Chapters All hope had been lost. Everything vanished on a day that nopony was expecting.
Nothing peculiar was going on that day. Everything was as calm as usual. As such, nopony expected what happened would happen. It made the emergence all the more shocking. And on that fateful day...
...Twilight Sparkle woke the dead.
Nopony was prepared for the horrors of what has been known as Z-Day. The hordes of undead quickly swept over Equestria, taking millions of lives with it. The Royal Guard didn't stand a chance. Any and all attempts to stop the zombies are unsuccessful and all the other species of the glorious land fell easily. The hordes were merciless, endless, tireless.
And with the disappearance of both the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses of Equestria, all hope was lost...
SWEET APPLE ACRES
Darkness had fallen over the land of Equestria and all was quiet around the old apple farm that was Sweet Apple Acres. However, the nature of the farm was anything but sweet. The trees were black and leaveless and the barn was dilapidated.
And the farm house was now barricaded up and coated in blood. Pieces of wood were placed around the upper floor windows, with lines of chicken wire preventing an entrance through the ground floor windows. Various pieces of furniture and appliances were stocked against the doors, preventing a forced entry.
There were only three survivors barricaded inside the farm house; Spike the Dragon, Big Macintosh and Discord. And even they, in such a fortified house, were starting to lose all hope of rescue. Day after day, swarms of zombies tried to drive the trio from their fort.
Despite being driven back again and again, the constant repelling of undead attacks have been wearing down the group. And soon, supplies like fresh water and food begin to go scarce, as the zombies become too unmanageable. And with no actual weapons, the three used anything they could get their hooves and claws on; knives, pitchforks, axes, broken pieces of 2x4 and anything else that could be used as a weapon.
"Is there any food left?" Spike asked, placing a claw on his growling tummy.
Big Mac just let out a defeated sigh and said, "Nnope,"
"The soup, gems and pies are all gone. We only have crackers and apples left," Discord added, as he rested his head on the dining room table.
A bit of colour drained from Spike's face, as he slumped down on a nearby wall until he was sitting with his back against said wall. "We have nothing left to eat..." Spike repeated, now all out of hope.
Big Mac walked up to and kneeled down to the dragon, looking him in his bright green eyes. "This doesn't mean that we're done for, Spike. We'll hang in here as long as we can. Don't worry, I'm somepony is looking for us," The stallion reassured him, helping the baby dragon back onto his feet.
"And if noone's ones coming for us?" Spike asked.
Big Mac just let out another sign and shook his head, before replying, "Me an' Discord will distract the zombies long enough for you to get away,"
Spike just embraced Big Mac tightly, not wanting to hear one of his best friends say that. But like it or not, it was their only option left. But before Spike could grieve over his lack of options, pale grey and decaying hooves stuck through the holes in the chicken wire, as a chorus of groans, moans and screeches echoed out into the darkness.
Another zombie attack was upon them.
"Celestia damn! Not again!" Big Mac cried out, as he picked up a pitchfork from the floor and rushed over to the windows. Discord jumped up and summoned a crudely-made spear (which was nothing more than a kitchen knife taped to a wooden pole) and joined the bulky farm stallion by the windows. Together, the stallion and the draconequus began poking the blades of their weapons through the wire, attempting to kill as many zombies as they could. Spike rushed up to the dining table and took a knife and watched as Big Mac and Discord fought off the undead.
But after 15 minutes of fighting and killing, the fight just didn't seem to end. The zombies kept coming and coming. Eventually, there were thousands of zombies surrounding the farm house. Big Mac and Discord were starting to get very exhausted and Spike could only watch as they kept trying to hold the line.
Then, the main door to the house began to be beaten like a drum, the zombies trying to find a new way in. Big Mac rushed over to the door and began to hold it closed. However, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hold the door back any longer. He turned his head to Spike and instructed, "Spike!!! Go upstairs and barricade yourself in one of the rooms!! Discord and ah' will hold off the zombies for as long as we can!!"
