//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Rise of the dead // by zzzzzzzzz23 //------------------------------// Chapter one: the infection.  Pend          It was cold, the stars shining down upon Pend; as she walked across the stony path of Ponyville. She was on her way back from the cannery, were she spend her days canning food. She lived at the Ponyville apartment complex. The only friend she had was Green Star. He was a young, handsome, pony that worked at the gun factory. Pend had liked him since the first day they went, his light green coat, and his dark green hair. She looked forward to seeing him after work every day.   *************         As Pend turned the corner to her room, she noticed a note on Green Stars door. Pend’s curiosity, made it hard to leave without reading the small, blue note. As she took it off the door with her magic she read it.           Dear Mr. Green Star. We, the congress of the guns academy have noticed that your weapon creating has gotten out of hand. We have here by banished you from creating any more fire arms. If you break this law, you will go to jail for risking life’s of Ponyville.          Thank you for your time.            Pend felt shock that someone would ban Green Star from making weapons, he isn’t hurting nopony! Creating weapons is Green Stars life! It’s what he does when he has time, plus what about his job. Hill have to quit, then he would have to move! Just the thought of him moving made Pend feel sick to her stomach. What will I do? I’ll have to hide the letter, but then hill got to jail. Pend was in a deep thought when she herd the clop of hooves.  It was Green Star coming up the stars. Without thinking Pend stuffed the note in her saddle.          Green Star walked up to his door were Pend was standing. “Hey Green Star!” Pend said in an uneasy voice. “Hey,” Green Star Replied. He unlooked his door and stepped inside. He looked back at Pend and asked, “Are you feeling all right?” “Oh yes I’m fine.” Pend said trying to sound like she was fine.  The truth is that Pend has a hard time keeping secrets. She hated keeping them; she had a bad experience in school, when the filly asked her to keep a secret about stealing the teacher’s new hat. Pend didn’t know that the filly would get in trouble if she told. The filly was expelled from school, and nopony wanted to talk to Pend. From that point on she has had the hardest time keeping secrets.          Green Star turned back around and took off his saddle, and hat. “See you tomorrow Green Star.” Pend said to him as she turned away. “See yah Pend,” Green Star replied closing his door.           Later that night Pend lay in bed with the note in one hoof. After an hour, she slide the note in her dresser and went out into her kitchen. She pulled out an apple out of her fringe and went to the couch. Pend clicked on the TV and turned it to Equestrian news. She took a bite of the apple; it was a ripe apple, from Sweet Apple Acers. As the news talked about life today, a warning came on the TV.           Warring killer on the loose, stay indoors till he is chaptered. Pony not found, just know that he was last seen in the back of the cannery. This pony has killed to fillys, their bodies were found at seven o’ clock.          Pend looked at the clock, it was eight thirty. Pend left work at eight. “God! I’m so glad I wasn’t there.” She said to herself as she took another bite of her apple. She looked back at the warning.          …The bodies were torn apart and left behind a pile of apple cider canes. If you come in contact with this pony, call the police.           The message repeated three times then the news came back on.  Pend felt worried about Green Star. What if he is in danger!  Pend dropped the apple, and ran to go get her saddle.           She went to Green Stars door and nocked, “hello, Green star it’s me Pend.” No one came to the door. She nocked harder. Again no one came. Pend started to panic! “Green star open this door!” the lights were off inside. “If you don’t open this door right know, I’ll break the lock!” using her magic she broke the lock on the door. She flicked on the light and entered the room. There was no blood, or body parts. Green Stars saddle was gone. “Dear Celestia, he went outside!”          In her panic of thinking that the killer could be cutting him up right then. She ran out of the door and onto the street.         As Pend roamed the street she couldn’t find anypony, just an empty street. Pend looked behind every building and every cart. There was no evidence of any killer, or of Green Star. She was about to give out when she heard a moan behind her. She swung her head around to see a lone pony at the end of the street. Pend turned the rest of her body around and took a step forward. It wasn’t Green Star. It was a hooded figure, with blood on his hooves.  