My scream of rage echoed, as I charged forward, only to hit air as I punched out. Varala had rolled out the way, her combat stance still low and tense. I turned to face her, my arms glowing slightly. I charged again but Varala dodged.

“Is this the best you got?” Varala asks, me laughing. “If it is, then this fight won't last long.”

I continue to attack, punching and kicking at her. All my efforts came to naught however as I still had yet to land any hits. I growled again as another punch goes without contact.

“I thought this was a fight!” I shout.

“Oh it is! I just like to play with my pets first.”

I backspin, trying to catch Varala with a backhand. I feel the rage and hate inside me increase as my blows still are unable to make purchase. I get caught off guard when Varala finally does strike back, my rage making me blind. I fall back, landing hard. I reach up and rub the quickly reddening mark on my cheek. Varala just grins at me.

“Is that better?” Varala asks. “You still learned nothing from our fight in the Colonies, I will win, just give up.”

“Never! I would rather die than become your pet!”

“Then so be it, you want to die so badly? Then I will give it to you.” Varala lunges at me this time, her claws out stretched. I roll only to feel pain surge up my back. I turn and find a large scratch crossing my lower back.

“You will pay for that!” I snarl.

“Then hit me! If you can!” Varala shouts back.

I don't exactly know what happened, but I felt my whole body shake, almost like I was vibrating. In an instant I was standing beside Varala, shock on her face and mine.

“W-What!?” Varala shouts. I just spin back and punch Varala in the head, her form flying through the air only to hit a wall. The sound of her hitting caused even me to cringe. I looked down at my hands and saw that my whole body was glowing not just my arms.

“What in the hell, did I just do?” I ask myself. I snap my gaze back up as Varala groans, pushing herself back up.

“It seems you have some skill after all.” Varala states, wiping blood from her mouth. “Though don't think for a second it will help.”

“Fucked you up though didn't it?” I reply, grinning.

Varala growls at me and charges forward, I change my stance so my hands are braced for the impact. Varala's body ploughs into me knocking off my feet, I feel pain rack my left arm, as I look down three long gashes were torn from my flesh. I hold my right hand over the open wound, blood trickling from my arm. I cry out as the pain shoots down my arm.

“So you still bleed then? I was right this won't take long.”

“You bitch!” I say, gritting my teeth as I stand. “I may not be as skilled as you Varala, but I have one advantage that you don't have.”

“And what is that?” Varala asks, Still smiling at me.

“This!” I shout, flinging my good arm up as a blast of magic shoots out from my palm. Varala dodges the blast but not before a large crater appeared where she once stood. I turned my gaze to follow Varala's movements, her face was the epitome of fear. Her eye's were wide, and she looked at me in horror.

“B-But...Y-You!” Varala stutters. I slowly move towards her. Varala backs off from me, her body shaking. “H-How?”

“What's wrong Varala? Where's all that ego you had? It seems to have left you!” My body starts to glow brighter, I stop as a pain shoots across my chest. “No! Not here!” I shout as my body gets brighter, I look to my damaged arm, the flesh of my wound sealing up as I watched. The wound glowing. I look towards Varala and grin. “You fucked up Varala.” I say, my voice not sounding like my own. “You made me mad to a point I can't control it! He's coming and I don't think he's happy with you!”

“Who? What?” Varala asks, her body fully shaking from fear. She obviously had no idea what was happening, so she didn't know everything about me. “What are you!?”

“I don't know! He came out six months ago, and it wasn't pretty. But I would call him a spirit or angel of vengeance!” I grab my sides as my body flashes with light, the pain getting intense. “You...should...have....left...when...you...had...the...chance.” I try to stand, but my body won't move. I feel my wings slowly extend outwards from my back. “Now....your....FUCKED!” On the last word my body erupts with light, but this time I feel different. I don't black out.

When I stop erupting, I drop to one knee panting more from the adrenaline than effort. I raise my hands and look at my skin, it was yellow with a subtle under glow. I try to speak but I can't open my mouth, I reach up and feel to my horror that I don't have one. I franticly feel my face, only to find I don't have a face, the skin completely flat. I start to panic, but I hear a voice as if from a distance.

