C.O.L.T.S II

Next chapter.

Big Macintosh walked through Sweet Apple Acres, it was a cool crisp spring day and the apple trees were in full bloom. He smiled as he went up to a nearby tree and bucked it. The apples from the tree fell to the ground. He picked up a red delicious and took a bite out of it, the sweet fruit quenching his thirst and fulfilling his huger at the same time.

"Big Mac!" A voice called.

"Whose there?" Big Mac said as he turned around and saw his family waving to him.

"Big Mac!" They all called again.

"Ah'm comin!" Big Mac said as he broke out into a sprint. Just as he was about to embrace his sisters the world suddenly went black. He felt a searing pain burn across his body. He had been dreaming for the last eight years and he had felt pain in his dreams but this pain felt so much more... real. He felt his eyes beginning to open as a bright light burned his retina and caused his pupil to shrink down to a tiny size. He shielded his eyes as the light burned his sight.

"AH!" He grunted as he fell over and hit the ground hard. His eyes finally adjusted and he saw what he thought was the burning light of the sun was nothing more than a mere candlelight.

"Where am ah?" He asked himself as he tried to get his bearings. He kept tripping and stumbling, something expected after eight years in suspended animation. His memories began flooding back to him.

"CAPTAIN! SHADOW! BLITZ! AUTUMN!" Big Mac yelled but got no answer.

"Could you keep it down?" A deep voice said. Big Mac grabbed his crossbow and turned into the direction where he thought he heard the voice come from.

"Whose there?" He demanded.

"That is no way to treat royalty." The voice said again as a dark form of dust appeared in front of him.

"Who are you?" Big Mac asked as a unicorns face came out of the mist.

"I am the master of shadows, the bringer of armageddon, the true king of the world, I am King Sombra!" The voice declared.

"That don't ring any bells." Big Mac said.

"I don't imagine it would, I have been here for a thousand years." Sombra said.

"Ah'm sorry to hear that, was it you who saved me?" Big Mac asked lowering his crossbow.

"No, that was my servant Discord." Sombra said as the dracconaques came out of nowhere.

"You turned mah sister into a liar and turned me into a dog!" Big Mac angrily said as he leapt at Discord who teleported behind him.

"Relax it was all in good fun." Discord replied.

"Yes, if it weren't for Discord you would still be in that infernal prison." Sombra said.

"What do you want with me?" Big Mac asked.

"I have a rather interesting proposition for you, bow down to me and serve me and when I become ruler of this world, you will be rewarded greatly." Sombra said.

"Ah I only bow to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Big Mac said as he pulled out his crossbow once more.

"Tsk tsk tsk, if you will not be my knight, you will be my PAWN! Sombra said as he used his magic to lift Big Mac into the air. Sombra used his magic to ignite the dark magic flowing through Big Mac's body but it did not work.

"What! How is this possible?" Sombra asked appalled that Big Mac resisted his corruption.

"The elements of harmony purified me so ah'd never go rampant again." Big Mac said.

"AHHHH!" Sombra yelled. "Begone with you! Mordras, make an example of this heretic who denies me!" Sombra shouted. Two creatures standing on their hind legs entered, one carried dual blades while the other carried a mace. They stood a head taller than Macintosh and had deep evil eyes similar to Sombra's.

"When I gain my mortal form by capturing the crystal heart, I will use the alicorn amulet to defeat the royal sisters and I shall become a god!" Sombra proclaimed as the two creatures converged on Macintosh. The stallion fired his crossbow but the arrows did nothing to stall the Mordras advance. Macintosh placed his crossbow on his back and drew his sword. The first Mordra swung at Big Mac but the pony dodged it only to be kicked by the other, the kick nearly shattered his armor and sent him flying nearly fifteen feet. Big Mac got back up and saw he had dropped his sword so he delivered an uppercut to the Mordra carrying the dual swords. He struck the creature as it backed off giving Macintosh time to kick the beast's feet out from under it causing it to fall over. The other Mordra brought his mace down on Big Mac who could not move in time. The hit from the mace completely demolished the armor on his head and even bruised his skull. Macintosh quickly tore off his mask as he got back up to face the beasts.

"Do you see now? Your doom is inevitable, bow to me and I shall spare you." Sombra said.

"Never!" Big Mac said.

"Then accept your demise, the Mordra's have the same powers you do if not stronger powers." Sombra said as the Mordras charged at Macintosh. The stallion jumped out of the way and did a somersault over one of the Mordra's heads. He delivered a solid buck right to the head which took off the creatures helmet and the creature fell back in pain. Big Mac took a battle ax that was hanging on the wall and chucked it right at the beast. The ax stuck right in between the Mordra's eyes causing it to panic. Big Mac ran up and grabbed the ax, he pulled it out taking the Mordra's head with it. He dropped the ax with Mordra's head still attached to it.

"Ah did it! Wait wasn't there another one? Oh buck!" Big Mac thought as the second Mordra, enraged at its partners death, swung it's sword down completely slicing off his left ear. Macintosh fell to ground in pain as blood gushed from his wound. The sight of his own blood unnerved him, all this time he thought he was immortal because of his training now only to see himself at the mercy of this dark being. The creature grabbed Macintosh by the throat and began squeezing, Big Mac brought his hind legs off and delivered solid kick to the creatures skin. The Mordra fell backwards in pain as Big Mac grabbed the mace from the dead Mordra and brought it down only to see it shatter against the Mordra's armor.

