Twilight felt warmth to her right as she came to. She opened her eyes and saw a torch next to her in a dark section of the cave. She quickly sat up but felt like she was about to vomit soon after. "Careful Twilight, for you must rest. Look at me for a little test." she heard a familiar voice across the room.

"Zecora? Is that you?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, little pony, now listen well. Of the zombies you saw, what could you tell?"

Twilight tried to think back to what happened. "Well, all I can remember is that there were a group of survivors being chased by a horde of infected." she said. Her eyes went wide as she remembered Applejack was with them. "Applejack! Is she okay? Did everypony make it back safe?"

"Your apple bucking friend is quite alright. A twisted ankle was the reason for your plight." Zecora reasurred her.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Celestia."

"Celestia is not the one to thank, the one of night deserves that right." she said.

"Luna?" Twilight asked, clarifying. "She only came to help when I was in danger." she said angrily.

"I was sent to help you and keep you safe." Luna said as she walked into the light. "If it weren't for me, none of the ponies you recklessley saved would be alive and safe."

"What did you do? You didn't run out to risk your life for them. You rushed out to get me." Twilight shouted angrily. She knew it was rude and definitely wrong, but she didn't care.

"I found this place while you slept. I ran into Zecora and led Fluttershy and the kids here. I came back just in time to see that there was a horde coming." she explained.

"If you knew of this place then why did you want to leave the others to die?" Twilight asked.

"Because resources are low as it is." Luna said harshly. "These ponies are mainly from Appleoosa and the cities that were hit by the infection first. They are already cramped to the brink here and there is little food to go around. Now that they have an extra 150 mouths to feed, they're going to be in more danger than if they didn't save the others."

"And what did they want to do? The ponies who were here first, what did they want to do?"

Luna was hesitant to answer. "They had my oppinion. They didn't want to stretch their already thin resources. Those that made it would be allowed to stay. Those who didn't..." she trailed off.

Twilight was speechless. She wouldn't, couldn't, believe that ponies would leave others to die when they were completely defenseless. "But...there were kids..." she said.

"And they agreed that that was the hardest part about the decision. They knew children would be in any groups that came to them, and they knew some would die. But they logistically couldn't hold all of them." Luna said.

"Moving further down the mountain pass, that is what your endeavor has forced this mass." Zecora stated.

Twilight just looked at the ground. Why do ponies only look out for themselves? she thought to herself.

"Every action you do, can have a negative effect, even if it holds good intention. It's why I choose to let others handle themselves. Because they are usually better off by themselves or with their small group than heading to a large, already full hide out." Luna explained.

"A short rest is what you need. Call for me when you are ready to leave." Zecora said as she left.

"Are we being kicked out?" Twilight asked.

Luna shook her head. "I told her of what you were needed for. We need to keep moving so we can get to Canterlot as soon as possible."

Twilight sighed. "I want to see the ponies here first." she said.

Luna nodded her head. "You can after you rest. Whatever spell you cast took most of your energy from you."

"It was a spell of my own creation. I made it after Spike was going crazy over the latest zombie survival book he got. I made it just for fun, but never tried it out. Never thought I'd have to." she said.

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Wait, you created that spell?" she asked. Twilight nodded her head. "That's...strange."

"Why is that?"

"Nopony has created a new spell for 500 years. The last to do it was myself as a way to make the stars brighter and more beautiful while I was on the moon." she stated.

"But how do you know if somepony else didn't make a spell while you were gone?" Twilight asked.

"Because my sister knows a spell that lets her know when a new spell is created. She uses it every night as a way to make sure nopony is trying to find a way to attack Equestria." Luna explained.

"So you're saying she knows I made a new spell?" Twilight asked.

"No. Not yet at least. I'd assume that she has more troubling matters at hoof than an attack from a foreign nation." she said. Luna looked to Twilight. "Rest. We need to leave as soon as possible. You can visit around when you are done resting, but the latest we should leave is tomorrow morning."

Luna left as Twilight thought about what she was told. I created that spell awhile ago. It was so simple. she thought. Maybe I could make another one that does the same but with less energy consumption. She looked around her and when she was certain she was alone, she found a stick and started to write in the ground.

In 15 minutes she figured she had made three new spells. They had a mix of some other, simpler spells, but the outcome was different than the others. One would make anything with dead flesh explode, another cause the target's brain to hemorrhage. The last one was the most dangerous. It didn't just disintegrate the target, it could potentionally pass from one to another in less than a second. Twilight wasn't certain on the range of the jump since she had yet to test it, but she didn't want to use it unless it was a dire emergency.

"Twilght! Yer up!" Applejack exclaimed as she walked in with the others.

"Are you alright, darling? You took a nasty fall after that explosion you caused." Rarity said.

