Brothers In Blood II

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter I: Return to Sender
Chapter II: Birds of Prey
Chapter III: Old Faces
Chapter IV: Return
Chapter V: Trains are Still Not Fast Travel
Chapter VI: Council Meeting
Chapter VII: Dreams of Absolution
Chapter VIII: Phantasm
Chapter IX: Hide and Seek
Chapter X: Hunted
Chapter XI: Shooting The Moon

Prologue

PROLOGUE

It was a cold winter day on Sera, the white fluffy snow falling in clumps on the war torn planet’s surface. The snow hid the past; debris from grenades to remains of COG soldiers. Past the remains of Jacinto was a large clearing. Tombstones struck out of the cold earth as far as the eyes can see, names of all the fallen COG soldiers and civilians that died in the war. The Jacinto Memorial was made for the people who died in the Jacinto sinking. Families that survived the onslaught visit here frequently, to mourn the dead.

In the cold winter graveyard stood one man, his dark brown coat blowing in the winds. He held a bouquet of flowers in his right hand, the rose petals drifting into the wind. Before him stood two tombstones, both names having the same last name; Anthony and Benjamin Carmine. The coffins beneath the earth’s surface were empty, of course, but no one else knew that.

R.I.P Anthony Carmine

5 B.E – 14 A.E

Why couldn’t you save us brother?

Clayton winced, shaking his head. He looked back at the tombstone, only to see he mis-read it. With a sigh, he reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small silver flask. He unscrewed the cap and took a long swig, the alcohol burning its way down his throat.

“I knew I’d find you here.” Clayton smiled, turning around to face his old friend that stood in front of him, the dark trench coat and fedora hiding his gruff face.

“Is that the real reason you’re here Marcus, or are you here to visit Dom’s grave.” Marcus shifted in the snow, looking away into the distance. “Marcus- I’m sorry.”

“We’re on the same boat here Clay.” Marcus grunted, pulling out a cigar from his pocket. He glanced up at Clayton; only to catch the lighter he tossed to him. With a sigh, he lit the cigar in his mouth, the dark smoke blowing in the wind. “How’s the nightmares been?”

“Ever since I returned from… you know, they’ve been getting worse.” Clayton bent down and laid the roses on the grave.

“It’s been five years since you returned from planet Crayola,” Clayton chuckled at the pun. “Maybe some magic or some shit messed you up in the head?”

“Maybe…” Clayton spun around, a Snub pistol in hand, and pointed it at Marcus. “Or maybe I’m being tortured!”

“Clay put the gun down!” Marcus yelled, backing away slowly from Clayton. “The fuck are you doing!?”

“Marcus doesn’t smoke, he’s my drinking buddy!” Clayton shot back. “Why would he kill his liver AND his lungs. Besides, Anya wouldn’t allow it!”

“Clayton, you need some rest. Those fucking nightmares are messing up your head.”

“Who the FUCK are you!” Clayton yelled in anger. “Are you the one that’s been torturing me for the past 5 years? By god if your Sombra…”

Marcus ran at him, forcing the pistol from facing him. He kicked Clayton in the chest and gave him a hard right hook, knocking him to the snow covered floor. Before Marcus could say anything, Clayton tackled him in the chest, knocking him down to the floor. Marcus tried blocking all the blows, grabbing both his fists in mid punch. He placed his boot on Clayton’s chest, pushing upwards and kicking him off. Clayton fell on his back with a thud, groaning in pain.

“You’re going insane Clayton! Look at yourself! You have a drinking problem and you’re unstable. Your family should be ashamed of you, no wonder they died.”

“What…. Did you say?” Clayton growled in anger, getting up to his feet.

“I said, you need help, Anya and I have been worried about you since you started drinking to control your depression.”

“I’m not depressed!” Clayton shot back.

“Ever since you came back from Equestria you’ve been depressed! You’ve been quiet, only talking to me about what happened there. Hell, if you didn’t start drinking, you’d probably would’ve killed yourself.”

“You don’t know how it feels to lose your whole family!” Clayton rushed at Marcus, shoulder charging into his gut. They both crashed into a tombstone, hitting the cold ground with a thud.

“I know how it feels to lose a family! My dad and my best friend is dead!” Marcus barely blocked a hard right hook. He grabbed Clayton by the head and head-butted him off, wincing in pain. “We’re on the same damn boat here Clay, don’t you forget it!”

The snow stopped falling from the sky, making it more visible. The glow of the streetlights illuminated the dark graveyard, reflecting off the snowy floor. The night was young, dark clouds covering the bright moon in the sky. The two men breathed heavily, glaring at each other.

“Ever break a promise Marcus?” Clayton said grimly.

“What?”

“When my father died, he told me to promise him that I would protect my brothers. At first I thought he meant Benjamin and Darius, but Darius made his choice by leaving the family before E-Day happened. But it all made sense when mom had Anthony. He knew she was pregnant.”

“That’s how kids are made Clayton. When a man and a woman like each other really much.” They both had a small laugh at that.

“When mom had Anthony, she promised me to take care of them, before she died… I…. I feel like I failed my family. I broke a promise… and got them both killed.”

“Clayton, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes it was! It was my entire fucking fault.” Clayton reached into his pocket and unscrewed the silver flask, taking another swig. “Anthony and Benjamin died because of me… They sacrificed their lives… just for me.” Clayton flinched when Marcus put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Marcus staring back at him. A dark eye patch was strapped onto his right eye, a white skull and crossbones sewn on the fabric.

“Same boat Clayton, don’t you forget it.” Clayton narrowed his eyes at Marcus’ eye patch. “What? Something on my face?”

Before Clayton could say anything, a car parked at the gate of the graveyard. The door swung open to reveal and badly bruised Marcus, his clothes ripped and torn. His face was covered in blood, deep claw marks on his cheeks and chest. He coughed up some blood on the snow, wiping away the red liquid off his mouth. Clayton glanced over to him, only for his eyes to widen. The eye patched Marcus turned around and glanced at the hurt man, only to groan.

“Well, it was fun while it lasted.” He groaned, but all good things must come to an end.” Without warning, a dark ray of energy shot of of his hand, blasting Clayton backwards, smashing him through a bunch of tombstones. He pointed his right hand at Marcus, pulling him closer. “But I must ask, how in the name of Equestria did you escape my cell?”

“I’ve been in a couple cages before fucker.” Marcus spat. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

“Yes well sadly, it will be your last.” It a swift motion, Marcus was launched at the car, smashing into the metal door. The man turned his hand into a fist and as quick at it happened, the car exploded into a giant fireball, the sound echoing in the cold air. “Beautiful chaos…”

“MARCUS!” Clayton yelled. The man turned around, only to smile when he say Clayton slowly get up to his feet.

“Well well well, you’re tougher than you look.” The words ‘BOSS BATTLE’ appeared behind the man, causing Clayton to raise an eyebrow. A red bar appeared over the man’s head, with the words ‘HEALTH’ in a soft white.

“What do you think this is, some sort of game?” Clayton growled.

“Boy, I think everything is a game.”

Without warning, the man lunged at Clayton, pressing his hand against his chest. A large blast of magic shot out of his palm, sending Clay flying backwards. He crashed into a crypt, the stone exploding on impact. The man disappeared and reappeared infront of the destroyed crypt, hovering in the air.

“Hello Is anyone still alive?” He crossed his arms, his face flustered. “Oh don’t tell me that’s it… You have a shorter stamina than a stallion!”

With a loud roar, Clayton shot out of the rubble, punching the man in the jaw. The man stumbled backwards, only to be grabbed by the collar and smashed into the earth. The man tried to kick him only for his foot to get caught in mid-air. Clayton tossed him into a tombstone, the man’s head crashing into the stone. The man rolled away from a curb stomp and disappeared, reappearing behind Clayton. He wrapped him arms around his waist chuckling slightly before bending backwards, delivering a hard German suplex.

“That looked like it really hurt!” The man chuckled, stepping on the groaning Clayton. “But don’t worry; I had a degree in medical attention. Tell me, does it hurt when I do this?” He applied pressure on Clayton’s back, causing him to yell in pain.

“Does this hurt?” Without warning Clayton rolled over, pulling a knife out of his pocket. He jammed the blade into the man’s leg, causing him to roar in pain. Clayton got to his feet, delivering a uppercut straight to the jaw, launching the man into the air. He grabbed him by the leg and slammed him down, his head knocking into a tombstone.

Clayton grabbed him by the head and lifted him up, only to punch him square in the face, blood spraying in the air. The man stumbled backwards, looking for something to hold him up. The only thing he found was a hard punch in the gut, knocking the wind right out of him. Clayton kneed him right in the face, knocking his head back. He shoulder charged the man in the gut, crashing into an angel statue. Clayton grabbed his face and punched it multiple times, smashing it against the white stone. Before Clayton could deliver a finishing blow, the man grabbed his fist in mid air, kicking him in his knee.

“C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!” The man yelled. He shot out a large blast of magic from his yellow hand into Clayton’s chest, sending him flying backwards. The man teleported behind him and aimed his hand upwards, shooting Clayton in the air. He flew upwards, passing Clayton in mid-air. “A fight in the air? Doesn’t this REMIND you of something?”

The man’s hand glowed a faint white as he scratched the air, generating a portal. The winds started to change as the air was being sucked through, the clouds slowly drifting closer to the portal. He caught Clayton in mid-air, a smile on his face. Clayton groaned in pain and opened his eyes, only to see the portal growing in size.

“You know, I thought of many ways of making you suffer. From bad dreams to even making you see and hear things.” He pointed at the large portal. “But then I thought ‘Nah, why not just destroy his home world by putting it in complete chaos.’ Translation: A black hole!”

“Who the fuck are you...”

The clouds started to swirl as they were sucked into the black hole, the pull increasing the more it sucked in. Tombstones started getting lifted from the ground, trees and statues being pulled out of the ground and into the portal. The sound of screams can be heard as building that were under construction were being torn apart, stone and metal breaking off the foundation. A car flew in the air, only to be crushed by the flying debris, the fiery explosion being sucked into the black hole.

The black hole increased in size, the pull now becoming stronger. The ground started to rumble as chunks of the earth started to break off, the huge chunks breaking into smaller chunks as the black hole sucked up all in its path. Whole buildings were now being sucked up, smashing into parts of the earth. A King Raven flew overhead, the chopper blades spinning rapidly as the pilot tried to fly away. But their fate was sealed as a rock smashed through the metal chopper, the explosion causing Clayton to cover his eyes.

“Don’t you just love chaos in the,” The man paused, looking at the watch on his wrist. “In the Morning.”

“You MONSTER!” Clayton yelled, flailing to get out of the man’s grip.

“Oh yes I almost forgot about you.” With a smile, the man let go of Clayton, ignoring his scream as he started getting pulled closer to the Black Hole. “Have fun on your trip! And don’t think this is the last you'll see of me. Trust me; we'll be seeing each other in the future..."

Clayton barely dodged a flying car, watching it crash into a building in a large explosion. A king raven spun infront of him, the back propeller blown off. He flew through the center of the helicopter, barely passing through. He shielded his face as another crashed into a large Derrick, the explosion barely heard as the black hole sucked up the air. He crashed through the wreckage, ignoring his burning coat. His eyes went wide as he saw the center of the black hole, everything becoming distorted as they went through. He sighed and held onto his COG tags, closing his eyes.

“I’m coming mom and dad…”

BROTHERS IN BLOOD II

Chapter I: Return to Sender

CHAPTER I: RETURN TO SENDER

The dark Everfree Forest was quiet tonight; the sound of crickets showing that there’s still life. Fireflies buzzed around in the night sky, blending in with the bright stars that illuminated the dark sky. The night was still young, the moon just barely up in the center of the sky. A small fog littered the dark forest floor, hiding any small critters from large hunters. Or for hiding objects.

Deep in the forest hung Clayton, him leg stuck in a group of vines, causing him to hang upside down. Strange enough, he was in his COG armor, the noticeable blue lights glowing softly in the night. His arms were dangling from his body, his right forearm being wrapped in bandages while the other having the normal armor. His helmet lied on the forest floor, the blue lights showing its location in the fog. None of his weapons could be seen, other from his Boltok pistol.

Slowly opening his eyes, Clayton coughed slightly. He held a hand over his forehead, only to wince when his skin makes contact with the small gash on his head, blood dripping to the forest floor. Scanning the area, he paused, realizing that everything was upside down. Groaning, he tried to look upwards, only to freeze. The painted words on his chestplate were different. ‘YOU BETRAYED US’ WHY DIDN’T YOU SAVE US?’ ‘YOU BRING SHAME TO THE CARMINE FAMILY’

Clayton rapidly shook his head, looking back at the words to see them completely normal. Before he could question why he was in his COG armour, a loud howl echoed in the forest. Clayton froze, only to hear another howl. Realizing his status, he tried reaching up to his leg, desperately trying to free himself. Another howl echoed the forest, this time sounding closer. Not caring about the sound it will produce, he upholstered his Boltok and fired at the vines, eventually his weight causing him to drop to the forest floor. Clayton growled in pain, but ignored it as another howl came from the forest. Without hesitation, he grabbed him helmet and put it on, the blue lights now giving him vision in the night.

Clayton started to reload him pistol, leaning onto a tree as the blood started rushing back down to his body. He shot a bullet at a set of eyes, not caring if it was friend or foe. This triggered a howl, causing Clayton to regret his decision. Clayton started to run, looking left and right for any more eyes. When he heard another set of footsteps behind him, he picked up the pace. He turned round just to take a quick shot at the Timberwolf, running faster as he realized there was more than one.

Eventually the chase ended in a clearing, the green grassy floor visible. Clayton grinned as he saw his Lancer resting on the floor, the moonlight reflecting off the metal rifle. He ran as fast as he could to the rifle, knowing that he could start chain sawing these Timberwolves into firewood. He skidded into a halt as a large wooden paw slammed on the lancer, the force causing Clayton to fall over. He covered his eyes from the moonlight to get a good look, only to slowly put it down as he saw the hulking monstrosity.

The timberwolf was huge, its leg made of multiple tree trunks. Its claws were made of stone, the tips looking as shark as razor blades. Its back had multiple pine trees sticking out, looking like spikes on its back. Its green eyes glowed on the forest floor, set on Clayton. A large, ear piercing roar erupted from its mouth, the stench of rotten plants causing Clayton to cough. It had rows of razor sharp wooden teeth, easily the size of Clayton's arm. The pine trees on its back flared upwards, making it look menacing.

Without warning, the giant timberwolf swung its paw at Clayton, launching him off his feet and into the forest. Clayton crashed through two trees, rolling on the forest floor. He winced in pain, looking up only to see the huge timberwolf charging at him. He lunged to the side, the huge timberwolf digging his claws into the ground as he tried turning itself. Realizing this, Clayton began to run as the huge timberwolf started to chase him. He quickly turned around, firing a couple shots. The timberwolf howled in pain as a bullet pierced its eye. It skidded into a sop, crushing trees in its path.

Before Clayton could take advantage, a normal Timberwolf lunged at him, pinning him to the ground. Clayton barely blocked the Timberwolves bite, the wolf piercing its jaws into Clayton's left arm. He went to stab the wolf with his knife when another bit his right arm, causing him to yell in pain. He kicked the wolf on top of him, the wolf landing perfectly on its legs. He got up to his feet, trying to pry the Timberwolfs jaws off his right arm. The other timberwolf charged at him, only to meet his friend as Clayton knocked the wolf into the other.

Before Clayton could catch a breath, the giant timberwolf, charged at him, crashing through trees and back into the clearing. He groaned in pain, looking up at the giant timberwolf. His eyes locked on his Lancer; the metal shimmering in the light. Ignoring the hulking wolves cry, he rushed for the leg, barely dodging the colossal paw that tried to smash him. He grabbed the Lancer, activating the chainsaw bayonet. The sound of the chainsaw echoed in the clearing, Timberwolves remembering the sound.

Without thinking, Clayton stabbed the chainsaw into the wolf’s leg, pulling downwards. Sawdust and chips of wood flew in the air, the cries of the giant timberwolf drowning out the chainsaw bayonet. He exited the leg on the right, the roar of the wolf making him grin.

“Time to get neutered, boy!” Clayton yelled, pressing the trigger on the Lancer. A spray of bullets pelted the wolves face, causing it to cover its face with the other paw.

The giant wolf started to run away, limping its way away from Clayton. He roared in anger, chasing after the wolf. As he got close to its back leg, he leaped upwards, stabbing his knife into its leg. The wolf roared as Clayton scaled his way up to its back, the pine trees making it look like a miniature forest. Timberwolves started to regenerate on its back, attacking Clayton. He activated the chainsaw bayonet, slicing through the weak wooden animals.

“Don’t start a fight, without finishing it!” Clayton rushed through the pine tree forest, jumping on the wolf’s face.

Revving the chainsaw bayonet, he shoved the Lancer into the wolf’s eye socket, the wolf roaring in pain as it was now blind. He kicking it in further, causing the wolf to roar in agony. Clayton turned around to realize that the wolf was running straight into a cliff. He pulled out the Lancer and jumped off, rolling onto the ground. The cried of the wolf became echoes as it fell off the cliff, eventually hitting the bottom.

Breathing heavily, Clayton checked his wounds, pulling out splinters and lodged wooden teeth. After bandaging himself up, he got to his feet, groaning in pain. He looked around, glancing up at the sky to have the moon look right at him. With a sigh, he started walking into the Everfree forest.

“Looks like I’m back here…” Clayton chuckled. “Better go see if the gangs changed.”

Chapter II: Birds of Prey

CHAPTER II: BIRDS OF PREY

Clayton rested his back against a tree, breathing heavily. He tore off his helmet and tossed it to the ground, disappearing into the fog. The forest was playing tricks on him, causing him to see things he knows is fake. But how do you know if anything’s fake in this land? With dragons, Timberwolves, griffins; anything’s possible. He groaned in frustration, looking up into the dark night sky.

“Big brother?”

Clayton froze, slowly lowering his gaze from the sky. Everything was silent, only the sounds or crickets completing the eerie atmosphere. He raised his rifle to his hip, scanning the forest for where the eerie voice came from. Slowly, Clayton inched his was to his helmet, not taking his eyes off the forest.

“You killed us both, Clayton.”

Clayton spun around, only to freeze at the sight in front of him. Anthony and Benjamin stood in front of him, their armor and clothes tattered. Pieces of armor was broken or not even there, rips and tears in the cloth pants and clothing they wore. Their chest plate still had the hole in it, dried up blood formed around the gaping hole. They ignored the rifle pointed at then, just looked dead into Clayton’s eyes.

