Dead-Pony Rising

Rainbow Dash was looking at the map the Princess had given her while flying across the desert.

“Hmm... according to the map, Trottingville should be riiiight... here!” She said as she looked up. About a couple hundred yards away stood a very empty feeling town. There were specks of ponies to be seen, yet the town felt lifeless. One building stood out among the rest. It was tall, wide, and out of place. Above it were the words “Trottingville Mall”.

“That's one out of place mall. It seems so... dead... here.”

As Rainbow made her way into the town, it felt more and more quiet and dead, however ponies were up and about, but even they looked dead. Rainbow noticed one stallion on the top of a pole and other ponies below trying to reach him. Rainbow twitched.

“Celestia was right, there is something... off... about this place.” She muttered as she rubbed her chin. She looked to her left. “Especially that mall...”

Ponies were pouring into the mall, in a kind of wobbly, dead manor. She grabbed her camera and took a picture of the horde of ponies. Then, something clicked in her mind. She blinked and looked left and right. Rainbow lifted her eyebrow and scratched her head.

“Hey... why aren't any pegasi using their wings? I see them down there...”

She then again glanced over to the mall. It was the peak of her interest. Windows were cracked or broken, ponies swarmed the place, and it seemed to be the hotspot for whatever was going on.

“What the hell is going--”

She was interrupted as a window of the mall shattered and a pony flew out the window, missing half of it's head. It made a bloody splash as it hit the ground, and the broken glass impaled it.

“AH! W... what the shit!? Nobody ran to that pony's rescue! What's going on!?” Rainbow gasped as her heart pounded. She stayed stationary in the air, frozen with fear. She managed to grab the camera and zoomed in for the shot. She took a shot, but soon after she noticed that the body was still moving.

“YIIIIEEE! How.... is that.... pony... ALIVE!?” She shivered as she smacked herself. “No. I gotta remain focused. I need to get in that mall.” She looked up at the roof, and as she squinted, she saw the outline of a figure on the roof. She quickly took the camera and zoomed in and did but a quick snap.

She looked down at the camera and froze. That outline of a pony was holding a gun. Rainbow's heart stopped. She shook her head and started to back away. She blinked and hit herself upside the head.

“No, no, NO! I gotta be brave. For the Princess!” She flew straight toward the pony outline. She could barely see anything. An explosive sound pierced her ears, and not too soon after a “pew” sound went by her right ear. The figure had fired at her. Another explosion sound went off, but this time, searing pain went straight to her wing and Rainbow started to spiral out of control. She couldn't see anything until she was ten feet in front of a wall on the roof of the mall. She squinted her face and slammed into the wall, knocking off a brick. Pain like this had never even crossed her mind before.

Rainbow stumbled as she got up and looked around, but no pony was around. Her attention went to her wing, which was bleeding harshly and it hurt to move it. Rainbow kept it wrapped up, trying to avoid the searing pain that it had in it. She had been shot down, and now she was stranded in this weird mall.

As she limped around, she managed to find a door on the side of one of the small walls. Opening it, she shook as if she were in an earthquake. It was kind of dark as she looked inside. She couldn't see down the stairs too well, and the only light there was to it was the light of the beating sun shining down the passage. She gulped as she took two steps in. There were only stairs leading down to the lower floors. As she was fully out of range of the door, it was slammed shut by something on the outside.

Rainbow panicked and ran back to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked.

“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK GIVES!? LEMME OUT!” She screamed as she banged on the door. She kicked it in frustration and crossed her arms and leaned against the door, only to see she was surrounded by complete darkness. She tried to let her eyes adjust to the darkness for a minute. She could at least see white below her for the steps and feel the rail.

She very slowly edged down the stairs, never had she been so nervous in her life. She constantly felt around her and looked for anything. Every turn of the flight of stairs seemed like she was descending into hell. Until one flight of stairs, where at the bottom, light immersed from a door. She gasped out of joy and dashed for the door. She rushed it open, and the light revealed some hope! It was a pretty new-fashioned, decorated shopping mall. Ponies were everywhere, but rather slow and lifeless. They also all looked very greenish.

