Beautiful Rainbows, Unicorns, and Rainbow Unicorns: The Daily Antics and Adventures of. . . Everyone

Chapters

Open Mic Night
Some kind of clothes show? Fashion event? Whatever it's called.
The Mother to My Children (edit)
Wubs and Lubs
History
Pets
Clean, Little, Private Secrets; Toxic, Big, Public Places
Daily Life
Shenanigans (editted)
Possibly a day off?
Darqlon, Making Friends Everywhere He Goes
Sisters and Brothers
A Good Thing?
Battle Royale!!!! (Death Battle parody) - Part One
Fetch

Open Mic Night

"El mariachi loco quiere bailar! El mariachi loco quiere bailar!" Onyx slurred loudly and shook maracas, "Quiere bailar el mariachi loco! Quiere bailar el mariachi loco! Hic!" He took one drunken step too far and fell off the stage and crashed onto a table. "Ayyyyyyy! Mi duele!"

"Somebody should go help him," Kyllgorr voiced. After a minute of no one in the group moving an inch, he sighed and got up, "Let's not all go at once."

Onyx felt the big, warm hands of Kyllgorr lifting him up, "Gorry. . . I do good?"

Kyllgorr rolled his eyes, "Oh, yes. You did a good job of embarrassing yourself. How the Hell did you even get the song?"

"I hash mine waysh," Onyx slurred.

"What a very. . . um. . . interesting cultural show of display there, right, mares and gentlecolts?" Ditzy Doo laughed nervously on the stage. She cleared her throat. "I am more than happy to introduce our next singer, Lord Grey Whulphe!"

Applause greeted Grey as he walked out on stage with an acoustic guitar.

"I do not know how I could top such a. . . spirited performance," he sat on the stool provided for him, "This is a little number I wrote a long time ago."

"I would find. . . a. . . way," Grey finished with his husky, deep voice. He opened his eyes and saw most of the crowd in tears. He stood up and bowed, "Thank you." Cheers and applause followed him as he walked off stage, behind the red curtains.

"Wow. . ." Ditzy Doo said in awe, "How about another round of applause? Alright, folks, our very own resident party pony: Pinkie Pie!"

After a second of darkness, a single spotlight shone on the pink mare in the middle of the stage, and then she began her song.

"'Cause baby you're a firework!" she fired her patented party cannon and lit sparklers. She began to dance and sing. By the time she was done singing, the whole club was on their hooves and feet singing along with her.

"What an energetic show!" Ditzy Doo commented and clapped her hooves, "Wow, what an amazing song! Now, let's keep this momentum going! Up next we have," she gasped at the list in her hoof, "Princess Celestia!"

Princess Celestia stepped out onto the stage, "Greetings, my little ponies." All the ponies immediately dropped what they were doing and bowed before their regent. Princess Celestia laughed, "My little ponies, thank you, but this is a time for fun! Let's drop the formalities and that beat!"

"We're gonna celebrate!" She finished her song. The crowd went wild with whoops and cheers. "Thank you all, my little ponies!"

"Spectacular show, Princess," Darqlon congratulated backstage.

"It is nice to let loose every. . . century or so," she smiled.

"Mariachi loco!" they heard Onyx yell at the top of his lungs. Then the next second, they heard him empty the contents of his stomach.

"I think it is time to go before he gets out of hand, your majesty," Darqlon advised.

Princess Celestia chuckled, "I'm afraid you may be right."

Some kind of clothes show? Fashion event? Whatever it's called.

"I think I had a lucid dream about this place before," Onyx mused, his eyes stared widely at the chromatic pegasus before him.

"You sure you weren't drunk?" Rainbow Dash gibed. His sudden touch on her cheek surprised her.

"No," he spoke softly, "You were in it. Celestia was in it. Luna was in it. And all these places seem familiar to me." He removed his hand that he had outstretched unconsciously, "Sorry. I like to keep a journal, even though my life is boring, but mostly to remember the names of different people that I meet and keep track of my dreams. I titled it 'Beautiful Rainbows, Unicorns, and Rainbow Unicorns'. And this land is full of beautiful rainbows, unicorns, and," he smiled at the pegasus, "especially beautiful rainbow pegasi."

"Pfft!" Rainbow Dash pushed him away and hid her rosy cheeks behind her wild rainbow mane, "Go to the throne room! Rarity has your clothes done for tomorrow."

Onyx chuckled and walked off.

Rainbow Dash made the mistake of looking back at him which earned her a wink and kiss blown from him.

Grey stood like a statue, he wanted to avoid getting pricked by a needle or pin. Rarity and Amy pranced around him and made adjustments to his attire. After the ten minutes, which felt like ten hours, Rarity and Amy were content with how everything fit together on Grey's wide, muscular frame.

"You look absolutely dashing, darling!" Rarity complimented as she stepped back to examine him.

"Very imposing!" Amy nodded. "Go show the others!" Amy exclaimed and smacked Grey on his butt as he closed the door behind him.

Grey sighed and he soon found himself out in the throne room. He strode across the dais and made his way to the centre where the throne usually was seated.

Princess Luna clapped her hooves, "Yes! We like that one!"

"Rarity and Amy certainly know what they are doing," Princess Celestia commented.

"If that doesn't say 'leader' I don't know what does!" Pinkie Pie laughed.

Grey smiled, "I guess it's not that bad."

"Turn around for us!" Princess Luna requested. Grey spun around on one foot. "No, no, no! Slower."

Grey grinned. He slowly turned in a circle, "Happy?"

"Very," Luna winked flirtatiously.

"Oh, Killy," Amy gushed, "You look very intimidating and fearsome!"

"I must say, Amy, your work is splendid!" Rarity voiced, "And Kyllgorr, darling if this was my first time seeing you, I would swear that you are royal!"

"Thank you, Amy," Kyllgorr blushed, not used to compliments, "Thank you, Rarity."

"Do you feel up to showing the others, Killy?"

"Not. . . particularly," Kyllgorr answered honestly.

"You do not have to do anything you do not want to, darling," Rarity reassured him and placed a hoof on his hand.

"Exactly," Amy swatted Rarity's hoof away, "You can take it off and go sit back down sweety."

When Kyllgorr left, Amy shot a murderous glance at Rarity who was rubbing her hoof. Rarity smiled and laughed nervously and walked to the other room to retrieve Wolf's outfit.

"Scarf."

"Ascot."

"Scarf."

"Ascot."

"Scarf," Wolf stated sternly and growled.

"Ascot!" Rarity rebutted.

"How about," Amy wedged herself between Wolf and Rarity who were snout to snout with each other and separated them, "a bandanna?"

Rarity took the red cloth from Amy's magic with her light blue magic, "Hmmm?"

Wolf equally took the time to examine the cloth. They exchanged a glance and nodded their heads together. "Acceptable," Wolf proclaimed.

"This works nicely," Rarity agreed.

Onyx poked his head through the curtains, "My turn yet?"

"Nope!" Amy chimed.

"Oh, okay," Onyx deflated and disappeared.

Rarity stepped back. She cocked her head and frowned, "Do you think the pauldrons are too long?"

Amy went to the fashionista's side, "Hmm. . . A little. Instead of sticking out, we should sculpt them to his shoulders."

"My thought"

Onyx interrupted her by popping in his head again, "My turn yet?"

"No, darling," Rarity replied, annoyed slightly.

"Oh, okay," Onyx sighed and disappeared.

Amy finished sketching on a pad and showed it to Rarity. "Yes, those pauldrons will do nicely," Rarity accepted the pad and showed it to Wolf.

"It really does not matter to me. I dislike wearing clothes. I will defer to your better judgement," Wolf admitted.

"Okay! Then we should"

Onyx poked his head through the curtains, "My turn"

Amy flung his outfit into his face, "Here! Bucking put it on and stop interrupting us!"

"Thank you!" he chimed and whisked away.

Amy snorted and looked back at the two other persons in the room.

"He was a spoiled only child prince," Wolf explained.

"Doesn't make him less annoying," Amy said.

"Anyways, you are all done, Wolf," Rarity took off his pseudo armour with her light blue magic and excused him out.

"Are you sure this doesn't make my butt look big?" Onyx asked concerned.

Amy rolled her eyes, "You have to have a 'butt' in the first place."

"I do to have a butt!"

"Not compared to Killy's tush," Amy remarked and shoved a mirror into Onyx.

Onyx pointed his posterior towards the mirror and frowned, "I don't have a butt!"

"Squats, darling, squats," Rarity input.

Onyx removed his attire from off his armour with a sigh, "Yes'm."

"So," Darqlon broke the long silence, "how do I look?

Amy stared at the obsidian alicorn before her in awe, her jaw nearly touched the floor. The platinum accessories Grey crafted masterfully, stood out even more against Darqlon's black exterior.

Rarity snapped herself from her stupor, "Absolutely. . . sovereign."

Darqlon smiled, "Truly?"

"I. . .," Rarity struggled for words, "I just want to bow before you in reverence."

That made Darqlon chuckle, "That is not required." "Yet," he thought.

Onyx interrupted the veneration, "Hey! Woah!" He noticed Darqlon's imposing figure, "Looking like the king of the world there, D."

"Perhaps in the future," Darqlon mused.

"You two ladies go and take your seats," Onyx instructed.

"What?" Rarity questioned while Amy watched in starstruck awe.

"I have convinced the others that we are going to walk out there and make an impromptu fashion show!"

"B-But," Rarity was perplexed, "Amy and I still have to do embroidery and make changes to Wolf's ensemble!"

"You will have time for that later!" Onyx rushed Rarity out and picked up Amy and placed her out the door.

"This is the first I have heard of this," Darqlon stated.

"That's what makes it 'impromptu'," Onyx rolled his eyes, "Besides, you're going to kill it out there. Celestia won't be able to resist you."

Darqlon laughed heartily and walked to the back room where his other comrades werestill shaking his head.

The Mother to My Children (edit)

"Chrysie?"

