Dusk sat outside, smoking. As the smoke rose up from his lips, Screw came out and sat beside him. The two had been through hell, and they weren't about to go through it again, not after this. "So," said Dusk. "how do you feel about their ideas of going to Ponyville and Canterlot?"

"I told you, it's a dangerous journey, and one with many twists and turns. You know the Griffons went there, don't you?"

"Of course I do, it's unwise not to keep in touch with such details." He took another drag of his cigarette. "I trust you located their base?"

"No, actually. It was destroyed, and I don't have to wonder if it was them who did it. Gilda, the daughter, is dead. That's another reason I think they did it. Everybody knew how long Dash and Gilda knew each other, and they had a grudge for a while. Perfect time to end it, don't you think?"

Dusk sighed. "I don't pretend to know how to keep a grudge, it just clouds your judgment. However, I do believe, if she did indeed kill Gilda, that she made the right choice. Gilda was too dangerous to be left alive, her father gave her almost full control over his army. What's more, I heard through a wire tap I made that she planned on hunting down the Elements and Celestia, getting rid of multiple problems at once. But it didn't seem to go well for her, so we should count or successes and take a short break." He took another drag, gazing off into the distance, where Canterlot looked as a speck against the sky.

"So I have to wonder, what exactly have you been up to?" Screw looked at Dusk, trying to read his emotions.

"As you know, again, I have had to travel with those filthy gang members for at least three months, and I had to be careful not to alert them." He took out his gun, a Taurus judge revolver. "I had trouble keeping Octavia secret from them."

"Wait, Octavia? The cellist?"

"She used to be a cellist. She was murdered, and now this revolver is all I have left. Come on, it's about time to wake them."

They went inside to find them all waking, and told them of their suspicions and the plan they had made. They agreed, though Rainbow Dash was reluctant to follow anyone's plan. They gathered their things, almost forgetting their guns, and went to the cars. They were surprised to see a Charger and a Thunderbike by their car, but soon the surprise was turned to curiosity. They'd never seen such a bike, and the polish was such that it gleamed like silver. But they heard a groan behind them, and turned around to see an infected male, about thirty three-years, shuffling towards them. Twilight and Dusk got in front, and readied their weapons as clubs. But the next sound made them shiver. About fifteen more groans sounded behind the building, and they turned to look. A fence at the back of the facility had been rusted beyond help, and the lock had broken from the force of the infected. It was a cell for their prizes, and they had broken free.

"Get to the cars, my gun's jammed!"

Twilight smacked her gun, but nothing happened. The others ran to the cars, and drove off to the road. Dusk shot two at once, and grabbed a wooden plank, tossing it at Twilight. She whacked two men in the head, resulting in a decapitated duo of rotting flesh. Another made a grab for her arm, but she smashed the board against his face, sending him to the ground.The rest of the infected stood still, seemingly waiting for an opportunity, but Twilight and Dusk grabbed a board each, and using them as riot shields, forced all the infected to the ground, and finished them off with kicks to their skulls. The adrenaline coursed through them, and they had to take a moment to catch their breaths.

"Fuck. Why do we always get the trouble. Can there be a day when we don't run into a pack of meatbags?"

Dusk straightened up. "Well, I should think you'd be used to by now, Miss Sparkle. After all, it's been a few years now. Come, we should retreat before the scent of blood and flesh attract more."

They went to the cars, which had parked just a few yards away, and climbed in. Screw's Charger was dark gray, and modified with kneecappers. The roof had a weapon rack with a AK-74 strapped to it, and all the windows had adjustable shutters on them. Dusk's bike had been given a similar treatment, with smaller kneecappers, a weapon rack on both sides, and a small gun mounted on the front between the handles. It was a shiny black, and a light yellow stripe ran around the sides, giving it a hornet-like appearance. He got on, starting the engine, and Screw revved his Charger. After they got in their respective vehicles, they sped off down the road, heading for Ponyville.

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The drive was excruciatingly long, and they all felt the exhaustion getting to them. Not having a proper pause from all of their situations gave them terrible exhaustion, and sleep was beckoning with its warm fingers, so they fought hard to stay awake. Twilight thought back to the gang members they had killed. Their disgusting, sweaty bodies abusing her friends, their horrible breath inches from her face. She shuddered, and looked at Fluttershy, who was driving the car. She had quite possibly taken it the hardest, especially with their taunts and disgusting comments towards the sensitive mare. Pinkie was sitting in a corner, eyes shut seemingly in sleep.

