Dee didn’t remember how they got to this point, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Everything had been a dizzying blur shrouded in blood and deafened by screaming survivors and the howls of the undead menace surrounding them.

He had his hand pressed against the gunshot wound as they made their way through the resort area behind the hotel, chased by god knows how many zombies after being forced from the Lifeguard Tower by Liam. He could hear them closing in from behind, hissing, growling, stumbling over furniture to grab at and tear them limb from limb, their all-consuming hunger for living flesh driving them to chase after his hard-pressed group in the hope of scoring a quick meal.

Desperation nipped at their heels as the group did everything they could to escape. They’d made it this far, but Dee’s energy was starting to run out, and the hopelessness of the situation fueled by massive amounts of adrenaline was the only thing keeping him up on his feet and pushing away grabbing hands.

The same could be said for the girls behind him; their huffs and shouts of fighting reaching him at the front. He chanced a look behind at the ever-growing horde of zombies chasing them, and their eyes and shouts only told him how close to death they were.

Lyra and Vinyl were the only ones able to fight back in any decent enough capacity by then. They were armed with their fists and no weapons, as everything, including all food and medical supplies,had been confiscated by Liam at gunpoint before their forced exile into the maddening chaos of Banoi Island.

Marble and Derpy were directly behind Dee, both carrying an incapacitated Limestone and Dinky respectively. The former’s gunshot wound had been only hastily patched with scraps of clothes, while the latter remained pale and unconscious in her mother’s arms.

The distress in their eyes was almost too much as they ran, stumbled and crawled through the resort’s dizzying array of lounge chairs, discarded luggage and entertainment items, eager to find safety somewhere, anywhere in this hellhole of a resort.

But there was no sanctuary to be found from the unceasing tide of undead. There were no weapons and no help in sight; they were completely alone out here while surrounded by hellish monsters on all sides.

Even as he stumbled along gasping for breath, Dee couldn’t help but reflect that he’d gone from heaven to hell in the space of just a couple short hours. And though he half-thought that his threesome with Rainbow and Lyra would make dying worth it—was there any experience that would ever beat that? He also wasn’t about to stop fighting for his new friends and lovers. Goddamn it, after how much of this hellhole we’ve survived, I can’t let it end like this! For me or anyone else!

He kept a thumb jammed into his shoulder to stop the blood flow as he jogged forward through the ruined lounge area behind the hotel, searching his memories of the game for a place they could hide and find refuge in. But it was very hard to concentrate or consider the question when he could hear the shrieks and screams everywhere of approaching Runners, Walkers, and god knows what else.

Maybe more special infected if they were so unlucky.

He shuddered at the thought and nearly tripped over a lounge chair before the fresh sound of fighting attracted his attention. He spun around and glanced back in time to see Vinyl spin kick a zombie away from Marble, who had fallen behind lugging her sister.

Limestone’s normally iron-tough body was now little more than two hundred pounds of dead weight, and the duo was drenched in blood from her gunshot wound bleeding right through her makeshift bandage. She was unquestionably tough, swearing under her breath that she’d live long enough to kill Liam, but even though she worked on a farm moving rocks, exhaustion and blood loss was taking its toll on her.

Dee made his way through one of the lounge bars as a shortcut and was flung forward when the door burst open. A zombie rushed out, and before he could react, it plowed into him with all the considerable force it had, knocking him over before crawling on top.

“God! FUCK!” was all Dee could shout as he was slammed into the ground and then slid forward on the blood-slickened floor of the kitchen, and turned around to face the undead.

The monster crawled towards Dee with a snarl and tried to bite at his legs, his stomach, whatever it could get to, but Dee managed to gather the strength needed to kick him away. A fresh surge of adrenaline charging him up, he was back to full strength to a degree, but the pain from his own gunshot wound was limiting his movement.

“Get the fuck off me!” He screamed before he crawled away and scrambled up onto his feet. He grabbed a bottle nearby and slammed it into the bar, the resulting shatter sending glass shards falling to the ground and leaving him with a deadly weapon to fight back with. “We have to move faster, there’s too many of them!”

“We can’t!” Lyra shouted in pure despair as she pushed away a crippled zombie with a wrecked leg it could only drag along behind it, sending it stumbling into a nearby pool. “We’re surrounded!”

Dee looked back and saw Derpy’s face was contorted in horror as she held Dinky close. Worse, he realized Lyra was right as they found themselves backed into the bar by the horde encroaching on all sides; she and Vinyl ushered Marble and Derpy into the small building the undead had burst forth from, with Vinyl swiftly dispatching the monster with a swift downward kick, snapping its neck.

“Gods, someone help us!” Derpy cried as Lyra, Vinyl and Dee scrambled to find usable weapons.

They were cornered.

“Goddamn it!” He growled and swung his weapon at a zombie, cutting its throat open, but otherwise not deterring it. Brackish ooze poured forth and he pushed it away as the crowd grew denser. “Fucking fuck! Get the hell away from us!”