"It was so cool! You rushed in, saved AJ, and then destroyed all those zombies in a giant blast! It was so awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with excitement.

"I'm fine, girls." Twilight said with a smile. "Applejack, Zecora told me that you twisted your ankle. Is that why you weren't able to light the barn?"

"Yeah, that's why. Ah was about to light it when Ah heard crying from the back room. When Ah walked over there Ah found a little filly. Ah had to get her out of there. When I rushed out through the orchard, I ran for a bit before Ah found the group you rescued. Her mom was in the group crying. She thought that she had lost her to those creatures.

"Ah told them about the horde back at the barn and told them to run for where we were headed. I didn't know where else to go, so we ran as fast as our legs could carry us. Ah must have been running too fast becuase there was a little hole Ah musn't have noticed and twisted ma' ankle." she explained.

"I'm just glad you're safe Applejack." Rarity said.

"It's gonna take a lot more than a dumb horde to take me down." AJ said.

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "What did you write in the dirt?"

"These are some spells that I made." she said.

"Wait, you made a new spell?" Rarity asked, shocked.

"Yep. Well, technically four now. That one that I used to kill all those infected was a spell I made after Spike was going bananas over zombies. I didn't think I'd ever use it, so I just put something together without thinking too much about it."

"But how?" Rarity asked. "I've been trying for ages to make a spell that could spawn new dress ideas without success."

"Well, I don't know any spells that can think of ideas, so I don't think that is possible. However, material spells that can control matter and elements are much easier to create." Twilight said.

"How do you know that though?"

"I've read about it. I used a combination of spells that were already made to create a stronger one that covered a large area." She moved to show them the spells she had in the dirt. "This one targets dead flesh, this one causes the brain to hemorrhage, and this one disintegrates the target and any surrounding it." she said, pointing to each respective spell.

"That last one sounds kinda dangerous." Applejack said. "Are you sure that one is safe to use?"

"Well...no." Twilight admitted. "But as long as I make sure there are no ponies around, it could prove to be very effective."

"Ah don't know. It just sounds like something awful could happen."

"Don't sweat it, Applejack. This is Twilight we're talking about. She can do all kinds of magic." Rainbow said.

"Ah know." she said with a sigh. "Jus' be careful."

"I will. I don't plan to use it unless I absolutely have to." Twilight reassured. "Lets take a look around. I want to see what these ponies need." They walked out of the little section of the cave that they were in. Within seconds Twilight saw just what was the conditions were like. The are wasn't that big, and the had what looked like the entire population of Ponyville in an area much smaller than that..

"It's so crowded." Twilight said.

"Yes, but most would rather be crowded and alive, then free and dead." Rainbow said.

"I think it's absolutely dreadful that they keep this many ponies in such a tight space." Rarity said. "They get so dirty so fast."

"My worry isn't their cleanliness. It's what could happen should an outbreak occur. If one pony gets sick, then it'll spread like wildfire." Twilight said. "This place is like a Petri dish."

"A what?" Applejack asked.

"It's a place where scientists study bacteria. Except instead of a dish, it's ponies, and instead of it being controlled, it could spread faster then they can stop it." Twilight explained.

"Well why doesn't the Princess move them to Canterlot?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight thought about, and she didn't like the answer she came up with. "With so many ponies here, trying to move all of them to Canterlot would take too many resources than she has to spare. The guards are probably busy keeping the infected ponies out of Canterlot. If she moved any number of guards here to escort them, she could lose most, if not all the guards and all the civilians." She sighed. "In all honesty, they are safer here than out there."

"And what happens if a hoard breaks in? There are so many ponies here that would be trying to escape that it would just turn into a stampede! Ponies would be trampling all over each other." Rainbow said.

"I don't like it Rainbow, but at least here, they have a chance. These walls are solid rocks. The only way in is through the front door which should be guarded at all times." Twilight said. She saw a pony to her right with an amputated foreleg and she was forced to look away. "Come on. We need to find the Princess. I'm sure the kids are with her. And I don't want to see anymore of this." She started walking through the mass of ponies, searching for Luna.

"Hey, Ah see Zecora over there." Applejack said. They walked over to her as she gave a bubbly liquid of some kind to a pony.

"I see you've rested. Come with me, I'll take you to whom you want to see." Zecora said as the pony in front of her passed out. She led them through a small gap where Luna and the kids were sitting. Sweetie Belle was reading their book as Luna watched over a group of ponies cut away at a rock wall.

"Feeling better Twilight?" Luna asked.

"Yes. And I wanted to say I'm sorry about how I acted back there. It wasn't right of me." Twilight said.

"It's alright. she said. "I understand your concern for them. But we need to keep moving to get you and your friends to Canterlot."

