Author's Note

So first just wanted to say sorry for not posting this soon, something happened IRL and I kinda forgot about this. This isn't as good as it should be but I just wanted to get this out, I'm thinking of doing chapter 3 but we will see how that go. Anyway enjoy the story for what it is.

Ch.2

Chapter 2.0

Three days later

The sun near the horizon, getting ready to set in a few hours. The group of ponies were setting up camp after a long day of walking, the group how was wearing loosely fitting clothes with a few of the stronger looking ones how holding swords and axes along with a few bows and arrows. Earlier that day they were attacked by a few bandits, most likely the survivors from the village who saw what happened to their home and wanting revenge. Tho their bloodlust was short lived as Fang and Hardric made short work of them, the ponies where scared of the two creatures who where leading them back near by town that wasn’t ruled by scum of life. Tho after watching them fight they didn’t know if they were their saviors or their soon to be new masters.

“Hardric! Come over here I have something to ask you.” Fang yelled as he sat on a log next to a campfire, he was still wearing his power armor and haven’t taken it off yet.

“What Fang?” Hardric said as he walked over to Fang as he was looking at the dead body of a griffin, the body was only dead for a few hours. Missing most of his torso from one of Hardric’s punches. Fang turned his head to look at his friend before turning back to the body.

“So, from what I can tell so far we’ve been here for a little less then a week. We were out cold and in that city for three days and we’ve been walking for three, and not once have we had any meat to eat. The stuff is edible but by the dark ones I can go for a Grox stake right now.” Hardric nodded as he remembered his wife’s cooking, a nice hardy meal for a warrior.

“Yes, I to want meat.”

Fang turned his head to look at him again as he gestured with his head over to the dead body. “I mean...it’s dead and as far as I can tell it is a “animal”....would it be weird if we ate it?”

Hardric looked at Fang, then at the body. “Not sure....it could talk.”

“True but we’ve seen people eat other humans, and sentiment xenos...this isn’t really any different from that. It also help that it looks like a oversized bird, a bird that tried to stab you with a sword but still a bird.” Fang started looking at the body also, they were starting to feel themselves becoming hungry at the idea of eating real meat.

“I’ll try if you’re down for it.” Fang said still looking at the body. Hardric simple grunted in reply as Fang pulled out his knife and handed it to Hardric.

“I’ll get the fire wood then and we can roast it.” Hardric took the knife and went to work as Fang stood up to get more fire wood. As soon as Fang stood up he saw the shocked, the feared and disgusted looks on the ponies faces as the watch Hardric skinning the dead griffin. Fang cleared his throat as he started talking to the ponies.

“Look, my friend and I saved you from slavery. We been protecting you all from attacks and helped you gather food and clean water. You have also seen us, two large man eat the less out of all of you, giving out food and water to those who needed more. Yes we are eating a dead warrior but from what I’ve seen of them so far they would and a few have eaten your kind before. Killing them for nothing then a simple meal of want and gluttony, we are eating him out of need.”

Fang unfolded his large black wings as he talked to the ponies, his mind slipping into cultist leader mode one again.

“He is a bandit, a slaver, a killer, a rapist, someone who wish to see you in shackles, forced to be his play things until he grew bored of you and killed you before replacing you with someone else. I ask you all, do not fear my friend or myself as we are eating the flesh of those who forfeited their life the moment they chose this life style! All we ask is for a meal, all we ask is for warmth, all we ask to sleep with a roof over our head in a nice warm bed. Can you truly blame us for that!?”

The ponies where taken aback from Fang’s words, the ponies looked at him then at each other, simple starting to talk among themselves as they turned their back to what was happening. Less out of disrespect and more so they don’t see what is happening.

Fang sighed internally, as he looked over the ponies one more time before walking off to grab some more fire wood. Fang wasn’t the best with his words, but he knew how bullshit enough to get people to do what he wanted or to leave him alone. “Note to self, if I start a cult here ask if their are any normal animals.”
———-

Some time later, the sky was getting darker and the camp was lit with camp fire, the ponies were wearing crude as filter as Fang and Hardric roasting parts of the griffin. The two licked their lips as they looked the nearly done meat, it wasn’t anything fancy but it was fresh meat. But before two could partake of their meal, two heads shot up as their heard the sound of hoof steps and the clanking of armor. By the time the two realized what was happening it was too late, a somewhat large number of ponies where around their camp. Fang saw more ponies, but they were different from what he has seen so far. They had bat like wings, slitted pupils with irises that reflexed the camp’s back at them, many of them wearing armor and wielding weapons say for six of them who glowed like a flair at night.

