The Zombie War (Original)

It's been a day since Rin was found. People had a hard time adjusting to her. Rainbow had easy time since she knew her, but other than her, me, and Scootaloo, others had barely any interaction with her. Some wanted her to stay in our warehouse.

"We can't trust her." Shining said.

"She destroyed Megaville, Kyle. MEGAVILLE!" Pinkie screamed.

"Stop it. If Kyle says she's staying, she's staying." Fluttershy said.

"I trust her. As many bad things that she did, she and I have a similar past. Maybe I can talk to her." Scootaloo said.

"She's right. If Kyle can trust her, why can't you?" Rainbow asked.

"If you all want to argue about her staying, fine. But count me out." Cadence said.

"Me too. This is your problem, not mine." Maud, Pinkie's sister, said.

"Well, we DID just find you. But Kyle, this is serious. She destroyed a massive, fully armed, completely militarized city. There were women and children in those walls, she killed them all." Sunset said.

"No, her people did. She didn't fire a shot." I said.

"So what? She still made that order. She could've killed my wife, Kyle. You know what that's like." Shining said.

Most people were stunned by Shining's response.

"Oh, God, Kyle. I'm-" Shining said.

"No, no, it's okay. This place is about saving lives, Shining. As many lives as we can by any means besides capture, you all know that. It's the only rule when your out there." I said.

"We know the rules; Never threaten, never steal, never harm." Shining recited.

"And as for those who did things before, we try to reform them. If we can't or they put us in danger, we send them packing." I said to everyone.

"When was that established?" Rainbow asked.

"After we killed Bell. Speaking of which, that's today." I said.

"What is?" Rainbow asked.

"Some people call it Freedom Day, others call it Rarity's memorial, and we call it Independence Day." Scootaloo said.

"Wow. I had no... wait, Rarity's MEMORIAL?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah. Bell stabbed Rarity's head and everyone else fired. She died saving us." I said.

"I had no... When I didn't see her... I'm so sorry." Rainbow said to us.

"We managed to move on, but some people have to remember. We buried her and gave her a funeral. Since then, we thrived. We found more people, people from Megaville joined us, and over time, we built Sanctuary." I said.

"I... wish I was here for that. At The Kingdom, all we had was Rin and Len's Birthday. This seems way more cooler." Rainbow said.

"More than 20%?" I joked.

"Funny. So, when is it?" Rainbow asked.

"Now." I said.

This year's Freedom Day was much less exciting since Megaville was wiped out and we set terms with The Kingdom to leave each other alone. But I saw Rainbow and Keito walk around, so it was somewhat sweet. As for me, I went and did what I always did: Describe Sanctuary for the new recruits.

"So, if any of you didn't know, we founded this place 2 years ago. When I was 13, this plague hit. Me and my bus driver Gary finally came out of my basement and into the world a year later. We saw barely anything but Runners, but we were headed for Canterlot High, the school I always wanted to go to. After 2 months of it, I was assigned for guard duty. Since no-one listened to me when I screamed to turn around, we lost an entire side of the wall to 60 Runners. We were then attacked by bandits. Me, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Vinyl Scratch ran for a bus and drove here. Although it's a relic now, we still have it up and running. We found this place after we were pushed back by Bell and her people. We then went to Townsville; this city. We were able to claim 5 buildings by ourselves, and when help arrived, we were able to claim more and more. After Bell took my hand, we were ready for war- Rainbow mostly. Now, last month, I claimed she was wrong about us from the start. That we were meant to survive in this world. I still believe that, but after The Kingdom and their destruction, we need to be careful outside these walls. As for Rin, we don't plan to kick her out. I plan for her to join us one day. Maybe not as soon as I think, but someday. I conclude this year's Freedom Day an announcement: I plan to launch a search mission for my sister later in the month. A note she left behind stated she was on a farm not far from here. I need a few volunteers for this mission. I choose Shining Armor, Daisuke, and Rin for this mission. If anyone else wants to volunteer, step forward now." I said.

As the crowd went silent, a hand went up.

"I'll do it." Scootaloo said.

"Scoot, you know what's out there." I said.

"I lost my sister, you helped me. What better way can I help than finding her for you?" Scootaloo asked.

"Alright. It's done. Good year and I hope we live for next year!" I said.

I heard cheers in the crowd as we walked into the apartment. I caught up with Scootaloo shortly after.

"Scootaloo!" I called out.

She stopped and I caught up.

"Thank you. No-one else would've stepped up for this." I said.

"Of course. With everything you did for me, how can I say thank you any other way?" Scootaloo asked.

"I don't know how." I said.

She giggled and we kissed. She went to her apartment and I went to mine. As I was walking, I decided to tell Rin about her request. I went to the warehouse which was being used as a prison. I went to the only cell and saw Rin barely doing anything.

"What is it?" Rin asked calmly.

"Listen. We need you for a mission of mine." I said.

"What mission?" She asked.

"My sister left us a note at where she used to work. It said she was on a farm with other people. I need you, Daisuke- Scootaloo's father, and Shining Armor to look for her. We're willing to trade your freedom in this community for your acceptance." I said.

"And if we don't find her? Or if she's dead?" Rin asked.

"You will either way. And when you do- and only then- we will release you. What do you say?" I asked.

Rin was clearly thinking about this. She showed signs of denial. I was afraid she would say no, then she looked at me and said

"Okay. When do we start?"