Left 4 Friendship: Magic is Dead

by UnweptSchlipps

Day 5: Pipe Bombs and Funnel Cakes

“Why are the roads always blocked?”

“Because that’s how zombie stories always work!”

“What are you talking out Pinkie?”

“Oh, the usual stuff, Dashie.”

This light-hearted change took place as the group hobbled up a small ravine. The abandoned motel was behind them, a lonely sentinel atop a steep hill. The group, after realizing that the rest of the road was impassable due to a massive cart pile-up, had decided to take the longer route. They had carefully slid down the hill and into the mini-crevice. After fighting off a few Smokers and wading through a river pooled at the bottom, the survivors were slowly crawling up the other side. Adjusting her damp vest, Dash began to reload her shotgun.

They galloped over the crest of the hill, ending up on a side road. And across from the road was a colorful entrance, with an arch complete with balloons and a shining sign that read “WHISTLING MAPLE.” The sight would have been enough to make any filly or colt squeal with joy. Only this time, instead of families walking around and having fun, the place was packed with the undead.

“Oh cool, girls,” Rainbow Dash said. “This place looks totally safe.”

“Hey Dash?” Twilight asked.

“What?”

“Shut up.”

A little further in was a small storage room with one of those metal red doors attached to the front. Next to it was a large cardboard cutout of a cartoon acorn, its smiling mouth covered by the word “SAFEHOUSE” sprayed on. The door compelled them, and they quickly hobbled in, slamming the door shut.

The inside was quite barren. Only a make-shift toilet, some flyers, and a table with a small ammo pile kept the four ponies company. The quartet helped themselves to the bullets, stuffing their bags until there was nothing left to take.

“Seems a little selfish…” Fluttershy said.

“It’s their fault for leaving it here,” Dash remarked, referring to nopony in particular. She felt a twinge of pain in her wing, so her hooves automatically migrated towards the pill bottle at her side. Taking two, her eyes lighted on some writings scribbled on the wall. “Y’know, if I had a pen, I’d probably write something.”

She began to read the graffiti, scanning its contents. Finally, something caught her eye. “Hey girls, check this out. The one written by Roseluck.”

“November 1st?” Twilight read. With drooping ears, she said incredulously, “But that was two weeks ago! How long…” The unicorn couldn’t bring herself to even finish her thought, although the others already knew what she had meant. This ravaging infection plaguing the country was apparently nothing new. But that fact didn’t make the soulless limping zombies outside be any less frightening.

With nothing left in the saferoom to take, the quartet reluctantly exited the tiny shack. Before they left, Fluttershy took note of a flyer posted beside the metal door. It showed a unicorn with dark shades standing in front of a background of flames and speakers. DJ PON-3 was printed in red letters along the top.

“Hey, that’s DJ PON-3, aka Vinyl Scratch,” Dash told her. “I’ve got all her albums, even her new stuff that ain’t no good. Man, she were here? I can’t believe we missed her!”

“I’ve heard of her. Her show’s got so much pyrotechnics that when she plays, you can see the show from space!” Twilight noted.

“Woah, Twilight…connected with popular trends? It is the apocalypse!” the cyan pegasus joked.

They stepped into the middle of the park where, for the first time, they could survey the abandoned fair. Like Canterlot, the place seemed to be hastily abandoned. Some rides still glowed with power, their neon lights providing illumination for the wanderers. Many stands were covered with striped canvas tents, shielding whatever lay inside. Some even still had carnival confections on their counters, only now they were old and stale. Nothing suitable for eating.

“Aww. Elephant ears…funnel cakes…corn dogs. These signs are making me hungry!” Pinkie Pie remarked. Her eyes shone with wonder, and her mouth was agape in awe. Almost like she was oblivious to the death surrounding her.

Her eyes shifted to a small figure, slumped on a bench. At first she thought it was the poor body of some foal, another unfortunate victim of this crazy new world. But out of the darkness she made out the small, shining button eyes of a teddy bear. A simple child’s toy, minus the child. One arm was missing, stuffing spilling out from the amputated limb. A black grin was stitched on, and for some reason it seemed to…laugh at her.

Dash said, “If only the Cakes were here. They’d make us somethin’, huh Pinkie?” The flier nudged the party pony, wanting a reply. No response. She just kept staring back down at the child’s plaything. At its unmoving sneer. Pointed straight at her. Laughing…

“Pinkie? You there?”

