Equestrian Outbreak: Zombie Infectionby MccabbageChaptersProloguePromotionRecruitsPrologueThe virus spread across Equestria quickly. It infected several thousand ponies, from pegasi, to unicorns and even earth ponies. No one was immune to it. Those who had been infected quickly died, their bodies shutting down due to the aggressive nature of the virus. Ponies began dying in the streets, in their homes and places of work. Before the bodies of the dead were even cold, they rose up and attacked others. Those bitten soon die from the infection, before rising up and becoming hostile. Authorities were calling them the walking dead. Ponies were warned to stay away from any of those thought to be infected and to travel to military installations for safety. As the walking dead’s numbers increased, the military installations were quickly over run. Those who survived fled for Canterlot or the border. Those who fled to the borders hoped to leave Equestria into its neighbouring countries and get away from the zombie hordes. Little did they know, many of these countries had sealed their borders, erecting giant walls to protect their land. News of the virus had spread throughout the land. Many were killed trying to cross them, whether they were infected or not. Still they continue to flee, forever running from the walking dead. Soon many cities across Equestria fell. Canterlot was thought to be the last strong hold left standing against the zombie hordes. As the survivors escaped into Canterlot, so did the virus. Before anyone could react, the zombies spread throughout Canterlot. The Solar and Lunar guards fought bravely, but they too were killed. As the zombies broke into the castle, Princess Celestia sacrificed herself for her sister, Princess Luna. Luna fled the city with the remaining survivors of Canterlot. The Princess and the remaining survivors headed south, hoping to escape Equestria through the Bad lands. As word spread that Canterlot had fallen, many ponies had lost hope. Soon chaos consumed Equestria. Riots broke out across Equestria as ponies robbed stores looking for supplies. But the masses of ponies rioting had attracted some attention. The zombie ponies began killing the rioters. The zombie apocalypse was becoming worse. Many of those who neither ran nor were consumed fought against these zombie hordes. They fought for their families, their friends, for their fallen princess Celestia and her sister, as well as their country. But many fell, consumed by the virus. They quickly changed and fought against those they tried to protect. But there were those who hide. Seeking shelter within their boarded up homes, offices or anything that could keep them hidden. Some chose to make these shelters into forts, able to fight the zombie hordes the safety of their walls. Some forts were over run, destroyed by the zombies, but some withstood their attacks. As the months went by slowly, small groups of ponies joined together. These groups began to raid against fellow ponies. Others fought against the zombie ponies. These groups became famous in their own way. Those who raided were quick to be called pirates, savages, traitors. They killed both zombie ponies and normal ponies, taking what they wanted for themselves. Soon the groups became more fearless, attacking forts that had withstood against countless waves of zombie ponies. Though many hadn’t succeeded, there were those that had, killing many survivors. For those who rose to the challenge of the infection, a group had formed, known namely as; The Zombie Hunters. A group of several hundred ponies, fought against the zombie hordes and against the pirates. The Zombie Hunters saved those in distress, and braved the wilds for places of refuge. As the Zombie Hunters searched, they came across towns, cities and even the remains of Canterlot. Each place was over run and deemed too dangerous to enter. But one place stood out amongst the rest. A town simply known as; Appleloosa. The ponies of Appleloosa, as well as their newfound companions, the buffalos, had joined forces and fought against the zombie hordes. As time passed by, a wall had been built around Appleloosa, protecting it from the ever increasing waves of zombie ponies. The Zombie Hunters had joined forces with the Appleloosans and buffalo to create a safe haven for survivors. Soon the township grew larger as ponies began to seek refuge in Appleloosa. It soon became a thriving city, the many apple orchards of Appleloosa supplying the town. But with no Princess to lead them, Appleloosa soon began to become unstable. The survivors were beginning to fight amongst each other. As the situation began to become out of control, a stallion stood up and proved to them he could lead