The Land of the Dead

The efforts of Dusk, Sonic and Martial drew many of the zombies to them, especially Dusk and Sonic due to the shots they fired. Between the three of them, fifteen zombies were dead. The number of zombies between them and the two others was definitely smaller, but the exertions of the large man were clearly catching up to him. His progress was slowing, and the zombies behind them were starting to catch up. At this rate, only one of them was likely going to make it, as the woman would likely be overtaken before the big man got through the main group bearing on him.

Dusk certainly noticed, and thought of a way to help. However, that wasn't something he could do on his own. "Sonic, Martial, keep them off of me!" Dusk shouted. He then focused his fire on the zombies directly in front of the man, ignoring those approaching him.
--
Babs was still skeptical about the situation, but Applebloom responded to Jet saying, "He told us to come here, that we'd be safe. He's helpin' my brother and sister right now. Will you please let us in?"
--
"Okay, I guess," Sunset said, "I sometimes wish things were back to the way they were before. Sure, it was dull, but it beats fighting for your life."

Sonic nodded and smirked, "Time to kick it into overdrive." He said as he started swinging and shooting zombies swiftly, mainly swinging so he didn't make too much noise for more to show up unexpectedly. After a few minutes of swinging, he got a glimpse of the two they were defending and looked surprised, "No way! Mac? AJ?" He said with a smile.

Jet looked down at the two and realized who they were almost immediately, "Get inside. Go to the next floor, Trixie and Shimmer are there." He said as he peered out hearing the gunfire, "More gunshots... That's a lot of noise..." He said under his breath as he fought the urge to go help.

Trixie sighed, "Yeah... Things were so much more simple back then... I had so many people I wanted to talk to a little longer... So many friends I'll never get to see again..." She clenched her hands and covered her mouth, "Now... My friends are dead... Maybe some of the got out... But its a slim chance of that being true... Mom and dad are probably dead too..." She slunk down curled up, her knees covering her face, "I wish I'd have been nicer... I wish that I had time to tell the people I wronged that I was sorry, but now I'll never get that chance!" She said furiously towards herself.

Martial grunted in acknowledgement of the request and complied as best he could. Since the goal had shifted from outright killing them to keeping them off and away from Dusk, the older man began adding additional kicks and strikes to his attacks. The first zombie he approached had it's arm seized by him with the pole being used as a brace behind the elbow. Then the zombie was swung about to gain some momentum before it was hurled into a collection of others to send them all collapsing to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bodies.

The next one would only catch a spear through the face as Martial charged at it in an attempt to send it crashing into it's brethren.

The efforts of both Martial and Sonic kept the majority of the zombies off of Dusk. He still had to kill a few that were too close, but he was able to focus on helping Big Mac and Applejack. Soon, Big Mac was able to push through the zombies attacking him. Applejack followed right behind him, barely escaping the grasps of the zombies. After that, it was easy for them to join Dusk and the others.

"They're through! Fall back to the school!" Dusk shouted. As their line of retreat was still clear, running back would be easy. Big Mac and Applejack did not hesitate to start running to the school. Dusk decided to be the last one to leave.

Meanwhile, Babs and Applebloom entered the school yard. But they decided to wait not far past the gate for the others.

"Beating yourself up about those things won't help. It didn't help me when I stopped being a bully," Sunset began, sitting down by Trixie, "I don't think anything I'll do will make me feel like I've made up for what I've done. The other girls have helped though, and I'm sure they'd like to help you too. We all have to stick together now."

The moment Sonic saw Applejack run past, he booked it after her, keeping his bat drawn just in case any unexpected walkers came. He quickly caught up to the two and smirked, "Guys, its been forever! I'm glad you're okay." He said with joyous chuckle.

Jet could just barely make out Dusk's voice with the distance, but it helped that the city itself was des silent most of the time, "They're coming..." He said softly as he took point at the entrance and raised his sniper at the ready.

Trixie sniffled sadly as she peered up at her, "But... They hate me... They all hate me and I know that for a fact... Rainbow wanted to leave me where she found me... And I honestly don't blame her... I was awful towards them before all this... I was always such an awful, selfish person... Egotistical as it gets... I've never been nice to them. But I hope that they'll forgive me... Or at least not leave me to die when the time comes..." She said with a sorrowful sigh.

