//------------------------------// // The odd man out // Story: Left 4 Dead in Equestria // by Pegasi will rule //------------------------------// Chapter 9: The odd man out The Everfree echoed as the thunderous beats of the creature, stomping aimlessly, with no purpose, no function, ran through. He was nothing like himself anymore; perverted and twisted, and mangled by the infection taking his body. He didn't feel sadness, remorse, happiness. He only felt pain. He grabbed the sides of his tiny head and let out a thunderous roar, then beat the dirt with his mighty hands. He smelled food, and it was close. There. By that log. A rabbit. The monster closed the distance in seconds, grabbing the rabbit and smashing it into the side of a tree, causing it to explode with the force of the blow. The monster shoved the creature into his mouth, swallowing it whole, bits of bone and blood dribbling out of his mouth like a waterfall. He roared as the hunger returned. He would always need to feed. He would always be in pain. He smashed through a tree and continued his quest for food, losing his beret on the forest floor... The last of his dignity, his humanity, now lay in the blood soaked earth. Zoey woke up the next morning, more tired than ever. She stretched as much as she could and her joints cracked aloud. She heard a knock at the door and sighed. 'Ain't no rest for the wicked' She thought to herself. "Come in." She said as cheery as possible. The door opened and Big Mac strolled in with a tray of breakfast in his mouth. He gave her a warm smile and set it down on the table beside her bed. "Mornin', Zoey." He said in his low drawl. Zoey smiled and wave. "Morning Big Mac. Is this... for me?" She asked hesitantly. He nodded and smiled. "Eeyup. Made it specially for you." He said proudly. Zoey got a half smile on her face and rolled her eyes. Big Mac shrunk a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, this is really nice of you. Thanks. You wanna stay and chat for a while?" She asked. He frowned and shook his head. "Eenope. Gotta work on the west field today. Thank ya' kindly for the offer, Miss. Zoey. " He said happily, walking out of the room. Zoey looked at the delicious looking breakfast in front of her. Eggs, toast, juice, and, of course, apple slices with cinnamon. She blushed slightly at the meal in front of her and looked out her window just as Big Mac walked past, lugging a large wagon full of baskets. "He's trying... and kinda winning." She chuckled dryly. She ate her breakfast and thanked God these ponies knew how to cook a good meal. The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was beginning to wear thin. Between Louis and Francis arguing, Princess Luna's constant worrying, and Pinkies constant nicknames for Francis, the lavender Unicorn wanted to bash her face into a tree by the time they could see the barn. "Alright. Let's just get Zoey and see if we can get you three back home." She said annoyed. She ran ahead and quickly knocked on the door. A few seconds later, a sleepy Applejack answered. "Oh. Mornin', Twi. What brings you by?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. "An emergency, like always." She mused. Applejack nodded and let her and the others in. They sat at the table and waited. Applejack cleared her throat and leaned in. "So, what's tha emergency, sugar cube?" She asked. Twilight rubbed her temples and frowned. "Princess Celestia is trapped in their world. No magic, no way home." Applejack nearly choked on her apple slices. "What?! How are we gonna-" Luna raised a hand and cut her off. "Fear not. We shall scour the archives, and my sisters personal collection of books, to find the spell she used. Hopefully we can organize a rescue mission with the other survivors." She assured. Twilight couldn't tell if she was saying that for Applejack's benefit or for her own. "Alright, well. When should we leave, Princess?" She asked. Princess Luna smiled and nodded. "We leave now, fair Applejack. Go fetch Zoey and I'll transport us to the castle." Applejack nodded and walked up the stairs. She couldn't believe things had gotten like this! Their all powerful ruler, completely helpless and lost in a strange world full of Zombies?! It didn't seem possible! AJ reached the bedroom door. She was about to knock when the door slowly opened. Zoey stood there as Applejack lightly bopped her on the nose. She pulled her hoof away and chuckled awkwardly. "Hey, Zoey? We gotta emergency. Ya need to come with us right away, alright?" She said softly. Zoey walked out of the room with a tray on her back, brushing past Applejack. "What kind of emergency?" She asked, her tone calm and relaxed. Applejack rolled her eyes and walked next to her. "The princess is trapped in yer world and can't escape. We need you, Francis an' Louis to save 'er." She said hastily. Zoey walked down the stairs chuckling. She was met with the others and a dark mare staring at her curiously. "Hey Louis. Francis." She said, grabbing the tray off her back and putting it in the sink. Francis stared at it curiously. He and Louis shared a glance. "Who made you breakfast in bed?" Francis asked. Zoey turned and smiled. "Big Mac. Why?" She asked quickly. Louis made an 'ooh' and Francis smiled wider. "Come on, assholes. It isn't like that." She corrected. "Aw, what would poor little Ellis think?" Francis teased. He cleared his throat and made a mock southern accent. "Ah, Zoey! That wuz ah nyce shot! Ah think Ah'm in luv!" Applejack shot him a glare and shook her head. "Can y'all please focus on the situation at hoof please?" She asked annoyed. Francis shrugged and nodded, as did Louis. Zoey, however shook her head. "Hell no. I am not going back there to die for your Princess over her stupid bet." She protested, going to leave the house. Francis and Louis ran in front of her, blocking her path. "Zoey. We're a team! C'mon, you can't leave us hanging!" Louis pleaded. Francis nodded and put a hoof on her shoulder. "If you don't come, I'll be stuck alone with Louis! Come with us! I'm begging you! For my sake!" He begged. Zoey shook her head and frowned. "Bill died keeping us safe. Remember? He wouldn't want us blindly throwing our lives away, just to save one... 