them into a new world. Many went against him, but time and time again, he proved to be the victor. The survivors supported him and he was immediately made mayor. They called him Mayor Braeburn. Braeburn had calmed the city. He made it function effectively and efficiently. He set up training grounds for those who wanted training to fight the zombies, homes for those who had none and gave food to the starving. He even forged an army of buffalo and ponies to protect Appleloosa and its inhabitants. Braeburn ordered the Zombie Hunters to search Equestria to find any survivors and items of use. A year had passed and still the zombies roamed across Equestria. The Zombie Hunters had found hundreds of survivors, sending them to Appleloosa. They searched the Bad Lands in the hopes of finding Luna and the survivors of Canterlot. After months of searching they had found them. 816 survivors were found. 72 of those were Solar and Luna guards, who protected Luna and the survivors. Hidden amongst these survivors was Luna, as well as 4 of the Elements of Harmony themselves. The Elements of Loyalty and Magic were nowhere to be found. Princess Luna and the survivors were escorted to Appleloosa, where they were given homes, food and medical treatment. Princess Luna took to the throne and began to help in the governing of Appleloosa with Mayor Braeburn beside her. The remaining Elements of Harmony took up roles to help Appleloosa thrive. Years later and Appleloosa still stands today. Countless waves of zombies and pirates had been defeated. The walls of Appleloosa held strong. The ponies and buffalo stood stronger. Here our story begins, with three unlikely ponies, a one eyed griffon and a buffalo PromotionA one eyed griffon walked swiftly down a crowded corridor. His black Lunar armour shimmered in the light, throwing little rays of light around him. It covered the majority of his body. Two slots on the back piece allowed him to wear it without hampering his wings. His armour was usually dirt ridden and rarely shone, but today, he had a meeting. Too bad the battle scars and various dents couldn’t be cleaned up. His chest plate had been smashed in, but had been fixed earlier. As he continued his walk down the corridor, ponies began stepping out of his way. Some threw him a salute, others dirty and untrusting glances. The griffon was the only one of his kind in the Lunar guard and many of his fellow guard members didn’t trust him. The griffon finally made it to his destination. A pair of giant oak doors lead to the town hall’s meeting room. With a quick nod to the guards out front, who opened the giant oak doors, the griffon stepped forwarded and entered the room. “Lieutenant Swift, it’s an honour to see you again.” A yellow stallion greeted Swift. Swift looked the stallion over. He quickly noticed his Stinson, which covered his orange hair, was missing. His vest, which was brown in colour, was still being worn. A name tag had been placed on his right side of the vest, the name Mayor Braeburn had been written upon it. To his left sat Luna, Princess of the night. Her dark regale shone in the afternoon light. Her armour covered a large portion of her body. Her cutie mark was in the centre of her chest plate. “Come, forward Lieutenant. We have much to discuss.” Luna declared. Swift approached them before giving a quick bow. As Swift stood before them, a loud bang resounded behind him, signalling the giant oak door had been shut. “Sir, Ma’am, I've come as you asked,” Swift stated loudly. “At ease Lieutenant,” Braeburn laughed, “it’s just a simple meeting about your new squad. Wait, did you know you were being put in charge of a squad? Maybe I should have started with that.” “Sir?” Swift asked confused. New squad? What new squad? And since when did they let me have a squad to myself. “The Mayor and I have been talking Lieutenant Swift. It appears you are too valuable to be doing guard duty, instead of something that can benefit Appleloosa in some way. So instead, we have agreed to give you a new squad. A squad that has no experience what so ever and is to be trained by you.” “Ma’am, no disrespect, but I don’t think that’s a very good idea. I’m not the best for training guard ponies.” Swift said. “Swift, you won’t be training to be Lunar guards, but scavengers for the Zombie Hunters. Your talents at finding items of interest are invaluable.” Braeburn said. “They need somepo-sorry griffon who knows what they’re doing. And look on the bright side, you’ll get to fight some zombies.” I can’t believe this. I’m a Lunar guard, not a scavenger! And what was this crap about fighting zombies? Scavengers don’t fight zombies! They hide from them! This is complete bullsh- “Lieutenant! Did you hear