Cleaning Darkness
Bonus 1: The Day of No Mercy

By: Major Frostwing

The night was quiet and only partly cloudy it was getting close to October and the cold chill started to roll in as fall slowly began. It was here on this night that I found Jon staring out at the city below. He was worried I could see it with the fact he had an ash tray next to him brimming with cigarette butts. He only smoked heavily when worried. I knocked on the door leading to the balcony to not even gain his attention. I took that as a sign to come out. "Something is troubling you Jon." I said as he finally looked over his shoulder at me.

"It has been four days Luna of course I am worried." Jon said as he continued to glare out at the distance. "Something just feels wrong and Bright always sends a message whenever he is out on a mission. Every night at the exact same time." I set a hand on his shoulder only for him to jerk out of my touch. "I don't want sympathy I want my son back home." He snapped before returning to his quiet demeanor.

"Jon your son is one of the strongest soldiers under our command. He has never failed a mission we had ever sent him on. He will return home just like every other time." I said as he looked to me his eyes burned with worry.

"I just want him to come home." He stubbed out his cigarette when the sound of a whistle being blown caught our attention. We looked down at the main gates to see a soldier running towards the castle.

"What is that man carrying?" I asked myself as Jon suddenly disappeared in a flash of magic. He reappeared in front of the soldier stopping him with a hand to the throat. "Dammit Jon." I muttered out as I teleported down next to him.

"What happened soldier? Where is your captain? WHERE IS MY SON!" Jon roared in the man's face. He seemed to be on the verge of killing the soldier when he held out a bloody bag. I could see the soldier did not want to hand the bag to Jon but he was scared.

"JON!" I yelled as he looked over to me. "Put him down and calm down." Jon looked back to the soldier seizing the bag and dropping the soldier without any form of grace. Jon looked at the bag opening it slowly before stopping. Jon slowly reached into the bag pulling out it's contents. My heart stopped when I saw that it was a head. It was the head of Jon's own son just delivered to him in a bag.

Jon dropped to his knees still holding the head he hugged it to his chest. His skin shifted to pitch black as he threw back his head letting out a wail of despair. It was ear shattering in volume. That's when I felt it scrape against my magical senses. Jon's magic was going critical and it was about to blow. "RUN!" I ordered as the guards scrambled to get away from Jon.

Without warning the magic stopped as a black fog began to pour out of Jon corroding the ground around him. The head was untouched by the corruption as he set it down on the ground getting to his feet. Jon looked towards me and ice settled in my spine as I looked into his eyes. Only hate burned in his eyes. The black fog seemed to shroud him except for his eyes as he disappeared in a flash of magic. I had to warn Celestia... Jon was going to do everything in his power to slaughter the Mino that killed his son.

"Sir the reinforcements have arrived right on time." A lieutenant stated saluting to me as I looked over to him.

"Good we now have enough to continue the campaign towards Dodge Junction and then towards Manehatten and then straight for Canterlot." I grip my hand into a fist smiling. "Nothing will stop our conquest of Equestria. Not even The Legendary 112th Battalion and their Captain could stop us." I said as I turned back to my lieutenant smiling. "Gather the men we will be making our march out to take Dodge Junction. I want them ready in an hour." I ordered as he saluted once again before exiting my quarters.

I turned to my desk pulling out my journal writing down my thoughts and developments of this war. History will remember the war that took over Equestria.

My door was suddenly thrown open as a watchman ran in. "SIR THE SCOUTING PARTY HAS RETURNED! HE HAS AN URGENT MESSAGE FOR YOU!" I looked to the one who dared charge into my room when the scout in question walked in a hand print burned on his face.

"Sir..." He said looking scared for his life as he looked behind him to see if something was following him. "Look to the hills past the town. That's all he told me to say." He suddenly clutched at the sides of his head as he fell to his knees. "YOU SAID I WOULD LIVE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! PLE-" The scout's head exploded in a shower of black gore startling me. I looked to my balcony walking towards it pulling out my binoculars.

I stared out towards the hills trying to see anything when something caught my attention. The scouting party I had sent out were all on their knees as a shadow stood behind them staring right at me. The shadow raised it's hand pointing at me and then I heard it. "You will watch." I heard the entire camp before me cease their activities as I chanced a look at my men. They were all staring up at me before looking in the distance seeing what I was seeing now. "Their blood will sated my fallen son." The shadow's voice seemed to corrode my soul as I watched as he pointed at the first of the scouts. The Mino's hands reached up gripping his own head. He seemed to be screaming something when his head was suddenly spun around. The body collapsed to the ground as the shadow moved his hand pointing at the next one.