“You made a promise to mom and dad that you’d protect us and you killed us both.” Clayton said nothing, just completely shocked. “Everyone you know is dead. Why don’t you join them?” Looking down at his rifle, it was now his Boltok pistol, the clip fully loaded.

“Mom and dad really miss you Clayton,” Anthony said, a smile on his young face. “Come join us.” Clayton’s hands shock, his breath becoming shallow. Without warning, Ben and Anthony held his hand, their skin feeling cold. They directed the pistol to his head, the cold metal touching his temple.

“Everything will be OK now Clayton.” Ben said assuredly. “Just do it, and everything will be over.” Clayton was breathing heavily, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“Fuck you!” Clayton cried in anger. Before they could react, Clayton kicked Ben right in the chest, causing him to burst into dust. He pointed the gun at Anthony and froze, looking directly into his eyes. He closed his eyes and fired the sound echoing through the forest.

Clayton fell to his knees and wept, tossing the Boltok away. He reached into his pocket and produced the metal flask, briskly removing the cap and chugging down the poisonous liquid. He coughed as it burned down his throat.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are,” Clayton got to his feet, yelling into the heavens. “BUT WHEN I FIND YOU, I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU!” he paused, his breathing shallow. He walked over to his helmet and put it back on, looking for his Boltok and holstering it back. Finding his Lancer on the floor, he continued through the Everfree forest.

The moon was now in the center of the sky, its light glaring down on the forest. Beneath the shrubbery, the forest was dark, the think, ghostly fog still resting on the forest floor. Clayton leaned on a tree and sighed. He’s been walking for who knows how long, sometimes thinking he’s gone in circles. His eyes were starting to get heavy, probably the after effect of the alcohol.

“I think it came from over here!” Clayton hid behind a tree as three figures emerged from the trees ahead. Three griffins entered the area, two looking familiar. Ne had all gold armor, its grey fur and feathers breaking it up. The right side of its face was burnt, the skin pink and red. The second one was in all onyx armor. The black feathers that mixed with it made him bled into the forest, almost not being seen if it wasn’t for the blue eyes.

The third one didn’t look that familiar, her white feathers connecting with the brown lain body she had. Purple dye was on the tips of her feathers, a group of them covering the side of her face. They all started scanning the area, the sound of life masking Clayton’s breathing.

“You sure it came from here dweeb?” the purple feathered griffin said to the grey one.

“Can it Gilda, he might hear you.” The black one whispered.

“How do you know it’s a he?” Gilda groaned. “And what does it matter, we have other things to do then look for a voice in the Everfree Forest.”

“We know that voice, it’s familiar to us.” The gold one hissed, looking at his reflection on his armor.

“Then go on your own personal vendetta, I’m doing my job.” And with that, Gilda stormed away, passing by the tree Clayton was hiding behind. The two other griffins snarled in frustration, but went after her, looking around. When they disappeared into the forest, Clayton sighed, looking around the tree to see if they really left.

“I knew it was you!” a claw punched Clayton right in the face, causing him to fall over. He shook his head to see his attackers, only to grin when the two griffins stood in front of him, having smug grins. “You’re not so tough when you have that purple bitch to hide behind huh?”

“Hello again, Graves and Razor.” Clayton growled. “Ready for round two?”

“Let’s go fucker!” Razor roared. With that, Clayton kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing into a tree. Graves went to slash his face only for his claws to be caught in mid-air. Two punches into the face were followed by a knee in the chest, the force causing Graves to gasp for air. Clayton pushed him away, barely ducking Razor’s claw. He rammed him right in the chest, pinning him against a tree.

Razor dodged Clayton’s fist, taking advantage of Clayton’s pain by kneeing him in the chest. Graves wrapped his arms around Clayton’s neck, trying to choke him. With a grunt, Clayton kicked Razor back into the tree, the force shaking sticks and branches off the tree. Graves began pecking Clayton in the shoulder, eventually spewing blood. Before Graves could peck into the new wound, Clayton elbowed him right in the ribs, causing him to let go.

Having the advantage, Clayton repeatedly punched Graves in the face, the sound of cracking just amplifying the power. He froze when the sound of the Lancer’s chainsaw started to rev. he rolled out of the way as the blade was swung at him, Razor having eyes filled with hate. Clayton quickly upholstered his Boltok and shot a bullet into Razor’s wrist, severing his hand from his arm. He roared in pain, dropping the rifle on the ground as he clutched his wrist, blood gushing like a volcano.

Before Clayton could fire another shot, Gilda kicked him right in the back of his leg, causing him to fall to his knees. Gilda flew around and kicked him right in the face, causing him to become dazed. She looked at the smoking pistol, to the unconscious Graves, and to the bleeding griffin. She grinned slightly, looking back at Clayton.

“This is the ‘thing’ that you kept talking about?” Gilda retorted, chuckling slightly. “He’s not so tough.”

“Well I’m full of surprises.” Clayton kicked Gilda off of him, getting back to his feet. They both stood across from each other, their eyes locked. Clayton held his fists in front of his face as they circled each other.

“What are you supposed to be? Gilda sneered. “A shaved minotaur?”

“I’m not from this planet dumb ass.” Clayton shot back.

“An alien?” Gilda paused, then smiled. “So you’re the alien that ‘killed’ Discord and defeated Chrysalis. They said you left, what’s a freak like you doing back here?”

“Still trying to figure that out myself…”

“Well you hurt my friends, so I’m gonna have to hurt you.” Gilda extended her claws, her wings flared so she looks menacing. “You picked the wrong girl to mess with dweeb.” They both stood in silence, the sound of their breathing piercing the tension.

The tension got split when Gilda rushed at Clayton, revenge in her eyes. Clayton sidestepped her claws, blocking a few. Her claws slashed his helmet, leaving small grooves in the metal and creating sparks. Clayton shoulder charged her in the gut, pinning her against a tree. Gilda quickly responded by elbowing him in the back, eventually kicking him away. She flew up and curved around, using her speed for momentum. They both crashed into each other, the momentum causing Clayton to get pinned against a tree. Gilda took advantage by clawing at his head. Clayton grabbed both of her arms, staring directly at her.

“We don’t have to fight; I have no hate with you!”

“Yes we do! We’ll fight again eventually so just.” Gilda began to stutter. “Forget it, just get lost dweeb.” Gilda flew off of him, helping up Graves and Razor and fleeing back into the forest. Clayton stood there, confused. He removed his helmet to look at the damages. With a sigh, he picked up his Lancer, turning off the chainsaw, and continued on.

“Girls… No matter what planet you’re on; their all the same.”

“Razor quit your winning and help me with your brother.”

“He shot my hand off for Celestia’s sake, cut me some slack Gilda.” Gilda rolled her eyes as she trudged on, Grave’s paws dragging on the forest floor. That alien really gave them a new one, especially since he’s been gone for 5 years. With a sigh, Gilda leaned on a tree, catching her breath.

“That was a good show, good show i say!” she gasped as she recognized the voice. Looking next to her, a tall figure in a dark trench coat stood next to her, the fedora hiding its face. “But your performance wasn’t up to par.”

“You again, you sent us to slow him down and we did!” Gilda snarled, glaring at the figures one eye. “Now get out of my sight you freak.”

“I told you to kill him, and you didn’t.” the figure mocked. “I thought you’d do better than that.”

“Fuck you asshole!” Gilda spat.

“ah ah ahhh, don’t be talking back to me lady. Unless you don’t want to see your sister again.” He held his eagle hand out in front of her. A blue flame lit up in its palm. In the center was another griffin, this one looking younger. Her eyes were red as tears fell down her cheeks. She gasped when she saw Gilda, crying in happiness.

“Sister!” Gilda gasped.

“Gilda please, help me!” before Gilda could reach out, the claw closed, distinguishing the flame. She looked up at the figure, hate and sadness filled in her eyes. “Please don’t hurt her! I’ll do anything!”

“Good.” The man chuckled. “Follow the alien, don’t make him see you. Keep a close eye on him. If you can do this,” the blue flame appeared in his hand. “I’ll let you see her.” Gilda nodded swiftly, flying off after the alien.

“As for you two, you both failed me.” The man chuckled, his claws glistening in the moonlight. “But don’t worry, I’m a certified doctor.”

Chapter III: Old Faces

CHAPTER III: FAMILIAR FACES

The moon was now drifting to the west, an indication that the sun will soon rise. Clayton glanced up at the dark sky now turning into a hue or orange and red. He could see the edge of the forest as the sky was becoming more visible. He sighed to himself, placing his helmet back on his head. It’s been a long night; avoiding Timberwolves, meeting the griffins, almost being attacked by a Manticore. It really was an eventful night.

He looked at his bandaged cuts, now starting to heal back up. What he didn’t see was the cloaked figure watching him in the bushes. The figure soon produced a piece of hollowed out bamboo and shot a dart at Clayton’s exposed neck. Clayton winced, slapping a hand on his neck. He pulled out the dart, just to groan in anger. His eyesight started to become fuzzy, causing him to lean against a tree. Everything was becoming dark. The world was spinning around him. Clayton fell to his knees, trying not to faint. He looked up just to see the cloaked figure emerge from the brush. Before he could say anything, everything went dark.

Clayton got up to his feet. A dark void surrounded him, having no end. He went to take out his pistol, only to find the holster empty. A loud scream made him spin around, only to back up in horror. All of Ponyville was on fire, ponies and fillies screaming in horror. Sugarcube Corner was completely ablaze, the sound of little kids screaming for help. Clayton started to rush over to the building, just for it to explode into flames, the screams dying down.

“Pound Cake! Pumpkin Cake!” Mrs. Cake screamed in horror. Clayton gritted his teeth as he saw the heart broken Mrs. Cake crying on Mr. Cakes shoulder. “You monster! You killed them you horrible monster!” Clayton tried to say something but nothing came out.

In the distance, Spike and Rainbow were trying to put out the blazing fire on the Library, the sounds of fillies screaming causing Clayton to try and help. But he couldn’t help, he could only watch. The screams of three fillies started to die down as the whole treehouse erupted into flames, causing everyone to watch in horror.

Ponies started helping each other out of homes, some of them crying at the fact that their home is gone. Applejack was galloping as fast as she could to Sweet Apple Acres, the whole barn completely in flames. She froze in place as the whole barn collapsed charred wood and splinters flying in different directions. A red bow fell infront of the saddened mare, causing her to burst into tears. There was nothing they could do, everything was gone.

“You,” Clayton spun around to see Rainbow in rage, tears falling down her cyan cheeks. “Do you feel better, now that you destroyed this whole town?”

“…Yes.” Clayton gasped at what he said. He tried to say it wasn’t him but the damage was done. Rainbow backed up, her eyes furrowed.

“You’re… You’re a monster Clayton. A bringer of only violence and pain!” She turned around and started walking away. She paused, not even glancing at Clayton. “And I can’t believe I called you my friend.” Clayton wanted to say something, but only choked on his words. It didn’t become easier when his arm reached into his holster, grabbing the Boltok what wasn’t there before. His arm slowly pointed the pistol at Rainbow Dash, his hand starting to shake.

“Goodbye Rainbow Dash.” Rainbow paused. The gun fired, the loud shot canceling out the sound of burning corpses and houses.

Clayton sprung up from his sleep, his head hitting the low ceiling. He groaned in pain, rubbing the bruise on his forehead. He paused as he felt the new bandages that were placed over his cut on his forehead. He looked at his forearms to see new white bandages covering his wounds, the smell of aloe and herbs filling his nose. His chest was bare, revealing the multiple scars he got during the Locust war. He started to scan his surroundings, looking for any indication of where he is.

The walls were short, having multiple weird looking masks hanging on nails. Herbs and potions were placed neatly on shelves. His chest plate was leaning on the makeshift bed he was leaning on. He tried getting to his feet, only for his head to knock against the ceiling again. A large caldron was placed in the middle of the room, an eerie green liquid bubbling under the heat of the fire under it. His stomach growled at the sight of the green goo; he hasn’t eaten in a while now that he thinks about it.

“It would be unwise to drink my brew.” A deep voice spoke from the doorway. “as it might turn you into a horse shoe.”

“Whoa friendly, I don’t want no trouble.” Clayton sat upright on the bed and raised his hands, causing the voice to chuckle.

“I know you’re friendly, Clayton Carmine.” the voice chuckled.. “Especially since your weapons are mine.”

“Who are you?” Clayton asked. “Better yet, where am I?” the cloaked figure entered the small room, causing Clayton to almost attack. He paused ar the mare pulled off her hood, revealing her identity.

“I am Zecora, and this is my hut.” Zecora smiled. “And you welcome, since I saved your butt.”

“This isn’t my first rodeo in pony land Zecora.” Clayton smiled. “But thanks for the assist. But how do you know my name?” Zecora scoffed. She placed some herbs in the caldron and began to mix. She walked over to a shelf and took a bowl, walking back to the caldron and scooping up some liquid.

“Drink this, it will heal wounds.” Zecora walked over to Clayton and held the bowl out in front of him. He looked at the green liquid and back to Zecora.

“You said it would turn me into a horse shoe…” he held the warm liquid in his hands, ignoring the heat. Zecora just chuckled, walking back outside.

“The curious fillies are coming back, stay inside and be quiet.” Zecora smiled and walked outside. This left Clayton and the mysterious liquid. He dipped a finger in it to make sure it’s not acid. He closed his eyes and chugged it all down, the burn setting in.

“Well that wasn’t so- ACK!” Clayton fell to the floor, choking. His whole body felt like it was being separated, piece by piece. His head felt like it was going to explode at any minute. He tried not to scream, but couldn’t hold it. He roared in pain, almost sounding like a wild animal. Zecora rushed back into the hut, worry painted on her face. Three small fillies were standing behind her, watching Clayton scream in pain. Before Clayton could ask what he drank, everything went black. Again.

The sound of screaming made Clayton get up to his feet, everything feeling like he just got disintegrated. He looked around for the noise. The roars of pain started to become louder in the dark abyss. Clayton looked around to see the Treehouse standing in the middle of the dark abyss, the screams sounding louder as he approached.

“That bitch! What did she do!” the voice roared. Clayton opened the treehouse door, only to gasp in horror. The man in the trench coat was holding his head in pain, trashing about in the library. He gripped the side of his face, pulling on it like he wanted to rip his face off. “EVERYTHING HURTS!”

“Good!” Clayton roared. The man couldn’t respond quick enough as Clayton pinned him against the wall, breaking through a bookshelf. “Because I’m going to make you feel a world of hurt! NOW GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” the man kicked Clayton off, his boot ripping open to reveal a green lizard leg, its claws long and sharp.

Clayton slid backwards, slamming against a library wall. He looked at the man, ignoring his screams of pain. His trench coat was worn and torn, looking like its being slowly destroyed. His right leg was a dark green, the green scales reflecting in the light. his left arm was torn at the shoulder, revealing a long eagle like arm, the talons on his fingers as sharp as blades. The man roared in pain, shattering all the windows and blowing out the lights.

Clayton watched as the man bent over, his back ripping out two long wings that stretched out to each end of the library. A long, dragon like tail ripped out the back of his pant, dragging against the floor. Two horns ripped out the top of his head, revealing the man’s identity.

“Discord…” Clayton gasped in horror. Except Discord was different. His coat was all a darker colour, the claws on his lion paw and eagle claws longer. His fur was messed up, like he hasn’t slept in days. His grew back his other fang, making him look sabre-toothed. His bat wing was torn as certain parts, while his Pegasus wing was gray instead of blue. A large scar was under the black eye patch on his right eye. He roared in anger, blasting Clayton through the window and out of the library.

“Well, there goes that secret,” Discord chuckled from inside. “But don't worry, this wont stop me from getting you Clayton.” the roof of the treehouse erupted as Discord flew upwards, disappearing into the abyss.

Clayton sprang upwards, knocking his head against the ceiling. He was drenched in sweat, looking like he just was in a pool. He rubbed his head, growling in pain. Then he paused, remembering the dream.

“Discord’s after me huh?” he smiled to himself. “Bring it on freak show.” He flinched as three fillies stood infront oh him, their eyes curiously watching his every move. E moved his arm up, watching the fillies watch him move.

“Uhm… May I help you?”

“Ohmigosh are you the alien mah sister talked about!?” the yellow one jumped, her red bow bouncing around. Clayton watched the bow move, shaking his head slightly.

“Let me guess, your Applejack’s little sister huh?” the little filly nodded quickly, causing Clayton to chuckle. “In that case, your name must have something to do with apples?”

“Names Apple Bloom mister!” Applebloom exclaimed, a contagious smile on her face. “And this here’s Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo!” she pointed at the two fillies behind her. One was orange with a purple mane that resembled a chickens head. The other was as white as snow with a hue of rose and pink in her mane and tail.

“You really were screaming a lot mister.” Sweetie bell mumbled. “We thought you were an animal Zecora caught but then you just went silent. When you didn’t move for three days, we thought you were dead!” Clayton laid a hand on her head, causing her to go rigid. He ruffled her mane, causing Scootaloo to chuckle.

“I’ve been through a lot kiddo, no terrible soup’s gonna kill me.” He glanced up at Zecora standing at the door. “Nothing’s gonna kill me.”

“Princess Twilight’s gonna freak once she learns you’re back!” Scootaloo smiled.

“Princess who now?”

“Guards! Please someone help!” the castle of Gryphonia sprang to life as a lone griffin knocked on the castle gates. His clothing was ripped and torn, cuts and bruises adorning his entire body. Behind him were two other griffins, one in old armor while the other in an onyx color. Citizens of the castle crowded around the three, some wincing at the two dead bodies behind the crying griffin. Guards pushed their ways passed the crowd as the King glanced at the wounded.

“Who did this?” he snarled. “Who, with any certainty would kill my elite!” the wounded griffin fell to his knees, holding onto the king’s feet. The guards were about to kick the peasant off when the King held a claw in the air.

“My-My son!” the king gasped. “Who attacked you?” the prince swallowed hard, tears running down his face. He had one eye patch covering his eye, his only blue eye now red in tears.

“The hero in Equestria… He has returned!” the prince cried. “He attacked me and your guards in cold blood!” the guards helped the crying griffin to his feet, their faces hard as stone. The King looked down in anger.

“We had a truce, me and that witch! And she dare sent her secret weapon to attack my son!” he walked back to his castle, guards trailing behind. “Messenger, call a council meeting immediately! I want to address this matter with the other races.”

Chapter IV: Return

"Thanks Zecora for the medicine!” Applebloom waves, the joyful attitude of the filly bringing a smile to Zecora’s face.

“Yeah, thanks again Zecora.” Scootaloo said, adjusting her position of Clayton’s shoulder. “Fluttershy would kill us if we didn’t get these herbs for her animals.” Zecora only nodded, going back into her shack. The little escort group began walking back to Ponyville, their smiles making the forest less scary.

