Rotting Away

Applejack made her way back to the camp, her entire lower half soaked in crimson. She hadn’t looked at her handiwork, knowing the sight of Trixie would’ve done nothing to ease her conscience. Vinyl looked up from the still unconscious Pinkie Pie, went to say something, but trailed off. No one talked for about an hour, sitting in silence and waiting for Pinkie to wake up. Vinyl bandaged her wound, glad to see it wasn’t serious. Applejack just sat, staring at everything and nothing, the blood over her her lower half drying.

“I know it’s hard.” Vinyl said suddenly, if solemnly, as she tried to start a fire with whatever wood she could find around the camp. “When I killed Tavi, I felt empty inside. It’s not right, what we did, but we had to do it, yanno?” Vinyl heads to Applejack’s side and slings a hoof over her. “We’ll get back just fine and fix all this craziness. But you should go wash up. I’ll watch miss stabby over here.”

Applejack just nodded quietly, rising mechanically and walking into the woods, opposite where she’d taken Trixie. As Vinyl stared into the growing fire, she questioned if this was how everypony across Equestria felt. Was the age of peace really over? Did this go farther than Equestria? Were undead Gryphons flying around to the east? Were zombified yaks in the north pounding things to a barely edible paste?

She looked back to the cello, resting in the dirt beside her saddlebags. Some of her blood had gotten onto the casing, staining the smooth wood forever. Reaching over, she lifted it with her hoof, holding the bow with her other hoof, resting it on the strings. She’d watched Octavia play so many times that she at least understood the simple basics of the instrument. She found herself playing one of Octavia’s compositions, albeit very poorly, tears in her eyes. She remembered ages ago, to a time long past, when she and her friends weren’t burdened by all this chaos.

“Vinyl! Vinyl Scratch, are you even listening to me?!” Octavia’s voice snapped me from my concentration. I’d been staring at the keys to my piano for way too long, thinking about stuff. Looking up to my friend, I laughed, giving her the best dopey smile I could muster. I didn’t want her to know I was struggling inside.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m good. So, what’re we gonna try now?” I took in my long-time friend, a stern, grey-coated mare with a no-nonsense black mane. Octavia and I have been friends since our days at Canterlot University of Music, a pair of oddball roommates who nopony ever thought would get along.

While I had barely grazed by, playing the electric piano, Octavia had been the head of the class. She and her cello had been legendary on campus. No other earth pony could play music like she could, they said, and when she graduated, she’d been met with concerts, praise and fame.

“I was thinking we could start with some Ludwig van Neighthoven. Perhaps after that, we could branch into some Trotkovsky and Buck, for old times’ sake.” Octavia rested her bow on her cello, looking over to me with a concerned look. “Is everything alright, Vinyl? You don’t quite seem yourself lately.”

“Nah nah, it isn’t anything serious. Right, let’s do this!” I forced myself to sound more energetic than I felt. My false excitement was met by Octavia’s stoic nature. She sighed out breathily and then started playing. As the song went on, I slipped on a few notes, not unusual for me.

About halfway through the composition, though, I’d had enough. Growling, I slammed my hooves down onto the keys of my piano, shouting. “No no no! Ugh, I hate this supid thing!” Octavia had stopped playing and I looked to her, suddenly real self-conscious.

“Vinyl, listen… I agree, the piano isn’t your instrument, I can tell. You need to find the one that sings to you. You’ll get it eventually, so don’t give up.” I remembered that day very well. I had tried the piano, the violin, the cello, the trombone and even the flute. I got my cutie mark watching a concert, but I never knew which instrument was my own.

As I sat there, listening to Octavia practice, I realized that classical wasn’t the road for me. It was soothing, but I wanted something that would make your heart pound in your chest. A beat that would make your mind throb. What I craved was a sound that’d be impossible to not dance along with. I wouldn’t find that kind of music here, but I was pretty sure I knew where to start.

“Yeah. Thanks Tavi.” I gave Octavia a light punch in the shoulder, smirking. “You keep on practicing. I’ll just head on out.”

