Fear is but an illusion of the mind, death an illusion of the soul. - Tempest Knight

I landed on another one of the zombie knights crushing it into a bloody pulp as I charged into the first building on the right. I clobbered two zombies inside of the living room before slamming into the wall to my left and running out to an ally way. I then ran back towards the hoard in the middle of the town and unleashed a torrent of flames before jumping into the air, I looked down and saw them all burning as I began to tear up.

I could remember my battle against the monsters when I was younger. I remembered how they killed all those I ever loved. My stepfather, my mother, my stepsister, even my first marefriend Golden Rod. I could remember with a terrifying clarity their pained screams as they were each devoured, a foal crying for its mother and sharply cut off as it was devoured. The tears blurred my vision and burned my eyes, as I let out a harrowing battle-cry that would even impress my blood-father, Logantis, spitting white-hot flames down towards my foes and incinerating all below.

My fire took on a sickly shade of green as I fought on and my new pip buck began to tick rapidly as I did another run. I looked down to it to see that it's radiation detector was at full bars as I landed among the carnage. Another zombie, this one wearing a stable jumpsuit, slammed into my side and broke one of my auto cannons clean off my battle saddle while also caving his face in against me. I lost my balance as fell,spitting fire wildly at the zombies that got close. Tucking my wings in since they were my only unarmored area I got back to my hooves and darted inside the towns sheriff office and shut the door behind me. My luck starting to return I found that the door and frame was made of metal when I locked its four deadbolts and sighed in relief.

I removed one of my cannons, Fury, after scrounging its ammo for the other two and left it behind since I had lost Judgement, yes I had given them names. Turning to the jail cell I had realized that I was cornered and that my only way out was the same way I got in, that was until yet another one of those undead freaks broke through a trapdoor in the office just to receive my heavy metal hoof in its face as it crumpled to the floor.

"Well then, thanks for the way out." I said to the crushed pony as I stepped over her remains.

Looking down the hatch I could smell stale air, I now knew that it wasn't a way out, though it could be a solution so long as I played my cards right.

"Well then, perhaps I can do one better." I said as I descended into the dark below.

The ladder ended into a pipe like structure that led me to a massive steel door with the number seventy eight written upon it. Looking inside I could see that the lights were still on and that the color of blood was the new paint the stable seemed to favor. Everything was red, though honestly I could care less about the blood at my hooves as I walked through the massive doorway leading inside. My metal armor made a heavy clip clop as I walked into the hall that lead to maintenance and the atrium. Deciding that there would probably be more hostiles in the atrium I chose to go left into the halls of the Stable Tech certified ponies that kept this place running until their untimely demise.

Rounding the first corner I was met with many decapitated raiders who had obviously taken each others lives to prevent from becoming zombies themselves, I had to admit that I could respect that decision. Turning around at the sound of dragging hooves I pushed on past the bodies hoping that they would be consumed and cover my escape. I found the stairs and went down to sub level three, the bottom of this stable, and began my search for the breach in the caverns of the damned.

I came out of the stairwell to be greeted by a mob of the dead to which I unloaded the last of my ammunition into and slamming the door when I emptied everything out.

"Well then, now what do I do?" I asked myself as I tried to recall the layout of the stables, I knew that the breach tot he caverns were on this level, as were the reactors, but how the hell would I be able to get down there since I ran out of ammo.

I tried to look at my EFS but it was completely red so I checked my gemstone to see if any power had accumulated. Thankfully I could sense enough power to summon two ghosts, but thinking for the fight ahead I summoned only one. The ghost formed from shadows before me as the dust in the stable became his shining armor that matched my own. In his visor I could see two glowing blue orbs and when he spoke his voice was very Braytish.

"General Tempest thou have summoned thee in a time of great personal distress, what does thou require of thee?" his voice boomed as he straightened his spear that was glowing red.

"The next room is filled with zombies, put them down by my side so that we may end this threat for our target is the reactor." I said levitating my swords out.

"As you command my lord." he boomed turning to the door and barreling through it, smashing and skewering the zombies, though they didn't seem to care to give chase.

