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A New Life

A New Life

by Redundantchosen1

Chapters

Introductions

Somewhere in the Everfree forest, a creature, not native to the forest was wandering aimlessly through the forest. It walked through the forest, almost as if it were looking for something.

It tripped over something, mumbled, got back up then looked to see what it had tripped over. It didn’t see anything, but it knew better, and upon closer inspection it found something resembling a thin piece of wire.

It looked around, then up, but saw nothing. Still feeling uneasy, it continued on its way. After about five minutes, the creature was surrounded in a purple aura, then floated four feet above the ground.

The creature grumbled again and looked around for the source of this magic. Out of a few bushes came a magenta alicorn, her horn lit with magic. She looked at the creature for a moment before taking a quill and parchment from her saddlebags. She wrote something down before speaking to the creature.

The creature had no idea what the alicorn in front of it was saying, so it snapped what appeared to be claws, and the creature slowly began to understand what the alicorn was saying. “…so I’ll have to take you to the princesses,” the alicorn finished.

The creature blinked.

The alicorn didn’t notice, her horn glowing brightly, before flashing. The creature blinked a couple of times to get its vision back, and looked around.

They were in a clean looking hall, made of what looked like marble. The alicorn walked to a pair of double doors, and when they opened the creature saw two more alicorns, one with a pure white coat, and a multicolored mane that waved, as if there were wind in the giant room. The other was slightly smaller, and had a coat that was dark blue, with a mane that looked like the starry night sky.

The alicorn with the multicolored mane spoke, “Well, what do we have here?”

The two alicorns looked at the creature, and the creature looked back at them. It blinked once, before speaking,"So, can I please be let down now?"

The magenta alicorn's horn lost its glow, and the creature landed. The creature looked around the room, before saying, "Nice place you have." The alicorn with the white coat smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment. But, all pleasantries aside, I have to ask, who and what exactly are you?"

The creature grinned, and slightly tilted its head to the side, "Straight to business, huh? I don't mind. What I am, well, I'm something that could easily be mistaken for something called human. As to who I am, just call me Red. Now then, I told you my name, why don't you tell me yours."

The alicorn with the white coat smiled again and spoke, "I am Celestia, princess of the sun. This is my sister, Luna, princess of the night."

"And her?" Red asked, pointing to the magenta alicorn. Celestia smiled once again, and said, "She is Princess Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student."

Red grinned again, and said, "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all, but, I'm gonna take a guess and say that you didn't bring me here for just introductions."

Celestia looked up in mock thought and said, "Well, there might be another reason for bringing you here." Red smiled, and asked, "Really? I'd be delighted if you told me."

Celestia nodded and said, "That's good to hear. The other reason that you're here is that I have a test for the Elements of Harmony, and you are just the one to help." Red grinned for the third time and said, "Really? And why would that be?"

It was Celestia's turn to grin as she spoke, "Because, I would like to see how they would react to something they've never seen before live with them."

Red pondered this for about ten seconds before he grinned, "This should be entertaining." Celestia smiled and nodded, "My thoughts exactly." The way she said it made Red think that she might have planned this test for a while. "Well then, where am I heading?" Red asked.

Half an hour later, Red was walking with Princess Twilight, in a town he learned was called Ponyville. As he walked with Princess Twilight, he saw a quite a few ponies looking at him strangely. He couldn't say that he wasn't used to that look.

After a few minutes of walking, they exited the town, and at first Red was slightly confused, then remembered that he didn't know who he was going to stay with for the time being. After a couple more minutes, Red saw a small cottage at the edge of the forest he recognized as the one he was walking around come into view.

He thought it was strange for any of the inhabitants here to be close the forest, since he saw some of the natural predators that lurked within it. As they drew closer to the cottage, he heard various animal sounds come from the cottage.

When Princess Twilight knocked, Red heard a faint voice. When the door opened, Red saw a pegasus with a yellow coat and a pink mane, and at that moment, Red thought the level of adorableness she had would give him a heart attack. She greeted Twilight, and after a few moments, she saw Red.

Saying that she was scared at that moment would be an understatement. She pulled Twilight in, closed the door, and Red heard an array of different locks click. He heard the two talk for a few seconds, and moments after, he heard the locks again, and the door opened. Red heard a faint voice say, "Come in."

When he got inside, the pegasus closed the door again, and he saw Twilight levitate a quill and notepad out of her saddle bag with her magic. She wrote something down, and told him, "Sorry, I probably should have told you, she's a little, actually, very shy."

"It's alright," Red told her. He turned to the pegasus and said, "Hello, my name's Red, pleased to meet you, what's your name?" The pegasus shrank back and said, "I'm Fluttershy..." Red couldn't quite hear her and asked, "Sorry, I didn't hear you, could you repeat that?" The pegasus shrank back further and said, "Fluttershy..." Red still couldn't hear, and looked to Twilight and raised a brow. "This is Fluttershy," Twilight told him, "I'm sure the two of you will get along just fine." And once she finished, she left.

The First Day

Once Twilight left, there was an awkward silence. Red looked around the cottage that he would be staying at for the time being. It wasn't much, but he didn't care, it was certainly better than the forest. After a few moments of silence, Red decided to ask, "So, is there anything for me to do?" "What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked. "You know, if there's anything I can help you with." Red said.

Five minutes later, Red and Fluttershy were wandering through the forest. Fluttershy said she had lost something important the last time she was here, on her way back. Red was slightly hesitant, but still came along. Red was somewhat uneasy going back into the forest. He heard constant twigs snap, and a couple of times he thought he saw a pair of eyes watching them.

Suddenly, Fluttershy stopped him with a hoof. He looked ahead and saw something he wish was his imagination. A pack of what appeared to be wolves. This, Red thought, can't end well...

As the leader of the pack saw them, it growled, and then slowly began walking towards them. The rest of the pack took notice of this, and began following the leader towards their prey. As the wolves drew closer, he noticed that they weren't like wolves he'd seen before. Possibly because these wolves were made out of wood.

"Uh, I'm guessing you're good with animals, can you do something about them?" Red asked Fluttershy. She just looked at Red and shook her head. "Well, I guess I have no other choice, sorry about this," Red said. Fluttershy began to ask, "Sorry abo-" She never got the chance to finish, as Red hit her in the head, knocking her out cold. Red picked her up, then looked around, making eye contact with each of the wolves. "I can't have anyone find out what I really am..." Red said guiltily, as his left eye changed to a dark grey, and then he grinned.

"Alright, who wants their pathetic little existence to be put to an end first?" Red asked, as if he had lost his mind.

The wolves slowed their advance on the two, almost as if they sensed a change in the strange creature that had walked upon the pack. Red stopped grinning, and looked at the unconscious Fluttershy in his arms. He sighed, it would be somewhat difficult to fight without the use of his arms, but he needed to make sure she would be unharmed.

One of the wolves behind him lunged, but, somehow, Red dodged just in time. "Well, I'm pretty sure none of you have any idea what exactly you're dealing with. Allow me to introduce myself before I end all of you. Red, brother of a monster, sanity shattered, and about to kick some ass," Red said, his grin returning. Another wolf lunged at him, but this time, instead of dodging, he kicked the wolf right in the jaw. It whimpered, and slowly retreated. The leader of the pack stepped closer to Red, intent on ripping his throat out.

As the leader of the pack stepped closer, Red's wardrobe changed, instead of a normal t-shirt and jeans, a pure white trench coat appeared, along with grey suit, and grey work pants, along with a red plaid hat appearing on his head, and a scarf decorated with skulls. Red looked at his attire, his grin fading for a second time. "Well, it seems that my work clothes have returned. Let's see if I still have the skills I once did when I was younger." The grin came back, wider than the first two. As another wolf lunged, its eyes widened when it's prey seemed to vanish. Red kicked the wolf straight in the stomach from it's side. Red grinned even wider as he heard the splintering of the wolf's side.

The wolf that had been kicked slowly got back up, the wound doing serious damage on it's body. "Is that all your pathetic excuse of a pack has to offer?" Red asked, "Because if it is, you won't survive a full minute." The leader lunged, behind Red. He spun around, and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head. The force of the kick knocked it's open jaw clean off, a snapping sound filling the air. As the wolf hit the ground, the rest of the pack looked to their leader. Red looked to the leader as well. "Hm, seems I misjudged the amount of force I needed," Red mumbled to himself. The rest of the pack looked top the strange creature that had ended it's leader.

The pack disbanded, terrified. Red's eye slowly went back to it's natural brown. He looked at Fluttershy once again, and sighed with relief. Hopefully, she had been unconscious the entire time. Otherwise, he would need to explain quite a bit about himself. As Red walked back to the cottage, Fluttershy slowly woke. She looked up at Red, noticing the changes to his wardrobe.

Red noticed that Fluttershy had awoken and gently let her down from his arms. "W-what happened?" Fluttershy asked. Red sighed, "Well..." Shit, Red thought. "One of those wolves went for you first, and I had to push you out of the way, but it seems that you hit your head on something. After I picked you up, I just ran," Red said, hoping she would buy it. If she didn't, then he would have to tell the truth, something he really didn't want to do.

But, for some reason, Fluttershy didn't question it. Talk about luck. For the rest of the trip back to the cottage, it was silent. As the cottage came into view, Red remembered the reason they had gone into the forest in the first place. "Uh, Fluttershy, you never really explained what we were looking for in the forest. If you can describe it, I can go back and get it for you," Red offered.

But Fluttershy shook her head. "No, it's okay, we can get it back some other time," She said. Red only nodded. As they neared the cottage, Red noticed that there was a note on the door. When Fluttershy took the note and read it, Red looked back to the forest. Something didn't seem right with that place. But Red just shrugged it off, after all, he was in an entire new world.

When Fluttershy finished reading the note, she looked to Red and asked, "Um, if it's not too much to ask, do you think you can be okay without my company?" "Of course, why?" Red asked. "Um, well, it's sort of a private matter," Fluttershy explained. Red nodded, if it was personal, it was none of his business. "Okay then, do you at least know when you'll be back?" Red asked. Fluttershy only said, "It won't take that long,"

Minutes, or maybe hours, Red couldn't tell, later, the sound of the door opening woke him up from his slumber on the couch. It was Fluttershy. Something about her made Red feel uneasy. "Hey Fluttershy," He greeted her. "O-oh, h-hi Red," She nervously said. Red raised a brow at this. "Uh, are you okay? You seem more nervous than when we met, and that's saying something, considering that you kinda slammed a door in my face." Red said. "U-um, Red?" Fluttershy asked. "Yeah?" "I think I have s-something I need to t-tell you," Fluttershy admitted.

"Well, what is it? I mean, it's not like it's something that could make things weird between us, right?" Red said. If only he knew just how wrong he was at that moment. "U-um, actually, I t-think..." Fluttershy began. "Well, what is it?" Red asked.

The First Night

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Red asked, "I think I had a bit craziness in my ear." Red looked at Fluttershy, who just so happened to have the brilliant idea of going back to the forest, at night to look for her lost item. "I mean, really? Why can't you just describe it to me, I could get it in no time." Red said.

"B-because, it's a personal belonging of mine," Fluttershy explained. Red sighed, "Fine, but if we run into another pack of those weird wolves..." Fluttershy then hugged him, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" "Uh, Fluttershy? A little space, please?" Red asked. "O-oh, s-sorry," Fluttershy apologized, blushing slightly.

As they headed back into the forest, Red suddenly got a headache. Ignoring it, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Then, he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. "Well, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did without letting your mind break." Shut up, Red thought, you're nothing but an annoyance. "Whatever, it's not like I'm helping you, oh wait, I am."

Red ignored the voice, not letting it get to him. As they walked, the voice grew more annoying. After a few minutes, it realized it wouldn't get a reaction out of Red, and stopped talking. Red almost let out a sigh of relief, but then remembered that Fluttershy was with him.

After walking for another few minutes, Red suddenly remembered the body of the leader. Shit, Red thought, that's going to bring up a couple of questions. But as they neared the part of the forest where the fight had taken place, Red couldn't see any sign of a body, or fight, for that matter. Red felt uneasy before, but now, he felt paranoid. As they kept walking, Red could swear a few times he felt something breathing down his neck.

As they entered a clearing, Red's paranoia skyrocketed. A note, attached to a tree. A tree that looked like it had been struck by lightning. He looked at the note, and what he saw shocked him. It was a warning, but one that looked familiar. The note read; You're in my forest now. And that was all it said.

"Well, that can't be good." Red nearly lost it. Fluttershy, who didn't notice the letter, made a left. Red was still looking at the note. "Uh, maybe you should get moving, you know, before you're left alone in this place. Again." Red had to run to catch up to Fluttershy. "So, uh, how much farther do you think we have to go before we find whatever it is we're looking for?" Red asked. "Oh, it can't be too far ahead," Fluttershy answered, oblivious to Red's paranoia, "Why?"

"Uh, just wondering," Red lied. They walked in silence for another few minutes before Fluttershy stopped. Red was about to ask, but then he thought better of it. Fluttershy walked over to a bush, reached inside pulled something out, then put in in the saddlebag she had brought along. "Okay, got it, we can head back now." Fluttershy said. Red sigh in relief. Finally, he could get out of this place. Just as they were about to turn back. A loud snapping sound could be heard.

"Huh, I wonder what that was." Red turned his head to the direction of the noise. He wanted to get out of the forest as fast as he could. Red and Fluttershy began their trip back. As they walked by the tree with the note, Red felt a pair of eyes watching him, from somewhere, and a chill went down his spine. As they walked, Red never felt the pair of eyes leave. He felt if he stayed in the forest any longer, he would lose it.

As the end of the forest came into view, Red felt the eyes watching them fade away. Once they were out, he felt as if he had gone through hell and back. But he knew he'd been through worse, a lot worse. As they went inside, Red's headache finally went away. Sighing with relief, he sat back down on the couch, looked at Fluttershy and asked, "So, what is it that you lost?" Fluttershy blushed slightly, but before she could answer, Red held up a hand and said, "You know what? Never mind. It's a personal belonging, I don't need to know."

As he said that, Red slowly began to lie down. He needed some sleep, especially after what happened in that forest. He sighed again as he closed his eyes. "U-um, Red?" Fluttershy asked. Red opened one eye and looked at her, "Yeah?" He asked. She stepped closer to him and said softly, "Thank you." After she said this, she kissed Red on the cheek. Now it was Red's turn to blush, "Heh, anytime Fluttershy, anytime."

Then he closed the one eye that he opened, and after a while, fell into a dreamless sleep. When he woke up, he saw it was still dark outside, and he wondered what had woken him up. "Listen, you can't get too attached to someone you barely know, I mean, it'll only hurt you when they stab you in the back." Shut up, Red thought once again, she's not like the others. Oh yeah? I bet you that she'll betray you in a week."

Red sighed as the voice in his head faded. What an idiot, he thought, she wouldn't do that to me. She's too kind. And with that last thought, Red's mind drifted back to his dreamless sleep.

Revelations Part I

When Red woke up, he looked out a window, and saw the sun was rising. "Hm, I wonder if Fluttershy's still asleep," Red muttered. He yawned and stretched. "Man, I haven't slept in a while, I'm surprised that I didn't have any nightmares..." Red thought aloud. Then he began to hear whispers, not the voice in his head, like usual, but multiple voices. "I wonder what that could be." Red opened the door and quietly closed it, just in case Fluttershy was still asleep. As he turned, he noticed that the whispers seemed to be coming from the forest. Right, Red thought, like I'm stupid enough to go back there. "Hey, it could be important." I fucking hate you, Red thought. He knew the voice had a point. He began to walk to the forest, knowing it could very well be, and probably was, a trap.

As he moved through the forest, following the whispers, he noticed that each step he got closer to them, one of the voices would disappear. As he drew near what looked like a long forgotten path, ten of the voices disappeared. He knew that where-ever the path lead, it would be where the whispers wanted him to be. After a minute, he came across an old bridge, going across a chasm. Red looked down, he couldn't see the bottom. He looked at the bridge, then said, "If this thing breaks..." As he slowly took  the first step, he could already hear a creaking noise. "Well, it was nice knowing you." Red took step after cautious step, and slowly, but surely made progress. He kept his eyes on the other side of the bridge the entire time.

He did not look forward to this again. As he neared the other side of the bridge, he noticed that the whispers were barely there anymore. Once he made it back to solid ground, he let out a huge sigh of relief. "Alright, keep following the path, and don't think about that god-awful bridge," He told himself."Yeah, good luck with that." Red grit his teeth . Would you just for once, Red thought, just shut up?

As Red walked along the trail, he noticed couldn't hear the whispers anymore. For some reason, he felt something watching him, but he hadn't heard anything. As he tried to ignore the feeling, some kind of structure came into his sight. It looked like some kind of castle. He looked at what was still standing, for some reason, it kind of felt familiar. As Red drew closer to the ruins, he noticed he could hear a soft humming, and it wasn't the voice in his head. When he came upon the entrance, he noticed it, for some reason, sounded feminine.

Red tried to shrug it off, but couldn't. Once he was inside, he was surprised to see that the inside of the castle didn't look like he thought it would. It was somewhat clean, although not as clean as it would be unsettling. As he walked through the corridors of the castle, he got a strange feeling, but dismissed it as paranoia, after all, he was in what was left of a castle. As he walked by a room, something on the inside caught his eye.

It looked like some kind of sculpture, and was made of what looked like stone, with a sphere at the top, and it looked like the lower parts branched off into five other directions. "Hm, what could this be?" Red wondered aloud. Then, he heard a voice, not the usual voice he heard, but a feminine voice, and Red realized that this was the voice he heard humming before. "This, my guest, is what held the Elements of Harmony, although, you probably don't know what I'm talking about."

Wait, Red thought, how long were you in my head? "Oh, since you took the first step those stairs." Well, Red thought, why didn't you say anything before? "That, my guest, would ruin the surprise." Red knew he was being toyed with, and he didn't like when that happened. So, he thought, you called me here, why?

"Well, I didn't call for you specifically, I just felt something that shouldn't be in this world, which, as it would turn out, would be you." Red mumbled under his breath. Alright, he thought, so why am I here? "Like I said before, that would ruin the surprise." Fine, Red thought, I'm guessing I need to go somewhere else now, am I wrong? "Hm, straight to business, I like that." Red's left eye twitched. So, he thought, where to? "Out of this room, make a left, keep going forward, and when you reach the armory, go inside, there's a gift I have for you, I'm sure you'll need it."

Red followed the directions given to him by the new voice in his head, and when he got to the armory, he saw, although it wasn't a surprise, that all of the weapons were gone. Except one. On a pedestal was a sword, along with the scabbard, as Red pick the sword up, he found that, it seemed to be custom made, and although the reach of the sword wasn't as long as he would have wanted, the sword took up more horizontal space. And the grip, it was almost as if this new voice in his head knew that whatever had entered the world had fingers, it felt almost perfect. And when Red drew the sword, he saw that the blade wasn't a metallic color like he thought it would be, but almost pitch black, which he preferred more than if it were shiny, which gave him a headache just from the brightness.

"Well, how did I do?" "Perfect," Red said aloud, sheathing the sword. Now, he thought, why do I need this?

Revelations Part II

"Because, you're going to have to go through a little, 'gauntlet', if you will." Hm, Red thought, I like where this is going so far. "Yeah, I'll bet you do." Red ignored the original voice in his head, and instead thought, okay, where to? "First, back to the room you were in." Yes ma'am, Red thought. "Oh, aren't you a gentleman?" Once Red was back in the room with the strange sculpture, he thought, now what? "Now, we wait." Red's eye twitched again. Uh, Red thought, are you serious? But the new voice didn't answer. "Geez, tough crowd, am I right?"

