Fall Equinox 2021: Aberfa's Zombie Apocalypse

“Heave-ho!”

A sturdy stallion and a bulky mare, both purple, raised a wooden wall in place.

“Grab the hammer and nail it in place,” the stallion ordered.

Clastic, the mare, nodded. Normally, she would have contested and insisted that she was more than capable to do the heavy work, but their circumstances gave no room for pettiness. She nudged the tool closer to her muzzle, only letting go of the wall once she had a secure hold on it. She trusted Baroque to handle himself, but she wasn’t inclined on causing him unnecessary discomfort because, again, of their circumstances . 

Never in a single year of her life could she ever have been prepared for a zombie outbreak. Yes, zombies. The whole situation sounded like a work of fiction of which she was the heroine. What an over statement, she laughed. She was but an inexperienced quirlicorn with little to offer, but regardless gave her all in order to protect those she loved. At that moment, there was nothing outside of Anthurium. It was only her and Cake and…

She glanced back at the pink filly, who cowered under a blanket on the frosted earth. Rice, the filly's dam, seemed to be berating her to take the blanket off and help them in their efforts to protect the nearby village. She could only perceive the tone in which the flaxen mare spoke, but knowing Rice, Class could easily imagine what she was saying. 

"In the face of fear, you have to either run or fight. You're being counterproductive by doing neither. You're making yourself wide open for your fears to come true."

Fried Rice pulled the blanket off partially, revealing her daughter's face. Rice melted a little at the sight of Carrot Cake's beautiful blue eyes. Her eyes. These and the filly's small stature were passed down from Rice. The mare softened.

"I can't protect you this time, Cupcake. You'll have to help me - all of us - if you want to stand a chance. Or you can run. I won't be mad. I just want you to be safe."

The filly sniffled.

"There's nothing I can do," the filly whimpered. "I'm not big and strong like Clastic and I don't have magic like Difèrne. What good am I to anyone."

Rice sighed. Her gaze met with Clastic, who was currently building a facade for their medecine hut slash apocalypse bunker. Well, no one called it an apocalypse bunker, but, internally, they all knew that was what was happening.

The saxeus mare sniffed in her direction, causing Rice's irritability to rise again. Neither desired to get to know each other or at least pretend to get along, despite Carrot Cake practically idolizing Clastic. From Rice's perspective, her filly had one day run off only to be brought back by some strange old mare, who then decided to settle down in the vicinity to continue her friendship with her daughter. Clastic had done her a great service in returning her daughter in one piece, but Rice found no other reason to trust this mare. Rice liked to call it her 'lead mare instinct', even though she had never really been part of a herd.

"Cupcake, being powerful isn't always necessary to accomplish big things. A horse must be resilient and brave and witty to overcome the many challenges Mother Nature throws at it -" she realized she had said horse instead of quirlicorn. "- your senses and your mind are your greatest weapons. There's plenty of things to do I think you would be great at."

Cake looked up hopefully.

Rice smiled at the trace of improvement.

"You can help Difèrne make the medicine by fetching more ingredients in town, for example. You could also gather the tools Baroque will need to complete the hut. Ask around. I'm sure you'll find something to do."

The filly huffed and half-heartedly said: "okay." She embraced her mother with her neck and tail. "Thanks. I love you, Mom."

Carrot Cake made her way to Difèrne, who was presently learning how to make the cure for the zombie disease from Valentine, Aberfa’s helper. Baroque had initially insisted that she help build the hut with her telekinesis, but everyone argued that she was the most skilled when it came to herbs and cooking and… chemistry. That last one was a stretch, but the yellow mare happily declared that it couldn't be so different and that she was a quick learner.

Cake looked at the table full of baskets and coloured vials. Valentine was showing Difèrne how to boil certain ingredients and then immediately cool them down. 

"Excuse me," the filly asked politely. She waited until the grown-ups paid attention to her. "Is there anything I can do to help you, Auntie?" She secretly hoped that they wouldn't ask her to run errands. She trembled at the thought of wandering into potentially zombie-infested lands. Valentine had been positive that he hadn't seen any in the icy region yet, but he easily could have missed one, or maybe there would be a new outbreak in the region.

"Cupcake! I'm glad you're here." Difèrne grabbed a piece of parchment from under a basket. "Can you please start copying this recipe? Valentine has to leave soon to warn the coastal settlements. We'll start handing these out to everyone so that the cure is accessible to everyone. I'm almost done with this first batch…" her voice trailed off as she turned her attention to a cauldron next to the table.

"How many copies should I make?" the filly asked, picking up a quill.

"As many as you can. Maybe start with twenty or so. Those who receive it can also make copies," Valentine answered. "That's it, nice and legible. Good work, kid."

Cake smiled, but her eyes trailed down to Difèrne again. She knew the mare would be extra worried, with her family scattered across the lands. At least she had her mom. Thinking back to what Rice had told her, Cake wrote faster, determined to save as many quirlicorns as she could. 

