//-------------------------------------------------------// The Trotting Dead -by SweetieBelle_CMC- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The beginning of the end. (Incomplete) //-------------------------------------------------------// The beginning of the end. (Incomplete) My name is Sweetie Aurora Heart Belle and several months ago there was an illness. My sister said it spread like no other ever seen in Equestrian history and the doctors were unsure of what it was. It wasn't until Princess Celestia got ill that research for a cure became main priority. Calling the elements to Canterlot to help speed up the research, but no success came through and Celestia spoke her last words to her sister. The virus got worse as time moved on but the scariest of all was during the burial of the sun. A ceremony held after the death of Princes, for Celestia it was four unicorns chosen by Luna herself. The unicorns cast a spell standing in a circle around Celestias body. Where a fraction of Celestias sun is brought down to Equestria, from there Luna would raise Celestias body into the fraction and Celestias body would be burned and her magic becoming one with the sun. From there we'd be granted with two days and two nights of none stop sunlight with the sun shining brighter then ever before. If the ceremony would have been completed that is. When the four unicorns went to cast the spell Celestia had finally turned. Her lifeless corpse walking in front of all of Canterlot. That's where the first trotters began, of course I didn't know any of this. During all that me and my sister stayed behind in Ponyville with Rainbow who was unconscious in the hospital with a flight injury. That's where my story begins. --------------<|:O:|>------------ I sat in the blank cold room of a hospital, this room in particular had the great pleasure of having disgusting blueish green walls. While the floor I continuously stared at in drenched boredom was white tiles. I took my gaze away from the dull tiled floor, looking to my sister who was standing by the bedside. Looking down at the light blue Pegasus who was out cold. "Rarity" I called with a voice full desperation signaling my complete want to leave. My sister turned around holding a faint forced smile on her face, she was trying not to look sad. It didn't work at least not on me, I know my sister to well, just as she knows me. She could always tell when I was hurting or angry, and she always knew how to make me feel better. Right now I can understand why she's hurting the pony in the hospital bed is one of her best friends, RainbowDash. I'd be upset if my friends were in the hospital too. "What is it Sweetie?" She asked in her usual loving and caring voice. "Can we go home." I asked, pleading she would say yes for my own sanity, and for the sanity of those around me. Let's just say a filly my age can only take so much of one room, I was way past my limit on this room. It felt like the walls and floor were nagging at me, and the ceiling well the amount of tiles I have yet to figure out. "I suppose, We can always come back tomorrow." She said before turning back to the bed that holds the sky blue rainbow maned pegasus. "Get well soon darling." She said. Mean while I was busy looking up at the ceiling. Giving it my silent words that revenge will be mine, one day. "Okay Swe-" Before she could finish I was already out the door. Walking down the pale white hallway. That lead straight into the nurses station were several ponies in white lab coats or blue uniforms could be seen behind a counter. As I stepped in to the nurses station from the hallway. The door to the nurses station right across the room burst open. The sound of a hospital a bed rolling in filled my ears along with the voices of panicked doctors. As they ran across the room and down the halls all to the same bed. "He's burning up!" I heard a nurse shout. "Not again for Celestia sake!" Out of nowhere I hear the sound of steal shaking my ears pinpointed it to the bed. At the very moment I heard Rarity who was walking behind me. Charge toward me at full gallop, after a moment of staring at the bed. I realized it wasn't the bed shaking it was the pony in it, his brown legs shaking uncontrollably. Then I felt Raritys hooves cover my eyes, just before I heard the sound gurgling and choking and liquid dripping to the floor. Then silence, nothing but silence, it was scary. The Doctors and nurses they said nothing, after what seemed like hours. I heard one of the nurses begin to break down in tears, why? Was the only only question in my head. She didn't seem to have any special connection to the pony that was brought in. If she did I'd think she would showed worry or broken into tears. My train of thought was stopped as my sister removed her hooves from my eyes. I looked to the nurses station now several nurses crying at the counters, and even a doctor. I felt Rarity pull me forward with her magic and we began towards the exit. Walking by the hospital bed I turned to look, but Rarity yanked me forward before saying. "Sweetie don't look" all I got to see was a thick brown liquid splattered on the floor. The rest of the way through the hospital was made in silence, I took occasional glances up to my sister but for once. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking, if she was, angry, sad, or scared? I couldn't tell, and it scared me even more. If I was scared, I honestly couldn't tell for myself either. I just kept hearing the sound of that ponys death in my head repeat itself over and over again. Eventually we got out of the hospital, but the thought of the pony, and what happened. That didn't leave my head, nor did my sisters silence. Eventually I was forced to break it. "Rarity." I said nervously and frightened. Rarity shook her head like she was snapped out of some sort trance by the sound of my voice. "What is it darling?" She spoke up her voice sounded different, it carried a worried tone to it. Now I know she knows so, but what? "What happened in the hospital to that stallion?" I asked trying to get answers, so my head could stop spinning. "I don't know darling, let's just get home okay." She said sounding rushed and now definitely panicked, but why? That's what I what I want to know and should I be worried. The Carousel Boutique soon came into view after an hour of silence walking, and mind torment. I picked it up to full gallop towards home sweet home, and Rarity continued walking lost in a trance. I don't think she even noticed me run off, if she did she definitely didn't show it. I opened the midnight blue door to the Boutique the sound of the familiar bell chiming fills the still air around me. I look back to my sister who's now following me inside into the main room, which Rarity made into her permanent business. Which is fashion, a sewing machine sat on a desk to the side of the room. In the front two beautiful sparkling dresses stood on mannequins behind two large windows. The back held a shelf with multiple cubbies full of various fabrics. Next to it on the left a large double door leading to the kitchen, on the right corner of the rooms. A spiral staircase going upstairs to my room and Raritys, which is exactly what I was walking up to. I needed sleep I didn't know if I was going to get any after the past events of the day, but I would at least try. I slowly walked up to the stairs taking a moment to look to my sister worried. She hasn't spoken to me since the incident at the hospital. I sighed, and continued up the stairs entering a hallway with purple floor. The walls a lighter bluish purple with pink swerving up and down at every high point a heart of the same pink. I walked to the door of my bedroom, and instantly opened it the bright colors of my room wrapping me in a warm safe feeling. I was immediately drawn to the sight of my bed the pink blanket and white bed sheets. I instantly went straight to the bed and laid down. The softness and warmth of my blankets engulfing me, carrying me off to sleep. -------------()---------- Black that's what I saw before my eyes opened, awakening in hospital room laying on a couch. The room painted the disgusting bluish green and the same white tiles on the floor. Don't they ever change that? I looked around then it hit me, when did I fall asleep in the hospital and where's Rarity? I looked to the bed seeing Rainbow laying down still no sign of awakening. I sighed, then hopped down off the couch passing the chair I was sitting in during the last visit, and out the door. If Rarity wasn't in the room she was usually in the nurses station. Chatting with RedHeart either about Rainbows condition, or trying to convince RedHeart to let her create new uniforms for the doctors or other nurses. I trotted down the white hall, noticing some of the lights flickering off and on or some off completely. I walked into the nurses station looking around to see the doctors and nurses sorting through files, going over X-rays, or just chatting, but no Rarity. I walked up to the counter and one of the nurses looked down at me. "Is there anything I can help you with young filly." A blond mare with a pink coat dressed in a nurses outfit asked politely looking down at me from behind the counter. I looked up at her before speaking. "I'm looking for my sister a white unicorn three Dia-" before I could finish I was cut off by the sound of the doors to the nurses station bursting open, and the sound of a hospital bed being raced into the