Remorse: The Color of Crimson

by Flame-LoneWolf

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Spike, Comedy, Tragedy, Big Macintosh, Adventure, DJ P0N-3, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Romance
Length: 177051

The story of a young stallion who wishes to retire from his past in the segregated town, Ponyville.

The story of a young ex-hitcolt by the name of Crimson Rays, better known as the Crimson Shadow. He wishes to retire, despite his age, to a quiet town in which to run away from his past remorse. Since he's been run out of so many towns, he's stumbled onto a fairly segregated town, completely ignorant of his reputation. Will he make new friends on this wild new ride, or be run out of this town like the ones before it?

Theme Song
Table of Contents

*Amazing cover art done by this awesome guy! Go read his fics: Dragon Of The Eclipse and Elder Scrolls: Equestria*

- This will be a fairly gory fic, contain swearing, and contain violence. You've been warned. Also, for most of the fight scenes, the ponies will be on their hind-legs, just telling you to save some confusion.

- There will be shipping in this story..... sorry.

- Tell what I need to improve, your opinions are all welcome!

- All criticism will be appreciated as long as it comes out as respectful.

- No, Crimson is not a self insert.

- Please inform me when I make a spelling or grammar related error and I'll do the best that I can to fix it!

- If it comes off as nerdy at times, I apologize. It'll probably come off as cheesy too, for which I again apologize!

- Many ideas were given to me personally by Super Big Mac. So show him love and check out some of his stuff, even if you hate this fic's guts like I do!~

Enjoy~

Published 2012-03-09 19:34:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-30 21:30:53 UTC

Chapter Two: Approaching Storm

Chapter Two: Approaching Storm

“Brother, are you sure about this?”

The Canterlot streets were mostly empty. Only a couple of royal guards were still outside, due to the heavy downpour today.

“Yes, sis. I don’t think I’ve ever been more motivated in all my life.” came from the white Unicorn stallion, his mid-length white mane with royal blue zig-zags, almost like lighting bolts, blew in the storm’s wind as he tried to reassure his twin sister. He looked fairly young, probably in his early 20’s. However, he was one of the finest guards Celestia had ever recruited. He took down down the five ‘Master’ ranked guards single hoofed, and led the Celestial army to victory through countless battles. His skills were almost unmatchable! Almost...

“Look sis; I’ll defeat and bring back the asshole, and I’ll still be in one piece.” He smiled to his sister, something he never did when he was away from her.

“That’s not what I’m worried about at all!” She said with a stern look on her face. They matched each other in appearance almost entirely, but she had a wild, unkempt mane, while her brother’s was straight. Her hair was lacking his blue marks.

“Lieutenant Scratch, everything is ready for your mission! Celestia has given you full permission to leave!” hollered one of the royal guards that was near the exit gates.

Storm looked deep into his sister’s red eyes with his royal blue ones, both being filled with the affection only a twin brother and sister shared.

“I’ll be fine, I promise... I love you, sis, and I’m not going to leave you any time soon either.”

“I love you too, bro!”

The siblings hugged, holding each other with such an embrace as many of the guards felt teary eyed at the heart warming scene. They’ve been through everything together, the good and the bad. Especially the bad. They only had each other, and it was rare to see a bond come close to as strong as theirs.

The two separated, as it was time for Storm to complete his search,

“See you later, Vinyl.”

“See you soon, Storm.”

Storm parted with his sister, regaining his stern, emotionless look, and hate filled eyes. The only time he showed any sign of emotion was when he was with his sister. The guards backed away from his path, while giving a salute, as they knew not to get on his bad side.

‘And please don’t do anything stupid!’ went through the mind of the worried Vinyl as she watched her brother near the exit.

The guards opened the gate for him, as he made his way forward.

“Have a safe mission, sir.” One of the guards spoke up.

“Hmph, who do you think you’re talking to?” responded Storm.

Storm entered through the gate, which lead to a cliff. Canterlot was on the side of a mountain, so there are two sides needed to exit; the side that lead down the mountain for the non-flying creatures and land-driven carriages to enter and leave from, and the side for the Pegasus and other winged creatures, also where the Pegasus-driven carriages landed and took off. Storm decided to take the latter, as he figured was much quicker to exit from.

‘I’m coming for you, Red.’

Storm jumped from the ledge, falling at an incredible speed, as he dived nose down. No one was surprised or concerned. Storm was the best after all.

Or so they said...

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson had finally made it to the entrance of Ponyville. It was a rather lovely town, and it looked simple, which Crimson liked. The town look better then many of the other towns he was kicked out of; Manehattan was much too crowded, Trottingham had many ponies with too thick of an accent to make out what they were saying, Appleoosa, Dodge Junction, and Las Pegasus were too damn loud and, well, you get the idea.

There were pony folk of all breeds, shapes and colors walking around the streets. It was no bother, he figured he’d probably never leave his house anyway. He wasn’t a social pony by any means.

‘So this is Ponyville, huh?’ Crimson thought to himself.
As soon as he took the first step, a quick, pink pony was suddenly approaching him. It was a mare...

‘Maybe she’s just passing by, at a really fast speed... Maybe she’s in a hurry. Yeah, that’s it! She’s in a hurry to see somepony that isn’t me! I pray that’s the case. I want to keep away from any social interaction as much as-’

“Hi there, new guy! My name's Pinkie Pie! What’s yours?!”

‘-possible... And why can’t I finish any of my thoughts today?!’

“That’s none of your concern.” answered Crimson in his usual dull tone.

“Oh, but it is!!! My name is Pinkie Pie, And I am here to say! I’m gonna make you smile and I will brighten up you your day!~” sung the overly energetic pink pony, now known as Pinkie Pie. She had a nice voice, he had to admit. She was quite the looker too, she had a beautiful hot pink coat, an even pinker, poofed-up mane, and sparkly light blue eyes. But still, he didn’t want to be anywhere near her.

Crimson put his hoof to her mouth in an attempt to make her go quiet.

“Fascinating. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I have something very important I have to do. So go awa-”

“Really!? What is it you have to do?! Huh, huh, huh?! I bet I could help! Are you new!? Do you want to buy a house?!?!? I could definitely help you with that!!! I haven’t been this excited since my friend Twilight first came to Ponyville!!! I was all like *GASP*, but she said it doesn’t make much of a good impression, so I haven’t been doing that anymore! You have a cape! Does that make you a superhero?!?!?!? Are you Batcolt?!?!?! That would be SO COOL!!! Well, not as cool as Rainbow Dash anyway! By the way, I don’t think I ever caught your name! What is it, huh, huh, huh! Is it... Black Snooty!? How about Dark Cape-y!? No no no, Mystery Mane, MYSTERY MANE!!! Is that it!? No?! Well then what is it, What is it, WHAT IS IT?!?!?!” she managed to say without so much as taking a single breath.

Crimson was getting irritated at this point, she even called his favorite cloak a cape! However, he decided to keep his cool. He sighed angrily; he knew he wasn’t going to get out of not telling Pinkie Pie his name, so he thought he might as well get it over with.

“If I tell you, will you promise to stop asking?”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” she replied.

“My name is Crimson Rays, alright?” He snorted, trying his best to calm down. He was hungry, tired, and getting very, very annoyed. The pink pony before him seemed to not even notice.

Pinkie Pie squealed as she bounced around Crimson in a small circle, giggling as a thought crossed her mind.

“What’s so funny?” Crimson sighed.

“I just had a thought! Your name is Crimson, right? And that’s kinda boring. Can I call you Magenta? Or Maroon! Ohh! Ohh! I know! A cooler, SHORTER name! Like.... RED! Yeah! That’s your new name, Red! Red, Red, Red, Red, Red!”

Crimson’s eyes grew, his pupils dilating in horror. It was that name. The name only his closest friends and loved ones called him. The name that Bright Star used to call him...

Crimson fell to his knees and held his head with his hooves, the memory too horrifying to remember, the remorse too much to bare.

“H-hey, what’s wrong!? Are you okay!?” asked the concerned pink pony.

“Just shut up!!!” shouted the colt, tears threatening to leave his eyes. “What makes you think you have the right to call me by the name, huh?! Mind your own fucking business and leave me alone!” Crimson shouted again, as he broke down in front of her.

“I... I’m sorry...” Pinkie Pie whimpered, fearing that she’d gone too far. She... she was just trying to be friendly...

As he looked at her, he noticed tears streaming down her face. He also noticed that her hair went straight, and she became a slightly darker pink. Her voice even lost some of it’s high pitch as she continued to apologize through her blubbering. Crimson felt extremely heart-broken at the sight, knowing it was his fault she was the one breaking down now. If he had only one good quality in his body, it was that he hated to see others cry.

Crimson quickly gathered himself together, calming down as he tried to help the mare.

“Look, I’m sorry I-” Crimson was cut off by a voice in the distance

“Pinkie Pie? Hey Pinkie, wait up, I- …GIRLS, SOMETHING’S WRONG WITH PINKIE!!!”

‘Oh no...’

That was the right thought, Crimson knew he was screwed.

“Pinkie, what’s wrong!?” asked the very concerned lavender Unicorn mare. She had a neat, clean cut dark colored mane and tail with a single violet and rose stripe going down both, and violet eyes.

She was accompanied by four others, all mares. The first was an orange Earth pony with a blond mane in a pony tail, along with her actual tail, emerald colored eyes, and a stetson. The other was a white Unicorn with a fancy, curled indigo mane and matching tail, and azure colored eyes with plenty of mascara and appeared to be wearing a lot of make up. The next was a cyan Pegasus with a messy, short rainbow colored mane, a matching, longer tail, and rose colored eyes, she could also almost pass herself off as a colt with her tomcolt-ish appearance. The last was a light yellow Pegasus with a long, pale pink mane that slightly curled to the side of her face, a matching pink tail that hung to the ground from it’s length, and graceful teal eyes.

“Hey, Pinkie, what’s up? Did this bonehead do something to you? I bet he did, didn’t he!” the rainbow maned Pegasus shouted, riling herself up for a fight.

“I didn’t mean to do this to her, I’m sorr-”

“So it was your fault!!!” She charged at him, but the orange Earth pony managed to caught her tail with her mouth before she could get to him.

“Why you little dyke! Don’t you dare try to fight me, I’m-”

“You’re what? Huh?” the lavender Unicorn butted in.

Crimson noticed that all of them were starting to look at him quite angrily.

‘If I get in another fight, I’m going to get my ass kicked out of another town. I have to get out of here.’
Crimson snarled in anger, and darted away from the ponies, four of the mares galloping after him while the light yellow Pegasus stayed back to check on Pinkie. The rainbow maned one was catching up very quickly, so land travel wasn’t going to cut it.

He decided this was the time, as a pair of black wings popped out of his cloak as he took to the air. Yes, Crimson’s a Pegasus, but his wings are almost never in use, as he always wears his cloak to hide them, among other secrets he held.

“You wont get me kicked out of another town!” Crimson shouted back as he was still being chased. However, he seemed to lose them... other then the rainbow maned Pegasus, who was still dashing after him at great speed.

‘Are you kidding me?! How fast is this mare!?’

“You may have lost the others, but you won’t lost me, you emo prick!” yelled the mare.

‘I hate you so much...’

They kept the chase up for a while, dodging every obstacle in their path as they kept low to the ground. However, up ahead was none other then the lavender Unicorn! She charged her magic, and, not knowing what was going to happen, Crimson tried to bolt away vertically. With his momentary loss of speed, she easily managed to catch him in mid-air, and he fell and skidded through the dirt. She lifted him up, a rosy aura now around his body, and brought him back to the other four mares, who managed to finally catch up.

“But how?! You couldn’t have gotten ahead of me unless-”

“Unless I knew a short cut though the town? I’ve lived and studied here for over a year now, I think I’d know where to go if this situation ever came up!” said the Unicorn, priding herself as Crimson struggled in her grasp.

“Dammit!” Crimson shouted. ‘Guess I have no choice.’

As he was about to pull something out from his cloak, he suddenly spotted a speeding pink blur headed their direction.

“Stop! No! Nononononononononono! Stoppit! Let me explain what happened!” shouted Pinkie Pie as she finally caught up, breathing hard, with only a sniffle every now and then.

“Ah think we know enough to know what happened here, sugercube!” said the orange Earth pony with a noticeable country accent.

“No, you don’t know what happened, it was my fault!” said the saddened pink Earth pony, her color and mane were the same as before.

“HUH?!” came from everypony’s mouths, Crimson’s included.

“Yes it was my fault.”

“But we saw what this... monster did to you, darling. Surely you’re mistaken.” the white Unicorn, who spoke with a fancy, posh accent, tried to clarify.

‘Heh, monster. Now where have I heard that one before?’ Crimson thought sarcastically, chuckling to himself.

“No, you’re wrong, and please don’t call him a monster! Look, if I’d just stopped bugging him like an Annoying Annoyerson when he asked me to, and hadn't called him that nickname like a Rude-y McRuderpants, then this never would have happened,” the pink pony explained with a sniffle and a frown.

‘Is she actually... defending me?’ Crimson was honestly shocked. After what he did to her - whether or not she deserved it - she was still defending him. This mare had a heart of gold, which made him feel even worse.

“Pinkie, are you sure-” the lavender Unicorn tried to get in.

“Yes I’m sure, Twilight! I just said I was, didn’t I?!” shouted the pink pony, which quite frankly surprised everypony.

“Okay okay, sorry!”

The lavender one, now known as Twilight, released her magic hold on the colt as he landed on the ground on his fours. She didn’t like it, but she trusted her friends, and she knew better then to doubt Pinkie Pie by now.

“Well, what are you waiting for?! Get out of here!” the cyan one growled. Crimson’s eye twitched.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack scolded, even though she felt like saying the same.

“I was going to, brat!” Crimson responded. ‘Damn it, I need to keep my emotions in check! But I can’t help it, that one drives me crazy!’ She seemed to infuriate him the most, which she seemed to be happy about. “...I’m sorry, Pinkie.” With an amazing burst of speed, Crimson’s body suddenly flickered and vanished into thin air, leaving some very confused mares behind.

“Did he just... vanish?! He’s no Unicorn, so he couldn’t have used a Teleportation spell! Maybe he...” Twilight rambled on to herself, trying to figure out how this could possible make any sense.

“How fast is this guy?! What if he destroys my chances to become one of the Wonderbolt?! No way, everyone knows I’m the fastest, coolest, most awesome pony in Equestria! And besides, he’s never performed the Sonic Rainboom! Heh, what was I worrying about?!” Dash bragged to herself, as the orange Earth pony seemed to roll her eyes at the Pegasus’ sudden change in morale.

“...Come on, Pinkie... I bet some sweets at Sugercube Corner will cheer you up. I mean, if that’s okay with... you...” said the pale yellow Pegasus, trying her best to be more assertive and help her friend.

“Thanks guys, but I think I’ll just go to bed for the night.” Pinkie responded morosely.

This left her friends very shocked. Not only did Pinkie Pie just deny sweets, but it was only three o’clock in the afternoon! They didn’t know what to do, it was usually Pinkie cheering others up, not vice versa. She even sang about it once! It’s all that stupid colt’s fault, hopefully he already left, then he wouldn’t be a nuisance to their lives anymore!

Little did most of them know however, that they’d meet that mysterious colt again. Sooner then they had ever hoped...

*****************************************************************************************************************

After the events from today, Crimson was left feeling depressed. When Crimson gets depressed, UNSPEAKABLE THINGS HAPPEN!!! Nah, he just gets drunk off his ass! Now don’t get me wrong, Crimson isn’t an alcoholic, it’s very rare when he drinks actually. He just does it when life’s got him really down. Luckily, he isn’t near bars or liquor most of the time he is, or he’d have died from alcohol poisoning by now.

It had been about 2 hours since the big chase, in which he had spent most of that time in a bar called ‘Appletini’s’. Rumor has it that it has not only many exotic drinks, but many exotic people have visited this bar. I guess we can chalk Crimson up to list, huh?

“Sir, don’t you think you’ve had enough to drink?”

“Don’t tell meh whan I’ve hod en-*hic*ough alright!”

Our protagonist everybody...

“Sir, you’ve already had three shots of whiskey, and a shot of vodka!” the attempted convincing from the bartender pony continued.

“Mind ya own damn business! Now, Ah think I’ll hove dat Afterburner thingie!” Crimson drunkly proclaimed.

“But sir, I-”

“Ma name’s not ‘Sir’!” The drunk Crimson reached over the bar and held him by his uniform. “Now bring me that drink, now!”

To put it mildly, the bartender pony looked like he was going to piss himself.

“I-I’m sorry, si- I mean, we r-ran out of one of the ingredients for that one!” At the look in Crimson’s eyes, the bartender got panicked. “Oh, pleasedon’thurtme!”

“Is this what you’re looking for?” The voice belonging to the pink hoof that slid a glass bottle of Tabasco sauce on the counter.

“YES!” said the suddenly overjoyed bartender. “That’s the ingredient! Thank you so much, ma’am! I’ll get right on it! And would you like a drink on the house, miss?”

“No thank you, I’m fine.”

Crimson looked out the corner of his eye, to see that the mysterious voice was none other than Pinkie Pie. He noticed something different about her. Her hair was poofy again, but not quite as poofy as when he met her, she still didn’t seem to be the right shade of pink either. But what really caught his eye however were her reddened, tear-stained cheeks, which looked recent too. Crimson felt like taking a sword to the heart.

“You seem to be the first of my friends to like hot sauce.” She said with a gentle smile.

“Look, Ah’m sorry fer what happened a while ago.” said the sincere drunk.

Pinkie giggled at how he tripped over his words, but her smile faded as she remembered her guilty feeling.

“No I’m sorry...” responded the sad pink pony.

“Fer wat! Ah’m da one who was actin’ like an asshole!” Crimson protested.

“I’m the one who wouldn’t shut up when I should have!” Pinkie Pie responded.

“Ya didn’t know any*hic*thing! Plus, ya were jus’ tryin’ ta be mah friend!!” Wise words for a drunk.

“I... Thank you.” she finally surrenders.

“No prob*hic*lem!”

They conversed for hours, giving Crimson time to finally sober up a bit, not completely, but enough to correctly form sentences.

“Elements of Harmony, huh?” said Crimson as their conversation went on. They decided to learn more about each other.

“Yup, all six of us!” answered Pinkie, who looked much happier then earlier after finally making amends. Hair back to normal, normal shade of pink, and tear stains nearly invisible. She was returning to her good old self again, one Crimson missed seeing.

“And you actually managed to defeat Nightmare Moon AND Discord, the god of chaos?” Crimson asked, slightly shocked at the fact that six mares could actually take down not one, but two feared creatures that can easily be considered deity status.

“Yes Indeedie Tweedie!” responded the energetic mare.

“Though, Princess Luna doesn’t like being called that anymore. Well, maybe exclusively on Nightmare Night! He he!~” giggled Pinkie as she reminisced on the event of the last Nightmare Night.

“Well, I have to say, I’m a bit impressed.” Crimson finally admits.

“Aw, it was nothing! I couldn’t have done it without my friends! We all did it with the power of friendship!” Pinkie proclaimed, not realizing how cliche her words sounded sometimes, but she meant it with all her heart. She almost fell off her stool before placing her forehooves on the bar again.

“Heh, sorry, I don’t think I can relate.” admitted Crimson, not noticing how weighted his words actually came out. Pinkie frowned a bit.

“So I told you a little about me, now for you!”

Crimson was shocked by the question, but honestly couldn’t say he didn’t see it coming sooner or later. Though, he wished it was later.

“Okay, promise you won’t tell anypony else?”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” chanted Pinkie, who also made motions as she did it, such as putting her hoof over her eye.

‘...I really hope this doesn’t bite me in the ass later, and get me thrown out again.’ Crimson took a deep breath and sighed as he got ready to explain.

“Alright. You see, my life has pretty much sucked. I’m an orphan. My parents died in a chariot accident when I was five. And I ended up being abused at my old orphanage.” Crimson frowned and took another swig of Afterburner, the hot sauce tingling his throat.

“That’s awful!” Pinkie symphathized.

“Eh, I’m over it. Sort of...” he mumbled under his breath.

“Anyway, after running away at 13, and after... certain events, I was offered a job when I was 18 years old too, putting it lightly, “get rid of” ponies I was told to.”

“How’d you do that? Did you throw them a party to distract them?! I love parties!!!”

‘Is she serious?’ he thought, astounded by her naivety.

“Not exactly...”

“Did you make them go to sleep?”

“...Close...” Crimson said. ‘You don’t know how close you were, kid.’

“Did you bake them a cake? Oh, I love cakes! Pinkie rambled. “Especially Chocolate! Do you like cake?! ‘Cause if you do, I help run a bakery called Sugercube Corner that makes the BEST cakes!!! All kinds of pastries actually! I totally-”

Crimson rubbed his forehead with a hoof. “Do you wanna know or not?”

“Oops, sorry! Go on, continue!” Pinkie said with a blush and an innocent smile across her face. Crimson sighed, he knew what was going to happen next.

“I... I was stupid. I got in a lot of fights. Always angry. Not many friends to speak of.” He looked Pinkie in the eye, and what she saw scared her. “You might look around and see a perfect world, but... When you’re fetlock-deep in a pool of blood, you know. You really know about everything out there. I’ve spilled blood for money. I made ponies die. Didn’t matter whether they were good or bad. What Boss said was law. Boss says kill, I ask how and where. Never why.” He took another gulp. “I’ve started asking that recently.”

Pinkie looked at him in horror. “You... you... blood... kill... why..?” It was too much for her. She couldn’t cope with this, not when she was all about fun. She fell off her stool and landed on the floor with a crash.

A couple ponies turned their attention to them, as they witnessed the scene.

“Nothing's wrong here, everything’s absolutely fine over here! She, uh, just had too much to drink.” Crimson explained nervously, but the ponies were too drunk to make it their business and everypony’s focus wandered back to what they were previously doing. Crimson sighed in relief. ‘How did they believe me? They probably didn’t, but from the events Pinkie told me happens here, they’ve most likely seen weirder.’

“Looks like I’ll have to get you home.” He hoisted the party pony onto his back, paid for his and her drinks, and stumbled out of the bar.

After finally finding Sugarcube Corner, he felt Pinkie shifting on his back, a wordless groan escaping her lips. “Ohhh... What happened?”

“Sorry, Pinkie. I... think I said too much.”

Pinkie started sniffling. “You... killed ponies.” It wasn’t a question. He didn’t answer. “Doesn’t... don’t you ever feel bad?”

“Sometimes,” he admitted, “but not most of the time. Once you’ve lived a life like mine, guilt is something you don’t have time for. Also, have you ever heard of... the Crimson Shadow?”

“Hmmm.... no, can’t say I have.” she answered.

That felt like a buck to the nads. ‘Wow, I heard this town was segregated, but... just wow!’ It hurt the colt’s pride, but at least he won’t be recognized here.

“Anyway, that’s all sounds really horrible, but I don’t know enough about you, so I can’t exactly judge yet.” Pinkie’s honest, you have to give her that.

“Thanks. And if it makes you feel any less horrified, I quit the business a while ago.”

“How long ago exactly? A few years ago? Not long after you joined maybe?” She tried to guess.

“Six months ago.”

He could have sworn Pinkie’s jaw hit the floor.

“Months! You’ve been doing that long?! Wait, how old are you anyway?”

“Twenty-two” Crimson said flatly, trying to hide his irritation from his face.

“You’ve been doing it for four years!!!”

“Yes, four years. Look, when you’ve got nothing going for you and you’re all alone, you’ve gotta drop all of your morals and fend for yourself any way possible. I only had two choices. Be a dead pony, or a pony with ‘deaders’. Now can we drop this please?” Crimson sighed. He didn’t tell her the full reason, but he knew it wouldn’t have been a smart idea.

‘Loves to fight, angry at the world, and hates everything with a passion’ are details that wouldn’t help his case one bit. Crimson Rays is a cold, quiet, ruthless, stubborn, tempered, fearless, bold, sadistic, and emotionless (mostly) young twenty-two year old colt. He's dealt with hardships most ponies would never even come close to having to go through, but it had given a more solid, calm demeanor for it. His near genius IQ, strong, fast, and agile body, and analytical mind made him what he was. However, his detachment to the world around him has made him a very antisocial, hateful, and a dark colt as well.

“Alright, we’ll drop the subject,” Pinkie surrendered. ‘For now anyway...’ She looked at him, head cocked to the side. “But there’s still one thing I wanna know.”

“And that might be?” he asked with dread in his voice.

“Why did you melt down when I called you ‘Red’? Red’s a color right? Do you not like the color red, ‘cause if you did that’d be ironic, what with you wearing so much red and all! And-”

“You’re getting off topic again.”

“Sorry!” apologized the once again embarrassed pink pony.

“Okay. I’m not going to go quite into detail, but I’ll let you know what matters.” said Crimson.

Pinkie nodded her head in agreement, she didn’t want to make him upset again.

“You see, back when I had friends, that was sort of my nickname. But it was also the nickname a little filly I thought of as my sister called me.”

“Aww, that’s sweet!” exclaimed the pink pony.

“Heh, yes, it was. However, she was also my last “hit” I was assigned to perform as well.” Pinkie Pie gasped with horror, and then horror screamed. Pinkie didn’t feel like screaming, so she just let horror have its moment.

“You see,” Crimson continued, “her name was Bright Star, and my employer assigned me to execute her because of her magic ability. It was an inherited ability in her family, it let her access a key to untold power, power many ponies with black hearts would love to get their hooves on. I can’t exactly tell you what it is, I was never told. What I can tell you however, is that many people wanted her. Either to take her power, or kill her. Most of her family was slaughtered already, including her parents. So, she was an orphan like me. She was alone. She was like me.” His face drooped into a frown as his eyebrows furrowed. “Just like me.”

Pinkie was completely quiet, focused on hearing the rest of this story.

“I ended up saving her instead, which was a foolish idea on my part, knowing how much trouble I could have gotten into. I never told my boss, either. We ended up creating a bond as though we were like brother and sister. One day, he found out that I never actually finished the job. I pleaded, but he gave me three days or he’d kill me himself. I almost considered letting him, but I knew that if he did, Bright would have no where else to go. She’d just be hunted again, and meet an even more terrible end. And worse, she’d die alone. I knew no matter where I hid her, she’d be found and meet her end. Every way I thought of ended up with her end. So...” Crimson put his head down. “I decided to do it myself. Worst mistake I’ve ever made.” Crimson’s voice started to get shaky. “She woke up. Dammit, if only she’d just stayed asleep...”

Pinkie was still silent.

“Killing kids always made me feel the most guilt. But I pretty much killed my sister. I’ve never felt more remorse in my entire life. I wasn’t able to sleep without a nightmare once, I couldn't live with myself, the guilt was unbearable. I decided to quit. Let’s just say my employer didn’t take that too well. He tried to persuade me to stay with information very valuable to me. I lost my cool and tried to get it out of him by force, which was a big mistake. He... kicked my ass.” Crimson cringed at that last part. “I managed to escape, take what I needed and go. The problem with that was that I had nowhere to go. The hitcolt business offers you to live at the headquarters. So I’ve been jumping around villages and towns, trying to find a place to stay. A place to retire, and leave the past behind me. Another problem however, was that I have a enormous bounty on my head just to have me executed, ordered by Princess Celestia herself.” Crimson decided to leave out how much that bounty was.

“So, I’ve been to and been chased out of every place I could find, found Ponyville, got chased by four angry mares, and here we are now.” he finally finished.

Pinkie Pie was really being quiet now. Crimson looked to see that she had tears streaming down her face.

‘Great, I made her cry AGAIN.’ thought the miserable colt.

“Hey, come on now, please don’t cry! Let’s change the subject, alright? How about we talk about how much you love pastries?” Crimson attempted to cheer the once again miserable pink pony up.

Pinkie Pie simply nodded. “Sure, I guess...”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Gah! How many towns do I have search before I find you?!” yelled the frustrated white Unicorn.

Terrorize might have been the better word for it. He interrogated everyone in sight, even left a few severely injured to achieve his goal. At least most of them gave straight answers, as they hated his target more than they hated him. Now he was just in a wasteland, no town in sight for miles. Free to let his emotions rampage.

“I’ve searched EVERYWHERE! Las Pegasus, Manehatten, Trottingham, Baltimare, even Hoofington and Appleoosa! Where else could you possible be?!”

Storm let his magic loose, his horn becoming coated in sparks. He formed a mass of electricity in his hoof and shot it at a nearby bolder, coming out as a powerful beam of lightning. After making a miniature explosion, where the bolder once stood was nothing but a fairly large crater in the ground, as it disintegrated from the blast. Storm sighed in frustration, not feeling one bit satisfied.

“Keep it together, Storm. You’re gonna go insane if you keep this up.” he said to himself, bringing a hoof to his face.

“It’s just two more towns anyway, I can bottle my rage in ‘til then. First Fillydelphia, then Ponyville.” Though he highly doubted he’d be in such a segregated like Ponyville, it was almost nonexistent and the population was small, he’d stand right out.

“I’ll find you, Red. You won’t escape your Divine punishment.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson and Pinkie both shared an ominous shiver.

“Wow, my Pinkie Senses have never done that before!”

“Heh, Storm’s coming.” Crimson chuckled.

“But, I swore the Pegasus ponies said that it was going to be clear skies for the whole next week!” Leaving the bubbly mare confused.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, that wasn’t a bad talk, but I think it’s time I head out.”

“Oh! Do you have to?” the energetic pink pony asked.

“I gotta find a place to sleep.” He looked at the clock mounted above the dresser in Pinkie’s room.

“But, it’s almost midnight...” He sighed, knowing that he’d just have to ask. “Can I stay the night, Pinkie?”

“Ohmigosh, yes! Even if you were a meanie killerpony, now you’re just a meanie sad pony! And I’m gonna help you cheer up, or my name isn’t Pinkamena Diane Pie!”

Crimson snorted. Then, when he saw the face Pinkie was making, he full out laughed. He hadn’t laughed like that since... well, he didn’t want to think about it. Without even thinking about it, he drifted to sleep on Pinkie Pie’s floor, with Pinkie humming a happy tune to herself as she got cozy in her bed.

“Hey, Crimson?” Pinkie shook him, trying to wake him up. He had only slept for maybe an hour.

“Yes?” Crimson grumbled.

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea if you stay here anymore. I mean, it’s nothing against you, it’s just that the Cakes already have so many things to take care of, like their new twin foals, that they have enough on their plates as it is.” Pinkie explained with a sad look.

“It’s alright, Pinkie. I understand.” he responded. He took a glance at the clock on the wall, 12 am.

“You still need a place to stay, huh.”

“Yeah. I’d like to find a house for sale.”

“Well, I think I can help you there!” Pinkie smiled. “I don’t think the Cakes will let any more people stay at Sugercube Corner, they just got kids, and it’s been a real crazy few months since, but I think I have a friend who has more then enough room!”

‘Please tell me she’s not-’

“My friend Applejack runs a huge apple farm called Sweet Apple Acres, I’m sure you could-”

“Out of the question. If it was one of your friends that I met, then they won’t let me take a step near their property!” Crimson pointed out.

“Applejack is the most inviting, friendliest pony I know, I’m sure she’d let you stay once I convince her! And besides, you have nowhere to go, and she’s probably your best bet.” Pinkie reasoned.

“But I- *sigh* fine.” he said, once again admitting defeat.

“Woohoo!!! Pinkie bounced around him. “This is gonna be great, my new friend, hanging out with one of my best friends! Like a slumber party! Maybe you’ll even become best friends and-”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up- wait.” He stopped in his tracks yet again, “Did you just call me... a friend?” Crimson interrupted.

“Of course! Unless.. you don’t feel the same.” A sad look forming on her face.

“No, no, it’s not that!” he reassured, trying to prevent more water-works. “It’s just that... I’ve never had many friends, at most five. But... most of them kind of hate my guts.” he tried to explain.

“Aw, why would you say that?” asked the concerned Pinkie Pie.

“I... don’t wanna talk about it.” he simply stated.

“Oh, okay then.” She said, sounding a bit disappointed. “Well, don’t you worry, I’m your friend, and if I can get my friends to warm up to you, then they’ll wanna be your friend too! We are friends, right?” asked the hopeful mare.

“Yes, Pinkie Pie, we’re friends.” he answered, showing a gentle smile, something he hasn’t shown anypony for a really long time.

Pinkie Pie flashed a smile from ear to ear, the biggest smile he’s seen her reveal yet.

“Yes!!! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!!! You even finally said my name!!!” She dashed towards him and wrapped her arm around him in a rib breaking hug. This probably would have hurt most ponies, but Crimson was built solidly of muscle, honed from years of fighting.

Crimson’s face now matched the red in his hair, he wasn’t the touchy-feely type, especially with mares. He was terrible with them, probably why he’s never had a fillyfriend. That, and he thinks “love” is a waste of time, as it was something he’s never experienced.

He gave up and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her, completing the hug. Eventually for what felt like forever to Crimson, Pinkie Pie broke the hug and hopped off.

“Come on, we gotta get to Sweet Apple Acres, remember silly?!” she excitedly shouted, not feeling the least bit embarrassed.

“Huh? Oh yeah, right, coming!” Crimson said as he awkwardly ran to catch up to Pinkie as she giggled at him.

‘Heh, so this is what it’s like to have a friend again.’

*****************************************************************************************************************

It was 12:30 am, and just as Applejack finished applebucking the trees before she went to bed, until she heard the unmistakable springy sound of Pinkie Pie coming her way. Following close behind the pink mare was a cloak-clad colt, cautiously cantering across the field towards the apple grove AJ was currently in. “Gah’sarn’it... Wha’s he doin’ here?”

She trotted forward to meet Pinkie, and the colt.

“Um... hello-”

Right as he said that, she lunged and tackled the colt to the ground. Just as she was about to bring her hoof to his face, the colt spoke up.

“Waitwaitwait, I can explain!!!”

“Best ya start fast! An’ ya’ll better have give me a good reason why I shouldn’t shove mah hoof up yer-”

“Hi Applejack!” the carefree pink pony popped her head in between the farm filly and the cloaked colt.

“Pinkie, what in tarnation-”

“This is my friend, Crimson Rays! But you already met once! What’cha guys doing now, wrestling?”

“Something like that.” the colt spoke sarcastically.

“Quiet, you!”

Applejack finally got off Crimson as it was Pinkie Pie’s turn to explain.

“Ya better have a darn good reason for this, Pinkie!”

“I do actually! You see, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, and we made up at a bar you see! He’s a really good pony once you get to know him!” Pinkie said enthusiastically.

The orange pony just glared at him. ‘Is she really being serious?’

‘So this is Applejack.’ Crimson thought to himself, ‘Should have guess, what with her having three apples as a cutiemark and all. Not that I was looking there, but... nevermind.’ He watched her sigh, turning her attention back towards Pinkie.

“So why exactly did ya bring him here?” asked the confused farm mare.

“I was wondering if he could stay with you for a while until he finds his own place to stay!” Pinkie responded.

“Absolutely not!” she shouted.

“Told you.” Crimson deadpanned.

“Please Applejack, would you really let another pony lay in the street and starve?!” Pinkie reasoned.

“Well, no but... what ‘bout lil’ ol’ Apple Bloom?! Are ya sure he wouldn’t try to do nothin’ to her?!”

“Are you insinuating that I would... what the hell is wrong with you?!?!?!” yelled the insulted Crimson.

“What’s wrong with me? Look what ya’ll did to Pinkie, are ya really as good of a pony as she says ya are?!”

“Applejack, I already told you what happened! It wasn’t his fault!” Pinkie tried to explain.

Crimson sighed, “No Pinkie, it really was my fault.” Crimson admitted, shocking both the mares as he went on. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you to begin with, you just wanted to be my friend. It’s my fault, and I’m owning up to my mistake.” Well, it's a start.

“But ya, Ah... Ah...” Applejack was almost speechless, shocked at the level of maturity the colt showed her, but she sighed and tried to gather her words. “... Fine.” she gave up. “I guess I’ll let ya stay for a while.”

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou, Applejack!” Pinkie ran up and hugged her, knocking the wind out of her.

“No *wheeze* problem, sugercube.” As she was being hugged by Pinkie, Applejack managed to throw one last mean stare at Crimson.

“Alright, I guess my job here is done!” Pinkie proudly stated and got ready to leave. “I’ll be back tomorrow to see how you guys behave! Bye guys, and have fun!” Pinkie shouted as she bounced home.

“Yeah, fun.” The two said in sync. They waved until Pinkie was out of sight,
.
“Alright, now shut up an’ follow me to yer room.” she said bitterly.

‘Yeah Pinkie, she’s real friendly.’ Crimson sarcastically thought to himself.

Just as they where heading back to the barn, Crimson noticed a rustling in the bushes.

“Um, Applejack was it? There seems to be someone out here watching us.”

“What in tarnation are ya-” she stopped, shocked to see he was actually right. She sighed yet again. “Come on out, Apple Bloom.” she demanded.

A little filly, with a pale yellow coat, orange eyes, and a red mane with a big pink bow in it stumbled out of the bush.

“Apple Bloom, what in the world are ya’ll doin’, spyin’ on us like that?” Applejack asked the filly. “When’d ya get down here, anyhow?”

“...about the time ya tackled him to the ground.” said the filly. Applejack put a hoof to her face and sighed.

“Well, I heard screamin’, so Ah came out to see what was wrong!”

“It’s alright, Apple Bloom, just get in an’ get ready for bed, okay? Ya got school tomorrow.” Applejack said.

“Aww...” Apple Bloom whined, until she noticed the colt standing next to her big sister. “Who is he, anyway?” she innocently asked Applejack.

“He’s nopony!” she angrily answered. “Just stay away from him, okay?”Applejack trotted off, with Apple Bloom and Crimson following behind her. As he was walking, the noticed that the filly reminded him a bit of Bright Star.

‘Damn it, Thinking like that will be the death of me! Gotta stay stop thinking about her, but.. am I able to?’ Crimson argued with himself, not noticing that they were already inside the barn. It actually looked pretty nice on the inside, like a regular home for a nice family.

“Night, sis! Apple Bloom yelled, hugging her sister tightly. Applejack did the same, as the sisters shared a heart warming ‘good night’ with each other. It reminded him even more of Bright...

The little filly ran up the stairs to her room, leaving the two alone once again.

“You best not try anything, ya hear?” Applejack warned. “Stay out of mah room while Ah’m asleep, or ya’ll will be sorry!”

“Oh will you give it a rest already? You’re like a broken record, I swear.” Crimson said in a dull tone of voice.

“I just know how most colts are.” Applejack responded.

“Yeah, well I’m not like most colts. I’ve never even had a fillyfriend before, I’m still a virgin-” Crimson put his hooves over his mouth, but it was too late. Both ponies just stood their with a noticable blush on their muzzles. He also said that a bit louder then he should have.

“...Ah didn’t need to know that.” Applejack said, flustered.

“Applejack, what’s a virgin?!” called Apple Bloom from the top floor.

“GO TO BED, APPLE BLOOM!!!” yelled the orange pony. They heard tumbling as Apple Bloom ran back to her room for her life.

“Nice one.” Applejack growled. “Now keep yer mouth shut an’ follow me.” She demanded, as Crimson rolled his eyes.

They finally made it to the spare bedroom upstairs. It was surprisingly roomy, and it had a bed! Crimson couldn’t even remember the last time he slept on a bed.

“Here’s your room, now go to sleep.” Applejack said bitterly.

“... thank you for letting me stay here, Applejack. Good night.” Crimson said softly to her.

Applejack was again surprised at Crimson’s behavior. ‘Gah! He’s jus’ TRYIN’ to make me feel bad, ain’t he!’ Applejack sighed. “Yer welcome, Ah guess. Night.” she said as she shut the door behind her. She felt guilty treating him like that, but she still didn’t trust him just yet.

*****************************************************************************************************************

‘Still haven't found him yet.’ the Unicorn thought bitterly to himself.

‘Oh well, at least the only place left to check is Ponyville. But it happens to be the farthest town from me at the moment. Goddess damn him to Tartarus, this is going to be a long walk...’

*~*~*

Editor here! Just wanted to say that while this was one huge confusing pile of awesome, it wasn’t that hard to edit. There were some holes that needed filling, but thanks to the wonders of Modding, I just created a bottomless stack of cobblestone, and filled it all in nicely. Well, enough about Minecraft! This fic is great, Wolfie! Can’t wait for the next installment! What’s gonna happen? Will Crimson ever find a home? Will he ever gain new friends? Will I ever stop asking questions? Will Crimson EVER get laid?!?!

… The answer to the last two questions are probably no, but... we’ll find out in the next chapter of.... What was I doing again? Why is this camera recording me? Hello? Hello?!

~Super Big Mac I’ve been sick. Deal with it.

Chapter Three: Loosely Bound

Chapter Three: Loosely Bound

‘Ponyville’s not far now, I should be able to make it by tomorrow.’ he thought to himself. It was about 4 o’clock in the morning, and running on only 5 hours of sleep, Storm was determined to make it to his destination as soon as possible, as he walked through the dangerous rocky wasteland crawling with wild animals and bandits. It may have been a mission given to him by Princess Celestia, but this was nothing short of a personal affair in his eyes.

‘I hope quitting didn’t make you soft, I at least want a challenge before I make you suffer...’

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson woke, a silent scream engulfing him as he squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught brought upon him by the sun. Working up enough mental strength, he thought, 'Why... Why did I let myself talk me into grabbing a drink last night?'

He rolled over, easing his eyes open, not recognizing his surroundings immediately. 'Heh. Guess I didn't look lonely enough to find myself waking up by a pretty mare,' he chuckled. ‘But that’s probably a good thing, sex is overrated anyway... even though I wouldn’t know.’ he sighed.

‘Wait...’ Crimson thought to himself, trying to recall what happened the day before. ‘Let’s see; finding Ponyvillle... meeting Pinkie Pie... chased by mares, not in the way most would like... got drunk... befriending Pinkie... I think that about covers it. Oh wait, I forgot ‘staying at cranky farmer’s home’. Though, she could have just thrown me out, so I guess I owe her one.’ Crimson was chalked full of bad qualities, but ungrateful wasn’t one of them.

He was finally able to pull himself out of the bed amidst much reminiscing, looking at the digital alarm clock that marked: 5:26 A.M; he never even set an alarm to go off, didn’t need to. Crimson started clumsily towards the bathroom, hoping a shower would lessen the crappy feeling he was suffering from. Through the months, Crimson used different bodies of water, from lakes to rivers, to get clean, so it had been a while since he’d used an actual shower.

‘Hey, it’s also been a while since I’ve been in hot water, too.’ This excited Crimson a bit, as he was eager to experience the touch of the warm water on his fur. As he entered the shower, Crimson sighed in pleasure as the water heated up little by little. The shower was also a bath as well, so he decided to lay down and relax for a bit. Running water did always make the colt drowsy...

‘Maybe a quick nap won’t hurt...’ he thought as he became more and more tired.

A half hour later, he started to towel himself off, ruffling his feathers and unfurling his wings to make sure that no water would remain to bog him down later. "Good morning, asshole." he said to the mirror. He flashed an easy smile, then winced as his brain throbbed against his skull in protest of the prior night's activities.

He took himself in. His messy black and red mane, and the dull sheen of his black coat. The scar that ran across his whole back a seething pink-white. And his weird cutiemark, a yellow Taurus symbol, a cutiemark that caused a life of torture for him growing up where he did. His eyes looked as nice as ever, he assumed. He'd been told that they were very dazzling, that they had a roguish quality that many mares found appealing. But, that didn't mean he could charm them too well, so he doubted the “complements” they gave him were true. To his name, all he had was 22 years of life, no fillyfriend, his cloak, his looks, his trusty martial arts, fighting tools, especially his katana, and his crappy memories along with his past remorse.

And Pinkie Pie...

It was around 6 o’clock now, as his stomach growled angrily. Crimson hadn’t eaten in almost three days. He had been toughing it out the best he could through these past few days, but was certain he would starve to death if he didn’t eat anything soon. Crimson put his cloak back on, as he didn’t want to scare anypony with his scar like many others, as he made his way to the kitchen.

‘Damn it, maybe I can find something to cook. I mean it is a farm and all. In fact, maybe I’ll make breakfast for the whole family, that’d be a good start at thanking them.’

He found some unfertilized eggs in the fridge, it was considered vegan, and some pancake batter as he got out all of the supplies for making it. While doing so, he noticed somepony trot sleepily into the room, but startled each other when they met eye contact.

“Um... hello.” Crimson said awkwardly.

“...Eeyup.”

Okay then.

It was another stallion like him, but he was very tall and muscled, a quality most colts would die for and most mares would swoon over. He had a short-cut orange mane and cropped tail that matched Applejack’s coat, a bright red coat that matched Apple Bloom’s mane, and emerald eyes that, once again, matched Applejack’s eyes. He also had a big yoke around his neck and his fetlock hairs were cut short to show his bare hooves, so he must have been a work pony, and his cutie mark was a green apple cut in half, so he must be apart of the family in some way, shape, or form. There was an awkward silence filling the room, the only kind of silence Crimson didn’t like, so he tried his hoof at starting a conversation, which he was never good at.

“So... are you like Applejack and Apple Bloom’s father or something?”

The red stallion chuckled, as he went to grab a seat at the breakfast table, which was a part of the kitchen. “Ah’m their older brother. Ah’m not that old, only 24.”

“Heh, I didn’t think you were quite that old myself, just trying to make sure.” he laughed as well.

“So... not to be rude, but what exactly are ya doin’ here and does it have to do with my sister?” asked the burly colt.

“It was Pinkie Pie’s idea actually, Applejack isn’t exactly happy about it.” Crimson answered.

The red stallion made a short laugh. “Pinkie’s quite the mare.”

“I have to agree!” Crimson laughed with him.

“But Ah do have to ask, why isn’t Applejack happy that ya’ll are here? She’s usually friendly with everypony.” the large colt asked.

“I- It’s a long story.” Crimson responded nervously.

“Ah’ve got some time before Ah start working, so Ah’m all ears.” the stallion offered.

“Well...” he started his explanation. “I’ve been hopping from town to town looking for a place to retire.”

“Retire, huh?” asked the stallion, “You look mighty young to be retirin’ I recon. What d’ya work in?”

“I... don’t feel comfortable answering that.” admitted Crimson.

“Tis fine, Ah understand entirely.”

“Thank you, I wish more people would. Now anyway, I haven’t had much sleep or food in a long time, so I was a bit cranky from traveling. Pinkie Pie tried her hardest to become my friend, but she unknowingly brought back a bad memory and I snapped at her. It didn’t go well at all, she was so heart broken and it felt like a stab to the chest. Before I could completely apologize, her friends jumped to conclusions and chased after me, though I can’t say I didn’t deserve it. When her friends finally caught me, Pinkie did all she could to defend me. She found me in a bar, we talked, we went to her place an- “

“Wait a minute...” He stopped when he saw the red stallion smile slyly at him. “No no no, it was nothing like that! We just talked, honest! Anyway, since I didn’t have anywhere to go, she said this would be a good place to stay before I got my own place. After Pinkie Pie begged Applejack to let me stay, she finally agreed, but didn’t like it one bit.” Crimson finally finished.

“...Eeyup.” the big stallion responded. He seemed to have an affinity with that word. “Well, they were just tryin’ to support their friend, but the mares jus’ got a little carried away is all. But ya’ll should already know how mares are.”

“Yeah, I know more then I’d like, but know less then I should. Weird, huh?” Crimson said, as the two shared another laugh.

“Heh, I like you. You’re a good listener, and you don’t constantly judge me and ask questions like most ponies.” Crimson said to stallion.

“Likewise.” he said back. “Ya seem pretty easy goin’ and down to earth, it’s rare Ah get to talk to another pony like that. Plus, another male that ain’t threatened by mah appearance is nice for a change.”

“Likewise. Most ponies find me scary, so it’s good to have at least one pony to talk to, since I’m sleeping here until I can find a place of my own. That is, if you feel comfortable with me here, I’ll leave if you tell me to.”

“Tis fine. Yer welcome to stay here, hospitality happens to run in the Apple family.”

“I see.” Crimson responded.

“Also, don’t worry ‘bout Applejack, she’ll warm up to ya sooner or later. She has a very big heart.” the colt reassured, “By the way, name’s Big Macintosh.”

“Crimson Rays.” Crimson responded back.

“Nice to meet you, Crimson. Now I think Ah’m going to get to work now, those trees ain’t goin’ to buck themselves.” Big Macintosh said as he went out the door from the kitchen that went straight outside.

“Sure you don’t want any breakfast first? Should be done in a couple of minutes.” he replied.

“Nah, I think Ah’m just gonna grab an apple or two as Ah get to the orchard.” answered the giant red stallion.

“Alright, nice talking talking to ya, man.”

“Eeyup.”

Breakfast was almost ready, and as he was about to set up the table, another figure of a pony came into the room. This one however, Crimson recognized.

“Morning, kid.” Crimson greeted.

Apple Bloom wanted to argue about him calling her that, but she was much too tired, as she sat down at the table and laid down her head, completely exhausted.

“Mrphnwrrdgyy...” she mumbled, Crimson guessed she meant “Mornin’, weird guy.” However, with a combination of her face scrunched between the tablecloth, and being too tired to form a fluent sentence, it was hard to tell. That is, until she sniffed the air.

“Wait, what’s cookin’?” asked the little filly. “Is that eggs an’... pancakes!?” She immediately perked up.

“Yup, it’s almost done too. You’re welcome to some if you’d like, well, this is your house, so you’re welcome to anything I guess.” the black colt replied like a true smart ass.

“Do you want to help me set the table, Apple Bloom?” he asked.

“Of course, mister... what’s yer name again?”

“Crimson Rays.” the colt once again answered. “And please don’t call me ‘mister’.”

“That’s fine! Applejack usually wants me to be on mah best behavior with strangers.” said the innocent little Apple Bloom.

“Does she now?” Crimson asked, ‘Well, I guess they can’t get much stranger than me.’ he thought to himself.

“Yeah, Applejack’s one of the friendliest ponies in Ponyville!” she exclaimed.

“Wow, then she REALLY must hate me.” he said to himself.

“What?” asked the confused Apple Bloom.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” the colt reassured. Apple Bloom just shrugged it off and went to give her assistance in preparing breakfast.

As they finally finished setting the table, another figure showed up once more.

“What in tarnation is goin’ on in here?” Applejack walked in, rubbing her eyes sleepily. They widened however, when she saw all of the food that was on the table. Four neatly placed dishes, each with a pancake and a side dish of eggs and toast. Each plate a fork and knife, both placed on top of a neatly folded napkin.

“What, did Rarity break into mah house an’ make us breakfast?” the astonished mare spoke. “Or’d ya’ll make all this, Apple Bloom?” she said, not even noticing the obvious insult on Crimson’s face. She found it easier to believe then Crimson making all thi-

“Heya, sis!” the filly greeted, already scarfing down her food. “Crimson made all of it, it’s so good!~” she exclaimed.

“Sorry for raiding your fridge, just wanted to show my appreciation for letting me stay here.” the colt spoke up.

‘What is that colt trying to pull?’ Applejack thought suspiciously, glaring at the colt with the nervous smile on his muzzle.

“Alright then...” she said, sitting down at the table as the filly leaps from her chair, already finishing her plate.

“Alright, Ah’m off to meet Sweetie an’ Scoots’ so we can walk together to school! Bye guys!” said the suddenly energetic Apple Bloom, running outside to head off to see her friends.

“Man, she’s so full of energy, wasn’t like that a couple minutes ago.” Crimson said. “Why is everyone up so early anyway?” he asked.

“A better question might why yer up so early.” she responded with a hint of irritation in her voice.

“Touche’.” Crimson responded back, “Well, I went to bed pretty early, well for an insomniac at least, and I never sleep too long, so...”

“Uh Huh...” Applejack said dully and unbelievingly. “Just who are ya tryin’ to convince, and just what are you tryin’ to pull?” she accused.

“Wow, you really don’t like me. That hurts a little...” the colt said with a sarcastic grin.

“Yer gonna feel really hurt in a second if ya keep at it.” she threatened.

“Calm down, just trying to lighten the mood.” Crimson defended. “What exactly are you scared of, anyway?” he asked.

“Who said Ah’m scared of you?” Applejack said with an angry tone. “Ah’m afraid of what ya might do while ya stay here.”

“And what might that be?” he asked with a bored look to match his tone.

“Ah’m worried ‘bout Apple Bloom, she’s too innocent to see through yer nice guy routine. Mah brother an’ Ah could kick yer flank easily if we wanted!” she threatened once again.

Crimson simply chuckled. “Whatever you say, cowgirl. I bet you could.” He chuckled, not realizing at all how bad that came out.

Applejack slammed her hooves on the table as she got up from her chair.

“JUST WHO THE HELL DO YA THINK YA ARE?!?!?!” she screamed, enraged beyond belief.

“Crimson Rays at your service.” the unsurprised Crimson went on. “Now calm down. Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit here?”

“Why ya little-” she grabbed her plate and threw it at the colt, food and all.

Crimson dodged plate, but the food was a different story. Better to let the mare win this round.

“Asshole!” was the last thing Applejack yelled, as she stormed back the way she came.

‘Good job, Crimson, now she hates you even more...’ he thought to himself, sitting there with food completely covering his face, as he sighed,. ‘Well, looks like I have to clean the broken plate pieces off the ground, along with taking another shower... but considering how hungry I am, I’ll get to it later.’

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Hey brat, where do ya think you’re going in such a hurry?”

“Frankly, that’s none of your business.” said the rather annoyed Unicorn.

Still in the wasteland, Storm was being blocked and “interrogated” by the masked bandits. There were exactly eight of them in sight, two Unicorns, three Earth ponies, and three Pegasi, all of their attention directed to the white Unicorn Lieutenant.

“Aren’t you from that Nichibotsu Clan? I thought Red had wiped you guys out a long time ago. Incompetent fool, can’t even do that right.” Storm rambled on to himself.

“Hey, I know you! You’re Celestia’s Highest ranking Lieutenant, Storm Scratch! Look guys, we’ve got a celebrity over here!” their burly group leader Earth pony yelled mockingly as they all began ear rapingly loud, obnoxious laughter. “Rumor has it that you and that hitcolt, Crimson, were buddy-buddy! How about you tell us where he’s hiding or we’ll make you regret you were conceived!”

“Don’t make me laugh, you shit-eating scum of the earth. Say another word and you die at my hoofs.” he said with a killing intent in his voice.

“HA HA HA HA HA!!! Are you kidding me?! What is a little pussy like you gonna-”

In a blink of an eye, Storm moved ten feet forward, and was now right behind the big-mouthed stallion. And he didn’t even teleport.

“But, how di-” the now rather nervous bandit tried to say.

“How pathetic. You talk trash, but your eyes can’t even keep up with me.” Storm said, as it was his turn to mock him.

The bandit spun around and punched at the white colt, but his hoof was blocked, as he punched the forearm of Storm, while not even fazed, as the bandit was shaking from the force he was exerting into Storm’s arm. The bandit was more than twice his size, but he did not budge an inch.

“You know my name, history, and rank, yet you know nothing about why I’m so well known.” Storm went on. “I’ve lead massive battles for Celestia, stopped enemy raids against her, beat all of her ‘Master’ generals single hooved, and have fought the feared Crimson Shadow hundreds of times, standing victorious through half of them. You’re nothing compared to me.”

Storm kicked the bandit’s hind-leg with such force, that a loud crack was heard from it, bending it the opposite direction. Before the giant stallion could even scream in agony, Storm brought his hooves to the back of the bandit’s head, brought it down, and slammed his knee into his face, causing a sickening crunch to be heard from the impact. He released the colt, now most likely dead, as he his body fell backwards into the dirt. The bandit’s face was completely caved in, as though his face was just one large crater, and left Storm’s knee soaked in the bandit’s blood. Many gasps and yells came from the “spectators”, but suddenly snapped out of it when the white Unicorn colt spoke up.

“So, who’s next?”

They all charged about simultaneously, while the two remaining Unicorn members stayed back as archers, with their weapons at the ready. Storm sidestepped a downward sword slash, ducked under a mace swing, and completely dodged a strike from one of the brave Pegasi who attempted to impale him with a spear while airborne. He grabbed the pole, jabbed the end of it into the holder’s stomach, and as he let go, Storm spun around and decapitated the original holder with his own spear. Storm quickly jabbed the incoming mace-wielding Earth pony in the throat, and hurled the spear through the skull of a Unicorn attempting to shoot an arrow at him, as his body pinned against a large rock.

Now, only four remained. One of the pegasi dove forward for another aerial attack, this time with a sword. Swinging a wild horizontal slash, the pegasus’ battle cry broke into a strangled scream as she was slammed into the ground by Storm’s kick, but not after he ripped off her wings as he snarled in anger.

Just as the bandit was going to get back up, Storm, with his blinding speed, dashed next to her and stomped his leg onto her back, completely shattering her spine and killing her on impact. As two sword wielding ponies, the Pegasus in the air and the Earth pony on the ground, were about to simultaneously strike Storm, sparks started to form over his horn. He formed two blue, powerfully sparking katana, which appeared to be completely made out of lightning. They levitated, pointed the tip of their blades at the two bandits, and shot at them at an incredible speed, impaling in the two and electrocuting them. But the horror wasn’t over yet. To make one hundred percent sure they would not survive, Storm forced the swords to explode into a giant blast of lightning too loud for the screams to be heard, leaving burnt rock, with charred and bloody pieces of the ponies falling from the sky, covering everything in pools of red liquid, except Storm. Cancelling the magic shield that bended the liquid away from him, he was about to advance towards his last, bloodsoaked foe.

She tried to load an arrow into her bow, but the arrow wouldn’t stop sliding on the string of the bow, as it was too drenched in blood.

“You and I both know that’s not going to work.” the colt said, facing the opposite direction from her.

The mare was too terrified to speak. She was very noticeably shaking, her eyes wide in fear as tears flowed out of them. Storm only turned his head toward her, but it was more then enough. His royal blue eyes were full of death and despair, almost looked as if he was stabbing right through her with his gaze. She couldn’t look away, as she noticed that deep into his cold eyes looked as though lightning was coursing through them. As she looked deeper, she felt as if her surroundings changed, as she felt like she was standing in the middle of a disastrous, tornado-surrounded lightning storm.

She failed to even notice that the colt was right behind her, as he grabbed her head and twisted it one hundred degrees, snapping her neck in the process, her lifeless body falling to the ground.

“What a waste of time, I wouldn’t have even called that a warm up.” Storm scoffed. “Red, you had better give me a good fight, your life depends on it.”

He turned around, heading toward his path of wrath and vengeance that was his goal. Nothing would stand in his way.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Ah’m tellin’ ya, Pinkie, this guy’s nothin’ but trouble!”

The farm mare tried to convince her friend of what Crimson really is, a “complete and total asshole”, if that’s what I recall.

“Oh don’t be silly, filly! He’s not the nicest colt in the world, but he has a good heart in there somewhere, you’ve just gotta look deep!” the energetic mare bounced around the orange Earth pony. “You’re great at finding the good in ponies, so you should be able to find it sooner or later!”

“That’s what Ah’m tryin’ to say! Ah can’t find the good in him anywhere, I don’t think he has any, sugercube.” Applejack tried to explain. “He’s just... just a monster!”

“I told you to stop calling him that!” the pink mare defended. “Crimson’s done some really mean things in his life, but now he just wants leave it all behind and start over!”

“An’ what exactly would those ‘mean things’ be?” Applejack asked suspiciously.

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you that. I made him a Pinkie Promise that I wouldn’t, and I’d never break a Pinkie Promise!” she exclaimed.

“Pinkie Pie, this is much more important then one of yer Pinkie Promises!” the farm mare yelled angrily at her friend.

“I told him I wouldn’t break it, and I meant it!” the pink mare yelled back, standing up tall.

“Pinkie Pie, ponies could be seriously hurt by him, he’s dangerous-”

“He would never! I’ve only known him for maybe a day, but I was able to see the side of him that he didn’t show anyone else! He wouldn’t hurt any-”

“Like you said, you’ve only known him for maybe a day! How could you claim you know him?!”

“I just can, that’s long enough for me to get to know someone!”

“Um... the hell is...” came from a different voice entirely.

The two mares turned around, seeing the now freshly showered colt join the mares outside. Both mares blushed on sight, apparently wet manes were quite the fetish to some ponies. Crimson already knew what their argument was about, his ears have never failed him before. However, he figured it’d be a smart idea to play stupid, rather than fuel the fire even more.

“None of yer-” the flustered mare was cut off.

“We were talking about giving you a tour of Ponyville!” said the pink mare, covering up any signs that she was ever enraged with joy faster then you could utter her name.

“WHAT!” Crimson and Applejack yelled simultaneously.

“Awww~” Pinkie squealed, “You guys talk at the same time so often, it’s cute!~”

“Cute?!” the two spoke at the same time once again, blushes visible on their muzzles.

“Case in point!” she giggled. “Now come on, time’s-a-wastin’!” With that, the pink pony hopped into the air, and started bouncing down the road, a frustrated farm filly and a confused cloaked colt in tow.

“So, where do we start?” Crimson asked.

“How about Fluttershy’s cottage?” Pinkie answered, that answer not appealing to Applejack in the slightest.

“That might be the worse place to start...” she said, with clear dread in her voice. “Fluttershy’s gonna literally be scared to death once she catches first sight of him!”

“Who’s Fluttershy?” the colt was almost too scared to ask.

“A mare that’s scared of her own shadow, that’s who.” Applejack answered fearfully. “An’ certainly not a pony Ah’d like somepony like ya’ll to meet!” Crimson saw that Applejack was very protective of her friends, almost like a mother to them.

“I think I have to agree with you.” the black colt responded.

“Yeah, well- wait what?” stuttered the shocked Applejack.

“I agree, it’d be a bad idea to meet her at the moment.” he repeated.

“Now that you put it that way...” the pink pony pondered. “I guess we’ll visit her later on, how about Rarity then?”

“That ain’t exactly a great substitute, but it’s better then any right now.” Applejack answered.

“You’re quite the motherly type, aren’t you?” Crimson asked the farm mare.

“Maybe Ah am, what exactly is it to ya?” Applejack responded in a bitter tone.

“Well, I just kinda gathered that from how protective you are,” he said. “and from what Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom said about you.”

“Wait,” said the suddenly shocked Applejack. “Did you actually have a conversation with my brother, and it wasn’t a series of one word answers?”

“Um... yeah? Why, is that a problem too?” asked Crimson, as he rolled his eyes.

“Well, it’s just that... Big Mac was never really a talker, especially around strangers. In fact, he rarely even talks around us! He’s a real shy an’ simple fella.” she explained.

“I can relate with him there. But you honestly could have fooled me, we had a pretty nice conversation.” the colt went on.

‘Wow...’ Applejack thought to herself. ‘Big Macintosh only really talks to the most warm-hearted ponies around, an’ even Pinkie Pie really seems to like him. Maybe Ah’ve been a little too harsh on him...’

Then, out of absolutely nowhere, Crimson was tackled to the ground, a grunt escaping from his lips as he slid across the streets of Ponyville. The sun seemed to be messing with eyes, the bright rays of light turning the pony on top of him into a mere silhouette.

‘Celestia, you sadistic bitch...’

“What are you still doing in this town, you prick?!” the hard to see pony growled at the colt. It was a mare, that much was obvious, but the voice sounded familiar...

“I thought we told you to get lost!” she continued. “Guess you’re going to have to learn the hard way, you... wha- wait, letmego!!! I’m not finished with him yet!!!” he heard her yell, as she was being pulled off by two other silhouettes, who Crimson had guess was Pinkie Pie and Applejack. As he finally managed to sit up, he immediately recognized the mare.

“So it was you!” Crimson growled back. “What exactly is your problem, you little dyke?!”

“Little WHAT?!” she screamed, as Applejack struggled to hold the mare in a chokehold, without the choking part of course, but Crimson wouldn’t have minded. It was the most infuriating pony he’s met in this town to date. He didn’t hate homosexuals at all, he just knew it’d make her pissed if he called her one.

“Rainbow Dash, what in tarnation has gotten into ya?!” Applejack yelled through her struggle.

“Are you blind?! Do you not see the colt right in front of your face?!”

“We know who he is, Dashie, he-” Pinkie Pie tried to get in.

“Then let me go so I can kick his ass out of here!” the cyan Pegasus interrupted.

“Like you could, you snot-nosed little brat!” the colt shouted back, not helping matters in the slightest. “Now get the fuck out of my face and join a gay pride parade, you’re mane could be their new flag!”

Very bad idea, my young colt.

Rainbow Dash broke out of the farm mare’s hold, fueled by pure anger. She flew up and punched the colt across the face, with the speed that she dashed at adding to the punch, it sent him flying back face first into the dirt road a good 10 feet.

“RAINBOW DASH!” the two mares said in unison, as they quickly galloped forward, this time both of them held the still enraged mare in a hold.

“LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GO!!!!!!!!!” the mare’s intense anger seemed to have taken over her whole body, as even both of her friends could barely even hold the mare still. “I’m going to smash his teeth in!!!!”

“Calm down, Rainbow! Yer gonna make things even worse!” Applejack pleaded with her friend, but it didn’t seem to do any good whatsoever.

The black colt sat back up, wiping the blood running down his mouth with his hoof as he spoke up again.

“You hit like a girl, but you still can’t fool me...”

…

“Ouch, could you stop that and go away?!”

“Quit being such a crybaby and hold still!”

After about three more attempts at murdering the colt, Rainbow Dash finally let her desire go though much reassuring, as they had made it to their next destination. Carousel Boutique. They, and by “they” I mean Pinkie Pie, figured it’d be a good idea to get Crimson’s bruise checked. And who else would be better then the mare of fine detail and generosity herself, Rarity?

Thankfully, Crimson’s face remained unswollen, but there was a bright red gash mark as clear as day on his left cheek. The white Unicorn mare tried to keep him still while she put rubbing alcohol from a washcloth onto his cheek.

“I said hold still, do you want this to get infected?!” asked the store owner, as well as one of the five mares from the other day. If he heard right, her name was Rarity. He was surprised he wasn’t kicked out on sight. However it did take some convincing on Pinkie Pie and Applejack’s parts.

‘She must be the epitome of generous...’ Crimson thought. That is, until she continue with his cheek.

“Well, what do you-gah!- expect? It feels like my cheek is on fire!”

“Good, now shut up and let me put the rest of the rubbing alcohol on it before I change my mind.” she responded.

“......”

“Thank you.”

After cleaning the bruise, they all lounged around a little at the Boutique. Applejack took a nap on Rarity’s couch, Rainbow Dash just quietly pouted in a corner, and Pinkie, Rarity, and Crimson shared a conversation with each other.

“I honestly don’t see why Pinkie would befriend such a ruffian, but I’d never turn down a friend.” the Unicorn went told the colt.

“Uh... thank you?” came from the awkward colt.

“I wasn't talking about you, I meant Pinkie. As far as I’m concerned, you’re nopony I’d ever associate myself with.” she spat back. As angry as she got, Rarity never seemed to forget her manners.

“Yeah, I kind of figured...”

“Please, Rarity, don’t be so mean to him.” the pink pony spoke up. “He’s a really good guy, you just have to get to know him is all.”

“I really don’t think I’d ever want to get to know a colt so crude, and neither should you for that matter.” Rarity went on. “But I guess it’s not exactly my decision, now is it?” she said bitterly.

“He’s not that bad! Like I said, he’s really nice once you get to know him!” Pinkie repeated.

“You’ve said that already, darling.” Rarity said, getting quite irritated. “However, I think I’ll just take your word for it. He’s a very handsome colt, but too bad all of that handsome was given to somepony as dreadful as him.”

‘Handsome?’ the colt blushed.

“Don’t look too much into that, that wasn’t supposed to be a compliment.” she responded, as her face began to redden as well.

“I think we should go now,” Pinkie spoke up, as she tried to prevent an awkward silence. “We’ve still got two more friends for him to meet!” she yelled in ecstasy.

‘Great...’ was the negative thought that went through the mind of literally everypony, except for Pinkie Pie of course.

So, the friends, excluding Crimson, decided the next place to visit was Twilight Sparkle’s house. Or, tree in this case. Little did he know before Pinkie told him on the way, was that the mare he was going to meet was actually Celestia’s top protege, which made him feel as though there was pure fear boiling in his stomach acid. Crimson knew that if she told Celestia anything, he was finished. Their chat when they arrived went a little something like this:

“Um... hello?” the black colt “greeted” as the lavender mare opened the door.

“...YOU!”

Crimson was immediately covered in that rosy aura again, the Unicorn used her magic to levitate him up into the air and pin him against a tree. The colt refused to let a grunt escape from his mouth, but the pain was getting worse and worse by the second.

“Twilight, stop!” the pink pony demanded, butting in between the two.

“Pinkie, get out of the way, I-”

“DROP HIM!!!” she screamed, leaving everypony wide-eyed with fright.

“...Fine!” she gave up, as she released her magic grip from Crimson. The colt reacted with a coughing fit, but finally got back up, as Twilight directed her attention and anger towards him.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell Celestia to throw you into the Sun?!”

“Um... I’ve got nothing.” the colt shrugged in defeat. Once again, our protagonist, everypony...

“Please, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie begged, “He isn’t as bad as he seems, honest! On the inside, he’s a colt filled with a heart of sunshine and lollipops!”

‘That was bad even for her...’ thought Crimson, as he cringed from her bold statement.

“Uh... okay.” the confused lavender mare responded in disbelief. “Well answer this then, how am I supposed to forgive him so easily after what he’s done to you? And don’t even tell me that it was your fault, this was one hundred percent his!” she pointed at the guilt ridden colt.

“Cut him a break!” Pinkie Pie defended once again. “If you knew more about him, you wouldn’t blame him for being such a grump all the time!”

‘Thanks Pinkie, I think...’ thought the confused Crimson, not sure what to think about Pinkie’s statement.

“Crimson’s been through more than most of us have ever come close to! If you gave him a chance, you’d see that deep down, he just needs some friends and happiness in his life...” the pink mare tried her best to convince her friend.

Twilight considered this for a moment, but finally spoke.

“...Does anypony here actually feel the same way?”

“NOPE!!!” the rest of the mares said in unison.

‘Shit...’ the colt thought to himself. ‘They really hate me, huh? I can’t say blame them though, I probably hate myself more than they hate me...’

“But...” the farm filly started, perking Crimson’s ears in interest. “We’ve all learned that it ain't a mighty fine idea to doubt Pinkie’s intuition, so Ah’m going with whatever she is! Ya know, before her Pinkie senses make dangerous objects rain from the sky. Plus, who knows, he may turn out not to be as horrible a pony as most of us make him out to be.” Applejack said, leaving everypony’s jaws wide open.

‘...Did I just hear that right?’ the colt wondered to himself.

“... I agree.” the majestic white Unicorn joined in.”If Pinkie Pie believes it’s a good idea, then so will I! That’s what friends do, darling!~”

The two mares waited for a third response, which never came. Instead, very subtle sniffles could be heard from the cyan mare.

“Rainbow, are you alright, dear?” Rarity asked with concern in her voice.

“Yeah, what’s the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack asked with equal concern.

“.....” Rainbow Dash stayed quiet, keeping her head low, but the wet drip spots in the ground beneath her gave her all away. She was crying.

“...I think I know exactly what’s wrong.” Crimson finally spoke up.

“...j-just shut up...” the weeping mare said at a rather quiet volume.

“...I’m sorry.”

“JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed.

“You seemed so unfazable, like a brick wall, but a living being is still a living being.” he continued regardless. “You’re just a tomcolt, but I’m sure that not what many other ponies called you...”

“....stop....please...” she begged.

“I shouldn’t have went at your insecurities like I did. A strong willed, loyal mare shouldn’t be made fun of, but there are ponies out there who crave on others misery to make their own insecurities feel less significant. I should know, I was a subject to serious bullying, and I made others suffer to make myself feel more in control. I understand what you went through, and having past memories brought up that’d you’d rather stay dead is another thing we can relate with.” Crimson began to take a step closer and closer to her.

“...” she stayed quiet.

“I bet you also think your friends are sticking up for someone like me, and you feel betrayed, which is most likely the reason you lost it just now. Well don’t, they aren’t defending me. Hell, they hate me!” Crimson smirked. “They’re just defending the judgement of somepony who’s already your friend, Pinkie Pie. They’re not going against you in the slightest. Please accept my apology, I can’t stand to see mares cry...” he finally finished, hoping she would.

“...whatever, I get it, alright?” Rainbow Dash responded with a sniff, but with much less sadness in her voice.

“That’s good enough for me.” he said as he started walking away, feeling somewhat content from his actions.

“...Thank you.” the mare whispered.

As Crimson’s supersonic ears picked this up, he couldn’t help but smile.

…

“Alright, now be extremely careful with this one, we don’t want to give her a heart attack.” Twilight said.

“Yeah, just keep it slow an’ Ah think this might wor-”

“Lets just get this over with already!” the cyan Pegasus cut off Applejack.

“Rainbow, you’re not helping.” Rarity scolded the mare.

They were all standing outside the cottage of the graceful, kind, and not to mention extremely shy Fluttershy, hence the name. Everypony had the same general idea of what was going to happen, as they were all feeling tense.

‘Maybe she isn’t as shy as the others say.’ Crimson thought with forced optimism. ‘I mean, what pony could be as shy as they claim she is? It all sounds a bit exaggerated, if you ask me. And what kind of Pegasus is afraid of heights, anyway?’

“Good luck!” the Pinkie shouted.

Crimson nodded his head in appreciation, as he made his way to the door and knocked.

“Um... hello?” a small squeak was heard from the other side of the door.

As it opened up completely, Crimson managed to catch a good look at her appearance. It was the pale yellow mare from the day before, the one that figured tending to Pinkie Pie was better then chasing the colt for several miles.

“It’s... you.” the mare squeaked, as she looked as though she was about to faint. However, something unexpected happened next.

‘...no.’ went through Fluttershy’s head. ‘After what he did to Pinkie yesterday, I will not let him off so easy! I can’t. I WON’T!!!’ Fluttershy did something that was rarely done by her, she got angry. Angrier and angrier and angrier...

Fluttershy stood up tall, revealing much more confidence than earlier, as she delivered a stare that even sent a chill down Crimson’s spine.

“What you did to my friend was UNFORGIVABLE!!!” she shouted. “And I will not let hurt any of my friends again, so leave of this peaceful town right now, and take your dark intentions with you!!!”

‘I... I bet she could scare a dragon with that stare...’ For the first time in a very, very long time, Crimson felt scared. Even more sacred than a few of the battles he’s been in. He took a step away from the mare, only to have her take a step closer to him, keeping eye contact as she did so. She felt that this was the strongest stare she’s ever used on anypony.

“I don’t mean any harm, honest!” the colt responded. ‘Pull it together, Crimson! She’s just one mare.’

“Good, because I’m not going to let you.” she said sinisterly.

“Fluttershy, calm down!” a voice in the distance yelled out, trotting up to the scene at hoof. It was Pinkie Pie.

“STAY BACK!!!” Fluttershy warned, even managing to scare Pinkie. “He’s the same colt from yesterday, I need to make sure he leaves and never comes back!”

“You don’t need to, he’s a good guy!”

“He needs to su- wait, what?” Fluttershy seemed to snap out of her anger, quickly replacing it all with confusion.

The other four mares decided to reveal themselves, as Fluttershy seemed to calm down. Her tone seemed to be getting more and more timid, finally returning back to normal.

“As much as I don’t like it, it’s true.” Twilight was the first to speak up.

“From what Pinkie Pie’s told us, we all were given the wrong impression of him.” Rarity cut in as well.

“Yeah, we’re not quite sure about that yet, but from what we’ve witnessed so far, he doesn’t seem to be a threat to anypony.” Rainbow Dash spoke up next.

“Well, at least not yet. Though, he ain’t quite the monster we all thought him to be.” admitted Applejack.

“I...” Fluttershy began, she sighed. “I guess I’ll take your word for it, girls... Welcome to Ponyville... what was your name?”

“...Crimson Rays, mistress.” he answered, making the mare blush a bit. He was still a little worked up from what happened a few minutes ago.

Everypony was shocked how quick this one took, even though it was the most terrifying for Crimson anyway. Either Fluttershy seemed to be the easiest to convince, or what made it a whole lot easier hearing it from everypony’s mouth at once. Maybe friends did make challenges easier to conquer...

“Woooo!!!!” Pinkie Pie squealed, as she ran up hugged the colt, much like the time before. “Welcome to Ponyville, you’re gonna love it here, I Pinkie Promise!!!”

Crimson would have been embarrassed, if not for what he saw over Pinkie’s shoulder. All five mares glared at him with a look that said: “Hurt her, and things won’t end pretty.”

Welcome to the herd, Crimson Rays.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“... I’m almost there....”

*****************************************************************************************************************

The rest of the day went by fairly quick and painless, the mares just showed the colt the rest of the town. By the time they finished, the Sun was setting on the town.

‘Maybe this is finally the town...’

Suddenly, Crimson felt another ominous shiver, he was sure Pinkie felt it too, she seemed to last time.

‘No, Storm’s getting closer! He’ll ruin everything if he makes it here!’ Crimson worried, but his worrying seemed to be attracting Pinkie’s attention.

“Did you feel that too?!” asked the pink mare, trying to get his focus, but it seemed to be elsewhere, as his wide-eyed expression of fear seemed to catch her off guard. “Hello, anypony there?!?! Crimson?!?!?!”

The stressed stallion snapped out of his thoughts, hearing Pinkie’s words echo to him.

“Wha- oh, it’s nothing! Really!” Crimson lied. He wasn’t a fan of lying, but now seemed like an appropriate time. He wanted them to know absolutely nothing about this...

“Hmm....... Okie Dokie Lokie!” her serious demeanor changed to a care free one in a split second. Crimson couldn’t even be surprised anymore, he just chalked it up to her being Pinkie Pie. Though he had to wonder, did she actually believe him?

Nightfall approached, and the group said their goodbyes, the only ones remaining was Crimson, Applejack, and who else, Pinkie Pie. It was about 7:00 p.m., Crimson and Applejack shared a home together temporarily, and Pinkie just wanted to see them off. She seemed to really be enjoying herself with him lately...

“Today went actually pretty well, to my surprise.” Crimson spoke up.

“Heh, it did, didn’t it?” Applejack agreed, both finally getting along. “Whew-y, I’m plum tuckered out! Today was exhausting’, wasn’t it Pinkie?”

“Are you kidding!!!” she shouted, happily bouncing once more. “Today was AWESOME!!! I think the girls might actually be warming up to him!”

“Ya sure seem to like him an awful lot, huh?” Applejack said slyly.

“Well DUH!!” she exclaimed, not at all catching it.

The colt rolled his eyes and put his hood over his face, trying to hide the red on his muzzle.

The trio finally made it back to the farm, Pinkie ecstatically crushing her friends with a bone breaking hug, before she bounced off into the night, still with as much energy as before.

“That’s Pinkie for you.” Crimson smirked. “Always so random!”

“Eeyup!” Applejack responded, mimicking her brother.

As they went inside it look like dinner was just starting. This nerved Crimson up quite a bit, as all three Apple family ponies getting ready to eat turned their attention to him. Crimson always did hate the spotlight. He noticed that most of the dinning table was filled with food. Crimson also never knew that there was still one pony he had yet to meet, which made him even more nervous.

It was a short old mare, with a lime green coat, white mane, and orange eyes that matched that of Apple Bloom, that’s probably where she got them too, as the other’s eyes are a green pigment. Neither seemed to have freckles either, so maybe Apple Bloom took after her more then anypony. Then again, he’s never seen her parents either, but he figured it was best not to ask.

The other two waved at them, but the old mare had something different in mind.

“Applejack, where in the world have ya been?!” she asked concerned. “Ya’ll ain’t buckin’ apples, an’ ya almost missed dinner! Ya’ll had me worried sick!” Crimson swore he was going to gain an accent by the time he left this place.

“Ah’m awful sorry, Granny,” Applejack apologized. “But mah friends and Ah were just showin’ our new friend around Ponyville.”

‘Friend?’ This shocked Crimson, since she had definitely hated him earlier today. Maybe this was just to get her grandmother off her case, but he secretly hoped she genuinely meant it.

“Friend, huh?” the old pony examined the colt, inch by inch. “Yer coltfriend?”

Crimson and Applejack blushed on cue, as they both scratched the back of their head nervously, Apple Bloom snickering at the scene.

“No, it ain’t like that, honest!” if she was anything, Crimson figured by now, it was honest. “He just needs a place to stay till he gets his own, he just moved here an’ all.”

“Ya don’t say...” she examined the colt carefully. Maybe a bit too carefully, as she was practically touching noses with him, making Crimson feel uncomfortable. “Ya’ll sure have low standards if ya go after the first colt ya meet!”

“GRANNY!” the embarrassed mare sighed in defeat, and the hysterical laughter coming from the little filly didn’t help the situation at all, and even Big Macintosh joined her.

”Well, help yerself to some of the food here, sonny!” she generously offered. “There’s plenty of it to go around!”

“..Thank you, ma’am.” he said, ever so grateful.

After dinner, the family, and Crimson, decided it was time to hit the hay. But before he did so, Crimson had to ask Applejack one last question.

“Hey, Applejack... did you really mean what you said back there?” he asked awkwardly. “You know... about us being friends?”

“Course Ah did!” se exclaimed proudly. “Ah never lie ‘bout anything’! An’ after the incident with Rainbow Dash at Twilight’s, Ah think ya’ll have more than earned it!”

Right as she finished, she spit on her hoof, gesturing Crimson to shake it. He did so with no hesitation, proud to have finally earned a friend.

The two said their goodnights, as they both went to their rooms. He had a lot to think about, so he was finally glad he had some peace and quiet.

“...Thank you.” he said to nopony in particular, as he drifted into a peaceful slumber...

*****************************************************************************************************************

“...Ponyville, huh?” Storm stood on a small hill, looking over the town with a critical eye.

“Seems pretty small; shouldn’t be too hard to find him.” He galloped forward, hoping to spot an inn, or anypony who might know of his ‘friend’s whereabouts. He smiled to himself. The sun had set. But, he wasn’t giving up yet.

Chapter Four: A Shocking Reunion

Chapter Four: A Shocking Reunion

Storm looked at the farmhouse with a hard glare. The aqua-green unicorn that pointed him this way had said that she had seen a cloak clad colt walking around with the resident apple farmer. And here he was, a mere five minute trot from the house. Finally...

“I finally caught up. Be prepared, Red...”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“.....”

Crimson awoke, his peaceful slumber being replaced with a rude awakening from his senses. He looked out the window of his guest room, that sensation even stronger. It was already 12:57 on his alarm clock, and knowing that he wasn’t going to get any more sleep, he decided that it was late enough to sneak out and get some practice. He didn’t want to be too rusty when Storm showed up.

The colt jumped out the window, and despite the fact that he was in a two-story house, he landed with ease, his wings barely fluttering. Crimson then made his way through the orchard, that is, until he was stopped by a familiar voice.

“Crimson, what’s goin’ on out here?”

“Apple Bloom, what are you doing up this late?” the black colt asked.

“Ah couldn’t sleep. N’ b’sides. Ah could ask you the same thang.”

“Point taken. Look, it’d be a good idea for you to go to sleep befor-”

Crimson took hold of the filly in his arms, quickly jumping out of the path of a dagger. It also had the recognizable insignia of Princess Celestia’s cutiemark on the black handle. When the dagger smacked into the ground, it crackled with electricity. Not good to let those touch.

“Hello there, Red... Miss me?” came from the dull voice of a colt.

Apple Bloom quickly took notice of the strange pony. It was a white unicorn colt, who had a white mane with blue lightning-shaped streaks in it. He also wore a completely zipped down blue Celestial army jacket, hanging to his sides because it was oversized, also hiding his cutiemark. Storm got up in Crimson’s face, his breath short, the tension between the two palpable. “Red... You little ass. I’ve been... trying to find you.”

Crimson looked into Storm’s eyes with a faint smirk. “Come at me, brony.” Storm wasted no time as he propelled forward, snarling as a blade swung at Crimson’s neck.

The blade slammed into a tree, missing the winged colt by meters as he leaped out of the way, Apple Bloom hanging on to him for dear life.

“Apple Bloom, get somewhere safe, would ya? I’ve got a hot date with a lightning rod.” Crimson joked. Storm snarled in anger.

“Take our fights seriously for once! Yaaah!!!!” Storm threw more than two dozen daggers at Crimson, each one sparking with the telltale lightning energy. Apple Bloom ran into the bush, cowering in fear as the two colts continued on. Crimson dashed to the side, almost disappearing with his raw speed, dodging all the daggers thrown at him.

“You’re gonna have to do better than that, Blue.” Crimson mocked.

“You think so?”

Crimson glanced to his side, noticing the daggers still following him. He jumped back from the storm of blades, but was grazed by one. It was more then enough. Crimson dropped to his side, electricity coursing through his body. Despite the pain, he wouldn’t give Storm, or anyone the satisfaction of hearing him scream again.

“Heh... that’s a new trick...” Crimson grunted, slowly getting up.

“It is, nice of you to notice, but your compliments will get you nowhere! I just simply noticed that when I use the voltage spell on the daggers, its power stays active without my concentration. So using the levitation spell on the daggers, I can control anywhere they go, giving you no chance of escape!” the Unicorn spat back, giving Crimson a reaper’s death stare, his mane creating a shadow by hovering over his face, adding to his sinister look.

But all in all, those deep royal blue eyes were still visible, as they stared right through his pray.

“You think that’s going to help you?” Crimson glared, getting ready to evade the next wave.

However, the daggers split apart into multiple groups, hovering in every direction possible around the black colt.

‘...Shit.’ Crimson stared upon the daggers with eyes as wide as dinner plates, not with fright, but with amazement.

“Wow, I guess you really can be a badass at times, Blue!”

“You think that means anything coming from you, Red?” Storm sneered “Take your complements and burn in the pits of Tartarus.”

As the daggers were about to be launched, Crimson noticed that the first dagger was still fully sparking lively with its previous spell. He ran towards it with blinding speed, and grabbed the dagger by the handle, but Storm shot off the daggers.

“You’re too careless, Storm!” Crimson shouted with a smirk.

Crimson threw it at a single sparking dagger headed right at him, and as they collided, the two daggers started to glow while making an irritating humming sound, their spell fusing. Sparks then ignited from them, as they exploded into thousands of tiny sparks. They spread the the other daggers as well, setting off a chain reaction of small explosions. They all combined into a bigger explosion, creating a large smoke cloud as flying pieces of shrapnel rained from the sky.

Storm replaced his dumbfounded look with a furious one, releasing a powerful force of magic from his hoof, blowing all of the pieces through the cloud of smoke in an effort to hit the Crimson on the other side, and to clear his vision. Only one problem. When the smoke was blown away, the black colt was nowhere in sight.

He glanced to his left, as he barely managed to block a punch from Crimson with his forearm with his razor sharp reflexes. Crimson grabbed Storm’s arm, lifted off the ground, and attempted a right horizontal spin kick at Storm’s head. Storm managed to duck just in time, and noticed that while Crimson spun, he let go of his arm and was preparing a punch with his left hoof all while still in the air with no help from his wings. Storm saw through this, as he grabbed the airborne colt’s leg and swung him to the ground, leaving several cracks in the earth, and made his body bounce several times, leaving the two a good ten feet from each other. At the speed it all happened, you probably would have missed the scene just by blinking.

“You’re too careless, Crimson.”

“...Dammit.” Crimson let out under his breath, as he was on his knees.

Apple Bloom decided it would be a good time to scurry, the two colts were too preoccupied to notice anyway. The little filly galloped as hard as she could to get away, as she figured the only the only way she could stop this was to wake up her big brother and sister, the two ponies she thought she could depend on the most. However, it turned out that Big Macintosh was “sleeping over” at Cheerilee’s place, so Applejack looked to be the only hope.

“Applejack, Applejack!!!” shouted the frantic Apple Bloom in fear, making her way upstairs to her sister’s room.

She finally made it up to her floor, with Applejack already stumbling out of her room, looking like she barely knew where she was from the drowsiness. She wasn’t even wearing her trademark stetson.

“Apple Bloom, d’ya’ll even know what time it is?” the elder sister scolded, but didn’t sound too threatening, being half asleep and all.

“Ah know, Ah know! But ya gotta understand, sis’, somethin’ real bad is goin’ on outside!” she explained, as Applejack suddenly became alert.

“Wha’dya mean?”

“It’s Crimson!”

*****************************************************************************************************************

It was pitch black in the streets and nopony seemed to be awake, other then the farm mare that hurriedly galloped through the the roads of Ponyville. Apple Bloom managed to explain the gist of the situation, so she decided to get some help, figuring that this was too much to handle by herself.

“Please, don’t let me finish too late...” Applejack was hauling flank, making her vision blurry, so she couldn’t stop herself before she slammed into a hot pink wall.

“Owww! What in the- Pinkie?!” exclaimed the farm mare in surprise. “What are ya doin-”

“APPLEJACK!!!” Pinkie Pie’s bone crushing hug managed to cut her off the mare. “We’ve gotta hurry, something scary’s in Ponyville, and I... I think it wants Crimson!”

Applejack could see that the mare was in complete panic; some of her hairs were out of place on her mane, and she looked to be on the verge of tears.

“Wait, how would ya’ll know that?”

“M-my Pinkie Senses have been giving me a horrifying shiver every now and then!” She explained. “It started two days ago, and even Crimson seemed to be able to feel them! It was getting stronger and stronger, but this time it was the strongest one yet, and that’s what woke me up! So I galloped down here to check if he’s okay!”

“Well....” the farm mare tensed up, watching Pinkie’s worried eyes, the two seemed to be feeling an equal amount of despair. “He’s in trouble alright, somepony’s attackin’ him!"

“WHAT?!” the pink mare began to shake Applejack in desperation. “Who- what- WHY?!”

“Ah’m afraid Ah can’t answer any of those questions mahself!” the farm mare admitted.

“Well then we’ve gotta hurry up and go!” Pinkie said, as she was about to storm off to the farm.

“Hold on there, sugercube!” Trying to keep a leveled-head, Applejack put her hooves on her friend's shoulders in attempt to calm her down and keep her still. “Now before we can do that, we gotta wake the others first. This looks to be too much for all us to handle by ourselv-”

A loud snoring came from the cloud just above the two mares, as Applejack was once again interrupted.

“Rainbow Dash, wake up!” Applejack shouted up at the cloud. “We’ve gotta hurry up an’ wake the others before it’s too late!”

“Nmemrrph..... five more minutes, mom.....” Applejack facehoofed.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, somepony’s about to perform a double-Sonic Rainboom!” Pinkie shouted.

“WHAT, HUH?! WHERE?!?!” the Pegasus immediately jolted up, awake and alert, turning her head everywhere to insure that this was true.

“Good, now that we got yer attention, get up an’ help us wake the others!”

“Do you see how late it is?! What could possibly-”

“Crimson’s being hurt by a big ol’ Meanie McMeanerson, and we’ve gotta wake the others before something terrible happens!” Pinkie Pie yelled, panic being very evident in her voice once more.

“Wait, what?!”

“JUST COME ON ALREADY!!” the two mares yelled in unison, as the Pegasus scrambled to stay on her bed of cloud.

“Girls, what’s going on?” asked an entirely different voice.

“Twilight, what are you doing up so late?” asked the bubbly pink mare.

“I could ask you three the same, but right now I’m tracking these strange magic signatures, and they appear to be coming from Sweet Apple Acres.” the brainy Unicron explained.

“And she thought it was a good idea to wake me up...” said a groggy dragon, lying on top of Twilight’s back.

“Sorry, Spike, but this is much more important than sleep!”

“More important than sleep, are you kidding me-”

“Gah! We’re losin’ time here!” yelled the frustrated apple farmer.

“Then will somepony please explain what’s going on?!” the now irritated Twilight cried out.

“Ah’ll explain along the way, but right now we need to go an’ wake Rarity and Fluttershy!”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“So you’re telling me that somepony’s trying to kill Crimson?!”

Now with the fashionista and animal lover in tow, the six mares galloped as fast as their legs could take them, excluding the rainbow maned Pegasus, who almost never seemed to be on the ground. Applejack was trying her hardest to explain the situation, all while trying to keep up a pace.

“Yes, Twilight!” confirmed the farm mare, “And if we don’t get back to Sweet Apple Acres in time, that killer pony might actually succeed!” she said with fear and dread in her voice.

“Please don’t say that!!!” the pink mare pleaded, tears flying back as she kept galloping forward.

“It’s okay, Pinkie.” Fluttershy comforted her friend, her soothing voice seemed to have the power to calm anypony. “We’re almost there.”

And she was right! Sweet Apple Acres was just up a couple feet away.

‘Please tell me he’s okay...’ Not only went through the mind of Pinkie Pie, but everypony else shared the thought as well.

Once they got to the farm, a loud THUMP was heard in the distance, birds scurrying away from the scene. It sounded like it came from the orchard.

“Come on, girls, this way!”

*****************************************************************************************************************

The two stallions continued their battle over dominance, neither looking to be breaking a sweat, even though they’ve been fighting for almost an hour now. However, the two decided to stick with hoof-to-hoof fighting, as both of them fought on an equal ground.

“Are you sure you’re not the one getting rusty, Blue?”

“Shut your mouth already, Red!”

Their high kicks smacked into each other with equal power, making an ‘X’ with their two legs, and forming a mini shock wave with the pure force of strength and with an incredibly loud THWACK. As they retracted their legs, the colts launched at each other, hooves colliding with their once again equal power, forming yet again, another shock wave. No matter what they did, they always seemed to come out with an equal result.

“How?!” Storm growled. “No matter how hard I try to get stronger, we’re always equal!”

“What, you think I’ve been slouching since I left the organization?” responded the smirking Crimson. “Nothing’s changed, I still train every chance I get! You’ll never get the better of me, not even in your dreams.”

“I’ll make you choke on your words, you asshole!”

The two continued on, their focus completely held onto each other. Crimson tilted his head to avoid Storm’s punch and delivered an uppercut to the Unicorn’s chin, lifting him off the ground. Storm flipped backwards, but managed to regain his balance as he pushed off an apple tree and threw a dozen daggers down towards the black colt. Crimson successfully backflipped away from the blades as they stuck into the ground.

As Storm landed, a group of kunai knives propelled at his head. He dove to the right to avoid being punctured by them, and the knives stuck neatly into the tree behind him. Storm lunged once again at Crimson with a powerful punch aimed towards his head, but was blocked none the less, as brought his hoof back and unleashed a barrage of kicks at him, each displaying a wide range of skill from his part. Dodging each kick, Crimson crouched and sweep kicked the other colt off his hind-legs, but Storm managed land one of his front hooves on the ground and balanced his whole body with it, as he pushed himself back with the power of a single arm, following with a series of backwards hops as he retreated from Crimson’s reach.

“This is complete bullshit!” yelled Storm. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way! You were supposed to-”

“Quit whining and give it a rest.” the black colt interrupted with an irritated tone. “Don’t tell me what I was and wasn’t supposed to do! I heard enough of your mouth from when we used to work together, so just shut the fuck up and fight already!”

“THAT’S IT!!!”

The colts charged at each other at an incredible velocity, each preparing another punch. That is, until a familiar rosy arua lifted the two off the ground.

“That’s quite enough, boys!”

The aura belonged to a lavender Unicorn, who was accompanied by five equally pissed off mares... and a baby dragon?

“Twilight, stay out of this, it doesn’t concern you!” growled Crimson.

“Apple Bloom could have been killed, and this is Applejack’s orchard you two are fighting in!” spat the lavender mare. “Plus, you’re our friend, right? Friends are supposed to help each other when they’re in trouble!”

‘...Friend...’

“How pathetic.” Storm sneered.

“I’ll show you pa- wait...” Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. “I know you! You’re Celestia’s top soldier, Storm Scratch!”

“Lieutenant Scratch for your information, kid.”

“You know this jerk, Twi?” asked the purple dragon riding on Twilight’s back.

“I...” she started, clenching her eyes shut in order to brush it off. “We’ve... It doesn’t matter right now, what matters is that we need him gone!”

“You think it’ll be that easy, huh?”

“More or less, you are looking at Celestia’s top pupil in the field of magic!” she spat, confidence noticeable in her tone of voice.

“Oh? Then you must be Twilight Sparkle....... sorry, but I have direct orders from the princess herself, stating that I may do whatever I please to anypony that I feel is getting in the way of my assignment. And you’re no exception to that rule.”

“I...” Twilight stuttered, feeling some of her confidence fade.

‘Now!’

As the thought raced through the patient black colt’s head, he launched a kunai right at the mare’s hooves, as she leaped backwards in panic, losing her concentration on the spell, releasing both the colts from her grasp.

“Sorry, kid,” Storm started. “But we don’t share the same field of magic. I specialize in the ‘Battle’ class, which you’re much too oblivious to be acquainted with.”

“Ow...” Spike rubbed his bruised head, he apparently had fallen from the mare.

“I’m sorry, Twilight...” Crimson tossed a marble sized pellet at the mare, which burst into a purple tinted gas. “But stay out of it, and don’t worry, they’re only ‘Magic Disruption Grenades.”

“Magic... disruption grena-”

“A smoke bomb which releases a gas that robs the victim of their magic for thirty whole minutes.” he answered, causing the mare to shriek.

“Well, why didn’t you just use it on him then!” she screamed in fury.

“Storm would just dodge them, so there’d be no point in trying.” the black colt explained. “And besides... I want this to be a nice, clean fight by all means.” he smirked.

“I’m going to guess that you told them absolutely nothing about yourself, am I right?” the white colt butt in.

“.....”

“Thought so. You see, ladies... and dragon, you’ve been giving shelter to a very wanted criminal, one that I’ve been sent personally by Princess Celestia of Equestria to capture.”

There was only silence, but the fright in the air was louder than any words. Storm continued on with his explanation.

“Don’t worry, I won't place an arrest on any of you, considering that none of you knew about this.” he reassured, making the pink mare shift uncomfortably in place, catching the apple farmer’s eye.

‘Pinkie Pie? Please tell me ya’ll didn’t...’

“He on the other hoof,” Storm continued, pointing a sinister hoof at the cloak clad colt. “-is charged with working with illegal organizations, theft, and first-degree murder on over ten thousand different cases, giving him the title of ‘The Crimson Shadow, demon of Equestria’. He’s a legend among hitcolts and other low-life scum, the reward for his head is sixty-six point five million bits. Once Crimson’s caught, he will be due for an immediate execution!”

Needless to say, you could probably cut the horror in the air with a butter-knife, as the tears ran down Pinkie Pie’s face.

‘Did she... know ‘bout this?’ wondered the blonde mare.

‘....Dammit, just when I thought that this might be the town. And to put the cherry on the shit sundae, this was the last town I could find...’ the cloak clad colt sighed.

“Well, now that I lost this town as well, how about we give these mares a good show...” Crimson drew his black katana from his cloak, sparking even more fear from the six mares, pointing it straight at the white colt. “And show them how real trained soldiers settle their differences.” he finished, showing off his trademark smirk.

“You’re no soldier by any means... but I accept your terms.” Storm replied, concentrating a large amount of lightning into his left hoof, tearing right through the ground with its dancing tails, as screams of static came from the ball of electricity he held with his magic.

Hmm...

Storm threw his javelin-shaped bolt of lightning at the pegasus, but Crimson was ready. Bringing his sword to the horizontal, he took the magic head on. Grunting as the shockwave started to force him backwards.

Lifting the sword slowly, he brought the point to a vertical stance, and the lightning that now coursed through his blade released- straight up.

BOOM!

The ground shook as the sky above reacted from the strong energy. The clouds churned faster, then grew darker. Lightning and thunder sparked, flashed, and rumbled through the heavens, as the wind roared down upon the land, screeching through the trees.

Storm snarled, smiling wickedly, and a flash of thunder hit the ground right behind him. “You FOOL! I’m now perfectly within my element!” He laughed crazily. “I’d have thought you’d at least put up more of a resistance!”

Crimson stood silent, smirking at his opponent. He tossed his mane to flip it out of the way of his sight, his smirk becoming a hearty smile. “Yes. I’m pretty resistant. But... Are you?” With that, Crimson thrust his wings towards the ground, throwing himself skyward.

“Ugh, he’s getting away!” Rainbow Dash prepared herself for launch, when suddenly dozens of small bolts of lightning criss-crossed like a spider’s web and flew at her, trapping her to a tree and an orange earth pony. “Argh! What the h-”

“Please, miss. Shut up. I’ve killed twelve so-called ninjas at once. And as much as I’d like to kill you as well, your pretty little mane reminds me a bit of one of my sister’s fans.” He grinned. “Can’t kill off little Vinyl’s fanbase, hmm?”

The unicorn’s face got deathly serious, and extremely cold as he leaned in real close. “Besides,” he growled, “this is my fight.” Dash gulped. “Do you understand?” After she nodded, he said “Good,” and turned to follow after his true opponent.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack growled at the retreating unicorn, his mirthless laughter grating against their ears. A sob however, snapped them from their rage.

“No... nonono, this wasn’t supposed to happen!” Pinkie broke down, now full on bawling.

“Pinkie....” the orange mare started in. “Ah know how ya’ll are feelin’ right now. Ah was finally seeing the good inside him... ‘till a storm came an’ made mah vision of him all cloudy again.”

“It... it doesn’t matter now, we know what he really is!” choked Rainbow Dash. “Not like that other dickhead was any better! I mean, his eyes were just so...”

“...Cold...” Fluttershy finished, her small voice now being heard clearly through the silence. “He honestly seems to be the bigger monster than Crimson, but still... Crimson did all of those bad things...”

“No!” Pinkie cried out between her sobs. “W-we talked about this. He was sick of it. He told me! He wanted out, but... but... now he can’t live anywhere! Wahhh-hahahahah!!!!” Pinkie let out a loud wail before Twilight brought her hoof to Pinkie’s mouth.

“Come on, everypony. We can’t lose focus. If we can help Crimson out in any way, then we should. Now-” Twilight cut herself off when she noticed Pinkie was sucking on her hoof. Twilight pulled it away, exclaiming “Eww! Pinkie, that’s gross!”

Pinkie sniffed, just looking at the ground. “I’m sorry, Twilight. But, I don’t have a thumb, and I was scared...”

“It’s okay, Pinkie.” the mare sighed. “As I was saying! Ehem! Now come on, girls, we’ve got to see what happens next, it could get ugly...”

“Uh, there’s just one problem with that...” the cyan mare stated.

“Me and Rainbow Dash ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘till this here net wears off.” the other bound mare joined in.

“Twilight, what if you tried to dispel the net?” the shy mare shared.

“That’s not a bad idea...” assured Rarity “If there is anypony that could out-magic somepony else, it’s you, darling!~”

“Well, I’ll give it a shot!”

As she tried to channel her magic into her horn, the rosy aura appeared... and faded as fast as it came, losing its magical fuze.

“I’m sorry, but that smoke bomb he threw cuts my magic off for a good thirty minutes...”

“THIRTY MINUTES?!” Rainbow Dash’s jaw dropped, “There’s no way we have that sort of time!!!”

“Ah hate to say it, but... she’s right...” the second bound mare began to tear up. Her farm was in danger, and she couldn’t do anything.

“Come on, Twilight!” Spike nudged the mare persistently. “You’re Celestia’s start pupil for a reason! No unicorn shares the same talent with magic as you, and you know that!”

“No unicorn... other than Storm...” the lavender mare’s head dropped in defeat. “I just have to face it... he’s better then me. I’m worthless, just like he knows I am...”

“No...” the dragon’s eyes started to water. “NO!!! I refuse to believe it!” he yelled, catching everypony’s attention.

“Spike, wha-”

“I won’t believe it, Twilight!!! I don’t know what this Storm guy did to you, but he’s nothing compared to you!!! You’ve saved Equestria twice, you earned the interest of the Princess Celestia when you were just a foal, you hatched me... You’ve been taking care of me all of my life. You’re like my sister, Twilight, and it kills me to see you act like this...” tears now visible in Spike’s eyes. “That’s why I won’t let you act like this! You can do it, Twilight! In my eyes, you’re the smartest, nicest, and the most unstoppable pony I’ve ever known, so you can’t give this up without a fight!!!”

“I- Spike...” stuttered the lavender unicorn, tears now rolling down her face. A small white twinkle blinked on her horn. It quickly evolved into a spark that engulfed her entire body, with the light shining from her eyes as well, turning them a full white. Her horn began to spark stronger and stronger, until it released a powerful ray of light that disintegrated the net that bound the two mares in a flash. As the light faded from her body, vanishing into thin air, Twilight almost fell to the ground in exhaustion.

“.... gIrLs, whA jUs hAPPeNed???” Twilight asked, completely delirious, but came back to her senses when the five mares and Spike embraced her in a group hug.

“I... thank you, guys...” she said, as she began to tear up even more, held off to the best of her power, and tried to focus. “Though, I couldn’t have done this without your inspiring words, my number one assistant!” she proclaimed, snuggling her face up to his.

“Anytime, Twilight!” he proudly responded. “Although, would you please not tell the guys back in town I said that...” making Twilight giggle.

“Now,” she exclaimed, a huge confidence boost was apparent from the tone of her voice. “Let’s go and catch up two those numbskull colts!”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“You won’t get away from me, Red!”

“How in the-"

The white colt had finally caught up with Crimson, now in hot pursuit. He was chasing him by riding on... is that a cloud?

“No getting rid of you, huh?” joked the black colt.

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Storm spat back. “Do you know how many sleepless nights it took for me to perfect the cloud-walking spell?! I mastered it to prove that there is nothing you can do that I can’t!”

“Wow...” Crimson started with a smirk. “You really are obsessed.”

The two shot through the air at great speeds, Crimson trying to dodge every lightning bolt the Unicorn through at him. However, it was starting to get more and more tiresome for both colts.

“Try dodging this!”

Storm conjured and sent out five different katana, all made from a high content of electricity. As many times Crimson dodged, the swords would keep on his path, even ripping through clouds to get their target. Knocking them away with his sword didn’t seem to do the trick either.

‘It’s not like with those daggers from earlier, these are much too stable to destroy!’ Crimson thought,as he formulated a plan in his head the best he could. ‘Hmmm... it’s worth a shot.’

The black pegasus shot straight up, as the swords made almost a 90 degree turn up to follow him. Crimson grabbed a lone black cloud and put it right in front of himself.

‘I hope I still remember how to do this...’ he prayed... to nothing in particular. The only gods that he knew wanted him dead.

The swords were nearing their mark. ‘Now!’

Crimson kicked the cloud as hard as he could manage, and judging from the size of the lightning bolt that shot out, it must have been a damn hard kick. The swords were hit by the jolt. They overcharged and combusted into quite the explosion, blowing Storm a couple feet back.

“Bastard, where did he-” Storm was cut off by himself when he looked up, his target right above his head, standing on a cloud.

Crimson stomped on the cloud he stood on, as lightning shot out and electrocuted the colt. However, it didn’t effective in the slightest, as the unicorn came out unharmed.

“You idiot.” Storm sneered. “I’ve had an affinity with lightning since I was just a little foal... why exactly do you think I’ve specialized in it all my life?!”

“I... didn’t think it applied to lightning this strong-” Crimson was cut off when a hoof slammed into his gut, and he coughed up blood.

“Well, then. I guess you don’t know me as well as you thought you did...” Storm growled as he pushed Crimson off the cloud, sending him racing downwards. “In fact, it actually gives me a temporary adrenaline rush, making me even stronger depending on the power of the shock!”

The impact of the punch was too great for the colt to regain his balance, as he plummeted down towards the ground. ‘Well, it doesn’t look like I’m getting out of this one...’ he thought as he felt dread overcome his body. Crimson will probably live, as the body of a pegasus was made to handle crash landings. However, there was no way he was coming out conscious through a 1000 foot drop, leaving him easy pickings for Storm.

