Flash's Journal

by cesmaster644

14-18 A.I.

Flash's Journal

Days 14-18 After Infection

Written by cesmaster644

Author’s Note: Due to the requests last chapter, I’m going to start a hybrid of 1st and 3rd. Leave a comment HERE on how well you think that works!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and all affiliated characters are copyright Hasbro, Lauren Faust, Studio B Productions... That should be everypony, right?

I do not claim ownership to anything but a few characters.

*****

14 A.I.

The wheels in Flash's mind finally clicked together; he realized what the turquoise pony meant just as she was bringing the sword down.

"N-No! Stop! She's just blind!" Flash pulled to the side, placing himself between Vinyl and the blade. The turquoise pony heard him too late; she pulled back, but what was already set in motion couldn't be stopped. The blade came down on his non-crossbow shoulder, cutting clean through to bone. She yanked it right back out, causing his blood to pour onto the sidewalk. Flash cried out, then collapsed to the side, whimpering "she's... blind" over and over again.

The beige pony's eyes widened. "Lyra, what have you done?!"

Vinyl took a step back. "What? What did you just do?!"

"Bon Bon, just get the blind mare inside; I'll handle him," Lyra, the turquoise mare, replied to her friend.

"What happened?!" Vinyl yelled at them.

A hoof stretched out and touched her shoulder; it was Bon Bon's. "Hun, don't you worry none, okay? Just come with me and we'll let Lyra handle this?"

Vinyl reached a hoof out and, after a second, took hold of Bon Bon as well. "Just tell me what happened to Flash. Please?"

"Let's go inside, then I'll tell you, okay?" The two walked into the fortress of a house, and Bon Bon found Vinyl a seat. "See, your friend... Ash?"

"Flash."

"Lyra cut him... pretty badly. On accident, of course! She'd never mean to purposefully harm another pony."

"She what?!"

*****

"Hey, hey, shush. I'm sorry. I really am. But I've got you, don't worry. I can fix that right up," Lyra whispered down to Flash. He didn't seem to respond.

"Can you get up by yourself?"

Flash's head shook to the side slightly.

"If I got you on your feet, could you fly yourself inside to a bed?"

Flash didn't respond at first, then, after a moment, finally nodded.

"Okay, on the count of three. Ready? One. Two. Three!"

Flash cried out as her magical field enveloped him; his shoulder raged in pain as the uneven pull of her magic tore it just so slightly in opposite directions. He quickly spread his wings and flapped to keep himself aloft - and out of pain. His eyes were blurred with tears, so Lyra guided him by voice.

"I swear to Celestia, if you've killed my Flash, I'll-!"

Lyra glanced over; Bon Bon was barely restraining Vinyl, who was doing her best to strangle her.

"Honey, I'll be back in a minute. Don't have too much fun with our guest!" Lyra called out to Bon Bon.

"I’ll kill you too, you-!" Vinyl’s rantings were quickly blocked off in Lyra’s head.

*****

Lyra managed to get Flash into a bed, and immediately began to wrap the wound. In hindsight, she should have done that from the beginning, but she was not going to do surgery under the threat of zombie attack.

Flash seemed to be unconscious - at least, the angry hum of the generator downstairs was blocking out his moans. Lyra grimaced. That meant she cut him badly and, therefore, was running out of time.

She silently berated herself for hurting an innocent pony. Though, it was an accident. It was understandable, right? Who could have known that that mare was blind?

She was side-tracking herself and wasting more time. She turned back to the problem at hoof, and got to work.

Well, if he was out, at least that meant that this process would be much easier. Stitching his shoulder back together would not be fun for either of them if he was conscious.

*****

Lyra finally returned downstairs, though, not surprisingly, without much enthusiasm. Bon Bon had a squirming Vinyl pinned to the floor. Lyra's hooves clopping against the wood floor turned Vinyl's head.

"What’s happened to Flash?!" Vinyl seethed, still struggling against her captor's hold.

"He's upstairs, asleep. I patched up the cut as best I could and bandaged the wound. As long as he gets plenty of rest and doesn't use that leg for a few days, he'll be fine. Scarred, but fine. I may see if I can find a book somewhere in town about magical healing spells and see if I can't help it heal."