But they didn’t listen, continuing to press close, trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers. There were too many of them for the group to fight off alone, and all Dee had was a broken bottle to fight with. Against a living opponent, at least potentially deadly, but the undead? Not so useful, but it was all he had to defend with.

The blood loss and endless exertion was starting to affect his sight, and he felt dizziness starting to set in as the edges of his vision grayed out. He fought against it as a few undead struggled to climb over the counter to get at the defending trio, armed with only their wits and whatever happened to be nearby that was loose enough to tear clean but sturdy enough to act as a temporary weapon.

“Raaah!” Dee shouted and grabbed onto an undead’s arm, pulling him over the counter before pinning him down, and swiftly slamming the sharpened glass into the skull of the undead. He did it once, twice, and then another time, until he finally broke through the weakened skull and penetrated its brain, killing whatever was left of the person it once was.

But his weapon was too cracked and slippery to hold now, and he let go of it as he backed up until his back hit Lyra’s.

“Fuck, fuck, it can’t end like this!” Lyra shouted as Vinyl kicked another zombie that made it over, sending it flying back over the bar.Thankfully, the runners were at the rear of the crowd and held back by the density of the walkers, keeping them from making it anywhere close to the survivors as the crowd composed of regular zombies closed in from all sides.

Dee tried to think of a way out, but the more infected that approached, the fewer ideas came to mind. They couldn’t find a way, there wasn’t a way out of this without someone getting hurt, or worse, killed.

Goddamn it all.

Dee pulled back his fist and launched it into the face of an undead who crawled over as more swarmed in from the left and the right, only kept at bay by Lyra and Vinyl, the duo’s hands and feet doing most of the work as Derpy and Marble remained inside of the building, guarding their injured and potentially infected sister and daughter. The undead moans coupled with the shattering sound of splintering wood and breaking glass were the only things they could hear, drowning out all other sounds.

Pushed back until all three were at the door, Vinyl had slipped back inside the building with Derpy and Marble, and quickly ushered the two and their family to the opposite door. With a shout, Dee yanked Lyra behind him into the room as well before noticing and grabbing an oar from inside, ripping it from a mantelpiece display and before swinging it downward as hard as he could into an undead’s skull. Gaining a moment of separation, he grabbed a nearby trash can lid as well from the inside and used it as a shield to hold back the swarm.

“Go out the back way!” Dee shouted to the group behind him, earning him disbelieving stares from Lyra, Derpy, and Vinyl. “Go out the back door, I’ll distract them!”

“W-what?! No!” Lyra shot up off of the floor and tackled the shield Dee had made and the door, struggling to close it shut with his help. “W-we’re not leaving you here, Dee!”

Dee roared and pushed with everything he had, forcing the door shut and slamming it against the undead who piled against it. “Just fucking go! Go to the tunnel gas station south of here! Wh-where we came from before! I’ll catch up!” He kept the door shut, but he could feel it starting to give under the weight of so many undead. Desperation nipped at his mind, the door would give any second now! He grabbed onto Lyra’s shirt and used his strength to throw her behind him towards the others. “FUCKING GO, GODDAMN IT!”

He fought back the door and slammed his knee into it as the hinges buckled.

Lyra had landed against the shelving hard, and she kicked off of it to scream, to yell at him, but she stopped.

The look he was giving her told her all she needed to know.

The mare slammed her fist against the wall, denting it and bloodying her knuckles before she turned and pulled Vinyl to her feet, and she quickly signed something to her. Vinyl’s eyes widened, but she nodded regardless and aided Derpy and Marble to their feet. The duo helped pick up Limestone and Dinky before moving to the back door, arming themselves with whatever was inside of the building.

Vinyl with the second oar from the mantlepiece display, identical to what Dee had on him, and Lyra with a discarded wrench sitting nearby.

The group moved to the back door and Vinyl led the charge, quickly slamming it open and kicking an undead away. It was their only opening to escape, and Lyra was quick behind the others, and she shot Dee one last look before she bolted.

Left by himself, Dee glanced back to see the girls had started running towards the hotel bungalows and the side paths leading down towards where he knew the gas station was, thankfully few zombies chased after them.

Then a zombie blocked his view, followed by another, and then another piling in.

“So fucking be it!”

The door gave way, and he was pushed back.

He bellowed out a war cry and swung his oar…

That was the last Lyra heard of him before they rounded the corner, and only the endless moans and screams of the monsters filled the air.

ooo000---000ooo

Lyra held up the rear as the group bolted as fast as they could away from the bar where they were cornered, and hearing Dee’s last cry almost sent her into a frenzied panic. But her old instincts as a guardsmare kicked in and forced her to steel her nerves, suddenly recalling the sound of her old drill instructor barking in her ear for failing to keep focus. Remembering his words to her, she reminded herself sharply to concentrate only on the mission at hand, which was protecting her friends and allies.

Sir, yes sir! She unconsciously answered him as she swung her wrench into a runner coming up from the side. It was howling its horrific cry, but her weapon silenced it instantly and sent it falling to the ground from the impact to its jaw.

