Beating an Undead Pony

What’s that smell? Spike what did you eat? With a groan, the purple alicorn opened her eyes. Twilight Sparkle rubbed her hoof against her head. Twilight sighed, expecting her bedroom to be the same one she had slept in since she came to Ponyville. But it was the new bedroom, in the new tree castle. Her heart sank as she remembered the library’s destruction a week ago. She looked down at the small bed on the other side of the room. She expected Spike to be fast asleep. Instead the covers we’re tossed onto Twilight’s own bed and the baby dragon nowhere to be seen.

“Spike? Where are you?” Twilight cried out. “Spike. We all need to be well rested for tomorrow. I can’t have anypony falling asleep while we help the others move in. Especially if we want to be done in time for Nightmare Night. Spike?” Twilight’s horn glew, illuminating the room. She climbed out of bed, and held her hoof to the door. She could hear a muffled noise from downstairs. “Spike? What’s going on down there?” Twilight slowly opened the door, and trotted down the stairs. She was still getting used to the new accommodations. The castle was certainly fancier and more formal. It reminded her a lot of the castle in the Crystal Empire. But it just wasn’t the same. Twilight could hear the noise getting louder as she approached. She winced as she started to smell something rotting. Oh, I hope I didn’t leave dinner out. No, I doubled checked. Twilight thought to herself. She stopped as she felt something wet touch her right hind hoof. Twilight turned her head and as the light from her horn, Twilight’s jaw dropped in disgust. She had just stepped in a severed pegasus wing. Startled, Twilight lost her balance and fell down the stairs, making loud thuds all the way before landing in a heap on the bottom floor.

“Twilight run!” Spike’s cry rang out. As Twilight raised her head, the light from her horn showed her something that made her want to scream. A pegasus pony was dragging herself along the floor though the blank eyes and saliva dripping from her mouth was the least of Twilight’s worries. The pegasus was missing not only her left wing but also the lower half of her body, blood and intestines being dragged behind. With another yelp, Twilight started backing away from the pegasus and ran right into Spike, whose claws were covered in blood.

“Kill it! Kill it!” Spike yelped. Twilight looked at the pegasus and was surprised she wasn’t dead already. As she dragged herself closer to Twilight and Spike, she bumped a suit of armor, causing it to tip over. Twilight and Spike bolted out of the way as the armor came down. The pegasus failed to notice in time as the armor’s spear stabbed through her head. Twilight and Spike breathed heavily in unison, expecting the pegasus to get back up.

“Spike, what’s going on?” Twilight cried. Spike clung to Twilight’s leg as he looked at the pegasus.

“I don’t know! I heard a noise and found Cloudchaser trying to climb through the window and she tried to bite my head off!” Spike tried to pull Twilight away. Twilight looked at the pony, magically pulling the spear out of her head. Surely enough, it was Cloudchaser, one of the many mares that lived in Ponyville. Twilight almost didn’t want to know what happened to the pegasus’ sister, Flitter. “Is she a-a zombie?” Spike asked. Twilight shook her head in disbelief.

“This can’t be real. Zombies only exist in those horror stories.” Twilight tried to rationalize. She slowly approached Cloudchaser’s broken form. “Where’s the rest of her body?” Spike twirled his fingers. He opened his mouth to answer, but hesitated as a loud scream came from deeper in the castle.

“Rarity!” Spike cried. He and Twilight looked at each other before looking down the dark corridor.

“Stay close to me.” Twilight ordered. Spike climbed onto Twilight’s back and winced. Owlicious, Twilight’s pet owl had perched himself behind Spike. Twilight looked back at Cloudchaser’s remains and started to worry. It’s an isolated incident. It has to be. A spell gone wrong. She thought to herself.

As the trio traveled down the dark hallway, Twilight looked out a large window, giving her a good look at the town outside. Ponyville was usually empty during the late hours of the night. But this night there were a few ponies wandering around very slowly. She looked closer at an Earth Pony stallion as he turned his head revealing he too had the same dead eyes and decaying look.

“It is zombies!” Spike exclaimed. Twilight looked back at the young dragon. “Rarity better be ok.” The three turned a corner arriving at the entrance to Rarity’s chambers, it’s double sided doors recognizable thanks to being emblazoned with the image of Rarity’s cutie mark, three blue diamond.

“Twi? Spike? I take it ya’ll heard Rarity crying out?” Twilight stopped. Applejack, an orange Earth Pony with a blond mane and tail, was approaching from the other side of the corridor. Twilight rationalized that Applejack likely just got up, since she wasn’t wearing her trademark cowpony hat, nor was her mane tied back.

