Equestria of The Dead

Remember those large, white buildings in your occasional town or city with those big red plus signs on the front of them?

Yes, a hospital. Everyone knows what a hospital is, correct? The occasional area of treatment for the injured or sick. They were common places, promising to make anyone better, and damn, they did a good job at it. Those who were sick were treated by the best nurses and doctors around, and those injured were...well, you know.

Ponyville General Hospital was no different from the rest. It was one of the occasional hospitals you'd encounter in Equestria. It also had its fair share of sick and injured, and they were treated just like any other anywhere else in Equestria.

But not all ponies arrive at hospitals...well...awake. Some can arrive passed out, knocked out, comatose, or dead, hoped to be quickly brought back to life.

Inside the room labeled '180', there lay a stallion. He wasn't too old, at least. He looked like around the ages of maybe...20? 21? So, he wasn't very old. But one odd thing about this particular stallion was that he was not awake. No, he wasn't sleeping either. He was a comatose patient. Then again, being in a coma is basically sleeping.

Being in a comatose state is far more deep than simply slumbering as you would in the night. This stallion is far too deep, that he could not even hear the shrills and screams right outside his door...Not the cries and trotting of panicking ponies in the village not even half a mile away...Not even...the sounds of booms coming from a quaint city up in the mountains.

...What was happening?

That is for you to find out...

Equestria of The Dead

Created by: I Am The Night

Episode 1: Awakening

When my mind came to consciousness, white was the only thing I saw.

But it wasn't just white...it was a light. A very bright and blinding light. My response to this sudden greeting was placing my forelegs in front of my eyes. I could barely open them, and I was forced to squint and wait for this sudden intrusion to end. Fortunately, the light did not last very long.

It only blinded my vision for a few moments, nearly 20 seconds, before fading. As it finally died down to the point where it could not hurt my sight, I ceased my squinting, and slowly began to open my eyes, beginning to take a good look at my surroundings.

My surroundings were...not that big. It was a fairly small area I was in. Although it's quite faint, I...kind of remember the name of a place with rooms like this. I believe it was called a...hospital? Yeah, that's it. A hospital. From what I remember, hospitals were...places that ponies would heal in? Yeah. Seems right...Wait...why did I have trouble remembering that?

"H...Hello?" I called out, hearing the utter silence of the hospital. There was no response but the echoing of my voice.

Usually hospitals would be filled with voices, beeps of monitors, and even screams. Here, it's just...silent. No voices, no beeps, no screams...nothing. I wasn't sure if it was just my hearing, or if the place was really empty. I couldn't tell. Slowly, I managed to sit up in the bed I was in, when a sudden pain erupted from the side of my body, causing me to hold it in pain. I looked to the side of me to see a bandage; a large one, that is.

What happened to me that gave me this? More importantly...Why can't I remember it?

To better put it...why can't I remember anything? I can't remember my age, or name, or...anything about me!

I tried my best for a few moments to think of a past event, but nothing. I couldn't remember anything, other than a few things, like the word "hospital". I think this kind of thing was called Amnesia. If I'm correct, that means...memory loss? Yeah, that's it.

Well...I guess the best - and only - way to find out anything is to find someone. After a moment, I began to lift myself off the bed, trying my best to ignore the pain in my side. Slowly, I began to stand on my hind legs. It was fine for a moment, but then my hind legs began to feel very weak. I couldn't stand on them for more than a few seconds before I fell to the ground, smashing my snout on the cold, hard floor.

In pain, I gripped my bleeding snout tightly, wanting the pain to go away.

"Hello?! Anyone? I need some help here!" I yelled out into the silence, but no one came to help me. So I just sat there on the floor for a few moments until the pain in my snout went away. Then I slowly got up on my forehooves, then my hind legs, until I was on all fours. Carefully, but quickly, I headed to the restroom and tried to flick the switch that would turn on the restroom light. It never did. I flicked it up and down, but nothing happened.

Giving up, I looked into a mirror that was inside the bathroom and looked at myself. I was blue, had a brown mane, and my eyes were green. I had some weird tattoo-looking mark on my rear, which showed some weird symbol. I think it stands for music. I also had wings on my side, so I guess I'm one of those pegasi, a pegasus.

I then noticed my mane was a little frizzled, so I decided to wet it with some water to flatten it down. I turned the faucet to turn on the water. Unfortunately, like the light switch, nothing happened.

I became a little frustrated and eventually gave up. The mane did look kinda cool like that anyway.

After a few moments, I decided to look around the room before I left. I didn't see them when I woke up, but there were balloons, deflated, on the ground and cards on the drawers around the bed. Some of the balloons said 'Get well soon!' or 'Feel better!'. One even said 'Happy Birthday, Lightning!'.

Lightning? Who's Lightning? Could that be me?

I headed over to the side of the bed and read the cards. Actually, I looked at the cards. They were pictures of me, but it wasn't just me. There were six females with me, as well. There were two unicorns, two earth ponies, and three pegasi, myself included.

I had no idea who these ponies were, but there were three words above the picture that said, in bold words, 'Best Friends Forever!'

I was friends with these mares?

After a few moments, I set the card down and opened another one. This one had wording, but no pictures.

It had said 'Get Well Soon!', just like on the balloon, but then it had names under it, and each one had a different color.

-Pinkie Pie

-Twilight Sparkle

-Rainbow Dash!

-Rarity

-Applejack

-Fluttershy

I wasn't quite sure why they all had different colors, but then I looked back to the picture of me and those mares. I looked at their fur color, then the signature colors. I guess these are their names then.

I want to see if I can find these mares, so I look around to see if there's anything I can carry these cards in. Luckily, I managed to find some sort of bag with a strap on it. It looked like a satchel. It didn't really matter what it was, as long as I could put these cards in it. Carefully, I placed the cards into the satchel, then shut it. Once I closed it, I strapped it around my body, just avoiding the wound on my side. I then looked to the wall to see a clock. Unfortunately, the clock did not move its arms, so I had no idea what the time was.

Then I realized: You can sometimes tell the time just by looking at the sun. I then started to walk to the window. Once I reached it, I started looking around for a few moments before looking above me, but I quickly covered my face to avoid being blinded by the sun. However, I could see it was fairly high in the sky, possibly the highest. That must mean it's at least 12:00 noon.

I then began to leave, but a clipboard with a picture of me stopped me for a moment.

I began to inspect it. It read:

Patient: Lightning Flash

D.O.B: 12/23/95

Sex: Stallion

Race: Pegasus

Age: 21

Illnesses: n/a

Disorders: n/a

On 12/21/12, the patient was injured when an unknown projectile was shot into the side of the torso. Injury is not fatal, but surgery is required.

