Chapter 3: Infected Outbreak

I awoke several hours later, at least that's it felt like. I looked around and I saw Twilight huddled in a corner, about to become infected. Shocked and surprised, I desperately tried breaking the glass of the test tube, kicking and head butting it hard.

Time was running out for Twilight as the infected Pegasus pony creeped closer towards the frightened alicorn. I gave one last effort to break free and managed to do so, shattering the glass and causing the liquid to spill everywhere. I charged towards the infected pony and tackled them aside. They looked back at me, attempting to attack me.

I charged towards this Pegasus once more and tackled it to the ground. They tried desperately to break my grasp, but I soon put a stop to that, in a way I'll always regret; I bit into this pony's chest and ripped out its heart, collapsed its lungs and, biting into the head, tore out its brain, killing it almost instantaneously. I took a closer look at the Pegasus I just mauled, only to realize that it was Rainbow Dash! I just killed Rainbow Dash! I shut her eyes with the rest of my front left hoof, pushing my friend away. I was disgusted at what I had just done but I had to do it, if it meant Twilight could remain un-infected.

I looked over and started walking towards Twilight, having better luck this time than earlier. She looked up into my multi-colored eyes, thinking I was going to do the same to her, but instead, I held out my hoof and l tried helping her up.

"I. No. Harm." I struggled saying. My speech obviously took a toll when I became infected.

Twilight stared into my green eye and knew that I really meant no harm.

"Why did you do that?" She asked after I helped her up.

"You. Alicorn." I tried saying. "You. Important...you. Friend."

She looked closer into my green eye. "Is that you, Thunder?"

I nodded my head, showing that I was Thunder Grays.

"You...saved me." Twilight exclaimed. "Why?"

"You. Do. Same. Thing. If I. Was you." I said.

She nodded at my response. "I probably would've."

I tried smiling, but lost all control of the facial muscles I had. I couldn't move any of them, besides the ones that moved my mouth. "What. Happened?"

"A group of infected ponies came in, all led by the rest of our friends. I spun around and saw Rainbow Dash fight of every single one of them. I was astounded by the strength she had and hid myself away in a secret room, taking you with me, for further studies. I called for Rainbow to follow and tried shutting the door on those infected, but Rainbow was bitten while making her way in here. I put up a protection spell and blew all the zombies away, helping Rainbow Dash into the room. I shut the door to this room and laid Rainbow Dash on the ground in the corner. A few moments later, you woke and...well, the rest you know..."

I looked at the Pegasus I just mauled and then back at Twilight. "I. Sorry."

"You didn't mean to." Twilight answered back, the aroma of her blood pounding me. "You did it to save me."

I turned away and started weeping. I couldn't cry since nothing inside me produced the tears anymore so all I could do was whimper and weep. "Where. Pinkie?" I said through my whimpering.

Twilight patted me on what was left of my back. "She's gone, too."

I couldn't believe it. All my friends - our friends - were gone. All that was left was Twilight. I turned to her and tried asking her something. "They. Gone?"

"Yes, all our friends are gone..." Twilight assured me.

I shook my head, meaning that I didn't mean that. Pointing my hoof towards the door, I asked again. "They. Gone?"

Twilight got the message, answering my question. "I don't know. It's been awfully quiet recently."

"I. Check." I said. "Get. Back."

She opened the door with her magic, huddling to the farthest corner of the room. "Be careful." She told me.

"I. Dead." I answered back as Twilight shut the door.

I looked around and saw dozens of infected ponies lying on the ground, none that were moving. Rainbow Dash gave each of them a good fight if she managed to kill each one of them without a weapon. I turned my head a little to the right and saw the rest of our friends; Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy...

I weeped as I saw my beloved Fluttershy lying on the ground, knowing that she had been killed. I couldn't blame Rainbow Dash for this, she was only trying to protect Twilight, much like Twilight couldn't blame me for killing Rainbow Dash, since I was trying to save her.

I stared up into the dark, dreadful sky. This infection has pretty much destroyed all of Equestria and pony kind, itself. I concluded that we were alone so after shutting Fluttershy's eyes, I made my way back to the door, pounding on it since I didn't know my own strength.

"Twi. It. Me." I tried yelling. I pounded on the door further until it eventually broke off its rusty hinges. I peered into the room and saw Twilight huddled into the furthest corner of the room, scared out of her mind.

"I'm sorry, Thunder." Twilight said. "It's just...well, I'm not...what I'm trying to say is-"

I held up the remainder of my left front hoof towards Twilight. "It. Alright."

My left front hoof tore off from the rest of my leg. I was now standing on three legs, something that made me feel uncomfortable. Now, I was putting so much weight on my right front hoof, to balance out my weight throughout my body. Twilight jumped back when she saw one of my limbs fall off.

"You're deteriorating!" She exclaimed.

"What. That. Mean?"

"It means you're slowly decomposing; you're going to turn into rubble, work yourself to pieces!" She told me.

"I. Going. Break?" I tried asking.

Twilight nodded. "So to speak."

I didn't know what to do, what to feel. I may not be alive but I'm not dead. However, I did know that I was extremely hurt. I only had a matter of days, at most, before I broke down for the last time.

"Let. Go." I said. "Coast. Clear."

"Alright, Thunder." Twilight replied.