Whispering Zero, City of the Dead

Chapters

Surviving
Close Encounter
Hoard
Friendly Foe
Rest
Family
Left Behind
Promise of Reunion
Little Secrets
Kara

Surviving

"Day. Lost count. Year? No longer matters. Hour... Sunrise.... So about six a.m. Season? I've lost track..." A unicorn sits in an empty room, parchment and a quill in front of her, her horn glows ice blue as she uses the quill to write. The unicorn is magenta, her muzzle and legs a light blue. Her mane and tail are short, coloured a midnight blue with lighter streaks running through it. Her aqua green eyes quickly glance out the window, noting the rising sun before going back to writing.

"We've been at this longer then I care to remember.... Everyday is a struggle to survive. The dome around the city is doing it's job, keeping the zombie ponies in the city. The pendants I made for my sister and I... They've worked. We're immune to the zombies, thanks to the pendants. As long as we have them, we'll be alright, unless one of the zombies manage to kill us. I'm lucky, knowing my sister's special talent. It's helped us, guided us this far. But it's only a matter of time before we both meet our ends. I just hope my little sister lives longer then I. If anypony finds this, my name is Spellspark, a unicorn born and raised in this city. My sister is Whisper, a pegasus born and raised in the city, as well. How this started, I do not know. My spells and my sister's talent are the only things that keep us alive. Everypony else is either dead... or a zombie. We've survived this long... I just hope we can survive long enough to figure out how to leave without taking down the dome."

The unicorn takes the quill, putting it in her backpack, leaving the note on the desk. She turns to the grey pegasus sleeping soundly on the floor. She walks over to the sleeping pony, gentle shaking her before tugging gently on the dark blue sweater that she wore. "Whisper! Time to get up, the sun's rising!"

The pegasus mutters a bit, pulling herself into a sitting position. Spellspark giggles a bit. "Sis, your mane! You've got really bad bed-head!"

"Mm?" Whisper blinks, getting up and walking to a shattered mirror, looking at her reflection, her long pure white mane sticking up in all directions. "Whoa."

Spellspark chuckles. "Here." Her horn glows ice blue, a brush comes out of her bag, she sits near her sister as she begins to brush her mane. "Honestly, little sis. How can you get your mane this tangled just by sleeping?"

Whisper mutters, her light blue eyes showing that she's still half-asleep. "Shut up, Spell."

Spellspark smiles. "Wake up sleepy-head! There's a lot to do and only a little time to do it!"

Whisper yawns, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I know, I know. Gather supplies, see if we can find any other survivors, and just try to survive."

"Good girl." Spellspark finishes brushing Whisper's mane, as she gathers up what she'll need and grabs a gun. "I'm just thankful the shelter we have is so high up. The zombies can't reach us here."

Whisper nods. "Yeah."

The shelter they had found was a cloud house. Whisper could easily fly to it, while Spellspark could teleport to it, having to remind herself to recast the spell that allows her to walk on clouds every few days. Spellspark looks to Whisper. "Ready, sis?"

Whisper grab a sheathed sword, attaching it to her side, giving a nod. "Yup."

They walk to the cloud's edge, looking down below. Below them was a city, destroyed and crumbling. Ponies slowly walked below them, though something seemed off about them. Spellspark looks to Whisper. "There's a whole hoard right below us. Anything of note?"

Whisper closes her eyes, straining her ears. The sounds she picks up are mixed words, many voice talking together, though it is all jumbled in a confused gibberish, She opens her eyes, shaking her head. "Same idiocy as always."

Spellspark nods, looking down again. "Right. You know what to do?"

"Soar through the air and look for any survivors, or anything that we could use. Grab it when I see it."

"Yes, and I'll so the same, but from the ground. Ready?"

Whisper grins. "I was born ready."

Spellspark nods, teleporting herself down below. Whisper spreads out her wings, immediately taking to the air. She could feel the wind rush past her face as she flew, the feeling soothing. She soared through the air, looking down below to the city. She perked her ears to hear the noises below, the voices that were brought to her were still confused gibberish. She sighs, letting her mind wander a bit. Why can't zombies be smart? Tell me something useful instead of the same idiocy? She thought.

Being able to understand other creatures is useful, sure, but this is just boring. She lands lightly on one of the rooftops, making sure it was clear before she landed. She sighs. Why do I have to be trapped here? She looks down at the wandering mass of zombies. Some of them looked disfigured, others just looked... Weird. Whispers body freezes up a bit as she hears weeping, the sound coming closer and closer. She spreads her wings, quickly taking to the sky and hiding on one of the clouds. She looks down, a pale pony come into view, her long pale mane covering her face, the crying sounds coming from it. Whisper tenses. Witch! She flattens herself against the cloud. Wait until it leaves... Wait until it leaves... The weeping fades, Whisper lifts her head to look at the roof. The witch had left. Whisper lets out a sigh of relief, taking to the sky again. Thank goodness... She darts off, keeping a close eye on the city. I don't want to run into one of those..... She runs her hoof along the scar just beneath her left eye, letting out a small sigh. Not again.

Author's Note

"My Little Hunter: Zombies Are Magic" is a temporary title until I can think of something else. I welcome suggestions!

Close Encounter

Whisper glides through the air, her ears strained to listen to the sound below her while her eyes are fixed on the city itself. She takes a deep breath. Alright... Witch was really close, But I didn't startle it! Gotta shake it off.... Whisper lands on one of the metal bars on a radio tower, up near the top of it. She lifts her hoof up to her chest, taking in a breath as she does. She moves her hoof away from her, letting out a breath as she does. It's just a zombie.... Just a thing that you can kill... Damn, I can't let my fear get to me like this! She spreads out her wings, letting what little wind there was brush through her feathers. Stay calm.... Stay calm..... Whisper takes a deep breath, once again taking to the air.