As Crimson braced for a pain induced impact, he never felt it come. Instead, what he landed on felt very soft and bouncy. He opened his eyes as he bounced up and down a good five or six times.

“... Holy shit.” was all he managed to get out. “Pinkie..”

“Yepper-Pepper! It’s Pinkie Pie’s Posilutely Practically Painless Portable Bounce-House!” Pinkie giggled, a slight blush coming to her face. “I... couldn’t think of a word for bounce-house that had a ‘p’.” Crimson just sighed in exasperation.

“Pinkie... You saved my life!” Jumping down from the giant balloon building’s bulbous roof, he gave her a small hug before pushing her away. “Get outta here! I don’t want Storm to hurt you.”

“But-”

“No ‘but’s, Pinkie! I need you to- duck!” Crimson pounced on top of Pinkie right as a bolt of lightning slammed into the ground. “For Luna’s sake, Storm! Civvies are in the way! Just give them a Goddess damned break!”

Storm’s lip curled up into a sneer as he magicked his cloud closer, his eyes filled with an unnatural, sparking-blue light. “I already said it once... Anypony who gets in the way of my mission is fair game. Now. Let’s play “Pin the Pony on the Tree!” Storm stomped on the cloud, kicking another lightning bolt at Pinkie.

Holding her hooves in his, he pulled her close, leaning back as he slid to the side to avoid another bolt, set Pinkie spinning in a pirouette as he leapt backwards to dodge another. Then, just as Pinkie was about to fall over from dizziness, he swept her up again, dipping low to duck beneath another blast of electricity, his snout brushing against hers in the brief second that he was leaning over her.

Not a moment later, and she was in the bushes, forty feet away, her cheeks flushed from their close contact. Pinkie giggle to herself as she rubbed her snout dreamily. “He’s such a good dancer...”

She was still giggling and blushing when Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy finally caught up. AJ had gone to find some rope and wake her brother, while Dash went to get as many pegasi as possible to keep the storm clouds over Sweet Apple Acres. They couldn’t risk letting civilians getting hurt, whether it be by wandering into the fight, or from wayward storm clouds drifting into the town proper.

Crimson was feeling tired. Haggard, even. ‘Dammit! Storm’s not letting up.’ Crimson caught his breath as he hid, for the moment, inside a small cluster of clouds. ‘Well, at least it’s not getting any-’ drip. “... Huh?” Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip drip dripdripdripdripdripdripdridridridridridri- “Ah... Fuck me.”

The rain got heavy, fast. So fast, in fact, that quite a few Raindrops of Unlikely Size were formed, hurtling at the ground at speeds that would have impressed a certain speedster, had she not been busy. As it was, they were too heavy to pull out of their dive in time, and landed upon the ground, splattering the grass, trees, and ponies all alike in their wet, watery lifeblood. Or, it was just raining so bad that it was getting everything soaked.

Crimson’s wings were soaked to the bone. They were drenched; waterlogged. He was going down. The ground was getting too close for the wet pegasus’ comfort. But too his luck, a bit of Southern Comfort came to his rescue in the form of a lasso wrapping around his hind legs, and pulling hard enough to break his nose dive. As he landed, the rope loosened and he stepped out of the loop. “Thanks, Applejack,” he called as he shook his wings and head to get rid of some of the water. “I owe ya one!” He took off again, flapping his wings as hard as he could to keep water from collecting between his feathers. He never noticed the farm filly’s blush as she had watched him shake. She sighed as she wobbled a bit, before trotting off in a daze, trying to find her friends. A rainbow streak speed by, joining the mares... and dragon.

“Hey guys, what’d I miss?” the cyan mare asked the apple farmer first. “Are they still going at it? ...And why are yours and Pinkie’s faces so red?”

“Rainbow Dash, did you-”

“Course I did!” she exclaimed proudly, as she cut off the lavender mare. “These clouds aren’t going anywhere, the magic of a pegasus pony!”

“That was..... surprisingly quick.” said the impressed Twilight.

“Well, I’m not called ‘The Fastest in all of Equestria’ for nothing, now am I” she continued to boast, much to everypony’s dismay.

Storm watched the sky intently, eyes narrowed as he struggled to get more juice from the cloud he stood on. Snarling when it was unable to channel anymore lightning, he took a running leap at another piece of black cloud, swooping down low as he took the power of the cloud’s electricity and augmented his own.

"Just give up and come quietly, you haven't a chance in the world!" he snarled, feeling the electricity flowing through his veins. It felt like a drug, and was most likely addictive as one too. "And hey, maybe if you do, I'll ask the princess if she can book you in for a less painful death!"

"... What happened to you?" asked the black colt, feeling a sadness rush over his emotions, the sky weeping as if it felt his pain. "You seemed like a better pony when you were actually a hitcolt. Now, you're just crazy with power, and obsessed with seeing my blood spill. I can't say I'm much better, but at least I still recognized you as a friend."

"Don't be ridiculous, like we were ever friends..."

"We were best friends, you fucking moron!" Crimson shouted in fury."We grew up in the same orphanage together, me, you, and Vinyl! We became best friends with Wild and Glitch as well, we stuck together through thick and thin, don't you even care?!"

"....NO." Storm replied, increasing the sorrow bestowed upon Crimson. "I can't say I do care, Red. Because I severed my ties with you scum years ago, and I'll make sure I hunt down and destroy every single one of you!!!" Storm charged up his magic once again, the charge on his horn sparking mad with power and energy. The rest of his body also sparked with electricity of its own every now and then.

"...If that's how you see it, then I have no choice but to end this here and now."

Storm sneered at Crimson's comment. "I'd like to see you try."

The unicorn colt disappeared in a flash of light. It wasn't a teleportation spell, it was his pure speed, which now even trumped Crimson's. He reappeared behind him and swept the black colt off the ground with a powerful low-kick with his hind legs, spun around and prepared a powerful kick to the now upside down colt's gut. Crimson managed to cover his stomach before he was hit, but the pure augmented power of Storm's kick sent him flying through the air, giving Storm enough time to flash behind him and smack Crimson in the back with a powerful punch, sending him dragging through the ground. As the colt rolled backwards while skidding in the dirt to regain his balance, Crimson tossed a marble sized steel ball attached a chain on his weapon belt. However, as the ball rushed through the air, it started to grow larger and larger, and had spikes protruding out of it now. As soon as it stopped getting larger, it was already three times the size of the colt wielding it, now resembling an enormous spiked wrecking ball on a chain, darting straight towards the white colt. As Storm managed to jump diagonally, avoiding getting smashed, Crimson grabbed hold of the chain with both hooves, as he swung and threw it to the side in attempt to hit Storm.

"That weapon Crimson's using is enchanted by magic!" Twilight yelled, watching the Crimson swing at Storm with very little effort in awe.

"You think so?" her dragon assistant asked.

"I know so, Spike!" she answered matter-a-factly. "Objects like weapons can perform many different feats when given a specific enchantment!"

"But he's a pegasus, he can't perform magic!"

"It doesn't matter! Even without magic, he can still use an enchantment depending on how it functions! For Crimson, it looks like the only thing he needs to do is throw the chained ball at a great enough speed for it to triple in size!"

"And judging by how easily he's swinging that thing, he must be incredibly strong." Rarity added, as she watched in amazement.

“You’re telling me, that was aweso- I mean!” Rainbow Dash coughed. “He’s not that strong...” Applejack just had to smirk at the flustered pegasus tripping over herself.

"Imagine how difficult it must have been for him to gain that strength...." Fluttershy added quietly, showing great astonishment as well.

"You have no idea how hard life has been for that colt..." stated Pinkie Pie with a sorrowful tone. "It's always one bad thing after another for him, it's so sad... Listen, I'll ask him to explain how rough it's been for him, but right now we need to stay strong and keep watch for what happens next... I know he can win this!"

Crimson swung the enormous spiked wrecking ball repeatedly with no avail, as the unicorn lieutenant dodged each attack with ease. Storm decided to end their little game of tag and face the wrecking ball head on.

'What in the hell is he-'

Before Crimson could even finish his thought, Storm brought back his hoof and smashed it into the incoming steel, causing it to shatter in front of his face. The pieces of the wrecking ball flew many different directions, leaving a certain black colt to watch the scene in horror. Storm levitated the spikes and some of the other remaining debris from the ball with his magic, chucking them at a much higher velocity than the black colt had expected, barely managing to dodge without even bloodier cuts on his body.

'That lightning he absorbed must have augmented his magic power as well...' Crimson thought to himself, as red liquid dripped from his cuts.

“Hmph, you’re lucky you even made it this far, Red.” Storm mocked, as he charged his magic once again. “But all luck runs out eventually.”

Storm conjured a lightning sword, just like the ones before. However, unlike the previous times, he decided not to launch it at the colt. Instead, he grabbed it in his left hoof, as he prepared to use close combat on Crimson.

The unicorn’s speed was blinding, even to Crimson, but he managed to unsheath his katana and block the sparking sword at the last second. However, the power of the slash was too much for the cloak clad colt to hold off, as he shot backwards through the air. Crimson tried to stick his blade into the ground to cease his movement, but the ground was too soggy from the rainwater. He finally came to a halt when he smashed into a tree. It made a blood curdling THWACK noise once his back made contact with the bark, leaving the wood surface cracked from the impact, knocking the air right out of Crimson.

Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and the rest of the mares started to feel more and more uneasy...

Just as Crimson regained his focus, he quickly darted away from his position, as Storm missed and stabbed right through the middle of the tree. He hit the the crack lines too, and Storm, not feeling a need for his sword anymore, simply let it fade from his hoof. As his sword disappeared from inside the tree, the crack grew around the whole tree, making it give way and split in half, smashing into the mud.

‘A second later and that would have been me...’ Crimson thought, despair now starting to take over his body.

It looked like Storm wasn't finished just yet, the spark covering his horn growing more powerful. As Storm spread his forelegs wide, a current of electricity spread across the ground, covering everything within a 15 by 15 foot radius with the current. Crimson, already familiar with this technique, leaped forward over the stream, keeping his sword prepared in an attempt to strike Storm down. “You left your guard down, it’s my turn!”

“...Don’t be too sure, you zealous fool.” responded the white stallion, a grin growing around his face, and unnatural pressure covering his right hoof.

Storm easily dodged his slash and smacked the sword a couple feet away with his left hoof, disarming Crimson. He then placed his right hoof just above Crimson’s stomach, and it caved in from the pressure. Crimson threw up, a large amount of blood was mixed in, his pupils fading, as he propelled into the air and slammed into the mud.

The mares screamed in horror, as they fled their hiding spot. Spike couldn’t keep Twilight from storming off in time, so he decided to lay low in the bushes and watch out in case... well, something happened, he figured. The six mares galloped towards Crimson’s motionless body. Well, they tried that is.

“And where exactly do you think you’re going?”

Storm flashed from his current standpoint, reforming directly in front of the mares, arms crossed.

“What did you do to him?!” Twilight growled.

“Don’t worry, he’s just unconscious.” the white colt reassured, not that it helped any. “All I did was create a strong magnetic force around my hoof.” he explained, as if it were nothing.

“In other words... telekinesis...” the mare said in complete trepidation.

“Well, I guess you could say that, you could also think of it as an augmented push spell.” he sneered.

“J-Just Get out of the way already!” she screamed, getting more impatient by the second.

“.... Why?” the confused colt asked. “Why d’you give so much as a shit about that damn murderer!”

“... Because, that’s not what we see him as.” the pale yellow mare actually said first.

“Fluttershy’s right, out of all the things we saw him as at first, a murderer wasn't one of them.” Rarity continued.

“He may be kind of a dick, but he’s actually shown some good in him!” Rainbow Dash started next, throwing all of her stubborn pride aside.

“An’ besides, he’s proven to be much better then ya’ll have made out yourself to be!” Applejack’s comment threw the white colt back.

“As far as I’m concerned, he’s our friend! And if you actually stayed true to your friends, you’d understand!” Storm snarled at Twilight’s remark.

“So that’s what you think, huh?!” Strom growled. “If you knew even half of his wrong doings, I guarantee you would think twice! Has he told you about how he slaughtered anypony in his way in rage? Or how about the time he killed that little bitch because she was a key to a power he couldn’t access for-”

In the blink of an eye, a lone hoof smashed into the white colt’s cheek, a hoof that belonged to none other than Crimson Rays. He exerted his entire body into his punch, as Storm skyrocketed, the unicorn just barely managing to get back on his hind legs.

“Talk about her again and I’ll fucking destroy you!!!” screamed the enraged black colt.

“Heheh-hahahaha.... I forgot about that little “gift” of yours.” Storm responded, as sparks danced around the edge of the bruise now on his face. “The angrier you get, the stronger you get. You could grow twice your strength and speed when you got really pissed, that always kind of scared me...” he said, now a bit uneasy. “You even managed to pierce the electricity around my body.”

Storm flashed out of sight with his terrifying speed, reappearing right behind the black colt. “However, it won’t get you anywhere!” he growled, preparing a punch to Crimson’s head. However, what he didn’t count on was Crimson blocking his hoof, not even moving an inch this time, fueled by by nothing but his pure fury.

“Just shut up already...” Crimson growled back. “You’re getting on my nerves!”

Crimson grabbed Storm’s foleleg and tossed him over his head. As Storm dragged through the earth, he didn’t exactly expect a kick from a colt that just threw him., as he tore through the ground once again. When he finally ceased sliding, Storm shot several small needle shaped lightning bolts at Crimson, but he vanished into thin air.

“If you think I’m going to just let you win, you’re dead wrong.” spoke the black colt, now right behind Storm.

“...So," Storm began. “What exactly do you think you're doing, Red?! Settling down in a small town like this? Just to protect your precious little head?”

“Just shut up, Storm! You lost any right to call me 'Red' a LONG time ago!” Crimson spat back.

“Oh, and your last contract? That sweet young filly?” the white colt smirked.

Crimson’s eye twitched. “Grrk, Shut UUUP!!!!”

Crimson grabbed hold of Storm by his jacket and threw him into a nearby tree, making him and the tree fall to the ground.

“You are the worst, Strom.” He began. “Fine. You're right. I hate myself. I... I couldn't let them take her away from me... I couldn't let Boss kill her. If he, or anypony else did it, she would have suffered. I-” Crimson choked back a sob. “She was like a sister to me, okay?! Think of Vinyl! Would you rather have a bloodthirsty asshole kill her, or somepony who'd at least make sure she died peacefully do it?!

“Don’t you DARE bring her up!” Storm growled, slowly but surely making his way back on his hooves.

“Would you take the life of your own sister while she slept-”

“...Shut up...”

“Or would you let somepony else torture her for FUN?! WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?!”

“I SAID SHUT UP!!!”

A lightning strike shot off, illuminating the stormy night sky. Storm’s body started to glow, a royal blue aura surrounding his entire body. The clouds in the sky began to swirl around, as they began to fuse together. One final lightning bolt shot to the ground, as it struck the white unicorn with an immense amount of raw power, disintegrating his entire jacket, exposing his cutiemark. A blue Leo Symbol.

Storm’s body began flashing, sparks cracking around every fiber of his body. “Damn you, Crimson! I’ve had enough of your pathetic excuses! I! WILL! END YOU!”

Storm threw himself at Crimson with enough force to shatter the tree he’d been knocked against, the dirt ripping apart as he blew past the sound barrier. All the pressure was concentrated around one hoof as he went to slam it in Crimson’s face. A hoof that slowed as if it were moving through petroleum jelly as a violent aura covered it. With the sudden decrease in speed, Storm’s velocity bucked him in the face, snapping him backwards and through three consecutive trees. “Oh, please,” Twilight said, “I’ve learned my math, and I’m more magically inclined than you. Now... let’s get things back to normal.”

Twilight concentrated, trying to use a spell that had failed her once before, but would work this time, she was sure of it. She released the failsafe spell.

Almost instantly, the rain disappeared as the clouds were rent asunder, the trees that were knocked over picked themselves back up and were stitched together again. The long gouges in the ground zipped together, grass and small flowers re-planting and re-growing in the blink of an eye.

“Woohoo! Yeah, Twilight! Good job! Alright!” Her five friends gathered around her as she stood panting, but smiling at her work.

“Thank you, Twilight. I owe you one.” She turned to Crimson, still battered and bruised. He smiled at her, and then his eyes crossed and he slumped to the side.

“Crimson!” Pinkie Pie draped her forelegs over his body, pressing her ear against his chest. A few seconds later and she relaxed, her eyes tearing up, but a big smile on her face. “Oh, thank the stars. He’s just sleeping.” Sliding his body onto her back, Ponyville’s premiere party pony headed off. “Now, we gotta get you to the hospital, don’t we you wittle sweepy head? Yes we do! Yes we do!” She giggled to herself as she made sure the colt stayed on her back.

“What about the other one?” Fluttershy eeped as she found herself the center of attention.

Twilight looked pensive for a second, before sighing. “We’d better take care of him, too...” She trailed off as she saw that the white unicorn was no longer where they’d left him. “... Where’d he go?”

*****************************************************************************************************************

Storm slumped against the tree, no longer one of the apple trees. He was getting deeper into the Everfree Forest. He knew how to create magical healing aids, and all he needed were some ingredients.

“This isn’t over, Red,” he muttered to himself. “Not by a longshot, old buddy. Not by a longshot...”

_________
Editor’s Note: Next chapter, possibly my favorite character of this guy’s cast: Wild Card! Woohoo! Also, a lot of editing done, but not as much as the first chapter. Now, onwards and outwards, my friends! To new heights, new nights, and new fights! Allons-y!

Chapter Five: Deck and Covert Missions

Chapter Five: Deck and Covert Missions

"Wow, you're pretty wild, aren't you?" The Earth pony colt looked down at the mare that he had landed next to.

Smiling his most charming smile, he said, "Card. Wild Card at your service, Milady. Sorry for, eh heh, sweeping you off your hooves like that. I usually try to buy a mare dinner before laying them out." The mare giggled, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"Oh, come now. I'm sure you would love to ravage the ladies no matter what's going on." The mare winked seductively, pressing her body right up on Wild’s. THUNK. A small blade was embedded in the ground at his side, the mare staring at it in shock.

"As much as I'd love to stay and chat, well..." Shouts and running hooves could be heard as unicorn and earth pony guards crowded around the window he had jumped out of. "Well... Time for me to go! Ta, milady!"

With nary a backwards glance, Wild Card sprinted into the night, laughing as the ponies behind him lamented their luck, and the death of the Lord in charge of their paychecks. He had been wondering when the guards would actually get to the room.

Wild sped off, the only sure signs of his presence ever being there the blush on a mare's cheeks, and a Jack of Clubs. Blackjack had struck again.

You'd think that a pony like Wild Card would be the last pony able to blend into any crowd completely. His coat, while a dull brown, was usually a stand out amongst all the colors that were around him at any given moment, and had mid-length mane with yellow stripes. And seeing as how his cutiemarks were different, you’d think that would be a good indicator of who he was. He thinks so, at least. On one side, encased in a blue Gemini was an Ace. The top half of the card was of Spades, the bottom of Hearts. The other side was a red Gemini with a Joker inside.

“I can't believe how dense some ponies are,” he laughed, causing a few ponies around him to glance curiously, but nopony glanced twice. He was staring at the latest wanted poster for ‘Blackjack the Bounty Hunter’, and nopony could see the resemblance. The brown colt laughed again as he trotted away, finding himself wanting for a quick drink.

“Allllllright, everypony! I’ve jus’ finished mah twelth rum, sho, who wansta play a game o’ Blackjack?!”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Mmrn... where am I?”

Crimson finally awoke, not recognizing anything but the pair of ponies, slumped in the corner. One pink, and the other orange. Crimson got up from the hospital bed he was in, wincing as a rib complained about its bruises. “Alright... Just... gotta get outta here... before Storm shows up... with the army. Heh. As if he’d let them help.”

Crimson froze when the bed groaned and creaked, now that it was free of his weight. The two mares in the corner shifted a bit, Pinkie’s head turning until it was facing the wall. Applejack shifted, her body falling forward until she was sprawled across the floor. Her eyes opened, blinking out of sync. “Ehh..? Huh? Oh!” Applejack staggered to her hooves, sleep forgotten when she saw Crimson standing, swaying gently as he got used to the motion.

“Crimson, ya’ll okay?” The orange coated mare reached a hoof out to touch Crimson’s face before hesitating, placing it firmly back on the ground.

He looked at her, blinking as his vision flickered momentarily. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, putting a reassuring smirk on his face. “I just gotta jet.” He turned towards the door again, the farm filly stepping in his way, glaring at him.

“Oh no ya don’t, Sugarcube. Yer gonna stay righ’ here an’ tell the others what this’ all about when they git in.” Her eyes softened, her stance becoming less aggressive. “We’re worried abou’ ya, Crimson. An’ we sure as hay can’t help ya if ya don’t tell us what’s wrong.”

“I... sorry, but no.” he responded, his face growing stern. “Now please, step asi-”

“Ah ain’t budgin’.” Applejack held her ground. “We honestly wanna help ya, Crimson. So jus’ please just tell us.”

“I don’t like talking about myself, especially to ponies I only met a few days ago.”

“Ya’ll told Pinkie, didn’t ya, so tha’s complete bull!” the farmer yelled, getting more and more irritated.

“Th-That was different!” Crimson sputtered. “After what happened, she deserved an explanation!”

“Ya’ll nearly get mah little sis’ killed, then almost destroy mah farm, an’ Ah don’t deserve an explanation!?”

“Well, when you put it that way...” the colt chuckled nervously, as he scratched the back of his head. ‘Well... fuck. She does have a point...’

“Okay, okay, fine...” Crimson sighed in defeat. “You win. I’ve never been much of a verbal fighter. I prefer swords, much less flimsy.” Crimson groaned as he slumped back onto his bed. “So... when are they supposed to get here, any-wah!”

“OhmyGOSH, Crimson, you’re aWAKE! Ohmygoodness, that was sooooooo scary! You were like FWOOM! But he was all Shoom! And then you were all Whoosh! And then he went all like Flubbabababababoosh! And then I thought you were dead and he disappeared, and-”

“Pinkie... let go... please... can’t. Breathe.” Pinkie ‘eeped’ and let go, Crimson’s face falling on the pillow once again. Flopping over onto his back, he looked around again. It was nighttime, that much was sure from the view - or lack thereof - through the window. The clock was no help; it seemed to be broken.

“Sorry, sorry!” Pinkie took a few steps back, blushing furiously. Applejack was studiously not looking at him. Before he could raise a question about either mare’s reactions, the door opened and a violet mare levitating a small, flickering candle walked into the dim room.

“What’s going on, you two? Why all the noise? It’s not like he’s gonna wake any time soon.” Twilight yawned, trying in vain to rub the sleep out of her eyes. Soon after, the others stumbled or fell into the room from the hallway, where they’d all apparently been sleeping.

“Heh, hello there.” Crimson smirked, as the mare almost lost concentration on her magic a second time.

“I... didn’t-”

“Expect me to be awake?” he chuckled. “Please, like Storm could really mess me up THAT badly.”

“Well...” the mare felt the awkward silence creep in. “You did kind of worry us there for a while.”

“....I guess.” Crimson admit, his pride feeling like it was ripping in half. “Thank you and all, but... don’t do it again.”

“.....” Twilight couldn’t even muster a sentence.

“I like my fights fair, it makes me feel like a weakling when somepony has to lend me a hoof, as if I looked like my ass was getting kicked. And besides, I’ve been alone all my life, and I’d honestly rather die in battle then take somepony’s pity.”

“....Wow, such a typical colt.” the lavender mare shot back in a bitter tone. “They’d rather die than have their “masculinity” threatened from accepting help when they need it, especially if it was from a mare’s.”

“Like you would know.” the black colt huffed.

“When did all this start, anyways? Why all the hate between you two?” Twilight inquired, cocking her head to the side as she leaned in close.

Crimson groaned. “Do you really want to know?” Six mares nodded their heads. “... And nothing I say will or do will get me out of this, huh.” It wasn’t a question. Six heads still confirmed it, the answer was ‘no’.

Sighing, he laid back, eyes closed. He breathed in deeply, letting the breath out slowly as he prepared himself. “Okay. This first part doesn’t have much to do with Storm, but... it all plays towards that. Everything played towards that...”

Well, folks, would you look at that. Our first flashback! Feel free to get some snacks, popcorn would be great for this!

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Crimson looked around warily. He wasn't scared. No, what scared him wasn't the cruel teachers, nor was it the other children at the Orphanage. Just another day in this dreaded hell-hole that was called fifth grade. No, what really scared him was that dream... It was the dream that kept haunting him. His parent's deaths. After that... nothing seemed frightening anymore.

He soon spotted an empty desk. Three, to be exact. All at the very back of the classroom.

He trotted towards them, and then sat himself down. He was determined to get out of there as soon as he could. But first... a little education never hurt nopony.

Crimson's eye was swelling, the ring of black surrounding it tender to the touch. The other colt wasn't so lucky. "Don't make fun of me. If I want to learn some goddess damned math, then I'm gonna learn some GODDESS DAMNED MATH!" He pivoted on his forehooves, driving his rear hooves right into the gut of the bigger kid. He trotted away, not caring what the others whispered about. They'd stop eventually.

Crimson looked to the back of the classroom. There was somepony at his desk. "Hey! That's my desk!"

The white unicorn filly flinched, whimpering into the side of a colt that could have well been her twin. "You leave my sister alone. She didn't know! Excuse us for being new!"

The colt helped his sister over to the desk opposite of the black colt, the one on the right. He glared at Crimson. Crimson glared back. He hated that ass already.

“Alright, brats, listen up!” the teacher yelled to his students. The overweight stallion looked like he hadn’t slept for days. Crimson also identified that cow manure scent to belong to him as well. “There are two new students attending this class, but their names matter as much as yours. Nothing! Now don’t go off an torment the new kids on their first day, save it for later. But for right now, you little shits better focus, I won’t be repeating myself twice!”

As they finished up, as recess - or what the ‘school’ tried to pass as recess - began. The kids took part in their usual pastime. And, as usual, the “teacher” was on one of his ‘don’t give a fuck’ naps.

"Shut up, you whiny little Bitch! I'm playing with that. It's. My. Toy." Crimson watched as the white filly was bullied by a big colt who already had his cutiemark. It was of a Teddy Ursa that had all of its stuffing ripped out. Isn’t that just precious?

‘Hmph, Dreadful ass.’ Crimson thought to himself, as he apathetically witnessed the event at hoof.

"Don't touch my sister, you big jerk!" Ooh, brother to the rescue. Crimson drank some more of his juice. This would be interesting.

The white unicorn fought well. No effort was wasted. If he missed an attack, he improvised. The bigger pony was down in less than a minute.

Crimson walked over to the crying filly. She looked up at his approach. Fear filled her eyes. They were a good color. Red. Almost Crimson. He stifled a snicker at his own joke. "Don't be such a baby. Stop playing the damsel in distress. It's stupid if no one gives a shit about your game."

Her brother was pissed to put simply, as he started to paw at the ground. Crimson turned his head towards him, giving him a lazy smile that had gotten him in and out of trouble many times before. "Just saying the truth, Sprinkle."

"My name... is Storm."

"Whatever, Raindrops."

"Grrrgh!" The white colt stomped off, his sister lingering for a second or two before following after.

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Crimson looked up at the faces around him, all of them quiet. Fluttershy looked like she just wanted to run and hide, but she was curious. Oh so curious to know. He took another breath.

“This next part was by no means the first fight between us, but it was one of the biggest of our childhood. Classes had just gotten out at our ‘school’ for the noon meal...”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Finally, after their dreaded classes were over, lunch was next. Crimson was glad, he was starving; plus, he needed some time to gather his thoughts, and to be alone, which he has been getting a lack of lately. He was one of the last in line to get some food. He didn't bring a bag lunch from his 'home', so he would have to suffer through the dreadful slop that Hayseed Valley Elementary called 'lunch'. As he sat down, he took in the details of his lunch: a classic Daffodil and mustard sandwich. It didn't look too bad for the lunch the school usually serves, so they must be getting a little more money, or just decided to use it on somepony other than themselves. But if there's one thing Crimson learned, he learned that looks can be deceiving.

As he was about to take the first bite, he noticed out of the corner of his right eye that those unicorn twins were at the matching red table and chairs next to him. He bid them no mind, hoping they would do the same. He started to hear some of their conversation, nothing out of the ordinary, until it became a little interesting...

"...I'm gonna try to talk to him."

"What!?"

The colt, Storm, was surprised to hear what came out of his sister’s mouth. Had she forgotten how cruel the black coated colt was acting last time they spoke to them?

"Did you forget how much of a jerk he was?! What if he hurts you, like those bullies almost did?"

"Look at him, he looks... alone," the unicorn filly said, while her gaze landed upon the black and red colt.

Crimson started to get nervous; he was getting the feeling that HE was the colt they were talking about, but he couldn't jump to assumptions just yet. His eyes remained unfocused, only paying attention with his ears so they wouldn't notice. He always did have strong ears...

"...not lonely enough if you ask me..." Storm mumbled under his breath, with an angry look on his face to match.

"Brother!" the filly squeaked, a surprisingly stern look on her delicate face. “How could you say something like that?! You know, he's not much different from what you used to be. You were just as cold to everypony before..." She stopped in mid speech, a sad look in her red eyes.

‘Before what,’ Crimson thought silently to himself. He continued to listen to the siblings' conversation.

Storm’s eyes began to sadden as well, but he put a stern look on his face to cover it up.

"...Fine." the colt said under his breath, obviously not happy about this decision.

"Really, you mean it?!" his sister almost yelled in surprise. Her eyes immediately widened as she gained a new joyous look, and a big hearty smile.

"Yeah, yeah… I mean it." he said with disgust in his voice as his sapphire eyes wandered the opposite direction, but quickly shot back at her with a serious look in them.

"But if he says or does anything out of line, I'll fix him myself." The thought of his sister talking to that guy made him sick to his stomach.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!" is all that came out of the filly's mouth, her words clustering together as she bounced in place with delight, her sapphire hair bouncing along with her.

She hugged her brother tightly, then trotted directly to the black colt, leaving Storm to immediately regret his decision.

"Please tell me you know what you're doing. I hope he's not as bad of a pony as I thought. I hope you're right about him." Storm quietly whispered to himself, getting himself nervous.

Crimson was on the verge of panicking, feeling sweat drop at every hoofstep he heard coming closer and closer...

Crimson squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Maybe if I look like I don't notice her, she'll go away and-‘

"Hello?"

‘Fuck...’

It was the only word he was able to think in his head, and it seemed to fit the situation perfectly...

"Hi, my name is Vinyl Scratch!" the filly spoke up, showing a friendly face to the strange colt.

‘So… that's her name...’ is what went through Crimson's head. He never did catch her name. He sighed, and allowed his eyes to slip over to her.

Her coat was snow white, and her mane, which was sapphire with light blue sections, was very shaggy. Her tail matched her mane. She had red eyes, almost crimson, and he noticed that she was a 'blank flank' as some ponies called it. She was actually a very pretty filly and-

‘Wait a minute, did I just think she was pretty!?’ screamed through Crimson's head, as he felt a blush creep up on his snout. ‘Why would I think that? Fillies are insufferable!’ He could feel sweat drip down his forehead. Quickly, he took control of his blush, whipped the sweat from his face, and gained control of his thoughts and feelings while putting on a bored face, much like he always does. All in all, it took about maybe ten seconds, as he prided himself subconsciously.

"What is it that you want," Crimson asked, with his bored look.

Vinyl got a little flustered as she tried to explain her reason, but something about the strange colt made her lose focus on her words.

"Oh, right! Um... my brother, Storm Scratch, and I wanted to know if you'd sit with us at our table." she explained with a nervous smile and a small blush on her face.

Crimson doubted that her brother wanted him over with them, but Vinyl herself sounded sincere, as if she did. Almost as if she were... concerned... But how could that be? Nopony had EVER been concerned for him since his parents...

"Why exactly do you care?" the young colt replied with a rude tone. Vinyl was getting very nervous now, as she searched for the right words.

"Well... you looked lonely over here by yourself, and I couldn't stand it."

‘She is concerned for me? No. I- I bet it's an act...’ Crimson thought, still unable to accept that somepony might be nice to him just to be nice.

"I wasn't lonely,” he scoffed. “I like being alone; It helps me gather my thoughts and relax for once. But obviously you can't tell the difference, so I'll have to ask you to leave me alone." Crimson averted his eyes, closing them tight while trying to still look bored.

It came out harsher than Crimson had planned, but he had to prove a point. That's who Crimson Rays is; a cold, quiet, ruthless, stubborn, tempered, fearless, bold, sadistic, and emotionless (mostly) young ten year old orphan colt. He's dealt with hardships most ponies would never even come close to having to go through, but it had given a more solid, calm demeanor for it. His near genius IQ, strong, fast, and agile body, and analytical mind made him what he was. However, his detachment to the world around him had made him a very antisocial, hateful, and dark colt as well.

"But- but everypony needs a friend... right?" is what Vinyl managed to slip out of her throat. She was on the verge of tears, but was still hell-bent on trying to help this colt out through his problems. Crimson, however, caught on to this.

"I don't know how I can be any more blunt about this than I already am right now, but how about this? Fuck. Off. NOW." Crimson tapped his hoof on the table thrice as he said the last three words, to spell out for her.

He felt pretty terrible about what he had said to this filly, but brushed it off immediately to prevent having any emotions come from it. He also didn't get much time to think when a lone hoof smashed down on the table he was sitting at, making an incredibly noisy pound surprising both Crimson and Vinyl.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU JERK!?!?!" screamed an angry voice that belonged to a young colt near them.

It was Storm Scratch, and his face was red with anger. You could almost see the sparks that were in his blue eyes.

"Well, well. It's that 'knight in shining armor' brother of yours." said Crimson, who had already regained his bored look, not even bothering to sit up from his chair. He took a look at the unicorn colt in better view. He had a matching white coat of that of his twin, he had semi-long hair, much like Crimson, but instead of black with red stripes, Storm's was white with blue, zigzagging, thin, sapphire lines, and the same color as his eyes, going down his hair, almost resembling lightning bolts. He had a solid, slim build for his age and no cutie mark, much like Crimson. And his eyes, they were like Crimson's in almost every way, not color wise, but filled with hatred.

"All she wanted was to be your friend, to help you, was that really so damn hard to give her?!"

Many of the kids, even the teachers, had their full attention glued to this scene. Crimson wasn't liking the attention, but that wouldn't distract him from the problem at hoof.

"Being a moody ass and treating others like shit isn't going to help you in life you know." the white colt went on.

"Piss off! Don't preach to me on how I should live my life. Now, how about you focus on your own life, and get your big ass nose outta mine!" Crimson retorted, getting angrier.

“You were being a complete asshole to my sister, otherwise I wouldn't give two shits about your life; you self-centered prick." Storm’s voice was much calmer, but he still had the same fury in his eyes. Cold fury.

"Well maybe if you're sister would mind her own damn business, we wouldn't be in this mess, you fucking idiot." Crimson’s voice was full of pure hatred.

"Don't you DARE blame Vinyl for ANYTHING! Maybe if you lightened up your attitude, random people wouldn't have to give out pity to you! How pathetic is that!?" Storm regained his heat as he yelled at Crimson with anger seething in his words.

"I'm not the one who feels he has to show off in front of his sister to make himself seem less pathetic. Here's a better idea. Keep your fucking sister in check and put a leash on her, then, you can go cry to your mommy and daddy about your shit problems, because they're the only two people in Equestria who could possibly give a fuck." Crimson responded, giving his infamous half smile that seemed to always complement his dark personality.

Storm finally lost it and started shaking from the anger he was feeling. He used his foreleg to punch Crimson straight in the jaw, sending him flying out of his chair and slide face first onto the floor. Crimson Rays got up without even saying a word, wiped the blood from his mouth and proceeded to just stand there. Finally, Crimson spoke up.

"You're dead." Crimson proclaimed in an almost hissing, whisper-like voice, an enormous, toothy smile across his face. His eyes were angry, dull, lifeless, and his pupils were noticeably shrunken; and filled with nothing more than the animalistic instinct to tear Storm to shreds. Crimson had finally snapped, putting it lightly.

Storm felt a jolt of fear crawl down his spine, however, he instantly brushed the fear off, getting ready to fight. He looked to Vinyl next to him, the fear she was displaying was unbearable; she was shaking, her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, her pupils were dilated, and she had tears streaming down her face like rivers. She was paying nopony attention but Crimson. Storm had even more reason to fight now. Storm had only one thought going through his head: ‘I have to fight this, for Vinyl. And nopony is going to stop me!!!’

Crimson lunged at Storm with an incredible amount of speed, Storm barely managing to block a punch with his forearm. Although he was able to guard the attack, that single punch was enough to make his arm almost completely numb.

‘Nopony has ever managed to hurt my arm this badly!’ the shocked white colt thought to himself, still trying to avoid every swing that was thrown at him. ‘He’s really strong, and he’s swinging at me completely unpredictably...’

Unfortunately, Storm’s luck had run out, as a kick slammed into his gut, followed by a hoof to the chin that smashed him to the hard linoleum floor.

As she witnessed the event with a heart pounding terror, Vinyl finally managed to snap herself out of it. Her brother, the single pony in her life who had ever bothered to stand up for her, was being beaten to a pulp in front of her eyes, and nopony even bothered to help. They all just watched the horrifying display of violence run its course, boredom or laughter in their eyes.

‘No, he’s protected me all this time, but he’s in over his head this time! Now’s the time to return the favor to him!’ Vinyl galloped as hard as her legs could carry her, in order to save her brother from his beating.

“No, stop it! Please, I beg you, STOP!!!” screamed the little filly, as she got in between Storm and his pulverizer.

“Out of the way, kid! I’m not done with him yet!” Crimson growled, showing off his smile that was almost the epitome death itself. Vinyl locked eyes with the black colt as she gulped, but bravely stood her ground none the less.

“Vinyl, get out of here, I don’t want to see you get hurt!” Storm grunted through his pain filled body.

“No, if he wants to get to you, he’s going to have to get through me first!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” screamed the school administrator, acting as if he had given a shit the whole time. Probably to keep from being sued from the parents of some of the kids watching. “Break it up, it’s time to see the Principal!”

“But Vinyl didn’t even do anything!” Storm growled.

“Doesn’t matter, she was still involved in this little incident.” he put emphasis on little, as if this was no big deal.

The three were dragged off by the authorities, leaving Crimson and his sandwich torn apart from each other.

“My sandwich...”

“Shut up, this is all your fault.” Storm snarled.

“Calm down, this is just another harmless trip to that office for me.” he smirked. “And besides, what’s the worst that could happen?”

Their punishment given to them by the Principal was to clean the lunchroom and gymnasium for an entire month. The rest of their punishment was said to be told after they cleaned up their immediate mess.

“This could happen maybe, you idiot!”

“Just shut up and keep cleaning...”

As they finished, they were sent back to the office to receive their final punishment.

The school was divided into four different sections; the Elementary school classes, Middle school classes, High school classes, and the dormitories. The orphan children were given a place to stay at the school in their own dorm by themselves, with very little supervision. So the orphan children had to live at their own school, every kid’s worst nightmare. Well, Crimson was already experiencing a worse nightmare, so it didn’t exactly apply to him in specific. The three made their way back to the office, ready to have their eardrums bleed from the yelling once again.

“So, have fun?!” their Principal stallion sneered, making a complete ass of himself. “Did you clean every single speck from the lunchroom and the gymnasium?”

“Yes...” the three answered in unison, speaking in monotone.

“Good,” the stallion smirked. “-Now time for you to be issued your next punishment!” he said with glee. “You are all aware that you live in the school dorm rooms, right?”

‘No, I was not aware of this, you fucking prick!’ Crimson sneered in his head.

“Well guess what?! We’re being clogged at the moment in the dorms lately, so we’ve now been assigning kids with no blood relations in the same dorm rooms!”

‘Oh Celestia, please no...’

“You three are being assigned to the same dorms, so pack up your shit, you’re all moving out!!!”

“WHAT?!” the three shrieked in unison once more.

“Have fun!~” the Principal waved in delight, “Oh, and shout in here again, and you’ll get a month added on to your cleaning duties!”

As they left, Crimson’s stomach started to growl profusely at its master. He never got to eat that sandwich...

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Crimson finished off the delectable sandwich that Pinkie Pie had given him. Thank goodness for that, he’d been without food for almost two days, what with him being in the hospital and all!

“Thanks, Pinkie! This next one’s the story of how Storm and I started to hate each other a little bit less, maybe you could consider us friends...”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“Hey, asshole, it’s your turn to wash dishes tonight!”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll do it in a minute, Sprinkles...”

The two colts were about to have another pointless argument, one that involved Crimson’s laziness and Storm’s strictness colliding once again. It had been almost a month since they had fought about who slept where in their new rooms, with the little filly always on the sidelines begging the two to cease their fighting. Crimson was relaxing -or trying to- on the top bunk of the room’s bunk bed -which wasn’t even his-, while Storm barked orders at him, feeling like he was shouting at a brick wall.

“My name is Storm, you idiot! Now quit being so goddess damned lazy and do your share of the housework!”

“Alright, Stormyouidiot, I’ll start once you go away and stop nagging me about it. Jeez, it’s like I’m living with two fillies.” the black colt groaned.

“Say that again, you lazy asshole!” Storm threatened, his face burning up as he about to lose himself in another fight. “I fucking dare you!”

“I’m living. In the same dorm room. With two. Little. Annoying. Twin fillies.” Crimson smirked, like a true smartass. “There, now maybe your brain will finally comprehend something for once. And fucking quit calling me lazy!”

“Guys, stop it!” Vinyl yelled. “I don’t want us to have to go to the Principal's again after what he said last month.” she tried to talk reason into the colts. “We’re almost done with the first punishment, why add to that one, right?”

“Then tell your brother to quit bitching at me!” Crimson grumbled.

“Then tell this asshole to actually pull his own weight!” Storm snorted back.

The filly sighed, preparing to leave the room in frustration. “Fine. I guess there’s way to talk sense into a couple of foals...”

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING FOALS!!!” the colts yelled in unison, their muzzles as red as apples. The two glared into each other's eyes, as Storm ran off to catch up with his sister.

“...Fuck this shit...” the black colt decided to just get it over with, jumping from the bunk and heading to the kitchen. About fifteen minutes in, he was finally close to finishing up. Well, until he saw what was going on outside. It was a two story dorm, so he could see almost everything. “What’s this now?”

“Stay the hell away from her!” It was Storm’s voice. He was right in front of Vinyl, as they were surrounded by about sixteen different colts, all towering over the Storm. Five of them were already laying on the ground, looking to be unconscious. However, Storm looked like he was almost at his limit.

“Not a chance, you little bastard!” one of them snarled at him, He was the largest one of the group, so he was probably their “leader”. He also had the cutiemark of a Teddy Ursa with all of its stuffing ripped out. “I didn’t forget the last time we met, punk! Now you’re going to pay for it, you and your sister!”

Three of the bullies charged at the smaller white colt. Storm kicked one in the stomach, and then smacked another in the chin with an uppercut, but the third pony got behind him, putting Storm in a choke hold.

“Haha, you’re not as tough as you say you are, punk!” the ringleader snorted, as the other kids began to laugh as well. As he walked closer to the white colt, he proceeded to jab the colt repeatedly in the stomach.

“Brother!” Vinyl shrieked in terror. “Please let him go, I’ll do anything!”

“You think begging’s gonna help you?!” the bully scoffed. “Ha, you’re next after we’re done with-”

The colt met with a hard kick to the face, a hind leg that belonged to a certain black colt, and he landed on the ground, the bully flying through the dirt.

“Jeez, what’s with you two and getting your asses kicked?” he smirked.

“C-Crimson?!” the filly couldn’t believe her eyes. “Did you just jump out a two story window?!”

“Duh!” He flapped his wings proudly, as if to say ‘pegasus, remember?’ Then he turned his attention towards the group of bullies. “Now, drop that pansy before I drop you...”

The one holding Storm sneered. “You think it’ll be that eas-” the colt was cut off by Crimson’s hoof.

“Looks like it.”

As the colt stumbled back in pain, Storm started to get to his hooves.

“...Need any help?” the white colt asked with enthusiasm.

“She’s your sister, so I don’t see why not.”

Storm smiled as the bigger colts all gathered around the two of them. They stood up on their hindlegs, back-to-back as the bigger kids tried to overwhelm them. “You’re gonna get your ass kicked, Crimson.”

“Whatever you say, Sprinkles.”

***************************************************************************************************************

“Stop grinning like an idiot,” Storm muttered, a big smile plastered on his face.

“Oh, go bugger your mother, Raindrops. I haven’t had that good a fight in a while,” Crimson smiled back. The two colts laughed as they waited for the Principal to deal out their punishment.

“Whatever, Red.”

“Red? Heh. I like that.”

“Yeah, really? You’re an ass.”

“You too, buddy.” The two colts laughed again as they trotted into the nervous principal’s office. They walked out with their current punishment lifted, a black-eyed stallion shaking on the floor behind them. Life was... bearable.

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“And that,” Crimson said with a flourish, “is the story of my childhood. It’s a work in progress.” He yawned, feeling a bit sleepy.

The six mares all either stared at him, or shifted uncomfortably. It’d been a long winded story, that’s for sure. “Um...” Twilight bit her lip, then pressed on with her question. “What happened to give you that scar?”

Crimson laughed mirthlessly. “That, my dear friend, is a story for another time. No. Instead, I think I’ll tell you about a filly who I’d grown close too. A filly I had to kill. The filly who helped me open my eyes to all the shit I was letting ponies like Boss shovel down my throat, because I didn’t know any better. Heh heh heh... I may be smart, but I’ve been stupid for my whole life.”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“Red! Red! Red! Look at me! Look at me! I can fly like you, Red!” Crimson watched the young filly float around, her horn lit up as she performed backflips and pirouettes and loop-de-loops. She was a pretty good fly-thunk-er, ouch.

“Heh heh, y’know, you’re clumsy, Bright. C’mon. Climb on my back. I’ll show you what flying’s all about.” Crimson hefted the young filly’s weight onto his back, and jumped easily into the air. She barely weighed anything as he pulled off different stunts and maneuvers. Nothing like the Wonderbolts. Flashy. Silly. Amateurish. No, he pulled tricks he’d learned especially from Boss’ best fliers. He did a Broker’s Backflash. A Stinging Winger. A Bladed Blowout. A Barrel of Laughs. Just because they had funny names, didn’t mean they weren’t deadly if done with weapons.

Wild Card had been sent to kill a magical prodigy by the name of Star Bright. This filly. But, as luck would have it, he thought he was supposed to kill Far Bright. Her father. He succeeded in the hit, but didn’t get the right deader. So, Crimson was sent in. What he found was... surprising. The filly knew. She knew he was there for her life. She just asked if it’d be okay to say goodbye to mommy first. Crimson’s resolve... crumbled. He couldn’t do it. Deaders were supposed to beg. Plead. barter, wager, attack. Those were normal. But... asking to say goodbye. Acceptance. That... You couldn’t fight that.

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“And then what?” The sun was beginning to peek through the curtains. Crimson took another sip of water and cleared his throat.

“I gave in. I took her to her mother. She told her mother that she had to go. Her mother begged. Pleaded. She made me angry. Her daughter... the one who had the contract, the one who, by order and law of Boss had to die, was accepting of her fate. Her mother... I almost killed her mother just to get that mare to shut up.”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“Please, don’t hurt her! Please! Not my baby! Take me instead, please! I’ll do anything! Anything!” Crimson snarled at the sniveling mare. She flinched back.

“You insufferable bitch. You do realize that I could easily kill you, go downstairs, make myself a pot of coffee, butter up a slice of toast, and read the Goddess damned newspaper and still have enough time to kill your daughter before anypony noticed? Throwing your life away is stupid. All it does is make there be one more body.” Crimson’s demeanor shifted a bit. “Now... I have to take care of her. Boss ordered me to. So... I’ll take care of your daughter. I promise. I... she’s smart. Knows when to accept fate.” He chuckled sadly. “Fuck, she can probably read the future or minds or something. She... she knew she had to die, and she’s willing to face it. This is goodbye, madame. For now. If you so much as tell a soul about anything I did or did not do while here, I will come back and finish off this family. Does that sound fair enough?”

The mare gulped and nodded, still shaking like a teacup in a foal’s telekinetic grip. Crimson smiled, his entire face relaxing. “Okay, Bright. let’s go. I should ‘take care of you’ before anypony becomes the wiser. But first... got any toast?”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

“So, you took care of her? You’re boss told you to... be her parent?” Twilight asked, face contorted with confusion. Crimson massaged his temples with his forehooves for the umpteenth time.

“... Twilight, have you ever heard of double entendre?” Twilight blinked with incomprehension. “... Okay, let me give you an example. If I were to try to break into a house by using a key that was too big for the lock, a natural thing for me to say would be “it doesn’t fit”-

“That’s what she said!” Everypony looked at Pinkie Pie, who was snorting at her joke. Crimson smiled.

“Exactly! That sentence that I said could be said in exactly the same way, but under different circumstances. Like, during sexual intercourse, where a stallion is too big to fit inside a mare. But in this case, the phrase ‘Take care of her’, as said by Boss, meant ‘kill her’. As I said it to her mother, I meant ‘keep her safe’. Double entendre. It’s Fancee, I believe.”

Twilight’s eyes sparked as the gears in her head seemed to click. “Oh! A double meaning! Why didn’t you say so?”

Crimson groaned. “I did.” Shaking his head, he said, “Now... where was I?”

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Crimson had taken her to one of his numerous safe houses. In specific, it was his Thursday house. So named because he only used it on Wednesdays. He let the filly down, and she started trotting around, looking at everything he had. He had spears and flails and swords of all sizes hung proudly on the walls. “Wooooowwwww.... you got a lot of cool stuff, Mister!”

“Crimson.”

“Huh?”

“My name. It’s Crimson.”

“Aww... but that’s a long name! I’ll call you... Red!”

***************************************************************************************

“Look at me, Red! I’m getting pretty good, huh?” The white filly was twirling around a Bō staff like an expert, smacking it against the practice dummies with enough force to create a thwack with each hit, but not much else.

“Yeah. You’re doing great. Keep practicing.”

“Okay, Red!”

Crimson smiled, but then frowned. Boss had found out. It’d been only four months, and Boss already knew. Bah. Now it was down to a choice. Kill Star Bright, or let her suffer? Kill the one piece of happiness he’d ever had, or let somepony else kill both him, and it? He... he couldn’t decide.

That night, he stood over her. Watching her chest rise and fall, filled with life. A heart that beat. Blood that ran hot with love and laughter, kindness and sweetness. She was not big for her age, still just barely old enough to have earned her cutiemark. Her cutiemark was a starburst with a constellation formed in front. The constellation was in the same shape as his own cutiemark. He understood. It came to him or her. Every fate had decided that.

“... Red? What’s the matter?” He looked down at the filly, her eyes filled with sleep. In the moonlight, her white coat was illuminated like a ghostly apparition. Her cotton candy pink mane was ruffled, not in its usual pigtails. Her eyes cleared, and a look of knowing filled them. “He found out, didn’t he?”

Crimson didn’t have to answer. The tears running down his face were answer enough. The filly nodded to herself and closed her eyes, laying back on the bed, a small smile on her face. “I’m ready to go, Red. I’m sure my father would be happy to see me.” Crimson stood there, trembling. He pulled out his katana, the black blade not reflecting any light as it was lifted into the air above his head.

Crimson sniffed. He rubbed the tears out of his eyes, only for more to replace them. “D-d-dammit, Crimson. Y-you’re fucking this up. Sh-she can accept it, so why can’t you? CELESTIA DAMMIT!” Crimson slammed his sword into the door’s frame, the blade sticking fast. He bucked at the wall, whinnying in sorrow as he tried to pull himself together.

He felt warmth surrounding his left foreleg. He opened his eyes to see Star Bright looking up at him, hugging his foreleg comfortingly. “It’s okay, Red. I know you don’t want to. But you have to. It’s your job. And good ponies don’t stop doing their jobs because they don’t wanna do it.”

“No. Good ponies wouldn’t have this job in the first place. I deserve to die.”

“We are sad to hear that. You were... cute.” came from a completely different voice. Crimson turned around, the fear taking its place when his eyes found where the voice had come from. It was Terra... “Boss told us that if you failed, we’d get to take our own sweet time. We have some wonderfully slow toxins. And we have two wonderful volunteers to help us.” the mare smiled, her voice not quite frigid.

“No... it’s Autumn...” Crimson growled through gritted teeth.

An earth pony mare stood before him, her head covered in a hat made out of brown and golden cloth to make it look like leaves. She didn’t appear to be wearing her cloak today, showing off her Pisces symbol for a cutiemark.

Vines snapped through the floor, wrapping around the two helpless ponies. Terra laughed again as another vine brought a vial to her, the contents a decidedly unpleasant green.

“Let’s start with little Mr. Tough guy,” Terra exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to see your powers of endurance.”

With that, the vial was carefully poured into a syringe and sent racing through Crimson’s bloodstream. Crimson was calm. Like the Taurus he had for a cutiemark, he was more powerful when angered. But when calm, he didn’t go at normal speeds. He tended to be a little... sluggish. This was due to his brain trying to speed up its processing time while using less blood. Then, Terra was gone.

After a minute of struggling, Crimson finally got to his hooves and, draping Bright on his back, he limped to his poisons station. He was no master at the art, but he was sure he could make a cure.

“C-come on, nnrgh-now, Crimson... j-just fix up an Argh-antidote!” Crimson’s legs crumpled beneath him, almost making him drop the vial clenched between his teeth. He looked at Star Bright. She was convulsing on the ground, tears streaming from her eyes. But she made not a whine nor whimper. She was strong. He had to be strong for her, and get her an antidote.

The antidote was ready. He tried to feed it to Star, but his own convulsing made him rethink his plan. Crimson knocked back the slightly bitter concoction, his spasms becoming more controlled, until he was only slightly shaking. There was only enough left for one dose. He prayed to whatever higher powers that were out there to please let him do this one good. That’s all he wanted. He didn’t want Bright to feel pain any longer.

It happened before Crimson could blink. Star Bright’s hoof shot forward, slamming the glass containing the cure from his mouth, the cure becoming nothing more than a stain on the carpet. He stared at it in shock, then at the filly. Her eyes, though contracted with pain, had a smile in them. “D-do it, R-Red. It’s th-th-e only way.” Bright’s face contorted as the poison seeped through her bloodstream, boiling away her life from the inside out.

Crimson shook, but not from the poison. He shook from the power of his emotions, his infinite sadness. He plodded back to his weapons room, each hoofstep ringing like the Reaper’s call.

He stood over her twitching, flailing body. Her face still had that pained smile on it. He couldn’t look as he drove the dagger through the vein right above her heart. “I’m sorry,” he said, tears running hotly off his face. Once he pulled the dagger out, she’d be dead. “I... I love you, Bright.”

The filly lifted her head a little, before slumping back to the ground. Crimson leaned in to hear what she had to say. chu~ She kissed his cheek, before saying “I love you too, C-cri-son...” He pulled the knife out slowly, kissing her cheek.

“Goodnight, Star Bright. Rest in dreams away from fright. I- I hope you... you...” Crimson broke down, crying, over the filly’s body. Her eyes were closed, lips curled into a soft, relaxed smile.

=>~*~*-*~*~<=

Crimson laid still in the hospital bed, tears streaming down his face. “It didn’t matter what happened to me after that. I grabbed as much of my bits as I could, and left. First, I went to her mother. Told her what had happened. I think... For once, she believed me. Somepony believed me. She helped me, hid me in her house while I cried and suffered. Soon, though, I had to leave. Storm had tracked me down. Then I went to Hoofington. Big, big place. Thought I’d be able to blend in. Glitch gave me some new weapons and gadgets, then called in our old friend Notch. Glitch wasn’t one to leave a friend in need, but he also wasn’t gonna die just to let me have a moment’s break. Notch encased more than half of the city in diamond. Everything was diamonds. Apples, trees, buildings. Everything. I tried Las Pegasus. Only Glitch had wings, so I thought I’d be safe. I was wrong. Storm had been there a week, using a cloud walking spell to stay aloft. He was weak from having to recast the spell every six hours, so he wasn’t that bad that time. But.... No matter where I went, I was driven out. Boss doesn’t want me. And what Boss wants, Boss gets.”

Crimson wiped the tears from his eyes, looking at his audience. Fluttershy was bawling softly into Pinkie’s side, Applejack was hiding behind her hat, Rarity was wiping at her eyes with a dainty hoofkerchief, to no avail, and Dash was facing away, rubbing furiously at her eyes. Twilight was looking at the ground, her tears falling undaunted to the floor.

“Crimson... I- I- WAAAAH!!!” Pinkie jumped atop Crimson, crying into his chest. “I’m so sorry that that happened! I’ll do anything to help you! Just tell me what it is, and I’ll help you!”

“We all will, sugarcube.” Applejack looked into his eyes, knowing that every word the colt had said was true. And if there was one thing she understood, it was the truth.

Twilight reached over and hugged Crimson and Pinkie tight, her eyes squeezed shut against the tears. “Crimson, I...”

Next came Rarity, trotting around to the other side to get a better hold. “You poor, poor dear!”

Fluttershy joined in next, mewling and sniffling as she squeezed her friends gently.

Rainbow Dash, eyes red and raw from tears, stood next to Twilight and wrapped her forelegs around Crimson’s midriff. “Y-you a-ass...”

Applejack was last, squeezing past Rarity and wrapping her forelegs around his head, cradling it. “We understand, Crimson. Ah do, prolly more than most. Mah own parents are dead, y’know...”

Crimson’s heart filled with warmth. His tears continued to flow, but now he found the courage to smile. He was surrounded by friends. Good friends.

“Ahem.” There was also more than one of them laying directly on top of him, and the doctor did not seem to think that was proper medical procedure.

Crimson blinked in the bright sunlight. It wasn’t quite noon, but the day was warm nonetheless. The doctor told him to not mess around with storms, and to let the pegasi trained for weather control take care of them next time. Crimson chuckled at that. He limped back to the farm, with Applejack and Pinkie Pie keeping him steady, each one pressed up against him.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Wild Card looked up at Boss, or what little he could see of him. His smile went wide, his eye twitching in barely contained glee. “Track down Crimson, you say? Oh, of course, your Boss-e-ness. I’d be delighted to! Heeheeheeheehee!” The earth pony galloped out of the chamber, not even seeming to touch the ground in his haste.

Boss settled back in his chair, puffing out a plume of smoke. His mouth opened, showing his sharp teeth in an evil cheshire smile. “Crimson. Expect company - My ‘Company’ - shortly.” Boss chuckled, his tail rasping along the ground. “Very shortly. We’re having a company picnic in Ponyville, Ahahahahahaha!”

Editor’s note: Woohoo! We sure surprised you with getting this one done early, didn’t we? Well, that’s all because we had the flashbacks written up beforehoof. So... everypony give Wolfie a big round of applause! *clops forehooves on the ground repeatedly* Seriously, guys - this author is so modest! I edit and add stuff, but he always thinks he doesn’t do much. Buck, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be writing for him in the first place! XP

And of course, Thank me for being a crazy ass. Did you cry when Crimson killed Star Bright? I did, and I wrote the damn scene! TT~TT

I still find it funny that I get a more powerful vibe from working on this than my own fic. Completely and totally weird.

Anyways, we love you guys so very very much! ~ Super Big Mac

Chapter Six: Calling Card

Chapter Six: Calling Card

“Gmmphr.... my ass hurts...”

The sun’s rays shined its way through the window, right onto the black colt’s face. Crimson cursed Celestia’s name under his breath, grumbling irritably. The colt winced, his body still felt a shot of pain every time he even budged, though it didn’t feel as bad as the day before. His eyes wandered around the room, as he spotted his Katana in its sheath against the wall and his belt of utilities on the floor next to it, which he completely refused to leave the hospital without.

“Next time I see that little bitch, I’ll...” He sighed, not having the heart to finish the rest of that sentence. Storm was once considered a friend, a friend he thought he had left behind and forgotten long ago...

The black colt, despite his battered body, stumbled to the bathroom. He was looking forward to another shower, or his early naptime. While relaxing in his shower however, he found himself thinking about whatever came to his mind. Crimson loved to gather his thoughts, it helped him gain a small amount of peace for once.

‘...I hope the guy doesn’t end up killing himself, little Vinsy would be crushed.’ went through the colt’s head, as steamy hot water ran down his sleek coat in a sudsy deluge. ‘That idiot always did overwork himself half the time I knew him, but he really has changed since the last time I spoke with him. He used to scold everypony, but he did it for everypony's safety and well being, even though it was annoying as hell.’

The black colt smirked as the nostalgia went through his brain. As his mind began to wander, he seemed to come to a sudden realization.

‘....Twilight seems to know more about Storm then she lets on...’ he thought to himself, his hoof resting on his chin, ‘Maybe she met him at some point. I wouldn’t be surprised; Celestia’s top student in magic and Celestia’s top guard would have had to meet at some point, right?’

As he started loosening up, Crimson’s mind drifted even further. ‘Pinkie Pie and Applejack have been acting a bit weird lately.... probably just a mare thing.’ he concluded with a shrug. If there had to be absolutely ONE subject he was completely ignorant in, it would have to be the female species, what with a lack of their company for most of his life and all. Though Vinyl might have been an exception to the rule had she not been such a tomboy.

As the water began to cool down, the colt finished up his shower, toweling his soaked coat off and making his way to the mirror once again, with another "Good morning, asshole." He wasn't exactly accustomed to mirrors, as he had had rarely given his looks a glance. Crimson honestly couldn’t rate his appearance, he didn’t know what ‘handsome’ was supposed to look like. Sure he was called cute, good looking, handsome, and a few names that made him cringe at the thought of them, but the colt had trouble believing any of it to be true, he just figured they wanted to see him trip over his hooves like an idiot. Jeez, his self esteem is pretty damn low, isn’t it?

Crimson just decided to brush it off as he put his cloak on and weapons underneath, making his way out into the open world. It was already about ten o’clock in the morning, so he figured the Apple family already partook in breakfast.

‘Whatever, not even that hungry anyways...’ the colt thought, as the only sound in the kitchen was a grumbling from below. That is, until Crimson noticed something on the table. 'French toast?' he thought to himself. ‘And it’s still warm.’ Crimson also noticed that there was a note folded to the side of the dish.

“Dear Crimson,” he read aloud, “Have a lot of work to make up, so me and Big Macintosh will be in the apple fields for a while. You weren’t awake yet, so I just decided to let you get your rest and made you some breakfast for when you finally get out of bed. Enjoy~ your friend, Applejack.”

‘Applejack...’ the colt’s face started to turn a bright shade of red. “Thank you...” Crimson took his first bite, able to taste of the apple cinnamon spread over the dish, savoring every flavor.

“Delicious~...”

He figured getting some training done wouldn't be the best plan with the citizens of Ponyville up and running, so he decided to just lay on top of a tree and relax. Once he climbed up - which was a bit difficult due to his bruised muscles, not to mention painful - he noticed the two Apple siblings were still working, observing them as they bucked their hind legs against the bark of the trees, each apples falling clean off the branch, landing into a basket that leaned against the trunks of the apple tree. ‘Heh, they must pack one hell of a kick...’

“Pheew!” the orange mare exhaled, wiping the sweat from her forehead. “Sorry Ah had to get ya’ll roped into this, Big Mac.”

Applejack was so far behind on her work schedule, that her brother had to join in on her shift and help her buck the trees. But of course Big Macintosh wasn’t upset in the slightest, she was his little sister after all. “Eenope. It’s all good, sis.” he reassured with his usual mellow smile.

“Need any help?”

The voice made the two jump, as they looked all around, but couldn’t seem to spot who it belonged to.

“Look up.”

In doing so, their gaze landed on a familiar cloak clad colt, just standing ontop of an unbucked appletree.

“Crimson, what in the hay...” said the dumbfounded mare. “An’ Ah think ya ain't supposed to be up and at em’, y'all jus’ came outta the hospital ya know.” Applejack said, her voice tinged with worry.

“It’s fine, I’ve dealt with much worse.” he reassured with a calm tone. “Anyway, my offer still stands.”

“Sorry Crimson, but Ah jus’ can’t let ya help, not when the doctor said that y'all should stay in bed!” she pestered, worried the colt might hurt himself.

“Eeyup.” the burly red stallion agreed.

“I’m fine!” Crimson said in irritation, as he begins to flail his arms repeatedly, keeping a straight face. “See, no pain! Now please just let me help!” The cloak clad colt could have sworn he just broke something, but he wouldn’t let Applejack know that.

The farm mare simply sighed. “Fine, jus’ don’t overstrain yerself, ya hear?”

“Will do!” the black colt smirked. This was going to be a piece of cake!

*****************************************************************************************************************

“....I really hate this forest...”

With almost no luck with finding any ingredients, Storm searched throughout the Everfree Forest, sulking the whole way through, his body coming close to giving way from exhaustion. This was one of the strangest places the colt has ever traveled, and seemed to be the most useless at that, too.

“I haven’t managed to find one fucking ingredient for healing aids... if it wasn’t for my fast healing, I’d be done for...” The unicorn was starting to lose hope, and slowly accepting the fact that he might starve and die in this forest...

“It’s not like it even matters, Princess Celestia isn’t going to be happy that her best soldier lost to a good for nothing criminal and his team of groupies. I’m just going to get fired for this when I get back to Canterlot anyway, leaving Vinyl and I even more to worry about. At least she has her Disk Jockey career to live off of, I’ll just be that pathetic shame of a brother that she has to take care of... Would it even matter if I died in the confines of this forest?” he asked himself, as he began to lose all of his confidence.

While his depression grew, he managed to hear a rustle behind the thick wall of bushes behind him.

“Come the hell out and show yourselves!” Storm growled. “You better have a good fucking reason to follow me, I'm in a really bad mood right now and-”

An enormous figure dove out from the bushes, shaking the ground with its weight as it landed. It had the body of a lion with a red mane around its head, the large tail of a scorpion, and a pair of wings that resemble those of a bat. The creature let out an ear piercing roar, it’s sharp row of fangs exposed from its mouth, which had foam leaking from it.

‘Oh shit. A-a manticore...’ Storm’s eyes widened in terror, he knew he wasn’t going to be much of a match for the creature in his current condition. ‘And to make matters worse, it looks like it’s rabid as well.’

The manticore wasted no time as it charged right towards the white unicorn colt. Storm managed to duck under its sharp claws, rolling to the side to prepare a counter attack. However, the manticore used a counter attack of its own, as it’s scorpion tail made a stabbing motion toward Storm’s chest. His horn began to spark, as Storm was able to conjure a wall of pure magic. It didn’t last long, as the pure force of the manticore’s attack shattered the spell.. ‘Shit, I’m too worn out to use my magic at its full power!’

As the entire shield shattered to pieces, Storm jumped back to avoid getting stung by the monster’s appendage. As a single hind-leg landed onto solid ground, he pushed his whole body towards the manticore at an incredible speed, and he spun his entire body and smashed his hind-hoof into the beast’s snout, breaking its nose with a loud crunching noise in the process. He kicked off using the manticore’s face, causing it to slide back a couple feet, as lightning started to form around Storm’s hoof. With a quick swing of his hoof, a barrage of needles made purely out of electricity shot at the manticore, impaling into its side. Even though all of the needles hit dead on, the manticore still stood, snarling ferociously.

‘Wow, the manticore’s rabies are so bad, that it’s gotten to the point where it doesn’t even feel pain anymore...’ Storm thought to himself. ‘I guess it’s up to me to put it out of it’s misery then.’

Storm charged full speed at the manticore with a dagger drawn to each hoof, impaling the beast deep into the shoulder blades. The manticore retaliated with a swing of its tail, smashing into the colt’s gut, causing Storm to fly backwards through the air, knocking down an entire tree before coming to a stop at another one. He slammed back first into the second tree, knocking the wind - and most of the life - right out of his body. The manticore aimed its tail, as it shot a rapid fire of purple needles at a quick succession. Storm managed to quickly regain his focus, as the colt shot his own needles in hopes of knocking all of the monster’s off course, but one needle managed to scrape against the unicorn’s shoulder.

He observed the needles that shot from its tail, noticing as they started to dissolve into whatever it penetrated. The grass, and even the tree he leaned on began to slowly rot and die. ‘It’s poison!’

The manticore finally made use of its wings, as it shot up into the air, and started to quickly dive back down towards the colt. Storm formed the last of his remaining magic and shaped it into a spear that began protruding from his hoof made from pure electricity, and as he swung his arm, the spear slashed clean through the manticore’s neck, decapitating it. The beast’s body landed near Storm’s, its head rolling off its shoulders. Its jaw began to open and close repeatedly for a while until it finally became completely motionless.

Storm tried to get up, but didn’t get far as his body completely collapsed onto the rough surface of the dirt. ‘Shit... the poison’s taking effect.’ He started to lose his breath, feeling the insides of his body start to burn. Just before his visions faded, he was able to catch a glimpse of a pair of hooves coming closer his way.

‘...Am I going to die here?’ Storm looked up, seeing a blurry creature running up to him. Its edges were fuzzy and indistinct, and as his mind began to succum to the poison, he could have sworn he heard a lullaby...

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson looked at the work he had done, impressed with himself. He’d bucked apples for half the day, helped Applejack “slop” the pigs - even though the food they gave them seemed to be the best of the worst, as she said - and shear the sheep. And all through the day, Applejack had stayed close at hoof, just in case his wounds acted up.

He was starting to get nervous about how close she was getting, when a pink pony popped up before him and gave him a card, before darting off again. “Pinkie..?” Was all he managed to get out before sighing with exasperation.

Looking at the card, he saw that it was an invitation to a party. Crimson sighed again, this time with a smile. “Applejack warned me Pinkie’d throw me a party one of these days. Looks like it’s finally that time.” He started making his way to the barn, the cart full of wool ready to be spun rolling on behind.

As he trotted, fear started to boil in his stomach. “But.... can I really do this?”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Wake up my newfound friend. Today is not your story’s end.”

Storm struggled to rise, his mind in a fog. ‘Where am I? I feel... nothing. Nothing but warmth. Is this death?’

“My unicorn friend, whose gender is male. Please, stop dreaming, and tell me your tale.” A blurred outline that radiated with brilliant light entered his vision, and at first he thought it his Sovereign, come to take him to the Other. But... no.

Storm blinked his eyes and rubbed them to get the sleep out of them. He looked at the figure whom he had mistaken as Celestia, and found only a zebra smiling down kindly upon him, her brow furrowed with worry.

“Ah, he’s alive, that much is good. Now tell me please, why are you in this dangerous Wood?” The zebra seemed to speak Equestrian well, but apparently only in rhyme. Storm shook his head, trying to clear it.

The zebra smiled. “Your head is fine, I should think, lucky I found you, lest you be on death’s brink.”

Storm snorted, and laid himself back down to stop the room spinning. “What,” he managed, his voice sounding like sandpaper.

“Water, you should draught, for thirsty you are, no doubt. Lucky I know the spells of the druids, for a manticore’s poison steals all fluids. Jerky, you hear, is what you’d be if not for your spear.”

Storm nodded his thanks, hoping the minimal movement would be enough.

The zebra smiled warmly as she held a ladleful of water up to his parched lips. Knowing that he was in no condition to fight off this zebra, and deciding that a potionsmaster wasn’t a large threat, he sipped at the water and submitted himself to the zebra’s administrations.

A few hours later, he woke and looked at his benefactor. “What,” his voice rasped, but only just. “What is your name, oh Wise Mare, if I may be so bold as to ask?”

The zebra smiled and laughed, her voice tinkling in the air. “Ah, ‘Wise’ I am not, oh Warrior of the Sun, just an old zebra Healer with a taste for adventure and fun. I know my trade well, and not much besides, but the knowledge I have, many a pony does deride.”

“You seem wise enough to humble yourself, and recognize an officer even without my authority jacket.”

“You see many things in a forest so strange, but a pony who walks unwittingly in, is either strong or deranged.”

Storm chuckled as he closed his eyes. “I’m a bit of both, actually.”

Not a moment later, a small card floated through the open window, settling gently before the zebra. “Oh? What is this I see? A party invitation, for me?”

Storm chuckled. “What’s the party for? The Duke of Zebras having a birthday party or something?”

“Seems to be a welcome party, how fun!” she said in glee. “The party is for a pony named... Crimson.”

“Red...” the unicorn growled, his anger seethed. ‘That asshole commits thousands of murders, yet he gets thrown a party...’ He directed his attention back to his new striped acquaintance. “Tell me, are guests welcome to attend?”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Crimson, wha’s got y’all so worked up?” The orange mare asked in concern, as she and Crimson sat on the bed in the colt's temporary room.

“Well...” the black colt started, getting more and more nervous by the second. “...in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly the most... social pony.”

It was more than an understatement, Crimson was a very antisocial colt. He craved being alone, so naturally, he hated parties. The black stallion (heh, references...) was always so shaken up when he was the center of attention, not as bad as that pale yellow mare was rumored to be, but relatively close. Plus, Crimson always held a certain anger for everypony, even if he didn’t know them at all. This was mostly due to the traumatic bullying he received as a little kid.

“Neither is Fluttershy, but it seems like she’s goin’, too.” she responded, bringing up a pretty big point.

“...I don’t know, I just can’t stand the company of strangers.”

“Well, they won’t exactly be strangers once ya try gettin’ to know ‘em.” Applejack reassured.

“I’m not exactly keen on the idea of getting to know anypony... I don’t think I’m going to attend.” he replied, the irritation started to build up, as he started to get a headache. The colt put on a stern face, as visible sweat seemed to run down his forehead. ‘Gah, why doesn’t she get it?! Probably because everypony in this town is too damn happy all the time!’

“Crimson....” The mare placed her hoof over Crimson’s in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure he was feeling. Instead however, the contact was causing him to grow even more shaken, a bright blush growing over the flustered colt’s face. “We’re all here for ya if y’all get a lil’ nervous.” she spoke in a comforting tone. “An’ besides, y’all will leave Pinkie absolutely heartbroken if ya decide not to attend her welcoming party; she’s throwin’ it just for you.”

“She... I...” the conflicted colt buried his face in his hooves, letting out a deep sigh. “...Fine, I’ll go.”

Applejack wrapped her arms around the colt’s waist, leaving his face completely red. “Glad to hear that, thank you... Uh... Crimson, ya sure y'all ain't comin' down with a fever?" the worried mare asked as brought a hoof up to Crimson’s forehead. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take!

“I’m fine, really!" Crimson reassured. "It’s just that it's a little hot in this room!”

“Well y’all would probably be a lot less sweaty if ya didn’t wear that heavy cloak all the time.” The mare smirked. "It's fine, there isn't anythin' under that thing that the girls an' Ah haven't seen."

'I don't think she knows how bad that came out...' Crimson thought to himself, as his blush gained more heat. The colt just decided to ignore that for now. “Sorry, but this cloak stays on.” His voice grew stern. “There are things under this that nopony needs to see; my scar and weapons would just scare the hell out of everypony. Not to mention how weird my cutiemark is. I've had this thing forever. Without it, I just feel so... naked."

“Ah know how ya feel, Ah'm the same way with my hat! It belonged to somepony real important to me." Applejack announced with pride. Though as the seconds flew by, a question seemed to linger in her mind. “...What exactly is yer special talent anyway?”

“.....You know what, I’m not exactly sure...” Crimson answered, as he stopped to think about his what response to that should be. "Can I get back to you on that one, maybe at the party? I'll probably have an answer then." he promised, as he nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"Course ya can, sugercube!" she giggled, a smile growing on her face. 'Ya know... he's kinda cute when he gets all tensed up like that.' Applejack thought to herself, feeling a bit of color tinge her cheeks. This however, remained completely unnoticed to the colt sitting next to her, as she began to shake the thoughts out of her head. 'Con 'sarnit, Applejack! Ya can't go an' act this way, it's jus' plain stupid!'

"Um... you okay there?" the colt asked, a single eyebrow furrowing.

"Oh! Uh... course Ah am!" she responded, now her turn to chuckle nervously. "Well, Ah'll jus' go an' check to see how the rest of the family's doin'! See ya in a few!" she yelled, darting out the door.

Crimson looked after her with a look somewhere between confusion and amusement. “....Mares.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

Wild breathed heavily, smiling deviously down at the small town clustered against the Everfree Forest. He was going to meet up with an old friend - two old friends if his sources were right. Time to go, the fun's about to start. He could feel it.

Pinkie blew the noisemaker with a shrill fweeeeeet as Crimson trotted through Sugarcube Corner's front door. "Surprise!"

The colt of the hour’s heart nearly stopped. Looking around, Crimson put on an innocent smile. “Where? I don't see her. Are you hiding, Surprise?” There wasn't a pegasus alive who hadn't heard of the prankster of the skies. Come to think of it, she looked like a bleached Pinkie Pie...

Pinkie giggled, knowing all too well who he was referring to. "No, silly! This is your party! I invited everypony, and the resident zebra!" She put her hooves back on the ground. "Cranky said that he and Matilda would've come, but they were 'busy'. So... Not everypony's here, but just about. Oh! Come on, I'll introduce you to everypony!"

Pinkie took his hoof and dragged him into the wall of ponies, introducing new faces left and right, all who congratulated him for his courageous corralling of the 'storm'.

And then he saw Storm, sitting in the corner beside a zebra, looking pretty shaky. He trotted over. “Storm. You're not dead.”

“That I'm not.”

“What are you-”

“Save it, asshole.” interrupted the unicorn colt. “I’m not here for you... this time. Your new “friends” almost didn’t let me anywhere near this place, but your pink lady friend didn’t see me as a threat for some reason...”

‘I take it asking is out of the question...’ the black colt’s eyes rolled. “By the way, the hell happened to you? Manticore get ya?”

“...Shut up.” The white colt spat, turning his head away in embarrassment.

“Tch, sorry that happened. I might've pissed it off. Just a bit.” replied Crimson, desperately trying to stifle a laugh from his mouth.

“Well, I'm fine now.”

“Good to hear. If you had died, Vinyl would've killed me.”

Storm smiled. "No, she'd have cried and called you an asshole. You would've gotten all emotional because she hated you, and then you'd have slipped up, and either end up killing yourself, or giving the honor to some wannabe assassin."

“.....Y'know, you're right....” Crimson smiled back. ”Glad to have ya back.” He raised a forehoof, Storm was reluctant to accept, but he just sighed and shook it.

“I’m still gonna kick your ass when I can feel my legs again.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

As time went on, many ponies were either flailing around - or “dancing” as they called it - to the obnoxiously loud music playing the pink mare confirmed to be the genre known as ‘House’, or helping themselves to the incredibly wide variety of snacks left out by Pinkie Pie for the guests to enjoy. Well, except two of colts of the party, the two that were probably the least social of the bunch. The duo of angst, Crimson Rays and Storm Scratch.

The two had been sitting on opposite corners of Sugarcube Corner’s walls, not moving an inch since the party even started. Every so often somepony came to talk to one of them - Crimson more than Storm - and see if maybe one of them wanted to either dance, converse, or enjoy some of the baked goods. Needless to say, each request was denied, the white colt’s being the more cruel of the two.

‘... This is torture...’ As stated once before, the hearing ability of the black colt was very strong, so he obviously experienced the disadvantages through very loud noise. ‘What’s Storm doing over there, he hasn’t moved in a while...’

As if on cue, the unicorn’s head tilted to the side. ‘He’s asleep?!’ the black colt screamed in his head. ‘But.. how?! He must have been more worn out than I thought...’ As thoughts wandered his mind, Crimson stumbled upon an idea. ‘...Maybe I should try to take his oh-so-wise advice... Kind of how he always wished I had.’

The black colt’s position began to shift, as he tried to make himself more comfortable. However, before he was about to doze off, he noticed a very familiar pink pony trot up to him, a hint of distraught apparent on her face. “...Do you not like the party I threw you?”

The black colt sighed. “No, it’s nothing like that, Pinkie.” Crimson reassured. “I... I’m just not the kind of guy who mingles, y’know?”

“It’s fine, really. I just thought maybe you’d enjoy it...”

‘...Celestia dammit...’ Crimson scooted a bit to the side, giving the mare enough room to squeeze next to him. He hated seeing Pinkie act like this, he became almost as heartbroken as last time she acted like this...

“...I’m really sorry, Pinkie.” the black colt said genuinely. “It’s just that I have fucking terrible social disabilities, so it’s always been hard for me to talk to others... I’m honestly surprised I made any friends at all in my life...” Crimson tried to continue, but he found that he lost his words when he found himself being hugged by the pink mare, as he felt his cheeks burn. ‘Dammit, why are mares so damn touchy-feely?!’

While quickly trying to distract himself from the embarrassment, he noticed a certain lavender mare secluding herself from everypony else. She must have been in her own little world, too. “Hey Pinkie, what’s wrong with Twilight?”

“Huh? What do you...” her eyes wandered, until Crimson pointed a hoof in the right direction. “Oh, I dunno... Hey, Twilight!” yelled Pinkie Pie, gaining the attention of the studious mare, noticing her pink friend waving her over. Crimson scooted over more, allowing enough room for an extra pony, as Pinkie motioned with her hoof for Twilight to sit next to them. Pinkie was still leaning on Crimson, and he was starting to get as red as his name.

“Hey, guys!” greeted Twilight, putting on a deceiving, but warm smile.

Crimson sighed, knowing he might as well get it over with at some point... “....How exactly do you know Storm?”

“What?! Who ever said I....” Twilight stuttered, the colt looked to have gotten her to drop her guard. “...Fine, you got me...”

“.....Did you guys have sex or som-”

“N-No! Nonononononono!!!” she screamed, as her entire face began to redden. Luckily, the music drowned out most of her panic.

“Crimson, don’t ask questions like that!” scolded Pinkie Pie.

“...I used to admire him a little, alright?”

“You don’t say...” he smirked. “So you had a crush on him, huh?”

Twilight just stayed silent.

“Thought so.” the colt said with a smug look on his face, receiving a painful elbow from the pink mare.

“Twilight? Are you feeling alright, darling?”

The voice compelled the three to look up, finding none other than the beautiful Rarity towering over the two. She didn’t appear to be alone, as Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash stood right behind her.

“Somethin’ just looked like it was botherin’ ya, Sugarcube.” the worried orange mare said.

“Are you okay, Twilight? I-if you don’t mind me asking...” the skittish young mare asked, looking incredibly cute as she shied back.

The lavender mare sighed, figuring now was just as good a time as any to tell her best friends. Even Crimson deserved to know, considering his friend is a part of this story.

“...Before I met you girls, when I lived in Canterlot,” Twilight started, “-I didn’t exactly have many friends... and I always put my studies before them. It was two years ago, I was eighteen, and I was still in Celestia’s School for the Magically Gifted.” the rest of the mares sat around the lavender unicorn, each one offering their undivided attention to her. “A colt walked through the library one day; a very handsome colt. He saw me peeking up at him past my book, and he smiled and winked. I didn’t stop blushing for a week. I wanted to know more about this colt, so...” Twilight talked for a little while longer, but left her friends still wanting for an explanation. After getting a promise that she’d explain it better later, the group dispersed, leaving Crimson to try and get comfortable again.

***********************************************************************************************************

Pinkie was hopping around the party, checking up on the guests when she noticed something was... off. She looked around, and finally saw what was different. The bright red banner she’d put hung from the ceiling was gone - now, there was a blue, red, and yellow banner with three names on it, and only two of them were names she recognized!

“Nice banner, innit it?” Pinkie turned to see the colt who was speaking. She didn’t recognize him. “It’s funny,” the colt continued. “Nopony’s noticed me at all yet. Not even with my name hanging proudly on that banner.” He drained another mug of cider.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she took a second to read the third name, “Card... I didn’t notice you over here, in the middle of the room... eh heh...” Pinkie blushed, pawing at the ground, frustrated at the failure she had already performed this evening.

“Oh, it’s quite alright, Miss. I’m hardly noticeable. Really, though, nopony even saw me switch the sign." The colt chuckled at that, draining another mug. “Great party, by the way! I love parties!”

Pinkie was starting to get creeped out by this new colt. All he seemed to do was smile. But, his were different from the smiles she brought on pony’s faces. His smile.... looked like it was for the wrong reasons. Though he looked innocent enough, Pinkie knew there was something eerie about the strange colt.

“If you didn’t already know, I’m actually good friends with the Red and Sprinkles! I just wished that they still saw it that way!” the mysterious colt said with a chuckle. “But I’m not moody like those two, so you don’t have to be scared of me, ‘kay?” he reassured. Pinkie Pie smiled, not quite convinced. The colt smiled warmly, drained another mug of cider, and stood up. "Aaaaallllright, fillies and gentlecolts. I've knocked back a buck-load of Cider. Who want's to play Blackjack?"

Storm was... he didn’t know. He’d rarely had any fun since he joined the Company, and even afterwards when he joined the Guards, he’d still had very little fun. This party wasn’t what he would call fun, but... it made him feel off. He shook his head. He was just recovering from being mostly dead. It was only due to his natural healing that he could even walk. He twitched slightly, but it wasn’t from the loud music. He’d heard a word, crystal clear.

Crimson had heard it, too. They looked at each other and began walking towards the center of the room.

Blackjack. They only knew one pony who would show up and ask to play that game, and it usually meant he’d completed a job.

They were right. Already situated at a table with a few other ponies sat Wild Card, their old friend. Crimson spoke first. “Got room for two more, Wild Card?” He and Storm sat down across from each other, with Wild evenly spaced between them at the circular table.

Wild smiled mischievously. “Red! Sprinkles! What a coinky-dink!” Storm and Crimson glared at the wild-eyed Earth pony.

“It’s Crimson/Storm.” they shot back at the same time. “Wild. Outside. NOW!”

“Yeesh, talk about party poopers!” the strange colt chuckled. “Well, goodbye, ladies! I have some catching up to do!” He blew a kiss to the mares at the table, practically making them melt in their chairs at the charming little devil.

They walked out of Sugarcube Corner with a killing intent, but little did they know that they’d have an uninvited guest...

The younger sister’s moon had already taken over the sky, the streets completely empty. Well, aside from the three colts anyway. It was almost pitch black outside, perfect for the colts to “catch up”.

The widely beaming colt was the first to speak up. “So, how’s life been, fellas?” The only answer the colt received was the intense glare from two pissed off colts. “Okay okay, I get it...” he chuckled.

The white colt growled, “Red was my first target, but it looks like I get to kill you first, Wild Card!”

“OOooOooOooo, I’m so scared.” chuckled the brown earth pony, now known as Wild Card. “Look at you, you’re a wreck! It wouldn’t even be fun toying with you.”

“Just shut up and tell me why you’re here, Wild.” the black colt sneered, getting straight to the point.

“Oh nothing! Boss just wanted me to send you an awesome message!” Wild clapped with joy, further irritating the two colts. “He’s giving you an invitation back into the group, Red! Isn’t that just great? Doesn’t look he gives a shit about you though, Sprinkles. What a shame.”

“Do you really think I care, you little psycho?” Storm spat. “I plan to make Boss grovel at my hooves.”

Wild just giggled again. “You? Beat Boss? You sure that manticore didn’t give you brain damage, too?”

“...Your lucky I’m this worn out, or I’d electrocute you until your eyes popped out of their sockets.”

“And you’re lucky that I haven’t killed you... yet anyway.” Wild Card snorted. “Now let me finish, cause you’re gonna love this part, Red! If you don’t rejoin us, well... I’m afraid you’ll have to be killed. Now I don’t want it to come to that, but- Whoa whoa, take it easy, man!” the colt warned when he noticed the black colt reach his hoof inside his cloak.

“Do you really think I’d go down without a fight?!” Crimson growled.

“Well you wouldn’t be much of one, considering how Sprinkles kicked your ass.” Wild giggled to himself. “Look, you don’t have to decide today, I’ll give you until the end of the week. That way you won’t be too sore to come back, alright?” He asked, keeping his twisted, fox-faced grin. “Though I can’t guarantee there won’t be any casualties if you decline.”

Wild Card quickly leaped backwards, just barely avoiding a swing from Crimson’s blade. “I think I’ve made my point.”

“Well, if that’s your point, I’d like to see you sharpen up!”

Storm jolted at Wild’s face, his hoof connecting to the brown colt’s forearm. “Gonna have to do better than that, Sprinkles!~” Card knocked the unicorn’s hoof away, slamming his hind leg into Storm’s stomach, throwing him back at least fifteen feet before skidding in the ground.

Storm curled on the ground, clutching his gut in pain as blood leaked from his mouth. ‘Grrk, that bastard! He must have known I took blow from the manticore’s tail in my stomach! But... how could he have...’

As the black colt made an attempt to slash at him again, Card reached into his cloak and grabbed a tantō. As their blades clashed, he managed to divert Crimson’s aim upwards, and Wild Card quickly spun and smashed his front hoof into the black colt’s face. The blow managed to throw Crimson, as he slid across the ground, but he managed to cartwheel into the air with one of his hooves and land back on his hind hooves. While still sliding, Crimson reached into his cloak and threw out a four-bladed shuriken throwing star toward the colt with great force, as the weapon began to constantly grow and grow until it was at least the size of an actual full grown stallion. Just when it was about to hit its target, Wild Card made a horizontal leap just over the surface, spun in mid-air, and stabbed his tantō through the center of the shuriken’s hole and dug into the surface of the ground, trapping it as it’s spinning began to come to a stop.

‘Jeez, looks like he hasn’t lost any of his skill...’ Though the black colt was impressed, his rage managed to slip through. “You’re just gonna have to tell Boss that I ain’t comin’ back. He practically killed my sister, Wild! She was like a Sister to me! Don’t you have any sense of family or honor?!”

Wild Card’s face grew solemn. “Why, yes, Crimson. Which is why I don’t see why you’re making me have to kill my brother~” Wild whined as he approached the black colt. Crimson threw a small pellet of gunpowder at Wild, causing him to jump back.

Wild giggled fiendishly as he threw the playing cards he’d had hidden at the cloak clad colt. “Here, Red! You’re the King of Heart-less! You’re a real Ace when it comes to Clubbing your friends and coworkers upside the head!” Crimson dodged out of the way as the King of Hearts and Ace of Clubs dug into the ground, causing a small explosion.

“You’re silly card games won’t get you anywhere, Wild!”

“Ha-ha!” The earth pony exclaimed. “You’ve activated my trap card! Gooooooooo Spades!” The ground beneath Crimson’s feet rumbled as a giant Ace of Spades shot forth, breaking through the cobblestone and showering the three combatants with rocks. “Yes! The only card I need! Hahahaha! I always keep an ace in the hole!”

The card, which was about as thick as two bits, opened up to reveal a long sword with cards emblazoned along the blade. “Not so fast, your cardboard cutouts are no match for my superior skills!”

Out of the sky descended a pink pony with a poofy mane, her face turned into a cute but ferocious snarl. “Oh, Pinkie Pie, my dear! Don’t you want to hear my tragic backstory first, so you can love and tolerate me like your lover-boy and Sprinkles, hmm?”

Pinkie snorted. “I don’t need to hear it from you. I’ve already-”

“-read the bios, I know, Pinkie Pie. I read yours, too.” Wild Card smiled deviously as Pinkie seemed to shrink back in horror. “You see, we’re not so different, you and I. I love fun, you love fun, we all love having our friends close by. The only difference, is that when I experienced my psychotic break, I didn’t become happy, no, I’d already been like that before hoof. No, what happened was that I killed my twin brother after a game of blackjack. We were always even. I’d beaten him once again, and I was suddenly the victor for once. Usually, I was the one playing catch-up. Then, he beats me. He’d cheated. So, I got angry. Really, wonderfully angry. And I killed him with the cards he used to cheat.” Wild Card giggles like a schoolfilly, his body shivering as if in waves of ecstasy. “Oh, how wonderful that day was. I got his cutie mark, as well as my own.” He showed off both sides, one side bearing a black Jack and an Ace in a red Gemini, the other showing a red King and a red Joker in a black Gemini.

Wild giggled wickedly as he advanced on Pinkie. “So, you see, since you aren’t crazy enough to want to kill, you won’t kill. You can’t kill.” His face suddenly hardened, and he yelled as if in outrage. “YOU CAN’T KILL, PINKAMENA DIANE PIE! AND WHY NOT?! YOU HAVE THE CAPACITY! THE ABILITY!!!” He grew calm once more, his voice so rich and sweet, like the aroma of freshly baked brownies. “But, you’ve got loving friends, friends who love you for who you are, even if you do eat a few too many cupcakes for their liking.”

Pinkie was laying on the ground, hooves covering her head, whispering something to herself. Crimson pricked his ear forward, barely catching what she was saying: “... it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stop it stopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopitstopit STOP IT!!!!”

Crimson and Storm each took a step back at the sheer volume of her yell. “My. Name. Is. Pinkie Pie.” She panted heavily, her eyes filled with rage. “My name hasn’t been Pinkamena for years! I got rid of her! She was MEAN! She was never happy! And- and- she almost killed my Dashie! She wanted to, I could feel it. She wanted me too when I thought that they abandoned me. Oh, but I’m so happy I didn’t listen to her. But, there’s one thing that she and I can agree on. We. Hate. Bullies. And you are a big bully.” Pinkie was suddenly right in Card’s face, who chuckled nervously, his golden pupils shrinking, as he tried not to stumble back.

Pinkie smiled sweetly, and whispered to him. Crimson could only hear the words ‘trap card’ and ‘just desserts’ before the ground opened beneath Pinkie and Card. Card and Pinkie stood still, floating in space above the opening. Then, Pinkie reached up and honked Card’s nose. He fell in.

Giggling, Pinkie jumped to the edge of the hole and picked up a remote with a great big, shiny red button. “Hey, Red... I don’t normally let other ponies play with my fireworks, but since he is your friend... Wanna do the honors?”

Crimson smiled as a giant cannon rose out of the hole, the other ponies from the party streaming out to see the event. Crimson smirked and looked at Storm. “Truce?”

“...Truce.”

Crimson took the button from Pinkie and walked over to Storm. He set the button down and, with a nod, the two of them slammed down on the button.

As the fireworks went off, filling the air with amazing colors and light formations, Pinkie leaned against Crimson, smiling up at him through teary eyes.

He smiled down at her, only dimly aware of the fading scream of an earth pony being vaulted through the night sky. He had only one thought as he gave Pinkie a gentle hug.

‘... Mares...’ He smiled. This was getting strangely... comfortable.

“Crimson, you’re holding a teensy bit too tight.”

“Oh! Sorry...”

“It’s alright. Your muscles feel good.” Pinkie giggled as Crimson’s face took to his name once more.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“So Crimson, do you mind telling me what exactly JUST HAPPENED?!” the confused librarian mare yelled.

After that odd... incident, the six mares and the two colts decided to cool down and relax at the most quiet home that came to their heads, Twilight’s library. Crimson lounged around on her couch, Storm leaned against her wall on the far side of the room in order to keep as little contact as possible from everypony else. As for the mares, Pinkie Pie sat on the left side of the couch, while Applejack sat on the right. However, through some strange coincidence, both happened to sit right next to a certain black coated colt.

Across from the three were Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity, seated on the opposite couch. In the corner of the room near the books labeled under ‘Adventure’, Rainbow Dash was sprawled on the floor reading a book titled “Daring Doo and the Draconequus Tomb”. The book also seemed to really keep the tomboy mare’s attention.

“Well, remember how I told you about the orphanage?” There was much affirmative head shaking. “Well, me and Storm decided that we were fed up with that place. So, we grabbed Vinyl and made a break for it. We ran into a kid only a year younger than us in an alleyway not far from the Home. He told us to stop, relax, and play a game with him. He wanted to play blackjack...”

“Now, it wasn’t unheard of for the smaller kids to run around town, trying to get into the gangs, but this wasn’t one of the Hayseed kids. He was wearing nice clothes, and had a new deck of cards, not a grubby one with cards missing. We soon realized that he wasn’t going to let us go until we played him a game, so we sat down and got it over with. I won the first round, Storm won the second. The younger colt one the next three rounds. Storm won again, and I won once more. We played and played for a long while, before he finally laughed. He flipped over his cards, crying happily, ‘Blackjack!’ But me and Storm flipped over the cards we had face down. We’d each had a King dealt to us. Our facedown cards were Jokers.”

Crimson grunted in mock disgust. “He was pleased with himself. He told us that we were cool, and that we could go with him. His name was Wild Card. At that point, it had been a little over a year since he’d killed his brother, I guess. I didn’t know about that. I only knew that he’d done something to do with his cutiemark to get a job in the Company. Soon, Storm, Wild, and I were hanging out like we were the oldest of friends. Wild was... weird. For some reason, being around him made life more bearable. Me and Storm stopped fighting over everything. We only fought over the important things. Like when Vinyl and him found their mom.” The others leaned in expectantly, waiting for Crimson to continue. He opened an eye and looked curiously at the crowd. “What? I’ve said my piece. That was Wild Card. We met him in an alley. He loves card tricks. He’s an assassin, like me, and like what Storm used to be. We became friends, me and Storm joined the Company, Storm left, I became a depressed and angry asshole, instead of a normal angry one. I was sent to kill a filly after Wild screwed up, and then the rest is history. I left. He’s here to either recruit me, or kill me. Same as Storm.”

Everypony looked at Storm Scratch, who was watching the proceedings with an impassive look in his eyes. “... What’re you lookin’ at?”

The six mares, cloak clad colt, and baby dragon continued to stare at him expectantly. Where was Owlysious? Who the fuck cares, he was probably eating a mouse or something.

Storm grumbled, before rising to his hooves. “I should go. The forest is a dangerous place at any time, especially at night, and I need to get to Zecora’s home so I can rest. Good-”

“Wait!” Everypony (and baby dragon) turned to look at Twilight curiously. “Well, um, d-don’t you recognize me, Storm?” She tentatively took a small step towards the unicorn colt, who stared back at her quizzically.

“You are the Princess’ student, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes, yes, but do you recognize me?” She started to prance slightly, a nervous blush appearing on her face.

“I... No, I guess not. I believe I’ve seen you beside Celestia at times, but you have been absent from the Courts for over a year, I believe.”

“I-it’s been closer to two years, now. But that’s beside the point! I-I’m talking about a few years ago, the first time you and I met. We were in the library. I-I was the filly in the corner, with all the books piled around her. You walked in, I guess I must have made some sort of noise, because you looked at me and winked!” Twilight’s face was now flushed a deep red, her eyes screwed shut. “A-and after that, a-at the Gala where you received your title of Guardian of the Court, you took me aside, and t-told me to meet you in the garden.”

Storm’s eyes widened at what he was hearing. ‘No... No, this can’t be that mare, c-could it?’

Twilight looked up at Storm, her eyes starry. “You held me close under the stars, keeping me warm. You... you stole my first kiss, and told me such sweet things. And then, you... you ignored me. For the next two years, you kept getting promotion after promotion, until you reached the highest rank attainable, and at such a young age! You and I were on the same tier - we were both tied directly to Celestia herself. Me in academics, and you in Militant rank. You... I asked you to the Gala after you reached that rank, but you never responded to my letter. You never answered your door when I came by. You were the first colt to ever show me love, and you only did for one day.”

Twilight sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. “Maybe it’s clouded judgement. Maybe I’m not thinking straight. But, of the two of you, Crimson’s been the true gentlecolt. He helped out at the farm, even though he should have been resting. He’s rarely complained, and he actually was sorry for destroying part of Applejack’s orchard. You? You did the exact same thing you did to me years ago. You breeze in. You attack your target. And you melt into the shadows.”

Rarity gave Storm a reproachful glare, and he winced back, finding fear where there should not be any. “Ugh, how vulgar! Savage, is what that is! Playing with a mare’s heart, just to toss it away like a broken toy! Now I see why the term is handsome devil. Hmmpf!” She turned her head up and away, all the while holding Twilight in a friendly embrace. “Oh, there, there, Twilight... Remember, I was an idiot too, when it came to love. I thought that a stallion of Nobility would actually be noble, but see how that turned out? I think that Canterlot elites like him are missing out on such a cute unicorn like yourself, Twilight.” Twilight giggled, tears forgotten as she pushed away from Rarity.

“Oh, stop!”

“See? Feeling better already.”

Storm groaned. ‘Why do they have to be so... so... Girly?’

“Jeez...” Crimson couldn’t help but facehoof. “I knew you turned into a dick, but... wow.”

“Like you have any room to talk.” Storm retorted, giving the black colt a glare. “Because going around Equestria like you own the place and killing ponies that your boss tells you to is sure a hell of a lot better!” the white colt spat with sarcasm in his voice. At that, Crimson began to chuckle. However, after a while, he started laughing hysterically, completely surprising everypony (and dragon) in the room. “What the fuck did you find funny about that!”

“Oh nothing at all...” he responded, trying to keep his giggles at bay, and regain his lost breath. “I just found it extremely ironic that what you said can actually be applied to your case better than it can to mine.”

The white colt’s face started to glow a little red in sheer rage, but he just let out a sigh, trying to keep calm. Storm figured the Princess wouldn’t take it lightly if he ended up hurting one of her star pupil’s friends if he went out of control on attempt to kill the ex hit colt.

“....Piss off, I’m out of here.” he replied, making his way towards the exit.

“You know you’re not gonna last long in your condition, right?” the cloak clad colt asked his former friend.

“...Mind your own business, Red.”

“Wait!” the lavender mare yelled. “Storm, hold on! You can’t-”

“Just save it.” the white colt spot back at the mare. “However, I will give you some advice.... Ditch the asshole. He’s dangerous and unstable, I wouldn’t put it above him if he killed you all in your sleep. Oh, and Red...” Storm directed his glare towards the black colt. “I’ll be back, you’re still my target after all. You’re finally going to receive your Divine punishment, I’ll be sure of it!”

And with that, the white colt slammed the door shut on his way out, leaving behind a very awkward silence for the rest of the remaining ponies.

“Well!” Crimson said, a bit too cheerfully for the threats just pointed at him. “Who thinks we should go to sleep? I’ll sleep first, in case you think Storm’s got a point, heh heh.” He winked, causing two of the six mares to blush, but luckily they weren’t noticed.

Crimson was made to sleep on the couch, Applejack and Rarity shared the spare bed like last time, and Twilight and Fluttershy shared the main bed. Dash fell asleep on top of the bookshelf that held the Daring Do series, and Pinkie... well, when Spike walked downstairs the next morning to make breakfast, Pinkie and Applejack were snuggled up against Crimson, all sleeping peacefully.

Spike shook his head. “Why can’t I ever wake up with girls all over me? Like... Rarity...” He drifted lazily into the kitchen, propelled by the urge to make the best pancakes he’d ever made, specifically for his ‘secret’ crush.

*****************************************************************************************************************

The fireworks were spectacular. Totally amazing. Riveting and awe-inspiring. But while it was fun to have a front row seat to such a display, a seat in the sky was not the best place for an earth pony.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-oof!”

“Geez, Card! Can you get any heavier? Try losing a few pounds, why don’t you?!”

“Oh. Heh. Sorry, Glitch. Didn’t expect to be falling for you.” Glitch loosened his grip on his somewhat friend, who then clung tighter. “I’ll be good! I’ll be good! Just don’t drop me!”

“Fine, fine. It’d only serve the purpose of getting my head wanted by Boss, as well.”

“Yeah, well, thank you anyways.” As Glitch flew away from the small town of Ponyville, Card looked back, smiling warmly.

“What’s on your mind, Card? That smile’s the most honest thing I’ve ever seen you wear - unless you count that one mare’s baby when you were carrying it on your head.”

“Oh, nothing... Red’s a lucky dog, though.”

“Why is that?”

“He’s got at least two locals chasing after him, and one of them’s like me.”

“A card player?”

“No,” Card smiled. “Absolutely, deliciously, crazy.” Card laughed maniacally, before sighing.

“But, we’re too much alike, so I guess they’re a good pair. Blegh. But, there’s a cute unicorn who’s got her head on more than just magic, apparently. She might do good with you.”

“Fuck off, Card. Stop trying to play matchmaker.”

“Oh, fine. But just wait ‘til you see what I got planned for tomorrow.”

“What’re we gonna do tomorrow, Card?”

“The same thing we do every day, Glitchy. We’re gonna run Crimson right out of another town! Ahahahaha!”

It’s Glitchy, it’s Glitchy and the Card, Card, Card, Card, Card!

“And that, my dear friends, is how we’ll un-make Equestria.”

“Stop talking to yourself, Card. It’s getting annoying.”

Card just winked.

Super Big Mac: OH GOD RUN IT’S ANOTHER FOURTH WALL BREAKER AHHH!!!!!!
lol, that aside, I love Card. Don’t you? Not much to add today. I think things are about to get interesting! Uh, interesting-er!

Tell me if I missed any mistakes! :twilightsmile:

Chapter Seven: Season Of Decay

Chapter Seven: Season Of Decay

“Hey, Crimson? Are you okay? You aren’t... looking quite yourself...” Pinkie trailed off as Crimson continued to stare off into the distance, a small throwing star and a smoke pellet being tossed up and down in a dark hoof. “Come on, Red! Cheer up! … Please? Need a drink? I can get you an afterburner! Or a screwdriver? Or a mega drill breaker?” Pinkie’s smile became forced as she sat down in front of her friend.

Finally he looked at her, his eyes clearing of the murky, brooding darkness that had filled them seconds before. Pinkie visibly relaxed, and then held him in a small, friendly hug. “What’s wrong, Red? Your past coming back to haunt you?” The nice, warm voice became chilled and devilish as the hug turned from one of comfort to one of mock lust.

The voice’s sudden change caused Crimson to flinch back, and he saw two instances before his shattered vision. He pushed the mare away, and Terra laughed her cold, heartless laugh. Pinkie whimpered. “Autumn,” he growled, ready to kill the mare as he remembered how she’d forced him to betray his own heart.

“Autumn!!!” Autumn laughed, darting away as she prepared for a game of cat and mouse.

“Autumn? It’s not Autumn. It’s not even Summer yet!” Pinkie was looking at Crimson with fear in her eyes as he brought out his katana and charged after her, snarling. Autumn laughed. Pinkie cried.

It had taken him a while, but he had her cornered. Autumn was bloodied, beaten, and bruised, but not defeated. Not yet. He was going to savor this moment, the moment where he avenges the death of his sister, the cause of his remorse. Terra Autumn coughed up blood, spitting it in his face before chuckling. Pinkie coughed up blood, tears streaming from her eyes as she looked up at Crimson in complete and utter terror.

“Crimson...” the two mares said in unison. “Why?” Pinkie rasped, still crying. “Why do you hesitate?” Terra rasped, still grinning.

“I’m not hesitating, Autumn... Just plotting where on your body I should stab repeatedly before I let you die.” the colt snarled, his eyes full of hate and bloodlust. Crimson raised the sword above his head, letting out an inequine sound of fury.

Pinkie’s eyes widened in horror, knowing this was the end.

Autumn’s eyes widened gleefully, knowing this was the end.

Crimson drove the blade home, yelling in victory at finally ridding himself of the stain on his life that was-

… Pinkie Pie. “... N-no... No!”

The world around the hitcolt began to brighten as the sun rose in the distance, revealing to him what he’d done. Wild Card and Storm were splayed out, Storm’s head and Wild’s right foreleg missing.

Crimson turned away, gagging, his eyes blurred from tears he didn’t notice. “No...” Twilight’s head was hanging from a cord tied to the bottom of the Library’s highest balcony, her body crumpled on the ground below where gravity had left it after her fall. “N-no..” Crimson choked as he saw Applejack, her body held to the side of a building by dozens of shurikens and other thrown items, one pierced through her neck. She was still twitching as she slowly drowned in her own blood. “No.” Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen. All he could see was a yellow wing, snapped off at the joint, attached by a bloody stiletto to a cartoon pony on a poster as if it were its tail. “No!” The tears were streaming down his face as he retched.