And that was the day I left Canterlot. I didn’t go back to say goodbye to Tavi. I didn’t stop to even say where I was going. Ponyville was my destination, a little town not too far from Canterlot, at the center of Equestria. My big brother, Long Play, had taken up residence there a few years back and I wanted to see him about my search for the right genre. He was a cool guy, a DJ who used to play over at Canterlot University. He’d gotten really famous in Canterlot, but left to enjoy a simpler, quieter life in a small town.

The town in question was quiet and simple enough, that was for sure, and was boring enough for three lifetimes. As I walked, I thought how this place fit my big bro so well. He liked when it was quiet, so he could practice his songs in peace. To him, boring meant uneventful and that means relaxation. I counted the numbers until I found his place, a big two story house near the library. It was around then that I realized I didn’t need to count house number at all; my brother had a giant vinyl disk painted onto his door, with the words ‘33 ⅓ LP’s DJ Services’ written over the top half of the disk. 33 ⅓ LP was my bro’s stage name, if that wasn’t obvious enough. Personally, I always thought the name was the dumbest thing, but my glue stuck to it like glue.

Bro’s pad was as awesome as I remembered. Music was always playing and lights were always flashing; it just made you want to party! My bro was in his usual spot, tinkering on his sound system, when I showed up. He looked up from his speaker and smiled at me.

“Lil’ Scratchy? It’s been forever! How’ve you been?” His nickname for me never got old and still didn’t fail to make me smile. He looked away from me to scold his subwoofer and stomp on it a few times to punctuate his annoyance. No matter how much he worked on it, he said it was never quite perfect. We got the small talk out of the way real quick; talking about my school life and how Octavia was doing. But I didn’t want to hang around too long.

“Hey bro, I have somethin’ I needed to ask you.” He stopped tinkering, looking up from his work.

“What’s wrong, Vi? It’s not every day you pop in here just to ask an your ratty old brother a question.” I laughed a little. He always knew how to get a laugh out of me, even if it was just a chuckle. It gave way to stress pretty quickly though.

“It’s my music. I just can’t seem to find my passion, you know? I tried just about every instrument in Canterlot University but I got nothin’.” My whole body slumped and I sighed, taking a seat on his couch. “I just trashed my electric piano too. I just don’t feel any passion in it, like you do with your tracks and turntable.” After rubbing my muzzle, I fidgeted with my headphones. “I wanted some advice. I know music is my destiny. It calls me to it and I just… Need to make it, but I feel like if I don’t make the right kind, it won’t be worth donkey spit. You feel me?”

In all that time, my bro had moved to lean on his turntable, smiling at me proudly. He hadn’t shown a smile like that since the day I got my cutie mark. “Sister-mine, you are cut right outta my hind parts… It was years ago now, but when I was a little filly, I knew I wanted to play music, but nothing went right, no matter how hard I tried. I’d just about given up when I saw this baby in the window.” He pats his turntable, chuckling. “Well, not this exact one, I upgraded, but you know what I mean. It wasn’t the most refined instrument in the world, that’s for sure. I knew it wasn’t likely I’d be playin’ for the Princess anytime soon, but when that disk started spinning, I started bending the music to my will and making everypony around me rock out… Vinyl, there wasn’t anything like it.” He slid over, making room for me. I pointed to myself with my hoof, and he nodded. “Come on. Give her a go.”

That was the first time I’d spun a vinyl track. I suppose the rest is history, but there is more to the story. I decided to stay in Ponyville with my bro, to learn all I could about being a DJ.

About three days later, a letter showed up from Octavia in Canterlot. She’d apparently been asking all over to find me and was scared and worried. There was no denying that I felt absolutely ashamed that I’d left without telling her where I’d been going, but I was worried she’d think I was weak or stop talking to me because I didn’t like her genre of music.

Within four more days, Octavia had moved down to Ponyville with me and my bro. She usually was up in Canterlot, at her other house, playing in a concert or some fancy event, but whenever she had some time off, she’d come back to me; her roommate, her best friend.

