As thunder boomed across the land with streaks of lightning illuminating the sky momentarily, Twilight looked around at everything going on in front of her. The cannon crews were still firing her specially designed shells. The gunners beside them, Sunset included, were occupied with having to divide their fire between those infected still on the outside of the walls and those coming in through what was left of the destroyed gate. And while the Building Defense Squad was keeping them from getting inside the main complex, she could tell that they couldn't keep it that way as the infected were beginning to push them backward.

"There's too many of them! I can't hold them back!" she heard one of them cry out before that person was shoved backward out of the formation, stumbling and falling on his back with an infected directly on top of him. The only thing keeping them separated was his riot shield, thankfully placed between them. She then watched as Rainbow Dash quickly aimed her pistol and shot the infected in the head. But now, the horde had an unimpeded path inside. The line of defenders was broken as the horde pushed them aside. One by one, the infected began charging through what they thought to be the last line of defense. Well. It might've been. If the girl wielding the magical chainsaw didn't have anything to say about it.

As she stood still with her floating chainsaw hovering close by, she watched as Rainbow and Spitfire continued on. Despite the situation, the two fighters did not back down and run to the safety of the main building. If anything, they were now more determined to fight on against these odds stacked against them. But even with those two and the remaining members of their squad now in an all out brawl with the infected, the numbers just were not in their favor.

With the gate destroyed and now the Building Defense Squad separated from each other, Twilight determined that if she didn't do something, the entire yard would be compromised in a matter of minutes. It was then and there that she knew what had to be done. Whether she wanted to or not was irrelevant to the task at hand. This is something that needed to happen in order to ensure their best hopes of survival.

Observing a couple of the infected making a dash for the defenseless people in the supply chain, she knew that it was now or never to act. With several yards separating the crew from their attackers, the magically enhanced chainsaw floated over toward them. The little motor was revving at full throttle before the part that was meant to cut through tree trunks and branches sliced through both of their necks, dropping both with just a few feet separating them from the line of people.

"Nothing is going to get by me," she said to herself as she slowly walked toward the chaos in front of her, her shoes becoming caked in mud with the ground around them being soaked from the rain. As she walked, her right hand clenched into a fist every few seconds with her wrist beginning to rotate it. By proxy, the chainsaw's engine was being revved over and over as the entire thing started spinning around, like a spinning fan of magical devastation. Seeing what it was doing, she clenched her fist as hard as she could, keeping her wrist rotating before sending it directly into the horde.

When she did this, the effects could immediately be seen. One by one, the infected began to drop to the ground. Once Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were finished dealing with infected in front of them, they were soon stunned to find a flying chainsaw spinning around, cutting down the horde with ease.

"What... the... fuck...?" Spitfire quietly asked while watching the floating purple colored chainsaw. She then looked over to see that it was Twilight Sparkle who was controlling the instrument of destruction. Seeing this, she then turned to look over at Rainbow, who was equally as shocked. "Did... you know she could do that?"

"Not. At. All," Rainbow replied while smacking an infected man over the head with her baton all while keeping her eyes glued to what was happening. She simply couldn't look away as the chainsaw was mowing down any unlucky infected that was in its path. Meanwhile up on the catwalk, Sunset was equally as shocked to see her friend's actions. From above, she watched as the little chainsaw kept spinning around, slicing through the necks and bodies of the infected.

"Woah...." she heard Shining Armor's voice say. She then turned and looked in the direction of the voice to find Twilight's brother's eyes wide open as he watched what his little sister was doing. A smirk then formed on his face as he nodded his head. "That's my little sis," he said before turning to look back out at the remaining portions of the horde that was still attacking.

While all of the chaos and carnage was happening outside, inside was the complete opposite as Bull, Big Mac, and Applejack made their way toward the safe room. With her friend on her right and her big brother on her left, Applejack could only try to keep herself steady while she was essentially carried along. She'd try to walk on her own. But each time she tried putting any kind of weight on her right leg, a sharp pain would be all that she'd be rewarded with.

