Dead Trotting

CHAPTER 1: Fort of Glass

AMBER:

You know what bothers me most? Being misguided through the thought of reward. Every step you take throughout the day is made in hope that it will lead to an optimistic outcome. Unfortunately, I knew better; a rare occurrence. Watching the other ponies gallop on by giggling with a smile on their face, content with the idea that there’s something left to look forward to, knowing it’s all in vanity; It’s a new form a torture.

So here I was; waiting in a line of four. I waddled a bit to vent some excess energy I had inherited from a recent can of Appleseed Speed. Peering around for some form of entertainment, I moved my vision to two giggling unicorns. It appears as though they didn’t enjoy the sun very much, being they were having a friendly game of capture-the-umbrella. I never enjoyed the day. It’s always too hot. I could barely keep my eyes open because the sun is always fixing to be the center of attention. At least they enjoyed the morning the way I never have. When I wake up, the only thing I would ever looked forward to was going back to bed.

“Alright, next in line! Come on! We don’t have all day!”

Ugh. I should probably explain what’s going on. We’re doing this irksome check up required for anypony who-

“You! Your name!”

The thin pony greeting me happens to be our nurse. Regrettably on the ‘officials’ part, she attains to be both insolent, and ugly. I’m not talking about her face. Of all the features and aspects anypony has authority over, their face isn’t one of them. The ugliness stems from how she has quite possibly the most repulsive taste in fashion my eyes have had the displeasure of witnessing. Let me illustrate this the best I can, because I don’t want to be the only one to have this burned into my memory. She has a fluffy, neon purple scarf that coils down to her tail, wings with at least 8 different piercings... each... and a hat with multi-colored feathers she probably found scavenging the floor of a new age, pegasus barber shop. She also has presumably 10 pounds of light blue eyeshadow, and green (yes, green) lipstick that she might as well have put on in her sleep. You think a nurse would be dressed in white wearing a lab coat or something of the sort. But no; I get to have a nurse who wears a peacock on her head. She reminds me of a toucan though, so peacock isn’t the right word.

“Your name, miss!”

I stuttered slightly before answering. “Um... my name’s Amber.”

“Amber? Amber what?” I froze in cold sweat. It wasn’t over. It can never be over, can it.

“I... I don’t know my last name mam.”

“How do you not know your last name? Were you dropped or something?”

Please... just leave me alone.

“Hey? Do you understand Equestrian, or are you too dumb for that too? The big colt needs to check his list again, cause this sure ain’t a scavenger I’d lay my life upon.”

“Mam, I was already called in by the administration. I think I don’t need to give up any other part of my name...” Confident with my word choice, I let a small smile cross my face.

“That’s not my point! My point is if you’re unaware of even something as trivial as what comes after ‘Amber,’ you shouldn’t even be for this position!” For whatever reason, she felt the need to prove she was right through ROYAL CAPS LOCK. “Tell me, what other bits and pieces of information have you found unrecognizable? Can you eat on your own? Have you passed the second grade? You’d make a great playmate for my daughter. She’s three, by the way.” This is usually the part where I start to cry. “But I can’t change what your parents built. So forget you. NEXT!” But you’ll have to wait for that.

I’m not sure why she felt the need to berate me on the grounds of not knowing my last name. I’m guessing it’s part of the job. She’s under constant pressure, and doesn’t possess any free time to exercise unwanted emotions. Either that, or shots of ego came with her other worldly attire.

I soon found myself in a white room with tile flooring and glass-like, metallic walls, each side bearing multi-purpose monitors. Today’s purpose would be to show how ‘fit-for-duty’ I am which is done through scanning. You couldn’t see it doing that though, which I find a bit unnerving. On one side,  the screen captures my heart rate, and breathing. The other one is for processing information like previous employment, or criminal records. On the far end was a glossy metallic desk. Behind the polished counter sat with a short, snub, tawny colored colt wearing a dark grey suit. It’s also worthy of noting how he has hair on every part of his body, save the top of his head.

“Ah! A new volunteer! It’s been awhile since we’ve had this position filled!”

Attempting to avert myself from his upcoming palaver, I entertained myself to the immaculate display of the office he occupied. It was one of those uber-secure rooms that would normally be used for ‘official business,’ but as I have learned, it’s useful for many other purposes. For example: Imprisoning me.

“Amber, eh? Take a seat.”

