//------------------------------// // Day 3: Homecoming // Story: Left 4 Friendship: Magic is Dead // by UnweptSchlipps //------------------------------// Twilight woke up to see the light rays of morning shining through the safe-room’s barred door. Pinkie Pie was awake, keeping a steady eye on the entrance. Stretching, Twilight asked, “Anything interesting last night?” For some reason, Pinkie didn’t answer, continuing to stare out of the door. Twilight found this odd, even for Pinkie. So she asked questioningly, “Pinkie?” Upon this, the party pony shook her head, snapping out her brief trance. Her face immediately broke into a wide grin and she said cheerfully, “Oh! Good morning Twilight! I hope you girls slept well. As for me, I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary!” Seeing that her friend was back to her hyper self, Twilight turned around to see Fluttershy slowly rising from her slumber. Next to her was Rainbow Dash, who was still curled up nice and cozy. “Wake up Rainbow. Um, wake up please. Wake up?” Fluttershy cooed. But the lazy pegasus’s eyes were still closed, and she was still snoozing gently. Seeing one of the few opportunities to joke around, Twilight took Fluttershy’s pan and began to bash it with her own club, shouting, “RAINBOW DASH! Get your lazy butt UP!” Dash was to groan, annoyed and cranky. Without opening her eyes, she waved her hooves angrily and muttered, “C’mon Twi’, it’s way too early!” “Well, if we’re going to reach Canterlot by noon, we’re going to have to leave soon! So come on, everyone else is up!” Huffing, Dash sat herself up, rubbed her eyes, yawned, and basically made a big show about getting up. She gave Fluttershy a friendly punch and said, “Morning Flutters. How’s it going?” “Oh fine,” the shy pegasus replied, taking out a small biscuit to eat. However, she had failed to tell her friends of the nightmares she had last night. Of the zombies’ screams echoing until she couldn’t even tell whether she was asleep or not. it was all kept hidden underneath. And she did a good job too, chewing on her food while her friends planned their next course. After they all finished snacking, Twilight dusted her hooves and said, “Let’s start moving, shall we? The trail looks pretty clear for now. Maybe we’ll get to Canterlot without a hitch!” Slinging their satchels over her back, an unconvinced Dash replied, “Fat chance.” “Oh Dashie, look on the bright side! We’re still alive aren’t we?” Pinkie answered optimistically. “I prefer not to keep my hopes up. That way, if we survive, I’ll be satisfied.” Xxx Dash, for the most part, was wrong. The quartet managed to get to Canterlot without a hitch. The trail was easygoing. Every so often a zombie would pop out and attack, but it was nothing the group couldn’t handle. But then the shining gates of Canterlot came into view, seeming to rise up from the ground. And that was when things went wrong. It began when Dash spotted a sign. She read grimly, “Canterlot: Population…Dead.” She looked back to her friends questioningly. They hoped that somehow people had survived, and that the sign was wrong. With just a small glimmer of hope, they pressed on. However, once they reached the formerly shimmering city, the hope was gone. They stood where the grand arch used to, but now it was just another pile of rubble. The mystical waterfalls surrounding the town seemed to have lost its luster, and the rivers were littered with bodies of the dead. Broken spires loomed in the cloudy sky, some alight with flames. Numerous graffiti messages were sprayed all over the city walls, all of which shared the same general message, “Get out.” All of it was too much for Twilight. Before her was her hometown, a once-glorious jewel now transformed into a dismal wasteland. It took all her strength just to keep from collapsing from grief. A single tear began to form on her eyelid, but she quickly wiped it off before her friends could see. “This place is worse than when those Changelings wrecked the place,” Dash whispered. Still looking at the destroyed arch, Pinkie said quietly, “What do you think we should do now, girls?” For a minute, nopony responded, still taking in the enormity of the destruction before them. Fluttershy tried to keep herself from staring into the bloodied river, while Rainbow couldn’t stop reading the horrific messages. Finally, it was Twilight who broke the silence. She pulled out her club and ordered sullenly, “Well, we didn’t hike all the way here for nothing. Come on, let’s scavenge the place.” With no other option, the group followed Twilight’s lead. But for the lavender unicorn, it wasn’t just about scavenging for supplies. It was to provide closure, to take one last trip down memory lane. So that she wouldn’t have to live wondering if any of her loved ones were still trapped inside this hellhole. However, there was so much chaos and destruction, it seemed as though no one could have survived. Random foes wandered the cobblestone streets aimlessly, easily dispatched by the quartet. Atop some buildings in the