"But what about you guys?!" Spike shouted to him, tears starting to fill in his eyes.
"We're not going to make it outta' here, but what is important is that you survive!! Just do as I say an' everything will be okay! Now, GO!!!!!!" Big Mac called back out to the dragon. Spike knew that this plan would lead to the deaths of his best friends, but he knew that this was the only thing that they could do. So, with tears now fully watering up his eyes and rolling down his cheeks, he obeyed the stallion's instructions, rushed upstairs and barricaded himself inside Apple Bloom's room.
Once Big Mac heard Spike rush up the stairs and then cried out to Discord, "Ah' can't hold the door anymore! Be ready!" The draconequus just nodded.
Big Mac then released the door. Within seconds, the door was bashed down and the undead hordes started to enter the house. The stallion and the Spirit of Chaos jabbed their weapons at any and every zombie that passed in front of them, trying to stop the horde. But eventually, they were pushed back to the living room and were surrounded on all sides by zombies.
As the horde of zombies slowly closed in around them, Discord and Big Mac decided to share some final words.
"Big Mac, I guess this is curtains for us,"
"Eeyup,"
"Shall I do the honors?"
"Eeyup,"
"Very well, then. To all of our friends and family, I'm sorry. It has been quite an interesting passing of time for all of us, but I guess this is goodbye. We will miss you all," And with that, the pair then closed their eyes and waited for the end...
Suddenly, there came a loud bang, followed by a sickening squelch. Then, more bangs and some cracks. Some in a pattern, others constant. And all of them were at different volumes. And as soon as the noises started, they stopped.
Big Mac and Discord opened their eyes... to see that all of the zombies that had surrounded them were now lying in pools of blood around them, unmoving and polluting the air with a horrid stench of rotting flesh and mouldy manes. And standing before the slain undead, was a group of six. Each creature was of a different species. A Griffon, a Earth Pony colt, a Hippogriff, a Dragon, a Reformed Changeling and a Yak. All were holding weapons of some kind and all were concealed by the darkness.
After a tense moment, the griffon took a step forward and said to the duo, "Great to find somecreatures still alive out here. Go get your little dragon friend and we'll get you to safety,"
Neither of the two recognised the voice. But still, this squad were going to lead them to safety... hopefully. They saw no reason to argue.
Author's Note
NOTE: The zombies are basically zombie ponies, but they kinda resemble the zombies from Zombie Army 4: Dead War (In skin tone and eye colour, all that stuff). So, don't confuse them
But even though the undead left all of life in shambles, there were survivors of this horrid nightmare. Those who either held their ground or fought back against the evil hordes. Those who didn't give up and kept fighting the dead.
We joined together with those who kept fighting and we formed a resistance. We vowed to keep fighting, despite the odds. Fighting the Dead War, as we called it. And everything changed when a crafty changeling brought us powerful weapons to fight with. With zombie-killing ability the likes of which we have never seen before.
Now, we had a chance. A chance of taking our world back...
PONYVILLE
Ponyville was never a town that was to be quiet. The sounds of ponies chatting, birds singing and fillies giggling were supposed to be the normal in the air.
The atmosphere was anything but normal.
Fog had set in around the city, bringing visibility down a bit. Not that there was much to see. The timer houses were still standing, somehow, with lines of barbed wire or metal spikes covering the rooftops, as a defence for zombies that piled over one another to get on the roof. The dirt ground was stained with blood stains, burn marks and debris.
And only 9 creatures currently walked through the abandoned streets. All of them having experienced horrors at the Sweet Apple Acres.
Big Mac, Discord and Spike never thought that a rescue was coming, so they were surprised when a rescue did come. They were even more surprised when their rescuers were none other than the Young Six. But there was only a short time for introductions, as the Young Six needed to get the three to safety. And that safety was, ironically enough, in the zombie hotspot of Ponyville.
And there they were, near the centre of the overrun town. But unexpectedly, the town was near empty. Something wasn't right.