“Yes. Applejack, have you looked outside recently?” Twilight asked. Applejack ruffled her mane with a fore hoof.

“A’m not sure why ya ask but…” Applejack stopped as she looked outside. “What the hay? Why are thar dead ponies trottin’ about outside?” Twilight didn’t have the chance to answer as a magical blue aura engulfed Rarity’s door before opening. The white unicorn mare burst out of her bedchambers, slamming the door behind her. Her purple mane was frazzled, more so than Twilight had ever seen before. Spike slid off Twilight’s back and landed on his feet.

“Rarity what are you….

“Don’t go in there! There’s a horrifying…”

“Dead pony?” Spike asked. Rarity started breathing heavily. The group jumped back as a groan emerged from the other side of Rarity’s door.

“No! You are not eating this lady!” Rarity exclaimed, kicking the door with her back hooves. “I can’t believe you made me do that.” Applejack grinned feeling proud.

“Ya act like buckin’ is somethin’ to be ashamed of. If anything be proud ya even think of it as an option.” The farm pony explained. Owlicious hooted.

“What is it, Owlicious?” Twilight asked. A cheerful “weeeeee” noise was coming from outside, getting louder and louder until it was replaced by the sound of breaking glass. The groaning coming from Rarity’s room stopped for a moment, and was replaced by the sound of young screaming, followed by a bubbly voice.

“I’ll protect you.” The three ponies and Spike’s eyes widened.

“PINKIE!”

Rarity’s room still had boxes full of fabric and dresses on racks scattered about, having only recently been moved into Twilight’s castle. While Rarity normally would have been embarrassed by the mess, she and the others were more concerned about Pinkie Pie, the pink earth pony who was lying on the floor with back legs sticking in the air. A zombie pegasus was trying to stand up.

“Pinkie hold on!” Twilight cried. With a glow from her horn, Twilight telekinetically picked up Pinkie, pulling her away from the zombie moments before it had the chance to bite her. Applejack galloped towards the zombie, kicking it in the ribs, knocking it to the ground. It whined with a muzzle full of blood and saliva.

“Oh no ya don’t.” Applejack defiantly stated before slamming a fore hoof on the zombie pony’s head, smashing it flat. Rarity’s face turned green.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Rarity said in a muffled tone. Twilight wasn’t quite sure how that was possible since ponies couldn’t puke.

“Mama?”

“Dadda?”

Pinkie scrambled behind Rarity’s bed. Applejack was the first to notice Pinkie’s fallen saddlebags, which were holding the Cake twins Pound and Pumpkin.

“Don’t you worry. We’ll meet them outside the town. I promised.” Pinkie reassured. Twilight almost didn’t want to know what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Cake.

“Pinkie, are you ok? And how exactly you get in here?” Twilight asked. Still holding the Cake twins in her forelegs, Pinkie pointed with her poofy tail towards the broken window.

“Oh I used one of my party cannons to go flying. Mr. and Mrs. Cake told me to take the twins and get away.” She said. Pinkie looked back outside. “But I probably should check if their still there. A lot of zombie ponies in between us.” Rarity held a hoof to her forehead.

“Goodness gracious there’s more of them out there?” Rarity’s looked out the window before collapsing, Spike having dropped a pillow on the ground for her just in case. “Thank you, Spikey-wikey.” Twilight shook her head at the sight of Spike blushing. The young dragon’s crush on Rarity wasn’t exactly unknown by Twilight. Or even Rarity herself. Owlicious hooted again.

“Oh right, Owlicious, could you wake up Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy for me? We need to make sure nothing has happened to them.” Twilight ordered. Owlicsious hooted in reply, but as he flew off Twilight’s back, Applejack spoke up.

“About that. Fluttershy left a few hours ago to check on her animals. And Rainbow Dash left some of her Darin’ Do books at home so she went to go get em.” The hint of uncertainty in Applejack’s voice wasn’t helping things. “If they ain’t back soon Ah think we all know the reason.” Rarity looked back defiantly.

“Well we can’t let them become horrible undead monsters like that. Not on my watch.” She stated. The others nodded. Twilight looked up at Owlicious.

“Owlicious, make sure every door and window is locked. Then be on the look out for any more zombies in case they try to get in.” Twilight ordered. Owlicious hooted before flying away. Spike contorted his face in confusion.

