‘…Princess Celestia and I had heard a word of strange things happening in the town of Appleloosa; ponies vanishing, strange sickness, and odd sightings in the night. She called me to Canterlot and we both set off for the town in question. The ride was happy and uneventful, mostly spent between me and my mentor, talking about the events of the past few years and the progress of growth within Equestria.

When we arrived, we were greeted by an empty town. Dirt roads showed signs of some great struggle, but there was little left behind. Just tossed dirt and spattered spots of blood. When we searched the houses, we found nothing inside to tell us what had happened to the town. The search took less time than we'd imagined it would; nopony was anywhere to be found. Among the chaos, we found tracks leading out of the town and towards the apple orchard. Neither of us could’ve imagined what awaited us at the other end...’

Fluttershy returned silently, leading in the Cake family, though Twilight had expected Pinkie to return with them.

Lifting her head from her book, Twilight smiled a fake smile, greeting the Cakes with a polite nod. The children followed behind their parents, still very young, but older now and able to move with ease. Twilight picked herself up, starting to stretch her wings slightly as she moved towards the bakers. She twitched, feeling a pang of pain under her bandages, a reminder of her position in things. She drew back her broken wing, forcing herself to continue smiling to hide her pain. “Long time no see, Mister and Missus Cake.”

“It’s good to see you’ve returned safely from your trip. When you left in such a hurry, we were all very worried about you.” Mrs. Cake spoke up, seeming cheery despite the odd nature of the meeting. “Why are we here, might I ask?”

Twilight closed her eyes. “A storm is coming and I aim to save Ponyville from it.” Twilight kept her voice level, but when her eyes opened, they burned with the same intensity of Celestia; the burning eyes of a pony that had seen terrible, powerful things. Mrs. Cake’s eyes lost their cheer, facing down that stare. “I don’t want to say any more until I need to. But trust me when I say, Mrs. Cake, that we would be better retreating to Canterlot.”

Mrs. Cake gave a silent, worried look to her husband, who shared the look and then look over to Twilight, nodding in unison in understanding. After a few moments, Mr. and Mrs. Cake found a place to rest in the Library, waiting and caring for their children. As Twilight sat down to write, she felt a little nudge from a wing at her side.

“T-Twilight?” Fluttershy, meek as ever, had stayed in Twilight’s blind spot all that time. She’d almost forgotten she was there. “Pinkie… She went into the Everfree Forest to find Zecora. She asked me to get the Cakes. Should I go back out and find others?”

Twilight shook her head, smiling a bit. Fluttershy would be better here, keeping ponies calm. This was going smoothly, at least.

‘Celestia had shown signs of worry at the talk of strange happenings in the town, but now her eyes were transfixed on an invisible horizon, some point in the distant future I couldn’t see. When I looked into them - from my place by her side - I felt like they could burrow through a wall with their intensity alone. It had been a long time since I’d seen that look on her face; the last time had been when she was facing down Chrysalis herself. I opened my mouth to speak, but Celestia raised her voice first.

“Twilight… I don’t know what is happening here. But what I do know is it’s very serious. Should something happen, I’d like you to go to Canterlot. Find Cassius Blackhoof, and ask him about dark magic…” Hearing those words gave me pause. I felt a wave wash over me, one that Celestia had already felt, I imagine. It was like somepony opened the window to a cold night, except I could tell it was filled with malicious intent. I felt something radiating with a dark aura; pulsating with dark magic. I’d felt it before when dealing with King Sombra and his foul schemes.

I felt my gut twist, seizing up and bracing itself for trouble. We were about to come upon the very source of the evil…’

The door to the Library swung open, the Apple family heading in, Applejack and Big Mac leading Granny Smith and Applebloom. Applejack looked miserable, for obvious reasons. “We let Winona go. We knew she couldn’t come with us.” Applejack tipped her hat down as she spoke, covering her eyes. “I just hope she’ll be okay when we get back n’ all.”

Twilight shut her book, looking up to the family. She hadn’t told Applejack about what they’d found in Appleloosa yet. She didn’t want to, even though she knew she’d be forced to eventually. Nodding, she rose from her sitting position and walked over. “You did the right thing, Applejack. Winona is a smart dog; I’m sure she’ll be fine. We’ll all be leaving our pets, so maybe they can help one another along.” An un-bandaged wing passed over Applejack, hugging her faintly. “It’ll be okay…”

“I know, Twilight. Thanks.” There was a sniff from under the hat, but soon it was pulled up, showing a confident face, only slightly marked from tears. “Just wanted to drop off my family and then, I was thinkin’ a’ headed over to the east side a’ Ponyville with Rarity. See if I can’t be a help over there.” Twilight gave a soft nod to that, looking over to the other Apples.

All of them had saddlebags on, heads hung. Only Big Mac had his head up, looking over to Applejack as she left, shifting his gaze to the rest of the family afterwards. The sight was painful, but Twilight turned her head back to the book in front of her, opening it again. She needed to record this. All of this.

