> The Trotting Dead
>  by Fluttershy24
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Onset
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The Annual Ponyville Heart’s Warming Day Festival was in full swing, with decorations spewed all across Ponyville. Many ponies were selling Heart’s Warming gifts and assorted, with Pinkie Pie of course selling cupcakes. There was a chill in the air; winter was right around the corner, which would blanket all of Equestria in snow within a few weeks. 

Derpy walked through the center of town, delivering a letter to Twilight, who was in her house, working on a potion. As she was walking through the celebration, she grabbed out a muffin, and started munching on it. Derpy always loved Heart’s Warming Day, it was her favorite holiday. 

Derpy then came to Twilight’s tree house, and walked through the door. Twilight was hard at work on a potion, and Spike was on the floor, asking Twilight if he could go out to the Festival.

“Please Twilight,” he pleaded, “I’m not much help here!” 

Twilight looked up from her potion, and said, “Alright, Spike, just don’t overload on Pinkie’s cupcakes, you know what happens next.” Spike groaned, and walked out the door. Twilight saw Derpy walk in, and said hello and wished her a happy Heart’s Warming Day.

“Thanks Twilight,” Derpy said, “I’ve got a letter, from a….” She struggled to read the return address, gave up, and gave it to Twilight. She opened it, and squealed. It was from Princess Celestia, giving a form to receive a free encyclopedia series.

“Thanks for bringing this, Derpy,” she said, with a smile on her face her eyes gleaming, “Did you get any gifts for Heart’s Warming Day?”

“Uh,” Derpy said, “Yeah, I got a new sack, and a dozen muffins! How many is that, Twilight, I’m not good at that counting thing.” 

“That’s twelve, Derpy,” Twilight said, sweeping her pink and purple mane out of her eyes, “Well, here, Derpy, happy Heart’s Warming Day.” Derpy smiled as Twilight handed her a box of blueberry muffins.

Derpy then said, “Thanks, Twilight! Happy Heart’s Warming Day to you too! I’ve got to go now, got something for Rarity.” She then walked out, but on the way out, her wing hit a small vial of a chemical, and dropped it into the pot Twilight was making her potion. Twilight didn’t notice, and went back to work.

As Derpy walked out, she then went over to Rarity’s house, on the other side of town. After she gave Rarity her letter, she walked back into the square, her work done. Twilight had then set up a stand, selling cups of her potion, which helped you feel happier, to keep the celebrations going.

It was when Miss Cheerilee drank the potion, she immediately went to the ground, and began to vomit and shake uncontrollably. Everyone went to see what was wrong, and Doctor Whooves went to her side to try and help. It was then that Cheerilee snarled, and bit Whooves in the neck. He screamed, blood running down his neck, and crawled back. Cheerilee went back up, and attacked the crowd. 

Everyone was panicking, and Pinkie Pie wasn’t helping, running around, telling everypony to run for their lives. She screamed as Cheerilee tackled her, and was about to bite her, when Rainbow Dash came out of nowhere and pummeled Cheerilee.

By now, a bunch of ponies were infected, and were attacking those who weren’t. Fluttershy, being scared to death, ran as fast as she could, with Doctor Whooves right behind her, snarling, blood drooling out of his mouth. Twilight used her magic to suspend Whoof in the air, and threw him to the ground.

“Run Fluttershy!” She said as she kept Whooves on the ground. Fluttershy, the others and Derpy ran into her tree house. Twilight grabbed Spike, and locked the door behind her.

“Alright, does anypony know what’s going on?” she asked, panting in between every other word.

“I don’t know, Twilight,” Applejack said, “But it seems that everything has gone to tarnation. I hope Applebloom is alright.”

“Oh my gosh,” Pinkie Pie said, running all around the tree house, “What is going on? Are they zombies, are they even alive? What do we do? I’m so panicking right now!”

“Well,” Rainbow Dash said, “It was Twilight’s potion that made Cheerilee go insane. What in the name of Celestia did you put in that?”

“I don’t know, Rainbow Dash,” she said, opening her potion book, “The book says add a pinch of salt, vanilla and cocoa, then add a tablespoon of water and sugar, and mix it with pink food coloring. Then, you add the happiness solution, three teaspoons of daffodil nectar per cup. I was doing that, but when Derpy came in and delivered this letter, either she or I must have put in something by mistake!”

Everypony then began to inspect the shelves, and Twilight then said, “Hey, where’s my vial of Red Reviving Juice, I put it right here!”

“Well, Twilight, darling,” Rarity said, “What does it do?”

“It’s supposed to bring someone out of death’s grip if they died within the last hour, but if given to a live pony,” she said, freezing immediately, “Derpy, did you put that vial in the potion mix?”

“Uh, I think so,” Derpy said, tilting her head, “Was it in a small cup thingy right here?”

“Yes, Derpy, yes!” Twilight said, “Oh no, if you give that to a live pony, it turns them insane, and they begin to attack the living! No, this can’t be happening, it’s Heart’s Warming Day, this is supposed to be a happy day!”

“Uh, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said nervously, “Not to freak you out at all, but they’re breaking through the door!” She screamed as Cheerilee, Doctor Whooves and Cranky broke through the door, moaning. Rainbow Dash flew back, and screamed for somepony to do something. Twilight used her magic to smack the potions book at their heads. Cranky’s head exploded in blood, and splattered Cheerilee and Doctor Whoof.

“Smash their heads!” Pinkie Pie screamed, “It works! Smash them all!” She grabbed a heavy book, and busted Cheerilee’s head open. Rainbow Dash then grabbed Derpy’s sack and pummeled Doctor Whooves’ head into a bloody pulp.

“Die, die, and die again!“ She said, tears streaming down her face. “Die, die, and die!” After Doctor Whooves was dead, she then began to cry. Fluttershy went up to her to console but she snarled at her, saying, “Get back! I’m a monster, a monster I tell you!”

Applejack then went up to her, and smacked her in the face, saying, “What in tarnation are you doing, Rainbow Dash? You need to get yourself together! Now, we need to get some weapons to protect ourselves with, and go tell Princess Celestia what’s going on. Spike, you need to write in advance to tell her we’re coming, and something seriously wrong has gone wrong in Ponyville.” Spike nodded, and the rest scoured the house, looking for something to protect them with.

“Alright,” Applejack said as she found a fire ax.

“This will suffice,” Rarity declared as she picked up a large knife.

“Sweet,” Rainbow Dash smiled as she picked up a baseball bat.

“Um, alright,” Fluttershy said as she found a first aid kit. “I’m not one for fighting, sorry everypony.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Pinkie Pie screeched as she somehow found a sword in the house.

“Will this work?” Derpy asked confusedly as she found a muffin. Rainbow Dash said no, and handed her a staff. Derpy shrugged, ate the muffin, and picked up the staff.

“Let’s go, everypony.” Twilight said, wielding a magic staff. They opened the door, and gasped at the chaos in Ponyville. 

Most of the town was on fire, and the Town Hall was collapsed. More of the Pony Zombies walked through the town, moaning and looking for their next meal. Fluttershy looked, and pointed to the train station, where live Ponies were boarding the train to Canterlot.

They all broke into a run, and made a beeline for the train station, smashing Zombie Pony’s heads along the way, all except for Fluttershy, who chose instead to close her eyes and run for the train station. That was how she was tackled by Lyra; and was about to be eaten, when Twilight zapped Lyra with her magic staff, and told Fluttershy to get up. She did, and ran for the train depot.

As they got onto the train, Applejack saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh. She turned to see what they were looking at, and saw Sweet Apple Acres in flames and more Pony Zombies walking through the flames, completely unharmed by the fire. The train eased forward, and then they were off.

The train was alive with talking, shouting and crying as everypony had something to say about what happened, like, “Is Doctor Whooves alright? I heard he got bit.” Or “This can’t be happening” and “Has anyone seen my filly, she was by my side when she got on the train!”

The group of Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie sat in their seats, stony-faced. Applejack lightened up as the CMC, Granny Smith and Big Mac came over to share their relief that their sister and granddaughter was alright.

“Is everypony alright? No one got bit?” Applejack said, hugging Applebloom tightly.

“Nooooooope,” Big Mac said. Applejack hugged him too, and started crying.

“Oh, cheer up, Applejack,” Granny Smith said, “That virus can’t spread faster than this train. That is, unless those Zombie Pegasi can fly. Never mind that, honey, we’re all fine.” She began to smile, but then saw Sweet Apple Acres again. 

The train kept moving on, and they saw the level of destruction die down, but everypony could still see the smoke from the fires in Ponyville. As they stopped in Fillydelphia to refuel, everypony climbed out to get something to eat or to something to protect themselves with.

The small group came up to an arms store, and walked in. The shopkeeper, a large Pegasus stallion with a broad black moustache, gray coat and red mane, with a revolver cutie mark, welcomed them.

“You need something heavy, or just a peashooter?” He asked, extending his hand, “Big Arms Joe, owner of Big Arms Guns and Ammo, whattya need?”

“Something to kill a pony,” Rainbow Dash said, scanning the shelves, “You got something like that?”

“I ain’t selling no gun to anypony conspiring to commit murder.” Joe said, “I hope you know that.”

“I know,” Twilight said, “But there was a viral virus back in Ponyville, and it turns them into flesh-eating zombie things. We need something to protect ourselves with.”

“Well,” Joe said, “With that, 15% discount for all of you! Pick something you like, I got everything you seek. I got a Beretta M9 for the shy little mare,” he said gregariously and motioning to Fluttershy, “And for you, my lady, a Kalashnikov AK-47.” He gave the AK to Derpy, who thanked him and smiled. 

