//------------------------------// // On The Road Again // Story: The Dead Have Risen // by Acoustic Pulse //------------------------------// "Well, that escalated quickly," Rose said. "Yeah, no shit," Acrylic sighed. "Glad we made it out alive," Gleamy replied. "We need to make something clear right now. If we wait around like lame ducks, we won't be alive any longer," Acoustic retorted. "Who died and made you boss?" Rose snapped. "I'm not being bossy, I'm using common sense," Acoustic answered. "Looks like we're on the road again," Lightning changed the subject. "Yep," Bursting nodded. The first rays of sun were stretching over the horizon, signaling the birth of another day. Our sextet had been wandering since the wee hours, in an attempt to distance themselves from the bloodshed that took place the night before. "I can't believe almost our entire force is gone. We went from a platoon down to a squad over the course of two to three hours," Gleamy sighed. "Well, Lightning Strike thought High Caliber was going to try to stab you," Acrylic replied. "I take full responsibility for what happened last night. If there's anypony to blame, it's me. I killed High Caliber with the best intentions," Lightning hung his head in guilt. "WELL, YOUR SO-CALLED BEST INTENTIONS DAMNED NEAR WIPED US ALL OUT!" Gleamy snapped. "I'LL WIPE YOU OUT IF YOU DON'T STOP!" Lightning shouted back. "IF Y'ALL DON'T SHUT THE FUCK UP, SO HELP ME CELESTIA, I'LL KILL YOU ALL WITHOUT EVEN A SMIDGE OF REMORSE!" Acoustic had had enough of their bickering. He had cheated death three times, and was not in the mood for risking his life for a fourth time by attracting trotters. "Acoustic, calm down. Everypony just calm down. We're going to... attract... TROTTERS! SHOOT THEM!" Bursting saw what looked to be fifteen trotters all coming at them. They were slow moving, so the sextet made quick work of them. Things could have been much worse, and the group was well aware of that. "See what I mean?" Bursting broke the silence. "Yeah," Gleamy nodded. Nopony else replied and simply continued on. The six ponies decided to stop and rest temporarily. They had grown tired from so much trotting. "It's almost noon. Think we should stop and eat some grass?" Rose asked. She had been silent for a while. "We'll need the energy. I think it's a good idea," Acrylic agreed. They all ate some grass to build energy. They had just enough water to get through the next few days, if they were to live that long. "Alright. Y'all ready?" Acoustic asked. "Yep," the others replied. The three mares and three stallions continued their journey away from the other camp. They couldn't carry all the weapons and only had two tents and four days worth of water. "You think there's a cure for the trotter virus?" Lightning asked after a while. "No, probably not," Gleamy shot him down. "I don't know. It's probably in Canterlot. Wouldn't surprise me if they're keeping it for the Princesses," Acoustic theorized. "So, you're saying we should try to find a cure?" Bursting asked. "Or die trying," Acoustic answered. "We could just wait for the trotters to decompose and fall into a pile of bones. This epidemic will probably be like the Cutie Pox Pandemic of 2011 and vanish without a trace," Rose said. "That's smart thinking there, Rose," Acoustic retorted. "Eh, it's just a theory," she shrugged. "Let's try Canterlot first," Bursting suggested. "Worth a shot," Lightning said. "I don't think so. We should go with Rose and wait it out," Gleamy shot him down again. "Do you have to disagree with me on everything?" Lightning asked. "You're the reason 24 lives were lost last night. 14 of those were from my camp," Gleamy scoffed. "I ALREADY APOLOGIZED!" Lightning shouted. "SORRY DOESN'T BRING THEM BACK!" Gleamy shrieked. She pointed her gun at him. "NO, GLEAMY DON'T!" Acoustic yelled. Gleamy ignored him and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed through the trees. In a split second, Lightning was dead. A pool of blood was surrounding his lifeless body. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO SHOOT, DAMN IT! WHAT THE FUCK?" Acoustic exclaimed, a tear in his eye. "He brought it upon himself. I should've never let y'all into my camp," Gleamy replied in a monotone. "So you're sayin' that I could kill you for killing him since you brought it on yourself?" Acoustic used Gleamy's own words against her. "Oh, you son of a bitch!" those were Gleamy's last words as a bullet hit her between the eyes. Her body hit the ground with a thud that was eerily similar to Lightning's. "Congratulations, we're now a quartet," Bursting sighed. "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MOTHERFUCKING MIND?!" Rose shouted. "Yes," Acoustic replied as if it were no big deal. "That sums it up," Bursting laughed. He wasn't sure what made him laugh, but Rose was definitely displeased. "We have to stick together. We've turned on each other, and now two more of us are dead," Rose sighed, tears flowing steadily down her face. "She's right, Acoustic. You killed our best friend, she killed yours. We need to get to Canterlot together, and that won't happen if we kill each other," Acrylic reasoned. Day turned to night. The quartet finally made it into Canterlot. Roughly thirty trotters roamed the streets ahead. "Fuck! We're never going to get past them," Bursting sighed. "If there's a will, there's a way," Acoustic replied. Rose and Acrylic nodded. "I'm glad you think that. You go first.", Rose nudged him. "Sure. No problem," Acoustic fired the rest of his magazine, wiping out every trotter except for one. While he was reloading, it shuffled towards him. Acoustic finished loading his gun, but the trotter was right in front of him. He spun, and kicked it. The kick miscalculated, and the trotter hit Rose headfirst. It took a huge bite out of her neck. The bite ruptured her carotid artery and blood spewed like a fountain from the bite wound. Acoustic shot the trotter, but not fast enough to save Rose. Acoustic fired another shot at Rose in case she were to become a trotter herself. "THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!" Bursting shouted. "I kicked the trotter out of my way. I wasn't expecting her to be right behind me. I thought she would do the tactical two meter spread," Acoustic sighed. "SHIT!" Acrylic yelled. "Why does all the crazy shit happen to us?" Acoustic asked. "I wish I knew, we're all dropping like parasprites," Acrylic replied. "Your guess is as good as mine," Bursting shrugged. The trio reached the castle. The doors were wide open, and several windows were broken. The three ponies sprinted up to the throne room. The sight horrified them. Blood was splattered all over the walls. The lifeless bodies of guards were strewn everywhere. The true shock was the fact that the princesses were gone. "Not good!" Bursting said. There was a sound of rustling behind them. They turned to see the true horror they had dreaded since they first discussed a cure. Luna and Celestia were both trotters. Acrylic froze in shock. She didn't react. "ACRYLIC, RUN! SHE'S GONNA BITE YOU!" Bursting shouted. "Don't you realize? Equestria has fallen. We're finished," Acrylic did nothing as the two trotter Princesses began to feast on her flesh. She was dead in less than a minute. "SHIT! RUN, BURSTING!" Acoustic shouted. The two brothers galloped away from the throne room. There was nothing more they could do, other than that. "Four days of survival down the drain. Gone with the wind," Acoustic sighed as they reached a dead end. "This is it then," Bursting sighed. "See you on the other side, bro," Acoustic sniffled. Tears began to fall. The two ponies they wanted to save ended up being their demise. Everypony was dead. To this day, the trotters rule the land, eating everypony in sight. Acrylic Splash was right that day. Equestria had fallen. THE END!