Ah arrived back in Sunny Town, but it changed.
“H- hellooo?” Everythin' was dark, no lights, no signs of life. The houses were broken, only ruins
of their former selves. Just a few moments ago, everythin' was wonderfully decorated, illuminated by bright shinin' lanterns and big tables filled with food and drinks.
But now everythin' was gone. It seemed like there wasn’t anypony livin' in this village for about a hundred years. So did it mean that they were all... ghosts? Gladstone, Roneo, Starlet, Leaf, Grey? No that couldn't be! That was just ridiculous!
Twilight herself said that there aren't such things as ghosts after all!
“There was no other way!” That voice... Grey Hoof? Ah ran through the broken village, searchin' for him. Ah had to be sure that he couldn't have been a ghost!
“She was going to spoil the party!” Who was 'she'? Did he mean-
“KYAAA!” Suddenly somethin' came out of the ground, a dark silhouette which looked like... no!
“Three Leaf? Is that you?” She came closer into the moonlight so ah could see her very clearly.
Mah breath stopped. Mah mind wouldn’t believe what ah saw, but it was her, the major mare of Sunny Town - Three Leaf.
Her flesh and fur was black like the darkness itself, her eyes were soul piercin' red. Some flesh
was missin' at several parts of her body, blank bones were reflectin' the moonlight, shinin' right through these holes of missin' flesh. Her ruffled fur was covered in dirt and blood, the half of her mane was missin' too, revealin' her face which was covered with rotten flesh and maggots.
Her face just seemed to melt away, no lips, no nose, barely enough fur to cover her cheeks and ears. And that smell... the smell of old rotten fruits, bakin' in the sun inside of a airless room.
Mah stomach churned and mah eyes began to tear.
“Dear Celestia... that can't be!” She was alive, just a few minutes ago! And now she
was a... zombie? She came closer, step by step... until she stood right in front of me. Her red
glowin' eyes were lookin' down at me. She opened her mouth and released a terrible gush of stench into mah face.
“The curse had befallen her this very night... she had the mark... she had to go!” The 'mark'?
“So you... YOU did this back there in the cabin? No... NOOO!” Ah ran past her, the smell of rotten flesh rushed through mah nose, causing a massive sickness in mah stomach. Mah adrenaline rush kept me runnin', no matter how sick ah got. Suddenly ah crashed against a big stone, which was blockin' a small passage between two of the ruins.
“W-what? How did that came here? That can't... wait! These trunks... so they were-”
“Please...”
“KYAAAAAA!” Ah turned mahself around and stopped breathin'. A tall, dark pony appeared
out of the darkness... it was Gladstone... well, at least what remained from him.
He looked at me with these horrible red eyes, tryin' to smile with a creepy rotten stare.
His cheeks were gone, givin' me a glimpse of his lower jaw, revealin' black broken teeth and
bloody red gum which was reflectin' in the moonlight. He had such a lovely, encouragin' smile just a few minutes ago, now he was nothin' more than a sad, creepy copy of his proud former self, rottin' and limpin' in mah direction.
“Pleeeaaaase stay with us! We'll never let the same happen to you!” He made another step and another... slowly gettin' closer to me. There was no way to run, no place to hide, besides one way!
Ah turned mahself around and tried to use all of mah strength to push that huge rock aside.
It was too heavy, ah could barely move it, but ah couldn't give up!
“Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaase stay with us!” His voice got louder, but ah couldn't look back, ah had to concentrate on the rock, concentrate on survival!
“HNNNNNNNNGH! C'mon you darn rock! C'MON! Please, MOVE!” Ah pushed with all of mah strength, jumpin' against it, everythin' that may helped to move it away.
“Don't go... please, don't go away! Stay with us little one! Little one...” Gladstone... why?
Ah bit mah teeth together as hard as ah could, tears were rollin' down mah cheeks. Ah was thinkin' about Gladstone, the proud, lazy and fast colt ah just saw when ah arrived. The one who remembered me of Rainbow Dash and mah sister. Who could have done that to him?
After a few seconds ah reached the end of the ruins.
The void wasn't that big, but maybe it would have been enough to slip through.
Ah had to give it a try! Ah was pushin' and stretchin' as hard as ah could to get mahself through it.
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase stay with us!” Ah now could feel his breath at mah flank,
but for Celestias sake ah made it to slip through the small void. Ah ran, further and further through the rest of the village, but ah still could hear Gladstone from behind that rock, cryin' and screamin'. What happened here?
“KYAAA!” Another dark zombie pony jumped in front of me.
“No please!” It was Roneo! His blue mane which covered one of his eyes, was now melted together with his right eye. Ah walked backwards the fields which now were nothin' more than a dead dry ground, while Roneo was gettin' closer, starin' at me through his bloody eyes.
“All we want is friendship! Don’t leave... the others won't like it!” Suddenly the former beautiful white mare Starlet came out of the shadows to mah left, Grey appeared from the right, both were zombies, too! Bones, guts, maggots, blood... no they weren't the same ponies like before.
Starlets wonderful fur was almost gone, only a few shreds were hangin' down from her bones.
Her remainin' mane was stickin' at her blank flesh, one of her beautiful blue eyes was missin', leavin' a black hole filled with maggots and sorrow. But, Pinkie... no, Grey... he was the worst lookin' zombie pony of them all. Almost everythin' was gone! His fur, mane, skin and flesh...
he looked like a pure nightmare made of skeleton. Why was he that decayed?
Oh mah gosh... his skull was broken! Maggots were droppin' outta a big hole were his left ear should have been, but wait.... His eyes were different, too! His red eyes were shinin' brighter than those of the other ones, but why? Oh Grey, you were so lucky and funny back then, what happened to ya? Ah tried to understand, but ah couldn't.... Everythin' was just too much for me.
Whatever... it didn’t matter anymore, ah was surrounded. There was no place left ah could run.
The dark ponies were comin' closer and mah heart started to beat like a wild storm. Tears were runnin' down mah cheeks again.
“Applejack, please help me! HELP MEEE!” Ah screamed.
“Applebloom!” That... that voice. Ah turned around and saw another dark pony behind me.
Although this one was different, not as rotten as the others. Her mane, her voice... everythin'
seemed normal so far. Could it have been...
“Mitta! This is your chance! Grab her and make her one of us, she needs our help!”
“Yes Mitta, this is your chance to correct your heresy! Touch her and turn her into one of us!”
“We need her, we need more friends! Please Mitta, do it for your family!”
So this was Mitta, the pony from the storehouse. Now ah got it, she just wanted to warn me!
“FOOLS! Even in death they do not understand! I should have protected her... but I made my choice. This is our everlasting punishment! This... is what we deserve!” She looked down at me
and continued.
“Applebloom, come to me!” Ah didn’t knew if ah could trust her, but there was somethin' about her that seemed familiar to me. She remembered me of mah big sister Applejack.
Ah slowly walked in her direction.
“Don’t touch me honey, or you'll end like we did.”
“A- ah don’t understand, what happened here?” Ah hesitantly asked.
“There’s no time to explain honey, the grey-white horse knows more than we do.”
“The grey-white horse?” The other ponies came closer. Mitta went in front of me and into a attack position, lowerin' her head towards the zombies. Once Grey looked in Mittas eyes he stopped movin' and started to look down to the ground. Was he afraid, ashamed or... no it couldn't be!
“Mitta, don’t do anything funny! If' you're turning against us, we'll rip you apart!”
“Just go on and try! You already took my heart and my soul away from me... there’s nothing
left for you to take anymore. There’s nothing more to lose. All that’s left for me to do now is to
save you, my little filly.” She looked back at me, her red eyes were startin' to dim, her mouth
turned into a lovely smile.
“Mitta...” At that moment ah felt somethin' special, somethin' that only a lovin' mother
could give you. It was love. Such a heart warmin' love, given from a mother to her child.
“Hihi you know, you remind me of somepony... somepony who's very important to me. My sweet little daughter.... The way she smiled, laughed, played... I miss her so much. Please, Applebloom...“ She closed her eyes, tears were rollin' down her cheeks, sparklin' in the bright moonlight while fallin' to the ground.
“Please...” She opened her eyes again, which now turned normal. Ah looked up and deeply in her orange colored eyes. Her heart warmin' sight took mah fears, mah sorrows, the coldness and filled mah heart with glee.
“Please run, live on for my little daughter... live on for yourself!”
“Mitta...” The other ponies came closer and closer, only a few steps were missin' until they
would have reached us.
“Run, run.... RUUUUUUN FOR YOUR LIFE!” Mitta jumped ahead and tackled Roneo to the ground, the other ponies were jumpin' onto her, bitin' and punchin' her like maniacs.
“MITTAAA!” Ah wanted to help her so badly... but ah couldn't!
It seemed like sometimes... you just couldn't help anypony. She sacrificed herself for me, for somepony she didn't even knew... why Mitta?
Finally ah did what she said, ah turned around and began to ran... ran.... ran for mah life.

