The Dead Have Risenby Acoustic PulseChaptersFirst BloodArmed and DangerousA New HomeOn The Road AgainFirst BloodAuthor's Note Unfortunately, someone beat me to this crossover, but I wanted to make my own version. Hope you enjoy. First Blood A virus was ravaging the land. The dead were somehow alive and trotting again. From the looks of things, there was no possible way to stop this virus, except wait and hope for the best. A new day had begun in the small town of Ponyville. The sun was shining, and the sky was clear. A stallion and his brother awoke to the sound of growling coming from outside their bedroom door. "The hell is that?" Bursting Atom, a yellow unicorn with a red mane and tail, asked. "I don't know. Grab a piece of wood, or that floor lamp," Acoustic Pulse, a brown earth pony with a pale blue mane and tail, ordered. Bursting broke two legs off of a chair and gave one to Acoustic. "Here. We're gonna need these," he whispered. Acoustic crept up to the door and opened it. It was their parents, except they were bloodied and the stench of death was emanating from them, and filled the house with it. The two trotting corpses lunged at the two brothers. "NOW!" Acoustic shouted as the two brothers began bludgeoning the zombies back to death. "Shit. God damn, that was close!" Bursting sighed. "We're safe for now. Let's get the fuck out of here," Acoustic said. "You don't have to tell me twice!" Bursting laughed as they exited. "There's more outside. Be ready to run!" Acoustic advised. "Bro, I'm not sure if we're gonna survive this," Bursting whispered. "If you think you'll die, you will," Acoustic shrugged. He opened the front door, and Bursting followed him out. There were several trotters wandering around in the streets. The sight of Acoustic and Bursting set them off. "RUN, RUN! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, JUST RUN!" Acoustic shouted. "What about you?" Bursting asked. "I'LL BE FINE! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Acoustic snapped. "Alright, I'm going," Bursting sighed and ran. Acoustic stabbed one in the forehead with his chair leg. It was stuck, so he couldn't use it against the other trotters. "SHIT!" he yelled in frustration. He took off in full gallop. "ACOUSTIC! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Bursting smiled when he saw his older brother. "For now. Let's move," Acoustic whispered. The whole herd of trotters wandered by them, paying the brothers no mind. "We should check it out," Bursting said. "I don't like that idea, but let's roll," Acoustic replied. The two brothers followed the trotters until they saw another stallion. "Isn't that your friend?" Bursting asked. "Yeah, it's Lightning Strike," Acoustic answered. Lightning snapped a trotter's neck and flew away, leaving the trotters to eat the fallen one. "Hey, you alright?" Acoustic asked. "Well, yeah, considering the circumstances. It could be worse," Lightning said. "I suppose you're right. We need some weapons though. These damned trotters don't kill themselves, although that would surely make things a hell of a lot easier," Acoustic retorted. "It'll be slightly easier if we find some swords or guns," Bursting suggested. Acoustic and Lightning laughed and nodded in agreement. "Let's go try and find some," Acoustic said. The three stallions set off to find weapons. "You know what I don't get?" Bursting asked after a while. "What?" Acoustic asked. "The three of us seem to be the only survivors in Equestria," Bursting answered. "There are others. And they'll probably try to kill you if you get in their way," Lightning cut in. "What makes you say that?" Bursting wondered. "BECAUSE I HAD TO KILL SOMEPONY WHO WASN'T A TROTTER!" Lightning snapped. "Why?" Bursting asked. "Because the fucker tried to kill me first. I gauged his eyes out. I never wanted to kill anypony. Equestria was a peaceful place. Crime rates were low, and murder rates were nonexistent. Now, Equestria lies in the ashes of its former glory. Everypony is either a walking corpse or a savage! It shouldn't be this way. It's evil, it's wrong!" Lightning was in tears. "Look, we're going through desperate times. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If a motherfucker is trying to kill you, waste the son of a bitch," Acoustic replied. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! NONE OF YOU KNOW!" Lightning yelled. "Yes, we do. We bludgeoned our parents to death because they became trotters! Now if you'll please shut the fuck up and keep moving, it'll be much appreciated," Acoustic snapped. "Acoustic, I'm sorry, I had no idea," Lightning sighed. "Sorry doesn't bring them back. Sorry doesn't kill trotters. Sorry is meaningless nowadays. The only reason I'm forgiving you is because that's what friends do," Acoustic grumbled. "Guys, calm down. You're gonna attract trotters!" Bursting warned. "He's right," Lightning said. The trio was silent for the longest time. They didn't really have a planned destination. All they had was the need for defenses. Food and water were also necessities. After a while, they saw smoke. "There's a camp ahead. I want you both to very carefully approach it. If they're honourable, they won't kill us because we're unarmed," Acoustic whispered. "No problem," Bursting said. Lightning said nothing, and simply nodded. Acoustic approached the camp first. Several ponies eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?" a yellow pony with a black mane asked. "Just a passerby," Acoustic answered. "Why are you here?" She asked. "Well, you see, I was moving through this area, and I saw smoke. I thought you wanted to die," Acoustic smirked. "Beg your pardon?" the mare asked. "Smoke attracts trotters. Unless you wanna be trotter fodder, I'd suggest putting it out," Acoustic warned. "You waltz up into my camp and tell me how to run it?" she snorted. "If you think I won't kill you where you stand, you're sadly mistaken," Acoustic threatened. The yellow pony grabbed a sword and jumped at Acoustic. "Almost gotcha," she smirked. "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hoof grenades," Acoustic retorted, punching the pony in the face. Her nose began to bleed. "You're unarmed?" she asked. "Yep, and I'll still kill your ass," Acoustic threatened. "I'll be the judge of that," she smirked. Acoustic grabbed her by the throat and choked her. She dropped her sword trying to stab him. "D-damn you to Hell," she gasped for air. "I'm already there," Acoustic replied and the mare died of asphyxiation. He picked up her sword. Two stallions attacked Acoustic. He slit one's throat, but the other had more of a fight in him. "I'll kill you slowly," he said. "You'll have to get through my defenses first," Acoustic laughed as he picked up a second sword from the dead stallion. "We'll see," the other stallion said. Acoustic quickly disarmed and decapitated the second stallion. "Well, that was easy. I was expecting more of a challenge," he sighed. He picked up a third sword and took off. He gave a sword to Bursting and Lightning. The trio was now armed and dangerous. "Let's go before I get carried away and wipe out this whole damned camp," Acoustic whispered. END OF CHAPTER 1! Armed and DangerousAuthor's Note This chapter explains how my OC lost his eye, and how he got the bandana. It also shows the dangers of pissing off rival groups. You don't wanna do that. And lastly, it also helps character development. Been kinda lacking that lately. The names are blatant shoutouts to good