The brilliant orange, purple and pink light shown through the town's sky as the sun had started to set in the distance. The breath taking scene was interrupted by the light squealing of the train's brakes coming to it's designated stop in Ponyville station. The quiet station was lifeless until Ray strode out the passenger car carrying a grey bag. He was followed by eight mares who alternated between stretching and taking deep breaths of fresh air. it had been a long train ride after getting out of the hospital and the group was noticeably fatigued. Looking up at the sky, Ray unzipped the bag and dug around until he finally pulled out his laptop. He carefully positioned the laptop and ran to get the group in a some-what organized pose for a quick picture in the ten seconds given. When the click was heard Ray strode over to the computer and seen that the picture shown his group sporting tired smiles and himself flashing a small grin. The afternoon sky had set a great lighting for the background and complimented the entire scene. Ray smiled at the captured moment before closing the laptop and placing it back in the bag. Ray felt a small tug on his pants leg and looked up to see Octavia and Vinyl motioning for him to follow. Ray looked up to see most of the group had already started heading towards their homes to get some rest. His next fight had been scheduled for the day after tomorrow and he needed to prepare.

Ray held open the door for the two mares to enter the dark house in silence. Flicking on the light, he heard a thump and seen Vinyl face-plant on the couch. "Goodnight Ray" mumbled Octavia as she hugged his leg and shuffled to the bedroom.

He poured himself a small glass of milk and undressed himself to look at his scars. Tracing his finger over one on his leg, he heard a deep voice say, "That one could have been prevented. You should have watched your step chasing him. I didn't know you humans were savage enough to make 'special' bear traps. It almost impresses me."

"Sombra... Now is not the fucking time. Besides, that trapper fuck got what was coming to him." Ray said in a whisper.

"As in, you leaving him to die slowly?" Sombra asked.

"Whatever it took for me to survive." Ray growled.

In the depths of Ray's mind Sombra was clapping and chuckling to himself in joy at the man's words. With a deep sigh, Ray drank another glass of milk before turning around and picking up Vinyl. He softly scratched behind her ears as he silently walked through the house. He made his way to bed and gently laid her down and took a deep breath before laying down next to them. Ray slowly went over what was happening to him in his mind. Why is he in a relationship with Vinyl and Octavia in the first place? All he did was get buzzed and boned them while they were drunk off their asses. There was hardly any reason behind it, yet he loved them. He could only hope they returned the feeling and hope they weren't forced into it. He hoped they didn't have to be with him just because they done it or feel ashamed. Ray slowly started to slip into doubt, regret and fear of his actions. Ray's eyes slowly started to emit purple smoke as he fell further in his feelings until Vinyl snuggled up closer and started to drool on him. Ray tried to gently push her off before she gripped harder and mumbled, "Mine".

He rolled his eyes and wiped the saliva off his chest. He smiled as he watched her chest rise and fall before as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

Ray woke to thunder rumbling through the sky and shaking the house. He seen that Octavia had woken up first yet again and Vinyl had a tight grip on his arm. Ray slowly pried her off then turned to look out the window. He was welcomed by an ominous dark grey sky and lightning dancing across the black clouds. Rain came down in heavy drowning sheets as rolling thunder shook the ground. Ray slowly went about his routine of getting dressed as he listened to the deep rumbles of both Vinyl's snores and the inclement weather waiting outside. He just slid his saber in it's scabbard when lightning struck and was immediately followed by thunder that reverberated through his body. Hearing a squeal, Ray turned around to see Vinyl burying herself in the blanket. Ray knelt down and lifted the covers to see a red faced Vinyl staring back at him with a sheepish grin. "Scared of thunder?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Vinyl slowly nodded as Ray slid further under the covers and nearly on top of her. She looked up at him in confusion when he asked, "Do you feel forced into this? I'm talkin bout y'all being with me?"

Vinyl let out a small laugh and hugged him close, "I like what we got going on here. Don't worry about it." She said giggling at his worries.

"Only eight in the morning and already partaking in such lewd activities are we?" said Octavia as she entered the room hearing laughter and seeing Ray's top half under the covers.

Ray shot up out the bed and seen that Vinyl was still holding on. "Ha ha, real funny Octy." he said as Vinyl hopped off him with a blush.

