//------------------------------// // Day 2 - Mutual Friends // Story: Utopia // by Enraged Earnest //------------------------------// I'm very quickly starting to regret this, but as of now, I have no choice! My front right leg is broken. To try and survive on my own right now would be a very stupid idea. Luckily, it wasn't nearly as severe as I thought it was, although it did break inward. Sweetie Belle insists that it's just a small fracture where the nail went in, but what the hell does she know? Anyways, after we agreed to follow this Mastermind, we quickly headed to Sweetie Belle's childhood home, A.K.A, the Carousel Boutique, where Sweetie Belle treated my wounds rather well, actually. I remember this place as a colt. I never went inside, not one time, but my father would often take my mother here for a fancy dress or 2 on special occasions. Rarity, the one who ran the shop, and oddly enough, the older sister of Sweetie Belle, used to run it. Despite her extremely generous prices, she had a respectable business, and raked in quite the bits! Well, that was before all this shit went down that is... We have managed to turn this little house/business into quite the mini fortress. With some two by fours, we boarded up the windows, and any other weak spots in the building. We even dug a trench around the Carousel Boutique! Now, anything that's not directly headed to the door will fall into a six foot trench with makeshift wooden pikes. Since I was unable to dig, that was my job. Sharpening dozens of stupid little sticks. Yesterday, that's all I did. Celestiadammit did it ever get boring. Sharpen one end to a point. Sharpen the other.Plant in the ground. Repeat until trench becomes deadly. Sometimes, that's what survival is. Boring. However, it can be very important if you know what your doing. Even though the trench was my idea, the stakes were the brilliant idea of the Mastermind. I still don't know who this pony is. She never takes that damn hood off, and she never let's us see her cutie mark. "Bad memories..." She would tell us before walking away and ordering us to do something else. "That is no longer my special talent...." Now? It's morning, but hardly morning at all. The Mastermind got us both up at this ridiculous hour, instructing us 2 that it's time to go to work. "Sleep well?" She asked us, as she tossed some more fuel into the fire that was burning carefully in the center of the house. "No, but what else is new..." Sweetie Belle replied, climbing lazily out of her sleeping bag. The Mastermind handed us a plate, each with a large cup of coffee and 2 servings of sustenance. This sustenance I speak of isn't literally just food in general, it was a wasteland cuisine. All it is is a hoof full of dried grass with a large blade tying it all together into a micro bushel. Very easy to obtain, very easy to eat, store, grow, make. It's even tasty too! Hence the name, sustenance. Sweetie Belle and I sat practically flank to flank by the fire, eating our breakfast. She even scooted her sleeping bag closer to mine, just so that she could. Although she immensely enjoyed cuddling with me and I did not, I just cuddled with her anyways, telling her not to take it the wrong way. I'd always make up an excuse like, "I'm cold!" or, "Sorry, there's a rock under the left side of my sleeping bag." The mastermind sat on the opposite side of the fire, watching us eat. "Stardust? Sweetie Belle?" She said, as both of us looked to her. "I want to thank you once again for having faith in me. I know that if everyone will allow me to lead them, we can create something great!" "Sure! No problem!" Said the energy ball, called Sweetie Belle. "What else were we going to do anyways?" What else? Well, that's simple. Not be accompanied by a mare who I swear is hiding something, and a teenage filly who can't respect that I swing for the same team!!! "With all due respect, Mastermind," I began to say. "You know that most towns around here have doctors, inns, guards. All that good stuff. How do you expect us to obtain these things?" "That's all in due time, my friend. We need more ponies for that." She said, as she stirred the embers to the fire. "Anyways, what we're going to do today is important. I have enough food and water to support us for about three days." "So, you want us to go get some?" Asked Sweetie Belle. The Mastermind only stood up and giggled. "No. That's what I'll be doing. You 2 however will be doing something else..." Hidden under the counter of the old store was something very heavy and large. I could tell, because when she went to grab it, it clanked heavily under the counter. There were 2 things, one was clearly made of steel, the other I could not identify. "Today, I will be looking for food and water, as well as some other survivors." She mentioned. "What I need you two to do is thin out the Zompony population north of here. I haven't advanced to that part of town yet, but odds are, that's where the majority of this town's supplies will be at. There will likely be about... oh a half of a horde of Zomponies to the north, waiting for you. Maybe even some Runners." I need to explain something to you. You see, there are three stages to the Zompony disease that we know of. The