Whisper keeps her eyes on the city, watching the zombies below her. She blinks, looking at one of the towering buildings. She flies to the window. A few boxes are in the room in front of her, though a few zombies lurked near it. Whisper smirks. Bingo! Unopened boxes! She flies to the roof, quietly landing on her hooves. She walks to the door leading into the building, carefully opening it. She lets out a small sigh of relief, the door made no noise as she opened it. Carefully, she grabs the hilt of her sword in her mouth, unsheathing it. She looks down the stairs leading to the roof, no zombie occupied this area. As quietly as she could, Whisper walked down the stairs into the building.

She crept into the hall, noticing the elevator door was wide open. She went to the edge of the floor, looking down the elevator shaft. The wires that once held the elevator had snapped, the elevator mostly likely destroyed somewhere at the bottom at the shaft. Whisper spreads her wings, carefully flying down the shaft. Eleventh floor.... Eleventh floor..... She watched the numbers on the shaft doors decrease until she reached the correct floor. Her ears drooped a bit as an annoyed look came onto her face. The door is closed..... Great..... She sheathes her sword, putting her hoofs against the small crack in the door. This is gonna cause a lot of fucking noise. She pushes with all her strength. The loud screeching sound of the door as it opened echoed through the shaft. Her ear twitched as the sound of zombies grew closer to the shaft from above. Damn it! Just a little more! She opens it just enough for her to squeeze through. Whisper enters the room, quickly closing the door again behind her, grabbing a large desk and shoving it in front of the elevator, gasping for breath. Her eyes widen and her ears go flat as she hears the zombies clawing at the door from the other side. Shit! Gotta move fast!

Whisper quickly unsheathes her sword, quickly flying to the room she had seen the supplies in. She stops short, seeing a few zombies in front of her, landing quickly on the ground. Her gaze hardens and her eyes narrow. Three... Normal infected. Shouldn't be too difficult. She puts a hoof in front of her, letting out a breath, she walks into the room.

The first of the zombies noticed her, it immediately comes after her. Whisper spreads her wings, getting quickly into the air, the zombie running right past her. She kicks its head, causing it to fall over. As it starts to get back up, Whisper rams her sword into it's head, the blow from it sending some of its blood flying. Whisper cringes a bit as some of the blood ends up on her. Yuck! Damn! Zombie blood all over my face! She lets out a yipe as the next zombie tackles her to the floor. The zombie claws at her hind leg. "GAH!" Whisper lets out a scream as the zombie digs it's claws into her leg, blood now seeping from it. She bucks with her uninjured leg, sliding it off far enough for her to kick it in the face. The zombie growls, Whisper takes to the air, the zombie falling off her legs. She dives down, cutting off its head with her sword. The growl from the third zombie alerted her, she looks at it, just noticing it running straight towards her. She flies up, flattening herself against the ceiling. The zombies runs past her, shattering the window and falling out of the building. Whisper smirks, landing on the ground, though wincing when she puts weight on her injured leg. She flies back up again, deciding to remain in the air.

Whisper flies to the boxes, using the tip of her sword to cut them open. She sheathes her weapon, rolling up the bottom of her sweater to reveal a hidden satchel that she had slung around her shoulders. Quickly, she fills the satchel with the supplies in the boxes, Med kits, water, and some food that had been stored here. Once finished, she closes her satchel, rolling her sweater back down again. She looks down the hall she had come from. Can't go back that way.... Too many zombies.... She looks at the broken window the zombie had crashed into. Well, I suppose that exit will have to do! Whisper flies out, flying up so she can get above the city.

Something wraps around Whisper's waist, causing her stop in the air. What the- Whatever had grabbed her, was now wrapping around the rest of her upper body, forcing her wings against her back and rendering her front hooves useless. She's pulled back, slamming against the side of the building, now hanging upside down. She was being pulled up, a putrid scent hitting her nose. Glk.... Smoker..... Uuugh... I feel like I'm going to throw up.... The smoker pulls Whisper upward, hanging her in front of it for a few seconds. Whisper kicks the smoker, hitting it in the head. The smoker lets out a roar, releasing Whisper from its grip. Whisper immediately flies as fast as she can back to the home she had made in the cloud house.

Whisper sits on the cloud just outside of the cloud house, bandaging her wounded leg. She ties the ends of the bandages in a knot, making sure its nice and tight. She walks into the house, taking off her sword and setting it down. "I'M BACK!"

Spellspark walks down the stairs leading up to the second floor, giving a smile when she sees her sister. "Welcome back! Find anything good?"

Whisper takes off her sweater, placing down on the floor before pulling off the satchel. "Some water, a few med packs, and some food." She sets the satchel on a nearby chair. "I'm going for a shower."

"Long day?"

Whisper walks toward the bathroom. "I had a fucking smoker wrap its fucking tongue around my body."

Spellspark giggles a bit. "Maybe it liked you."

Whisper rolls her eyes. "No. It was fucking disgusting."

Spellspark smirks. "You suuuuuuure?"

Whisper glares at her sister. "I'm going to kill you if you don't stop."

Spellspark chuckles. "Alright, alright. Go have your shower."

Whisper walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She walks into the shower, pulling over the curtain and turning on the water. She lets out a breath as the water hit her, the streams comforting. At least I can relax for the rest of the day....

Author's Note

Have a picture of Spellspark!

Hoard

Whisper awoke to her sister shaking her awake. "Wake up! It's almost sunrise!" Whisper groaned, pulling the blanket she had over her head. "Just a few more minutes...." She felt the blanket being flung off her, she looked up to see her sister looking back at her. Spellspark's horn glows as she picks up Whisper with her magic, and because of how Whisper had been laying down, she was floating upside down. Spellspark looks straight at her sister. "Up. Now."

Whisper muttered, stretching out her legs. "Fine. Put me down, I'm getting dizzy."