“So..” Clayton began. “Mind telling me about this ‘Princess Twilight’ thing?”

CHAPTER IV: RETURN

The sun was now high in the sky, shining down on the small town of Ponyville. Ponies started their usual mornings; stopping by at Sugarcube Corner or going to work. Fillies were escorted to the schoolhouse by their parents, starting their school mornings. But things were different in the small cottage near the Everfree Forest.

“Angel bunny you’re sick! Lay down and get some rest… please?” Fluttershy’s cottage was in the mists of a battle between care and uncaring. From pillows to blankets to even the kitchen sink, it was total chaos. “Don’t worry, the fillies will come back with the medicine.”

Angel looked at Fluttershy, his face looking disgusted. Even when his nose was redder than Big Macintosh himself, the small thermometer still hanging out of his face, he could still make facial expressions. Fluttershy only sighed. “I know you don’t like it but if you want to feel better...”

The sounds of the small fillies’ approaching the cottage made Fluttershy almost jump for joy. But then she realized Angels face. He wanted out of the cottage. And once that door opens, he’ll bolt out faster than a bullet. She slowly shook her head at Angel, only getting a sly grin from the small rabbit.

“So you’re saying that due to Twilight solving a spell, she instantly became a princess?” this made Fluttershy and Angel freeze in place. That voice was too familiar. For a second, Fluttershy thought she was hearing things. Maybe they just found a colt? but then, she only answered her own question when the door swung open.

The light the shone through the door was blocked by a tall figure. The man had one filly resting on his shoulder, having a small conversation with the man. Angel didn’t even move, just staring at the man in shock.

“Clayton?” Fluttershy whispered in shock. Clayton brought his attention to the almost in tears Fluttershy. He went down on his knees, stretching his arms out to the sides. The CMC stood to the sides as Fluttershy galloped into Clayton’s arms, ignoring the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I thought you left…”

“Fate had other plans…” Clayton whispered in Fluttershy’s ear, hugging the mare tightly. The hug lasts longer than expected, the poor fillies standing at the doorway shuffling their hooves on the floor. Angel was still shocked at Clayton’s return, still frozen in time.

“So… we got the medicine…” Scootaloo coughed, ruining the moment. Fluttershy finally came back to Equestia, quickly letting go of Clayton.

“O-oh y-yes! Thank you very much!” Fluttershy said awkwardly, hiding her rose cheeked face behind her mane. She took the satchel Zecora gave Applebloom and hurried into the kitchen to make the herbs into tea. Clayton only chuckled softly, getting back up to his knees.

“So I’m guessing this little guy’s the sick animal?” Clayton grabbed Angel by the fur on his back and lifted him up, examining him like an experiment. “Not so tough now, are you?” Angel smiled and sneezed on Clayton’s helmet, snot and spit splattering on the metal surface. Clayton yelled in disgust, dropping the sick rabbit on the floor. Fluttershy came back in the room only to gasp. Angel was close to the door. Really close.

“Catch him!” Fluttershy screamed. The fillies sprang into action, blocking the doorway by making a makeshift wall. Angel only chuckled as he hopped on top of each filly and jumped outside.

Only to get caught mid-air.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Clayton growled, ignoring the green goo on his helmet. This caused Angel to cover his mouth as he held in his laugh, his little shoulders shaking up and down. “Why I ought a wipe that grin off your face!” Clayton began gripping the bunny with both hands, shaking him as he increased his grip.

“Clayton no!” Fluttershy turned around from placing the tea on the centre table only to look at him in horror. He looked from Angel to Fluttershy, then back to Angel. He only groaned as he handed the little rabbit to Fluttershy. She only smiled in response, bringing the rabbit to the table. The CMC stood stubbornly at the door, tapping their hooves on the wooden floor.

“C’mon, I wanna see my sister’s reaction to you!” Sweetie bell said, pointing outside. Fluttershy froze, looking back at Clayton.

“Y-You’re going already?” Fluttershy stuttered. Clayton nodded as he wiped the snot off his helmet with a towel.

“Yeah,its what happens when you babysit stubborn fillies like these.”

“Hey!” Scootaloo shot back. Fluttershy and Clayton chuckled in response.

“Don’t worry Flutters; I’ll pass by when I have the time.” Clayton bent down and ruffled the mares mane, exposing her reddened cheeks. “And that’s a promise.” He got back up and walked to the door, the fillies in company. Fluttershy stood there in mid bliss, watching the group disappear in the distance.

“Angel, you think I should write a letter to Twilight about Clayton?” she looked over her shoulder to see the rabbit nowhere to be seen. She began looking around the house for the small rabbit before setting her eyes on the opened doorway. “ANGEEEEELLL!!!”

The town was now springing to life. ponies were now all busy in work, selling or buying to their hearts content. Rarity was standing at the entrance to the Local spa, looking irritated. She looked at her watch and groaned in frustration.

“Where is Fluttershy? She knew it was our spa day today…” she sighed, looking back at her watch. She finally gave up and walked into the spa alone.

“Mommy, what’s that?” a young filly was pointing off in the distance. Her mother squinted her eyes to see, only for her jaw to drop. Rarity, looked over her shoulder to see what the commotion was, only for her own jaw to hit the floor.

“It’s… him.”

Rainbow was flipping through the newly released Daring Doo comic, her face filled with joy. She shifted slightly on the cloud she was perched on. Behind her, on the same cloud, was other comics, some familiar while others not a much. She ignored the commotion below her, only stuck in her book.

“Starswirl’s beard… he’s back!” a Pegasus gasped in surprise, looking down from Cloudsdale. Another Pegasus galloped over to see what the stallion was talking about.

“Is that really him?”

“Yes, the hero of Equestria…” Rainbow glanced up over her book, giving an annoyed look to the stallions.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be working?” she poked, going back into her comic book.

“Well it’s not often a celebrity comes to Ponyville.” The stallion said softly. This caused Rainbow to close her book, glancing over at the stallions.

“You know I’m one of the Elements of Harmony AND Equestria’s fastest flier?” she shot back. She shifted herself so her head peeps over the edge of the cloud. “So unless its Twilight, this guy’s better….be….Celestia’s teats...”

“Celestia’s what now?” the stallion called.

“Clayton…”

Over the horizon came one man. His armor was a soft blue color, the paint chipped in places. Scratches and dents littered his helmet as he slowly walked into town. Infront of him was a small yellow filly, her bow bouncing in the wind. Resting on his shoulders was two others, an orange Pegasus and a white unicorn. They both had smiles on their faces as they enjoyed the height they were in. no one in the town moved as the man stopped at the edge, gazing at all the ponies that were frozen in town.

Suddenly, a blur of colors appeared as a cyan Pegasus landed in front of the man, her mane and tail a fury of colors. She looked up at him, her magenta eyes piercing through the helmet like a blade. The fillies stood off in the sidelines as the two had a staring contest. From the crowd, Rarity pushed her way to the front, only to freeze at the scene.

“Clayton…” she whispered. Rainbow was on the verge of tears. After five long years, her best friend finally came back. Applejack and Pinkie finally came into the scene, their faces shocked.

“Clayton…. Y’came back…” Applejack stood in shock. Pinkie started jumping for joy, breaking the serious mood.

“Yay yay Clayton’s back! We should throw a welcome back party! No I should make a welcome back party! OOO this is gonna be soo fun!” the joyful attitude made everyone chuckle. But before anyone could react, Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Clayton’s waist. He bent down and embraced the hug, this caused Rarity and Applejack to join in, Rainbow being the last to join the hug.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” She sniffled, still holding back tears. “We thought, we’d never see you again.”

“Well I’m just full of surprises…” Clayton chuckled.

“Don’t even leave Clayton…” Clayton froze. He looked off in the distance to see his brother’s graves in Sweet Apple Acres. He looked back at the mares and sighed.

“Don’t worry...” he said calmly. “I won’t.”

In the deepest pits under Canterlot is the biggest prison to date. Here, guarded by a hundred of guards, are where villains of pure evil are held until trial or until death. A young guard started his first day today, patrolling the halls. His partner was more experienced, keeping the young rookie in check.

“Now always remember, this is where Equestria’s most dangerous are held.” He paused, looking directly at the rookie. “Don’t talk or even get near the prison cells, got that?” the rookie nodded in repose, his navy blue face a pale white.

“How dangerous is dangerous sir?” he asked, looking at the dark cells. There was no lighting other from the torches illuminating the tunnel. The veteran soon began his walk, the rookie trailing behind.

“Dangerous as can be son. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you we had Dreadwing here…” the man pointed his head at an empty cell.

“Dreadwing the terminator?” the rookie gasped.

“Yep. That merc escaped without any trouble two weeks ago.” He sighed, staring directly ahead. “But there’s worse things you gotta worry about kid.”

“Like whom?” the rookie asked. They both stopped infront of a door in a stone wall, two small windows barred up. The veteran fished into a pocket in his suit and produced a chain of keys.

“The person you and me are escorting to his new cell in sector B7.” He unlocked the tood, the metal making a soft scrap on the floor. As the light shone through the doorway, in the corner was a huddled stallion, his back on the guards. The orange prison uniform broke the pitch black coat and mane the stallion had. “King Sombra.” Sombra looked over his shoulder, a small grin on his face.

“I’m being escorted to the VIP suite?” he chuckled. “So Celestia does care for me..."

Chapter V: Trains are Still Not Fast Travel

It was starting to get dark in Ponyville. The moon shone down on the quiet town, streetlights buzzing to life. Some of the residents of Ponyville were just going to bed, tired from a long day at work. While most were at Sugarcube Corner; celebrating the return of a hero.

The bakery was crowded with ponies. Pinkie went all out to create this ‘Welcome Back’ party. Balloons and streamers littered the stores floor, multiple party decorations stuck on the walls and ceilings of the crowded store. Ponies socialized with each other or played the many party games Pinkie made.

Applejack was serving her prized cider to everyone, some even lining up to get more. Pinkie was already jumping up and down before Applejack could give her another mug of cider, a small grin on her face.

“Pinkie, y’all know where Clayton is?” Applejack asked

“Yeah, he’s in the back. Something about ‘needing some air’.” Pinkie tossed the farmer mare some bits as she chugged down the cider like it was water. Applejack only rolled her eyes.

“Can ya take over f’me for a second Pinkie?” the pink mare nodded quickly, already starting to serve the party ponies their drinks. Applejack only rolled her eyes as she walked to the back door of the store.

The patio of Sugarcube Corner was small, two patio chairs and a table the only furniture that could fit. Clayton leaned on the patio railing, a small mug of cider in hand. His helmet sat on the small table, the metal reflecting the light from the patio door. He breathed in the cool night air, exhaling with a sigh. He looked up at the starry sky, the small lights illuminating the black abyss of space.

“Y’know it’s your party, right?” Clayton glanced over his shoulder to see Applejack stepping onto the patio, closing the slider doors quietly behind her.

“Yeah I know…” Clayton said with a sigh. He took a small sip of the cider and glanced up at the starry sky. Applejack rested her forelegs on the patio railing, standing on her back legs as she liked up at the sky.

“Something on your mind Clayton?” Applejack said, not leaving her gaze on the stars.

“No..” Clayton said softly, taking another sip of his cider. Applejack turned her head so she’s staring directly at him.

“Y’know you can’t lie to me Clayton…” she said softly. Clayton looked away, avoiding her gaze. The conversation went quiet, only the sound of the music from the party in the background. Applejack shifted steadily, looking back up at the stars. “So how’s the cider?”

“It tastes like apples…” Clayton grinned, taking another sip.

“There’s a reason why it’s called Apple Cider, Clayton.” This caused them both to chuckle softly.

“Beautiful night isn’t it?” Clayton smiled, watching two shooting stars fly past in the sky. Applejack watched them in silence.

“So how’d you get here Clay?” Applejack finally replied. “Applebloom said she found you at Zecora’s hut.”

“Woke up here last night.” Clayton began “Got attacked by a couple Timberwolves before Zecora found me. Nothing eventful.”

“There’s more to that, isn’t there?” Applejack looked back at Clayton. He could feel her gaze resting on him, causing him to take another sip of cider.

“Got attacked by a big Timberwolf.”

“The scratches on your helmet, how’d you get those?” This caused Clayton to look down. He can’t lie to Applejack forever.

“I got sent here after the war on my planet ended.” He lied. “it’s just a scratch from one of the creatures I faced…” he glanced over to Applejack just to meet her intense gaze. Her green eyes burnt through his soul, causing him to almost grunt in pain.

“…So the war ended on your planet?” Applejack asked, glancing back up into space.

“Y-Yeah…” Clayton stuttered. “It’s finally all over…”

“Yknow I dont like liars Clay…” Applejack said quietly. Clayton stood quietly, not even glancing at Applejack. The sound of the patio door sliding open caused Clayton to calm his nerves.

“Hey you two!” Rainbow Dash flew into the small patio, a bottle of Applejack Daniels in hoof. “Whatcha… Whatcha two doing here?”

“Talking...” Applejack said coldly. Clayton flinched at the sudden drop of temperature.

“Well stop your talking, because I want to introduce Clayton to one of my oldest friends!” Clayton turned around, only to freeze. “Clayton, meet my old friend Gilda!” the griffin walked into the patio, her gaze not leaving Clayton’s.

“So this is the alien dweeb?” she looked at Clayton up and down, avoiding his furrowed eyes. “He doesn’t look so tough.” She kept an unamused face but Clayton could tell she’s hiding something.

“You kidding me!? Clay over here single-handedly beat Sombra!” Rainbow paused, taking a swig on the whiskey. “Ofcouse, with some help from yours truly.”

“I guess that makes him barely tolerable.” Gilda extended her claw at Clayton, looking directly at him. “Nice to meet you then, dweeb.” Clayton gripped her small claw, his anger almost taking over as he clutched the griffin’s hand.

“Likewise…” Clayton said coldly through gritted teeth. They shook hands in a slow matter, their yes not leaving from each other. Applejack noticed the tension but didn’t say anything. Rainbow only laughed.

“Don’t worry Clayton, Gilda always was a hothead.” Rainbow’s flying was starting to get wobbly as she took another swig. “Then again, you’re no different.”

“Thanks for bringing up my self-esteem…” he finished the rest f the cider in his cup and glanced at rainbow. “Don’t get too drunk Dashie, we’re going to Canterlot in the morning.” Rainbow Dash didn’t even hear his warning and went back inside, Gilda in tow.

“I don’t think she’s gonna stop partner…” Applejack chuckled.

“Then prepare for the worst hangover in her life…”

CHAPTER V: TRAINS ARE *STILL NOT FAST TRAVEL*

The train to Canterlot was crowded today, mostly because of Clayton’s trip. It was barely the start of another day, the warm orange and yellow colors streaking on the cloudy sky as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon. The train horn blew loudly as it indicated that it was going to depart the Ponyville Train station. The train slowly jerked forward, before it started picking up speed on its route to Canterlot.

Rainbow was still asleep after the party ended in the morning. This caused Clayton having to carry the knocked out mare to the train station. Fluttershy was the first to be at the station, for she didn’t even go to the party.

“I left Zecora to take care of Angel for me.” She paused, looking down. “Wherever he is…”

“I’m sure he’s not far.. Just listen for small coughs and sneezes, since that’s probably the only sound rabbits make.” Fluttershy smiled at the positive attitude.

Applejack was third to arrive at the station, her hat covering her eyes to block out the light. Clayton grinned at the obvious hangover Applejack had.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it Applejack?” Clayton sneered.

“Shut up Clayton…” Applejack shot back, a small irritation in her tone. Rarity and Pinkie arrived at the same time. Which is unusual...? But nevertheless, they came. The sound of the train horn blared in the distance, causing Applejack to fall to the ground and cover her ears.

“Ride’s here!” Clayton chuckled at his loud voice. Applejack punched him right in the leg, as she groaned in pain.

So now the group are all sitting on the quiet train, only the hums of the wheels hitting the tracks echoing in the morning. Applejack fell back asleep after the train stopped blaring its horn. Rainbow was still asleep; her small body snuggled against the pillow on the chair. Pinkie had her face plastered on the window as she watched everything zoom past her.

Rarity was fixing her hair with a makeshift mirror she brought, her magic holding up combs and brushes. Fluttershy was sitting next to Clayton, her face facing the window to hide her small pink blush on her face.

“How do you think Twilight’s going to react when she sees me?” Clayton asked.

“Prepare for a lot of hugs darling.” Rarity responded, not leaving her gaze on the mirror. “What I want to know is how Celestia’s going to react.”

“Luna might know,” Clayton said. “Maybe she told her sister?”

“Doubt it; she’s probably keeping it a secret like how we are.”

“Hopefully.” Clayton glanced over to Fluttershy. “Hey Flutter’s, you’ve been quiet for a while. Everything OK?”

“Yes everything fine!” Fluttershy said sheepishly, not leaving her gaze off the window. Clayton raised an eyebrow, but didn’t address the issue.

“Pinkie’s been quiet too.”

“She’s asleep.” Rarity stated.

“Oh…” after twenty minutes of awkward silence, Rainbow finally woke up.

“Where are we?” she said, rubbing her eyes with her hoof. The train horn screamed as the train started to slow down. Rainbow gritted her teeth at the noise. The loud sounds woke up everybody on the train as it arrived in Canterlot station.

The city was buzzing with life as news of the arrival of Clayton spread like the plague. Mare’s and stallions tried shaking hooves with the noble hero of the land, slowing down the process to the castle. Guards kept their monotones expressions on their faces, but they were also surprised by the arrival of the human.

After finally arriving to the castle, they were bombarded by maids and butlers cleaning and decorating the castle. Guards were stationed at windows and doorways, some getting yelled at by maids for walking in with dirty hooves. Shining Armor was directing guards to station themselves on the roof when he caught the eyes of the visiting ponies.

“Clayton Carmine!” he exclaimed. They both shook hooves. “What in the name of Celestia are you doing here?”

“Thought I’d surprise Twilight,” Clayton glanced around the castle, watching maids clean every inch of the building. “But it seems that it’s not a surprise when everyone acts like this.” Shining Armor chuckled at the remark.

“Yeah this isn’t all a welcoming party for you Clay,” Shining beckoned the group to follow as he led them to the throne room. “Apparently, the king of the Gryphon Kingdom’s pissed.”

“Griffins are always hotheads darling,” Rarity said.

“Yeah but they usually don’t call council meetings unless absolutely necessary.”

“Well that explains why Gilda came back to Ponyville,” Rainbow commented. “She probably tried to get away from all the commotion.”

