There was a brisk northern wind that calmed the scorching prairie day, and the moon replaced the sun's orange glow with a gentle blue light, painting everything navy with its lustrous brilliance. Cicadas chirped as the tall grass blew, and a wolf howled as the moon rose high into the sky. On the outskirts of Stahl Wasser, a town south of Eisen, where the rocky mountains and towering skyscrapers flatten out into rolling hills and hickory trees, two young colts began stacking logs in their barn for the long winter ahead.

Sometimes their mother would send them off doing odd jobs every so often at night. The youngest didn't question it, but the eldest knew better. Regardless, he remained calm for his younger brother Butch. He didn't want him to worry.

"Elliot, how many more do we need?" Butch pouted as he tossed his older brother a log.

"A dozen or so, Mama doesn't want us getting cold this winter," Elliot replied with a reassuring tone in his voice as he climbed up a ladder leading to the mow of the barn.

"But Elliot, winter ain't coming tomorrow, it's five months away. What are we stackin' these logs for?" Butch protested as he held a log in his hands.

"Listen, Mama wanted us to do this for her, so we're doin' it, you hear me?" Elliot snapped at Butch as he grabbed the log in his hands.

"I'm sorry for being nosy Elliot, I just was curious is all..." Butch sniffled as he wiped his nose.

"I know, I know Butch. Sorry for beakin'-off, I'm just a little on-edge is all..." Elliot comforted Butch as he jumped off the ladder and patted him on the back. "Listen, why don't we-."

Elliot trailed off as he overheard screaming coming from his house, his mother's screaming. Their mother's voice cracked as she yelled at her drunken husband, who had just walked in the door in a stupor. "Rodger, please calm down! You've had too much! Elliot and Butch, they-."

Their mother was silenced by a swift backhand from their brutish father. "Shut up, you fuckin' bitch!"

Elliot tensed up as he heard his mother cry, getting beaten by her husband once again. He turned to his weeping brother and placed his finger on his mouth- hushing him.

"Don't cry Butch, he'll quit soon... she'll be alright." Elliot attempted to alleviate his brother's sorrow as he brushed his cheek lightly.

"The Bear's beatin' her Elliot..." Butch sobbed.

However, it ended sooner than expected, and the shrieks from their mother were replaced with dead silence. Elliot quieted down to hear his mother's voice telling him "He fell asleep, boys, it's alright...", but he heard no signal. He remained quiet as he heard hoofsteps in the distance, not light ones like his mother's; they were sluggish, unbalanced, drunk movements that gave him and his little brother the shivers.

"Elliot! Butch! Where are ya?! I wanna talk to yall! I jus' wanna talk is all!" Their father burped as he stumbled towards the barn.

"The Bear's here, Elliot! That never happens!" Butch yelled quietly as he tugged at his older brother's shirt.

"Pipe down Butch, he'll hear ya!" Elliot replied sharply as he ran to the other side of the barn and loaded his father's twelve-gauge.

"What are you gonna do Elliot?" Butch whispered to his brother; tears still streaming down his face. "Elliot?"

Elliot ignored Butch and moved towards the large open door of the barn, where his father just entered, his shotgun at the ready, and determination in his eyes. "What do ya want, Bear-..."

Elliot trailed off as he looked down at his father's hand. His curved army knife was soaked in blood, and the rest of him as well. He had a crazed look in his eye, and he waved his knife around as he tumbled about- getting closer and closer to the two boys.

"What did you do?" Elliot whimpered as he readied his gun, a new fiery hatred blazing in his chest. "What the hell did you do?!"

"Aww, Elliot... I don't mean to harm yall!" The Bear grunted as he approached his enraged son. "Butch? Hey Butch, I jus' wanted to talk is all- show ya some wild game I just bagged!"

Butch said nothing and cowered behind his armed brother, who stood steadfast and unwavering. He pointed the shotgun at his father's chest, and as he took another step, he fired. Their father was blown backward, and his chest was torn to pieces by the buckshot. Elliot dropped the gun in relief and grabbed Butch, making him look away as he hugged him tightly. "Don't look, Butch, just don't..."

"What are we gonna do Elliot?" Butch wept as he tried to turn his away.

"We high-tail it outta here, that's what..." Elliot replied as he pried the curved trench knife out of his father's hand and wiped it off; passing it to his brother as he put his hand on his shoulder. "We go to Eisen, our uncle's there... he'll sort things out. Here, take this knife."

