The Equestrian Apocalypse

— Princess Celestia —

“You’re kidding,” Princess Celestia remarked. She and Luna waited patiently on their thrones for the guard to tell them otherwise, but he just nervously glanced back.

“I’m afraid not. Sorry, Princess.”

Things were off to a very rough start in Canterlot. They had received information about a potential zombie apocalypse earlier this morning, yet within only an hour or two, it seemed to get out of hoof. Her guard just informed her that the main castle’s door had been breached, and the castle might not hold for much longer. On top of this, she learned of the slow vanishing of magic, even afflicting her and her sister. Somehow despite this, she was still able to raise the sun. Perhaps it was due to the nature of the magic and how special it was, but Celestia would not take this for granted. The sun had to be risen, and she was forever grateful that she was still able to raise it.

She had thought about Discord's powers, wondering if he retained any of his magic. Supposedly, if her keeping up with affairs was correct, he was supposed to be vacationing at The Crystal Empire with Cadence and Shining Armor now. She learned of this earlier in the week. Recently, when this whole thing started, she had exchanged a letter with the far-away princess before her magic started disappearing. The letter she got back disturbed her. Apparently, the empire was not immune to these new zombie ponies either. In fact, in the very short letter she got, the princess mentioned that events in the empire had started even before she rose the sun this morning. She explained her magic was dwindling quickly as well, and at the end of the letter, she wrote: Discord turned.

Celestia was shocked. She had not expected any of this. At the time, Canterlot was under no threat in general, despite a growing number of them appearing. She had already ordered a city-wide lockdown and dispatched guards to secure it, telling other ponies to lock themselves indoors until they could sort this out. It turned out the cards were not in their favor. Almost all of the guards she sent did not return. The one standing guard beside her throne was the only one who did, and he almost didn't make it. Too many ponies had fallen victim to this raging illness, and many of them roamed the streets of Canterlot, taking unsuspecting ponies with them.

As she realized the severity of the situation, she sent two more letters to Devan and Twilight. However, her draining magic caused a large delay in how fast she could send them. Sending the heavy boxes full of supplies also did not help. She worried that the letters would not arrive in time, but Devan was not answering his walkie-talkie anymore. Celestia had attempted this first, but many, many attempts were deemed unsuccessful. She was going to wring that boy a new one the next time she saw him.

She took a deep breath and thought for a moment. Suddenly, the walkie-talkie buzzed, as if Devan had heard her thoughts. She eagerly picked it up, waiting to hear from him. There was a bit of crackling on the other line for a good half-minute, but finally, she heard him speak.

"-Celestia! Please!"

The background static stopped, so she pushed the talk button on the side.

"Devan! Can you hear me?"

A second later, he responded, "What??"

"Listen, Devan. Do NOT come to Canterlot. I don't know if you received my note, but it is NOT safe! Stay with Twilight in Ponyville. Understood?"

She waited for a good thirty seconds, but there was no reply.

"Hello? Devan?"

More attempts to get his response fell short. She rubbed her face with her hoof in frustration as she set the walkie-talkie back down. She then returned her attention to their situation and looked over at a tired Luna.

“Do you have any ideas, sis?”

Luna tried to blink away her tiredness. Not only was she up longer than usual during the night, but she had been woken up not even an hour into her sleep. Celestia had thought about letting her rest, but she needed her right now. She had not expected the city to fall so quickly.

“No, unfortunately …”

Celestia warmed up her horn, checking roughly how much magic she had left. The faint glow was even fainter, and her magic energy made little of an appearance. She was almost out. Luna copied her but got the same results. She cursed the universe and the bad luck they were receiving. First, a mega-storm unheard of for thousands of years ravages Equestria, then a potential apocalypse less than half a year later? Was something trying to kill their beautiful world?

Celestia stood up on her throne and stretched her large, white body. She stepped down it and faced the standing guard. He looked back at her questionably.

“We must leave. Do you know of any safe places we can go?” Celestia asked him.

The guard, named Blaze, thought for a second. He had not heard of any safe places through his guard brothers or found any on his own deadly adventure. While they had not checked nearly every part of Canterlot, it was safe to say that most places were equally unsafe. Wherever they moved to, the mobs outside would likely follow until they inevitably broke through wherever they settled.