me?” Mayor Braeburn said. Swift blinked several times before nodding. Ops. “You will report to the Zombie Hunter’s barracks immediately. There you will meet Strongheart and acquire your new armour. Strongheart will help you in training the new recruit. Understood?” “Understood Sir.” Swift shouted. “Good, then you’re dismissed.” Swift blinked rapidly before quickly bowing and leaving the meeting room. As he reached the giant oak door, Braeburn called out to him. Turning on the spot, Swift addressed him. “Sir?” “Welcome to the Zombie Hunters, Captain.” With a nod, Swift pushed open the oak doors and left. As the giant oak door shut behind him, Luna and mayor Braeburn exchanged glances. “I don’t know about this Princess Luna. Swift is not the best griffon to train new recruits. Nor do I think this is the best way to strengthen our alliance with the buffalo. Using the chief’s daughter as a training instructor might not be best.” “Do not worry Mayor. Strongheart knows what she is doing. She will guide Swift and the new recruits. Soon they will be the best of the best in no time.” Braeburn watched Luna’s face, but it held no signs of what she had in store. “What if Strongheart is hurt? Or worse? Then what? Your plan will have failed and our alliance broken.” “Have fate Braeburn. Our plan will work. It has to.” RecruitsSwift walked down the cobblestone path, muttering quietly to himself. At least i got promoted. he chuckled to himself. Yeah promoted! Only so I can train some new recruits. Brilliant. Swift sighed and looked around. He had made his way to the centre of town-square. Various ponies walked about the town-square, some running. No one smiled, no one sang, everypony was depressed. Everypony excepted.... Oh no, please not her! Not now! Swift turned and tried to run, only to slam into the pink mare herself. "Hi Swifty!" How are you? What did Princess Luna and Mayor want? Was it about a party? I love part-" Pinkie Pie was silenced by the sudden appearance of a talon across her mouth. "Hello Pinkie", Swift sighed, "I'm fine, the Princess and Mayor wanted to promote me and no. It was NOT about a party." "A promotion!" Pinkie Pie gasped, "You know what this calls for!?" Swift rolled his eyes before replying, "A party." Pinkie began bouncing around Swift as she began her famous tangent. "Exactly! Which means we need cake! And balloons! And cupcakes! And streamers! And music! Oh this is going to be so much fun!" Pinkie suddenly stopped and gasped "I'll have to start handing out the invites! I'll see you later Swifty! I have a party to plan!" With that, she zoomed off in a pink blur. "Have fun with that" Swift muttered as he began to walk towards the barracks, "Just don't steal Ditzy's muffins." The barracks was a hastily built place, or maybe a rundown tavern, Swift didn't know, or particularly care. As long as there was a warm bed and hot food, anyplace was home to him. Various tents surrounded the barracks, each in their little groups. From the Lunar Guards to the Zombie Hunters, even the scavengers, had their small groups within the cluster of tents. "Great, forgot. I have to reserve a few tents for the recruits, not to mention move all my stuff there, not that I have much, but the effort!" Swift complained to himself. He made his way through the maze of tents towards the main building. he didn't feel like flying, that and no one was aloud to near the tents. An incident had occurred several weeks ago when two pegasi collided mid-air above the tents. Tents were destroyed, tempers flared and new rules were put in place. As he pasted through the tents, a few ponies, even a few buffalo saluted him. He didn't return them, never did, unless they earned his respect. Swift pushed open the doors to the barracks and made his way to the front desk. The barracks looked similar to a tavern, but there were no tables, chairs or even drinks. Guess it does look a little like a tavern. Swift thought to himself. A pale blue mare with a purple mane looked up and eyed Swift. "You the new Captain?" She asked. Swift gave a sharp nod and the pale yellow mare pasted over a sheet of paper. Swift picked up the paper and began reading it over as she explained what it contained. "Details of your new squad. Oh, and good luck, you'll need it." Swift looked up from the piece of paper. "Umm, thanks, I think." Swift looked over the new recruits. All 7 of them. 2 pegasi, 2 unicorns, 2 earth ponies and a buffalo. 