"Just take it easy, AJ," Bull said as they walked through the empty hallways. "We don't know what all's wrong with you."

"I'm.... fine...." Applejack grunted in response while trying to walk on her own. But the pain in her leg made her regret it, at least as far as her facial expression told.

"I don't think you are," her brother said as the group rounded a corner. "That leg of yours might just be broken."

"I'd.... be in a lot more pain.... if that was the case," she replied. "I'll be... fine. Just need to... sit down is all."

"You're probably gonna need a lot more than that," Bull said as the group came up to the door leading into the safe room. As soon as they stopped, Bull banged on the door with his free hand a few times. "Open the door! Applejack needs some medical help!"

"Applejack?!" Rarity's voice cried out from inside the room before they could see the fashionista rush over to the other side of the metal door. She then removed the bar keeping the door shut and quickly opened it to allow the group to enter. As the apple farmer was helped inside, Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all looked on in shock as they saw what condition their friend was in. "Applejack! Darling! Are you alright?" Rarity asked after she secured the door behind them.

"I've.... been better," she replied while she was led over to a chair. Once there, Bull and Big Mac helped her sit down. When she was seated, she removed her rifle that she had strapped to her back before leaning it on the wall beside her. As she was doing that, a familiar face that the transformed alicorn recognized came up to the group. Nurse Redheart, the facility's lead medic, stopped and knelt down in front of Applejack with her first aid kit already opened.

"Don't worry, Applejack," she said while getting some medical wrap and antiseptics ready. "I'll get you patched up. Can you tell me what all is going on?"

"Well. I got this big ol' gash in my arm," she replied while pointing it out. "And something's wrong... with my right leg."

"Alright," Redheart replied. "Let me see what I can do for you." As the former school nurse started to work on her injuries, the mood in the room changed to one of concern and panic. If Applejack, someone known for being one of the toughest people in the facility, was in this condition. Then who knows what else was going on out there. While Redheart, Big Mac, and the rest of her friends were tending to Applejack's injuries, Twilight looked over and saw that Bullseye was already walking back toward the door.

"Bull!" she called out before rushing after him. This made him stop just before reaching the door. "Bull. What happened to Applejack?"

"She was using her truck to keep the gate shut," he replied. "But it got destroyed."

"The gate's gone?!" one of the people in the room cried out. "They're coming! They're coming for us! I just know it!"

"What are we going to do?!" another person asked. Hearing this, Bull turned around and looked back toward them. Once he did, he saw that those who weren't looking after Applejack were now looking at him. Through his tinted sunglasses, he could see the fear in each of their eyes as they all looked at him for some glimmer of hope.

"Don't worry," he said in an attempt to calm them down. "We've got everything under control."

"You don't know that!" one of the people replied. "The gate's destroyed! You said so yourself! That means they can get into the building!"

"Even if they do somehow get inside. You all are still safe in here!" he replied as his voice got a bit louder. "This room was built with that scenario in mind!"

"He's right!" Applejack added. "Even if this place is breached, they ain't gonna get in this room."

"Why are they attacking us now though?" a mother asked as she held her child close. "We've been here for months and never had any problems. Why now? What's changed?"

"Hang on," another mother said. "Didn't we lose one of our Scavengers yesterday?"

"Yes," Cadance replied as she held Flurry Heart. "Bullseye's partner. Adagio Dazzle." This made Bull look away in shame as some people in the room began putting together the pieces.

"Bullseye! Your partner's trying to get us all infected! Or worse!" A woman called out before the sound of a window breaking in a nearby room startled everyone. Hearing this, Bull took hold of his shotgun and removed the bar keeping the door shut before opening it. Once he did, he peeked out in the hall to check for any infected. Thankfully there were no signs of any inside.

"Twilight," he said while standing there, making the humanized alicorn look at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I'm leaving. Lock the door behind me. No matter what happens. Don't unlock it until everything quiets down."

"Are you crazy? You can't go out there by yourself!"

"Who all is going to come with me from here?" he asked before turning and stepping back in the room, closing the door behind him. "Applejack's hurt. I'm not gonna ask Big Mac to leave his sister's side. And everyone else in here already chose to stay out of the fight."