As they scanned the store, everypony decided on a weapon. Rainbow Dash picked a G36C, Rarity an MP7, 

Twilight a Barrett .50cal, Pinkie Pie a M249 LMG, and Applejack a Benelli M4. After much persistence, Fluttershy finally took a M1911 pistol for protection. They paid, thanked him, and walked out.

By then, word though Fillydelphia had spread of the Ponyville Virus, as it was now being called. Guns and ammo were being bought by the thousands, and people were panicking. Twilight thought they should get going to Canterlot, and they all agreed, except for Derpy, who said she wanted a muffin.

They climbed back onto the train, ammo strewn all across their bodies. The engineer at first said for them to drop the guns, but after Rainbow Dash threatened him, they pulled out of the station. They were on their way to Canterlot, to tell Princess Celestia of the growing problem.

Rainbow Dash turned on the TV to watch some cartoons, but was disappointed as emergency broadcasts regarding the Ponyville Virus had reached its way onto the airwaves, and all normal programming was suspended.

“Great,” Rainbow Dash said, “There was supposed to be a Daring Do marathon. Now all I think about now is them!” She threw the remote, and began to pout.

“Come on now, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “It could be worse, one of us could be them. That would make it only that much harder to…”

“Not now Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, “I’m not in the mood.”

“Oh, okay,” Fluttershy said, “If that’s what you want.”

The train went on, and the group of friends was silent until Canterlot came into view. Twilight perked up, saying she hadn’t been to Canterlot in a while.

“I only wish it was under better circumstances.” She said glumly as the train pulled up into the station. They all broke into a run towards the Royal Palace. The guards said hello to them, but then quieted themselves as they saw how seriously armed they were.

They stormed into the Royal Court, and Princess Celestia looked up, and said, “Ah, yes, I have been waiting for you to show up. Now, what is this problem you have?”

“Problem?” Rainbow Dash said, “Oh, there isn’t a problem, just ponies eating each other!”

“Oh, that seems to be,” Celestia said, “Very troublesome, more than those parasprites in Fillydelphia. Yes, I shall dispatch some military units there immediately.”

“Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, “You shouldn’t send them to just Ponyville, you see, it’s spreading throughout Equestria, we think the first of them should show up in Fillydelphia by tonight, and it’s already five o’ clock! This virus could spread from Las Pegasus to Baltimare in no time at all! We should send them throughout all major cities and towns.”

“Alright,” Celestia said, “Any, unusual characteristics of these, ponies?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “I noticed their coats and manes have faded colors, and they have blood running down infected wounds anywhere on their body. I think their cutie mark also has faded some as well.”

“Keep going,” Celestia said nodding towards a unicorn, which immediately began writing down the characteristics.

“They also have sagging eyes, and they moan, a lot.” Twilight finished, and Celestia nodded towards her.

“That information will suffice Twilight,” she said, “I will dispatch the appropriate military forces to major points of infection and possible infection sites. You can go now, Twilight.” Twilight and the others soon walked out of the court, followed by Derpy, who didn’t know what just happened, but smiled at Celestia, and walked away.

“Princess Celestia is nice,” she said, smiling, “I like her.”

“Maybe that’s why she’s a princess, Derpy!” Rainbow Dash snarled. At that, Derpy began to cry, and ran off.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rarity scolded, “That was not nice at all. You know Derpy; she can get into all sorts of trouble. Derpy, come here, Derpy, she didn’t mean it!” She then ran after Derpy, and the others followed.

Derpy seemed to be running anywhere and everywhere. Crying like a baby, she ran out of the castle, and into the rodeo, which was empty in the evening sky. The others caught up with her, and they began to console her.

“I’m sorry, Derpy,” Rainbow Dash said, “It’s just been the worst Heart’s Warming Day, ever.” The others agreed, and gave Derpy a muffin. She sniffled, smiled, and ate the muffin. She tore off a piece, and gave it to Rainbow Dash, who smiled and ate it.

They then got up, and walked out. The sun had set over Canterlot, and they were getting tired. They decided to go find a room at a hotel, but then a message from Princess Celestia told them they had a room in a tower at the castle.
They went back to the castle, and were escorted to their room. The room was elaborate, and Rarity would’ve squealed if she hadn’t been so tired or there weren’t the given circumstances. They all had their own beds, and a bathroom. They took off their ammo strips and magazines, and climbed into the soft beds. They immediately began to fall asleep, and forgot all about the horrid day they had.

I hope you like it so far! This was the first idea I got for a fanfic, and I finished it a few months back. I’ll be posting the entire story up by today. So, Red Reviving Juice, I really couldn’t come up with a better name. Basically it’s like a defibrillator potion, but if used on the living, the results are catastrophic. I also decided to use modern-day weaponry; I thought it would make it easier instead of making whole new guns. So, leave a review and maybe a favorite!
> Chapter 2: Canterlot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


They awoke in the middle of the night to the scream of a pony. Rainbow Dash got up, and looked out the window, and heard gunfire. The Zombie Ponies had come all the way to Canterlot; they must have hit Fillydelphia, Manehattan, and Baltimare when they were asleep!

They grabbed their guns and ran down to the gates of the city, and saw the mass hordes of Zombie Ponies outside the gates. There must have been over five hundred at the least, over two thousand at most.

Pinkie Pie put down her M249 on a bipod on the ground, and began to fire at the Zombie Ponies. The sound was massive; it nearly burst the eardrums of all the others. The others followed suit, raised the weapons, and fired, except for Fluttershy.

Twilight calmed herself, and pulled off a headshot with the .50cal, and saw through the scope as blood spurted from what was left of the pony’s head, and saw brain matter litter the ground around it. She decided not to think about it, and continued to fire.

“They’re not normal ponies,” she said, “Not anymore, it’s not murder it’s more like exterminating a pest, like parasprites. Just don’t think!” She pulled the trigger again, and saw the bullet fly into another pony’s neck, and strangely felt satisfaction.

Pinkie Pie was roaring with laughter as she let the M249 spew bullets anywhere and everywhere in the fields around Canterlot. 

“This is so fun!” she said, “We should do this more often, huh Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow Dash smirked as she killed one with her G36C, “Yeah, it’s more fun if they ain’t alive, Pinkie! Just keep shooting!”

Rarity took careful aim with the MP7, and used magic to not hold the MP, but levitate it at head level, so there would be no recoil. She pulled the trigger with magic and saw bullets pierce a pony’s skull, and closed her eyes to the carnage. All the while, Fluttershy was hiding behind a wall, whimpering and cowering.

Derpy was hip-firing her AK-47, and hit almost nopony with her gun. With her double vision, it would have been worse aiming down the iron sights than hip-firing. She just fired, and hoped it hit something.

“Derpy,” Twilight said, “Close the eye that is sagging! Use the other one, it will help!” She said over the gunfire. Derpy closed one eye, and smiled. She thanked Twilight, and soon pulled off pretty accurate shots.

It was inevitable the Zombie Ponies would break the barricades, the military and the Mane 7 –including Derpy now- were only delaying it. The Zombies seemed to mutate, they sprinted at the living, and screamed now, instead of moving slowly and moaning. The living ran for their lives, but some were too slow. Fluttershy cringed at the sounds of stallions and mares screaming for help, their mothers, and for Celestia to save them before they were infected.

As the military and Mane 7 retreated into Canterlot, the Zombies pursued and attacked the unarmed ponies. Canterlot descended into complete disarray, and unicorns used magic to set buildings on fire, and send them crashing down on the Zombie Ponies. Now, many of the infected were on fire, which made them only that much more dangerous. Those trapped under buildings caught those trying to run above the rubble, and bit at their feet.

What kept the Mane 7 together, no one knows, but they ran together throughout the streets of Canterlot.

“Over there, in the rodeo!” Applejack said, “We can hold out there, in the stands!” They ran into the rodeo, where only hours before, they were drying Derpy’s tears, they were now holding out against a Zombie Pony horde.

They climbed into the stands, and had their weapons trained on the doors. The infected ponies eventually came through the doors. Pinkie Pie was the first to open fire, taking the heads off of three infected ponies. The horde came through the doors, and began to climb up the stands. Rainbow Dash and Applejack went to the bottom of the stands, and took their heads off with bullets and buckshot.

“Yee-haw, take this you nasty vermin!” Applejack said as she fired a burst of the M4 shotgun and blew three infected ponies apart. Blood and gore soon littered the floor of the rodeo, and the show animals were getting anxious.

“Rainbow Dash, Applejack!” Twilight shouted, “Get back, I have an idea! Rarity, help me get those gates open!” They used their magic to open the gates, and let loose the bulls. They charged and plowed through the horde, and crushed numerous others. All the while, Twilight was picking off headshot after headshot with the Barrett, guided the bulls with her bullets.

Fluttershy’s scream ripped through the night as an infected Prince Blueblood, whose mane was out of order, and suit was stained with blood, tackled and pinned her to the ground. His mouth was stained with blood, and he was drooling out a mixture of saliva and blood on Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash called, “Use your gun! You have no choice! He’s not the Blueblood you know; he’s not even a pony anymore!” Fluttershy upholstered her M1911, turned her head, and fired at Prince Blueblood. The sounds of a head exploding and blood and brain matter splattering on the floor were the most audible sounds in the entire rodeo. 
Fluttershy looked up at Prince Blueblood’s now nearly headless carcass, her face splattered with blood, skull fragments and brain matter. Her face began to contort, and then she started smiling wickedly. She grabbed her M1911, and fired at the zombies.

“You’re all going to die!” She screamed, and the others looked towards her, and saw her about to jump down onto the rodeo floor from the stands. Rainbow Dash flew right beside her and kept her from jumping. Fluttershy was now incredibly not herself, laughing evilly as she fired her gun but ran out of ammo.

Pinkie pie fired her M249 by her feet, and said, “Fluttershy, stop! Calm down!” She turned, and took a deep breath.