3 ponies he knew, every one knew them and their destructive powers. The fearsome, terrifying, crazy beyond all belief, Cutie Mark Crusaders. Some how, these 3 fillies had gotten into the barracks, signed up and joined the Zombie Hunters. Under age. Perfect excuse to kick them out. Swift smiled. "Right listen up!" Swift shouted. All 7 recruits lined up and stood at attention. "Only 4 recruits are going to make it through the selection process!" Swift smiled as he saw the determination in the Cutie Mark Crusaders eyes. Would have made great Zombie Hunters. Oh well! "And since 3 of you are under age! The rest are now members of my squad! Cutie Mark Crusaders, go home. Now." Swift smiled as the Cutie Mark Crusaders hung their heads and turned to go home. "Next time, I'll tell your parents! And stop doing dangerous things! You'll never get your cutie mark if your dead!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickened their pace upon hearing Swifts threat and left without a single thing going wrong. "Now for the rest of- Strongheart. What are you doing here?" Swift said after noticing the buffalo. "I wanted to fight, so I joined up." Little Strongheart replied. She looked bulkier than the last time Swift saw her. "Your father know?" "Yes" "Yes what? "Yes Sir!" "Going to give it your all?" "Yes Sir!" "Good! Now all of you! Run. Run as fast and far as you can til you throw up! Than run some more!" "Where, sir?" A brown pegasus with a blonde streaked mane and green eyes asked. His cutie mark was a pair of headphones with a cord. "Along the wall, all the way around! Any more questions?!" Swift barked. The all shook their heads and began running as fast as they could. Swift watched them run taking in their appearances and comparing them to his squad sheet. The brown pegasus was Techno. The earth pony, a mare, was known as Green Clover, a dark green pony with a streaked lighter green mane and yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a 3 leaf clover. The last recruit, the unicorn, was a fire red stallion with an orange mane and gold eyes. His cutie mark was a fireball. His name was Fire-Light. And Swift was beginning to like Fire-Light. He had pulled ahead of the group and was already running along the wall. The rest had only just gotten to the wall and were falling behind quicker. They seem dedicated. They might impress me. Swift was not impressed. At all. Fire-Light was the only one that had made it around the wall and was half through his second lap by the time the others had made their first lap. Techno had already vomited and Green Clover was looking more green than usual and even Strongheart was looking a little pale and exhausted. The wall's circumference was close to 5 kilometers, it was no wonder they were exhausted. Except Fire-Light. Swift could see him still running on the far side of the town. Sighing, Swift yelled to the other recruits to pack it in. They grumbled in reply and fell to the ground heaving. Little to no endurance, but at least they are determined. Especially Fire-Light. Swift looked over the exhausted recruits and rolled his eyes. "Go to mess, get some food and water then meet back here in an hour. I'll go and tell 'Hot Hooves' out there to take a break." The group mumbled incoherently and walked off to the barracks. Swift meanwhile took off and flew along the way towards Fire-Light. He soon caught up to Fire-light and began flying along side the galloping unicorn. "Come to tell me how awesome I'm doing sir?" Fire-Light asked. "No. I came to tell you to take a break." Swift replied. Fire-Light stumbled and nearly tripped before regaining his balance and continued to gallop along the wall. "No can do sir. I'm going to keep running til I can't go on now any more!" Fire-Light said and with a burst of speed, he shoot ahead of Swift. Swift sighed and flapped harder, quickly gaining up to him. Fire-Light looked back and smiling, galloped faster. "Come on Sir! Race you around the wall!" Sighing, Swift landed and ran after Fire-Light. Why the hell not? Let's see what his got. With that, Swift speed after Fire-Light. Swift was exhausted. The race with Fire-Light had been entertaining to say the least. By the pair's third lap of the wall, it had drawn the attention of a small crowd. With each kilometer the pair did, the crowd had grown larger. Bets were placed on who would win and even a cheer squad was formed, which was made up of only Pinkie Pie. By the end of the seventh lap, the pair were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Fortunately, some thing was going to decide to end it. Fire-Light tripped suddenly, his face slamming into the ground. He skidded several meters before stopping. Swift, having stopped, turned back around and declared proudly; "I win. Hit the mess and maybe the showers." With that, Swift walked away. Fire-Light grumbled before doing what he said. He watched as the crowd cheered for Swift before breaking up. Author's Note It's Back! Long time huh! Well dont worry, this story ain't gonna stop! Unless school or work get in the way...