My heart sank as I saw the mino rip his own throat out gurgling out his fear. The eyes never left me as he pointed at the next one. I couldn't tear my eyes away as this one yelled something out as he tore into his own chest. The last one was crying as the shadow walked up behind the mino setting a hand on his head. A black fog fell over him as his flesh melted away from his bones leaving only a skeleton.

"I'm coming for you General." The shadow's voice echoed in my head shivering me to the bone. "This fist will not falter." The shadow seemed to only grow in size as it spoke. "May the gods have mercy on your soul. For I have none on this day." I dropped my binoculars as I saw the shadow spread into the sky forcing the stars to hide behind it's veil.

"MEN! PREPARE TO REPEL THE FIST OF EQUESTRIA. LOAD THE ARTILLERY AND PREPARE THE ASSAULT SQUADS! THAT IS AN ORDER!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs as the camp moved to follow my orders. I moved into my room gathering my armor and weapon as one of my lieutenants entered the room.

"Sir we are not equipped to fight the Fist of Equestria." He said as I looked to him still feeling that ice course through my veins.

"The assault squads will be a diversion as we all make our escape." I said as I set my helmet over my head. "Get the rest of the men on the ships and cast off we will return with more troops and take Equestria with full force. Even the Fist can't survive a full out assault." I said as I walked over to my desk pulling out my journal opening it as I began to write when there was a sudden explosion that shook my teeth. I ran to my balcony seeing that all of the ships were destroyed and burning in the harbor.

"No escape. Nowhere to retreat. Nowhere to hide." That voice creeped back into my head as I looked towards the hill to see the shadow walk towards us as I wrote down what I was witnessing. History will remember this day... The day we made a god angry. I closed my book looking to my lieutenant as he looked at me with uncertainty.

"Prepare the troops for a last stand... Fight till the last because none of us will survive if we don't." I looked back at the soldiers preparing to charge against our foe.

The soldiers were ready for their charge with me standing behind the assault squads the shadow continued to march towards us I could hear the uncertainty in the voices of my men. "ALRIGHT MEN TO THE LAST OF US WE WILL FIGHT ON!" I yelled as the soldier's resolve steeled. "FOR THE MINOTAUR KINGDOM! CHARGE!" The first assault squad charged forward swords and spears and shields at the ready. Their charge was like a small earthquake as they tore the ground up on their way to the enemy. The first soldiers reached their mark only for a wave of blood to shower the next line as the shadow flicked his hand out quick as a viper. The bodies flew gracefully through the air before colliding with the ground harshly.

"Turn against thy friends of old and follow your new command." The shadow spoke out raising both hand skyward. "Betray." He threw his hands downward as the first assault squad was brought to it's knees in one fell swoop A black fog flowed over them. They all screamed out in pain as they gripped their head tearing at the fog in vain. Suddenly they all stopped screaming as they stood up turning around. Each of their eyes glowed a bright green as they roared as one before charging back towards the lines their weapons ignored.

"SECOND ASSAULT SQUAD CHARGE!" I yelled out as the second squad charged forward to attack The bodies of both squads slammed into each other violently only for the true violence to be unleashed. The Minotaurs under the shadow's command tore at the second assault wave with reckless abandon. if one was felled the others would surround the attacker and tear into them with hands and teeth. "THIRD AND FOURTH SQUADS CHARGE!" I ordered as more squads charged forward to aid their comrades. Soon enough the corrupted squads were slaughtered. We all turned our attention towards the shadow to see him still standing there. No one dared make the first move towards him but he raised his hand as his sword flashed into existence in his hand.

The shadow disappeared suddenly appearing in the ranks of the squads that were just fighting. "Kaboom." He said as a sphere of magic exploded outwards devouring my men. The shadow stepped out of the crater walking towards us dragging his blade behind him slowly. The shadow raised a hand before flicking it to the side. A quarter of my men slammed into the sides of the building turning to paste upon impact. I looked on in horror as my men were being slaughtered so effortlessly. I felt my voice hitch in my throat as my eyes returned to the shadow as it reared back it's sword throwing it right through my lieutenant pinning him to the wall of a building.