"Why did you even cut him in the first place?!" Vinyl seemed ready to explode with anger and paint the walls ready with a certain mare’s blood.

"Cool yourself, filly; I didn't mean to.” Lyra sighed and looked away. “It was an accident. I meant to cut you."

Vinyl stopped struggling, taken aback. "Why did yo-?!"

"I thought you were a zed - your eyes and all.” Lyra shrugged. “He... he dove between us and took the blow himself."

Vinyl let her grip on Bon Bon relax.

"Look, I'm real sorry,” Lyra continued. “If I had known that you're just blind beforehoof..."

"She really wouldn't purposefully hurt anyone, I promise," Bon Bon chimed in.

"I... want you to take me to him," Vinyl softly demanded.

"Okay. Follow me." Lyra helped Bon Bon and Vinyl free themselves and guided them upstairs.

Flash was out cold, lying on his uninjured side on a bed. His saddlebags and crossbow were piled in a chair to the side. The bandage on his shoulder already had a nice red patch on it. His breathing was a little laborious, but his face held a stoic expression.

Vinyl softly ran a hoof over his body, feeling the wound. "Oh, Flash..." Flash’s reflexes kicked in, causing him to cringe a little.

Vinyl sighed and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Well, sleep tight, ya big idiot... And thank you."

The silence filled the air with awkwardness, and the ponies still awake simply stood there.

"So... You two are together, then?" Bon Bon finally asked.

"Yeah... I guess we are," Vinyl replied. "You?"

Lyra and Bon Bon both flushed red. "What gives you that idea?" Lyra demanded.

"Well, I mean, two mares living alone together - assuming we're alone - in an abandoned town, one calling the other honey-"

"We're sisters. Step sisters, but sisters none the less."

It was Vinyl's turn to blush. "O-Oh! My bad, I didn't mean... I'm so sorry...."

Bon Bon smiled. "It's okay; I can see how you'd be confused, Ms....?"

"Vinyl Scratch, but just call me Vinyl."

"I suppose we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Bon Bon; my sister's Lyra Heartstrings."

"So... What are you guys doing here all alone?"

"Well," Bon Bon began. "I was visiting Lyra here when the infection hit.”

“We bunkered down as soon as we saw the zed coming,” Lyra continued. “I made myself a sword to defend ourselves with. When we reemerged for food and supplies, everypony was gone."

“We’ve been here all alone since,” Bon Bon finished. “What about you? What brings you through Stalliongrad?”

“Well...”

*****

“... and that brings us to your doorstep.” Vinyl took one last bite out of the fourth apple that served as dinner - she hadn’t realized that she was that hungry - as she finished her tale.

“Wow... I’m sorry...” Bon Bon twirled her hoof in a tiny circle on the kitchen counter, seemingly focused on wearing a hole in it so she wouldn’t have to reply.

“Well, that settles it, then,” Lyra spoke up. “You two are staying with us; for sure until Flash is all healed up, but longer if you want.”

“Really?” Vinyl raised her head in Lyra’s direction. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. I don’t think either of us would force you and your coltfriend back out there by yourselves.”

“... thanks, Lyra.” Vinyl smiled softly, then yawned. “Man, I’m gonna eventually have to stop going to sleep in the mornings! Where’s a place to crash...?”

Lyra helped Vinyl to her hooves, then led her to the nearest bedroom that wasn’t occupied already.

“Here’s the bed. You get some sleep, now; let me and Bon Bon take care of your friend. Maybe mostly Bon Bon. Night.”

Vinyl giggled. “Good night.”

*****

"Magic, magic, magic..."

Bon Bon was talking to herself again and she knew it. After a small nap, she and Lyra had headed into the main part of town to search for anything to help Flash. They were in a bookstore, looking for any books they could find about healing. The soft teal glow from Lyra’s horn, holding her “sword” above her head, lit Bon Bon’s way through the store.

“Lyra?” Bon Bon continued to look away from Lyra, at the shelves, as she spoke.

“Yeah?” Lyra replied, equally enthralled with the lack of helpful information in the shelves.

“I was thinking. Wasn’t there a group of ponies in town yesterday?”