PrologueThe virus spread across Equestria quickly. It infected several thousand ponies, from pegasi, to unicorns and even earth ponies. No one was immune to it. Those who had been infected quickly died, their bodies shutting down due to the aggressive nature of the virus. Ponies began dying in the streets, in their homes and places of work. Before the bodies of the dead were even cold, they rose up and attacked others. Those bitten soon die from the infection, before rising up and becoming hostile. Authorities were calling them the walking dead. Ponies were warned to stay away from any of those thought to be infected and to travel to military installations for safety. As the walking dead’s numbers increased, the military installations were quickly over run. Those who survived fled for Canterlot or the border. Those who fled to the borders hoped to leave Equestria into its neighbouring countries and get away from the zombie hordes. Little did they know, many of these countries had sealed their borders, erecting giant walls to protect their land. News of the virus had spread throughout the land. Many were killed trying to cross them, whether they were infected or not. Still they continue to flee, forever running from the walking dead. Soon many cities across Equestria fell. Canterlot was thought to be the last strong hold left standing against the zombie hordes. As the survivors escaped into Canterlot, so did the virus. Before anyone could react, the zombies spread throughout Canterlot. The Solar and Lunar guards fought bravely, but they too were killed. As the zombies broke into the castle, Princess Celestia sacrificed herself for her sister, Princess Luna. Luna fled the city with the remaining survivors of Canterlot. The Princess and the remaining survivors headed south, hoping to escape Equestria through the Bad lands. As word spread that Canterlot had fallen, many ponies had lost hope. Soon chaos consumed Equestria. Riots broke out across Equestria as ponies robbed stores looking for supplies. But the masses of ponies rioting had attracted some attention. The zombie ponies began killing the rioters. The zombie apocalypse was becoming worse. Many of those who neither ran nor were consumed fought against these zombie hordes. They fought for their families, their friends, for their fallen princess Celestia and her sister, as well as their country. But many fell, consumed by the virus. They quickly changed and fought against those they tried to protect. But there were those who hide. Seeking shelter within their boarded up homes, offices or anything that could keep them hidden. Some chose to make these shelters into forts, able to fight the zombie hordes the safety of their walls. Some forts were over run, destroyed by the zombies, but some withstood their attacks. As the months went by slowly, small groups of ponies joined together. These groups began to raid against fellow ponies. Others fought against the zombie ponies. These groups became famous in their own way. Those who raided were quick to be called pirates, savages, traitors. They killed both zombie ponies and normal ponies, taking what they wanted for themselves. Soon the groups became more fearless, attacking forts that had withstood against countless waves of zombie ponies. Though many hadn’t succeeded, there were those that had, killing many survivors. For those who rose to the challenge of the infection, a group had formed, known namely as; The Zombie Hunters. A group of several hundred ponies, fought against the zombie hordes and against the pirates. The Zombie Hunters saved those in distress, and braved the wilds for places of refuge. As the Zombie Hunters searched, they came across towns, cities and even the remains of Canterlot. Each place was over run and deemed too dangerous to enter. But one place stood out amongst the rest. A town simply known as; Appleloosa. The ponies of Appleloosa, as well as their newfound companions, the buffalos, had joined forces and fought against the zombie hordes. As time passed by, a wall had been built around Appleloosa, protecting it from the ever increasing waves of zombie ponies. The Zombie Hunters had joined forces with the Appleloosans and buffalo to create a safe haven for survivors. Soon the township grew larger as ponies began to seek refuge in Appleloosa. It soon became a thriving city, the many apple orchards of Appleloosa supplying the town. But with no Princess to lead them, Appleloosa soon began to become unstable. The survivors were beginning to fight amongst each other. As the situation began to become out of control, a stallion stood up and proved to them he could lead them into a new world. Many went