Note: Hey, guys! Brought forth my third story, a zombie fic! Characters are from the other two stories I have. Takes place about ten years after The Phoenix Rises, so it will have many of the characters older than before. This story is very grim and violent, so unless you like reading zombie fics, you might be disturbed at some of the passages. This story WILL be updated every Sunday (or Saturday if possible) until completed. Please read and review! Enjoy!

Note: A.C. equals after Celestia, for those of you wondering.

It was a very bright day in Ponyville, just as it always was. The town square bustled with activity, the ponies all seemed to be having fun, and all throughout was the constant, cheerful idle chatter. The square then turned and saw Alan coming through, and they warmly greeted him. He greeted them back, just happy to be alive. He was a bluish grey Pegasus colt, ten years old. His long, black and blue mane had covered much of his forehead, but was groomed and brushed neatly. His golden, auburn eyes shone brightly with the day.

Where he was going next was not as happy as it was in Ponyville. He had wanted to visit his father some time ago, but couldn't bring himself to do so. It brought pain and sadness whenever Alan thought about him, because he hadn't seen his father in over three years. But he finally gathered the willpower and, to an extent, courage to do so. There were many reasons as to why his mother kept him away from Alan's father, but she never revealed them to him.

Living in Ponyville was his mother's idea, and he happily agreed to it while she had the many important matters to attend to each day. He would make the most of each day, meeting with his friends and helping out wherever he could. Sometimes he would go overboard, though, and he'd leave a mess to clean up for others.

He walked through the town, carrying with him a saddlebag, and had wanted to ask for directions as to where his destination was. He walked up to a pony, and had announced his question very shyly and quietly. "Um… excuse me? Could you help tell me where the…?" he asked so very quietly that he didn't make himself clear for the rest of his question.

The pony looked at him. "Alan, you're gonna have to speak up, cause I can't hear a word you're saying." The pony recognized him because she was familiar with Alan's father when he was young.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. Could you tell me where the… the… cemetery is?" he asked more clearly.

Rainbow seemed to recoil at the question, knowing he could only be going there for one thing. Poor kid… he's finally going? "Um… yeah, it's north of the town…" she answered uneasily.

"Thank you…" he said without enthusiasm or happiness. He wasn't a jerk, but who wanted to be happy to go to a cemetery? If you were, you'd be considered psycho. He then headed towards the town's north entrance, where he saw Dinky Doo, Derpy Hooves' daughter, playing with his other friends. He didn't want to grab their attention, so he walked past them quietly over the bridge and outside of town.

…

He reached the cemetery at around noon or so, and he looked around the eerie place. It was empty, no pony around other than him. He went around the cemetery, inspecting the stones marking each grave. He finally found the one he was looking for, and walked up to it. He was filled with sadness, and he broke down on the grass in front of the stone. Dad… it's been three years… but I came. He got up, tears still coming out of his eyes. He read the inscription on the stone in front of the mausoleum:

Magnus "Leon" Trot Antrorsum

November, 3000 A.C. - January, 3025 A.C.

Loving husband, father, and ruler.

For the Phoenix has burned out, but will rise again soon.

He had finished looking at the stone, and stood beside it for a while. He bowed his head as a sign of both respect and mourning. Alan then took out something from the saddlebag. It was a locket, which contained one of the only family photos Alan had of his father. He remembered that day, around three years ago, just days before his father died.

…

Leon and Chloe were preparing themselves for the royal family photo. Leon groomed his mane, Chloe brushed hers, and Alan had struggled while his mother forced him to put on a bow with her magic.

"Mom, why do I have to wear this stupid bowtie?" Alan asked.

"Alan, dear, we don't want this photo to come out looking like the last one, so we have to redo it," Chloe replied.

"Dad, can't you do something about this?" Alan asked.

"Trust me; your mother even forced me to do this! Besides, bowties are cool! We just need to stay still for a minute, and we're done, I promise," Leon guaranteed. He loved his family, and would help his son with anything, just as his parents, although not biologically related, took care of him.

"Fine… let's just get this over with." Alan, Chloe, and Leon all walked in front of the camera, and prepared for the photo. "Can I photo bomb this one like the last one, Dad?" Alan asked excitedly.

"Not this time, son. Even though I want to very much, your mother has forbidden it," Leon said gleefully, earning him a glare from Chloe. They all turned towards the camera. "Besides, I do want a nice photo for us, so that you always have something nice to keep of us, as a family," Leon said seriously.

"OK, we're ready!" the cameraman said. "Make this a keeper!"

