Lost Pegasus

by Pitfall

Chapters

Prologue: Outbreak
C1: Discovery
C2: Vancy

Prologue: Outbreak

== Prologue: Outbreak ==

*Two weeks before the outbreak*

"I love you so much..."

"I love you too. You make me feel so fortunate..."

"It is I who is the fortunate one. It's my special talent, right?"

"If you insist..."

*a few minutes pass*

*sigh* "This town is so stressful... Do you think we could go somewhere some time? Get our minds off everything and relax? Be with each other for a few days and nights~?"

"Where did you have in mind?"

"Hmm... Maybe Las Pegasus?"

"I don't know... You have a bit of a gambling problem. Is that exactly a good idea?"

"It's not a problem if you're winning."

"You have me there... Fine, but try not to get too into it, alright?"

"You have my word."

"That sums it up then. We'll go to Las Pegasus in about a week. Sound good?"

"Sounds perfect. Now how about round two~?"

"Just as long as you don't beg me to go for three like last time, you crazy mare~. I need my rest..."

*Three days before outbreak*

I got off the train into the somewhat dim lighting of a subway station, stretching my forelegs before stretching my hind legs. "Some trip, eh Fortune?"

Fortune was the love of my life, the center of my universe. She was a pale yellow pegasus with a long, straight sky blue mane and tail. Her beautiful light green eyes always seemed to see right through me, whenever I was hurt or whenever I was being untruthful (always for the better, of course). Her cutie mark was a shooting star. She yawned and answered "I didn't expect it to take so long. But now we're here, and we can enjoy ourselves. I know you are~."

She always had to be like that! I blushed a tad and levitated my luggage before me, also accepting hers. Surprisingly, very few ponies actually took the train to Las Pegasus. Maybe seven ponies in total. I watched as they all went from the subway tunnels and up the stairs, their things in tow. the train behind me whistled and slowly began to leave the underground station. "Well, I suppose we had better find us somewhere to stay. C'mon, let's go find a hotel or something..."

She simply nodded and smiled, walking next to me as we ascended... Into what was surprisingly a cool night air. "Huh... I thought it was mid-afternoon."

"Me too," I responded. It didn't take us long to find a nice place to sleep. Turns out, building a thirty story hotel a few blocks away from a subway tunnel that led to other parts of Equestria was profitable.

"Ooh, Grey, let's sleep there! I want a room way high up so I can look out upon the city!"

"Anything for you, dear." I gave her a small peck on the cheek and walked to a fancy set of double doors, holding one to let her in before continuing myself. The lobby was nice, but the receptionist looked bored out of her mind. I guess I would be too. "Hey, we need a room on a high floor."

"Not like you have much of a choice if you want to sleep here," she said rather dully. "All the rooms floor fifteen and below are taken. How high up you willing to go?"

"How does floor twenty sound?" I asked Fortune. She nodded and we were given key to our room - room 1337. That's a lot of rooms! I paid enough to stay for four nights before getting into an elevator at the end of a hall. Going up, we reached floor twenty and walked to our room. There was a small sink to my left upon walking in, and a door that led to a bathroom to my right. Walk forward a bit and there was our main room. A large bed to our right and a desk to our left with a television set in the middle. There were potted plants in the corners of the room and paintings of the sun rising over mountains, or luscious forests. At the far side of the room was a glass door, and outside, a balcony. Lights spread as far as the eye could see, ponies milling about here and there. The major casinos were a bit farther away, and had much more traffic.

Fortune locked the door behind us and moved towards the bed in the room. I set our stuff to the side by the sink and followed her lead. She looked back at me and smiled seductively. "Oh, come on! What does it take to satisfy you!? I'm tired! Can't we just do this tomorrow? Please?" I pleaded. She wouldn't take no for an answer. I swear, her talent was getting lucky, not being lucky...

*Two days before the outbreak*

I woke up, yawned, rolled out of bed, and stretched. A glance at the nearest clock told me the time: 10:13 am. I glanced towards the bed; Fortune hadn't heard me get up. I tip-toed out the door and trotted to the elevator at the end of the hall. Going down to the lobby, I looked outside. Next door to the hotel was a cafe. What luck! I went in and got a muffin. I had a strange feeling that somepony that was cross-eyed would like these especially...

Grabbing another and a bit of butter, I paid for my food and went back to my room. I opened the door and... Correction, I turned the handle and learned I was locked out. Knocking lightly, I waited until a sleepy Fortune opened the door. I smiled sheepishly and hovered the breakfast before me. She smiled and let me in, closing the door behind me. "Looks like breakfast in bed was ruined. My bad..." She simply kissed me and buttered her muffin, taking a joyful bite out of it.

"Thanks, Grey. After last night, I really could use something to refuel~"

Ack! "You torture me and you know it!" My cheeks burned as I looked away and buttered my breakfast. Taking a bite, I learned that the cooks at the cafe knew what they were doing.

"We've been together for three years! How are you still blushing when I say things like that?" She playfully asked.

"I-I don't know... I just do..."

"And that's just another thing I like about you. It's so gosh darn cute!"

"C-cut it out! I'm not cute! I'm a monster! Rawwwr!" I stood on my hind legs and lifted my forelegs above me, attempting to seem intimidating. Instead, Fortune jumped at me and knocked me onto my back in a hug.

After we cleaned up and did a bit of walking, we arrived at the closest casino, 'Stable Slots.' It was a bright place with a large neon sign over the entrance. It depicted a buck winning a go at a slot machine and bits raining over him. Knowing Fortune, we'd be loaded before we left.

--Two hours later...--

"Come on, can't we go? You can win any time you want!" I tried to pry her from her machine but she swatted me away.

"We can go as soon as I lose my first time." She pulled the one armed bandit (more like bit dispenser) and, yet again, won.

"You said we would go if I asked. You said I had your word. Please, can we just go? Everypony's looking at us..." I whispered. While some eyes were sad or full of contempt, others were shining with greed, and I knew that bad things were going to happen on our walk out of here.

"Just a minute, I'm on a streak..." she said as she won yet again.

"You're always on a streak! Please, do it for me?" She didn't budge. "If you don't get off that machine and go back to the hotel with me, I'm not getting into bed with you."

I saw her ears perk up at that. "Well, I suppose I've earned enough tonight... Sure, let's go." Our saddlebags were nearly overflowing with our winnings as we walked out of the casino.

On our way out, I noticed a few ponies loitering by the door, three of them. I could tell that they had been waiting for us. I kept my eye on them as we walked away, and sure enough, they started to follow. There was heavy hoof traffic, and we had to push through the crowd to leave. After about five minutes, I couldn't stand being surrounded by so many ponies. Looking to my right, I saw an alley. Forgetting all about the ponies after us, I said "Let's cut through here to get out of this crowd."

The ground was littered with trash, the cans meant to contain it all overflowing. Some stone steps led to a back door which appeared to lead to a soup shop. Then I remembered to look back. The ponies that had been following us turned the corner. That's when I got a better look at them.

First of all, they were all male. On the left was an earth pony with a tan coat and a black mane. His eyes were a natural red as he looked at me with a smirk. The pony on the right was a light blue pegasus with a light green mane and gold eyes. His facial expression was rather bored looking. And in the middle was a white unicorn with a red mane. His blue eyes grinned wickedly as his face was falsely congenial.

I turned to Fortune and whispered "Speed up, a few ponies noticed our winnings and are following us." She tensed up before nodding. We started to trot down the alley before the pegasus buck flew over us and landed a few feet away.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked, a tone of annoyance in his voice. He slowly advanced upon us as we backed up. When he stopped, we did too, and I turned around. There, the earth pony and unicorn stood waiting. We were surrounded almost perfectly in the center of the alley.

"I couldn't help but notice all the bits that recently came into your possession," the unicorn stated formally. "I was wondering if you might like to pass them up?"

"They're ours. I think we'll keep 'em," I said evenly. I knew a fight was coming and I made a quick scan of our area. I saw a brick and a trash can near enough for me to grab with my telekinesis spell.

"Yeah, well, we think not," the earth pony said snobbishly. "You'd better do what we say, or something bad might happen to your mare there." I slowly took off my saddlebags and set them on the ground. The earth pony just smirked and said "That's what I thought, ya pussy."

Nobody threatens my Fortune.

I grabbed the brick with my magic and smashed it across the earth pony's face, staggering him to the left. I brought it up and then down over his head, hearing a loud 'thunk' and his body collapsed. This all happened in three seconds. The unicorn then frowned and nodded. The pegasus grabbed me from behind, startling me enough to drop my brick, and pulled us both onto our hindlegs. As I struggled, the other unicorn held Fortune in his magic, and grabbed my brick. "You really shouldn't have done that. We warned you," he said icily. He brought the brick down - hard - on her left wing. I heard a sickening snap, followed by a scream of pain.

My world went red. I pushed backwards onto the pegasus holding me, pressing him to the ground. Rolling over, I stood up, kicked the pegasi in the face to stun him, and charged the unicorn that had harmed Fortune. I could only hear a ringing in my ears, but I was pretty sure I was screaming something along the lines of "YOU SON OF A BITCH I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!!!" Never before had I seen such terror etched onto somepony's face. He brought his hooves up to cover his face as I jumped, twisted around, and kicked my rear hooves into it so hard I launched him several feet. Turned around, I saw the pegasus hurtling towards me. That trash can smashed into his side so fast I think I broke a rib, because he didn't get back up, and a blow like that wouldn't knock a pony out.

Turning to Fortune, I examined her wing. I was pretty sure they weren't supposed to bend like that. The ringing in my ears had faded, and I could hear her say between sobs of pain "P-please, I-I'm fine..." I took off her saddlebags and levitated them with mine. Then I lifted her onto my back and ran towards the other side of the alley.

--3 hours later...--

I sat outside the operating room as the surgery to fix Fortune's wing was underway. I felt terrible about what had happened. I should've just stayed in the crowd, or I should've let them take our bits, or I shouldn't have let him hit her... She had gotten hurt so badly... And it was all my fault. I was helpless to save the mare I loved. What if she needed me again? She would get killed! I don't know how I could live without her...

The door bumped open and a pleased looking green stallion walked out. "Sir, your wife's wing is going to be fine. She'll need some rest and a healthy diet."

"She's not my wife. I mean, yeah, we're close, but... I haven't really proposed yet..."

"With all the money you walked in with, you could pay for that operation and still have bits to buy a fancy ring."

"I guess I have some shopping to do. Can I see her?" I asked with a hopeful smile on my face.

