“So, this is the place then. Looks pretty dainty, eh?”

“That’s what the Professor said. He’s never wrong about these sort of things. Kinda creepy if ya ask me.”

Just beyond the point that separated the humble town of Ponyville and the deranged forest Everfree, two figures- shrouded in matching blood red cloaks- had their backs pressed behind the town gates. Though nothing on their appearance was visible in the slightest, there was definitely something about them that just screamed “suspicious”. Whoever they were, they definitely weren’t normal.

“But it just don’t make a lotta sense,” the first figure spoke up, his voice rather low pitched, and grammar having a lot to be desired as well. Not to mention easily towering over his counterpart. “Why would the Crimson Shadow be hidin’ in such a small ol’ place like this one?”

“Think about it, moron,” retorted the second, pitch not as low, but definitely raspier. “He’s probably trying to keep it low. This town definitely looks segregated. Fuckin’ Tartarus, there’s a chance these folks don’t even know about this guy’s reputation. Plus, it’s not a good idea to question Plasm, unless ya think living the rest of your life as a fish or something sounds like a fun time.”

“Naw, I-I ain’t doubtin’ him er nothin’. That scary laugh of his is enough to give me the heeby jeebies....”

Though their expressions were currently hidden under their fabric hoods, it was safe to assume there was mutual fear in the air for the two eerie figures. Shaking his hooded head, the more cautious of the two began to scan the area of any passerby that could blow their cover.

“Quit yer yappin’ already and focus,” the second of the two whispered, “I’ll search along that farm they’ve got going on back their. You lay low and make your way through town, and for Celestia’s sake, don’t blow your cover.”

“Aw, nuts! I’ll bet ya just picked to search in da farm to sneak some o’ those apples...”

“What are y-I don’t even-AGH!!! Just shut up and help me complete this damn mission already! Meet back with me here at the town gates, and don’t screw this up!”

And with that, the second figure leapt away so quickly it left an after image, heading towards the apple orchard. The first figure, after a moment’s hesitation, faded into the alleyways leading into town. Both were very aware of how their lives hung in the balance of this particular mission.

****************************************************************************************************

“Pinkie? Pinkie dear? Pinkie Pie, are you feeling alright?”

….

“....You cleaned out the entire fridge. When I saw that, I got rather, um.... frightened.”

“....E-Everything’s just f-fine, Missus Cake,” a voice from upstairs called out, not even bothering to open the door first. “Don’t you worry one eensy weensy little bit! Ahahaha.....”

The plump cerulean mare raised an eyebrow, but figured it was better to go against her better judgement. It was Pinkie Pie after all. “Ooookay, dearie. But remember, if it’s something important you know who you can come to for support.”

A couple seconds later with no response, Cup Cake let out a sorrowful sigh and made her way back to the register, a line of hungry, anxious customers waiting on the other side. Even she could see that something has been really getting at Pinkie Pie these past few days, and this was definitely the cherry on top that confirmed all her suspicions. Cup Cake could only pray to Princess Celestia that this had nothing to do with their little chat the two had just three days ago....

Lying to Missus Cake -or anypony for that matter- didn’t exactly settle well in Pinkie’s stomach. That, or the immense amounts of junk food she had been shoving down her throat were finally catching up to her. Either way, the usually bubbly pink mare knew it was best not to get her boss involved in the circle of drama that Pinkie Pie had -more or less- pushed her way into the day she met that bullheaded black stallion....

‘Why.... why did I run away?’ the tormenting thought crept into her head, tears escaping her eyeducts as if they were fleeing a fire. ‘Am... Am I really afraid of him? I love him so so so much, but.... can anypony actually be scared of their special somepony?’

But... he wasn’t Pinkie Pie’s special somepony. No matter how hard the mare desperately wished it were so. Despite it all, she would give up any chances of the two of them being together if it meant seeing the colt happy. Maybe he would find another mare....

‘....Who am I kidding? He’d rather die than to fall head over heels with anypony.’ the pink mare chuckled as the thought went through her mind, though only for a moment before reality came crashing into her at full speed like a runaway chariot. ‘If Crimson keeps going through life pushing away others and penting up in his emotions.... it really will be too late for him....How can he even focus on all of these problems in a lifetime? They have to be eating him up inside.... He... He really will kill himself at this rate!....’

What started as sniffles became quiet sobs, before gradually dissolving into full blown crying. Even the sprinkled doughnut with lots a frosting was quickly rejected, none of the piles of junk food sprawled out in front of her look the least bit appetizing....

“I-I don’t think I’m all that hungry anyways.....”

****************************************************************************************************

“Oh, whoops. Silly me, I’m terribly sorry, I-”

“Next time, watch where yer goin’, little pony.”

“Ooookay then....”

The considerably large, oafish cloaked figure made his way through the town square. He was at least twice as big as anypony he passed on his way, and weird looks from the simple civilians passed to each other and the stranger as he went.

“Wow, rude...”

“Did you just see that guy? I never...”

“And what kind of pony walks on their hind legs anyway....”

Whispers all around began spreading like wildfire, the covered up stranger paying no mind to the increasing gossip. ‘Hm... why would a murderin’ scumbag live in a place like this?’ the figure contemplated to himself, too intrigued with his own thoughts than maybe even the mission at hoof. ‘Now what was his reason fer that again.... I forget. Oh well, time to find some grub! Maybe then I’ll remember this time-’

ShhhhrrrRRRIIIIIIIIPPP

“Huh?” the pale green unicorn stopped in her tracks, red fabric caught on her horn. Without hesitation, the mare panickingly jerked forward, the sound of ripping and tearing getting more and more audible. “What is- OH, sorry about that! Here, I........”

The animosity in the air was thick enough to cut with a butter knife. The mare’s amber eyes grew twice their original state; she wanted to shriek, but nothing seemed to want to pass through her throat. Whatever this.... creature was, it was no pony. Not at all.

Scales as green as a boggy swamp; rows upon rows of pointed teeth, sharper than a freshly shaven blade; claws on all four limbs, each looked as if they would carve an apple tree with one foul swing. And it’s eyes.... reptillian to the core. “Oi! It ain’t nice to stare...” The eyes narrowed, a sinister gleam taking effect. “Why don’chu just let me be, eh?”

“C-C-CROCODILE!!!! EVERYPONY, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!”

“Uh oh.....”

****************************************************************************************************

‘Come on, Applejack, get a hold of yerself already! These apple trees ain’t gonna buck themselves ya know.....’

The past few hours in the apple orchard for the orange mare had never felt so quiet. So... lonely. Despite everything that had happened earlier today, ignoring her daily routine of chores was simply not an option. Even a broken, no, shattered and torn heart would not stop Applejack from keeping this farm up and running. The mare figured it was a good idea to start near where the apple trees came to a halt, as far away from the farm as possible.

As far away from.... him, as possible.

Even after so much time had past, her face was left absolutely soaked in fresh, still running tears rolling down her cheeks. Why couldn’t she get it out of her head? Not only was it hindering her work, but Applejack could have sworn she’d never felt more vulnerable in all of her life. She was supposed to be the strong one for all of her friends, but now.... she felt weak. And all over one black, bullheaded colt....

“It...It ain’t like this is the first time Ah’ve ever been y-yelled at! So, why....” At this point, Applejack had to completely halt her bucking of the apple trees, her vision too shrouded by her tears to even see straight. “Why am Ah actin’ like a scared lil’ school filly?! It ain’t like he tried ta hurt me or nothing! A-Ah was the one stickin’ mah nose where it didn’t belong! S-So….W-Why…….”

