Blood Brothersby DeeTroopaChaptersThe MeetingA New Brother in BloodFirst BloodDark TruthsIt Ends With BloodThe MeetingBig Macintosh walked into Mr. Cake's bar, his head held low in shame and sorrow. Mr. Cake looked at his friend as he approached the bar. "Any luck finding her, Big Mac?" he asked. Big Macintosh replied in a low, sad voice, "Nope." "Don't worry pal she'll turn up eventually." Mr. Cake gave him a beer "All you got to do is hope. The beer is on the house," and then walked away to help some other customers. Big Macintosh sat there for a while, drinking his beer. This was the third time Mr. Cake had given him a free beer and like every other time he would leave the money on the counter. While he was sitting there he noticed three ponies sitting in a booth to his right, one was a yellow earth pony , his mane was black, and he had large cut down one of his eyes. There was also a pegasus, his fur was black, his mane was blue with some yellow streaks in it and it was in a mohawk. The last one looked familiar, he was a unicorn, fur was white and his mane was blue. Big Macintosh thought for a moment, then remembered that the unicorn was Twilight Sparkles' brother. He'd visited ponyville a few times before. Big Mac thought nothing of the three ponies, except for when the earth pony opened up the laptop they had, he saw, in the reflection on the picture behind them, a slideshow of pictures of ponies tied up, beaten, bruised, dead. He stared at the pictures in horror then a picture of her popped up, his daughter, AppleJack. It looked like she'd been through Hell, bruises and cuts all over her, tears rolling down her face. A mixed feeling of rage and relief flooded over Big Macintosh. He got up, walked over to them and as he approached the pegasus quickly closed the laptop. He was wearing some strange hooflets. "Hello sir, can we help you?" The earth pony said looking up at Big Mac he noticed a fire in his eyes. He knew this was the pony they needed. "That was my daughter." Big Mac said as he stared down at the smaller pony. "Was it? Well sir I can promise she be back home in a couple of weeks." "Where is she!" Big Mac exploded at what he knew was a lie. "Listen old timer, you better keep it down otherwise you risk your life, our lives, and the life or your daughter so shut up and let us work. Don't tell any pony what you saw. Keep your trap shut." The pegasus chimed in. "Shut Up Sparky. The Stallion deserves an explanation for what he just saw." "But..." The earth pony glared at Sparky, which instantly got the pegasus quiet. He had a very intimidating look with that scar. "Please sir, sit I'll explain as much as I can. I'm Gold, this is Sparky." "Yo," Sparky said stubbornly, he clearly didn't like the idea of Gold Telling Big Mac anything. "And this is Shinning Armor." "We've met before." Shinning said. "Ah'm Big Macintosh." He told them. "Well then Big Macintosh I have a quick question. How long has your daughter been missing?" Gold asked. "'Bout a month." "A month, if they keep her alive for that long she be valuable to them. Is there any thing special about her?" "She's the element of Honesty." "Yeah, that is a price for them." "What do you mean!?" "Listen Big Macintosh, I'd love to tell you all I know of your daughters location, but I can't for her safety and the safety of our mission. But, I'll tell you what, meet us behind the library tonight and I'll tell you everything." "How do ah know ah can trust y'all?" "Who else do you have to trust?" Big Mac thought it over for a second then said, "Ah'll be there." Then he got up and left. "You crazy bastard." Sparky said to Gold. "He's perfect for the team," Gold said. "WHAT!" Sparky shouted. "He's old as crap, how can he be any use to us?" "The fire in his eyes and his desire to save his daughter." Gold answered. "You crazy piece of fucking shit." A New Brother in BloodBig Mac arrived at the library around midnight. He walked behind it and saw Gold and his team. "Macintosh, you actually showed up. I'm surprised." Sparky said as he cleaned his sniper rifle. Big Mac then noticed that they were all armed. Sparky had a sniper. Shinning had a spear and a SMG. Gold had a katana, which the helt was bronze and in the shape of a dragon, and a revolver on his sides. He also got a look at Gold and Sparky's cutie marks. Sparky's was a short currceting microphone, and Gold's was a bloody dagger. Big Mac thought Gold looked intimidating before, but now he was kinda afraid of him. "I suppose your wondering why we're armed." Gold asked. "Eeyup," Big Mac responded. "I still don't think this is a good idea Gold," Sparky stated. "Well I do," Gold said back to him. "Anyway, Big Macintosh you have to promise to tell no pony what you herd or saw here." "Eeyup." "I'll take that as you promising." "Eeyup." "Ok then, Sparky and I are Princess Celestia's private assassins. Our latest mission is to find and kill the leader of the terrorists that ponynapped your daughter. We needed somepony that can use magic so when we learned that Princess Candece was captured by the terrorist Shinning Armor agreed to join us. But, there has been one hitch in our plan." Gold explained. "And that would be?" "We need raw power. So Big Macintosh I have a proposal for you. You join our team and we have a better chance of saving their captives, including your daughter." Big Mac thought about this for a moment. He wondered if he could trust them, then again this was his only lead on where AppleJack was. "Ah'll help y'all, but once we get AppleJack out, her and I go straight back to Ponyville." "Great, now we have to see if you can fight. We'll head to the fields just out of town." They Walked to the fields, and Sparky looked at Big Mac, "Come on old timer lets spar." He demanded. "Ah don't wanna hurt ya." Big Mac said looking at Sparky. "You hurt me... HAHAHAHA!" "...Your on punk." "Sparky your hooflet take them off, we don't a repeat of Ponyvania." Gold demanded. "What's so special 'bout those hooflets?" Big Mac asked. "I'll show you," Sparky said proudly as blades shot out of the hooflets. "I should take them off, I've accidentally killed a few ponies before with them." He took them off. In the next few minutes, Sparky was on the ground in pain. "Ow!" he shouted repeatedly. "Welcome to the Blood Brothers, Big Macintosh." Gold said, putting a hoof on Big Mac's shoulder. "Tell goodbye to any pony you truely trust. Our train leaves tomorrow at noon, if you late we will leave without you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was early when Big mac walked into his wive's shop. He still wasn't sure how to tell her, but he was running out of time, he needed to tell her. She was at the counter setting up for the day. She notice Big Mac walk in, and said, "John is something wrong ... Did you get bad news about AppleJack?" "Nope and eeyup." "What do you mean?" "She's alive, but she's been ponynapped by terrorists." "Oh my Celestia." "Ah ran into some ponies who told me. They said they had a plan to get her and other ponies out, but they needed some muscle, so they asked me to join 'em." "What!? Big mac do you even know if you can trust them or if you'll even live?" "Ah don't, but they're ma only lead on where AppleJack is, and ah got to take it." Honey Suckle looked at her husband very worried and very scared. "I promise I'll be back with AppleJack in a few months." "Please be careful, and get our daughter back." "Eeyup." He kissed his wive then walked out and to the train station. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the station he met up with the team. "Ah'm ready," he told them. Gold stared his new team member up and down. "You know I can't promise that you or AppleJack will live, I can only promise a chance to save her." "Ah know, but ah have to try." "The train heads for Manehatten." "What's there?" "A spy that we can catch and question." "You sure your up to this, its your last chance to back out, old timer." Sparky said, actually having a bit of concern in his voice. "Ah got to give everythin' ah got to save AppleJack." "All a board." The conductor shouted. "Here we go, everypony ready," Gold asked as he looked at his team, knowing that he could be leading them to there deaths. "Yes," Shinning answered. "Eeyup." Big Mac said. "Oh Ya! Lets go down this Highway To He-" His singing was cut off. "Hay, don't sing that its copywrited. You want the author to get sued?" Pinkie Pie said then hopped away. "Wha?" "That's Pinkie Pie for ya, best not to question her." Big Mac said with a chuckle. "We'll see ponies crazier, trust me." Gold said. First Blood"I won't tell you bastards anything." The spy said as Sparky hit him again. "Talk you weasel." Sparky said, repeatedly hitting him. They caught the spy a few hours ago. They took him to a old abandon warehouse. They tied him up and Gold let Sparky do the interrogation. Big Mac wasn't sure about Sparky's methods, but he didn't know a lot about any of this stuff so he keep quite. "He's not going to be talking Sparky if you kill him," Gold told Sparky. "Well what do you want me to do, hug him tell he talks," Sparky said angrily towards him. "Step aside," Gold said as he got up and walked towards the spy as Sparky walked away. Both Big Mac and Shinning were wondering what Gold was going to do. They both stood in aw as Gold looked straight into the spy's eyes and the iris of his good eye started to turn red and the rest went bloodshot. "Now tell us where the base is." Gold said, no emotion in his face at all. "No, no, no, no. AHHHHH! Get out of my head, demon. Get out of my head." The spy begged, clearly he was in pain. Tears of blood started there way down his face, color was leaving him. "I won't. I won't. I WON'T. AHYHHHHHHHHH." He screamed then went limp and stop moving, eyes still open. "Oh sure 'Sparky don't kill him blah blah blah' look what you just did." Sparky mocked. "I lost control. I'm getting better though." Gold responded. He looked over at Big Mac and Shinning, and saw the shocked, confused, and fearful faces. "What the fuck was that!? Only unicorns and alicorns have magic, your an earth pony!" Shinning asked. "Yes well, I'm not like other earth ponies and