Dead and Alive

A crystalline door opened into the castle. A purple dragon and alicorn walked in. Twilight shut the door with magic as Spike stretched.

"Ah I'm so glad to be home! All that candy to eat!"

"Now Spike, you can't eat all of your candy, you'll get sick!"

"Don't worry, I'll only eat all the chocolate candy!" He smiled.

"Gah! That’s like—" Twilight waved her hoof around in the air "—eighty percent of all your candy! Only eat half at most!"

"Okay, sheesh." He dumped his sack on the table. "I'm going to put this here and take two claw-fulls back with me. I'll probably fall asleep after I eat this. Seya!" He raced down the hall into his room.

"Don't forget to brush your teeth!" Twilight grumbled as she knew her warning fell on deaf ears.

Stepping out of a shadowed hallway, Blossom Travelforth took a breath. "Princess Twilight, forgive me—"

"AHH! Who are you?" Twilight prepared a few spells around her horn.

"I'm Blossom Travel forth. I was murdered along with my colt when I was thrown into the path of a train from Canterlot." She sat as she levitated her colt into her front hooves. "I'm so sorry, princess for the intrusion, but I can't stay for long."

Twilight approached the pair, watching the tears fall. "But you're dead how are you here?"

"The Necropolis has returned. It takes bodies and ponies ended by brutal means and creates an army of the undead. It is the city of the dark lords that host hundreds of thousands of the undead."

"What? I thought that was a myth." Twilight cast a barrier over herself just in case.

"It's no myth. I came to... to," Blossom curled around her bundle. She shivered in sorrow as she sobbed. "I can't keep him princess. They'll kill him for ever having left. I will most certainly die. I escaped because I wanted him to be as alive as possible. The city—it's horrifying. I can't have him grow there please—" Blossom broke down into sobs again.

Twilight overcame her caution to reassure the mare. "What do you need me to do?"

"T-take him. Please. Unbridled Creativity c-can't die again."

"What? I can't just take your foal. I..."

The two lost their words. Blossom was clutching Creativity as hard as she could without hurting him, and Twilight watched her weep. Minutes passed. Maybe an hour had passed before anything changed. Blossom became stiff.

"They're here. Take him please, and protect him."

"I can't! What if—"

"No! They've found us! Take him!" Blossom practically threw the colt at Twilight, forcing her to catch him.

Blossom smiled. "I'll try to distract them for as long as possible. Please get away from here. They won't stop until we're both dead. But I think, they have to take breaks during the day. I couldn't leave during the day after all." Her tears cascaded as she lept through the doorway with hell hounds chasing her.

She was wrong. She wouldn't die again. She would be tortured.

"Spike!" A flash of teleportation roused the dragon. "Take a letter!"

He yawned, "Ewha? Twi, it's laaaate."

"Not late enough! We have to write to the princesses! Apparently the Necropolis has returned, and I'm being hunted by association!"

"By association? What're you saying?"

Twilight showed Spike the zombie colt.

"We're doomed."