"What about Ma, Elliot?" Butch inquired with an innocent little voice as he looked down at the shiny knife.

Elliot took a deep breath, then faced his brother, grabbing his hand as he did so. "Momma ain't comin' with us Butch... C'mon, we've gotta get going."

Elliot practically dragged Butch away with him as he walked out into the tall grass. Butch struggled against his force, and eventually broke free. He ran towards the dim light of his farmhouse and heard Elliot wail as he chased after him. Butch approached the front door cautiously, but confident he'd see his mother alive and well.

"Butch! Butch, please... don't go in there!" Elliot cried as he ran after his stubborn brother. "Butch!"

****

"Butch? Butch?!" Spike shouted at the dazed stallion next to him on their bench in the middle of Liberty Square.

"Huh, what? You said something, son?" Butch shook his head as he tried to conceal his confusion unsuccessfully.

"I just asked where you got that knife... is it an heirloom or something? It looks custom-made." Spike observed as he eyed the curved dagger strapped to Butch's leather belt.

"Aw, this old thing? Nah, it's just a rusty old dagger a merchant sold to me not long ago. It was cheap." Butch chuckled and shrugged as he slid his finger across the blade of the knife.

"Does it have a nickname or something? A lot of stallions usually name their blades a creative name, has your dagger got one?." Spike wondered as he analyzed the dagger.

"The Bear's Claw," Butch grunted as he slid his curved knife back into his belt and rose from the bench.

"You there Butch?" Masami asked the gritty stallion through his communicator.

"I'm here Masami, what do ya want?"

"Gin and Evelyn are here with Draven and me, they had a skirmish with a weird lookin' cultist in Mason Station not long ago- had some crazy smoke-powers, something like that," Masami informed Butch.

"Is Eve okay?" Butch questioned Masami with genuine worry in his voice.

"I'm fine Butch, just a little scraped up is all." Evelyn insisted as she spoke into her microphone.

"Anyways, look sharp... there could be somepony sizing you up right now in Liberty Square," Masami warned Butch. "Look for ponies with black cowls and shrouds, that's most likely what we're looking for."

"Thanks, sugar, keep me posted if something comes up." Butch thanked Masami as he turned off his communicator.

"No problem, stay safe out there." Masami advised Butch before shutting her communicator off as well.

Butch gestured at Spike to "get up", and the young dragon obeyed. Spike had Butch figured out on the Ambassador the day before. He wasn't brave, he was simply without fear. He face-off against Constantine like it was a friendly boxing match, and he seemed to ignore other pony's pain. He was able to detach himself, from... well himself. Although, he was very secretive and didn't seem to trust his own feelings, much like a wounded soldier.

"Alright fire-breath, listen up," Butch commanded Spike, who felt he should've saluted to the gruff commander, although he knew that probably would've offended him. "I want you to start lookin' around- point out anypony who looks suspicious."

"Wait, haven't we been doing that all this time?" Spike questioned Butch's orders.

"Well, look harder then!" Butch raised his voice as he walked away and pushed Spike in the opposite direction.

"Alright... look harder. I can do that." Spike muttered to himself as he scanned his surroundings.

The Square was bustling with ponies of all colours, shapes, and sizes. Some were zebras, whilst others were white-furred ponies. It was odd, but there were quite a lot of white-furred ponies scurrying around the square. Spike hadn't noticed before, but it became apparent to him as he started looking around. Admittedly, there was an equal amount of pastel-colored ponies in Liberty Square, but few enough to make the others stand out. Spike also realized that Masami was one of these ponies too, and he activated his communicator uneasily, unsure whether his question was politically incorrect.

"Um, Masami?" Spike made sure she was listening.

"Yes, dear?" Masami replied with her cheerful voice.

"Uh, who are these white-coloured ponies with, um... the black manes and tails. I um, figured you'd know since..." Spike trailed off and tried to reorganize his thoughts into something less offensive.

"Oh, yeah. Those are Pēru, they're my kin. Well, not exactly... I'm half Pēru, I get my stunning figure from my father's side." Masami boasted proudly."A lot of them immigrated to Ausrüstung around fifteen years ago after the civil war, including me."

"Wait, so you're not mad I asked?" Spike was flabbergasted, he thought he was going to be unrelentingly sassed.