Now that the notion to retreat was made, Martial finished planting the improvised spear into another zombie. It was a good thing too because on that thrust, a split in the shaft suddenly widened, cracked, and splintered until the whole thing broke in half. Martial threw the half he still had at another zombie before drawing the provided pistol as he fell back with the others. He was doing his best to not shoot any of the zombies though, preferring to keep the limited supply of bullets in check.

Applejack did recognize Sonic's face, but she couldn't remember his name for the life of her. However, she felt now was not the time to ask about that. "Glad to see you're okay too, but could this wait 'til we stop runnin'?" Applejack asked Sonic.
--
Once everyone else was on their way back, Dusk turned and ran after them. Despite the situation, he was quite happy. Lives had been saved, and that made any day good.

With everyone running, it didn't take long for everyone to get back to the gate with a group of eighty or more zombies following behind them at a much slower pace. Dusk was glad to see nothing happened at the gate while they were gone. Everyone would be able to make it in without any danger, if the zombies behind them were disregarded. Once Dusk entered and made sure everyone was accounted for, he'd close the gate and find something to lock it closed.
--
Sunset Shimmer wasn't distracted by what was going on outside; her focus was on Trixie. "Don't worry, the others tend to be more level-headed than Rainbow Dash. She certainly didn't trust me when I changed my ways, and now we're friends. Even if they abandoned you, I wouldn't. I've gone through what you're going through. It really is a miserable place to be," Sunset said.

"Totally." Sonic said as he kept running towards the gate, Jet aiming from a higher point, one if the pillars the gate was attached to, making sure everyone got through without incident. He looked towards Dusk as he was closing the gate, "Give me the word and I'll take out as many as I can."

Sonic skid to a stop and laughed lightly, "Man, I haven't run that fast in a while! ... I miss doing track..." He groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He sighed and shook it off, looking to Applejack and Big Mac with a smile, "So, glad to see you dudes are alright. It's been a while." He looked behind them, "But... Where's Granny?" He said in confusion.

Trixie sniffled and looked at Sunset, "R-Really? You... Wouldn't abandon me?" She said in a shocked, sad voice as she uncurled herself out of her ball.

Martial was keeping up well despite his age, matching the pace of the youths compared to him. He went to help Dusk make sure the gate wasn't just closed, but secure as well. Once it was though, he'd turn back towards the slowly approaching horde. "Hopefully this'll hold well enough," Martial commented as he started to turn back towards the school. "We should probably warn the others just in case though," he added with his first steps towards the building.

As he started though, the stallion paused near Applejack and Mac to offer then a small bow. "It is good to see that you two are well. Hopefully fortune will continue to favor similar efforts in the future," he said with a calm smile before resuming his trek towards the building.

"Save your bullets Jet. We'll kill them through the fence," Dusk said

Though Dusk didn't require much help closing the gate, he appreciated it. Dusk found some loose wire, and with Martial's help, he managed to fasten the gate shut before the horde came and pressed on it. So far, the gate was holding. "Jet, lure a bunch of them off to the left, then find something long with a point and start killing them," Dusk said.

Dusk then had a quick word with Big Mac and Applejack. Big Mac went inside to fetch Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and Dusk borrowed Applejack's crowbar. Dusk then lured a group of zombies as far to the right as he could, which wasn't that far due to the school wall being there, but he was able to lure some off of the gate.

Applejack was clearly tired from the near constant running and fighting, and was thankful that she wasn't expected to help right now. Still, she did have Sonic's question to answer. "Sorry about that, I figure the soldier is the big man here. As I was goin' to say, Granny died early on. She took a nasty tumble down the stairs in the farmhouse, split her head open. We buried her where my Ma and Pa lie. Not the best way to die, but at least she wasn't eaten by the dead."

Martial would find Celestia as she came out to find out what was going on. Seeing Martial, she asked him, "Is everything alright over there?"

It wasn't long before Big Mac blew by them and headed inside.

Martial gave the principle a tired smile before throwing a nod towards Big Mac, then Applejack, and then glancing towards the gate behind him which still had undead around it. "It is for now at least. We found those two and two more surrounded by many of the departed," Martial responded before turning back to face the principle and smiled at her once more. "We were lucky to have saved the four of them, and by no small amount of effort on their part as well."

