Kickback woke up in a haze, his eyes fluttered open as he began to take in his surroundings. That’s when he found himself lying upon the same couch of his sister’s…former home. Kickback winced as he remembered the news he had received yesterday from a pink mare, when he described her like that, all that popped in his head was the eccentric Pinkie Pie and how her face was always bright and happy. Somewhere, in the brightest corner of his sub-conscious, he wanted her to throw him a second welcoming party but after the look she had a week ago, made him doubt it. His thoughts carried towards his friends once more, sure they had said they wouldn’t want him to leave despite but not everypony said that personally. The scarlet colt sat up and found his jacket still where Crystal had left it, he got to his hooves and began to ease it back onto himself, feeling the familiar and contaminated fabric almost merge with his body once more. Sometimes he didn’t even know how his body worked, was the attire he was wearing still the craftsmanship of Rarity or was that destroyed by his genetics and now he was simply wearing his own, disguised skin. Regardless, it made him fell complete to wear it. Hoofsteps caught his ear, he turned around to see a familiar mare that wore a smile as she saw him.

“Morning…” he greeted in a hushed tone that he would normally speak in.

“Good morning” her tone was far more energetic and happy, much to Kickback’s amusement.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine…look, Crystal…I appreciate you letting me sleep here and thankyou for keeping my sister’s home intact…but-” was all he said.

“You have to go, don’t you? Right now?”

“Yeah…” he answered, the two fell silent at that. Kickback slowly walked up to the door and put a hoof to it, before heading out though, he wanted to ask something.

“Hey, by the way…do you know how she died?” Crystal looked down at him from the stairs with a quizzical and saddened look.

“Uhhh…yeah, I heard she…was…murdered” at that word, something familiar brewed up inside the crimson stallion: Rage.

“Murdered?” he asked in a severely angry tone that somewhat frightened the pink mare.

“Y-yeah, look, Kickback, I’m so sorry” she said, Kickback was unsure what she meant but could care less, he had now found another reason to stay away from Ponyville.

“It’s alright…I…I’ll see ya later, Crystal, I promise” he said, trying to sound considerate despite his heart wasn’t in it. It seemed to work slightly as the pink mare took notice of his rushed attitude but took comfort in him saying they’ll meet again.

“O-okay, bye then” with that, the stallion threw on his hood and nodded at her before proceeding out the door. Crystal let out a deep sigh before trotting back up towards her room, saddened at the leaving of the stallion. Kickback gritted his teeth outside the house of his dead sister as he looked to the ground. Ponies walked by him casually, not paying him any mind, he felt safe at that. The hooded colt began to trot to a well known location, the police station. Kickback looked up at the building with aggravated look before prying open the door and storming inside. The building’s interior was what one would expect, officers, desks, noises, the works. The hooded colt caught a few glances from several ponies inside, the suspicion was predictable, a dark, angry and cloaked stallion walking angrily through a police building was apparently not very normal. Kickback felt a familiar building sensation from his chest, like he was ready to kill, anger flowed through his veins as he approached a room, the room. It was the chief’s office, without warning the hooded colt bucked the door open, it almost flew off it’s hinges at the hit, it could’ve but he held back. A dark brown coated pegasus of whom seemed to be relaxing as he sat back on his revolving chair shot up instantly at the noise of a crash, his eyes shrunk with sheer terror as he took in the sight of what was in his doorway. Several gasps emitted from behind him among shuffling of hooves, easing in on the intruding stallion. Kickback paid the officers no mind as he glared a death stare at the brown colt behind his desk.

“Back away!” a female voice called out to him, Kickback remained still, his face was concealed by his grey hood.

“Sir, I suggest you do what she says!” a masculine voice added, proving to do no effect on the colt in the doorway. The old police chief met Kickback’s stare, although petrified, he managed to read what he was telling him: ‘call them off’.