first stage is a Zomponies first few months of death. You know, when one becomes bitten and infected. These are your average, stereotypical Zomponies. You know, the ones that only mumble and grog around, craving only the flesh of the living? These are the most numerous, about 90 percent of Zomponies in Equestria. We simply refer to them as... well, Zomponies! The next one's are the Zomponies that have gained experience and some knowledge, the ones that survive for over a good year, maybe even longer. These are the runners that the Mastermind mentioned. These Zomponies are much more vicious and dangerous than the regular ones. They are stronger, and much, much faster, capable of even full on sprints! They have learned coordination just as well as us living ponies have. They will stop at absolutely nothing to reach their prey, especially when you make eye contact with them. In numbers, many survivors stand no chance unless very heavily armed. Finally, we reach what we like to call, Tanks. These are the most dangerous of Zomponies. One can easily wipe out a group of hunters or scavenging teams, leaving absolutely zero survivors, or even a trace of a group sometimes. In hordes, they can take over entire towns and settlements with ease, although they generally travel alone. Odds are because they are very few in number. Usually, a Zompony doesn't live to become a Tank. They will kill, even if they don't have or want to eat. They show signs of intelligence, even capable of small sentences! They show absolutely no sign of pain. They are very tough, hence the name, Tanks also have the unique ability to control what the host once was, meaning that if one is a pegasus or a unicorn, they will be able to fly and use magic respectively. A Tank will not stop, even if they are missing all of their legs. They will crawl with their necks towards you until they have been decapitated, which only the heaviest weapons can do so. I have never seen a tank, nor do I want to. Nopony does really, but then again, nopony wants to see a Celestiadamn Zompony at all! My father told me that he once fought three with his old scavenging team. He said that the heaviest crossbows wouldn't even make them flinch, even if hit straight through the eye. He told me that a swing to an area with lots of bones will dull or even break common swords! I pray to Celestia that we do not meet one of these ponies today... "How many Zomponies are we talking here? I'm not about to die today!" I told her. "Who said anything about dying?" Said the Mastermind, who revealed what was under the counter. The first thing she pulled out was a very large claymore. I instantly fell in love with the sword. It was the finest sword I've ever seen! It reminded me a lot of my father's blade. The metal was polished to perfection, the hilt of the claymore looked very fitting, as if it was born to be held by me. The edge of the sword was sharpened perfectly as well! The second thing she pulled out was a small, wooden crossbow. Very simple, but it looked to be in very good condition. Personally, I am not partial to crossbows. They tend to break easily and can be inaccurate, but this one looked rather sturdy and sighted. The Masterminds struggle to pull the crossbows string back showed me that it had a lot of pounds of force behind the arrow. This is good. I stood up to look at the weapons closer. "M-my Celestia! Where in Equestria did you get these?" I had to ask, as I eyed both weapons like candy. "These came straight from the royal guard's armory!" She said, as if we should be impressed. I was greatly. "You mean THE royal guard?" Asked Sweetie Belle, who picked up the crossbow carefully. "The very same that kept the princesses safe day and night." She said with a nod. "I assume the crossbow is yours Sweetie Belle?" She nodded, sticking her tongue at me. Jokes on her, I wanted the claymore anyways. The Mastermind instructed me to pick it up. I didn't hesitate to do so at all. Surprisingly, it was light. The weight of the sword felt perfectly, even in my left hoof, although claymores are always 2 hoofed weapons. The balance of the blade was slightly off, most likely due to the sheer length of it. I felt pride that I was holding a similar (And very likely the same blade) as my father had before me. "Listen to me very carefully..." Said the Mastermind in a very cold tone. "We don't have much time! The Zomponies are likely inactive at this time. I'm going to scavenge for supplies and survivors. It's breakfast time, so be very careful of runners if they are active. Do you understand me? Your job is to kill as many of those bastards as possible, without dying yourself. This will guarantee our safety of further exploring Old Ponyville." "I can handle that." I told her with a nod. "Sweetie Belle?" "Hmph!" She said, throwing the crossbow over her back. "Yes. I'm ready." The Mastermind handed me the sheathe to the claymore and a quiver of bolts for Sweetie. She then headed for the door. "Good. There's not a moment to lose. Be safe. Come back to me ALIVE!!! You are no good to me dead." I facehoofed right then and there. "No shit..." I had to mutter as I stormed out the door. In my arrogance, I practically bolted out of the door, going slightly to the