After waiting for ten minutes, when Red was about to ask the new voice in his head how long this would take, he heard a faint rumbling sound. He gripped the sword that had been given to him. As the rumbling grew louder, the room began to shake, almost as if there was an earthquake. As cracks began to appear in the ground, he could swear he heard the new voice chuckling. "Now then, my guest, let's see if you can defeat this creature." As the ground gave in, Red jumped toward the open doorway, but when he landed, he felt something grab his right leg.

As he looked back, he saw something he never saw before, except in myths. It had the body of a lion, the tail of a scorpion, and wings of a bat. He was looking at a manticore. The shit I go through, Red thought as he drew the sword, and stabbed the manticore's claw. The manticore roared in pain, and flapped up. Red moved away from the doorway, just far away, and in time, to keep from taking any serious damage. The manticore burst through the doorway, completely destroying it.

As Red turned to face it, he saw the manticore bring one of it's claws up. He swung his sword just in time, clashing the sword with the claws. As this happened, Red's left eye turned, from it's natural brown, to dark grey. So, he thought, mind telling me why you brought a fucking manticore to fight me? "Isn't it obvious? I want to see just how strong you really are." Really, Red thought, well, if that's the case, you're going to need something a lot bigger for me to really fight.

"Well then, after this is over, I'll arrange for something worth your time." Red ducked another claw, then took the chance to stab the manticore in the body. All that it seemed to do was enrage it even more. As Red ducked another swipe, he slashed at the arm of the manticore. It didn't seem to affect it in any way. Dammit, Red thought, what do I hit to even hurt this thing?

Red barely finished that thought before the manticore managed to swipe him across the chest, tearing his clothes, and drawing blood from him. As Red felt the pain, something hidden within him awoke. He grinned, and looked at the manticore, and jumped toward it. Surprised from the sudden attack, the manticore took a flurry of strikes before it could react. As Red jumped back to avoid another swipe, he ran straight for the manticore again. But this time the manticore was ready. It swiped at Red again, only for him to duck under it, and sent a barrage of strikes at the manticore's body.

After the barrage, Red stabbed the manticore repeatedly. It was bleeding heavily now, and it realized that it couldn't win. and turned to run. Red took this chance to jump on it's back and stab it repeatedly once again. The manticore roared, and tried to slam Red against one of the walls of the castle. But Red jumped off at the last second. As the manticore slammed into the wall, destroying it, it realized it's mistake. It was in no condition to get back up. As Red walked toward the wounded manticore, he let his sword drag behind him, creating a few sparks. Then he jumped, and stabbed the manticore deep in the body, hitting one of it's vital organs.

As Red drew the sword out of the manticore, his grinned faded. He looked at the dying manticore, and decided to end it's pain early. He stabbed the manticore through the mouth, instantly killing it. As Red cleaned the blood off of his sword with the manticore's fur, he heard the new voice in hi head again. "Well, now that that's over, let's move on to something more, 'difficult'." Red could hear the grin as the voice said that last word.

He sheathed the sword again, and sat down against one of the walls. After another ten minutes, he could hear more rumbling. So, he thought, what is it this time? "Oh, I'm sure you'll find this one more... Challenging." Good, Red thought, I was getting bored of waiting. As the rumbling grew louder yet again, Red noticed that the wall he was sitting against was shaking. As he got up, he heard another roar, but this one sounded different from the manticore's.

When Red saw that the wall was about to give, he drew his sword once again. Once the wall was broken down, Red saw another mythological creature. This time, it was a hydra. It roared again, and charged at Red. Red rolled out of the way, but a moment too late. One of the heads had managed to hit him. As he was thrown seven feet back, the grinned returned, and as he got back up, the hydra charged again. This time, instead of rolling out of the way, he brought the sword up, stabbing through one of the heads. Then he slashed at another's neck, vertically.

As the head with the slashed throat bled out, he slashed at another head. The head got out of the way, but Red still managed to get it's eye. With two head's gone, and another injured, Red seemed to have less trouble with the hydra than he did with the manticore. That was, until the two uninjured heads began chewing away at the dead one's.

Revelations Part III

"Well, that's a problem," Red said. "What makes you say that?" Red took the chance to sprint toward one of the other head's and stabbed it through the eye. The other head managed to chew completely through the dead head before Red sliced it down the middle. The chewed stump of the head began to squirm and then two more heads burst from the stump. "Dammit," Red muttered. He jumped back as one of the heads attempted to chomp his am. Red sliced at it as he jump, only managing to scratch it. The other head rammed into him, while he was occupied with getting away from the other head. As the wind was knocked out of him, Red was thrown ten feet back.

He slowly got back up, just in time to see it charging at him yet again. Red had to time to react, and was hit with the hydra's full force. As Red felt the pain, he grinned again. He stabbed on of the heads, and then slit the the other's throat The only head that was left was the one with it's eye missing. It growled, then roared. Red ran straight at the head, but just as he was about to end it, it managed to chomp into his shoulder. But all the pain did was fuel Red's adrenaline even further. Yelling, Red stabbed the head, right through it's other eye. All the force the bite had disappeared. As Red lifted the head off of his shoulder, he heard the feminine voice laugh menacingly. "My, my, it seems that you are more powerful than I had anticipated." Even though it was a compliment, Red felt like she was insulting him.

As Red sheathed the sword, and his gin faded, he looked at his shoulder. It looked terrible, if he was able to move it, it would be a miracle. As his adrenaline wore off, he found out just how much pain the bite had inflicted on him. He fell to his knees, breathing heavily. It had been a while since he felt pain this intense. "Well, it seems you not only survived, but were able to kill both creatures, it looks like we have a champion." Red slowly got up, the pain making it hard to do so. Oh, Red thought, I never told you my name, did I? "No, my champion, you did not." "Well," He said, gritting his teeth, "Just call me Red."

"Hm, what a rather peculiar name. Very well, I am known as Nightmare Moon." "Pleasure to meet you, Nightmare. One question though," Red said. "What is it?" "Why this 'gauntlet'?" Red asked. "Well, I wouldn't want somepony weak to get me out of these ruins, and more importantly, this forest,now would I?" "Wait, you mean, you're going to be hitching a ride out of here, in my head?" Red asked. "Well, more or less." "Clever girl," Red said.

As Red made his way out of the ruins, although it was his only serious injury, the bit on his shoulder had gotten worse. Far worse. He had to take a break several times on his way out of the castle. After that, Nightmare was beginning to genuinely worry for him. "If you want, I can heal it." "No, Red told her, "Some wounds, I'd rather keep, as a reminder." "You are not right in the head, you know that, right?" Red chuckled, "Oh, I know that all too well."

As Red neared the bridge, he groaned. "Great, now I have to cross with this shoulder, how wonderful," Red complained. "Oh, quit your whining, you're still alive, aren't you?" "Heh, good point," Red admitted.  Red crossed the bridge quicker this time around. Once he was out of the forest, he saw that the sun was beginning to set. "Damn, was I really in the forest, all day?" Red asked himself. He saw the cottage, with one of the princesses outside. It was Luna, which Red thought was odd, considering that she was princess of the night, and the sun was setting. As he walked toward the cottage, Luna noticed him, saw the wound, and rushed toward him. "What happened?" She asked, looking at the wound with alarm. "You were only out for a day." "Eh, heard whispers in the morning, noticed they were coming from the forest, went into said forest, found the ruins of an old castle, went inside, heard a voice, found a sword made by said voice, fought a manticore and a hydra, nearly lost my arm. So, yeah, pretty uneventful day." Red answered.

Luna's jaw had dropped, and her eyes were wide. "Uneventful day?" She asked, "If today was uneventful, then what would an eventful day be?" "Eh, something involving the fate of the universe, at the very least." Red answered. Luna shook her head. "I really don't want to know what kind of world you come from." "Yeah, I get that a lot," Red said. "Well, I'm guessing that you're not just here to see how my day went."

"That is true, we have been worried about you," Luna said. "Ah, you shouldn't have," Red joked. Luna gave Red a stern look. "Okay, fine, I guess I should have told someone about where I was going. I'm sorry, but this happens a lot to me, and I can't change that," Red said. Luna sighed, "Well, at the very least, tell somepony ahead of time if you're going to do something like this." "I can't make any promises, princess." Just then, the door to the cottage opened, and Fluttershy came out. Once she saw Red, she rushed to him and hugged him. "Hey Fluttershy, I guess you were worried about me too, huh?" Red asked. But Fluttershy looked at Red sternly before saying, "Don't you ever go off into that forest without telling me again, okay?"

Red sighed, "Alright, I won't, I promise." Luna looked at Red, unamused. He just shrugged. "Now come inside, we need to get that wound bandaged right away," Fluttershy ordered Red, pulling him along. "Yes ma'am," Red said, walking inside the cottage.

Revelations Part IV

Red grit his teeth as the rubbing alcohol met his wounds. But it was better than having it infected. As Fluttershy bandaged his wounds, he realized just how lucky he was. He could have easily been killed, but for whatever reason, he had made it out alive. Sighing as Fluttershy bandaged his wounds and put his arm in a sling. (I'm not even going to explain, because fuck you, that's why.) Once his arm was in the sling, Red realized that having the use of only one arm, even though he had to endure the same thing many time before, it still reminded him how long it would take before he would have the control of that arm again.

As he looked at the sword he had obtained from Nightmare. It seemed like it was made just for him, which he found odd, considering that she only met him when he got to the ruins. Hey, Nightmare, I have a question. "What is it?" How did you know how to make for me? And, for that matter, when? "Well, to be honest, I just took a shot in the dark. I had no way to tell you would be the one to wield the sword." Hm, whatever you say...

As Red got up, he noticed the worried expression that Fluttershy still had. "What is it Fluttershy? Are you really still worried about me?" He asked. Fluttershy just nodded. Red sighed, "Listen, Fluttershy, nothing's gonna happen to me. I mean, I survived a manticore and a hydra. And I don't think that happens every day here." Red told her. "And besides, this isn't the worst thing that I've been through." "I-it's not?" Fluttershy asked. Red nodded, "I should probably tell you about my life, or at least, some of it. As a child, I had an older brother. One would think that he'd be a good guy, right? Well, he wasn't, he was a monster. But, after a while, I was sick of him. So, going against all of my promises of not becoming like him, I finally stood up to him. It was... Messy, to say the least.

"Once I felt the familiar pain, something inside of me snapped. And after the confrontation, I started hearing this voice." "You're damn right you did." "As the voice grew louder, it told me to what to do. I ignored it as long as I could, but, I couldn't ignore it forever. I finally gave in, and as I did what he said, I found out something about myself, something that terrified me. I actually found the color of blood quite fascinating. After a few days of doing what the voice told me, it said that I had earned enough of his trust that he would tell me his name. He said, 'Kid, you and me, we're gonna go far, and if we're gonna go far, you're gonna need to call me something. So, I'll tell you my name. Broken.' The name was fitting, he was telling me to do things no sane person would ever do. Once he told me his name, I tried ignoring him again. It didn't work. He kept me up at night, ordered me around, and even tried to take me over.

"I knew I couldn't let him win, so I gave it all I had. But it wasn't enough.I lost. I saw him do terrible things to family members, innocents, and friends. After some time, I launched an ambush, and tried to take myself back." "Asshole..." "I was able to do it, but only barely. I managed to cage him, but I couldn't shut him up. Nothing could. As I grew older, I began traveling my world, and, after finding some kind of machine, other worlds. I tried to start over in each one, but Broken wouldn't let me. My family had... Abilities. I had one that came was useful more times than I could count. I had the ability to manipulate smoke. I was able to heal my wounds in a matter of seconds.

"As time went on, my ability grew stronger. I was able to move on from only healing, to actual combat. I was able to keep myself hidden, after all, you can't hit what you can't see, right? After that, transportation, I was able to turn myself into smoke, and move faster than I could before. After that, I felt like I had nothing left to live for, but, as I traveled, I noticed how the Darkness in the worlds were stronger than the Light. After that, I tried to help the Light, evening the the tides. But, sometimes, I was tempted by the whispers of Darkness. I fell prey to them, and helped extinguish the Light. After I saw my mistakes, I couldn't stay there anymore, moving on to the next world." "Like the coward that you are..."

"And then, one world, I came across two ancient weapons, and was able to purge the manipulation that the Darkness held over me. After that, I lost count of how many worlds I had been through, and it was all a blur. Until I came to this world. Something about it just whispers me to stay. I don't know why..." "Sure..." "But, the whispers show promise, so, I decided I would stay. And that was when I met Princess Twilight, and, soon after, Celestia and Luna."

Red had a solemn expression as he told his story. He had only mentioned the parts that anyone sane could handle. He looked at Fluttershy's reaction. She just looked at him with a blank stare. "I understand that you don't want me to live anywhere near you after what I've just told you, so, I'll be going now." As Red tried to get up, Fluttershy just hugged him, crying. "N-no, you don't h-have to go. You've b-been through s-so much. I-if anything, you n-need to stay here." She said, between sobs. "What!?" "What?" "W-what?" Red asked. "You mean... You'll let me stay here? B-but-" Fluttershy didn't let him finish, and hugged him tighter.

Red was shocked, along with Broken and Nightmare. Fluttershy was willing to let him live with her, even with the sins he committed. "What happened in your past doesn't make you who you are, it's what you choose to do now that do." Fluttershy said. Red couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could anyone, especially someone as innocent as Fluttershy, be willing to let someone with a past as dark as his, not only let them live with them, but want them to live with them? It was one of the few things that Red just couldn't understand.

Voices Part I

Red wasn't a very emotional person. He thought that if you showed a stranger what you were feeling, you gave them the advantage. But, in the moment he was in, he couldn't care less. "Oh look, you actually have emotions, what a surprise..." Fuck off. "You have no idea how much I wish I could. So, when are you leaving?" Tonight. "Really? Why not now?" Because, not only would I rather prefer to leave when it's dark, I don't want to risk being followed. "Good point, after all, you just wouldn't forgive yourself if another innocent got hurt, would you?

Later, when he was sure that Fluttershy was asleep, Red got up from the couch, grabbed the sword that Nightmare had made, and quietly walked out the door. Or, at least, as quiet as someone only able to use one arm and had to carry a sword at the same time could be. Once he closed the door, he turned back to the forest. "Wait, we're seriously not going back there? Right?" Sorry Nightmare, I know you just left, but I need to hide for a while. "Fine, I suppose I can handle another few weeks in there..." As Red walked toward the forest, he noticed a shadow pass over him for a moment. He looked up, but saw nothing.

Shrugging, he entered the forest. As he walked along the path the had taken to get to the ruins, he heard Nightmare and Broken talking. Hey, what're you two talking about? "Nothing of your interest, trust me." Once Red got to the bridge, he saw that something was different about it. It was nearly destroyed. Something big must have tried to cross here. "Well, that's one option gone..." Hm, what makes you say that? As Red turned to go back the way he came, he felt a chill go down his spine. He snapped back to the bridge, and saw that it was somehow repaired.

"What..." "The..." Fuck?

Uh, Nightmare... "Don't even ask, I have no idea how this could have happened..." If you say so... As Red walked across the bridge, he felt like he was being watched. He looked over his shoulder, but there was nothing. I'm not just paranoid, I know something's watching, probably the same thing that repaired the bridge. Shuddering, Red made it to the other side. He looked behind him again, but he still saw nothing.

Once Red saw the ruins, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A lone pony, standing at the entrance. Unnaturally tall, and with no facial features that Red could see, it reminded him a lot of something he knew.  Are you fucking kidding me? This world has one too? "What do you mean by that?" Wait, you don't know what, or rather, who, that is? "No idea..."

That is probably this world's version of a monster I knew. The monster's name was Slenderman. "Wait, that's sounds familiar..." As Red looked at the lone pony, tilted it's head. "Yes, now I remember, the legend of Slendermane..." Red shook, knowing just what that thing was capable of, or at least some of what it was capable of. As Red moved toward the stairs, he never took his eyes off the pony. Then, suddenly, as Red blinked, the pony disappeared. "Remember what I told before the final fight with your brother, mate. Don't be afraid of your own kind. You'll only end up afraid of yourself."

When Red made it to the entrance, he couldn't keep his hands from shaking. He stepped inside. It was noticeably cleaner than the last time he was here. As he walked, he noticed that the inside of the ruins was actually colder than the night air outside. He just kept walking forward. He couldn't bring himself to move his body in any other direction. As he opened a set of double doors, he saw that there was a fireplace, with a fire already going. He noticed that there were two chairs. One was closer to the fire, so he took that chair. Glancing at the other chair, he realized with a shudder that he wasn't the only one in the room.

The fire had warmed Red a considerable amount. When he looked at the other chair again, he saw that the pony he had seen before was in the chair. Instead of feeling terrified, he felt, somewhat, reassured. He hadn't been torn in half, so that was a plus. "Remember, mate. You were able to kill your brother, you should be able to kill this one too, if need be." As the silence in the room dragged on, Red heard Nightmare and broken talking again. Okay, seriously, what are you two talking about? As he thought of the question, the pony at the chair had gotten up, and was walking toward Red.

Red glanced at the pony before returning his gaze to the fire. "Tell me, what brings you to these ruins?" As Red continued to look into the fire, he answered, "Trying to get away from civilization. What other reason would I have?" As he said that, the pony stopped a few feet away from Red. "A good reason. But, I think that's only part of the truth." "Hm, could be, but I'd rather keep that to myself, if you don't mind." As soon as Red finished that sentence, he felt another chill go down his spine, despite being near the fire. "Oh, I do mind. Now, tell me, what are you, and what are you doing in my forest?"

"What makes you think it's your forest?" Red asked. As he felt yet another chill go down his spine, he heard, "Didn't you see the note? It's not like you could have missed it, not with that mind of yours. Always looking at the smallest detail. You never let anything escape your attention, do you?" Red looked at the pony, "How would you know that?" "Your little friends aren't the only ones who knows what goes on in that little head of yours."

"Wait, that means..." "He knows what we've been saying the entire time we've been in this castle." Red's eyes widened. And what in the hell were you two talking about? "Um, nothing?" Tell me. Now. As Red stared into the fire, he grit his teeth. The two voices in his head, the ones who knew exactly what was in his head, had been talking behind his back. Of course, Red shouldn't be surprised. Broken was insane, and he only met Nightmare.

But he was still furious. And he would find out out what they were saying while he wasn't paying attention to them.

Voices Part II

"Oh, they were talking about ways to break you, and take control of your body. Not like it could lead to the destruction of an entire planet or anything. Oh...wait." Red just looked into the fire. Well, is he telling the truth? "O-of course not. He's just trying to mess with your head." "Yeah, he's 100% honest." "W-what!? Why would you tell him that!? What is wrong with you!?" "Because, he can tell when I'm lying. I've been here a lot longer than you, and he can read me like a book..." "And why didn't you tell me this sooner!?" "I forgot."

Red was furious. They had talked about finding a way to take control of his body. Then, Red realized Broken had tried this more times than he could count. And suddenly, he wasn't as mad as he was before. He was disappointed in both of them. Especially Broken. He just couldn't learn. Nightmare had just moved into his head, so it was understandable. I am greatly disappointed in both of you, especially you, Broken. "Eh, can't blame a guy for trying, can you?" As Red turned to look at the pony, he saw that he had disappeared. Shrugging, Red got up, and walked to one of the doors that was on either side of the fireplace.

When he opened the door, he saw that it was a bedroom. He saw that on the wall facing the door, was the insignia of a moon. Hm, I'm guessing that this was Luna's room... "Wait, how do you know it can't be my room?" Just a lucky guess... Red turned and saw someone he wasn't expecting to see. Princess Luna. (What a fucking shocker...) "Uh, I can explain." Red said. "Oh really? Then explain." Luna ordered. "Um... I can't explain." Red admitted. "That's what I thought..." Luna said. "If you would accompany me on the way out of the forest, I would like to know why you were here in the first place."