I remembered one more thing; it was a year or two later, after we’d been living together for a while. I’d made a name for myself as a DJ in Ponyville, but my fame hadn’t really reached Canterlot yet. Octavia, however, had become a big name there since the old days. I was watching her wrap up a concert of hers, when Octavia was asked by a very important pony during a break what inspired her to play. Her words were enough to melt me in my chair.

“My roommate is a ‘Bassist.’ And perhaps we’re not so different, she and I. For buck sake, what does genre even matter…? It’s the music that drives us. The harmonies that bind us. The friendship that found us.”

I remember the gasps around the hall when she said that; many monocles were dropped, I’m sure. It just wasn’t something ponies said in a place like that, but Octavia didn’t care. She smiled right at me and I just broke into tears. It was like we were the only two ponies in the whole place. I knew then, that we’d be friends, forever.

Vinyl was snapped from her reverie by Pinkie Pie, who was wide awake, staring at her with her head tilted to the side. “That’s a really pretty song.” Vinyl hadn’t realized she was still playing, even better than before, no less. While she wasn’t making many mistakes, the song was far more somber than it usually was.

Pinkie’s hair had snapped back to its usual poofy look and her smile was as genuine as the day Vinyl had first seen it. Vinyl almost shouted in fear, but when she looked in Pinkie’s eye, the insane spark was gone. She was her old self again.

“It was better when Tavi played it.” Vinyl smiled, lowering the bow. “She made such beautiful music.” The white pony sighed, sitting down and lowering the cello with her. “You look a lot better.”

“I do?” Pinkie tilted her head to the other side, blinking a bit. “So I looked bad before?” Vinyl was stunned, realizing that Pinkie was genuinely confused. Didn’t she remember what had happened?

“Yeah, it was pretty nasty. Your ear feel okay?” Pinkie reached up, touching the bandaged nub. The top part of her ear was missing, an inch long chunk at the top. Pinkie chuckled a little weakly, her smile fading just a bit.

“I-It’s not so bad. Could’ve been worse, right?” Pinkie peered around, frowning a little. “What happened to Trixie and Applejack?”
Vinyl frowned, shaking her head. “Trixie’s gone. Applejack went to clean up from the fight. She should be back in a bit.” Vinyl looked up, the moon directly above them. “We should get some rest.” She said that calmly, as if she’d be able to sleep after this night’s events. “We’ve got a long trip ahead of us.”

Pinkie nodded, resting her head on her hooves. “I suppose. You keep smiling, okay?” Pinkie smiled to her friend, giggling again. Even though she was back to her old self, Vinyl couldn’t help but imagine a manic grin spreading over her face. “It’s in times like these that a smile is the most important thing. A smile can make even the worst of times turn around.”

Vinyl remembered Pinkie’s words. ‘No pony smiles anymore.’ The DJ forced a smile, slightly scared by Pinkie’s company all of a sudden. Would the pink pony make her smile if she didn’t?

Thankfully, Applejack arrived just in time. The orange pony walked from the trees, looking to the ground silently before peering up. “Mornin’ Pinkie. You feelin’ okay?” She trotted over, Pinkie turning her head to look at her good friend.

“Yuppers! Fit as can be!” The pink pony hopped up, stretching. “So, you two should get some sleep. I’m not tired after napping for so long, so you two can take over.” It’d only been about three hours since the fight, but Pinkie felt like she was charged with all kinds of energy.

Applejack looked to Vinyl, opening her mouth to talk. She was interrupted by an ear-piercing boom, an all too familiar sound to the Ponyville residents. They all looked up in amazement and confusion, as a wave of rainbow energy flowed over their head, a telltale sign of a Sonic Rainboom. “W-wha? But Rainbow wasn’t supposed to head out till we got back!” Applejack hurried over towards the bags. “Pack up, now! We gotta get to Canterlot. Somethin’ ain’t right.”

Hurrying to pack up their things, Applejack looked over Trixie’s saddlebag. While they needed to use the bags to replace the damaged one, there was no way they could carry the extra weight. “Why don’t we all get something small to eat before we head out? It’ll mean we won’t need to stop later, and we can use the supplies we’ll be leaving behind.” Agreeing in silence, the group took a little time, only a few minutes, to enjoy the food before heading off towards Canterlot.