"Hm?"

Onyx and Queen Chrysalis laid on the bed together with Onyx sitting beside her, brushing her turquoise mane, "You know that day we spent in your hive and I was reminiscing about my past. You remember what we did before that?"

'"Mmmm. . . vividly," Chrysalis sighed contently.

"I-I'm not sure how breeding works with your species. . . but. . . are Scout and Jet"

Chrysalis erupted into laughter, "No! Goodness no!"

"That's. . . that's what I thought," he said despondently, "I just wanted to make sure. I guess."

Chrysalis felt his love drop immensely. She turned her head to him and stared at his sapphire eyes and examined him with her peridot gems. He smiled weakly back at her. "One hundred and seventy more brushes to go," she informed him and rested her head back on her crossed forelegs.

"As you say, my Queen," Onyx obeyed.

"Princess Woona?" Cobalt Blossom beamed up at the midnight blue alicorn, her ice blue eyes glimmering.

"Yes? What do you need, young one?" Princess Luna inquired as she stood by the window and stared at the blacksmithing shack where black smoke puffed out of a chimney.

"Princess Woona, would you teach me how to read and write?" Cobalt Blossom asked innocently.

Luna stared at the little filly who gazed up at her with big eyes. "I. . ."

"Grey said that Princess Woona was the smartest and that he would be very sad if you could not help me," Cobalt Blossom stuck out her lower lip and flattened her ears back, "I would be very sad."

Luna's heart melted. "Alright, young one, I will teach you. Just. . . stop with that face. Please."

Cobalt Blossom jumped up and down, "Yay!"

"First lesson: my name is not 'Woona' it is 'Luna'," the Princess sat on her haunches.

"I know!" she chimed, "Grey said to say it like that because I'm adorable and you'd like it!"

Princess Luna averted her gaze from the bundle of blue cuteness, "Y-Yes. . . well. . . we do not dislike it."

"Wow!" Scout exclaimed, "It's like. . . you can do whatever you want with them and they don't even move!"

Scout Melanite and Jet Sentinel worked for hours to make the guard ponies move or say something. They made funny faces, funny sounds, flew around their heads, called them nameseverything. Well, not everything.

Jet smiled mischievously, "If I can get them to move, you have to do my homework for two weeks. Deal?"

"Deal!" Scout agreed, "There is no way you can get them to move."

"Heh heh heh," Jet cackled softly. She landed beside one of the guards and pointed her rear towards him. She lifted her tail and began urinating on him.

Fluttershy sat on by the rock which covered Wolf's remains. She wore a red scarf which flapped in the wind. The wind blew the flowers she had spent the whole day planting around his tomb. She sniffled and sat guard by the tomb until Princess Luna raised the moon. The ground started to rumble and crack. The massive rock crumbled and a shadow loomed over her. She turned around and saw Darqlon drenched in blood. He started charging at her and then.

Fluttershy sat up in bed. She was covered in a cold sweat with her heart threatening to escape from her chest.

"What's wrong?" a comforting voice questioned in her mind.

On the side of her bed, she saw the silhouette of a wolf with his giant head resting on the bed. She heaved a sigh of relief. "I just had a terrible nightmare," she confided in the wolf, "You were dead, Prys, and I saw Darqlon covered from head to hoof in blood."

The wolf licked her cheek reassuringly, "I am right here."

Fluttershy wrapped her hooves around his furry neck, "It was frightening!"

"I will do my best to live as long as I can," Wolf patted her back. After a few minutes of Fluttershy not letting him go, Wolf tapped her back again. . . and again. He cleared his throat, "You can let go now, Fluttershy. . ."

"No."

Wolf shrunk to the size of a pup to slip out of her clutches and grew to normal size on top of the bed. Fluttershy gazed at him with sad eyes, "Fluttershy, you do not need to worry. Please, go back to sleep."

Fluttershy sniffled, "Okay."

Wolf pulled the cover over Fluttershy and tucked her into bed.

Queen Chrysalis watched Onyx as he walked around the tower under her window before he disappeared out of sight. The sound of wildly flapping wings caught her attention towards the door which exploded with Jet and Scout opening the door and slamming it shut. They panted loudly then saw their mother and beamed at her.

"We are ready for our lessons, mum!" Jet swished over to a chair and had a pencil ready in her mouth.

Scout sat beside her sister and looked around the room, "Where is daddy?"

"Scout, stop calling him that," Queen Chrysalis snapped.

Heavy knocks on the door distracted her.

Queen Chrysalis begrudgingly opened the door and saw a crossed Princess Celestia before her, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Princess?"

"Jet Sentinel urinated on one of my guards," Princess Celestia informed.

"Just 'one'?" Queen Chrysalis gibed.

Princess Celestia, mustering all of her self-restraint and composure, spoke, "That kind of behavior will not be tolerated."

"What are you going to do? Petrify her?" Queen Chrysalis chided.

Princess Celestia snorted, "If this happens again. . . I will allow Kyllgorr to kill you and those two grubs. You are on thin ice, Chrysalis. This is my last warning to you and them."

"Duly noted," Queen Chrysalis smiled before shutting the door. She heard Celestia leave. She turned to Jet with her peridot eyes ablaze.

Jet gulped loudly and had her ears splayed back.

Onyx sat on a cloud and sighed. He watched Canterlot slowly drift further away. He sat back with his arms behind him, propping him up. He watched the stars twinkle in the sky.

"Children," he thought, "children are precious." He sighed loudly and laid on back on the cloud. The wing flaps drawing near did not concern him.

"Hey, Onyx, what's up?" Rainbow Dash greeted when she landed beside him. She peered over him.

Onyx gazed into her sparkling fuchsia gems and smiled up at her, "The moonlight accentuates your beauty."

Rainbow Dash shied away from him, "Wh-what?"

Onyx sat up and watched her with curious eyes, "What are you doing here?"

"Just. . . happened to take a little night flight," Rainbow Dash shifted her hooves.

"How is it that every time I'm alone, you just 'happen' to be around? Are you stalking me?"

"Wha? Psssshh! Pffft!" she sputtered, "N-No!"

"So. . . Destiny keeps bringing us together?" his eyes twinkled jovially.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her leg with her opposite hoof, "Maybe?"

Onyx chuckled softly and laid back on the cloud with a sigh.

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to him, "You know, when I come out here at night to rest on a cloud, it's usually because something is on my mind." She sat next to him, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. . . but I do want to cuddle. And you look especially cuddly."

"I am not cuddly! I am a lean, mean, fast flying machine!" Rainbow Dash smirked.

Onyx rubbed his jaw, "I guess I can go down to Sugarcube Corner tomorrow and ask for hugs and cookies from Pinkie then." He laced his fingers behind his head and closed his eyes.

Rainbow Dash waged a war inside her troubled mind and heart. She knelt beside him and listened to his slow, deep breaths. She rested her head on his stomach and felt him move, "NO touching! And if you tell anypony I'll drop you into a volcano!"

Onyx grinned widely.

"And stop smiling."

Onyx laughed at her request, "Yes'm."

Wubs and Lubs

Grey watched the ivory mare with electric blue mane and tail bob her head to the beat in her ear as she walked down the road. The beat is what grabbed his attention the most: a rhythm that brought back memories of his youth; her mane was the second thing that drew him in. With everything that interests him, he had to examine her closer. . . and follow her. He did not go about stalking her, no, that would be a crime, he walked beside her and listened to her music all the while.

The mare turned to him and looked at him through her violet lenses. Why was the Chief of the Four Tribes following her for the past ten minutes? Did he have nothing better to do? Was he a creep? Did she need to use a shock spell on him and run away while he was stunned? He held out his fist. She rolled her eyes behind her shades and reluctantly hoofed bumped with him.

"Those are some sick beats you're listening to there," he grinned, "you make them yourself?" He received a silent nod from her. "In my universe, I created the mixing tables and electronic sounds. I did it to impress a girl, but that is irrelevant." He knelt down in front of the pony, "Luna does not like it, and not too many around Canterlot like it either, so would you want to. . . mix up a few tracks with me?" Grey could sense her dubious gaze on him. "You were the DJ at the nightclub I went to for open mic night and your deck was pretty sweet, certainly something much more advanced than what I worked with, but. . . I was hoping that you could teach me all the new stuff."

DJ-PON3 tapped her chin in thought.

"I can pay you," Grey offered.

Being considerably low on bits, since her last gig was at that club a week ago, a few bits would pay the rent and keep her fed. She shrugged and motioned for him to follow her.

Darqlon gazed into her bright blue eyes full of wonder. The pink pony beamed up at him with a tray of cookies on her back.

"Soooooo," Pinkie drew out, "How do you like them?"

Darqlon took a second bite out of the cookie he held with his crimson magic, "Sweet."

"Yes! I made them super-duper sweet!" Pinkie chimed.

Darqlon discarded his cookie in the trash, "I dislike. . . 'super-duper sweet'."

Pinkie deflated, "Oh. . ."

"Grey would certainly. . . love them," Darqlon suggested.

"That means we're still not friends, though, right?"

"Right," Darqlon confirmed, "Until you can make. . . a dessert for me that I can enjoy. . . we are not friends." Darqlon sensed something shift in Pinkie. Before she exited the door he stopped her, "Pinkie Pie. . . come here for a moment."

Pinkie hopped over to him hopefully, "Yes?"

"You are different. . . from the others," Darqlon stated.

"Thank you!"

"It was not a. . . compliment. . . merely an. . . observation."

"Oh. . ."

"There is a strange. . . power within you," his horn flared red for a second as he scanned the pink pony, "You are an. . . anomaly. I think I will. . . study you further."

"Twilight already did a study on me!" Pinkie replied chipper.

"I will need her. . . notes then," Darqlon spoke and turned away from Pinkie, excusing himself out of Sugarcube Coner.

"Bye-bye!" Pinkie waved in the doorway. Her face went dark and her hair went straight, "Nopony will ever discover my secret. Nopony."