Looking down, he seen that Octavia had a small tray with three steaming cups of coffee. Ray took one and sipped the hot black holy water with a smile when he said, "Thanks Octy."

Ray grabbed his laptop and crawled back on the bed before he patted both sides of the bed. Once Vinyl and Octavia had laid he let the home page load up then clicked the videos icon. He scrolled through them and finally settled on one and said, "This is me and Dakota back when he was still alive. He had just gotten into the national guard and we were so happy that we threw a party. That is, if you can call this a party."

Ray clicked the video and watched the scene unfold.

"SO FUCK-FACE JOINED THE GUARD HUH?!?! That's what i'm talkin bout man." Blared Ray's voice through the speaker as he fist-bumped Dakota.

"Yeah man, it's pretty cool ain't it?" said Dakota who was smiling and holding a beer.

"Fuck yeah it's cool, you get free college and lower taxes and shit. I think.. Probably... I don't know, but what I do know is that you are bad-ass and we are gonna get fuuucked up before ya go. Now let's do this shit." said Ray as he set the camera down. The screen went out for a second before cutting back in to a woodland scene. Ray's face filled the screen for a second as he shakily adjusted the computer before he stumbled offscreen. The video shown Dakota as he was holding a metal shield and a steel combat axe with a black tribal wolf design. Dakota started to examine his axe and took another sip of his drink before he heard, "NOW FAIR KNIGHT DAKOTA!!! IN ORDER TO LEAVE YOU MUST DEFEAT ME!!! Said a clearly drunk off his ass Ray.
Ray came out in a Barney costume and took a drink of something before lighting a small torch on fire. Dakota was laughing at Ray's getup before a pillar of flames nearly engulfed him. Now it was Ray's turn to laugh and drink some more as he blew another stream of flame at Dakota. The shield came up and was baptized in fire as Ray's maniacal laughter sounded throughout the woods. "I LOVE YOU!" Flames erupted out the screaming purple dinosaur's mouth.

"YOU LOVE ME!" Dakota's shirt was blackened as he barely managed to roll out the way.

"LET'S GET TOGETHER AND BURN IN HELL!!!" sang Ray as let another stream of flame fly at his cousin.

Ray was basically throwing what he was drinking in his mouth as he tried to keep Dakota at bay. His mask and costume were slowly getting doused in liquid when Ray shot another flame. Barney was on fucking fire. Barney ran in circles trying to grab Dakota as a final way to defeat him when a scream was heard from the costume. Barney went still for a second before a large blade burst through his stomach and cut all the way up to the neck. Ray's hands gripped the sides and ripped open an escape as Dakota grabbed at him. Once the hole was big enough, Ray jumped out the burning suit and ripped off his burning shirt while laughing. "Holeee shit that image is disturbing." Said Dakota as he looked at the burning and mutilated corpse of Barney the dinosaur lying in the woods.

"You're fuckin insane, you know that right? I swear you're gonna be the death of me." said a
visibly smoking Dakota before he slugged Ray in the shoulder.

"Maybe... But that was fun wasn't it?" said Ray with a small portion of hair singed off as the camera shook and the video ended.

"Ugh, you two are such colts doing that." said Octavia as Ray browsed through the videos.

"You can breath fire!?!?" asked an astonished Vinyl as she looked him in shock.

Ray looked at her for a second before he smiled and said, "Yes, yes I can."

"You know, if you look at it for a while it looks like you dressed up as Spike. Albeit a much more nightmare inducing form of him, but still." Said Octavia as she went over what she just saw in her head.

Ray went silent for a second before letting out a deep laugh at the thought. Ray had clicked on another video and finished his coffee when knocking was heard. He set the computer down and slid out the bed. The rain was still pouring and thunder rumbled after lightning shone through the window. He readjusted his scabbard and said, "I got it. Y'all just watch whatever on there ya want."

Ray walked down the hall and gripped his saber's handle as he neared the door. He opened the door and smiled when he seen Big Mac soaked and waiting outside. Waving him inside, Ray asked, "What's up Mac?"

Big Mac simply pointed a hoof outside and said, "Stuck."

Sticking his head outside, Ray seen Mac's cart full of supplies getting hammered by rain and stuck in a mud puddle. "Well... Fuck. I'll be out there in a minute." said Ray as he walked back to the bedroom.