"We're almost through, your highness." one of ponies said.

"Good. We need to have another way out should a horde attack." Luna said.

"Do you think another horde is on the way?" Fluttershy asked.

"Something we've found out about them is that where there's one horde, there's always more on the way." she said. "They seem to flock to others like them. Eventually, this group will have to move. The infected seem to know where their prey is. Once everypony near them turns or runs, they'll be out looking for us next."

"So this is jus' an extra escape route?" Applejack asked.

"No. It's the only escape route other than the entrance." she said.

"What? You can't be serious!" Rarity exclaimed.

"I'm afraid so. They didn't realize how close the horde was and hadn't planned for an escape just yet." she said solemnly.

Twilight sighed. "So how long until it's done and we can move on?"

"A few more minutes we believe. Once it's open, we'll be on our way. I've already told Zecora to be ready to leave in case a horde shows up." she said.

"Will they all be able ta make it out?" Applejack asked.

Luna looked to the cowmare. "Sadly, no. Those who are weak will not be able to make it out. Only those who are strong and able bodied will make it out."

"There has to be some way we could help them." Rarity said.

"Unless you plan on healing every sick pony here, you won't be able to do much." Luna said.

"But what about all the kids that are here?" Rainbow exclaimed. "They won't be able to fend for themselves and they'll be trampled by the stampede of ponies trying to get out!"

"Rainbow Dash, I understand your concern." Luna replied. "These are the ponies that I have watched over for a long time. I knew some of their ancestors before I was sent to the moon. And the fact that my actions may sentence some of them to their death is almost too much for me to handle." She walked up to the rainbow colored Pegasus. "I've had to kill friends of mine during this pandemic. Ponies who's ancestors I was close to, who's ancestor's children I've played with. Every time I killed one of them, I felt like a part of me was dying with them. I have severed too many lines of ponies for my soul to rest well. But we need to continue and leave some for dead in order to save Equestria."

Rainbow hovered there speechless as Luna turned away from her. Twilight knew what she was talking about. She still hadn't gotten over killing Bon Bon. She's killed many zombies in the past, but none that she was able to identify. She walked up to the Princess who was trying her hardest to keep a calm complexion. "Luna...I'm sorry. I didn't know what you had done."

"It doesn't matter now. No need to look on what has occurred in the past right now. Only when this hell is over can we grieve and remember those we lost." she said.

"Your highness!" one of the mining ponies said. "We're through."

"Excellent. Open the cave wall large enough for a large number of ponies to escape through." she ordered. The pony nodded and began mining again.

"We'll be leaving soon. If there's anything else you need to-" Luna started to say but was cut off by the miner's blood curdling screams.

"Get back!" Luna shouted, shoving Twilight towards her friends. Twilight saw that the zombie was wearing fancy clothing and looked like he had lived in a high society area. Luna ran up to the zombie and kicked it in the head, sending it flying off it's mangled body. The pony bitten was on the ground, holding a hoof up to his bleeding neck, drowning in his own blood.

"What in the hay are they doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"They're from Baltimare. But how? We destroyed the area to contain it and kill all the zombies there." Luna said under her breath.

"You what?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked.

"Nothing. I'll have my guards warn Zecora that they need to go, now. We'll move on ahead and they'll rendezvous with us before we get to Canterlot." she said. "He seemed to be the only one, but they don't travel as individuals. There's more on the way."

"But, what about us?" Fluttershy asked.

"You all will take the kids out of here and to safety. I'll be right behind you as soon as I instruct my guards what has occurred here. Don't worry though. I won't be long." she said and ran out of the gap they were in.

"Twilight? What do you think?" Applejack asked.

"We can't just leave these ponies to fend for themselves! They'll get slaughtered!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"But if we do, we run the risk of getting killed ourselves. And Applejack is not in any sort of condition to fight." Rarity pointed out.

"Ah'll be fine. Ah agree with Rainbow Dash. These ponies are sick an' confined. We need to get as many out as we can before it becomes a panic and ponies get trampled." Applejack said.

"But...with so many ponies we may not be able to get out before the horde comes. We could easily be putting ourselves in danger. It might be best for us to avoid getting caught up in an attack..." Fluttershy said. "But I don't want to leave anypony behind! I want to help them. Just...not if we all will die..."

Twilight stood there looking at her friends. Each with great reasons as to why they believed what they did. What do I do?

Author's Notes:

So it's time to make a choice. Should Twilight save the ponies because it's a moral obligation, or does she guarantee her friend's safety and leave behind those who are alone? Leave your choice in the comments below or send me a message with your choice. The one with the most will be the choice Twilight takes. The poll will be open for a few weeks. (Choices closed!!)