distance, they could see the shapes of Smokers and Hunters watching the streets below. Every time the group turned a corner hoping to find some vestige of hope, they’d only be met with yet another street in disrepair. Finally, after aimlessly walking the abandoned streets, the survivors came up on an unmistakable sight. The carefully carved cobblestone walls, the tall towers standing over them like sentries. It was an architectural marvel, the very symbol of Canterlot itself. It was Canterlot Castle. However, in this apocalypse, the castle was no different than any of the other buildings in Canterlot. Abandoned and overrun. The drawbridge was already lowered, as if from a last-ditch attempt to escape the fortress. Twilight had another plan in mind, saying, “Let’s go inside, girls. We’ll close the bridge so nopony can get in.” “But the place looks pretty…iffy,” Rainbow Dash said. No pony paid any attention to her objection. Instead, the group solemnly walked into the main hall. Twilight looked around at the dark palace. It all seemed so familiar, and yet at the same time it was like she was in a different world. Memories of the past immediately came flowing back. Twilight began to imagine the way the castle seemed to shine whenever she came in. This wasn’t the homely castle she had spent all her life in. This was a stone cold prison, a place where ponies came to die. “So it’s true,” she whispered. “Everypony’s gone.” “Oh Twilight. I’m so sorry, I really don’t know what to say,” Fluttershy consoled. “Hey, on the positive side, we’ve still got…um…give me a second,” Pinkie said as she leaned back on a suit of armor. To her surprise, the arm clicked down, and mechanical sounds began to whirr from behind the wall. “What did you do Pinkie?” Twilight scolded. “I swear, I didn’t do anything!” the party pony replied, sticking her hooves up in the air innocently. There was another click behind her, and a hidden panel began to slide back. Curious, Dash ventured into the secret room. Once inside, she couldn’t hide her shock at the contents. Guns. Lots of them. Ranging from simple pistols to automatic shotguns to assault rifles. They were all there, stashed inside a tiny little compartment. And to Rainbow Dash, these weapons were an absolute god-send. “Whoa, this must be the Royal Guards’ secret armory!” she cried in wonder. “I haven’t fired one of these babies since Air Force Academy.” Twilight stepped inside, and remarked half-confused and half-amazed, “I thought guns were outlawed years ago.” “Yeah, well the army still keeps a stash of ‘em just in case of some violent uprising,” Dash answered, marveling at the weapons. “Or in our case, a zombie apocalypse.” Everypony was inside the room now, taking a look at the guns hanging on the walls. Dash was already pulling them off the shelves, getting used to the feeling of having one in her hooves once again. However, after seeing Rainbow playfully posing with a pistol, Fluttershy stepped back from the racks and muttered, “But…but, I can’t…” Dash told her, “I don’t worry, Fluttershy. I’ll teach you. I’ve even got this technique where you can fire accurately while running-.” But the yellow pegasus shook her head and said, “No, I mean…the ponies, I can’t shoot them.” Twilight went up to the timid pegasus and pleaded, “Please Fluttershy? I know how you feel right now, and trust me, killing these ponies aren’t any fun. But it would make us feel better if you just carried around one weapon. Please? Just this revolver.” Although she was utterly opposed to using the weapon, Fluttershy couldn’t turn down the sincere worry printed on Twilight’s face. With a reluctant nod, the pegasus hesitantly took the revolver, along with a few bullets. After stuffing her satchel full of shells, Dash snagged an auto-shotgun off the shelves. Cocking it, she remarked, “Those creeps think they’re sick now, wait ‘til they get a taste of this.” “We’re only taking what we need. Save it for other survivors,” Twilight said. “Hmph. Says the one taking the heavy-duty M-16 rifle.” Once they had all taken their own weapons, the quartet exited the weapons room to go survey the castle more. It was out in the main hall when something outside caught their attention. It was very faint, like the steady drum of wings. At the moment it was far away, but the humming seemed to be getting closer and closer. One thing ran through their minds at that moment: Rescue! Noticing a set of spiral stairs leading up to the parapet walls, Twilight called out, “C’mon girls! We have to hurry, or else they might pass over us!” The climb was quite rigorous and long, but the quartet kept pushing on. “Why would anyone put evac up 30 flights of stairs?” Pinkie questioned, panting. Dash, who was easily gliding up the staircase, said with a smirk, “Come on, Pinkie. Maybe the evac’s…maybe they’re made of chocolate. Heh, heh.” Finally, they reached the top of the castle walls, the orange sun beginning to droop over the mountains once again. Their eyes scanned the horizon and, sure enough, there were tiny black dots soaring high