Beating an Undead Pony

“A little more to the left. Almost got it, Twilight. Just a little more.”

Twilight groaned. Pinkie may have had her heart in the right place, but she really didn’t need help levitating the train engine back on the track. “I can see where I’m putting it. Pinkie.” Twilight lifted her head up higher. The engine wasn’t as hard to move as she thought, it was getting it to land perfectly on the tracks that was the hard part. Twice now she had managed to get most of the wheels aligned, but there was always one or two that slipped off the track.

“Hey Twilight!”

Taken by surprise, Twilight dropped the engine with a loud thud. “Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight groaned. Rainbow Dash flew down to Twilight’s eye level and took a breath.

“The buffalo are a no go. Strongheart says they don’t want to separate.” Rainbow Dash lowered her head. “Dang it, why are we going along with this?”

Pinkie tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean why don’t we just make them come with? You know, for their own safety.” Rainbow Dash folded her forehooves once she realized Twilight was avoiding eye contact. “Twilight.”

“We can’t.” Twilight muttered. “We’d be no better than Cherry Jubiliee.” Rainbow Dash looked around. The surviving Appleloosans and Dodge Junction ponies had already boarded the coaches, some of whom were looking out the windows. Rainbow Dash couldn’t hear what they were saying through the glass, she wasn’t surprised when the onlookers disappeared from view.

“Where is Jubiliee anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. Pinkie motioned over to the caboose at the end of the train.

“We locked her up in the back. No way she can hurt anypony in the caboose.” Pinkie looked back at the Cake Twins in her saddlebag. “She was a real meany wasn’t she? Well she won’t do any of that again.” Pound clapped his forehooves in agreement. Pumpkin was too distracted chewing on Braeburn’s hat. Rainbow Dash turned her attention back to Twilight.

“What about the others?”

“Spike found some provisions in one of the coaches, so I asked him and Rarity to pass them around the townsponies. Fluttershy is comforting Applejack.” Twilight glanced over at Pinkie. “Of course I asked Pinkie here to do that.”

Pinkie raised a hoof overhead. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be right there. Right after I help you with the engine.” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“And I told you I can handle it. I need Fluttershy in that engine to get it started as soon as possible.” Twilight explained. Again, Rainbow Dash found a wave of uneasiness build up in her body at the thought of Fluttershy starting a fire.

“Zombie!”

“There!”

The three friends perked up at the Cake Twin’s words and looked around. Pinkie felt a pinchy feeling in her knee once she laid eyes on a dozen zombie ponies making their way towards the train. “Stay with Mommy.” Pinkie held the Cake Twins close. Twilight turned back to her friends.

“Pinkie, get Fluttershy in the engine’s cab. Rainbow Dash, hold of those zombies as long as you can!” Twilight ordered. Rainbow Dash sped off towards the zombies while Pinkie bolted into one of the train coaches. Twilight turned her attention to the engine. She wrapped it in her magic, feeling sweat dripping down the side of her face as she levitated the engine a few inches off the ground. Come on, come on, come on! Twilight slammed her eyes shut. She could hear the crunch of bone, no doubt Rainbow Dash slamming a zombie pony’s head in.

“Fluttershy! We need you!” Pinkie’s voice called out from the coach. Twilight took a series of breaths, hoping it would calm herself. She opened her eyes. The engine’s wheels were finally in line with the track.

Yes! Just gently lower it down…

Twilight gulped as she put the train down, finally on the tracks. “I did it! Rainbow, I got it! Get back here!”

Rainbow Dash slammed a pair of zombie ponies heads together. She hovered over the rest of the zombies, all of which were reaching up in vain at her.

“You get Fluttershy in that engine. I got these things.” Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at the zombies.

“But Rainbow!”

“Just get her to start the train!” Rainbow Dash argued. Twilight felt a shiver down her spine. She tapped her forehooves against the ground.

“It’s ok, Twilight. I’m here.”

Twilight’s heart lept as she saw Fluttershy slowly climb down the coach’s steps. “I’ll do it.” Fluttershy squeaked.

“Please hurry.” Twilight jerked her head back and forth between the slow moving and scared Fluttershy, and the more confident but still outnumbered Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow!”

“I said I got this!”

What am I doing? Twilight asked herself. She felt her heart skip several beats as a zombie pony’s maw was open wide behind Rainbow Dash, its teeth only a few feet away from her wings. “Rainbow, look out!” Twilight extended her own wings, and flew as fast as she could towards Rainbow Dash, tackling her to the ground.