Spellspark flipped Whisper over, putting her down on the her hooves. Whisper yawns, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Spellspark pick up her gun, putting it in the holster attached to her waist. "I'm going out, I'll let you wake up a bit before you head out." With that, she teleports away.

Whisper lets out a breath, sitting down. She looks out the window, the sun starting to come up over the horizon. She looks down at her injured leg. The bandages that she had wrapped around it were now blood soaked. She sighs. I should change the bandage... Whisper glides to her satchel, digging through it and pulling out some more bandages. She unwraps the bandages around her leg, tossing them aside, Taking the clean bandages, she carefully covers her wound, making sure the bandages are wrapped tightly around her leg. She grabs she sword, attaching it to her side and slinging her satchel around her shoulders. Walking to the edge of the cloud home, she spreads her wings, taking flight. She glides through the air, she eyes fixed on the city below. Right, now where was that building? There was more supplies in it...

Whisper grins as she spot the shattered window. Bingo! She lands in the building, careful not to touch the broken glass. Whisper walks over to the remaining boxes, taking her sword in her mouth and slashing the sides open. It's contents spill onto the floor, med kits, and some food and water. She immediately begins fill her satchel, putting in as much as she can carry.

She twitches her ear as a sound comes closer. She quickly closes her satchel, quietly stepping her way back to the window. She freezes when she hears the sound of glass cracking underneath her hoof. She looks to the door, her eyes widening as a hoard of infected rush towards her, a Tank at its head. "Shit!" She darts into the air, flattening herself against the ceiling. The tank rushes past her, the hoard attempting to reach her. She darts through the building, the window blocked by the infected.

Whisper darts up the stairs, getting to the roof as fast as she can. She flies up high above the hoard, so they can't reach her. The hoard spills out on the roof, Whisper grins, sticking her toungue out at them. "HA! Can't get me now!" She blinks, watching the Tank pull up a piece of the roof. She groans. "You've GOT to be kidding!" The Tank tosses the piece of the roof, Whispers eyes widen as she darts away to avoid it. As she begins to move away, something slams into her side, sending her crashing onto a roof that was nearby. She can only see a blurred figure, before darkness engulfs her.

"Daddy! Wait for me!" A grey pegasus filly runs across a grassy field, her pure white mane blowing behind her, her light blue eyes fixed on the black unicorn colt in front of her. The black colt glances his green eyes to the filly behind him, his short pure white mane blowing gently in the breeze. He takes a few steps forward. "Keep up, don't fall behind!"

"Daddy! Wait!" The filly runs to try to catch up to him, tripping on a rock and falling forward. Tears form in her eyes as the pain from the fall sets in, she sits up. She blinks as she feels herself being picked up. The colt's horn glows red as he picks up the filly with his magic, placing her on his back. He begins to walk. "A small fall shouldn't brings tears to your eyes. You need to be strong, Whispering Wind. You can't always rely on others to help you."

The filly lowers her ears, looking down. The colt glances at her, letting out a sigh. "We won't always be here for you. You need to be strong, if not for yourself, then for your sister."

The filly sniffs, wiping the tears from her eyes. "O-okay..."

The colt smiles. "Good girl. Now, let's so find your mother and sister."

Friendly Foe

Whisper blinks her eyes open as light filter in through the window. She puts her hoof to her head, looking around. Her vision was blurred, her head pounding. Whisper rubs her eyes, blinking until her vision returned to normal. The room around her seemed to be a bedroom, it was quite large, the large windows letting in the sunlight. The bed she was laying on was in the middle of the room, pushed back against the wall. Two end tables stood beside both sides of the bed, a lamp on each. What she guessed was a closet was near the far end of the room, a door at the other end. Whisper looks around. It's quite.... Clean. That's..... Surprising. It's weird. She quietly gets up, wincing a bit as she puts weight on her hind leg. She sits, looking over her wound. Fresh bandages are wrapped around her leg, covering the wound. She blinks, taking another look around. Did.... Did somepony help me...?

Whisper carefully stands, keep as little weight off her leg as possible. Her ears perk as hoovesteps are heard coming from outside the room. She carefully makes her way to the door, opening it a crack. Her eyes widen as a hunter stands outside, the hood of its hoodie pulled up to cover its face, the sun shining on its mahogany coloured coat. She slowly takes a few steps away from the door. Did whoever helped me turn into a fucking zombie!? She lets out a gasp as its gaze turns to her, locking onto her. It begins to walk toward her, Whisper's breath becomes hoarse as she quickly looks for an escape. Noting the open window, she darts toward, attempting to take flight. Though she becomes airborne, she crashes down to the floor. She stand ups, now realizing the pain shooting through her right wing and the bandages around it. Panic strikes her, as she has no way out and the hunter is getting closer to her. She attempts to run to the window, falling over as she puts to much weight on her injured leg. She shuts her eyes tight, tears running down her cheeks as her fear begins to set in. She could only pray that however it killed her, it did it quickly.

Silence filled the room, for what seemed like hours. Whisper felt something nudging her. Allowing whatever it was to have its way, it nudged her up so she was now sitting. She listened as hoovesteps walked around her so it was in front of her. She could feel somepony nudging her lightly with their muzzle, whoever it was seemed to be trying to comfort her. The pony pulls away, Whisper open her eyes. The hunter sat in front of her. It had pulled down its hood to reveal its face. Its mane was medium length, coloured pitch black. Its eyes were pure yellow, it had no iris, no pupils, just pure yellow eyes. Whisper blinks. "Wh-what....."

The hunter lifts up its hoof, wiping the tears away from her eyes, giving a comforting smile. Whisper's eyes widen, realizing that in its own way, it was telling her not to be afraid. Whisper covers her mouth with her hoof. Did.... Did this hunter help me!?!!?! Whisper clears her throat, attempting not to sound frightened, even though she was terrified. "Did... Did you help me..?"

