Chapters Rainbow Dash is sleeping in her bed, dreaming peacefully of flying with the Wonder Bolts. Suddenly her eyes flash open. "The tryouts!" Rainbow says as she jumps out of bed and makes a mad dash to the kitchen. "No time to eat," she says, but at that moment her stomach pangs with hunger. Quickly running around the room looking for a breakfast she can take to go, Rainbow Dash spots a bowl of apples on the counter, fresh picked from Sweet Apple Acres. She grabs an apple and is out the door.
As she beats her wings effortlessly, zooming faster and faster, Rainbow Dash can't help but remember when she was a little filly that had just learned how to fly. It had taken lots of effort then and her wings had always been sore even after the smallest flight. She is brought back to reality at the sight of the Wonder Bolt Academy. Every time Rainbow sees it she can't help but gaze in awe. Their was her destiny, to be a Wonder Bolt. Rainbow Dash had dreamed of this day ever since she was a little filly. Finally she landed. "Is this a dream?" she thought. Even though she knew it was real, it felt very dream-like. A large group of ponies had already arrived. Rainbow could see a white stallion standing in the front. He was clearly the coach.
"All right, listen up!" said the coach in a gruff voice. "You all know what you are here for. Honor, glory, pride, but most importantly, the title of a Wonder Bolt. I'm not going to say that you can do it, because chances are," he took a pause, leaving everypony hanging on to his last words. "you can't. Only one pony will go home a Wonder Bolt. Does anyone have any questions?" Rainbow rose her hoof.
"When do we begin?" Rainbow Dash said with confidence.
"Right now. Head to the starting line!" the coach barked. Just then, one mare bust into tears and ran off.
"One gone already? Pfft. This will be EASY." Rainbow said to herself. When she got to the start line she immediately got in position, front down, wings spread and ready to fly. The coach approached the side of the the start line.
"You will be flying through an obstacle course. The first pony to successfully complete it will be declared a Wonder Bolt. No cheating. There are officials watching your every move. Good luck." he preped his whistle. "On your mark!" Rainbow Dash's heart pounded at those words. "Get set!" Rainbow Dash was ready. It was now or never. The whistle blew and, in an instance, Rainbow Dash was gone. The first half of the course was easy, she twisted and turned in and out of obstacles; but as the second half commenced, the obstacles got tougher and the other pegasusi were catching up. Suddenly, a broad, black stallion with a yellow mohawked mane slammed into Rainbow Dash.
"Ahhhh!!" Rainbow screamed in terror as she lost control. Then a young mare, as a result of not being able to slow down in time, also slammed in Rainbow. She lost control even more and plummeted toward the runway. Then everything went black.
It is currently one week since Fluttershy's last visit, but only a day after the aforementioned visit was whn all hell broke loose. The outbreak started spreading like wild fire, stopping for no reason. Ponies were lucky if they survived another second. Rainbow Dash lay peacefully in her hospital bed unknowing of the chaos brewing beyond her hospital room. Finally, Rainbow was starting to regain consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open. 'What happened?' Rainbow thought 'Where is everypony?' She looks at the lifeless monitors next to her. 'Huh? Why are these off? Did they think I wasn't gonna make it?' She sits up and swings her hind legs over the side of the bed. When she gets up on all fours, she wobbles, but doesn't fall. "Woah!" Rainbow hobbles to the room's door.
"Uggggh..." moans something from around the corner.
"Ok, you got me. Cut the act." Rainbow says, starting to get scared. Suddenly, a pony shuffles from the corner.
"Ugggggghhhhh...." it groans. The blue stallion looled fairly intact, except for a gaping hole in hime back that exposed his spine and pink flesh.
"Nope." Rainbow says before turning around and sprinting down the hall in the oppsite drection of the pony.
"Ugh..."
Rainbow Dash slowly could hear that more of them had joined the symphony of moan and groans. She was coming up on a fire escape staircase. "Bingo!" she says. She gets opens the door, slams it shut then blocks the door with a board in the handle. "Phew!" Rainbow Dash says while wiping some sweat off her forehead.
"Uggghh..." somepony groaned. It didn't sound like it came from outside of the stairwell. She turned around and, suddenly, one of those... Things fell down some stairs leading to Rainbow's current floor. A sudden wave of fear ran a chill down her spine that temporarily paralyzed her. When IT got within two feet, Rainbow snapped out of her daze. She round house kicked the pony in the jaw; at least, where it would have been. She bolted toward the stairs leading to the lower floors and never looked back. She successfully made it too he ground floor and to the main enterance.
Once she was outside, she saw the true terror. Ponyville was in total and utter madness. Buildings were on fire, houses were in ruins, and the ponies of the undead roamed the streets. All but one.
"Applejack!" Rainbow Dash called, thinking, no, knowing she just saw her friend. No answer. Rainbow knew it was AJ because of her trademark Stension. Aj looked fine from what Rainbow could see, expect for some gashes and marks. "AJ?" Rainbow said worried as she started to slowly walk toward her friend. When Rainbow was only a few feet away, Applejack suddenly looked at Rainbow with black, lifeless eye and blood ariund her mouth from previous victims.
