Dead Rising [Closed]

Times were pretty good. The group had just finished a caravan run, all went smooth, everyone got paid, and all that was left was the journey back home. But things are never just that easy, are they?

The usual, sickly grey haze stretched across the sky. It was a flat, barren landscape, occasionally graced with the appearance of a rest stop made for ponies of ages past. Long dead, twisted husks of trees dotted the expanse of dry, yellow grass. It was quiet, peaceful, almost. The dirt road they had been walking along for the past 10 miles kept them in the right direction, and as long as they followed it, it should take them straight back, no problems.... right?

Of course not.

((OOC Note, no combat has started yet. Go ahead and introduces youselves. (If you want.) Things will start up by the next SW post.))

Aura was walking with her pistol being checked over by her watchful eye, she tried to make it look like that was the only thing she was looking at. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the small pegasus walking and looking rather cute with those flanks. She smiled a bit before putting her pistol away and sneering at the males of the group and trotted up to the filly "Hello there, the name is Black Aura, you can just call me Aura. Great job on that trip to bad those useless males couldn't do a thing to help us at all."

Checking her repeater, Amnesia whistled some old, western sounding cowpony music, apparently engrossed in what she was doing. That's when Black Aura introduced herself.

She scratched the back of her mane. "Hey, names' Amnesia. You can call me.... Amnesia."

Goddesses that sounded stupid.

"Huh? Oh uh thanks! Useless... males.... right." She have Black a short nod.

Mix walks through the fog with the group on the way back feeling satisfied but on edge, he hasn't seen anything, not even a radroach. He constantly kept checking to see if his Hatchet was at hoofs reach.

Mix then sees a familiar face and speed trots over to her. He walks up behind Amn and nudges her "Hey Ammie! Job well done eh?"

Zyrene walked along with the group, keeping to herself mostly and watching who was around her. She didn't know what to think of the others so far, though she could see that the pegasus mare was getting a lot of attention already. This made her think that she would be the best one to stick with, since she seemed to be in good standing with the others already.

Zyrene made up her mind quickly enough and soon found herself sticking close to this, Amnesia, as she called herself. She kept herself as small as possible as they continued. Sometimes the best ways to find out about others was to just be invisible and listen and watch.

Xero spared a glance to the other caravan members. He hadn't said a word alll day and planned to keep it that way. It was much better to go unnoticed, after all.

None of the others had particularly caught his attention- save for the rather tiny zebra, the black mare that simply radiated danger, the rather cute stallion, the boisterous griffon...

Scratch that, Xero was traveling with a very colorful group of adventurers. They all looked as though they could handle themselves, however.

Isn't that what really counts?

"Huh? Oh!"
Amnesia gave Mix a hoof slap. "What's up bro! Awesome work indeed! Nothing like the smell of kickass in the morning!"

She had taken notice to the quiet little zebra that had been walking next to her, and then looked over to the other zebra. A guy, pretty silent too.
Maybe zebras are just naturally quiet.... Hm, doesn't mean they can't be friends!
Looking down at the little one, she cleared her throat and spoke in her kindest voice.

"Hey, I'm Amnesia. What's your name, sister?"

Zyrene looked up to Amnesia when she talked to her, thinking out how she should answer her, if she even answered at all. Being mute kind of left a lot of barriers when it came to speaking.

She dropped her head and looked away from the mare, making herself look as small as possible. She didn't want to give out that she was mute just yet, so the shy route would work best for now. She'd see how they'd react from there.

Amnesia had cringed after she looked away, trying to figure out the problem.
Was it something I said...? ....do I offend? She lifted up her arm and smelled under it. Recoiling, she coughed a few times.
Whew! Damn!

All that actually came out of her mouth was a stupid sounding, "Uhhhhhhh....."
Nonetheless, Amnesia was determined to befriend this adorable looking zebra.

"Hey if it makes you feel any better, I don't bite! ....well... most of the time anyway." She sounded fun, and friendly, a smile on her face. "...but you know... we could talk later... I guess."

Mix smiles and puts his fore arm around amnesia and whispers, "I dont think she talks much" He looks and smiles over to the adorable zebra walking beside them "Hey there!" Mix smiles a very warm friendly smile hoping to meet her.

Xero sighed, shaking his head and looking down as he walked.

Some ponies, it seemed, couldn't respect the fact that others weren't as talkative.

Xero almost felt bad for the small Zebra; but that would have been a mistake in itself. Perhaps they would get along later, not talking and all. For now, he was content that somepony else was the center of attention.

Aura looked around the group and shivered at the feeling that a male was so friendly with a mare let alone on so cute. She saw the tiny zebra and thought that she might try to get to know her at a later time when there were less ponies crowding around the poor thing. She pulled her pistol back out and aimed down the sight looking over the area around them.