Applejack fell flat on her rump as she began to wipe the tears that stung her eyes, her voice too hoarse to even form another lousy word. Did she really care for Crimson’s approval so much that it could drive her to the point of madness, and turn her into a nervous wreck? Did…. Did she really love the colt that much-

“HEY, TOOTS!”

Applejack snapped her head to where the voice had came from. Much to her shock, the mare’s green orbs landed on a figure not much bigger than a full-grown mare, standing on its hind legs not much unlike Crimson would during a fight, and completely wrapped in a blood red cloak.

And the weirdest part was that she never even sensed its presence. Applejack found it rather strange; the mare had been bucking the apples from the trees for at least a good long hour now, there’s no way in the pits of Tartarus she couldn’t have even noticed it was there….

“Lend me your ears for a second, would ya?” Applejack couldn’t help but cringe in her hooves; the cloaked figure’s voice wasn’t all too far off from the excruciating sound of dragon claws on a chalkboard. “Ya see, I’m lookin’ for somepony a bit peculiar that may be wandering around this town of yours here from what my sources have told me….”

If anything, the mare would think that this guy was looking for himself with that description….

“An’ what may Ah ask are these here sources yer blabbin’ on about?” Applejack inquired, an eyebrow raised in suspicion while subtly trying to clear any remaining tears under her eyes with a hoof. She had a funny feeling jumping around in her stomach that this wasn’t going to end quietly….

“Sorry,” the figure replied, a hint of annoyance stained in his voice, “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that, it’s classified information. Now, if you would be so kind as to answer the damn-“

“Well Ah’m mighty sorry to you as well,” the farm mare interjected with venom dripping from her tone, “Because y’all can drop yer lil’ act already. Ah ain’t stupid enough not to know it’s Crimson yer after, an’ Ah sure as sugar am not jus’ gonna let y’all waltz in this peaceful town an’ hurt mah friends an’ loved ones. Ya clear?”

“…..Hehehe.” Even though his hood was covering up most of the figure’s face, a dangerous smile was still recognizable clear as day. “Hate to break it to ya, but it’s not going to be that easy. If you cooperate like a good little filly, then maybe I’ll save you the-“

“Shove it down yer blowhole!” Applejack once again interrupted the shadowy creature, fire backing up each word. “Like Ah said: Ah ain’t sayin’ a buckin’ word.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. And such a shame,” the hooded assailant shook his head in amusement. “And here I was hopin’ things would go smoothly this mission. But ya have knowledge that I want. And luckily, I have ways of makin’ little ponies talk….”

And without so much as a sound, the cloaked figure standing before her began to vanish from sight until it was gone without a trace, leaving the orange mare standing alone in a vast orchard of over one hundred apple filled trees.

Or so it appeared anyway.

The mare found herself knocked into the side of a tree with a THUNK, the wind knocked right out of her lungs. Picking herself up while gasping for air, Applejack desperately found herself scanning every which way in order to find the culprit with no luck. ‘Agh, dammit! Where could that bastard have gone off to-’

Left! Jump left!

Applejack threw herself to the left, rolling once or twice before she managed to catch herself onto her hooves. The mare’s urge to dodge nothing became evident when she felt a small stream of red liquid roll down her cheek. Whatever this creature was, it definitely wasn’t equine.

“Hahaha, that’s some instinct ya got there. Let’s see if you can pull that one off a second time!”

So that’s what’s going on here. The kooky figure didn’t vanish. He was invisible….

‘Well ain’t that just swell. How am Ah supposed to fight somepony that Ah can’t even see?!’ Good question, AJ. It’s too bad I don’t have the answer to everythin- Dammit! Broke the fourth wall again. What did Mac tell me about doing that....?

But enough of that. Applejack managed to duck under yet another strike from the not-so in-sight figure, this time without a scratch. The mare quickly began to count her lucky stars as she readied herself for the next attack.

“Don’t get too full of yourself now, mare,” The orange mare nearly jumped when the red cloaked figure appeared before her eyes.”Because right now, I’m just getting started….”

“W-Why don’t y’all just quit bein’ a Celestia damned coward and fight me on equal grounds?!” the irritated Applejack shouted to nothing in sight, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her chest.

“Well then, where would the fun be in that? And besides, it’s been a while since I’ve been allowed to play with my food….”

And as if he began to blend back in with his surroundings, the figure once again disappeared into thin air. It was uncomfortably silent until it was broken by a faint chuckle in the distance. Applejack could feel each and every droplet of sweat roll down her forehead, the saliva she swallowed the only audible sound for miles.

Several minutes passed, the spine-chilling silence in the air making each minute feel like the equivalent of an hour. The mare scanned through the apple trees with the intensity to make a cockatrice flee from a staring contest, but not one signal or warning could be found to figure out where her opponent was hiding….

Then, Applejack’s ear flicked.

The mare blocked a straight forward punch aimed straight for her chest with her hooves, smacking away a second that followed after. It was then that the orange mare found it appropriate to strike back, launching her hoof dead straight with enough fiery to take down an Ursa Major.

Problem was however, that her punch didn’t make any connection….

“But….But he was standin’ there jus’a second ago, weren’t he-GRK!”

The orange mare nearly lost her balance when she felt a sharp pain jab at the back of her neck. And as Applejack struggled to remain on her hooves, she swung ferociously at the air in hopes to at least make one solid blow. Instead, Applejack nearly ended up vomiting when a powerful arm slammed into her stomach.

She couldn’t even feel the energy to stand, leaning onto the invisible figure’s arm as if he was her crutch. “Aw, what’s the matter? Having a hard time keeping up ya stupid little earth mare?”

Applejack looked her opponent dead in the eyes –or at least she assumed she was- with her emerald gems, still full of a fiery determination and pride despite the fact that the mare’s vision was blurry from the blow.

“So, tell me, mare…. Ya interested in talking yet?” Just by the tone in his voice Applejack could tell he was grinning like a madmare.

“Ah ain’t…. down fer the count jus’…. yet,” the country mare protested between coughs, “A-Apple family members never go down without no fight…. Y-Ya yella bellied varmint!”

“Hehehe…. Whatever you say….”

He must have moved, because Applejack fell to her knees, a trail of saliva dripping past her chin. ‘N-No…. Ah can’t have mahself look weak in front of him. The bastard’ll jus’ find it amusin’ , ’ The mare reasoned to herself. ‘C’mon, Applejack. Get UP!’

Step by step, Applejack struggled her way back onto her hooves, and even more so to balance herself on her hind legs. ‘Alright, AJ, the varmint’s around her somewhere. Be patient. Feel out his movements….’

It was something she had never consciously tried to do before, but it was better than nothing. She would rely on the wisdom of the earth. Let the plants, trees, and soil tell her what to do. In other words: she was going to attempt Earth pony magic.

Applejack closed her eyes, and squeezed them shut as hard as she could. This was going to require concentration, and a lot of it….

‘Oh come on now, the hell do ya think you’re doing, meditating or somethin’?’ the cloaked stranger was getting rather annoyed, making him wonder why he had even bothered to turn on his camouflage in the first place. ‘I had fun watching you squirm too, not that this’ll make any difference….’

Meanwhile, AJ was coming up with satisfying results. It was as though she could feel the life force of everything around her. Every beat from the figure’s footsteps rang through her ears. She…. She could see him, just…. not with her eyes. This new little trick seemed like it might just come in handy after all…. Just be patient….

….And there he was.

This time, Applejack felt her hoof finally connecting to something, being made apparent when she noticed skid marks being made into the dirt for a few feet. At the end of the marks in the ground, something was reappearing into sight. This time, the hooded figure wasn’t so hooded anymore….