"Rawruurrgghh!!" Applejack groaned and made a sudden movementtoward the pegasus.
"Ahhh!" Rainbow screamed. Out of nowhere, a gun had been fired. Applejack stopped dead in her tracks and flopped over, truely dead, with a bullet hole through her brain (or what's left of it). A pony jumped out holding said gun; and wearing a black suit that covered their entire body, mane and tail, and also wore sunglasses that hid their eye color.
"Come with me if you want to live."
Chapter 3: Base Sweet Base
"Who... Who are you?" Rainbow Dash asked to the suited and masked pony before her.
"No time for questions. Come with me." the pony said in a distorted voice. "More trotters will be here soon." the pony started to walk away.
'Trotters?' Rainbow Dash thought. "Wait! What are Trotters?" Rainbow asked.
The pony stopped and turned around. "Ponies that come back from the dead."
"Well, why are they coming back?"
The suited pony went to open their mouth but a deep 'ugggh' was sounded from somewhere behind Rainbow Dash. "Trotters! We need to move!" the pony said with concern. "Follow me."
The two started to run in the opposite direction of the trotter. Rainbow tried to fly but her wings were still injured. She would have to rely on her hooves. They ran across Ponyville and past dozens of trotters. Rainbow didn't pay attention to who they where, but she saw blurs of ponies she had seen in the past that were now the undead. Rainbow may have been running through the streets of Ponyville, but her mind was outside the hospital with Applejack. She couldn't believe it. One of her best friends, gone.
"We're here." the pony said. They were at Sugarcube Corner.
"Why are we here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Its our base."
"Wait 'our'. There are more surviors?" Rainbow asked.
"Yes. Now inside. The Trotters must be close on our flanks." the pony said. They go inside the shop and Rainbow sees other survivors. Among the survivors are Pinkie Pie and Twilight.
"Pinkie! Twilight! It's so good to see you!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Its good to see you too Rainbow!" Twilight says. "How long have you been awake?"
"Oh... Maybe an hour."
"Woah! What a way to wake up!" Pinkie says. "Oh! That reminds me! I need to throw your 'Happy Waking Up' party!" Suddenly a mini party cannon goes off.
"Shh!" the suited pony says. "You don't want to alarm the Trotters!"
"Sorry." Pinkie whispers.
"Besides, we don't have time for a party." Rainbow said. She turns towards Twilight. "Twilight, I need to tell you something. Its about Applejack."
"We already know. She turned while you were under." Twilight interrupted.
Pinkie's mane goes flat. "Yeah, don't remind me" Pinkie suddenly becomes interested with the floor. Her eyes started to tear up.
"Oh Pinkie! I'm sorry for bringing it up." Rainbow apologizes.
"Its ok. You didn't mean to." Pinkie reassures. Suddenly, her mane poofs up again. "I know what will turn our frownies upside-downy!"
"Oh boy..." Twilight mutters.
"A PARTY!!!!!!" Pinkie yells. Another party cannon goes off, but this time it is silent.
"Pinkie! I thought I said no parties." Rainbow says.
"Can we at least have cake?"
"Sure."
"Yipee!" Pinkie goes right off to the kitchen to start on the cake.
After an hour of baking, Pinkie Pie has two cakes, one chocolate and one vanilla with them both decorated with blue and sporting Rainbow's cutie mark, and a batch of cupcakes with the same design as the cakes'
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself." Pinkie said.
"That's ok, its what you do." Rainbow said
"Besides, there will be more for everypony!" Twilight exclaimed. All of the other ponies that were there erupted into (quiet) joy. Everypony was chowing down and having a good time, well as good as it can get in this situation. Meanwhile Pinkie had also made a bowl of punch.
"I guess i am having a 'welcome home' party." Rainbow Dash points out.
"Yup!!" Pinkie confirms.
Suddenly, the suited pony pulls Rainbow Dash aside. "Can we talk?"
"Uhh... sure."
"I wanted you to know I'm sorry."
"For want?"
"About your accident."
"No sweat. You had nothing to do with it."
"But... I'm afraid I did." the suited pony starts to take off their mask.
The suited pony took off her mask. Underneath it was a yellow pony with a wavy (and slightly messy) pink mane.
"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
"Yes... that's right," Fluttershy confirmed. All the other ponies in the room were shocked. Their jaws gaped open and one even dropped their half-eaten cupcake.
"Why didn't you tell me it was you?"
"I felt guilty about your crash, so I hid myself from everypony else."
"But, you had nothing to do with my crash. Why would you feel guilty?"
"I wasn't there to help you when you crashed."
"Oh, Fluttershy! No matter if you were there or not, you couldn't have helped me. Don't beat yourself up! Don't be such a softie!"
"Thanks... but I wish I was still there, just in case."
