Death Road to Cantelot: The City of Crushed Dreams

//Surprise! I've actually been meaning to finish this old series for a long time now. Just never had the motivation to actually sit down and do it. Hope it lasts long enough for me to actually finish the series this time. How long has it been since they first set out on this journey? How many people have they seen who are probably dead, or infected now? How have they managed to keep it together long enough to get this far? All questions that Asuka knew would never be answered, and never bothered to ask anyone but herself. She does know a few things though. https://youtu.be/Ib6ul1M6CDI?si=HWHbKS5V509ld7wj It's been 3 days since Nar and Asuka ended up on their own again. Carmine fell asleep while on watch duty 3 nights ago, and Nar woke Asuka, and Gray up just in time for them to grab their supplies, and get into the car before a rapidly approaching horde surrounded them. A bleary, confused Gray continually asked about Carmine, but he never got any response. Nar drove through the night to get them safely away from the horde, allowing the others to sleep. When they finally awoke in the morning, Nar was still awake, albeit visibly exhausted. The moment Gray awoke, he began to question Nar about Carmine. It was only then that he finally got any sort of answer. "Forget about him. He's gone." Gray's shock was heavily apparent on his face. "What?! Forget about Carmine?! Why?!" Irritation was quickly rising in Nar's voice, but he clearly was trying to keep calm. "He was already surrounded by the time I got you guys up. No way he got out of that swarm." Disbelief almost seemed to radiate from Gray. The look on his face made Asuka think he was about to go into cardiac arrest. Silence permeated the car for a few moments before Gray's shouting breaks it. "We have to go back!" Nar's irritation appeared to turn to anger. "No! He's dead! We're not losing progress just because you can't accept that!" Asuka felt as though she should intervene, but she just couldn't find the words to do so. "There's a chance he survived! We can't just give up on him!" Gray was in tears at this point. Not the 'actor's crocodile tears' either. He was genuinely distraught at the thought of his best friend being left for dead. It was then that the car came to a quick stop. "You think he's still alive? Then YOU go save him!" The tension in the car could have been cut with a knife. For a moment, Gray shrank back in his seat, seemingly intimidated by Nar's sudden aggression. Then, his face contorted, and he sat up tall. "Fine! I will!" Then, Gray opened the back door, stepped out onto the highway, and slammed the door behind him. Nar gave him a few seconds to gather his supplies before he put the car in drive, and sped off. The last Asuka saw of Gray was through the passenger side mirror. He was looking back at the car, and suddenly seemed very unsure of his decision. Asuka tried to tell Nar to go back, but he refused. Gray had chosen to leave of his own volition. He wasn't going to get into another argument just because Asuka felt bad for him. Ultimately, Asuka had decided to stay silent, and not instigate things further. 2 days after that, the two came across a couple on the side of the road. The wife was trying to mess with a car's engine, while the husband did his best to help however he could. Nar stopped and offered them a ride, which they graciously accepted. Now, here they all were, a day later, nearing Ponyville. The end was in sight. They just had to pass through Ponyville, and they'd be in the home stretch. After some talking, the group was now acquainted with each other. The wife's name was Bitty, and her husband went by Homeby. Asuka thought they were pretty on the nose after she figured out what their marriage was like before the outbreak. Bitty was a high ranking manager in a bank's main office, and Homeby was a stay at home dad. It broke her heart when they told her they'd lost their son during their journey towards Canterlot. Suffered a gash due to a zombie attack, which got infected, and forced them to put him down before he turned. As the car approaches Ponyville, they spot a handful of handmade signs lining the sides of the road. "TURN BACK" "NOT WORTH IT" "YOU WILL DIE" "TOO MANY ZOMBIES" Then, they came across the Ponyville welcome sign, which sported a few new, handmade additions. "Welcome to Ponyville! City of Crushed Dreams

Population: 90000 Zombies " There was no other way around. To get to Canterlot, they had to go through Ponyville. After a quick vote, the group decides the reward far outweighs the risk. https://youtu.be/qnyYEq8e5E4?si=D--uOjCY_7mxa1bj Siege Alert. There is no escape.

Swarm Size: SARDINE PACKED Aggression: MEGA CHEESED Time of Day: Mid Afternoon >Good luck

The car is forced to a stop by the sheer volume of bodies blocking the road. The sound of a horde close by tells the group they don't have the time to clear it. They'll have to proceed on foot. The group grabs all of their weapons, and supplies before scaling the pile of bodies on the road, and entering into Ponyville's center. The sound of distant gunshots can be heard to the east. It appears another group is trying to make it through Ponyville as well. Immediately, large groups of zombies begin to converge on the group, as they try to sprint through the city center. Asuka's heart races as the group bashes their way through. Nar in front, and Bitty bringing up the rear, with Hombey, and Asuka in the middle. They make good progress at first, but as the gunshots in the distance begin to dwindle, the number of zombies in the city center steadily increases. The group fights heard, but their spring is quickly turning into a desperate slog through an endless wave of undead. Asuka hears Homeby cry out from behind her. When she turns to see if he's been grabbed, he finds Bitty surrounded, a good 10 or so feet from the group. She yells for her husband to keep running as zombies begin to tear into her flesh, causing her to cry out. Homeby begins to sob hysterically as he's overcome by some sort of super strength, allowing him to shove his way through the horde. The last Asuka sees of the couple is Homeby embracing his wife as the horde closes in around them once again. They cannot be saved. All Asuka can do is follow Nar, and keep running. The couple's screams are quickly drowned out as the horde piles onto them, suffocating them under a tidal wave of bodies. Hands reach in an attempt to grab, or claw at Asuka, but thankfully, she's able to avoid getting bogged down, or injured. Ahead, Asuka can see what looks to be another pile of bodies, blocking their exit from the center. Her heart sinks as the reality of the situation sets in. They're going to die here. Nar has reached the pile, but Asuka has fallen behind after having to break free from a zombie grabbing her leg. She swings her metal bat like a woman possessed, trying to clear a path to reach the pile. Then, she feels arms grasp at her back. Instinctively, she turns around, and slams the bat into the side of a zombie's head, breaking herself free momentarily. However, in doing so, she allows more zombies to close in the gap she'd been fighting to open before, causing her to be surrounded. This is it. She's going to die. Asuka closes her eyes, and braces herself for a horrible death. She only hopes Nar makes it out alive. Then, something grabs the back of her shirt, and pulls her backwards with extreme force. She slams up against the pile, and opens her eyes to find Nar has pulled her out of the horde, only now, he's the one trapped in it. He doesn't shout anything to her, he only swings his sledgehammer in wide arcs, buying her as much time as he can. Asuka's senses quickly return to her, and she turns to begin scaling the pile. As she gets just high enough to where the zombies can't reach, she hears Nar cry out in pain. She climbs higher, and his screams go from pain, to primal rage. Then, panic, and anguish, and eventually, cease altogether. Asuka makes it to the top of the pile, and quickly slides down. She doesn't dare to look back. The other side of the pile is far less populated than the city center, and with a stroke of luck, Asuka manages to find an unlocked police SUV only a few blocks from the pile. Even more lucky is the fact that it still has gas, and the officer who seemed to have been driving it is dead only a few feet away. Asuka quickly scavenges his body for supplies, finding his service pistol, and 2 extra magazines, a baton, and the keys to the SUV. She quickly hops into the drivers seat, starts the SUV, and peels out down the road, towards Canterlot. She lost nearly every friend, and loved one she had, but she's on the home stretch now. She has to make it. If not, what did everyone else die for?