Survivorby NightcallChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Interlude: ContaigonChapter 5PrologueChapter 1Chapter 1 Bill awoke with a shiver and a jolt. His eyes opened quickly, and looked around in shock. Where he was laying was surprising. He was in a forest, dense and thick with oak and birch trees. Bill also noticed he was in a sitting position, almost exactly as he was in the generator room... This can't be really heaven, can it? I hate the frickin' woods... Bill thought bitterly as he got up and inspected the environment more thoroughly. He tripped on something, and he found that it was his M-16 rifle. Bill chuckled, and picked up the rifle from the grassy ground. 'Least I won't have to worry about forest critters getting the jump on me. Bill chuckled again, and slung the rifle on his back. He instinctively checked his pistol holster, and surprisingly he also found his sidearm, a 1911. "Hell, it's like 'Nam all over again..." Bill muttered as he thought back on his two tours in the jungle country. Bill looked around himself once again, and he realized he had one problem; "...Horseshit, I'm frickin' lost in a god damned forest..." Bill unleashed a slew of colourful repertoire of curses as he looked around him. "Screw i-" Bill was cut off by a scream to his right, as well as a rather foreboding roar. "...Had to open my damned mouth..." Bill bitterly grumbled as he jogged toward the scream's direction. Then he felt that uncomfortable pain in his knee. "Sunnava bitch," Bill cursed as he continued to limp-jog to the scream. Bill inspected the forest as he jogged through it; the leaves were dense, only a few small rays were poking out from the gaps in the leaves, and the forest itself had a foreboding aura to it, and Bill didn't like it one single damned bit. Another scream pierced the silence of the forest, along with another roar and what sounded like howls. "Aw, hell. Wolves." Fluttershy stood in the hollowed out husk of a dead tree as a battle raged on in front of her. A large manticore battled an entire pack of Timber Wolves that rudely interrupted a negotiation to relocate to another part of the Everfree. Now Fluttershy was trapped in the middle of the battle, with no guaranteed way out alive. She sustained an injury on her left wing thanks to a Timber Wolf, and the husk of the tree was small. She was stuck, until either the Wolves or manticore was dead and finish her off. "Oh, my, oh my..." She squeaked as she made herself as tiny as possible. She closed her eyes, and covered her ears; she didn't want to hear the fight rage on any longer. But then, three loud, thunderous claps were heard along with a voice. "Over here, you sons of bitches!" Bill had found the group responsible for the noises. He spotted a... giant lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail, and ten wolves made of... wood. "You have to be frickin' joking..." He said to himself. As he took aim, he saw what looked like a woman stuck in a hollowed out tree, cowering and shivering with fear. That poor... That set Bill off as to who screamed, and that she was in a deadly situation. Bill looked down the sights of the M-16, and fired a three round burst at the ground in front of the lion-thing. "Over here, you sons of bitches!" Bill yelled as he let loose a torrent of bullets at the wolves. The wooden abominations splintered and split as bullets tore through their timber hide. The ten wolves were annihilated within a few seconds. Bill swapped the empty mag for a fresh one, and slammed it into the rifle before cocking it. He then focused on the lion. He fired controlled bursts at what he thought was weak spots and vital areas. Empty shell casing flew out of the ejector in calculated bursts, the bullets' marks were true as splatters of crimson flew out of the beast. Bill's M-16 was yet again empty and he quickly replaced the empty magazine with a new one. Bill fired a few more bursts, then the beast growled weakly, and then it fell onto the mossy ground, dead. Bill lowered the rifle, and inspected the corpse of the creature. "What in name of God...?" Bill said, his voice filled with shock and awe. He then heard whimpering and crying, presumably from the woman in the... Ah, hell I forgot about her, Bill scolded himself She's probably scared out of her wits... Bill slowly approached the tree, then he laid his rifle on the ground. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on, I'll help you ou-" Bill was surprised as to how the appearance of the woman looked; she did have the same body structure, with hands and feet. Except the head was... different. She had a muzzled face, long flowing pink hair and... a pair of wings... on her back. And her skin was butter yellow. Her eyes were large, and her pupils were a aqua blue-ish colour. Bill inspected her clothing, looking at the once-beautiful green sundress with a floral pattern. She also wore those weird sandal-high heel hybrid shoes, and she a blue butterfly hair clip nestled above her right eye. He also noticed he was staring in awe at her for about five minutes. Bill then said the one thing that was appropriate in his situation: "Shit." "Y-you shouldn't curse..." The woman said as she shakily got up from her uncomfortable crouching position. "Can't. It's a bad habit like smoking." Bill replied as he held out his hand. The woman reluctantly accepted and Bill helped her out of the husk. "Thank you." The pink haired woman timidly squeaked. "What was that? Speak up a bit, kid." "T-thank you, mister..." "Overbeck. William Overbeck. But Bill is fine." Bill held out his hand in greeting. "I'm Fluttershy." The woman said quietly. "What?" Bill asked. "My name is Fluttershy." "...Fluttershy? I admit, and also no offence, you have a pretty weird name." "You do as well, Mister Overbeck." "Like I said, Bill's fine." Bill held up a hand, before he noticed the stain of crimson on her left side. "You okay?" Fluttershy forgot about her injury, and quickly put a hand on her bleeding wing. She had a feeling of light headedness, and she collapsed onto the ground. "Ah, shit..." Bill picked up the girl, and he looked for a trail. Luckily, there was one to his right, and he hauled the girl down the trail, to hopefully find a hospital or some sort of medical facility. Bill went as fast as his legs could carry him, but with carrying the girl and his bum knee, it would indeed prove a difficult challenge. "Come on, Overbeck," He recounted his LTs words, "Double time it!" Fluttershy awoke in an unfamiliar room, with a blinding light above her. She threw a hand to block the brightness, but she felt a bit numb. Once the light was blocked, she noticed a spot of green, and she saw the man who helped her, Bill. He was asleep, and he looked peaceful, and tired. She heard the door open on her right and looked to see her friends entering the room. "Oh, my goodness, Fluttershy!" Rarity ran up to her friend. "When the doctor called, we came here as soon as we can." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash rasped. "I thought you were more... hurt, but you suffered blood loss, from what the doc said." "Would you mind keeping it down? This old man needs a rest after that God-awful jog..." The elderly, masculine voice in the corner yawned. Everypony in the room looked to see what looked like a pony-like male creature in well worn military clothing, with an equally worn face. "Excuse me sir, but..." Twilight began. "...But who are you?" "'Names Bill Overbeck, and I saved your friend." Chapter 2Chapter 2 Bill had finished telling the girls that had walked in, who have revealed themselves to be friends of Fluttershy, on how he had saved the girl from a pack of Timber Wolves and a manticore from, presumably, fighting over territory. Bill was still quite shocked to learn that the lavender coloured girl, Twilight, had said that she was a princess of the country Bill had found himself stuck in. "So, Mr. Overbeck... How about we head over to my home, the Golden Oaks library and we can discuss a few things?" Twilight inquired. "You, a princess," Bill began. "Live in a library? I was half expectin' for you to be up in that big castle up on the mountain north of here." "That is were the other two princesses are. Also, this town, Ponyville," Ponyville? This is a crock of fantasy horseshit... "...and that means that me and my friends are the protectors of this town and country." Twilight was unaware that Bill had tuned her out for a moment or two, so he could think over the information he had been given. "Well, if yer willin' to help an old man limp to your house, I'll go." "...Twilight? Can you please ask the doctor if I can be released now? That is if you don't mind..." "Fluttershy, you only arrived here an hour and a half ago." Rarity said to Fluttershy. "Besides, you need a blood transfusion. You lost quite a bit of blood, and the doctors need to check for infection..." "Aw shit I forgot," Bill cursed. "I need a cigarette. I'll be with ya in a minute." "I didn't know you smoked. Why would you even? You're only... How old are you, Bill?" Twilight asked. "I dunno, sixty-six? Sixty-seven? between sixty-five and sixty-nine." "And you smoke? You realize that cigarettes harm you in a bad way, right?" Rainbow asked concernedly. "Well, I need to process this information fer a spell." Bill then got up from the chair in the hospital room. "I'll be back in a few." Bill walked out of the room and down the hallway. Once Bill was out of hearing range, Twilight spoke. "Rainbow, Applejack, why don't you two go ask Bill where he is from?" "...You aren't seriously askin' us to ask th' very question he felt uncomfortable t' answer, are ya Twi?" "Yes Applejack. He is hiding something. When he arrived in the hospital, from what the receptionist told me, he freaked out when a nurse ran up to help him, and he pulled a gun." Rainbow and Applejack gulped at this fact, "Whatever happened prior to his arrival, it seems to have followed him." Twilight then softened up. "Just... ask him, please? Maybe if he opens up, it will help him." Rainbow and Applejack nodded, and proceeded to follow Bill outside. Bill stood outside the hospital, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He took a drag, and exhaled. He had his mind on home. He had his mind on them. He was hoping that Zoey, Louis and Francis had made it to the Keyes, away from the mainland, away from the Infected. "Ahh, I hope you kids made it out." "Who made it out?" Bill looked to his right to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack walking out of the hospital. "No one. I'm just talking to myself. Bill said quickly, avoiding the question. "Bill, we know about the incident in the hospital," Bill shot a glare at Rainbow Dash. "But come on, something's botherin' you." Applejack approached the elderly old man to talk to him. "Listen, I know ya don't want ta talk 'bout it, but we wanna know where yer from," Applejack began, "Jus' oblige us fer a moment." Bill sighed, took a long drag from his cigarette, and crushed it under his boot. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya." Bill took a moment to find which part of 'home' to talk about. "Well, I grew up in Fairfield, Philadelphia my whole life. I fought in the Vietnam war for two tours when I was twenty, was enlisted in the special forces, the Green Berets," Bill pointed to the beret on his head, "After the war, I ran out of enemies to fight. I was in the military half my damn life, just give me a target and I shoot. After the war though, I didn't do a damn thing for a while." "I was a tour guide for a bit, did odd jobs now and again, and went to a shrink once a week to 'talk out my problems'. It was only a month ago decided to get my knee checked." "Why?" Rainbow asked. "I didn't make it outta 'Nam unscathed, kid. After a patrol went sour an explosive was set off an' I got a knee full a' shrapnel fer my troubles." Bill paused. "So anyway, when I was getting my knee checked out, and at the time a virus was spreading like wildfire and a nurse was infected." "I don't like where this is going..." Rainbow read her and Applejack's thoughts aloud. "Ya shouldn't. She turned inta something. The nurse became what may be called a zombie, and took a bite outta the surgeon's neck. I was in and out of consciousness at the time from the anesthesia and I took up a bone saw and a scalpel to defend myself." Rainbow and Applejack paled a bit. "T-that can't be true..." "It is Dash. He ain't lyin'" Applejack's words chilled Rainbow Dash to the bone. "It's true kid. Those days, especially the first few were like Hell on Earth. People running and screaming, killing each other just on the suspicion that someone was infected. After getting the hell outta Mercy Hospital, I ran home, put on my old uniform, and went to battle those abominations." Bill took a moment, as the words from the doctor at Echo Base flooded his mind. "The scary thing was, the virus changed daily." Rainbow Dash and Applejack gulped. "Look, let's head back in and get yer friends. I guess they were the ones who sent you to inquire about my past." Bill walked toward the hospital entrance. "Let's go." Chapter 3"I wonder what's-" Twilight was cut off by the door opening. Rainbow Dash, Bill and Applejack walked into the hospital room. "Hello, Bill." Fluttershy said meekly as the man went to his seat in the corner. "How's yer wing? They give ya an update when their gonna check on it?" "Yeah, Nurse Redheart came in here and said the doctor will be here in a moment. She said he was tending... a sick patient." Ah hell, please god, not here... Pleases... Bill's mind was filled with fear for this town. If the doctor was tending to someone with the Green Flu, he would have to get his rifle that he stashed at Fluttershy's cottage. "Well, it's probably nothing..." Bill said, all while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were glancing at Bill with concern. "Since that's out of the way... DoyoumindifIthrowyoua'WelcomToPonyville/ThanksForSavingFluttershyParty? OkayBYE!" Pinkie Pie zipped out of the room faster than the eye can see. "...What kind of drugs does she do?" Bill asked while staring at the visible cloud of dust she made as Pinkie left. "We'll never know, darling. Oh, and I must say, your military uniform looks rather... worn." Rarity began. "Of course, it looks good on you, but would you rather get out of them?" "Yeah, that'd be great; have a clothes store in mind?" "Nope. I will make them for you. I'm a tailor." Rarity said while getting up from her seat in the middle of the room. "Ah, well while we wait for the kid to recover, perhaps you could take measurements at your shop." "Yes, that would be a great time killer. Come, let's go, darling." Bill and Rarity stood outside of Carousel Boutique, Rarity's place of work as well as her home. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything Chic, Unique, and Magnifique!" Rarity said as they entered the main room. Well, this should be interesting... Bill thought as he and Rarity went to the measuring room. "So, are you going to tell us?" Twilight asked Rainbow and Applejack. The two mares in question looked at each other before Applejack spoke. "Hon, what yer 'bout ta hear might be a bit... disturbin'" "Yeah, and it might sound far fetched, but he was telling the truth..." Dash added as they prepped themselves to tell Twilight. They first told Twilight about Fairfield, about how Bill was from there, then onto the 'Vietnam' war, about how he was on the Special Forces, the Green Berets. Rainbow told Twi about how he served two tours and got a knee full of shrapnel. Then Applejack finished with how Bill was finally getting his knee checked out and his first encounter with a woman infected with the Green Flu, and how he set out to combat the infected. Twilight took the information in; if Rainbow had told the story, Twilight would have thought it was, pardon her language, a crock of shit. But hearing it from Applejack as well was... troubling. ...A virus? That turns them into... into... Twilight lost her words. And Fluttershy, who was listening in on the conversation, was terrified at what she had heard. He fought in a war? He was injured? There was real-life zombies where he was from? Fluttershy felt a wave of emotion come over her. She felt sorry for Bill, for the people he must've lost to the 'Green Flu'. "Well... I guess I'll ask some more later... Well, thanks girls. I gotta head back to the library to check on Spike. See you later." Twilight said as she walked towards the door and out of the room. "... I'm gonna see where Pinkie's at." Dash also left the hospital room. Applejack ran her fingers through Fluttershy's hair and muzzled her. "I'll stay here a while 'til the doc comes in, 'Shy." "O-okay." The two sat quietly in the hospital room, silent from Bill's tragic past before his arrival. Rainbow Dash had just arrived at Sugarcube Corner, and she just entered the sweets shop. "Hi, Mrs. Cake. Where's Pinkie?" "Oh, she went to that DJs house, ah what's her name? Oh! Vinyl Scratch's. It looks like she is setting up a party of sorts." "Okay, thanks." Rainbow walked to the door and made her way to Vinyl's house. Meanwhile... "...and after that, I never saw much a' my dad." Bill finished as he left the fitting room with his new clothes. Instead of his uniform, he wore a plain white long-sleeved button-up shirt with black pants and his boots. He also took a shower. Also, his signature beret sat on top of his head, showing the world his pride of being a former Green Beret. "Well, that's sad. Well, I'll save your uniform, and I'll make a few more sets of clothes for you, Mr. Overbeck." Rarity then approached Bill and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure helping you out. I will see you later, darling." "Thanks, kid. See you 'round." Bill walked out of the boutique and made his way back to the hospital. As he walked down the main street, he was greeted by many of the folks in town. Bill either waved or said 'Hello' and others nodded to him in greeting. Only a small few were wary, but otherwise friendly. "Bill!" Bill looked behind him and saw Fluttershy walking with Applejack. Bill approached the girls. "They let you out?" "Yup. They checked her wing for infection and gave her a bit more blood, and she was cleared." "Doctor X-ray said to keep things slow and don't try to fly for a bit." Fluttershy timidly added as she stood between Bill and Applejack. "Where ya headed?" "Twilights. She texted to look for you for something." "Oh?" Bill asked. "Yeah, come on, it's this way." "Your friend lives here?" "Yep." Applejack replied. "In a frickin' tree? That's a library?" "Yeppers." Applejack replied again. "Hell, ain't that ironic..." Bill muttered as he entered the building. "And what the hell does sh-" "SURPRISE!" "...Well, shit." Bill grumbled. Chapter 4Bill could not hear himself. He couldn't even hear anything that wasn't four feet away. I just had to ask what 'dubstep' was... Bill grumbled silently. At this rate, I'll be senile by the morning... "Hey!" a tiny voice called out from somewhere near him. "Hey mister!" He looked to his right to see three children, all around the age of 12 and 13. Bill approached the trio of girls. "Yeah, what is it, kid?" Bill asked over the volume of the electronic-bullshit music. "Is it true that you saved miss Fluttershy?" Asked the yellow filly. "Yeah, is it true?" Asked the orange-hued child next to the ivory-coloured unicorn child. "Yeah, that was me. Sure as hell took it's toll on my knee, though." At that moment, Bill felt a small pain in his 'shrap-kneel', a rather lame joke conceived by Pinkie Pie. "How?" Asked the unicorn. "There are bits of metal lodged in my knee from a long time ago, and today I carried miss Fluttershy to the hospital and that made it worse." "Oh," The three girls said synchronously. "Ah, I gotta get the hell outta here..." Bill decided that it was time to leave the party for a bit and have a smoke. Bill walked toward the entrance of the library, and exited. He noticed park benches not too far, and decided to take a seat on one. He sat on the bench nearest to the pond, and farthest away from the party at the library. Bill sighed and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Placing one in