*BBZZZZRRRG*

The Griefer shouted out in pain in it's robotic language as one of its metallic lobster legs fell to the forest’s floor. Severed.

It however still stood upright on its remaining 3 limbs and charged me.

Surely if it lost a leg it would be slightly slower…

*BONK*

The Griefer slammed into me at full speed causing myself to fly backwards from the impact and clear a line of forestry with my back.

Ow, ok only slightly.

“Shadow watch out you nearly crushed us!” the really miniscule Commander Beard said with urgency from next to my hoof.

{Epic Battle Theme}

{Or Play this Music for something a bit different}

As I got myself up from the pile of trees that cushioned my blow I saw the Griefer approaching its severed appendage. Cables that looked almost like synthetic flesh came out from the damaged hole of its body and attached itself to the leg. It pulled the leg back towards the body and they fused together.

“Oh so you can regenerate now? This means I can kill you all night!” I laughed at the machine.

“Cybernetic Augmentations, a priority…”

Wait, did that Griefer just speak in our language?

I shook my head thinking that it must have been the aftereffects from the charge attack.
Then I eyed the Griefer with intrigue and hate, trying to coax it to speak once more to see if I wasn’t experiancing a concussion.

*BBZARGH*

Content with its response I stamp my hooves down and rush towards the sentient being with my left hidden blade drawn. As I neared, the Griefer closed its open core with layers of metallic shielding and brought a leg up towards itself to block my attack.

My blade clanged off the side of the metallic shielding and the Griefer followed through with a counter sweep attack with its repaired leg. It hit me in the side with tremendous strength and I skidded towards the edge of the cliff, my head was hanging off from the side.

Before I could recover the Griefer went over top of me, I gave a quick blow to its body with my hoof but it did almost nothing. It raised its front legs high into the air and brought them down upon my arms pinning me to the ground.

The Griefer loomed its body over me and opened its protective body shielding, revealing the core. The core grew brighter and brighter as it positioned itself closely over my head making absolutely sure that it will not miss this time.

“That’s a little close don’t you think?” I joked in the face of death.

*HEADSMASH*

I slammed my head right into the core staggering the beast. As I quickly brought myself back up I grabbed a leg and brought it over my shoulder past the cliff’s edge, this made both of us fall into the field of trees below. I positioned myself on top of the Griefer as we fell and it crashed below my hooves taking damage from the impact.

I quickly gave it a final stab in its underside before it swung me off from its body.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the cliff above us Applejack’s team had reunited with Twilight and Commander Beard’s team and looked down to the fighting below.

“KICK IT’S A FLANK!” Mareio shouted from down the cliff.

“WOO YA! GO SHADOW!” Spike cheered from on top of Twilight’s back.

“Wow you assassins sure grow up fast,” Garrus sarcastically remarked to Applejack who just shook her head in annoyance.

“Now Garrus don’t forget that Shadow is fighting an ancient sentient being over there using the power of a medicinal fungus,” Beard said to Garrus.

“Well what are we waiting for? We can’t just do nothing!” Rainbow said hovering above everyone in anxiety.

“Well Rainbow Dash…” Garrus said pulling out his sniper rifle, “Observe.”

Garrus aimed through the scope of his gun at the Griefer attacking Shadow and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the barrel at tremendous speed and hit the Griefer’s outer carapace causing an incredible 2 inch dent to form on the 150 foot machine.

Garrus put his gun away and gave Rainbow the “I told you so look” to which she huffed in frustration.

“That’s no good we need something bigger, something more reliable, something more….”

“PINKIE!” Pinkie shouted in excitement as she wheeled out a large nuclear warhead from some trees behind the group.

Commander Beard had a blank look on his face, “Where did she get THAT!?”

Spike whispered over to Beard, “It’s better that you don’t ask questions about Pinkie. It’s better that way.”

Back over to the missile Applejack went over to Pinkie,“Pinkie are you mad? You’ll hit Shadow if you launch that missile!” Applejack shouted in fright as Pinkie calibrated the systems.

“Don’t worry AJ! Thanks to Shadow’s override I can make so much more useful party explosives! I filled this nuke up with bricks and CAKE! AND LOTS AND LOTS OF GUN POWDER!” she excitingly said as she bounced all over her nuke.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Fluttershy said too quietly for Pinkie to hear her properly.

Pinkie regained her composure and said, “I figured after watching Garrus take down a few butterflies with his gun that guns would be EXTREMELY accurate so what better way than stuffing this beast with POWDER!”