its really non of your concern." "Oh ya it is. If were a team then ah'd like to know why awr leader has got magic when he's a earth pony." Big Mac stated. "I'll explain some other time, but for now I got a location of a base." Gold said hoping that it will get them to stop asking questions. "Where?" Shinning asked. "Koltucky," Gold answered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They were at a vantage point Sparky found, where they had a clear view of the base. "Everypony know what to do," Gold asked as he finished explaining. "Yeah, I fly over the base, wait for your signal, snipe them out, and cover you three." Sparky said. "We climb the wall, then once were inside I give the signal to Sparky." Shinning said. "Once Sparky takes the first shot, we fight awr way to the prison, where we free the ponies in there." Big Mac stated. "After we free the prisoners, we go to the base's garage and get vehicles and get out." Gold said. "Once your in the garage, I open the main gate for you." Sparky said. "Good lets get started." Gold said. Sparky grabbed his sniper rifle, "Best of luck in there." He said then flew off. Shinning got his SMGs and his spear. He held the guns with magic and the spear with his hoofs. "Ready." Big Mac wasn't sure what weapons he should use. Gold tossed him a wood cutting axe and an old fashion repeater. "These seam to be more your speed." He said. Gold picked up his revolver, he still had his katana on his side. Sparky flew high over the base, counting the number of guards. He took aim at a big one with a minigun. He put his hoof up to his ear, "There is about 50 guards outside, no idea how many on the inside." "Ok." Gold said, he turned to Shinning, " Your spell ready?" "Yes," he said as he casted a spell on their hoofs. "We should be capable of walking up the wall." Gold nodded, and they started climbing. It was a long climb, but when they got up to the top there where two guards standing there, backs to the team. Gold whispered to Big Mac, "You take the one on the left, I got the right." Big Mac nodded and came up behind the left guard, axe in hoof. Gold went behind the other one and drew his blade, he nodded at Big mac. With that nod they swung, both guards fell, the one on the left had the axe stuck in his head and the one on the right was decapitated. Big Mac felt sick, but he fought through it. Gold nodded to Shinning, he flashed a light from his horn. Sparky, up in the clouds, saw the signal, looked down his scope and said, "Ok big guy, let us see how thick skulled you really are," he pulled the trigger. Gold heard one guard yell, " What the Hell." Gold, Big Mac, and Shinning, now at the bottom of the wall, charged their way to the prison. The fight was bloody. Shots fired, heads cut off, chested stapped, corpses piling up. They got to the prison, covered in blood. When they got in, they barricaded the door. They saw nothing but corpses of prisoners. Big Mac instantly started digging through the corpses try to see if AppleJack was one of them. After the three of them searched, they found no AppleJack or Cadence. Gold put his hoof to his ear, "Sparky, change of plans. they knew we were coming and killed all their prisoners." "What about Cadence or the Apple girl?" Sparky asked. "Not here. Cover us as we get to the garage." "Roger that." They ran to the garage. They got in a small armored car, and drove out of the garage. Sparky opened the main gate just before the car went through it. He tailed the car landed on top of it and banged three times. They let him in. They drove off, no words were said during the drive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Um, sir?" The guard said nervously as he approached his boss. "What?" A metallic voice asked. "The base in Koltucky ... It was ...well... attacked." "WHAT!? By who?" "No idea. One surviver said he saw a yellow stallion with a bloody dagger as a cutie mark." Those words seamed to stop the boss. He turned and slit the guard's throat. "So Gold, we finally get the reunion I've been waiting for." Dark TruthsThe team was back in the hotel room Gold got them. Nopony said a word. Sparky got off the coach and went to get him a beer from the fridge, Big Mac noticed that Sparky walks with a limp. Sparky saw that he was staring at him and glared at Big Mac. Gold was standing in the doorway looking at his team, the mission was a failure but he saw that his team is strong and can work together. "You all did good out there." he told them. "Good, all we did was piss 'ehm off," Big Mac said, clearly mad about not finding AppleJack. "Ahh, come on old timer. What's the fun in fighting a calm bull?" Sparky said in his normal jack ass attitude. "Ya don't die fightin' a calm bull." "What's the fun in life if you don't risk it?" "Ah aint lookin' to have fun, ah just want to save ma daughter." "Well you can't expected it to be easy and you can expected it to have disappointments, so you just have trust us!" "Ah don't even know who ya are!" "My name is Sparky, nice to meet you jack ass!" "All right both of you shut up. Yes we're all stressed, yes we have no idea who one another is. We can work as a team if we don't know one another, so let's just tell a little about our selfs." Gold intervened. "Armor you first." Shinning Armor was at the coach surprised by the idea but he talk anyway, "What's there to say I have a normal life, got a job as a guard, eventually got promoted to head of the royal guard, some how got a princess to fall in love with me, had a crazy wedding." "I can tell you right now the bachelor party was crazier." Sparky said. "Shut up. Anyway, blah blah blah, Cadence was ponynapped and here I am." Shinning finished. "Yeah, Sparky is right though, that party was crazy." Gold said, "Big Mac, your turn." "Ah lived life on the farm workin', fell in love, got drunk at a party, the mare ah love was also drunk, things happened...., AppleJack was born, ah gave her to ma pa to raise her 'cause ah didn't now any thing on raisin' a foal, for years ah lied to her sayin' ah was her brother, when AppleJack was on a trip my wife gave birth to another little filly, her name was Applebloom," the thought of Applebloom made tears roll down his face, "ah lied to her too, eventually ah told 'ehm the truth, a year later ma granny and Applebloom went to Appleloosa to see family, ma granny got sick and died there, Applebloom committed suicide." By the end of his story, tears were rolling down his face, Gold and Shinning looked at Big Mac sympathetically, Sparky looked at Big Mac with something he never looked at anypony with, respected. "Ah never killed a pony before in ma life, but ah'll do anything if it means saving AppleJack." "Well, sad story old timer. Don't worry we'll get her back." Sparky said. meaning every word, "I suppose I'll go next. My father was a drinker and was once Celestia's private guard, tell he was injured and had to retire. Who knows who my mother is. I had four friends growing up Twilight, Shinning, Cadence, and Gold. I got my cutie mark when I was sing in music class and electricity arced between me and the mic, breaking it," he said this as he juggled electricity between his hoofs, "I have no idea where these powers come from. Anyway later one Gold decided to travel around Equestria, I decided to join him. Gold the rest of the story you can tell." "Well when I was five my family was murdered in front of me, I was sent to an orphanage and it was Hell on Equestria, I escaped, some how made my way to Canterlot and got adopted by a good home," Gold said as Sparky stopped him. "Yeah, a real good home. Your Highness." Sparky said, causing the three of them to laugh, But Big Mac looked at Gold confused. "What?" He asked. "Ok, by good home, I mean Princess Celestia found me and took me in and raised me as her own." Gold's answer caused Big Mac's jaw to drop. "Ya're a prince?" Big Maced asked stunned. "Well not by blood, like my cousin BlueBlood. Anyway back to my story. Nopony knew I was Celestia's son except Sparky, Shinning, Cadence, and Twilight. I got my cutie mark when some bullies from school were beating the crap out of me and a knife fell off one of them and I lost control and stabbed one in the side of the head. I ran home before the guards came, once I was home I noticed my cutie mark and freaked the buck out, I mean come on try being ten and learning your destiny is killing. Over the years I only had four friends, but mares did tind to throw themselves at me. I decided to travel and Sparky traveled with me. After seeing what the world is really like, Sparky and I became Celestia's private assassins, we had a team, The Blood Brothers, that's what the called us and we decided keep the name, but that broke up. We got word of a terroristic group and we needed a team, thus you two." Gold finished. "What about the powers you used to kill that spy?" Shinning asked. "No idea." Gold answered and left it at that. They then shared random stories they heard. Sparky got a kick out of that Hearts and Hooves Day were Big Mac was given a love poison. "How did you explain that to your wife?" He asked. "She was out of town." Big Mac answered. They all laughed, "No seriously, it took a lot of explaining." It was going well tell Shinning brought up a certain story. "Do you guy know the story of the Flower Kingdom?" Gold went pale when he heard that. "Nope, how does it go?" Big Mac asked. "It was a Kingdom that was completely destroyed in a matter of hours, everypony there was slaughtered." Gold was getting twitchy as Shinning continued, "They say it happened on the young princess's wedding day, but there was no groom found. Ponies say the groom did it, but nopony has an explanation on how." That part sent Gold over the edge, his good eye went red and bloodshot, he punched Shinning upside the head, "You now nothing of what happened," his voice was raspy and dark, "Nopony nows anything of that day. I didn't mean to, I lost control, I loved her and I never wanted to hurt her." Tears stared down Gold's face, "I... I don't know what happened to me that day." Gold walked away as Big Mac helped Shinning up. "The stories are true. I was the groom, I was the one who killed