"Sure, come on in." With that, he turned around and walked in. I followed. There was a small bed in the center of the room, Fortune sleeping happily on it. She looked so peaceful and cute, I couldn't stop myself from smiling. The wing that had been damaged was wrapped in bandages. The thingy that tells you the heart rate was droning next to her. The lights had been dimmed, from what I could tell, now that the surgery was over.

"How long will she be out, doc?" I whispered.

"Oh, I'd say another hour or so. When she wakes up she'll still be under the influence of the sedatives we used, so keep an eye on her until you know she's safe. We'll pack her up and make sure she's ready to go." He whispered back.

--45 minutes later...--

I lifted Fortune off of her wheelchair and onto the bed, making sure to tuck her in. Then I glanced on the clock. It was 5:03. I don't think we'd eaten since breakfast, and a rumble from my stomach agreed. I took one last look at the peaceful form of Fortune before grabbing the key (I remembered this time!) and quietly walking out the door.

I went back to the cafe that was next door and bought a couple salads for us to enjoy. I went back to the room we were staying at, but paused before I opened the door. I heard noise coming from inside. I had only been gone for ten minutes. Then panic hit and I realized that Fortune could be in trouble! I quickly turned the key in the lock and jumped into the room. Fortune was on the ground thrashing, entangled by the sheets and blankets. "Git offah me! Geeet off!" I chuckled a bit as I used my magic to take off the blankets and neatly fold them back onto the bed. "Oh, there you are Grey! I was wonderin' w'ere you went..."

She attempted to get up and failed before rolling onto her back and smiling at me. "Are those salads? I really could go for some salad 'bout now..." I had completely forgotten I had them. I brought them forward and set them down on the desk the tv was on. Then I lifted Fortune back into the bed and brought the salad close to her. Levitating the fork that came with it out, I fed Fortune the entire thing before I went, got mine, and ate it myself. Fortune was content to just sit where she was and watch me.

"Fortune?"

"Yes, my love?" She replied happily.

"I'm going to go out and get some things, alright? I need you to stay here and get some rest." I smiled at her, giving her a kiss on the nose.

"I wanna come! Pleeease?" She looked so put out and sad that I almost said 'ok, you can come...' But I knew that what I was about to do meant that she couldn't follow. And geez, was she loopy!

"I'm sorry, but no. You need your rest. Get some sleep and I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Fiiine... But I expect you to do some special late night work when you get back~!" She giggled as I blushed a bit.

"With the state you're in, I don't think I should. We'll see when I get back though..." With that, I kissed Fortune and tucked her in. Then I took the key, and locked the door behind me on my way out.

--One hour and thirty minutes later...--

I walked out of the jewelry store with the small amount of bits left from Fortune's winning streak and a ring. Not just any ring though; this was the ring I was going to propose with. It was a gold ring with a medium sized ruby on it in the shape of a heart. Diamonds encircled the ring so that it shined when light hit it. It was beautiful, and would be more so with my Fortune. I pocketed it within my saddlebags and set off for the general direction of the hotel. It was easy to see. While most of the buildings were tall, the hotel we were staying at was a good fifteen floors taller than nearly everything else. Pretty convenient, I thought.

A few blocks away from the hotel I passed a nice looking restaurant. Inside were a few ponies eating their dinners. They all looked quite satisfied with the food before them. "Location spotted," I thought out loud. This seemed as good a place as any other. The excitement was really building up inside me, coupled with a vast amount of nervousness. Which was ridiculous, seeing as we had been together for ages. Of course she'd say yes...

I walked right on through the front doors, went up the elevator, and fished out my keys to open the door. I locked the door behind me and looked about the room. The cutest thing I had ever seen was sitting in the bed. Fortune was sleeping peacefully, smile etched on her face as she snored softly. I've seen some cute things in my day, but this broke the chart and bordered on something that would melt your heart into a delighted mush. I set my saddlebags down (and made sure the ring was thoroughly hidden) before crawling into bed with her.

A glance at the clock told me it was 6:55. From start to finish, Fortune won way too much money at the casino, then I got her hurt really badly, and then I got her patched up and to bed, while I went and got a ring to propose with. Doubts flashed across my mind at the idea of proposing sunk in. I was asking her to marry me. To spend her life and afterlife with me. Forever. ... Somehow that doesn't sound right... Forrreeeverrr!!! ... Yeah, that's better. Not only was that a long time to be with somepony (not that I was complaining, I loved her so much) but I figured that in that time, I would have to protect her again. I wouldn't be able to do it. I wouldn't be able to save her. She would get-

Fortune interrupted my thought process by turning over and wrapping her hooves around me in her sleep. She nuzzled my neck and sighed as she slept. "Grey..." She mumbled in her sleep. I could see her blush slightly as she continued to dream whatever dream it was she was having. That's my Fortune.

I wrapped my hooves around her and closed my eyes, hearing her heart beat and her quiet snoring. Before long, our hearts synchronized, beating in unison. I fell asleep quietly and happily...

...

... We were out being happy on a hilltop, a picnic laid out before us. I was content to watch the sunset. But then, a small dragon swooped in and grabbed Fortune with it's left claw. It ran down the hill, and I gave chase. At the foot of the hill, it turned and swung it's tail low. I lept over it and kicked the dragon in the face. Unfazed, it swatted me back with it's spare claw. Then it grinned wickedly as it pinned Fortune down with it's tail and rose it's right claw. "Fortune! FORTUNE! NOOOO!!!!" I ran to stop the dragon...

"Grey! Grey, help me! GR-" the claw came down and Fortune's body went limp.

I burst awake panting, Fortune looking down at me worriedly. "Are you ok? You were mumbling my name over and over, and unlike usual, it wasn't something you were happy about..." I couldn't help it, I blushed. Like seriously, is now the time to be so... Gah!

I refocused and told her the truth. "I had a nightmare. You were in danger, and I couldn't help you this time. You were..." I choked a bit and tears formed in the corner of my eyes. I might as well have been a picture book, because she knew exactly what I was feeling.

"Grey, it's not your fault I got hurt-" She began before I cut her off.

"Yes it is! I could've easily done something to prevent you from entering harm's way. I could've... Could've given them the bits! Or I could've beaten down the unicorn with that brick! I could've not gotten grabbed and gotten in the way of the blow! Anything! But instead, you got hurt. And it's my fault for not doing something to prevent that from happening. Look at you. Your wing is broken and you can't fly for a full week. It's my fault you got hurt," I finished softly. "So don't deny it." Tears were actively flowing from my eyes as I finished. I sniffed and wiped away some of them. "I love you, Fortune." I looked at her with a pained expression. "I don't want to lose you... But I don't want you to get hurt because of me..."

She wrapped her hooves around me and held me close. "Grey. You won't ever lose me, and you know it. You know you will always keep me safe. Sure, I might get hurt. But you know that I will be ok, because you'll be there to make sure I am. We all make mistakes, too. I don't think there was a thing you could've done to protect me - one of those stallions would've hurt me, maybe worse. So please, don't beat yourself up, my love. There's nothing to gain from it."

I let go of the rest of my tears as I contemplated what she had said. She was a smart mare, that was for sure. Another thing to love. "Fortune, I really am lucky to have you. You know that?" I sniffed one last time and wiped the rest of the tears off of my face.

"No, I am the lucky one. I don't think anypony could possibly care for me as much as you do." She kissed me and smiled.

"Either way, I love you. Remember that, ok?"

"Not a day goes by that I don't~" she said happily. I hugged her and let her lie down next to me, content to hold her in my hooves as we snoozed off, this time my dreaming peaceful.

*One day before the outbreak*

A quick glance at the nearest clock told me that it was nearly 6:00. As much as I wanted to leave Fortune to be happy at her slot machine, I really wanted to get her to that dinner, and hopefully make her happier in the process. The ring was safely tucked away in my saddlebags, and I couldn't wait to see her face when I proposed.

"C'mon Fortune, let's go get dinner." Stable Slots was conveniently the closest casino, and I was surprised we hadn't been kicked out after last time's non-stop winning. Fortune hadn't lost a single spin, which didn't surprise me in the least. However, not nearly as many ponies looked at us with greed as last time. If one listened closely enough, they could hear the wild rumors:

"I heard he got jumped with his mare there and mopped the floor with the ponies that tried it."

"See that stallion? He single-hoofedly beat down an entire mob of ponies. I wouldn't mess with him."

"Hey, what are you thinking!? Did you HEAR about the ponies that last messed with him!? No? That's because they're all DEAD! Seriously, are you completely together up there!?"

I chuckled at the inflated rumors as Fortune responded. "Please Grey, just five more minutes..." Bits showered her. I was wondering how it didn't get old to her.

"Fortune, now isn't the time to argue. Let's go," I stated firmly.

"It's only six! I don't need food again until eight!"

"Fortune, I swear, you might be lucky with everything else, but you will not be getting lucky with me any time soon if you don't get off that machine!" I attempted to say it menacingly, but I just didn't have it in me.

"So I guess I'm really hungry and I think we should go get dinner. Where sounds nice?" She asked as she let me levitate our saddlebags on, once again loaded with bits.

"There's this nice place a few blocks away from the hotel..."

--30 minutes later...--

We had just been given our food as we sat on what was quite possibly the damned comfiest pillows in all of Equestria. The inside of the restaurant had a few ponies here and there, mostly couples, but was overall low on activity for such a time like this. It made the room quiet. There were candles out on our table, which was made of some fine wood from what I could tell. Maybe not as tough as the fabled Mourning Wood, but pretty. The lights had been dimmed, making the faint glow of the candles on the table more noticeable. A rose sat in a small vase to the side.

"I hope you enjoy your meal. Just pipe up if there's a problem," our serving mare said before walking back towards the kitchen.

My plate consisted of a small pile of spaghetti, whilst Fortune ate a tasty looking bowl of vegetable soup. She saw me eyeing it, and took a spoonful of the stuff to me. I sipped it happily. In response, I took a forkful of spaghetti and poked it into her mouth. She ate it, and then slowly sucked the rest of a longer noodle into her mouth. When the end disappeared, she let out a satisfied sigh. I turned a lighter shade of red as she slowly walked back to her seat to continue eating the soup. I think she enjoyed it. I know she did... Torturing me like that...

"Grey, despite what's happened here, I really am happy we came. I just needed to get out, you know?" She smiled and took another sip of her soup.

"I'm glad you can look past the bad to see the good. And hopefully, this will help you." I got up and slowly walked up to her.

"Grey, what're you doing?" She asked, confused. I knelt down on my forelegs and levitated the ring out of my saddlebags.

"Fortune, The sun in my sky, will you be my wife?" I looked up to her, ring in front of my face, my horn glowing softly. She really didn't know what to say. Her face displayed such expressions of happiness and shock that she just sat there for a moment. Then she snapped back to reality.