“Yeah, maybe…” Clayton grunted. Shining pushed opened the large golden double doors of the throne room, exposing the three princesses’ that sat on their thrones. They all were in a serious conversation, ignoring the group that entered. Shining cleared his throat, trying to get the attention of the princesses’.

“Princess Celestia, you have visitors.” Shining stated his grin a small infection to the group. None of the princesses’ glanced at the group.

“Tell them we’ll talk later. We have a meeting to attend to.” Celestia responded.

“Yeah I heard about that,” Clayton chuckled. “Sounds boring to me, But if it’s so important, we’ll be on our way.” The princesses paused. They turned their heads to face the man they haven’t seen in 5 years. None of them moved a muscle, only their mouths dropped.

“C-Clayton?” Luna stuttered. Clayton nodded slightly, taking off his helmet. What he was met with was Twilights arms wrapped around his chest. She looked different from last time; becoming a princess does that. She now hand the wings and horn combo. Her height was taller than before, now almost having the same height as Celestia.

“How did you get back?” Celestia asked.

“We took the train Celly, it’s not like we walked or anything.”

“No, how did you get back to Equestria?” Twilight finally let go of Clayton, her eyes wet with tears. “It’s been 5 years, and now you just pop up?”

“I have a tendency to do that.” Clayton smiled. Before everyone could catch up on current events, a stallion in a black suit entered the throne room, beads of sweat running down his neck.

“Princess Celestia!” he cleared his throat, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “The council has arrived, including the Gryphon King.”

“That didn’t take long.” Celestia smiled. She walked over to Clayton and rested a hoof on his shoulder. “We’ll catch up after the meeting.”

“Actually,” the butler began. “The Gryphon King requests you bring the alien to the meeting.”

“For what purpose?” Luna asked.

“He never said.” The butler bowed before exiting the room, leaving everyone in confusion. Clayton only groaned and placed his helmet back on.

“I hate meetings…”

"Don't worry, it'll be fine." Celestia assured.

"Right..."

Chapter VI: Council Meeting

The walk to the meeting room was quiet. Twilight tried to keep a straight face, but was distracted by the arrival of Clayton. Celestia’s face was flat. Although she was happy for the arrival of an old friend, it was not often council meetings were made. Luna hasn’t said a word. She was young, but had an unnerving feeling. The sunlight that shone through the hallway windows were tinted in different colors as the light passed through the stained glass. Shining Armor lead the group down the quiet hallway, his face solid as stone.

“Before I go stepping into hell,” Clayton said, breaking the silence. “Mind telling me something about the Gryphon King?” no one said a word. Clayton grunted in frustration. Finally Twilight spoke.

“Long ago, when Luna wasn’t sent to the moon, Celestia and Luna ruled Equestia with an iron hoof… but they rumors started to go around that there were other races out there, not just ponies. Races like lions with eagle heads. Or bulls that could walk on their back legs. At first Celestia and Luna didn’t believe in those rumors… but they got bigger. Rumors of shape shifting ponies and ponies with bat wings started getting around. Finally, Celestia had enough. She asked Starswirl where all these people get these rumors and headed out, leaving Luna in charge.

“She first headed to the mountains to see these creatures that were half lion, half eagle. And that’s where she met the king. Celestia was baffled seeing a different race, especially one so close. But she still kept her composure. She introduced herself and spoke about how there are other races, like herself. But the king was dissatisfied. He gloated about how he was the first race born on this planet, and how all others are inferior. Celestia went by saying she thought the same. When they realized their similarities, they agreed on a truce.”

“So why does everyone not like him?” Clayton asked. Celestia paused in mid walk.

“Because… He broke my heart…”

“I just got a very angry letter from the Minotaur’s.” Celestia stormed into the throne room, a scroll held in her magic. “They’re saying that we attacked them?” the Gryphon King sat on the golden throne, a glass of wine clenched in his talons. His fur was black as the night, small grey stripes parting the dark void. A large scar went across his face, slightly cutting his break in half. His eyes glowed in the light, his yellow eyes like embers. The griffin wore a set of beige armor, the remains of a slain dragon. The skull was turned into a helmet, which sat next to his throne. He took a sip of his wine and got up, walking to Celestia.

“They are accusing us for something we didn’t do?’ his voice was rough and almost hollow.

“They think it was us that destroyed one of their villages. They found paw prints at the scene.”

“Relax Celly… you’re so tense…” He placed his talons on Celestia’s shoulders and began to gently massage them. She sighed in content.

“It’s so hard running a kingdom on your own…” she sighed.

“That’s why I’m here…” he smiled. “Besides… the Minotaur’s have no chance against us…” Celestia shifted out of the massage.

“But I don’t want a war.” She groaned. “We are peaceful. Not tyrants…”

“Then we’ll settle it… peacefully...” The king gritted his teeth at the word ‘peace’. “The Minotaur’s are just mad that their village was burned down… we’ll rebuild it…”

“Yes I suppose…” Celestia paused. “I never said that the village was burned down…” she looked directly at the Griffin King, her eyes furrowed.

“I assume that it was burned down or there wouldn’t be such a fuss…” The Griffin King commented. Celestia raised an eyebrow.

“You’re a terrible liar…” Before the king could protest, Celestia dived into his mind. He didn’t panic or react, for he knew this would happen. Celestia fell backwards, tears rolling down her face. “You…. You did it…”

“They protested about your power… They insulted you...” The griffin king said with no emotion. “So I destroyed all traces of their ignorance.”

“You… killed children...” Celestia croaked.

“Not the first time…” The king said calmly.

“YOU MONSTER!” Celestia blasted a hot ray of light at the king. Even though she missed on purpose, it singed the right of his face, causing his to yell in pain. Guards stormed in the room just to see Celestia storm out of the room. The king growled in pain as he watched his wife leave him.

“That triggered the great war. The wastelands where the Changelings live now used to be a battleground. At first it was just an all our war, magic and arrows flying over the chaos ridden land. But soon the Minotaur’s joined in. at first, they attacked everyone. But they soon teamed up with Celestia. The war lasted a whole year, with a lot of casualties. Finally the war ended when Celestia… killed the king…”

“That must’ve been rough…” Clayton commented. They all stopped at the door to the meeting room. Twilight and Luna exhaled, enduring what’s going to happen. “But if the king’s dead, who are we meeting now…”

“…My son…” Celestia trailed off.

CHAPTER VI: COUNCIL MEETING

The large double doors opened to reveal a large round table in the center of the room. Sitting around the large table were different races. Llama’s, horses from Saudi Arabia, donkeys and even Zebra’s sat at the table. A group of Minotaur’s socialized in the back. They all looked at Celestia before their eyes drifted to the man behind the royal trio. Clayton awkwardly waved at the different races, his awkward smile hidden under his helmet.

“So you’re the so called ‘Hero of Equestria’?” a Minotaur asked. He wore a st of steel armor with little engraved words on his chest plate. His helmet rested on the round table, revealing his scared face. A small ring hung on his nose. His right horn was broken off, the surface flat like it was chopped off.

“Uhm… Yes sir…” Clayton said with uncertainty. The minotaur laughed, causing the rest of his guards to join in.

“No need for formalities with me boy!” he chuckled. “In fact, I hate formalities…”

“I hear that…’ Clayton chuckled. The Minotaur got up off his chair and walked over to Clayton. He outstretched his hand.

“Names Steel Will. No relation to Iron Will… Actually he’s my brother. So I guess that does make us related…” Clayton took the Minotaur’s hand and shook.

“Clayton Carmine. Nice to meet you Will.”

“Boy I speak for everyone here, it’s nice to meet you.”

“I agree with Will.” The Zebra spoke. “Although he still need to pay for that bill…”

“Can it Zimbabwe, I’ll pay for it when I get the chance.” He leaned over to Clayton. “He bought me some beers and now he won’t leave me alone about paying him back…”

“It seems you haven’t changed at all Steel.” Celestia smiled. Steel only chuckled in response. He glanced at Twilight, his eyebrow arched upwards.

“Who’s the short stuff?” Twilight’s face was flustered, she was about to say something when someone coughed for attention. The group moved away from the door to see a group of guards walk into the room. Two stationed themselves at the door, their faces like stone. But they weren’t normal guards. They were griffins.

A tall griffin walked into the room, his dark red cape dragging on the floor. His head was covered by a large dragon bone helmet. But everyone felt his glare; Especially Clayton. The griffin walked to the far side of the table, two guards trailing behind him. They gave Clayton a look of disgust. Steel Will walked back to his seat as Celestia, Luna and Twilight took theirs. Clayton stood, his arms grossed as he looked at the Griffin sitting across from him.

The griffin took off his helmet, his eyes not leaving Clayton’s. his fur was grey with black stripes. No one said a word as the griffin and Clayton had a staring contest. His golden eyes burned holes through Clayton’s helmet. His armor was made entirely of bones; some from dragons while others from different animals. A metal plate covered a hole on his chest. Tension rose in the room, making the atmosphere heavy. Celestia finally broke the dead silence.

“You called this meeting king…” Celestia said coldly, shifting the temperature in the room. “So what is it you want…” the King shifted his gaze from Clayton to Celestia, his face still monotone. He motioned to one of his guards who placed a photo on the table. The llama’s and the horses reeled back at the photo.

“I came to discuss what’s in this photo…” Clayton glanced at the photo and gritted his teeth. The photo was a picture of Graves and Razor, except they look worse than before. “I want to know hy you, Celestia, sent your alien to attack my men AND my son!” Celestia glanced at the picture.

“What makes you think that it was Clayton…” Celestia asked.

“So you named the beast… cute...” He grunted. “My son was the only survivor of your creatures onslaught!”

“Not to be rude,” Steel Will began. “But your son isn’t really the sharpest thorn in a bush…” The king glared at the Minotaur, pure hate in his eyes.

“If you know better Will, you’d keep that mouth of yours shut…” the King growled. Will snorted in response. “Why don’t you ask the creature then?” Clayton growled at being called an animal... but held his composure. He almost flinched as all eyes were on him.

“Clayton just got here…” Celestia said. “How could he have attacked your guards…”

“”I was here last night Celestia…” Clayton said under his breath. “And I was attacked by two griffins in the Everfree Forest. But I didn’t kill them…”

“Clayton?” Twilight whispered.

“Bullshit, you gave them no mercy and killed them in cold blood!” the king yelled. “I have witnesses who saw you kill them like the animal you are! You should join your brothers in hell!” Clayton froze.

“What?”

“I said you’re nothing but Celestia’s weapon. Don’t question me again boy…” Clayton growled, clenching his fist.

“Clayton’s just a friend that appeared on this planet.” Celestia protested. “He’s not a weapon.”

“Then how come we didn’t know about him until AFTER you praised him for saving you and the rest of your ponies?”

“He has a point…” Steel agreed, to his detest. A small grin crept on the Gryphon King’s face.

“Maybe she didn’t want to tell you yet as you all might fear that I’m here to destroy your planet or something.” Some of the council discussed with each other. “Celestia took a risk and took me in to see if she can trust me. You should be proud.”

“No one gave you permission to speak mule.” The king snorted, ignoring the Donkey advisory. “Besides, after that you became her weapon that she summoned to attack my SON!

“I did not attack your son!” Clayton slammed his hands on the wooden table. He glared at the king through his helmet. “Besides, I wasn’t summoned here by Celestia; I was sent her not on my will.”

“Oh, then how’d you get back? Because you were alleged ‘gone for 5 years’.” Clayton glanced at Celestia and then to Luna.

“I was sent here-“

“We brought him here.” Luna stood up, glancing at Clayton. Her eyes pointed at her flowing mane as she stared back at the Gryphon King. Clayton glanced at her mane to see his solar system. All the other planets were there except Sera. “We thought it would be fun to bring back Clayton to surprise our sister… But our magic sent him to the Everfree and not to Canterlot.” Clayton nodded in agreement.

The council had a small discussion before nodding in agreement. The Gryphon King growled in frustration. He thought for a bit before a grin crept on his face.

“Then send him back…” The Gryphon King grinned. Clayton and Luna froze. They were about to say something when Steel Will came in.

“For crying out loud, the kid just got here!” he protested. “Day one arrival and you’re kicking him out?” The Gryphon King glared at the Minotaur, his claws scratching the wooden table. He growled as the council started to agree with Steel’s statement.

“…..Fine. You have one month to enjoy the company of your pet Celestia.” He pointed a claw at Celestia. “By the end of the month, if that beast is still here…”

“What are you going to do?” Clayton dared. The King said nothing. He adorned his helmet and walked to the door. He stopped at Clayton and got up to his hind legs, meeting eye to eye.

“If you’re still here… I’ll bury you with your brothers…” he said coldly. The king went on all fours and exited the room, leaving Clayton fueled with rage. He turned around and opened the doors to exit when Celestia spoke.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“I need a drink…” Clayton said through gritted teeth. He didn’t wait for any response and exited the room.

Chapter VII: Dreams of Absolution

Clayton walked down the halls of the castle alone. He ignored the protests from the royal guard captain behind him. He gritted his teeth as he threw off his helmet. The metal clanged to the ground, sending an echo down the hall. Ignoring the sound, Clayton took a swig from his flask he refilled at the party, the apple liquid burning down his throat. He wiped his mouth with his arm and faced Shining.

“Where did you think you were going?” Shining armor asked, catching his breath.

“Anywhere but here…” Clayton sighed. “Leave me be Shining… I don’t belong here…”

“What are you kidding me?” Shining chuckled baffled at Clayton’s response. “Luna brought you here to surprise Celestia and you don’t appreciate it?” Clayton said something under his breath, causing Shining to cock his head to the side.

“What was that?”

“It’s not the full story!” Clayton yelled. He leaned against one of the marble pillars, taking a sip of the whiskey in his flask.

“I knew it wasn’t…” Clayton went rigid as Applejack walked into the hall, the rest of the elements in tow. “Rainbow ‘n’ ah knew you were hiding something…”

“So spill the beans Clayton!” Rainbow shot. Clayton stood there for a while, not moving. He avoided all eye contact, but knew everyone was looking at him, pleading for answers.

“His planets gone…” said a familiar voice. Everyone shifted their attention to the princess of the night herself. She held a hoof up to stop them from bowing. “We’ve been monitoring Clayton’s planet ever since we sent him back. We actually wanted to surprise our sister one day by bringing back an old friend. But we also monitored his planet for other reasons.”

“Other reasons?” Rainbow asked. “Like what?”

“Like how he and his brothers first arrived on Equestria. At first we just thought it was just one of Twilight’s spells gone wrong. But she didn’t even know. It’s almost like they were summoned here the first time.”

“Maybe king Sombre summoned them...” Shining commented. Luna pondered for a bit.

“That would make sense…” She sighed. “But how was he summoned again if Sombre has no power…”

“Not to interrupt princess,” Applejack intervened. “But what does this have t’do with Clayton’s world being gone?” Luna glanced at Clayton, who hasn’t shifted his gaze from the floor. She sighed as her astral mane grew, surrounding the hall in stars and space. Everyone gasped in astonishment at the whole hall became nothing but space. In front of Luna was a yellow star. Multiple planets orbited around it, slowly moving in real time.

“This is Clayton’s solar system, part of the Milky Way like us, except we’re farther away.” She pointed at a cluster of asteroids. “And this is the remains of Clayton’s planet Sera.” Rarity gasped. Pinkie’s mane went flat at the scene.

“How…” Rainbow began. “How did this happen?” the sound of crunching metal brought everyone’s attention to Clayton. His flask was destroyed in his hand, the cider slowly dripping from between his fingers. He shook in rage.

“Discord…” Clayton growled under his breath. The projection disappeared as Luna’s mane turned back to normal. Everyone was frozen in shock, not leaving their gaze from Clayton. “He’s been haunting me ever since I came back to Sera. And he finally acted. He killed everyone I knew… every damn person on that planet.”

“But Discord died…” Shining mumbled.

“That’s what we all thought…”Clayton growled. He tossed the crushed flask to the floor and stormed off, ignoring his helmet.

“Where are you going?” Applejack asked, trailing behind him.

“Out.” Clayton growled. He ignored the mare following him as he left the castle, walking into Canterlot streets.

CHAPTER VII: DREAMS OF ABSOLUTION

The sun was just setting over the horizon, marking the end of the day. Canterlot was starting to get less and less busy as the nocturnal ponies awoke. Lights from stores were flicking off for the night, owners flipping the signs from open to close. Ponies ignored the large man walking down the streets. They ignored the western pony that was trailing behind him, a look of worry on her face.

“Everything’s closing Clayton,” Applejack finally spoke. “Where’d you think you were going?” Clayton sighed. He stopped in front of the tall golden statue in the center of Canterlot.

“I wasn’t expecting to be followed…” he looked down at the words engraved on the podium. “I needed some air, that’s all…” they both stood in silence, gazing at the statue of Clayton and his brothers.

“How come you didn’t say anything before?” Applejack asked.

“Doesn’t matter, that’s behind us.” Clayton grunted. He looked around the quiet streets, only to pause at Applejacks gaze.

“It does matter Clayton, we’re your friends.”

“Well maybe I didn’t want to tell you guys because I didn’t want you to get hurt!” Clayton yelled. His voice echoed in the courtyard. “You were all so happy to see me. I thought maybe it’s for the best that you didn’t know.”

“Just because we were happy doesn’t mean you have to hide stuff from us.” Said a familiar voice. Clayton looked up to see Rainbow Dash perched on the golden statue. She flew down and landed in front of Clayton. “We’re your friends. Yes we were happy to see you but don’t think we’re not going to wonder how you got here!”

“Besides, that’s not the real reason why you came out here ain’t it Clay.” Applejack sneered. Clayton avoided eye contact from the mare.

“He said that he needed air Applejack!” Rainbow protested. “I would need air if I was in a meeting.”

“Right,” Applejack agreed. “But he really came out here because he lost his alcohol and went looking for a bar.”

“Guilty as charged…” Clayton sighed. Applejack smiled in victory.

“You know drinking doesn’t wash your troubles away Clayton.” Applejack frowned.

“So far it’s been working…” Clayton snorted.

“This is great! I know a perfect bar in Canterlot.” Rainbow squeed “It even sometimes has the Wonderbolts come. Ohmigosh we should soo see if maybe Spitfire’s there!”

“Oh maybe we could go to a less crowded bar. One that Clayton here can drink in peace.” Applejack smiled. “I know Clayton would rather drink in piece then be swarmed by ponies.”

“I know what bar you’re talking about.” Rainbow pouted. “You just want to go there because they sell Apple Cider and Applejack Daniels.”

“I own the shop too.” Applejack added. “I could give you a discount.” Rainbow took Clayton’s hand and started flying towards her bar, slowly pulling Clayton along.