his mouth and lighting it, he began to collect his thoughts. Instead of Heaven or Hell, I'm in this candy-coloured hellhole. Bill took a long drag of his cigarette, and exhaled, allowing a puff of cigarette smoke form in front of him. At least it isn't all that bad. Bill flicked the ashes off his smoke. I met those girls... Twilight is the most normal one outta all of them. She reminds me of Louis. Bill looked at the pond, and saw how it reflected the moonlight. Didn't even notice it was this dark already. Bill sighed a second time. That Rainbow kid reminds me of Francis, that brash bastard. Bill chuckled at that. Pinkie Pie-ugh, I hate sayin' her name-Is rather... lively. Way too energetic, that one. Bill took another drag of his cigarette. Applejack is nice and honest. I like her. Bill took his final drag and flicked the cigarette into the pond. Rarity seems nice, but is a bit uppity. Bill took his pistol from his holster, and inspected it. But Fluttershy... she reminds me of how me and Zoey met... And she's nice and caring. Not enough people were like that back home. Bill took out the magazine and pulled the slide back, ejecting the loaded round. As to how the Hell people know what guns are here, I'll probably never know... Bill picked up the ejected round from the from the grass below him, stuck it back in the mag, and inserted it back into the pistol. Bill put the safety on, just in case, but otherwise, he wouldn't need it. "Should go check my rifle..." Bill muttered as he got up. He headed in the direction to Fluttershy's cottage, but then he heard footsteps coming toward him. "Uh, Bill?" He turned around and saw Twilight approaching him. "Where are you going?" "Fluttershy's. Gotta check on somethin' I left there." "Is it inside?" "No, it's outside." Bill replied. Twilight and Bill walked on the stone path that lead to the market, all while talking. "So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash told me that something bad happened to you where you're from." Twilight asked as the passed Sugarcube Corner, and into the long-empty market. Empty stalls littered the area, almost reminding how Fairfield looked after the Green Flu. It took him a bit, but Bill finally answered. "Yeah, something did happen." "What?" "The Green Flu. It turned people into murderous freaks that bit, scratched and beat down anything that wasn't one of them. It changed daily, and that meant a cure wasn't able to be made." Bill paused for a moment while they took a left, walking down a dirt path that lead to Fluttershy's home. "A doctor said that those immune were made possible from a recessive trait in one's alleles. Mainly the father's genes is what made people immune. Or asymptomatic carriers." "So, you know a lot on biological studies and genes?" Twilight asked, intrigued on how simple yet somewhat precise his words were. "No; you remember things before near-death situations. Anyways, that only meant that there were more male survivors than female. The majority of deceased survivors me and my group found were mostly female." This unsettled Twilight, but then remembered something that he said. "You said it changed daily; how?" "I don't know kid. I just hope it get's wiped off the face of the earth." Bill said bitterly as they neared Fluttershy's cottage. Bill wandered around the house, then disappeared. He reappeared, with something in his hands. "What's that?" "My rifle." Twilight stiffened at this. "Why would you have that hidden here?" Twilight asked as they were heading back to the library. "Can't just show up with a rifle slung on yer back while bringing an injured girl to the hospital." "Oh, and a pistol is better?" "...Point taken. Anyways, come on, the partygoers will want to know where the guest of honor went." "What's your take on Bill, Rares?" Rainbow Dash while sipping on a cup full of alcoholic cider. "He is rather nice, but not that talkative. At least, when I was taking his measurements." "How about you, AJ?" "I like him. He's a bit rough 'round the edges, but honest." Applejack said while leaning back into the sofa the three were currently sitting in. "Yeah, I admit, he seems cool. Maybe he'll tell us war stories?" Applejack and Rarity stared at Rainbow. "What? Maybe the pegasi generals and lieutenants will learn a few things from him. He actually fought in a war." Suddenly, amid the soft electronic music playing in the library, a scream was heard, alongside with gunfire. Ponies rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion, and were shocked at what they saw. A few minutes before... "...and if you want, you could stay at my house for a bit." Bill nodded his head in agreement. He had asked if he could keep his weapons at the library, but Twilight then offered to let him stay there for a bit until he was able to get some money together and rent a hotel room. "Thanks, kid. I appreciate it." Bill was going to ask Twilight on how it feels to be a princess, but was distracted by a groaning sound. To their right stood a stallion in a grey sweater and blue jeans with a pair of work boots. He stumbled around while groaning. "Looks like somepony has had quite a bit of cider." Twilight chuckled. "Excuse me sir, you need directions?" The stallion turned around, and stared at Bill and Twilight. Then suddenly, he made an angry growl and sprinted to the duo. Before the two could register, the stallion bit Twilight, on the shoulder. She screamed as the infected tore a piece of her shoulder out of her and fell down. Bill took aim with his pistol and fired a few rounds. The first bullet hit the infected in the shoulder, then the second hit him in the collarbone. The last found it's way into the skull of the infected stallion. Twilight was hyperventilating, sweating and bleeding profusely onto the ground. Bill cautiously held out his hand, and Twilight gratefully took it. But the infected stallion wasn't alone. Four more infected sprinted toward them, determined to rip Bill and Twilight apart. Bill quickly dispatched them, picked up Twilight, and ran to the library. More were coming. Bill then realized that the stallion was outside the hospital. Oh, shit. Bill limped-run faster, pushing himself as hard as he can. He saw the library, and the conglomerate of ponies outside it. The ponies also noticed the amount of other ponies chasing them. They all looked... sickly. Pale. Dead. But full of rage. They ran, sprinted and limped after Twilight and Bill, determined to spill their blood. Bill handed Twilight to a few of the ponies nearest to the door. "Get her inside!" Bill shouted. Panic set in as one of the infected ponies attacked one of the partygoers. Son of a bitch... Not here... Please... NOT. HERE. Interlude: ContaigonWhile Bill and Fluttershy are waiting for the doctor... Doctor X-ray was not having a good day. Normally, the amount of ponies usually in the hospital were there for minor injuries. Rainbow Dash was actually a regular, considering how many times she has come for wing injuries or the occasional broken bone. But today, it wasn't injuries; it was sickness. A whole lot of it. And all of them said they suspect it was the amount of smoke-like fog in the Whitetail Woods, a place frequented by joggers and couples looking for a picnic area. He had also gotten word that one of the Elements of Harmony was laid up today. She was escorted by a pony-like creature. It didn't matter, the residents of Ponyville have seen stranger... Until he waved a gun at Nurse Red Heart, who has startled the creature. "Ugh... The one day I wake up with a smile." Grumbled Doctor X-ray as he walked to intensive care; apparently, one of these sick ponies was acting... aggressive. He sighed. He was probably going to have to have the nurses and security to restrain the poor bastard. He walked into the room the patient was in, and was surprised at the amount of ponies restraining the sick stallion. That is until X-ray got a good look at the stallion. He was sickly looking, for sure, but he also looked... dead. his skin was a pale complexion of his once green coat. His eyes were a milky white with a light red hue. He snarled and growled, looking frantically around the room to see which pony would be his first victim. "Oh Goddesses above!" One of the nurses restraining the stallion was scratched by the struggling colt. "You alright?" X-ray asked. "Fuckin' stings!" She said through gritted teeth. "Damn... alright, anyone wanna tell me how he was.. before this?" "We found him like this." Said a voice behind X-ray. He turned around to find Nurse Red Heart. "He wandered into town, and one of his friends found him and brought him in. Of course, they tied him up when he got here, we untied him, and we brought him here." "Well, how about we tie him up again and we call down a doctor from Canterlot or Manehatten?" "Why?" "Red Heart, I do broken bones and other related injuries. Call one in, please." "Doctor X-ray, please head to room 34." "...Hold him still, I'll check him real quick, and you'll call Canterlot or Manehatten." Doctor X-ray walked to the sick stallion while Nurse Red Heart left the room. He inspected the stallion, looking him over for injuries. He placed his hand on the bed. "He seems to have... lost his mi-AGH!" X-ray felt the sharp nails of the stallion scratch him. Hard. He looked at his wrist, examining the scratch. "Ah, damn... it stings." He looked at the nurse who also got scratched. "I know. I'd... fuck it." She left the bed, allowing the rest of the nurses to hold him down. "I gotta get this cleaned." X-ray followed the mare out of the room, and proceeded to clean his wound. After a bit of anti-septic and a bandage, he went to Fluttershy's room... Completely unaware of the deadly virus in his body. Chapter 5Bill fired his rifle at the rather numerous horde of infected. Most wore nurse and doctors uniforms. Others, just normal clothing. And the majority of the infected were female. Bill recalled at the hospital, that it was rather busy. Half the staff was tending to the patients, and they were waiting for more nurses who were off shift. Damn, you do remember weird things in near-death experiences... Bill fired