“Oh Pinkie you mustn’t you could destroy the whole forest—,” Rarity was about to say but Pinkie beat her to it.

“FIRE!” she slammed her hoof down on a giant red button.

The no boundaries, the maximum force nuke shot out from its firing platform and headed on a direct course to the Griefer.

As well as the giant Assassin in the way.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Boop Boop Boop*

“What is that noise?” I asked out loud just after dodging a leg sweep from the Griefer.

I turned around and saw a nuke, not just any nuke but Pinkie’s nuke and I know that it was filled with the materials that Pinkie shouldn’t handle… EVER.

|I knew this would happen, why did I make her the pyro?

I quickly leaped towards the side with the nuke just barely grazing my robes as the Griefer stood there ready to take the impact of a pure 100% non-restricted Pinkie nuke.

*BOOOOOOOOOMMM*

The hot air buffeted me from the close proximity of the explosive warhead to which I sheltered myself to the falling debris. Once everything felt back to normal I quickly looked over behind me and saw the nuke hit right at the Griefer’s core. The Griefer itself sparked out red electric bolts as if it was wounded from the blast.

It lifted itself back onto its 4 legs with the same strength as it did before, if not more. It crushed the the ground causing tremors and opened its protective shell casing.

That Griefer is so pissed off right now… I’m going to be in a world of hurt.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“PINKIE ARE YOU CRAZY!?” Twilight grabbed Pinkie with her hoofs causing Spike to fall off her back. They looked at each other and Twilight sighed as she released Pinkie, “What am I even asking?”

“Well whatever was in that nuke damaged the Griefer, at least we know they can be hurt,” Commander Beard said.

“Now we need about 50 more to take it down to be honest I only think it’s mad at us now,” Garrus said.

“Oh don’t you a worry, with the lobster fighting Shadow it wouldn’t notice us at all. Absolutely 100% complete no interest in us whatsoever,” Mareio said with reassurance.

*PING*

A bright red laser blasted the side of the cliff where everyone was standing on, the rock broke from the cliff and everything began to fall down.

Applejack gave Mareio a stern look and he just shrugged before the platform underneath everyone broke apart and they all plummeted to the ground below.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy managed to grab onto Commander Beard and Pinkie, while Twilight teleported to the ground along with Rarity. Applejack, Mareio, Garrus and Spike were still flying through the wreckage in the sky.

“Luckily for you guys I’m a Pegasus,” Garrus said rather casually as he pressed a button on his left hoof. It revealed two slits in his back armor and a pair of large light green wings appeared.

He grabbed onto Applejack, Mareio, and Spike and flew downwards, crashed into a group of trees to slow down and then landed face first on the ground as they tumbled around the dirt.

“It was a perfect landing,” Garrus smiled at the ponies and dragon he held around his hoofs.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“NO!”

The Griefer had fired its laser at the cliff where my friends were stationed at and the cliff face broke apart and fell towards the ground.

I looked back at the Griefer and kicked my fore-hoof at it, it slammed right against the Griefer’s core stunning it as I ran towards the cliff hoping that my friends were safe from the blast.

“Hey Shadow!”

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder to where I saw Rainbow Dash hovering above it.

“Rainbow! Are everypony else ok?” I asked with anticipation.

She nodded her head and pointed her cyan hoof down to a group of trees concealing the group, I let out a sigh of relief.

Thank heavens they’re safe…

*BBZZRRRT- PING*

“AAH!” I gripped my other shoulder as a laser stream passed by right through my outfit and burned my flesh.

I turned around behind myself to see the Griefer standing before us.

“This hurts you.”

“What!? That thing can talk?” Rainbow shouted out in amazement.

Good, so I’m not crazy and hearing giant metallic space lobsters speaking to me.

“So what are you doing here? Why do you attack us?” I asked at it as I held my shoulder in pain from the laser.

“Organic life is a mistake, we are its solution. You are its main flaw. Ponies.”

“You’re just a machine you can’t decide whether a species should die or not. Think of all the factors of life!” Twilight exclaimed from below.

“Unicorn, strong magic potential. Advances in technology will lead to dependency which will lead to false Unicorn superiority followed by the worlds collapse.”

“How rude! Thinking that we would not share our magic for the sake of others!” Rarity said in disgust.

“Ya’ll just need to learn it’s not okay to come here can cause all this grief for your flawed accusations! Machines are just machines, and I don't trust 'em.” Applejack raised a hoof at the Griefer.