The camera then flashed.

…

He smiled at the memory, and placed the locket back in his saddlebag. He then took out the other thing Leon had left Alan; the Amulet of Rebirth. It shone in all of its glory a bright red. Alan himself had never placed it on, but he always kept it with him as a reminder of his heritage. He noticed it started to glow very brightly, and then it died down. He placed it back, and finally took out one last item; a clover sandwich. He placed it gently on the ground in front of the stone. Your favorite, with the sugar cube inside and a bit of apples, clovers, and carrots.

He then turned to leave, and saw a lone figure standing on the other side of the cemetery. Weird, I didn't see any pony when I came in. Alan stood still, staring at the figure. He couldn't make it out quite well, seeing as it was on the far side. The figure then turned, and stumbled away from the cemetery towards town. Well, seeing some pony here is never easy. That one probably couldn't stand it here, so they left back to town. He packed his bags, and set off towards town as well.

…

Back at town, he set off to where his friends were still playing. Dinky, Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Eric, and Draco were all trying to see who could remain upside down the longest. They all saw Alan, and greeted him warmly. Draco, who was Alan's roommate and, hidden from Alan, babysitter in Ponyville, turned towards him. "What's up, Alan?" he asked. Draco was much older now, being eleven years old, but in dragon eleven years is about… an adult. Because of this, his voice was deep, and laid back.

"I think I'm gonna head home," Alan said distantly.

"WHAT!?" the group asked.

"But, you just got here! Are you sure?" Dinky asked.

"Yeah… I am. I don't really feel like hanging out. I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"Well, it's no problem. You doing all right, Alan?" Eric asked.

"No. I don't want to talk about it," Alan admitted.

"OK, then. Hope to see you tomorrow when you're better," Dinky said.

"You too, guys. See ya," Alan said. He and Draco left towards their house in Ponyville, a cottage somewhere near the outskirts in the south, a bit before the Everfree Forest. Draco turned to Alan. "I assume you went to see Leon?" Draco asked.

"Yeah. He told me you were one of his best friends, if not your brother," Alan replied.

"Yeah, he told me that too. The reason being he hatched me. What did you bring?" Draco asked, seeing the saddlebag.

"Just the locket and amulet. Reminds me of the past, you know? It's times like that that make me want to see him again…" Alan said, trailing off.

"Maybe you can… who knows?" Draco said as they arrived to the cottage. "We're here," he said as he unlocked the door to the cottage. They both stepped inside, and shut the door. "I'm going to eat some gems…" Draco said as he left towards the kitchen. Alan had wanted to rest since he left from the cemetery. He headed up to his bedroom, opened the door, and lay in his bed, where he fell sound asleep soon afterwards.

…

Alan awoke to the sound of banging on his door. He got up and opened it. Draco rushed inside, and cowered under the bed. "Hey, what's up with you?" Alan asked.

"Well, it turns out Ponyville has gone to shit! See for yourself!" Draco said panicking. He led him to the bedroom window, and showed him the scene. It was nighttime, but there was plenty of light coming from fires of nearby houses. Ponies were panicking, shrieking, running, trampling over each other. They all fled in one direction, as if running away from something. Alan stood shocked, and turned to see what they were running away from.

He then saw the most horrible thing any pony could see; a pony that was ripped apart in many places on his flesh was staggering towards the fleeing group, his stature suggesting he had trouble walking. But that wasn't the only one. About a dozen more of these ponies, all featuring grizzly gashes in their flesh, were also following the group. Their shadows, created by the fires, were dark and menacing.

"What the hell's going on? Those ponies need help, and they're not doing anything about it?" Alan asked angrily. "They're clearly in need of medical assistance!"

"Dude, I went out for some… never mind," Draco said pathetically. "But those ripped up ponies attacked some other ponies. And that wasn't even the worse part! They literally ATE the ponies! I booked it from those crazy psychos."

"THEY ATE A PONY!? WHAT THE FUCK!? I NEVER HEARD OF A PONY EATING MEAT, ESPECIALLY ANOTHER PONY!" Alan exclaimed. A thought in the back of his mind flashed. "Holy pony… we gotta find out a way to save the gang from these cannibals!"

"Fuck that noise! How about we run and hide instead? That always seems to work," Draco suggested.

"And let ponies get devoured out there!? No way! Come on, we have to head to my friend's houses. We gotta save them from these… these…um…" Alan said.

"Who cares? Just run like hell and hurry up already. If we're saving you're friends, we gotta do it quick!" Draco exclaimed. "Let's go!"