//------------------------------//
// Interlude: Zombie Invasion - Aftermath 
// Story: The People's Republic of Twilightlicious 
// by GeodesicDragon 
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Twilight watched the birds flying past her office window eagerly, their gentle chirping lifting her spirits and putting a smile on her face. Below, the people of Twilightlicious carried on as though the terrible events of the last thirty-six hours had never happened.

Raymond entered the room, followed closely by Jock, Celestia and Luna, and announced his presence with a small cough. Twilight turned around, her smile growing brighter, and walked over to the small group. Jock held his hand out, and Twilight shook it firmly, then watched as she accepted a hug from the other two women.

"It's so nice to see you all in person again," Twilight said as she walked to the conference table in the middle of the room, signalling for her guests to take a seat. "I'm glad this whole zombie business is over, and I certainly hope it never happens again. The loss of life was simply unimaginable, no thanks to those fools in the GDA."

"Indeed," Jock replied. "We did a count, and I can confirm that the GDA killed three million, three hundred and one thousand, eight-hundred and ninety-six Insignificant citizens." He paused. "Still, that's a survival rate of ninety-nine point nine one percent."

Twilight nodded and took a piece of paper Raymond offered. "Our own losses numbered two million, nine-hundred and fourteen thousand, eight-hundred and sixty-seven, which makes for a survival rate of ninety-nine point seven one percent."

"Our losses were numerous," Celestia said. "The GDA sent hundreds of thousands of troops into our quarantine zones, and the delay in launching cure missiles – which, I say again, is nobody's fault – meant that they were able to kill twelve million, ninety-five thousand, four-hundred and sixty-eight people. That is a survival rating of ninety-nine point seven eight percent."

"So while you lost the most people, Twilightlicious had the lowest survival rate because our population is smaller..." Twilight paused for a moment. "Then again, these numbers pale into the losses suffered over in the Apocalypse. Raymond, do you have the count?"

"I do." Raymond flipped through the sheets he was holding and took one out. "One billion, seven-hundred and thirty-five million, three-hundred and twelve thousand, seven-hundred and fifty-one. That's a survival rating of seventy-nine point one two percent."

Everyone shook their heads in disbelief.

"Dreadful," Luna said. "Absolutely dreadful."

"Dreadful?"

All eyes turned to the door as Geo strode in, accompanied by his usual consignment of armed soldiers. He took a seat at the table and leaned back, forming a pyramid shape with his fingers.

"I don't seem to remember inviting you here," Twilight spat. "But I suppose I can't exactly ask you to leave."

"You can if you want." Geo grinned. "I just won't listen to you. Anyway, I just wanted to say that what my men did wasn't 'dreadful,' it was necessary. We didn't bother to research a cure because we don't have a properly funded healthcare system, as most of our budget – eighty odd percent – is spent on the military."

"You could have at least tried," Twilight snarled. "We would have been more than happy to share our own research with you."

Geo shook his head. "When I say we don't have a properly funded healthcare system, I mean we don't have a healthcare system at all. That is why I made the decision to purge the infected, rather than given them a chance to destroy my glorious Apocalypse."

Twilight gasped. "No healthcare?" she asked. "But... what happens to those who get ill or hurt themselves?"

Geo shrugged. "Screw 'em," he said. "Survival of the fittest, my dear Princess, that is something everyone in the Apocalypse knows, understands and accepts without question."

"How can you be so callous?" Twilight demanded. "What gives you the right – as the saying goes – 'to play God?'"

"'Play' God?" Geo laughed, as did the soldiers with him. "Princess Twilight, in the eyes of my people... I am God."

Twilight looked stunned, although Jock, Celestia, Luna and Raymond seemed unphased. The latter leaned over and spoke.

"The national religion in the Apocalypse is 'Geotology,'" he whispered. "Geo is seen as the country's leader, protector and provider. All other religions are banned, and to practice them would mean an instant – and very painful – public execution."

Geo stood up. "It's all right, Princess," he said. "You'll get used to basking in my glory eventually, much like these three have." He swept a hand over the other three leaders. "Anyway, I'm done here. I just wanted to let you know that I stand by what I did. The Apocalypse may have lost a lot, but it will persevere."

With that, he and his guards turned around and left the room.

"I can't believe him!" Twilight growled. "How can you three let him get away with this kind of behaviour?"

"With respect, Twilight, you don't know anything about our past history with the Apocalypse," Jock said. "In fact, over a hundred years ago, our two nations tried to invade it."

Twilight looked downcast. "I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

"It did not," Luna said. "We outnumbered the Apocalyptian army by five to one — but given their military expenditure, they were in possession of weapons and equipment far in advance of our own."

"They slaughtered our forces like cattle," Celestia added. "The Apocalyptian troops fought with a savagery and cunning the likes of which we had never seen. They smashed our flanks and carved a path through our lines, forcing us into a humiliating rout."

"Their army didn't pursue us, as we thought they would," Jock continued. "But there was a reason for that: as we got close to our original rally point within the Paradise, the Apocalypse launched a nuclear missile. Most of the survivors of the battle were vaporised, and thousands more made ill by fallout."

"The next day, the Apocalypse demanded that we all surrender, or we would 'get more of the same.'" Luna stifled a sob. "We had no choice but to give in to their demands, which included letting them build and station a navy within our waters; paying them trillions of bits in reparations; and cutting down on our own militaries. Insignificance opted to keep a small militia for self-defence, while the Paradise decided to go for a completely pacifist approach — the losses we had suffered were too numerous, and the populace weren't too keen on war after what happened."

"I'm so sorry," Twilight said. "I didn't know, please forgive me for my harsh words. I didn't mean them, it's just... I don't like bullies."

"Neither do we, Princess," Jock replied. "But as much as I hate to admit it, those damned bullies are the only thing standing between us and complete and total annihilation."

Luna and Celestia nodded solemnly, and silence soon fell on the room as a storm began to rage outside — which Twilight saw as a fitting accompaniment, given that the jovial atmosphere was gone.