He looked up as the sun crested the mountains. Rarity, the beautiful and generous, was dressed in a suit made up of random viscera, and a tie made from her own intestines. She was draped in a mockery of a lover’s embrace across Spike’s motionless body, his eyes gouged out by twin hoof-and-a-half daggers. “NO!!!”

“CRIMSON RAYS!” A white, regal figure descended from the heavens, her Royal guards and armor giving the colt no reason to doubt who he was facing. He was clutching Pinkie’s body, trying in vain to staunch the blood flow.

“Celest-”

“Silence.” Crimson fell silent. Where once there had been nothing but burning fury, there was an insurmountable sorrow. “My student is dead.”

“She...” Crimson choked, spitting out blood. Were his hooves always this shaky?

“She was my student. Almost like a daughter. She, her friends, and-” the royal sovereign of the sun glanced to where two colts laid in dreamless death. “-my top soldier. They are all dead. It might not have been only you. I imagine ‘Blackjack’ there and Storm had as much to do with it as you.”

The princess turned her head away, unable to look at the colt before her. “Why?”

He had no answer. He looked into Pinkie’s eyes, now devoid of the fear he had placed in them. They were dull. Lusterless. He brought a hoof to her eyes and closed them, kissing her brow. He looked at the princess before him. “Please,” he begged. “Kill me. I’ve done something terrible. I don’t even remember what. But, please. I’ve killed everypony I’ve ever loved. Just let me die, so I don’t do it ever again. Please, just... just take away the pain...”

Celestia turned to the colt, the anguish, hurt, and confusion she saw in his eyes matching her own. She brought her horn to his head, and prepared a spell. “Good morning, Crimson.”

And in a sudden flash, the black colt's eyes shot open in terror and pain. Crimson had been sweating profusely, tears violently flowing down his face. He breathed in and out, trying to alleviate the sense of mortal terror that filled his heart and soul. Then, an orange hoof flashed out and sent his head spinning again. He struggled a bit as he looked around, identifying his sleeping place as the couch he’d been on the night prior.

'It was only... a dream?' the black colt found himself thanking Princess Luna with all of his heart, as he began wiping his eyes of the fluids that still poured forth. However, his face flushed a massive shade of crimson when he noticed when he noticed that he had some unexpected ‘company’. Thankfully, however, they were not conscious to hear the muffled screams that came from Crimson's hoof-covered mouth. 'For the love of Luna, please tell me we didn't do anything!!!'

As he squinted his eyes, Crimson noticed a bright pink mare on his right side, and on his left rested a soft orange mare, her forelegs swinging wildly -which explained why his head hurt every now and again- as she mumbled in her sleep. They both seemed to share a contented smile on their muzzles.

'Ohshitohshitohshitohshit!!! What the hell are Pinkie and Applejack doing here?!' the not-so-cloak-clad colt began to do something that was very uncharacteristic of him. He began to panic.

'Nononono, this is so BAD! Wait... Nah, nothing could have possibly have happened, right? I mean, those two would never do anything so unbecoming like that, especially with somepony like me.' Crimson sighed in relief, becoming much more relaxed. 'And besides, they're smiling, and I'd be terrible in bed- GAH! STOP IT, BRAIN!’ The colt clutched his head in his hooves, shaking all of his potentially perverted thoughts out of his head.

'Alright alright, I need to calm down. I didn't have anything to drink last night, so I know that nothing could have happened. So... what are they doing here?' the black colt pondered the ever so confusing question to himself for a moment, but figured it’d probably be better as a question left unanswered. And besides, the two mares most likely just stumbled into his “bed” on accident.

‘Yeah, that’s it!’ Crimson was one hundred percent certain that he had figured out the problem of the century, as he proudly went over the situation in his head. ‘Pinkie must have gotten up first, since she probably slept on the couch across from me, and Applejack must have gotten up at some point to do... something. However, the two mares must have been so tired, that they ended up going back to the wrong beds.’ The black colt smirked. ‘That’s gotta be it... right?’

Sighing in defeat, the colt decided not to go all detective as to why he’d wake up to two absolutely gorgeous mares cuddled up next to him in his sleep, figuring there was no point in driving himself crazy over the answer he’d never know. ‘Wait, did I just call them.... I need to stop doing that.’

Crimson carefully extracted his body from the couch, trying his hardest to do so without waking either of them up. Then he scooped the orange coated mare in his forearms, surprising himself at how light she was. When he felt the texture of her body over his, he blushed at the first thing that popped into his head; a very warm, soft marshmallow. ‘Goddess dammit, Crimson!’ Placing Applejack’s body gently onto the opposite couch, he found himself staring at the pure beauty of her features, eyes locked in astonishment at how peaceful the mare appeared in her sleep. Well, among other things...

‘Nononononononononononononono!’ Crimson quickly trotted back over and picked up Pinkie Pie who, while softer than Applejack since she didn’t do as much arduous work, was still surprisingly firm, and... ‘I need to put her down NOW. Now now now now now!’ His face redder than ever before as he placed the pink pony back on his couch and turned to dart outside.

His plans failed him as his legs did, getting caught in his cloak. He landed on the floor with a solid thump. Pinkie seemed to be the only one affected, however, since she sat up, yawned, looked down at him through half shut eyes, and laid down on top of him, snuggling into his neck.

As she fell back into untroubled slumber, Crimson couldn’t help but feel a fluttering sensation in his heart, her breath flowing hotly along his neck, rustling his mane and causing his ear to flick unconsciously. He shuddered, but not from fear or horror. It felt... good. So warm...

It was like he was in marshmallow heaven...

“Oh... Criiiiiimmmmsssooooon!” A very happy voice tickled sweetly in his ear. His face developed a blush as he woke, feeling the warm body of the pink party pony pleasantly pressed upon his. Then, she nibbled his ear.

Now, many of you might not know what it sounds like when a man- or, in this case, a colt- moans (or rather, squeals) in delight, fear, ecstasy, and pure embarrassment. The sound is akin to the yelp or yip one might let loose if startled suddenly by having a hoof (or hand, etc.) slap your rump while someone(pony) licks one’s neck. It is not exactly the same, as it is higher in pitch, carries a definite squeak, and is used by a yellow pegasus whenever anypony asks her what her name is. That is the sound that escaped Crimson’s lips as his wings popped out to full mast, and he swore he could hear ‘Reveille’ playing. Thump-click. The song stopped playing, and much groaning emanated from upstairs.

“Why in Equestria do you have an alarm clock that plays military songs, Twilight? It’s not ladylike at all! A Lady should be getting beauty sleep, not getting up at such an ungoddessly hour- unless you have an early trip to the spa planned.” Rarity’s voice wafted down from above as Pinkie continued to nuzzle along Crimson’s feathers. Then, she bit one. His eyes already as wide as possible, he realized that she was preening him, and... it felt great...

Crimson sighed, his wings staying fully erect as he laid back down and succummed to Pinkie Pie’s careful administrations.

“There we go!” All too soon, Pinkie was done preening his feathers, and, one quick nuzzle later, was bouncing towards the kitchen to help Spike with breakfast preparations.

“.....What in the pits of Tartarus just happened?” I wish I could tell you, my fine feathered friend, but even I'm not sure what the hell just happened, and this is my story... (editor: Lol, fourth wall = shattered)

Crimson sighed again and stretched, feeling better than he had in months. Four months, to be exact. He gave his wings a few flaps, the motion sending eddies of air flowing past his feathery appendages. He lifted off, and he realized that he didn’t have to correct for ruffled feathers; they were all nice and neat. Maybe... Maybe he should ditch the cloak, for once...

“Nah...” Crimson picked up the cloak, but wrinkled his nose in disgust at the sweat-soaked stench. He dropped the cloak and looked at it. It was old, ratty, and slightly faded. It had holes and stains from his long time on the road and his many fights. He rarely ever got to wash it. He usually did so in rivers or streams.

“Ugh... Nevermind. I think I’ll just take a shower and leave it at that.” Crimson trotted away, leaving the crappily cared for cloak lying on the floor where, not five minutes later, an orange hoof picked it up, brought it to an orange snout, and, after a deep intake of the musky scent of a stallion, it was placed in a saddlebag and taken out of the library, down the street, and to a farm, where a certain mare spent a good hour just laying in the shade, basking in the musky scent of an assassin. An assassin who had stolen her heart.

Pinkie watched as Applejack trotted quickly out the door, frowning slightly since she had planned on grabbing the cloak. Oh, well... at least she had the real Crimson with her still! Giggling like a schoolfilly who’d just gotten her cutiemark, Pinkie hopped upstairs to tell her ‘crush’ that “Breakfast is ready, Reddy!”

The meal was amazing, the pancakes cooked to perfection. Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy sat at one end, eating plain pancakes, while Spike- seated next to Rarity -Crimson, and Pinkie were tackling a mountain of Panferno-cakes, as Pinkie called them. Literally, Pancakes that used hot sauce as well as water to mix the batter. Everypony was happy with the meal.

Until Twilight asked a question, that is.

“So, Crimson... How did you get that scar? Did Storm give it to you in one of your fights?”

Crimson chewed the bite he was on slowly, trying to think of a good enough excuse to not answer. Swallowing, he decided that the truth couldn’t hurt any worse than anything else.

“...Well...” the colt took a deep breath and exhaled, knowing this wasn't going to be a pretty explanation. “It all happened about eight years ago, back when Vinyl was fourteen, while Storm and I were fifteen...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Guys, can we please stop and take a break, we've been walking for HOURS!"

In what looked to be the middle of nowhere, three small ponies walked down the only available road in sight. The trio consisted of two colts and a filly, who couldn't quite keep up with the pace of the other two.

"Well maybe if Red didn't get us kicked out of the only available motel for miles, we wouldn't be in this mess!" The white unicorn colt spat, directing the hours of pent up frustration towards the black pegasus colt walking right next to him, who felt obligated to defend his stubborn pride.

Out of everypony in their little trio, Storm was the only one to have his cutiemark, a royal blue Leo symbol from the astrological zodiac signs. He attained it about two years ago when he was tasered while trying to escape the orphanage, but the shock from the 30,000 volts of electricity coursing through his body didn’t affect him in the slightest, and actually ended up with him earning his cutiemark, though nopony ever figured out what it actually meant, even to this very day. However, since that incident, Crimson never had been given a better reason to take his jealousy out on his so-called “friend”.

"Put a sock in it, Storm, you had just as much to do with it as me!"

"I'm not the one who tackled a kid for beating you in a game of chess!"

"Hey, that little bastard cheated and you know it! And he was a good bit older than us, so don't go and make me look bad by calling him 'kid'! Besides, you're the one who sucked their entire generator dry!"

"I told you it was an accident, you prick!"

"Guys, will you please just SHUT UP?!" The filly screamed at the top of her lungs, the two colts keeping at a respectable distance from her. Vinyl didn't have them often, but she could be absolutely frightening when she had one of her outbursts. "Thank you. Now if you two would stop your constant arguing and pay attention for once, you'd see that there's what appears to be a town just up ahead." Following the direction of which way her hoof pointed, the two boys saw that she was right.

"Oh, well..." the black colt started, racking his brain for an excuse. "He started it..."

"And I'll finish it if you keep acting like such an immature asshole! Now shut up and keep walking!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" The frightened Crimson replied, doing all he could to stay on her good side. 'Jeez, Vinyl really isn't taking our shit today, is she. Wait, wasn't she the one who wanted to stop...'

After about a ten minute trot, the gang finally made it to civilization once more. However, something was very peculiar about this place...

"Sis, this isn't a town at all." Storm said to his twin with a deadpan tone of voice, as he took in his surroundings with his keen observation skills. First off, the white colt noticed how every home was a bit small, they had no paint, and a few holes through their roofs and windows. Second of all, almost nopony was even outside when it was only sometime in the afternoon, though the sun was just setting. But lastly was that there were no plant in sight, no grass or anything. Not even one flower peeked out through the dead wasteland.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Vinny, but it looks like Storm's right." Crimson was next to speak up. "This place just looks like a really small village. Small and rundown. It doesn't look like there's going to be much of a point staying in a town that looks like it can't even take care of itself."

"Don't throw out all hope just yet, boys." said the little filly determined to keep her brother and her only friend from giving up all remaining hope. "We could still search the town to what we could manage. Maybe the ponies here are friendly."

Crimson decided to keep his mouth shut, as he watched Vinyl trot off on her 'mission'. ‘Heh, optimistic lil' Vinyl, always looking on the brighter side of things...'

~*~*~*~*~*~

"We searched and searched and searched, but every pony was either too poor, or too bitter to let us spend one night, or even give us any food or water. Though I couldn’t say I blamed them, they needed all they could to survive, they wouldn’t just give any up for a couple of kids they didn’t even recognize. Though I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched....”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, asshole, quit following us, would’ja!”

“Crimson, quiet!" Vinyl pipped up. “Sorry for my friend here, he’s a bit socially challenged!”

“Heh, a bit?” the white colt chuckled.

“Knock it off, Storm!” his twin snapped back.

Out from the shadows came a full grown stallion. However, well fed was another story. He was a very skinny colt, but he didn’t look quite as famished as most of the other citizens in the village, so he must have managed to get some source of food.

“What are you three doin’ here, on my street?”

“Oh, sorry, mister. You see, Crimson, Storm, and I-”

“That ain’t my question, sweetie.” the strange colt sneered, slowly inching his way towards the three. “But I’ll tell ya what, if you guys give me everything ya have, maybe I’ll consider letting you three go with your tails still attached to yer asses.”

“You and what army, asshole?!” Crimson growled, he and Storm getting ready for another fight. Though what they didn’t expect were two more stallions to walk up behind the first. “Oh. Well... a couple more ponies aren’t going to do you any good-”

Before Crimson could even finish his sentence, he found himself pinned to the ground, one of the stallion’s hooves crushing his windpipe. Not a moment later, Storm was put in a very similar fate when the second of the two stallions placed the white colt in a chokehold, unable to even let out a single grunt from his throat as his lungs were being cut off. As Vinyl witnessed the scene in pure terror, the third one, who they guessed was the leader, slowly began to creep his way toward the filly, glaring at her with his dull, empty eyes.

“Looks like ya got nothing for me, dearie.” As his eyes scanned up and down the filly’s body, his face curled into a truly twisted smile. “Hm... maybe you’ll be some use to me after all...”

“Y-you wouldn’t dare!” screamed the filly, as her body began to quiver in a mixture of fear and disgust.

“Oh? Now why wouldn’t I? Sure yer a bit young for my taste, but I’m not really all that picky.”

Crimson began to repeatedly slam his hooves into the arm of the stallion that held him down, but it turned out to all be in vain as his vision started to fade, his consciousness beginning to slip away. That is, until he heard a scream.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“What happened next is... well, anypony’s guess, really. Vinyl said that after she screamed, I was suddenly in front of her. The thug who’d been holding me down was dead, a small hoof-shaped indent in his windpipe. The one holding down Storm held a similar fate. The boss, on the other hoof, wasn’t so lucky.” Crimson smirked sadly, staring off into space. “Storm and Vinyl said that I beat him to death. After that, Vinyl tried to approach me. I almost attacked her. Another one of that bastard’s little gang came at me, though. I started attacking wildly at anything that got close to me. Until Storm jumped on my back. He was just trying to send a small jolt of electricity into my body. Only enough to paralyze me for a second. He couldn’t quite control his magic at that point, so he always needed something metal to channel it. The closest object at hoof was his dagger. Overloading somepony’s pain sensors with a blast of lightning isn’t something you should do with a dagger. When I jerked backwards, he slid off me, the blade cutting into my back as it went down.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The enraged colt let out a terrifying roar; a roar that did not sound like it belonged to a pony at all, but a roar more fitting for a monster, causing the unicorn twin’s bones to feel like jelly. As he continued to shout towards the heavens, a faint but noticeable aura began to emit from Crimson’s entire body. The strangest part was that the aura resembled that of small flames, making the black colt appear as if he was on fire. However, as the flames began to die down, the roaring began to cease as well. Not only that, but the colt completely lost consciousness, as he collapsed onto the rough dirt road.

Completely terrified, Vinyl and Storm rushed over to their friend, but their path was blocked by a strange looking earth filly that appeared seemingly out of thin air, who looked no older than Crimson. “Wow, what a guy. So inexperienced, yet he actually managed to take out my hit for me...”

She had a leafy-green mane that hung just below her jaw, and a matching tail that had been cut a bit short as well. Her coat was white, with dark brown spots around her coat, like the one under her left eye, making her coat pinto. The filly wore a black cloak around her body. And while she looked rather fragile, she trotted over to Crimson’s unconscious body and flipped him onto her back as if he weighed as much as a feather. ‘Darn, Boss probably won’t give me a paycheck today, but at least I can say I helped recruit a new member...’ She turned her glance towards the twin unicorns, offering them a shy, warm hearted smile.

“Don’t worry, you two. I’m not going to hurt your friend, just take him somewhere safe to get him looked after by our doctors.” the strange filly reassured in a very meek, but kind tone of voice. “You were pretty impressive, too... Using lightning magic at such a young age is a very admirable feat.”

“....Who are you?” was the only thing that managed to slip through the white filly’s mouth.

“Oh, silly me, I never introduced myself.... My name is Terra Vita, and you two are welcome to follow, I mean... if that’s okay... with you...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Now, Terra was always a strange one. You see, she’s bipolar... times two...” he looked around at the confused faces at the breakfast table, knowing he obviously failed to get the point across. “Okay, maaaybe that was a poor way to explain it.”

“Gee, you think so?”

“Alright, fine! Let me try to rephrase that...” the colt grumbled, his irritation growing from the cyan mare’s sarcasm, as he began to rub his chin in his hoof. “I guess bipolar would be the wrong term to describe her... so I’d say Dissociative Identity Disorder would be a better way to put it.”

“Ah, you so you mean she had a split personality.” the studious mare spoke up.

“Heh, bright as usual, Twilight.” Crimson smirked. “However, she didn’t have just one split personality, but four; the kind and gentle Spring, the saucy and seductive Summer, the twisted and sadistic Autumn, and the harsh, cold Winter. Though, when her personality changed wasn’t always triggered by seasons, sometimes it just... happened... And on certain occasions, Terra would actually only store specific memories in specific personalities, depending on which one was in control at the time. Like, she couldn’t kill bloodily or violently if she was in Spring. She’d be given a ‘hit’, but would only use painless poisons, making their passing easy. Autumn loved pain, however.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hey, Red? You awake yet?”

The colt groggily groaned to himself, the lids to his eyes feeling incredibly heavy and sore, but opening non the less. Just as his eyes began to adjust to the light, Crimson noticed he was in a completely different place than before. He was in a small room, the walls painted black, but still very well lit. He honestly kinda liked it; it was simple. That and Crimson was a sucker for the color black, which was something he was always picked on for at the orphanage since everypony liked the bright and distracting colors of the rainbow. Not that there was anything wrong with Red, of course.

The colt also happened to notice Vinyl and Storm standing next to his hospital bed. A blush formed over his face when the unicorn filly wrapped her forelegs around his torso, her eyes almost at the brink of joyful tears. “Thank Princess Luna you’re okay! After what happened a few days ago, I wasn’t sure you’d make it...”

“A few days ago?” the black colt asked. “What happened, anyway?”

“Well- uh... you see...” Vinyl began to stutter. Even she wasn’t exactly sure what happened. However, her brother spoke up in her place.

“You saved us, Red.” Storm smiled. “If it weren’t for you, Vinyl and I would have been goners. By the way, check your flank. You might just notice something new.” the white colt couldn’t help himself from smirking like an idiot.

“Dammit Storm, I thought I told you to shut the fuck up about my- woah, shit!” As he took a gander at his rump, he indeed noticed something different. He had finally earned himself a cutiemark.

“But... what does it mean? What the hell is it, anyway?” the room got quiet, as nopony could come up with an answer.

“It’s a Taurus, the second astrological sign, which is ruled by the planet Equis.” The three’s attention turned towards an earth filly in the corner of the room, who had a rather odd smile painted across her face. She had a pinto coat, along with a sunny yellow mane, though she was without her cloak at the moment. “Haven’t you ever heard of a zodiac symbol?”

“Oh! We forgot to introduce you to the pony who saved you, not to mention the pony who brought us to this place!” The white filly’s face immediately beamed. “This is Terra, she carried you all the way here on her back, she even refused to put you down when Storm offered to carry you.” As she observed the filly, Vinyl could have sworn that there was something different about her... ‘I don’t remember her ever being this upbeat when we first met her. And I could have sworn her mane was a different color...’

“Pleasure to meet you, handsome~!” Terra let out, causing the black colt's face to glow a shade of his name's sake. Pointing at her flank didn't make the situation any better either. Crimson finally got that she was really pointing towards her cutiemark, which just looked like a curved 'H'. The top tips were green and yellow, while the bottom were red and white. The line in between however, was the color blue. Was she a good speller or something? "My cutiemark is the symbol of Pisces, the twelfth sign, ruled by the planet Neightune. It's pretty nice, isn't it? But enough about that, how does my cutiemark look~?"

Needless to say, that joke hit the black colt like a ton of bricks, but he decided to ignore it the best he could and get straight to the point. "Okay, well what exactly is my special talent then?"

Terra simply giggled. "Beats me, sweetie." she responded, apparently finding his question to be a humorous one. "The only thing I do know is that it usually grants the holder a unique power. Haven't you noticed your friend has one of his own? His looks like it's a Leo, the fifth sign, and ruled by none other than the Sun herself. We three aren't the only ones here who have one, Glitch, Notch, and... Wild Card!~<3" she sighed dreamily, but quickly avert her focus from her fantasies and back to the matter at hand. "Ahem... My point is that they're all great co-workers here, and each have their own zodiac cutiemark, as well."

'Wait a minute, Glitch and Wild are here? No way...'

As he looked back up, he noticed Terra closing in, getting a bit too close for his liking. Crimson’s face reddened to the point where it covered his entire face, as the two were nearly touching nose to nose. "Hehe, you really are cute~!"

"Terra, knock it off! Keep your fucking hormones in check!" At the corner of his eye, Crimson saw a unicorn mare walk into the room. She looked about eighteen-ish, sporting a dark grey coat, as well as a lengthy mane of the same color. Her eyes were a light blue, and he noticed a trail of stitches running down from her right eye almost to her mouth.

"Aw, Stitch! You're no fun~!" Terra pouted, still keeping her full attention on Crimson face.

"Bite me, Terra." she responded, pushing through the filly to get a closer look at Crimson's back. "You're lucky I managed to stitch that up, the cut was pretty damn deep, not to mention long. But of course, stitching is my specialty, so there's nothing to worry about!" the mare announced with a prideful tone.

'Wait, stitches? Why did I need...' the black colt thought to himself, "What do you-"

"Sorry, Red." Storm said, cutting Crimson's sentence off. "To get you to calm down, I had to electrocute you with my dagger... I couldn't exactly keep full control of it and... well..."

“... What the hell did I do when I was out?”

Stitch decided it was her time to speak up. "From what Terra had told me, you lost control of yourself and practically went on a killing spree, or something to that extent."

"I... what..." Crimson muttered to himself, unable to fully comprehend what he was being told. 'I... killed ponies?"

"Stitch. Boss said he's ready to meet them." came from another voice that walked in, once again, a unicorn filly. She had a dark grey coat, slightly darker than that of the other mare's, and had a matching mane, but it was cut much shorter as well. Her eyes were also a shade of violet. The filly could very well be Stitch's twin, but she looked maybe around the same age as Crimson.

"Hold on a sec, Raven!" the mare replied. "Come along, you three. Boss is ready to meet you. I’d tell ya ‘good luck’, but it won’t amount to shit."

~*~*~*~*~*~

“I met a lot of ponies along the way, and learned a lot about each one.” Crimson began to chuckle to himself. “Like how Terra had the cutest little crush on Wild Card.”

“Wait, so who are these ponies? Stitch? Raven?” Twilight scrunched up her face in confusion as she tried to place all the pieces of Crimson’s life into a nice looking puzzle. Her only problem was she couldn’t see the full picture, and she kept finding pieces she didn’t know about.

“Oh, don’t worry about them, Twilight,” Pinkie admonished with a wave of her hoof. “They won’t show up for a good few chapters, if they even show up at all.” She considered this, then smiled again. “Well, unless we ask somepony else about their life and that story has to do with them!” Pinkie giggled as the others at the table decided that ignoring the outburst would be for the best. This was Pinkie Pie, after all.

“... Oookay, then. What about your boss?”

“Boss.”

“Yeah. That’s what I said. Your boss.”

“No. That’s his name, as far as anypony can tell. He calls himself ‘Boss’. There’s no ‘my’ or ‘your’ or anything before Boss. He’s just Boss.”

“Ugh, fine. What’s he like?”

“Well, he’s actually a bit scary. Well, mysterious, and he was definitely scary the first time I was in the room with him. Now almost nothing can scare me, but if there has to be one, it'd be Boss.” He glanced at the other end of the table, at a timid yellow pegasus, quickly glancing away as he mumbled “and Fluttershy...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“....Terra, what in Equestria is this supposed to be? I run an organization for highly trained assassins, not a babysitting service...”

Crimson’s gaze was directed towards the shadowy stallion, who was directing his voice towards the young filly, his voice voice deeper than the darkest abyss. He sat on a “chair”- which looked more like a throne, to be honest. He wore a purple mask that resembles that of a pony’s skull, which concealed his entire head. The only thing visible was his mane, which was jet black and spiked downwards all the way down his neck, and his yellow eyes, which had pupils going down in a thin vertical line, so they looked like they belonged to a reptile more than they did a pony. He was completely wrapped in a black cloak, hiding every little part of his body. Crimson couldn’t help but feel a jolt of fear run down his spine; it was almost as if the stallion’s body emitted death.

“Very sorry to interrupt you, sir.” Terra bowed, trying to keep her cool in front of the colt that very well held her life in his hooves. “You know I wouldn’t be bringing him to you if I didn’t think that he had potential...”

“Oh really... And exactly what is stopping me from grinding your bones to dust for disobeying my orders, hm?” the stallion chuckled, causing the pinto mare to shiver.

“I- I...” the mare came close to losing her mind, her eyes threatening to tear up. “N-no please, Boss! I didn’t-”

“That bastard stole from me, and I did say that you were supposed to be the one to kill that stallion... Yet you claim this mere child did it for you? If that’s the case, then what exactly does that tell me...”

“Please, Boss... Control yourself.” Since all of the terror was directed towards the head honcho, nopony even gave notice to the large figure on their right, directly next to Boss’ throne. It was another black-cloaked stallion; the colt wore his hood to hide his face. He was one of the tallest ponies Crimson had ever laid his eyes on, not counting Celestia of course, and the stallion had a very respectable build as well.

“Orion, you dare take her word over mine?” Boss’ voice seethed.

“Beg your pardon, sir...” The cocky stallion spoke in a demonically deep, raspy, yet calm and collected voice. “But Terra might actually be onto something this time. Do you see it? That cutiemark, it holds quite a resemblance to the second sign of the zodiac symbols, doesn’t it? It’s the Taurus symbol, which means that if that colt has the power of an angry bull’s raw strength, he could be of some use to us...”

“...I see... well then, I’m sorry to have doubted you. I guess you’re not one of my top three assassins for no reason... That’s why I hope you don’t end up disappointing me.” Boss turned his attention towards Terra once more, letting his glare torment her with every passing second. “Alright, Terra, I'll let this one slide. You did bring us a potentially powerful force to our humble little company, and for that I thank you. However, since you failed to kill your target, the young colt will receive your pay instead."

"I... I understand, Boss..." Terra's head sunk down in sorrow, but relief at the same time. 'I figured as much, but at least that colt's safe. And, well... I got out of this alive, didn't I?'

"This isn't over just yet, Ms. Vita." As the stallion spoke up once more, the filly could feel her heart creep up into her throat, and wouldn't have been surprised if it just burst. "I never called the fate of those other two..." Boss sneered as he directed his gaze towards the white coated unicorns, whose bodies were scared completely solid. "If what you told me was correct, the boy can use lightning magic to some degree, not to mention he has a Leo cutiemark... But the girl, what possible use is she?"

“I-I'm not exactly s-sure yet, Boss..." mumbled Terra under her breath. “L-look at it this way, Boss! She’s a blank flank, r-right? S-so doesn’t that mean she has the p-pote-”

”Out with it girl, you’re drying my patience...”

The filly clenched eyes shut, shaking to the bone. As she was about to continue, Terra witnessed the same black colt she’d been trying to save push himself in front of the white filly. “Touch a damn hair on her fucking mane and I will end you!” Crimson snarled, keeping his gaze focus on nothing else but Boss’ demonic eyes....

‘Y-you idiot! Do you want to get yourself killed?!’ the pinto mare panicked to herself. However, the reaction she expected from her employer never came. Instead, Boss started laughing, which still brought a chill to the room. ‘What’s with Boss today... Even his laughs are terrifying...’

“Hahahahahaha! Whew!~ Beg my pardon, young colt. I usually am much more professional when it comes to my work.” he tried reassuring, hoping maybe he’d get the colt to ease up a bit. “Heh, I like you, kid. You’ve got guts. Guts that I wish more of my employees shared.” His yellow eyes flicked to Terra, causing her to flinch, before returning to Crimson. “Keep on impressing me like that, and we’ll get along just fine....”

It looked as though the black colt didn’t quite buy it, as he puffed air from his nostrils, keeping his eyes on Boss’. “And why the hell would I want to impress someone like you?” Crimson growled.

Even Boss couldn’t help but let out a sigh. “You don’t exactly have to, but it might be a good idea if you’re going to stay here, don’t you think? After all, it doesn’t look as though you have any place better to be....” Crimson had to admit, he had a good point. “And besides, it might give me more of a reason to keep you around. I hate it when things get boring around here.”

Crimson narrowed his eyes, before dropping his gaze. “Yes, sir...” the black colt sighed in defeat.

“Please, call me Boss.” he chuckled. “By the way, I don’t think I ever caught your name, young one. After all, you do work for me now.”

“....Crimson Rays....”

Boss directed his attention towards the speechless young pinto filly once more. “Terra, please show Crimson to his sleeping quarters.”

“Y-yes, Boss!” she yelped, pushing Crimson impatiently, unable to stand being in the stallion’s presence a second longer.

“Rest assured, Crimson. I’m not going to hurt your little friends. We’re just going to have a little job interview is all.... Oh, and one more thing before you leave.”

Crimson’s ears flicked.

“....Remember who’s in charge. If you don’t, well... things might not go quite your way during your stay here. I am your Boss, and while you stay here, the law. And my law is not something you want to fight, because it has a very funny way of fighting back...”

*****************************************************************************************************************

As the two trot through the dark hallway, Crimson couldn’t keep his mind of the two ponies he had come to know as his friends. He figured that his dread must have had some way to communicate with the strange filly leading him on, because she came to a complete stop.

“Don’t worry, Crimson. Boss won’t harm them unless given a reason, the two will join you shortly once they finish negotiating plans with him.” Terra spoke up, not even so much as giving him a glance.

The two finally made it to one of the spare, black-painted rooms. It was already filled with a large king-sized bed, a dresser, and a restroom. It occurred to Crimson that he had absolutely no idea where he even was, or what they even did at this so called ‘business’, but he just figured the answers would come sooner or later. Crimson really hope sooner.

“This is where you three will be staying. Don’t worry, you'll all get your own rooms eventually, just have to get comfy until then." Crimson simply groaned. Why did he always have to share a room with them? "It also might be a good idea to keep on everypony's good side, or you-" Terra stopped.

"Or I'll..."

Something about the filly instantly grabbed the colt's attention. Her mane, it was... wilting. It was going from a bright and lively yellow to a dull, lifeless white. "You okay there, Terr-"

The filly turned around and smashed her hoof into Crimson's jaw, sending him flying a good few feet into his new room. 'Damn! She's a hell of a lot stronger than she looks!' He stared wide eyed, astonished at the filly's raw power. He also noticed that Terra's demeanor was vastly different than it was a few seconds ago. Now, she just gave him a glare that was colder than the winter's harsh snow...

"You prick..." Terra started, even her voice sounded a bit more raspy than before. "I hope you're happy, because you made me look like a fucking pitiful embarrassment in front of the stallion who holds my life in his hooves!" she growled, turning away to leave the room.

The black colt charged at her in a blind fury, and he swung a hoof aimed straight at the filly’s face. Terra easily dodged the punch- it was as if she had eyes on the back of her head- and she swept Crimson's legs from right under him, before sending a kick to his stomach, his body slamming, not to mention leaving a crack, into the black concrete wall. In the blink of an eye, she had Crimson pinned to the wall by his still sore neck with one of her forearms, as something that looked like tree bark began to coil around her arm, pointing an astonishingly sharp end at his face.

"You honestly think you can take me? You don't even have a years worth of training under your belt, and you already think you can take me?!”

“......F-fuck you...” the colt grunted, not knowing when to quit. She just pushed harder and harder on his windpipe. After what seemed like an eternity of hell, 'Terra' finally retracted her arm, leaving Crimson's body to fall to the floor. He lay there trembling, gasping for what little breath he could find.

“How pathetic.” Terra snarled, turning away once again to leave. "Come back once you actually know how to fight, otherwise I'll just take the pleasure of killing you myself, you weak little mule!"

~*~*~*~*~*~

“She called you a mule?” Twilight’s eyebrow was arched more than the Golden Gate Bridge at this point.

Crimson looked away. “Well, what she actually said was a lot worse, but I think Fluttershy’s already heard enough of that language for today.” he said, referring to the pale yellow mare under the table, quavering. Barely audible, she responded by saying “No, f-for this l-lifetime...”

Rolling his eyes, the colt pointed to the mark on his flank, a yellow circle with horns on the top. "In case any of you were wondering, this is the zodiac symbol for Taurus. Every pony has a zodiac sign, mine just happens to be on my flank for some stupid reason." Crimson grumbled to himself. "Taurus ponies fall under the dates of late April and the rest of May, and considering how I was born on the first of May, that would make me a Taurean, as weird as that name sounds."

As he continued to explain, Pinkie made sure to create a mental note on his date of birth. "The qualities of a Taurean are that they are patient, stubborn, creative, simple and practical, solid in mind, easy-going, but don't do well with change, can be lazy, but make up for it with their incredible persistence, drive to complete hard work and overcome the impossible, and are generally very down to earth ponies who do well in the field of business. Their zodiac animal is the bull; calm most of the time, but when provoked, will inflict their wrath upon you in a heartbeat, for they can have quite a nasty temper, and usually tend to hold a grudge. They also happen to have the quality of keeping things to themselves most of the time, but are considered very loyal towards the ponies they love, and will do all in their power to protect them."

The rest of the mares - and dragon - could have sworn he had just described the orange farm mare perfectly. I guess they figured out what Applejack's sign was, then.

"So wait, hold a sec..." the Pinkie started. "From what you said in your flashback, you joined them at fifteen years old? I thought you told me at the bar that you joined at eighteen?"

"I..." the black colt's head sunk, feeling a hint of sorrow beat in his heart. "...I lied. I've actually been in the business for a good eight years. Sorry for lying, Pinkie Pie..."

Pinkie’s eyes drooped and her bottom lip trembled. Her friend... lied?

“I just... You aren’t really supposed to be able to work in any business like that until you’re eighteen, so I was technically eighteen for 3 or 4 years.” Crimson couldn’t keep contact with Pinkie’s eyes. “I had nowhere else to turn... I was half starved, mostly dead. If it weren’t for the Scratch Twins, I’d be dead or feral.” He let out a hoarse laugh, tears visible in his eyes for a brief second as he averted his gaze. “I’m sorry.”

Crimson looked back at his pancakes, pushing the last few bites around listlessly. He wasn’t feeling hungry anymore. Picking up on his mood, the pink pony beside him leaned over and licked his plate clean, not leaving a single crumb, or any syrup.

“Geez, Pinkie!” Crimson laughed at the mare as she licked all the sticky sweetness from her lips.

“What? It’s good! And you weren’t eating it!” Everypony chuckled a bit at that. Pinkie’s antics helped clear a bit of the gloom that had set in before Crimson remembered something.

“Where in all of Tartarus is my cloak?”

*****************************************************************************************************************

Glitch slammed the hammer down, the nail gliding into the board smoothly. “Damn him! Hoo, boy, Glitch! Damn him to the deepest pit of Tartarus! Hahahaha!”

Glitch grumbled as he looked at Wild Card, who was busy throwing what seemed like an endless supply of cards at a poster of a crudely drawn black pegasus. As another card slammed home, Card let out another gleeful giggle.

“I’m starting to feel sorry for saving your ass, Wild.”

“Aw, shucks. You’re making me blush, Glitchy!”

“Oh, shut the fuck up and do something useful, Wild. Why don’t you figure out where the heck he is? I think it’d be better if I talked to him this time. I can at least do so without getting myself blown out of a fucking cannon.” Glitch turned away, hiding the gleam in his eye as he thought about it. ‘Oh, if I could only have something like that in my armory... I’d be set for life!’

Already planning on figuring out the pink mare’s secret to her machine - like how it hadn’t left a hole in the ground, nor any debris from the night before’s pyrotechnics- he headed towards the town, Wild Card tucking away his card game before following suit.

As soon as he crossed into the town’s borders, he was almost hit by a blue blur. ‘Almost’, of course, being the operative word.

“Oof!” Rainbow Dash rebounded off the sudden appearance of a Strategic Hexic Isolation and Energy Disruptor (SHIELD) and landed on the ground, sliding. “Ooh, what the hay was that?”

“That would be my Strateg-”

“Nopony cares, Glitch. They already know. Sup, Dash.”

“Wild?! What the hay are you doing here? We thought you were gone! Hell, we were hoping you were dead!”

“Eh.” Wild Card shrugged. “I got better.”

Rainbow Dash grumbled as she got back into the air, rubbing her head with a forehoof. “Yeah, well, no more funny business, ya got that?”

Glitch stepped forward. “Don’t worry, miss. We only need to talk to Crimson once more. We’ll be...” as he paused to think of the best way to phrase it, his glasses gleamed in the light. “Quick, and bloodless. I promise you that.”

Still with some major doubt, and wondering how he’d gotten his glasses to shine in the shadows like that, Rainbow Dash backed off with a muttered “Yeah, okay. Whatever.” Then she disappeared into the sky.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Oh come now, darling! You simply must let me make your new cloak! I do say, though, that the pattern seemed perfect on you; such a shame to lose one so right! But... I do believe that I can create one of spectacular quality- maybe even better than the original!”

Crimson tried to speak, but was cut off. “Let’s see... Oh, my, you certainly have quite the build, especially for a pegasus. Hmm... I think your new cloak shall have wing-slots, so you can fly without discomfort and still wear it. Maybe sleeves on the sides to tuck your wings into so they don’t get wet in the rain, or maybe a stylish saddle, but don’t worry, I won’t do any glitter, you should have seen the disaster that became, and oh, your body is so sleek! I just love how supple, yet toned you are, the perfect specimen! I’m not sure Rainbow-”

Finally, Rarity cut off. But it wasn’t because Crimson’s look had finally been registered by her. No, it was because she didn’t have a SHIELD- let alone a shield spell- for instances where a spectral blur comes rocketing through her front door.

“EEK!!! RAINBOW DASH!” Rarity shrieked. “Can’t you at least ACT like a proper lady and walk through doors like everypony else?!”

“Sorry, Rare, but this is urgent!” The cyan mare was practically sweating. “That goon Wild Card is back, and he isn’t alone this time!”

Before an awkward silence could even ensue, a knock was heard at the boutique door. That and a whole lot of bickering about how unnecessarily loud and cheerful the knock was. “...I wonder who that could be at this hour...” the white unicorn mare spoke up, knowing full well.

Even Crimson was lost for words. ‘...I think I might have a clue...’

Well, he was half right. When Rarity finally found the nerve to open the front door, she found two well built stallions at the door, both completely cloaked in black. One had a dull brown coat, a matching brown mane with yellow tips, golden eyes, and wore a wide grin, as if perfectly happy and not remembering what had happened the night prior. The other was a dark green pegasus, who sported a shaggy, jet black mane with green outlines around the edges that matched his coat. His face was completely void of any emotion, and behind his thin rectangle glasses resting over his muzzle were his bored green eyes. It also happened to be quite rare when his face actually revealed a smile.

“Excuse me, sir, but we happen to be closed for the night.” Rarity greeted, trying to hide the irritation in her voice.

“Sorry to bother you, Ma’am,” the green colt spoke up, not even noticing Crimson laying on the couch. “but you see, we’re looking for a stallion with a black coat and possibly wearing a cloak much like ourselves. We were told by the civilians here that he was brought to this shop-” A brown hoof was planted over his mouth, successfully cutting him off.

“You’re doing it all wrong, Glitch! Let me show you how it's done!” The brown colt took a long, deep breath. “YO, RED!!!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, causing everypony to cover their ears. “COME OUT COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!!! WE KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, DON’T PLAY DUMB!!! OR MAYBE YOU CAN’T PLAY WHAT YOU ACTUALLY AR-”

Not a moment too soon, the green colt had his hoof shoved into the formers mouth to finally shut his partner up. “By Celestia’s bloody mane, I will fucking kill-”

“I’m here, I’m here! Ya fucking happy, dammit?!” The two diverted their glares from each other, placing them on just the pony they’ve been looking for. That is, until they heard a -quite frankly- pissed off white mare clearing her throat.

“Excuse me, but I’m afraid I must ask you to please watch your mouths! At least try to act like you colts have a civil bone in your body.” she trotted back inside as she let out a stressed, and a bit overdramatic huff. “I swear, you colts are all the same. At least a mare tries to dignify herself through style and-”

She didn’t get to finish. At least, not before the black colt was yanked back inside by his tail by a certain rainbow maned pegasus. “...Grace.... nevermind.” she groaned through her facehoof.

“Dammit, Dash! Lemme go!” The black colt growled, desperately pulling at his tail in attempt to free it.

“Are you kidding?!” the cyan mare protested surprisingly fluent with a black tail pressed against her clenched jaw. “We all know what those two want from you! What’s stopping us from slamming the door on their noses?!”

“The fact that they could easily break it down, maybe.” Crimson groaned. “These two are just as strong as Storm, and I just barely even came out alive from that one.”

“Oh yeah... that’s true, isn’t it...”

As Crimson popped his tail free from Rainbow Dash’s mouth, he made his way to the door. “Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, darling?” asked Rarity, worry visible in her azure eyes.

“Heh, don’t sweat it, Rares.” Crimson smirked reassuringly. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to now, I’m a big boy, I can take care of myself.”

“Against two hitcolts?! I’m sorry, Crimson, but you just recovered from your fight with Storm...”

Glitch found it to be a good time to intervene. “Nopony said anything about fighting, miss...”

“Rarity.” the mare scowled. “Then would you mind explaining just where you will be going with my friend, and exactly what you’re going to do with him?”

‘There’s that word again...’ Crimson thought to himself, stunned that one of the mares that used to hate his guts a few days ago would actually call him that. Was he really their friend?

“Don’t worry, we just wanted to chat with our old friend.” the green colt reassured. “I’ll have you know that us assassins don’t always negotiate through fights. Wild Card here just happens to be a very bad example...”

“Now why do I find that very hard to believe?” Rarity muttered, glaring down the two strange colts.

“Well think about it this way, miss Rarity.” he began calmly, adjusting the glasses on his face. “You’ve noticed that your new “friend” here is a bit deeper than just punching every pony he sees in right in their face, correct?”

“Well, of course, but-”

“Correct.” Glitch confirmed, a beam of light reflecting off of his lenses, almost completely covering up his eyes from the glare. “And from what you probably already know, Crimson here used to be one of us as well. Correct?”

“Used to. He doesn’t associate himself with you’re organization of brutes anymore.” the mare spat back. “Green, such a hideous color.”

Glitch couldn't hold back an annoyed sigh. “Look, the key words here are ‘used to’ and ‘anymore’,” he continued. “Like it or not, Crimson is one of us. He belongs with us, Akuma Tenshi, far more than he belongs in such a happy, peaceful town. If you let him stay, even I could predict how bad it would turn out for everypony. Red is much too dangerous to live his days in such a town.” the colt concluded, not even noticing that he slipped by calling Crimson by that name.

The mentioning of the company’s name made the black colt cringe, as he noticed that Glitch’s statement clearly ticked off the two mares in the building, their faces burning in Crimson’s namesake out of pure anger. He however, knew full well that every word that came out of Glitch’s mouth was the truth.

Crimson didn’t belong in the mystical, happy-sappy wonderland known as Ponyville.

“WHY I OUTTA-” the two mares growled in unison, cut off by a loud, stern “Stop!” from the black colt in the middle of all of it.

“Like it or not, you two, but there’s no available way out of this.” he mellowed down, as did the atmosphere emitting off the five ponies.

“Crimson...” the white mare sighed in defeat, knowing it was pointless to argue over a battle she couldn’t win, let alone participate in. “...Just promise me you’ll be safe?”

“Rarity! You’re just going to let him go like that?!” the blue pegasus yelled, calling out one of her best friends.

“...Yes, Rainbow. I am.” she faintly responded, leaving Rainbow Dash wide-eyed.

“Don’t worry, Rarity.” Crimson smiled softly. “I’ll be just fine-” Before he knew what hit him, Rarity buried her face in Crimson’s chest, wrapping her arms around the colt, effectively cut him him off. Not to mention reddening his cheeks. He finally gave up and returned the favor by hugging back. As the hugs finally broke, the three colts trotted away from the boutique, fading away in the darkness, leaving the two mares to fear the worst.

“Guys, what’s wrong?”

The two mares directed their gaze towards a very familiar voice, noticing the one and only Pinkie Pie walking down the stairs, her mane soaked to the point of appearing straight, along with a towel wrapped around her waist. “Sorry I was in the shower so long, but I thought I might have heard yelling. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Of course, that is unless you don’t count Crimson getting abducted- Ow!” The cyan pegasus yelped, rubbing her now sore rib cage from the white unicorn mare’s elbow.

“It’s not abduction if he went willingly, Rainbow Dash!”

In the midst of the two mare’s bickering, Pinkie’s eyes were growing wide eyed in horror. The pink mare galloped straight out the door, and as many times as she called out his name, it appeared as if nopony was ever outside at all....

*****************************************************************************************************************

“You know those cancer-sticks will be the end of you one day, right?” Wild Card pointed out, still proudly showing off his fox faced grin.

“I know, I just stopped caring a long time ago.” Glitch shot back, as he began to light a cigarette in his mouth. He lazily took a drag from it. “Besides, most of it is stress control because of you, Card.”

“Alright, cut the bullshit you two. As good as it is to see you, Glitch, what exactly is it that want from me?” Crimson asked in a oddly nonchalant tone of voice. If there had to be at least one pony he parted ways with on good terms, it was Glitch. The three colts were all standing around in a circle formation on top of one of the only flat roofed houses in Ponyville.

“Red...” the green colt glared, his voice keeping its same stern tone, puffing smoke from the side of his mouth. “I’d get comfortable if I were you, buddy. After all, we have a lot to discuss.”

Chapter Eight: G1I<H3D 0U7

Chapter Eight: G1I<H3D 0U7

Pinkie looked over at Applejack, her eyes poofier than her hair as small streams of tears ran down her face. “He’s gone? I can’t believe he’s just... gone...” Pinkie whimpered, draining her cocoa in one gulp, marshmallows and all.

“Don’t worry, Pinkie. I’m sure he can take care of himself.” Twilight took another sip of her own drink, trying to calm the normally spunky mare with a reassuring smile.

One that was quickly replaced by a wince as Rarity accidently poked her in the side with a pin. “Oh! So sorry, dear... I’m almost done.”

“You really don’t have to modify my dress from the wedding, Rarity,” Twilight said before cringing as another pin pricked her side. “It fits fine!”

“I’m sure it does, but, well... I just need something to do!” Rarity looked at the row of amethysts she’d been sewing around the waist of the dress before throwing her hooves in the air. “Ugh! I just can not concentrate! Why am I so worried?”

“Well, I believe that he’ll be jus’ fahne, Sugercube,” Applejack put in with a small smile as she patted Pinkie’s withers. “He’s a big colt. He can take care-a hisself, I reckon.” She looked into the fire, her eyes far away as she took a sip of her own cocoa.

Fluttershy trotted softly in, holding out a cup of tea for Rarity as she sipped her own. “O-oh, well, um, if you don’t mind my saying so, I think that he won’t leave, anyways. His things are still in his room, and he seemed so nervous about being in public without his cloak. He’ll stay long enough to get his new one from Rarity, if nothing else.”

At that, Applejack looked away, and Pinkie plopped her face down on her hooves. “I just wish...” Pinkie yawned, her words becoming softer. “I just wish that he’d tell me if he liked aprmblpie...” With that, she curled up into her blanket and began snoring softly.

“Y’know,” Applejack said as she yawned and stretched her back, “Ah agree wit’ Pinkie. Let’s sleep on it, n’ see what comes of it in the mornin’.”

Applejack stoked the fire so it would stay at a comfortable temperature before heading up to her bed. Rarity laid daintily upon the couch, the pillow she brought with her positioned just so for comfort. Fluttershy went up the stairs to take the other bed in Applejack’s room, and Twilight laid down on the floor next to Pinkie, a single question buzzing through her head before she too drifted off to slumber. That question was ‘What does him leaving have anything to do with apple pie?’

The clock chimed twelve times, and only one Apple was awake to hear it. The big red farmer trotted silently into the living room and picked up all of the cups the mares had left out, washed them, and went outside. “Ah know a good colt when Ah sees one, sis,” Big Macintosh drawled to himself. “An’ Ah’ll be damned iffin he ain’t.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“So, let me get this straight...” the black pegasus narrowed his eyes, using his hoof to scratch at his chin while he tried to put everything together. “Boss increased the time I have to decide from a week to a month. And if I reject, he’ll label me a traitor, giving everypony in the org full permission to take my head, and the permission to do so without restrictions...”

According to the dark green colored colt’s gem-powered watch, it was getting close to midnight- which was good for Crimson, considering the fact that he wouldn’t be caught dead in public without his cloak. The horrifying scar that stretched all the way down his back, his Taurus shaped mark over his flank that’s turned him into an even bigger freak of nature than he was prior, and the only place he could escape the reality of his life, his mind, were three products of his past endeavors Crimson would never share with anypony. Sadly, only two of those things could be hidden by articles of clothing.

The black colt also had to admit that he rather enjoyed the company of his old pal, Glitch. He and Crimson were usually the two to almost always keep to themselves, though Glitch’s level of ‘lazy’ was sometimes on a completely higher scale than Crimson’s, and whilst Crimson was always easy to piss off at times, Glitch was fairly mellow, well... unless Wild Card was involved at least. However, both contain a great amount of common sense, a quality many ponies seemed to lack. The two had always had an understanding, and enjoyed each other’s silence. Sometimes they could even communicate without any vocal speech at all, but rather body motions, which left a certain brown colt feeling very left out most of the time.

“I’m afraid it’s all true, Red.” the green colt confirmed. “You were one of Boss’ favorites, and anypony who gets in the way of his path to you will most likely be murdered. So now do you see why I’ve been saying it’s a dangerous idea to get these so-called “friends” of yours involved? Wild won’t admit it, but we both came here to warn you about this dilemma for your own well being.”

“Sorry, Glitch,” Crimson responded without any haste. “but just like I told Wild, there’s no chance in hell that I’ll come back. Sorry to break it to you guys like this, but what Boss says doesn’t mean jack-shit to me anymore. However, you’re right about one thing...” the colt’s crimson eyes drooped, letting out a deep, hearty sigh. “Staying in this town for much longer wouldn’t be a good idea at all. Hell, look at what happened when Storm decided to show!”

“It will get even worse when you’re finally cornered and mutilated like a lab rat.” Glitch simply glared at the colt before him, scrunching up the bridge of his snout, feeling his calm demeanor slowly fade away. “Just face it, Red, if you don’t come back, you’ll either go down at Boss’, or Celestia’s hooves.”

There was an awkward silence you could cut with Crimson’s katana, but considering how he didn’t have it at the moment, he figured he’d do it himself. “....I’d rather die than go back.”

“What in the hell are you-”

“You heard me, Glitch! That bastard had my sister killed! And there’s no way in hell that I’ll work under the same roof as the bipolar bitch who really fucked Star over! She just had to enjoy my suffering for herself, didn’t she?!”

“You’re a bit hard on the girl, Red.” said the green colt, attempting to ease the cloakless colt from his shaking rage.

“Hard on her?!” The black colt couldn’t believe what his supersonic ears had picked up. “Oh, I’m sorry I’m just a little bit livid towards the mare who made me question why I was born just to live a life of complete disappointment and failure!”

“...Terra didn’t exactly have a say in the matter, you do know that, right?” Glitch continued. “Some nights when she’s Spring, she just says in her room sobbing her eyes out, looking back at some of the actions she’s performed over the years. And even Summer has a good cry about it every now and then...”

“I... so what, I should forgive her because she’s half sorry?!” growled Crimson. “I swear that even if she kills me, I don’t care which season I take, but I’ll make sure I take Terra to her grave with me...”

As yet another awkward silence ensued, Wild began one of his giggle-fits to lighten the mood. He never really could stand when his angsty friends got like this, which was unfortunately very often. “So, Red, how does it feel to finally know that you have mares swooning over you like this, huh? Come on~! Tell me, tell me, TELL ME!!!” Wild was suddenly leaning over Crimson, his manic grin right in Red’s face.

“G-get over yourself and lower the volume, Card!” Crimson spat in embarrassment, as he felt his face burn. “You may have mares kissing your hooves like you were a fuckin’ Alicorn or something, but not me.”

“Oh, how innocent you are when it comes to this subject, Red~! Well then, mister candy ass, will you please explain to me why that pink poof ball and the stetson wearing farm gal are always clinging and pressing against you, never even taking their gaze off you?” Wild Card winked. “Just admit it, Reddy~! You’re absolutely loving this!”

“I... I, uh.... have n-no idea what y-you’re going on about...” the flustered colt protested, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “Those two would never do that over somepony like me, let alone any other mare in Celestia’s fucked up world of Equestria. Just because you have experience with mares doesn’t mean you can read their minds!”

The brown earth-bound pony rolled his golden eyes, letting an overly dramatic groan slip forth from his lips. “Exactly how dense are you, man?! You and I both know full freakin’ well that I’m an expert on the field of mares, Red. Those two are completely smitten by you, and yet it all goes completely unnoticed by your lack of social skills. What really fucks with my head is that this is one of many cases, too... Stop acting like an oblivious fucking pussy and smell the coffee already!”

“You’re so full of shit, Wild!” Crimson snapped back. “How about you quit acting like a goddess damned know-it-all and drop it, because I absolutely hate know-it-all’s!”

“Just forget it, then... stubborn ass...” Wild sighed through his facehoof, though he retained his foxface smile when he turned his attention back towards the black colt, nudging his shoulder with an elbow. “Just curious, but who’s you favorite, loverboy?”

“GAH! Neither of them, you dumbass! The last thing I want is a marefriend! Romance is nothing but a big waste of time!”

“Snrrk, Ehehehe~! No wonder you’re alone, Red. You a coltcuddler, then?”

Wild Card’s frenzy of laughter towards the enraged colt’s embarrassment soon ended after a green hoof bonked him upside the head. “That’s more than enough, Wild. Quit acting so damn childish already.”

“Ow! The hell, you fucking dork?!”

“Dumbass, have you already forgotten?” groaned the green pegasus. “We promised those two mares that we’d stay out of a fight by any means necessary. And from what it looks like, you're doing a pretty shitty job.”

“Bite me, Glitch!" the brown colt spat, rubbing the now swelling mark on his scalp.

“Let's just get back on track and focus, please?” Glitch rubbed at his own head, the cigarette failing to relieve his irritation. “Red, I’m not trying to call you a monster or anything... but when you’re in the heat of rage, you have very little control of your conscious, and you fail to realize your own strength. It’s only going to get worse as time goes by, and you might end up hurting one of those mares you’ve started hanging out with.”

“....They drag me along with them, for your information...”

“Hah! You’re not proving my theory wrong, Reddy~!”

“GAH!!! Will you fucking idiots just FOCUS?!” Glitch roared, causing the two colts to straighten up. Although it was very rare, Glitch almost rivaled Storm’s twin sister when he snapped... The green colt cleared his throat and blushed, knowing that he might have woken a few civilians from their slumber.

“...Sorry about that. But you need to hear this, Red.” Glitch adjusted his glasses nervously upon his snout, a drop of sweat running down his face. He knew this wasn’t going to end well... And from what the black colt witnessed from the usually level headed colt, so did he. “As you know, Boss usually forbids us from hurting the innocent. However, Boss has ways of making us listen. If you don’t leave and come with us by May 1st, he may put a hit out on those six mares to get your attention, making it a birthday you truly wouldn’t forget.... Think about it, do you really want another Star Bright incident?” Glitch knew it was a low blow, something he’d usually never perform. However, he knew this was the only way to get that colt to listen.

“I... I...........” The black colt’s eyes widened in fear, knowing full well that Boss wouldn’t put it below him to perform such a twisted feat. ‘...Fluttershy.... Rainbow Dash.... Rarity.... Twilight.... Applejack.... Pinkie Pie.... Star.... sis....’ Crimson couldn’t stop shaking as he remembered the nightmare he’d had. ‘If I stay here, then... then that might actually happen.’ He could feel himself breaking down, but he couldn’t in front of these two. Using the last vestiges of his strength, he got up from the table and flew off into the night.

Wild looked at Glitch and shrugged. “Well, that was a bust.”

Glitch looked off after the black colt as he disappeared into the darkness. ‘Damn,’ he thought to himself. ‘It’s those mares... If it weren’t for them, this would have been easy.’ Glitch shook his head and sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Come along now, Card. We don’t have all day.”

“Don’t you mean night?”

“ARRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!”

***********************************************************************************************************

Crimson lit down on the small dirt path, the welcoming sight of Sweet Apple Acres in the near distance. His body trembled. He wanted to go there, and curl up on his bed. He wanted to run away and never look back. He wanted to find that bar and get another afterburner or twelve.

But, most of all... “C-Celestia dammit...”

He didn’t want to cry.

“Hey.” Crimson’s ears flicked. “Hey, Red. You’re not gone. Good.”

Crimson looked around, not sure where the voice was coming from. “Dash? That you? Where are you?”

“Look up, stupid.”

Crimson looked up to see a cloud above him. A pair of eyes looked out at him, and he could barely see the light blue tips of feathers poking out the sides. A smile formed. “Heh. Beep beep. I’m a cloud.”

For whatever reason, even with reality crashing down around him, covering him, drowning him... He laughed.

Dash jumped out of the cloud and laughed too. “Okay. Good. I was thinking I was gonna have to rain on you. Would have, too, if you’d decided to be all mopey.”

“What’re you doing out here, Dash? This late?”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I heard some yelling. Saw you flying away from those other two. Grabbed the cloud I’d fallen asleep on and followed.”

“Don’t you have, like, a house, or something?”

“Eh. I wasn’t even s’posed to be asleep. Twilight wanted me watching the edge of town for any trouble, or for you in case you left.” Dash bit her hoof, chewing thoughtfully. “Pinkie and Applejack were worried about you.”

Crimson sat back on his haunches as she floated around him. “They were, huh....”

“Well duh!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, still floating around lazily on the bit of cloud. “You just left out of nowhere with those two jackasses, what did you expect?”

“Look, I’ve had maybe six ponies total in my life that even gave two shits about my well being.” His voice grew stern. “Excuse me if I’m not exactly used to anypony acknowledging me as something other than a menace.”

“Well, looks like you got six more.” She mischievously smirked.

“Six more what?” Crimson pondered, as he scratched his head.

“Six more ponies who care, you big idiot! We here in this small town of Ponyville don’t abandon anypony in need. Because of that, we’ve managed to defeat the impossible! I can bet ya things’ll get a lot better for you now that you’re here. We’ll stick by you till’ the end, or I’m not the Element of Loyalty!” The cyan mare boasted, still maintaining a smirk of her own.

“I... wow...” After that little speech, the black colt found himself speechless. ‘This place is just so.... different.’

“Come on now, don’t go all silent on me!” She chuckled, completely ignorant of the vast amount of different feelings going through his body. If he stayed, he’d put all their lives in danger, but... could he just leave?

“Sorry, just... thinking about something...”

“Or somepony, maybe?” The mare’s smirk grew into a full on smile. “Oooooooh, I get it! It all makes sense now!”

“What are you getting at, Dash?” the black colt asked, furrowing his brow quizzingly. “And if the others are worried too, why did you only mention Pinkie and Appleja-.... Oh, please tell me it’s not this shit again...”

“I dunno, you tell me, loverboy~!”

“Not you too, Dash...” Crimson groaned through his hoof. “Don’t you even start.”

“Pfft... Bahahahaha!!!”

Trying to catch her breath in between laughs, Rainbow Dash dropped flat onto her back, her legs kicking the air as she struggled to form a single sentence. “You- snrrk sly- hehe dog-AHAHAHAHAAAHHAHA!!!~”

“J-just drop it, please?!” the red faced colt growled. “Not exactly in a good mood, in case you couldn’t figure it out on your own.”

“Hehe, fine, fine. Just don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

“Just so long as you don’t get your boxers in knot when I tell you that there is absolutely nothing between any of us.” he snarled back, already tired of this dusty old subject for one night. And for a lifetime at that, but then again that might be too generous.

“It’s a shame, really. It might have done a good job at getting rid of your sour attitude.”

“Yeah, well that’s not gonna happen... the dating part I meant.”

“Figured as much...” she sighed, but shrugged it off in order to let one more thing off her chest. “Just remember this...” As she lowered her cloud, Dash made sure that her intensified glare didn’t go unnoticed by Crimson. “...You break their hearts, I break your spine. Got it?”

“...Y-yeah, I g-got it...” Was every mare just downright terrifying when pissed off? Crimson just assumed the answer was ‘Hell yes!’.

“Good.” The mare sneered, retracting her nose from his. “You know ya might be able to sneak in without waking anypony up, just letting ya know. I won’t tell if you don’t.” She winked.

‘...Why do I have a bad feeling about this?’

The two made their way back to the Sweet Apple Acres farm house. When Crimson peered through the doors, he noticed a few of the mares in the living room, all fast asleep. ‘Okay, Crimson. Don’t sweat it, you’ve infiltrated much worse before. All you gotta do is not make a single sound. Hmm... or maybe I could go around and jump in through the windo-’

“HEY, GUYS, LOOK WHO I FOUND!!!”

“Why you lying little-”

That was all the colt could let out before he was tackled to the ground by a pink blur. ‘How did she even get up so fast?!’ was the thought that went through his head.

“Oh, uh... Sorry I was out for so long, just had a lot of catching up to do!” Crimson started nervously. He wasn’t technically lying, now was he? “Pinkie Pie, are- are you okay?”

The pink pony was not, in fact, okay. She had tears running down her face, as if they were fleeing a fire. She choked out a sob, then a laugh. She pressed her face into his chest, sniffing as her emotions went for another ride on the Moodswing Express.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine, Red... Now that you’re here...”

“A-hem.” Red looked up into an orange farm filly’s stern gaze and winced.

‘Yep... absolutely terrifying.’

“Um... Hey, Applejack. How are you doing, huh? Sorry I woke you?” Crimson grinned sheepishly while trying not to bring attention to how, ah, uncomfortable he was getting with Pinkie laying right on top of him, which didn’t seem to strike Applejack’s fancy either.

“...Ah’d start talkin’ iffin’ Ah wuz you, Mister,” Applejack said with a scowl as she trot down the staircase. “An’ fast.”

“...About?”

“Fer starters, how ‘bout with what’ve ya’ll have been doin’ out fer four hours?” She wasn’t going to make this easy for him, not till she got her answer.

“Excuse me, but I didn’t know that I had such a strict bedtime.” Crimson snorted, only adding fuel to the fire, which usually seemed to happen whenever he made an attempt to lighten the mood. He really needed to work on that...

“Cute.” the orange mare growled, “Now quit actin’ like a smartass and start talkin’.”

“I...” The black colt let out a heavy sigh as his heart felt like it was being strangled. “...Sorry, but I don’t really wanna talk about it right now, alright? I just want to go to my room and-”

“Ya’ll ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘til ya spill the beans!”

As Applejack’s frustration grew, the colt she was interrogating was feeling uncomfortably suffocated from everypony’s attention. The other three mares in the living room began to drift away from their slumber, the pale yellow pegasus poked a timid head out from the staircase. The cloakless colt realized that he and the farm mare were in fact, making a scene. As awkward as he felt, everytime Crimson was put on the spot, he couldn’t help but feel the need to defend himself from whatever was the source.

“You know, you’re starting to act less like my mother, and a little more like you’re my wife.” Crimson retorted, his stern tone of voice now rivaling Applejack’s. “Or is that what you’re trying to go for?”

The stetson wearing mare’s face grew red at the statement. “Why ya little- quit bein’ such a little brat an’ answer the damn question!”

“Whoa, chill out, AJ!” the cyan mare interjected, now feeling a smudge of guilt over her pride for starting all of this. “Maybe you shouldn’t be so hard on the guy, he can hold his own like you said he-”

“The git was with not jus’ one, but two o’ those jackasses!” The mare’s voice kept rising in volume. Applejack, the voice of reason for her friends, was beginning to scream. Not only that, but she looked on the verge of tears. “Maybe if he’d jus’ gosh darn open his eyes, he’d see that we friends actually care ‘bout him! He’s been worrying us sick for hours!”

Crimson had finally lost it. “What in the HELL ever gave you the idea that I actually ask you to?! I’ve lived my entire life without anypony giving as much as a shit about me, and the ones who did hate my fucking guts! Why should any of you mares that I met only a couple of days ago be any different from them?!?!?!”

As he tried to catch his breath, he noticed the pink mare’s ears droop and eyes watering once more, as she faintly whimpered “...I thought we were all friends...”

Crimson looked at Pinkie, feeling an overwhelming amount of guilt. “We are friends… I guess… But, well, I’m just…” Crimson sighed, turning his head away from the mares surrounding him. “All my friends are either assholes or dead. And you aren’t assholes.” He closed his eyes against the burning sensation of tears, trying to not show the mixture of emotions threatening to spill forth. “You shouldn’t die because of me.”

He had not been prepared for it. He had never really thought it was possible. Fuck, she always seemed too happy to do something like that. But, Pinkie slapped him. Hard. “Stop moping, Red! We aren’t gonna die just because you’re our friend!”

“But that’s just it. You could die, just for being my friends. As of May 1st, my immunity will be relieved, and everypony from the Organization will have free reign. Once that happens, it doesn’t matter who you are. If you get between me and them, they’ll kill you. And they aren’t the only powerful organization out there, just one of many...” Crimson looked into Pinkie’s eyes, his own pleading. “Some might just kill you to hurt me. I don’t want that to happen. Dammit! I don’t want another Star!” He choked out a sob, clenching his eyes shut with a grimace. ‘Dammit... dammit... dammit...’

Tears still flowing freely, the pink pony wrapped her arms around the clueless idiot. Her clueless idiot. Well, not yet, but maybe someday... “We’ve been through life or death situations multiple times, what makes you think this is any different?”

“But... why get yourself killed over me?” asked the confused colt. He just couldn’t comprehend anything anymore...

“Because friendship is worth dying for, Red.” She smiled, easing the colt if only a little. “Everypony here had to learn this the hard way, but... we’re all glad we did.” Breaking the hug, she looked Crimson dead in the eyes, her sadness replaced with a look of hope. “Even if you don’t let yourself see it like this, you’re our friend, Red...”

“....Why’d you start calling me by that nickname?” All his irritation was lost at this point. All that remained now was flustered disorientation.

“It’s because that’s who you are. You’re Red! You aren’t just some hitcolt, or assassin, or whatever- you aren’t Crimson. You’re Red. The colt who likes spicy! The colt who has actually hung out with me an’ my friends! The colt who I li- who I’d like to consider a really, really good friend. You’re Red, and no matter how many times you insist on being called Crimson, I won’t. Because that’s not who you are.”

The black colt’s tears poured just as freely as the mare on top of him did, he wasn’t used to such kind, motivational words from anypony. For once in his life, he felt proud of that nickname. “T-thank you, Pinkie... I’ll never understand why everypony’s so nice here, but... thank yo-”

“Shhh, don’t talk...” The mare could feel her face warm up. She wouldn’t mind just sitting there, keeping her gaze into those crimson eyes for hours. Unfortunately, that would have involved ignoring the ever growing, misty eyed crowd around the two. Well, other than the three who were up past their bedtimes...

“Eww, Pinkie’s got his cooties now!” a white unicorn filly piped up from up the stairs, her double colored mane in perfect swirls, despite just being in bed. Alongside her was a bedhead Apple Bloom and another filly with a gomboge (just a light orange) coat. Her fuchsia mane was cut short, almost making Crimson mistake her as a colt, as she followed up with a “Eww, oh, that’s so gross!”

“A’ight, tha’s it. Get back ta bed, the three a ya!” Concealing a sniffle, the burly Big Macintosh began to lead the fillies back to their sleeping quarters.

Well, not before the little farm filly slipped through and squeezed the black colt with affection. “Ah never got the chance ta thank ya’ll fer savin’ me!”

Crimson couldn’t help himself but squeeze back. “Oh, it was no problem at all, Star- er, Apple Bloom.”

His slip of the tongue completely unnoticed, the filly raced off to follow her brother, who gave the black colt a simple nod. Crimson nodded back, exchanging an understanding between two quiet colts. His eyes saddened a bit as he watched Apple Bloom depart, feeling an old, but far from forgotten memory burn at the back of his scalp. ‘Sis...’ All he could do was simply sigh.

“Applejack, can I please just go to bed now?” Crimson pleaded, now directing his attention towards the teary orange mare, her head drooping low.

“....Jus’ get, would ya? Ah’ve had mah fill of yer excuses for one day.” Applejack’s harsh words stung the black colt’s ears, but none the less, he got the picture. Pinkie Pie awkwardly stumbled off the colt she had been laying on top of the entire time, her face redder than any apples in the orchard. Crimson exchanged his “Good nights” with the six mares and climb up the staircase. Once out of earshot -which was a completely different length compared to their version-, the unicorn with the mane of the deity status directed her attention towards the apple farmer.

“Applejack, how rude! Do you mind explaining why you had to act so uncouth towards the colt?”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Rainbow followed up, giving a glare of her own. “He had a perfectly good reason to be out for so long, and it’s not like he had a choice! So what the hay was that all about?!”

“.....Ah’m goin’ back ta bed. Night, girls.” Applejack trotted back up stairs without another word, leaving the five bewildered mares at a loss of their own words.

*****************************************************************************************************************

After what seemed like an eternity of constant rolling over and adjustments, the black colt knew it was going to be harder than he thought possible to get some shut-eye. Oh well, might was well gather his thoughts, he was sure he’d drift to sleep at some point.

‘.......Applejack hates me now, doesn’t she?’ He couldn’t help but a sorrowful exhale. One of the first ponies to actually accept him in this happy-go-lucky town hated him once again. ‘And the weird thing is that I don’t even remember what I did.... I wonder if it's that time of the month.’ Quickly shaking the rather disturbing thought, Crimson just rolled onto his back, finding the ceiling very alluring to stare at for some unfathomable reason.... ‘...Maybe it’s all just in your head, Crimson... I wonder where my cloak is...’

“Having trouble sleeping I see?”

Okay, that was definitely not in his head. He shot his torso straight up faster than you could say “Holy shit!”. It was hard to distinguish the color of the coat of the pony standing in his room, but the sheen from the glasses gave it all away...

“...Glitch? The fuck are you-”

“Sorry, but we never really did get to finish our little chat...”

The black colt looked all around, not finding a single trace of ‘moron’ in the room. “So....where’s Wild?”

“I honestly have no clue. Most likely raiding the fridge would be my guess.” The cloaked colt sighed in his facehoof.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. You should really keep that idiot on a leash.”

“Trust me, I’ve considered it.”

“Heh, wouldn’t be a bad- Gah, you need to leave, now. Go on, shoo.” Crimson spoke at a hushed volume, making sure his words never left the room.

The pair of floating glasses just adjusted themselves through the darkness. “Sorry, Red. You just left before we got a straight up-”

“I said no five fucking times. How many more do I have to get through your thick skull dammit!”

“Well, I wanted to hear your answer after that little... breakdown you had back there.” As his eyes began to get used to the darkness, Crimson could make out the sight of Glitch’s uncomfortable scratching to the head. “What I really want to know is how all of you got so attached in just a few days, you’re not making this easy for yourself, Red. Heh, or us for that matter.”

Were his ears playing tricks on him, or did Crimson just hear the monotone colt give a chuckle? He just went with his first guess and continued towards the subject at hoof. “I dunno, man. It’s just... You wouldn’t believe it here, Glitch. Despite the fact that they know all the fucked up shit I’ve performed in my past; the killings, beatings, rampages, etcetera, they still... accept me. Unlike Boss’ form of “acceptance”, I don’t have to live my life in fear when I’m here. I even keep up my training though the manual labor I’ve been getting.... this place is heaven, Glitch.” Crimson was finally able to admit it to himself. He loved Ponyville.

“... Is that so?” The green colt could already feel the sweat running down his coat. He couldn’t fail, not when he was so close to keeping the destruction away from the innocent. “Well, that heaven is going to turn into hell real quick in a few weeks. He won’t let anypony get out of keeping you from him alive.”

“Glitch, you have no idea what these mares have defeated.” Crimson smirked, knowing Glitch was going to get a kick outta this. “Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, fukkin’ Discord, man. Discord, the god of chaos that Celestia and Luna could barely defeat together.”

“Celestia damn, no shit?”

“No shit, man.” the colt chuckled at the now wide eyed green pegasus. “And as cliche’ as this is going to come off, they defeated them all with the power of.... friendship.”

“Uh... friendship?” Glitch tilted his head quizzingly, one eyebrow higher than the other.

“Well, that and the Elements of Harmony.”

“Ah, makes more sense now... sorta.” Glitch sighed. ‘Elements of Harmony... PAH! It goes against basic science!’

‘Damn, I can’t even remember the last time I actually had another decent conversation with another colt...’ Throughout the intense feeling of nostalgia rushing over his body, he couldn’t help but dread over an insignificant question. Yet the question was still managing to eat him alive. “.....When did you two get here anyway?”

“Hmm? Oh, sometime between you getting pissed off at the one wearing the stetson and that little speech the pink one gave you, all while laying on top of you, as you just proceed to sit there like a statue...”

“....Dammit.” The black colt hid his radiant red face into his hooves. Seriously, did he really have to go into so much detail about it? ‘Well, it is Glitch that we’re talking about here...’

“Don’t worry, Red. It was honestly rather heartwarming, to say the least...” Okay, who the hell was the phony?! Certainly it couldn’t be Glitch, right? “But moving on, I wanted to asked you something.”

“Uh, go for it, man.”

“Before we have to kill you the next time we see you, would you, me, and maybe Wild like to... hang out?”

Crimson was completely speechless, but his mind was just barely comprehending this either. ‘...The hell is going on here?!’

“You know, like we used to.” The green pony glanced in every direction but the colt before him. He was never really good with this sort of thing. “We could even go to a bar if you want, our treat. Hm... Wild’s treat.”

Crimson couldn’t help but smile to that. But there was a problem he found with that. He couldn’t just leave, not after what happened earlier that night... ‘I can’t just do that to them, not after... that.’ They just got done with worrying about whether or not the colt was even alive, but... he couldn’t just say no to one of the only times Glitch actually offered to have fun, could he?

“Don’t worry about those mares.” The green colt reassured. “We’d leave and be back before they ever knew we were gon-”

“Hey Glitch! you think there’s anything in this house to eat that doesn’t have apples in it?” The two colt’s looked at each other in dread, knowing that it didn’t come from the room. It sounded like it came from downstairs. “Gltich?! GLITCH, I- oof! Oh, hello there!~ Wild Card at your servi-”

The house was filled with a mixture of high pitched shrieks loud enough to shatter glass. As the two colts saw the same fear etched on each other's face, they only had one thought, and it was one they shared:

“....That son of a bitch!”

By the time Crimson and Glitch got downstairs, Twilight already had Wild Card strung up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “Alright, I got him! He isn’t going anywhere!”

“Well, hello, ladies! So sorry to just walk in on you like that. Especially since you were getting your beauty sleep. But, you see, I’m looking for... ah, there you are, Glitchy! I was so worried that these fine young ladies had ravaged and tortured you- I mean, look! They seem to want to do it to me!” Wild Card cackled at his own joke before the lavender mare growled at him.

“Twilight, take it easy. I can take care of this, for now.” Crimson trotted towards the trio of ponies surrounding the crazy card colt. Crimson eyed the trickster warily, as Glitch came up beside him. He turned to Glitch and said, “Well, there’s your leash.”

Glitch, for his part, was able to keep his smirk to a thin line. “Quite, Red. Now, if we are going to at least try not to wake everypony up again, I believe that the back porch could sustain a high level of occupancy? Yes? Come along, now. And bring Wild, lest he eats his way through all the household’s wares.”

The group all fell in line behind the green pegasus as he walked out the door, Rarity hesitating only long enough to grab a blanket so she wouldn’t have to lay on the ground.

Fluttershy was in the three little fillies' room trying to get them to go back to bed. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were most likely still sleeping since they were nowhere to be seen, so it looked like it was just the unicorn mares and pink earth mare for this one.

“So, what is it that you want?” Twilight asked Glitch as they all settled down.

“Well, the same thing everypony else is after. I want Red. And I’d rather take him with as little blood and loss of life as possible, but,” the green colt shrugged as he looked the group of mares over, “Red seems perfectly content with staying here for the next month. Doing that would sign a death warrant on the town.” At the blank looks in the two unicorn’s eyes, he sighed. “Everypony in Ponyville will be targetable by the Company; all Boss needs to do is give the go-ahead.”

“So, wait-wait-wait... Let me get this straight, mister glasses.”

“Glitch.”

“Whatever. You, and all your little friends, are going to set up shop as a... a butchery here in Ponyville if Red doesn’t leave?”

“No. If he leaves, then we’re ordered to destroy the village, ask the populace where he went, and kill them all. Chaos and Anarchy and death, and all that.” Glitch sighed. “Such a waste of resources, really. Only if he comes back to the Company will Ponyville not be harmed, but even that is something I cannot promise completely.”

“Alright, alright, Glitch... we get it, we get it...” Crimson sighed into his hoof. “If I leave, they get tortured and killed and destroyed. If I go crawling back to Boss, they get to live nice and happy, just like this never happened. And if I stay, then we all get to suffer through a to-the-death showdown between me and the entirety of the Company. Only three of them could ever hope to beat me when at my best, and I haven’t been slacking off since I got here, not counting my days in the Hospital.” Crimson stretched and flared his wings, flapping them a bit to release some energy. “So, since I won’t leave and let them suffer for my cowardice, and since I won’t go crawling back to Boss, I guess I’ll just need to beat the shit outta everyone they throw at me.” Crimson gave Glitch a confident smirk, but Glitch frowned in return.

“Even the Griffon Twins? Not gonna lie, they’re looking forward to putting you in a tin can. But you shouldn’t have to worry about them yet, at least. Your biggest worries are Terra, who’s gotten the go-ahead for an assassination attempt in a few days; a week at the most. She was Winter when I last saw her, be careful, ‘cause she might have cycled through to Autumn again, if she sticks to the natural order. Notch is also eager to get at you, but he won’t be troubling you for a while, at least. I could get a better list of the whens and hows if you want, but it’ll be a bit hard.”

The lavender mare looked at Glitch, an eyebrow cocked in confusion. “Wait... I thought you were from the Company?”

Glitch smiled faintly. “I guess you might insinuate that I am affiliated with them on business terms, and I’ve killed before, but I’m not an actual part of the Company, Miss Sparkle.”

“So... aren’t you Crimson’s friend? Are you going to tell us your life’s story, now? About how your life sucked on the streets, and you found your way into the “caring” hooves of an assassin company or whatever, and had adventures with Crimson along the way? Or how you killed your brother or something over a triviality like a game of chess?”

“Actually, it was checkers.” Glitch glared at Wild Card, his look promising an early end to his sex life. Wild Card, to his credit, shut up.

“No, I didn’t kill a family member, or anypony of import to me. In fact, it was because my father was the head of the Company’s weapons facility that I even knew about it. My mother was Celestia’s weapons specialist. While neither ever told their respective bosses about the other- they loved each other dearly, for some stupid reason- the dinner table some nights was a literal firefight as explosives and boobytraps were common appliances on the salt shaker, the oven, and the pantry. The make-up sex was quite... over-excessive, in my opinion.” Glitch cleared his throat, his neck a little red from embarrassment. “So, I do not work directly for the Company. I work with them, as I work with Celestia. But,” here Glitch looked at Red, his glasses gleaming in the dim light, “it was Red who has given me much of his money. If it weren’t for his bits, my SHIELD runes would still be only a prototype, and I would have been hurt by that rainbow-maned mare who almost rammed into me on my way into town.”

Glitch looked directly at Crimson again, his eyes filled with a smirk his lips could not quite carry. “I owe you quite a pretty fortune in bits, but as I recall, money is quite worthless to you.”

“Yeah, I only like it when I need a drink.”

“I assumed as much. I have with me a pretty small amount of that debt; maybe enough to buy all of Ponyville enough booze to make everypony drunk for the next day or so, but I’m sure you can handle carrying that much. And, as an added benefit of my indebtedness, you have my entire armory at your disposal. The only problem is, after the month is done, I will be supplying Boss’ army. You can take what you need before then, but at that point, you’re on your own.”

Crimson nodded in understanding, thankful that his friend could bend the rules at all to help him. “Thanks, Glitch. That’s more than enough, coming from you.”

Glitch turned back to Twilight, and once again the ghost of a smile graced his lips. “By the way, Miss Sparkle, you may want to tell your brother to visit me soon. As I am aware, Celestia is preparing for a major assault on a certain shadow in four weeks time, and he’ll want to facilitate the proper arming of the Royal Guards, I’d presume. I’d just get Storm to collect the armaments, but he’s too busy chasing Red around. I hear he hasn’t even gotten his elite group prepped yet. Seems like he wanted to find and kill our little boy blue on his own.”

“Yeah, it’s too bad I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.” Crimson smirked, but deep down he wasn’t too sure. He figured he’d just keep that thought to himself, lest he dampen the already dreadful mood.

“You sure getting cocky’s a good habit, Red?” The green colt raised an eyebrow. “Especially when you’re a trained killer who literally everypony in Equestria wants to beat to death in the worst way imaginable, and not to mention turn you in and live the rest of their lives rich as hell. Well, other than maybe Storm, who just wants to beat you to death just to beat you to death. A-hem! No offense or anything...”

“Nah, I think Sprinkles would at least use some of the money for little Vinny’s sake.”

“I think he’d gut you just for calling him ‘Sprinkles’.” Glitch faintly smirked, triggering a bit of giggling from the brown colt that had been surprisingly quiet this whole time.

The black colt used all his willpower to stifle his own laughter threatening to burst through his lips. “Snnrk haha, yeah, you’re probably right.”

Most of the mares were a bit too appalled to speak. How could anypony have so much enjoyment from a conversation as sick as this one? They were joking on Crimson’s life, and they were... laughing?! “What in tarnation’s goin’ on out here? Ain’t anypony got a lick a sense?”

“Of course not, AJ... They’re colts,” Rainbow Dash snarked as she landed beside the farm mare.

“Heh, yeah... Tha’s true enough, innit?”

“Oh, come on, Applejack! It’s not my fault that Glitch is a sneaky ninja bastard who’s possibly my only bestest friend that isn’t trying to kill me!”

“... And him?”

“... He was... along for the ride?”

“Awww~ Love you too, man!” The overly ecstatic clot laughed, a smirk now on his face. “And I’ll have you know that I was the ride!”

“Heh, a likely story, Wild Card.” As he got up and stretched his back and joints, showing off a devious, toothy smile down towards Glitch. “So, about your offer?”

The green colt simply adjusted his glasses. “It still stands, Red.”

“Offer?” the lavender mare tilted her head. “What exactly are you three planning?”

“Yes, Crimson.” Rarity arched a single brow. “Care to explain what you are planning with these two... gentlecolts, using that term loosely of course.”

Oops, maybe he should've been more discreet about that... ‘Well, no getting out of this one, Crimson. Might as well explain.... and hopefully you don’t wind up dead. ’ As he spoke, he couldn’t find the nerve to make eye contact with any of the mares. “Well, uh... Card and Glitch were gonna take me to a... bar, so-”

Crimson’s “explanation” was cut off by a good, loud “WHAT?!” from each mare in unison, which actually managed to make the three colt’s shoot backwards. Yeah, they were dead. Only five of the mares were outside to scold him at the moment, Pinkie just staying uncharacteristically silent. Sadly, the mares that spoke up were well known for their arguing prowess... Starting off with Twilight.

“Are you kidding me, Crimson!? Like we didn’t have enough to worry about! You just get back and you idiots already want to get drunk, your logic just astounds me!”

Then Rainbow Dash...

“You think this is funny, huh?! Leaving as soon as everypony stopped whining about you, you... asshole!!!”

Then Rarity...

“Really, darling! Everypony’s been worried sick since we had no way of knowing if you were okay, especially Pinkie Pie!”

And last, but not least, Applejack...

...was silent. The black colt hoped maybe she had nothing to say... But then again maybe he should have saw it coming this time. He didn’t expect it until he felt a powerful hoof collide with his snout, stumbling back from the pure force of impact. It didn’t help matters that this was the same spot that he was smacked in by a certain pink mare only hours ago, unfortunately it was no smack this time. It was a punch.

‘Celestia DAMMIT! What kind of mare can throw a punch like that?!’ The black colt fell flat on his flank, completely astonished as small river of red liquid flowed from the side of his mouth.

“Applejack! Why’d you do that to him?” Pinkie helped Crimson back to his hooves. “He’s just hanging out with a friend! Would you hit Dashie for going clubbing with Gilda, or Rarity? Would you hit me for hanging out with Vinyl? Or would you buck Twilight for wanting to spend time with one of her friends from Canterlot?”

“I, well, tha’s different! These ‘friends’ a his are dangerous! Tha’ one’s already tried ta kill ‘em, right? I’m still not sure Ah trust that Royal Guard pony tha’ attacked him. Why should Ah trust this one?”

Crimson stepped forward. “Because, unlike the others, I’d trust him with my life, if necessary. He’s not a killer. He’s a scientist, an inventor, and a Luna-damned good pegasus. If I can’t consider him a friend, then I wouldn’t be able to see any of you as my friends.”

Applejack stood there, looking flabbergasted. “I... Well, fine! Then Ah’m comin’ too!”

“Me, too,” Pinkie cried.

“I’d like to talk about those runes, if possible. So you can count me along,” Twilight said, sounding mollified by Crimson’s declaration.

“I’d go, but I’ve got to catch up on my work, dear. And I don’t think Fluttershy should go, either.”

“Can I-”

“No, Wild. You can pay, but you aren’t coming with. I want this to be a friendly meeting, and so help me, after a few drinks, I might be liable to take your head and mount it on a wall.” Glitch adjusted his glasses as the others stared at him, Crimson with a smirk. “Well, just because I’m not a fighter, per se, doesn’t mean I can’t. Dammit, I’m an inventor, not a pacifist.”

“It’s true,” the black colt smirked. “This guy could send Storm running for his life if he wanted. Glitch is easily one of the best fighters I’ve ever met.”

This just recieved a yawn from the blatantly unimpressed cyan mare. “Coulda fooled me, to say the least... But I’ll stay here just incase that other idiot starts any funny business.”

“An’ fer that matter, how in the hay is tha’ s’pose ta convince me he ain’t dangerous?” the farm mare gave a scowl.

“Because Glitch knows when it’s necessary to make use of it.” Crimson deadpanned. “I only fight when I think it’s necessary, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t enjoy a challenging brawl. Glitch here knows when, and stays professional when he does. So honestly, he’s probably less dangerous than myself, and yet you somehow find it in your hearts to trust me... you do trust me, right?”

Applejack was thrown back by this sudden question, most of her anger finally depleting. “Well, ‘course Ah do, but-”

“Then trust me when I say you should trust Glitch... If that makes any sense.” Crimson laughed, and for the first time, revealed a hearty smile that stretched ear to ear. It even rivaled one of the pink mare’s casual ones, causing both her and Pinkie to blush heavily. Unfortunately for them, it left as fast as it came. “Now no more questions. To the bar... we go!” The black colt pointed towards... no particular direction, as he began walking right behind the green colt. Well, not before swapping the black cloak right off Wild’s shoulders. “Sorry, but I’m not going anywhere without some cover... don’t look at me like that, you’re not even going anywhere!”

At that moment, the two mares showed more determination in their eyes then ever before. They would make him their own, if anything, just to see that smile one more time...

And the five were were off! On the trot towards the bar, the black colt couldn’t help but notice that Pinkie Pie and Applejack were brushing up against him a little too close for his liking...

*****************************************************************************************************************

“So, what do you absolutely stunning mares like to do to pass the time? How about a nice game of blackjack?”

“Rainbow, darling. Would you be a dear and fetch me the rope?”

“Ooooh~, something tells me I’m gonna love where this is going!~”

Chapter Ten: The Shadow's Past

Chapter Ten: The Shadow’s Past

“NO! J-Just stay back, y-you freak!”

“Ohoho, come now. Freak? Your creativity just baffles me.”

No life was growing from the rocky soil. All sources of water were forever lost to this field of gravel, only rivers of crimson sated the ground’s thirst. The red fluid even managed to shine brightly through the sky’s thick dawn, which revealed the mutilated bodies sprawled all over the soil’s cold, harsh surface. For many it was an impossible feat to recognize even what species the corpses even were; many were diced into multiple pieces until they were just nothing rotting flesh, others slit open to reveal the innards of that said creature peering and dangling limply through the swollen red carcases, and even the few of the bodies were slashed open with the blood leaking through the notches in their skin.

A handful of ponies were still alive through the onslaught of death that blew in the cool morning breeze. There were eight ponies of all races masked and covered from brow to hoof in black cloth, each shaking like a leaf from the presence of their opposing force. Every single one was noticeably unarmed of any steel weapon that could be carried. Instead, there were shreds of clustered metal scattered across the barren wasteland of rubble, not a single piece appeared as it originally did before it entered the battlefield.

Only one lone figure stood on its hind legs against the small group that could barely be considered an army at this point. It was a male unicorn with an incredibly light, shiny blue coat as if it were just freshly groomed. His mane was a shocking pink with bangs that hung past his rosy eyes, which were as calm and collective as a still body of water. The colt wore a smirk that could have passed off as confident and arrogant, but also as if he had nothing in the world to be afraid of. Out of everypony on the battlefield, he and his pure white cloak didn’t have a stain of blood or grime on them. The longer his unfazed stare threatened to swallow them whole, the more each member felt as though their rapidly beating hearts threatened to burst out of their chests.

Desperately trying to snap herself out of the colt’s unrelenting gaze, the mare that stood in the center of the army shook her head to regain focus and gave an angry glare of her own. “S-stay on your guard, men! This freak of nature can’t stay up forever!”

“Heh, you’re making me blush,” the strange, yet elegant stallion huffed, “But feeding your men false bravado will get you absolutely nowhere.”

“T-that’s what you think! Our bravery is to be owed to by the years of countless training to avenge out leader! Men, surround him!”

Their earth pony leader stayed back and gave support to an earth pony clan member who couldn’t even stand on his own. Another soldier, whose horn looked as though it had been broken off, was left behind clutching his blood-soaked arm, he couldn’t even feel it anymore. That only left five other ponies to surround the pink maned colt from all sides.

“Hmph, you Nichibotsu are all the same. You lack any form of tact whatsoever.” Even though there was nowhere to run, the colt didn’t look intimidated in the slightest.

As the first punch was swung, the colt gently tilted his head to the side and delivered a swift jab to the offender’s neck, as blood spilled out of jab mark in his jugular vein. Two more members charged into the battlefield, the first’s hoof was blocked with the colt’s forearm while he used his other hoof to swipe the second’s chest, more of the red liquid jetting out onto the colt’s arm. However, once the blood touched his fur, it began to fade into a glittery dust. The pony he had holding off with his forearm had now been impaled in the gut by a lengthy pink spear that shot out of the ground beneath. The pink-tinted dust blew toward the remaining two member’s direction, but suddenly vanished into thin air. Or so they thought. As the seconds past, the two clanscolts began to violently cough great amounts of blood until they collapsed with a thud, their bodies laying motionless at the hooves of the alluring, yet terrifying colt as he glanced back at the remaining trio with a toothy smile.

“Now what did I tell you? Absolutely nowhere.” the colt chuckled, and appeared to actually take delight in the fact that his final victims were stiff as boards, and even more traumatized than before. This wasn’t a fight, rather it was a slaughter. “And I honestly thought you’d put more of a challenge than this. You really are a bunch of washed up rejects-”

“Shut the hell up!” the doubled over colt screamed, the numbness in his foreleg replaced with a feeling of a boiling rage. “Like you Akuma bastards are any less than a group of rejects, you fucking fa-”

The rest of his words were cut off when rows of crystallized pink needles punctured the soldier's midsection, his body splayed out, engulfed in a pool of his own blood. Whereas an explanation was bound to come with no answer, the last two clan members already knew full well where the source of the needles came from. Or rather, who they came from. “Please excuse my brash behavior, but it simply isn’t polite to interrupt somepony when he’s talking. Now where was I...”

“Y-you monster!”

“Ah, I remember now! My question to you is: how you weaklings even consider yourselves assassins? Akuma Tenshi only takes in the best of the best; we take quality over quantity any day. Looks like Crimson sure did a half assed job getting rid of you pathetic stains. Oh, pardon my language.”

Finally, the stallion could take no more. The clanscolt released his ‘support’ and grabbed the nearest spear of shrapnel he could find and charged at the pink maned colt . The colt refused to move an inch, as a sharp blade of pink began to encase his upper forearm. As the clan member charged closer and closer, the stallion expected to hit impact. Instead, however, he passed right through the strange colt. But, that wasn’t possible. Why did that colt already have blood smeared as if he actually slashed? And why did the colt feel so light headed?

All of those questions ceased to matter as the clan member’s head slipped right off his shoulders and rolled to the ground, the red liquid glistening as the rest of the body collapsed as well. The strange colt then turned his attention towards the teary eyed mare, as he delivered a twisted glare while his face was stained with a mask of blood. To the mare, it didn’t seem like a mask at all. If anything, the colt’s real mask had come undone, his true nature now as plain as day.

“And then there were two.”

On the verge of tears, and losing her role of leader, the mare was stuck in place by her own fear. The blood on the colt's face began to dissolve into thin air once more, the glistening dust that came from it now began to surround the leader in a glittery haze.

Regaining his usual elegant posture he saw as vital to obtain, the colt glanced back in the mare's direction, his smirk visible as day. "I wouldn't move if I were you, you'll be cut to shreds if you step so much as a hoof forward."

"D-damn you..." was the only thing the mare could muster, her voice still shaken as she struggled to get a grip on the last fibers of her sanity. Unfortunately, the colt's faint chuckle seemed to snap her back into this world of horror she couldn't escape.

"You clan members really need to quit picking fights with whatever you see. I was just on a business trip, if you idiots didn't feel the need to attack me from the start, all of this would have been prevented, considering how I'm not the kind of stallion who attacks without reason.... But," the pink haired colt started, his smile fading as his face contorted into a surprisingly stoic glare, "if you decide to leave right now, I'll hold my word that you'll leave unscathed."

"H-how can I trust a word that comes out of your damn mouth? Look a what you did to my crew! You're nothing b-but a monster!" At this point, her tears flowed freely, her anger seared the words burned in her hoarse throat.

The colt simply sighed. Why was she making this much more difficult than it needed to be? "Lying is such a petty concept. I'm a colt of my word. And besides, you brought this upon yourself, my dear. Now, make your choice please. I don't have all day and I'm starting to lose my patience."

The mare desperately weighed her options of her life silently to herself, but in the end, she knew whichever choice she picked wouldn't matter in the slightest. "It matters not what I pick! Our code is to fight until the day we die! To never give up! If I turned my back on this fight now I'd be labeled as a traitor and the other members would have my head! So.... P-please.” Any bravado she might have had before, as well as all her fear and anger boiled away, replaced by calm acceptance. “Make it quick."

The colt couldn't help but let another sigh slip from his lips. This time, however, it held slight disappointment. Stupid Nichibotsu clan, why did their codes always make things more difficult, on not just him, but everypony? It never made things easier for the colt when it had come to killing mares, but if there had been at least one lesson that the colt learned by day one, it was that the hitcolt life was never easy. "...Very well, I will abide by your code. That way, I could at least say that you died with honor."

As the seconds went on like hours, the mare began to feel her hooves grow numb until she couldn't tell if they were even there anymore. As she glanced down, she could see a glassy pink coating begin to consume her body from the hooves up, her body being trapped and frozen as it traveled up to her neck.

The process started to halt to make sure he could see a clear view of her face. The colt slowly trotted closer, the still spinning shards not even so much as putting a scratch on his perfect physique. Was he lying about the dust cutting her up? Had she made a mistake for not making a run for it? All these questions and more slipped her mind when the colt brought a hoof up to her face and gently stripped her of her mask. Her face grew a bright red. If only.... If only it wasn't this kind of situation for him to do such an act.

The colt let out a light sigh, continuing to caress the side of her delicate muzzle with his hoof, the heat radiating from her face felt so warm and easing. "You have such a beautiful face. It's such a shame that it has to come to this."

"Who... Who are you?" the mare managed to gasp, her mind lost in the sweet aroma of the colt's breath, his face only a scant few inches apart from hers.

"Oh, fair maiden, remember me simply as Notch, The Blood Drenched Diamond of Equestria." he answered, figuring she deserved to at least know the name of her killer in her last few moments. "And rest assured, you will become a lovely, elegant piece of my art."

Closing her eyes as if to say "I'm ready", the crystallization process was finally completed by reaching to her scalp, cutting off absolutely any traces of movement on her body. The colt brought his hoof up to the diamond surface that was once the face of a clans mare soldier. He only watched as the large statue began to dissolve into thousands upon thousands of small, almost microscopic singular shards he simply called 'Diamond Dust'; the remains blowing into the wind leaving an absolutely clean, bloodless trail behind.

Notch turned his gaze away from the sight, his true emotions concealed in the art only the intellectual Virgo were very well famed for. Instead, he let his vision travel along the bloodbath and decaying flesh that he had created with his own two hooves. It was...

"Pretty.... yet inadequate. It's imperfect; lacking a certain beauty....” He made a small dismissive motion with his hoof, the blood and gore dissolving into a sparkling pink mist. “Next time I'll use less of a horrific look and use more diamonds. Everything shall be diamonds!-" Notch's eyes lit up as a memory had finally hit him like an enraged rhinoceros right in the chest. "Oh hell, Boss'll be pissed if I'm late for the meeting! To headquarters... I GO!"

The colt began to gallop, making sure to pick up the pace and make up for lost time. He didn't want to be late. Not ever again....

*****************************************************************************************************************

‘Oh, for fucks sake, my head is on fire!’

Through the sandy plains of the arid, desert wasteland, the two colts made their way onward through Celestia’s radiant heat glaring them down. Surely enough, they were making great time and were almost halfway back, despite the fact that they had just left Ponyville not even five hours ago. As they trotted however, one of them had a question burning in the back of his scalp. Well, among a different burning ache.

“Hey, Wild... How the fuck did we get out here?” asked the colt with the green coat, his eyes almost bloodshot as he couldn’t seem to keep at least one hoof off his throbbing skull. “I don’t even remember anything past falling asleep.”

“That’s because you’re hungover, Glitchy Witchy!” Wild laughed, his foxy smile clear as the sun as he bobbed his head to his own humming. The brown colt also seemed to be the only one of the two not to be fully cloaked. He never did get around to asking for that thing back, did he....

“What’s got you so excited, Card?” Glitch pondered aloud, an eyebrow raised in suspicion. “From what you’ve told me, those mares really put you to shame, which is something you really need more in your diet if you ask me.”

“OH, but when they see the little presents I left them, hehehe~! Too bad I won’t be there to see it....” As he said that, the green colt couldn’t help but notice his co-worker’s slitted eyes harden for just a second into a wicked grimace.

“I don’t like the look of that smile.... Wild Card, what did you do?”

“Oh, nothin’ too bad. Just left a little surprise, heh...... I gotta pee, I’ll be back!~” And with that, the giddy colt skipped out of sight behind a row of cactus, humming cheerfully as he did so.

“....Likely story.”

“I’m sorry, Glitch.... is this a bad time?”

As the colt directed his attention towards the apology, he found that the culprit was none other than than a fully cloaked mare -who looked to be about in her twenties- standing calmly in front of a rather large swirling black void. The mare was a unicorn with a jet-black coat, a matching mane that was rather long -almost reaching past the slim barrel of her chest, and a pair of violet pupils that were almost as void of emotion as the black hole right behind her. Her horn lit with a violet-tinted black aura, so the void must have been connected to that mare in some way, shape, or form.

“Hello there, Raven. What a surprise to see you here.” the green colt greeted, his demeanor very somewhat lightened. “And I see you made a portal from here to the headquarters. May I ask the occasion?”

“Sorry.... I was sent here to deliver a message to you and Wild Card.” Throughout the years he’s worked with her, Raven was a rather shy, polite young mare, not to mention she was never much of a talker. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. “Boss said that he wishes to speak with you two in person. So I guess this wasn’t the real message.... He asked me specifically to track down your energy signatures so I could bring you back to base.”

“I see... I’m guessing that’s why you made a portal here, otherwise you would’ve just teleported instead....” The sweat dripping down the green colt’s face must have been evident to the mare. It was actually quite rare her eyes would show any signs of emotion, not to mention worry.

“Are... are you okay, Glitch? I’m sorry if I stressed you...” The dark coated mare apologized yet again. Her voice had a sense of sincerity audible in it, as well as she was handing out ‘sorry’s like she was selling lemonade at a wooden stand.

“It’s fine, Raven...” Glitch sighed, simply adjusting the lenses resting on his green muzzle. “And what did I tell you about apologizing when you did nothing wrong? It just doesn’t suit you.”

“Oh. I’m sorr-GRK... Um....” she mare stopped in her tracks when felt a heavy weight wrap around her back. As she tilted her head upwards, Raven spotted a stallion with the a yard-long grin spread across his face.

“RAVY~! How great it is to find you here~! And I see you made us a ride! Are you gonna take us to some sweet new rave joint in Manehattan?! That’d be so AWESOME! ” The colt’s laughter was quickly replaced with a thud when the mad assassin was flung from the mare’s back like a polarized magnet to land on his back.

As the giggling stallion made his way back on his hooves, Raven let out a silent huff as she regained her posture. “Excuse my actions, Wild Card, but.... please don’t do that again. Ever.”

The green colt on the sidelines managed to cease his microscopic smirk. “For Luna’s sake, Wild. And I’m quite certain you didn’t wash your hooves either.”

“How exactly am I supposed to do that? We’re in the middle of the damn desert, you jackass!” the psychotic colt chuckled, not even paying any mind to Raven’s eyes slightly stiffening in animosity.

“....Let’s just go already, please?” Glitch could somewhat hear an irritated tone in her usually gentle voice. “Boss might get impatient if we beat around the bush for too long.”

“Oh? Bossy wants to see us? This’ll be fun~! And if you find that bush that needs beat, lemme at ‘em!” Smile still in contact, Wild Card happily bounced into the pitch black void of darkness, his image dissolving into the darkness as he was transported, leaving the two ponies in an uncomfortably uncanny void of silence of their own.

The two just stood there in silence, neither one really wanting to be the icebreaker. After what seemed like a millennia, Raven exhaled a breath she didn't even know she had been holding, her violet eyes locking with his green ones with a faint smile.

"We should get going. Wouldn't wanna give Wild a bigger excuse to run his mouth, right?" the mare beamed. This was just so.... uncharacteristic of her.

Well, Glitch figured that was the right word anyway. His head was beating like a drum. It was quite a challenge just to keep it together, so the colt just nodded in agreement. The two made their way through the dark swirling vortex of magic. Before the green colt even knew what hit him, he found himself back in the fairly lighted, charcoal walls and floor of the base. Home sweet home.... Why Red had such an appreciation towards Boss' choice in decor not many could answer.

The room itself had a lengthy, smooth table that looked to be made from the same stone material as the walls and flooring, the many rows of chairs melted in place made from the same material as well. Most were unoccupied; there were maybe three or so other ponies seated in the room. The room itself was multipurpose; it could be the place where most enjoyed meals such as dinner -though there were more rooms for such events and a couple just ate in their stationed bedrooms anyway, or the usual area that many of the group meetings were held.

Glitch wasn't sure he wanted to find out which was sure to happen. Instead, he glanced over at who was already seated. In the far back chair sat a jet black unicorn mare that held much resemblance to Raven as she was deactivating the portal next to him -her blackened aura coating her horn fading as them matching void began to follow suit. The seated mare had icy cold blue eyes with a trail of stitchings running down the right one, a bored scowl apparent on her muzzle. She was slouched forward, head resting on her front hooves with a blank stare. Glitch just guessed that that meant she was deep in thought about something. Something she'd probably take to her grave with her. Farther up the row was yet another pony seated; a pinto earth mare with a short, messy snow white mane, grey eyes lit with fury and ungodly irritation as her hooves pressed even harder against her ears, but the constant clenching of her teeth proved that it was to no avail. The culprit behind her madness? Of course.... Wild Card.

“-and my my, don't you look just extra beautiful today? Like you get more and more stunning each day’s passing, must be all the photosynthesis, eh? Wait, can you actually do that? I’d pay good money just to see tha-”

“For the love of Luna, shut up!”

“Awww! Why so grumpy, Terra? I’m just stating the obvious.~ I just love your mane today, totally makes you look like a winter if you ask me!”

Terra let a groan slip from her throat. Who could blame her, really? “ Yeah, well nopony asked you, man whore! Now quit fucking annoying me, or I’ll do things to you that you will never forget!”

“Ooooooh, I like were this is going!~”

The enraged Terra almost looked as if she was going to tear her ears clean off. She did kinda walk into that one though.

Looking as though he’d rather skip this eventful shitstorm, Glitch nudged at Raven that they should keep moving on. Not wanting to keep Boss waiting, the mare agreed wholeheartedly. Almost home free, they came to a stop at the door when an oh-so familiar voice called out to them.

“And where are you two lovebirds off to in such a hurry?” faintly laughed the other black mare, her bored blue eyes lifting up to catch a glimpse at the two before staring into space once more. “Heh, can’t even say ‘hi’ to your own sis first, Raven? Must be in quite the rush then.”

“Actually, we kind of are,” the soft spoken mare responded, a small tint of red over her muzzle from her sister’s comment. “Sorry, Stitch, but I really need to get Glitch in front of Boss’ door before-”

“Oh, so you haven’t heard I assume?”

"Stitch, what do you-"

“You haven’t heard. And from what I can see, there doesn’t seem to be a Crimson in sight. Meh, who in the pits of Tartarus really gives a rat’s ass? I know I don’t.”

She was lying. Glitch had noticed that each time Stitch lied, her nose would let off a barely noticeable twitch. Glitch seemed to be the only one had ever caught on to this, giving himself a mental pat on the back. He wondered if Raven had ever noticed it before. The two sisters were relatively close after all.

“Anyway, looks like Boss is gonna host a meeting instead.”

