the he bowed down to the earth, snarling. Fluttershy took an involuntary step back. She didn't know this pony—but as his horn took the light, she knew she had to run.

Only a moment after, wire wrapped around her body, her abdomen, legs, throat and head being entangled by searing hot magic string. She was lifted up into the air, flipped upside down. Fluttershy struggled, yet it was in vain. The wires slowly snaked around her, sinking itself deeper into her skin. Blood trickled onto her chin from her left foreleg, which had already given way to the pressure. She bit down on the crowbar as a sharp pain filled her, setting her skin on fire.

Wait... Fluttershy thought, the crowbar! Trying to ease her panicked mind, she sized up her target. He was maybe eight feet away from her at the closest. She gulped. The longer she stayed idol, the more fatal this action would become. Without any other thought, she turned her head to the side and whipped it back, her whole body following the movement, the wire plunging into her skin more. She muffled a scream. The crowbar fell right in front of the sick pony with a large clang. Ears buzzing, Fluttershy's heartbeat jumped up, her eyes widening as more blood trickled down her face, finding its way into her tunneling eyes.

She had failed to hit him. She was going to die right here.

But soon after, Fluttershy saw his ears twitch. The movement became more violent, his head following in spastic fits, the spell releasing. Fluttershy had barely any time to react before falling slap down on the ground, managing to swing herself on her side, the familiar impact expelling all the air from her system. She gasped for air, holding her side with one bloody hoof, pushing herself off the ground with the other. When she finally looked back up, horror temporarily gave way to curiosity.

The sick pony was patting his ears with such resounding knocks he was literally punching himself in the face. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she took a step back. This reaction... Fluttershy thought. Could they be sensitive to sound? She shook her head. Big Mac didn't react in that way. She focused her gaze on the crazed stallion, who was now jerking his head to the side as if trying to get water from his ears. This was her chance! While it was dazed, she could grab the crowbar and be out of there. Fluttershy bowed to the ground, expanding her wings before she zoomed toward the crowbar. She grabbed it, and soon after, she was down, her head pounding against the ground. Through doubled vision, she saw the sick pony above her, now up close and personal. His breath reeked of rot. His eyes were narrowed as his mouth turned a sinister smile before opening his mouth to impossible sizes.

Fluttershy had only a split second to act. She flung the crowbar at his face before his teeth were able to sink into her neck. His face was now only inches away from hers, breathing erratically. He scowled at her as he tried to slide his teeth across the metal, teeth chipping and saliva dripping from his mouth. Fluttershy tossed her head to the side, and faster than the stallion could react, the hook of the crowbar soared through his jaw, the bones snapping like twigs, the skin and muscle, if any, ripping like paper. The stallion's blood fell on Fluttershy's face as she watched it in slow motion, his jaw following nearly after his face. He soared into the wall, the wood creaking upon impact. Fluttershy righted herself immediately, pointed toward the doorway. She burst out at high speed before the stallion was able to follow.

The rushing adrenaline faded when Fluttershy reached the thick of the town, sudden tiredness pulling her down to earth. She was cut all over, blood seeping through paper-thin cuts on her legs and barrel, thankfully not her neck. Her face was covered in the stallion's blood, such a deep hue of red on her muzzle that it was nearly black. She wiped the blood off, breathing heavily in near yawns. She barely had any strength yet. She didn't know what striking the alleged source would do, or if there was even a source to attack. She lifted her cut hoof lazily toward her mouth. She was going out of complete faith that there was some way to resolve this in the physical form, rather than watching her friends die slowly and painfully. She didn't even know if Rainbow Dash was still alive, a fracture like that! Fluttershy narrowed her brow. Should I continue on, she thought, in sheer hope that there is something I can do? Or...

A flash of memories of Twilight flashed through her mind once again. She had promised to resolve this. But what if... what if this way isn't the solution? Her eyes welled up in tears. It had never occurred to her, that leaving all those people be might be the solution to this problem. Then again, with cases like Big Macintosh, and that stallion she'd just encountered, who knew if the others would do the same? Follow the same cannibalistic route. Then there will be a lot more casualties than just the near fifty that was in there.

Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut, red light filtering through her eyelids. "No..." she said. She couldn't allow herself to back out now. I gave them hope that I would be able to stop it, even though they may doubt it, Fluttershy reminded herself. The least she could do was try. Try to push forward. Try to get into the basement once more. She knew something was down there, but it was living and breathing. She wasn't sure, but what if that was Twilight, sleeping or whatnot? Or was it something else... She couldn't remember the specifics.

All that's left, though, Fluttershy thought, is to get into that basement.

She made her way through the village again, tripping over her own hooves, the cuts all over her screaming in sharp pain, her eyesight notably caved in, her joints aching. She looked around at the buildings, new and old, short and tall. She wondered if she would ever see these streets lively again, if she alone could stop this disease and bring about new hope for this place after all. She clenched the crowbar in her teeth tighter. There's no doubt about it, she assured herself. Ponies will come again, I know it. Even if my journey here is a failure.

Before she knew it, she was back at the golden gates, the door ajar as she'd left it. She creaked it open, shining whatever light remained in the twilight in the room. She walked toward the trapdoor, each hoofstep resounding and bouncing from wall to wall. She ceased the movement and craned her neck down to look at the two-by-fours. Hoping to the heavens that she'd have the strength to do so, Fluttershy swung her head parallel to the ground, the crow's head biting into the wood plank near the sheeting. She released her mouth from the crowbar, some saliva stringing from it, and turned, lifted a hind leg and bucked it into the ground, the two-by-four's nails squeaking as it was released from its parent. She righted herself, wiping the perspiration from her brow, her heartbeat starting to pound in her head again. Rinse, and repeat. With every two-by-four, the more her legs buckled, the more she quaked, the more she gasped for air. When the final two was released, with a final effort, she pushed the sheeting out from under, grinding across the diamond floor.