left outside. Guess what I forgot was there? The stupid pit of wooden spears! I know I was going to fall into it, so before that could happen, I jumped over the small corner to the other side, then I sighed in relief. Sweetie Belle and the Mastermind walked out the door much slower than I did, actually remembering the pit of death. The Mastermind shook her head, then begin to whisper in Sweetie Belle's ear. "Sweetie? I want you to keep a very close eye on him." She told her. "Stardust is more than capable of handling himself... when he has all of his legs fully functional! This task I am asking of you is foals play because of this." Sweetie gasped. "What?! Y-you consider putting our lives in danger like this foals play? There are only 2 of us, and we're going against half of a horde with runners? Minimum?" The Mastermind said nothing in return, and began walking south, back to where I was attacked, not even saying goodbye. Sweetie Belle shared a concerned glance with me. "Forget it." I told her. "We have our assignment. Let's get it done! I'm eager to test out this sword." Ten minutes or so passed as we creeped deeper and deeper into Old Ponyville. So far, there were no signs of anything. Even the stench of Zomponies were non existent. A different stench had my attention. As a matter of fact, I smelt burning things, as if a pony was using anything to start a fire. I could not see the smoke, but I was almost certain there was a fire somewhere. We edged near the small creek that ran through Old Ponyville. Up ahead was an average ordinary house. We decided to use it for cover and check it out for supplies. However, the door was locked. I pushed on it and pushed on it, but the door wouldn't budge. "Well, just break it down." She said, making sure to keep her voice down. Not a smart call by Sweetie Belle. Breaking the door down would surely grab the attention of both Zomponies and Raiders, especially if there were any inside. The windows around it were too high up for me to enter through, and there was no doors on the three sides that we checked other than this one. It seemed that breaking the door down was the only option. "Sweetie Belle?" I asked. "Are you strong enough to buck it down? I can't buck..." "Oh? Why is that?" She asked me. Again, this girl refuses to use her brain. I held out my right hoof to her, making her blush and saying, "Oh yeah. Heh heh..." Suddenly, I realized something. I'm right hoofed! Attacking with my left hoof wouldn't be as effective. I hate those small little odds that stack against me because I think about them all the time. They begin to add up. I stood back, then nodded at Sweetie Belle to break the door down. She turned her flank to the door and pushed her weight to the front of her body to buck the door down. Suddenly, however, I began to smell a very pungent smell of flesh. It hit me out of absolutely nowhere. "WAIT!!!" I yelled at her, instantly regretting the yell. My voice echoed in the still morning. For a moment, I froze, trying to listen to any noises that may be a response to my own. Sweetie was confused. "Stardust? Wha..." "Ssshhh..." I shushed her as silently as I could. Something was wrong. Hairs began to stand on the back of my neck like crazy. I was unsure exactly why, but something was nagging at me badly. I then glanced at the small alley created by the house and the house between it. "Sweetie Belle, keep your eyes sharp!" I told her sternly. In response to this, she loaded her first bolt into the crossbow, ready to fire if need be. Carefully, I crept against the house, wishing that the dry grass wouldn't be so damn noisy. I drew my sword quietly with my left hoof, then barely placed it around the corner. The polish on the sword worked as a good mirror for me. "Just as I thought..." I whispered to Sweetie Belle, nodding my head away from her to signal I needed her over here. In the thin point of view I had, I could see at least half a dozen ponies, but I could only see the legs of one blueish-purple pony. I made a note that her tail was a light blue color. I could see she was wearing something. It was an almost a black purple color, but it had a crescent moon on it. It looked to be some piece of armor. The Zomponies seemed to be in their inactive states. I grabbed Sweetie Belle and brought her closer to me. "Sweetie Belle..." I whispered to her again. "I need you to get that door open. Right now. Do it quietly." She smiled at me, then pecked me on the cheek, causing me to both blush and grimace. "You got it, cute one!" She told me. Now is not the time for this bullshit. Just as I instructed her to do, she began to open the door, using a bolt to jab at the lock. I went back to peering at the tall pony. I tiled my sword up slowly to get a better view. It seemed that the large pony was a pegasus from what I could tell. I tilted it up higher and higher slowly, until I could see the back of the pony's neck. She was facing directly away from me, but then, she moved suddenly, causing me to jerk behind cover. My heart was beating at a million miles per hour now! I thought it was all over. That she may have saw me. The sheer size of that pony had to almost be double my own! Then, I could hear a crack, another noise that startled