Blue, green, orange, white, and red. Those were the only colors he was used to seeing now, or at least those were the only ones that mattered. These were the colors that he saw every day ever since he decided to come to this place. But he had no right to complain; no one forced him to be here, he chose to embark on this path even at the protest of his best friend, just like he embarked on many others so long ago. His mind drifted back to the colors and what meaning they held for him. Blue and green though prominent in occurrence and importance came in small size. Green was the color of his current ally’s young reptilian eyes. Blue was the color of said ally’s spikes that adorned the top of his body and the under part of his wings. It was also the color of her coat and mane; the one who had hurt him last. He’d rather not think of that.

So he went to orange, the color that the sky was most of the time, the sky he slept under and looked up at, and the color of his eyes. White was the color of his mane and the color his oldest friend’s coat. The pure white of his mane was impossible to miss especially in the dark, to his ever growing mortification, and white matched his friend’s personality perfectly. However this friend was far away.

Red and black were without a doubt the most predominant color in his life and held the deepest meaning. Black was the color of his spiked armor that adorned his chest, over his shoulders, half way down his forelegs, left his wings exposed, and over his waist all the way down his hind legs. His armor also had red eyes when the helmet part of it was active. Red was the second color the sky took on nights like this one. It was the color of his previously mentioned companion’s scales and top part of his wings. A crimson red was the color of his coat earning him his namesake. And it was the color that gushed out of his enemies when they were crushed under the weight of his blade or cut open by it.

Yes he was a warrior, one that had seen countless battles and slain even more foes. He had been fighting for so long that it had become his life, and had left little room for anything else. All his biological family was gone buried in the Earth by his own hooves. Friends and comrades in arms had come and gone; most of which died on the battlefield, some performing acts of betrayal, and others simply moving on with time.

Then there were those two. His non biological family. They were sisters both alicorns- a pony who possessed the attributes of an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn- but related to him in no way. Despite not being tied by blood he had known them almost his whole life and cared about them deeply and vice versa.

The eldest sister was tall far taller than the other or any pony for that matter, at about 8 feet in height. She was the one who had a white coat that matched her personality. She also had an ever flowing mane of multiple warm colors like an aurora borealis, and an orange Sun upon her rear as her cutie mark. She had a voice that was sweet yet stern almost motherly and it was reflected in how she carried herself. Always thinking about what was best for others no matter the cost. He knew her as Celestia sometimes Tia for short, but as the years passed by others would come to know her as Princess Celestia Ruler of Equestria whose duty was to raise and lower the Sun and look over all of Equestria’s citizens…. Despite having more than a thousand years to get used to that title it still didn’t sound right to him.

The second one was similar to the first in some ways but different in many others. So much so that the two were almost like night and day; no pun intended. She was taller than most ponies like her sister but nowhere near to such a degree at 5 ½ feet. Her coat was a night blue and her mane which flowed much like her sister’s matched the coat perfectly with the exception of lighter blue streaks on the edges, with a white crescent moon surrounded in blackness as her cutie mark. The younger sister held just as much authority as a ruler as the older sister, tasked with raising and lowering the moon. Thus earning her the name Luna. Luna cared about her subjects just as much as her sister, but wasn’t quite as mature. She was quicker to anger which was always noticeable in her voice, shyer when it came to certain things, and seemed to prefer a more personal approach to “Celestia’s advice from a safe distance” method.

They were like Yin and Yang the two sisters. Being different yet similar and complementing each other perfectly, or at least that was the ways it was supposed to be.

Events that transpired many years before involving Luna had caused him to grow rather distant even from Celestia who had done nothing wrong. However despite this, Celestia remained and never stopped writing to her “brother”. Always checking up on him to see how he was doing, to see if his mission was going well, and to keep him aware of current events that transpired, and he always wrote back.

When Luna had returned a little over a year and a half ago and the damage between the two sisters was mended Celestia made it a point to come up with every excuse in the world to try and get him to return.

All except the important stuff.