The green colt arched a single brow, resting a hoof onto his chin quizzingly. ‘A... meeting you say? Boss sure as hell changed his mind rather quick. How peculiar...’

“Bah! It’s probably having to do with that little red-striped brat. What am I saying, of course it’s about him!”

“I’d recommend you watch how you talk about Boss’ favorite if I were you, Stitch. It could very well save your life...”

Watching everypony in the room give a slight jump, the cloaked figure leaning in the far corner of the room gave chuckle. When had he come in? Had he been here the entire time? His arms were crossed and his head was down as if he had been relaxing there for a few hours now. How could such a large figure sneak his way inside the room without as much as a single pony catching him? As the air quickly grew uneasy, it wasn’t hard to see Terra shift awkwardly in her seat, her face growing ever the more tense with a distinct mixture between boiling anger and sheer fear.

“Orion....” His presence. Terra could barely keep herself from jolting out of the room and never returning.

"Well well, you don't look too happy to see me." the stallion chuckled, "Hehe, sweet, little Terra... don't you even care about the time I saved you all those years ago?"

“Orion, what a pleasant surprise,” Pushing his lenses higher onto his snout, Glitch attempted to regain his composure. This was one of Boss’ top three men, so he mustn’t be taken lightly for even a second. “But what exactly, may I ask, are you doing with lower classes like ourselves? You wouldn’t happen to be spying now, would you?”

Everypony was astonished that the green colt could even keep it straight around one of the top three. His blue muzzle had a big toothy smile peering out from the hood that hid the rest of his face. Even those teeth were out of place on an equine; they were sharp and triangular.

“Oh, you’ve got me all wrong.” the giant stallion laughed, his deep, raspy voice enough to send chills down everypony’s spine, “I’m not such a stick in the mud as to stick with my own class you know. I’m just waiting here for the big meet to start. Hehehe, it sure has been a while since the last one was held, could end up being quite interesting....”

*****************************************************************************************************************

"Mmmnmnn.... Ughhwha? Oh. Morning, wha'dya know. Ugh... I feel.... warm. Heavy? Is there somethi- Oh....not again...."

The black colt found himself sprawled out against the wall in Pinkie’s bedroom. He rubbed at his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him, which unfortunately didn't seem to be the case. Crimson could feel a throbbing in the back of his skull. It was nothing too serious, so he decided not to resort to something as petty as panicking. That is, until he found an orange mare cuddled into his side. Okay.... now it was time to panic.

Crimson couldn't say he'd ever once witnessed Applejack without that band in her mane until now. She didn't even have her trademark stetson placed on her head, Her golden locks were splayed out along part of the colt's chest, glistening like strands of hay under Celestia's hot sun. She must have gotten cold at some point in the night, the orange mare looked to have buried her petite muzzle deep into his charcoal fur as she wore a content smile. Without giving any thought, Crimson found his hoof gliding along the surface of Applejack's mane-

'D-dammit, Crimson! Get a fucking hold of yourself! Just... I'm sure if she woke up right now she wouldn't be too happy to see us doing something like this! I mean, just look at her....'

Just gazing at the sight, the red faced colt could feel his chest pounding at an alarming rate. Was he having a heart attack or something? He could feel himself short of breath; his stomach felt a tad queasy, as if it was doing cartwheels and somersaults over and over again. Crimson couldn't even figure out why, he couldn't explain, but the feeling didn't exactly feel.... bad. It didn't look like the mare at his side minded much herself. She looked truly happy....

His musings were interrupted by a small, cute-sounding snort from his other side. Turning to look that way, his eye gave a nervous twitch as his heart face planted after attempting a backflip. ‘Pinkie too... dammit, dammit, that’s not a fucking coincidence, then... shit, shit, shit...’ Pinkie’s cheeks were slightly flushed as she snored softly into his mane, snuffling and snorting when she accidentally breathed a strand of his mane in. She snorted again, rubbing a cheek against his withers as her mouth opened slightly, and she started drooling. ‘Dammit, fuck, why does this seem to keep happening to me?!’

Crimson let out a small whimper from anxiety, and looked away, only to see Applejack’s face was even closer to his then before, and ‘oh god her tongue’s hanging out, and ooooooohhhhh, that feels weird, why does this keep happening to me?!’ Applejack’s tongue flicked around as her brow scrunched up, as if irritated, and she lashed out at Crimson’s fur once again with her tongue, eliciting another shiver from the uncomfortable colt.

Pinkie’s head was suddenly right next to Crimson’s, her breathing hot against his neck. Applejack snorted almost derisively as her mouth snapped shut on a tuft of his coat. Then, she started chewing, and dear, sweet Luna’s knee-high stockings that was a... a... why did it feel good?!

Right at that moment, Crimson’s heart stopped in its tracks as Pinkie’s teeth closed softly around his ear, her tail swishing around his and getting tangled in it, and the smell of apples and caramel and toffee and- Crimson’s eyes widened as his pupils shrank. ‘I have to go. Now.’

Pinkie and Applejack slid down the wall, groping around until they ended up in each other’s forelegs, each growling and snorting as they continued to sleep, but Crimson wasn’t in the room any more.

FsssssssSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh......

The cold water washed down Red’s neck and pooled at the bottom of the shower, slowly circling the drain like a vulture before descending into the depths of the drainage system. Everything was moving slower than normal, the world was strangely calm. Red saw each drop of water as it cascaded down his body, and he lifted a foreleg, causing a few drops of water to be flung back into the air. Almost as if he were in a trance, he reached his hoof out and plucked it from the vast, empty space between the shower and the floor, and pulled it towards himself. He gave his wings a flap, the water droplets flying every which way, but as before, he just plucked them out of the air as one might pull blackberries from a bush. Atop his head sat a steadily increasing ball of water, which he was thoughtlessly manipulating with his pegasus magic. The water on his body was completely gone by now, either down the drain, or pulled into his orb. The water from the faucet was still running, keeping the growth rate steady.

He was fascinated by the water; how it floated barely a hair’s breadth above his face, and even though it was one big globular puddle, he could distinctly see and feel each and every drop. It was... calming. Relaxing. Much better than thinking about those two- “SHOWER PARTY, WOOHOO!!!”

“Gyah!!” SPLOOSH!!! FSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..... “Piiiinkiiieee....”

“Yes, Reddy Weddy Steady-beddy?”

“You messed up my concentration.”

“Oh? Did I, Red?”

“Y-yes, now stop leaning against me! Get out of the shower!!! UGH!!!”

Cli-clop, cli-clop, cli-clop, shhfft. “Red? Why’d you open the window?”

“I need some air.” Fwip, thoosh.

“Was... was it... something I... I said..?”

The shower held no answers, and the water was freezing. Pinkie Pie shivered, but she wasn’t feeling the cold. She turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and dried off.

She slowly plodded out of the bathroom, ten minutes later.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Rarity awoke, her snout twitching as she felt something tickling her nose. “Ugh, this isn’t the time for your silly pranks, Rainbow Dash...” She grabbed the item touching her with her magic, and flung it away, only to have her eyes snap open when it was met with a metallic thunk.

Fluttershy woke up to a gasp, and the tight sensation of a pair of hooves wrapped around her midsection. She fantasized about the big, strong, red forelimbs for a second, before sighing slightly and looking to see that they were actually an almost pearly alabaster. A small glint appeared near her eye, and she swiveled her eyes just a tad to see what it was. Her eyes dilated with fear as she saw what was dangling right above her. “Oh... oh m-my...”

Hanging right above Fluttershy and Rarity was a group of about a dozen knives all hanging by thin string, each blade inching its way closer, ever so slowly.

A strangled yelp echoed from down the hall, and Big Macintosh trudged into AJ’s room, took one look at the conglomeration of blades, and grumbled. “Wild Card...” He trudged back out, Fluttershy trying to contain a squeak as she saw a very... oddly bunched group of sewing needles just barely poking into the surface of his posterior.

Big Mac returned a scant few seconds later, a lasso in tow. He looped it around the strings holding the knives, and carefully pulled them away from the two mares. Rarity relaxed her grip on Fluttershy and let out a small sigh of relief.

Rainbow Dash jerked awake, her upwards momentum only staved off by a sudden pressure on her chest and forehead. “Do not move, fair maiden. The air is not the haven you know it to be.”

She opened her eyes at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, to see the air above her filled with razor sharp playing cards. If this strange colt hadn’t stopped her from leaping off the couch, she’d be out a pair of vocal chords. “Thanks,” she choked out. “... Who are you?”

She turned her head to look behind herself, but the colt was already gone, along with all the deadly playing cards. Rainbow relaxed, her mind now full of two things: gratitude, and a gold-trimmed mask, painted to look like the sunset. The colt even had a coat similar in color to that of an redish-orange sunset sky. His black bangs were slightly visible through the white full body robes he wore, his eyes a warm vermillion. Unfortunately, that was all she was really able to pick up.

Her thoughts were cut short by a pounding noise coming from the door that separated her from the others. “Rainbow Dash, are you okay in there, darling?”

“Just fine, Rares! I’ll be out in a minute, this is that whiny black colt’s room after all!” Before adjusting herself onto her hooves, she looked at the window that had not’ even been open when she went to sleep. She sighed to herself with a small smile on her muzzle. “Weirdo...”

****************************************************************************************************************

Red was chilling, laying back on a cloud. Okay, he wasn’t chilling, and he wasn’t so much laying down as he was hiding.

He’d forgotten to grab his cloak before heading out, and he’d only remembered after a ditzy looking blonde pegasus had told him he had a funny cutie mark. He’d thanked the stars she’d not seen his scar. The longer Crimson stayed motionless to keep from being spotted, the more time and effort he spent racking his brain to see if he could remember a thing after they went to the bar yesterday. Everything after that was blank, much to the black colt’s dismay.

‘Damn damn DAMN! I can’t believe this!’ Crimson screamed in his head, which he could still feel throbbing as if it were a ticking time bomb, ‘I haven’t lost my memories like this since the first time I got drunk! Hell, I’ve never even gotten as drunk as I was last night! And to top it all off, I have absolutely no clue what I could have said or done, but considering where I woke up..... GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!’

His body wouldn’t even stay still, violently shaking as if he was in the middle of a snowstorm. The colt was on the verge of breaking at this point. He could feel it.... ‘This can’t be happening! What if we actually did something?! It’s not out of the question, they were just as drunk as I was! They’d never forgive me! Shit, I wouldn’t even be able to forgive myself! I’m not Wild Card, I.... I’m not Wild Card.’

As he managed to slow down his heartbeat, Crimson inhaled a large breath of air and slowly exhaled. Doing so actually managed to cease his shaking, and the black colt wiped at the beads of sweat with his hoof until no traces were left. He couldn’t believe how worked up he had gotten. Even in his hitcolt days he had never once let himself sucumb to his stress before. Maybe... maybe the thought of forming ties to those mares, or anypony for that matter was just.... unbearable. It always ended in one of two gut wrenching outcomes; their resentment for him, or death. It was always one or the other....

‘Just get a hold of yourself, you asshole. I’m not Wild Card, so I’d imagine that I had at least some form of self control over myself, even when drunk...’ Crimson let out a small whimper. ‘I hope...’

Maybe it was best to drop the topic for now, the black colt could get back to it once time was of a better use to him. For now, it would be better just to figure out how the hell the colt was even going to get out of this jam without anypony taking notice. Crimson’s expression went absolutely stoic, pushing out any forms of thought in his mind except his drive to make it out unseen. Crimson had done far more challenging efforts even before his days of becoming a part of the company; stealing food, packpocketing, sneaking past the royal guards, etcetera. And that’s when Crimson was just a little kid. With years of practice and training under his belt, he could probably pull this off!

As his eyes began to wander, Crimson spotted a lengthy tablecloth over one of the nearby carrot vendors. It was.... blue. Oh well, this definitely wasn’t the time to be picky, beggars couldn’t be choosers, right? The colt didn’t make a sound, as he patiently observed the mare at the counter. Crimson could see why she was running this stand, her mane was the same bright orange color as the carrots she was selling. She even had a trio of carrots as her cutiemark for crying out loud.

As the minutes went by, Crimson noticed that the mare’s stock was running very low. She’d have to leave her stand to go and get more carrots sooner or later. Thankfully, it looked like it was going to be sooner. The mare sat up, and stretch her legs, and trotted away from her cart without a care in the world. Now was the time to act.

He waited a few more seconds for the mare to be at a respectable distance before lowering the cloud he buried himself in. In the blink of an eye, he brought a black hoof out and swiped the tablecloth from under the remaining produce and, as an added bonus, managed to keep everything on the table exactly the way it was prior. He then quickly fled with his cloud in tow, gaining enough height to make sure nopony would be able to track the tablecloth thief.

The inside of the fluffy white cloud was surprisingly roomy, spacious enough to take cover in while he tied the tablecloth around his neck to best imitate a cloak. It didn’t look all that bad. Good thing it was about as long as his old cloak so it could cover his entire torso down. The colors of his crimson striped hair and the blue cotton of the cloth clashed a bit, but it was of far little importance of the colt to really give it a second thought.

Looking around to make sure there was nopony in sight, Crimson slipped out of the cloud and onto the dirt road. It felt... weird to be visible. Usually the colt would just remain in the shadows and stay far far away from any hints of social interaction. It wasn’t too much that he couldn’t interact when the time was right, per se a mission came up. However, it all served a purpose. Other than that, not only was he on the shy side, but his brain would always tell him to ‘get outta there’. In short, socially awkward. Oh well, there didn’t seem to be anypony in sight-

“Sup, charcoal butt.”

‘Wha.... how could anypony manage to sneak up on me?’

As he turned around to face the voice’s source, Crimson was now eye to eye with a mare. The colt took a moment to size her up; an earth pony with a mulberry coat, cerise mane and eyes, and her cutiemark was a strawberry and a grape next to each other. He couldn’t put a hoof on it, but she seemed.... familiar.

“What? Don’t recognize me?” the mare chuckled, and delivered a friendly, yet surprisingly quite the powerful slap to the back for a mare. “Well, I guess you were a little distracted last night, so I can’t say I blame you~! Hehehe, nice tablecloth by the way. If you need clothes so bad, Rarity’s Boutique isn’t too far from here!”

Did he hear that right? The black colt couldn’t kid himself, of course he did! “Last night? Waitwaitwait, have.... have we met before?”

“Haha, ‘course we did, sweetie!” the mare snorted. She seemed a tad... tipsy. But only a tad. Why she had even been drinking so early in the morning Crimson didn’t have a guess for. “I don’t forget such a handsome face so easily! Hehehehaha~!”

“I...um....thank you....?”

The mare couldn’t help her laughter at the faint rosy tint on the colt’s cheeks, his gaze now averted anywhere but toward the mare’s as he nervously dug at the ground. “It’s hard to believe you’re so easy to embarrass outside the bar doors, considering how last night you actually fell out of your chair and started yelling ‘I love you’s to literally anything that could move!”

“I...... what?”

“Yup-ery! It was so fun, we should all do it again sometime~.” the mare coo’d in glee, all while getting a tad too... close. She was practically rubbing up against him at this point. “Hehehe~ Man, such a shame you’re taken.”

“.....Taken?” Oh did that catch his attention. Regaining his posture, Crimson gained some bravado and looked the mare dead in the eyes. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, mister! I saw how those mares ogled at you all night! So cuuuute~!” the mare gushed giddily, a dreamy giggle every now and then as she began to clap her hooves together, looking as though she could barely even contain herself from squealing. “Afterwards, you three left the bar with that other handsome fellow, went to Sugercube Corner, and- EEEE~! Don’t tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about either, you are one lucky stallion~!

“......”

“Oh hell, look at the time! I gotta go give my little Pinchy her lunch! She forgot it just before she left for school right after I reminded her seven times, can you believe that? Silly little filly. Anyways, see ya later, guy! By the way, name’s Berry Punch!~” she winked.

With an extra bounce in her trot, the mare bolted off to her own business, leaving the colt sitting wordlessly in the middle of the throughway, a grimace you’d have to be either blind or drunk out of your mind not to notice.

“.....I’m so fucked.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

'A-Alright, Crimson. Just calm down. Deep breaths. Deep breaths...'

It was almost in the afternoon now, as the black colt flew through the now busy streets and multiple food vendors at a high enough altitude to not be seen by any civilians, tablecloth- er, temporary cloak wrapped around his body as the sky's gusts of wind blew through his mane. It took him a couple of hours just to keep it straight as he debated with himself whether or not he should even bother finding one of the girls. Maybe they knew something, maybe they knew more than he wanted to hear... Either way, he absolutely refused to believe anything that lush had told him.

‘There's just no damn way any of that could have happened.' Crimson desperately kept telling himself, hell bent on blocking out any unwanted possibilities. 'Those two probably have much higher standards than somepony like myself. Somepony kind, somepony friendly, somepony handsome, somepony who's not a murderer.’ He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that one. 'Anyways, maybe I should just-'

Grrrrrrrrooowwllllll

The sound almost made the colt jump. '.....Get something to eat I guess.'

Crimson hadn't exactly expected it, but then again he never actually ate breakfast this morning. Hours of panicking must really make a pony hungry, huh? The colt swooped down low as he neared a nice, dark alleyway to land in so he didn't make himself look suspicious, he was the new pony in town after all. He figured that old habits must die hard, but his stubborn pride wasn't going to let them die anytime soon. As he peered around the corner behind one of the many houses, he found himself staring at the wide variety of different ponies -all shapes, sex (though he found a slim majority to be female), and colors, trotting about to their business as most made some small talk with one another. Crimson knew he liked this town better at night.

As he brought a hoof up, Crimson found that it just fell back to the ground each time. As if some invisible force was preventing him from moving forward. The black colt had always lived his life in the shadows, he always found it difficult to masquerade himself where everypony could see him. Sure they were ignorant of his reputation, but that didn't mean he was always... "friendly" around other ponies. But in the end, Crimson managed to dig out the courage to take one step forward. Then another... And another... And another...

Before he even knew it, Crimson found himself standing right in the middle of the Ponyville marketplace. The colt took a gander at the sight to behold; there were tons of ponies either grocery-shopping, making paintings on the spot (Crimson made a mental to check that one out later), or chatting it up with other fellow shoppers. The colt gave a glance at all of what the stands had to sell; carrots, potatoes, pears, cherries, tomatoes, corn, onions, lettuce, ...toothpaste, oranges, watermelons, grapes, apples, hay-

"Howdy, Red!"

....Apples....

As his gaze turned back a bit Crimson caught himself staring snout-to-snout with a certain blonde, orange coated mare behind the counter. She wore a great big smile and her cheeks were a delicate rosy tint, her emerald eyes would keep flickering back and forth from Crimson's direction as if she had a hard time keeping her gaze on the colt for too long. But as she took in the colt's features, her smile was replaced with a worried frown. Something looked... odd about him. If she didn't know any better, the mare would say he looked.... scared. A trace she had not yet seen on the colt up 'til now.

"H-hey, Applejack," the black colt weakly replied, finding it impossibly difficult not to make a break for it. And what was it she just called him? Must not have heard her right he figured. Crimson just decided to stand there and go along with it, his legs felt like jelly the longer he awaited her response anyway. "Fancy meeting you here, eh? Well, then again, it is your job and all, ehehe...."

"Ya'll okay there, pardner?" Applejack asked the colt, one eyebrow arched.

"Oh, I'm fine! Really, don't worry!" The colt scratched at the back of his mane nervously, he could feel a small amount of sweat forming over his brow. Crimson's poker face was almost always perfect, but something about these mares was driving his emotions over the edge; so much so that one might say that Evil Keneighvel could use them in his next trick.

"Well, if ya say so, Hun..." She knew there was something he wasn’t telling her. She always knew when it came to these things, Applejack was a living lie detector. But she figured making him spill it would just make things even worse, so she decided to leave it at that.

"Hey, AJ. Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Well shoot, 'course ya can."

"Well..." At that moment, Crimson couldn't hold his breath any longer. "D-Do you remember anything about what happened last night? Everything after the bar incident just sorta went... poof."

"Ah..." This caught the farm mare off guard. Really, the truth was... "...no, mighty sorry, Crimson. Last thing Ah remember is wakin' up an'... well, Ah'd rather not talk about it...” The rosy tint of her cheeks grew slightly darker as she remembered waking with Pinkie’s teeth clamped softly on her bottom lip. “A-aanyway, care for an apple, Red? Y’all look rather famished.” She smiled awkwardly, hoofing him a nice golden delicious before he could protest. “Don’chu worry none, that one’s free a charge; Least Ah could do, seein’ as I ain’t been payin’ ya fer yer work, hee hee.”

Red relaxed slightly; he knew AJ would rather eat her stetson than lie, and if she didn’t think any funny business had gone on the night before, than he’d believe her. Before he could even let out a ‘thank you’, the colt heard a slight bang near the corner of the stand. His quick gaze led to his eye’s growing as wide as flying saucers when he saw a sheathed blade protruding out from behind the apple stand.

“T-That’s my-”

“Eeyup!” Applejack could barely contain her great smile from growing even wider, hoofing the completely dumbfounded colt the sword before anypony could notice. “Ah know how naked ya’ll feel without this here doohickey. So, before Ah set up this ‘ere stand, Ah went back real quick an’ got it fer ya! Apparently Wild left a nasty lil’ ‘gift’ before he left, but it was all under control by the time Ah got back-”

The rest of her words seemed to fail coming out when Crimson wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a quick, yet tight embrace over the counter. By the time he broke the hug, the farm mare felt a tad... lightheaded. Her face felt like it had just come out of an oven, which luckily went completely unnoticed by the black colt.

“Thanks, Applejack!” He gave her a small smile as he launched himself back into the air, missing the deepening of the farm filly’s fluster. That might have been the first time Crimson hugged her first....

“Confound that colt,” Applejack muttered to herself as she slowly shook her head. “He’s drivin’ me ta distraction...” As Crimson flew off and out of sight, she turned a welcoming smile to another pony who was waiting in line. The mare had apples to sell, she could think of love later.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Pinkie dropped the bowl of batter, its contents splattering the walls and floor of the kitchen, but somehow completely missing her. “O-oh... Sorry, Mrs. Cake... I’ve... I’ve just been distracted.”

Who was she trying to kid? She was more than simply ‘distracted,’ she felt nauseous- but not the queasy, icky-wicky-sicky feeling she got after eating too many cupcakes or brownies, but an oddly... thumpa-wumpa-jumpa feeling in her heart that made her stomach roil uneasily, as if she needed to be burped.

“Oh, that’s alright, dearie... I remember when I first met Carrot. Oh, we had such a romantic evening...” Cup giggled, blushing slightly. “Let’s just say... the first cake we baked together didn’t all end up in the oven.” She sighed dreamily, then shook her head, her smile becoming motherly once again.

“Now, I may not have your ‘Pinkie Sense,’ dear, but I do have eyes, and I can see that you’re lovesick. I want you to put up your apron for the day and go find that colt that’s got you hanging by your tail. Show him how much he means to you, and you never know. He’s probably just as ‘sick’ as you.” Mrs. Cake gave Pinkie Pie one last encouraging wink before nudging her towards the door.

“You’re right, Mrs. Cake! I need to show Red my undying love! And everypony knows that the fastest way to a colt’s heart is through his digestive tract! ... Or was that stomach?” Mrs. Cake giggled as Pinkie dashed out of Sugar Cube Corner, her pink, frilly apron floating gently, and landing perfectly on its hook. It’s too bad no Howlympic judges were around to take notice.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson sank his teeth into the flesh of the apple, the sweet juices within flowing over his tongue with just the right amount of tart freshness. He moaned appreciatively, glad that nopony was around to hear his vocal opinion of the fruit. Fwit.

He wasn’t, however, lost enough to be unable to dodge the shuriken.

Crimson’s eyes flashed as he reclined once again, his hoof casually poking at the weapon embedded in the tree branch where his head had been. “Shuriken, huh,” he said to the air, as if slowly musing aloud. “If the markings along the edges are any indication, it’s also poisoned.” Fwit, fwit, fwick. “Aww, I was enjoying that apple. Oh, well...” Crimson threw the apple almost carelessly, a flickering shadow moving between the foliage almost being hit by it. “Kunai now? With the assortment of weapons being used, I’d guess... you’re Nichibotsu, right?”

The shadow streaked forward, coming straight for Crimson’s head. Crimson yawned, stretching out his lithe body and flexing his wing-joints. He sat up on his haunches, stretching his forelimbs wide as the shadow came to a sudden halt, the blade of a whitesteel katana shuddering against his hoof. “Oh,” Crimson said as if he hadn’t expected anypony to be interrupting his catnap. “Good afternoon... prince, is it?”

He twisted his hoof slightly, and the blade shattered, the masked pony leaping back to save himself from the shrapnel. “You are as strong as the Masters had proclaimed, Oh Bloodshade, Clankiller.” Crimson took a moment to size up his opponent. For an earth pony, he was small and scrawny. His equipment could only be described as scrappy, his ‘armor’ consisting of a white silken robe, and his sandals were in shoddy repair, as if they’d seen more use than he was used to.

“Don’t you have a mule or donkey to carry your Highness around, Oh, Prince Hayai?” Crimson sneered as the colt looked down at the ground.

“Yes, I do, but Lun is a respected friend of mine, and I have told him- no, promised that he shall not have to bear my weight on any day that I am able to bear it myself!” The next thing Crimson knew, the clanscolt was already drawing a second katana. He should have figured as much, the clan was always extra prepared when it came to taking the black colt’s head. “Well, I’m waiting...”

“Uh... waiting?” Crimson questioned, his head slightly tilted.

“What are you- are you not going to draw your sword?” Hayai responded, a hint of frustration apparent in his tone.

“Heh, now why would I do that?”

“How ignorant must you be to not realize what I’m asking of you?! I’m asking you to draw your sword as a term of fighting on equal grounds!”

“Oh?” the the colt mildly chuckled. “That’s cute, you think we’re equals. Don’t get your hopes up, kid. Otherwise you’ll have nothing but a broken spirit and a lot of disappointment.” Crimson couldn’t help but pat himself on the back. He knew he got this kid going; and he wanted to test out this so called prince.

“F-Fine then! Your arrogance will have a price, shadow slayer!”

“Yeah, it’s two bits per smirk, three for a raised eyebrow as well.” And with that, Hayai shot at the colt and slashed repeatedly at Crimson, gaining more and more irritation when the black colt avoided each one without so much as giving it much thought. With a vicious yell, the clanscolt smacked the blade of his sword into the ground. Dust arose as it made contact with the dirt road. However, after the dirt dispersed, his face became a combination of both shock and disappointment when he found his target merely standing beside his blade, a cocky smirk plastered over his muzzle. Without warning, the clanscolt felt a hind leg jab into his gut, sending him flying a good ten feet backwards, separating him from his sword. Luckily Hayai managed keep on his hooves to avoid looking weak in front of the colt he’s dedicated his life to taking out.

“I-Is that all you’ve got? I’d have thought you’d be more of a challenge...”

“Wow!” Crimson laughed to himself, actually a bit astonished, “Most of your kind usually don’t stay up after just a little hit. I’ll give you one thing, you’re not half bad.”

“Your words of encouragement, though mocking as they are, still give me the strength necessary to carry on! I shall finish this fight as the victor. Now, prepare to meet your end!”

With Hayai making yet another speedy dash at Crimson, the black colt blocked a punch with his forearm and ducked under a horizontal high-kick to the face. Making sure not to waste any movement with his next strike, Hayai spun himself to right his footing and delivered a swift yet powerful punch towards the Crimson, who managed to just catch it with another block. It took awhile for Crimson to notice that his arm was actually shaking under the weight of the clancolt’s hoof. ‘I was right, this guy is a whole lot better than the majority of those masked idiots. His strength is actually not half bad. He’s pretty good. No where near as good as the guy in charge was, but maybe one day with the proper training-’

Crimson’s thoughts were cut short as he jumped back to avoid an upwards slash. Crimson flapped his wings, the tablecloth he’d been wearing up to then falling off in tattered shreds.

“Dammit, Hayai, I was borrowing that!”

“Y-You’re a pegasus?!” Hayai couldn’t help but gawk in astonishment at what the black colt has obviously known all of his life. “You must have kept it hidden very well, the legends never told us that the Crimson Shadow was actually a pegasus!”

“I’m a legend now? And what’s the big deal if I am, I just don’t like to use my wings, okay? Gah, just forget it!”

The black colt charged the clanscolt, hoping to finish him quickly so he wouldn’t see his scar. Instead, the black colt’s face almost met with the pointed end of the Hayai’s blade as he jabbed it forward, almost impaling Crimson between the eyes. Luckily, he had sidestepped. With another yell, the clanscolt stabbed at Crimson once again, though in vain when the black colt had already sensed a pattern in the quick jabbs. Hayai lunged forward once more with now a blinding barrage of sword stabs, not a single one hitting its mark. Crimson’s speed didn’t even appear to be faltering in the slightest, even as Hayai picked up the pace to a speed well over untraceable to the untrained eye. ‘He’s got speed on his side too. Not bad, but...’

Crimson used the opening in his opponent’s offence to his advantage when the Hayai over extended on a horizontal slash, and made yet another strike to the clanscolt’s stomach with his forehoof. This time, however, Hayai managed to cease being propelled by the impact. Instead, he made a frontflip over the black colt and actually managed to land a slash to his withers. Finding time to make one more move, Hayai reached into his garments for a kunai and dug the blade deep into the colt’s waist, feeling the feared colt wince, and left the blade in place. Knowing it would be smart to get to a safe distance, Hayai leaped backwards and waited for his opponent’s next move to come.

“Give up now, Crimson Shadow! Your wounds are much too severe for you to go on any longer, otherwise you’ll just painfully bleed to death. There is no hope for you to win this fight! Surrender and I’ll make sure that your end will be as quick as possible.”

“......HehehehahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!”

With blood still dripping down the crease of his back, Crimson turned his gaze towards his target. But, something was wrong, Hayai could sense it. The black colt’s demeanour had completely transformed from its original state. His eyes were dilated, and there was a wide, yet monstrous smile forming on his face as noticeable streams of red liquid poured down from the sides of his mouth. Even the air around the colt grew heavy and distorted, as if some demonic presence had been surrounding the colt. It didn’t even seem as though Hayai was his opponent anymore. He was more like his prey.

“You call this a wound? HA! It’s more like a papercut if you ask me!” as his wicked facsimile of laughter continued, Crimson reached into his back and viciously ripped out the weapon that was imbedded into his flesh without so much as wincing at the pain it should have very well brought. “Do you want your toy back? Well here, HAVE IT!!!”

With the force of his swing, Hayai had to completely gallop in order to avoid being impaled by the flying kunai. He managed to catch a slight glimpse of the knife as it shot clean through a tree, and even had enough momentum left to pierce through a rock as well before finally leaving a good sized crater in the road.

“Over here!”

The clanscolt prince shot his head in the direction of the voice. However, there looked to be nopony there-

“Where are you looking?!”

Once again turning to face the voice, all he came to face was absolutely nopony. What was even going on-

“Come on, keep up!”

This time, Hayai managed to jerk his head at just the right time to see the image of a black colt before it once again faded into the air. ‘His speed, it’s ungodly-’

Hayai felt his head instantly jerk down as he felt something similar to a steel baseball bat smash against the back of his head. Instead, what he found was the Crimson Shadow’s hind leg making it back to the ground as he disappeared once more. Before Hayai could even grab hold of his head as a reaction to the pain, he felt the back of his collar yank backwards, cutting off his air in the process.

“HAHAHA! PATHETIC!!!”

Hayai could feel his entire body parting from the ground, and before he even so much as blink, he was thrown downwards, his body smashing into the dirt road once again. He couldn’t even gasp in a single breath of air before he was swooped back up in the same manner. This repeated a gruesome five times -each one Hayai could feel a pop or crack as his body he slammed back into the ground. With one final roar, Crimson dragged him against the dirt road and threw him with enough force to tear down the entire oak tree that Hayai crashed into.

Slowly pulling himself up from the wreckage, Hayai wasn’t even sure whether to grip his neck or his face out of sheer pain. His entire head was practically numb, and to top it all off he could barely keep a steady breath through all of his wheezing for oxygen, and surprisingly still grasping tightly onto his katana’s hilt. Even though his ears was ringing like a doorbell, he could still make out the horrifying, bloodcurdling laughs that took place.

“Awww, what’s the matter? The poor baby not feeling so good? I thought the prince wanted to fight on equal grounds?! HAHAHAHAHAHAH-grrk!”

With a throbbing pain jabbing deep into his skull, Crimson put a hoof over his head and began panting at an accelerated rate. Hayai didn’t even know how to process any what just happened before his eyes. Not only did that weary presence around the crazy colt completely vanish, Crimson had began to lose the feral look in his eyes and had a hint of fright on his face as he struggled to catch his breath. It was at that moment he realized why he was called Equestria’s Demon.

‘D-Dammit.... what in Celestia’s mane just happened?’ Crimson slowly but surely managed to re catch his breath. His head, however, started pounding even worse than when he woke up this morning. He winced slightly when he felt a sharp pain run over his withers and side. That’s right, he was wounded... but... Crimson could have sworn it was far worse. The bleeding even began to quickly cease as the seconds went by. Were... were his wounds already healing?

The black colt took a survey at his surroundings, he realized that he actually caused more damage than he feared he would. Oh well, he’d deal with the repercussions later. For now, he still had a dirty stain from the past he needed to wipe clean...

“I... shouldn’t have let my... guard down so easily,” Crimson said in between breaths. “You’re not half bad, kid. I’ll give you that. However, I think we should hurry and get this shit over with already.”

“Q-Quit trying to belittle me. I’m nineteen years of age! Where I’m from that’s considered the proper age of an adult, so I suggest you start treating me like one!”

“Is that so? And where I come from, adults don’t just pick fights that are way out of their league, without even so much as giving thought of what they’re up against.” Crimson spat back with an emotionless, yet cruel glare. ‘Hmm, then maybe that means I still have some growing up to do...’ He decided to shake off those thoughts for now and focus on the subject at hoof. “If you want me to believe you’re not just some snot-nosed little brat who’s biting off more than he can chew, you better fucking try to prove me wrong!”

“If that’s how it’s going to be, then SO I SHALL!!!”

“Bring it!”

After preparing himself with a stance on all fours, Hayai’s body seemed to fade from its original position. Crimson, however, had no problem following his sudden burst in movement, as he witnessed that Hayai had jumped a good... twenty feet in the air. Very impressive for an earth pony. Unfortunately, the black colt couldn’t follow him any further as flinched back, a blinding beam of light temporarily disabling his vision. Crimson knew that was Hayai’s plan, and even he had to admit, it was a pretty smart one. As gravity took its toll on the robed colt’s body, he readied his sword for a downward slash the position of the blade directed at just the right point to reflect the Sun’s.rays of light into his opponent's eyes. Crimson knew that if he couldn’t get a hold of himself in time before that blade reached its target, it could be his end.

‘Damn it, it’s too bright! He’s craftier than I had originally given him credit for- wait a minute! C’mon ears, don’t fail me now!’

Crimson closed his eyes and drew a sword of his own, one he thanked Applejack twice for remembering to grab it for him, and took a guarded stance. Hayai was rather impressed that the colt would rather go down fighting than in an idiot panic, but he knew that guarding blindly would get him nowhere. As he almost made his mark, Hayai faintly noticed the demon’s ears twitch repeatedly on the colt’s head. Nervous spasms maybe, he wouldn’t doubt it. When he finally descended close enough, Hayai flicked his hoof and made a horizontal slash and- CLASH

“Wait, what?!” The robed colt’s blade completely stopped another opposing one. “B-But how?! You shouldn’t have even been able to find me, let alone-”

The colt could only watch as his blade was smacked right out of his grip and embedded right into the ground. Hayai could only watch as a black hoof smashed his torso right onto the ground, a colt pointed tip of a blade heading right for his- THUNK

The two were as still as statues, Crimson bent over the body, katana still in-grip and pieced towards the center of the body’s torso, a red liquid running down dirt pavement ...

‘I feel so.... numb, but I can feel the warm oozing of blood. This must be what it’s like to die, huh... I’m sorry Lun, Stonewing.... dad. In the end, I couldn’t avenge your name.... I couldn’t even fulfil the simple task of earning a mate, the two of us raising our young little offspring together... Oh well, lost cause anyway... G-goodbye world, may Celestia have mercy on my-’

“Open your eyes already, dumbass.”

“W-W-WHAT?!”

Hayai’s eyes shot open and instinctively tried to shoot forward, but something prevented him from leaving the ground. He gazed over his shoulder and found a jet black blade dug hilt-deep into his shoulder, stabbing straight through the cloth of the robe, yet it missed making any contact to his body. As he looked up, he jumped at the sight of the Crimson Shadow leaning over him, teeth clenched as he held his side to prevent any more blood from leaking onto the dirt road.

‘So... it wasn’t my blood I felt after all, his wound must have reopened after he pinned me into the ground to prevent anymore movement. But, why didn’t he just go for the kill-’

“Pay close attention, kid.” the demon began, “I’ll admit, you actually did surprisingly well against me, even considering how much I held back.”

“Wait... held back?”

“You heard me, held back.” Crimson replied with an emotionless stare. “If I really wanted to, you would have been killed by the time you even tried to swing at me. Lucky for you, that fight still got my mind off of... other things for a little while. Plus, it’d be a bit hard to explain why I’d be cleaning up a corpse when somepony actually comes through here... So in short, I’m letting you go.”

The pinned colt was almost speechless. Almost... “...Why?”

The black colt arched an eyebrow. “...Did you just ask ‘why’?”

“Letting your opponent go is like telling them to live the rest of their life in shame! Do you have no honor?! Though I suppose that’s a given, considering how you are hiding the rest of your life in towns without even so much as giving a second thought about the safety of the civilians! You sicken me, you demon!”

“....Alright, look here, dipshit,” Crimson growled, as he knelt down to make sure they were snout-to-snout. “I’m not in the mood for dealing with you. My name is Crimson... the color of blood. If you’d like to see my name splattered all over the place, then keep talking.”

Shaking like a leaf, the only thing Hayai could do was give a trembling nod. Crimson grabbed hold of the hilt and jerked the bladed weapon out from the ground when he he could hear a silent ‘ringing’ noise. When he looked towards his former captive, he saw that he was holding a small, light-purple sphere with a clock face in his hooves, a string hanging from his mouth. Crimson’s eyes grew twice their size when Hayai tossed it into the air and covered the sides of his head. The ringing started to grow louder until Crimson’s balance began to slip with it. He could feel the noise tearing at his ears, and he fell to his haunches, the pain absolutely unimaginable. As strong as his ears were, Crimson also knew how much of a nuisance they could be as well. It was most likely a simple distraction technique, but to Crimson, he felt like he was in a world hell; he felt like his ears were on fire.

“Do not think you have beaten me yet, Crimson Shadow!” The black colt could make out the clanscolt from the corner of his eye. He was back on his hooves once again, another sphere in his hooves -though this one looked like a small white ball. “I’ll be back, so prepare yourself for my return. Next time we meet, you will not be as lucky as you are now! Or my name isn’t Kaminari Hayai!”

And with that, Hayai slammed the sphere to the ground. A smokey substance began to pour out. The smoke grew larger as it engulfed the prince, but as it faded, the colt was nowhere in sight. Hayai’s sword in the ground was gone too....

Crimson smashed a hoof into the ground, a scowl clear as day on his muzzle. “That son of a bitch! If we ever meet again, I’ll make sure you suffer a hell worse than my own! Count on it, brat!”

The black colt picked himself off the ground with slight difficulty, and flew back into the clouds before anypony were to trot by and discover the wreckage. His ears still had a ‘ring’ that he bet likely wouldn’t be fading for the rest of the day.

Chapter Eleven: Professionals and Confessionals

Chapter Eleven: Professionals and Confessionals

“Ah! How delighted I am that you all decided to attend this meeting!”

Each seat at the charcoal colored table was taken by a cloaked figure. A fully cloaked stallion with a purple unicorn skull covering his snout and a lengthy, spiked down jet-black mane protruding from the scalp sat at the very end of the long rectangular table; the side opposite of him empty and chairless. Each row was filled to the brim by about two dozen different shadowy figures, most with their hoods covering the rest of their facial features. There were a few exceptions to be made out; Glitch, Raven, Wild Card, and a snowy maned Terra Vita -better known as Winter- being among the obvious. However, there were a few others that decided to go without the hoods; a unicorn stallion, grey from mane to coat, even his eyes were a shade of grey- the most noticeable trait on the colt was a light horizontal scar on his left cheek.

Scanning the table from each row, the masked stallion let out a deep sigh filled with utter disappointment when he caught a few empty seats.. “Well.... most of you are here at least.”

“Pssh, stupid fruit. Always has to make a dramatic entrance and slow us down!” came from one of the many cloaked figures closest to the door, the voice unmistakably belonging to Stitch.

‘The irony being she’s practically a stallion in a mare’s body.’ Glitch thought to himself with a faint smirk.

The green colt slouched back in his seat, his own eyes now began to scan the room for himself. They happen to stumble upon two more unfilled seats next to each other that were usually taken in specific by two ponies. Looked like the twins were missing too. Two cloaked figures -one large one small- took place right beside the masked pony that was only known as Boss at the far end of the table, one other cloaked figure deciding to stand next to him instead of taking a seat. Obviously Boss’ top three, nothing too strange really.... until Glitch noticed there was one extra figure at the table. One he didn’t recognize, and was sure he wasn’t the only one.

“Well, looks like we'll just have to start without him, won't we?" Boss let out a deep breath filled with irritation, the only part of him actually visible were the slitted lizard-like pupils behind the eyeholes of his mask. "Alright, as you all may have very well have guessed, this meeting will be to discuss the recent turn events of a certain "missing" member of Akuma Tenshi."

With that, the entire room was lit up with a mixture of different pitched groans. The lead stallion's eyes disappeared behind the mask when he clenched them shut, letting out yet another deep sigh. "Yes, I know it's been about four months now." He started, "Mister Rays may be stubborn, but he's not impossible."

"Why even bother, Boss?" came from the full grey unicorn as he stretched out his neck, his half open eyes suggesting that he'd rather be taking a nap or something. And to be honest, that sounded great on Glitch's end too. "We all know how thick of a skull that damn colt has, don't we? He doesn't care about his own good, and frankly he's rather reckless in my opinion. Why not just cut our losses and-"

"Quit your bitching, Argon." the gruff voice of a mare cut off. Argon simply sighed. It wasn't hard to tell that Terra was full on Winter at this point, no punches would be pulled from her, metaphorically or not. "Maybe if you would pay attention and quit being such a jackass for once, you'd know that Boss always has a good reason for what he does. Never question Boss."

"Uh-huh. Sorry, miss suck-up," Argon continued on, despite the shit he knew he was going to get later from the pinto mare for that comment, "I'm just contributing my two bits by saying I just don't see why he's of so much value when he could easily be replaced." The stallion then gave a small yawn, relaxing back further in his chair.

"No, mister Tonnes, I'm afraid it's not that simple." The deep raspy voice was enough to send chills down the unicorn's spine. "Crimson holds a very vital role in this company. Don't worry, he'll come around. Even if Crimson doesn't know what's good for him, he'll come around to the idea if any of what Wild Card tells me is true..."

A faint chuckle came from the large figure on the left of Boss' seat. "Hehe, it's too bad Professor Diana isn’t going to be as easy to get, eh?”

Glitch had to stifle a chuckle at that. He knew the professor would have been pissed to hear that one. ‘Heh, oh how I wish he could have been here to catch that.’

“I’m afraid I have to agree with Orion,” Boss started once more, “Professor Plasm is too dangerous to pursue at moment. We’ll just have to make due with Crimson at the moment-”

"FRET NOT, EVERYPONY! THE DIAMOND OF EQUESTRIA HAS ARRIVED!!!" All heads snapped back at the sight of a pink maned stallion bursting through the conference doors, striking a pose before realizing that all eyes were on him... and not in a good way. "W-What? I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"GUH!!! Notch, you fucking waste of space!!!" A still fully cloaked Stitch roared as she jolted up from her chair, smacking her hoof on the table with a loud THUNK, all eyes now on her. "Why does anypony even keep your stupid fruity ass around?! Nopony wants you here anyway!" she shouted on, her nose giving a slight twitch though the hood of her cloak.

"Fruity.... It's not exactly proper etiquette for a lady to swear, you know." retorted Notch, eyes narrowed into a fearsome glare and a faint smirk on his lips. "But then again, you always could have fooled me. Are you sure you're really a mare, because you fit far better under the category of stallion anyway."

"THAT'S IT, I'LL BURROW MY STITCHES SO FAR DOWN YOUR THROAT THAT YOU'RE GONNA WISH YOU WERE SHITTING DIAMONDS-"

"NOTCH. STITCH." The two averted their attention from each other to find that Boss was still sitting back ever so patiently. "Both of you. Take a seat."

"B-But Boss!" They started in unison, each a hoof pointing in the other's direction. "He/She-"

"Sit. Down."

"Y-Yes, sir...."

The masked stallion righted himself with an authoritative demeanor as he watched the two take a seat with less color in the face then they should have had as he gave a faint sigh, his unnatural eyes visible once more. “Anyway, time to get to the real point of this meeting. I am here to select a few of you to be the ones to retrieve Crimson Rays.” Boss’ eyes scanned the room once more as the rest of the cloaked members finally gave their full attention. “But first, I’d like to introduce our newest Akuma member. Please, stand up if you will.” Boss’ demeanor shifted slightly, almost as if he were smiling behind his mask. “Or, more to the point, come on down.”

“Of course, Boss...” A few of the more curious members looked around, trying to see who had spoken. Only one guessed the correct direction the voice had come from.

“Ah... lurking in the shadows, are you?” Glitch adjusted his glasses, the lenses flashing. “Let’s see... Species: Earth pony. Blood type, A positive. Height, normal for a mare; and Weight, hmm. Above average, but no body fat adorning your midsection, so most likely all muscle. Ah, there’s a mutation in your DNA structure. It appears to be a major one, as well. Courtesy of Diana, I presume? If so, you appear to be a great step up from his failures.”

As he spoke, the mare crawled down the wall until she was directly above him, her smile as wicked as any predator about to strike. “Yes... Professor Plasm rewrote my DNA structure... And though I was reticent to admit it at first, after finding out my husband was cheating on me with another seamstress, My newfound powers were most welcome.” The pony chuckled darkly, her eyes glittering with malice.

“Ah... You’ve got quite the impressive resume, Black Widow. Ten accounts of murder in the first degree. Seventeen accounts of murder in the second degree.” The green pegasus colt chuckled. “We can all agree that those were just as premeditated, though, since each and every death was a married stallion who had, at any point in their relationship, committed an act of infidelity. Congratulations, your fame precedes you.”

The mare growled as she jumped from the wall onto the ground, and stalked to the head of the table to nod her head in a slight bow towards Boss. “Your information on her is correct, Glitch,” Boss said as he gave a nod of dismissal towards the Black Widow, “but not complete. Miss String here is not quite initiated as of yet, so we are sending her after Mister Rays as her first test in the field.”

Glitch felt a chill travel down his spine as his mind came to the only reason why they’d send a serial killer who dealt with unfaithful stallions. ‘No... Don’t tell me...’

Boss’ next sentence confirmed his worst fears. “And it has come to our attention that he is very likely stringing along two young mares.” Boss chuckled as Silk’s eye twitched and her grimace became a scowl. “I know how you feel. But the worst of it is that the two are best friends, and they very likely don’t realize he’s playing both of them.”

Glitch felt hollow. He couldn’t raise his voice in protest as the colt killer got more and more riled by Boss’ words, because to do so, he’d have to directly deny what Boss was saying. And he did not want Boss to be angry with him again, not ever again. Death was a welcome vacation compared to that.

“That’s not true, you know. Not completely, at least.” Glitch looked up as a few of the others gasped. Winter was gone; just looking at her mane was a good enough indication of that.

“Summer... What is the meaning of this?”

“I do not mean to contradict you, Boss, but Crimson Rays is an absolute pansy when it comes to mares. If there really are two mares vying for his attention, than I’d think that they are both well aware of the other, and are just trying to get Crimson to stop being so much of a pussy to get into theirs.” Summer gave a sultry wink to Wild Card, who held his forehooves to his chest as if he’d actually caught something.

Notch giggled, drawing a glare from Stitch and Glitch (heh). “Oh, our little hitcolt is finally becoming a stallion! Oh, when’s the wedding, Summer? Glitch, would you know? Oh, I hope he lets me make his tuxedo! It’ll be to die for!” Notch giggled again. ‘Crimson’s getting a herd together, hmm? Well, now, I really should go visit him... Gotta meet the rest of the family~!’

“So, Silk String. Even with the... interruptions... Would you still care to take the job?”

“And have the potential reward of ridding the world of another insufferable male? Of course.” And with that, Silk leapt into the air, flipping herself sideways, and scuttled away across the ceiling, the last trace of her to go the fading laughter. Glitch had a bad feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.

“Well then, if she should fail, the list of hit attempts shall be as follows...” A really, really bad feeling.

*****************************************************************************************************************

The lavender mare was lying in a meadow, completely content as she soaked up the warmth of the morning sun. She felt a stirring next to her, and looked over to see a white unicorn colt there, looking up at the sky warily. “Good morning, Storm,” she sang with a lilting voice. “Are we awake?”

Storm looked to her with a confused frown on his face, as he groggily shook his head. “Uh... yes... We are awake, and... confused...” the colt hoarsely responded. “Twilight? Where in Equestria.... were we not in the Library last night? I must have had more to drink than I thought.”

Twilight couldn’t help but let out a content giggle, one even Storm found to be adorable. “Oh, we’re still in the library; this is just my happy place.” She snuggled her muzzle into the stallion’s chest and murred. “And I am well and truly happy, right here.”

Storm grunted, a small blush rising up his neck. As Twilight nuzzled herself closer, she could feel a wincing motion on the colt’s end. “Storm, are you alright?”

“Yes yes, I’m just a little... sore.”

Twilight could feel an ever growing heat creep its way onto her muzzle, her eyes immediately darting to the floor. “O-Oh. I... wasn’t too... rough with you last night.... was I? Or, do you like it rough... Was I not rough enough?”

“What? N-no, that isn’t what I meant!” the white colt’s face felt as if it had been hit by a giant ball of flame at this point. Too flustered to even look in the direction of the mare, Storm slid off the bed and got to his hooves, sinking into the ‘ground’ before the simulated environment dissipated into the all too familiar bedroom in Twilight’s Library. Twilight was still lying on her bed with a pout as she rolled onto her stomach.

“Awww, what’s wrong? W-was is something I said?” she asked uneasily.

“It’s fine, Twilight.” Storm sighed deeply, trying to get a hold of himself before he lost his demeanor to embarrassment. “And to answer your question, nothing.... like that happened. Sure we had gotten... quite lost... in each other’s embrace, but nothing like... that took place.”

“Oh... I see,” Twilight responded, with a hint of disappointment in her voice. “Well, it’s at least good to know I didn’t go too overboard when I did all that. If something were to have happened, I’m not sure if either of us are quite ready for parenthood. Now anyway, please tell me, why exactly are you sore?”

“Well... to answer that question, I never exactly got any rest as of late.”

“And ‘as of late’, you mean...” the mare hinted for him to go on.

“Well....” Storm scratched the back of his head, he had a clue about what her reaction would be.... “I’d say...”

“Out with it, Storm.”

“Alright then....” Storm exhaled a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, “I haven’t exactly slept or rested up since Zecora found me unconscious in Everfree. When I left the library last time after that party, I knew what Red said was right. If I would have tried to make the journey back to Canterlot in my condition and at night no less, I would have probably.... well, you know. So I decided to stick around, maybe buy some clothing so that none of you would notice me. So really, last night was the first time I had slept since then.”

The ever growing silence grew more and more awkward as Twilight kept up her glare, which looked to Storm to be a mix between frustration and disappointment. “Storm! You missed entire day’s worth of sleep?!”

“It isn’t that big of a deal.” Storm attempted to reassure her, “Red once missed an entire week of sleep.”

“Storm, that’s bad for you, especially in your condition! You are getting back in that bed right now, and you are getting some rest!”

“I’m sorry, Twilight, but-”

“Ah ah! No buts! Now,” Twilight purred, crouching low as she swished her tail back and forth, “get back in bed!” She leapt at the colt, who reflexively tried to bring up a shield.

With what little dignity still left to the colt, Storm got into bed. Well, he was more or less levitated and tucked snugly into it by a librarian, before she got back in with him, but still. Dignity. “Come on, Sprinkles. Let’s get back to sleep.” Twilight left a small kiss on Storm’s cheek, before snuggling against him, her forelegs wrapped around the lean barrel of his chest. Yes... Dignity...

*************************************************************************************************************

“Pinkie, good morning!”

Pinkie glanced up to find Roseluck standing next to her. “Oh? Uh, yeah... Yeah! Good... Morning.” She forced out a smile, but Roseluck wasn’t having any of it.

“Pinkie Pie, dear, what’s wrong? Feeling a bit under the weather?”

“Yeah, I guess I am a bit... Red got nervous when I tried to get in the shower this morning and help him clean between his wings, but just last night he said he loved me as much as I loved him, so I dunno what I did wrong!”

“Pinkie, is it possible he’s forgotten?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why, Berry Punch was talking earlier about how some colt named Red bought the entire bar quite a few rounds, and that she’d seen him not a moment before, and he didn’t seem to remember.”

“Oh...” Pinkie looked sadly at the ground, before realization hit her like a brick. Unlike a brick, however, realization was, in fact, able to hit Pinkie. “Oooohh! Oh, my gosh! I gotta tell Red that I love him again! And I’m gonna do it Pinkie Pie Style!”

The pale yellow mare smiled motherly, cocking an eyebrow in amusement. “Oh, and how do you plan to pull that off, hmm?”

“How else would I do something,” Pinkie asked flatly, “if it weren’t a party?”

*************************************************************************************************************

“Are you sure, Storm? Do you really need to go right now? You’re soooo much warmer than my blanket. Pleeeeaaaaase stay, just... thirty more minutes? Two hours, max, I promise.”

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I must report back in to Princess Celestia.”

“I can get Spike to write it and send it for you; that would be a lot easier, I’d think. Maybe I can get him to make us some breakfast, too?”

Storm cocked an eyebrow as Twilight got off the bed and started trotting towards the stairs, yelling ‘Spike’. “Are you talking about the small purple-and-green dragon?” he asked.

“Ugh, yeah. Have you seen him anywhere?” Twilight continued looking back and forth, tail flicking in agitation.

“Yes... You telekinetically threw him out the front door when we got here last night saying he would disrespect our alone time. You then started doing a terrible job at being seductive.”

Twilight sighed, her ears flicking back. “Oh, I should be more careful when drunk...”

“Apparently, so should I.”

Then, the second part of his sentence registered in her brain. “Hey! Was... was it really terrible?”

“Yes, it was terrible.” He sighed, and amended, “but it was cute.”

Twilight brightened significantly as she trotted up to him and started nuzzling him. “Well, since he’s not here, why don’t we go take a shower before you go? I’ll help you wash,” Twilight said with a dorky attempt at a seductive wink.

Storm barked out a laugh. “You really should work on your seductive look.” Twilight started pouting, her ears folded against her head as tears started pooling in her eyes. “....Dammit,” Storm said as he followed Twilight back up the stairs to what quickly became a steamy shower. There was, however, a disappointing lack of sex.

“There, nice and clean!” Twilight bounced down towards the library’s ground floor, with Storm still in tow.

“Yes,” he replied dryly, “and I’m sure we’d get dirty pretty quickly if you had your way.”

Twilight blushed, but didn’t deny it, simply leaning in to take another kiss. “I love you, you know.” She then started towards the kitchen.

“Yes, I... I think I do too.”

Twilight stopped, looking over her shoulder at Storm as she swished her tail back and forth. “Oh, you think? Well, then. Looks like I’ll just have to work harder!” She wiggled her hips and almost fell over before blushing and smiling sheepishly.

Storm gave Twilight a small smile before his face once again became a stoic mask. “Most likely. Ask your friend, the tailor, on how to be seductive. You might even have a chance at making me shiver with delight.” Twilight walked up to Storm, and rubbed her cheek against his, then running her tail along his side as she continued past him.

“I’ll take your advice, Lieutenant.”

Some time later, Storm was preparing to teleport, with Twilight acting as a buffer. Usually, a unicorn cannot teleport long distances for the simple fact that their magic has a tendency to ‘leak’. Even one as powerful as Twilight Sparkle, or an Alicorn like Celestia, would have trouble teleporting the distance between relatively close places like Ponyville to Manehatten- a day away by carriage, or Ponyville to Canterlot- a day away by train, respectively. But, with another acting as a buffer, a unicorn can raise their potential by reabsorbing their ‘leaked’ magic, like a sponge that soaks up water even as it is squeezed, causing the amount of magic to be exponentially increased. That being said, it still took a good twenty minutes before Storm had enough power to launch the spell.

-fwish- Storm blinked, -flash- and then he was gone. Twilight turned to look at where Storm had been looking, to see the window had been opened. Shrugging it off as a possible happening from magical output, she shut the window and grabbed her saddlebags. She was going to eat out for breakfast.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Phew, that was close.” The black colt hid in the branches of the library’s tree, after narrowly avoiding a meeting with Storm. Crimson knew that he did not want to deal with him right now; not with the way his wounds were looking. 'Meh. She's been through a lot lately, and seeing me like... well, this, would just dampen her mood. I'll just get going so I don't bother her.'

And with that, Crimson hopped from branch to branch until was back on ground level. He almost ended up slipping on his way down, his ears were still ringing and it had some effect on his balance. Though he had to wonder; when the time came, who's side would she pick? Crimson's, or Storm's? He just shrugged it off, figuring it would most likely end up being the latter. And to be perfectly honest, Crimson was okay with that. At least she'd happy, and better off with the one she loved for that matter. Who was he to get in the way of that?

As he trotted down the dirt road, Crimson couldn't shake the constant ringing and soreness his ears channeled to him. He was sure his coat was stained with dried blood as he could smell it for himself. Oh, and that skull pounding hangover was still present in all it's glory. All in all, he was feeling absolutely miserable, and couldn't give a rat's ass who saw him at this point, today couldn't possibly get any worse-

"REEEEED!!!~"

Crimson had to really try in order to keep the squeal from leaving his lips as he was forced -no, tackled to the ground by a marshmallowy pink blur. Yeah, the black colt had a good feeling who the culprit was at this point. With the amount of times this particular event has happened, it wasn't hard for anypony to take a guess. What happened next however, not so much. "Um, Pinkie Pie? Would you mind loosening your grip a tad?"

"O-Oopsie, hehe~!" the pink pony sweat dropped as she made her way onto her hooves. She didn't want to go overboard with affection just yet... "Sorry Red, I-"

The colt's brow arched itself when he noticed Pinkie's ever growing eyes. "Uh... Pinkie, you okay-"

"Red, you're hurt!!!" she shrieked in utter horror as she came close to tears. "Oh nonononono! What happened? Was it Storm again? Or worse, one of the company?! That would be soooooooo dangerous, I-"

"Pinkie." Crimson broke off her train of interjections with a calm, but stern tone. Before he said anything though, he grabbed one of Pinkie's hooves with his own and began to caress it gently, looking her deep in her cerulean eyes with his crimson ones in order to ease her panicking. Crimson once witnessed this performed on Terra when she lost it and had a nervous breakdown, so he figured it could work to the same effect in this case as well, right? "No, it wasn't the company, no, it wasn't Storm. Look, if we go somewhere with more privacy I'll tell you the whole story. Deal?"

The party pony beamed in a flash, completely ignoring how red her entire face was lit up. With a nod, she took hold of Crimson's hoof and dragged him down the dirt street. "W-Waitasecond, where are you taking me?!"

"Like you said, someplace private!" Pinkie winked back, a slight blush over her face. "And I have just the place set up to do that!"

"Um, I'm not exactly sure what your definition of "private"-"

"Enough chit-chat, let's GO~!!!"

"PinkieeeEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"

And with that, the pink mare trotted blissfully as she dragged a slightly discontented Crimson by the hoof, both getting an equal amount of amused stares along the way. The colt still couldn't get over how rambunctious this town was, and it looked to him that he never will....

*****************************************************************************************************************

Numerous hooves shod in golden horseshoe armor clicked against the grand hall’s marble floor, the rich tapestries adorning either sign a show of the peace that has reigned in Equestria, as they marked the treaties of peace signed with all the other countries over the past thousand years.

But the highest ranking officer in the Celestial Army had eyes not on trinkets of peace, but tools of war. Storm Scratch strode past the collection of spears and crossbows laid out on tables to be tested for efficiency, and up the steps to bow before his Princess of the Sun.

“What is your report, Lieutenant Storm?” Princess Celestia’s voice, while usually mirthful and bubbly like a can of soda, had fallen flat; becoming cold and hard, as if that soda that children so love to drink was rudely tossed aside and a block of ice was put down for them to lick at instead.

“Milady, the Crimson Shadow almost had me. We fought in the depths of the Everfree Forest, and while I used the naturally occurring storm clouds to my advantage, he was able to overpower me in the end.”

Celestia looked over the soldier before her; he was wearing nothing but a determined but chagrined look on his face, and bandages covering most of his body. “Is that what these wounds are from, Lieutenant?”

“No, milady. I had an unfortunate run-in with a Manticore on my way to your Advisor’s residence in Ponyville. I was still weak at that point, and it was able to poison me. If it were not for the resident zebra, I would have not made it out alive.”

“Ahh, yes, Zecora...” Celestia’s eyes twinkled with amusement for a second, before becoming hardened once again. “Corporal.”

“Ma’am,” said one of the guards stationed at the foot of the dais.

“Send my regards for helping the Lieutenant to one Zecora, residing in the Everfree Forest, please. Also send an invitation to tea.”

“Yes ma’am.” With a salute of his wing, the pegasus took flight, heading off towards the distant Everfree.

Celestia turned back to her lieutenant. “Storm... How long was your stay in Ponyville?”

Storm thought back, but with being unconscious for a while at Zecora’s, and all the time he spent on the road prior, without a calendar... “I would hazard a guess at about a week, my Liege.”

Celestia nodded. “Very well. I shall contact my stu... advisor... and receive her report as well. You are dismissed; please rest, recuperate, and find that colt.”

With a salute of his own, Storm walked stiffly out of the Throne Room, through the grand hall, and out into the sunlight. He had a full day ahead of him, and he had promised Vinyl he’d stop by when he got back. Grimacing, he started towards her apartment, knowing full well how she was going to yell at him for getting wounded again.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson Rays shivered as the pink mare ran her hoof down his back, washing blood and grime out of his coat. “Why you shakin’, bacon?”

“W-what? Pinkie, I know you want to help, but I really don’t need it. I’ve cleaned myself up from much worse before.” It also didn't help the fact that the colt was rather unsettled to be sitting on his haunches in a tub while another pony, especially a mare, cleaned him off. He felt so revealed and naked. Not that most ponies wore clothing anyway, but the usually cloaked colt had always been a bit embarrassed when it came to his own nudity. Not to mention he always saw showers as his alone time; a place that he could get away from it all and just indulge himself in the soothing sound of the water spraying from the shower head and through his fur.

"Aww! You gotta lighten up a little, y'know?" Pinkie Pie continued sliding her hoof though his sudsy black coat. The black colt glanced back at the mare; her mane, opposed from its usual cotton candy fluff, was doused to the point of hanging down almost completely straight. He had only seen her mane like that when they first met.

This time however, it didn't look as though she were saddened at all. Crimson thought it looked... pretty. Very pretty. "Hm?" The mare cocked her head in slight confusion. "What'cha starin’ at, Red?"

"N-Nothing." Red quickly replied as he whipped his head in attempt to conceal the faint blush over his cheeks.

"Anyway, I'm here now, so let me just clean you right up!" Pinkie squealed with a cute giggle. "Just relax, Red. I promise you'll enjoy this."

"Pinkie, I-" Red gasped, the words caught in his throat as Pinkie pressed a bit harder with her hoof.

"Just... relax..." Pinkie breathed softly into his ear, a shiver going down his spine as his blush deepened.

Crimson simply sighed as Pinkie's hooves began to prod deeper into the colt's withers. Red couldn't help it as his wings began to unfurl all on their own, his tail giving an ever so slight swish as his mind began to drift off into a sea of bliss. The harder Pinkie pressed her hooves as she stroked his back, the more intense the feeling grew, and the more the uncomfortableness began to slowly, yet surely fade from his thoughts....

Until he felt her tongue.

“Geep!” Crimson yipped like a puppy smacked on the rump as Pinkie’s tongue traversed the edge of his ear, from base to tip.

“Stay still, Red! I gotta clean everywhere, and boy do I mean everywhere...”

“... Oh, horsefeathers.” Pinkie’s body pressed against his back as he fell into the sudsy water at the bottom of the tub, his senses deadened from embarrassment.

Pinkie, ever the blissful mare, continued washing him, giggling all the while.

Pokey Pierce and Berry Punch were walking out of Sugarcube Corner together, their hoof falls unplanned as they stumbled drunkenly away from their first date, when suddenly the air around them was split by what sounded like a filly squealing with delight as she was given her first popsicle. What followed was a strangely enticing description of the male genitilia that left both drunken ponies blushing from more than just the drink, and yet with an idea of what might occur as soon as they got back to... whichever one of their homes they stumbled into first. On an unrelated note, it happened to be neither of their homes, but Lyra and Bon-bon’s abode, where the two started kissing messily as soon as they entered the front room, completely disrupting the meal Lyra and Bon Bon were having with Bon’s parents. Needless to say, the ring Lyra had bought for the occasion was lost in the ensuing chaos, though she did eventually find it, and gave it to her wife where they joked and laughed about it. But, that’s quite a few years from now, and completely unrelated to the story.

Regrettably, this editor’s note must take precedence, as it should be clearly noted that Pinkie did not rape Crimson’s unconscious body.

Because rape is wrong. But then again, is unrequited sex rape? Probably.

So saying, we’ll leave the two lovebirds to get acquainted better (heh), and check in on some sisterly... ‘love’... that Storm is receiving.

***************************************************************************************************************

SLAM!!! Vinyl’s hooves beat relentlessly against her brother’s slightly wider frame, his stance absorbing some of the blows as they rained down. “You asshole! Storm, you promised me you wouldn’t do anything dangerous! Look at you! Was Buckinghog’s Palace dropped on your face or something?!” Even though he kept his composure, there was no hiding the pain in Storm’s eyes as he weathered the shitstorm he was receiving.

“You’re correct, Vinyl. I should have been more careful in my pursuit of R... Crimson. Now, however, your attacking of me is doing nothing to quell the bruises I have already received.”

“Bruised?! Look in a mirror, blockhead! You’re a mess! UGH!” the mare turned away from her brother, only to punch a good-sized hole in the concrete wall beside the door. “You’re paying for that, Storm... My whiny neighbor already has it out for me as it is. I don’t need her calling the landlord again.”

“Not punching holes in walls might actually help, you know.” The white unicorn(s) almost jumped when the voice of a grey earth mare in a pink bow tie spoke up, casually sitting on the couch with a cup of tea in hoof. “So, having fun are we?”

“O-oh, Tavi!” the rather surprised Vinyl said with a sweatdrop. “I sort of forgot you were even here... you really need to learn how to be more noticeable sometimes.”

“I’m only noticeable when needed, and that’s on stage.” the mare retorted without even so much as a change in facial expression, despite witnessing yet another family quarrel. “I can’t exactly say I blame the neighbors, it usually is quite the ruckus in here when you two really go at it. Perhaps settling it in a way less... brutish would fix up the problem.”

“Mmmh, just drop it, Octavia....” Vinyl then tore her gaze from her snooty roommate and gave her brother a questioning look. “So... did you see Red?”

“Well...” Storm started, “I did fight with him, but unfortunately he had some help.”

“Help?” Vinyl tilted her head ever so slightly. “Who could he have had to help him? Wild Card and Glitch or something?”

“No no, just a group of insufferable mares. They seemed to buy that Crimson is some sort of “good guy” deep inside or some shit.” the colt’s eyes softened however when one of those mares happened to come to mind. “Absolutely insufferable....” The echoed giggling and warm feeling were dissipated by Vinyl’s dismissive snort.

“Well, now you’re here, Storm. For now, just relax a bit. Alrighty? And maybe you should give Red a teeny tiny break for a while, he wasn’t all bad when we knew him.” his sister gave a quick smile, her red eyes disappearing as she magically poofed up a pair of giant purple shades. How her attitude changed so quickly was still a question that Storm had yet to figure out. “Now I gotta jet, Sprinkles! A good party doesn’t start without DJ Pon-3 in the house! Get some rest, you’ll live longer!”

Storm didn’t even get so much as a word in before his sister bolted out the door. Wherever there was a rave there was a PON-3 he supposed....

“I wouldn’t look too much into it, Lieutenant Scratch.” the grey mare sipped at her tea, almost as if to hide a faint smile. “You and I know full well that when your sister puts on those glasses she’s a whole different mare.”

Storm simply gave a sigh. “Yeah, I figured that much out myself. I just hope she doesn’t hurt herself one day....”

“Ah, but that’s just the thing.” Octavia put her cup of tea down, gesturing towards the opposite couch with a casual wave of her hoof. “She uses those glasses to hide her hurt. Maybe you should go to one of her raves, it might make her feel better.”

Storm sighed as he settled down, lifting the teapot and pouring himself a cup, offering to do the same for the earth pony. “Yes, that is the case, isn’t it? I became a guard so she wouldn’t have to be tough, but ever since we were little, she’s always wanted to be the protector, not the protected. When she was told she couldn’t join the guard because of her poor eyesight, she was angry. Living the wildest life possible seems to be her coping mechanism, and I’m not going to be the one to tell her to quit it.”

*****************************************************************************************************************

Crimson awoke with a small groan to the feeling of a coarse towel rubbing against his back. Looked like he wasn’t in the shower anymore, rather the studio apartment that reside upstairs in Sugercube Corner; it had a bathroom, living area, bedroom, a small kitchenette, the works. More specifically, he was on the couch. It looked as though there were a few streamers spread around the place as well, though Crimson wasn’t exactly sure if it was for occasion or not. As the colt’s senses began to return, he could hear a cheerful humming to a very upbeat tune. “Mornin’ sleepy head!~”

“Mmmnm....” the black colt groaned, tiredly rubbing at his eyes. “Pinkie, I’m pretty sure it’s the middle of the afternoon at this point.”

“Details, shmetails!” she smiled back, poofy mane intact once more with a faint tint of red over her petite muzzle. “What matters is that you’re awake now! I can’t have you falling asleep on me when I have soooo much to tell you!~”

“Is that so?” The black colt’s brow arched when the mare excitedly nodded back. What he found odd is that instead of just blurting it out without remorse, she was warning him about it first.... ‘Must be something important then.’ he figured. “Alright then, shoot.”

“Not yet, Red, it’s a surprise!~” The mare was absolutely beaming at this point, as she gave a completely obvious wink.

“A surprise, huh? I’ve never been one for surprises, Pinkie...” Thoughts back to what Wild Card considered ‘surprises’ filled his mind, and he shuddered. Brownies were not something he’d ever find appetizing after that.

“Well, fine, I’ll tell ya, Red, but I’m gonna do it my way!”

“Your way? What do you-” The music changed from a simple ambiance in the background to something that he’d almost call techno... if he knew anything about music.

Then, Pinkie began to sing.

What is love?

Oh, baby don’t hurt me... don’t hurt me... no more...

Oh, baby don’t hurt me... don’t hurt me... no more...

What is love?

Yeah,

Oh, I know in my heart, that you’ll be there.

And I just gotta say, Baby I care!

But is it wrong, or is it right?

Gimmie a sign...

Crimson was on his haunches, his jaw working in a circle as he tried to find something intelligent to say. Nope, nothing. What was going on again?

Sometimes I know, just what to do...

I feel the need... to be with you!

I know we could be one, just us two,

I can’t go on...

What is love?

Crimson’s face was taking his name a little literally, as he continued to watch Pinkie dance around, singing and occasionally vocalizing a “Woaoaoah”

I want nopony other, you’re not just a lover!

This is your life, our time

When we are together, I’ll be with you forever

Is it love..?

What is love?!

Pinkie stood there panting, her face flushed not only from her exertions, but also from how much of her heart and soul she’d bared for the ex-hitcolt.

“That... that was quite the song, Pinkie, but... what are you even talking about? Love? Y-you know I’m not good with that kinda stuff...”

“I know, Red! But... well...” Pinkie’s demeanor, which had always been boisterous and over the top, was suddenly replaced by a timidity that Crimson had not even seen present in Fluttershy.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie?” His alarm bells were ringing, though it could have still been that soundwave grenade from that morning.

“.......”

“Pinkie,” Red prompted as he pulled her into a reassuring hug, “what’s wrong? I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s bothering you.”

Pinkie pulled out of the hug enough to see the clear worry and incomprehension in the black colt’s eyes before she couldn’t stop herself. She closed her eyes and planted her lips on Red’s.

The kiss was long, and was only cut off when Red’s brain rebooted enough to realize what it was he was doing, and where his tongue was in the process. “Oh, um, P-Pinkie, aha, hee hee, um...” He couldn’t even scramble, his straight was badly think so brained! “Um, wow...” He giggled nervously, like a schoolcolt who’d just gotten a kiss from his crush on Hearts and Hooves Day. However, the giggles then began to shift into a heavy panting....

“R-Red?” the pink -more red in the face at least- mare piped up. “Are you alright?”

Frankly, the colt wasn’t even sure. Crimson’s body began giving off uncontrollable shakes; beads of sweat were now beginning to run down the temple of his skull; even the past tingling feeling from Pinkie’s lips on his was still ever present. “Oh! Y-Yeah, I.... just need to.........”

Without even so much as a second thought, Crimson jolted through the apartment as quick as his panicky hooves could carry him. As he finally made it to the door, shakily turning the knob and swinging the door open, he felt a pair of hooves wrap around his waist and prevent his movement any further....

“Red, please! Don’t go....” releasing her iron grip, the pink eyed mare turned to face Crimson snout to snout. He almost couldn’t bare to look; streams of tears ran like rivers down her cheeks, the poofiness in her mane was starting to slowly fade, and to top it all off she was biting at her bottom lip as if it were the wall that kept her emotions in tact. The sight alone made Crimson's heart feel like it was slowly ripping in two.... and all he could do was sit on his haunches like a speechless foal.... Until something happened to come to mind.

“Pinkie.... what happened yesterday?” the pink mare just stared into the black colt’s eyes for what felt like eons, which had hardened into seriousness at this point. Pinkie’s ears folded back, and from the distraught expression she was radiating back, he could tell she knew exactly what Crimson was more or less wanting to hear.

“I.... okay, Red.” she sighed in defeat. “Just... please don’t get mad at me?”

The black colt simply nodded with the same stoic look on his face. Pinkie couldn’t read a single emotion coming off. She couldn’t even figure out what he was thinking in the slightest, but then again, it was like that from the start too.

“Alright,” Pinkie Pie started, “me, you, and Applejack were all playing this game called ‘two truths and a lie’, a game where each one of us takes turns telling two truths and a lie about ourselves like the title suggests, and the other two have to call out which answer is the lie.”

Now that she mentioned it, he could vaguely remember something like that happening, as if it were slowly coming back to him... but it still wasn’t enough. “Go on.” Crimson encouraged, still keeping a surprisingly strict tone, yet at the same time soothing.

“Well, as the game progressed, the truths started getting more and more personal. Until finally, you brought up... her.” Just saying that much, the pink mare’s body was now trembling under the weight of her own emotions. “You,” she continued with a sniffle, “you started to cry, then we started to cry and... and you pleaded us not to die. And, me and AJ, lost in the moment....”

“You don’t have to go any further,” Crimson let out a deep breath of air. She hit the nail right on the head, it wasn’t hard to guess what happened after that. “So I guess I really didn’t just now lose my first kiss, but.... nothing happened further than that, right?”

Pinkie shook her head with a look of disappointment plastered over her face, as if she would have wanted more to come out of last night. “All we did afterwards was fall asleep in each other's arms, the three of us.”

Crimson just sat there in awkward silence, eyes towards the ground, almost managing to lose himself in his own deep thoughts. ‘Almost’ referring to the mare wrapping her arms around the colt and squeezing him as if she couldn’t bare to let go, nuzzling her tear-soaked muzzle into his chest. The colt’s prior awkward feeling was beginning to slowly return; what in the pits of Tartarus was even going on? And then, through a faint whimper, she looked up at him, eyes locked once again.

“Red.... do you love me?”

Red’s eyes lit up like flying saucers. He was completely unprepared for that, and it ended up hitting him in the face like a timebomb. “O-of c-course, Pinkie Pie! I-I love all of you! You gals are the best sisters a colt could ask for.”

The black colt smacked onto to the floor and onto his back with an audible “Oof!”, his body pinned to the ground by Pinkie’s as she locked lips with him once more. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull, losing the will to fight it any longer as their tongues began to dance in each other’s mouths. Crimson’s own eyes began to water as he broke the kiss once again. “I-I'm sorry, Pinkie, but... it hurts to do that...”

“Dangit, Red!” The tears flowing down her flushed face started to drip onto his coat as Crimson seemed to take witness a mixture between anger and sadness on Pinkie’s face. “I love you so much it hurts!”

‘.........What did she just say?’ Had he heard that right? Was he hearing things? That had to be it, there was no way in hell that he heard her say-

“I love you I love you I love you I love you! Everytime I’m near you it makes me just want to sing! I love you to death, Red!”

“Pinkie Pie!” growled Crimson, the tone in his voice making the teary mare flinch back. “You’ve only known me for about a week! How the hell can you even say-”

“I do! I love you, Red! I know I do!” Pinkie desperately interjected. “I don’t care how long ago I met you, I’ve never felt like this about anypony before in my entire life! I even get this feeling as if I’m as light as a balloon every time you come into my thoughts. My heart starts to beat really fast a-and-”

“Pinkie Pie,” the colt repeated with the same amount of power in his voice, his crimson eyes boring through the mare like stone. “Just get a hold of yourself already! I’m dangerous, a terrible influence, something that you absolutely do not want to overly involve yourself with! And really, at most this is all just a simple little ‘crush’-”

“Simple? Little? Crush?!” Pinkie screamed, her voice raising in emphasis after each word. “Quit trying to act like you can dictate how I wanna live, Red! And quit trying to act like you can tell me what’s best for me! I’m a full grown mare! I can make decisions for myself without somepony trying to make them for me!”

“Then why don’t you quit trying to do the same for me!” Crimson yelled back in an equally irritated tone. “You treat me like a fucking charity case and make it as if I’m fucked up in the head and need all the help I can get! News flash, Pinkie Pie! I’ve gone twenty two- almost twenty three years without absolutely anypony’s help, and I can do it for another twenty three years if I wanted! Or at least until Princess Celestia, Boss, or hell, even Storm finally comes and takes my head!”

“Red....” Pinkie’s voice began to crack, tear, and break in front of the colt she held so dear, leaving Red immediately drowned in regret. “Red, you do need help. You can’t just go it alone and deal with your problems by yourself anymore!”

“Pinkie, I-”

“Shhh...” the pink mare cut off the possibilities of any new words escaping with a simple, yet light and gentle hoof placed over his lips. Soon, her hoof began to slide down the side of the colt’s mouth until it was softly caressing his cheek. “Red, how many ponies have you shared that many laughs? That many tears? How many ponies know you enough to love you? I want you to be happy, Red, and I’m going to show you as much affection possible until you can at least love too, even if it’s not me.... and just darn it all if I’m going to let you say ‘happiness’ doesn’t include ‘love’....”

Pinkie slowly began to bring her head closer to Red’s, making sure not to break eye contact as her cerulean eyes began to twinkle even through the tears. Finally, she reunited her mouth back together with his, more passion flowed then the first two kisses combined as Red’s eyes softened and, finally, came to a close. Losing all intentions of resisting, his thoughts began to melt with the radiant heat of their breath as their tongues performed a slow dance within each other’s mouths. Red felt tears sliding down the creases of his eyes, this time his own. But deep in the back of the black colt’s skull was an irritating persistence screaming it’s way into his thoughts. Deep inside he felt dirty, hollow, like a pestilence upon the amazing life of Pinkamena Diane Pie....

The kiss was finally broken, both lacking the breath they needed as they panted heavily, Pinkie Pie staring adoringly and lovingly into her love’s crimson eyes. That is, until they clenched themselves tightly shut, her heart nearly stopped when she was brought into the tight, gripping embrace of Crimson’s toned arms. “I..... I'm... sorry.” Crimson’s voice was now on the verge of breaking as well, and he thanked Luna he couldn’t see the expression on her face. “I... I need some air!”

Red broke the hug and galloped away as quickly as he could from the pink mare before he could stop himself otherwise. Despite the repeated protests of his name by the sorrowful voice of the mare, the black colt spread his wings, slid open the window, and with one final glance back, took off as fast as his wings could carry him, using all of his power in order to keep forward and not make the mistake of looking back a second time....

Pinkie simply stared at the open window for what felt like hours until she couldn’t even feel the strength to stand anymore; the pink mare just curled herself up on the floor and allowed the everlasting waterfall of tears to flow until her eyes were swollen shut. What hurt Pinkie Pie the most wasn’t the fact that the only colt she’s ever loved completely rejected her, or the fact that he won't, and might not ever be able to return any of the feelings she had for him. No. What hurt her the most was the pain that was present in the colt’s eyes.

The pain, the shame, and most of all, the fear.... ‘He... he’s afraid... Afraid of me...’

*****************************************************************************************************************

“.....got any threes, Apple Bloom?”

“Nnnope.”

The gamboge orange pegasus sighed as she reached towards the dwindling deck of cards, her own hoofful becoming rather over-filled. Her pale olive companion mimed her sigh, adding her unspoken thoughts to how boring their day was so far. The earth pony filly closed her eyes as she shook her head, amaranth colored hair flicking up out of her eyes as she did so. The two fillies continued their game almost silently, hoping that the last member of their group would show up soon, being in the clubhouse wasn’t that much fun without the full club.

A pony’s hoofbeats tapped out a staccato as a white unicorn filly with a two-toned mane galloped towards the clubhouse in question, her saddlebags filled with books and newspaper clippings.

“Got any fahves, Scootaloo,” the earth pony drawled in a bored monotone.

“Ugh, no... Go fish...” Scootaloo looked out the window again, wondering what was taking Sweetie Belle so long-

“GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS!!!” A ear splitting crash came from the door, causing the two fillies to almost shriek in fright. At the door was a marshmallow-y white unicorn filly almost reeking of panic, her curly rose and mulberry split mane frizzed from its usual beauty.

“Land sakes, Sweetie Belle! What n' tarnation’s got y'all so worked up?”

“Yeah, Sweets. What could possibly be so important to make you act like the sky is falling?"

"I told you enough with that, you dodo!" Sweetie Belle puffed out her red cheeks in a pout as the two fillies stifled a laugh. "That was one time and you know it!"

The tomcolt simply raised her hooves with a coy smirk. "Hehe, okay okay. Now, what's got ya?" Scootaloo couldn't help but roll her purple eyes when her friend began to take deep, slow breaths.

"Alright!" the white filly shouted to the heavens with a new found confidence. "Girls, you are both aware that Hearts and Hooves Day is only a couple weeks away, right?"

".......So?" the pegasus raised a brow in question.

"Yeah, why would y’all honestly waste yer time wit some borin’ ol’ holiday?" the farm filly followed up, her head cocked to the side with an equally bewildered expression. "An' 'sides, how would that help us get our cutiemark?"

"Don't you see? Having a special somepony would bring us one step closer to getting our cutiemarks!" Despite her desperate preaches, her two companions still sat on their haunches in a void of their own confusion.

"Okay, let me try to explain this again." Sweetie groaned through her facehoof. "Look, don't you see a bunch of the grown ups with their special somepony?" The unicorn started to beam when her two friends nodded in unison. "That must mean that having a special somepony is usually a sign of maturity! And once we start to mature, it'll make our cutiemarks all the easier to get, like hitting two birds with one stone!~"

Sweetie Belle's smile only grew when she knew she had finally gotten to her friends, they're eyes widening from the sudden realization as they both sprouted grins from ear to ear.

"Apple Bloom, she's right!" the small pegasus joyously exclaimed in an overly dramatic fashion, "We're already fourteen now, almost adults! That's too old to not have a special somepony!" She then turned to her friends with a surprisingly devious smile plastered across her muzzle. "Soooooooo~! Do either of you have somepony you were thinking of?"

"Yeah...." Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her arm with a faint blush. "Now that ya mention it...."

"Me too!" Sweetie Belle cheerfully interjected, now a noticeably shade of red herself. "He's really nice..."

"Strong..."

"He's cute..."

"So...." Scootaloo's smirk was only getting wider at this point, eyebrow arched as her curiosity pushed her further. "Who're you guys talking about, huh? C'mon, I won't tell!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle each, took in a deep breath, squeezing their eyes shut as they prepared to shout. "S-spike!” The two friends turned to look at each other bewilderedly. “Huh?! You too?!" The two fillies stared at each other in shock and awe as their faces collaborated and unanimously decided on the color of a tomato. The fuchsia maned pegasus, however, was already laying on the floor in stitches.

"HAHAHAHAHAAA!!!~ Come on guys, you've gotta be kidding me! Spike?! Are you guys serious?! AHAHAHA!!!"

"Yeah, an' Ah'll bet that y'all are jus' jealous you didn't think of him first, ain't ya, Scoots?" Apple Bloom began to smirk behind her blush when the orange pegasus' laughter suddenly came to a conclusion.

"L-Like you have anything for me to be jealous of!"

"A'm not hearin' a noooo~!"

"Aww, come on Scoots~! Don't be a-" it was now the white filly's turn to choke back her chuckles. "...chicken~."

"Oh, just be quiet, you two!" Scootaloo looked at anything but her two friends, who were trying vainly to hold back their giggles. "He's... okay, I guess."

"Hehehe~, either way," the earth filly got back to business, "we still need ol' Spikey to comply wit us to get this whole thing ta work out."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Scootaloo's brow arched like the golden gate bridge.

"Yup!" Sweetie Belle still had to fight off her own flustered giggles which Scootaloo found infectiously girly. "I think I'm thinking what you're thinking~!"

"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS DRAGON TAMERS!!!! YAY!!!!"

***************************************************************************************************************

"For the last time, LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!!!"

"I already told you, NOT UNTIL YOU SPILL IT!"

The black and red striped bangs of his mane whipped across his face as the black colt ran- well, flew- away as fast as his wings could carry him, though the tears that burned at his eyes didn't help with his steering any. "Mind your own business, Dash! It does NOT concern you!"

"Like HELL it doesn't! It became my business when I saw Pinkie's face covered in tears!" The cyan mare wasn't going to let up. No way in hell was she going to let him get away. "You're going to tell me exactly WHY one of my best friends is crying her eyes out! I swear on Celestia's mane if you hurt her in any way I'll-"

"Pinkie Pie brought it upon herself, alright?! If you were her friend, you'd be back there consoling her- SHIT!" Dodging clouds at this height swiftly became tedious at this point. Dash was just barreling right through them, her speed barely flagging. Even as he twisted and turned, flying through maneuvers to lose pegasi, she gained on him.

"It's best to tackle a problem from the root, right?! I know you had something to do with this, now quit being such a goddess damn CRYBABY and-"

Coming to a very sudden halt, the black colt turned around. Dash had to take a sharp curve to stop herself before ramming into him.

Crimson glared at Dash through his tears, a growl creeping up his throat. "If you even went through HALF of what I've went through my entire life, you'd have probably gone mentally insane by this point! If there's one thing that I KNOW I'm not, it's a crybaby!"

"Your face coulda fooled me!" Rainbow Dash snapped back, though the fire in her eyes were starting to diminish. No way she was going to make that apparent though. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?! The only thing you've done around here is cry, cry, CRY! Give it up, Crimson, you're a wreck!"

"Why you..." The black colt couldn't help but grit his teeth at this point. "And maybe if mares just knew when to quit...."

"You're talking to the element of LOYALTY, jackass!" the cyan mare spewed. Good thing she was out of earshot from that cranky ol' donkey. "You should be grateful you actually have friends that even bother to put up with your sorry flank! Or are you too good for us?!"

"Shows how little you know! If anything, you guys are too good for me!" The pegasi were engulfed into a lengthy abyss of silence, both losing their will to protect their pride. "...I....I don't deserve you girls, alright? I don't think Pinkie gets that at all..."

".....She confessed, didn't she?"

Crimson sputtered, his left wing faltering for a half second before he stabilized."W-W-Wha-"

"Don't play dumb with me, dude." He wanted to deny everything, play it off as if she was dead wrong. That'd shut her up. Instead, Crimson kept completely silent, knowing full well that it was nothing but the truth. And boy the truth hurt. “I don’t know what happened, but judging by the looks of it, it didn’t go over smoothly.”

“Gee, what makes you say that...” the colt mumbled under his breath.

“Look, I know Pinkie might have come off as brash, but that’s who she is! But you know her, she’s practically a kid on the inside, I’d imagine she’s almost as experienced at this as you are.”

“How... how did you even-”

“Figure all of this out?” Dash finished for him with a cocky smirk. “Dude, it was kinda obvious! Pinkie talks non stop about you, she’s also extra dopey when you’re around, etcetera. She’s got it bad for you, and I really doubt I’m the only who noticed.”

Crimson felt the temperature of his cheeks rise. His eyes were stung by the cool breeze in the sky high above Ponyville, the tears still fresh on his face, though no longer streaming. He absolutely hated it, why has he been so emotionally vulnerable lately?

Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but let out a sigh, she was never exactly good with this sentimental crap. “So now that it finally happened, I can tell you this. Pinkie Pie is one of my best friends in the world, and it’d mean the world to me too to see her happy. It’s your choice on whether you actually want a relationship with her or not, but please, just be understanding and go easy on her if you decide she’s not for you. I’ve lost a good friend before, I really don’t want to see Pinkie end up turning into a big grump as well.” As she said this, she playfully slugged at the colt’s arm. “Though I doubt she’d ever make a big of a grump as you!”

Crimson gave her a warm smile. It surprisingly helped, reminding him of the good times he used to have with his old friends... “Heh... thanks for that I guess.”

“Meh, It’s nothing. Just don’t go all sappy on me, ‘kay?” the cyan mare winked. “Look, I’ll talk to Pinkie, but think about what I said, alright?”

The black colt simply nodded, to which Dash gave a quick wave of her hoof before she, well, dashed off at impressive speeds back the way they came. That just left Crimson alone in mid flight, a silence looming through the skies. It wasn’t a pleasant one either, more of an awkward silence, despite him being the only one around to experience it. Those mares really did feel like sisters to him....

After what seemed like hours, Crimson finally decided he might as well head back to the barn where he could get a good night’s sleep. Who cared if the Sun was still shining, it’s not like it wasn’t out to get him anyway....

****************************************************************************************************************

“Oh, Spike~!” The young dragon looked up at the sound of his name.

“Oh, hey, Sweetie Belle. You guys crusading again?”

“Uh... Yeah! And, well, we need your help... Can you help us? Please?”

“Well, I was going to go see if Twilight would let me back in the Library...”

Apple Bloom cut him off with a well practiced pout. “Please, Spike? We need a guy who’s strong, and y’all are always carryin’ around them big, heavy books, Cain’t y’all jus’ help us for a teensy, weensy li’l bit?” Sweetie’s eyes grew wide, shining with hope and the radiance of the Sun herself.

Spike, his ego being rather lavishly stroked, gave in after a second’s worth of thought. “Oh... fine, if you really need these babies to help you girls out,” he gave his rather small biceps a flex as he waggled an eyebrow, “I guess the Library could survive a few more hours without me.”

Inside the Everfree Forest, a great, lumbering star-bedecked beast was prowling around, looking for a tasty morsel. It stumbled upon a zebra who was meditating in a silent glade, and it smiled predatorily.

From the distance, an almost muted ‘YAY’ could be heard, causing Zecora to startle from her relaxed state. She looked up at the confused face of the Ursa Minor, whose ears were twitching, and silently made her way into the cover of the Forest. It seemed she owed her life to the over-exuberance of three young fillies, something that just thinking about gave her the willies...

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Oh come on now, AJ, don’t you think all this isn’t a bit.... excessive?”

The orange mare simply chuckled, tightening the bandages to her liking, something the energetic pink mare managed to let slip her mind. Well, that’s what a certain black colt told her anyway. “No more than needed, hon’.” Applejack planted her hooves firmly onto the soil. “There we are, they’ll be all good as new in no time! Ah have to wonder though, how in all of Equestria did these here cuts come ‘bout in the firs’ place?”

“Well,” The black colt awkwardly waddled like a turkey. Those bandages did a better job constricting his movement really. “I kinda let my guard down against this damn ninja punk. A mistake I definitely won’t make again...”

The mare tilted her head quizzingly. “...Ninja punk?”

“Oh, right. They’re just a band of rejects I wiped out around something something years ago. Who’s counting, right?” the black colt shrugged in a worry-less manor. “Anyway, the kid had skill, I’ll give him that. I was being too cocky I guess, these little scratches wouldn’t have happened if I just took him down from the start....”

“Ya sure we shouldn’t be a lil’ more concerned ‘bout this?” Applejack asked in a concerned, yet level headed tone. “The varmint’s still wanderin’ ‘round Ponyville, ain’t he? What if he starts causing’ even more trouble before he goes after you again?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Crimson carelessly waved a hoof, “one thing I was able to figure out about this guy is that he has a sense of honor, which is more than what I can say for a lot of ponies I’ve clashed with. And he may be naive, but he’s not exactly what I’d call stupid. He’ll be back, but it will most likely be a good time after he recuperates. So, rest assured my fine farm fellowed friend~!”

Crimson reached out and playfully patted Applejack’s blonde head with a hoof, which she swatted off with a giggle and a hefty blush over her muzzle. “Hehehe~, hold on there, pardner. Pinkie Pie sure is rubbing off on ya, ain’t she?”

“Heh, maybe!” Now that he thought about it, despite how crappy this day had been so far, Crimson really did feel a lot more at ease. Maybe all he really needed was to get away from the town for a little while, Celestia knows that just standing around in this orchard of vast amounts of land and apple trees was definitely more soothing to him. He always did like the outdoors. Or, maybe it was Applejack. She did seem to be the most down-to-earth pony he’s met in this town thus far, not to mention she was really calming just to talk with....

‘....Though Pinkie seems to really be more of rubbing up on-’ The black colt shook the thought as quick as equinely possible. How could any mare possibly be attracted to him, he just couldn’t get it! Thank Luna Applejack’s voice managed to snap him out of his thoughts before he managed to drive himself crazy.

“Actually, y’all already looked to be healin’ quite nicely....” The farm mare hummed, cupping her chin with a hoof as she the gears began to turn. “Hmm.... y’all even healed from yer lil’ scuffle wit’ that nasty ol’ Storm much quicker than the doctor expected ya too. Why do y’all suppose that is, sugercube?”

“I’ve never been entirely sure myself, AJ. I’ve always been a pretty quick healer, same with Storm. In fact, Wild Card and Glitch....” He had thought about it before, but the answer never made a lick of sense in the past. But maybe... “...It’s gonna sound weird, but I honestly think it has to do with my cutiemark. Everypony I know of with one of these cursed things has been known to take absolutely intense amounts of damage and be up and running maybe a few days later. At least that’s what I’ve come to notice anyway.”

“Well, ain’t that just mighty impressive?” Applejack praised with an honest smile, “Is there anythin’ else strange y’all got when yer cutiemark appeared?”

“I’m not all that sure, really. Even Glitch is still trying to figure these marks out. However, there is one thing...” Crimson’s eyes hardened as he directed his stoic glare towards the ground. “From what Vinyl told me, I was covered in these weird flames when I first got my cutiemark.”

“Flames?” AJ arched a brow with an absolutely puzzled look on her face. “That’s.... somethin’... Iffin’ y’all wouldn’t mind, Ah’d like to hear ‘bout how ya got yer cutiemark, if that’s fine with y’all o' course.”

“Wait, didn’t I already-” The black colt stopped in his tracks right there. Of course, Applejack wasn’t even there when he explained at breakfast. If he remembered right, she had to leave early for work or something. “Well, alright then. It all happened about eight years ago....”

By the time he actually managed to finish, the mare and the colt sat in the orchard, shrouded the nighttime sky that was only lit by Luna’s bright moon. Crimson was definitely sure he covered everything, which left a very silent Applejack, her mind racing a thousand miles a second with enough imagery to last a lifetime. “So, yer mark... is a one of the twelve astro-whatever signs?”

“Astrological signs,” the black colt corrected. “My sign is the Taurus, the second zodiac symbol and its sign represents the bull. Or, something...” Crimson scratched his head, not exactly too keen on the subject of his freakish mark. “Supposedly, the personality traits of a Taurus are that they're persistent; honest; patient; tough; realistic; steady; stubborn; and, well, loyal. Now that I think of it, you might actually be a Taurus, AJ.” the colt chuckled to himself.

Of course, like with anything, there were also some bad qualities with a Taurus like spitefulness, resentfulness, jealousy, and they can even sometimes be a bit lazy, but Applejack always seemed to shine with her better qualities to him. Her strength, laid back attitude, how dedicated she is towards her friends, family, and business,

Applejack could swear that the heat from her blush could light through the dark. ‘Ah’m.... like him?’ The same thought sung in her head over and over again. And to be honest, she didn’t really have a problem with it....

She snapped out of her train of thought when the black colt got back to his hooves and lightly stretched. “Heh, it sure has gotten dark out, maybe we should-”

“Oh, shoot!” the orange mare facehoofed, voice tinged with distress. “Ah was supposed to be out here applebuckin’ the trees! Ah’ve gotten so distracted lately-”

“Hey, calm down, AJ. I’m sure with the two of us we can-”

“Crimson, no.” Applejack cut off, “Ah appreciate the offer, but y’all are injured, I couldn’t let ya do that.”

“Aw, c’mon,” the black colt pleaded, “I’ve done a lot harder than this while injured. I’m sure I could-”

“No means no! An’ b’sides, this is mah responsibility, so Ah’ll handle it.”

“Well... alright then. Just remember that you can ask for my help anytime.” Crimson said with a disheartened tone in his voice, to which Applejack regretfully nodded.

It almost broke the farm mare’s heart to watch the colt turn his back and leave with a slightly saddened vibe about him. She didn’t want him to go, but she knew that she did the right thing. Or at least that’s what she kept telling herself, not that it helped or anything.

“Well... shit.” the black colt said aloud to nopony in particular as he slowly followed the dim lights of the farm back. ‘I swear, I take these mare too much for granted. Hm... maybe if I just-'

Thwock. “Yeeeeooooow!!”

“Applejack!” Crimson eyes grew three times their size, and he about-faced and sped back towards the farm mare, burning wounds be damned. He got to her not a minute later, AJ gripping one of her hind legs, excruciating pain written over her muzzle. “AJ! Are you alright?! What happened?!” The bandaged colt spread his wings defensively, his eyes flicking wildly around, looking for trouble.

“Grrk, settle down,” Applejack grunted. It looked as though she was trying to hide the hurt in her voice, though she wasn’t fooling anypony. “Ah musta not been thinkin’ straight when Ah kicked the tree. If ya buck them wrong y’all can really hurt yerself...”

“Here, Applejack, let me-”

“Ah’m fine, Crimson.” reassured Applejack with a fake smile. When she tried to stand right on her hooves however, she just ended up falling back to the ground with a thud and a pained hiss.

“That is not fine, AJ. And as your friend, fuck, as a stallion, I cannot let you sit there in pain. So,” he crouched down low beside the pained mare, “I’m gonna carry ya. The trees can wait, you can’t.”

Just as she was readying another stream of protests, Applejack felt herself being easily picked up off the ground and into the arms of the black colt. The mare could have sworn the heat from her face could start a fire. She definitely wasn’t used to this kind of thing unless she was the one doing it for her friends. Applejack felt so helpless, but yet, at the same time.... safe. As if all her worries flooded from her thoughts.

Before she knew it, she was draped across the colt’s back, her forelegs dangling uselessly on either side of his neck as he started to canter in the direction of the Apple Family Homestead. She couldn’t help but grab on tightly, the firmness of Crimson’s muscular frame causing her to blush even further. By the time they made it to the door, Applejack could have sworn her face was the reddest of any red delicious apples on the trees....

“Applejack! Oh, are ya alright there, sweetie?”

“I-It’s nothin’ Granny.” AJ stuttered to the elderly mare, as she was still dazed from embarrassment of it all. “Ah jus’ got clumsy an’ sprained mah leg. Ah’ll be fine!”

“Ah, well, sure is a good thing tha’ there coltfriend of yers was there to save y’all from havin’ to crawl yer way back, now ain’t it?”

“Granny Smith, he ain’t-”

“Oh, Ah’m jus’ playin’ wit ya, deary. Now let’s get y’all inside before ya break the nice colt’s back with yer weight.” Granny Smith let out a loud holler, leaving the orange mare further reddened in the muzzle, though with a feeling of anger mixed in with the heat.

“S-Sorry ‘bout that, Red. Sometimes she tends to crack jokes at the worst o’ times...”

“Well....” Crimson started with a noticeable smirk, “If it’s any consolation, you’re not that heavy.”

“Oh hush!” Applejack lightly smacked the colt upside the head, which made him begin laughing even harder. She tried to keep the furious look on her face, but soon it cracked into a smile and she burst into a fit of giggles as well. Crimson’s laughter came to an abrupt halt when he felt the mare give him a quick peck on the cheek, her soft lips causing his face to once again rise in temperature. “Jus’ a simple thank ya for helpin’ me out, even if Ah was a lil’ stubborn at first.”

“Oh, n-n-no problem at all! I’m grateful that you would even put up with my crap!” The colt nearly melted when he felt Applejack dig her chin into his shoulder, the warmth of her breath going through his fur sending jolts down his spine. ‘I need to calm down. It’s just sisterly affection, right? Nothing to worry about.... right? S-Star Bright acted the same way... right?’

When he got to the dining room, a sweet, sweet aroma began to flare inside the colt’s nostrils. Warm, sweet, a hint of cinnamon, and of course his favorite, apple-y....

Crimson made sure to gingerly lower Applejack into her chair before grabbing one himself right beside her. The burly red stallion was already in a seat across from them, a plate full of crumbs just below his face as he happily licked at his lips. That bundle of filly energy didn’t seem to be around, must have been with her friends or something.

Crimson’s mouth began to water at the sight of apple tart pastries on the silver platter. Though it looked like a good chunk was already devoured by now. As Granny Smith began passing out slices, the black colt had to wipe the drool rolling down his chin before anypony could take notice.

“Well, what’aya waitin’ fer, sonny? Yer gonna waste away inta nothin’ if y’all just stare it like that!” the old mare laughed.

Crimson had to smile at how much of a stereotypical grandmother she came off as. You know, the one’s kids actually looked forward to going to see. Always spoiling their grandkids for the simple pleasure of being a grandmother. “It looks great and all, Missus Smith, but I don’t wanna intrude on a family dinner. After all, I am kinda intruding just sleeping here-”

“Red,” Crimson turned his head to see a deadpanned Applejack holding a fork of tart up to the colt’s mouth. “Shut up and eat.”

On cue, the black colt’s stomach gave off a gut wrenching growl, that he was sure even Granny Smith’s hearing was good enough to catch. He did only have an apple today- which he didn’t even get to finish, his empty stomach making it literally painfully obvious.

“Go on. Eat.” the orange mare pestered on. Did she expect him to eat it off her fork....

Crimson could feel a blush coming up, and it didn’t help when he shakily leaned over and brought his mouth up to the fork. When he finally caught the piece of tart in his mouth.... wow. The crust wasn’t too crunchy, and wasn't too chewy either. He tasted hints of cinnamon, just as he guessed, and the sweet bits of chopped up apple were a rich, flavorful touch. Crimson was never much into sweets, but it was one of- hell, it was the best damn tart he ever had! He really needed to ask that Granny Smith exactly how she did it, though he doubted he could making anything nearly this perfect....

The rest of dinner went fortunately well actually. Most of the time was just spent eating, but there was plenty of just regular small talk every now and then. Most of Crimson’s time however was consumed with the apple tart. At one point, Applejack stopped halfway through and offered the rest of her’s to Crimson. It didn’t matter how many times he refused, AJ wouldn’t let up. After he relented, the colt was fork fed by Applejack once again. It seemed to really make her happy though, so, he himself happily- and awkwardly- obliged.

“Thanks fer the meal, Granny, but Ah gotta go. Cheerilee expects me to be at her place soon, don’t wanna leave the lady waitin’.” Big Macintosh got to his hooves and gave a quick nod to Crimson before making his way to the door.

“Tha’ boy doesn’t wanna admit it, but he sure has the hots fer that school teacher.” Granny Smith chuckled, as she got up from her chair, and, unknowingly, stepped down on the black colt’s tail... “Ah remember when Ah was spry as a chicken! Young love even got to me at the time.”

Granny Smith sighed to herself. Crimson tried to hold his whimper, mostly because she was still standing on his tail... “Ah fell fer a muscly stallion by the name of Jonagold. Such a sweet feller. He was always willin’ to help the family out , ‘specially when Ah wasn’t feelin’ at mah best. He was real shy to boot, an’ eventually he warmed up to me.... Alrighty now, Ah’m plum tuckered out. Good night you two~!”

‘Oh thank Luna!’ His poor tail throbbed in agony when the elderly mare finally made her way to bed. As he was getting up, Crimson looked over to Applejack still in her chair, muzzle a very noticeable red, eyes locked in deep thought towards... nothing in particular really. He hadn’t really noticed at the time, but during the story, Applejack was rather... quiet. “Yo Applejack.... you alright?”

“...Red...” She slowly brought her gaze over to the colt. If he didn’t know any better, Crimson could have sworn he saw a twinkle in her emerald green eyes. “...Have ya ever had....well, feelings fer somepony? Y’know... romantic ones?”

What in Equestria.... “Well...” Crimson scratched at the back of his head, face now close to the same shade of red. “In Case you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly a lady’s colt y’know, not that I honestly care. Most of them are too intimidated to even get close to me.”

Crimson gave a small laugh, but the mare simply stayed silent, obviously not finding that very funny. “Well Ah honestly don’t see how ya think no mare has ever shown y’all any interest before! Ya always keep yer cool, yer very fit, an’ girls go crazy fer colts that don’t show signs of interest. Plus... y’all make yerself out to be some sort of bad guy, but honestly, Ah’ve seen such a sweet, hard workin’, and loyal stallion in ya that many stallions jus’ can’t pull off.”

That.... was possibly one of, if not the nicest thing anypony has ever told him before. Crimson never held himself with high regards, yet here was this mare he he’d only known for about a week showering him with praises. His blush only intensified at her words, but, it wasn’t something he minded her seeing for some reason.... “....Wow. Thank you, Applejack. Just.... thank you.”

“Well, somepony had to say it.” Applejack smiled, which the colt had to admit did make her rather attractive. “An’...” the farm mare pulled her stetson over her eyes. “Ah always thought y’all were really cute....”

It was hard to tell whose blush burned brighter -Applejack’s or Crimson’s, as the silence grew from a pair of legs and a fancy mustache and offered the two ponies a nice table at the awkward table. ‘................Cute?’ There was no fucking way he just heard that right....

“Red?”

Crimson looked back over to the mare, who seemed to be sliding her hoof in little circles on the wooden floor, desperately trying to keep eye contact with the colt. “Ah.... Ah may have left out a lil’ ‘bout last night....”

‘Oh no.’