"I didn't choose to be in here," she replied. "I'll go with you."

"No," he said. "You're too important to risk getting infected."

"You let me go with you yesterday to help Rainbow and the others," she pointed out. "What's the difference today? Besides. You need someone to watch your back." This made him turn around and look at her. He could see that she was determined and wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"Twilight," Rarity said as she walked over to them. "Are you sure you want to do this? Yes Bull would be by himself. But that hasn't stopped him before. I mean. He was by himself yesterday when he rescued you. Remember?"

"Exactly," the transformed Princess replied as her friend stopped in front of her. "And now's my chance to repay him for that."

"There are other ways you can repay him!" she whispered into her ear. "Less dangerous ways!"

"Rarity. I know you're just trying to protect me," she replied while looking at her friend. "Just like your Equestrian counterpart would. But back there, I once made the mistake of staying behind while my friends put themselves in danger all because I was a Princess. But I learned that no matter the situation, it was always better to face them together." She then turned her head to look at Bull. "And right now. He needs me to help him."

The former seamstress sighed after hearing that before turning around to look at Applejack as Redheart was seen applying medical tape around her friend's leg. She could see the pain on her friend's face, as her eyes were clenched shut.

"Well. If you're going," she said before turning to look back at the two of them. "Then so am I."

"Are you sure?" Twilight asked.

"Absolutely," the fashionista replied. "Those brutes hurt our friend. So now we are going to return the favor." She then looked over at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy who had walked over to stand by them. "Right girls?"

"Right!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Mmhm," Fluttershy added. After that, the four of them looked at Bull, who just stood there silently while looking at all of them. Soon, he gave a heavy sigh and unclipped the strap securing the sword to his body before handing it over to Twilight.

"Sunset's gonna kill me for this," he said as he turned and walked out of the room. "Come on."

"Right behind you," Twilight said as she and the others followed him out of the room. Once all of them were out, one of the people in the room shut the door behind them. As the small group of five rushed down the corridor, the sounds of the cannons and guns outside could still be heard. The journey to the armory lasted a couple of minutes. But when they arrived, Bull stood watch outside with the humanized alicorn while the others picked up their gear.

After several minutes, the other three stepped out of the room, dressed in protective gear and holding their weapons of choice. As they did, both Twilight and Bullseye were surprised with what they had selected. Rarity and Fluttershy had chosen to use the same type of weapon as both were holding sniper rifles.

"In all my time of knowing the two of you," he said as he looked at their guns. "I never would've even imagined you both being snipers."

"Quick. Clean. And precise," Rarity replied. "Plus the advantages of being on rooftop above the chaos is something that I tend to prefer."

"And we'll be far from the infected too," Fluttershy added. "So you wouldn't have to worry about us."

"Good," he replied. "One less thing to worry about." After saying that, he then looked at what Pinkie Pie had chosen. Like him, she had chosen to use a shotgun. The only difference was that hers was a double barrel version. Meaning that she'd get only two shots before having to reload. Upon seeing that, he tilted his head in confusion. "A double barrel shotgun?" he asked. "Are you sure?"

"Don't underestimate my boomstick," she replied while looking at him. "She may not be as intimidating to look at as your gun. But she still packs quite the punch." This made him chuckle before he watched Rarity and Fluttershy head off toward the roof. Once they disappeared around a corner, he turned his attention to Twilight.

"Come on, Twi," he said. "There should still be some protective gear in there that you can use." When she heard him say that, the humanized alicorn looked down at herself and soon saw what he was talking about. Going outside dressed in the clothes the portal gave her probably wasn't a good idea. Especially with her arms and legs being exposed. Looking back up, she nodded before following him into the room while Pinkie waited outside.

Once inside, Twilight was amazed at what all was in there. Lining almost all of the room's perimeter were lockers holding different sets of clothes, ranging from long sleeve tops to full protective pieces of body armor. On the other side of the room was an open door that led into another room filled with lockers. From where she was standing, she could see some of the open lockers had weapons inside. What type of weapons though, she had no idea.