friends of mine. Armed and Dangerous "Acoustic, since when did you become such a murderous maniac?" Lightning asked in shock. He was not expecting that kind of an onslaught from his formerly harmless and docile friend. "I don't know. I just----I just got carried away. I was bluffing originally. I just sensed danger and started fighting," Acoustic replied with the same amount of shock. "Don't do that again, you could've been killed," Lightning warned. "Ponies are like trotters. The only difference is ponies have brains, and trotters eat them," Acoustic retorted. "Those ponies from the camp are gonna try and kill us now. I hope you're aware of that," Bursting spoke up. "I don't give a flying fuck. If they want my head, they'll have to come and get it," Acoustic smirked. "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" a gruff voice shouted. "So, you guys aren't so dumb after all?" Acoustic replied. "I WANT THEM DEAD! ATTACK THOSE 3 STALLIONS!" the orange stallion with a dark brown mane and tail barked out his orders. "GET READY TO FIGHT, FELLAS!" Acoustic yelled. The trio was strongly outnumbered, and out-armed. Lightning snapped three necks and gauged a stallion's eyes out. "Shit! You work fast, Lightning!" Bursting gasped. Acoustic was locked in a heated sword duel with the new leader of the camp. The clashing of metal could be heard all over the place. The orange stallion clips Acoustic's eye. "AGHHHHHHHH, MY MOTHERFUCKING EYE! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Acoustic shouted in pain as blood began to pour from his eye socket. "ACOUSTIC! YOU ALRIGHT?" Lightning asks. "TOTALLY! THE FACT THAT I'M HALF BLIND IS COMPLETELY FUCKING IRRELEVANT!" he replied sarcastically. "WE'LL NEED TO STOP THE BLEEDING SOMEHOW! TRY TO HOLD ON AND KILL THAT GUY!" Bursting shouted. Acoustic sliced the leader's forelegs off and the orange stallion dropped to the ground as he writhed in pain. "D-don't kill me, please!" he begged. "I won't. I'll let the trotters do that for me," Acoustic replied. "IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL RUN AWAY!" Acoustic warned, he was becoming tired from blood loss. He took an eyepatch from a dead pony. 'Great, now I'm the One-Eyed Ass Kicker,' he thought. He fainted. The blood loss was too much for him to handle. "Come on, we have to get him out of here! His head is bleeding too. Get a piece of cloth and tie it around his head," Bursting said to Lightning. "I got the cloth off of a dead stallion's shirt. This should work temporarily," Lightning said. Day turned to night. Trotters had trampled through the area and were eating the dead bodies. The trio was lucky to be alive. Acoustic finally regained consciousness. He fainted from blood loss after he lost his eye in a sword duel. "Agh, god, my head. It's throbbing. And my eye is gone! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Acoustic was panicking and half blind, but alive. "Your eye was cut out in a duel. You're lucky to be alive, you crazy bastard," Lightning retorted. "You look badass now," Bursting tried to lighten the mood. "At least I'm only half blind," Acoustic laughed. "We need rest. Let's find somewhere to sleep. We'll need food too, but that can wait until dawn," Lightning yawned. "He's right," Bursting added. The three stallions went to sleep. They had a long day and definitely needed it. Lightning was the first one up. Some trotters were wandering near their camp. "Acoustic, Bursting, get up. Trotters are coming," he said, nudging the two brothers. "I'm up," Acoustic sighed. He was still in pain. "Let's go," Bursting said when he got up. The stallions picked up their swords and moved on. "We need food. We'll die without it," Lightning said. "We're vegetarian. Just eat grass," Acoustic facehoofed. "Water?" Lightning continued. "We'll find it. Let's go get some. We need containers to hold it though," Bursting retorted. "Get down," Acoustic whispered. A herd of trotters wandered by. They seemed to be following something. "What do you reckon they're after?" Lightning asked. "Probably another camp," Bursting sighed. "Ready to check it out?" Acoustic asked. "So you can lose another eye?" Lightning scoffed. "No, so we can find water. That's the reason we left our area," Acoustic looked as if he were about bitch slap Lightning. "Can't argue with that," Lightning shrugged. The stallions had been wandering through a wooden area for a while now. They were too far from Ponyville for it to have been the Everfree Forest. They used these trees as a cover and followed the path of the Trotters. They eventually stumbled upon an encampment. Approximately twenty mares and stallions were wandering around the perimeter, picking off trotters. Acoustic had an idea. "Let's see if they're friendly. I'll try not to be an asshole this time," he said. "We'll also go with you this time," Bursting replied, and Lightning nodded. "Let's wait for them to finish killing those trotters, so they'll lower their guard," Acoustic ordered. The last trotter was slain and the trio slowly approached the camp. "We've got company. They seem friendly," a mare said. "Stand your ground," another mare replied. "Relax, we're friendly. We just need water. Food would be nice too, but we're good on food for now," Acoustic said. "Would you mind if we spoke to y'all's leader?" Lightning asked. "We'll need you to drop your swords and we'll let you see her," one of the mares said. "You heard her. Put them down. We want them back after this though," Bursting said. The trio, followed by the two mares, trotted towards a large tent. A white mare with a royal blue mane stood up and trotted towards the group. "Who are you all?" she asked them. "I'm Acoustic Pulse. This is my brother, Bursting Atom, and my friend, Lightning Strike. Who are you?" Acoustic answered her question with a question. "My name's Gleamy. Those are my friends, Rose Bud and Acrylic Splash," the mare replied. "Nice to meet y'all," Lightning greeted. The two brothers nodded. "Likewise," Gleamy replied. "These guys came here looking for a water source. They said they're good on food," Rose explained. "We've got water, but we're low on food," Gleamy replied. "Well, eat the grass. That's how we survived," Acoustic sighed. "That's what we were doing. The grass is dying," Gleamy retorted. "The grass is greener in the forest," Bursting pointed out. "SHIT, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE DIDN'T THINK OF THAT!" Gleamy facehoofed. "Well, that solves our food problem," Acrylic said. "Maybe they can help us with the trotters," Rose replied. "Why not? More fighters means less trotters," Gleamy agreed. "Well, fellas, looks like we're staying here for a while. Respect these folks, they're nice enough to let us drink their water," Acoustic briefed. "No problem," Bursting replied. "Thanks for letting us stay. We'd still be fighting for our lives in that forest otherwise," Lightning added. END OF CHAPTER 2! A New HomeAuthor's Note Now you know that: Lightning Strike is the protective one. Acoustic Pulse is the crazy one. Bursting Atom is the rational one. Here is the third chapter! Hope you enjoy! A New Home "You never gave our swords back," Bursting said. "You won't be needing them. Take a look in that green tent across the camp," Rose replied. The trio followed her directions to the green tent. Inside was a huge stockpile of weapons, mostly guns. There were hoofguns, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, projectile explosives, and