Chapter 4: Celestia's Wager
It had been a normal day for the Princess. Spending some quality time with her sister, attending to nobles and lords across Canterlot, and just struggling with the daily activities.
Yes, it was just a normal day for Princess Celestia.
That is, until Twilight's letter came about three strange creatures. It was something that she was greatly taking an interest in. She walked across the courtyard to her awaiting carriage, Luna hot on her heels.
"Sister, do you think it is wise for you to be so close to creatures we know nothing about?" Luna asked with a nervous tone. Celestia smiled at her sister.
"They seem perfectly safe, Luna. Don't fret. Until I am back, you are in charge, as always." She said, stepping into her large carriage. Luna bowed and nodded.
"I eagerly await news, sister. Take care." Luna said warmly, rising to her hooves. Celestia nodded and her carriage took flight for her faithful students dwellings.
Twilight, being her usual, OCD self, had ushered all her friends to her dwellings, along with the new 'guests', to thoroughly prepare for the Princess' arrival.
Francis leaned over to Louis and chuckled. "Man, what do you suppose is eating her?" He asked. Louis shrugged and watched as the Unicorn cleaned every inch of her place, levitating dusters, rags, and anything else to get her home spotless. The group had already been briefed on what magic was, and didn't seem all to fazed by it.
Come on. If you were fighting freaking Zombies for over two weeks, nothing would really faze you much either.
"SPIKE! How's the upstairs look?" Twilight called out. Spike walked down the steps, a look of 'you're kidding' etched on his face.
"Really? It's not like she's going into your bedroom, Twilight."
Francis couldn't help but jump in. "The way she's acting, that's probably what she wants." He laughed. Rainbow Dash joined in and Pinkie Pie shoved a hoof in her mouth to stifle her giggle snorts. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy just stared at the man in shock of his lewd joke. Francis raised his arms and smiled.
"What? I was just kiddin'!" He said. Twilight rolled her eyes and jumped when she heard the horns of the guards blow, announcing their Princess' arrival. Twilight freaked and did a few last minute checks on the condition of her house.
A light knock came and Twilight quickly composed herself, trotting to the door and opening it to their benevolent ruler. The survivors covered their eyes, at it was like she brought the sun inside with her.
"Whoa! Turn down the lights, lady. Sheesh." Francis protested. She smiled and walked over to the three humans.
"So, I take it these are the creatures. Charming." She said sarcastically. Louis walked forward with a grin on his face.
"Don't mind Francis. He can be a pain in the rear sometimes, but he means well." He assured. "My name is Louis, and she's Zoey."
"Charmed." Zoey said sarcastically, playing with Bills old lighter. The Princess frowned at Zoey and Francis. They were impolite, inconsiderate, and just downright negative.
"Why do you act the way you do?" She asked the two. They looked to one another, then back to her.
"Look, lady," Francis began. "When you're fighting your way through two weeks of Zombie hell? Then you see how you come out of it."
Celestia furrowed her brow and stepped closer. "I have been alive for thousands of years! I've seen wars fought, many of my closest friends die. Yet, I still act with humility and understanding!"
Zoey snorted and shook her head. "Tell me, did you have to watch your mother get half her face eaten off? Did you watch her do the same to your father, then kill your father so he didn't come back to life and do the same to you?!" She shouted. Celestia stepped back and frowned.
"I... I can honestly say I have not." She considered this, but quickly went back to her attitude before. "That still doesn't give you the right to treat others the way you do."
"What are you gonna do about it? You think you're right, and we think we're right." Zoey began. Celestia smiled and contemplated a plan.
"Well, how about this. For two weeks, you will become ponies. In that time, you have to earn your cutie marks. I will become human, go to your world, and see for myself if your actions are justified."
Everyone in the room got a look of disbelief on their face. Louis stepped forward with pleading eyes.
"Princess, look. You don't know what we faced! You'll be dead before you take three steps!" Celestia took this argument as further testament to the challenge.
"Are you saying I can't handle myself? I can assure you, anything you faced, I can face just as well, if not better." She affirmed.
Francis joined in now. "Look, you don't know what kind of fresh hell we just got out of. Do you even know how to use a gun?" He asked, pulling out his side arm. Celestia studied the object and frowned.
