Equestria: Land of the Dead

by LuminStarlight

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Alternate Universe, Applejack, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Fluttershy, Adventure
Length: 1802

A grimdark tale of survivors in a zombie apocalypse

The story begins with Lumina: one of the survivors from the Equestrian zombie outbreak as she braves the Everfree Forest to find survivors. Who she ends up finding is a rag-tag group of ponies willing to do anything to stop the zombie outbreak. Some want a cure, others just want to kill zombies. What the young unicorn Lumina Starlight will choose to do is anyone's guess...

Published 2019-02-06 15:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-02-06 15:10:01 UTC

Introduction

Day 21, I have taken to the woods in Equestria. Unfortunately, I seem to be alone. Every pony I know is dead (Well, undead anyway) or gone, poof, vanished of the face of the planet. I've thought of passing back through Ponyville to try and find survivors, but I can't fight the hoards outside the Everfree Forest on my own. Thus, I have no choice but to continue through the woods. The cool of the woods in March has provided me some solace from the attacking zombies. Luckily, my training in exploration has allowed me to build up the strength to get this far. However, my food supply is running low and my nerves are shot from being alone for so long. There's no more denying it. I will have to go into Ponyville to restock.

About a month ago, Princess Celestia sought the help of Zecora when a deadly outbreak plagued the lands and many ponies fell ill. Zecora, the zebra's remedy worked... to an extent. Every pony that was treated survived, but, they were never the same again... Neither was any pony they ever encountered...

A cool wind howled through the woods as the blue unicorn finished her journal entry, shoving the book in her bag. I have to keep moving, she thought, knowing that if she tarried too long, the pegasus zombies would find her. They were the worst. Whether one hid on land or found solace over a body of water, the pegasi could still find them. In this regard, a lasting haven was hard to find. With a squeaking movement catching her ear, she froze in place, wearily listening for the groans that indicated she must run. Instead, the creaking and squeaking grew louder. A wagon? Lumi took off in the direction of the sound, back towards the road she had avoided before, to keep from encountering the larger hoards of undead. Who could it be? Oh please, please, please be alive!

Lumina ran until her hooves hit the more solid ground of the road through Everfree Forest, then, tried pulling herself to a stop. Her legs, instead, stumbled into the middle of the road, right in front of the speeding carriage.

"STOP THE CARRIAGE," a female voice shouted, noticing the blue, fallen unicorn in the road. A brown unicorn slipped his head out of the window, frowning in disapproval, shouting," Get out of the way!!!" The orange mare that was driving the carriage yanked the reigns eagerly, doing her best to pull the carriage aside before they ran over the unicorn. "D-DON'T STOP! GEEZ! UGH," the brown colt inside shouted, throwing his front hooves up in frustration. "QUIET YOU," the orange mare shouted, finally slowing her armored friends and the carriage down enough to pull the vehicle to its side in right in front of Lumina.

The young, orange mare, around Lumina's age hopped down from her seat, hurrying frantically over to the fallen pony. She lowered her head in concern, helping her up," You alright, Sugar Cube?!"

Lumina turned her eyes from the carriage that almost ran over her to the source of the friendly voice standing over her. She had a golden mane and freckles on her face. Her coat was a light orange. There was no mistaking a member of the apple family (especially if you were from Ponyville). Lumi pushed herself back onto her feet, dusting herself off, but not taking her eyes off the living earth pony in front of her," Y-yes..."

"APPLE JACK, GET BACK IN THE CARRIAGE," the brown unicorn colt yelled as he lept out the carriage window, pointing a strangely-angled device at the blue mare, menacingly. "Oh no! Stop," a more gentle voice said from inside the carriage. The pink-maned pegasus hung out of her window, shouting to the best of her ability, although her voice was barely audible," No more killing... please! I've had enough..."

Apple Jack's eyes narrowed as she turned to the unicorn with a grimace," SHE'S STILL ALIVE, SURESHOT! She would have eaten me already if that weren't the case!"

The colt lowered his device, glaring past Apple Jack to the young unicorn on the road, " BIG DEAL!!" He started to turn back, but kept his uneasy eyes on Lumi," It doesn't matter if she's alive or not. She'll be dead soon enough..." He grunted, throwing the device on his back and getting back into the carriage.

Apple Jack sighed, turning back to the blue unicorn in relief," Don't mind him. Shot's had a hard time with all this. He saw his baby brother get..."

Sure Shot glared back at Apple Jack, running a hoof across his neck and nodding," CAN IT!"

The orange mare stopped herself in surprise, pursing her lips, glancing back at him momentarily.

"His baby brother, what...," Lumina asked, looking over at him.

