"What in the hay were those things, Twilight?" Applejack asked.

"I...I think they were the victims of the nano virus." Twilight said.

"But, I thought they were harmless." Rarity said.

"I did too, but I've been putting the pieces together and something doesn't feel right." she said. She walked up to her room in search of her folders. She found them and grabbed her zombie survival book as well. When she walked downstairs, she noticed that all eyes were on her.

"Where's Pinkie Pie?" Applejack asked. She walked up next to Twilight so she could whisper in her ear. "Ah heard her scream at the party, so did Scootaloo. I told her it was because of the costumes. What happened to her, Twi?"

Twilight sighed. "She's dead. Rainbow and I saw it at the party. I'll explain in a moment." she whispered back. She walked in front of the others. "Do you all remember the explosion with the nano virus'?" They all looked at each other nodding their heads. "And then the bath salt incidents? Well...they are related." She took the newspapers out of the folder and laid them on the floor.

"If you look at the areas where the bites have increased, you will notice that they start around Manehattan. The city where the explosion happened. They've been showing signs of, dare I say it, zombification." she said.

"You can't be serious, Twilight. Zombies aren't real." Rarity said.

"That's what I thought. Turns out that the nano virus' have caused...something in the brain to cause them to act like this. You saw what happened when I hit Bon...that pony outside. I had to hit her in the head to take her down."

"So what yer sayin' is that zombies have taken over Equestria?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure. Spike, I need you to send a letter to the princess right away." Twilight said. Spike ran next to her with a pen and quill. "Princess, there is no time for formalities. I know that the nano virus is the cause of what is happening. What are you hiding? I need to know so I can help. Pinkie Pie died because of this. My friends and I will be on our way to Canterlot soon. Please respond with the utmost urgency."

Spike finished the letter and blew it away in a puff of magical fire. "Twilight?" Sweetie Belle called. "Pinkie isn't really dead...is she?" she said with tears in her eyes. Twilight didn't respond. She looked at the ground sighed. "So...both her....and Applebloom....are gone?" she asked, trying desperately to prevent herself from crying uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry Sweetie Belle." Twilight said.

Scootaloo was standing next to Rainbow Dash, trying hard not to cry in front of her idol. Rainbow Dash put a hoof over her shoulder and pulled her close. "It's okay, squirt. Go ahead. Let it out." Scootaloo bawled into Rainbow's chest. Rainbow was close to tears too, but she held them in, just barely, so Scootaloo would be okay.

"Girls, we need to stick together. No matter what. We'll get through this." Twilight said. "Sweetie Belle? I want you and Scootaloo to be right next to each other all the time. Can you do that?" she asked.

With tears streaming down her face, she nodded. Twilight looked to Rarity. "Stick close to her as well."

"Umm...Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "What about us? What are we going to do?" she whimpered.

"We are going to go to Canterlot and figure out how to solve this." Twilight said.

"But....what about those....things?" Fluttershy squeeled again.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine Fluttershy." she said.

She saw Rainbow put Scootaloo on her back and walked over to Fluttershy. "It'll be fine. You got me here." Rainbow said and put a hoof on her shoulder. It seemed to calm Fluttershy down.

Spike let out a belch and a scroll landed on the ground next to him. Twilight picked it up and read it aloud. "Twilight, if you must come to Canterlot, go through the train tunnels. The train has been shut down to try and isolate the infected from Canterlot. Twilight, I'm sorry about your friend. I hope that one day, when this is over, you'll forgive me."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Rainbow said after Twilight had finished reading the letter. "Let's get going before the entire place is overrun!"

"But Rainbow, if we do run out there now, we'll be in the mess that all the other ponies are in. Ponies will be trampling each other to get away from the zombies." Spike said. "If we wait until morning, we'll only have to deal with the slow zombies. It'll be easier to avoid them."

"My thoughts exactly, Spike." Twilight said.