Applejack nearly gasped at what she saw. He had furless, rough green scales, two separately mobile eyes, and one long, slithering tongue flicking around his mouth. The orange mare wasn’t so sure if she really wanted to know what was under that hood anymore, but it was much too late for that. What… what was this creature?

“If Ah didn’t know any better, Ah’d say that yer a –“

“Chameleon? Oh, you’re right on the nose, ya damn fleabag….”

“But that doesn’t make a lick o’ sense….” Applejack mused to herself. “Ah’ve been all ‘around Equestria, an’ Ah reckon not once have Ah ever seen a walkin’, talkin’ chameleon before. Ah didn’t even know somethin’ like yerself even existed fer that matter….”

“Wanna know a little secret?” A sly, yet cold grimace curled over the reptile’s lips. “We don’t. We owe our lives to Professor Plasm! He’d be the ruler that this town, no this world of fur bags really needs!”

“That name,” Applejack put a single hoof to her lips in thought. “it sounds…. Familiar. Ah know Ah’ve heard it somewhere before, but….”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, brat! I’ve said too much already, it’d be a better idea if I kept your mouth shut for good!”

The cloaked chameleon didn’t waste any time when his tongue snapped right at the orange mare, who managed to sidestep and grasp onto the thin pink rope with her hooves. “Aw, what’s the matter? Mare got yer tongue?”

“……Shi-ACK“

Applejack yanked the lizard’s tongue with enough force to send him off the ground and soaring forward, an audible CRACK was made when his face met with a an applebuck with enough force to send him crashing into the nearest tree, each and every apple landing painfully on the cloaked chameleon.

“An’ that’s how we do it down here on the farm.”

Apples slowly began to roll off the chameleon as he tried to stand back up, but was quickly put to rest when a lasso ensnared over his arms and chest to keep him in place. “Well I’ll be damned…. I didn’t think a lowly little dirt mare like yourself could put up any fight-GRK! Watch how your tightening that thing, stupid mare!”

“Ah’ve heard quite enough outta y’all!” Applejack shot back in obvious irritation. “Now spill it, who is this here Professor Plasm, an’ what does he want with Crimson….”

“….Just who do ya think you are calling the shots here, toots?” the chameleon grinned up to even Wild Card standards. “Ya think you’ve won? Think again, mare! I’m going to snap you like a twig, little-urk….”

And just as Applejack was going to open her mouth for a response, it instead hung open as her eyes grew twice their normal size. The green captive gave a beastly roar; the twine on her rope began to thin and loosen, and finally snap apart, leaving it to fall uselessly to the ground with the ripped and torn fabric of his cloak. The reptile’s arms blew up twice their size, rippling with raw muscle that wasn’t there prior. And it sure didn’t stop there. Soon, his torso expanded until even a Minotaur in comparison would turn green with jealousy. The mare could only stand there, tilting her head higher and higher to compensate eye level as the behemoth shot up at a dangerous rate.

Finally snapping out of his state of euphoria of the transformation, the chameleon was well over three times the orange mare’s size, drool seeping out the corner of the savage’s mouth like a river.

“CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY, MARE,” the behemoth chameleon’s voice echoed throughout the orchard. “I NEVER ONCE THOUGHT I’D HAVE TO USE THIS ON A MERE PONY BEFORE. BUT YOUR LUCK JUST RAN OUT, YA STUPID FARM BRAT! I’LL SMASH YA INTO THE PITS OF TARTARUS WHERE YOU STUPID LITTLE PONIES ALL BELONG!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

The orange mare felt her legs shaking underneath her until they finally went out from the pressure. Applejack knew she had gotten herself way in over her head; she was an apple farmer, not a fighter! This was something she knew she definitely couldn’t handle on her own….

But alas, there was nopony around for miles to help Applejack out of this jam like this. Tears were beginning to well up in the mare’s emerald green eyes. Was this really the end for her? Who would this monster go after next when he was done with her? Her family? Her friends? The citizens of Ponyville? And after all that was finished with, what were they going to do with….

“….Crimson,” Applejack whispered to herself, slowly making her way to her hooves as she rubbed the stray beads of tears from her cheeks. “….Ah hope ya’ll find it deep in yer heart to forgive me, but… Ah don’t have a choice but to fight. Ah ain’t lettin’ this here monster hurt anypony Ah know an’ love…. An’ that means you too, Red.”

“ALRIGHT, LITTLE PONY,” the overgrown reptile took a crouching stance. “YOU READY TO DIE?”

“….Sure am,” Applejack retorted, a blazing fury in her new determined stare. “An’ Ah’m ready to take y’all with me if necessary.”

“AHAHAHA!!! FINE, LETS SEE IF YA CAN EVEN MAKE A SCRATCH!!!”

And in fits of maniacal laughter, the chameleon finally charged. While not nearly as nimble as before, he was still rather quick for his size. Bracing for impact, the farm mare accepted this may be her last few seconds and braced herself, her eyes sliding shut as she prepared for the impact just in case the first blow wasn’t enough to kill her instantaneously.

SLASH…

The seconds passed without so much as a single noise. Applejack slowly reopened her eyes, but her emerald eyes didn’t meet with the expected results. Instead, the beast didn’t even get to its halfway mark before a cloaked, a black stallion was kneeling near the chameleon’s now headless body. Seconds turned into minutes without so much as a word, the only sound being made was from the steam pouring from the body as it began to shrink down to its original size once more.

Applejack couldn’t help the fear that constricted at her chest. The black colt’s snout was splattered in blood that matched his eyes. She wasn’t sure her stomach could handle the stench of death that flooded the air. He must have sensed this, because the colt turned his head to keep it from her sights as he began to wipe at the blood on his face with a free hoof.

“…..Heh, don’t worry, AJ…. I forgive you.” And with that, Applejack’s knight in bloodied armor got to his hooves and slid his sword into the sheath. “I probably would have done the same if I were in your position.”

“How…. could y’all have heard-“

“Really strong ears. Big whoop, I know.” Crimson retorted with a hint of sarcasm apparent in his tone. “Also… sorry for stealing your kill and all. Just wasn’t sure you could really handle it.”

As Crimson trotted closer, he could see that Applejack was now scowling, her anger apparently even greater than the fear she still held. “Don’t ya treat this like a damn sport, Red! That’s just sick an’ y’all know it!”

“Of course I know it,” Crimson retorted unfeelingly. “I’ve been doing it for years, haven’t I? Hell, most of my life even.”

“T-That ain’t somethin’ y’all should go ‘round flauntin’ like it’s nothin’, neither!”

“I don’t flaunt it really. I’ve just done it so much that it doesn’t really faze me,” the colt said laxly, his bored eyes drifting off in any direction but the mare in front of him. “After all, that’s how monsters are. Even that lizard thing over there wouldn’t come close to the real me.”

“Y’all didn’t have any choice, which still don’t make ya a monster, Red.” While Applejack’s eyes were stern, it wasn’t impossible to see they were close to tearing up either. “But darn it, ya don’t have to act so buckin’ thick about it! No matter how much y’all persist that it’s true, Ah know fer fact that y’all are better than that….”

“You’ve known me like, what, a week? Nine days maybe?” the black colt deadpanned. “Jeez, you wouldn’t accept it if I drilled it into your skull, figuratively speaking of course.”

“Get used to it, Red,” Applejack directed her emerald eyes towards the ground, digging her hoof into the soil. “Ah’ve known ya long enough to know yer stubborn to think good of yerself even a lil’.”