Deciding this could possibly help me find out more about me, I placed it into the satchel, as well. Finally, I opened the door that led me out of the slightly small room. However, for some reason, there were a few beds in front of it. I wasn't quite sure why they were randomly here, but I moved them out of the way and began to walk into the hall. But the beds weren't the only thing in the hall. There were cases, papers, and even clothing, scattered around, like a tornado came through here.

What happened here?

As I slowly walked in the hall, I ended up seeing another paper like the one I found. I picked it up slowly and began to read it:

Patient: Caramel Apple

D.O.B: 8/2/96

Sex: Stallion

Race: Earth Pony

Age: 20

Illnesses: n/a

Disorders: n/a

On 12/23/12, the patient stumbled into the hospital lobby, bleeding from the left foreleg. Inspections show a very deep bite mark in the arm, possibly from an animal. Possible Rabies is present.

"Caramel...Apple...Why does that name sound so familiar to me?"

After looking at the paper, I put it inside the satchel, as well, and continued through the hallway. As I went further, I began to see toppled beds, chairs, as well as more cases and papers. The hallway filled up with debris as I went further and further. After a few moments, I spotted something on the floor not that far from me. It didn't look like any of the objects around me. Instead...it was a pony, lying face down on the floor.

Quickly, I trotted slowly and carefully to him, trying not to cause any pain to my wound.

"Hello? Are you okay?" I said quietly to the pony. They didn't respond to me. Were they hurt? Unconscious?

To make sure, I turned the pony over to see if they were okay, but I quickly looked away and almost screamed when I saw their face. Most of the area around their mouth was literally ripped off. One of their eyes were missing, and...their stomach was...torn open, and most of their insides were either missing or dangled out.

In shock and disgust, I threw up next to me, coughing a few times. This pony was dead. But...they look like they've been dead for a while, maybe a month, noticing the severe decomposition of their body and the flies and maggots that covered it.

After a few moments, I quickly turned the dead pony back over, then got up and continued down the hall. Eventually, the walls and ceiling became more and more wrecked. Tiles fallen onto the floor, wires hanging from the ceiling, and even arrows were dug into the walls.

What the hell...?

I then reached the end of the hallway, and came across double doors that led into another section of the hospital. Above the doors, it said 'Cafeteria'. I looked back to the doors, and saw that they had been chained shut. But why?

After a few seconds, I yelled out, "Hello?" in hopes that someone could hear me.

Again, silence...until I began to hear something. It sounded like someone, but they weren't talking. They were wheezing, slowly. I then heard another voice, but this one was grunting. Moments later, I saw three hooves slowly reach out from the crack of the door.

"P-Please...I-I need help," I called out to the ponies.

Rather than trying to help me, instead, they started banging on the door, trying to open it. The ponies inside began to growl and snarl like animals. Quickly, I turned in the other direction, trying to see if there was a door that could lead me out of here. As I was looking, I looked down a hallway to see a few ponies shambling around. A few moments later, they spotted me, and began to limp towards me. In fear of what might happen if they catch up with me, I continued looking, but much quicker. Eventually, I found a door that had the word 'Stairwell' on it. Quickly, I opened it and went inside, shutting the door behind me.

Luckily, I wasn't in total darkness. There was light in the stairwell, but it flickered on every few seconds, giving me some limited light. However, I managed to make it down slowly and safely. At the bottom of the stairwell, I found a door. Above it, there was a sign that had the word 'Exit'.

However, before I exited, I looked into my satchel to see if anything fell out. Luckily, nothing did. Suddenly, I began to hear loud banging noises from the door I came in from. Quickly, I hurried and exited through the door in front of me, but I did it too quickly, and I nearly became blinded by the sunlight. I squinted and covered my face with a hoof. After a few seconds, I became used to the light, but not the air.

The air smells of death. I looked down below me, and my eyes widened in shock. There were countless bodies of ponies, all lined up, row after row. All of them were covered in sheets, but only the end of their rotting hindlegs were visible. The stench of death filled my nostrils, but I had the strength not to vomit this time.

Instead, I slowly made my way past the bodies, the stench becoming more and more putrid, but I still did not puke. Continuing throughout the mass piles of bodies, I ended up coming across a carriage, the only one in the whole loading area. Looking closely at it, I saw that it contained a red cross on its side, with white as its outline. I assume this is an ambulance carriage. I believed it was used to carry injured to hospitals. As I got closer to it, I noticed after a moment that the back doors of the carriage was open, and since I was only seeing the side, I only saw a bit of white cloth hanging down.

Being curious, I decided to continue forward, nearing the carriage with each clop of my hooves on the cold, stone ground. Finally, after a few moments, the interior of the ambulance was finally within my sights, and I instantly regretted it.

Unlike the countless adult ponies laying on the ground behind me, the ponies inside the carriage, however, were not adults. Instead...they were children. The white cloth that would've covered them had fallen downward, allowing me to see them fully. There were three children within the carriage. One of them was a young blue filly, roughly 5-6 years old. Her mouth was slightly opened, and her eyes had an extremely dull, lifeless look within them. Not only that, but the filly had slowly begun to lose her mane, decomposition playing the main role within that. Looking at her head, I also saw that she had a horn, which meant that this filly was a unicorn. It broke my heart to know that this filly would never be able to know the magic of...magic.

I knew this filly was adorable in life, and if it weren't for her state of decay, she would still look adorable today.

Next to the filly was a brightly gray colt, maybe about a year older than the filly next to him. Decomposition had not done much to him, but he still had his fair share of maggots on him. Not to mention the putrid smell that came. I wanted badly to vomit, yet I couldn't. Looking at the colt, his almost-black mane was still fairly intact, a few bits fallen off, and it was also slicked back slightly. As I checked lower, going to his torso, I could see slightly opened wings behind his forelegs, meaning that this colt was a pegasus like me. Looking lower, all the way down to his hind legs, I spotted something hanging on one of his legs. It seemed like some sort of tag, and I was surprised to not see one the filly. Deciding to take a look at the tag, I slowly and gently pulled it off, doing what I could to not disturb the dead...much. After a bit of struggle, the tag came off, and I slowly held it up to my face. Reading it, I could only see that there was a name: R. Lane.