“Hey wait a minute. Don’t you trust me to look after the castle?” He asked. Twilight laid a hoof on Spike’s shoulder.

“Of course I do. But if I’m going out there I would rather have my number one assistant with me.” Twilight explained. Spike blushed. Twilight always knew exactly what to say to make him feel proud. “Now then, Fluttershy’s cottage is closer, we’ll head over there first…” Twilight would have kept talking, but stopped at the sight of Pinkie raising her fore leg in the air, much like a school filly answering a question. “Yes, Pinkie?” Pinkie twirled her hooves.

“Well, I don’t know if Mr. and Mrs. Cake are ok. Can we check if they made it out of Sugarcube Corner? It’s on the way. Only take five minutes.” Pinkie looked back at the twins in her saddlebags. The faces they were giving Twilight were enough to melt ice.

“Ok, but we need to be quick about it.”

Spike peaked out the main entrance of the castle. The Cake’s bakery, Sugarcube Corner was within galloping distance. Only a pair of zombie earth ponies were wandering around. He looked back to his friends inside.

“We can totally make it.” Spike said. The four ponies slowly looked outside. Spike slowly closed the door behind them, trying to make as little noise of possible. Rarity felt her heart race as the group was getting closer to Sugarcube Corner. She had a lot of unmade dresses that she was working on at her boutique that she still needed to move into the castle.

Oh I hope these things won’t get their filthy hooves on my life’s work. Pinkie reached Sugarcube Corner first. The door was slightly ajar. She was about to open the door when her tail started twitching. “No, not now.” Rarity muttered. When Pinkie’s tail twitched it meant only one thing. Something was about to fall. Applejack looked up.

“Incoming!” The Farm Pony exclaimed. The group scattered as a window frame fell to the ground, the glass shattering instantly. The two zombie ponies groaned as they turned their heads towards Sugarcube Corner.

“Time to go.” Spike stammered. He opened the door allowing the four mares in first before slamming the door behind him.

“Not me this time. Pinkie Pie swear.” Pinkie reassured. Flour, dough, and cake frosting was smeared all over the counter, tables and seats. “Mr. Cake! Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie cried. Twilight quickly ran over to her and slammed her hoof in Pinkie’s mouth to stop her from calling out again.

“Pinkie. Zombies are attracted to noise. We need to be quiet.” Twilight whispered. Pinkie nodded back, seemingly not bothered by Twilight’s hoof in her mouth.

“Rarity and Ah will check down ‘ere. The rest of ya’ll try upstairs.” Applejack suggested. The others nodded back before Twilight, Pinkie and Spike headed up the stairs. Spike looked back and motioned to Rarity.

“But eh, call if you need anything.” He said quickly. Rarity smiled, making Spike’s heart race again.

“Most appreciated, Spike.” Rarity replied. Spike let out a sigh of relief before following Twilight and Pinkie. Applejack climbed over the counter and looked into the kitchen. Unsurprisingly ingredients were scattered about, though in the center of the kitchen was a severed hoof.

“Rare! Be careful back there. I found part of a trotter.” Applejack warned. Rarity was using her magic to levitate a mop, trying to clean up the mess. She looked back at the kitchen.

Interesting choice of adjective for zombie. Rarity thought to herself. After a moment of hesitation Rarity responded. “You don’t think the rest of it is still here?” Applejack climbed over the counter again.

“That’s what A’m reckoning.” Applejack pointed at the severed hoof. “Ya don’t recognize it do ya?” she asked. Rarity rubbed her face. She looked back at Applejack, noticing something she hadn’t before.

“Applejack, if you don’t mind me saying, your mane looks very appropriate.” Rarity mentioned. Applejack felt a hoof through her mane in surprise.

“Ah just woke up. Bed mane.” Applejack confessed. Rarity shook her head.

“Well yes, I can tell. But for you it works. Of course it could use a touch up to make it look perfect. Remind me to help you with that when we are a little safer.” Rarity explained. Applejack couldn’t believe the sincerity in Rarity’s voice. For a moment she was almost tempted to take her up on her offer.

“Rarity! Applejack!” The two looked up to see Spike running down the stairs. “You need to see this. You’re not going to believe it.” He started motioning for them to follow him upstairs. The two exchanged glances before following. Reaching the second floor, they saw Twilight and Pinkie staring into a room on the other side of the hall.

“It doesn’t seem possible.” Twilight muttered. Pinkie looked at Twilight.

“But it is. You’re looking at it.” Pinkie said. Twilight scratched her head.

