Equestria Girls: Left For Dead

After listening to Bull and the person on the other end of his walkie talk, it was decided that he bring her back to this place he called 'Base' for her own safety. The humanized alicorn made sure to keep herself behind him in case another one of these 'zombies' decided to attack as the two began to walk toward the alley entrance. As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but feel uneasy when she walked by Cheerilee's motionless body before they got back out onto the sidewalk. She made sure to keep an eye on her in case she did start to get up.

"What happened here, Bull?" Twilight asked as the two walked out onto the street. "I don't remember this place being the way it is at all."

Bull sighed for a moment before looking over at her. "I take it you're not from around here. Are you." Twilight just shook her head in response.

"No." She said. "I'm actually from a different world."

"A different world?"

"Yes." She replied. "A land called Equestria." She then looked at him as he looked confused at what she said. "I know. It sounds a little strange. But what I'm saying is true."

"That name." He said. "I remember overhearing Phoenix say that name a couple of months ago. Now what you told me earlier is starting to make more sense."

"Who is Phoenix?"

"It's just a name we call her over the walkie." He replied. "Her real name is Sunset Shimmer."

"Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed, only to have her mouth get covered by Bull's hand. He then looked around for a bit, making sure Twilight's unexpected outburst didn't attract any unwanted attention, before moving his hand away. "Sorry." She said. "I just haven't seen or spoken to her in a long time."

"I see." He said as he stopped beside a large truck that was on its side and sat down, making sure no one else was around. Twilight did the same and stayed quiet so she could listen to him. "Well to answer your question, it all started almost six months ago in the city of Fillydelphia." He began. "Some sort of new virus that got called the 'Green Flu' started spreading like wildfire. Anyone who caught it soon displayed an extreme amount of aggression, mutations in some cases, and each infected person lost a good portion of their brain cells and functionality."

Twilight just sat there and looked at him in shock as he continued his story.

"The only way one can get the Green Flu is if they get bitten by an infected person." He said. "That's why I asked you that question earlier."

"So these people aren't zombies?"

"Nope." Bull replied. "They ain't zombies. Just infected."

"Can they be cured?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure on that part." He said. "Then again, most of the country has been infected. So that doesn't leave many people who can find a cure if it even exists." He then looked over at Twilight who had a sad look on her face. "You're actually the first survivor I've run into in quite a while."

"I am?"

"Yeah." He replied. "Though I'm surprised you don't have anything to defend yourself." He then pulled out his object from the sleeve strapped to his back. "Something like this little beauty right here."

"What is that?" She asked while pointing at it.

"Never seen a shotgun before?"

"No."

"Never seen a shotgun." He repeated. "This place you're from. I'm not really sure if I'd like it there." He said before handing it over to her. Twilight was immediately surprised by how heavy it was. Then again, she had never even heard of this thing before. "I can't tell you how many times that this gun saved my ass." He said as Twilight looked closely at it. "Found her when a friend and I had to hide inside an abandoned gun shop from a horde of infected. I grabbed her and as much ammo as I could carry before we had to leave through the back door to escape."

"So this thing..... kills?"

"Well yes and no." He said before she gave it back to him. "By itself, it might as well be a overpriced paper weight. But put it in the hands of someone who knows how to use it and then it becomes something that kills. But in this world now, it's kill or be killed. Survival is the number one priority."

"There's no other way?"

"None that I'm aware of, I'm afraid." He said. This made Twilight look down at the asphalt. A mixture of feelings were racing through her head. She was thankful that Bull had saved her from Ms. Cheerilee. But at the same time, she was sad that the only way he could save her was by killing someone that she knew. "I've seen that look before." Bull said, making her look up at him. "You knew that infected person. Didn't you."

"Yeah." Twilight replied. "She was a teacher back at Canterlot High."

Bull sighed after hearing that. "Most of us had friends or loved ones who became infected, myself included."

"Did you have to....?"

"Not.... all of them." He replied. "But those I did, I regret not being there to stop them from becoming infected." After saying that, it was he who then started to look down at the asphalt. "But there was one incident in particular that I'll never forget."

"What happened?"

"It was supposed to be a simple supply run." He said. "My friend and I were told to go out and bring back some food from an abandoned supermarket. But we didn't account for being outnumbered and nearly surrounded by them." Twilight looked on as a tear began to form in his eye. "We fought as long as we could before we had to run. But in the heat of the fight, we got separated."

"What was your friend's name?"

"Steel Blade." He replied. "One of the best swordsmen I've ever seen. And my best friend." After hearing that, Twilight gasped. "When I realized he wasn't behind me, I tried to find him. But all I found was his sword laying in an aisle with a trail of blood leading away from it."