I had no clue what the R stood for, but turning the tag around, I could see that there were pictures attached to it, but these pictures were showing the colt that lay in front of me, but instead of in his lifeless pose as he's in now, in the pictures, he is in a happy, cheery mood. A second picture shows him standing next to a grown up pegasus. This pegasus kind of had the same colors as the colt, but in an opposite way. Almost black fur, but gray mane. After observing the picture, I begin to open up my satchel and place the tag in there. I know it's wrong and horrible to steal from the dead, but...I want to see if I can find that stallion. IF I can.

Once I closed the satchel, I began to take a look at the last child in the carriage. But I began to feel my heart shatter inside me, and my eyes begin to tear up. The last child was not as old as the other two...It was a baby. A foal. Unlike the other children, the foal was in a terrible state of decomposition. Most of its fragile, little body was missing most of its skin, some of it even hanging down the sides. Its face frightened me, as most of its little skull was fairly visible. Its eyes were long gone, as well as its mane.

I felt extremely bad and sorry for it. This young foal lost its life before it even started. I could already imagine the pain and suffering that these children might have gone through in their final moments. Or maybe it had been quick and they didn't notice. I wanted to stay here and pay my dear respects to these children and the rest of the ponies around me, but I then decided I had no time to mourn at the moment, and that I could pay my respects to them soon enough, maybe even give them a proper burial. They at least deserve it.

Finally leaving the carriage behind, I continued walking pass the endless rows of corpses that lined up around me. Soon enough, the endless rows finally came to an end...Ironic. As they ended, I felt myself finally clopping on the grass, rather than on the stone. That was when I reached a fairly high hill, roughly 20 or so hooves upward. Carefully, I began to make my way up the hill, one hoof at a time, hoping I wouldn't be met with more corpses. Suddenly, as I got around 10 feet upward, one of my hooves slipped beneath me, and I began to fall down. Luckily, I caught the ground so I wouldn't fall down to the bottom, but unluckily, landed right on the side where my mysterious wound had been. It took much of my remaining strength not to cry out in pain.

"A-ah! Son of a..." I cried as the searing pain coursed through my body, sending painful shocks all over. Everytime I tried to move, the pain would only increase. So instead of trying to move, I sat frozen in place, not daring to make a move in fear of causing more pain. I just patiently waited and waited, patiently waiting for the hurt to slowly fade away. It felt like minutes passed, but it was only moments, but soon enough, the pain subsided, and when I moved, no pain came. Finally, I got up from my resting spot and began to venture up the hill once again.

Once I reached the top, I spotted a small town. Luckily, it wasn't that far away. Near me, there was a dirt road that lead to the town. I headed towards the road and began to walk to the town. As I walked down the road, there was a sign next to it that read:

Welcome to Ponyville!

Population: 102 0

Guess the town is empty. When I looked past the sign towards the town, I could hear no noise coming from it. It sounded empty. As I managed to look further, I saw that nopony was in the streets. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to just take a look anyway, so I continued forward towards the town of Ponyville.

Once I reached it, the stench of death filled my nose once more. The streets were littered with papers, clothing, and even wrecked carriages, some containing the bodies of ponies. I still had the strength not to vomit. I didn't want the putrid taste coming back. I ignored the bodies and continued deeper into the town. As I walked through Ponyville, I looked at most of the buildings. Some windows and doors of some of the houses were either smashed or busted down, and others were boarded up.

Whatever happened here wasn't good.

Eventually, I ended up finding a bakery near the center of town, called 'Sugarcube Corner'. Below the name, there was writing that said 'Bestest treats in Equestria!'

I sure wish I could've tasted them. I'm pretty sure it's all spoiled now. But there was no harm in checking anyway. Slowly, I made my way towards the building, which was just about the only building around me that hadn't been barricaded like the rest. I walked up to the door, which contained a note. Slowly, I grabbed the note and tore it from the door and read it:

Pinkie Pie, if you're reading this, Mr. Cake and I are leaving with the babies to Las Pegasus for a little while. With that horrible disease going around town, I don't want the babies catching it. Hopefully, it won't be too hard for you to work by yourself for a while, deary. Take care and be safe.

Sincerely,

Cup Cake

Wait a second...Pinkie Pie? After reading the note, I quickly opened up my satchel and took out the card that contained the six names. My eyes quickly caught sight of the pink colored name: Pinkie Pie.

I looked at the paper, then the note. The names match! This is the same pony. But who is Cup Cake? I guess another friend of mine? Maybe Pinkie's parents?

I decided I could think about that later. I dropped the note to the ground and proceeded to the door. I moved my hoof slowly towards the knob. Once I felt the cold metal within my hoof, I began to turn it to the left. Luckily - more like mysteriously - it was unlocked, and it opened without restraint.

As I opened it, I slowly made my way inside, taking time to observe my surroundings.

"Hello?" I called out. Silence followed.

Guess this Pinkie Pie isn't here. Would make sense, considering how the note hadn't been ripped from its resting place, which would give me the sense that Pinkie probably hasn't come back here.

Slowly, I started to walk around the main room I was in. Like I predicted, some of the food had spoiled. What looked like cake was now covered in what appeared to be green, fuzzy mold. What looked like cupcakes were engulfed in fuzz. But the cookies and brownies? They looked fine. It looked like they had just been taken out of the oven. I walked over to the counter where they lay. I picked one of the brownies up and took a bite out of them.

...It took me at least half a minute to bite through the damn thing. Extremely crunchy, but still good otherwise. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to take them. I grab around 20 or so brownies and did the same with the cookies. I placed them into an inside pocket in the satchel. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to finish the brownie - more like try to finish it.

Once I finished the brownie, which took about another minute, I exited the abandoned shop and decided to continue through the town. Other than countless homes, I ended up finding a dentist, a clothing boutique, and a library. I searched through the town for a few more minutes, when I spotted something in the tall patches of grass in the town square.

It was a bicycle, lying on its side. But the scene displayed next to it frightened and horrified me. Next to the bicycle lay the body of a pony. Looking at the pony's features, I saw that it was a mare. What creeped me out was that she was ripped in two. Her lower half was missing, her organs spilled out onto the grass. I had looked at so many bodies, I stopped being disgusted by them. I looked at this pony intently, examining its decomposed features. I sighed, looking away from the body of another taken life.

"Forgive me," I said to the body, and I began to grab the bicycle. Suddenly, I heard a noise. It sounded like a struggled groan or snarl. I looked back to the mare...but...it was impossible. She was dead. I didn't see her breathing or moving or anything! She was lifeless. Gone. Dead.

"Hello?" I said to the mare, but she didn't reply. Instead, she growled and snarled just like the ponies back at the hospital. She slowly gripped the earth below her with her hooves and slowly began to crawl towards me, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

"Graaagh!" She growled at me as she slowly crawled to me. I was completely frozen for the moment, but once I became unfrozen, I slowly grabbed the bike and got on it. Quickly, I began to pedal away from the mare.