"WHAT?" Big Mac said shocked.

"They cannot be killed with their own weapons you foal!" Sombra chuckled. Big Mac couldn't believe this! Not even the Steel Talons or Gore were this ferocious! The Mordra got back up and elbowed Big Mac in the face breaking his muzzle. The Mordra brought his sword down on Big Mac who used his forehoof to take the blow. Macintosh's armor held out but his beaten and fatigued body was being overpowered by the Mordra. Big Mac decided he would have to retreat, he was in no condition to fight this thing. He picked up a boulder and chucked it at the Mordra causing it to be knocked back. Macintosh than sprinted as fast he could down the hallway to freedom.

"Leave him." Sombra said to the Mordra who went to chase after him. "Once he learns the truth about Princess Luna, he will break and I will send him to afterlife."

"What do you know about him and Luna?" Discord asked as he teleported to the magical form of Sombra.

"I have watched these many long years, he has feelings for the princess of the night, feelings she feels in return." Sombra said.

"He already knows she was Nightmare Moon, what else was wrong with her?" Discord asked.

"Something far worse than that." Sombra said laughing.

XXXX

Scootaloo awoke in a hospital bed with a pounding headache. She rubbed her head when she saw Featherweight and Applebloom sitting beside her bed.

"Oh my head! Featherweight?" Scootaloo said seeing the COLT-II at her bedside.

"Scootaloo! Thank Celestia you're alright!" Featherweight said.

"What happened?"

"You tried to do a sonic rainboom but yer body couldn't take it, luckily Featherweight was there to catch you." Applebloom explained.

"You saved me?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yes." Featherweight said.

"Thanks Featherweight! Guess that means you won huh?" Scootaloo said chuckling.

"I guess it does." Featherweight replied.

"Oh get a bloody room you two!" Pipsqueak said walking in.

"Howdy Pip!" Applebloom said.

"G'morning mate." Pip said.

"Hey where is Sweetie Belle at?" Scootaloo asked.

"She was with Spike, she had to fetch somethin fer Rarity since Autumn came back." Applebloom explained.

"Wait Autumns back?" Scootaloo asked. "They found them?!"

"Everypony but mah brother." Applebloom said sadly.

"I'm sorry Bloom, I-" Scootaloo said.

"It's alright, you didn't know." Applebloom said. Pip smiled at Applebloom's forgiving personality.

"Well, I wonder how Autumn is adjusting." Featherweight said.

XXXX

"But why would I ever agree to do something as stupid as this!?" Autumn demanded as Rarity attempted to take measurements of him so she could make some new clothes for him. Autumn however did not like the idea of being a model.

"Because you loved me!" Rarity replied.

"Listen lady, I appreciate the concern but I don't even know you!" Autumn said.

"Thats not true! We've known each other for the past ten years!" Rarity cried.

"Hey don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind goin out with you, you are quite a catch but I don't know you!" Autumn said. Normally Rarity would have loved being complimented but instead she just sat down and hung her head low.

"You really don't remember anything, I loved you." Rarity said tearing up. Autumn felt a tugging at his heart for some reason like he knew her but he never met her before! How could this happen? Whatever the reason was, he hated seeing mares cry so he went to comfort her.

"I'm sorry if I came off as rude but I'm just as lost and confused as you are." Autumn said. "If what you say is true and that I just can't remember anything I would do everything in my power to gain my memory back." Rarity sniffled as she looked back at the green stallion. She saw in his red eyes the same look he gave her all those years ago. There was hope that he would come back and she would not stop until Autumn could remember everything.

XXXX

"What is that thing?" Lionheart asked as Eaglebeak threw the dead creature he had slain hours earlier in front of the king. Lionheart was the new elected ruler of the griffon kingdom. He was much more gentle and beloved than his predecessor Claws Von Griffon was.

"We are not sure my lord, it attacked my team and knocked out Goldbeak and Clawthorne." Eaglebeak said.

"Guards! Take this beast to the laboratory and see if our scholars can decipher what it is." Lionheart ordered.

"Yes sire!" The guards said as they took the carcass out of the throne room.

"Captain I wish to speak with you." Lionheart said as he walked with Eaglebeak.

"What is it sire?" Eaglebeak asked.

"These attacks are not just happening here, the ponies, diamond dogs, even the dragons are reporting missing civilians." Lionheart said.

"What happens beyond our borders is none of our concern sire." Eaglebeak said.

"Well as of today now it is. I want you and your team to work with the COLT-II's and get to the bottom of this." Lionheart said.

"What?! You mustn't be serious!" Eaglebeak said shocked.

"But I am." Lionheart said.

"With all due respect sir, I personally fought the COLTS many years ago and I watched them slaughter our people and MY comrades! Such feelings of resentment do not die overnight." Eaglebeak said.

"But it has been eight years! You cannot keep living in the past captain." Lionheart said. "I will forever be ashamed of what Von Griffon did to our kingdom but I have learned to let go of the past as must you. Besides, the other ST's do not seem bothered by this.

"Yes but I am also the only ST left who served during the war eight years ago. None of the new ST's ever fought the ponies, some of them were even children when the war broke out so they have no resentment against the ponies like I do." Eaglebeak said.

"Fine I will not force you to work with the COLTS but if you refuse I will put you on guard duty for the local toy store." Lionheart said.

"Fine you win!" Eaglebeak said dreading at the thought of working security at a toy store.

"I always do captain." Lionheart said chuckling.