“Protect.....Family.....kill!” I some how know who it was talking to me, I slowly nod to myself. “Good....gave....control....fight.”

I raise my head to see Varala still staring at me, the sweat visibly dripping from her feathers. She takes steps back before shouting to her griffon allies.

“Kill him! Kill him!” The griffons hesitate before flying in to attack me. I throw a hand up to hold three griffons in my magic, if I had a mouth, I would be smiling about what I was going to do next. The other griffons try to free their comrades by attacking my magic field around them, the griffons screaming. I slowly close my hand, as I do the magic field collapses, crushing the griffons into bloody mess. I open my hand and the crushed body parts that were once Varala's men fall to the ground.

I lower my hand, the remaining griffons looking at me shaking with fear. I turn to Varala and make a cut throat gesture to her, I didn't need to speak to tell her what I was going to do. One of the griffons in rage dives and attacks me, I quickly dodge his strike and follow up with a punch to his rib cage. My hand passing through his chest and out his back, the griffons face a look of sudden shock. He coughs out a stream of blood as I pull my hand out, leaving a fist sized hole through his body.

I watch as the griffons body slumps to the floor and just remains still. I turn my head up to the last two henchman, both don't move, too afraid to do anything. I slowly raise up my hand again, the griffons quickly drop their weapons and fly off as fast as they can, leaving Varala behind. I smile in my head, I can hear the voice chuckling. My head turns to gaze at Varala, who just has a look of anger and bitterness. She knew she couldn't beat me now and I loved it.

I slowly make my over to were she was, oblivious to the ponies now starting to appear, wondering what all this commotion was about. I clench my fists as my arms start to glow brighter, I hear ponies gasp. I however was only focused on one creature and she had to die. The countless times she hunted me, the men and personal she sent against me. The times my friends were hurt, the times I was beaten. They all flashed through my mind, my anger grew as I threw up my hand again. Varala's body glowed yellow as she was rapidly yanked towards me, my open hand grabbing her throat as she reached me.

“P-Please don't kill me! I-I swear I won't hunt you anymore! Just let me go!” I turn my head to show that I might be thinking about it, I turn back and shake my head slowly. “Wait!” Varala said no more as I slammed her body into the ground, over and over again I felt her body hit the stone beneath me. I stopped when all I felt was soft flesh in my fingers, the bone long since turned to powder. I looked once more at Varala's corpse, the griffon was unidentifiable, her face caved in and her body broken and smashed.

I stood up from my kneeling position and just stared at the body at my feet, it was over. The hunting, the attacks, I had finally beaten her. It was all thanks to the creature inside, my angel of vengeance. As I stared I felt the power in me subside, I didn't need to look but I knew I had return to normal. I threw my head back and let out a scream of triumph, every part of me finally resting. I dropped back to my knees, the emotion flowing from my body. I looked at my hands, they were shaking. I felt somepony put a blanket over my shoulders, when I looked up I saw the smiling face of Roseluck.

I looked around and saw ponies staring at me, some with faces of pity, other with expressions of disgust. I looked back up to Roseluck and smiled.

“Let's get you out of here.” Roseluck says, helping me stand up. I don't speak but just follow Rose to her house were she sits me down. “I will go find your friends, just sit here ok?” Roseluck goes to leave and my hand grips her hoof, Roseluck rubs my hand with her other hoof. “It's ok, your fine now.” I nod and let her go, as she disappears out the door, I smile again. I look at the blood on my hands. I won.

“Ah wonder what the princesses wanted ta speak ta John about?” Applejack says, sitting on Twilight's couch.

“I bet it was about his training or something.” Rarity replies. Fluttershy nods her agreement.

“I'm sure he's ok, it's only been half an hour. He'll come back here when he's finished.” Twilight adds.

“Then we can throw him a welcome back party!” Pinkie states, smiling.

