Dead Rising: Case Equestria

"Well Rainbow Dash I thought you would've been the last one to go out like this?" A voice, one that she found all too familiar, chuckled.

"Huh?" Rainbow Dash thought bewildered at she turned and found the source of the voice, her mouth dropping open at the sight of who it was. "S-Spike?" She said almost failing to believe what was happening.

"The one and only!" He said with a smirk.

"B-But how? Twilight, actually nopony has heard from you in years! Where have you been?!?" Rainbow Dash inquired, still having an amazed look etched onto her face.

"No time for explanations right now Dash, we gotta move before more of those things show up!" Spike said as he ushered Rainbow into the safe room. As soon as they got past the two sets of doors they found the other five in their group of friends, plus the Cutie Mark Crusaders, anxiously awaiting their arrival. As soon as Rainbow walked into the room Scootaloo, who looked as if she had been in tears, burst into a look of joy and ran up to Rainbow Dash excitedly, hugging her leg with all her strength.

"Oh Rainbow Dash you made it! I wasn't sure if you were gonna be ok!" Scootaloo said snuggling further into Rainbow's leg.

"Heh, come on kid you know it'd take more than one of...whatever those are to keep a pegasus as awesome as me down!" She said as she gave her joyous sister a quick, but affectionate nuzzle. However, as everypony in the room was smiling at the warm sight in front of them, Spike cleared his throat while stepping out from behind Rainbow Dash.

"Heh, hey guys. How's everypony been?" He said giving a casual wave. However, he received no response as all the others, except Rainbow Dash, gave him a look of bewilderment, shock, or relief at the sight of seeing him after all this time. Twilight however, gave no look of response as she simply stared at him without saying anything. Pinkie Pie was naturally the first to recover as she began to bounce around Spike giddily while chattering non-stop about how they would have to throw him a "Thought you were lost but came back after a very very long time" party. Fluttershy was next as she flew up to Spike and gave him a quick hug and saying she was glad to have him back. Applejack simply tilted her hat while smiling and saying welcome back to Spike, but one could see that she was just as happy as the rest of the group. Rarity was next as she gave Spike a hug, that he very much enjoyed of course, and saying how she missed "her little gentledrake Spikey Wikey." The trio of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all dogpiled on Spike as all four of them laughed, having missed the time they had spent running around Ponyville in the good old days. Twilight however, still gave no reaction as she sported an emotionless look. Spike saw this and smiled, walking up to greet her.

"Hey Twilight, how've you been all this time?" He asked with a warm smile on his face.

"How have I been?" She asked as if confused by the question. "HOW HAVE I *BEEN?" She shouted, startling everypony as her face suddenly contorting into a look of pure rage. "Just let me tell *you 'how've I've been' mister!" She said snapping at Spike.

"Woah Twilight, calm down now-" Spike said with a scared look on his face.

"CALM DOWN?!?" Twilight said cutting him off. "You've been gone for years on end without so much as a single letter, leaving me to worry day after day if my number one assistant was ok, and then you show up without so much as a warning and you expect me to CALM DOWN?!?" She said, practically shrieking in Spike's face.

"Well when you put it that way maybe I did mess up there." Spike said, weighed down by his guilt as he shifted uneasily.

"Yeah, you think?" Twilight retorted sarcastically.

"Twilight come on! I know I messed up but please just let me explain!" He pleaded.

"...Fine, let's hear it!" She said, but then warned, "Just don't think I'm not still angry with you though! We're definitely not done with this!"

"Phew! Glad that's over!" Spike thought in relief as he prepared to recount his memories of the past few years.

Well, he began as he delved into his memories, after I had told Twilight about my new job as a reporter, and left Ponyville, I did keep in touch for a while. The job started off pretty easily, with me doing nature shots, scenery takes, and photo shoots for some well known ponies. He sighed as he recalled the next part. Then...then it got to the part where I actually went into other places, such as Neighpon, Manehatten, Baltomare, even other species's nations like the griffons and dragons. That was the point I couldn't keep in contact anymore, because if the beings of those nations even caught a single letter being sent, magically or no, it'd compromise my position and risk everyone in Ponyville's, heck maybe even Equestria's safety. He said, shuddering to think of the possible outcomes. Anyways, a couple of months after those jobs, I had heard of something happening, I didn't know what it was, but it was something big going down, and it was definitely fishy. I didn't know it at the time, but it would be one of the most horrific events I would ever endure, and one of the saddest. Spike stopped as he bore a solemn look. After a few minutes of silence Applejack took a gamble.