She spun back around to face Marble who was hauling Limestone—the younger and less burly of the two sisters may have been shy and no fighter, but she was still an Earth Pony and thus quite strong—and in front of her was Derpy, still carrying Dinky. Vinyl led the pack and kept the infected monsters at bay with some well placed spin kicks and hits from her oar; a product of her excellent martial arts training that Lyra had found even tested her skills, especially when they had their magic available.

What I wouldn’t give to have my magic back now… but there’s nothing I can do about that. Have to head to the gas station, that’s what Dee said, and he’ll be there.

She wasn’t sure how likely that was, but she was going to hold him to it. And if he didn’t?

Well, there wouldn’t be much she could do, now was there? At least I got to be with him… if we die here, at least I can take that to my grave!

She continued following the group as Vinyl led them through the bungalows, past busted down doors and spilled food and drinks, abandoned pool items like towels and sandals, and so on.

It was a shame how messed up this place was, otherwise she'd have loved to enjoy the scenery. The pools, the food and drink; maybe some more fun with Dee and the others. Instead, she was forced into a fight for survival on this alien world which seemed quite different from her own in most ways, yet uncannily alike in others. Monsters around every corner, surviving ape-like humans who didn’t want to help them because of what they were. Abandoned and alone in a hostile world with no help in sight?

Celly’s Sun, this is too much for us.

Despite their fatigue, they kept moving until they found a dirt path leading up into the hillsides surrounding the hotel, bypassing the need to go down the main road snaking through the island. The trek uphill was daunting, short as it was, and once they crested the top, Lyra paused to glance behind her at the hotel as the rain fall grew worse and the cloud cover grew denser. The undead swarming the bungalows and the area behind the hotel; the hundreds they had to slog through to get to this point.

But they were free of them now. Her new friend and lover had bought them precious seconds to escape, and now he was stuck in the middle of all of them…

Perhaps even dead.

With a sharp shake of her head, she threw the thought from her mind. There was no way he’d die from that; he had proven himself to be a strong human, even for a male! He would find a way out of that mess, and back to them, back to her! And then they’d…

Lyra swallowed the lump in her throat and turned back around to follow her friends as they followed the rocky jungle path leading further south to their destination. With some luck, they would find refuge in the gas station, where they could lick their wounds and treat their injuries.

Finally having lost their pursuers in the torrential downpour of stormwinds and rainfall, they began their difficult trek across the terrain to the station. It wasn’t easy, given how tired and battered they were, but they weren’t about to stop now.

Deciding that they were safe, at least for the moment, Lyra stomped up ahead to check over Marble and Limestone. Finding that they were flagging, she took Limestone’s other arm and slung it over her shoulders. “I’ll help you, Marble. We don’t dare stop in the open, so let’s keep moving until we reach the station.”

“M-mmm.” Marble grunted with a nod, her face wet with sweat.

The path there had grown more treacherous as the roads running alongside the hidden dirt path they were on were suddenly overflowing with the undead; dozens upon dozens of them wandering down the road towards the hotel.

“There’s so many of them…” Lyra murmured as the group watched. They carefully hid in the foliage as they kept heading to the station, but were unable to get their eyes off of the hundreds of monsters. “Where did they all come from?”

Only silence answered her before they turned back to the path.

It took them maybe half an hour to walk through the increasing winds and rainfall before coming across the gas station, which Lyra and Vinyl recognized instantly. This was where they had met Dee, among other humans. This was where they were trapped before making a brave escape, only to crash and fight their way to the lifeguard tower.

Thankfully, it seemed the area was abandoned; no monsters in sight with the focus of undead efforts remaining on the hotel. Vinyl was quick to head down and check the area out, her eyes scanning around as the others listened, but no sound could be heard save for the distant howl half a mile away.

After snaking their way down the hill as the storm around them worsened, they quickly made their way around the gas station’s battered and empty shell to the garage from before. The doors were wide open and thankfully empty, but once they made it inside they shut and locked the doors as the storm covered the otherwise loud sounds of it.

Finally in shelter, Vinyl aided Lyra in helping Marble and Dinky inside, situating them near the rearwhere the back door was located.

Once inside, Lyra quickly headed for the door and made sure it was secure. She checked the bolts that would keep the door locked, even as bent as they were from the horde that attacked them so early on. Though she could still see the dents on the metal, she nodded in satisfaction that they would hold.

“We need to secure the building,” she said before remembering that her friend was deaf. Whirling around, she quickly signed the statement to Vinyl and added, “Find anything we can use as a weapon— something sturdy like tools or anything.”

Her muted unicorn friend nodded and quickly began rummaging around the warehouse's many shelves, crates and boxes, looking for anything and everything they could wield as a weapon.

Finally able to relax a little bit, Lyra let herself breathe as she looked over her soaking wet clothing, noting that the visible outline of her ample breasts and hardened nipples could be seen poking through the skin tight fabric. Wishing for a moment that Dee was there to see them and touch them again—she found she wanted to fuck him again for sacrificing himself as most stallions never would!—she sighed and went over to Derpy and the others before kneeling down.