I wasn’t surprised to find out there was no seat, reason being tighter budget. So I took the liberty of sitting on the freshly cleaned, prestigious, sandstone floor.

“This is a big day I’ll tell you what! This be how you’ll repay the forts, and show just how important this job is. This might be a bit uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what you’d face out there!”

Out there... Out there is where THEY are. The victims; Shambling, hungry, undead ponies who feast upon anything with a pulse. They don’t sleep. They don’t drink. They don’t speak. All they do is wander. That’s the fate of anypony unlucky enough to be left outside the fort.

Oh great. Now you’re probably gonna ask “what’s a fort?” A fort is “an established refugee camp built by the Equestrian Administration of Health and Safety (E.A.H.S).”  When the sickness broke out, Celestia’s military was too incompetent to handle it properly. Soon it grew out of control, and eventually bleached the landscape of civilization. The ones who somehow managed to stay alive made way to the forts. These were put in place for this type of situation: We lost.

I looked around to examine the structure and refresh my memory. I’ll tell you one thing, these camps were made to last. They’re well built, and have been well kept since the onset of the plague. It’s also cleaned regularly for obvious reasons. The fort stays safe by surrounding itself with a colossal stone wall, which obviously acted as a barrier to the outside world. My job of course was cleaning it. The E.A.H.S. also was looking into ways to run off their own power grid. Eventually, they’ve emerged to the conclusion that steam was the best approach, hence the reason most buildings are linked through a series of pipes and gears. In a way, it gives the place some personality.  But with the benefits, it shares a fair slew of problems that all forts (especially this one) have to deal with almost everyday.

“I’m telling you: You’re going to be Fort Howard’s next big thing! Even the E.S.A. will put you in the papers.”

Ugh. The E.S.A. stands for Equestrian Succession Administration. These are the ponies who took over once Celestia was out. Nothing more than an assembly of business tycoons and politicians who take their sweet time sensationalizing how great the new fort system is. But when you’re still alive, you can’t really complain now, can you?

“We also need you on your A-game once you’re out there. We’ve got a canteen and lunch box packed by the door. There’s also a glock, though you wouldn’t need that... much.  Be vigilant! There’s probably a store or two you can swipe from and bring back here! That’s what scavengers are for, and why we treat them with the highest regards!”

Now it gets even worse. Scavengers are ponies selected by the administration to gather food, water and supplies. These ‘specially selected ponies’ aren’t actually much different  from any other colt or filly. The administration just slaps that label on to make them feel better about being cast outside the fort. I personally like to call them fish hooks, cause that’s what they do; fish for food and reel it back. But they do have regulations. A scavenger, under no circumstances, should ever be under the age of 17. But as dumb luck has it, I turned 17 the day before.

Most forts have these fish hooks, but Fort Howard is the only one I know of that actually requires them. Why? Well because if you were here, the blistering heat, endless sandy expanse, and the constant need to satisfy yourself with fresh liquid water would tell you you’re in the middle of a desert. Why that location? Simple: Low population. Less ponies equals fewer victims.

The bald colt escorted me to a room adjacent to the one I was just in. This room was darker, and much smaller. There were no windows, and was lit by only a single light hanging above an assembly of different tools. These tools consisted of a steel bar attached to the wall, and rubber extension just above it. On the floor were horseshoes with straps bolted to the floor. Standing beside them was a taller stallion with a gas mask and white coat. He pressed his hooves against my neck to feel my pulse. He then moved over to stand by the only other thing in this room save the contraption and the light: A miniature oven with an iron rod hanging out.

“Now just buckle your hind legs to this...” With the need for scavengers, there’s the need for identification. “Bite down on this...”  When, or if you come back, they want to make sure you’re a registered member of the fort. “Get a good grip of this with your hooves...” And they want to make sure it’s 100% authentic. “Now hold still...” And what better way to do that than branding. “Here we go!”

The gas masked pony pulled the long iron rod out of the oven  and pressed it against me. The red-hot metal iron stamp met my flank with a sizzling stir of burning fur and cooking skin. The pain shot up through my spine, and out my mouth. Biting hard against a rubber extension, I attempt to repress my screams, though I could tell that I was doing a real shitty job. Sweat rolled down my coat as I fought myself to not take off a run, though that was unnecessary since I was fastened to the floor. After about a few more seconds, the stamp left my flank, leaving behind a black ‘FORT HOWARD,’ and a relieved little filly.