another burst from his rifle at the remaining few. A lot of the partygoers were hurt in the attack, presumably infected as well. "Ah, this is going to hell in a hand-basket real fast..." Bill grumbled as he finished the remaining infected. Corpses of the infected laid on the street and part of the library. Twilight was healed up, but wasn't displaying symptoms. "Are... are they gone?" Twilight asked meekly. Bill looked over the corpses. "All, clear! Let's clean this me-" Bill was cut off by something wrapping around him, constricting him, and then dragging him. "No, no, no, no, NOOO!" Bill was dragged off to the roof of a near by building. He felt himself being dragged, bumping into corpses of infected and those who attended the party alike. Fluttershy saw Bill getting dragged off by the tendril-thing. She spotted his rifle laying on the ground. She ran to it and picked it up. Aiming down the sights of the heavy rifle, she spotted what was dragging bill off. Lining up the rear sight with the front, she fired a burst. The rifle jumped in her hands, but her aim was true. The three round burst hit the creature in the arm, chest, and its tendril-like tongue. The tongue snapped, and Bill freed himself from the slimy organ. "Thanks kid. Good shooting." Bill said thankfully. Fluttershy didn't feel right. She had saved Bill's life, sure, but she had killed something. She knew she had to, but she didn't want to. "That Smoker wasn't a pony..." Bill began. "That Smoker was a creature from hell, bent on wiping us from the face of existence." "But killing is wrong, no matter what." Fluttershy said timidly. "...Yeah, it is." Bill answered. How the hell are there Smokers here now!? How long has the virus been here!? "Twilight," The mare in question looked at Bill. "...How many people got sick before I got here?" "A few days..." Twilight then realized what this was, but she doubted it before. "But... I-it can't... This is your 'Green Flu', isn't it?" Everyone present was shocked to hear this. "Yeah. Exactly like it." How the hell is it here? "Where did the pony's infected, well, get infected?" "W-whitetail Woods..." Twilight remembered a message from her brother yesterday. "Royal Guard is in there! Th-they're probably infected, too!" "...Shit." Bill was thinking of something. An idea came into Bill's mind. "How much was the hospital's max capacity?" "One hundred and thirty-five." A pony from the crowd said. "There must've been only fifty of them here... Alright people! Listen up!" Bill shouted, and the ponies began to listen. "I need all of ya to head around town to find anyone who isn't infected, and take 'em to the train station! And take something blunt or sharp with you!" "Why?" "...Because there could be more out there." Most understood Bill's caution. "Alright, let's go, everyone! People's lives 're depending on us!" The crowd grabbed anything that could bash a skull in and went to look for survivors. Bill went inside the library and checked on those who were bit or hurt but not dead. When he opened the door, he heard a low growl that was all too familiar... Horseshit, they're here too? Bill raised his rifle and cautiously looked around the library. He quickly checked the mag in his weapon, and it was full. Putting it back into the weapon, he proceeded forward. Then a shrill roar was heard by anyone nearby, and Bill was pounced on. The Hunter tearing Bill apart was none other than... "RAINBOW DASH!" He heard Fluttershy scream. "GET HER OFF!" Bill shouted loudly while trying to prevent himself from dying. The Hunter was shoved off, and Bill pulled out his pistol. "Sorry, kid..." He said solemnly and then he fired the gun. A bang was heard, and a bullet went soaring through the infected Rainbow Dash's skull. Blood and brain matter went flying from the back of her skull, staining the wall behind her. She fell back with her head against the wall. A pool of blood began to form under the deceased Rainbow Dash. "No,nononono..." Fluttershy crouched down and held the corpse. "Please, not her, not my Dashie..." Fluttershy sobbed as she held Rainbow's corpse. "I'm sorry, kid." Bill put a hand on her back, and he left the library, leaving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in peace. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie entered the library, and saw the corpse. The girls went to comfort and mourn the loss of one of their own. God watch over our sorry asses... "Lyra, any luck with that house?" Vinyl said while returning from a home not far from Sugarcube Corner. "No... Most are already empty," "That's impossible, they can't be all empty yet, they jus-" "To anypony who can hear this, proceed to Ponyville Train Station for evacuation! The sick have taken over the town!" That woke the dead. The infected appeared from everywhere. They all ran to the train station, to what caused the loud noise. "Oh, goddesses above..." "To anypony who can hear this, proceed to Ponyville Train Station for evacuation! The sick have taken over the town!" "Ah son of a bitch, they just woke the dead..." Bill said sourly. "What do you mean?" Asked a choked up Twilight. "The infected are drawn to noise." The girls paled at this. "Screw it, it may be our only shot... Come on! Let's get to that Station!" "Bu-but that's on the other of town! How can we get there without encountering any infected!" Twilight retorted. "We just have to." The other girls were silent. Pinkie's hair deflated, and her skin seemed darker. Applejack's eyes were puffy from crying, as were Rarity's and Twilight's. Fluttershy... She seemed to cease entirely. "Come on, we gotta get the hell outta here before the infected wander over here." The girls reluctantly went, and them and Bill made their way to the train station. "LYRA!" Yelled the grey mare with black hair and violet eyes, who's name was Octavia. "Where's Vinyl?" "T-they got her!" Lyra was breaking down. Tears were openly streaming down her face. "T-hey g-go her a-and they... they..." Lyra couldn't finish, and a sobbing Octavia was comforting the unicorn. "Come on! We must board the train!" "No! There are people trapped in the Town Hall, the Princess and her friends are still at the library! W-we have to gather some people and save them!" Lyra bawled. "NO! That's suicide! I already lost so many, I don't want to lose you too..." Octavia was crying harder at her lover's proposal. "I. Have. To." Lyra said sternly. "I will return." Said an stern yet emotional Lyra as she stormed off the train platform in search of the Princess and co., and those stuck in Town Hall. "They're all over us!" "We can't hold out!" "Oh, Gods, they've breached the door!" "L-look at the size of it!!" "UPSTAIRS! NOW!" "Come on people! Train station dead ahead!" Bill shouted. They managed to reach it by sprinting the way there, along with someone who found them at Sugarcube Corner. "Run as fast as yer legs can carry ya!" Applejack yelled as she sprinted while carrying Fluttershy. "Come on! Come on..." Twilight said while running. "WE GOT MORE PEOPLE!" Shouted Lyra. Bill and the ponies jumped onto the train platform, and onto the train. They entered what seemed like a second class car. "We made it! I-I can't believe we made it!" Rarity sighed as she sank into a chair. "Girl, there's always more to this..." A loud, menacing roar broke the cheers of the ponies aboard the train. "Tank!" Bill shouted as he opened a window and spotted the grotesque infected. Bill aimed his rifle and fired, hitting the beast as it ran to the train. Bill's rifle signaled the engineer as well as the Tank's roar to get the hell out of there. The train lurched forward and began to move. The Tank ripped a piece of the cobblestone street out of the ground and threw it at the train. It hit the car behind the one Bill and the ponies were in. "Luckily that one was empty..." Lyra said. Bill kept firing, until his magazine went dry. "Reloading!" Bill said as he reloaded. He took up aim once again, as the train was going faster. The Tank became smaller and smaller as the train kept going. Bill stopped firng when the Tank was out of sight. He lowered his rifle and sighed. He took a seat next to Twilight. "Hell of a welcoming party..." Bill exhaled. The Town of Ponyville fell within a day of infection. That proved that the ponies were as underprepared as humanity was. "That Tank wasn't a pony. It was human." The ponies looked at Bill as he pulled out a cigarette. "It seems I wasn't the only one to get here." Bill lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "There's something more to it." PrologueSurvivor A Left 4 Dead/My Little Pony: Friendship is MagicBy DadMyNamesNotTimmyPrologue “Zoey...” “…Louis...” “…Francis...” “You’re safe.” Bill lay dying on the floor of the generator room he had hidden himself in. He could hear the off-sync, thundering steps of three Tanks coming to finish the elderly man off in a brutal fashion. Bill pulled up his ever-so-trusty M-16 assault rifle, inserted the last magazine and cocked the rifle. He looked at the doorway. The Tanks stopped, and stared at Bill in a mocking manner. Bill laid the rifle beside him for a moment, and pulled out a cigarette. “Hold yer horses…” Bill then lit the cigarette. “… I’ll be with ya in a minute.” Bill grunted. “My job’s done.” Bill coughed harshly, a spatter of blood flying out from his mouth. Bill pulled up his rifle, and shakily took aim at the Tanks. “Let’s see what you got, you big dumb sons of bitches.” Bill fired his rifle at the trio of hulking brutes, all while yelling a war cry. Within a minute of firing, the weapon was dry, and the Tanks were beginning to pummel Bill to death. At that moment, Bill accepted his fate. But Bill, surprisingly, didn’t feel a thing as the beasts beat the everlasting shit out of him. He felt himself… rise, that divine feeling of bliss and peace. I’ll be waiting for you guys… don’t keep me waiting. Bill’s last thought was manifested, and then he fell over, dead, beaten and bloodied. Then the Tanks left the generator room in search of another creature to pummel to death. The room was untouched after that, and was quiet and reeked of blood and cigarette smoke.