The walk was far longer than anyone in the group had anticipated. With the Sonic Rainboom dispersing the Risen, the three ponies had to hide or run more than once to avoid confrontation, but it was never so bad that they were forced to fight. By the time they reached the base of Canterlor’s mountain, they could see that the barrier was gone, leaving the city exposed. Applejack felt her heart leap into her throat. “No. No!” Applejack was certain they wouldn’t leave without them, she knew that much. The only other explanation was the barrier fell of its own accord. And that meant...

“Neon!” Applejack heard Viny cry outl, choked by tears. It motivated her to run even faster, stopping at the edge of the trees. There was still a steep climb before they reached Canterlot; they would need to hurry.

Applejack could only manage to see one or two of the reanimated ponies between them and Canterlot, lingering around the uneven ground of the mountainside. She was impressed at how well Twilight’s plan had worked. Or rather, how well it would have worked. Heading out, Applejack motioned the others to stay close behind her. Night had fallen in the lost time, and the three had learned rather quickly that, in the shadows of the night, the Risen gained a new level of strength.

Drawing her lasso, she steeled herself. After what she had done to Trixie, this would be nothing. The Risen noticed the group, screeching and barreling towards them at a full gallop. Both of the Risen were unicorns, and nopony Applejack recognized.

Sternly, Applejack waited for just the right moment, then tossed her lasso, looping one of the Risen around it’s neck. Whipping her head to the side harshly, she ripped the Risen off its feet and sending it straight into a tree, smashing it against the foliage with a loud crack. Pausing, she decided to make sure it was finished; shortening her grip, she gave a sharp tug, drawing the creature in as she threw her own head back. Whipping her head back down, she slammed her thick skull against the Risen, eliciting a loud, wet crack. After she was sure it wasn’t moving, Applejack walked over, tugging the lasso off the creature.

Meanwhile, Pinkie and Vinyl were engaging the other creature. Pinkie laughed a bit, rushing the Risen just as it noticed her. From seemingly nowhere, Pinkie threw out her Party Cannon smiling with morbid glee. Where she got it from, nopony will ever know, but with a quick burst, the Risen was sent soaring off the side of the cliff, howling in it’s final moments, surrounded by a wave of confetti, glitter and streamers. As the creature plummeted to its second death and final rest, Pinkie’s smile slowly melted away. “It’s just no fun… None of this.”

“Of course it isn’t.” Vinyl walked up along behind Pinkie, her horn starting to shimmer. Pulling her glasses down, her horn lit up with dozens of swirling colors, then blasted into the nights sky. The light show made no sound until it’s peak, swirling over Unicorn Range, where it detonated loudly in the air. It was the signal her and Twilight had agreed upon, Vinyl’s own custom spell. She hadn’t been expecting a response, so when silence greeted the magic, she could only sigh her worry intensifying. She knew the explosion would attract the Risen like moths to fire.

“Let’s all just get goin’ on.” Applejack tucked her lasso back into her bag, looking through the city gates. They were still open, as nopony had been able to close them once the attacks first hit. There hadn’t been any point, anyway. That wasn’t the strange part though, the part that made Applejack nervous was the silence. It was the kind of silence that made your skin crawl with anxiousness.

Heading through Canterlot, the group met with surprisingly little resistance. Occasionally, a Risen would interfere with the group, but it would be soundly dispatched by either Applejack or Pinkie. Without numbers on their side, they were little more than inconveniences. Approaching the castle, signs of a battle became obvious. Risen littered the grounds, starting where the barrier had been, moving inward. There weren’t many bodies, and none of them were of normal, uninfected ponies. Applejack was growing more relieved by the second. They ascended into the castle, looking for clues towards what had happened. Traveling in a group, they scoured the inner walls, checking in random homes for any signs of stragglers or leftover supplies.

“I can’t believe they left us.” Vinyl grit her teeth, growling under her breath. “How could they?”