"Pinkie!" Mrs. Cake called.

"Coming!" Pinkie chimed.

Onyx was on his back, rolling on the floor laughing. His arms were clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. As his laughter died down, he wiped the tears from his eyes. He saw the killing intent of Jet Sentinel's violet eyes and he guffawed.

"Onyx, that is quiet enough," Chrysalis finally stated.

He cleared his throat and dusted himself off, "Yes, my Queen."

Jet received a glare from Chrysalis and she returned her nose in the corner. She stood with her snout in the corner, wearing a diaper. Jet had her ears pulled back and kept muttering under her breath.

"Why did you not return last night?" Queen Chrysalis questioned. Her peridot eyes bore into him as she stood a hoof away from his face.

"I fell asleep on a cloud while I was star gazing and I found myself in Cloudsdale when I woke up." He grinned, "I apologise, my Queen."

"Do not let it become a habit," she nipped at his ear. "Her royal Princess Sunbutt, has given me the chance to walk around the castle. You will show me around."

"Absolutely, my Queen," Onyx bowed. "What about Melanie and," he chuckled, "Miss Diaper-pants over there?"

"Jet and Scout may come."

"Do I"

"Yes," Chrysalis cut Jet off, "And you will come with us, as part of your punishment."

"Yes, ma'am," Jet hung her head down and walked over to them.

Onyx held out his arms, "C'mere, Melanie!"

Scout happily jumped into his arms and nuzzled his neck. Onyx rustled her pink mane. Jet looked up at him with contempt. He smiled at her and tussled her light blue mane. Jet snapped at his hand.

Chrysalis observed him for a moment.

"What?" Onyx questioned her with a dopey grin.

"Nothing. . ." she replied, "Open the door."

"At once, my Queen."

History

Darqlon absorbed the darkness surrounding him. Without a physical body, his power waned significantly over time. He needed to remedy this situation soon. He found solace in the complete darkness of the Royal Archives and regained some of his power. He carefully read through books and tomes that went back to the founding of Equestria and even to the time before. Books before the "Reign of the Two Sisters" were few and far between. Why? The Hearths Warming Eve story did not make any sense what-so-ever. Was Celestia trying to hide something? Did she censor history? All the questions that he had and all the books at his disposal only led him to more question, not any solid answers. Equestria is certainly not the peaceful utopia it seems.

"What are you doing?" Princess Celestia inquired behind him.

This did not surprise Darqlon. He felt her cast a spell moments before she spoke out. "Reading," he rasped. "Greetings to you. . . too, your Highness."

Celestia craned her neck around his black robed figure to see the "History of Equestria" book in his ghostly grasp. She smiled warmly at him, "Why are you in the dark reading?"

His red globes stared at her for a moment, "I am. . . shadow. . ."

"Does the light hurt you?"

"Light weakens me. . . in my current state. . . at the moment," he answered. "I may have to. . . retire into the. . . amulet I created. . . for Grey."

"Is there no way to make you. . . to give you a form like the others?" Celestia questioned.

"There is a way. . . I will need a. . . living vessel. . . I can make the. . . vessel my own," Darqlon answered.

"'Living vessel'? You mean to possess it?"

"No. . . I will make the flesh. . . my own." Darqlon returned the book on the stone pedestal and turned to face Celestia.

"That. . . concerns me," Celestia said after a moment of silence.

"I do not require. . . a physical body. I would just. . . prefer one. As I said earlier. . . I can rest. . . regain my strength. . . within the amulet."

"Would you like something to eat?" Celestia changed the subject, "You have been in here for quite a while."

"I draw my sustenance. . . from the darkness," Darqlon bowed, "Thank you. . . nevertheless. . . your Highness."

"I suppose I should get back to court," Celestia sighed.

"Lest the nobles. . . forget who is. . . in charge."

Princess Celestia smiled and teleported away.

"What are you hiding, Princess?" Darqlon thought as he picked up a book about Changelings. After reading the entire booktwicehe came to a startling conclusion: Pinkie Pie may in fact be. . . a changeling. Changelings feed on love. Friendship is a type of love. The more sources of love (friends) she has the less noticeable she will be. She would only need to drain minute amounts of love, hardly noticeable and easily recoverable. With plenty of food around, she would be extraordinarily powerful, which makes her sudden appearances, speed faster than Rainbow Dash, and foresight explainable.

There are two questions then: does she know and is she the real Pinkie. From Twilight's notes, she mentions that Pinkie Pie found a pool of water that could make duplicates of herself. Did all the clones return? And what the Hell is a rock farm? More and more questions began to pile up in his mind. Perhaps he should visit a certain Changeling Queen to compile data from.

Luna sighed contently as she felt Grey's finger circle around the base of her wings. He only did this when he wanted to ask her questions.

"Luna, what is your earliest memory?" Grey randomly questioned.

"What?" she tucked in her wings and rolled over to gaze into his golden eyes.

"What is your earliest memory?" he repeated with a grin.

"Why?"

Grey smiled at her evasiveness, "My earliest memory is seeing the outline of a glowing woman and her speaking to me. She said to me, 'Grey, I will always be with you and help you grow up to become a mighty man.' I later found out that woman to be the Goddess of Life, Solaria. My mother died when I was very young and I do not remember her. Solaria became like a foster mother to me and she accepted me as her own son." Grey chuckled, "I think that is another reason the Divines despised me: their own mother chose to give everything to some random pup."

"After a thousand years of seething rage and being mired in hatred, many of my happy memories have faded from my mind," Luna said dispondent.

"'Faded' or blocked?" Grey input.

"What do you mean? Blocked by whom?"

"Good question. Another one would be: why?" Grey ran his hand through her astral mane.

Pets

A pony stared at him. A mint green mare stared at him. A mint green mare stared at him and edged closer to him on the wooden bench. A mint green mare, with wide, golden eyes, stared up at him, in his face, with a beaming smile plastered on her face; her horn inches from his nose.

"Can I help you?" Grey finally felt compelled to ask, lest she stabbed him in the eye with her horn. He removed the headphones.

"Will you pet me?" she inquired with her forehooves on his knees and expectant, shimmering eyes.

"What will happen if I don't?" Grey hesitantly questioned.

"I. Will. Die," the pony stated grimly. She giggled and picked up his hand between her hooves, "I have always been fascinated by hands! Or the lack thereof, more specifically! All the tools and utensils seemed to be designed for primate hands, not pony hooves! How do you explain that?"

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Grey yanked his hand away from the eccentric pony. He looked around, "Do your orderlies know you escaped?"

The mint pony laughed, "You. Are. Hilarious! I'm Lyra! I got discharged three days ago!"

Grey chuckled nervously, "Ha ha. . . yeah. . ."

"So, will you pet me?" Lyra smiled and tilted her head to one side.

"You're not going to bite me are you?"

"No!" she giggled and snorted, "I'm over that phase."

Grey stared into Lyra's vibrant eyes and smiled back at her, "Okay." He quickly brushed his hand through her mane.

Lyra smile turned upside down and became a pout, "That is not a pet."

"Just wanted to make sure no sharp objects would poke me," he joked. He rubbed the top of her head and she smiled. She leant into his hand and he started to stroke her neck simultaneously. Much to his surprise, Lyra was soft and fluffy, even more so than Luna, he had to admit. He scratched her behind her ear and she melted in his lap. Grey laughed, "You like that?"

"Ooohhhh yeaaaaahhh," she moaned softly.

Grey had to stop himself before he started getting aroused. Lyra whimpered up at him with big, sad eyes, "Sorry, darlin', I'm already takin'."

"Oh. . ." Lyra jumped down off him, "Thank you." She circled her hoof in the dust, "C-Can you pet me again some other time?"

"Well. . ." the sudden flip from day to night caught everyone by surprise.

Princess Luna landed on the ground, which cracked the earth. Her eyes glaring at the mint mare, "Lord Grey."

"Yes, your Highness?" Grey got up and bowed before the alicorn and hid the quivering mare behind him.

"Your presence is required at the castle," Princess Luna loomed close to him.

"Princess," Grey stepped aside, "This is Lyra, one of your biggest fans and loyal of subjects."

"Eep!" Lyra squeaked and hid under her hooves.

Luna's face softened upon seeing the frightened pony. She noticed the smirk Grey held and snorted. She returned the night into day and flew off.

Grey pet Lyra's back, "It's alright. It would seem the fate of Equestria lies in me being faithful." He winked at her.

"You. . . and the Princess?" her mouth dropped.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that at this time," Grey chuckled. "Onyx has hands," he started off to the train station, "very. . . explorative hands."

Lyra beamed from ear to ear, "I'll keep an eye out!"

Night blanketed the land in a cool darkness. Jet sat on the granite balcony and stared up at the stars. Chrysalis had paraded her through the castle the whole day with that diaper on and Jet just felt like dying. The two weeks of not doing homework was not worth all the embarrassment. Her ears swiveled to the balcony door opening, she turned to see who it was and rolled her eyes.

Onyx gently closed the glass door behind him and walked out onto the balcony with a soft smile. The filly instantly turned away and sucked her teeth at him. Onyx stood beside her and let the wind chill his bones. His black leather duster flapped against his black pants and light, gray t-shirt. He had his hands resting in his pant pockets.

Jet noticed him flexing his wings but tried to pay no attention to him. He heaved a sigh and sat on the ground with his legs sprawled out and arms behind him. The midnight filly edged away from the dragon. The two sat in silence on the balcony watching the stars shimmer in the sky.

Onyx yawned and stretched his arms. He got up, dusted himself off, and went to the glass door and said, "Training starts at the crack of dawn in the Training Yard."

Jet turned to him but saw him close the door. She knew better than to go inside and disturb her mother with any noise. She huffed and got to her feet. Once inside, she passed by her mother's bed. She saw her mother already wrapped in Onyx's embrace. She rolled her violet eyes and hopped into her bed.

"Killy."

"Amy."