“Might’ve been. I think so, yeah. I didn’t really look at them twice.” Lyra sounded like she wasn’t particularly paying attention to Bon Bon; however, her face showed that she was trying to remember the group exactly.

“Do you think they could have been Vinyl’s group?”

Lyra stopped and held her hoof out to stop Bon Bon.“... Maybe. I see where you’re going with this; I don’t want to give her false hope.”

Bon Bon slipped another book into her saddlebags as she turned to face her sister. “But what if it was them?”

“Then they’ll be long gone by now.” Lyra gestured in no particular direction. “Even if it was, we only know the general direction they headed in.”

“Don’t you think they’d want to go after their friends, no matter the risk? After hearing Vinyl talk about it last night....” Bon Bon gently bit her lower lip.

“That’s exactly what I’m afraid of: a wild goose chase that’ll end up getting them killed. We lost a lot of ponies already. A lot of friends-”

Bon Bon turned her head to the ground, her eyes clamped shut to hold back tears. “You don’t have to remind me of that.”

“Which is why I don’t want to cast them out and lose them too!”

“We won’t be casting them out; it’s their choice to make!” Bon Bon looked back up, meeting a pair of golden eyes with her own.

Lyra didn’t yield. “And you think they’d honestly want to stay here?”

Bon Bon hesitated and glanced to the side. “... What if we went with them?”

Lyra was taken aback and showed it in her face. “What?”

“There’s nothing left for us here.... We should pack up and head out. Going with them would be the best way to leave!” Bon Bon smiled softly, just barely showing any teeth. Lyra had always been annoyed by that smile.... When they were younger, Bon Bon had often used it to get what she wanted from their parents.

Lyra sighed and shook her head. "We have safety and shelter here. We don't have to worry about anything killing us! If we go, we risk losing all that!"

Bon Bon placed a hoof to her forehead. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke. "I’m not going to leave by myself; I know I don’t have what it takes to survive out there on my own. But I’m not going to stay here forever and waste away, even if it is with you. So, I'm telling them. If they choose to stay, fine; but, if they go, then I'm going to go with them.” She looked up, making sure their eyes met again, making sure Lyra would see her tears. “With or without you."

Lyra wrapped her forelegs around her sister in a tight hug. "I love you, little sis.... I definitely don't want you going out to get yourself killed."

Bon Bon hugged Lyra in kind. "We won't get ourselves killed. Especially if you come with us."

Lyra was silent for what felt like several minutes. "Okay. We'll go if they do. But we wait until Flash’s healed to tell them; I don’t want them making a decision while he’s recovering."

"Thank you, sis." They dropped their grip on each other.

"... I've got three books. You?"

"Two."

"That'll probably be enough; let's go ahead and head back.”

*****

The door opened following the last few clicks of locks unlocking again.

Lyra strode into the house, setting her sword down to the side. Bon Bon closed the door behind them and secured it again. “How’s he doing?” Lyra asked, turning to face the mare that had opened the door for them.

“He just woke up. I've been filling him in on what he's missed. He’s in some pain, but he’s better than last night,” Vinyl replied.

"Alright. I'll start looking through these books right away."

*****

"Knock knock." Lyra stood in the doorway to what was now Flash's room.

"Come in," Flash answered, his voice tinged with pain.

"I've been doing some research to fix that cut of yours. I learned a spell that will at least make it heal faster. Once I cast it, it should only be couple of days before you can walk on it again and... maybe five before it's back to normal."

"Awesome." Flash's voice didn't sound enthusiastic, but his smile certainly was.

"Alright," Lyra's horn and Flash's shoulder began to glow. "Now, you're going to experience some searing pai-"

"BUCK! SWEET CELESTIA THAT HURTS!"

"And that's normal. There! All done. You can relax."

Flash was still cringing on the spot. "Why? Why didn't you warn me before hand?"

"If I had said it any sooner, you would have declined the spell."

"No! I would have braced myself." Flash scowled.

"Well, it's done now. Anything else I can do for you?"

Flash sighed. "Could you look into my saddlebags and get my journal? I need to update it."

15 A.I.

... And now she's asleep on the floor beside my bed. I didn't mean to keep her up. Oh well. She's so cute when she's... eh, all the time. I love you, Vinyl.

I guess this finally catches us up to the present.