The hunter gives a nod. Whisper blinks, tilting her head at the hunter. This one seems to understand me. Or its the first one to actually listen to me. She slowly rises, taking a few steps forward to get a better look at the hunter. From the looks of it, the hunter was a stallion, just a bit older than her. The hunter tilts his head as she studies him. Whisper sits down, fear now replaced with confusion. "So you helped me.... Looked after me.... But for what purpose?"

The hunter stands there for a few moments before going and closing the door, turning to look back at Whisper. Whisper sighs. Alright, he still can't talk. Whisper moves to the bed, laying down to let her injured leg rest. The hunter walks to the edge of the bed, looking over Whisper's wounds. Whisper lets out a breath as he does so. "I'm going have to call you something.... I can't be calling you "Hunter" all the time."

The hunter looks at her, tilting his head. Whisper thinks for a moment. "How about I call you Zero?"

The hunter sits down, opening his mouth. "Z... Z... Ze... ro....... Zero......" He smiles. "Zero!"

Whisper's eyes widen in surprise. Did... Did he just.... talk!? "Say it again!"

"Zero! Zero!" The hunter motions to himself. "Zero!"

Whisper smiles. "Yes! That's your name!"

Zero grins, looking to Whisper. His eyes asking "What's your name?"

Whisper motions to herself. "I'm Whispering Wind. Or Whisper. Whisper."

Zero tilts his head a bit. "W... Whi.... Whisper.... Whisper!"

Whisper grins, letting out a small giggle. "Yes! Whisper! That's my name!"

Zero smiles. "Whisper! Whisper!"

Whisper giggles a bit more. She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed at all. The hunter in front of her seemed to enjoy making her giggle, seeing as it kept her fear away. While Whisper couldn't understand why Zero had saved her, right now, she was just happy that he did. That he didn't kill her. It may take a while before she is able to fly, before she is able to return to her cloud home, to her sister. But right now, that doesn't seem to matter. Whisper found a new friend, even though he was one of the infected. For the moment, everything seemed a lot brighter then it did before.

Author's Note

Writing a bunch of things at once. Yay! Updates may be a bit slow, since I seem to be writing multiple stories at the same time right now. More fun for me!

Rest

It's been a few weeks. My wing is sprained, it'll be months before I can fly properly again, I'll have to rebuild my wing strength once it's fully healed.... Zero won't let me outside, but he does take me up to the roof sometimes. I guess he's just trying to protect me. I actually don't mind, this has to be the most rest I've gotten since this whole fucking thing started. Whisper sits by the window, looking out. Snow was falling from the clouds that had been brought here on the wind, a slight chill in the air. She turns her attention to the door as it opens, Zero walking into the room, a bag in his mouth. Zero sets the bag on the bed, Whisper walks over to it. "Supplies?"

Zero nods. Whisper looks to Zero. "Water? Or food?"

Zero nudges the bag closer to her. "F... F... Fo... od.... Food..."

Whisper grins as he says the word. This seems to be how she's going to teach him to talk, by asking questions or trying to get him to repeat words. Whisper puts her muzzle in the bag, taking out the neatly wrapped up food that was inside it, placing it on the end table. "Thanks Zero."

Zero smiles, giving a slight nod of his head in reply. Whisper climbs onto the bed, laying down with her hooves tucked neatly under her. She shivers slightly as the cold wind blows through the open window. Zero blinks, tilting his head a bit. He walks over to the window, closing it and walking over to Whisper. Whisper blinks as he lays down beside her, pressing his body against her. He's trying to keep me warm... It's helping, at least. Whisper lets out a breath. "I still don't understand why you're helping me. Logically, you should have killed me by now."

Zero remains silent. He looks at Whisper, lifting up his hoof and gently putting it on the scar under her eye, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. Whisper perks a brow. "What? You wanna know how I got this?" She points to the scar with her hoof.

Zero tucks his hoof under him, giving a nod. Whisper lets out a breath, thinking back to when she got it. "Let's see.... It was not long after the break out started..... I guess that would have been two years ago? I was eighteen, my sister was twenty-three. We were running, trying to find shelter. Somewhere, anywhere, away from the infected. We ran into a witch. My sister was able to sneak past it.... I... Wasn't so lucky." She lets out a sigh. "I startled it, and it attacked me. I don't remember much after that, expect for waking up in the cloud house. Apparently the damned thing almost killed me, and left me this scar."

Zero tilts his head a bit. "W... W.... Wi... tch..?"

Whisper nods. "Yeah. They're the infected that either sit or walk around, just crying. Harmless enough if they don't know you're there. If you startle them, though. You've got a small chance of surviving their attacks."

Zero looks at Whisper, his eyes saying "But you survived."

Whisper chuckles slightly. "Yeah, but it was just luck." She sighs. "Just dumb luck... Just like everything else that's happened to me."

Zero looks at her confused. Whisper rests her head on the bed. "I've just had a streak of dumb luck my whole life. From my being a pegasus to my special talent. Hell, I'm only alive because of fucking luck."

She lets out a breath, there was a sadness in her light blue eyes. Zero flattens his ears a bit, reaching down to nuzzle her, trying to comfort her. Whisper smiles slightly, returning the nuzzle a bit. "Thanks, Zero."

Zero smiles, pulling back, her ears perking up as the sadness in her eyes subsided a bit. Whisper looks at Zero as he takes off his hoodie, perking a brow. "What are you-"

She blinks as he nudges his hoodie toward her, giving a slight smile. "You... Want me to wear it...?"

Zero nods as he pushes it closer to her. "W... Wa.... rm..... Warm...."

Whisper blinks. Warm..? She gives a nod as she pulls the hoodie on, lowering the hood once its on as to not cover her face. She gives a slight smile. "It is warm. Thank you."

Zero smiles, getting up and walking to the door, turning to Whisper. "W... Wait..."

