Pinkie Pie & Fluttershy's Zombie Crisis: Act III
3.1: Vanquished
"Wow!" Pinkie Pie screamed having just processed the latest happenings. Intense storms of light and thunder could been seen from Pinkie Pie's location. Beyond the mountains of east lay hellish black void. No sound came from the white line where world crumbled into darkness. Sound died, light faded and Pony Earth seemed to be turning into dust. Pinkie was in awe, but constant bumps the Earth made, somewhat bothered her while she observed this unnatural event. Pinkie Pie wanted to run, but this was such an epic sight, something she longed to see since dawn of her life and she wanted to observe it forever. Life is just a story she lived in and now it was engrossed in the most intense, world defining, epic opera of death ever to be recorded in someone's eyes. Her hooves shivered and the pony heart in her chest felt as if it had a heart attack. Laying on her back, suddenly the pink pony experienced regret in the fact how she failed to finish her mission with Fluttershy. It hit her from nowhere, a natural, regretting feeling of sorrow. For Pinkie, life was always an interesting, interactive movie with endless, although pointless stories to tell. Someone must have written it, right? If not, it'd be meaningless. What story needed was a crazy pony who always in danger saved her friends, every story needs such a character. Pinkie Pie had predispositions to be one of ultimate examples to ever try this job. Life needs to have a diverse cast of characters. Pinkie as a little filly wanted to help life to be diverse, colourful as never before. And now she was watching the world end.
What am I doing? You stupid mare, Pinkie! No, don't embrace death! My life always was a movie, TV series or a book, but it never was about death. A good twist holds not nearly as much value as a life does. You stupid mare, get up!
Pinkie broke the link between her eyes and the ending opera in the east. Having turned head towards the earth, her front hooves pushed her body up in a sitting position. Her eyes lowered to scan the dusty ground.
"No" she whispered.
Pinkie Pie was on the box of supply she and Fluttershy hid on the tree before this cursed expedition. In moment of clear intuition she was horrified by what she had done. The crate was in motion, slowly running away from world's end. Turning her head behind herself, she confirmed her suspicions. Poor, exhausted and wounded, pale Fluttershy has been using her last adrenaline molecules to push the crate. By binding a rope around herself and the crate, she was transporting Pinkie far away from the danger. Although this probably wouldn't seem much of an situation to the viewer of this story, Pinkie Pie knew she will have to explain and apologize to Fluttershy. To her, this was a big thing and if this were a story, she would have to make up her peace and morals with other characters.
"Where was I all this time? To think that I haven't reacted to my surroundings..."
Having energetically jumped from the crate, Pinke opened it quickly. She wasn't the fastest mare in Equestria for no reason. Silly Dash, could you have really thought you're faster than Pinkie Pie? Pinkie had a quick laughter session inside her mind. Having gazed over the supplies, Pinkie, under the influence of stress momentarily decided that they didn't need them. Screw the supplies, we need to run fast!
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy unenthusiastically due to lack of energy, screamed after realizing that her friend jumped from the crate. She stopped and turned towards Pinkie.
"You're barely standing!" Pinkie Pie was in a sinister mood. Pinkie quickly looked behind herself, towards the east. She now knew where they were. Fluttershy pushed Pinkie over the half of the cursed valley the castle used to stood in. They were heading west. Fluttershy did a remarkable job.
"wow" Pinkie muttered while scanning Fluttershy again. Still thinking, she ran few meters towards Fluttershy, struggling with the sandstorm, that until now seemed only as eye candy. Now, it was a serious problem to walk.
Standing only on half of the height she usually stood on, it was obvious that Fluttershy's legs were malfunctioning. The mares gazed into each others eyes. They knew Fluttershy couldn't walk any more.
"Fluttershy, lay down and rest. I'll use the first aid kit to help you" Pinkie Pie acted as an authority "We're not going forward anymore. Now, you need to sleep!"
Before the two could even start to argue, Fluttershy collapsed on the ground. Although Pinkie Pie expected from her to go unconscious, she didn't. A little surprised, Pinkie was happy that the two will have time to talk now.
"Do you feel it?" Fluttershy asked somewhat apathetic, but rebellious.