“Look who’s talking,” Crimson gave a quick chuckle, “You’re the one who almost got her flank handed to her not a few minutes ago by mister mutant over there.”

“Ah was handlin’ mahself jus’ fine,” the mare hissed back, “Before he went all muscle-y on me Ah literally had ‘em by the ropes!”

“Sure, after you started using earth pony magic that is,” the black colt merely shrugged, “Sure, it was impressive, but I can tell that you don’t have what it takes to put him out for good. From what Glitch told me, many of those mutants possess a little steroid in their bodies that can seriously turn the tide of battle, which is why you have to kill them before they get the chance to use it. Let the assassins do the fighting, AJ. I don’t want you to ever know what it’s like your first time to know somepony’s death was on your hooves. Just let me handle it next time, would you?”

The silence that held afterwards was a long one. Crimson felt a tremendous guilt that this was probably the first killing Applejack had ever witnessed, though he couldn’t help but be rather surprised about how well she was taking it.

….Or at least compared to how Pinkie might….

“….Also, another thing,” Crimson spoke up, the silence finally broken, “Maybe I should be the one pissed about now, don’t you think?”

That didn’t sit well with the orange mare.“W-What in tarnation do y’all have to be angry about?!”

No words came from the colt’s side of the argument. Instead, Crimson simply plucked at the red and black cloak he wore over most of his body with his hoof. “Gee, I wonder myself.”

In a matter of seconds, Applejack’s entire muzzle was a glowing shade of red. Her heart began to beat at an alarming rate, feeling like it was going to bust out of her chest at any moment. She gulped, which was rather tough considering she felt like there was a lump in it wider than the time she forgot to chew her first apple….

“W-W-Well ya see, u-um… Ah well, ya see, Ah can explain that, Ah…..” The heat burning at AJ’s face didn’t help matters at all. The mare could have sworn that she had never sputtered so hard in all of her life. She felt like she could just die….

Applejack nearly squealed when she felt the colt’s muzzle smush up against her’s, she could even feel his warm, musky breath making contact with her own. Applejack swore that the blush that now coated the entirety of her face could heat all of Equestria at this point….

“Y’know, Applejack,” the colt started, his crimson orbs bored into the mare’s, causing her heart beat intensify even more. “I hope you know I don’t exactly take it all too kindly when somepony steals my stuff from under my nose….”

“Hehe, um…. ya see, Ah-“

“Goodness, Crimson Rays. Give the mare a break; I’d say she deserves it after all she’s been through.”

Both heads swung towards the direction of the voice, only to have their jaws hang in place. They only watched in terror as the body of the once headless mutant got back onto its feet. Only, not the same head that it once sported. Not at all….

Applejack was the first to bring herself back to speaking level, though a tad limited.“Wh-What in Celestia’s mane….”

“Why not ask your little coltfriend, I’m sure he at least recognizes me.” the mismatched newcomer chuckled. In place of what was once a chameleon’s head look like one of a unicorn stallion. The coat to the colt head was a creamy white, while his well groomed mane was a dark violet that reached his lower midriff. His eyes, a bright violet, held an unimaginable intellectuality, yet kept a menacing stare that was hard to break. The most noticeable trait about him was not only that glowing purple Scorpio symbol imbedded into his chest, but also that psychotic grin of his, that has yet to waver in the slightest. “I’m simply speaking through one of my many mutations, my DNA runs through all of them you know. Come now, Crimson. Rack that thick skull of yours and give the nice mare an answer. Hehe, I’m sure she’s simply dying to know.”

“….Professor Plasm,” the black colt finally spoke with a growl, “The Splicing Scorpion….”

Applejack’s eyes grew like saucers. ‘Ah knew Ah heard that name somewhere before….’

“Ah, yes. That little nickname always had a nice ring to it,” the eerie stallion gave a faint chuckle wouldn’t you agree, Crimson Shadow?”

Crimson ground his teeth, trying not to let the professor get to him, for Applejack’s sake. The colt sighed, “Plasm was a scientist and a gene splicer at the company. You could say that him and Glitch were rivals, but in different fields of science. Glitch is more of mechanic and weapons crafter, while Plasm worked in DNA and bioscience. I’d honestly go as far to say that the two were rivals in intelligence as well….”

“Those were the days, weren’t they, old friend?”

“Hardly, you bastard.” Crimson snarled, “You’ve tried to experiment on me more times than I can count. “

“Good times….”

“Anyway, Plasm has a sick little fascination with mutations and [í]alicorns. If he wasn’t creating freaks in his lab, he was getting ponies killed one after another in his little quest to create a full functioning pony with wings and magic. And because Plasm and Boss could never see eye-to-eye, Plasm left the company and went solo, where he makes mutations out of random ponies even to this very day….”

“Actually, I’d like to point out that this model here happens to be a bit different,” the mad scientist snorted, motioning to the body reptilian he was residing in. “This one wasn’t a pony to begin with. Rather, a Chamaeleonidae- or chameleon, that I found in the wild.”

“So….” The black stallion had begun to shiver, a bloodthirsty scowl obvious in his expression. “….You’re mutating animals too now, bastard?!”

“Why yes, and this imbecile was supposed to be the one to send you this message, but, I suppose I’ll just have to tell you myself.”

“Message….?”

“Crimson,” the mismatched stallion started, his grin curling into a full on wicked smile. “I want you to come and meet me in my lab somewhere deep in the Everfree Forest near Baltimare. You’re a big boy, I’m sure you’ll make it just fine. Who knows, I just might even reward you with some information on your parents…. Or maybe something having to do with that little girl I heard you killed in cold blood. You’re choice, Crimson Shadow! HAHAHAHAHAHA-“

Any laughter remaining was cut off when the black colt gave a SWISH of his black blade, ripping it deep through the reptilian torso the stallion head was borrowing as it fell face first to the ground. Without another word, Crimson slid the katana into its cozy sheath and proceeded to trot forward….

“….Red, where y’all heading off to?”

“….Isn’t it obvious?”

“Ya know this could jus’ be a trap y’all’d be walkin’ into…. right?” Applejack tried to reason, her eyes stained with worry.

“Heh,” The colt turned his gaze towards the frightened apple farmer with a rather twisted grin of his own, blood that wasn’t his own trickling past his matching crimson eyes, giving him an effective stare that could match that of a demon. “….Why should I care?”

****************************************************************************************************

“... I mean really, I love him so much but I can’t help but feel a teensy weensy bit scared when he glares like that but I mean come on it’s like he was trying to scare me off and I’m pretty sure it hurt him as well, and not just me and Applejack and I hope she’s doing okay, I don’t want her to be feeling too horrible, or actually I don’t want her to feel horrible at all...”

The tiny alligator moaned as another cupcake was shoved down his throat. ‘T-This ain’t what I signed up for....’ Gummy quickly chewed through the too-sweet morsel and prepared himself for the next. ‘I hope chamo’s doin’ better gettin’ info at the farm... this sucks!’ This time, it was a whole apple that was shoved into his mouth. He bit down into it, not paying attention to the pink mare laying on the bed beside him anymore. ‘This pony is too.... wha’s da word- annoying, dat’s it! I’mma gettin’ outta here!’

“And besides it’s not like cherries are bad or anything, I love cherries as much as apples, though I can’t say the same about potatoes or carrots, potatoes are spy plants ‘cause they got eyes so you know they’re staring at you and- Gummy, where’re you going? Gummy? Oohhh, whatever. I’ll just sit here and mope on my own...” Pinkie looked at the cherrichanga (or was it chimicherry?) currently taking up residence in her grasp. She brought it up to her mouth and took a small nibble, before sighing. “Still not hungry.... huh?”