room. "We've got another on our hooves! The fevers already extremely high" the doctor pushing in the bed yelled, but my attention wasn't to him, my eyes widened as I stared in blank horror. The pony laying in the bed was my sister, I charged to the bed right as she started shaking. The nurse from behind the counter racing over grabbing me from behind. "That's my sister!" I yelled screaming and kicking as the nurse held tight and I watched as doctors rushed over to the bed blocking my view. Several other nurses ran to help carry me away kicking and screaming tears streaming down my face. Then I heard it the coughing and choking, then the brown liquid splattering onto the floor. Then the silence, Rarity had stopped moving completely I couldn't see, but I heard, the bed was no longer rattling. I fell limp staring blankly as doctors moved away from the bed, and I could make out apart of my sisters purple mane hanging over the bed side. I couldn't move, no matter how much I wanted to I couldn't make myself fight anymore. The nurses carrying me away in dead silence as I continuously stared at the bad. My tears littering the floor as I was moved. My eyes shot open and I screamed. "Rarity!" I looked around I was laying in the comfort of my room the bedroom door shot open and Rarity ran. As soon as she realized I was in tears crying she ran over to the bed pulling me into a hug, and I told her about the horrific nightmare. That night she explained a little of what happened in the hospital, she told me about the disease. That's spreading and doctors don't know how to cure it, but everything will be okay, as far as she knew. It was only older ponies that had to worry. The next day went quite as you would expect I still had bad dreams, but they weren't as bad as the one. I went down stairs to find Rarity was making french toast, one of my favorites. Though I like them better when spike makes them, he adds some sort of special ingredient. I wonder how they're doing in Canterlot, I hope they're at least having fun. I took a seat at the table and Rarity sat a plate on the table for me, and I instantly dug in. The delicious flavor dancing around in my mouth, and Rarity sat down a little after. "So did you sleep any better, after that nightmare?" She asked before taking a bite of her food. I nodded taking a moment to chew and swallow. "Yeah, but I still had bad dreams just not as bad as the first." Rarity took moment before replying. "Well I'm sure they'll go away in time, but I need you to get ready. We have the visit to the hospital remember?" The word hospital shook me lightly I didn't know if I wanted to go back after the incident and the dream. It scared me and I didn't want that nightmare coming true, that's the last thing I want. "I don't want to go back to the hospital." I said with worry and fear littering my voice. "Sweetie Rainbows needs us there, and we're going, she would do the same for us." She said looking at me with a stern expression her voice no different. I sighed and nodded, the rest of the meal was ate in silence. Once I finished I went upstairs to get ready, brushing my mane, tail, and coat. Once that was done and over with we headed out the door, leaving the comfy and cozy environment of home behind. I swear every day it seemed like we saw less of home and more of the hospital. I looked back at the boutique which was now slowly disappearing, into the distance. We continued our way to the hospital the large white building with the red plus slowly appearing. Then something else appeared in front of the hospital. A pony at least I think it's a pony his limp was weird and he kept walking completely off balance. Rarity and I got closer I don't know if she noticed him yet, after all I didn't mention it. Rarity, well she felt rather distant after her friends left. I looked at the pony now closer to him, and what I saw made my heart skip a beat, my blood stop cold. The ponies coat was gray his mane a bluish silver and his cutie mark a couple of toy jacks. That's not what made this creepy or scary no, what did that was the large gash in the ponies side. Allowing for his intestines to be bleeding out on to the grass and dirt trail. I stared in blank shock a minute, before I saw his eyes the stallions cold, dead, and emotionless. No matter how you looked you couldn't see a glimpse of life in them. I turned to Rarity who looked at the pony with a look of terror, fear and horror. She stuck a hoof to me began pushing me back she wants me to leave, I got that much, but why? Out of nowhere I heard the blood vicious snarl then groaning, and Rarity scream my name. Before I know it I felt a force push me to the ground and my eyes snap shut. I opened them to the pony pinning me to the ground trying