“Would you rather go to some boring Appaloosa bar?” She looked back at Clayton, a grin plastered on her cyan face. “Or would you rather meet a celebrity?”

“Honestly, if there’s whiskey I don’t really-ACK!” Clayton looked back to see Applejack trying to pull him the opposite way.

“You just want to go to your bar because you want to meet Spitfire!” Applejack protested, pulling with all her might. “Or better yet, you’d rather see Soaring’ again!” Rainbow gasped.

“Girls, I really don’t ca-ACK!”

“I could care less about Soaring’. In fact, he’d rather eat your apple pies than go to a bar!” Clayton growled. Before Applejack could protest, Clayton pulled them both to him. He slung Rainbow on his shoulder and held Applejack around her stomach. He ignored the yelling mares as he walked back to Canterlot, his eyes twitching in annoyance.

“You guys have officially made me sober.”

“Thanks for leading me to my room Shining.” Clayton commented. Shining armor smiled and tossed him the keys.

“I had to anyways.” Shining chuckled. “The night guards have never seen you before, only the statue. They might freak if they saw you.”

“Understandable. Not all the time you see a 6ft shaved Minotaur walking around in a castle.” Clayton and Shining laughed. “You sent Applejack and Rainbow to their rooms?”

“Yeah. They’ll be leaving in the morning, with you I presume.” Shining commented.

“Probably.” Clayton sighed.

“Well I better be going.” Shining sighed. “I have stuff to do in the morning plus Chrys- I mean Cadence might get impatient.” Clayton and Shining Armor stood in silence, looking back at each other.

“Did you just say Chrysalis?”

“Nope... You must’ve heard something different because I fully said Chrysalis.” Shining’s eyes started to dart around in realization of what he said. He put a hoof behind his head and looked at Clayton sheepishly. “I-I mean Cadence. Their names both sound the same you know…” Clayton watched the stuttering stallion, a look of confusion on his face.

“Yeah… Good night Shining…” Clayton said awkwardly. He ignored the stallion and walked into his room, closing the door behind him. “Awkward…”

The room was like any other room; a bed, a washroom, and a perfect view of Canterlot. The bed was made of two normal sized beds put together to make one for Clayton to fit on. He walked over to the balcony and closed the doors. When he turned around, he noticed his helmet resting on the pillow of the bed, the moonlight reflecting off the lenses. With a sigh, Clayton took off his chest plate and tossed it to the ground, the weight leaving a crack on the wooden floor. Before he moved his helmet, he paused at the bag resting on the side of the bed. A note hung from the outside.

“To Clayton, from Shining Armor.” Clayton read out loud. He reached into the bag just to smile as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey. “You sly bastard…” without hesitation, Clayton popped off the cap and took a long swig. The burn almost threw him off guard before it settled in his stomach.

“Sera’s whiskey was better.” He grumbled as he placed the bottle on the table next to the bed. Without moving the sheets, Clayton lied on the bed and groaned. The bed was as soft as a cloud compared to the usual beds he slept on. Sleep caught up quickly as Clayton was soon out like a light.

“Hello?” the castle was barren, signs of life covered in dust and cobwebs. Curtains were ripped and torn, some even charred. Clayton walked down a hallway, a feeling on unease in his stomach “Where the flying hell is everyone?” a soft giggle caught his attention, he spun around to freeze at the sight before him.

A small human boy stood at the center of the hallway, a smile on his face. Clayton raised a hand only for the kid to run away. He jogged after the small boy, his legs going slower than he thinks. The boy turned around a corner, looking back to see Clayton coming behind him.

“Ben?” Clayton called. The boy giggled and continued to run away. He ran into the throne room and closed the door not so subtlety. Clayton opened the doors only to growl. “Discord.”

“Ah, you finally arrived!” Discord sat on Celestia’s throne. The gold was worn, the normal colour now covered in dust. “Yes I couldn’t renovate, what with it being the future and all.”

“The hell do you want from me…” Clayton growled.

“Oh no Clayton, I’m not here to hurt you. Well not yet at least.” Discord disappeared, reappearing behind Clayton. “I only wanted to ask you a question.”

“So you invade my dreams just for your personal gain?” Clayton swung his arm behind him only to hit air. A chuckle made Clayton spin around to see Discord sitting on Celestia’s throne, a glass of wine in his lion paw.

“So you don’t know…”

“Know what?” Clayton spat. Discord laughed at Clayton’s rage.

“You see Clayton; I am the god of chaos as you may already know.” Discord took a sip of the wine, only to drink the glass. The red liquid fell to the floor. “But I have only a certain type of power.”

“Like dying!” Clayton rushed at Discord, only to be caught in mid charge. Discord waved a finger at him before slamming him against a wall, the force blowing away dust and webs.

“No; like dreams.” Discord chuckled. He walked over to Clayton, a sly grin on his face. Clayton struggled against the wall, his eyes glaring with hatred at Discord. “See I can cause chaos outside; But not in the mind. I don’t have that ability to just go into people’s dreams and ruin them. But I know who can.” He pointed a claw at Celestia’s throne, his grin never leaving his face.

From behind the throne stepped out a mare, her starry mane blowing in an invisible wind. Her coat was a dark sapphire blue. Her wings were tucked against her chest. She glanced at Clayton, only to look to the floor. Clayton glanced at the mare, only to gasp

“Luna?”

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Discord exclaimed. “It took me a while to take over young Luna’s mind, but now she does whatever I please!”

“You bastard! Luna’s innocent. Keep her out of this!” Clayton yelled.

“Well too bad because since you know, now I have to unleash her alter ego on Canterlot.” Discord petted the saddened Luna and smiled. “You’re going to love her; she’s so good with destruction and such. Ta-Ta!”

Clayton woke up to an ear piercing scream. The ground shook beneath him, causing him to fall off his bed. He grabbed his pistol and swung open the door. Guards clad in gold and onyx rushed down the halls, spears in hoof. Shining armor rushed passed him Clayton and paused, looking back.

“Shining, what the hell’s going on?” Clayton yelled. They both jogged to the throne room, an army of soldier’s trailing behind.

“I don’t know. One minute I’m in bed the next thing you know it, I hear Twilight’s scream!” they turned around a corner only to duck to the ground. The golden doors of the throne room went flying overhead, crashing through one of the marble walls. Rainbow flew in, looking back at the golden door. Applejack and Rarity rushed over to Clayton, Fluttershy and Pinkie trailing behind.

“We heard Twilight’s scream. What in tar-nations is going on?” Applejack exclaimed.

“Yeah, what’s going on Shining!” Rainbow yelled.

“INCOMING!” a guard yelled. A mare crashed into a pillar, the marble exploding on contact. Everyone rushed over to see Twilight covered in burns and bruises. She looked at Clayton, then to Shining.

“It’s…. Luna…” she weakly said. A laugh from behind turned everyone to the smoke covered throne room. A dark hoof poked out of the smoke, a grey metal horseshoe wrapped around the hood. Two cyan, catlike eyes glowed through the smoke, a white toothy grin making everyone feel unnerving. The figure stepped out of the shadows, only to everyone’s horror.

‘Nightmare Moon…” rainbow and Shining gasped. The mare of nightmares chuckled at everyone’s shock.

“I HAVE RETURNED!” Nightmare’s horn glowed a faint dark blue as a huge ray of magic shot forward, aimed directly at Shining. A green shield appeared in front of the group, blocking the ray of magic. Chrysalis pushed through the guards, her eyes locked on Nightmare Moon.

“Everyone, GET OUT OF HERE!” she yelled. Clayton looked at Nightmare Moon, only to see a single tear fall from her eye.

“She’s still in there…” Clayton whispered.

“CLAYTON LETS GO!” Rainbow tugged at Clayton to move. He reluctantly started to run away. Cadence flew over the shield and blasted a ray at Nightmare Moon, only for it to get blocked.

“My niece dare fight me?” Nightmare Moon teleported over to Cadence, to Cadence’s surprise. Before the princess of love could move out of the way, Nightmare shot a ray out of her horn, the blast colliding with Cadence and sending her crashing to the floor, the impact pushing Chrysalis off guard. “Such heroic nonsense…” she blasted a path through the guards as she walked after Clayton. The hall was getting darker and darker, smoke covering the marble floor.

“Go I’ll hold her off!” Shining yelled. He turned around only to get a swift hoof to the face. He crashed through one of the stain windows. Before gravity could take effect, a yellow aura caught him in mid-air. Clayton looked behind him to see Celestia standing strong, her eyes locked on Nightmare Moon. She moved Shining Armor back into the castle and placed him behind her.

“Luna’s still in there Celestia.” Clayton grunted.

“I know.” Celestia said in a cold tone. She pushed passed Clayton, not leaving her gaze off her sister.

“Sister…” Nightmare Moon smiled.

“You’re no sister of mine…” Celestia growled.

“Ha-ha, you were always the bossy one.” Nightmare gave her sister a toothy grin. “Ruining all the fun and boasting about how much older you are. But I’m not here to fight you, but it will not be the last you see of me.” Before Celestia could react, Nightmare Moon crashed through one of the windows and flew off into the night. Celestia breathed outwards, falling to the ground. She glanced back at the group and sighed.

“How’d she get back to being like that?” she breathed heavily.

“Discord.” Clayton said flatly. Everyone turned their attention to the man. “It all makes sense now. When I arrived in Equestria it was night time. He could use Luna to watch my every move at that time. Then when Zecora gave me that weird drink he lost control. I didn’t hear things people didn’t say.

“But once I arrived in Canterlot, everything went back to being weird. Hallucinations, thinking that the king miss-said something, and eventually, the dreams.”

“Yes, Luna was acting strange that one night.” Celestia confirmed.

“But Discord’s been gone for 5 whole years.” Rainbow added. “ Where could he have gone?” everyone sat in silence. Celestia soon got back up to her hooves.

“Shining, check if everyone’s ok, including Twilight, Cadence and Chrysalis.” Shining nodded and galloped away. “Everyone else, you’re with me.”

“Where are we going?” Clayton asked.

“To see the last person that ever saw Discord.”

Chapter VIII: Phantasm

The walk to the underground prison was silent. Celestia kept her focus ahead, not looking back at the ponies following her. She pressed a hoof against a door and it glowed. The magic scanned her hoof before disappearing. Celestia took no noticed and pushed the door open, revealing an area of the castle no one knew about.

The floor was completely made of marble, the same marble like in the castle except not well kept. Different floors could be seen, guards patrolling on different floors. Their hooves knocked on the metal platforms. Guards were not as armored as the royal guards of Canterlot, only some in small pieces of metal armor. The white lights made the otherwise scary prison more inviting. Different prisons lined the walls. Traditional metal bars held normal looking prisoners while some had glass walls with small air holes.

“What is this place?” Rainbow gasped.

“Black gate Prison.” Celestia said under her breath. “It’s a hundred meters under Canterlot, very close to the core of Equestria. I made this magic door so only royalty can go through to the prison.”

“I was wondering why it said ‘Storage Room’.” Applejack commented.

“I contacted one of the guards in the prison of our arrival.” Celestia commented. “Follow –“Celestia paused at the intercoms buzzed to life.

“All hands on deck. Now transferring prisoner #57 to new prison cell.” the sound of stomps echoed down the hall, the clattering of chains making everyone freeze.

A 10ft, scaled beast came around the corner, its neck and arms chained together in shackles. The beast was bipedal, almost identical to Clayton. Its scales were a dark grey and its claws were black like midnight. It wore a dark orange prison suit, the whole top ripped into shreds so it only wore pants. Its mouth was lined with jagged teeth and its eyes were a mixture of orange and red. It paused in the middle of the hall, its nose sniffing the air. It glanced over to the group at the gate and paused at Clayton.

“COG!” the beast roared, causing guards to swarm around the beast to contain it. It tried charging over to Clayton; its jaws opened wide displaying its many rows of teeth. Fluttershy, Pinkie and Rarity hid behind Celestia. Rainbow and Applejack were frozen in fear. . The shackle around its neck beeped, and a bolt of electricity shocked the beast, causing it to roar in pain. It fell to its hands, the smell of burnt flesh not filling the air. Everyone backed away except Clayton. The beast tried snapping its jaws at Clayton only to get pulled back by a group of guards.

“I’ve got your scent COG! I’m going to hunt you down!” the collar buzzed to life and shocked the beast again. “A toy collar won’t stop me from killing you, COG. I’m going to rip you apart, eat your bones.” The beast was escorted away, to everyone’s relief. They didn’t relax when the beast started to repeatedly say ‘tick tock’. Its demonic voice faded away, causing everyone to breathe outwards.

“You never said you had a Locust here…” Clayton mumbled.

“THAT’S a Locust?” Rainbow exclaimed. “You’ve been fighting those on your planet?” Clayton nodded.

“At least now we can put it under ‘alien creature.’” Celestia smiled. “You have no idea how many exploration ponies we sent out around Equestria to see if there’s any other creature like that.”

“Doesn’t matter, we have other things to worry about.” Clayton mumbled.

“Right,” Celestia agreed. “Follow me.”

CHAPTER VIII: PHANTASM

“I’m surprised you’ve kept him alive all these years…” Clayton grunted. “Even after everything he’s done.”

“I know you’re not happy with it Clayton,” Celestia sighed. “But it’s a good thing I did.” Clayton scoffed.

Two unicorn guards nodded at the arrival of the group and parted from each other, revealing the door they were guarding. They glanced at Clayton, and then bowed to Celestia. A guard escorted the group of mares to a room next to the interrogation room. He explained how there was a one way mirror in the room, and the mares can watch the interrogation from there without taking part.

Celestia and Clayton stood in front of the interrogation room. Celestia nodded and the guard opened the door. They were met by a large, white room with a metal table. The mirror on the right wall indicated the one way mirror the guard was speaking about. Two chairs were set on one side of the table. The guards entered the room and closed the door. They stood at the door and watched. On the other side was a black stallion, his mane dirty and unkempt. His front hooves were chained to the table, to his demise. A small grey beard grew from his chin, indicating how long the stallion’s been in this prison. He wore the traditional orange jumpsuit. On his chest were his prison number and his name.

“King Sombra.” Clayton said coldly. A small, toothy grin formed on the fallen king’s face as he looked up. His hair parted from his face to reveal the broken horn on his forehead.

“Gotta give the boy points! He came all the way back from his planet to make this shindig happen!” Sombra glanced at Clayton, then back at Celestia. “Who’s got a camera? Ooh! Ooh! Take one of me and the kid first! Then you and me, then the three of us! And then one at the graveyard! Then-“ Clayton lunged forward, grabbing Sombra by the collar. Sombra looked at Clayton then smiled.

“You going to do it this time?” he whispered. “After you couldn’t due to that bitch holding you back? Are you actually going to pull it off?”

“Clayton.” Celestia assured. He looked back at Celestia before glaring back at Sombra. With a sigh, Clayton dropped him to the floor. He backed away and stood next to Celestia. “Thank you. If you think we’re here to kill you Sombra, we’re not. We just want some answers.” Sombra coughed, rubbing his throat.

“I hear you.” He got back up on his chair and gazed at the monarch. “You look good. Been working out? You could probably use a little more sun. Then again, who am I to talk?” Sombra laughed manically, his razor sharp teeth shining in the white light. Clayton slammed a fist on the metal table, leaving a noticeable dent.

“We’re not here for your games Sombra.” Clayton growled. “We came for answers.”

“Well to get answers, one must ask a question.” Sombra glanced over to Clayton and sighed. “Oh Clayton, you’re so much less fun now. All toughened up and in you serious pants. Still, better off than his brother right? Even tougher making with the yuks when you’re worm food, huh?” Celestia placed a hoof on Clayton’s shoulder to restrain him. This made Sombra smile.

“Sombra’s different isn’t he?” Rainbow commented, watching the interrogation.

“He’s been like that since he arrived.” One of the guards commented. “When you think you have power to enthrone a god, the thought of being defeated by a mortal can turn anyone mad.”

“Doesn’t matter now,” Another guard commented. “After this, we’re sending old’ Sombra here to Goatham. They can deal with him there.” Everyone flinched as Sombra slammed against the mirror, making a soft crack.

“WHERE IS HE?” Clayton yelled. “Damn it Sombra WHERE IS HE?”

Sombra was throne to another wall. His chains that were latched to the table were long broken, the debris scattered on the floor. He groaned in pain as Clayton picked him back up. He took off his helmet a while ago, revealing the anger in his eyes. Sombra smiled. Celestia pushed them both away from each other. She looked at Clayton, then at Sombra.

“We’re not here for violence Clayton!” Celestia yelled. She grunted as she used her magic to restrain him.

“Yes Clayton, listen to your mother. It’s not good to disrespect your parents.”

“You shut your damn mouth!” Clayton roared. The two guards now added their own magic into the mix, restraining Clayton in magical chains. They waited for Clayton to calm down before releasing the chains. Celestia sighed and released her grip. Clayton never left his gaze off of Sombra, who sat back on his chair.

“Now, back to the matter at hoof.” He smiled. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“Discord.” Clayton said flatly. “You were the last one to make contact with him. You know where he is.” This made Sombra’s grin to increase.

“And I thought this was a get together to reminisce the good times we’ve all had together.” Sombra frowned. “But all good things must come to an end.”

“Where is he?” Clayton repeated.

“Honestly, I don’t understand any of you.” Sombra grinned. “I mean, all these things happening in front of you. Clayton’s arrival. Griffins becoming mad. Luna’s turn.”

“How did you-“

“But it amazes me how you miss things that are right in front of you! You just ignore it like it’s a normal day.” Sombra glanced over to Celestia. “But it’s not, is it? So I have no idea where our friend Discord is, but I know you two will find out eventually. Because it’s not like he’s hiding or anything.”

“If he’s not hiding, then where is he?” Clayton growled. He took a step forward only to be stopped by Celestia.

“All things will be answered in time.” Sombra chuckled. “But for now, you better get ready for that council meeting coming up.”

“What meeting?” Celestia asked. As if on cue, the door to the room swung open. Shining Armor walked in, his blue mane soaked in sweat.

“As if we already have bad luck,” Shining armor passed a note to Celestia. “The Griffin King wants to have another meeting. He says that a local village of his was attacked by Luna. That guy gets mad at everything now.” Celestia looked at the note in silence. She glanced at Sombra, who had a large grin painted on his face. She stormed out of the room, not saying a word. Clayton walked over to the table and picked up his helmet.

“This isn’t over Sombra.” Clayton said coldly.

“Of course it’s not.” Sombra sneered. “There’s still more to this story.” Sombra laughed maniacally as Clayton walked off, Shining armor and the mares trailing behind. His laugh echoed down the halls until they reached the exit.