Once they were out of the castle, Red finally said, "I just had to get away." "Away from what?" Luna asked. "Not what, who," Red told her. "I had to get away from Fluttershy." "What?" Luna asked, "Why?" Red didn't answer. Luna stopped, "Red, I'm going to ask you only one more time. Why?" "Because, I just couldn't figure out why she would still let me live with her. I just needed to think for a while." "Red, how long would 'a while' be?" "As long as it would take..." Luna began walking again, "Red, earlier, when you came out of the forest, you said that when you first came to the castle, you heard a voice. Would you care to tell me who the voice belonged to?" "Someone by the name of Nightmare Moon, why?" Red asked. Luna stopped again, "What?" "She said her name was Nightmare Moon, is there something about her I should be concerned about?" "Wait, you mean, you still hear her?" "Yeah, she kinda hitched a ride out of the castle, and the forest." Red admitted.

"Is there something I should know about her?" Red asked. Luna only answered with, "You have to see Celestia right away." And with that, she teleported them back into the hall that he was first in when he was in the castle for the first time. Red felt himself being lifted off the ground. Again. "Hey! Why is it every time I come here, it's against my will?" Red protested. Luna ignored him.

As Red floated beside Luna, he noticed that Luna took a different path then the last time he was floating in the hallways. As Luna drew near a set of double doors with guards posted outside, and an insignia above the doors, Red immediately realized that this was be Celestia's room. Once they were outside, Red heard Luna tell him, "Just let me do the talking, okay?" "Not like I have a choice..." Red muttered.

Luna opened the door with her magic, stepped inside, and closed the door. Celestia was already sleeping. "Sister! Sister! I have something that requires your attention." "Five more minutes..." Celestia mumbled, and shifted. Luna rolled her eyes and said, louder this time, "Sister! A situation has arisen that requires your attention!" Celestia seemed to have woken up. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and asked "Luna? What is it?" "Him! It seems that he has the voice of Nightmare Moon in his head!" Red was pushed towards Celestia with Luna's magic, until he was only a few inches from her face.

"Uh..." was all that Red could say. "Sister, are you sure about this?" Celestia asked. "Yes! He told me so himself." Luna answered. "Well then, I'll just take a look inside his mind..." Celestia said. Red's eyes widened, "Uh, Princess? I would strongly advise against doing so," He told her. "I have to make sure, sorry." Celestia said. She closed her eyes, and her horn lit up with her magic. Red tried to move away, despite still being held by Luna's magic. As Celestia move her horn to his forehead, he shut his eyes. As he felt Celestia's horn touch his forehead, Red felt her enter his mind. Almost immediately after that, Red passed out.

When Red woke up, he saw that he was in a room that was obviously in the castle. He sat up in the bed he had been place, and looked around. Looking to his left, he saw that, near the bed, the sword that he obtained was leaning against the wall. Looking ahead, he saw a pair of double doors, and just as he laid back down, he heard the doors open. He sat up again, and saw that Celestia had entered. "Celestia, whatever you saw..." Red began, but Celestia held up a hoof to silence him.

"Red, from what I saw... To say that you've had a disturbing past would be putting it mildly." Red looked away. "But, to say that you've tried harder than you needed to, to try and fix your mistakes would be like saying that a mountain was larger than a pebble." Red looked back to Celestia. "What you've gone through, none of it is your fault. You just happened to be born into the wrong family." And with that, Celestia gave him a warm smile, and turned to leave. "Princess.." Red called. "Yes, Red?" "Exactly.. How much did you see?" Red asked. Celestia looked back at him and smiled again. "Enough to know what you've been through." And with that, she left the room.

New Faces

Red let the words Celestia had said sink in. She was right. He was just born into the wrong family. Red let out a sigh, and laid back down. He really needed to some rest. Once he closed his eyes, he realized just how tired he was. He fell asleep almost instantly. When he awoke again, he saw through the windows that it was almost dusk. As he got up and stretched, he noticed that he was able to use his other arm again. Hm, one of the princess must have healed it... "So much for a reminder, am I right?" Yeah...

As Red walked to the sword, he noticed that there was a note attached to it. Taking the note, some kind of ticket fell out. Picking it up, Red saw that it was some kind of invitation. As Red read the note, his eyes twitched violently. He was invited to the Grand Galloping Gala. Are you fucking kidding me? I'm invited to a social event? Celestia must have put this here. No way in hell would anyone else invite me to an event like this. Even though Red knew he would only cause problems, he still took the ticket, out of appreciation. "You? Go to the Grand Galloping Gala? Oh, this'll be a treat." Trust me, I'm not going, I'm only taking the ticket.

When Red took the sword he attached it to a strap on his back, under the trench coat. When he walked out of the room, he saw that there was a group of guards. Red's eye twitched again. A pony stepped forward, and told him, "We've been ordered by Princess Celestia to take you to the throne room, to discuss your... Mental stability." "Hm, if that's the case, lead the way." Once they got the the set of double doors Red went through when he first came to the castle, the guards headed off to their posts. Hm, I guess this is a private conversation.

Red opened the doors, and walked inside. As soon as he got inside, the doors behind him closed. He was lifted off the ground, yet again. "Uh, is this really necessary?" Red asked. But he didn't see the princesses. Only a creature that looked like a cross between about twenty different animals. "Well, what do we have here?" The creature asked. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me..."

"What you have is someone who's seriously pissed off, and I would suggest letting me down." Red told the creature. "Hmph, I'm Discord, thanks for asking." "I'm Red, displeasure to meet you." Red said. "Looks like someone's not very social." "Oh, what gave you that idea?" Discord only smiled, and Red suddenly dropped. Landing on his stomach, Red got up, and brushed himself off.

Red looked at Discord, who was suddenly by his side. "One question, what the hell are you?" Discord grinned, "I, my new friend, am a draconequus." "What makes you think I'm a friend?" Red asked. "Because, something about you tells me not to get on your use bad side." "And what would that be?" "I don't know, maybe the fact that you have a sword that you could easily use to kill me. Or, maybe, it's because I know what you can actually do."

"Hm, I'm guessing it's the latter, am I correct?" Red asked. "Maybe." "You know Discord? There's something about you that I like. I can't put my finger on it, but it's there." "As long as you don't get the sudden urge to kill me, I think we'll be good friends." "Likewise." "I have a question." "What is it?" "What're you doing in here?" Red shrugged, "Eh, I was told that Princess Celestia wanted to have a conversation about my 'mental stability'." "Hm, I wonder why..."

Then, the doors opened, and in walked Princess Celestia. "Sorry Red, you won't believe how long a discussion with Luna can take," She apologized. "It's alright, not like I had to wait long anyway. Besides, I met a new face." Discord waved to Celestia. Celestia sighed, "I was a minute late, Discord. I told you that if I was five minutes late, you could discuss his mental state with him."

"Uh, about that?" Red asked."Oh, right, Discord, you can go now." Discord groaned, "Fine..." And then he snapped his talons, and teleported out of the room. "So, my mental stability?" Red asked Celestia. "Red, ever since you started hearing Nightmare Moon, have you, for example, wanted to hurt anypony?" "No. Is there a reason you're asking?" "Where and when did you start hearing her voice?" "A couple of days ago, in these old ruins of a castle." "Well, that would explain it. Nightmare Moon was purged from Luna at that exact place by my student and her friends."

"Wait, Luna and Nightmare used to be the same pony?" "Not entirely. A little over a thousand years ago, Nightmare Moon took control of Luna, and attempted to overthrow me, and send all of Equestria into an eternal night." "Hm, it's a good thing she failed then. Exactly how did you beat her?" "I had to use the Elements of Harmony, and banish her to the moon for a thousand years." "But in doing so, you had to banish Luna to the moon as well..." Yes, and for a thousand years, I had to endure loneliness unlike anything I had experienced before." "I can't blame you. If you hadn't banished her, she would have made the night here eternal. You had to choose the lesser of two evils. I had to make similar choices many times."

"Now, about the discussion of my mental state." Red said. "Of course. Before you passed out, what I saw in your mind was... How should I put this? Disturbing would be putting it mildly. The things that you were made to do, it's a wonder how you haven't snapped." "Yeah, I ask myself the same thing sometimes." "But, that's not the most disturbing, it's what you can do." Red was silent when Celestia said that. "It's not that we would be afraid of you if Twilight hadn't found you, it's just that, well, you have many abilities that would frighten others it they found out about them." "I try to only use them as a last resort. But sometimes it can't be avoided." And Red wasn't lying, sometimes he had to use his abilities to get himself, or others, out of harm's way.

After about half an hour later, once Red was able to convince Celestia that Nightmare wasn't influencing any of his thoughts or actions, Red walked out through the double doors. Where Discord was waiting, throwing a tennis ball at the wall and catching it. "Were you seriously waiting this entire time?" Red asked. "Eh, I get bored easily," Discord answered. "I wonder why..." "So, what did you and Tia talk about? Other than the possibility of you being insane." "Eh, had to convince her that one of the two voices in my head, who happens to be the one who took over her sister, wasn't telling me to kill everything I see." "Hm, how did that go?" "Surprisingly, I somehow managed to convince her that I was in control of my actions."

"So, what can you tell me about yourself Discord?" Red asked. "Well, I was the former Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, but, I'm reformed now, and I've given up that title. What about you?" "Hm, well, I had a terrible childhood, if you can even call it that. I've been to many worlds, I have two voices in my head that try to control me, Broken, and the more recent occupant, Nightmare Moon. I've seen some things that would make even the most hardened of people break. I'm technically 35 years old. Don't ask. Nearly died more time than I can count. And, I try to do the right thing when I'm faced with a choice." "Hm, I think my backstory's better." "Whatever."

Discord snapped his talons, and in a bright flash of light, Red was suddenly in a straitjacket. "Oh, you have to be fucking kidding me. Get this thing off of me right now." "Hm, I don't know, it suites you rather well." "I swear I will break your neck, and break out of this thing, in that order, if I have to." "Oh, fine, you sourpuss," Discord said as he snapped his talons, and the straitjacket disappeared from Red. "That's what I thought..." Red muttered. "You really need to work on your choice of entertainment." "Why? I find that slicing things to pieces, and seeing what they have on the inside, is a great way to keep myself busy." "I'm not sure that's healthy for the mind." "Did I ask for your opinion?" Then Red was lifted up, surrounded with a magical aura. "For the love of... Okay, who is it this time?" Red asked.

Then, a unicorn came into view, with his horn lit up. He looked more like a prince than a guard. "Hey, if you could let me down, I would appreciate it." Red said. "Fat chance. For all I know, you could be trying to assassinate the princesses," The unicorn told him. Red chuckled, "Trust me, if I were here to kill the princesses, you wouldn't catch me. I can promise you that." "Oh yeah?" The unicorn asked. "Are you challenging me?" Red asked in return. "I guess I am." Answered the unicorn. "Alright then. We should take this outside. Wouldn't want to make a mess, would we?"

Seven minutes later, Red and the unicorn, who Red found out was named Shining Armor, were outside, in a ring where the guards trained. "Just so you know, I used to be the caption of the royal guard. You still sure about this?" Shining asked, using his magic to bring a sword over to his side. "100% positive. You may want to get another sword. It won't be fair if you only use one." Red told Shining. Shining frowned, but still took another sword with his magic. "Ready?" Shining asked. "On the count of three?" "One..." "Two..." "Three!" Red and Shining rushed at each other.

Shining brought both swords down on Red, but he easily blocked the blow. Shining then slashed with both swords in an 'X' motion. Red hopped out of distance of the strike. Red knew that Shining was holding back, just by the speed of the first two attacks. "Shining, if you want to win, you don't want to hold back, especially against me." Red told Shining, dodging another strike. "You sure? You could get pretty hurt." Shining told Red. Red only nodded. Then, Shining went to stab Red, but Red easily deflected it.

Then, Shining unleashed a barrage of strikes against Red, who either dodged or deflected them with ease. When Shining went for Red's head with a scissor motion, Red ducked, and saw his chance. Bringing his sword up, Red aimed for Shining's neck. Shining couldn't even blink. Red held the sword to Shining's neck, smirking. "Hm, you're good, but you're way too slow to even get a hit on me." Red told Shining. Red then sheathed his sword, and began to walk away. "H-how?" Shining asked. Red stopped, and looked back, "Simple. I've had years of training. More than you can imagine." Red turned away, and began walking again.

Old Problems

As Red was walking back to the castle, three flashes of light blinded him for a few moments. When he regained his vision, he saw Discord, Luna, and Celestia, all in slight shock. "What?" Red asked. "Red," Celestia said, "Not just anypony can beat Shining Armor in a fight. And besides, we still haven't found a replacement for Caption of the Royal Guard." "Wait," Red said, "You're not asking what I think you're asking, are you?" "Of course not," Luna told Red. "Actually, yes, I am." Celestia said. "I beg your pardon?" Discord, Luna, and Red asked at the same time. "But, Celestia, are you sure?" Red asked. Celestia nodded. "Princess, I appreciate the offer, but I need some time to think about it." "I understand." With another flash of light, Celestia teleported to her throne. Luna looked furious. "You!" She said, pointing a hoof at Red. "Uh, did I do something wrong?" Red asked. Luna didn't say anything. Her horn lit up, and suddenly, Red was in a chamber he hadn't seen before. There were a variety of weapons. Swords, spears, axes, bows and arrows, crossbows, and many other weapons. In the middle of the rather large room, was a raised platform, about half the size of the room. Red saw Luna angrily taking twin swords with her magic, and flew up onto the platform. Seeing that he couldn't do anything, Red stepped onto the platform, and drew his sword. As soon as he did, Luna charged, and as she did, Red noticed she was quite faster than Shining. He barely raised his sword in time to block the strike that Luna aimed straight for his head.

Red dodged blow after blow, noticing that even in anger, Luna was quite skilled. Dammit, I'm going to have to unlock some of my power just to survive. Red's left eye turned dark grey, just as he ducked under a swing. Then, Red was able to deflect or block most of the strikes. Others were able to scratch him, or even sink an inch or to into him. Red realized that if he didn't do something, he would slip up, and he was already losing enough blood as it was. His left eye turned pitch black, and he ducked again, and this time, he rushed Luna. But she was ready, and stabbed Red in the side. Red's eyes widened. He couldn't keep the grin off of his face anymore. The pain just felt so exhilarating. Laughing like a madman, he gripped the sword in his side. Despite Luna holding onto it with magic, Red pulled the sword out, and threw it into the wall. "Is that all you got?" Red asked, his eyes twitching. "Because if it is, you can't even hope to win." Red rushed at Luna, faster than she could think, and slashed at he sword, knocking it out of her magic, and into the other wall. Luna's eyes widened, her brain just realizing what had just happened. grabbing a spear from behind her with her magic, she hurled it at Red. Red simply cut it in half, but the end managed to stab into his other arm.

The grin never left Red's face. Enraged, Luna charged her magic, and let it loose, directly at Red. He blocked with his sword, but realized that he wouldn't last long with only one arm. Yelling, he focused his energy into the sword and slashed straight up, breaking her blast and sending a wave of black aura right at Luna. Realizing what he had just done, Red snapped his fingers, and transformed into smoke, traveled to Luna with frightening speed, and as he reached her, transformed back, standing in front of her, with his arms outstretched. He took the full force of his own attack, nearly getting knocked over. When the attack faded away, Red's front torso was severely injured. His left eye returned to normal. He fell to his hands and knees, coughing up blood. He fell onto his face, and managed to turn his body. Luna, who was frozen in place with fear, finally regained the ability to move. Rushing over to Red, she looked at his wound. She then realized just how much damage Red could actually do. Then, in a flash of light, both Discord and Celestia appeared in the room. Seeing the state that Red was in, they rushed to him. Looking at them, he smiled weakly, and said, "Hey, good to see you." As soon as he finished saying that, he coughed more blood up.

As Red's vision was getting dark, he heard one last comment from Broken. "God damn, you really do protect those who need it, even if they just tried to kill you..." When Red woke up, he noticed he was in some sort of infirmary. He looked around, then noticed the giant scar on his body. Damn. Did I really try to kill Luna? "Yes, you did, and it's a shame that you didn't." Shut it. Sighing, Red laid back back down. He had nearly killed one of the princesses. Hearing a door he didn't notice before open, he looked at the direction of it.

Celestia had walked in. Sighing, Red said, "Hey, look, I know how bad I fucked up. I'm ready for any punishment you see fit." "Red, punishment isn't even a consideration. You saved my sister." "But I'm the one who almost killed her in the first place." "In self defense." "But she must have had a reason for doing what she did." "Do you have any idea what it took to heal you? Let me tell you. It took my magic, my sister's, my student's, my niece's, and Discord's. You were unconscious for three days. And we're all still recovering from the amount of magic it took to keep you alive." Hearing the amount of energy it took to keep him alive made Red feel twice as guilty. "I lost control. If I hadn't you wouldn't have needed to heal me." "Because you would have been dead."

Red knew she was right. If he hadn't done what he did, the blast from Luna would have obliterated him. "It's still no excuse for what I did." Then, another voice, this one belonging to the one he nearly killed. "Red, just stop blaming yourself." Luna had walked in while Red and Celestia were talking. "Luna? How can you say that after I nearly killed you?" Red asked. Luna just walked closer to him, and made a motion with her hoof to lean closer to her. Celestia backed away from the two. She felt slightly guilty when she knew things she wasn't supposed to. When Red was inches away from Luna, he was suddenly smack in the face with her hoof. "Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Red yelled, a red mark already appearing on his face.

"Two reasons. First, I still have some pent up rage against you. Second, you need to stop feeling guilty. What happened was my fault. If I hadn't tried to kill you, you wouldn't have needed to risk your life for me."  Red looked straight into Luna's eyes, and then hugged her. Caught off-guard, Luna blushed slightly once she realized what was happening. "Uh, Red?" She asked. "Thank you." Was all he said. Just then, Discord happened to have floated in. Looking at the display of affection, he had to resist the urge to laugh. "Awww, how cute, first you try to kill him, then you befriend him. Can't you make up your mind?" He asked Luna.

Red let Luna go, and both of them glared at Discord. "What?" He asked. Then he noticed the slight blush Luna had. "Hm? What's this? Luna, are you blushing?" "S-shut up, Discord!" Luna said, blushing even more. "Oh my, do you have a crush on him?" "I-I do not!" "Uh, I'm right here." Red reminded them.  "So?" Discord asked. Celestia sighed, then said, "Discord, I think it would be better if we left these two alone." "But- Oh! Alright then." Grinning, Discord floated out, and Celestia walked out. Now it was just Red and Luna.

"So, do you really have a crush on me?" Red asked, shattering the awkward silence. "M-maybe..." Luna answered. Red smirked. "Well, in that case..." Red trailed off as he brought Luna in and kissed her.

Memories, Dreams, and Nightmares

"What the buck is wrong with you?" "What the fuck, man? I mean, you've done some stupid shit, but that was a whole new level of stupid." I'm guessing that was a bad idea... "No shit Sherlock, you figure that one out all by yourself?" As soon as Red's lips met Luna's, Red regretted it. Red was in a full body cast, wearing an expression of boredom. God fucking dammit, there's nothing to do... "Maybe you should of thought about that before you kissed Luna. You idiot." Shut the fuck up, Nightmare. "Whatever you say..."

Red closed his eyes. He'd been in this situation before. The best thing to do was to sleep. As Red let sleep wash over him, he started thinking about the parts in his life he'd rather not talk about with anyone. And he began to dream. Red was walking toward a burnt down house. As he walked through the doorway, he felt something else in the house. He looked around, but saw nothing. As he walked through the house, he noticed that there were writings on the wall. It was unfamiliar to him. When he reached the end of a hallway, he saw that there was an actual door. He turned the knob, but it was locked. Red then kicked the door down.