to bite me i felt my heart rate increase and fear gripping me. The only thing stopping that pony from biting me was Rarity, she had her hooves around his throat trying to pull him off me. I began struggling to get free digging my Hooves into the dirt and trying to pull out. No use, this ponys too strong. I thought then out of nowhere I saw a rock swing at me I flinched closing my preparing for the hit. Instead I heard crunch and something warm splash on my face, some of it landing in my mouth the taste ion covered my tongue, it was blood I could taste it. I heard the crunch once more, and more blood splattering but this time I felt the pony get knocked of me. I opened my eyes to see Raritys face covered in blood from where it splashed on her. Her horn was glowing in a light blue luminescent glow a rock covered in blood the blood dripping to the ground levitating in the same glow. "R-Rarity?" I said shaking in fear. "SweetieBelle run or look away." She said looking back to gray stallion who's face was now smashed in. skin dangling by a thread where its been toren off from being hit with the rock. Blood dripped, staining the green grass beneath him. Rarity stood with the rock as he slowly got closer, once close enough. She swung the rock down hitting the stallion over the head, the stallion instantly collapsed to the floor. Though he still kept moving forward half of his face bashed now his skull with it. Now Rarity stepped forward raising the rock up the bringing it back down repeatedly. Blood splattering all over and the ponys head now busted open, and brains reduced to mush. I stared blankly at Rarity her hooves now soaked in another ponys blood. My heart still racing and I was still shaking in fear, my sister just bashed a ponies head in. That was murder, right? I mean he did trying attacking us, does that justify it? No, no. Mom always said two wrongs don't make a right. I'm so lost. I noticed Rarity had dropped the rock and is now slowly walking up to me. her usually white hooves now a dark crimson red, stained with blood. "Sweetie are you okay it didn't hurt you did it?" She asked her voice filled with concern. I looked at her not knowing what to say in reply, my mind still puzzled. I stood there looking at my own sisters like she was a stranger some random dangerous mare. After what seemed like minutes I finally built up the courage to speak, but the words I chose hit my sister like a brick. "Who are you." Rarity looked at me with a mixture of shock and regret. "Sweetie I'm your sister." She said, in a caring voice reaching a out her hoof looking at me with pleading eyes to take it. I didn't take the hoof I looked at the blood on it wanting to vomit and my heart was still racing. "No, my sister wouldn't have just killed somepony." Her look fell to sadness. "Sweetie you don't understand, and you won't understand unless I explain it too you." She looked me in the eyes "please Sweetie." I sighed and sat there thinking for a bit, after a minute of silence I nodded. After hours of carful travel avoiding the main roads, trying not to be seen covered in blood. We finally made it back to the boutique where we washed the blood off our coats. Then sat down at the kitchen table, I looked at my sister waiting for her to begin. She looked at me in awkward silence before smiling. "Tea?" She asked trying to dodge the topic. "Rarity." I said getting a bit annoyed, by her constantly trying to avoid the conversation. After all she's been hiding something ever since the hospital, it's time for me to find out what. She let out a sigh of defeat then gave me a serious look. "Okay Sweetie, I suppose you deserve to know what's going on. After what happened at the hospital I suppose it's impossible to hide. Now, anyways." She took a deep breath preparing herself. "The illness I told you about, it's not normal. Twilight and the others were sent to Canterlot to help find a cure, for Celestia, but I haven't heard back from them in a couple days, the last letter I received it didn't sound good." "What did it say?” I asked, trying to gather as much information as I can, and also worried what might've happened. She took a deep breath preparing herself. "The letter said Princess Celestia had died and Princess Lunas devastated." My eyes widen, P-Princess Celestias dead she has the best doctors in all of Equestria. Just waiting on standby for emergencies, and they couldn't cure it! Rarity continued. "Twilight can't seem to find anything either, she's been running tests to see if it holds any magical abilities. Apparently she found the disease to still have effects after death, slowly reactivating the brain then Remobilizing the body, and reactivating the magic with a constant want to feed." I listened