“Of course dear, but let him settle back first. He has taken a long time to get back to us.” Rarity exclaims, sipping on some tea.

“Yeah ok.” Pinkie replies.

Applejack was going to say something when a knock sounded on the library’s door. Twilight had shut the library for a few days, much to spikes enjoyment. Twilight trots to the door and opens it.

“I'm sorry but we're closed today....Oh hi Roseluck. What brings you here?”

“Twilight can I come in?”

“Um, sure. What's up? You look pained about something.” Twilight says.

“It's about John.” Roseluck gets a small shock as Applejack rushes up to her.

“What about him!?” Applejack asks, almost shouting in Roseluck's ear.

“There's been an incident, John was attacked by griffons.” Applejack's face goes pale. “John's fine but he's done something terrible, he's at my house resting.”

“Ah should go ta him!”

“He certainly needs his marefriend.” Roseluck states, a smile forming on her face. Applejack nods before running out the door.

“What happened Roseluck?” Twilight asks.

“I didn't see the whole thing but I did see the end.” Roseluck's ears flatten back. “I....I don't really know what to say, he was not himself but I helped him all the same. After he changed back I took him home and sat him down, then I came to get you girls.”

“Wait, what do you mean changed back?” Rarity asks, walking up to join the conversation. Fluttershy following close behind.

“Just that. He was glowing yellow with his skin matching then he just changed, turning back into his normal self.” Roseluck replies. “I couldn't even begin to explain but I have to admit, it was unnerving seeing him like that.”

“I know you and John are friends Roseluck, I think everypony knows and I thank you for helping him. What John is going through I can't explain, I just know that we have to let it happen or it might damage him.” Twilight explains. “But with family like us and friends like you, i'm sure he will be fine.”

“I hope so, I would hate for something to happen to him now after coming back home.” Roseluck says. “Right now though I think he needs us.”

Twilight nods and the girls follow Roseluck back to her home.

I sat looking at my hands, the blood still soaking my fingers had begun to dry. I sighed, my body was still shaking form the fight but I had calmed down enough to think straight. I decided to wash the filth from my hands, the blood reminding me of my struggles. I had been in Roseluck's home several times so I knew were her bathroom was. As I passed her bedroom I had noticed something new, it was a picture of me. My curiosity got the better of me and I took a closer look. It was me sitting with Roseluck at one of the café’s near the edge of town, if I remembered that was almost seven months ago.

I just stared at the picture before turning away and heading for the bathroom, it didn't take long for me to clean my hands as the blood was still wet. When my hands were clean I looked into the mirror on the bathroom wall, what I saw looking back at me made my skin crawl. It was not me, my face was not my own, this face was that of a murderer. I tried to think of it as self defence, but then my thoughts went back to Varala's pleading before I smashed her body into the ground. I could have let her go, I could have trusted her to keep her end of the bargain. I shook my head. She would never have kept her promise, she was to persistent for that.

I finished up in the bathroom and headed back to the living room, I place myself back into the seat Roseluck left me in. I just waited, waited for what I don't know but every part of my body told me too. A little part of me perked up as the front door flew open and a pony I loved stood there panting heavily.

Applejack came over and placed her legs around my neck, her lips met mine and I returned her embrace. I could feel her heavy breaths enter my mouth but I was too caught up in the kiss to care. I squeezed her back, my hands rubbing over her fur. The sweet scent of her natural musk entering my nose. When the kiss was broken I leaned into her mane and I wept. I let all my emotions and bottled up feelings out, my tears soaking Applejack's fur. I felt Applejack's hoof rub my back, the feeling of her hoof stroking my wing helped calm my mind.

I sucked back my cries as a raised my head to look into Applejack's emerald eyes. I could see the hurt but I also noticed the subtle gleams of understanding and commitment. There wasn't anything I could do to make her leave me, not now not ever. Applejack has stood by me through everything, hell she even waited for me, for six months. I embraced her again, thinking only one thing.

Applejack is the pony I could not live without.