"Yes, Grey! Yes, I will! You've made me the happiest mare in the world!" She threw her hooves around me with a kiss that told me that I'd done good. I'd made her happy, and that was the most important thing of all to me. When she ended the kiss, she was positively beaming. If you could concentrate her smiles into light, they would be filling the room with a fierce glare.

We finished our dinner and paid for our meal before departing, Fortune resting a wing over my back as she leaned her head against mine. We walked like this all the way to our room, where Fortune put the ring gently on the table next to the tv and climbed onto our bed. She gave me a look that conveyed she wanted to repay me for my gift, and I was happy to receive such repayment.

*Day of the outbreak*

It was 9:07. The tv in our room was mysteriously on and being very loud. I looked at it blearily until I found the off button, and proceeded to push it with my magic. It went off, and I attempted to fall back asleep, but the tv turned itself on again. This time I looked at the damn thing.

'EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM' the screen read. This worried me enough to wake me up. I read on: 'There are unidentified threats attacking Las Pegasus. It is wise that you lock your doors and do not come out, no matter what. Do not let anypony in and do not talk to them at all.' This scared me. If Las Pegasus was under attack, we needed to get out of here immediately! Fortune, who was satisfied enough by last night, was still sleeping.

"Psst, Fortune, wake up... We gots a problem..." I shook her a bit as I attempted to wake her up. After a few tries, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at me, a smile on her face. "Fortune, something's wrong... Look at the tv."

While she went about reading the emergency that bothered me more by the second, I trotted over to our window and opened the blinds with my magic.

What I saw was pure chaos.

Now, we were pretty high up, so the ponies down below us were small and impossible to recognize. But when I looked down, I saw ponies getting killed by others, some shooting, doing something that looked like biting. There were chariots turned over on the ground here and there, and fires had broken out on multiple buildings. I watched as one pony got killed by what appeared to be being bitten on the neck. I went to look at something else... But then he got back up! I rushed back in and re-read the emergency broadcast.

"Grey, what's going on outside?" Gunshots could be heard in the distance.

"I don't know, Fortune, but I don't want you getting hurt. Stay here, don't let anyone in. I'm going to go find out what's going on." She started to protest but I interrupted her. "I can take care of myself, and this looks serious. I don't want you getting hurt. I'm going to go check out the problem and then I'll be right back. Ok?" She hesitated before nodding, kissing me softly.

"Don't get hurt," she asked me simply.

"I'll be fine, I promise." With that, I threw on my saddlebags and walked out, keys thrown in so I didn't have to worry about them. I walked to the elevator and pressed 'down.' I waited for a few moments before noticing the 'out of order' symbol above the doors. Figures. So I went down the steps and entered the lobby. The lobby was empty, aside from the large red stain on the floor. Upon closer inspection, it was still wet. It was blood.

... Dear Luna, something happened in here. Why weren't there any bodies!? Then I heard a faint growling from behind. I turned to see the bored receptionist. But something was off. As in, her face was missing a chunk out of the left side. She continued to growl and step towards me, slowly but persistently.

"Are you ok, ma'am?" She just growled and stepped closer. I stepped back. Something was off. "Ma'am?" I asked again. The response was more growling followed by another step closer. Instead of stepping back, I held out my hooves to push her back. She instantly went to bite them, and I pulled away before she could get ahold of them. She just looked at me with that half-dead stare and took another step. That's when I figured out that maybe she wasn't alive at all. The chunk missing from her face, upon inspection, looked to have been bitten off. And now she was trying to bite me. I was quick to deduce that getting bitten would be quite fatal.

So that's when I jumped back and turned around. I looked for anything I could use to push her back, or kill her (if she wasn't dead already). I found my friend in a large lamp sitting in the corner of the room. Using my magic, I levitated it up and brought the bulb side down on the receptionist's head as hard as I could. I pretty much broke the lamp in that impact, but from what I could tell, I broke my target as well, so I counted that as a win. Her body hit the floor and a bit of blood flowed from the body. I decided that sitting here and watching the corpse wouldn't get me anywhere. So I moved for the doors that led outside.

The sun was bright, and it shone down on something so sickening I couldn't stop myself from looking away. There were more walking, half-eaten bodies milling about. They all had similar eyes - they all looked lifeless. A few ponies were gathered in a circle, eating a body on the ground. That went far beyond what I was ready for. I turned away and made a plan. 'First priority: get supplies. I need to get Fortune out of here and we'll need some food and water.' A gunshot pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked to see a light blue unicorn stallion with a red mane aiming at some of the ponies just milling about. He fired, and one of them fell over, writhing for a moment before stilling. The unicorn noticed me, and I waved. He seemed relieved to see me.

"Finally, someone who's alive..." He said as he walked closer. Already, the ponies nearby were beginning to shamble to us, all of them growling menacingly. "Look, it's not safe here. There's a supermarket just down the road, we can talk in peace there."

"There are a lot of these things just walking about... Seems to me that it would make it difficult to get to wherever it is we're headed. Also, that's perfect. I need supplies."

"Just don't stop running. Hard to get grabbed if you keep moving. Don't let them bite you. Follow me, and don't wait up!" He began to gallop down the street, and I had no choice but to follow. As we ran, the bodies snarled and lunged at me, attempting to sink their teeth into my neck or body, but I wasn't having any of it. I jumped over backs and ran around the infected ponies, making sure to avoid any injury. Whenever I looked up, it seemed that the unicorn was looking back, waiting for me to catch up. We ran tirelessly for three blocks before finally coming to the building that he had spoken of. "Quick, in here!" he yelled.

I dived in and he shut the door behind him, locking it. He must've owned the place before... This happened. "Thanks for the tips. What exactly happened here? I woke up this morning and just... This." I waved my right hoof in the general direction of the door. The unicorn looked at me with shock.

"You mean you have no idea what's going on? From what I can tell, some sort of virus got out and it's turning ponies into these things. When somepony gets bitten, if they don't die from blood loss... They eventually turn into one of them. Trust me, if you see somepony that's been bitten, kill 'em or ditch 'em, because there isn't any way to save them, and killing them will be a mercy. I lost the couple of guys I had with me on my way here to that. One was bitten, it was quite visible. He just waved it off as a flesh wound. Then, he stopped moving, clutched his head, and began screaming. We tried to protect him, but after a few minutes, the pain didn't go away. After a few more minutes, he just stopped... But then he got up. I almost thought he was ok, and ready to go again. One look in his eyes was enough to tell. That's another tip, the eyes tell all. If they look dead, don't get close. It's because they are." He didn't seem quite shaken from the loss.

"I'm guessing that they weren't close friends? And speaking of which, what happened to the other guy?"

"He went to help the guy that turned. Got bitten. I shot the first infected, then the bitten one. No choice," he said simply. "Either spare him the agony or let him stew in it. I picked mercy." I made sure to let everything he said fully set in before continuing to look around. There were shelves full of food, some of it on the floor or just missing.

"Mind if I have some of the food you have here? I can pay you if you want." I shook my bags a bit, letting all the money I had jingle. His eyes widened for a moment. Then he shook himself.

"Go ahead. We had best be well stocked before continuing. We need to get out of here."

"Wait, you're leaving town? I'm not ready, I left a friend behind at the hotel you found me at. We have to go back for her."

"Are you crazy!?" He yelled. "Every pony for himself! You left a friend, then it's too bad she didn't follow. Going back could easily mean death!" He seemed shocked that I wanted to go back through the crowd.

"I'm not leaving her. I have to go back if we're going to leave."

He sighed before saying "Fine. Gather some food. I'll be ready to guide you back." I turned and started packing some of the food in my saddlebags, spilling bits here and there.

"Hey, look at this," the unicorn said.

I turned just in time to see the butt of his gun collide with my face. The last thing that went through my mind before I was knocked out was Fortune.

C1: Discovery

== Chapter One: Awakening ==

My eyes opened suddenly, my breaths shallow gasps. My head was throbbing in pain as I jumped to my hooves. I quickly took stock of my surroundings. I was in a small closet. The walls were grey, and the door ahead of me was brown. A mirror was attached to it, and I was able to get the first good look at myself since I'd arrived at Las Pegasus.

I looked like shit, which wasn't saying much. I took in my dark red coat and brown, slicked-back mane. My tail had always been a bit short, but it always seemed shorter each time I saw it. My horn was at an average size. I still had a blank flank; I had given up searching for my special talent years ago. Tearing my teal eyes from the mirror, I looked around the room, paying attention to what was inside. There was a mop and bucket in one corner, and a broom and dustpan in the other. My head ached as I tried to remember what I was doing before I ended up here...

Memory took hold as I burst out of the closet, the broom in tow by magic. The door to the market was opened, a couple of undead ponies inside with me. I winced as they turned to shamble towards me, making a mental note not to make so much noise when I moved around. I noticed my saddlebags ahead of me, a few feet from the ponies.

I walked forward until I was about seven feet away from one of the things, lining up a swing and waiting for it to walk into range. It made the last step and I swung the broom sideways into the thing's head savagely, knocking the creature back a few steps. It responded by turning to me and snarling. I took a few steps back as the other one got a tad closer than I'd like. I waited for it to get into range before I made a downward swing, bringing the broom down as hard as I could over its head. I floored the beast and broke the head off the broom, leaving a jagged pole in my magical grip. The broom head clattered to the ground.

I let what just happened register before I shoved the sharp end of the pole down into the floored beast's head, stilling it. I then turned to the other undead and shoved the bloody weapon through its forehead, making it fall to the ground heavily. I pulled the spear out and examined my new best friend. It was still incredibly sharp. I walked forward and checked my saddlebags. They were considerably lighter, and much less jingly than when I had first walked into the market. The food was still there, but almost all of my bits were gone. I packed up a bit more food and then grabbed a few bottles of water before putting on the 'bags and heading to the door. A big block stopped the door from closing, and attached to it was a note.

'I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't want to have to do that.

You didn't really leave me a choice though. You had a ton of bits in your bags, and you were going to go out and kill yourself! Maybe not intentionally, but that's what was going to end up happening. I couldn't just ask to take them from you, either. I didn't think you would just say, "Oh sure, take this small fortune off my hooves!" Kinda ridiculous sounding, right? That's what I thought. Anyways, if you're reading this, then that means I didn't kill you with that hit, and nothing walked in and snuffed you either. Best of luck, and should our paths cross again, I really hope you can look past what I did and see why I knocked you out.

No hard feelings,

Quick Draw'

After reading the hastily scrawled note, I frowned and stuffed it in my bags with all my other stuff. "If I find that pony, I'm going to give him a serious piece of my mind. Hopefully it'll involve wrapping mine around a blunt object and bludgeoning him with reason..." I levitated my broom-spear forward and walked out the door.

