The train went it's way on the tracks, rumbling and bouncing in a cartoonish way. Nick was sitting in the head of the train, grinning wider than the sky itself. Everyone else was chatting in the car behind. Miranda was trying to comfort Milky while Luke and Axel were attempting to decide what they would do next.

After three hours of non-stop travel, Nick noticed something in the tracks. A zombie. Okay. He thought. Not that bad. He didn't think much of it. The train collided with the undead equine, blood and guts splattered in a gory explosion. Nick laughed at the grim sight, and continued to keep his eyes on the tracks. However, the train went along a curve on the tracks...and a whole HERD of undead seemed to be migrating on the tracks.

"Ah shit!" Nick yelled as he pulled the lever for the brakes.

The train screeched, but it was going too fast to stop in time. The change in friction sent Nick off his feet and onto the floor, letting go of the brakes. The train started speeding again, ramming into the zomponies. The train mowed them down like a lawn, but it was not stable. The train was still going at full-speed, even though it was about to derail. Soon enough, the train tipped to the right...followed by the rest of the cars. Nick fell down, and felt a sharp pain in his thigh. He screamed in agony, and observed his wound. It turned out that he had forgotten to sheathe one of his knives, and had instead put it in his pocket. Well, it had somehow found a way to cut through the cloth in his pocket...and stab into his leg.

"Mother fuck..." Nick said through his hyperventilating.

He heard the door to the next cart get banged on a few times, until it opened to reveal Axel and Luke. They crawled through the sideways door and ran to their friend.

"Oh my god! Nick, you okay?" Luke asked, panicking.

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY?!" Nick yelled, staring intensely at the knife that had caused a deep and painful wound.

"What do we do?!" Axel asked.

"Just..." Nick took some deep breaths, "Do as I say. I-I'm gonna pull this sucker out. When I do, I want Axel to get my first aid kit and sew my wound back together."

"What do I do?" Luke asked.

"Slap my ass and call me daddy."

"I'll take that as a 'nothing' then."

Nick grabbed the wooden handle of the knife and held it tight. Then, without even counting to three, he yanked it out of his thigh. The sound of his skin tearing was overshadowed by his violent screaming. Nick was grasping a rock in his fist to attempt to deal with the pain, but he had actually managed to break it in two with the massive amount of adrenaline that was running through his body.

"THE KIT! NOW!" Nick yelled.

Axel wasted no time grabbing Nick's emergency first-aid kit from his backpack. He opened the kit and pulled out the needle and thread. He then applied rubbing alcohol to sanitize the wound and needle. He professionally sewed the wound closed and followed it with a layer of bandage. Throughout it all, Nick was taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"Where's Miranda and Milky?" Nick asked.

"Miranda is with Milky in the car behind us." Luke responded.

"They okay?"

"A few bruises here and there, but otherwise fine."

"Good."

After a few minutes, the pain in Nick's thigh finally eased up enough to walk.

"Okay, guys. Help me up." Nick said, holding up his hand.

"You sure you wanna try to walk now?" Axel asked.

"Just help me up, you pansy."

Axel and Luke shrug, and help Nick up. He grunts a little, but manages to get on his feet.

"Okay. The wound is a little tender...but otherwise alright." Nick said.

"Good. Let's get moving." Luke said.

The three crawled through the sideways door and into the next cart, where Miranda was seen on the window above...pulling Milky up.

"Found an escape location, MacGyver?" Nick asked.

"Shut it, Nicholas." Miranda responded.

Once Milky was pulled up, the three remaining humans hoisted themselves up through the window. Once up, they realized that they had derailed quite close to Vanhoover train station.

"Lucky us. We've reached our stopping point." Luke said.

"UN lucky us," Nick said, "We lost our train!"

"Let's not focus on that. For now, let's just find a place to rest. Who knows? Maybe someone's still alive out here."

"That just means another empty belly to fill."

"Speaking of empty bellies, I hope I get to eat soon...I'm so hungry..." Milky Way said.

"I'll sneak you something to eat in a little bit," Luke whispered to her.

"Let's go," Nick said, hopping off the derailed Friendship Express.

The rest followed, and soon enough...they were walking into Vanhoover. It was a village smaller than Ponyville, but with the exception of a few larger buildings such as hotels, apartments, and even a supermarket. However, not a living soul was seen. Not LIVING. A few zombies roamed the streets, but were quickly dispatched by the humans when they saw them.

"This place is dead," Nick said.

"I'll say," Luke responded, "Well, let's focus on the primary objective: Looking for some supplies."

"Where to?" Axel asked.

"Let's try the market," Miranda said, "Market equals food."

The five nodded at that, and they entered the market. As expected, the shelves were bare. All that remained was some wrappers here, and a few bloodstains there. However, one thing that stuck out the most was the corpse of a stallion lying next to some shelves. He had no bite-marks, or any sign of death from infection. He had several large gashes along his chest, legs, and face. Finally, to top it off...it seemed someone cut him from the anus, up the gut, and to the neck. Exposing all his internal organs. Luke, being a bit squeamish, forced himself to turn away.

"Gnarly," Nick said.

"This guy wasn't killed by zombies." Axel added.