“Did I mention I hate meetings?” Clayton sighed; closing the storage room door after everyone left the prison.

“Twice.” Shining armor chuckled.

Chapter IX: Hide and Seek

“Where’d Celestia go?” Clayton and Shining started jogging to the meeting room. The rest of the mane 6 disappeared to help the repairs of the castle. It looked better than before, but it still needed repairs. No pony dared to go into the throne room as it had small traces of magic radiation. Clayton stuck his helmet back on, the lights springing back to life.

“She stormed off,” Shining paused to catch his breathe. “She’s probably already in the room.”

“For a captain, you have a short stamina.” Clayton chuckled. Shining stuck his tongue out in response. “But something’s not right Shining…”

“You’re telling me.” Shining got back his composure and began walking to the council room, Clayton in tow. “We just had a damn meeting and now another? This guy doesn’t give up.” The sound of yelling brought Clayton and Shining’s attention to the council door.

“You didn’t say he was already here.” Clayton grunted.

“I didn’t know.”

CHAPTER IX: HIDE AND SEEK

Clayton pushed the doors of the room open. He looked over to Celestia. She ignored the fact that Clayton has entered and continued to glare at the Gryphon king. He glanced over to Clayton and frowned.

“The beast has arrived.” The gryphon king spat. “Here to beg your master for food?” Clayton ignored his comment and stood next to Celestia. Shining closed the door and stood on Celestia’s right.

“Why have you called another meeting?” Clayton asked, trying to sustain his rage from Sombra.

“Noting of your concern, beast.” The king scoffed. “Run along now, the more important people are talking.”

“Well Celestia seems mad, so it’s now my concern.” Clayton shot back. “So I ask again; why have you called another meeting.” The king glared at Clayton, his eyes reflecting the light from the window. He sighed and nodded to one of the guards behind him. The guard threw down a photo of the remains of a village that was attacked.

“I have witnesses of your ‘princess of the night’ attacking my village and killing MY people!” the Gryphon king yelled, slamming a claw on the wooden table. “You have A LOT of nerve attacking my people you witch!”

“Luna did not attack your people.” Clayton defended. “Nightmare Moon did.”

“Another being Celestia has created.” The Gryphon king yelled. “You’ve done nothing but create monsters! From Sombra, to Discord. And even your own sister. So to solve that problem, you send this monster to attack my people.”

“Celestia did not attack your people!” Clayton growled.

“Do not speak, unless spoken to wretched beast.” The king spat.

“Clayton is not an animal!” Celestia yelled, slamming her hooves against the wooden table. “And you have no authority to blame me for anything!”

“Finally, you speak.” The Gryphon King sighed. “I was tired of speaking to your filthy pet.” Clayton clenched his fists. He glared through his helmet at the king and paused. Staring at the king, he looked at his eyes. Clayton ignored the arguing from Celestia and the king and started into his eyes, before freezing. The kings’ eyes were yellow with blood red irises. The Gryphon king glanced over to Clayton and winked.

“Honestly, I don’t understand any of you.” Sombra’s voice echoed in Clayton’s mind. “I mean, all these things are happening right infront of you.”

“Son of a BITCH!” Clayton roared. He lunged over the wooden table and tackled the king to the floor. The Gryphon king blocked two blows before Shining and the kings guards restrained Clayton. The king got up, brushing the dust off his armor.

“HOW DARE YOUR BEAST ATTACK ME!” the king yelled. “You have some nerve releasing your animal on me.” Clayton tried getting out of the griffin guards grips.

“Clayton, calm down!” Shining whispered. “Relax.”

“Remove this foul beast out of my sight!” the gryphon king yelled. The world slowed down as the king added another thing. “I don’t want the stench of failure in this room.” Clayton froze. The griffins slowly started pulling him away, ignoring the grin on their kings’ face. Shining reluctantly opened the doors and watched as Clayton was thrown out. He shook his head at Clayton and closed the doors shut.

The hallway was purged into silence as Clayton stormed off from the council room, pushing guards and ponies out of the way. His fists shook in anger as he pushed another pony out of the way. The rainbow manes mare looked back, her eyes furrowed.

“Hey Clayton, if you don’t want to talk, you don’t need to be pushing people out of the way.” Clayton paused. He glanced over his shoulder before continuing his march. “Are you ok Clay?” Rainbow followed Clayton down the hallway, before he paused at the door to his room.

“Was the King a big jerk? Because news been travelling that he’s been a total asshole about the whole situation and-“Clayton swung his door open and walked into his room. He violently slammed the door shut behind him, the sound heard all across the castle. “Or you can be a big fat jerk too!” Rainbow grumbled and walked off, ignoring the eyes of other ponies.

“How dare you try and start a war with the Gryphons!” the griffin king slammed his claws on the table. “First, you send your beast to attack my son. Then, you send your sister to kill my people. And now, you make your animal attack me?”

“I assure you, none of that was my fault.” Celestia shot back. She didn’t want to start a war with her own son.

“You can’t deny truth Celestia!” the griffin king roared. “I have proof of all the failures you’ve brought by being in rule! You are un-fit for ruling this nation!”

“No, you’re un-fit for ruling this nation.” Celestia turned her head to see Clayton standing at the door. All his weapons were on his back. In his left hand was a large bottle, the words ‘Equestrian Whiskey’ plastered on the side.

“Oh no…” Shining armor groaned.

“So the beast returns at the call of its masters help.” The king spat. “Get out of my sight and return back to your room.” Clayton rested a hand on the door frame for balance as he took a long swig of the whiskey. He slowly wiped his mouth.

“Say that to my face, birdbrain.” Clayton said coldly. Celestia was about to say something when the king got up. He slowly walked over to Clayton, their eyes locked with each other. The king got up to his hind legs and stood mere inches from Clayton’s face.

“Go back to your cage like the animal you are.” The king growled. Clayton and the king stood unmoving, their eyes staring daggers at each other. The tension in the room was high, causing Celestia to get up on her hooves. Clayton and the king slowly parted away from each other. They paced around the room, walking inches away. The glare never broke as they made a full circle.

Clayton roared as he rushed the king, his shoulder connecting with the kings’ gut. He grabbed around the kings waist as he crashed through the window. Shards of glass fell down as Clayton and the king made their decent. The king finally pushed Clayton off in mid-air, only to get a swift punch right in the jaw. They both crashed into the maze below with a loud slam. Dirt and dust clouded the area, blocking the vision of the area.

Clayton coughed as he fanned the dust away from him. He winced as pain struck his legs, causing him to kneel. The dust suddenly blew away as the Gryphon King flapped his wings. He stood on his hind legs, a claw over the sword on his hip. His red cape was ripped and torn as it blew in the soft wind. Blood trickled from his nose and down his beak. They both locked eye contact, ignoring the small crater they stood in.

Without warning, the king lunged at Clayton. He unsheathed his sword, the blade reflecting the suns glare. Clayton quickly pulled out his Lancer and activated the chainsaw, the hum echoing around the maze. The blade and the chainsaw collided in a furry of sparks the sound of metal grinding against chainsaw could be heard around the castle. Clayton finally stood up and pushed against the sword, more sparks flying everywhere.

A swift kick in the gut pushed the king away from Clayton, his claws digging into the ground. The king spat on the ground and slowly rubbed away any traces of blood. He roared as they both lunged at each other, their weapons colliding once again. The king pushed Clayton away and went airborne, his wings blowing some dust into Claytons face. He curved around in the air and flew downwards to Clayton, using gravity as a push. Clayton barely rolled away as the kings sword collided with the ground, blasting dirt into the air. He swung he sword in Clayton’s direction only for it to be blocked.

“You have a lot of nerve fighting a GRIFFON!” the king roared.

The kings’ sword sliced right through the rifle, to Clayton's shock. He threw away the two pieces and rushed the king, knocking the sword out of his talons. He rammed him through one of the walls of the maze, leading them into the center. The king pushed away Clayton and clawed his face, drawing blood. Clayton ducked under another blow and punched upwards, right into the kings’ chest. The dragon bone armor cracked in the impact as it pushed the king upwards. He reacted quickly and flew away from Clayton, dodging another blow.

The king rushed Clayton into the fountain sitting in the middle of the maze. He slammed the man’s head into the water, trying to drown him. Clayton roared as he elbowed the griffin in the ribs. He pushed away the griffin as he caught his breath. The king took no time to lunge at Clayton. Clayton barely dodged the king and grabbed the back of his head. He slammed the griffins face straight into the fountain, smashing the stone. The king lied unconscious, the water slowly turning a hue of red. Clayton backed away slowly.

“Aw crap.” Clayton gasped. Two griffins clad in armor flew down from the castle, investigating the body. Shining Armor and Celestia rushed to the scene, a group of mares trailing behind. "Awwww crap."

“Sweet Celestia Clayton,” Shining armor said. “Please don’t tell me you did what I think you did.” The griffins picked up the unconscious body and flew off, not saying a word.

“I think I might’ve.”

Chapter X: Hunted

It’s been two weeks since the news of the Gryphon King’s death came out. Celestia has been flooded with mail from different regions about the news. The horses of Saddle Arabia and the Zebras don’t want any part in anything that might happen after the event. Council meetings have been called multiple times to discuss what might happen. The Minotaur’s have agreed to help Celestia if there’s any chance of a war; if the Gryphon’s decide to call one.

Clayton hasn’t been allowed to leave his room at any circumstance. The trouble he caused two weeks ago has already spiraled out of control. Shining Armor has been chosen to guard and watch Clayton at all times. With the disappearance of Luna, Twilight has become the new princess of the night. At first Twilight didn’t want to take the lead, but understood as her mentor was getting tired of managing everything in the day and barely has time for the night.

Cadence went back to the Crystal Empire to stronghold the kingdom since they are the closest to the Gryphon’s, followed by Chrysalis. The queen of the Changeling’s has already turned her hive into another stronghold. If the Gryphons are to attack, they would have to go through Cadence and Chrysalis.

“Shining,” Clayton knocked on the door in his room. “I understand I messed up but you can’t leave me in here…”

“You killed the damn Gryphon King and pretty much set up a potential war!” Shining called from behind the door, a hint of annoyance in his voice. “I can keep you in here until Celesta calms down and doesn’t kill you like last time.”

“Don’t remind me…” Clayton scoffed as he walked back to his bed. “By the way, I’m out of booze.”

“Good! Now I don’t have to worry about you killing another king!” Shining yelled back.

“But it wasn’t the king!” Clayton yelled. “It was Discord!”

“Discord’s been bucking with your brain since you came to Equestria!” Shining groaned. “Just ignore the bastard until all this horse shit you made finally flushes.” Clayton grumbled and gazed over to the window.

The night was young in Canterlot. The white moon shone down on the sleeping city, street lights illuminating the cobblestone roads. Store lights and signs were being turned off for the night as everyone slept. The only lights on were from the nightclub located close to the center of Canterlot. Guards walked down the streets, patrolling for any criminals or spies.

But what no one noticed was the griffin crouched on top of a roof. The griffin wore an orange and black mask, the colors split in the middle. Two golden eyes glowed in the moonlight. The griffin wore a black jumpsuit. A long bandolier hung across his chest, the front lined with different arrows. A quiver and a bow were strapped to his back, holding many arrows. On his right arm was a miniature crossbow. A large belt was strapped around his waist, multiple grenades and pouches.

The griffin produced a set of binoculars and looked over to the castle, scanning all the guards. He looked down at the piece of paper he got from the person he got the job from and nodded.

“It’s show time.”

CHAPTER X: HUNTED

“So did you hear about the alien killing the king?” two night guards stood at the gates of Canterlot. They gazed up at the night sky and sighed.

“Yes Midnight, we all heard.” One of the guards groaned. “Why do you think we’re here?”

“Yeah I know but still,” Midnight commented, stretching his bat wings. “We should’ve got a break since we’ve been guarding the gates even before the alien went rage mode.”

“Rage mode?”

“Yeah rage mode!” a small arrow shot passed the guard, sticking to the wall behind him. Midnight jumped, getting into battle position followed by the other guard. Their flanks clashed together as they watched each other’s flanks.

“Where’d it come from?” Midnight whispered.

“The roofs.” The other whispered back.

“Actually you’re wrong.” They both looked up just to have the masked griffin fall on top of them. They groaned in pain as the mercenary walked off their bodies, walking to the large golden gates. The griffin froze, looking down at his shadow. Without warning, he swung around and fired a crossbow bolt. The arrow went right through the throat of the guard behind him. Blood sprayed out of the wound as the guard gargled in pain, clenching his throat with his hooves. The mercenary ducked as the other guard swung his spear, the blade barely cutting the top of the merc’s head. The griffin swept his leg on the ground, tripping the guard. He caught the spear and slammed it into the guard’s skull. He paused, and let go of the pole leaving it standing upwards.

“The arrow in lodged in your neck was actually a capsule filled with a flammable liquid.” The Griffin glanced over to the barley-alive guard. He took out a small box of matches and lit a match. “You’re going to wish you died.”

Without mercy, the mercenary tossed the match at the guard. The blood instantly erupted into flames as it spread on the stallion, engulfing him in flames. His screams of pain could not be heard over the crackle of fire.

The halls of Canterlot were quiet. Guards were patrolling the windows and halls of the large castle. The halls were illuminated by the light from the moon, giving them a soft white look. But no pony noticed the dark figure gazing down from the ceiling. The mercenary dropped from the ceiling and landed gracefully on the floor, trying not to make any sound. He reached behind him and produced a knife, the blade gleaming in the moonlight. The guard didn’t even see it coming as the blade connected to the back of his head, blood oozing from the wound.

The griffin held onto the body and dragged it behind a pillar, trying not to get any blood on the floor. He slowly walked over to a corner and peeked around, his golden eyes scanning the hall. Three guards walked up and down the hall, their faced as stern as stone. The mercenary went back to hiding, pulling a grenade off his belt.

“I can’t believe you dragged me into this.” A familiar voice echoed down the hall. The griffin peeked around to see Shining Armor at the end of the hallway, Clayton in tow.

“I’m just getting a drink Shining, nothing else.” Clayton growled. He nodded at the three guards who said nothing. “Teach your guards to be more lighthearted.”

“I would do the same if I saw someone who started a war.” They continued walking down the hall at the end of the hallway until their voices couldn’t be heard.

The mercenary sighed and tossed the grenade down the hall. The guards looked at the round ball and looked down the hall. The grenade exploded into a spray of small needles. The needles covered the guards and injected some green liquid. Before the guards could react, their muscles started to stiffen, freezing them in place. The mercenary walked down the hall, looking at all the frozen statues of guards.

“The Wax Museum;” He commented. “Love that movie.” The griffin rolled to the corner of the hallway, peeking over. The light in a room was turned on, shining down the hallway. The sound of cups can be barely heard. The griffin sneaked over to the doorway of the room, peaking around.

Clayton stood alone in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water. He placed the glass on the counter and yawned, scratching his chest through his white shirt. Shining Armor watched the man drink his water and sighed, looking down at the wooden counter.

“What’s got you down Shining?” Clayton asked. Shining only sighed in response. He looked over to the window at the end of the dining room, gazing at the moon. “Well other from me fucking up everything…” Shining chuckled.

“I worry about her Clay,” Shining sighed. “I worry about Cadence, Chrysalis, and Twilight. I worry about them all.” Clayton laid a hand on the captain’s shoulder.

“Shining, Cadence is a strong pony. I know you guys are never seen without each other but she can hold her own on her own.”

“I guess you’re right.” Shining smiled and looked up. “There’s scotch in the cabinet behind you.” Clayton shook his head.

“Sober,” Clayton smiled. “But we’re going to need it if we’re going to be talking about you and Chrysalis.” Shining’s cheeks started to turn red.

“I-I don’t know what you’re-“

“Can it Shiny, I know about you and her.” Clayton opened the cabinet and took the bottle of scotch. Shining Armor floated a glass over to him. “But I don’t know all of it. Start to finish, no leaving anything out.” Clayton filled both glasses with scotch.

“You better get comfy then, Clay.” Shining chuckled. The mercenary shook his head and snuck past the doorway.

The mercenary jogged down the hallway and slowed to a stop as he stood at the entrance to the throne room. The tall golden doors stood tall, freshly repaired after the Nightmare Moon incident. The griffin took out a mirror from one of the pouches on his belt and angled it on the floor. The mirror showed Twilight sitting on the golden throne, her eyes closed as she slept. He angled the mirror to see two guards standing on each side of her, their faces stern.

“I’m going to check on Twily, be right back.” The sound of hooves echoed down the hall as Shining Armor walked out of the kitchen. He walked to the golden doors and pushed them open, not seeing the griffin on the ceiling slowly sneak in.

“Twily!” Shining said loudly. The alicorn jumped in response, rubbing her eyes. She smiled as her brother hugged her in response. “Everything OK here?”

“Yeah, just a bit tired.” Twilight said sheepishly. “Now I see how Princess Celestia feels.”

“Not as easy as you thought huh?”

“Not really.” Twilight smiled.

“It’s never easy baby doll.” A voice chuckled. Shining Armor lurched his head back as an arrow passed his face. The arrow penetrated one of the guards in the head, the limp body falling to the floor. The other guard went to reach when a loud bang echoed in the room. Shining Armor and Twilight yelled in pain as light filled the room, blinding them both. The mercenary bolted out of the room, a small pouch strapped to his belt.

Clayton ran out of the room only to collide with the mercenary. The griffin pushed Clayton back and jumped on his shoulders. He jumped off Clayton’s shoulders and ran, not looking back. Clayton growled and ran after him, followed by a recovering Shining. The mercenary jumped over a guard and slammed a knife in the other, the blade slicing through the guard’s skull. He spun around and slit the throat of the second guard, watching him bleed. He looked back to see Clayton and Shining chasing him and continued to run.

“You ok Shiny?” Clayton asked as they jogged.

“He died in Goatham. “Shining responded. “How is he back?”

“You know this guy?” Clayton yelled. They watched as the griffin spun around, two throwing stars in between his claws.

The mercenary threw the stars at Clayton before crashing through the window, spreading his wings. Clayton held his arm up and blocked the stars from hitting his face, the blades sticking themselves into his arm. Shining shot a blue bolt of magic at the griffin’s wings. The bolt collided with the griffin’s wings, causing the mercenary to fall from the sky and to the city below. Shining breathed heavily and walked over to Clayton.

“You ok?” he coughed.

“I have two ninja blades in my arm.” Clayton hissed. “I’m ECSTATIC!” Shining sighed and used his magic to pull out the stars, causing Clayton to yell in pain.

“I used a paralyze spell on his wings but he can still move.” Shining said, ripping one of the curtains and using it as a bandage. “We don’t have much time. I’m not making him escape again.”