even a couple of rocket launchers. "Holy shit, I'm in heaven!" Acoustic laughed, picking up a submachine gun. "Wow, these folks are packing! I didn't even know Equestria had this many guns," Lightning replied, grabbing a Vulcan. "Seriously? You can barely lift that hunk of metal. Pick something smaller and easier to carry. Helps agility when shit hits the fan," Acoustic laughed. "True," Lightning sighed and picked up a submachine gun similar to Acoustic's. "Bursting, whatcha got?" Acoustic asked. "Two hoofguns for close quarters, and the only assault rifle in here," Bursting replied. "Awesome. We'll need these. I don't want to kill any more ponies. We killed for our weapons, we killed for our lives, and now we are safer here. The threat of rival groups and trotters is still there though. I want you two to help me keep an eye out. I trust you both with my life, and I hope y'all trust me too," Acoustic briefed. "Alright, ramblin' mane, let's go meet up with the others," Bursting joked. Acoustic and Lightning laughed. The three stallions went back to Gleamy's tent. "See? What'd I tell ya?" Rose laughed. "Thanks. I still think we should have the swords in case we run out of ammunition," Bursting said. "He's right, Rose," Acrylic added. "Alright, here," Rose gave the swords back to the trio. "Much obliged," Acoustic smiled. "Yes, thanks," Bursting added. Lightning said nothing. He seemed to be looking at something. "What's wrong, Lightning?" Acoustic asked. "I think there's somepony in the trees. Somepony that's not from this camp," he whispered. "Let's wait a moment. Maybe they're friendly," Bursting said. In the forest were scouts from another camp about a kilometer away from Gleamy's. "How many are down there, High Caliber?" a black stallion with a grey mane asked. "About twenty, Silver Raider," High replied. "There's an orange one down there staring straight at us. He's not doing anything," Silver pointed out. "You see him too?" High asked. "Yep. Think we should retreat, or should we try and be allies?" Silver replied with a question of his own. "Stay here. I want to find out how hostile they are," High said and approached the camp. "That dumb bastard is gonna get himself killed," Silver facehoofed. "Somepony is coming. Hold your fire," Gleamy said. "Alright," Acoustic replied. "Hi, everypony. My name's High Caliber. I'm from a camp about a klik north of here," the black pony with a yellow mane said. "I'm Gleamy. This is my camp. What do you want?" Gleamy retorted. "I was wondering how hostile y'all were," he smirked. "You think your group can defeat ours?" Rose asked. Acrylic shushed her. "We don't think, we know," High challenged. "Fuck this piece of shit!" Lightning snapped and shot High Caliber right between the eyes. "God damn it, Lightning!" Acoustic shouted. High Caliber was dead instantly, blood flowing freely from the hole in his forehead. "He had killer in his eyes. I saw it. He was gonna pull out a knife and stab Gleamy," Lightning retorted. "Well, now his campmates are gonna look for him. Do you realize what you've done?" Acoustic was beyond pissed. "Shit happens. We probably outnumber them," Lightning shrugged. "What the hell are you gonna do if they outnumber us as badly as the last camp?" Bursting asked. "Kill or be killed," Lightning sighed. "We'll help y'all defend if shit gets too thick," Rose said. "If that happens, we'll need as much help as we can get," Acoustic replied. Silver Raider was still in the forest. 'So, only a few are hostile. That orange one is dangerous. I'll tell the guys back at camp about this,' he thought. He turned and galloped back towards camp. He was not gonna let High Caliber's death go in vain. Upon returning to camp, he was approached by a brown stallion with a black mane. "High Caliber is dead, Sharpshooter," Silver said. "Son of a bitch! We're wiping that damned camp out. How many are down there?" Sharpshooter asked. "Twenty," Silver replied. "Shit. That's twice our number. If each of us get two kills, that'll be it. Send word to the rest. We attack at nightfall," Sharpshooter commanded. "Yes, sir," Silver said and off he went. It was dark now, and Sharpshooter was ready to attack Gleamy and her friends. "Now. Let's move," he commanded. "They're sleeping, probably. This will be easy," Silver chuckled. Lightning was sitting up in his bed. He couldn't sleep. The sound of hoofsteps could be faintly heard inside the camp. He went outside to investigate. 'This must be the attack Acoustic warned me about. That guy seems to be a psychic when it comes to things like that. The fucker senses danger before he even gets in its way. It's so weird,' Lightning thought. "ATTACK! WIPE THEM ALL OUT! INCLUDING MARES AND FOALS!" Sharpshooter shouted. "That sick fuck!" Lightning said under his breath. Acoustic and Bursting woke up simultaneously. "Who was that?" Bursting asked. "Acoustic was right. That camp is under attack. Sounds like ten or fifteen," Lightning answered. "I told you so. EVERYONE WAKE UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Acoustic shouted. Gleamy was already awake and fighting off an attacker. Everypony, except for Acrylic and Rose, was awake and fighting. The attackers had wiped out half of the members in Gleamy's camp. It was bloodshed unlike any seen before. Fifteen bodies lay strewn across the camp. Ten from Gleamy's camp, five from Sharpshooter's. All that was left of Sharpshooter's group was himself, Silver Raider, and three other ponies loyal to his cause. Lightning Strike decapitated one and shot another in the chest. Bursting Atom was locked in a brawl against Silver Raider. "You're dead, you bastard!" Silver shouted. "Get that weak shit out of here," Bursting shouted and shot him while he was speaking. "Too fuckin' easy," Acoustic laughed as Silver slumped to the ground, life leaving his eyes. Sharpshooter was cornered. He was the last one standing from his camp. "So, this is it then?" he chuckled. "Say hello to Tirek for me, you son of a bitch!" Gleamy shouted and she shot him in the throat. Pieces of his head flew in all direction. Blood was everywhere. Trotters were attracted to the sound of gunfire and moved towards the camp. "We've got trotters. Unfortunately, we're all that's left," Acoustic said. "I wouldn't say that," Rose retorted with a yawn. Acrylic was standing beside her. "Acrylic, Rose! You're okay!" Gleamy sighed in relief and ran to hug her friends. "We ain't dead yet," Acrylic laughed. "Looks like our trio is a sextet now," Bursting said. "Hahaha, sextet,"Lightning joked. "SHUT UP!" Bursting and Acoustic bursted out laughing. "Seriously, how are we still alive? This is the third time in two days that we've cheated death," Acoustic asked. "Because we're badass!" Rose said as if it were obvious. "That about sums it up," Gleamy said. The sextet set of to find a new place to set up camp. They hoped it will be further away from other survivors. END OF CHAPTER 3! On The Road AgainAuthor's Note Previously on The Dead Have Risen: 3 stallions meet up in Ponyville and fight their way out. They stumble upon a camp and end up in a heated battle. Acoustic loses his eye in a duel, and faints from blood loss. They find a different camp and stay there, until a rival camp attacked. The enemy wipes out a lot of ponies, and the only survivors were Acoustic, Lightning, Bursting, Gleamy, Acrylic, and Rose. Here's Chapter 4: On The Road Again. On The Road Again "Well, that escalated quickly," Rose said. "Yeah, no shit," Acrylic