"Let's have sex," Amy suggested rather frankly which caused Kyllgorr to choke and spit out his iced tea.

"Wh-what?" he managed to say after composing himself and cleaning the mess he made.

The red unicorn pounced on him and gazed at his saffron eyes with her amethyst gems. "Let's. Have. Sex." she restated in between kisses.

"Amy, I. . ." Kyllgorr was blushing violently, "I have never. . . you know. . ."

"Precisely! That's why I want to," she bit his lower lip, "educate you," she winked.

"I don't want to hurt you, Amy," Kyllgorr said with concern. "When I get. . . riled up, I become unpredictable."

"Maybe I like a little pain," she teased and started kissing his neck.

"Please, Amy," he pushed her away and held her shoulder in his hands, "I. . . am not ready. . ."

Amy sensed his uncertainty and saw the fear in his eyes. Her heart melted, "Okay, Killy." She rested her head on his chest and nuzzled him, "Will you pet me?"

Kyllgorr kissed the top of his princess' head and stroked her neck lovingly, "Anything for you."

Clean, Little, Private Secrets; Toxic, Big, Public Places

Grey stared out the window at the silent, serene scene below. With all the ponies asleep, the city streets were empty, guards being the exception. His restlessness brought him out of bed. The Mistress of the Night woke up and felt her bed devoid of a familiar company; besides her, the covers were rumpled and his pillows tossed about. A quick glance of the room and her teal eyes located him out on the balcony.

"What is troubling you?" he heard his nocturnal goddess ask from behind, concern in her voice.

He heaved a sigh and rest his elbows on the stone railing, "My body wishes to travel. explore, and venture. Ever since Shade and Valkyrie hounded my life, I was always on the move. My body, mind, and soul want to roam the world."

"Is that why you always leave the castle? Is that why you were getting friendly with that mare," Luna questioned a little crossed.

Grey chuckled, "I felt bad because she was sent to the mental hospital."

"She should not have run up to you in the middle of an official event and bite your hand!"

"Yeah. . ." he turned to face her with a smile, "In her defence, I am kinda tasty."

"I'd say," Luna nuzzled him and kissed his cheek, "You were once the ruler of your country, yes?"

"Ruler of a country, continent, world, galaxy, galactic cluster, and the universe," Grey listed with a grin, "How come?"

"Would you like to become a political"

"No," Grey cut her short, "I want to stay away from politics as far away as possible. I ruled with a steel fist and iron knuckles." He ran his fingers through her mane, "You and Celestia are doing a good job."

Luna rested her head on his hand and sighed, "I hardly rule over anything."

"You keep the peace for all the ponies in their dreams," Grey reminded her, "That alone is a tough job." They shared a long kiss, "And besides, you are much more powerful than Celestia anyways. Yeah, she controls the sun, one star; you control all the other stars."

Luna smiled, "Thank you, Grey, but I came out here to cheer you up."

Grey sighed and walked away from their embrace, back to the stone railing, "I have. . . too many thoughts in my mind, love." He spotted Onyx sneaking along the wall to the dungeons. "I. . . will be back, Luna, I just need a walk to clear my mind."

All second-hand accounts of stories told hundreds of years prior, that is what he gathered from the books. Most of the stories did not make any sense to him. How did the Windigos come to be? How did the princesses come to be? Why is there so little about them, their family, and Starswirl the Bearded? How and where did Discord come from? The more Darqlon thought, the more the ache between his forehead grew.

"Hm. . . Discord. . ." he thought aloud.

A bubble popped behind him, "You called?"

Darqlon turned around to face his stalker for the past two days, "You. . . you do not share. . . the same energy. . . of this world. . ."

"I'm sorry," the draconequus feigned, "Could you talk any slower?"

Darqlon let out an irritated sigh and stared at the amalgamation before him, "Your eyes. . ."

"I know," Discord leant in and fluttered his eyelashes, "so beautiful, aren't they?"

"Familiar," Darqlon grated. "Your behaviour. . . your magic. . . all represents. . . a different world."

"Oh, really?" Discord snapped his fingers and a bag of popcorn appeared, "Enlighten me."

"I will not. . . entertain you," Darqlon wrapped his arms around himself and faded into the ground, ". . .demon."

"'Demon'?" Discord said quizzically, "Is that a bad word?"

Onyx trailed his hand along the characters etched into his obelisk. He stared blankly at the small, granite monolith. His sapphire eyes glowed slightly in the complete darkness. He picked up the obelisk, with a grunt, and stood it upright. Suddenly, the characters began to glow a bright blue. Grey watched from the doorway of the dungeon with curious intensity.

Onyx smiled faintly and touched one of the faces of the obelisk facing him. The area turned into a similar bright blue as the letters, becoming a pool of energy. He reached in his whole arm and moments later pulled it out with an electronic music device in his hand. Grey's jaw hit the floor.

"So that's how you got that song!" Grey shouted from across the room.

Onyx's attention snapped to the booming voice of Grey. He saw his shape rush towards him. "H-Hey, Grey!" he chuckled nervously.

"How did you do it? How did you get the Music Playing Device here?"

"I dunno," Onyx shrugged, "I found my obelisk laying on its side one night and I stood it up and then it started glowing. When I touched it, my hand went through. My hand touched something and when I pulled it out, it was my bow! I reached back in and found a whole bunch of my stuff!" Onyx explained with glee, then his face scrunched up with disappointment, "You can't put your whole body through; I tried."

"Fascinating," Grey awed and touched the obelisk. A thunderous crack and blast threw him across the room.

Onyx ran over to his smouldering friend, "Are you alright?!"

"Peachy," Grey coughed the smoke from his lungs, " I don't think it likes me."

"Some sort of defence mechanism, probably," Onyx voiced his thoughts while stifling his laughter. "Maybe we should each get ours and Darqlon could figure it out?"

Grey looked at him crossed, "I have the degrees and doctorates, not Darqlon. I can figure this out."

"Go touch it again then, Professor," Onyx remarked with a mock bow.

Grey bore his anger at Onyx and walked to the still neon glowing monolith. He rubbed his stubbled jaw and asked, "Do you retrieve the things you think about or are they all random?"

"It is stuff I think and picture in my mind," Onyx confirmed with a nod.

"From any point of time?"

"Yup."

"From any multiverse?"

"Yup!"

"Even. . . Earth?" Grey questioned shyly.

"You want a Twinkie, don't you?" Onyx asked with a smug grin.

"Yes!" Grey answered exasperated, "I haven't had one in aeons! And no matter how many times I try to make them, they never come out as good!"

"I feel your pain, brother," Onyx nodded and had already pulled out five boxes of Twinkies.

Grey immediately ripped open two and inhaled them. He moaned in extasy and sobbed, "Sho," he said with a mouthful of two more Twinkies, "Sho goof."

Onyx shook his head and looked away in disgust, "I hate seeing you so pitiful, Grey."

After ten minutes of Grey gorging on Twinkies, he finally had his fill and cleaned himself up. He cleared his throat, "So, can you retrieve my. . . I dunno. . . sword?"

"I tried to and I can't," Onyx replied. "I think I can only get my stuff and general items." He noticed Grey's side glance, "What?"

"Why did you try to summon my sword?"

"Because. . . it is nice?" Onyx smiled innocently.

Grey huffed and started walking to the exit, "I wonder where mine is."

Onyx heard a commotion up ahead and jogged to the noise. He saw Chrysalis on top of Grey and the two of them stopped to look at him.

"I can assure you. . ." Chrysalis began.

"This is exactly what it looks like," Grey finished.

Chrysalis hopped off of Grey, not before driving a hoof in his gut, "I thought that I would surprise you but he came out first."

Grey rubbed his stomach and groaned, "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ten boxes of Twinkies will do that," Onyx remarked without sympathy.

"What are 'Twinkies'?" Chrysalis inquired, "Is that what you two were doing down there?"

"It is what he was doing," Onyx pointed at Grey.

"Oh, so you weren't out with that. . . prismatic pegasus this time?" Chrysalis glared daggers at Onyx.

"This time," Onyx quipped with a smirk.

Her eyes flashed and she turned her back to him, "Fine! Do what you want! See if I care!" She stormed away.

Onyx saw the questioning eyes of Grey and rolled his eyes, "I just talk and tease Rainbow Dash. It's nothing serious."

"Right, play with the emotions and hearts of women, Onyx, that has never bit you in the ass," Grey commented before walking off.

"Learned from the best," Onyx jabbed with his arms crossed.

Grey stopped in his tracks. He turned to Onyx with golden eyes of neon, "Good night, comrade."

Daily Life

Darqlon disliked transforming into an alicorn, it required a lot of power to summon and maintain. In order to walk in public, he had to don the disguise. He needed to visit a certain pink pony to confirm his suspicions. He hid the collar under a wing.

"Would you mind if I eat you?" Onyx cooed.

Pinkie giggled.

"Seriously. You smell like sweets," he placed the pink mare down from their embrace, "It is. . . irresistible."

"Well, maybe just a nibble," Pinkie winked at Onyx.

Darqlon cleared his throat behind the two.

"Oh, hey D," Onyx greeted him, "Wassup?"

"Goodie! You're here!" Pinkie chimed then zoomed from the front door to the back kitchen and back within seconds. "Here!" she had a platter of muffins on her back.

Darqlon levitated one of the brown muffins up to his nose to inspect. He ignored the fact that the platter defied all laws of physics. It had the faint aroma of nutmeg and walnuts. He took a bite out of the muffin and chewed it, carefully dissecting all the flavors on his palette. Pinkie waited expectantly on her the tips of her hooves, a huge smile plastered her face. "Satisfactory," Darqlon stated finally and he took a second bite out of the muffin.

"Yes!" Pinkie cheered and thrust a hoof in the air.

"Can I have one?" Onyx asked and reached for one. Immediately, the platter was encased in a crimson glow.

Darqlon levitated the tray next to him and out of Onyx's reach, "Negative."