"But what about ma' family? Granny Smith is all Ah got left here! She's still at the farm. Ah need to make sure she's okay!" Applejack said.

"Applejack! You can't go out there and face those monsters!" Rarity exclaimed. "They'll get you amidst the chaos!"

"What am Ah s'pose to do? Leave 'er to die?" Applejack shouted. "I can't do that. I'm not losing anyone else!"

"Applejack, you can't go out there. I know a way that can tell you if they are alright." Twilight said. She walked over to her mirror and charged her horn. When she released the spell, an image of Granny Smith appeared on the glass. She was barricading their windows and doors with hay stacks and barrels.

"Thank Celestia she's a'right." Applejack said with a sigh of relief. "Ah need to talk to her. Tell 'er Ah'm a'right."

"I promise, we'll stop by tomorrow before we go to Canterlot. You won't be able to stay long though. We need to be able to get to the Princess so we can find a way to fix this." Twilight said. The image on the glass faded away and Applejack stood next to Rarity.

"Wait, couldn't you just teleport us all to Canterlot?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm sorry, but I don't have the magic to send seven ponies and a dragon to Canterlot. It takes a lot of magic to teleport multiple beings, especially over that distance. I'd barely be able to teleport just Spike there." Twilight explained.

"So, we're stuck here? Until morning?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's safe here though, right?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes. We'll be fine here, just as long as we don't make much noise. From what I've read, it's possible that they could find us by the sounds we make." Twilight said. "Of course, I highly doubt that's possible."

"You said the same thing about zombies, yet you believe them now." Spike said.

"And I'm not excited about it. I saw one attack Pinkie Pie and was attacked by one myself." Spike looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry Spike, but this is not like your zombie books. Ponies are really dying, and they won't be back. I'm looking at facts and what I've seen. So far, there is enough to tell me they are zombies, but not enough that they can hear." Twilight explained.

"Can we not talk about ponies...dying..." Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yes. Let's not talk about that dreadful topic." Rarity said.

"Right. Let's get ready for the trip." Applejack said. "Twilight? Got any extra saddle packs?"

"Yes. I'll get them. Girls, grab food and water from the fridge. We need to travel light, so no luxuries." she said.

"You don't expect me to go without my eyelash curler?" Rarity exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Rarity, but yes, no eye lash curler. No mane straightener, no perfume, and no overly large tents." Twilight explained. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to learn to live without any of those things. At least until we get to Canterlot."

Rarity looked at her like she was crazy. "But...but...how do you..." she stammered.

Applejack gave Rarity a small hug. "Don't worry. Ah'll look after ya' and Sweetie Belle. Jus' follow what Ah do and you'll be more comfortable than you think." she said with a light chuckle.

"Let's gather what supplies we can for the night. Food, water, some puzzles and coloring books." Twilight said.

"Why would we need coloring books during a zombie apocalypse?" Rainbow asked. "Wouldn't we need some weapons? Like knives and stuff?"

"We want to pack light. We can use sticks as weapons that we find laying around. It seems to be effective to hit their skulls as hard as you can. And the coloring books are for the kids." she said, looking to Scootaloo. "I think I have a Wonderbolt one and some racing ones lying around here somewhere." she said smiling.

"I'll get them. Where are they?" Sweetie Belle asked, calmed down.

"Check Spike's room. They're probably in there." Twilight said.

Sweetie Belle ran off into his room. "Hey! Wait! No girls are allowed in my room!" he shouted as he ran after her.

Rarity gave a small laugh. "What he doesn't know is that Sweetie has a small, adorable crush on him."

"Well ain't that cute." Applejack said. "Well, let's go see what we can gather. Don' want to be unprepared for this here apocalypse." Rarity followed her into the kitchen with some of the saddles.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "You alright?" she asked.

She nodded her head. "I'm just worried about all my little critter friends. Oh, you don't think they'll be harmed, do you?" she asked frantically.

"I can't say for sure. But I'm sure they'll be fine." Twilight said.