them, I was the one who killed her. These powers took control, I couldn't stop my self, I... I..." Gold wasn't able to talk. Sparky put a hoof on Golds shoulder. "You don't have to say any more Gold," Sparky said. "Then you tell them, they deserve to know." Sparky started the story, " On our travels we stopped by the Flower Kingdom, Gold and Princess RoseBud fell in love. On their wedding day, Gold's powers took control of him and he started killing and destroying. I tried fighting him an got my ass beat and a limp. Celestia was there and she fought Gold. She nearly lost, if she hadn't of given Gold that scar on his eye, he'd still be crazy, but it was to late he all ready killed everypony, including RoseBud. Celestia and I woke up in a cart Gold was dragging back to Canterlot." Shinning and Big Mac stared at Gold. Even though his back was turned to them he could fell their stares. "Gold, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Shinning said. "It's fine." Gold said. It was quite for hours. Gold started looking through the files they got from the base. "Boys, I found out where their main base is and that's where they're keeping Cadence and AppleJack." It Ends With Blood"It's about a three week walk from here." Gold told his team. "Two, if we don't stop for the nights." They were standing at the edge of a thick jungle, to dense to drive through. The files they had said the main base was in this jungle. "Are you three sure your up for it?" "If that's where AppleJack is then it's eeyup." Big Mac answered with determination on his face. He was going to get his daughter back no matter what. "You sure they're here?" Shinning asked, glaring in to the jungle. "Yes, it only makes sense that when a threat arises that they'll move a prisoner as valuable as a princess to their main base." Gold told Shinning. "What 'bout AppleJack?" Big Mac asked. "You said she is the Element of Honesty, correct. She is also a value to them." Sparky reassured Big Mac. "Makes sense." "Armor, you got the map?" Gold asked. "Right here." Shinning said, pulling out the map. "Good. Everypony's guns loaded?" With that question they all checked their weapons and started their long trek through the jungle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The walk was long and tedious. They stopped only a few of the nights to sleep. The wild life keep their distance, except for one tiger who thought ponies would make a good meal. Gold put it down quick. It wasn't for nothing though, after a little over two weeks they had a clear view of the base from a cliff they were on. "Ha Ha! Gold ya're not crazy after all, thur's the base right thur. We made it." Big mac celebrated. "Don't get excited just yet, old timer. We still have to get in and out alive." Sparky said, then looked at Gold, "What's the plan?" Gold took about four hours to think of a plan, "A sniper would be worthless with this kind of base, so Sparky you'll be with us on the ground." "Ok, I can handle that." Sparky said with pride as he pulled out an assault rifle. Gold explained the rest of the plan. "The prison is heavily secure, so we get to the power station and shut it down. After that we make our way to the prison, get the girls out, and leave." He had them recap it back to him. "This is the final stand, we either get the girls out of there or die trying. Blood Brothers are you ready?" "Yes." Sparky said, a flash of yellow moved over his eyes. The mark of a Blood Brother, corresponding with they eye color of the brother. "As ready as I'll ever be." Shinning said as a flash of blue moved over his eyes as well. "Eeyup." Big Mac said, even his eyes had the green flash move over them. Gold knew from seeing those flashes on their eyes, he had made the right choice of a team. he turned and faced the base as a flash of red moved over his good eye, even though his eyes are a heavy blue. This base didn't have a wall, so they snuck around as close to the power station as possible. They went through the base with stealth. They got in the power station, and got a surprise. "It's empty, there's nothing here," Sparky said. Click "The door locked, Mac buck it down!" Gold shouted. Big Mac bucked at the door, but it wouldn't budge. The room was slowly filling up with gas, "Everypony hold your breath!" It was to late, Shinning fell, eyes closed. Big Mac collapsed, Sparky, who was flying, fell to the ground. Gold felt his eye lids getting heavy. "Sleep Gold. You need to sleep." A metallic voice said over the intercom. "Sleep." Gold knew that voice to well. Anger flowed through him as he fell asleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold woke up in a sack, tied up with a gag in his mouth, not daring to move, he listen to three voices arguing. He recognised two of the voices. "Well what if it's somepony they ponynapped?" A mare's voice asked. "We can't risk letting out some crazy creature out and have it kill us." A regal stallion's voice protested. "Ya to selfish, ah'll open it." A mare with a southern drawl said. "Fine, If you two are so ken on opening it. then I'll do it. Best if I get hurt then you." The stallion said as the sack opened, "Oh great, It's you Gold." Gold was staring at his cousin. BlueBlood pulled him out and untied him. "Thanks," Gold said. "Gold?" Cadence asked, "What are you doing here?" "Saving you," Gold answered. "Good job. I take it Sparky is in one of the other three bags," BlueBlood said, pointing at three other sacks. "Most likely they through the rest of my team in here," Gold said, walking over to the bags. he looked at the other mare, "Applejack, I presume?" "Yeah. How'd ya know that?" She asked. "A certain farmer told me. He should be in this one." Gold said as he opened one of the sacks and pulled out the large red stalliom. "Pa! What's he doin' here?" AppleJack asked rushing to her father, "What's wrong with him?" "He came with us to save you. We were gased, he just unconscious." Gold said. pulling Shinning out of the another sack. "Shinning Armor!" Cadence said, running to her husbands side, "Thank heavens he's ok." She was checking his wounds. Gold walked to the last sack. It started to squirm and electricity was jumping from it. Gold kicked the sack, "Sparky calm down and hold still." He pulled Sparky out of the sack. "Great. Fucking great, we're captured." Sparky ranted, "BlueBlood? Gold you never said he was captured." "I didn't? Oops. Sparky you mind waking up Big Mac and Armor." Gold asked. "Sure thing." Sparky walked over to Big Mac and rubbed his hoofs together, then shocked him. "Owww! What was that fur?" Big Mac asked angrily. He turned his head, "AppleJack!" He got up and hugged his daughter, "AppleJack, thank Celestia ya're ok." Tears were running down their faces. Sparky shocked Shinning, "Ow! what's wrong with y-, Cadence!" He hugged his wife. "Shinning are you crying?" She asked. "No, it's liquid pride." "So, Gold how are we getting out of here?" Sparky asked. "No idea," Gold said. "Great," BlueBlood said. "Pardon me, but who are ya'll?" AppleJack asked pointing at Gold and Sparky. "I'm Sparky, pleaser meeting you Miss Apple." Sparky said kinda flirty, receiving a glare from Big Mac causing AppleJack to plush. "Name's Gold." Gold said. "I don't get it." Shinning said. "Don't get what," Cadence asked. "The power station was a trap, which means they knew our plan that was made only a few minutes before. How would they know?" Gold looked around the cell. It must be him. No other pony could have known that quickly. Which means he's still in my head. The walls are probably to thick to buck through. He thought. The bars have a magical field around them. "Do you still have magic?" "No," BlueBlood answered, "We have no idea why." "Unicorn blood, pegsus feathers, and dragon spit." Sparky said. "What?" Shinning asked. "A potion, put it on a horn and the unicorn can't use magic. I guess sense your a mortal alicorn it works on you too Cadence." Sparky explained. "Is there a cure?" BlueBlood asked. "Yes, blood straight from the heart of an earth pony. So, in less one of you three is willing to donate, no magic." Sparky said. Damn, we have no magic. Gold thought, How could he be alive, I killed him years ago. How? "Gold, ya alright? Ya look like yar gonna pass out." Big Mac said. "Yeah, I'm fine. just thinking." Gold said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It has been three weeks sense their capture. They hardly talked. Food was brought to them, it was pears. Probably to mess with the Apples. Gold thought. "Hey, demon horse." The guard said. "You look mad. You gonna kill us?" "Nah, with his anger problems, he'll probably kill everypony in that cell," the other guard said. "Watch it alicorn, he's got a rep for killin' your kind." "No not for alicorns, its ponies he cares for. He'll stab all of you in the back." They laugh. Gold had his back to them. He closed his eyes and tried to control him self. When he opened them his good eye was red and blood shot. He was more enraged know, A red aura formed around him. he turned and the bars shot out and bent around the two guards. He put his hoof on their heads and smashed them against the floor. He turned towards the others, "Get out. I'll catch up to you later." "And where are you going?" Sparky asked. "Somepony is here and I need to see him." Sparky looked at Gold for a moment, "Ok, good luck bro. You sure you know what your doing?" "You too. And yes I know what I'm doing." And with that Gold ran down the hall and through a door. Sparky looked at the two guards, one was an earth pony. He pulled a knife off one and started to gut the pony. "What are you doing?" Cadence asked, gagging. "We aren't getting out of here without magic," Sparky answered as he pulled out the heart. he walked up to BlueBlood and let some blood drip on to his horn. He repeated this for Cadence and Shinning. "You should have a small amount of magic now. If we live, it will be a few days tell you're back to full strength." He took the two guns and tossed them to Big Mac and AppleJack. He took the knife and gave one to BlueBlood, knowing that he couldn't cast a weapon spell. "Shinning, Cadence can you cast weapon spells?" "Yeah," Shinning said as a magical spiked shield appeared. "Sure," Cadence said as two magical short swords appeared. "Good. Get ready for a fight. If you kill somepony take their gun." Sparky ordered. "We're going to have to kill." BlueBlood asked, shaking. "Yes." The six of them were at the prisons front door, "Ready?" Sparky asked. They all nodded. Sparky opened the door and the fight began. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold sprinted down the main building's hallways. Guard tried to stop him, only to find them selfs bleeding on the ground. He made one stop to the armory, were he picked up his katana and Sparky's hooflets. Gold followed his instincts. He came up to a door and he knew who, no what was behind it. He smashed through it. "Scarlet Dagger, what a pleaser it is to see you again." A dull yellow unicorn said with his back turned to Gold. His mane was black. He had no front legs, in their place were wires, four large wire sticking out of each side of his body. The wires were plugged in to the wall. "How are you alive?" Gold demanded an answer. "I live now because I can. The question is not how I live, it is why I live. Is it not?" "What's your game, Solid Shadow?" "Game? Who am I to you. I don't play games," Solid Shadow said as the wires unplugged and retracted, leaving only a few feet of them sticking out. His controlled like tentacles. He stood on his hind legs and walked to a coffee pot. "Would you like some?" He asked as he turned, revealing a pair of small cracked glassed. Behind those glasses were eyes Gold was far to familiar, eyes of hate, eyes of anger, eyes of pain, eyes of death, red and blood shot. "No, fine, more for me." He took a drink of his coffee, "Blah, I always forget the cream." He looked at Gold a saw his eyes. "Why do you choose to hind you gift? Why don't you embrace it?" "Because I'm not a sick bastard like you!" "But you're powerful. You seamed to greatly accept them on your wedding day. My invitation was probably lost in the mail. Right?" Gold remand quiet. "Quite a battle scar you got there. But I think I win on that front." he said, gesturing to the wires. "What brings you here, anyway. Is this just a rescue mission, or is it a search and destroy?" "Both. By the way, Scarlet Dagger is dead, I'm just Gold now." "Well then. If its a fight want, 'Gold' then its a fight you'll get," He said, "Prepare to die, brother." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Get the tanks and the choppers," a guard said as a bullet went through his head. The team was fighting there way out of the base. Helicopters took off and tanks started up. "We need to get the choppers out off the sky!" Sparky shouted over the gun fire. AppleJack was knocked to the ground, her gun slid away. Three guard loomed over her. Big Mac killed the three as a tank barreled its way towards them. Big Mac bucked and sent it flying into a chopper, causing a big explosion. "Holy shit Big Mac," Sparky shouted. BlueBood and Shinning were back to back, shooting any thing that came close. Cadence was flying low, taking out guards in her way. They slowly made their way to the jungle. When they got there they used it for cover to run. Sparky smelled smoke and looked behind them. He saw fire. He looked up and saw helicopters shooting flamethrowers. "They're trying to kill us with fire," Sparky shouted as a burning tree fell in front of him and AppleJack, "Run we'll catch up." They ran to their right. the smoke was getting heavy. AppleJack was feeling light headed. They meet back up with the others after a few miles. They hid in a cave. It worked the choppers couldn't find them. "Ok, we wait here tell it clears up," Sparky said. "What 'bout Gold?" Big Mac asked. "He'll be fine, he knows what he's doing. I hope." As they stood there AppleJack fell over. "Jackie!" Big Mac shouted and went to his daughter. Her eyes were closed. Big Mac checked her plus, "She got no plus!" He started CPR. After two minutes of nothing tears streamed down Big Mac's face. Shinning put his hoof on Big Mac's shoulder, "I'm sorry Big Mac. She's gone." "Nope, Nope! Ah didn't come this far ta loose her now." He kept trying Shinning and BlueBlood pulled him away from her. He fought back, but he didn't have enough energy to stop them. Sparky looked at AppleJack's body, "I might be able to save her." "Do it!" "It might fry her though." "Do it! Fucking DO IT!" Sparky put his hoof on AppleJacks chest and shocked. She shot up panting. "Jackie!" Big Mac hugged her. "What happened?" She asked. "You died," Sparky said. "I restarted your heart with an electric shock." "What?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold laid on the floor, he was in a puddle of his own blood. "Gold you are pathetic," Solid Shadow said. He walked over to a control panel and pressed a button. "You should start running." He teleported away. "Self destruct in two minutes," the computer said as Gold got up. "Dammit." Gold sprinted out of the building. He ran past the destruction his team left. He ran into the burning jungle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They sat in the back of the cave. It was night. Sparky heard a sound he grabbed a gun. "Hold your fire, Sparky," Gold said. "Gold. HAHAHAHAHA! You crazy bucking shit head," Sparky said. "Gold good to see you made. I was worried I'd have to tell Auntie that her son died," BlueBlood said cause them all to laugh. "Wait, What!?" AppleJack asked. "Gold was adopted by Princess Celestia when he was five," Big Mac told her. "Oh. Yeah ah think Twilight said somethin' 'bout you a few times." "Well lets make our way back to Ponyville," Gold said. Then a loud explosion happened. "What the fuck was that?" Sparky yelled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They got off the train. The train station was empty. "Where the hay is everypony?" AppleJack asked. "Yo guys there's a fire in town," Sparky said from the sky. "Let's go," Gold said. They ran towards the fire. "That's Twilights house," Shinning said. They fought their way to the front. "The building to unstable, we can't send in anypony." The local fire-marshel said. "But Twilight, Spike, and Nyx are still in there," a white unicorn mare with a purple curled mane said. When Gold heard that he charged threw the crowd and shoved the fire-marshel out of his way. He busted through the door. "Gold, What are you doing?" Sparky said. "Crazy as ever cousin," BlueBlood said. "Prince BlueBlood?" the white unicorn said. Big Mac and AppleJack ran up. "APPLEJACK!" said a pink pony as she jumped on to AppleJack. "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity good to she ya'll. What's goin' on here." AppleJack asked. "The library just lite up and Twilight, Spike, or Nyx haven't got out," a blue pegsus with a rainbow mane said. "Dammit Gold. You just got out of the frying pan and went straight to the fire, literally," Sparky said as an owl landed on his head. "Hoo," it said. "My friend Gold. Wait a minute, no I'm not going to make myself look like an idiot arguing with an owl." Gold was inside the library looking around put couldn't see through the smoke. He closed his eyes and opened them again, his good one was red and blood shot. He darted to the stairs, they broke under him, but he was still able to get up to the next floor. He busted into the bedroom where he saw three figures, an unconscious alicorn mare, a baby dragon, and a small alicorn filly. The alicorn mares was pinned under beam. "Move," Gold said, putting him self under the beam and lifted. Once it was off the unicorn the dragon pulled her out. Gold lifted her onto his back. "Get on and hold your breath," he ordered the two. The four around them collapsed, leaving only one way out, the window. "Hold on," he said as he jumped through the window. "Holy shit Gold you are crazy and Nightmare Moon is sitting on your back..." Sparky said staring at the filly. The rest of the team and then some ran up. A doctor also ran up with nurses and a gurney. Gold put Twilight on to the gurney. "You two alright?" Gold asked the dragon and the filly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey your Gold, haven't seen you in awhile. Great time for you to be in Ponyville," Spike said. "I'm fine, thanks," Nyx said. "Umm, Gold your eye," Shinning pointed out. "Oh." Gold shut it and reopened it making it look normal "No seriously, this filly is Nightmare Moon. Am I the only one shocked by this?" Spark asked. "Sparky remember the whole fiasco of Nightmare Moons second return?" Gold said. "Yes." "And how Celestia was 'punishing' her?" "Ohhhhhh, now it makes sense. Uh, sorry kid." "It's fine," she said. "Well Gold you look like shit. You're cut up, bruised, burned, and I'm wandering about the hole in your leg." "What?" Gold looked at his leg and saw a bullet hole in it, "Oh, shit." "Ah think we all need a doc," Big Mac said gesturing to the cuts and bruises on everypony. After a week of medical treatment, they were all let go. BlueBlood went back to Canterlot. Shinning and Cadence went back to the Crystal Empire. Big Mac and AppleJack reopened Sweet Apple Acres. Gold And Sparky stopped by the apartment Twilight got for her and her family while the library is big rebuilt. "So let me get this straight, you got word of terrorist and recruited Shinning Armor when Cadence was ponynapped. Then in the bar in town you were idiots and didn't see the reflective surface behind you and flipped through pictures of prisoners and one of them was AppleJack, Big Mac saw and you recruited him. Then caught a spy. Broke into a base, it was a flop. Found the head base, got caught, found AppleJack, Cadence, and Prince BlueBlood. Busted out and out of luck got back in Ponyville as the library burned and saved us," Spike recaped. "Yeah," Gold said. "That sums it up," Sparky said. "Wow," Nyx said, "What do you two plan to do now?" Twilight asked. "Probably gonna stay in Ponyville." Gold said, "Really?" "Yeah, its close, so is Celestia needs us, we're not far. And travel gets kinda boring once you've seen everything," Gold said. "Well then. Welcome to Ponyville." "The one town were Discord or Nightmare Moon can be your neighbor." Sparky said, "Now you could even live next door to a skilled assassin."