The pink mare’s ears unfolded themselves when a subtle pitter patter began tapping at her eardrums. She flicked her head around to spot her miniature, and not to mention familiar scaled friend, the expression in his pair of pale violet eyes as emotion-filled as ever.

“....Gummy? Wow, I must of eaten too many sugar-coated chocolate doughnuts than I thought. I could have sworn you just disappeared after I was venting to you about Redsy..... Oh well! So, do you want this apple, or this here doughnut? Oh! Oh! How ‘bout both?! Now that I think about it, why isn’t there something in between, like an applenut? Or would it be called a doughple....”

****************************************************************************************************

‘Oh man.... I finally escaped from da madhouse. And escaped psycho pink pony! I thought I’d be able to grab somethin’ yummy to eat, not fer it to be shoved down my throat....’

The small gator scurred deeper down the pitch black alleyway, intelligently cursing his stubby little legs that this form had to offer. Scanning back and forth to make extra sure there were absolutely no eyes on him, the little alligator body began to radiate a dim light before his size morphed into something a little less.... little.

The scaled creature began to stretch out his limb joints, being so small in comparison to his usual size sure made him sore. Honestly, he figured these brainless ponies would better suit as lunch more than information, despite what his mean ol’ big brother had always spoon fed him....

“Only eat ‘em when they’ve filled out their use or when nobody’s lookin’.” the overgrown palooka recited to himself, “But after that junk da poofy pink one fed me, I don’t think I can eat anythin’ fer months....”

“How about iron or steel? I am sure all those sweets didn’t have any minerals.”

“Eh?” The lumbering gator turned to see a masked pony standing behind him, a hoof resting on the handle of a katana. “Wha’chu want, meatbag? I’m tired, and sick of stinky ponies. Go rub your stench someways else, yeah?”

The scrawny earth pony got into an attack position. “I do not think I require repetition of my offer. Either leave, or I shall deal with you myself.”

The gator growled, fed up with stupid ponies and their stupid words. “You tell me run?! I kill you and eat good!”

Only a few seconds passed before the colt rushed the mutant, sword pulled back and readily timed to swing it. He threw himself down to avoid the reptile’s claws from ripping off his head, following up with a leap just over the croc’s incoming tail. Using a free hoof, the masked colt balanced his entire frame upside down, hind legs perfectly pointed towards the clouds with his forehoof resting itself on the dimwitted mutant’s scalp. With an infuriated growl, the alligator reached his claws over his head for the pony assailant, only to feel a sharp pain rip into the back of his scaly neck as he collapsed beak first to the ground.

The robed assailant looked into the side of his blade, his reflection marred by a noticeable scuff along the mask that just covered his muzzle. Sighing, Hayai flicked his blade, the fresh red liquid splashing to the ground as he started trotting off. “I could never defeat the Crimson Shadow and reclaim honor if I cannot even manage such a simple creature without getting hit.”

Before the colt was to make his way off for the crimson demon, a quiet hissing had begun to ring in his ears. Hayai’s vermillion orbs managed to find themselves once again staring attentively at the scaled mutant, the hissing noise coming from the swollen wound behind its head, steam flowing from the edges as it appeared to be rapidly closing up. But it wasn’t over, not even close.

Only seconds after the cut had fully healed itself, the crocodile’s frame began to triple in size, muscle now coursing through its monstrous body. His limbs, along with his entire barrel, began to elongate. The creature’s beak widened as the beast flared its teeth, which looked sharp enough to take a bite out of a rocky mountain. The monster positioned itself on all fours, claws digging into the dirt, tail viciously cracking into the ground, saliva flowing out from its frightening jaw as low pitched growls seeped their way out. Most of all, its reptile eyes had grown feral and bloodthirsty, far beyond the point of rational thought, or even to comprehend the simplest of speech.

For a moment, the clan prince couldn’t help but mistake the ferocious creature for something similar to a dragon….

The now weak-in-the-stomach colt managed to snap himself out of the monster’s gaze, visible sweat straining at the temples of his robed hood. “If I let this thing live, the ponies of this town will be in grave danger. I must end this at once….”

Hayai now paced in front of the untamable beast, whose sickly reptilian eyes followed every movement right down to each twitch and step. The ninja reached into his silken white robes and drew out a pair of shuriken throwing stars, but were swatted by the mutant’s thickly scaled tail before they could even make their mark. The airborne Hayai came down with a slash of his katana, only to clash to a halt by the gator’s defending forearm, his scales now comparable to steel.

‘Not even a scratch?!’

Before any chance of counter attack was possible for Hayai, he let out an audible grunt when the monster’s tail thwacked into the colt’s stomach and he was propelled into one of the concrete walls of the alley. He was lucky enough to land on his hooves, as his lungs gasped for lost oxygen. Cocking his head back to inspect the damage, Hayai’s eyes widened when he noticed that the beast’s tail was enough to almost completely shatter the wall he bounced off of…

A few seconds of tension had passed before an idea had sprung into the colt’s head. It was a long shot…. but it was better than getting eaten by a vicious crocodile.

“Come, you foul smelling reptile,” blurted out Hayai, a newfound confidence shining through his masked expression. The colt then sheathed his blade, holding a weapon would only slim his chances of success even further than they already were. “Let us see which one of us is faster....”

The creature gave a wild snarl before charging at speeds much faster than the clanscolt prince had originally guessed. Timing his leap accordingly, Hayai made it out of the line of fire with only a small graze, watching as the beast smashed head first into the damaged wall. And just before the scaled fiend could snap out of it’s temporary daze, a thicker, much more heavy chunk of debris dropped over the mutant’s skull with a loud CRACK, the large piece of wall scattering to bits before he collapsed lifelessly to the floor....

The clanspony was silent, creeping his way near the body without so much as a sudden move. Then, he poked it....

“....It’s dead..........I can’t believe that even worked.”

-----

“Oh come now, Heartstrings. First humans, and now.... make up your mind.”

“Oh don’t use that tone with me, Bonnie! I know what I saw... this time!”

The tan mare rolled her eyes. “Yeah, this time. Like every other time you’d seen something crazy. A giant alligator, hmm? Maybe Twilight just miscast a spell again, hitting Pinkie’s pet alligator thing?”

The pink mare turned her gaze towards the two ponies as they passed her by, a chill passing down her spine. ‘Weird... what does that Pinkie Sense mean?’

“Gah! How much does this thing eat....”

Pinkie’s ear twitched at the unfamiliar voice. ‘A... A new pony?! Oh no! I-I don’t have my party cannon prepared!’ She turned, looking for the pony whose voice she’d heard. “Gasp!”

In the alley behind Sugarcube Corner was a colt wearing a mask, with a giant freaky alligator thing on his back. Daring to step closer, the poofy pink pony caught her hoof on the scattered chunks of wall, resulting with her muzzle meeting the floor in a loud clatter, and a small “eep!”

“What? Who could be-” The masked colt nearly dropped the overweight -and overfed reptile in a start. “No no no! Nopony was supposed to find me here! This isn’t good at all....”

“Ohh, you’re another assassin, huh? Don’t worry, I know your type. I’ve hung around Red enough to know it when I see it.” As she realized her own words, the mare’s ears folded themselves down, “Y-You’re not here to hurt anypony, right?”

“W-What- no! I am an honorable member of the Nichibotsu and I would never attack a civilian! ,” the clanscolt shook his head defensively as he began to sweat bullets, “Let us not jump to conclusions now! I was just passing along when I noticed this creature was going to cause trouble in this town you reside in....”

Pinkie nods, as if she understands. “Alright, so when do you want your party?”