sighed. "Glad we made it out alive," Gleamy replied. "We need to make something clear right now. If we wait around like lame ducks, we won't be alive any longer," Acoustic retorted. "Who died and made you boss?" Rose snapped. "I'm not being bossy, I'm using common sense," Acoustic answered. "Looks like we're on the road again," Lightning changed the subject. "Yep," Bursting nodded. The first rays of sun were stretching over the horizon, signaling the birth of another day. Our sextet had been wandering since the wee hours, in an attempt to distance themselves from the bloodshed that took place the night before. "I can't believe almost our entire force is gone. We went from a platoon down to a squad over the course of two to three hours," Gleamy sighed. "Well, Lightning Strike thought High Caliber was going to try to stab you," Acrylic replied. "I take full responsibility for what happened last night. If there's anypony to blame, it's me. I killed High Caliber with the best intentions," Lightning hung his head in guilt. "WELL, YOUR SO-CALLED BEST INTENTIONS DAMNED NEAR WIPED US ALL OUT!" Gleamy snapped. "I'LL WIPE YOU OUT IF YOU DON'T STOP!" Lightning shouted back. "IF Y'ALL DON'T SHUT THE FUCK UP, SO HELP ME CELESTIA, I'LL KILL YOU ALL WITHOUT EVEN A SMIDGE OF REMORSE!" Acoustic had had enough of their bickering. He had cheated death three times, and was not in the mood for risking his life for a fourth time by attracting trotters. "Acoustic, calm down. Everypony just calm down. We're going to... attract... TROTTERS! SHOOT THEM!" Bursting saw what looked to be fifteen trotters all coming at them. They were slow moving, so the sextet made quick work of them. Things could have been much worse, and the group was well aware of that. "See what I mean?" Bursting broke the silence. "Yeah," Gleamy nodded. Nopony else replied and simply continued on. The six ponies decided to stop and rest temporarily. They had grown tired from so much trotting. "It's almost noon. Think we should stop and eat some grass?" Rose asked. She had been silent for a while. "We'll need the energy. I think it's a good idea," Acrylic agreed. They all ate some grass to build energy. They had just enough water to get through the next few days, if they were to live that long. "Alright. Y'all ready?" Acoustic asked. "Yep," the others replied. The three mares and three stallions continued their journey away from the other camp. They couldn't carry all the weapons and only had two tents and four days worth of water. "You think there's a cure for the trotter virus?" Lightning asked after a while. "No, probably not," Gleamy shot him down. "I don't know. It's probably in Canterlot. Wouldn't surprise me if they're keeping it for the Princesses," Acoustic theorized. "So, you're saying we should try to find a cure?" Bursting asked. "Or die trying," Acoustic answered. "We could just wait for the trotters to decompose and fall into a pile of bones. This epidemic will probably be like the Cutie Pox Pandemic of 2011 and vanish without a trace," Rose said. "That's smart thinking there, Rose," Acoustic retorted. "Eh, it's just a theory," she shrugged. "Let's try Canterlot first," Bursting suggested. "Worth a shot," Lightning said. "I don't think so. We should go with Rose and wait it out," Gleamy shot him down again. "Do you have to disagree with me on everything?" Lightning asked. "You're the reason 24 lives were lost last night. 14 of those were from my camp," Gleamy scoffed. "I ALREADY APOLOGIZED!" Lightning shouted. "SORRY DOESN'T BRING THEM BACK!" Gleamy shrieked. She pointed her gun at him. "NO, GLEAMY DON'T!" Acoustic yelled. Gleamy ignored him and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the trees. In a split second, Lightning was dead. A pool of blood was surrounding his lifeless body. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOOT, DAMN IT! WHAT THE FUCK?" Acoustic exclaimed, a tear in his eye. "He brought it upon himself. I should've never let y'all into my camp," Gleamy replied in a monotone. "So you're sayin' that I could kill you for killing him since you brought it on yourself?" Acoustic used Gleamy's own words against her. "Oh, you son of a bitch!" those were Gleamy's last words as a bullet hit her between the eyes. Her body hit the ground with a thud that was eerily similar to Lightning's. "Congratulations, we're now a quartet," Bursting sighed. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?!" Rose shouted. "Yes," Acoustic replied as if it were no big deal. "That sums it up," Bursting laughed. He wasn't sure what made him laugh, but Rose was definitely displeased. "We have to stick together. We've turned on each other, and now two more of us are dead," Rose sighed, tears flowing steadily down her face. "She's right, Acoustic. You killed our best friend, she killed yours. We need to get to Canterlot together, and that won't happen if we kill each other," Acrylic reasoned. Day turned to night. The quartet finally made it into Canterlot. Roughly thirty trotters roamed the streets ahead. "Fuck! We're never going to get past them," Bursting sighed. "If there's a will, there's a way," Acoustic replied. Rose and Acrylic nodded. "I'm glad you think that. You go first.", Rose nudged him. "Sure. No problem," Acoustic fired the rest of his magazine, wiping out every trotter except for one. While he was reloading, it shuffled towards him. Acoustic finished loading his gun, but the trotter was right in front of him. He spun, and kicked it. The kick miscalculated, and the trotter hit Rose headfirst. It took a huge bite out of her neck. The bite ruptured her carotid artery and blood spewed like a fountain from the bite wound. Acoustic shot the trotter, but not fast enough to save Rose. Acoustic fired another shot at Rose in case she were to become a trotter herself. "THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Bursting shouted. "I kicked the trotter out of my way. I wasn't expecting her to be right behind me. I thought she would do the tactical two meter spread," Acoustic sighed. "SHIT!" Acrylic yelled. "Why does all the crazy shit happen to us?" Acoustic asked. "I wish I knew, we're all dropping like parasprites," Acrylic replied. "Your guess is as good as mine," Bursting shrugged. The trio reached the castle. The doors were wide open, and several windows were broken. The three ponies sprinted up to the throne room. The sight horrified them. Blood was splattered all over the walls. The lifeless bodies of guards were strewn everywhere. The true shock was the fact that the princesses were gone. "Not good!" Bursting said. There was a sound of rustling behind them. They turned to see the true horror they had dreaded since they first discussed a cure. Luna and Celestia were both trotters. Acrylic froze in shock. She didn't react. "ACRYLIC, RUN! SHE'S GONNA BITE YOU!" Bursting shouted. "Don't you realize? Equestria has fallen. We're finished," Acrylic did nothing as the two trotter Princesses began to feast on her flesh. She was dead in less than a minute. "SHIT! RUN, BURSTING!" Acoustic shouted. The two brothers galloped away from the throne room. There was nothing more they could do, other than that. "Four days of survival down the drain. Gone with the wind," Acoustic sighed as they reached a dead end. "This is it then," Bursting sighed. "See you on the other side, bro," Acoustic sniffled. Tears began to fall. The two ponies they wanted to save ended up being their demise. Everypony was dead. To this day, the trotters rule the land, eating everypony in sight. Acrylic Splash was right that day. Equestria had fallen. THE END!
