Chapter 5: Virus XXZ

"There has to be a book with this disease somewhere around here! At least one!"

Twilight was getting frantic, the library was now a mess with books and scrolls of all kinds scattered about.

"What about this one?" Pinkie chimed, grabbing a thick book in her mouth and handing it over to twilight. "It's got pictures of zombie ponies in it!"

All the ponies gathered around Twilight as she looked over the pages. she stopped at a passage that had a list of diseases with the same symptoms the diseased ponies had been having.

"High fever, sensitivity to light and sound. patients lose ability to think within reason and act based on an acquired appetite for flesh of their own species. Their own flesh begins to deteriorate and produces gaping wounds. skin is severely discolored and usually black from lack of blood."

"That sounds like the disease." Celestia spoke up. "What is it called? Is there a cure?"

"It's called 'Virus XXZ' the ponies who recorded it states this is not the official name, as there has only been one recorded case of this in all of Equestria." Twilight read.

"Does it say what happened?" AppleJack asked.

Twilight flipped a few pages and read aloud. "Patient S (name kept secret for protection purposes.) had went to the hospital complaining of severe head trauma. The staff kept him hospitalized over night to monitor him. As a nurse brought him his morning meal, he jumped from his bed and devoured one of her limbs before security arrived to sedate him. Scientists came in to research his disease until one night he disappeared. There is no known account of his whereabouts or death since that time."

The ponies gasped. "So the only known information about this disease...and the patient disappeared?! Did they not try to catch him?!" Rainbow Dash basically yelled, clearly annoyed.

"It states that there is no known cure...this info is dated back only 20 years ago..." Twilight stated.

"S-so that's all?" Fluttershy whispered. "Now what's going to happen?"

Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door, making the ponies jump and cower together once again.

"use the exit in the back." The guard stood against the door. "All of you, go."

"Are you coming with us, Shaydin Hall?" Celestia asked the guard.

"I must keep you safe, Princess. please, go!" Shaydin forced his words.

With one look back, all the ponies dashed out the back and through a large hallway.

"Follow me, girls." Celestia told them. "We must get to the elements of harmony."

They followed the princess into another corridor, closing and locking the door behind them. Celestia walked to the end of the room and unlocked a secret door on the back wall. She brought out and chest and set it in front of the girls.

"There isn't much time. You have to use these against the infected." She told them.

She opened the box and passed out the beautiful jewels. The ponies immediately put them on.

"WEE! Let's go fight some Zombies!" Pinkie squealed.

"Pinkie, I'm not so sure we-"

Pinkie cut off Fluttershy's sentence. "Nonsense, Fluttershy! With the elements, we can do anything. I'm not afraid of any zombie pony!"

"I kinda agree with Pinkie on this one. As long as we're together, and we got the elements, we can accomplish anything." AppleJack stated.

"Now, now girls. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Rarity reasoned. "Sure we've got the elements on our side, but that doesn't mean we need put ourselves in danger."

"Well we've got to do something." Rainbow spoke up. "And danger is my middle name!"

"I didn't know your full name was Rainbow Danger Dash!" Pinkie perked up.

"Girls, calm down." Twilight said above them. "Yes, we have to face this, but we don't need to get ahead of ourselves. we need a plan."

"I agree, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia said, gathering the girls around to work out a plan.

---

Pressure was building outside the castle, the sky was gloomy and dark. Diseased ponies began to approach the gates, guards were trying to fight them off but were either mauled and infected or killed on the spot. The virus was spreading quickly, as if the air around the city was poisoned with disease.

These ponies laughed maniacally while they carried pieces of pony flesh in their mouths. As they passed over the gardens in the courtyard, the flowers seemed to turn gray and wilt. The trees drooped and any fruits that were growing began to rot. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger. The ponies out from had already broke into the castle hall and made their way inside, ready to infect and kill anypony alive inside.

---

The girls were getting the plan worked out when the door started to budge. They stood up and looked toward it. Voices could be heard and as the pressure on the door built up more and more, cracks began to appear.

"Come on my little ponies. We've got to do this." Celestia spoke with courage. she stepped out in front of them, and using her magic, cast a shield to block them from danger.

The door burst in and the stench of death filled the room. Ponies of all sizes, with open sores and bleeding wounds, stepped inside. As they saw the shield of the princess, they just smiled and chuckled.

"You think that will stop us? You don't rule us anymore." One of them spoke in a drawled tone, it's own teeth were falling out of it's mouth with every word.

The infected approached slowly, smiling and licking their teeth and lips in hunger.

"Use the power of the elements girls!" The Princess spoke up.

Twilight led them in the magical pursuit. Their eyes glowed as the power of the elements of harmony lifted them up. Light enveloped the six and rainbows of color flashed around them. As the power gathered bigger and bigger, and the crowd got closer. Celestia let down her shield and the infected raced to get her.

A rainbow slammed them all back and burned their bodies. As the light subsided, and the girls came back to the ground, they could see what had happened.

All the ponies were laying on the ground, badly burned and broken. Celestia stood up and looked back at them. "I think you did it, girls!"

They were beginning to celebrate when one of the ponies began breathing loudly, followed by the sound of others. as if in a nightmare, each pony stood up and smiled at them.

They backed up to used the elements one more time. but as the light came into view, it quickly faded.

"Wh-what's going on?" Twilight asked nopony in particular.

They began to back up, they were being pushed into a corner.

"Twilight Sparkle." Celestia spoke, not taking her eyes off the crowd. "Get your friends and go into the room I got the elements out of. there is an emergency exit. All of you get to your balloon and make it safely to Ponyville. Do your best to barricade the village and try to get in touch with the officials in the other areas of Equestria."

"B-but Princess...I can't-"

"As your teacher I order you to do so." She turned an eye toward her student. "Twilight, get to safety..."

She turned back and held her shield up to the crowd.

"Go! NOW!" She commanded.

Twilight urged the others into the back room and through the exit. once the last pony was through, she turned back to the Princess.

"Princess...Are you coming?" She asked.

"I've got to protect my city." She said, her shield weakening against the blow of the infected. "Take care of yourself."

Twilight teared up. Her mentor needed her, and there was nothing she could do.

"Princess, please make it out of here alive." She pleaded.

With tears streaming down her face, Twilight raced out the back exit and heading toward the hot air balloon.