Chapter 1Chapter 1 Bill awoke with a shiver and a jolt. His eyes opened quickly, and looked around in shock. Where he was laying was surprising. He was in a forest, dense and thick with oak and birch trees. Bill also noticed he was in a sitting position, almost exactly as he was in the generator room... This can't be really heaven, can it? I hate the frickin' woods... Bill thought bitterly as he got up and inspected the environment more thoroughly. He tripped on something, and he found that it was his M-16 rifle. Bill chuckled, and picked up the rifle from the grassy ground. 'Least I won't have to worry about forest critters getting the jump on me. Bill chuckled again, and slung the rifle on his back. He instinctively checked his pistol holster, and surprisingly he also found his sidearm, a 1911. "Hell, it's like 'Nam all over again..." Bill muttered as he thought back on his two tours in the jungle country. Bill looked around himself once again, and he realized he had one problem; "...Horseshit, I'm frickin' lost in a god damned forest..." Bill unleashed a slew of colourful repertoire of curses as he looked around him. "Screw i-" Bill was cut off by a scream to his right, as well as a rather foreboding roar. "...Had to open my damned mouth..." Bill bitterly grumbled as he jogged toward the scream's direction. Then he felt that uncomfortable pain in his knee. "Sunnava bitch," Bill cursed as he continued to limp-jog to the scream. Bill inspected the forest as he jogged through it; the leaves were dense, only a few small rays were poking out from the gaps in the leaves, and the forest itself had a foreboding aura to it, and Bill didn't like it one single damned bit. Another scream pierced the silence of the forest, along with another roar and what sounded like howls. "Aw, hell. Wolves." Fluttershy stood in the hollowed out husk of a dead tree as a battle raged on in front of her. A large manticore battled an entire pack of Timber Wolves that rudely interrupted a negotiation to relocate to another part of the Everfree. Now Fluttershy was trapped in the middle of the battle, with no guaranteed way out alive. She sustained an injury on her left wing thanks to a Timber Wolf, and the husk of the tree was small. She was stuck, until either the Wolves or manticore was dead and finish her off. "Oh, my, oh my..." She squeaked as she made herself as tiny as possible. She closed her eyes, and covered her ears; she didn't want to hear the fight rage on any longer. But then, three loud, thunderous claps were heard along with a voice. "Over here, you sons of bitches!" Bill had found the group responsible for the noises. He spotted a... giant lion with bat wings and a scorpion tail, and ten wolves made of... wood. "You have to be frickin' joking..." He said to himself. As he took aim, he saw what looked like a woman stuck in a hollowed out tree, cowering and shivering with fear. That poor... That set Bill off as to who screamed, and that she was in a deadly situation. Bill looked down the sights of the M-16, and fired a three round burst at the ground in front of the lion-thing. "Over here, you sons of bitches!" Bill yelled as he let loose a torrent of bullets at the wolves. The wooden abominations splintered and split as bullets tore through their timber hide. The ten wolves were annihilated within a few seconds. Bill swapped the empty mag for a fresh one, and slammed it into the rifle before cocking it. He then focused on the lion. He fired controlled bursts at what he thought was weak spots and vital areas. Empty shell casing flew out of the ejector in calculated bursts, the bullets' marks were true as splatters of crimson flew out of the beast. Bill's M-16 was yet again empty and he quickly replaced the empty magazine with a new one. Bill fired a few more bursts, then the beast growled weakly, and then it fell onto the mossy ground, dead. Bill lowered the rifle, and inspected the corpse of the creature. "What in name of God...?" Bill said, his voice filled with shock and awe. He then heard whimpering and crying, presumably from the woman in the... Ah, hell I forgot about her, Bill scolded himself She's probably scared out of her wits... Bill slowly approached the tree, then he laid his rifle on the ground. "I'm not gonna hurt ya. Come on, I'll help you ou-" Bill was surprised as to how the appearance of the woman looked; she did have the same body structure, with hands and feet. Except the head was... different. She had a muzzled face, long flowing pink hair and... a pair of wings... on her back. And her skin was butter yellow. Her eyes were large, and her pupils were a aqua blue-ish colour. Bill inspected her clothing, looking at the once-beautiful green sundress with a floral pattern. She also wore those weird sandal-high heel hybrid shoes, and she a blue butterfly hair clip nestled above her right eye. He also noticed he was staring in awe at her for about five minutes. Bill then said the one thing that was appropriate in his situation: "Shit." "Y-you shouldn't curse..." The woman said as she shakily got up from her uncomfortable crouching position. "Can't. It's a bad habit like smoking." Bill replied as he held out his hand. The woman reluctantly accepted and Bill helped her out of the husk. "Thank you." The pink haired woman timidly squeaked. "What was that? Speak up a bit, kid." "T-thank you, mister..." "Overbeck. William Overbeck. But Bill is fine." Bill held out his hand in greeting. "I'm Fluttershy." The woman said quietly. "What?" Bill asked. "My name is Fluttershy." "...Fluttershy? I admit, and also no offence, you have a pretty weird name." "You do as well, Mister Overbeck." "Like I said, Bill's fine." Bill held up a hand, before he noticed the stain of crimson on her left side. "You okay?" Fluttershy forgot about her injury, and quickly put a hand on her bleeding wing. She had a feeling of light headedness, and she collapsed onto the ground. "Ah, shit..." Bill picked up the girl, and he looked for a trail. Luckily, there was one to his right, and he hauled the girl down the trail, to hopefully find a hospital or some sort of medical facility. Bill went as fast as his legs could carry him, but with carrying the girl and his bum knee, it would indeed prove a difficult challenge. "Come on, Overbeck," He recounted his LTs words, "Double time it!" Fluttershy awoke in an unfamiliar room, with a blinding light above her. She threw a hand to block the brightness, but she felt a bit numb. Once the light was blocked, she noticed a spot of green, and she saw the man who helped her, Bill. He was asleep, and he looked peaceful, and tired. She heard the door open on her right and looked to see her friends entering the room. "Oh, my goodness, Fluttershy!" Rarity ran up to her friend. "When the doctor called, we came here as soon as we can." "Yeah," Rainbow Dash rasped. "I thought you were more... hurt, but you suffered blood loss, from what the doc said." "Would you mind keeping it down? This old man needs a rest after that God-awful jog..." The elderly, masculine voice in the corner yawned. Everypony in the room looked to see what looked like a pony-like male creature in well worn military clothing, with an equally worn face. "Excuse me sir, but..." Twilight began. "...But who are you?" "'Names Bill Overbeck, and I saved your friend."
Chapter 2Chapter 2 Bill had finished telling the girls that had walked in, who have revealed themselves to be friends of Fluttershy, on how he had saved the girl from a pack of Timber Wolves and a manticore from, presumably, fighting over territory. Bill was still quite shocked to learn that the lavender coloured girl, Twilight, had said that she was a princess of the country Bill had found himself stuck in. "So, Mr. Overbeck... How about we head over to my home, the Golden Oaks library and we can discuss a few things?" Twilight inquired. "You, a princess," Bill began. "Live in a library? I was half expectin' for you to be up in that big castle up on the mountain north of here." "That is were the other two princesses are. Also, this town, Ponyville," Ponyville? This is a crock of fantasy horseshit... "...and that means that me and my friends are the protectors of this town and country." Twilight was unaware that Bill had tuned her out for a moment or two, so he could think over the information he had been given. "Well, if yer willin' to help an old man limp to your house, I'll go." "...Twilight? Can you please ask the doctor if I can be released now? That is if you don't mind..." "Fluttershy, you only arrived here an hour and a half ago." Rarity said to Fluttershy. "Besides, you need a blood transfusion. You lost quite a bit of blood, and the doctors need to check for infection..." "Aw shit I forgot," Bill cursed. "I need a cigarette. I'll be with ya in a minute." "I didn't know you smoked. Why would you even? You're only... How old are you, Bill?" Twilight asked. "I dunno, sixty-six? Sixty-seven? between sixty-five and sixty-nine." "And you smoke? You realize that cigarettes harm you in a bad way, right?" Rainbow asked concernedly. "Well, I need to process this information fer a spell." Bill then got up from the chair in the hospital room. "I'll be back in a few." Bill walked out of the room and down the hallway. Once Bill was out of hearing range, Twilight spoke. "Rainbow, Applejack, why don't you two go ask Bill where he is from?" "...You aren't seriously askin' us to ask th' very question he felt uncomfortable t' answer, are ya Twi?" "Yes Applejack. He is hiding something. When he arrived in the hospital, from what the receptionist told me, he freaked out when a nurse ran up to help him, and he pulled a gun." Rainbow and Applejack gulped at this fact, "Whatever happened prior to his arrival, it seems to have followed him." Twilight then softened up. "Just... ask him, please? Maybe if he opens up, it will help him." Rainbow and Applejack nodded, and proceeded to follow Bill outside. Bill stood outside the hospital, with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He took a drag, and exhaled. He had his mind on home. He had his mind on them. He was hoping that Zoey, Louis and Francis had made it to the Keyes, away from the mainland, away from the Infected. "Ahh, I hope you kids made it out." "Who made it out?" Bill looked to his right to see Rainbow Dash and Applejack walking out of the hospital. "No one. I'm just talking to myself. Bill said quickly, avoiding the question. "Bill, we know about the incident in the hospital," Bill shot a glare at Rainbow Dash. "But come on, something's botherin' you." Applejack approached the elderly old man to talk to him. "Listen, I know ya don't want ta talk 'bout it, but we wanna know where yer from," Applejack began, "Jus' oblige us fer a moment." Bill sighed, took a long drag from his cigarette, and crushed it under his boot. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn ya." Bill took a moment to find which part of 'home' to talk about. "Well, I grew up in Fairfield, Philadelphia my whole life. I fought in the Vietnam war for two tours when I was twenty, was enlisted in the special forces, the Green Berets," Bill pointed to the beret on his head, "After the war, I ran out of enemies to fight. I was in the military half my damn life, just give me a target and I shoot. After the war though, I didn't do a damn thing for a while." "I was a tour guide for a bit, did odd jobs now and again, and went to a shrink once a week to 'talk out my problems'. It was only a month ago decided to get my knee checked." "Why?" Rainbow asked. "I didn't make it outta 'Nam unscathed, kid. After a patrol went sour an explosive was set off an' I got a knee full a' shrapnel fer my troubles." Bill paused. "So anyway, when I was getting my knee checked out, and at the time a virus was spreading like wildfire and a nurse was infected." "I don't like where this is going..." Rainbow read her and Applejack's thoughts aloud. "Ya shouldn't. She turned inta something. The nurse became what may be called a zombie, and took a bite outta the surgeon's neck. I was in and out of consciousness at the time from the anesthesia and I took up a bone saw and a scalpel to defend myself." Rainbow and Applejack paled a bit. "T-that can't be true..." "It is Dash. He ain't lyin'" Applejack's words chilled Rainbow Dash to the bone. "It's true kid. Those days, especially the first few were like Hell on Earth. People running and screaming, killing each other just on the suspicion that someone was infected. After getting the hell outta Mercy Hospital, I ran home, put on my old uniform, and went to battle those abominations." Bill took a moment, as the words from the doctor at Echo Base flooded his mind. "The scary thing was, the virus changed daily." Rainbow Dash and Applejack gulped. "Look, let's head back in and get yer friends. I guess they were the ones who sent you to inquire about my past." Bill walked toward the hospital entrance. "Let's go."
