Hold Your Horses: A My Little Pony Story

Chorus maneuvered slowly but surely through Ponyville, careful to not let his guard down even for a second. Ginger Blush’s infected makeup look was effectively disguising him, but one slip-up in his acting could be the end of him. After several months of living in Limbo, evading infection left and right, Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush had become experts at navigating the nightmarish world. Chorus had been tasked with gathering supplies, and he was heading back to home base–deep within the Everfree Forest.

As he reached the city limits of Ponyville, a small tear in his saddle bag began to lengthen. It wasn’t a big rip, but it was just big enough for a small apple to fall out of. So, a small apple slipped out of the tear and clunked down onto the dirt road, rolling into the view of all of the surrounding infected ponies. Chorus stopped in his tracks.

The infected ponies stopped and looked suspiciously at Chorus. Infected ponies didn’t need to eat, sleep, or drink. What was this strange infected unicorn doing with an apple? The infected ponies slowly began to approach Chorus, investigating the impostor. Chorus tried desperately to act like nothing was wrong, continuing on his path once again. He took cautious steps, careful to act exactly like an infected pony. He couldn’t help but feel like everypony was onto him.

He quickened his pace, hoping he could disappear into the forest before any of the infected ponies decided to start chasing him. Some curious infected ponies followed him close behind, becoming increasingly suspicious of him. Chorus worried his sweat would wash away his makeup. He closed his eyes and began to mutter a quick spell song, desperate to escape his situation.

Hide me from these prying eyes
Keep me hidden in disguise
Make me clear as crystal
Keep me cool as ice
Chorus let his magic envelop his body, rendering it completely transparent. This immediately captured the attention of every surrounding infected pony. All at once, they charged at the place where Chorus once stood, but they were all met with nothing but air. Chorus had escaped.

Back at home base, Ginger Blush delicately touched up Prose’s infected makeup. It was important to perform upkeep on their appearances. If the makeup wasn’t convincing enough, it could mean their demise.

“All right, that should be good enough,” said Ginger Blush, finishing up her final touches.

“Perfect!” Prose cheered.

Ginger Blush swiped her makeup brush a couple more times across Prose’s face and smiled at her completed look.

“You know what I discovered?” Prose spoke.

“What?” Ginger Blush inquired.

“Yesterday, when I was canvassing our surroundings, adding to our map,” she gestured towards the map hung on one of the wooden walls of their makeshift hideout. “I found our little clearing!”

Ginger tilted her head, unsure of what clearing Prose was talking about.

“The clearing!” Prose emphasized. “The one where you, Chorus, and I hid from the Dollkeeper! It was like the moment we first really became friends!”

Ginger’s eyes brightened in recognition.

“The clearing! I remember now!” she beamed.

“Yes!” Prose cheered. “It just reminded me of how far we’ve come… I can’t believe I spent so long away from you ponies before Effie zapped us up.”

“Me neither,” a disembodied voice spoke directly next to Ginger and Prose.

Ginger and Prose screamed in fear and surprise.

“Oh, sorry,” the voice spoke.

Chorus shook off his invisibility spell, rendering himself visible once more.

“I’m back with the supplies!”

“You scared us!” Ginger laughed.

“Yea, sorry about that,” Chorus apologized. “But as Prose was saying, I can’t believe we spent so long apart. If we ever get out of here, we should really stay more in touch, even if we’re not hiding from hordes of infected ponies.”

“Agreed,” Ginger agreed. “Do you want to start organizing the supplies?”

“Yes!” Chorus exclaimed. “This saddle bag is killing my back, and I need something relaxing to do after the situation back in town.”

“What situation back in town?” Prose asked.

“I almost blew my cover,” Chorus started. “An apple slipped out of my bag, and I almost got caught by every infected pony within a 50 yard radius. But I escaped, so everything should be-”

Chorus was interrupted by the sound of a cracking stick somewhere nearby.

“What was that?” Ginger worried.

“Don’t tell me…” Chorus trailed off.

The crack turned into two cracks, and soon it became accompanied by the sound of crunching leaves.

“No…” Prose whispered.

Through the cracks in the walls of the makeshift hideout, the ponies began to see their worst fear. They were surrounded by infected ponies on all sides.

“Chorus! Can you cast a protection spell or something? Or, just, any spell at all? Anything to get us out of this?” Prose anxiously asked.

“I don’t know!” he cried. “I- I can try!”

The infected ponies began to bang on the home base door. The door wasn’t sturdy enough to hold them off for long. The ponies huddled together in the center of the base, hoping Chorus could miraculously pull something off.

Chorus began a new spell song, stressed beyond belief.

Protect us… from these… beasts
Don’t let us become… their feasts?
Chorus was not optimistic about his lyrics.

Protect us… wait I already said that… I- I…
“Chorus! Pull it together!” Prose begged.

Chorus began to tear up. “I can’t do it, I can’t!”

Suddenly, a thunderous boom sounded out from the sky. A blinding white light peeked through the cracks in the base’s ceiling.

“You did it!” Ginger cheered.

Chorus stared blankly at the ceiling.

“That… wasn’t me…” Chorus confessed.

“Then what’s going on?” Prose asked.

Before she could get an answer, the light began to glow brighter and brighter, encasing the entire hideout in a blinding glow. The infected ponies finally broke down the door, charging towards Chorus, Prose, and Ginger Blush. But, just before they could reach them, the ponies began to float off of the ground, as if they were being yanked from their places. They crashed through the ceiling of home base, heading straight for the sky. They levitated higher and higher, leaving Equestria behind. Before they knew it, they were engulfed within a blinding white light.