Dead Ponyville

Thunderlane walks on dark, chilling, empty streets of Ponyville. The temperature of the town at night gave him extreme shivers sending down to his hooves. However, he managed to ignore it despite the urges to come back to hide in his house and lie to his little brother and his friend.

“Brr... I wish I had my Wonderbolt jacket with me” he groaned to himself. He looks around saw nothing in particular except in Screwloose's house, where a silhouette of a mare can be seen from the window, walking around inside the dark room. Thunderlane had the feeling that the pony inside the house could be Screwloose herself... Or Berryshine, due to that the fact that the shape of the pony walks like if it's drunk.

However, he pay no attention to it despite he knew, Screwloose's disorder doesn't really bothers her anymore and she isn't acting like a dog. He just simply walk by the house and leaves it like the other houses.

The only pony he would expect to meet in the middle of the night is Stormlight, who would guard her friend's house (much to his shock that the mare was actually brave, despite she's shy). However, he knew she went on vacation with her friend.

As he walks by Roseluck's flower shop, heard the scream again, but more clear and closer. He turn to glance at the building where Roseluck sell her products and where she lives. Thunderlane didn't hesitate to gallop towards the front door of the flower shop and knocks on the door “Hello?” he called out, hoping for somepony to reply.

Only to be bombarded by screams of a mare who lives in the flower shop.

“NO, STOP IT! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME, DON'T EAT ME! AHHHHHHHH!!!”

Thunderlane clearly heard the words from the yelling, screams, and sounds of a struggle taking place inside the building. Thunderlane began to bang on the front door, saying “Roseluck, what the hay is going on there?”

“...OH, CELESTIA SOMEPONY HELP.... ME....”

Thunderlane winced at the sound of vomiting and the sound of a splash. He also heard a groan as well which seemed very... hostile to his ears. Nevertheless, he had to help Roseluck and take her to the hospital, hoping that the visiting hour didn't end yet. He hope that the hospital staff are too busy to pay attention into the schedule of the hospital.

When the door wasn't unlocked and the scream continued. Thunderlane decided what to do “I'm sorry” he said “I'll come in and take you to the hospital” Thunderlane walked backwards, then prepares to do what he will with his wings unfolded.

Thunderlane flew right towards the front door and successfully go it loose, allowing him to enter the flower shop. As he enters the shop, he found nothing out of the ordinary. The scream he heard before stopped and is replaced by the sound of ripping... flesh which is followed by gurgling sounds of a mare.

“ghkk...Ahh.....Oh- gah! Ah..ahh...gah...”

*Rip* *Rip* *Munch*

“R-Roseluck?”Thunderlane felt uneasy as he went inside the living room and towards the kitchen was where the sound was produced “Roseluck? Are you okay? can you say something?”

“...H-Help....me...” He heard Roseluck. He immediately went inside and saw something which will hunt and change his life forever.

In the kitchen is Daisy and an unknown pegasus mare, sitting and munching on the body of the dying Roseluck. Daisy chews the mare's abdomen while the pegasus eats the neck. Thunderroar froze at the sight of cannibalism, even taking a step back away from the trio, even felt the urge to vomit at the sight.

“W-What the ha- Mmph!” Thunderlane immediately cover his muzzle using one of his forehoofs, green liquid slowly coming out of his mouth. He continues make distance away from trio until he fell on his flank.

*Thud!*

Oh my Celestia! Thunderlane screamed in his mind. Daisy an the pegasus stopped munching on Roseluck's dying body and they look up at Thunderlane. They stand up and immediately canter towards him. However, he acted quickly and gallops out of the flower shop as fast as he could, knocking some furnitures and flower vases as he gallops.

“What the hay is going on with you two!?” he yelled at the two mares as they made their way to shop section of Roseluck's house. Due to the broken vases, the two trip and fell, breaking more of the vases and other furnitures near them, giving time for Thunderlane to ran away as soon as possible.

“I have to go back” he said to himself, still galloping “I have to tell the two-”

He never got to finish what he was saying when a mare came burst out of her door and bumps Thunderlane, they both fall to the ground in the process.