"I do not. But, I have my magic, that should be enough." She said. Louis gave her a frown.
"Humans can't use magic, and if you're going to become human, then that's out of the question." He chuckled.
"Do we have a deal?" Celestia asked, not wanting to continue the argument. The humans looked to each other and shrugged.
"Well..." Louis began, but Zoey shot forward first.
"Deal. Let's see what you got, Princess." She said grinning. The princess held out a hoof, and the two women shook on it. Celestia went over to Twilight, who seemed too stunned for words.
"It'll be alright. If I am close to death, I'll be sent back here, alright?"
Twilight nodded, her mouth still ajar. "Alright, Princess. If you think this is wise..."
"Oh believe me," Celestia began. "It'll be more than worth it. Humans? Come forward! It's time to start our game!"
Francis, Louis and Zoey lifted off the ground, protesting the endeavor. They were quickly surrounded by a swirling vortex of yellow magic and, when it cleared, three earth ponies now stood where the humans once did.
Everypony in the room went slack jawed. Francis was now a grayish stallion. He still wore his vest, which he was thankful for. He had his goatee and his mane was neatly shaven. Pinkie Pie began to look him over a little more than she did with the others.
Louis was a dark brown stallion. He was completely bald and was still wearing his dress shirt and tie. He looked himself over and shrugged.
Zoey, took everyone in the room away. She was a light tan mare, her body curving in all the right places. She had light blue eyes that held a sultry, sensual tone. Her mane was still in a ponytail and she still had her pink sweater on. She was everyponies definition of, 'bucking hot as Tartarus'.
"Well?" Celestia began. "What do you think?" The three smiled and nodded, Zoey more so.
"Not bad..." She said. "Feels good, actually."
"Yeah! I kinda don't hate this, but still... Imma horse." Francis pouted.
"PONY!" They all corrected.
"Whatever!" He pouted. Celestia turned and got far away from the group.
"Now, I'll be going to their world now. Do not fret, I'll be back in two weeks." She said, and with that, she was gone in a flash. The mares looked over the bodies of their new friends.
"So," Twilight began. "What should we do first?" Francis smiled and rubbed his front hooves together.
"Something I know I'm good at..." He said trailing off. "Do you guys have any motorcycles here?" He asked happily.
"Motor-what?" Rainbow Dash asked. Francis' ears fell back and he sighed.
"I'm fucked..."
Celestia began to tumble in a rift. She felt herself leaving her realm, and entering a strange, exotic one. All at once, her magic left her and she fell from the portal onto the hard pavement of a city. She slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her head. Something didn't feel right...
She brought her hooves to her face and discovered pale hands instead. She looked over her entire body, which was devoid of fur, and full of curves.
Her breasts were large and supple, her thighs were somewhat meaty, but not fat by any terms, and her face, which she saw in a puddle, was absolutely stunning. If Zoey was anything compared to beauty, Celestia would have given her a run for her money.
She slowly, and shakily stood on her legs, trying to get a feel for the new gate. She took a few exploratory steps and, satisfied she could walk well enough, began to explore the baron city before her.
"Hello?" She called out. "Is anypony there? I require assistance!" No answer came. She walked farther down the streets, coming upon a gruesome scene.
A barricade stood in front of what looked like a guard outpost. The gates were leaning at an angle and bodies upon bodies were stacked in front of it, blown away by the human weapons, obviously, guns.
"H-Hello?!" She asked more frantically. She began to panic. Not only was she alone in an alien world, but she was also stark naked and had no way to defend herself. She was about to walk into a store, when a loud snort from behind her froze her in her tracks. "Hello...?" She called, slowly turning. She wished she just ran when she had the chance.
Standing a couple yards away was an impossibly large creature. Its muscles bulged through its skin, giving it an abnormally pink tone. It was covered in scars and craters, giving that much more of a menacing appearance. The creatures jaw was completely missing, or it was absorbed by the creatures chest muscles, she couldn't tell.