He opens the door, walking out and closely it gently behind him. Whisper yawns, the sky growing darker as night begins to set in. She rests her head on the bed again. Never thought I'd befriend a hunter. I wonder what mom and dad would make of this. She sighs. Spell must be going mad with worry right now. She closes her eyes. I'll go find her once I've fully recovered.... I don't know if I should bring Zero, though. She might just shoot him as soon a she sees him. She gives another yawn. I'll worry about that later... She relaxes her body, letting sleep engulf her.

Family

Whisper awoke to the sounds of fighting, she immediately get up, going into a fighting stance. She looks around, seeing the empty room she fell asleep in. Turning her head to the door she cautiously walks toward it, opening it slightly to look outside. Her blue eyes widen, outside the door Zero is fending off a smoker. While the smoker has a few wounds on it, Zero seems to have taken the most damage, wounds scattering his body. Whisper gasps as the smoker slams Zero against a wall, causing him to slump to the ground. Before the smoker can make another move, Whisper darts out of the room and places herself between the smoker and Zero, spreading her wings spread wide and taking a defensive stance. "THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Zero lifts his head to look at her, eyes widening. "N-no.... N-no.. t.... Not... Safe....."

The smoker looks at Zero then Whisper, confused, before letting out a growl. Whisper just glares at the smoker, not backing down. "Back. Down. NOW." She hisses, taking a step forward. "I'm giving you only one warning, smoker. Leave. NOW!"

The smoker snarls, as it begins to charge at her, only to stop when Whisper has her sword only inches away from its neck. "Don't think I won't use this."

Growling, the smoker backs away, disappearing down the hall. Whisper lets out a breath. Sheathing her sword, she walks over to Zero. "Come up, let's get you fixed up." She kneels down, helping Zero to stand and allowing him to lean on her, wrapping her wing protectively around him as she leads him back inside the room.

Leading him to the bed, Whisper helps Zero lie down, then runs over to her satchel. Picking up the necessary items, she walks over to Zero, putting them down in front of her. She brushes Zero's mane away from his eyes to get at the cut just above his left eye. She smiles weakly. "Got hurt pretty bad, huh?" Grabbing a rag, Whisper pours some disinfectant onto it and gently presses it to the wound. Zero hisses and backs away, letting out a low growl. Whisper huffs. "Look, I'm just trying to help you, so sit still and let me tend to your wounds!"

Zero blinks, staring at her for a few moments before coming closer to her. Whisper smiles. "Good boy."

Zero stays still as Whisper tends to his wounds, hissing from the disinfectant when she uses it. Whisper pauses for a moment before continuing. "I want to thank you.... For protecting me."

Zero blinks, tilting his head slightly as she continues. "You probably fend off a lot infected just to keep me safe... So.... Thank you. For everything."

Zero just smiles as Whisper finishes wrapping up the last of his wounds. Whisper gently lays down beside him. "I guess some of the skills my sister taught me were useful after all."

Zero rests his head on the bed. "S... S... Sis.... ter...?"

Whisper nods, resting her head down on the bed as well. "Yeah, she's a unicorn, so she can use magic. I've always been a bit jealous of her because of it, but I guess that's because I'm the only pegasus in my family." She twitches her ear. "Apparently sometime ago my family was a noble unicorn family, and it was tradition that they marry other unicorns. But one of them fell in love with a pegasus and ran off and married them. Years past, and the unicorns kept up the tradition, so after a while, my family thought the pegasus gene died out. Then I was born." Whisper sighs. "I was given special treatment because of it. I understood why, but I didn't like it. But I was an impossibility that happened." She smiles slightly. "I went off track... I was talking about my sister, wasn't I? My sister and I.... We have our disagreements, but she's my family, we look out for each other. But... Family doesn't just mean by blood. It could also mean friends."

Zero glances at Whisper. "F... Fr... Fri.... end..? Friend..?"

Whisper nods. "Yeah, a friend. Someone who is attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, one who give assistance, on friendly terms with somepony else."

Zero lifts his head up, looking at Whisper. "Whisper.... Friend..?"

Whisper chuckles lightly. "Yes, I suppose I am."

Zero smiles, resting his head against Whisper's. "Whisper... Family."

Whisper blinks, looking at Zero in confusion for a few moments before smiling softly. "Yes, Zero. I'm your family."

Author's Note

YAY RANDOM CRAP HAPPENING THAT'S GETTING ME SIDE-TRACKED FROM THIS STORY! WHY IS MY CAPS LOCK ON!? I DON'T KNOW!

Left Behind

"You know what I'm going to do once I'm older?"

"Mm?"

"I'll join the guards in Canterlot! I'll protect all of Equestria!"

The young grey pegasus filly looks to the magenta unicorn filly with light blue legs and muzzle beside her as she chuckles, perking a brow. "What? Why is that funny!?"

The unicorn slowly stops chuckling, running a hoof through her long midnight blue mane with lighter streaks of blue in it. She walks over to the pegasus, ruffling her long pure white mane. "That's quite a dream, Whispering! Sure you're up for it?"

The pegasus huffs. "I am so..." She looks to the unicorn, light blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "What about you, Spell? What do you plan to do?"

The unicorn thinks for a moment, her aqua green eyes looking up to the sky. "I don't know, little sis. Perhaps I'll become a scientist? Or a researcher?" She smiles, looking to the young pegasus. "But no matter what, I'll always stick by you."

"Promise?"

"......I promise."

Sunlight filters into the room, Whisper awakens to the familiar comfort of Zero sleeping soundly next to her. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she blinks in the morning light, perking her ears to listen. Quiet... Peaceful. Wish it could stay like this forever...

Whisper is snapped out of her thoughts as Zero stirs beside her, blinking his eyes open in the morning light. Whisper smiles. "Good morning Zero."