“Sir, if you don’t comply, we will use force” at that, Kickback made sure that the officer who said that got a good look at his shaded face. Twas a blue unicorn colt, he saw, he froze when he caught a glimpse of the red stallion’s eye, it shined an almost evil shade of red before he noticed a grin crossing his muzzle under his hood.

Detective Green he name was and he had never been so scared in his life.

“Stand down” the pegasus in the office called to his staff, he spoke with a gruff-like tone, he was an old colt of whom sported a long, handle-bar moustache. The officers swapped glances with each other before easing off, only slightly though. With that, Kickback stepped inside and violently pushed the door into place and locking it behind him. Kickback trotted over to the blinds and closed them as the brown pegasus just stared at him…or rather ‘it’ was what he came to call the stallion. Kickback trotted calmly up to the desk and remained silent. The tension was thick, the silence was horrifying, Kickback just felt angry and the stallion on the chair could see it.

“Hello…doctor” Kickback greeted in a sinister tone as he looked down at his terrified face.

“k-k-Kic…Kickback!?” the colt stammered.

“What do you want with me?…and don’t call me that” Kickback stared at him blankly for a moment, remembering the pegasus from way back when.

“What? That IS what you are…or at least it was…” Kickback toyed with him, bringing back as much pain to the pegasus, much to his sick amusement. The police chief stared back at the hooded stallion with the same scared expression, he remembered who he was, most days he would pray to Celestia he wouldn’t come back but things are sometimes even out of her hooves apparently.

“Remember the good times we had Coal? Can I call you ‘Coal’, commissioner?…Remember how you were there and I was there…and around about five or six other ponies were there…and I spared you!?” Kickback continued to play with him.

“What…do you want with me?” the pegasus looked like he was on the verge of tears now, not wanting to see a stallion of whom was older than himself, Kickback ceased he antics and got straight to the point.

“What I want, doctor? I want to know about my sister…”

“Don’t call me that…and how would I know about her?

“You used to work for them…”

“It’s something I’m not proud of, Kickback”

“So tell me…was GENTEK looking for her?”

“I don’t know!!”

“Don’t lie to me, you bastard…”

“I really don’t-” the pegasus was cut off by the hooded colt, violently picking up the desk and throwing it into a nearby wall. Now nothing separated the two, Kickback removed his hood quickly and trotted up to the pegasus. He reached out a hoof, as it approached the pegasus, it changed into a hand, black as night and red as blood. Commissioner Coal found himself petrified once more as he saw the hand draw closer, fear prevented him from speaking but he was fortunate enough to get out something before Kickback reached him.

“Okay, Okay, I’ll tell you!!” Kickback’s arm stopped but didn’t retract, he waited impatiently for the brown colt to continue.

“I do know something…” at that, Kickback pulled his hand back, it morphed into a hoof once more, which he planted on the ground.

“I’m listening…” he said, this was all unnecessary, Kickback could just consume him but he decide to take the less chaotic approach…for now.

“Alright, here it is…GENTEK…kinda fell apart when you went…AWOL…you probably already know that the company went bankrupt and was shut down” Coal began, kickback remained silent but nodded.

“Anyway…while they were still up and going…they…got working…hard, I don’t know on what though, all I know is that they were pretty damn pissed about your little stunts…but they were also impressed, I heard something about Project:…”

“Project what?”

“…Evolved…it was called Project: EVOLVED…I don’t know much but I know the goal was to-”

“Make more…” Kickback interjected.

“Y-yeah…the idea was to make a group of super-ponies, enhanced strength and intelligence…so they started experimenting” despite his silence, Kickback was disgusted and modified at what he was hearing.

“Experimenting?…with what?”

“Your DNA…” at that, the hooded stallion felt angrier than he was when he walked in.

“What?!”

“Now, Kickback, don’t go on and do something you’ll regret”

“Enough talk!” with that, the brown stallion felt true fear course through his body.

“Wait!” he shouted, his eyes firmly closed. When he opened them he saw a large claw pointing at him, the same image that plagued his dreams fro the past three years was now in front of him, glaring death into his eyes.

“What?

