The Trotting Dead

The military had set up a barrier along the boundaries of the city, and were on the lookout for Zombie Ponies, using thermal goggles to spot them. There were sporadic sounds of gunfire as they picked off the first few.

“They’re coming,” Spitfire said, grabbing her ACR from her back, “Be ready.” The others nodded, and grabbed their weapons. They all took deep breaths, and ran for the barricades.

“Wonderbolt Spitfire, ma’am, all defenses are in place, ma’am!” A soldier said, saluting Spitfire.

“Very good, Sergeant,” Spitfire said, “Have you ever killed one of these things?”

“No, ma’am,” the sergeant said, scratching his scraggly beard, “No I haven’t. Was deployed to Baltimare, but managed the evac operation, never fired my weapon.”

“Well,” Spitfire said, “Welcome to initiation, they’re here!” The massive horde of Zombie Ponies became visible through the sheets of rain, and when they saw the military, they dashed towards their lines.

“Open fire,” Soarin’ said, “Fire at will; come now soldiers, you’ll be fighting with honor today!” The military opened fire and the zombies fell by the hundreds.

Twilight stood back, and focused her sights. With the given variables of wind, water and distance, this was more of a logic game then a fight. She fired the Barrett, but missed the Zombie by three centimeters. She readjusted her aim, and fired. This time, the Zombie’s head exploded in blood. She smiled, and moved to the next one.

The military was firing incendiary ammo, which was a huge mistake. The Zombie Ponies, now on fire, charged the military lines. They overcame them, and the first casualties appeared. Twilight threw back her Barrett, and grabbed her MP5K, and fired it at a flaming Zombie. SMG rounds pierced the Zombie’s body, and sent it to the ground. She held her MP5K with one hand, and finished it off.

As she was reloading, a Zombie came up behind her. She turned, and screamed. Spitfire heard her, and grabbed her two MP9s from her underarm holsters, and razed the Zombie with bullets. Twilight dove to the ground before Spitfire fired the MP9s, and laid herself out on the street. She was splattered by the Zombie’s blood, turned and saw the carcass, now barely recognizable, three feet in front of her.

“Get up,” Spitfire, “No time for lying around.” Twilight nodded, grabbed Spitfire’s hand, and got up. She reloaded her MP5K, and picked up her Barrett. She put on her back, and cracked her neck.

All the while, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were mowing down Zombies by the dozens. Fluttershy aimed her P90, and pulled the trigger. The P90 let out a burst of bullets at the horde, and dropped two. She turned to Pinkie Pie, who was laying down covering fire for a Corporal, who was reloading his MK46 SAW. Pinkie Pie was insane on the LMG, pulling off incredible feats of accuracy, unknown with a LMG.

“Cover my reload!” Pinkie said as she ran out of ammo, ejecting the empty magazine.

“Got it,” Fluttershy called, “Cover fire!” She aimed her P90, and fired a long burst at a group of Zombies. She took them down, and smiled. She aimed at a large group, and drained her ammo at the group. Running out of ammo, she threw the P90 to the street, and upholstered her Five-seveNs, and fired them with intense precision at the horde. Headshot after headshot, Fluttershy used up her ammo. She ejected the empty pistol magazines, and loaded two new ones. She clicked the slide release, and picked up her P90. She reloaded that, and looked around her.

“Alright everypony,” she said, “We need to fall back. Hurry, they’ll catch us soon!” She covered the retreat of the military with Pinkie Pie, and ran back with her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “We’re getting overrun, what’re doing now?”

“We’re standing our ground here,” Rainbow Dash said, “But we need reinforcements, they’re just too many of them!”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, with an authoritative tone in her voice, “We’re heading to your position, and we’ll signal our approach with a yellow flare.”

“Got it,” Rainbow Dash said, “We need it quick, we’re getting overrun!” Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and the group of twelve soldiers ran to Rainbow Dash’s position, and Fluttershy let loose a yellow flare to signal their approach.