“But he doesn’t have the reach. And his size means he wouldn’t have the strength to withstand a zombie pony.” Twilight replied. Applejack and Rarity arrived at their end of the hall.

“What the hay are ya’ll talkin’ about?” Applejack asked. Pinkie looked at Applejack.

“Oh Gummy took out a whole bunch of zombies.” Pinkie explained. Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Gummy? Your pet alligator? Now, now Pinkie, I highly doubt he was able to…” Rarity stopped as she looked into the room. Severed body parts and guts were strewn about what used to be the twin’s room. And standing on top of several limbless and headless torsos was Gummy, the small, big-eyed alligator that Pinkie had been keeping as a pet for years. And just like Twilight and the others, Rarity found herself at a loss for words. Gummy baaed like a sheep. Finally Twilight broke the silence.

“Sooooo, did you find the Cake’s down stairs? They aren’t up here.” She asked. Rarity shook her head.

“Unfortunately there is no sign of them.” Rarity replied. “Now can we please get out of here? The sooner we get leave the better.” Applejack nodded in response.

“Agreed. Ah hope Big McIntosh, Granny Smith and Applebloom are alright.” She said, referring to her family. Rarity slammed her hooves over her head.

“Oh my goodness! Sweetie Belle! She’s still out there!” Rarity cried. Spike grabbed Rarity’s fore hooves.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find your little sister. And everypony else. Trust me.” Spike said reassured. A loud thump rang out from downstairs. Spike let out a little scream.

“We need to get out of here.” Twilight stated. Pinkie walked up to Twilight, Gummy sinking into her mane.

“Don’t you worry. I know just the thing.” She motioned into the room. On of her party cannon’s was pointed towards the window. Rarity groaned.

“I am going to regret this.”

A zombie earth pony dragged itself along the ground, its hind hooves having been broken prior to being zombified. It stumbled towards a mass of other zombie ponies eating a fallen pony. Pinkie stuck her head out of a nearby bush. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mr. Cake’s baker hat lying on the ground by the zombies. Her jaw hit the ground with a loud thud.

“What is going on out there?” Rarity asked from within the bush. Pinkie had to shake her head to recompose herself.

“Nothing. We’re clear to go.” Pinkie ducked back into the bush. Her hooves stuck out of the bush as she walked away from the crowd of zombies. After turning a corner, she poked her head out again. Fluttershy’s cottage was in the distance. “We’re here.” Pinkie leapt out of the bush, with the others struggling out after her.

“Pinkie! Stay together! If anything happens to the twins!” Twilight cried. But Pinkie had already reached the door, slamming it open with her fore hoof. Twilight and the others appeared by her side and they’re jaws hit the floor. In the cottage, Rainbow Dash was holding a weeping Fluttershy, both of whom were covered in blood and surrounded by dead animals strewn all about the cottage. Harry the bear’s head was crushed under a couch, at least four squirrels, chickens and ferrets had been flattened at the bottom of the stairs and Angel Bunny was lying headless mere feet from Fluttershy.

“Rainbow Dash. What have we done? Angel he…” Fluttershy sobbed. Rainbow Dash gently stroked Fluttershy’s mane.

“Shh. It’s ok. Everything is going to be fine.” Rainbow Dash calmly said. The cyan pegasus noticed the others in the doorway and shook her head.

Everypony and Spike were gathered around Fluttershy’s garden. Several markers for all the animals were embedded in the freshly dug dirt. Applejack was still holding a shovel. Fluttershy wiped her eyes. She looked at an empty hole in front of Angel’s marker. A bunny-sized box was lying by hole. Rainbow Dash put her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to do this?” She asked. Fluttershy shut her eyes. Rainbow Dash reached for the box, but Fluttershy grabbed her hoof.

“I’ll do it.” Fluttershy muttered. She picked up the box, and lowered it into the hole. Applejack started shoveling dirt over the box until it was completely buried. “Why?” Fluttershy collapsed. “What did Angel and the others do to deserve this?” Spike looked at Twilight.

“A better question is: Since when were animals able to become zombies?” he asked. Twilight scratched her head. In all the zombie stories she had read, they were always ponies. Pinkie Pie broke the silence.

“Pound Cake? Pumpkin Cake?” Pinkie spun around in a circle. “Where are the twins? They were here a second ago!”

“Pinkie…”

“Flutters…”

The group turned to the cottage’s entrance. Pound and Pumpkin were dragging a bag of flower along the ground by their mouths.