against him, but time and time again, he proved to be the victor. The survivors supported him and he was immediately made mayor. They called him Mayor Braeburn. Braeburn had calmed the city. He made it function effectively and efficiently. He set up training grounds for those who wanted training to fight the zombies, homes for those who had none and gave food to the starving. He even forged an army of buffalo and ponies to protect Appleloosa and its inhabitants. Braeburn ordered the Zombie Hunters to search Equestria to find any survivors and items of use. A year had passed and still the zombies roamed across Equestria. The Zombie Hunters had found hundreds of survivors, sending them to Appleloosa. They searched the Bad Lands in the hopes of finding Luna and the survivors of Canterlot. After months of searching they had found them. 816 survivors were found. 72 of those were Solar and Luna guards, who protected Luna and the survivors. Hidden amongst these survivors was Luna, as well as 4 of the Elements of Harmony themselves. The Elements of Loyalty and Magic were nowhere to be found. Princess Luna and the survivors were escorted to Appleloosa, where they were given homes, food and medical treatment. Princess Luna took to the throne and began to help in the governing of Appleloosa with Mayor Braeburn beside her. The remaining Elements of Harmony took up roles to help Appleloosa thrive. Years later and Appleloosa still stands today. Countless waves of zombies and pirates had been defeated. The walls of Appleloosa held strong. The ponies and buffalo stood stronger. Here our story begins, with three unlikely ponies, a one eyed griffon and a buffalo
PromotionA one eyed griffon walked swiftly down a crowded corridor. His black Lunar armour shimmered in the light, throwing little rays of light around him. It covered the majority of his body. Two slots on the back piece allowed him to wear it without hampering his wings. His armour was usually dirt ridden and rarely shone, but today, he had a meeting. Too bad the battle scars and various dents couldn’t be cleaned up. His chest plate had been smashed in, but had been fixed earlier. As he continued his walk down the corridor, ponies began stepping out of his way. Some threw him a salute, others dirty and untrusting glances. The griffon was the only one of his kind in the Lunar guard and many of his fellow guard members didn’t trust him. The griffon finally made it to his destination. A pair of giant oak doors lead to the town hall’s meeting room. With a quick nod to the guards out front, who opened the giant oak doors, the griffon stepped forwarded and entered the room. “Lieutenant Swift, it’s an honour to see you again.” A yellow stallion greeted Swift. Swift looked the stallion over. He quickly noticed his Stinson, which covered his orange hair, was missing. His vest, which was brown in colour, was still being worn. A name tag had been placed on his right side of the vest, the name Mayor Braeburn had been written upon it. To his left sat Luna, Princess of the night. Her dark regale shone in the afternoon light. Her armour covered a large portion of her body. Her cutie mark was in the centre of her chest plate. “Come, forward Lieutenant. We have much to discuss.” Luna declared. Swift approached them before giving a quick bow. As Swift stood before them, a loud bang resounded behind him, signalling the giant oak door had been shut. “Sir, Ma’am, I've come as you asked,” Swift stated loudly. “At ease Lieutenant,” Braeburn laughed, “it’s just a simple meeting about your new squad. Wait, did you know you were being put in charge of a squad? Maybe I should have started with that.” “Sir?” Swift asked confused. New squad? What new squad? And since when did they let me have a squad to myself. “The Mayor and I have been talking Lieutenant Swift. It appears you are too valuable to be doing guard duty, instead of something that can benefit Appleloosa in some way. So instead, we have agreed to give you a new squad. A squad that has no experience what so ever and is to be trained by you.” “Ma’am, no disrespect, but I don’t think that’s a very good idea. I’m not the best for training guard ponies.” Swift said. “Swift, you won’t be training to be Lunar guards, but scavengers for the Zombie Hunters. Your talents at finding items of interest are invaluable.” Braeburn said. “They need somepo-sorry griffon who knows what they’re doing. And look on the bright side, you’ll get to fight some zombies.” I can’t believe this. I’m a Lunar guard, not a scavenger! And what was this crap about fighting zombies? Scavengers don’t fight zombies! They hide from them! This is complete bullsh- “Lieutenant! Did you hear me?” Mayor Braeburn said. Swift