Left 4 Friendship: Magic is Dead

by UnweptSchlipps

Day 5: "It's Like Awesomeness Packed Into a Box"

“Whooooooo man! That was so awesome!” Dash exclaimed. The quartet was sitting in yet another safe room, one made from the entrance of the Screaming Maple. They were trying to catch their breath from the exhilarating (and frightening) ride they had just taken. Fluttershy was clearly shaken, more from the roller coaster than the actual zombies. But Rainbow, not surprisingly, was beaming with energy. “Oh man, did you see me out there? Blasting zombies at 80 miles per hour? So wicked!”

Smoothing out her mane, Twilight replied sarcastically, “You were really something out there, Dash.”

“Hey Pinkie! How was your little solo trip?” Dash inquired happily, nudging her friend.

However, the pink pony didn’t return the nudge, and replied less enthusiastically, “It was…okay.”

“Okay? Pinkie, you just rode the Screaming Maple for crying out loud!” the rainbow flier cried. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Of course I’m alright Dashie! I think I’m just…tired,” Pinkie answered with an admirable, yet feeble attempt to remain perky. Rainbow Dash remained unconvinced, but she decided to let it go for now. Besides, there was still another matter to attend to.

“Well, that was pretty fun and all, but there’s still one problem. We’re still kinda, y’know, stranded here,” the pegasus said, reverting back to her rather grumpy attitude. She realized Twilight wasn’t paying attention, her ears turned toward the ceiling. “Hey, earth to egghead?”

“Shhhh shhh,” Twilight commanded. “Can you hear that?” It took a while for the others to understand what the unicorn was talking about. But soon, their ears were able to pick up the faint whirr not far from the carnival. It was definitely different from the drumming of the Royal Guard. This was the continuous drone of propeller blades.

“That’s the sound of one of those helicopters!” Twilight remarked.

“You sure, Twilight? It better not be those Royal Guards,” Rainbow Dash said disdainfully while twirling her wrench. “They’d probably set this whole place on fire. I’ll tell ya, if it wasn’t for my wings, I’d take my wrench and shove it right up their—.”

“No, no, I’m sure. This is different,” Twilight replied, trying to sneak a peek outside through the bars of the saferoom doors. And sure enough, she could see a floating spotlight in the distance where the helicopter was.

“Okay then, so we’ve got an exit. How do we actually get his attention?” the cyan pegasus questioned, getting her weapon up and ready. She was answered by a shy tap on the shoulder.

“Umm…I actually have an idea,” Fluttershy offered. The three of her friends turned their eyes toward her, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but shrink a bit. But then she continued, “Um, well, you know that…that Vinyl Scratch concert?” She waited for a response. When they just continued to stare, she exhaled and began her plan. “Well, you said she had a bunch of fireworks and pyrotechnics, right? We could activate those and…and signal the chopper.”

“That plan…” Twilight began, leaving her words dangling in the air. For a split second, Fluttershy actually feared the unicorn would jeer at her plan. But, to her relief, Twilight Sparkle finished, “…is actually really good Fluttershy! “

Giving her life-long friend a pat on the back, Rainbow told her, “Not bad Flutters. Waaaay better than my plan.”

“Which was…” Fluttershy asked.

“I didn’t have one! ” the cyan pegasus remarked with a confident grin.

“Alright then, you girls ready?” Twilight quickly said, gathering up her things. “We have to go before the sun comes up if the pilot’s going to see the fireworks.”

Dash answered excitedly, “Yeah, I’m ready to bounce. ‘Shy?”

Fluttershy replied anxiously, “Yes, I’m good. Pinkie?”

Pinkie replied with…no response at all. “Pinkie Pie?”

Realizing that Fluttershy was speaking to her, Pinkie said with her voice laden with faux-enthusiasm, “Oh…of course I’m ready! Why wouldn’t I be ready? That’s a silly question! I’m always ready for…for fireworks!”

