Dead Pony Rising 2

Chapter One

Welcome to Stable Brook

One Month Later

Date: August 29, 2011 6:57 a.m.

“This is Rebucka Hayes, reporting live from just outside of Las Pegasus, Equestria,” said the small radio in the chariot, “It has been over twelve hours since the first reports of a zombie outbreak in Las Pegasus, the death toll has reached an estimated 100,000 and as many as a staggering one million ponies may be infected.” The yellow and red chariot pulled into a chariot repair shop and came to a slow and steady stop. The stallion pulling it was wearing a yellow, blood-stained Motoclops helmet, with the word Tsuaf written across it. He pulls of the harness and removes the helmet. He had an orange and black t-shirt on with a giant number four on the back. He was also wearing faded, dark blue jeans. His mane was a dark olive and his fur was a very dark orange.

“To make sure the contagion does not spread,” Rebucka continues, “The Royal Guardians have set up a 50-mile perimeter outside of Las Pegasus.” The stallion sighs angrily. “They have shoot-to-kill orders for anypony off the main roads.” He looks down and notices that the faux leather strap used for the harness was wearing down severely. He walked over to a small bin and pulled out a fresh new one to replace it. “Guardian and Government personnel are screening everypony at the roadblocks, before allowing them to leave the quarantined area.” The stallion turned up the volume. “This just in,” Rebucka continues, “Princess Celestia has just announced that she is going to increase the sentencing of Braeburn, notorious pony that started the Fillydelphia outbreak, in beliefs that this is the work of one of the infected ponies he had sent out many months ago.”

As the stallion was replacing the strap, he looked around the small town he stopped in. It was dead silent; possibly from the outbreak occurring nearly fifty miles north of their location. It had a very eerie silence, unusual for even the smallest of towns.

“The number of chariots leaving the city has trickled to a stop in the past few hours…an ominous sign that few ponies remain.” The stallion looked on as a beat up chariot filled with many ponies rides through the small town and out of sight. As he finished tying down the new strap, he heard the sounds of thunder and lightning shoot across the sky. He galloped out onto the street and saw three Wonderbolts fly through the sky carrying crates full of many unknown items. As he watched, something started beeping like crazy. The stallion looked down and noticed it was his watch going off. He galloped back over to the back of the chariot and swung a back gate open.

Inside was a small filly sleeping under a faux leather jacket with the same Tsuaf insignia across the back written on it. Next to her was a small green backpack that read ‘Clop Clop’ over the front in pink, with white outlines font. He stared at her with sad eyes.

“Many sources say that the controversial drug ‘Zombrex’, which is said to inhibit the zombification process for a period of twelve hours, is being widely administered.” The stallion reached over to a small compartment and pulled out a white box with the Zombrex label written on the front.

“Anypony to be infected, but not yet turned, will be quarantined and given medical attention.” He took out the small syringe and carefully pulled back the red jacket the filly was wearing and…

“NO, DADDY! NO!” The filly screamed when she saw the needle get closer to her hide.

“Nopony likes shots, honey!” The stallion said angrily with a slight sadness in his voice. “But it’s very important that you get this.” The filly started to calm down and the stallion gently injected the blue serum into the filly’s shoulder. She cringed as any little filly would and the stallion pulled out the needle.

“Daddy, I don’t like shots.” She said with a slightly cracking voice.

“You won’t have to take another one for a long time.” He said. “A whole twelve hours.” He continued; doing his best to make twelve hours sound like an eternity.

“Maybe we’ll run out.” The filly said. The stallion started to carefully lift her up.

“Sorry, sweetie,” he says, “Daddy’s still got a few more.” He started trotting towards the small repair shop; hoping that somepony was inside. He approached the door and swung it wide open to find…Nothing. He trotted in as the door behind him slowly shut. He set down his daughter and trotted up to the counter.

“Hello?” He asked loudly. “Is anypony here?” He looked around inside the garage next door and saw a majorly beat up blue chariot. He kept trotting around looking for somepony alive.

“Katey, stay where I can see you.” He said. The little filly was trotting around as well. The stallion stood at the counter and waited a few second until there was a loud explosion outside mixed in with the sounds of screaming ponies and chariots being stopped at high speeds. He started to leave when he noticed his daughter starting to follow him.

“Stay here.” He says. The stallion then swings the door open and carefully and slowly trots outside. The sounds of gunfire started to fill the air as well as more screaming ponies. He continued trotting away from the entrance and noticed some smoke billowing in the air. He stood there watching the smoke get higher and higher in the sky. A black mass runs out of the repair shop and starts hooking himself up to the chariot.

The stallion hears the sound of the straps and turns to find a beat-up unicorn tying down the last strap.

“Hey!” The stallion shouts. “That’s my chariot!”

“Sorry, Mr. Greene.” The unicorn says. “I’ve always been a fan, but I need to get out of here now.” He starts galloping away from the repair shop. The stallion starts chasing after the unicorn and is able to grab onto the back for a moment.