“What’s the big idea…. whoa!” Rainbow Dash cried, getting a better look at the zombie pony looming over her, one that had most of its face clawed off. Twilight screamed before firing a bolt of energy from her horn, blowing the zombie pony’s head off, splattering blood and bone all over her and Rainbow Dash.

“Eh. Sorry about that.” Twilight muttered. Rainbow Dash wiped a hunk of flesh off her face.

“You know I’m starting to think you like seeing me with gore on my face.” Rainbow Dash smirked. Although Twilight’s face was red with blood, Rainbow Dash could still see her friend blushing.

“INCOMING!”

The two friends looked up in time to see a bunch of streamers and balloons fly through the air and hit a zombie with enough force to knock the top of its head off. Surely enough, a number of yards away, was Pinkie, leaning against one of her party cannons.

“What? I told you before. I never leave home without one of these.”

The smell of smoke filled the air. Fluttershy took a step back away from the fireplace to stare out at the mountains around her. The train was starting to pick up speed; making the various shapes around her become blurred. Fluttershy let her mind wander, thinking about everything that had happened in the past few days.

Why did Angel have to die? Why did so many ponies have to die? Why did Applejack have to get…hurt? “Why could’t Discord just make it all go away?”

“You sure you even want me to?”

Fluttershy took a small leap back in surprise. The flame in the firebox no longer looked like a regular fire. Rather the fire took the shape of Discord’s smirking face.

“Oh. You startled me.”

A firey claw emerged from the firebox, making a gesture as Discord spoke. “I do tend to do that. So…” Discord snapped his fingers. A cup of tea materialized in Fluttershy’s hooves. Discord similarly took a sip of tea from his own cup of fire. “You’re not doing so well in Appleloosa are ya?”

Fluttershy sat down on her haunches and lowered her head. Discord raised his eyebrow. “Things haven’t gone well.” Fluttershy finally said. Discord’s firey image briefly shifted into the shape of a pony ear.

“I’m all ears.” Discord quickly shifted back to his own appearance in the flames, his claws on his chin showing great interest.

“Well, um, we picked up some ponies in Dodge Junction. But they d-did things.” Fluttershy rested her forelegs on the ground, hesitating to go into detail. “Excuse me.” Fluttershy took another sip of her tea.

“Personally I didn’t find it very impressive. Stabbing decapitated heads, psh. Surely they could have come up with something more creative than that. Maybe spinning the bodies in the air as bits and pieces fly off, now that would be a show.” Discord’s eyes widened when Fluttershy stomped up to the flames with an angry expression. “Yeah, old habits die hard.”

“I didn’t find it very funny.” Fluttershy replied, though to Discord’s surprise it was in her usual soft tone. “If I could keep all of this from happening I would. And so should you.” Fluttershy shrank back. I have to stop saying such things.

Discord held his paw to his face, dragging it down from his forehead to his chin. “About that Fluttershy…” Discord snapped his fingers, blinding Fluttershy in a bright white light.

Oh no. Don't take me away from the train. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes. The blinding light only lasted for a second, but her eyes were had to get used to it. Before she opened her eyes again, she felt rock underhoof instead of the wooden floor of the endine. “Discord?” Fluttershy asked. Her vision cleared, revealing she was now standing on top of a mountain, grassy plains stretched over the horizon.

“Lovely spot wouldn’t you say?” Discord asked, wrapping his long neck along Fluttershy’s body. Fluttershy leapt back again.

“What did you do? Oh, what are my friends are going to do when they find out I’m missing?” Fluttershy gulped down the rest of her tea to keep herself from panicking. Discord waved his claw nonchalauntly.

“Bah. Not a problem.” Discord snapped his fingers. With another flash of light, the rest of the Mane Six materialized in a circle around himself and Fluttershy. Applejack groaned as her back hit the ground. Rainbow Dash hovered into the air.

“What the? Discord?” Rainbow Dash stuttered. The ancient draconequus shrugged.

“Hey, Fluttershy was worried you would notice she was gone. Seemed like an easy fix to me.” Discord replied. Rarity tapped her forehoof against the ground.

“I was in the middle of speaking with somepony.” She said. “Was there any reason we couldn’t we have this conversation on the train?” Rarity’s rant was quickly interrupted as the ground started to split underneath the group. A massive tatzlewurm slowly emerged from the ground. Its skin was rotted, with pieces of flesh were ripped off.

