FimFiction Link - Short ID: 224088/hunt-them
Published: Oct '14
Hunt Them is a 14k horror story. The fourth in the "...Them" series.
The undead plague continues to ravage Equestria. This time, the story takes place in Cloudsdale, where Spitfire is leading the few survivors and looking for any pony who could've also survived. However, things take a turn for the worse when it turns out someone is hunting the survivors.
You know that point in zombie media where they really want to put in some commentary and go "People are the real monsters" and all that? This is that point. The undead are incidental to the core plot. This could've easily been just any sort of post-apocalyptic scenario, and it would've worked just as well.
That being said, the story is still pretty good. Maybe even better than Entertain Them. It's a bit heavy handed with the symbolism, and the villain turned almost cartoony in the end. But in spite of those things dragging it down, the story still manages to be the most entertaining of the series so far. And that's thanks to Spitfire. She's just great in this fic. We are presented with so many facets of her personality, from how she feels as the defacto leader of the Cloudsdale survivors, to her guilt over having let the infection overrun the city, to her happiness when dealing with some of the survivors.
Granted, her backstory is barely explored, and as a result, it feels tacked on. However, the concept is solid. I just wish it had a bit more room to breathe.
I love the series so far. It's highly recommended to anyone who likes horror, thrillers, and character drama.