Like when she informed him two days after Discord the Embodiment of Chaos had escaped his stone prison. He asked if she needed him to return temporarily with most haste and “WHY THE HELL DIDN’T SHE TELL HIM SOONER!” But she simply replied that her apprentice Twilight Sparkle and her friends the other Elements of Harmony had taken care of it. It was that same line from that point on for every major threat to Equestria.

When the Changelings invaded; Twilight and friends, Sombra returning; Twilight and friends, Tirek escaping his prison in Tartarus the very place “HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GUARDING!” Twilight and friends. At this point this Twilight Sparkle had definitely caught his interest. No doubt she was a part of one of Celestia’s big plans, and sure enough he was right. After Sombra but before the Tirek event he received a letter from Celestia informing him of the world’s newest alicorn.

“So Tia’s just going around turning ponies into alicorns now? GRREEAATT,” he joked.

But what had brought about this urge to reminisce about life and what it had laid down in front of his hooves?

A simple letter, a letter from her…no FROM BOTH OF THEM.

This was the first time both of them had ever written to him in the same letter. Actually it was the first time Luna had written to him since her return.

His birthplace was having a tournament for all the knights and warriors all over the land who served the kingdom to show off their stuff without fear of death or grievous injury in actual combat.

Normally he would have refused quickly but certain words in the letter struck a chord within him.

“It’s time to come home Crimson Ire we miss you.”

It had been a long time since she said his name and in that amount of time he had received another name; “The Sanguine Warrior”. Even Celestia in previous letters had referred to him simply as “you” or “brother”.

But they missed him. Not surprising really, it had been a thousand years since he saw them last, and he didn’t leave with the best of feelings. However what made this letter different from the others was the fact that Celestia wasn’t asking him if he was ready to return like before, but simply that it was time and home along with those two needed him emotionally.

Oh and she mentioned that if he didn’t come willingly she would come with an entire battalion of royal guards and drag him back to Equestria with an honest to God smile on her face.

He felt a bead of sweat roll down his face in annoyance as he let out a sigh. But it was quickly replaced with a light smile. It was nice to know that all these years as a leader hadn’t changed their relationship.

“Not much of a choice now I guess,” he thought to himself.

What about his mission? He considered this and had come to the conclusion that his mission was complete a long time ago, and that at this point he was just avoiding those closest to him.

His mission was to stay in Tartarus and assist the demon Scorpan in keeping the peace between good demons and bad ones while making sure known of the bad ones escaped. The only reason a demon as powerful as Tirek escaped without him knowing was because he was preoccupied in a battle with a lighting breathing multi headed demon.

Besides despite the incredible span of peace his homeland had enjoyed for all these centuries those letters he had received prior had shown that events as of late had proven that perhaps that time was coming to an end, and if so he would be needed there now more than ever. Everything he did was for his old home, even when it hurt him to be there.

He heard the sound of a splash behind him but it didn’t startle him, he had heard the footsteps beforehand.

“AAAWWWWW C’MON!” Yelled a young voice in frustration.

Crimson turned his head slightly around to look at the creature that had decided to make a big deal out of something. It was his companion the baby dragon Plasma. The one who had blue spikes and blue under his small reptilian wings, red scales over his body and the top part of his wings, and green eyes.

“Stop being a baby Plasma, you should be used to this, and you can’t even tell there’s blood because of your scales,” he said with an uninterested yet slightly irritated tone.

He had found Plasma when he was just an egg eighteen years ago after killing some demons that were going to eat him. Those same demons mistakenly thought they could make a meal of him as well; oh how quickly the tables turn. With the only ones who might have known where he came from slain and his parents or any other dragon nowhere to be found he took it upon himself to raise the baby dragon and teach it combat to defend itself, and when it could, it could do whatever it wanted. Leave, try and kill him, or stay with him as a companion. Obviously he chose the latter.

Plasma when walking towards him had accidently stepped into a rather deep puddle of demonic blood causing it to splatter all over him.

Plasma looked up at his mentor and friend with anger for not understanding his blight.

“It’s not that about whether or not you can see it, it’s the fact that it’s on me! Plus it’s gonna make me smell bad, I’m pretty sure it got in my mouth, and when it dries it’s gonna become black and then you’ll definitely be able to see it!” Yelled the young dragon in frustration.