above the ground. The dots began to move closer to Canterlot, and soon the group was able to make out the shape of the Royal Guards against the setting sun. They were dressing in their tell-tale shining armor, and they had large bags dangling off their side. The quartet began calling out to the faraway pegasi, trying to grab their attention. Rescue was in their grasp, safety was coming. Or so they thought. Then the bombs began dropping. It began on the opposite side of the city. The stallions flying above opened their packages, releasing large black capsules. As they fell, they gave off a sharp whistling sound, attracting some of the monsters towards the area. The capsules hit the buildings, exploding, demolishing the once proud structures. The flames rose high into the air for a moment, then the buildings began to crumble down. The ponies could only watch in horror as the pride of Equestria began to go up in flames. And with that, their chance of rescue. The Royal Guards began to fly in the direction of the castle. Seeing this, Rainbow Dash yelled, “What the hay are they doing?” She hastily took off to the top of the watch tower while Twilight yelled, “Dash, stop!” But the cyan pegasus was already perched at the top, waving her hooves wildly, shouting, “Hey, we’re down here! There are survivors, stop the raid!” The pegasi swooped in closer, and Rainbow could easily make out the white stallions’ features. She could have sworn one of the guards looked straight at her. She could have sworn she saw his cold, blue eyes staring back. But that was just it. There was no sympathy, no emotion. Their glare told Dash stolidly, “We’re following orders.” But her eyes were soon diverted to the capsules being released, zooming straight for the tower she was standing on. Dash tried desperately to leap off, but it was already too late. The bombs impacted on the side of the tower, sending rubble and shrapnel towards her body. The heat of the explosion steamed her side, and the force sent her flying over the edge. The pegasus was still conscious, and she made an effort to spread her wings. But when she tried, a jolt of pain ran through her body, making her scream. Twilight screamed, “NO!” She acted quickly, channeling all her power into making another force field, hoping that she could somehow cushion her falling friend. Rainbow hit it, causing the magic to shatter and Twilight to cringe once again. But it was enough to slow the rainbow pegasus, and keep her from hitting the cobblestone. However, there was no amount of magic that could stop Rainbow from writhing in pain. Her friends immediately rushed to the injured pony’s aid. Rainbow was on her back, clutching her left wing while yelling, “Those buckheads! What the hell!” Pinkie and Fluttershy helped her to her hooves, while Twilight attempted to recover from the scare. Luckily, it seemed no damage was done to Dash’s legs, and she was able to stand on her own. But when she tried to open her wings, another wave of agony made her cry in pain. The appendage was a mangled, crooked mess. And when she saw this useless thing attached to her side, Rainbow sunk down in despair. Fluttershy tried to calm Dash down, saying, “Please, you’re in no shape to move. I’ll fix you. Or at least…lessen the pain.” The cyan pegasus sat on her haunches, complaining, “Those assholes freaking bombed me! God, my wing hurts like hell!” “Do you think they saw you?” Pinkie asked. “Oh they saw me alright! I swear one of them looked straight at me!” She tried to catch a glimpse of the fleeing guards, but it was too late. They had already left Canterlot to burn by itself. “Well why would they try to bomb the city?” Fluttershy questioned, taking out some of her bandages. Rainbow, completely enraged from the raid, answered fiercely, “It was Princess Celestia! She must’ve ordered these attacks! And after everything we did…” Twilight piped up to defend her teacher, interrupting, “But that can’t be Rainbow! My brother, Cadence…none of them would ever do this. It’s…it’s this zombie apocalypse. She must’ve done this to stop the infection from spreading.” “Might as well bomb the rest of the world while you’re at it!” Rainbow said. Looking out at the smoking, destroyed ruins of Canterlot, she added quietly, “This place is dead, Twilight.” Pinkie Pie, once again unknowing of their next destination, turned to Twilight and asked, “Where do we go now?” For the first time in forever, Twilight Sparkle couldn’t find an answer. Hello there my fellow pony-lovers. So I 've got some sorta bad news (or good news if you hate me). Normally I'd be posting new chapters every week, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to go on hiatus for two, maybe three weeks. I've been running a bit low on time and ideas. Gotta get the creative juices flowing, y'know? So yeah, sorry for that, but thanks for reading anyway. See you soon! Edit: Sorry about the false update! I just don't know what went wrong...No, not really. I tried making some changes and pressed publish by mistake. My bad. Please don't get mad at me!