“P... party?”

“Well, duh! All ponies who come to Ponyville get a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party in their honor! It’s tradition!”

“... Your logic is sound, but for one thing: I have not come to Ponyville, no; I’ve been here for a number of days, maybe even a fortnight. I am actually, as of this moment, departing to continue my training and take care of this... mutant before it scares somepony. And with that, I must be going! Or I am the son of our fallen leader himself, Kaminari Hayai!”

Smashing a white ball onto the ground, a thick fog of white smoke broke the distance between the two ponies. Once the fog had finally dissipated, the silken robed stallion was nowhere in sight.

Pinkie watched where the clanscolt had been standing for a second longer. “Nah, he’s too flashy, not like my Reddy-Weddy!”

With what started as joyful bounces, Pinkie Pie began to slowly trot to see one of her friends, only one thought in her head along the way.

‘.....Red, I’m sorry.....’

****************************************************************************************************

“....Twilight, darling? I’m not trying to interfere with true love or anything of the sort, but..... are you sure about this?”

“For the fifteenth time now, Rarity.... I’m sure.” The lavender mare stared into the spinning magical vortex, a meek smile present over her muzzle. “I’ve never been more sure about anything since the six of us became friends.”

“Well, the four of us anyway,” the cyan mare motioned around the room as her wings flapped, even being on ground level in a library too much to ask of her. “Pinkie and AJ aren’t anywhere. I haven’t seen them since they ran off after giving that jerk a bath.”

“Um.... w-w-what are you-” It took a couple seconds before the timid pegasus’ snout lit up like a Hearth’s Warming tree. “I....If that’s okay with you, I don’t think I want to know....”

“Aaaaanyway, I still say you should think about this! Crimson is a jerk and all, but Storm is a full on di-”

“Rainbow, be considerate here! Twilight has been running herself ragged and-”

“It’s fine, Rarity....” Twilight sighed, turning her attention back towards the swirling portal just in front of her. “I... I actually asked you guys over because I still have an extra ticket, and I wanted somepony to be there with me, I’ve... I’ve never been to this kind of party.”

“W-well, what is it, Twilight?”

“It’s, uh... I don’t know. All I know is that Storm’s sister is the main event.”

“Pfft. That guy has a sister? What’s her name, huh? Showers? Rainy Days? Or is it-”

“Vinyl’s what it says here. Vinyl Scratch.”

“..........What.” Rainbow Dash blink once, twice, three times- “WHAT?”

“Vinyl Vinyl Vinyl.....” the pale unicorn hummed into her hoof, “Wasn’t that the mare who DJ’d at Princess Cadance and your brother’s wedding? Oh! She’s also the one that played the music for our... rather disastrous, eh, fashion show.”

“Um, well, from what I’ve heard, her parties are very....” Fluttershy peeped up, “....L-Loud....”

The librarian ducked her head and sighed, “That’s exactly what I was afraid of....”

“Well, if I were to go, I’d need to figure out what I was wearing first, and also gather some things in case any riff-raff try to ruffle my saddle.”

“No WAY are you going without me, Twilight! I’ve been wanting to talk to her for YEARS, and it was way too crowded to even catch a glimpse of her!” Dash pressed her face against her lavender friend’s own, her rose eyes pleading. “Please? Please?! Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-”

“Um.... if it’s okay with you, Twilight, I’d rather.... not go. If that’s okay with you.”

“Girls, girls....” Twilight cut her gaze from the vortex to her friends, a stern look in her eyes, but at the same time.... nervous. “I should really get going now. You can decide amongst yourselves who would like to accompany me.”

“That sounds like a good idea, dear....,” Rarity gave an encouraging smile to the mare, “And.... good luck.”

With an appreciative nod, Twilight once again had her eyes glued her eyes to the portal. Within a few seconds, the mare had begun taking small steps, getting closer and closer until-

“Hey Twilight! I was wondering if you could make me a portal to the nearest-....Looks like you already made one.” Twilight looks up to see a familiar black colt standing in the doorway, his katana strapped to his side, cape billowing on a slight breeze as he stares at all the mares, from whom he’s receiving glares. “Geez, tough crowd... Heya, Rares. I found my old cape.”

“Yes... I see that, darling... Why are you wearing it, anyways?”

“I need to get somewhere, quickly. And I’d rather not fly. Running will take a long time as well. If I could get a portal opened closer, though... Twilight, what’s your maximum range?”

“Well, this one’s going to Canterlot, but I might be able to make one that could get to Manehatten, maybe. N-not for long, though, if I even could.”

“That’s perfectly fine. If you could make a small portal for me to get close to the Drake Claw Mountains, I can walk from there.”

“Well, I-” Thwam!

“Crimson! Don’t-don’t you run off like that! Ah-hah, jeez, Ah said Ah was goin’ too! T’ain’t nohow you’re not lettin’ me come with!”

Twilight tilted her head, a single eyebrow raised. “Applejack, what are you talking abou-”

“This here dingus is leavin’ to go after some kooky scientist who was ‘part of the same company Crimson was!”

“Dammit, Applejack! I told you to mind your own-”

“Crimson.” the lavender mare near the portal interjected, her eyebrow still mid-raise. “You do know that it’s probably a trap....right?”

“Yes, Twilight, I’m not stupid.” the black colt retorted with a huff. “And more than likely is, actually. I’m willing to take my chances, alright? And....he knows that too. He’s dangling a big juicy carrot in my face, and I’m not afraid to get hit by the stick if it means I can kick his ass to get it.”

“Well, then at least let us help-”

“Sorry, Twi,” Crimson cut off, “This is something I have to do alone. This guy has something I want to know, and I’ll damn well take it by force if I have to! And I won’t drag you girls into it.” Crimson gave Twilight a withering glare. “This is personal, Twilight. This is something I need to know, and if somepony not involved were to get hurt... You girls know what would happen to me...” Crimson chuckled darkly, his body shaking with built up anger. “I’m a bleeding heart, but I don’t have a long fuse. If you tagged along and got killed... Your families would have to stand in line just to poke at whatever shreds are left. Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it. I’ve already lost enough... Others have already lost enough because of me. That’s the end of that, now... can you make the portal, or-”

“....Crimson, quit being mister testosterone.”

“Oh don’t even start with me, Rainbow-”

“Crimson!” Twilight cut in, now yelling herself.” Stop acting like every stallion on the planet- all too stubborn and prideful to accept any help whatsoever. Even Storm is guilty of this exact same thing!”

“She’s right, darling,” Rarity chimed in. “We’ve dealt with much worse, as you probably are already aware.”

“No, you haven’t!” Crimson was starting to go from frustrated, to just plain angry. Why didn’t they just get it through their heads? “’Professor Plasm is one thing these others you’ve faced in the past aren’t. He’s merciless. You think he won’t kill you for the sport of it? And to top it all off, he’s been creating monster hybrids that are even more ruthless than he is!”

“Which is why we can’t jus’ let yáll do this alone!” the orange mare spoke up once more, a firm stare with a hint of worry. “An’ we were jus’ attacked by one only a few minutes ago too, we got out right fine!”

“AJ, didn’t you see that thing? The chameleon. That thing survived a hit- from you- that would have snapped a pony’s spine, and then it just tripled in size so it could do worse to you. If I hadn’t intervened, You’d not even get to wear a black dress, let alone a white one.”

Rarity gasped at the implication. “That thing would have just... k-killed her?”

“Yeah, and probably eaten her. Less evidence that way. And that was an experiment of a normal animal. That bastard has been experimenting on normal little woodland critters! If that monster was originally a pony though, chances are he would have been smarter too.