'person'." She sighed and looked them both in the eyes. "We look after our own." Francis and Louis shared a glance and sighed. She was right, as always. Those were Bills words to them all. Look after our own, don't look back, and live. That was the important thing. To live and have lives in hell on Earth. Francis shook his head. "Well, fuck it! I've been bored as hell for the past few days here! I want to kill some freaks and do this! I'll go alone if you pansies don't want to do it. I cared about Bill, too. Doesn't mean I won't save someone who is in trouble, let alone a Princess. Who knows; maybe we'll get a huge payday for doing it!" He chuckled. Luna stepped forward and gazed the three over. "You shall all be compensated most handsomely for saving my sisters life!" Francis grinned and nudged Louis. "You want to save her?" He asked. Louis shrugged and nodded. "Hell yeah! C'mon, Zoey! Do this not just for the princess," He put a hoof on her shoulder and smiled brightly. Zoey smiled and thought she'd see a side of Francis she never thought she would. "Do it for the loads of freaking cash!" He shouted. Zoey groaned loudly. Apparently Francis would always be a fucking idiot. "Alright! If it'll get you off my ass! I'll do it." She said, looking over to Luna, who smiled eagerly. "Splendid! Let us leave!" She yelled, and with that, they were all enveloped in a bright flash. 2 weeks later Loner smiled as he got up that morning. He was feeling better than he ever had since this started. It was now mid November and the snow had started falling. He looked over to Tia, who slept a few feet away. The two had gotten closer in the past few weeks, and they both had rubbed off on each other quite a bit. Loner, where he used to be quiet, secluded, angry, and calculating; was now looking at the positives in life. He was alive, he had friends, and he didn't have to do things alone. And just how did he effect the innocent Princess Celestia? She was now quite deadly with a weapon. She had an impressive kill count of her own now. She faced down some of the nasty mutated infected without falter. She also had requested him to cut her hair, which now bobbed at shoulder length, giving her a youthful, lively look. Tia was now accepting life in hell, and couldn't be happier with the company. She smiled at him as he got up and stretched. "Good morning." She said groggily, sitting up from her spot on the floor. "How did you sleep?" He shrugged and looked in a box for clean clothes. "Honestly, it's getting colder and colder, and I don't know how we can survive the winter. Sure, it's cozy under the blankets, but we need something other than barrel fires." Celesita rolled her eyes and grinned. "It'd help if you wore warm clothing while you sleep. You're in nothing but boxers!" She laughed again and walked over to him, giving him a hug. He returned it and grabbed a pair of jeans from the box. "Let me get dressed and we'll see what the others are up to." He chuckled. She grinned and planted a small kiss on his cheek. "I'll be waiting." She walked away briskly and joined the others across the room. Loner laughed and walked to the other end of the warehouse, walking into the storage area. There were no more fresh fruits and vegetables, but there were canned ones, which was the best he could do. He tilted his head slightly as a roar came from overhead. It sounded like a chopper... Nah, there weren't people still in the city. They all cleared out even before it became overrun. CRASH The yells of his friends caused him to run back out in a sheer panic. He wouldn't let anything happen to Tia on his watch. He planted himself behind a box when he heard the shouts of people. But they were organized, calculating... This definitely wasn't other survivors organizing a raid. He'd dealt with people like that before. Needless to say, he took care of them with ease. This wasn't them. The military was now in play. Loner snuck low back to his spot, grabbing his UZI and about ten clips of ammo. He slunk back towards the main area, watching the masked men bound his friends with zip ties. "Is that all the carriers?" The leader called out. A private came up to his side and nodded. "Yes, Sir. This was all we found." He confirmed. "We also found plenty of arms and ammo for our weapons." "Good. Get them to the helicopter. We'll put down the pests later." He said, brushing Tia's face. She tried to squirm away, and got slapped in the face for it. "Leave her the fuck alone, Bitch!" Allan spat, glaring at the soldier. He walked over and placed his gun to Allan's head, pulling the trigger. Tia screamed, Cho winced, and Loner got angrier. Allan slumped to the floor, missing the back of his head. The soldier kicked the body aside and smirked. "Fucking Carriers.. Lets MOVE!" Loner watched as they left and tailed close, diving underneath one of the trucks. He wasn't one for thinking things through, and this was one of those times he seriously doubted that this would work. He clung to the undercarriage as the truck roared to life, taking them to the one place he never wanted to go. "Fucking concentration camps... America is fucked up..." He muttered, hugging the frame with all his might. He wouldn't let them hurt Tia. Not now, not ever. This was going to be a long, long ride...