"The big one there cut down masses at a time, and the younger nearly matched him despite the gap in strength. But when we found them, they were surrounded and have no doubt had their share of hardship in the recent times. I would see them rest, both mind and body, before taxing them anymore," Martial went on with a sigh. Then Martial looked back to the gate where Dusk was working to move the threat away from the less secure gate. "Dusk seems to have already taken measures to receive assistance in taking out that horde, and so I go to see about preparing some tea for the worn and weary. Would you care to give me directions to the kitchen, or you're more than welcome to escort me there yourself," Martial said with a pat on the pack he still carried.

Sonic frowned a little and sighs, "Damn... That serious sucks yo... I'm really sorry for your loss. But like you said, at least it kept her from turning or suffering..." He chuckled, "Old lady was so nice, a little odd, but she was cool... And damn if she didn't make the best freaking pies I'd ever tasted." He said goofily, hoping it might lighten the mood.

Jet nodded and aimed his sights at a nearby building window, grabbing a loose brick and watching it slam through the window and break it, causing the walkers to walk that way as he leapt down and looked around for something to kill them with as they went by, finding a bar that used to be attached to the fence. He saw that the end was pointed and started stabbing walkers in the head as they went by.

Trixie waited for Sunset's reply to her question.

((Oops, forgot about Sunset and Trixie.))

Seeing that everything was alright, and that no one was hurt, she let herself relax. Martial's offer of tea sounded very good to her. "I'll show you the way. I could use a nice cup of tea," Celestia said. She then led the way to the cafeteria, where she'd unlock the door to the kitchen and lead Martial inside. There were many crates of canned and dried food with the military insignia on them. There also were jugs of water. There was plenty of space for a few people to work on meals without getting in each other's way. As the light from outside was nearly gone, she lit a few candles so they could see. "What I wouldn't give for a little electricity, or a hot bath," Celestia said to herself.
--
Applejack smiled a bit at Sonic's comment. She really regretted not remembering his name. "Granny did make the best apple pie. Haven't had apple pie since this all started," Applejack said. Her expression soon turned sour though. "I still think we were better off stayin' at the farm. The fence around it kept the dead from wanderin' in, we had wells for water, and plenty of food to last us so long as we did the work. But Babs insisted we go to the school cuz that's where her girlfriend would be. If she didn't convince Applebloom to go with her, we woulda stayed there."
--
Breaking a window certainly distracted the dead for a bit, but they soon were focused on Jet again. By now, they were spread out enough that the fence wasn't going to cave soon. Jet would still have an easy time killing the dead though, as they all practically lined up to have a bar inserted into their brains.

It was the same for Dusk as he plunged the crowbar into the skulls of the dead. It wasn't long before Rainbow and Twilight came out and joined them. Twilight had her knife fastened to a broom stick, while Rainbow had found another crowbar in one of the maintenance closets. They too went to work killing zombies. It would only take a few minutes for to kill them all, but Dusk, Twilight and Rainbow were rather tired by the end of it all.
--
"Of course I wouldn't abandon you," Sunset said, "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I did. Besides, I wouldn't mind having a new friend. So don't worry."

Martial nodded pleasantly to the notion of Celestia showing him towards the cafeteria, and waited patiently while she undid the locks. After a brief look around, Martial sat his bag on the counter and began setting things out while Celestia spoke her grievances. "Heheh, well I don't know about a bath or electricity, but I can at least provide a warm cup of tea," Martial said without looking back. Over a half dozen small metal containers came out first with one looking notably different, followed by a jug of flammable liquid, a small thin metal frame stand, and a tea pot with a couple cups.

The different container had a number of small holes on one side, a ring of them and then a small cluster near the center of it. Closer inspection would reveal that this container looked the bottoms of two pop cans that had been connected. A little bit of the flammable liquid was poured into this container before it was lit by a lighter Martial produced and returned to the bag. A ring of small bluish flames formed along the top of the container and soon had the metal wire frame set around it with the tea pot soon set on the frame and therefore, over the flame.