When I had first ran towards the market, I hadn't really paid attention to my surroundings. Now that I had time to think, I looked around. There were overturned chariots everywhere. Mindless abominations were limping here and there, some just deciding that standing was the best option. There really was no sense of purpose behind their movements, and I didn't want to add any. After a recap of what was going on, I decided I had best go find Fortune and fill her in. I looked up and spotted the hotel. It was about five blocks away, and there were plenty of undead between here and there.

I was able to walk unnoticed for about a block before one set of those lifeless eyes locked onto me and the body it was connected to growled. I would've walked by, but the growl had alerted all the creatures in the immediate vicinity. Eight of them in total. I looked into the street. There were a couple chariots in the road, and three of the creatures were behind one, attempting to climb over it. Two were to my right, and there were three in front of me. The one that was closest to me began to limp with a vengeance. It got close, mouth already open, so it could receive a spear through the eye. I made sure to jam it farther in, grimacing as I pierced the brain, making the body go limp.

I was so preoccupied with the one in front of me that I had forgotten about the two to my right! One snarled and lunged at me, teeth gnashing. I jumped to the side and spun around, the thing recovering from its attack. I charged forward and stabbed the spear towards the head of the beast. The thing moved its head up to look at me as I stabbed and the spear got lodged in its neck. Blood squirted out and about, painting the ground nearby a dark red. I figured it would fall over quickly, but it continued to stumble towards me. I backed up and looked left, noticing the other two undead much closer to me. The three behind the chariot were now on top of the chariot, falling over onto their faces on my side.

I decided to just run. I didn't want to keep wasting time when I needed to go help Fortune. I ran back and around the two to my left, and then back onto the sidewalk on the other side of the two that were originally to my right. They snarled as I kept running, jumping out of the way of any undead that wanted to make me it's next meal. I ran all the way to the hotel, panting as I slid through the doors. The body of the receptionist was still on the ground, next to the large, once-functioning lamp I had used to beat her down. There weren't any new bodies, moving or otherwise, so I walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. I waited a minute before remembering that the thing was out of order. I groaned in frustration and headed for the stairs.

I got to our room and opened the door. A terrified Fortune was huddled on the bed, shaking as she wept. When she saw me, she instantly became much more relieved, but her tears continued to spill. I went to her and hugged her in a tight embrace, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"G-Grey, oh Grey! I'm s-so glad y-you're ok... I thought something h-had happened to you!" Her crying was beginning to let up as she kissed me fiercely. "Where were you? You've been gone for nearly f-four hours!" I glanced at the clock. 1:00. I had been knocked out for three hours!?

"Fortune, I ran into a pony... He was nice at first, but he knocked me out and took all the bits I had with me. He left me this note." I pulled out said note and let her read it over. When she finished, she sniffed and wiped the rest of her tears off her face before handing me the note back. I tucked it away before looking back to Fortune.

"Grey, what does he mean you were about to go out and kill yourself?" She asked, confused. "What exactly is going on here? Is this just a joke?"

I sighed before filling her in. I told her about how the 'un-identified threats' were undead ponies that were trying to eat others. I told her about how I'd gotten my first kill, how I'd dashed to the supermarket with Quick Draw. And then I told her about how he'd bashed me in the face and robbed me. She didn't look pleased.

"You're telling me that there are a bunch of zombie ponies running around? You're kidding... Right?" Zombie ponies! How had I not thought of the name before!?

Back to the matter on hoof. She was fearful and I needed to console her. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying." Good start, Grey! I mentally kicked myself and continued. "There are a bunch of zombies out there. Apparently it happened last night, while we were... *Ahem*" I blushed a bit at the mention of last night, scratching the back of my neck. "We need to get out of Las Pegasus. I packed up a bit of food and water, so we should be fine for a few days. Also, we'll need a weapon, and definitely something special for you, seeing as you can't use magic." I searched about the room fruitlessly. There just wasn't something you could use to kill a pony in here. Huh.

Fortune just stared at me before whispering "You're being serious, aren't you?" Her eyes began to tear up once more. I quickly hugged her again. She hugged back, but the tears quietly spilled down her cheeks. "What's going to happen? So many ponies must be dead... How come Celestia hasn't come in to save the survivors? Grey, what's going to happen to us? We're practically in the center of Las Pegasus! Getting out is going to be nearly impossible without one of us getting hurt or..." She stopped talking, a look of regret etched onto her face. I made a small frown but said nothing. She went back to talking softly, "Grey, I didn't mean to say that. We'll be ok... Won't we?" Uncertainty was her dominant feature.

"Fortune, I know I messed up the other day. I let you get hurt. But I got you out of there. I'm not going to let you get hurt again. I'm going to save you. Even if I don't make it, I'm going to get you to safety. I promise. I love you." She didn't seem happy, but she knew I was going to protect her. That's all that mattered. That I keep her safe. All that mattered...

We sat in our room for the last time, eating our last meal in silence (canned hay tastes as good as it sounds, but it was food). After we ate, I told her some of the key points I'd picked up from my venture. "You'll know if it's a zombie because their eyes will look lifeless. Also, it'll growl. Makes them stick out like a sore hoof. Another thing I'd like to point out is that they react pretty fast to noise, so try and be quiet." I thought for a moment and said "Don't forget to aim for the head. That seems to be the only thing that kills them." She looked at me like I had gone crazy.

"How can you say that!? You want me kill them? They're ponies, Grey! I'm a lover, not a fighter!"

"I would never have found that out on my own. You, a lover?" I smirked and kissed her cheek. "It's you or them, Fortune. I'm rooting for you, personally. If you don't find a way to at least keep them off you, then it's going to make things difficult. Just try for me, ok?"

"Fine, Grey," she sighed. "I'll try. I really hope I can live with myself after this..."

"Fortune, I can't guarantee I'm too happy about what I've done already, and I've only actually killed, what, four of them? But I'll be ok, knowing that what I did got you safe. Trust me, we'll be alright." I tried my best to support her, but I felt like I wasn't doing a good enough job...

"Well, I suppose we'd best get going." She got off the bed and walked to the door. I followed her as she opened the door. Just outside the door was a zombie. The thing lunged at Fortune, teeth sharper than I thought I'd ever seen. I didn't have time to scream, time to help. It just attacked.

My Fortune is something, let me tell you.

When the zombie went to bite into her chest, she got up on her hind legs, the bite missing very narrowly. Then she brought her hooves down right on its head, crushing the skull against the floor instantly. I let out a shaking breath of relief. She seemed shocked she killed it so easily. "W-was that a zombie? Please tell me that was a zombie! Oh dear Luna, I just killed a pony..." She began to hyperventilate. I quickly grabbed her and pulled her away from the body, blood beginning to pool around it.

"Fortune, it was a zombie, it's ok. It tried to bite you, remember? You saved your life. Was that so hard?" I tried to rationale killing as a good thing. I was already becoming a monster. "Look, if you do this every time we take one out, then we're going to have a lot of hardship down the road."

She looked at me and smiled. "I wasn't ready, that's all... It caught me off guard!" She said in defense. I guess I can see that as traumatizing. I had time to figure out that the first one I had found wasn't right. She just had one thrown in her face. I'd be scared too.

"Let's keep moving, alright? We need weapons, bad. Standing here won't get us any." She turned for the elevator. "Doesn't work, Fortune. We have to take the stairs." So we took the stairs. All the way to the lobby. So many stairs. As was the normal now, the receptionist was dead on the ground, blood dried in a puddle around her. Fortune stared in shock. "That was my first one. The lesson I learned was that lamps make good weapons. From there I learned that anything makes a good weapon." I walked behind the desk and began to dig around underneath it.

"Um, Grey... Look..." She sounded worried, and a moment later I heard growling from near the exit. I stood up from behind the desk and saw a zombie, slowly making its way into the hotel. Fortune was on the other side of the desk I was behind.

"They're pretty slow, Fortune. Don't worry, we have a few moments." I began to dig around in the drawers and cabinets, looking for anything I could pummel the undead with. I found a box of sharpened pencils. I decided to try out some improvisation. "Fortune, turn around for a moment, I don't want you to see this."

She complied as I hopped over the desk, box in tow by magic. I opened it up and pulled out four pencils. I then launched them as hard as I could at the zombie. Two of them hit the neck, one grazed the head, and the last one went into the eye socket. I pulled out a couple more and jammed them as hard as I could into the other eye. It somehow kept moving, now halfway to the desk from the door. I took one last pencil and jammed it as far and hard as I could into the eye with only one pencil. The zombie finally fell, blood dribbling out the socket.

"Ok, Fortune, it's taken care of. You can turn around." She looked at it, appalled.

"Did you shove pencils into its EYES!? That's so messed up!" She looked at the creature with disgust as it bled.

"Hey, survival is a must. Anything is a weapon if you know what you're doing." I shrugged and decided against searching further. There obviously wasn't anything of use in here, so we'd best keep moving. "C'mon, let's get out of here. I'm not spotting anything particularly lethal." I moved for the door.

"Grey..." I stopped and looked at her. "Are you ok?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I was a tad confused.

"It's just... You're so relaxed right now. It's as if this doesn't even bother you. You just mashed pencils into the eyes of what used to be a living, breathing pony. You killed it so easily, so simply, and you don't seem bothered at all..." She looked at me, a tad scared.

"Fortune. I would be lying if I said I'm not scared. Lying if I said this doesn't bother me. But I can't let this get in the way of me protecting you. I can't let it get in the way of me staying alive. I can think about what happened after we get out of the danger zone. So let's stop wasting time, ok?" I gave Fortune a sad smile as she nodded. "Ok. Let's go."

We went outside and looked around. There were only three zombies nearby, so I wasn't too worried. I searched the buildings with my eyes from where I was standing, until I found something that stood out. A poster on a window to a store named 'Saddlebags 'n More' said it sold maps of Las Pegasus. "Hey, Fortune, let's go in there. We're going to need a map if we want to get out of here." She simply nodded. I was feeling pretty worried about her. "Do you think you're going to be alright, dear?" I had no idea what was going through her head.

"... Yeah. Yeah, I'm going to be fine, Grey. Don't worry about me." She flapped her good wing and smiled at me, attempting to hide the fear in her eyes. I kissed her and moved across the street, Fortune close behind.

"These zombies aren't very observant," I whispered. I slowly opened the door to 'Saddlebags 'n More' and looked around. The lighting was bright, so it wasn't hard to spot the undead... Hiding behind a cash register? Just next to it was a pile of maps. I pulled out my pack of pencils, and Fortune nudged me, pointing a hoof to the far end of the store. There were souvenirs all over the wall, and I spotted metal baseball bats from different teams. I smiled at her and grabbed one off the wall, before moving over to the register zombie. My shadow passed over it as I got closer.