“Uhh…o-okay then.” And with that, for what seemed like the hundredth time, they left safety behind them and ventured back into the world. The top of the stadium was visible above the few stalls and rides that still lay between the ponies and their destination. Here, the walkways seemed much more crowded with the horrifying beasts than the last part of the carnival. But no matter; the quartet kept pushing on, taking down whatever lay in their path. Lucky for them, most of the beasts only wandered about aimlessly, not noticing the group of survivors coming through.

Twilight Sparkle lashed out at the few incoming attackers, able to conjure up a small push of magic before mowing them down. Rainbow Dash managed to knock an infected into a machine labeled “Test Your Strength”. She wielded her baseball bat, letting it connect with the zombie’s ribs. The machine lit up, a bell rang, and a robotic voice cried, “Iron Pony!”

“And don’t you forget it!” Dash said with a smirk before regrouping with her friends.

And for a while, it was just a duck-shoot. The survivors usually were able to pick of the bloodthirsty marauders before they ever got too close. Even Fluttershy let off a few rounds, albeit without actually looking at the targets. And Pinkie Pie, although firing with less enthusiasm, was joining in with protecting her friends.

Soon, the gunshots died off as most of the monsters were either dead or out of sight. The group found themselves passing through a set of bumper cars, the wall painted with clouds and pegasi and whatnot. And past this last ride was the entrance to the stadium.

Taking this time to reload, Dash remarked, “Before all this, I used to make fun of those helicopter pilots because usually they couldn’t fly like me. What's the point of propellers if you've got wings? But now…I guess I don’t really have a choice huh?”

“None of us really have much of a choice…”

Dash turned around, expecting to see Twilight with her cynical grin. But to her surprise, it was Fluttershy who had whispered. “Whoa ‘Shy. Bein’ a little…dark, doncha think?”

“Oh…I…well, sorry,” the yellow pegasus replied shyly.

The quartet continued on, finding themselves standing at the stadium’s entrance. At first, the place was fenced off. But with a few well-placed shots from Dash’s shotgun, the group was able to pass into the stadium unharmed. The inside was very dark, with roped off areas where the lines used to be. Posters of the Midnight Fliers littered the walls, along with cardboard cutouts of Lil’ Acorn. It might have been a cute sight, if it wasn’t for the zombies.

Pinkie, seeing the abandoned stadium, uttered, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” But then, realizing what she said, she grinned and added, “Oh, it passed. I think we’re gonna be just fine”

No you don’t.

“Shut up!”

Fluttershy overheard this exchange, and turned around to see Pinkie talking with…nopony. A little worried, the timid pony said, “Ummm, are you—.”

“No, I’m not talking to myself! I’m not talking to myself! Why-why would you even say that? It’s like you’re accusing me of something Miss…Miss Accusy McSuspiciousPants!” Pinkie Pie answered rapidly, her eyes beginning to wander crazily. Her face pressed against the yellow pegasus’s, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

Seeing the timid pony’s frightened face, Pinkie Pie backed off, her eyes returning to normal. “So yeah…that is all,” she said, venturing out into the stadium with Dash and Twilight, her face hiding a twinge of guilt.

Once outside, the ponies couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved at what they saw. To their luck (for once), the place was already set for a concert. Four huge banners hung from the rafters, all of them combining to form the face of Vinyl. She wore a mad grin on her face, almost like a mad scientist laughing at his works. The stage was already decorated, the lights were already in place; it was as though the concert could take place at that very instant.

“Whoa! Wicked!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She raced to the stage where guitars and microphones were already set up. She grabbed one of the mikes and jokingly sang, “Everypony’s crazy when her daddy’s not around! Nanana na nananana!”

After imitating the sound of a bass and the scratch of a record, she raced down to a truck parked nearby, a green container catching her eye. Reaching in, she pulled out a few colorful containers with red rockets printed on them. “These fireworks are, like, the biggest in all of Equestria! It’s like awesomeness packed into a box!” the excited pegasus exclaimed, holding the boxes close.

“Rainbow, I really don’t think you’re the best qualified to handle extremely lethal explosives,” Twilight cautioned.