“Somethin’ likely came up, darlin’. We both know they wouldn’ willingly leave without us.” Applejack responded, opening a door to peer inside. The home she was looking into was empty, so she simply closed the door again. “My guess is somethin’ got into the barrier and forced em to leave early for the Crystal Empire. We’d be better off headin’ that way now.”

“That’s a much longer walk.” Pinkie chimed in, before shoving her head into a broken dresser, laying in the street. When she came back out, a hat was stuck on her face. “Dwee tays?” She tried to say, muffled by the hat on her muzzle.

Applejack gave a nod. “Yeah, three days. And that’s only if we don’t have any problems. If my geography is as good as I like to think it is, and I ain’t sure if it is, then we could get there quicker if we took a boat.”

The eventual search of the castle itself was a lengthy process, but one that hailed some… unnerving results.

“Yo, girls.” Vinyl shouted from a hallway, drawing the attention of the other two ponies. Vinyl was staring solemnly at a collapsed section of the castle, frowning darkly.

“What’s all this now? Wasn’t like this before.” Applejack walked closer to the rubble, prodding it with her hoof.

“No, it wasn’t.” Vinyl said through gritted teeth. “This was where they housed the infected ponies. When we left, there weren’t many alive, but…” Vinyl motioned with her horn to the object of her rage.

A hoof, barely visible among the rocks, was lodged in the rubble.

“I’d say there was… maybe twenty total left in there, when we left. Three or four probably died naturally. But this wasn’t natural.” Vinyl sighed and shook her head. “What is this situation doing to us, Applejack? We just aren’t ourselves anymore.”

Vinyl gave Pinkie a sidelong glance. The pony was frowning, her mane deflated slightly as she stared at the crushed hoof. This dark time changed them all, but some more than others.

“It’ll be okay. This’ll pass and Equestria will survive.” Applejack said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

After exploring everywhere else, Applejack finally decided to brave her fears and search Twilight’s bedroom. If answers were anywhere, they would be there. The inside of the room was torn apart, likely in an effort to take any books of value. While searching the room, however, Applejack spotted a note, sitting carefully in the very center of the desk and held down by a paperweight. After retrieving and reading it, she returned to the others, re-reading it out loud, happy tears in her eyes.

“To my dear friends: I hope ya’ll find this note in good health. I’m sure ya’ll ’re worried about what happened to Canterlot. Everypony got out safely, but Rainbow Dash is in trouble. Please, continue on to the Crystal Empire an’ meet up with Rarity and Fluttershy. The Appleloosa survivors got here a half ‘a day before we evacuated. They‘re safely in the Empire by now. Please, keep safe and travel carefully. The only reason I was okay about leavin’ was because I was sure you would all be just fine gettin’ to the Empire. The horde’ll grow larger the longer you take and as you draw towards the cities. –Twilight”

Vinyl smiles a bit, speaking, “Glad to hear your family is doin’ alright.”

Pinkie grinned, nodding and bouncing in unison. “Yeah! Yeah! Finally, some good news! I knew there was still a reason to smile!” She seemed to be about ready to bounce of the walls. For once, Applejack was inclined to let her. It was a happy time.

“We should get movin’ in the morning. Like Twi said, things are gonna get worse, the longer we wait.” Among Twilight’s odds and ends, was a small cache of food, enough to feed four ponies for two days, at most. More importantly, it would be easy to carry for Applejack and Pinkie. “We can fill up here. Let’s make the most of the food we got.”

Pinkie hopped in place, smiling a wide smile. “How about we have a small party too? After all, Applejack’s family is okay. That’s a good reason to party, right?” After a brief pause, the others join in the smile.

“Sure Pinkie. Let’s do that. Hey, yanno Vinyl, I’ve been wantin’ to ask about you and that Neon Lights guy…” Applejack grinned as she talked, laying out their food. Night dragged on while the girls partied among themselves. They shared stories, laughed, cried and sang songs, all until sleep overtook them inside Canterlot castle.

Everything was peaceful and could even be called happy; at least, it was until the night didn’t end. No sun greeted them the next morning. The chilling blackness of night spread on forever, glowing eyes radiating from the remaining dead, down in the city.