When he walked through, he saw that everything beyond the door was untouched by the fire that had devastated the rest of the house. Then, he heard a loud thud. Turning around, he saw someone, with pure white skin, and a grin that didn't seem humanly possible. Red realized that it wasn't a grin. It was a scar. He then saw the knife that the man was carrying. Moving away from the doorway, Red snapped his fingers, and slowly transformed into black smoke. When the man walked through the doorway, the smoke had passed through a grate on the wall.

Then, the dream changed. From a burnt down house, Red was now at a big mansion, in the middle of the woods. Red was bleeding from multiple wounds. Walking through a set of double doors, Red stumbled, but managed to make it to a couch near the door. As soon as he collapsed, a figure walked through a doorway, and saw Red. "So, I'm guessing that the treaty didn't go well..." "Fuck. Off." "I'm just trying to be friendly. I suggest you do the same sometime." "How many times do I have to tell you guys? I don't need friends." "I wonder how long it'll be before you see just how wrong you are..." "Masky, what part of 'fuck off', do you not understand?" "Whatever. Your brother's gonna be pissed when he finds out you fucked up. You know, I suggest you take anger management classes." "I don't need anger management. What I need is for people to stop pissing me off." Masky looked at the blood-soaked couch, then to Red. "You should probably bleed out somewhere else. The other's would be mad if that couch gets a stain." "Just one more minute..." "Off the couch. Now." Red groaned then rolled off the couch onto the floor. Then another figure walked in. It looked to the couch, then to Red. "What the hell man? That's a good couch. Couldn't you bleed out somewhere else?" "That's what I told him." "Hoodie, I swear, I will fucking end you." "Not in that condition you won't." "You'd be surprised at what I can still do..." "Hey, Red's back. Wait. Why is there blood on the couch?" "Oh, how I wish I could stay dead to get away from you all..."

Then the scene shifted again. Red was still at the mansion, but he was in one of the many rooms, sleeping. When a door slammed, Red jolted awake. Yawning, Red checked the clock above the door. 4 A.M. Red sighed. It was probably one of the others coming from a mission. As he opened the door, he noticed someone he wished he didn't. It was his brother. Quickly, and quietly, closing the door, Red got back into his bed. But there was a knock at his door. Sighing, Red went back to the door, and opened it by a crack. The door suddenly burst open. Red was tackled by something. When Red was able to focus, what he saw made his eyes twitch. A pink horse, with a flat tail and mane, grinning at him. Looking back to the door way, Red saw his brother. Even though he didn't have a face, Red could tell that he would have been grinning. "Uh, mind explaining this?" Red asked. "This is Pinkamena. She will be your new partner. It's been a while since you killed your last one." "Hey! He had it coming." "I'm sure he did. At any rate, you two will need to be acquainted. Have fun."

Once again, the scene shifted. Like before, it was still in the mansion. This time, Red and Pinkamena were in a kitchen. Pinkamena was talking non-stop. Red was covering his ears in vain, with his face buried in his arms. Then, someone walked in. Looking up, Red saw who it was, then re-buried his face in his arms. "Uh, what's this?" The person asked. Red grabbed the person by the shirt, and shook them. "Do you have any idea what I've been through!? No! You have no idea!" "Uh..." "She's been talking since I first met her. Do you have any idea how long ago that was? Four. Hours. Four. Fucking! HOURS!!!"  "Okay, geez, calm down." "No, Jeff, I will not calm down! I think I have ear cancer now." Red let go of Jeff. "Well, can't you talk to your brother abou-" "No! I can't! He's the one who made us partners." "Well, I guess your on your own then." Jeff walked out. Red whimpered, and Pinkamena began talking again.

Then, Red woke up, wide eyed. "Oh, fuck. Could she be here? No, that's not possible. Is it?" Red sighed, then tried to go back to sleep, only to hear a voice. "Why the fuck did you have to go back there? The first time you met her, you almost killed yourself. Actually, now that I think about it, after a week, you boned her. Mind telling me why?" How 'bout I don't? I think you'll appreciate it. "Whatever..." "Wait, you had intercourse with a pony?" I hate you both...

Return Part I

When Red woke up, he saw that he was no longer in a cast. The fuck? "Your welcome." Thanks... Red got out of the bed, and realized that something was off about the infirmary he was in. It looked more filthy, almost like it had been abandoned some time ago. Uh, Broken, you getting deja vu too? "Yeah, any idea why?" None whatsoever. When Red looked out the grime covered window, he saw only a heavy fog. Wait... Oh no. Broken, it seems we're back... "Where?" Well, not exactly back, but somewhere pretty fucking close. "Wait, you're not seriously saying..." I'm afraid I am... "Um, would somepony please explain to me what's going on?" I'm guessing we're in this world's variation of a place where it's a personal hell to whoever goes there. "Shit. Here I was, thinking we'd never see that place again, and we're suddenly dropped off in it, without a single warning. Sometimes life gives you lemons, then takes the lemons back, and squeezes the juices into your eyes."

Red walked out of the room, and saw no guards. He wasn't surprised, last time he was here, it was only him and Broken, and he had barely made it out alive. It was like life had a personal grudge against him. Walking to the throne room, Red saw some kind of creature. As he drew closer, Red saw that it was the corpse of a pony. It was flat on it's stomach. As Red knelt down to inspect it, he saw that the mark on the back of the pony was gone, and it looked like it had been carefully cut off. Wait, I know someone who did this before... Turning the body over, he saw that the insides of the pony had been either ripped or shoveled out. Wait, is she here? It sure looks like her handiwork.

Red stood up, and continued walking to the throne room. After about five minutes, Red heard something that sounded a lot like giggling. Stopping, he looked around, but saw nothing. "Shit, is she seriously here?" She must be, who else would giggle like that in this kind of place? "Dammit, I was not looking forward to seeing her again." Red kept walking for what felt like five minutes. Stopping, he looked ahead. The hallway looked infinite.

Turning around, he saw another creature, this one was definitely alive. Walking to it, Red saw that it was a pony. With a flat mane, and tail, and the entirety of the pony was pink. Shit. "Well, this can't end well. The pony saw Red, then gasped. Then Red was suddenly in a bear hug, on the floor. Red sighed. "Hey Pinkamena, it's been a while, hasn't it?" "It sure has!" Pinkamena hugged him even tighter. "Oh god, are you two going to fuck on the floor? If so, what the literal fuck man?" Shut it, we're not going to have sex. "So, Pinkamena, how have the others been since... I left?" "Not good. Without your brother to keep everyone in line, they've all been at each other's throats. Literally. Jeff nearly ripped out Jane's throat." "And that's different from any other day, how?" "I don't want to go into detail, but the mansion's been nothing but pure chaos. Red? Do you think you'll ever come back?" "Maybe one day. Maybe..." "I hope so. I've missed you, and so have a few of the others." "Really, like who?" "Well, Jack, BEN, Jane, Masky and Hoodie, and even Jeff." "Wait, Jeff misses me?" Pinkamena nodded and said, "Yeah, I was surprised too, considering how much you guys fought. But Jack's probably the one who misses you the most. He's done nothing but look at the door in his free time. I guess he's hoping you'll come back one day." "Really? Well, when you get back, tell them I said hi. It's the least I can do. I haven't talked to them in so long..." The two just hugged each other, before Red spoke again. "If I could, I would visit. Even if only for a minute." Then, the two heard a low growl, coming from behind Red. Red turned, and saw the creature he had passed by earlier.

Pinkamena rolled off of Red. Red stood up, ready for a fight. Red gripped the sword on his back, grateful he had a weapon. The pony was walking toward the two. As it drew closer, the two noticed it wasn't heading to them specifically, only the direction that they were in. Looking behind the pony, Red saw something else. Something bigger, and, if he knew anything of this world, badder. Squinting, Red saw that it was another pony. With a helmet in the shape of a pyramid. Red's eyes snapped open, and Red sheathed his sword. Picking Pinkamena up, Red ran as fast as he could with the extra weight. Red took as many turns as he could. Kicking a door open, rushing inside, and kicking it closed, Red set Pinkamena down.

Red was breathing heavily, he wasn't used to having to run at full speed, with an extra passenger in his arms, for fifteen minutes. "Uh, what was that all about?" Red took a deep breath before explaining, "The thing behind the pony, it had a helmet, one that was too familiar to me. It nearly took my life more times that I can remember. Trust me when I say do not fuck with that thing." Red began breathing heavily again. Pinkamena was shocked. He was actually afraid of something other than himself? "This place, you've been here before, haven't you Red?" "Yeah, I'd rather not talk about it. Whenever I tell you to do something, do it, without any hesitation, got it?" "Yeah, why do you sound so afraid?" "Because I am. This place, it won't let me use my abilities. It won't allow me to. I had to learn to not be relying on my powers all the time."

"Wait, what do you mean, this place wouldn't 'allow' you to use your powers?" "Exactly that. I couldn't do a thing. Nearly died finding out." "So, you can't use any of your powers? How exactly did you survive the first time?" "Honestly, I'm not sure. Maybe I was lucky. Maybe there was something that just kept me going. Maybe this place decided to let me live. Could be any of those reasons." Red sighed, then sat down on a rusted bench that was in the room. Pinkamena walked up to him, then hugged him again. "Hey, Red? Remember how we first met?" "Of course I do. I tried to kill myself multiple times." "Yeah, but someone always stopped you. Remember our first mission together?" "Hmph, that's something I could never forget. And it's a memory I hope I never forget."

Red sighed again. He wished that they could stay like this for a while longer, but he knew better.

Return Part II

Red let Pinkamena hug him a little longer. Then, he gently pushed her off of him. "Pinkamena, we have to get moving. We should take advantage of what time this world lets us have together." "Oh! Do you mean-" "No." Pinkamena groaned. "Fine." Red got up, and began walking to the door on the opposite of the door they had used to get into the room. Red opened the door. He saw rows of bodies of ponies, hung. He closed the door. "What's in there?" "Just bodies." "Well, what was on the other side of the room?" "I don't know, I didn't look that far ahead." "Then go check." "Fine." Red opened the door again, and went inside. Walking along the rows of bodies, Red felt someone breathing down his neck. He turned his head to see, and saw Pinkamena on his back. "Pinkamena, how did- You know what? I'm not even going to ask." Just then, Red walked into a wall.

"You know, you should really look where you're going sometimes." "I know." Looking around the wall, Red saw a lever behind one of the body's. Pulling it, Red heard a panel open. Red looked at the wall, and saw a part of the wall was missing. It looked like Red wouldn't be able to fit, even if he got on his hands and knees. He looked at Pinkamena, and raised a brow. She just shook her head. "Dammit. I wonder where it leads to..." The two walked out of the room, and closed the door. As Red drew closer to the door that came in through, they started hearing static. It was coming from a piece of clothe on a table. Red picked the cloth up, and something fell out. It was a sapphire, in the shape of an alicorn. "Well, I guess this is what keeps us aware of our surroundings." "What do you mean by that?" "The static means that something that wants to kill us is in our general area." As Red explained the static began to die down. "So, when you hear static, get ready for a fight, or run." Then, there was a knocking at the door. Red looked at it, then sighed. Red put the sapphire in one of his jacket pockets, made sure it wouldn't fall out, and walked to the door. Opening it, Red saw someone he didn't think would be in the same place as him and Pinkamena. It was Princess Celestia. "Red, so good to see you."

Celestia was covered in blood. When she walked into the room, the sapphire began giving off static louder than anything Red had heard before. Celestia didn't seem to notice it. "Red, how long has it been since you found the castle in this state?" "Only a few minutes ago, why?" "Good, that means you haven't found anything yet." "What do you mean by that?" "Oh, nothing important." She's not telling me something. Red didn't know how, but he knew she was lying to him. It could have been the way she spoke, the way she walked, the way she looked at him, the way she smiled pleasantly, despite the fact she was covered in blood. Red's heart was hammering. "Celestia, are you feeling okay?" "Oh, not only do I feel okay, I feel better than I have in years." The way she said that made Red's heart beat even faster. "Celestia, have you seen anyone else? Like your sister?" "I can't say I have." Red began to sweat.

"Are you sure? Maybe you just don't remember seeing them." "No, I'm positive that I've been by myself the entire time." Red looked through the still open doorway. There was blood covering almost every corner. Suddenly, Red felt a sharp pain in his side. He looked to see what could possibly be causing the pain. He saw a knife, driven through him. Red looked up, and saw Celestia grinning. "Like I said, I've been by myself this entire time." Red's vision began to go dark. "Shit. Kid, don't you dare pass out!" It was too late, the pain and blood loss had gotten to Red. When Red woke up, he saw that his wound had been bandaged. Looking around, he saw he was in some kind of cage. There was barely any light in the room he was in. Red saw other cages, and the captives shocked Red. In one cage, was Luna. In another, was Twilight.

Red looked at the lock on the door to his cage. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. It made his had hurt just my looking at it. Sighing, Red realized just how bad things were looking for him, and the others. Then, one of the cage doors swung open, and out walked an alicorn Red hadn't seen before. She walked to Twilight's cage and began to pick the lock with what looked like a bobby-pin. Red raised a brow, but didn't say anything. It took half a minute, but the alicorn opened  the cage. Twilight walked out, and Red noticed that Twilight looked paler than he had remembered. Another half minute later, Luna's cage was opened. Luna and Twilight looked at Red's cage. The other alicorn looked at the direction they were looking at, and walked to Red's cage. This time, the alicorn looked at the lock, then to the others, and shook her head, and said, "I should be able to open it, but it may take too long." "Exactly how long?" Luna asked. "Three minutes, at the least." Red spoke up, "Don't any of you worry about me. Get yourselves out of here. If you can, find the key for this thing. Then, and only then, come back or me. Got it?" The three nodded, then walked through a door opposite to his cage. Just as the door in front of him closed, a door behind him opened. Red looked back, and saw Pinkamena. "Pinkamena? How did you get here? Actually, why are you not in one of these cages?" "I managed to get away from Celestia after she stabbed you. Through that panel in the wall that opened up. Took me a while, but I managed to find a way into this place. And I found a key, although I have no idea what kind it is. Found it in a toilet, disgusting." "Wait, see if that key opens this cage." "Okay." Pinkamena walked around the cage, and inserted the key she had found into the lock and turned it. The door opened. "Sometimes I wonder just how lucky I am." "So do I." Pinkamena climbed onto Red's back, and the two walked through the same door the three alicorns had gone through. There was a table, a sink, and two other doors. On the table was the sword that Red had, along with a number of other weapons. Red took his sword, along with half of the throwing knives that were on the table.

Red looked at the two doors. one of the doors was slightly opened, and there was a smell of blood coming from it. Red walked to the other door, and opened it. There, he saw Luna, Twilight, and the other alicorn, trying to figure out a puzzle on one of the walls. "How are we supposed to solve this?" Luna asked Twilight and the other alicorn. The puzzle on the was a giant picture, which was mismatched to the point where it was just a giant cluster-fuck. Red cleared his throat, and asked, "Well, it appears you three are having trouble with this. Would you mind if I gave it a shot?" "Red? How did you- Actually, just help us with this." Luna told him. Red walked toward the puzzle, looked at it closely, then began sliding tiles into the correct position. It only took a minute or two. When the last tile slid into place, a door to the left clicked, then opened. Red walked through, and saw many gears turning, and looked up. "Uh, do any of you know where we are?" Red asked. "No, and that worries me." Luna answered. "It appears we're in a clock tower. Does that mean anything to anyone?" Red asked.

Return Part III

All three alicorns shook their heads. Red looked at Pinkamena. "Nope. Nothing." She told him. "Well, I guess that means it's one of mine..." Red was starting to wonder why any of this happened to him. Then he remembered who his family was. Stepping into the clock tower section, Red looked around. It was exactly the same as the one in his memories. Walking up the steps, with the others close behind him, Red swore he felt something watching them. Once they got halfway up the steps, a loud crash was heard below them. Looking down, Red saw the pony with the helmet again. "Not to burst anyone's bubble, but we have to hurry." As Red said that, another crash could be heard. "Now!" Red began sprinting, and the others started galloping. Pinkamena looked behind her, and tapped Red's shoulder. "What is it?" Red asked, and looked behind. His eyes widened, and he began running even faster. The stairs were collapsing behind them.

As they began to near the top, Red lost his footing, and tripped. Pinkamena, who was launched from Red's back. landed on the top, on her back. As Red began to get back up, he looked behind him, and saw the collapsing stairs starting to catch up to him. He started sprinting, even faster, from not having to carry Pinkamena anymore. Once the three alicorns reached the top, the stairs started collapsing even faster. Red began to draw closer to the top, but the collapsing stairs were right at his heels. As soon as Red knew he was in jumping distance of the top, he lunged. Something grabbed his foot, just as he was about to land. It pulled him down. Luckily, Red was able to grab onto a ledge. Looking down, Red saw that it was a black tendril that had wrapped around his leg. Red unsheathed his sword and swung at the tendrils.

He missed, Red swung again, and again missed. Red was starting to get tired. He swung one final time, and managed to cut through the tendrils. He sheathed his sword, and climbed up. Only to see that he was completely alone. Well, shit. I guess I'm on my own for quite a while. "Hey, it'll be just like old times, am I right?" "Actually, I'm still here." "Oh yeah. Hey, wanna hear an embarrassing story about the person your currently residing in?" "Eh, why not?" Both of you can go fuck yourselves. "So, he's in the kitchen getting a midnight snack, right? Then, suddenly, out of nowhere..." I swear to god if you tell that story, I will put myself into a coma just to shut you up. "You know, I have a question, when you met Discord. Exactly how old are you? Really?" Red chuckled at the question Nightmare asked. Well, I'm technically thirty-five. My true age is thirty-five thousand.

"What!? There's no possible way for you to be that old!" You'd be surprised what kind of advantages being born into the wrong family has. Like, for example, eternal youth. Not immortality, that something entirely different. I just can't age. "But..." "Don't question it. It'll make your head explode. I'm not joking." Red walked along the walkways that were still standing. When he came across a locked door, Red tried to kick it down, but failed. Hey Nightmare, what can this sword cut through? "Well, considering that I made that out of something found only in the Everfree, I'm guessing pretty much anything. Why?" Wouldn't want to break the gift you gave me, now would I? Red slashed through the door, sheathed the sword, and stepped inside. It looked like a control room, of some kind.

Red looked around, but didn't see anything of any importance to him. Walking back through the doorway, Red saw that there were even less walkways now. In fact, there was only one way he could possibly go. Walking along the path that was laid out for him, Red felt the feeling we was watched again. Then he realized he was always watched. When he reached the end of the walkways, Red went through the door that was at the very end. The door led him to the same room that he was just in. God dammit... Red walked around the room again, checking everything he could. Then, he found a key next to a lever. "Great, a key. I'm sure that'll be useful..." Hey, at least it's not a riddle... "True. Man, I fucking hate those things." Red walked out of the room, and noticed that there were more walkways.

"So, what are we looking for?" What do you think? A door. After walking for a couple of minutes, Red noticed another door. There were no walkways to get to it. "Wait, are we seriously jumping?" What other choice do we have right now? "I fucking hate it when you make a point." Red began running to the door, ready to catch the knob if he had to. When he jumped, the door suddenly swung open. Red landed inside. Then the door slammed shut.

Red got up, and noticed that there was a pedestal in the middle of the room. On either side of the pedestal, was a door. On the pedestal was writing. It read: To the right, your darkest secrets will be revealed to the ones you trust. To the left, You will find out the secrets they have hidden for years. Only the correct path will allow you to leave. Red walked to the door on the right without hesitation, opened it, and walked through. "I hope you know what you're doing..."

