Outbreak

I rubbed some sleep out of my eyes as I rolled up my sleeping bag and tent, shoving them both into my bag I was carrying that held my cape and hat, along with Starlight’s saddlebags.

I forced the thoughts of my marefriend out of my head. I’d personally rather think about better times with Starlight, preferably when she was alive and not buried six feet under in a hastily made grave in the Everfree with a makeshift casket and a head stone from a piece of wood I found.

I gave a sigh and warily climbing down from my tree I had chosen to sleep in. I credited Starlight for teaching me how to use my tent as a makeshift hammock to avoid sleeping on the ground. Last thing I wanted was to turn into one of them and yet, it had managed to happen to Starlight somehow. Probably when we were in Ponyville searching for at least one of the elements of harmony or any survivors.

We did find a dead Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in sweet apple acres. No Applejack, Big Mac or Granny Smith but I assumed they were dead else where. Those three wouldn’t have abandoned Apple Bloom even if she was one of them or Granny Smith.

I shifted onto my hooves, adjusting my rifle I had found in the Apples house on my flank along with a smaller gun Starlight had been using. Not like the Apples needed them anymore so might as well. I had filled Starlight’s saddlebags with ammo we had managed to find.

It took us a long time to get used to how to use them but practice makes perfect. Mainly by shooting as many of those damned zombies as we could. It had sorta became a game in a sick way I suppose, seeing who could kill as many zombies as possible. It was a bit hard at first, knowing the ponies I once knew and called friends were dead and trying to kill me.

Don’t even get me started on killing them. We buried as many as we could but we got ran out pretty fast. Let’s just say if even the royal guard couldn’t push them back, what chance did we have? And now that I’m alone for the past few months, I only expect it’s a few weeks at least till I get killed.

I gave a sigh as I continued trudging slowly up the hill overlooking this small town I had came across. A bent over sign had read Dodge Junction and I tried hard to not think what the red stains on it were.

“Stupid zombies,” I grumbled and levitated a bottle of water to my lips, taking a small sip. I had to ration my food and water. Probably would go scavenge some stores in the town.

I glanced over to the north where a thick cloud of smoke rose into the sky. The smoke was what had lead me to the town and it was from a derailed train on it’s side. I didn’t bother putting out the fire because it wasn’t a big threat to me.

“Hey!” I called out to a sky blue earth colt trotting with his back turned to me, his head moving oddly. “Are you okay?”

He paused and slowly turned as I froze in fear, staring at his dead eyes as I gulped nervously, watching slowly start shuffling to me. His head was damn near cut off at the throat to my disgust and I pushed down the urge to vomit.

“I’m so sorry,” I whispered and wiped my eyes as I levitated my gun up, squeezing the trigger and I watched his head explode, his body collapsing in a pile. “I’m sorry.”

I shoved my gun back into it’s holster as I levitated a shovel out of my bag, levitating what remained of the colt and turning back to the woods. Least I could do was give him a proper burial. I like to think Starlight would be proud of me for it.

I slumped over next to a tree, taking another small sip of water. I’d spent the last three hours digging a grave for the unnamed colt before burying him. I didn’t really have a name or birth year or anything so I just put unnamed colt and his death date as today on a makeshift head stone.

I stood up, tossing my bottle into my bag and started trotting away, pausing to toss a look back at the grave before continuing on my way.

If you had told me three years ago I’d be burying dead bodies of ponies I’d killed, I’d have laughed in your face. And then never talk to you again because that’s a weird thing to say to somepony. Don’t even get me started on how creepy that would be.

I paused and listened to a loud cracking sound in the distance that I recognized idly as a gunshot and I stared warily to the south. I didn’t really like coming across survivors anymore. The last group tried to sacrifice me in Trottingham till they got overran by a horde of zombies and I fled. Karma is a bitch, after all.

I stood on the hill, levitating my rifle off, leaning against a rock for support as I looked down the sight curiously at a pegasus with a filly flying above a few colts and an earth pony mare shuffling after them.

I normally wouldn’t help out a stranger, especially not knowing how they’d react but if Starlight was still here, she’d be helping that mare and the filly in a heart beat.