Rarity got a little green and started wavering. “I... I don’t feel so good...”

“He....He h-h-hurt animals...w-w-why would he....” All eyes were on the yellow mare previously cowering behind a couch in the background, now shaking as if she were going to burst into tears.

Crimson sighed, guilty knowing that he was potentially corrupting yet another innocent soul. “I know how you feel, Fluttershy. Animals have always been a fascination of mine, and just knowing this is enough to make me want to smash that bastard’s face in-”

“T-That......That big.... dumb.... MEANIE!!” Fluttershy was suddenly standing tall, her wings and legs splayed in an offensive stance, her face contorted into what was probably the cutest and/or scariest death glare Crimson had ever seen, panting and snorting heavily with unrefined anger... before she just collapsed back into a ball. “Why would anypony do such horrible things..?”

“That’s why I need to go alone to find him, Fluttershy-”

“NO!!!”

Crimson sputtered, shocked at the volume Fluttershy yelled. The ringing in his ears was also unwelcome. “Bwah?!”

“We can not let somepony continue on with this- this m-murder! Whether it’s ponies or critters, I can’t stand here knowing that something that horrible is going on, a-and I’m not helping!” Fluttershy marched up to Crimson until she was matching him eye to eye, or at least as high up as she could get from the ground anyway. “Crimson, my special talent is helping animals. If I can’t do that, I might as well burn my mark off now.” This was met by gasps from the other mares present.

“Fluttershy....” Any shock that was held in his crimson orbs was replaced with a stern, yet sorrow filled stare. “...I’m sorry, but you’d just get in the way-urk!”

Before he could even finish a simple sentence, Crimson found himself pinned against the library wall before he even knew what hit him. “S-Shit! That’s gonna leave a mark....”

“Just shut up!” the cyan pegasus screamed in the colt’s face, teeth gritted tightly. “Are you that stupid not to see that you’re gonna need help?!”

“Are you that stupid not to hear me tell you that you’ll just get yourself killed?!” the black colt growled right back, no signs of being intimidated present despite being held to a wall. “Or is that it? Do you want to be killed and see your friends get slaughtered defending me?”

Crimson flicked a hoof almost contemptuously, knocking Dash away before dusting himself. “I’m not some sniveling young foal who needs to be coddled, I’m an ex hitcolt. An experienced fighter, assassin, and intelligence gatherer. I’ve killed more ponies than I care to count, and I’ve been attacked more times than I can remember. I rarely lose. And the times I do, I still don’t lose as badly as my opponent. This is my own fight, and I’d rather see you go have fun then get killed by standing next to me.”

Twilight stepped forward, her portal spell wavering. “Crimson, we-”

“Nope, go have fun.” Before anypony could stop him, Crimson pushed Twilight through the portal.

“Twi-!” Dash flew into it faster than a bolt of lightning, the already destabilizing portal becoming more contorted as it collapsed and closed behind.

The silence that loomed the air was almost deafening, but quickly shattered when AJ gave Crimson a hard glare. “Red, Ah know that you’re stubborn as a mule, but so am Ah, an’ ya ain’t goin’ nowhere ‘less Ah’m by your side t’ help.”

“Same goes for me!” Suddenly, a not-so-perky pink mare was standing next to the befuddled Crimson. “I heard everything! I’m going too, Red!”

“....No. No you’re not, dammit!”

“I can’t not go, Red!” Pinkie yelled.

“Yeah, me neither!” Applejack exclaimed.

“I can’t just let the pony I love walk into a trap! What would Ackbar think?!”

“Ah can’t just let th’ colt a mah dreams trot to his death! What would mah fam’ly think?!”

There was a long, long period of silence that could be likened to split pea soup when it had too much garlic in it; while it could sometimes be okay, this particular batch was just sickening. It wasn’t even evident that the two mares leaning up against Red with their hooves even knew what they were even doing, being much too distracted with staring into the speechless stallion’s crimson eyes.

Rarity let out a small giggle that became a squeal of delight. “Heheheheee~! I can’t believe what I’m looking at, yet it’s happening right before my very eyes! How completely and utterly romanti-”

“Stupid.”

The giddy unicorn snapped out of her trance, her eyes locking on Crimson with a look of question. “....What was that, darling?”

“I said it’s stupid. I’ve already told them that they’re like family; like sisters. I’ve never loved anypony like that, and if my life goes the way I expect it, I never will. Love is a stupid waste of time, and it creates an anchor, a noose. When someone finds that anchor, finds your love, the noose gets tighter. Maybe a little, maybe a lot. I almost hung myself when Star died, but her mother deserved to know the truth, and who had killed her daughter. I’m not letting a bunch of mares tell me how I should feel just because they’re a bunch of backcountry, ear-flicking, wool gathering, namby-pamby sun-walkers! You literally couldn’t hide in a shadow to save your own life!”

The last word seemed to linger as an echo, grimly bouncing off the library walls. Crimson could feel the guilt circling in his gut, though not an ounce of regret was to be found. Really, getting them to hate the colt would have been doing them a life-saving favor....

….That is, until he made eye contact anyway.

“....W-What?”

Needless to say, the black colt immediately regretted this decision.

“....I...I t-thought w-we....I thought you....” Pinkie Pie clamped her eyes shut to attempt to hold back her tears, failing miserably when they were already running down her cheeks like miniature waterfalls. Without so much as another word, the mare pushed away from Crimson and silently trotted away from the colt as she sat herself down on the opposite side of the couch, far enough to be just out of hearing range from her sobs....

Or that’s what she thought at least.

“Red.... Crimson....”

The black colt looked to his left to find the orange mare, her emerald eyes filled with a look somewhere between angry and hurt. She figured that she’d be in the same shape as the pink mare, had her tear ducts not stung too much from overuse, leaving her unable to produce even a single tear. It appeared that that hurt had won over anger, as she followed suit towards the sulking Pinkie.

“Ah.... Ah guess part o’ what y-y’all were tryin’ to say was true,” Applejack muttered hoarsely, “Ya really are a jerk....”

The cloaked colt’s eyes lost some of it’s stoic appearance, instead replaced with a look of shock. This was nothing new to the colt, but.... why did it hurt him so devastatingly when she referred to him as one? “....Applejack, I-”

But Crimson was cut off mid sentence when he felt a well pampered hoof smack him in the face with a loud CRACK!, filled with even greater fury than the one the pink pony had pulled on him earlier that morning.... ‘Same spot, too....’

“You crass fool! Backcountry?” Rarity snorted angrily. “Namby-pamby? Is that what you’ve really thought of us, even after all this time?” The white unicorn questioned with a stern, yet offended tone. She glared daggers at the colt, her azure gems glassed over as though she herself were on the verge of tears. “Love isn’t something you can simply throw away, whether those feelings belong to you, or somepony else! Those two mares -and my best friends may I add- don’t deserve such hostile behavior from the stallion they couldn’t help but develop affection for, especially when he’s a barbaric, insensitive ruffian such as yourself!”

Crimson placed a hoof over the burning sensation swelling over his cheek, which he was quite certain matched the highlights in his mane. He turned his stare towards Rarity, his blood colored orbs boring into the mare to derail any suspicion of emotion.

“....Just mind your own business.”

Rarity spluttered, eyes going wide. “Mind my own- The nerve! Why, I-”

“CRIMSON.”

There wasn’t a single pair of eyes that weren’t focused on the not-so-shy pegasus, as she slowly, but gracefully, trotted her way closer to the cloak-clad colt. Her teal gems remained hidden behind the lids of her eyes, only sliding open to reveal once she had reached Crimson, the two almost touching each other’s noses. Stare held authoritative and strong, Fluttershy kept her glare glued to the stallion on the spot, who held a firm stare right back. He wasn't about to let a meek little sun-walker the pleasure of being in the groove of her hoof....