carefully, wondering how all this was possible. "So it brings them back to life?" I questioned thinking I understand it. Rarity shook her head. "No far from it. The disease only reactivates certain parts of the brain, the memories or the parts that make a pony who they are stay gone. The thing you saw back there the thing I" She pauses for a minute. "I killed was already dead, just a lifeless body up and walking. That's what Twilight says, and what I saw attacking you was proof enough." A lifeless body up and walking how is that even possible? How is any of this? it's like something you would read in a horror book. "Twilight said she had to warn the others before the ceremony of the sun. She believes Celestia is going to turn into one of those things." She said sounding almost broken, I can't imagine why she wouldn't. She had been holding all this in for I don't even know how long, trying to protect me from it, and in the process letting it eat away at her. "So, what do we do?" I asked unsure of anything anymore what Rarity had just told me didn't seem possible, but we just saw was the first glimpse of it. Right outside the Ponyville public hospital. "Do you forgive me?" I heard Rarity ask I nodded in return. She gets up out of the chair and begins pacing back and forth through the kitchen in thought. "Well if what Twilight said about this disease is true, then there's going to be tons of those things. We'll need defense, a way to protect ourselves. luckily daddy taught me how to shoot, though I can't say I ever planned to holding such a thing again." Wait did my sister just say she knows how to shoot, as in shoot a gun, like a real gun. "dad taught you how to shoot?" I questioned with surprise. She nodded. "Yes A revolver 357. Magnum to be exact. He said a proper lady should know how to defend herself if need be." I stared at her blankly, how did I not know any of this stuff sooner? I mean she's my sister, a I sho- A loud bang came from outside cutting off my train of thought and drawing our attention to the door. We both looked to the door before taking off outside. What we saw lead me into a state of shock, hundreds of ponies standing outside. Staring at the sky in horror tears streaming down their faces. I followed their gaze to find four beams of purple light leading towards the sun. The beams formed rings around the sun as a fraction of it was pulled down into the the atmosphere. The sky becoming engulfed in a sea of bright orange and yellow light, I couldn't believe my eyes. "Celestia's fallen!" I heard a stallion shout in the distance, I looked to my sister who was in tears. I suddenly felt her engulf me in her magic pulling me close into a comforting hug. Silence fell as everypony waited for the rest of the ceremony but it never came, one beam of magic flickered then went out, it was quickly followed by the other beams. Ponies began to look to each other in wonder, my thoughts how ever aren't focused on curiosity. Rather pleading that it wasn't what me and Rarity suspect. Everyponies train of thought was broken as blood curdling screams filled the street. Everypony turned to the directions of the screams, my blood ran cold, as I saw our fears become reality. A stallion screamed in pain as one of the things stood over him ripping the flesh of the bag of his neck. Blood ran to the ground, and I soon heard the stallions screams silence, as I saw more of the poor stallions neck get ripped apart. More ponys began to scream, and run inside or away from the seen as a hole. As ponies cleared way I could see more of the those things, approaching in the distance. My eyes widen as I did the math in my head. The direction they're coming from is the hospital, the memory came back to me the pony in the hospital bed, the doctor saying stick him with the others. My train of thought was cut off as I was suddenly tugged by my sister. "Sweetiebelle inside come on." She said pulling me from the gruesome seen taking place, and into the safety of the boutique closing the door. I was rendered in shock, but the shock was soon replaced by nausea as I began throwing up onto the floor. My stomach unable to handle what my eyes had witnessed, I heard the door close again. My eyes widen as I stopped vomiting, I quickly ran to the door and tried pulling it, but couldn't. Something was holding it shut from the other side. "Rarity!" I shouted. "open the door!" I screamed multiple emotions filling my voice the primary two, worry and concern. "Rarity please!" I yelled one last time before falling to the floor in tears. Multiple thoughts began rushing through my head and none helping my state of panic. Rarity didn't leave me alone she would never do that, she'll be back she has to, for me. I thought as I sat there