The MeetingBig Macintosh walked into Mr. Cake's bar, his head held low in shame and sorrow. Mr. Cake looked at his friend as he approached the bar. "Any luck finding her, Big Mac?" he asked. Big Macintosh replied in a low, sad voice, "Nope." "Don't worry pal she'll turn up eventually." Mr. Cake gave him a beer "All you got to do is hope. The beer is on the house," and then walked away to help some other customers. Big Macintosh sat there for a while, drinking his beer. This was the third time Mr. Cake had given him a free beer and like every other time he would leave the money on the counter. While he was sitting there he noticed three ponies sitting in a booth to his right, one was a yellow earth pony , his mane was black, and he had large cut down one of his eyes. There was also a pegasus, his fur was black, his mane was blue with some yellow streaks in it and it was in a mohawk. The last one looked familiar, he was a unicorn, fur was white and his mane was blue. Big Macintosh thought for a moment, then remembered that the unicorn was Twilight Sparkles' brother. He'd visited ponyville a few times before. Big Mac thought nothing of the three ponies, except for when the earth pony opened up the laptop they had, he saw, in the reflection on the picture behind them, a slideshow of pictures of ponies tied up, beaten, bruised, dead. He stared at the pictures in horror then a picture of her popped up, his daughter, AppleJack. It looked like she'd been through Hell, bruises and cuts all over her, tears rolling down her face. A mixed feeling of rage and relief flooded over Big Macintosh. He got up, walked over to them and as he approached the pegasus quickly closed the laptop. He was wearing some strange hooflets. "Hello sir, can we help you?" The earth pony said looking up at Big Mac he noticed a fire in his eyes. He knew this was the pony they needed. "That was my daughter." Big Mac said as he stared down at the smaller pony. "Was it? Well sir I can promise she be back home in a couple of weeks." "Where is she!" Big Mac exploded at what he knew was a lie. "Listen old timer, you better keep it down otherwise you risk your life, our lives, and the life or your daughter so shut up and let us work. Don't tell any pony what you saw. Keep your trap shut." The pegasus chimed in. "Shut Up Sparky. The Stallion deserves an explanation for what he just saw." "But..." The earth pony glared at Sparky, which instantly got the pegasus quiet. He had a very intimidating look with that scar. "Please sir, sit I'll explain as much as I can. I'm Gold, this is Sparky." "Yo," Sparky said stubbornly, he clearly didn't like the idea of Gold Telling Big Mac anything. "And this is Shinning Armor." "We've met before." Shinning said. "Ah'm Big Macintosh." He told them. "Well then Big Macintosh I have a quick question. How long has your daughter been missing?" Gold asked. "'Bout a month." "A month, if they keep her alive for that long she be valuable to them. Is there any thing special about her?" "She's the element of Honesty." "Yeah, that is a price for them." "What do you mean!?" "Listen Big Macintosh, I'd love to tell you all I know of your daughters location, but I can't for her safety and the safety of our mission. But, I'll tell you what, meet us behind the library tonight and I'll tell you everything." "How do ah know ah can trust y'all?" "Who else do you have to trust?" Big Mac thought it over for a second then said, "Ah'll be there." Then he got up and left. "You crazy bastard." Sparky said to Gold. "He's perfect for the team," Gold said. "WHAT!" Sparky shouted. "He's old as crap, how can he be any use to us?" "The fire in his eyes and his desire to save his daughter." Gold answered. "You crazy piece of fucking shit."
A New Brother in BloodBig Mac arrived at the library around midnight. He walked behind it and saw Gold and his team. "Macintosh, you actually showed up. I'm surprised." Sparky said as he cleaned his sniper rifle. Big Mac then noticed that they were all armed. Sparky had a sniper. Shinning had a spear and a SMG. Gold had a katana, which the helt was bronze and in the shape of a dragon, and a revolver on his sides. He also got a look at Gold and Sparky's cutie marks. Sparky's was a short currceting microphone, and Gold's was a bloody dagger. Big Mac thought Gold looked intimidating before, but now he was kinda afraid of him. "I suppose your wondering why we're armed." Gold asked. "Eeyup," Big Mac responded. "I still don't think this is a good idea Gold," Sparky stated. "Well I do," Gold said back to him. "Anyway, Big Macintosh you have to promise to tell no pony what you herd or saw here." "Eeyup." "I'll take that as you promising." "Eeyup." "Ok then, Sparky and I are Princess Celestia's private assassins. Our latest mission is to find and kill the leader of the terrorists that ponynapped your daughter. We needed somepony that can use magic so when we learned that Princess Candece was captured by the terrorist Shinning Armor agreed to join us. But, there has been one hitch in our plan." Gold explained. "And that would be?" "We need raw power. So Big Macintosh I have a proposal for you. You join our team and we have a better chance of saving their captives, including your daughter." Big Mac thought about this for a moment. He wondered if he could trust them, then again this was his only lead on where AppleJack was. "Ah'll help y'all, but once we get AppleJack out, her and I go straight back to Ponyville." "Great, now we have to see if you can fight. We'll head to the fields just out of town." They Walked to the fields, and Sparky looked at Big Mac, "Come on old timer lets spar." He demanded. "Ah don't wanna hurt ya." Big Mac said looking at Sparky. "You hurt me... HAHAHAHA!" "...Your on punk." "Sparky your hooflet take them off, we don't a repeat of Ponyvania." Gold demanded. "What's so special 'bout those hooflets?" Big Mac asked. "I'll show you," Sparky said proudly as blades shot out of the hooflets. "I should take them off, I've accidentally killed a few ponies before with them." He took them off. In the next few minutes, Sparky was on the ground in pain. "Ow!" he shouted repeatedly. "Welcome to the Blood Brothers, Big Macintosh." Gold said, putting a hoof on Big Mac's shoulder. "Tell goodbye to any pony you truely trust. Our train leaves tomorrow at noon, if you late we will leave without you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was early when Big mac walked into his wive's shop. He still wasn't sure how to tell her, but he was running out of time, he needed to tell her. She was at the counter setting up for the day. She notice Big Mac walk in, and said, "John is something wrong ... Did you get bad news about AppleJack?" "Nope and eeyup." "What do you mean?" "She's alive, but she's been ponynapped by terrorists." "Oh my Celestia." "Ah ran into some ponies who told me. They said they had a plan to get her and other ponies out, but they needed some muscle, so they asked me to join 'em." "What!? Big mac do you even know if you can trust them or if you'll even live?" "Ah don't, but they're ma only lead on where AppleJack is, and ah got to take it." Honey Suckle looked at her husband very worried and very scared. "I promise I'll be back with AppleJack in a few months." "Please be careful, and get our daughter back." "Eeyup." He kissed his wive then walked out and to the train station. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the station he met up with the team. "Ah'm ready," he told them. Gold stared his new team member up and down. "You know I can't promise that you or AppleJack will live, I can only promise a chance to save her." "Ah know, but ah have to try." "The train heads for Manehatten." "What's there?" "A spy that we can catch and question." "You sure your up to this, its your last chance to back out, old timer." Sparky said, actually having a bit of concern in his voice. "Ah got to give everythin' ah got to save AppleJack." "All a board." The conductor shouted. "Here we go, everypony ready," Gold asked as he looked at his team, knowing that he could be leading them to there deaths. "Yes," Shinning answered. "Eeyup." Big Mac said. "Oh Ya! Lets go down this Highway To He-" His singing was cut off. "Hay, don't sing that its copywrited. You want the author to get sued?" Pinkie Pie said then hopped away. "Wha?" "That's Pinkie Pie for ya, best not to question her." Big Mac said with a chuckle. "We'll see ponies crazier, trust me." Gold said.
First Blood"I won't tell you bastards anything." The spy said as Sparky hit him again. "Talk you weasel." Sparky said, repeatedly hitting him. They caught the spy a few hours ago. They took him to a old abandon warehouse. They tied him up and Gold let Sparky do the interrogation. Big Mac wasn't sure about Sparky's methods, but he didn't know a lot about any of this stuff so he keep quite. "He's not going to be talking Sparky if you kill him," Gold told Sparky. "Well what do you want me to do, hug him tell he talks," Sparky said angrily towards him. "Step aside," Gold said as he got up and walked towards the spy as Sparky walked away. Both Big Mac and Shinning were wondering what Gold was going to do. They both stood in aw as Gold looked straight into the spy's eyes and the iris of his good eye started to turn red and the rest went bloodshot. "Now tell us where the base is." Gold said, no emotion in his face at all. "No, no, no, no. AHHHHH! Get out of my head, demon. Get out of my head." The spy begged, clearly he was in pain. Tears of blood started there way down his face, color was leaving him. "I won't. I won't. I WON'T. AHYHHHHHHHHH." He screamed then went limp and stop moving, eyes still open. "Oh sure 'Sparky don't kill him blah blah blah' look what you just did." Sparky mocked. "I lost control. I'm getting better though." Gold responded. He looked over at Big Mac and Shinning, and saw the shocked, confused, and fearful faces. "What the fuck was that!? Only unicorns and alicorns have magic, your an earth pony!" Shinning asked. "Yes well, I'm not like other earth ponies and its really non of your concern." "Oh ya it is. If