"Raaarrrggh..."

The snarls of the mare became fainter and fainter, until I could no longer hear her. Just seeing her brought tears to my eyes. But my sadness also came with confusion. How could a dead mare, a body that was torn in two, crawl?

That's it. I need to stop. I don't want to go on anymore. At least, not right now, after all that's happened. Luckily, a few moments later, I spotted a barn up in the hills, surrounded by...I think those are apple trees. I guess I should head there for now. I looked into the sky to see the sun begin to set. I quickly began to pedal towards the farm area. I ended up pedaling by a sign that said 'Sweet Apple Acres - Freshest apples in Equestria!'

After about a minute of pedaling, I finally reached Sweet Apple Acres. The house looked abandoned, and the barn's paint was slowly chipping away.

Painfully, I got off the bike and sat down on the ground. I just needed to sit down after all that's happened. I slowly sunk to my rear on the ground, leaning on a fence. I then buried my face into my hooves and began to cry. That's all I could do right now at this point. Cry. After seeing all of those bodies: the hospital, Ponyville...that mare...it all just made me want to...

*creak*

I stopped crying instantly the moment I heard the noise. I slowly turned around to the house behind me. I didn't see anything, but I know there's something...or someone, hiding in there.

Slowly, I got up on all fours and began to slowly walk towards the porch of the house. I was trying my best to be quiet. After a few seconds, I made it onto the porch. I was just a few hooves away from the door.

I tip-hoofed slowly to the door, and then reached my hoof out to it. I then slowly, and carefully, began to open it...

Once it was opened, I looked inside. Nothing. I sighed to myself and began to shut the door. Guess it was just my-

WHACK!!

2 hours later...

"O...Ooh...." I slowly moaned as I began to gain consciousness, all while feeling an extreme pain in the back of my head.

As I opened my eyes, I found myself once again in a bed. It's the hospital all over again. Luckily, I wasn't back in the hospital, but rather in a bedroom of a home. The only lighting in the bedroom were candles. Apple scented candles. But surprisingly, I wasn't the only pony in the room. There were two others, one, a young, yellow filly, and the other, a large, red stallion. The stallion had one of those tattoo things on his rear as well, but for some reason, the filly didn't.

"You're awake," I heard a voice say to me. I turned to see the red stallion looking at me.

"Ah was afraid I'd done killed ya," he said in a southern accent.

"Wait a minute, you were the one who-" He began to quiet me down.

"Shh! Keep it down. Do ya want them ta hear ya?" He whispered to me.

My eyebrow raised in utter confusion. "Who's "them"?" I asked, a bit bewildered.

"The biters. Ya want them ta hear us?" He replied.

The stallion looked like he was going to say something else, but a rather feminine voice stopped him from doing so.

"Big Mac."

We both turned to the doorway of the bedroom to see an orange mare wearing a cowboy hat, looking at us. She seemed to be staring at the stallion known as Big Mac with a bit of a worried-but-more-serious face. She then looked at me. As she did, her eyes opened a bit more than they had been. She stared at me for a couple of seconds before turning her head towards the small yellow filly.

"Apple Bloom, why don't you go on into the living room with Big Mac here and talk to Granny Smith? I need to talk to Lightnin' for a moment."

She knows my name?

"Alrighty, Applejack," the little filly named Apple Bloom replied to Applejack and smiled.

Wait a second...Applejack. Wasn't that the name of one of the mares in the pictures? Is this her?

Apple Bloom then walked out of the room, Big Mac following her, but not before whispering something to Applejack. Fortunately, I was close enough to hear.

"He doesn't know what they are," Big Mac said to Applejack.

Applejack closed her eyes for a moment before replying. "Ah know."

Finally, Big Mac left the room, leaving only me and Applejack alone. It was silent for a little bit. Neither of us said anything to each other at all. All Applejack did was just...stare at me. Even though she's beautiful, she's creeping me out. What creeped me out more was that she was slowly walking towards me, like she was inspecting me or something. I was afraid of what could happen next. Finally, just at the side of the bed, she stopped.

The only thing I could hear was her breathing. She didn't do anything at all...until she suddenly pulled me into a hug. Confusion was all I could think about. Why was she hugging me?

She sniffled for a second before speaking up. "Ah th-thought you were a g-goner!" She cried, but silently.

After a few moments, Applejack pulled away from me. There were tears in her eyes. She was crying.

"Are you...are you Applejack?" I asked her.

She looked a little confused through her tears. "What, can't remember one of your friends?"

As much as I didn't want to admit it, I nodded, but explained why. When I woke up, what happened as I went through the hospital, how I got out, and how I got here.

"So...ya can't remember anythin'?" Applejack asked me, sounding heartbroken.

Sadly, I nodded. "No...I'm sorry, Applejack."

She smiled slightly at me, and rested a hoof on my shoulder, making me blush slightly, though she couldn't see it. "T'ain't your fault, partner."

I smiled back at her. Suddenly, her smile slowly faded, but then she asked me something else.

"But...ya know 'bout the dead ponies...right?"

I nodded to her again. "Yeah. I saw tons of them...All over the ground...in the ambulances..."

"No...not those dead ones..."

I looked up. "What do you mean, "Not those dead ones?""

She looked afraid for some reason. Slowly, she sighed. Then she began to explain to me.

"After you ended up in the hospital...somethin'...started goin' around. A flu. But it wasn't any regular flu. Days after it started spreading, there were news reports of dead ponies...risin' up and attacking anythin' and anypony they could get their hooves on. They swarmed Equestria within days. The Royal Guard couldn't even stop them..."

Applejack stopped for a minute before continuing.

"After a few days, ah went outside...hopin' ta find mah friends...there was this one filly...she...she was so young and scared...and defenseless. Ah saw those...monsters...g-grab her...a-a-and..."

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She broke down and began to cry. She covered her face with her hooves and sobbed right there in front of me. I couldn't just stand watching her cry, so I wrapped my forelegs around her, and began to hug her gently and lovingly.

"Don't worry, Applejack...it's okay. Don't cry...please," I whispered to her, trying to calm her down. Eventually, she did. Her cries soon ceased, and she pulled away from me, a faint smile on her face. However, she wasn't done explaining things. She didn't want me to stop her, so I didn't. She simply continued forward.