Water was added to the pot before Martial began to set out the cups. "Do you have a preference on the tea? I've got a small selection in those containers. Feel free to look through and chose any you like," Martial went on as he waited for the water to heat up. "It might seem silly to some, but I've found tea can help almost as much as a weapon in these crazy times. Calming the frantic, easing the pained, and bringing peace to the grief stricken, it's why I took such care to pack it," Martial went on with another little chuckle. "Though these might just be the ramblings of a man going senile early too."

Jet sighed as he killed the final one, groaning a little as he rubbed his back, "That's the last of them..."

Sonic blinked, "Babs? Who's Babs?" He asked in confusion as he looked for anyone he hadn't met yet, "Oh, and if possible, We could probably take cover at your barn. Sounds pretty good considering. That, and I think if Dusk stays... He might have a mental breakdown..." He whispered the part about Dusk to her, so Dusk would catch wind of his words.

Trixie gasped and smiled, "A... Friend..." She said as tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged Sunset Shimmer tight, "I haven't had a friend in so long..." She sniffled.

Celestia chuckled a bit at Martial's remark and said, "I think a soldier like Dusk would prefer the space be use for 'more important' supplies. But having a luxury like this will certainly lift spirits. It's strange how the things we couldn't seem to live without are now luxuries." Celestia went through his pack and found some black tea for Martial to use. That was by far her preferred tea.
--
Dusk walked by Jet and patted him on the shoulder saying, "At least we can sleep easy tonight. Go get some rest. We'll leave at dawn to find Fluttershy." Dusk then walked on to head inside.Twilight and Rainbow followed behind him.
--
Applejack chuckled a bit, but then again she hadn't learned names yet. "You're gonna have to tell me which one is Dusk. Don't wanna blab that to the wrong person," Applejack whispered.

Dusk didn't catch what Sonic and applejack whispered as he passed by them. Twilight and Rainbow decided to greet Applejack, though Applejack noticed them before they could speak. "Twilight, Rainbow, y'all okay"

"Course I'm okay. Nothing can beat the best athlete of Canterlot High," Rainbow boasted.
--
Sunset was suprised by the hug for a bit, but soon returned it. "Well, you have one now," she simply said.

Jet nodded, following behind Dusk and nodding to greet Applejack as he walked into the building. He felt a tugging at his heart as he thought of what might await them tomorrow. He'd think... What if they were too late? What if they didn't get there in time to save her? He held his head in annoyance and bringing himself a slight headache.

Sonic pointed at Dusk as he walked I, "Soldier dude walkin' with mt bro Jet." He said before he walked up next to Rainbow Dash, "Hey Dashie, ya miss me?" He said with a smile and a wink.

Trixie sniffles and smiled lightly, "T-Thank you so much..." She said with a light voice, her tears slowly coming to an end.

Martial motioned for Celestia to put the tea in what cup she wished to claim while he selected a apple spiced tea for his own. "One can only hope," Martial commented as he poured the hot water into both his cup and the cup Celestia had chosen. A moment or two after letting his cup of water mix with the tea, Martial took a hesitant sip of his cup and let out a content sigh. "Ah, that's much better," Martial said with a relaxed grin. "I might have some sugar in here too if you'd want it."

"Pfft, yeah right," Rainbow said, "I knew you'd be coming back."

"That's not what you..."

"What? Sorry Twilight. Being awesome here. Anyway, good to see ya AJ."

"Good to see you too Dash," Applejack said. She then turned to Sonic and said, "And about what you said about Dusk, I don't think he'll be goin' crazy anytime soon. I can tell he has a good head on his shoulders."
--
Dusk worried about Fluttershy too, but he was confident she would be alright. He didn't know much about her, but he doubted she'd do anything stupid. Plus, her house was still boarded up, meaning nothing had entered or left for a while. So far, everything pointed to her being alive.

Dusk separated himself from Jet to find his sister. He found her upstairs making herself comfortable on one of the bunks, though she was awake. Dusk quietly set his stuff down by another bunk and laid down on it. From where he was, he was able to see the sun finally set. "Day one," he said to himself, "Here's hoping the next days will be better than this one."
--
Celestia took a cup and mixed her tea with the water. She too let a content sigh when she took a sip of it when it was ready. "Sugar would be nice, but I can live without it," Celestia said.
--
"Don't mention it," Sunset said. She then pulled away a bit and said, "You can take a bunk in my room if you'd like."