“Sorry everypony,” she said, “I just got out of control. But I know now I can fight them. They’re not real ponies anymore.” The others began to smile, and they all forgot their situation. That was their biggest mistake.

They soon climbed up the stands, and the Zombie Ponies sprinted towards the ponies. Applejack jumped in front of them and fired shell after shell of the M4 at the horde. Rainbow Dash and the others followed suit, but they were running low on ammo, but they just kept coming.

“We can’t hold out much longer here, everypony!” Applejack said, kicking a Zombie Pony in the face as she was reloading her M4 shotgun. The horde was just charging them, and the ponies needed help, desperately.
It was when all seemed lost, that the Wonderbolts flew seemingly out of nowhere and landed on the stands. Armed to the teeth with fully customized M16s, they mowed down the Zombie Ponies. Once the horde was eradicated, Spitfire and Soarin’ walked over to Twilight and Rainbow Dash to talk.

“Well,” Spitfire said, pushing her mane back with her hand, “That was fun. Now, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, we need to get you out of here.” She put her ACR on her back, and continued, “Orders from Princess Celestia. We need to get you to Manehattan, they haven’t been hit yet.”

“But what are we going to do about Canterlot, and Baltimare and Fillydelphia?” Twilight said, “We need to help out here.”

“No, we need you in Manehattan by sunrise,” Soarin’ said, putting away his F2000, “All ponies are being evacuated to Manehattan, we are withdrawing all military and paramilitary forces back to Manehattan. The Princess and Princess Luna are already there, it’s the new capital of Equestria. Come on now, the train’s leaving. Fluttershy, Derpy, and Rainbow Dash, you can fly there with us. The others are going on the train.”

After some resistance, the group broke up, with the three Pegasi going with the Wonderbolts, leaving the other four to go on the train. As the Wonderbolts flew away, Rainbow Dash sped ahead, unleashing a Sonic Rainboom. Any power still up in Canterlot was now knocked out, as the Rainboom took out all power in the area.

“I don’t see why those Wonderbolts can’t come with us.” Applejack said, “It makes absolutely no sense. What if we derail? What will we do then? We have no ammo, what are we supposed to do, bludgeon them with our guns?”

The train pulled away, and Twilight checked the time, it was about 2 A.M. Twilight looked at Spike, who had stayed at the Palace but boarded the train. He was fast asleep, probably dreaming about Rarity. She sighed, and looked out the window, and looked at the destruction the Zombie Ponies were causing. There were flaming ones that caught buildings on fire and soon, the entire city itself was ablaze. By then, the train was half a mile away, and all Twilight could see is the haze of the flames.

By the time the train had reached Manehattan, the sun was just rising over the horizon. The ponies stayed by the train, passing time, napping, reminiscing about the celebrations the day before.

Applejack readjusted her hat, and saw the Wonderbolts walking towards them. “Anything happen while we were on the train?”

“No,” Spitfire said, “We just need to hold the fort, and if necessary, head to Las Pegasus in the west.”

“We can’t just keep running from them, you know,” Rarity said, “I’ve seen what they do, they’ll just follow us. They sense where we are, and they follow the sense. It’s no use; soon all of Equestria will be consumed by the Ponyville Virus. We need to kill every last one of them, we can’t run from them anymore. It’s all or nothing, are you in, or not?” Rarity put out her hand, to show she wasn’t going to stop fighting.

The ponies thought about it, and one by one, they put their hands in.

“This is for us, all of us,” Rarity said, “For Pegasi, for Unicorns, and for Earth Ponies, so that we all might kill this virus, once and for all!” They all agreed, and then, they restocked on ammo and got some new hardware.

Fluttershy walked into the armory, and looked at every gun. She stopped, and smiled at a P90 submachine gun, and two ES Five-seveNs, she also got two holsters for the Five-seveNs, and was happy with her choice. Applejack switched in her M4 for an Armsel Striker semi-auto shotgun, equipped with a foregrip. As a sidearm, she chose two .44 Colt Anaconda revolvers.

Rainbow Dash kept the G36C, but equipped it with a red dot sight, and M320 grenade launcher. She also chose a Desert Eagle as her sidearm of choice. Twilight chose for a sidearm, a Heckler and Koch MP5K submachine gun. Rarity kept the MP7, but chose a Beretta M9 for her pistol.

“This is too heavy,” Pinkie Pie said, lifting the M249 onto the counter, “Can I get something lighter?” The clerk nodded, and handed her a M27 IAR SAW. As a sidearm, Pinkie Pie chose two Mini-Uzis. She smiled evilly at her weapons, and then hopped out of the armory.

Derpy didn’t know what to choose for her sidearm. At first, she wanted a M60, but the clerk advised a Heckler and Koch USP pistol. She took it, thanked him, and walked out after Pinkie Pie. The others followed suit, followed by Spitfire and Soarin’ in the rear.

The weather over Manehattan was gloomy. It was overcast, and it began to drizzle. The weather report said a large rain storm was expected from noon onwards. The ponies decided to get something to eat, and stopped at a breakfast diner. Having not eaten since the day, they were all exhausted and starved.

They all ordered a short stack of pancakes, with eggs and bacon. They dug in, and picked up the bill for the Wonderbolts, although money had almost no value anymore. They walked out, their bellies full, and prepared for the long day ahead.

They got a room in the hotel, and began to clean their weapons, check their ammo, and sleep. By noon, they were fully rested, and the city was drenched in a torrential downpour. Rainbow Dash sighed; it was a truly depressing day, given the circumstances.

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! So, I hope the first gunfight with the Zombies was good enough for you, it was fun writing it. Especially Pinkie’s part, that was REALLY fun. So, they’re all in Manehattan now, but will it be like this forever? Find out in the next chapter, of course!
> Chapter 3: Manehattan
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The military had set up a barrier along the boundaries of the city, and were on the lookout for Zombie Ponies, using thermal goggles to spot them. There were sporadic sounds of gunfire as they picked off the first few.

“They’re coming,” Spitfire said, grabbing her ACR from her back, “Be ready.” The others nodded, and grabbed their weapons. They all took deep breaths, and ran for the barricades. 

“Wonderbolt Spitfire, ma’am, all defenses are in place, ma’am!” A soldier said, saluting Spitfire.

“Very good, Sergeant,” Spitfire said, “Have you ever killed one of these things?”

“No, ma’am,” the sergeant said, scratching his scraggly beard, “No I haven’t. Was deployed to Baltimare, but managed the evac operation, never fired my weapon.”

“Well,” Spitfire said, “Welcome to initiation, they’re here!” The massive horde of Zombie Ponies became visible through the sheets of rain, and when they saw the military, they dashed towards their lines.

“Open fire,” Soarin’ said, “Fire at will; come now soldiers, you’ll be fighting with honor today!” The military opened fire and the zombies fell by the hundreds.

Twilight stood back, and focused her sights. With the given variables of wind, water and distance, this was more of a logic game then a fight. She fired the Barrett, but missed the Zombie by three centimeters. She readjusted her aim, and fired. This time, the Zombie’s head exploded in blood. She smiled, and moved to the next one.

The military was firing incendiary ammo, which was a huge mistake. The Zombie Ponies, now on fire, charged the military lines. They overcame them, and the first casualties appeared. Twilight threw back her Barrett, and grabbed her MP5K, and fired it at a flaming Zombie. SMG rounds pierced the Zombie’s body, and sent it to the ground. She held her MP5K with one hand, and finished it off. 

As she was reloading, a Zombie came up behind her. She turned, and screamed. Spitfire heard her, and grabbed her two MP9s from her underarm holsters, and razed the Zombie with bullets. Twilight dove to the ground before Spitfire fired the MP9s, and laid herself out on the street. She was splattered by the Zombie’s blood, turned and saw the carcass, now barely recognizable, three feet in front of her.

“Get up,” Spitfire, “No time for lying around.” Twilight nodded, grabbed Spitfire’s hand, and got up. She reloaded her MP5K, and picked up her Barrett. She put on her back, and cracked her neck.

All the while, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were mowing down Zombies by the dozens. Fluttershy aimed her P90, and pulled the trigger. The P90 let out a burst of bullets at the horde, and dropped two. She turned to Pinkie Pie, who was laying down covering fire for a Corporal, who was reloading his MK46 SAW. Pinkie Pie was insane on the LMG, pulling off incredible feats of accuracy, unknown with a LMG.

“Cover my reload!” Pinkie said as she ran out of ammo, ejecting the empty magazine.

“Got it,” Fluttershy called, “Cover fire!” She aimed her P90, and fired a long burst at a group of Zombies. She took them down, and smiled. She aimed at a large group, and drained her ammo at the group. Running out of ammo, she threw the P90 to the street, and upholstered her Five-seveNs, and fired them with intense precision at the horde. Headshot after headshot, Fluttershy used up her ammo. She ejected the empty pistol magazines, and loaded two new ones. She clicked the slide release, and picked up her P90. She reloaded that, and looked around her.

“Alright everypony,” she said, “We need to fall back. Hurry, they’ll catch us soon!” She covered the retreat of the military with Pinkie Pie, and ran back with her.

“Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, “We’re getting overrun, what’re doing now?”

“We’re standing our ground here,” Rainbow Dash said, “But we need reinforcements, they’re just too many of them!”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, with an authoritative tone in her voice, “We’re heading to your position, and we’ll signal our approach with a yellow flare.”

“Got it,” Rainbow Dash said, “We need it quick, we’re getting overrun!” Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and the group of twelve soldiers ran to Rainbow Dash’s position, and Fluttershy let loose a yellow flare to signal their approach.

“Move it,” Fluttershy said, “They’re getting overrun! Pinkie Pie, I need cover fire!” Pinkie Pie nodded, and fired the M27. Fluttershy grabbed her Five-seveNs, and ran through a group of twelve Zombies.