Despite this horrid cut and the loss of our friends - or, as Vinyl calls them, family... this actually didn't turn out too bad. I mean, we have safety, food, water; we have company, including someone who can heal us; and, most importantly, we have each other.

Life is not as horrid as I could make it out to be.

I really don't know where we'll go from here.... I know Lyra and Bon Bon are glad to let us stay, but... are we just going to start life all over again? It may just come down to that being our only choice.

In that case, Poniatowski, Ace, Berry, Octavia, all you guys, I wish you best of luck. You'll need it. Wherever you are.

I’ve updated the list of survivors to everypony’s current state. I’ve also added Lyra and Bon Bon... if we’ll be staying here for a while, I might as well.

Current:

1. Flash (injured)

2. Vinyl Scratch

3. Lyra Heartstrings

4. Bon Bon

Camp Settlers (Location unknown):

1. Poniatowski

2. Berry Punch

3. Golden Harvest

4. Fayth

5. Ace

6. Armstrong

7. Noteworthy

8. Octavia

Deceased or status unknown:

1. Lionhart (deceased)

2. Sheridan (MIA)

3. Maple (MIA)

4. Strickland (MIA)

It is rather late, probably past midnight. I'll change the date to "15" in the morning. I'm going to go to bed too. Good night, journal. I missed you.

Morning again!

Lyra’s been trying several different spells on my cut.

It has not been as pleasant as I would wish.

However, it’s getting the job done, so I’m happy. I can rotate my shoulder - given, slowly - in the socket, and, I have to admit, it’s getting better all the time. I should be able to at least get out of bed and walk around a little tomorrow.

Vinyl and I spent some time discussing music and our thoughts on its future. With zombies everywhere and ponies involved mainly in surviving, bands have become nonexistent. We decided that it’s probable that somepony (or ponies) is out there, making new instruments and doing some entertainment for their friends and fellow survivors; but, it’s not likely that the mass supply of music will return in our lifetime.

However, the memories will stay with us. I only hope that’ll be enough; I love me some music.

Bon Bon’s turned out to be quite the cook. She’s no Berry Punch, don’t get me wrong, but she can make a fine carrot soup.

Lyra and I burned some time discussing the zombies. From what we've observed, they're reanimated corpses, kept moving by a virus, relatively slow moving, have an insatiable hunger for flesh, and have only basic intellect. As such, we've decided that destroying the brain is certainly the only method we can use to "kill" a zombie.

We have also observed some interesting points of difference between zombies who once lead lives as different types of ponies. While those that had been Earth ponies remain your "average" zombie, those who had been Pegasi retain the ability to fly (though they have yet to prove themselves agile or swift) and those who had been Unicorns, while unable to perform magic, retain a small amount of intellect - such as hiding for prey in a dark corner or fleeing when "Second Death" is obvious but escapable.

That’s about it. Pretty uneventful.

16 A.I.

My shoulder finally started to agree with me again today! I took sometime to walk around the house and get used to using my muscles again. It’s not terribly big - just some bedrooms, bathrooms, a living room, a kitchen and a den. Nothing fancy.

They have, however, seemingly emptied out the Stalliongrad library into their den. I took the liberty to read through some Shakesmare and J. R. R. Coltien in my free time. Needless to say, I didn’t get very far.

We had an interesting time after lunch when Bon Bon decided she wanted to play a card game. We turned it down because, well, Vinyl. They don’t make Braille playing cards, so it would obviously be quite hard for her.

So Bon Bon suggested charades.

We had a laugh about that; for a few seconds, Bon Bon wasn’t even sure why we were laughing. She’s such a silly filly.

So, after dinner, we got down to the serious stuff. We were all sitting in the living room when Lyra finally told us that she and Bon Bon had been keeping a secret from us.

Apparently, our group had come into town, and Lyra and Bon Bon knew which general direction they had headed in. They said that they had only figured it out a few days ago, and, since I was injured, they didn’t want to bother me with it.

I have to admit, I was a little pissed. If they knew where our group was, they should have told us! Our group could be long gone now, we may have missed them!

I controlled myself, though, and I finally realized that not straining us while I was recovering wasn’t all that bad of an idea. So I let the anger go. Lyra and Bon Bon have decided to go with us, so they’ll lead the way.