"Did he become infected?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Bull said. "It wasn't until I got back to the truck when I found him next to it. He was hunched over, eyes bloodshot, clothes torn, and had bite marks all over his body." Twilight looked on in silence as his hands started trembling. "I had his sword in my hand when he tried to attack me. He.... he left me with no choice." He then broke down after saying that.

"He.... had to kill his best friend.... to save his own life." Twilight thought as she watched Bull cry. Sensing the need to do something, she put her arm around him and pulled him close. "I'm so sorry." She said. "I can't imagine what it must've been like." After saying that, she just held him close for a few minutes before he pulled himself together.

"Thank you." He said before wiping a tear from his eye. He then slowly got to his feet before helping Twilight up. "We better get going." He said. "Phoenix will be expecting you back at the base and we really don't want to be out here when it gets dark."

"How far is this place from here?"

"Just across town." He replied as they started to walk again. "It's an old abandoned factory that we've renovated into a stronghold."

"And how did you get here?"

This made Bull chuckle before pointing a finger over toward a truck that looked different from the ones on the street. Twilight's eyes widened as she looked at it. Metal bars lined all of the windows and a large piece of metal was bolted to the front in some kind of plow shape.

"This old girl can clear a path through an entire horde of infected if she had to." Bull said before opening the passenger side door and reaching in to pull something out. Twilight looked on as Bull revealed it to be a sword inside a sheath.

"Is that your friend's sword?"

"Yeah." He replied. "I like to keep it with me when I go out on runs like this one. Gives me a sense that he's watching my back." He then stepped aside to let her get in before closing the door and walking around to the other side. Once he got in, he placed the key in the ignition and turned it. The noise that followed made Twilight cover her ears for a bit over how loud the engine was.

"Not really built for stealth." She said before he placed the truck in 'drive' and stepped down on the gas pedal, making the truck begin to move.

"Wasn't meant to be." He replied. "She may be loud, but I have yet to meet anything she couldn't push out of her way!" As the truck rolled on, Twilight looked at all of the buildings as they passed by. They were in the same state as Canterlot High was in. Windows boarded up, some windows shattered with curtains blowing through the breeze and all doors were either open or broken down.

"So do you know any of my other friends?" Twilight asked.

"Who would they be?"

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity."

"Yeah." He replied. "They're all back at the base." This made Twilight smile for the first time since coming here. The fact that her friends were all okay lifted a humongous weight off of her mind. "In fact." Bull said. "Applejack was the one who helped me create this truck. She and her brother are our best mechanics."

"Fascinating." Twilight replied as she gave the truck another look. Even though iron bars lined the windshield, she could still see what was in front of them through the spaces in between. "What do the others do?"

"Lets see...." Bull replied. "I know Rainbow Dash is on a different scavenging team like I am. Rarity makes and fixes all of our outfits, making sure that we aren't exposing any part of our skin to the infected. Pinkie Pie helps out with some of the cooking. And Fluttershy takes care of any stray pets that we find."

"Are there any others there?"

"Well, besides them and Phoenix, there's the other Twilight. She helps out with making plans for recovery of supplies and food. And then there's my new scavenging partner, Adagio Dazzle."

"What?!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise.

"What."

"Adagio Dazzle is there?"

"Yes. Why? You know her?"

"She's a former siren who tried taking over Canterlot High with her sisters."

"So that's why she can sing so well." He replied before looking back at Twilight. "She sometimes sings to us to help raise the morale around the place. Don't worry though. She's anything but evil. She saved my life on a number of occasions. And I've saved her life as well. We got each other's back."

"I see." Twilight said. "Well if she's your partner, how come she isn't here with you?"

"She twisted her ankle on the last run." He replied before turning the truck to the left. This path led to a bridge that spanned across a river that separated in two directions before rejoining once more, creating a small island. As they got closer, Twilight could see a building surrounded by a large concrete barrier with a large metal gate. "But it wasn't anything severe. I just had to carry her back to the base. It did however put her out of action for a couple of weeks."

"Are her sisters there too?"

"I'm afraid not." He replied. "She just showed up at the factory by herself one day, seeking shelter. She said that both of them became infected with the virus and she had to run to save herself from joining their fate."

Twilight let out another gasp when she heard what he said. "That's terrible!"

"Like I said." Bull said before stopping the truck in front of the gate. "We've all suffered from losing loved ones and friends. Some more than others. But we just have to stick together and watch each other's backs. If we do that, then hopefully we'll all make it through this." He then pressed down on the horn three times before the gate slowly opened, allowing the truck to enter before closing again. As he brought the truck up to the main building, Twilight could see people looking and waving at them as they passed, prompting her to wave back.

"It looks so.... calm here." She said as the truck came to a stop.