When Thunderlane finally got to stand on his four hooves, he turn to angrily face the mare “Watch where you're going-!” like the first one, he never got to finish what he saying when he spot that the mare who is a unicorn stares at him with shrinked, dead fish eyes, she also had a wound like Daisy and the unknown pegasus had, and like the two, the mare groaned.

“Oh, hay no!” he yelled at the mare as she begin to shamble towards him. Thunderlane turn tail and gallops away from her, yelling to himself “Just what the hay happened to everypony!?”

He heard bangings from a few houses, some of the doors are successfully broke by one to five ponies and chasing him, either by running or shambling towards him, all of them had their own injuries, However most of them had wounds to their necks, They all groan at him with the lust of killing him in a very horrible way.

Thunderlane began to think what did he do to make them angry. However, he knew he didn't do anything to make them mad. Then, he spotted his destination and tries to gallop more faster.

Finally, he was now Infront of the door. He didn't notice that the door was broken as he simply opens it and swiftly closed it.

He pant as he looked at the front door. He was stunned to why the while town wants to kill him so suddenly. He looks around the living room and saw nothing unusual. Now, he had to take Blue Wings and Rumble out of the house and out of the dangers of the outside world from those mad ponies who are either trying to make him their dinner or just trying to kill him.

He didn't say anything when he went to the second floor and opens the door of Rumble's bedroom “Rumble, Blue Wings let's go-” he stopped yelling, for he is yelling at nopony. The bedroom is devoid of its users. However, the bedroom is now only a messy room. Furnitures not in their spot, miscellaneous items either toppled on top of the study table or either on the floor.

The bed was even more worse than the rest, not only it's cover and pillow are messed up, but it's also caked in red liquid.

“No,” was the only word, Thunderlane released from his mouth before he quickly bucked the door behind him and went to the bedroom of his parents “Blue Wings? Rumble!?” He began to panic when he heard not only one groan from inside the bedroom, but two. The one is clearly feminine. However, he the other one is too raspy which made it hard to know if it's coming from a mare or a stallion... Or a foal.

He didn't had to think anytime soon and quickly throw himself against the door, opening it without making it fall to the floor. What he saw in the bedroom will give him the most grief.

Blue Wings, still wearing her Wonderbolt Uniform shambles around the room along with Nurse Redheart, both groaning or moaning, both had dead eyes, and both had different wounds which are both covered in blood and are both located on their necks. However, Rumble is no where to be seen. But the sight of Blue Wings made Thunderlane both grief for the Wonderbolt and a little angry at Nurse Redheart.

When the door opened, the door made a noise, causing the two mares to glance at Thunderlane's location. Redheart is the first one to groan and canter towards the pegasus stallion. She pinned Thunderlane to the wall behind him and attempts to bite his throat. However, Thunderlane decided to put his hoof on Redheart's forehead “I don't know what had gotten to you, Ms.Redheart” he said before he bucked her with his hind legs miraculously “But I will never forgive you for what you've done to my friend!”

Despite that the buck is powerful. The strength of the pegasus buck are no match for the earth pony strength and Redheart only fell to the floor 3 inches from Thunderlane. He heard a groan and was Blue Wings, advancing towards him, only for to bump to door with her right side, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. Thunderlane wanted to help the mare. However, an image of him being eaten by his own friend made him stop.

“Haystack...” he groaned, one tear fell out of his right eye. He heard the front door of his house and sounds of loud groans and moans are heard. He went to investigate, only to see a stallion advancing towards him. He immediately turn tail and went for his parent's bedroom while he heard the sound of something crashed onto the wall behind him. He reluctantly shoved Blue Wings to the ground with hesitation. He looks around his parent's bedroom. When didn't spot Rumble, he unfold his wings and quickly went to the nearest window.

...

...

...

He was confused to why everything just suddenly went to black. He was just trying to escape the two mare who all turn mad. When suddenly, he felt a strong pain in his head, and the next thing he knew is he woke up in a void.

It seems strange he thought Everything was good and peaceful in the evening... And now, Ponyville has just gone... mad?

...

...

“Wake up!”