“Oh don’t worry, egghead. I know what I’m gonna do with this!” the pegasus replied, a mischievous look spreading across her face.

From the sound booth, Twilight called, “Hey Rainbow!” She held up a small tape for the pegasus to see. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but it looks like Ms. Scratch has a tape labeled ‘concert’ over here.”

But the cyan flier just stared at her as though she was joking, saying, “Well duh, Twilight. She doesn’t actually mix her stuff live!” The unicorn just shook her head and tossed the tape to the pegasus, who in turn passed it to Pinkie Pie, who was waiting by the stage. With trembling hooves, the pink pony inserted the cassette into one of the compartments next to the speakers.

“Alright Pinkie,” Rainbow shouted, grabbing a random guitar. “Let’s drop that bucking bass!” When the music failed to start, she looked over at the sound equipment to find that Pinkie was mumbling to herself.

“Ummm, I said…let’s drop that bucking bass!” Dash cried one more time.

This time, Pinkie heard her. Flipping from minor depression to insane happiness, the party pony pressed the switch with a crazy grin. All at once, everything got loud. REAL loud. Lights flipped on, shining into the sky. A few spark launchers activated, sending bright sparks up into the air. And of course, the deep bass and techno music blended together to make the perfect dubstep track.

“Aww yeah, let’s get this party started! That pilot’s gotta come get us!” Dash exclaimed, dancing along.

But Twilight was far from a dancing mood. For unlike her rainbow friend, she noticed the horde of infected climbing up over the stadium walls. “Yeah?” the unicorn cried. “Not if those zombies get us first!” Hearing this, the group came together at the stage, bracing themselves for the battle.

The pegasus saw the incoming horde and shouted confidently, “Zombies and DJ PON-3? Huh, I didn’t know it was my birthday!”

Then she and Twilight began to take on the horde head-on, while Pinkie and Fluttershy parked themselves atop two booming speakers. Dash held a guitar in her mouth and her shottie on her hooves, simultaneously blasting and thwacking the infected. Twilight worked like a machine, shoving the closer zombies so she could finish them with her M-16.

Meanwhile, the other two continued to fire their weapons into the crowd. Behind them, a Smoker lashed out his tongue, ensnaring Pinkie in its grasp. The Smoker tried to pull the party pony off the speaker, but she held tight, trying to reach her dropped gun. She didn’t need to however, for Fluttershy quickly snapped the tongue with a shot from her revolver. Then, with the Smoker unable to recover, the two finished it off.

That’s how it went for many minutes as the horde kept getting attracted to the head-banging tunes of Vinyl Scratch. The quartet fought valiantly, hoping that their efforts would finally pay off. Hoping that rescue would come and whisk them away to safety. This, plus the completely radical music, kept the ponies’ adrenaline flowing.

Finally the horde seemed to fade for a moment, allowing some breathing time for the tired ponies. But unfortunately, the fight was far from over. Suddenly, there was a rumbling, not coming from the music, but from high up the stadium. It was almost like an earthquake, albeit a minor one. Then came a deep guttural roar, and the quartet turned to see a giant fleshy beast standing atop the rows.

The beast was much like what they saw with Iron Will, except it was in pony form. The popping veins, enlarged muscle, the shrunken head. And now, seeing its prey, the monstrosity began to gallop toward them, roaring along the way.

“TANK!” Twilight yelled.

“Ah, don’t worry your pretty little egghead,” Dash told them, patting Twilight on the head. “Just keep shooting it!” The pegasus swept up the box of fireworks, holding them in her mouth, and began to trot towards the monster. The brave pegasus parked herself up on the rows, waiting for the pounding beast to approach. She began to wave at the thing, hoping that her rainbow mane would attract attention.

Her ruse worked, for when the Tank saw this it began to charge towards her, still being shot at by her other friends. Heated by the dubstep, Dash yelled, “Yeah, come on you sick freak!”

When the Tank got close enough, she tossed the firework box with all her might. Then, cocking back her shotgun, she let the shot fly.