"Twilight'" said Rainbow Dash. "Do you think this will ever end?"

Rarity looked up from her arms. "Darling, it most likely will never end. It's about as likely as me sprouting wings or a tail."

"Maybe, but I just want a break from all this bullshit."

Rarity had an expression of anger. "And you believe I don't? I would much rather have my boutique back, sipping some lovely tea, or reading a good book, then sitting here wondering when the next time I have to kill something will be.!"

She looked at the floor. "I... I'm sorry. This is one of the reasons I've stayed silent, I have these feelings of helplessness and anger, and I just want to scream."

She looked at Twilight, and the normally calm and organized girl ran her fingers through her hair. This scared Twilight. Something must be going on, and she should try to help.

"What's wrong, Rarity? It's not anything from yesterday, is it?"

Rarity looked at Spike, who was playing a hand-held gaming system. She leaned forward and cupped her hands. "I think Spike is still reflecting on yesterdays... sexual events. It's a good thing he forgets the last few hours after sleeping, or I don't have any idea what would have happened. He shouldn't have gone through that, nobody should."

Just then, they heard a gun fired, and turned to the windshield. They saw a man wave at them to go forward, and he shot again. They realized it was a horde of infected, and that there were buildings around. They were nearing Ponyville. The man waved them forward again, and shot ten of the infected down. He had an M21 sniper, and he took out a machete, slashing back the throng of writhing bodies. Twilight didn't want to sit idly by, and leaned out the window, firing her M4 at the mass of infected, downing an entire group in five seconds. The man looked at her, eyes pleading for her to go, but she couldn't leave him.

"Fluttershy, keep the car here! I'm helping that man!"

Fluttershy nodded, and Twilight ran from the car, firing her rifle at two infected who were rushing for her. The man fired his sniper towards her, but he had aimed over her, downing three fectos at once. He mouthed at Twilight to go, but she didn't listen, and pulled him towards the car. She shoved him in, climbed in herself, and only narrowly missed an infected woman grabbing at her leg. Once they were safely in, the car sped off, splattering several infected on the sides and windows.

"Nearly got ourselves killed, there. Hey, what were you doing in the middle of the road, out in the open? What's your name?"

The man looked at her. "My name's Golden Heart, miss. And my girlfriend is Caramel Twist. She's a medic, and she's in town with one of our friends. He fell ill from a minor bite from a zombie, but he should be alright. I just hope they're safe."

Twilight was puzzled. "Zombies?"

"Yeah, that's what we call them. Faster than saying infected, at least. Just a slang term, nothing more. So, what brings you here?"

"We came to see if there's anything salvageable, and whether our homes still stand. If so, then we'll get our belongings, if they indeed still lay where they were, and travel on to Canterlot. Then... we don't know after that. Possibly go back to Princess Celestia, maybe go out to the Crystal Empire, maybe to Saddle Arabia, who knows? Anywhere's better than here in this mass of bodies."

"How do you know the other countries don't have the same problems?"

"Haven't you paid attention? It was a bombing that did this, there was a chemical in addition with the bombs that does this. Now, the lands have been laid to waste all over. Haven't you been outside Ponyville?"

"No, I didn't think it was safe. I had to protect my girlfriend, you understand."

Twilight looked out the window, thinking about it. It made sense to stay in a safe, familiar area, but it was rather small, yet well populated, making it dangerous. Then, she saw it. It was worse than when they left. Buildings were burning, collapsing, and otherwise lying in disrepair, and the roads looked as if they had been hit by a great giant. The skeletal remains of cars sat still on the road, and weeds were growing out of control. Bodies lay here and there, and the smell was atrocious. Now and then a stray creature would stray from its hiding place, searching for food, and feast on the corpses. Vines and shrubs were overgrown so much that it was difficult to see the road, and the sky was darkening, though from rain or night they could not tell. They saw Sweet Apple Acres in the distance, and it seemed all right, but they were at a distance. One couldn't be sure if it truly was untouched, or if their eyes were playing tricks.

They exited their vehicles, and stared at the surrounding area with determination. Their homes needed searching, friends and family may need rescuing, and belongings that could be salvaged would be. But something was awry in the atmosphere, and Twilight had to catch her breath. A great danger was coming, and it wasn't far off.

Author's Note

Having just entered their old hometown of Ponyville, our heroes will bravely try to conquer all dangers there. But there's not only remnants of people, but remnants of the past. And the past can be a hurtful thing.