Zero nods in response, getting out of bed. Whisper gets up, walking to the window and looking down. The snow had stopped, leaving the ruined city in a white blanket. Infected roam in small packs below. Even in the cold they can still move. I thought they would turn into frozen ice-zombies... That would be useful... And less dangerous. Sighing Whisper closes her eyes, allowing her mind to wander. It seems so long ago since it started... I can barely remember what life was like before the zombie infestation....

She snaps out of her thoughts as Zero tugs on the blue hoodie she's wearing. She looks to Zero. "Yes, Zero?"

Zero motions to the door. "R-roof..."

Whisper blinks, giving a nods. "Alright, I suppose it wouldn't hurt since the snow's stopped."

Whisper quickly grabs her sword, attaching it to her waist, grabbing her satchel and slinging it around her shoulder. Zero walks, opening the door and leading the way upstairs, Whisper following closely behind him. Zero navigates the stairs, careful to silently go around any zombies who might be in their way, not allowing them to take notice of Whisper. Once reaching the door to the roof, Zero opens it, carefully walking forward, looking around for any other zombies who may have stumbled onto the rooftop. Once making sure the area is clear, he motions for Whisper to come. Carefully stepping outside, Whisper shields her eyes from the harsh light of the sun until they adjust, walking to the edge of the building. She could see across the city, to the edge where the dome kept them inside. Zero walks up beside Whisper, Whisper nods to the city's edge. "My sister was the one who put up the dome, to keep the infection from spreading to the rest of the world."

She sighs, her ears flattening slightly. "We don't even know how this began... How it happened. Everything was normal, perfect. Next thing we knew, all hell had broken loose, and we were running for our lives from zombies... A dream turned into a never-ending nightmare."

Zero nuzzles her comfortingly, Whisper rests her head against his shoulder. "We can't undo what was done, what had happened. But we can wish that this is nothing more then a dream, that we'll wake up soon... Only to realize that this is still reality." She chuckles lightly. "It's nice to know not every zombie wants to kill me, though."

Zero smiles. "Whisper... Friend."

The sound of a gunshot makes the two jolt. Zero growls as Whisper look down to the ground. A pony runs through the street below, a mob of zombies behind them. Something is thrown to the mob, shattering on the ground. Whisper recognizes what was thrown as a Molotov as the zombies around where it shattered catch fire. The pony who threw it dashes into the building, Whisper catches a blue and purple blur as it runs, her eyes widening. Spellspark!

Zero nudges Whisper. "I-inside... S... Safer..."

Whisper looks to Zero. "No, not for you. You stay here."

Zero blinks, tilting his head slightly in confusion. Whisper sighs. "The gunshot was caused by a pony who is still alive, and they just ran into the building. They'll kill you if they see you, Zero, it's not safe for you to go back inside." She walks to the door. "Stay here... I'll make it safe for you to return inside."

She walks inside, closing the door behind her, she swiftly makes her way down the stairs to the room she had been kept in, hiding herself in the closet as she listens to the sounds of fighting from the lower levels as it gets closer.

Gunshots sound just outside the room, making Whisper flinch each time one goes off. Whisper jumps as a zombie is flung through the door, hitting the wall and slumping to the ground. Spellspark walks inside, magic holding her gun in the air, she slowly walks to the dead zombie, gun aimed at its head. Whisper's eyes widen as she watches her sister, a look of pure hatred and malice reflecting in her aqua green eyes. Slowly, she creeps out of her hiding spot. "S-Spell..?"

Spellspark immediately whips around, her gun aimed at Whisper. Whisper's ears flatten completely as she takes a few steps back. "S-Spell! I-it's me! Whisper!"

Spellspark blinks, lowering the gun as she looks to Whisper. "W-Whisper?" Her eyes widen, dropping her gun completely, she rushes over to her sister and embraces her. "Whisper! Where have you been!? Are you alright!? You're not hurt-"

Whisper laughs, gently pushing Spellspark off of her. "I'm fine, I'm fine! See? No injuries!"

Concern laces Spellspark's eyes. "Why didn't you come home!?"

Whisper spreads out her wing. "I sprained my wing. I couldn't fly home, and I didn't know where you were so I couldn't come find you. It'll still be a while before I can fly properly again... But I'm fine, honest!"

Spellspark stares at her sister for a moment before hugging her tightly. "I thought I lost you..." She releases Whisper, walking over to her gun and picking it up. "We're going home."

Whisper blinks. "N-now?" Spellspark nods. Whisper takes a step forward "C-can't we stay? For a little longer, a-at least to rest, o-or-"

"NOW WHISPER!"

Whisper flinches at her sister's tone. Spellspark sighs. "I just... Want to get you home... I don't want you in any more danger."

Whisper slowly nods. Spellspark leads the way down through the building, Whisper trailing behind her. The two walk down the street. Whisper stops a few feet away from the building, looking up to the rooftop. Zero watches her for a few moments, before walking back out of her sight.

Author's Note

Hahaha, I think I made an untended reference with the chapter title.

Promise of Reunion

Whisper lets out a bored sigh. Spellspark was currently out looking for supplies, leaving Whisper alone. Currently, she was laying on one of the old beds in the cloud house, her sister forbidding her from leaving until her wing was strong enough to let her fly properly.

Its been about three days since she last saw Zero. Though she'd never admit it, she sort of misses having him around, missing the feeling of security she would have when he would rest beside her.

Whisper groans, ears flattening on her head as she stares out the window boredly. Sighing, she gets up, stretching to get rid of the stiffness in her muscles. Quietly she walks to the front of the house, sitting down near an old bookcase. Her gaze falls to the ground, as she lifts her hoof up, lightly brushing it against the pendant around her neck. Laying down on the ground, she pulls the hood of the hoodie Zero had given her up to hide her face. Her mind wanders to a song she had heard when she was younger, she softly begins to sing.