“Hello my name is Twilight Sparkles, we’ve came on behalf of princess Lun...”

Her words where cut short as Hardric let out his battle cry into the right as he charged the line of warriors, before anyone could react the feral warrior slammed himself into a guard. Before the eyes of everyone the guard along with his squad was cut down, Hardric turning them into bloody messes all over the ground and ponies around him.

When Fang heard their words as a memory flashed into his head of the female wearing the dark blue armor with the black fur.

“Shit, HARDRIC STOP!” Fang yelled as he focused his mind and wrenched a tree from the ground before slamming it into his friend, pushing him away from the ponies and pinning him to another tree.

“Hardric snap out if it! They are out allies!” Fang command his friend to snap out, Hardric looked at Fang, his eyes filled with bloodlust as his friend’s words started echoing through his head as he calmed down.

“Frie....friends?” Hardric asked as he started panting a bit, the guards surrounded him and Fang with weapons at the ready. Their eyes also field with hate and bloodlust after what just happened.

“Now....I will be the first to say sorry but you guys shouldn’t walk up onto a camp with a small army. That’s not good way to say “we’re friendly.” Fang said as the guards pointed their weapons at him.

“W....wh....what just happened...” Twilight Sparkles said as she and her friends looked at the bloody remains of the guards then at the two people in front of them. The ponies in the camps seemed to be shocked at first but soon the calmed down when they say the princess of friendship.

“What just happened , my purple friend was those man got Hardric. Now if you don’t want that to happened to the rest of your guards call them all so we can talk.” Fang said in calm tone, not fazed by the fact he was being held at blade point. He actually had a soft smile on his face, when one of that guards took a swing at him to suck him up, the guards where blinded by a flash of light. When their eyes recovered Fang was simply simply.

“Cute now stop that before you make me mad.”

“Why should we trust you, you just killed a squad of my man!” The captain yelled as main six regain their composure.

Before another word could be said Fang let out a jet of black fire into the air, filling the area around him with a thick black smoke that started choking the ponies inside.

“Because we can kill you all with in seconds.” Fang reply as the main six and the rest of guards found him sanding behind next them. The guards looked him and even tho they were trained warriors something about Fang was horrifying making the guards step away from him slowly but still ready for a fight.

“So you must be from Luna I take it?” Fang looks at Twilight, eyeing her up and down.

“Y....yes, we were summed to fix a problem. I’m guessing that’s you.” Twilight said she herself ready her magic as her friends say for fluttershy ready themselves for a fight.

“Hmmm I don’t think I am. I was simple making my way to the city of Canterlot? According to the ponies I save that’s where Luna and her sister Celestia live and who I needed to talk to about some personal business.”

“And why should we trust you!?” Applejack spoke up as she stomped forward and up to Fang, shortly followed by rainbows dash. Fang flinched as he covered his eyes with a hand.

“Gods you girls a bright, look we just spent three long days walking after saving those ponies from a bunch of slavers. Is it really that hard to believe that I just want to chat?”

Fang said pointing over at the group of ponies who were being given blanks from some of medics.

The girls looked at the ponies who were clearly free prisoners, Pinky, Rarity and Fluttershy were tending to the ponies. Talking to them as Fang looked Twilight, his mind becomes sidetracked by her shape. His eyes glancing at her chest before shaking his head.

“Why help them? Why not leave them behind.” Twilight asked

“Well you want to talk to Hardric, he wanted to free them.” Fang replied as he yelled for Hardric to come over. As soon as he was near them both Twilight and Rarity grabbed their heads as a pain started shooting through it. Fang looked them and at the others who seem to has suddenly become uncomfortable when he walked over.

“What...is he.” Twilight asked she looked at the blood socked man with a griffin leg in his mouth. When Twilight and the other flinched at the sight of someone eating meat.

When twilight started speaking Hardric simply looked confused at her.
“Fang, what purple lady say?”

“She’s asking you why you help the slaves.”

Hardric nodded and told her why he helped them. Twilight looked confused back at him.

“What did he say?” Twilight ask looking at Fang.