“Look mummy I've found your pendant!”
“Oh that’s great honey, you really have a special talent in finding things.”
“Yes, yes you're right! Oh and I also know what I want to be when I’m old enough!
Do you want to know? Come on ask me please, please, please!”
“Sure honey tell me. What do you want to be when you're older.”
“I want to be a private detective! You know just like those in the books grandpa gave me!”
“Hihi that’s a good idea my love, do you already have any cases right now?”
“Not yet... nopony seems to want any help from me.”
“Aww don’t worry honey. I’m sure one day you’ll find your greatest case ever!”
“Really?”
“I’m sure of it! Just keep believing in yourself and you can do everything!”
“Yeah! You're probably right!”
“Oh, by the way... here take this.”
“A present? For me? Yaaaay, thank you mummy! What is it?”
“Open it up.”
“A magnifying glass! Just the same like the ones they're using in the detective stories!”
“Hihi, yupp exactly. I hope you'll like it honey, it wasn't easy to get.”
“I LOVE it! Oh uhm, and of course I love you too mummy!”
“I love you too, honey.”

“Mum? Where's Daddy? Is he okay?”
“He's alright honey, don't worry.”
“You're lying... right?”
“No, I.... He's alright sweetie, really! He will be back soon.”
“... he's infected, isn't he?”
“... listen, dear-”
“He will die... right? Just like the others, just because of this curse!”
“Honey, there are things in the world we can't explain. Things that just happen without warning
or specific reason.”
“What do you mean mummy?”
“... one day you'll understand. Death is not the end, it's a new beginning.”
“Will... will you die, too?”
“No honey, I'll stay with you as long as you need me.”
“I WILL, I WILL! Please don’t leave me like daddy!”
“Don't worry honey, I'll never leave you!”
“... what about me?”
“Huh?”
“Will I... die, too?”
“No, no you won't! Not as long as I’m here to protect you!”
“Really?”
“I'll promise you sweetie! Remember honey~ Whenever you're alone, searching for the light...
I'll be with you, helping you to find.”
“Promised?”
“Promised!”

“... Ruby... ”