Rainbow walked over to her with Scootaloo and pulled her in close. "Don't worry. I'm sure Angel will kick some zombie butt if he has to." Fluttershy let out a soft whimper and put her head on Rainbow's shoulder. She looked at Twilight. "Who would have thought that I'd become so caring like this?" she said with a chuckle.

Twilight smiled. "We'll all find something that we didn't know about ourselves during this." I for one, learned how to kill friends... she thought.

Scootaloo let out a small gasp. "You okay, squirt?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." she said.

"You know, it's alright to be a little scared." she said. "Don't tell anyone, but I was a tad bit scared myself." she whispered.

Scootaloo sniffed. "Really? Somepony as tough and brave as you was scared?"

"Remember it was just a tad. It's not like I was entirely scared out of my wits." she said.

"Okay. I guess I'm a little scared. " Scootaloo replied.

"Oh, you two are much braver than me. I'm really scared. About my animals and all those ponies who are being attacked." Fluttershy said, shakily.

"Don't be. I have you and Scoots covered." she said.

Twilight left them alone and walked to her room. She pulled out her own saddle bag and opened it up. She put quills, scrolls, and her scarf. It was going to get cold at night in the tunnels that went through the mountain. She grabbed a number of books as well, including the Daring Do series. "Rainbow Dash will like these. Maybe she'll read to Scootaloo." she said aloud.

She looked to her drawer shelf and saw a number of pictures standing. She saw pictures of all the gang laughing, playing, picnics and parties each of them had attended. There was one that caught her eye though. A picture of Pinkie Pie. It wasn't an ordinary photo though.

It was on her birthday a few months ago. Pinkie had thrown her a huge party in Ponyville where all her friends had been invited. Just like normal Pinkie Pie. She had given her a picture of them laying on the grass together at a picnic. Twilight loved it. Simple and sentimental.

A loud bang made Twilight jump. "Twilight Sparkle! Thou shall allow us to enter thy residence!" a loud shouting voice exclaimed. She ran downstairs and opened the door. In front of her stood Luna, Princess of the Night.

"Princess!" Twilight said, bowing.

"We do not require formalities, Miss Sparkle. We are here to guide thee and thy friends to Canterlot safely." she said as she stepped in with two of her Lunar Guards.

"Did Princess Celestia send you?" Twilight asked, closing the door quickly.

"She did. My sister believes you are the one who can help bring this plague to an end. What do you know of it thus far?" the Princess asked.

"Um, well, they're stronger than us, they can see us, and you need to hit them in the head in order to kill them." she replied.

"That is not all." she said. She looked to Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo. "Evening girls." she said and walked to the table. "So far, we know that they can see and hear us. They can walk, are barely able to run, but unable to fly. We think they are able to learn from what they see, like newborn fillies."

"So, what, you're saying that they'll eventually be able to fly? Maybe even talk in the future?" Rainbow asked.

"No. We believe that they only have base instincts, such as eat, drink, and moan. No part of their brain is alive in order to do more complex functions. In cities where the plague began, the undead began to walk. Eventually, they learned to run. Here, however, they are coming from Appleloosa, a newly infected town. They are still learning." the Princess replied.

"But what about the nano virus'? How are they transmitted?" Twilight asked.

"Through bite or blood transmission. During the explosion, a few of the workers received cuts and a variety of open wounds. That's how it started. The nano virus entered the blood stream and took control of the host. It grew accustomed to a pony's body and began to learn how to take control. After a few weeks, it took a bite out of another pony and transmitted itself."

"But how? If there was only one pony infected with the nano virus, then wouldn't that pony be dead after transferring itself to the other pony?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a self replicating nano virus. It was meant to help ponies with cellular and muscle diseases. Over time, the nano virus would need to be replaced to avoid infection. However, it would also mean we would need to replace them. The self replication would make re-injecting the nano virus' each week. The old get flushed out and the new get to work." the Princess said.