"Alright," Bull said, gaining her attention as she looked at him while he was rummaging through the lockers in the room they were in. "Here you go." After saying that, he turned around and held out some clothes for her. When she took hold, she looked down at the items of clothing. They were slightly heavier than she was expecting, but not too much. They probably had extra padding for protection.

"Thank you," she replied as he turned around and went inside the weapons room. As he was doing this, she set the clothes down in front of her and looked them over. The top was a thick black shirt with long sleeves. The bottom was a matching black pair of pants. She then looked down at the clothes she was currently wearing. The black top could easily just go over what she already had on. But wearing a skirt underneath the pants might be uncomfortable.

As she was doing that, Bullseye was looking around in the other room for supplies. He always did enjoy being in this room in particular. Pretty much similar to a kid being in a candy store as this room was essentially a miniature gun store. Only difference was that he didn't have to buy what he needed in here. Even though he was fully equipped with plenty of shells for his shotgun, and he also had Adagio's crossbow strapped to his back with several arrows ready for when needed, he still felt as though something was missing.

"Maybe something smaller," he said softly to himself as he opened various gun lockers. "Something I only need one hand for." As soon as he said that, his mind flashed back to Applejack at Canterlot High with her two backup pistols. Snickering to himself, he started looking for any that he could find. Not long after, he found one pistol in a holster that was designed to be strapped around the wearer's waist with a second holster on the other side. Clipped to the strap were also small pockets that contained several clips of ammo for them. Unfortunately though, the second holster was missing its occupant. "Gotta be another one around here somewhere," he thought as he continued his search. After a few more minutes, he opened another locker and found what he was looking for as he grabbed another pistol, one similar to the one he already found.

"Dual wielding pistols," he said in his mind before taking hold of it and unclipping the other from the holster at his waist. Holding both of them gave him a surge of confidence as he put both back in their respective holsters. With these, along with his shotgun and Adagio's crossbow, he was now ready for anything the infected would throw at him. "If only Steel and Dagi could see this." After thinking that, he started to make his way back into the other room. "Now I know better than to give you a gun, Twilight," he called out to her just before coming up to the doorway leading into the clothing room. "Considering the fact that you've never used one before. That's why you've got the sword. So just stick close to me and...." His sentence soon trailed off after he stepped through the doorway and saw that she was bent forward in front of him with her purple skirt around her ankles, completely exposing her pink colored panties and the visible portions of her purple colored backside for him to see. "Holy shit!" he yelled before covering his eyes and turning back around to wait in the gun room.

"Are you alright, Bull?" she asked while straightening herself up and turning to look at him, not knowing what had happened for him to react in such a way.

"You need to warn me if you're gonna be changing while I'm still in here!" he replied as he stayed in the gun room. When she heard him say that, she looked down at herself in confusion until it dawned on her what he was talking about. In this world, clothing was more of a requirement than optional. The panties she was wearing would be in full view of him if he was still looking at her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm used to not having to worry about clothes. I mean. Back in Equestria, clothing is seen more as an accessory rather than a necessity."

"Seriously?" he asked while still in the other room.

"Yes," she answered. "I usually just wear clothes for formal celebrations. Otherwise I go without."

"Now that's definitely gonna take some time for people here to get used to."

"I'm sure it will be," she replied. "You can come in here if you want. I'm not ashamed."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

After saying that, she watched as he slowly entered the room once again. Proving that what she said was the truth, she made no attempt to hide her panties from him. Back in Equestria, she'd occasionally catch stallions and even some mares checking out her flank as she'd walk by them. This didn't bother her though as she was proud of her body. And even though she couldn't see his eyes behind those mirrored sunglasses of his, she wouldn't have cared if he was looking at that part of her. But just as he was about to say something, the two of them heard the door on the other side of the room open.

"You guys just about done in here?" Pinkie Pie asked while stepping into the room, gasping as soon as she saw the other two. "Wa-hoh," she said before a sly smirk formed on her face. "What do we have here?"

