OK, everyone, new chapter here! Recap... Tar Pony/Leon, Derpy, and Fluttershy made their way to the farm, Leon's still a zombie, he's become a prime target from the group, and Wesker and his undead forces found their way to the farm. Could things get any worse? Find out now!
Applejack watched as Runners made their way to the farmhouse, and aimed the shotgun at them. She fired both shells, and dropped four Runners. Alan, now realizing how much trouble they were in, went up to the bedroom where Sweetie Belle was, and entered quickly. He went up to her, and shook her. "Come on, Sweetie Belle! Get up!" She didn't move, so he placed her on his back. He then left the room, went down the stairs, and entered the cellar.
Draco was busy on the roof shooting fireballs down on the Runners, hitting many of them. But there was just too many. They gathered at the front door, and started breaking into the farmhouse. Draco immediately climbed back into the house, and climbed down the stairs. Applejack saw him, and urged him to help her. "Come on, I need some help!" she yelled out. Draco then ran next to her, and started breathing out fire in a large stream, burning the Runners who were attempting to enter. They caught on fire, but none of them seemed to mind as the continued breaking the door into the house.
"It's no good! We need to fall back to the cellar!" Draco yelled out.
"NO! I ain't leaving this farm! It stayed since Ponyville was created, and it's gonna keep standing!" Applejack urged angrily.
"Applejack! This house isn't gonna last much longer! It's better to leave alive than dead!" Draco persuaded. She looked back at him sadly, and then nodded disappointedly. Before they left to the cellar, she brought with her a bottle of apple cider and a rag. They both headed down into the cellar, and locked themselves inside.
Every pony was waiting there, except for Rainbow Dash and Tar Pony. "Where's Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo asked worriedly.
"She's outside still slayin' them Shamblers with Tar. When I say so, leave the cellar through the other door. Then we head for Fluttershy's cottage, and stay until we decide what to do next. Sound like a plan?" Applejack asked.
They all spoke in agreement. "Applebloom, I need ya to help me empty the cider barrels," Applejack said.
"No problem, sis!" she said. They both went over to each barrel, and drained it of all of its contents. They proceeded to empty each barrel, until a banging was heard on the door to the house. "Almost got it…" Applebloom said, struggling with one of the barrels.
"Come on, let's get a move on!" Applejack ordered every pony. All of the ponies lined up at the other door to the cellar, which led to the barn outside. Applejack handed Draco the cider bottle with the rag sticking out of it. "When I say so, light that feller up and throw it against the wall inside the cellar," Applejack said. Derpy was carrying Sweetie Belle on her back, and was going to lead the charge outside.
Applebloom still struggled with the last barrel, until she finally got it loose. "I got it! I got it!" she cheered. The cider was now at waist level, and she drudged through the liquid slowly towards the exit. The door to the house broke down at that moment, and the Runners burst into the cellar, yelling and charging through the cider. They moved relatively easily through the cider, and were chasing down Applebloom. She screamed, and ran faster towards the group. The survivors then burst open the door to the outside of the farm, and started to leave. Applejack stayed behind to help out Applebloom, but one of the Runners caught up with Applebloom. The Runner dragged her back and bit into her flank, sending blood oozing slowly from Applebloom.
Applebloom screamed in pain, and Applejack used her powerful buck to kick the Runner in the head. "I don't think so!" She used her hind legs to smash the Runner, creating a loud cracking noise as his neck snapped. The Runner fell into the cider, dead and unmoving. Applejack then led Applebloom quickly out of the cellar, where Draco waited. "Now!" Applejack yelled. Draco set the rag on fire, and threw it into the cellar. The cellar lit up like a bonfire, lighting every Runner inside on fire, and cremating them slowly. All that could be heard in the now-burning cellar were agonizing screeches and wails.
The ponies all stared at the burning room, but then turned their attention to the whimpering Applebloom, who was now bleeding profusely from her wound. Applejack acted quickly, and bandaged Applebloom. "Come on, Applebloom. I got ya... I got ya." She had then placed Applebloom on her back, and took her and the entire group towards the clearing where Rainbow and Tar were waiting.
They were soaked in blood, and surrounded by the mutilated remains of the Shamblers. Intestines were strewn everywhere, limbs were scattered left and right, heads were piled next to each other, and blood was on the floor everywhere. They appeared to have finished off the horde, and saw Applebloom on Applejack's back. "What happened to Applebloom?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"She's hurt… badly. She got bit by one of them crazies," Applejack said worriedly. Tar Pony, upon hearing this, turned to Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy, we need to restrain her if she got bitten. That's how it spreads…" he reported quietly so the others could not hear.
Fluttershy nodded sadly, and led them all away from the carnage that lay in wake at Sweet Apple Acres. It was a massacre.
...
Wesker and two Runners remained in the farmhouse, the only three who made it out of the cellar before they were swallowed whole by the fire. Wesker and the two stood gazing at the fire in the cellar that had taken out most of the Runners, and he growled. Fucking fire... He yelled out in anger and punched into the wall, breaking a hole into it. That goddamn dragon! Fire is going to be the end of all of us if we don't get him!