Derpy was cradling a woozy looking Dinky, the younger mare’s eyes finally seeming to open after what felt like ages. “I-it’s gonna be okay, sweetpea, w-we’re gonna be okay.”

Lyra swallowed and placed a hand on Derpy’s shoulder. “She’ll be fine… I promise.” Lyra’s hand clenched around a large red wrench she discovered, her only weapon now in this desolate hellscape. “We’ll all be fine.”

Though she didn’t speak, Derpy shuddered as the storm beat down on the metal roofing of the building and its gale blew through the area. The storm was barreling down on them now, and they could feel the cold winds seeping in through cracks and crevices nearby, chilling them to the bone. The fear and anxiety they felt was beyond anything they had felt before, and having lost some of their group and cast out of the Tower, she knew that they were at the mercy of whatever was out there.

“H-how can you be so s-sure?” Derpy asked as thunder nearly drowned out her question. “W-we’re so close to being killed, and w-we lost R-Rainbow and D-Dee…”

Lyra closed her eyes in pain. Losing them was like a knife thrust into her chest. Not only her closest friend, but also her human lover… if she could call him that, which honestly felt right.

‘I’ll catch up!’ He had told them, before he was swallowed by the monsters.

“Rainbow is too tough to go out like that.” Lyra told Derpy, her grip tightening briefly on the pegasus’ shoulder. “And Dee? He’s tough for a male… he’s proven himself to be so incredibly different from any other stallions I’ve ever known. We’ll see them both again, I’m sure.”

She offered a smile as Dinky stirred with a groan, her eyes closing and opening again. She swallowed and looked to her mother, then to Lyra before back again. “Mommy? W-what happened?” Her voice was hoarse, dry, and Derpy nearly burst into tears to hear it.

Lyra acted quickly and pulled together what few supplies they had, finding some water in the form of a few bottles that had been hidden in the station that they had missed during their previous sweeps through it. She brought one over to Dinky and unscrewed the cap, carefully placing it to her lips with Derpy’s aid.

“See? Already a plus.” Lyra whispered as Dinky greedily drank from the bottle.

It wasn’t a whole lot, but seeing her wake up was enough of a plus that it soothed their spirits… for the moment.

Some time had passed as Derpy cradled Dinky, explaining to her the events of what had transpired since she had been out and taken care of since her injury. As that was happening, Lyra had made the rounds and checked on everyone, especially Limestone and Marble, the latter of whom hadn’t spoken a single word since Limestone was attacked.

Limestone herself was leaned up against a wall; the muscular mare had ripped her shirt into pieces and used the remains to close off her wound and staunch the bleeding. That left her with only a sports bra on, which barely contained her large and impressive assets from spilling out. Blood covered her chest, her mane was askew, and her eyes…

Lyra didn’t need to ask why she was so furious, and even looking at her for longer than a few seconds made her feel uneasy. She knew what kind of look that was from a few engagements with Harpie pirates during her time as a Guardspony, worn by mares who had just seen the carnage they’d wrought on an unprotected ship or isolated settlement. She knew exactly what Limestone was feeling, and she partially felt some of it herself.

The unicorn clenched and glanced at her balled up fist for a moment.

After all we’ve done, all we’ve risked, and we’re still kicked out and almost killed by that mad human. We risked our lives to gather food, fuel, and even medicine for them, and we were outcasted by them all.

She couldn’t believe that humans could be so heartless, even when one of their own was severely injured.

“I don’t understand how they could be s-so cruel.”

Derpy’s voice cracked through the storm outside as Vinyl and Marble hunted around for things; things to try and dry themselves and cover up with to stay warm. Even though they were on a tropical island, the storm and winds made it chilly, which was not good given their exposure moments earlier.

“I don’t know either.” Lyra murmured in reply and sighed in relief as she took off her shirt, the wet fabric starting to aggravate her greatly. She tossed it aside and shook her mane out, sending droplets of water flying everywhere while wishing she could at least cast a drying spell from her powerless horn. “We helped them a lot, and they tossed us out like we were nothing.”

“That was their last mistake,” came the growl of Limestone, drawing everyone’s attention.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that the next time I see any of them, I’m going to kill them, starting with that goddess damned lifeguard,” the farmpony declared as the air slowly grew colder from her glare alone, there burned a hatred in her eyes that none of them dared to snuff out. “He’ll be the first to die. And he’s gonna watch as I carve out his fucking heart.”

“L-Limestone-”

“I don’t want to hear it!” Limestone bellowed, forcing Lyra to step back as the earth pony stood to her full height despite her wounds. Her hands clenched into tight fists, muscles tensed and teeth gritted. “We risked our fucking necks for that useless lot! We could have gotten killed because of everything we did for them! We almost died!”