“Stop!” He shouts over the sound of the clopping hooves. The stallion loses his grip and falls off the side of the chariot he rolls a few times before coming to a complete stop. He could do nothing but look on as the chariot got smaller and smaller in the distance; heading back to Las Pegasus.

“Son of a gryphon!” Greene says as he slams his hoof into the dirt. “The zombrex…” He places his head in his hoof and sighs angrily; Katey slowly trots up to him.

“Daddy,” she says, “there’s a pony over there.” She says pointing in the distance. Greene pulls himself up quickly hoping to find somepony that can help him; but finds a zombified pony slowly shambling towards him and his daughter. He looks around and sees many zombies appearing out of some of the local shops.

Greene gets up, grabs his daughter, and starts galloping back to the repair shop. Some more zombie ponies were approaching the building as Greene galloped in and sat Katey down. He slammed the door into a zombie’s face and looks around for something to block the door. He sees a vending machine and in no time at all, brings it down and shoves it in front of the door. He grabs Katey and the two hold each other as the zombies start pounding at the door.

“It’s okay, honey,” he says, “They can’t get in.”

“Daddy…what do we do now?” Katey asks scared. Greene looks around and motions Katey into the chariot repair garage. The two slowly trot into the small garage and find just the broken down blue chariot from moments earlier. Greene guides his daughter over to a worn down couch that had many oil stains and stains of other liquids and chemicals that where unknown to most ponies. She sits down and Greene kneels down until he’s eye level with the young filly.

“Katey…” He says. “Daddy loves you…so…so much.” He says. He looks into her blue eyes for a few moments before pulling himself up and walking towards a door near the back.

“But…where are you going?” Katey asks with a scared tone. Greene swung the door open and looked outside to find rusted old chariots stacked on top of one another.

“I have to find more Zombrex and figure out a way to get us out of here.” Greene kept looking around; the sound of Katey’s hooves as she galloped up to her dad.

“But, no, Daddy.” She says. “I don’t even like Zombrex.” Greene sighed deeply and turned to look at his daughter.

“I know honey.” He starts trotting her back to the sofa. “But it’s very important you have another one before bedtime.” He sits her down on the couch. “You stay here,” he continues, “I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“You’re not afraid of those bad ponies outside?” Katey asks; referring to the zombies.

“Nothing’s gonna’ stop me from keeping you safe.” He looks at his daughter one last time before getting up again and heading back for the door. Before he heads out, he notices a baseball bat leaning up next to the door and a box of nails sitting on a shelf on the other side of the door. Greene thinks about it for a moment; then grabs the items and brings them to a work table. He takes a hammer and starts hammering the nails through the bat and taping down the handle with duct tape to give it more grip.

Greene then goes outside and starts trotting through the small maze of old chariots until he reached a fence with an unlocked gate. He looks out towards the street and sees another pony fending himself in another broken down chariot. Greene swings the gate open and starts galloping to the pony and swings his spiked bat in all directions; landing blow after blow against the zombie skulls. When the last one hit the ground, the stranded pony climbed out of the chariot and shook Greene’s hoof.

“Thank you, so much, mister.” He says. “I was certain they were going to eat me alive.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Greene says. “Hey, do you know where I could find Zombrex? And, possibly, a way out of this town?”

“Well, there may be some Zombrex back at my pawnshop, but it’ll cost ya’.” He says. “And, as for a way out, I guess heading that way to Las Pegasus.” He said pointing towards the road Greene and Katey came in on.

“No,” Greene says, “I just came that way…Las Pegasus is gone.” He says solemnly. “Thank you, anyway.” Greene starts trotting away.

“Hey!” The pony shouts. Greene turns around to listen. “I think there might be a Royal Guardianship camp set up near the edge of town. If anything, they’ll have Zombrex.”

“Where on the edge of town?” Greene asks as he trots back to the other pony.

“Just keep going down this road.” He says. “It’ll be to your right; just before a giant bridge.”

“Thanks.” Greene says as he starts galloping in the direction the pony showed him.

“Hey, buddy!” The stallion shouts.

“Yeah?” Greene asks.

“If you need anything like food or weapons or the like; come on by my store. All Your Pony Needs is the name.” The stallion says.

“Thanks, but I don’t plan on staying too long in this quaint little town.” Greene says. “But, if I have any questions, I will be sure to come to you.”

“The name’s Pawn.” The stallion says. “I, unfortunately, must charge you bits for my products.”

“I’m Buck Greene and I must ask…why?.” Greene says back.

“If I survive this…I would like to have something to show for it.”

“Greed is a sin; one of the Seven Deadly Pony Sins.”

“I’m very well aware of the seven sins, boy, but it isn’t greed.” Pawn says angrily. “I have a will and the only pony who’s in it is my granddaughter. All the bits I make go to her schooling fund in Canterlot.”

“Where am I supposed to find bits?” Buck says, getting closer to Pawn.