‘The source of the evil that overtook Appleloosa was hiding within the orchard. As we drew closer, I began to feel sick, not only from nerves but from the overwhelming power of evil, as well as the stench. It was a smell I’d never smelt before, foul and wrong. I wished it would go away, so I’d never need to smell it again. I wished a lot of things, but in retrospect, I should’ve wished for a lot more. For instance, I should’ve wished that what was happening at the time hadn’t been happening. An empty town with signs of violence, and on top of that, a town filled with Applejack’s - among my closest friend's - relatives. I suppose in the past few years, I’ve become too logical. I'd grown too complacent as well.

Wishes wouldn’t have changed anything, and I knew that. I won’t forget that smell now. Even here, miles away, it lingers in my mind and taunts me. I wish I’d known about it sooner. I wish…’

The next arrival was louder, lead by Rainbow Dash. Rainbow had undergone the most drastic change of the six, that was unquestionable. She still continued pursuing her dreams with the Wonderbolts; while they weren’t recruiting, Rainbow was at the top of the waiting list, after impressing Spitfire and the others time and time again.

In the meantime, her passion for danger had led her to defend Ponyville from the monsters of the Everfree Forest single-hoofed, a feat that impressed even Celestia. In the past few years, Rainbow had earned praise, scars, and humility, as well as a title as the strongest warrior in Ponyville, on top of the fastest flier in Equestria.

“Hey! Got four more!” Rainbow announced, followed by the ponies in question: Vinyl Scratch, Neon Lights, Derpy Hooves and Cheerilee. The three-headed on in, approaching Twilight quickly. Vinyl was the first to speak.

“Yo Twi, sup? What’s with all the talk of evacuations and stuff?” The pony had her glasses over her eyes and headphones on her neck, likely so she had more room in her saddlebags, which were packed to bursting. Twilight kept silent a moment, closing her book before replying.

“Some things are best left unsaid. But I will tell you this, I saw the danger with my own two eyes and I know it’s headed this way.” Vinyl had a straight face, while the other two adopted worried looks. Twilight offered a smile. “But it’s safe for now, which is why I’ve got plans in place to get you all out of here.”

A soft sigh rang out as relief washed over them all. The four moved on to join the others, Vinyl and Neon chatting about Canterlot. They moved to join the crowd at the back of the library, talking with one another about the state of affairs.

Rainbow shimmied closer, smiling a bit. “So, I brought Tank.” Rainbow opened her bag. “He can come as long as he pulls his own weight, right?”

Twilight bit the inside of her mouth. Rainbow had always been exceptionally close to Tank, more so than any of them with their own pets. She knew this had to be eating her up inside.

“I can’t agree to that, Rainbow Dash. You know that. It wouldn’t be fair to Applejack and the others. We’re all making sacrifices here, but I promise, Tank will be fine and we can come back once all this is over. I don’t think the monsters coming this way have any interest in animals.”

“You don’t think? Is that good enough, Twilight?” Rainbow looked to Tank, who stared back. “He’s my little buddy. I can’t just leave him here. Why don’t I just go take care of these monsters and we can all stay here?”

Twilight gave her head a rueful shake. “We’re vastly outnumbered, Rainbow Dash. And the nature of these creatures will make them difficult to fight here. We can only retreat, for now. Okay?”

Rainbow frowned but nodded. “Yeah, if you say so…” Rainbow pulled off her saddlebag and hefted Tank out. “You need to stay here, pal. I’ll be back, I promise.” Twilight felt her heart wrench, but there wasn’t anything she could do. She looked around the room to distract herself.

With this much noise, Spike would likely wake up soon. Twilight ignored the sound, turning to her book again, opening it to the page she’d left off on.

‘Wishes mean little in all this. They couldn’t change what we saw. Neither I nor Celestia had been ready for it. Among the trees were hundreds of them, roaming around with seemingly no purpose. Their eyes had a faint black, purple and green glow; it reminded me of the black magic I’d seen many times now. If it wasn’t for that strange glow, I wouldn’t have seen them at all. As I gazed down at them, I felt my heart pound in my chest and felt myself sweat.

That smell had been something I’d never hoped to smell. Celestia muttered a curse from beside me, under her breath. I’d never known the Princess to use that kind of language, but even she was horrified at what we were seeing. I just…'

Twilight lets out a groan as the door opened again, interrupting her train of thought. Pinkie Pie had returned, Zecora in tow. Twilight adopted a small smile when she spotted the zebra, rising to speak to her. “Zecora. I’m very glad Pinkie found you without trouble. I was worried you wouldn’t come.”

“Following orders is not usually my way. But, I made an exception on such a gloomy day.” The zebra bowed, showing her respect. “Princess Sparkle, it has been too long. Seeing you well fills my heart with song.” Lifting her head, Zecora walked further in. “I can only imagine things must be grim; for you never call me on only a whim. What would cause us to abandon our home, forcing us all into the world to roam?”

Twilight felt her throat tighten. What she had to say wasn’t something easily said. Looking to the others, she let out a low sigh and shook her head, whispering her response.