“Well?” she interrupted his thoughts, “is there a place?”

“Princess … I don’t believe so.”

They both turned to look at the front door in the distance, which shook from the growing mob outside. The two guards desperately held their bodies against it in an effort to stop them, but it looked more and more like a losing effort. With no possibilities listed, Celestia decided the best place they could be was out of Canterlot. She absolutely hated the idea of leaving ponies behind, trapped in their homes, but there was little she could do for them. She needed to live on to raise the sun, and if that meant fleeing the city, she would have to do it.

She thought about the train station. This chaos had erupted very quickly, which meant there was a chance the train was still waiting at the station for what was supposed to be the morning train ride to Ponyville. Taking the train seemed to be their best option. Celestia found it crucial to cut off Devan and Twilight before they tried to reach the distraught city. She needed them alive, which was also in their best interest. It was their best bet. She pointed at Blaze, then to the guards down the hall.

“Do any of you three have conductor experience?”

“Uh … maybe …” Blaze answered.

Princess Celestia threw him an angry stare.

“Uh- Sorry Princess- Yes, yes Princess … I do …”

“You do?”

“I … I have operated it with the conductor one time. It’s not much, but it was something.”

“Okay. Listen, we need to make it to the train station. Once we are there, you get in the train engine and get us out of the city. We make our way to Ponyville, slowly. We will discuss what to do once we are clear of this city. Understood?”

Guard Blaze opened his eyes wide and started to sweat. Celestia set a hoof on his shoulder.

“I know. Sounds crazy, but we need to move fast. Grab the other guards and meet us at this window.”

She pointed to the large stained-glass window beside them.

"Y-Yes, princess.”

Celestia hoofed her walkie-talkie to him and told him to hang onto it. Then, she and her sister waited by the window and watched him talk to the two remaining guards. As they abandoned the front door, Celestia turned her back on the window and bucked her long, powerful hind legs through it. The window buckled from her blow and shattered into a flurry of yellow glass shards. Her sun beamed through the now open window, illuminating the room bright yellow.

She looked out to find flat, maintained grass just a leg-length below. The grass continued for a few pony-lengths before ending at a tall white wall that rose slightly higher than she was now. This grass alley spanned the side of the castle, which appeared clear of zombie ponies. Checking behind her, she saw three tired and worried guard faces galloping up beside her sister.

“Let’s go,” she ordered.

Guard Blaze instinctively darted in front of her as she got ready to jump, and face-planted out on the grass below. He was a loyal one. Once clear, he picked up his spear again and ensured the grass alley remained clear. Celestia jumped down beside him and made her way down the alley while Luna and the other guards followed.

Everything was going well until a stray zombie pony from out front wandered around the corner and saw them. One of the other guards dashed in front of the group and whacked her with the handle of his spear. She moved once more, so he smacked it again. A few seconds later, the pony remained still.

Blaze joined the guard and moved toward the end of the alley, checking the situation around the corner. The alley widened on both sides with more grass, eventually turning into one part of the castle’s garden. Beyond the garden was the street that connected to the castle's main entrance, where the tail end of the zombie mob was currently. They saw a few zombie ponies trying to enter the side of the castle to their right. None of them were paying attention to the guards, so they both gestured to the princesses to come.

They were able to use some of the plants in the garden to conceal themselves as they slowly made their way toward the road. The fastest way to the station was to turn right and walk past the castle’s front entrance, but it was too risky an approach. They planned to take the princesses left, bringing them the long way around to avoid the mob out front.

The guards approached a small line of grass connecting the garden to the curb of the road and made their way out. The mob was in their line of sight now, and they watched it intently to ensure they were clear. As the guards set hoofs on the road, they turned their heads to the left and saw a small group of four zombie ponies meet their eyes. They came to a dead stop as the ponies started coming for them.

It was too late to turn back now. They heard the muffled sound of the castle's door crashing down inside, ending with a loud bang. Through the few windows to their right, they could see movement going from left to right. The mob was entering the throne room, and soon, they would find their way through the broken window.

The princesses were making their way out of the garden when the guards nodded in silent agreement. They readied their spears for a fight until more zombie ponies emerged from behind the group on the street. Four zombies turned into seven, and seven turned into a dozen after the reflection of their spears drew some of the mob’s stragglers' attention.