The 'guy's night' trio were sticking close to the Young Six, as Gallus led the way. Two of the Young Six walked alongside the combined groups, keeping them secure and Silverstream brought up the rear. And eventually, they reached centre of town. But there was a problem. A small group of zombies was gathered around the Town Hall, shuffling in a search for flesh to feast on.
Gallus cursed under his breath and ordered the group to stop with a single jesture, before getting onto one knee and readied his Carcano M1891 sniper rifle . The group did so and saw the field of zombies ahead.
"Not more zombies! Now what?" Spike questioned out loud.
"Just be quiet and let Gallus work his magic," Smolder told the fellow dragon, who then complied.
All was silent for a few good seconds as Gallus zeroed in the sights of his rifle on the chest of the closest zombie to them. Then, the griffon pulled the trigger. A loud crack rang out and a 6.5mm round-nose bullet zipped out of the barrel and through the air. And within millisecond, the bullet impacted the intestines of the first zombie, killing it.
Gallus then worked the bolt, ejecting the first round and chambering the second, before firing on another zombie. He then repeated the process over and over, until the en-bloc clip then fell from the rifle as Gallus fired his last round. The griffon then unclipped a pocket on his combat webbing, took another 6-round en-bloc clip, closed the pocket and loaded the the clip into the empty rifle. Repeating the previous process again, eventually, all of the zombies were dead for good. Gallus still had 4 rounds still in his rifle.
The griffon got up from his kneeling position and said, "That took care of those bastards, but we need to get to the safe room before more zombies show up. Let's go,"
The group began to move again. But there were still too many unanswered questions for the three heroes. And as the they got closer to the Town Hall, the three heroes began to ask those questions.
"Well, since those zombies have been dealt with, care to explain how you knew that we were at the Sweet Apple Acres? And who are working for? And if you are of your own accord, they are we the only survivors," Discord asked, wanting his curiosity to be quenched.
"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.
"Look, we know that you are wondering what in Tartarus is going on right now, but there is a time and a place for that. And this is neither the time nor the place!" Sandbar told them.
But this only made Big Mac mad and he wanted to know what was going on, "Now hang o ah' apple-picking moment! We have ah' right to know what is going on here!" He argued, poking Sandbar aggressively in the chest.
Immediately, Smolder stepped in to back up her pony friend. "Back off, asshole! Ever heard of patience?!"
That surely didn't help matters, as the farm stallion then let out a snort and moved towards the dragon, with Discord and Spike trying to hold him back. But before Big mac could straight-up murder her, Gallus fired a shot into the air, getting the attention of the others.
"Settle down! We all on the same side! Sir, we can explain everything once we get to the safe room! It isn't safe out here!" Gallus then shouted, causing Big Mac to settle. And then the group continued on.
And only a few seconds later, they reached the Town Hall. What was the main wooden door was now replaced with a green metal ship door that was held in place with a massive wheel lock, with a green light above the door frame. Gallus eyed up the door, then turned to Ocellus and ordered, "Open it,"
The changeling just nodded once, put away her P38 pistol and started working the wheel lock to open the door. There was the sound of squeaking metal that filled the air, followed by a clunk, a few grunts and then an 'oh no'.
Gallus' eyes shrunk. An oh no was never a good thing when it came to opening the door to a safe room.
"Guys, the door won't open," Ocellus said, adding to the suspcions.
"Move over!" Smolder told the changeling, shoving her out of the way. The dragon gripped the wheel and attempted to turn it, only for the wheel to not respond and remain still.
"FUCK!!" Smolder cursed, "The door is jammed!"
"Celestia dammit! That's not good," Sandbar added.
However, things would get much worse as Spike then spotted something and froze in utter fear. "If the door jamming is bad," He stated, beginning to shake, "Then that's worse!"
Gallus looked in the direction that Spike was pointing in and his heart sunk. Zombies, hundreds of them, were closing in on them from all directions that Gallus could see.