"What happened?" She asked, seeing his countenance take a saturnine look. Spike sighed, knowing he had to continue on with the tale.

"It was the Fillymette outbreak," he said.

"Fillymette? But that's just a tiny town out in the middle of nowhere!" Rarity said in confusion. "Just what kind of outbreak could've happened there, and why didn't anybody stop it?"

"That's just it," Spike said, "nobody expected as small a town as that to have anything happen, and that's why the officials were caught off guard. As for what kind...well..." he didn't say anything as he gestured to the outside. Everypony else gasped as they realized what he had implied. Spike then continued on with the story,

It had started out just like any other job, a pegasus flew me into the town initially, and I told him it might take a couple of days to wrap the story up. However, nothing could have prepared me for what happened there. His eyes watered slightly as he began to tear up. **Nothing* could have prepared me for all the violence, the death, the tragedy of what had befallen that town. I saw good ponies, who deserved none of what they got, fall prey to those creatures out there, ponies just like you all, who wanted nothing more than to fulfill their special talent for the rest of their lives. I saw hearts broken as families had to repeatedly face one of their own that had gotten infected by those blasted zomponies.* He said now struggling to hold back sobs. It was horrible, but I knew I had to cover the outbreak for their sakes, and luckily I managed to do it. He said managing a small smile.

Of course, throughout this story all of the mares that had been listening had been crying listening to him speak, even Rainbow Dash, who normally blanched at such behavior, and poor Pinkie Pie, she had fallen into a state of sadness that had deflated her normally poofy mane and made her gain a duller shade of pink. Applejack had taken off her trusty stetson, clutching it in her forehooves as she wiped her eyes with it. Fluttershy was doing her best to not breakdown completely, while Rarity supported her with a sad, but reassuring look. Twilight was also reduced to tears, but managed to speak.

"But why?" Twilight asked, choking back a sob, "Why in Equestria would something like this happen?"

"Why?" Spiked laughed bitterly. "Because of some grudge held by a crazed pony. I couldn't believe it myself, but I made sure he got put behind bars, permanently."

"Ain't nothin' wrong with that." Applejack said, "No matter what happened to him before, no pony can justify an act like that!"

"Yeah, but hey come on guys, what's done is done." Spike said trying to break them out of their tears. "Right now we need to focus on what we can do right now! There's not any point in moping when we have to make sure you guys are safe!" His words seemed to have a positive impact as everyone began to wipe their tears away and go back to a relatively calm mood. After everyone got settled, Twilight figured that they should tell the Princesses about what was happening, and Spike seemed to get in a nostalgic mood as he sent the letter using his fire breath. The letter surprisingly got a reply relatively quickly.

"Hm..." Twilight said as she read the letter. "It says here that the Royal guard will be here in 3 days at the minimum due to the uproar around Canterlot."

"Well then, ah suppose all there is left tah do is wait here." Applejack concluded.

"Uh sis..." Applebloom said in a tone filled with fear.

"What is it Bloom?" Applejack said seeing her sister's worried look.

"It's Scootaloo!" Applebloom said, "Ah don't know what's wrong with her!"

"What!" At this statement Rainbow Dash had rushed over to her sister, and gasped when she saw Scootaloo curled up in the fetal position. At the sight of her sister, the filly curled up to her older sister for security.

"Rainbow Dash...I don't...feel so good." She whispered, pain evident in her voice.

"Oh no! Not now!" Rainbow Dash thought.

"What's wrong with her?" Spike inquired. Rainbow took him and Applejack aside as she didn't want the fillies to hear this.

"Spike, on our way in, she got bitten by one of those zompony things!" She said, doing her best not to break down.

"Oh no!" Applejack said in a hushed voice. "Ya don't mean..."

"Yeah, she might...turn..." Rainbow struggled with the notion.

"No! She won't." Spike said, causing the mares to give him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" They both asked.

"Well, you see, I saw a poster for Ponybrex on the way in here." Spike explained.

"Ponybrex?" They both echoed.

