That night, just before the hour of Heart's and Hooves day, Granny lay asleep in bed, soundly dreaming about her youth. Of the things she's seen and the things she did. A simple, wonderful time of prospect and opportunity, and of friendly competition between good friends. Deep within the realms of her dreams, she was with the best of a friend any pony could ever ask for.

"Fifteen Bits!" Jack blurted.

"Sixteen!" Granny Smith followed suit.

"Uhm, sir, ma'am? I haven't even given you the price yet..." the sales pony said.

"Oh, sorry. Go ahead and tell us the max price."

"It's twenty five bits, ma'am."

"I'll give it to you for twenty!"

"Nonsense, Ah'll give it t' you fer twenty two!"

"Twenty four!"

The sales pony sighed, "If you two are done bidding, I'd like you to please make your purchase and leave. I have other customers to cater to as well, you know."

"Well, ya don't have t' be rude. Alright Jack, you win this round, but only because we're outta time."

"I kinda hate winning by technicality." Jack left the bits on the counter and took the bag of fertilizer.

"Sure ya don't need help carryin' it?"

"Hey, I'm not THAT weak of a stallion."

"Maybe, but ya ain't stronger than me."

"You're stronger than most ponies in town. I don't think it counts..."

Granny Smith began to chuckle, which was followed by Jacks own laughter. They've been friends for quite a while, and Granny wanted it to last as long as possible. A life without Jack, she reasoned, might be quite a lonely one.

Jack stops walking, pausing deep in thought for a moment.

"Hmm? What's wrong Jack?"

"... Granny?"

"Yes?"

"Wake up. I'm here."

"What? Don't be silly. Ah know you're here. Yer standin' right in front of me."

"I am..."

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

The aged mare woke up with a start. Eyes having a tough time adjusting to the darkness of her room, she no less attempted to try to look around. It was then she noticed something odd. The window across from her was open, with the moon shining brilliantly, lining everything in a beautiful line of silver. It was an exquisite sight, and eased Granny back into her bed.

"Ah must be imaginin' things," she said, settling back under the covers and closing her eyes.

"Granny..."

"Eh?" she uttered, opening her eyes once again. She looked about the darkened room, still not adjusted enough to see more than black with silver linings.

"Over here Granny..."

Granny couldn't believe her ears. Was the sound of the wind playing tricks on her? Was her hearing aid malfunctioning again? Or, was this another dream. "Jack?" she asked, cautiously.

"It's so good to hear you say my name again, Granny."

She couldn't believe it. There's no way Jack could be back. He's been long dead for decades. She reasoned that it had to be a dream. There was no other feasible way to explain it.

"Are you alright?"

"Ah-ah'm fine." she stuttered.

"I'm glad."

"It's good t' hear from ya again, Jack. I hope this dream can last a while."

"What if I were to tell you that dreams can come true?"

"Then, ah'd say yer head were too far in the clouds," Granny Smith chuckled innocently.

"You haven't changed, have you? I'm glad. I couldn't stomach the idea of you becoming a completely different mare over the years, even if I had one..."

Jack's comment was odd, but Granny payed it no mind. The fact Jack was here and talking to her was more than enough, even though it was just a dream.

"Ah wish mah family could meet you. There were quite a few stories ah coulda told them about us if you were there. 'Specially since my memory is a bit fuzzy sometimes. You were somethin' special."

"Yeah... I'm glad you moved on with your life. Had your family, raised them right. I knew you were the strongest in town."

"Aww, shucks, Jack, Ah'm not as strong as ah used to be. That title belongs to my gran'daughter, Applejack, now."

Jack chuckled again, "I suppose so. Anyway, I can't see you be alone anymore. It depresses me."

"Oh, Jack. Ah'm not lonely. Sure, ah miss you somethin' fierce, but ah've got mah gran'kids to keep my company. Even with my other love long gone, ah'm still happy with what ah have, and ah know someday ah'll see y'all again."

"But why wait? I'm here now."

"But you're just a dream, Jack. Ain't no way ah can be with a dream."