“I don’t understand.” Rarity noted. Pinkie smiled.

“Give it a second.” Pinkie replied. Surely enough Pound and Pumpkin held the bag over their heads and let the flower pour on all over themselves. Pinkie found herself giggling, though Fluttershy’s expression barely changed. Pinkie Pie jabbed Fluttershy in the ribs. “They’re trying to cheer you up. It works on them.” Fluttershy lowered her head, her mane covering her eyes. Applejack let out a big sigh.

“Ah think she needs time, Pinkie.” Before she could continue however, a loud groan rang out. Everypony and Spike turned towards the trees that marked Fluttershy’s ranch to the Everfree Forest started to move. A group of zombie ponies emerged from the undergrowth, one of which was the earth pony Golden Harvest.

“Here we go again.” Rainbow Dash groaned. She flapped her wings and hovered a few feet in the air.

“Rainbow wait! We can’t stay here. We don’t know how many others in Ponyville are still alive. Finding survivors is more important.” Twilight said in a blunter tone than she intended. Though it was too late to go back on what she said now. Rainbow Dash folded her fore hooves realizing Twilight was right. Golden Harvest trotted within reach of Applejack.

“Than lets skedaddle while thar’s still a chance! Move!” Applejack cried, kicking Golden Harvest in the face, cracking her neck. The group started to bolt away from the range, except for Fluttershy.

“Come on Fluttershy! We need to go!” Twilight yelled back. The zombies were even closer to Fluttershy than ever. Finally she looked up with a face red with rage.

“YOU. MONSTERS!” Fluttershy roared with fury. She flew around the zombie ponies tearing off their heads before stomping on them in quick succession. The others couldn’t believe what they were seeing, all sharing the same shocked expression. Fluttershy landed in the middle of the pile of zombie ponies snorting loudly. Her vision was red, but as colors returned, she looked down at the zombie ponies surrounding her, and the blood on her hooves.

“Oh my.” Her eyes rolled up into the back of her head, her legs gave in and finally she collapsed to the ground. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were quick to run over to her side. Pinkie let out a loud cry before Rainbow Dash held a hoof to Fluttershy’s neck.

“Uh Pinkie, she just passed out.” Pinkie stopped mid scream and smiled.

“Oh. Okey dokie lokey then.” Pinkie bounced away. Rainbow Dash picked up Fluttershy, then turned around at the sound of more zombie groaning. “Oh come on how many of them are there?” A horde of zombie ponies shuffled out of the Everfree Forest in even greater number. “Yeah we’re leaving.” Rainbow thought to herself. Pinkie and Rarity scooped up the twins and the group fled as fast as they could. Fluttershy regained consciousness only for a moment, seeing her ranch swarmed with zombie ponies before passing out again.

“Of all the things that would keep us stuck here.” Scootaloo poked her head out the window. The orange pegasus filly wasn’t worried about the zombie ponies outside the hospital below. No it was the smaller creature that had turned all of them to stone.

“Is it still out there?” A squeaky voice asked from within. Scootaloo ducked her head back into the hospital room. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, Applejack and Rarity’s younger sisters respectively, were waiting for her to respond. Scootaloo scratched the back of her neck.

“Eh, the cockatrice is still out there.” She finally said. Applebloom started pacing.

“Oh! Mah family is probably wondering where ah am!” The yellow earth filly stammered. Sweetie Belle sat down on the unoccupied bed. She thought about how Rarity was reacting to her own disappearance.

She’s probably hyperventilating. Sweetie Belle thought to herself. She remembered her older sister’s reaction to something as small as cleaning up a “perfectly arranged” mess in her room. A noxious smell entered her nostrils. “What is that?” She asked. The two other fillies started to smell it too. It resembled the scent of damp moss.

“Thar probably starting to rot. Zombies do that right?” Applebloom suggested. Scootaloo looked back outside. Green puffs of smoke started appearing around the zombie ponies. Looking closer, she saw a cloaked figure approaching the hospital. The figure tossed a small bag at the zombie cockatrice, releasing more of the green smoke at it. The cockatrice convulsed violently before collapsing to the ground unmoving. The three fillies looked in awe as the figure tilted her head up at them. Slowly she pulled her hood back, revealing she was not a pony but a zebra.

“ZECORA!” Applebloom cried out in joy. Zecora held out a hoof at the fillies.

“Little fillies, I am afraid we are out of time. We must out last the undead, because for the moment, everything is not going to be fine.”