“Earth Pony. You are considered….. too primitive.”

“LET ME AT IT! I WILL A SHOVE A MEGA SHROOM RIGHT UP IT’S.. *muffle* *muffle*” Mareio shouted in disarray before Commander Beard and Garrus restrained him and quieted him down.

“Pegasus. A viable possibility, genetic potential limited. Species behavior… circumstantial. Augmentations required.”

“Well I didn’t expect a Griefer to be nice, but this one is being a complete ass,” Garrus said nonchalantly.

The Griefer turned its attention back to me.

“Pony. Further species development would be insufficient, unattainable, and useless. Your species are the problem; to what you refer to as “Griefers” we are your salvation.
Do not resist.”

Something inside me snapped; this being this giant metallic lobster is telling us that our society is flawed and that we should do nothing except to accept our fate and get killed by them. That is their plan that is why they are named Griefers, that is why Dave sent it to attack us.

Another test…..
TO EQUESTRIA’S CORE FOR THIS!

I shouted in rage and slammed my blade right across it’s sternum, the impact brought the beast backwards and put some distance between us.
The Griefer’s core glowed brighter as it fired a laser towards me. I dodged it and ran towards it with my blades drawn.

It fired more blasts near me, most I merely dodged but for one laser that I couldn’t roll from I stretched out my blade at an angle.

*BAZOOM*

The Griefer fired and the laser deflected off my blade as I got right in front of the Griefer. I grabbed it with one hoof to hold it steady as I brought it down to its back and I stabbed my hidden blade into its core.

“I’VE

*stab*

HAD

*stab*

ENOUGH

*stab*

OF YOUR

*stab*

DISINGENUOUS

*stab*

ASSERTIONS!”

*crack*

I slammed my blade with great impact deep into the Griefer’s core; its robotic static sounds indicated that it was being hurt. It knocked its back leg into my side and flipped me from its body.

Looking back at the Griefer I saw a series of red sparks shoot erratically from the lobster menace, the core blinked on and off as it had a large open gash in the centre where I had stabbed it.

“Shadow you’re shrinking!” Applejack shouted from down below. I looked at my surroundings and saw that the landscape was getting larger.

I need to finish this quickly.

With a race against time I leapt over to the Griefer and jumped on its head. I brought strength to my hooves and jumped straight up into the air above it. My body shrank drastically as I spun my body towards the Griefer below.

It aimed its damaged core up to me and began to charge.
I brought my blade out forwards and my body dived straight at the core.

The core grew brighter and brighter, my body returned to normal and the massive height I gained propelled me like a bullet. I was almost at the core my blade was ready to crack the Griefer in half.

"DAMN YOU! THIS IS FOR REX AND FOR EVERYONE ELSE YOU CAUSED GRIEF TO, YOU MONSTER!"

My blade collided with the core just as the Griefer fired its beam.

*PIN-----BOOOOOOM*

{END SONG IF IT HADN'T ALREADY FINISHED}

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone watched helplessly as the Griefer exploded before them turning the forest around it into a large fiery inferno. They shielded themselves from the blast and once the winds died down they looked to see that the Griefer was a large heap of wreckage, no power emanated from its core which was damaged to impossible measurements.

“SHADOW!” Applejack shouted into the debris and fires of the defeated monster.

Everyone frantically shouted my name; they looked in the pieces of debris surrounding the Griefer. But they couldn’t find me for I was stuck in the actual Griefer itself.

Suddenly to everyone’s surprise a piece of the Griefer began to move.

I thrust both my hooves forward touching the hot metal shielding in front of me and pushed the debris away from me seeing my friends marveling at my survival.

“Shadow Mark da Ponitaly! Master Assassino!” I bowed before my friends, right until Applejack grabbed me and hugged me just as Mareio piledrived his body onto me followed by the rest of the assassins.

“If I wanted to see a sappy friendship story I would have gone to Canterlot,” Garrus said to Beard.

*PARAGON ACTION*

Commander Beard brohugged Garrus, “We destroyed a Griefer, be thankful that we survived.”

“Unlike Rex that is, all word and no hoof,” Garrus said releasing the hug from Beard.

“What did you say about me?” said a disgruntled voice from behind them.

We all turned to see a blood soaked, flesh scarred/burned, armor damaged muscular pony.

“REX!”

He coughed out some blood onto the ground and smiled at me, “Shadow you are… badass… assassin…” he then collapsed with blood pouring out from his wounds.