The rain was getting into her eyes, and mixed with her sweat, were making them sting. She ignored the pain, and ran through; shooting anything that came near her. Two Zombies tried to pounce on her, but she performed a combat roll on the asphalt, got up, and took their heads off. She turned around, and saw one getting too close for comfort. She kicked it in the head, and fired three shots to the head.

She swept her mane out of her eyes, and sprinted for Rainbow Dash’s group. Fluttershy motioned for the rest to follow her, and they closed the last fifty feet to her position. Fluttershy reloaded, and came to Rainbow Dash.

“It’s about time!” Rainbow Dash shouted above a burst of her G36C. Gunpowder was staining her hands and face, and she was deathly tired.

“I’m a pony of my word,” Fluttershy responded, “I’ve got twelve troops apart from Pinkie and I, we can hold out here for a while longer.”

“Good, reloading!” Rainbow Dash called, slamming a new magazine in her gun. “We’re going to need these ponies to fight for their lives, Fluttershy. I don’t think we can make it out of here alive.”

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy smiled, “Do you think we came this far to give up now?” Rainbow Dash nodded, and they grabbed each other’s hands and looked at each other. “We fight, or we die, Rainbow Dash, and I think we’re going to fight.” Rainbow Dash nodded, shook Fluttershy’s hand, dropped it, and let loose a burst of her G36.

Fluttershy pulled back the charging handle, and exhaled. She brought the gun up to her eyes, and fired the weapon. The rain was pounding the city, and started to flood the streets, and streaks of lightning appeared. This wasn’t just a fight against the undead; it was a fight against nature as well, as the Ponies struggled to fight under the harsh weather.
The Zombie Ponies, no matter how many fell, came to the defensive barricade Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were guarding. They tore it apart, and began to attack the soldiers. There were screams of stallions and ponies alike as they struggled to get them off. The rest ran from them, and went farther into the city. 

Spitfire heard the screams, and flew up in the sky to see what was going on. She saw them break through, and told the ponies to fall back. They ran into the city, and Spitfire, Soarin’, and Twilight ran to rendezvous with the other three.

“Applejack, Rarity, Derpy, and all Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said over the radio, “I am heading to Rainbow Dash’s position. Once I arrive, I will send up a blue flare. You are to follow it, and rendezvous with myself and the others. Move out,” she flew up, and went over to Rainbow Dash. She nodded at her, and sent up a blue flare.

The other Wonderbolts and Derpy flew to the flare, while Rarity used her magic to levitate herself and Applejack to the rendezvous point.

Reunited, the group ran into the center of town, and began their final stand. They reloaded their weapons and side arms, and Spitfire used thermal binoculars to spot the Zombie Ponies. By now, a large clock sounded five o’ clock, and the rain started to cease. As the sun poked out for the first time that day, Spitfire felt relief. At least they weren’t fighting in the rain anymore.

The temperature dropped rapidly as they waited for the Zombies to come. They soon saw their breath, and watched the puddles in the street freeze. Winter had come early, great.

“This is nothing we’re not used to,” Spitfire said, “Just keep fighting, and ignore it. We can pull through this. We’ve been through Canterlot, we can survive this.” The Wonderbolts nodded, and shook their heads to ignore the cold. 
Rarity reloaded her MP7, this time actually holding it with her hands, and switched to burst fire mode. She sneezed, and looked at the street. She was having a rough day, her mane out of order, being out of her element, but these days, who wasn’t?

There was a loud screech, and the Zombie Ponies appeared, sprinting in a large horde of over a hundred Zombies. Everyone raised their rifles, and pulled the trigger. The sound of over fifteen weapons firing at once sounded like sweet music as it sent projectiles of death towards the living dead.

“Alright,” Applejack said as she popped a head off a Zombie with an Anaconda, “Just like the shooting range back in Appleloosa!” She pulled off another headshot, and rolled out the cylinder to reload. She put in six rounds, and slid it back into the chamber. She raised it, and pulled off six shots in five seconds, taking down three Zombies. Once they got within fifty feet, she switched to the Striker. 

She raised it to her shoulder, and fired three shots, spraying buckshot into five Zombies. She smiled, and aimed it at another group, a group of about ten. She fired six, and took them down. With three shots left, she aimed at one dressed in body armor. The buckshot tore through it, and spilled the Pegasus’ blood and guts on the courtyard floor.

“I need to reload!” She called, and Derpy heard her call. She raised her AK-47, closed her left eye, and fired her entire clip at four Zombies heading towards Applejack. The bullets tore through flesh, bone and concrete as they sent them to their maker. She pulled the magazine out, and loaded a new one, and pulled back the charging handle.

She aimed at the main horde, and let the AK run wild. Zombies fell one by one, until Derpy ran out of ammo in that magazine. She looked for another magazine, but decided she was out of ammo. She threw the gun at a Zombie, and took out her USP, and shot it three times in the neck and head. 

By now, the horde was overtaking the group of survivors, and they retreated into a courthouse, where they barricaded them in front of the bench. They moved chairs in front of the bar, and held out here. They were running low on ammo, and the undead kept increasing in size and intensity.

Rainbow Dash had had enough. She turned to Spitfire, and said, “Spitfire, call in the OFC.”

“What are you talking about; we can’t in a metropolitan area!” Spitfire said. The OFC or Orbital Friendship Cannon was a satellite in orbit of Equestria, armed with one large proton cannon, which could wipe out Manehattan. If she called it in, everypony –living and dead– would die in the explosion.

“We have no choice, Spitfire.” Rainbow Dash said, “We can’t keep fighting in Manehattan forever.” 

“But most of the ponies from Baltimare, Canterlot, Fillydelphia and Ponyville are here!” Spitfire argued, “You want to kill them all?”

“No!” Rainbow Dash said, “What I’m saying is that we should all get out of Manehattan, and fire the OFC in the center of the city. It’ll kill all of the infected ponies, we will have won!” Spitfire pondered this, and agreed.

“General Armor,” Spitfire said, “We need to get out of Manehattan. I suggest getting everypony out of here, and leveling it with an OFC blast.”

“Wait, Armor?” Twilight said, “You mean like my brother, Shining Armor? He’s a general?”

“He was promoted to the rank at the start of the outbreak,” Soarin’ said, “Once word reached Canterlot, Princess Celestia made him the Supreme Commander of the Equestrian Army. He has the command over every soldier in the army, and now, the Wonderbolts, as we have provided our services for the duration of the outbreak.”

The Zombies came up to the courthouse and started to bang against the windows. Their constant moaning surrounded the courthouse. Fluttershy looked, and pulled back the charging handle on her P90. She looked to Spitfire, and nodded.

Rarity swept her mane back with her hand to keep it out of her eyes. She sighed, and checked her ammo. The last few days had been rough on her, turning from a fashion designer to a Zombie killer in the matter of a few hours. She was exhausted, she needed sleep desperately. But something told her she wasn’t going to get it anytime soon.

“They never give us a break,” Rarity complained, “I just want a half hours sleep, that’s all, nothing more than that and a hot meal.”

“Rarity,” Spitfire said, “Shut up. Complaining won’t work, complaining won’t kill them. Just shut up and fight.”

Rarity sighed, “Alright, just saying what I need. Here they come, get ready.”

The Zombies began to crack the windows. Applejack looked up from reloading the Striker, and saw a pale pink Zombie bang against the window and broke it.

“Son of a buck,” Applejack said, and fired the Striker at the Zombie and sent its brains flying, “They’re breaking through! Pinkie Pie, I need you to guard the front door with Fluttershy!”

“Got it,” Pinkie Pie said, saluting Applejack, “I’ll do it, come on Fluttershy, this is going to be fun!” She then bounced away with Fluttershy to the back of the courtroom, which turned to look to Applejack and shrugged. 

“Rainbow Dash, you need to guard the windows with Spitfire and Soarin’. Twilight, head to the top floor and take them out with your sniper rifle.” Twilight nodded, and went upstairs. “Rarity, you come with me, we’re heading with Pinkie and Fluttershy. The rest of you, guard the windows. Not one of those Zombie bucks are getting in here.”

The soldiers saluted, and Applejack walked away. She tightened her grip on the Striker, and cracked her neck. 

“Let’s do this.” She said.

She came to the front lobby, and heard the banging on the door. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were busy pushing up chairs to the door to barricade themselves in. Rarity used her magic to move large benches in front of the door. 
A Zombie Pony had broken its hand through the door, and Fluttershy jumped back. She squealed, and shot the hand with a Five-seveN. The hand retracted, and Fluttershy sighed. 

The Zombies had then begun to bang on the door, and the barricades didn’t work at all, because they just broke through the door. The groaning was louder than a sonic rainboom as hundreds came up to the door.

Everypony raised their weapons, and fired at the Zombie Ponies. Although many fell, for each one they killed, two more took its place. Applejack didn’t know what to do, it seemed like this was it. She ran back a few feet, and reloaded the Striker. She aimed at a Zombie’s chest, and fired. The spray from the buckshot went everywhere, and she took down three with one shot.

“Twilight,” Applejack screamed, “Where the buck is that sniper cover?”   

Applejack heard the Barrett fire, and she screamed, “Thank you!”

What seemed to be thousands of Zombie Ponies had surrounded the courthouse, and they began to break through the windows and doors. Everypony was doing their best to hold them back, but soon, they were backed up against the bench in the largest courtroom.

“What the buck?!” Rainbow Dash screamed, obviously distraught, “There’s no way out of here!”

“Looks like this is it, huh Soarin’?” Spitfire said after taking out a Zombie Pony.

“It would seem that way,” Soarin’ agreed with a melancholy tone, “We’ll hold out to the last bullet. Nopony gives up, you hear me?”