"It's not what it looks like!" Bull quickly replied as he looked at Pinkie.

"You sure?" she asked while looking at them with lidded eyes. "Cuz it looks to me like you were about to get frisky with the Princess." She then giggled softly. "If you guys wanted some alone time, all you had to do was ask."

"No. Pinkie," Twilight said as her cheeks burned bright red, embarrassed by what she was implying. "I was... just getting changed."

"Sure you were," the party girl replied playfully while winking. "But maybe you two should save that for when we're not being attacked by a horde of infected." After saying that, she left the room and closed the door behind her. Once the two were alone again, they just silently stared at each other with both of them having shades of red plastered on their cheeks.

"I'll uh... let you get finished changing in private," he said as he began walking around her. "We'll... wait for you in the hall."

"Okay," she replied. "I'll... be out there as quick as I can." The man just silently nodded before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind him. With the room to herself again, she turned her attention to the clothes left behind for her. Getting the long sleeve shirt on was pretty easy as she had that done in no time. With that out of the way, she turned her focus to the matching black colored pants.

Taking hold of the item of clothing, she went over to a metal folding chair and sat down. The cold steel made her jump and shiver slightly as her bottom touched it. Once she was fully seated, she leaned forward and set the pants down in front of her legs. In her rush to get changed, she had left her socks and shoes on. Luckily for her though, it didn't seem to matter as the leggings of the pants just slid over them.

"Alright," she said in her head as she stood up and finished pulling her pants up and over her backside. Once this was finished, she went over to a nearby mirror to look herself over. Aside from her hands, face, and neck, everything else was covered in black clothing. Seeing herself in this outfit boosted her confidence for what she was about to do.

"We weren't doing anything in there, Pinkie," she heard Bull say through the closed door.

"Uh huh," she sarcastically replied. "Just be glad Adagio wasn't there to see you two like that. I'm sure she would've been super pissed."

"And thank you for reminding me about her," he said in an annoyed tone. Sensing the need to hurry up, Twilight rushed over to where she had set the sword down and picked it up before going over to the door and opening it.

"He's right, Pinkie," she said as she looked at her while stepping out. "We weren't doing anything in there."

"Alright. Alright," she replied. "Geeze. You guys need to lighten up and have some fun."

"Whatever you say, Pinkie," Bull replied before he looked at the new outfit that Twilight had on. "How's that feel on you?"

"It feels good," she answered as she gave herself another lookover. "Definitely an improvement to going out there in what I was wearing before."

"You can say that again," he replied. "Not really the best idea to be going out there in short sleeves and a skirt." After saying that, he started walking away. "Come on," he said, motioning for both of them to follow. "There's a side entrance to the yard that's quicker to get to than the main entrance."

"Right behind you, Bull," Twilight replied as she and Pinkie followed.

"Stay close to me, Twilight," he continued as they walked. "I'll do my best to keep you safe."

"You got it," she replied. The man just nodded silently in response before looking over at Pinkie.

"Pinkie?" he said.

"Oh. Don't worry about me," she said before giggling as she loaded her gun. "I'm gonna give these infected some fun before they take their long dirt nap. Pinkie Pie style!"

As the trio were on their way, things outside were looking to be turning in favor toward the people defending the facility. The horde looked to be nearing the end as their numbers were dwindling fast. Every now and again, Sunset would see the magical flying chainsaw zoom by, mowing down any unfortunate infected that was in its path. Looking back at the person making it do that, she flashed her a thumbs up.

"Keep it up, Twilight!" she called out.

"Trust me! I could do this all day!" she yelled back as she was hardly breaking a sweat despite using her magical power for such an extended amount of time. But then, her eyes caught sight of some strange green liquid being flung over the wall. "Look out!" she cried out while pointing at it, making Sunset look as it rushed over her. The people on the stairs immediately jumped out of the way right before the liquid splashed on the steps. Sunset looked on in horror as the metal stairs were quickly dissolved, just like the roof of the bus at Canterlot High.