Lyra couldn’t deny any of that, because she was speaking the truth. Still, she stood her ground as Limestone stomped her way over, getting into Lyra’s face as the storm raged outside. Lyra’s fear gave in and she found herself back to the wall. “Lime, please. I know, I understand, and I’m not trying to defend them… but you’re still talking about killing living people, and a male at that, you know we can’t-”

Before she could finish her sentence, Limestone’s fist flew towards Lyra and just barely missed her before smashing into the concrete wall with a meaty thunk and a solid crack. Lyra’s mane was pushed aside from the speed and force, sweat poured down from her head as she realized just how close she was to hitting her.

Limestone leaned in closer until her snout was almost touching the unicorn’s; the bare undersides of her barely bra-covered breasts pressing an inch into the top of Lyra’s, which were equally exposed.

“To hell with the protection laws… we’re not in Equestria anymore, spearhead, we’re in a completely different world.” Limestone growled out as the others watched from nearby, too terrified to move and assist Lyra. “I’m not going to follow those rules anymore, because there’s no point.”

“But w-we can’t-” Lyra started, her eyes flicking to Limestone’s boobs pressed against her, but Lime’s glare cut her off.

“Says who? You?”

“Says the law, Limestone!” Lyra bit back, trying to summon up the backbone to stand up to the intimidating mare, trying to ignore the twin mounds of flesh in her face. “We’re not in Equestria, yes, but we’re still Equestrian citizens! We can’t just cast aside our laws and morals because we’re in a different world!”

“Oh yeah? Why not? There isn’t anyone here to stop us, Lyra.” Limestone said coldly as she pushed off of the wall to draw back fractionally from her. The bottoms of her breasts slid off the top of Lyra’s while the lower edge of her sports bra caught the top of the latter, causing them both to partially pull off almost all the way to their taut nipples.

Despite their sudden and rather sorely compromising position, which elicited at least a brief blush from both of them, Limestone didn’t relent her glare. She raised her fist to show bits of concrete stuck to her knuckles, and nodded to the indent of her fist marking the wall next to Lyra’s head. “No royal guard, no princesses, there aren’t even any police or soldiers here… they’re all dead.” She made a brief bobbing motion with her chest that caused her bra to snap all the way back and her tits to pop free, which then bounced upwards to hit Lyra’s chin.

Lyra swallowed hard, feeling the cold breeze contrasting with her suddenly hot flesh and cheeks as the sudden motion had freed her own boobs of its undergarment as well, their mass squeezed upwards to press firmly and deliciously into the bottom of Limestone’s, who inner sides now pressed into her cheeks. “B-but still, the Princesses wouldn’t-” She tried hard to resist the urge to bury her face within them and raise her paws to grope them; her fingers finding and closing on the inch long nipples she could just see so rigidly protruding.

“They’re never going to know, nor are they going to find out.” With a parting smirk at the other mare’s reaction, Limestone turned and walked away, tugging her bra back down. “Because if things keep going the way they are now, we’ll all be dead before we find a way home. So if you want to suck my tits, Lyra, feel free. In fact, do whatever you want with me or anyone else. May as well live like there’s no tomorrow, because guess what, filly? There probably ain’t.”

Lyra was left with those words bouncing around in her head as Lime took her place by Marble’s side, the latter as silent as the grave. The only sounds were that of the elements outside and the debris hitting the sides of the building, nothing more.

Despite the erotic invitation, Lyra eventually slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor, burying her head in her hands while crying softly to herself.

Do whatever you want with me… we’ll all be dead. The words echoed in her head over and over, her despair warring with the arousal the other mare’s actions had created in her. It felt wanton, it felt wrong, and worse, it felt like a betrayal of Dee.

None of which was to say that Limestone wasn’t right. Rainbow was already missing; most likely dead no matter how hard she tried to think otherwise. Dee said he would return to them before long, but it had already been a few hours since then, or so she assumed, given she had lost all track of time.

Pain took hold of her before long, a sensation in her chest like icy talons gripping her heart.

Her eyes burned and she hung her head, eventually pulling her legs to her only bra-covered chest. The thought of having lost two of their own, almost too much to bear, she stifled another cry, deciding instead to listen to the storm raging outside the walls of their hideout.

Celestia help us… she released the silent prayer, wondering if there was anyone in either world who could aid them now.

ooo000---000ooo

A few hours later, the storm finally calmed down enough that the rain ceased, leaving only the blazing heat of the sun rising into the sky above. Worse, the humidity had risen a great deal in its wake, meaning anyone outside would on doubt be miserable.

Especially if you were covered in blood and exhausted.

Walking away from the pool and bungalow areas near the hotel was a man, covered head to toe in blood spatters while missing his shirt along with one of his shoes, clutching a bloodied piece of lead pipe. A few undead trailed behind him trying to give chase, but with their slouched bodies and rotted legs, they weren’t making much headway running him down.

Even at a walking pace, he was losing them. Which was a good thing, given he wasn’t capable of much more.

His leg shaking from exertion and pain, he was breathing in the hot air around him as he walked around the hotel, following a path laid out before him of corpses and blood, discarded luggage, and various abandoned items.