First BloodAuthor's Note Unfortunately, someone beat me to this crossover, but I wanted to make my own version. Hope you enjoy. First Blood A virus was ravaging the land. The dead were somehow alive and trotting again. From the looks of things, there was no possible way to stop this virus, except wait and hope for the best. A new day had begun in the small town of Ponyville. The sun was shining, and the sky was clear. A stallion and his brother awoke to the sound of growling coming from outside their bedroom door. "The hell is that?" Bursting Atom, a yellow unicorn with a red mane and tail, asked. "I don't know. Grab a piece of wood, or that floor lamp," Acoustic Pulse, a brown earth pony with a pale blue mane and tail, ordered. Bursting broke two legs off of a chair and gave one to Acoustic. "Here. We're gonna need these," he whispered. Acoustic crept up to the door and opened it. It was their parents, except they were bloodied and the stench of death was emanating from them, and filled the house with it. The two trotting corpses lunged at the two brothers. "NOW!" Acoustic shouted as the two brothers began bludgeoning the zombies back to death. "Shit. God damn, that was close!" Bursting sighed. "We're safe for now. Let's get the fuck out of here," Acoustic said. "You don't have to tell me twice!" Bursting laughed as they exited. "There's more outside. Be ready to run!" Acoustic advised. "Bro, I'm not sure if we're gonna survive this," Bursting whispered. "If you think you'll die, you will," Acoustic shrugged. He opened the front door, and Bursting followed him out. There were several trotters wandering around in the streets. The sight of Acoustic and Bursting set them off. "RUN, RUN! DON'T ASK QUESTIONS, JUST RUN!" Acoustic shouted. "What about you?" Bursting asked. "I'LL BE FINE! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Acoustic snapped. "Alright, I'm going," Bursting sighed and ran. Acoustic stabbed one in the forehead with his chair leg. It was stuck, so he couldn't use it against the other trotters. "SHIT!" he yelled in frustration. He took off in full gallop. "ACOUSTIC! YOU'RE ALRIGHT!" Bursting smiled when he saw his older brother. "For now. Let's move," Acoustic whispered. The whole herd of trotters wandered by them, paying the brothers no mind. "We should check it out," Bursting said. "I don't like that idea, but let's roll," Acoustic replied. The two brothers followed the trotters until they saw another stallion. "Isn't that your friend?" Bursting asked. "Yeah, it's Lightning Strike," Acoustic answered. Lightning snapped a trotter's neck and flew away, leaving the trotters to eat the fallen one. "Hey, you alright?" Acoustic asked. "Well, yeah, considering the circumstances. It could be worse," Lightning said. "I suppose you're right. We need some weapons though. These damned trotters don't kill themselves, although that would surely make things a hell of a lot easier," Acoustic retorted. "It'll be slightly easier if we find some swords or guns," Bursting suggested. Acoustic and Lightning laughed and nodded in agreement. "Let's go try and find some," Acoustic said. The three stallions set off to find weapons. "You know what I don't get?" Bursting asked after a while. "What?" Acoustic asked. "The three of us seem to be the only survivors in Equestria," Bursting answered. "There are others. And they'll probably try to kill you if you get in their way," Lightning cut in. "What makes you say that?" Bursting wondered. "BECAUSE I HAD TO KILL SOMEPONY WHO WASN'T A TROTTER!" Lightning snapped. "Why?" Bursting asked. "Because the fucker tried to kill me first. I gauged his eyes out. I never wanted to kill anypony. Equestria was a peaceful place. Crime rates were low, and murder rates were nonexistent. Now, Equestria lies in the ashes of its former glory. Everypony is either a walking corpse or a savage! It shouldn't be this way. It's evil, it's wrong!" Lightning was in tears. "Look, we're going through desperate times. Desperate times call for desperate measures. If a motherfucker is trying to kill you, waste the son of a bitch," Acoustic replied. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE! NONE OF YOU KNOW!" Lightning yelled. "Yes, we do. We bludgeoned our parents to death because they became trotters! Now if you'll please shut the fuck up and keep moving, it'll be much appreciated," Acoustic snapped. "Acoustic, I'm sorry, I had no idea," Lightning sighed. "Sorry doesn't bring them back. Sorry doesn't kill trotters. Sorry is meaningless nowadays. The only reason I'm forgiving you is because that's what friends do," Acoustic grumbled. "Guys, calm down. You're gonna attract trotters!" Bursting warned. "He's right," Lightning said. The trio was silent for the longest time. They didn't really have a planned destination. All they had was the need for defenses. Food and water were also necessities. After a while, they saw smoke. "There's a camp ahead. I want you both to very carefully approach it. If they're honourable, they won't kill us because we're unarmed," Acoustic whispered. "No problem," Bursting said. Lightning said nothing, and simply nodded. Acoustic approached the camp first. Several ponies eyed him suspiciously. "Who are you?" a yellow pony with a black mane asked. "Just a passerby," Acoustic answered. "Why are you here?" She asked. "Well, you see, I was moving through this area, and I saw smoke. I thought you wanted to die," Acoustic smirked. "Beg your pardon?" the mare asked. "Smoke attracts trotters. Unless you wanna be trotter fodder, I'd suggest putting it out," Acoustic warned. "You waltz up into my camp and tell me how to run it?" she snorted. "If you think I won't kill you where you stand, you're sadly mistaken," Acoustic threatened. The yellow pony grabbed a sword and jumped at Acoustic. "Almost gotcha," she smirked. "Almost only counts in horseshoes and hoof grenades," Acoustic retorted, punching the pony in the face. Her nose began to bleed. "You're unarmed?" she asked. "Yep, and I'll still kill your ass," Acoustic threatened. "I'll be the judge of that," she smirked. Acoustic grabbed her by the throat and choked her. She dropped her sword trying to stab him. "D-damn you to Hell," she gasped for air. "I'm already there," Acoustic replied and the mare died of asphyxiation. He picked up her sword. Two stallions attacked Acoustic. He slit one's throat, but the other had more of a fight in him. "I'll kill you slowly," he said. "You'll have to get through my defenses first," Acoustic laughed as he picked up a second sword from the dead stallion. "We'll see," the other stallion said. Acoustic quickly disarmed and decapitated the second stallion. "Well, that was easy. I was expecting more of a challenge," he sighed. He picked up a third sword and took off. He gave a sword to Bursting and Lightning. The trio was now armed and dangerous. "Let's go before I get carried away and wipe out this whole damned camp," Acoustic whispered. END OF CHAPTER 1!