It took a thunderous step towards her, she took a step back. The two gauged each other, seeing who would move first. This creature was smart, and it knew how to play its hand well. Celestia's ankle caught the curb and she fell hard on her rear. The monster roared and charged forward. Celestia screamed and shielded her face, waiting for the end to an incredibly stupid bet she just started.
CRACK
Celestia opened her eyes to see the monster stumble. It turned, facing down the hooded figure. A large black weapon, which had smoke billowing out the end of it was held firmly. He tossed it to the ground and pulled out a tinier weapon. It was rectangular in shape, with a long, straight clip sticking out the hand grip.
The man charged forward, firing on the monster. It shielded its face and roared defiantly, pounding it's chest. "We gotcha covered, Loner! Get that psycho chick and go! We'll handle the tank" Called a man from the rooftops. Celestia covered her ears as more gunfire echoed through the empty streets.
She felt herself being swept up, as the 'Tank', confused as all hell, began to retreat into the city. It wouldn't have its kill today, and would plot for later. Celestia looked up at the person cradling her in his arms. He was very thin, probably from living on the lam for two weeks. He was also strangely quiet, never asking if she was okay, or what her name was.
"Thank you." She said, but got no response. That was troubling to her... She pushed the thoughts aside as a large horde of smaller creatures came streaming out of the buildings. She heard the man grunt, the only sound she'd heard him make so far, and pull out a long, cylindrical object.
He lit the rope with a cigarette that was in his mouth and lightly tossed it behind them. Celestia watched as the monsters swarmed around the beeping object, pummeling and maiming it with all their might, until it exploded, sending a thunderous roar and body parts every where.
Celestia gagged at the sight. How could he do that to so many lives? Were... were they even living? Zoey, Francis and Louis did say they were Zombies... Still, she wretched at the sight and threw up all over the mans shirt.
"Sorry..." She moaned. He didn't say a single word about it. He just held on to her tighter and kept running.
The running slowed to a brisk walk when they reached a large warehouse. The windows were boarded, save for little slits. The entrances were covered in some kind of shiny wire, protecting it from intruders. On the roofs, were long boards of wood, connecting each rooftop together for easy access across the city, without going onto the dangerous ground.
The two entered, the building, the man easily stepping over a patch of the metal. The interior was dark, and the former sun goddess strained to see her surroundings. The loud echos made her assume the space was vast.
That was confirmed when a low groan echoed lightly through the building, the lights flickering on in response, illuminating the vast storage space of the warehouse. Boxes labeled 'Wal-Mart were spread out everywhere. Some were overturned, spilling clothes, food, and other objects of value. Celestia craned her head as two more men came over to the two and smiled.
One of the men was dark skinned like Louis. His hair was worn in rows that were braided, held together in the back by a ponytail. His pants were worn past his buttocks and he hefted a large gun, the words, 'Black Betty' painted on the sides. He had a wicked grin on his face and a burning paper thing in his mouth. The smoke made Celestia a little loopy.
The other man had narrow eyes. His hair was flat and black and he was shorter than the other two by a head. He seemed jumpy, constantly looking from left to right. He wore a camouflaged jacket and a bandoleer across his chest, with an assortment of knives and other sharp objects.
"Well, looks like we found our first survivor in weeks!" The dark skinned one said happily. He looked over her naked body and whistled. "And, dayum! She's hot as shit! I call her in my bed tonight!" He said, reaching for her.
Celestia held on to the figure holding her as tight as she could. Sensing her distress, the man pulled out a tiny black gun, the same one the humans had. His face had a look of a killer etched into it as he placed the gun to the darker mans stomach. The man frowned and held up his hands.
"A'ight, Nigga! She's yours! Chill the fuck out!" He said desperately. The man holding her smiled and put the gun away, carrying Celestia over behind a stack of crates.
"Please! Don't... don't violate me!" She pleaded. The man gave her a surprised look and smiled, placing her down gently on a mat. It had a blanket and pillow on it, and was probably the only comfortable thing she'd feel in her stay here.
"Name." The man finally spoke. Celestia thought about giving him her full name, but it seemed humans didn't have her type of name here. She went with the short version.
"Tia... My name is Tia." She said shakily. The man wrapped a blanket around her naked body and lit a lantern. He stood over a small, portable stove of some sort, putting vegetables and beans into a pot.