blinked several times before nodding. Ops. “You will report to the Zombie Hunter’s barracks immediately. There you will meet Strongheart and acquire your new armour. Strongheart will help you in training the new recruit. Understood?” “Understood Sir.” Swift shouted. “Good, then you’re dismissed.” Swift blinked rapidly before quickly bowing and leaving the meeting room. As he reached the giant oak door, Braeburn called out to him. Turning on the spot, Swift addressed him. “Sir?” “Welcome to the Zombie Hunters, Captain.” With a nod, Swift pushed open the oak doors and left. As the giant oak door shut behind him, Luna and mayor Braeburn exchanged glances. “I don’t know about this Princess Luna. Swift is not the best griffon to train new recruits. Nor do I think this is the best way to strengthen our alliance with the buffalo. Using the chief’s daughter as a training instructor might not be best.” “Do not worry Mayor. Strongheart knows what she is doing. She will guide Swift and the new recruits. Soon they will be the best of the best in no time.” Braeburn watched Luna’s face, but it held no signs of what she had in store. “What if Strongheart is hurt? Or worse? Then what? Your plan will have failed and our alliance broken.” “Have fate Braeburn. Our plan will work. It has to.”
RecruitsSwift walked down the cobblestone path, muttering quietly to himself. At least i got promoted. he chuckled to himself. Yeah promoted! Only so I can train some new recruits. Brilliant. Swift sighed and looked around. He had made his way to the centre of town-square. Various ponies walked about the town-square, some running. No one smiled, no one sang, everypony was depressed. Everypony excepted.... Oh no, please not her! Not now! Swift turned and tried to run, only to slam into the pink mare herself. "Hi Swifty!" How are you? What did Princess Luna and Mayor want? Was it about a party? I love part-" Pinkie Pie was silenced by the sudden appearance of a talon across her mouth. "Hello Pinkie", Swift sighed, "I'm fine, the Princess and Mayor wanted to promote me and no. It was NOT about a party." "A promotion!" Pinkie Pie gasped, "You know what this calls for!?" Swift rolled his eyes before replying, "A party." Pinkie began bouncing around Swift as she began her famous tangent. "Exactly! Which means we need cake! And balloons! And cupcakes! And streamers! And music! Oh this is going to be so much fun!" Pinkie suddenly stopped and gasped "I'll have to start handing out the invites! I'll see you later Swifty! I have a party to plan!" With that, she zoomed off in a pink blur. "Have fun with that" Swift muttered as he began to walk towards the barracks, "Just don't steal Ditzy's muffins." The barracks was a hastily built place, or maybe a rundown tavern, Swift didn't know, or particularly care. As long as there was a warm bed and hot food, anyplace was home to him. Various tents surrounded the barracks, each in their little groups. From the Lunar Guards to the Zombie Hunters, even the scavengers, had their small groups within the cluster of tents. "Great, forgot. I have to reserve a few tents for the recruits, not to mention move all my stuff there, not that I have much, but the effort!" Swift complained to himself. He made his way through the maze of tents towards the main building. he didn't feel like flying, that and no one was aloud to near the tents. An incident had occurred several weeks ago when two pegasi collided mid-air above the tents. Tents were destroyed, tempers flared and new rules were put in place. As he pasted through the tents, a few ponies, even a few buffalo saluted him. He didn't return them, never did, unless they earned his respect. Swift pushed open the doors to the barracks and made his way to the front desk. The barracks looked similar to a tavern, but there were no tables, chairs or even drinks. Guess it does look a little like a tavern. Swift thought to himself. A pale blue mare with a purple mane looked up and eyed Swift. "You the new Captain?" She asked. Swift gave a sharp nod and the pale yellow mare pasted over a sheet of paper. Swift picked up the paper and began reading it over as she explained what it contained. "Details of your new squad. Oh, and good luck, you'll need it." Swift looked up from the piece of paper. "Umm, thanks, I think." Swift looked over the new recruits. All 7 of them. 2 pegasi, 2 unicorns, 2 earth ponies and a buffalo. 