"Yeah, it's a suppressant to the parasite that makes the ponies turn into zomponies. I didn't think it would have reached sales here thought but huh, go figure!" He said, making the other two get a hopeful look.

"So if we give it to Scootaloo, then...will she..." Rainbow tried to phrase her words carefully.

"Well, unfortunately, she won't be cured, because the drug is merely a suppressant to the parasite, but it'll be held at bay for 24 hours." At this information Rainbow Dash's smile fell a little bit. "However," he continued, "if we manage to find a steady supply at least until we get out of here, we can see about getting a full from somewhere I'm sure!" He said trying to reassure Rainbow Dash.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but where do ya'll think ya'll can get some of that stuff?" Applejack said thinking. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie appeared in the midst of them, startling them and making them jump back in surprise.

"Did I hear you guys needed to find some stuff?" She said as cheerfully as ever.

"Pinkie, we were whispering how did you- oh never mind. Yeah we are looking for something." Spike sighed, deciding to let Pinkie just be herself, however enigmatic that may have been.

"Well that's good, because my Pinkie sense was going crazy when I looked at the map of this place!" She chirped happily.

"Wait, where did it go crazy at?" Rainbow Dash asked urgently. She knew that she and Twilight had not always been the most trusting of Pinkie's Pinkie sense, but it was the only lead they had to go on.

"It went crazy when I looked at this pharmacy over here!" She said pointing to a spot on the map.

"Hm," Spike mused as he studied the map intently, "it seems to be on the other side of the plaza that we're right next to!"

"Question though, how long does Scootaloo have before she..." Rainbow said, struggling to cope with the dreaded possibility. Applejack gave her a look of sympathy being an older sibling herself.

"Hm...well I only saw one bite on her, so at the minimum I'd say about 2 hours, so we should make it in time if we hoof it!" Spike said, chuckling at his pun.

"Alright...but how the hay are ya'll gonna get out of here without letting any of those darned zomponies in?" Applejack said not wanting her sister to be at risk.

Twilight had been listening in on their conversation and walked over to them. "Guys," she said gaining ahold of their attention, "there's a vent system that leads out in the direction you want to go. If you head through there it should give you time to spare to go there and back here."

"Thanks Twilight!" Rainbow said gratefully, "but I thought you didn't believe in Pinkie sense?"

"Well, I don't really," Twilight said in confirmation, "but right now it's all we have to go on, speaking of which you guys should get a move on." With this, she led them outside the room they were in and showed them the vent ducts. "Oh by the way before you head out, take these." She said handing them each a turquoise colored stone as she explained. "These go in your ears, they'll let us talk back and forth to allow me to update you on things that are happening while also letting you tell me what you see going on!"

"Thanks Twilight!" Spike said hugging his former employer. "You know, I really missed having you around!" He said with a grin. Twilight smiled at this and rolled her eyes.

"Spike...just be careful out there," she said taking on a soft tone, "I don't want to think I've lost you again."

"No worries Twilight! I've dealt with these things before!" He said taking on a confident smirk.

"Hey guys sorry to cut the sappy moment, well not really, but can we go now?" Rainbow interjected. Spike and Twilight shrugged as Spike climbed into the vent with Rainbow Dash and started to crawl. It took a couple of minutes of crawling in the dark, but eventually they managed to find the way out and into what looked like a maintenance area of a...

"Mall?" Rainbow said baffled. "They have an entire mall in front of the arena?"

"I'd say it's because they wanted a big gift shop but then that would be ridiculous." Spike joked.

"Heh yeah," Rainbow said chuckling a bit, "come on though, we gotta get moving!" she said trotting off towards a set of stairs in the distance. Spike matched her pace as they passed a room that flashed a blue "maintenance" sign above the door, and another door that just had some construction supplies in it. Finally they came to a set of double doors.

"Well, this is it!" Rainbow said, bracing herself for what lied ahead. "Ready to do this Spike?" She grinned and asked her companion.

"Of course I am!" Spike fired back with a grin. They both took a deep breath as they pushed open the doors, and immediately groaned.

"That..." Rainbow said her voice a little shaky at the sight of the sea of pony based abominations before them, "is a lot of zomponies..." She searched the crowd before giving an amazed look, "there's gotta be at least 100 here, and only two of us!"

"Heh..." Spike said with a grin, putting on his shades as he brandished a baseball bat. "How unfair for them."