I inhaled and squeezed the trigger, listening to the loud gunshot as I watched the mare snap her head back before collapsing and the pegasus whipped her head to look up at me and I gulped.

Her cutie mark did seem familiar from somewhere but I didn’t necessarily remember. Probably from one of my many magic shows I used to do but that was a past life now.

I hid behind my rock, idly listening the flapping wings get closer and the sound of hooves nearby followed by panting.

“Don’t move,” I warned quietly and pointed my handgun I had levitated out, pointing it at the mare and the filly. “Not another hoof step closer.”

“Woah!” The pegasus and the filly raised their hooves. “Trixie?”

“Uh huh. Now who the hell are you?” I demanded as she inhaled.

“Cloudkicker, from Ponyville? Remember? I helped make it a clear night for your magic show months ago,” Cloudkicker gestured behind her. “This is my sister. Alula.”

I paused and examined her, before nodding in satisfaction, sliding my handgun in it’s holster. Why they were called handguns, I’ll never know but I faintly remembered watching Applejack use it before the outbreak.

“You’re pretty good with that,” Cloudkicker noted and nodded to my rifle. “You’re not infected or anything?”

“No. I should be asking you two that,” I answered flatly as I stood up. I levitated my rifle back into it’s spot and took a step away. “I gotta get a move on before more zombies come. I hope we see each other again. I want to go bury those bodies at least too.”

“Wait!” Alula jumped in front of me and I paused. “Why don’t you come back with us?”

“The last group I was with tried to sacrifice me and Starlight. I’ll pass,” I said and went to move around her.

“Where is Starlight at?” Cloudkicker asked hopefully and I looked down at my hooves as her face fell. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Been about a month and a half since Starlight died. I don’t do groups anymore after that incident in Ponyville. I prefer to work alone now.”

“We have more than enough water, food and resources,” Cloudkicker chimed in, my eyes flicking over to her hopeful expression. “We need some good news. It’s been a long time since we last found a survivor and I can guarantee you, our leader won’t sacrifice you. None of us would. We gotta stick together, after all.”

I stared at the two giving me hopeful expressions before I looked back out at the town. I suppose I could stay if I really wanted and leave at the first sign of trouble. It would nice to be able to eat actual warm food for once.

“Lead the way,” I gestured with a hoof as Cloudkicker nodded, stepping closer than I would like and hugging me. “Air please.”

“Right! Follow us!”

I followed the two to a large fence with towers on the inside, faintly making out shadows of ponies inside and a gun leaning against the wall. From what I could tell, it was a fairly large outpost.

“Is she infected?” A white earth pony with a first aid symbol demanded as the gate opened and I gulped at two guns pointed at us by a mint green unicorn and a earth pony with a blue and pink mane.

“She isn’t Redheart. We checked,” Alula reassured her as Redheart nodded. “She was more worried about us being infected.”

“Alright. At least let Lyra check her out with her spell,” Redheart stepped aside and Lyra eyed me warily before her horn flashed green before she nodded.

“She’s all good to go,” Lyra announced and flashed me a smile. “Welcome Trixie. We’re like this with everypony we come across. It’s your girls turn now.”

I watched Cloudkicker and Alula get the same treatment before Cloudkicker led me forward, the earth pony closing the gate behind us all.

I stared with wide eyes in stunned silence at the large interior. There was shops everywhere, a bar and what looked like a meeting area. There was ponies everywhere and I recognized a good few from Ponyville. Berry Punch and Ruby, Derpy and her daughters, Minuette, Golden Harvest, Thunderlane, Caramel, Flitter and Cloudchaser to name a few. I recognized a few other Ponyville ponies mixed in what some ponies clearly from bigger cities.

“Who exactly is your leader again?” I asked suspiciously and Cloudkicker smiled.

“She’s a friend of yours,” Cloudkicker reassured me as she stopped at a modest looking house, knocking on the door.

I tensed up nervously in case of a fight as the door opened. My eyes widened as the alicorn stepped out fully, her eyes examining me with a warm smile as her face lit up.

“Trixie?”

“Twilight Sparkle?”