"N-n-nothin," Apple Jack said ," Come along, Sugar Cube! Sorry! Name's Apple Jack! Nice to meet ya. That there's Sure Shot and the pegasus in the carriage is Fluttershy..."

The blue unicorn was about to cry, relieved she'd come across ponies who weren't out to devour her flesh," Thanks! I'm relieved to find some pony else who's still alive after this whole mess! I have been alone for weeks! I haven't been able to find any pony with any sort of sound mind in all this chaos!"

AppleJack paused thoughtfully and lead the new stranger back to the carraige," Same with us. We were sent lookin. S'like they all lost their minds, started eatin each other..." There was a twinge of pain in AppleJack's voice as she lowered her head, remembering something that seemed to have shaken her to her very core.

Lumina frowned in concern, unsure what to say as she got in and the carriage took off once more

Day 21, addendum: I have joined a group of survivors traveling together, but with our combined supplies we are still short on food. So, we're off to Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Jack hasn't spoken much since we started off towards Ponyville. Sure Shot has taken down a few zombies along the way, much to the poor mare in the seat beside me's displeasure. There have been no other survivors found in the Everfree Forest. I am hoping we find at least one pony in Ponyville who is still alive... Some pony I know... However, with the horde we are fast approaching, we all have our doubts...

The Road to Ponyville

As they rode through the woods to Ponyville, the group remained quiet, preparing themselves for the herd of undead that would undoubtedly flock upon them when they reached what remained of civilization. The metal of Sure Shot's long device glistened in the sunlight that came through the carriage's side windows.

Lumi's curiosity caught the better of her as she watched the colt examine it carefully and check its inner workings. "What is that thing...," she asked.

The brown unicorn's firey, amber eyes shifted to her as he settled the device in his hooves," It's a gun, a shotgun, actually: a little device I invented for times such as these. It's what has kept us alive so long..." His words held a weight of seriousness the blue unicorn didn't quite understand.

Fluttershy lowered her head in her seat, looking down, sadly as she leaned forward, pulling her ears down and curling her tail around her," Oh! I just hate the awful sound it makes!"

AppleJack threw a brief gaze behind her and through the front window to the trio inside,"Well, as gruesome as it is, none of us can deny its effectiveness..." The orange mare's voice made it sound as if she was ashamed of that device.

Just as Lumina Starlight prepared to ask what Sureshot's gun did, the colt turned his head, sticking its barreled end out the window. The yellow pegasus pulled her front hooves tightly over hear ears, but her squeak was muffled by the sound of a loud explosion! This made the blue unicorn leap out of her seat in fright. The sickening sound of a splatter and the bellowing of ravenous groans and screams soon followed. The group was not alone...

The horde of Ponyville gathered upon arrival of the carriage, each pony pushing and shoving at the chance for their next meal: one they wanted to sate their never-ending hunger. The group in the carriage looked around them at the herd as they prepared to fight. Shot prepared his gun for the next round and climbed through the skylight, onto the roof of the carriage," Keep going Jack! The rest of you, get yer butts on the roof!"

Fluttershy was the first to join the brown colt, using her wings to fly up and through.

Just then, several zombies made their way to the windows, roaring in united hunger with their eyes set on the blue unicorn. Lumi was nearly on the roof when one pony caught hold of her leg, beginning to pull her back in (much to her dismay). The yellow pegasus recognized the zombie as the late Mayor Mare.

"Get off me," the blue mare screeched, her magic flaring up along with the moment of fright. Luckily, her outburst of magic was enough to free her leg and knock the zombies out of the carriage before they could pull her down and tear into her. She slipped through the skylight just as the hungry pegasi approached, only to be taken down as a bullet pieced through the flying zombie's head causing it to drop to the ground with a sickening thud.

Lumina Starlight panted, unsure exactly of what to do. Sure Shot fired away at the hoard, using his magic where his gun failed to reach," Get a hold of yourself! We haven't bitten the barrel yet!"

As the herd tried attaching themselves to the carriage and climbing up, FlutterShy squeaked and brought her hooves up, kicking them off one by one as the carriage continued along the path to Sweet Apple Acres," I'M SO SORRY! Oh! Please don't get mad at me!"

Shot brought his gun down, batting off another of the zombies as the armored pegasi pulling the carriage sped up at a snap of AppleJack's rope, spreading their opposing, bladed wings to cut their way through the masses. The orange mare brought the reigns up in her hooves, seeing they had made some progress and were leaving the herd behind," NOW!"

With Applejack's signal threw his gun on his back. Gathering what magic he could from within, the colt set loose a rain of magic fire on the group's pursuers: fire that consumed and cut off the remaining horde, burning slowing them down as the carriage reached the orchard and approached the barn.