“Who is this guy?” Clayton asked as he bandaged his arm.

“Dread Wing.”

Clayton and Shining Armor walked down the streets of Canterlot, a small band of guards following them behind. Clayton’s arm was still bleeding, the red curtain being a darker red. No one took mind to him as Shining directed guards to scan down streets. He looked around the quiet streets of Canterlot for anything suspicious when suddenly; an arrow flew over Clayton’s head, impaling itself into a house. The mercenary waved at the two from the roofs and ran, Clayton and Shining following him from the streets.

“Shining; Teleport!” Clayton yelled. Shining nodded and looked at the mercenary, concentrating on his position. His horn started to faintly glow as he channeled the spell.

Dread Wing looked over to Shining and smiled. He jumped off a roof and to another, pulling out a mirror. The light from the moon reflected off the glass and into Shining’s eyes, blinding the unicorn right when he teleported Clayton. Clayton disappeared and reappeared 20 ft. above the mercenary. With a loud scream, Clayton crashed through the roof and into the room below, awakening the residence of the house.

With a groan, Clayton looked up to see Dread Wing looking down at him from the hole in the ceiling. With a wink, the mercenary jumped to the next roof and continued to run. Clayton groaned and got up, dusting off pieces of wood and dust. He ignored the scared residence and ran to the balcony. With a grunt, Clayton jumped off the balcony and to the ledge of the roof, pulling himself up.

“GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!” Clayton yelled, ignoring the lights of houses springing on.

Clayton ran after the mercenary on the rooftop, his eyes filled with hate. This was the second time he’s fallen through a rooftop in Equestria, and if this guy thinks it’s funny, he deserves to die. The griffin jumped and backflip in the air, kicking Clayton in the face and stunning him. With a growl, Clayton swung a fist at the griffin, only for it to get blocked. The griffin kicked the man in the knee and punched upwards into Clayton’s jaw.

“The griffin king sends his regards!” the mercenary grunted as he kicked Clayton off the rooftop. Clayton fell down into a small display of Rosses and other flowers. He groaned in pain as he looked up at the mercenary on the rooftop. He watched where he was going and grunted as he got up.

“Are you ok?” Shining shouted as he caught up.

“Train station!” Clayton yelled. “Stop the train!” the two started to jog to the train station, the old train stationed at the train station. Its horn blared as it began to move.

Clayton and Shining approached to the scene to see two guard bodies lying limp on the floor, a small puddle of blood forming around them. Before they could say anything, an arrow shot out from one of the train cars and impaled itself in Clayton’s shoulder, causing him to roar in pain. He looked to where the arrow came from to see the mercenary winking at them. The train started to speed up as it left the station, leaving the two at the empty room.

“Buck! Clayton! You ok!?” Shining tried to pull the arrow out only for Clayton to push him away.

“It’s fine!” Clayton yelled. “Where is-“

“He got away.” Shining groaned. “Dam it he got away.”

“Not he, Shining.” Clayton said through gritted teeth. “She.”

The funeral in Gryphonia was quiet. Everyone wore black as rain pattered on umbrellas. It’s been two days since the robbery in Canterlot and the Gryphons were just burying their old king. The casket lay in the small hole in the ground, its gold trim reflecting off the light from the lightning. The king’s son stood next to the hole, his head held low as others stood behind him, tears in their eyes.

“Oh how much I’ll miss that tyrant” Discord watched from a top a crypt, his paw holding a glass of wine. No one saw him, but he saw them. The god sipped his glass, drinking the glass instead of the wine. “But it was fun making CC all mad at me.” He smiled as a griffin in black flew close the crypt, its mask half orange and half black.

“It’s about time you arrived,” the mercenary took off his mask to reveal his identity. “Gilda.”

“There were some difficulties.” Gilda coughed, taking off the voice changer around her neck. “I got what you want. Now where is she?”

“Gilda Relax!” Discord smiled, turning his attention to the griffin. “My prize first. Then I will release your sister.”

“I don’t have time for your games Discord!” Gilda growled.

“Then I’ll just kill your sister.” Discord thought for a moment. “I always wondered what grilled griffin tasted like.”

“Fine.” Gilda sighed. She grabbed the pouch on her belt and gave it to Discord. He looked at it for a second, grabbing it with his magic and letting it hover. When his opened the bag, a large grin formed on his face.

“You’re dumber than I thought.” Discord whispered. With a snap, the crypt opened. A small griffin ran outside into the arms of Gilda, tears running down the little griffins face. Gilda couldn’t hold her tears as she hugged her sister. “Now if you excuse me, I have work to be done.” Gilda ignored Discord as he slithered his way to the king’s son.

The son couldn’t react as Discord possessed the griffin. Griffins looked at him weird as he shook, until he stopped. Before the priest could say anything, the griffin king walked to the podium. He looked at the crowd, his eyes being yellow with a mixture of blue and red irises. He cleared his throat, wiping away a fake tear in his eyes.

“My father was the best known king in Gryphonia.” The prince spoke, his voice a bit raspy. “He continued the mantle of the family until his demise two weeks ago by Celestia. But we will not stand for this! Celestia has killed two of our kings in total! She wants us to die, to not have any leaders. But I will not stand having my dad’s death not be avenged! From this day forth, I will be the new leader of the Gryphons!

The ponies have betrayed us; betrayed our trust, our lives. They do not pity our lives as they think they are more important than us! They think they were the first known life, the first peaceful race. WE were peaceful, only defending ourselves from the Minotaur’s as the ponies didn’t even know of our existence! And when they do, they try to reason with us; try to make us join them. I know this is past but it is relevant as it was Celestia who killed my grandfather AND my father. We were better off without them as they think they can control us. But we control ourselves! We are independent! We don’t need aid from those weak, insufficient ponies; we don’t need them to control us. We make a stand!”

The rain started to fall harder, the lightning piercing the heavens. The crowd started to increase, guards and residence cheering for their new king. Gilda looked confused at all of them, not realizing they were hypnotized.

“Today, we will mark this upon our calendars! The day the Ponies and the Griffins waged war! Today, we fight back and take back what was ours! We will destroy all that appose! All the traitors of the Gryphon cause that plead the safety of these ponies will die! All that help them will die! We will become the master. No; the ONLY RACE ON EQUESTRIA!”

The prince glanced over to Gilda and smiled, his eyes glowing in the night. Gilda shook her head and started to run, pulling her sister with her. Discord smiled and nodded to two guards who started chasing her.

“Let un ending chaos ensure.” Discord grinned.

Chapter XI: Shooting The Moon

It was a dark day in Gryphonia. Thick clouds covered the skies, purging the mountains into darkness. Rain fell from the heavens, having no indication of an end. The streets of the once peaceful city were now filled with chaos. Griffin guards patrolled the rooftops, keeping an eye on the skies. Guards patrolled the streets, checking back alleys for suspicious activity.

They were looking for someone.

Thunder roared in the distance, shaking the wet cobblestone streets. Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the city below. Gilda watched the guards on the rooftops from an alley, her feathers and fur soaked to the bone. Her sister whimpered next to her, flinching at the bright light. she glanced up at her sister, looking at her hard expression.

The two backed up into the shadows as a guard walked by the alley, his face covered by the onyx helmet. He looked down the alley, checking for anything. With a nod, he continued to walk down the streets. Another flash of lightning made Gilda’s sister slip. She fell to the ground, kicking a can and knocking it against the cobblestone wall. The guard paused, walking back to the alley.

Without warning, Gilda grabbed the griffin by the neck, covering its beak. She sliced the guard’s throat, blocking the scene from her sister. She let the guard bleed out before dropping him to the floor. she looked for any witnesses only to look directly at the guard on the rooftop.

“Slag.” Gilda cursed under her breath. Grabbing her sister, she ran out of the alley and started running down the streets. Bells and alarms echoed down the quiet streets, indicating that guards are on their-

“Going somewhere!” three guards crashed through the windows of a house, grabbing Gilda and pinning her to the ground. Gilda kneed one in the chest, cracking some ribs. She pushed the others off her and screeched, stunning them for a short period.

“RUN SIS!” she yelled to her sister. “Go hide! NOW!”

Gilda stood on her hind legs as guards flocked the area. Some came empty handed while other came with weapons. One rushed at Gilda, spear in hand. Gilda pushed away the spear and kicked the guard in the jaw. the onyx helmet came straight off, clanging on the rock floor. She grabbed the spear and twirled it around, getting into a battle stance.

With a war cry, two guards rushed at her, their claws bared. Gilda impaled the first in the chest, the spear head poking out the back of the griffin. She let go of the spear and blocked the other guards attack. More guards started to rush at her, surrounding her.

Gilda pushed away the guard and slashed another in the face. She grunted as one grabbed her from the back, holding her arms in place. With a roar, she stretched out her wings, breaking the grab. She lunged forward, pushed two guards to the ground. Before she could finish them an arrow impaled her wing. She cried in pai8n as another shot her right in the leg, causing her to fall to her knees.

Guards stationed the rooftops, bows and arrows pointed at the griffin. She gritted her teeth as she got up, punching a guard square in the jaw. Another arrow impaled her in the shoulder, breaking the bone. She wined in pain, blood merging with the rain. She looked around just to see her sister hiding in an alley, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Run…” Gilda barely managed. She fell to the ground with a thud, blood forming a puddle under her. Her sister covered her mouth as she cried.

“Find the other girl and kill her too.” said a guard. “No prisoners, only trophies.”

CHAPTER XI: SHOOTING THE MOON

The moon hung in the night sky, illuminating the quiet city of Canterlot below. The cool gentle winds blew quietly down the streets. Night guards flew around in the sky, scanning the city. Ponies called at some of the guards walking down the streets, asking about what was all the commotion about. The guards just shrugged, lying to the resident ponies.

“I got you Clay.” Shining grunted as he held Clayton steady. Clayton clutched his shoulder, blood bleeding down his arm and dripping to the cobblestone floor, leaving a trail.

“No need for the escort Shiny,” Clayton chuckled. “I’ve been through worse.” Shining thought for a moment, before nodded in recognition.

“That is true,” Shining nodded at the guards at the gates. The two opened the large golden gates, letting Clayton and Shining in. “But for now, you’re in my care.”

“I’d rather be in Pinkie’s care any day.” Clayton said under his breath. The two chuckled as they entered the castle.

“Shining!” Twilight an at her brother, hugging him. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked into her brother’s eyes.

“I’m fine Twilight, thanks for asking.” Clayton grunted. Twilight broke from the hug and looked at Clayton. She covered her mouth as she looked at the cuts and bruises on his body.

“Sweet Celestia, you need medical attention Clayton!” Twilight gasped, looking at the arrow in his shoulder.

“Twilight, it’s just an arrow.” Clayton smiled.

“But what if it was poison tipped?” Twilight asked. “You could be dead in a matter of minutes.”

“Comforting.” Clayton said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“She has a point, Clayton.” Shining Armor agreed. “I’ll take him to the medical wing of the castle.”

“I’ll tell Celestia about the attack on Canterlot.”

“No!” Clayton grabbed Twilight by the shoulder, stopping her from heading to the throne room. “Celly’s been through a lot already, we don’t need her learning about this.”

“She has a right to know Clayton,” Twilight commented, shrugging off Clayton’s hand. “I’m not just going to keep secrets from Princess Celestia.”

“Can it you two, well talk about it in the morning.” Shining Armor ordered, standing in between Twilight and Clayton. “For now, let’s just get Clay patched up.”

The medical wing of the castle was whiter than the castle itself. The sound of hooves echoed down the halls and doctors and nurses pushed hospital beds into rooms. Many injured guards groaned in pain, the white sheets they lied on covered in blood. Some doctors tried saving the patience’s, while others pronounced their time of death.

A brown stallion in a white jacket walked into one of the rooms, shaking his head at one of soldiers that passed. He looked up to see Clayton lying on two beds due to his size. His shoulder and arm was bandaged with only a small amount of blood leaking out. Shining Armor looked over his shoulder to see the doctor shaking in his spot.

“Don’t worry doc, Clayton’s bark is worse than his bite.” Shining Armor assured. “So did you check if the arrow was poisoned?”

“We knew the arrow was poisoned when we got a sample of Clayton’s blood.” The doctor cleared his throat. “It seems that the arrow was laced with Magicae Ressistentiae.”

“English doc,” Clayton grunted. The doctor coughed

“My apologizes,” The doctor read the clipboard he held in magic. “Your blood is laced with a form of magic resistance.”

“Magic resistance?” Clayton repeated.

“Apparently whoever hit you with the arrow wanted to protect you.” The doctor smiled. “This type of resistance is not as strong as say an Alicorn shield, but its strong enough that you can take a significant amount of damage from a unicorn.” Clayton looked down at his hands, clenching them into fists and releasing.

“I don’t feel any different.” Clayton commented.

“And that’s the thing we don’t get.” The doctor walked over to the window, glancing up at the bright moon. “Our world is filled with magic. It’s like gravity, you can’t feel it but you know it’s there. If someone were to take some form of magic resistance, they would feel incredibly different. It’s like removing gravity in an area. The fact that you are not affected by it astounds me.”

“Remember doc, he is from a different planet.” Shining Armor announced.

“Yes but still.” The doctor turned to face Clayton. “When you first arrived in Equestria, did you feel any different?”

“The gravity’s a little off, but I didn’t become no Superman.” Clayton chuckled. His laugh died as the doctor and Shining Armor gave him a questionable look. “Long story; Anyways, I feel great doc.”

“That is nice, but you’re going to be monitored in the hospital until everything checks out.” The doctor nodded to the two and began to walk to the door. “Visiting hours end in fifteen. Good night gentlecolts.” The doctor bowed and closed the door behind him. The two waited until the sound of hooves disappeared in the night.

“Looks like you’re going to be here for a while, huh?” Shining Armor chuckled.

“Tell me about it.” Clayton groaned. “I don’t even like hospitals.”

“Medical center.” Shining Armor corrected.

“Bite me,” Clayton growled. “So did they find out what the thief stole?”

“It’s still under investigation.” Shining Armor sighed. He glanced at Clayton only to see him yawn. He chuckled. “Sorry if I’m boring you.”

“It’s been a long night Shiny,” Clayton smiled. “I need to get my beauty sleep.”

“You call that beauty?” Shining chuckled, walking over to the door. “Night Clayton.” He nodded to his friend and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

“Wise guy,” Clayton shook his head. He yawned again and laid back, resting his head on the pillow. With a sigh, he was out like a light.

Clayton woke up lying in a large white field. He opened his eyes to see himself under a snow covered tree. With a yawn, he got up, scanning the area. The snow covered floor went as far as the eye could see hills and trees making the ground less even. Snow covered the bushes and trees, indicating a recent snowfall. The sun shined down on the field, clouds covering the skies.. He breathed in the air, sighing at how fresh it was.

“Wake up big brother!” Clayton froze in place as he glanced over his shoulder. A young boy sat next to him, a soft smile on his face. The boy’s hair was blonde, just like Clayton’s. His blue eyes glowed in the light. The thick winter jacket indicated how cold it was. Clayton couldn’t believe his eyes.

“B-Ben?” Clayton stuttered.

“That’s my name knucklehead!” Benjamin smiled, messing up Clayton’s hair. “You said you’d teach me how to ice fish and here you are, sleeping under a tree.” A small tear went down Clayton’s face, dropping on his leg. Without warning, Clayton hugged his brother, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Clayton cried, not letting go of his brother. Ben squirmed in place, trying to get out of his brother’s grip.

“I’m so sorry brother!” Ben pleaded. “I only went on my own to look for a place to fish since you were asleep. I’m sorry if I scared you.” Clayton looked at his brother in the eyes, a smile on his face.

“Relax Ben, I’m not mad.” Clayton sniffled. “I’m not mad at all.”

“So you won’t tell mom?” Ben asked, his cheeks getting red due to the cold.

“M-Mom?” Clayton couldn’t believe what he heard. “Where’s mom?”

“She’s at the cottage, over the hill.” Ben flinched as Clayton got to his feet, running to the direction Ben pointed out. “H-Hey! You said you wouldn’t tell mom!”

The sudden burst of the door shook the whole wooden cottage. Clayton glanced around, sighing at the heat coming from the fireplace. Lamps illuminated the wooden room. A tall green tree sat next to the fireplace, covered in decorations. The whole living room had green and red streamers and lights. Claton’s eyes froze as a woman exited from the kitchen, a large pot in her hand.

Her blond hair was ted back, strands poking out from here and there. She wore a white night gown, an apron tried around her waist. She was about to set the turkey on the dining table when she saw Clayton standing at the door, shocked at the scene.

“I was trying to surprise you two when you got home.” She smiled, putting the turkey on the table “I guess the jig is-“ she gasped as Claytons hugged her, picking the woman off her feet. He spun in place, laughing the whole time.

“Someone’s in a good mood today.” The woman smiled. “I know my cooking makes everyone happy, but this is ridiculous.”

“I’m just so happy to see you mom.” Clayton sniffled. He wiped away the tears from his eyes. Ben finally made it to the cottage, huffing and puffing for air.

“Did you tell- Wow!” Ben gasped, his face glowing in joy. “You really outdid yourself mommy!”

“Oh hush, you’re making me blush.” The woman smiled. “But that’s not the only surprise I planned.” The sounds of footsteps brought everyone’s attention to the stairs. A tall man dressed in red and white walked down the stairs, a brown bag over his shoulder. The man wore a fake white beard walked down to the group.

“Ho, Ho, Ho!” the man chuckled. “Merry Christmas to all!”

“Daddy, you can’t dress up like Santa Clause!” Ben smiled, hugging his father’s leg. “But nice effort.”

“Aww did I make it to obvious Maria?” The man smiled to the woman.

“You just forgot the large stomach honey.” Maria smiled.

“I knew I forgot something…” the man groaned. He looked over to Clayton. “Clay, why are you just standing there? I’ve journeyed across mountains and I only get a hug from my youngest son?”

“You don’t like my hugs?” Ben frowned. The man smiled.

“I don’t like ho strong your grip is getting, it’s an indication that I’m getting older.” Everyone laughed at the remark. Clayton chuckled. “But enough of that, my wife has created a dinner for kings! Let us feast on this dinner!”

“Way ahead of you pops!” a familiar voice rang. Clayton glanced at the dining room table to see a young teenaged boy sitting in the table, munching on a leg of the turkey. Clayton raised an eyebrow, not recognizing the boy.

“Darius?” Clayton asked.

“Who?,” the kid asked. He jumped off the table, the leg in hand. “I don’t know a Darius big bro, but he sound like a nice guy.”

“No, that’s your name.” Clayton said. “Darius, Darius Carmine. of the four Carmines.” The boy looked at Clayton quizzically.