"We've got incoming. Smolder, get the door open! Everycreature else, take defensive positions!" He ordered, hoping to give the dragon plenty of time. However, the zombies spotted the group and charged, a few runner zombies leading the charge. Then, the slaughter began.
Once the undead horde was close enough, Gallus and the rest of the Young Six opened fire. And the biggest player of the defence was Yona. Standing like a brick wall in between the horde and Smolder, she teared into the advancing zombies with her two MG42Z machine guns on her sides, firing thousands of rounds a minute, decorating the front porch of the Hall with casings of 7.92mm rounds. The rest of the group also began firing away at the approaching horde, dropping zombies left, right and centre.
But with the entire porch now covered in a thick layer of casings after the amount of ammunition fired, it wasn't enough. Bit by bit, the horde began push closer and closer to overrunning the group.
"I almost have it! Just keep them off me a little longer!" Smolder cried out, still struggling with the door.
"Yona can only give 30 seconds!" Yona cried back, keeping the triggers of her MG42s pressed down.
And exactly 21 seconds later, the wheel lock unjammed and unlocked, and the heavy metal door swung open. "GOT IT!! GET INSIDE, NOW!!!!" Smolder cried out, as she drew her MP44 and opened fire on the approaching zombies. Big Mac, Discord and Spike were the first into the safe room, which turned out to be nothing more than the centre of the town hall , which was now littered with crates, boxes, cases, a work bench and a variety of propaganda posters. Once they were inside, the Young Six soon followed, all of them still holding off the zombies with gunfire.
And once the whole group was in the safe room, Smolder slammed the door shut. The group was safe.
"Okay, everycreature. Restock on ammo, grenades and anything else you need," Gallus ordered, as the others rushed over to the crates and opened them, revealing different sized and shapes grenades, mines and other explosives. Also, some of the crates contained more ammunition for their weapons.
However, Gallus just walked past the three friends and sat himself on the work bench. "Okay, I've kept you in the dark long enough. First off, you're lucky we found you when we did, otherwise you would've become zombie food. Thing is, you're not the only ones out there that survived Z-Day," The griffon explained.
"Wait, there are more survivors?" Spike asked, very surprised.
"Yeah. We survived through running, hiding or fighting back if we were strong enough. Kind of like natural selection, but on a massive scale," Ocellus explained.
"Some survivor groups eventually found each other and we joined together, increasing our numbers and formed a resistance to fight back against the undead. We fortified our homes and gathered weapons, ready to fight," Smolder added.
"But the undead were too unmanageable. We were pushed back again and again, until only a few locations in Equestria were safe. But we were saved when... he showed up,"
"He?" Discord questioned.
"We don't know. Or rather, we don't know his real name. Only his callsign, Indigo. We've never seen him in the flesh either, just keeps sending us firearms and equipment for vehicles to our front gate. It was a blessing for us," Silverstream replied to him.
"Yeah, so here we are. Looking for survivors and fighting the zombies every chance we get," Gallus said, finishing the explanation. "Here, catch," The griffon then said, throwing a Thompson M1 to Discord, an M1897 Trench Gun to Big Mac and a Luger P08 to Spike. And after giving the three a quick lesson on how to use their weapons, he then gathered the group around the door they entered and then explained their next move.
"Listen up, everycreature. We've only got one shot at what I'm about to propose and it is going to be very dangerous. Through this door is the quickest route to the Resistance base here in Ponyville, however the route is littered with zombies. Once this door opens, run and do not stop,"
Everycreature just nodded, knowing that while this plan was dangerous it was the only option they had in order to get the three survivors to safety as quickly as possible.
Author's Note
FYI: Yes, I gave the Resistance WW2-era weapons. What? This is a crossover with Zombie Army 4 and that game is set during WW2.
And if you are confused as to where exactly the group is, then look at the linked map. This is the map I will use for Ponyville.
We all thought that us Resistance were the only creatures left alive. We thought that these undead wouldn't become anything different. And we thought that we would not survive the dark times for long.
We were wrong every single time.
