Let me explain. The Return was thought first to be a scandal. Then when the undead started pouring in from Zebrica, the Griffonian Empire, Appleloosa and other outlying Equestrian towns, the nobles in Canterlot still refused to get their stubborn posh noses out of the clouds. That led to them being slaughtered, brutally, and returning. Though after they came back, there really wasn't much left of them to be the walking dead.
The Princesses disappeared soon after the fall of Canterlot. Some claimed they'd been killed and had returned, but it just didn't add up. The theory about the princesses disappearing to create a spell to make the dead stay dead again made much more sense if the legends about the princesses are true. Although right about now, I don't care if there's no evidence they ever existed, we really need some kind, benevolent plot-kicking rulers right about....oh yeah, now.
Anyway, before, during, and especially after the fall of Canterlot, the little towns like Ponyville and some ruins like the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest were fortified and the ponies inside began to deal with returning to a slight sense of normalcy whilst dealing with the undead. Some settlements were built from scratch and shored up over the years.
It wasn't long before every surviving town or fortified ruin had a milita or guard of some sort to protect that town's occupants. Some even got fancy names and armor. Others got respect and rags. But two of the Elements of Harmony that were left, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, took their daughters, Candy and Surprise, and my parents went with them and took me and my sisters.
Together our parents founded an out post in the middle of nowhere called Vengeance. Years later, it was renamed Silvermoon right about the time when the Rangers and the Nightblades were established. In thirteen years I was to become the youngest Ranger General in the history of my town.
My best lietenant is Sky. She's my age, give or take a few months, and she's the daughter of Scootaloo and Babs Seed. Mares can have children together with the 'Magic of Love'. Here's how it goes: two mares love each other more than anything, they......yeah, I'm not even going to say it, and a glowing pink heart appears. It goes in to one of their stomachs and the baby starts growing.
My other lieutenant is Candy. She's a product of the 'Magic of Love' too. Sometimes that mare scares me, but she's downright brutal in battle. Straight for the neck and spine on the undead, straight to extremities on enemies, and she's fiercely loyal of anybody who can get under her fearsome shell and find the soft and caring heart within. I'm proud to call her my friend.
But enough about me. You asked about my village. Yes, we used to have more ponies. I don't remember much, but there was an infected pony accidentally admitted entrance. She was apparently a blue Pegasus named Rainbow Dash. An old idol of Scootaloo. It really tore her up to see this 'Rainbow' die.The ponies who didn't make it to the walls were caught up like brush as the infected blazed across town. It got pretty bad. Scratch that. It got downright deadly.
We spent three whole weeks on the walls as the current Rangers, under the command of Cloudchaser, my mother's sister, took them out. But my mother got an extremely rare strain of the virus, the airborne one, and she died within forty-eight hours of when she began showing symptoms. Then it was just me, a seven year old filly, and my worn father.
What about Cloudchaser? Oh that's an easy question. She's a veteran now. She's not exactly an on-duty Ranger anymore, but she's still got her skills. Her reflexes she's still got too....more or less. She retired after my mother died, leaving the spot of Ranger General open. My dad nabbed it for me, and I started training under Cloudchaser every day. It's paid off for me.
We have careful magical scanning spells now, and any confirmed infected get a choice: they can be euthanized or they can be turned out into the wild. Every so often a family group'll come in, pleading for a home. It hurts, having to tell them that they have to leave their son or daughter because (s)he'd gotten the virus, or telling a young foal that their mother or father was never coming back.
And guess who's job it was to tell those distraught families, to explain to the innocent children their parents were dead? That's right, mine. Being the Ranger-General had its perks, but I couldn't get out of gate judgement and I probably never will.
What was my mom like? Well, all I remember from what my father would tell me at bedtime when I was a little filly is that her name was Flitter. My memories of her? Don't even go there. All I know is that her voice sounded smoother than silk, her coat was a light violet, and I'd give anything to see her again.
Oh no, she chose to be euthanized before she died and returned. Dad said she gave him some long speech of how he needed to be strong for me and for the town, blah, blah, blah. Then she was shot with a crossbow and buried with honor and dignity.....I think. I either don't remember attending or I didn't go. Both are equally probable.
How long has it been? Oh. Let's see.....I was seven when she died, and I'm nineteen now, so....wow. It's been twelve whole years already? Jeez. Anyway, I've got my rangers to command, and my wall shift starts in three minutes. I'll have to excuse myself and leave you now, you know.
Good bye, outsider. I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever it is.
"Hey 'Lia, how've you and the rangers been doing?" my father asked as he set dinner, namely eggs and fresh milk, on the simple wooden table, which I promptly dug into with gusto. After hogging down a set of eggs and one tin of milk, I wiped my mouth and answered him.
"Good, why? Got another dispatch for me and the girls?" He smiled and I swear that I saw the gears in his head do a couple loops.
