Dead Rising: Buck the Rules

Once upon a time, something unimaginably happened.

In the village of Ponyville, a small not-too populated part of Equestria, ponies began to change. Drastically. One minute your coat could be as a green as the grass outside and the next it could be as rotted as dirt, your mane would also change with the color.

Also you gained a unchangeable thirst for blood and you don’t have a choice but to oblige as you didn’t have enough sanity to maintain control.

That’s how it worked. The venom seeked to your brain, killing you on contact but keeping you alive. You became an undead, a goddamn zombie.

Anyways, back to Ponyville. A lot of its citizens began to change like that. And fast. Ponies from other towns began to notice that and the town was barricaded inside, causing all the survivors in there to try and wait the long wait until the military was ready with enough firepower to try and stop the vicious things.

Unfortunately, many zombies found their way out to the city and began wandering the land.

Finally, after two days of carnage and the population of Ponyville dropping remarkably, the army was ready and sent in. Miraclely, it was a success and the city had managed to be cleared out.

But the military made the dumb mistake of securing a group of zombies to study for. After many tests they pulled on and the millions of bits wasted on it they discovered a particular type of nectar inside them all, one that would come from an insect.

But that was all that was ever released to the public before the zombies escaped and turned the scientists.

And that was that. After that, if anypony spotted a zombie they would either kill it or trap it. There were ponies who paid good money for zombies. Either for entertainment or so some sick sadistic reason. And because of that, did the toll count of zombies go up.

Five years later, a cure for those recently bitten by zombies was discovered in one of the turned scientists lab and was made into a simple injection. ‘Zombrex’ as it called, was successful in delaying the turning of ponies. But it doesn’t come cheap and you better be prepared to do a lot of crazy shit to get the cash for it.

My names Applejack and you sure as sugar better bet I'm willing to do that crazy shit.

In life there are three things that absolutely happen and you can’t change. You’re born, you live and you die. That’s how it used to be, those simple three guaranteed rules of life. But somehow, it changed. The impossible had happened and the life cycle changed. Now the last part of life you had two roads. The road of dying and the road where you turned into a mindless bloodthirsty monster.

And you didn’t have a choice of the road, your journey was directed by fate, destiny and either some good or bad luck.

But you can change to the safe road and I’ll damn be sure to do whatever it takes to do it. And no matter what the cost is, be it money or be it my life, I know in the end it will be worth it.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to die. No more fighting, no more lying, no more secrets, just eternal darkness. Many are scared of the dark, scared of the end but for me I am curious for my long journey through the tunnel when I come to the end only to find no light but the blackness.

Many are also scared of there being nothing after death so they turn to God and in the many times I’ve come close to dying not once have I turned to him. Why should I? If he isn’t going to help me then why should I give him the benefit of believing in him. Don’t get me wrong, there is the possibility he exists but I just don’t exactly believe it.

The darkness seems to be something comforting nowadays. I’d much rather just be alone with the dark than alone with those...things.

A lot of the ponies I have encountered over the year have all shared the same look of mass hysteria and horror and not once have I felt it. Not when one of those things are staring me right in the eye or when a group of them start slumping their ways over to me. Not even that one time was one of those darn things almost got me. I was too busy scolding myself over getting caught to even gulp.

It was mostly determination, worry and a heck lotta courage.

But it’s funny, no whatever what reckless thing I do and no matter how close to death I’ve come, seeing my little sister with any other expression aside from a smile terrifies me.

Right now, her expression is blank like it usually is as she stares around the small office we’re in. She sits on a chair, occasionally spinning around in it but aside from that she is quiet, not a peep out of her.

I frown, watching her for a few moments as I slip a leather band around my hoof. Except this wasn’t your average leather band. I don’t ever recall seeing one with bits of broken glass, uneven pieces of a blade and rusty nails screwed or bolted on tightly to it.

But that’s what happens when you take part in ‘Slayer’. You have to make weapons out of whatever you can your hooves on or you’re done. In a world filled with zombies, anything is a weapon. Be it a plastic bottle or be it a eight-inch switchblade. Anything can save your life.

After slipping my watch off my other hoof, I take a quick glance at the time; 8:47. Showtime in thirteen minutes, I acknowledge before pulling another leather band-almost identical to the other one on. Thirteen minutes ‘till Slayer.

Maybe I should explain it for you. You see, despite the large numbers that had appeared when the whole outbreak started five years and how the numbers went down drastically there was still a much-too big pile of zombies going around the country, too much for ponies to handle. Your town could be calm and quiet the next day but in just a second a zombie could wander in, infect one pony, who infects another, who proceeds to another and the cycle goes on until the whole town is infected.

Even with the likes of Zombrex around, the numbers went up. Many of the ponies who got infected were simply average folk, not able to afford the expensive zombie repellant and were forced to see their loved ones turn.

But one day, some sick idiot got the idea of rounding up a group of zombies and making it into a game, an event. Charge a few bits for more idiots to come in and watch one pony take on some challenge involving the things and a business was born and the game ‘Slayer’ began all over Equestria.

Despite being declared illegal, Slayer is one of the most popular sports in Equestria. It has a lot of participants as the prize money was big and I mean big.

That’s my career, in fact I’m almost famous in the world of Slayer. The name Applejack ring a bell to you? It should, I’m the only known participant to win over fifty matches of the game and still be alive. I’m a regular for the game, I take place in it about three times a week and let’s just say I’m a fan favorite. I couldn’t give a rats ass about being famous, all I like about it is that my pay is good and I attract a lot of ponies.

Which equals more money for me. Which equals more Zombrex. Which equals more time Applebloom is a simple little filly and not a zombie.

“Yo, Jackie, you’re on in five minutes, start heading out,” I look up to see a grey stallion with a black mane sticking his head through the door. His name was Coin Toss, the organizer of this entire event. He said what time it started, he said what the event would be and he was in charge of the money.

“Got it, Toss,” I replied as I stood up, stretching out my limbs for a few moments before trotting towards Applebloom, “Y’all follow Coin Toss now, okay?” I could trust Toss. He was a stallion of his word and had a fondness for the little ones like Applebloom.

“Ah got it, sis,” The red-maned filly said impatiently and I smile at her before turning and grabbing something with my mouth,”’Ere, put this on.” I toss a yellow leather jacket with black strips and the word ‘APPLE’ printed across the left sleeve.

“Keep it safe for me?”

“Of course!” Applebloom smiled as she slipped the jacket on over her pink one. It was several sizes too big for her but she didn’t seem to care.

This was one of those moments where I finally began to thank myself for what I did. Normally I just treated it like a normal activity but whenever I see her smiling, so happy and alive, it makes me feel good about what I do.

“Good, now go with him,” When Applebloom jumped off the chair, she gave me a quick hug, careful to avoid my gloves before she smiled at me and headed out of the door.

Toss stuck his head in once more and grinned, “Ya know the drill, AJ, sixty seconds to kill as much of those undead motherfuckers as you can.”

I nod at him before he leaves. This was one of the easier events of the events. The rules were simple. You stand in a pit that is full of zombies and you have sixty seconds to kill as many as you can. For each zombie, you got five bits.

Using some fancy mathematics, I debate that I will need to kill sixty of them. About one a second.

I couldn’t help the small smirk on my face.

And ponies say this game is a challenge...