Return Part IV

Trust me. I know what I'm doing. "If you don't..." I know... When Red walked through the doorway, he saw that it was a long hallway. "What kind of secrets do you have?" The kind that still gives me nightmares. The hall was a solid black color, making it seem as if one were walking in nothing but darkness. Red kept walking, ignoring the whispers that he was suddenly hearing. After a while, Red saw a door, pure white in color. Red stopped a few feet in front of the door. The whispers were now gone. He gripped the knob of the door, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

And saw a room, from his memories. The same one he used to sleep in. There were two beds, and beside them was an end table. One the end table was a framed photograph. It had Red, and a number of others. Red walked to the photo, and picked it up. At the front of the group, was Red's brother. He was inexplicably tall, wore a suit and tie, his skin was pure white, and he had no face. Next to Red's brother, was a man, with a more possible height, who also had pure white skin, black hair, and a scar, starting at the mouth, and ended at either cheek. On the other side of Red's brother, was someone in a white mask, tan jacket, and brown hair. Next to the one in the mask, was someone with a brown hoodie, with the hood on. Next to the man with the scar, was someone with the height of a child, with blonde hair, and was wearing Link outfit. Behind them, were many others, such as Red, frowning, arms crossed.

Red smiled as he looked at the many familiar faces in the photo. I just wish I hadn't snapped... "Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I miss 'em too..." Heh, liar... "Who are they?" The people I used to live with. Sometimes I have dreams about them... Then, Red noticed something in the picture. It was faint, and Red had to squint to see it clearly. There was a phrase, written in dust, on the glass. It read: "The Good Times". Red felt himself tear up a bit. I'm so sorry...

Red set the photo frame back down, and noticed a door next to one of the beds. He walked to it, and opened it. There was another hallway. Red felt a chill go down his spine. Anyone else get the feeling the next room is going to be bad? "Yep." "Who wouldn't?" Red reached the door at the end of the hall, and opened it. Inside, was another room. This one was less desirable. Red looked around the room. It had blood stains almost everywhere. On the floor, was Red's brother, clearly dead. He had been ripped in half, and had a silver dagger in the spot his heart would be.

Red looked at the body, with little to no emotion. He brought this upon himself. I have nothing else to say. "Wow, I know he was an asshole at times, but that's cold." I did what I had to. Red walked around the body, to another door, and opened it. He walked down the hallway, and opened another door. Inside, was what looked like a cavern. There were multiple bodies, all of them human, and they looked like hikers. Red didn't stay very long in the room.

When he reached the exit of the cave, he looked back at the bodies. The limbs looked like they were ripped off, one by one. Then Red left the cave. And walked into a factory. The machines were all turned off. Red walked around the factory for a while, then remembered the way he left. He walked to the security section of the building. The door was wide open, and when Red walked inside, he saw a giant hole in the wall. It looked like it had been blown up by C4. Red walked through the hole, and found himself back in the castle.

Looking around, Red saw nothing that could kill him. He didn't recognize the room he was in. Then, suddenly, Discord appeared out of nowhere. Literally. The fuck? How did he? Wait, he's the former God of Chaos and Disharmony. I'm sure he can do whatever the fuck he wants. "Now that's using your head!" Wait, you can hear my thoughts? "Of course I can! What kind of friend would I be without invading your most personal privacy?" A good one. "Hm, good point, but it was still entertaining to see what was in that little noggin of yours." As Discord said this, he knocked on Red's head twice.

Red rolled his eyes and asked, "So, Discord, any idea where we are?" "None whatsoever!" "Great..." "Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out easily enough." "Whatever you say..." Discord floated over to a door, and opened it. It lead to one of the many hallways in the castle. "Hm, nope." Discord closed the door, and floated to Red, who was walking around the room, looking for anything that could be important. "Have you found anything?" Red asked, reaching behind a shelf filled with books.

"No. What are you doing?" "I saw something behind this thing, but I couldn't get a good look at it. Mind helping me move this?" Discord snapped his fingers, and the shelf disappeared in a flash of light. On the floor, was a key. Red picked it up, and put it in his jacket. "Hm, never know if it'll be useful." Red looked at the door that Discord had opened. "You did open it, right?" Red asked.

"Yes, why?" "What was on the other side?" "Just a hallway." "Well, since there's no other way out of this room, looks like we'll be taking a walk. Probably a long one..."

Return Part V

Walking out into the hallway, Red noticed that Discord didn't make any indication that he was going to go with Red. "Uh, Discord, are you coming, or not?" Red asked, raising a brow. Discord yawned, and waved his lion paw at Red. "Nah, you go on without me. I have personal business to attend to." "Whatever you say..." Red began to walk along the hallway. After five minutes of walking, Red came across a set of double doors. Red walked up to the doors, and pushed them open.

And saw the throne room. On the throne, was what looked like a picture. Walking up to it, Red picked it up, and looked at it. It was a photo of Celestia and Luna. But what Red didn't expect was that they were fillies. Red turned the picture over and saw a strange symbol. It was drawn it what Red guessed was blood. Red put the picture in his jacket, and turned. Only to see Celestia, same as she was when he first saw her in the hell they were in. Red gripped the sword on his back, ready for a fight. Celestia didn't seem to notice, or care. She walked right up to him, and smiled pleasantly. "Ah, Red, surprising to see you here."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" "Well, what I mean is, you're still alive." "Yeah, maybe you shouldn't have patched me up then." Celestia tilted her head, and asked, "What do you mean? I left you to bleed out." "Wait, the only other one who was with us was..." Dammit! Red ran right by Celestia, who was too shocked by his sudden movement to do anything to stop him. Dammit, we have to find her. "What? Why?" Because, Twilight, Luna, and the other alicorn were with her when we got separated. "Oh yeah. Well, you better find her, and fast."

Red ran past the room he was in, not even bothering to see if Discord was still in the room. Checking every open door in the hallway, Red pan past a room with a closed door, then stopped. Walking hurriedly, Red went up to the door, and opened it. Inside, he found the three alicorns he was looking for, along with a certain pink pony, near a fireplace that was lit. Sighing in relief, Red got their attention. Luna rushed to him, and hugged him. "How did you survive the fall?" Luna asked, tearing up. Red was confused by the question.

"What do you mean? I didn't... Oh, I think I know what happened." "What do you mean by that?" "I didn't fall, you only saw an illusion, probably made by this place, that was me falling. What happened to me was that I got grabbed, but I managed to cut the things grabbing onto me, and climbed up the top." Luna hugged him tighter, and Red saw Pinkamena frown.

"Uh, Luna? You can let go of me now." "O-oh, right. Sorry." Luna let go of Red, blushing slightly. Red walked over to Pinkamena, and gave her a small hug. "So, what happened after we got separated?" Red asked, looking back at Luna. "Well, not much, other than having run into a few creatures here and there." "Hm..." "What about you, Red?" "Well, I got into a room, and remembered some things I'm not proud of. Oh, and I met Discord and Celestia on the way here."

When Red said that, Twilight asked, "Wait, you saw Princess Celestia?" "Yeah, why?" "Why didn't you bring her with you?" "Hm, I don't know, maybe it was because she was covered in blood. Or maybe it was because she stabbed me when I first saw her here." All three alicorns looked at Red in shock, and said simultaneously, "What!?" "Yeah, I passed out of blood loss, and woke up in a cage. Who did you see before you woke up in that room?" Luna answered first, "Well, I saw Discord." Then, Twilight, "I saw my assistant, Spike." And lastly, the alicorn Red didn't know the name of, "My husband, Shining Armor." Red looked into the fire, and thought about the answers to his question. Then, it hit him.

"Luna, exactly how much do you trust Discord?" Luna was visibly puzzled by the question, but answered nonetheless, "Uh, well, he's the one I trust most." Luna's answer was what Red was expecting. "How 'bout you Twilight? How much do you trust your assistant?" Twilight looked at the fire and said, "I trust him more than anypony else..." Red knew Twilight was starting to piece it together. Red then asked, "Anyone starting to see a connection?"

They all nodded. "Good, so now we know to not trust anyone as long as we're in this hellhole. No matter who they are." Red looked into the fire and began to think about the situation they were in. They couldn't trust anyone, not even each other, as soon as they walked out of that room.

Red began to walk out of the room, and said to them all, "If you see me again, don't trust me, even if I tell you otherwise." Then he was out in the hallway again. Looking to both ends, he saw Discord floating lazily toward him. Red walked to him, and asked, "So, you finish whatever it was you needed to?" Discord nodded, then yawned again.

"So, what have you found since you went off to do your own thing?" Discord asked.

"Well, I found Luna, Twilight, and another alicorn I haven't seen before."

"Hm, does she have a crystal heart for a cutie mark?"

"A what?"

"Oh, that's right, you have no clue how things work in Equestria. Well, a cutie mark is an indication on what a pony is best at"

"So, Celestia's cutie mark is the sun on her rear?"

"Yep."

"Huh, guess that makes sense. So, you know the other alicorn?"

"Eh, not really. We're more acquaintances than anything else really."

"Hm, so, what's her name?"

"Cadence. Princess of love."

"Your kidding. Your kidding, right?" Discord shook his head, and told Red, "Nope."

"You have to be fucking kidding me..."

Return Part VI

Red looked Discord straight into the eyes. He wasn't kidding. Red sighed. "Son of a bitch..." Red walked over to a wall, and banged his head a few times. "Hm, Discord, have you ever done something and regret it as soon as you do it?"

Discord looked solemn, and said, "Quite a few times..." Red looked back at Discord is slight surprise. The former God of Chaos and Disharmony had regretted something he had done? Then Red realized how easily someone could regret something if they were reformed. Then, Red asked, "What was it?"

"I'd rather not say..." Discord told Red. Red just nodded. Red looked to the direction of the hallway Discord came from. At the end, were a set of double doors. Red realized that he saw those quite a bit. He began walking to the doors, but then Discord grabbed him by the collar of his jacket. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Discord turned Red, and looked into his eyes.

"Trust me. You don't want to go in there." Red looked back to the doors, and despite his curiosity, he nodded. "Good. Now, run along, I'm sure you have things you need to do." Red nodded again, and began to walk the way he had come. Discord watched Red go and muttered, "We're a lot alike, you and I..."

Red looked back to Discord and asked, "You say something?"

"Oh, just be careful, that's all." Red shrugged, and continued walking. He kept walking until he was back in the throne room. There, Celestia was sitting, facing him, smiling. She spoke, with ice in her voice, "Red, what are you doing back here?"

"Well, I'm here to kick you arse. And see if I can't find the real Celestia after."

"Hm, so it seems that your no longer fooled by this guise."

"That's right. Now,, i you don't mind, get ready, I'd rather prefer a fair fight than just killing you."

"What makes you think you can kill me?"

"The fact that you took a cheap shot at me the first time we met."

"Hm, nice observation. While it's true I'm not particularly skilled at taking an enemy head-on, that doesn't mean I'm completely defenseless." 'Celestia' stood, drawing a golden dagger from her side. Then, faster than Red could blink, she was charging toward him. Red managed to unsheathe his sword and block just in time, the dagger mere inches away from his eyes. 'Celestia' never stopped smiling.

"You know, I never realized how attractive your eyes were before now..."

"Hmph, thanks, I guess."

"And soon, I'll have them added to my collection."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Red angled his sword to have the dagger drag along the blade, missing him by a few inches. 'Celestia' used her magic to swing the dagger again. Red deflected it. Then, the dagger came back around, and grazed Red's side. 'Celestia' grinned.

"Is that the best you have to offer?"

"Without my powers, I'm afraid so."

"What a shame." The dagger whipped around, and Red suddenly felt a pain in his chest. Looking down, he saw the dagger, buried in the center of his chest. Red began to hear a thumping sound. It was rhythmic, almost like a drum. Or a heartbeat. Red realized he was hearing his heartbeat, and it was getting weaker. "Shit. Looks like it's my time to shine." Don't let me down, you crazy bastard. Then, after he heard his heartbeat stop, Red blacked out.

Then, the heartbeat came back. Red looked up, grinning. 'Celestia' looked at him in shock. Then, Red gripped the dagger, and yanked it out. Damn, it's been too long since I was able to kick some ass. Then, Red spoke, "Alright, here's what's gonna happen; I'm gonna kick your ass, kill you, then leave. Got a problem with that? If so, too bad. Red may have a sense of honor, but I don't. Call me Broken." Broken's voice was slightly higher pitched than Red's.

Broken, faster than 'Celestia' could blink, stabbed her in the side. Broken grinned. "Is that the best you got? If so, what a shame it would be to kill you, not even worth the amount of energy to swing this sword..." Broken slashed at 'Celestia's' throat, and felt the splatter against his face. 'Celestia' fell in a heap, bleeding to death. "Like I said, not even worth the energy of swinging this sword."

Broken sighed, then snapped his fingers, the hole in his chest, along with his heart, began to fill with smoke, materializing into flesh. He sighed again, then blacked out.

When Red woke up, he saw 'Celestia's' body, and let out a sigh of relief. Damn, it's a good thing that Broken's a lot more merciless than me. "Hey, it's what I'm good at." Red placed a hand over his heart. He hated when it stopped. It meant dying, then coming back. And that wasn't very pleasant. At least, not to Red.

Red got up, and began to walk out of the throne room. as he did, he saw that there was less grime on the walls. And that, there were guard slowly walking out, rubbing their heads, seemingly gaining consciousness. At the end of the hallway, was Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Cadance.Walking toward them, Red let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. Good thing the Celestia he killed was a fake, or he would likely be on the run for the rest of his days here.

Then and Now

Dear Celestia,

It's been a month since I accepted your offer of exploring the Everfree, and three since the incident. At first I wasn't sure about accepting, but now, I'm glad I did. There's so much life in here, some of it trying to kill me, but I can look past that. Ever since after the incident, which was three months ago, I've learned much about you and your sister, as well as the Element Bearers. I'm still trying to understand Pinkie Pie. Twilight, along with the others, just tell me 'It's Pinkie Pie'. I guess I'll accept that answer in time. But still, Pinkie can give Discord a run for his money, whereas randomness is concerned. I remember how I first met Pinkie. I was just moving into Ponyville. As soon as I opened the door, which I was surprised to see wasn't locked, I heard a chorus of 'surprise'. The first pony I saw was Pinkie, and when I met her, I thought that her appearance fit her personality. I'm probably not the only one. She's the most energetic pony, no, being, I know. Not once, in all of the worlds that I've been to, have I met anyone as hyper as her. The amount of questions she asked me was almost frightening. But, I managed to answer each one. Whenever I see her, it brings a smile to my face. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, is a somewhat different story. When we first met, I could already tell she didn't trust me that much. Or, I should say, at all. In fact, I remember that she asked more questions than Pinkie. Good thing you were there to calm her down. Applejack was much more trusting. In fact, she was very welcoming of me. She can give one hell of a handshake. Not like Rarity, not in the least. Rarity was a little more... Classy, I think is the word I would use to describe her. When I first walked into her boutique, I could tell that the dirt from my shoes was annoying her on the inside. Even after I offered to clean the dirt, she said that it wouldn't be a problem for her. She even let me stay in her guest room for a night. Well, anyway, I'm starting to run out of parchment, so tell everyone I said hi. And tell Luna to stop worrying about me. Seriously, she sends about ten letters a minute.

From, your friend, Red

Red looked over the letter, and nodded. He then snapped his fingers, and the letter turned into black smoke, and began to trail off to it's chosen destination. Red rubbed his eyes, it was getting late, and he would need to sleep soon. But he wanted to check the cave he had found earlier that day. Sighing, Red got up from the temporary camp he had made, and began walking. As he walked to the cave, he saw warnings that definitely weren't there when he passed earlier.

Soon, Red was at the entrance to the cave. It was almost pitch black in the cave. No, that's not ominous at all. Red took a deep breath and walked into the cave. Then, suddenly, a wooden gate seemed to crash down behind him, blocking the way out. Red snapped his fingers, and the area around him began to glow dimly. Walking through the cave, which turned out to be like a maze, Red began to sense something nearby. No, not something, someone. Red navigated the maze in a short amount of time, now that he had a goal. Once he was out o the maze, Red felt multiple beings begin to surround him. Red had only sensed this many beings three times before, not counting whenever he was in the mansion.

The first time was when he rebelled against his brother. He spilled more blood than he thought was possible. The second time was when he had to quite literally go against an army. The third time... Red shuddered at the memory. It had been a gruesome sight. Red shook his head to focus. He needed to do something, and fast, otherwise he would be overwhelmed by the number of whatever it was that was surrounding him.

Red held up his hand, opened his palm, and closed his eyes. A small orb of black energy began to form in his hand. When it was roughly twice the size of his fist, Red slammed the orb into the ground. The force of the blow sent the things flying away. Letting out a deep breath, Red began walking to an opening in front of him. This better be worth it. Red walked into another section of the cave, and looked around, although he couldn't see much with the limited visibility.

Soon, Red found a door. He tried to open it, only to find it locked. Just by looking at the door, Red could tell that whoever made it wasn't very handy with tools. Red simply kicked the door down. As the light emanating from Red flooded into the room, Red saw what looked like an alicorn. Red started to walk over to it, but stopped short once he realized what it truly was. Red's first thought was that it resembled an insect.

Red slowly began walking toward it again. It turned to face Red. Red stopped again, and asked, "What, and who, are you?"

"Chrysalis, former queen of the Changelings."

"Former queen? What happened?"

"We tried to invade Canterlot, and failed."

"What? You tried to invade Canterlot?" Chrysalis nodded. Red sighed, then walked closer to her. When he was next to her, he knelt down, and asked, "Why?"

"Changelings feed off of love. We were desperate."

"You could have asked peacefully, I'm sure of it."

"Heh, we can't simply ask. They would expect something in return."

"No, they wouldn't. Trust me, I've known them for a while, they're one of the more peaceful races I've met. And I've met quite a lot. Now, why are you here?"

"I'm being punished."

"How?"

"I haven't fed in months, and I can barely stand." Red sighed, then picked Chrysalis up, and hefted her over his shoulder. "Hey! What are you doing!?" Red smiled.

"Looks like I'm on a rescue mission." Red walked out of the 'cell', and back into the maze. He could feel the changelings begin to follow him. Then, suddenly, one appeared in front of him. Red stopped, and said, "Outta the way. I don't have time to chat."

The changeling hissed, then said, in a voice that was scratchy and slightly high-pitched, "You are interfering with changeling law, leave her, and we will consider letting you live."

Red looked at the changeling for five seconds, then said, "Ha! What makes you think you can even come near me?"

Chrysalis looked back to Red, and told him, "Just leave me, you don't need to get involved."

"Actually, I do. I was given a mission to explore, and map out the Everfree. This cave is part of the forest, therefore, they are interfering with official Equestrian business. And I was given authorization to use deadly force if such a thing occurred." Red smiled, knowing that they wouldn't listen.

"Your business is meaningless here. Prepare to die!" The changeling's horn began to glow green, and unleashed a magical blast at Red. Red simply jumped out of the way.

Red raised a brow and asked, "Is that it?" Then, Red drew his sword, and began walking toward the changeling. The changeling fired another blast at Red, but he easily blocked it. The changeling started to back away, and Red snapped his fingers, creating a wall of smoke behind the changeling. When the changeling got close to the wall, the smoke began to move around the changeling, surprising it. Red rushed up to the changeling while it was distracted, and stabbed it in the throat.

Red snapped his fingers, and the smoke dissipated. Red continued walking through the maze, when he began to hear laughter. It sounded somewhat familiar. Shrugging, Red ignored it. When Red was through the maze, he realized that he couldn't sense any of the changelings that were following him. Walking toward the gate, Red cut through it in a single slash.