We’re going into town proper tomorrow and collect any last supplies, then we’ll leave the next day. I think Lyra said that the group headed north, towards Ponyville. It should take us about the full day to get there; maybe a little into the night.

Hopefully, we’ll catch up to our group soon!

17 A.I.

Supply checklist:

-Food

-Water

-Pack stove

-Plenty of fuel

-Medical supplies

-Anything to be used as a good weapon for Bon Bon

-Saddlebag for Vinyl

-Sunglasses for Vinyl

-Another journal

-Extra pens

Sorry about that, journal. I used this to make sure we had everything, so I guess you now have our shopping list! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a new pair of glasses for Vinyl, so we’ll just have to hope we don’t run into any more ponies that think she’s undead. But we have everything else and it’s all loaded, so we should be good to go in the morning.

Okay, so, we’ve got another survivor. Her name’s Terra Cotta; she’s a pegasus who was here in Stalliongrad on her summer break from Flight School in Cloudsdale when the infection hit. When we saw her at first, she was all shaken up, hiding from the walkers.

Walkers which were not far away; walkers that I had to waste bolts on, of course.

Anywho, she was hiding, all bunched up under the counter of a Daisy Queen when we rescued her. Apparently, she’d lost all of her friends in the outbreak and had been surviving off of the scraps she found around town, dodging from place to place after the last of her friends fell victim to the infection.

She started crying when we promised to help her, keep her safe. She’s been extremely thankful for our help, and for the something of a return to normalcy. Apparently, she’s all about the simple things in life.

And we all know life now is anything except simple.

You know, it’s kind of funny. When I first saw her, I thought she was just dusty and discolored from the lack of a shower in days; however, she’s just the color of clay. That, plus her long, dirt-brown mane and cutie mark, which is a pile of rocks, explains her name. Don’t get me wrong - she doesn’t look messy and dirty, she just looks... well, like a terra cotta pony. Anyway, she’ll be heading out with us tomorrow.

I’ve updated the list again; however, I’m just writing out the ponies we actually have with us this time.

Current:

1. Flash

2. Vinyl Scratch

3. Lyra Heartstrings

4. Bon Bon

5. Terra Cotta

Time to get some sleep. Need a full night’s rest for the journey tomorrow.

18 A.I.

The smell of toast and hay in the morning, what a wonderful thing. Flash’s mind began to awake, forcing him to stretch his forelegs and open his eyes. He rolled out of the bed and, steadying himself on his hooves, slid on his saddlebags and the crossbow. With a quick, adjusting tug, he was ready to go.

Heading downstairs, he turned, not into the kitchen, but into a small hallway. A door on his left was cracked open; a nudge sent it fully open, allowing him to enter the room. Vinyl was sprawled out on her bed, still snoozing. Flash gently - then forcefully - prodded her stomach with his muzzle. With a few limp-hoofed swats at Flash’s head, Vinyl woke.

“Morning~” he cooed.

“Too early, Flash...” Vinyl moaned in reply.

“Not early enough. We’ve got a long way to go today; we need to leave soon.”

Vinyl sighed, lowered herself off the bed, and held out a hoof to find him exactly. Gaining her bearings, she wrapped her arms around his neck in a soft hug. “Flash... I... I was thinking.” She frowned. “What if we’re not going to find our family out there? What if we leave the safety here for nothing?”

“I’m willing to take that chance. I think it’s worth it - even if we don’t find them, we might help other survivors. We’ll find safety again, I know it.”

Vinyl leaned her head against his. “... Okay. If you say so, then okay.”

Flash smiled and kissed her forehead. “Come on. Bon Bon’s got breakfast going - we should hurry.”

Vinyl nodded and felt around for her saddlebags. Swiftly flinging them on, she found her way back to Flash, and they left the room.

It didn’t take long to realize that Terra Cotta was still asleep, and, after eating his own breakfast, Flash went to wake her. A long several days without much good sleep had probably worn on her; she was curled up comfortably up by the pillow, a small pool of drool near her mouth. Her hair was scattered about, and she wore a small smile.

He hated to wake her.

It was no choice, though. If she was to go with them, she had to wake.