Chapter 3"I wonder what's-" Twilight was cut off by the door opening. Rainbow Dash, Bill and Applejack walked into the hospital room. "Hello, Bill." Fluttershy said meekly as the man went to his seat in the corner. "How's yer wing? They give ya an update when their gonna check on it?" "Yeah, Nurse Redheart came in here and said the doctor will be here in a moment. She said he was tending... a sick patient." Ah hell, please god, not here... Pleases... Bill's mind was filled with fear for this town. If the doctor was tending to someone with the Green Flu, he would have to get his rifle that he stashed at Fluttershy's cottage. "Well, it's probably nothing..." Bill said, all while Rainbow Dash and Applejack were glancing at Bill with concern. "Since that's out of the way... DoyoumindifIthrowyoua'WelcomToPonyville/ThanksForSavingFluttershyParty? OkayBYE!" Pinkie Pie zipped out of the room faster than the eye can see. "...What kind of drugs does she do?" Bill asked while staring at the visible cloud of dust she made as Pinkie left. "We'll never know, darling. Oh, and I must say, your military uniform looks rather... worn." Rarity began. "Of course, it looks good on you, but would you rather get out of them?" "Yeah, that'd be great; have a clothes store in mind?" "Nope. I will make them for you. I'm a tailor." Rarity said while getting up from her seat in the middle of the room. "Ah, well while we wait for the kid to recover, perhaps you could take measurements at your shop." "Yes, that would be a great time killer. Come, let's go, darling." Bill and Rarity stood outside of Carousel Boutique, Rarity's place of work as well as her home. "Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything Chic, Unique, and Magnifique!" Rarity said as they entered the main room. Well, this should be interesting... Bill thought as he and Rarity went to the measuring room. "So, are you going to tell us?" Twilight asked Rainbow and Applejack. The two mares in question looked at each other before Applejack spoke. "Hon, what yer 'bout ta hear might be a bit... disturbin'" "Yeah, and it might sound far fetched, but he was telling the truth..." Dash added as they prepped themselves to tell Twilight. They first told Twilight about Fairfield, about how Bill was from there, then onto the 'Vietnam' war, about how he was on the Special Forces, the Green Berets. Rainbow told Twi about how he served two tours and got a knee full of shrapnel. Then Applejack finished with how Bill was finally getting his knee checked out and his first encounter with a woman infected with the Green Flu, and how he set out to combat the infected. Twilight took the information in; if Rainbow had told the story, Twilight would have thought it was, pardon her language, a crock of shit. But hearing it from Applejack as well was... troubling. ...A virus? That turns them into... into... Twilight lost her words. And Fluttershy, who was listening in on the conversation, was terrified at what she had heard. He fought in a war? He was injured? There was real-life zombies where he was from? Fluttershy felt a wave of emotion come over her. She felt sorry for Bill, for the people he must've lost to the 'Green Flu'. "Well... I guess I'll ask some more later... Well, thanks girls. I gotta head back to the library to check on Spike. See you later." Twilight said as she walked towards the door and out of the room. "... I'm gonna see where Pinkie's at." Dash also left the hospital room. Applejack ran her fingers through Fluttershy's hair and muzzled her. "I'll stay here a while 'til the doc comes in, 'Shy." "O-okay." The two sat quietly in the hospital room, silent from Bill's tragic past before his arrival. Rainbow Dash had just arrived at Sugarcube Corner, and she just entered the sweets shop. "Hi, Mrs. Cake. Where's Pinkie?" "Oh, she went to that DJs house, ah what's her name? Oh! Vinyl Scratch's. It looks like she is setting up a party of sorts." "Okay, thanks." Rainbow walked to the door and made her way to Vinyl's house. Meanwhile... "...and after that, I never saw much a' my dad." Bill finished as he left the fitting room with his new clothes. Instead of his uniform, he wore a plain white long-sleeved button-up shirt with black pants and his boots. He also took a shower. Also, his signature beret sat on top of his head, showing the world his pride of being a former Green Beret. "Well, that's sad. Well, I'll save your uniform, and I'll make a few more sets of clothes for you, Mr. Overbeck." Rarity then approached Bill and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure helping you out. I will see you later, darling." "Thanks, kid. See you 'round." Bill walked out of the boutique and made his way back to the hospital. As he walked down the main street, he was greeted by many of the folks in town. Bill either waved or said 'Hello' and others nodded to him in greeting. Only a small few were wary, but otherwise friendly. "Bill!" Bill looked behind him and saw Fluttershy walking with Applejack. Bill approached the girls. "They let you out?" "Yup. They checked her wing for infection and gave her a bit more blood, and she was cleared." "Doctor X-ray said to keep things slow and don't try to fly for a bit." Fluttershy timidly added as she stood between Bill and Applejack. "Where ya headed?" "Twilights. She texted to look for you for something." "Oh?" Bill asked. "Yeah, come on, it's this way." "Your friend lives here?" "Yep." Applejack replied. "In a frickin' tree? That's a library?" "Yeppers." Applejack replied again. "Hell, ain't that ironic..." Bill muttered as he entered the building. "And what the hell does sh-" "SURPRISE!" "...Well, shit." Bill grumbled.