Sonic chuckled at Rainbow and smiled, "Cute." He said as he looked at Applejack, "Yeah. Cool and collected... Could probably give Jet a run for his money." He then turned to Twilight, "And what did she say earlier Twi? Anything interesting?" He said with a knowing look in his eye.

Jet walked into the music room and sat down in the center of it, crossing his legs and seemingly meditating as he sat there, motionless and silent.

Trixie blinked and nodded, "It'd be nice to get some rest... It's been a while since the last time I did..." She said as she stood up, "Where is your room?"

Martial chuckled just a touch before digging into his bag anyways, "if we don't use it, then what use is it?" After he produced a small glass canister with a metal lid, a restaurant style sugar dispenser about half full. "There we go," Martial said as he sat the container on the counter. "How many are here?" he then asked Celestia as Martial looked at his cups and around a bit for some extras if the number exceeded the ones he had. "I might need to get a couple more.

"Oh, I'm sure Rainbow would be happy to tell you in private," Twilight said.

"That, was so not cool Twi," Rainbow deadpanned.

"I don't know, I think you and Sonic make a great couple," Applejack said with a smirk.

"What? We're not doing any sort of thing like that. Isn't that right Sonic?" Rainbow asked.
--
Sunset Shimmer stood up and said, "Follow me, it's just down the hall." She then walked out of the room and entered a classroom three doors down. This room also had a view of street. One of the bunks had a stuffed animal sitting on it. Sunset soon had a sheepish grin and said, "Normally I'm not one for stuffed animals, but it's helped me sleep."
--
Celestia did the math while she added some sugar to her tea. "Twenty," she soon said, "I never thought there'd be twenty people here at once. It also means the food won't last forever. I'm sure Dusk will think of a way to feed everyone."

Martial nodded at what the principle said as he set set about getting some more cups set out since he only had five cups currently. Finding a few, he set them out and put some more water in the tea pot to heat up. "I'm sure he will," Martial said as he worked. "He seems the resourceful type, and there doesn't appear to be a major shortage of supplies around here. We could probably even set up some kind of garden if staying here proves viable, maybe set up some rain collectors on the roof too," Martial commented before taking another sip of his tea. "Ah, it's been too long since my last cup."

Sonic gave a smirk and a flirty wink at her, "Totally." He said, his voice dripping with playfulness as he whispers in her ear, "I really would like to talk about it privately though." He chuckled and walked away into the building.

Trixie followed her and blinked at the stuffed animals, blushing a little as she fiddled with her hands, "Um... May I... Borrow one? I left my wizard rabbit at home when all of this started..."

Rainbow found herself heavily blushing after all that.

"I think it's safe to assume that sort of thing will be happenin', right?" Applejack asked with a smirk.

"No! I mean, I only really met the guy today. I may be fast for a fling, but not for anything with commitment. He's the only guy I'm interested in. Dusk has a stick up his butt most of the time, Jet seems to have a thing for Fluttershy, and Martial is way too old. Sonic's the only guy who's available," Rainbow said.

"And what about girls? I recall you havin' a fling with one or two," Applejack said. At the same time she committed Sonic's name to memory.

"That's only for flings. Awesomeness runs in the family, and I want to pass mine on to some awesome kids."

"I... guess that makes sense. Well, you'd best not keep lover boy waitin'. Let me know if he tries to take advantage of ya, and I'll kick him over the fence for ya," Applejack then said before walking into the school. Twilight followed after Applejack, leaving Rainbow alone.

Rainbow figured she might as well find Sonic. Though she had no clue where he'd be in the school. So, she entered the school to look for him.
--
"Sure," Sunset said, "There's a box of them somewhere in here. I think the army had them for the kids." After Sunset did a bit of searching, she found the box It held about a dozen stuffed animals, mostly teddy bears. However, there were a couple rabbits and a cat. "Alright, take your pick."
--
"I know what you mean," Celestia said. She then thought of the possibilities of staying at the school long-term. With a grim expression on her face, she said, "I think Dusk might want to go to Trottingham. That's where the evacuation copters were going. That'll be a long journey. Even with a car, the journey could take a few days. Of course, that's assuming we'll find gas for however many cars we'll need to transport everyone."