were a team then ah'd like to know why awr leader has got magic when he's a earth pony." Big Mac stated. "I'll explain some other time, but for now I got a location of a base." Gold said hoping that it will get them to stop asking questions. "Where?" Shinning asked. "Koltucky," Gold answered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They were at a vantage point Sparky found, where they had a clear view of the base. "Everypony know what to do," Gold asked as he finished explaining. "Yeah, I fly over the base, wait for your signal, snipe them out, and cover you three." Sparky said. "We climb the wall, then once were inside I give the signal to Sparky." Shinning said. "Once Sparky takes the first shot, we fight awr way to the prison, where we free the ponies in there." Big Mac stated. "After we free the prisoners, we go to the base's garage and get vehicles and get out." Gold said. "Once your in the garage, I open the main gate for you." Sparky said. "Good lets get started." Gold said. Sparky grabbed his sniper rifle, "Best of luck in there." He said then flew off. Shinning got his SMGs and his spear. He held the guns with magic and the spear with his hoofs. "Ready." Big Mac wasn't sure what weapons he should use. Gold tossed him a wood cutting axe and an old fashion repeater. "These seam to be more your speed." He said. Gold picked up his revolver, he still had his katana on his side. Sparky flew high over the base, counting the number of guards. He took aim at a big one with a minigun. He put his hoof up to his ear, "There is about 50 guards outside, no idea how many on the inside." "Ok." Gold said, he turned to Shinning, " Your spell ready?" "Yes," he said as he casted a spell on their hoofs. "We should be capable of walking up the wall." Gold nodded, and they started climbing. It was a long climb, but when they got up to the top there where two guards standing there, backs to the team. Gold whispered to Big Mac, "You take the one on the left, I got the right." Big Mac nodded and came up behind the left guard, axe in hoof. Gold went behind the other one and drew his blade, he nodded at Big mac. With that nod they swung, both guards fell, the one on the left had the axe stuck in his head and the one on the right was decapitated. Big Mac felt sick, but he fought through it. Gold nodded to Shinning, he flashed a light from his horn. Sparky, up in the clouds, saw the signal, looked down his scope and said, "Ok big guy, let us see how thick skulled you really are," he pulled the trigger. Gold heard one guard yell, " What the Hell." Gold, Big Mac, and Shinning, now at the bottom of the wall, charged their way to the prison. The fight was bloody. Shots fired, heads cut off, chested stapped, corpses piling up. They got to the prison, covered in blood. When they got in, they barricaded the door. They saw nothing but corpses of prisoners. Big Mac instantly started digging through the corpses try to see if AppleJack was one of them. After the three of them searched, they found no AppleJack or Cadence. Gold put his hoof to his ear, "Sparky, change of plans. they knew we were coming and killed all their prisoners." "What about Cadence or the Apple girl?" Sparky asked. "Not here. Cover us as we get to the garage." "Roger that." They ran to the garage. They got in a small armored car, and drove out of the garage. Sparky opened the main gate just before the car went through it. He tailed the car landed on top of it and banged three times. They let him in. They drove off, no words were said during the drive. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Um, sir?" The guard said nervously as he approached his boss. "What?" A metallic voice asked. "The base in Koltucky ... It was ...well... attacked." "WHAT!? By who?" "No idea. One surviver said he saw a yellow stallion with a bloody dagger as a cutie mark." Those words seamed to stop the boss. He turned and slit the guard's throat. "So Gold, we finally get the reunion I've been waiting for."
Dark TruthsThe team was back in the hotel room Gold got them. Nopony said a word. Sparky got off the coach and went to get him a beer from the fridge, Big Mac noticed that Sparky walks with a limp. Sparky saw that he was staring at him and glared at Big Mac. Gold was standing in the doorway looking at his team, the mission was a failure but he saw that his team is strong and can work together. "You all did good out there." he told them. "Good, all we did was piss 'ehm off," Big Mac said, clearly mad about not finding AppleJack. "Ahh, come on old timer. What's the fun in fighting a calm bull?" Sparky said in his normal jack ass attitude. "Ya don't die fightin' a calm bull." "What's the fun in life if you don't risk it?" "Ah aint lookin' to have fun, ah just want to save ma daughter." "Well you can't expected it to be easy and you can expected it to have disappointments, so you just have trust us!" "Ah don't even know who ya are!" "My name is Sparky, nice to meet you jack ass!" "All right both of you shut up. Yes we're all stressed, yes we have no idea who one another is. We can work as a team if we don't know one another, so let's just tell a little about our selfs." Gold intervened. "Armor you first." Shinning Armor was at the coach surprised by the idea but he talk anyway, "What's there to say I have a normal life, got a job as a guard, eventually got promoted to head of the royal guard, some how got a princess to fall in love with me, had a crazy wedding." "I can tell you right now the bachelor party was crazier." Sparky said. "Shut up. Anyway, blah blah blah, Cadence was ponynapped and here I am." Shinning finished. "Yeah, Sparky is right though, that party was crazy." Gold said, "Big Mac, your turn." "Ah lived life on the farm workin', fell in love, got drunk at a party, the mare ah love was also drunk, things happened...., AppleJack was born, ah gave her to ma pa to raise her 'cause ah didn't now any thing on raisin' a foal, for years ah lied to her sayin' ah was her brother, when AppleJack was on a trip my wife gave birth to another little filly, her name was Applebloom," the thought of Applebloom made tears roll down his face, "ah lied to her too, eventually ah told 'ehm the truth, a year later ma granny and Applebloom went to Appleloosa to see family, ma granny got sick and died there, Applebloom committed suicide." By the end of his story, tears were rolling down his face, Gold and Shinning looked at Big Mac sympathetically, Sparky looked at Big Mac with something he never looked at anypony with, respected. "Ah never killed a pony before in ma life, but ah'll do anything if it means saving AppleJack." "Well, sad story old timer. Don't worry we'll get her back." Sparky said. meaning every word, "I suppose I'll go next. My father was a drinker and was once Celestia's private guard, tell he was injured and had to retire. Who knows who my mother is. I had four friends growing up Twilight, Shinning, Cadence, and Gold. I got my cutie mark when I was sing in music class and electricity arced between me and the mic, breaking it," he said this as he juggled electricity between his hoofs, "I have no idea where these powers come from. Anyway later one Gold decided to travel around Equestria, I decided to join him. Gold the rest of the story you can tell." "Well when I was five my family was murdered in front of me, I was sent to an orphanage and it was Hell on Equestria, I escaped, some how made my way to Canterlot and got adopted by a good home," Gold said as Sparky stopped him. "Yeah, a real good home. Your Highness." Sparky said, causing the three of them to laugh, But Big Mac looked at Gold confused. "What?" He asked. "Ok, by good home, I mean Princess Celestia found me and took me in and raised me as her own." Gold's answer caused Big Mac's jaw to drop. "Ya're a prince?" Big Maced asked stunned. "Well not by blood, like my cousin BlueBlood. Anyway back to my story. Nopony knew I was Celestia's son except Sparky, Shinning, Cadence, and Twilight. I got my cutie mark when some bullies from school were beating the crap out of me and a knife fell off one of them and I lost control and stabbed one in the side of the head. I ran home before the guards came, once I was home I noticed my cutie mark and freaked the buck out, I mean come on try being ten and learning your destiny is killing. Over the years I only had four friends, but mares did tind to throw themselves at me. I decided to travel and Sparky traveled with me. After seeing what the world is really like, Sparky and I became Celestia's private assassins, we had a team, The Blood Brothers, that's what the called us and we decided keep the name, but that broke up. We got word of a terroristic group and we needed a team, thus you two." Gold finished. "What about the powers you used to kill that spy?" Shinning asked. "No idea." Gold answered and left it at that. They then shared random stories they heard. Sparky got a kick out of that Hearts and Hooves Day were Big Mac was given a love poison. "How did you explain that to your wife?" He asked. "She was out of town." Big Mac answered. They all laughed, "No seriously, it took a lot of explaining." It was going well tell Shinning brought up a certain story. "Do you guy know the story of the Flower Kingdom?" Gold went pale when he heard that. "Nope, how does it go?" Big Mac asked. "It was a Kingdom that was completely destroyed in a matter of hours, everypony there was slaughtered." Gold was getting twitchy as Shinning continued, "They say it happened on the young princess's wedding day, but there was no groom found. Ponies say the groom did it, but nopony has an explanation on how." That part sent Gold over the edge, his good eye went red and bloodshot, he punched Shinning upside the head, "You now nothing of what happened," his voice was raspy and dark, "Nopony nows anything of that day. I didn't mean to, I lost control, I loved her and I never wanted to hurt her." Tears stared down Gold's face, "I... I don't know what happened to me that day." Gold walked away as Big Mac helped Shinning up. "The stories are true. I was the groom, I was the one who killed them, I was the one who killed her. These powers took control, I couldn't stop my self, I... I..." Gold wasn't able to talk. Sparky put a hoof on Golds shoulder. "You don't have to say any more Gold," Sparky said. "Then you tell them, they deserve to know." Sparky started the story, " On our travels we stopped by the Flower Kingdom, Gold and Princess RoseBud fell in love. On their wedding day, Gold's powers took control of him and he started killing and destroying. I tried fighting him an got my ass beat and a limp. Celestia was there and she fought Gold. She nearly lost, if she hadn't of given Gold that scar on his eye, he'd still be crazy, but it was to late he all ready killed everypony, including RoseBud. Celestia and I woke up in a cart Gold was dragging back to Canterlot." Shinning and Big Mac stared at Gold. Even though his back was turned to them he could fell their stares. "Gold, I'm sorry, I didn't know." Shinning said. "It's fine." Gold said. It was quite for hours. Gold started looking through the files they got from the base. "Boys, I found out where their main base is and that's where they're keeping Cadence and AppleJack."