"What? The black thing devouring earth?" Pinkie hysterically chewed up her words before releasing them in the public.
"Yes" Fluttershy exhaled loudly.
Ponies were now sure that it was just as bad as expected. Funny, they both thought, how in time of great peril, not many words are needed to understand what others contemplated. It was dangerous to stay here, they might die. But Fluttershy couldn't move forward right now. They were staying, there was no energy left to argue about the best move.
Fluttershy was happy. Pinkie Pie decided to stay with her. For a moment it seemed like this will be a failed attempt at a talk, as only thing ponies did was breathing. They froze at their places and nervously listened for the sign of everything dissolving along with them. Luckily, destruction was still far away.
Pinkie Pie soon started a talk "I don't know how much time we got, but I'm sorry for you having to drag me around. If it weren't for my over inflated ego, we'd be far away from here..."
Pinkie continued apologising furiously "You could have just leave me, but you didn't. I'm very grateful and sorry this happened..."
With a tortured line, rooted deep in her voice, Fluttershy tried to stay firm "heh. It is my problem I took you. If you're right and we die now, I'll be mad at you for doing this and myself for not leaving her. If we live, then just forget this."
"Now, lets get to business" Fluttershy was visibly serious "What was that castle. Any ideas?"
Pinkie was visibly shocked by this act Fluttershy made. Fluttershy took the friendship talk Pinkie was planing to have and shredded it into pieces by bluntly muttering a few sentences. For a few moments, her brain jammed waiting for Fluttershy to react, but she realized that ain't happening. Fluttershy obviously cut all her ties to small talk. It was her superpower in extreme situations. Just like when she vanquished the dragon when Pinkie still thought of life as a TV show. Those were the times... life was so good that it looked like a children TV show. If they were to get out of this alive, Pinkie was sure she'll try to visualize at least one more season of pony TV show. No, this was the problem. Why think about stupid things like this. Oh, Pinkie... Why am I so distracted? Fluttershy is the one who has the power to push everything aside in a critical situation. It'd be best if I followed her example. That's what I always wanted to be, but I ended being a comic relief mare. Is it really what I am destined to be? Say something inteligent. Use your intuition Pinkie...
"The castle seemed real!" Pinkie blurted out.
"What?" Fluttershy was confused. Afraid of being too stupid to follow the conversation now, she asked quickly and authoritatively, but unsure of her capacities to solve this riddle "Please explain more!"
"I don't know" Pinkie Pie felt extremely awkward. "It seemed like... like..." she was indecisive what to say "like I'm dreaming. But I can't wake up because I'm not dreaming..."
"Pinkie... that makes no sense. Even if it is true, it doesn't help us. Next idea!"
Mouth of the two mares were dry. No ideas. Their fear of futile talk had come true. They had nothing to say. Dread made them curl. They waited for hours doing nothing but rethinking their lives.
Pinkie wandered what will the end be like? She was happy with her life. It was a good show. But it was far from what she wanted and how she wanted to end it. She wanted more character development!
Fluttershy just thought of nothing. At least she tried. She was angry. Waiting for her energy to return, finally she fell in angsty asleep.
3.2: Sanctum
It was a dream. Again. And it was about war. Again. She already dreamt of world's end. She already relived waking up in Everfree Forest. She already saw her reunion with Pinkie Pie. And she already dreamt of vanquishing the zombieponies from the city. She dreamt of staining her hands with blood. There were not many horrible things left for her to dream of. And the biggest fear has already come to fruition in real life. Every bad dream was a sanctum where she could rest from real problems. So, what does my subconscious have in mind for me today?
Everything was black, but something started shining. Soon she was in front of Everfree forest. Fluttershy knew what was this. She already fought the zombies in Ponyville. Her instincts told her at that time that to defeat all zombieponies left in equestria, she had to find answers in haunted forest near Poniville. And she did. And thus, the dream started.
Thirty meters long, branches from the highest birch trees in Equestria welcomed Fluttershy into Everfree forest, like some kind of a gate. The door under the gate was a black shade that forest cast at it's visitors. Welcome into our hidden universe of mystery and unknown, the forest greeted all it's visitors.
