“Y-you killed them…” Rarity said, staring at the mess the scarlet colt had made in her boutique. Kickback remained silent.

“How?…How did you do that?!” Rainbow yelled in an angry tone. Kickback remained silent.

“ANSWER ME!!” Dash cried out, Kickback looked at her and noticed the glassy look in her eyes and a single tear running down her face.

“This…is not the time…let’s just get out of this and…I’ll explain” Kickback replied, little over a whisper in a sad tone.

“Right now we need get everypony out of town, Dash find Twilight and the others, Rarity stay close to Rainbow, don’t get separated” he ordered before walking through the massive gape in the wall.

“What about you?” Dash asked in a shaky tone.

“I got a score to settle…” he said as he looked back at them, he nodded before running off further into town. Kickback turned a corner around a building and was shocked at the sight, the entire street was riddled in black bug-like equines. He somehow stood out of sight as he looked back and forth across the street, that changed as he saw a lone changeling hover in his field of vision. The beat of it’s wings was annoying as it looked around and hovered in rhythmic patterns, suddenly it turned and was now staring at a hooded, dark red stallion. It growled and lunged at Kickback, he dodged, grabbed the creature by the shoulder and violently punched through it’s chest with his bare hoof. The changeling was consumed in a swarm of black and red. That’s when it got ugly. One by one, the changelings down the road turned to him and simultaneously growled. Kickback smirked and stood up on his back hooves slowly, they slowly hovered or walked over to him as he prepared himself. Kickback through both front legs into the air, crimson and ebony bio-mass wrapped around his limbs before he threw them down to his sides. Suddenly a scarlet colt wearing hooded attire could be seen at the end of a road in Ponyville, his left front hoof morphed into a devastating claw, his right, a deadly blade-like appendage. He stared down the centre of the creatures he knew would be his slaughter victims.

One to his left roared as it charged him, Kickback quickly glanced at it, as soon as it was within reach, Kickback merely grabbed it’s head with his claw…and squeezed. It’s cranium exploded it a gush of green blood. Another charge at him from his right, Kickback brought his blade to his side and violently slashed it in half as it approached him. Suddenly they all attacked, Kickback quickly slashed his claw upwards one their necks before bringing his blade back for a split second. He roared as he violently spun around, blade extended, slicing the surrounding monsters with each swipe. One. Two. Three. Four, on the end of the fifth spin, Kickback suddenly jumped up into the sky, the stallion hovered over the creatures below for a few moments before a quick barrage of black and red tendrils lapped at his body. Kickback’s hooves had morphed into large stone-like limbs, he reached behind him and roared as he lunged himself downwards. Kickback roared as he plummeted towards the centre of atrocities below. The ground shook radically as a loud crash could be heard. Changelings all around were violently launched into the air, spikes protruded from the ground, impaling choice changelings. Kickback rose up and didn’t wait to act again, he viciously brought down his hammer-fists to the ground, shaking the surface of Ponyville. Changelings all around were lifted into the air due to the sheer voice, most had already died. Kickback’s right limb quickly manifested into his whip-fist, he brought it back and swiped clear an entire horde of the bastards. Kickback wasn’t done, one decided to get him from behind but was stopped as Kickback grabbed it with a quickly transformed claw and smirked. He lunged his whip-fist into it and watched it swarm with tendrils. He threw it straight into a group of changelings and watched as tendrils stretched out and lashed at the surrounding creatures, they exploded in a haze of green blood. Kickback’s limbs turned to triple-fingered hands, he lunged them forward at the last group, his limbs merged as they reach their target. An unfortunate central changeling was wrapped around in a barrage of tentacles, several others protruded from it and grasped it’s brethren. Kickback roared as he pulled back and watched as they were pulled into the centre and were violently destroyed.

“Where are you?” he asked as he stood on all fours and glanced around.

