Nation of the Damned

by Tyrannical T-Rex

Chapter Two: A loss of laughter.

I galloped towards Ponyville, a tired smile on my lips as the distant town slowly grew closer. "We’re almost home now, Spike! We'll meet up with the others and make some plan to keep the town safe!" I said, getting a small murmur of agreement from the small dragon.

"Spike, you alright? You haven't spoken in a while," I said, growing a little worried as I slowed down. I came to a stop and looked back to make sure those monsters weren’t following us before levitating the dragon off my back.

Spike gave a groan at that, moving his small hands to clutch his stomach. "I-I'm fine...it's just a stomach ache." He muttered, huffing a little.

"Are you sure? We can rest if you'd like...I think we lost those things back on the tracks so we have a little time to rest." I replied, getting a shake of the head in return.

With a shrug I gently returned him to my back, making sure he was comfortable before I resumed my gallop, though moving a tad bit slower due to Spike’s stomach ache.

Soon enough we reached the town, and found the station deserted, surprising both me and my small companion.

No pony was around...not a single mare, stallion or foal...at least the monsters were absent too.

"Where is everypony?" Spike asked, looking around as I climbed onto the platform and began trotting down the street, passing the familiar houses and shops, eventually arriving in the marketplace.

A few of the stalls were turned over, their contents spilled on the ground...seemed like whoever was working them had left in a hurry. It was here that I could faintly smell the familiar scent of those monsters, though it was rather weak unlike it was in Canterlot.

"Alright, Spike. Keep an eye out and stay alert okay? We’re gonna head to SugarCube Corner." I said, starting to walk again, moving slower and more carefully due to the scent.

Spike just gave a shaky sigh, glancing around with nervous eyes. "Yeah, sure...it's better than staying here, it's kinda creepy with no-pony around..." He replied, one of his hands nervously fiddling with my mane as we ventured onwards though the town.

We soon reached the famous sweet shop, though the smell was stronger there. With a gulp I approached the front window of the shop and peered in through the window, seeing the darkened interior.

Inside there were tables and chairs turned over, a few stacked against the door like a barricade, while a few banners hung from the ceiling and bits of half eaten food were scattered on the floor.

"Something’s not right..." I muttered, frowning before I approached the door. I used my magic to push it open, toppling the barricade on the otherside. With that out of the way I crept inside, scrunching my nose.

The smell inside was rather foul, though it smelt more like rotting food than flesh, which I supposed was a good sign. I crept further in, looking up at the banners before sighing, shaking my head.

Seemed like somepony’s birthday party, or at least it was...but now it seemed like there was no-pony here.

"Pinkie? Are you in here?" I called, lighting my horn up to both illuminate the darkened room and get a spell ready, just in case.

It was then that I saw it, the hunched over figure of a mare in the corner, a soft squelching sound and belching slowly catching my attention...how had I not noticed that?

But the worst thing was that I recognized the mare. Her pink coat had faded and her once poofy mane was flat, covering her face as she sat there, hunched over what I could now recognize as a small body.

The body of a young colt.

"P-Pinkie?" I asked, my eyes wide while Spike whimpered. I could feel the poor dragon shivering on my back.

Almost as soon as I spoke Pinkie froze before she turned her head to look blankly at me...and what I saw almost made me vomit.

Pinkie's eyes were wide and glassy, while her snout was stained with blood; drops of crimson dripping down onto the bloody corpse she had been eating.

Without so much as a second glance, she got up with a raspy groan and lunged at me. She had her forelegs stretched out wide as if to give me one of her friendly, bone-crushing hugs, but her open mouth—blood and gore falling from her chipped teeth—made me realize it would be the last hug of my life.

I yelped and teleported behind the mare, watching her fall to the floor before I fired a spell at the back of her head, a crackling pop filling the room as lightning struck her. I didnt want to do that...Pinkie was one of my best friends and was always so happy! But that wasn't Pinkie I saw eating a colt, it wasn't Pinkie who had lunged at me...it was a monster that only shared Pinkie’s looks.

She twitched and gurgled before going still, the smell of charred flesh filled the room as smoke rose from the smouldering wound.

Tears welled up in my eyes at the sight and dripped down my cheeks as I sat down. I covered my eyes with my hooves and began to silently weep along with Spike who had climbed off my back, staring dumbfounded at the body of our former friend.

"You...killed Pinkie..." He choked, sniffling before I pulled the small dragon into a hug, holding him close.

"No...I-I helped her...that wasn't Pinkie..." I said, glancing at the body.

The mare had a bite wound on her left foreleg, most likely having got bitten when trying to barricade up the shop. And whatever foals had been in here were most likely dead judging from her swollen stomach.

After a while I thought of my other friends and knew I needed to find them before they ended up like Pinkie. I sighed and blinked the tears away before I got up, placing Spike on my back, and quietly leaving the shop. "We're going to AppleJack’s farm...if more of those things are here then it's the safest place to go. The others are likely already there." I stated, earning a whimper of agreement from Spike.

And so we headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, stopping by Rarity's boutique and the Library just in case any of our friends had decided to hide there instead. But each time we were met with silence.

I'd also started to notice signs that the monsters had been here, bloody smears on walls or bashed down doors and broken windows. But it seemed deserted now, save for the occasional distant groan.

After a while of wandering, something caught my attention; a house with its windows boarded up, bloody smears on the door, and three “ponies” lingering outside. They uddered raspy moans as they stared at the house.

"Isn’t that Lyra and Bon-Bon's place?" Spike asked in a hushed whisper, eyeing the ponies as I hid us around a corner, frowning.

"Yes it is, but if those things are outside it means that there has to be somepony inside right? I mean...from what I've seen they only stay around when there’s ponies nearby," I mused, peeking out from our hiding space.

If there was somepony else left alive in the town who wasn't trying to eat us I had to help, I couldn't live knowing that another pony would be left behind.

With a sigh, I once more lit my horn before rounding the corner. With a frown, I fired three lightning spells in quick succession, each bolt making a thunderous 'crack' as the lightning hit their marks.

The ponies fell to the floor, twitching as black smoke rose from their smouldering wounds...it disturbed me how easy it was becoming to dispatch them. As we got closer I realized I knew all three of them.

Once they were dealt with, I rushed over to the door, knocking on it as I looked around, hoping any nearby beasts hadn't heard me.

"Bon-Bon, Lyra?" I called, hoping the two mares were alright, desperate to see a pony who didn't want to tear the flesh from my bones. Thankfully I heard a click as the door was unlocked.

With a sigh of relief I quickly pushed the door open and entered, grinning ear to ear. The house was dark and smelt rancid, my smile quickly faded as I heard the nearby groans of those beasts.

Before I could leave, a spell shot out from the darkness, striking my chest. Pain flowed through my body before I collapsed on the floor, my vision blurry as I heard Spike yelp.

It was then that I saw my attacker creep out of the dark, a smirk upon her lips, and a bloody apron adorning her frame.

"Sleep well~" Lyra cooed, cackling before I lost focus and my world went black, faintly hearing the yells of a terrified Spike as I slipped into slumber.

Author's Note:

Chapter two is now up! It took longer then I would have liked but hey, better late then never right?

Once again a very special thanks to: http://www.fimfiction.net/user/ersmiller For being kind enough to edit my story so it dosent look like a mess of words mashed together.

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[sevenofeleven]

Two hooves up for zombie fun!