"Which means that now it runs rampant in the pony's system, replicating constantly. Once bitten, that pony has enough nano virus' to continue to bite and transfer." Twilight said.

"Which is why you and your friends need to get to Canterlot as soon as possible. My sister is working on a cure, and you need to be there to help her. The castle is safe from the infected, so you'll all be perfectly fine there." the Princess said.

"Twilight, I found the coloring books!" Sweetie Belle said with a big smile on her face.

"That's excellent Sweetie. I hope you enjoy them on our little trip. Did you get the crayons?" Twilight asked.

"Mhm." she said, opening the book, letting them fall to the floor.

"Be careful now. Don't want to lose those." she said, using her magic to pick the crayons up and put them back in the book. "Why don't you put them in my saddle over there." she said as she motioned over to stairs.

Sweetie Belle ran off and placed them in the bag. "You have a way with kids Twilight Sparkle." Luna said.

"I just want to make sure they have something to keep their minds off of the troubles. It'll be easier on them." she replied.

"How did thou learn to be the motherly figure?" the Princess asked.

"Books. I've read plenty of books with mothers in them. I guess I've picked up some things while reading." she said with a small smile.

"Hey Twi! I got us some food an' water, jus' like ya' asked." Applejack said with her pack overflowing.

"And I found some amazing delicacies you kept hidden away in your pantry." Rarity said, following Applejack out.

"Great. We'll need all we can for this."

"When do we plan to leave, Twilight?" the Princess asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We want to wait until after the chaos dies down. It'll be easier in the day time too." Twilight said.

Scootaloo let out a loud yawn. "I'm tired. Do we have time to sleep?" she asked.

"Of course squirt. Take a nap. I've got you safe right here." Rainbow Dash said. Scootaloo laid her head on Rainbow's shoulder and began to fall asleep.

"Sweetie Belle, why don't you get some sleep as well. It's going to be a long journey to Canterlot and you're going to need your strength." Rarity said. "Come sit with me. We'll sleep together tonight." Sweetie Belle yawned and walked to her sister.

Spike walked out of his room in a small daze. "Spike, you should get some sleep too. In fact we all should." Twilight said.

"Huh?" he asked, snapping out of his gaze. "Oh! Right, yeah, sleep." he said. He walked over to Sweetie Belle and curled up next to her.

"That's odd." Twilight whispered to herself. "Usually he sleeps next to me or in his bed."

"Maybe it's so he can be close to Rarity?" Fluttershy asked, nudging herself closer to Rainbow Dash.

"I guess." Twilight sighed. She walked over to an empty spot on the floor and made herself comfortable. "Have you gotten any sleep Princess?"

"Not for a few days. We won't be sleeping though. Our duty is to protect you and your friends." she said.

"But Princess, you need to sleep. You won't be able to do any protecting if you're falling asleep." she said. "And if it makes you feel better, I'll put a spell that will tell us when they are by the door."

"No need, Twilight. I did so before we came in." she said. "You two should get some sleep. We'll be fine on our own." she said to the guards.

"Yes, your highness." one of them said. They walked over to another empty spot by the bookshelves.

"You too Princess. You need to fall asleep or else you'll be unable to help us." Twilight said. "And we're going to need all the help we can get in order to make it to Canterlot safely."

The Princess sighed. "Fine Twilight. We'll be going to sleep. But don't expect us to during our travels. We need to be fully alerted during this." she took a spot next to Twilight, but kept her eyes open at the door.

Twilight laid her head on the ground and looked over to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy and Scootaloo were asleep on her shoulders while she snored with her head hanging down. Twilight chuckled. She looked over to Rarity and Sweetie Belle. Both were asleep, but Spike had his tail wrapped around Sweetie's hoof. She smiled wide as she saw that everyone was comfortable with someone. Even Applejack had given her hat to Rarity so she could use it as a pillow.

Every pony is comfortable. They each have someone they can trust and care for. Twilight thought to herself. She smiled as she felt her eyes grow heavy, slowly falling to sleep.