The red pony that sat some distance away could only raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Then why don’t you just wash it off,” Crimson Ire said with just as much lack of interest as before.

To be perfectly honest he was more surprised as to the fact that Plasma hadn’t stepped into a puddle sooner for all around them were pools of blood (none of it theirs) just as deep if not deeper. What laid atop those puddles for some would have to been a sight to behold. For others with weaker stomachs something that would cause a lot of upchucking.

Demons, scores, upon scores, upon scores of demons laid scattered across the battlefield along with some smashed parts of the once rigid landscape. In fact he himself was sitting on a rather large pile of twenty deceased demonic bodies. The demons weren’t just killed however they were slaughtered. Fifteen out of the sixty demons had claw marks and burn marks on their bodies, in fact some had yet to be put out and their dead bodies were burning in green flames.

But those were the lucky demons; those fortunate few who were killed by Plasma; those who got to avoid the bite of that horrid weapon and its master. The remaining forty five bodies were almost unrecognizable. So many of them had been cut in half in one fell swoop that there were pairs of the same body meters away from each other, their remaining little bit of life force dripping out of them. Some were even more unlucky and instead of being sliced were simply crushed under the weight of the blade itself, receiving a pain worse than anything they thought possible before their death.

However this was no ordinary weapon it was a sword of monstrous proportions. No it was too thick, too massive, too heavy, and far to rough to be called a sword; it was more like a heap of raw iron.

A silver blade with a black streak going down the middle on both sides. Easily six feet six inches long and weighing four hundred pounds, which was really saying something since even the largest of ponies the princesses aside, were only four feet in height; the blade was also four inches thick. The tip was in a diamond shape showing that it was a stabbing and a slicing weapon. In the middle of the sword at the base under the black streak is a silver guard that went up both sides of the sword in a circular shape, and on the right side of the guard is a single metal chain. The handle under the guard was wrapped in orange bandages with a grey cone shaped pommel. The blade was the only one like it in the entire world and was hoof crafted by its master and this sword had tasted the blood of almost every creature in Equestria. Dragons, chimeras, manticores, hydras, gargoyles, timberwolves (although gargoyles and timberwolves don’t bleed), sea serpents, gryphons, minotaurs, demons, other ponies and much more.

Plasma could only stare at the pony and his gigantic blade with a face that said “you’re serious”.

“Oh sure I’ll just go wander into the invisible lake that’s just over that hill, then I’ll be clean in no time,” Plasma said with the utmost sarcasm.

Tartarus was a desert that had little to no water in it, and if anypony ever did find water it would be a miracle.

“Fair enough guess you’ll just have to go to Equestria like that,” he said with a small smile.

As Plasma tried to pull himself out of the puddle hearing those words turned him from irritated to pissed in an instant.

“Seriously Crimson, this will be your first time back to Equestria in a thousand years! The very first time for me!” Plasma shouted as he stomped towards his mentor completely unaware that he had stepped on one of the demon’s tails.

“You know how important it is for me to make a good first impression, so you could at least act like you care! My whole life all I’ve known is this God forsaken place, fighting everyday just to keep alive, and while you may think its fun-” Plasma stopped to pick up a small boulder to throw at the pony using his draconic strength enhanced by years of intense training.

A sinister smirk appeared on Crimson’s face, but he had his head turned so his companion would not notice.

“-I don’t!” Plasma was about to unleash the rock he held with all his might right at the back of his friends head. But at a speed that would make most pegasi rethink their life choices and faster than the blink of an eye Crimson Ire had bolted from his spot atop the pile of bodies in front of Plasma and had already drawn his massive sword preparing to bring it down atop of his target. All the while flashing that horrid smile that couldn’t possibly belong to a pony.

Plasma realized this all too late and knew instantly there was no time to dodge, and thought at that moment that the blade he had seen cut down so many demons would now be his undoing.

Ironic really.

The young dragon did the only logical thing and closed his eyes awaiting the inevitable. He heard the swiss of the blade cutting through the air followed by a crushing sound, along with what sounded like blood gushing out. Yet the young dragon felt no pain and was fairly certain he was still alive.