It Ends With Blood"It's about a three week walk from here." Gold told his team. "Two, if we don't stop for the nights." They were standing at the edge of a thick jungle, to dense to drive through. The files they had said the main base was in this jungle. "Are you three sure your up for it?" "If that's where AppleJack is then it's eeyup." Big Mac answered with determination on his face. He was going to get his daughter back no matter what. "You sure they're here?" Shinning asked, glaring in to the jungle. "Yes, it only makes sense that when a threat arises that they'll move a prisoner as valuable as a princess to their main base." Gold told Shinning. "What 'bout AppleJack?" Big Mac asked. "You said she is the Element of Honesty, correct. She is also a value to them." Sparky reassured Big Mac. "Makes sense." "Armor, you got the map?" Gold asked. "Right here." Shinning said, pulling out the map. "Good. Everypony's guns loaded?" With that question they all checked their weapons and started their long trek through the jungle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The walk was long and tedious. They stopped only a few of the nights to sleep. The wild life keep their distance, except for one tiger who thought ponies would make a good meal. Gold put it down quick. It wasn't for nothing though, after a little over two weeks they had a clear view of the base from a cliff they were on. "Ha Ha! Gold ya're not crazy after all, thur's the base right thur. We made it." Big mac celebrated. "Don't get excited just yet, old timer. We still have to get in and out alive." Sparky said, then looked at Gold, "What's the plan?" Gold took about four hours to think of a plan, "A sniper would be worthless with this kind of base, so Sparky you'll be with us on the ground." "Ok, I can handle that." Sparky said with pride as he pulled out an assault rifle. Gold explained the rest of the plan. "The prison is heavily secure, so we get to the power station and shut it down. After that we make our way to the prison, get the girls out, and leave." He had them recap it back to him. "This is the final stand, we either get the girls out of there or die trying. Blood Brothers are you ready?" "Yes." Sparky said, a flash of yellow moved over his eyes. The mark of a Blood Brother, corresponding with they eye color of the brother. "As ready as I'll ever be." Shinning said as a flash of blue moved over his eyes as well. "Eeyup." Big Mac said, even his eyes had the green flash move over them. Gold knew from seeing those flashes on their eyes, he had made the right choice of a team. he turned and faced the base as a flash of red moved over his good eye, even though his eyes are a heavy blue. This base didn't have a wall, so they snuck around as close to the power station as possible. They went through the base with stealth. They got in the power station, and got a surprise. "It's empty, there's nothing here," Sparky said. Click "The door locked, Mac buck it down!" Gold shouted. Big Mac bucked at the door, but it wouldn't budge. The room was slowly filling up with gas, "Everypony hold your breath!" It was to late, Shinning fell, eyes closed. Big Mac collapsed, Sparky, who was flying, fell to the ground. Gold felt his eye lids getting heavy. "Sleep Gold. You need to sleep." A metallic voice said over the intercom. "Sleep." Gold knew that voice to well. Anger flowed through him as he fell asleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold woke up in a sack, tied up with a gag in his mouth, not daring to move, he listen to three voices arguing. He recognised two of the voices. "Well what if it's somepony they ponynapped?" A mare's voice asked. "We can't risk letting out some crazy creature out and have it kill us." A regal stallion's voice protested. "Ya to selfish, ah'll open it." A mare with a southern drawl said. "Fine, If you two are so ken on opening it. then I'll do it. Best if I get hurt then you." The stallion said as the sack opened, "Oh great, It's you Gold." Gold was staring at his cousin. BlueBlood pulled him out and untied him. "Thanks," Gold said. "Gold?" Cadence asked, "What are you doing here?" "Saving you," Gold answered. "Good job. I take it Sparky is in one of the other three bags," BlueBlood said, pointing at three other sacks. "Most likely they through the rest of my team in here," Gold said, walking over to the bags. he looked at the other mare, "Applejack, I presume?" "Yeah. How'd ya know that?" She asked. "A certain farmer told me. He should be in this one." Gold said as he opened one of the sacks and pulled out the large red stalliom. "Pa! What's he doin' here?" AppleJack asked rushing to her father, "What's wrong with him?" "He came with us to save you. We were gased, he just unconscious." Gold said. pulling Shinning out of the another sack. "Shinning Armor!" Cadence said, running to her husbands side, "Thank heavens he's ok." She was checking his wounds. Gold walked to the last sack. It started to squirm and electricity was jumping from it. Gold kicked the sack, "Sparky calm down and hold still." He pulled Sparky out of the sack. "Great. Fucking great, we're captured." Sparky ranted, "BlueBlood? Gold you never said he was captured." "I didn't? Oops. Sparky you mind waking up Big Mac and Armor." Gold asked. "Sure thing." Sparky walked over to Big Mac and rubbed his hoofs together, then shocked him. "Owww! What was that fur?" Big Mac asked angrily. He turned his head, "AppleJack!" He got up and hugged his daughter, "AppleJack, thank Celestia ya're ok." Tears were running down their faces. Sparky shocked Shinning, "Ow! what's wrong with y-, Cadence!" He hugged his wife. "Shinning are you crying?" She asked. "No, it's liquid pride." "So, Gold how are we getting out of here?" Sparky asked. "No idea," Gold said. "Great," BlueBlood said. "Pardon me, but who are ya'll?" AppleJack asked pointing at Gold and Sparky. "I'm Sparky, pleaser meeting you Miss Apple." Sparky said kinda flirty, receiving a glare from Big Mac causing AppleJack to plush. "Name's Gold." Gold said. "I don't get it." Shinning said. "Don't get what," Cadence asked. "The power station was a trap, which means they knew our plan that was made only a few minutes before. How would they know?" Gold looked around the cell. It must be him. No other pony could have known that quickly. Which means he's still in my head. The walls are probably to thick to buck through. He thought. The bars have a magical field around them. "Do you still have magic?" "No," BlueBlood answered, "We have no idea why." "Unicorn blood, pegsus feathers, and dragon spit." Sparky said. "What?" Shinning asked. "A potion, put it on a horn and the unicorn can't use magic. I guess sense your a mortal alicorn it works on you too Cadence." Sparky explained. "Is there a cure?" BlueBlood asked. "Yes, blood straight from the heart of an earth pony. So, in less one of you three is willing to donate, no magic." Sparky said. Damn, we have no magic. Gold thought, How could he be alive, I killed him years ago. How? "Gold, ya alright? Ya look like yar gonna pass out." Big Mac said. "Yeah, I'm fine. just thinking." Gold said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It has been three weeks sense their capture. They hardly talked. Food was brought to them, it was pears. Probably to mess with the Apples. Gold thought. "Hey, demon horse." The guard said. "You look mad. You gonna kill us?" "Nah, with his anger problems, he'll probably kill everypony in that cell," the other guard said. "Watch it alicorn, he's got a rep for killin' your kind." "No not for alicorns, its ponies he cares for. He'll stab all of you in the back." They laugh. Gold had his back to them. He closed his eyes and tried to control him self. When he opened them his good eye was red and blood shot. He was more enraged know, A red aura formed around him. he turned and the bars shot out and bent around the two guards. He put his hoof on their heads and smashed them against the floor. He turned towards the others, "Get out. I'll catch up to you later." "And where are you going?" Sparky asked. "Somepony is here and I need to see him." Sparky looked at Gold for a moment, "Ok, good luck bro. You sure you know what your doing?" "You too. And yes I know what I'm doing." And with that Gold ran down the hall and through a door. Sparky looked at the two guards, one was an earth pony. He pulled a knife off one and started to gut the pony. "What are you doing?" Cadence asked, gagging. "We aren't getting out of here without magic," Sparky answered as he pulled out the heart. he walked up to BlueBlood and let some blood drip on to his horn. He repeated this for Cadence and Shinning. "You should have a small amount of magic now. If we live, it will be a few days tell you're back to full strength." He took the two guns and tossed them to Big Mac and AppleJack. He took the knife and gave one to BlueBlood, knowing that he couldn't cast a weapon spell. "Shinning, Cadence can you cast weapon spells?" "Yeah," Shinning said as a magical spiked shield appeared. "Sure," Cadence said as two magical short swords appeared. "Good. Get ready for a fight. If you kill somepony take their gun." Sparky ordered. "We're going to have to kill." BlueBlood asked, shaking. "Yes." The six of them were at the prisons front door, "Ready?" Sparky asked. They all nodded. Sparky opened the door and the fight began. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold sprinted down the main building's hallways. Guard tried to stop him, only to find them selfs bleeding on the ground. He made one stop to the armory, were he picked up his katana and Sparky's hooflets. Gold followed his instincts. He came up to a door and he knew who, no what was behind it. He smashed through it. "Scarlet Dagger, what a pleaser it is to see you again." A dull yellow unicorn said with his back turned to Gold. His mane was black. He had no front legs, in their place were wires, four large wire sticking out of each side of his body. The wires were plugged in to the wall. "How are you alive?" Gold demanded an answer. "I live now because I can. The question is not how I live, it is why I live. Is it not?" "What's your game, Solid Shadow?" "Game? Who am I to you. I don't play games," Solid Shadow said as the wires unplugged and retracted, leaving only a few feet of them sticking out. His controlled like tentacles. He stood on his hind legs and walked to a coffee pot. "Would you like some?" He asked as he turned, revealing a pair of small cracked glassed. Behind those glasses were eyes Gold was far to familiar, eyes of hate, eyes of anger, eyes of pain, eyes of death, red and blood shot. "No, fine, more for me." He took a drink of his coffee, "Blah, I always forget the cream." He looked at Gold a saw his eyes. "Why do you choose to hind you gift? Why don't you embrace it?" "Because I'm not a sick bastard like you!" "But you're powerful. You seamed to greatly accept them on your wedding day. My invitation was probably lost in the mail. Right?" Gold remand quiet. "Quite a battle scar you got there. But I think I win on that front." he said, gesturing to the wires. "What brings you here, anyway. Is this just a rescue mission, or is it a search and destroy?" "Both. By the way, Scarlet Dagger is dead, I'm just Gold now." "Well then. If its a fight want, 'Gold' then its a fight you'll get," He said, "Prepare to die, brother." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Get the tanks and the choppers," a guard said as a bullet went through his head. The team was fighting there way out of the base. Helicopters took off and tanks started up. "We need to get the choppers out off the sky!" Sparky shouted over the gun fire. AppleJack was knocked to the ground, her gun slid away. Three guard loomed over her. Big Mac killed the three as a tank barreled its way towards them. Big Mac bucked and sent it flying into a chopper, causing a big explosion. "Holy shit Big Mac," Sparky shouted. BlueBood and Shinning were back to back, shooting any thing that came close. Cadence was flying low, taking out guards in her way. They slowly made their way to the jungle. When they got there they used it for cover to run. Sparky smelled smoke and looked behind them. He saw fire. He looked up and saw helicopters shooting flamethrowers. "They're trying to kill us with fire," Sparky shouted as a burning tree fell in front of him and AppleJack, "Run we'll catch up." They ran to their right. the smoke was getting heavy. AppleJack was feeling light headed. They meet back up with the others after a few miles. They hid in a cave. It worked the choppers couldn't find them. "Ok, we wait here tell it clears up," Sparky said. "What 'bout Gold?" Big Mac asked. "He'll be fine, he knows what he's doing. I hope." As they stood there AppleJack fell over. "Jackie!" Big Mac shouted and went to his daughter. Her eyes were closed. Big Mac checked her plus, "She got no plus!" He started CPR. After two minutes of nothing tears streamed down Big Mac's face. Shinning put his hoof on Big Mac's shoulder, "I'm sorry Big Mac. She's gone." "Nope, Nope! Ah didn't come this far ta loose her now." He kept trying Shinning and BlueBlood pulled him away from her. He fought back, but he didn't have enough energy to stop them. Sparky looked at AppleJack's body, "I might be able to save her." "Do it!" "It might fry her though." "Do it! Fucking DO IT!" Sparky put his hoof on AppleJacks chest and shocked. She shot up panting. "Jackie!" Big Mac hugged her. "What happened?" She asked. "You died," Sparky said. "I restarted your heart with an electric shock." "What?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gold laid on the floor, he was in a puddle of his own blood. "Gold you are pathetic," Solid Shadow said. He walked over to a control panel and pressed a button. "You should start running." He teleported away. "Self destruct in two minutes," the computer said as Gold got up. "Dammit." Gold sprinted out of the building. He ran past the destruction his team left. He ran into the burning jungle. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They sat in the back of the cave. It was night. Sparky heard a sound he grabbed a gun. "Hold your fire, Sparky," Gold said. "Gold. HAHAHAHAHA! You crazy bucking shit head," Sparky said. "Gold good to see you made. I was worried I'd have to tell Auntie that her son died," BlueBlood said cause them all to laugh. "Wait, What!?" AppleJack asked. "Gold was adopted by Princess Celestia when he was five," Big Mac told her. "Oh. Yeah ah think Twilight said somethin' 'bout you a few times." "Well lets make our way back to Ponyville," Gold said. Then a loud explosion happened. "What the fuck was that?" Sparky yelled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ They got off the train. The train station was empty. "Where the hay is everypony?" AppleJack asked. "Yo guys there's a fire in town," Sparky said from the sky. "Let's go," Gold said. They ran towards the fire. "That's Twilights house," Shinning said. They fought their way to the front. "The building to unstable, we can't send in anypony." The local fire-marshel said. "But Twilight, Spike, and Nyx are still in there," a white unicorn mare with a purple curled mane said. When Gold heard that he charged threw the crowd and shoved the fire-marshel out of his way. He busted through the door. "Gold, What are you doing?" Sparky said. "Crazy as ever cousin," BlueBlood said. "Prince BlueBlood?" the white unicorn said. Big Mac and AppleJack ran up. "APPLEJACK!" said a pink pony as she jumped on to AppleJack. "Pinkie Pie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity good to she ya'll. What's goin' on here." AppleJack asked. "The library just lite up and Twilight, Spike, or Nyx haven't got out," a blue pegsus with a rainbow mane said. "Dammit Gold. You just got out of the frying pan and went straight to the fire, literally," Sparky said as an owl landed on his head. "Hoo," it said. "My friend Gold. Wait a minute, no I'm not going to make myself look like an idiot arguing with an owl." Gold was inside the library looking around put couldn't see through the smoke. He closed his eyes and opened them again, his good one was red and blood shot. He darted to the stairs, they broke under him, but he was still able to get up to the next floor. He busted into the bedroom where he saw three figures, an unconscious alicorn mare, a baby dragon, and a small alicorn filly. The alicorn mares was pinned under beam. "Move," Gold said, putting him self under the beam and lifted. Once it was off the unicorn the dragon pulled her out. Gold lifted her onto his back. "Get on and hold your breath," he ordered the two. The four around them collapsed, leaving only one way out, the window. "Hold on," he said as he jumped through the window. "Holy shit Gold you are crazy and Nightmare Moon is sitting on your back..." Sparky said staring at the filly. The rest of the team and then some ran up. A doctor also ran up with nurses and a gurney. Gold put Twilight on to the gurney. "You two alright?" Gold asked the dragon and the filly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey your Gold, haven't seen you in awhile. Great time for you to be in Ponyville," Spike said. "I'm fine, thanks," Nyx said. "Umm, Gold your eye," Shinning pointed out. "Oh." Gold shut it and reopened it making it look normal "No seriously, this filly is Nightmare Moon. Am I the only one shocked by this?" Spark asked. "Sparky remember the whole fiasco of Nightmare Moons second return?" Gold said. "Yes." "And how Celestia was 'punishing' her?" "Ohhhhhh, now it makes sense. Uh, sorry kid." "It's fine," she said. "Well Gold you look like shit. You're cut up, bruised, burned, and I'm wandering about the hole in your leg." "What?" Gold looked at his leg and saw a bullet hole in it, "Oh, shit." "Ah think we all need a doc," Big Mac said gesturing to the cuts and bruises on everypony. After a week of medical treatment, they were all let go. BlueBlood went back to Canterlot. Shinning and Cadence went back to the Crystal Empire. Big Mac and AppleJack reopened Sweet Apple Acres. Gold And Sparky stopped by the apartment Twilight got for her and her family while the library is big rebuilt. "So let me get this straight, you got word of terrorist and recruited Shinning Armor when Cadence was ponynapped. Then in the bar in town you were idiots and didn't see the reflective surface behind you and flipped through pictures of prisoners and one of them was AppleJack, Big Mac saw and you recruited him. Then caught a spy. Broke into a base, it was a flop. Found the head base, got caught, found AppleJack, Cadence, and Prince BlueBlood. Busted out and out of luck got back in Ponyville as the library burned and saved us," Spike recaped. "Yeah," Gold said. "That sums it up," Sparky said. "Wow," Nyx said, "What do you two plan to do now?" Twilight asked. "Probably gonna stay in Ponyville." Gold said, "Really?" "Yeah, its close, so is Celestia needs us, we're not far. And travel gets kinda boring once you've seen everything," Gold said. "Well then. Welcome to Ponyville." "The one town were Discord or Nightmare Moon can be your neighbor." Sparky said, "Now you could even live next door to a skilled assassin."