“Oh he said all should be free, also he thinks you have nice tits.” Fang reply as he tried to hold back the smile of seeing this purple horse thing blush and cover herself as she looked at Hardic. Giving him a vary nervous thank you before walking off and away from him.

“Um...what happened?” Hardic asked as Fang smiled like a young boy.

“She said thank you.” Fang starting laughing as he walked off to grab some food as the ponies help one another.
—————
“Alright so where are we going now?” Fang asked as the camp was packing up, several of the ponies who been following Fang And Hardic were now being tended by field medics as far as they could tell.

Twilight walked up to Fang after she fished using some healing magic on a few ponies. “We are heading to another town about two days from here before getting on a train and....” she was cut off as Fang raised his hand. He turned to look at is friend who was sharpening his sword.

“Hardic! Feel like hiking for a week!?” Fang yelled over to his friend who shrugged. Fang then looked at the ponies following him, a few of them were sick and wounded, he doesn’t know how strong these ponies magic is and he would hate losing what little pulling it might get for saving these people.

Twilight looked at Fang and Hardic, her horn glowing softly. She could sense magic permeating from the two, the world around her started to glow as she see the background magic ora of everyone and everything. Looking at Fang, Twilight was taken aback. Fang had a black ora around him, it flowed around him like black fire. Whipping and testing around his form, the longer she looked the more she felt as if she was looking at the end. Not death, but true feeling of everything coming to a end with no chance of after life, no chance of rebirth or growth.

She closed her eyes and turned her head, looking away from him. Her body started shaking slightly as the feeling she felt slowly left her body, sighing he opened her eyes once’s again to look at Hardic. This time she saw nothing, were Hardic saw the magic around him seemed to become hazy, as if you were looking at the world though warped class. Bending and twisting around a solid red form, Hardic body glowed bright. She couldn’t tell what was wrong but something was hiding Hardic true ore from her, she could tell there was something more to him but some kind of magic hid his true form from it.

Soon Twilight focused broke as something forced her power to turn off, turning her head she could see a large metal hood that was part of Fang’s armor glowing for a bit before he looked down at her.

“I was wondering when you would snap out of it, you zoned out on me Princess.” Fang looked over at Hardic for a moment before looking back at Twilight.

“What did you do to my magic?” Twilight took a set back away from Fang who smile shrugged.

“Countered you psyke power, I had to say you have a vary strong will. I actually had to try to counter you, forgive me but I didn’t know what you were doing and out if habit I did it.” Fang looked back over the ponies around them.

“Just wondering mind if I look you map?” Asked as he had a idea now.

“Um sure, here take a look.” Twilight reached to her side and pulled out a scroll case for a map. She handed it over to Fang who looked it over, after a few minutes Fang smiled.

“Wonderful, thank you Princess Sparkle. Gather your man, we leave now.” Fang handed the map back as he started walking off, getting Hardic and his followers together as Twilight quickly ran off to find her friends.

——

“Twi don’t like talking about ponies behind their back but I don’t trust those two.” Applejack said as she stood away from the camp with her friends and a few guards.

“I have to agree darling, I mean. I’m all for meeting new ponies but those two rub me the wrong way, the fact they there were eating meat doesn’t help.” Rarity said as she and the other glanced over to were Fang and Hardic was, one was helping gathering ponies as the other was cleaning up the camp.

“Hardic alone killed a guard right in front of us, and from what the other said the two of them killed a city by themselves. What would they do when we take them back to see the princesses.” Fluttershy ask as she looked over at Fang, the larger of the two man. He turned his head and locked eyes with the yellow mare, he gave her a cocky smile and wink before going back to work. Making the mare blush deeply, her face turning a shared of pink.

“We were just caught by surprise, I’m sure I can handle them both easily.” Dash said as she gestured to the sword on her hip.

“Ether way, the Cutie Map and the princesses gave us a job to do, a few of the guards already went ahead to check up on Brookstone. Something is off with them but I doubt they are as strong as the pony say they...”

Suddenly a scream could be heard from the camp, the girls turned their head again to see a tree burning with black fire. Pinkie was standing off to the side of it and Fang was in front of her.

“Don’t do that again!” He yelled glaring down at the pink mare, who smiled.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Pinkie giggle as she reached into her main and pulled out a cupcake, she offered it up to him with smile on her face. Fang looked at her for a second before turning around waking away.