"Fine!" Onyx sulked and picked up Pinkie in his arms, "I guess it's a good thing I have a whole Pinkie to myself!"

Pinkie giggled gleefully as Onyx tickled her stomach. "Stahp!" she chortled.

"Go get a room," Darqlon spoke dryly and left.

Onyx and Pinkie stared into each other's blue eyes and they shared a lascivious grin.

"The Cakes our out of town with the foals. . ." Pinkie informed Onyx.

"You must be, very lonely," Onyx grinned and turned the "open" sign on the door to "closed".

Prys focused all his attention on his prey. The fluffy, white bunny rested a few meters away on a rock, it on high alert. Of course, Prys could use his powers to capture the little beastie, but where was the fun in that? Prys edged closer to the adorable morsel, his belly softly rubbing against the soft green grass. Prys leaped up from the grass and pounced on the bunny. Alas, the bunny was too quick for Prys and he slipped out of the wolf's grasp, hopping away through the meadow of flowers.

"Angel Bunny!" Fluttershy called out behind the gray wolf, "Get back here and take your medicine!" The buttery pegasus stomped her hoof in annoyance. "Why does he always run away?"

Prys turned to Fluttershy with a smile, "Let him have fun now, we will punish him once we capture him."

"I-I don't want to p-punish him. . ."

"Do not worry, I will only poke him with more needles," Prys chuckled.

"Evil. . ." Fluttershy's eyes sparkled.

Prys started after Angel's trail, his eyes following the scent floating in the air, leading them into town.

Where was that little bugger going? He went through all the alleys, passed between every house, and mazed his way through all the stalls. They found themselves back where they started and Prys' agitation was growing.

Fluttershy sensed his tension growing, "How about we take a break and have a snack? We have plenty of time to give him his medicine."

"Sure. I could go for a fryer or ten," Prys licked his chops.

Fluttershy chuckled nervously, knowing he was half serious, "Why don't we go by and see how Pinkie is doing?"

Prys spied Darqlon trotting down the street with a platter of muffins in tow. "I appreciate sweets as much as the next but I am a carnivore. I will go hunting in the forest."

"Oh. . . I understand," Fluttershy replied downcast, "It has been a week since you last had meat. . ."

"I promise not to eat any of your friends," Prys remarked as he jogged off.

Fluttershy spotted the towering midnight black Darqlon crossing the market. He carried a tray of muffins with his crimson magic. Despite how frightening Darqlon was, she decided to talk with him a little.

"H-hi," a tiny voice squeaked behind him.

Darqlon stopped and turned his head to confirm the voice as Fluttershy. She was hiding behind her mane, staring up at him with a wide, teal eye. "Good afternoon. . . Fluttershy," Darqlon greeted with a stoic expression, "You can not. . . have a muffin."

"Uhm. . . " Fluttershy cast a confused look at him and the muffins, "H-How are you?"

"Well. The progress of my research. . . and study of this world. . . is satisfactory," Darqlon informed.

Fluttershy closed the distance between them, slightly growing more comfortable with him, "That's nice. What are researching and studying?"

"Everything about your world. . . basically. A couple topics hold my. . . interest the most. . .my time has primarily been. . . invested with them."

"What are the topics?" Fluttershy questioned then quickly added, "I-If you don't mind me asking. . . " Darqlon gazed down at her for a few moments, which made Fluttershy slightly uncomfortable. His crimson gaze unnerving her.

"Magic and the like," he finally spoke. "This world's magic. . . is similar to our magic. . . but with a few. . . quirks."

"What do you mean?"

"For one: everything has it, in one form or another. Two: it is everywhere. I will have to start running. . . experiments to test my. . . hypothesis."

"Oh. . ." Fluttershy replied, not really knowing how to respond. Magic was not her strong suite. "Maybe Twilight can help you?"

"My thoughts exactly. . . Fluttershy," Darqlon dug a hoof into the dirt, "Would it. . . would it be acceptable to just show up. . . unannounced? Or since she is a princess. . . I have to make an appointment. Right?"

Fluttershy smiled up at him, "I'm sure she will not mind you showing up 'unannounced'. She dislikes royal formalities."

"Odd. Considering her 'by the book' nature," Darqlon commented.

"Right?" Fluttershy laughed. She started heading to her friend's castle, "I can show you where the castle is."

Shenanigans (editted)

Price observed Onyx through the glass of the bakery shop. He wore a satisfied grin and he waved good-bye cutely to the bubbly pink mare. Price met the dragon at the front door which surprised Onyx. The smell of sex smacked Price in his muzzle as if he had run into a brick wall. He snorted in disgust. Onyx smiled at him dopily.

"Rèçèníç rest in peace," the gray wolf commented as he walked away shaking his head.

"Should I take a fourth bath?" Onyx questioned after the wolf.

"You should keep Onyx junior in your pants," Price advised, annoyed, "I will delight the day Chrysalis chops him off. I'll even bake a cake."

Onyx laughed, "I didn't have any money; I had to pay her back some way."

"Your funeral, Onyx, your funeral," was all Price had to say to his comrade. A fluffy, white blur appeared in his peripherals, and he snapped his head to catch a glimpse of Angel run behind the shop. "I gotta go," he said as he ran the direction the bunny sped away.

One would believe being able to see scent trails would make things easier, under normal circumstances, they would be correct; but, when the target redoubles his trail over and over again, that is when difficulties set in. He finally caught up to the bunny.

"Oh, you are so mine!" Price thought. He paralyzed Angel by overloading the bunny's brain, which made the bunny tumble and crashed into a stall.

"What tha hay?" Applejack peered around her apple stall and saw Angel bunny crumpled against the wood. "Angel?" Suddenly, he began to float and zoomed away. She followed the bunny and saw Price. Angel was hovering over his head. "What'cha doin' with Angel, sugar cube?"

"I have been searching for him all afternoon for Fluttershy, Applejack," Price's voice echoed in her head. (Something she struggled to come to terms with.)

"He don't wanna take a bath or sumthin'?" Applejack asked the approaching wolf.

"Vaccination time."

"Ahhh, Ah see now," Applejack chuckled. She shuffled nervously under Price's yellow gaze. "I-Is there sumthin' on mah face?"

Price shook his head, "No. Sorry for staring. It was just. . . at the moment, the sunlight really accentuates your beauty and you took my breath away," he smiled up at her. He turned tail and jogged away, "I'll see you around."

"Uh. . . yeah," Applejack said dumbfounded. She hid her embarrassed face with her hat, "Mah 'beauty', huh?"

"Applejack?" a familiar deep voice broke her thoughts.

She put her hat back on and saw Grey standing in front of the stall. "Heya, Grey. What can Ah do fer ya?"

"Wow," Grey smiled and leaned on the stall, "I could really listen to you talk all day." He cleared his throat, "Anyways, I'm here for a bushel of apples, please."

Applejack chuckled, "Your flattery ain't gunna make me lower mah prices, Grey. Ten bits."

"Hmm," Grey rubbed his short beard, "So. . . if we were to get married, I'd have access to all the apples I could want, right?"

"Sure," Applejack laughed, "When we get married is when Ah start plantin' pears."

Grey placed the bits in the money box and lifted a basket full of apples, "Let me start tilling the land."

Applejack chuckled, "What'cha gunna do with them apples anyways?"

Grey cast a mischievous grin, "That's between me and the Crusaders."

Applejack rolled her eyes and sighed, "As long as whatever yer doin' don't end up like last time."

Grey laughed, "It was just a little science experiment!"

"Uh huh," Applejack retorted dubiously, "It took tha whole town a week tah clean up y'alls last 'experiment'."

"We will be on our best behavior, Missus Applejack," Grey said as he walked away and waved goodbye.

Grey watched the guards walking out of the armory. He scanned the hall to the left and saw no guards, he scanned right and saw the last of the day shift leave. Thanks to Vinny, he knew their schedule and the perfect time to enact his plan.

"We got three minutes, ladies. Let's go!" he ran across the hall and into the armory. He ushered in the yellow country filly, the white unicorn filly, the orange pegasus filly, the blue earth filly, and the two black pegasi fillies, into the armory. "You all remember the plan?" he questioned the Crusaders." He received a round of 'yeses' from his partners in crime.

He dropped the sacks of apples onto the floor. Everyone grabbed apples and started placing them on the tips of all the spears and swords.

"We are going to be in so much trouble if we get caught!" Scootaloo giggled.

"Keep your voice down and we won't get caught," Cobalt Blossom advised.

Grey was waiting for the fillies to finish at the other end of the armory. He kept an ear out for the guards. They all lined up behind him when they were done with their mischevious task. Grey led the Crusaders outside, it was a tall order, trying to keep them in line and quiet but they made it out of the castle without being spotted.

Vinter Solace sat in the training yard and munched on an apple. He basked in the sun, letting his maroon coat and pink mane absorb the solar rays. When he had finished his apple, he spotted the giant of a man push open the double doors, followed by six fillies. A grin slowly formed on his lips as his friend drew closer.

"It is done," Grey stated, the Crusaders proceeded to do a round of hoof bumps.

Vinny chuckled, picked up a brown sack of bits from off the ground, and handed it to Grey, "The Nightwatch thanks you. And will call on you again for your excellent services."

"Anything for the foals," Grey commented and held out his fist for Vinny. Vinny obliged and bumped his fist. "This should be enough for a new clubhouse."

Vinny ruffled Cobalt Blossom's gray mane, "So, you and those two black fillies are new Crusaders, eh?"

"Yup!" Cobalt Blossom confirmed with a gleeful hop.

"Yeah!" Apple Bloom added, "Havin' CB, Jet Sentinel, an' Scout Melanite join tha Crusaders has been a whole lot more fun!"

A loud alarm sounded throughout the castle.

Grey glanced at his watch and humphed, "Thirty-seven seconds late."

Vinny laughed, "I'll escort the Crusaders out of here safely, Grey."

"Thanks. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see how much trouble I am in," Grey smiled and waved them farewell.