When the pellets hit, the box of fireworks exploded in a flurry of bright colors and flashing sparks. The bright mess set the Tank on fire, causing it to grunt in pain. Seeing this, Dash began to gallop back to the stage, dodging a swing from the Tank’s massive arm. The survivors continued to fire at it, the music still blasting in the background. In one final attempt, the Tank ripped an entire row of seats from the concrete, flinging at the survivors before collapsing into a burning mass of flesh. The group thought quickly, rolling down into the floor as the projectile flew overhead. Aside from a few tiny concrete pieces flinging on impact and scratching the quartet, the ponies were able to stand up unscathed.

And with timing so perfect it was almost eerie, the stage went off. Fireworks, much bigger than the ones used by Rainbow Dash, shot up into the sky from some launchers lining the stage. What seemed to be hundreds of sparkling missiles flew higher and higher, until finally exploding in a supernova of light and color. For a while, it was as if night had been turned into day as the stadium became bathed in sparks. The fireworks shot off one after another for a full minute as the booming bass continued. Then the music ended with a final high-pitched flourish, and one final missile shot up, making an explosion that turned into the face of Vinyl herself.

The quartet watched the skies until the face faded away into the night. Then Dash said incredulously, “So…do you think he saw that?”

Her question was answered with the telltale sound of rotating propeller blades. The quartet could see the helicopter approaching from the distance, so they began to make their way into the stands. However, the horde would not let their prey go without one final push. With their signature wail, the infected began to pour out, chasing the ponies to their spot.

“Hurry, hurry! We’re almost there girls!” Twilight Sparkle yelled, shooting back at the approaching horde. The quartet found themselves at the top of the stadium now, completely at the mercy of the helicopter’s timing. Their ammunition was running low, and the zombies didn’t seem to be letting up.

Rainbow heard a click from her gun, and she silently cursed before screaming, “I’m out!”

Luckily for them, that was when the heli decided to make its entrance. The vehicle swooped in low, almost clipping the manes of the quartet below. The pilot positioned himself to block of the zombies, commanding, “Hurry, get in!”

Pinkie Pie leaped in, followed by Fluttershy, then Rainbow Dash. Twilight was the last pony, and she stepped onto the chopper when suddenly, she felt a long slimy tongue wrap around her hoof. The chopper began to lift off with the unicorn hanging on for dear life. She felt her grip begin to slip as the tug of the Smoker got tighter and tighter. For a moment, Twilight thought she would surely be ripped in two.

That is, until Rainbow Dash popped out. She carefully took aim with Fluttershy’s revolver, pointing the sight at the Smoker’s head. And the bullet flew straight and true, lodging right between the eyes, sending the Smoker up in a plume of smoke.

“Don’t worry Twi’, I gotcha,” Dash said, lifting the unicorn into the helicopter. Then with a tired chuckle, she added, “What would you do without me?”

The four sat there, in the safety of the chopper, watching the flashing lights of Whistling Maple get further and further away. The realization of where they were going hit them, and for the first time since the beginning, the quartet felt truly relieved.

Comments

[Frostbytten]

Good. Very good.

[The Grey Pegasus]

Yeah, Pinkie needs some pills.

[Princess Echo]

879628Why wouldn't Rarity be Nick he is almost all about style through the game with his white suit. And it's obvious that Applejack would be Ellis. Spike would be Rochelle.

[UnweptSchlipps]

880871>>879570
Personally, I'd rather not link one pony to one particular character. Although they say quotes from the game, I would want Rainbow Dash to be most like...well...Rainbow Dash. She does have elements of Ellis, Coach, and Francis, and they all come together to form...Ta-Da! Rainbow Dash!
Crazy how that works, huh? You look at Flutters and she ain't like Zoey at all. She's quiet and cautious like a tree...I mean Fluttershy. I hope the ponies' original personalities have gotten through. If not, then it looks like i've found something to work on!
879864
Oh somepony needs pills, alrite. And it ain't Pinkie Pie...

[Princess Echo]

881124 Yeah, i know what you mean Rainbow Dash does have some of their traits. Butbi can't tell you how to do your story it's been good so far.