“NO!” Beard shouted as he came to Rex’s side.

“Stand a back! I AM A DOCTOR!” Mareio shouted shoving the Commander out of the way.

Mareio reached into his doctor’s coat pocket and pulled out a green spotted mushroom.

“Rex’s mouth is hemorrhaged you can’t put that in there!” Twilight said.

“Good thing this is a SUPPOSITORY!” Mareio said shoving the mushroom right up Rex’s… *ahem*

While Mareio was treating Rex something from the Griefer began to make noises. I looked and saw that the core had a very insignificant red glow.

“It’s still not dead!?” I asked in amazement.

From the core a blue ray of light came from it revealing a figure dressed in jeans, a shirt and tie, and bold glasses.

“Dave…. I knew it,” I said to the holographic projection of him.

“Shadow my favourite assassin! You had done well, much beyond to my expectations. Well done!” he clapped.

“Dave why in Equestria would you send a Griefer after us?” asked Twilight who was annoyed.

“Oh but Shadow already figured it out didn’t you? It was a test, nothing less than a pure simple enjoyable test of skill, thought, and assassin techniques. I’m glad to say that Shadow and all of you passed!” Dave said with excitement as we stayed our emotionless faces.

He noticed the newcomers and commented, “And I see that you got help from Garrus the Top Equestrian Military soldier, Volcanous’s brother Rex and OH!” he looked at Beard.

“Commander Beard, this is certainly interesting a Spectrum coming to help Shadow I bet. Or is it something more I wonder? I really have no idea what Celestia is doing nowadays. Oh wait.... I do!” Dave laughed, Beard and Garrus were amazed that he heard of them, and were afraid that he knew what 'missions' they go on.

A Spectrum? Commander Beard is a Spectrum directly linked to Celestia?
That might explain him being here but for what purpose I don’t know.

“Anyways Shadow, I always honor my promises. I won’t bother you or your assassin buddies for the weeks to come, at least until that party I mentioned where I would come to Ponyville and invite you perosnally... So in the meantime enjoy your freedom from any mind-tricks or Griefer attacks.”

“And since I’m feeling generous I’ll tell you something important about our plan,” Dave readjusted his glasses and grinned devilishly.

“Project Purify?” I asked him.

Dave’s projected head nodded, “You see this Griefer behind me, in front of you. There’s more of them, much more. All at a snap of my hoof.”

“You can’t be serious; these… things will destroy everything. It will be chaos!” Rarity exclaimed.

“Ah but see this,” he motioned to the wreckage around us, “In order to bring balance there must be chaos in order to bring order to Equestria. The reason I’m not killing you all now is that you displayed balance when you killed the Griefer. It gave me some data I need to analyze and cross-reference so I can better determine your longitudinal development into the world’s balance system, which…”

*RENGADE ACTION*

I grabbed Commander Beard’s assault rifle from his back and pointed it at Dave.

“My my Shadow has finally learned to be assertive. Kind of rude, but it’s a step in the right direct--.”

A dark red aura emanated from my body as I aimed the gun with one hoof. My absolute hate for Dave and his “games” had finally driven me over the edge and I was sick at having to deal with these damned tests.

“I’ve had enough of your bullshit for today Dave. Arriverderci.”

I shot the rifle rounds through the projection into the Griefer core behind and Dave’s projection began to fade from the core's resulting damage.

Dave chuckled then said lastly, “Prepare for the Arrival, Shadow.”

The core exploded and the projection was completely gone. I hoofed back the rifle to Beard and looked over to Rex who was now recovering from Dr. Mareio’s and Fluttershy’s treatment.

I went over to the Commander and asked sternly, “Beard, why did Celestia send you?”

“Shadow this isn’t the time--.”

“Tell me. Right now,” I said menacingly to the Commander showing him my blade bracer.

“She gave us your information, assassin references, and battle tactics. The Princess sent us to see if you went rogue as you haven’t written much letters or communicated with her.”
“Being a Spectrum I knew all about the Assassins and I knew that you would be armed and deadly, so that’s why I brought Garrus and Rex.”

“And a ton of ammo,” Garrus added in.

She wanted us to stop you from fighting Dave and don’t ask me why because that’s all she told us about the mission.” he said truthfully.

I sighed then announced to everyone, “Alright everyone let’s get Rex to a hospital before he bleeds to death, move it!”

Finally I just want this day to end… Cazzo Griefers.