"I think I lost my appetite," Milky said, looking away.

"Let's just leave. Now." Luke said.

They decided to exit the supermarket and focus on the second objective: Finding a place to spend the night. After some looking around, they decided to check out the apartment building. However, upon entering, something didn't feel right. Just standing in the empty lobby gave off bad vibes.

"Something's wrong," Nick said.

"What is?" Axel asked.

"I dunno...but...something isn't right. This place gives off a bad aura."

"Well, let's check it out."

Suddenly, they heard screaming, followed by loud thumping from above them.

"I think we found the source of your paranoia." Luke said.

"Okay, everyone. Miranda, you guard Milky. You guys, come with me." Nick said.

"Stay safe, guys." Miranda said.

"Don't worry about me."

With that said, the three guys stomped up the stairs to see what was making that noise. Every step they took, the screaming got closer. It got strong when they reached an apartment that had long lines crudely carved into it by what appeared to be a knife, or some object that had a sharp end.

"Hey!" Nick knocked on the door, "Anyone in there?"

Right when he said that, the screaming stopped. In fact all noise inside the room behind the door had stopped entirely.

"Oh, forget this." Luke said.

He then pulled up his AK and shot the lock multiple times. After that, he kicked the door down. Luke, Nick, and Axel quickly entered the room with their guns drawn. They were met with zero opposition.

"Seems okay, but don't let your guard down. Someone is in here." Nick said.

Nick, a long time ago, was in the American Army. He was in it for two years, until he got kicked out for being rambunctious and rude. However, he had picked up on some skills that would be useful in a situation such as this one.

The three looked around the small apartment. It was lightly furnished here and there, but it was ransacked.

"Looks like someone raided this place," Axel said.

"Nothing worth ste-" Nick started.

"SCAVENGING."

"Ugh...'scavenging' here."

Luke walked into the kitchen, where he came across a stallion's corpse. He had red as his mane, tail, and coat color...and his cutie mark was a pick. He seemed to have been disemboweled like the previous corpse, but there were some bruises in some spots. It seemed like a fight took place.

"Poor bastard," Luke said, shaking his head, "Hm?"

Luke noticed a shattered picture frame on the floor. It seemed to have been knocked over during the scuffle, and was face-down. He knelt over and picked it up, observing the photo inside. Behind the cracked glass, there was a photo of the red stallion. He was smiling, standing next to an orange mare who was wearing braces. Luke looked at the stallion's corpse, and felt a great feeling of grief.

"I'm sorry this happened to you," He said to the corpse, "If I find whoever this is, I promise I'll make sure she's safe."

Luke then closed the stallion's eyes, and covered his body with a sheet. He sat there for about ten more seconds, before being interrupted.

"Luke! Help us out here!" Nick yelled from another room.

Luke quickly got up from the floor and ran into the living room. He found Nick and Axel ramming into a door he could only assume was a bedroom. Before he could help, the door flew off the hinges from a force by the other side...knocking Axel and Nick down. The culprit stood in the doorway, levitating a knife with his magic. His fur was gray, his mane was black, and he had no tail. A crazed look was in his eyes, and he was staring directly at Luke. Behind him, lying in a bed, was the orange mare from the photo. She was clearly crying, her mascara was running down her face. Her mane was messed up, and she was panting. She made eye contact with Luke, much like how Milky did.

Luke then turned his attention back to the stallion. The stallion changed at Luke headfirst, knocking him over. Luke's gun fell to the ground, and the stallion violently swung his knife at Luke's head. Luke dodged the attacks and punched the stallion square in the snout, sending him backwards. Luke then pulled out his bowie knife and thought for a moment. The blade wasn't balanced, but maybe...just maybe...he could throw it at the stallion.

The psychopath got ready for another attack, so Luke did the first thing that came to mind: He threw the blade at him. It spun in the air, and got the stallion right in his chest. It sunk a good three inches in, and he collapsed to the floor. Dropping his own knife as well. By this time, Axel and Nick got to their feet and took a look at the whole scene.

"Nice job, Luke. You finally handled yourself like a man." Nick said.

"Yeah, especially since you both were lying on the floor doing nothing! What ere you doing, making out under that door?!" Luke said.

"Quit your bitching," Axel said, "The important thing is that he's-"

The gray stallion on the ground started making some noises on the ground.

"He's still alive!" Luke yelled, pulling out a pistol and shooting him in the head multiple times.

"Shit!" Nick said, he and Axel joining the shooting.

Soon, the psychopath's head and upper body was reduced to nothing more than a pile of blood, flesh, and brains. Bullet casings littered the bloody floor, still hot.

"We really should stop wasting ammo. We'll run out eventually." Axel said.

"Yeah, yeah." Nick replied, "We're not out yet, so I'm not gonna be concerned until we do."

"Guys," Luke said, "Look"

Luke pointed into the bedroom at the mare, still sobbing...but was now wrapped up in a ball. That's her. Luke thought.

"Uhh...hi there," Luke said.

No response.

"We're here to save you." Axel added.

Still no verbal response, but she did look up at them with one eye.

"Uhh, hello?" Nick said, "We just saved your ass, and not even a 'thank you'. You could at least say something."

