Small drops of misty rain slowly started to fall on the houses of Canterlot. Many eyes that just opened for the day looked outside to see a large crowd of ponies from the town of Ponyville. Along with them were four larger, slender beings that somehow managed to stand on two legs. Each and some strange tool strapped to their back. Some of the ponies panicked, thinking it was some sort of attack party. Others just watched confused as the four taller seamed to jump every time somepony laughed or coughed. The large group walked through the city before the four tall ones and five ponies left the group and started to walk to the castle. Some thought this may have something to do with the large series of attacks that happened yesterday. Two days ago, a mare’s body was found with most of her entrails ripped out and a small trail of blood that seemed to disappear for the authorities’ trouble. Yesterday, the beast was spotted along with a bloated thing and one that was much smaller than the other two. Ponies, be the ones who fled Ponyville or just awoke in Canterlot, both felt some sort of tension in the air. Many wondered what sort of monsters attacked them, the ponies who evacuated have only heard of two, one of them dead, the other very much alive. There was a large increase of the guards in the city after the second attack yesterday.
The ponies were preparing themselves for whatever the monsters were going to throw at them. Be it a muscle bound monster or a nimble predator. But, there was one monster that all those who see it will underestimate. Those who don’t might just live, and those who underestimate the power of the Witch will meet a gruesome bloody end.
*******************************************************************************
Ellis was strumming some of the strings on his blood stained and slightly burned guitar. It had taken hours to get to Canterlot and he did not want this trip to be for nothing. After he, Nick, Coach and Rochelle met up with the ponies, they would hear the occasional laugh from a Jockey of a loud cough echoing from far away by the Smoker. He and the others hadn’t slept at all yesterday and they were beginning to feel the effects of all the running and fighting. So now here he was. Ellis the mechanic and zombie fighter, going to meet some sort of royalty. He smiled at the thought of being a hero not only back home, but here too. And all he had to show for it was a beat up guitar and a weeks’ worth of injuries from the infected.
It truly was exactly as Ellis imagined surviving a zombie apocalypse would be like. You know, minus the ponies.
“Are we there yet? We’ve kinda been walking for hours,” complained Nick as he, the other survivors and ponies walked through the capital city in the mist.
“We’re almost there,” replied Twilight as she quickened her pace. Applejack walked up to pace with her and asked her if she thinks Rainbow dash was ok.
“I’m sure she’s fine Applejack. She wouldn’t put herself in that kind of danger on her own right?”
“Ah guess so…” she said before they passed through the entrance gates to the castle. Suddenly, a large swarm of guards surrounded the survivors much to their annoyance.
“Uh, you mind getting out of the way?” asked Nick sarcastically, “were kinda in a hurry.”
The guards, being guards, acted like they didn’t hear him, refused to move away from the survivors. Twilight told them that they were with her and her friends. After some negotiation, the guards agreed to let the survivors go if they have four guards going along too. The four guards remained stoic as they went into the throne room. Inside was Princess Celestia talking with the guard general about the series of mysterious attacks yesterday.
“… and that why we need the extra guards, we don’t know what that thing is or how dangerous it is,” said a turquoise stallion to a larger white… flying unicorn?
“I see… oh, hello Twilight,” she said, noticing Twilight, four of her friends and the survivors enter the room with the guards.
“Princess Celestia, I have urgent news,” said Twilight. The princess smiled at her.
“So important that you had to tell me yourself?” she asked, “couldn’t you have given me a letter?”
“You see, there was an attack on Ponyville yesterday,” said Twilight. The princess and the general stared at her.
“An attack? Did you happen to see what it was?” asked the general, “we’ve been having some attacks of our own and we don’t know what’s causing them.”
Twilight frowned, “no, I didn’t see it up close.”
The general frowned. Then he noticed the survivors. “And who are you supposed to be?”
Coach stared at the turquoise stallion. Then, “we’re the ones who saw the Tank.”
“Saw it?” asked Nick, “it beat the shit out of us and blew up the entire goddamn town!”
Princess Celestia held up her hoof to silence them. “I’m sorry but, what exactly is this Tank you speak of?”
“Your majesty, a Tank is one big hell of a zombie from where we’re from,” answered Ellis.
Princess Celestia blinked in surprise, “a zombie you say… and where exactly are you from?”
“We’re not from around here. Hell, I doubt we’re in the same dimension with all these talking ponies and shit,” said Ellis, “we’re from the U.S.A. on the planet Earth. We arrived here during a hurricane while fighting the zombies.”