“I haven’t told anypony, Zecora. Right now, it would only cause panic we don’t need. But we can’t protect Ponyville from this and the forest would be little more than an annoyance for these… things.” Zecora looked genuinely surprised at that, peering to the other ponies with worry. Pinkie had moved into the group, laughing and spreading smiles, as she always did.

“Then this is a time of great woe…” She sighs, then trots inside, jars and vials in her saddlebags clinking together. “And if you say it is so, then away from here we must go…” She sounded so disheartened, Twilight nearly spoke up. But when her eyes fell to her book, she moved back to it, embracing her writing as a way to forget, to cope. Idle ponies were coming in now, the ones who were too slow to pack their belongings. Twilight kept them out of her mind and continued to write.

‘I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Down, among the trees, were ponies. Earth ponies, their bodies pale and lifeless. Chunks of their bodies had been torn off. They smelt of rotting flesh; shambling and groaning and crying out in meaningless, emotionless cries for something I couldn’t comprehend. They were dead but alive. The ponies of Appleloosa had become monsters. I hated to say it, but they had become zombies.

I had always believed they were just a work of fiction. Creatures made to chill the bones, but there they were before me, the trotting dead, moving between the apple trees. I saw animals, darting to and fro, stealing apples wherever they could and, to distract myself, I remember wondering why they were untouched.

I had trouble looking. I saw familiar faces from my time here. I felt a tear on my cheek. Celestia looked over to me, courage in her eyes. I felt sick to my stomach. I went to step forward and found the ground under my feet unstable.

I remember a falling sensation. I remember seeing Celestia reach her hoof out to mine. I remember trying to fly and being far too disoriented. I remember a brief half-second of pain as I hit the ground at the bottom of the slope, a sharp stab to the back of my head and a crushing sound as a falling rock landed on my wing. I remember screaming in pain and then blacking out.

I don’t know how long I was unconscious. It could have been a few minutes. It could have been an hour. All I knew was what woke me up; the sound of moaning. I lifted my head and immediately felt a throbbing pain in my forehead and wing. The pain made it obvious that I wouldn’t be flying. My vision was blurry but cleared quickly. What I saw stole my breath away.

Celestia stood between the hoard, urging them to stay back. Her horn shimmered with energy, but she was hesitant to throw it upon ponies she felt she had a chance of helping; her own subjects, who she cherished so much. And then there was me. She’d come down here to protect me. This was my fault. When I tried to stand, I felt the pain shoot up my wing and through my whole body. The rock was pinning my wing down, shifting the shattered bones when I moved too much. The pain was unbearable. Unable to focus to use my magic, I cried out and Celestia turned to me. She lifted the rock, tossing it aside, backing up towards me.

She asked if I was okay, panting and sweating. She looked injured. I barely knew anything about zombies. Spike, my assistant, was a bigger fan of those stories and I mostly heard what he told me. Ponies, raised from the dead by magic or a disease or something else, depending on the story you heard. The main point was when you were bitten, you became one. In some other cases, you would transform if you died at all, without head trauma.

As this shot through my head, Celestia urged me to my feet. She demanded I run. I told her I wouldn’t leave without her. She told me she would leave right behind me and make haste to Canterlot, but my skill with teleportation magic would help me get there faster than her when she was already this tired. We needed to warn the capital, now.

I could tell something was wrong with the Princess. She was just as skilled with magic as I was, so why couldn’t she teleport as well?

Tears blinded me and it wasn’t long before I was running. And running. And running. I ran like a coward while Celestia fought. I’m ashamed of myself, but my legs moved without my mind telling them to. I was so scared.

As I ran, I fought. I used my magic to destroy the creatures, telling myself they were no longer ponies, but those faces looked too familiar and the way they bled and fell terrified me. I fear I’ve crossed a threshold I can never return from. I came to Ponyville, hoping to gather my friends before going to Canterlot. My magic wouldn’t have gotten me much farther than here, either way.

Celestia watch over us in the days ahead. And may she be safe in Canterlot when I arrive. I will continue this journal as our journey continues. If you are reading this, please don’t forget Celestia. Don’t forget us. Don’t forget how things used to be. I fear in the coming days, harmony and amnesty will be tested and found lacking. But I may be wrong. I hope I’m wrong, for our sake.

- Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Princess of Friendship

Author's Note

When I wrote this chapter, as well as the last one, I was tampering with the idea of shifting points of view. In my novel, the PoV changes in some chapters, from third person to first person and in a few stories, most notably Alexey Pehov's Chronicles of Siala series (a very good fantasy series, for those who are into that,) they use the shift of PoV to show a vision or dream.

Also, another interesting note; Zecora was set to be a main character at the time this chapter was written. However, that was before I realized how hard she was to write. I mean, I suppose I could manage now, but back then, Zecora was a nightmare for me. All her lines felt forced and I really didn't like how she was turning out, so I regulated her to a background role.

Things are still rather mild at this point. Don't worry, they get grimdark very fast.

-Inkheart