I didn't expect it to scream at me and start flapping wings. I didn't even know it had wings.

The creature launched itself over the counter, biting furiously in my direction. I took a swing, but it flew upwards to avoid getting hit. Then it went to dive at me, mouth open. I held up my bat defensively just in time for the zombie to bite down on it, so it could tear it from my magic and throw it away. I retreated, stumbled, and fell onto my back. It lunged at me, and I held it off me with my hooves, barely stopping it from taking a chunk out of my face or neck.

It was an inch away before Fortune appeared, bat in her mouth, smashing the thing in the face so hard that the head came off. The body went limp. Shaking, I pushed the body off of me and slowly got to my hooves. "Th-thanks Fortune. I owe ya one." She dropped the bat and hugged me, crying softly. This was a lot for her to handle, and it tore me up inside that she had to go through it with me. I held her close, letting her cry on me. I stroked her mane softly as she let it all out. When she finally shed her last tear, I looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you are, Grey..." She sniffed, her eyes now downcast.

"What do you mean, not strong as me? You just beheaded a zombie with a single swing! You saved my life! You're way stronger than me!" She went to talk back, but I kissed her. "Now be quiet, or I'll do that again!"

"Maybe I want you to do that again? What then?" She giggled, wiping away the rest of her tears. I was glad to keep her happy.

"Then I will!" I kissed her again, her working wing extended. She glanced at it and gave me a look, causing me to blush almost instantly.

"Not right now, Fortune! Geez, how can you think about that at a time like this?" I teased. She just smiled sweetly before turning around to get a map. When she grabbed it, she made sure I got a good view. She looked at me and caught me staring, my blush even brighter through my red coat. I quickly looked away.

"Oh, Grey, how can you think about that at a time like this~?" She mocked. "That's sooo wrong!" She walked closer and giggled a bit more, letting me grab the map.

The map in the grasp of my magic, I turned away and looked it over. "I don't know what you're talking about. Anyways, let's see what this thing has to say..." I read over the entire map until I found our hotel. It didn't even have a name, yet it was a four star hotel. Why I never asked what the name of the place was, I have no clue. The way Quick Draw had led me was south, which was also the way to the closest border. "Ok, Fortune, we're going south."

"What's that? You want me to go south? Didn't we just establish now isn't the time for that?" She grinned as my face once again flashed bright red.

"No! We need to go towards the border of Las Pegasus, which is south!" She continued to smile at me as I stood there. I went back to looking at the map for anywhere we could possibly get a firearm. Unfortunately, any gun shop in Las Pegasus was north, and it was too far away to make the trip worth it.

Fortune grabbed us both a bat. She dropped mine by my feet and carried hers towards the door, which she promptly went through. As soon as she left, I quickly packed away the map and followed her outside, bat floating alongside me. Fortune was waiting just to the right, bat on the ground, looking around. "Grey, I think something's wrong." All the cheer from a few moments ago had left her voice.

"What do you mean? I think this is great. There aren't any zombies around. It'll make it easier to get out of here."

"That's what I mean. There aren't any nearby. I can see a few a couple blocks down, but there aren't any nearby. There were a few out here when we walked inside, but they're gone."

I thought back on it. "They were walking around a lot, maybe they just moved somewhere else?"

"I don't know, Grey. It just seems suspicious to me, like something bad might happen soon."

"Well, let's try and keep moving. Hopefully we'll be ok." I started walking south, and Fortune was quickly by my side. We went one block down, and Fortune stopped again as we were in the middle of the street. She spat out her bat and let it hit the ground.

"Grey, I can feel it. Right here." She was panicked. "Don't move, either. Just, stay right here and be ready!" She picked up her bat. I took her seriously for about thirty seconds before I gave her a funny look.

"Fortune, there's nothing here. What're you-" I went to take a step, and in a flash, a unicorn and three other zombies were surrounding us. I jumped and swung the bat horizontally at the unicorn in surprise. I struck its horn, and it snapped off.

The ponies around us began to shake uncontrollably, and only the unicorn seemed unharmed. They fell to the ground, and a moment later, their heads exploded. Fortune fainted before me, and I dove to catch her. The hornless unicorn lunged at us, and I swung the bat down on its head, leaving a large indent. It didn't try to get back up.

I stood up and slung Fortune over my back, feeling particularly bothered. "They can teleport in with groups? That's hardly fair." I stuck Fortune's bat in my saddlebags (Which amazingly decided to fit) and levitated my bat alongside me. From there, I continued south. I avoided the zombies I could and killed the ones I couldn't. With Fortune on my back, I had to be careful, seeing as I wasn't maneuverable. When Fortune began to stir, I ducked into the nearest building and set her down gently. Then I flicked on the lights and looked around.

I was in what looked like living quarters. There was a sofa against a wall, chair on the opposite wall, tv besides it, coffee table with a vase and flowers on it. There were also four zombies in the corner, eating an earth pony mare. When I flicked on the lights, they looked up and spotted me. Growling, they started to shamble towards me. Using both my magic and physical power, I pushed the couch against the door and picked up my bat, ready to start swinging. One stepped too close and received a muzzle-ful of bat, knocking it over. It tried to right itself as I brought the bat down on another zombie's head. The head came right off and bounced on the ground, rolling to look in my direction. I frowned and brought the bat up, hitting the third zombie under the chin. I then pushed it as hard as I could into the downed zombie, causing them both to squirm on the ground. The last zombie jumped towards me, attempting to rip me apart with its jaws. My reaction was swift, which was to jump back and bring the bat down as hard as I could on its head.

I then walked over to the downed zombies and brought the bat down repeatedly on their heads and bodies until both stopped moving. Panting, the magical exertion exhausting, I fell back on my haunches and relinquished control of the bloody weapon, letting it fall to the floor. I turned to see Fortune looking at me, horrified. I was no longer tired as I stood up and quickly went to hug her. She flinched away as I did. "What is it? Fortune, what's wrong?"

"Look at you! It can't be that hard to tell!" I looked down and noticed that my red coat was a bit darker and a bit wetter. I was covered in blood. "Where are we? An apartment? There must be a shower nearby..." I looked and noticed a hallway on the right side of the room from the door.

"I'll go clean myself off. Just stay put and be careful, ok?" I looked at her with worry in my eyes. She nodded and looked away. Picking up my bat and giving Fortune hers, I went down the hallway and noticed it had a closet and a bathroom. I went back into the main room and saw that there was another hallway. I pushed the chair and tv in front of it before going back to the bathroom. If there was anything else in this house, then I didn't want it to harm Fortune.

I started the shower and let the hot water run before I got in and started to scrub away the gore with a bit of soap that was already in here. There was so much I nearly emptied my stomach. After a good ten minutes of me washing off the blood, my coat was looking its natural color, as well as my mane. I stood in the shower for an extra few moments to enjoy the water before I heard a scream. It was Fortune's. I instantly sprang out of the room and down the hall, bat held near my head. I entered to find her backed into a corner, a zombie slowly pressing closer. I quickly ran over to it and swept out its legs with my bat. Using my magic, I dragged it back before crushing its head.

"How did this get in here?" I asked Fortune.

"It was the one that was getting eaten when we walked in..." She looked at where it had been before looking towards the floor. "Sorry I ruined your shower."

"You have got to be kidding. You had one of the most legitimate reasons I've ever heard to do that. Don't be sorry." That made her smile, which made me smile.

"Would you like to shower again~?" She asked me, giving me her look.

"F-Fortune! Not the time!" I should dye my coat a bright red, because she likes to see it that way.

"You know you want too..." She pressed.

"No! I'm not going to shower again. Let's just be on our way?" I pleaded.

She groaned in frustration. "Fiiine, but you better make up for it later!" She winked at me and grabbed her bat by the door. "Ready?" She managed to say around the bat.

"Sure, let's go."

... ... ...

We had been traveling for about two hours. We weren't ambushed during the travel, nor did we find any survivors. Every so often a gunshot could be heard in the distance, but it was impossible to tell in what direction. We dealt with the zombies as they got close, Fortune uneasy about it, but getting the job done. As we continued to travel south to the closest way out of Las Pegasus, a gunshot rang out, and a zombie on the other side of the street lost a head. It was a red mist as the body fell to the ground.

"DEAR LUNA! What was that!?" I jumped in fear. Another gunshot and another zombie lost its head. I pulled Fortune into cover behind one of the chariots in the street. I heard a shout in the distance, followed by another shot. I looked from behind my cover to see that the zombies in the street were being picked off. A speck in the distance on a rooftop was waving its hoof at me, yelling something. "Fortune, I think he's friendly. Let's go check it out." She just nodded and followed.

As we got closer, the speck was indeed a pony. An earth pony, surprisingly. SHE had a rifle set up on the roof, which was used to pick off any undead left on our way towards the building she was resting on. She was a dull pony; her coat was a light grey, her mane nearly white. The sun was getting close to the other horizon, and hid behind the building as Fortune and I walked up to it. "Hello up there!" I yelled.

"Howdy! Good to see a couple of survivors roaming about. I was beginning to think all the ponies got eaten and I was the last one left!" She yelled down at us.

"To be truthful," I said, "you're the first we've seen for quite some time. The last pony I saw went by the name of Quick Draw. Unicorn. Was headed this way, actually. Knocked me out and took all my money."

"Yeah, I saw him," she said bitterly. "Tried talking me down, something about 'night terrors.' Also told me to get rid of any corn I had. Weirdo. I think something snapped up top." She spun her hoof in circles near her head for emphasis.

"Anyways, you mind if we come in? It's getting late and we need a place to sleep." I gave my warmest smile possible.

"Sure, go on in! I'll stand lookout for awhile longer and meet you down there."

"Sounds like a plan. Say, what's your name?"

"The name's Victory, but everypony at the shooting range just calls me Sure Shot."

I nodded in approval before stating my name. "I'm Grey, and this here is Fortune. We'll meet you inside." Victory smiled and looked through her scope once more. The building was a small restaurant, 'Dream Garden'. The doors were made of sturdy wood, and could probably survive a hard beating. We went inside and closed the door, looking around. There was a cash register on a counter top directly in front of us, a bit of blood splashed on the wall behind it. A quick check behind the counter showed a body with a hole in its head. We turned left, the only direction to go besides out, and moved further in.