"Fluttershy, where should you go now?" yellow pony asked herself. It was bewildering. No clues, nothing. How, where or why should she go in?
"I'll just improvise" she thought.
"Can I fly?" no, there's too much vegetation to do it.
"No, wait Fluttershy!" she had an inventive thought.
Backtracking a few meters, out of the forest, she flew up. Ten meters in the air. Twenty meters. Thirty meters. She saw the roof, tree tops of the forest. From her current position, forest seemed to go on forever.
"It's big, but you can fly over it, until you see something" she had an idea.
"But what is it I'm looking for?" Fluttershy asked herself.
"I don't know, but I can't sit and do nothing all day!"
Fluttershy flew over the tree tops with wide opened eyes looking for anything that could help her. And then, Pinkie Pie woke her up.
"Fluttershy, Fluttershy!"
"Pinkie!"
"You're alive Fluttershy!"
"You look dead scared Pinkie!"
"I do?"
"What happened!"
"I thought you were dead, Fluttershy!"
"No, I'm not!"
"I can see that!"
"Right. Can you move Fluttershy?"
Having Pinkie's panic outbreak reduced to nothing, Fluttershy got up and started checking herself. She was better and could walk. One look at the sky showed that nothing has changed. Sandstorm was brewing and blackness was waiting at the end of the horizon.
"Shall we go now? I'm better." Fluttershy was calm.
"I don't see any problem with it then. Only where are we going? The world seems sick. How are we supposed to make it better?" Pinkie Pie was in the middle of internal monologue which was perfect as her response to Fluttershy.
Fastly, she continued: "I've thought about going to Celestia's castle. There may be some interesting secrets there!"
"No." Fluttershy was fast to react.
"We're going to Everfree forest." Fluttershy was determined. To make sure Pinkie doesn't counter her with another suggestion, Fluttershy looked her seriously in the eyes. Pinkie Pie backed down.
The two ponies started moving. Pinkie Pie was slightly bothered by Fluttershy taking the upper position and leaving her in the dark about what she's thinking. She owed her life to Fluttershy though. Pinkie Pie was immensely grateful to Fluttershy. After all, she saved her. This seemed as if they were no longer mares of old times. They evolved with time. Funny, Pinkie Pie thought, how everyone changes when isolated out of regular company and sent into another world with critical problems. This seemed as a perfect therapy for anypony. This should be patented and used to cure problems ponies may have.
"Umm, Fluttershy, why Everfree Forest? Why are we going there?" Pinkie was very curious, as usual.
"You know of the time when we've won the battle in Ponyville? The time I left you to guard it while I check something?" Fulttershy said, shutting up for Pinkie to think a little.
The Pink pony started her brain. She remembered Fluttershy leaving her bazooka to Pinkie with words "I've got something to check, make sure to guard this until I return. That is, if you're ok with it..." Pinkie did it. For a few hours she wandered the bleak Poniville. There was no one present in it, what was a blessing. It meant they made the job well. While dashing towards old Cupcake Place, her favorite restaurant, her mind was full of future predictions. Will the zombieponies from all over Equestria hurl into Ponyville to destroy the last of the Pony resistance, the two graceful and deadly mares? Where will they attack from? Is there a lot if em? What if there are none?
Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy in front of her, leading the way. She saw how her legs were weak and a little clumsy. It's a miracle that Fluttershy could walk with this little rest. She didn't have a watch, but Fluttershy couldn't have been lying on the plane earlier for more than hour and a half. Deciding that she's not going to say anything, Pinkie Pie resumed her retrospection. She thought a lot while Fluttershy was missing. She inspected only a few of the houses around the Cupcake Place, including that one, the place with most tasty memories in whole of Equestria. And then, Fluttershy flew back to Poniville, screaming as if she saw herself drawn in a porn act. She said only one thing - "There will probably be no zombieponies left to make problems"
Right now, Pinkie Pie was on a verge of asking Fluttershy what happened in her exploration earlier. She seemed terrified at that time and Pinkie knew it could be too much for her. Now, she was much more hardened mare. Shall she ask her?
"Fluttershy. I want to ask you about..."