He reopened his eyes to see that Crimson Ire’s blade had stopped a few feet above his head and that the pony in questions smile or attention was not directed at him. With a turn of his head it all made sense. What stood behind him was a snake like demon that Plasma could have sworn he killed, nearly cleaved in two by Crimson’s sword.

The demon had the body of a cobra with the exception of the red face shaped like a pony that stuck out of its mouth and the two arms it had that formed scythe like appendages in replace of hands. Plasma could also see that those same appendages were pointed only two feet away from his neck.

When word spread that the infamous Red Swordsman was leaving Tartarus, many demons decided this would be their last chance to kill him.

The serpent had fought alongside its demonic brethren in a last ditch attempt to try and kill the infamous pony who had plagued their kind for a thousand years. He thought he was being safe by choosing to fight the small dragon instead but in a matter of minutes even he had proven to be more of a match for them. When the dragon failed to deliver a fatal burn the serpent decided it best to play dead and wait for an opening; he was however unprepared to witness the almost effortless slaughter of the rest of his comrades by one messily pony.

He could see now why so many of their kind had perished, why so many took this last ditch effort so seriously, and why some had refused to take part altogether.

It was fear, and as he stood there his life his life force coursing out of him. He wished he too had taken the wise approach and saw the Red Swordsman’s departure not as an opportunity but a blessing.

Demons considered ponies nothing but as a means for food along with other depraved things. But this…the creature that stood before him couldn’t be a pony. No pony was this strong and no pony enjoyed bloodshed like this; also no pony had that horrible smile. A smile that screamed he enjoyed this more than anything, and wouldn’t give it up for the world. When he smiled like that his pupils almost completely disappeared and his fangs bore through. Another strange thing since ponies aren’t supposed to have sharp teeth.

The demon serpent knew he stood no chance against a monster like this so he intended to kill the dragon instead, and attempt to make a run for it when he succeeded, and even if he couldn’t get away from the swordsman in the end he would still take pleasure in knowing he caused the famed monster some distress at the death of his ally.

However Crimson Ire was not one to be thrown for a loop so easily. Even amidst his own busy battle he watched his pupil to see if he would need assistance and while doing so he saw Plasma’s careless mistake at missing the killing blow and watched as the demon tried to play dead. It slowed its heartrate and breathing but Crimson knew all the while he was there and never once took his attention off it. Instead of ending the demon right away when his own battle was finished he figured it be more fun to let it think it was being clever, and it would also be a good learning experience for the inexperienced Plasma.

“Whh….a.aatt are you? You ca...aa…nt be a mere po…ny?” The demon questioned through gasping breaths.

The one who held his life in the palm of his hooves smile grew even more at this question.

“I’m just a pegasus who’s gotten real good at getting rid of scum like you, no matter what form you take. Now hold on to the shame of being killed by a mere pony,” he said while gripping the handle of his sword tighter.

“AND TAKE IT TO YOUR GRAVE!” Crimson Ire shouted as he pulled his blade down further running through the demon completely.

Plasma jumped behind Crimson Ire to make sure he wasn’t cut in the arc of the giant sword. The demons body split in two instantly causing blood to gush out of the now two bodies as they flung into the air passed each other, landing a few meters away.

Plasma thought his heart was going to explode out of his chest and begin to tap dance, after what had just happened. It’s bad enough Crimson was using the psycho smile but he just realized he had come this close to losing his head. His friend stood a few feet away from him now covered in demon blood just like he was, and turned around slowly looking straight at him.

“Now were both covered in blood; better than you being the only one right,” he said with a normal smile. A sharp contrast to the one he bore before.

Plasma felt a wave of relief and guilt was over him. On the one hand he was grateful that Crimson saved his life and more importantly didn’t want to take it because of his constant pestering. On the other however he should have known Crimson would never try to kill him after all this wasn’t the first time he saved his life; actually it was more like the fiftieth. And despite the fact he was about to throw a rock at him he still saved the young dragon without hesitation. He shouldn’t have been so careless on the battlefield, and he shouldn’t have gotten so angry when Crimson showed no interest in his dilemma. Crimson’s always showed a lack of interest when it came to things that didn’t involve killing “scum” as he called it.