Armed and DangerousAuthor's Note This chapter explains how my OC lost his eye, and how he got the bandana. It also shows the dangers of pissing off rival groups. You don't wanna do that. And lastly, it also helps character development. Been kinda lacking that lately. The names are blatant shoutouts to good friends of mine. Armed and Dangerous "Acoustic, since when did you become such a murderous maniac?" Lightning asked in shock. He was not expecting that kind of an onslaught from his formerly harmless and docile friend. "I don't know. I just----I just got carried away. I was bluffing originally. I just sensed danger and started fighting," Acoustic replied with the same amount of shock. "Don't do that again, you could've been killed," Lightning warned. "Ponies are like trotters. The only difference is ponies have brains, and trotters eat them," Acoustic retorted. "Those ponies from the camp are gonna try and kill us now. I hope you're aware of that," Bursting spoke up. "I don't give a flying fuck. If they want my head, they'll have to come and get it," Acoustic smirked. "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!" a gruff voice shouted. "So, you guys aren't so dumb after all?" Acoustic replied. "I WANT THEM DEAD! ATTACK THOSE 3 STALLIONS!" the orange stallion with a dark brown mane and tail barked out his orders. "GET READY TO FIGHT, FELLAS!" Acoustic yelled. The trio was strongly outnumbered, and out-armed. Lightning snapped three necks and gauged a stallion's eyes out. "Shit! You work fast, Lightning!" Bursting gasped. Acoustic was locked in a heated sword duel with the new leader of the camp. The clashing of metal could be heard all over the place. The orange stallion clips Acoustic's eye. "AGHHHHHHHH, MY MOTHERFUCKING EYE! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Acoustic shouted in pain as blood began to pour from his eye socket. "ACOUSTIC! YOU ALRIGHT?" Lightning asks. "TOTALLY! THE FACT THAT I'M HALF BLIND IS COMPLETELY FUCKING IRRELEVANT!" he replied sarcastically. "WE'LL NEED TO STOP THE BLEEDING SOMEHOW! TRY TO HOLD ON AND KILL THAT GUY!" Bursting shouted. Acoustic sliced the leader's forelegs off and the orange stallion dropped to the ground as he writhed in pain. "D-don't kill me, please!" he begged. "I won't. I'll let the trotters do that for me," Acoustic replied. "IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, YOU'LL RUN AWAY!" Acoustic warned, he was becoming tired from blood loss. He took an eyepatch from a dead pony. 'Great, now I'm the One-Eyed Ass Kicker,' he thought. He fainted. The blood loss was too much for him to handle. "Come on, we have to get him out of here! His head is bleeding too. Get a piece of cloth and tie it around his head," Bursting said to Lightning. "I got the cloth off of a dead stallion's shirt. This should work temporarily," Lightning said. Day turned to night. Trotters had trampled through the area and were eating the dead bodies. The trio was lucky to be alive. Acoustic finally regained consciousness. He fainted from blood loss after he lost his eye in a sword duel. "Agh, god, my head. It's throbbing. And my eye is gone! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Acoustic was panicking and half blind, but alive. "Your eye was cut out in a duel. You're lucky to be alive, you crazy bastard," Lightning retorted. "You look badass now," Bursting tried to lighten the mood. "At least I'm only half blind," Acoustic laughed. "We need rest. Let's find somewhere to sleep. We'll need food too, but that can wait until dawn," Lightning yawned. "He's right," Bursting added. The three stallions went to sleep. They had a long day and definitely needed it. Lightning was the first one up. Some trotters were wandering near their camp. "Acoustic, Bursting, get up. Trotters are coming," he said, nudging the two brothers. "I'm up," Acoustic sighed. He was still in pain. "Let's go," Bursting said when he got up. The stallions picked up their swords and moved on. "We need food. We'll die without it," Lightning said. "We're vegetarian. Just eat grass," Acoustic facehoofed. "Water?" Lightning continued. "We'll find it. Let's go get some. We need containers to hold it though," Bursting retorted. "Get down," Acoustic whispered. A herd of trotters wandered by. They seemed to be following something. "What do you reckon they're after?" Lightning asked. "Probably another camp," Bursting sighed. "Ready to check it out?" Acoustic asked. "So you can lose another eye?" Lightning scoffed. "No, so we can find water. That's the reason we left our area," Acoustic looked as if he were about bitch slap Lightning. "Can't argue with that," Lightning shrugged. The stallions had been wandering through a wooden area for a while now. They were too far from Ponyville for it to have been the Everfree Forest. They used these trees as a cover and followed the path of the Trotters. They eventually stumbled upon an encampment. Approximately twenty mares and stallions were wandering around the perimeter, picking off trotters. Acoustic had an idea. "Let's see if they're friendly. I'll try not to be an asshole this time," he said. "We'll also go with you this time," Bursting replied, and Lightning nodded. "Let's wait for them to finish killing those trotters, so they'll lower their guard," Acoustic ordered. The last trotter was slain and the trio slowly approached the camp. "We've got company. They seem friendly," a mare said. "Stand your ground," another mare replied. "Relax, we're friendly. We just need water. Food would be nice too, but we're good on food for now," Acoustic said. "Would you mind if we spoke to y'all's leader?" Lightning asked. "We'll need you to drop your swords and we'll let you see her," one of the mares said. "You heard her. Put them down. We want them back after this though," Bursting said. The trio, followed by the two mares, trotted towards a large tent. A white mare with a royal blue mane stood up and trotted towards the group. "Who are you all?" she asked them. "I'm Acoustic Pulse. This is my brother, Bursting Atom, and my friend, Lightning Strike. Who are you?" Acoustic answered her question with a question. "My name's Gleamy. Those are my friends, Rose Bud and Acrylic Splash," the mare replied. "Nice to meet y'all," Lightning greeted. The two brothers nodded. "Likewise," Gleamy replied. "These guys came here looking for a water source. They said they're good on food," Rose explained. "We've got water, but we're low on food," Gleamy replied. "Well, eat the grass. That's how we survived," Acoustic sighed. "That's what we were doing. The grass is dying," Gleamy retorted. "The grass is greener in the forest," Bursting pointed out. "SHIT, I CAN'T BELIEVE WE DIDN'T THINK OF THAT!" Gleamy facehoofed. "Well, that solves our food problem," Acrylic said. "Maybe they can help us with the trotters," Rose replied. "Why not? More fighters means less trotters," Gleamy agreed. "Well, fellas, looks like we're staying here for a while. Respect these folks, they're nice enough to let us drink their water," Acoustic briefed. "No problem," Bursting replied. "Thanks for letting us stay. We'd still be fighting for our lives in that forest otherwise," Lightning added. END OF CHAPTER 2!