“There’s more! I know who killed her!!’ Kickback’s eyes softened slightly as he pulled his limb back, however keeping it raised.

“You lied to me, Coal, don’t do that…”

“I’m sorry…but they made me keep quiet…alright…GENTEK augmented the virus somehow, they used your DNA and continued to change it, no longer did they call it BLACKLIGHT…it was changed into something called REDLIGHT…I’m not sure how it differs from the original virus but I know that they were very dedicated to it” Coal explained.

“…I also know that they weren’t always successful…in fact I think there was only one, everypony else was a failure”

“Everypony?” at the mention of that word, Kickback continued to build up rage.

“Y-yes…everypony, they started performing on live test-subjects…mostly ponies”

“But there was one that turned out…right, wasn’t there? One like me…” Kickback questioned in a sinister yet curious tone.

“Mhm, that’s right…”

“Do you know his name?”

“Uhh…Ummm…g-gr-gri-grim…Grimlock, I think…that’s not what they called him though…his codename was: PERIAH”

“…clever…” Kickback let out a chuckle to himself at the name.

“-Y-yeah, I don’t know exactly what happened in that lab that day but I know a scream when I hear one…anyway, Grimlock wasn’t too pleased with his treatment and one day, GENTEK felt safe enough…’

“To?”

“They took him down to the field test chamber and…he killed them, he killed them all…the Timber wolves, that Manticore…those poor ponies and that one gryphon…that bastard killed them all” Coal said, his voice lowering to little over a whisper.

“What happened?”

“He got mad…really mad…so mad, he lifted the surgical table and threw it straight up into the window, he jumped and in the confusion he rushed through the lab…he broke out through the door and just like that he was gone…into the darkness of the city”

“You said you know who killed my sister…why are you talking about this copy-…” Kickback cut himself off as he connected the dots in his head, he froze with hatred and sadness.

“…They searched for him, they stopped looking for you and Dana all together to find him, when the couldn’t and the project was a failure, GENTEK was shut down…the police took an investigation, of course…but they took all the case files, we were about to call it a random mugging and brutal attack but…I knew better…you already know what happened to me”

“Yeah, you joined the police academy and got to where you are now…brutal?”

“Kickback…Grimlock, killed your sister…” at those words, the hooded colt felt he could explode, like the entire building was going to be life-barren in just a few seconds and all he had to do was release.

“H-he…w-why?!”

“He knew about you but I don’t think he knew about Dana, I don’t what happened that night…but-”

“She died…because of me…” Kickback’s rage was at it’s near peak by this point, his limbs were already swarming with tendrils as he grunted through his teeth.

“It wasn’t your fault, Kickback, it was Grimlock, not you!”

“I need a description…”

“What?”

“WHAT THE BUCK DOSE HE LOOK LIKE!?!”

“Uhhh, umm, he has a dark grey coat, ummm, a-a-and a bright blue mane”

“I need more…”

“I think his eyes are purple, I don’t know!”

“Thanks, Doc…” Kickback said, apparently calming down slightly, Coal felt himself ease at that.

“…but…” he continued, the brown pegasus grew more afraid with each second.

“Unfortunately…” Kickback took a step closer, much to Coal’s discomfort.

“In the long run…” the red stallion’s shoulder started to swarming a haze of crimson and ebony.

“You helped make me…” just as he finished he statement, Kickback lunged his hoof forward and stabbed the commissioner of police in the throat, he began to choke on his own blood. Kickback held a blank face as he looked to the ground, the last thing the pegasus would see was the covered face of his killer, he smirked as he thought of the last words he’d hear.

“In a way…I should thank you but in another…buck you, you sick pathetic shit”

Police ponies barged into the room at the sound of a crash and found nopony in the office, only some blood stains and large, gaping hole in the ceiling.

Above the concrete jungle of Manehatten, a hooded figure stands watch, perched over a gargoyle, on a crusade for revenge.

“I will find him…and make him pay”   Next Chapter: Masks Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 39 Minutes