Not that thing again. Twilight thought to herself.

“What is the meaning of this!” Rarity cried. Discord nonchalantly floated over to the tatzlewurm.

“Answering a question. I hope you don’t mind.” Discord snapped his fingers. The tatzlewurm froze in place; its wounds began healing themselves. “Timber.” Discord muttered before teleporting out of the tatzlewurm’s shadow.

“What’s that supposed to…”Applejack started to ask, but everypony’s attention was drawn to Pinkie’s twitching tail. “Nevermind.” Rainbow Dash picked up Applejack as the rest of the group got out of the way of the tatzlewurm. Surely enough the beast collapsed to the ground, partially sliding back into the ground. Discord appeared on top of the dead tatzlewurm, wearing a hunting outfit.

“Got a big one this time.” Discord joked. Twilight shook her head. “You really should see yourselves. Like you got a stick under your tail or something.”

Fluttershy raised her head. “B-but if you could do this, then could you…” Discord teleported off the top of the tatzlewurm, reappearing by the beast’s maw.

“I did something.”

“Still looks dead to me.” Pinkie noted. Discord reached her mane, pulling Gummy out and began petting the baby alligator.

“Yeeeeeesssss. But it’s not undead anymore.” Discord reassured. Twilight stared intently at the dead tatzlewurm. “That’s what happens when I quote unquote cure them.” Discord shook his head. “Sorry to say, but the dead stay dead.”

“But Discord…” Fluttershy tried to continue but Discord placed a finger on her mouth.

“I’m sorry. Truly. But this is all I can do.” Discord snapped his fingers. The wounds started to reappear on the tatzlewurm.

“What are you doing!” Twilight exclaimed. The tatzlewurm opened its blank eyes. Discord snapped his fingers; making the undead creature die again.

“Proving a point.” Discord reached an arm out of sight of the Mane Six, literally pulling the interior of the train engine around the group. “What? I can’t teleport you around the same way every time. That’d be boring." Discord looked at his wrist. "And three, two, one.”

Right on cue, Spike opened the door. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere. Discord.”

“Ah don’t mind me, Spike. I won’t be bothering you.” Discord promised. Spike felt something weighing down his head. Reaching up, Spike noticed Gummy had somehow ended up on top of him. “Much.”

Spike looked out the window as the sun started to decend beyond the horizon. “It’s like the day’s are getting shorter or something.” He said to no pony in particular. The rest of the Mane Six looked over from their seats.

“Luna’s probably still getting used to moving the sun. When Celestia had to move the sun and moon on her own she had trouble herself.” Twilight noted. Rainbow Dash turned her head to face Twilight.

“Let me guess. You read that in some book somewhere?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Well actually I asked her.” Twilight scratched her mane. “As disappointing as the Gala ended up being, I did manage to sneak a few questions in before the guest became too unbearable.” Twilight stared down at her hoof. Still hurts shaking so many ponies hooves in one night.

Rarity noticed Applejack was no longer paying attention to the conversation, instead just staring blankly out the window. She got up from her seat and sat down next to her friend. “Please, talk to us Applejack.”

Pinkie popped up from behind Applejack’s seat. “Yeah, no pony wants to be a grumpy pants forever.” She chimed in. Applejack rolled her eyes.

“Mighty kind of ya’ll. But Ah’m fine. Really.” Applejack set her chin on the window. Rarity cleared her throat.

“If I may say so, dear. You were never a very convincing liar.” Rarity laid a hoof on Applejack’s. The farm pony winced as she felt a sharp pain in her hoof. Discord had healed her broken bones before leaving but Rarity’s soft touch filled Applejack’s mind with thoughts of Jubiliee.

“Get yer mits of me.”

“Applejack, I’m here to help you…”

“NOW!”

Rarity and Pinkie stumbled back from the shere force of Applejack yelling. “Ah’m sorry. Ah don’t need to be mad at ya’ll. Ah just… don’t touch mah legs. Or mah mane. Or mah face. Or….” Applejack slammed her head down on her chair. Rainbow Dash put a foreleg around Twilight’s neck.

“What do you want to do?” She whispered. Twilight shook her head.

“I-I stand by what I said last night. We’ll keep Jubiliee in the Castle of Two Sisters.” Twilight looked back at Applejack. “But as for Applejack. I don’t know. I don’t think there’s a spell that can calm her down. I don’t know if I want to.”

