Chapter 1 - The problem and the plan
„Twilight! Twilight! Wake up!! Pleaaaassee!!!“ „Spike...?“ „Get up already! Something is wrong out there!“. Twilight pushed herself out of the bed. „What are you talking about? It’s in the middle of the night, can I just go to sleep again?“ Spike nervously looked out of the windows as the flickering light of fire filled the room. „No, the neighbor’s house is on fire and I heard screams. Oh my god, that looks terrible.“ Twilight immediately opened her eyes, hopped out of the bed and ran through the front door. „What happened here?“ she said, when she noticed the brown male Pony standing in front of the house. The stallion was standing close to the fire when Twilight asked worried: „Hey! Can you hear me? Is anypony in the house right now?“ Again the stallion just stood there and stared into the fire while groaning quietly. Twilight was confused. She noticed a big wound on the right front leg of the quiet stranger. „That’s a huge wound you´ve got there. Are you allright?“ she asked while getting nearer. She stood right next to the pony, nearly blinded by the heat and the brightness of the burning building. Now the stranger noticed her and slowly turned his head.
Twilight looked into white, dead eyes. A wide opened jaw with dirty and bloody teeth was aiming for her. She stepped back, shocked from the view of this monster. „You... What...“ stuttered she while the creature started to limb. „Stop right there! Go away!“ Another walking corpse stepped out of the fire, alarmed by the groaning of his companion. Twilight screamed when she saw that the fire ate its mane and most of its skin. The smell of death and burning meat got into Twilights nose.
Spike ran out of the house. „Twilight!“ He saw the two bodies heading towards her. „Spike! Get the book named 'Legends of Equestria', I have to study!“ „What? But... Are you-“ „Do it!“ „Ok, ok, I’m on my way!“ said Spike and left Twilight with the two strangers alone. „I said get away! I don’t want to hurt you!“ The ponies kept following her until she bumped on another building. There was only one thing to do.
The brown stallion got faster when he tried to bite Twilight in her hooves. She was frightened, but was able to dodge away and kick the attacker with both back-legs into the head. Blood was flowing out of his mouth when he flew on the ground, groaning but not dead. She saw that his head was slightly deformed from the raw power of her charmed hooves, but he seemed unimpressed as he tried to get up again, still focusing his white eyes on the frightened Twilight. „I really need these books now!“ The burning pony got a kick in the head, stumbled and fell when Spike came. „Here!“ „Search for 'Undead'. I already read about such creatures.“ Spike started to read: „Um, here! 'Undead.' 'Creatures which are no longer alive but animated by a supernatural force or a biological virus, as zombie.'“ „HOW CAN I STOP THEM?“ „You... You have to destroy the brain. 'The only way to kill a, by a biological virus infected individual, is to destroy the brain, or dismember the head.'“ Spike was trying to read more when the brown, undead Stallion dashed forward and tried to bite him.
Twilight pushed Spike away, kicked the attacker to the ground, jumped and kicked her back-hooves into the skull, which broke under the pressure. The blood flew again, but this time the victim of her magic didn’t move a muscle. „Mother of Celestia... You killed him.“ „It was already dead.“ said Twilight with a serious countenance. She saw the burning undead get up again, heading towards Spike. It collapsed when it got kicked into the left front-leg from the purple unicorn. She immediately took a large stone from the ruins of the burning house with her magic and ram it into the attackers head. Spike saw the cerebral matter streaming out of the corpse´s skull. He was shocked. „You know they would have killed us. I had no choice.“ said Twilight to justify her actions. They startled up when they heard screams near their position.
The two friends sneaked around a corner, looking for the source of the screams. Their eyes opened wide when they saw the market filled with terror. Bodies and dismembered parts were lying on the blood-flooded town square. The source of the screams, a young blue mare, just got bitten in the neck by a undead stallion. Her screams turned into a grotesque burble as blood flew down her body.
„There are so many of them. We can’t do anything, let’s get into the house.“. Spike nodded.
„Turn the lights off and get a candle, Spike. I will lock the door and the windows.“
Several books, a quill and a map of Ponyville were lying on the desk. „This is going to be a long and hard journey. I know you are still a baby-dragon, but you have to be strong to stay alive. We all have to.“ Spike looked up to Twilight, looking in her eyes. „I´m ready, Twi.“
The braveness of the purple dragon made Twilight proud. She smiled when she thought for a moment how her little assistant grew with her. „Prepare for a fight, Spike. I’m pretty sure will encounter more of these monsters.You know you have to destroy the brain. I’m going to organize.“
10 minutes later the two friends met again in front of the Ponyville-map. „Ok, here´s the plan: We and our friends have to get together. If Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and I are together, we can get to Canterlot and use the Elements of Harmony. So we will pick them up, fight our way to Canterlot and use the elements to fight the infection.” „That could work. The elements are source of great magic.“ „Exactly.“
„Uhm, Twilight... What do you think are these creatures?“ „Zombies. I read a lot about such tales and reports a while ago. About Ponies, Bears, Dogs, all kinds of animals, which died in different ways and moved again after a few minutes. They all had bite-marks.“ Spike seemed nervous and confused until he remembered what Twilight said earlier. He immediately changed his appearance into a brave, strong dragon. „Let´s go.“
Twilight smiled and said: „Just one more minute.“
Sparkles started flying from her glowing horn when she closed her eyes to cast a spell.
„Whoaaaa...“ said her companion as the glowing bone started to form a sharp spike. „That is amazing.“ „Did you at least started to read the book I gave you about the natural magic every unicorn is able to perform?! Page 476 describes this. Evolution gave us this ability back in the days where unicorns had way more natural enemies. Earth-ponies can grow stronger muscles, Pegasus-ponies can fly and unicorns can-“ „...transform their horns into battle-mode!“ laughed Spike.
„I guess that’s a way to see it, yeah.“. Twilight laughed as well and forgot for a moment the dangerous situations they will be very likely to encounter. Then she put the map, a quill with some ink and several light books in her backpack. Her magic picked up two big kitchens-knifes. One glided into a holder on her backpack, the other one glided slowly in front of Spike. The brave dragon took it and looked up to his best friend. „Take this holster for the knife. It is not meant to be for that but it will do.“ She was picking up a leather holster with her mouth and threw it to Spike. „So? Are you ready?“ she asked.
„Yes.“
