It was another bitter day in the former grand city of Equestria with the sun shining down on the on city, but like most things, it was just a cruel joke that most ponies just winced at and went upon their daily jobs.

Some ponies brought in bread for ponies to eat, some brought in fresh food from the converted farms, and some were arguing with the latest batch of refugees coming to Canterlot.

With a clop, the unicorn guards turned their heads a fraction to see who had come as nearly all the pegasi had fled long ago to their flying city turned fortress. They had clearly said that until this was over, Cloudsdale was to be a safe haven at all costs; even holding several unicorns hostage to do the tests for any future refugees. Only the threastrals truly remained, and it was far too early for them to be up and about.

Thus, they knew exactly who it was, and fixed their stance to protect their princess against the possible danger.

“At ease, my guards,” the princess frowned, looking at the long line of scared ponies, with a mare holding a shaking foal close to her chest standing at the front of the long line. “What seems to be the delay?”

“My princess, these guards barely performed the test!” The mare shouted, pressing the crying foal closer to her body. “They wish to throw my precious Sunny Skies to those ghouls down there!”

“How dare you, you lying bit-” The unicorn guard on the left, moving his sword away from his side, closer to the family. The crowd behind the family tensed; a riot seemed imminent.

“At ease, Strong Will,” the princess frowned, taking to learning all the names of everypony in her city, as her sister once did. “If it would please th- you, I shall perform the test myself.” Princess Luna gave a smile; it was forced, it was fake and it was a lie as she knew the answer herself.

Although she did say a silent pray to whoever was listening that her guards were wrong for once.

The mare nodded, and pushed her foal close to the princess. The guards were still at her side, in full armour, not a single exposed piece of fur or flesh was within reach. Luna was not, and they couldn’t lose her too.

Luna frowned, focusing her will and magic, and sent out her aura to simply lift the child, hoping beyond hope she could.

The aura went around the foal and then it broke off, like a shield was raised, causing the magic to fail to even touch the sobbing foal.

The mother screamed out in anguish and curses, held back by the guards now, leaving Luna alone with the child.

Luna hated this, despised herself for being forced to do this again. She hated her sister for not being here when Equestria needed her the most, she hated Discord for taking the easy way out once things became too personal for him, she hated Twilight for staying in her labs instead of here and dirtying her hooves like the other princess!

“Am- am I going to become a z-” The little filly, with a sun peaking over the clouds on her flanks. Luna now hated the fates that be for being this cruel, a mockery of what she had lost. But she pushed all that out of her mind to do this important duty for this little foal.

“No, sweet one, you shall not become one of them,” she smiled, gently as she leaned down to face the pony, keeping some distance away from her. It was one thing to be comforting, it was another thing to be suicidally stupid to let an infected pony within lounging range of her neck or face. “I promise you that you will feel no pain.”

“Y- you promise?” She sniffled, looking up at the calm, serene princess in front of her. She didn’t hear anything from their little world, as Luna had put up a tiny shield. The poor filly didn’t need to hear her mother crying now, nor anything else.

“Yes,” Luna smile grew, her eyes widening in a very gentle manner that she sadly had perfected in all this time. “A very wise pony told me the most powerful of promises, one that not even I can break,” the foal’s eyes went wide with wonder, becoming at ease within her final moments. “‘Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye’,” Luna was tempted to ruffle the foal’s mane, but she had seen others that were infected turn in seconds instead of hours, and thus a guard and friend was lost in that moment of kindness. “It is a promise that true friends make and to break it is the fastest way to lose one.” Luna paused, hoping to hear the Element of Laughter speak out of nowhere, or to appear like she had once done, saying forever. But Pinkie, or Pinkamena as she went by now, was locked up in the war room, using her senses to pinpoint where the hoards were and rarely acted like herself before all this nightmare and horrors became commonplace. She was a fine strategist when she wasn’t looking over the Pound twins, a responsibility she took deathly serious.

Guilt was a strong motivator, but one undeserved by her, and the rest of her remaining friends were seriously worried she would snap one day. Another friend lost was something no pony wanted.

“We’re friends, Princess?” The foal hiccuped, smiling softly now. It all so easy to put the young ones at ease that it sickened Luna that she had to do this to them, but it was a necessary evil that she would always take over directness.

“Of course, my little pony,” she let out a little laugh, just like her sister would do, had done. “Now, little one, I am going to be using some special magic on you, is that ok?”

“But Princess Luna, no magic has worked on me since I got-” The little filly got up on her hooves, seemingly upset at this.

“Ah tatata,” Luna shook her head, grinning broadly. “I am an alicorn and a princess! I can do many things that a simple pony cannot.”

“Like what?” She sat back down, smiling with bright eyes, her mane -buck the fates- was pink, and thankfully had a red coat.

White would have killed Luna.

“Like this,” Luna then did the only magic that she could do to put the pony at ease. “Sleep.”

The foal was asleep before she knew what had happened. Luna brought herself backwards for a second, and with a quick flick of hooves, she snapped the neck of the pony in front of her. Completely painless and it also brought it out in a more controlled state. Luna took a step backwards, the two guards holding the screaming mother back as another guard brought up his sword. It had taken most of her guards some time to learn how to only hold the sword by the handle with their magic aura’s instead of the whole thing, but not Clear Strike. He had taken to it very well and was one of the few that was able to do this without breaking down.

Already, the foal was gone, and the monster that took it’s place was there. With a broken neck, it was snapping it’s mouth open and close, trying to get to it’s hooves to feed and speak that damnable line.

With a sickening thud that no longer fazed Luna, something that deeply worried her, the head was cut off. The mother was screaming obscenities to her now, though she long became immune to hearing the hurtful and semi-truthful words. Then, Clear Strike used the stained staff next to him to bash the skull inwards, ending the threat of this monster.

Luna looked at Clear Strike, giving him a look to see if he needed a break. He shook his head, he was fine.

Walking back towards her castle, her eyes dart downwards, the moat of zombified ponies that surrounded the mountain and her city was still there and trying to reach upwards for them.

With a bitter realization, Luna remembered that she was late for her breakfast date with Twilight; and she had just got the mare to come out of her labs. With a lurch, she flew into the morning sky and onwards to the castle.

Author's Notes:

So tell me, what do you think? Do you want more?