The days after that were spent rubbing the tender spot that was left from the initiation. I imagine I looked real silly doing so, though I didn’t care much. Walking through the newly cleaned streets of Fort Howard, I was sent by my roommate to do her summertime shopping. She was a nice mare, but she can be a little picky sometimes. Her name was Lily. She used to live in Ponyville selling flowers, but of course the whole zombie apocalypse thing got in the way. According to Lily, her friends died in the initial outbreak. I can’t really relate to her due to the fact that I didn’t necessarily have legitimate friends prior to said outbreak.

“Excuse me! Sir!”

Gesturing for the salespony’s attention, I’ve managed to be his 10th customer for the morning.  Lucky me. The magazine of today was an assortment of E.S.A. approved television guides, E.S.A. approved news, upcoming E.S.A. events, traditional E.S.A. propaganda, and new ways to order a 100 bit pass to decorate your dorm with one additional item (that’s E.S.A. approved of course). Weird. Ponies actually read this garbage?

“What was that miss?”

“Wha-?! OH! NOTHING NOTHING! Hehe...” I blushed a bit hoping I have successfully hidden my previous comment.  Me and my big mouth.

“It’s alright ya’ silly filly. I don’t like them books too much either.”

A bit out-of-class accent for a fort colt, but anypony that shares my opinion is the closest I’ve ever gotten to an actual friend, and I don’t even know this guy’s name. Sure, Lily might fit into the acquaintance category, but I would never be able to replace the friends she lost.

Next on my to-do list would be a dorm renewal certificate. WIthout this, both me and Lily would be promptly escorted (kicked) out of our room (closet). It pains me that I had to cough up 400 bits every month just  so one of us would have the privilege to sleep in a bed, but if it gives me a false sense of life returning to the way it was, I’d give up any amount of spare coinage. I entered the establishment believing I was ready to face the worst.

It was a large, spacious room with a clear glass ceiling. Each side of the room consisted of 40, maybe 50 booths with mares and stallions waiting to pay for their property. Each booth was occupied by an almost statue like pony sorting out files and checks with a light blue, see-through, holographic tablet with a metal frame. It’s one of the standard pieces of equipment most personnel and even some civilians have. I made my way to the one that looked like it had the shortest line.

Wow. Even the shortest line took a solid hour to shrink. I wanted to leave the single file prison and stretch my legs, but I didn’t want to lose my place. There hasn’t been this long of a wait since the Apple Family started selling their cider. Finally, my turn came. I turned on the tablet fixed to the wall, and tapped in my name. Using my muzzle, I fiddled around my bag for my I.D. to prove that this was my account.

“You’re short.”

When I- “...wait, what?!”

“You. Are. Sho-”

“I know what you said! Are you serious? I’ve fallen flat after working 18/24 hours scraping God knows what off the sides of the fort wall for two months?!”

“Yes.”

If there is one thing I would strip from the Fort Howard’s employees above anything else, it would be their blunt attitude. “Mam, if you give me and my roommate more time, I’m sure we’ll-”

“You’re out.”

I froze. “...what?”

“You and your friend are now officially evicted from your quarters. You have 48 hours to gather your belongings and move out. Any remaining property afterwards will become E.S.A. property, and quickly confiscated.”

I averted my gaze from her face to the placement of her right foreleg. Under it was the small tablet computer. Without a hint of hesitation, she marked me and Lily off the dorm roster. We were now legally homeless.

I was in full-blown panic mode. I needed to salvage the situation somehow. “You’re not even going to consider-” But of course, like always, she just cuts me off.

“No. Next in line please.”

“But-”

“No. Next in line please.”

It’s weird how she thought I would just abandon hope and leave. “Please mam! It was a mistake!  Everypony makes mistakes! Surely you can let off one more-”

“No. Next in line please.”

A green stallion with a ball cap who was waiting behind me made his way up to the receptionist.  “All right. Here’s my bits. I have to buy the two suite deal for my wife, so if you could-”  I kicked the colt in his side just hard enough to knock him on to the ground. There was no way I was going to leave this line without a second chance.

“Mam! This is crazy! I’ve been working almost nonstop for two months trying to earn those 400 bits! I know I should have them! I even wrote it down! I haven’t even had time to comb my mane!” I tried to emphasize the look of my messy, coffee-colored mane.