Zyrene could see that the Amnesia was putting a lot of work into trying to be friendly with her. She let out a small sigh and turned again to face her only to find a brown earth pony had also started talking to Zyrene as well. She frowned a little, since she had originally wanted to lay low and see how everyone interacted with each other. It looked like that plan was no good anymore.

That's when she made the decision to switch to being a little social. Keeping in line with being shy, Zyrene looked between the two and slowly raised a hoof to give them a little wave before scrunching up and making herself smaller again.

While the group had been introducing themselves, rather awkwardly, Black Aura spotted a single, stray pony not fifty feet away. It was just..... standing there, hanging its head solemnly, the dry dirt and dust rippling around its legs from the wind. Nothing but a dark silhouette against the dreary backround of the wasteland. It was clearly alive, making the occasional sway from side to side before going back to center itself, keeping its balance.

Aura kept her pistol trained on the pony she saw not knowing if it was male, so just in case she kept her pistol raised and even clicked the hammer back in-case that bucker was unfriendly. She looked over at the others and saw that they were all conversing except the Zebra stallion and shivered at the feeling before poking him with a hoof then nodding towards the new pony putting a hoof to her lips to show that she wanted silence to creep up on the thing. With her pistol held in her magical field she took a few steps forward and stood in front of the thing before talking in a vicious voice, "Who are and why are you here?"

Xero took a deep breath readying his own pistol. Something was definitely... Off. Maybe it was some kind of drunkard- or addict?

He did his best to appear formidable as he stood by the black mare, leering down his iron sights just in case.

"Do you want me to go investigate?" He asked calmly under his breath.

Amnesia smiled and waved back before looking back up and spotting the pony. She heard Aura speak to it in such a way that she didn't really like. Trotting over, she nudged Aura out of the way.

"Oh jeez, lighten up will ya?"
She stuck her face out to him. "Hey buddy.... You alright?" Something was just... wrong with this guy.

Amnesia's rash action was one with consequence. The pony went from still and calm to crazy and insane. In the blink of an eye, it was upon her, pinning her down onto the dusty ground. Snapping at her face violently, it let out a series of sick, disgusting yells and groans. Bloody salivation drooled from its maw, intent on getting a chunk or two out of the young pegasus's face.

Amnesia was tackled onto the floor by the madpony and shoved her head as far away from it as she could, pushing it away from her face.
Well this seems familiar!
She screamed out to the others. "SHIT SHIT SHIT!!! SHOOT EM! SOMEPONY, SHOOT EM!" She wouldn't be able to keep it off forever.

Acting on pure instinct, Xero fires three shots from his 9mm (-15 AP) into the back of Amnesia's attacker, thankful that the small armament had already been drawn.

He had felt the sting of being seconds too late before; but now was not the time to dwell on the past. Better to focus instead on not repeating those mistakes.

(OOC Note: First Combat Encounter, let me know if I "Gone Doofed")

Zyrene widened her eyes in surprise as the stumbling pony attacked and pinned Amnesia. Following Xero's lead, she pulled out her own little 9mm pistol (4 AP) and started firing as well. Remembering to keep herself calm, she fired four rounds into the attacking pony (20 AP)

The combined efforts of the two were successful. While most of Xero's rounds dug themselves into the body, Zyrene got off a good shot to its cranium, the others flying into its neck and chest. The madpony stopped, twitched, and slumped over off of Amnesia with a sickening gurgle.

Cracks from the gunshots seemed to drag on for an eternity before fading out into quietness. An eerie silence broke out before a strange, but subtle shuffling noise could be heard from not too far away. It was definitely getting louder, closer, clearer. Only a true ignorant could hear it over.

Amnesia pushed the dead mass away and got back up into a hover, brushing herself off. "Ah crap, what the hell?"
She gave Xero and Zyrene a wave. "Hey thanks guys, I really appreciate it."
Her ears perked up at the strange shuffling noise, looking around for where it could be coming from. She took out her repeater, not wanting to be caught off guard this time.
"Hey, do you guys hear that?"

Xero gave a slow nod as he leered out of the corner of his eyes.

"A malevolent din draws nearer," he snarls in a foreboding tone "An evil advent arrives with these rumblings of the earth."

So much for not talking. Still, sometimes it was interesting to see how many things could go wrong in one day.

Aura shook her head at the pegasus and growl at the madpony as she took a hoof and stomped down into it's head "Don't you know a ghoul when you see one. I have dealt with enough to tell when they are feral. Also where there is one there will be more." She made sure her pistol was locked and loaded waiting for the first bucker to show it's ugly head.