Chapter 4Bill could not hear himself. He couldn't even hear anything that wasn't four feet away. I just had to ask what 'dubstep' was... Bill grumbled silently. At this rate, I'll be senile by the morning... "Hey!" a tiny voice called out from somewhere near him. "Hey mister!" He looked to his right to see three children, all around the age of 12 and 13. Bill approached the trio of girls. "Yeah, what is it, kid?" Bill asked over the volume of the electronic-bullshit music. "Is it true that you saved miss Fluttershy?" Asked the yellow filly. "Yeah, is it true?" Asked the orange-hued child next to the ivory-coloured unicorn child. "Yeah, that was me. Sure as hell took it's toll on my knee, though." At that moment, Bill felt a small pain in his 'shrap-kneel', a rather lame joke conceived by Pinkie Pie. "How?" Asked the unicorn. "There are bits of metal lodged in my knee from a long time ago, and today I carried miss Fluttershy to the hospital and that made it worse." "Oh," The three girls said synchronously. "Ah, I gotta get the hell outta here..." Bill decided that it was time to leave the party for a bit and have a smoke. Bill walked toward the entrance of the library, and exited. He noticed park benches not too far, and decided to take a seat on one. He sat on the bench nearest to the pond, and farthest away from the party at the library. Bill sighed and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Placing one in his mouth and lighting it, he began to collect his thoughts. Instead of Heaven or Hell, I'm in this candy-coloured hellhole. Bill took a long drag of his cigarette, and exhaled, allowing a puff of cigarette smoke form in front of him. At least it isn't all that bad. Bill flicked the ashes off his smoke. I met those girls... Twilight is the most normal one outta all of them. She reminds me of Louis. Bill looked at the pond, and saw how it reflected the moonlight. Didn't even notice it was this dark already. Bill sighed a second time. That Rainbow kid reminds me of Francis, that brash bastard. Bill chuckled at that. Pinkie Pie-ugh, I hate sayin' her name-Is rather... lively. Way too energetic, that one. Bill took another drag of his cigarette. Applejack is nice and honest. I like her. Bill took his final drag and flicked the cigarette into the pond. Rarity seems nice, but is a bit uppity. Bill took his pistol from his holster, and inspected it. But Fluttershy... she reminds me of how me and Zoey met... And she's nice and caring. Not enough people were like that back home. Bill took out the magazine and pulled the slide back, ejecting the loaded round. As to how the Hell people know what guns are here, I'll probably never know... Bill picked up the ejected round from the from the grass below him, stuck it back in the mag, and inserted it back into the pistol. Bill put the safety on, just in case, but otherwise, he wouldn't need it. "Should go check my rifle..." Bill muttered as he got up. He headed in the direction to Fluttershy's cottage, but then he heard footsteps coming toward him. "Uh, Bill?" He turned around and saw Twilight approaching him. "Where are you going?" "Fluttershy's. Gotta check on somethin' I left there." "Is it inside?" "No, it's outside." Bill replied. Twilight and Bill walked on the stone path that lead to the market, all while talking. "So, Applejack and Rainbow Dash told me that something bad happened to you where you're from." Twilight asked as the passed Sugarcube Corner, and into the long-empty market. Empty stalls littered the area, almost reminding how Fairfield looked after the Green Flu. It took him a bit, but Bill finally answered. "Yeah, something did happen." "What?" "The Green Flu. It turned people into murderous freaks that bit, scratched and beat down anything that wasn't one of them. It changed daily, and that meant a cure wasn't able to be made." Bill paused for a moment while they took a left, walking down a dirt path that lead to Fluttershy's home. "A doctor said that those immune were made possible from a recessive trait in one's alleles. Mainly the father's genes is what made people immune. Or asymptomatic carriers." "So, you know a lot on biological studies and genes?" Twilight asked, intrigued on how simple yet somewhat precise his words were. "No; you remember things before near-death situations. Anyways, that only meant that there were more male survivors than female. The majority of deceased survivors me and my group found were mostly female." This unsettled Twilight, but then remembered something that he said. "You said it changed daily; how?" "I don't know kid. I just hope it get's wiped off the face of the earth." Bill said bitterly as they neared Fluttershy's cottage. Bill wandered around the house, then disappeared. He reappeared, with something in his hands. "What's that?" "My rifle." Twilight stiffened at this. "Why would you have that hidden here?" Twilight asked as they were heading back to the library. "Can't just show up with a rifle slung on yer back while bringing an injured girl to the hospital." "Oh, and a pistol is better?" "...Point taken. Anyways, come on, the partygoers will want to know where the guest of honor went." "What's your take on Bill, Rares?" Rainbow Dash while sipping on a cup full of alcoholic cider. "He is rather nice, but not that talkative. At least, when I was taking his measurements." "How about you, AJ?" "I like him. He's a bit rough 'round the edges, but honest." Applejack said while leaning back into the sofa the three were currently sitting in. "Yeah, I admit, he seems cool. Maybe he'll tell us war stories?" Applejack and Rarity stared at Rainbow. "What? Maybe the pegasi generals and lieutenants will learn a few things from him. He actually fought in a war." Suddenly, amid the soft electronic music playing in the library, a scream was heard, alongside with gunfire. Ponies rushed outside to see what was causing the commotion, and were shocked at what they saw. A few minutes before... "...and if you want, you could stay at my house for a bit." Bill nodded his head in agreement. He had asked if he could keep his weapons at the library, but Twilight then offered to let him stay there for a bit until he was able to get some money together and rent a hotel room. "Thanks, kid. I appreciate it." Bill was going to ask Twilight on how it feels to be a princess, but was distracted by a groaning sound. To their right stood a stallion in a grey sweater and blue jeans with a pair of work boots. He stumbled around while groaning. "Looks like somepony has had quite a bit of cider." Twilight chuckled. "Excuse me sir, you need directions?" The stallion turned around, and stared at Bill and Twilight. Then suddenly, he made an angry growl and sprinted to the duo. Before the two could register, the stallion bit Twilight, on the shoulder. She screamed as the infected tore a piece of her shoulder out of her and fell down. Bill took aim with his pistol and fired a few rounds. The first bullet hit the infected in the shoulder, then the second hit him in the collarbone. The last found it's way into the skull of the infected stallion. Twilight was hyperventilating, sweating and bleeding profusely onto the ground. Bill cautiously held out his hand, and Twilight gratefully took it. But the infected stallion wasn't alone. Four more infected sprinted toward them, determined to rip Bill and Twilight apart. Bill quickly dispatched them, picked up Twilight, and ran to the library. More were coming. Bill then realized that the stallion was outside the hospital. Oh, shit. Bill limped-run faster, pushing himself as hard as he can. He saw the library, and the conglomerate of ponies outside it. The ponies also noticed the amount of other ponies chasing them. They all looked... sickly. Pale. Dead. But full of rage. They ran, sprinted and limped after Twilight and Bill, determined to spill their blood. Bill handed Twilight to a few of the ponies nearest to the door. "Get her inside!" Bill shouted. Panic set in as one of the infected ponies attacked one of the partygoers. Son of a bitch... Not here... Please... NOT. HERE.
Interlude: ContaigonWhile Bill and Fluttershy are waiting for the doctor... Doctor X-ray was not having a good day. Normally, the amount of ponies usually in the hospital were there for minor injuries. Rainbow Dash was actually a regular, considering how many times she has come for wing injuries or the occasional broken bone. But today, it wasn't injuries; it was sickness. A whole lot of it. And all of them said they suspect it was the amount of smoke-like fog in the Whitetail Woods, a place frequented by joggers and couples looking for a picnic area. He had also gotten word that one of the Elements of Harmony was laid up today. She was escorted by a pony-like creature. It didn't matter, the residents of Ponyville have seen stranger... Until he waved a gun at Nurse Red Heart, who has startled the creature. "Ugh... The one day I wake up with a smile." Grumbled Doctor X-ray as he walked to intensive care; apparently, one of these sick ponies was acting... aggressive. He sighed. He was probably going to have to have the nurses and security to restrain the poor bastard. He walked into the room the patient was in, and was surprised at the amount of ponies restraining the sick stallion. That is until X-ray got a good look at the stallion. He was sickly looking, for sure, but he also looked... dead. his skin was a pale complexion of his once green coat. His eyes were a milky white with a light red hue. He snarled and growled, looking frantically around the room to see which pony would be his first victim. "Oh Goddesses above!" One of the nurses restraining the stallion was scratched by the struggling colt. "You alright?" X-ray asked. "Fuckin' stings!" She said through gritted teeth. "Damn... alright, anyone wanna tell me how he was.. before this?" "We found him like this." Said a voice behind X-ray. He turned around to find Nurse Red Heart. "He wandered into town, and one of his friends found him and brought him in. Of course, they tied him up when he got here, we untied him, and we brought him here." "Well, how about we tie him up again and we call down a doctor from Canterlot or Manehatten?" "Why?" "Red Heart, I do broken bones and other related injuries. Call one in, please." "Doctor X-ray, please head to room 34." "...Hold him still, I'll check him real quick, and you'll call Canterlot or Manehatten." Doctor X-ray walked to the sick stallion while Nurse Red Heart left the room. He inspected the stallion, looking him over for injuries. He placed his hand on the bed. "He seems to have... lost his mi-AGH!" X-ray felt the sharp nails of the stallion scratch him. Hard. He looked at his wrist, examining the scratch. "Ah, damn... it stings." He looked at the nurse who also got scratched. "I know. I'd... fuck it." She left the bed, allowing the rest of the nurses to hold him down. "I gotta get this cleaned." X-ray followed the mare out of the room, and proceeded to clean his wound. After a bit of anti-septic and a bandage, he went to Fluttershy's room... Completely unaware of the deadly virus in his body.