“Yes sir!” The soldiers said, and continued firing their M16s.

“Come on now, everypony,” Twilight said, “We can do this, just don’t look back.”

The horde came running into the courtroom, and the final fight began. Twilight grabbed her MP5K, and fired blindly into the horde. Pinkie Pie only had a frown on her face as she took down the Zombies seemingly emotionlessly.

Rainbow Dash was screaming her head off as she ran out of ammo for her G36C, and threw it into the horde. She reached for her Desert Eagle, and switched the safety off. She pointed it into the horde of ponies, with their faded pink, green, blue and every color of the rainbow manes, and pulled the trigger. The .50 AE bullet flew across the courtroom, and smashed through a Zombie Pony’s head, sending blood and brain matter everywhere.

Rainbow Dash kept firing the Desert Eagle, but a rate of thirty rounds a minute. Zombies fell, and Rainbow Dash blocked all emotions from her mind. She needed to do this, if she killed her friends, they aren’t friends anymore.

The Zombies broke through the barriers at the bar, and they sprinted towards the group of fifteen or so ponies. Fluttershy screamed as she fired all of her P90 magazine into the horde blindly.

The Zombies lodged their teeth into one soldier, and he screamed for help. Spitfire turned away, and fired her ACR into the soldier’s head. One by one, the soldiers and Wonderbolts fell, and now there was only Soarin’, Spitfire, Derpy and the Mane 6. They were pushed back into a corner, and they were almost out of ammo.

“Get the buck off me!” Applejack screamed as she drew her .44 Magnums on a Zombie lunging towards her, and took its head off.

They were about to get overrun, when they heard a large boom in the distance. Rainbow Dash looked, and saw a beam of rainbow strike down on the street. A rainbow shockwave raced towards the courthouse.

“OFC blast,” she screamed, “Get down!”

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Just so you know, OFC means Orbital Friendship Cannon. I got the idea from the Toybox weapon of Garry’s Mod, and I immediately fell in love with it. Basically it’s like a satellite-fired nuclear weapon. So, what will happen now with Manehattan leveled, where will they Mane 6 and their friends go? Find out in the next chapter! 
> Chapter 4: Revelations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Everypony dove to the ground as the shockwave hit the courthouse and leveled it in the blink of an eye. They were blanketed in rubble and dust, but stayed close to the ground. The noise was louder than anypony could imagine which nearly shattered their eardrums.

Rainbow Dash was the first to come out of the rubble, and helped the others get out. Manehattan was completely leveled, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t see any survivors. She felt awestruck, and shocked that her suggestion had been approved. She then thought of the living ponies that might have died during the strike, and she suddenly felt like this was her fault.

Once they were all out, Derpy looked around, and said, “I didn’t know rainbows hurt so much.”

“Derpy,” Twilight said, “That was a strike from the Orbital Friendship Cannon, they just, leveled the entire city.”

“Friendship hurts too?” Derpy said, very confused. She dug around for her AK-47, and found it under a pile of rubble.

“At least they’re dead,” Spitfire said, brushing dust off her pants, “Let’s get moving, there’s nothing left here.”

“Where to, Spitfire?” Soarin’ said, “I can’t think of anywhere to go.”

“Nowhere to go but north.” Twilight said, “Ponyville and Fillydelphia are to the south, and we can’t possibly make it to Las Pegasus in the west. And since to the east is Canterlot and then the ocean, we need to head north, to the ice fields, and hope we find some kind of settlement.”

“No,” Applejack said, “We can make it to Appleloosa in about a day walking. It’s just over the hills to the west, we can make it. There’s ammo there too, we all know we need that.”

The others agreed to Applejack’s plan, and Twilight agreed, sullenly. She thought her plan was foolproof. Of course, the freezing winter in the ice fields of the north would be a problem, but she can make it, the same goes with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire and Soarin’. She sighed, and walked with the group.

The city was completely destroyed, every structure was destroyed. There was no sounds other than the ponies’ walking. The temperature had increased drastically, and it now felt like a spring day. The sky was overcast, and it seemed like it was going to rain, again.

It was getting late, and everypony was exhausted. No one wanted to camp out in the ruined city, so they walked a bit farther into some plains, and camped out for the night. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash volunteered to keep watch for the first three hours.

While the others were asleep, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash stayed awake, watching and listening for anything they can interpret as Zombie Pony-like. 

“I hope Applejack is right,” Rainbow Dash said, “There being ammo. I would hurt someone if they were looted.”

“They’ll find ammo for us,” Spitfire said, “There’re Wonderbolts with us. They have to find ammo for us.” Rainbow Dash felt relieved at that statement, and she then was quiet, listening for any and all noise. She was exhausted, but she could push herself for a little longer. She was running on fumes, starving, exhausted, frustrated. She needed her normal life back.

She then began to day –or night, as the sun went down hours ago- dream, about life back in Ponyville, drinking Sweet Apple Cider, sitting around the fireplace on Heart’s Warming Day, talking about their day. Rainbow Dash missed it all; she thought it better than shooting Zombie Ponies all day.

“Do you think things will ever get back to normal?” Rainbow Dash asked with her arms crossed in front of her legs.

“I don’t know,” Spitfire said, “Leveling Manehattan did some good, we killed more of them than we ever could have with bullets. It’ll take a while, Rainbow Dash. I just hope we go back to normal soon, I can’t live like this.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said, “And to think this all started with one pony drinking a potion.”

Suddenly, as Rainbow Dash finished her sentence, a beam of light and black fire came shooting out of the sky. Spitfire and Rainbow Dash grabbed their weapons, and had their weapons trained on the center, where they saw a figure in the center of the blast. It seemed to be a mixture of different animals, and Rainbow Dash scowled with recognition of the figure.

Discord appeared from the epicenter, and said, “Ah, would you look who it is? It’s Rainbow Dash, and the others! How, lucky, I am!”

“What the buck are you doing here, Discord?” Rainbow Dash said, pointing her Desert Eagle at Discord’s head.

“Oh,” he said, “Only ruling over my country, and my people.”

“What are you talking about?” Spitfire said, “This is Equestria, Princess Celestia’s the ruler here!”

“Wrong!” Discord said, and laughed, “I am now the ruler of Equestria, with my rather, uncontrollable subjects purging all who oppose me.”

“You mean you started this?” Spitfire said, “It was Derpy, she dropped Red Reviving Juice in Twilight’s potion!”

“Nope,” he said, “I put that juice there, with my last powers, hoping that screw-up would knock it in. It worked, and now, I am declaring war on Equestria, and I seem to be winning! I also started it in Las Pegasus, so there’s nowhere to run!” He then began to laugh uncontrollably.

Rainbow Dash pulled the trigger on her Desert Eagle, but the bullets ricocheted off of Discord’s body. She looked thoroughly confused, as that pistol had solved a lot of her problems the last two days.

“My new power makes me immune to bullets!” Discord said, “You can only stop me with the Elements of Harmony, which I hid for good this time! Until you find it, I rule this land now!” He then began to laugh wickedly, and severe winds smacked the plains and awoke the others.

“Discord,” Twilight said, “We’re going to defeat you!”

“Oh,” he said with an evil smile on his face, “I don’t think so! Now, I have to go, I have some busy work to do, in Discordia, known by you as Canterlot! So, au revoir, I’m off!” He then disappeared as quickly as he appeared, and the fire and light ceased.

“We have to stop him,” Twilight said, angrily.

“But how can we?” Rarity said, “He hid the Elements of Harmony, again! It can be anywhere in Equestria, from Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia, Trot-Along (pun for Hong Kong), anywhere!”

“Or,” Twilight said with a smile on her face, “It could be in Discordia; he said he’s declared war, and what better place than to hide the Elements of Harmony in a city filled with Zombie Ponies!”

“Alright,” Spitfire said, “But we still need to head to Appleloosa, we need ammo, food and rest, everypony. We can’t just go running and gunning in there with no ammo!”

“Right,” Derpy said, “I’m right, right?”

“Yes,” Soarin’ said, “I say we get moving now. We’ll reach Appleloosa by noon. I’ll fly ahead; tell you guys if it’s been overrun.” The others nodded, and Soarin’, well, soared into the sky, and was gone. The others then began the long walk to Appleloosa.

It was about three o’ clock when they set out for Appleloosa, and the temperature had dropped again, the short-term effects of the Orbital Friendship Cannon having ceased. Nopony knew the long-term effects, nopony had researched it. Everypony agreed never to go back to Ground Zero, Manehattan.

“Oh,” Rarity said, “My feet hurt! How am I supposed to walk if my feet are killing me?”

“Shut up, Rarity,” Rainbow Dash said, “How do you think I feel? I haven’t slept since Manehattan, and now I’m walking thirteen miles with an empty stomach and my feet are about to fall off!”

While Rarity and Rainbow Dash were bickering, Derpy was walking the trail, completely oblivious to the hostility. She was still figuring out why friendship and rainbows hurt so much.  She looked at her AK-47, and wondered if it still worked. She looked around suspiciously, and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, and shocked Derpy.

“It’s magic!” She said, “How is it working? Twilight, how is it working?”

“That gun is supposed to survive anything, Derpy.” Twilight said, “Even being buried by rubble, it’s going to work, unlike mine.” She held up her Barrett, which was snapped in two. She sighed, and threw the pieces into the woods. Twilight kept walking on, and Derpy ran up to her to keep talking.

“But Twilight,” she said, “Why did your gun break and not mine?”

“Because,” Twilight said, “My gun wasn’t supposed to take that abuse. Yours is. Can I think alone, please?”

“Yeah,” Derpy said, smiling, “Sure.” She walked next to Fluttershy and started talking to her.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” she said, “You’re pretty good with your guns. Way better than me.”

