Fallout equestria: preparations

As I ran, I could hear more and more shouts and gunshots coming from the north wall. Ponies and griffons were running around in every direction, sometimes bumping into each other because of the blinding snow. Some we're hiding, others running away from the wall. However some creatures didn't even look bothered and kept walking around, seemingly more used to whatever was happening.

It didn't take long for me to reach the wall. And I could hear something else besides the shouts and the firing. Shrieks. A cacophony of loud, raspy shrieks. I could see the silhouettes of griffons and ponies alike firing from above the wall. I quickly climbed up a ladder leaning against the wall. I took a look over the wall to see what they were shooting at. A horde of ponies were pressed against the wall, hitting and clawing at it while shrieking. I could only see the closest ones, with most of them hidden by the thick snowstorm.

But the ones that I could see...
Looked dead to put it simply. Their fur mostly gone, their hide rotten and holes all over their bodies. Their jaws unhinged and many of their bones visible. Manes half missing and any armor or clothes they had seemingly melted to them. Others impaled with pipes and rocks. They were mindlessly trying to climb or dig through the wall, tearing through themselves. Some were missing limbs or even had holes in their heads, yet kept clawing at the wall.

The guards were simply firing into the mass of bodies, occasionally throwing a grenade or molotov into the fray. They actually took cover behind the makeshift rampart, which seemed strange seeing as the horde of undead ponies didn't have any kind of ranged weapons. I decided to do the same so I wouldn't look out of place (well anymore than I already did).

I had brought some weapons with me to defend myself from the wasteland. I had a battle saddle, with four hatches on it, each hatch concealing a weapon. I pulled out a machine gun and started firing in bursts. I didn't need to aim with how many and how close to each other the undead ponies were. While I didn't miss, many of them were left unaffected by my bullets due to armor or even debris that had been melted to them. I did get some glances from some ponies and griffons sitting beside me, but quickly focused back on the matter at hand.

The first few minutes went by without a hitch. the bodies kept piling up, being unable to attack us in any way. And we simply tore into them with bullets and explosives.

Then there was a tiny clang just beside my ear. I looked up and saw a grappling hook, hanging off the wall. More were thrown onto the wall. Ponies quickly hurried to cut them or detach them. An earth pony went to cut the one beside me. Then he was suddenly as a hail of bullets was fired from beneath. So those things did have guns. A few ponies and griffons fell dead or wounded with the first burst.

"Cut the rope."
A griffon beside me yelled at me while pointing at the rope. Before being suddenly tackled by a corpse. Dozens of armored corpses quickly climbed on the walls with clubs and pistols.

I quickly bucked another corpse off the wall as It climbed and then shot the one pinning a griffon to the ground. A few bullets bounced off my armor, shot by a rotten unicorn. I pulled a plasma gun out and turned him into a pile of ash with a few shots. Then another one climbed up.

"FOR EQUESTRIA!"
I was taken aback by the fact that he could talk. I quickly filled him with multiple holes as he charged at me with a club. I stared dumbfounded at the corpse. I wondered how he could even speak in the state that he was. Didn't last long as a fourth one appeared with a shotgun. I took the body near me and threw him, causing both to fall off. I could hear him swear as the body hit him. So they weren't the same as those clawing at the walls.

"HELP!"
I turned around and saw a griffon being dragged off the wall. Two ponies were holding his hind legs trying to pull him back.
I quickly rushed over. Some bloated and slightly glowing pony, which looked slightly less rotten than the rest, was dragging the griffon down with him. The griffon was desperately slashing the bloated thing with his claws. I punched it with my left hoof snapping its neck backwards. It fell back limply into the mass of bodies beneath and the griffon was quickly pulled back up. There was no time to see if he was alright or for any kind of thanks as more corpses climbed up.

I took a retractable blade that i had on me and cut the nearest rope alongside the hoof of a corpse climbing it and then caved the head of another unicorn in. My hoof was now covered in rotten and mushy viscera. Another one was trying to pull a rusty blade out of the skull of an unfortunate unicorn. I turned his head into ash with a shot of plasma.

A grenade was thrown upon the wall, but was quickly thrown back by a griffon. More grappling hooks were thrown and more corpses climbed up. Fortunately more guards arrived with heavier weapons.

I ended up killing another three corpses, slashing one with a blade and then shooting the other two. I also threw a fourth one over the wall. But then the wall was cleared and the grappling hooks were thrown off.

Grenade launchers were being shot into the pile of bodies clawing at the wall. After a few more minutes they retreated as the snow storm seemed to calm down. Leaving hundreds of rotten corpses laying against the wall. Dozens of dead ponies and griffons layed on the wall stabbed, shot or even bitten to the dead.

Once the snow storm was over they proceeded to pile up the bodies and burn them.

A few minutes after I had left, I was stopped by a griffon. The same griffon that I had helped. He was missing fur and had holes in his clothes where the corpse had grabbed him.
"Hey, I just wanted to thank you for ,you know, saving me. if there is any way to repay you just tell me."
This was an opportunity to ask about what had just happened.
"Anybody would have done the same. While i don't need any kind of payment, i would like to know about what just happened?"
The griffon took a sour look at my first sentence, but quickly shook it off and took a more thoughtful look.
"Sometimes they just attack us during snowstorms. there's a lot of ghouls in the city and towns and they've got access to old railways and weather stations, the smart ones that is."
Ghouls, so that's what they're called. Pretty sure I heard that word while the alarm bells were ringing.
"Why?"
"Nobody knows. Most think that the semi-feral ghouls think that we’re zebras. Some believe rumors about some mastermind named Foul Play, but there's never been proof of that."
That was useful. I would ask more about ghouls to my companions. I thanked him and turned to leave.

"Wait."
The griffon sounded desperate. I turned around, again. He looked very nervous.
"Ho...how long are you going to stay here?"
I raised an eyebrow at the question.
"A few days then i'll leave. Why do you ask?"
"Can i come with you?"
He looked at me pleadingly. Almost on his knees.
"Again, why?"
"What you said, that anybody would have done the same, that's not true. While ponies might have helped me, any other griffon would have left me to die."

He sighed and continued talking before I could ask anything.
"I gave one of the bigshots here the wrong signals. I really didn't mean to, but when I rejected her, she felt manipulated and very pissed. So things have been getting worse and I've been trying to find a way out."
He looked sincere and I would like an extra companion. But this was very sudden.
"Ok, but why me? And what make you think that i wouldn't simply stay here?"
"I assumed and hoped. There are only two pegasuses here, so it was obvious that you were new here. And when you appeared and saved me, I just felt that I had to take that chance. There are other ponies I could go with, even if only to travel to another settlement, but I would like to be with someone that can fly. You, birds of a feather flock together."
He had a pleading smile on his face and clearly looked desperate. His hands were together and he was very close to kneeling. But maybe he was hoping that new and young looking pony would accept so he could then rob him or worse.

"I already have travelling companions, i wouldn't mind more, but you need to know that none of them can fly."
"I don't mind at all. If only one of you can fly, that's already good to me."
Well, i couldn't refuse the extra member, could i? I would give him a chance.
"I'm still staying for a while, so I'll think about it. I'm currently staying at the train station."
He nodded, looking slightly happier.
"I completely understand, you don't fully trust me, but I'll prove myself."
We then departed from each other. Today had been another informative day.

On the way back to the clothes shop I managed to find and buy a map. A very simplistic map that looked like it had been drawn by a child.