“Move it,” Fluttershy said, “They’re getting overrun! Pinkie Pie, I need cover fire!” Pinkie Pie nodded, and fired the M27. Fluttershy grabbed her Five-seveNs, and ran through a group of twelve Zombies.

The rain was getting into her eyes, and mixed with her sweat, were making them sting. She ignored the pain, and ran through; shooting anything that came near her. Two Zombies tried to pounce on her, but she performed a combat roll on the asphalt, got up, and took their heads off. She turned around, and saw one getting too close for comfort. She kicked it in the head, and fired three shots to the head.

She swept her mane out of her eyes, and sprinted for Rainbow Dash’s group. Fluttershy motioned for the rest to follow her, and they closed the last fifty feet to her position. Fluttershy reloaded, and came to Rainbow Dash.

“It’s about time!” Rainbow Dash shouted above a burst of her G36C. Gunpowder was staining her hands and face, and she was deathly tired.

“I’m a pony of my word,” Fluttershy responded, “I’ve got twelve troops apart from Pinkie and I, we can hold out here for a while longer.”

“Good, reloading!” Rainbow Dash called, slamming a new magazine in her gun. “We’re going to need these ponies to fight for their lives, Fluttershy. I don’t think we can make it out of here alive.”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy smiled, “Do you think we came this far to give up now?” Rainbow Dash nodded, and they grabbed each other’s hands and looked at each other. “We fight, or we die, Rainbow Dash, and I think we’re going to fight.” Rainbow Dash nodded, shook Fluttershy’s hand, dropped it, and let loose a burst of her G36.

Fluttershy pulled back the charging handle, and exhaled. She brought the gun up to her eyes, and fired the weapon. The rain was pounding the city, and started to flood the streets, and streaks of lightning appeared. This wasn’t just a fight against the undead; it was a fight against nature as well, as the Ponies struggled to fight under the harsh weather.
The Zombie Ponies, no matter how many fell, came to the defensive barricade Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were guarding. They tore it apart, and began to attack the soldiers. There were screams of stallions and ponies alike as they struggled to get them off. The rest ran from them, and went farther into the city.

Spitfire heard the screams, and flew up in the sky to see what was going on. She saw them break through, and told the ponies to fall back. They ran into the city, and Spitfire, Soarin’, and Twilight ran to rendezvous with the other three.

“Applejack, Rarity, Derpy, and all Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said over the radio, “I am heading to Rainbow Dash’s position. Once I arrive, I will send up a blue flare. You are to follow it, and rendezvous with myself and the others. Move out,” she flew up, and went over to Rainbow Dash. She nodded at her, and sent up a blue flare.

The other Wonderbolts and Derpy flew to the flare, while Rarity used her magic to levitate herself and Applejack to the rendezvous point.

Reunited, the group ran into the center of town, and began their final stand. They reloaded their weapons and side arms, and Spitfire used thermal binoculars to spot the Zombie Ponies. By now, a large clock sounded five o’ clock, and the rain started to cease. As the sun poked out for the first time that day, Spitfire felt relief. At least they weren’t fighting in the rain anymore.

The temperature dropped rapidly as they waited for the Zombies to come. They soon saw their breath, and watched the puddles in the street freeze. Winter had come early, great.

“This is nothing we’re not used to,” Spitfire said, “Just keep fighting, and ignore it. We can pull through this. We’ve been through Canterlot, we can survive this.” The Wonderbolts nodded, and shook their heads to ignore the cold.
Rarity reloaded her MP7, this time actually holding it with her hands, and switched to burst fire mode. She sneezed, and looked at the street. She was having a rough day, her mane out of order, being out of her element, but these days, who wasn’t?

There was a loud screech, and the Zombie Ponies appeared, sprinting in a large horde of over a hundred Zombies. Everyone raised their rifles, and pulled the trigger. The sound of over fifteen weapons firing at once sounded like sweet music as it sent projectiles of death towards the living dead.

“Alright,” Applejack said as she popped a head off a Zombie with an Anaconda, “Just like the shooting range back in Appleloosa!” She pulled off another headshot, and rolled out the cylinder to reload. She put in six rounds, and slid it back into the chamber. She raised it, and pulled off six shots in five seconds, taking down three Zombies. Once they got within fifty feet, she switched to the Striker.