"Things...things always went from bad to worse once the sun went down. Those who were dead...changed. During the day, all they do is just...limp around...l-like they're hurt or somethin'. But...once night fell...they got...faster...stronger...deadlier...Anypony caught outside at night was...t-torn apart by those...things in a matter of seconds. It spreads quicker then. That...that's why we always keep quiet during the night, and we keep the lights low."

Applejack stopped to catch herself for a moment.

"Yer lucky you woke up and came here when you did...Had you been out any sooner...especially at night...w-well...it's...it's just good that yer okay." Once again, Applejack smiled to me. After a few moments, she got up from where she was sitting.

"Alright. A-Ah think it's time ya got out of bed," she then said to me less shaken. I then proceeded to get off the bed, but then she stopped me.

"Whoa, now. Slowly. Don't forgit, ya got hit pretty hard, partner."

She's right. I need to take it slow after getting hit with a 4 hoof wooden bat. Slowly and gently, I got out of the bed, with Applejack carefully assisting me. All of a sudden, the sharp pain from the side of my stomach erupted once more, and I fell back to the bed. I almost cried from the sheer pain of it. I thought it would've at least stopped hurting after recovering that whole time.

"Thunder? You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply to her, grunting a bit, "I-It's just my wound...don't worry, though. I'm fine."

"Are ya shure?"

"Y-Yeah...don't worry." I looked up to Applejack and smiled faintly. She wasn't sure whether to be worried or not.

"Well...alright. Ya can stay in here for a few more minutes if you want." She then begins to walk out.

"Where're you going?" I ask before she leaves.

"Ah'm gonna help mah granny get dinner ready. You can stay here for now and Ah can come git ya once it's ready."

"No, that's okay. I'm gonna head into the living room with Big Mac and...uh..."

"Apple Bloom?"

"Yeah, Apple Bloom. Hehe," I chuckled, making her giggle, which made me blush yet again. What's with me blushing lately?

Once Applejack leaves the room, I sigh silently, and look at my wound. It's bleeding a little, but it could be worse. By what Applejack told me, I could be a mindless, shambling corpse.

Once the pain stops, I look around to see if my satchel is in here. Luckily, I see it sitting on a table with a few pictures on it. I slowly get up, and this time, there's no pain. I then slowly walk over to the table, grab the satchel, and wrap it around my back. I then look back to the pictures. They're pictures of Applejack, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom. Two of the pictures showed Applejack and Apple Bloom as adorable looking foals.

Another picture showed the three with an older looking mare.

"I assume that's Granny Smith," I say to myself, inspecting the old mare. I looked at the pictures for a few more minutes, before heading out to the living room. When I arrived, Apple Bloom was laying on the floor, coloring something. She looked up and saw me, then smiled.

"Hi, Lightnin'."

"Hey, Apple Bloom."

I sat down in a seat next to her, and asked her, "What're you drawing?"

"A picture of me and mah friends." I felt a little heartbroken. I hope her friends are okay.

"Are your friends...okay?"

"Yep. We managed to get a message from them on our ol' radio."

"Where are they?"

"They're in Baltimare. Mah sister says them Royal Guard ponies put these things called barricades around the city, and ponies from everywhere are stayin' inside there. Mah sister says in a few days, we might be able to leave to go see 'em!" she says quietly, but happily. Then her smile becomes an adorable looking pout, and she sort of picks at the wooden floor with her hoof adorably.

"But...Ah kinda don't wanna leave here. Ah grew up here. It's mah home." She then looked like she was about to cry. I can't see another pony cry again, so I pick her up and hug her.

"Hey, don't worry. Maybe you won't have to leave home. I have an idea. Maybe we can get your friends to come here instead. That way, you won't have to leave." I move her in front of me so she's looking at me.

"Really?" she asks excitedly.

"Maybe. I'll have to ask your sister later on."

"Alrighty then." I then set her down so she can continue coloring, but then she asks me another question.

"Lightnin'?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it true what mah sister said? How you can't remember anythin'?"

"Yes, sadly, it's true," I replied, depressed.

"Will you be able to get your memory back?"

That question didn't really ring into my head until she asked that. Can I get my memory back? I didn't know the answer to that, but all I could reply was, "I hope so, Apple Bloom."

After saying that, I heard Applejack's voice.

"Soup's on, everypony," she says to us.

"C'mon, youngins! Get it while it's hot!" Granny Smith added.

"Finally! Time ta eat!" Apple Bloom said happily.

"Eeyup," Big Mac only said. The three of us headed into the dining room, where there was a pot of soup in the center of the table. We all then sat down, and Applejack opened the pot, allowing steam to pour out. A smell filled my nose. But it smelled familiar.

"Apple Soup?" I asked.

"Yep. Bestest soup we've had." Applejack then took the empty bowl in front of Apple Bloom and filled it with soup. Tiny slices of Apple with liquid was poured into the bowl, which was set back down in front of Apple Bloom, who was going to take a sip of the soup until Applejack stopped her.

"Not until everypony has soup, Apple Bloom," she simply replied.

"Oh, Okay then," Apple Bloom said disappointingly, and looked quite impatient while waiting, licking her lips. Applejack then took my bowl and filled it up with soup, then placed it down back in front of me.

"Before the accident, whenever you came to help me at the farm, Ah invited you to have dinner here. Sometimes we would have Apple Soup. You weren't quite fond of it, until you tried it. Since then, you've always had Apple Soup when you ate. Hehe..."

Eventually, after about a minute, everypony's bowl had soup in it. Applejack then closed the pot and sat down.

"Alright. Dig in, everypony," Applejack said, and everypony at the table began to eat...or drink...or both.

I looked at the soup. It had only chunks of apple in it, with what looked like apple cider.

"Lightnin'," I heard Applejack say to me.

"Huh? What?" I replied.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Still just a bit dazed. Heh," I chuckled a little nervously. Slowly, I picked up my spoon, collected some of the cider looking soup with a small chunk of apple in it, and put it in my mouth. After swallowing the soup and apple chunk, I smiled in delight from the taste, and had more of the soup.

"Heh. Looks like you still enjoy it," Applejack said to me, causing me to chuckle.

About a half hour later, Big Mac and Apple Bloom were sitting in the living room, while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith washed the bowls out. I walked into the kitchen. Applejack saw me and smiled.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey. Hey, Granny Smith."

"Why, hello there, sonny."

Applejack looked to her grandmother and asked, "Granny, why don't you go on into the living room to rest?"

She then looked to me. "Lightnin', you don't mind if you help me, do ya?"

I blushed slightly, and not knowing it, my wings sort of...opened up for some reason. "I'd be glad to."