"I know, I've just been delaying the talk"
After a few seconds, impatient Pinkie Pie shoot the next question out of her mouth "Sooo... are you going to tell me?"
A little uneasy, Fluttershy decided "At the camp, when we stop to rest"
Pinkie had no patience, she built up an immense pressure in her chest, anticipating the moment she hears it all. Fortunately, she used it well. Instead of getting frustrated as Spike trying to catch Rarity bathing, she canalized it into her hooves and walked faster. Two mares were happy with their progress. As they traveled out of the cursed valley, the wind started to blow into their backs, allowing them to travel faster. In front of them was a few more days of journey.
3.3: Talk
It was the morning. Last night mares were too exhausted to talk. They just went to sleep with a wish – please, don't wither away world, let us have tomorrow. Fluttershy was first to wake up. Her body was killing her with pain. She woke Pinkie up. The two immediately continued their walk. The sandstorm was gone. Warming up their muscles, starting the walk slowly, the mares had a talk with usual "good morning" messages.
"Good morning Pinkie Pie"
"Good morning to you too, Fluttershy"
"Look! If you look at the west, the sky is still blue!" Pinkie Pie was extasic.
Fluttershy gave her just a little smile as a response. Then she remembered she needed to explain things to Pinkie, so she sorted out memories, or at least what she could remember.
"Pinkie, I've said yesterday that I'd fill you up with information about what happened and I'm going to do it. Now listen..."
Pinkie Pie was in a good mood. Today didn't seem as horrible as yesterday and Fluttershy kept her promise. Everything still wasn't lost. With this thought, she turned her attention towards her ears. She listened to Fluttershy's tale.
"The event was nothing special. Sorry to break it to you this way, but... it really wasn't! I flew over the forest a little and saw some castle ruins similar to the one from yesterday. There was nothing much in. Just ruins..."
Fluttershy wasn't visibly upset by having to talk about this, but it was clear that she wanted to end this talk as fast as she could.
"Then I saw... Twilight." Fluttershy lowered her voice
"She said that I needed to taste hell. That I was a weak pony unworthy of exiting the existance of suffering"
The yellow pony paused for four seconds, visibly selecting her next words.
"Then she became a little more gentle and said that I needed to find redemption. That's all!"
Fluttershy turned to Pinkie Pie and halted, desperately looking for a reaction showing that Pinkie believes her. "You believe me, right?"
"Yes"
Pinkie Pie was very unsure if this short talk was true. In fact, if the story is true, it didn't help the situation and if it was Fluttershy's first lie, what could Pinkie do? Beat Fluttershy? Holy laughter and sweets, that wasn't Pinkie's favorite hobby. Guess she'll have to believe Fluttershy, like friends believe in each other all the time in movies.
Pinkie strengthened the belief in Fluttershy that she believed her "Well, this doesn't help us. Let's just go there. By the way, that place wasn't destroyed?"
"No, it was not. I didn't exactly enter it."
And so the pony duo went forward. Two days till the first big river and water source. One week before grass became a usual sight. Two weeks until they entered meadows through the gates of Equestria, now coated in ruin, but still their home. Three weeks and the duo was back in their top shape, arriving into Ponivile.
3.4: Homecoming
Fluttershy slowed down drastically. She barely lifted her hooves off the ground and moved slowly. This wasn't a walk anymore, it was a slow movement made for the sake of not halting. She and Pinkie were back in Ponyvile, the old home. Fluttershy's face muscles relaxed and jaw droped down a bit, making her seem more benevolent. She wanted to like this place and feel warm, for this was her home. She did feel terrible nostalgia after it and it was killing her insides right now, but what she was feeling it for wasn't this. Empty ruins like these are not her home, this is just a symbol of her old, defunct, dead, unexisting life she longed for.
Decadent houses along this abandoned, rotted street meant nothing. Ponivile was a bleak ruin of something gone.
"Pinkie!" Fluttershy got herself together
"We're going, there's nothing for us here!" boldly Fluttershy commanded.