“Whathuh?”

“Yeah…nevermind.” Rainbow turned away, not the least bit worried about Pinkie’s abnormal behavior. Frankly, abnormal was Pinkie’s normal. And after another moment of the teddy bear’s glare, a shaken Pinkie followed her friends. She gave a small cough before giving her signature grin, all the while putting the stuffed toy further and further away from her.

Passing through, the group saw a towering water slide, bumper cars, a shooting range, and many other abandoned rides. A certain glowing carousel they had passed lingered in Fluttershy’s mind, bringing back the memory of an old friend. Her curiosity piqued, the timid pony said, “Twilight?”

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“Do you, um, remember that map?” she asked.

“Yeah, actually I have it right here,” Twilight replied, ready to take it out.

But Fluttershy shook her head, saying, “Oh no, you don’t need to take it out. It’s just…well…it seems we’re just getting further and further away from Ponyville. I just can’t stop thinking about…about…”

“You’re worried about AJ and Rarity, aren’t you?” Twilight replied knowingly, the carousel bringing back the sight of the lovely boutique owned by their posh friend. “I gotta admit, I’ve been thinking about them too. But those two have enough fight in them to take down an army.”

The unicorn smiled comfortingly and continued, “I know they’re safe. Maybe they’re wandering around here just like us! Who knows?”

“We’re doing just fine right?” Dash chanted confidently. “And if we’re fine, they probably are too! Applejack and Rarity can totally handle this. Y’know, if Rarity isn’t afraid to get her hooves dirty.”

The kind words actually managed to bring a smile to Fluttershy’s usually stolid face. But the moment was interrupted by Pinkie Pie screaming, “Oh my gosh, girls! KIDDIE LAND!!!” She began to quickly gallop away to bask in the glory that was the “magical” kiddie land.

Rainbow was completely taken by surprise by Pinkie’s rather…sudden transformation. Twilight noticed her friends furrowed eyebrows, and she told her, “Well, she’s making the best of a bad situation.”

“She’s like a five-year old with guns,” Rainbow said incredulously. “And an uncanny ability to teleport wherever she wants.”

“I wish I could be that happy,” Twilight Sparkle uttered. Then, after some quick contemplation, she broke out into a grin and said, “Aw, forget it. WHOOOO, KIDDIE LAND!”

The lavender unicorn went off to catch up with their hyperactive friend, while the two pegasi trailed behind. Fluttershy continued to survey the mini-rides before them, watching for any zombies that could be lurking. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was still stuck thinking about Pinkie Pie. Something wasn’t quite right about her, and not in the usual way either. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but there was something…

“Weird…Just a while ago she was actin’ like a zombie. Now she’s bouncing all over the place…”

“Did you say something Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked.

“Uh…nothin’ important Flutters,” Rainbow told her. Under her breath, she added, “Not yet anyway.”

There were still zombies that needed to be cleared out, of course. The sight of these fully-grown ponies roaming the small kiddie rides was a little odd if not amusing. But either way, they still had to be put down, a job the quartet had been getting used to. Once, Pinkie even sat atop a broken little train and began to pick off the monsters one by one, much to the bemusement/confusion of her friends.

Alas, their time in kiddie land could not last, and finally it was time to leave (not that Rainbow was complaining). But before they left, something caught Pinkie Pie’s eye. It was not some disfigured child’s toy like before. This time, it was a weird little contraption that brought a small grin onto her face.

“Ohhh, look what I found girls!” she exclaimed, holding the item up. It was a metal cylinder capped at both ends. Wires looped around it leading into a small red diode strapped to the side. A long string popped out of the top, seemingly connected to nothing in particular.

“That looks totally awesome!” Dash replied. Then, scratching her head, she asked, “Uhh…what is it?”

“It’s a pipe bomb silly!” Pinkie Pie answered, as though this was supposed to be common knowledge. “You strike the fuse against the ground, the alarm starts beeping, then you throw it and it goes BOOM!”

“And you know this…how exactly?” Twilight asked curiously.

The pink pony stuffed the makeshift explosive into her pack, replying, “I’d rather not dwell on certain… activities I may have done before this, Twilight. I just want to make things go BOOM!”