It was the culprit! “Don’t get close to me!” The pony mooned ageing. “I warn you, I-I’ll kill you!” the figure started to walk forward.           Pend tried to make out his face, but the hood and the darkness from the night made it impossible! Pend started to back up. Then the pony started to run! “Dear Celestia! Some pony help me!” Pend turned around getting ready to run, when she tripped over a stone. The pony jumped on Pend. She turned around and gave a kick with all her might! The killer flu into the air and landed by a food cart. “Green Star help me!” Pend yelled at the top of her lungs! At that point the hood fell off of the killer. What Pend saw chilled her to her bone. In was a colt, but it didn’t look like is has living. Half if its face was gone just bone. Its teeth were sharp, and its eyes were white.          “Police! Help me!” she made a finely attempted at getting help. The thing jumped onto Pend. He was about to sink its teeth into Pend’s neck when it was kicked off of her. Pend looked up to see Green Star. “Get up!” Green Star yelled to Pend. Pend jumped up and ran behind Green Star. As the thing got up it looked hungry in its eyes. “It’s trying to eat us!” pend shouted. The colt ran at Green Star. Green Star kicked its leg. The pony snapped at Green Stars hooves. “Not today!” Green Star yelled as he put his entire Wight into crushing the pony’s skull.          Pend was shacking all over, blood stained her light blue coat. Green Star nudged his head into her main and said in a calming voice. “It’s ok, it’s over.” Tears ran down her face as she thought what would have happened if Green Star wouldn’t have made it. “What was that thing?” She asked. “I don’t know, but whatever it was, we need to call the police.” “What if there is more?” Pend asked still shivering. “Don’t worry, there isn’t, were safe.”                                                   *************              Pend and Green Star when to their apartment once the police arrived. Green Star opened his door, and walked in. “wait, don’t leave me.” Pend said in a panic voice. “It’s ok, he’s dead, and there are no more.” Green Star said trying to calm her down. “But what if there are more! And they kill me in the night!” “They won’t.”  “But what if they do!” there was a long silence, and then Green Star asked. “Why don’t you sleep at my place, for the night, or until you feel safe.” Pend just stood there, thinking of the attack. Green Star walked up to her and put a hoof around her. “Come, you’ll feel safe.” Green Star led her into the house, and locked the door.                                               ****************   The police took the colt’s body to Canter Lot to by studied. “Doctor, what are we looking at?” Private Apple asked. Doctor hooves looked over the body. “It doesn’t make any since!” “What?” “The results came in; it says this body has been dead for two years.” “That’s impossible!” Marriott said. “Well, this body has been dead for a long time, and you say it just died?” Doctor hooves said. “Well, yes. It killed two ponies at eight thirty, and then attacked another around nine.” Marriott said. “Well take a look.” They all looked at the body. “We cut it open and found the organs rotting.” “A body can only be that rotten when its ben dead a long time.” “What about the stomach, is there flesh in it?” “Yes, that’s the incredible thing! It has fresh pony flesh in it.” “So you’re saying, this thing ate the ponies.” Doctor hooves walked around the table. “I don’t have a clue! It doesn’t make any since!” Doctor hooves said going to his computer. “But until we figure this out, I want solders in every city.” “Yes sir, I’ll put solders every were.” The police left Dr. Hooves to study, as they followed out his orders.                                             ******************           Pend woke up in the morning with surprise. Green Star was lying next to her. “Ummm…. Green Star, what are you doing?” Green Star flipped over and said. “You were freaking out in the night, I think a bad dream? So I came out to calm you down.” Pend thought about if she had dreams last night. “I do remember a little bit of a dream. I was being chased by ponies, and they were trying to eat me.” Then she remembered what happened last night. “It’s ok, your safe, remember?” “Oh yah…” Pend said feeling scared. “Here, let me get you something to eat.” Green Star stood up, and went to the kitchen. Pend slept in a gest bed room in the back of the apartment. She looked out of the window and saw ponies, doing what they do every day. Pend looked over to the cannery, it was closed. Police were all around it. Well I guess I’m not going to work today. Pend thought to herself.          