Smoke....

Wind......

Fire........

A pony looked upwards towards the billowing smoke that rose from Ponyville, the shield that covered it falling to pieces and crumbling downwards, dissipating in the air. Ash choked the red colored sky as the moon and sun rose together, casting a red tint across the land. This pony, a mare, had a blank look upon her face as she watched the pieces of the shield fade away, revealing Ponyville to Equestria after two long months of pain and suffering.

She slowly made her way down the hill, humming quietly as she put one gentle hoof in front of the other, taking care to step around the falling debris. Apparently...Shadow-Mane could not settle for just fire...no...he had to throw in a few high-explosives as well. Bits of houses and trees littered the area, making it look as if somepony had dumped a giant trashcan over the hills.

Her breath was calm and relaxed as she slowly walked across the hills, looking over towards her left and towards the scene that was displayed before her.

"GET YOUR HOOVES OFF ME!" Shrieked Celestia as Captain Shadow-Mane and a few others of the Lunar Guard tied chains and ropes around her. Her horn had been cut off, and her mane had stopped flowing, her ties to magic all but severed now. Sure she could still use magic, but oh how handicapped she would be. The very thought of it was even horrific enough to draw a shiver out of the unknown mare. She watched the five chariots circling over head, the ponies in them watching the four chariots and a prison-wagon below.

"Princess Celestia! By the order of her majesty Princess Luna of The New Lunar Republic, you are hereby under arrest for the crimes of immoral scientific endeavors, mass genocide, and direct violation of your rights and privileges as Ruler of Equestria!" Shadow-Mane barked, watching as his men lifted her into the prison-wagon with magic. After the wagon was secured, Shadow-Mane waved his hoof, signaling for them to take off. As the chariots and wagon flew up into the air with their flight crew, Shadow-Mane turned to one of his soldiers and muttered "Any sign of Twilight Sparkle?"

His soldier shook his head sadly, muttering "None...we think the explosion might have thrown her, but how far or where we don't know..."

The mare chuckled as she overheard these words, but not the ones that Shadow-Mane muttered next. From above, the four chariots and prison wagon turned and moved in the direction of Canterlot, leaving the rest to hover over and search the fields. They wouldn't find her though, per a simple invisibility spell. She would be killed if she was seen...and that would set so many things back.

She hadn't really considered the possibility that Celestia would actually fail...it being Celestia and all. At first the end result of the battle shocked her, more so then Twilight Sparkle actually surviving the 'Ravage Virus' in Ponyville. Alas...things happened the way they happened...there was no changing it.

...There was only Plan B.

...There was only the mare she hidden back at the ashen remains of Sweet Apple Acres.

With a quick teleportation spell, the mare found herself standing in front of the smoldering ruins of a barn, her body moving towards the old escape tunnel used by the Ponyville citizens. An escape tunnel indeed...for them....and for the others. A snarling sound rippled out of the hole, making the mare chuckle and hold out a hoof towards the hole.

"Come..." she hissed, watching as several sets of red eyes appeared in the darkness of the hole. One by one...slowly in pace...Afflicted ponies began to rise out of the escape tunnel, surrounding the mare...both of the mares. She had nearly forgotten Twilight Sparkle, the unicorn who was also hidden with an invisibility spell and had placed beside the escape tunnel. She didn't need to be found...not yet at least, according to the unknown mare. She smiled down at her, her broken lavender body. She was alive, of course, but only just. Broken ribs, a leg, her body splashed with blood. She had been through hell it seemed...hell indeed.

"Infect..." she whispered, the Afflicted surrounding the two mares turning and bolting off towards the Everfree Forest, their galloping eerily quiet and their voices vacant of snarls. She stared down at the unicorn, walking up on her side and lowering herself down. She pressed her belly against the soft grass, her side nestling up against Twilight's as she was turned on her back by magic. She wore a calm expression on her sleeping face as the mysterious mare looked over her, smiling as a mother would over her filly. She pushed her soft mane out of her own face with a hoof and leaned down to the unicorn, whispering "Twilight...thank you. Thank you so much...."

The mare smiled, and lowered her head towards Twilight's, pressing her lips against hers and kissing her fully. She forced her way into a deep kiss, kissing her as passionately as she could. For a moment the mare laid there next to her, holding still as she kissed Twilight, and eventually she stopped, rising up and wiping her lips with a hoof. "Goodbye...Twilight" she whispered, walking slowly away and leaving the unicorn by the escape tunnel.

For five minutes, silence followed in the mysterious mare's wake...and then...a groan.

Twilight groaned, her breath catching and her lungs coughing and heaving for air. She started to writhe slowly on the ground as drool leaked out of both corners of her mouth, her sharp intakes of breath quickly becoming a pant, a desperate gasp for air. She started to cry out and seethe in pain as she rolled about on the ground, her physical and internal injuries causing her to scream more.

Eventually...Twilight fell still, her rasping breath coming out in short gasps. She rolled on on her back, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and hanging limp against the side of her lips. She took in a deep gulp of air and let out it out slowly...sighing as she opened her eyes and stared towards the sky.

Her wonderfully beautiful eyes...

Her gorgeous...glimmering eyes...

Her Infected....Afflicted....blood red and violet eyes.

Her Carrier eyes.

To be Continued...