After wandering about the carnival with no sign of rescue, they soon found themselves standing at rear end of a roller coaster. The winding tracks and peaks captivated the quartet as they made their way through its metal skeleton. In the distance, a banner was hung up at the entrance of the ride. “The Screaming Maple?” Fluttershy read.

Hearing this, Pinkie Pie proclaimed, “The Screaming Maple! This was only the funnest, craziest ride ever! First there was the drop where you seemed to hang in the air for about ten seconds before it let you go.” She began to reenact the roller coaster, using her gun to motion in the air. “Then came the twists and the turns. And finally, at the end, there’s this tunnel that’s super-dark. Creepy carnival music plays, then spooky laughter plays. And then…and then…”

“And then what?” Fluttershy asked, although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer.

But Pinkie just answered casually, “And then it’s done!”

The group tried to pass through the thick metal framework of the coaster, only to find that it became much too small for them to fit.

“Well ain’t this great?” Dash said after attempting to squeeze through. “Looks like the end of the line here.”

But Twilight, who was already five steps ahead, replied, “Actually Rainbow…I think I’ve got a way to get around this. Do you think you can still climb up over that fence?”

“Well yeah! I’ve still got my own four hooves to walk on!” the pegasus answered, boxing the air.

“Well then it’s simple really. I’ll activate that fuse box to start up the coaster.” Twilight pointed to a metal box located at the foot of one of the slopes. “ Then we have to quickly hop over the fence, into the rail cars, and ride the thing all the way to the other side! Of course, we still have to shoot the zombies that will no doubt be chasing us, but…”

“So, basically we’re going to be riding the Screaming Maple...while shooting zombies?” Dash inquired.

“In a nutshell.”

“That’s…different.”

“I’m not exactly a fan of roller coasters,” Fluttershy confessed quietly.

“It’s nothing ‘Shy, really. There’s not even any loop-de-loops or anything, come on!” the cyan flier replied. Then she grabbed her timid friend by the tail and Fluttershy was dragged away with a whimper.

The two pegasi were perched atop the fence separating the tracks from the rest when Twilight called for their attention. She was staring blankly at the fuse box, saying quietly, “Um…does anypony know how to wire this thing?”

“Oh come on Twilight!” Rainbow called.

“Sorry Rainbow for not learning how to hot wire machinery like a normal pony.”

“Oh, oh, lemme do it!” Pinkie volunteered.

"How do you..." the unicorn began. But she decided not to question her abnormal friend, and shrugging nonchalantly, Twilight allowed Pinkie to take her spot while she joined her friends up top.

“Oh man, this is gonna be so cool!” Dash said excitedly as she, Fluttershy, and Twilight perched themselves on the railing.

Twilight gave the ready signal to the waiting party pony down below. With a nod and a mischievous smile plastered on her face, Pinkie began to work. She strapped her gun to her back as her hooves began to skillfully maneuver the wires at her disposal. Take the blue, cross it with the red. Then take out the green, grab the red and…

However, the rewiring didn’t go as planned. The moment the two wires touched, the panel began to crackle and glow. Before Pinkie could realize what was happening, an exploding shower of sparks sent her sprawling across the ground.

For a moment, everything became a blur. The singed fur, the sparking wires, the sound of the coaster, the screeches of the zombies; all seemed to merge into one big blurb of noise. Pinkie stared up at the sky, dazed, unable to even get up. Then, finally, a muffled cry broke through the mess of sound.

“GET IN PINKIE!”

Still on the ground, she turned her head toward the coaster. There were her friends, packed into a single railcar, slowly progressing up the tracks with a click. The plan had worked…to an extent.

“GET IN!”

Then just as suddenly as she had been shocked, Pinkie was thrust back into reality. She quickly sat back up and scrambled to her hooves. All around her were mindless freaks climbing up the metal scaffolding, attracted by the noise, trying to get to her friends located at the top. They were already too far ahead for the pink mare to catch up. But she looked back at the fence to see another group of carts about to take off. Seeing this stroke of luck, she swiftly made her way towards the fence.

Pinkie was almost over when a zombie latched onto her pack, its jaws locked tightly around the leather bag. As she leaped over, the bag tore, sending many of its contents raining down into the tracks.