She raised it to her shoulder, and fired three shots, spraying buckshot into five Zombies. She smiled, and aimed it at another group, a group of about ten. She fired six, and took them down. With three shots left, she aimed at one dressed in body armor. The buckshot tore through it, and spilled the Pegasus’ blood and guts on the courtyard floor.

“I need to reload!” She called, and Derpy heard her call. She raised her AK-47, closed her left eye, and fired her entire clip at four Zombies heading towards Applejack. The bullets tore through flesh, bone and concrete as they sent them to their maker. She pulled the magazine out, and loaded a new one, and pulled back the charging handle.

She aimed at the main horde, and let the AK run wild. Zombies fell one by one, until Derpy ran out of ammo in that magazine. She looked for another magazine, but decided she was out of ammo. She threw the gun at a Zombie, and took out her USP, and shot it three times in the neck and head.

By now, the horde was overtaking the group of survivors, and they retreated into a courthouse, where they barricaded them in front of the bench. They moved chairs in front of the bar, and held out here. They were running low on ammo, and the undead kept increasing in size and intensity.

Rainbow Dash had had enough. She turned to Spitfire, and said, “Spitfire, call in the OFC.”

“What are you talking about; we can’t in a metropolitan area!” Spitfire said. The OFC or Orbital Friendship Cannon was a satellite in orbit of Equestria, armed with one large proton cannon, which could wipe out Manehattan. If she called it in, everypony –living and dead– would die in the explosion.

“We have no choice, Spitfire.” Rainbow Dash said, “We can’t keep fighting in Manehattan forever.”

“But most of the ponies from Baltimare, Canterlot, Fillydelphia and Ponyville are here!” Spitfire argued, “You want to kill them all?”

“No!” Rainbow Dash said, “What I’m saying is that we should all get out of Manehattan, and fire the OFC in the center of the city. It’ll kill all of the infected ponies, we will have won!” Spitfire pondered this, and agreed.

“General Armor,” Spitfire said, “We need to get out of Manehattan. I suggest getting everypony out of here, and leveling it with an OFC blast.”

“Wait, Armor?” Twilight said, “You mean like my brother, Shining Armor? He’s a general?”

“He was promoted to the rank at the start of the outbreak,” Soarin’ said, “Once word reached Canterlot, Princess Celestia made him the Supreme Commander of the Equestrian Army. He has the command over every soldier in the army, and now, the Wonderbolts, as we have provided our services for the duration of the outbreak.”

The Zombies came up to the courthouse and started to bang against the windows. Their constant moaning surrounded the courthouse. Fluttershy looked, and pulled back the charging handle on her P90. She looked to Spitfire, and nodded.

Rarity swept her mane back with her hand to keep it out of her eyes. She sighed, and checked her ammo. The last few days had been rough on her, turning from a fashion designer to a Zombie killer in the matter of a few hours. She was exhausted, she needed sleep desperately. But something told her she wasn’t going to get it anytime soon.

“They never give us a break,” Rarity complained, “I just want a half hours sleep, that’s all, nothing more than that and a hot meal.”

“Rarity,” Spitfire said, “Shut up. Complaining won’t work, complaining won’t kill them. Just shut up and fight.”

Rarity sighed, “Alright, just saying what I need. Here they come, get ready.”

The Zombies began to crack the windows. Applejack looked up from reloading the Striker, and saw a pale pink Zombie bang against the window and broke it.

“Son of a buck,” Applejack said, and fired the Striker at the Zombie and sent its brains flying, “They’re breaking through! Pinkie Pie, I need you to guard the front door with Fluttershy!”

“Got it,” Pinkie Pie said, saluting Applejack, “I’ll do it, come on Fluttershy, this is going to be fun!” She then bounced away with Fluttershy to the back of the courtroom, which turned to look to Applejack and shrugged.

