Chapter seven
Success? Try failure.

Author notes: okay for all of those who have been wondering where I have been…..lets out it this way. I've been melting. That right melting! It so hot! Also I've been reading homestuck. Anyway I feel like this is a shot chapter but I'm usually wrong when I say that. Enjoy!

" where's my beer!" green bolt yelled in her sleep," don't make me release the rabid flying squirrels on you!"

"how much did she drink?" frost asked looking at green bolt.

" too much." rainbow said observing lightning lab. The actual subject bored her but she found that the setup these eggheads had were pretty bucking cool. All the swirling, bubbling, and heating chemicals in glass containers.

" man she's out!" frost said.

" what's the point of drinking?" rainbow asked randomly.

" I don't know." he said as lightning walked/ limped inside the room carrying the large book he found on his back. Rainbow stopped her exploring of the Lab as she heard lightning come in.

" find something?" frost asked seeing the book lightning was carrying.

" yeah." lightning replied dryly.

He put the book over where green bolt was asleep and then went over to the now heated mixture. Lightning then looked at the bubbling mixture.

"is it ready?" rainbow asked.

" it's ready but I still doubt that this will work." he said as he pulled a syringe from a drawer. He stuck the tip of the needle into the mixture and filled the capsule.

" now I have to find a test subject." lightning said as he held the syringe in his mouth.

" what!" frost yelled out.

" what do you mean by what! I have to test this on one of the mutated to make sure it works!" lightning said.

" and how do you expect us to get one of them!"

" not you. I'm doing this alone." lightning said walking towards the door again.

" no way! If you're going to purposely find those things then you need somepony to watch your back!" frost said stepping in front of lightning runner.

" no." lightning said and brushed past frost coat.

" I'm not giving you an option! I'm coming with you!" frost yelled walking after lightning.

" I said no!" lightning yelled as he walked out the door.

" I don't care!" frost responded as they walked down the hall.

" those two will never like each other." rainbow said shaking her head.

" oh noooo, here comes the pony eating gummy bears." green bolt said from within her dream land."

As lightning and frost coat walked through the halls, their argument had ceased in frost coat winning, they saw no sign of any mutated ponies. Just more carcasses and skeletons.

" look lightning, I think they all went outside." frost said after a few more minutes of searching.

Lightning walked on ignoring frost," did you hear me! I think we should go back now!" frost pestered lightning.

" you came on your own will, you can go back when you wish. As for me, I'm going to keep searching." lightning said as he turned a corner. Frost coat quit voicing his opinions and followed lightning as he felt he had to help him. He did hurt lightning pretty bad and now he feels regret about it. He watched lightning shift his weight to his good leg to try and get some relief from the small amount of pain that leaked back into his leg.

Lightning started to search the rooms, opening the doors, sticking his head in, and then moving on to the next room. About ten empty rooms later lightning stuck his head inside a small janitor closet and saw a mutated pony ironically eating a janitor's body. The janitor seemed to be freshly killed. The mutated pony looked up at lightning staring at him with yellow eyes and then went back to eating away at the flesh.

Lightning motioned to frost coat that there was one in there. He then walked quietly inside the closet circling behind the mutated pony. As he reached directly behind it lightning slowly waked closer to it getting the syringe ready. Lightning quickly shoved the needle into the mutated pony and injected the fluid. The pony whipped around and snapped at lightning. He easily dodged the pony by ducking and sidestepping.

The mutated pony was about to charge but slowed as the energy seemed to leave it. The pony slumped to the ground and laid still.

"did it work?" frost asked walking into the janitor closet.

Lightning unprofessionally poked at the pony as he saw some of the color return to its face," did it really work?" lightning asked himself as he saw more and more color return to the pony's body. Suddenly the pony body began to expand in the stomach area.

" the fuck?" lightning said.

The body continued to expand and lightning shoved frost coat out of the closet and into the hallway. He quickly slammed the door shut, as soon as he slammed the door the "cured" pony inside exploded sending organs, blood, and brain matter everywhere.

" I told you it wouldn't work." lightning said to frost.

" that thing just exploded!"

" yeah...yeah it did."

"come on green bolt wake up!" rainbow dash said shaking green bolt.

Green bolt slowly opened her eyes," oh heeeeeeeyyyyyy rainbow dash." she slurred still slightly drunk and dragged her hoof across rainbow's cheek," you're looking nice today."

Rainbow dropped green bolt back down onto the couch," you're messed up."

Green bolt giggled like a little filly," aren't we all?"

"I'm not messed up! I'm 20 percent cooler then you'll ever be!"

" oh rainbow so naive." green bolt said with a drunken smile.

" oh green bolt so drunk." rainbow sneered at the white Pegasus.

" ehhh whatever." green said swiping her hoof at rainbow and then stared off into nothing and muttered to herself.

Rainbow hovered above the ground looking at green bolt and then flinched as frost coat and lightning walked back inside yelling at each other. Lightning walked to where rainbow dash was.

" get ready rainbow, we're leaving."