"SIR YOUR ORDERS!?" One of the sergeant's asked as I looked to him. He eyes screamed for retreat but there would be no escape. This day would be their last. Not even the artillery would stop him. I had to do something otherwise our deaths will be meaningless. I drew my sword letting a battle cry free as the shadow locked eyes with me.

The shadow flickered for a moment before the fog receded revealing the true fist of Equestria. The man who stood before me skin black as the darkest depths with a flowing mane of black and dark purple. No armor adorned his body as he stared me down. A subtle flick of his wrist and his blade returned to him as his calm stared turned into a fierce scowl. Fog billowed out behind him before it coalesced it a dragon of corrupting. The man took a deep breath roaring at the top of his lungs answering my own battlecry with one of his own. The dragon spewed flames into the air only adding to the cry for death. I felt my very being shudder in fear at the man that stood before me.

"RETREAT!" I heard a sergeant yelled out as a few minos broke ranks running for their lives. The shadow dragon was quick to burn them to ash as they ran.

"NONE WILL ESCAPE!" The fist yelled as he took one step forward. "NONE WILL RUN!" He took another step towards me as I took one step back. "I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE FOR WHAT YOU DID!" My body screamed at me to give the order but I knew it was pointless he would just kill us as we ran. "YOU WANTED A WAR! YOU GOT A FUCKING WAR!" The fist raised his hands seizing more of my army in his magic. I turned to look at my soldiers as they were raised into the air before their bodies were shredded like paper. I looked at the fist as he continued to use his magic to decimate and slaughter my troops... and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

"WE SURRENDER!" I heard a few of my troops yell out only for spires of black magic to skewer them raising them in the air like trophies.

I watched as more magic tore my troops to nothing but gore as it was slowly pulled into a pile in the center of the town I turned back to the fist to see that he was standing before me wreathed in darkness. I dropped to my knees letting go of my blade as I fell. "Why?" I asked as the fist stared down at me. "We did nothing to bring this amount of cruelty on us." The shadow set a hand on one of my horns gripping it so tightly I thought he was going to crush it.

"You killed my only son." He said as he gripped my other horn. "And sent me his head." I let out a scream as I felt darkness pour into my mind and as soon as it began all that was left was the dark.

I stood there the general's head in my hands as I looked out at the destruction around me. I picked up a spear from one of the felled minotaurs walking with purpose to the center of the town seeing the spire of death I had created. I slammed the spear into the blood soaked earth before impaling the general's head on the spear. I dispelled my dragon staring up at the pillar a sad look on my face. I pulled a stone out of my pocket. It was a Dragon Diamond that Bright found so long ago and gave to me as a gift. I clenched the diamond tightly as I felt my anger pool into the gem. "Bright... You didn't deserve what happened to you. You were a great warrior and you always made me proud." I said as I fell into my memories.

"Dad! Dad! Dad! When I grow up I am gonna be just as strong as you!" A young Bright said to me as I crouch down to ruffle his hair with a smile.

"You want to be strong like your old man?" I asked as he nodded his head smiling up at me. I smiled back to him as he threw a small punch hitting me in the chest lightly. I chuckled as I picked him up setting him on my shoulder. "You don't have to be as strong as me Bright just remember that I didn't get strong to just be strong. I got strong so I could protect you and your mother. As long as you get strong to protect something you will always be as strong as me." I said as I held up my fist towards the sky. "Protect the ones you love and there is no limit to how strong you can get."

"So as long as I can protect something I can be as strong as you?" He asked as I chuckled once again. "Then if I can protect everything then I will be stronger than you." He said as I bounced my shoulder with a smile.

"I can't wait to see you be stronger than me Bright. Just know I will always be proud of you." I heard him laugh as I laughed with him.

I felt my breath hitch in my throat as I stood up feeling my anger cool as the diamond took on a black and purple coloration. I heard a clink of metal behind me as I suddenly turned around to see Twilight and a small squad of guards staring at me. I looked to my right at the head of the general as the last of my anger pooled into the gem sealing a majority of my magic in it. I saw the dark fog vanish as I stared at Twilight before stepping towards her she took a small step back before I passed her. "May I never have to do this again." I said as I activated what remained of my magic to teleport back to Canterlot. I had to talk to Celestia and tell her what happened this day and bury the history of this event.

Author's Note

I decided to post the bonus in the middle of the story because I couldn't get it out of my head. Hope you all enjoy.
Also the song I chose for this chapter is right here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax7iQrEd4C0