"Heh. Ah see that," she replied, giggling. What did she mean? I then look to the sides of me. I saw my opened, stiff wings, and blushed, causing Applejack to giggle again.

"Well, Ah'll leave you two lovebirds alone in here then," Granny Smith replied to us, which ended up making Applejack blush deeply.

"Granny!" Applejack said, embarrassed. All Granny Smith did was chuckle, and she walked out of the kitchen to the living room. Once she left, I walked over to the exact spot she was standing in. I grabbed a random bowl and placed it into the huge bucket that was in the sink. Since there was no power, they couldn't use the sinks, so the bucket is the closest thing to a sink, I suppose.

As I was cleaning the dishes, I noticed at the corner of my eye, Applejack was looking at me, but once she saw me looking back, she looked back to the dishes. I could even see her faintly blushing.

I simply shrugged and continued to clean the dishes. A few minutes later, Applejack and I were in the living room, sitting down by a dim lantern that gave the room a faint glow. The other three had gone off to bed. For the past few minutes, it was nearly silent despite the crickets chirping. Occasionally, the two of us glanced at each other every now and then. Finally, after around five minutes, I spoke up.

"So...about Baltimare..." I began, but quietly.

"Yeah?" Applejack replied.

"Well...Apple Bloom talked to me about that, and...she said she didn't want to leave here. She said it's where she was born, where she was raised."

"Ah know...but her friends are there. Wouldn't she want ta see them again?"

"Wouldn't you want to stay at the place you were born and grew up at?" I replied.

Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and closed it, looking a bit depressed.

"Ya gotta point," she quietly says, "plus, we do have a food supply, literally an endless one."

It was silent again for a few moments, before I spoke up again. "...so?"

Applejack looked to the floor for a few moments, thinking the whole problem through. Finally, she looked up.

"Ah...Ah don't know. We might have an endless food supply, but they have better protection. Plus, there's another problem..."

"What is it?"

She looked up and pointed upstairs. "There's not enough bedrooms. We only got beds for me, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith. What about the others?"

She's right, I guess. I then began to think of a place they could stay. That was when I looked outside, to the barn. I smiled.

"How about the barn? I think it'd be big enough to hold...uh, how many ponies?"

"Eleven. The 5 girls, Apple Bloom's friends, the Wonderbolts, and Shining Armor."

Wonderbolts? How come I've heard that name before...doesn't matter.

"So what do we do?" I asked her.

"Well...we can-"

Suddenly, we heard a strange noise not that far. It sounded like a static noise, like from a radio. That was when Applejack and I looked to the radio on the coffee table. It was on.

"A-a-ck," a voice said on the radio. It was broken up, however, like its signal wasn't strong.

Quickly, Applejack got to the radio, picked up the communicator on it, and pressed the button.

"Hello? Who is this?"

After a few seconds, we just heard static. Finally, a voice spoke.

"Applejack!" The voice cried.

"Twilight! Is that you?" Applejack replied.

"Yes....m...h..p...s..." the voice replied, breaking up again.

"Twilight, are ya okay? What's wrong?" Applejack asked, worried. Even though I didn't know Twilight, I, too, was worried.

"Balti...ru...bi..." the voice became more and more broken up, only saying fragments of words, but the one word I could partially understand was "Baltimare".

"What about Baltimare?"

Static.

"Twilight? Hello? Twilight!"

Still, nopony replied. The radio was just static once more. Applejack and I waited and waited for a response, but it never came. Finally, after a few minutes, Applejack flicked the switch to the radio and turned it off. For the first few moments, it was complete, utter silence.

That was, until Applejack began to sob.

Applejack dropped down onto the floor, her back against the wall, and began to just cry with her face in her hooves. I looked down to see her weeping silently, as to not wake the others.

I then sat down next to her and looked at her. Finally, I wrapped my forelegs around her and hugged her gently.

"Hey..." I whispered in her ear. "It's okay...don't cry...please..."

I knew she was worried about them. Of course, they were her best friends. Why wouldn't she be worried about them? And even though I don't really know them yet, I'm worried about them too.

"Don't worry...they're fine....okay?" I kept whispering to her, slowly rubbing her back with a hoof, trying to calm her down.

Slowly, it began to work. Finally, her cries ceased until they were sniffles. I pulled away from her enough to see her face. It had tears dripping down. Gently, I began to wipe away the tears with my hoof.

"How?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"How will we know...? We're right here, and they're all the way over there! How do we know they're safe?"

She's right. How will we know if they are okay? I could...no. It'd be risky. I'm not sure she'd agree with it at all.

...But...there's no harm in suggesting.

"I...I can go there. Check it out."

Right after I said that, Applejack looked up to me, her eyes with an extremely confused look to them, observing me like I was some sort of strange creature from another world.

"Y...Yer crazy. It's dangerous out there. Ya might not come back!" She replied very worriedly.

"It may be dangerous...but it's worth a shot...right?"

"N-No. Ah've finally seen ya fer the first time in a month, and Ah'm not gonna let cha go back out there and get eaten! Please, don't do this! It's crazy!" She nearly yelled, but not too loud to wake anypony up. By then, tears were falling down her face again.

"Applejack...if nopony goes there, we'll never know. And if I don't go there, who will? The others need you to look after them, Apple Bloom's too young, Granny Smith's definitely out of the question, and Big Mac probably won't dare to leave this place, and that leaves me. I know I've been out of the loop for a while, but I want to do anything I can now. And now, I want to help my friends."

Applejack then became silent, not moving. Her face that showed she was in deep thought came back. She wouldn't look up at me for a few moments. Even her loud breathing went silent. Soon enough, however, she finally looked up to me, and I waited for her answer.

"O...Okay..."

That was when the tears in her eyes began to form again. Once more, I simply brushed them off.

"Hey, hey...don't worry. I'll be okay. If I was lucky enough to go through Ponyville without becoming one of them...and meeting...you..." I blushed, and this time, Applejack could see it, making her giggle silently.

"...Alright, then..." Applejack replied. I smiled and wrapped my forelegs around her once more. As I was hugging her, I slowly brushed her mane with my hoof. It felt silky, like a blanket. It was amazing. Slowly, I lowered my hoof down her mane to the bun.

"Y'all can let it down, if ya want," she whispered.

I blushed again, but listening to her, I took the bun out of her mane, letting it flow down freely. I slowly pulled away to get a look at her. I nearly fainted at the sight.

"Y...you l-look...beautiful," I said to her, causing her to blush.

Just then, at that moment...something happened. I don't know what it was, or how it happened...but the next thing I knew, my lips were perfectly against Applejack's. I was kissing her. Suddenly, I pulled away from her, blushing deeply, and my wings popped out like before.