“HELP!!” a familiar voice rang from only a about fifteen metres to his right, the stallion jumped and landed on another building only to see down below on the street was none other than Lyra and Pinkie Pie, galloping away from a small horde. Kickback made a split second decision before acting it out, he leapt towards the ground and ran to them roughly pushed to the side of the road, surprising them. They fell down and nearly hit a wall, Lyra looked at up at her saviour in shock. Kickback stood there, looking at her fro a second as he was in the way of the swarm, he looked at them with look of utter rage.

“How many of these damn things do I have kill…?” he said to himself as he watched the forms grow closer to him. Kickback closed his eyes as he was enveloped in their stampede.

“NO!!!” Lyra screamed, outstretching a hoof towards the stallion before he couldn’t be seen. Pinkie held her back but began to feel tears well up in her eyes, Lyra was already crying.

“C’mon, we have to-” was Pinkie managed to say before a roar of anger emitted from the centre of changelings, it was Kickback’s voice, the two mares looked up at the swarm of bug-like ponies, that piled above the stallion in the middle in shock and curiosity.

“Get…the…buck…GET OFF OF ME!!!” he yelled as soon as he finished, the horde stopped moving all together as what appeared to be dark red spikes penetrated their bodies, green blood coated the  and dripped off ends. Lyra and Pinkie stared in amazement and horror at what just happened, they watched and waited. Suddenly the sound of sword being sheathed was heard as the spikes retracted, apparently to the centre. Each of the monstrosities fell to the ground, the two mares looked down at the corpses in disgust and terror before glancing up to what killed them. There, was a dark red stallion, his black and white mane, just barely revealed under his grey hood, he was crouched down in the centre of dead changelings with a angry yet sad face. He slowly arose to his full height on all four of his hooves and turned his head to look at the latest of ponies to know about his secret.

“K-…Kickback?” Lyra said, quivering in Pinkie’s hooves. He turned his head and looked down himself, he felt hate and misery before regaining his senses and focusing on the more important issue at hand rather than his past: Saving his friends. That thought got Kickback thinking, he was helping his friends, he was saving their lives to the hands of monstrous bastard creatures and he was doing it all with his powers. He smirked at the thought of him being a hero, that’s not what he was though, if anything, he was a villain or more accurately an anti-hero. After a moment of pondering, Kickback looked up at Lyra then he saw Pinkie, her face was contorted in a never before seen look by the stallion, she always wore a smile, now as she looked at him, he saw fear in her eyes.

“Listen, Big Mac, Dash and I hope, Twilight are rallying up ponies right now, planning an escape I bet, find them” he ordered, they just stared at him.

“O-…okie dokey loki” Pinkie said in a nervous tone.

“C’mon, Lyra” she added, looking down at the unicorn that was still looking at the stallion, he met her gaze with his own eyes. Thoughts ran through her, for the longest time, she fancied him. She cherished the moments he spent with her, she had always heard gossip around the mares about him, how any mare would be lucky to have him. He was her friend and now he just saved her life but now, looking at him like this made her ponder. Suddenly she saw Kickback nod at her, she looked back at Pinkie and rose to her hooves.

“Go and help anypony you can” he said in slightly depressed tone, Pinkie gave him one more glance and nodded before turning into the alleyway. Lyra stared at him for another few seconds before following. Kickback stood there as he watched the two leave, a feeling of mixed emotion ran over him, he was depressed, the ponies in this were now aware of him, he had made thirteen months, thirteen great months but in the beginning he knew this would happen. He was also angry beyond belief at Chrysalis, once he found her, he was going to make her suffer for all she’s done, it’s her fault he’s had come to out of hiding and it’s her fault the town is being destroyed. Kickback began to growl through his teeth as he thought about her, his rage was visibly taking hold on him, his eyes flashed red. Suddenly Kickback turned and quickly took off in the direction of ground zero: town hall. Kickback didn’t even pay mind to the changelings that got in his way. As he ran, a barrage of tendrils coated his body, head to hoof, it solidified. No longer the image of a normal stallion was running through town but rather tank with legs, Kickback’s fur was coated in a black, shell-like armour, his eyes and muzzle were concealed by a face, his mane and tail were the only things not affected. Each changeling that even dared to come close was head butted or elbowed away as he ran, unfortunately it made him slowly but that also meant he get rid of more changelings on his way. Kickback didn’t hesitate as he violently jumped in the air, easily clearing the building’s full height, the centre of the roof had been utterly destroyed by the changeling breach. Kickback retracted his armour and gazed over the town, at the far end of Ponyville, a large group of mares, stallions, fillies and colts could be seen, Kickback then noticed the faint green aura surrounding Ponyville.