“Well, Ah recall that y’all said ya really like animals, that ya cheered me up an’ made me look past mah insecurities, that y’all got sad when a certain somepony was mentioned an, well....” Applejack was sure the light from her blush could probably lead long lost sailors all the way back home from miles away. “....Ah can remember that Ah kissed ya and made ya feel better. But Ah didn’t lie about not knowing what happened before we went to sleep, Ah can’t remember anything after that kiss.... An’ y’all know what.... Ah couldn’t care in the slightest.”

Applejack brought her head back up and gave the sweetest, shyest smile Crimson had seen from her yet. It was absolutely adorable... but there was something he just couldn’t get.... “So.... h-have you ever had... feelings for anypony?”

Applejack nodded her head confidently. “An’ y’all know what? H-He makes me feel.... beautiful, an’ jus’ so good about myself, like Ah’m the only mare in the world that matters. Everytime Ah see him Ah feel so warm, an’ Ah wanna always spend every wakin’ minute with him....” She didn’t think she could act so mushy, but she just had to get this off her shoulders. She took a big, deep breath, and... “Ah... Ah love you, Crimson.”

Crimson’s breath hitched in his throat, and all that managed to get past was a sort of strangled humming noise, that can only be spelled like this: “hnnnnnnngh.”

….There was just no way..... The black colt never thought he’d ever hear that word again. What did he ever do to deserve it? Hell, what did he even do to deserve to have such wonderful friends like these? Or even deserve their approval of him, a place to stay, warm meals, all the affection he wasn’t even used to? To be treated like a regular pony for once, as if he wasn’t something other than a... a monster? Really......... nothing came to mind.

“....I... I don’t get it.” Crimson said outloud. “You’ve only known me for maybe a week. I’m dangerous, a criminal, a murderer, and a bloodthirsty monster. Applejack, I guarantee you that if you knew how I was really like, you’d keep your distance as far away as possible. Hell, you’d probably want me wiped off the face of Equestria like everypony else.”

“Crimson....” Just his words, they alone genuinely hurt the mare deeply. How could he call himself those things, and speak of himself so horribly, as though he accepted it as the truth? But it was the truth. She’d be able to tell if he was lying, and there was definitely not even a tinge of doubt in his voice. “Crimson, Ah don’t care just how bad y’all say ya are! Ah’ve seen first hoof evidence that yer nothing like how you make yourself out to be. Ah love ya almost ta death, Red.”

…..Déja vu. He remembered exactly how this went the last time. So, Crimson just released the breath he felt he was holding for centuries now, to make sure he avoided everything from happening a second time. “Well.. I’m not sure how I feel to be honest. I’ve always thought of you girls more like sisters than anything.”

“Jus’ take yer time, Red. Ah can understand if y’all wanna sort out yer feelings first before we think about actually making anythin’ outta this.” The orange mare gave a warm smile, but started to grow uncomfortably timid while she fought herself for the courage to ask just one more question. “Ah- Ah don't wanna sound too forward, but.... C-can we, I mean, would’ya like t-ta kiss?”

“Uh.... I.... I dunno, I'm not comfortable with kissing, really....” Crimson’s heart was beating a mile a minute, his breathing growing a bit more rapid at even just the thought.

“H-How ‘bout, um... o-on the cheek? I-Is that fine with y’all any? Ah-Ah mean Ah won’t do it if ya don’t feel comfortable-”

“Applejack.” The colt cut off her rambling with a somewhat strict tone. Had she gone too far with that one, or possibly pushed him unintentionally? As the seconds turned into minutes, Crimson finally responded with a small, hesitant nod. She... She honestly didn’t think he’d say yes.

With a small grunt, Applejack got up from her chair, completely disregarding the leg she had sprained. Did... did she lie about it to let herself be carried? The answer was given when Crimson managed to catch an unbelievably subtle wince on her face. Was she... ignoring the pain... just for him?

Finally, the black colt felt his face heat up once more when he heard a small chu~. Applejack kept her lips on his cheek for a surprisingly long amount of time, the soft feeling of her warm lips made him quiver, but yet at the same it felt.... nice. Meanwhile, Applejack was fighting with herself to decide when she should break it. Deep inside, she didn’t want to settle on just a kiss on the cheek. She wanted to shower him with nothing less than her love and affection, to give the colt everything she had to offer. But she knew that with Crimson, one wrong move could end any chances of something happening between the two. Forever...

After what felt like eons, the mare finally parted her lips from his cheek, as both once again fought to see who could blush the hardest. “....Ah think Ah should be hitting the hay right ‘bout now. Good night, Crimson.”

“.....Here, let me walk you to your room.” Applejack complied, her heart aflutter even though she’d been turned down. She was glad she’d been as calm as she could about telling him, no tellin’ how he woulda reacted if she’d done something closer to her normal behavior.

*****************************************************************************************************************

The pink mare simply laid in her bed, feeling as though she wasn’t going to be sleeping tonight. Had she really lost her chances... forever? She wanted to cry, but her tear ducts felt too swollen to produce anything from overuse. ‘Red... I-’

The mare almost jumped out of her bed when a split second shadow flashed near her window. “Calm down, Pinkie Pie. It was probably only a little spider or something...”

The pink mare rolled over in her bed, pulling the covers up tight around her withers. As she drifted off to sleep, her ear twitched, her stomach gurgled, and a single tear rolled out of her right eye. ‘Well, looks like somepony else is gonna be heartbroken. Just like me... I should... help cheer them... up...’ The mare snoozed on peacefully as a shadowy figure slowly descended from the ceiling, a smile clear on her face.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor’s Note: Heya, everybody, it’s AntVenom here, and today we have another Minecraft video! Okay, no, not really, but you gotta love the guy! In all seriousness, this was a pretty great chapter. Flame and myself did our best to move the two mares’ love for Red into the light, as well as give another example of exactly why he thinks they wouldn’t like him if they really got to know him. We don’t wanna make our Main Character into a Mary Stu, now do we?

Chapter Twelve: The Webs We Weave

Chapter Twelve: The Webs We Weave

'There's just.... no way....'

Silence engulfed every corner of the murky room. He couldn't see much, though it’s not like his eyes focused on anything in particular anyway. Instead, the same thoughts constantly rang in his head as the black colt lay wide awake in the Apple family guest bed. 'Just.... no way.... Those mares have to be delusional or something.'

He tried shifting to his side; maybe he could drift to sleep if he got more comfortable. But to no avail, Crimson was still consumed by the constant thoughts repeating over and over again. It seemed weird, considering just how exhausting this entire day had been, mentally just as tiring as physically. 'I mean they just met me, right? Even that should be long enough for them to realize that I'm trouble. That I'm a criminal. That... That I'm a trained and hired killer. If they knew who I really am, deep down, they wouldn't even....'

He could still hear those ear piercing screams, those pathetic pleas for life, the sounds of flesh tearing open, bones shattering and dislocating until it became too much for them to get away. It wasn't hard for Crimson to keep a clear picture of those days, where if the boss said "slice", he'd only ask "how deep". Never why. And really, he could sympathize with his victims, but not pity them. Even to this day. It was do or die, survival of the fittest, and none of them even held the slightest significance in his eyes.... All except for one.... That one exception.

Crimson didn't even notice until he felt his pillows stained at the cheeks of his face, as he began to wipe at the tears for fear that he could lose himself once again. He wanted to rid himself of these Celestia forsaken emotions at all cost, which was something that those mares were making a challenge for him.

I love you I love you I love you I love you! I love you so much it hurts!

“Pinkie Pie....”

Every time Ah see him Ah feel so warm, an’ Ah wanna always spend every wakin’ minute with him.... Ah... Ah love you, Crimson.

“Applejack....”

To be perfectly honest, he really didn’t have any romantic feelings towards either of them. Or, at least he didn’t think he did. If anything, those damn mares were like sisters to him. Crimson couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of ever being roped into a relationship. Not just with them, but... anypony. ‘Dammit! Love is the reason I’m fucked up as it is! It just leaves you filled with weaknesses and openings! I’ll breathe my last breath on the battlefield if I have something to say about it-’

Crimson felt his ear flick at what seemed to be an almost inaudible pitter patter noise coming from where he guessed was his room. He looked down only to find the culprit to be a maybe inch long at most arachnid with a noticeable red hourglass shaped marking on its hindquarters.

“Oh, cool, a black widow,” the black colt murmured, his eyes growing wide. Even Storm would jump at the sight of one of these babies. Crimson couldn’t understand some ponies, spiders were one of the coolest, most creepy animals on the face of Equestria; they were like stealthy little hunters that nopony wanted to mess with! But then again, when did Crimson ever say he could honestly understand anypony? “Alrighty, ya little bastard,” whispered the fascinated colt, “Climb onto my hoof for a sec. Okay?”

The spider obediently obliged, crawling onto the colt’s fur that almost matched that of the spider. Crimson made sure not to make a sudden movement as he reached over and slid open the nearest window, letting the eight-legged creature crawl onto the barn wall before he re-slid the window shut. ‘There we go. The little guy could have been in real danger- er, a real danger if it had stayed here too much longer.’

As he headed back towards the fluffy mattresses in order to uselessly attempt to finally snooze off, the black colt’s ears began to flick at yet another sound, this one much louder than a simple pitter patter.... Instead, it was more like a crash.

And if he knew any better, Crimson could have sworn that it was from the room that belonged to-

“Applejack!”

The colt galloped as fast as his legs mixed with boiling fear could carry him, the orange mare the one and only thing to preoccupy his thoughts.

‘W-What if she fell down and seriously hurt herself?! Or worse, somepony from the company...’

The speeding Crimson didn’t bother to finish that though. In truth, he really didn’t want to. When the colt finally slammed his way into the farm mare’s room, all of his worries and more seemed to come to a silent halt, his crimson eyes the size of dinner plates as this point

“She’s.... gone.”

‘But, how?’ As he steered his head in every possible direction, the answer became shockingly clear when he spotted her trademark stetson still placed peacefully on her nightstand, and what looked to be an overgrown spider web coating an opened window....

“What in the....” Crimson dropped the thought before he could end up losing track, better to worry about the sticky webbing on the window later... right?

As time went by, the colt was starting to get... suspicious. Of what, you ask? The fact that nopony else in the house ran in to check about the loud noise....

‘Uh oh....’

Once again darting into the next bedroom, Crimson found that the little filly the residence was still fast asleep. “Weird,” the colt said to nopony in particular, “She must be a damn heavy sleeper. I mean she’s completely still for Luna’s sake. Completely.... still.......”

Sudden realization dawned on Crimson, as he galloped over to check if the filly was even still breathing.... “....Whew~, still alive! For a second I.... thought.........”

Stopping in mid sentence, his ears couldn’t help but flick at a familiar pitter patter noise coming from somewhere inside Apple Bloom’s bedroom. One that sounded similar, if not exactly like the pitter patter of a.... black widow spider....

“......Oh shit.”

It was an easy time for Crimson to find the spider, but this time, he just killed it. He had more important things to do than worry about one spider.

********************************************************************************************************

“Empty....”

The black colt simply stared into the empty studio apartment, a certain pink pony not soundly sleeping in her bed, or taking a late night shower, or even in the kitchenette stuffing herself with tons of late night pastries before hitting the hay -metaphorically of course. She was gone, and it was likely all his fault...

The only evidence that anypony was even here was the cool night’s breeze that the open window of Sugarcube Corner was letting. Either Pinkie Pie neglected to close it back up after their little.... scene, or whoever was in here was pretty sloppy.

What Crimson found to be interesting was a sheathed katana leaning against the wall. “I....I must have forgot it when... well...” Crimson simply let out a disheartened sigh as he eyed the sword. That is, until something else managed to catch the colt’s eye.

Red went to the window and looked out, the barest of gleams wafting on the night’s gentle breeze as a single strand of webbing caught his eye. He followed it up until his eyes met with a truly horrific sight.

“Oh, sweet Luna ride me like a rodeo, what the fuck is...” The ceiling was covered in a large, intricate spider web, and along the bottom of it ran words that had been weaved with no attention to detail. It said:

Crimson, the mares are Mine!

Crimson watched in horrified curiosity as the letters started quivering and shuddering. A pitter patter that was all too familiar started softly, but grew to an alarming level before millions upon millions of black widow spiders descended from the tattered message, all hoping for a meal.

Time slowed to a crawl as Red relaxed completely. His body stopped shaking, but his heart throbbed painfully, until... it broke. “Allllright, that’s it,” he snarled as he looked up at the swarm of deadly arachnids, tears of fury starting to trickle down his muzzle. “I’m gonna destroy ALL OF YOU!”

~~~

Cup Cake startled awake at the sound of somepony yelling. “Dear, Carrot, wake up. I think Pinkie’s had a nightmare again.” Carrot Cake groaned as he rolled back over.

“We just got home, sweet pea, I don’t want to deal with Pinkie Pie til the morning, okay?” Cup sighed at her husband’s behaviour, but got out of bed, if only to make sure the twins were alright. A crash sounded, as if something ceramic had broken, and Cup stopped outside of Pinkie’s door, listening as somepony- not Pinkie- growled and jumped around.

********************************************************************************************************

“Hehehe~! Yes.... you two will make great bait.” the twisted mare let out a chuckle, admiring her handiwork as two mares- one pink, one orange- struggled to rip through the silky cocoon that held the two from the neck down. “Or of course, if you’d like, maybe you two could be the main dish.~”

“YMM BMM MMMNNRR MM MNNRRSN!!!” the completely bound pink mare tried to scream, though it didn’t do her much good with the her mouth completely covered in the same material she was currently wrapped in. From what she guess, the orange mare right beside her managed to translate it out to: “YOU BIG MEANIE MC MEANERSON”, or somewhere along those lines.

“For the love of all that is-” the cloaked mare groaned through her hoof, “Even when you’re gagged and bound you’re still annoying. You sure better hope your boy-toy pulls through...”

"Y'all might as well give while yer ahead," Applejack snarled in rebellion, which she guessed only seemed to widen the hooded mare's smirk. "He'll be 'ere, an' when he is he'll wipe that smug look right off yer face!"

"Hehe~, oh really now?" The farm mare's bravado began to falter as the hitmare knelt down near and began to playfully poke at her weaves with a hoof. Applejack could feel herself leaning back and forth, no surface behind her as she was only balanced by a single hoof.

"H-Hey! C-Cut that out!" The sternness in her tone was beginning to quiver, almost turning blue in the face as her heart started beating a mile a minute. Her surroundings weren't very inviting; they were near the bottom of the hill where the cliff over Ghastly Gorge ended, the bridge spanning it still not completed. Applejack was feeling dizzy just looking at it. This damsel in distress crap really wasn't for her.... "A-Ah'm not gonna be m-much of bait if 'Ah'm already dead, now am Ah?”

“Well now, that is true....but,” The orange mare had just gotten finished catching her breath too... “I only need one of you anyway. So behave now, or one of you will be pretty hard to clean up!~” The number of scowls only went up, resulting in another wicked frenzy laughter. That is, until-

SHUNK!

If the mare would have jerked her body back a second later she’d probably be missing a hoof. In between the hitmare and her captured prey was a long, black katana half way through the rocky surface.

Her playful demeanor was now long gone for the moment, replaced instead with a look of dread and anticipation. The mare cautiously scanned the area, but as far as she could tell, there wasn't another pony anywhere to be found-

“RRD!!!”

‘Wait, was that the pink one’s-’

A mix of shock and fear in her gasp, she whirled herself around to find herself facing a black coated stallion where the sword had previously stuck, his crimson orbs aflame with fury as he tightly gripped the hilt with a hoof.

“N-No way! So fas- ACK!”

The words cut short when the clash of the colt’s forehead against hers sent the mare soaring ten feet through the air, luckily managing to slide back to her hooves onto the rocky surface before she could lose her balance. His glare only intensified, as Crimson took the time to size up his now uncloaked opponent:

She was an earth mare, her coat a solid charcoal-black almost to the point of matching the colt’s; her eyes were a golden shade of amber, which was accompanied by her red eyeshadow. The mare’s most peculiar traits were a tie between the small fangs protruding from her clenched teeth as her pearly, snowy-white mane that just passed her withers flowed freely in the nighttime breeze.

“So,” the black colt started with a faint, yet mocking smirk, “I take it that you’re the rookie that took my place after I left? How sad...”

The mare’s snarl slowly contorted into a wild grimace, her grin wide enough to give a full display of her fangs. "Sad?” she echoed. “You wanna know what I’d call sad? Managing to get two confused, helpless mares love struck for you and screwed into your problems.” Silk String cooed, earning her not one, not two, but three different death stares, only making her toothy smile even bigger. "Colts like you are the reason I'm known as the Black Widow. But, you can call me Silk String if you so please."

'Black Widow, the colt killer? What could she possibly gain being with the Akuma? And what could she want with me?’

The thoughts swam through the black colt's mind, as he picked his black blade out of the ground, slicing the pink mare’s mouth covering clean off, resulting with a high pitched “EEK!” on her end. "I couldn’t care less who you are. Hand over the antidote for the venom, and maybe I'll spare you of a gruesome execution."

Silk simply chuckled to herself in amusement. "No need. Boss would have my head if I used anything more than a paralyzer on those weaklings. At most, the fools will wake up a little grumpy, but in the long run won't even know what hit them. But enough about that," her fangs jet out proudly, more than a dozen tiny black bodies with legs started to reveal themselves from behind her. Crimson's ears twitched numerously, the constant pitter patter once again filling his eardrums with the sounds as more and more began to show up. "If you want to get to me, you'll have to go through my babies first.~"

Crimson growled, jumping back as a wave of spiders crawling out of cracks in the ground tried to engulf him. His sword was quickly losing its effective edge- literally, as the spiders that didn’t die from the blade would coat it in webbing as it sailed past. “Dammit!” He could only watch from the corner of his eye as a string connected to the bound pink and orange mares was pulled, propelling them to where the current cloaked mare silently chuckled to herself.

"Dammit dammit DAMMIT! I've had it with these stupid spiders! How's about a little fanning down?!" Crimson slid his blade back into the sheath and, unbuckling it from his tool belt, held the sheathed katana out in front of him and began to spin. The faster it spun the more it did it's job of blowing the little arachnids off with what was comparable to a miniature twister.

"Hehe, what power too." Following the amused female voice, the black colt looked.... up? Once he did, Crimson found that the deranged, upsidedown mare had tied the string over a tree branch hanging over the ledge, her two hostages dangling panicky, only forty feet between them and certain end.... "Hope you don't mind, but I thought it'd be better to move these two someplace more.... interesting."

"You cunt...." The black colt could have sworn that the air itself was boiling from the heat of his anger.... "There isn't a thing in the world that would make them deserve something like this! Leave them out of this already!"

"Oh no no no, where'd the fun be in that? It'd just be a pointless battle, you wouldn't come back even if I had to drag you. At least this way, I have an edge...."

“So much as touch a hair on their heads and I'll fuckin-"

"....R-Red....." Pinkie's tears poured freely as a waterfall, looking as though she was going to crack any second now. "I.... I'm sorry, for everything! But please.... help us...."

"It's alright, Pinkie. Red'll pull through this an' win..." Applejack used her words to ease the pink mare hanging next to her, though she looked just as petrified herself. Emerald green eyes locking with his, Crimson could easily detect the fear placed in them that she desperately attempted to hide. "Ah may be a mite stubborn when askin' fer stuff like this but.... please, Red. We could really use yer help right 'bout now...."

At this point, Crimson could have been shaking either from the pressure, or just the rage fueling his body. Why should some of the first two mares to ever treat him as if he weren't a freak of nature feel guilty for his mistakes? And why should they have to pay for them as well? Despite the ever growing thoughts swirling in his head, the black colt's glare towards the arachnid-like pony didn’t falter in the slightest. In fact, it might just as well have done quite the opposite...

“....Quit worrying your pretty little heads,” the colt practically shot steam through his nostrils, “She’ll be dog food when I’m through with her.”

“Oh ho ho~, really now?” the black mare gave a cocky smirk, “And how do you think you’re going to pull that off wrapped like a mummy? Really, it looks like somepony already beat me to the punch.”

In the midst of his anger, Crimson forgot that most of his torso was wrapped in bandages. Really, what had it mattered to him? Though the girls will just nag the colt to death if he goes and gets his wounds from earlier all opened up again... 'Hmph, what is there to worry about? She's just some rookie they got to replace me. And I'll be the one to make sure she knows that too.'

A small scoff escaped from Silk String’s lips when she noticed the black colt preparing an offencive sword stance. The beaming mare could hardly contain herself, a new challenge and a new slab of meat to be fed to her babies once she was done with him. Once the mare finished scaling her way down the hill -which she seemed to be a natural at, she stared down her prey, taking up a stance that almost mimicked an arachnid getting ready to pounce.

“So, have anything you’d like to say before I tear you limb from limb?”

“Hmm.... Nah, I’m not the most talkative pony,” Red readied himself, his eyes glued to his opponent with a bloodthirsty glare. “I’d rather have my sword do the talking. I’m sure it has much more to say right now than I do.”

“Hehe, suit yourself, just don’t blame me when I-”

Silk ducked down to avoid the first slash from the enraged colt. Looked like he really was done talking. He was fast, Silk could barely dodge the rapid swings of Crimson’s black bladed katana, he definitely knew how to use that thing, and with such proficiency. Counting her lucky stars, Silk made a small leap, landing forehooves first onto the blade and swung her back leg at the colt, landing a hit on his pretty little face. She backflipped to gain some distance, surprised to find that the colt barely even moved an inch from the collision from her blow. If she hadn’t known any better, Silk String could have sworn he was... smiling?

“Really now,” Crimson chuckled, wiping the stray blood running down his cheek with a hoof, “Your blows are so soft, are we having a pillow fight?”

“D-Dammit,” a pissed off, shaken Silk String muttered to herself. Why... why did her leg suddenly feel warm, as though it had been caught in an oven? “Don’t get cocky, you stupid colt. This fight has only just begun.”

“Ha! Who says I need to feel cocky against you? I’m just getting warmed up!”

And with that, Crimson made yet another charge towards her, sword positioned behind him ready to swing. She’d make sure to follow his movements carefully this time, she... “What?!” Silk gasped. He... vanished. Completely and utterly vanished from sight. She began to slowly back up, eyes scanning her surroundings until-

“Yo.”

The black colt slammed a hoof into the dazed mare, who luckily managed to block with both of her forehooves to cushion the blow, though the impact itself was enough to send her flying a good ten feet. As achy as her hooves now were, Silk dug them into the ground to bring herself to a sliding halt. As a counter defence, Silk shot from her mouth a hefty blob of what looked to be silk of some sort. As it neared, it began to shift into a net-like webbing. Crimson waited for just the right moment before he slashed through the base, splitting the spider web in half, the two remaining pieces flying off to separate ways past the black colt.

"....Impressive," the mare went on with a sweat drop, her face a look between amusement and utter shock. "Heh, though it doesn't look as if you'll be using that sword anytime soon.~"

She was right; there was an absolutely thick coat of silk surrounding the edges of the black blade. The katana wasn't going to do much cutting in the state it was, so the colt figured he might as well just leave it in it's smooth, yet tough red sheath at this point. "You act as if I need to dirty my sword to deal with somepony of your caliber."

"So you still think you're gonna win this, hm?" Silk String chuckled to herself, "Well then, guess we'll just have to kick it up a notch, shall we?"

"Yeah, let's." Glaring metaphorical daggers towards his opponent, Crimson reached into his belt and withdrew what appeared to resemble that of a steel nail. Really, it was only around eight inches long, though he grasped it in his hooves as though it were a weapon of it's own.

Crimson readied himself for what he guessed was going to be another web shot again. Looked like his guess was correct, as a similar glob of web soared through the air and quickly formed itself into yet another web of silk. The net drew closer to it's mark, closer, closer....

'NOW.' With the nail clasped between his hooves, Crimson swung as if he were trying to smack a speed ball with a baseball bat. The “nail” wasn’t looking so small anymore however, growing significantly in size, revealing it to be what looked like an enormous steel spiked club, which even rivaled the colt in size. The weight of the club easily overpowered the web, causing it to smash apart from it’s original state.

‘A magic enchanted weapon? Interesting choice, Crimson Shadow.’ Silk took a large breath before spitting out three more web shots at a time. All seemed pointless in the long run, as the black colt swatted away the first two shots, the club getting larger with each swing. Crimson leapt over the third, despite the weapon he wielded being now over three times his size.

But he wasn’t done just yet.

Crimson had leapt to a height rivaling even some of the canyons in the gorge, and still in midair, prepared to smash the giant club right into the ground. "You wanna be a spider, huh?! Well I guess this'll be the newspaper I'll use to squash you with!!!"

‘Shit, he might end up leveling half of this chunk of land with a blow like that!’ Thankfully, the mare was a quick thinker. Galloping between two wide, crevice like hills, Silk pinpointed the place of impact of the spiked club’s landing and launched a voluminous blob of silk from her mouth, besting the size of her other nets by far.

She continued to pour more and more silk into this one until it looked to resemble a large, white trampoline, which actually managed to capture and halt the blow of the giant club being swung down overtop, the gust from the impact still strong enough to nearly sweep the spider-like mare literally right off her hooves. Though it looked as though the colt was still far from finished. Crimson steadied himself on the handle of the club and kicked off, shooting himself off at a powerful velocity. Worry was starting to overcome the mare; she knew that there was no countering a hit from that speed, so leaping out of the way seemed to be the most logical option.

Just in the nick of time, she managed to cut the remaining silk in her mouth that connected to the large web with her teeth, as well as avoid getting crushed by the force of the colt’s punch, the fissures forming in the ground below didn’t look to be as lucky however. As the dust and debris were beginning to clear, two demonic, glowing crimson orbs seemed to be the only things visible through the smoke, easily sending a jolt down the black mare's spine.

“I-I’ve had enough of this!” snarled Silk, reaching into her cloak, “You wretched stallion! I’ll make sure of it that you’ll be on the floor writhing in pain. Just you wait.”

The mare reached and pulled out of her cloak a pair of chained sickles, wielding one in each hoof, as she took hold by the lengthy metal chains and began to spin them to gain striking power. The blades themselves looked like they could cut you just from looking at them too long... “Now come on, Crimson Shadow! Let me take those rumors and bury them six feet under with the rest of you!”

The colt sidestepped the first blade and ducked under the second, followed by a cartwheel when the blades were pulled back to try and take a surprise hit from behind. With only a single hind leg, he kicked off the surface of one of the crevice walls and began to wall run on the opposite wall. Kicking off a final time, Crimson spun and slammed his hind leg onto the mare, who only just barely managed to block with both hooves. She couldn't keep it up much longer, seeing as there was a crater forming under her, so Silk kicked at one of the sickle's chains until the blade itself came around and nearly sliced right through the colt... well, if not for the fact that he practically vanished with his blinding speed yet again.

“D-Dammit! Where’d he-”

“Missing something?”

“GUH!!! Stay still!!!” Silk growled, attempting to swing behind her to make sure the colt can’t get away. Crimson dodged both the sickle’s blades and grasped the chain that connected them, twisted, and pulled at the chains. The mare could only let out a blood curdling yell as she was now being strangled at the waist by the very chains she wielded.

“So, look who’s calling the shots now?” the black colt gave a discomforting smirk, all while trying to stifle a laugh. “Well? Aren’t you gonna convince me why I shouldn’t squeeze your organs out your ass? Sure would be a great technique if somepony wanted to go on a diet, huh?”

“G-Go to fu-AUGH!”

“Ah ah ah, that’s not how you negotiate with an international murderer.” He retorted like a smartass, only watching with a smirk as the colt-killer gasped for air and wavered, looking ready to lose consciousness. He was tempted to pull tighter, and really what was stopping him? Not many can actually say that they’ve literally squeezed the life outta someone... ‘Oh right, the girls are still watching. Dammit, guess I’ll just finish her off quickly then.’

Welp, this was going to be no fun. Crimson unsheathed his oh so infamous katana, making sure to wipe the sticky silk off to make sure for a clean kill. Though before he could even bring the blade over...

“W-What the- Where the hell’d she go?!” He scanned the chains for maybe some sort of explanation of how Silk could have escaped, but... the only thing Crimson could find was... dead skin? ‘What in Celestia’s name is-’

His ear flicked when he heard the subtle clacking of the chains sliding ever so slightly before two familiar sickles rained down from the sky, Crimson reacting in time for them to smack onto his blade. The chain was yanked once again, the black colt losing his sword before he could tighten his grip on the handle, resulting in the katana flipping off somewhere far back and sticking in a nearby rock. And the sickles didn't look finished either, both swooping around in an crossed like formation, which Crimson managed to duck and watch as they stuck onto both crevice walls.

"Heheheh~, miss me?" the familiar voice of the cloaked mare sneered. Crimson followed the voice up to see that she was yet again hanging upside down on a thin, bridge like section of the walls, somehow only sticking to the surface with her hind legs.... "Well well, look who's cornered now?"

"W-What the hell are you-"

Crimson was cut off when Silk jerked her head back, resulting in the colt letting out a small grunt. He couldn't see it at first, but as he looked closer he could somewhat make out a trail almost invisible wires tangled at the ends of the sickles, making it's way around various directions of the narrow crevice, and what looked to be tangled around the black colt's midsection, all the strings leading right in between the twisted mare's teeth...

"Grk! When did she-?" Then, it hit the colt like an entire sack of bricks to the face. The strings must have been making their way around on the blades since she pulled out those sickles, it was a trap.... And he fell right into it. The infuriated stallion began to thrash around, growling and wildly attempting to snap through Silk's bindings to no avail. "Dammit, you fucking bitch!"

"Like it?" the mare giggled with a smug grin, "That's the thinnest string I can weave, and the more you struggle, the more it'll just wear you down. And not to mention the tighter it gets..."

Crimson was too blinded by rage to even care about what she had to say. Any signs of exhaustion on the colt's part was even less visible than the string that bound him, growling and letting off enraged roars, his entire body shaking rapidly from the stress until...

"No...." Silk String muttered to herself, "He can't be trying to- there's just no way...."

Finally, an audible SNAP echoed over the canyon walls as the black colt's forearms tore through the string, free once more. Not only that, but there looked to be faint singe marks apparent on the webbed strings where Crimson's body was once tied.

"Impossible! There's no colt alive who could break through my-"

Before she even had time to blink, the mare was literally staring death in the face; Crimson's muzzle not far from her's, and dilated, animalistic eyes tearing through her own better than any blade could dream of doing. She had just enough time to block the furious colt's swipe before the earth mare shot through the sky, smashing right through the beam she once stood on. Even piercing through solid rock was less painful than taking a hit from that monster, despite the fact she was guarding. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse....

"And just where do you think you're going?!"

Silk looked down to her horror to see that the colt tore the bandaging off his own previous wounds and had draped it around his hoof, and as he yanked it, the mare noticed that part of the said bandages were wrapped around her waist....

'Oh no...' Before she could even make an effort to cut herself free, her entire body was jerked until her face met with Crimson's mighty hoof, sending her crashing back to the ground at insane speeds that would make something Goku would do look tame. Wait... ponies wouldn’t get that reference. Oh well, it’s been writ, so writ it shall stay. Now, back to the show, here on Miguzi!

Once the dust cleared, the black mare didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, only a narrow tunnel in the middle of a large crater that lead straight down where Silk's body once landed. 'I'm.... pretty sure I didn't hit her that hard....'

Crimson's ears flicked once again, leaping out of the way of three kunai that shot up from the ground below. The colt looked up to see another extra thin strand of string -probably what set off the knives, his eyes tracing the string to find the mare crawling out of another hole parallel to the one prior. "So you dug that, huh? ....Also, what's with your....face....?"

From Crimson's viewpoint, the mare's face actually appeared to be.... cracking. Silk was also breathing pretty heavily, a hoof sliding over the broken section of her skin while looking as though she was trying her damned hardest to contain her own rage. "Yes, well," she started with a silent growl, "This would be me shedding my exoskeleton. It acts as an armor of sorts to help cushion the blows of heavy impact. Though I never thought I'd actually have to use it...."

"I suppose I should feel honored then?" Crimson smirked, "Maybe I'll also do you the honors of being the one to rebury you."

"You cocky little...."

"Cocky?" the colt questioned, "I'm not getting cocky you see, I just don't see any reason to fear you. You talk a big game, but if you haven't noticed, this hasn't been much of a fight on my end...."

"Hmph. Well I guess we'll just have to see about that," Three jet black, hook shaped claws pierced their way right out from the tip of both the mare's hooves, through she didn't even so much as flinch from the pain. Silk String sensually slid her tongue over the trickling red liquid running from her fresh new claws until there wasn't a stain of blood to be found. "now won't we?"

With a hungry roar, Silk was the one to charge first this time, appearing as though she was done with being the one on the defensive. Crimson swatting away her hoof to re-direct her line of fire, something in the colt’s head told him that he really didn't want to be slashed by those claws of her's anytime soon....

As quick as the last, the mare was already back with a second slash attempt, Crimson just barely managing to avoid getting his muzzle torn wide open. It soon turned into a flurry of slashes, each seeming to be more wild than the next, which made it a tad tricky for the colt to dodge. Silk then performed a cartwheel with great nimbility as Crimson blocked her downwards kick. She then kicked herself off his forearms and threw yet another kunai, which the colt tilted his head to avoid and even managed to catch with a free hoof. The two were now both equally equipped, each of their strike clashing on impact as ferociously as the next.

Silk String swooped down to avoid the colt's high kick, using his hind leg as leverage to somersault onto a nearby wall and recoil with kick of her own, to which Crimson was able to smoothly limbo under. If the colt had to give her one compliment, it was that she had simply astounding agility. Kicking off the wall parallel to the first, the mare came back to only have her second kick blocked and caught in mid air. Crimson grabbed her leg, spinning around and tossing the mare away before she dug her claws into the dirt to cease her sliding, to which Crimson was sure he caught the sound of string being cut....

If the black colt hadn't leaped backwards a second later, he could have risked dealing with the barrage of, you guessed it, more kunai knives now stabbing onto the rocky floor. It hadn't taken long for that damned mare to cover the distance between the two of them, as she was already back with only more claw attempts to give her opponent.

With some luck, Crimson had gotten her to back into one of the crevice walls before he smashed a free hoof aimed towards her snout. Silk had to jerk her head to the side to avoid the colt's punch, his hoof merely piercing it's way into a section of the wall alone. She ducked under Crimson's hoof when it dragged it's way through the rocky wall in attempt to make it's mark, bits and pieces of rubble biting into her face and temporarily blinding her. Just when she'd regained her vision, the mare had to completely throw herself back in order to avoid getting completely cut up by the knife the colt used to slash at her face.

"So, gotten serious now, have we?" Crimson commented with a hint of snark in his tone, absolutely refusing to let down his menacing gaze.

"Oh, so you've noticed~?"

"Hmph, don't get too full of yourself," the black colt scoffed, "This fight'll be over before you even know it with that attitude. Now, shut up so we can hurry up and end this game of bullshit."

"Heh, as you wish," Silk String grinned, holding both her forelegs out suspiciously widespread, "Though I think I'll be the one pulling the strings from now on."

As the mare charged at him once again, Crimson couldn't help but notice that with every step forward she cut yet another strand of thin string, and before the colt knew it he was dodging kunai raining from every direction of the crevice. Silk String neared with a lustful aggression in her amber eyes, maneuvering each airborne blade with what looked to be pure primal instinct alone. Crimson just barely avoided contact with each of the mare's claws while using his heightened hearing to pinpoint each knife's position and let his years of honed reflexes do the rest. It was multitasking at it's best, but the black colt still had the problem of coming dangerously close to grazing either the mare's or the kunai's attacks. If Crimson didn't get out of this soon, the colt was bound to make a mistake...

"What's the matter~?" the mare snickered in a mocking tone, whatever swipe she had missed cutting through and setting off more of her well placed traps. "If I'm not mistaken, you seem to be slowing down a little. What's wrong, I thought somepony of your caliber would find this no problem? Or maybe you really don't care about the fates of those lovely little mares as much as you thought~!"

Silk continued with her snide remarks in hopes that one of her comments would get to him and he'd eventually slip up, either falling in the fate of her claws, the dozens upon dozens of flying blades, or even both. But to her dismay, the more disdain that made itself apparent in the colt expression, the quicker his reactions were starting to become. 'But.... how?'

As the last of the blades made their marks, only the mare was left standing over the field of cluttered knives. The colt, however, was nowhere to be found. It took awhile for Silk to figure out that he was actually hanging horizontally to one of the crevice walls in a crouching position, a pair of newly revealed pegasus wings flared out in attempt to, what the mare could only figure, keep his balance.

"From the look on your face, I take it you never noticed that I was a pegasus." Crimson stated with a now mocking tone of his own, the light from the moon reflecting off his coat, casting a shadowy appearance over the rest of his dark coat. His crimson pupils however, glowed as radiantly as the moon itself as they bored right through mare's tough exterior. "Mistakes like that'll get you killed all the quicker when going up against an opponent like me...."

Silk only snarled, scaling her way up the wall with relative ease. Despite being an earth pony, the mare looked to be able to climb literally any kind of surface. The longer their fight dragged on, the more and more she really did remind Crimson of a spider....

As the mare lunged, she crouched under a slash from Crimson's kunai and rolled above -or behind- him. Continuing their gravity defying quarrel, Silk lifted herself with only her forelegs and delivered a swing at the colt with her hind ones, the first being ducked under and the second being blocked and grabbed yet again, before she was sent sailling through the air. She had just enough time to maneuver from the knife aimed straight between her eyes, but the mare had to resort to a block when the colt attempted to kick her, the force sending her spiraling towards the ground.

As she plummeted, Silk String spat a focused shot of thick, rope-like string, that attached itself to the leg that the colt had used to kick her. The mare delicately hit the ground as if she weighed as much as a feather, unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Crimson as he was pulled to the ground with a painful THUD. Silk wasn't quite finished yet, grasping the rope of string in her hooves and using all of the power in her arms to lift the black colt off the ground to simply smash him back down like a limp rag doll.

'D-Dammit, that smarts....' Just as Crimson tried to get back on his hooves, the colt was flopped back onto his side and dragged through the rock and dirt, the mare literally pulling the strings sporting a large, grim smile that could even make a certain card game obsessed colt rith in envy....

"I HOPE YOU FEEL THIS ONE!!!" the mare brayed at the top of her lungs, as she took hold of the webbed string one last time, spun around to gain momentum, and let go, sending Crimson flying a whopping fifty feet before crashing into the opposite side of the gorge, a thick cloud of smoke the only thing visible from the opposite side and likely taking a good chunk out of it as well....

"RED!!!"

"Oh, right. Almost forgot about those two.... They sure like that color a lot," Silk muttered under her breath, finally deciding to take notice over towards the hanging orange and pink mares with faces soaked in... were those tears? Over just one worthless, womanizing stallion? "You two do know that there's lots of better things to cry about than trash, right?"

"Y-You're a MONSTER!!!" the enraged, tear soaked pink pony screamed with every last raging fiber in her body. "Crimson never wanted to hurt anypony, and you just.... How can you even live with yourself?!"

"All a part of being an assassin, sweetheart." Silk retorted with a smug grin. "And in case your cute, empty head forgot so quickly, the Crimson Shadow isn't as you make him out to be. Or did you also forget about the thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands, I could go on for a while, that he's murdered in cold blood? Sorry, honey, but I don't even scratch the surface compared to the things he's done throughout the years."

"A-At least he's tryin' ta get away from it all," the orange one butted in, looking in no better shape from the mare hanging across from her, "He's actually tryin' ta leave it all behind, and y'all buncha bastards can't even let him do that!"

"Hmph, sympathy is for the weak hearted." the cloaked mare said to really nopony in particular, as she stared into space with a surprisingly serious look in her eyes, "When you've been in the assassination business as long as the two of us have, you tend to throw away any sense of morals you've got left, lest you actually go crazy from the guilt.... Anyway~," Silk put a devious smile back on her muzzle before she'd get too off track, "You two can mourn over what's left of him after I scrape him off the mounta-"

She stopped in her tracks when she noticed something small shooting straight out of the dirt cloud from all the way across a section of the gorge. And the mare actually had to squint to see that it was spinning straight towards her. "Shit!" Silk leaped back to avoid the propelling object, and before she could even plant a hoof on the ground she looked back to-

"And you thought you'd gotten rid of me so easily...."

"....Shi-"

And before she knew what hit her, the sheath to Crimson's sword cracked into her jaw with a solid hit upwards, sending her soaring through the air just for her combined body weight to smack down onto the rocky soil with a dirt rising gust.

"RED!!! I'm so glad you're okay~!"

"E-Easy now, PinkieEEEEE!!!"

The black colt almost burst out into giggles when his gaze wandered off to the still tied up pink mare swinging back in forth in a burst of glee, leaving Applejack looking a little green in the face since Pinkie's movement was affecting her movement a well. Crimson fixed a hardened expression towards the fading dirt cloud near the crevice. He knew this wasn't over juuuuuust yet...

The dirt and rubble was cleared to the point where Crimson could see through, revealing a heaving and wheezing Silk String just barely making her way back on her hooves, a much more apparent crack plastered on her face accompanied by a river of blood leaking down the side of her mouth.

"So, got any fight still left in ya? Or are you finally gonna let me end this already?" The dirty look plastered over the mare's face failed to amuse Crimson yet. He already knew the answer, but simply where's the fun in not smashing her hopes into the ground first?

However, It didn't look as though she even had a snide remark for the colt this time, but instead clumsily charged at him once more. This was seriously getting old, though evading her attacks were a hell of alot easier this time. Her swings noticeably lacked any precision they had once had, and were filled with much more desperation to say the least. Silk still had a hell bent look in her eyes, fueled almost entirely by her anger and her pride. Something Crimson understood all too well....

"Just give up," the colt said between dodges, his cold crimson eyes not letting up in the slightest, "Quit acting like some dumbass little brat and learn you're damn limits. Face it, you've already lost."

Silk String seemed to actually be slowing down, to the point where she had come to a complete halt. What came afterwards was even more surprising. Crimson wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if the mare had tears streaming down her face. This was probably one of the absolute most idiotic thing he'd ever do, but....

Crimson slowly trotted up to the mare, though Silk looked as though she was going to fall over backwards out of sheer terror. "J-Just stay away, you hear me?! Take one step closer and I'll-"

"Look," the black colt started, finding it almost impossible to keep any form of eye contact whatsoever, "It sucks actually finding somepony stronger than you, believe me, I know. But this is going a tad overboard, don't you think-"

Crimson caught the smile growing on the mare's face too late, just managing to rebut the full extent of her slash. Though, the tip of one Silk String's claws was just able to graze the skin under the colt’s chin. The mare’s smile vanished however, when he simply towered over her with a stare that could almost put a certain yellow pegasus to shame....

“....I-I don’t understand. How could yo-”

The furious colt smashed his hoof right into Silk’s gut, effectively cutting her off as she was sent rocketing backwards, landing straight onto her side to convulse in sheer agony. It took her a few overstrained attempts before the fatigued mare shakily made her way back on her hooves, though Crimson wouldn’t have been surprised if she collapsed at any second.

“....I...I don’t get it,” Silk began to speak with a pause for breath every couple words, “You.... the poison.... my claws were littered with poison from when I licked them.... that should have instantly paralyzed you.... the second you were hit you should have dropped like a fly, how did you-” The mare grew wide eyed in realization when her eyes scanned over the colt’s cutiemark....”Y-You’re... you’re a zodiac, aren’t you! Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT! Zodiacs have a resistance to most poisons, I should have been more prepared!”

The colt merely cocked his head in question.“We.... we do?” Crimson thought aloud. Even he never caught on to this, and mentally face hoofed when he realized that he had been living about eight years with the damn thing and he still barely knew jackshit about it...

“Dammit! Figures that I had to be paired against a stupid zodiac!” the mare continued to rant to herself. “Your quick regeneration abilities only further my annoyance, being able to heal quickly and just get back up and train again just lets you have another pathetic advantage over others! And don’t even get me started on those damn special powers each of you have! But, judging from this fight, you haven’t learned how to use yours yet, have you? I’m guessing that you must be the equivalent of the failure for your kind then, hm?”

“....Piss off.” the colt deadpanned. “So, I take it you’re not one of us, huh?”

It was then that Silk String pulled her cloak over her flank to reveal a spool of white string with eight legs sprouting out of it that resembled that of an arachnid. Whether the legs have always been apart of her cutiemark Crimson had no clue. “Of course not! You freaks of nature are just selected at random! Absolute luck. Flaunting those damn things as if you’re special or somethi-”

“Lucky? Special? This thing is a fucking curse if you ask me! You have no idea what it’s been like living with this damn thing!” Crimson started to raise his voice, “I’ve had nothing but bad things happen to me since this stupid thing appeared on my flank! Most of the time I keep it hidden, but it never seems to yield any of the punishments it has in store for me, not in the slightest! I’m a monster.... and besides,” the colt now traded his cold grimace with an even colder smirk. “We seem to be on the same boat here. I’m guessing Professor Diana Plasm was the one who gave you these mutations?”

Judging from the wide eyed, dumbfounded look spread across her expression, Crimson hit the nail right on the head... “-Y-Yes, I-”

“Exactly. You’re a mutation. An experiment. A pathetic little lab rat whose purpose was only to serve as a mean to further research. A monster. You’re no better than me...” The black colt’s smirk grew ever the larger into a toothy, yet wicked smile. “And exactly how do you know that you’re even free from his grasp still? Plasm does keep quite a tight grip around his pets you know...”

“I-I’ll have you know that Akuma Tenshi removed any remaining traces of his DNA left in me from the moment I joined the organization!” the rather offended mare shot back. You could probably roast marshmallows off the heat generating from her red muzzle. “His DNA is gone! He has no holds on me!”

“That may be, but have you yet to even consider the organization itself? You are, in all honesty, the absolute weakest member of Akuma I have ever fought with by quite a large margin. Your only purpose was to be a replacement for me. And who’s to say if they’d even keep you if I ever went back, there’s a good chance you’d just be cast aside and thrown in the trash once I returned anyway? Why? Because you’re just a rookie, Black Widow, a pawn for them to dispose of whenever they like. Worthless.”

Without even as much as a single word, Silk propelled full power at the colt, her tired body ignored by the screams of rage dwelling through her chest. Keeping the same demented smile as prior, Crimson sidestepped the thrust from her claw and took a solid grip on the mare’s forearms with his own. She was now fighting the black colt’s clutches, able to feel the fur on her forearms searing away until it began burning her own flesh....

“Nighty night~!” It was the last thing Silk String heard before the colt smashed his skull into her’s with the force to shake the very earth they stood on and form a small crater from beneath. The colt watched as her amber orbs rolled to the back of her head, her body falling limp in his grip. “Hmph. Finally had it, huh? Too bad you weren’t made outta tougher stuff. Would have actually made this game a little more entertaining to-”

He fought the urge to let out a startled yelp when the colt felt the grip from the mare tightening. Her skin was now beginning to smoke from his touch, but it didn’t seem to do anything to loosen her hold in the slightest.

“So.... tougher stuff, eh~?”

The mare arched her head in a way that could even make the mightiest of stallions cringe in utter disturbance. It didn’t help matters that her skull appeared to be hollow. Small, eight-legged insects crawled out from the gaping holes where her eyes and mouth should have been, making their way up Crimson’s forelegs towards his neck. It didn’t take much to snap through the mare’s forearms as the rest of her body began to decay and rot into the wild canyon winds, fortunately the spiders already climbing onto his body began to crisp and burn off. ‘....Sweet Luna’s Stockings-’

“REEED!!!!”

The colt’s head shot to the direction of the cry, eyes growing to the size of records at the sight. Applejack and Pinkie Pie still dangled from the cliff, a knife just barely scratching the surface of the webbed rope that held the mares. Following the forearm grasping the blade, at the top stood a good as new Silk String with a smile that more than showed off her pearly white fangs....”Hehe~, how cute. You’re speechless!”

“......Wha-how in the.....” It took a while before Crimson’s stupefied expression morphed into a fierce glare. “You! How are you even still-”

“Alive? Let’s just say that my babies and I share a mental link. They took over my molted husk and used it to imitate my every move as if I were the one fighting to cut your throat out!” Her smile increased in length as she took in the sight of the colt trying to make sense out of any of this.

“But, when did you.... the hole. It was actually a three-way hole.”

“Manage to figure that out yourself?” Silk inwardly giggled, “You’re stronger than me, that much is true. However...” She brought the knife closer to the string, finding pleasure in witnessing the colt’s courage slowly fade. “I always have a back up plan, darling, he he hehahAHAHAHA~!” Silk String held out her hoof when the colt looked like he was about to attack. “I’d cool down if I were you. In case you didn’t know, I’m the one in control now....”

Crimson just stood in place, motionless, his legs feeling like they were made out of lead pudding. He... He didn’t know what to do. This was the only time in this fight that he was actually the one up against the wall. “....Please....” the colt muttered, a look of submission and a tone of defeat in his voice, “Do whatever you want to want to me.... just, don’t bring them into any of this. Them or anypony in this town.... please....”

“Heh, quite the attitude adjustment if I do say so myself,” the mare chuckled, giving a smirk when she noticed the colt’s glare grow and slowly diminish into a look a frightened little colt makes when their mother scolds them too harshly. “Well, here are your choices; if you come at me I’ll kill you and the mares alike and leave the three of you to rot in this wretched gorge,” Silk smiled even wider, she could have sworn she had just seen the black colt cringe in fear. It was oh so delicious.... “However,” she started, “If you walk away now and head back to Boss, then I’ll leave these two cuties in peace. Sound like a deal? Of course it does~!”

The colt was staring both the entangled Pinkie Pie and Applejack dead in the eyes, each one able to sense the pain in the other’s, Crimson poured his soul into one last gaze, trying to convey his sorrow to the two mares that he’d failed, just like... just like her... “Red....”

Cutting the glance, the stallion was already half turned around before.... “....D-Dammit. Dammit, dammit!! If you stay around me, then you’ll just get hurt! One way or another, you’ll just get hurt....”

“So, you’ll go back, Crimson Shadow?” Silk arched a brow in question.

“....No.”

‘Wait, what?!’

“I know you, Black Widow.” Crimson faced the mare completely, showing his new found courage and kept his eyes hardened towards her. “You don’t strike unless it’s to kill. And if you can’t kill me for ‘sinning’, then you’ll kill them for both having any sort of affections towards me!”

“Ahh, looks like the cat’s outta the bag now!” Without even a second thought, Silk String cut through her string, leaving two screaming mares to fall ever closer to their certain demise. “Too bad you’ll only have the chance to save one of them, ahahahahahahahahaaa~!!!!”

Any attention towards the mare’s maniacal laughter was long forgotten. Crimson flew full speed towards the two plummeting mares in a blind frenzy. There wasn’t any time for thoughts, as pure instinct completely took over his reactions for him. Only one thought beat like a drum in his head repeatedly: ‘Too bad you’ll only have the chance to save one of them’....

One....

‘....I can’t.... I won’t!’

But.... could he try? His wings couldn't be nearly strong enough to- “No! I don’t CARE! have to! I couldn’t go on if I don’t at least try!”

His surroundings seemed to slow dramatically. The mares were less than 15 seconds away from their death. He wasn’t Rainbow Dash, but he didn’t need to do it in ten seconds flat. Crimson flexed his wings and started flying around the two in a circular formation, nearing a blinding velocity as his body erupted with a red, fire-y aura. The power flowing from the winds themselves were enough to barely catch the two mares in a miniature twister. As the winds began to die, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were placed delicately onto the rock floor with enough adrenaline to last them at least four lifetimes.

The colt wanted to collapse in a mixture of relief and exhaustion, but knew he had one last debt to pay to a certain spider bitch-

“.......WHAT? She’s.... GONE!!!” Crimson searched high, and he searched low, but nopony else was even within his hearing radius, only himself and the two mares. “Dammit! I can’t let her get away from me without so much as-”

“Red, please. Jus’ let her go, sugarcube....” The colt shot his head in the direction of the orange farm mare, eyes pleading for him to simply drop it. “Goin’ after her ain’t gonna solve a darn thing. Trus’ me, y’all are better than that...”

“And besides,” the pink one perked up with a bubbly smile, “She’s the one that’s gonna have to report her failure to the boss, not you~!”

Crimson silently nodded and gave a small sigh before he trotted over to his black katana and yanked it out of the ground. He hovered over the two still tied up mares and, with a reckless slash, finally set the mares free from their webbed prisons, Pinkie and AJ letting out small, scared squeaks, surprised that they weren’t harmed from the colt’s unsubtle rope-cutting methods....

“....I....” the colt clenched his eyes shut and turned away, guilt making it unbearable to even look at the mares. “Sorry I dragged you two into my mess... again. You two are the greatest friends a stallion could ask for, and I’ll be damned if you ever did anything to deserve somepony as fucking stupid and troublesome as me to deal with.... I’m sorry.”

His eyes remained shut, but his ears still flicked from each clop the two mare’s made as they drew closer to him. They shot open however, when Crimson felt each’s warm, soft lips pressing on each side of his cheeks, a blush over his muzzle that could illuminate even the younger sister’s night sky...

Crimson blinked once. Twice. Three times, before his brain could even comprehend what had just happened. He gave a quick glance to see that both mares appeared to be shying behind their manes from him with a bit of red over their muzzles.

“Jus’.... wanted ta thank ya is all.”

“Yeah, sorry if that made you uncomfortable. I know you don’t like this kind of thing, but....”

“.....Come on,” the colt gestured the flustered gals with a sigh, “I’ll walk you guys back....”

********************************************************************************************************

The walk from Ghastly Gorge to Ponyville was a long one, and a rather silent one at that. Instead of just the black colt, the entire trio was lost for what to say. A few glances were shared, but not much else. Luckily they were just nearing Sugarcube Corner, Crimson cutting down stray spider webs along the way. It sure was a good thing this town wasn’t very active at night...

“Well, here we are,” Pinkie Pie finally spoke up with a faint smile, snapping Crimson out of his train of thought. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna need any watching. I’ve got everything covered, don’t you worry!” The colt tried to bring himself to speak, but his mouth uselessly closed itself shut, causing the pink mare’s cerulean eyes to glass over slightly. “I know nothing I say will probably convince you otherwise, but really, Red. You’re not a bad pony. A bad pony wouldn’t have even bothered to risk his neck to save two mares that he’s only known for about a week. I don’t care what you’ve done in your past, none of it makes you the amazing stallion you are today.”

Pinkie managed to catch his undivided attention when she leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. He was silent at first with a noticeable blush, but gave a small, appreciative smile. For the first time, the thought of a mare kissing him hadn’t gotten him to panic in the slightest. Instead, he found Pinkie’s sudden action to be rather.... cute.

“Get those cuts bandaged up, kay?” Pinkie Pie said through the crease of the door. Crimson gave a small nod before the mare gently slid the door to a shut, leaving him standing outside her door with a weird feeling in his stomach. Were those.... butterflies?

“Hoo-boy! Looks like somepony else has her eyes on ya, lover-boy~.” The orange mare chuckled, the amusement in her emerald green slowly morphing into a more saddened expression as her glance quickly diverted elsewhere. Or at least anywhere but his direction....

The remaining two trotted their way to the farmhouse of Sweet Apple Acres, quietly sliding open the front door to find that everypony else was still fast asleep, a creeping light making it’s way through the barn windows.

“Well shoot. Looks like it’s jus’ ‘bout daybreak. Ah’ve got first shift today so I best get-”

“Nope.”

Crimson scooped the mare off the ground and into his arms, almost triggering an ‘eep’ from her in response. “Crimson, Ah-Ah’m not a foal y’know!” Applejack protested, a slight warmth creeping up her neck, “Ah’m a fully grown mare with responsibilities she needs to take care of. Ah can’t jus’ shirk mah chores every time we come home late or get caught up in somethin’ else, mah granny an’ the others will be mighty upset if Ah miss mah shift again.”

“Don’t care. You were just attacked and kidnapped in the middle of the night. And from just looking at you, I can tell you’ve maybe gotten as much sleep as me. In short, you’re exhausted. You’re going to bed. I’m sure your family will understand.”

Applejack simply huffed in defeat, letting Crimson carry her all the way to her room, accompanied yet again by those Celestia damned butterflies. On his way in, the mare caught him eyeing a golden, heart shaped locket with pegasus wings on either side laid across her dresser drawer next to her bed. She reached over and delicately grasped it in her hooves, each hoof pressing down on the wings causing the heart to spring open with a click, revealing on the inside to be a small picture of four ponies, two of which Crimson didn’t even recognized.

The first two in the front row were easily recognized as a young Applejack and a mini Macintosh. One of the two behind them was a large, incredibly well built dark red stallion with a familiar stetson resting upon his head. The second was a mare with a light yellow coat and a long, flowing orange mane, her stomach rather round for a mare of her build. As he took the picture in, it didn’t take long before he had a good guess of who those two ponies were....

“Ah... Ah don’t remember all that much about them, but from what Ah recall, they were two very hard working ponies. Everythin’ was fine an’ dandy ‘till.... Ah’d rather not talk about it.” the mare ducked her head slightly. Crimson knew it wouldn’t be a smart idea to press on, as he noticed that her eyes were almost welling up in tears. Instead, he lowered her onto her mattress, and even tucked her into her sheets. It was strange. She felt so weak and helpless, yet, at the same time, it reminded her of them....

AJ stopped twisting and turning as Red stroked her mane, and with a sigh, she soon relaxed into the welcoming embrace of sleep. A light began to shine it’s way through the very window Applejack had been captured though, the sun Crimson had very much grown to hate peered it’s way over the hills of orchards, causing the sky to turn a vivid shade of orange, reminding the colt very much of the sleeping mare’s fur, and even a few reds and yellows thrown in as well. Though as beautiful as it was, it didn’t look as though he was going to be getting any shut eye anytime soon. Red stood up slowly, walking to stand vigil by the window; nothing was getting past him this time. He was putting his hoof down!

Crunch....

********************************************************************************************************

"There goes the last of my babies....” The mare growled in annoyance, standing between a vast variety of trees in the oh-so dangerous Everfree. “I’ll need to start a new nest, and soon. I'll report back to Boss my.... failure.... afterwards...."

Chapter Thirteen: Suds and Duds

Arc Two: Wretched Fools

"A figure from the past steps from the shadows with an enticing message."

Chapter Thirteen: Suds and Duds

“Three days....”

“Rest assured, darling. I’m sure he wouldn’t just waltz out of town on such short notice, so there’s nothing to worry over just yet.” the glamorous mare assured as she levitated the teacup to her lips, though even Rarity herself wasn’t entirely sure her own words of comfort could be justified quite yet.

Through the midst of her teary eyed distress, the pink mare felt a light yellow hoof placed gently down on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Pinkie,” Fluttershy gave a soft smile, “He’s not going anywhere with his cutiemark and that scar showing.....and you know Crimson, he probably just needs his space if anything.”

Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but smile back from the words from her friend’s soft, angelic voice. The fact that all of her best friends spread around the library floors were giving it their all to comfort her in her time of need really managed to boost her spirits, if only a little. “Yeah.... you could be right. Maybe I am taking this a little too hard.”

“‘Course we’re right!” a certain overconfident cyan mare spoke up in a shameless, boastful tone, “The guy’s stupid, sure, but I know for a fact he’s no coward. I doubt he’d leave without at least saying a ‘goodbye’ first.” Or at least Rainbow Dash sure hoped. Though giving it some more thought, some points could add up to the outcome that the colt might actually be deliberately avoiding them. If that were the case, there wasn’t much telling what he could do if given the chance.

Twilight arched a brow at the apple farmer’s silent behavior. The mare hadn’t spoken a word since the topic at hoof began, not to mention the unnerved expression in her emerald eyes and grimace plastered across her face. It wasn’t like one of the most friendly ponies in all of Ponyville at all....

“Applejack,” the lavender mare turned to her friend quizzingly, “Are you feeling alright? You’ve been, well, quiet for a good long while now. Is something on your mind bothering you by any chance?” Why had she even bothered asking? It was obvious enough that the work-happy mare was suffering from the exact same stress as everypony in the confines of the giant, book-filled tree....

“Well.... Ah....” She wanted to reassure her friends that she was fine and dandy, but those words seemed to be stuck in her throat, absolutely refusing to budge. Those were the breaks of being the Element of ‘Honesty’ and all.

“....Applejack?”

“....Ah’ve gotta go.” Applejack jumped to her hooves, keeping her gaze low to the ground to avoid any eye contact possible. “Ah appreciate us gettin’ together like this an’ all, but Ah really should head off an’ check ta see how th’ farm is doin’ an’ all. Ah’ll.... see y’all later then.... ”

Picking up the pace of her trot without another word, the orange mare bashed her way through the library door in a hurry, though the reason didn’t strike one as having to do with work. Twilight wasn’t quite sure if her vision was playing tricks on her again, or if she actually saw tears running down Applejack’s cheeks as she quickened her pace towards Sweet Apple Acres...

“............Well,” Twilight raised her voice in order to break through the lengthy awkward silence, “It’s been.... fun... but we should really follow suit and go back to our daily responsibilities. I’ve got tons of books to sort out, so I’m going to be really busy myself. It’s been great talking to you gals again, hope you feel better soon, Pinkie!”

As they each said their parting farewells, the remaining mares cleared out of the library, leaving Twilight alone once again. Her dragon assistant had been spending lots of time going on “adventures” with the Cutie Mark Crusaders lately, meaning she had the house all to herself. She was glad Spike was starting to hang out with ponies closer to his age group, though she at least hoped they weren’t getting in over their heads....

Work had kicked the librarian into overdrive as of these past few days. And combined with the stress and worrying over Crimson’s well being, her friends, and where her and Storm could go with their relationship in the late future and how it would manage, she was, for a lack of better words, exhausted.

It also didn’t help that Twilight’s field of vision always seemed glued near those tickets that arrived only a few days ago. They were an invitation to a loud, loud, and incredibly loud rave party in Canterlot hosted by none other than DJ PON3 herself, a ticket specifically for her and a free pass up to six ponies to come with. The mare wasn’t all that thrilled over some big, flashy, and not to mention noisy party. However, if it meant even being a little closer to the stallion of her dreams, then so it must be done!

….Though there was still the problem of who she was going to take with her, or who would even want to attend with her....

********************************************************************************************************

“Hmm... Three days, huh? Well, who’s keeping track, right? Though I guess that’d be me, huh....”

Three days. It had been about three days since the colt had seen any those mares’ warm, friendly faces. But it all was for the better. Letting himself get too attached to those mares and vice versa would surely be his downfall. Though, even through the stubborn side of his brain that would rather have a full body acupuncture gone wrong(again) than admit it, he couldn’t help but at least miss them a little bit....

Ever since that incident with that ‘Black Widow’ mare three days prior, he couldn’t get it out of his thoughts. Pinkie Pie felt like a little sister since day one. You know, the one you feel you have to shield from all the bad things in life that could ruin the innocence she still had left. Applejack on the hoof was more of the down-to-earth sis that tried to take the role of a mother. They were the same two mares that had also come very close to death that day. He couldn’t risk it, not after the incident with his very first little sis....

Though from the looks of it, his “sisters” didn’t seem to view their “brother” in the same light.... ‘....I don’t get it,’ the colt thought as he rolled over onto his stomach for better comfort. ‘What could possibly be their fixation with me? There are millions of stallions in the sea for their choosing that would be a much better fit, and yet they insist that I’m the one they both picked? Not to mention that they’ve only known me for a little over a week....’

He had a feeling that even if they explained in full detail a thousand times over, the question would still float in his head for all eternity. He was well prepared to live out the rest of his probably short life alone, so for something like this.... it came as quite the shock. Sure AJ had given a few reasons, but none of them really felt....right. Or at least to the confused black colt anyway. Surely they were mistaken. One dangerous colt plus two lovestruck mares just didn’t add up. Or maybe he knew even less about mares than he had originally thought....

The colt merely brushed away the thought as he peeked down under the roof he was currently hiding to see the streets were surprisingly empty; only a few ponies here and there could be spotted, all looking as though they were in a hurry of some sort. The reason came when a shadow from above caused him to look up. The weather team was arranging the clouds in the sky. ‘Yup, they’re scheduling a rainstorm. Perfect....’

As the colt took in the scene above, his eyes began to grow heavier by the second. Sure he got a three hour nap sometime in between, but since the three days of isolation he hadn’t gotten anything else remotely close to sleep. He figured now is a better time than any, as his eyelids weighed down to a close almost as if on their own....

“....Crimson?”

‘Oh no.’

Crimson’s peeled his eyes back open and looked over the roof, finding a warm, friendly, and all too familiar face. “Oh. Hey, Rarity.... long time no see, huh?”

“Quite,” the pearly white unicorn gave a quick reply. She had a mix of what looked to be worry and relief in the expression on her face. The mare visibly cringed at what she took in; his mane was an absolutely unruly mess, the whites of his crimson eyes noticeably bloodshot, slight rings forming under his eyes, a matted charcoal coat, wings unpreened, and.... what smelled like rotting fish? “Darling, we’ve been worried sick about you. If you don’t mind me asking, where exactly have you been?”

“Well, I, um....” To the colt’s dismay his mind came to a blank. As the colt tried desperately to rack his brain for an excuse, Rarity’s brow was beginning to raise higher than the Golden Gate Bridge. “Eheh, you see, I-”

“You’re avoiding us, aren’t you?”

“Yes....” Well, so much for that idea. No doubt it sounded cliche, but, when the mare’s azure orbs began to bore through the colt’s, he even couldn’t bring himself to lie....

“Unfortunately I figured as much. Not to sound rude or anything, but have you dared to take in your appearance lately? To put it in layman’s terms, you’re an utter wreck. Please, tell me the problem and the girls and I would be more than happy to help you fix it.”

“Yeah. And not to sound rude myself, but that’s nopony’s business but my own.”

“Uh huh," Rarity deadpanned, “Crimson, are you sure you’ve been friends with us long enough? Because, in case you failed to notice, the six of us take our friendships very, very seriously.”

“Then sorry I don’t fit your quota,” the black colt glared right back, a hint of aggravation in his tone, “But in case you failed to notice, I haven’t exactly had a lot of friends. Besides, you probably wouldn’t understand if I told you....”

“Right, right....” At this point, the mare only gave a bored gaze as she began to examine every inch of her finely manicured hoof, looking as if she found more interest in it than their surely bound to grow dispute. “Now tell me, exactly how much longer are do you plan on using that tired excuse exactly?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Am I boring you?” Crimson asked in rising irritation, a dull glare drilling through the mare that didn’t seem to be paying him any mind. “Because if that reason isn’t to your fancy, I have an entire folder of several other reasons as to why I don’t exactly warm up to other ponies very well.”

“Yes, I recollect....”

“No. You can’t. You can’t say that in the slightest. And you wanna know exactly why?” With each passing emphasis, the volume of Crimson’s voice seemed to be raising in a stern anger. “Maybe it’s because you weren’t there. You’ve never even scratched the surface of how it’s been for me all these years.”

“Well, that is indeed true, but-”

“Exactly.” As pathetic as he knew it was, Crimson couldn’t help but feel a slight satisfaction at the sight of the dolled up mare now squirming a bit from his words. “You don’t even know twenty five percent of what I’ve seen throughout my life. And I’ve seen enough from ponies to know how they really are and what true equine nature really is to a fine tee.”

“Well it sure didn’t take long for you to ‘warm up’ to Pinkie Pie!” Rarity retaliated, her glare directed towards the black colt now leaving her infuriated, “The poor girl has put all of her time and dedication in trying to help you, can you truly say that deep down she’s the same as every other pony you claim to have witnessed in this “true” equine nature?! Hm, wait a minute now....” she tapped a hoof to her chin, “Did something happen between you and Pinkie by any chance? Out of most of us, she seemed to be taking this the hardest, as if she felt responsible for your avoidance....”

“....I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Pinkie’s just a clueless little foal.” the colt grumbled, rolling over to his side, eyes squeezed shut and back facing Rarity’s direction, “Now please, just leave me alone....”

“URGH, fine then!” Rarity turned away in a huff, “But just know this, Crimson, you can’t keep this charade up forever. Farewell.” And with that, the mare stomped off in frustration, leaving the black colt alone to wallow in his own shameless pride. Or at least for now anyway. The Boutique could take break. And hopefully, so could Twilight....

“Hmph, just watch me....” Crimson laid on his side, it must have been a while too, because his eyes almost refused to open themselves. In fact, let them stay shut he figured, he was exhausted and now was the perfect time for another nap-

Drip. Drip drip dripdripdripdripdrip....

The colt’s eyes jerked open as the small rain droplets started with his nose and worked it’s way over the rest of the colt’s now damp black coat. “Perfect....”

********************************************************************************************************

“Howdy, Spike! How’re y’all doin’?”

Spike looked up to see three fillies looking at him from a Scootaloo-powered wagon. “Oh, hey girls. Not bad, really. Twilight’s been a little uppity since she got those tickets from Storm, though.“

The three girls smiled broadly. “Oh, reeeaalllly?” They fluttered their eyelashes innocently.

“Yeah,” Spike said flatly. “Really. She’s been trying to figure out what to wear, how to act, and who to bring, ‘cause there’s two extra tickets. I personally can’t find the time to go with her, what with library business, along with daily naps and what not. I’m starting to hit my first natural growth spurt, and it puts me under with all the energy I lose. Still... I hope at least somepony will take her on her offer so I don’t have to worry about that stingy stick in the mud Storm.” The dragon couldn’t even say that last word without it leaving a bad taste in his mouth.... “Doesn’t help much that Twilight and the others have been wreaking themselves over that one Red guy’s short notice disappearance.”

“Look on the bright side, lizard dude!” Scootaloo gave a confident wink, playfully tapping the dragon’s shoulder. “More adventures for the four of us to go on! Come on, you know you want to~!”

“Yeah, what she said!” beamed the enthusiastic Sweetie Belle, as she moved her face in a little too close to Spike’s while batting the lashes over her sap-green gems. “Come on, Spikey-Wikey, we’d love for you to join us on our.... adventures.”

“Well, I, um...” This was getting weird. He could only wonder why the Cutie Mark Crusaders even felt any reason to hang out or go on adventures with somepon- er, someone who couldn’t even obtain a mark of any kind. They’ve never had this much interest towards him before.... “Hehe, I guess when you put it that way I-”

Spike’s words seemed to fail him when his sights landed on a glimps of the embodiment of beauty, grace, and elegance make her way through the front door of the tree library, the look on her face implying she was in a rather deep trance of thoughts.

“Hey, Rarity! Wait up, my sweet, I-”

“An’ where d’ya think yer goin’, mister dragon?” Unable to even take a single step forward, Spike looked back to meet the half mast eyes of Apple Bloom, a pale yellow arm wrapped tightly around his shoulder. If there was one thing the farm filly was starting to develope similar to that of her older sister, it was strength, much to the baby dragon’s dismay.

Meanwhile, the small white unicorn was tempted to curse under her breath, though it wouldn’t have been at all ladylike of her. Her big sister was definitely going to serve as a problem. “Come on, Spike. Maybe someplace less distracting will help you think over our offer.”

Heart pounding a mile a minute, Spike could feel himself being dragged across the ground, any resistance deemed useless by the yellow earth pony’s difference in strength over his own. As he took one last glimpse out of the corner of his eye, he could make out the sight of his beloved- or soon to be, he yearned- as well as a not-so-cheery lavender mare, a rather.... scary look settled onto her face.

Whoever Twilight was going with Rarity to meet, Spike couldn’t help but pray for them....

********************************************************************************************************

“Hmm.... I wonder if this counts for a shower at all....”

The colt was soaked as a sponge, but who the fuck was he to care? It felt nice and cool really, better than anything the stupid weather of the sun ever had to offer. Then again, good chance he was going to get really sick if he just laid on whoever’s roof this was under the frantic raindrops crash landing onto his charcoal tinted coat. Nopony could stay out in the cold rain forever, even despite the fact that his body temperature was a tad hotter than other ponies from what Glitch had told him once. But whatever, as long as the soothing white noise was the only sound humming through his eardrums, then he couldn’t give a shi-

“Oh dear... really, Crimson?”

The groggy colt simply shifted lazily to get a better view of the voice’s culprit and- ….why was he not surprised....

“I mean.... really?” the mare repeated, as though it were the only word she could fully grasp in her dazed state, “Just, tell me I’m seeing things, and not you laying helplessly in the rain without so much a care in the world....”

“Okay, Rarity. You’re seeing things.” With that, Crimson squeezed his eyelids together in attempt to drown out the mare’s “whining”, though a rather difficult task with the amount of concentration almost three days without sleep could muster.

Even past the restless drips of the rainfall the colt was able to hear her irritated groan. “How are you even able to stay out in this dreadful weather for so long, it’s freezing if I do say so myself.”

“Did you know stallions have a higher body temperature than mares? How do you know it’s not just you?” the colt responded with a hint of acid in his tone.

“Regardless, I will not be letting you just lay out here to wash away from the rain.”

“Yeah? And what are you going to do about that?”

His answer came in the form of a purple aura surrounding him. Rarity smirked. “Why, I called in a heavy lifter who can’t wait to give you a piece of her mind!”

Crimson just grunted, knowing that it’d be futile to try and escape from Twilight’s magical grip, especially in his current state. He really must have been out of it if he hadn’t seen this coming... “Fine, lay it on me. I don’t care. Try and make me feel guilty for taking a break from your crazy if you must!”

“Oh, don’t you worry about a thing.” the lavender mare had put up a devious smirk herself. “Sure, as much as I’d like to right here and now, the best thing about asking for help is that you don’t have to do anything alone. Maybe you should start taking notes once and awhile and maybe you’d learn something from us crazies....”

Crimson audibly gulped. ‘Perfect....’

This wouldn't end well.

********************************************************************************************************

“Alrighty, Spike! Now that yer a-okay an’ all set, how’s abouts we go on some adventurin’? With your firebreath, we could try for Manticore tamin’!”

“Wh-what?! Isn’t that a little... I dunno, crazy?!”

“Well, what d’you suggest then, oh great and wise baby dragon?”

“Uh...” Spike blinked, sudden inspiration hitting. “Hey, maybe we could try weather patrol? Or... cloud writing?”

Scootaloo buzzed her wings, clearly agitated. “Duh, can’t fly.”

“Sure we can,” Spike said with a smirk. “We got a balloon.”

********************************************************************************************************

“Thanks again fer the help. Granny Smith’s gettin’ older, so she ain’t too much help once she gets cranky before her daily naps an’ all.....”

The pink pony gave a nod, as she continued kneading at the dough with her hooves. “Are you kidding? There’s no way I’d just let you do this all by yourself, silly!”

“Thing is, Pinkie; Ah’ve been doin’ all o’ this by mahself lately,” the farm mare sighed. “Before Re-er, Crimson, we’ve been pretty off swamped with work as it was. Like Ah said, Granny Smith’s gettin’ old....er, so Ah’ve been more-or-less the one ta be cookin’ many nights, what wit’ some help from Apple Bloom ‘course. Even now, Ah’ve been a little.... distracted as of late. Ah’m prolly so back up on work that it ain't even funny.”

“Well.... Red has been helping you guys a lot around the farm this past week, right?” Pinkie Pie asked in attempt to offer her condolences.

“Sure has! But even still wit’ all this drama lately, Ah’ve been a tad, well, backed up wit mah work here on the farm. Big Mac’s been tryin’ his darndest ta help me catch back up, but.... Ah don’t wanna burden him like this. Bad enough Ah dragged Crimson into this....”

With that, a rosy blush overtook the mare’s usually orange freckled cheeks, though short lived when a noticeable change in expression overtook into one of sorrow. ‘Damn stallion.... where are you?’

“Hey.” Though it made her tense up at first, Applejack gladly accepted and returned the pink mare’s embrace with open arms. “Loosen up, AJ. He has a funny way of showing it, but he does care about us in his own little way. With everything he’s gone through, I doubt it’s easy for him to admit that he needs help to anypony. That’s why even if he never admits it, I’ll go through all of Equestria just to let him know that he has somepony on his side when he needs it!”

“....Yeah, yer right,” the eased Applejack nodded, finding the courage to show a small smile, “Ah reckon Ah’m overreactin’ a mite. Might as well give him his space, he’ll more than likely turn up sooner or late-”

SLAM

“Look out, everypony! Your colt of the hour has arrived!”

“Shh shh shhhh, Twilight, shut u- OW dammit!”

The two earth ponies looked to each other and blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice-

“What in tarnation is goin’ on out there?!”

The mares bolted out of the kitchen and towards the front door with all haste. Once there, two unicorn mares came clearly into view. “Twilight! Rarity! I’m so super duper glad to see you girls! You wouldn’t happen to know where that loud bang at the door came from would yo-”

The pink mare was cut short when a rosey magic aura engulfed her vision and forcefully turned her head in the direction of the lavender mare’s choosing with a blood curdling cracking noise that was more than likely going to be sore in the morning. When Pinkie Pie finally saw what she was supposed to be looking at, well.... let’s say both her and the farm mare had come to a rather silent conclusion.

“....Well, well, well. Look who’s finally showed up.” Applejack wrinkled her nose. “An’ it seems he could use a bath.”

“Not the only thing this colt could use, darling.” Rarity said through her teeth as she levitated the umbrella shaped hat off with her magic. “Quite frankly, a stern lecture would be putting it much too lightly.”

“Hey, what are you going on about?” Once again, all eyes bored into the black colt as he began shifting to his hooves. “I plead innocent here. All I was doing was minding my own business, when all of a sudden-”

Smack! While the blow definitely didn’t hurt the colt, it made Applejack and Twilight wince, and Rarity faint. “Pinkie..?”

“Dammit, Red! I was worried sick about you!” Pinkie glomped Crimson, and began bawling into his shoulder. After a minute, she sniffled, and raised her head to look at him. “You’re all stinky, Red.”

“Three days without a single bath does that to a pony.” the white unicorn deadpanned, seemingly conscious once again from her over dramatic little scene.

Disgruntled faces were shared all around. “....Crimson,” Twilight brought a hoof to her snout, “You wouldn’t mind explaining to all of us what it was that you were doing avoiding everypony in town for the past two days, eleven hours, and thirty five minutes, would you?”

Everypony looked at Twilight with a bit of unease. “That’s... That’s rather scarily exact, Twilight,” Rarity said.

“I’m not Celestia’s top student for nothing, Rarity.” the lavender mare took a second to pride herself. “Now hush. It’s Crimson’s turn to answer.”

“........No.”

“Well, if you don’t want to tell us then I guess I can’t force yo- wait, WHAT?”

“You heard me, Twilight. No.” the colt repeated, adding extra emphasis this time. “I have my reasons, and I don’t have to tell them to anypony.”

“Red,” Before he knew it, Crimson found the farm filly’s snout shoved too close for his liking, and a look that didn’t help matters either. “Out wit’ it. Why have y’all been avoiding us for close to three days now? An’ don’t pull any crap, Ah’ll be able to tell if yer lyin’.”

Crimson tried to look away, but the stubborn mare kept her face right in front of his no matter how he twisted or turned. Finally, he sighed in defeat. “Star Bright,” he said in a hollow tone.

“What d’you mean, Star Bright? What about her?”

“You were used against me, just like she was. I only barely saved you two from dying. I won’t let it happen again. I can’t.” He hung his head in shame. “I used to spill innocent blood without thought or care, but now... Now, I care too much. Star Bright, you six... No. No more.” Crimson stood up, trying to push past Twilight even as she held him with her magic. “I’m leaving. You wanted a goodbye? I’m sorry to disappoint, but most people I say ‘Goodbye’ to either end up dead, or trying to kill me.” He looked back at Pinkie and Applejack. “I could understand the latter, but I’d rather not get any more blood on my hooves than necessary.”

Applejack regarded Crimson, but she knew he was telling the truth. The pain hidden behind his eyes was great, and the torment he must have been squirreling away so it didn’t bother anypony else would have caused lesser stallions to go mad for blood. Applejack frowned. “Y’all’re tellin’ the truth, but not alla it. You ain’t leavin’ till you spill.”

“Well, I’m not spilling.”

Applejack smiled wickedly. “Then y’all ain’t leavin’. Pinkie!”

“Yeah, AJ?”

“Go start a bath, we got ourselves a very dirty colt.”

“Roger!” Pinkie gave a quick salute before she dashed off. Crimson gulped as the orange mare lowered herself into an attack position.

“Don’t make me get mah rope.”

~~~

Splash!

“Whee! Woo, this is the best bath ever! I didn’t know you had such a big bathtub, AJ!”

“That’s on account a how big Big Macintosh is. Y’all think he could fit in one a those dinky li’l things other ponies use?”

“While that’s interesting and all, why the fuck am I tied up?!?!” Pinkie giggled as she nuzzled Crimson, his blush only deepening further as her slick, soapy fur rubbed against him.

“Silly Reddy-Weddy, you kept struggling, and we can’t get you all cleaned up if you struggle!”

“......Pinkie,” Applejack struggled to keep up her poker face. “Ya did know that y’all didn’t have ta join him in the bath, right, Sugercube?”

“Well, duh~!”

“Y’know,” the immensely red in the muzzle stallion growled, “I can understand making me take a bath, sure. However, with the two of you giving me the said bath.... yeah, not so much.”

“Sucks, don’t it?” the farm mare retorted, using her sudsy hooves to wash off the days worth of crud from Red’s soggy mane. She knew that it must have been of the highest torture for the prudish colt, despite the fact this was probably more or less most other stallions’ wet dreams. Literally. But in a way, this also served usefully as the colt’s punishment.

And totally not an excuse for the two mares to run their hooves all over his very muscular, well toned body with soapy water. Nope.

“Okay....” Crimson couldn’t tell which his muzzle felt more scalding from, his embarrassment or his irritation. “Well, why the hell can’t I just bathe myself? I’m a full grown stallion, not some foal for the two of you to play with.”

“Hmph.... Well ya ain’t doin’ much to convince otherwise.”

“What was that?”

“So we can make sure you won’t get away this time, silly!” the pink one spoke up to throw off the colt’s suspicion. “And besides, I think it’s a lot more fun this way!”

“Fun. In what way possible do you see this as- EEP!”

Despite the ropes that secured him tight (Applejack could tie a damn good rope), Crimson nearly jumped out of the tub when he felt two smaller hooves place themselves on his midriff. His hooves were tied and bound, so nothing could really stop Pinkie Pie from letting her hooves explore, as they began slowly running and feeling their way down Red’s solid chest and a little ways above where Crimson desperately wanted to swat the mare’s hooves away from.

“Ooooooooooooooh, wow, Red,” Pinkie Pie coed just close enough for Crimson to feel her hot breath in his ear. “I had no idea you were this.... chiseled~.”

Crimson’s blush increased tenfold from the pink mare’s comment, limp jaw and massive stuttering in tow. “Wha.... I.... T-The hell are you-”

“Shucks, Red,” the orange mare said with a chuckle, using her hoof to keep her smile out of view from the colt. “Pinkie's jus' helpin' ya get clean.”

“Yeah! Brusha brusha brush, brushie brushie brush~ It's time to get you nice and clean~!” the pink mare squealed in a melodic voice.

“St-stop it, Pinkie... I don't like to be touched like th-that...”

“Oh? Sorry, but I gotta clean you allll over~”

“Hee hee, Pinkie, now y'all're jus' bein' mean.”

Crimson sighed in relief. At least Applejack was still being reasonable! “Yeah, seriously....”

“Yer hoggin' 'em all to yourself!”

“See, Pinkie? I-Wait, WHAT?!”

Applejack slipped her hooves down into the water, her face leaning uncomfortably close to Crimson's as she helped wash his stomach, before bringing her hooves up to wash his withers and forelegs. "Is that better, Sugarcube?"

"N-no, it is not. I-I can wash myself. I...I don't want this... To be t-treated like a toy... an animal... I... I can't..."

"Ya can't what? C'mon, Crimson. Jus' tell us why you were avoidin' us, and Ah'll untie you. Don't tell us, and you'll have to endure this until RARITY says you're clean."

Crimson was silent for a long moment, his only movement his small twitches and shudders every time Applejack or Pinkie's hooves grazed past his stomach or his cutie mark.

"C'mon, Red..." Applejack leaned her head in close, nuzzling him as she wrapped her forelegs over his withers. "Y'all can be as tough as nails an' stonier than a mountain, but even a mountain crumbles. We're your friends, and... we just don't wanna see that happen."

Applejack began tracing a hoof along the black colt's back, more importantly, along his scar. "You've had such a hard life... Such a bad life, that we just can't let you go on like that. We wanna be there fer you, an' make it all better. You're special to us, Crimson."

Crimson's mind flashed back to Star, and the way she'd hug him after eating dinner. 'Thank you, Red! You're the best brother ever!' His face went dark, and Applejack pushed away so she could look into his eyes.

"... You want to know the real reason, AJ?"

"Yeah, Ah certainly do at that."

Crimson let out a long sigh. "Fine. C'mere." Applejack leaned in. "No, closer. Closer... come on, real close now," he whispered breathily.

The infatuated mare leaned in as close as she could, a blush coating her muzzle from the colt’s tantalizing request. She leaned ever closer, and he leaned back. She leaned even closer, until-

SPLASH!

Applejack fell into the tub with a loud yelp. Meanwhile the pink mare was fighting her hardest to keep herself from bursting into giggles.

Spluttering, the farm mare glared at Crimson. "Galdang it, Red! Ya went and got mah hat all wet!"

“Actually, not too much my fault really. I am a bit tied up at the moment.” the colt stung back, absolutely no signs of humor evident on his completely stoic expression. “Maybe Ponyville’s “Best Athlete” is nothing but a clumsy lil’ country mare, hm?”

“.....Pardon?” This wouldn’t end well.

Pinkie could already feel the sweat rolling down her brow. “Applejack, c-calm down. Red was just kidding, weren’t you Re-”

“Then would y’all care ta repeat’ that again, Red?” the mare snarled, her glare strengthening by the millisecond, “Ah’m not sure Ah caught that the first time.”

“I didn’t think I stuttered, but, since you asked so “nicely”.... Flopplejack-”

Not a second was spared when Crimson felt Applejack’s hooves force onto his barrel and drag him down into the sudsy water. A squeal was barely audible from the pink mare, as it was drowned out -along with the colt, the constant SPLASH from the tub’s water far too vociferous to make out anything else. Even when tied up, Crimson absolutely refused to go down without a fight, though this mare’s strength was nothing to scoff at either.

“Hey -HACK- Get offa me!!! Are you trying to kill me here or something?!” Whether his words got through or not was a mystery, but Applejack sure wasn’t letting down any.

“Ya wanted ta do thing the hard way, so we’re doin’ it the hard way!” the orange mare cried out between dragging the colt down, “Y’all can fight it all ya want, but the fact of the matter is that yer gonna get cleaned, even iffin’ that means Ah have ta wrestle y’all ta do it!”

Unfortunately for the mare, trying to wrestle somepony not only when you’re wet fur is constantly sliding off of each other, but the feeling of her body pushing onto Crimson’s muscular frame was more than enough to leave Applejack feeling a red-hot blush creep up her neck. ‘Dag nabbit, girl! Out of all the times for y’all ta go an’ start thinkin’ like this, ya had ta pick now....’

More than half of the water from the tub had leaked onto the bathroom floor at this point, leaving one hell of a mess that would need to be cleaned up after this. Though it could have very well been a long shot, but he noticed in Applejack’s emerald orbs something in her head leaving her a tad distracted. It was the perfect, albeit dirty time to strike back. The colt took a deep breath and plunged the rest of his body into the water, leaving Applejack to awkwardly fumble and slide right off his back.

“Sorry, Jackie,” Crimson uttered just loud enough for the mare to hear, a smirk curling onto his lips as his muzzle found its way onto a small knob.

“Don’t. You. Dare-”

SpsstFSHssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh............

“Buuuut I prefer showers anyday....”

The three sat in silence, the two mares visibly shivering in their haunches as the ice cold drippets from the shower head sprayed them, Crimson included. If the black colt was feeling the intensity from the freezing water sprinkling onto his coat then he did a good job not showing it, instead, chuckling at the mares’ discomfort. “Look, untie me, and I’ll finish cleaning myself. Come on, with you two standing right there, how could I escape? There’s not even any windows.”

Applejack just groaned and hung her head as she was finally able to pull herself out of the tub. “F-f-f-fahne, C-c-Crims-son. Y-you win.”

Applejack bit the loose end of the soggy rope’s knot, the slip sliding through even though it was swollen from all the water it had absorbed. Crimson sighed in relief as he flexed his wings, sending droplets of water flying into the air above him, where they started to form together into a bubble of condensation. Sliding the lids of his eyes to a close, he began to focus all remaining mental power on the droplets of water running down his red and black striped bangs. They began melting into each other, shaping larger and larger until it was almost the size of Crimson’s head. With more concentration of his pegasus magic, the colt compressed the liquids until they resembled a calm, glossy, and clear orb, hovering just delicately before his muzzle. Only mere seconds later, the drops began to separate in two smaller orbs. Then four. Then eight. Then sixteen. Thirty-two.... Each time getting smaller and smaller until they blended back into the original shower-drops splattering back onto the tub surface.

When he finally opened his eyes, his crimson orbs landed on the two mares that were simply standing in the doorway, silent, a noticeable red on their cheeks that even Crimson was able to catch....”Oh, you’re still here.... what are you two staring at?”

“That’s a... mighty fine trick ya got there, Red.” the flustered orange mare spoke up, emerald eyes still gleaming with amazement.

“Just some pegasus magic really,” the colt shrugged as he started forming up another bubble. “A pegasus can manipulate the water in clouds to produce rain, this is no different really. Some pegasi are better at it than others, me when I’m in a calm state of mind I suppose. Now, my turn; why are the two of you blushing?”

Pinkie let out a squeal of nervousness. “Oh, you just look so... so... I don’t even know the word, I’d go cute, but you’re too rugged, too buff. No, cute isn't it, and handsome would work, but it’s not strong enough, so I guess I have to trot along in Fluttershy’s hoofprints because Reddy, you-” Pinkie lets out a breath, and takes a step forward. “Look-” she took another step forward, her voice dropping a few decibels. “Nice~.”

The bubble of water above Crimson burst as his concentration is battered down by fluttering eyelashes. He shivered as the torrent washed over him, but it wasn’t from the cold. It was from the very... unsettling... feeling that had shot through his heart like a rusted arrow.

“I....I....I don’t even......” With each word, Crimson’s face grew into his name, deeper and deeper, not to mention his eye contact was jumping all over the place. “L-Literally none of those words apply to me, Pinkie!”

“An’ ponies tell me that Ah can be thick sometimes....”

“Wh-What? The hell is that suppose to-”

“Listen, Crimson,” Applejack interjected, as she kept a rather surprisingly stern stare despite the warmth coating her snout. “Y’all need ta stop puttin’ yerself down all the time over everythin’. Modesty’s one thing, but this....”

“Well, just in case you forgot,” the black colt put up a scowl, motioning a hoof towards his scalp, or in this case, his brain. “My self esteem doesn’t exactly exist. And why would it? What’s so great about a murderer who’s contributed nothing to world other than blood, sweat, and tears? Not that it bothers me or anything....”

“Crimson!” the mare repeated with an even more forceful tone than Crimson thought possible, enough to make him jump even. “Y’all sell yerself short more than anypony Ah’ve seen in mah entire life! It ain’t healthy one bit! Yer kind, caring, fun, thoughtful, easy going, and.... well....”

For a moment, the apple farmer cut eye contact, shielding her scalding muzzle behind her soggy stetson. “....And handsome, that one goes without sayin’ Ah suppose... and whether or not y’all want to believe it, Crimson,” Applejack began, as she brought her gaze back to the colt’s, “Jus’ like Pinkie, or me, or anypony in Equestria, you have emotions! So quit tryin’ ta fight them an’ accept, no, embrace them! Jus’, please, let us help you.... Red....”

Red was silent, several thoughts swirling around his head not too different a fashion than that of a whirlpool. What in the hell had he done to make them accuse him of being anything like those foreign words.... What the hell did they know? Two mares he’s known for little over a week, believing they’ve got him down pegged? The colt had gone through years worth of mental training to keep his blasted emotions in check, and they wanted him to just throw all of that away at the tip of a hat? No matter what, these mares hadn’t come close the nightmares he had lived, how could they think that they could sympathize in the slightest....

“.....Hate to break it to you AJ, but I think I’d know myself a little more than you at this point. And I’m going to have to label all of what you said false.”

“Red, Ah-”

“Are you deaf, or just fucking stupid?! Nopony in this backwards town knows jack shit about who, or even what I really am! Just.... get that through your thick skulls already and just GIVE UP!!!”

Crimson had finally snapped. Warm air heavily flared from the colt’s nostrils. His breathing, the only sound audible from the deathly silence suffocating the room, had become dangerously rapid and violent. Most noticeably, what made the mares’ spines stiffen up the most was the demented look in the colt’s eyes. The iris of his eyes were just barely visible; the crimson orbs that once held a roguish charm were replaced with a sickening stare that resembled less of an equine’s and more of a.... a........

The fear in Applejack’s eyes were replaced with what looked to be a mix between three emotions; shock, sadness, and anger. While the mare still held a furious, yet faltering glare right back, beads of tears were clearly visible in the corner of her eyes, like a dam just seconds away from breaking....

“....Y’know what.... fine!” Applejack shouted, her voice quavering heavily, “There ain’t nothin’ Ah can do for ya if y’all won’t even try to accept my heart- that Ah’ve been pourin’ out to you!” The dam finally broke- no, shattered, much like the mare’s heart had at that moment. With the passing seconds, her tears went from beads to entire rivers running down the mare’s cheeks. “If ya don’t want my help, then Ah guess Ah.... Ah.... Ah.........”

Without uttering another word, Applejack bolted out the door, a painful sense of Déjà vu from earlier this morning clouding the mare’s thoughts, since the tears were already clouding her eyes. The black colt’s rage greatly dissipated, but unfortunately his pride kept a small source of anger still lingering in his head....

That is, until his eyes made contact with Pinkie Pie’s. The second his eyes spotted her cerulean ones, any anger still remaining dropped like an anvil. The pink mare’s ears folded back when she came to Crimson’s attention, her head ducked low as if she were an abused puppy about to receive her next “punishment”; a look in her eyes the hitcolt knew all too well.

Fear.

“.....Pinkie Pie, I-”

But the second he opened his mouth, the mare was already out the door.

Slackjawed, Crimson lifted his hoofs into vision to notice that they were shaking along with the rest of his body, as new questions began to swim inside his head... Why had he gotten so mad? Why did he let his emotions take over again.... What would he have done to them if they hadn’t left him out of sheer fear? All the questions were washed away by a wave of regret, Crimson lowering his head and letting out a shaky sigh, the only audible sound being the freezing cold water hitting his coat from the showerhead above....

“....It shows what they knew, but I bet they know now..... I’m a monster.....”

********************************************************************************************************

Spike grumbled as he hung, swinging from a branch near the CMC’s not-so-secret base of operations. “Well, that was a bust.”

Scootaloo groaned in disgust, her wings buzzing frantically as she tried to disentangle herself from the rope. “Ugh, come on, I was sure we had it that time! I mean, Skydiving from the exosphere would have totally gotten our cutie marks!”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle added, “if the hot air balloon hadn’t popped from the cold in the top of the troposphere.” She was currently the only one present not hanging upside down, instead held upright in half of the broken balloon’s basket.

“Aw, c’mon, you guys, this ain’t so bad!” Apple Bloom was tied to Spike, their bodies pressed uncomfortably close for the young dragon. “Ah mean, we didn’t get covered in tree-” Crr-RISHK!

Everypony glared at Apple Bloom (Spike just jabbing her with an elbow since he couldn’t see her) as they all dropped a few inches. “Aww... Horseapp-” CrrhHSS-FftFftFft-THOOM.

“Ugh...” The three fillies and one dragon pulled themselves up off the ground, grunting and groaning all the while. Scootaloo looked at her body, and then that of her friends. “Hey, we still didn’t get covered in tree-” Suddenly, a beehive as big as a colt fell from the trees above, hitting the ground and splattering all four of them with the goopy mess inside. “... sap. This doesn’t count, dang it!”

“Ooohhh, Rarity’s gonna kill me if she sees that I got honey in my mane! Oh, what’re we gonna do?”

“Just eat it,” Spike said helpfully, licking some of the sweet-tasting goop off his arm. “Mmm, try it; it’s good!”

Apple Bloom looked over to her two friends slowly, a smile spreading across her face as she cocked an eyebrow. When Scootaloo understood, she returned the smile, her wings flaring with a small, somewhat syrupy fwumph. “Don’t mind if Ah do, Spike.” Apple Bloom and Scoots started advancing on the baby dragon, Sweetie Belle quickly catching on when she saw the predatorial grins her friends were sporting.

Spike only had time for one small shout before he found himself being invaded by three fillies taking his statement too literally. What was it he shouted? Well, it sounded a little like this: “Wait, no, don’t lick meeeeee~!”

********************************************************************************************************

“Applejack?! AAAAApleJAAAAACK?!”

The dripping wet colt wandered through the hallway of the Sweet Apple Acres barnhouse. He rubbed at his eyes, not quite sure if the fur matted below his sockets were from lack of sleep, or.... He had to get this out of his system, even if it still meant they’d hate him for as long as he roamed Equestria, and who knew how much longer that’d be....

A towel was draped around Crimson’s barrel, most importantly, his scar. He figured it was better to not disturb the Apple residence with his most noticeable trait, other than maybe his cutiemark. It still felt unsettling, that much was definitely apparent. If only he had something better to cover with.... ‘It really has been a while since I’ve seen that old thing. Where is it anyways...’

The colt stood outside of one of the hallways with pressure building in his stomach, and hesitantly....he knocked.

“Applejack? You in there? Listen, I’m sorry for, well.... going ballistic on you when you only wanted to help. It’s just.... ever since the two of you were almost killed, it’s been... hard to think straight, to say the least. But, please, even if you hate me, want me to leave town, or even turn me over to Celestia.... I’m sorry....”

The seconds gruesomely passed, Crimson noting that it was becoming rather hard to swallow. When a minute passed without an answer, the black colt raised a brow quizzingly, bringing his hoof to the door one for time for it to slide open almost on it’s own. He peered his head through the doorframe, taking in each corner of the farm mare’s room to find it disappointingly empty.

“Damn, no dice. That just means I used all of my will to apologize to.... a door.”

Just as he was about to turn tail on the mare’s room, something managed to catch the colt’s eye, and full curiosity. He debated whether to take a closer look or not. He knew better than anypony that privacy was meant to be respected, not to mention it wouldn’t make matters any better if he were caught in the act. But... curiosity killed the colt.

Crimson cautiously trotted closer to Applejack’s bed, noticing a small piece of a strangely familiar cloth just barely peeking from under the bed frame. It was only when he held it out in his hooves did it all managed to seep in....

“Oh ho ho, Applejack.... we need to talk.... NOW.”

Chapter Fourteen: Minus Amina

Chapter Fourteen: Minus Amina

“So, this is the place then. Looks pretty dainty, eh?”

“That’s what the Professor said. He’s never wrong about these sort of things. Kinda creepy if ya ask me.”

Just beyond the point that separated the humble town of Ponyville and the deranged forest Everfree, two figures- shrouded in matching blood red cloaks- had their backs pressed behind the town gates. Though nothing on their appearance was visible in the slightest, there was definitely something about them that just screamed “suspicious”. Whoever they were, they definitely weren’t normal.

“But it just don’t make a lotta sense,” the first figure spoke up, his voice rather low pitched, and grammar having a lot to be desired as well. Not to mention easily towering over his counterpart. “Why would the Crimson Shadow be hidin’ in such a small ol’ place like this one?”

“Think about it, moron,” retorted the second, pitch not as low, but definitely raspier. “He’s probably trying to keep it low. This town definitely looks segregated. Fuckin’ Tartarus, there’s a chance these folks don’t even know about this guy’s reputation. Plus, it’s not a good idea to question Plasm, unless ya think living the rest of your life as a fish or something sounds like a fun time.”

“Naw, I-I ain’t doubtin’ him er nothin’. That scary laugh of his is enough to give me the heeby jeebies....”

Though their expressions were currently hidden under their fabric hoods, it was safe to assume there was mutual fear in the air for the two eerie figures. Shaking his hooded head, the more cautious of the two began to scan the area of any passerby that could blow their cover.

“Quit yer yappin’ already and focus,” the second of the two whispered, “I’ll search along that farm they’ve got going on back their. You lay low and make your way through town, and for Celestia’s sake, don’t blow your cover.”

“Aw, nuts! I’ll bet ya just picked to search in da farm to sneak some o’ those apples...”

“What are y-I don’t even-AGH!!! Just shut up and help me complete this damn mission already! Meet back with me here at the town gates, and don’t screw this up!”

And with that, the second figure leapt away so quickly it left an after image, heading towards the apple orchard. The first figure, after a moment’s hesitation, faded into the alleyways leading into town. Both were very aware of how their lives hung in the balance of this particular mission.

****************************************************************************************************

“Pinkie? Pinkie dear? Pinkie Pie, are you feeling alright?”

….

“....You cleaned out the entire fridge. When I saw that, I got rather, um.... frightened.”

“....E-Everything’s just f-fine, Missus Cake,” a voice from upstairs called out, not even bothering to open the door first. “Don’t you worry one eensy weensy little bit! Ahahaha.....”

The plump cerulean mare raised an eyebrow, but figured it was better to go against her better judgement. It was Pinkie Pie after all. “Ooookay, dearie. But remember, if it’s something important you know who you can come to for support.”

A couple seconds later with no response, Cup Cake let out a sorrowful sigh and made her way back to the register, a line of hungry, anxious customers waiting on the other side. Even she could see that something has been really getting at Pinkie Pie these past few days, and this was definitely the cherry on top that confirmed all her suspicions. Cup Cake could only pray to Princess Celestia that this had nothing to do with their little chat the two had just three days ago....

Lying to Missus Cake -or anypony for that matter- didn’t exactly settle well in Pinkie’s stomach. That, or the immense amounts of junk food she had been shoving down her throat were finally catching up to her. Either way, the usually bubbly pink mare knew it was best not to get her boss involved in the circle of drama that Pinkie Pie had -more or less- pushed her way into the day she met that bullheaded black stallion....

‘Why.... why did I run away?’ the tormenting thought crept into her head, tears escaping her eyeducts as if they were fleeing a fire. ‘Am... Am I really afraid of him? I love him so so so much, but.... can anypony actually be scared of their special somepony?’

But... he wasn’t Pinkie Pie’s special somepony. No matter how hard the mare desperately wished it were so. Despite it all, she would give up any chances of the two of them being together if it meant seeing the colt happy. Maybe he would find another mare....

‘....Who am I kidding? He’d rather die than to fall head over heels with anypony.’ the pink mare chuckled as the thought went through her mind, though only for a moment before reality came crashing into her at full speed like a runaway chariot. ‘If Crimson keeps going through life pushing away others and penting up in his emotions.... it really will be too late for him....How can he even focus on all of these problems in a lifetime? They have to be eating him up inside.... He... He really will kill himself at this rate!....’

What started as sniffles became quiet sobs, before gradually dissolving into full blown crying. Even the sprinkled doughnut with lots a frosting was quickly rejected, none of the piles of junk food sprawled out in front of her look the least bit appetizing....

“I-I don’t think I’m all that hungry anyways.....”

****************************************************************************************************

“Oh, whoops. Silly me, I’m terribly sorry, I-”

“Next time, watch where yer goin’, little pony.”

“Ooookay then....”

The considerably large, oafish cloaked figure made his way through the town square. He was at least twice as big as anypony he passed on his way, and weird looks from the simple civilians passed to each other and the stranger as he went.

“Wow, rude...”

“Did you just see that guy? I never...”

“And what kind of pony walks on their hind legs anyway....”

Whispers all around began spreading like wildfire, the covered up stranger paying no mind to the increasing gossip. ‘Hm... why would a murderin’ scumbag live in a place like this?’ the figure contemplated to himself, too intrigued with his own thoughts than maybe even the mission at hoof. ‘Now what was his reason fer that again.... I forget. Oh well, time to find some grub! Maybe then I’ll remember this time-’

ShhhhrrrRRRIIIIIIIIPPP

“Huh?” the pale green unicorn stopped in her tracks, red fabric caught on her horn. Without hesitation, the mare panickingly jerked forward, the sound of ripping and tearing getting more and more audible. “What is- OH, sorry about that! Here, I........”

The animosity in the air was thick enough to cut with a butter knife. The mare’s amber eyes grew twice their original state; she wanted to shriek, but nothing seemed to want to pass through her throat. Whatever this.... creature was, it was no pony. Not at all.

Scales as green as a boggy swamp; rows upon rows of pointed teeth, sharper than a freshly shaven blade; claws on all four limbs, each looked as if they would carve an apple tree with one foul swing. And it’s eyes.... reptillian to the core. “Oi! It ain’t nice to stare...” The eyes narrowed, a sinister gleam taking effect. “Why don’chu just let me be, eh?”

“C-C-CROCODILE!!!! EVERYPONY, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!”

“Uh oh.....”

****************************************************************************************************

‘Come on, Applejack, get a hold of yerself already! These apple trees ain’t gonna buck themselves ya know.....’

The past few hours in the apple orchard for the orange mare had never felt so quiet. So... lonely. Despite everything that had happened earlier today, ignoring her daily routine of chores was simply not an option. Even a broken, no, shattered and torn heart would not stop Applejack from keeping this farm up and running. The mare figured it was a good idea to start near where the apple trees came to a halt, as far away from the farm as possible.

As far away from.... him, as possible.

Even after so much time had past, her face was left absolutely soaked in fresh, still running tears rolling down her cheeks. Why couldn’t she get it out of her head? Not only was it hindering her work, but Applejack could have sworn she’d never felt more vulnerable in all of her life. She was supposed to be the strong one for all of her friends, but now.... she felt weak. And all over one black, bullheaded colt....

“It...It ain’t like this is the first time Ah’ve ever been y-yelled at! So, why....” At this point, Applejack had to completely halt her bucking of the apple trees, her vision too shrouded by her tears to even see straight. “Why am Ah actin’ like a scared lil’ school filly?! It ain’t like he tried ta hurt me or nothing! A-Ah was the one stickin’ mah nose where it didn’t belong! S-So….W-Why…….”

Applejack fell flat on her rump as she began to wipe the tears that stung her eyes, her voice too hoarse to even form another lousy word. Did she really care for Crimson’s approval so much that it could drive her to the point of madness, and turn her into a nervous wreck? Did…. Did she really love the colt that much-

“HEY, TOOTS!”

Applejack snapped her head to where the voice had came from. Much to her shock, the mare’s green orbs landed on a figure not much bigger than a full-grown mare, standing on its hind legs not much unlike Crimson would during a fight, and completely wrapped in a blood red cloak.

And the weirdest part was that she never even sensed its presence. Applejack found it rather strange; the mare had been bucking the apples from the trees for at least a good long hour now, there’s no way in the pits of Tartarus she couldn’t have even noticed it was there….

“Lend me your ears for a second, would ya?” Applejack couldn’t help but cringe in her hooves; the cloaked figure’s voice wasn’t all too far off from the excruciating sound of dragon claws on a chalkboard. “Ya see, I’m lookin’ for somepony a bit peculiar that may be wandering around this town of yours here from what my sources have told me….”

If anything, the mare would think that this guy was looking for himself with that description….

“An’ what may Ah ask are these here sources yer blabbin’ on about?” Applejack inquired, an eyebrow raised in suspicion while subtly trying to clear any remaining tears under her eyes with a hoof. She had a funny feeling jumping around in her stomach that this wasn’t going to end quietly….