"Now that you've found me, my whole world is brighter... Now that you've touched me, my steps are much lighter... I will defend you, I'll keep you beside me, that's how I'll repay all the kindness you've shown... Oh~"

She twitches her ear, singing the next verse, not noticing the pony outside listening to her as she sings.

"Searching in the dark, scared, and on my own... Now that I have found you, I'll never be alone... And, though we may part ways, this you can be sure... You, I will remember, forever more."

"I won't forget, you'll always be here in my heart, there, you'll keep me strong. Your memory is here... To you, I will keep holding on. Though, I'm afraid... And I want to take your hand... I can now find courage, so on that I'll depend... And, though we may part ways, this won't be the end. You, I will remember... You're my... Best friend."

"Now that you've found me, I've stumbled through fire... Now that you've touched me, I've bloomed like a flower... Now that you're with me, I no longer cower, in silence, hiding... I'm fighting for you."

Letting out a slight grumble, Whisper rests her head on the floor. "I hate being trapped in here..."

A light tapping comes from the window. Whisper's ear twitches, but she ignores the sound. The sound continues.

Tap...

Blinking, Whisper lifts her head up, looking to the window. A small rock is thrown against it, causing the light tapping sound. Perking a brow, she stands up, walking to the front door and opening it, stepping out onto the balcony, lowering her hood.

Looking round, her eyes widen when she finds what had been caused the rocks to be thrown against the window. Zero stands on a roof a few feet below the cloud house, a dark blue hoodie on him, his yellow eyes fixed on Whisper. Whisper's ear flatten slightly as she looks down at the young Hunter. "Zero! You shouldn't be here! If my sister finds you, she'll-"

"N-nee... Needed... T-to see... See y-you." Zero cuts her off.

Whisper blinks. "Needed to see me? Why?"

Zero adverts his gaze to the the ground below him. "N-needed to... K-kn... Know Whisper w-was... Safe..."

Whisper stares at the Hunter. He wanted to make sure... That I was safe...?

Quickly glancing around, Whisper spread out her wings, gliding down to the roof in front of Zero, startling the Hunter slightly as she lands. Taking a few steps forward, Zero lightly nuzzles Whisper's head, a light purring sound erupting from his throat. Whisper blinks, perking a brow. Ooookay, that's new... Sighing lightly, Whisper folds her wings, her ears perked to hear the sounds around them. "Zero... You shouldn't be here, it's not safe for you. If my sister finds you, she'll kill you, friendly or not."

Zero blinks, looking at Whisper. "Kill.... Zero...?"

Whisper nods. "She kills all infected on sight. She has since this first began." She looks at Zero. "Please, for your own safety, you need to leave! Before she comes back!"

Zero's ears fall back slightly, he just stares at Whisper. Whisper lets out a small breath. "Go before she comes back... Otherwise you're dead."

Zero stares at Whisper for a few moments before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a small box and setting it in front of Whisper. Whisper blinks at the box. "What's this...?"

Zero nudges the box closer to Whisper. "P... Pro... mise.... Promise...."

Whisper blinks, looking to Zero. "Promise of what?"

"Reunion." Whisper blinks at the reply, confused. Zero lightly nuzzles her head before backing away, jumping off the roof onto another building and out of sight.

Whisper watches him for a few moments before turning her attention to the box by her hooves. Picking it up into her mouth, she turns back to the cloud house, spreading her wings, she flies the small distance to house, landing lightly on her hooves. Swiftly, she walks up to the bedroom she was in before. She sits down on the bed, setting the box in front of her.

Tilting her head slightly, she gently lifts the lid of the box up, separating it from the box completely. She blinks at the contents inside. Inside is a black choker, a black cross hanging from it. Hesitating, Whisper picks up the choker, putting it around her neck and adjusting it so it sits comfortably on her neck. Pushing herself off the bed, she walks to mirror sitting on the floor, looking over her appearance. She lifts up her hoof, gently resting it on the cross. Promise of reunion? What did he mean by that...?

........

And why does this cross look familiar?

Author's Note

Heavily inspired by this!

Little Secrets

"Whisper! I'm back!"

Whisper blinks open her eyes, rubbing the sleep from them. When did I fall asleep...? "Alright! I'll be there in a moment!"

Getting up from off the bed, Whisper stretches, walking downstairs. "Welcome back, Spell. Get anything useful?"

Spellspark nods, using her magic to place down her bags. "I found a few things. How's your wing?"

Whisper spreads out her wings, stretching them wide. "It's fine, I'm pretty sure I can fly on my own again."

Spellspark stares at Whisper. Whisper blinks, folding her wings again. "What?"

Spellspark cocks a brow. "Are you sure of that? You could re-injure your wing again."

Whisper just gives her sister an "Are-you-kidding-me?" look. "I can fly just fine, Spell." She deadpans.

Spellspark sighs. "Have you been flying outside the cloud house?"

Whisper stiffens slightly. "W-what? No! No, no, I was... I was flying around inside! You told me to stay inside, remember?"

Spellspark gives a slight look that says "I don't believe you" but doesn't push the subject. She turns back to the bag, using her magic to unpack the supplies inside. "I've spotted a Hunter hanging around near the house." She glances to Whisper as she sits down on an old chair, noticing her stiffen as Whisper's breath hitches in her throat. "You don't happen to know anything about that, do you?"

Whisper laughs awkwardly. "What, me? No! No no! I don't know anything about it!"

A pregnant pause fills the room. Whisper closes her eyes, silently praying Spellspark would not question Zero's appearance further.

"I suppose..." Whisper's eyes snap open at her sister's voice. "...You could go out again."

Whisper swoops up into the air. "YEAH!"

"But!" Whisper lands lightly on her feet, looking to Spellspark expectedly. "You can't fly too much in case you injure your wing again. You can only fly in and out of the cloud house, understand?"