“What do we do?” The other guard asked, moving up to protect Celestia’s flank.

Amidst the panic, Blaze looked down at the street and got an idea. “Here!”

He aimed his spear at the corner of a ponyhole cover in the middle of the street, right in front of them. One of the other guards joined him. Both of them pushed down on their spears, which unseated the cover. When it was free, they both grabbed hold of either end and pulled it free. Blaze glanced into the sewer, but it was too dark to see anything. As he looked up and saw the zombie ponies surrounding them, he realized there was no other option, so he slipped into the sewer and splashed down. It was quieter in the tunnel, so he listened for any zombie ponies. After a few seconds, he found it to be clear.

“It’s cle-“ he started, until the other guard jumped down beside him.

Above ground, the last guard gestured for the princesses to go first so he could lead the rear. Celestia waved for Luna to go through. Although the hole was pretty wide, to accommodate a pony, the sisters were still pretty large comparatively. Luna had to wiggle her flank to make room for herself before falling below. The guards below quickly helped her up and out of the way.

Celestia’s turn. She sat down with her bottom hooves in the ponyhole and copied Luna’s wiggling as the hole squeezed tighter on her rump. However, the wiggling came to a stop when her flank got too wide. She looked up, panicked, as she watched the groups of zombie ponies close in on them. She desperately tried to continue wiggling, but she was stuck.

“Princess!” the guard beside her yelled, dropping his spear. He put his hooves on her lower back and pressed down as hard as he could. Celestia cried out in pain as her back muscles tensed from the pressure. The two guards below dropped their spears in the dark tunnel and reached up, each one grabbing one of her bottom hooves and pulling as hard as they could. The princess finally started to move again, slowly.

As he pushed, the guard above realized the time crunch. The closest zombie pony was now just a few pony lengths away. Reluctantly, he picked up his spear again and lunged forward to meet the pony. His royal guard instincts kicked in as he guided the spear straight through the pony’s eye and out, dropping her instantly.

Time slowed, and sound drowned out as he got in the zone. Passing Celestia, he jabbed the spear through another close pony. Blood spattered out, covering the street and the guard’s front hooves. As he got ready to jab another one, one from the opposite side jumped onto Celestia. She used her hooves to hold his teeth back, trying hard not to get bit. She warmed up her horn and timidly pushed the pony back a few steps with what little magic she could muster. This offered her enough time to grab the ponyhole cover beside her and roll the heavy circle in front of her to use as an overweight shield. The zombie pony returned with a vengeance, reaching over the cover with his hooves and flailing them in front of her. She felt her flank start to loosen a bit. Behind her, the guard struggled to fend off the oncoming zombies, backing up right next to Celestia.

Finally, with the guards and now Luna pulling, her flank finally managed to slip through. She lost grip of the ponyhole cover as her upper half began to fall through, and it fell back where it had previously sat. The light from outside went dim as the cover closed, allowing only a small amount of light through its handle holes.

On the street, the remaining zombies closed in on the guard. As he jabbed another with his spear, one in front of him leaped on him and knocked him down on top of the ponyhole cover. His guard helmet dislodged from his head and slowly rolled down the street. The others caught up with him and sunk their teeth into his neck and head as he struggled to fight back.

The four in the tunnel below helplessly listened to his screams as Blaze and the other guard felt around the shallow water to find their spears again. The screams continued, echoing through the tunnel. Drops of blood dripped through the handles of the cover above and fell onto Celestia's coat. Mortified, she trotted a few steps away from below the cover and backed herself against the tunnel wall.

“We need a flashlight,” Blaze said, finally finding his spear.

“Hang on,” Luna said, “I’ve got something.”

Using a tiny portion of her magic, her horn glowed as a light, strong enough for them to see a few pony-lengths ahead before fading. The sewer tunnel split into two directions.

“I know the way from here,” the other guard stated.

Luna looked at her sister, who was still in a state of shock from what had just happened. The screams had finally stopped, leaving just the groans of the mob outside. Blood flowed more consistently down the cover, quietly splashing in the water below.

“You ready?” she asked.

Celestia met eyes with her. She warily nodded.