"I...uh..." I was completely speechless, and so was she.

We both just stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but it was only a few minutes. We just continued to stare...

...that was, until Applejack kissed me back. It completely took me by surprise. Slowly, however, I gave into it, and slowly wrapped my forelegs around her, holding her as we embraced in a passionate moment, which seemed to have escalated very quickly.

Just then, I could see one of her hooves reach for one of my stiff wings. I don't know why she was reaching for my wing, until a sudden burst of pleasure sparked through me. And another burst. And another, and another, and another. I looked to my wing to see Applejack stroking it.

"I-I uh...h-hah...Applej-..." I couldn't seem to speak normal. The pleasure was literally coarsing through my body. This was completely new to me. I never knew you could get pleasure from your wing being stroked. Well, maybe I did before...you know, the accident and all.

"Applejack?" A voice called out, and we instantly stopped what we were doing and looked to the doorway to see Apple Bloom standing there, rubbing one of her eyes in a cute way.

"U-Uh, Apple Bloom! What're you doin' awake at this time?" Applejack asked.

"Ah was wonderin' if y'all were still awake. What're you doin' with Lightnin'?"

Quickly, Applejack had made an excuse.

"Ah was just, uh...teachin' him how ta kiss!" Applejack then smiled sheepishly.

"R-Real good, that is," I replied, sort of correcting Applejack's lie, which made her blush faintly.

"Well, what was she doin' to yer wing?" She then asked.

"Oh. Well, when Big Mac hit me, and I fell on the ground...I kinda...fell on my wing. She was...massaging it. You know, trying to make it feel better!"

I then somehow bent my wing a little to make it look more like it was broken to convince Apple Bloom.

"Yep! Just massagin' it!" Applejack replied, putting her hooves back onto my wings, and I tried to sound like it was painful, but feeling good at the same time.

"O...kai...W-Well...G'night, Applejack. G'night, Lightnin'," Apple Bloom replied, convinced, then headed back to her bedroom.

We waited until we heard the closing of a door upstairs. Then we sighed in relief. Applejack then looked at the clock which read "11:26 pm".

"Whelp, we best get ta sleep right now if yer gonna head on out in the mornin'."

"Huh?" I asked, confused for a moment, until I realized I was headed to Baltimare tomorrow.

"Oh, right! Right. So, uh...where do I sleep?" I asked.

"Well, y'all can sleep with me, if y'all wanna."

That was when my wings sprung open again, and I blushed deeply once more.

"Um...sure," I replied. Applejack giggled at my wings and blushed, then she began to walk up the stairs to her bedroom. I followed her up to it. When I reached it, she was laying down on one side of the bed. Slowly, I walked up to the bed and got inside, laying directly next to Applejack. Once I was fully in the bed, I turned and looked at her. She was staring back at me with those gorgeous eyes.

It's funny, I wake up in a hospital, with no memory of anything from before, and now I'm in a bed with Applejack. This escalated very fast.

"Are ya..." Applejack began quietly. "Are ya shure ya wanna head up there?"

"They're our friends, aren't they? Of course I want to head up there. I don't want to leave you guys...I really don't...But after some of the things I've seen today, I want to do all I can and help," I replied.

That made Applejack smile.

"Well...if this is gon' be yer last night here for a while..." She then put her face right in front of mine.

"Ah'll make sure it's a good one," she finished rather seductively. Finally, she placed her lips onto mine again, causing me to give in once more to the kiss. Throughout the night, we kissed and cuddled...and did something even more beautiful...all without making a noise to disturb the peace of the night.

The next morning...

It was early in the morning when I had awoken. It was a bit blurry, but I began to remember everything that happened last night. Every single bit of it. It was incredible. As I remembered, I felt something squirming slightly between my forelegs. I looked to see that Applejack was held in my forelegs, sleeping soundly and peacefully. Dear Celestia, she looks so beautiful. It's quite odd how we managed to make no noise during our little event last night, but it was a good thing.

Slowly, I could see Applejack awaken to turn her head to me.

"H-Howdy, partner," she said tiredly, causing me to chuckle a bit.

"Hey...sleep soundly?" I replied and asked.

"Yep." She then smiled at me, warming my heart. Slowly, I reached in and kissed her once more, and she gladly accepted it. We did this for a few minutes before heading downstairs to make breakfast. Together.

By noon, when the sun was highest in the sky, Applejack led me to the barn for something she said was important for my journey.

"What did you want to show me?" I asked her.

She didn't answer me until we reached the barn door. She opened it, and what was inside was not quite what you would expect to see on an apple farm. It was a wagon. But it wasn't just any wagon. It was an electric wagon, powered by an engine that could propel it forward just by stepping on a pedal on the inside.

"How long have you had this?" I asked.

"Few months. We got it before everything went to Tartarus. Haven't found a mighty good reason ta use it. Guess since yer headin' up there, guess it'd be a good time as any," she replied, opening the driver's door of the wagon.

I looked inside the wagon, which contained a steering wheel and a pedal. There was also a compartment above the driver's seat for the keys to start the ignition. I looked inside the compartment. The keys were there.

"Lightnin'?" I heard Applejack speak from behind me, and I turned back to her.

"Yeah?"

"Uh...Can ya...Can ya please promise not to forget me while you're there?"

"Applejack...I'm heading there for you and Apple Bloom. I'm definitely not going to forget you anytime soon."

Hearing the response made Applejack smile, then the smile slowly faded after a few moments.

"W-Well...Just in case...Ah..." She paused for a moment. In that moment, her hooves reached upward, up to her hat. She clutched it with her hooves and slowly removed it from her head, finally holding it towards me.

"Ah want you to take mah hat."

"What?" Slowly, I grabbed the had from her clutches, examining its detail.

"Are you sure? I mean, last night, you said you and this hat are literally inseparable."

"Ah know...But Ah...Ah just want you to keep it...to...you know...remember me a little bit more." Applejack blushed heavily, also smiling.

I was still having a tough time wondering if I should take something Applejack's worn for maybe years. Examining it, I could see the initials A.J. embedded within its material. I stood for a few moments, looking at the hat. After what seemed like forever, I finally came to an answer.

"Okay." Slowly, I placed the hat onto my head. Perfect fit, and a comfy one too. Suddenly, Applejack walked up to me and hugged me, and I gladly accepted. We just sat there, hugging each other for a few moments before we separated. We then stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before we pulled each other again into a final kiss. I knew that this would be the last kiss we would share for a while, so I savored every moment of it.