A New HomeAuthor's Note Now you know that: Lightning Strike is the protective one. Acoustic Pulse is the crazy one. Bursting Atom is the rational one. Here is the third chapter! Hope you enjoy! A New Home "You never gave our swords back," Bursting said. "You won't be needing them. Take a look in that green tent across the camp," Rose replied. The trio followed her directions to the green tent. Inside was a huge stockpile of weapons, mostly guns. There were hoofguns, submachine guns, heavy machine guns, projectile explosives, and even a couple of rocket launchers. "Holy shit, I'm in heaven!" Acoustic laughed, picking up a submachine gun. "Wow, these folks are packing! I didn't even know Equestria had this many guns," Lightning replied, grabbing a Vulcan. "Seriously? You can barely lift that hunk of metal. Pick something smaller and easier to carry. Helps agility when shit hits the fan," Acoustic laughed. "True," Lightning sighed and picked up a submachine gun similar to Acoustic's. "Bursting, whatcha got?" Acoustic asked. "Two hoofguns for close quarters, and the only assault rifle in here," Bursting replied. "Awesome. We'll need these. I don't want to kill any more ponies. We killed for our weapons, we killed for our lives, and now we are safer here. The threat of rival groups and trotters is still there though. I want you two to help me keep an eye out. I trust you both with my life, and I hope y'all trust me too," Acoustic briefed. "Alright, ramblin' mane, let's go meet up with the others," Bursting joked. Acoustic and Lightning laughed. The three stallions went back to Gleamy's tent. "See? What'd I tell ya?" Rose laughed. "Thanks. I still think we should have the swords in case we run out of ammunition," Bursting said. "He's right, Rose," Acrylic added. "Alright, here," Rose gave the swords back to the trio. "Much obliged," Acoustic smiled. "Yes, thanks," Bursting added. Lightning said nothing. He seemed to be looking at something. "What's wrong, Lightning?" Acoustic asked. "I think there's somepony in the trees. Somepony that's not from this camp," he whispered. "Let's wait a moment. Maybe they're friendly," Bursting said. In the forest were scouts from another camp about a kilometer away from Gleamy's. "How many are down there, High Caliber?" a black stallion with a grey mane asked. "About twenty, Silver Raider," High replied. "There's an orange one down there staring straight at us. He's not doing anything," Silver pointed out. "You see him too?" High asked. "Yep. Think we should retreat, or should we try and be allies?" Silver replied with a question of his own. "Stay here. I want to find out how hostile they are," High said and approached the camp. "That dumb bastard is gonna get himself killed," Silver facehoofed. "Somepony is coming. Hold your fire," Gleamy said. "Alright," Acoustic replied. "Hi, everypony. My name's High Caliber. I'm from a camp about a klik north of here," the black pony with a yellow mane said. "I'm Gleamy. This is my camp. What do you want?" Gleamy retorted. "I was wondering how hostile y'all were," he smirked. "You think your group can defeat ours?" Rose asked. Acrylic shushed her. "We don't think, we know," High challenged. "Fuck this piece of shit!" Lightning snapped and shot High Caliber right between the eyes. "God damn it, Lightning!" Acoustic shouted. High Caliber was dead instantly, blood flowing freely from the hole in his forehead. "He had killer in his eyes. I saw it. He was gonna pull out a knife and stab Gleamy," Lightning retorted. "Well, now his campmates are gonna look for him. Do you realize what you've done?" Acoustic was beyond pissed. "Shit happens. We probably outnumber them," Lightning shrugged. "What the hell are you gonna do if they outnumber us as badly as the last camp?" Bursting asked. "Kill or be killed," Lightning sighed. "We'll help y'all defend if shit gets too thick," Rose said. "If that happens, we'll need as much help as we can get," Acoustic replied. Silver Raider was still in the forest. 'So, only a few are hostile. That orange one is dangerous. I'll tell the guys back at camp about this,' he thought. He turned and galloped back towards camp. He was not gonna let High Caliber's death go in vain. Upon returning to camp, he was approached by a brown stallion with a black mane. "High Caliber is dead, Sharpshooter," Silver said. "Son of a bitch! We're wiping that damned camp out. How many are down there?" Sharpshooter asked. "Twenty," Silver replied. "Shit. That's twice our number. If each of us get two kills, that'll be it. Send word to the rest. We attack at nightfall," Sharpshooter commanded. "Yes, sir," Silver said and off he went. It was dark now, and Sharpshooter was ready to attack Gleamy and her friends. "Now. Let's move," he commanded. "They're sleeping, probably. This will be easy," Silver chuckled. Lightning was sitting up in his bed. He couldn't sleep. The sound of hoofsteps could be faintly heard inside the camp. He went outside to investigate. 'This must be the attack Acoustic warned me about. That guy seems to be a psychic when it comes to things like that. The fucker senses danger before he even gets in its way. It's so weird,' Lightning thought. "ATTACK! WIPE THEM ALL OUT! INCLUDING MARES AND FOALS!" Sharpshooter shouted. "That sick fuck!" Lightning said under his breath. Acoustic and Bursting woke up simultaneously. "Who was that?" Bursting asked. "Acoustic was right. That camp is under attack. Sounds like ten or fifteen," Lightning answered. "I told you so. EVERYONE WAKE UP! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Acoustic shouted. Gleamy was already awake and fighting off an attacker. Everypony, except for Acrylic and Rose, was awake and fighting. The attackers had wiped out half of the members in Gleamy's camp. It was bloodshed unlike any seen before. Fifteen bodies lay strewn across the camp. Ten from Gleamy's camp, five from Sharpshooter's. All that was left of Sharpshooter's group was himself, Silver Raider, and three other ponies loyal to his cause. Lightning Strike decapitated one and shot another in the chest. Bursting Atom was locked in a brawl against Silver Raider. "You're dead, you bastard!" Silver shouted. "Get that weak shit out of here," Bursting shouted and shot him while he was speaking. "Too fuckin' easy," Acoustic laughed as Silver slumped to the ground, life leaving his eyes. Sharpshooter was cornered. He was the last one standing from his camp. "So, this is it then?" he chuckled. "Say hello to Tirek for me, you son of a bitch!" Gleamy shouted and she shot him in the throat. Pieces of his head flew in all direction. Blood was everywhere. Trotters were attracted to the sound of gunfire and moved towards the camp. "We've got trotters. Unfortunately, we're all that's left," Acoustic said. "I wouldn't say that," Rose retorted with a yawn. Acrylic was standing beside her. "Acrylic, Rose! You're okay!" Gleamy sighed in relief and ran to hug her friends. "We ain't dead yet," Acrylic laughed. "Looks like our trio is a sextet now," Bursting said. "Hahaha, sextet,"Lightning joked. "SHUT UP!" Bursting and Acoustic bursted out laughing. "Seriously, how are we still alive? This is the third time in two days that we've cheated death," Acoustic asked. "Because we're badass!" Rose said as if it were obvious. "That about sums it up," Gleamy said. The sextet set of to find a new place to set up camp. They hoped it will be further away from other survivors. END OF CHAPTER 3!