“Lead the way,” Luna told the guard.

The group followed the guard until he stopped at a corner. Luna moved beside him so he could see around the corner, and they stood still for a second. Celestia watched them confusingly, waiting for them to continue. Instead, Luna called out, "Are you alright?"

Celestia moved beside her to see who she was talking to. Around the corner, a frazzled, aqua-colored mare pegasus was looking back at them. The mare caught sight of Celestia's bright white body, illuminated by Luna's dim light. Her expression softened from its shocked state as she swung her eyes from Luna to her.

"... princesses? ..."

Celestia rounded the corner in front of the others, since it was clear this mare was not a zombie. Blaze pushed his way beside her and watched carefully.

"Are you bitten?" she asked the mare.

"N- no ..."

"Good. Please come with us. We are ... evacuating ..."

The mare widened her eyes. "The castle too?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid. I am sorry, but we need to flee."

"Absolutely, princess. I can help you."

"I-" Celestia started. She was thrown off by the mare's quick approval. She had expected any citizens they ran into during their seemingly cowardice escape attempt to despise them and feel betrayed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Let's go."

"What is your name?" the leading guard stepped up and asked the mare.

"Typhoon. But you can call me Ty if it's easier."

"Well, it is nice to meet you Ty. Let's continue," Celestia said.

Besides a few rat scares, there were no more ponies in the sewer tunnels. They followed a path of tunnels that followed underneath streets to lead them to the station. Up ahead were two rays of sunlight, indicating another cover.

“This should be close to the station,” the guard pointed out.

“Let me check it out,” Blaze requested, moving up to the ladder that led up to the cover. He waited a moment for Luna to get behind him so she could illuminate the ladder’s steps.

He had to wait a moment before climbing, as the experience they just had was still fresh in his mind. The guard who died was a friend of his. Not real close, but not a stranger either. A brother in arms. His hooves shook as he climbed up the cold steps. The light through the handle holes grew brighter as he stopped at the top, listening for any groans on the streets above.

He heard one distant groan, but the sound came nowhere close to what they heard at the other ponyhole. Deeming it safe, Blaze used his tough royal helmet to push on the cover, slowly sticking his head above ground. He peered around for any mob of ponies but only found one zombie mare down the street. Next to the mare was the train station. Blaze pushed the cover aside, failing to keep it quiet as the heavy cover scraped along the road. The mare beside the station noticed, but she was far enough away to justify him climbing up out of the hole.

“It’s clear,” he announced down the hole, “throw up my spear!”

He backed up and watched as the spear flew through the hole and crashed on the ground beside it. Luna came up next because she knew she would have to help pull Celestia through the hole again. She looked around nervously as Blaze had, but also saw just the one pony by the station. They still had time to pull the others up.

Celestia climbed up and shimmied most of her body through until her hips, predictably, got lodged once more. Both Luna and Blaze grabbed onto a hoof as the guard below climbed up and pushed her flank with his head. Her hips slowly started moving again until she was free. The guard let go of her so he could defend them against the approaching zombie pony.

The pony lunged forward at Blaze, but her pale blue face turned red as he drove a spear through her forehead. He struggled to pull it out, and dropped it by his side when he did. He had been trained at the academy how to defend against threats, learning how to fight and use weapons. However, he had never had to use it. Most of the conflicts he settled for the princesses in the past involved mere pushing and shoving, and occasionally helping pull the aggressor out of the castle. He had hoped he never had to use the spear on a pony. But here he was.

They all made their way inside the station. Celestia’s sun shone through the station’s front window, illuminating the station’s royal blue walls. It also illuminated one body that was lying by one of the walls. A blood puddle sat underneath the pony’s head, and a puncture wound was visible on her forehead.

Celestia dropped her head and exhaled heavily, struggling to come to grips with this sudden reality. She lit up her horn again, but the magic grew even dimmer. She had almost run out, and when she eventually did, her hope would start to follow. She felt responsible for not acting quickly enough. Her sister set a hoof on her shoulder. No words had to be spoken.

The station’s large analog clock hung up high in between the two windows looking out on the platform. The second hand kept on ticking, echoing through the empty station. Outside the windows was an equally empty platform, and behind that, a sparkling Equestrian train.