The Xenolith Artifice: Sanguine Winter

"Castle Paris has fallen!" Granite shouted as he ran towards the exit. Thirty seconds after the attack, the entire base was now overrun by horses.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Granite cursed as he was pinned down by the ponies that were once his agents. He was forcibly held to the ground by three normal ponies and one pegasus. "Harry, speak to me! How can you not remember me?!" He yelled at the green coated pegasus holding him by his right hand.

"I still remember you, Granite. My mind was just opened by our Princess' gift." The pegasus smiled at him. "Also, my name is Minty Fresh." One unicorn levitated a test tube filled with a purple glowing liquid. The pegasus took the test tube and looked at the unicorn. "Hold him for me, please?" Minty asked the unicorn, and she complied. The pegasus nodded in thanks and opened the test tube and held it to Granite's mouth. "Prepare to receive your true ruler's gift."

"No!" Granite heard someone shout from behind the pegasus. The mysterious man lunged at the pegasus, knocking them to the ground, and spilling the liquid to the concrete ground. Granite kicked both of his legs, loosening the grips of the ponies holding him. He rolled to the right, and stood up. The ponies jumped at him, but were stopped as bullets ripped through their chests, causing them to cough blood and go limp on top of him. He looked at the gunman, and noticed he was wearing heavy-duty Hexagon armor and a mask underneath a gray coat, but the insignia was stripped out. Granite thought of the inconsistencies and offenses this man had done. Taking heavy armor from the armory, and ripping off the insignia as well? They could have been sent to their dooms to the Void if they were caught.

"Stop fucking with those pussies and follow me!" The gray coated man called Granite as he held his weapon and fired at the ponies trying to get to him. Granite immediately stood up and went to the masked man. "There's a jeep parked over there-" As he pointed to the parked jeep, a mare jumped on his back. He grabbed the mare's hooves and threw her to the ground. Still fazed, the mare tried to stand up, but the masked man stomped on her face, flattening it and spraying blood to the ground. "-if we can get through, we could escape!" Granite nodded and followed the coated man. "My name's Forty-Seven! I'm going to hint that yours is Granite!"

"How did you know?" Granite asked. Forty-seven pointed at the tag sewn on Granite's shoulder. Granite looked to the left and saw the armory. "Let's arm up first!" He shouted. Forty-seven nodded. They headed towards the armory. They ran towards the door and knocked it open.

They saw surviving agents take whatever weapon they could find, and fight the losing war outside. After all, dying in battle is more honorable than running like a coward. Granite went to a separate room, just next to the armory and headed to his own locker and opened it. Being a HOST had it's perks. Having your own armor is one. He took the black Actinum fiber chestplate and wore it, the chestplate was comfortable, light, and flexible. But it also had the power to stop a single armor-piercing tank shell if needed. He also took his black leggings, also made with Actinum fibers, and his black boots, only made with leather. He wore his utility belt, holding three self-replenishing magazines, each holding a different magazine designed for different weaponry. As a member of the HOSTs, the magazine holders held magazines designed for SL-12 Silencers, STP-B2 Shadows, and shells for VL-A5B Scorpion. The weapons being a submachine gun, a pistol, and a shotgun, respectively.

Granite took the weapons out of his locker, and slung them at his shoulder. He then took four Shadows and holstered them at his belt he checked inventory on what he was now bringing with him. He noticed a A6-141 Injector already attached to his belt. He just shrugged and checked for a helmet in the locker. He found one momentarily, and he looked at the helmet that hung inside the locker. He stared at it for a couple few seconds before he shook his head, took a deep breath and knelt down. He lifted a trapdoor on the bottom of the locker, revealing a secret compartment. He grabbed the item inside it and held it near his face. "It's been a long time since I wore you." He stood up, holding the black gas mask at his hands. The mask was pure black, and the glass was also printed black. He turned the mask to the left, then to the right, viewing the mask with awe. The ground shook a couple seconds later.

He placed the mask on his face, and the electrical features activated. The mask latched on his head, injecting needles on the back of his neck. The needles attached themselves on the nerves of his spine, giving the mask enough information on his body. The centerpart of his eyes now glowed red, leaving a faint trail of red light as he moved his head around. He checked his Heads-Up Display, and it displayed his heartrate and his ammunition. He went to the locker next to his and opened it, revealing an array of gray coats. He took one and wore it. The sleeves of the coat extended and covered his entire arm, only stopping at his wrist. The cloak covered his legs, and he pulled the hood over his head, covering his face with darkness, the red dots for eyes the only ones visible beneath the shroud of darkness.

