Applejack was gone, too. We figured that out only moments later. That she was also nowhere to be found. We sent Rainbow to send the news to the barn, I'm not very concerned with how that went.

To be honest, I don't care about much of anything. I'm still processing the fact that Elliot is really gone, it is as if my mind is too overwhelmed by the idea that I can't process it. The thought that the very thing I depended on is no longer of this world, without even the chance to say goodbye...

We walked back to Twilight's house in silence, no words were shared. Only hushed goodbyes as the girls retreated to their own homes to rest. I did not share the fatigue, yet I knew I should.

As we walked the small, reddish wooden path to the door, I looked to her. She hung her head low. The door was ajar, to which she nudged it open with her head. A dragon quickly scuttled up the noisy staircase, creaking as he did so. He was out of sight before we were even inside.

She slowly trailed him, walking for the staircase. As we reached the couch area, her head turned slightly in my direction.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow... Good night." And she left, up the stairs one by one, and gone.

I looked at the ground. A blueish, almost ghostly moonlight shone in through the thin-framed windows. A howling wind flowing outside, which screamed in the doorway. I kicked the door closed. My eyes scanned the room.

It wasn't long before they fell upon a heartache, Elliot's gear. His fatigues, his bag, his belongings, his entire military career. I had to be the one to dig through it, to mail home his belongings, assuming I even could. I'd need to write a letter of notice, and be at his funeral. My own blood, and I'd have to be there to watch his memorial.

Something stirred inside me, a second burst of energy. One I hadn't experienced in a long time, but know quite well. A feeling I chose to repress inside, in hopes that it would never surface. For the first time, however, I felt this was right. This needed to happen.

I was pissed.

Balled up my fists and slammed them into the sofa as hard as I could. My hand struck the solid wood frame. I unslung my rifle and dropped the empty magazine, which thumped against the ground. Turning to the stairs, I broke into a full sprint up them.

I weighed the fucking hulk. Each stair getting progressively louder. When I reached the top, Twilight was across the hallway, hardly in her room. She turned to look at me curiously. Her expression quickly warped.

I blasted down the hallway, faster than her reaction time, I ran past her into the room and took a quick peek around. It was a nice little room, I'd have to check it out later. But before I had time to observe, I found what I was looking for. Three full magazines lay scattered on a small, locked bookshelf. The dragon was in a smaller bed not far from it.

I trudged over to the bookshelf swiftly, the dragon got up and moved to the side of the room.

"Grayson, no!" Twilight ordered, she sounded like my mom.

"I'm going whether you try to stop me or not." The first magazine was already in my hand. I slid the other two into pouches on my carrier vest which I wore over my white t-shirt. I pushed the cartridges into the rifle and chambered a round. I let the chamber slam shut, the sound sent a warm tingle through my whole body.

"You don't understand who those were, even if you did find them they'd tear you into pieces! You have to listen to me!" She pleaded, I heard her step closer.

I whipped around and leveled the rifle at her. "I don't care what happens to me! I might as well be dead with Elliot gone! The least I can do is give his death more meaning than a block of shit execution!" I sidestepped to get around her.

She backed away from the gun, and mumbled something at me I didn't listen to. As soon as she cleared the way, I darted through the door. I felt my rifle smash itself against the doorframe, something wooden snapped. I kept running.

I smashed open the library door, a habit I was getting used to. I ran slower than before, now with more weight. I screamed at the top of my lungs. I have no idea what I said, only that it used a lot of profanity and something about Uncle Sam.

I kept moving all the way to the Everfree, back where I last saw the bugs. There was still a crowd of guards, gathering the dead and cleaning up the weapons. I aimed my path right for them.

Several of them turned to me, a group lowered weapons at me. I slowed down and aimed mine, shouting wildly.

The good of the guard backed several paces, enough for me to push the body of a guard and collect his weapon. I slid the sword under a strap on the side of my carrier. Turning to my right, I sprinted around them and continued wailing into the forest.

I drew the short sword and began thumping it against every tree I could find, the blade almost cut several smaller trees down in one slice. I sprinted over logs, roots, bushes, and even animals. I was heading straight for the clearing.

Either sweat or tears streamed from my face, I finally made it to the clearing, and fired a random shot into the wild, stirring up as much noise as possible.

Nothing came, silent as the night.

"You creeps left one! I'm low on ammo, and but-ass naked! Come get a piece of me!" I shouted, firing another round into the treeline.

My call was answered by a flash behind me. A purple styled hue that hummed like a lightsaber. I wasn't dead, so I whipped my gun around. It froze half way, as if a baseball-bat swing had froze it in mid-spin. There was no noise to accompany this theory, however.

I spun my head to look at the source. It was a new pony I hadn't seen before, it was a female judging by the eyelashes, with a deep blue coat. Her hair was dotted with lights, as if the night sky itself was captured inside the strands. She looked at me with a blank expression I couldn't read. I tried to swing the sword at her, but my sword hand was also immovable. As if it had been frozen in ice.

I growled internally as I summoned up the last of my strength to move the rifle. It slowly gave way, moving slowly, as if drowned in a thick syrup.

The blue female's expression remained the same, despite her eyes widening only a hair. She stepped to the side, increasing the distance I'd have to push the rifle.

"Bitch!" I shouted in rash frustration.

"That's rather rude, is that how you address everypony?" She asked mockingly, moving behind me where I could not turn to see her.