3 ponies he knew, every one knew them and their destructive powers. The fearsome, terrifying, crazy beyond all belief, Cutie Mark Crusaders. Some how, these 3 fillies had gotten into the barracks, signed up and joined the Zombie Hunters. Under age. Perfect excuse to kick them out. Swift smiled. "Right listen up!" Swift shouted. All 7 recruits lined up and stood at attention. "Only 4 recruits are going to make it through the selection process!" Swift smiled as he saw the determination in the Cutie Mark Crusaders eyes. Would have made great Zombie Hunters. Oh well! "And since 3 of you are under age! The rest are now members of my squad! Cutie Mark Crusaders, go home. Now." Swift smiled as the Cutie Mark Crusaders hung their heads and turned to go home. "Next time, I'll tell your parents! And stop doing dangerous things! You'll never get your cutie mark if your dead!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickened their pace upon hearing Swifts threat and left without a single thing going wrong. "Now for the rest of- Strongheart. What are you doing here?" Swift said after noticing the buffalo. "I wanted to fight, so I joined up." Little Strongheart replied. She looked bulkier than the last time Swift saw her. "Your father know?" "Yes" "Yes what? "Yes Sir!" "Going to give it your all?" "Yes Sir!" "Good! Now all of you! Run. Run as fast and far as you can til you throw up! Than run some more!" "Where, sir?" A brown pegasus with a blonde streaked mane and green eyes asked. His cutie mark was a pair of headphones with a cord. "Along the wall, all the way around! Any more questions?!" Swift barked. The all shook their heads and began running as fast as they could. Swift watched them run taking in their appearances and comparing them to his squad sheet. The brown pegasus was Techno. The earth pony, a mare, was known as Green Clover, a dark green pony with a streaked lighter green mane and yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a 3 leaf clover. The last recruit, the unicorn, was a fire red stallion with an orange mane and gold eyes. His cutie mark was a fireball. His name was Fire-Light. And Swift was beginning to like Fire-Light. He had pulled ahead of the group and was already running along the wall. The rest had only just gotten to the wall and were falling behind quicker. They seem dedicated. They might impress me. Swift was not impressed. At all. Fire-Light was the only one that had made it around the wall and was half through his second lap by the time the others had made their first lap. Techno had already vomited and Green Clover was looking more green than usual and even Strongheart was looking a little pale and exhausted. The wall's circumference was close to 5 kilometers, it was no wonder they were exhausted. Except Fire-Light. Swift could see him still running on the far side of the town. Sighing, Swift yelled to the other recruits to pack it in. They grumbled in reply and fell to the ground heaving. Little to no endurance, but at least they are determined. Especially Fire-Light. Swift looked over the exhausted recruits and rolled his eyes. "Go to mess, get some food and water then meet back here in an hour. I'll go and tell 'Hot Hooves' out there to take a break." The group mumbled incoherently and walked off to the barracks. Swift meanwhile took off and flew along the way towards Fire-Light. He soon caught up to Fire-light and began flying along side the galloping unicorn. "Come to tell me how awesome I'm doing sir?" Fire-Light asked. "No. I came to tell you to take a break." Swift replied. Fire-Light stumbled and nearly tripped before regaining his balance and continued to gallop along the wall. "No can do sir. I'm going to keep running til I can't go on now any more!" Fire-Light said and with a burst of speed, he shoot ahead of Swift. Swift sighed and flapped harder, quickly gaining up to him. Fire-Light looked back and smiling, galloped faster. "Come on Sir! Race you around the wall!" Sighing, Swift landed and ran after Fire-Light. Why the hell not? Let's see what his got. With that, Swift speed after Fire-Light. Swift was exhausted. The race with Fire-Light had been entertaining to say the least. By the pair's third lap of the wall, it had drawn the attention of a small crowd. With each kilometer the pair did, the crowd had grown larger. Bets were placed on who would win and even a cheer squad was formed, which was made up of only Pinkie Pie. By the end of the seventh lap, the pair were beginning to show signs of fatigue. Fortunately, some thing was going to decide to end it. Fire-Light tripped suddenly, his face slamming into the ground. He skidded several meters before stopping. Swift, having stopped, turned back around and declared proudly; "I win. Hit the mess and maybe the showers." With that, Swift walked away. Fire-Light grumbled before doing what he said. He watched as the crowd cheered for Swift before breaking up. Author's Note It's Back! Long time huh! Well dont worry, this story ain't gonna stop! Unless school or work get in the way...