On The Road AgainAuthor's Note Previously on The Dead Have Risen: 3 stallions meet up in Ponyville and fight their way out. They stumble upon a camp and end up in a heated battle. Acoustic loses his eye in a duel, and faints from blood loss. They find a different camp and stay there, until a rival camp attacked. The enemy wipes out a lot of ponies, and the only survivors were Acoustic, Lightning, Bursting, Gleamy, Acrylic, and Rose. Here's Chapter 4: On The Road Again. On The Road Again "Well, that escalated quickly," Rose said. "Yeah, no shit," Acrylic sighed. "Glad we made it out alive," Gleamy replied. "We need to make something clear right now. If we wait around like lame ducks, we won't be alive any longer," Acoustic retorted. "Who died and made you boss?" Rose snapped. "I'm not being bossy, I'm using common sense," Acoustic answered. "Looks like we're on the road again," Lightning changed the subject. "Yep," Bursting nodded. The first rays of sun were stretching over the horizon, signaling the birth of another day. Our sextet had been wandering since the wee hours, in an attempt to distance themselves from the bloodshed that took place the night before. "I can't believe almost our entire force is gone. We went from a platoon down to a squad over the course of two to three hours," Gleamy sighed. "Well, Lightning Strike thought High Caliber was going to try to stab you," Acrylic replied. "I take full responsibility for what happened last night. If there's anypony to blame, it's me. I killed High Caliber with the best intentions," Lightning hung his head in guilt. "WELL, YOUR SO-CALLED BEST INTENTIONS DAMNED NEAR WIPED US ALL OUT!" Gleamy snapped. "I'LL WIPE YOU OUT IF YOU DON'T STOP!" Lightning shouted back. "IF Y'ALL DON'T SHUT THE FUCK UP, SO HELP ME CELESTIA, I'LL KILL YOU ALL WITHOUT EVEN A SMIDGE OF REMORSE!" Acoustic had had enough of their bickering. He had cheated death three times, and was not in the mood for risking his life for a fourth time by attracting trotters. "Acoustic, calm down. Everypony just calm down. We're going to... attract... TROTTERS! SHOOT THEM!" Bursting saw what looked to be fifteen trotters all coming at them. They were slow moving, so the sextet made quick work of them. Things could have been much worse, and the group was well aware of that. "See what I mean?" Bursting broke the silence. "Yeah," Gleamy nodded. Nopony else replied and simply continued on. The six ponies decided to stop and rest temporarily. They had grown tired from so much trotting. "It's almost noon. Think we should stop and eat some grass?" Rose asked. She had been silent for a while. "We'll need the energy. I think it's a good idea," Acrylic agreed. They all ate some grass to build energy. They had just enough water to get through the next few days, if they were to live that long. "Alright. Y'all ready?" Acoustic asked. "Yep," the others replied. The three mares and three stallions continued their journey away from the other camp. They couldn't carry all the weapons and only had two tents and four days worth of water. "You think there's a cure for the trotter virus?" Lightning asked after a while. "No, probably not," Gleamy shot him down. "I don't know. It's probably in Canterlot. Wouldn't surprise me if they're keeping it for the Princesses," Acoustic theorized. "So, you're saying we should try to find a cure?" Bursting asked. "Or die trying," Acoustic answered. "We could just wait for the trotters to decompose and fall into a pile of bones. This epidemic will probably be like the Cutie Pox Pandemic of 2011 and vanish without a trace," Rose said. "That's smart thinking there, Rose," Acoustic retorted. "Eh, it's just a theory," she shrugged. "Let's try Canterlot first," Bursting suggested. "Worth a shot," Lightning said. "I don't think so. We should go with Rose and wait it out," Gleamy shot him down again. "Do you have to disagree with me on everything?" Lightning asked. "You're the reason 24 lives were lost last night. 14 of those were from my camp," Gleamy scoffed. "I ALREADY APOLOGIZED!" Lightning shouted. "SORRY DOESN'T BRING THEM BACK!" Gleamy shrieked. She pointed her gun at him. "NO, GLEAMY DON'T!" Acoustic yelled. Gleamy ignored him and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the trees. In a split second, Lightning was dead. A pool of blood was surrounding his lifeless body. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOOT, DAMN IT! WHAT THE FUCK?" Acoustic exclaimed, a tear in his eye. "He brought it upon himself. I should've never let y'all into my camp," Gleamy replied in a monotone. "So you're sayin' that I could kill you for killing him since you brought it on yourself?" Acoustic used Gleamy's own words against her. "Oh, you son of a bitch!" those were Gleamy's last words as a bullet hit her between the eyes. Her body hit the ground with a thud that was eerily similar to Lightning's. "Congratulations, we're now a quartet," Bursting sighed. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?!" Rose shouted. "Yes," Acoustic replied as if it were no big deal. "That sums it up," Bursting laughed. He wasn't sure what made him laugh, but Rose was definitely displeased. "We have to stick together. We've turned on each other, and now two more of us are dead," Rose sighed, tears flowing steadily down her face. "She's right, Acoustic. You killed our best friend, she killed yours. We need to get to Canterlot together, and that won't happen if we kill each other," Acrylic reasoned. Day turned to night. The quartet finally made it into Canterlot. Roughly thirty trotters roamed the streets ahead. "Fuck! We're never going to get past them," Bursting sighed. "If there's a will, there's a way," Acoustic replied. Rose and Acrylic nodded. "I'm glad you think that. You go first.", Rose nudged him. "Sure. No problem," Acoustic fired the rest of his magazine, wiping out every trotter except for one. While he was reloading, it shuffled towards him. Acoustic finished loading his gun, but the trotter was right in front of him. He spun, and kicked it. The kick miscalculated, and the trotter hit Rose headfirst. It took a huge bite out of her neck. The bite ruptured her carotid artery and blood spewed like a fountain from the bite wound. Acoustic shot the trotter, but not fast enough to save Rose. Acoustic fired another shot at Rose in case she were to become a trotter herself. "THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Bursting shouted. "I kicked the trotter out of my way. I wasn't expecting her to be right behind me. I thought she would do the tactical two meter spread," Acoustic sighed. "SHIT!" Acrylic yelled. "Why does all the crazy shit happen to us?" Acoustic asked. "I wish I knew, we're all dropping like parasprites," Acrylic replied. "Your guess is as good as mine," Bursting shrugged. The trio reached the castle. The doors were wide open, and several windows were broken. The three ponies sprinted up to the throne room. The sight horrified them. Blood was splattered all over the walls. The lifeless bodies of guards were strewn everywhere. The true shock was the fact that the princesses were gone. "Not good!" Bursting said. There was a sound of rustling behind them. They turned to see the true horror they had dreaded since they first discussed a cure. Luna and Celestia were both trotters. Acrylic froze in shock. She didn't react. "ACRYLIC, RUN! SHE'S GONNA BITE YOU!" Bursting shouted. "Don't you realize? Equestria has fallen. We're finished," Acrylic did nothing as the two trotter Princesses began to feast on her flesh. She was dead in less than a minute. "SHIT! RUN, BURSTING!" Acoustic shouted. The two brothers galloped away from the throne room. There was nothing more they could do, other than that. "Four days of survival down the drain. Gone with the wind," Acoustic sighed as they reached a dead end. "This is it then," Bursting sighed. "See you on the other side, bro," Acoustic sniffled. Tears began to fall. The two ponies they wanted to save ended up being their demise. Everypony was dead. To this day, the trotters rule the land, eating everypony in sight. Acrylic Splash was right that day. Equestria had fallen. THE END!