Fluttershy lay down by the lip of the stairwell going forever down, her chest heaving. She wiggled across the ground, hanging her head over the edge, the torchlight still going.

That's when she caught her breath. There, on the third wrap of the stairs, right under the licking flame of the torch, sat another frail body. She was looking up toward the mouth of the stairwell above, her eyes shrunken and her skin near to bone. Her head twitched to the side, her messy, magenta mane with red stripes flicking along with it. Her wings looked like claws. Her lavender coat on her chest was greener and stuck together.

Fluttershy suppressed a yelp.

"Flu... Flut... ter..." said Twilight Sparkle, her head abruptly ceasing its twitching.

Fluttershy couldn't help herself. "Twilight! Please—"

Her sentence was cut short when the princess soared upward through the scope of the stairs, missing Fluttershy by a hare. Grunting, Twilight landed behind her.

Fluttershy could not stand up. Her eyes filled with horror as Twilight, tongue out, eyes unfocussed, landed on top of her, jaw impossibly wide. She barrel-rolled to the side, nearly half her body now hanging over the edge of the stairwell. Twilight stumbled to the side, not hesitating to be upon her again, this time, over her lower barrel. Fluttershy bucked at her, but lost her balance, plummeting over the edge. She had barely enough room to flare her wings out to alter her course so she didn't hit the loop of stairs, though still plummeting at falling speeds. She pulled up at the foot of the stairs, grinding on the ground on her side.

Fluttershy's vision was doubled when she looked up, intense pain in her side and wings and head. Through the dimly lit room, she could see many aberrations in the regular shapes and forms of the lab. When her vision finally sharpened, she took in a sharp breath.

All around her, there were pulsing veins along the walls and floor. Pink, bubbly cancers just like the tumor she saw back at the infirmary. They all seemed to spiral around the room, getting bigger and bigger until it hit its center. Atop a lab table was a callused, red, egg-shaped organism, growing and shrinking as if breathing. Its skin was translucent, notable blue veins rooting inside its body. There was a green glow in the center, pulsating three times per set.

Fluttershy lifted a hoof. This is the source! she thought. She scanned the room, her heart racing. Twilight could be down the stairs any moment. She didn't have enough endurance to stand against her. But she needed a weapon: something that she could use to rid of this aberration. But no matter where she looked, there was not a weapon. There was no broken glass she could use; all of the shattered glass was too small. The only thing she could do was...

She walked to the base of the stairwell, maybe four yards away from the source. She had some strength left, but this would be the last thing she could do. She blinked, tears running down her face in near waterfalls. Images of the six broke into her mind like a flood. Through all their adventures, misadventures, and just plain lives, she never would've thought she'd be in this position. Slowly, she flicked her wings out, bowing to the ground, scratching at the ground.

"Whatever... it takes..."

The last thing she saw was the growing red body of the source.

Two months of rehabilitation. That's how long it took. Twilight Sparkle had never anticipated this happening. At first, she was participating in a noble cause, but then it turned into a disaster. She was the first one to contract the disease, and she managed to quickly put together that makeshift trapdoor before it completely took her over. She'd asked Spike one last favor to lock her in there until Fluttershy came.

Twilight cast her eyes to the ground. Fluttershy came all right. However, it came at a great cost.

"Hey! Twilight!" Rainbow Dash's squeaking voice called out above her, the voice nearly muffled to Twilight. "... Twilight?"

"This is all my fault," Twilight managed, her voice becoming broken up. "I made you girls suffer... I could've prevented that from happening..."

"Twilight..." There was a rush of wind beside her, then she felt a hoof around her. "You've been telling yourself that since you could speak again. No one could see this coming. Not even Starswirl the Bearded could, I swear it!"

Twilight hung her head. Yeah, right, she thought. "How's she doing, anyway?"

"She's making great progress. She may have forgotten about the events before, but she hasn't really spoken after she woke up from that coma. Took a whooping, that girl did."

"I sincerely hope she remembers this," Twilight said. "That experience alone should be remembered."

Rainbow Dash cocked her head. "Question. Why did you choose Fluttershy to help out if things went bad?"

Twilight lifted her head. That's right... "You know those couple times where she let caution fly to the wind and became what she could to protect us?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, I knew that if anything went wrong, she would be there to protect us. She has a gift, that's for sure. A gift that can't be ignored. That's why I put that much faith into her. Just based on those prior experiences."

Rainbow Dash folded her hooves. "Wow. She really sticks to promises, eh?"

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. A promise among the rotting."

Author's Note

No. Fluttershy is not dead. I can't even think about that without making myself cry, because Fluttershy is such a good character!

But anyways, hi! Thanks for reading! This is the first fic for One-Shotober, if you haven't noticed already. Why did I decide to do a Mature-Rated fic to kick off? Well, this idea came first hand when I discovered One-Shotober. And, it's really hard to hold up on gore in a zombie-like fiction, so, I didn't even bother to do so. And this is actually my first Grimdarkish fic, so yeah! Celebration! Naw, but seriously.

I am tired. I don't even know what I'm doing in these notes. So, bye!!!!!!~