“Huh?” Thunderlane heard a feminine voice, probably calling out to her “Was that...”

“Thunderlane, in the name of Celestia please wake up!” said the voice “Derpy, are you he isn't bitten when you found him!?”

“Um, no” replied the other feminine voice which came from a mare named Derpy Hooves. Thunderlane knew about the mare for a long time, mostly because of her eyes “I found being cornered by the ‘zomponies’ and... I helped him”

Zomponies? He thought to himself the term which he never heard in his entire life.

“Guys...” he heard another voice. this time masculine “I think I saw his hoof twitch”

Thunderlane swore he heard a gasp “Do you think he'll turn into a monster and eat us like cakes and-”

“Oh Shut up, Pinkie” Yelled another voice “Look, we got Caramel with us. He could just... Bash this pegasus' head before he could even get to us!”

“I Don't think i could agree with that, Sparkler” said the masculine voice, belonging a stallion named Caramel “I'm just a farmer, not an executioner of our own ponykind”

Thunderlane had decided eavesdropping is enough. He slowly open his eyes, hearing another gasp, which i followed by Caramel's own gasp.

“Speak to us” he commands Thunderlane as the the pegasus struggles to wake up “I'll say it one more time; Speak to us please!”

“Alright, alright” Said Thunderlane. He looks at Caramel and glances at the other ponies.

Most of the ponies are mares, while there are only two stallions. He knew all of this ponies and their names are soon being called out in his mind.

Caramel, Stormfeather, Sparkler, Pinkie Pie, and Derpy

Caramel held a kitchen knife in his mouth, whilst Sparkler levitates a broom, Derpy had her muzzle covered with her forehooves, while Pinkie Pie covers her eyes. The last but not least, Stormfeather puts in a terrified expression in his face.

The group of ponies all sigh in relief when he responds to Caramel, who drops his weapon to the ground

*Clank*

“Boy, I'm glad i didn't turn into a ‘murderer’” Said Caramel.

“W-Where am i?” Asked Thunderlane.

“Well, you are in my house” Said Derpy, who was now smiling “boy, I thought you were going to jump on us like the others” Sheepishly smiled at him.

He did know what happened to him and how did he got inside Derpy's house. He began to think everything. From waking up to trying to get out of his house. Then, something click out of his mind.

Blue Wings and Rumble are inside the house, waiting for him to come back “Rumble...”

“What did you said?”Asked Caramel.

Thunderlane shot up from the bed he was lying on, startling Caramel as he look around in search for Rumble and Blue Wings “Rumble, Blue Wings where are they?‘ He asked Caramel.

“I'm guessing, Blue Wings is the Wonderbolt living in your house?” Sparkler went in the conversation between the two stallions “I'm afraid she
...also turned into a zompony”

“What in the hay is a Zompony” Thunderlane asked in confusion. Hearing the term which he didn't know confuse him “And why are you using that term on my friend?”

The whole house went silent by the question the stallion gave them. That is until Sparkler decides to answer “Well, zomponies are...” She hesitated, however decides to continue “...Those who are living corpses who hunt the living”

“Um, excuse me?”

“Trust me, Thunderlane” she said to the stallion, who was in disbelief of hearing that the dead rise up “If you want to see ‘them’” she points her right hoof at Stormfeather's location, the stallion looking out from a window which seems to be the only one unbarricaded “just look through the window and you'll see what's going on”

Thunderlane did what Sparkler said; he walk towards the window and Stormfeather, who was looking at him solemnly.

“I won't do what Sparkler told you if I were you” He told Thunderlane “Be ready to see what she want to see, for the things you will about to see will be traumatic”

Thunderlane gave him a confused but worried expression “How worse is it outside?”

“More than anything you can imagine” Stormfeather replied.

Thunderlane became nervous. He had no idea what he is about to see. he tried imagine the incident at night; the screams, Roseluck's apparent death from the hooves of a friend and of a stranger, going back to his house with a group of insane ponies following after him, and arriving to his destination to see the hospital nurse and Blue Wings also turned against him, then everything suddenly went black, and finding himself inside Derpy's house. Everything to him was very all a sudden. and now, he's going to look at the view of the town from the window Infront of him. Despite Stormfeather's warnings and his nervousness, he decided to take a look outside.

