//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Just an Old Ponytale... // by EternalShadow54 //------------------------------// Just an Old Ponytale... Chapter 15- 'Death drew its cold grasp around the barn, the air stale with the hint of decay as the banging at the door became louder...' "Ahhhhhh!" Apple Bloom roared, taking the broken bed post in her hoof and brought it around her, connecting with a horrid monstrosity's face as she madly dashed towards the barn. The rest of the group would have froze in shock had a mob or ravenous undead not been right behind them. They followed the little filly, swinging her weapon furiously as she ran on three legs with her eyes closed, making contact with one more zombie before the post broke, leaving her completely defenseless. Apple Bloom halted, gazing at the small wooden piece in her hooves before she was jumped by an "infected" from the side, completely catching her off guard. BAM Apple Bloom turned around, eyes fixed upon Colgate fending off the monster by the mouth with her lamp pole. "GO!" the blue mare screamed, turning her head and beaming her eyes at the small filly who stared with her mouth agape. "I'll hold this one off! Now go!" Apple Bloom scurried off, Colgate now left fighting off one of the freaks of nature, looking deep into the eyes of an undead creature of the damned. She jerked her pole to the side, twisting the creatures neck a full, neck-breaking 90 degrees. Its neck dropped to the side, its growl still heard by her ears. "It's... not dead..." Colgate stated in shock, eyes widening with fear. The monster lunged, throwing itself at the stunned mare as she stood in complete disarray. BASH The monster's body was met with that of Derpy's, the pegasis thowing herself into harms way to help her paralyzed friend. The two were scambling on the ground, the "infected" thrashing his head in all directions as it tried to bite the brave mare who was only just dodging every attempt. They struggled for only a moment before the creature's face was met with that of Pinkie's BB gun stock. The monstrosity released grip upon the blonde mare, jumping back and letting out a loud shriek. Derpy drew her weapon from her side, aiming right between the eyes before she released her grasp upon the knife, flinging the sharp kitchen tool into the skull of one less undead. "Nice shot Derpy!" Pinkie shouted, pounding the blonde mare's hoof. "Thanks!" Derpy replied, turning to continue their way to the destination, snapping Colgate from her trance of terror. Apple Bloom sprinted full speed towards the old barn, far ahead of the group that had just saved her life, before she was cut off by another one of the "infected". She turned, ready to quickly dash back to the party of fighters battling their way towards her direction, only to find three more of them surrounding her, each giving a low growl as they closed her in, severing her chances of escaping the deadly encasement. They grew mere hooves away as Apple Bloom covered her eyes, holding her foreleg in front to shield her face from the inevitable as she yelled. Twilight ran past another zombie, avoiding combat as much as possible as she headed for the barn. Suddenly, she turned to her left, hearing a loud yell calling from a small group of the monsters gathered around something... or somepony. "Apple Bloom!?" She yelled back, rushing over to the origin of the cry and jumping right into the middle of the group. She quickly wrapped her hooves around the small filly as she focused all her attention on the barn, the pack around her about to pounce while they sat there in total helplessness. They jumped. FLASH Apple Bloom suddenly became calm, the rain no longer hitting her coat as she felt the warm body of a pony with its hooves around her. She slowly allowed her eyes to open, her attention peering through the darkness to make out the lavender color around her as it started to lose its hold on the filly. She gasped as the body of Twilight crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Twilight crashed onto the floor, exhausted from the adrenaline of the dash leaving her as she lay there, giving a few heavy heaves of breath in the barn before her wind caught back up with her. She looked into the darkness, eyes adjusting to make out the wooden roof pattern. The peaceful patter of the rain hitting on the barn sides softly cooed to the purple unicorn, her dreams taking over her thoughts while she lay there, slowly slipping from reality, and into that of her mind. The filly heard a loud crash from behind, nearly jumping out of her coat and letting another loud scream escape her lips before she noticed the three ponies bashing back the flood of green at the entranceway. Derpy was the first in, scooping rocks and dirt into her hooves and throwing them at the creatures clawing and biting at the other two ponies,weapons nearly spent as they reached their hoofs at the ends of the doors, trying to close the barn before they were swarmed by the mob or worse... bitten. After a short struggle however, they finally were able to fend off the hoard, slamming the doors shut and barring themselves inside with a wooden beam. Colgate caught her breath, panting and tired from the conflict she just endured. She came to Apple Bloom's side, sitting beside the purple mare who lay unconscious as she spoke to the filly. "Are you OK?" she asked, being quite blunt and to the point, her tone with that of an annoied pony. Apple Bloom nodded her head, Colgate almost unable to see what she was doing because of the lack of light. She figured it a nod, and turned to the other two. "Nopony was bitten, were they?" Pinkie and Derpy replied with a no as they came over to join the others, Pinkie setting her gun to the side as Derpy found a seat beside Apple Bloom. "Apple Bloom, do you have a lantern in here?" The filly looked to the ground for a second, thinking real hard before she answered the slightly angry mare in front of her. "I believe so, but it's got no fluid to make a fire." she replied, a little scared about what Colgate was about to say. "Dang. Well, no matter. Do you have some hay around?" Apple Bloom kind of chuckled. "Do we have hay? What kind of question is that? We are in a barn, aren't we?" she answed, being rather sarcastic in her answer and trying to lighten the mood. "Cute..." Colgate coldly stated. Apple Bloom's mood returned to the normal gloomy state it was in, her attempts in vain. "Could you fetch us some..." "Sure..." Apple Bloom replied with a grunt, looking at the sleeping unicorn on the ground in envy, able to escape this harsh reality, even if for only a moment. "I'm sure what ever your dreaming of can't be as bad as what we're going through Twilight." she whispered to herself...