“Must be the barrier she was talking about…they can’t get out” he said to himself as he began to plan. Kickback then thought of something, the hive mind, if he could tap into it, he may be able to get a reading on Chrysalis’s location. Kickback focused on the small attuned feeling at the back of his mind, he then sent out a yellow pulse into the world, changing it’s view to a dark orange shade. The returning pulse came from below, he looked down and the first thing he saw was Applejack and her little sister, Applebloom. They were running towards the group of ponies, some of them were clawing at the barrier, which proved fruitless, he saw Twilight casting spells at it. On the other side of the dome, Fluttershy was knocking on the green aura with tears in her eyes and unsure look on her face. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo accompanied her, scared looks plastered on their faces, aswell as Zecora of whom looked like she’d given up hope.

That’s when he noticed a green laser almost hitting the orange mare and yellow filly from behind, they staggered a bit but continued running, AJ kept nudging her sister forward as they were chased by something. Kickback looked down the street and saw her, the queen, Chrysalis cackling like a mad mare as she was accompanied by dozens of changelings behind her, she was lasting the orange mare like she was a toy, the thought of his best friend being treated like that made him…aggravated to say the least. Kickback leapt off the building and plummeted quickly to the ground, he landed with a loud crash and immediately looked up before sprinting off towards the end of town.

“Applebloom, run, c’mon!!’ AJ said as she tried to push her sister forward with a hoof.

“I’m trying, I’m try-” was she could make out before she was cut off by a bolt of green magic hitting to close for comfort to their back hooves.

“Hahahaha ahahahaha” Chrysalis let out as she mocked the earth ponies. Kickback growled and grunted through his teeth as he ran up a small house and continued to rush over to the scene.

“Twilight, C’mon!!” Dash yelled at her friend before she slugged an advancing changeling with a hoof.

“It’s not working!!” Twilight complained as a continuous beam of purple magic bolted from her horn.

“You have to keep trying, Twilight!” Fluttershy encouraged, her voice muffled slightly thanks to the glass-like dome. At the head of the pack, Big Macintosh stood beside Cheerilee before he brutally bucked a changeling square in the muzzle.

“If Ah’m going down…Ah’m going down fighting!” the red colt said as he glared down the surrounding enemies.

“Big Mac, in case we don’t make it out of this-..” Cheerilee said, grabbing his attention.

“I just want to say-” was all she managed before the stallion quickly locked her in a kiss, after a moment he released her and smiled.

“I know” he said calmly before noticing a closing in changeling and head butting it. Kickback was almost there, the occasional changeling that tried to stop him was violently murdered by the advancing hooded colt.

“AHHH!!” Applejack exclaimed as a beam from the queen’s horn hit her back leg, sending Applebloom flying a few metres, she landed and quickly turned to back to her sister.

“C’mon, Applejack!!” she squealed in that small, accented voice of her’s, AJ moved slightly before wincing in pain.

“Gahhh, ah think it’s broken!” she said, it was then, Applebloom noticed AJ’s hat was right beside her and not on her sister’s head.

“C’mon!!” she yelled, urging for her sister to follow. Applejack thought a moment.

“Go!!”

“What?!” the yellow filly exclaimed.

“Go on, get outta here!!” AJ ordered.

“No, I’m not leaving you behind!” Applebloom yelled before Chrysalis decided to blast her, Applebloom yelped as the beam hit right in front of her hooves.

“GO!!!” AJ screamed at her sister, Applebloom turned tail and ran, tears streaming down her face.