"One of the few safe places left in all of Canterlot." Bull said before getting out. Twilight reached down and pulled the door handle before pushing on the door itself. It was heavy with all of the added metal, but she managed to get it open before stepping out onto the dirt below. After closing her door, she walked over to Bull before both of them started to walk toward the main door leading inside. Once in, Twilight looked around as Bull led her down a small hallway before stopping at a door. "I'm sure you'll be happy to find who is on the other side." He said before knocking on it three times.

"Who is it?" A voice asked from inside.

"It's Bull, Sunset." He replied. "I brought the survivor here with me as I was instructed to."

"Bring her in." She said before Bull placed his hand on the door knob and gave it a twist. He then pushed lightly on the door until it swung open all the way. Once that was done, both of them stepped inside to find Sunset Shimmer looking at a map on the wall, holding a red marker in her hand. "So...." She said as she started to turn around. "Who is this surviv-"

Sunset's eyes locked onto Twilight's as they both stared at each other for a moment. The marker in her hand was soon dropped as both girls stared at each other.

"Twilight?"

"Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed with joy as she raced over and grabbed onto her before wrapping her arms around her friend's body. "I'm so glad to see you again!" Tears of joy ran down her face as she held Sunset tightly in her grasp. Sunset soon returned the favor and wrapped her arms around Twilight.

"How long have you been here for?" Sunset asked.

"I just came here a couple of hours ago." She replied. "But then I got chased by Ms. Cheerilee into town and she would've gotten me if it wasn't for Bull." This made Sunset look over at him with tearful eyes while keeping Twilight close.

"Thank you." She said. "Thank you so much for saving her."

"You're welcome, Sunset." He replied before turning to leave. "I'll just go ahead and check on how Adagio is doing. Plus I bet the two of you have lots to catch up on. Let me know if you need anything."

"Alright." Sunset replied. As Bull closed the door behind him, Sunset looked back at Twilight who was looking back at her. "I'm sure Bull explained the whole situation to you?"

"Yes."

"Good." She said before motioning for Twilight to sit down in a chair. Twilight nodded before doing so. "Sorry I haven't written to you in a while." Sunset said before sitting down in a chair next to her. "I'm sure you've seen the reason why."

"Don't be sorry, Sunset." Twilight replied. "I'm just glad to know that you're okay." A thought then flew into her mind as she remembered what she told Spike. "Do you still have the journal?"

"Yeah." She said. "Why?"

"I need to send a message to Spike. I need to tell him that I'm alright and that I found you and the others."

"Alright." Sunset said. "Wait right here and I'll grab it."

"Okay." Twilight replied as Sunset got up and walked out of the room. While she was gone, Twilight got up and walked over to where the map was hanging. "This must be a map of Canterlot." She thought as she looked at all of the areas with X's over them and circles around other places.

"The areas with X's are areas that I don't allow our scavenger teams to go to." Sunset said, making Twilight jump as she walked back into the room with the journal in her hands. "According to our scouting teams, those areas are filled with the infected. The risk of losing one or more people is too great to send them there for supplies."

"And the ones with circles?"

"Areas that have mostly remained untouched." She replied before handing the journal and a pen to Twilight. "The risk of running into an infected person is much less in those areas."

"I see." Twilight replied before she tried to write a message in the book. Unfortunately, she never did learn how to write with these hands. "Could I ask a favor, Sunset?"

"Need me to write for you?" Twilight's cheeks turned red before she slowly nodded while giving the journal and pen back to Sunset. "Alright." She replied. "Ready to write."

Dear Spike,

I just wanted to let you know that I am safe and have found Sunset Shimmer and the rest of our friends. Things in this world are very different from when I was here last. Turns out that the pony that we encountered back before I came here was not a zombie, but rather a person infected with a virus called the "Green Flu". Don't worry. You won't get it. It only spreads through getting bitten by an infected person.

Please tell the others that I am safe. I'm sure they must be worried sick if you told them that I was in a world with 'zombies'. But I still want you to keep the portal closed until I am ready to come back. Under no circumstances are you to open it otherwise, no matter what. We can not risk letting this virus spread into Equestria.

Stay out of trouble and make sure to give Starlight some time to relax. I'm sure she must have worked pretty hard at Sweet Apple Acres.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

(P.S. This is Sunset writing for Twilight since she hasn't learned to write with hands yet.)

"And.... done." Sunset said before closing the journal. "Sorry I didn't reply earlier. I didn't even know you wrote to me."

"It's alright, Sunset." Twilight replied. "At least I now know that you're safe."

"So do you want to go see the rest of our friends?" Sunset asked. "I'm sure they'd be thrilled to see you."

"Yes!" She exclaimed with joy, making Sunset giggle before both of them started to leave the room.