"Yup, how did you guess?" he answered/asked. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. "Because, dad, every time we have this talk I have a dispatch or I forgot to take the laundry off the clothesline, and I really do prefer the former to the latter."
He gave me an innocent smile. Then he changed it to a confident grin and leaned across the table towards me. "We've located some of the Kicker Clan holed up in the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony sisters, under attack from a fair amount of the undead. We were able to get some pegasi in to negotiate with them, and they said they'd be willing to think about joining us if we could stop their little siege problem."
"I'm on it." I replied quickly. Such a mission wasn't really that out of sorts for me. In fact, me and the girls have been slowly chipping away at a horde headed for Dark City. With Surprise's bombs, we were able to take them down to a respectable size, but not too much for the Dark City militia, the Recruiters.
I pulled a wooden hunting horn from its permanent place on my leather belt and ran my fingertips over the varnish and the darker brown carvings, depicting a scene of a peaceful forest. Then I took a deep breath and blew it. The long, clear not floated its way through the whole camp. In minutes I had all eighty hunters, not including myself, regardless of rank in front of me.
Right now it was a good thing that I had wings. I flared them and pointed to one, saying "If you have these, line up over there." I hitched a thumb towards the spot, and they moved into position as I'd ordered.
I pointed at Candy. "Candy. Take your best ten girls and follow me." I paused, turning to the group of pegasi. There were about twenty. "On second thought, take your best twenty girls." I amended, putting emphasis on the word twenty. Candy quickly gathered her group, while Sky and her brethren stood and waited for orders.
"Sky." she snapped to attention as I said her name. "Take your pegasi and get in there to help the family from the inside." She looked at me quizzically. "What family?"
"You've heard of the pegasus warrior clans, right?" I received several nods. "Well, we're going to be helping a portion of the Kicker clan escape from that ruin. Now let's move!"
So with quivers clanking, we headed towards the town gates. The pair of Nightblades on duty gave me a nod, and their Ranger compatriots bowed, then they opened the gate together. The gates opened, creaking as their heavy wooden doors were opened. The final touch was when the iron lattice gate rose.
Before we continue, let me explain to you what the average Ranger's armor looked like. The average Ranger has black cloth pants with or without optional black metal plates added on the legs for extra protection against bites, and thick gloves, again, optional metal could be added, to protect our hands and help pull back our bowstrings. Our tops varied. Some girls, like me, wore metal tops that covered them and left our stomach and neck open. Those girls were higher ups, and had more skill so they were safe even with that measly covering. Our boots were metal plated no matter what, and were padded on the inside. Some girls wore metal sleeves that covered the top of their arms, some had thin bands on their arms, and some just had bare arms.
Back to the rescue mission.
Then we were on the path proper. "Keep yours senses focused on the task. It'll be easier to get them before they get us that way," I heard one of the older members, Windy Daze, whisper to Shadow Chaser, one of the newer recruits. If we got into any fights, I'd have to keep an eye on her. It'd be her first melee fight.
We were able to get to the end of the fenced-in area when the moans started and they started shambling towards the fence. I heard quivers clanking as arrows were pulled out and bowstrings singing as they were pulled taut, hearing my own and many more. We took careful aim, then let go. A few arrows missed their mark, but most were spot-on.
Spoiled and blackened blood poured out of the wounds inflicted by our arrows, staining the ground and their cold, dead skin dark red. Some arrows dislocated gobs of flesh, leaving even more blood, some grey brain matter, and flesh chunks everywhere.
It was over rather quickly, all factors considered. Ditzy and Dinky Doo, sub-lieutenants under Sky and Candy respectively, had the sharpest eyes in the group, so Ditzy and Sky held the back while Candy and Dinky flanked me in the front.
We kept trudging through the dark forest, until we came to a last bit of heavy underbrush concealing our presence. I heard the moans and the sounds of a fight. Dropping my bow and unbuckling my quiver, I drew my hunting knives, each as long as my arm.
I ordered my girls into position. Then we attacked. I exploded out of the bushes, the ensuing noises and flash of color marking my arrival drawing undead attention. The first three I dodged and sliced at, not really concerned about the obstacles. I was heading towards the castle, towards the hidden Kickers.
I saw some of the undead attacking some Kicker warriors, while some other were pounding on the door. I saw on one side of the clearing a dead Kicker warrior, stripped to the bones with the red suit in tatters and the blades that most Kickers used on the ground next to the corpse.
I darted towards the castle, slicing the undead to ribbons on the way. But even as my stomach flipped and I took to the air, I could hear the scream as an injured Kicker turned, completing the dying and coming back as the scream tapered off into a low, guttural moan as the vocal chords collapsed.
And I knew as I flew over the wall and dove knives first at the undead Kicker, that we'd been too late.