He looked down at the stone he was still holding in his claws and dropped it, as a red hoof brushed over the top of his head rustling his spikes.

“Don’t worry about it kid, no hard feelings. I just wish I could get you that interested when it came to training,” he said with another smile replacing the one of bloodlust entirely.

Plasma smiled back at his lifelong mentor and only friend quickly giving him a hug. Which was his way of apologizing?

“Alright, alright don’t go and get all sappy on me,” Crimson Ire patted the Plasma on the head some more before releasing himself of the young dragons embrace.

“We’ll search for a lake or river once we enter Equestrai. If it’s anything like I remember then there’ll be plenty of opportunities to wash up,” Crimson said as he began to walk away from the battlefield toward the gates that would be their exit, now that he was certain all the demons were dead.

Plasma beamed as heard those words and began to hurry quickly behind the red stallion. He slowed down however as he scanned the battlefield one more time as a question entered his mind.

“Hey Crimson Ire don’t you think it’s weird that all these demons showed up right when we were about to leave? I mean only a hooful of those in Equestria know you’re coming so far right?” he asked inquisitively.

Crimson nodded his head to signify a yes.

“Then how did demons all the way in Tartarus find out?” Plasma couldn’t hide the worry in his voice.

“Perhaps it was coincidence, after all this isn’t the first time we’ve been ambushed,” he said stopping his walk to look behind him.

“And even if it wasn’t, you’ve lived here your whole life, so you of all ponies should know. In Tartarus even the rocks have eyes and ears,” Crimson said as he continued to walk toward the gate.

Plasma stopped dead in his tracks. He glanced through his memory and turned around quickly searching for the small boulder he held early that he would have thrown at his friend only to find that the rock was gone without a trace. They had been watching them ever since they got the letter, how could he have been so stupid as to not notice it sooner.

“Forget it Plasma. We’re leaving with our lives and limbs intact which means their plan failed. Now come on before I change my mind and decide to stay here for another couple of thousand years,” Crimson Ire ordered

Plasma realized he was right; there was no point in worrying about this place when today was their last day here. The demons would be unable to follow them out because of the protective field around the gates and even if they did an entire army of ponies would probably meet them head on within a day or two.

So with a flap of his wings the dragon flew next to the pegasus as he stopped in front of the gates. The gates were huge almost the size of a three story building, and probably weighed just as much. These gates were designed to stop anything and everything from exiting or entering Tartarus. However just in case there was a creature capable of lifting the daunting weight of the two giant doors. The entire gate had been encased in a magical sphere of the strongest alicorn magic that went even into the ground, preventing magic such as teleportation, and phase shifting from getting through.

So how were Crimson Ire and Plasma to get through this impossible barrier, well his sister had seen to that with the most recent letter she had sent. He rummaged through his saddle bag and pulled out the golden letter, lifted his right hoof and held the letter from Celestia toward the gate. In an instant the letter began to levitate on its own and unwrap itself. It then turned into a sphere of pure golden light and bolted into the gates of Tartarus. When it did a brilliant golden light began to appear in between the doors. The physical gates themselves were not opening but it was as if a tear had been formed in the fabric of reality allowing for passage through.

Plasma stared in wonder at the hole in reality; one step, one step would be all it took and his life would change for the better forever. The red pony beside him could only think of one thing something he tried to avoid.

“Luna,” he said in a hushed whisper. After all these years he was going to see her again, but after what had happened did he really want to.

It didn’t matter, his time here had run out and he had already taken the first step toward his journey home. Besides if he turned back now he would never hear the end of it from Plasma. So he stepped forward into the blinding light with his draconic companion following close behind.

Crimson could feel the magical energy flowing through the surface of his body as it scanned him making sure that they were indeed the ones meant to pass into this peaceful land.

With only a few steps Crimson Ire could feel the pleasant warmth of grass under his hooves as they exited the portal and were blinded by a completely different light. He squinted against the bright light as his eyes took a moment to adjust. When he could finally see again he realized it was the powerful rays of the Sun in full gleam that had blinded him, giving him the assumption that it was most likely noon.