“No,” she said, “I’ve had to use tranquilizing guns on animals before; firing a gun that fires bullets isn’t much different. You haven’t used one before, so that’s ok.” She smiled at Derpy, and they talked about things back in Ponyville while they walked on to Appleloosa.

By about noon, the temperature dropped below freezing, and snow began to fall. The wind began to whip the ponies as they traveled on to Appleloosa. They were deathly cold, hungry, tired and desperately needed ammo. 
About an hour after the snow began to fall, Soarin’ came down, and told them that Appleloosa was safe, in fact, the Zombie Ponies had walked away from Appleloosa.

“Discord,” Twilight said, “He’s drawing back his forces to Discordia, we better hurry the ones from Las Pegasus could come any day now.” They began to trudge harder in the snow, but the weather began to get worse. The snowstorm soon became a blizzard, and it became nearly impossible to travel.

Still, they traveled on. Rarity was getting very irritated, she needed rest, not a blizzard blocking her to her next meal and full night’s sleep. She walked harder, and saw Appleloosa just over a hill, and shouted.

“Hey, everypony, we’re here!” She said, and everyone hurried to Rarity. Once they saw Appleloosa, they ran down the hill, and looked to find Braeburn. Applejack looked first in the saloon, and, not finding him there, looked in his house.

She found him in his room, totally wiped out and exhausted. His bed was surrounded by bullets and shotgun shells, and he was sleeping next to a Remington Model 887 pump-action shotgun and two Glocks.

“Hey,” Applejack said, kicking him out of his bed, “Wake up and say hello to your cousin.”

“Oh,” he said, getting up, “Howdy Applejack! How do you do, cousin?”

“I’ve been wandering around Equestria for two days with little sleep and food, apart from that,” she said, “I’m dandy. Now, my friends and I need…”

“A hot meal,” Braeburn interrupted, putting on his hat, “Ammo and a soft bed. Done, head over to the saloon, the workers there will fix you up with everything you need for free.”

Applejack thanked Braeburn, and they walked out onto the streets. The blizzard ripped through the small town, and the streets were already covered in two inches of snow. Applejack explained to Braeburn what caused it, and what they were going to do.

“Well,” he said, “In that case, I’m coming with you! I wouldn’t pass that up for the world!” They both walked over to the saloon, where the others were eating a hot meal. Applejack and Braeburn sat at the bar, and ordered their meals. 

Applejack ordered a twelve stack of pancakes, a four-egg omelet, and basically one of everything on the menu.

She dug in, while Braeburn drank a cup of water. “Look at you go,” he said, “You ever thought of being a professional eater?”

“No,” Applejack said in between bites, “I’m just so hungry.  I mean, I just darn ate yesterday, and I think I can eat all the apples in Sweet Apple Acres!” Then, a feeling of remembrance surged through Applejack, and she pushed back the plate.

“Braeburn,” she asked, “Do you know where Granny Smith and the others are?”

“Oh,” Braeburn said, “I got them a room. Everypony seems to be coming here. Not too good if one of them zombies comes, am I right?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said, chuckling, and immediately stopped when Princess Celestia and Luna walked through the door, escorted by ten Royal Guards. Despite the past few days, they looked immaculate, and Applejack couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Ah,” Celestia said, “Applejack, just the pony I wanted to see. Excuse me, um…”

“Braeburn, Your Highness!” He said with a smile on his face.

“Yes,” she said, side glancing to Luna, who shrugged. “I need to speak to Applejack, could you…?”

“Oh, of course, I’ll just leave you to yourselves.” Braeburn said, walking past the guards. “Gentlemen, nasty storm ain’t it?”

With Braeburn gone, Celestia and Luna sat down on both sides of Applejack.

“Alright,” Celestia said, “Any news on these infections? It has come to my attention that General Shining Armor approved of an OFC blast to Manehattan.”

“Uh,” Applejack said, “Yeah, about that. Discord has, um, come back, and he’s been starting it. We think he’s hiding the Elements of Harmony in Canterlot, we were about to head there after we got rested up here in Appleloosa.”
“
Wait, Discord?!” Luna said exasperatingly, “Sister, what are we to do about this?”

“Applejack,” Celestia said, “You mustn’t go this alone. You need, help. Now, I think sending the rest of the Pony Army with you to Fillydelphia and then Canterlot to stop Discord.”

“Sister,” Luna said, “But what about here, in Appleloosa, or elsewhere to the west?”

“Luna, we must do this,” Celestia said, “If what Applejack told me is true, we must send every able-bodied pony to fight his forces. Applejack, I want you to tell the others, particularly Spitfire and Soarin’, they would want to hear this.” 
Both of the Princesses then got up, and walked out of the saloon, bickering with each other about Celestia’s rash decision.

Applejack just sat there, her mouth gaping open. She then regained her senses, and asked where Braeburn had put her friends. He told her, and she walked out into the snow and across the dirt road to the hotel.

She went to the room where her friends were, and opened the door.

“Everypony,” she said, “Get up!”

“What is it?” Rainbow Dash said irritatingly as she got up, her mane all over the place. “It better be good.”

“Well,” Applejack said, “Princess Celestia just told me we aren’t going to Canterlot alone. The rest of the Pony Army and every other able-bodied pony are coming with us.”

Please leave a review and tell me what you think! So, the culprit has been revealed! Since Discord’s last plot to take over Equestria was foiled, he used this as his grand plan of conquest. Since I made this a six-chapter story, the next chapters will only get more and more intense, until it climaxes in the last two. Next chapter: Applejack and the rest of the gang need to get into Canterlot to get the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord. But will they be there? Find out in the next chapter!
> Chapter 5: Rearmament
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


“Wait, what?” Twilight said, “Princess Celestia told you this?”

“Yeah,” Applejack said, “While I was stuffing my face, she came in with Luna, and they told me what I told you, after I told them about Discord.”

“Alright,” Spitfire said, “Soarin’, we have a chance of living and restoring harmony now. Alright, Applejack, tell the Princesses, Spitfire’ll tell you when we’re leaving, so they’ll authorize the mobilization of everypony else.” Applejack nodded, and went off to tell them.

“Yay,” Derpy said, “We’re bringing friends! I like friends, do you like friends, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, Derpy,” Rainbow Dash said, “That’s why I have them. Else I would’ve been one of them or in the middle of nowhere, flying for my life. Now, go to sleep, I can sleep for a week.”

Everypony shut their tired eyes, and slept through the blizzard. Applejack eventually came into the room, and fell asleep right by the door after walking in.

Once they were awake, they all went for food while Spitfire, Derpy, Applejack and Soarin’ went to get ammo and a new gun for Twilight and Rainbow Dash, after she threw her G36C into the horde back at the courthouse.

They went to the local gun store, which was giving out free ammo and guns. The line went forever, but when the group of ponies came walking by, everypony let them come through, knowing what they did.

“Why are we budging?” Derpy said, “Why are they letting us budge? Are we cool, what did we do?”

“They just know us as Wonderbolts,” Spitfire said, tugging at her torn uniform, “They know what we do, so, yeah, we are cool, Derpy.”   
They walked into the store, where one of Applejack’s relatives helped them out. Spitfire and Derpy looked through the store for the new guns for Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

Spitfire was walking, but backtracked as she saw a gun she liked. A worker came up and said, “This is the L85A2, a reliable bullpup rifle. 775 rounds a minute, few jams, you like it?”

“Yeah,” Spitfire said, “I’ll take it. Now, I need a sniper rifle for my friend, she liked the Barrett, but…”

“She lost it, and now she needs a better rifle.” He said, “I have one, here, behold the M14 Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle, or EBR for short. An older rifle than the Barrett, but has stayed in service with the military for over fifty years. You think she’ll like this?”

“Yeah,” Spitfire said, “Now, we need ammo for a whole rainbow of guns.”

“Oh boy,” the worker sighed, “What do you need?”

While Spitfire and the worker were exchanging conversation, Derpy looked and saw a box of muffins. Thinking it was for her, she walked over, but was saddened when she found it was empty. She saw the owner of the shop, and asked where the muffins went.

“Oh,” he said, laughing, “There’s one in there, if you want it. It’s blueberry.”

“Blueberry, for me, really,” Derpy said, overly excited, “I love blueberry, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She 
picked up the muffin, and put down four bits for the one muffin, and walked away happily. She loved muffins; she hadn’t been able to have one in a while. She hoped there were muffins when she was going to eat breakfast. That and chocolate muffins, she would be in muffin heaven.

Spitfire handed everypony a box of ammo to take over to the others, and they went over to the hotel, put them in the room, and went over to the saloon for a much needed breakfast. Derpy walked up to the bar, and ordered six blueberry and chocolate muffins with orange juice.

While Derpy started eating her muffins, Spitfire and Soarin’ discussed what to do now that the army was following them into Canterlot. Derpy, oblivious to their conference, asked if they were going to eat their muffins. They shook their heads, and Derpy took their muffins, and began to chew on one.

“What are we going to do now?” She asked, “Are we living here? Who was that dragon thing?”

“He was the bad guy.” Spitfire said, “We’re going back to Canterlot to stop him. Are you coming?”

“Yeah,” she said, “If there are more muffins, I’ll come.” She then continued to eat her muffins, and began to drink her orange juice. Spitfire turned to Soarin’ who talked to her about something.

“I don’t know when he’s coming; rumor has it it’s going to be today.” Spitfire said.

“I hope so,” Soarin’ said, “It’s about time the army had some structure.”

“Who’s coming?” Derpy asked, “What’s going on with the army?”

“Shining Armor,” Spitfire said, “The Supreme Commander of the Equestrian Army is coming today. He’s going to lead the army to help us stop Discord.”