“Uh, not to burst your bubble, but there’s only three of us.” The kid pointed at Clayton. “You, Ben, and me, Anthony.”

“Anthony!?” Clayton stepped back, shocked.

“Well unless mom and dad are planning on getting another child.” Anthony smiled, looking over at his parents. “Then they’d be four.”

“Darius does sound like a nice name.” the man thought. “either that, or my father’s name, Darren.”

“You can’t be Anthony!” Clayton yelled. “It was Darius and me first, then Ben, and then you!”

“Did you get knocked out or something?” Anthony asked, worried about his brother.

“And none of you are even supposed to be alive!” Clayton continued. “Dad died when the Locust attacked and Mom died giving birth to you! And then a couple years later we all ended up on this weird planet inhabited by ponies! And I had to save this mare named Fluttershy while you two ended up in a town called Ponyville and met Twilight and the others

Then a couple months later some creepy king named Sombra tried to take over and a Changeling Queen killed you. And then Sombra killed Ben later on. All of you are supposed to be dead!”

Clayton breathed heavily, looking at his family. His mother covered her mouth, looking at Clayton with a shocked expression. His father narrowed his eyes at his son. Ben was hiding behind his father, whimpering Anthony tried not to laugh, but a smile was written across his face.

“Obviously, sleeping in the sun on a cold winter’s day must’ve fried your brain cells, Clayton” the man chuckled.

“I’m not crazy!” Clayton growled.

“Seems that way, since you just named some of the horses in the backyard.” Anthony smiled. Clayton ran to the window in the back of the cottage. He wiped away some of the condensation that formed on the window. A group of horses were walking around in the night, some eating patched of grass that they could find.

“You and I even named some of them. Twilight; because she comes out at night, Fluttershy; because she’s scared of butterflies. I was even expecting you to say Applejack or even Rarity.”

“I-I don’t.” Clayton couldn’t even say a word.

“Doesn’t matter now, the foods getting cold” the father commented. “Let’s eat gang!” the group all started walking to the table, finding their seats. Clayton stood at the window, watching the horses.

“Was it all a dream?” he whispered.

Shining armor walked down the halls of the medical wing. The sun was shining through the windows of the rooms, brightening up the white hallway. He grunted as a doctor pushed passed him, galloping to a room. Shining watched the doctors rushing to the same exact room the first one went into. He gasped as he recognized the room. Shining Armor began galloping over to the room, sliding to a stop at the entrance.

“What in Celestia’s name is going on?” Shining ordered, getting the attention of the doctors. A mare was crouched on the floor, crying her eyes out.

“I went to wake up Clayton to give him breakfast, but he wouldn’t wake up!” she cried. Shining went over to Clayton’s side, looking at his unconscious friend. He glanced at a doctor who was checking his heart rate with a stethoscope.

“Is he ok doc?” Shining Armor asked.

“Well he’s still breathing captain.” The doctor pronounced. “But it seems that Clayton Carmine has gone into a deep sleep. a coma if you will.”

“How long do you think?” Shining Armor asked.

“Only time will tell.”

“I got one!” Ben exclaimed. He pulled on the fishing rod, reeling in the string. He grunted as the fish started to pull, pushing Ben closer to the lake. Clayton grabbed his brother, pulling on the rod with him.

“I got you Ben- Whoa!” Clayton started pulling harder, reeling in the line. “You caught a big one!” they both pulled as hard as they could, until the wire snapped. They both fell backwards into the snow with a thud.

“I did catch a big one…” Ben sulked. Clayton ruffled his brothers hair, laughing.

“Hey, it’s not the end of the world kiddo, it’s just a fish.”

“But it would’ve been my first catch!” Ben crossed his arms.

“At first you don’t succeed, try, and try again!” Anthony called, tossing a new fishing rod to the boys.

“The wise words of Anthony Carmine,” Clayton smiled, picking up the rod. “Give him a medal.”

“No need for sarcasm big bro,” Anthony chuckled. “At least I caught a fish.”

“Meanie!” Ben shouted. The kid scoped up a handful of snow and tossed it at his brother. Anthony blocked the snow, a grin creeping on his face.

“Snowball fight!” Anthony called, tossing a clump of snow right at Clayton’s face. With a laugh, Clayton tossed the snow back. The playful fight became a war as snow was tossed in the air and at each other.

“What in the hell?” the man chuckled as the three boys returned into the cottage, covered in snow. “Seems like you boys had fun.”

“At this rate, we’re never going to catch any fish.” Clayton chuckled. The other two joined in, laughing at the fact that they can’t catch anything.

“I don’t really mind,” Ben chuckled. “I don’t even like fish.” His laugh died down as Anthony picked him up by the collar, shaking him around.

“It was your idea on going fishing in the first place and you don’t even like fish!” Anthony growled. “For that we should give you nonstop fish until you starve to death from not eating it!”

“I was just kidding!” Ben pleaded. Clayton and the father chuckled at Ben’s misfortune. Clayton sat next to his father on the couch with a sigh, watching the fire.

“You ok sport?” the father asked.

“Yeah, just thinking,” Clayton said. “Sorry about my outburst yesterday. I guess I just wasn’t myself.”

“Or the sun really did burn some brain cells.” The two chuckled at the man’s witty response. “It’s ok Clay, stuff happens.”

“Yeah…” Clayton sighed. “Where’s mom?”

“She went to work.” The man answered. Clayton lanced at his father. He was reading the newspaper under the light of the lamp. Clayton’s eyes narrowed as he looked back at the fire.

“How long has she been working?” Clayton asked.

“She’s always been working?” The man grunted as Clayton grabbed him by the collar. The two boys stopped playing as they’re father was slammed against the wall.

“Mom’s a stay at home mother!” Clayton growled. “She’s never worked ever since she’s got me!”

“What? Yes she has!” the man grunted.

“LIAR!” Clayton roared. Without warning, Clayton tossed his father through the window with a crash. The man groaned as he landed on the snow.

“Clayton what the hell!” Anthony punched his brother square in the face, causing him to stumble in place. “Ben, check on dad! I’ll handle Clayt-OOF!” Clayton punched Anthony in the gut, causing the boy to bend forward. His knee connected with the boy’s face, sending him backwards into the kitchen.

Clayton looked over to Ben, sighing as he saw his brother scared out of his mind. Ignoring the boy, he walked over to his dad, his fists clenched. Out of nowhere, Ben wrapped his arms around Clayton’s neck, trying to choke the man. Clayton tried shaking off his younger brother, but he wouldn’t let go. With roar, Clayton slammed his back against a wall, knocking Ben unconscious.

Clayton turned around and bent down to his knees. He looked at Ben, checking for any signs of injury. Ben’s eyes shot open, causing Clayton to jump backwards. The boys eyes were glowing red, glaring directly at Clayton. The sound of shuffling could be heard from the kitchen as Anthony walked into the scene, his eyes also red.

Ben got up to his feet, looking older that he was a second ago. He was wearing the traditional COG armor, a large gaping hole in his chest. Blood and black ooze was seeping through the large grin on his face. Anthony was also in COG armor, blood oozing from his eyes. Their skin was turning a light grey. They both started to stumble closer, their arms outstretched. Clayton started to crawl backwards, his breath quickened.

“Why couldn’t you save us brother?” they both said simultaneously.

Without warning, Benjamin lunged forward, teeth bared. Clayton quickly kicked him in the jaw, knocking him out. Anthony pinned him against the floor, his grip causing Clayton to growl in pain. With a grunt, Clayton kicked Anthony right in the chest, launching him off. His relief was short as he looked at the severed arms of Anthony that were still gripped on him. He quickly pulled them off, shivering in disgust.

Ben grabbed Clayton by the neck, picking him up off the floor. He threw his brother across the room, sending him crashing into the dining room table. Clayton groaned, rubbing his head. He gasped as a couch was thrown at him, smashing through the window above him. He lunged at his brother, pinning him to the floor. With a fatal blow, he smashed his brother’s head against the floor multiple times until the body went limp. With a sigh, Clayton got to his feet, dusting off himself.

“Where am I?” Clayton yelled at the heavens. “I knew this was just a dream!”

“Did you now?” a female voice echoed. “Because this isn’t a dream, just a nightmare.”

A loud crash made Clayton turn his attention to the door. Multiple arms stuck out of the door, trying to grab the door knob. Clayton watched as the windows all smashed open, multiple red eyes glaring at him from outside. Multiple hordes of Ben’s and Anthony’s started to pile inside, stumbling closer to Clayton. They all said the same haunting thing over and over again.

Clayton ducked as one tried to lunge at him. Another grabbed him by the neck, pulling him backwards. He elbowed the zombie in the gut, causing it to let go. He turned to kick it in the gut, just for his leg to get caught in mid-air. Two zombies grabbed him by the arms, keeping him in place. Clayton kicked the zombie grabbing his leg in the head. He landed on both his legs and tossed the other zombies in the crowd.

He grunted as one tried to tackle him down. he slammed his arms into the zombies back, slamming him to the floor. One grabbed his from behind, wrapping his arms around Clayton’s neck. He tried grabbing the menace only to get tackled to the floor. More of the monsters started to pile on top of him, holding him down. Clayton tried moving, but only to get completely engulfed in darkness.

Clayton gasped in some air as he got up. He looked around only to see he was surrounded in darkness. The only light was coming from the bright moon and the stars in the sky. The grass beneath him was black, almost unidentified. A female laugh echoed in the darkness, causing Clayton to get up on his feet. He tried reaching for his pistol, only to find nothing.

“Nuh uh, my prey,” The female voice spoke. “You’re in my world now.”

“I know who you are, Nightmare Moon.” Clayton growled.

“Then you also know that if you die in a dream, YOU DIE FOR REAL!”

Two large cyan eyes glared down at Clayton from the sky. The stars started to shift into a form of a large pony from the waist up. A large toothy grin formed on the princess’s dark face as she glared at Clayton. Her mane blended into the starry sky, almost making her mane look like the sky. She wore a large metal chest plate with a dark sapphire pendant on the centre. Clayton gasped as he saw a small alicorn trapped in the crystal.

“LUNA!” Clayton called.

“No more Luna!” the large alicorn roared. “ONLY NIGHTMARE MOON!”

Clayton lunged to the side as the beasts hoof smashed into the dark floor with a loud thud. She slammed her whole forearm on the ground and swept the floor. Clayton was slammed against an old castle that was originally not there before. He grunted as he pushed against Nightmare Moon’s force. With a roar, he kicked her hoof away.

Nightmare Moon laughed as she tried smashing Clayton to the ground. He dodged as the hoof slammed into the ground. She tried pulling it back up, only to grunt as her hoof was stuck in place. Taking advantage, Clayton rushed at her stuck hoof, knife in hand. With a war cry, he slammed the blade into her arm.

“OW!” Nightmare Moon cried. She pulled her leg out of the ground, pulling Clayton with.

Clayton jumped off at the last second as Nightmare Moon tried to smash him on her arm. He fell on his back as he crashed through the old castle, landing in an empty hallway. He moaned as he got to his feet, clenching his head. He looked through the window to see Nightmare Moon trying to find him, her eyes like spotlights.

“There you ARE!” Nightmare Moon smashed a hoof through the wall and in front of Clayton, blocking his path. “KILL HIM!”**

Small arms outstretched from Nightmare Moon’s arm as clones of Anthony and Benjamin started to crawl out of her fur. Clayton backed up and started running away, ignoring the screams and cries of his brother behind him. A loud hiss echoed from outside, making Clayton glance out one of the windows. Clayton lunged forward as a large dark blue ray of magic shot from Nightmare Moon’s horn, obliterating the zombies behind him. He shielded his eyes as the ra started to get bigger.

Or get closer.

As quickly as he lunged, Clayton scrambled to his feet, running away from the large ray that was trailing behind him, destroying all in its path. The ray finally started to disappear, to Clayton’s relief. But it was short lived as Nightmare Moon’s laughed echoed the halls. He gasped as a large hoof grabbed hif from where he was, picking him up. The hoof turned horizontally, making it a small platform.

Clayton quickly got to his feet as the other hoof tried to smash him. He grunted as he held the hoof up, fighting the power of Nightmare Moon. He clenched his teeth together as his right leg fell to its knee. Nightmare Moon’s evil laugh echoed in the dark as she watched him, a large grin on her face. With a roar, Clayton pulled upwards, getting back on his two feet.

Nightmare Moon finally had enough. Without warning, she stopped trying to squish Clayton and instead smashed him into the ground. She laughed as she raised her hoof, looking to see the fallen hero. She gasped as all she found was just the smashed rocks and dirt.

“WHERE DID YOU GO?” Nightmare Moon roared.

Clayton crawled up the hoof of Nightmare Moon, balancing on the large mare’s arm. He started running up the monsters arm, hate in his eyes. He gasped as Nightmare Moon’s other forearm swung right over him. With a grunt, he stabbed his knife into the other arm. She hissed, swinging her right arm around. Clayton jumped from the arm and onto her horn. He stabbed the knife into the horn and slid down, ignoring the roars of pain by Nightmare Moon.

“NO! THIS IS MY WORLD!” Nightmare moon suddenly disappeared, causing Clayton to fall to the ground with a thud.

He got up to see he was in a different place. He was now in a large room with a dirt floor. marble pillars rose from the ground and held up the marble ceiling. The floor shook as a large hoof smashed through part of the ceiling. Nightmare Moon chuckled as she watched from the hole.

“You may be able to outsmart me,” Nightmare Moon growled. “But can you outsmart yourself!”

A loud war cry echoed in the large room. Clayton looked around to see a clone of him. Its skin was grey, but had the same body type. It growled at Clayton, its teeth razor sharp. Its eyes were glowing red, with white irises. It looked a bit larger than Clayton, but was still a clone.

The clone roared and rushed at Clayton, its arms outstretched. Clayton Lunged to the side, causing the clone to crash through a pillar. He looked over his shoulder to see the clone standing over him, a large piece of the pillar in hand. Clayton kicked the beast square in the chest, knocking it back. He screamed in pain as the pillar landed on his leg.

The clone took advantage of the weakness and grabbed Clayton by the collar. With a roar, he threw Clayton across the room, sending him crashing through a marble pillar. Clayton groaned in pain, wincing every time he moved. He gasped as the beast rushed at him, roaring like animal. Clayton kicked a piece of the pillar at the clones legs, causing it to trip and fall face first into the ground. Clayton winced as he got up on his feet, clenching his leg.

The sound of grinding metal made Clayton glance over to the clone. The monster was slowly walking over to Clayton, Lancer in hand. The chainsaw purred as the monster revved it up. He caught the clone’s arms as it tried to swing downwards at him, the wind from the chainsaw blowing on his hair. He pushed forward, causing the clone to fall backwards and onto the floor.

Clayton backed up as the clone got up, its arm turning into the Lancer. A creepy grin crept on the clones face as it rushed at Clayton, swinging wildly. Clayton ducked under a swing and shoulder charged the beast, slamming it against a pillar. He continued to serve blows to the clone’s abdomen, grunting at every blow. The clone kicked Clayton away and punched him in the jaw.

The creature swung the chainsaw wildly at Clayton, causing the man to back away. He winced as he backed up into a pillar. Clayton quickly ducked as the blade crashed into the pillar, wedging itself in pace. The clone pulled on its arm to get out of place, only to get a boot straight in the face. The beast fell backwards, severing the Lancer from the creatures arm. Taking advantage, Clayton pulled the Lancer out of the Pillar and slammed it in the clone’s chest, ripping through the rib cage and revering the clone in half.

“YOU HAVEN’T WON YET!” Nightmare Moon hissed. A large hoof grabbed Clayton from the room, pulling him out.

“YES I HAVE!” Clayton shouted. He stabbed the chainsaw into Nightmare Moon’s hoof, causing the alicorn to scream in pain.

Clayton jumped off of Nightmare Moon and crashed through the sapphire crystal on her chest. He exited through the back of the alicorn, holding the night princess in his hands. Nightmare Moon roared in agony as she started to turn grey as stone. Clayton watched as he fell into the dark abyss as Nightmare Moon began to crumble, her screams echoing as he fell into the abyss.

Clayton fell into the hospital room with a crash, smashing the hospital bed under his weight. He looked up to see he was in the medical bay, which was surprising. His eye locked as he saw his Lancer resting on the couch across from his bed, the sun’s light reflecting off it. A small plaster of blood was on the chainsaw, indicating that it’s been used.

“Did the Lancer come through the dream?” Clayton whispered. “That means-“ he was cut off ass the door swung open.

“I knew my pinkie senses were tingling!” Pinkie commented. The rest of the mares glanced through the door to see Clayton getting to his feet. “He’s alive!”

“I’ve always been ali-oof!” Pinkie, Applejack, Rainbow, Twilight, and Fluttershy all hugged Clayton simultaneously. Shining Armor walked into the room, a large smile on his face. “I guess I was gone?”

“You’ve been in a coma for a week, Clayton.” Shining Armor held out his hoof to the man. Clayton bumped a fist against it, chuckling.

“When I said beauty sleep, I didn’t mean it like that,” Clayton joked. “Trust me.”

“Well it’s a good thing you’re awake Clayton,” Said a familiar voice. “Because you have a lot of explaining to do.” Clayton groaned as Celestia stepped into the room, her eyes narrowed at Clayton.

“Listen we didn’t want to tell you about the attack because-“

“The fact that you thought it was a good idea to hide the fact that this thief stole Sombra’s horn is enough to know that you’re arrogant.” Celestia stated.

“Sombra’s horn!?” Clayton questioned.

“That’s why during your coma, the Crystal Empire and the Changeling stronghold has been whipped out.” Celestia walked over to Clayton. “We could’ve warned them.”

“We didn’t know what it stole until whenever Shiny here found out!” Clayton shot back.

“Will you two stop yelling at each other!” said a familiar voice. The sheets of the bed started to shift. Suddenly, tey were lifted off to reveal a young alicorn princess.

“Princess Luna!?” Everyone said in unison.

“I knew it.” Clayton snapped his fingers. “The whole time I was in a coma, Nightmare Moon put me in a perfect dream. After I finally freed Luna, I thought I pretty much left her defenceless with Discord. But when I saw the Lancer that I used in the dream here, I knew I must’ve brought her with.”

“You saved my sister” Celestia gasped.

“That’s beside the point, Clayton nodded to Shining Armor as Celestia and Luna hugged each other. “We have to prepare this castle for war. If Discord has already broken through the Crystal Empire and the Changeling Stronghold, he must be near.” Shining Armor laid a map of Equestria on the floor

“Let’s hope he’s not where we thing he is.” Shining sighed.

“And where do you think that is?” Clayton asked.

“The Everfree Forest.”