"For once in your life, you're wrong, Granny... dead wrong." There was another chuckle. Granny began to feel nervous. Something was off. The room around her seemed darker now, and the moon seemed all the brighter. She looked beside her, and reached for her glasses. Putting them on, she looked around her room once again. There, in the pitch black, she noticed something she didn't before. Two, burning, pink lights in the dark.

"J-Jack?" Granny stuttered.

"I'm here..."

Granny was beginning to regret this idea, but she had to know. Swallowing her dread, she asked, "C-could you be a dear, and step out into th' light?"

Jack was silent for a moment, before he replied with, "You have to promise me not to be scared and scream..." Granny nodded slowly, hesitantly, and with that, the pink eyes moved through the shadows and made their way to the moonlight cast by the open window. Granny nearly broke her promise.

Before her was Jack. Or, at least, what was left of him. His dark mane was matted and dirty. His light coat was stained green, and sections of his coat and skin were missing. His abdomen was open, with no sign of his organs aside from the tattered strands of skin and muscle. His left foreleg was broken, with the bone sticking out, and the right side of his chest was caved in. Stitches and other primitive attempts at body reconstruction on him were apparent across his skin in a fair few key places. But most striking and shocking were his irises. No longer the lovely brilliant gold orbs of kindness and mischief, but burning pink flames of something ominous. He noticed the bone sticking out of his left foreleg, and pushed it back in.

"Sorry about that," he said nonchalantly, "They fixed me for the funeral, not for walking around."

It was simply too much for Granny. The parody of her long dead friend stood before her, and mocked her perception of reality. A foal's Nightmare Night story was here, in her bedroom.

"Wh-what do you want?" was all she managed to ask.

Jack looked a bit puzzled towards the blunt question, but answered anyway, "Don't you understand? I'm here to make sure you're no longer lonely."

"Ah-ah told you already, Jack, Ah'm not l-lonely."

"Please, don't lie to me, my love."

"Mah family... they won't b-be able t-t-to handle seeing you!"

"I know... which is why I'm taking you with me..."

She screamed.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

The blood curdling scream awoke everyone in the Apple Family house with a start, from the hefty Big Macintosh to the little Apple Bloom. With such a startling noise, they jumped out of their beds, and raced to the origin. Granny Smith's room. Leading the charge, Applejack swung the door open forcefully, and gazed upon a disturbing development. Granny wasn't in her bed.

"Granny?!" she called out into the room. No answer returned, and only the howling wind through the window bothered to disturb the silence.

"Gra~nny!" Apple Bloom called out, almost desperately. There was still no answer. Apple Bloom walked forward, with her older siblings in tow, looking around the room. They didn't have to search too thoroughly however, as Apple Bloom stepped into something strange. Lifting her hoof, she looked down, and noticed spots of pink.

The wind howled through the window yet again, and this time, they finally noticed it. An odor that nearly forced them to gag. It was the stench of rot. Normally, farmers would be quite used to it and worse smells, having to deal with compost, rotting fruits and veggies, and other smelly things on a daily basis. However, this was no ordinary rot smell. This was the smell of death itself. You don't have to encounter anything to know that stench. It always meant danger.

Applebloom, covering her nose, looked back at the small pink spots on the floor, and saw they were leading out to the window. Racing to the open window, she peered outside, and noticed a limping figure carrying a lime green object on it's back.

"Granny!"

"What?!" Applejack cried out in shock, before racing up to the window Apple Bloom was hanging out of, and noticed the figure too, whom was heading straight for the Everfree. "That no good- Big Mac, Ah need you t' go and get Fluttershah and Rarity. Tell Fluttershah t' get Rainbow Dash. Ah'll get Pinkie Pah and Twilight. We'll meet here, and go after that gran'ma napping jerk!"

"Hey, what about me!" Apple Bloom protested, "Ah want to help save Granny too!"

"You stay here, lil' lady," Applejack insisted, "No point in gettin' you in danger as well." With that, the two older siblings ran off into town.

Apple Bloom slumped against the window frame, and watched as the figure began to disappear into the darkness of Everfree. Tears welled up in here eyes. Despite that it looked like it was a seemingly random bizarre occurrence, that happens all the time in Ponyville, the young Apple believed that this was her fault somehow. That the reason why Granny is gone is because of something she did recently. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what she could have done, but the drive to try to make it right tugged at her. After all, if something bad ever happened to Granny, she probably wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"Ah'm sorry, big sis," she said to the empty night air, "But, Ah have ta do this." With her conviction firmly placed within her heart, she raced downstairs, and began running in the direction of Everfree forest.

