28 Days To Armageddon

At dawn the next day, they cautiously made their way through the forest back to Ponyville. It had been a long night, particularly for Mist Dawn. Her dreams were tortured images of her new friend, and the monster she’d become. She saw Twilight’s fangs dripping with saliva, blood red eyes searching for the next kill. The disease had tapped into something extremely primal, and just as frightening. That was not the Twilight she knew and cherished. It wasn’t the same smart pony that had broken so many academic records at Celestia’s school. This was a beast, regressed to its purest form. It cared only for blood and flesh, and if it were loose in town, the nightmare would truly materialize.

The group crept through the forest behind the police sergeant, sneaking about as if on some kind of covert operation. Every twig snap, and every small flutter of a leaf caused them all to hold their breath. Stethoscope had explained that Lycantropy heightened the senses of the infected pony. Thus, they were extra careful not to do anything that might befall Twilight’s new and improved hearing. Some of them thought that it might have been a useful trait in battle. But now, they didn’t dare activate it. One swipe of a claw-laden hoof would kill a pony with ease. However, multiple swipes could decimate their entire group, leaving Ponyville without any means of defense.

Their former compatriot didn’t show herself, and they began fearing the worst. Daytime visions of ponies screaming for their lives and begging for mercy began to berate them. Some in the group couldn’t bear anymore, and simply stopped and shook. Fluttershy was at the head of this small sect. She was terrified of Twilight now, and that created a whole new sense of dread. It was awful to be afraid of one’s best friend. Twilight had always been so kind to her, and had helped her conquer many a fear. But now, she was the source of fear, and Fluttershy was shaken right down to her core.

“Please,” she begged, “please tell me we’ll find Ponyville in the same state we left it!”

“I’m afraid I can’t offer such a promise,” the sergeant said nicely, “but I can promise that we’ll do all in our power to help.”

With that, the group continued trekking through The Everfree Forest, finally emerging back into the bright sunshine. Much to their relief, no buildings had been toppled, and ponies seemed to be going about their business. But there was a look of shock on some of their faces. To say that it was disconcerting would be understating the obvious. So, the group quickly galloped into town, only to find a somber, horrible atmosphere. The ponies had their heads down, and one or two were covered with bruises.

“Oh, no…” Mist said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Hey, Lyra!” Applejack called as she saw her aquamarine friend pass by, “what in tarnation’s goin’ on ‘round here?”

“You haven’t heard, AJ?” Lyra asked, “I’m shocked, considering…”

“Considerin’ what?”

“It was your farm that got attacked…”

Applejack galloped as quick as lightning, leaving the others in the dust. Her mind whirled with a dozen different scenarios, all involving Twilight’s new form. They also ended in the destruction of everything she loved. She had already made up her mind to forgive Twilight for anything that might have happened. After all, the poor pony was dreadfully sick. It was a matter of mind over strength, and right now, Twilight’s strength was winning. But when Applejack burst through the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres, her silent promise became very hard to keep.

The farm was in a shambles. The barn had been torn from its foundation, the wood hurled about like a tornado had come through. Its door lay in the pigsty, where it had claimed the lives of three swine when it landed on them. The crops growing in the eastern fields had a significant chunk missing. Finally, Applejack’s farmhouse had been destroyed, and the farm pony feared the worst. She shot over to the wreckage as the rest of her friends came up behind her. Tears fell down her face as she tore through board after board, hoping against hope that she’d find her precious family alive.

Suddenly, she saw a green leg sticking out from under a piece of lumber. Using unusually brute strength, she moved the heavy obstacle and found what she hoped she’d never find. Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom…all dead. Her grandmare had a significant lack of blood on her, so Applejack chalked her death up to something internal. But Big Mac and Apple Bloom were covered in red. Teeth marks the size of her trademark cowboy hat laid a carpet across each of their flanks. Dried blood indicated that the fight had been some time before.

Applejack’s sadness quickly mixed with anger, and she screamed to the sky: “I’LL KILL YA, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! I’LL KILL YA IF IT’S THE LAST CELESTIA DAMNED THING I DO!”

“Applejack, calm down!” The sergeant exclaimed as he grabbed ahold of her, “Twilight doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing!”

“I DON’T GIVE A SHIT! SHE TOOK MY FAMILY FROM ME! SHE’LL PAY! SHE’LL FUCKIN’ PAY!”

The others looked at each other with shock. They’d never heard such a string of profanity and hurtful things come from their friend’s mouth. They knew of the honest pony’s somewhat short fuse, but they never knew of her quickness to threaten somepony so harshly. The level of care that Applejack held for her family had been peeled back like an old scab. Emotional blood gushed from the wound, tearing Applejack and Twilight asunder. Worse, without Applejack’s complete commitment to the friendship, the Elements of Harmony might be useless. After all, it was their belief that had defeated both Nightmare Moon and Discord.

“So…what happens now?” An unorthodoxly deflated Pinkie asked.

“I really don’t know, Pinkie,” Mist responded, “but I wish to Celestia that I did. If so…then maybe we could put a stop to all this. But at the moment, we have way more questions than answers, and if we don’t get more of the latter soon…Ponyville might be doomed.”