But for all the horrors of his surroundings, they barely registered on his punch-drunk form. His unfocused eyes and dazed mind were set on finding one place, and the only thought he was capable of just then was that he needed to get there before his chance was lost.

I have to find them.

His body was battered, even outright torn up in places, but he kept moving until making his way around the front of the hotel, where even more bodies lay on the road. Heads bashed in, necks broken, arms and legs dislocated, some had simply been rendered immobile while others were outright killed. Blood stained everything from the concrete to the abandoned vehicles; it was such a bloodbath to the point that even the fountain marking the entrance of the hotel had been ruined with dozens of bodies and body parts floating in its pool, replacing the crystal clear water with a diluted crimson hue.

Finally satisfied he’d lost his remaining pursuers, he limped down the road snaking away from the hotel, past the crashed vehicles that included the police SUV they used, the other car they eventually crashed into, and others further down the way.

“God…” He cursed and looked behind him and then back ahead, tightly gripping his lead pipe. He soon saw some even more abandoned vehicles and bodies, and he grimaced as he felt the fire that was burning in him fading like candlelight. “If I’m gonna walk the whole way, you guys better be there.”

If he made it there, he was forced to admit as a growling to his left alerted him to another threat. But he wasn’t fresh; his tired legs and aching hands simply didn’t feel up for another battle.

The mostly intact creature he spotted sent a chill down his spine, as did the brisk pace it closed on him at; his body immediately went into flight mode upon seeing it.

Despite the burning in his legs and lungs, he forced himself to run, recognizing that it was another one of those leaping infected from the pass that Limestone had killed.

He rushed towards the hill to his right as the creature screeched and howled before jumping towards him, covering the distance between them with a single terrifyingly powerful leap.

“Fuck away from me you bastard!” He howled as, mustering all his remaining energy, he swung his lead pipe around in time to catch the beast in mid-air. Instincts kicked in and he swung his weapon just in time to catch its head, avoiding the outstretched arms and smashing the metal weapon into its face.

He stumbled to the right to avoid the hundred or so pounds of body flung towards him and allowed it to pass, slamming into the road behind him as more howls sounded nearby, with the leaper’s cry having alerted more of the creatures.

Dee cursed.

His lead pipe bent and was useless now, and he tossed it aside before rushing up the hill as he saw the creatures leaping from afar to catch up to him. He forced his weakened body up the hill, grasping onto clumps of grass and the thick roots from the jungle trees to hoist himself up. A herculean task in his current state, but one he managed to achieve out of a simple determination to see his pony friends again before he started limping into the hillside jungle.

He feared that it didn’t provide him cover as much as his pursuers. Trees and bushes flanked him on all sides, offering perfect hiding spots for the infected hunting him down, and he cursed as he kept moving forward.

But as the noises got steadily closer, he realized that he was fighting a losing battle and they’d probably catch up to him in under a minute. This is gonna be it, fuck. No weapons, no one to help, could really use some divine intervention right about now.

A small prayer went out from the back of his mind before he tripped over a tree root sticking up out of the ground, and he yelped before falling down a hill, rolling through the grass and coming to a stop in a depression near some rocks.

“Ow…” His chest burned, his ribs ached, and old injuries from the past flared up like never before. His body had nothing left; he could feel it in his bones and muscles as well as his heaving lungs.

He tried to pull himself up but failed, falling back to the ground. A second attempt proved futile as no matter how much he willed himself to rise or tried to fuel himself with thoughts of his friends, his limbs simply refused to work.

“F-fuck.”

The howling was a ghastly noise, and it closed in the longer he laid there.

It was all he could do. His body had given up, refusing to heed his desperate call to allow him just a little longer to keep moving. Guess this is it, then… he hoped it would be quick, and he wouldn’t turn into an infected that would threaten his new friends. As he looked up at the sky and the sun overhead, he wondered…

Will they survive without me? They should… they’re strong girls, fuck… just glad I got them this far. And got to be with them at least once…

As the howling grew louder, he heard fresh footsteps to his right, away from the pursuite expected their source to be another undead, but they weren’t shuffling nor did he hear any howling or growling.

He managed the strength to look over and he spotted a single blurry figure standing above him, their silhouette marked by the sun behind them. He also saw three other smaller figures behind them, looking down at him before his vision began to fade. They were talking, but with the sound of his own pounding heart and rushing blood in his ears, he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

The last thing he saw was a hand reaching out to him before darkness took him.

ooo000---000ooo

Dee came too slowly, emerging out of a deep but fitful sleep.

He spotted a ceiling above him and flickering lights when he finally woke up fully, and once again picked up voices nearby, but this time they were clear as day. Even as dizzy and tired as he remained, he was able to focus on what they were saying.

“Why did you bring this thing in here? He could be dangerous!” said a worried male voice.

“Look, he’s not one of them. Besides, we can’t just abandon people who need help!” replied a female one.

“People? He’s not even an Equestrian!” came the reply, causing Dee’s eyes to go wide.