"Hungry?" He asked. Celestia hadn't realized how hungry she actually was until he asked. She nodded enthusiastically and he continued cooking.
She looked around, what she assumed to be, his dwellings. They were fairly simple; a mattress and a blanket, which she was using, a lantern, cooking utensils, and weapons. Lots and lots of weapons.
He had guns ranging from tiny pistols, to guns the size of her. It was scary, yet somehow comforting seeing as what's out there. She looked over at another box to see sword after sword sticking out of the wood, arranged from smallest to largest. The smallest one, however, was a box cutter that was sitting at Celestia's feet. She picked it up and examined it. On the side, the words. 'Score Keeper' were etched into it. He took it from her quickly and placed it in his pocket. "Need that for later." He said, tending to the stew he cooked
"I... Thank you... for saving my life." She said gratefully. The man turned to her and gave a half smile. "What is your name?"
"Not important." He said simply. "Loner, is what I go by." Celestia gave him a quizzical stare.
"Why is your name not important. I would certainly like to thank you properly for what you did for me." She said happily. He frowned and shook his head.
"Names hold attachment. I'd rather not have someone become attached to a dead man walking." He chuckled.
"Dead man walking?" Tia asked confused. He frowned and turned away, filling a bowl with the slop from the pan.
"Eat. You'll need your strength." He said, grabbing a gun with an eye glass on it. He went to the opposite side of the room and, once there, climbed a ladder that led to a hatch on the ceiling. He climbed through and was gone from sight.
Celestia turned when the two men came over and joined her for supper. She was hesitant at first, but they just sat and ate. The dark skinned one looked to her with a frown.
"Sorry 'bout before. Haven't seen someone as hot as you in a damn long time. Name's Allan." He said, extending a hand.
"Tia." Celestia said, hesitantly shaking it. The man to her side smiled and extended his hand as well.
"Cho" He said in a heavy Asian accent. She smiled and shook his hand as well. "Where... are your clothes?" He asked finally.
Celestia blushed and shrugged. "I... woke up without them, I suppose." She stated simply.
"Yo, hold up a sec! You sayin' someone stole your clothes?! What's to say they didn't rape yo' ass?" He asked astonished. Celestia blushed deeper and shook her head.
"I... would have felt if my... 'ass' was being raped." She said awkwardly. Allan laughed, as did Cho.
"Nigga, I like you. You's funny as hell! Stick with us and we'll keep y'all safe." He chuckled. Celestia smiled and looked back up at the hatch on the roof.
"What's the problem with... Loner?" She asked. The two froze mid chew and put their bowls down, obviously ready to tell a story.
"Well, What I think," Allen began. "Was that he was trained as an assassin by the government. When we found him, he was fighting a tank single handed. With a fuckin' sword! That takes stones even I don't have!"
Cho was next to speak. "I think, the reason he's so quiet as well, was because he had to kill his family too." He said sadly. "I'm glad I didn't have to do that."
Celestia frowned and felt a lump in her throat. The others were right. This world is hell! "Do you know anything that isn't a rumor?" She asked. Allan frowned and leaned in.
"I saw him changing one time, and... damn, this is fucked up, but I could see markings in his skin, like a tally system. He took a razor and put a few more slashes into his skin. There were seven rows, for each of the seven special infected."
"Special infected?" Celestia asked curiously. Cho got out a notebook with drawings of the beasts on them. They were hideous. Celestia recognized the big one.
"That's the Tank." She said, pointing to the picture. What... are the others called?" She asked curiously. Cho pointed to each one, naming them off.
"That's a Charger, Hunter, Smoker, Boomer, Spitter, Jockey, and, the nasty of the nasty.. The Witch." He shuddered.
Celestia looked at the frail image of a female, who sat on the ground crying. "But... she's just a girl. How could she be so bad?"
"Damn, girl, you've been lost to the world for too damn long." Allan joked. "The Witch is one hell of a bitch. She lures you in with her crying, makin' you think there's someone in trouble nearby, but when you get close to her, she uses her dagger like nails to slice you to ribbons."