“Hurry up and make it quick.” Crimson spat in a miserly tone, not even thinking about holding back on this mare. He knew what she was capable of.... “In case you didn’t hear me before, I have a professor to catch. That means I don’t have time to waste with civvies....”

Crimson inspected the mare for an opening; a blind spot; a sign of faltering; anything to gain the upper hoof on her. But nothing ever came. Fluttershy didn’t let even one sign of weakness slip past her; it was almost as if the mare had looked into the eyes of a cockatrice for too long and turned to stone. She just stood there, the only evidence that she were even conscious was the occasional blink. And every time she blinked her eyes- even for a second, it felt like a wave of bliss crashing over him....

Seconds turned into minutes, not a single phrase uttered out of either sides, leaving nopony safe from the tension that flooded the inside of the giant tree-library....

And then she spoke.

“I don’t like it when others are mean to my friends.” Crimson stayed silent, the most insignificant wavering on his side making itself present. Fluttershy continued. “Call me whatever you want. But don't you dare say a word about my friends. Their kindness is warm, everlasting, and far from limited. The problem here is that while their kindness reaches out to shine on you, you just desperately try to hide yourself in the darkness where you think the shine can’t reach. But I believe that it can reach. It can reach, light up, and break down the dark walls you’ve built around yourself. Even if you don’t want it to. My friends’ light, including my own, can help guide you through the darkness that you don’t even try to break out of. Where there’s darkness, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. So don’t doubt my friends, even for a second, no matter how differently brought up they are from you. And if you can’t even do that, then how can you even think about calling yourself a stallion?”

Crimson felt a bead of sweat roll down past his jaw. The colt’s glare began to waver slightly, his breathing slowly becoming erratic. For a second, he wondered if this was how it’d feel to stare Princess Celestia dead in the face....

Finally, the black colt squeezed his eyes shut with a growl. “Why?! Why won’t you just give up?! Why can’t you just hate me like the rest of Equestria?! You haven’t even reached the tip of the iceberg yet, so how can you possibly fool yourselves in thinking I’m anything but a monster?! How can all of you be so mother fucking NAIVE?!”

“....Crimson.”

Crimson’s eyes snapped open at the mention of his name. Scanning across the library, his eyes instantly landed on the pink mare.... Pinkie Pie. It looked as though her tears had finally ceased flowing, the fur under her eyes and down her cheeks matted. Pinkie’s brilliant cerulean eyes shone brightly in the dimly lit library. What threw the colt off the most was that her eyes, usually stuffed full of perky-happy sunshine, mimicked his usual hard stares. Cold, angry, and.... sad. ‘Jeez, looks like she’s ready to take up my offer. I take it I lost too much of her respect to be called.... ‘Red’ anymore....’

“Crimson, you can be mean, insensitive, selfish, cold, grumpy, and even.... scary.” Any preppiness left in her usual tone must have went home early, just like the first time they had met.... The colt couldn’t help but find it a little bit ironic. “But.... I can see more of you than just that. I.... I can see a light.” Pinkie motioned with her eyes to each of her friends scattered around the room. “And.... I know I’m not the only one who can see it, too.”

Applejack locked eyes with the pink mare and returned it with a simple nod. “An’ that light is what connects y’all ta us. We don’t hate ya, Crimson. Yer our friend, an’ to a few o’ us here, even more than that. There’s a lot more to ya than y’all like to admit. Even if ya went back ta Boss an’ joined back wit’ the company.... We’d never hate you. An’ we never will....”

“And why would we hate you, darling?” Crimson looked over to Rarity, whose anger looked to have dissipated, her azure orbs now filled with a look of sympathy. “You're a ruffian.... sure, but so is Rainbow Dash. And we happen to get along just fine.... usually.”

The colt pasted his gaze over to the pale yellow mare, who slowly nodded with a soft, supportive smile over her muzzle. Crimson sighed, focusing his eyes in the floorboards- or more specifically, anywhere but them....

“....So I take it you’re not going to let me leave this town without tagging along.... are you...?”

An exchange of head-shakes confirmed the answer that Crimson was already well aware of.

“.......I guess I don’t have a choice then.”

Each mare now wore a smile that was filled with cheer and relief. Even Pinkie had seemed to mostly relax with a grin of her own.

“.......But,” Every ear in the room had raised tall and alert, all eyes once again back towards the cloaked black colt. “I’m the one who’ll be laying down the ground rules from here on out. Rule one:” Crimson started, each mare giving him their undivided attention. “We will only take a number of breaks per day until we reach that slimy bastard’s lair. So no whining about how long we-”

“He’s not really.... slimy now, is he? Just thinking about it gives me shivers....”

“No, Rarity. Unless of course he’s mutated himself to that point, but that’s pretty doubtful- …..now I’m getting off track, dammit.” The colt sighed, messaging between his eyes with a free hoof. “Aaaanyway, the second rule: scarce bathroom breaks. There aren’t going to be toilets, so bathroom breaks are going to be less.... glamorous.”

A chorus of gulps rang through the library like an orchestra.

“Third: nopony else is tagging along, just the five of us. Got it? I’m responsible for your lives already, I don’t think I really need the extra weight on my back.”

“Are.... Are you calling me fat?”

Crimson stared at Rarity for a long, uncomfortable moment until Rarity backed off with a pout. “Fourth rule: we only eat what we can find. Plants, berries, whatever mother nature has to offer. We'll be packing light so we don't weigh ourselves down.... Rarity.”

The white unicorn’s face flushed as she gave a pout, her eyes redirecting themselves from the stallion with a dramatic “Hmph!”

“And fifth.... Don’t let your guard down. The ponies out there aren't as.... nice as the ones in this town. If push comes to shove, I can't promise that.... there won't be blood."

A look of pure horror was apparent on each mare’s face. Crimson could only sigh once more; he.... he didn’t want them to have to go through any of this.

“One of the main reasons I didn’t want any of you to accompany me is because it’s going to be dangerous. VERY dangerous. There’s a good chance that... not even I’ll make it out alive once we get there....”

The library was left in an eerie silence. The black colt began to trot towards the door, without so much as a single glance towards any of his.... friends. Especially two in particular.

And then, Crimson halted at the door.

“This is going to be dangerous, there's no doubt in my mind about that. And really, there's a good chance that I'm not coming back.... Don't worry, the four of you will be safe, I promise. And I'll make sure of it, even if it costs me my own life........”

****************************************************************************************************

“-light! Oof!”

“Wah!” Twilight fell to the ground with a thud, Rainbow on top of her. “Ooh, Rainbow Dash... You don’t have to speed through portals, you know.”

Rainbow Dash looked around, to see that they were in a small park, just a short walk from a building that was aglow with magical lights. “Ohmigosh... Is that it? The concert? That’s so awesome! Come on, let’s go!”

Editor’s Note:
Dayum, this one was a doozy! And, for ‘That Strange’ kid me and Wolfie love- yes, we’re talking about you, Mama Luigi- the chapter you’ve been waiting for is coming soon.

Author’s Note: Dafuq, this is only a couple of words away from hitting 12,000. If only there was some way to even out the letters to make it hit an even number. Like, to round for us I guess. Far as I know, nothing like that exists. I mean, it would be pretty impressive to hit 12,000 words on a chapter we worked hard on. I could always ramble and junk, but what asshole would do such a thing, and just to get his word amount up too......