As he observed his surroundings he was greeted by the sight of luscious vegetation spreading across stone at all angles on a mountain side, and further below was an open plain that showed an almost endless patch of grass bisected by a large river. It was a beautiful sight to behold and a refreshing one compared to the desert wasteland of the previous location.

The scenery was not the only thing that had changed. The difference in atmosphere was just as present. In Tartarus every breath stung his lungs and it took years for him to adjust before he stopped feeling pain. Also the smell of something foul lingered constantly and could not be avoided. Lastly the air was also heavier.

As a Pegasus one would naturally try to find a pocket of air easiest to navigate. There was no such thing in Tartarus; gravity felt like it was twice as heavy making it near impossible to get off the ground, the air was stiff making it harder to flap your wings, and whatever gusts of wind that appeared were like hurricanes with winds threatening to throw you for a loop or rip the flesh from your bones.

However the air in Equestria was kinder than that of Tartarus the air smelled of flowers and the water from river streams, and every breath he took filled his lungs with new life and his body with energy.

When a gusts of wind came and tickled his face he could feel how more maneuverable the air was. The wind then moved from his face to wings and danced along them almost as if inviting him to shake loose the shackles of the earth and become free in the sky. And judging from the feel the air had it would be a significantly easier task than previously. He unfurled his feathered wings and began to test the air further. The air was no longer stiff as if fighting against his every move but instead calm and happily went with the flow of his wing beats.

Crimson Ire could not believe how pleasant this all felt. The air, the scenery, even the Sun that had previously blinded them now shined warm fully and caringly filling him with newfound energy just like the wind.

It’ true that his time in Tartarus had probably hardened him to a different way of life; but even this was a fair amount different than the Equestrai he knew before he left.

Crimson looked behind him to find that the portal had closed just as soon as they arrived and the letter had returned to its original form and landed next to his foreleg. The gates of Tartarus along with the entire previous landscape were also gone, implying that the portal had teleported them a fair distance away upon entry instead of simply temporarily opening the barrier. Celestia obviously didn’t want him changing his mind.

He looked down at Plasma to see that an expression of pure wonderment had taken over the dragon’s face.

“You gonna be ok?” he asked with a puzzled expression.

“It’s even more beautiful than I imagined,” Plasma said with his eyes still fixated upon the lush landscape.

The red pegasus turned his head and looked out toward the horizon. Celestia had told him to go to the capital city Canterlot so that’s where he would go. He picked the letter up from the ground and turned it over. There on the back was a map of modern day Equestrai, in which he saw a variety of different cities and locations that were all inhabited by ponies. Yet another reminder of how things had changed.

How Celestia was going to ease him into this he had no clue.

Also on the map was a large red X that said “You are here” on it. He turned his eyes to where Canterlot also was on the map to see that there was a fair distance between the two.

Trying to visualize the distance in the map as though it were reality he concluded that it was most likely a three hundred sixty five mile gap. Easy enough at almost top speed he could be there in seven minutes or less. It would have been considerably greater had the princess not teleported them like she did.

However before he could embark on the road to Canterlot, he first had to keep his promise.

“There’s a river down there where we can clean up. After that no stops,” Crimson Ire said as he unfurled his wings and floated down toward the river.

Plasma finally stopped daydreaming and quickly did the same.

Landing down at the stream Crimson Ire took one more look at the horizon wondering about what the future would hold for him and whether or not any of that would leave more bodies in his wake.

So after all this time, after all the heartache and betrayal The Sanguine Warrior had finally come home.

Author's Note

WOO! First chapter of my first story is done! And I hope you all enjoyed it! So encase you're wondering I am replacing Guts with my original character (oc) Crimson Ire. But don't worry I modeled him after guts so there will be some similarities between the two; mostly the important stuff. Also sorry for the large information dump I figured I'd get most of it out of the way now instead of spreading it out later, taking away time from the juicy bits. I put a lot of hard work into this and tried to make a pretty interesting first chapter. BUT ENOUGH TALK! I eagerly await your feedback. If you like the story and hit the like button, tell me what it is you like so I may continue to apply or enhance that element. If you dislike the story or hit the dislike button tell me what it is you hated so I may try to improve on it and make the story better. See you guys in a few days.