"Nick, go downstairs with Miranda." Luke said.

"But-"

"No. 'Buts' are for pooping. Go downstairs now."

Nick grumbled, and went downstairs. Luke the turned to the mare, who lifted her head from her hooves.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. We're the good guys," Luke said, "We don't bite."

The mare slowly got onto her hooves, and stepped off the bed. She walked up to Luke, facing the floor.

"Just come with us, okay? We're here to rescue you." Axel said.

"I just killed that guy. You're safe now, everything's gonna be fine." Luke added.

The mare stayed quiet, but followed Luke and Axel out of the apartment room and down the stairs into the lobby. Nick was sitting in a chair, while Miranda was having a pleasant conversation with Milky.

"You're back," Miranda said, "And you brought someone."

"Yeah, but she's not talking. She did follow us, though...so she's gonna stick around." Axel responded.

"What's the sleeping plan?"

"Not in here. I think it's best that nobody sleeps in this building."

"What?! Then what're we gonna do for sleep?"

"Let's just set up outside," Luke said, "We can sleep in tents, and set up cans on strings to alert us if any roamers come for a midnight snack."

"Well...okay, fine. But we'd better get started if we want to get the traps done. It's almost nighttime."

With that said, they all went outside to find a decent camping site. They picked an area that was next to a building, and close to the forest. Luke and Nick went into the forest to get some firewood, and Axel and Miranda stayed at the campsite to set up the tents and can traps. After ten minutes, Luke and Nick returned to the campsite with plenty of wood to last for a few hours.

"We set up the traps," Axel said.

"And I got the tents ready. Just two, plenty for all six of us." Miranda added.

"Um...Miss Miranda?" Milky asked.

"Yes?"

"Can we eat now?"

"Oh my goodness! With all the hassle, we completely forgot to eat."

"Don't worry. We'll split all our camping food amongst everyone. Everyone will be fed." Luke assured everyone.

After setting up a fire, the four humans poured out all their food onto the ground and organized it. It was supposed to last for three days, but it could be rationed to last even longer. They organized the food in piles. There was canned soup, canned beans, beef jerky, granola, and other types of food that could last for long periods of time without spoiling. Next, they pulled out their cookware. A few small pots, a little pan, spoons, knives, forks, and their canteens of water.

"Let's feed them first." Axel said, "Milky, what would you like?"

"Um...how about that?" Milky asked as she pointed at a granola bar.

"Okay. What about you, Miss?"

The orange mare continued to look at the ground. Axel shrugged, and decided to continue on. Luke got to eat last. Luke picked a can of soup with potatoes, beans, green beans, carrots, and some other veggies. After peeling off the sticker and opening the top, he poured it in a pot and set it on top of the fire. In just minutes, the soup was hot enough to eat. Luke picked up the pan by its handle, grabbed a spoon, and started eating. By this time, the sun was down, so the air cooled off. There was always something comforting to Luke about eating hot soup in the cold. Just a few bites in, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Luke turned to see the orange mare sitting next to him, avoiding eye contact.

"C-could I have some..?" The mare shyly asked.

"Sure." Luke said as he pulled a spoon from is backpack. He set the soup pot in front of her along with the spoon. Surprisingly, she levitated the spoon to eat.

"Woah, you're a unicorn?" Axel asked, "I don't see a horn."

The mare pulled her mane to the side to reveal a small horn. The four shared an "Ooooooh," before getting back to what they were doing.

"So," Luke started, "What's your name?"

"Venus...Venus Spring," she responded.

"Venus, eh? That's a nice name."

"Also...thank you for saving me...I-I wish the same could be said about Mars..."

"Was Mars the...guy I found in the kitchen?"

Venus stopped eating, and nodded slowly. Luke patted her on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." Luke said.

"N-no....it's f-fine..." Venus said before finishing off the rest of the soup.

After everyone finished their food and put out the fire, they started organizing the sleep situation.

"Two tents, four sleeping bags, six of us. How is this going to work?" Nick said, "Let me start off by saying that I am NOT sleeping in a tent with a pony."

"Well, that's rude," Milky said.

"Bah."

"Well...Luke, you don't care who you're with right?" Miranda asked.

"I'm just tired. As long as I'm sleeping somewhere warm, I'll be fine." Luke responded.

"Okay. Axel and Nick will share a tent with me, and you can share a tent with Milky and Venus."

"I guess."

Axel, Miranda, and Nick climbed into one tent. Luke, Milky, and Venus climbed into another.

"There are only two sleeping bags, what should we do?" Milky asked.

"Hm...oh! You and Venus sleep in the bags, and I'll sleep in the middle to keep warm." Luke said.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm sure. I don't mind."

The two mares got in their sleeping bags, and Luke got between them.

"Goodnight, Venus and Milky." Luke said.

"Goodnight," Milky replied.

"Night..." Venus said, sleepily.

With that, Luke closed his eyes...and let the beauty of sleep overcome him.

Author's Note

Well, this took longer than expected. If you guys enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment and like the story if you haven't already. As always, have a nice day

PS: Mars, if you're reading this...pls don't hate me...I just love Venus so much