Rainbow Dash slumped down in their seat. “What do you mean you don’t want to? Look at her.”

“I mean I don’t want to force it on her. Maybe we should just give Rarity’s idea a try.” Twilight explained. Rainbow Dash shook her head.

Spike turned back from his seat, scooting between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. “Hey now, don’t pretend you don’t feel better after a spa visit.”

“Maybe.” Rainbow Dash groaned. “But this isn’t about me. Remember? Applejack? You know, the one with the hat?”

“Psh, not this hat.”

Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Spike spun around in time to see Applejack take her hat off, and tossed it out the window. “Don’t look at me like that. Ah’ve got plenty of em at home.” Maybe Ah’ll think about her less without it.

Ah was wrong! Ah was so wrong!

Applejack felt tears stream down her face as she struggled with all her might. She felt bed sheets beneath her. “No. Ah’m gettin’ outta ere!” Applejack lept out of bed. It was too dark to see anything. As such Applejack stumbled around until she bumped into something soft. It was Jubiliee, wearing a black dress.

“Thar ya are mah love.”

“Jubiliee! Get back!” Applejack roared. She spun around kicking with her hindlegs as hard as she could. Jubiliee stumbled back. “Ya’ll ain’t gettin’ me again!” Applejack looked around. She spotted a length of rope tied around the bed frame.

“Applejack. That wasn’t very nice.” Jubiliee muttered. Applejack grabbed the rope with her mouth. “Well if ya want to make things more interestin’, Ah’ll take it.”

Applejack’s face grew red with rage. “This ain’t plannin’ on usin’ this as a whip.” Applejack threw the rope around Jubiliee’s neck.

“Oh yeeessss. Applejack! Ah’ve been a bad filly.” Jubiliee collapsed to the ground panting in excitement.

“Yeah. Ya’ll been a very, very misbehavin’ pony. Ya’ll should be…punished.” Applejack tugged against the rope. Jubiliee raised her forehooves as her breathing became more rapid.

“Applejack…” Jubiliee managed to sputter out between several coughs. Applejack lept back onto the bed, pulling harder and harder. “Ah love ya.” Jubiliee’s eyes rolled into the back of her head. Her breathing stopped. With one last tug, Applejack finally snapped Jubiliee’s neck.

“Too bad this is a dream.” Applejack muttered.

“How did you know?” A familiar voice asked. Applejack turned her head. A blue light started illuminating the darkness around her.

“Because…mah friends would have tried to stop me.” Applejack admitted. She sat down hard on the bed. Princess Luna emerged from the blue light holding out a washcloth. “Thanks.” Applejack used it to wipe her face. “Got anythang to eat? It’s been a while since Ah’ve taken a bite of anythang.”

“Most ponies wouldn’t be so chipper after dreaming about strangling somepony.” Princess Luna noted. Applejack avoided eye contact. “Applejack. Listen to me when I speak to you.”

“Ah don’t want to talk about it.”

“APPLEJACK!”

Taken by surprise, Applejack found herself flung off the bed by the force of Princess Luna’s scream. “Gah. Was that really necessary?” Applejack snapped.

“Sometimes there are things I must do. You can not live your life with such thoughts.” The Princess of the Night explained.

“So what? Ya’ll sayin’ Ah should just forgive her? Little hard to do somethin’ like that.” Applejack argued. Princess Luna closed her eyes. An image of the moon rose up from behind her.

“Spending any amount of your life with anger is not a life worth living. Such anger leaves only suffering.” Princess Luna looked back at her image of the moon. It zoomed in closer to the moon’s surface, revealing a dark blotch in one of its many craters.

“That’s you.”

“That’s Nightmare Moon. The monster my own anger turned me into. A thousand years of anger and grief is not a life worth living.”

Applejack squinted her eyes. Nightmare Moon was crying. Applejack felt a lump in her throat. “Sorry, Princess. But Ah don’t know if Ah have it in me.”

“I’m not asking you to forgive. I am asking you to let go. I held onto my anger for a thousand years. It wasn’t worth it.” Princess Luna flapped her wings, hovering in the air. “You still have your friends. Your family.”

“Tsh. Yeah. Ah guess Ah do. Where ever mah family are.” Applejack muttered.