Possibly a day off?

A pair of annoyed magenta eyes glared down at Grey. A pair of annoyed magenta eyes glared down at Grey as he knelt and carried the heavy gaze. A pair of annoyed magenta eyes glared down at Grey as he knelt before the ivory Solar Princess locked in a wooden stock. The three-minute mark of the staring contest was drawing closer.

"Celestia," Grey broke the silence, "You have exquisitely, lovely eyes." His compliment was met with angrily knitted brows. "If you wanted us to be alone together, all you had to do was to ask. I don't know how long we could have kept our secret from Luna, though."

"You made my guards look like fools," Princess Celestia stated crossly.

"Not really that hard to do," Grey gibed.

He saw a vein in her neck pop and she took controlled breaths, "The sole reason you are not a statue right now"

Grey leapt up, broke out of the stocks, and picked up the princess by her barrel, "You need to learn to live a little, Tia!"

"P-put me down!" Princess Celestia ordered, her face flushed red with anger and embarrassment.

"When was the last time you had fun? Let your mane out?" his golden eyes sparkled.

Wtih all four of her hooves back on the ground, she felt more inclined to answer him, "I do not have time for that," she ruffled her wings, "I have a kingdom to run."

"All work and no play, makes leaders go crazy. Tia," Grey placed a hand on her withers, "I am telling you this, ruler to ruler, leader to leader, Emporer to princesstake a vacation. Your sister is more than capable of running the kingdom while you are away. Go have fun! Call up as many studs you need! Or mares, Whulphe don't judge. And, if you want me to keep them from talking, I will handle it." Princess Celestia glanced at him, the angry flames in her eyes dying down. Grey continued, "Taking care of your people must come first, yes, but in times of peace you can afford to take care of yourself. Your ponies will understand, Hell, they may even throw you a party!"

Celestia lifted her head and smiled weakly, "Maybe. . ."

Grey wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her to him with a smile, "Trust me, Tia, you can not afford to not take a vacation."

Princess Celestia nibbled on her bottom lip. "I have a lot of things I need to take care of. . ."

"Okay, not a vacation. When was the last time you walked about town?"

"I fly around at night. . ."

Grey sighed and shook his head in disappointment, "Celestia, the reason Luna is beating you in the popularity polls is because she interacts with the citizens. She"

"She is beating me in the popularity polls?" Celestia interrupted him.

"Oh yes. By a landslide. Now"

"By how much?" Celestia asked with a little edge in her voice.

"Oh, Tia, green is not a good color on you," Grey joked, earning a glare. "You are missing the point. Luna also visits them in their dreams, she is personal with them. You, sit there on your throne and wait for them to come to you. "

"But"

"No butts! Your's could use the break," he chuckled.

Celestia's nostrils flared.

"Too much?"

"Too much," Celestia sneered and blasted Grey with a fierce torrent of magic, shooting him through five castle walls and sending him sailing through the clouds. She sat back on her chair with a satisfied "hmph!" And then the chair broke. Maybe she should take a stroll in town to work off the extra late night tarts and ice cream?

Darqlon, Making Friends Everywhere He Goes

"AHH!" Spike interjected upon seeing the visage of Darqlon. He had slammed the door on his face and now he sheepishly opened the door. "Hey, there, Darqlon," he chuckled nervously through the cracked door, "what can I do for you?"

Darqlon gazed down at the young dragon, slightly annoyed by his previous action, "I wish to speak with Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"R-Right. I'll take you to her," the frightened drake slowly opened the door and Darqlon followed him in. Fluttershy opted out of staying and continued her search for Angel.

Darqlon paid little attention to the sparkling crystal walls, the immaculate decorations, and kept his attention on the purple dragon leading the way. He made mental notes of every room he passed and every corridor they traipsed down. They stopped in front of wooden double doors as tall as Darqlon where he heard an unfamiliar voice behind them.

"Yes! Yes!" the female voice exclaimed, "It is perfect!" She began cackling maniacally.

Darqlon looked down at Spike questioningly and Spike shrugged his shoulder. Spike opened the door cautiously. Before them, a pink unicorn with a purple mane and tail streaked with a single teal highlight, stood on her back hoof with her forehooves raised in the air. Her wide grin disappeared when she saw the four new eyes in the doorway.

"What are you up to, Starlight?" Spike inquired.

"I-I'm- I just finished scrapbooking!" she lifted an open book in front of her with her teal magic and showed it to her guests. She smiled sheepishly at them. Her eyes went wide upon seeing the imposing, black and crimson alicorn stallion in the doorway. "Who are you?!"

Before Darqlon could introduce himself Spike spoke for him, "This is Darqlon. He's one of the aliens Twilight's been talking about."

Starlight walked around the cluttered desk, not taking her eyes off Darqlon, and stepped up to him. "He doesn't look like an alien," she said after scrutinizing him.

Darqlon stared at the pink pony blankly then turned to Spike, "She is not Princess Twilight."

"Yeah. She said she would be here in the library," Spike replied scratching his head in thought.

"Maybe I can help you!" Starlight beamed.

Darqlon stared blankly at Starlight for a moment, making her shuffle uncomfortably under his crimson gaze, then knitted his brows at her, "Doubtful."

Starlight scrunched her face in anger, "What do you mean? I can help!"

"Do you know where she keeps her scientific equipment and instruments?" Darqlon questioned.

"No. . ."

"Do you have her permission to lend them to me, even if you did know where they were?" He stepped forward and made Starlight shrink back.

"Well, no but. . ."

Darqlon cut her off again, "Then you are of no use to me." He saw her eyes wide with fear and he withdrew himself. He released a strained sigh, "I apologize. Keeping this form drains my reserves considerably and I become irritable when I am tired." He spoke to Spike, "When you see her again, tell her that I wish to speak with her and if she could meet with me in my lab." He gazed back at Starlight then left, "I'll show myself out."

Spike stood at the door and Starlight went to his side, "Wow. He was. . ."

"Scary?" Spike finished for her.

". . . intense. I was going to say intense," Starlight corrected him.

"You haven't seen what he really looks like," Spike shuddered.

"What does he really look like?" Starlight probed curiously.

"Scary," was the drakes flat response.

Sisters and Brothers

"Tia!" Celestia heard her little sister angrily call for her. She opened the door with her yellow magic before Luna broke it down. The lunar princess stared daggers at her.

"Hello, dear sister. Tea?" Celestia spoke sweetly and innocently which earned her a deeper scowl from Luna. "Is something the matter?"

"One of my guards informed me that he saw Grey being sent flying out the castle by chaos magic!" Luna practically shouted.

Celestia huffed and rolled her eyes, dropping her guise, "He's a big boy and immune to magic. He'll be fine."

"That. Is. Not. The. Point." Luna gritted angrily.

Celestia saw the flames burning hotly in Luna's teal eyes and went to plan B. "He. . . he called me. . . fat," Celestia spoke softly and wore a wounded expression.

Luna's hostility quickly dwindled. She huffed and went to her sister's side, "Your actions were still uncalled for." She draped a comforting wing over her older sister and nuzzled her neck.

After enjoying her sister's company in a long while (since Grey monopolised Luna), Celestia spoke up, "Did you know you are more popular than me?"

Luna recoiled her neck and stared at Celestia. "What?" she asked incredulously. Celestia levitated a newspaper to her sister. Luna looked it over then laughed. "This is a school paper, Tia. The Free Foal Press is written by foals. You shouldn't take this seriously."

Celestia snorted, "Easy for you to say, Miss Seventy-Five Percent."

Luna giggled and kissed the top of her sister's head. "You still have court, dear sister."

Celestia rolled up in her covers and pouted, "I don't wanna go. Why don't you take my place?"

Luna giggled again at her sister's foalish behavior, "It is the Day Court and you are the Day Princess."

Celestia laid on her side in silence for a long moment. "I. . . was thinking about taking a vacation. . ."

"Are you unwell, sister?" Luna asked in alarm and pressed her wing against her sister's forehead.

"I am fine." Celestia softly batted the blue wing away, "Grey had brought it up. I guess he saw how stressed I've been lately."

"You spoke to Grey?"

"Before I launched him out of the castle," Celestia giggled. She returned to a serious tone, "I think you can handle Equestria for the time I am away."

"I hope you are not planning on letting me rule for a thousand years," Luna playfully jabbed.

Celestia pulled the covers off herself and wrapped her forelegs and wings around Luna. "I love you, Luna. I was young and"

"Shh, Tia," Luna nuzzled her sister and returned her affection. After ten minutes of hugging, Luna piped up and broke the silence, "I here the moon is wonderful this time of year."

Kyllgorr sat in front of the cottage door. A week had passed since he moved to Fillydelphia with Amy and he already missed his brother. Not seeing someone for thousands of years tends to make you want to see them often when they miraculously reappear. He waited patiently for Price at Fluttershy's cottage. (If only he had stayed in the market place a few minutes longer he would already be enjoying the company of his brother. Alas!)

Prod.

He swiped the stick away quickly and snapped his head the direction of the prod. There was no one there to his right. He turned to his left and became face-to-face with a frightened white rabbit. The rabbit whisked away through the air and stopped above the head of a grinning Prys.

"Hello, Kyllgorr," Prys greeted his brother.

"Prys!" Kyllgorr hugged his brother tightly. "Caught lunch?"

"No. This is Angel. Fluttershy made it quite clear that he is off the menu."

"Why do you have him then?"

"He ran away before we could give him his shots. When Fluttershy returns we will administer the vaccinations." Prys informed his brother.

Kyllgorr smiled, "Do you remember when we were young and went out of town for the first time?"

"Yes. What has you reminiscing about the past all of a sudden?" Prys asked with a cocked head.

"Some 'grand land full of fantastical creatures and adventure' we found, eh?" Kyllgorr grinned happily.

Prys smiled as the memory of that night played back in his mind. "Yeah."

Prys licked the salty face of his brother. Burying both their parents within a month would be hard for most any child. Prys tried to comfort his brother as best as he knew how.