Rainbow sighed out of relief and walked out of the door and closed it. There was a pony sitting on the bench that Rainbow spotted. She didn't want to disturb the walking, busy ponies, whatever they were doing. Rainbow casually walked up and poked the mare.

“Hey do you know what's going on around here?” Rainbow asked. The mare didn't respond. Rainbow poked her again. Her head bobbed as if she was sleeping.

“Uhhh... hello? Miss? You there?” Rainbow continued to poke her until she got frustrated and shoved her.

“HEY!” Rainbow said as the mare fell to the bench. Rainbow's eyes shrank as she saw that the mare's face had been completely obliterated. There was blood all over the front of her body, with her face paralyzed with deathly fear. Rainbow quickly took a picture of the mare, as much as it felt wrong.

She quickly turned around to run but bumped into another pony and fell down.

“Oh excuse me, I--”

The pony got up, blood covering it's wrinkled body and blank eyes. The beast roared in Rainbow's face, making her scream. The pony put his hooves out and started to head toward Rainbow. She closed her eyes in fear. Another explosion of a gunshot was heard as blood spilled all over Rainbow. She nearly threw up at the sight. The pony in front of her fell forward, no head attached. Rainbow looked up to see a green colored unicorn with a green and white mane. She was holding a rather big gun.

“Rainbow Dash. It's a wonder seeing you here. You oughta be more careful, girl!” The green unicorn said as she cocked the gun.

“Who are... wait, LYRA!? What are you doing here!?” Rainbow said as she gasped.

Lyra shook her head. “I'll tell ya, but this isn't the place to talk. We need to head back to the base, pronto! Get up and follow me.” Lyra said as she came over. She helped Rainbow up and smiled to assure her she was safe... well, safer at least. Lyra put the gun on her back and started to walk toward a small, open hallway.

“So, Lyra. EXACTLY WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!?” Rainbow screamed.

Lyra put her hoof to Rainbow's mouth with a “shh”. “Weeeeell... Zombies. That's what.”

Rainbow started to twitch. “Z... zombies? Are you shittin' me?”

Lyra sighed. “Wish I was. I mean, it's unlucky for me. Supernatural creatures are what I take interest in. I wish for humans, and what do I get? Zombies. Freaking. Zombies.”

“This is unreal! Celestia will be unnerved to hell if she hears there's been a freaking zombie outbreak! I'm suppose to photograph it all, too!” Rainbow complained.

“So that's why you're here? That's why she sent your budds here too, just no camera. Haven't heard from any of them since they got here.” Lyra said.

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. Hey, big question. Who shot my damn wing? I wanna shove a chicken down their throat. A chicken with a LOT of salt on it.”

Lyra shrugged negatively. “I don't know. Shot commander Luna down, too. All the pegasi, actually. After commander couldn't give word, Celestia sent the Wonderbolts here. They were all shot down. Found only two of 'em. After still no word, she sent the special forces team, my group, through a helicopter and now we can't get out.”

Rainbow blinked twice. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Commander Luna? You're in special forces? WONDERBOLTS ARE HERE!?”

“Yeah, I can't really say I'm a special forces... but in the case of this zombie apocalypse outbreak, I can let it slide. As for Luna, she's the commander of our base. She leads the Zombie Resistance. She makes the rules for us and gives us the missions that we can handle. For the Wonderbolts? Yeah. Two of 'em are in The Resistance. Care to join up with us?” Lyra asked. There was no “no” to this.

Rainbow sighed. “Do I have a choice? I'll go with ya, Lyree.” Rainbow teased.

Lyra smirked. “Okey dokey, Wainbow.”

Their walking came to a halt as the came up on a ventilation shaft. Lyra opened the hatch.

“Well, here ya go. This is the only safe way to get to our base. Any other way, and zombies will come in and infect the survivors.” Lyra nodded toward the hole. “Well, let's go. Follow me and shut the door behind ya.” Lyra ordered as she climbed into the shaft, making soft booming sound affects.

Rainbow Dash hung her head and closed her eyes for a moment. She shook her head as a tear drop ran down her cheek. Why is this happening? She thought. I'll never get out of here... alive anyway.

She looked back up and scuffled into the ventilation shaft. She shut the opening behind her and locked it. It was time for Rainbow Dash's epic zombie adventure to begin. Daring Do would totally take this adventure.