Chapter 5Bill fired his rifle at the rather numerous horde of infected. Most wore nurse and doctors uniforms. Others, just normal clothing. And the majority of the infected were female. Bill recalled at the hospital, that it was rather busy. Half the staff was tending to the patients, and they were waiting for more nurses who were off shift. Damn, you do remember weird things in near-death experiences... Bill fired another burst from his rifle at the remaining few. A lot of the partygoers were hurt in the attack, presumably infected as well. "Ah, this is going to hell in a hand-basket real fast..." Bill grumbled as he finished the remaining infected. Corpses of the infected laid on the street and part of the library. Twilight was healed up, but wasn't displaying symptoms. "Are... are they gone?" Twilight asked meekly. Bill looked over the corpses. "All, clear! Let's clean this me-" Bill was cut off by something wrapping around him, constricting him, and then dragging him. "No, no, no, no, NOOO!" Bill was dragged off to the roof of a near by building. He felt himself being dragged, bumping into corpses of infected and those who attended the party alike. Fluttershy saw Bill getting dragged off by the tendril-thing. She spotted his rifle laying on the ground. She ran to it and picked it up. Aiming down the sights of the heavy rifle, she spotted what was dragging bill off. Lining up the rear sight with the front, she fired a burst. The rifle jumped in her hands, but her aim was true. The three round burst hit the creature in the arm, chest, and its tendril-like tongue. The tongue snapped, and Bill freed himself from the slimy organ. "Thanks kid. Good shooting." Bill said thankfully. Fluttershy didn't feel right. She had saved Bill's life, sure, but she had killed something. She knew she had to, but she didn't want to. "That Smoker wasn't a pony..." Bill began. "That Smoker was a creature from hell, bent on wiping us from the face of existence." "But killing is wrong, no matter what." Fluttershy said timidly. "...Yeah, it is." Bill answered. How the hell are there Smokers here now!? How long has the virus been here!? "Twilight," The mare in question looked at Bill. "...How many people got sick before I got here?" "A few days..." Twilight then realized what this was, but she doubted it before. "But... I-it can't... This is your 'Green Flu', isn't it?" Everyone present was shocked to hear this. "Yeah. Exactly like it." How the hell is it here? "Where did the pony's infected, well, get infected?" "W-whitetail Woods..." Twilight remembered a message from her brother yesterday. "Royal Guard is in there! Th-they're probably infected, too!" "...Shit." Bill was thinking of something. An idea came into Bill's mind. "How much was the hospital's max capacity?" "One hundred and thirty-five." A pony from the crowd said. "There must've been only fifty of them here... Alright people! Listen up!" Bill shouted, and the ponies began to listen. "I need all of ya to head around town to find anyone who isn't infected, and take 'em to the train station! And take something blunt or sharp with you!" "Why?" "...Because there could be more out there." Most understood Bill's caution. "Alright, let's go, everyone! People's lives 're depending on us!" The crowd grabbed anything that could bash a skull in and went to look for survivors. Bill went inside the library and checked on those who were bit or hurt but not dead. When he opened the door, he heard a low growl that was all too familiar... Horseshit, they're here too? Bill raised his rifle and cautiously looked around the library. He quickly checked the mag in his weapon, and it was full. Putting it back into the weapon, he proceeded forward. Then a shrill roar was heard by anyone nearby, and Bill was pounced on. The Hunter tearing Bill apart was none other than... "RAINBOW DASH!" He heard Fluttershy scream. "GET HER OFF!" Bill shouted loudly while trying to prevent himself from dying. The Hunter was shoved off, and Bill pulled out his pistol. "Sorry, kid..." He said solemnly and then he fired the gun. A bang was heard, and a bullet went soaring through the infected Rainbow Dash's skull. Blood and brain matter went flying from the back of her skull, staining the wall behind her. She fell back with her head against the wall. A pool of blood began to form under the deceased Rainbow Dash. "No,nononono..." Fluttershy crouched down and held the corpse. "Please, not her, not my Dashie..." Fluttershy sobbed as she held Rainbow's corpse. "I'm sorry, kid." Bill put a hand on her back, and he left the library, leaving Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash in peace. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie entered the library, and saw the corpse. The girls went to comfort and mourn the loss of one of their own. God watch over our sorry asses... "Lyra, any luck with that house?" Vinyl said while returning from a home not far from Sugarcube Corner. "No... Most are already empty," "That's impossible, they can't be all empty yet, they jus-" "To anypony who can hear this, proceed to Ponyville Train Station for evacuation! The sick have taken over the town!" That woke the dead. The infected appeared from everywhere. They all ran to the train station, to what caused the loud noise. "Oh, goddesses above..." "To anypony who can hear this, proceed to Ponyville Train Station for evacuation! The sick have taken over the town!" "Ah son of a bitch, they just woke the dead..." Bill said sourly. "What do you mean?" Asked a choked up Twilight. "The infected are drawn to noise." The girls paled at this. "Screw it, it may be our only shot... Come on! Let's get to that Station!" "Bu-but that's on the other of town! How can we get there without encountering any infected!" Twilight retorted. "We just have to." The other girls were silent. Pinkie's hair deflated, and her skin seemed darker. Applejack's eyes were puffy from crying, as were Rarity's and Twilight's. Fluttershy... She seemed to cease entirely. "Come on, we gotta get the hell outta here before the infected wander over here." The girls reluctantly went, and them and Bill made their way to the train station. "LYRA!" Yelled the grey mare with black hair and violet eyes, who's name was Octavia. "Where's Vinyl?" "T-they got her!" Lyra was breaking down. Tears were openly streaming down her face. "T-hey g-go her a-and they... they..." Lyra couldn't finish, and a sobbing Octavia was comforting the unicorn. "Come on! We must board the train!" "No! There are people trapped in the Town Hall, the Princess and her friends are still at the library! W-we have to gather some people and save them!" Lyra bawled. "NO! That's suicide! I already lost so many, I don't want to lose you too..." Octavia was crying harder at her lover's proposal. "I. Have. To." Lyra said sternly. "I will return." Said an stern yet emotional Lyra as she stormed off the train platform in search of the Princess and co., and those stuck in Town Hall. "They're all over us!" "We can't hold out!" "Oh, Gods, they've breached the door!" "L-look at the size of it!!" "UPSTAIRS! NOW!" "Come on people! Train station dead ahead!" Bill shouted. They managed to reach it by sprinting the way there, along with someone who found them at Sugarcube Corner. "Run as fast as yer legs can carry ya!" Applejack yelled as she sprinted while carrying Fluttershy. "Come on! Come on..." Twilight said while running. "WE GOT MORE PEOPLE!" Shouted Lyra. Bill and the ponies jumped onto the train platform, and onto the train. They entered what seemed like a second class car. "We made it! I-I can't believe we made it!" Rarity sighed as she sank into a chair. "Girl, there's always more to this..." A loud, menacing roar broke the cheers of the ponies aboard the train. "Tank!" Bill shouted as he opened a window and spotted the grotesque infected. Bill aimed his rifle and fired, hitting the beast as it ran to the train. Bill's rifle signaled the engineer as well as the Tank's roar to get the hell out of there. The train lurched forward and began to move. The Tank ripped a piece of the cobblestone street out of the ground and threw it at the train. It hit the car behind the one Bill and the ponies were in. "Luckily that one was empty..." Lyra said. Bill kept firing, until his magazine went dry. "Reloading!" Bill said as he reloaded. He took up aim once again, as the train was going faster. The Tank became smaller and smaller as the train kept going. Bill stopped firng when the Tank was out of sight. He lowered his rifle and sighed. He took a seat next to Twilight. "Hell of a welcoming party..." Bill exhaled. The Town of Ponyville fell within a day of infection. That proved that the ponies were as underprepared as humanity was. "That Tank wasn't a pony. It was human." The ponies looked at Bill as he pulled out a cigarette. "It seems I wasn't the only one to get here." Bill lit the cigarette and took a long drag. "There's something more to it."
PrologueSurvivor A Left 4 Dead/My Little Pony: Friendship is MagicBy DadMyNamesNotTimmyPrologue “Zoey...” “…Louis...” “…Francis...” “You’re safe.” Bill lay dying on the floor of the generator room he had hidden himself in. He could hear the off-sync, thundering steps of three Tanks coming to finish the elderly man off in a brutal fashion. Bill pulled up his ever-so-trusty M-16 assault rifle, inserted the last magazine and cocked the rifle. He looked at the doorway. The Tanks stopped, and stared at Bill in a mocking manner. Bill laid the rifle beside him for a moment, and pulled out a cigarette. “Hold yer horses…” Bill then lit the cigarette. “… I’ll be with ya in a minute.” Bill grunted. “My job’s done.” Bill coughed harshly, a spatter of blood flying out from his mouth. Bill pulled up his rifle, and shakily took aim at the Tanks. “Let’s see what you got, you big dumb sons of bitches.” Bill fired his rifle at the trio of hulking brutes, all while yelling a war cry. Within a minute of firing, the weapon was dry, and the Tanks were beginning to pummel Bill to death. At that moment, Bill accepted his fate. But Bill, surprisingly, didn’t feel a thing as the beasts beat the everlasting shit out of him. He felt himself… rise, that divine feeling of bliss and peace. I’ll be waiting for you guys… don’t keep me waiting. Bill’s last thought was manifested, and then he fell over, dead, beaten and bloodied. Then the Tanks left the generator room in search of another creature to pummel to death. The room was untouched after that, and was quiet and reeked of blood and cigarette smoke.