And he saw it.

His eyes shrink, his mouth fell open, and his expression turns into fear at the sight of what seems to be his neighbors, munching on a body of a pony which is too mangled to recognize. His neighbors didn't hear his gasp as they continue to rip the flesh out of the very mangled pony and eats without hesitation. He noticed they are very different in appearance; they all have different wounds, almost all look like bite marks, the eyes have almost rolled back into their heads, and the sides of their sclera turned reddish, a few of his neighbors are also bloody, while very few are badly mutilated. He could even see three of them chasing a pony from the distance.

“What in the hay...” that was the only words he could make out as he continue to look in disbelief.

“It's deadly serious outside" Said Sparkler “However, I managed to wake up in the middle of the night thanks to Roseluck, poor pony” she muttered

“That's the same for me and we bump into each other” Said Stormfeather “We later saw a group of zomponies trying to get inside your house and I decide to flew into the second floor while carrying Sparkler, and I saw the Wonderbolt and the Nurse munching your right wing”

“H-Huh?” Thunderlane decided to take a glance of his right wings, only to find out it was tied by a bandage.

“Don't move it. I bet it would hurt you really bad” Said Derpy “It was so huge that I had to go to the sugarcabe corner to wake up Pinkie. Boy, it was so risky” she added, glancing at Sparkler.

“Hey, I didn't even suggest that!” Chastised Sparkler “It was you who suggested to go and went to sugarcube corner to get Pinkie!”

Speaking of Pinkie Pie. Thunderlane, who has recovered from astonishment glanced at Pinkie, whose hair is not in it's normal appearance, her mane and tail are both straight and looked like the pink color is a little fade which reminds him of her when he saw her in the marketplace (he also found out her sadness is infectious when Daisy's flowers die and balloons suddenly flatten with no air in them which upsets a stallion). He always wonder why she always like that when she falls into depression.

However, he don't want to bother the depressed Pinkie. Since the release of a story named Party's Cupcakes, Everypony even the brave Iree Heaven had been spooked and a few started to avoid either Pinkie or the sugarcube corner since the story was actually based on her, the building, and her friend, Rainbow Dash. Thunderlane himself only gets nervous when meeting Pinkie. Surely, he doesn't show it to the party pony. Showing it only means she will become upset of you, take you to the bakery she lives and where she works, and cut open your-

Thunderlane quickly cut off the gruesome part and quickly stopped thinking of Pinkie and decides to look at the others.

“...We have no idea when will the princesses send royal guards to the town” Said Sparkler “But if they do arrived, they will only make things worse and they will even join them, then they will altogether show us who's meal!”

“Woah, calm down, Ames” Said Caramel.

“No!” Sparkler snapped, causing all of the ponies around her to jump in shock “Calm down? That's very impossible when you are in a town which is devouring itself one by one” she paused to cough before shouting once again “And what did Princess Twilight Sparkle do? Nothing, she did nothing to save us now. She's maybe in shock like the others to see our neighborhood going mad like the changeling invasion!”

“Ames, you don't have to say all of those... complains” calmly said Caramel “Look you're not the only complaining nor having a rough time” he then tells her how he wants to see Sassaflash, how Derpy wants to get her daughter, Dinkie Doo out of the ravaging town, how Pinkie Pie wants to reunite with the other Main Six members, how Stormfeather wants to get out with a friend, and how Thunderlane wants to find his love one, much to the stallion's dismay. Caramel, then continues to talk to Sparkler “I made you the leader here because you're the best organizer before, and an organizer must know what the ponies feel, and she needs to be calm and collected. Those are the traits you need, Sparkler” When he saw Sparkler ignored him, he decides to continue “Look, I'm very worried about Sassaflash, and the others have to deal with their own problems while you have nothing to worry about. Only escaping is your problem”

“Humph!” Sparkler only express her scornful doubt and went upstairs (probably going to sit next Derby's daughter in the bedroom). Thunderlane quickly went neutral and turn to glance at the others.