"The past is in the past. Dust yourself off and move on. Besides, I'm fine! Well, except I can't fly; but other than that, I'm spotless!"
"But your head!"
"What about it? I'm fine!" Rainbow Dash objected. Just then, a hoof butst through the barricaded front followed by several groans of Trotters.
"Trotters!" Fluttershy yelled to the others.
"Pinkie! I told you this party was a bad idea!" Rainbow yelled at Pinkie.
"Sorry..." the party pony said as her mane deflated. Something was clearly on her mind.
"There's no time for apologies! Everypony to the castle!" Twilight ordered!
"But its on the other side of town!" one pony interjected.
"Fluttershy is the only pony with a gun! Now do you want to become the Trotters' next meal when they eventually burst through the door or do you want to live?" Twilight yelled. The pony didn't asnwer. "That's what I thought. Now everypony, on my count, we move! One!"
The Trotters were starting to break through the door. "I can't hold them off much longer!" Fluttershy yelled back to the group.
"Two!" a small, green, scaled body was climbing through the hole in the door, but in wasn't a pony.
"Three!" the creature was through the door and was inside the small bakery. It had a purple belly and purple spikes going down from its head to its tail. Muliple small holes made from other Trotters were on its head, belly, and tail.
"Spike?" Fluttershy asked, letting her gun down for a second.
"Move!" yelled Twilight. Everypony move off their current spots and headed for the back door. Twilight directed everypony toward the back down.
After Fluttershy exited through the door, Twilight looked back at the small Trotter. She quickly turned back around and followed the group, but if you looked closely, you would've seen tears forming in her eyes.
As the group ran through the streets of Ponyville, many ponies were lost. In fact, only Fluttershy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash remained. But before they could reach Twilight's castle, a horde of Trotters blockes their path. Flustered, Twilight quickly looked around for a solution. Then she spotted it. "There!" Twilight shouted while pointing. "Carousel Boutique! Lets go!" Without hesitation, the others followed.
Rainbow Dash had to kick the door down to get inside. What they saw shocked them. Sitting at a sewing machine, just sewing randow fabrics together, was Rarity. Her mane was a disheveled messed. Her eyes were bloodshot and twitchy. She was also muttering under her breath.
"Rarity?" Pinkie Pie asked while stepping forward slowly.
"HAHAHAHA!!" Rarity cackled. "Welcome to Pot Roast Pickles! Would you like a dress?" Rarity held up the 'dress' she was working on.
Rainbow Dash leaned over to the others and whispered "She's gone off the deep end."
Rainbow Dash is in a coma-like state. She hasn't woke up for over a week. The doctors don't think she'll make it; but Rainbow Dash is very much alive and hears what goes on around her. On one visit, Fluttershy visits by herself. Even though she has visited daily ever since the accident she can't help but cry at the sight of Rainbow Dash. Her forehead covered in bandage, a black eye and her hair slightly matted from some blood.
"Oh Rainbow!" Says Fluttershy in her soft voice through her crying. "How could something like this happen? I wish I was there. Maybe I could have..." Fluttershy is cut off by a soft knocking at the door. She turns around and through her teary she see standing before her is Princess Celestia.
"Hello, Fluttershy," Princess Celestia says in her wise voice. "I thought I might find you here."
"Oh my goodness, Princess!" Fluttershy says whilst trying to wipe eyes. "Whatever could you be doing here?
"Well isn't it obvious?" Celestia says with a slight grin of humor. "I'm visiting Rainbow Dash, but..." her face turned serious. "I needed to also talk to you about these daily visits."
"What about them?"
"Everyday you come over here crying at Rainbow Dash's side, wishing you had done something different, but you can't. While you are sitting here, your animals are home alone and hungry."
"No! How could I? I..." Fluttershy started crying even more.
"Shhh. Don't cry. Your friends have been taking care of them, but this habit of coming here every day and staying all day has got to stop." Celestia sighs. "I'm sorry, but Rainbow Dash probably wont make it."
"Don't you think I know that!" Fluttershy yells. "Why do you think I'm here, huh? I want to spend what time I can with her before she's gone!" Fluttershy can't continue. She falls into a heap on the floor, sobbing and shaking.
"Hush, don't cry. Go home and take care of your animals."
"C-can I s-s-say g-good b-bye?" Fluttershy asks through her sniffles.
"Of course! Take all the time you need; but when I said to stop crying and Rainbow Dash's side, I meant to stop coming here EVERY day." Celestia pauses. "Grief is normal and perfectly acceptable, especially at a time like this; but dwelling on the past and what COULD have been done is unhealthy. Do you understand Fluttershy?"
"Y-yes." Fluttershy makes her way to Rainbow Dash's bedside. "J-just look at you! I-I k-know your not as s-stern about fashion as R-Rarity, but t-this is n-not the way to g-go." Fluttershy removes a flower that was in her mane and places Rainbow's. "Goodbye R-Rainbow."