Sticking his head in the bedroom Ray said, "Hey, I gotta go help Mac get this cart unstuck. I'mma go with him to make sure he gets back alright. I'll be back in a couple hours or so depending on the weather. I'll see ya later, love y'all."

"Okay be safe dear. We love you too." said Octavia since Vinyl was too engaged in what was happening onscreen.

Ray jogged back down the hall and flipped on his hood as he stepped outside into the downpour.

Mac had already hooked himself back up to the cart as Ray got behind the cart. "Pull!", Said Ray as he lifted up and fought for traction in the slick mud. The cart slowly rolled forward before it slid back into the muck. Ray took a deep breath and lifted again as the rain soaked through his clothes. The cart once again slid back into the puddle of mud to the disappointment of the two. Thunder rumbled as Ray backed off and said, "Got anything that might help?"

Mac nodded his head to the loaded down cart and Ray nodded. He moved around a a few sacks of what seemed to be fertilizer and a doll before seeing a few planks of wood. Taking one the planks out, he lined it up with the stuck wheel and set it down in the mud. "Let's try that again Mac!" said Ray as he yelled over the rain and thunder. Ray felt the cart start to lurch forward and strained his legs as he lifted. The cart finally rolled out of the mud with a squelch. Sighing in relief, he walked next to Mac before looking up and saying, "It's only gonna get worse the longer we wait. Let's go."

The two walked in silence, trudging through mud and dodging puddles as the rain hammered them from above. Ray seen that they were approaching the farm when the wind started to really pick up. When the two reached the gate they seen a few limbs had fallen in the path and need to be moved aside to pass. Ray and Mac slowly made their way to the house and reached the porch as lightning struck. Mac undid his harness and stepped up on the porch to quickly stretch his legs. The door opened for the two to see Applebloom waving them inside and said, "Y'all come on in before y'all catch a cold."

The two stepped inside and wiped their feet and hooves as the house's warm interior slowly warmed them up. Ray looked around to see a nice cozy house that smelled of cinnamon. Ray was interrupted when Mac waved a hoof in his face. Mac nodded his head for Ray to follow him in the kitchen to see Applejack and Granny Smith baking. Mac cleared his throat to get their attention to which Applejack said, "Oh hey Mac how was your trip?"

Mac simply gestured over to a soaked Ray who simply smiled and waved. "Oh howdy Ray, I didn't see ya there. How was y'alls trip?" said Applejack as she turned around and opened the oven.

"It was wet. It was cold. It sucked. It was relatively quick though so I got that going for me. Anyway, what y'all makin tonight?" said Ray as he took his soaked hoodie off.

"Heheh. Yeah it's sure looks miserable out there today. But me and Granny here are bakin ah Apple family classic." she said, taking out a tray full of treats.

"We got some cinnamon apple fritters fresh out tha oven. Ya want one? We got plenty to go round." said Applejack setting the tray on the dinner table.

Granny Smith came over and looked at Ray for a moment before saying, "Last time ah saw you, yous was a lot taller and real pale like. Wheres ya fancy suit too? Yous was soo hansome in it."

Ray looked back down at Granny in confusion before Applebloom handed him a towel and led Granny to her seat. Ray dried himself off as best he could and handed the towel to Mac. "Here y'all can bring some down to Vinyl and Octavia down there." said Applejack as she handed him a small plate of fritters. "Thank ya ma'am, I'll be sure to make it up to ya." Said Ray as he checked how wet his hoodie was.

"So how ya think your fights gonna go tomorrow?" She said as she picked up a fritter and bit into it.

"I ain't never fought anything that can fly before so I don't really know. I can only bring melee weapons and i'd rather not be weighed down trying to carry it all." He said as he adjusted his hoodie.

"Go with what ya know, that's all I can say." she said as she checked outside the window.

"The weather pegasi said they have to let the storm get a little wilder later. I hate to say it but, unless ya wanna stay the night... You should probably get gone." she said.

Ray nodded before turning to Mac and shaking his hoof and saying, "All right, I'll see y'all later."

Ray waved one last time before leaving the house and looking up at the sky. The rain had turned into a heavy sprinkle and the sky had turned a lighter gray. With a sigh, Ray took off down the path back home.

Author's Note

The story ain't dead i've just got stuff on my mind and all that mess. Hit a like and follow the story if ya wanna see the rest of the story as it goes on.