The place was a wreck. There were tables upturned, blood in pools here and there, bodies lying on the floor, completely lifeless. However, near the back of the room, was a cleared out and cleaned space, all the clean seats put together to make a bed. There was a gun lying on the ground, and next to it, a couple clips lying down. I dragged Fortune over to the clean area and sat down next to the bed, letting her have the comfy spot.

She poked me to get my attention. When I looked at her, she had her hooves spread wide, expecting a hug. I gladly complied, wrapping my hooves around her. When she wrapped hers around me, she pulled me down on top of her and kissed me, giggling a bit. "Is this all you can think about?" I asked quietly, smiling.

"There's just something about you... I can't help it!" She watched as my face became bright red.

Victory chose that moment to enter the room from a door that must've led to the restaurant’s kitchen. "Oopsie, didn't realize I was interrupting you two. I'll give you some privacy. Holler when you're done. ... Come to think of it, just come get me." She went to turn around.

I stood up and got off of Fortune. "No, no, it's fine! We weren't going to do anything, were we Fortune?"

Fortune giggled and said, "Well, maybe..." She giggled more as I turned bright red again.

"Remember that conversation we had earlier? Something along the lines of 'now is not the time?' I'm bringing the lesson from that back here." She sat up and looked at me.

"But Greeey, you owe me! When are we going to get the time for you to start paying me back?" She stuck out her lower lip and looked at me with big, round eyes.

"Not the time! Let's be a tad more polite to our hostess?"

"Ugh, you're so mean, Grey!"

"Aren't you two cute?" Victory commented as she walked over to us. "And for once, a stallion is trying to talk his way out of a good time. I don't think I've ever seen that." She smiled at my bright figure, then at Fortune. "You really like to torture him, don't you?"

"Yes she does!" I piped before Fortune could state otherwise. "She's trying to run me ragged, I tell you! She's never satisfied!" Victory snorted as Fortune fell over laughing.

Once Fortune regained composure, she looked at Victory and said, "He's telling the truth. I'm not going to stop until he can't move a muscle. Then maybe I'll push him a tad more~" I don't think red has ever been so bright before. Victory covered her face in agreement.

"Damn, for one that goes by Grey, you sure do get red. It's so bright I'm getting blinded by it!"

"Oh, you're so funny. I can't take it, you're so funny. Why you so funny, Victory?" The room got a tad darker as my blush began to fade away.

"There's gotta be a reason you like to push him so much, Fortune. What's the secret?"

"He's just fun~ and listen to this!" Fortune licked my horn slowly from bottom to top. I couldn't stop a moan of pleasure from escaping my lips as I sagged a bit. Then I stood up and once again lit the room in a bright red glow.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, I agree. Maybe I could...?" Victory hinted.

"Don't I get a say in this?" I asked fearfully.

"I'm afraid he's taken, Victory. Why, just last night he proposed." She dug in her saddlebags and took out the ring I had gotten for her. "Isn't it dazzling?"

"I'd say so. One problem though, how do you intend to wear it?" She asked, a confused look on her face. I was just glad of a change of topic, my face finally its original color.

"Like this." I tapped the heart-shaped ruby on the ring and it grew out until it was a large hoop. "Extend your good wing, Fortune." She complied, and I slid the ring all the way down to where the limb met the body. I then tapped the ruby again and it shrunk until it fit the limb. "And then I can tap the diamonds on the ring to replicate it on her other wing."

Fortune looked at the ring with wonder. She stretched it out and flapped the wing once, watching in awe as the ring didn't hinder her what-so-ever. "Oh, Grey, it's like I've just received it all over again! I didn't even know it could do this!" She tackled me in a hug, adding a kiss for good measure. "It must've been difficult to find."

"Sure, the ring is great, Fortune, but you're more important. It's just a material way to say I love you."

"Yes, but it's so special. I love you, Grey."

"I love you too, Fortune. You make me the luckiest stallion in Equestria."

"You two are just the cutest," Victory said, reminding us of her presence. "I really hope things work out for you. Seem like you're a strong couple."

Fortune bobbed her head in approval. "I won't ever leave my Grey."

"And I won't ever let go of my Fortune."

Victory smiled at us. After a few moments, Fortune got off of me and let me sit up again... "Well, I've been down here long enough. I'm going to go back onto the roof. There's still a few hours sunlight before Luna puts up her night sky." She walked for kitchen, pausing at the door to wink at Fortune. "Try not to make a mess." As she went through, Fortune gave me her look. I gulped.

"Looks like we have time now, Grey~"

"So maybe we do." I tried to hide my blush, failing miserably. She smiled and licked my horn again, prompting another moan.

"From the sound of it, you really want it. Stop fighting, Grey."

"Ugh, fine... But only because I owe you!"

"Shut up and let it happen!" She pushed me onto the bed and we embraced in a kiss...

C2: Vancy

== Chapter 2: Vancy ==

"Wow, Grey. Your magic is getting stronger! Not only did you rival the firework show from last year, but the discharge spell has never been so potent!" Fortune giggled and smiled at me. When my horn... It releases a spell that leaves the pony (Fortune) feeling good. Like, muscles relaxed, stress relieved, body in a state of pleasure. It launches colorful sparks everywhere, too.

"Mmhm..." I mumbled, still enjoying the sensation. How Fortune was moving, I didn't know.

"C'mon, get up! I wanna know what Victory is doing." Fortune nudged me in impatience.

"I'm sure she's up there, watching for zombies," I somehow managed to mumble. "Let's not bother her..."

"If you don't get up I will invite her down here and give her a turn," Fortune threatened.

The will to get up and shrug off my feeling of bliss landed, forcing me to my hooves, followed by a good stretch. "Ok, ok, I'm up. I'm walking to the kitchen, see? Why don't you stay here so you don't cause any more trouble?" Fortune just giggled at me and I shook my head as I walked into the kitchen. Pots and pans littered the floor, food on the ground here and there. In the corner of the kitchen was a staircase, a trapdoor to the roof closed. Walking up and opening the trap door, I looked out upon the night sky.

Victory had fallen asleep on the roof, her gun pointing off into the distance. I walked over to her and attempted to lift her onto my back with magic. My horn only fizzled and crackled, spreading warmth throughout my body, this time not as potent. Victory, however, being the target of what should have been a telekinesis spell, blushed slightly. "See? I'm not the only one..." I murmured out loud.

I shifted, pushed, and pulled, until I could get her on my back, carefully carrying her downstairs and dropping her on the bed next to Fortune. "Jus'... One more shot..." She mumbled in her sleep. I turned around and went for the kitchen.

"Where are you going, Grey?" Fortune whispered. I didn't turn in my response.

"Just grabbing Victory's rifle. I left it on the roof," I whispered back.

"Why didn't you just levitate it after you?" She asked, a confused look on her face.

I turned back to her and attempted to lift her up with my magic as hard as I could. The last bit of spell discharge left my horn as Fortune slackened in pleasure, making a cute sigh while her wing unfolded, and I eased up as well. "That's why. Now, hopefully you can stay outta trouble while I get the gun..." I once again turned for the kitchen, and went up the stairs. Once on the roof, I grabbed the rifle with my teeth and spun around.

I wasn't alone.

Three zombie Pegasi were on the opposite side of the roof, staring at me. I didn't know whether to try to learn how to use the rifle, or make for the stairs. The last pegasus I had killed had been incredibly nimble. One was a problem, but three? I didn't like those chances.

Luckily for me, the trio made the decision for me by quickly stumbling in my direction.

My horn, still a tad inefficient so to speak, let out a few sparks as I managed to lift the gun. I had fired one once, and figured them all to be the same. Looking it over till I found the trigger, I aimed the scope towards the group and fired. The first shot tore through one that was farthest left, tearing off both right legs. It fell over and started flapping it's wings, unable to stand, nor could it fly. The other two, sensing the danger (much to my dismay) lifted off. Taking aim again, I put the head of the one in the middle into the crosshairs. Pulling the trigger, I watched as the head disappeared and the body tumbled to the ground.

The last zombie was about to be on me, so I lifted the rifle up horizontally just in time to push back the pegasus. Even so, it chomped ferociously, only a couple inches from my body. The exertion from using my already taxed horn was making me sweat, and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold it back. The zombie pushed hard and nearly bit off my face. I staggered back and held up my hooves in defence as the gun landed on the ground, the pegasus no longer hindered. It lunged at me.

Another pegasus (and one of my personal favorites) shot the attacker in the head. It slid to a stop, a heap at my hooves. A once more startled Fortune was standing at the trapdoor, the pistol from downstairs in her mouth, her tongue able to operate the trigger. Shaking, she dropped it and galloped to me. "Are you ok? W-what was that!?"

"Night terrors," I said grimly. "Let's get inside before more show up." Something growled from on the roof. Looking over, I saw the two-legged zombie slowly crawling towards us. I walked over to the shiny pistol and picked it up with my magic, looking down the sights. A moment later, there was a hole between the zombie's eyes and it was stilled. I picked up the rifle with my magic and went downstairs, Fortune close behind me. The door closed behind us as we walked down into the kitchen. Walking out, we found the Victory was wide awake, the blush from earlier still upon her face.

"Damn I feel good... Wha... What happened?" She asked blearily as I set the two guns next to the bed.

"I had a lingering spell discharge... Instead of my telekinesis spell, it was a... Hmm... Yeah." I turned away and rubbed the back of my head.

Victory turned to Fortune and said "So that's why you like him! Was that so hard to say?" She gave a sly wink at her. "Anyways, it's late. We'd better get some sleep." She scooted around so we all had room to lie down. This is where I got uneasy.

"But, the night terrors... What if they attack us in our sleep? We'll be massacred!" Victory looked at me like I was loony.

"You believe in them too? Aw hell, right when I was warming up to you, you're a crazy... There aren't any night terrors," Victory said with conviction.

"There are. I mean, they're not something special. Just the pegasi. From what I can tell, they're faster, smarter, and I think they hunt in packs. I didn't see any at all today, yet there are tons of pegasi in Las Pegasus. I'm guessing that's why he called them night terrors. They attack at night." I hoped my logic broke through to her.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't think we should worry about it. That trap door won't open any time soon, and the front doors are locked."

"I think she has a point," Fortune said, lying down on the bed on the side that was farthest from Victory. She patted the bed's middle with a forehoof. "Come on, go to sleep. We'll be fine." I was hesitant to walk forward. Fortune patted the spot again. "That's right, right here in between us." That was when I caught on. My dark red coat lightened once more, I shook my head and backed away.

"I'm ok, I'll just... Go sleep over there..." I turned and walked towards the other side of the room.

Fortune dragged me against my will to the bed, where she continued to put me down next to Victory. She giggled and snuggled up against me, resting her head against my side. Victory shifted a tad closer and sighed, resting against my other.