During the kiss, I slowly and gently pushed my tongue into Applejack's mouth. She was bit surprised for a moment, but then accepted the foreign object. She then placed her tongue into my mouth, and I gladly accepted it. As we kissed, our tongues danced around in each other's mouth, twisting and twirling in bliss. The action had actually made Applejack moan, a soothing tone to my ears.

Eventually, we pulled away from each other, leaving a trail of saliva between us. Eventually, that trail split. Once we stopped kissing, we began to take breaths, as the kiss had taken some energy out of us.

Once we caught our breath, Applejack looked up to me.

"Stay safe...please?" She asked me.

"I will...I promise," I replied. I then got into the wagon and was about to shut the door when Applejack spoke three meaningful words to me.

"Ah love you."

My heart stopped. I then smiled and looked back to her.

"I...I love you too, Jackie," I replied with a nickname for her, which she liked, knowing by her smile. I then closed the door of the wagon, placed the keys into the ignition, and turned it on. It purred like a beauty.

Slowly, I placed my right hind leg on the pedal below, and the wagon began to move forward. Eventually, I reached the entrance gate, which Big Mac had opened up. I waved to him, and he waved back. The wagon then exited the gate. Once it did, I turned the wheel to the right, heading towards Ponyville. Before I leave...there's just one more thing I need to do.

Eventually, I found myself back in Ponyville, at the town square. I exited the wagon, and began to walk to the grass patch from yesterday. The body of the mare was still there, decaying like it had been for a month.

The moment I closed the door of the wagon, the mare's head slowly looked up to me, and began to snarl once more.

I slowly began to walk towards the mare, who was beginning to crawl to me. I looked around me. On the ground, I found a hoof long knife. I slowly picked it up and looked to the mare.

"Graaagh!" She growled at me.

I just stared, a tear slowly falling down my face. Slowly, I raised the knife. But before I did this, I looked intently at the mare. Even though she was in a horrible state of decay, she still looked beautiful. I assumed she looked even prettier when she was living.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you..." I said to the mare. With one swing downward, I dove the blade into the mare's skull. There was a growl and snarl for only a few seconds, then it was silent. It was over. The mare's undead life was over.

Once it was done, I pulled the knife out. I then wiped the tear away from my eye and headed back to the wagon, not looking back at the mare. Once I was back inside, I began to drive once more to the road on the opposite side of Ponyville. Eventually, within a few minutes, Ponyville was at the horizon, far from me. In my rearview mirror, I took one last glance at Sweet Apple Acres, before it disappeared from sight.

I sighed in sadness, knowing I was leaving Applejack behind. Like I said before, it's funny how I wake up in a hospital with no memory, and by the end of the day, I'm in bed with Applejack. And now...I'm leaving her. Just knowing that made the funny dim quickly.

I know I might get killed on this mission...but for Celestia and Applejack's sake, I'll try my hardest to make sure that doesn't happen...no...I'll make damn sure it won't happen...

2:42 pm

City of Baltimare

With the help of the so called GPS I had recently turned on, and after hours of listening to nothing but the sound of the tires rolling on the dirt roads below, I began to see something on the horizon. It wasn't an illusion or anything like that. No...it was a city. An enormous city, hundreds of buildings, side by side.

"Baltimare," I said to myself.

I was amazed by the sheer size of it. There were countless buildings bunched up all together, some connected in the middle. I was curious to know what was going on inside that city. Maybe nothing happened at all. Maybe radio transmission was weak. Still, I'm not going to stop until I get there, especially if my friends are here.

But as I got closer to the city, I began to see what looked like smoke rise from one of the buildings. Maybe there's some kind of smokestack on top?

...Now I feel stupid...

A few minutes later, I was inside the city...but it was far from what I imagined. Inside the city, it looked just like Ponyville: Crashed carriages and wagons, dead bodies, and papers and clothing everywhere...

I then stopped for a moment to inspect the bodies. These bodies weren't like the mare at the town square, or the stallion at the hospital. These bodies weren't badly decomposed. They were fresh, about maybe a day or two. As I got closer to inspect them, I noticed several bite marks and most of their body torn apart. I now knew what happened to Baltimare...

"Biters."

Suddenly, the wagon pushed slightly to the left. I looked to the right side to see a biter standing there, banging on the passenger door, trying to get in. In fear, I stomped on the pedal...but the wagon didn't move. I stepped on the pedal again. Once more, the wagon didn't budge, other than the biter moving it. Again and again, I pressed it, but nothing happened.

I looked around in the wagon to see if anything was the problem. I found it right behind the wheel. It was a meter. A meter for gas. The arrow pointed at the letter E on the meter.

I was out of gas.

"You've gotta be shitting me," I said to myself. Suddenly, the wagon pushed further to the left. I looked to the right to see a few more biters pushing against the wagon. That was when I looked in front of me. My eyes widened in complete horror. There was a horde of these things slowly shambling towards the vehicle.

Once they reached the wagon, they pushed it with enough force to send it tumbling onto its side. I slammed into the window of the left door, causing the glass to shatter from the impact, but I was spared being stabbed by the glass.

I then looked around the sideways car. There were biters swarming it. I couldn't tell how many. That's how many there were. They showed no emotion but anger. They just snarled and yelled at me through the windows.I knew that within a few moments, they would break the windows, barge in, and kill me...or worse...turn me into one of them.

No...this can't be happening. Not too quickly. This is too soon. I promised Applejack I'd be safe...that I'd be careful...

I...I failed her.

I knew there was no way out of this. So I began to reach for the knife in my satchel. Once I grabbed it, I slowly brought it up to my neck.

"Applejack...I'm so sorry." A tear fell from my face. I was not ready to end my life so soon, but I had to do it...or else they'd do it for me.

Bang!

Suddenly, the banging of the wagon ceased. The biters all seemed to stop once they heard the noise. What was that? It sounded like a loud boom.

A few moments later, the biters began to just...pass right by the wagon, like they had completely forgotten about me, like I was invisible to them. Eventually, they were gone from sight, following the noise. I was completely frozen for a few moments. I would've died right there, right then, but that mysterious noise saved me.

"Hey!" a voice rang, which brought me out of my daze. I looked around to see where it came from.

"You! In the sideways wagon! What're you doing? Get out of there, now! Before they come back!" I looked up to see a radio similar to Applejack's radio, placed next to the steering wheel of the wagon. I picked up the communicator, pressed the button, and spoke into it.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Dumbass, did you hear me?! GET. OUT. NOW!!"

END OF EPISODE 1.