Twilight Sparkle: Zombie Slayer

Chapter 3: Night Terrors

“I was just gearin’ up fer bed,” Applejack said as the soft flames from the indoor campfire warmed her face. Everypony else had gathered around the fire and was listening intently to the young mare speak. Big Macintosh had a comforting arm around her shoulders, and her face was pressed lightly into his chest.

She choked back a cough, then spoke again. “Apple Bloom was at school, Granny Smith was asleep, and Big Macintosh was out lockin’ up the barn. That’s when we heard it—screams.”

Rainbow Dash huddled close to Twilight, who let the weary-eyed pegasus lay her head on her shoulders. Applejack sniffed.

“At first we thought it was justa critter or a bird or somethin’ like that. Then they started t’happen more and more, ‘til all we could hear was screamin’. Big Macintosh ran in ‘n told me he saw flames in th’ town. Somepony had started a fire. We thought that was it. Sure, I was a little upset, but other ‘n that, I didn’t think much of it. But then—then the screamin’ was all over. And I heard somethin’ else—growls, so low and scary I thought the devil himself had come to Ponyville.

“Big Macintosh and I wanted t’go down and see what was the trouble, but then—then there was Cedar, you remember ‘im? Little pony, liked animals? Fluttershy, you remember him, I know.”

Fluttershy nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. Applejack continued.

“Well the minute Cedar stumbled onto our property I knew there was somethin’ wrong with him. Even in the dark I could tell he weren’t walkin’ well. Had a weird stumble about him, and I could smell him way before he got anywhere near Sweet Apple Acres. That’s what threw me off about the whole thing at first. The smell. I smelled the same once, when I mucked out the barn after we had that pig go ‘n die in there. Same rotten, disgustin’ smell. That’s how Cedar smelled. I knew it was him when he walked up, could tell by th’ cutie mark, but at the same time, I realized it weren’t him at all.

“His neck had been torn to pieces and his eyeballs were all gummy and greenish. Poppin’ out, too, his eyes were. Covered in blood. You wouldn’t a’known it was him weren’t it for that cutie mark. But I knew—I knew somethin’ wasn’t right. Then Cedar came after me. He…”

Applejack choked back the last of her words. Tears welled in her eyes as she tucked her arms around Big Macintosh and sniffled, drawing her big brother close. Big Macintosh ran his hoof through her mane and comforted her best he could.

“Cedar attacked AJ,” he said bluntly. “Ah had t’kill him.”

“And that’s when you knew?” Twilight said, her heart aching. Applejack looked up.

“We didn’t know anythin’, but then they all heard the commotion ‘n came after us. We heard over somepony’s loudspeaker t’ head for town hall, said it was safe there from the things. But by then they had gotten everywhere. Ponies left ‘n right were bein’ eaten alive. I saw Spike—”

“You saw Spike?!” Twilight gasped, sitting up. “Where was he? Was he okay?”

“Calm down, Twi,” Applejack said. “I only saw a glimpse o’ him. He was runnin’ down an alleyway bein’ chased by zombies. I didn’t see him after that.”

Twilight’s eyes drooped, and Fluttershy came up to her to comfort her. The unicorn gladly accepted the comfort, and the two nuzzled each other before the latter broke out in tears.

“They k-killed Angel. Grabbed her by her little bunny legs and just—ate her.”

Twilight hugged Fluttershy tight. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy. I really am.”

They sat in silence for a while, the quiet being broken only by Fluttershy’s whimpering. The fire began to die down. Rainbow Dash went to look out the window, reporting afterward that only a few shambling undead lay outside. Everypony decided to get some sleep, but Twilight said she would keep watch.

“Are ya sure?” Applejack asked. “You must be awfully tired from carryin’ that saw all day. C’mon, Twi, get some rest.”

“Thanks but no thanks, Applejack. I’ll keep watch tonight.”

“But why?”

Twilight smiled wearily. “Just go to sleep, AJ. Trust me, everything will be alright.”

“But what if they—”

“I count two, maybe three out there. If more come—well, we have the saw.”