“I see…” said Celestia. The general stared at the survivors in rage.
“So, you freaks are telling me that some zombie is attacking Canterlot?! I’ve heard many, many different stories in my time but none as ridiculous as that! Do you think I’m a fool?!”
“Calm down General Halberd. I’m sure don’t think you’re a fool,” said the princess, “now, you four claim to have fought zombies?” she put some emphasis on the word zombie.
Coach nodded, “yes ma’am. We’ve fought hundreds of these zombies. The only reason we didn’t kill the Tank is because we weren’t properly equipped.”
“Oh, and what exactly do you need to get rid of this ‘Tank’ as you call it?” she asked.
“We need guns,” said Nick. The princess looked at him, mildly confused. Nick sighed, annoyed, “guns, firearms, metal things that shoot smaller metal things to kill stuff.” Again, the princess looked confused. “Great, they don’t have anything useful against the Tank. Well, it was nice knowing you all.”
Rochelle glared at Nick. Then turned to Celestia, “look, we can kill the Tank, but it will be difficult. Do you have anyone that knows anything about killing things about four times their size?”
The princess thought about that for a moment, then nodded.
“Yes, I do know a pony who is quite the expert on explosives. He may be the ideal choice to defeat this Tank.”
Rochelle smiled, “good, now, does anyone have a plan?”
The room was silent. Finally, Pinkie pie thought of something. “How about trying to make it go to a loud noise?” she suggested. Ellis smiled.
“You know, that might work. Usually, it’s just the regular zombies that follow the noise, but if it’s loud enough, it might just attract the Tank.”
“Good, now that we have a plan,” said Celestia, “we should get started on preparing for the Tank. What does it look like exactly?” she asked.
“Don’t worry;” said Ellis, “y’all hear it before you see it.”
The survivors and ponies glanced at each other and started to prepare the trap for the Tank. Unfortunately, a certain infected had a plan as well…
***************************************************************************** ***
The Smoker had finally brought the remaining infected to a meeting point. The Jockey, Hunter, Tank, Witch, Boomer and himself were all standing on the outskirts of the city.
A plan was being made.
The plan was the Boomer would attract attention while the others snuck in. then the Witch would show up in an attempt to trick the ponies thinking that she were another survivor. After that, the Smoker, Jockey and Hunter would dispose of the ponies most threatening while the Tank launched a surprise attack on the survivors during the chaos. They also had an added bonus:
An incredibly stupid blue mare tried to fight the Tank, which caused it to injure itself on a tree. She quickly bolted to the city with a trail of blood for the Tank to follow. The Smoker assumed she was just entering the city now. He’s seen the blue mare before. She was there during the late Spitter’s attack. He’d noticed an air of confidence and swagger about the mare. And over all, she was cocky, thus making her an easy target. But, he had let her live for one reason, and one reason only.
The mare reminded the Smoker of him before the infection: bold, not that bright but constantly trying to stand out in a crowd. And that she led the Tank to the city, that was an even better reason to let her live.
The Smoker staggered over to the hyperactive Jockey. The damn thing could barely keep itself still as the Smoker told it to stick to the rooftops of the city and report back later. The Jockey laughed hysterically and jumped onto a tree and eventually bounded into the city. The Witch wailed loudly, as per usual, as the Smoker told it to take a casual stroll in the city. With some encouragement from the Tank, the witch slowly walked off, still wailing, to the city. The Hunter left to resume his mission of striking fear into the city. The boomer waddled off to start the distraction. Finally, the Tank was told to stay nearby until he heard the Witch’s enraged screech. As for the Smoker, he will stay to the rooftops and prey on any unlucky enough to get caught by his incredibly long tongue.
It will be a day to remember indeed.
**********************************************************************************
Rainbow dash flew through the air much slower than she wanted to. Her brief encounter with the Tank had left her with an unsightly cut on her back left leg. But that wasn’t her main problem right now.
It was that she had failed.
‘Everypony will laugh at me,’ she thought, ‘they’ll call me 'Rainbow dash the one who couldn’t leave a dent on the Tank'. Of course I couldn’t hurt it. I mean, look at the size of it! Nopony could hurt it let alone kill it.’
Feeling sorry for herself, Rainbow dash decided to go to the city and wait it out. Nothing could be worse for her now. She failed and all she had to cope with it was a cut and broken leg for her trouble.
If only she knew she was a vital part of the survivors plan…