“Sorry,” the figure replied, a hint of annoyance stained in his voice, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, it’s classified information. Now, if you would be so kind as to answer the damn-“

“Well Ah’m mighty sorry to you as well,” the farm mare interjected with venom dripping from her tone, “Because y’all can drop yer lil’ act already. Ah ain’t stupid enough not to know it’s Crimson yer after, an’ Ah sure as sugar am not jus’ gonna let y’all waltz in this peaceful town an’ hurt mah friends an’ loved ones. Ya clear?”

“…..Hehehe.” Even though his hood was covering up most of the figure’s face, a dangerous smile was still recognizable clear as day. “Hate to break it to ya, but it’s not going to be that easy. If you cooperate like a good little filly, then maybe I’ll save you the-“

“Shove it down yer blowhole!” Applejack once again interrupted the shadowy creature, fire backing up each word. “Like Ah said: Ah ain’t sayin’ a buckin’ word.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. And such a shame,” the hooded assailant shook his head in amusement. “And here I was hopin’ things would go smoothly this mission. But ya have knowledge that I want. And luckily, I have ways of makin’ little ponies talk….”

And without so much as a sound, the cloaked figure standing before her began to vanish from sight until it was gone without a trace, leaving the orange mare standing alone in a vast orchard of over one hundred apple filled trees.

Or so it appeared anyway.

The mare found herself knocked into the side of a tree with a THUNK, the wind knocked right out of her lungs. Picking herself up while gasping for air, Applejack desperately found herself scanning every which way in order to find the culprit with no luck. ‘Agh, dammit! Where could that bastard have gone off to-’

Left! Jump left!

Applejack threw herself to the left, rolling once or twice before she managed to catch herself onto her hooves. The mare’s urge to dodge nothing became evident when she felt a small stream of red liquid roll down her cheek. Whatever this creature was, it definitely wasn’t equine.

“Hahaha, that’s some instinct ya got there. Let’s see if you can pull that one off a second time!”

So that’s what’s going on here. The kooky figure didn’t vanish. He was invisible….

‘Well ain’t that just swell. How am Ah supposed to fight somepony that Ah can’t even see?!’ Good question, AJ. It’s too bad I don’t have the answer to everythin- Dammit! Broke the fourth wall again. What did Mac tell me about doing that....?

But enough of that. Applejack managed to duck under yet another strike from the not-so in-sight figure, this time without a scratch. The mare quickly began to count her lucky stars as she readied herself for the next attack.

“Don’t get too full of yourself now, mare,” The orange mare nearly jumped when the red cloaked figure appeared before her eyes.”Because right now, I’m just getting started….”

“W-Why don’t y’all just quit bein’ a Celestia damned coward and fight me on equal grounds?!” the irritated Applejack shouted to nothing in sight, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her chest.

“Well then, where would the fun be in that? And besides, it’s been a while since I’ve been allowed to play with my food….”

And as if he began to blend back in with his surroundings, the figure once again disappeared into thin air. It was uncomfortably silent until it was broken by a faint chuckle in the distance. Applejack could feel each and every droplet of sweat roll down her forehead, the saliva she swallowed the only audible sound for miles.

Several minutes passed, the spine-chilling silence in the air making each minute feel like the equivalent of an hour. The mare scanned through the apple trees with the intensity to make a cockatrice flee from a staring contest, but not one signal or warning could be found to figure out where her opponent was hiding….

Then, Applejack’s ear flicked.

The mare blocked a straight forward punch aimed straight for her chest with her hooves, smacking away a second that followed after. It was then that the orange mare found it appropriate to strike back, launching her hoof dead straight with enough fiery to take down an Ursa Major.

Problem was however, that her punch didn’t make any connection….

“But….But he was standin’ there jus’a second ago, weren’t he-GRK!”

The orange mare nearly lost her balance when she felt a sharp pain jab at the back of her neck. And as Applejack struggled to remain on her hooves, she swung ferociously at the air in hopes to at least make one solid blow. Instead, Applejack nearly ended up vomiting when a powerful arm slammed into her stomach.

She couldn’t even feel the energy to stand, leaning onto the invisible figure’s arm as if he was her crutch. “Aw, what’s the matter? Having a hard time keeping up ya stupid little earth mare?”

Applejack looked her opponent dead in the eyes –or at least she assumed she was- with her emerald gems, still full of a fiery determination and pride despite the fact that the mare’s vision was blurry from the blow.

“So, tell me, mare…. Ya interested in talking yet?” Just by the tone in his voice Applejack could tell he was grinning like a madmare.

“Ah ain’t…. down fer the count jus’…. yet,” the country mare protested between coughs, “A-Apple family members never go down without no fight…. Y-Ya yella bellied varmint!”

“Hehehe…. Whatever you say….”

He must have moved, because Applejack fell to her knees, a trail of saliva dripping past her chin. ‘N-No…. Ah can’t have mahself look weak in front of him. The bastard’ll jus’ find it amusin’ , ’ The mare reasoned to herself. ‘C’mon, Applejack. Get UP!’

Step by step, Applejack struggled her way back onto her hooves, and even more so to balance herself on her hind legs. ‘Alright, AJ, the varmint’s around her somewhere. Be patient. Feel out his movements….’

It was something she had never consciously tried to do before, but it was better than nothing. She would rely on the wisdom of the earth. Let the plants, trees, and soil tell her what to do. In other words: she was going to attempt Earth pony magic.

Applejack closed her eyes, and squeezed them shut as hard as she could. This was going to require concentration, and a lot of it….

‘Oh come on now, the hell do ya think you’re doing, meditating or somethin’?’ the cloaked stranger was getting rather annoyed, making him wonder why he had even bothered to turn on his camouflage in the first place. ‘I had fun watching you squirm too, not that this’ll make any difference….’

Meanwhile, AJ was coming up with satisfying results. It was as though she could feel the life force of everything around her. Every beat from the figure’s footsteps rang through her ears. She…. She could see him, just…. not with her eyes. This new little trick seemed like it might just come in handy after all…. Just be patient….

….And there he was.

This time, Applejack felt her hoof finally connecting to something, being made apparent when she noticed skid marks being made into the dirt for a few feet. At the end of the marks in the ground, something was reappearing into sight. This time, the hooded figure wasn’t so hooded anymore….

Applejack nearly gasped at what she saw. He had furless, rough green scales, two separately mobile eyes, and one long, slithering tongue flicking around his mouth. The orange mare wasn’t so sure if she really wanted to know what was under that hood anymore, but it was much too late for that. What… what was this creature?

“If Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d say that yer a –“

“Chameleon? Oh, you’re right on the nose, ya damn fleabag….”

“But that doesn’t make a lick o’ sense….” Applejack mused to herself. “Ah’ve been all ‘around Equestria, an’ Ah reckon not once have Ah ever seen a walkin’, talkin’ chameleon before. Ah didn’t even know somethin’ like yerself even existed fer that matter….”

“Wanna know a little secret?” A sly, yet cold grimace curled over the reptile’s lips. “We don’t. We owe our lives to Professor Plasm! He’d be the ruler that this town, no this world of fur bags really needs!”

“That name,” Applejack put a single hoof to her lips in thought. “it sounds…. Familiar. Ah know Ah’ve heard it somewhere before, but….”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, brat! I’ve said too much already, it’d be a better idea if I kept your mouth shut for good!”

The cloaked chameleon didn’t waste any time when his tongue snapped right at the orange mare, who managed to sidestep and grasp onto the thin pink rope with her hooves. “Aw, what’s the matter? Mare got yer tongue?”

“……Shi-ACK“

Applejack yanked the lizard’s tongue with enough force to send him off the ground and soaring forward, an audible CRACK was made when his face met with a an applebuck with enough force to send him crashing into the nearest tree, each and every apple landing painfully on the cloaked chameleon.

“An’ that’s how we do it down here on the farm.”

Apples slowly began to roll off the chameleon as he tried to stand back up, but was quickly put to rest when a lasso ensnared over his arms and chest to keep him in place. “Well I’ll be damned…. I didn’t think a lowly little dirt mare like yourself could put up any fight-GRK! Watch how your tightening that thing, stupid mare!”

“Ah’ve heard quite enough outta y’all!” Applejack shot back in obvious irritation. “Now spill it, who is this here Professor Plasm, an’ what does he want with Crimson….”

“….Just who do ya think you are calling the shots here, toots?” the chameleon grinned up to even Wild Card standards. “Ya think you’ve won? Think again, mare! I’m going to snap you like a twig, little-urk….”

And just as Applejack was going to open her mouth for a response, it instead hung open as her eyes grew twice their normal size. The green captive gave a beastly roar; the twine on her rope began to thin and loosen, and finally snap apart, leaving it to fall uselessly to the ground with the ripped and torn fabric of his cloak. The reptile’s arms blew up twice their size, rippling with raw muscle that wasn’t there prior. And it sure didn’t stop there. Soon, his torso expanded until even a Minotaur in comparison would turn green with jealousy. The mare could only stand there, tilting her head higher and higher to compensate eye level as the behemoth shot up at a dangerous rate.

Finally snapping out of his state of euphoria of the transformation, the chameleon was well over three times the orange mare’s size, drool seeping out the corner of the savage’s mouth like a river.

“CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY, MARE,” the behemoth chameleon’s voice echoed throughout the orchard. “I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT I’D HAVE TO USE THIS ON A MERE PONY BEFORE. BUT YOUR LUCK JUST RAN OUT, YA STUPID FARM BRAT! I’LL SMASH YA INTO THE PITS OF TARTARUS WHERE YOU STUPID LITTLE PONIES ALL BELONG!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

The orange mare felt her legs shaking underneath her until they finally went out from the pressure. Applejack knew she had gotten herself way in over her head; she was an apple farmer, not a fighter! This was something she knew she definitely couldn’t handle on her own….

But alas, there was nopony around for miles to help Applejack out of this jam like this. Tears were beginning to well up in the mare’s emerald green eyes. Was this really the end for her? Who would this monster go after next when he was done with her? Her family? Her friends? The citizens of Ponyville? And after all that was finished with, what were they going to do with….

“….Crimson,” Applejack whispered to herself, slowly making her way to her hooves as she rubbed the stray beads of tears from her cheeks. “….Ah hope ya’ll find it deep in yer heart to forgive me, but… Ah don’t have a choice but to fight. Ah ain’t lettin’ this here monster hurt anypony Ah know an’ love…. An’ that means you too, Red.”

“ALRIGHT, LITTLE PONY,” the overgrown reptile took a crouching stance. “YOU READY TO DIE?”

“….Sure am,” Applejack retorted, a blazing fury in her new determined stare. “An’ Ah’m ready to take y’all with me if necessary.”

“AHAHAHA!!! FINE, LETS SEE IF YA CAN EVEN MAKE A SCRATCH!!!”

And in fits of maniacal laughter, the chameleon finally charged. While not nearly as nimble as before, he was still rather quick for his size. Bracing for impact, the farm mare accepted this may be her last few seconds and braced herself, her eyes sliding shut as she prepared for the impact just in case the first blow wasn’t enough to kill her instantaneously.

SLASH…

The seconds passed without so much as a single noise. Applejack slowly reopened her eyes, but her emerald eyes didn’t meet with the expected results. Instead, the beast didn’t even get to its halfway mark before a cloaked, a black stallion was kneeling near the chameleon’s now headless body. Seconds turned into minutes without so much as a word, the only sound being made was from the steam pouring from the body as it began to shrink down to its original size once more.

Applejack couldn’t help the fear that constricted at her chest. The black colt’s snout was splattered in blood that matched his eyes. She wasn’t sure her stomach could handle the stench of death that flooded the air. He must have sensed this, because the colt turned his head to keep it from her sights as he began to wipe at the blood on his face with a free hoof.

“…..Heh, don’t worry, AJ…. I forgive you.” And with that, Applejack’s knight in bloodied armor got to his hooves and slid his sword into the sheath. “I probably would have done the same if I were in your position.”

“How…. could y’all have heard-“

“Really strong ears. Big whoop, I know.” Crimson retorted with a hint of sarcasm apparent in his tone. “Also… sorry for stealing your kill and all. Just wasn’t sure you could really handle it.”

As Crimson trotted closer, he could see that Applejack was now scowling, her anger apparently even greater than the fear she still held. “Don’t ya treat this like a damn sport, Red! That’s just sick an’ y’all know it!”

“Of course I know it,” Crimson retorted unfeelingly. “I’ve been doing it for years, haven’t I? Hell, most of my life even.”

“T-That ain’t somethin’ y’all should go ‘round flauntin’ like it’s nothin’, neither!”

“I don’t flaunt it really. I’ve just done it so much that it doesn’t really faze me,” the colt said laxly, his bored eyes drifting off in any direction but the mare in front of him. “After all, that’s how monsters are. Even that lizard thing over there wouldn’t come close to the real me.”

“Y’all didn’t have any choice, which still don’t make ya a monster, Red.” While Applejack’s eyes were stern, it wasn’t impossible to see they were close to tearing up either. “But darn it, ya don’t have to act so buckin’ thick about it! No matter how much y’all persist that it’s true, Ah know fer fact that y’all are better than that….”

“You’ve known me like, what, a week? Nine days maybe?” the black colt deadpanned. “Jeez, you wouldn’t accept it if I drilled it into your skull, figuratively speaking of course.”

“Get used to it, Red,” Applejack directed her emerald eyes towards the ground, digging her hoof into the soil. “Ah’ve known ya long enough to know yer stubborn to think good of yerself even a lil’.”

“Look who’s talking,” Crimson gave a quick chuckle, “You’re the one who almost got her flank handed to her not a few minutes ago by mister mutant over there.”

“Ah was handlin’ mahself jus’ fine,” the mare hissed back, “Before he went all muscle-y on me Ah literally had ‘em by the ropes!”

“Sure, after you started using earth pony magic that is,” the black colt merely shrugged, “Sure, it was impressive, but I can tell that you don’t have what it takes to put him out for good. From what Glitch told me, many of those mutants possess a little steroid in their bodies that can seriously turn the tide of battle, which is why you have to kill them before they get the chance to use it. Let the assassins do the fighting, AJ. I don’t want you to ever know what it’s like your first time to know somepony’s death was on your hooves. Just let me handle it next time, would you?”

The silence that held afterwards was a long one. Crimson felt a tremendous guilt that this was probably the first killing Applejack had ever witnessed, though he couldn’t help but be rather surprised about how well she was taking it.

….Or at least compared to how Pinkie might….

“….Also, another thing,” Crimson spoke up, the silence finally broken, “Maybe I should be the one pissed about now, don’t you think?”

That didn’t sit well with the orange mare.“W-What in tarnation do y’all have to be angry about?!”

No words came from the colt’s side of the argument. Instead, Crimson simply plucked at the red and black cloak he wore over most of his body with his hoof. “Gee, I wonder myself.”

In a matter of seconds, Applejack’s entire muzzle was a glowing shade of red. Her heart began to beat at an alarming rate, feeling like it was going to bust out of her chest at any moment. She gulped, which was rather tough considering she felt like there was a lump in it wider than the time she forgot to chew her first apple….

“W-W-Well ya see, u-um… Ah well, ya see, Ah can explain that, Ah…..” The heat burning at AJ’s face didn’t help matters at all. The mare could have sworn that she had never sputtered so hard in all of her life. She felt like she could just die….

Applejack nearly squealed when she felt the colt’s muzzle smush up against her’s, she could even feel his warm, musky breath making contact with her own. Applejack swore that the blush that now coated the entirety of her face could heat all of Equestria at this point….

“Y’know, Applejack,” the colt started, his crimson orbs bored into the mare’s, causing her heart beat intensify even more. “I hope you know I don’t exactly take it all too kindly when somepony steals my stuff from under my nose….”

“Hehe, um…. ya see, Ah-“

“Goodness, Crimson Rays. Give the mare a break; I’d say she deserves it after all she’s been through.”

Both heads swung towards the direction of the voice, only to have their jaws hang in place. They only watched in terror as the body of the once headless mutant got back onto its feet. Only, not the same head that it once sported. Not at all….

Applejack was the first to bring herself back to speaking level, though a tad limited.“Wh-What in Celestia’s mane….”

“Why not ask your little coltfriend, I’m sure he at least recognizes me.” the mismatched newcomer chuckled. In place of what was once a chameleon’s head look like one of a unicorn stallion. The coat to the colt head was a creamy white, while his well groomed mane was a dark violet that reached his lower midriff. His eyes, a bright violet, held an unimaginable intellectuality, yet kept a menacing stare that was hard to break. The most noticeable trait about him was not only that glowing purple Scorpio symbol imbedded into his chest, but also that psychotic grin of his, that has yet to waver in the slightest. “I’m simply speaking through one of my many mutations, my DNA runs through all of them you know. Come now, Crimson. Rack that thick skull of yours and give the nice mare an answer. Hehe, I’m sure she’s simply dying to know.”

“….Professor Plasm,” the black colt finally spoke with a growl, “The Splicing Scorpion….”

Applejack’s eyes grew like saucers. ‘Ah knew Ah heard that name somewhere before….’

“Ah, yes. That little nickname always had a nice ring to it,” the eerie stallion gave a faint chuckle wouldn’t you agree, Crimson Shadow?”

Crimson ground his teeth, trying not to let the professor get to him, for Applejack’s sake. The colt sighed, “Plasm was a scientist and a gene splicer at the company. You could say that him and Glitch were rivals, but in different fields of science. Glitch is more of mechanic and weapons crafter, while Plasm worked in DNA and bioscience. I’d honestly go as far to say that the two were rivals in intelligence as well….”

“Those were the days, weren’t they, old friend?”

“Hardly, you bastard.” Crimson snarled, “You’ve tried to experiment on me more times than I can count. “

“Good times….”

“Anyway, Plasm has a sick little fascination with mutations and [í]alicorns. If he wasn’t creating freaks in his lab, he was getting ponies killed one after another in his little quest to create a full functioning pony with wings and magic. And because Plasm and Boss could never see eye-to-eye, Plasm left the company and went solo, where he makes mutations out of random ponies even to this very day….”

“Actually, I’d like to point out that this model here happens to be a bit different,” the mad scientist snorted, motioning to the body reptilian he was residing in. “This one wasn’t a pony to begin with. Rather, a Chamaeleonidae- or chameleon, that I found in the wild.”

“So….” The black stallion had begun to shiver, a bloodthirsty scowl obvious in his expression. “….You’re mutating animals too now, bastard?!”

“Why yes, and this imbecile was supposed to be the one to send you this message, but, I suppose I’ll just have to tell you myself.”

“Message….?”

“Crimson,” the mismatched stallion started, his grin curling into a full on wicked smile. “I want you to come and meet me in my lab somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest near Baltimare. You’re a big boy, I’m sure you’ll make it just fine. Who knows, I just might even reward you with some information on your parents…. Or maybe something having to do with that little girl I heard you killed in cold blood. You’re choice, Crimson Shadow! HAHAHAHAHAHA-“

Any laughter remaining was cut off when the black colt gave a SWISH of his black blade, ripping it deep through the reptilian torso the stallion head was borrowing as it fell face first to the ground. Without another word, Crimson slid the katana into its cozy sheath and proceeded to trot forward….

“….Red, where y’all heading off to?”

“….Isn’t it obvious?”

“Ya know this could jus’ be a trap y’all’d be walkin’ into…. right?” Applejack tried to reason, her eyes stained with worry.

“Heh,” The colt turned his gaze towards the frightened apple farmer with a rather twisted grin of his own, blood that wasn’t his own trickling past his matching crimson eyes, giving him an effective stare that could match that of a demon. “….Why should I care?”

****************************************************************************************************

“... I mean really, I love him so much but I can’t help but feel a teensy weensy bit scared when he glares like that but I mean come on it’s like he was trying to scare me off and I’m pretty sure it hurt him as well, and not just me and Applejack and I hope she’s doing okay, I don’t want her to be feeling too horrible, or actually I don’t want her to feel horrible at all...”

The tiny alligator moaned as another cupcake was shoved down his throat. ‘T-This ain’t what I signed up for....’ Gummy quickly chewed through the too-sweet morsel and prepared himself for the next. ‘I hope chamo’s doin’ better gettin’ info at the farm... this sucks!’ This time, it was a whole apple that was shoved into his mouth. He bit down into it, not paying attention to the pink mare laying on the bed beside him anymore. ‘This pony is too.... wha’s da word- annoying, dat’s it! I’mma gettin’ outta here!’

“And besides it’s not like cherries are bad or anything, I love cherries as much as apples, though I can’t say the same about potatoes or carrots, potatoes are spy plants ‘cause they got eyes so you know they’re staring at you and- Gummy, where’re you going? Gummy? Oohhh, whatever. I’ll just sit here and mope on my own...” Pinkie looked at the cherrichanga (or was it chimicherry?) currently taking up residence in her grasp. She brought it up to her mouth and took a small nibble, before sighing. “Still not hungry.... huh?”

The pink mare’s ears unfolded themselves when a subtle pitter patter began tapping at her eardrums. She flicked her head around to spot her miniature, and not to mention familiar scaled friend, the expression in his pair of pale violet eyes as emotion-filled as ever.

“....Gummy? Wow, I must of eaten too many sugar-coated chocolate doughnuts than I thought. I could have sworn you just disappeared after I was venting to you about Redsy..... Oh well! So, do you want this apple, or this here doughnut? Oh! Oh! How ‘bout both?! Now that I think about it, why isn’t there something in between, like an applenut? Or would it be called a doughple....”

****************************************************************************************************

‘Oh man.... I finally escaped from da madhouse. And escaped psycho pink pony! I thought I’d be able to grab somethin’ yummy to eat, not fer it to be shoved down my throat....’

The small gator scurred deeper down the pitch black alleyway, intelligently cursing his stubby little legs that this form had to offer. Scanning back and forth to make extra sure there were absolutely no eyes on him, the little alligator body began to radiate a dim light before his size morphed into something a little less.... little.

The scaled creature began to stretch out his limb joints, being so small in comparison to his usual size sure made him sore. Honestly, he figured these brainless ponies would better suit as lunch more than information, despite what his mean ol’ big brother had always spoon fed him....

“Only eat ‘em when they’ve filled out their use or when nobody’s lookin’.” the overgrown palooka recited to himself, “But after that junk da poofy pink one fed me, I don’t think I can eat anythin’ fer months....”

“How about iron or steel? I am sure all those sweets didn’t have any minerals.”

“Eh?” The lumbering gator turned to see a masked pony standing behind him, a hoof resting on the handle of a katana. “Wha’chu want, meatbag? I’m tired, and sick of stinky ponies. Go rub your stench someways else, yeah?”

The scrawny earth pony got into an attack position. “I do not think I require repetition of my offer. Either leave, or I shall deal with you myself.”

The gator growled, fed up with stupid ponies and their stupid words. “You tell me run?! I kill you and eat good!”

Only a few seconds passed before the colt rushed the mutant, sword pulled back and readily timed to swing it. He threw himself down to avoid the reptile’s claws from ripping off his head, following up with a leap just over the croc’s incoming tail. Using a free hoof, the masked colt balanced his entire frame upside down, hind legs perfectly pointed towards the clouds with his forehoof resting itself on the dimwitted mutant’s scalp. With an infuriated growl, the alligator reached his claws over his head for the pony assailant, only to feel a sharp pain rip into the back of his scaly neck as he collapsed beak first to the ground.

The robed assailant looked into the side of his blade, his reflection marred by a noticeable scuff along the mask that just covered his muzzle. Sighing, Hayai flicked his blade, the fresh red liquid splashing to the ground as he started trotting off. “I could never defeat the Crimson Shadow and reclaim honor if I cannot even manage such a simple creature without getting hit.”

Before the colt was to make his way off for the crimson demon, a quiet hissing had begun to ring in his ears. Hayai’s vermillion orbs managed to find themselves once again staring attentively at the scaled mutant, the hissing noise coming from the swollen wound behind its head, steam flowing from the edges as it appeared to be rapidly closing up. But it wasn’t over, not even close.

Only seconds after the cut had fully healed itself, the crocodile’s frame began to triple in size, muscle now coursing through its monstrous body. His limbs, along with his entire barrel, began to elongate. The creature’s beak widened as the beast flared its teeth, which looked sharp enough to take a bite out of a rocky mountain. The monster positioned itself on all fours, claws digging into the dirt, tail viciously cracking into the ground, saliva flowing out from its frightening jaw as low pitched growls seeped their way out. Most of all, its reptile eyes had grown feral and bloodthirsty, far beyond the point of rational thought, or even to comprehend the simplest of speech.

For a moment, the clan prince couldn’t help but mistake the ferocious creature for something similar to a dragon….

The now weak-in-the-stomach colt managed to snap himself out of the monster’s gaze, visible sweat straining at the temples of his robed hood. “If I let this thing live, the ponies of this town will be in grave danger. I must end this at once….”

Hayai now paced in front of the untamable beast, whose sickly reptilian eyes followed every movement right down to each twitch and step. The ninja reached into his silken white robes and drew out a pair of shuriken throwing stars, but were swatted by the mutant’s thickly scaled tail before they could even make their mark. The airborne Hayai came down with a slash of his katana, only to clash to a halt by the gator’s defending forearm, his scales now comparable to steel.

‘Not even a scratch?!’

Before any chance of counter attack was possible for Hayai, he let out an audible grunt when the monster’s tail thwacked into the colt’s stomach and he was propelled into one of the concrete walls of the alley. He was lucky enough to land on his hooves, as his lungs gasped for lost oxygen. Cocking his head back to inspect the damage, Hayai’s eyes widened when he noticed that the beast’s tail was enough to almost completely shatter the wall he bounced off of…

A few seconds of tension had passed before an idea had sprung into the colt’s head. It was a long shot…. but it was better than getting eaten by a vicious crocodile.

“Come, you foul smelling reptile,” blurted out Hayai, a newfound confidence shining through his masked expression. The colt then sheathed his blade, holding a weapon would only slim his chances of success even further than they already were. “Let us see which one of us is faster....”

The creature gave a wild snarl before charging at speeds much faster than the clanscolt prince had originally guessed. Timing his leap accordingly, Hayai made it out of the line of fire with only a small graze, watching as the beast smashed head first into the damaged wall. And just before the scaled fiend could snap out of it’s temporary daze, a thicker, much more heavy chunk of debris dropped over the mutant’s skull with a loud CRACK, the large piece of wall scattering to bits before he collapsed lifelessly to the floor....

The clanspony was silent, creeping his way near the body without so much as a sudden move. Then, he poked it....

“....It’s dead..........I can’t believe that even worked.”

“Oh come now, Heartstrings. First humans, and now.... make up your mind.”

“Oh don’t use that tone with me, Bonnie! I know what I saw... this time!”

The tan mare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, this time. Like every other time you’d seen something crazy. A giant alligator, hmm? Maybe Twilight just miscast a spell again, hitting Pinkie’s pet alligator thing?”

The pink mare turned her gaze towards the two ponies as they passed her by, a chill passing down her spine. ‘Weird... what does that Pinkie Sense mean?’

“Gah! How much does this thing eat....”

Pinkie’s ear twitched at the unfamiliar voice. ‘A... A new pony?! Oh no! I-I don’t have my party cannon prepared!’ She turned, looking for the pony whose voice she’d heard. “Gasp!”

In the alley behind Sugarcube Corner was a colt wearing a mask, with a giant freaky alligator thing on his back. Daring to step closer, the poofy pink pony caught her hoof on the scattered chunks of wall, resulting with her muzzle meeting the floor in a loud clatter, and a small “eep!”

“What? Who could be-” The masked colt nearly dropped the overweight -and overfed reptile in a start. “No no no! Nopony was supposed to find me here! This isn’t good at all....”

“Ohh, you’re another assassin, huh? Don’t worry, I know your type. I’ve hung around Red enough to know it when I see it.” As she realized her own words, the mare’s ears folded themselves down, “Y-You’re not here to hurt anypony, right?”

“W-What- no! I am an honorable member of the Nichibotsu and I would never attack a civilian! ,” the clanscolt shook his head defensively as he began to sweat bullets, “Let us not jump to conclusions now! I was just passing along when I noticed this creature was going to cause trouble in this town you reside in....”

Pinkie nods, as if she understands. “Alright, so when do you want your party?”

“P... party?”

“Well, duh! All ponies who come to Ponyville get a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party in their honor! It’s tradition!”

“... Your logic is sound, but for one thing: I have not come to Ponyville, no; I’ve been here for a number of days, maybe even a fortnight. I am actually, as of this moment, departing to continue my training and take care of this... mutant before it scares somepony. And with that, I must be going! Or I am the son of our fallen leader himself, Kaminari Hayai!”

Smashing a white ball onto the ground, a thick fog of white smoke broke the distance between the two ponies. Once the fog had finally dissipated, the silken robed stallion was nowhere in sight.

Pinkie watched where the clanscolt had been standing for a second longer. “Nah, he’s too flashy, not like my Reddy-Weddy!”

With what started as joyful bounces, Pinkie Pie began to slowly trot to see one of her friends, only one thought in her head along the way.

‘.....Red, I’m sorry.....’

****************************************************************************************************

“....Twilight, darling? I’m not trying to interfere with true love or anything of the sort, but..... are you sure about this?”

“For the fifteenth time now, Rarity.... I’m sure.” The lavender mare stared into the spinning magical vortex, a meek smile present over her muzzle. “I’ve never been more sure about anything since the six of us became friends.”

“Well, the four of us anyway,” the cyan mare motioned around the room as her wings flapped, even being on ground level in a library too much to ask of her. “Pinkie and AJ aren’t anywhere. I haven’t seen them since they ran off after giving that jerk a bath.”

“Um.... w-w-what are you-” It took a couple seconds before the timid pegasus’ snout lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “I....If that’s okay with you, I don’t think I want to know....”

“Aaaaanyway, I still say you should think about this! Crimson is a jerk and all, but Storm is a full on di-”

“Rainbow, be considerate here! Twilight has been running herself ragged and-”

“It’s fine, Rarity....” Twilight sighed, turning her attention back towards the swirling portal just in front of her. “I... I actually asked you guys over because I still have an extra ticket, and I wanted somepony to be there with me, I’ve... I’ve never been to this kind of party.”

“W-well, what is it, Twilight?”

“It’s, uh... I don’t know. All I know is that Storm’s sister is the main event.”

“Pfft. That guy has a sister? What’s her name, huh? Showers? Rainy Days? Or is it-”

“Vinyl’s what it says here. Vinyl Scratch.”

“..........What.” Rainbow Dash blink once, twice, three times- “WHAT?”

“Vinyl Vinyl Vinyl.....” the pale unicorn hummed into her hoof, “Wasn’t that the mare who DJ’d at Princess Cadance and your brother’s wedding? Oh! She’s also the one that played the music for our... rather disastrous, eh, fashion show.”

“Um, well, from what I’ve heard, her parties are very....” Fluttershy peeped up, “....L-Loud....”

The librarian ducked her head and sighed, “That’s exactly what I was afraid of....”

“Well, if I were to go, I’d need to figure out what I was wearing first, and also gather some things in case any riff-raff try to ruffle my saddle.”

“No WAY are you going without me, Twilight! I’ve been wanting to talk to her for YEARS, and it was way too crowded to even catch a glimpse of her!” Dash pressed her face against her lavender friend’s own, her rose eyes pleading. “Please? Please?! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-”

“Um.... if it’s okay with you, Twilight, I’d rather.... not go. If that’s okay with you.”

“Girls, girls....” Twilight cut her gaze from the vortex to her friends, a stern look in her eyes, but at the same time.... nervous. “I should really get going now. You can decide amongst yourselves who would like to accompany me.”

“That sounds like a good idea, dear....,” Rarity gave an encouraging smile to the mare, “And.... good luck.”

With an appreciative nod, Twilight once again had her eyes glued her eyes to the portal. Within a few seconds, the mare had begun taking small steps, getting closer and closer until-

“Hey Twilight! I was wondering if you could make me a portal to the nearest-....Looks like you already made one.” Twilight looks up to see a familiar black colt standing in the doorway, his katana strapped to his side, cape billowing on a slight breeze as he stares at all the mares, from whom he’s receiving glares. “Geez, tough crowd... Heya, Rares. I found my old cape.”

“Yes... I see that, darling... Why are you wearing it, anyways?”

“I need to get somewhere, quickly. And I’d rather not fly. Running will take a long time as well. If I could get a portal opened closer, though... Twilight, what’s your maximum range?”

“Well, this one’s going to Canterlot, but I might be able to make one that could get to Manehatten, maybe. N-not for long, though, if I even could.”

“That’s perfectly fine. If you could make a small portal for me to get close to the Drake Claw Mountains, I can walk from there.”

“Well, I-” Thwam!

“Crimson! Don’t-don’t you run off like that! Ah-hah, jeez, Ah said Ah was goin’ too! T’ain’t nohow you’re not lettin’ me come with!”

Twilight tilted her head, a single eyebrow raised. “Applejack, what are you talking abou-”

“This here dingus is leavin’ to go after some kooky scientist who was ‘part of the same company Crimson was!”

“Dammit, Applejack! I told you to mind your own-”

“Crimson.” the lavender mare near the portal interjected, her eyebrow still mid-raise. “You do know that it’s probably a trap....right?”

“Yes, Twilight, I’m not stupid.” the black colt retorted with a huff. “And more than likely is, actually. I’m willing to take my chances, alright? And....he knows that too. He’s dangling a big juicy carrot in my face, and I’m not afraid to get hit by the stick if it means I can kick his ass to get it.”

“Well, then at least let us help-”

“Sorry, Twi,” Crimson cut off, “This is something I have to do alone. This guy has something I want to know, and I’ll damn well take it by force if I have to! And I won’t drag you girls into it.” Crimson gave Twilight a withering glare. “This is personal, Twilight. This is something I need to know, and if somepony not involved were to get hurt... You girls know what would happen to me...” Crimson chuckled darkly, his body shaking with built up anger. “I’m a bleeding heart, but I don’t have a long fuse. If you tagged along and got killed... Your families would have to stand in line just to poke at whatever shreds are left. Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it. I’ve already lost enough... Others have already lost enough because of me. That’s the end of that, now... can you make the portal, or-”

“....Crimson, quit being mister testosterone.”

“Oh don’t even start with me, Rainbow-”

“Crimson!” Twilight cut in, now yelling herself.” Stop acting like every stallion on the planet- all too stubborn and prideful to accept any help whatsoever. Even Storm is guilty of this exact same thing!”

“She’s right, darling,” Rarity chimed in. “We’ve dealt with much worse, as you probably are already aware.”

“No, you haven’t!” Crimson was starting to go from frustrated, to just plain angry. Why didn’t they just get it through their heads? “’Professor Plasm is one thing these others you’ve faced in the past aren’t. He’s merciless. You think he won’t kill you for the sport of it? And to top it all off, he’s been creating monster hybrids that are even more ruthless than he is!”

“Which is why we can’t jus’ let yáll do this alone!” the orange mare spoke up once more, a firm stare with a hint of worry. “An’ we were jus’ attacked by one only a few minutes ago too, we got out right fine!”

“AJ, didn’t you see that thing? The chameleon. That thing survived a hit- from you- that would have snapped a pony’s spine, and then it just tripled in size so it could do worse to you. If I hadn’t intervened, You’d not even get to wear a black dress, let alone a white one.”

Rarity gasped at the implication. “That thing would have just... k-killed her?”

“Yeah, and probably eaten her. Less evidence that way. And that was an experiment of a normal animal. That bastard has been experimenting on normal little woodland critters! If that monster was originally a pony though, chances are he would have been smarter too.

Rarity got a little green and started wavering. “I... I don’t feel so good...”

“He....He h-h-hurt animals...w-w-why would he....” All eyes were on the yellow mare previously cowering behind a couch in the background, now shaking as if she were going to burst into tears.

Crimson sighed, guilty knowing that he was potentially corrupting yet another innocent soul. “I know how you feel, Fluttershy. Animals have always been a fascination of mine, and just knowing this is enough to make me want to smash that bastard’s face in-”

“T-That......That big.... dumb.... MEANIE!!” Fluttershy was suddenly standing tall, her wings and legs splayed in an offensive stance, her face contorted into what was probably the cutest and/or scariest death glare Crimson had ever seen, panting and snorting heavily with unrefined anger... before she just collapsed back into a ball. “Why would anypony do such horrible things..?”

“That’s why I need to go alone to find him, Fluttershy-”

“NO!!!”

Crimson sputtered, shocked at the volume Fluttershy yelled. The ringing in his ears was also unwelcome. “Bwah?!”

“We can not let somepony continue on with this- this m-murder! Whether it’s ponies or critters, I can’t stand here knowing that something that horrible is going on, a-and I’m not helping!” Fluttershy marched up to Crimson until she was matching him eye to eye, or at least as high up as she could get from the ground anyway. “Crimson, my special talent is helping animals. If I can’t do that, I might as well burn my mark off now.” This was met by gasps from the other mares present.

“Fluttershy....” Any shock that was held in his crimson orbs was replaced with a stern, yet sorrow filled stare. “...I’m sorry, but you’d just get in the way-urk!”

Before he could even finish a simple sentence, Crimson found himself pinned against the library wall before he even knew what hit him. “S-Shit! That’s gonna leave a mark....”

“Just shut up!” the cyan pegasus screamed in the colt’s face, teeth gritted tightly. “Are you that stupid not to see that you’re gonna need help?!”

“Are you that stupid not to hear me tell you that you’ll just get yourself killed?!” the black colt growled right back, no signs of being intimidated present despite being held to a wall. “Or is that it? Do you want to be killed and see your friends get slaughtered defending me?”

Crimson flicked a hoof almost contemptuously, knocking Dash away before dusting himself. “I’m not some sniveling young foal who needs to be coddled, I’m an ex hitcolt. An experienced fighter, assassin, and intelligence gatherer. I’ve killed more ponies than I care to count, and I’ve been attacked more times than I can remember. I rarely lose. And the times I do, I still don’t lose as badly as my opponent. This is my own fight, and I’d rather see you go have fun then get killed by standing next to me.”

Twilight stepped forward, her portal spell wavering. “Crimson, we-”

“Nope, go have fun.” Before anypony could stop him, Crimson pushed Twilight through the portal.

“Twi-!” Dash flew into it faster than a bolt of lightning, the already destabilizing portal becoming more contorted as it collapsed and closed behind.

The silence that loomed the air was almost deafening, but quickly shattered when AJ gave Crimson a hard glare. “Red, Ah know that you’re stubborn as a mule, but so am Ah, an’ ya ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘less Ah’m by your side t’ help.”

“Same goes for me!” Suddenly, a not-so-perky pink mare was standing next to the befuddled Crimson. “I heard everything! I’m going too, Red!”

“....No. No you’re not, dammit!”

“I can’t not go, Red!” Pinkie yelled.

“Yeah, me neither!” Applejack exclaimed.

“I can’t just let the pony I love walk into a trap! What would Ackbar think?!”

“Ah can’t just let th’ colt a mah dreams trot to his death! What would mah fam’ly think?!”

There was a long, long period of silence that could be likened to split pea soup when it had too much garlic in it; while it could sometimes be okay, this particular batch was just sickening. It wasn’t even evident that the two mares leaning up against Red with their hooves even knew what they were even doing, being much too distracted with staring into the speechless stallion’s crimson eyes.

Rarity let out a small giggle that became a squeal of delight. “Heheheheee~! I can’t believe what I’m looking at, yet it’s happening right before my very eyes! How completely and utterly romanti-”

“Stupid.”

The giddy unicorn snapped out of her trance, her eyes locking on Crimson with a look of question. “....What was that, darling?”

“I said it’s stupid. I’ve already told them that they’re like family; like sisters. I’ve never loved anypony like that, and if my life goes the way I expect it, I never will. Love is a stupid waste of time, and it creates an anchor, a noose. When someone finds that anchor, finds your love, the noose gets tighter. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. I almost hung myself when Star died, but her mother deserved to know the truth, and who had killed her daughter. I’m not letting a bunch of mares tell me how I should feel just because they’re a bunch of backcountry, ear-flicking, wool gathering, namby-pamby sun-walkers! You literally couldn’t hide in a shadow to save your own life!”

The last word seemed to linger as an echo, grimly bouncing off the library walls. Crimson could feel the guilt circling in his gut, though not an ounce of regret was to be found. Really, getting them to hate the colt would have been doing them a life-saving favor....

….That is, until he made eye contact anyway.

“....W-What?”

Needless to say, the black colt immediately regretted this decision.

“....I...I t-thought w-we....I thought you....” Pinkie Pie clamped her eyes shut to attempt to hold back her tears, failing miserably when they were already running down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls. Without so much as another word, the mare pushed away from Crimson and silently trotted away from the colt as she sat herself down on the opposite side of the couch, far enough to be just out of hearing range from her sobs....

Or that’s what she thought at least.

“Red.... Crimson....”

The black colt looked to his left to find the orange mare, her emerald eyes filled with a look somewhere between angry and hurt. She figured that she’d be in the same shape as the pink mare, had her tear ducts not stung too much from overuse, leaving her unable to produce even a single tear. It appeared that that hurt had won over anger, as she followed suit towards the sulking Pinkie.

“Ah.... Ah guess part o’ what y-y’all were tryin’ to say was true,” Applejack muttered hoarsely, “Ya really are a jerk....”

The cloaked colt’s eyes lost some of it’s stoic appearance, instead replaced with a look of shock. This was nothing new to the colt, but.... why did it hurt him so devastatingly when she referred to him as one? “....Applejack, I-”

But Crimson was cut off mid sentence when he felt a well pampered hoof smack him in the face with a loud CRACK!, filled with even greater fury than the one the pink pony had pulled on him earlier that morning.... ‘Same spot, too....’

“You crass fool! Backcountry?” Rarity snorted angrily. “Namby-pamby? Is that what you’ve really thought of us, even after all this time?” The white unicorn questioned with a stern, yet offended tone. She glared daggers at the colt, her azure gems glassed over as though she herself were on the verge of tears. “Love isn’t something you can simply throw away, whether those feelings belong to you, or somepony else! Those two mares -and my best friends may I add- don’t deserve such hostile behavior from the stallion they couldn’t help but develop affection for, especially when he’s a barbaric, insensitive ruffian such as yourself!”

Crimson placed a hoof over the burning sensation swelling over his cheek, which he was quite certain matched the highlights in his mane. He turned his stare towards Rarity, his blood colored orbs boring into the mare to derail any suspicion of emotion.

“....Just mind your own business.”

Rarity spluttered, eyes going wide. “Mind my own- The nerve! Why, I-”

“CRIMSON.”

There wasn’t a single pair of eyes that weren’t focused on the not-so-shy pegasus, as she slowly, but gracefully, trotted her way closer to the cloak-clad colt. Her teal gems remained hidden behind the lids of her eyes, only sliding open to reveal once she had reached Crimson, the two almost touching each other’s noses. Stare held authoritative and strong, Fluttershy kept her glare glued to the stallion on the spot, who held a firm stare right back. He wasn't about to let a meek little sun-walker the pleasure of being in the groove of her hoof....

“Hurry up and make it quick.” Crimson spat in a miserly tone, not even thinking about holding back on this mare. He knew what she was capable of.... “In case you didn’t hear me before, I have a professor to catch. That means I don’t have time to waste with civvies....”

Crimson inspected the mare for an opening; a blind spot; a sign of faltering; anything to gain the upper hoof on her. But nothing ever came. Fluttershy didn’t let even one sign of weakness slip past her; it was almost as if the mare had looked into the eyes of a cockatrice for too long and turned to stone. She just stood there, the only evidence that she were even conscious was the occasional blink. And every time she blinked her eyes- even for a second, it felt like a wave of bliss crashing over him....

Seconds turned into minutes, not a single phrase uttered out of either sides, leaving nopony safe from the tension that flooded the inside of the giant tree-library....

And then she spoke.

“I don’t like it when others are mean to my friends.” Crimson stayed silent, the most insignificant wavering on his side making itself present. Fluttershy continued. “Call me whatever you want. But don't you dare say a word about my friends. Their kindness is warm, everlasting, and far from limited. The problem here is that while their kindness reaches out to shine on you, you just desperately try to hide yourself in the darkness where you think the shine can’t reach. But I believe that it can reach. It can reach, light up, and break down the dark walls you’ve built around yourself. Even if you don’t want it to. My friends’ light, including my own, can help guide you through the darkness that you don’t even try to break out of. Where there’s darkness, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. So don’t doubt my friends, even for a second, no matter how differently brought up they are from you. And if you can’t even do that, then how can you even think about calling yourself a stallion?”

Crimson felt a bead of sweat roll down past his jaw. The colt’s glare began to waver slightly, his breathing slowly becoming erratic. For a second, he wondered if this was how it’d feel to stare Princess Celestia dead in the face....

Finally, the black colt squeezed his eyes shut with a growl. “Why?! Why won’t you just give up?! Why can’t you just hate me like the rest of Equestria?! You haven’t even reached the tip of the iceberg yet, so how can you possibly fool yourselves in thinking I’m anything but a monster?! How can all of you be so mother fucking NAIVE?!”

“....Crimson.”

Crimson’s eyes snapped open at the mention of his name. Scanning across the library, his eyes instantly landed on the pink mare.... Pinkie Pie. It looked as though her tears had finally ceased flowing, the fur under her eyes and down her cheeks matted. Pinkie’s brilliant cerulean eyes shone brightly in the dimly lit library. What threw the colt off the most was that her eyes, usually stuffed full of perky-happy sunshine, mimicked his usual hard stares. Cold, angry, and.... sad. ‘Jeez, looks like she’s ready to take up my offer. I take it I lost too much of her respect to be called.... ‘Red’ anymore....’

“Crimson, you can be mean, insensitive, selfish, cold, grumpy, and even.... scary.” Any preppiness left in her usual tone must have went home early, just like the first time they had met.... The colt couldn’t help but find it a little bit ironic. “But.... I can see more of you than just that. I.... I can see a light.” Pinkie motioned with her eyes to each of her friends scattered around the room. “And.... I know I’m not the only one who can see it, too.”

Applejack locked eyes with the pink mare and returned it with a simple nod. “An’ that light is what connects y’all ta us. We don’t hate ya, Crimson. Yer our friend, an’ to a few o’ us here, even more than that. There’s a lot more to ya than y’all like to admit. Even if ya went back ta Boss an’ joined back wit’ the company.... We’d never hate you. An’ we never will....”

“And why would we hate you, darling?” Crimson looked over to Rarity, whose anger looked to have dissipated, her azure orbs now filled with a look of sympathy. “You're a ruffian.... sure, but so is Rainbow Dash. And we happen to get along just fine.... usually.”

The colt pasted his gaze over to the pale yellow mare, who slowly nodded with a soft, supportive smile over her muzzle. Crimson sighed, focusing his eyes in the floorboards- or more specifically, anywhere but them....

“....So I take it you’re not going to let me leave this town without tagging along.... are you...?”

An exchange of head-shakes confirmed the answer that Crimson was already well aware of.

“.......I guess I don’t have a choice then.”

Each mare now wore a smile that was filled with cheer and relief. Even Pinkie had seemed to mostly relax with a grin of her own.

“.......But,” Every ear in the room had raised tall and alert, all eyes once again back towards the cloaked black colt. “I’m the one who’ll be laying down the ground rules from here on out. Rule one:” Crimson started, each mare giving him their undivided attention. “We will only take a number of breaks per day until we reach that slimy bastard’s lair. So no whining about how long we-”

“He’s not really.... slimy now, is he? Just thinking about it gives me shivers....”

“No, Rarity. Unless of course he’s mutated himself to that point, but that’s pretty doubtful- …..now I’m getting off track, dammit.” The colt sighed, messaging between his eyes with a free hoof. “Aaaanyway, the second rule: scarce bathroom breaks. There aren’t going to be toilets, so bathroom breaks are going to be less.... glamorous.”

A chorus of gulps rang through the library like an orchestra.

“Third: nopony else is tagging along, just the five of us. Got it? I’m responsible for your lives already, I don’t think I really need the extra weight on my back.”

“Are.... Are you calling me fat?”

Crimson stared at Rarity for a long, uncomfortable moment until Rarity backed off with a pout. “Fourth rule: we only eat what we can find. Plants, berries, whatever mother nature has to offer. We'll be packing light so we don't weigh ourselves down.... Rarity.”

The white unicorn’s face flushed as she gave a pout, her eyes redirecting themselves from the stallion with a dramatic “Hmph!”

“And fifth.... Don’t let your guard down. The ponies out there aren't as.... nice as the ones in this town. If push comes to shove, I can't promise that.... there won't be blood."

A look of pure horror was apparent on each mare’s face. Crimson could only sigh once more; he.... he didn’t want them to have to go through any of this.

“One of the main reasons I didn’t want any of you to accompany me is because it’s going to be dangerous. VERY dangerous. There’s a good chance that... not even I’ll make it out alive once we get there....”

The library was left in an eerie silence. The black colt began to trot towards the door, without so much as a single glance towards any of his.... friends. Especially two in particular.

And then, Crimson halted at the door.

“This is going to be dangerous, there's no doubt in my mind about that. And really, there's a good chance that I'm not coming back.... Don't worry, the four of you will be safe, I promise. And I'll make sure of it, even if it costs me my own life........”

****************************************************************************************************

“-light! Oof!”

“Wah!” Twilight fell to the ground with a thud, Rainbow on top of her. “Ooh, Rainbow Dash... You don’t have to speed through portals, you know.”

Rainbow Dash looked around, to see that they were in a small park, just a short walk from a building that was aglow with magical lights. “Ohmigosh... Is that it? The concert? That’s so awesome! Come on, let’s go!”

Editor’s Note:
Dayum, this one was a doozy! And, for ‘That Strange’ kid me and Wolfie love- yes, we’re talking about you, Mama Luigi- the chapter you’ve been waiting for is coming soon. :twilightsmile::raritywink:

Author’s Note: Dafuq, this is only a couple of words away from hitting 12,000. If only there was some way to even out the letters to make it hit an even number. Like, to round for us I guess. Far as I know, nothing like that exists. I mean, it would be pretty impressive to hit 12,000 words on a chapter we worked hard on. I could always ramble and junk, but what asshole would do such a thing, and just to get his word amount up too...... :trollestia:

Chapter Sixteen: (De)Magnetized

Chapter Sixteen: (De)Magnetized

“-so selfish! I mean really! He just had to run off and-”

“Oh quit worrying your itty bitty pretty little head, Rarity! You’re the one who found the note after all!”

Applejack sleepily rubbed at her eyelids until the mare could just barely keep them open, letting out a ferocious yawn as her subconscious counted the figures before her.

‘One. Two. Three....’

And counting herself made four, which meant somepony was missing. Further proof began to reveal itself as the groggy mare noted there was an empty space between her forelegs where a muscle-bound black ‘teddy bear’ had been present the night before.

….Applejack then made a mental note to never let anypony catch her saying that aloud.

“Oh, good morning, Applejack darling. Sleep well, I presume?” the glamorous unicorn asked with a hint of amusement in her tone, a sly smirk noticeable as she dug into her saddlebag. The orange mare did her best to shrug off her snooty friend’s teasing as she tried her hoof at an awake and alert response.

“Good mornin’, girls. Have any o’ y’all seen....” Applejack paused in between yawns before she could continue on. “Pardon. As I was sayin’; any o’ y’all seen Red anywhere? We should be gettin’ goin’ perdy soon if we’re ta be makin’ it to that profa-whatever’s, don’t ya thin-”

“Um, Applejack...?”

Applejack turned to the timid yellow pegasus before a small Blue Jay caught her sights; dropping a sheet of paper in the country mare’s forehooves as it flapped it’s way back onto Fluttershy pale pink mane.

“E-Excuse me for interrupting and all, but I thought you would want to read this; it’s a note from-”

Applejack didn’t wait for Fluttershy to finish before unfolding the sheet of paper to read:

“I must admit; for a brute, he has surprisingly neat mouth writing. Though I still fail to see why he couldn’t have at least given us directions before he left....” Rarity continued on with her griping, a brush coated in a sparkling blue aura running it’s way through the unicorn’s curly purple mane.

“Oh, but Rarity! This just makes it all the more fun when we find him!” the energetic pink pony sprang to her hooves, any signs of sleepiness completely untraceable. “Well what’re we waiting for? Let’s go!”

“Pinkie Pie, you can’t just barge in on somepony’s private time. He most likely won’t be decent once we got there anyway, and I imagine the rest of the walk would be rather uncomfortable-”

“Uh, Rarity,” Applejack interrupted, “We... don’t normally wear clo-”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard you bring it up before,” the white mare rolled her eyes with a coy smile on her muzzle. “So to save the argument for another day, I suppose we should start looking. I’m sure just a peek wouldn’t hurt.”

“Wee~! I’ll bet I can find him with my Pinkie Sense!”

“Do they even work like that, darling?”

“I dunno!”

“Um.... girls?” the meek mare managed to squeak out, “Don’t you think we should maybe give Crimson his privacy.... I mean, the note says right here-”

But they were already gone. Which only left the lone Fluttershy to panickingly scurry on forward in a desperate attempt to catch up.

“.....Ahhhhhhh.....”

Red could feel the tension leaving his body, even as he channeled his aura. He couldn’t stop the water from falling, not here, but he could bend the flow enough to make it more soothing than bracing. After about three days lacking of any sleep, he could definitely feel the difference now that he’d gotten a proper night’s rest.

Even if it meant him waking up to....

‘Enough is enough! Thinking about what happened won’t do me any good; I need to just let it go and.... relax.’

Mentally shaking himself of the thoughts, the black colt let out a heavily loaded sigh. He felt his muscles relax as the beating in his chest slowed to a calm along with the rest of him. And it felt.... soothing.

That was, of course, until his ear made a sporadic flick.

‘Sonovabitch....’

His thoughts now concentrated to his ears, Crimson noted that he was definitely not alone. Could it be the girls somehow managed to find their way here all on their own? ‘No, that’s way too much ruckus for only four mares. Besides, I have quite the hunch I know who it is.... Hahaha! Fuck yeah; it was just getting a tad boring here anyway!’

The forest air grew deathly silent, the gently raging downpour of the waterfall the only source of noise for miles. Any muscle movement from the colt came to a tensed halt; not out of dread, but pure exhilaration. As he stood still, a large, bloodthirsty smile slowly grew over his lips....

“Celestia be damned. You guys seriously don’t know when to quit.”

“Not even in a million sunsets, Shadow Slayer,” the masked pony growled, holding a blade which dug into the amused stallion’s lower back. “Don’t you so much as even roll your eyeballs if you wish to cherish the precious moments of life you still have left.”

“No worries,” a chuckle made it’s way out from Crimson’s lips, gently fluttering his eyes to a close while taking this time as an opportunity to relax. “As well as no need; only ten of you Nightmare Night jackasses isn’t going to do you much if you’re trying to kill me.”

“How could you have- N-Nevermind that! The spirit and will-power radiating from our clan alone is enough to subdue a monster like yo-GAH, DAMMIT! My eyes!”

Desperately wiping at the liquid flung from the dastardly bastard’s mane, his vision was re-greeted with a large hoof smashing right into his snout, sending him skipping through the waterfall’s reservoir like a small pebble. The black colt snorted; this was too easy!

“Dumbass clanscolt! What, was I a little too rough?!” Crimson roared in sadistic rapture, meanwhile the rest of the masked clansponies revealed themselves from their nearby hiding spots and charged head-first at the deranged stallion. “You ignorant fools are too underclassed to be graced with the title ‘assassin’. Here, let me lend you a hoof and show you how it’s done....”

Whether it be sidestepping a clanscolt’s katana, playing leapfrog with another, or kicking off an airborne pegasus in mid leap; nopony could even come close as to laying a single hoof on the retired hitcolt. As two sword wielding stallions cornered Crimson from either direction, and before they even knew what hit them, Crimson was already balancing with nothing but his forehooves resting over both their crossed katanas from their attempted stabs before shifting his weight in order to rotate and slam his rear hooves into the now unconscious clanscolts’ snouts.

Crimson ducked, a row of shuriken embedding a horizontal pattern into the rocky walls just above his head. With almost nothing but a faint blur, another member fell victim to the colt’s power; the masked pony’s head and neck receiving excruciating whiplash from Crimson’s highspeed jump kick to the jaw, following up with a perfect Butterfly kick onto the face of yet another oncoming armed clanspony.

As yet another pony tried their hoof at charging him head on, Crimson couldn’t help but scoff at how predictable these band of washed up, leaderless Nichibotsu really were-

SHUNK!

Crimson swept under the clansmare’s spear, almost falling victim to an overhead arrow fired off by a pegasus in mid flight. ‘Okay, maybe not quite as predictable as I give them credit for....’

A slick grin formed over Crimson’s muzzle as he eyed the bow-wielding pegasus overhead, paying no mind to the familiar spear mare as she once again retaliated in a familiar fashion. This time, however, the black colt hopped over the stick and kicked the attacking mare in the chest with enough power to rocket off at least fifteen feet or higher up into the air; propelling a hind leg back as the arrow-happy pegasus could do nothing but watch in a strange mixture of awe and horror....

“I don’t have any arrows, it seems; guess you’ll do just fine!”

Crimson backflipped just over the pegasus, using the momentum left from the flip to smash his kick into the back of her head with enough force to send her crashing down, smacking nose first into the previous spear mare and causing the two to bounce and tumble about on the ground.

As Crimson righted himself onto his back legs once more, he once again swooped down to avoid the blow from a spiked mace ball attached to a lengthy chain. Vanishing once again from raw, untrackable speed alone, Crimson shortened the distance and delivered an upward elbow to the mace wielder’s chin, swirling around chaining it on another oncoming clanscolt with an uppercut courtesy from his free hoof.

This was way too easy.

The black colt tilted his head very slightly, airborne arrow just grazing the pricks of his charcoal fur. Crimson orbs landing on a unicorn archer, he only smirked as he began a slow trot, effortlessly maneuvering arrows along the way; each shot getting more and more wild in a desperate attempt to hit his target.

After what felt like centuries for the now full-on panicking masked stallion, his eyes scanned the “battlefield”, spotting each and every arrow that failed to make it’s mark as sweat rolled past the cloth of his mask.

“Yo.”

An effeminate squeak escape the clanscolt’s lips, only strengthening the crimson-eyed devil’s smirk, who was only a nose away from his own.

“Seriously, archers are so damn annoying. At least most of these other idiots had the balls to face me head on....”

With each step taken, the archer found himself taking one step back, eyes locked as the Crimson Shadow’s worldly infamous glare looked as though it could take out the clansmen by itself. Finally, the masked ninja felt his back touch the bark of a tree, looking as if his short life was finally coming to an end....

“....Boo.”

…..THUMP.

“Wow... didn’t actually think he’d pass out....” Crimson sneered, taking in the fallen soldiers with much mirth in his expression. “I was even going easy on you punks, too. Worthless-”

“Red, watch out!”

The could have sworn his ears were playing tricks on him if not for his eyes confirming the suspicion. “....Pinkie Pie?”

“Watch out, Red!” the pink pony cried out, “Behind you!”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head,” Crimson once again smirked, and, without even so much as turning around, tilted his torso as a blade glided past his coat. As the hilt of the long blade got past his chest, the colt clasped his hooves around the flats of the blade. “I didn’t forget about this one...”

“But... there’s no way! That is not possible!” The clanscolt cried, pulling uselessly at the hilt of his sword. “Even with her help, you couldn’t have known to dodge fast enough to-”

“I can count, you know. I did say that I counted ten of you, yet I only took out nine...." Crimson’s smirk grew into a cold, eerie smile, one to even send a chill down the pink mare’s spine.... “Hahaha.... you were definitely aiming to kill me, eh? Wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t return the favor.”

Not even a split second later, the tip of the katana snapped in the black colt’s hooves. But before the clanscolt could create any distance, the cloth around his neck was already fully in the crimson demon’s grasp; no time to react as Crimson spun around and stabbed in between the masked stallion’s eyes with no signs of hesitation in the slightest....

….However, as the clanscolt opened his eyes, he was literally staring death in the face; the tip of the metal would have been the cause of his untimely death if not for the Crimson Shadow’s arm being held back by a twine rope and a magic encoated layer of silk cloth.

“....Drop ‘im, Red.... Now.” Applejack gave a heart stopping scowl, rope gripped firmly between her teeth.

“Stay the hell out of this, you two....” The black colt never broke eye contact with the captive ninja, entrancing him in his empty, soulless stare that thirsted for spilt blood....

“We are not asking you, Crimson,” Rarity spoke with equal fire in her voice, her horn ablazed with a light blue aura that matched the one coating the cloth. “We are telling you. Drop. The. Colt.”

“Yeah.... so am I.” the black colt growled, the expression on his face almost as monotonous and lifeless as his tone. “In reality, he tried killing me first. This could count as self defence-”

“Cut the bullshit, Crimson! You’re threatening another pony’s very life, and you are acting like a masochistic lunatic!” The unicorn was long done with being calm, as if a fury of her own had been tapped into....

“If ya go through wit it, y’all ‘ll jus’ be provin’ to be no better than him!” the enraged apple farmer raised her voice on par- if not equal with Rarity’s. “Really, ya’d be provin’ to be just as bad as Boss!”

“You’re right,” Crimson chuckled, a small, yet emotionless smile creeping onto his lips. “I’m worse. What do you think I’ve been trying to nail into your heads ever since I met you all....”

A silence as cold as the grim reaper’s touch chilled the air. Finally, the clanscolt dropped right onto his flank, crawling away like a madcolt without so much as getting back on his hooves. The binds loosened, resulting in a twisted smile once again forming over Crimson’s muzzle.

SHUNK!

High-pitched shrieks went all around, and not just from the mares.

“You have no idea just how lucky you are....”

“B-B-Bastard....” was all the clanscolt could utter, eyes still flashing over the hunk of shrapnel dug into the ground between his legs.

“Really is your lucky day; any closer and I would have had to get a doc’s licence for gelding.” Crimson silently chuckled, the colt sprawled on the ground staring up in fear that had yet to fail at bringing him amusement. “But don’t thank me! You should be thanking these lovely young mares!”

Motioning to said mares, each failed to form a coherent response. The pale yellow pegasus shielded herself behind Pinkie Pie, who looked as though she could collapse at any moment herself.

“Now... beat it.”

Not needing to be told twice, he and the rest of the still conscious clan members dragged the limp bodies of those who had yet to gain their consciousness at speeds that would even make Rainbow Dash writhe in envy. “And if I hear that one of you jackasses told anypony about my face, I’ll personally hunt you all down and tear you a new-”

“Red.”

“Eh, I think they get the idea....”

When the clansponies were finally out of sight, Crimson turned towards the group of mares- all of whom were giving him looks ranging from fear to horror.

“What.... What was that all about?” Rarity questioned, anger slowly being replaced with a tone of nausea.

“What do you think?” Crimson snapped back, trotting over to his cloak, digging through it just to make sure everything was still there.

“Red.... would ya....” Applejack twirled a hoof through the blades of grass, forcing herself to make eye contact with the pony she thought she knew all too well. “...would ya really’ve done it if it weren’t for-”

“What do you think?” Crimson repeated, this time inserting much more emphasis. “I’m not the one chasing them around, they are. If I kill ‘em, just call it self defense, I don’t care. I had to take care of a group of them right before I entered Ponyville the first time.”

Needless to say, gasps were heard all around. Pinkie Pie looked as if she was going to burst into tears at any moment; holding it in more than likely for Fluttershy’s sake.

“I warned all of you. One of my conditions was that you were more than likely going to see bloodshed.... and you all still agreed. You’re all just as lucky as those group of idiots I just dealt with.... This time.”

And without a single word, Crimson trotted past the girls with a demeanor terrifying enough to put down even Nightmare Moon. Well, at least Fluttershy thought that. Pinkie was probably starting to think if fear would ruin her appetite too much for a cupcake. He stopped briefly when he heard Fluttershy break down in sobs, and Pinkie Pie’s hushed words of comfort. Without a word, he began to move forward once more.

Sometimes.... even kindness needed to know where it didn’t belong.

“.........Soooooooooooooooooooooooo....... are we there ye-”

“Dammit. I will not repeat myself again, you schizophrenic twit....”

Teeth clenched, Glitch let a deep breath flare out through his nostrils in hopes to regain his normal stoic composure once more. Unfortunately, it seemed as though not even the inventor’s professionalism could save his sanity from the hyperactive insanity that is, was, and probably always will be; Wild Card.

“Ooooooooooh; big words AND insults! He mad!”

“I can’t say I blame him, Wild.” the flamboyant stallion spoke up with an exasperated groan, trying desperately to massage the quickly growing headache from the bridge of his snout. “I’m honestly surprised that you managed to convince Boss to give second thoughts about you coming with us-”

“Hold on, wait, wait. You actually believed that?” the brown colt deviously smirked, tipping the black fedora upon his head to the point of hiding his golden eyes.

“What do you mea-”

“I lied! Boss wouldn’t let up so I snuck here myself. Isn’t that fantastic~?”

“........Oh.”

“I figured as much...” The pegasus gave off an annoyed sigh. “Going against Boss’ orders isn’t wise for anypony. Even you should be aware of this by now.”

“Ol’ skull head won’t even know I’m gone, and I couldn't miss this action! And breaking the rules just makes this all the more fun~! Know what I’m getting at, hm?”

Glitch figured if the strength of his facehoof was only measurable by the sheer amount of idiocy that flooded the air, Glitch’s hoof would have been lodged into the back of his skull.

Years ago.

“And ‘sides, I don’t wanna miss the reunion,” Wild beamed as he gave a carefree hop to emphasize his point. “I’m sure you guys are just as hyped about this as I am~!”

“Well.... I must admit I am rather enthusiastic about getting back together with our old friend Diana.” With a chuckle, a small and unsettlingsmile began to form on Notch’s muzzle. “I have been meaning to ask him which one of his hearts he treasures the most.”

“Don’t get any ideas.... Ezekiel.” Glitch found a bit of amusement in the feminine stallion’s grimace before turning away altogether. “This is also a negotiation mission. If we can help it, hooves won’t have to clash and a lot less trouble will be had with this mission.”

Seconds passed as the green stallion lit a cigarette hanging in his mouth from the narrow slot made specifically for doing so. He took one last drag from it before speaking, “....Fortunately for you bloodthirsty psychopaths, there’s no way this is going to be that easy.”

“Get a chariot, you two! You can’t go five minutes without making me want to hurl!”

Rainbow Dash exaggerated her point towards the blushing unicorns by making gagging and retching noises as her head dangled over the side of the currently airborne golden-plated chariot. Rainbow Dash could’ve sworn she spotted one of the pegasus pullers of the chariot form a slightly disturbed expression before shifting his business towards the skies once more (and to keep himself from almost crashing into a nearby cloud).

“....Well then, would you mind explaining why exactly it is that you're in here complaining when you could be out there flying with the rest of the royal guards?” Twilight huffed, still seated fur-rubbingly close to her equally flustered stallion.

“Are you kidding? Flying out there would be suicide with this massive hangover,” Dash countered, slightly swaying. “But it takes a lot more than a couple drinks to forget those little displays of “affection” the two of you put on at the rave last night. And from what Sprinkles’ colleague told me,” the cyan mare sung with a deviant smile,”you’ve become a real puss lately, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with last night...”

“You’re really pushing your luck, you know,” Storm growled, getting nothing more out of the rainbow maned mare than a shrug. It soon grew quiet. Storm slid his eyes shut, he couldn’t let this mare grate his nerves so easily or it could jeopardize the entire missio-

“Oh, and you’re lucky the music was blasting so loud, otherwise the entire rave would have heard you two going at it last night.”

“W-WHAT did you say you little-”

“Sir Scratch.”

The white stallion shot his head towards the winged guard strapped to the chariot, responding in a venomous growl, “That’s Lieutenant.”

“Apologies, Lieutenant, but I’m afraid this is as far as we’re assigned to take the lot of you.”

Storm and the two mares took notice of their surroundings, only just now realising that they were on solid ground; trees, trees, and more trees littered the grassy area as they took in the forest where their mission was to begin. Without another word, the pegasus guards gave a bow of respect and made their way towards the sky, leaving their fourpassengers behind; the large, now empty chariot soaring through the skies behind them.

The stallion fell quiet, an intense stare leaving his royal blue orbs and focusing on... well, nothing in particular.

“I can feel it,” the lavender mare piped up, catching Storm’s immediate attention. “There are five magic signatures just up ahead. It must to be the others!”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head, as well as paired with a look of confusion on her expression. “There’s no way that can be right, Twi. In case you forgot, Rarity’s the only aside from you and Sprinkles over there that can use magic.”

“It doesn’t matter; unicorn, pegasus, or even earth pony, we all have magic inside of us. Unicorns just happen to be the only one of the three that can tap into and manipulate it directly,” Twilight explained, wearing a proud smile that was used when sharing her knowledge. “We should get going; it’s getting dark as is. If we hurry and get a move on it we should be able to catch up with-”

“You go on ahead.”

The two mares turned their attention towards the previously silent stallion, not a clear sign of emotion on his stoic muzzle. “Twilight, you don’t sense any dangerous wildlife around here, do you?”

Twilight met the soldier’s gaze with her own as she gave a shake of her head. “None. I wonder why that is....”

“In that case, go catch up with your friends. I’ll be right behind you momentarily.”

The cyan pegasus gave a slick grin. “So, you think leaving two “helpless” mares alone in one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria at night is a good idea? Some stallion you are.”

As much as Storm wanted to refute the hotheaded mare’s statement, he couldn’t help but keep away a grin himself, if not only for a brief moment. “Then I guess you’re going to have to be enough stallion for the both of us to make up for it. Shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

“You’re lucky I’m letting that one slide.... for now.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, taking flight low to the ground and keeping speed to a minimal- or as minimal as the fastest pony in Equestria could get- motioning to the lavender mare to tag along.

Twilight hadn’t moved an inch, still in the same spot as before as she watched the colt maneuver between the tightly placed trees that lead to a different path together. “Well, what are you waiting for? It won’t be long.”

“....Be careful, alright?”

Storm gave a quick nod before the lavender mare finally turned to follow her impatient cyan friend. His glare grew intensely morbid, the trees that towered over him negating any moonlight from entering as he made his way past them, only one thought in mind:

‘Let’s settle this. If you’re not a coward, you’ll follow....’

“Dammit....”

The four mares came to a halt, turning their attention back towards the cloaked black stallion that had been tagging a safe distance behind them. His breathing grew heavy, a hoof clamped over his forehead as a roll of sweat traveled down his scalp.

“R-Red... are you okay? Do you have a headache or-”

“It’s nothing,” Crimson cut the pink mare off, obviously not easing her worries in the slightest. “I.... I’ll be back. We’re almost there, so this shouldn’t mess with our schedule much.”

Nopony could get a word in before Crimson galloped through an alternate path between the trees. ‘Dammit! Of all times for you to pull something like this, why now?!’

“....You feel that, right?”

The green stallion gave a nod, his always stoic glare still present. Even the hyperactive earth pony previously swinging in the trees without a care in the world had stopped in his tracks, a look that signified both awe and excitement in his smile.

“It looks as though we have some company.”

“Looks like it, Notch.” Glitch confirmed with a nod, digging through his cloak with a hoof only to pull out a carton of cigarettes. He brought the end bud to the lighter of his watch; the pegasus took a long, deep drag before puffing the excess smoke from his lips, a slight wave of calm take over his body. “Now Notch, as.... tempting as it seems to hunt those two down, we have to stay on course so we can get this-”

“Uh.... Glitch,” Wild Card gave an amused smirk, though hard to tell considering he was hanging upside down. “...Who are you talking too?”

The four-eyed equine let out a hint of an exasperated groan, “Didn’t you hear a word I just said, Wild? I just said that....” but as he broke eye contact with his cigarette, the pink haired stallion was nowhere in sight.

“He bailed, dude.” Wild chuckled, enlightening the confused stallion before he could even let the question escape his mouth. “And while you were sucking on your cancer stick there. Told you smoking was a bad habit!”

“....Not entirely sure why I even bother....”

In the deep, dark depths of the forest of Everfree, there was a mysterious, yet beautiful grass field where the only sounds were the wind flowing, and the crickets chirping beneath a cool full moon. In this case however, there was one more set of sounds heard throughout the field. The clashing of raw steel.

Two full grown stallions traded blows with each other, a black stallion with his black-bladed katana, and a white unicorn in a Lieutenant’s jacket with his twin Celestial Army daggers.

“I said get the hell out of my way!” Crimson growled once more, the two stalemating each other with equal power of their blades, Crimson’s black coat contrasting Storm’s white one. “I don’t have time for this bullshit right now, Storm! So move!”

“Hehe... That stings a little bit, Red.” Storm snarled, baring his metaphorical fangs at the colt. “But don’t think I forgot my real goal, asshole... I’ll crush you like a bug!”

“Yeah? We’ll see about that!” And with that, the black colt slid the footing of one of his hind legs and swept it under one of Storm’s. As the white coated unicorn struggled to keep balance, Crimson gripped the hilt of his katana with both hooves and swung as hard as his arms would let him, launching Storm a good twenty feet into the sky.

As Storm backflipped in the air to regain his balance, preparing for the worst, the black colt lifted the sword over his head. Using both hooves, the colt spun the sword like a windmill, the gust around him very similar to one as well, the furious winds even reaching the still airborne unicorn colt. Blade still spinning wildly, Crimson jumped and threw the katana, the spinning sword propelling towards Storm at an incredible velocity. Storm managed to block the sword from cutting clean through him, his electrified daggers just barely holding the rampaging black painwheel off, the torrent of wind nearly cutting him alone. He couldn’t hold it back any longer.

The katana’s exerted winds launched the unicorn downwards, and he began plummeting back down towards the grassy earth, the shuriken-like sword still following in tow. With the horn on his head sparking with raw magic voltage, Storm launched an everlasting flow of lightning from his hoof. It fused with the sword, but never the less the sword popped with a ear piercing CLANK, spinning off in the opposite direction. That is, until it was caught in mid air by a lone black hoof. Wings at the ready, Crimson propelled himself down towards his still falling foe, black blade drawn at the ready.

‘That sword...’ went through the head of Storm, his fall growing ever more near. ‘Any other weapon would have shattered into pieces after that attack, but that sword... What the hell is that thing made of?’

Only about an inch away until impact, Storm was slammed to the ground by Crimson’s blade, a small explosion forming as the ground under them crumbled. As the dust cleared, the black colt held his blade down on Storm, who held it off with twin daggers that surged with electricity, as he was on his back inside a wide, but shallow crater.

“Just give up already, you ass!” shouted Crimson, their blades shaking from the pure force they exerted into each other. “You’ll die if we keep this up! Lets just stop this! Please...”

“....Just shut up.” the white unicorn colt growled, a single stream of blood dripping down the side of his mouth. “Don’t you fucking dare belittle me. I’ll kill you, even if I have to risk my life in the process!” Once again, his horn began to spark.

The black colt leapt back as far as he could to avoid the wide-ranged stream of electricity crackling around the crater. Just as he got one hind hoof to touch the ground, Crimson tilted his head to avoid a dagger aim between his eyes. As the next set were shot off, Crimson sheathed his sword and dug into his cloak for a counterattack of his own; then he unleashed a barrage of kunai to redirect the daggers. The two colts then shot off at blinding speeds, the only things visible were the collisions from the hundreds of seemingly endless knives. When the two finally skid to a stop, Storm had a devious smile a mile wide.

The white colt sneered, his horn still sparking as lightning dancing on it. "Looks like you stupidly fell into my trap, Red."

"What are you-"

Before he could finish, Crimson found himself completely and utterly surrounded at each side and angle. Hundreds upon hundreds of daggers were floating overhead, blades coated with enough electricity to take down a full grown elephant.

The first three were shot off, avoided easily by the black colt. Then came the next five, and like before, were avoided, but it was starting to become a challenge. And then, the next twenty shot off.

With every duck, roll, slide, and even backflip, Crimson found that dodging these were becoming increasingly more difficult. Not only did you have to completely keep your distance from the blades to avoid the electricity’s shock, but the ones that were thrown prior were finding their way back into Storm’s magic grasp just to be thrown again. After what seemed like centuries, Crimson unfortunately, but surely slipped up.

“GRRK!” Dropping to his haunches, Crimson felt every last jolt of electricity coursing through his body as if it were frying his insides. He was only able to find an almost unnoticeable trace of broken skin on his left hind leg, but he knew anything was more than enough to count as a hit for Storm.

“Feeling tired yet, Red?” Storm scoffed.

“Not... even... clo-URK!” Without any moment’s rest, the piercing corner of cold steel scraped across the black colt’s cloak; Crimson felt a small edge of the blade make contact with his shoulder, the pain minuscule compared to the the electrocution that followed. If he hadn’t evaded the blade’s tip completely, Crimson might have been done for.

Ears still ringing and vision fogging over, his crimson pupils darted back to the white unicorn standing proudly. Crimson managed to make out a faint, but twisted chuckle escape his lips as snarled “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this, Red...”, all while holding a small, but just barely noticeable smirk. Crimson also managed to notice each dagger was fuzing their electricity with one another, as if creating multiple clotheslines to prevent the colt from escaping. “You’re in my magnetic field now, Red.... Have fun.”

Knowing he’d be killed if he didn’t step it up, Crimson managed to find his way back onto his hind legs, ignoring the pain that followed. The colt backflipped away from one dagger, ducked under another, and reached into his cloak of weaponry. Aiming more towards the sky, Crimson threw from his cloak a lengthy steel chain with a metal, marble sized sphere at the tip. As it skyrocketed through the sky, the ball expanded in a matter of seconds, tripling the size of a full-grown stallion even. Pointed, cone-shaped spikes of metal now protruded out of the wrecking ball-like object as Crimson grabbed hold of the chain as hard as he could. He swung the ball with as much strength as he could muster. The ball then began to scatter all of the daggers it could smash into, and after a swing or two, there were maybe only a couple dozen left airborne.

“Not today, Red!” Holding his front hooves close to each other, Storm commanded the rest of the remaining daggers that sparked with his electricity to create an aerial assault from every direction, blades ready to impale their next fresh slab of meat. “You won’t get outta this one standing!”

The chained wrecking ball smashed back to orbit, creating an earthshaking SLAM as it made contact with the earth. Crimson yanked at the chain until is separated its hold from where the chain and wrecking ball connected. Pulling it close, the cloaked colt swung the chain furiously, and it swatted over half of the daggers like a metal whip. Crimson then began to spin in place, the chain swinging with him, as it moved to wrap and cover any exposed black fur on his body like an iron cocoon. Finally, the rest of the daggers dug into each corner of the chain, causing it to appear as if it were a metal pin cushion.

Not a moment too soon, the chain cocoon burst out once again, knocking back every last dagger and revealing a perfectly unharmed Crimson Rays. Swinging the chain one last time, Crimson lashed the chain at the awestruck white colt with deadly accuracy, Storm only able to observe as the chain wrapped around his torso, binding his arms and chest completely.

“You like it? I learned this one from Applejack!” And with that, Crimson yanked. Hard.

Storm could feel himself being lifted off the ground, and he propelled forward, straight at Crimson. As the black colt wrapped extra amounts of the chain around his right hoof, Storm charged his horn’s magical electricity, an unnatural pressure beginning to surround his entire body at an alarming rate. As Storm neared, he could see Crimson about to thrust a straight shot punch at an accelerating speed.

Just as the two were about to make contact, the chain scattered into pieces, leaving Storm completely freed from his metal rope binding. Dragging against the dirt, Storm dove his upper body straight down, kneeling at a now sweating colt, who still held his post punch stance.

“H-how did you-”

Crimson was cut off by the white unicorn colt’s chuckle, a dangerous amount of electricity forming upon the ground’s surface under them, “When two magnetic forces of the same power collide, they push off each other. Haven’t you ever played with a magnet before!”

And with that, Storm shot upwards and let loose a perfect uppercut, his forearm completely coated with raw lightning. Jaw arched upwards, Crimson launched into the air at terminal velocity. His jaw felt numb, as a small strand of electricity still lingered in his system.

‘D-Dammit.... what kind of attack was that.....!!!’

Don’t worry, he’s just unconscious. All I did was create a strong magnetic force around my hoof.

In other words... telekinesis...

Well, I guess you could say that. You could also think of it as an augmented push spell.

-chapter 4

‘That’s right. He must have used the same trick as last time, only.... a hell of a lot stronger.’

Crimson flared his wings like a parachute, finally managing to halt himself altogether. He remained suspended in the night sky just long enough to regain the feeling in his muscles. The black colt turned his gaze downwards, shocked to discover that he was hovering well over a kilometer in the air, meaning that blow must have shot him even further than he had thought....

“Fine, I’ll admit, you’ve gotten more tricks up your sleeve than when we were kids!” Crimson threw his voice towards the ground just loud enough for his opponent to make notice of it. “Now, I think it’d be only fair if a showed you some tricks of my own!”

Digging both hooves into his cloak, Crimson spread the cloak open, fully exposing the various tools, pouches, and weaponry underneath. Reaching down towards both sides of his tool belt, he slid his hooves over two twin pouches and pulled the flap up with a small pop. Row by row of small, compact shurken peered out of the now open flap, each looking sharper than the next and ready to experience the first taste of blood on their cold metal tips.

Readying his wings with a airborne stretch, the black colt grasped his hind legs with his forehooves and, with a mighty breath, began to somersault in place. Each rotation became faster and faster until the colt resembled a black pinwheel, the small throwing stars dropping from the pouches and propelled down spinning in every possible direction.

Storm had to rub his eyes to find that they really weren’t playing tricks on him, which he honestly would not have minded one bit for once in his life; the longer the freefalling shurikens spun towards the ground, the larger they begun expanding until their size each could rival a full grown stallion.

Multiple stars impaled the ground near the unicorn with monstrous impact; the mini craters in the ground a convincing enough indicator for Storm to cast a magic bubble to act as a shield. Each shuriken to graze it managed to shave the bubble open, the sheer force of each throwing star proving too powerful for the shield to withstand much more damage....

As the last of the shuriken fell, a large cloud of dust and dirt engulfed most of the battlefield. The black colt’s hooves landed shakely onto the ground, his chest puffing in and out in it’s struggle to catch his breath. The dirt cloud was slowly beginning to dissipate, thought as his crimson orbs scanned desperately throughout the visible area, his electromaniac opponent was still nowhere close to being spotted.

With the flick of an ear, Crimson arched his entire torso backwards, just barely managing to limbo under an immense half of a split shuriken, it’s spinning blades just barely hovering over the colt’s snout before disappearing into the nothingness of the dirt cloud. There was a loud CLANK, the air being filled with the ear piercingly loud sound of metal on metal.

And carefully observing where his hooves were standing, he could see why. As Crimson regained his balance, his eyes spotted dozens upon dozens of scattered metal dug deep into the ground where the shrapnel previously aimed for his head had landed. Most of them looked to be split into pieces with deadly accuracy precision, along with melted ends where the cuts were made....

“Persistent as ever, I see.”

“You clearly.... underestimate me.... Red...”

Crimson turned his gaze towards the culprit of the response. As the smoke has finally cleared, in the middle of the scattered metal shards was a unicorn stallion of white fur, surrounded inside a blueish aura of electric energy. The bubble as though it was on it’s last legs; chunks of the shield missing as it flickered to stay alive. To be fair, the white colt didn’t fair much better; there were a few noticeable, blood-dripping scratches colonised around his body, along with numerous holes around his jacket.

As the magic of the bubble had finally faded into the thick dusty air, it was apparent that the shield was only a fragment of the unicorn’s successful survival. A katana, sparking rapidly along the magical blue blade, was firmly gripped in one of Storm’s forehooves...

“You’re.... more trouble than.... you’re worth!” Storm growled between breaths. “Luckily for me, you’ll fall and be crushed by Celestia’s divine right-hoof....”

The charcoal stallion’s eyes were filled with deadpan, a sigh irritatingly escaping his lips. “....You really like to hear yourself talk, don’t you?”

“Hmph... perhaps,” Storm retorted admittingly. “but the time for talk has officially ended....”

The Celestial Lieutenant slid his eyes to a close and clapped his hooves together, a satisfying CLOP filling in for the silence. His breathing became short and controlled, letting out one final breath before his horn lit up with his usual crackling magic aura. The cloaked colt couldn’t put his hoof on it, but somehow, in someway, the magic looked- and even somehow felt.... different.

As the seconds passed, a small light flashed from his hind-hooves up, crawling it’s way tightly close to the colt’s coat. What followed shortly after was a light blue radiating off Storm’s presence, the occasional dance of electricity across his figure as the colt kept his firmly closed shut.

Crimson’s ears flicked once again, but the sound picked up didn’t seem limited to one location. His eyes traced over the scenery; once after another, the metal shards dug into the ground beginning to glow with the same light emitting from his opponent. Soon, the entire crater-filled excuse for a battlefield was lit up with hundreds of metal coated in the same light...

As the steel shards started to pluck themselves out of the ground, Storm’s literally electric blue orbs were firmly fixed on the soon-to-be black pincushion. “No more playing around. The only things I want to hear from you after this are your agonizing screams!”

….bboooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooommm........

“....U-Um....P-Please tell me... I wasn’t the only one who....”

“....Nope.”

The four mares stood like statues, each of their gazes glued towards a large cloud of dust blown over the trees miles into the distance. While their minds weren’t exactly idle, they each shared one thought amongst the flurry of others going on inside their heads:

‘....What did Crimson do this time?’

“Girls! Over here!”

Simultaneously coming back to reality, the mares turned their heads to meet the new voice and found two specks growing through the endless rows of trees; one lavender, the other cyan.

Rarity clenched her azure eyes into a squint. “If I’m not mistaken.... is that-”

“Well Ah’ll be...” Applejack’s lips stretched into a confident smile. “Looks like them two party gals fahnally decided ta join this lil’ rodeo!”

Trots turned to gallops as the four shot forward, eventually closing the distance with tight embraces from both parties.

“You have no idea how much I missed you girls!” Twilight gushed as she nuzzled the farm mare and fashionista close.

The cyan mare gave a wispy chuckle, crushed to death between the two yellow and pink fillies. “Yeah, feels like it’s been months or somethin’.”

“And speaking of which, how was your little.... “trip”, darling?” Rarity turned her concern towards her lavender friend.... “He... he didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“Sorry everypony, but questions are gonna have to be saved for later. We’ve got to hurry; I can sense two ponies from where the dust lifted up, and one of them has a rapidly increasing amount of magic.” Twilight turned her gaze towards the slowly disappearing dust cloud, eyes swimming in a sea of mixed emotions. “Storm, he....”

“Tha’s a mighty fahne trick ya learned an’ all,” Applejack struggled to suppress a gulp, “but are y’all sayin’ Storm came all the way down here wit ya?”

The unicorn said nothing, only affirming the mare’s worries with a silent nod. “Let’s just say.... Crimson isn’t the only one looking for a certain professor. Which is why we’ve got to hurry before those two boneheads end up killing each oth- GYAH!!!”

Twilight halts mid-trot to retract her hoof before a solid, pink sustenance digs it’s way out from underground. The mares watch awestruck; the glossy crystal stretching even past the trees for miles in width, soon growing higher than the trees until it resembled a large wall of pure....

“....Diamond?”

Rarity placed a hoof over the sparkling barricade, caressing the tough, yet smooth surface in an almost hypnotising fashion. “It’s simply beautiful....”

“Will you stop drooling over this.... thing already, Rares?!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, taking to the sky at unsettling speeds. “Is this thing meant to block us or something? Pah! Everypony should know you can’t stop the fastest mare in Equestri-OW!”

Dash rubbed tenderly with a hoof at her now aching snout. From the looks of it, she flew schnauz first into the wall. ‘There’s no bucking way....’

With an equine puff from her nose, the hotheaded pegasus shot to the skies at a ferocious velocity even for her, determined to out “fly” this stupid wall- “GRH!!!”

The enraged Rainbow Dash stared bullets at the literal obstacle before her, the two of them almost touching the self-moving clouds. “There’s no way in Equestria a stupid wall is as fast as-”

“Rainbow Dash!!! You get down from there this instant!”

Even from forty feet off the ground, the words that Rarity hissed were still convincing enough for the grumbling pegasus. “Grmhhmm... yeah, okay.... mom.”

“Honestly, Rainbow. Racing a wall is not going to get us out of this mess any quicker.” the white unicorn scolded the eye-rolling pegasus.

“She’s right you know,” Twilight chimed in. “We need to stick together and find away around this wall.”

“Terribly sorry, miss. However, I cannot let you do that.”

Full attention was placed on the foreign voice behind the six mares. A stallion, more specifically, a unicorn. His shock pink mane, about withers length, looked as though it had been freshly groomed and lathered, despite being in a forest. His coat, a white-ish blue, emitted the sweet scent of lilac and other girly shampoos, most of which was covered by an alabaster cloak of the same variety as Crimson’s....

“Where are my manners,” the mysterious prettycolt bowed, “allow me to introduce myself. My name is........ Pinkamena?”

A silence filtered the Everfree air. All eyes were drawn to the poofy pink pony, whose silence was far too out of her character, much like out of all the ponies to shatter said eerie silence, the one nopony expected was Fluttershy. “Pinkie... do you know this guy?”

“.......Ezekiel?”

“Coward!!! Come out and face me like a stallion, or I’ll blast this entire forest to bits!”

In the deep, dark depths of the forest of Everfree, a unicorn, bathed in an azure light that crackled with electricity over his coat, stood in the middle of a natural wasteland. Bark from once standing and plentiful trees littered the dirt-covered fields; deathly silence looming through the war zone, where the only sound was the continuous beating inside the black colt’s chest.

‘Has that Celestia damned nutcase finally lost it?!?!’ Crimson held in a sigh, afraid only one release of breath from his lips would reveal his hiding spot located behind half of a still standing tree. ‘This is fucking insane. It’s almost like that armor of lighting he sucked dry from the clouds during our last fight. He’s learning to create it without an energy source; I’m surprised he hasn’t killed himself by now.’

Crimson’s ears focused past the remaining stub of a tree, listening as the electrically charged stallion slowly trot. ‘That magic around him looked... incomplete. I can’t put my hoof on it, but there’s something about that armor that-’

The black colt made a desperate somersault to avoid the tip of the magic blade. It chirped with electricity as it carved its way down the tree bark, finally coming to a frightening halt when the two halves of the stump fell their separate ways to reveal Storm’s sharp, radiating eyes.

“Careless. To think that the feared Crimson Shadow would be hiding like a scared little foal,” the glaring unicorn spat, an unsettling smile making it’s mark over his muzzle. “But then again, isn’t that what you’ve been doing with those new.... “friends” of yours?”

Crimson held the unicorn’s stare at bay with his own, but was unable to hold back a gulp, a wave of unease following down his throat after his saliva. “Bite me....”

“Aw, what’s wrong? Nothing clever or witty to comeback with? How disappointing....” Storm snickered, raising the translucent katana crackling with his magic in his hoof as he prepared to strike. “Don’t worry. This will only hurt a lot.”

With a swift motion of his hoof, the magic sword crashed down heavily over the steel of Crimson’s ebony one, the force of Storm’s enhanced strength too much for one hoof to hold up alone. “That’s a tough blade you’ve got there; any normal weapon would have shattered, or at the very least cracked by now.... Shame if you couldn’t even land a single blow on me with it.”

A snort puffed through Storm’s nostrils, retracting his strike to deliver a horizontal slash against the his helpless Crimson’s katana. The sadistic lieutenant was impressed the hitcolt could even keep a grip on his weapon as it was knocked to the side along with the hooves used to cling to it. However, this left his opponent wide open for the finishing stab.

“This is the end, Red!”

Storm’s arm thrusted at speeds that blurred the line between impossible and reality, the pointed, crackling tip of the magic sword aimed dead between the black colt’s crimson orbs. As his arm fully extended, the blood Storm expected was absent, only a black colt’s head resting just to the side of the crackling blade.

With a growl, the unicorn strengthened his grip and horizontally slashed, Crimson’s head ducking under the blade just at the nick of time. Each slash and stab that came after came with the same result, the determination in Crimson’s eyes rivaling the frustration in Storm’s. ‘His movements are becoming.... clearer. I can almost react to all of his moves....’

“Just... stay.... still!”

Horn sparking more powerfully than ever, the air in front of Storm started to distort once again before a force smashed into Crimson’s gut, sending him rocketing through the air as he dragged his wings through the air currents, finally coming to a stop. Without warning, Storm launched his sword like a lance into the sky, not long before the military stallion summoned two more in each hoof to join the first. All aimed directly at the charcoal assassin.

Gaining momentum with extreme haste, Crimson shot through the skies only to find that with each aerial dive and flip, the magic swords were not far behind. Wherever he flew, the magic blades followed in exact accuracy. For what felt like hours, Crimson stopped dead in his tracks, turning face-to-face with the incoming blades. “If I remember right, when these things touch....”

“What the hell is he doing...?”

As the blades gained up, Crimson held his breath and made a desperate leap in between, counting his lucky stars as he managed to come out unscathed. Not even seconds later, he could feel a giant surge of energy run through his bones when the tips of the electric blades met, resulting in a pony-sized explosion with pressure strong enough to send the cloaked colt rocketing towards the ground. It took time to regain control of his body before Crimson armed his blade for Storm, both readying for the blow that would decide the match.

Storm clapped his forehooves together and spread them apart, a trail of lightning surging through his hooves. He waited for Crimson to near before chucking the wad of energy like a baseball, meeting with the pegasus’ black katana as the two forces clashed in ground-shattering power.

Crimson’s wings and hooves were beginning to tire under his sword’s grip, the force of the bolt of lightning proving too much for the colt to handle. Luckily he wasn’t alone, as Storm too was beginning to feel faint; his horn feeling as though it would burst on top of his head as it struggled to push past the black stallion’s katana and shatter it to bits....

CLANK!

Crimson’s hooves throbbed as the sword flew yards over his head, lighting coating the blade as it took Storm’s lightning with it. Without losing momentum, the black pegasus tucked in his wings and dived towards the earth. Storm cursed lightly under his breath, barely able to stand, and certainly without the strength to move.

“It’s OVER!!!”

The two stallions finally made contact with one another in a ground shaking headbutt. The dirt sank from underneath Storm’s hooves, his blue orbs rolling to the back of his head as he collapsed back first onto the grassy battlefield.

“Ouch....” The black colt rubbed at the small scratch made from Storm’s horn; as indestructible, or thick as ponies told him his skull was, landing pinpoint onto that thing probably would have ended in less than desirable results....

Crimson’s ear flicked, turning to see that his trusty sword had finally landed into the dirt. As he trotted over to yank his sword from the ground, he looked over to his now unconscious opponent with indecision in his eyes, but ultimately knew what Twilight would do to him if just left him there.

“Psh. I must be getting soft....”

Slinging the unicorn over his shoulder, Crimson looked into the distance of the Everfree forest. He couldn’t put his hoof on it, but something didn’t feel.... right.

“.....Either I put way too much into that headbutt, or that’s a giant pink wall of diamond almost touching the clouds....”

Author's Note

Once again, sorry for the late chapter. Hopefully, Mac and I will be able to update better with time....

Chapter Seventeen: Cold Cut (Part One)

Chapter Seventeen: Cold Cut (Part One)

“So, let me get this straight, Mister....”

“Ezekiel! Yolando Ezekiel Stone!” the pink pony chimed in. Twilight’s lips pursed into a terse line. “Though I always thought Izzy had a better ring to it! Don’t ya think so too, Izzy?”

The pink maned unicorn hid behind his silence, a scarlet hue making it’s way onto his cheeks. “Yes, Pinkame-.... Pinkie,” ‘Izzy’ caught his sentence just in time, hoping to prevent himself from getting the mare upset again, “and you know how I detest my full name in the same fashion you do yours. Though that nickname sure hasn’t aged well either....”

“Riiiight....” the studious mare let her word hang, still locking her unsure glare on the shady stallion before her. “And since you refuse to give out your reasons as to why you’re after Plasm, can you at least enlighten us as to just how you and Pinkie know each other?”

“Ah! Now that’s a story.” The lavender mare arched a brow at the colt’s coy smile. “Looks can be deceiving you know. Most of my childhood was spent with my family of rock farmers, much like Pinkaaaaa-I mean Pinkie here. It wasn’t exactly the happiest set of memories, as the two of us grew up with a ridiculous little thing the locals made up called the “Pink Curse”. What made matters worse was that I was born a unicorn, something that the other farmers very much looked down upon. My own mother and father treated me as though I was a rotten apple core rather than their son. When I met Pinkie, it turned out her story wasn’t all much better.”

Izzy paused for a moment before continuing, his calculating pink gem-like eyes growing softer as the story went on. “None of the local farmers would come within ten feet of us, even teaching their young ones to do the same. So when I met Her, we had a common ground and the two of us stuck together before....”

“....Before?” Twilight tilted her head quizzingly.

The pink maned ponies shared an uneasy, almost sad glance with one another before the mare spoke up. “It’s.... not important, Twilight. Really....”

The librarian’s curiosity only further grew, but decided against it for now. The unicorn colt’s cocky smirk returned to his face, as did Twilight’s judging stare.

“You’d be surprised as to how much your friend here has changed since I last spoke with her. It even threw me off seeing her so hyper like this. And her mane....” A small spark ignited with admiration in the stallion’s eyes, as he directed them to his foalhood friend. “It’s..... gorgeous! You simply must tell me who permed it for you, dear!”

“Alright then....” Twilight gave an irritated sigh, her eyes wandering over the surface of the giant pink rock not two feet behind her that, despite the Sun’s disappearance from the sky hours ago, still managed to shine brightly through the haze of the night sky. “I have to admit, your magic is rather impressive. I once read in a book about the history of spellcasting that magic like yours was forgotten long ago....”

“Call it my special talent, dear!” Ezekiel waved a hoof, the cockyness in his expression making Twilight unable to hold in her annoyed huff. “I discovered this power after I found this strange rock. I was a young colt at the time, and I was rather inexperienced with magic, so I hid it. My family was abusive enough as it was....”

“Well, I find it preposterous that such a beautiful gift had to be kept locked away from the rest of the world.” The stallion peered to his side to find Rarity observing him in a half mast gaze, her cheeks slightly flushed, giving a smile as sincere as she was gorgeous. “M-My apologizes. It’s just that nopony deserves to have to go through such a dreadful experience, especially a foal-”

Her words were cut short by a small pink flash from Ezekiel's hoof, fading away to reveal a glistening rose created entirely from the white-cloaked stallion’s magic. “Apologizes won’t be necessary, my fair maiden.” the gentlecolt bowed, holding out the artificial flower for the mare caught under his charms. “That dreadful life is far behind me now. My only ambition now is to show all of Equestria the elegance and beauty my talent can spread. Though it appears I may have a rival~.”

Rarity took the glistening rose in her magic, failing to suppress a girlish giggle as her cheeks burned even hotter. “Ehehehee~ Oh goodness....”

“Just what we need. Two Raritys....” Rainbow Dash made an exaggerated gagging motion with her hoof. The pale yellow pegasus stood only inches apart from her, never taking her timid cyan eyes away from the unfamiliar stallion.

“Somepony jus’ sounds sore cuz she got outraced bah a shiny rock.” Applejack’s mouth curled into an amused smirk, stare full of mirth towards the competitive mare’s gumbles and growls.

“W-Well why is that stupid rock even still up, anyway?! Not like it matters if it’s there either way....”

‘I’m afraid that’s out of the question, my dear. It’s far too dangerous for-’

A sudden jolt went through the unicorn stallion’s body, almost as though every ounce of his magic grew excited at once. His eyes wandered over to the lavender mare, noting her sudden interest past the diamond wall the where the brawl previously took place. Something, or somepony was drawing near....

“....Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t see any reason for this wall to be up any longer.”

“Why don’t you quit bragging about it and- waitaminute, huh?”

Dash blinked, unable to form the words of her confusion towards the colt’s sporadic change of heart. The lavender unicorn raised a brow in equal confusion, but before she could question it, the bright pink wall made of gem slowly started to fade into thin air from the top. “I’m going to have to ask you six to stand back. Maybe move off to the side as well.”

The multi colored mares complied (with hesitance, of course), all six moving the the far edge of the forest path as they watched the wall of diamond finally disappear from top to bottom. Twilight, once again, raised an eyebrow. “So, what exactly do you plan to-”

“Please don’t hold this against me,” Ezekiel muttered, shifting onto on his hind legs as he pointed a forehoof at the confused unicorn mare. “I assure you this is nothing personal.”

As Twilight opened her mouth to fire a stream of questions, it instead remained gapping as she noticed a bright pink light illuminate over the area around the mare and her friends just as a magic aura more resembling that of pink glitter encoated the horn on top of the stallion’s head. Twilight’s eyes stretched into saucers; in only mere seconds, the bright light dimmed to reveal a large, transparent cut diamond, behind it’s thin pink-tinted walls showing enough occupancy to hold six mares with still enough walking space inside so not to crush them.

“I apologize greatly, dears.” The stallion could barely keep eye contact with the mares as he spoke softly, the magic around his horn finally dying down. “I do not wish to cause you any harm, just to keep you in there for the meantime.”

Twilight’s magic ablazed around her horn in panic, but to her horror, it shrunk into nothing almost just as fast as it came. A muffled shriek escaped her lips. “W-What?! M-My magic feels like it’s being suppressed!”

“That would be because my diamond neutralizes any and all magic from inside it’s walls.”

A loud PANG came from behind the large diamond prison as the cyan pegasus panged her hooves angrily against it’s walls. “Prettyboy bastard! Let us out of this thing, or you’ll regret the day you crossed paths with the fastest mare in Equestria!”

“I highly doubt that. As thin as those walls may be, they’re still made from one hundred percent solid diamond.” the mare’s rose orbs bored deep into Ezekiel’s calculating eyes, not a single emotion readable from them.

The same could not be said for the once bouncing pink mare, as her cerulean eyes held a mixture between amazement, fear, and pain. ‘He....He really did get better....’

The lavender mare growled. “Something deep in my gut told me you were no good....”

“Say what you will,” the cloaked stallion’s eyes drifted ahead of him, obviously intent on what lied elsewhere. “I’m only doing my duty as a proper stallion to protect you mares from what’s about to come.”

“Protect us from wha-”

CLANK!

The noise rung audibly through the forest, causing the mares to jump as it pierced their ears. An opposing figure stood in front of the whitish-blue unicorn; a stallion, the fur that was visible under his heavy cloak dark as charcoal. A katana was gripped in the stallion’s hooves, its long ebony blade struggling to cut through the pink-maned unicorn’s arm, which was coated in a sleek diamond surface....

Needless to say, the unicorn stallion’s cocky smile returned. “Trying to sneak up on me before I have a chance use my magic? That’s quite dirty of you, Crimson Shadow.”

The black colt clenched his teeth, blood-red eyes glaring daggers into his opponent’s.

“Notch....”

Crimson’s ear twitched, soon leaping back as far as he could to avoid the long pink spike that shot from under the ground below.

“Those pesky ears of yours are really a godsend, aren’t they?” Notch chuckled, the spike and diamond coating his arm fading into light before disappearing entirely, folding his forearms behind his back. “Though I suppose it provides fair challenge. It’d be a shame if you couldn’t even leave a scratch like last time....”

Crimson stood there in silence, hanging bangs from his mane covering his eyes as if to hide the emotion seeping through them. What he couldn’t hide, however, was the animalistic growl as his teeth clenched with even more force.

“Red!” Pinkie Pie let out a muffled squeal in delight behind the diamond prison, the horror in her eyes disappearing if only for a moment. “Thank Celestia you’re okay! You were gone for so long, I thought Storm might have....”

“....Okay? Okay?!” the dark stallion shot back at really no mare in specific. Applejack looked close to find that his eyes were filled with not only rage, but fear. “This is exactly what I was talking about before we left; being caught in the middle of a battle that I might not be able to save you from!”

The orange farm mare looked over to the perfectly calm and composed Notch, a tint of worry beginning to form in her own eyes. “But- Y’all can beat this guy, can’cha?”

Crimson sighed, trying to block out the fear with little success as he turned his eyes back towards his uncaring opponent. “....You girls have seen how strong Storm is. Take his power and multiply it by two.”

Applejack couldn’t help but cringe. “Golly... that strong?”

“No. Take all that and you still don’t have even half of this guy’s power....”

The intensity in the air was thick enough to snap a butter knife in two. Notch chuckled nervously, as all eyes were on him.

“Now you’re just exaggerating....” However, once the unicorn’s eyes scanned over Pinkie’s horrified features, a wave of seriousness crashed into him like a tsunami, returning his glare onto Crimson. “Pinkamena was a very close friend of mine, and I will not run the risk of letting her fall into this danger we have gotten ourselves into. Same goes for the rest of these mares here. So, I’m afraid I’m going to have to kill you.”

Pinkie Pie was too caught up in hyperventilating breaths to form a response for herself behind the thin diamond wall. Rarity caught this, putting a delicate hoof over her friend’s shoulder. “Now now, boys! Can’t we please just settle this like civilized gentlecolts...?”

Unfortunately, the fashionista’s pleas didn’t reach the black colt. Meanwhile, his fear slowly drained from his body and was replaced with a burning hot rage as his crimson orbs narrowed at his new opponent. “I don’t care if I die.... I’d rather die than hand them over to a pervert like you!”

“Red! STOP!”

But without a second thought, Crimson launched himself forward with enough time to ready his blade and stab the tip with all of his strength into unicorn stallion’s gut. Only a few of the mares managed to hold in their shrieks; Pinkie Pie shielding her eyes from the horror with her hooves as tears seeped down her cheeks. “No.... no no no no no no....”

“Is this really all you could muster? How disgustingly disappointing....”

The pink pony’s eyes snapped back to reality to meet the familiar voice. The white cloaked stallion stood, completely unmoved from his spot. Finally unfolding one of his arms from behind his back, Notch used a hoof to effortlessly pluck the ebony blade that had “stabbed” his clothed stomach, revealing a glimpse of a lining of diamond coating his gut.

“You tore a hole through my cloak. Now I’m really going to kill you....” Crimson couldn’t push the words past his lips, only watching in horror as a trail of glossy pink rock slowly engulfed his blade entirely. “I’ll simply repay the favor by shattering this pretty little weapon of yours into tiny little pieces. Nothing personal....”

And with a swift twist of Notch’s hoof, the diamond used to take over the sword’s steel shattered as he said, bits and pieces of the gem crumbling to the ground with a satisfying CRACK....

The sword, however, remained in one piece with not even a small scratch left over the ebony blade. ‘W-What in the hay?!’ Notch’s eyes widened with shock, ‘There’s no way! What is that thing made of....’

Without the slightest answer to Notch’s thoughts, Crimson slid his blade from the pink headed assassin's clutches and brought it back with a horizontal slash. Leaning his entire body to the side to perfectly avoid the blade, Notch’s next movements came as a blur to Crimson as his previously folded forearm smashed into the black colt’s jaw, sending him dragging heavily through the dirt.

Using a hoof to slow down and eventually come to a halt, Crimson rummaged through his belt, finding two shuriken that remained unused from his previous battle. They didn’t get far, however, when two pink spikes conjured from the ground sliced through the middle of the pony-sized throwing stars, but as the pieces landed into the dirt, what Notch didn’t see coming were the two smoke bombs going off with it....

Soon, a white mist of smoke surrounded a large chunk of the “battlefield”, not a pony in sight, or even sound, as Notch carefully scanned for any sign of an opening for when his opponent was going to stri-

FW-ISH!

TWACK!

The blade just barely missed the unicorn by the hairs of his coat, as did Notch’s counter punch, instead being blocked by the pegasus’ arm; the black colt leapt back into the smoke, he and the ebony blade disappearing in unison.

‘This ends now.’ Not a moment later, two small but thick cubes of pure diamond conjured on both sides of the light blue unicorn as they smashed onto the ground, enough force to create a small gust of wind to blow back the surrounding smoke. Once cleared, Notch’s vision was met with the tip of Crimson’s katana, only a few inches from splitting his skull open before he arched backwards to limbo under the blade. Backflipping to regain his balance, Notch looked back to find the now airborne black colt coming back for another go. “Psh. You should know the same trick won’t work twice on me.”