“Oh,” she said, nibbling on another muffin, “Okay. I never joined the army, my eyes kept me out. That’s why I’m the Post-mare!”

Derpy smiled, and walked out. Spitfire and Soarin’ finished their breakfast and walked over to the train station to wait for Shining Armor.

They were walking to the train station, when Princess Celestia made an announcement that was heard across Appeloosa.

“Ponies and Stallions of Appeloosa,” she said, “The Supreme Leader of the Equestrian Army, Shining Armor, will arrive in the next hour along with several hundred soldiers. All are welcome to come to the station to welcome him.”

Soarin’ looked to Spitfire, and said, “Well, the rumors were right.” She nodded, and they walked to the train station.

When they arrived, the Mane 6 and Derpy were there, along with the Princesses when a train arrived. Ponies across Appeloosa were cheering as the train stopped.  Flower petals fell on the train station.

As the train came to a stop, Spitfire, Soarin’, Derpy, the Princesses and the Mane 6 came to the opening.  Trumpets blared and birds sang as now Prince and Supreme General Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadence walked out onto the depot. Ponies everywhere cheered Shining Armor and his bride as they waved to the crowd as they walked over to Luna and Celestia.

“Princesses,” he said, bringing his hand in salute, “I’ll be brief. I will need a private room as my office, one for my room with Cadence, and rooms for my staff. I will need to be alone; I have a lot on my mind right now.”

He turned to walk away, and found Twilight looking at him.

“Twilli,” He exclaimed, a look of joy on his face, “What are you doing here?”

“Resting with my friends,” she said, a frown on her face, “Apparently you forgot to tell me something important. Again, in like two months.” Twilight had forgiven Shining Armor for not telling her about his engagement, but this was the last straw for her.

“Oh,” he said, scratching his head nervously then regaining his composure. “Well, there’s been a lot going on. I needed to focus on the task at hand. I promise this will be the last time I don’t tell you something.”

“Wow,” Derpy said, “You ponies really need to talk more often. Come on, Twilight, aren’t we leaving for Canterlot?”

“Canterlot?” Shining Armor said, walking along with them through Appleloosa, “No, you’re not going yet. I need to consolidate strength from Baltimare and Fillydelphia to make a sizable force to besiege and take back Canterlot.”

“We’re not going there to retake Canterlot,” Rainbow Dash said, “We’re going there to take back Equestria, sir.” She threw the last remark with sarcasm.

“What could you possibly mean,” Cadence said, “I understand Canterlot is symbolic with Equestria, but how can it take back Las Pegasus and Trot-Along?”

“Because,” Twilight said, with more kindness than Rainbow Dash, “We know who’s behind this all.”

“Well,” Shining Armor said, motioning for an aide to take notes, “Spit it out, Twilli, I can use this.”

“It’s Discord,” she said, “He’s come back. He’s using Canterlot as his capital of a new anarchic nation, Discordia. We’re going to Canterlot because we think the Elements of Harmony are there.”

“How did you come to that deduction?” Shining Armor asked. He desperately wanted to know, anything to make his job easier. The easier his job is, the quicker he can go back to Canterlot and living with his beautiful bride.

“Well,” Twilight said, looking at him like he was an idiot, “What better place to put the Elements of Harmony than in a city full of Zombie Ponies?”

“By Equestria,” he said, “You’re right! All we need to do now is just get a force large enough to storm Canterlot Castle and get to the Elements of Harmony.” He sighed, and said, “Only, I can’t really get a force mustered within the week. Great, what are we going to do?”

“Well,” Twilight said, “Have you thought of using non-military ponies to take back Canterlot? We can surely go with you, and many other ponies will volunteer to go.”

“Yeah,” Shining Armor said, “But how are we going to pay them? We’re kind of short on bits right now.”

“General,” Celestia said, walking up to him, “As long as I am Princess, money will not be an issue for you. Now, how long until we can head to Canterlot?”

“With the information Twilight has given me,” he said, “About a few days. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can do.” He winced in pain as a migraine set in, and Cadence went over to him and used her magic to help with the pain.

He then walked off, with Cadence at his side. Celestia looked on, and walked off with Luna. Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, who shrugged and walked away. Soon, Twilight was left alone on the platform. She stood there, thinking about what Shining Armor had said. She was ready to leave Appleloosa, but she had to wait for her brother to secure enough reinforcements to head for Canterlot.

She felt frustrated. Twilight just couldn’t figure out what to do. She wanted to go to Canterlot, but she knew that they would all die if they went without Shining Armor and the Army. She stomped her foot down in frustration, and walked off to the firing range.

When she got to the firing range, she wasn’t the only pony there. A lot of other ponies were there, getting their accuracy better before they went off for Canterlot.  

Twilight grabbed her sniper rifle, and aimed at the longest target, over a mile away. She focused her sights, accounted for all variables, and pulled the trigger. The rifle seemed to sing as it sent its instrument of death into the center of the bull’s eye. She smirked, and she went on shooting for hours, venting her frustration with Shining Armor on the square targets.

Once she was done, it had begun to rain. She came back into the saloon, and saw Shining Amor and Cadence waiting for her.

“Twilli,” Shining said, “I’m sorry for not telling you. Here, let me get you a drink, you look thirsty.”

“I’ll take cider,” Twilight said, “I’m sorry I acted like that. I didn’t mean to, I was just shocked, and it just came out.”

“Don’t worry,” Cadence said, “Do you know how many times I’ve done that? A lot, I can tell you. I’ll have what she’s having.” The bartender smiled, and brought two glasses of cider to Cadence and Twilight.

“When are we leaving for Canterlot?” Twilight said.

“A few days at most,” Shining Armor, “The division from Baltimare is coming here as we speak.” He stopped talking as an aide came up to him, and handed him a phone.

“Yes,” he said, “This is the Supreme Commander. Yes, I am. No, I am not outside, why?” He walked over to the window, and tipped one of the shades, “Dear Celestia!” He hung up the phone, and said, “Everyone, get your weapons! They’re here!”

Please leave me a review and tell me what you think! So, the pieces are in place, but who will come out the victor? Will it be Discord, and his Zombie Army of Discordia, or the Mane 6 and their friends, with the Royal Equestrian Army backing them? Find out in the next and final chapter of The Trotting Dead!
> Chapter 6: End-Game
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Twilight grabbed her M14, and ran upstairs. Shining Armor caught a standard M4A1 from a soldier, and barricaded the door with chairs and tables with his magic.

“Barricade the doors and windows!” He said, “Lock and load, it’s going to be ugly.”

Twilight broke into her room, and shouted, “Get up, they’re here!”

Rainbow Dash got up, and said, “What? The Wonderbolts, are they here to accept me?”

“No,” Twilight said, “Them!”

“Oh,” she said, “Alright then. Let’s go.”

They came downstairs, and Fluttershy screeched as she saw a Zombie Pony thrust his arm at her. She pulled her Five-seveN and shot its brains out.

“Twilight,” Cadence said, “Help Shining Armor, he needs,” she stopped as a Zombie Pony grabbed her and dragged her across the bar.

Spitfire came through one of the windows, and made Swiss cheese of the Zombie’s head with her L85A2. “Come on,” she said, “Get upstairs.” She turned around, and fired a burst of lead into the horde charging at her.

Applejack drew her .44 Magnums and fired one shot after another, making quick work of ten Zombies. She threw them to the ground, and reached for her Striker. She fired off her magazine, and reloaded as she ran up the stairs into the rooms.

“We need to hold them back!” She said, with distress in her voice.

“I know that,” Rarity said, “But how? All the barricades are downstairs!”

“I don’t know.” Applejack said, and then had an idea. “Derpy, get the furniture from our room!”
Derpy ran into the room and pushed the bed to the base of the steps.

“Now what do I do?” Derpy said.

“This,” Applejack said, kicking the bed down the stairs, crushing Zombies as it tumbled down. “That oughta hold them back.”

The Ponies stayed at the top of the stairs, unloading onto the horde that came up the stairwell. Braeburn ran out of ammo with his weapons, and used his shotgun as a club, bashing the brains out of them. His face was streaked with blood, and his mane was tattered with dirt and blood mixed with the golden hair.

Twilight went onto the balcony, and picked them off at long-range. She could see the horde as far as she could see; it was going to be a long night. She grunted, and saw Discord come into the town, destroying buildings with bolts of lightning coming from his hands.

“Come out come out wherever you are!” Discord said, destroying a barn. “I know you’re here, Princess Celestia!”
Appleloosa was burning, and Shining Armor knew only he was the one who could stop Discord. Celestia was in one of the rooms upstairs, and was sleeping. She couldn’t stop the Zombie Ponies now; she had turned over her power to Luna for the night.

He fired a burst of gunfire into the horde, and ran back upstairs where the rest were holding out. Empty shell cases were littering the floor, and he could barely hear anything.

“Everypony,” he said, “We need to hold them off until sunrise, and then Celestia could decimate them all!”

“Yes sir,” Spitfire said, reloading her weapon, “You heard him, Soarin’, let’s do this!”

Soarin’ nodded, and grabbed a grenade. He pulled the pin, and counted to four. He casually rolled it down the stairs, and watched as it exploded and threw Zombie parts all throughout the ground floor. Soarin’ smirked, and reached for his F2000, and pulled the trigger, when nothing came out.

He ejected the empty magazine, but couldn’t find one with ammo.

“I’m out of ammo!” He screamed, reaching for his G18 sidearm, and running back up the stairs.

“I’m out too!” Fluttershy said, throwing her P90 to the ground. She reached for her Five-seveNs, and found they were out of ammo as well. She grabbed a knife, and started to slash a Zombie’s neck when a group charged her.

Rarity heard Fluttershy scream, and aimed her MP7 at the group, and took their heads off.