'Well, it actually isn't that far off...'

"Bitch!" I repeated, slightly more tired and wimpy as the last of my energy was wasted. I decided to give up, the rifle appeared to have moved several inches in her previous direction. I dangled from the rifle, my hands felt welded to it. I looked to them, and they, too, were wrapped in the same color as her coat.

"You're agitated, and I understand. I've been watching you." She began.

'Eugh, creepy.'

"I'd have seen you from a mile a way. You're a walking lava lamp!" I shouted.

'Hah, that's right Gray. Self-fist bump.'

"I haven't been stalking you,' she explained. "I've merely been using a spell to observe the major actions taking place in your life. It's very difficult to hold, but I understand what you're going through." She moved back into my field of view, and looked at me with a bold posture. "Certainly you aren't taking me for any Earth pony, are you?" She mocked.

'Was that racism? Shit, G-rating's out the window now. Actually, how many times have I said "fuck" so far?'

"What do you want?" I groaned, slumping down and hanging my weight from the rifle.

"I'm not asking for anything. I'm merely here to bring a few things to your attention." She explained innocently, faking a smile for courtesy. "For one, my sister will be meeting you tomorrow, I have alerted her to your presence, as well as Twilight's urge to momentarily keep you secret. She insisted, however, that you be addressed as top-priority. She seems..." The girl turned her head to the side. "cautious
over your presence. I may have been delivering her too many details over your actions. She wants to meet you personally." She looked back to me. "I will be sure to accompany her, as to make sure she doesn't bias her opinion."

"And who is your sister? Are you with those things that I cut the hearts out of?" I teased, smiling sinisterly.

She wasn't nearly as bothered as I had hoped she would be.

"No, the creatures you encountered are called 'changelings'. They are a species that, unfortunately, requires the energy we associate with love in order to survive. The feed on it, along with small meals, in order to populate. They are currently starving, which may make them more hostile. You should read a story on the recent invasion. They are able to disguise themselves using magic, however, we are discovering new ways to reveal them, as to prevent damage. A being without any love can become very violent. Especially griffons or bison. I know not what they want with you, however. Possibly to wield you as a weapon for the changeling empire." She finished, the situation seemed to disturb her.

"And you aren't one?" I subtly reminded her of the double-question.

"Oh! That's right! You haven't learned! I'm curious as to how your governing system works. I am Princess Luna, goddess of the moon. My sister you will soon meet, is Princess Celestia, goddess of the sun." She explained with a much more natural grin.

"So if you're here, why isn't she here right now?" I asked with my usual dullness.

"She prefers to utilize the guard for transportation, more practical methods. She is a pacifist to the highest extreme, so she does not want any opposition to know how powerful she really is. Not to mention the possibility that she could be located much more easily when she is disturbing the flow of magic. I used a simple teleportation spell to reach here, but she will prefer to move by carriage. As to not be detected, or studied." She seemed unsure of her own answer, it made me nervous.

"And what about releasing me?" I asked, wiggling at my arms.

"When I leave, you will be released. But first, you must promise me that you will turn, and return home immediately. There is no need to fight this battle, as only several changelings survived the attack." She took several steps closer, at this point, I realized that my eyes were not playing tricks on me. She stood almost a foot taller than I did. I wondered if she was using her height as a weapon the way I had earlier to Twilight.

"They killed Elliot, I need to avenge his death. I have no choice." I moped, looking down to the ground.

"You do have a choice. Perhaps you should wait until tomorrow, I feel that we can cheer you up greatly. So much, that I wish to wait to tell you until tomorrow. But I have to be sure that you will harm nopony, and we will see you tomorrow in Twilight's library at noon. We will escort you personally to Canterlot, but you must be ready to go. No delay can be offered, as it may provide time for an attack." Her feathers fluffed at the word attack. She seemed a little darty, not to be confused with ditzy, but darty as in jumpy and, at times, aggressive. Her posture was very forward, I felt tiny.

I didn't like it, I didn't want to agree with it, but I needed to know more about this world before I let myself die in it.

"Fine, I'll leave." I agreed, rolling my eyes.

She grinned. "Splendid! My sister and I will see you at noon!"

Taking several steps to the rear from in front of me, her horn lit up. It wasn't until now that I realized it was glowing very dimly before. Sparks of various shades of blue circled around her.

"Oh, before we part ways, I must warn you..." Her smile dropped, she looked much more stoic, almost angry. I was briefly worried she was going to hit me. "I understand the basic usage of this unique device you wielded earlier..." She nodded in the direction of my rifle, the sparks were speeding up. "But, should you ever choose to address any royalty in such a derogatory way as you have today, whether the word 'bitch' be used or not, I swear on my name your weapon will be inside of you."

A bright flash of blue, I closed my eyes for a moment, and she was gone.

Author's Note

Oh yeah, it happened: https://gyazo.com/bf846bcdae12a4743572f3562338b6ce
I'll try to get on tomorrow (8-30-16) on the 18+ server at 6-8AM EST. Missed me? That's fine! I play it frequently, so just log on often and try to find that OC!

Also, I might be doing a Star Trek-inspired Sci-fi fic, and I'll be working on "Defective" in the near-future. I'm honestly a bit of a closet brony, but I'm considering sharing a video of my actual life. It's really up to you people if you think it's worth it. Leave a comment below!