After about five minutes, Red was back at his camp, along with Chrysalis. After getting a fire going, Red set Chrysalis down, and sat down next to her. After a few minutes of looking into the fire, Red asked, "So, what happened at the invasion?"

Chrysalis glanced at Red, then sighed, "Well, I was disguised as a princess, Cadance, who was going to get married. It was going smoothly, until she came along."

"By 'she', your referring to..."

"A unicorn. She was the groom's sister."

"And the groom?"

"Captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor."

"Hm. What happened when she came along?"

"She started noticing things that no other pony would."

"Then what happened?"

"She confronted me, but nopony believed her. Then, when we were alone, I sent her to the catacombs of the castle, with the princess I was impersonating."

"I'm guessing that they escaped."

Chrysalis nodded, and said, "I was forced to reveal my true self. Then, I overpowered Celestia, and for a while, everything seemed like it was flawless. But, we were thrown out by some kind of barrier."

"And you landed in the forest?" Chrysalis nodded. "Hm, and it's been months since your punishment was enforced?" Chrysalis nodded again.

"Aww, how cute. Red actually has some emotion. Wait till the others get a load of this." Red and Chrysalis turned back to see who had just said that. Red's eyes widened.

"What the? How the hell are you here?"

Catching Up

Red's eye twitched. "How in the literal hell did you get here? No one else has the ability to follow me besides my brother, and Zalgo. I killed my brother, and I doubt Zalgo would open a portal to me willingly."

"Exactly. We kind of forced him to open one to get you back. Seriously, it's been nothing but literal chaos since you left. It's taking everyone's self control not to kill everyone else. We need a leader, and while we have some people who could fit the role, they doubt themselves too much." Red sighed. I can't fucking believe they forced Zalgo to open a portal. Just to get me back. "Are you sure about that? They've done some pretty stupid shit..."

"Look, Jeff, I understand the situation that you're all in. It's just that I can't come back. I left for a reason, and you know what that reason was."

"Red, the others, everyone, they all respect you, and would follow your orders as soon as they leave your mouth. You're the only one they respect anymore." Red sighed again.

"What's been happening since I left?"

"All kinds of shit. There's a fight almost everyday. Most of the time their not too serious, but there's still the occasional need for medical attention from Jack."

"Dammit, is it really that bad? Can't Zalgo do something?"

"He tried, but no one will listen to him."

"Great. Are you the only one who came here?"

"Nah, there's BEN, Masky, and Jane."

"Well, at least I can stand them..." Red sighed again.

Then, suddenly, someone was right next to Red. "Hey!"

"Gah!" Red fell backwards, then sat up. "Dammit BEN, how many times have I told you not to do that!?"

"Sorry Red, couldn't help myself."

"Whatever, just be grateful I didn't decapitate you. You nearly gave me a heart attack." Then, behind Jeff, came two other figures.

Red sighed, then said, "Hey Masky, Jane. Good to see you two."

Masky looked at Red, then sighed, "I just wish those two could be more mature."

"You're kidding, right? It's Jeff and BEN we're talking about. The day they act mature is the day hell freezes over."

"Sadly, you're right." Masky walked over to Red, and helped him up.

"Thanks. So, has it really been nothing but chaos since I left?"

"I'm afraid so. No one's been listening to orders. The only ones who aren't trying to kill each other have either left, or are too injured to do anything."

"Yep, sounds exactly like how Jeff described it. So, how long am I going to be needed?"

"Not too long. Only a few hours, at most."

"Fine, but only for a few hours. After that, I'm leaving."

"Oh, thank you so much! I'm sure once everyone sees you, they'll snap to attention!"

Red sighed, then looked at Chrysalis. "Hey, Chrissy, are you going to be fine alone for an hour or two?"

Chrysalis looked around the camp, then said, "I think so."

Red didn't say anything for a few seconds then told her, "Okay, you're coming with me." Red walked to her, picked her up, and hefted her over his shoulder once again. "Alright, Masky, is the portal you came in through still open?"

"Uh, well, I don't know, let me check." Masky ran off, back the way he had come. Red sighed.

A few minutes later, Masky came back, and shook his head. Red sighed again, then snapped his fingers. A portal twice the size of Red appeared in front of them all. "Alright, who's first?"

Jeff ran straight through the portal before anyone could react. "Well, that settles that..."

Masky raised his hand, and said, "I guess I'll go next." Masky walked toward the portal, and stopped in front of it. Red's eye twitched, then he pushed Masky through the portal.

"Next." BEN walked through the portal without hesitation.

Red looked at Jane, then said, "Your up."

"I know. I hate the feeling when I pass though one of these things."

"So do I, and I'm sure everyone else, but you don't see us complaining." Jane stepped into the portal, and passed through.

"Alright, Chrissy, brace yourself, passing through one of these things is like having mud shoved down your throat. And by that, I mean that it's hard to breathe, so take a deep breath." When Chrysalis took a deep breath, Red ran through the portal.

For fifteen seconds, it was as if there was no air. Then, as soon as they went in, they were out through the other side. Chrysalis let out the breath she had been holding, began to breathe normally. "Yeah, it takes a while to get used to, but you do eventually."

Red looked around where he was. On the ground, with his face down, was Masky. Red shook his head, then asked, "Masky, you alive? If so, get up, the position your in is a bit embarrassing." Masky groaned, rolled, then sat up.

"Ugh, every time..."

"Maybe you should stop being a pansy. I think it would help you out in a lot of situations." Red walked to Masky, and helped him up.

"I wasn't ready to go through yet! You shoved me!"

"You were going to take forever, and you know it." Masky grumbled, but didn't say anything. "Come one, we have to find the others, and get to the mansion." Then, they heard some bushes rustling next to them. Jane, Jeff, and BEN walked out from the bushes. "Well, that was fast. Let's get to the mansion." Red started walking toward the mansion in the distance.

After a minutes of walking, Red and the others were in front of the giant mansion. Red smiled. "Damn, it's been such a long time since I set foot in here." Red walked up to the door, and opened it. Then, Red was suddenly tackled, knocking Chrysalis out of his grip. Red looked at who had assaulted him, and saw Eyeless Jack, hugging him. "Hey Jack, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Jack nodded. "Uh, Jack, I think you can let go now."

Jack nodded again, then rolled off of Red, stood up, and helped Red to his feet. Red looked at Masky, who was holding Chrysalis, and Red could tell he was physically struggling. "Hey Masky, need me to take her back?"

"N-no, I-I'm fine. Honestly." As soon as he said this, Masky collapsed, Chrysalis on top of him. Red shook his head, then walked over and hefted Chrysalis over his shoulder.

"I told you, stop being such a pansy..."

Masky coughed, then weakly said, "I-I'm okay..."

Red rolled his eyes, then picked Masky up, and handed him over to Jack. "Make sure he's not too hurt, alright?" Jack nodded, then headed inside. Red and the others followed soon after. Inside, the mansion looked somewhat dirty. The walls had changed from pure white, to a random mess of colors. "What in the fuck happened here?"

Jane answered, "We tried to have a 'Fun Night' sort of thing. It didn't go so well."

"Masky's idea?" Jane nodded. Red sighed. He walked over to a white couch with a giant blood-stain, and set Chrysalis down on it. "BEN, make sure no one tries to kill her, got it?" BEN nodded, then saluted. Red rolled his eyes. "Jane, what condition is the kitchen in?"

"Surprisingly, it's untouched."

"Good, it's been a while since I ate. Come on." Red and Jane walked to the kitchen, which was in the exact same condition that it was in since Red last saw it. Red walked to the fridge, and opened it. There wasn't much to eat. Only a few fruits, and a sandwich that looked like it had been untouched for weeks. Red sighed, took an apple, munching into it, and took a seat at a table.

Jane sat across from him, with only a glass of water. Once Red was finished with the apple he threw it in the trash, and asked, "So, who's moved into my room with Pinkamena?"

"Well, that's the thing."

"What's the thing?"

"She hasn't let anyone in besides Masky and Jack, I've heard them talking about something, but I can't make a word out of their conversations."

"Hm, has anyone else missed me?"

"Not really. A few of the others are even glad that you've been gone. I guess they think they can do whatever they want now." Then, someone walked into the kitchen, saw Red, then groaned.

"Aw man, Red's here. I was hoping he wouldn't ever come back."

"Good to see you too, Toby. And don't worry, I'll only be here for an hour or two. But I'll make regular visits each week." Red smirked. Jane sighed.

"Really you two, why can't you ever get along? Isn't it time to bury the hatchet? Metaphorically."

"We have our reasons, Jane. That's all you need to know." Then, out of nowhere, a pink blur rushed into the kitchen, and tackled Red off of the chair.

"Red! You're back! Yay!!!"

"Hey Pinkamena. It's been a while. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been doing great!" By this time, Jane had gotten up from her chair, and slowly backed out of the kitchen. Red stood up, and Pinkamena climbed onto his back. Then, they went to the entrance, where BEN and Chrysalis were talking.

"BEN, did you tell Pinkamena I was here?"

"Nope, it was probably Jeff. You know how he sees you two. He still has those stories under the mattress."

Red shuddered a bit, "Jeez, still? At first it was sort of weird, but now, it's really really creepy. Anyway, I'm gonna go see if Masky didn't have his lungs crushed." Red walked up a set of stairs, leading a set of hallways. Then he asked, "Hey, Pinkamena, had the Infirmary moved since I left?"

"Nope!"

"Good, otherwise I would have to ask for directions." Red walked straight down the hallway, then stopped at a door that had 'Infirmary' written on it. Red opened the door, wand walked in. The place was surprisingly clean. Red was expecting more bloodstains. On a bed next to the door, was Masky, who was reading. "Hey, pansy, good to see your still alive."

"Ha ha, so funny I forgot to laugh..."

"Dude, at least pretend to appreciate my sense of humor." Masky rolled his eyes.

"You know, it's times like these when I miss the old days."

"Yeah, you're not the only one." Red sighed, then asked, "So, how you feeling?"

"Oh, much better. Who knew something as small as..."

"Chrysalis."

"Thanks. Who knew something as small as Chrysalis could be as heavy?"

"She's not heavy, you're just scrawny. Anyway, gather everyone up for a meeting, it's time to restore order."

Order

Red sighed. He then covered his ears. Next to him, was Jack. Red nodded. Jack let out a screech that nearly busted Red's eardrums. "Good fucking god Jack! How in the hell are you so loud!?" Jack just shrugged. Soon, a chorus of groans were heard throughout the mansion.

"Hey, Jack, why the fuck did you wake us up!? It's four in the morning! Wait, Red?" Red turned to see Hoodie, and smiled.

"Good to see you man. It's been too long."

"Yeah. When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I kinda brought someone along with me though."

"You did what?"

"Don't worry, she's fine. I left BEN with her." Red looked past Hoodie, and sighed. "Hey, you think you can get everyone to the Grand room?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I"m making a few announcements. Don't let me down." Five minutes later, the Grand room, which was a ball room, was full of people, and others, that Red had abandoned such a long time ago. Red was on the highest balcony that was in the room, along with Masky, Jack, and Jeff. "Masky, remind me why you three are up here with me?"

"Well, all we really need is-"

Jeff cut Masky off and said, "Just make a few threats and tell 'em to listen to us. Easy."

Red nodded, then looked to the crowd. "Alright, I'm sure most of you are wonder why you're here, and why I'm back. The answers simple. Ever since I killed my brother and left, it's been nothing but a cluster-fuck of chaos, and I'm here to fix it."

Someone from the crowd shouted, "What makes you think you can fix it?"

"I don't think I can fix it. I know I can. And the answers simple. You all know what I can do." When Red said this, there were mumbles in the crowd. "From this point on, there will be no hostility toward one another, and you will listen to the three here with me, along with Hoodie, BEN, and Jane. Do all of you got that?" There were a few grumbles of annoyance, while the rest were silent. "I said; Do you all got that!?" This time everyone responded with a 'Yes, sir'. "Good, Masky, take it away."

Half an hour later, everyone had disbanded. Red was at the entrance, with Chrysalis over his shoulder. Jane and Masky were saying their goodbyes. "Red, are you sure you can't stay for a little while longer? I'm sure that Pinkamena would appreciate it."

"Sorry, my job's done. I should get going. Tell Pinkamena I said goodbye. And if anything happens, just let me know with this." Red dug into his jacket, and took out a piece of a mirror. "I have the other piece. Whenever you want to talk, just look into the mirror, and think about me. Simple enough. Not even you can mess it up, Masky. Well, I really need to go, see you in about a week."

Red snapped his fingers, and a portal opened in front of him. Red stepped through, waving goodbye. Once Red passed through, he yawned. Then, felt something on his back. Turning his head, Red saw Pinkamena, clinging to him, grinning. "Pinkamena, how did you? Actually, never mind, I'm too tired to be worried."

Red looked at the camp that he had left for an hour. It was just the way he had left it. Red walked toward the tent that he had pitched, opened it, moved the sleeping bag with his foot, and set Chrysalis down on the sleeping bag. Pinkamena climbed down Red, and lied down on the other side of the tent, leaving Red with enough space to lay in the middle. As soon as Red was on the ground, Pinkamena moved closer to him, and wrapped a foreleg around him, and began to nuzzle him. Soon, Pinkamena fell asleep, and soon after, so did Red.

When Red woke, he felt something on his body. Opening his eyes, he saw Pinkamena, sound asleep. Smiling, Red began to stroke her mane. She must have moved in her sleep, or she woke up... "You know, you two really make a cute couple. And it sickens me..." Whatever. Red gave a content sigh, and closed his eyes. It was one of those rare moments in his life, where everything was perfect. But Red knew it wouldn't last. Red just lay there, stroking Pinkamena's mane, with his eyes closed.

Then, he felt something press against his lips. Opening his eyes, Red saw Pinkamena kissing him. Red kissed back, leaning deeper into the kiss. He felt Pinkamena's lips open partly, allowing him access to her mouth. He accepted the invitation, the two tongues wrestling for dominance. Pinkamena shivered, it had been too long since she felt this sensation.

Suddenly, Red broke from the kiss, leaving a thin trail of saliva from both of their mouths. Red smirked, and said, "Now's not the time. Maybe later." Pinkamena whimpered slightly, but didn't object. She rolled off of Red, and he sat up, stretching. Red looked to the still sleeping Chrysalis, sighing. Red had two options with her: Either take her to Celestia now, or wait until he was done with exploring the Everfree.

Red stood up, and walked out of the tent. Fuck it, Celestia can wait. Red looked around the camp. Nothing out of place. Red sat down next to the dead fire. Red sighed. It was going to be an interesting journey ahead of him. The shit I get into sometimes, I swear. "Hey, I'm sure you've done worse things." Sad part is, you're right.

Wherever the Wind Takes Us

Red sighed. He had a long journey ahead of him. Red looked at the clearing he was in. "Great, surrounded by Timberwolves. 'Cause let's face it, my life just isn't cruel enough already." Red sighed again. "What're you complaining about? You can easily slaughter them. Besides, it's not like you have anything to do..." Wrong. Remember that I have to check up on Chrysalis? "Oh yeah..." Suddenly, a wolf behind Red lunged. Turning, faster than any of the wolves could blink, Red kicked it's open jaw, shutting it. Then, Red pivoted the foot he had on the ground, turning his body by ninety degrees, and kicked the wolf back. The wolf landed on it's back, unconscious. Red drew his sword, wanting to finish with the wolves as soon as possible.

Another wolf lunged. Red stepped out of the way, and cleaved the sword through the wolf's neck. Two more wolves lunged. Red ducked, bringing the sword up just enough for it to slash through the underside of one of the wolves. It dropped behind Red. "Alright, who's next?" Another wolf lunged.

A minute later, there were nothing but bodies surrounding Red. Red sheathed the sword, and began walking. As he walked, he heard snapping sound. Turning to the sound, Red's eyes widened. Holy... "Shit..." Nightmare, what's the biggest thing in this forest? "The largest known animal that resides in the Everfree would be an Ursa Major. Why?" I think I just found the cave to one... "Oh. Well, are you going to go in?" You kidding? It's my job to go in...

Red stepped into the cave, the size alone astounding Red. Nightmare, exactly how big is an Ursa Major? "About the size of a castle." Shit... Red looked up, he couldn't see the ceiling. How reassuring... Red walked deeper into the cave. God, I couldn't be in a worse situation... "I call bullshit on that..." Fuck you.

Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling throughout the cave. Red struggled to stay on his feet. Is this the Ursa Major? "Hmph, if it was, the ceiling would have crushed you by now." Then what the hell is it? "Probably the cub." Cub? "An Ursa Minor. They're roughly the size of a house." Great... Soon, the rumbling stopped. Red looked around the cave, nothing had crashed down. Then, Red felt a strong gust push against him. Red turned, and saw a pair of eyes about the size of himself. Red blinked once. "It was nice knowin' you, kid..."

Red snapped his fingers, and began to turn into black smoke. By the time the Ursa realized what was happening, the smoke was long gone. When the smoke had made it back to the camp, Red materialized back. Red looked at the fire in the center. It was still burning. Good, I need some rest... "Don't think that just because you got away from the Ursa, that it won't hunt you down." Great... "Hey, look at it this way; you'll be able to use the gift Celestia made for you." Whatever... Red walked to the tent, and headed inside. I need some sleep... Soon after closing his eyes, Red fell asleep.

Red woke up, feeling a weight on his chest. Opening his eyes, Red saw Pinkamena, sleeping atop of him. Red smiled, and closed his eyes. Damn, how long has it been since we first met... "Longer than I can remember..." "So, I ask you again, you had intercourse with a pony?" "Yep, and once they were finished, she was just a mess." "Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick..." You know, if I were to find you a body, I could change your mind on the subject... "I think I'd rather drown." Red rolled his eyes. You're not very open minded, are you?

Red sighed, and closed his eyes. So, how's my mindscape doing? "Hmph, I've made slight changes. Nothing too big." "Yeah, if changing the entire prison into a palace doesn't count as big..." She did what now? "Oh please, it's better than that filthy prison." I have to see this for myself... Red opened his eyes, and took a deep breath. Then, his eyes seemed to lose the life in them.

Mindscape

Red opened his eyes, and blinked. He looked around. He was in a great room. He walked to the door in front of him and opened it. On a couch on one side of the nest room, was a man, about the same height as Red, with blonde hair, white pants, blue eyes, and a black shirt, reading. "Broken, where the fuck is Nightmare?" Red asked. The blonde man looked up from the book, and shrugged.

"I don't know."

Red's eye twitched. "Fine, when you see her, tell her I'm here, and that I want to have a word with her." Broken nodded, and went back to reading. Red walked past Broken, through an open doorway. Red sighed. Suddenly, Red felt something breathing down his neck. Red turned, and rolled his eyes at Nightmare. "Okay, what the actual fuck? You changed my mindscape? How? And why?"

Nightmare Moon stuck her tongue out, and booped Red on the nose with a hoof. "Oh come now, I'm sure you much rather prefer this than that dark prison."

Red blinked. "One would think that, but I actually prefer the dark. It doesn't give me a headache. Now, you didn't answer how you actually changed my mindscape. Spill it."

"Hmph, fine. It wasn't that hard, to be honest. Just a few thoughts, and instead of a prison, there's now this great castle. An enormous improvement, if I do say so myself."

"You're lucky that I don't kick you out of my head right now. If you pull something like this again, its back to the forest for you."

Nightmare's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare..."

"You'd be surprised at what I'm willing to do..."

"Hmph, very well. Would you like me to change it back?"

"No. It's already done." With that, Red snapped his fingers, and slowly faded away.

Reality

Red blinked. Where the absolute fuck am I? What the hell happened while I was in my mind?