After much time, the zombies began to evolve. They appeared in different types and each had different purposes. Some had some form of sentiency and could carry weapons. Some could raise killed zombies from the dead and order them to charge. And some were a blend of metal and flesh, designed for killing.
But somehow, despite all these new zombies types, we evolved along with the times and began to fight back. And even with these new undead roaming around Equestria, we still managed to find survivors out there. And our numbers grew...
PONYVILLE
Gunfire rang out through the streets, followed by the squelching of flesh and the thumping of hooves, claws and paws impacting the ground rapidly. The echos of those sounds carried through the darkened sky.
Hordes of zombies had gathered around Sugarcube Corner, attracted by the many corpses that lay in dirt out the front. Surrounded by the horde and looking for an opening to make a run for it, was our group of heroes. Having spent a few minutes racing to the Resistance base, they were eventually surrounded by zombies and forced to take shelter at the Sugarcube Corner.
Now, they were under siege, running short of ammo and about to be overrun. Gallus had radioed for support from the Resistance base and help was coming, but it would need to come quick.
"Guys, I'm running low on ammo!" Ember cried out, as she fired another burst from her MP44.
"Base, we're getting overrun! Where is that support?!" Gallus cried out into her personal radio, the gunfire from his friends drowning out his words.
'Just hold your ground a little longer. You have an armoured vehicle moving to assist. Base out,' Was the reply.
Gallus just silently cursed under his breath, then yelled out to the others, "We have to hold out! Assistance is coming!"
"About time! I'm on my last mag!" Silverstream replied.
But the undead would not let up. They inched closer and closer, while the Resistance fighters did all they could to fight back and conserve ammo. But everything would go wrong. After only 30 more seconds, Yona had run out of ammo, Gallus had only three rounds left in his rifle, Silverstream, Ocellus and Smolder were down to their last mag and Sandbar was out of rounds. Spike, Big Mac and Discord couldn't help them either, as they had run out of ammo well before they had even arrived at Sugarcube Corner.
With their weapons depleted, Sandbar and Yona ran back to protect the three, using their bodies to shield them. Eventually, the undead were slowly closing in on the door and about to break in. Those who still had ammo left didn't have enough to hold on any longer and fell back to take cover behind overturned tables.
"This isn't good," Gallus thought out loud, as he readied his Carcano for the final stand.
"Please tell me there's nothing to worry about! I don't want to die!" Spike wept, the floor below him damp with his tears as he held onto Big Mac for dear life.
"No creature is dying under my watch! Not today!" Gallus responded as he waited for the zombies to bust down the front door, ready to fight until the bitter end.
Then, everything changed at that moment. All of a sudden, there came the roar of an engine and machine gun fire, with the sounds of bodies being ripped into pieces filling the void of silence. The Young Six immediately got up and checked the windows to see what was happening.
A Hanomag APC , with barbed wire placed around the open top and fresh blood staining the armour plating, had arrived on the scene. It ran down a good portion of the undead horde and stopped with the back facing the door, a unicorn manning the MG42Z on the front and gunning down more zombies.
Gallus let out a sigh of relief. He let out a whistle and opened the front door. "You can come out, you three. You're safe,"
Eventually, the trio stepped out from behind the table and approached the door. Gallus lead the way out and opened the back door of the Hanomag and allowed the others to hop in. With everyone in, the Hanomag pulled away from the old bakery, squashing a few Zombies in the process.
It didn't take long for the APC to get through the streets and arrive at the Resistance base, which was located at once was the old Ponyville Schoolhouse. But the school was no longer what it once was. The entire perimeter was lined with pieces of wood, stone and other building materials in order to make a massive fortress wall around the building. Barbed wire and wooden spikes lined the top of the wall, with a single griffon up top, keeping watch. With the APC approaching, the entrance, which was nothing more than a cargo train car minus its wheels, was opened from the inside by a pony who then directed the Hanomag through the doors and closed them behind him.
And once the Hanomag came to a stop, Spike, Discord and Big Mac got out first and got a first-hand look at what Equestrian society had become.