"Spike, if I had a bronze cog for every time somepony new asked me that question, I'd be Archibald Mason. It's not racist to make observations, it's just wrong to make generalizations based on those observations." Masami chuckled lightly. "You're a cutie, Spike! If I didn't have a crush on mares like Kitten, I'd just eat you up!"

Spike blushed as his mind was filled with lewd thoughts. "Uh, um..."

While Masami often behaved playful and mischievous, she had a rich intellectual side to her personality. She often caught most off guard with her intuition, and Spike was certainly no exception. When she used the two sides of her against another, she could most definitely outwit the smartest of ponies.

"Aha! You're thinking about it aren't you?" Masami deducted a she giggled teasingly, making Spike's face flush red even more. "Oh, you are, aren't you?!"

"I can't take this kind of torment... first Gin, now this?" Spike thought to himself as he shut off his communicator and started looking around again.

Spike saw nothing out of the ordinary at first, but as he observed with greater focus, he began to spot a strange individual moving in odd patterns within the crowd of ponies. It was a stallion, but much like the other cultists, he was shrouded in a black cowl and face mask. However, what truly made the stallion stand out was the odd noise he emitted. Although he was several meters away, Spike's dragon-hearing was sharp, and he identified the strange sound as a rattling of steel chains.

As Spike's eyes met with the mysterious pony, he flinched slightly then turned away, confirming Spike's suspicions. As he approached the larger crowd the stallion was hiding in, the pony jumped up and backed into a nearby alleyway. He seemed scared, not by Spike, but the mere action of Spike staring at him.

"Hey Butch, I think I found somepony in the crowd- over by the statue of one of the forefathers," Spike informed Butch through his microphone.

"You think so?" Butch double checked with Spike. "It could be just a merchant or something."

"No, I think this is the real-deal. He was wearing the same outfit that Masami described." Spike watched as the hooded stallion retreated. "I'm going after him."

"No, you're probably walkin' right into a trap. Let me help ya, I'm not far from your position." Butch insisted as he sprinted over to Spike at lightning speeds.

Butch's cybernetic legs allowed him to reach Spike within seconds, and in his haste he kicked up a substantial amount of dust. As he braked, he kicked up more dust, and various ponies in the crowd around him turned their heads in awe as they witnessed Butch's athletic prowess. He may have been in his early fifties, but his athletic ability was that of twenty-year-old pegasi combined when paired up with his mechanical limbs and heart.

"Woah..." Spike gawked as he choked a little on the dust that was flung into the air.

"No time to doddle, fire-breath, let's get that son of a bitch." Butch grinned as he jumped over the crowd of ponies into the back alley, lowering jaws as he landed the jump perfectly. "These folks won't stop for ya, it's best to jump."

Spike gulped a little as he looked at all the ponies in his way, and reluctantly, he leapt over the crowd successfully, but didn't really stick the landing very well, face-planting into the solid pavement. He got to his feet with a dizzied expression, and as he shook his head he felt a piercing headache pound against his skull. Spike blushed again as he watched the various bystanders try to contain their laughter.

"I think you should work on the landing next time, stud." Butch joked as he patted Spike on the back and raced after the shrouded cultist zooming down the narrow alleyways.

"Well, I'm sorry for not having cannons for legs!" Spike yelled in a mixture of frustration and embarrassment as he ran after the shrouded stallion along with the bionic-pony.

Spike and Butch chased after the stallion at great speeds, but no matter how hard they tried, the stallion kept gaining ground, despite Spike and Butch's physical advantage. Butch eventually gave up pursuing the pony and drew his massive revolver from the utility belt around his waist.

Spike often took glances at the giant gun, but he never saw the full weapon; it had always been holstered. The giant dark grey pistol was decorated with silver engravings of angels and demons, and on the barrel was the crudely etched name, "Elliot's Bite".

"Let's see if some good ol' sixty caliber'll stop ya!" Butch snickered as he fired the gargantuan gun at his prey, landing a shot right in the stallion's back, sending a mist of blood and a few sparks flying as a dozen links of the broken chain were blasted off his body. "Gotcha."

The retreating pony was knocked down with great force and rolled a few times until he hit a nearby dumpster, slamming his head into the metal bin. Surprisingly, the stallion got back on his hooves at an alarming rate and began wailing like a feral beast. He removed his cowl and mask, and underneath the dark outfit was a stallion completely covered in tightly wrapped chains from head to hoof. The only visible flesh on the stallion's body was his eyes and the wound created by Butch's revolver.