Pinkie Pie was in the middle of planing. She wanted to clean her house and make it all shinny! That would be so nice to do for this sad town! Unfortunately, Fluttershy had a different idea; they had a job to do. Period. Bothered by this, Pinkie settled with Fluttershy's idea; they would go to her home, but only to take the rocket launcher.
Coughing form the dust breeding in the air, the two grabbed quickly ammunition and ran out. Pinkie was surprised by her home turning against her! Before she was able to think of a fitting revenge, Fluttershy was already carrying her on her back and flying over the Everfree forest.
Pinkie was confused. She expected a nice welcome for Fluttershy and her in Ponivile. Instead, she got dirty buildings, quiet Fluttershy and some kind of strange atmosphere. As if spectral ghost of the past was hanging over the place, damping happy emotions. Pinkie decided to shut up and bath in the bleak, quiet atmosphere of a post death infected land.
Cold wind rushing over her face made her shiver, while green trees of the forest beneath the duo quietly stood, petrified in time. Wind was howling. Tree after a tree, horizon was boring. Sky had no fun to offer. Non creative, generic clouds slowly drifted over them. Pinkie's mind went blank, until she lost all perception of time. Wind made her shiver, again and again. Then Fluttershy started descending. In a few moments they were in front of old, stone built doors. Ponies entered.
Pinkie wanted to exchange a few sentences with Fluttershy now, but the dreaded atmosphere got to her too. She had no motivation to move her mouth. The duo wandered forward from a cold, stone corridor to another cold, stone corridor, until they found the end. Just like they did in the last castle.
Fluttershy sat down "So what now? We wait..."
Full of regret and sadness, she aimlessly added "This whole world is futile. Dead end."
Pinkie Pie was unsure how to help the situation that she totally understood as hopeless, for once in her life. Then she decided on Fluttershy's therapy: "Here, have this rocket launcher. Blow some holes in the wall. Just let us backtrack, we don't want to be crushed!"
"Pinkie... you go. I don't care any more."
Pinkie Pie was in shock. She was so happy that she didn't already give the rocket launcher to Fluttershy, she'd kill them both! Pinkie threw it away down the corridor.
"Pinkie, why didn't you give it to me?" Fluttershy was agitated.
"You're not gonna kill us!" she exploded. "Are you crazy! You're..."
Twilight was in front of them.
Fluttershy was quick to trigger her mouth angrily "Let us see how you're going to explain this to us! Heh!"
Having no time to react, Twilight was hit with an extremely hard punch from Fluttershy. Flutterage released all of her aggression out. All insane thoughts she ever had in her life that stored deep under her timid, cute and shy surface, exploded. Twisted ideas and experiences she felt in last few months concentrated in her hooves. Twilight got charged at by Flutterage's head. A front left hoof punched her. Then the right one. After that Fluttershy turned her flank towards Twilight and did a double back hoof punch. Fluttershy was no nice pony. Like all others, she had her hopes and dreams. No one had the authority of taking them from her!
Instead of trying to stop this and making a joke, full of dread on her face, Pinkie Pie decided to let Fluttershy do this. World was no longer a comedy. Sometimes it's a dead serious place. Pinkie Pie sat and waited for the outcome. World no longer revolved around her. This was time to let Fluttershy lead this battle. She made a real epiphany!
Twilight was at the floor coughing. Fluttershy was waiting for her next move, so she could beat some answers from her. Pinkie was waiting for Fluttershy to finish. Fluttershy wanted to see Twilight explaining this in a way for no one to get hurt, but did not have any hopes of finding that answer. Twilight is going to suffer.
Twilight smiled "You both learned your lessons before I thought you will"
Fluttershy was enraged by the egocentric and rude sound of Twilight's voice. Twilight's gonna get some more ass kicking!
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy felt strange.
"Are you too feeling like you're exiting your body? I feel like I'm exiting this world!" Pinkie Pie screamed.
Soon the ponies opened their eyes in Twilight's bookstore. It was full of books, Twilight was there. And Applejack. And Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Even Celestia!
"What is the meaning of this?" Fluttershy angrily got up. Feeling threatened, she charged onto Twilight and knocked her down. Prepearing to hit her, she screamed.
"I want EXPANATIONS" Fluttershy raged.
To be concluded in Part IV.