Like he expected, most of the survivors are still angry and emotionally affected by Sparkler except for another pegasus mare which he didn't noticed in the entire situation. The mare was sitting on her haunches, looking down at the table Infront of her. Despite Sparkler's breakdown, this mare didn't seem to notice the whole situation, even caramel didn't notice the mare when he was explaining everypony's different situations.

Thunderlane already knew who the mare is. He went to the kitchen and stand beside the depressed mare “Thundersky?”

“Mm...?” The mare known as Thundersky slowly turn her head to see the face of Thunderlane. “Oh,” She sighed in relief when she saw the stallion she was watching in every Wonderbolts airshow “Glad to see you personally, Thunderlane” she gave him a sneak smile, before turning back to place her head on the table like a sleepy mare.

“Are you okay, Thundersky?” Asked Thunderlane. He is very worried for a mare like her to be like that since he knew how mares do when they are depressed, or either hiding their true emotions “You don't seem to be receiving recovery from that amount of sadness you have”

“Yeah,” Thundersky lifts her head 2 inches away from the table “You got the feeling of being alone....right?”

“Um...yeah, i sometimes felt needing a pony beside me” Thunderlane was telling the truth. He really thinks about rescuing his little brother and put him beside him when they escape the town together, if it's going to happen.

“I got split apart from my family” Said Thundersky “We were attacked by a bunch of Zomponies and I couldn't get to my family, so I had to go to the other direction and that's how I got here...Derpy and the others yanked me in” One tear went out of Thundersky's left eye as her voice become a little shaky and fragile “I couldn't just leave them behind to those Zomponies...t-they will perish if... I leave them behind...” She stand up and walks pass Thunderlane “If you need me” she said “I'm going to the bathroom”

“Um... Okay” said Thunderlane. He decided to go up to the second floor, leaving the others which were all in the first floor. He couldn't imagine how Thundersky feel when it gets to her family. She deeply love her father, her mother, and her brother, and sister and now, she's all alone, already succumbed to the depression just like Pinkie Pie. Thunderlane went inside Derpy's bedroom and and looks out of the window which was covered by the curtain, he looked out and saw a mare, running towards the open entrance of a door. She was terrified as she looks behind her to see three mares shambling towards her. Thunderlane felt the urge to go out of the house to save her. However, there are too many of ‘them’ and she's the only one outside who is sane.

Thunderlane watched as she went inside the house, almost forgetting how door work. He thought about her family, her friends. Did they survive? Did they got out of the town? Did they went to a nearest evacuation center? He knew those thoughts are also inside the mare's mind. But for now, she had to think about surviving on her own first.

After the mare had closed the door, with the zomponies crowding around the door, trying to get in. Thunderlane thinks about his little brother. Is he alright? Is he safe? Is he living along with somepony else? Those questions are left unanswered for he knows his little brother wasn't with him, he wasn't sure if he's little brother has able to enter a house without any of those undead who are all waiting for a living pony to fall to the trap and eat them.

After those brief thoughts, Thunderlane decided to rest, before telling the others he had to leave and save his little brother.

Author's Note

Episodes mentioned:

Yakity-Sax

Characters in the episode:

Thunderlane (Alive)
Roseluck (Deceased)
Daisy (Zombified)
Blue Wings (Zombified)
Rumble (Mentioned, Unknown fate)
Sparkler/Amethyst Star (Alive)
Caramel (Alive)
Stormfeather (Alive)
Sassaflash (Mentioned, Unknown fate)
Derpy Hooves (Alive)
Dinky Hooves (Mentioned, Alive)
Pinkie Pie (Alive)
Twilight Sparkle (Mentioned, Unknown fate)
Thundersky (Alive)

Other Characters:

Berry Punch (Mentioned, Unknown fate)
Screwloose (Mentioned, Unknown fate)
Unnamed Mare (Unknown fate)
Ponyville Residents (Zombified, Deceased, Unknown fate, Alive)
Nurse Redheart (Zombified)
Unnamed Mare (Unknown fate)

Places:

Ponyville (Overrun)
Thunderlane's House (Overrun)
Derpy Hooves' House (Safe House)