" why what happened?" rainbow asked seeing that lightning was frustrated.

" I failed...again." lightning muttered grabbing a pair of saddlebags by a cabinet and started to stuff them full of notes and books.

" alright. Then you can just try again." rainbow said.

" no I can't!" lightning yelled at her," I used all my notes almost my entire stock of chemicals and what did it get me! Nothing but a closet full of gore!"

"what are talking about!"

" he tried his cure on one of those things and it exploded." frost coat filled in the gaps.

" exactly! And I don't have any idea of what to do next so I'm leaving."

" what about what rough rider said!" rainbow said landing in front of lightning," how if we don't do anything equestria will never rise back to its former glory!"

" bullshit! Equestria is gone!" lightning snarled at rainbow dash," don't you get it rainbow? I can't fix this and no pony else can!"

"but.." rainbow started.

" no rainbow. I'm done, I can't find a cure and I doubt anypony ever will." lightning said stuffing the last of his notes into his saddlebags," I'm going back."

"I'm not carrying you back until we figure this thing out!" frost yelled.

"I don't need you!" lightning yelled and unfurled his wings, he hid the pain from his face as he spread his almost healed wing," and I'm taking green bolt with me!"

" you can't take her against her own will!" frost said.

" it's not her choice! She too drunk to fly or even fight for her own defense!" he said walking over to green bolt. Frost coat hesitated shifting from hoof to hoof.

" I can't let you leave." he muttered.

"what?" lightning asked turning his head and glaring at frost coat.

" you need to try more!" frost coat yelled and flapped his wings flying at lightning runner. Lightning tried to dodge frost coat but frost adjusted his attack and hit lightning with his front hooves in the face. Lightning was forced against the wall hitting the back of his head and passing out.

"frost coat!" rainbow screamed at him," you can't do that to him!'

" he was giving up! I can't let our only hope fly out the window!"

The yelling between the two was cut shorts green bolt fell off the couch hitting the floor with a loud thump. Green bolt quickly snapped out of her sleep and looked around.

" huh? What's going on?" she asked grabbing at her head with her hoof," ugh my head it feels li-" she stopped mid sentence as she felt her stomach turn," oh shit." she merely said and ran to the nearest window. She stuck her head out and puked her guts up," remind me never to get that drunk again! This is-" she was cut off as she barfed again.

"oh sweet celestia." she said turning around," ugh where's lightning runner?"

Rainbow gestured over to the limp lightning on the ground. Green bolt squinted trying to focus her blurry vision and the her eyes shot opened wide," what happened to him!"

" frost coat...again." rainbow said shooting a glare over to frost.

" look green bolt. He was going to leave!" frost tired to explain himself.

" leave! What do you mean!"

" the cure he made didn't work so he gave up and was about to leave."

" it didn't work?" green asked walking over to lightning runner and knelt next to him. Mysteriously lightning felt somepony walk up to him and he opened his eyes seeing green bolt looking at him with soft green eyes.

" you were going to leave?" green bolt asked, her voice filled with emotions.

" I was trying to bring you along with me." lightning explained," but frost stopped me." lightning stood to his hooves and stumbled across to his dislodged saddlebags.

" where are you going to go?" rainbow asked.

" back to the others." he said.

" but the cure?" frost pressed lightning on.

" ah fuck the cure! There is no fucking cure!" lightning lost his temper. He headed for the window and unfurled his wings reading himself to fly. He was halfway out the window before a loud crash came from the lab door. Everypony in the lab turned towards the door and unsheathed their swords.

Standing in the doorway was a group of about twenty mutated ponies. Their eyes searching for food as their nostrils picked up the smell of living tissue. The ponies opened their mouths revealing razors harp teeth and blood crusted gums.

" oh shit." frost said just I time before the group of mutated ponies charged the four survivors.

Star charmer sat next to wonderbread looking at the pile of burning bodies in the setting sun," you think things will ever be back to normal?" star asked from nowhere.

Wonderbread looked at star and then back at the bodies," who knows?" he shrugged.

Star looked around the cave seeing that twilight was reading another book, rough rider was still bringing in stocks and small logs, applejack and big Mac were moving things around the cave, and bass was outside looking at canterlot.

" hey bass." rough rider said sitting next to him after he dropped off some sticks," he'll be fine."

Bass chuckles at that," you don't know lightning runner. He always gets in trouble."

" him get in trouble!" rider asked," but he's just a chemist!"

" a chemist who gets drunk, gets in fights, and can easily piss other ponies off." bass said laughing," knowing him. He is probably neck deep in shit."

"I highly doubt that." rough rider said looking at canterlot in the distance.

" it got in my mouth!" lightning yelled gagging at the side of the room," that's fucking disgusting!"

" what!" green bolt asked slicing the dagger she held through a mutated ponies eye, spilling out blood.

" the fucking blood got in my mouth!" lightning complained dodging a suicide charge from a pony.

" how many are there?" rainbow yelled as she sliced a pony's throat splashing blood onto her mane.