crying, I forced myself onto my hooves wiping the tears off my face. I began walking away from the door when I heard. BANG BANG BANG My ears shot up and my eyes widened, I quickly turned back to the door. The banging continued and the door rattled from the force. I slowly began to step back, as groans began to fill the air, I could feel my heart begin racing. W-what I do, I thought to myself trying to think of anyway to get them to go away, but nothing came to mind. I watched as the door continued shanking, and the bangs became louder filling the room, until snap. The door couldn't take the force anymore, and it flew open knocking door bell to the floor with a violent chime, my eyes widen with shock and horror. My heart beat skyrocketing, as I jumped to my hooves and ran upstairs to my room closing the door behind me with a glow of my horn. Hopefully they didn't know how to climb stairs, I thought, but my answer came sooner then expected. As I heard the stairs creak as they began making their way up to my room, I fell into a sitting position quickly beginning to lose hope. The door started rattling with the sound of banging behind it, I sat there in silence staring at the door. Waiting for it to give way, and the dead to walk in. Then an image flashed into my head. Rarity returning home to find the monsters filling the house and her little sister dead on the floor. Guts ripped out, and a puddle of blood staining my white coat, Rarity falls to the floor in tears holding my lifeless bleeding body. "No!" I shouted tears streaming down my face from the image that formed in my mind. "No I have to figure a way out, I have to survive for Rarity." I began looking around my room for anything to block the door with. Dresser to heavy, bed to much time, I contemplated the result of each item until I came to the chair. Not heavy, not to strong, but it won't last as long as the door, but at least its better than nothing, and it'll buy me some time to escape, until Rarity gets back. I froze at the thought. "I hope she's okay." I said unintentionally speaking out loud, I shook my head. Focus Sweetie!, I hesitantly pushed the chair up to the door jamming it between the floor and the door handle. Okay I need a way out, I thought to myself, and quickly began looking for an exit. My eyes falling to the window I rushed towards it not thinking twice, opening it up and, climbing out onto the roof, I then closed it behind me. Okay, out of the room, now I just need to get down. My thoughts fell silent as I approached the edge of the roof to look down. Horror was what I saw, blood coating the streets as the corpses of ponies laid about intestines, hanging out or spread across the street. As the gruesome creatures fed on the corpses below, I wanted to vomit again. Then my thoughts fell back to Rarity, I hope she's okay please let her be okay. I repeated then the screams of a random mare rang through my ears. I looked back out to see her emerald back being ripped apart, by two of the dead ponies. I quickly looked away. "Some pony kill me! Kill me please! Please!" I heard her cry out in pain, I fell into a laying position on the roof, tears streaming down my face as I heard the screams silence. Reality setting in, Celestia is dead Twilight, AppleJack, Pinkiepie, and Fluttershy are in Canterlot. RainbowDash is still in the hospital most likely dead, my sister ran off I don't know where to or why. Now, these things are killing, everypony, I cried more at the quick recap, I looked back down to see an undead pegasus staring at me. It spread out its wings and gave them a flap my eyes widened as I saw it get off the ground. I sprang to my hooves looking for a way to get down or get away at all, but to my horror there wasn't one, and the pegasus landed in front of me, I sat there my eyes clenched shut. "I'm sorry Rarity" I said as tears ran down my face, then BANG the sound of gun fire echoed and I heard a loud splat i felt blood splatter on to my face then more shots fired I opened my eyes to see who was shooting, and a look of relief and surprise fell onto my face. Rarity stood her ground firmly her horn glowing as she levitated a small box and a revolver next to her firing it off at each trotter. After six shots there were no more left standing, Rarity levitated open the box pulling out six bullets and reloading the revolver, she then began making her way over to me. "Rarity!" I shouted. "Those things are inside!" Rarity walked inside and a few minutes later I hear my windows shater and one the monsters bodies fly out onto the roof I jumped, but quickly once I noticed the piece glass stabbed firmly in its head. I walked over to the window and looked in to see my sister beating a monster with the bottom of a lamp