“This is the only area in Equestria that permits gambling…you figure it out.” Pawn says. “There’s a small casino across the street from my shop. You could break the slot machines and take whatever money there may be inside.” And with that, Pawn starts galloping to the small shop he owned and runs into the building. Buck just shrugs it off and gallops down the road towards the camp Pawn was talking about.

All around him were zombies; most were normal looking while others exhibited some early signs of decomposition. Buck just shoved through the crowds and kept galloping as fast as he could to get to this camp the other pony was talking about. He galloped past a bowling alley, a small casino, a diner, a movie theater, and many other buildings that could’ve been nice to go to. He eventually reached the edge of town and saw a small camp set up.

Unfortunately, it was set up next to a small road that was blocked and filled with destroyed chariots. In the distance, he could see a small fire billowing up smoke and the charred remains of unfortunate ponies that couldn’t make it out in time.

“That explains the explosion from earlier.” He trots up to a giant stretch chariot and climbs up to the top to get a better view of the carnage. The Royal Guardianship had set up a road block, the one Rebucka Hayes reported about earlier that morning, and there was no chance of getting out that way.

“I guess I’ll have to head back the way to Pegasus and just find another exit to take.” He looks around and sees an overturned medical chariot deep inside the camp. Buck jumps down and slowly trots over to the chariot and looks around for any Guardians that could help. There were none that Buck could see. He trots over to the medical chariot and starts unhooking some straps to get the back hatch open.

It swings open and a dead royal guardian unicorn pops out. Buck falls back and down on the ground from the sudden shock of seeing a dead pony that wasn’t trying to eat him. Buck carefully pulls himself up and starts checking the body for any Zombrex. He comes up short and starts giving up hope. Maybe that pawnshop pony could give him an exception.
Buck starts checking the actual chariot for any boxes of the blue liquid. After a few frantic seconds, Buck pulls out two boxes with the Zombrex label. The first one was empty…but the second one wasn’t.

“Oh, thank Celestia!” He said as he kissed the box. Buck pulled himself up and started trotting back to the repair shop…when a small transceiver started going off on the dead unicorn’s body.

“Come in, twenty-six…” It said through major static. “I repeat, come in, twenty-six.” Buck stops and turns back to listen. “We are organizing back up for your blockade now.” The other Royal Guard said on the transceiver.

“Hang tight and do not let anypony past your post.” He says. Buck reaches for the transceiver but backs away from it. “A new quarantine crew, with full security detail, will be there at 21:00 hours.” Buck backs away a bit more and starts to panic.

“I need to get out of her within the next twelve hours.” He says. “But how?” He looks around and notices a poster of himself, from a few months earlier in Ponyville, hanging in one of the medical tents. It was him dressed in his full Motoclops gear riding on a customized Motoclops bike. He looked at the details of the poster and started fitting the pieces together in his head.

“Motoclops bikes are easy to make, even from scratch.” He says to himself. “If I can get the appropriate pieces, I just might get Katey and myself out of here.” He trots up to the poster and tears it down from the wall.

“But where to start?” He asks. He trots out of the tent and starts looking around the camp for any ideas. As he looked through the carnage of the roadblock, he found the body of a cycle lying in the middle of the road. He gallops over and picks it up.

“This’ll work.” H says as he starts galloping back to the repair shop with it.

*** *** ***

Date: August 29, 9:02 a.m.

Back at the repair shop, Buck had set up the cycle body on top of a table. He had a piece of paper and a pen and was writing down all of the supplies he would need in order to make a fully-functioning Motoclops-style bicycle. He noticed that it needed wheels, hoofstraps for both him and Katey, two seats to accommodate him and Katey, and a light just in case they need to travel at night. That’s when Katey started groaning in agony. Buck stopped what he was doing and trots over to see what Katey needed.

Katey was leaning on her side; groaning even more. She noticed that her dad was kneeling in front of her and she pulled herself up.

“Hold on, honey,” Buck says, “Everything’s gonna’ be just fine. Daddy’s just got to go outside a bit more to get a few things.”

“Daddy,” Katey says, “I don’t feel so good. Could I have more of that medicine now?” Buck looked at his watch; noticing it was nearing one in the afternoon. He shook his head no and looked up to Katey.

“I can’t give it to you too early, honey.” He says. “It’s dangerous; you’ll get too much.” Katey looked up and noticed the cycle body that Buck brought in.

“Can you fix that bicycle, Daddy?” She asks. Buck smirks and slowly pulls himself up. He looks over at the bike and then back to his daughter.

“Daddy can fix anything.” He says. He trots back over to the pad of paper and writes down a few more things before setting it down again and heading for the backdoor.

“Daddy?” Katey asks.

“Yes, sweetie?” Buck asks.

“While you’re out there…could you get me something to play with? Like a toy or a game?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Buck says. “I have no idea what they even have in this small town; but I will do my best to get you something to play with.” And with that, Buck opens the door and trots back out into the dangerous town of zombies.