" I don't know!" frost coat yelled slamming the heads of two ponies together crushing their rotten brains.

As lightning runner busied himself with slashing at two ponies rainbow took out a Molotov cocktail and threw it into the hallway beyond the door. One flaming mutated pony creeped up behind lightning and readied itself to pounce him. As the flames licked away at the skin revealing more bone the pony jumped at lightning but failed as it was knocked from the side at sent flying into a nearby window. The pony crashed through the window and fell to the castle courtyard.

Lightning runner looked behind him as he heard the crunching of hoof against ribs. He saw green bolt hovering there with her dagger in her mouth," thanks." lightning said and stabbed his sword through a pony's head that was trying to crawl to him.

" I let you die yet." green bolt smiled back.

" yet?" lightning asked swinging at another pony removing its head and allowed the blood to gush out of the neck in squirts as the heart still beat for a few seconds after death.

" don't worry!" green bolt said and then stopped her sentence to relieve a mutated pony of its rotten organs," I'm just kidding, I would never let you die while I got your back!"

"nor would I." lightning smirked as he saw that the mutated ponies were retreating from the flames that occupied the doorframe," now can we go!" he scowled at frost coat.

" I wouldn't think twice now!" frost responded trotting over to the window.

" quick everypony out now!" lightning ushered them out," if those flames reach the chemical cabinet this entire side of the castle is a goner!" the first one out the window was green bolt, rainbow dash, and then frost coat. Lighting had ran back to retrieve his saddlebags full of notes. As he attached the bags to his body there was an explosion at the far end of the lab.

" how! There are no chemicals over there!" lightning said to himself and squinted to try and see through the smoke the explosion had created. Lightning saw what appeared to be the shadow cast of a pony. He unsheathed his sword preparing to kill the mutated intruder.

"no need for thy weapon dear lightning runner." the shadow said walking through the smoke.

" who are you!" lightning yelled into the smoke.

" dear lightning, you honestly don't recognize your favorite princess?" the figure spoke and broke through the smoke. A dark blue alicorn with an obsidian breast plate and tiara that sat upon a starry mane.

" princess Luna! You're alive!" lightning yelled smiling.

" the one and only." Luna said flipping her head to the side, moving her mane out of her eyes," but neither of us will be alive if we don't leave soon."

"r..right." lightning said and jumped out the window followed by Luna.

"princess Luna!" rainbow and frost coat said

" ah frost coat. I thought you and your team perished." Luna said while the group flew away from the castle.

"I...my team did die, I'm the only survivor." frost said as the pictures of his teams faces came back to him. Along with the memories came the guilt of being the only survivor.

" my condolences." Luna said. She took a look behind her and saw that the tower that lightning's lab was in was halfway engulfed in flames.

"anytime now." lightning muttered as he too looked back at his burning lab. Only a few seconds passed as the group flew farther away until the tower exploded. The top part of the tower was torn apart as the flames licked at the chemicals. Stone, glass, shingles, and even bone from the skeletons in the hallways flew from the explosion.

" now that was an explosion!" rainbow dash yelled looking hyped up from the rush of adrenaline that the explosion had given her.

"uh twilight!" bass called from the edge of the cliff. Twilight walked out from the cave and over to bass.

"what is it?" she asked.

"that." bass said pointing down to the trail below.

Twilight looked below and saw that there was a huge group of mutated ponies estimating in a strength of about thirty to forty strong. They were all wondering up the path. The occasional straggler was forced off the side of the trail and tumble all the way down to the broom of the mountain. Some of them turned on the injured ones and peeled the flesh as they still struggled to free themselves from the cannibalistic mutated ponies.

" sweet celestia!" twilight said," what do we do!"

"I was hoping you would know." bass said.

" I...we...I think we need to stay here until lightning and the others come back." twilight said looking stressed.

" you sure?"

" we need to be here for when they return am I not correct?" rough rider said walking up to the two. He peered over the side and saw the horde coming up the trail," hoo boy. Look at those fuckers! That there is a shitload of snarling teeth!"

" I guess it's settled then, I too believe we should stay here. At least until lightning and the others come back." bass said getting up.

"all righty then! Everypony inside!" rider said and pushed twilight from the edge and towards the cave. As bass entered the cave he called everypony around him and explained the situation. As he told them of the plan he received no objections but got some worried glances.

" here comes the first one." rough rider said standing on top of a rock that was above the wall.

" alright everypony, keep in pairs of two and for the love of celestia watch your backs." bass said and drew his sword. As he did so a familiar saying that his father used to say came to him," The inevitable end will come to us all, we will all fall victim to the looming claws of the grim reaper. But what will we leave behind us... how will we be remembered? Our last words are a keepsake, a memory of us and the lives we lived." he smiled as he remembered his old man saying that on his death bed.

" no need for those words old man. I have no plans on dying just yet."

Author notes: I'm going to try and get the survivors out of the cave and into some action next chapter. If here is a delay in uploading let it be known I'm either a pile of sweating mass on my bed or I'm busy. Until next time. Brohooves to everyone! Skull out