On her end, Peak had immediately noticed something was off. The world was all… slightly to the left from how she had last seen it before she went on that long and hazardous sailing trip in search of a fabled sunken ship. 

Despite it's cold atmosphere, the icy region was notable for the warmth of its inhabitants. They always laughed that the arid conditions of the region caused them to seek comfort in each other. The quirlicorns she met with, however, glared or jumped at the sight of a stranger. Most quickly walked away but others stared… rudely. At first, she would hear rumours of a pandemic. Nothing too surprising. Illness was to be anticipated by adventurers. They had to be prepared to be quarantined for months, years even, every time they entered a settlement. As such, she shrugged the rumours off and continued on her journey. When she stopped at an inn for a warm bowl of soup, she heard further rumors of Aberfa and a vision. This piqued her interest, Aberfa being the deity of the mountain region, where a majority of her family lived. Hoping no one would mention the village she was so fond of, she tried asking around the establishment, but all she got for an answer was: "I heard from a friend of a friend, who first heard it from a relative with telepathy." This is when the mare realized she needed to pick up the pace and get to her parents asap.

That night, she promptly locked herself into her room. She wrote a quick "back in 5 min.~" note and left it on the desk. Then, focusing on the energy that flowed in her body down to her legs, she body-swapped with her father. She was transported next to her mother and a strange white and red stallion. On a table before them laid a blueprint for a small house.

"Mommy, it's me, Peak." 

The strange stallion gave her (or technically, her father) a weird look. But she didn't care for him just yet.

The look of surprise quickly wore off Difèrne's face.

"You’re safe," the mare had sighed in relief.

"Safe from what? I've been hearing rumours since I got back. Is it safe to visit you?"

The neutral expression on her mother's face made Peak feel uneasy. She could count the amount of times Difèrne had been grave about anything on her hooves.

"Baby, to tell the whole truth, I have a hard time believing what is happening right now." She looked at the stallion next to her. Peak inferred he would be able to answer her question in more detail.

"Is it true that we're in the middle of a zombie apocalypse?" She asked the question almost pleadingly. She wanted the stallion to laugh and tell her it was all an elaborate joke and that her parents were safe.

"Young… mare," the stallion said hesitantly," it is true. Aberfa had a revelation, and I've seen a few of these zombies with my own two eyes in the mountain region."

Peak was this close to fainting. Only the force of her soul returning to her own body kept her conscious. 

"No," she wanted to scream. "NO!" Her grand-parents in the mountains, were they safe? What about her family in Candentia?

Zombie or no zombie, Peak resolved to see her parents again.

She galloped through the rain and snow, forgetting sometimes to eat. She had become as weary as those she had initially despised, making double takes at suspicious quirlicorns and trotting away from potential disease carriers. As far as she knew, the sickness hadn't spread to the icy region yet. But, if she had learned anything from her father, it's sickness was not a challenge to be faced. She remembered her parents keeping her at home when they suspected she was ill and insisting that she learns her limits. 

The thing was, she had no limits. She was an adventurer born, bound only to this world, carried by the tides in an eternally mysterious pattern. This is why she was so determined to make it to her parents in the wake of a terrible event. She knew no home, except them, and the love they had for her.

"Daddyyyy!" Relieved to finally catch a glimpse of her father's pink and purple coat, Peak broke into a canter. He appeared to be building a wall of the house she had seen on the blueprint with the help of Clastic. She cleared it in an effortless, graceful jump.

"Peak!" Baroque quickly dropped everything and hugged his eldest daughter tightly.

"Daddy, I was so scared!"

"You, scared?" Baroque chuckled, before hugging her closer.

She released him. 

"What is the plan? Can I help with anything?"

"First things first, have you eaten? Your mother has plenty of snacks over there. She probably has something for you to do as well. We're making emergency bundles so maybe you can help her and Cake pack those up."

"Gotcha."

As she walked towards the table, her ankles started wobbling. Her heart throbbed and her head became light. 

In a daze, she leaned on her mother's shoulder.

This is a bad dream, this is just a really bad dream, she kept on thinking. What had they ever done to deserve this? How could the world take such a turn? 

Her mother gently nudged her. 

"It'll be alright. We have each other," she whispered in Peak's ear. Peak swallowed the lump in her throat. 

Her mother was right. As long as they were together, three fierce adventurers who faced the world and everything it could throw at a quirlicorn, they would be alright. 

She bottled the first batch of the cure and neatly packed it in a linen bag with a recipe, a first aid kit and some basic survival gear.

She and Carrot Cake were dispatched to carry the packages to the neighboring town while Difèrne taught Fried Rice how to use the equipment and Baroque and Clastic constructed the bunker. 

Having been assured that everything was organized and progressing at an acceptable pace, Valentine excused himself and flew off to assist more quirlicorns.

Quirlicorns were resilient and brave. The zombies didn't stand a chance, he thought with a proud look on his face.