the hell out of me. When I looked to Sweetie Belle, she had the door opened. Without wasting any time at all, I entered the dark house and shut the door behind me. "It's so dark, I can't see a thing!" Sweetie Belle yelled as she grabbed a torch. "Shut up! Do you not know that there is a big ass Zompony on the other side of these walls?" I snapped at her once again. We lit the torch with my lighter, but upstairs, there was a light, as if a torch was already burning up there. I didn't dare go up those stairs. I knew that they would creek the moment that we stepped on one. The lights began to grow closer to us, and I could hear talking. Fuck! Raiders!!! "Oh no!" Screamed Sweetie Belle. "AAAAA..." Her screamed was cut short when I held her snout shut and threw ourselves under the stairs. She learned her lesson the first time she encountered Raiders. I can't imagine how scared she is right now. "Someone is here!" Said a female voice. "Let's go check it out!" I was sweating bricks now. Sweetie Belle was quaking in her hoofs, but I dared not release my grip on her face in the slightest for fear that she may blow our cover. "Show yourself! Raiders? Or friendly?" Asked a different voice. "Please... come out. We mean ya no harm. See?" 2 weapons came crashing down the stairs, making an insanely loud noise. So loud, Sweetie Belle's scream left her mouth somehow! I decided it was time to reveal myself. No raider would ever drop their weapons and tell us "Please." "Hello?" I told them back. "Friendly. Friendly! Please reveal yourselves." Quickly, they trotted down the stairs. An orange pegasus with a violet colored mane and a yellow earth pony with a crimson colored mane revealed themselves to us. They were both around the same age as me and Sweetie Belle. Speaking of her, her fear turned instantly into hope when she saw their faces. "Applebloom! Scootaloo!" She yelled, going in for a big hug. They rejoiced and rejoiced. All three of the girls did, as if they didn't have a crisis on our hoofs. I, on the other hoof, kept my sword in hoof and ready to strike if necessary. These dumbasses were making far too much noise. I know for sure the Zomponies would have been all over us by now if they weren't resting. Finally, they shut their face holes! "I can't believe y'all are alive!" Said the earth pony with a hick accent, much thicker than the Masterminds. "We thought you would have been turned into a slave for sure, Sweetie Belle!" She giggled seductively for a long time. I knew they were aimed straight for me too. Screw my life... "I would have, if it weren't for this handsome stud right here..." She said, grabbing at my tail with her magic. Instantly, I stood up and gave them a nasty glare. The three made their way around me and sat next to the wall where the Zomponies were on the other side. Morons... "Are we glad to see you, especially a friendly face!" Said the pegasus. "Say, what's your name, sir?" At least this one was well mannered. "I'm called, Stardust." I told her. "We were sent here to eradicate the Zomponies in this area." The 2 gave each other a satisfied look, then nodded at me, picking up their weapons. "Ya don't gotta worry bout that!" Said the earth pony. "We already took care of that for ya." "Impressive." I told them, actually feeling happy. "We didn't even have to lift a hoof, and we already found 2 survivors!" "You girls gotta come back with us, immediately!" Cheered Sweetie Belle. "Before something bad happens." The earth pony, who I eventually figured out was called Applebloom, sat right next to the wall. "I don't know yall it's been a..." Then, it happened. It freaking happened! A Zompony pierced straight through the flimsy wooden walls with it's great sized horn. The other 2 girls screamed, as the horn impaled Applebloom, right through her left eye, causing it to pop out quickly. The other few Zomponies next to that giant one started banging at the door! "No no no no..." I said, beginning to panic. "Girls! Ready for battle. Scootaloo? I hope you're a good fighter!" Then, a hoof pierced through the wall. It was the exact same color as that giant pony earlier, but that's impossible. She was a pegasus, not a unicorn. Her other hoof struck straight through, grabbing the suffering Applebloom tightly and yanking her as well as the whole wall out. Light poured into the dark house, but neither the big Zompony nor Applebloom were anywhere to be seen. The door quit banging for a minute, and all we could hear was flesh being devoured and ripped off the bone, like a stallion that hasn't eaten in his entire life! The only thing that remained of poor Applebloom was that bow that was in her hair. I picked it up with my bad hoof and clenched it tightly. Then, the eating of flesh ceased. When it stopped, the tall pony walked over to where the hole in the wall was ripped. Quickly, I put the bow in my mane for safe keeping. Slowly, she turned to face us with a blank look on her face. I then saw the impossible! "Kill... me..." She whispered. "K-k...k..." This is so bad! That was not just a big Zompony or even a runner. It was a tank! A celestiadamn tank this whole freaking time! Not just any tank either. It was a certain alicorn princess. "No..." I whispered. ...to be continued...