"Zander, perhaps now is the best time to get out of here and go exploring. Mother wanted us to leave the farm when they would pass. Unfortunately, it was a little sooner than they expected but. . . a change of scenery might be nice."

Zander sniffed and wiped his nose on the back of his hand and croaked, "I don't know. . ."

"There's a grand land full of fantastical creatures and adventure out there waiting for us to discover it!" Prys exclaimed, his tail whipped on the floor.

Zander cracked a small smile, "Mum and pops said they were from the Imperial capital, right?"

"We went to Pillot, discovered our parents to be royalty and met Grey there. Quite the exciting times, if I do say so myself," Prys spoke up.

"As they say, 'the rest was history'," Kyllgorr chuckled. "I want to go see them again. . ." he spoke somberly.

Prys licked his brother's cheek, "Someday, brother, someday."

A Good Thing?

Crash! Snap! Crunch! More crunching and snapping! Then silence.

Grey groaned loudly as his whole body throbbed in pain.

"Did someone get the number of that truck?" Grey chuckled to himself.

With his vision returning to him, he whistled in awe at the destruction he left in his wake. The tops of trees were cut clean off, and trunks snapped in half, a small crater where he first landed had flattened the trees in the area, and a deep scar in the dirt ended at him. He rubbed his forehead with his hoof when pain flared in his head.

"Hoof?!" Grey cried in alarm. He quickly examined his body and was slightly panicked at his new equine shape. When his search for a horn yielded nothing, a disappointed sigh left him. He was about as big as Big Mac, had a rusty coat, light grey mane and tail; he caught sight of his cutie mark, a blue heart superimposed with a red phoenix clutching arrows in one talon and a hammer in the other. "Huh," Grey grunted, amused. There were worse cutie marks, right? He attempted to put his four new legs under him, and he stood on his hooves triumphantly. A mischevious grin grew as a sinister idea took shape within his mind.

After stumbling out of the Everfree Forest, Grey saw Fluttershy's cottage a short distance away. How convenient. A quick search of the property and he spotted the creamy pegasus in front of the cottage watering her flowers.

"Excuse me, miss?" Grey called out in a tenor falsetto.

"Eeep!" Fluttershy squeaked, dropping the watering can from her mouth. She quickly dove into the bushes to hide. Grey suppressed his laughter.

Fluttershy popped her head out and saw an intimidating dark crimson stallion standing before her, his golden eyes smiling. "H-How c-c-can I h-elp you, s-sir?"

Grey took a step back and laid down on the ground with his legs under him. He smiled warmly, "I found myself in that dark forest when I woke up and I am a little thirsty."

"There is a river not too far away you can drink from," Prys' voice spoke in his head with a hint of hostility.

Grey got to his hooves and turned to see a giant Prys looming over him. A knowing smirked pulled on the corner of Grey's mouth. "Wow! Did you just talk?"

"Who are you?" Prys demanded.

"Master Smith," Grey introduced himself with an extended hoof without missing a beat, "What's your name?"

Prys eyed the rusty stallion before him. How come his mind is guarded, even before I made my presence known? Something is off about the stallion. A strange magic fills his entire body.

"As much as I love staring into your sparkling topaz gems," Grey chuckled weakly, "my hoof is getting kinda tired."

"Price," the wolf answered and shook the hoof with his paw.

"Alright." The rusty stallion glanced back at Fluttershy, who had half her body out of the bush when she froze from his gaze, "Is there a town nearby?" he inquired the wolf.

"Just follow the path behind me," Price stated dryly.

"Thank you," Master Smith bowed politely to Price and winked at Fluttershy before leaving.

Fluttershy walked up beside Prys who was still in his large form. She placed a hoof on his front paw. He looked down at her, and she smiled up at him. "How was your visit with your brother?"

The sun shone brightly; clouds floated nonchalantly above in the blue sky, and birds sang beautifully without a care in the world. With morning behind him, Grey had the rest of the day ahead of him. While his original plan was to go around and pull pranks, his maturity caught up to him, forbidding him to do so. He missed a certain regal blue alicorn and blue filly right now, and he needed money to pay for a ticket to Canterlot. He stood at the edge of the market and surveyed the area.

What to do? What to do? What to do? I don't have bits to buy the stuff needed for a stall, let alone a permit. Panhandle? Nah. A lightbulb flashed above his head, "Lightbulb!"

He trotted to the newspaper stand and picked up the classifieds. He stared at his hooves for a second in wonder. Was that magic he felt in the soles of his hooves? Trippy. With his curiosity sated, he turned his attention back to the paper. Today was his lucky day. A certain Princess of Friendship was conducting an experiment and needed volunteers. The one thousand bits raised a few alarms in his head, but surely the experiment couldn't be worse than Pinkie's ad for experimental taste taster. Right?

Grey watched in stunned silence, mouth agape, as the brightly green neon glowing mare ran out of the Friendship Castle crying her heart out. She slightly resembled a particular teacher.

"It is only temper-RARYYYY!" Twilight called out to the mare at the bottom of the steps. Twilight smiled and chuckled sheepishly up at the new stallion. "Are you a new volunteer?" she asked hopefully, her amethyst gems sparkling behind goggles.

"YA ne govoryu po angliyski!" Grey shouted behind him, as a cloud of dust enveloped Twilight.

"Wait!" Twilight cried out after coughing away the dust, "Results may vary!"

Escaping the clutches of mad Doctor Frankenstein led Grey to Sweet Apple Acres. Thinking back, he should have come here first; it would have saved him from what he witnessed earlier. It was high noon which probably meant the Apple clan would be taking a break so he headed for the main house.

Shortly after knocking on the screen door, Applejack greeted him. "Howdy. Is there sumthin' Ah can help ya with?"

"I certainly hope so, Miss Applejack," Grey said sincerely. He bowed politely and introduced himself, "I am Master Smith. I left my wallet back home, and I was wondering if I could do some chores around the farm to help pay for a train ticket back to Canterlot. Nothing beats good ole hard work for an honest pay."

Applejack scrunched her face in thought. "Well, if ya ain't 'fraid t'get yer hooves dirty, there's sumthin' fer ya t'do."

Was it Grey's first time working on a farm? No. Was it Grey's first time cleaning out pens? No. Was Grey going to be doing so again anytime soon? Hell. No. Shit stinkswho knew?factor in the scorching heat and choking humidity and you have all the conditions of a living Hell. He finished and got paidthat is all that mattered.

After a well deserved and welcoming shower, Grey said his farewells to the hospitable Apple clan and headed to the station. After purchasing the tickets, he had enough bits to buy a tuna sandwich (which pleasantly surprised him) as a late lunch.

Gentle prodding woke him from a sound nap. The alabaster mare with the electric blue mane and tail smiled at him and walked away coolly as she bobbed her head to the beat produced by headphones.

With step one out of the way in his plan for sweet revenge, he cantered happily out of the station and down the lane, headed for his friend's flat for step two.

Canterlot reminded Grey of Human castles of yore. He could appreciate the architecture of the buildings and the engineering of the walls and roads. It must have been Hell to remodel and upgrade the whole place for modern conveniences. He passed construction ponies working inside the sewer; his heart went out to the brave souls.

Grey knocked on the white door and waited patiently. Vinter Solace opened the door; sleep clouded his eyes. Grey beamed widely. "Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all the way! Oh what!" Slam! Grey blinked at the door and snickered. He knocked again. An annoyed Vinter Solace opened the door. "Oh, what fun it is to ride!" Slam! Grey knocked on the door and quickly leapt into nearby bushes.

"What?!" Vinter roared and swung the door open. He blinked at the emptiness in confusion. He released an agitated sigh and groan as he closed the door behind him. He snapped his head at an awed whistle. The infuriating rusty stallion from earlier was in the archway to his living room. "You better have a death wish breaking into a guard's house," Vinter growled.

"Nice place you got, Vinny," the pony complimented in a familiar voice.

Vinter shook his head in disbelief, "Grey?"

"Yup!" the stallion chirped.

Vinter sighed and shook his head. A smile formed on his muzzle, "What did you do this time?"

"I think this is a punishment from Celestia. Well, jokes on her; now, I can be that much closer to Luna!"

"Lemme guess. You need help getting into the castle. Right?"

"Bingo!"

Vinter rubbed his face with a hoof. "I'll go get my armor," he yawned.

With the sun down, Princess Celestia retired to her room. After another long, uneventful, boring day of court, the Princess desired nothing more than to unwind in a warm bubble bathmaybe even read that trashy novel that enthralled her so. As she neared her door, her brow furrowed, puzzled. Her two regular guardsponies were absent from their posts. She cautiously opened the door. A crimson stallion stood in the middle of her room before her bed, staring out the glass balcony doors. She closed the door loudly which grabbed the stallion's attention.

"Can I help you?" she asked on edge.

"Quite the contrary, Princess Celestia," the stallion's tenor voice replied with a small bow, "I am here to help you."

Princess Celestia raised a questioning brow.

"A good friend of ours, Grey, asked for my service to help you unwind," he informed her. He stepped towards her and she backed away. A grin parted his lips, "How can a stallion decline services to magnificence incarnate, Princess Celestia, herself?"

"As. . . flattering this all is," Princess Celestia smiled politely, "I am afraid I will have to decline and ask you to leave."

"Princess," the stallion replied thickly, "I can sense your apprehension. I can also sense your need." He slowly advanced towards the white alicorn.

Princess Celestia felt the cold wooden door press against her warming fur. Thoughts buzzed around in her head. Should I? Would he break like the last stallion? Would this be a one-time thing? Would he talk about this to others? She swallowed the lump in her throat as the stallion drew his muzzle closer to hers. His golden eyes drawing her in. Despite her heart screaming at her to not forget Sombra, her brain and hormones were winning the battle raging inside her body. Just. . . just for tonight. . .

His thick neck pressed against her and his hot breath tickled her ear. "I win," he whispered in a familiar voice.