“Ah love you…” Applejack said to herself as she began to choke up. Kickback turned a corner into an alleyway and saw Applejack, in the ground, tears in her eyes and without her hat and Chrysalis landing on her dark, cut out hooves a couple of metres away from her, she began to chuckle as her horn gradually lit up in a green aura.

“Ahhh, love, such a beautiful thing…and tasty” Chrysalis commented.

“Ah you get what’s coming to you” AJ said through her gritted teeth as she looked up at the queen.

“Oh, yes, heroic last words yadda, yadda, yadda” Chrysalis said with a blank look as her horn began to brighten. Applejack looked down with a sad yet content look.

“Goodbye yah’ll…best friends ah ever had…and Kickback…ah lo-” was all she managed to whisper to herself before a loud roar of a familiar stallion caught her ear, Chrysalis grinned maliciously as she looked down at the element of honesty that she was about to kill…but never did.

“NOOO!!!” a male voice roared, Kickback bursted from the alleyway and stopped in front of Applejack, Chrysalis attacked but her beam was stopped by something. Kickback crouched down in front of the orange mare as a quick barrage of tendrils swarmed around his right front leg and morphed it into a large, spiked shield. Chrysalis beam was stopped, almost as if it was being absorbed by the mass, Kickback grunted as he held his ground, not noticing the mare behind him slowly looking upwards to see what prevented her death. What she saw made her feel shocked but thankful. Down the road, in the distance, many ponies looked at the orange mare and red stallion, their gazes were some of horror, some less than others. Changelings ceased their attack on the group at the end of town and stared along with the equines at the sight.

“It’s Kickback…he’s…doing that thing again…” Dash said. Twilight and everypony else moved to the front to see what was happening, they too, were shocked.

“k-k-k…Kickback?” AJ asked in a quivering tone, the hooded colt gazed down at her as he held his shield up.

“I’m…sorry” he said before turning his head back. Suddenly Applejack noticed he was slowly moving forward towards the queen, Chrysalis apparently noticed too and intensified her attack.

“Why. Won’t. You. DIE!!” Chrysalis exclaimed, just as she finished, Kickback roared as he suddenly shoved his shield to the side, Chrysalis was caught off guard and ceased her attack with a terrified look on her face.

“Get away from them, you bitch, don’t touch them” he angrily voiced out. Chrysalis began to slowly step back, never looking away from the stallion’s dark green eyes.

“Kill him, all of you, kill him!!” she ordered, looking back at her changelings and taking to the air, she hovered backwards into her swarm as Kickback stood there with an sinister look of pure rage, he took a step forward and was attacked. Kickback’s right hoof transformed into a claw, a changeling charged him but was stopped as he suddenly locked it’s head in his sharp fingers like a vice. He squeezed on it, it yelped as it’s head exploded and was consumed by the stallion in a haze of red and black. Chrysalis gradually increased altitude as she tried to get away from the hooded colt. A wave of changelings growled at him as they prepared to attack but Kickback’s too quick, he stomped a single hoof into the ground and paid no mind as a barrage of spikes grew violently from the ground right from beneath the group.

Vinyl Scratch made her way to the front of ponies at the end of town, wondering what they were all looking at, when she got there, she saw something she really wasn’t expecting. There in the middle of town, Applejack laid there, her back left leg broken and was staring at something in front of her. Vinyl lifted her gaze from the orange mare to a red, hooded stallion, the one called Kickback, her jaw dropped as she gazed at his right hoof, which was instead a sharp claw that clanked as he walked. The leg itself was dark, small spikes protruded from the knee area and shoulder, it glowed an ominous red-orange as he continued to trot.

“GET HIM!!” Chrysalis exclaimed in a nervous yet angry tone. Suddenly every changeling in sight flew rapidly over to the sight, Applejack covered her face with a hoof as they swarmed passed her and headed for her saviour. Kickback smirked and jumped into the air, he flipped backwards, clearing the horde below, everypony watched in amazement as he landed behind the swarm and in front of Applejack. She stared at him with a stunned look as he moved closer and wrapped his hooves around her neck and torso before he stood on his back legs and looked down at her.