Gone were the happy ponies that roamed the streets with friends, going out for drinks or to the local market. In fact, pony society had become more like griffon, dragon or even changeling society before they were reformed by friendship. All of the ponies had become faded and the expressions they wore said that they had run out of hope and that every day became a struggle for survival. And it wasn't just ponies. To the trio's surprise, the ponies were not alone. They were joined by dragons, reformed changelings, griffons and even the odd zebra, Abyssinian and even Storm Creature. This strange gathering of different creatures in one place reminded Spike of when the School of Friendship was opened and Twilight had permitted it open to students of all races.
Twilight... Spike had almost forgotten about her. He just hoped that she was okay. He hoped that she was still alive, in this nightmare land that was once his home.
A white pegasus with a bright blue mane with golden armour marched up to the group, a Lee-Enfield Mk. III bolt-action rifle slung on his back. "Sergeant Gallus, great to see you made it back in one piece," He greeted, saluting the griffon.
"We were lucky that the APC showed up when it did. We would've been zombie food otherwise," Gallus remarked.
"The Commander's waiting for you. I'll lead you too her,"
"Lead the way,"
The guard just saluted again, about-faced and walked towards the school, with all the others in tow. It didn't take long for the group to get to where they were going, which was the old classroom, where Miss Cheerilee taught fillies and foals about all sorts of subjects.
And in that room, discussing a file with a griffon, was none other than the Dragon Lord (or rather, former Dragon Lord) Ember. She finished up her discussion and handed the file to the griffon, who then walked away. Spike's eyes lit up like gems when he saw her. "EMBER!!!!" He cried out, catching the dragon's attention. The baby dragon rushed up to Ember and embraced her hips, with Ember just patting him on the head.
"Ember, I'm so glad you're safe!" Spike told her, tightening his hug.
"Same here. Thank the goddesses you're okay!" She replied, turning her attention to the farm stallion and the draconequus. "Seems like your friends got out of there as well. It's very nice to meet you again,"
"Nice to meet you, too. At least we are safe now," Discord remarked, smiling for the first time in years.
Ember joined in with her smiling, that is until Cheerilee ran up to her in a panic. "Commander! We have a problem!" She then handed Ember a slip of paper, which the dragon began to read. "It just came in. It's from Indigo,"
"Oh, shit. Dammit!!" Ember swore, turning her attention towards the three. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to need to get you back out there. We are in some serious trouble and looks like you are the only ones I can count on for this task,"
"What?!" All three cried out.
"Commander, are you sure that is the wisest idea? Why don't you send me and my squad out?" Gallus asked.
"No can do, Sergeant. We need you here in Ponyville," Ember explained, grabbing a Springfield rifle from the teacher's desk.
Gallus came up to Ember and whispered into her ear, "Are you sure you want to send them to rescue our most valuable asset? I saw how they preformed and they were out of ammunition before we were even 7 feet away from the Town Hall. If it wasn't for that, we won't have been trapped in the bakery,"
"They are friends and siblings of the Elements of Harmony. I've seen them fight before," She whispered back, "Granted it was years ago, but still. They have potential in them,"
"They won't last a single hour out there, not without proper training,"
"I'll give them a quick training before they go. We have no other choice, Gallus," Ember concluded, before turning her attention to the three in front of her. As for the three heroes, they were in utter shock. They had just arrived at the safety of a Resistance shelter and they were being sent back out?! When did the nightmare end for them?!
"Listen, I know you just got here but we really need your help on this. We have no other personnel to send on this mission. All I ask is of you to do this task for me and the entire Resistance," Ember explained to them.
"Ember, why us?" Spike asked, "We don't know what we are doing with these weapons!"
"Don't worry about it Spike. I'll give you some better training before I send you off," Ember stated, leaning in close to her old friend, "I know this is hard for you to understand, but I need you guys for this. Trust me,"
All three of our heroes stood there in silence, still processing what was going on.