Equestrian? Wait…

He blinked hard and turned his head to look to the side, to try and see whoever was talking.

To his surprise, blue-and-yellow uniform-clad ponies greeted him, though none were looking at him.

“And? He’s still a male, and Equestrian law dictates we can’t allow the death of any male if we can help it,” the mare

“But we’re not even in Equestria!” the stallion insisted.

“Soarin!” She shouted, causing the light blue stallion she was addressing to flinch. “That’s enough! I give the orders here, not you! And in case you haven’t noticed, he’s awake.”

Dee gulped.

The yellow mare eventually walked through the door, and once his eyes cleared up properly he saw who exactly it was. He froze as the mare strut into the room he was in: clad in a blue and yellow bodysuit that was skintight and fitted for pegasi like herself, with armor around the hips and shins, chest and arms, bracers.

Spitfire, the acting commander of the Wonderbolts.

He watched how she moved and couldn’t help but admire her hardened flyer’s body: toned and sleek muscles bulged against the material of her suit, outlining her impressive physique that grabbed his attention almost immediately. If there was one thing he loved, it was a fit female, and Spitfire was exactly that. He had to adjust the covers as his eyes drifted from her helmet down to her tightly clad bust; even with her tits covered by the suit and a modicum of armor, he couldn’t help but notice just how big her assets were in relation to other pegasi, including Rainbow.

The pegasus made her way over to a wheeled chair before pulling it over and sitting down on it. She took a moment to unclasp the helmet she was wearing and take it off, allowing her fiery mane to escape into its trademark flare.

“Greetings, creature. You will forgive me if I don’t know your name or your race. I have some questions for you, and I hope you’ll answer them.”

Dee struggled to sit up against all odds, and scooted back to lean against the wall before looking at her, trying not to gawk. They’d saved him, and the last thing he needed was for their charity to be withdrawn because he couldn’t stop ogling her. “What kind of questions?”

Even as he asked the question, his mind was running a million miles an hour at the fact that he was looking at Spitfire. How did she get here? Why was she here? Did that mean more ponies were on the island? Could they help him save his friends? More questions burned in his mind as she spoke.

“We haven’t made much headway with the locals, given the affliction they’re suffering from. You’re the only survivor we’ve discovered so far.” She explained to him, eyes looking around the inside of the structure they were in. The cold concrete walls reminded Dee of the bunkers on the island. “First, where are we? I don’t recognize this island on any of our maps, but I have a suspicion we’re no longer in Equestria. Second, who and what are you? And lastly, have you seen anymore of our kind around the island?”

Dee rubbed his head and swung his legs from the metal bed he was on, taking it slow lest he injure himself further. “Well, for starters, you’re on Banoi Island. It’s a resort destination for the rich. Or at least, it was.” He took a moment to look Spitfire over from her skintight outfit to her armor, her eyes. “My name is Dee. I’m a human, stuck on the island. I arrived just as this plague broke out.”

“Banoi? I’ve never heard of this place.” She narrowed her eyes and cupped her chin before looking off to the side. “And you say you’re a ‘human’? That’s not a species I am familiar with.”

“Probably because you’re not in Equestria anymore.” At her surprised and then suspicious look, he quickly clarified: , “I’ve met more of you before, and they told me where they were from. This world isn’t Equestria, it’s a place called Earth.”

Spitfire lit up at his comment and she leaned forward. “Do you know where they are? My name is Spitfire, I’m the commanding officer of the Wonderbolts, an elite military team. We’ve been sent to find them.”

So they have a way here? Do they have a way back?

He idly wondered if that meant they had a way off the island, because they had to have gotten here somehow. He took in a small breath before he said, “I think I know, but… it’s been hours since we got split up, since…”

His mind recalled Liam, what he had done to them and his fists clenched. Limestone and himself had been shot, the others cast out, and Rainbow missing.

Dee tried to calm himself down before he stood up, legs burning, but he fought it off. “They should be at a nearby gas station over this hill and down the road, and I’m going to find them.”

Spitfire had quickly stood up herself before placing her hands on his shoulders, firmly pushing him back down onto the bed despite his silent protest. “You are not going anywhere.”

Dee tried to stand up again, but she grabbed a hold of him and pushed him back down again. “Grr, I can’t just sit here!”

She gave him a hard glare, and that alone was able to freeze him up. “Listen, human. Though I admit I don’t know what kind of magic or regenerative capabilities you wield, I can tell just by looking at you that you are far too injured to be moving around. In fact, you were beaten half to death when we found you…” Her glare softened slightly and she let go of him, satisfied that he would stay put. “I appreciate the worry you have for my kind, but I can’t have you risking your life out there.”

Dee clicked his tongue and looked away. “I’m not a kid, Spitfire. I’ve been on this island with those girls for two weeks now, and I’ve been fighting for my life with them since I got here.” He gave her a pointed stare. “I get that you don’t want me risking my life, but for all we’ve been through, I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

Spitfire shook her head, much to his chagrin. “A commendable sentiment, especially for a stallion. But you’re not in any shape for it. You’ll be staying here while we hunt down the others.” She took a step back and before calling out, “Sergeant Mending Hearts!”

