Arrive to survive

Doodle Bug opened her eyes wearily. The sun shone in through the small rip in her tent. She rolled over and looked at her baseball bat. The wood was blood-stained, with bite marks covering it, and her initials carved into it. She sighed and grabbed it, sitting up. She whistled loudly, "Boys! How'd the night go?" She stood up, flicking her mane behind her back. She twirled her baseball bat once and walked out. She flinched as the sunlight shone in her eyes. Hoop was asleep in the lawn chair, leaning forward against the fence with a play-colt magazine on the ground in front of him. Doodle Bug scrunched up her nose in slight disgust before sighing. "Grey?" She looked around. "No? Really? Faust, how have we not been robbed..." She face-hoofed and sighed. She clapped lightly and looked around. Buster snorted from behind the tent and rolled out. His ear was notched, and he had a large black collar with spikes around his neck. She smiled and gave him a small pat. "Silly thing." She sighed. "Now, go wake up Hoop." Buster yipped happily and ran towards the fence. She smiled and walked into Greys' tent.

She slid in next to him, lifting the mystery book off of the side of his head to look at him. That was the way he slept now, he rolled over and put a book on his head... She chuckled and set it back down, staring at him. She grinned and blew on his muzzle lightly, watching he mutter stuff in his sleep and crinkle his nose. She snorted and did it over again, until he groaned and opened his eyes. "Dear Faust, Hoop, I swear if yo- Oh hello." He grinned.

Doodle Bug rolled her eyes, "Hey. You didn't stay awake."

"Well, you weren't there to keep me awake with your-" Doodle Bug flicked his nose.

"Don't you even start. Now get up, we gotta do patrol."

"Aww, can't we stay in bed and snuggle?"

Doodle Bug snorted, "You wish." She stood up again and walked out. Buster came flying by her, and she held out a hoof to catch him. He hit her hoof with a thud and clung to it. "Hoop! We agreed on no throwing Buster!" Hoop muttered something and threw a glare at her. "Hey, not my fault you keep getting drunk." She smirked and put Buster on her back. He whined and clung to her. Doodle Bug stretched, hearing Buster growl. "Don't even try it, Grey."

"Aww, come ooon..."

"Don't make me break my bat over your head." She rolled her eyes and stepped away, walking towards the fence. Buster jumped off her head and started walking next to her "Hurry up and help me do patrol." She chuckled before a strange sound was heard, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Doodle Bug?" Hoop sat up and looked at her. A hoof went up to her chest. Hoop squinted and cursed loudly as he saw red starting to run down her back.

Doodle Bug looked down at her chest. "....Crap." She whispered, falling down. Buster whined and nudged her. "...Find 'em." She whispered, clutching her chest. Buster yipped and ran off as she closed her eyes. Grey was the first one to reach her. "What the hell..." He swallowed. "Who shot you...Oooh, dear Faust." He checked for a pulse quickly. "I'll find them...I'll find them and I'll kill them." He whispered, picking her up. "Hoop! Come help me!"

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Buster snorted and lifted his nose into the air. He took a sniff before growling and pressing his nose to the ground. He'd burn them, whoever did that. He'd burn them alive. He sniffed around, finally getting a good trail on the trespassing pony. He yipped and started running. There was more than one.

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"No no no no no." Hoop threw some things out of his tent, looking for the first aid kit. Where was it? Where was it?! He growled and kicked the trunk. The first time they actually needed it, he couldn't find it... He put his face in his hooves and muttered something. He grabbed the trunk and threw it out of his tent also. "Stupid- Oh, there it is." He grabbed the kit and ran out.

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Buster snarled loudly and slammed against the door again. "Can't we just kill the stupid mutt?"

"The gunshot would let them know we're here!"

"They already know we're here!"

"Shut up, you idiots!"

Buster yipped and back up, blowing a small flame and jumping into it. He reappeared in the building and snarled.

"How did he get in here?"

"I don't know..."

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Hoop scurried into another tent, tossing the kit to Grey. "Who shot her, nobody could have gotten in!" Hoop put his head in his hooves again. He kept muttering and asking who did it.

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Buster barked and chased after the ponies. He had set one of them on fire. They ran out of the building, one firing ab arrow at Buster as they did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Small time skip :3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoop stared at Doodle Bugs' tent. Grey was still working on her. Hoop couldn't sit there while she was...No, she wasn't dying. She wasn't. He put his head in his hooves and closed his eyes. She had promised, when this all started, she had promised she wouldn't die...