“Hold on” he said as he held the mare in his hooves, before she could react, he jumped again, clearing the distance from the horde to the ponies at the barrier, Applejack screamed as she gripped tighter to the stallion. He landed with a thud, AJ’s squealing came to an end as she found the ground’s comfort, Kickback laid her down in front of Big Mac and looked up at the townsfolk. Kickback gazed around at their mortified faces, Vinyl pushed through the crowd and stepped up to Kickback with a quizzical look. Chrysalis looked in confusion at the sight as her subjects held back for the moment. Kickback stared down as he refused to look at anypony’s face anymore, suddenly he felt something grip on his hood, a white hoof slowly pulled it back off his head to reveal his black and white mane and saddened green eyes. He gazed up to see Vinyl’s face…she was smiling.

“I-…I’m sorry” he said before turning back to the horde in town with a death glare.

“Let’s get this over with…” he whispered before suddenly bursting into a gallop towards the queen and her swarm. Soon the horde charged at Kickback as he sprinted towards them, he roared as they simultaneously growled. Kickback’s body began to coat in a blur of scarlet and ebony as he drew closer to the swarm. Suddenly they, Kickback got to his back hooves and his front hooves had morphed into long spike-like appendages. He swiped his left in the direction of a close one and paid it no more mind as it’s body was slashed apart, then another…and another. Kickback violently lunged his right hoof forward, stabbing two changelings through the mouth. His left hoof seemingly instantly changed into a hammer-fist and crashed down into the horde, launching several in the sky. Chrysalis looked down form above at the horrific sight aswell as everypony at the end of town, she watched as her loyal minions were violently murdered by the red stallion, no longer wearing his hood. His movements were fluid, his forelegs seemingly switching to a different weapon every five seconds.

“WHY WON’T YOU DIE!?!?!” Chrysalis shouted in rage. Kickback smirked as he spun around in a tornado-like fashion with his large blade before jumping miraculously into the air. Chrysalis soon realised…he was getting close to her. Kickback bolted straight upwards towards the queen which caught her off guard. Kickback reached a claw out to her front leg and pulled down. The stallion was launched further into the air as Chrysalis staggered in the sky due to the action. Kickback hovered over her for a second before plummeting downwards, he reached a hand as he began to fall. Chrysalis looked up just in time to see the stallion disrespectfully grab her horn, she lost some altitude thanks to the stallion’s weight and momentum, she staggered until she regained her composure. Kickback suddenly swung back and forth on her jagged horn until he swung all the way around, on the second go, Kickback let go and hovered over Chrysalis before landing on her back. Chrysalis lashed about, trying to buck him off, it was enough, Kickback fell off the queen but noticed the several changelings in the sky seemingly making a staircase for him. Kickback whipped out at the closest one and pulled himself towards it before slashing it across the face with a claw. Kickback lashed out at another and zipped towards it as soon as he got close enough, he stabbed it in the eye with a long pointy blade. He continued to use this method until he saw the scared look on Chrysalis face from below.

“Here I come…” he said with an evil grin. Chrysalis thought of some way to act but didn’t in time. Kickback’s whip wrapped around her neck, Chrysalis was pulled down slightly as the stallion zipped up to her. Kickback grabbed her neck with a claw and from behind on her back, grabbed her jagged horn with a three-pronged hand. The buzzing of her wings was a nuisance but was ignored as he focused on his actions. Kickback began to pull…hard, on the queen’s horn.  She began to scream in pain as she felt the stallion slowly break off her magical weapon.

“He’s not going to-…” Twilight said as the group below looked up at the sight.

“I think he is…” Dash commented.

“He’s gonna-” Vinyl gasped.