I never slept a more uncomfortable night in my life.

== Morning ==

I woke up to find that I was the first. Fortune and Victory, who had further advanced upon me until I was nothing but a bundled up pillow, continued to sleep peacefully. Fortune, as usual, was red in the face and giggling softly in her sleep.

That is all that will go through her mind.

Victory, however was sleeping quietly. I would have gotten up, but the two were still out, so I rest my head and attempted more sleep.

Five minutes later, I shifted around until I woke them both up. Once they got off of me, I got up and stretched, releasing a nice yawn. "Sleep well, you two? I bet I make a comfy pillow."

"You also have a tasty lollipop on your head," Fortune said as she stretched. Somewhere in my autobiography I'm going to describe myself as light red instead of the dark red I'm supposed to be.

"What flavor is it?" Victory asked as she stood up, following suit.

"I don't know, but it sure is sweet!" Fortune said, winking at me.

"Well, don't tell me that, I might taste it myself," Victory mentioned.

"Why do you torment me so!?" I exclaimed as I looked away, my face brighter than the sun.

"Because it's fun," They said in unison. Then they looked at each other, and both fell down laughing. Sighing, I dug through my bags and pulled out some cans of food. One of them caught my eye, a simple can of corn.

I put it back in the bag and brought out some spinach instead, taking no risks. If the night terrors weren't some crazy delusion, then the corn might not be either. Using the pull-tabs on top, I opened the cans and dropped each next to the mares and began eating my can, as I was quite hungry. It was a can of salad, and it was quite bland.

"Gotta love salad out of the can," I said through the mouthful. "That fresh, green taste. But, it's from a can."

"You know what tastes better, Victory? It rhymes with Hay's pi-"

"Th-that's enough, Fortune!" I sputtered, doing what I undoubtedly do best. "I'm trying to eat here and you're obviously giving Victory ideas!" Victory smiled up from her can innocently.

"I don't know what you're talking about~" she said, going back to eating.

"Oh, Grey, I'm just joking around. Lighten up." Fortune went back to eating, a smile on her face as she avoided eye contact. I bet I could get a cutie mark from blushing, seeing as I've had so much practice. Was it me, or was Fortune getting more... Graphic?

After the meal, Victory and I went on to the roof to survey the surrounding streets. It was fairly clear to the south, which left me in high spirits. "So... What're you going to do now?" I asked Victory.

"Honestly, I don't know. I was just trying to hold my own here, hoping somepony would pass by. Here you are. Where are you going now?" Victory asked.

"I'm heading south, towards the closest border. Hopefully we can get out of Las Pegasus and get home. I'd like to put all of this behind us once we do and help Fortune get over the horrors we've seen. If you don't have any other plans, would you like to tag along?" I offered.

"Sure, it beats sitting around here, waiting to be eaten. You know how to work a gun?"

"Yeah, I can figure it out. How much ammo do you have for these things?"

"Not a whole ton for that pistol, but I have plenty for the rifle in my saddlebags."

"I can handle myself fairly well with that baseball bat. Maybe I should give Fortune the gun? I want her protected, and while I could easily do it myself if I had the firearm, I don't think she can fend them off herself." Victory contemplated what I had said.

"It depends on how well she can aim. If she's just going to miss every shot, or endanger us with it, it'd be better off in your hooves, or mine. If she can really take care of things, however..." She shrugged. "Let her have it if that's what you think is best."

"Time to break the news, then! Pack up and be ready to go in a few minutes. I'd like to get out of town by tomorrow. If we leave now we can get to the edge of the bigger city today and pass through the residential areas the next." I went down the stairs to the kitchen, passing through to the dining area, with Victory following close by.

"So how does it look?" Fortune asked before I could speak. She was lying on the bed, her saddlebags next to her, open.

"Clear, we shouldn't have much trouble on our way out of town. About your choice of defense... Victory offered to let us use her pistol. I was thinking that maybe you ought to use it," I said.

"B-but, I can hardly swing the bat! How do you expect me to shoot them? They used to be ponies, Grey! I've only attacked because we were in danger... I don't think I can shoot them." She turned away, and I went over to her.

"The gun is designed to be used by an earth pony, so a pegasus like you shouldn't have much trouble using it," Victory put in as I hugged Fortune.

"You with that bat won't be as effective as you with the gun, Fortune. Please, do it for me?" I begged.

"Do you really want to owe me again, Grey? I'll do it if you want to owe me again." Fortune gave me her look, causing me to use the technique I learned through excessive exposure to Fortune.

"I suppose... I suppose I can deal with that. As long as you're kept safe, then I'll owe you. Anything to take care of you, Fortune. I love you." I kissed her, and she kissed back.

"I love you too, Grey." I levitated the gun to Fortune, who bit it and stuck it in a pocket on her bag.

"Well, if we're all ready, I'd like to get going," I said as I put my saddlebags on.

"I'm ready to go," Victory said. Fortune glanced at her bags before nodding to me.

"Ok, then let's go." We made for the doors and left the restaurant, turning south and moving closer to the border of this cursed town.

We walked for hours. The zombies were no trouble thanks to Victory. With the path clear every time she pulled the trigger, it was a simple walk down the road. I could almost have enjoyed it if there wasn't so much blood and so many bodies.

Victory's rifle went off, and the last zombie for the next few blocks fell over. Victory laughed and reloaded. "This is too easy, I tell you." Victory smiled and slung the gun over her back. After she did, we continued walking.

"What did you do before all this happened?" I asked.

"I worked at a shooting range, training ponies how to aim. It's something I've done for years. I got my cutie mark when my daddy insisted on making me shoot a gun." Victory showed me her mark, a bullseye. Fortune swatted me over the head.

"Ow! What did I do?" I complained, rubbing the back of my head.

"Don't look at other mares' flanks!" Fortune scolded. Victory suppressed a laugh.

"I was just looking at her mark, that's all!"

Fortune hit me again. "No. Looking!"

"F-fine! Geez! No need to be so violent!" I rubbed my head as we continued down the road.

"What did you do, Grey? For work?" Victory asked. She checked my flank to see that it lacked a mark. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing.

"I wasn't ever able to find my talent," I admitted. "So instead I take whatever menial jobs I can. I work as a cashier, or a janitor... I just do whatever I can that doesn't require much skill." Victory looked at me with horror.

"You mean you never found your calling in life? You never found out what you're best at? That must be terrible!"

"My calling in life is Fortune," I said before turning and pecking her on the cheek. "She completes my life, and I would take her over my cutie mark any day."

"Wow. You two are strong. What about you, Fortune? What do you do?" Victory glanced at my flank one last time, probably to make sure she hadn't seen it wrong.

"Well, I-" She began to say.

"She is a torture expert with an insatiable lust. She also robs casinos legally." Fortune shot me her look.

"Insatiable lust, so you say? I can show you insatiable if you want~" Light red once again, I looked away and let Fortune finish her sentence.

"My cutie mark is a shooting star. I'm a very lucky pony. I tend to just buy lottery tickets, or play my hooves at some slots whenever we need a few extra bits. If we don't need any money, I just sit around the house and straighten it out. The bed tends to need cleaning every couple of days, if you know what I mean~" I tried not to blush miserably, followed by a terrible attempt to hide it.

"Like I said. Torture expert." Victory chuckled at my response.

"What were you doing at the time of the infection?" Victory asked.

"I'm not quite sure. When did it start?" I asked.

"It happened late at night. I'll share my story first. I was just closing up shop at the shooting range when I ran into my first one. I thought the thing was a pony and it was injured. Went to help it, and it nearly bit me! It's eyes were lifeless, you know what I mean? So I put it down. After that, I learned that there was more than just that one, so I grabbed my rifle and went further into town. Thought I was the only one left, I did. Decided to hole up in the restaurant and wait to see if there was anypony left. You?"

"Fortune and I were... You know..." I couldn't quite complete the sentence as memories flooded back with intense detail. My color isn't difficult to guess.

"Making love!" Fortune finished. "I had to thank him for such a nice ring~"

"And thank me she did. We probably passed out at, what, 2 'o clock? Anyways, we woke up around 9 and I went into our hotel lobby. Vacation. Had to kill the receptionist, used a lamp. I went outside, and that's when I ran into Quick Draw. After he knocked me out, I managed to get back to Fortune around noon. From there, we got a map and some bats and started heading south for the border."

"Vacation, huh? Sounds like that's going well." Victory got out her rifle and took a shot. I didn't even bother checking. Victory hadn't missed a shot yet. "Sorry to hear it." The gun returned to over her shoulders.

"So am I." I kissed Fortune and lifted her onto my back with magic. She giggled and wrapped her forehooves around my neck. "Everything will be ok as long as Fortune is ok." Fortune nibbled my ear softly. "H-hey! Stop that!"

"Do you have a special somepony, Victory?" Fortune asked.

"I don't, sadly. But luckily, too. If I did, where would he be? It's better that I don't, for now. I might go find somepony someday, saying I survive this whole ordeal." Victory smiled as she pulled out her gun and took out another zombie that was a few blocks away. "Hopefully somepony cute, like Grey here."

"I'm not cute!" I shouted. Fortune and Victory both laughed. "Seriously! I'm not!" They both kept laughing. "Fine, you two wanna be in cahoots, you two can carry each other." I lifted Fortune off my back and onto Victory's.

Fortune got off of Victory, a smile on both of their faces. We continued to walk in silence for awhile more, Victory's rifle occasionally breaking it to clear the path.

== == == == ==

It was about 1 pm before we agreed that a lunch break was in order. We had been walking for hours, and had made a nice amount of progress. "Ok, you two, pick your poison. 'Ted's Antiquery,' 'Heavyweights,' or 'Tunemakers.'" Ted's Antiquery had a bunch of old looking stuff in the windows that wasn't too interesting. Heavyweights had a large, white, overly-buff pegasus with small wings flexing over the name of the store. Tunemakers had a white unicorn with purple shades next to a grey pony playing a cello over the store name.

"Do we have to eat inside? Why not just out here?" Fortune asked. There was some blood here and there, the dead bodies that Victory had made were lying on the ground.

"First of all, it's rather filthy out here. It's ok, Victory, don't worry about it. Second, it's easier to barricade a door from the inside so we have some spare time as opposed to looking up and being surrounded." I thought it was simple, common sense to not eat when the possibility of being surrounded at any moment was present.

"I say we avoid Heavyweights. I bet it smells nasty in there. Oh, and that antique store is probably filthy with dust. Let's eat at Tunemakers," Victory said. I summed it up and nodded. Fortune shrugged with her good wing and pulled out her gun.

I love her so much, putting up with all this.