“Rainbow Dash, you need to guard the windows with Spitfire and Soarin’. Twilight, head to the top floor and take them out with your sniper rifle.” Twilight nodded, and went upstairs. “Rarity, you come with me, we’re heading with Pinkie and Fluttershy. The rest of you, guard the windows. Not one of those Zombie bucks are getting in here.”

The soldiers saluted, and Applejack walked away. She tightened her grip on the Striker, and cracked her neck.

“Let’s do this.” She said.

She came to the front lobby, and heard the banging on the door. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were busy pushing up chairs to the door to barricade themselves in. Rarity used her magic to move large benches in front of the door.
A Zombie Pony had broken its hand through the door, and Fluttershy jumped back. She squealed, and shot the hand with a Five-seveN. The hand retracted, and Fluttershy sighed.

The Zombies had then begun to bang on the door, and the barricades didn’t work at all, because they just broke through the door. The groaning was louder than a sonic rainboom as hundreds came up to the door.

Everypony raised their weapons, and fired at the Zombie Ponies. Although many fell, for each one they killed, two more took its place. Applejack didn’t know what to do, it seemed like this was it. She ran back a few feet, and reloaded the Striker. She aimed at a Zombie’s chest, and fired. The spray from the buckshot went everywhere, and she took down three with one shot.

“Twilight,” Applejack screamed, “Where the buck is that sniper cover?”

Applejack heard the Barrett fire, and she screamed, “Thank you!”

What seemed to be thousands of Zombie Ponies had surrounded the courthouse, and they began to break through the windows and doors. Everypony was doing their best to hold them back, but soon, they were backed up against the bench in the largest courtroom.

“What the buck?!” Rainbow Dash screamed, obviously distraught, “There’s no way out of here!”

“Looks like this is it, huh Soarin’?” Spitfire said after taking out a Zombie Pony.

“It would seem that way,” Soarin’ agreed with a melancholy tone, “We’ll hold out to the last bullet. Nopony gives up, you hear me?”

“Yes sir!” The soldiers said, and continued firing their M16s.

“Come on now, everypony,” Twilight said, “We can do this, just don’t look back.”

The horde came running into the courtroom, and the final fight began. Twilight grabbed her MP5K, and fired blindly into the horde. Pinkie Pie only had a frown on her face as she took down the Zombies seemingly emotionlessly.

Rainbow Dash was screaming her head off as she ran out of ammo for her G36C, and threw it into the horde. She reached for her Desert Eagle, and switched the safety off. She pointed it into the horde of ponies, with their faded pink, green, blue and every color of the rainbow manes, and pulled the trigger. The .50 AE bullet flew across the courtroom, and smashed through a Zombie Pony’s head, sending blood and brain matter everywhere.

Rainbow Dash kept firing the Desert Eagle, but a rate of thirty rounds a minute. Zombies fell, and Rainbow Dash blocked all emotions from her mind. She needed to do this, if she killed her friends, they aren’t friends anymore.

The Zombies broke through the barriers at the bar, and they sprinted towards the group of fifteen or so ponies. Fluttershy screamed as she fired all of her P90 magazine into the horde blindly.

The Zombies lodged their teeth into one soldier, and he screamed for help. Spitfire turned away, and fired her ACR into the soldier’s head. One by one, the soldiers and Wonderbolts fell, and now there was only Soarin’, Spitfire, Derpy and the Mane 6. They were pushed back into a corner, and they were almost out of ammo.

“Get the buck off me!” Applejack screamed as she drew her .44 Magnums on a Zombie lunging towards her, and took its head off.

They were about to get overrun, when they heard a large boom in the distance. Rainbow Dash looked, and saw a beam of rainbow strike down on the street. A rainbow shockwave raced towards the courthouse.

“OFC blast,” she screamed, “Get down!”

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Just so you know, OFC means Orbital Friendship Cannon. I got the idea from the Toybox weapon of Garry’s Mod, and I immediately fell in love with it. Basically it’s like a satellite-fired nuclear weapon. So, what will happen now with Manehattan leveled, where will they Mane 6 and their friends go? Find out in the next chapter!