"It can't be...." she said to herself before turning her attention back to the incoming horde. But as she looked closer, she saw a familiar figure out there. Principal Cinch, or at least what was once her, was standing not far from the wall with that terrifying liquid dripping out of her mouth. "I.... I thought I killed you..." Immediately after the former unicorn mare said that, the infected Principal leaned backward before spitting another stream of green liquid from her mouth. "Incoming!" she cried out as she, and the rest of the gunners, ducked in cover as the liquid again flew overhead.

This time though, the liquid hit the magical chainsaw. Twilight cried out in pain as she could feel the acid dissolving her weapon before she cut off her magic. What was left of the it dropped to the ground, completely useless now as she dropped to her knees. From her position on the catwalk, Sunset looked on with concern for her friend. She heard her painful scream and was worried about her condition. But with this new threat, the former mare had to deal with it first before she could help her friend. Not wanting to let Cinch get another chance, she quickly aimed her rifle at the acid flinging individual before firing off several rounds. Just like before on the bus, Cinch was struck in the head before collapsing on the ground in a pool of her own acidic juice.

"Twily!" she heard Shining cry out, obviously hearing his sister as well. Not even hesitating, he jumped over the distance between the catwalk and what remained of the stairs before quickly making his way to her side. "Are you okay, sis?" he asked before giving her a comforting hug.

"I'm.. alright," she answered. As they continued the hug, a new sound echoed from outside the wall. From up on the catwalk, Sunset looked over in time to see a larger in size infected charging straight through a small crowd of fellow infected, sending them in all directions, including some being sent into the air. But this unique creature also appeared to have another one riding it. An infected wearing a hooded sweater.

"Incoming!" she called out just as the infected duo burst through the remains of the infected at the gate before stopping. When they stopped, the smaller infected climbed down and stood still next to the larger one before pulling the hood down, revealing red colored hair and bluish skin. As Sunset looked on, she looked up at the bigger one. This one had rainbow colored hair and dark blue skin as well as a significantly larger right arm compared to the left.

While the two continued standing there, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were just finishing off the infected people in front of them. Both of them were completely exhausted at this point.

"That's... the last of my ammo," Spitfire said as she tossed her pistol aside. "Guess it'll just be my baton now."

"I'm down... to my last clip," Rainbow replied as she loaded her pistol.

"Make those bullets count then," her friend said before the two of them turned around and saw the two standing at the gate. As soon as the rainbow haired girl's eyes caught sight of what was there, she immediately gasped.

"Mom?" she said as tears started forming in her eyes. "Dad?"

"No... way..." Spitfire said upon seeing her friend's reaction. "Are those two... your parents?"

"Yeah...." she replied softly. "At least... what's left of them..."

With the number of infected individuals inside the yard now dramatically reduced, most of the survivors that were still standing now had their guns aimed at the two as they stood motionless. With the cannons no longer firing, those remaining infected that were still beyond the wall were now standing behind the pair, seemingly waiting for the cue to rush into the yard.

An uneasy calmness filled the air for several seconds as everyone just stood still. Almost as though this was something straight out of a movie. Both sides preparing themselves for what would be the climactic conclusion. Even though it hurt her to see what this awful disease had done to her parents, Rainbow had her pistol aimed in their direction as well. She knew that the parents she had were long gone. These two may somewhat still look like them, but she was sure that they'd do to her what they'd do to anyone else they came across.

Suddenly, the two split off in different directions. The larger one started surging ahead with great speed toward Twilight and Shining. And the smaller one leapt into the air while shrieking loudly in the direction toward Rainbow and Spitfire. Following their lead, those remaining infected began pushing in through the remains of the gate. With the threat of her own mother now coming at her, the athletic girl aimed her pistol before discharging it toward the incoming attacker multiple times.

"Twilight!" she called out while glancing at what was once her father as he plowed through anyone that stood in his way, sending them all in various directions. "Look out!" In the split seconds of looking between her mother and father, what she witnessed next would be something that she'd never forget.

Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Shining pushed his little sister out of harm's way just before being grabbed by the behemoth. But just as he did that, she now had to put all of her focus on her mother. Despite being struck by several bullets, she wasn't phased. Landing in front of the two women, she stood up and growled at the both of them.

"Mom! Please!" Rainbow pleaded as tears filled her eyes while she aimed her pistol at her with unsteady hands. "Don't make me do this!" But all she got in response was another shriek before her mother leapt straight at her. But in the last moment, she felt herself being shoved forcibly out of the way by Spitfire's arm. Time slowed down as this happened. Turning her head as she fell, she watched as her friend was tackled to the ground by what was once her loving mother.

As soon as she hit the dirt, she looked back just as her mother had bit Spitfire's left hand before being punched in the jaw by her right.

"Spitfire!" she cried out before her mother was suddenly struck in the head by a bullet from up above them. Immediately afterward, her body went limp and slumped over to her left, splashing into a puddle next to her. Looking up to where it came from, she saw Rarity looking over the edge of the roof of the main building while holding a sniper rifle.

"Dash..." Spitfire's voice softly said before a cough, getting her attention back.

"You... idiot..." Rainbow said as she knelt down next to her with tears now streaming down her face. "Why did you do that?"

"You... had... no... bullets left," Spitfire answered. Upon hearing this, Rainbow looked down and picked her gun up. She then aimed it up and away from the two of them and squeezed the trigger. Just as her friend had stated, the clip was empty of bullets. In all of the chaos, she hadn't realized her gun had nothing left to fire.

"I'm... sorry..." she said as she held on to her friend's uninfected hand, breaking down as she couldn't control her sorrow. "I'm sorry! I'm a fucking idiot!"

"No..." Spitfire said before coughing once more. "This... wasn't... your... fault."

"Yes it is!" the rainbow haired girl exclaimed.

"Rainbow...." Spitfire said as her breathing began to slow. It was obvious that the infection was starting to spread through the bite to the rest of her body. "I.. don't.. have.. much time left. So listen... close." She then took in another deep breath. "I'd... rather.. go out... saving my friend... than any... other way." After saying that, she coughed once more. But her eyes looked back at her friend as she was by her side. "Promise me... that you'll survive..."

"I..."

"You're... strong, Rainbow," she said. "I... know... you'll... make it... through..." Through the tears in her eyes, Rainbow saw that Spitfire was smiling as she laid there looking up at her with tears coming out of her eyes as well. "I... have... no regrets... for this," she continued. "But you... need to make it. For both me... and Soarin." The athletic girl just sniffled in response as she clutched her friend's hand between both of hers. Spitfire's breathing slowed down dramatically until her body went limp. "Goodbye.... Rain...bow..." she weakly said before a streak of lightning lit up the sky followed by a loud boom of thunder.

"Spitfire?" Rainbow said as her friend's hand slid out from between hers, splashing in the mud. She then rested her hands on her body and pushed against it with no response. "Spitfire?!"

"Look out, Rainbow!" Rarity's voice called out from above. Hearing that, Rainbow looked up and saw that three infected people were coming toward her. Immediately, one was struck in the head from the fashionista above. But the other two kept coming. With not enough time to react to her attackers as she was still kneeling by Spitfire's body, she closed her eyes and put her arm up in a pointless attempt to shield herself.

But the sound of two shotguns being fired nearby followed shortly by the sounds of two bodies hitting the ground made her open them to find that she was safe.

"Rainbow!" Twilight's voice cried out from behind her. Hearing that, she turned around to find Pinkie Pie, Bullseye, and the transformed Princess of Friendship standing in front of the nearby side entrance to the building. Seeing the three of them, along with both Rarity and Fluttershy looking down from the roof, the rainbow haired girl's magenta colored eyes just filled with tears as she broke down once more.

Author's Note

I'm incredibly sorry for the almost five year period of time between this and the last chapter. I know what I say here can't make up for it. And I hope that what was written here was good. I promise though that the next chapter will not take nearly as long to come out.

We're nearing the end of the story everyone. I'll get started working on the next chapter as soon as I can.