Pinkie managed to land in the last car, and the convoy began to slowly move up the slope. As zombies began to climb up around her, Pinkie scoured the bottom of her railcar for whatever may have fallen in. Finding a few bullet cartridges, the party pony loaded her submachine gun, and began to shoot up the zombies beginning to engulf the coaster.

Finally she had reached the peak. Pinkie Pie began to brace herself for the impending drop, ready for the rush of air through her mane. The car, however, stalled at the peak, and she dangled over the edge precariously as the horde still climbed around her. “C’mon you stupid thing!” she exclaimed, trying to shake the car loose. Ten seconds…she thought, wriggling her seat. She stared down at the faces of the impending monsters. She saw their blank faces, their bloody mouths. And for the first time in a long time, she felt something pound in her chest. Fear.

Realizing that ten seconds was too long, she whipped out her gun and took aim at the chain holding the train in place. With a gasp, she opened fire.

The snap came first. Then gravity took over.

Pinkie Pie’s train plummeted over the initial slope, and she began to scream. But this wasn’t a scream of glee or amusement. This was terror. On this ride once meant for happiness and joy, all she could see was death.

As she zoomed downward, she noticed a cylindrical shape beginning to fly out of her grasp. Snatching the pipe bomb in her teeth, she continued to scream, shutting her eyes. The coaster keep flying through, twisting and turning for what seemed like an eternity.

Then, to her surprise, the thing began to slow.

The pony was forced to open her eyes. She could see that she was nearing the end; something that she was relieved to find out. But first, there was the tunnel. The dark, gaping tunnel. With the music, the screaming, and now the zombies.

There no question now. She had no choice. Pinkie struck her pipe bomb along the wooden tunnel’s opening. The explosive began to sparkle, and the alarm began to flash and beep. The cart seemed to glow for a bit as the pitch-black tunnel slowly engulfed her railcar. Then, with a shriek, she tossed the bomb into the abyss.

The place went dark, the coaster kept clicking on. Pinkie ducked back into the safety of her train, waiting for the tunnel to pass. The beeping was past her, and yet it seemed to go on for an eternity. The speakers blasted their evil music and their cruel laughter. The zombies, although chasing the pipe bomb, still sounded like they were after her.

The darkness, the screams, the beeping. Darkness. Screams. Beeping. Screams. Laughter. Surrounding her, mocking her, eating at her…

Boom.

Behind Pinkie came the sound of an explosion. She curled up at the bottom of the seat whimpering. Although it was dark, she could hear the sound of body parts and shrapnel soaring overhead. She could feel something quite large and fleshy land next to her. And then, the clicking again. The incessant clicking, just bouncing around in her head, like a countdown to her demise. Please…stop…stop…

“Pinkie! Get out of there, we need to move!” the voice of Twilight finally called out to her.

She opened her eyes to see that the coaster had stopped. Dash’s hooves were on a brake lever, and Fluttershy and Twilight were extending theirs toward the huddled mare.

The pink pony wasted no time hopping out of that terrible railcar. But before she followed her comrades, something compelled her to look back at the seat. There, sitting right next to where she sat, was the head of some infected. Its eyes bore straight into her mind, engulfing her like the darkness of the tunnel. And the mouth…the gaping mouth, calling her name…Pinkie let out a squeal of pure anguish. And the demon responded, its mouth seeming to twist up into a gruesome smile, grinning at the poor pink party pony’s silent suffering.

---

I tried to pull of the whole "slowly going crazy" thing. You'd think since it's Pinkie Pie, it'd be easy. But it's not. Not sure how it went, but I hope you guys liked it.
Edit: Whoops. Posted the wrong version. This is the real one!

Comments

[The Grey Pegasus]

Pinkie's Louis, right? Is there going to be any pills shenanigans?

[Frenchie]

847577 I hope there will be.

[UnweptSchlipps]

848565
I can't say there will be. At least, not in the way you're thinking...

[Frenchie]

850421 Oh, I think I know where this is going...Hopefully I'm wrong, for Pinkie's sanity and the lives of her friends.

I hope this phrase isn't similar to what might happen.

"What's that Sandvich? Kill them all? Okay!"

[Princess Echo]

Holy crap this was all really scary for Pinkie, especially the end of the chapter. Man, i wonder what changling they'll face next. I hope Pinkie doesn't lose her sanity.

[smoers06]

Holy shit guys, KIDDIELAND!
I wanna ride the screaming oak once, just once!