Green star walked into the room with apples and blue berry muffins. “Here is some food for you.” Green star said putting the trey on the bed. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to get me muffins.” Pane told him as she sat up. “It’s no problem. I’ll stay home from work with you.” Pane would have said something about him going to work, but then she remembered the note, and it would be better for him to stay home. “Thanks, I’m thinking about going down to Candy Cane corner to see how Mr. and Ms. Cake are doing. “Ok once you finished breakfast, can have you starving yourself.” Pend giggled slightly at the saying of that. “Just remember your safe with others.”           After eating breakfast Pend headed down to Candy Cane corner. “Hello Ms. Cake.” “Hello dear.” Ms. Cake said pulling out a trey of hot cupcakes. “I was just stopping by to see how business was.” “Oh, it’s fine.” Ms. Cake walked up to Pend and whispered in her ear. “I heard what happened last night, are you ok?” Pend was shocked that she knew. “How do you know what happened?” “It was on the news this morning, and they have solders outside of town, at least a dozen.”  “Oh! They have it on the news.” Pend said kind of embarrassed. “Well yah! Dude they haven’t had a pony get attacked since July! This is big news!” “Yah, I was almost food.” “Food?” Ms. Cake looked confused. “The news didn’t say anything about you getting eaten.” “Really! We told the police right after it happen, they knew!” Pend said feeling anguish in side of her. “Yah, they told us you were being raped.” “What!” Pend shouted. “They can’t say that! That’s not what happened!” “Calm down honey, maybe there trying to keep it secret.” Ms. Cake said going back to frost a cake. “b-but ponies need to know the truth!” “Shhhhh! Here comes some pony, will talk later.” “Ok, I’ll see you later.” Pend said with anger inside of her. As she walked down the road she saw three solders chatting outside of the cannery. Pend stopped to listen. “Did you hear what happened last night?” one with a combat shotgun asked. “Yah, I did that poor pony, it’s a good thing the Green Star came.” I know, right? If he didn’t come then, what would have happened?” a short fat one asked. “Well what would you think numskull!” the combat shot gun guy said hitting him on the side of the head. “Well I know what would have happened, but I just wanted to ask.” The short fat one asked rubbing his head. Pend walked away thinking to herself. Do they think I was raped, or almost eaten? Still full of anger she trotted over to the apartment when she heard a gunshot.          She heard a total of five gunshots, she turned around and say smoke coming from the end of the street. Pend ran over to see who was firing gunshots. It was a solder, and a body lay still in the road. It was a earth pony, her stomach torn apart and flesh peeled from her right, hind leg. Pend panicked, it looked just like the one last night, except this was a female. “What is it!” a solder yelled. “I know what it is!” Pend yelled from the back of the crowd gathering. Everyone looked back at her. “It’s like the same thing that tried to eat me last night.” There was some gasping in the crowed. “You’re crazy.” A colt said in the crowd. “I’m not crazy! We need to get the princess down here!” The solder with he’s gun drawn, the one that killed the thing said to Pend. “She isn’t crazy, this thing attacked me like it wanted to kill me, I say we get Princess Celestia down here right now.” He pointed to Private Apple get Princess Celestia down here right now.” He used his magic power to pick up a phone and gave it to the Private. “And tell her to send more solders, we might need more.” Pend said feeling bold of what she has done.                                     ******************   “Green Star, please you have to give me a gun.” Pend begged. “No I don’t, you have no training what’s so ever. I can’t let you.” Green Star said putting away a revolver. “Yes you can! I’m not going to shoot it with my thong like some of the solders who don’t have horns.” Pend said leaning closer to him. “Magic or not, it’s too dangerous.” “Just one gun, you can train me in Sweet Apple Acers!” Green Star thought for a minute. “Fine ill teach you, if!” “if what?” if you promos you won’t go out looking for trouble with the things.” “Ok, I promos.” Pend said “ok, we start first thing in the morning.