Princess Luna smiled. “They are closer than you think. They are waiting for you.” Applejack’s eyes widened, spinning around to face Princess Luna. “It’s time to wake up. Your family is waiting for you.” Princess Luna’s body radiated with light, blinding Applejack.

“Wait! Come back! What are ya’ll talkin’ about!”

Applejack bolted away, sweat dripping down her body. Pinkie and Fluttershy were sitting on the ajoining seat, patiently waiting.

“Oh good. You’re awake. You had us worried when you didn’t wake up.” Fluttershy muttered.

“You were talking in your sleep.” Pinkie added.

“More like talkin’ to Princess Luna. Well Ah’m up. What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked. A huge grin appeared on Pinkie’s face.

“We’re back in Ponyville. Someponies are waiting for you.” Pinkie said. Applejack lept to her hooves. She could hear Fluttershy calling out to her but Applejackw as already heading for the exit.

That’s what Luna meant. She jumped out of the coach and onto the station platform. She jerked her head around. The Appleloosa and Dodge Junction poines were gathered around. Rainbow Dash was giving Scootaloo a nookie. Rarity was hugging Sweetie Belle so hard the little unicorn filly’s face was red. “Where are ya’ll?”

“Applejack!”

Applejack’s heart lept and the young voice filled her ears. Surely enough she finally spotted her family in the crowd. “Applebloom. Big Mac. Granny.” Applejack trotted up to her family members, entering a group hug. “Ah’ve missed ya’ll so much.”

“We missed you too.” Applebloom said.

“We all did.” Granny Smith added.

“Eeyup.”

Applejack opened her eyes, feeling another pony hug her from behind. “You too, Pinkie.” Pinkie just giggled. The Apple Family embrace lasted only a few minutes. Applejack understood it couldn’t last forever. But she certainly wanted it to.

The door to the caboose opened with a click. Twilight and Spike exchanged nervous glances before entering. “Cherry Jubiliee? We’ve made it back to Ponyville.” Twilight called out. Jubiliee didn’t answer.

“She is up to something.” Spike suggested. Twilight didn’t want to believe it. But the nagging feeling in the back of her mind made her partially agree.

“Let’s just get her.” Twilight took a step into the caboose. Spike peaked in once Twilight was fully inside. Something was swinging in the shadows on the other side of the caboose. “Spike, could you come in here please?”

Spike’s heart skipped a beat as he followed Twilight inside. The two approached the swinging figure. Twilight pulled her wings over her eyes once she finally got a good look. “Why would she do this?” Spike asked. Twilight’s lip trembled. The swinging figure was Jubiliee. A rope was tied around her neck, leaving her hanging from a hook on the ceiling. A note was pinned onto Jubiliee’s body with only two words written on it.

I’m sorry.

“Oh my gosh. What have we done? She shouldn’t have been left in here alone.” Twilight muttered. Twilight reached out with her magic, snapping the rope. Jubiliee’s body collapsed to the floor. Spike held a claw to her neck.

“She’s gone.” Spike said.

Twilight lowered her head. How long had she been hanging there? Twilight shut her eyes, imagining what could have possibly happened. The thought of Jubiliee pacing back and forth, filled with guilt, before finally killing herself.

“GAH!”

Twilight opened her eyes. Spike was stumbling back from Jubiliee’s body. Jubiliee raised her head, snarling with a mouth full of saliva, snapping her maw in Spike’s direction. “Look out!” Twilight exclaimed, magically pulling Spike away from Jubiliee. The undead pony slowly turned to face Twilight. I can’t believe I’m about to do this!

“Twilight do something!” Spike screamed. Twilight fired a bolt of magic energy at Jubiliee, blowing a hole in her head. Jubiliee’s corpse collapsed to the ground, bits of brain and blood seeping out towards the two. “How the heck did she turn into one of those things!” Twilight scanned her eyes across Jubiliee’s body.

“I don’t see a bite.”

“There has to be. Her dead body just got up and attacked.” Spike insisted.

“But there isn’t. She hung herself.” Twilight reminded. Spike’s eyes shifted back to Jubiliee’s body.

“So, what are you saying? They’ll turn into a zombie anyway?” He asked. Twilight didn’t answer. Her ears perked up at the sound of Rainbow Dash outside.

"Twilight! What’s going on in there!”

“Something bad, Dash. Something bad.” Twilight replied. Rainbow Dash poked her head into the caboose.

“Is that Jubiliee?” Rainbow Dash asked. All Twilight could do was just nod in response.