-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-v-o-

Under the leaves of the dark forest, within the wild vines and shrubbery, creatures of natural destruction lurked in the shadows. The pale moon's light edged the wild beauty of this slice of nature's untamed design, giving every leaf, insect, and creature a beautiful slight glow in the darkness. A pony would be hard pressed to find something that didn't look good in a night like tonight. However, tonight was an exception. Tonight, carrying an unconscious green mare upon its back, the animated corpse of a long dead pony trudged onward through the thick and dark. His steps were uneven, is strength was limited, but his drive was strong. Whatever breathed new life into his decaying frame also gave him the determination to push onward. To push for home. To finally be with his love in the comfort of his own coffin.

"Wh-wha?" uttered a tired voice from upon the undead's back.

"Oh good!" Jack reacted with joy, "You're awake. I was afraid I'd be walking in silence for the rest of our journey. We have a lot to catch up on after all, and I'd actually like to start-"

Granny Smith began screaming again. Jack winced, but kept walking.

"Please, Granny, stop screaming. It hurts what's left of my ears when you do that... and my heart. I know I let myself go after all these years, but what could I do? I was stuck in a coffin the whole time."

"Ah-ah'm not screamin' about that! Ah'm screamin' because you're a zombie!... AND you foalnapped me!"

"I know, I know, but what else could I do? I couldn't just hang around. After all, as you said, your family wouldn't be able to handle it... I doubt the rest of the townsfolk would either."

Granny squirmed, but was too weak and frail to get off his back without breaking something. So, she resorted to screaming some more.

"It won't be so bad. I promise. A few months underground, tops, an you'll be able to stay with me forever."

"Ah don't WANT to stay with you forever!"

Jack winced. If he had a functioning tearduct, he would be letting them flow right now. Instead, he opted to speak his mind instead. "Granny. It's me. We've been friends, more than friends, for years, ever since I came to Ponyville. Don't you want to be with me?"

"Ah already told ya, it's great seein' ya an' all, but Ah have a LIFE now! Ah've had a life for YEARS! And I still have some years left in me!"

"But-"

"KEYA~AH!"

Before anyone could react, a small yellow filly with a dark pink bow and crimson hair swung down from a vine, lept off, and drop kicked Jack in the face. This forced him to drop Granny, and tumble into the bushes. Before Granny could fall and break something, the little filly Apple Bloom softened the blow by trying to catch her. It slowed her decent enough to keep her from breaking something, but bruises were inevitable.

"Granny! Are ya ok?" Apple Bloom asked in worry.

"Ah'm fine. Mah heart is a bit shaken, and ah might bruise in the mornin', but ah'll be fine," Granny said with a slight wince, "Where's your sister and brother?"

"They went t' go and get Twilight and the others, but ah felt they might take too long."

"You came to the Everfree forest, in the middle of the night, ON YER OWN?!" Apple Bloom shrank under the accusation. Granny Smith, however, thought about the whole situation, and continue, "Ah'll let this one slide, since yer savin' me an' all."

"Then, let's get outta here!" Apple Bloom said as she put Granny atop her back and with her natural earth pony strength, combined with Granny Smith's small frame, was able to race out of the Everfree quickly.

However, just a few paces from where they stood, within the disturbed bushes, Jack rose out the leaves. His pink burning eyes etched into something resembling a scowl as he stared into the distance the little filly and Granny galloped off to. He waited too long to be denied like that, and if even a little filly was prepared to fight, he'll certainly give them a fight. With an unnatural, and sorrow filled howl, he let the resident strange magics within him poured fourth. Not fifty yards away, in a little abandoned graveyard, the earth began to quake. Cracks appeared before every single tombstone and seeped with a pink glow from within. Just as quickly, each coffin from under the ground shot up and opened their aged doors to reveal pairs of pink glowing eyes within the darkness of each one.

"Hea~rt..."

Author's Note

Uh oh. I smell a zombie invasion...