"Now you wanna fight, pal?" Butch smiled as he holstered his pistol and cracked his metal knuckles.

"No, no, no, no, no! No! I d-d-don't, you're evil- make my flesh show. No! You need to- I must kill- no! Hahahahaha- no!" The psychotic stallion howled as he began to cover up his wound with tightly-wound chains. "Kaiser wants you dead- not yet, though... Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"What's wrong with this guy?" Spike's eyes widened as he watched the maniac begin bash on his head as if he were punishing himself.

"I dunno, but I don't like it..." Butch admitted as he witnessed the stallion's insane rant.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it! Stop looking at Gar Nichts! Stop looking at Gar Nichts' ugly blood, ugly flesh! You're evil! Evil, evil, evil! Kaiser says so, Kaiser always says so!" The stallion called, "Gar Nichts" screamed and mumbled as he covered his eyes and sobbed. "So many staring eyes, so many ponies looking, always looking-. No! No! You're evil... all of you! Leave me alone!"

Chains shot out of Gar Nichts' back at blinding speeds; homing in on Spike and Butch. They successfully dodged the first time but were knocked aside by the chains as they whipped back; slamming them into the nearby wall. Butch and Spike recovered, but were tossed around by more chains as dark portals on the walls spawned more steel chains, creating a maddening maelstrom of metal and chaos.

"You're voices are too loud, too loud, too loud! You are all too loud for Gar Nichts! Shut up!" Gar Nichts bellowed as he hit them with all his might.

The steel-storm battered the two brutally, and they struggled to recuperate. Spike was in worse shape than Butch, who only had a few bruises, Spike was bleeding from his leg and right arm.

"This guy is fuckin crazy, and he hits like a jackhammer," Butch grunted as he wiped the blood from his face.

"What... do you suggest we do?" Spike groaned as he coated his fists in flame.

"We gotta be crazier..." Butch chuckled as he removed his trench coat and revealed a deadly weapon strapped to his back. "I'm hittin' em with everything I got. Let's see how ya hold up against some four-gauge-fun."

Butch loaded a monstrous triple-barrel shotgun with giant shells, and with a flick of the wrist, the beastly cannon was cocked and ready. The wood grip gun was engraved with gold leaf patterns, and like his revolver, the colossal shotgun had a name etched into the barrel, "Rosie". It had a long glowing tube attached to the bottom of the three barrels, and it shone a blue light, similar to his artificial heart.

"Spike, give me some of that fire of yours!" Butch ordered Spike as he extended his hand out to Spike.

"Wait, what?" Spike shouted in bewilderment.

"No time! Just toss me a fireball, kid!" Butch reached out to Spike.

Spike didn't question him and threw Butch a ball of green flame. He caught it in his hand and shoved the fire down the glowing tube with gunslinger-speed. Gar Nichts seemed frightened by the massive gun and summoned more chains to lash out at his foe.

"Die, die, die!" Gar Nichts cried as he launched his chains towards Butch, who stood still- steadfast.

As the shotgun fired, it kicked up dust in front of it from the concussive force and even pushed Spike onto his tail. It shot out a blazing tornado of metal pellets and emerald fire, and the intense heat of the blast melted Gar Nichts' chains like butter. The shot slammed into the chain-clad stallion with its full-force, and Gar Nichts was blown back into a dead end. For a brief moment, he was without chain-armor, and this seemed to infuriate him.

"You can see my flesh! My flesh! You're evil, you're evil!" Gar Nichts cried as he covered himself in chains once again. "Stop looking at me! Leave me alone!"

Gar Nichts used his chains to grapple a wall slingshot himself out of the dead-end and retreated to the rooftops, out of their reach within seconds. Butch fired off a few shots with his revolver, but Gar Nichts' chains let him move at lightning speeds.

"Damn, he's quick." Butch sighed as he reached into his pocket and lit a cigar.

"We need to... get to Masami." Spike panted as he got to his feet.

"Agreed... let's get going." Butch nodded as he picked up his trench coat. "C'mon, I know a shortcut..."

Author's Notes:

Introducing the second member of Infernalgear! As always, I hope you enjoyed! Make sure to leave a like and comment if you did! :D