I charged out just behind him slicing the zombies apart as I galloped close behind my ghost ally. Turning the next corner I could see the reactor but before I could get their I saw my ghost get flattened by the corridors collapse. Fortunately since he was a ghost he just came back from the rubble and charged past me to fend off the zombies.

"We must get the reactor sire!" he said beating the hoard back.

"Any ideas soldier?" I replied happy that this ghost actually spoke to me of strategy instead of remaining as a silent grunt.

"I will hold them here so thou may make thy way to thy objective my lord." He replied.

"Unfortunately they will not detect you, therefore I would prefer that you followed me and gave me cover." I said coming to his side as we cut down the zombies together.

"As ye wish my lord." he answered charging through the hoard as I followed him.

We rounded the next corner to an auxiliary entrance to the reactor and he stopped, not saying a word he turned and stood guard as I passed him by. I approached the reactor and sheathed my swords, checking the charge of my gem I realized that my plane may yet still work. The detonation of the reactor should sufficiently eliminate not only the stable but the catacombs and the town above if all went well while I shadow traveled away. I gulped as I interfaced with the terminal that governed the reactor, after finding that it had no control over the reactor I began to pluck a grenade from my saddlebags to find that the terminal had a message.

Only a few of us managed to get back inside the stable when those crazy ponies came and started to torture us only to find that a wall had collapsed after we closed the door. Horrors from beyond the grave swarmed us and now the few of us left have managed to slip into the reactor room with the intention, probably the same one as yours, to blow the place sky high only to find out that the terminal doesn't control it. I pray to Celestia and Luna that somepony will one day end the terror that killed us down here, I just hope that no pony is stupid enough to open that door. Oh no, they are coming, well I'm am the only one of us left, and I just have one round left... See you in the afterlife.

I looked down to see that the pony who had written this message skeleton still looking at the hallway from which the horrors attacked you. Looking behind me I could see his four companions, my stomach tied itself in a knot when I saw that one had a miniature pony skeleton inside her ribs.

"Rest in peace and know that I have finished our fight." I said pulling the pin with my teeth after I raised my visor before my eyes glowed red and I walked through a shadow and blacked out.

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When I woke I found that a stream of tears were flowing down my still exposed muzzle and that I was laying on my side. My ghost warrior was standing guard over me though it looked as though nothing had happened. In the distance I could see a burning pit of rubble that was the town full of zombies. I bowed my head and closed my eyes, praying that the ponies who died in that horrid place would find peace sfter death.

"Sire?" the ghost knight asked, his voice low and sincere.

"Thank you for your aid my friend." I said raising my head to meet his ghastly gaze.

"Twas no problem my lord, just doing my duty." he replied.

"I release you from thou bonds if thou wishes freedom from said duty, lest you wish to remain upon my call." I said giving a small nod.

"I... I reject thy release as I have found serving thee in this time of need most enjoyable." he said standing taller than he had before.

"Very well, then may I know your name knight?" I asked giving a nod of approval.

"Tis Sentinel my lord." the now named ghost knight said gripping his spear.

"Very well Sentinel, you may retreat for now to my gem, I shall call upon ye when needed." I said as he faded away into shadows and was absorbed into the gem gleaming red upon my chest plate.

I turned off towards Canterlots general direction and took off into the sky making a mental note to find everypony else from my team.

Author's Notes:

So Tempest faces his fears and fights through the zombie hoards to destroy all traces of them, well surface at least, he can't do too much except bury the remainder of them in the rubble he left behind. Though that does mean that a few may have survived, you never know with a alicorn spell gone wrong. I will be going into much higher detail with this "zombie outbreak" in General Tempests Knight which will be starting near that time since its only going to cover his early life. (Born to when he first became a knight in the prologue, so chapter 1 will bring the rest of the answers to you.) Hope you enjoyed it as I found this chapters development much slower than any of my other ones thus far, even when it comes to my other fics.

Also I did forget to mention in the earlier chapters, though come to think of it I never had a place to do so, that Tempest did name his guns. Top Left= Fury, Top Right= Judgement, Bottom Left= Duty, and Bottom Right= Honor, his swords also have names, Left= Vengeance and Right= Justice.

Stay Brony