Red was in some kind of cocoon. Red reached for his sword, and found it was missing. Of course they took my weapons... Red looked around the cocoon, moving slower than usual, due to the gel in the cocoon. Red's left eye turned dark grey, and a black fire seemed to erupt from his hands. Red closed his eyes, and the fire in his hands moved to form an orb of energy. Red opened his eyes, and hit the cocoon with the orb. The orb exploded on impact.

Red fell out of the cocoon, onto the floor, with a loud thud. Red looked up, and saw more changelings than he could count. Fuck my life... Red got to his feet, and told the changelings, "Move. Now." Every changeling's horn flared with magic. Okay then, let's do this the hard way... Suddenly, black fire erupted from Red's arms. "Let's get this over with." Every single changeling let loose their magic, focusing it into one beam. Red pulled his arms back, and pushed them forward, unleashing a gigantic beam of pure back energy. The beams collided, and for half a second neither beam yielded ground. Then, the magic from the changelings began to get pushed back, until the black energy completely overwhelmed the changelings.

The fire on Red's arms was extinguished, and he walked to a changeling trying to crawl away. Red grabbed it by the back of the head, and lifted it up. "I'm only going to ask you this once: Where is Chrysalis?"

The changeling squirmed, before answering, "She's deeper in the hive, you can't miss her."

"Thank you for your cooperation." Red then crushed the changeling's head, and began walking, then stopped. "Dammit, I should have asked it where my weapons were as well..." Red shrugged, and continued walking.

Down the Rabbit Hole

Red sighed, and looked back. There was nothing left of the changeling swarm. "So, what're you gonna do now?" Red asked, hefting Chrysalis up.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, didn't I just kill the rest of the hive?"

"This was only one of eight."

"Wait, there's seven more?" Chrysalis nodded. Red sighed again, and snapped his fingers. Slowly, both Red and Chrysalis began to turn into smoke. The smoke traversed the hive, and out through an opening in the Everfree. After the smoke had made it's way back to the camp, it rematerialized to the two. "Do the other hives know about this?" Chrysalis nodded again. "Well, shit..."

Red set Chrysalis down by the fire that was put out. The bushes behind the two rustled, and Pinkamena emerged. "Oh, hey you two! Where have you been? When I woke up, I saw that Red was in his own head, so I went out to do some things. But when I came back, both of you were gone! I went out to look for you, but I couldn't find either of you."

"Pinkie, how long have we been gone?"

"About an hour or two." Red sighed.

"Alright, Pinkie, help me pack up. We're going deeper into the forest. Hopefully, away from any more hives."

"You got it!"

Half an hour later, Red was sitting down, leaning on one of the many trees in the forest. "You know, instead of just sitting there, you could be doing something productive." Like what? "I don't know, anything!" Red sighed, and got up. Fine, it's been a while since I saw Jeff and the others... "Oh no..." Hey, you told me to do something productive. Red snapped his fingers, and a portal opened up in front of him. Wait, I should get Pinkamena, she isn't even supposed to be here... Red snapped his fingers again, an the portal in front of him closed. Red snapped his fingers a third time, and he began to turn into black smoke.

Five minutes later, Red and Pinkamena were standing in front of a portal. "Alright Pinks, time to head back."

"Oh, can't I stay here for a little while longer?"

"No." As soon as the word left his mouth, Red pushed Pinkamena into the portal. "Okay, that's cold. Even for you." You know she would have tried something if I didn't push her. Red stepped through the portal, and was on the other side in a matter of seconds. As soon as Red had both feet on the ground, he snapped his fingers, and the portal behind him closed.

Red looked up at the mansion in front of him. So far it's not in flames... "Well, let's see what it's like on the inside." Red walked to the entrance of the mansion, and knocked. Soon after, the door opened slightly, just enough that a single eye was seen through the opening in the door. Then, the door opened entirely, and Red was pulled into the mansion. Turning, Red saw Jane closing the door, and locking it.

Red sighed, then asked, "Okay, what the fuck is going on?"

Jane opened her mouth about to speak, but then someone behind Red beat her to it. "It's about Jeff." Red turned, and raised a brow.

"Zalgo? This is certainly a surprise. What is it that Jeff's done that's so bad that you had to come down here?"

Zalgo sighed. "Well, since you asked politely, Jeff has run off, on account of his brother."

Red raised a brow again, and asked, "Wait, what do you mean? Didn't he kill his entire family, including his younger brother?"

Zalgo shrugged. "That's what we thought as well, until Jeff brought this back." Zalgo picked up a newspaper from a blood-stained couch, and tossed it to Red. Red looked at the front which had a photo of a burning building. Red looked at the photo, then back to Zalgo.

"I don't see anything necessarily out of the ordinary."

Zalgo grabbed the newspaper, and flipped it, then handed it to Red. "Check again."

"Hm, 'unexplained string of murders.' Sounds like Jeff's work."

"An understandable conclusion, but he's been on 'vacation' since you left."

"Wait, he's been on vacation? Why?" Zalgo just shrugged. "Well, if Jeff isn't the one who's been on a murder spree, then who could it be? I mean, it's not like anyone else would be careless enough for the authorities to find the bodies."

"That's not the only thing strange about this murders. They all bled to death, after being stabbed."

"So, someone's copying Jeff?"

"Possibly, but Jeff doesn't think so. He went out some time ago, to see if he could track down whoever is the one killing people."

"With no leads? Yeah, that's something only Jeff would do. I'll see if I can't find him. Oh, and by the way, has Pinkamena gotten here yet?"

Zalgo shook his head, "Not to our knowledge."

Red sighed, "Great. Anyway, when you see her, fill her in on what's happening, and tell her that I went looking for Jeff." Red snapped his fingers, and a portal opened in front of him.

"I'll be going as well, we would have a better chance of finding him." Red opened his mouth, but Zalgo held up an open hand, "You don't have any say in the matter."

"Fine. If you find anything, let me know." Red turned to face Jane. "Jane, when you see Pinkamena, fill her in on everything." As soon as the words left Red's mouth, he stepped through the portal. Once he was on the other side, Red looked around. He was in an alley. Seconds later, Zalgo emerged from the portal, in his human form. "Okay, first things first, where was Jeff last seen?"

"Somewhere near the construction site."

"Then that's where we're heading. Come on." Red began walking, not looking to see if Zalgo was following him or not. Red sighed. Dammit, what the hell has gotten into Jeff? Could he really think that his brother's alive somehow? "You know how he is. Once he has his mind set on something, nothing is going to keep him from completing his goal." And that's what worries me. He's too stubborn for his own good. Zalgo had to move at a slow jog to keep up with Red.

"Uh, Reed, if you could slow down a bit, I would appreciate that."

Red's left eye twitched, and he stopped walking. "First off, never call me that again, or I will gut you like a fish. Second, this is Jeff we're looking for, we have to find him as fast as possible, or something could happen."

"I suppose you're right, but you could at least slow down, just a tad."

"No." As soon as Red said this, he resumed walking.

Zalgo sighed. "I swear, he's going to get himself killed one day..." Five minutes later, Red was looking at the construction site. It had been abandoned for years, and was dangerous to be near. Red looked up, and the remains of what was supposed to be a tower. Red closed his eyes, and sighed. This is going to take a while...

Reunion

Red opened the gate at the back of the fence, and walked stepped inside, Zalgo close behind. Red looked around. Hm, nothing... "Z, how long ago was Jeff spotted here?"

"Only a few hours."

"Good, that means that he should still be here." Red walked through the construction site, until he was at the base of the structure. Then, his left eye turned dark grey. "Hmph, I can sense two different energies. They're somewhere inside. They're similar. Too similar." Red snapped his fingers, and quickly turned into black smoke. It moved through the structure quickly, finding the two energies in a matter of minutes. As soon as the smoke was within ten yards from the two, it rematerialized back into Red.

Red looked at the two. One was Jeff, the other one Red had never seen before, with scars all over his face, light brown hair, and green eyes. The man was dressed in a dark jacket, blood red pants, and a striped black and white scarf, holding two knives. There were multiple wounds on Jeff's body. The two looked at Red, then to each other. Red sighed. "So, Jeff could you kindly explain what the fuck is going on?"

Jeff took a breath, "Well, this here's my brother, Liu."

Red looked back to the other man. "Hm, I can see the resemblance. So, what the hell happened to-" Suddenly, a knife whizzed straight for Red's face, but Red's hand shot up, and caught the blade between two fingers. Red turned, and glared at Liu. "Rude. Anyway," Red turn his had to Jeff again, "What happened to you? You look like you took one hell of a beating."

"Heh, well, you see, I kinda followed my bro here, and when I tried to greet him, he went psycho." Red looked at Jeff's wounds.

"Yep, those are going to leave a definite mark. Mind if I take a shot at him?"

Jeff chuckled. "Knock yourself out." As soon as the words left Jeff's mouth, he passed out.

"Dammit." Red looked behind him to see Zalgo running to where they all were. "Z, get Jeff and take him to Jack, he should be able to patch him up," Red turned back to Liu, "I'll handle Liu." Zalgo nodded, and with a wave of his hand, opened a portal. Picking up Jeff's unconscious body, Zalgo stepped through the portal. As soon as they were through, it closed. Red tossed the knife he had caught back to Liu. "I believe that belongs to you."

Catching the knife, Liu asked, "So, you're a friend of Jeff's?"

Red nodded, then said, "I've known his for years. And there's one thing you should know about me. Don't fuck with my friends."

"He tried to kill me!" Liu yelled.

Red just blinked. "I know. But revenge won't get you anywhere. I know this from experience. So, if you could just come with me, I'll-" Before Red could finish, Liu charged him, and slashed at Red. Red jumped back, but Liu didn't let up. He charged Red again, and slashed at him repeatedly. Red dodged most of them. A few managed to cut across his chest, or his arms. After the onslaught, Liu slashed with both knives, in a cross. Red jumped back, and kicked Liu in the stomach. "Hmph, your brother's had much more practice. You can barely hit me, and I'm barely trying. If I went up against Jeff, I would actually have to try."

Liu yelled, enraged. He began to slash at Red again, but Red caught his arms. Red sighed, "Another thing, you're letting your anger get the best of you. You're getting sloppy." The, Red twisted Liu's arms, forcing him to drop the knives, then kicked him back. Liu turned, and charged, his fist raised. When he swung, Red brought up an arm, and pushed Liu's arm aside. Then, taking the opportunity, punched Liu in the face. Liu stumbled back, blood gushing from his nose. Liu was breathing deeply, while Red showed no signs of exhaustion. "You can't win, just surrender. I'm taking you with me either way."

"Shut up!" Liu charged again. Red sighed. He just won't give up... Once Liu was close enough, he swung. Red just leaned back, the punch missing him by an inch. Red then kicked Liu in the stomach, then roundhouse kicked him in the head. Liu was knocked down to the ground. Slowly, Liu began to get up. But, Red stomped on his back.

"You're one resilient bastard, I'll give you that. But like I said, you can't win." Red removed his foot from Liu's back, and grabbed him by his scarf. Picking him up, Red punched Liu in the face again, knocking him out cold. Then, hefting the unconscious man over his shoulder, Red snapped his fingers, opening a portal in front of him. Red stepped through the portal, emerging in front of the mansion. Walking to the entrance, Red opened the door. There, Zalgo, Jeff, Jane, and Masky were waiting for him. Red looked at Jeff. "Okay, anyone know where we can keep this guy where he won't cause trouble?"

Masky raised his hand, and said, "Well, there is the holding cells."

Red shook his head. "No, they haven't been used in years. He could probably bust out."

"How about the infirmary?" Zalgo proposed.

Red thought about it, then said, "Works for me. Just make sure Jack doesn't do anything to him. Who's going to take him?" Zalgo raised his hand, and Red gave the unconscious Liu to Zalgo. When Zalgo was out of sight, Red looked at Jeff and asked, "So, how does it feel to have your brother back?"

Jeff smiled, although no one could tell. "It feels great."

Red nodded, "That's what I thought."

Masky pointed to Red's wounds and said, "You should probably get those fixed."

Red just shrugged. "Masky, I'm fine, trust me." Red could tell that Masky wanted to argue, but he remained silent. "Well, I'll be going now. Update me regularly on Liu."

"Wait, you're leaving already? But you just got back." Jane pointed out.

"Sorry, but I have somewhere to be, see all of you later." Red snapped his fingers, and a portal opened in front of him. "Tell Pinkamena I said goodbye." With that, Red stepped though the portal.

Darkness

Red emerged from the portal, sighing. He snapped his fingers, and the portal behind him closed. As soon as it did, a blast of magic hit Red square in the chest, knocking him back four feet. Dammit! Red got recovered, and snapped his fingers. Black smoke seeped from his left eye, which had turned pitch black. The smoke formed a sword, and in an instant, the smoke turned to steel. Another blast came whirling toward Red, but he simply stepped out of the way. Red closed his eyes. He could feel the energy being gathered for another blast. Snapping open his eyes, Red turned, and threw the sword he had. A moment later, he heard the sword hit it's mark. Walking to retrieve the sword, Red's left eye twitched. Looking up, he saw a changeling drop down from the trees. Red stepped back, letting the changeling hit the ground head first, knocking it out.

"That's just pathetic..." Red shook head. He grabbed the changeling, and sighed. "I should just kill the bastard..." He began walking, hoping the changeling wouldn't wake up until he had it restrained. As he walked to the camp, Red felt something watching him. Red looked back, but saw nothing. When he turned his head forward, Red's face was half a foot away from a faceless pony, it's skin as white as snow. Red stopped immediately, and took a step back. "Don't do that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I think that you should know something about your new friend."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she's been deceiving you, using you. The changelings that were keeping her were rebels, and you're carrying one right now. Chrysalis is a tyrant. And she's using you to wipe out the rebels, to ensure that her place on the throne is safe."

"How do I know that you're not lying?"

"You don't."

Red blinked. Shit. "If this insect wakes up, what then?"

"Simple. Tell it: Revolt."

"Revolt? Why the hell for?"

"Revolt is the code word that indicates rebels among the changelings. As long as you know the code word, the changeling should answer whatever questions you have. That's all the time I have to chat." Red blinked, and the pony was gone. Red sighed, and began walking again. Turning, he walked through a bush. Setting the changeling down, Red smacked it across the face. It woke with a yelp, but Red shut it's mouth. The changeling squirmed, trying to get out of Red's grasp.

"Revolt." The changeling ceased all movement, and it's eyes widened. Red removed his hand, and the changeling stared at him.

"H-how did you-"

"Don't ask. I want answers. Is it true that Chrysalis is a tyrant?"

The changeling nodded. "Anypony who opposes her is executed publicly."

"Why is there a rebellion?"

"Some of us changelings want free will, but with a queen, we have no say in anything. We want to be heard."

"How many rebels are there?"

"Only two hives."

Well shit. Looks like it's down to one. "How many allies do you have?"

"None."

"Can you think of anyone who would be willing to join forces with you?"

"No. After the failed invasion on Canterlot, nopony would be willing to join us."

"Hm, what can you tell me about changelings in general?"

"We feed off of love. We can change our appearance to anypony. We reproduce by-"

"Okay, that's enough." Red sighed. "So, you have a name?"

"Not really. We rebels do go by code names though. Mine is Final Hour."

"Hm, well Hour, I'm heading to Chrysalis. You'll need to pretend to be unconscious. So, if you don't mind, I'll be carrying you the rest of the way." Red didn't wait for Final Hour to respond. He just picked the changeling up, and hefted him over his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Shut it. Just because I let you live doesn't mean that I'm going to treat you like royalty." Red resumed walking. After five minutes, Red could see the tents he had set up. Red could sense Chrysalis in one of the tents. Well, this is going to be interesting.

Red walked to the tent that Chrysalis wasn't in. He opened it, and set Final Hour down inside. "Stay here. I'm going to ask Chrysalis a few questions." Red closed the tent and walked over to the tent that Chrysalis was in. He opened it, and saw Chrysalis looking at something. "Uh, Chrysalis? What're you looking at?" Chrysalis looked looked back at him, then her horn began to glow with magic. Two swords floated over to Red. "Huh? Where'd you find these?"

"They were still here. The changelings that took us must have left them here."

Red took the swords, and adjusted them on his back. "Huh, not very smart of them." Red sighed. "So, I have a question. What kind of ruler were you before the invasion on Canterlot?"

"Well, I made sure that all of my subjects were happy, and that they were treated fairly. But, anyone who opposed my rule, I had them silenced."

Red raised a brow and asked, "Wait, so you had them killed?" Chrysalis nodded. "Has there been anyone who's tried to take the throne from you? By force?"

"There has been one. But he is not a changeling. I don't know what he is, all I know is that he wants power over the changelings."

"Hm, has there been any rebellions?"

"Well, there is one, but it should be wiped out by the time I leave you."

Using me to wipe out the rebellion. Bastard was right. "So, all the changelings that have been going after you, they were all rebels?" Chrysalis nodded. "Well, in that case..." Faster than Chrysalis could blink, Red had pulled out the black sword, and decapitated her. Chrysalis's body slumped to the floor. Red sheathed the sword, and snapped his fingers, the queen's body bursting in flames. Soon, the body and head was just a pile of ash. "I don't like being used for someone else's dirty work."

"If that's true, then you're going to hate what I'm about to tell you." Red turned around, Slendermane standing a few feet away from him. "Now that she's dead, I can take the changeling throne for myself. And after that, the throne to all of Equestria." Then, Slendermane disappeared.

"Shit. I just made one of the biggest fuck ups of my entire life."

Preparations

Dear Princesses,

I'm sorry I didn't tell you as soon as I found her. I should have, it would have made all of this so much easier. But before you ask, I'll start from the beginning. I was exploring a cave in the Everfree, and I could sense that I was not alone. Going deeper into the cave, I cam across the first changeling I had encountered. Queen Chrysalis. She was a prisoner, that much I could tell. After saving her, I brought her back to my camp. Soon after, some old friends of mine had found me, and told me that they needed help. Long story short, I did just that. After that, I had gone into the innermost part of my mind, completely unaware of the outside world. When I came back to my senses, I was in some sort of cocoon. After breaking out, I ran into some changelings. Taking care of them, I took notice of my surroundings. It seemed that I was in some sort of cave. Chrysalis was nowhere in sight. Going deeper, I saw that she was about to be executed. I should have let her die, I shouldn't have saved her. But I couldn't stand idly and let her die. After escaping from the cave. We made our way back to our camp, but we had to relocate. But, after an hour or two, the changelings found me. I killed one, and another dropped from the trees. I stepped out of the way, letting the changeling hit the ground face first. I decided to bring it with me, for whatever reason. After walking for a while, I got the feeling that something was stalking me, so I turned around, but I couldn't see a thing. When I turned back, there, only half of a foot away from me, was this world's variation of my brother, Slendermane. He told me that Chrysalis was only using me for her personal goals, ensuring her place at the throne. Soon after he left, I woke the changeling up, covering his mouth to keep his yells muffled. I told him 'revolt', the code word that identified rebels among the changelings. He told m everything I needed. He even told me the code name he worked under: Final Hour. After I took him back to the camp, I met with Chrysalis, who had found the swords that had been gone since I woke up in the cocoon. I asked her all I needed, confirming my suspicions. I killed her, feeling no emotion. I burned the body, wanting what was left of her out of my sight. As soon as I was done, Slendermane reappeared. He told me that with Chrysalis out of the way, he would take the throne. He seeks to control all of Equestria, maybe even all of this world. By the time this gets to you, it may be too late. I just hope that Slendermane is too busy to launch an invasion. A single swarm of changelings will ask permission to enter the city. Final Hour will, hopefully, be leading the swarm. They are the rebels, and do let them inside. They are one of the only allies we have fighting with us at this time. This is all my fault. If I hadn't saved Chrysalis, this could have been prolonged, maybe this could have been avoided entirely. I'm so sorry. Forgive me.