Doodle Bug and Hoop sat on the couch, their back-hooves propped up on the coffee table as Doodle thoroughly destroyed Hoop in Ponies Creed 3. Hoop muttered something and slumped against the couch in defeat as Doodle Bug threw her hooves in the air, celebrating her victory. "Yea yea..." Hoop whispered, grabbing the TV remote and turning on the news.

"Well that was mean, I wasn't done celebrating..." Doodle Bug huffed.

"Too bad..."

"Aww, are you gonna be all grumpy because I'm better at video games than you?" Doodle Bug smirked.

"You know what, go bu-"

"If you finish that sentence I will call your mom."

"So? Not like she can do anything..."

"We're still only 16 Hoop, our moms can still beat us."

Hoop muttered something and set the remote back on the coffee table. "What's going on there..." Doodle Bug said, staring at the TV. Hoop frowned and looked at the TV also.

"What in the..."

"That's right everypony, an outbreak has occurred in Canterlot, the Princesses have said to aim for the head on any infected ponies, and to stay indoors-" The news mare screamed as a pony jumped on her, and the screen went to 'Technical Difficulties'

"...Is it just me, or does this look like..." Doodle Bug started

"The zombie apocalypse?" Hoop sighed and got up, walking over to the counter. He returned a few seconds later and gave Doodle Bug some bits. "You win the bet..."

"I don't think the bet is really important right now, let's go get my Zombie Apocalypse Survival kit and run." Doodle Bug scurried up.

"W-Wait... Doodle Bug...I need you to do something..."

Doodle stopped and stared at him. "Yea?"

"...I need you to promise me that...That you won't die. I can't be left alone, I'll die...I'm the logical one, not the fighter."

"...I promise...Now get up and help me pack!"

Hoop sniffled. "She didn't take it seriously...But...." He hit the ground with his hoof, "But she can't die, she can't..." He closed his eyes.

YIP YIP YIP YIP

He blinked and looked up.

YIP YIP YIP YIP

"Buster?" Hoop looked around

"It's still following!"

"Well I can't do anything about it, I already wasted my arrows on it!"

Hoop reached a hoof inside Greys' tent and grabbed the gun. "Hoop? What are you doing?" Hoop hushed him and pulled the gun out.

Buster hopped on one of them, biting their ear. It wasn't enough to draw blood, but it was enough to make them yelp and trip. As the other ponies stopped to help her, Buster continued yipping until one of the ponies hit him. He yelped and whined, trying to get up. Hoop went to aim at them before he head a gasp and a white hoof grabbed him. He looked back, "You're not dead."

"Nope..." Doodle Bug walked out, clutching her chest. She was dragging her baseball bat.

"Doodle get in here!" Grey shouted, trying to grab her. She swung her baseball bat behind her and knocked him down. "They kicked my dragon." She muttered, running off towards the group of ponies. The one that kicked Buster already had a gun pointed at him, while the other two fighting like foals. He didn't even notice her until she was in front of him. He blinked when he saw her hooves, and he slowly looked up. She smiled and swung her bat. Buster immediately scurrying up and hid behind Doodle, yipping at the last two ponies. They looked over just as her bat hit him. Both of them winced at the crack that sounded, and even Doodle Bug did, before she smiled. "Don't touch my dragon."

There was a few minutes of silence.

"You little...!" One of the ponies shouted, pointing an crossbow at her. She blinked and raised her bat again, questioning why she did. Doodle Bugs' baseball bat was taken from her with magic, just as Grey stepped up next to her and picked her up. "Don't even try, I'll kill you before you even fire..."

"She hit our friend..."

"He hit my dragon, and I'm pretty sure he also shot me!" Doodle Bug shouted, clutching her chest and coughing.

"Doodle, shut up. There's no need to fight."

"No need to-" Doodle Bug yelped as grey tugged her tail.

"I said shush."

She huffed and gave up, coughing a few more times. "Good. Now, like I said, no fighting. You guys probably had your reasons-"

"Yea, this is our land..."

Doodle Bug flailed her hooves around, kicking and muttering things before she slumped down and coughed. Grey glanced at her slightly and shook his head, "We've been here for a few months, though..."

"We left last year, they broke the gates and we fled." The mare squeaked, staring at the knocked out stallion. Doodle Bugs' coughing cut Grey off for a moment before it stopped.