I got out my bat and made for the door, Fortune behind me, Victory holding up the rear. I reached out my magic and flung it open. The lights were on. Music was radiating out from inside that couldn't be heard before the door was open. Guitars lined the walls, a counter with a register at the back of the store. A door behind it led deeper. At the center of the room, I found the source of the music.

There was a blue pegasus with a yellow-orange mane playing the piano. Using both hooves and wingtips, the musician pressed the keys just right, producing a dreadful tune that conveyed anger, sadness, and hopelessness.

I motioned for Victory and Fortune to be quiet while we walked inside. The song continued on while we quietly closed and locked the door. "Stay put," I whispered, barely audible. Walking along the edge of the room, I slowly got to the other side, where I was in view of the piano pony.

The pegasus was a stallion. Once we were able to see each other, I slowly advanced to the center of the room. After I got to the piano, my presence seemed to register to him. His music faltered, then died away. His eyes were impossible to read.

"Afternoon. I'm Grey."

"No, you're red," the pegasus responded.

"What I mean is, my name is Grey. What's yours?"

"Oh. Call me Prince. Pleasure to meet you." Something about this pony was... Off.

"Odd time to be playing a piano," I noted.

"I figure I don't have much time left. Playing the piano is what I'm best at. I decided I'd like to enjoy my last hours. Is that so odd?" His tone hinted annoyance.

"Don't have much time left? You seem fine. The only reason you won't last is if you just stay here and wait for the zombies to find you."

"They're going to find me. I can't escape them. Nopony can. It's only a matter of time before they eat all of Las Pegasus, then they'll take out the rest of Equestria. It doesn't matter if they find me today or ten years from now. Either way, I'm going to be one of them! You are too! We all will! What's the point of even trying!?" The sudden outburst made me flinch back. I put some thoughts together as quick as possible and tried to calm Prince down.

"We can stop them! Celestia, and Luna, they can team up and cast a spell to turn them all back to living ponies! There's hope, there's gotta be something that can fix them and make everything like it used to be!"

"I don't think you understand... It doesn't work like that. This can't be fixed with magic alone. No, it'll take more. And we didn't have the time to figure out what that was. Now it's too late, and everypony in Equestria will die!" Prince shouted in frustration and began playing the piano again, a fast and dark tune filling the room.

"We? What do you mean, we? What're you talking about? Do you know how this started!?" Prince ignored me and continued to play his piano angrily. My horn glowed and I shoved him as hard as I could from the instrument.

"Let me enjoy my moments in peace!" He shouted. Wings unfurled, he dived and tackled me. Rolling, he ended up on top and started bringing his front hooves down, attempting to smash in my head. Flinging up a forehoof, I hit him in the face and stunned him enough to shake him off and get to my hooves. As soon as I got up, Prince flew to his piano and began playing again, faster and filled with loud, angry notes.

"Hey! HEY!" I was hardly audible over the notes as he continued to mercilessly mash the keys of the piano. I pulled out a can of corn with my magic and waved it in front of him. He stopped playing and swatted at the can, missing as I pulled it away from the blow. "What can you tell me about this?" I asked. Prince kept trying to swat the can out of the air.

"It's a can of corn. Ponies eat it and normally enjoy it. However, like most cans of corn around town, eating it will turn you into one of them." Prince sounded thoroughly annoyed, continuing to swing at the can in hopes that I wouldn't be fast enough to fly it away.

"But why? Why does it do that?" I pressed.

"I can't talk about it. I was instructed not to..." Prince looked down and was sad for a moment. Then he sprang back to his normal, angry self. "Look, I'll do you a favor. If you see any cans like this, save yourself the trouble and toss them. They're not a safe thing to have in your bags." He finally managed to hit the can out of the air, and it clattered to the ground a few feet away.

"So you know a lot of what happened? How this started?" Prince didn't answer me. "If you had the time, would you be able to change them back?" I pressed.

"Theoretically, yes. But I was just an assistant. We're going to need one of the lead researchers. All I did was fetch things, do some simple stuff, and entertain them when I couldn't help otherwise." Prince didn't sound nearly so angry when he said this.

"Then maybe you can escape town with us? We can help you get out, and you can go back to playing the piano. We'll find some scientists and you can work on a cure or something. What do you say? You think you can come with us?" Prince said nothing and glanced at his piano. He rested a hoof on it, and slid it across the top. He began to play a slow song.

"Yes. I'll come with you. Just... Give me a few moments with this old thing." Regret filled his eyes as he gingerly played the piano.

I nodded and went to Fortune and Victory. They were just finishing eating, all the cans of corn set in a pile a few feet from the door. None of them had been eaten. "What if he had pulled out a gun?" I whispered so Prince didn't hear.

"We figured you had yourself taken care of. That, and we were hungry," Victory said around the last mouthful of her food. She swallowed and turned to Fortune, who nodded in agreement. I sighed and pulled the top off of a can of asparagus. I began eating, picked up another can of food with my magic, and brought it to Prince as he continued with his song.

"Hungry?" I hovered it closer to him. He nodded his head and continued to play. I opened the can and offered it to him. He opened his mouth, and I put the lip of the can in. He knocked it back as he continued to play, and I went back to Fortune and Victory to eat in peace.

Prince finished his song right after I finished eating. He spat his can out away from the piano, which hit the ground with an empty clang, then sullenly walked to the back of the store. He opened the door behind the counter and went inside. When he emerged, he was wearing saddlebags and had quite the determined look on his face. "If I get bitten," he said, "kill me. Whether or not I've turned. I don't wish to suffer the agony of changing." I nodded and turned to the door.

"Let's be off then." I exited the store with the other three following closely. I pulled out my map, found south, and continued the journey out of the city.

= = = = =

Prince had been quiet and rather nonsocial as we traveled towards the edge of town. Victory had continued to do well with her rifle, keeping us safe. Fortune walked close to me, leaning her head against me as we walked.

"Rather uneventful, things have been," I noted. The sun was nearing the horizon, and we all knew it. "I like it. We should find a place to settle down for the night." The gunshots we had heard the first day had become extremely infrequent. We used to hear a few every hour or so, but today they had been one every four or five. My hope for the inhabitants of Las Pegasus had dwindled away.

"If you need a place to stay," Prince said, "There's a hotel nearby. I can show you if you like."

"Is it really big?" I asked.

"Not really, just a couple floors."

"Sure. Lead the way." Prince nodded and took a right, and walked a block before taking a left. Just a block down was the hotel. It was heavily barricaded and there were a few zombies outside the doors. shadows were moving in the windows. Victory picked up her rifle and looked down the scope.

"Survivors!" She exclaimed. "A good amount, too."

"Other ponies?" Prince asked. There was hope in his eyes. "Finally, an audience..." Audience for what?

"C'mon, let's go." Victory began shooting the zombies by the doors, and we moved forward to lend a hoof. By the time we got there, however, they were all dead. I bet Victory could shoot an ant off an apple without destroying it from a thousand miles away. After she reloaded, she slung the weapon over her back and trotted up to us, smiling.

"Hello out there!" Somepony yelled from inside. "I'm up here!" We looked above the doors to see a light orange unicorn stallion with a red mane waving to us from out of a window. "We'll move some of the stuff from inside so you all can get in. Just a minute." He disappeared from view, and we started moving the stuff that was outside so we had a way in.

The double doors opened and the unicorn smiled at us congenially. He took a look at Fortune and his eyes screamed with lust. I stepped in front of Fortune and looked at him. "Hi, I'm Grey. Who're you?" I asked with a hint of annoyance.

He reasserted himself before saying "I'm called Flare around here. Welcome to Vancy!" He smiled and gestured for us to come in. I waited for Fortune to walk ahead of me before going in.

"Vancy?" Prince asked. "I thought this was the Manticore!"

"Yeah, well, that doesn't sound too friendly. Besides, we here decided it would be more fun to name the fort Vancy due to the 'no vacancy' sign getting shot to hell." Prince parted with the group now that we were in the lobby and walked towards the corner of the room, where a grand piano sat, polished and sparkling in his eyes. He quickly began to play a light, slow tune. Flare raised an eyebrow at me.

"Piano enthusiast?" I looked about the room. There was a unicorn talking to a pegasus by the front desk, and a set of stairs to the right of the piano led up a floor.

"I'm going up that window to pick off the undead," Victory said before heading up the stairs.

"Say, Flare, how many ponies are in this hotel?" Fortune asked.

"Including me, and excluding you lot, around 20." The pegasus talking to the unicorn by the desk noticed Fortune's bandages and walked towards us.

"Is she bitten?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"No, broken wing from before this."

His eyes widened. "You're the pony who beat down that mob! I-I don't want any trouble!" He backed away in fear.

"What do you mean? I'm not going to hurt you," I said as he continued to back away. "You probably heard one of the inflated rumors. Look, they attacked us for our bits. I'm not some killer psycho. I just did what it takes to protect my Fortune. And I do a damn lousy job." I looked down in shame. Fortune nudged me and I looked at her. She looked back with worry in her eyes.

"Anyways, I can set aside some rooms for you all if you'd like," Flare offered. "You can bunk in my room, cutie," He said to Fortune. She looked at him in disgust and stepped closer to me.

"No thanks. But I'd like a private room with Grey here." Flare glared at me. Straightening up, he smiled falsely and showed us to our room on the second floor. It was clean enough, and as we entered, he walked off, mumbling something about needing a mare. Must be angry that Fortune was already taken.

"Isn't he friendly?" I asked. Fortune frowned.

"I don't like him. Let's leave here as soon as possible," she said.

"Agreed." We made use of the shower one at a time and dropped off our things before leaving our room. Downstairs, Prince was still playing the piano, a darker tune now, and he had (If Flare was right) about half of the ponies in Vancy listening. He finished his song and a round of ponies clopping their hooves against the ground swept through the crowd. Prince smiled and flushed a bit before moving onto another, brighter song. I was glad to see he was in a better mood.

"Do you want to stay here and listen, or do you want to come with me to see how Victory is doing?" I asked Fortune. She kissed my cheek and leaned her head against mine.

"How about we go back to our room instead~?" She whispered so only I heard. My face lightened in response.

"Let's at least make sure Victory is ok first?" I pleaded.

"Fine... But it's straight to the bed afterwards!" Fortune giggled at my bright red face and kissed me. I walked upstairs and looked for a room that might overlook the front doors. As we passed one of the doorways, I heard sounds of a struggle in one of the rooms, followed by a faint cry for help.

"Stay back, Fortune," I whispered. I carefully and slowly opened the door, and saw Flare and Victory. Flare was attempting to push Victory down.

That scumbag Flare was trying to rape Victory. And he had a gun pointed right for my head.