Whisper nods, grinning at the thought of leaving the house once more. "Sure, I can do that! At least until we're sure my wing is strong enough to carry me like it normally would again!" She walks over to Spellspark, picking up a bag in her mouth and walking into the kitchen. Spellspark follows, watching her sister curiously as she puts supplies away.

"Whisper..." Spellspark starts. "What is that around your neck?"

Whisper blinks, turning to face Spellspark. "What, this?" She asks, pointing to the the black cross around her neck. "It's just... something I picked up."

"Where..."

"Mmm?"

"Where did you find it?"

Whisper blinks slightly at her sister's tone. It's controlled, almost as if she's trying not to yell. "I don't know. I, uh... picked it up while I was out in the city waiting for my wing to heal."

"...Whisper, I will only say this once. Give me the choker."

Whisper cocks a brow. "Why do I need to do that?"

"Whisper, just do as I say."

"Why? There's nothing wrong with it, I don't get-"

"For Celestia's sake, GIVE ME THE CHOKER!" Whisper flinches at her sister's tone as Spellspark glares at the cross around Whisper's neck.

Whisper straightens up. "Why the hell do you need it?!"

"WHISPER JUST GIVE ME THE BLOODY CHOKER!"

"WHY THE HELL IS THIS SO FUCKING IMPORTANT?! IT'S JUST A DAMN CHOKER, JUST LET IT BE!" Whisper spreads out her wings quickly flying back up to her room and slamming the door shut. What the hell's her problem? It's just a damn choker! Whisper groans as a headache forms, closing her eyes as a ringing sound echoing in her ears.

"Whisper, what is this?"

"It's a promise, Silver!"

"A promise? A promise of what?"

"Reunion!"

"...I don't understand."

"I mean, it's a promise that no matter how far apart we are, we'll always find our way back to each other. Our promise of reunion."

Whisper shakes her head as the ringing ceases, covering herself with her wings. What was that? A memory? Who's Silver? She lifts up her hoof, gently resting it on the cross. Does this have something to do with it?

...

What's my sister hiding from me?

Author's Note

I got distracted by another story I was working on!

Kara

Whisper walks through the empty city, having left early to avoid any confrontation from her sister. Thoughts swirled around inside her head. What was with the memory? Who's Silver? Were they a friend of mine? She lightly touches the cross with her hoof. Why does Spell hate this choker?

The sound of hunters catches her attention, as she quickly ducks behind one of the buildings. She glances to the hunters, they all seem to be wrestling with something, though Whisper quickly figures out that they were fighting. But whatever they're fighting wasn't fighting back.

Taking a closer look, Whisper notices that what they were fighting was another pony, a hunter, slightly smaller then them. The hunter had a dark greyish coat, its head covered by its red hoodie, though Whisper could see tuffs of longish brown hair. Whisper narrows her eyes. "Why the fuck are they attacking him?! He's just like them!"

Whisper dashes out from her hiding place, skidding to a halt just in front of them. "HEY!" The hunters look up to her. Whisper spreads out her wings, taking a defensive stance. "GET AWAY FROM HIM BEFORE I FUCKING MAKE YOU!"

The hunters snarl, each either jumping and climbing up the nearest wall or running off. Whisper blinks, her stance relaxing. "That worked?" She blinks, though soon shakes her head. "Whatever." She walks over to the smaller hunter. The hunter snaps his head up to her, backing away. Whisper gives a reassuring smile. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

The hunter stares at her for a few moments before cautiously walking towards her. Whisper smiles, slowly taking out a first aid kit as the hunter watches her warily. "Good, now sit down, okay? I'm gonna fix up your wounds!"

The hunter slowly sits down, watching as Whisper starts to wrap up his wounds. "My name is Whisper, by the way." Whisper states. The hunter tilts his slightly. Whisper smiles. "I'm gonna call you Kara!" She moves to lower his hood, though he slashes at her with his claws, snarling as he backs away.

Whisper blinks, blood dripping down her foreleg. "Alright... don't touch the hood." She carefully wraps up her wound before looking back to Kara. "Sorry, didn't know that was... uhhh... "no touch zone" I guess." She starts to walk away, though pauses, looking back to Kara. "So... You coming, or are you just gonna stay there until the others come back?"

Kara blinks under his hood, soon scrambling to catch up with Whisper as she starts to walk again, falling in step with her. Whisper smiles as she leads the way through the city. When she had attempted to lower Kara's hood, she had notices his long brown main, as well as his eyes. His eyes were just like Zero's, but were coloured blood red instead of yellow.

Whisper flicks her tail, noting the snow falling from the clouds above. "Alright Kara, we're looking for supplies. Anything that I can safely eat or drink, or some first aid in case I get injured."

Kara just blinks, not responding. Whisper sighs. "I'm guessing that you can't talk..."

Whisper blinks, looking up as she notices a flicker of movement. A hunter jumps down in front of them from atop one of the buildings, Kara immediately hiding behind Whisper. Whisper stares blankly at the hunter for a few moments, then gives a small smile. "Hey Zero!"

Zero smiles. "Whisper." He blinks, looking to Kara, who takes a few steps back.

Whisper chuckles. "Zero, this is Kara. Kara, this Zero. Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

Zero walks up to Kara, his eyes watching him curiously. Kara takes a step back, his ears flat as he watches Zero warily. Zero blinks, slowly lift his hoof and resting it on Kara's head, Kara watching in confusion. Whisper watches the interaction, both curious and confused. Zero takes his hoof away. "K-Ka... ra... Kara."

Whisper nods. "Yes, his name is Kara."

Zero gently nudges Kara with his head, turning and walking back to Whisper. Kara blinks underneath his hood, soon following Zero. Whisper grins. "Come on, let's go."

The three begin to walk through the city, Kara staying close to Zero and Whisper. Whisper smiles. I made a new friend! Awesome! She thinks for a moment, confusion taking hold. ...But why the hell did those other hunters run when I told them to? I thought they would have attacked me...