He turned to one of the Runners, the same one who had spoke with Wesker before the attack. He used his horn to send a message to the Runner: We will head back into town... and gather more... after eating our fill. The Runner nodded, and Wesker turned to the window, viewing the fleeing ponies. I will find you... dragon... and your pitiful group. I need to head back to town, and gather more... before we strike again. Wesker sat on one of the couches in the farmhouse, contemplating how and where he would end these ponies that escaped him.
…
Fluttershy had led them all into her cottage, where she had promised she would care for Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. What she had actually done was chain Applebloom, who had passed away sometime after arriving, inside her shed, away from Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Big Macintosh. After feeding the ponies in the shed, she left outside and back into her cottage. She went into one of the rooms, and took Sweetie Belle's pulse. She looked back at the group with sad eyes, and shook her head slowly. They all were saddened by the fact, and began to sob. Fluttershy covered Sweetie Belle with the blanket, and led them all out of the room.
Sometime afterwards, there was a noise in the room Sweetie Belle was in, and Fluttershy went to investigate. She saw Sweetie Belle walking about in the room, and Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, Sweetie Belle! Thank goodness you're okay. I thought something terrible happened," Fluttershy said, relieved.
Sweetie Belle turned to her slowly, and gazed at Fluttershy. Her eyes flashed red, and she charged Fluttershy, yelling and shrieking. Fluttershy yelped, and left the room quickly, closing the door behind her. She went to the living room, where Tar Pony was. She dragged him to the door, and looked worried. "What's wrong, Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy was trembling and whimpering. "It's Sweetie Belle... she... she... she's up!"
Tar Pony smiled. "She's OK, then? That's wonderful!" He entered the room, ignoring Fluttershy's silent cries of warning, and saw Sweetie Belle in front of a mirror in the room. She didn't move as he approached her. "Hey, Sweetie Belle! How you feeling?" Tar Pony asked.
She slowly turned to him, and glared at him with red eyes. She clenched her teeth, and growled softly. She began to stumble forwards, and Tar Pony understood what it meant. But... how? She wasn't bitten... Tar Pony thought. He looked around for something to defend himself, and found a stool. He took it and raised it towards Sweetie Belle, who was still trudging to Tar Pony. He used the stool to hold her back, where she reached outwards with her hooves, trying to reach Tar Pony. "Brains... Live brains..." she called out.
Fluttershy burst into the room, and carried with her chains and a burlap sack. She clenched the chains in her mouth, and swung them around in a lasso. She threw the lasso over Sweetie Belle, and tightened the chains. Sweetie Belle now collapsed on the floor, squirming and moaning. Fluttershy lifted the chains up, along with Sweetie Belle, and dropped her in the burlap sack. She then handed the sack to Tar Pony, who was dumbfounded at Fluttershy's expert handling of the situation.
"Um... could you take her to the shed... please?" Fluttershy asked.
Tar Pony simply nodded, and brought the wriggling sack down with him. He noticed that the other ponies were in the kitchen, so he passed by unnoticed. He went out the door, and went into the shed, trying to wonder how Sweetie Belle became a Runner. According to Fluttershy, all that happened to her was a fall, not a bite. She was in a coma... and then she apparently passed. He thought for a moment, and the horrible realization then came to him. No... it... it can't be... any pony that dies... comes back... no matter if they were bitten or not. That's how Big Mac must have become one... as well as me... oh, Celestia. I need to let Fluttershy know. He brought Sweetie Belle to one of the corners of the shed, the one Rarity was in. She greeted Tar Pony, while he turned sadly to her.
"Rarity... I have some bad news..." he said with hesitation.
"What is it!? Is my shop destroyed? Is it filled with those disgusting creatures?" she asked in horror.
He shook his head slowly. "No... it's much worse." He opened the sack, and revealed Sweetie Belle, who was still chained and wriggling. Rarity looked on in horror, and looked back at Tar Pony. She couldn't speak, couldn't act.
"As long as she's fed, she'll act like before... but she's one of us now." Tar Pony then left to bring Sweetie Belle food, and returned with chickenfeed. He dumped it into the feeding tray, and Sweetie Belle began to fill her ravenous hunger, chewing and crunching loudly. Tar Pony untied the chains wrapped around Sweetie Belle, and tied them again to the wall, allowing her a bit more freedom of movement.
"How... how did it happen?" Rarity asked in sadness after some time.
"Apparently, when any pony dies, they come back, no matter if they were bitten or not. That's how I think Big Mac became a Runner." As Tar Pony said this, Big Macintosh looked at Tar Pony, and now understood how he became undead. "I just don't know how that happens," Tar Pony admitted.
"So... she just... passed?" Rarity asked, tears in her eyes.
Tar Pony nodded. Sweetie Belle had stopped eating, and her eyes returned to their normal green color. "Rarity! You're OK! I... I didn't know what happened to you!" she said excitedly, hugging her sister. Rarity hugged her back, and Tar Pony left them in the shed. He returned to the cottage, and sat in the kitchen, along with every pony else.
"We've got to do something to get the Royal Guard to come," Draco said.