Celestia gulped and began to shake. She didn't want to be here anymore. She wanted to be home, back in her castle where it was safe. But, a bet was a bet. She'd have to stick it out for the full two weeks if she wanted to prove them wrong.
"So, did you get a good look at his markings?" She asked. Allan nodded and began to draw them out, pretty sloppily.
There were the initials of each Special infected, and underneath, were hashes that, she assumed, represented the number of...
"Kills?" She asked astonished. Allan and Cho nodded. "There are a lot of them." She said astonished. a grunt at her side made her jump. She turned to see Loner's head next to hers, staring at the accurate drawing. The other two men froze and said nothing. Loner smiled and put his box cutter on the floor, blood dripping from the blade.
"Add another tally to the 'T' column, would you, Allan?" He asked. The man instantly obeyed, drawing a slash in the Tank column. Celestia took the pad and counted them out.
14 Boomers, 12 Jockeys, 23 Hunters, 15 Smokers, 19 Spitters, 10 Chargers, 7 Tanks, and 9 Witches. It was an impressive number to be sure, seeing as how he was alone for most of the time. Celestia gulped and watched him sit in the corner, polishing his gun. She could see the blood staining through his shirt. She look away and shuddered.
"What an animal.." She thought. The two men beside her finished their meals and took their leave back to there dwellings. Celestia sat and stared at Loner as he disassembled his weapon, cleaned it, then reassembled it. He turned to her and she looked away quickly. He chuckled and got to work on his other weapons.
The two sat for around an hour in silence, Celestia staring, and Loner cleaning. He finally put his gun down and sighed, scratching his brow. "You have something you want to ask? Ask it." He said. Celestia shifted uneasily and cleared her throat.
"Why... Why do you act the way you do? You seem so... negative." She finished. He frowned and took out a pack that said 'Marlboro' on it. He took a thin piece of paper out and lit the end of it. He took a deep inhale, then exhaled a plume of white smoke. Celestia coughed when it reached her face.
"I act the way I do out of necessity. When you go from the top of the food chain one day, then right down to the bottom the next, you can't act all sunshine and flowers. You need to take a firm grip of reality and shove it down your throat. The infected out their don't listen to reason. What they do listen to, however," He took out his pistol and cocked it. "Is a little bit of led. If you don't like the way I do things, there's the door. But I doubt you'll want to leave, seeing as how you ain't from this world." He chuckled.
Celestia instantly froze. How did he know?! Who... Who in Tartarus was this man?!
She played innocent and smiled. "Oh? What makes you think I'm not from this world?" She asked. Loner leaned in closer to her and stared at every square inch of her body. She stiffened and covered herself with the blanket more.
"For one, your hair. No ones hair is blue, green and pink." He said, running his fingers through the unnaturally soft texture of her mane.
"I.. I could have dyed it this way." She put in. Loner shook his head and smiled.
"Please, you take me for a fool? Your roots are the same color as your hair. Face it, you're a terrible liar." He said, taking another scoot closer to her. "And, I saw you fall from a hole in the air. Some kind of portal or rift?" He asked.
"Portal." Celesta stated bluntly. She could still try and play innocent, but what's the point? He already knew. She frowned and looked at his face. It was hard, scared, and held little dignity, but something about it caught her attention, mainly his eyes. She shuddered looking into them.
They were nothing but hollow pits of death...
The man stretched and walked over to a box labeled 'fabric'. He tipped it over and opened it, spilling packing peanuts all over the place. He spread them out and jumped into them, getting as comfortable as possible.
"You can have my bed. Get a good nights sleep, 'cause tomorrow, I want some answers as to why you're here, and where you came from." She was about to protest when Loner held up a finger.
"It's not up for discussion. You're going to tell me everything, and in return, you get the best protection we can offer. Just, get some sleep right now. You need it." He said, turning onto his side.
Celestia was about to speak her mind, when his light snoring answered her. He was already out cold. She sighed and got as comfortable as she could on the small mattress. At this point, she could be sleeping on the pavement and she'd be content. This world was far different from hers, complete polar opposites. Zombies running amuck, people dying all around, and just the ever looming fear of death ate at her soul. She sighed and closed her eyes drifting off to sleep. She missed her heavenly world...
Now, she was in the very definition of Hell...