Luckily, Terra did not blame him for waking her.

Breakfast was finished quickly. They packed, and, with a sad sigh, left the safety of their little fortress for the last time.

*****

It was a small rest area. What had once been a cheerful area with a fountain, restrooms, some snacks and such... now lay empty, desolate - even depressing.

It was starting to get dark when they arrived; they were nearly two-thirds of the way there. The small group had run into little opposition - and little entertainment - the entire trip. They stopped for lunch on the side of the road, but, other than that, they had done mostly nothing but walk and talk.

So, as they arrived at the rest area, they were not ready for the small flood of zombies.

There were probably fifteen or twenty of the undead there - why, Flash wasn't sure. This couldn't have been that big of a population center for there to still be survivors, right?

It didn't matter. The undead smelled fresh meat, and they wanted it.

And the survivors' job was to eliminate them.

Terra, still recovering from minor trauma, hung back with Vinyl. The other three, however, took to the fight.

Flash managed to keep a good number of zed back a distance, but there were too many to handle. He panicked. Their strategy had been for him to keep the undead at a distance, and the few who got close enough to really pose a threat would be in the range of Lyra's blade or the cricket bat they found for Bon Bon to wield.

But a momentary lapse in reason caused him to falter as the threat increased. He started wasting ammo, doing ineffective damage. Seeing this, Lyra and Bon Bon took to the fight. Neither would have recommended going hoof to hoof with a zed, but, with Flash failing them...

The two ponies teamed up, slicing through heads and bashing in brains. Lyra took off to one side, her sword guiding her way. She seemed to have no trouble with the zombies; keeping the sword a few feet away from her body allowed her to keep herself out of harm's way. Occasionally, her sword did get stuck, and the zombies would close in on her. She'd taken to her hooves in these few moments and bashed in the skulls of the zombies that got too close with a quick buck. When she freed the blade, she'd get back to slicing.

Bon Bon, on the other hand, was not used to fighting - especially not this close up. Holding the cricket bat in her teeth, she swung wildly at the approaching horde.

She wasn't that effective. She could take out some undead, but....

One unicorn zombie took advantage of her and grabbed the cricket bat in its own mouth. It forced her back, knocked her down. Its jaw seemed to have broken, hanging open larger than anypony's should. White orbs of eyes stared emotionlessly into hers. Blood dripped and flesh dangled from the beast, starting to fall on her.

She prepared for the end. To go so far, only to die with this gruesome image? How cruel.

She was lost in her thoughts; she didn't hear the bolt fly. The zombie trying to feast on her collapsed.

Flash let out a soft sigh. Bon Bon was safe. He hadn't failed her. A small smile crept onto his face as he took aim again.

Bon Bon found her way back to her hooves and started fighting once again. Eventually, the undead's numbers dwindled, then trickled to a small flow, then collapsed entirely.

The small crew was safe - tired, maybe a little shocked, but safe. They slowly made their way to the rest area's information center and main building.

It was in shambles. The bookcase that had once held brochures was on the floor, its contents scattered about the room. Blood and other bodily fluids leaked from the bathrooms. Shattered glass was commonly found ground into the carpeting, and the lights were gone. The door leading to the backroom - the staff room - was scratched up, bent in some places. The zombies, apparently, had been trying to get in there for some time.

And that meant-

"Survivors?" Bon Bon asked.

Lyra nodded. "Probably." She took the liberty of walking to the door and knocking a few times.

No response.

"Hello?" Terra added to the effort. "We're not zombies; we're survivors too!"

"I don't think they can hear us. Maybe they're sleeping, if there even are survivors in there?" Vinyl suggested after several silence-filled seconds.

Lyra's horn began to glow. "Maybe. Let's see if I can't unlock this myself."

A few minutes passed before the look of concentration on her face disappeared. The door swung open.

"Hah. Here we go." Lyra smiled and led the group inside.

And, there, lying on the ground, were several unconscious, but surviving, ponies.

Comments

[zaczac111]

Ah, yes, here it is. This will make reading so much simpler for me, also, you might want to take out some of those author notes and the chapter select (Not needed and brings to g-docs). Anyways, can't wait for more

[TheDudeWhoWasR3]

Best zombie crossover fic I have seen to date!