As Crimson neared to attack his opponent’s blind side, the cubes used to blow away the smoke began to gradually morph. The black colt’s strike was deflected by thin pink roots now protruded over Notch’s “blind side”. Flying back once again to avoid a death guaranteed stab from the diamond branches, the farther he flew, the farther the branches followed, as they fused into one incredibly long pink spear. Kicking off a nearby oak tree, Crimson leapt over the spear, just barely avoiding the same fate as the tree that saved his life, the spear cleanly pierced the bark behind him.

His brush with death wasn’t over, as numerous roots once again protruded from every bit of length from the twenty-pony long spear. He begun to rocket towards Notch once again, but the faster Crimson flew, the same went for the roots following him from his front and back. Though managing to slip through countless roots with his katana, several would succeed, even piercing through his cloak at a chance to break the skin.

Notch hadn’t moved an inch, not even bothering to turn around to face the action as he stood in place; one of his cocky smirks sprawled across his muzzle clear as day, or in this case, night. Crimson was only a few mere seconds from striking, his sword once again drawn at the ready. As he swung in effort to take off the prettycolt's head, one last root came from the very end of the spear and, despite being about as wide as a pencil, completely halted Crimson’s and his blade once they met.

“Dammit!”

The black stallion could only see one of Notch’s eyes illuminated through darkness, as the cocky colt still didn’t feel the urgency to move a muscle against his opponent, pissing off Crimson even further. But as their visions met, he noticed a split second movement in his opponent’s pink eye, as if it was trying to tell him....Look behind you.

Crimson’s eyes lit up with realization, looking back to find numerous roots still coming right at him. Flipping his sword around with desperate haste, most of the diamond roots clashed into the flat of Crimson’s blade with enough force to propel the stallion off of his wings and back first onto the ground, skidding with a grunt.

With a flash of pink light, the spear and it’s stems crumbled away at the will of Notch’s hoof. “And here I thought you’d be more of a challenge this time.” the unicorn shrugged, a thin smile still present over his muzzle. “You’re putting me to sleep here, Red-”

His hind hoof lightly tapping the ground, Notch turned around to witness a thin diamond pillar break through the dirt below for the end of the katana’s hilt to smack into, completely ending Crimson’s horizontal slash partway. With a swift high kick, Notch’s leg smacked into the hilt, sending it soaring what Crimson guessed was at least fifty yards into the air with no hope for it coming down anytime soon.

Once he broke his eyes away from his now airborne sword, Crimson received a mouthful of the unicorn’s punch, sending him sliding through the dirt once again. Only this time, he didn’t have time to counterattack as Notch delivered a light, but excruciating uppercut into his chin. He managed to stay on his hooves, but only because Notch wished it, landing another punch across the black colt’s cheek.

And another. And another. And another....

Proving too much of a challenge to even block, Crimson attempted to leap away to create some distance, not counting on a hard diamond surface shooting from the ground and smashing painfully against his side, sending him flying into a much heavier punch courtesy of Notch. His body barely got a chance to crash to the ground before another pillar rammed into his muzzle from underground, lifting his body off the ground as Notch pinned his chest up against a thin pink wall with only a single hind hoof.

“Simply flawless, wouldn’t you agree?” Notch’s smile contorted into something much more twisted as he pressed his hoof even harder against Crimson’s heart, triggering a small cough of blood from Crimson’s lips. “You and your sword have no chance against the beauty of my art. You can’t even produce a single dent; only I can will for it to break.”

As if on cue (knowing the cocky unicorn, it probably was), Crimson felt the wall against his back shatter, the force of Notch’s leg enough to launch the pegasus’ body bouncing until it rolled to a stop like a lifeless ragdoll.

Crimson gripped his chest tightly through his robes, breath becoming shallow as he felt he his consciousness slowly fading to black.

“Red, LOOK OUT!!!”

Without a second thought, Crimson quickly rolled in order to avoid what had crashed into where he had previously been laying. His eyes snapped open, the first color to greet their line of sight being pink; looking up, the stallion’s eyes grew twice their size once he caught two stalactites -not counting the one that already failed to kill him- twice his size floating above him, made entirely out of, you guessed it, diamond.

Crimson looked over to find the culprit hadn’t found it a necessity to act mobile, as he was still standing contently on his hind legs in the same spot as before. With a downward flick of the unicorn’s wrist, Crimson sprung to his hooves and leapt through the air with a small yelp escaping his windpipe, the spikes digging deep into the ground as he landed flat on his flank.

Pinkie Pie put her hoof over her chest, releasing her held in breath with a small smile. Applejack, on the other hoof, now looked as if she was finished holding her tongue. “Red, get off yer lil’ wrapped up butt an’ look up!”

Suppressing a groan, he followed the mare’s hoof with astonishment to find that his sword had gone quite a ways away, but was finally under gravity’s power once more as it fell with a whistle through the sky. One thing was for sure: he wasn’t going to last very long unarmed.

Climbing back to his hooves yet a second time, Crimson, with a single motion, flung his cloak into the forest wind, spread his wings, and made haste towards the spinning airborne katana. Notch gave an arrogant snicker, pink orbs following his victim as he soared futilely closer. Oh well, may as well have some fun with it~!

Crimson’s wings started to ache from how hard he was pushing them, knowing full well that he was paying the price for neglecting them so often. Just as his hoof stretched for the handle-

“Whoa-SHIT!”

If he had halted a second later, Crimson was sure he’d be riding the tip of the giant pink spike that created distance between him and his sword as it flew past....

Searching the skies, his crimson eyes locked with the now rapidly dropping sword. Not for long, however, as Crimson jerked his body away from yet another spike just barely skidding against the hairs of his coat; looking towards the ground he found a unicorn stallion giving a slow wave of his hoof....

With a growl, Crimson furled his wings shut and dropped like a rock, diving after the falling weapon as fast as gravity could take him. The stallion could feel the heavy torrent colliding with his mane as he began to trail his still falling sword, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes from the pressure of the winds. His hoof just barely grazed the surface of the handle and, once firmly in his grasp, Crimson let his wings jolt from his sides, just missing collision with a lengthy diamond spike now stuck in the dirt.

“I’m out of strategy's at this point.... if this doesn’t work....!”

And without a moment of hesitation, the sword was once again chucked through the skies, this time, with aim....

Notch’s smile never once wavered, his calculating pink eyes watching the rapidly spinning katana slice through the air as a result of all of the pegasus’ strength. With swift movement of his hoof, a patch of the ground in front of him shattered to reveal a wall of diamond making it’s way up until it was at least twice the pink maned stallion’s height.

The blade’s speed increased to the point where it was almost impossible to tell whether it was really a spinning sword, or a circular object. It drew closer, finally making contact with the massive wall with an ear piercing-

CLANK.

Much to the surprise of nearly everypony, the sword didn’t reflect back off the diamond surface. Quite the opposite; the gust emitting off the black painwheel shaved through the pink rock, finally reaching through and cutting the wall down to half it’s size. For the first time since trying to snap the sword with his own hooves, Notch’s eyes grew twice their size. The opposite being said for his pupils, now only noticeable as two small, pink pinpricks...

Without the time to express his disbelief, Notch leapt as far as he could from the spinning blade. Unfortunately for the prettycolt unicorn, it wasn’t enough, as the velocity of the gust around blade was enough to shred half of the unicorn’s face with it as it finally crashed to a stop....

“I.... can’t believe that worked....” Crimson stared intently at the ebony blade impaled into the earth. That was, until something else caught his attention from the corner of his eye. “Pink.... Glitter?” His blood red orbs traced the small trail leading back to the pink maned stallion, the black colt’s eyes expanding twice their size at what he was witnessing.

“It’s a good thing the small amount of diamond dust in my fur took most of the impact, isn’t it...?” Nearly half of the unicorn’s face was sparkling in the very same glitter; the petite, yet disturbing smile visible along the other half of his muzzle sending chills down the pegasus’ spine. Slowly floating away into the night sky, the pink dust finally faded much to Crimson’s horror. Even when reduced to a speck of dust, diamond was still the toughest mineral in all of Equestria....

“N-Not even a scratch....”

“Cheer up, Red. If anything, you should be thanking your lucky stars up till this point.... You could have left a nasty mark on my perfect face.”

In a neon pink light, the two halves of the split diamond wall began to crumble at Notch’s very will, this time resulting in the very same pink dust flowing through the wind and grouping together. His horn glowing like a magnet, more and more flecks of the diamond dust revealed themselves from the very blades of grass to join up with the enormous, ten-stallion tall floating sandstorm of dust towering only a few feet behind Notch’s withers.

“This entire battle has only been accumulating the amount of diamond dust from each of your failed efforts. Be honored that I’m only letting you see it now out of generosity,” Notch scoffed, the aura surrounding his horn flaring wildly as the storm of pink dust reacted in accordance. “However, you’ve just barely managed to perk my interests. So, as a token of my gratitude, I shall end this as quick as generously possible....”

And in a flash, a stream of diamond dust shot forward at speeds even the Crimson Shadow could just hardly leap away from. While still airborne, the black stallion noticed a few of the specks had begun to stick together and, a single hind hoof just barely touching the ground, Crimson jumped as far as he could from the pink spike of solid diamond protruding from the dust, back cracking against a nearby tree with a large thunk.

With not even enough time to regain the breath knocked from his lungs, Crimson somersaulted as far from the tree as he could before a large cloud of diamond dust separated itself from the the storm, engulfing the bark of the tree until it was nothing more than wood shaving in mere seconds.

Gawking would have to wait, as another nearing “dust” cloud seemed to catch Crimson’s eye; this time, however, it split apart, surrounding him like a mini twister. The eye of the pink twister becoming more cramped by the second, there wasn’t time to think as the pegasus darted for the sky before the center could shred him apart as easy as it did the unsuspecting tree.

The red liquid had begun to stain the grassy ground in drops, as it trickled down the black stallion’s haunches, shoulders, and cheek. Crimson gave a sigh in relief; it still beat being turned into wood shavings.

‘Not that it didn’t sting or anything....’ As Crimson scanned the area for a safe place to drop, instead he spotted his apparently invincible katana dug blade first into the dirt a few yards away.

‘That sword’s surprised me more than once this fight, and I’m running a tad low on my other tools....’

Charging as fast as his wings could carry him, and once again towards his trusty/lucky weapon, the cloakless colt could already feel another diamond dust strike not far behind. Tilting his vision behind his withers, a drop of sweat was beginning to form above his brow; the entirety of the diamond dust stream was tailing him at speeds that Crimson full well wouldn’t be able outfly for long. His heart receded into his stomach once he noticed the dust closest to catching up were beginning to meld back together into a pointed, solid diamond tip....

Plucking the sword embedded into the ground, Crimson made a complete 180 as the diamond made contact with the flat of the ebony blade, the two clashing with enough force to lift the colt off his hooves and into the sky once more. The amount of energy his wings exerted in attempt to force back the diamond dust proved to be futile as it pushed Crimson through the air, the solid tip of the stream looking to be more focused on snapping the blade, and less on the pony grasping it....

‘Hm... it looks as though you’re going to crack before that weapon of yours does. Am I right, Red?’

Notch’s voice echoed through Crimson’s head, no doubt the work of telepathy. Gritting his teeth, Crimson attempted to block the unicorn’s words out with the strength not being used to clasp onto his blade for dear life. He was tiring, and even with all of his muscle, the diamond had little to no difficulty forcing the pegasus through the sky.

If Crimson loosened his grip for even a second, he was finished.

‘Come now, I know you can hear me.’ The voice gave light chuckle. ‘Are you having trouble? Do you wish this would all just go away? Just like the rest of your remorseful past?’

A muted growl escaped the black colt’s lips. His crimson orbs dilated behind his animalistic eyes. It felt as though a fire raged between his ribcage, something he was all too familiar with....

Anger.

‘How pathetic. When it comes to facing up to your mistakes, you either run, hide, or kill. Each action proving you to be a weak, frightened, pathetic little coward.’

….Coward.

“Shut....UP!!!”

Everything began to slow down, finally coming to a screeching halt. More specifically, Crimson....

“......What-”

FOOSH!!!!

And in the blink of eye, the torrent of diamond dust burst in every which direction, littering the sky with the pink, glitter-like specks. And as the dust finally faded, only one pony stood in the middle of it all....

Fiery, blazed aura of crimson flames surrounded every fiber of the black pegasus’ body. As he brought a hoof into his sight, Crimson could only observe as the flames danced inches off of charcoal fur, watching as the the cuts still leaking of blood slowly vanished from his skin as though the colt was watching his own body fast forward through time itself. Or maybe time rewinding itself...?

His eyes grew as wide as everypony’s taking witness to... whatever the hell was even going on.

He felt like a machine; the cogs in his muscles being oiled to improve their function. It was so warm, as though he was wrapped under a blanket of fire without having to worry about actually getting burned....

It also felt as if he scarfed down around twenty bags of pure sugar in a row.

Crimson looked down at the katana in his other hoof, only to find even his katana wasn’t safe from the red flames that was his aura swaying around the black steel of the blade. And that’s when he remembered.

“So, the idiot finally manages to tap into his power.” Any sign of doubt on Notch’s face was quickly washed away with his usual coy smile. “A minor setback, since you barely look as though you have control over it. I’ll end this quickly....”

A small puff of smoke escaped the newly powered-up Crimson’s nostrils, the intensity of the flames flare powerfully enough to resemble that of a jet.

“I’ll... tear you.... apart!”

With only a single flap of his wings, Crimson rocketed towards the earth with an astonishing burst of speed, sword drawn at the ready, and flames coating the pegasus like a falling meteor. Once collided with the second stream, Crimson dodged the diamond dust as though it were second nature, tearing his blade alongst the side he continued his charge towards the pink maned unicorn.

Once he reached the end, Crimson scattered the rest of the pink dust with a flick of his sword, aiming his free hoof for the unicorn’s snout. Much to Crimson’s surprise, Notch managed to block the punch with a diamond coated forearm. Notch could already feel the surface begin to crack, however, as his hind hooves scraped through dirt Now it was his turn to feel utterly powerless. Or so Crimson thought, anyway.

It only took a simple maneuver of his hoof to redirect the black colt’s punch, as Notch smashed his hind leg into Crimson’s cheek with more than enough power to knock him straight through a nearby tree, snapping it in two and falling moments later.

“Imbecile. A small power-up will not change the inevitable.”

After a few seconds, Crimson lifted himself from off the ground and onto his hooves, a hint of pain hidden within his expression. Much to his disbelief, however, the last blow hadn’t hurt nearly as much as it very well should have. In Fact, he was hardly even worn down from the impact, or even the events prior from this battle considering. Quite the opposite.

“Ohmygosh! Are you okay, Red?! I mean, you just smashed through a tree! That must have felt owie! And can’t you feel that you’re on fire-”

“Y-Yes, Pinkie. Just fine....” Though Crimson couldn’t help but also ponder to himself about the coincidence of landing relatively close to the six mares once again. (Author’s note: The work of Comic Book/Anime logic!)

“I take it this is your first time consciously awakening your power?”

With that, Crimson removed his eyes from the flames and directed his attention towards the apparently mind-reading unicorn. That or he really wasn’t doing a good job keeping his thoughts hidden. “Um-What are you.... wha?”

“Like trying to strike conversations with a newborn foal,” Notch mumbled to himself, resisting the urge to sigh into his hoof. “Basically, the magic dwelling deep inside your body is leaking out and acting as a sort of steroid; magically enhancing your muscles two-fold, granting high speed regeneration, improving your natural reaction time, etc. And as you may already have already figured out for yourself, it also acts as a sort of armor to cushion certain blows, physical and magical included.”

“Excuse me for cutting in all, but what you’re saying is simply.... impossible!” Everypony’s attention shifted over to the lavender unicorn encased behind the pink diamond walls, while her’s was firmly locked on the double crossing unicorn stallion. “I know my magic, so I could tell you myself that pegasai and earth ponies can’t physically exert their magic in such a fashion. Especially without a unicorn horn to guide the magic stored in their bodies.”

“Well well, you’re quite a bright one! And you’d be right.... in most cases.” Twilight cocked a single brow, curious, yet at the same time irritated by the pink maned unicorn’s conceited grin. “However, Crimson happens to be an exception. Namely, the thing that would make him different would be that pretty little cutiemark of his. Thought I may not be an expert of the matter unlike a friend of mine, I do have enough particular knowledge on these marks to know what they can do.”

At that moment, the black stallion found himself staring down at his own cutiemark, finding that the usually yellow Taurus on his flank giving off a faint red glow. ‘Shit just keeps getting better and better....’

Twilight’s face screamed bewilderment, her violet eyes constantly flickering back and forth from the arrogant unicorn stallion, to Crimson’s cutiemark. “I.... I don’t understand. I’ve never read of there being a pony’s cutiemark granting them something like this....”

“I, for one, couldn’t give an Ursa Major’s ass at the moment....” The literally glowing Crimson chimed in, much rather in favor of saving the topic about his flank for another day. “If I want to know anything about this freakish cutiemark, I’ll kindly ask the all-the-more-qualified Glitch. Right now, I’d like to focus more on cutting out your throat!”

While putting the mares off edge, it seemed to trigger a short, yet surprisingly spine chilling laugh from Notch’s end, as more diamond dust had begun to float tightly around his white-blue coat. “And fall by the hooves of a weak little runt? I’ll pass....”

Through the midst of the bloodlust, Pinkie Pie couldn’t help but find herself tearing up once more. Who were these death hungry monsters intent on ripping each other’s hearts out? And where were the two stallions who she considered both to be her friends...?

It was hard to say which one made the first move, as both Crimson and the diamond dust disappeared from the naked eye in a flash. Grains of pink dust was blown in every which direction, revealing the literally fired-up Crimson standing post-swing in the middle of it all....

“I must say, I’m rather impressed,” Notch chuckled lightly, the calm in his eyes never wavering for even a second. “You seem to be getting the hang of this. Maybe I’ll have to step things up....”

Crimson said nothing, fixing his bloodthirsty stare on the unicorn as if he was attempting to burn through his skull. It wouldn’t have surprised anypony, as each swore on their life that they caught small, flickering red flames filled with fury matching Celestia’s Sun hidden behind the black colt’s crimson orbs as well. The last image anypony could catch was the pegasus pulling back his midnight black katana, the tipped end faced directly pointed at Notch as if it had been planning to puncher his heart from a (figurative) mile away.

And with a powerful torrent of wind replacing him, Crimson had rocketed at his prey with no intentions of holding back. Only to kill....

....And then he was back, muzzle planted first into the grassy dirt, only a few feet from where he started. One thing that was apparent, however, being the lengthy rut scared in the ground about a hoof wide tracing up to one of the black colt’s hind legs....

“....Ouch.”

A deep noiselessness flooded the air. Even the appreciator of silence could identify an awkward one had taken place without even plucking his snout from the dirt.

An he wasn’t sure he wanted to, either....

But as Crimson finally mustered the courage, the first thing caught in his line of sight were the pink eyes of the flamboyant unicorn, eyes half lidded and swelling with disappointment. “....Please tell me you’re joking.”

“G-Give me a break!” Crimson spat, a slight blush tinting his muzzle. “I’m not used to being able to move this fast! Of course I’m going to trip at least once!”

The disappointment on Notch’s face shifted into irritation, his eyelids clenching shut as the unicorn brought his forehoof back. “Don’t play with me, moron...!”

The unicorn throwing his hoof up, Crimson launched himself airborne from all fours to avoid the series of large diamond spikes that shot up under the where he last stood. A small, yet devious smile had began to form over the now flying pegasus’ snout.

“Let’s test how well your diamonds can keep up now, shall we?”

Tilting his head to avoid the pink spear that came from below, the remaining red flames disappeared along with the rest of the Crimson, Notch’s eyes just barely managing to keep up with the black colt speedily soaring closer.

The sparkling grains of diamond dust around the unicorn had begun to shift together, as multiple small solid spikes fired at break-neck speeds towards the nearing Crimson. Double ear-splitting CLANKs echoed through the forest once the first two spikes were knocked off course by the ebony blade of Crimson’s katana, the remaining losing their chance once the inflamed stallion seemingly vanished once again.

A single ear was bombarded with the sound of heavily sliding dirt; Notch turned his head to the side, instinctively leaping back to avoid the tip Crimson’s katana only barely whizzing past his face, the heat radiating off the black blade coated with flames feeling as though they would singe the hairs off his nose at any moment. With a motion of his hoof, a diamond spike, this time at least the size of a full grown stallion erupted from the ground, stabbed through what would have been Crimson had he still been in front of Notch....

THWACK!

The force of Crimson’s punch lifted Notch off his hooves as he launched face first through the air before dragging through the dirt with great speed. With the black colt’s newfound strength, it was rather astonishing to everypony when the still sliding Notch dug a forehoof into the dirt and flipped himself back onto his hind legs, halting only a few short seconds after. For a stallion so obsessed with appearances, he could really take a punch....

“You... have no idea...how long I’ve wanted to do that!” Crimson shouted short of breath, a victorious smirk plastered over his muzzle.

Notch was completely stoically still, eyes hidden behind his flowing, well groomed pink mane. It took a few seconds for Crimson to notice a light smoke coming from the unicorn, from where being revealed once Notch started brushing one of his forearms with a hoof, noticing the whitish blue fur on his arm had a hoof shaped splotch of burnt fur....

‘How could he have blocked that.... what is he?’

And he did not look happy. Revealing his vibrant, yet murderous pink eyes, even Crimson couldn’t ignore the chill slowly crawling up his spine. And where the small stain of red lay on the corner of his mouth.... was a smile.

“Ahaha! How does ‘death by missing heart and torn open ribcage’ sound? I am feeling a little adventurous myself.”

“No thanks. More in the mood for ‘charred fruit on a stick’.”

“Oho! But really, I suggest dropping the tough act. I wasn’t asking....”

“Enough is a enough, you two!” Rarity’s demand gave off power, yet still held an undeniable waver in her voice. “This fight is absolutely pointless! Two good stallions should never feel the need to try and kill each other....”

A small snicker escaped Notch’s lips. “I very much doubt you have enough knowledge on this barbarian to make such an assumption. You six- No. All of Equestria would be much better off without the company of such a beast running around.”

Crimson only retorted with a equine-like snort, although actual smoke puffing out was definitely not.

“I guess I can’t argue with you on that one,” the black colt spoke up nonchalantly. All eyes were on him, but, for once, payed no mind; his literally fiery red orbs focused solely with rage towards what would be his first kill for over a week. “But, it’s not like you could tell me with a straight face that you’re deprived of any sins against Royalty yourself. Eh, Blood-dyed Diamond?”

“Please.... please, just stop....” The pink mare’s cerulean eyes, even while tinted pink behind the diamond walls keeping her captive, held a noticeable murkiness, holding them almost stubbornly into red ones that didn’t look back. “There’s good in him, Red.... it’s clear, the same way I’m able to see it in you....”

There was a long pause in the stallion’s stance, only to finally to be broken once his sword was once again drawn at the ready. “If there ever was any good in him, it’s long gone now,” Crimson muttered metallicity. “Which means my overall karma couldn’t get any more sickening by dirtying my hooves in his blood, right?”

Before Pinkie Pie could get out another teary plea, the pink maned stallion’s laugh bellowed through the otherwise tame woods. “No matter how beautiful, we must all carry the price of sin, my sins being that I’ve held back on you up till now! Fortunately, I think you’ve more than earned it for being able to last this long.”

And in one swift motion of his hoof, the dirtied white cloak previously hiding the unicorn had been flung off into the air; Notch possessed a trim, muscled body the neck down, leaving a perfect blend of definition along his white blue coat, as well as being just the right slim to support it all. It was as though he was sculpted by the crystal ponies themselves.... Or at least that’s what Rarity’s mind had been preoccupied with. A stallion with a chiseled body was the least of Crimson’s concerns.

What really caught the blade-wielding pegasus’ attention was the strange pink symbol where the unicorn’s cutiemark should have been, and the fact that it had started to give off a faint pink glow....

“I’d feel honored if I were you, but at the same time, I really wouldn’t want to be you right about now....”

Placing one hind hoof in front of the other, Notch planted a single forearm across his chest in a gesture of respect, while the other folded behind his back as he dipped his torso into a bow. Starting from the brightening of his cutiemark, a vivid pink light began to emit closely over Notch’s fur, a matching aura sparkling over his horn. Crimson couldn’t help but feel a tinge of deja vu from his last fight....

FWOOOOOOSH!!!!!

That is, until the light left the unicorn’s body in an explosion of magic power. With the six mares trapped inside the sturdy prison walls of diamond, this left only Crimson to be pushed onto his flanks by the hurricane of wind that blew through the forest. The black colt didn’t waste haste to desperately dig his ebony blade deep into the ground, lest he join one of the many large oak trees being de-rooted from the very soil and flying off into every possible direction. Tears bleeding through the corners of his eyes from the powerful torrents, glimpses were all the winds would allow of the pink tower of flame-like magic igniting a good story or two over the very forest itself. The magic storm raged on for several minutes, but more like hours for the Crimson Shadow while his struggle not be swallowed by the tornado of the unicorn’s aura continued....

“Hang in there, Red!!!” the pink earth mare screamed, not even sure if her voice could reach the stallion of the violent winds. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!!!!”

“......EASIER SAID THAN DONE!!!!” Crimson kept his grip over the katana’s handle, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could last when his hind legs left the ground. Even his flames weren’t safe from the storm, impressively, yet hardly staying lit over his fur as they danced in the sporadic motions under the storm’s whim.

“W-W-W-What’s going on, Twilight!?” Fluttershy turned to the master of magic herself, cowering and giving off a small “Eep!” with every loose tree that was thrown in her line of sight.

Twilight remained silent, her violet orbs never once trailing away from the catastrophic magical storm behind the impenetrable diamond walls. She worked her jaw for the right words, only for her mouth to close as quickly as it opened, feeling a bead of sweat roll down her temple.

“Twai’light?!” the farm mare looked at her friend with concern, making sure her voice was raised enough for the six mares to catch over the storm.” Y’all feelin’ alright?! Ya lookin’ like ya’ve seen a ghost!”

“I....” the lavender mare started. Her gaze traveling over the five mares waiting expectantly, she found enough courage to continue. “I-It looks- well, feels as though he’s creating the same aura burst Crimson. Just.... a lot, lot more powerful.... I’ve never heard of a unicorn with such powerful magic.”

“Pssh! What’s there to worry about?!” Rainbow Dash snickered as she waved a hoof. However, for the five mares, it wasn’t a challenge to see through the pegasus’ false bravado. “Crimson still has a chance to send this prettycolt running his sore flank right back to his rock farm!.... Or at least I hope so....”

A silence washed over the lavender mare once more.

Crimson let out a pained grunt; his hooves felt as though they were on fire.... well, more than they already were, anyway. Just as the charcoal pony felt his grip slipping further and further away from the base of his katana’s handle, everything at once just seemed to... stop.

Each second passing, Crimson could feel the winds soften, as well as gently let gravity lower his hind legs and many de-rooted trees back the soft, lush grass. His stomach, on the other hoof, took the full force of the re-adjusting gravity.

“HRK! I think I’m going to be sick....”

“Really, now? And here I thought you pegasai were used to this kind of pressure all the time.”

All eyes shot towards the small dust cloud only a few yards away, not that anypony had a hard time taking a guess at the voice. Once completely clear, it was revealed that the pink tower of pure magic had shrunken considerably, coming from his fur to only a foot or two tall than Notch himself. Shock pink in color, the aura held a similar resemblance to Crimson's flames; small, almost countless groups of glitter-like dust grains made purely of the aura sparkled from the tips of the “flames”, floating upwards only to fade into the air, seemingly endless amounts in their place remaining to repeat the cycle.

The sickening sensation in Crimson’s stomach had begun to migrate, every section of his body feeling heavy at the presence of the the cocky unicorn. Even just looking at him resulted in Crimson placing a hoof over his scalp where a brain pounding headache took place. ‘There’s no way; this definitely can’t be motion sickness...’

A short, but easily aggravating chuckle pulled the black colt from his thoughts, as his eyes quickly met with Notch’s now glowing pink orbs. “So, do you finally realize the gaps between the two of us?”

“How....” was all Crimson could get out before a grunt escaped from his throat, his vision now beginning to feel the after effects of the unicorn’s ‘transformation’ as his newfound lack of balanced forced him to his haunches.

“What, you thought you were the only exception to this spectral cloak?” Notch mocked, the smirk on his muzzle only widening further. “Any zodiac, hell, any pony with enough magic andenough control over their power could figure this out. I’ll bet that even Storm is on the brink of gaining control over it. Then you’ll really be left in the dust once he surpasses you.”

A growl was the only response Crimson could muster, though it was as intimidating as a whimper when compared to the opponent standing before him. This was easily going to be the toughest fight of his career yet...

“....Um, Twilight?”

The studious unicorn was broken of her glare towards the impending fight about to recommence. Her eyes now laid focus on the meek yellow pegasus, offering her attention as a signal to continue.

“It’s Crimson...” Fluttershy started back up with a hint of worry in her whisper-like tone. “You notice it, too... don’t you? He looks weak, almost as if he’s on the verge of.... fainting.”

Pinkie Pie’s ears drooped on response, drawing her gaze back towards the stallion only a few yards of their prison. “...Fainting?”

“There’s no mistake about it,” Twilight confirmed with a sigh. “It looks like Crimson is able to feel the effects of sensing magic, even when he- a pegasus- is defying the laws of magic doing so. However, it looks as though can’t handle a magic signature this great and powerful.”

“I don’t even specialize such a field, and yet his magic is starting to give me the worst headache.“ Rarity moaned as soft whinny escaped the white unicorn’s lips. “If I may ask, how is it that you have yet to succum to any of these symtoms, Twilight?”

“I’m more than used to taking in the magic around me. Crimson, however....” The lavender mare hummed into her hoof. If there was one theory that she could easily label fact by this point, it was the two combatants held a magic signature that were most definitely connected to each other in one form or another.

Almost similar to how the two royal princess’ shared a sisterly bond with their own magic....

It felt as though thousands of high-pitched violins were screeching through the confounds of the black colt’s brain. He... He had to get them out of here. There was no time to waste! He was more than strong enough to break through their diamond cage with his new-found power boost! If he didn’t act soon, the nausea he was sure was of Notch’s doing would soon overcome him.

Without so much as a warning, Crimson poured every ounce of his enhanced speed into one powerful dash with the help of his wings. Drawing only half a second near, he prepared the blade of his sword for a mighty swing-

CRACK!!!

Before he knew what had literally hit him, the pegasus was lifted off the ground by the impact of Notch’s kick, sending Crimson soaring at speeds he couldn't even achieve on his own. If it weren’t for the purely flame-like magic cloak shielding his entire body, Crimson estimated by sheer pain alone that at least three of his ribs would have been shattered into pieces.

What left the largest feeling of aftershock, however, was that he never even sensed the unicorn move from his spot-

THHH-WACK!!!

An excruciating jolt of pressure shot through the black colt’s now numbing foreleg, as a twin kick from the untrackable Notch completely knocked Crimson’s entire body off course an entire ninety degree angle. One after another, Crimson could feel the sting of entire trees completely snap in two against his back; the sheer pain alone caused the pegasus to lose count of how many trees had fallen at the might of a single kick, and all without losing a hint of momentum.

Once the trees had finally stopped coming, the sting against his back was then replaced as his body shredded through the grassy dirt of the forest floor; after flailing against the earth as though he were a pebble skipping in a lake, the sliding had begun to slow until Crimson’s body had officially come to a stop.

Sore was a word nowhere close to describing what traveled through the inflamed stallion’s body. Coming close to dropping back onto his withers, Crimson had succeeded in sluggishly balancing himself on his hooves. Though he could at least bend it, the foreleg opposite to the one holding his katana had almost felt asleep with the pain riddling through it with each movement...

“And you even managed to keep a grip onto your sword after your little “ride”....”

Crimson’s attention was immediately caught by the series of snickers coming from the whitish-blue unicorn standing only six feet behind him, all the while forcing Crimson to only guess how not a single sound of his movements were heard. Infact, Notch was not even facing his direction...

“It looks as though you still have some fight left into you. How stubborn.”

With a raised forearm, the black blade came to a complete halt against the diamond coating Notch’s arm, not even showing a sign of cracking against the power of Crimson’s powered up strength. All the while, Notch still showed no sign of even looking in the same direction as his “opponent”....

“You ended up stopping in such a nice location. Go on. Look. I would stoop so low as to attack in mid speech, unlike yourself....”

Hesitant at first, Crimson let his eyes wander around him, finding the two to be standing in the middle of a large prairie surrounded by only rows of trees as far as his equine eyes could see that led back into the forest. Somewhere just among the trees was a rocky cliff; towering over the many trees of Everfree, though small compared to many found in Equestria. Rays of white light shone up above from Princess Luna’s satellite in the sky, the Moon, reflecting beautifully over the motionless waters of a pond just in the distance. If not for the current scenario at hoof, the black colt would have definitely see this as a nice, soothing, and -most importantly- quiet location to get some long-needed training done. He made a mental note to seek this place out once more if he... well.... survived long enough to.

“It’s... quite a view, I’ll give you that,” Crimson finally spoke, turning his attention back towards the smug unicorn. “But it matters not to me where we finish this senseless fight. I just want to see your guts spill in the dirt quickly as possible!”

“Oh, but it does matter you see...” With one casual swing of his hoof, Notch swatted the ebony blade with almost enough force to make the pegasus lose his grip. And with another swift motion, a series of large pony-sized spikes elevated off the ground and shot at Crimson just as he leapt a yard back.

Despite the thick coat of red flames dancing just over Crimson’s fur, it had still failed to prevent the small droplets of blood seeping from the thin cut on his chest and staining the blades of grass before his hind hooves.

Notch calmly continued with a sneer. “This grassy plane shall become the perfect location for your grave. The legacy of the infamous Crimson Shadow will cease to continue from beyond this point on, and the blood from your wounds shall feed the soil’s thirst, which is more than what you have ever accomplished anyway. But don’t worry.... as a commandment to getting this far, I shall see your death be as... artistic as possible....”

********************************************************************************************************

Twilight groaned in frustration as she rubbed a hoof at the base of her horn. “Ooohhh, this barrier is too powerful! I can’t force my way through, not even with a portal. Logic would dictate that this barrier, while above and around us, shouldn’t be able to fully trap us, but we are definitely trapped in something more closely resembling a three-dimensional squircle—”

“A what?”

“—a round-edged square, the name is a cross between ‘square’ and ‘circle,’ but that’s not the point,” Twilight groused. “The point is that if we were to dig downwards, then we’d find a floor made up of this diamond. This is a more perfect magic-made prison than the Quick-Snap Entrap and Clean Wing Zap spells that Golden Iris the Paranoid created.” She began rubbing at her horn again, wincing in pain. “And not only that, but the more magic I use, the more this shield drains away. I’ll be unconscious within about a half hour if I continue like this...”

“Hey, who’s that?” Twilight looked up, irritated at Pinkie’s sudden shout.

“Pinkie, we don’t have time to play guessing games, I need help thinking of a way to get out of this thing so we can help Crimson and find Storm!”

“Working on the first bit, Twilight, but I think the second part’s been done already! Look!” Twilight groaned again as she shoved her way over to the opposite side of the group’s enclosure.

Just as she was about to berate Pinkie, however, she saw something that made her jaw drop open. Slinking along the outer edge of the forest trail’s perimeter was a pony wearing a strange outfit. On that pony’s back was...

“STORM!” Twilight jumped a bit, her elation only to be replaced by worry when she noticed his condition. “Excuse me! Excuse me,” she called out to the garbed pony, “over here! Please listen!”

The colt stopped in his tracks and looked surprised when he noticed the group of girls. He crept closer, until he was right up on the opposite sides of the diamond prison. “Maidens fair, what have you to do in a dangerous area like this? The nefarious Crimson Shadow is in the area, as well as the Blood Diamond, though you seem to have met at the least one of them already.”

“Yes,” Twilight replied with a small frown. “How is Storm? Is he alright? Where are you taking him?”

The masked pony tilted his head as if to show confusion, and then seemed to remember the pony on his back. “You mean the Celestial Guard? I hold no ill will for keepers of the peace, and though I would like to face against the Crimson Shadow in battle, current events have put me in a position where that does not seem possible. So, I was going to do what I could for a not-quite-ally.”

The mares all looked at each other, realizing that this colt, whoever he was, was apparently yet another of the fighting types. Twilight’s brow furrowed. “But wait, if you are a fighter, then how was I unable to sense your aura? When Wild Card came to town, I hadn’t been able to sense his aura until he started attacking, but I’ve been honing my senses; I should have noticed you from a few miles away!” A distant explosion and a loud roar echoed from a ways away, where Crimson and Notch were fighting, and it looked like Crimson was losing.

The masked colt nodded, seemingly happy to have (almost) snuck under Twilight’s nose. “It is because of my clan’s gi. It is woven from spider’s silk and Faefell root cloth. Even an aura as strong as the Crimson Shadow’s would be undetectable if he were to wear one. Luckily, the Akuma only use those simple cloaks. While similar in design, they do not allow you to stay hidden for as long as a full gi can.”

The colt’s chest puffed out with pride. “And not only that, while the aura cloak that the Crimson Shadow has activated is an impressive spectacle, the gi I wear absorbs aura energy from the outside and gives me a slight power boost, while also containing my own aura, helping me to heal faster and fight longer.”

Twilight put a hoof to her lips, the gears in her head spinning faster and faster as she absorbed the information. “Aura-dampening and draining...” Biting her lower lip for a second, she suddenly smiled. “Girls!” She jumped around to face her friends, a wide smile on her face. “I know how we can get out of here!”

Author's Note

I feel that I should apologize for my long gap between updates. You haven't a clue how bad I feel for neglecting you guys for so long, it's increadibly pathetic of me....

A few things (not excuses, mind you); fight chapters are harder to write for in all honestly, and Mac has been rather busy to the point where we can barely even talk anymore, so this chapter is about 98% me only.

Also want to say that I'm not that happy with this chapter, mostly because I think it came out much cheesier than I would have wanted it to be (which can be said about this fic in generally, honestly). Don't fear to tell me if this was a bad chapter (if you even READ all 10,000 words...), I'll understand.

I guess all I have left to say is that I hope you enjoy this chapter at least half as much as the pain it was to write it.

Chapter Seventeen: Cold Cut (Part Two)

Chapter Seventeen: Cold Cut (Part Two)

CLANK!!!

His hooves dragging through the dirt, Crimson clenched his teeth as he exerted all of his might just to keep from losing his hoofing and the grip of his katana against the large glossy diamond spear. Opposite of the pointed end, the spear flowed with a stream of diamond dust, which followed it’s way back to a glittery dust cloud hovering around the ever confident Notch.

Not even the magic flames that set Crimson’s black katana ablaze could shatter the force of the enhanced diamond. Since the unicorn decided to show his real power, there had been a notable increase in the already tough magical gems Notch had used to completely overpower the powered-up black colt.

Crimson gave a mighty growl, spinning his entire body and dashing off in order to escape the useless struggle. His sword clashed against a sheet wall of diamond instantly formed from the dust to protect Notch’s neck just as the flat surface reshaped at the black colt into half a dozen spikes.

‘This... is pointless...’ The magic-emitting unicorn had bested him in both offense and even defense. The only drive that kept Crimson going at this point was the act of his stubborn pride. And even then, with his previous losses against a certain Celestial soldier and criminally insane bounty hunter since finding Ponyville, his pride was growing more brittle by the second.

As he half-heartedly readied his sword, a large shotgun of diamond dust exploded sooner than Crimson had time to react. Instead of feeling thousands of small blades run through his skin and fur, he only felt Notch slam his hind leg into his gut with more than enough power to send him sailing through the pink cloud and withers first into the hard, rocky cliff’s wall.

Seconds passed before Crimson felt gravity pull his body to the ground, falling weakly onto his haunches. Streams of blood ran from the corners of his mouth, choking him slightly as he fought just to breathe. He could even feel the red flames over his body slowly weakening with him.

Preoccupied with the agony coursing through his entire body, Crimson hadn’t even given a glance to the glowing unicorn only a dozen yards away, and more importantly, the series of stallion long pink thorns floating just ten feet above the black colt...

“I have decided it’d be best to just end this little game of ours now,” Notch’s pink eyes glowered intensely. “As fun as this little charade has been, I’m rather ashamed to admit that I lost track of time....”

‘Lost track of time... it can’t be.’ Crimson raised his head to meet Notch eye to eye. “....It’s Plasm, isn’t it?”

Crimson knew that as soon that composed, yet somehow devilish smile grew across Notch’s muzzle, no more needed to be said. “I take it that’s where you’re dragging those poor mares off to. Despicable. For that, you’ve lost the right to speak your last words!”

And with one last flick of the hoof, the thin spikes of diamond dropped tip first towards Crimson. The pegasus got onto his hooves only to fall just as quick. The only thing the stallion had left to do was clench his eyes shut and await his painful end...

That was, however, until a large scale flash of white emitted before Crimson, the pink spikes crumbling into dust and erased from existance.

Both stallions gave a simultaneous “What?!” as the event took place. When the light finally died down, there was one more pony in front of Crimson. A lavender mare in fact.

“....Twilight?”

“In the fur.” Though back turned to the colt, Crimson could detect a smile on the unicorn face, as a blaze of white over her horn quietly died down. “I just thought you could use a hoof is all....”

No. He couldn’t drag her into this as well.

“I’m... grateful. Really I am,” Crimson grunted, finding just enough energy to crawl back onto his hind legs, though with leverage from the cliff behind him. And strange enough, his red flames had yet to die. “....but you need to go. I’m not risking any of your lives just for mine.”

Twilight sighed into her hoof. “Quit trying to hold every burden on your own. In case the beatings you received weren’t informing you enough, it looked from where I was standing that if it weren’t for me, I doubt you would even be talking right now. And this is, what, the second time now?”

….Ouch. “You... you don’t get it. When I left Ponyville, I was prepared knowing I probably wasn’t coming back. That’s why I didn’t want you guys involved! Ponies have died enough because of me as is!”

“....Just shut up.” Crimson could have sworn his jaw had hit the floor. “I swear, you’re even worse than Storm sometimes. What is with stallions and refusing to accept help!”

When Twilight had finally turned to face the black colt, only then did the strangeness finally hit the metaphorical roof. Where the mare’s violet orbs should have been... they were absent. Even though there were only flashes of white in place of her eyes, it was clear they held frustration as they looked up at Crimson. And almost as if it were because of that, a pale white steam rose from her lavender coat.

“Wake up, Red! I get that you think death is a better fate than losing, but... it’s not. Not even close. Imagine what you’d be putting your friends through if you ended up killing yourself over something so asinine.”

Forcing Crimson up against a wall with each step, Twilight’s eyes bored deep into his own. Despite the mare standing on all four of her hooves, he couldn’t help but feel so.... small. Her next set of words had even set Crimson’s mind into question.

“Keep in mind.... your life isn’t just your own anymore.”

“....Fascinating....” the unicorn coated in his own magic “flames” muttered to himself; he hadn’t moved a muscle since Twilight had shown up. If Crimson weren’t in such a dazed state himself, he could have sworn he had caught a tinge of fear pass through the unicorn stallion’s pink orbs.

Regaining his composure, Notch spoke in a more delicate manner than anypony had heard of him yet. “Excuse me, young miss. I highly suggest you get of safe distance from that brute as possible. I would very much hate to see a lady such as yourself be put in peril by the likes of-”

“Blow it out your tailhole already.” Twilight cut off in a poisonous tone, much to the pink maned stallion’s shock. “You’ve been rubbing me the wrong way ever since we first met, and now I have an excuse.” Her eyes- a void of white light- bore into Notch with a hard glare. “You’re with Boss... aren’t you?”

The surprised expression soon turned into an amused grin. “Clever girl. But, that still fails to explain how you managed to break out of my diamond prison. It was made for your own safety, you know?”

The wave of concentrated scorn could be felt emitting off the steam of the lavender mare’s coat. “Once I figured out how your magic worked, it was as simple as a levitation spell.” The look in her eyes. Sure. Strong. Calculating. Almost as if the white-blue stallion were looking into a genderswapped mirror; only matched by a Virgo....

Notch grew ever more wary around this mare. She was undoubtedly dangerous, but killing her was still his last choice of options. “I apologize in advance, but if you refuse to sit this one out, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make you.”

Without warning, above the lavender pony began there were flat diamond surfaces beginning to enclose around her. A flash of white emitted off her horn, and before they had the chance to entrap her in yet another prison of diamond, they had begun to crumble until they were no more. “If you’d stop to listen to anypony but yourself, you would have figured out that the same tricks won’t work twice on me, Notch...”

Notch had been lost for words. ‘This one’s sudden power burst is undoubtedly a result of taking in too much of my magic, but that could only be the case if my magic had set off a spark somewhere dormant in her own due to a certain link from the start. Meaning, this isn’t a burst in her power... it’s the awakening.’

His grin was starting to waver against Twilight. Not even the black colt watching behind her felt entirely safe from the mare’s newfound power.

Twilight smiled in triumph. “If there’s one thing you’re due to find out,” With each word, the steam of magic grew ever more solid, bright and tangible, spreading even on the earth the mare stood on. “You don’t— and I mean don’t— hurt my friends. Consider this your ‘extra credit’.”

With her final words escaping her lips, Notch struggled just to stay on his hooves after a sudden explosion of mock wind gusts came from Twilight’s aura.

Just as he feared, her magic was gradually surpassing his own. A large, bright white tendril made from pure magic snapped at his hooves only seconds after he had leapt backwards from his spot. Pushing off the shakey ground thrice with his forehooves, Notch barely dodged three geyser-like pillars of magic rising from underground with each leap.

Coming to a screeching halt, Notch turned to face a tendril erupting from the dirt. In mid-jump, a second split from the first tendril and quickly proceeded wrapping around his leg. Before he could react, however, he was already soaring, halfway between the clouds above and the ground below. Prying his eyes open through the violent winds, they were met with a set of crimson orbs belonging to none other than the Shadow himself.

And in his hooves, he held a katana, blade pointed right at Notch’s heart.

In the short time he had just foregoing impact, a thin, pony sized wall of diamond formed in time to halt (albeit painfully) the unicorn’s flight. Notch wasted no time pushing himself off as the katana impaled, in turn shattering the almost mirror-like wall as if it were glass, Crimson’s muzzle being met with a hind leg smashed with enough power to send him falling back to orbit.

Luckily for him, a bed of weightless magic was there to cushion the impact, courtesy of Twilight, as Notch jumped onto magic-made diamond platforms until he was closer and closer to solid ground.

That was, until a familiar pillar of magic burst from the landscape and tore through the final platform, leaving Notch smacking into the ground with a painful thump. No time could be spared for painful thoughts once he immediately rolled onto his hooves, and thankfully with enough time to left to leap from yet another pillar of magic.

“You’re starting to get on my nerves, now! I came here on a simple mission, only to find a shadowy blackheart in the company of a group of mares! Now please, let me finish this fight between me and—grrk!” In a flash, time slowed down for a split second as Twilight shot forward fast enough to send the trees rustling, her hoof held in the air. When she came to a stop, Notch was on the ground before her, rubbing the newly sore spot on his cheek.

Twilight dropped her hoof to the ground, her body still shimmering from her flashpoint. “Yes, this fight between you and I isn’t quite finished. Pinkie, go make sure Crimson’s still conscious, with his blood loss he might have a concussion. Applejack, you get some strong sticks and some vines if you can find them, just in case we need to make tourniquets. Broad leaves can be used as bandages, as long as they don’t have pointed ends. Rarity, you help Applejack. Dash, you help Pinkie. Fluttershy... you help wherever you think is best, you’re better at medicine than I am.” Twilight took a step back as Notch struggled to his hooves. “I’m going to teach this guy a lesson in friendship.”

“Oh, what’s this?” Notch said in grunts as he rose to his hooves once again- or rather launched himself several yards away first, the “flames” he was emitting almost extinguished. “A petite like yourself taking on the big mean old stallion?! I’m not one for hurting a mare, but even if I have to knock you unconscious, I will take Crimson’s life tonight. It’s all just as well, anyhow, since it’s just you, me, Pinkamena, and the three pegasi. What was your name again?”

“Twilight Sparkle. Personal Student to Princess Celestia, and—” Notch cut her off with a chuckle.

“My, my, the Princess goody-goody horseshoes’ personal student? Oh, how she would act when she knows you’re consorting with a hated killer and criminal! The shame, the scandal! Oh, it would be delicious to see... but alas, I’d rather kill him myself, and not let her put him in a noose.” Notch cantered slowly to the side, Twilight keeping pace and making sure she stayed between him and her friends.

“It’s not like I don’t know his past, Ezekiel, but you’re forgetting lesson 1 about friendship: Second chances. I’ve given you one chance, so here’s your last: Leave us alone, or I’ll have to do something we’ll both regret.”

Notch’s sneer grew even bigger as he giggled. “Oh dearie, me. Twilight, you simply don’t understand. I’ve got a mission to complete, and nothing’s going to stop me. I’m sorry to say but, even if you can break through my diamonds, there’s nothing you can do. Some things are just inevitable, my dear.”

Twilight huffed and lowered herself down into an attack position. “Alright, then. If that’s the way you’re going to be...” She closed her eyes as her horn started to glow a vibrant purple.

“Ha! Thinking to kill me, are you? Your princess would be so proud, wouldn’t she?”

Grunting with concentration, Twilight opened her eyes once more to glare at her opponent. "This will only be enough to neutralize you, not kill you. I'm afraid we wouldn't sink to your level, Ezekiel."

“Hehe... just give it time.” Both forearms sprawled at his sides, Notch’s horn went ablaze. In his magic’s familiar flash of light, a solid pink wall taller than almost twice a manticore in height appeared before the battered stallion. In shape, it was comparable to that of half a fully cut diamond. Whether it could hold or not wasn’t a problem. “For all it’s worth, I once again apologize that it had to come to this.”

Tipping her head, a beam of light tall enough to tower over Twilight’s own height escaped her horn with enough force to cause her hooves to drag through the hard-packed dirt. The two forces collided within seconds. Already, the barrier had begun to crack.

And in only half that time, the wall that stood in the way of the two stood no more, crumbling under the sheer weight of Twilight’s magic as the rest of the beam trail ran for almost a good mile through the forest until stopping with a ear-thumping BOOM.

As the cloud of dirt rose and fell, only one pony remained standing. One mare in fact. The other’s fate was questionable, as there was no opposing stallion to be found.

“Twilight....” Rainbow Dash grimaced, “you think ya went a little.... overboard there? That kinda says something right there when I’m the one saying it, ya know....”

Twilight shook her head, eyes still glued on the destruction she had caused. Or, more specifically, a thin, equine sized wall of diamond crumbling into the dirt.

********************************************************************************************************

‘I’m... shocked to say that actually worked, to say the least...’

Leaning against a boulder just large enough to be safely concealed, Notch gave a small sigh, quiet enough for nopony but himself to catch.

‘That mare is something, alright. Regardless, I would rather hold my hooves back on her than to get serious. Then again, I could tell that wasn’t all of her power as well, rather she doesn’t know how to control it.’

Feeling it was safe to do so, Notch put on his trademark grin. His breathing finally began to slow.

“Hmph. It’s a shame she couldn’t be on our si—!”

Feeling his arms and legs tighten closely against his will, Notch spotted a smaller magic tendril slither up his snout and around the unicorn’s horn. He only caught from the corner of his eye the trail leading under the boulder itself. The large rock shattered before him like glass, a lavender unicorn standing in the rubble with her horn still alit.

“I’m surprised,” Twilight mimicked a chuckle similar to that of the prettycolt’s own, “You’re holding back quite a hefty load of magic even now. And yet, here you are.... running away.”

Notch’s laugh came out as more of a wheeze, the magic binding him slithering tightly up his ribcage. “I... could say the same for you, beautiful. Though I am willing to bet that your reserves lay too dormant for even you to access yet. A pity I couldn’t see it for my own eyes...”

“Don’t underestimate me.” The void of light where her eyes once were had begun to to dim enough to catch a glimpse of the mare’s violet orbs. “I have a willing mentor to help me unlock that power, and I have a group of irreplaceable friends to wait for me.”

Feeling the binds loosen and lift, the unicorn stallion dropped to his haunches in heavy breaths. As Twilight continued, he looked to find a trace of foreign magic still on his body. More specifically, his horn. “You could have had something more. And you still have that chance. Leave it all behind, Ezekiel. Boss, his line of work, all of it. It’d definitely make things easier for you and I to have such a powerful ally....”

Only a second later could a sneer be heard from the stallion at Twilight’s mercy. “And leave the first ever pony.... to see potential in me? If you’re thinking about killing me... make it quick. I’m not about to hurt a mare who shouldn’t play any part in this feud....”

Twilight’s head slowly shook, a faint “Tsk” heard clicking behind her mouth. “You stallions are universally stubborn.”

A grunt escaped Notch’s lips, as did Twilight’s once their horns created a bright spark. In Notch’s case, this came without a choice. Their horns were now hidden underneath the blinding white light, along with the lavender mare’s pupils. Even the ground below them had started kicking up dirt at the force of the ever towering auras coating Twilight’s horn. With a suppressed shriek on the mare’s end, a small wave of dirt and grass flew off around the two before the magical light show quickly faded with both ponies off their hooves.

Notch brought a hoof to his forehead and let out a groan. “Well, if that little display was meant to give me a headache.... you certainly succeeded...”

“That... wasn’t all... it did, I’ll assure you....” the mare said in between breaths, a dainty but triumphant smile taking hold of her muzzle. The mare’s violet eyes alit in the pitch black night, a brilliant, and even victorious look shone through.

“You look worn down. Good.” Lifting his hoof to point at Twilight, a faint pink spark slowly lit over his horn. “I don’t wish to hurt a mare, that’s why I will make sure you stay out of my way....”

Getting shakily onto her hooves just to plop onto the grass again like a stone, Twilight could just barely form a smile between heavy breaths. “That’s.... not the only....”

“Give it a rest already...” Aiming his hoof at the heavily worn down mare, Notch’s horn sparked. “I must restrain you for now. I deeply apologize....”

Not even a flinch ran through Twilight’s sturdy, fearless eyes as she layed there in silence.

And with seconds still ticking by, a look of confusion, soon replaced by one of horror came over Notch as his horn slowly died down. He stared down, eyes lock on where his hooves had been, as well as where his spectral cloak wasn’t. “No! W-What did you-”

“What does it look like.... Notch?” Twilight smirked, a giggle hidden behind her words. “I sealed you off from your magic. Or rather, suppressed it. Even I couldn’t completely seal off all of it while you were cloaked in it like that, but I doubt you’ll be doing more than making necklaces right about now.”

“Hehe.... Ahahaha! You are just full of surprises, Miss Spark-”

WHAM!

The unicorn slid an impressive distance through the grassy dirt with the force from the airborne pegasus punch. Though given from the tone of voice, it definitely wasn’t the pegasus Notch was expecting. “....In the name of every last Wonderbolt, will you just SHUT UP already?!”

“Rainbow Dash, what are you doing here?! I told you to go help Pinkie-”

“And leave you alone with this piece of trash? Buck that noise, I’m sick of his face!” Rainbow growled, pawing at the ground. “It feels like I’ve been waiting for ages to do that.”

“-inthesamefuckingspot-Ouch!,” Notch flinched from his own hoof resting on his slowly swelling cheek. “You’re quite the quick one, you little-GWUH!?”

With only seconds to spare, Notch made a slightly scatterbrained dive-roll to avoid being crushed alive by a falling tree, an orange mare in a proud stance on top of the lumber. "Ah got th' sticks y'all asked for, Twi! Thought y’might like a log as well!”

“Without my magic... this may be a problem, but I cannot let this chance slip pass-GRK!”

With a blow to the neck strong enough to force him to his forehooves, Notch is met with his “chance” panting over him. This time more than ever, the battered and beaten black colt radiated murder even through his “flames”. “Yeah, afraid I can’t let mine pass either....”

Before Notch could reply with a witty retort of his own, blocking his face from the rapid succession of punches from the blue mare became the bigger priority. They didn’t pack as heavy a blow behind them than many other opponents, but it was not something he’d be easily be escaping if he got caught in her flurry.

Her wings, however, obviously had more power behind them than the unicorn’s body, as his hooves dragged through the dirt farther with each punch; sweeping under her hooves would be impossible with them not even touching the ground. As soon he managed a glimpse behind him, Notch mustered the strength from his arms to push the rainbow maned pegasus just enough of a distance to sidestep the oncoming buck from Applejack behind him. And judging by the pressurised air pushing off her legs just being near it, something told him it was a good thing he did.

“I strongly suggest admitting defeat at this point, Notch.” The lavender mare called out, still too worn to stand upright. “I’m rather good with numbers if I do say so myself, but in case you’re not as good as I, I’d say you’re looking just a tad... outnumbered.”

Once again, the chance at witty banter was cut short, as he was now clasping the flat sides of a black katana with his hooves just short of his snout, evoking a gasp from the mares. “What’s the matter, pretty boy? Forget to bring anything with an edge? Don’t worry though, I brought one just for the both of us...”

Even now, Notch still possessed just enough strength left to hold off even the still powered up Crimson, despite his hind hooves digging craters under the weight. He had a crazed look made up of his crimson, pinprick pupils and a frightening scowl. And from the looks of it, even the ponies on standby were hesitant to get involved.

“Showing your true colors at last.... you monstrous simpleton?!” Even the unicorn stallion’s words felt heavy under his grunts. Even still, Notch’s habit of smiling wildly under the worst circumstances couldn’t be buried as his horn desperately blazed pink.

“He can’t be serious....” Twilight muttered to herself, looking on with horror at the scene as her two friends did similar. “Putting it lightly, he’ll.... he’ll melt his brain if he tries too hard to release his magic. Is... Is Crimson going to...”

“Red, tha’s enough!” Applejack raised her voice, coming out more shaken than stern. “Yer gonna kill ‘em if ya keep it up, n’ Ah reckon none o’ us wanna see you goin’ back t’ those days....”

“You don’t get it!” Crimson growled, never once letting up his grip as his eyes tried to burn into the back of Notch’s skull. “The world I’ve lost myself in is different from yours. I can’t go back now.... and neither can he!”

Finally, the pinned Notch let out a mighty roar, twisting not only the blade, but the colt behind it and threw them to the side. “I am stars apart from you in comparison! What would a freak like you know about me!!!” And with that, a blast of light exploded off his horn, only seconds before erupting over his fur with full force.

And sooner than anypony had the chance to react, they were already coated from the neck down in the pink, immobile solid diamond. With the exclusion of Crimson. “And don’t... fuss...” Notch breathed heavily, finally showing signs of wearing down. “I have something.... special.... planned for you too, Crimson Shadow...”

“I can’t believe it...” But it was true; Notch had managed to overload the seal with his held-back magic, something that would have left most ponies unconscious, if they managed to succeed at all. One detail, however, even her magic-impaired friends could pick up:

“He’s almost reached his limit.” Twilight couldn’t suppress her smile. “Much more and he’ll be out in no time, this is the last of his magic after all.... but,” she continued to herself, drastically less confident than just seconds ago, “The magic Notch is releasing is still dominating anything Crimson had prior to first awakening that cloak of magic by a long shot. This unicorn... there is no sense of the definition where he identifies under ‘normal’....”

At the same time attempting to push her hooves under the diamond surface in vain, a small violet spark escaped Twilight’s horn, only to disperse into fireworks fit for ants. She could feel the magic being sluggishly sucked away from her body by the same coating of diamond that kept the lavender mare bound.

Meanwhile, the same thing couldn’t be said for the now brightly glowing Notch, the magic cloak dancing around him appearing still and closer to his fur. Judging by the concentration it was undergoing, even Crimson felt dread wash over him for what was to follow…

‘But… I can’t get scared now,’ Crimson lept forty meters back with the help of his wings, and just enough power left in his cloak of flames to do so at the blink of an eye. Once in position, his sword stance held strong as he awaited his opponent’s inevitable first strike.

One after another, neon pink barbs had begun to protrude from the earth in front of Notch’s hooves. It had started in the tens, seconds passing until they had grown not only more plentiful, but larger and bundled together. Crimson gulped, standing opposed from a multiple story high mountain of diamond spikes pointed dead straight at him, and it was moving fast.

Before long, the black katana had made contact with one powerful overhead swing, imbedding itself deep within the diamond surface. Meanwhile, Crimson’s had lost any friction between his hooves and the ground as they dragged into the dirt as though it were a road of soap. His body only came to a halt after it had collided the underside of the forest’s cliff, a warm liquid trickling down his back and jagged rocks.

“You are nothing but a mistake. A coward!” Notch grinded his teeth, a sour scowl painted over his previously amused grin. “You made our organization into a joke! Your reckless murder-sprees have given Boss and the rest of us a bad reputation! Never have we had this much danger of the royal sisters taking action against us fall upon our heads until you came along, you are nothing more than selfish trash!”

Soon after, the wave of diamond had finally come to a halt. Crimson, however, found this to his disadvantage; his entire lower half been frozen inside the pink rhinestone, sharing the same fate as the rest of his mare comrades. Before he could even lift a forehoof, he had felt it smashed against the rocky wall behind him, leaving his sword knocked and fallen to the ground.

“Ahahahaaa….this is finally it...”

‘Another telepathic conversation?’ No, that wasn’t it. The voice was Notch’s unmistakably, but held a metallic ring to it with each word.

Crimson watched as his arm was gradually crystallizing, holding it down being a hoof made entirely of diamond. Soon, a diamond muzzle poked out from the spike encoated pink wall trapping the black stallion, the rest of the stallion-shaped head slowly forming and mutating into a pseudo Notch…

“You’ve dragged this fight on... much too long…”

Any feeling in Crimson’s foreleg was lost. He could feel his lungs painfully slowing down as his torso had been next to freeze. The diamond surface had now spread across half the black colt’s face, part of his vision gone as everything started to fade to black…

‘Is this how it all… no… I can’t… not to….’

“Ehehe… I’ll slowly disintegrate... every last atom... in your corpse… coward!...”

It all faded to black…

********************************************************************************************************

BOOOM....

“Dammit! What could it possibly be this... time….”

Pieces of diamond rained before Notch’s hooves, each turning into a pink mist as they hit the ground. In front of the stallion was a large cloud of mist, where the explosion had come from, and where his opponent had been held. The latter turned out to no longer be the case…

The pink cloud had finally vanished to reveal Crimson, but at the same time, there was definitely something off. Not only was he free as a bird- or pegasus- from his cocoon of diamond, but the red flames shrouding his body flared a different- much more violent nature, as if even the Shadow’s magic wished to feed on the flamboyant stallion’s corpse…

And that was only the beginning.

Nothing left the black colt’s lips other than a raspy growl. Most attention could be drawn to Crimson’s glowing orbs of the same color. It was unclear if there was even consciousness behind them, only a need to see blood spill. The colt’s teeth revealed themselves tightly clenched at the unicorn, streams of saliva trickling from the corners of his mouth without care. Signalling that he was ready to charge, a bovine snort escaped the colt’s nostrils through a puff of fuming steam.

Notch turned his attention to the ground at Crimson’s hind legs, noting a his face made of diamond pinned under the black colt’s hind hoof being crushed by the second.

“R-....Run-”

“RRROOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

Kssstssh!

Crimson gripped the katana by the handle and tore the black blade from the earth. The red flames engulfed the blade and the black colt shot off like a rocket, his cloak of magic dancing behind him as to give off a meteor-like appearance.

A loud CLANK erupted from their clash, Notch holding off the katana with his diamond coated arm as their fusing cloaks shot off a blinding light from every side. Both bodies shot off a good distance apart, leaving Notch to readjust himself from the force behind Crimson’s swing.

And looking back to his arm, he witnessed the diamond armoring his hoof crumble to into the dirt, revealing his naked shaking hoof. ‘I can’t believe it! That could have torn my arm off-!’

The unicorn ducked his head to avoid a clean decapitation from the black katana. Three more wild swings were narrowly avoided by Notch’s agility, and managed to block a stray punch from Crimson with enough force to send the whitish blue unicorn sliding backwards, hind hooves dragging through the dirt whilst attempting not to lose his balance.

With no momentum lost, the broken black colt threw himself sword first aimed at Notch’s neck with speed even the unicorn’s eyes barely followed. It was then that he suddenly came screeching to halt, merely an inch of space from the point of the blade and Notch’s sweat soaked throat.

A smile crept onto Notch’s muzzle as he stood up, watching the blade crystallize in front of him. The process halted at the blade, instead splitting into walls meeting around the sword and pegasus himself, the end result leaving Crimson trapped inside a fully cut diamond large enough to house at least forty Timberwolves.

It didn’t stop there; from each side of the diamond surface, a hoof first molding until an entire equine body dropped out from each side. As one righted itself onto it’s hooves, it was clear that each was an animated diamond cut into the unicorn caster’s image. A row of spikes protruded near the handle, tearing through the flesh in the savage black colt’s hoof as he jumped backwards near the mob of Notch clones.

Notch himself only watched through the pink walls as Crimson simply stood in the center of the diamond cage, too busy glaring daggers into Notch to make notice of the diamond equines walking his way. ‘Is the magic causing his mind to become unstable…? His magic output has certainly shot up at an immense level, but even then his magic is too dormant to be a threat to his body as of yet. No, there is definately something else...’

As one of the dolls pulled back a hoof and ready to swing, it lost the opportunity faster than it arised once the back of a black hoof smashed through it’s skull and came out the other end. His crimson orbs only turned to give the scene any mind by the time the clone had already dropped to the ground in pieces.

The next one charged and shot a hoof at Crimson to only meet the same fate as the prior with a much faster punch, following with a swift buck through the ribs of a second. A third reached a desperate forehoof out at the stallion before it’s encrusted wrist was grabbed, it’s entire body propelling off the ground and smashed to bits into the ever growing pile.

One by one, packs of diamond clones begun to crumble at the flurry of hooves the raging stallion was swinging, each with as little control and ruthlessness as the last. Landing into a pile of now crumbled clones with a powerful stomp, Crimson charged forward, knocking each artificial body out of his path. He only stopped at the protruding hilt of his katana to tear it free, ripping from the prison’s wall and beheading the closest pseudo Notch within swords reach.

“Congratulations, you managed to obtain your precious toy back,” Notch’s voice mocked from the other side of the wall, the enraged pegasus’ eyes scanning the mark in the wall repairing itself like an opened wound. “Just don’t reassure yourself to your escape just yet…”

More and more diamond clones had fallen to his black blade in gruesome fashion. What Crimson had been too caught up to notice was that it only took about thirty seconds for each fallen to piece itself back together, while new “recruits” had formed from the vast walls to crowd the prison’s moving space further and further.

Soon enough, a diamond hoof managed to place itself onto one of Crimson’s legs and freezing it in place inside a rocky pink coating. However, it only served to slow the colt down, not even given the chance to spread it’s course as his hoof violently smashed the coating to pieces and luckily keeping the leg attached with few cuts.

The culprit was not so lucky, unable to react quick enough to Crimson’s hoof clasping around it’s rock solid neck and hurling it into the wall the ever-so-often chatter had come from, creating a hole large enough for even an entire stallion to fit through.

All within the span of seconds, the clone whizzed passed the flesh and blood unicorn outside the cut prison and, too preoccupied with the fact, a hoof had smashed into Notch’s cheek, his body shredding through the grassy dirt for at least twenty or more yards before he could manage to spin himself back onto his hooves. By then there was no hope of keeping that monster trapped, as the entire prison and clone within had already mostly dissolved into a mist and faded into the air…

Something warm had started to drip down the corner of the unicorn’s mouth. Dabbing the tip of his of hoof into the liquid, Notch slowly raised it into his vision to find his white-blue fetlock stained red…

Notch almost couldn’t believe it; the Crimson Shadow had actually not only gotten a fair hit in, but even managed to remind the unicorn what it felt like to bleed. Notch looked up to find that his opponent hadn’t even moved from his spot, as if he were waiting for something interesting to happen.

And Notch found it mocking.

“....I have underestimated you... you are much more dangerous than even I could have thought.“

“Reeeeeeeeeeeeed!!”

Notch glanced up from Crimson, his breath fogging in the suddenly still night air, as a familiar pink-coated mare barrelled out of the forest, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Red, are you okay?! I’m so, sososososo sorry I ran as fast as I could but I couldn’t keep up Izzy’s magic crystal box-thing had made me feel all super slowy-sleepy, and I haven’t had any sugar at all since like a whole day ago, and Twilight, oh my gosh, you don’t look so perky either, oh, is that what it does?! IS IT TAKING HER LIFE?! Reeed! I wanna help but I don’t know what to do!” Notch frowned... well, fine, pouted at the mare’s words.

“Pinkamena, do I really deserve none of your concern? I’ve been trying to protect you from this demented menace...”

Pinkie shook her head furiously. “Izzy, you were so totally being a complete meanie-weenie and you trapped us in a crystal box-thing that was sucking our lives out through our ears or something, and you’re beating up one of my bestest of all best friends who’s not one of the Element Bearers, because the main group of six are kinda like the bestestestest friends that anypony could want in the universe, but Red comes pretty darn close after that, and you’re being a complete Gilda and you won’t even say sorry!”

Notch could only respond with a sigh, his attention directing back to Crimson. “I know I have said it before, but this time, it’s guaranteed. There is nopony to stand in my way, not even you, Pinkamena. I will not hold back any longer.”

The diamond-patterned flames dancing over Notch’s magic cloak had begun to intensify, his pink eyes and cutiemark glowing brighter into the night as a result. Notch held out a hoof, in it formed a diamond rapier with miniature unflared wings on the guard in a matter of seconds. “My spectral cloak has less juice in it thanks to that lavender mare, but it will be more than enough.” Notch raised it pointed at the ready. “It’s time to end this!”

“Noo!” Pinkie wailed. “Red, please stop! Just run, please!”

Pinkie cried out again, but both combatants ignored her, Notch’s face hardened into a look of concentration while Crimson was just... feral. Crimson snarled like a wildebeest, his sword clutched in hooves that were still battered from an already overly-long fight. Pinkie wilted, quailing at what she saw. This wasn’t the stallion who had first yelled at her. This wasn’t the stallion who had shared some of his most secrety-secrets with her. This... he barely seemed to be a stallion at all anymore.

“Red... please, listen to me!” Pinkie screamed at the top of her lungs, even as Crimson lunged towards his opponent.

Notch thrusted his sword forward, sparing a momentary glance towards the pink pony, the shockwave from their blades meeting sending her tumbling backwards into the bushes.

Sparks flew from the intensity of their collided swords as well as their magic as they scared the earth with the power of both. This time held a major difference: the unicorn hadn’t even flinched from the pressure in the slightest.

With a single jerk of his sword, Crimson had found himself the one pushed back. Once his hooves halted in place, he immediately lunged a second time as though he has lost the ability to process fear. The strike ended very similarly, with Notch perfectly parrying the ebony blade with his own, retaliating with a stab aimed between the mindless stallion’s eyes.

The diamond blade ran along the edge of the black colt’s cheek, a trail of blood coating the tip of the rapier. His crimson eyes dialated to the size of pinpricks, almost collapsing from the weight his body had adorned. If not for his animalistic state, Crimson would have cared that the superior magic he opposed was weighing down his own with it’s presence.

A simple elbow to the muzzle was enough to send Crimson dragging through the dirt, but nonetheless charged right back into battle the second his hooves touched the dirt floor.

He didn’t get far, however, as the unicorn was already holding Crimson’s blade back with a slash. The black colt found both his hooves needed to grip his katana against the strength of Notch’s one. The thought of losing had yet to cross Crimson’s mind, his stare still burning holes through the back his opponent- no, his prey’sskull. Notch didn’t even wear his cocky smirk, leaving his face completely and utterly focused.

The glare his crimson eyes held wavered slightly once his shoulder was slashed, but his body felt that it was still nowhere painful enough to bring his rage to an end.

Every slash of Crimson’s were cut off halfway by the unicorn, who was now on the offensive and leaving little room for him to literally breathe. Notch was not fooled by the pegasus’ nature, his vastly more powerful magic was causing Crimson’s body and spectral cloak great stress.

Deep in the back of his mind, Crimson felt like a he was clashing swords with a hurricane…

The fight was already over.

Notch pulled his sword back for one final stab. Crimson put all of his might into the swing that would strike down his prey.

He couldn’t lose….

CLANK!!!

Kssstssh!….

The rapier had exploded into tiny bits of diamond, his diamonds still not strong enough to put a scratch on that sword….

SHWINNG!!!

The black blade sliced through the air with enough force to launch gust of wind and earth before him.

But none of that mattered. Crimson had missed.

Notch had ducked under the colt’s slash. His spectral cloak had shrunken extensively in size and power, however, as he spun low to the ground and knocked the wind from Crimson’s stomach with the back of his hoof.

“Spectral Kumite!”

In a flash of blinding light, the intensity of Notch’s ‘flames’ focused into the joint of the back of his hoof, the raw force of the magic itself enough to sweep Crimson off his hooves and launch him ninety feet at the speed to pressurize the winds around his body.

Now it was over…

“CRIMSON!!!” came from at least six different voices. Notch ignored each one.

Instead, waiting for Crimson’s body to finally tumble on the ground to a stop, Notch raised a single hoof over his head. Several pink flashes of light came from at least twenty yards in the sky.

The lights had finally dimmed to reveal more than two dozen rapiers floating in the sky, all pointed directly down at the black colt….

“I have suppressed what little magic you had left with my own with that last attack. You cannot fight any longer.”

“RRROOOOAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

The cloak of magic flames flickered over his charcoal fur. Struggling to simply get to his hooves, the animalistic stallion lifted his head into the night sky with a mighty roar, the flames blasting several feet from the Crimson as though it were synced to his intense rage.

With the blink of an eye, the flames dispersed into nothingness as Crimson fell to the ground once more.

“As if I’ll give you that chance!”

“You’ve done quite enough, if I do say so myself.”

Before his hoof would be lowered, Notch felt a force clasp and hold it back his entire foreleg. The smell of smoke invaded his nostrils. The unicorn turned his pink eyes onto a hoof that was effortlessly restraining his own. A dark green hoof to be more precise.

Tilting his head even further, his vision came in contact with the shine reflecting off a pair of glasses before anything else. Behind those lenses were the green orbs of a very unamused stallion, lit cigarette hanging from of his mouth.

“So, having fun?”

‘G-Glitch! How could I have not sensed him get behind me?’ A pang of freight struck Notch unlike anything this battle had offered yet. “Let go of me! I have been craving this opportunity to end this brat for what it feels like-!”

Notch struggled not to fall to his haunches as a sudden weightless, empty feeling washed over the pink-headed stallion’s body. Snapping his head back to what laid ahead, he was just in time to find the aerial rapiers shatter and fade into a pink mist. Notch’s eyes flicked back to the white-blue fur on his foreleg, unable to see the spectral cloak that had been previously encoating his body.

‘He… He suppressed my- with as little contact as-...’

As if a hanging mountain were untied from his shoulders, Notch’s now free arm was in the possession of being sorely rubbed by the other. “There was no need for any of that, you son of a-”

TWACK

A green foreleg smashed into the unicorn’s cheek with the force to be mistaken for a full blown punch, knocking him off the ground and back again, this time lying flat on his back several feet away.

“HA! That’s what you get, ya jerk! I think I’ll warm up to you real fast, four-eyes!”

Paying no mind to the distant pegasus’ words, Notch’s eyes widened with shock, quickly narrowing with into seething glare soon after. “What the hell is wrong with you! You seriously cannot tell me that you still see a traitor as your friend, can you?”

“That is irrelevant. I assure you, that little scolding was better than any punishment you would’ve received if Boss had found out you disobeyed his orders. Remember what happened to your opponent over there when he got too excited as well?” Glitch hid his eyes behind the glare his glasses reflected from the rays of younger sister’s moon. Looking down at the expression of terror that was once again sprawled across the unicorn’s face, his followed his statement with, “Honestly, Ezekiel. I pegged Wild would pull something this stupid, not y-”

“GRRRAAAAHHH!!!”

Both stallions’ attentions were stolen by the still foaming at the mouth colt, lost trashing weakly about in his own boiling pit of rage he unleashed onto nopony in particular.

“Glitch, you got any idea if he’s even equine anymore?”

The green pegasus took a quick drag from his cigarette, smoke escaping his lips as he spoke. “No magic appears to be radiating from him, and he would have been eased into a barely conscious state if overusing his spectral cloak really did that much of a number. The problem isn’t magic related at all, rather a suppressed-?!”

“Shhh,” Pinkie murmured from next to the struggling, feral-looking pegasus. “Don’t worry, Red,” she said soothingly as she trailed a hoof down his back, petting him softly. “Everypony’s safe now. All thanks to you.” A small smile wavered as she held back tears. “You don’t have to be angry anymore. Just calm down now. Everything’s just fine.”

The black-coated colt kept struggling against her grip, though more and more sluggishly as his growls and snarls petered out. The unusually calm mare started humming a strange, almost unearthy tune, and Crimson’s contorted and angry face started to melt away, until all that was left was a faint, slumbering smile.

Glitch’s cigarette, left unattended in his unhinged jaw, fell to the forest floor, causing the colt to start. “Mm. Well. That’s... new, I’d have to say.”

“Even after all these years, that kooky pinkette has never ceased to amaze me. Bet the brat doesn’t know how lucky he really is…”

********************************************************************************************************

“-or I’ll tear that smile right off your- h-heywhat?! Stop that!”

“-or I’ll tear that smile right off your- h-heywhat?! Stop that!”

“Simply astounding- Eek! Please, enough is enough!”

“Simply astounding- Eek! Please, enough is enough!”

“What kind magic is allowing him to copy our- Oh for the love of Celestia, will you please-”

“What kind magic is allowing him to copy our- Oh for the love of Celestia, will you please-”

“Parlor trick, magic, or just being creepy, I believe I’ll never learn the answer as long as I’m stuck with him…”

Inch by inch, the darkness around his vision slowly lifted as his crimson orbs made first contact with the nighttime sky.

His senses slowly came back, though head throbbing painfully. The others around him he could identify almost without trying; his hearing was even sharper than usual. The pink mare, who was sitting to his left, shifted slightly as she leaned closer towards a crackling fire. With a grunt, Crimson shifted his weight from the ground into a sitting position, eyes scanning the many guests circling around the campfire.

Pinkie Pie’s friends sat at her left in order; Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle- almost causing the barely alert Crimson to jump to his hooves to see a familiar and completely conscious white unicorn stallion sitting very closely beside her. Rather than meet Crimson’s eyes, his royal blue ones were too preoccupied trying to will his glare-daggers into real ones. Not aimed at Crimson, instead into the hardly visible golden ones behind the charcoal fedora, laying above the brown stallion’s creepily aloof smile.

Wild Card’s attendance was only part of the confusion for Crimson, as looking further did he find a dark green stallion laying on his back, too preoccupied with the smoke coming from the lit cigarette in his mouth than the one coming from the campfire. The moonlight’s reflection hid Glitch’s green orbs, leaving Crimson wondering if he were awake himself.

And just behind Glitch, leaning against a tree was the figure of...

“Oh, the beast’s awake,” a usually-posh voice croaked out under his breath. “I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

Another pony- Applejack, by the sound of her hoof-falls on the soft ground- came up behind the unicorn and smacked the back of his pink head. “Shut up, ya git. Ah brought s’more firewood.” The apple farmer walked into the clearing, her own stetson still sitting on her head, despite the fraying and knotted appearance of her mane.

Crimson’s ears flattened as Rarity’s high-pitched whine sends searing pain through his ear drums. “Really, Applejack, you should let me brush your mane, at the very least.”

“I would be more than willing to myself. That golden mane of her’s is simply asking to be-”

“I think you’ve done enough for one day, mister.” The poison in the fashionista's words only matched her cold azure eyes, just seconds of greeting them leaving a painful tear in Notch’s chest.

A lengthy yawn escaped Crimson before he could muster a chuckle. Upon his reawakening came a small spark of anger returning, the flames of his rage growing at the sight of his previous opponent only feet apart from him.

The flames lost their chance to escape, however, as a warm pink body was now leaning her head on his shoulder. “Red! You’re finally awake!” A dampness met Crimson’s neck as Pinkie pressed her teary-eyed face into his chest. “I was scared, Red...”

His heart stopped for a second, a chill running through him. ‘Did I..?’

The mare pulled back, her face drawn with worry and fear and joy as she smiled at him. “I was so scared I’d lose you.”

His mind drowning in a sea of questions, another stallion’s voice snapped Crimson from his thoughts before he could even part his jaw. “To put things into perspective,” Glitch started, green orbs staring into the Princess Luna’s moon as he had still refused to sit up, “It was as though a raging bull had pushed your from your own body. You’ve been out a good few hours, if we decide not to count the subject at hoof. Care to give an explanation?”

The colt in question’s eyes widened in a blended mixture of shock and terror, gaze darting darting to his hooves. “I… don’t have the slightest clue. All I remember was that I was angry… really, really angry. After that, everything turned…. black.”

The wise beyond his years stallion simply remained silent, no doubt searching his refined thoughts for the answers. “I see…”

“Lucky you…” All eyes shifted to the inexplicably grinning Wild Card, chuckling out his next words. “If Glitch hadn’t arrived in time, you’d just be raw cattle meat to be shipped off to the Griffon lands.”

Rainbow Dash had half a mind to try her luck for another free punch. “Why are you even-”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the fedora-wearing stallion retorted. It was freaky enough for the hot headed mare that he responded with before she could finish her question, but to mimic her own voice down to the exact pitch to respond with…

“Y-You mean…” the pale yellow pegasus muttered.

“Princess Luna ordered me her-oof!” Storm’s sentence was cut short by a sharp elbow to the ribs.

The lavender mare gave a light puff from her nose. “Princess Luna ordered us here. Same target, only we’re only supposed to go as far as snooping around, though seeing as how these events have been going…”

“Our job is just as simple,” Notch spoke up, the usual humor he held in his voice currently locked away. “To capture Professor Plasm, dead or alive.”

Crimson tore his glare from the forest ground, eyes now staring dead into Notch’s pink ones without so much a flicker of hesitation. “Not before I pound his muzzle in first! I’ll get my answers from him one way or another, and I’d like to see you try to stop me this time…”

Notch stared back, finding his usual arrogant smirk once more. Or maybe that wasn’t all… “...If you insist. Maybe you will even make our job easier for the two of us-”

“Three~!”

“You snuck here under Boss’ nose and against his orders, Wild. And were you even wearing a hat before we…?”

“At any rate…” Glitch’s voice boomed loud enough for everypony to hear. “It’s best we call this one hell of a night hit the hay- metaphorically speaking. We’ve got a long, maybe even twice as gruesome night before us….”

The animosity loomed through the air as each mare and stallion alike found a comfortable spot on the grassy forest floor. All aside from a certain curly maned unicorn mare, who spread out her packaged blanket for such an occasion. With an extinguishing spell courtesy of Twilight, the campfire’s light was no more, the once gloomy night around them even more so before each pony drifted into slumber…

Or what would be true, if Crimson hadn’t been staring two glowing royal blue orbs inches from his own. “So much as put a hoof on Twilight, and you’ll be granted a fate far worse than execution…”

With that said, Storm turned away, likely trotting off to where said mare had been located, no doubt.

On a usual basis, the black colt would’ve easily held the death glare head on. Crimson’s face contorted into one of sickness and fear; Storm had every right to say those words. Even before the night’s events, Crimson knew Twilight Sparkle should have every right to keep her distance, now more than ever…

‘So much for sleeping…’

“...Psst.”

The charcoal stallion’s single ear flicked.

“...Psst! Red?”

The same reaction came once more, only this time almost causing Crimson to jump from the sound. This was likely due to the culprit making noise inches from his ear… “Yes, Pinkie, I’m still up…”

“Just making sure.” she giggled, not even so much as asking permission as she snuggled into Crimson’s side, draping his cloak around the two to shield them from the cold. “Goo’night, Redsy....”

Blush alit in the black, nighttime air, Crimson sighed as the seconds fell into the wind.

But not for long.

“Before he found his calling…”

The colt’s ears perked at the pink mare’s voice. It wasn’t clear if she was muttering unconsciously in her sleep, but an unmistakably sniff was clearly heard.

“Notch... was the only pony who would even look in my direction… and I returned the favor. We only had each other before Notch... found his calling… And I couldn't- no, I refused to go with him. I couldn't leave the only real family I had left..."

And yet, she had done so regardless. She had found even more ponies to add to her “family”, and was more than willing to follow or drag their smiles along with her for the rest of her days.

He ran his hoof through her poofy pink mane, the snores soon following as she officially drifted to dreamland. And with a mixture of heaviness from his eyes, head, and heart, Crimson soon followed suit…

Or what would be true twice now, had a second body not snuck under his “blanket” and burrowed her snout into his chest fur. It only literally sunk in once a damp feeling reached his skin from his fur, as well as yet another sniff…

“P-Pinkie ain’t the only one s-scared, ya jerk…”

Author's Note

Glad I got this update out earlier than last time. It would've been out Yesterday, but things didn't go as planned. Anyway, only 1-2 more chapters and this arc's over. Also, don't really expect much from Nocturnal. May be a lil' slow on the updates there (more-so than here ;~;) till then.

Also, if you haven't yet, check out the newly improved first chapter of Remorse; not revised, but entirely rewritten! Tell me what you think about it, better or not, in the comments on that chapter. It'd be very appreciated!

Thanks for reading!~

Chapter One: Beginning Anew (rewrite)

Arc One: Back To Bite

“Is it really fair to let them fade into dust? Even memories are afraid of death…”

Chapter One: Beginning Anew

‘Ugh.... why is there nothing edible in this damn forest?’

The stallion was almost certain that he’d waste away into nothing in no time if he couldn’t find a town in the next few days. He could feel his gut roar in anger, it too growing impatient from lack of sustenance.

‘Lets see... that last time I had anything to eat was... almost two days ago!? It’s no wonder why I’m starving! I wouldn’t be rotting away right now if the natives here didn’t harvest all the fruit trees around these parts! I mean, come on! They couldn’t have thought of travelers or something?! The selfish pigs! ….Well, that and I don’t exactly trust the plants in this forest. Everfree if I remember right.

Recalling what he had researched, this forest was known as one of the most brutal, dangerous, and unforgiving landscapes in all of Equestria, a statement that the colt could full well agree with right about now....

‘Let’s see.... we’ve got dangerous wildlife, weird plants that manage to grow by themselves, critters that can actually take care of themselves- what a shocker..., and weather that changed without the need of local pegasai.... Eh, I’ve seen worse.... Still, something tells me not to even stand near that blue flower. Probably poisonous or something.’

At least he was thankful there was no official “business” on his trip this time. Still, finding a town for his permanent vacation was going to be fairly difficult. He could name plenty towns that he had been recently run out of these past few months by the ponies who settled there, ranging from Trottingham all the way to Las Pegasus. Hell, just the price for his head would have anypony set for life.

In fact, if this trip into town went anything like the last... Celestia knows how many attempts, he was prooobably(likely) done for...

“Hope” was just a fairytale word parents would feed their foals just to get them to shut up, and the bitter stallion wasn’t going to fall victim to it’s charms at this point. But... maybe- just maybe, this could be it. If he could keep a low profile, retirement might just be possible.... and so was turning into nutrition for the fine soil of this damn forest.

‘Crimson Rays; only twenty two and already thinking about retirement. I’m not getting old already, am I?’

Crimson let his gaze slip to a nearby pond, his reflection catching his eye. His coat was a dirty charcoal; he was of a slightly above-average height, born with a red striped onyx mane- which he kept mid-to-short in length, just enough that it covered everything on the top of his head.

He brushed his bangs out of his face, trying to fix the mussed up pile of hair to no avail. His eyes were a bright crimson- true to his name, which, according to the few ponies in his life that were once deemed “friends”, gifted Crimson a roguish charm that could melt any mare’s heart. His “modesty” and low self-esteem told him otherwise.

‘Psh, whatever. Even if these stupid eyes could do more than make ‘em run away shrieking, I couldn’t smooth-talk a mare to save my life.’ the black colt gave a small chuckle as the thought that passed through his head. ‘Heh, who needs ‘em? Who needs anypony for that matter? I can take care of myself. Been doing it for almost my entire life now, haven’t I? Ponies are nothing but loud, annoying little parrots.’

As his eyes remained glued to the still water, the weight of the stallion’s eyelids had begun to betray him. A chilly wind blew past the heavy cloak that hid everything below the neck of Crimson’s body. Dancing over the pond’s surface, the gust had successfully blurred his reflection, his vision soon following suit...

Seconds passed before the weighted feeling of his eyelids migrated down the rest of his frame, sheer willpower alone saving him from a wet collision snout-first with the pond.

“Willpower”, however, did nothing to regain Crimson’s balance before his withers met the body of a nearby oak tree with a painful slam. Hind legs were next to give out; his rear plopping onto the ground’s grass surface, the stallion clasped a hoof over the bridge of his muzzle with grunt. It felt as if his head were filled with rocks- no, boulders.

‘Augh… even a light breeze can toss me around like a feather... and given the past three days, looks like I can once again chalk ‘insomnia’ to the list,’ Crimson thought to himself in a stiff “tone”. ‘I really am falling apart, huh...’

A heavy breath escaped his lips, transforming into a throaty yawn. His eyes clamped shut, unwilling to view the stallion’s near-blurring vision any longer. And just like that, a wave of drowsiness crashed into every molecule of his body, leaving Crimson leaning against the bark of the tree before he knew it.

‘Would it be too early if… Nah, it’s not worth passing out over once I finally make it. Besides, I’m usually active under the younger sister’s sky most of the time anyway, what difference would it make now…’

It was settled; with each chirp that rang inside his ear drums, occasional gust of wind licking his fur and mane, and ray of sunlight bleeding through the leaves’ defences in the branches above, the stallion’s conscious slowly drifted further and further, leaving him with only his final thoughts…

‘Mother nature sure is… great… thank you for letting forests be so nice and…..’

Fwssh…

‘.....Quiet. Oooh boy….’

The most routine part of his old career. Whether it was going to be for the bits or a more personal agenda, this was only going to end in… blood.

Fwsh...

Crimson was impressed; the sounds were actually becoming less frequent and much more subtle. ‘Professionals...’, Crimson painfully suppressed the urge to smirk; all muscle movement needed to cease if he really wanted to look asleep.

The look on their faces were always worth it…

That is, if they still had a face.

FWSSH!

A hidden hoof reached deeper into his cloak ever so subtly…. ‘That’s it, just a liiittle more, and…’

FFF-SHWINNG!!!

A red liquid flew down the edge of the jet black katana like a waterfall. It poured from his bangs like raindrops; blood even oozed down the black stallion’s muzzle, just over the crooked grin that had been dying to come out.

As if pausing for dramatic effect, the body before him lost balance and fell to the ground lifeless along with half a spear, torso separate from the rest of the flesh as more blood had begun to stain the blades of grass.

Needless to say, it wasn’t pretty.

“Amatuer…” Crimson growled under his breath, the first word to leave his throat within forty-eight hours. His vocal cords were feeling a tad rusty, but maybe his new friends could help him with that…

The stallion hadn’t bothered to get to his hooves as he sheathed his sword, watching as five figures before him came into view. All equine from the look of it, which wouldn’t had been as much as a challenge to decipher if not for each pony being draped in a full black gis and a mask over their muzzles, hiding the under half of their faces.

“Those getups… the masks…“ Crimson’s smile stretched, foreign blood trickling down his forehead. “So, looks like getting rid of your leader wasn’t punishment enough for you wannabes, eh?.”

“You high and mighty brat…” the one upfront snarled- and judging by the pitch, a mare, adjusting a spiked club over her shoulder that easily outsized two of her. Not like any of that mattered to him... “We have come to erase you, Crimson Shadow, and rid the wrongdoings you have unleashed upon this world!”

“You can try, but there’s plenty enough of my wrongdoings to fill an entire Equestria-sized country.” Crimson stared off into the distance, a look of something opposite of malice flickering in his crimson orbs.

Not for long, however, as this his eyes pierced right stoically back into the mare’s, causing her to flinch. “Look, how about I be nice for a change. I don’t have time to deal with you posers, therefore you have five seconds to get out of my face. Though if you all wish to see your leader again so soon, I can make time.”

“You little shit...” the clansmare’s teeth clenched under her mask, irony being she was a head shorter than the Shadow. “You dare threaten us- the clan Nichibotsu Clan, when you are in no position to-”

“Five.”

“How dare you-”

“Four.”

The mare once again adjusts her bulky club-

“Three.”

And lunged.

“Tw-”

BOOOM….

Seconds passed before the giant cloud of dirt was mostly clear, as the mare found herself standing before not only a dirt crater wide enough to build a swimming pool in, but also the stump of the tree the black stallion had come close to dozing off under.

The black stallion, however, was nowhere to be seen-

“One.”

Eyes the size of saucers, she could feel herself trembling without control, too afraid to even look over her shoulder.

“Come on, you could at least look your opponent in the eyes in the middle of a fight…”

Halfway from doing so, any breath of air left in the clansmare’s body was knocked out with a single blow, the culprit being the hilt of a katana revealing itself from the final cloud of dirt and into her gut. Hooves leaving the ground, her body was launched several feet before slamming into a bark pillar with a loud THUNK, dropping like a fly from the dented oaktree.

‘If she wasn’t out cold before, I’ll bet she felt that one.’ Crimson smiled as he sheathed the rest of his sword. Resting a hoof over the rusty iron handle, he plucked the eight foot club from the dirt and chucked it behind him without so much as giving a glance, resulting in the nearly two-hundred pound weapon smashing into the ribcage of a second charging spear wielder before both skid along the ground. Crimson didn’t need to pay a glance to know that the victim’s chest cavity was likely a little more revealing…

“D-Die, you little frea- gwah?!”

Where the clanscolt had made a horizontal swipe, the only thing his sword had made contact with was the air. The same couldn’t be said for the back of his head, as an airborne buck left him face first inside the bark of another oaktree.

Once a forehoof touched the ground, Crimson’s strength allowed him to right himself onto his hind legs before the rest of his body had made solid contact with the dirt. Either side of him, however, were two clansponies with swords aimed and ready to pierce his jugular. “It’s over this time, Crimson Shadow!”

“Pssh.”

In the blink of an eye, the clanscolts had found their swords pointed at each other’s necks, given no time left to stop their forward assaults. Luckily for them, an ebony blade made it clear they didn’t have to…

“Well, that was… underwhelming.” Crimson swatted the red fluid from his sword, his attention anywhere but the two ponies falling to the ground with blood-doused, sliced-open stomachs. “Didn’t even have’ta pull out the other tools to-”

fffwissh…

THUNK

Crimson felt a thin stream of warm liquid trickle down from the scratch on his cheek, though made no efforts to directly acknowledge the small wound. If his ears had been any slower, however-

fffwissh

Crimson tilted his head to avoid the first shot-

THUNK

fffwissh

-and leapt back to maneuver the second aimed for his hooves.

THUNK

With only enough time for a quick analysis, the stallion scanned the forest to find three arrows; the first two arrows impaled into two trees across from each other, the third dug half underground where Crimson once stood. ‘I see. He’s on the move. Smart, I’ll give him that...’

Relaxing his muscles, Crimson’s eyes slid shut. ‘I need to stay calm, I won’t be able to pinpoint his location if I rely on his previous marks...’ Sight wouldn’t help him win this battle; sound would be his only ally, and his powerful ears would be his weapon...

Fwssh

…

fffwissh!

CRACK

‘There!’

Before the split arrow’s halves could touch a single blade of grass behind him, Crimson quickly spun his blade flat side down and smacked the ground with all of his strength. The result proved to be a monstrous cloud of dirt pillaring over even the oak trees of the forest.

“W-What!” The clanscolt quickly loaded a new arrow into his bow and raced out of the bushes. He had no choice but to flee his spot, or face the same fate as his comrades-

Shunk!

With a yelp, the archer came to a screeching halt, falling to his haunches before a small dagger stabbed inches between his legs. His muscles tightened….

“You know what, forget the advice I gave your mare buddy and don’t turn around. Makes both our jobs easier…”

The ignored warning was rewarded with the metal hilt of a sword smacking the archer between the eyes, equine sized dead weight dropping snout first into the dirt.

“Told ya. Only made things worse for yourself. Slightly, anyway…”

And thus this fight- loosely put, had concluded.

The stallion noted the archer boasted a unicorn horn, explaining the quickness of his fired shots. Any other race would’ve required a crummy hook to adorn their hoof to pull the bowstring, still incomparable to the speed and precision a little magic could accomplish.

‘Alright! Now that this lil’ distraction has been dealt with, looks like I can’t afford any survivors this time…’

********************************************************************************************************

It couldn’t be avoided. The remaining husks still managing to grasp faintly to life had been put down with a swift stab to the throat. They had already witnessed the black stallion’s face, not the overly dramatic and frightening pony on the wanted poster. He wouldn’t take any risks.

Disposing them was as simple as strapping them to a fallen tree trunk by steel wires, where they were dumped into the surprisingly deep waters of the pond and left to sink. While finishing up washing the blood from his fur by the shallow end of the pond, his ears alarmed him of the sound bubbles on top of the surface made in the deeper waters. A bone traveled from the deeper waters, given only seconds of air before engulfed by a row of teeth…

Recalling that he had almost fallen into the waters in a delirious state, a chill ran up the stallion’s spine.

Crimson was currently trotting passed each tree after finally spotting a dirt road, thanking his former opponents for leaving him much more awake. Passing out would have to wait until after he found a warm hotel bed to sleep the rest of the morning away.

Crimson stopped to squint at the words written along a wooden sign.

“...Ponyville….”

He had finally made it….

Author's Note

This is ENTIRELY rewritten, not just the revised first chapter. Hope it's a lot better than the original, and for those newcomers, I hope you'll actually consider giving the rest a read now. :pinkiehappy:

Chapter Nine: A Toast To All Comrades!

Chapter Nine: A Toast To All Comrades!

“Well.... here we are.” the black colt muttered awkwardly, leading the way for his welcomed ‘guests’.

Pushing past the swinging doors, Appletini’s held a surprisingly small amount of ponies at this time of hour. Of course there were the occasional few, like the mare whose mane resembles that of toothpaste chatting it up with that mulberry mare that always appeared to be drunk off her ass every hour of the day, but other than that and a hooded figure in the corner, the bar was pretty empty. ‘Oh, thank Luna for this....’

“Well? What are we just standing around for?!” The energetic pink poofball bounced in delight towards the bartender. “Let’s get plastered!~”

“Uh....” You’re not the only one, Crimson. You’re not the only one... “Pinkie, I... never really took you for a drinker to be honest.”

“All ponies drink, silly!~ It’s good for ponies to drink a good amount water everyday! If you couldn’t drink you’d get so hot and tired! And your throat’ll get all dry and sore, and you’re lips would get all chapped and clammy! Don’t you just hate it when that happens? I know I d-”

“Pinkie Pie.” the black coated stallion groaned, squeezing his eyes shut after exhaling on to his hoof. “I meant alcoholic drinking.”

“Oh, well why didn’t you say so?!”

‘...I’m not even sure if she’s at the legal age to drink anymore. At least not mentally, anyway.’

“Actually, to tell you the truth, I’m usually not the kinda pony who does this type of thing!” squealed the beaming mare. “You just looked like you need a drinking buddy is all. And everypony knows I’ll be their buddy for any activity!”

“Pinkie, you don’t have to pressure yourself into this, it’s completely fine.” Crimson tried to reason, despite the fact that he knew it was pointless to argue with these mares by now.

“It’s fine! It’d be a waste if we just trotted all the way here not to drink something, I’m not gonna let you have all the fun, Redsy!~” Pinkie winked, her muzzle glowing even pinker than her mane. “And besides, what are friends for?”

Clearing his throat while sharing equally burning cheeks, Crimson attempted scold the mare in a more adult tone of voice. “I, um... I’m... pretty sure t-they’re not for g-getting w-w-wasted with, that’s for s-sure.” Unfortunately, that plan failed miserably, as you can plainly see for yourself.

“Not specifically of course, but-”

“Um, excuse me, guys, but... can’t we just go in and actually order something already?”

Beyond weirded out at this point, lavender the mare figured now would be a good time to butt in. Throughout the midst of the “conversation”, the two almost completely forgot that the book loving mare - and not to mention the two other ponies, the orange mare absolutely green with envy at the display, and the actual green colt who’s almost constantly adjusting the glasses resting on his muzzle - were still behind them, or even existed for that matter!

“Eheh, sorry about that, Twilight...”

Twilight just shook her head and pushed past the embarrassed colt and the positively perky, peppy, and particularly pink party pony. “Hurry up, you two. Let’s get this started. I still have questions that need answers.”

Crimson trotted up to the bar, tossing the bag of bits on its surface as the barkeeper looked up. “Alright, everypony! Raise your glasses and tilt back your heads! Drink for all your worth, for tonight, drinks are on me!”

From the few other ponies in the bar came lilting, drunken cheers. The hooded figure near the back just stiffened, grumbling incoherently.

Twilight decided on a bottle of Marelot, Pinkie and Crimson getting Afterburners. After taking a sniff at Pinkie’s drink, Applejack decided on a good old family favorite; Buckweiser. Glitch settled for a small bottle of vodka and some water as his drink.

Glitch took advantage of the lull in the conversation. “Now, listen here, Red. I know that you dislike the business, but you’re one of the best. If you don’t come back, and you are somehow able to find a way to live a peaceful life even with Boss on your ass, he’ll just get somepony new to take your place, and make sure he’s even more heartless than you.”

“What about that project the prof. was working on?”

“Pfft. You mean creating Alicorns? It was a preposterous idea in the beginning; and every pony he gave wings to died from hitting the ground harder than is preferable.” Glitch took a drink of his vodka, humming in appreciation. Pinkie looked at his drink pointedly, and he sighed, letting her get a drink.

“Spasiba,” Pinkie said with a contented sigh as she gave the bottle of vodka back to Glitch.

“Of course. Now, back to the Professor... Before he quit, he told me he had a surprise for you, and judging by that “evil” laugh of his, I doubt it’s anything pretty....” The green colt took another swig, a low, contented sigh escaping from his lips. “Just thought that might be something interesting to know.”

“Wait a minute, somepony from your company quit?” Twilight asked with an arch of her brow. “And who exactly would have quit for a reason unlike Crimson’s? Could he be of any use to end all this if we just reaso-”

“Sorry,” the four eyed colt cut in, light reflecting off his rectangular lenses. “but it’s best you don’t make this your business.”

“Not my busine- Crimson is our friend!” the lavender mare shot back, making sure to have put extra emphasis on the last word. “What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t concerned at all and just ignored all of this?!”

Glitch signed, desperately trying to keep his composure. “I see where you’re coming from, but I’d rather not hold the life of more ponies in my hoof at the moment, miss.”

“Twil-”

“Stop yourself right there.” the colt held his green hoof in the air, waiting until it was completely quiet to continue. “Sorry, but I’d rather not know. Hell, just knowing your names would be enough information to make Boss wanna beat the shit out of me to spill, and would probably be enough for him to target you in specific. Excuse me for my language, but at least me not knowing that won’t get me in as much trouble, he knows when I’m lying....”

“.....It’s Twilight Sparkle-”

Glitch simply slammed his drink onto the table.

“DAMMIT! What the hell did I just get done telling you?!” Appearing as though he was at his wit’s end, Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and even Crimson stared at the green colt wide eyed in complete shock. Realizing his error of his actions, Glitch attempted to fix it with “I’m very sorry about that. It’s just I’d rather stay guilt free and alive, thank you very much....”

Nopony else feeling brave enough to break the impending - not to mention awkward - silence, the black colt sighed and felt it was his duty to break it himself. Might as well get it over with, right? And besides, breaking things was his specialty.... right? “If you don’t mind me asking, Glitch, but why didn’t you act like this when Rarity told you her name?”

“Because at the time, I didn’t know you’d make this so difficult to come back. You just had to form ties with these mares, making them just as apart of this as you.” The green colt sighed once again. The others could tell that his tone was getting more and more unsettled by the second. Glitch, the calm, collective one of Crimson’s friends of the past, putting it mildly, was beginning to fall off the deep end. “At least her name isn’t as bad of a name to know about, considering that she’s only a simple fashionista. But now you’ve gotten a mare who’s pretty much Celestia’s daughter caught in between all of this too?! Just... what were you thinking, Red?!”

As the question dawned upon Crimson, the colt could feel his red eyes grow ever the more weighted, as he let out a faint, but sorrowful chuckle. “Heh. I'm not actually too sure myself, to be honest. I know it sounds Lunadamn selfish, but... I guess I'm kinda glad I don't have to go through this alone, y'know?" Crimson took a long pull from his afterburner, a melancholic look in his eyes.

“That's.... a bit strange coming from the guy who always wanted to be alone.” Glitch sighed while working his two hooves up and down each temple, all while managing to keep his glasses over his snout. “I remember the feats you'd perform just to distance yourself from any social interaction whatsoever. Well, at least with “normal” ponies anyway. It was pretty fun watching how you and Storm used to constantly bicker, and hell, even I have to admit that I found it a little bit humorous watching you climb roofs just to stay a "safe distance" away from everypony that tried to introduce themselves.”

“Is this story going somewhere, Glitch?” the black colt growled, face heating up from the constant girly snickers the mares at the table were producing. They were coming out in batches like fresh baked cookies. “Because if it is, hurry the hell up and spit it out it already, if you would be so kind.”

“....My point is that I’m honestly astounded that you’ve managed to not only befriend six mares by yourself -in less than a week for that matter, but also managed to get them roped into this one big catastrophe over you and your problems.” Removing the glasses over his snout and gently placing them on the counter surface, Glitch peered right towards the black colt, somber green eyes delivering a piercingly intensified stare. "What's worse is that these mares now feel the need to fight for those said problems, risking their own lives for yours. Please, do tell, old friend... How did you even manage to pull all of this off exactly?"

Orange hooves cracking over the table's wooden surface clearly signified that enough was enough. "Now listen 'ere, mister!" burned the southern accent of the farm filly. "Obviously ya ain't given' this 'ere friend of yers 'nough credit, tha's fer sure!"

"Oh?" the green colt groaned, directing his baleful glare towards the mare in disgust and other emotions Glitch would rather be without. "I've been acquainted with mister Crimson Rays far longer than I could say about yourself, so exactly what exactly makes you come to such a bold conclusion?"

"How 'bout the simple fact tha' he's made himself six friends all by himself! All o' which actually care fer him dearly an' pray fer his safety! Sure he needed a little push, but tha's what friends are for!"

Glitch could feel his jaw tightening, teeth grating against one another at the thought of the heated argument that would surely ensue, yet doing his best to keep a level head, lest he did something that he'd later regret. "Are you insinuating that I don't care? I wouldn't be going this far for some common mutt that I had no business with, so where do you stand playing yourself off as high and mighty?"

"Why ya little- do y'all not see it in front of yer Celestia damned face?!" Applejack viciously growled, "Crimson's nothin' short of bein' a tad troublesome, 'course, but he's proven to be one o' the most courageous ponies Ah've ever met! He ain't yer buckin' toy fer y'all an' that damn company ya work wit', so quit buckin' actin' like he's yer buckin' property, an' drop it already!"

"Why you..." It had been a long time since an argument could ever get him this pumped. Secretly, he was loving every second of it. Sure she wasn't in Glitch's world of speech, but this mare definitely pulled off one hell of a fight, making the green colt actually feel he had actually been given a challenge, an argument worth remembering. However, the thing that put Glitch in a higher state of euphoria was winning one; he'd wipe that smug smirk off her face caused by his irritated demeanor yet.

Unfortunately, the black colt knew it would come to this, as he proceeded to rest his head against the counter with his hooves clutched over it, letting out a flat out dreadful groan.... Why was he anything worth fighting for?

"You do understand that if I simply "dropped" it, your entire town would be in danger of extinction, correct?"

"Well, 'course Ah do, but-"

"Correct." Placing his glasses back on their rightful throne, Glitch made sure that the next thing to come out of his mouth would take her down hard. "So, tell me. Would you seriously want to put the rest of your friends this predicament as well? Friends who I'm quite certain that you've spent greater amount of time with than Crimson. And not only that, but have their corpses resting on his hooves as well?"

"Ah..."

'Gotcha.'

"....Ya think it'll be tha' easy?"

'What?'

"Sorry ta break it to ya, partner, but us mares 'er a whole lot tougher then y'all make us out to be. Ya may not 'ave known this already, but mah friends an' Ah would die to protect the bonds we share, so if ya just think tha' we'd jus' go out without no fight, than yer shit outta luck."

The silence flowing through the air, Glitch just sat with a blank stare, focusing on nothing in particular other than the uneased piece of his mind. ‘... I... can’t think of anything more to...’

As she observed the told off colt’s infuriated eye spasms, the smirking mare thought she’d let him off with one last piece of her mind.

“An’ by the way, name’s Applejack.”

“Did you completely ignore everything I just-”

“Ooh, ooh! Mine’s Pinkie Pie!” the pink mare joyfully cried out, absolutely oblivious to the sweat dripping down the colt’s green coat.

“...Do you three have a death wish?”

“You see, Glitch,” the lavender mare cut in, eyes half-mast with a confident smile painted over her petite mare muzzle. “we take the friendships we’ve made, the bonds we’ve formed, and the love we all share for each other very seriously. And because of that, we’ve conquered and tamed even the mightiest of foes and the most tragically giant messes. And throughout each and every one of those eventful disasters, we’ve all greatly strengthened our said friendships to even higher levels compared to most ponies. So let your boss try to enforce fear over our simple little town, because we won’t let it faze our true goal; to protect Crimson’s right to live the rest of his life in peace with everything we have!” Twilight pounded the table lightly with a forehoof, her wine glass tipping dangerously.

“....Holy shit.” It took Crimson a good couple of seconds to process it all, but came to a teary eyed conclusion when the sincerity of Twilight’s words ran through his brain. As he began to rub at his eyes before anypony could notice, Crimson shot a glance upon the unsettling sight that was Glitch’s anxiety.

‘Just... simply foolish... but I guess they’re going to have to learn the hard way.’ Releasing the breath he didn’t even know he had held, Glitch muttered something unintelligible to himself he maybe should have left to his thoughts. Well, intelligible to everypony but a certain black furred stallion at least. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned that’s kept me alive this long, it's that it’s not wise to underestimate Boss...”

“Thats it,” Crimson finally piped up, “I call no more unsettling dramatic talk for the rest of the night!” the colt called out, as he lifted of what remained of his afterburner over his head. “I propose a toast; to washing our worries away and enjoying the rest of this fine, beautiful night of Luna’s creation. The night is full of shadows, but let us not dwell in the darkest depths of, ugh, let’s drink!”

Everypony else nodding in agreement, Glitch sighed and figured ‘Why not’ and took hold of his vodka glass and brought it up to the others, filling the bar with a satisfying CLACK. What could possibly go wrong?

*****************************************************************************************************************

“.....can I come down now?”

“I’ve given you the same answer twenty times, now quit asking!”

“Well, I think I’ve been a pretty good boy; I haven’t killed anypony... yet.”

“Exactly. And I would rather keep it that way. Isn’t that so, Big Macintosh?”

“Eeyup.”

“Aww, but Rarity! You know you can’t resis-”

“That is quite enough, Mister Card.”

“Please, I’m at least a duke.”

“Fine. Master Card, I-”

“No, I’m sorry. We only take Equestrian Express.”

An agitated chorus of groans filled the room. Wild Card had to find a way to make the position he was in suck at least a little less. Being tied up wasn’t nearly as fun as he’d pictured it in his head, especially when all of the blood rushing to his head made it feel as if he were about to explode. Oh, did I mention he was hanging upside down from a chandelier? No? Well, I just did. ‘This stupid rope must be enhanced or some shit if the thing can even support me. That lavender one is smarter than she looks. Clever girl! However....’ The brown colt couldn't wipe off the ear-to-ear grin from his face if he tried.

"May I ask what you could possibly find so amusing?" The alluring white unicorn mare was starting to lose her patience - well, what little she still had left anyway.

"Hmhm, would you hold it against me if I said you're absolutely stunning? And I don't just say that to all girls, no sir-y!" Alright, maybe that last part was a stretch, but it's never failed him in the past!

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but flattering will get you nowhere. A true lady doesn't belittle herself by letting others take advantage of her because they shower her with sweet nothings," lectured Rarity, whose tone quickly changed from snooty to sharp with a small huff. "And besides, you're way too dangerous to be trusted without being watched!"

"Aw, come now, doll face!" he pouted, his pseudo puppy eyes at the ready. "Nerdy werdy Gwitchy got to go with emo Cwimsy wimsy when he's just like me! It's nawt fair!"

"Ugh, don't you even start! It's not cute, and it's definitely not going to get you anywhere with me!" Letting out a loud huff, Rarity decided that she had a piece of her mind that the mare would be more than happy to share with this womanizer. "It's colts like you who really make me sick! You think you have the power to control mares alike and take what you want from them anytime you want as if they were nothing more than just your sex toys! Simply disgusting! One of your friends just so happened to have done that very exact thing to one of my best friends; how that brute is so well acknowledged by Celestia herself is completely unheard of."

"Waitaminute, are you talking about Sprinkles?" That caught his attention. ‘Huh. Well that doesn't sound like Celestia's top soldier to me. Not very Storm-ish of him...’

"Yes, in fact, I am! Though Sprinkles isn’t the name I had in mind for him at the moment. What Twilight sees in him I'll never know. But let's not change the subject at hoof." Rarity leaned in until the two were eye-to-eye, making sure that Wild's focus was on nothing more than her. And of course to this, the brown colt made sure to keep his trademark fox faced grin all the way through. "Don't you dare believe for a second that my friends and I would ever fall for those sleazy techniques you use on those other mares! There are only two types of mares that succumb to your advances. There are the weak willed, insecure ones that feel that need to be in the arms a colt to feel safe, not one independent bone in their bodies; the ones who can't stand up tall from their true beauty without a colt like you feeding them sweet nothings twentyfour-seven."

"And the other ones?"

“Well, for no better words, whores - excuse my language. Neither of them worthy of calling themselves a lady. All in all, you're not going anywhere, you pathetic pig!”

"Hahaha, ouch!~ That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Card smirked. “By the way, did I tell you that you’re a real fox, a true rarity this day and age!”

“Why did I even bother...”

“Just chill out, Rares!” the cyan mare lazily yelled from the sofa, honestly looking as if she’d rather be asleep. Then again, that wouldn’t be all that surprising now, would it? “Don’t stress yourself over that idiot. He couldn’t find his way through a cardboard box let alone understand a word you’re saying to him!”

“Hehe~ That wasn’t very nice.” Through yet another group sigh, nopony even realized what Wild really kept his eyes on. “My cards! I see that after you took them away from me, you stacked them right under me. And I thought you mares were cruel before!~”

“I'll have you know that wasn't my idea! Rainbow Dash felt it necessary to do so.” the white mare sighed.

“Well if she’s trying to kill me, it’s most certainly working!~”

“Celestia dammit, do you ever shut up!” The cyan mare shot herself up. Looks like sleep was going to wait.

“Awww, but where would the fun in that, my little Dashie?” His eyes were to the point of slits, but from what it looked like, his irises appeared to be... glowing?

“....You’re really cruisin’ for a bruisin’ now, ya psychopath.”

“Oh?” the colt chuckled, now red in the face from gravity’s cruel laws. “I appear to have struck a nerve there, eh? Well, what are ya waitin’ for? HIT ME!”

Before anypony could even get a question or a cringe in, a lengthy yellow streak of light flashed through the ropes at a blinding speed, spreading to pieces as the captive colt landed on his hooves with relative ease; his entire body now inflamed with a full on golden aura, the floor beginning to vibrate under the mare’s hooves. The culprit dropped to the floor at Wild’s hooves; a 7 of diamonds.

“Hahahaha!~ Wait, wait, you actually thought you could hold me in those ropes?! I’m the game master around here, my beauties! I call the rules, and those who don’t play, must pay, hahahahooh...” Wild Card slumped to the floor with a slight fwump, causing the shaking to cease, and leaving Rarity and Rainbow Dash at a loss for words at seeing Fluttershy standing behind him with a frying pan in her mouth.

Realizing the others were staring at her, Fluttershy gasped and dropped the frying pan, blushing slightly. The frying pan landed right on Wild Card’s head, in the same spot as before. “O-oops, sorry... You were being really scary...” Fluttershy backed away from Wild Card’s unconscious body while hiding behind her mane. Big Macintosh ambled over and picked up the unconscious colt and tied him with a new rope; the one Twilight had summoned had faded when it broke. Fluttershy looked nervous, and slightly panicked. “D-did I do good? He’s going to be alright, right?”

Rarity sighed, a tight, tired smile adorning her snout as she nuzzled Fluttershy. “Don’t worry about him; he’s got a thick skull. And he did ask for it- quite literally. You did great, Fluttershy!” Fluttershy giggled dubiously, while Rarity giggled good-naturedly. “Come, now; Big Macintosh can take care of him; let’s just get some rest. It’s unladylike enough as it is to be awake at this time of night without a candlelit dinner! We shall see how he is in the morning. Good night, Macintosh.”

“G’night, Miss Rarity. Miss Fluttershy. G’night Miss Dash.”

“I’m not a seasoning, you know.”

“Eeyup.”

Rarity trotted daintily up the steps to Applejack’s room, Rainbow Dash zipping by to take up residence in Crimson’s room. Fluttershy hung back just enough to say one last thing. “Sweet dreams, Master Wild.”

Wild Card’s lips twitched into a smile as he squirmed against his bindings. “MmMnmmI am the game masterrrr....”

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Hey! Bar guy! Come ova ‘ere fer a second!”

“Oh no, not again....”

As the black colt waved his hooves in the air like an idiot (or just like a drunk, really), the bartender stallion was leaking with primordial sweat. If this drunkard was the same one as a couple nights ago, well.... it wouldn’t have been a bad time to write a will-

“Wha’s takin’ so long! I’m thirsty!”

“Ah, s-sorry! Be there in just a sec!”

Though hesitant to say the least, the bartender made his way towards the zany looking mishmash of mares and colts alike, trying to keep a steady enough pace to keep himself from either dropping the beverages or keep that pissy colt from ripping his head off from sheer drunken impatience. He figured either or would have lead to the same result. It wasn't too hard to guess what these colorful characters wanted to be perfectly honest; two extra spicy Afterburners for the Mr and Mrs - though he decided keep his mouth shut on the subject lest he literally be dead wrong, a bottle of Buckweiser for 'southern comfort', a glass of Marelot for the elegant young mistress, and a glass of watered down vodka for Sir adjusts-his-glasses-a lot - another topic he figured wouldn't be smart to bring up either.

“Bout tiem, Celestia dammit!” You could smell the liquor on his breathe from a mile away.

“RRREEEEEEED, be nice!” the intoxicated mare with the pink coat scolded the black colt. “Hehe, don't mind him..." The mare brought her lips to the bartender's ear as she faintly whispered "I think he's just had a teeny tiny bit too much to drink.”

You don't say, Pinkie....

“Hey! Guy. Guy guy guy guy GUY!”

The bartender turned his head to face Crimson, unable to hold in a sigh. “...Yes, si- wait, not sir, I still remember the mental scars from last time I called you that...”

“Haha, an' don ya forget et!” Crimson prided himself, as he dug a hoof into his -though technically Wild's - cloak and brought it up to the bartender, who couldn't help but flinch back and screw his eyelids shut with a emasculate “EEK!!!” flying out of his pubescent sounding vocal chords. Hesitantly opening a single eye, he found that the black colt had a small bag of what looked to be some sort of coin purse.

"Wha-what is this-”

“Wat? I want ya to have dis!" The black colt unsealed the top only by a little, but it looked as if there was over twenty bits in that thing. "Call it makin' up fer teh shit I put ya through.”

“Oh, it's fine, sir, really! I-”

“Jus' take the damn money....”

“....But I don't even-”

“JUST SHUT UP AND TAKE MY BITS!!!”

"Y-yes, of course!!" Without another word, the bartender took hold of the bag of bits in his mouth and scurried off for his life. However, he made one last stop to that eerie, fully cloaked and hooded figure before he would make his way to a corner to curl up in. Jeez, only two Marelots and the guy looked like he was going to fall out of his chair. “Here's your Marelot, Sir. I would suggest that you should slow down, but the last time I did that it didn't.... it wasn't pretty.”

‘...Drink the night away, you arrogant asshat. Mark my words, I’ll....’

And this was the part where the hooded figure realized the bartender was still standing next to him....

“Scram.”

“Oh! Um, y-yes, sir!”

It looked like somepony wasn’t lucky enough for a tip this time.

‘Looks like the idiot’s too drunk to notice me anyway. Maybe now’s my chance....’

Having finished off what looked to be about five of the six shot glasses that used to hold the Afterburners he ordered, Crimson had felt -for lack of a better description from his limited, drunken vocabulary- “more energized than a motherfucker”. Good thing the lavender mare was too busy trying to keep her head together to give out scoldings, and only after two Marelots too. What a lightweight! Applejack on the other hoof looked as though she could take the entire bar on in a drinking contest if she wanted; eight Buckweisers and still going strong, the only sign that she was beginning to falter was her having a tad bit of trouble keeping her balance. It seemed like the mares who could back up their bark with their bite could always drink as if there was no tomorrow.

Pinkie was obviously feeling the effects of the alcohol -and hot sauce- in her system, but it didn't diminish her naturally perky nature any. In fact, it was making her even goofier if that were possible. Glitch seemed to be one of the only ones who could actually form slur-less sentences, but the fact he was close to his limit was apparent in the the way he held a hoof to his head in risk of it slamming against the counter surface. Five glasses of vodka and a Screwdriver - a cocktail that’s vodka mixed with orange juice - will probably do that to a colt.

“Don’t you think it’d be a good idea to calm down on the drinks, Red? It If you don’t slow down things could get....... what’s the word...? Damn, my fuckin’ head- UGLY. Yeah, that’s it.”

Crimson cocked his head at the green colt’s statement, smirk clearly evident on his face. “PSSH!!! Ah know how ta handle mah liquor, ya dork! Who d’ya think yer talkin’ to?”

“That was.... uncalled for, man.” Glitch sighed. He’d expected that kind of behavior from Wild Card of course, not Crimson.

“Ugh, look, A’m sorry fer tha, but you seriously need to lighten up.”

“Heh, funny, that’s usually my line.”

“Alright alright, I get it!” the black colt scratched the back of his scalp with a chuckle. “But c’mon! What could possible go wro-”

With an alarming THUNK, the cloaked black colt found that the end of a steel blade sunk into the wooden surface where his hoof used to be.

To his left was a fully cloaked figure, who didn’t exactly look as though he stabbed his knife into a bar counter on accident.... obviously.

“Sir! That kind of behavior will not be tolerated here in Appletini’s! I’m afraid that we’re going to have to ask you to lea-”

The shadowy figure rotated his head towards the “authoritative” ponies of the bar; only one royal blue eye visible through the stallion’s hood. Sparks of lightning coursed through his iris as if he was some sort of titan that only appeared in gryphon mythology and the more twisted foal’s fairy tales, the ones that made you squirm in your bed when the lights were out.

Bravado melting into their stomach vials as quick it came, the single bartender cowered behind the bar counter faster than you could blink. “C-continue.....”

‘Hahaha. Next time, guys, try getting some bodyguards.’

Crimson reached into his cloak, face quickly changing from ferocity to anguish. ‘Shit! How could I have forgotten to bring any of my weapons?! What am I, a fucking idiot?!’

However, something caught the black colt’s eye as the white hoof released its grip from the impaled dagger’s handle. The insignia on the blue leather handle was undoubtedly familiar; a bright orange sun that usually rested upon the flank of a certain alicorn princess....

“......Storm?”

“Oh, you didn’t think I just forgot about you, did you?” Pulling back the hood with a single hoof, a young unicorn colt with a white coat, flowing mid length white mane with blue lightning streaks running down it, and a crooked smirk was now visible from the neck down. “I sure hope you didn’t forget about lil’ old me, Red.”

“B-but I thought you-”

“Oh, I never left, dumbass.” Storm cut off as he brought back his hoof, his grin widening into a bloodthirsty smile that could even make Wild Card green with envy, “You should really double check next time. Oh wait, there won’t be a next time, will there?!”

Storm’s white hoof was now shrouded with a rosy aura, only centimeters away from connecting to the black stallion’s jawline. He began to turn his head towards everything possible, but his eye quickly caught a lavender unicorn mare standing no more than two feet away from him; an enraged scowl clear as day on her face.

“Miss Twilight Sparkle, what in the pits of Tartarus is the meaning of-”

“Cram it, Storm. We need to talk.”

Feeling his hooves take a leave of absence from the floor, Storm had no choice but to fall behind Twilight as she trotted towards the exit of the bar with a touch of fury in each step, dragging the unicorn colt at a close distance behind her as he flailed his hooves in desperation.

“Don't fret everypony, I've got this!”

“Twilight, what are you-.”

“Settle down, Crimson. I've got'cha covered!.” the mare reassured, replacing her previous scorn with a hearty smile. “You guys enjoy the rest of your night out doing whatever two stupid colts can think of next. I have a bonehead colt that needs some sense smacked into him. Take care!~”

“Um.... Have fun then.”

As the lavender mare made her way through the swinging doors of Appletini's for the last time for the night, the black colt waited for the two to be out of earshot to chuckle “Heh, lightweights in love I'd say. What a lucky little bastard.”

“Quite.” the green colt agreed, his gaze drifting off towards the metallic watch on his right hoof. “Storm doesn't know exactly how lucky he is right now.” As much as he absolutely despised that word, he found it very appropriate for this case.

“And why's that?”

“If I'd intervened a second sooner, well.... let's just say it would have been a pain in the ass to clean up what was left....”

*****************************************************************************************************************

The library’s door flung open, and a white colt was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor with a groan. Twilight trotted in after, shutting and locking the door with a satisfying click. “So, Storm... Whadda ya think yer doin’, ‘tacking the friend of the Princess’ Star Pupil, eh? I might have been pretty useless last time, but I’ve been reading some since then, so I’ve gotten quite a few new tricks stored in my horn.” She stood imperiously before Storm, a smirk plastered on her face, her eyes slightly dilated from being a tad too tipsy.

Storm struggled to right himself, but Twilight simply knocked him back over, pulling magical bonds out of nowhere to hold him down. “Wha... what do you think yer doin, you stupid mare?!” Storm winced, even to him it sounded petty. Twilight just smiled as she wobbled a bit on her hooves.

“I just want some answers, Storm. And... a reason why. A real reason.” She fell to her haunches before him, slumping until she was laying down, her face close to his. She had a tight-lined smile adorning her lips, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized her captive. Storm felt his stomach bubble with an inkling of worry, and fear.

The only thought he could come up with, was ‘are angry mares always this terrifying?’ The answer, was something he was dreading.

“Hehe~, It might make this easier on both of us y’know, ‘cause yer not going anywhere ‘till ya spill it.” The mare snuggled up closer until her lavender coat was against the colt’s body like glue, affectionately brushing her muzzle against Storm’s burning red one. “Of course, I’m alright with having you all to myself. Mmm, you're so warm....”

“P-please, stop... I’m- you’re drunk. I don’t like this. At all.”

Twilight just leered, pressing her snout into Storm’s mane and snuffling, his musky scent filling her nose as she murred, before hiccuping. Blushing slightly, she withdrew, a snort of laughter escaping.

Storm shuddered, the feeling of the unicorn mare’s breath in his mane was unnerving. “As long as you don’t do anything like that again, I’ll tell you whatever-mmph!”

To Storm, Twilight’s lips tasted of blackberries and grapes, blended and fermented to a delicate age of twenty. Not that he was by any means a connoisseur of fine wines, that was just his favorite. A simple red Marelot to sate your thirst. His thoughts turned to jelly when she started using her tongue.

Twilight broke the kiss, her heart thundering in her chest as it raced off into a sunset ringed by electrified fireworks, her breath coming out in halting gasps and her face twisted into a smile of triumphant ecstasy. “Let’s cut to the chase, then. I. Love. You.” Twilight gave Storm another nuzzle, even though he was still slack jawed with befuddlement. Yes, Twilight’s done her research, folks. She knows her kissin’.

Storm’s eyes came back into focus, drunken rage burning the alcohol from his system, and letting his embarrassment show through upon his burning cheeks. “How could you possibly think that you love me?”

Twilight shushed him with another kiss, this time with him not putting up the slightest resistance. “I love you. I have since I was eighteen. You stole my heart, and it’s only fair to give me yours.” She leaned in for another kiss when she found herself being held at bay by the flat edge of a dagger that was crackling ineffectually. She giggled. “I’m drunk, not stupid. I know about your lightning affinity, so I created a simple grounding spell. Electricity doesn’t affect me anymore, Storm.”

"W-What?! But...." The colt clenched his teeth, his face began to contort into an infuriating scowl. Storm narrowed his eyes at the mare, who kept her confident smirk clear on her snout. "There's no way your magic can actually be stronger than mine! I'm Storm Scratch; Master Lieutenant of the Celestial Army and the divine right hoof of the Sun Princess herself, Celestia!"

As he shot his screams of rage at the lavender mare, the colt brought the cold, razor sharp edge of the blade at her jugular and held it there. However, no sign of fear or terror could be spotted in the mare's demeanor. All Twilight gave him was a half-mast stare from her violet eyes. "You and I both know you wouldn't do it, Storm."

"Wouldn't. What makes you think I won't do it now?" the colt growled, royal blue eyes locked dead on Twilight's with a cold, yet uncertain glare. "That little spell of yours doesn't make your skin hard as a rock, though that still couldn't stop me! I could just easily turn Princess Celestia against you by letting her know you've been harboring The Crimson Shadow under her very eyes..." The magical aura that held the dagger began to waver, as did Storm’s voice. "All I have to do is make one tiny snip, and watch in triumph as you bleed to death...."

"That's not what I meant." the mare said between sighs. "You might find it hard to believe, but.... I can still find traces of the Storm I met those years ago, the one you used to be, when I look at you even now. The same Storm who showered me with such love and affection that beautiful, romantic night under the stars. The Storm I'm still head over hooves for. The Storm I still cry myself to sleep over when you come into my thoughts because my stupid head can't forget about you and let you go...."

Twilight leaned into the blade’s edge, and it fell away, not leaving even so much as a single hair of her coat out of place. She closed her eyes as she brought her lips to his once more, all resistance gone from the colt. When they paused for air, he whispered hoarsely, “Why? Why do you insist on loving me? I only threw you away, like a childhood toy...” Storm closed his eyes, returning the next kiss as best he could, trying to convey to the mare his confusion and emotional turmoil.

Twilight broke the kiss, and ran her muzzle through his mane again, revelling in the thick, bristly touch. “You didn’t throw me away, Storm. You just couldn’t bring yourself to love, when you had conditioned yourself to hate.” Twilight kissed him again, the sweet touch of his tongue on hers as comforting as the stars in the night sky and as warm as a summer breeze. “I’ve studied friendship for two years, ever since I moved to Ponyville. I think it’s about time I got a crash course in love.”

The ropes and chains holding Storm dissolved into nothing, and he opened his forelegs invitingly, letting Twilight lay atop him as he held her close. A tear unbidden rolled down his cheek as his mind left him with one last thought before fading into bliss, and that thought was: ‘Warm. I was cold, but now...’

Twilight’s magic encased the library in a sound barrier, and lowered all the blinds. The rest of the night was going to be private; she only wanted to share it with the colt she had finally caught.

*****************************************************************************************************************

Pinkie and Red slammed their empty shot glasses onto the table at the same time, making a few others buckle and almost fall off. “Ha!” they both gasped. “That hits the spot!”

Applejack finished her shot, choking on it as it burned down her throat. She grabbed Glitch’s glass of water and chugged it down, draining it with a satisfied smack of her lips. Glitch glared at the three of them blearily over his fifth bottle of Vodka. “You three are crazy, yinno that?”

“Eeeeyup! Crazy’s one way ta puddit, heh heh!” Applejack leaned dangerously far to the left before righting herself once again.

“Yeah... crazy’s good.” Pinkie giggles and hiccups as she flails her forelegs to get the barkeeper’s attention.

“I like crazy. I think crazy is great. Me and crazy go waaaaay back, actually. You see, people always thought I was fucking crazy, but that’s not true! We never dated!” Red and Pinkie break into whooping, mad laughter, Applejack snorting and whinnying as tears come to her eyes.

“Well, if I’m crazy, and AJ’s crazy, and you like crazy, then you like us!”

“Shit, Pinkie,” Red said past a fit of giggles. “I love ya both. I love you, Glitch. Hey! Barkeep! I love you! I love that mare over there!”

The mare in question raised a hoof in a drunken wave. “I love you too, man!”

Red laughed again, falling out of his chair. “I love this floor. This table! Sweet Celestia of Equestria, I love everything in the world! If Boss came in here right now, I’d kiss him!”

Pinkie fell over, landing next to Red. “I love you, Red. Like, I love you, man. I. Love. You.” Pinkie rolled over, pressing her face into Red’s as she tried to kiss him before devolving into snorts of laughter.

Pinkie got off the floor, unsteadily rising to her hooves, and started stumbling towards the door. “C’mon, everypony! Le’s get on with it, yeah?” Applejack got up to follow after, muttering under her breath while Red struggled to get up, and Glitch tottered along after.

As he went out the door, Red called to the barkeeper one last “Good-bye!” before tripping over his own hooves. The barkeeper came out of the back room to find a literal pile of golden bits on the table, many of the shot glasses filled with some of them, too. The bar pony shuddered with relief, and started cleaning the table. His new favorite customer had paid a most generous tip.

Pinkie, Red, and Applejack all did their best to wave goodbye to Glitch as he ambled on towards the edge of town before they turned and started stumbling into town.

Without really planning to, they ended up outside of Sugarcube Corner, and went inside. The fresh air had cleared the fog in their minds a bit, but they were still drunk enough to not really mind. They had the place to themselves, they soon found, as the Cakes had taken the twins to see their grandparents.

“So... what d’ya’ll wanna do?” Applejack wavered slightly, her entire body swaying from side to side as she tried to stand still.

Pinkie grabbed a couple bottles of rum and a bottle of whiskey stashed in the rafters and tossed the latter to the farm mare. “Here, take a drink! We can play two truths and a liiiie~,” she sang out quite harmoniously for being drunk off her trotter, “we can make a true game of it!”

Red looked confused, his eyes dilating a bit in curiousity. “How ya play that, huh, Pinkie?”

“It’s easy,” Pinkie Pie said as she hoofed Red a bottle of rum. “Somepony tells two truths about themselves, and one lie. Then, we have to guess which is the lie, and we only get one guess! If we don’t guess right, we hafta take a drink!”

Red just shrugged, and Applejack nodded. The game was on.

“A’ight, two truths anna lie, Red. You ferst.”

Red swayed from side to side as he screwed his face into a look of utter concentration.

To Pinkie and Applejack, he looked constipated.

"A'ighty.... mai ferst one. Ahem. ‘I was born to a rich fam’bly, as an only child.’ Secun’. ‘I have no idea what my parents look like.’ Aaaan’ the therd. ‘Ah’m hated by summa my closeshst friendsh.’ Whichen d’you think is the one tha’s a lie?”

AJ and Pinkie both bit their lips; this was a toughy! Pinkie answered first. “Well, I would say the secun’ one’s the lie. How can anypony not remember their parents?!”

Red shook his head, and Pinkie sighed as she took a swill.

Applejack looked at him closely, before looking down at her own drink. “Ah’ll go with th’ first. Th’ therd’s kinda true, since Storm seems ta hate ya, so it’s the only one that makes sensh. Numbah one!”

Pinkie muttered “Nigel’s not here” as Red nodded.

“Tha’s it. My famly weren’t no rich types; Hayseed took the children of the poor off the streets. If I’d been a rich kid, Madame Foster’s would have picked me up. AJ wins, or whatever.”

Applejack grinned. “A’ight. Mah turn. Let’s see....” she hummed, a hoof resting on her chin quizzingly. “Ah got this 'ere Stetson from mah Pa, the only town Ah've ever lived in ish Ponyville, an' Ah’ve always been one fer honesty.”

Pinkie blinked asynchronously, sticking her tongue out cutely as she did so. "Ooh! Ooh, pick me! Pick me! Mememememememe~!"

"Okay," Applejack tried her best to stifle a laugh. "Pinkie Pie, ya'll go first."

Squealing giddily, the pink mare let out a walloping "It's deh secun one! The secun one! Ish tha' right?! Huh?! Huh?!"

"Yes, Pinkie, tha' one! Ah did get this 'ere hat from Pappy, an' Ah wouldn't be no Element of Honesty if Ah ain't one fer honesty o' course! Sure Ah stayed a week er so wit Uncle an' Auntie Orange, so Ah guess tha' counts since Ah packed up ta move there, but home is where yer heart is, an' mine was here in Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acres!" the orange farm mare tipped her hat proudly with a smirk.

The black colt had a minor sign of worry apparent on his face. Red only just met these mares a couple days ago, how was he supposed to beat the two of them when they at this point probably knew everything about each other?

His musings were interrupted when Pinkie sucked in a deep breath. “Alrighty rosey-posey! My three are... oh! ‘I used to be an adventurer’ is my first one! ‘I was once a rock farmer’ is my ne-hic-rsht one! Annnd.... my last one is.... ‘I have never met a pony that I didn’t like!’ That’s all of them!”

Red returned to the present when Pinkie laid back, her head resting against his side as she smiled up at him, her eyes dilating and contracting, her whole body seeming to vibrate in anticipation. He sighed, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “I think you’re pretty adventurous, Pinkie. I think that you probably were a rock farmer, too. You seem to have the head for it.” Pinkie giggled as he gave her a noogie. Leaning his back against the wall, Red looked at the lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, its form distorted by the rum bottle’s color and shape. “I’d have to say... what made you hate this pony, huh?” Applejack took a swig of her whiskey, smacking her lips appreciatively.

“Well, I would think you’d know, silly. The only pony that I don’t think I could ever like is Wild Card! I bet even your boss is okay once you get to know him, right?” She looked up into his eyes, her eyes swimming with emotion at the very thought of a pony that she couldn’t like, even on a fundamental stage.

“Depends on if he’s even a pony, Pinkie." Crimson let out a faint chuckle, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. "The only thing pony about Boss are his hooves. Other than that..... I've never actually seen him unmasked. His eyes... They resemble that of a dragon's more than they do a equine's."

As he glanced over towards the mares, the colt knew it'd be a good idea to change the subject. "Lookie 'ere, we c’n think 'bout tha' later. We gotta whole week ta think n’ worry, but for now Ah say we quit deh worryin' an' continue teh game!" he smiled deliriously, the slurs returning to Red's voice in a heartbeat, as well as the tension dropping like a ton of bricks.

"Ah reckon yer right, sugercube." the orange mare nodded, an easy smile now plastered across her mildly freckled snout. "An' iffin Ah'm right, it happens to be yer turn!"

"Right!" the black colt smirked. "Now lessie 'ere.... 'Storm an' Ah 'ave fought one-on-one like, hundreds of times, half of those wins being mine, the other his', 'Ah've never been on a date', an' 'before making it ta Ponyville, Ah hadn't eaten or slept fer days.' Guess which one's da lie."

"Oh! Oh! I know!" the perky pony of pink squee'd in delight, her face beaming with a goofy ear-to-ear smile that almost caused the black colt to break out it laughs. "It hash ta be the therd one! I jus' know et!"

"Nope. Sorry, Pinks."

"Wa-hic-it, wha?" Pinkie's smile contorted from a smile to worried frown in just one hiccup, feeling her stomach churn in sympathy as well. "But 'ow could anypony not eat er sleep for more than a day?! That's torture!"

"Well, sometimes poniesh dat do bad tings get punishments, Pinkie. Bu' then again, Ah'm way overdue fer mah'n" Crimson frowned and let out a sigh. He was slowly chipping Pinkie Pie's innocence away, he could feel it.

Giving a frown that almost drooped off her face, the pink mare just responded with "Okie Dokie Lokie.... -hic-.... Hehehehe...-hic-HAHAHAHAHA!" Sorrow now forgotten apparently, Pinkie began a laughing fit at the cause of her own hiccups. Red almost lost it himself after she fell on her back and began flailing her hooves in the air.

"Hehehe, okay, yer turn, Applejack!"

"Hmmm. Ah'm gunna go wit' the ferst one. Sorry, but tha' seems a tad, well, silly."

"Aaaand nope. Sorry, AJ."

"Well... shoot." Applejack scratched at her blonde mane, eyes averted towards the ground. "Why would friends fight wit' each other like that?"

"Don't beat yerself up Applejack, it washn't all that bad. " the colt tried to reassure the orange mare with a smile. "Most o' them were jus' friendly spars, honest! Colts are stupid, no biggie!"

"Heh, Ah kinda figured!" And to that, the three shared a friendly laugh, as both mares had to take a sip from their drinks. However, that just left one answer left, and when the two mares remembered what it was...

Applejack and Pinkie Pie, as one, started choking and sputtering as they fought for air."YOU'VE BEEN ON A DATE?!" the two astonished mares shouted in perfect sync, both sticking their faces a little too close to the colt's for comfort.

"Oi, wha's that supposed ta mean?!" Crimson had to admit, that one kinda stung a bit.

"Hold yer horses there! We didn't mean it ta come off like that, sugercube, honest!" the farm mare apologized on their abrupt behalf. "It's jus' that.... we didn't take y'all fer the dating type is all."

"Well... Ah'm not. Ah'll 'ave ya know tha' I was hired fer it as a spai mission. It was at some fancy restaurant er some shit, I dunno. Anyway, one o' ya go already!" Crimson demanded a bit impatiently, something the colt rarely was. He wanted to stay as far away from the topic of dating as possible, absolutely despising romance -whether it was out of scorn from being an antisocial grump or jealousy was still in debate for the two mares.

"Ah'll go ferst then." Applejack spoke up, keeping quiet to search her mind for her choices, maybe something a little trickier this time. "A'ight, mah ferst one: 'Ah'm the proud owner of a border collie named Winona', ‘Rarity's looks mess wit' mah self esteem at times’, an' last ish tha' Ah absolutely hate wearin' dresses'. One of y'all take yer pick."

The pink mare and the black colt just exchanged glances with a smirk. "You can have dis one, Red."

"Why tank ya, Pinks." the colt then directed his crimson iris' towards a certain panicking farm mare. "Ah'mma 'ave ta go wit' numbah ONE!"

Pinkie couldn't help but facehoof. "Dangit, Red..."

"Wha'd Ah do?!"

Applejack let out a faint chuckle. These two were the polar opposites of each other, so it was bound to lead to some entertaining results. "Sorry, Crimson, but yer wrong on tha' account."

"Waitaminute, ya have a-"

"Eeyup!"

"....Why didn't ya tell meh, Ah love dogs!"

This caught the mares off guard. Neither could say they ever heard him put so much emphasis in 'love' before. "Well Ah'll be! Well why didn't ya just say so, sugercube?"

The colt just let off a shrug. "I 'unno, ya never asked. Heh, Ah love all animals ta be honest, dey're jus' so damn fascinating! Especially canines; fierce, loyal, an' kind. They never judge ya neither, they jus' listen; not to mention that they love so blindly half the time. Ah've always wanted one ta be honest."

"Boy, Fluttershy's gonna be real happy ta hear that!" Applejack smirked. "Winona's usually in the fields playin' wit' the sheep or sleepin' in her doghouse, Ah'd be darn happy ta introduce y'all to her!"

While the two kept up their drunken jibber-jabber, Pinkie Pie couldn't let something slip from her mind. "....Applejack? Why would Rarity lower your self esteem?"

As the black colt took a swig of his bottle, Applejack couldn't contain her heartbreaking sigh. "Jus’ think ‘bout it, sugercube. Rarity's one o' the most gorgeous mares out there. She can make stallions fall on their haunches wit' jus' a simple wink! An' then there's me..." Her eyes then hit the ground, keeping them on anything but the eyes of her peers. "That filthy, gross ol' mare that can't keep the dirt outta her mane."

"Applejack, ya know tha's not true!" the pink mare intervened, on the verge of tears herself. Had her friend always thought like this? Or only recently....

"Pinkie Pie, mah role in Ponyville requires me tah get dirty!" Applejack yelped, squeezing Pinkie with her forelegs. “Ah can't even try make-up an' mane products, they'd never stay on! Ah can't stand them anyways, it's jus' too damn unpractical! Ah probably intimidate most colts by actin' more masculine then they can most o’ the time. While Rarity always looks her best, Ah'm doomed to always look mah worst. It's no wonder Ah'm single-"

"Applejack, shut the hell up! Yer furkin' beautiful fer Luna's sake!"

The orange mare's eyelids shot open in a gasp, not expecting a masculine voice to be the one to say that. Applejack just looked deep into Crimson's eyes until she could finally let out a "W-wha'd ya mean by that?"

"Have ya not looked in a mirror lately?!" Both mares was taken back at this; why was he so full of rage all of a sudden? "Rarity is gorgeous, o' course, but ya don't have ta even try as hard as she does and ya look just as pretty, if not more than Rarity! Ah'm not a big fan of all tha’ flashy pomp -no offense to Rarity an' all, Ah like natural mares like yerself; ah tink mares like yerself look great without make-up. An' because ya have enough pride not ta not accept every hoofout tha' yer given, ya 'ave multiple talents, an' a body like no mare Ah've ever seen before, one that most mares would kill for!" At this point, the two had red all across their muzzles, but Crimson decided to ignore this for once in his life to make a point. "An' besides," the colt smiled, "dis world ish filled wit' nothin' but lies, so it's truely amazing ta see another pony who appreciates honesty as much as Ah do. So quit whining about how awesome ya are, it doesn't suit a strong-willed mare like yerself."

"Ah..." Applejack couldn't bring herself to talk any further before she began rubbing the vast volume of fluids that ran from the corner of her eyes. "Thank ya kindly, sugercube..."

"Anytime. But save the ‘thank you’s; Ah’m jus’ speakin’ mah mind is all. Now pleash stop cryin', Ah really can't stand it when mares do that."

"Hehe, fair 'nuff. Now let's get back on wit' dis game, shall we? Ah believe it was yer turn, Pinkie Pie?"

"Oh, yeah! That's right, my turn," Pinkie replied hoarsly as she finished wiping away her own stray beads of tears out of her eyesight. “Lemmie think.... OH! 'I once had a party wit' a stack o' rocks an' a bucket o' turnips', 'I can eat just about anythin' with -hic- hotsause', an' Mah favoritest color is pink!’

The black colt just gave an unsure look and shrugged. “Applejack, ya can go ferst if ya want.”

“Heh, a’ight then! Ah’m goin’ wit’ the ferst! Tha’s a bit too random, even fer ya’ll, Pinkie Pie.” The mare’s smile faded however when the pink mare shook her head. Applejack’s bottle was close running empty at this point, but she couldn’t be the only one.

“I didn’t wanna do it, really. It was Her fault!”

“Uh... her?” Applejack asked in disbelief, a single brow arched.

“Yes, Her! She’s a pessimist all deh time, an’ she’s always overreacting an’ takin’ tinks too far...” Crimson could tell that she was starting to feel uneasy by how her demeanor completely changed. “She wanted ta make Dashie an’ everypony go away. She’s nothin’ but a big Meanie Mc.... Augh!” Coming to a blank, Pinkie buried her face in her hooves and exhaled her pent up frustration.

“It’s fine, Pinkie.” sighed the tipsy black colt, resting a hoof on the exasperated mare’s shoulder. “She won’t come out while Ah’m around, Ah’ll maek shure of it!” The two exchanged smiles, which seemed to work wonders when even the Element of Laughter lost her touch every now and then. But was Pinkie really overstressing herself, or maybe.... ‘Who is Pinkamena Diane Pie anyway...’

“Reeeed, it’s yer turn!~” the pink mare sung, snapping the colt clear out of his blurry thoughts to contribute his guess.

“Ish it... teh therd one?”

“Eeyup yup yup, I don’t ‘ave a favorite, silly!~ I love all of them; purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, pink, but...” she paused. “If I had ta choose jus’ one, I’d pick red!~”

The same color was apparent on the black colt’s snout. “A’ighty, mah turn now! Mah ferst one, 'Ah've been paid ta act as a bouncer before at clubs an' bars', nesht ish...” His mind slipped back to the last time he’d been around a certain filly. “...'Ah used to plant a kiss on Star Bright's forehead every night before bed',” his voice hitched as he said it, and he needed to swallow a few times before the knot was gone enough to speak again. “An'... and lasht ish 'Ah hold no ties towards anypony in the organization from mah hitcolt days'. Take yer pick ferst, AJ.”

Applejack lifted a hoof up to her bottom lip, a hum escaping every so often. "A'ight..... Ah'ma go wit' the ferst one. It don't sound quite right in mah opinion."

"Heh, incorrect, madam," chuckled Crimson yet again, his smirk ever growing. "I've been a bouncer multiple timsh at many clubs. Ah was even hired at one of little Vinny's clubs, not that she knew or anytin’. If dere's one ting Ah have wit' meh at all timsh, it's stories." The colt prided himself as he watched the grumbly mare take a swig from her bottle. "A'ight, Pinks, yer up!"

"Woohoo!!!" exclaimed the pink poofball, as she began to teeter while staring at her forehooves, as if literally weighing her only two options against each other. "Hmm.... I say.... the therd one!"

"Aaand Pinkie Pie takes the cake!" the colt smiled, pointing a hoof at the drooling pink mare, who was licking her lips as her mind wandered off into a wonderland of frosting coated pastries. "Ah can't exactly say I never had ties wit’ dem. Those group of bastards were one o' deh only tings Ah could almost call a fam'bly at the tiem. Though it was a really fukkin' dysfunctional one, Ah can tell ya that. An’ the secun one wit’ Star....”

Ducking his head as he turned away, Red began furiously rubbing at the corners of his eyes with his hoof to keep the mares from seeing his face through his hanging, crimson striped bangs. “I never missed a single night. Not even our last one.... I’d sing ‘er a li’l lullaby, no matter what. Ah’d just sing to her, and then, I’d... I’d give her a li’l kiss on the forehead, sweet as you like, jus’ like she said her father’d dunnit.” He took a long pull from his rum, shaking his head afterwards and sniffing. “Is’ th’ least I could do, a’course, since Wild Card dun killed ‘im. Dammit, she was a downright sweet li’l thing, always so optumistic. Never saw the shadows, only th’ light that shaped ‘em.” He drained the rest of his rum, before clearing his throat and closing his eyes. “Goodnight, Star Bright. Rest in dreams away from fright. I hope you find peace when you awake, tomorrow at the hour of daybreak. I sing to you, my little Star, for my love has never stretched so far. So sleep tight, Star Bright, in dreams away from fright. In the morning you will rise, and you will never, ever leave my sight.”

He raised the bottle to his mouth again, before remembering it was empty. Tears ran down his face, and his breathing came in shuddering gasps. Pinkie was the first to throw her forelegs around him, but only through sheer speed. The two mares held him close, their own tears mixing together as they laid their heads across his chest.

Absent-mindedly, he nuzzled both of them, causing them to look up. Upon doing so, their foreheads were met with the tingling feeling of his lips, for only the briefest of seconds each. Afterwards, Red slumped back against the wall, a small smile threatening to break through the tears. “Don’t die.”

The two mares perked up their ears, not hearing what was said so softly. “Don’t die,” Red whispered again. “Please, don’t die. I loved Star. I.. I loved her with all my heart. Please... don’t die.” The two mares planted their muzzles on either side of his face, giving him twin kisses, before they wrapped their forelegs around him once again.

“Don’t worry, Red,” Pinkie said quietly as she ran her snout through his mane. “We won’t die. I Pinkie Pie Promise. Cross my heart...” She leaned back, her eyes twinkling as she did so. “Hope to fly...” She brought her head closer again, so she could look him fully in the eyes. “Stick a cupcake,” she said breathily as she pressed her nose against Red’s, her eyes slowly closing. “In my eye...” she finished the intonation with a kiss, her tongue slowly dancing around Crimson’s as his eyes shot wide with panic. As the kiss went on, however, his eyes softened and rolled back to make sure his frontal lobe was still working properly. It had nothing to do with what Pinkie was doing with her tongue. Nothing to do with that.

After Pinkie broke the kiss, she blushed and nuzzled his chest, holding him closer as she sighed happily, a soft murring noise coming from her chest. Applejack raised up and met the still befuddled Crimson’s lips, taking full advantage of his hanging jaw as she lassoed his tongue with hers, and had a slow dance in their joined mouths. Red’s mind raced as he flared his nostrils, trying to suck in more air as he panicked. Crimson’s mind started running again, still a bit uneasily from the alcohol and the kisses, but enough to get his forelegs up shakily and break the kiss. Applejack let herself be pushed away, her cheeks rosy as she smiled wide. "Sorry, hon. Ah jus' had to get tha' off mah chest."

"....................................................." Crimson just worked his jaw like a fish out of water, his mental processes not giving him the power of speech.

"Crimson? Ya okay there, partner?"

"Yoo-hoo?! Reeeed~! You in there?!"

Even as a pink hoof waved across the colt's now entirely red, slack-jawed face, Crimson didn't move a muscle. He searched his brain for words, but he might as well have been swimming in a twenty foot pool of jelly. The black colt felt as if he would lose consciousness at any minute, his scorching hot blush was even visible on the tips of his ears; his face even more red than the juiciest Red Delicious apple, warmer than a freshly baked pie that had just came out of the oven. As he swore his heart was going to bust out of his chest, Red could still feel the tingling warmth of the mares' previous contact from their lips on his own. 'So.... soft.....'

The red faced Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle, eyes only half open as she dreamily stared into the black colt's blank ones. "C'mon, silly!~ We aren't that good of kissers! Haven't you ever kissed anypony on the lips before?"

“....No.” The colt cleared his throat and did his best to control his blush, even through his drunken state. “The only time I’ve ever even really kissed was once, Vinny kissed me on the cheek when I had gotten a bad scrape, and every night with Star, on the forehead, and... the kiss she gave me, on the cheek...” The assassin, the feared Crimson Shadow, the scourge of Equestria, started sobbing. Not moaning. Not wailing. He just cried.

Pinkie nuzzled him, giving him small, brief kisses on his cheek whenever her mouth was by it. “It’s okay, Red... We’ll take good care of you, won’t we, AJ?” Applejack reached over and grabbed Pinkie Pie, giving her a wet, slobbery kiss on the cheek before nuzzling Red.

“Ayep! I reckon we can handle this’n.”

Crimson’s consciousness slipped away, his heart feeling as if it were aflame, his emotions raw, but everything perfect and warm.

Oh, there was also two mares lying on top of him.

*****************************************************************************************************************

“Fuuuuck, my head...”

Mane still leaking from the excess shower water every now and then, the dark green colt trotted over towards the wooden workbench where his trademark glasses peacefully rested, the light green Capricorn mark with thin white outlines resting proudly on both sides of his exposed flank. Slipping the lenses over his snout, Glitch took in and admired the ‘touching up’ he had done to the hidden cave he and his dimwitted counterpart were residing in for the meantime.

In less than full day’s time, the mad mechanic managed to construct two mattresses of the wool from a pack of traveling Ovis aries (or sheep for the not-so-brainy types) that were “kind” enough to shave off some of their fluffy fur coats; a refrigerator/freezer combo he had plugged into a one hundred percent magical power generator he had built off spare parts of his other inventions; a weapons stand hanging against the rocky cave wall from several nails screwed into the sides; and a tub/shower combo, secluded I might add, that he managed to connect to Ponyville’s main water supply pipe to “borrow” a tad of their water, hence where he just came from. What? Just because it was a cave doesn’t mean he couldn’t give it a homely appearance..... even though they probably wouldn’t be staying long enough to appreciate its uses.

'I can see why Red used to take so many showers. Helps to ease this Luna forsaken hangover. And those mares.... Was Wild actually right about something for once-'

Train of thought cut short by a high pitched BEEEP BEEEP, Glitch shot his emerald eyes towards the culprit of the constant ringing; his metallic watch powered by gemstones lit a light green throughout every ring over a well carved wooden workbench.

‘Hello, may I ask who is calling at such an hour?’ the green colt answered, placing a hoof over it's cold surface as if fusing with its being. ‘....Oh, good to hear from you, Boss sir.... It's a tad difficult at the moment. Crimson isn't letting up at the moment, though he can most likely still be swayed, don't worry....’

Eyelids trapped shut, Glitch could still feel the bead of sweat roll down his temple side. ‘..... Well, I'm not sure how well that might might work out, sir- no no, I'm not trying to argue here, it's just that-..... I guess I'll just have to take the precautions. I'm sorry, I will take the precautions. Have a wonderful night's rest, Boss.’

Just as he lifted his hoof, canceling his connection to the tool to hit the hay himself -for what little of the night there was left at least, the green colt stopped dead in his tracks and sighed. Another call...

‘Hello, may I ask who’s- OH! Fret not, my dear, the weapons shall arrive momentarily, I swear on my life.... I apologize sincerely, I have yet to mark any sign of either of them. Lieutenant Scratch must still be tracking Re- er.... The Crimson Shadow.... Yes, you too, Princess Celestia.’

As he disconnected the call, Glitch groggily dragged his half awake corpse of a body onto a mattress and slid his eyes to a close. It was times like these that this 'double agent' gig could be, a lack of better words in his exhausted, sleep deprived brain, a real bitch.....

Chapter Fifteen: Beats of the Heart

Chapter Fifteen: Beats of the Heart

Chapter Fifteen: Beats of the Heart

‘Stubborn girls.... why don’t they just listen to reason for once?’

It would only be a few hours until their little journey began. The colt gave a mild sigh, as he trotted along the streets of the carefree town as his mind raced at speeds that would make even the Wonderbolts jealous. At least having his cloak back made this all the more pleasant, or at least as pleasant as walking in the Sunlight could get. And might as well, he figured. There was a good chance this would be the last he’d ever see of these streets....

‘I.... I don’t want to see them hurt, or........ And I won’t. Whatever happens to me happens, but I'm not about to let the only ponies that actually gave me something to protect since Star Bright share a fate similar to my own.’

Satisfied with his little affirmation for the time being, the cloaked stallion began to make his way towards the main gates of Ponyville where the five would eventually meet up. The colt’s ear twitched when a quick movement on the roof of a nearby home caused a faint takka sound.

“Heh, okay then.” Crimson finally came to a halt, the black stallion alone on a section of road behind a few buildings, where no prying eyes could see, other than a passing pegasus.

Crimson gave a wicked grin from ear to ear. “Looks like someone wants a little rematch, eh? Good news! I’ve got a few hours to kill, and I’m sure that you’ll be done playing hide-and-seek soon enough...” Crimson whipped around, his black-bladed katana flashing in the sunlight as he glared into a nearby alleyway. “BRAT!!!”

********************************************************************************************************

“C’mon, Twi! Check it out! There bar is fully stocked! Ohmigosh! I’ve never seen so much cider in one place!”

“What?!”

“Oooh, look at those cups! How the hay is somepony supposed to drink from such a tall glass? Is it a Unicorn thing or something? Hey, that looks cool...”

Twilight shook her head. She couldn’t hear anything Rainbow was saying over the thud of the electronic music.

The mare could feel her chest pumping a mile a minute. It was exactly how she had pictured it; multicolored flashing lights, ear-splittingly loud music, enough alcohol on the shelves to down an Ursa Major, hundreds upon hundreds of drunken dancing ponies, and one lavender unicorn standing awkwardly between it all....

“I... I knew this was a bad idea,” Twilight muttered, though more than likely to nopony considering that it was drowned out by the electronic beats. The mare trembled, her ears folding themselves down helplessly as her violet orbs targeted the exit. “J-Just a big, pointless mista-”

“M-Miss Sparkle- er, Twilight? Sorry, force of habit....”

It took a while, but Twilight noticeably beamed at the sound of the equally as awkward white stallion, despite the volume of the music currently blasting. It even looked as though he had acquired a new military jacket as well, which added to the colt’s already dashing looks. “....Storm? Storm!”

The flustered colt was caught off guard when he felt a warm sensation coat his lips, followed by a nuzzle from the Twilight. She was definitely getting.... better when it came to making him blush.

“I’m glad you came, Twilight. This isn’t exactly my idea of a Canterlot afternoon, but it’s better than nothing.” Storm returned the affection with a quick nuzzle of his own. He was definitely inexperienced at this kind of thing, and it probably showed much to his own dismay. “I promised sis that I’d.... relax, and she practically begged me to come to one of her raves.... and, well-”

Before he could finish his nervous attempt at recompense, the colt was silenced by another sneak attack of lip-locking via Twilight. “It’s fine,” the mare whispered breathily as she broke the kiss. “All that really matters is that we can finally spend some more worthwhile time together. Just the two of us-”

“Ahem.”

“... And Dash, heh heh...”

The tension that lingered where the three had been standing only increased as Rainbow Dash held her cold, hardy glare firmly fixated on the white colt. “....Right. Twilight, I think I’ll let you two have your fun. I’ll be over.... somewhere, if you need me.”

“Well, if you say so Rainbow-”

But in the blink of an eye, Twilight found that she was only talking to herself, the cyan mare nowhere in sight after she had dashed off at rather suspicious hurricanespeeds.

“....Dash?”

“Just leave her be,” Storm spoke up through the silence, as his lips curled into a noticeable smirk. “I can’t really say I blame her after what happened in that town of yours. I seem to have that effect on ponies; it’s a pain in the ass for even my own sister to put up with me sometimes....”

Twilight looked over to the colt, questioning the slightly disheartened tone in his voice. “Well.... I guess you’re lucky you have me then!” she playfully teased as she nuzzled under the white colt’s chin. Storm could see through her desperate attempts to derail the subject matter, though he couldn’t exactly deny her unending affection was rather.... adorkable.

“Yeah.... Maybe I am.”

Twilight’s expression grew shocked, before slightly heady, a tint of rose engulfing the space under her eyes. ‘D-Did he just....’

“Well, what are we doing just standing here like stiffs?" Storm inquired as motioned he motioned his hoof around the crowded vicinity. “There’s plenty of.... activities, to do around here; dancing, getting something to drink.... dancing-”

The lavender mare couldn’t hold back her giggles at the colt’s forlorn attempts at enthusiasm. At least he was trying; baby steps. “In case you forgot, we are stiffs. Plus, I’m pretty sure that I couldn’t dance through a field of parasprites let alone that--” Twilight pointed at the crowd writhing to the bass like an eldritch abomination with epilepsy “--to save my life.”

Storm let out a small chuckle, awkwardly scratching the back of his head with a hoof as heat began to form across his muzzle. “Well, that’s good. At least I’m not the only one....”

“Well then, how about we rhythmless stiffs just relax a bit and catch up on lost time? It’s been around three or four years since I left Canterlot, I’m sure we both have some interesting stories that we could share with one another.”

The white unicorn nodded with great relief, thanking his lucky stars that his new-found marefriend could act as a scapegoat to what ponies around here would consider fun.... Wait a minute, were the two of them so close as to even label themselves as a couple, or dating for that matter? Honestly, Storm couldn’t care less at the moment, he’d rather dwell on those thoughts as they came. But like it or not, this could definitely be considered a date....

Oh, a certain DJ wasn’t going to let him hear the end of this one, would she....

********************************************************************************************************

“Hmm.... would you be so kind as to pass me that sprocket on your right?”

“Um.... Sorry, but do you mean this.... wheel thing?”

“Uh.... yes, that would be it, Raven. Thank you.”

The dark coated unicorn wiped a strand of her lengthy mane from her face as she sat quietly, ready and eager to assist the busy stallion with anything. Glitch turned his wrench to tighten the bolt, a loud PANG from his hammer filling the room every so often as he continued his work. The furnace at the far end dimly lit the workshop, but still kept a shadowy atmosphere about it, one that both ponies could very well appreciate.

‘This is almost romantic,’ Raven thought with a faint blush. ‘Dim lighting, just the two of us, him hammering away at... things. But.... I wonder.... what’s going to happen if....’

“...Glitch....what are you going to do when Boss finally gives the word about.... about Crimson?” Her violet eyes immediately shot off in the opposite direction, a blush seeping it’s way up her neck as she blew yet another strand of hair from her vision. “I-I’m sorry.... I-If it was was.... personal, I completely-”

“You should know it’s fine to ask me anything at this point,” the colt pushed his rectangular glasses up his snout with a hoof. “Honestly, Raven. We’ve known each other how many years now....?”

“S-Sorry....” the mare whispered, as her eyes slowly met with Glitch’s.

“....I’m not entirely sure myself, actually.” Glitch sighed to himself, returning his gaze back to his work table. “I’d rather not kill him; he is my friend; and barring that, he also holds a zodiac mark. It’s for that same reason why Boss punished him when he killed Hinode-” The door to the workroom slammed open, a pony silhouetted against the brightness of the room beyond looking around before spotting Glitch.

“Ah, there you are, my fine fellow! And a very fine hello to you too, Miss Raven.” The mare only hid her eyes from sight behind her mane until the pony redirected his attention back to Glitch. “How are you doing today, hmm? Working on another of those... what did you call them again? Rowboats?”

“No,” the green pegasus said as he studiously ignored the newcomer. “It’s a robot. A Remotely Operated Battle Optimizing Technodrone.”

“You don’t say....” The baffled stallion scratched at the locks of his pink mane, one brow raised higher than the other. “I’m afraid to tell you this, Glitch, but you’re going to have to put that on hold for now. I just received word from Boss about something rather urgent.”

“Urgent? What exactly are you getting at here, Notch?” Glitch’s attention almost immediately dropped from his work, his heart thumping in his chest at an alarming rate. ‘

A sheet of paper flew itself into Glitch’s slights, a rosy aura around it similar to what coated the light blue- almost silver- stallion’s horn. “It says here that you and I must head out immediately to meet with an old friend of ours....”

Glitch swiped the paper right out of the unicorn’s magic grip in order to get a better look for himself. “....It says here that the two of us are required to head into the Everfree forest just near Baltimare, to find.... Professor Diana Plasm?!” The green stallion shoved his nose deeper into the print to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks with him. “yatayatayata-Head towards the base he’s been confirmed to be located in and.... either take him in, or take him out.”

“Glitch! A-are you sure the two of you could handle him all on your own?” Raven’s spoke up, a twinge of worry definitely apparent in her violet orbs, which were glued to the green colt’s in an almost pleading manner. “Plasm used to be one of us, just him alone could mean serious danger! What if captures you, a-a-and ends up using you for one of his experiments or even-”

“Raven, please, calm yourself.” Glitch had trotted over to lay a hoof on the mare’s shoulder in order to help her cease her panicking, which unfortunately only seemed to do the opposite. “You and I know full well that I can handle myself, even against the likes of Diana.”

“Of course! And besides~,” Notch chimed in with much enthusiasm in his voice, almost as if he were about to burst into song. “Glitch and I are more than a match for Plasm and his entire gang of freaks. Remember who you’re talking to, Raven. Aaaand even if something happens to Glitchy over here, I’ll be sure to bring him back in one piece.... or two. Haha~!”

The pretty-colt’s grin only widened when Raven’s face seemed to drop itself of all color, as he recieved a look from Glitch that signified the message ‘You’re not helping at all’.

After much thought and lip biting, the jet-black mare sighed before glueing her gaze onto Glitch once again. “Okay, you can go as long as you promise me you won’t get hurt,” she requested sternly, as if she had a say in the matter.

“For the last time, Raven,” Glitch gave her a brief, but warm smile, “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

Notch smiled warmly at the scene, unable to stop the honest happiness from showing. ‘Ahh, to be loved... Such a wonderful affliction; the best and worst sickness out there.’ Notch shook the thoughts from his head, turning around. “Ta, Raven! Me and Glitch need to head out; don’t worry, he’s got me. He’ll be fine.”

“I-If you say so....” As the pegasus got to his hooves and the two colts went out the door, Raven simply stayed seated, staring at the sprockets she was still holding. ‘... Yes... Romantic.’

As the two trotted down the charcoal colored hallways, Notch couldn’t stop himself from letting out a small snicker. “Such a shy girl she is, and yet she still seems to have you whipped.”

“Cut me a break; I’ve known the girl since she was only nine.” the green stallion sighed, once again toying with the alignment of his lenses. “Not to mention I’m at least five years her senior. It’s more of a brother/sister sort of deal by now.”

“Well in case you haven’t noticed, that Raven’s a full grown mare now. You can’t just keep treating her like a kid forever.” As a thought passed by, a crooked smile gradually began to curl over his muzzle. “.....Heh. Think about it, my friend. Mares have needs of their own; you’d better be careful if you want to keep your.... stallionhood intact....”

Even though the green colt managed to keep his expression seemingly composed, a faint twitch of the eye was the only clue the unicorn needed to know he had broken Glitch’s stubborn stoic exterior.

“.....Anyway,” Glitch muttered in a tone that highly suggested he was suppressing an urge to strangle the colt next to him. “It’s not often that I’m chosen for this kind of thing, and when I am, Wild Card is often the one I’m partnered with.”

“Yeah, poor Wild,” Notch stated, a hint of amusement in his voice. “Poor guy’s been sulking all day about not being allowed to come with. But you know how Wild is; his hastiness and energetic behavior are what usually end up killing the pony we need to capture. Or his carelessness ends up with the wrong pony’s blood on his hooves, much like that one filly’s father if I recall correctly....”

“Indeed,” the four-eyed stallion exhaled mournfully, “And last I recall, Wild wasn’t the one who ended up suffering from it either....”

********************************************************************************************************

“I wonder where that insufferable stallion has gone off to, I mean really. He told us to meet there within four hours, not after.”

The farm mare sighed. “Rarity, it’s only been an hour! He’s got a whole ‘nother one if he’s gotta pack or somethin’! Give him the benefit o’ the doubt fer once, honestly!”

Fluttershy gave off a small sigh of defeat. “He probably left without us...”

Applejack turned to look at the demure pegasus, who had only stopped by her home long enough to tell her animal friends that she was leaving Spike in charge and pack a small lunch for all of them. “Really, Fluttershy? Rarity of all ponies, Ah expected to be skeptical. But you? Ah know you ain’t hung around him much, sugarcube, but he ain’t that bad a colt. He’s kept his word of helping around the farm, even when he wouldn’t show his face. He’s good, an’ Ah don’t know why nopony else wants t’ see it!”

“Oh! Oh! I see it! I see it!” the bubbly pink mare cheered as she bounced along the dirt road that lead towards the town gates. Applejack couldn’t help but crack a smile; Pinkie’s always seemed to be contagious.

“Now I’m not saying that I can’t see it in particular, darling. It’s just.... complicated to do so at times really.” The discomfort on Rarity’s face was visibly obvious, which could have meant she at least held some regret for her previous assumptions concerning the black colt. “I admit, that stallion can be rather sweet when he wishes to be. And none of it is his fault actually, it’s how he’s grown to see the world throughout his life....”

There was a silent agreement between the girls, as they continued down the path that led to the cloaked stallion.

And there he was; crimson eyes slid shut as if he were simply taking a nap, blood red cloak wrapped tightly around his entire frame as if to conceal the secrets that were locked inside. Nothing out of the ordinary, much to the mares’ surprise. He looked at peace.... that is, until they looked down to find him sitting on top the back of another pony, who was helplessly plopped on his stomach with no clear way of escape.

“So you came early? Good, less time spent on waiting so we can finally get this show on the road.”

Rarity mentally facehoofed. “I see you can’t keep yourself out of trouble for a measly few hours, can you?”

“He’s the one who attacked me, so it’s not my problem,” Crimson countered, smiling down mockingly at the robed pony glaring daggers right back. “I’m still trying to figure out what to do with him actually. Payback always comes to mind, however...”

“What are you ponies still standing here for?! Run! Save yourselves before he slaughters your entire village!” the mysterious pony cried out before he felt an enraged hoof deliver itself over the back of his skull, the pain not uncomparable to a metal baseball bat. His alabaster robes were littered in dirt stains, strands of his ebony mane were carelessly evident even through his hood, along with a slight reddish orange coat that was comparable to that of a sunset. His vermillion orbs almost matched, as they peeked themselves just over the mask that had kept his mouth free of any dirt.

It was then that a metaphorical light bulb lit itself inside the pink pony’s noggin. “Hey! I just ran into this guy only a few hours ago!”

“What? When?” the black colt tilted an eyebrow, directing his glare over the clans colt in question. “If he so much as touched a single pink hair on your mane I’ll-”

“Red- Do I look hurt to you, silly? All he did was run off while carrying some big overgrown crocodile thingie on his back. He also made a big ol’ cloud of smoke after throwing some kind of ball on the ground. I wonder if they sell those anywhere in Ponyville! I could use it for special effects for a circus act, or even the next Summer Harvest Parade! It’d probably be even more super extra snazzerific than my lettuce float last year! I’d have to think of some puns for that one too! Smoked Carrots? Nah... Ohh! Maybe even....”

‘Dear Luna, I almost forgot how much this mare could blabber on about nothing,’ Crimson massaged the crease of his snout, desperately trying to block out Pinkie Pie’s constant jabbering from his thoughts as he let his gaze slip to the almost equally annoyed Hayai. ‘So, my suspicions were correct; there was more than one of them. Guess I owe him one for potentially saving this town from turning into pony stew.’

“-But then she said she was too busy to let me in! Too busy for giving Pinkie Pie candy, are you crazy-”

“Pinkie,” Applejack interjected, placing a reassuring hoof over the frantic pink mare’s withers. “Ah think they get the gist of it, puttin’ it mildly....”

“Okie Dokie Lokie!” Pinkie gave a goofy salute, causing the apple farmer to once again break in another grin.

“Um.... well, I...” The pale yellow pegasus shifted her hooved awkwardly in the dirt, giving a quick gulp as she struggled on with her words. “If you don’t mind me asking.... who exactly is this pony?”

“Well.... would you believe a prince from a faraway land filled with ninjas that all want me dead because I took out their leader?”

“.........No, r-really... Who is he?”

“....It’s not important right now,” Crimson sighed, a hint of frustration in his tone. “What matters now is a way to get rid of hi-..... Pinkie?”

Pinkie delivered her full attention towards the colt’s roguish, blood red orbs. “Something the matter, Red?”

The black colt couldn’t help the devious smile forming over his muzzle. “.....You don’t have a spare, perhaps mobile, Party Cannon, would you?”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, silly! My Party Cannons all have wheels! Look!” Reaching behind herself, she whipped a cannon easily thrice her size over her head to land with a small tremor in front of Crimson, whose smile just got bigger.

“Red,” Applejack started, tilting her head quizzingly, “what in tarnation do y’all plan on doin’ with-”

“Just a second and you’ll find out....” Picking the clanscolt up by the hood, he shoved him into the oversized Party Cannon. “Ya!” Slamming all four hooves into the ground as hard as he could, he sent the Cannon a good ten inches into the air; that was more than enough. Crimson got beneath it with a hoof and threw it skyward, the colt’s startled yell muffled by the distance.

He then jumped up to the cannon, where it hung at the peak of its arc, a good quarter mile above the ground. “Next stop,” Crimson exclaimed as he brought a forehoof back. “Canterlot!” He slammed his hoof on the button, the cannon flying back a good three feet as the colt inside was sent flying straight towards the mountainside city.

It was quiet, the only sound being the panicked screams slowly fading out in the distance. If Crimson had counted correctly, this would have been the second time today he made the mare’s jaws drop to the floor....

The white unicorn struggled to move her lips coherently, causing whatever words to come from her mouth to be almost illegible stutters. “I-he-you-cannon-fire-boom......do you even REALIZE-”

“Yup, and he’s Canterlot’s problem now,” the black colt made his descent and gently landed with a snicker, Rarity’s face red to the point where it looked as though it’d burst any second. “Now don’t get your saddle ties in a twist; the guy’s harmless towards pedestrians, so nopony there has much more to worry about that a little bit of confusion. Now let’s get a move on already. You do know that every second we stand here, the longer it’ll take to get to Plasm’s lab....”

“Um, excuse me, um... I-I think Rarity’s worried that y-you shot him from a cannon.” Red sighs, his head sagging towards the ground.

“Look, he’s tried to kill me, what, at least five times in the past week or two? I’ve been wanting to do something like that for a while now, and he’s tough enough to be able to take a hit like that, so don’t worry. Really. With my luck, he’ll wind up hitting somepony on the way there, and get a ride back so he can chase after us. Wouldn’t be the first time.... Alright, let’s get a move on already.”

Rarity gave off a frustrated sigh before trotting after the colt, the rest of the mares following suit. Though Fluttershy needed a literal tug from the pink mare to get her going. And the five were off, the sun lighting their path as though it was their holy guardian....

‘....Eh, I still prefer the moon anyday....’

********************************************************************************************************

“... And that just leads us right into Copernicker’s theory, that our planet isn’t in the center, but rather orbiting the sun. Of course, this has been proven completely false, and both his and Colambess’ theories have been removed from study, as they are unnecessary for learning even the basics.” Storm nodded, his face as impassive as ever.

One wouldn’t have known he was having fun, if they hadn’t noticed the subtle way he was leaning towards Twilight, or how he was at ease instead of standing stiffly at attention. Of course, this meant that Dash hadn’t noticed, and she pitied him. Not to mention herself. “Uuugh, this is so booring... Nopony wants to dance, and Twi and her colt are geeking out, and that’s no fun. What the hay is a mare supposed to do?!”

“Maybe me?” Dash looked up, startled, as somepony actually contrived to answer her question.

The other mare giggled, as Dash’s already fuzzy brain attempted to deal with this sudden new thing that took on the appearance of the mare taking a seat next to her. Despite her coat being an earthy yellow, it wasn’t hard to tell that it was very well groomed. Her mane was a glossy black that almost reached past the middle of her back, and while a little shaggy, still appeared well maintained.

She also sported a sexy, if not a too revealing, black dress that held slots for her wings to breathe and showed off her cutiemark: A set of scales with a moon on one side, and a sun on the other.

“To dance with I mean. Unless of course you had.... other ideas.” the strange mare smiled flirtatiously, navigating a hoof under the cyan mare’s chin. Rainbow Dash felt the heat rising to her muzzle, as she felt her head be gently tilted to meet the mare’s blazing orange eyes.

“S-Sorry, lady,” Dash pulled her head away from the other mare’s gentle grasp. “My wings fly only one direction, and.... yeah, sorry.”

“S’cool, I just believe it’s only fair to give both teams a chance,” the mare shrugged. “We do have two wings for a reason, you know.” The mare giggled again, before holding out her hoof. “My name’s Steady Flight. What’s yours?”

“Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in all of Equestria!” the cyan mare stated triumphantly- albeit while wavering the slightest bit- as she shook the mare’s hoof. “You can call me Dash, though.”

“Right, Dash....” Steady giggled. “Though “Dashie” sounds much cuter to me, dont’cha think?”

“Yeah, no thanks. That name’s a little....” Dash paused to tap a hoof to her lip, racking her brain to search for the right word. “....Personal, I guess.”

“Heh, don’t worry, I understand,” the earth-yellow mare gave a smiled warmly, which turned deviant when she followed up with “As long as you tell me why you were checking out my flank not too long ago.”

Rainbow Dash’s face flushed from cyan to rose, which she attempted to cover up with an embarrassed grimace. “Hey- D-Don’t get the wrong idea, idiot. Your cutiemark just reminds me a lot like a friend of mine’s cutiemark.”

“Is that so?” The playfulness in Steady’s eyes was replaced with one of curiousity, but figured the rainbow mare must have been naughtier than she had guessed and had somehow gotten a sneak peak of Storm’s mark from under his jacket. “Well, if you’re really that curious, it’s the sign of the Libra. I don’t see why Storm decides to keep his all covered up; this mark signifies that we’re unique~!”

“Storm? How do you-”

“Oh, he’s a colleague of mine,” Steady stated as if it were no big deal, turning her attention towards the two lovebirds across the other bar. “He and I work together, though he’s a good few ranks higher than I am.”

“W-Wait a sec- you’re a-” Her suspicions were confirmed with a simple nod as Rainbow Dash tried to fathom how her words could be true. “I....would’ve never pegged you for a Celestial Guard, actually. Ehehe....”

“No worries, I realize that I mustn't look the part without any kind of armor on.” the tan pegasus chuckled with no evident signs of being offended.

“So.... you work with that ass?”

“Unfortunately....” And with that, Steady’s blazing orange orbs lingered their way back over to the couple, almost letting out a squee when the lavender mare planted a kiss over the now blushing Storm’s cheek. “Awww, aren’t they just the cutest~?”

“Buck no!” the rainbow maned pegasus shot back with poison in her tone. “Twilight doesn't deserve to put up with a jerk like him, she's way too good for that! I mean, Red’s an okay colt, and he’s supposed to be the ‘evil’ one.”

“....Red? That name sounds familiar....” Steady only shrugged. “Well anyway, I think it'll do him good. Maybe soften him up a bit. Would be quite a vacation from his usual poutiness.... Hmm, I wonder what their kids would look like.”

Dash, unfortunately, was drinking Wild Pegasus when that was said, and it ended up burning her throat worse on the way out. “Pff-what?! What?!”

“Just a thought is all~! Hahaha! You should have seen the look on your face!”

“ARGH, Celestia dammit!”

Storm lightly cursed under his breath, trying his hardest to contain the sigh within his throat. He couldn’t tell exactly what they were saying, but knowing Steady Flight, it was enough to make him cringe.

“.....Storm? Are you feeling okay?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, don’t worry. It’s just that this place is so nosy- er, noisy to the point where it’s getting a little complicated to talk is all....”

Twilight nodded in agreement, until her eyes lit up as though they were stars in the sky. “I remember reading that those special passes you gave me also allowed me private access to the lounge backstage!”

“Ha, well that’s good news. I can’t believe I didn't think of that earlier, Miss Smartypants.” Storm teased, giving a quick chuckle. However, the stallion’s grin slowly faded when he noticed the look Twilight was giving him. She stared lovingly, alluring violet orbs at half mast with a blush spread over the mare’s entire muzzle. The lavender mare lips curled into a smile far, one that definitely proved the naughty librarian stereotype was much more than a mere myth.... “....Twilight, why are you-”

“Storm, don’t play dumb....” The heat in the white colt’s cheeks grew tenfold, as Twilight pressed her snout into his mane, murring in pleasure as his musky scent filled her nose. Storm was sure his heart was pumping at lightning speeds, as he felt mare’s warm breath coursing through his mane. Finally, the librarian got up from her stool, running her tail under Storm’s muzzle as she looked over her shoulder with that same look at before. “Well, what are you waiting for, Lieutenant? Let’s “talk” somewhere a little more.... private.”

Before he even had the chance to protest, Twilight’s horn alit with a rosey aura, along with the collar to Storm’s jacket as he was dragged against his will by the mare’s superior magic. Yep, she was definitely getting better. Steady Flight let out a faint laugh, the cyan mare sitting next to her trying to stop herself from barfing all over the countertop.

There was an unsure silence wavering over the two mares- or as silent as a gigantic rave joint with speakers even larger than a full grown manticore pounding from the raw power of the electronic bass could get- before Steady decided be the one to break the ice.

“....Well, looks like we're two sober mares with nothing to do.... wanna change that?”

“Eh, why not. I'm game.”

********************************************************************************************************

“Oh come on now! Please? Pretty please? I’m begging you, darling; we’ve been walking for hours! Even the moon is a sign from the Princess of the night herself that we should take a incy-wincy little break!”

It was taking the black colt all of his might not to respond to the white unicorn’s whining- or as she she corrected him with the proper term, complaining. Though it was true that the moon was visible, the sky was still red and just well enough lit to continue onward.

“C’mon now, Rarity.” the orange mare began. “Remember, we’re the ones who agreed to the term’s n’ all.”

Though he didn’t let it be known, the cloak clad colt let a smile form over his muzzle; at least somepony saw the method to his madness.... Wait a minute, what was that- “Stop.”

Crimson tried not to roll his eyes as Rarity, ever the drama queen, set herself down with an exhausted sigh, massaging her aching hooves before catching a whiff of why he’d ordered them to stop walking.

“Ugh, what is that horrid stench? It smells like... I don’t even know what it smells like. I’d say rotten eggs, but it’s more akin to the stench of something my sister made when she tried her hoof at baking cookies.” Rarity put a hoof over her mouth as the stench made her feel nauseous.

Crimson grunted, sniffing at the air and wrinkling his nose. ‘Something’s dead, and it’s fresh. Maybe a day or two. Either an Ursa got careless with its meal, or someone’s sending a message.’ He looked at the group of mares waiting patiently behind him. “I’ll check it out. Stay here until I say you can move. Pinkie, you’re on guard. AJ, you watch the rear, in case we were followed. Fluttershy, you get into the air, or even a tree, and scan the skies. Rarity, you can take a break. Eat something, all of you. This counts as one of our breaks for the day.” As the mares all set about their tasks with varying levels of reluctance and silence, Crimson disappeared into the trees, barely leaving a whisper of wind at his departure.

“Shit, I figured as much,” the black colt sighed, inspecting the completely still manticore lying on it’s side, noting the various slash marks that could only be done with a quick hoof and a swift katana. “Those bastards couldn’t have signaled me a different way? The poor creature didn’t need to act has a medium....”

********************************************************************************************************

“Wooo!!! You go, girl! Work that rainbow butt!!!”

“Shaddup! Yuuurrr Drunk!”

“Hehehe! Y-Yer wun ta talk! Ya’ve had more to drink ten meee-eheheeee!”

The cyan mare merely waved Steady off with a dismissive hoof and took another swig of her “happy-happy fun drink”, too inebriated to even notice that the earthly-yellow mare’s blazing orange orbs were now replaced with an alluring shade of midnight blue. Once she finished off her entire bottle, Dash couldn’t help but notice the discomforting swaying of Steady’s frame. “Hey, yurr nawt lookin’ so gud, y’know.....”

“Nawww, dun worry ‘bout et, Ah’m jus’ gettin’ starte-” Steady brought her hoof up to her head as a reflex to the sharp pain, a grunt escaping her lips as she tried to fathom how her new friend managed to clone herself.... “.....Onnnnn second thought, Ah need ta sit down fer a bitty.... ehehee-owie....”

Rainbow Dash let out a disheartened sigh as she watched her only dance partner head off on her quest to recharge, both completely unaware of the eerie cloaked figure pushing past the doors, an intense sense of determination present under her hood.

Dash suffered a momentary wave of alcohol enriched depression. ‘I’m hot, right? I’ve got good looks. You’d think guys would be falling for me left and right. I haven’t seen a single guy looking in my direction all night; am I intimidating? Am I too coltish for them?’ She sighed, her inebriated swaying causing her to become slightly dizzy. ‘I wish a colt would just appea-’ CRAASH!! Rainbow Dash yelped in surprise, though she seemed to be the only pony who’d noticed the noise. Looking around, she didn’t see much except for a broken table, and part of the ceiling on top of said broken table.

Next, she saw the pony laying amidst the heap, face down, groaning beneath his cloak. “‘Ey, buddeh. You oakie down thayeh?”

The handsome colt— ‘Ohmigosh, ohmigosh, ohmigosh, please tell me I’m not hallucinating!’—looked up groggily, getting to his hooves with Rainbow’s help.

“I am sorry for my rude entrance, Miss. I seem to have been cannonized.” Dash couldn’t help the giggle that followed, and she couldn’t care less how girly it sounded.

“C’mon, dude! Let’s hit thuh dance fleur! Nice mask! Woohoo~!”

Dash pulled the colt onto the dancefloor, continuously invading his space as she rubbed up against him. Completely accidently. It was the alcohol’s fault. Totally. Like, uh, completely.

... She wasn’t enjoying the way the barrel of his chest was firm and corded with muscle, and it totally didn’t feel amazing to rub her wings along his sides and back. Nope, not at all. No, really. She wasn’t interested.

“You are quite drunk, Miss,” the colt yelled over the sound of the music.

“Dash!”

“What?”

“Muh name’s Dash! An’ don’t call me missus Dash, either! Muh Cootie mark’s not a spice rack! ... Oh, hai mark... Whuzzit mean?”

What?”

“Yer mark, ya wingless turkey!” Rainbow Dash giggled as she leaned against the colt, running her hoof along the firm muscle of his fla- pointing at his cutie mark. (She’s not attracted to him.)

“It... it’s a scroll. And a katana.”

“Yeah, cool. Wazza mark on th’ scroll mean?”

“The symbols are 日没, which is the symbol of my clan, the Nichibotsu.”

“Cool, wassat mean?” The colt didn’t get the chance, as Dash suddenly grabbed him, and pulled him off the dance floor, and to the bar. “Whaddya usually drink, Mista masked colt?”

“.... Sake. And my name is Kaminari Hayai; I am the Prince of-”

“Drink up, Kamin-uh, Karme-no, Kalimari! Kalimari Hi hi~ You got a coo’ name.” The mare leaned against Hayai, rubbing his shoulder with her cheek before starting to snore. The barkeeper grinned and waggled his brow in Dash’s direction when he saw Hayai looking towards him.

“You feelin’ lucky, kid?”

Hayai’s eyes narrowed. “I do not like the suggestive edge your tone has, sir, nor do I appreciate your lack of respect.”

“And I don’t appreciate your face; can’t keep it covered and drink at the same time.”

It turns out, actually, that you can.

“Mmmm.... Storm, what products do you use to get your fur so.... soft?”

The mare nuzzled her snout further into Storm’s coat, relaxing her head on his chest as she lay on top of the stallion. She seemed content with cuddling like this, and to be honest, Storm didn’t find a problem with it either. It definitely beat the other idea that dreadfully swam through his thoughts into the ground.

The white colt couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought now, of course a mare like her wouldn’t want to rush into intimacy so soon.... “Heh, I guess we both have our own definition for “private”. Not that I mind or anything....”

Twilight didn’t even bother to lift her head in response, as she found the colt’s midriff much too comfortable. “Oh, don’t worry. We’ll get to that part soon enough....”

The stallion’s heart felt like it was running on a treadmill, his face lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. Luckily, saving him from having to form an awkward response was a series of terse knockscoming from the other side of the lounge door.

“T-This lounge is occupied!” Storm let out, though he was sure the cracking in his voice didn’t make it sound at all convincing. Where.... Where did his confidence runoff to.... Did this mare steal it when he wasn’t looking?

A couple seconds passed before yet another set of repeated knocking struck the door once again. Storm sighed, “Sorry, Twilight. I’m gonna have to get up and see who it is.”

“But.... But then I’ll lose my comfy combat pillow!”

The lavender mare gave a pout similar to a puppy when she was forcibly pushed aside. As Storm let his first hoof make contact with the floor, he couldn’t help but notice how shaken it was. Storm shook his head in attempt to regain his composure and made his way to the door; sparks coating the handle as it turned itself, revealing other side of the door to be something the white stallion had not expected.

A fully cloaked figure with height to rival the colt’s own stood at the doorway in uncanny silence. With one swift motion of it’s hoof, the hood was pulled back to reveal the figure to be a mare; her coat a dark sapphire, eyes a blue that rivaled the midnight sky, and the horn on her head on a much larger scale than most unicorns’. Her most distinguishing feature however, was her majestic mane that flew freely without any assistance from the wind, which also mimicked the night sky with hints of distant stars engulfed in it’s everflowing beauty.

“P-Princess Luna?”

“Ah, yes. Lieutenant Scratch. We were hoping that you’d be present at this rather.... vociferous establishment.”

Without hesitation, Storm knelt before the deity out of the utmost respect for the moon princess. “M-Milady, to what do I honor this pleasant visit?”

“Save the formalities for another time, Lieutenant; we do not wish to draw attention to ourselves, as we are here of a different accord. We wish to speak to you about-”

“Storm, can you hurry up with whoever you’re talking to so we can get on with-”

“Ah! And how lovely to see you here as well, Sparkle.”

“L....Luna?!”

The lavender mare beamed, throwing caution to the wind and embracing the princess in a tight hug that was happily returned, leaving the Celestial Soldier simply trying to process what was even going on. But now that he had begun to think about it, Storm couldn’t help but roll his eyes; Twilight must have saw her less as “Princess of the Night” and more of “aunty”.

“It’s great to see you too, Luna,” Twilight broke the hug, as her excitement was slowly being enveloped with curiosity. “But.... what brings you to a place like.... well, this?”

“Actually, we- er, I came because I have an order from Tia to give to the male Scratch twin.” An uncharacteristic, yet smug smirk formed along the Alicorn’s muzzle as she followed with, “And as if I even need to ask why you’re here....”

“H-hey! What’s that supposed to-”

Luna simply raised a hoof, effectively cutting off the intensely blushing mare.“Nevermind that, Twilight. As I have stated, I must pass on this order from dear sister.”

Storm’s ears perked, Twilight sitting patiently as the two kept silent, both eager for her to continue. “As you may be already aware, lieutenant, there is a mad professor by the name of Diana Plasm- a master gene splicer and bio-scientist, who had disbanded from all his ties with any former affiliates so that he may work on his.... “experiments” without any hinderance.”

‘Plasm.... Plasm?! There’s just no way!’ As it had hit her, Twilight’s violet orbs grew in revelation from the Lunar Princess’ words. It was as if all the wheels were now finally coming in motion. ‘But... Chances are she wants him out of the picture as much as.... as.... Sorry, Luna, but I can’t let anything about Crimson slip from my mouth, or he’ll really be in trouble this time....’

“Now, rumors be told that he has been spotted somewhere inside the forest of Everfree, where, supposedly, he has been hiding out. This stallion could be a danger to all of Equestria if he is permitted to roam free. Your mission, Lieutenant Scratch, is to snoop around the general area for clues of his whereabouts. Thou musn’t approach him head on; even alone he is proven to impose an immense threat. Neigh; you shall only get as much information as you can muster, Celestia and I will take over the rest.”

“Princess, if I may be granted a question....” the white colt, all the while had returned to bowing before her royal presence.

“Permission granted, lieutenant. To what question would thou likest to have answered?”

There was a slight hesitation, but Storm managed to still squeeze out “Well.... I’m Celestia’s top guard; why am I only allowed to act as a spy? And for that matter, if it’s just a simple spy mission, why wasn’t a lower rank assigned instead of me?”

“We believe your first question was already answered.” Princess Luna stated matter-of-factly. “He is much too dangerous for somepony even of your caliber to try and ambush all by yourself. And to top it all off, Plasm is very... clever. What makes you believe that a pony of a lower rank could pull off a simple investigation mission if thou wilt have trouble thyself?”

The stallion’s royal blue orbs narrowed before finally coming to a close, a bead of sweat rolling off of Storm’s chin as he exhaled in regretful defeat. “Y-Yes, your royal highness.... I shall see to your order as soon as equinely possible.”

“Good to hear, Lieutenant Scratch. We give you the rest of this glorious night, as you shall arise to your mission first thing in the morn. We suggest you spend this precious time wisely.”

Storm could have sworn the Princess’ eyes flickered towards Twilight for a brief moment as she cited her last words, draping her hood back over her luxurious mane before trotting her way out the doorway and toward the unknown. This only left two unicorns sitting in silence, both too consumed by their own thoughts to utter a single word....

“I guess that’s it then,” Storm sighed, grievance painfully obvious in his tone. “I’ll be leaving first thing in the morning. Don’t worry, I’ll be back, then maybe we can-”

“I’m going.”

“Y-You can’t be serious-”

“I mean it, Storm!” The lavender mar’s voice grew, as did the colt’s from Twilight’s new found attitude. “You heard her, so you should know! There’s no way you can do this all on your own! Not without a little help-”

“Forget it, Twilight,” Storm interjected with a new found confidence of his own. “The Princess chose me to fulfill this mission, and me alone. And besides, you heard her yourself; this is going to be dangerous, too dangerous for me to risk you getting hurt-”

“I think I can handle myself, Storm. Or, did you forget that my magic capabilities surpass even your own?” the mare stated in a surprisingly cold tone of voice, a flame of righteous fury in her eyes hidden just beyond the violet.

“....What’s your point?” shot back Storm as his eyes glowed with irritation. “Your magic may be stronger, but you were never trained to use it on a real battlefield.”

“Storm, I-”

“And I can also tell that there’s more to this than you’re letting on.... Exactly what are you trying to hide from me?”

Twilight remained hesitant to answer, as the stallion kept his glare locked firmly on her’s. “....One of my friends was attacked by one of his mutants. If it weren’t for Crimson, I don’t know what would have-”

“So I take it Crimson’s going after Plasm as well....”

“N-No! I- well yes- but- I-I mean-........” The mare simply let out a defeated sigh and gave a nod; it was too late now anyway.

“I see.....” Seconds passed with the colt in silence, until a scowl made it’s way onto his muzzle. “....I see I have more reason to take this mission seriously.”

“Mi- er, Dash. Please, wake up.” Hayai shook her by the withers, trying not to be rude but also not wanting to let anypony around them think anything untoward had happened betwixt the two of them.

“Grrnl-mrrfrlum... Nrrmmm....” Dash twisted and turned on the chaise couch, coming to a rest with a foreleg wrapped around Hayai’s midriff, her face against the barrel of his chest.

“Uh-uh... Um.... M-miss Dash, p-please wake up...”

“Why are you so adamant about hurting Crimson?!”

“It’s my duty to give that criminal scum what he rightfully deserves! I will not pass this up, not in a million years, Twilight!”

"Storm.... just leave." the lavender mare huffed.

"Why do you insist on protecting that scoundrel?”

“Because he’s my friend, and he’s been nothing but nice to me and my other friends. You, on the other hoof, almost killed Pinkie Pie! Her being my friend aside, that would be going directly against the Kingdom, because she’s a Bearer of an Element. Try being civil for once around him. You were his friend at one point, he told us so!”

“A mistake that I still regret even to this day....” muttered the colt, looking her dead in the eyes. “....I really do envy you, Twilight."

"J-just shut up, Storm! I don't need to hear this from you!" Twilight sighed. "At least.. not anymore..."

"Oh, but it's true. For many reasons, actually." Storm continued. "Here I am, working my ass off to learn a new spell; sometimes it would even take me years. And yet... it probably only takes you maybe a few days with relative ease."

Chuckling to himself, Storm began to inch himself ever more closer to the mare. "And not only that, but you're actually allowed to see Princess Celestia's good side, and all the time, might I add. It's funny, I always sort of thought of her as the mother I never had, but it looks like mother always keeps her irritation hidden from her favorite."

"Just knock it off, you're just talking nonsense now." Twilight growled, narrowing her glare.

"Oh, but it's true, my dear sweet foster sister." Storm went on with a smirk on his face, despite the mare's intense death stare. "But you can't really blame her. When you lose more of your nation’s population by the hour from a certain black organization, you tend to get frustrated now and then, and these are times of fighting. I'm her top guard, so it'd make sense that her war face is the only face I'd get to witness."

"Don't flatter yourself,” Twilight clenched her teeth, “Don’t underestimate my brother, Storm. The only reason you’re Celestia’s top guard now is because he’s too busy leading the Crystal Empire with Princess Cadance. Otherwise, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

"I wouldn't exactly say that now; I’m the offence of Celestia’s men, while Shining Armor was simply the defence." The colt stated coldly, but he wasn't quite done just yet. "Oh, and one more thing I envy of you..."

"Oh, I can't wait to hear this..."

"You have friends." he sighed. "Friends who actually give a rat’s ass about you. Friends you can actually trust; all I have is Vinyl. And you wish to give that all up just to be with me?"

"Oh you've gotta be joking!" Twilight yelled, feeling that she could take no more of the words he was spewing. "Crimson cared for you like you were his Goddess damned BROTHER, and YOU left him when he needed you the most!!!"

"He's the reason I left in the first place!" he retaliated. "That asshole is nothing but a monster, just like the rest of the ponies in that filthy fucking organization! I couldn't just let my only sister be a part of that, I'd rather die!!!"

An awkward silence formed through the air, as the white colt exhaled deeply, trying desperately to stay calm. "I envy your life so much it hurts..."

"IS THAT WHY YOU LEFT ME WAITING FOR YOU ALL THESE YEARS?!" the mare's face grew red with a mixture of rage and embarrassment, tears threatening to leave her tightly shut eyes.

"....No." replied Storm. "Listen, kid... Once you gain responsibility, a purpose, you tend to let go of the lesser important parts of your life. My purpose is to not only protect my twin sister with my life, along with the rest of Equestria, but to exterminate the Crimson Shadow, and the rest of that organization of hitcolt scum. You unfortunately just happened to fall under the lesser important category-"

Storm's head was shot to the side from the force of the enraged mare's hoof smacking against his cheek. The rest of his body not moving a muscle, he watched through the corner of his eye as Twilight galloped out of the room, tears flowing from her eyes like the river Styx itself. The smack didn't cause him much physical pain, only a minor sting. However, he wasn't worried about the physical pain at the moment. "Hey, Twilight! You should really come dance, girl! Hey, Twilight, hey! Hey!! Whatssamatter?!”

The colt knew he was in deep shit this time, as he sulked to himself, by himself, alone once again, waiting for his Divine punishment. There was no way out of it this time...

********************************************************************************************************

Twilight didn’t know where she was. Somewhere in the back of the club, that’s all she knew. Maybe in a storage room. It was too dark, and she didn’t care. The dark was good. It hid her tears and swallowed her sobs. “S-stupid... Stupid, Twilight,” she whispered hoarsely. “O-of course that would happen. Wh-who c-could ever love a-a-an egghead a-anyways? Y-you pa-pathetic idiot.”

“Hey. Don’t use that word. It’s not nice, kid.”

Twilight gasped, looking around her as she tried to see who it was that had spoke.

A glow emanated from the doorway on the near wall, a white unicorn strutting into the room as if she owned the place. “Hey, kiddo. Why’re you back here? I had to put Neon on the turntables.” The unicorn stuck her tongue out in playful disgust as she sat down beside Twilight. “Now, what’s got you all frowny, girl?”

“I-it’s nothing, j-just... St-storm...” A hoof was pressed against her lips, causing Twilight to stop.

“Ahh, my brother’s broken a heart, huh? Well, I’d offer you a spot in my bed if it weren’t already filled with my amps, heh, so instead, I’ll offer my words. That alright?”

“Hee, yeah, whatever. Words hurt, but...”

“Words hurt? Psh, if me and my roomie argued even half as much as we do regularly, I think we’d love each other half as much as well. I love her, because she can bring me to tears, but she can also make me smile. That’s Storm’s problem right there, he doesn’t stop at the tears. He pushes further and further, until everypony feels terrible.”

The white mare pulled her sunglasses down on her snout, so she could smirk at Twilight over them. “But, if he could be taught how to be more loving, then you wouldn’t get hurt when you tried to reach his heart. Celestia knows I’ve tried- seriously, we’ve talked about how overly stoic he is- but we can’t do it. He needs somepony to love, somepony to show him how much of-”

“-an asshole you are!” Rainbow Dash panted, her nostrils flaring. “I’m sick of your shit. You keep on ranting about how evil and messed up Crimson is, but look in a bucking mirror! You’re heartless! A complete dick! Crimson at least had the balls to apologize when he yelled at Pinkie, but you? What do you do?! You... you stand there like a, like a royal high-hat! I don’t care if you love Twilight or not, the very least you could do is apologize! Twilight’s apparently hidden herself away from every other colt who ever thought her cute- she turned down Royalty before! All because she was waiting for you to-”

“-be there for him. He doesn’t really like to show it, and he hides it under a thick woolen blanket of jealousy, but he really does like you, Twi. C’mon. You’ve got a heart to melt, and a rock to grow. Yeah, don’t give me that look. You need to let that rock grow into the jewel it can become. But that’s only if you’ve got the determination to break its shell.”

Twilight nodded, a small smile forming on her lips, even as she tried to force it away. “A-alright, I’ll-”

“-just go, already, Storm. I don’t like you. You hurt Red. You hurt Pinkie. You hurt Applejack. And now, you hurt Twilight. I’m done shouting, but I’m not done being mad. So you’d best listen to me here, nice and good. If you ever make Twilight cry again, I don’t care what for, I’ll hunt you down like the snake you are and throttle you till your head falls off.” Rainbow Dash pressed her nose right up against Storm’s, growling the whole while. “Do I make myself clear?”

Storm just stood there, his mouth in a tight-lipped expression that showed little in the way of expression. Rainbow snorted. “Fine, be silent. I don’t care, just don’t hurt my friends. Because if you do... I don’t care how powerful you are. I’ll stilll buck you in the schnoz.”

“I’m sure you’d manage to make me tear up a little, too.”

“What?”

“No, no... you’re right. You probably hit too soft for me to feel pain from it.”

“Don’t try me....”

“Bring it.”

Storm’s head shot back full force from the tomcolt’s hoof. He remained still as a statue as he wiped the small stream of red liquid rolling down his face with a free hoof, staining his pure white coat. “Was that supposed to hurt?”

“Rrgh!”

The colt felt another hoof slam into his other cheek, but the reaction was all the same. Before getting the chance at a response he felt a similar pounding of the mare’s hoof. Again. And again. And again.... Each result no different than the rest.

Rainbow Dash was at a loss of breath, not even entirely sure if a single one of her hits managed to get to him. ‘Can nothing get to this jerk.... I might as well just go get Twilight and leave this dump-’

“Pathetic. Your hits are as unrecognizable as your gend-GRK!”

Storm landed on his side, the mare’s roundhouse kick finally doing the trick. “You... fucking... JERK!!!”

Rainbow Dash dropped hard onto the colt’s stomach as she proceeded to wail on the colt’s face with her forehooves, any signs of exhaustion vanishing into thin air. Or beats, in this case. Seconds felt like hours when the blows finally ceased, Storm opening a single eye to find the cursing pegasus flailing wildly inside the grip of a familiar violet aura.

“That’s enough, Rainbow Dash,” a furious Twilight spoke over the cyan mare’s rapid series of swears. “It’s about time I have a little talk with a certain stallion....My stallion.”

Rainbow Dash, snorting heavily and eyes wild, stopped struggling long enough to look at Twilight. “... Yeah, alright. I got him tenderized for ya.” Twilight let go, and Dash stalked out, muttering about her needing another drink.

Twilight again turned to Storm, a look of pity on her face. “Why do you go to such great lengths to push others away?”

Storm got to his hooves, legs wobbling slightly before becoming solid beneath him once more. “Because I am not required to make or keep friends in order to do my duty.”

Twilight shook her head sadly, her anger draining away as she failed to find anything more to yell at him for. “Storm... That’s where I’d say you’re wrong, but.... deep down, I’m sure you already know that, don’t you?”

“….Your friend hits like a filly.”

The colt almost squeaked when he felt his body being levitated off the floor, only to be aggressively pinned against a wall as Twilight took her sweet time to trot towards him. “Answer me, Storm,” she growled, pawing at the floor as her tail flicked back and forth. “Well?”

“Really, Twilight, you say you’re a good magicia-” Wham! “-slamming me into the floor’s not goin-” Bam! “-You really aren’t that stron-” Bam! Wham! Slam! “... You know, this could be considered domestic abu-” Slam! Crack!

Twilight huffed, almost literally fuming as her anger started to boil once more. “Storm Scratch,” she said, her voice icy like a poisoned dagger. “You. Will. Answer. My. Question. Now.” Storm, wisely, just nodded. “Good. Now, tell me. Why do you think I think that you’re wrong when you say you don’t need friends?”

“....” Seeing no means of escape, except via teleportation to a few thousand meter drop, Storm took his time trying to finalize his answer before speaking. “....It’s because we can trust our friends, and lean on them when we need help.”

Twilight released him from her magical grip, and he slumped over, the broken coffee table beneath him shifting slightly and digging into his back. “Good, you have learned something. Friendship is what caused Rainbow Dash to attack you, in my defense. Friendship is what lent Crimson the strength to risk his life and raise Star Bright, and ultimately give her the greatest mercy by letting her die swiftly and with someone who cared for her, instead of alone and in agony, as was Terra’s way. Friendship is what let Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and myself forgive Crimson for being mean to Pinkie, and to forgive you for being mean to Crimson, and destroying half of Applejack’s Western field.”

Twilight looked into Storm’s eyes, tears glistening in them as she begged him to understand what she was saying. “Friendship is what let me blossom, because without friendship, this world would be covered in darkness, the sun lost forever. Or did you forget that?”

“But.... I.... Where’s the friendship exactly in being a soldier? I fight for Equestria; I interrogate ponies; I eliminate anypony who tries to hurt the kingdom.... Friendship never seemed like a necessity in my line of work.”

“Yes, but that’s the main problem right there, Storm... You’re always talking about ‘work’ this, and ‘orders’ that. You need to live for yourself, and not just the next battle. And if you won’t live for yourself, then indulge me, at least. Please?”

Storm held his tongue, creating a long pause of silence, desperately attempting to break eye contact with the mare as he could feel the tears beginning to well up in his eyes as well. Finally, after hiding his eyes behind his mane, his legs finally gave way under the colt as he sighed. “....Yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Least I can do for the only pony who would even bother with me at this point....”

Not a sound was to be heard through the room aside from the soft steps that Storm couldn’t help but notice getting louder and closer. With a final clack on the linoleum, the colt felt a warm hoof slide gently under his chin, which slowly turned his head to meet Twilight’s tear filled gaze, causing his own emotional walls to be shattered. ‘That rowdy pegasus was right about something; she really is too good for me....’

The warmth had made it’s way to his muzzle when Storm felt the mare’s lips being pressed against his own. Breaking the kiss, Twilight murred into the colt’s ear, “You’re such an idiot, you know that?”

“Heh, you’re the one who loves an idiot, not me.”

“Yeah, I guess that's one smart thing about you.” Twilight rubbed her muzzle up against Storm’s as she locked lips with the colt once more, a simple kiss evolving into a long, passionate dance between their tongues. The mare pushed her forehooves down on his barrel, pushing Storm onto his back as he wrapped his around her in an embrace, all without the two ever breaking the kiss, and all the while showing no signs of doing so any time soon....

Meanwhile, the DJ stared at her handiwork with pride; with the large shelf in the way of the door, there would be no way anypony would be able to tell there was even one there in the first place. That also meant that there was no escaping fate for her brother this time; though she had a feeling it wouldn’t have mattered to him in the slightest.

“I hope you enjoy your private time, you two, but I’ve gotta head back to the turntable station. The PON-3 doesn’t keep her fans waiting, you know!”

********************************************************************************************************

“Guh, dammit, Crimson. You can’t fall asleep now! Not after all this....”

Applejack stirred in her sleeping bag (courtesy of Rarity), eyes fluttering repeatedly before they decided that they’d rather remain open. Everypony looked to be fast asleep, but a ringing in the back of the mare’s head told her there was something missing. It was dark and the sky was almost pitch black, so she could only barely manage to make out the silhouette of a pony sitting facing away from the small fire they’d built, shivering in the wind.

“Red? Is that you?”

“Huh? What- Where... Oh, hey, AJ.” the black colt turned his half open gaze towards the orange mare. With aid of the fire’s light, she was able to notice subtle swaying on the colt’s part, and not to mention the dark rings displaying proudly under his eyelids. You’d best get some sleep, we’ve got a big day tomorrow and-.”

“Red, when was the las’ time y’all got any shut eye?”

“Let’s see.... how long ago did you and Pinkie get kidnapped?”

“Three days?!”

Crimson responded with an almost ursa-like yawn, struggling with the simple task of even keeping his eyes open for more than two seconds. “Uh, yeah, something like tha- Ow, what the hell?!”

“C’mere fer a second, ya lummox.” The apple farmer grabbed his ear with her teeth, pulling him over to her sleeping bag despite his low protests. “Ah ain’t gonna let you sit there n’ freeze ta death. An’ if yer tryin’ ta be nice and watch our backs while we sleep, that’s fine an’ all, but y’all gotta sleep, too.”

“Applejack, I don’t even get cold as easily as you ponies, and-”

“Don’t. Care. Sit.”

Red half heartedly sighed, yawning as he was made to sit next to Applejack near her sleeping bag. His crimson eyes glowed through the darkness, waiting for what the mare could possibly have in mind. What happened next. however, completely threw the colt off....

All we do is mess around,

but I know that it's love we found

I know that it's here to stay.

It's more than just a word we say.

Was Applejack.... singing? Crimson had always thought of her as the rough n’ tough pony that could work with the best of the stallions, but.... who would have guessed her voice would be so angelic....

No, I don't wanna fuss or fight,

And I'm not one to give advice,

But there's no need to be afraaaid!

Baby, there's no time to waaaste.

Sing until you have no voooooice!

Sing because you have no choooooice!

Sing until you float awaaaay!

Our love is like a big blue waaaave!

As Applejack repeated the chorus, the black colt could feel his eyes growing even heavier. He had really underestimated this mare’s soothing voice, to the point of where he wasn’t sure how much longer he would stay conscious....

Don't tell me that we've come this far

To start again or fall apart.

Sing it when you're lost at seeaaa,

And love will bring you back to meeeee....

Applejack smiled with a warm blush coating her muzzle, cradling the head of the black stallion resting against her chest. “Y’all sleep t’night, Red. Ah’ll keep us safe fer awhile.”

“Applejack...?” The farm filly froze, snapping her head around to the inflatable chaise lounge her fashionista friend had brought along.

“R-rarity,” Applejack started a blush forming as her ears flattened against her head. “Y’all heard all that?”

“My goodness, yes, Applejack! I had no idea you could sing so... beautifully! Wherever did you learn to sing like that?” Realizing that could be taken the wrong way, she quickly added, “Not that you’re bad at singing normally, of course, but-”

“No, it’s okay, Rares. Ah unnerstand what yer sayin’. Y’all remember when Ah went ta Manehatten, right? Well, parta mah stay there, they were tryin’ ta git me ta be more lady-like. Ya’d like Auntie an’ Uncle Orange, Rarity. Right up yer alley.” Applejack shook her head, a rueful smile caressing her lips. “Ah had to speak like ‘em, Ah had to walk n’ dress like ‘em. They even made me sing like ‘em. Ah had ta practice Swang Low, Sweet Cha’iot till Ah didn’t have a single mussed up word. That got me outta mah ack-ceint right quick. Ah still love ‘em, but that just weren’t me.”

Applejack’s ears perked up at the colt’s stirring, faint mumbling as he finally kept still once more. “Mmnn...soft.....”

Rarity couldn’t hold in her giggles at her friend’s mild flustering. “I’ll let you get back to sleep, darling. We have a long walk ahead of us, and you know me without my beauty sleep....”

The earth pony gave a nod as the two sank back into the embrace of sleep once more. Though AJ still had the problem of not being able to pry the pass out Crimson off of her.... but at the same time, she was still trying to comprehend what that problem even was. She’d deal with it in the morning....

Editor’s Note: Super here, to say that this was awesome, even though I’m half blind at the moment. Kerataconus sucks major balls, guys, and I suggest you all see eye doctors as soon as possible if your vision starts to blur or fade. Also, do NOT get Lasik, as Lasik does not help Kera, but worsens it. That’s all for now, bye~!

PS, Kerataconus is a hereditary disease, so if anyone tries to tell you you’re going blind from watching porn or reading pony fics, kick ‘em in the dick, ‘cause they don’t know what thy talking about.