"...That's explains the tents..." Grey sighed and reached over, taking the gun from Hoop. "Explains lots of things actually..."

Hoop snorted and crossed his arms, looking at Doodle Bug, "Uhh..."

"If you guys wanna stay here, you can."

"Grey..." Hoop swallowed.

"I'm sure I could convince Doodle Bug to share a tent."

"Grey?" Hoop took a step towards him.

"It wouldn't be that big of a-"

"Grey!"

"What?"

Hoop pointed to Doodle Bug, her eyes were closing as blood stained her hoof. "You guys are idiots..." She whispered, "I was coughing for a reason..." She closed her eyes without another word.

"Doodle Bug stop dying!" Grey face-hoofed and teleported them back to the tent. Hoop stood there.

"Uhh...So, who had the black tent?"

The mare raised her hand.

Hoop grinned, "Awesome..."

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Doodle Bug opened her eyes as she felt Grey moving beside her. He glanced at her and smiled.

"You died four times..." Grey stared at Doodle Bug with doubt in his eyes.

"I counted three..." She whispered, curled in a ball, coughing and clutching her chest.

"It was four!" Hoop shouted from outside.

"Shut up..." Doodle Bug whispered, starting to shut her eyes again. "I'm might take a nap..."

"...Five."

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Doodle Bug opened her eyes again, her vision was blurry and she couldn't see straight, but she could still here talking...

"I still don't trust him..."

"It's fine, Hoop."

"I don't want him sharing a tent with her."

"Everything will be fine, okay?"

"And if it isn't?"

"...I'll take care of it..."

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Doodle Bug tried opening her eyes again, failing miserably. She swallowed and tried to calm herself down, her heart was beating quickly, and her breathing was rather shallow. Her ears twitched at the sound of something entering her tent. She heard a small squeak as someone sat down next to her. "...Hi..." The pony squeaked, "I...I know that you have no right to even listen to me, but...Sorry about my friend shooting you...I tried to get him to stop, but he doesn't listen to me very well, they both don't..." She went quiet for a moment. "And, I hope we can be friends, you're the only other filly I've met since this started. Well, the only one that wasn't one of...Those things."

Doodle Bug finally got an eye open and opened her mouth, "They're called zombies...Duh." She winced and coughed, curling into a ball. The mare squeaked at the coughing fit and stared at her.

"Are..." She closed her mouth, doubting her next question. "Are you okay?"

"Yep, just fine." She muttered, "I'm so okay I think I'll go elephant hunting."

The mare smiled, "Oh. Well, you're okay enough to be sarcastic...O-Oh, I'm Lavender Cotton, by the way."

Doodle Bug snorted and opened her mouth before shutting it, "Never mind..." She coughed again and started closing her eyes.

"Uhh...I think she's crashing again..."

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Doodle Bug whimpered and kept her eyes shut as she lifted a hoof to her chest. It was bandaged. She tried to roll over, hissing at the pain. She stayed where she was and opened one eye, looking around cautiously. She wish she could go back to Ponyville, be at the hospital instead of in a dusty tent, on the floor. She wish she could see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie...She whined slightly and closed her eyes. She wished she could just close her eyes and be back in town again, sitting in the Carousel Boutique while Rarity tried to convince her to wear a dress...She closed her eyes and curled up again. "Where are my boys..." She whispered, her bottom lip quivering as she shook. She heard a rather adorable squeak from outside the tent as what she was positive was her dragon trotted in. "Hey hey, there's Buster." She opened her eyes. and looked at him, "Where are my other two..." Buster snorted and trotted out, returning a few seconds later, dragging a passed out Hoop by the tail. "...You pulled his tail, silly thing. He's gonna be asleep for ages..." She smiled and poked Hoop. "How long have I been asleep..." She struggled to sit up. "Gaaaah, Buster, help..." She started doing something that looked like a turtle got stuck on its' back. Buster walked up behind her and pushed her up all the way. She smiled and stood up, wobbling a bit as she did. Buster snorted and fell forward, landing on his face and staying there. She chuckled and grabbed her bat, leaning on it.

She walked out of the tent, wincing at the bright light. She opened her eyes again and looked around, gasping softly at what she saw. The fences were bare, nothing was trying to get in, everything seemed cleared up, there wasn't any messes or trash thrown about, and someone had even started a garden by the big birch tree. She frowned slightly when she didn't see her tent.

"You're awake..."