“We need to get out of here!” Rarity said, “They’re going to kill us all!” A Zombie lunged at her, and Rarity riddled it with bullets, “Any ideas, Twilight?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said, and then she suddenly got an idea. “Everypony, get onto the balcony!” As they all got onto the balcony of the saloon, Twilight used her magic to levitate them all in a magical shield to get them down to the ground.

The devastation of Appleloosa was widespread. Discord was lighting orchards on fire, and destroying homes and other buildings. He was laughing all the way, but stopped when he saw the group of Ponies.

“Oh,” he said, “You’re all still alive? What a shame. Oh well, I’ll kill you all myself.” He used his arms to fire a bolt of lightning at the Ponies, but Twilight and Rarity deflected it with their magic.

“I’m glad you’re making this fun!” Discord laughed, “This was getting a bit boring!” He then made more Zombies out of thin air, and sent them after the Ponies.

Pinkie Pie laid her M27 on the ground with a bipod, and let loose with the carnage. The gun was making her deaf, but she didn’t care. She laughed maniacally as she killed a large portion of the Zombies. She ran over to a tree, and grabbed out a RPK-74M from the inside of the tree.

“What?” She said, “I keep guns all around Appleloosa in case of a gun emergency.”

“Why didn’t you tell us that earlier?” Soarin’ said, running for a tree, and grabbing out an AUGA3, “We could’ve used this information about twenty minutes ago!”

“Sorry,” Pinkie Pie said, “I forgot about it. Can you believe that?” She then began to laugh, but stopped as the bullets started to fly.

The others ran to trees, and grabbed out weapons. Fluttershy grabbed a PP19 from a tree, while Twilight switched her sniper out for a HK416, and Rainbow Dash picked an IMI TAR-21.

Discord kept sending hordes of Zombies after the Ponies, but eventually grew bored.

“Looks like I’m going to have to use myself to kill you,” Discord said, “This is going to be real fun.”

He chuckled as his size grew, and he grew to over one hundred feet tall. He kicked the saloon, and laughed evilly as it was torn apart. He breathed fire onto the rest of the town, and all but the Ponies and the military remained.

“What are we going to do?” Spitfire screamed, “He’s too powerful!”

“Twilight,” Derpy said, “Think of something! He’s gotten really big, and I don’t think our guns will hurt him!”

“I’m thinking!” Twilight shouted, “I just need to think of a spell.”

At that, Spike came running through the burning town with a spell book. He dropped it in front of her, and opened to a page.

“Spike,” she said, reading a spell, “A dwarfing spell? You’re a genius!”

“Um, guys,” Rainbow Dash said, “He’s coming!” She ducked out of the way of a bolt of lightning that Discord threw down.

Twilight’s horn glowed purple as she struggled to use the spell. Sweat was running down her face, and she could barely stay upright. She knew this spell had to work, with Princess Celestia probably dead and her brother nowhere to be found, it was up to her to stop Discord.

Discord laughed, but then stopped, as he began to shrink with a purple haze going around him.

“What are you doing?” Discord said, “Do you know who I am? I will kill you!” He breathed more fire, but none came out of his mouth. Instead, he coughed, and the Elements of Harmony went flying out of his mouth, in perfect shape.

“No!” Discord said, “This can’t be happening! I’m Discord; I am the ruler of all Equestria!”

“No you are not, Discord!” Princess Celestia said, the sun rising behind her, “Your reign has gone on for far too long! This time, I will be sure that you will never be a threat to Equestria again!” Princess Luna came up behind her, and they touched horns.

A white light engulfed Discord, and he began to disappear from reality.

“No, no, no!” Discord said, “This isn’t over! This is not, over!” He sent down a bolt of lightning, and knocked Celestia and Luna back.

“I am Discord,” he said, “I am all powerful! And I will kill you all!” Zombies appeared all around him, and he sent them after the group.

“Not today!” Shining Armor said, using tanks to beat back the Zombies, “This is your last sunrise, Discord.”

“No!” Discord said, using a large beam of energy from his chest, destroying the tanks. “Like I said, I am immortal! You cannot defeat me!”

“Not if we use these!” Twilight said, wearing her tiara, representing her Element of Harmony. Once again, the Ponies used the Elements of Harmony to save Equestria, as they bound Discord in stone.

Once he was stone, Shining Armor ordered a tank to destroy the statue with its main gun.

“There,” he said, “It’s over. It’s finally over.”

“What do we do now?” Derpy asked, “Everything’s still all destroyed and stuff.”

“We were just about to answer that,” Applejack said, and the Elements of Harmony unleashed a burst of rainbow throughout Equestria, resurrecting the real ponies that were infected, and completely fixing all destruction, including Manehattan.

“Now,” Twilight said, “It’s over. Discord’s dead, and now we can all live in harmony.” Everypony lifted Twilight up, and paraded her throughout Appleloosa. Ponies all throughout the town cheered, and threw flowers onto the street.

“So,” Rarity said, “What happens now?”

“Start living a normal life now.” Shining Armor said, “As hard as that may seem, just pretend this never happened.”

“Not a problem,” Applejack said, “I never did like shooting them anyway. I like shooting, but not live targets.”

“I can finally sleep through the night now,” Rainbow Dash said, “Let’s head home. I’m beat.” 

They walked off to the train station, but Princess Celestia stopped them, saying, “Wait, we need to reward you all for your actions within the last week.”

“Oh,” Twilight said, “Alright everypony, let’s go. It’s only a little out of our way.” Everypony climbed onto the train bound for Canterlot, and it sped off for Canterlot.

When they were on the train, everypony was greeted by the CMC, Granny Smith and Big Macintosh.

“Oh,” Granny Smith, “Applejack!”

“Granny Smith, you’re alright!” Applejack said, and jumped into her arms. “I thought I would never see you guys again!” Her eyes welled with tears as she hugged Big Mac and Apple Bloom. She then gave in, and began to cry with them as they all hugged each other.

“Everything’s back to normal, big sis!” Apple Bloom said, “Ponyville’s alright, we can get back to working the farm again!”

“That’s just dandy, Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, “I’m just so happy you’re all alright.”

Pinkie Pie hopped to the front of the train, and waited anxiously for the sweet cart to come. She hadn’t been able to eat anything sweet for a week, and she could eat the entire cart if she could. She was bursting with excitement, and could barely hold it back.

Finally, the cart came around, and Pinkie Pie nearly exploded.

“I’ll have three lollipops, ten candy bars, three things of cotton candy, four cups of hot cocoa, and three of everything else!” She said, jumping up and down in her seat. The shopkeeper was almost scared off the train by Pinkie Pie’s outburst, but gave all she asked for.

“All right,” Pinkie Pie said, cracking every bone in her body, “Let’s do this, Pinkie!” She ate all the sweets in the matter of four seconds. She wondered whether or not she should pursue the sweet cart for more, but she decided not to.

“Hey, Twilight,” She said, leaning over the back of her seat, “You got any sweets?”

“No,” Twilight said, “Pinkie Pie, didn’t you get some?”

“I ate it all!” Pinkie Pie said, “I want more!”

“Get it yourself,” Twilight said, “Because I don’t want you to get sick when we’re in Canterlot.”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie Pie said, “We’re going to Canterlot! I completely forgot about that, because I just thought sweets, and I was so hungry!”

Pinkie Pie sat down, and saw the train pull into Canterlot Station. They all climbed out, and saw that every citizen of Canterlot and Ponyville and some from Fillydelphia, Manehattan, Baltimare and even Las Pegasus cheered the group of Ponies as they walked to Canterlot Castle.

When they entered the Castle, Celestia and Luna were waiting for them. The Wonderbolts, Spitfire, Soarin’ and Shining Armor were by their side. 

“Citizens of Equestria,” Celestia said, “These seven ponies were instrumental in the defeat of the Zombie Pony virus and the killing of Discord, who was behind this the entire time. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Derpy Hooves and Twilight Sparkle, we thank you for your service to your friends and to Equestria.”

Everypony cheered and applauded as they were all presented with medals of honor and bravery, given by Shining Armor. 

As they walked out, Spike said, “So, what happens now?”

“We continue our lives, Spike,” Twilight said, “I’m glad this week is behind us. I didn’t think I could do that much in a week, but I did. Let’s go home, Spike. I’ve got a nice hot cup of cocoa and a warm bed for you.”

“Alright,” Spike said, “Because I’m beat. I can sleep for a week.”

As they walked off, all seven of them talked about times when they pulled off amazing kills off the Zombies, and laughed as they walked onto the train, and it left, bound for Ponyville.

“Oh, remember that time,” Rainbow Dash said, “When Fluttershy nearly killed herself in Canterlot when she blew her lid?”

“Oh,” Rarity said, “How could I forget? If it were under different circumstances, I would have been laughing my head off!” They all laughed, at Fluttershy’s expense. She laughed timidly, but then told her own story.

“Oh,” she said, “Remember when she was complaining about walking to Appleloosa, and Rainbow Dash nearly killed her with that look?”

“Oh,” Rarity said, “Fluttershy, why do you have to be so harsh when you talk about it?” They all laughed at each other’s expense all the way back to Ponyville.

Harmony was restored, for now.

Please leave a review and tell me how I did! So, Discord never kept the Elements of Harmony inside Canterlot, but inside his very being! Discord was defeated, all the infected and dead were restored by the Elements’ powers. But what comes next for the Mane 6 and Equestria? That, my friends, is up to you! You will decide what happens next, you will write the next chapter in the story of the Mane 6. Mind you that you will not continue off of this. But, it could be anything you want! Fanfiction is meant for the fans, you and I! We will chronicle what Lauren Faust and Hasbro do not! Now go, go and write the next epic of the adventures of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and everypony else! My story has been completed, but yours has yet to begin.