The summoned pony arrived a few seconds later. It was another mare dressed in similarly light armor as her commanding officer, but hers was outfitted with first aid equipment and other marks of a medic, including red crosses on either shoulder, the bandage pouches on her belt, and the large pack hanging off of her hip.

She saluted Spitfire before being put at ease. Spitfire said, “Take care of the human here, Lieutenant. Fleetfoot and I are going to survey the area and see if we can find the other ponies.”

“You’re going to die if you aren’t careful.” Dee spoke up, causing both mares and even Soarin nearby to freeze. “This island isn’t what it seems like. The ‘people’ you encountered aren’t people, they’re monsters. Infected by some awful disease that turns them into flesh-hungry demons, as well as anyone they bite.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve dealt with monsters and demons before, kid,” Soarin replied, and Dee’s eyes narrowed at the stallion. “These… infected won’t be a problem for us.”

“You won’t be fighting, Soarin,” Spitfire said matter of factly, poking his chestplate with a finger and causing him to wince. “You’re only here as an observer, not to fight these things. That’s Fleetfoot’s job, and my job.”

“Oh come on, Captain! I’m not like other males and you know that!”

“I am not going to argue with you. You know the rules—you’re not getting into combat, and that’s final.”

Mending Hearts had taken her place by Dee’s side and began checking his body, observing his injuries as the human watched Soarin and Spitfire bicker back and forth.

So that’s Soarin from their world? Have to say, he sounds like a prick. Why’s he so concerned about fighting? Also why is he even here if males aren’t allowed in any combat roles? What the hell is an observer?

Without even thinking, Dee said, “So you're the one Rainbow’s talked about then?”

Soarin and Spitfire stopped talking and the stallion whirled to face him, and his eyes lit up. “You know Rainbow Dash?”

The corner of Dee’s mouth twitched upwards for a split second before returning to the frown he had, albeit forced, and he nodded. “Saved her life, she saved mine. She’s a good friend by now, but… I don’t know where she is.”

Spitfire’s eyes narrowed. “But you said earlier—”

He held up a hand and gave her a hard glare. “I’m not trying to fool you. I know where some of them are, but along the way to getting there, something happened… something bad, and we got split up. I don’t know where Dashie is,” he muttered, not even realizing the look he was getting from Soarin. “For all I know, she’s dead. We didn’t exactly get a chance to look for her before we were all attacked.”

He blinked and looked to Mending Hearts who was studying his gunshot wound and frowning. Uncapping an odd bottle, she poured a strange liquid into it that stung and then numbed the area, almost instantly staunching the bleeding as a bonus. She then began to patch it up, starting with a needle and thread.

“And what about the others? Are they hurt?” Spitfire asked, to which Dee could only groan.

“Yes. Limestone suffered the same wound as I did.” He mentioned, flicking his gaze back to Spitfire, whose ears perked up. “Dinky was injured badly. She’s still alive, last I knew, but I don’t know for how long.”

“How bad is the injury?” Spitfire asked, to which Dee looked up at her.

“She was bitten by the undead.” The mare’s face turned white and he added, “So far she hasn’t succumbed. I don’t know if she’s immune to this virus, but if she isn’t… she may still become one of them.”

Spitfire cursed and turned on her heels, slamming her helmet back on. “There’s no time, then! Let’s move, now!” Soarin did the same as she did as Fleetfoot followed behind, leaving Dee alone with the medic.

He hoped Dinky was immune, because if she wasn’t… he couldn’t even begin to imagine the kind of devastation Derpy would suffer from.

For Derpy’s sake, she damn well better be…

ooo000---000ooo

Back at the gas station in the back where the garage was at, the group of mares still hid out there waiting for Dee to arrive. They didn’t have any other kind of plan other than to just wait, but what if he never showed up? They didn’t have many supplies, and sooner or later, the undead would find them again, just as they had before. Lyra figured that she would have to take charge of the group, something she was not hoping to do anytime soon with a wounded but increasingly murderous Limestone on her hands.

Behind the counter was Derpy, she cradled the injured Dinky who had been in and out of consciousness for some time. The young mare’s breathing was raspy, and despite trying to rest, she was fidgeting and burning up.

“M-mom…”

Derpy’s eyes opened and she looked down at her child, whom she had been rocking back and forth gently. A hand delicately went to Dinky’s cheek. “Yes sweetie?” Derpy’s heart sped up when she realized just how hot she was to the touch, she was burning up!

Dinky’s eyes opened and Derpy’s eyes widened, they were horribly bloodshot… a horrid shade of red that nearly took over her eyes completely.

“I’m s-so hungry…”

Author's Note

It's been a while! I've returned with the first of many banger updates, this one for Vacation! Do enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments! No worries, there's plenty more where this came from.

Big fat thanks to the man, the myth, the legend, Firesight! Amazing work editing this into something worthy of being published!