"No, the Royal Guard could solve this problem, but they'd be required to kill the infected. We need the CDC if we're gonna find a way to stop the spread," Tar Pony said.
"I agree…" Fluttershy said distantly. Tar noticed there was something different about her appearance. He discovered that her eyelids were getting much darker in color, even though she wasn't bitten anywhere.
"Fluttershy, are you doing all right? You seem to need some rest or something," Tar said.
"No… no. I'm fine… Just… stay outta my shed," she said. Tar Pony picked up on this, and thought Fluttershy was beginning to lose her sanity.
"Hey, Fluttershy, where's Applebloom?" Applejack asked.
"Oh… Applebloom… she's at the shed, fetching me some things," Fluttershy said nervously.
"Well that's good of her! She won't let one itty bite stop her," Applejack said.
"Tar Pony, could I see you for a moment?" Fluttershy asked.
"Sure, what is it?" he asked as she led him away from the group.
"They can't know about the shed. If Applejack finds out that both Big Macintosh and Applebloom are chained inside, she might get angry… please don't tell them about it," Fluttershy begged.
"I won't. As long as they don't know, both the infected and the ponies are safe. But you need to know that any pony that dies, no matter how, becomes one of them." He turned to look away, and Fluttershy looked and nodded at him sadly. "I know Alan and Draco are doing fine, but what about Chloe and Orion? Where are they?" Leon asked after some time.
"Chloe is back in your hometown, and Orion is in his. We'll find a way to help you, Leon. For now, we have to find a way to get Doc over here, and I think I know how," Fluttershy said.
"Go for it," Tar responded.
"OK... Rainbow Dash and Draco fly over to Canterlot. From there, they can get Doc and send in some ponies to cure them... I mean, if that's OK with them," Fluttershy said.
"That's good… but what about supplies and food?" Tar asked.
"For now, I've got plenty for you ponies... but for the other ponies, we'll need to go back into town to get more… but with all those monsters outside, we may not make it," Fluttershy said.
"You leave that to me. The infected don't seem to notice me, and I think I can bring food back and forth safely," Tar suggested.
"That's wonderful! You can help out the ponies! Oh, Leon, I know you're really inside all that muck!" she hugged him as she said this.
He hugged her back, and took with him some baskets and a saddlebag to bring the food back to the cottage. He exited the building, and headed slowly towards town. Fluttershy then returned back to the kitchen, and asked, "OK, who wants to help me feed the animals?"
…
Tar Pony entered the town to see many undead ponies roaming the streets, more than before, almost in an orderly fashion. He shambled towards one of the burning restaurants, and picked through the debris for any scrap or morsel of food. There was a refrigerator, lying relatively intact on the floor. Tar Pony ripped it out of its hinges, and saw a banquet, ready to be eaten. He took the food and placed it inside the saddlebag, filling one of two bags.
Satisfied, he headed to the next building, Sugarcube Corner. He entered the destroyed shop, and looked around for any food. He found the display racks emptied, and went to the back of the building, where the kitchen was. It was completely untouched by the Shamblers, and he went to the refrigerators. He opened one of them, and found it completely stocked with food. He filled the rest of the baskets and saddlebag with as much food as they could carry, and was finally packed with plenty of food. He turned to leave, until he heard a banging in one of the walk-in freezers.
Curious, he went over to the freezer, and peered through the small window on the door. It was completely fogged up, and Tar Pony grabbed the handle and pulled the door open. He walked in slowly, and looked around for the source of the banging. He could find nothing inside, so he turned to leave, only to find what caused the racket.
In front of him were the two Cake twins, Pound and Pumpkin, soaked in blood and devouring a corpse, ripping flesh and bone from it. He looked at the corpse closely, and identified it as that of Mr. Cake, one of the shop owners and father of the children. Disgusted, he gagged, and the two demons turned to him. They identified him as a Shambler, and continued feasting on the corpse. Tar Pony quickly left, and vomited on the floor of the shop. OH… MY… CELESTIA! HOW… HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN!? THAT… WAS THE MOST DISTURBING AND WRONG THING I HAVE EVER SEEN! I…I…I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS! Tar Pony thought to himself.
He began losing his thoughts somehow, and he couldn't think much anymore. By vomiting on the ground, he had lost much of his lunch, and he became hungry, making his primal Runner instincts rear their ugly heads. He looked around for something to eat, anything to eat. He saw nothing around, and turned toward the corpse of Mr. Cake. Not anymore a disgusting display to Tar Pony, he slowly shambled over to the corpse, seeing it as a meal opportunity. He stared down at it, and notched his head to the side. Food… NO! I…can't…give in! But it looks delicious…NO! GET... GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD! Leon was not about to lose his equinity, but Tar Pony's hunger was steadily growing greater and greater. What… what do I do?
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are now dead. Fluttershy's beginning to lose it. Tar Pony's beginning to revert back to an undead freak. Wesker's undead forces in the town are getting organized. Everything that can turn out bad is turning out... well, bad! Will Leon remain equine? Will the group get the CDC to come? Will any pony find out about the shed and its residents? And, will Wesker's undead onslaught finish the job on what remains of the group? Find out next week, fellow readers!