Princess Celestia drew her head back and stared at the stallion before her with wide poudrette eyes. "No. . ."

Grey stepped away from the stunned mare and laughed. "I just wanted to thank you personally for the change, Celestia. And also to tell you that I win. Because now I do not carry my worries about how to return Luna's love and affection."

Celestia stood in shock with her mouth unhinged. Grey slid her out of the way of the door and blew her a kiss before closing the door behind him and laughing maniacally.

Shaking her head to regain her senses, Princess Celestia quickly opened the door and roared, "GUARDS!"

Battle Royale!!!! (Death Battle parody) - Part One

Some Time Ago When Grey and Co. First Arrived
Canterlot Castle

"So, who would win in a fight between the five of you?" Rainbow Dash inquired with her mouth full of salad.

Everypony at the table stopped eating and dropped their forks; their attention turned to the five aliens at the end of the table. Grey wielded a toothy grin.

Darqlon spoke up. "History has shown. . . that Grey would. . . emerge victorious. He is the. . . most powerful. On one occasion. . . even rivaling Death herself."

"What if all the alternate Grey's had a showdown?" Onyx suggested.

"I have wondered about that myself," the man in question mused.

"I have seen it," Darqlon input, "The battle caused both. . . their universes to. . . become destroyed."

"Did the Grey's survive?" Kyllgorr questioned.

"Yes," Darqlon answered.

Everyone at the table waited for him to elaborate. When the silence passed long enough, Price spoke up. "So. . . what happened?"

"That is for me to know and Grey to never find out," was Darqlon's grim response.

"Let's have a Battle Royale!" Onyx exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Let's not," Darqlon remarked. "Grey would win."

"Hey, I'll go easy on you guys," Grey replied with a cocky grin.

Onyx shot up from his chair and stood up on it, with his other leg on the table. He thrust his right hand in the air and said, "And whoever wins, gets all the females of Equestria!"

Everypony at the table face hoofed.

"The only female I need is right here," Kyllgorr said sweetly and hugged Amy.

"Aw, Killy!" Amy cooed and wrapped her hooves around Kyllgorr.

"Ditto! Oh and Luna!" Grey joked. He received icy glares from Kyllgorr, Amy, Luna, and Celestia. "I joke! I joke!" he held up his hands in mock surrender.

"There is no time like the present!" Price added while his tail wagged.

Two Days Later
Crystal Empire Stadium

"If it's an 'empire' what are the other kingdoms?" Grey asked Twilight.

"That's um. . . huh. . ." Twilight scrunched up her muzzle in thought, "I don't know. That's an excellent question."

Grey thought about his question while standing in front of the commentator table where Twilight and Rainbow Dash would be sitting. The stadium was a sight to behold and could hold its own compared to the amphitheaters of his world. The stadium had room to seat up to fifty thousand ponies comfortably. The three-acre hexagonal arena is carpeted with lush, green grass that Grey could fall asleep on. Today would be a wonderous day for. . . mortal combat. Grey shook his head, diminishing those thoughts. No, today was not a death battle, just a spectacle for others to enjoy.

"Head back inside, Grey," Twilight informed him politely.

"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she swooped in from above, "We gotta start our stuff!"

Grey chuckled. "Alright, you two. Hey, before I go, what are the odds?"

"There is no betting going"

Rainbow Dash cut off Twilight, "You are in the lead, obviously. Now shoo!"

"Every culture has their heroes. Every culture has their Gods," Rainbow Dash began.

"And today's combatants are exactly that. We will be in for quite the show!" Twilight added.

"Darqlon, God of Darkness and Reaver of Souls."

"Grey Whulphe, God of Crafting, God of Survival, and Galactic Emperor.

"Kyllgorr, The Apex Demon and Shepherd of Fire."

"Onyx Blueflame, King of the Dragons and Shepherd of Water."

"And last but not least, Price, the Shepherd of Nature!" Rainbow Dash finished.

The crowd went wild with cheers and applause.

Rainbow Dash introduced the two of them to the stadium. "She's Sparky, and I'm Dashie!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. She did not agree to that nickname. "It is our job to review and analyze the arms, armor, and attributes of each competitor," she continued.

"It's time for a" Rainbow Dash began and paused dramatically, "DEATH BAAAAAAAAAATTLE!"

"Yeah,is able towhat?" Twilight snapped to Rainbow Dash with a confused expression. Rainbow Dash winked at Twilight.

A giant cube formed above the stadium. The four sides of the cube sparked to life and showed a picture of Darqlon cloaked in a black robe where only his glowing crimson eyes could be seen; he stood tall with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Text appeared on the screen which detailed his background on the right of the screen while video clips of his life played on the left side.

Height: 6'10" | 208 cm
Weight: 210 lbs | 95 kg
Birthday: N/A
Bloodtype: N/A
Likes: Balance in the Universe, Justice, chess
Dislikes: Stupidity, Imbalance, Anarchy
Notes: Has the largest collection of scales, secretly likes cats, considered the Wisest Being in Creation yet still doesn't understand women

Twikight begins her commentating, “As the first son of the God of Creation and the Goddess of Life, Darqlon is the oldest living being in existence. His youngest brother betrayed him and killed him. His sister, the Goddess of Death, was able to save his soul by implanting him into a vessel—Grey. When Grey went on a rampage against Heaven, Darqlon was separated from Grey who can survive without a vessel. Darqlon has witnessed the deaths of his children and grandchildren which is why he isolates himself in Heaven.
“Wow. That is terrible,” Rainbow Dash remarks. “Wait. If Darqlon is a God, can't he just bring them back to life?
“Yes but he believes in balance. In his words, 'Death is a part of Life.'”

A video on the screen shows Darqlon holding his dying grandson in his arms. The screen quickly flips to a montage of Darqlon fighting enemies on the left of the screen and text on the right half of the screen.

“In combat,” Rainbow Dash starts, “Darqlon mostly relies on magic to wear down the defenses of his foes and slice opponents with his signature scythe, Executor, up close. And that thing means serious business! With a ten-foot reach and six-foot blade, there is nothing stopping that thing!”
“If all else fails, Darqlon is not afraid to throw punches. He is a master of grabs, throws, lifts, and disarming opponents,” Twilight informs.

The screen flashes again to a third segment titled "Special Moves."

“Be aware! For the darkness can not hide you!” Rainbow Dash hide behind a wing for emphasis.

“Being the God of Darkness, Darqlon can manipulate and control shadows with his umbrakinesis. He especially likes using "Shadow Bind" which uses the captor's own shadow to bind them in place.”

“Also, as a Reaver, he can rip a being's soul out of their body and send them to Hell with ‘Soul Rend’,” Rainbow Dash adds.

“Often Darqlon will utilize his teleporting ability to confuse his enemies and strike when they least expect it.”

“And if all else fails, he can unfurl his six wings to release a ‘God Ray’! A beam of pure energy that annihilates everything in its path!” interjects Rainbow Dash.

“Except Grey. . . “ Twilight adds matter-of-factly.

On the screen, the camera zooms in on Darqlon's phantom face which is partly hidden by his scythe. His voice echoes in the stadium, "I am the Judge and Executioner."

“Speaking of Grey. . .” Twilight trails off.

The screens went dark then flashed a picture of Grey. He stood in the middle of a burning room, resting his hands on the pommel of a sword placed into the ground before him. The camera zooms in on his face, and he lifts up his head to reveal his glowing golden eyes. Text appeared on the screen which detailed his background on the right of the screen while video clips of his life played on the left side.

“Grey came into the life as a stillborn to the First Wolf and his lifemate at the same time of Darqlon's death. The Goddess of Death used this as an opportunity to give Grey a chance at life and give Darqlon a second chance. With the soul of a God, Grey quickly became a force to reckon with. Grey defeated the first Demon King, technically, and fell in love with the King's daughter, Valkyrie. After many years, he was able to reform his beloved, and for a brief time, there was peace throughout the land,” Rainbow Dash explains.

“Until ol' papa Mystin decided to show up again,” quips Twilight. “The Demon King tricked Grey into thinking Heaven wanted Valkyrie dead, so Grey went to Heaven to kill all those who wanted her dead. He succeeded in killing over ninety percent of the residents of Heaven, leaving only nine of the first thirty Gods alive.”

“Wait. So that means he killed Darqlon's siblings?” Rainbow Dash questions.

“So it would seem,” Twilight nods.

“And Darqlon had to witness it all?”

“He has not confirmed nor denied.”

“And now a word from our sponsors!“

Fetch

Wolf stared blankly at Onyx.

Onyx smiled widely at the dark gray wolf before him.

"Onyx," Wolf spoke.

"Yeah?" Onyx replied with a little laugh.

"I am going to get the stick and I am going to beat the ever-living-Hell out of you with it!" Wolf growled.

As Wolf slunk away through the tall meadow grass, Onyx called out, "Good boy! Go get the stick!"

Twilight sighed contently as she lounged on the green chaise. She enjoyed the days where she could laze around with Fluttershy and listen to her friend talk about the latest animal news. She levitated a white, porcelain teacup to her lips and elegantly sipped the delicious chamomile liquid. The birds were singing beautifully, the chipmunks chipped around a tree outside, and

Stomp!

Tea spilled out of the cup and onto the chaise.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

"What the?" she began, then a noise caught her attention outside. She recognized the noise as Onyx's laughter and he was running away from a big, angry-looking Wolf. Wolf had a tree in his mouth and kept swatting at the jovial dragon.

"You're getting slow in your old age, Wolf!" Onyx guffawed. He turned his head back and his smiling face became full of regret.

Wolf swung the tree and connected with the dragon. Onyx soared over the house, shouting at the top of his lungs. She looked back to see Wolf sitting on his haunches with a satisfied grin plastered on his face. He tossed the tree into the Everfree Forest and shrunk down to the size of a timber wolf.

"Boys," Twilight shook her head.

"Mhmm!" Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement.