I galloped as fast as I could toward the fields. My mind was stuck on the fact that Twilight left me back at the house. I thought she didn’t trust me alone. As I reached the fields, I looked around at all the other picnics that were taking place, but I couldn’t see Twilight or Fluttershy. Where could they be?

“Graymayne! Over Here!” I turned to see Twilight waving her hoof in the air. She had a large hat that blocked the sun from her eyes. I galloped over to her as she turned and ran down the hill. When I reached the top of the previous hill she was on, I saw a large, secluded, lush, open area. It had a few patches of daisies, sun flowers, and one large oak tree in the center. Underneath the tree, sat the picnic where I saw Twilight just then sitting down and Fluttershy poking around in her picnic basket.

I trotted up to them a bit concerned. “Thanks for leaving me back at the house,” I said.

“You’re welcome… but you’re here now, right? Oh and you passed your own little test,” Twilight said with a small smile.

“My own test?” I replied, completely confused.

“Yeah. Like you said yesterday: 'tests are a key aspect of studying.' So I left early. By the looks of it, you saw the note I left on the fridge and hurried your way over here. This tells me you’re not going to try anything when I’m not around,” Twilight said with a smug
grin.

“So… a little revenge. Looks like my sister isn’t as sweet as I thought,” I said giving a soft smile. She just looked at me and offered a seat in the shade of the oak tree. I sat down closest to the tree and leaned back, resting my head on the hard trunk. “What a really peaceful place. Why haven’t I ever visited this place before?”

“Oh believe me… during the spring, you get the birds chirping just right and you can hear the beautiful sound of whistling in the wind.
I know that Angel Bunny loves it,” Fluttershy exclaimed, trying to keep her excitement to a minimum.

“I can see why. Isn’t it also a rabbit's mating season?” As soon as I said that Fluttershy’s and Twilight’s cheeks blazed red.

“Graymayne… how would you even know that?!” Twilight said, trying to hide the embarrassment on her face.

“I don’t only read arcane books. I once read a little info book on the lives of rabbits.” They just looked at me with red, blank faces.

“Hey, I was just a little colt when I read it. It was a foal’s book.”

“So Discord actually let you read an info book at the age of-” Twilight said before I cut her off.

“Four, and yes he did... And will you stop talking about Discord with me? I don’t need to remember all the shit he put me through,” I said, not really meaning it though. I knew he was watching, but that was all I knew.

“Sorry…” Twilight said, giving a weak smile. “Graymayne, can I ask you something?”

“What do you think?” I said, looking at her quizzically. She just looked at me, waiting for an answer. “Yes Twilight, of course you can. I told you last night, that you could ask me anything.”

Twilight blushed a bit. “Last night, during your little accident, you mentioned a name.” I looked up and saw the concern in her eyes.
“Can you tell me who this ‘Gunner’ is?”

“Um… sure… but first… did I say anything else while I was knocked out?” I asked, hoping she hadn’t heard any of my fight with, well, me.

“Yes… but, nothing I could understand. You were speaking that weird voodoo language that Pinkie talked about. You seemed pretty angry,” she said as her concern grew.

I sighed in relief and laid my head back against the trunk of the tree. “Yeah… Gunner… he’s a touchy subject, so don’t ask for additional information than what I give.” I looked at Twilight and Fluttershy as they nodded in agreement.

“You see… I wasn’t the only assassin that Discord had “recruited.” There were four of us: Blade Runner, Gunner, Killjoy, and me. I guess you could say that we were a family. We were one little happy-” I paused, “dysfunctional family. Each one of us was special in our own little way. Sure we were all unicorns, but we certainly weren’t afraid to show our true sides.”

I paused to take a breath. “We all had a certain talent to us, and that was why Discord made us a team. Blade Runner was the leader do to her smarts and her seductive ways with enemies. She was very reckless though. Gunner was the tough stallion, always thinking with his hoofs and hammer. Underneath all that meat though was a gentle and kind soul. Killjoy… god bless that crazy son of a gun. He was the fast one, always popping up in random places, just like your friend Pinkie. I miss his rants on how Discord was always a bit of a loon.”

I paused to look at Twilight who dropped her gaze. “But, you wanted to know about Gunner. Well he was a real kind soul. God bless him for all that he did. He was the one to comfort us if we failed a task. He was the one who would take the punishment.” I stopped again, trying to refrain from crying. “Of all the three, Gunner was my favorite. Sadly it all came down to me and him in the end. Killjoy was dead and Blade runner was in prison. Discord put us against each other. We were told that we would be trying our own assassinations, but he lied to us. It was Blade Runner versus me and Gunner versus Killjoy. Gunner and I came back, and that’s when it got worse. Discord was looking for the better assassin… so he made us fight. We did... and I won the fight. But it came at a cost. I had blacked out during the fight, and when I gained consciousness… he lay bloody and torn apart. I didn’t know what happened until I looked in the mirror.” I stopped, knowing that was enough.

I looked back up to see the utterly terrified Fluttershy and shocked Twilight. They looked at me and from what I could tell, I had said too much. I didn’t realize it but I had shed a single tear that had still been flowing down my cheek.

“Wow… that’s…” Twilight said.

“Horrible,” I continued. “Yeah. Well, let’s not dwell on the past and enjoy a nice peaceful picnic. What do you say?”
Before either one of them could reply, Fluttershy trotted over to me and hugged me tightly. I couldn’t tell, but I was certain that my cheeks were blazing red. Twilight chuckled and I was unresponsive. Fluttershy let go and smiled at me. “Um…” her cheeks blushed as soon as she had realized what she had just done. “T-That sounds like a great idea.”

I nodded and Fluttershy returned to the basket to pull out a small, plastic covered plate of sandwiches. She carefully balanced the plate on her wing and brought over to Twilight and then me. We each took a sandwich and talked about what may have happened recently or other past events.

I looked around and noticed a dense forest about a half mile from where we were. I looked at it closer and had to ask. “Don’t tell me, that’s the Everfree forest right there, isn't it?”

Twilight had her mouth full, but nodded in confirmation. I looked back at it worried. It seemed a lot darker than I remembered it.

“Have you been there before?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah… I had to take care of some timber wolves that had been harassing Discord's transports of precious gems once. It doesn’t have any significance other than that, but to think I was so close to Ponyville… so close to you, Twilight,” I said feeling like a dumbass.

Twilight swallowed. “Don’t beat yourself up for something you didn’t know about. It’s fine, Graymayne."

I continued to look at it and the dark inside it. I could swear I had seen something moving around inside. I looked back at Twilight who only wore a look of complete fear and shock. I looked at Fluttershy who had dropped her sandwich and her eyelid was lightly twitching. I saw Twilight lift a hoof pointing toward the forest and I knew exactly what she had meant. I turned my head to see what I had thought had gone extinct many years ago. The creatures that stepped out of the Everfree were one of the worst possible things you could run into… a voroks.

“What are those things?” Twilight asked, still petrified at what she was looking at.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Fluttershy replied.

“They’re called Voroks…” I said, staring them down. “They’re supposed to be extinct. They should have run out of food by now.”

“How would you know that?” Twilight asked.

“I’m the one that cut off their food supply and nearly committed genocide,” I said as they began to approach us. I took a good look at them. Everything I remembered about them was the same. The black, slimy skin, blue tentacle like hair that hung from their heads, and the unforgettable golden cat eyes. “These things are nothing but trouble. They feed on dark energy and those who use it,”

I looked back at Twilight who had a complete look of worry on her face. “Does that mean they’re going to… eat you?”

“No... I haven’t touched dark energy in weeks. They shouldn’t be anywhere near here,” I said, looking at Twilight.

“Do they sense dark energy?” Twilight asked, shuffling her weight.

“Yes…but there isn’t any black magic for-” I stopped and looked at Twilight. “You didn’t bring it… did you?!” She simply remained silent and her gaze shifted from side to side.

“Twilight if you brought it… then you’ve just doomed us,” I said, walking over to her.

“Well… yesterday you were acting like I was too afraid to break your horn if you did something wrong. So I decided to bring it and well… show you I wasn’t afraid,” she said, looking at me as calm as she could. “Besides… I still have my horn and I could send these things back where they came from easily.”

“You have never dealt with a Voroks before… have you?” I asked her, looking back at the now closer pack.

“No, why?” Twilight replied.

“They’re immune to White magic based attacks and spells. Only Black magic based attacks and spells can harm them,” I replied, knowing what I was about to ask. I looked at Twilight who just stared at me with her worried face.

“No Graymayne! You know I don’t have control over that! You can’t… I can’t!” I walked up to her and stared into her eyes.

“You have two options, Twilight. One, give me back my horn and I can save our lives or two, try and use your white magic when I just said it’s useless. Your choice Twilight, but make your decision quick,” I said, pointing a hoof at the group of five Voroks who were now picking up speed.

Twilight shuddered as a chill went gliding down her spine. She looked between me, Fluttershy, and the gaining Voroks. She was tensing up and couldn’t seem to focus.

“Twilight!” I yelled and she jumped back. “What’s your answer?!”

“Shut up! I’m trying to think!” She yelled back.

“Well if you haven’t noticed… the Voroks are getting closer with every waking second! I need an answer!” I yelled back. Twilight simply looked at me and nodded in defeat.

I looked back and forth at her and the Voroks as she opened up her saddle bag and levitated my crystallized horn into view. The purple aura that surrounded the black crystal was shimmering. I sighed slowly as it touched my forehead. Nothing happened at first but when I thought all was lost, the crystal blazed into a bright light and dug its way into my head. Twilight and Fluttershy backed away as a large cloud of darkness surrounded me and green electrical pulses danced around the cloud. I shut my eyes as the burning sensation coursed through my body. It hurt so much but felt so good. The energy coursed through me, filling my veins with dark energy. I loved every second of it. I opened my eyes and saw the cloud of darkness. With the flick of my horn and a single hint of magic, the cloud dispersed into a shockwave of pure darkness.

I stood there with a crooked smile plastered on my face. I looked up at Twilight and Fluttershy who had already been holding each other in their hooves. The amazement and awe that was seen in their eyes was all I had to see to know that my horn was back. I walked up to them with a half smile on my face. As I reached Twilight, I bowed my head in respect and rose up again.
I met Twilight’s eyes. “I’m back in business baby…and holy shit, it feels so good.” She looked back into my eyes, but averted them and screamed when she saw a single Vorok pounce to try and eat me alive.

I reacted without hesitation; conjuring up one of my blades, I split the creature in half, head first, right down the middle. The two halves that were made went to our right and left. I turned to see the surprise and shock in Twilight’s eyes and smiled. “I’ll be right back…” I said and shot forward leaving dust behind.

My blades formed when I was already upon the creatures. They lunged forward, baring their fangs. I gripped the first two with conjured hands and pushed them back. The other two got close but I had my magic shield ready to deflect their attacks. They bit into the shield and their fangs stuck to it like glue. With another flick of my horn, my blades formed outside the shield and stabbed into the stomachs of the stuck Voroks.

“Three down, two to go,” I thought to myself.

The other two hissed at me as they watched their pack members killed before them. I simply grinned when they charged. I jumped into the air, flipping with a one-eighty twist and threw my blade at one of them. The blade planted into the Vorok's side and it was sent flying into the second one. I landed onto the ground and softly grinned. I trotted over to Twilight and Fluttershy who both just stared at me in disbelief.

“So… what did you think of my performance?” I asked, acting like a smartass.
They just looked at me, shell shocked. I grinned back at them and sat down. I levitated a sandwich up and took a small bite into it.
“Speechless… I understand. Never before have you seen such grace and agility in fighting,” I said, still being a smartass.

“Oh… my…” Fluttershy said.

“That… that was… really violent…” Twilight said, letting go of Fluttershy.

“What?! That wasn’t violent! You have no idea what violence really is… believe me… I know,” I said, taking another bite in the sandwich.

“Well… you saved us… you know what’s coming next. I’m taking back your horn,” Twilight said as she began to approach me.
I stopped chewing and looked at her. I swallowed what I had in my mouth and sighed.

“I can’t just keep it for the rest of the picnic?” I asked, losing my cocky attitude.

“Oh sweet Celestia… of course not, do you know what Celestia would do to me if she found out I gave you your horn back,” she replied, looking at me angrily.

“Fine… I’ll give into your reasoning,” I said, willingly lowering my head to her. “Make it quick… I want to check those Vorok bodies for loot.”

“Don’t even think about it. I’m going to dispel those bodies into the Everfree as soon as-” She stopped as a flash of light struck us and sent us flying.

I crashed into a patch of roses. My head was spinning and my vision was blurry. I sat up slowly to see one last Vorok poking his head out from under his dead comrade. It wiggled and squirmed, trying to release itself from the weight of the dead Vorok. I turned my head, still hearing the ringing of the blast, to see Fluttershy knelt over what looked like a pony body. My vision cleared up a bit more and I realized that it was Twilight.

I jolted up and galloped toward them cursing with every step I took. I reached them and saw Fluttershy nearly upon tears. She carefully cradled Twilight’s bloody head. The Vorok had hit her straight in the forehead and left a really bad gash. It was seeping slowly with blood.

“Twilight! Oh my god! Please be ok! Please be ok!!” I leaned my horn down to her head and it lit up. My eyes started to leak the dark purple mist and the black magic overtook my sight. I heard Fluttershy gasp at what she was seeing. The black magic had to be working…“oh god… I hope so…” I thought.

My sight came back to me and I stared at where Twilight’s large gash had been. Now it was the size of a simple paper cut. “God…where would I be without my magic?” I said, looking down at the knocked out Twilight. I looked at Fluttershy who simply nodded at me.

“I’ll take care of Twilight. Go finish off that thing,” she said.

“With pleasure…” I said before turning and dashing forward toward the now free Vorok.

It simply hissed and charged toward me with all its might. I let my anger take control as I swung a hammer in its direction. The blow was devastating as it sent the Vorok tumbling to the right, shell shocked. I gripped the creature’s leg and held it in front of me. It tried swinging at me, trying to scratch my eyes. It suddenly stopped as its eyes widened and it started to tremble. I swung the creature, slamming it from the ground into the large oak tree repeatedly. It started to screech out loudly in agony. I finished by thrashing through the branches. I pulled it out and it flopped out of the tree onto the ground. It was barely alive. I wanted it to suffer, but I didn’t want Twilight to see me like this. “FUCK IT!” I thought. I didn’t care if Twilight saw me do this. It deserved it.

I conjured up two large hands and grasped the creature’s arms and legs. It squealed in pain as the grip tightened. I let an insane smile creep onto my face as the creature looked at me. I could tell it was suffering but I didn’t want it to end. My bloodlust had control and when I never realized it, my fun ended. I heard the sounds of bones snapping and joints splitting. I looked at the creature one last time and smiled. I finally ripped it in half… from the waist. It screamed in pain and agony as it tried desperately to crawl its way to its hind quarters. I trotted over to it, ignoring the blood that was splattered on the ground. I conjured up one of my blades and pierced it into the Voroks head, silencing it forever.

I turned to see Twilight and Fluttershy who were still sitting there. I saw Twilight lift a hoof slowly to rub her head.

“Twilight! Are you ok!?” I called out.

“I’m ok Grayma-” she yelled back, lifting her gaze. She was staring at me with such shock. I started to trot toward them and Fluttershy gasped in fear after she turned to see me.

“What’s the matter?” I asked.

They both stared at me, fear filled their eyes. They looked petrified, mortified, and like they had seen Death himself. I looked back at them concerned and confused. Twilight’s gaze shifted up and down, scanning me. I sat down and lifted my hoof into view.

“No… NO!” I yelled as I spotted the black energy flickering and steaming off my fur. I lifted my other hoof into view and saw the same thing. I quickly got to my hooves and conjured one of my blades. I looked into the weapon to see my reflection.
I saw the monster that was buried deep within my mind. I saw the same cold black eyes, purple mist, and the furious black energy that swarmed around my horn. I quickly dispelled my blade and shut my eyes. I could feel the energy, rage, and bloodlust draining from my head. When I opened my eyes, I checked my hoof and the darkness had dispersed into nothing. I quickly moved toward Twilight who still was shocked at my transformation.

“Twilight… take back my horn before I crash through Celestia’s barrier like it’s nothing but a foam wall,” I said expressionless. She blinked a few times and then slowly nodded. She stood up and I lowered my head to her.
I felt the burning sensation pass through my body but it didn’t harm me any. I just ignored the look of pure shock and fear that was stained to Fluttershy’s face. I didn’t care what she thought about me… Hell, I didn’t care what anypony thought about me. Good or bad… I didn’t give a flying fuck. The only two opinions that I cared about were from Twilight and Shining. After this though… I bet Twilight was going to tell Celestia. What was going to happen? Would Twilight really sell me out? There was no doubt there. I could feel the cold, smooth feel of the crystal touching my forehead right before Twilight levitated it and placed it into her saddlebag. I looked up at her with a sincere and cold stare before turning and making my way back to Ponyville.

Song for this Chapter--LINK

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now that I am posting it though, I wonder if I could have done better with the fight scene. The creatures are just something I came up with real quick. I would have used changelings, timber wolves, or manticores, but to me, they are over used. Anyway the song for this chapter was difficult to decide. I was uncertain between "Monster" by skillet or "Animal I have Become" by three days grace. You'll just have to see the song I chose. What I didn't choose will be used at a later chapter. Who is this monster?! How did he know that Graymayne wouldn't be able to stop him from coming out? What will Twilight do now that she has seen this horrible Demon that Graymayne is hiding? Thank you all for reading and I hope you all enjoyed! Thank you again!!!