Kickback let out a roar as he suddenly ripped off the appendage form Chrysalis’s forehead. She began to scream in agony, green lights sparked from the point  of breakage, Kickback looked at the black object before lazily throwing it away. It was then the ponies noticed the barrier slowly began to fade away. The stallion then catapulted himself off Chrysalis’s back, she gripped her head in pain and closed her eyes as she screamed which gave Kickback opportunity. The hooded colt raised his right front hoof to the sky, soon it manifested to his blade. Kickback let out a roar as he plummeted down and slashed Chrysalis’s wing with the momentum of falling. The queen staggered violently in the air before following Kickback to the ground, the remaining changelings stood still on the ground and in the air as so did the town’s citizens. The result was a loud thud along with a small storm of dust gushing over the area around the queen and stallion’s impact location. When the smoke cleared, Kickback could be seen, calm as ever, looking down and slowly rising to his hooves. Chrysalis laid there next to him, gasping and almost unconscious. Kickback’s gaze slowly moved towards the changeling queen, he started to walk over to her limp body.

At the edge of town, Dash took a step forward, an action that many other ponies acted themselves. Soon Dash, Lyra, Twilight, Rarity, Big Mac, of whom was carrying AJ on his back, Pinkie and Vinyl started cautiously walking towards the scene. Changelings all around stood still, the beat of their wings silently adding to the atmosphere as some of them stood firmly on the ground and watched. Kickback stepped to the side of Chrysalis’s weak body and crouched down beside her, her eyes shuttered open as her gaze met the revealed face of the scarlet stallion.

“I told you…I told you I’d make you suffer” he said with a smirk.

“You think…that this will…stop us…another will rise and take my place” she said, coughing.

“Then I’ll kill her too…”

“What about them?…Do you really think they’ll accept you now?…You’re a monster…you’re just the better of two evils” she said, a splatter of blood being emitted from her mouth as she began to cackle.

“Wrong” an accented voice called out, Kickback and Chrysalis looked up to see the approaching ponies.

“He saved mah life” Applejack added.

“He’s a hero!’ Vinyl Scratch said. Kickback looked in bewilderment at his friends.

“This thing is no hero…you’re not even a pony are you?” Chrysalis said with an evil grin, Kickback looked down at her again before closing his eyes. As he did, the end of his hoof protruded a small blade, he lifted his leg up and held it just above Chrysalis’s chest.

“No…” he said as he struck straight down in Chrysalis’s black heart, she gasped.

“I’m something more…” he added, retracting his weapon and morphing his hoof back into place. Chrysalis breathed her last breath and died before the stallion, Kickback gently closed her eyes and stood back up. Everypony and changeling watched as Chrysalis’s body slowly cracked like a shell and broke into dust before the breeze washed away her remains. Suddenly the remaining bug-like equines were gone, flying towards Celestia knows where and leaving the small town of Ponyville. The town was going to need a bit of work but that could wait. Ponies at the edge of town began to walk towards the group in the centre in synchronisation. Eventually what could be seen was a the entire town staring at a lone stallion, looking down as several specific mares took slow steps up to him. He then gazed back up to look at the many ponies he knew, that now had shocked yet amazed looks on their faces.

“…Kickback?” Dash said, hovering over to his side with a concerned look on her face.

“I think you owe us an explana-” Twilight was cut off by tiny hoof-steps and panting, everypony looked down to see a small yellow filly run up towards the stallion…and wrap him in a hug.

“You saved mah sister!!” she exclaimed with a smile and teary eyes. Kickback looked down at her and gently rested a hoof on her red mane.

“You didn’t just save her, big guy” Dash chimed, Kickback looked at her.

“I really don’t think I could’ve handled all those things at Rarity’s” she added.

“Guys…I-” he started before he was cut off.

“I’m pretty sure those things would catch me if it weren’t for you” Lyra commented.

“Ah mighty appreciate the help back their” Macintosh added. Kickback switched looks between the towns folk and his friends as he began to feel his vision get foggy.

“You saved the town, Kickback” Vinyl said with a smile. Kickback remained silent as a small grin crossed his muzzle.

“I think you still need to tell us how you did…whatever it is you just did” Twilight intervened, catching everypony’s attention. Kickback’s hopeful look faltered at those words.

“…Alright” Next Chapter: Back To The Big City Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 4 Minutes