The Trotting Dead

by Flagstar of Flagclan

Prologue

Author's Note:

First chapter. I am looking for an editor for this story, so please help pony mail me if you are interested. I would like someone with some experience, but even so feel free to apply. I do have an editor who is helping me with other stories, so I don't want to work them to hard. Thanks and get prepared for the next chapter!

Lightning lit up the sky, while thunder sounded like a loud drum. A blue pegasus walked towards the large gate that stood at the entrance of the cemetery. He was holding a bundle of roses, planning to lay them at the grave of his dead grandmother. He shielded his eyes with his wing as lightning hit the ground in front of him. Electricity coursed through his veins from the ground, causing him to cry in agony. He slowly opened the gate, still in pain from the shock. He was determined to get to the grave of his grandmother.

"Soarin.....Soarin."

He cocked his ears as he heard his name. A shiver ran down his back, as the wind and the pain poured from the sky. Soarin jumped as he heard a loud scream pierce the air. Just as he was about to leave, too scared to stay any longer, he saw a pony half buried in the ground. He headed over to the pony and tried to help them out. As he tried to tried to pull the pony out, it's arm came off. Lightning flashed, and Soarin saw exactly who the pony was; his grandmother. She had half her face off, revealing skull. She also had rotten flash everywhere, and a sharp looking bone where her arm was supposed to be. Her other arm, still in his hoof, wrapped around his neck.

He coughed as the arm choked him. The dead pony had used its remaining arm to pull itself out of the ground, and was staring at Soarin with its remaining eye. Her eye was cloudy and looked blood shot. She smiled and put her remaining hoof on his shoulder, then pulled him towards her. Pain shot through him as she bit hard on the side of his face. He could hear the sound of his flesh ripping off. Blood poured out of the wound. It felt warm and sticky, flowing down his side. Again the zombie bit him, but this time on the arm.

Soon Soarin was nothing but bones on the ground. Scraps of him were being eaten by the new group of zombies that had come. Once the herd was finished, they headed towards the now open gate of the cemetery. The zombie who was his grandmother grabbed the bundle of roses and laid them at his empty skull. Then she slowly started towards the gates, following the herd into the city.

"Breaking news! Zombies have over run he city of Trottingham! Make sure to stay in your homes at all times! And.....ahhhhh!"

Lilac switched off the screen as the news anchor got attacked by a zombie. She quickly ran towards her attic, quickly shutting and locking doors along the way. She knew the apocalypse would come, but not this quickly. The unicorn used her horn to open the attic door. She jumped in and shut the hatch quickly, closing the several locks quickly. She headed over the edge of her tiny attic and removed two boards from the wall.

After moving them back into place, she lit a candle and sat down. She levitated a brush to come her short red mane. Her grey coat seemed to glow with the light illuminating off of it. Lilac jumped as a knock came from her attic door. It could be marauders, or it could be her friends. As she hesitated, another knock came. She used her magic to see who was downstairs. To her relief, it was just her friends; Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Zapper. She sighed and called down to them.

"Come in," she yelled, "move the two side boards to enter!"

Seven ponies came through the hidden opening. Spike was nowhere to be seen, and Twilight looked as if she was sleep walking. She kept shaking her head saying; "No, no, no, not him."; but Lilac ignored it, though a nagging feeling that something bad happened to the dragon yanked at the back of her mind. She turned to her most trusted friend of the group; Zapper.

"What happened? Where's Spike?"

"He died on the way here. A zombie got to him."

She noticed he was trying to hold back tears. Spike had always been his favorite of the group, though she came in second. She felt herself go pail for a second, but shook her head so she could think straight. Lilac sighed and decided on what to do. She could send them away, make them survive on their own. She only had enough canned goods to last her about three years, and keeping them here would make her supply even shorter. Then, she noticed that each of them had large saddle-bags, each large enough to hold a months supple of food.

"What's in the bags?"

"Food, all canned," said Rarity.

Nodding, she motioned them to sit down. It was very spacious on this side of the wall, considering that she had planned to make in to make it that way. It helps to trick anypony who planned to steal from her, and it also helped to keep her hidden from the zombies. There were no windows, only her large supply of candles, matches, water, canned food, and clothes; and a cot for her to sleep on. She hadn't planned on keeping anypony else here except herself and possibly a citizen who needed help. "At least they brought food," she thought.

She closed her eyes and fell asleep, hoping that some plan would come to her in a dream. Though it was only the starting of the apocalypse, it seemed as if it would go on forever and ever. If the zombies had already attacked Trottingham and Ponyville, Celestia knows how many other towns have been taken over. Lilac held back a scream as she pictured herself being ripped apart by zombies, each one slowly tearing her, piece by piece, and blood flowing down her sides, staining her coat red. She knew that could never happen, and if it ever got too close to that, she had to use her secret plan.

Comments

[The_Average1661]

You need to pace your stories, I feel like its moving to quick

[Flagstar of Flagclan]

I usually move it quickly in the first chapter, then I slow it down. When I write, I try to write quickly because.....I don't know, I just move it quickly. I will try to slow it down though in the next chapters. Thanks for voicing your concerns.
4920173

[The_Average1661]

4920211 Ok, also try to see if you can add more details, not trying to ask to much but if you can, that would be greatly appreciated

[Flagstar of Flagclan]

Okay I'll try my best. I'm kinda of amateur so I'm not very good. Hence why I'm looking for an editor lol. Thanks though for the advice, and feel free to tell me about any other problems.
4920236

[iconicicon2]

A blue pegasis walked towards the large gate... That should be pegasus

He caulked his ears as he heard his name. That should be cocked.

He coughed as the arm chocked him. That should be choked.

If felt warm and sticky, flowing down his side. It

There was no windows, only her large supply of; candles, matches, water, canned food, and clothes; and a cot for her to sleep on. Was should be were and I don't think you need the semicolon. I think its fine without anything.

She knew that could never happened... That should be happen because it isn't past tense.

I read the author's note but edited anyway. Do you have a kik or something so you can tell me when you updated a story?

[Flagstar of Flagclan]

4934919 I'll try to remember to tell you. I know that if you favorite the story, it'll tell you when it's edited I believe, but I rather just tell you so you don't have to Fav a bad story.

[iconicicon2]

4937499 Hey, I just read your comment to The_Average 1661. Writing quickly to draw readers in is a good strategy, but I didn't think it was too fast. On a scale from one to ten, with 10 being the fastest, I would give it maybe a 6.5. I think it was a good beginning so far, but I think this would be a good first chapter instead of a prologue. I think that for a prologue, this had too much action. I also think that a little back story of Lilac and Zapper could be nice. Also, some pacing could be nice, slowing and speeding up the story periodically to build suspense. Also I think that there wasn't enough panic for the apocalypse.