"Let's go!" Forty-seven shouted and opened the door once more.

"Holy shit." Granite said behind his mask as he took his steps outside the armory. The once great Castle Paris was now nothing more than a group of crumbled buildings and smoking ashes. He looked around, tightly gripping the Scorpion with both his hands and they charged to the parked jeep next to the barracks. As they got in, Granite stood up and took his Scorpion, and fired at the nearby equines.

"Start it!" Granite shouted. He looked back at Forty-seven, which struggled to even start the engine. "This is taking too lo-" He yelp as he was knock out of the jeep by an incoming bolt of magic.

"Granite!" Forty-seven shouted, took his pistol and fired at the unicorn, which went limp afterwards. He got out of the jeep and dragged Granite back up. He tried to start the engine again, and after a few more times it had successfully started. "Yes!" He shouted in praise as he grabbed the steering wheel and stepped on the gas. They continued for atleast five minutes, and as they were nearing the gate, a blast of magic hit the left tire, knocking the jeep around.

"Shit!" Forty-seven shouted as their jeep got overwhelmed by multiple hostiles. They rolled towards a cliff, where Granite held at a rope, clinging to dear life. Forty-seven quickly came to the rescue and grabbed the rope.

"Hang on!" He shouted as he pulled Granite inch by inch. A flash of light suddenly hit Forty-seven in his waist. "Fuck!" He hissed in pain. He turned around and grabbed his pistol, and started firing on the incoming horde.

"Hang in there!" He shouted. He took turns pulling the rope then firing at the crowd. "Almost there!" He crouched and lent his hand to Granite. They struggled to grab each other's hand. Suddenly, it was interrupted as a pony jumped on his back.

"For the Princess!" He shouted as he rode Forty-seven. He lost grip on the rope for a minute before he threw the horse off the edge, and grabbed the rope back. Granite was bumping to the Rocky surface of the cliffside, where he bled at his head.

"Sorry!" He shouted and pulled the rope again. He suddenly flinched, and grabbed his arm in pain. He pulled his sleeve to see that he was contaminated with the potion. He looked at Granite and pulled his mask off.

"Me?" Granite exclaimed as he saw his doppleganger's face. The clone's face now distorted, and slowly formed a snout. His eyes enlarged, and ears grew on his head. His skin now formed a brown fur coat, and a horn protruded on his forehead. He looked at Granite with teary eyes before saying.

"I- I'm sorry." He pulled a grenade off his coat and primed it. He took a knife and cut the rope from the jeep, making the original Granite fall.

"Come at me, you grass eating freaks!" He shouted, his voice now distorting and forming into another.

"Hail the Mighty Zephos, bringer of peace and war. Send thine agents to avenge me and my people." He recited, and took a deep breath. With his remaining strength, he took his knife and charged to the crowd.

He grabbed the nearest pony, a pink coated pegasus mare, by the neck and slit her neck and dropped her, left her to die. "Protect your people against our aggressors as we protect you." He jumped, to a flying purple coated pegasus and made a huge slice down his torso. "Save us from corruption and chaos, as we save others from themselves." He landed on the ground and dropped his knife and took his pistol. He turned around and shot at the unicorn about four feet away from him.

He started to lose balance and stood on all fours. He started to lose his own consciousness, with it being replaced by a new one. "Free us from the confinements of the oppressive, as we free the oppressed from themselves." Using his newly developed horn, he grabbed the grenade and the pistol from the ground.

"We may fight!" He used his magic and choked two ponies near him, killing them in the matter of seconds. "We may surrender!" He knelt down, his body weak from the potion and his rampage.
"But we will never fall!" He removed his coat, revealing a cutie mark of the Hexagon HOST Insignia. A blue hollow hexagon with three lines overlapping it. He also wore a belt filled with grenades. He took all of the grenades, and with one final push of adrenaline, he primed the explosives and shouted his final words.

"Long Live the Hexagon!" A large explosion happened, leaving Granite in shock.