“Nah, Twi,” Applejack said sleepily. “We have you.”

The screaming woke them up.

Twilight, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Rainbow Dash all bolted upright as piercing screams tore through the night silence. The screaming then doubled, then tripled, until it was not just one thing screaming, but a whole bunch of things bellowing through the night. And the screams were not normal. They seemed hollow, screechy, and inequine. And they seemed to be getting closer.

Everypony grabbed a weapon. Twilight brought her chainsaw close as the screaming grew in intensity, but then something made her blood run cold.

The screaming changed. Before it was a plethora of high-pitched howling, hollow and quite frightening, but then the howling turned into a low-pitched, throaty roar, as if something huge had just taken up the battle cry. The whole building vibrated as the roar grew louder, louder…

Now everypony was awake. Derpy was hugging Fluttershy out of pure fear. Time Turner was hanging back. Lyra and Bonbon had their backs to the wall, a look of terror upon their faces.

Then suddenly, the screaming stopped. The night was quiet. All Twilight could hear was the sound of many shallow breaths around her. She listened intently for something, anything.

The night was quiet.

WHAM!

The door to Town Hall shook violently, as if something huge had slammed into it. The roaring began again, and it was louder than ever. Twilight stepped back as sweat ran down her brow. Her blood began to run cold.

WHAM!

“What in Equestria is that?!” Applejack yelled, but her words were drowned out by the roaring.

“Everypony stand back!” Twilight cried. “Whatever it is, it’s—”

WWWHHHHHAAAAAAMMMMMMM!

The door crumpled like paper, and a huge dark shape stood in the doorway, masked by the shadow of the night. Applejack cocked her gun as the dark shape stepped into the light.

It was a huge stallion with tiny wings. His straw-colored mane was cut short, and his hide was as white as snow. His beady eyes were red like blood, and his cutie mark was that of a set of weights.

“Snowflake!” Rainbow Dash cried.

“HELP!” Snowflake cried as a dozen zombies came after him. Twilight looked closer and realized that the huge pegasus was covered in blood, and he was limping. He took a few steps forward and collapsed with a loud thunk.

“Get them off of him!” Twilight cried as she revved up the chainsaw and began hacking away. Applejack and Big Macintosh both fired until their shotguns smoked like a chimney. Everypony else held back, afraid of moving. Soon only piles of guts and a pond of blood remained of the horde that had come in with Snowflake, but Twilight realized that the pegasus had destroyed the door.

“Everypony, move back to the center hall! Go, go, go!”

They took off as more zombies began to pile into the hall, groaning and moaning. Twilight sawed off the heads of a couple that got too close as they ran into the center hall, dragging the massive stallion with them.

Twilight was the last pony in before Big Macintosh slid a metal bar through the door handles. She dropped her chainsaw and nearly slipped on the blood that she had tracked in. Everypony breathed heavily, and Big Macintosh threw his shotgun to the ground.

“Damn it, buckin’ DAMN IT!” he screamed, startling everypony. “Now what’d we do? We killed ahselves, that’s what! Buckin’ damn fool come bargin’ in here leadin’ them all to us!”

“Big Macintosh!”

“Ya know what?” Big Mac screamed, grabbing his shotgun. “Ah say we kill this son of a nag. He’s bit, look at ‘im! He’s covered innit! Ah’m gonna…”

He approached Snowflake, who remained on the ground unconscious, but Applejack stood in front of him.

“He ain’t bit, brother! What’s gotten into you?”

“Outta mah way, AJ! This fool cost us our lives!”

“We ain’t dead yet, Big Mac! For Pete’s sake, calm down!”

Big Macintosh stopped moving, and for a while nopony said anything. The only sounds were those of the zombies. Then Big Macintosh threw away his gun again, walked down to the window, punched the window with his hoof and broke it, and then slid down the wall and cried into his hooves.

“Son of a buck…mah sister…everythin’ that’s happenin’…”

He weeped, and Applejack went to console him. Everypony else looked uncomfortable, so they turned to face Snowflake.

And as they did that, Snowflake opened his eyes and growled.