“Wall maintenance wage has been cut as of yesterday. You only have 200 bits. As for your mane, that’s not my problem.”

“200 bits?! Holy shit! They’re allowed to dock my pay by that much?!”

“Yes. Next in line please.”

The ball cap stallion resumed. “Okay. So my wage doesn’t cover two pony rooms. I would like the deal to fix that. I have been an E.S.A. employee for a year. That means I should-”  I bucked him again to shut him up.

“I am not leaving this place until I get a fair shot!”

“Fine. I’ll call security.”

“What?! No! You can’t-”  She started up her tablet. “I need officers at booth 51. I repeat, I need-”

Before she could finish, I kicked the accursed machine out of her hooves. It was suspended in the air for a good second till it met the floor with a glass shattering greeting. Once more, I tried to reason with her, but it was met with the same response.

“No. Next in line please.”

I’m telling you, it took all my willpower and 28 hours without sleep to keep myself from kicking this mare to the damn moon. She’s almost robotic; incapable of any feeling or emotion. Though it’s not like the administration hasn’t displayed similar behavior before, but I thought it would be kept more discrete than this. It makes me wonder how they treat their friends, siblings, or even children. I feel sorry for the poor filly or colt who would have her as a mother.

By now, the officers have already made it to this floor. I pleaded, no, begged the mare to let me have some time, but she kept her stoic expression and stone solid demeanor. The officer grabbed my shoulder started to speak. “All right missy! Now you’ll have to pay for your debt, and the tablet!”

“Come on! Give me a break!” I pouted as I tried to shake his grip off, but that proved to be a futile attempt, seeing as he’s already gotten another officer to back him up on holding me down.

“We ain’t a charity! Stop resisting, or I’ll be forced to taze you!”

I really didn’t care. I needed that money. We couldn’t move into a cheaper room. That was the cheapest room there was, and now I couldn’t pay for it. I bit down on one of the officer’s forelegs.

Why? Why did I think that was a good idea?

A sharp pain shot through my side. I let out a short gasp (or choke), and was instantly subdued. I felt my legs drag against the floor as the two officers carried me by my arms, and tossed me out onto the sidewalk. The last thing I remember was curling up into a ball and crying.

Unsurprisingly, Lily showed her take on the whole debacle with her traditional panic attacks, but when your new bed is a cardboard sheet on the side of a supermarket, you couldn’t blame her. I tried to keep my composure to the best of my abilities, but the way the E.S.A. operates... It’s almost unreal.

“..and then next, they’re gonna throw us out of our boxes, and then out of the fort and THEN leave us for dead! I thought you had it all under control!” Lily was right. Earlier that week, I told her that I would be able to pay for our room. She trusted me, and I almost trusted myself as well, but of course I screwed everything up, like I always do.

“I’m working on it right now! Just calm down, Lily!” To rescue some optimism from our predicament, I shifted through the discarded papers laying on the floor for some answers. Finally, I found yesterday’s paper. There was the headline.

“WALL MAINTENANCE MANAGER CUTS PAY IN HALF! Hundreds of un prepared ponies and their families rocket in rage as they discover their significantly lighter load!”

I scanned the column a good three times. How did I not know this till now? Why hasn’t someone alerted me of this? Why didn’t my boss let me know he would bash my paycheck into the ground?!

“Lily? Can you get the phone?”

“I tried that already! The administration cut off our power! We can’t use anything here!”

“Even water?!”

“They cut all of it! They want us out today too thanks to your outburst! I thought you earned enough bits to keep us in!”

“I thought that too! I didn’t get as much as I thought... I’m sorry Lily. Really, I am. If there was anything I could do, I’d do it in a heartbeat, even if only for you.”

“And look where that’s gotten us...”

That last comment hit me hard. No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I tried, something faulty was always trailing behind me. It happened pre-zombies, and it happens post-zombies.  It’s as if the they were never there. I’m still me, and I hated it.

I didn’t want to sleep that night, even though this would be the last time I’d use this bed before being ‘evicted.’ Lily, however, welcomed the idea of passing out on the bed. I’m guessing it’s because she spent what was left of her energy flying off the handle.

What could I do...?

I could buy back the room, but that would mean that both of us would have to work full-time without breaks, and that would be with some job that involved putting Lily outside. Even then, we would still need to pay for the food and water. What if somepony was living there by the time were done? We couldn’t buy it back, and even if we could, that would mean kicking the occupant out onto the streets. I wouldn’t want somepony to suffer because of me.  It’s occurred too many times before.

Yawn...

Getting tired. It’s hard to keep my eyes open. Maybe I could sort this out... Tomorrow...

...

NO! I needed to sort this out NOW! I can’t sleep! Yaaaawn... No! Quit it brain! Haven’t you caused enough trouble already! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwn... NO! SHUT UP! WORK WITH ME FOR THIS ONE TIME!

Not working! It’s getting harder to...

I can’t...

Got...

To...

Help...

Lily...

BOOM!!

“GAH! WHAT?!”

In a cold sweat, I broke out of my blanket prison to survey the after effects of the noise. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong, though I was a bit concerned; Especially when the intercom turned on.

“Attention! Attention! E.S.A. officials are needed in block number D! Repeat! E.S.A. officials are needed in block number D!”

Normally, I would throw a fit over how they referred to ‘D’ as a number, but I had much bigger problems to deal with now. What was that sound? An explosion? A gunshot? I needed to know more.  Much to my body’s dismay, I crawled out of my comfy sanctuary to try to wake Lily. Unfortunately, she was still sound asleep, even after shaking her to the point where she fell off the bed. I needed noise. Loud noise. Loud like-

BOOM!!

…

Still asleep. You’re kidding me.

“ATTENTION! WE NEED ALL PERSONNEL IN BLOCK NUMBER B! I REPEAT! ALL OFFICIALS UNDER BLOCK NUMBER B!”

That intercom broadcast was even more panicked than the last. Something was wrong, and it was getting worse. “Lily! Please wake up! I think something’s gone off the wall here!” Even with joint effort of borderline screaming and frantic shaking, I still couldn’t pull her away from the forceful grip of the sandmare. I wish I had time to come up with another solution before the room lit red and the intercom switched speakers.

“Attention residents of Blocks B-E, we have initiated a level one lockdown. We assure you that there is no need for panic, and the E.S.A. will handle this emergency with first-class efficiency. Until then, all rooms lit with a red light need to have its occupants remain within it until the light is off.”

Ironically, that was what I felt as our cue to get out of here. I hoisted Lily up onto my back (and of course she just had to be heavier than the bed she was sleeping in) and sneaked out of my bedroom door.  Afterwards, I peered down the hallway and noticed an unsettling trend. All doors throughout it were lit red; Every single one. This was more than a level one lockdown.

More or less grunting along with the mare on my back, I made way to the main lobby. It wasn’t much of a lobby though, being it only had a couple of chairs and one desk with a computer. Nopony was there, so I assumed they took the earlier announcement seriously. I didn’t even make two steps until the lights went off, and now I was in total darkness.

“Yaaaawn..... Amber? What are you doing...?”

Figures she wakes up when the light go off. “Lily! We need to get out of here! Somethings up. I don’t know what yet, but it’s pretty serious.” Relieved, yet somewhat miffed, I dumped the emerging mare off my back and onto an involuntary wake up call using the hard marble floor.

“Ow! Amber?! Why’d you do that?!”

“Did you not hear my last comment?”

“Something bad right?”

“Partly...” Our little argument was soon interrupted when a noise leaked from outside the glass door.

“Somepony help! My friend! He’s been attacked!”

Motioning Lily to stay behind (no sure why though), I kicked open the doors to assist the frightened colt shaking in the streets outside. “What’s wrong? Is this about the explosion or whatever that noise I heard earlier was?”

“I don’t know! I got a holo-scroll saying it was some sort of machinery mishap, though I can’t be sure! That’s not the point anyway! You gotta help me! My friend's been attacked by, eh, I don’t know!  Some drunk! I need a doctor! I think he’s getting worse!”

“Getting worse? As in ill? Or is he bleeding?”

“Does it matter?!”

“Actually, it does! Unless the attack is still happening, the phrase ‘getting worse’ wouldn’t work with a traditional injury. If he’s bleeding, I need to get some bandages-”

Graaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhh...

Interrupted by a low growl, we both turned our heads to the source. The producer stood motionless in the night, though occasionally bobbing a bit to keep balance. He was a broken looking stallion with spiky hair, dirty coat, and a tired pale face. His skin was hideously discolored, and his eyes were complemented with a dark circle under them.

“Blue Blazer! You’re okay! I thought you were really hurt!” His now relieved friend trotted over to check how he was. He hasn’t journeyed to close to him, for it didn’t take him long before he knew it wasn’t exactly him. Not anymore. “...Blue Blazer?”

Another stallion, white coat and lemon mane, zipped past me, carrying a bag of medical supplies.  He however, misjudged the distance between him and the now named Blue Blazer, and smashed directly into the colt and dropping his supplies along with him.

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry and-”  Before he could finish the first sentence, Blue Blazer leaned in, opened his mouth around the poor colt’s neck, and bit down hard. The night filled with his screams.

The carnivorous stallion severed a chunk of his neck into his mouth. Fresh blood flung out from the torn piece of flesh and was spilled on the paved gravel road. The wound gushed and spurted as even more blood was pumped from of him as his heart beated. Me, Lily, and the attacker’s friend watched the whole display in horror. Blue Blazer wanted to dive in for seconds, but his victim managed to pull out a small handgun out of his medical bag, and shoot him in the dome. Bits of skull and brain matter were ejected through the exit wound. Even more of the red fluid painted the road, and his attacker fell with a thud. What was a doctor doing with a handgun?

Blue Blazer's body laid there on the road; blood leaking out of his head from the wound. His friend wanted to throw in a comment, but instead took off running. The doctor fell aswell, likely due to blood loss.  He convulsed a bit as he tried to breathe.

“Sir! Are you okay! I have some bandages in my room!”

He extended his hoof. “Don’t come any closer...”

His words frightened me. “What...?”

“I... I’m infected. It’s too late for me.”

The word ‘infected’ hit me like a brick. Now I knew exactly what this was, and frankly, I wish I didn’t. The illness that tore Equestria to pieces was back. I don’t know how, but it was. “Sir, let me help you! There has to be-”

He cut me off. “Did you not hear me?! I SAID GO! BEFORE I TURN INTO-!”  The colt choked on his own blood before he could finish. He grabbed at his throat trying to subdue the pain he was in. The colt’s limbs shook violently as the brain slowly lost more and more blood. His movements became more and more stiff before his body finally gave up. The colt died quietly on the street as the grizzly scene painted the road.

Panicking. That’s the sum of what happened next. Me and Lily had the same idea: Find the nearest E.S.A. station, and stay there. They’ll know what to do, though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll do it.  I urged my recently wakened roommate to keep up, but she hasn’t been the one to work out, and admittedly, neither was I.

“Come on Lily! The station is just past this warehouse!”

“Easy for you to say! I’m not the one hyped up on some back-shelf energy cider!”

“Come on! I haven’t had a drink of that since last morning! GAH! That’s not the point! If you don’t keep a constant speed that’s over 5 miles an hour, more of them might show up!”

“We only saw one, Amber. I’m sure this is an isolated incident.”

I half expected 10 of them to show up after that comment. “It still needs to be reported though.”

“When were you one to follow E.S.A. procedure?”

“I’m not. I just think it’s the most rational thing to do. We don’t have any sort of firearm. Plus, if there comes a time where we catch up on a fleet, even with a gun, the only thing to result from that is a free meal.”

Assuming she understood what I was conveying, I sped up my hooves a bit to compensate for lost time. Eventually, we did manage to reach the last stretch leading to the station. Never have I thought I would be so happy to switch my focus back to the rent deal after this was over. I’ve only spent a half an hour with this breakout, and I’ve already seen a pony die.

“We’re here. Lily, prep up a phone in case this turns to shit.”

“Can’t. They cut our network access too.”

“Cut our netw-  Whatever! Just stay close to me. Soon we can...” Coming up the hill, I’ve managed to escort my friend to its top and indulge upon a good view of the station, only... It wasn’t a station.

Fire. Fire is what I remember most; a large plume of smoke and ash rising from the side of the large factory complex named E.S.A. EMERGENCY STATION. Lit by the fire we’re around 150 lumbering ponies surrounding the entirety of the building, acting as a fleshy, rotting barrier to the outside world. I also remembered shooting; streams of continuous gunfire echoing from the interior of the building. I could only imagine what the fleeing ponies thought when entering this doomed base, expecting a quick and efficient escape from the masses of chaos that must be plaguing the entire fort. Now the officials have more or less imprisoned themselves and put both parties in a position of needing rescue, only no one was coming.

“Lily... We have to... We...”

“Amber...?”

I’ve never felt more helpless in my life. There’s only one person with the authority to handle this type of situation, and that person, coupled with a number of other unfortunate victims, have now been lost to the hungry maws of the undead. And now that I have Lily to tag along for the ride, I felt I’ve let her down once again, and that was enough to throw me into an even deeper depression. I wanted to cry, but I knew I couldn’t show weakness; not in front of her. She was in this up to her neck, and the sign of me losing control of the situation would only make it worse for her.

“We have to leave.”

“What? No!”

“Lily, it’s the only option left!”

“If you think that we’re any safer out there, an endless expanse of lifeless land, than in here with the only help we can get, that proves you don’t know what you’re doing! I’m staying here!”

“Lily...”

“I’m sorry Amber, but we’ll only slow each other down. You can go if you’re convinced there’s still something out there, but I’m not.”

“Lily! We’ll find something! We’ll find help! We just need to...”

I’m sorry Amber. You’re on your own on this one...”

“...”

I made my way to the entrance of the fort. A large metal door kept shut by 8 steel bars, each one with an “inspirational” message pasted upon it.

“It’s not too late to join the E.S.A.!”

“The E.S.A. are the ones who will tell you when it’s okay!”

“We’ll be better leaders than Celestia will ever be!”

“E.S.A. officers are your friends!”

“When in doubt, contact us!”

“You’re safe here!”

“Inspiration and innovation is how we run!”

“Everypony is welcome here!”

Scribbled on the door were various amounts of legible graffiti and unprofessional imagery. Most notable was a message that bore the words:

“I AM AN INDIVIDUAL!!”

Another one I found interesting was scribbled on the last rod:

“LIES!!!!!”

Trotting my way up the stairs to a small control room, I fumbled around for a notepad, or anything that had the chance of containing a way to opening this 2-ton obstruction. The 5 minute search turned out nothing save a glock and 2 clips. It was then that something caught my eye; a rusty tablet bearing a week old hoofnote.

“This apparently needs to be written down because the gatekeeper is too incompetent to do it himself. Well anyway, the E.S.A. will be holding a meeting at 5:30pm. While that’s being sort out, I want you to lock all 8 of the stable doors in the main lobby. No, I wasn’t given a reason. After that, I want you find the tablet salespony. Relieve him of his products and tell him he’s fired. No, I wasn’t given a reason for that either. We also need to rewater the plastic trees outside the main office. Not to help them grow, but to make them look more authentic to the public. The scavengers will leave the water outside the gate. To get the gate open, use the key cards I’ve left on the desk beside the door. They should have the E.S.A. sig on the top. Swipe them beside the monitor and wait for about an hour or so till the rods stop keeping the door down. Afterwards, it should push right open, but double check for victims.”

A strange thing I’ve noticed is that the gate-keeper hasn’t done any of those things, but that’s not my problem. The important bits were the instructions on how to open the gate; swipe a card. You think that something as vital as a fort would have tighter security than that, though their priorities appear to be elsewhere. But... Even then, it would still be hard for a victim to get past something like that, and since the door was found shut, the breakout must have come from either an unchecked entrance, or from within the fort itself. How would something as dangerous as that sneak by the E.S.A.? I can’t focus on that now.  They’ll be here any minute.

There were 8 key cards sprawled across the desk just like the reminder said. They probably required several cards at once to ensure the security wouldn’t be as easily reachable, though the purpose becomes irrelevant when you leave all of them there at once, and it didn’t help how they were multicolored.  I swiped each card across the side of the only monitor in the room, each subsequent swipe pulling back another steel rod. After the eighth and final swipe,  the door was unsealed. After standing in front of it, I could now fully appreciate the overall massiveness of this thing. Whatever is out there, they did not want it to get in, or us to get out. But one of those has already been marked off the list, and I’m ready to scratch out the last one. With a couple of long breaths, I pushed the door and took my first steps into the dominion of the dead.

Achievement unlocked!

Have a Red-Hot Medal:

Have Amber be branded by the fort officials.

E.S.ucation:

Purchase an E.S.A. magazine.

20% Poorer:

Be informed about your budget.

First Contaminant!:

Witness your first fort infected.

Iron Solid Irony:

Witness the takeover of E.S.A.’s Emergency station.

Wilted:

Leave Lily to pursue her own adventure.

Thanks Gatekeeper:

Break out of the fort.