From, Red.

As soon as he was done with the letter, Red snapped his fingers, turning the letter into smoke, sending it in the direction of Canterlot at surprising speed. Red looked at Final hour. "Hour, if you can, get the rebels, and get to Canterlot as fast as you can. If you can, lead the swarm. Ask permission to enter. I'll already be there. Be careful." As soon as the words left his mouth, both of Red's eyes turned pitch black, and his skin turned pure white. He had turned into his Slender form. It allowed him to teleport instantly, covering large distances in a short amount of time. He only used it for travel when all hell would break loose. He teleported to the front of the royal castle, and his skin and eyes returned to normal. He rushed into the castle. The two guards on the inside shouted for him to stop. He ignored them, rushing through the castle. Turning a corner, Red nearly ran into Twilight.

"Red?" Twilight asked, "What are you doing here?"

Red didn't stop, only shouting from over his shoulder, "No time to explain!" Red ran straight for the throne room, which was up ahead. Once he reached the doors, he stopped to catch his breath. Once he was able to think straight, he opened the doors.

In front of him was Luna, Celestia, and Discord, reading the letter Red had sent. "Good, you got the letter in time. We have to prepare for war. I've seen how big a swarm of changelings can be, and we're going to be going up against at least five times what I saw."

They all looked up from the letter to Red. Celestia was the first to speak. "Red? How did you get here so fast?"

Red shook his head, "I'll explain after we make preparations."

Now it was Discord's turn to speak, "Well, if you could get here that fast, why not go after Slendermane?"

"I have no idea where he could be."

Then, Luna ran up to Red, and hugged him with all her strength. "Oh thank goodness you're okay. I thought we lost you."

Red smiled, and returned the hug. "Trust me, it's going to take a lot to kill me. Besides, I won't leave you. I promise."

"Uh, I'm sorry to interrupt this tender moment, but I think we have a war to prepare for." The two separated, and looked at Discord. "Now, I'm sure we don't have time to dilly dally, so let's get a move on!" Discord clapped his lion paw and his claw together for emphasis.

Red nodded. "He's right. You three get this place ready for an invasion."

Celestia gave Red a questioning look. "And what are you going to do?"

Red grinned. "I'll be getting some more help. I'll be back soon." Red snapped his fingers, opening a portal behind him. He winked, then stepped through. Emerging on the other side, Red was inside the mansion, snapped his fingers, closing the portal.  Hm, looks like my memory of where to come out is getting better. "Yeah, yeah. Now, can we hurry this up? I'm sure a certain country full of talking horses is waiting for you." Right. Red took two steps, then was tackled. Red sighed. "Dammit Pinks, are you going to greet me like this every time?" The mare on top of Red only nodded. Red sighed, and smiled. Looks like she's never going to change. Pinkamena rolled off of Red, letting him get up. "Pinks, can you get Jeff, Jane, Jack, Masky, and BEN?"

Pinkamena nodded, and turned around. She began moving, but then turned around again. She tilted her head and asked, "Uh, which Jack?"

"Eyeless Jack."

Pinkamena nodded, and turned around to get the others. Then, a voice behind Red said, "If you wanted to see me, you could have just said so." Turning, Red saw Jeff, along with Jeff's brother, Liu, and BEN.

"Jeff, how are you feeling?" Red asked.

Jeff shrugged, "Eh, you know, like I always do."

Red looked at Liu, then back Jeff. "So, how's your brother doing?"

"He's fitting in, though he's a bit creeped out by Jack."

Red nodded, "I can understand. Listen, Jeff, I know you're still recovering from your wounds, but I need your help, along with the others."

Jeff shrugged, "Oh, you mean the little scrapes I got? That's nothing. Besides, you know that I owe you. What is it you need help with?"

"Yeah, what is it, Red?" Said someone behind Red. Turning, Red saw Pinkamena, along with Jane, Masky, and Jack. "From the way you said it, I'd think that the world was in danger."

"Well, that's just it. Remember the world you found me on? I kind of put it in the danger of being ruled by it's version of my brother."

Everyone, aside from Liu, blinked, and they all asked, except Jack and Liu, asked, "What?"

Red nodded. "Yeah, and he's in charge of an entire species who can change appearance to look like anyone."

"Wait, you have a brother?" Red looked back at Liu.

"I had a brother. I killed him."

Liu's eyes widened. "Wait, what? You killed your own brother? Why? Who was he?"

Red sighed. "He was Slenderman. As for why I killed him, I'd rather keep that a secret."

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Okay, so, a pony version of Slendy is in charge of a shape-shifting army, and threatens to take over that world?"

Red nodded. "Now, I know that it's not something you usually do, but-"

Jeff held up a hand, silencing Red. "Dude, whatever you need. I'll be there to help." Everyone, besides Liu, nodded.

Red looked at Liu, and asked, "What about you? I need all the help I can get."

Liu looked at the others, then to Red. "I don't see why not. I'm in."

Red smiled. "Thanks." Then, snapping his fingers, Red opened another portal. They all gathered around it. "So, who's first?" Jeff ran straight into the portal. Then, Jack walked through. Next was BEN. Then Jane. Liu walked up to the portal.

"Uh, is this thing safe?" Red nodded. "Well, here goes nothing..." Liu stepped through the portal. Pinkamena began to bounce toward the portal. She giggled, then jumped through. Then, Red walked through the portal. Emerging from the other side, they were all in the throne room. Red looked around the room. On the throne was Celestia.

Red bowed. "Princess, I know it isn't much but I got more than enough help to repel the changelings."

Celestia raised a brow at the other brought before her. "Very well. I trust your judgement. I've sent a letter to Twilight explaining the situation. She and her friends are going to arrive shortly." As soon as Celestia said this, the doors to the throne room opened. Red snapped his fingers, closing the portal. Red turned to the ponies standing in the open doorway. Well, this is going to be interesting.

"Hello everyone. As you can see, I've brought some friends." Red said, gesturing to the group next to him.

Twilight looked at the group in front of her. "Um, well, that's great, but, are you sure they'll be enough to do anything?"

"Trust me, they're all more than enough. Oh, and, about the... Other Pinkie..." Red rubbed that back of his neck. "She's kinda from a parallel universe. It's very different from this one." Pinkamena looked at the ponies in the doorway. Then the two Pinkies approached each other. Oh god, this is going to end horribly... "Well, anyways, I think you should get acquainted with each other. Hopefully this won't end like I think it will..."

Making a Stand

Red sighed. I swear, this can't end any worse than what I can think of. Red turned to Masky, and told him, "Masky, I'm putting you in charge of the others. Make sure they don't scar anyone for life, okay?"

Masky nodded, "I'll try."

"Good. I'll go speak to Celestia about the situation." Red walked over to Celestia, and asked, "Princess, may I have a word with you, in private?"

Celestia nodded, "Lead the way." Red walked over to the side of the throne room. "Now, Red, what is it you want to talk about?"

"Well, it's about the entire scenario. With the way things stand, I'm not entirely sure that we can win. My friends may be capable of holding their own, but I know their limits, and so do they."

"What are you getting at?"

Red sighed, "I'm saying that if they're close to dying, get them someplace far away, along with everyone else. I'll be fine on my own."

"But, Red, even you have your limit."

"I know what my limit is. I've known for a long time." Red looked back to his friends. "Just make sure that everyone's safe."

"But-" Celestia didn't have time to finish her sentence. Suddenly, the entire castle began to shake.

"What the hell? Is he here already?" Red snapped his fingers, and his skin turned pure white, and his eyes turned pitch black. He teleported to the front gates of the castle. Looking up, he saw more changelings than he had thought possible. "Well, looks like we're fucked." "You don't say?" Red pulled out the black sword, sighed. "Looks like we just can't get a break." Suddenly, a large beam of purple magic shot into the air. The magic spread out, creating a barrier around all of Canterlot. "What the hell?" The changelings looked at the barrier, confused. They put a hoof against it, and pushed. Then, they began attacking it. "Hm, well that's pretty damn convenient."

"Yeah, looks like I got here just in time." Red turned, and saw Shining, in full armor. "Those changelings are gonna have a pretty tough time trying to get through that." Suddenly, a black tentacle pierced the barrier, shattering it.

"Well, shit. That didn't last long." The changelings began to fire their magic on Canterlot. Red teleported, in front of one of the changelings firing magic. He slashed it throat. He teleported again, stabbing a changeling through the head. He kept teleporting, killing as many changelings as he could. The changelings fell like rain. But the changelings kept coming. Dammit, how many of these things are there? Eventually, Red had to relent. "It's like there's no damn end to the things."

Red saw that the changelings began to descend, all across Canterlot. For fuck's sake. Red sighed. Within seconds, he was surrounded. He looked around, and grinned. Time to show these bastards what I've got. Red teleported, stabbing one of the many changelings surrounding him. Then, teleporting behind another, decapitated it. Red kept teleporting, and in a matter of seconds, the changelings around him were dead.

Red teleported again, to one of the locations where he saw changelings landing, the front gates of the castle. There, he saw Jeff and Liu, slashing changelings left and right. Well, looks like they have this place under control. Red teleported again, to the center of Canterlot. There, he saw Changelings terrorizing civilians. As soon as he was about to move, Pinkamena jumped over him. What? How did she- Oh, fuck it. Red teleported again, this time in to the castle garden. He was surprised to not find any changelings. Any changelings that were still alive, anyway. Hm, I wonder who could have killed them all so fast. Red heard a twig snap behind him. Turning, Red's left arm erupted in black flames, and aimed his hand to the direction of the noise. Red's eyes widened when he saw Masky, covered in blood.

"Oh, uh, hello Red." Masky waved faintly.

"Masky? You did this?" Red asked, dumbfounded.

Masky rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarrassed. "Yeah, well, I saw that Princess Celestia was surrounded by those things, and I sort of lost control."

Red's arm returned to normal, and he lowered it. "Jesus Masky, I never knew you were capable of something like this."

Masky looked at the ground. "I've never had a reason to be."

Then, Red heard a scream, coming from inside the castle. Oh no... Red teleported again, where the scream came from, the throne room. There, was Slendermane, standing over Celestia and Luna's unconscious bodies. Red teleported, and kicked. Slendermane disappeared before Red's foot even reached him. Red turned around, facing Slendermane. "What've you done to them?"

"Don't worry. They'll live."

"Answer me!"

"Hmph, fine. I sent them into their minds to relive their darkest moments again and again."

"Why? What have they ever done to deserve this?"

"They are two of the three beings that can challenge me. The other being Discord."

"You counted wrong. There's four that can challenge you. The last one would be me."

"Ha! That's rich. You're nothing compared to me."

"Oh really? Well, let's see just how wrong you are." Red sheathed his sword.

"You have no chance against me." Suddenly, Red was knocked away from the princesses. Then, a tentacle wrapped around him, and threw him out a window. Red got up slowly, but before he had a chance to recover, Red was knocked back by a tentacle. Then, an a barrage of tentacles began to whip at Red. Each hit felt as if a knife dug into his body. When the onslaught ended, Red was breathing deeply. His vision was blurry, the pain beginning to overwhelm his consciousness. He dropped to his knees, coughing up blood.

"D-dammit. How is he so fast?"

"Like I said before. You stand no chance against me." Red looked up, and saw a single tentacle poised, ready to impale him though the chest. Red's eyes widened. Then, the tentacle shot toward him. He closed his eyes. Then, he heard the tentacle pierce flesh, but the didn't feel anything. He slowly opened one eye, and saw Pinkamena, in front of him, on her hind legs, with a tentacle through her chest. Red's eyes widened again.

"No..." The tentacle retracted. And Pinkamena fell back to the ground, limp. "No..." Red crawled to Pinkamena, ignoring the pain he felt. When he got to her, she looked at him, and smiled.

"R-red, you c-can beat h-him. I know y-you can." She lifted a hoof, and took hold of him scarf. Then, she pulled it off. "W-win. Please."

"Pinks..." Pinkamena put a hoof around Red's neck, and pulled him close, until her mouth was next to his ear.

"I love you." Pinkamena whispered. Then, she took her last breath..

Solemn Hour

"Pinks..." Red could already feel the tears forming in his eyes. It had been so long since he had cried. "Pinks, no..." He hugged Pinkamena's still warm body, tears running down his face. "No..." He felt as if he had nothing left to live for.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you care for her?"

Red ignored Slendermane. "Pinks, I'm sorry..." Red said between sobs. "This is all my fault..."

Then, he heard his name being called. He ignored whoever had called his name. The sky above Canterlot began to get cloudy. The rumbling of thunder could already be heard. It began to pour, but Red didn't care. He had nothing left to care for. He heard his name being called again. Red felt Pinkamena's body begin to go cold. He heard Slendermane. "Don't mourn for her. You'll be with her soon." Red finally stopped crying, his sorrow falling to numbness. He gently laid Pinkamena's body down, and stood. He turned to where he heard his name being called. In an open doorway, stood everyone who had came to Equestria with him.

"Jeff. Masky. Jane. Ben. Jack. I'm so sorry you all have to see this again." Red said, his voice barely above a whisper. Lighting struck five feet away from Red. Everyone's eyes widened, except for Liu's. "I didn't want to have to do this, but it looks like I have no choice. I have to actually fight. I hope you all understand." Lightning struck again, closer to Red this time. Suddenly, a white fire began to envelope Red, despite the rain. The fire started at his feet, and crawled up his body. Another lightning strike, right behind Red. Red turned his head to look at Slendermane. "Your time of judgement is upon you. There is no hope for you, there is no salvation. Only death. Prepare yourself." Then, the fire seemed to explode, reaching the height of the top of the castle. At the same time, lightning struck again, this time, hitting Red. Then, the fire was extinguished in an instant. There, Red stood, his skin now as black as night, his eyes as white as snow, his hat gone, revealing his short hair, which had turned pure white, and his clothes had changed from a trench coat to a suit, which was still white, with a black shirt and white tie. Red adjusted his tie. "I'm going to make you suffer."

Then, Red was behind Slendermane. Before he could react, Red grabbed the back of his neck, and threw him, away from Canterlot. Slendermane teleported, appearing in front of Red. Then, Slendermane used all of the tentacles at his disposal to attack Red. But before they had moved, Red was at Slendermane's side, and he kicked Slendermane, knocking him off of his hooves. Slendermane slammed into a castle wall, and before he hit the ground, Red kicked him again, knocking him through the wall. Slendermane teleported to his hooves, facing Red. Red was in front of Slendermane, and before he could react, Red punched him in his non-existent face, the force sending Slendermane flying. "W-what the Tartarus is happening?"

"Red just reached his Anti-Slender form. He can only do so when his scarf is taken off by either himself, or someone he trusts with his life, and when his emotions are completely out of control. He's only used it once, and it was to kill his brother."

"H-how do you know he can only reach it with those conditions?"

"He's tried to reach it before, but he either still had his scarf on, or someone took it from him. When he's in this form, his physical strength is multiplied ten times, he moves faster than the speed of sound, he can tell what his opponent is going to do before they do, when he takes a hit, it doesn't affect him. But the most dangerous thing about this form had nothing to do with his physical abilities. When in this form, he shows no emotion, meaning he doesn't hesitate, he doesn't restrain himself, and he will stop at nothing, and I mean nothing, to kill anything that poses a threat to his friends, or the innocent. There's only one person that can stand even the slightest chance against Red in this state."

"Who?"

"His father." Red grabbed Slendermane by his neck, and slammed him into the wall, three times. On the third time, the wall gave way. Red threw Slendermane again. He smashed through more walls, to the other side of the castle. Slendermane got to his hooves, slowly and shakily.

"W-what the Tartarus happened to him!? He was nowhere near this powerful five minutes ago! What could have caused this?"

Then, Red was in front of Slendermane. Slendermane took a step back, afraid. "You stand no chance against me. Now die." Red punched Slendermane again. Before Slendermane hit the ground, he teleported back to his hooves, well away from Red. Then, twenty tentacles slithered out of his back, the maximum amount he could use at once. Then, they all shot towards Red, intent on killing him. Red's arm erupted in white flames, and he held his hand out, a massive beam of pure white energy shot out from his hand. When the beam and the tentacles made contact, the beam sliced through the tentacles, completely obliterating them. The beam reached Slendermane quickly, but it didn't slice through him like it did the tentacles. It hit Slendermane, as the beam were a truck, the beam continued on to the side of Canterlot, completely annihilating Slendermane, and harmlessly disappearing once there was nothing left of him.

The flames on Red's arm disappeared, and he returned to normal, along with his attire. Red let out a deep breath, then, he looked back, and sighed. Dammit, I'm going to have to repair the castle, but first, I have to check on Luna and Celestia. Red teleported, to the throne room, and saw that the two princesses were still unconscious. Red walked over to Celestia, and knelt down next to her. Red put a hand over her head, and closed his eyes. Then, he opened his eyes, and was in another throne room. What the hell? Where am I? Wait, this place looks familiar. Red snapped his fingers, and his surroundings faded away to a white landscape. Red looked around, and saw a hint of color. He walked toward it, and saw Celestia, on the ground, her face buried in her hooves, sobbing. "Uh, Celestia? What's wrong?"

Celestia parted her hooves slightly, just enough for her to see Red. She spoke between sobs, "R-red? W-what are y-you doing here?"

Red held out a hand for Celestia. "I'm here to wake you up. I'm sure you don't want to relive this hell any longer than you already have." Celestia stared at his hand, then at him. Then, she gratefully took it. Red closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Celestia was awake. "You think you can wake Luna up?"

Celestia nodded. "Of course. Why?"

"I have something I need to take care of."

"I... I understand." Celestia walked over to her sister, and lowered her head until the sisters' horns were touching. Red teleported, to Pinkamena's body. Then, he picked her body up, and teleported again. He went to the Everfree forest, near the ruins where he had first encountered Slendermane. He gently laid Pinkamena's body down, and snapped his fingers, black smoke appearing and taking the shape of a shovel. The smoke solidified, and Red began to dig. Ten minutes later, he stopped digging. He snapped his fingers again, and black smoke appeared and took the shape of a coffin. The coffin shaped smoke lowered into the hole he had dug. Then, it solidified, and Red picked Pinkamena's body up, and gently laid her into the coffin. Then, he buried the closed coffin, snapped his fingers, and a gravestone appeared in front of where he buried Pinkamena.

It read: Here lies Pinkamena Diane Pie

She gave her life to protect Equestria

She will be missed by many

Then, Red began to cry again. He cried for what seemed like an eternity to him. When the tears stopped flowing from his eyes, he teleported back to the throne room, where Celestia and Luna waited for him.

"Red, where were you? You were gone for half an hour." Luna looked at Red with worry.

"I... I was just taking care of something. It's fine."

"You don't sound fine. You sound like you've been crying non-stop."

Red remained silent. Then, a voice behind him called out. "Um, Princess? If it wouldn't be too much trouble, we would like to speak with Red." Red turned around, and saw Masky, and the others. "We have something to discuss."

Celestia nodded. "Very well." Red walked over to Masky and the others.

Jeff was the first to speak. "Red... It's not your fault."

Red glared at Jeff. "We all know that's a lie. If I hadn't brought you guys here..." Red trailed off.

"Red we know that you wouldn't have been able to beat the equivalent of your brother by yourself. We came here of our own accord. Besides, if she didn't do what she did, we'd all probably be dead right now."

The words stung, but Red knew they were true. "Guys, let me just take you home, and I'll deal with it myself, okay?"

They all knew better than to argue. When Red wanted time to himself, it would be better if he got it. Red snapped his fingers, and a portal opened. They all said their goodbyes, and left. When Red closed the portal, he sighed. I'll tell the princesses that I need time to myself, and I'll be fine in a week or two. "I just hope you're right. You might not recover from this..."

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A New Life

Mature Rated Fiction

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