It had been nearly a month since the hooded colt they called ‘friend’ had left Ponyville. The novelty had worn off slightly, soon, ponies started going about their everyday lives once more. Every now and again, one would hear a group of equines, quietly whispering something about the event that caused everypony’s faith to be shaken and their fears kept in check. Not everypony knew Kickback as well as his closest friends, which caused some horrible things to be said and soon most ponies began to loath the stallion for what he was, a killer. Only a few ponies in town had a different and more obvious view, he saved the town single-hoofed, he was a hero.

One of these few ponies had gotten a tour gig around Equestria, that was able to keep her mind on something else at least. Her roommate didn’t know him as well and tried to make her feel batter about it, saying things like…

“You don’t need him” Octavia said with concerned in her voice as she grasped her unicorn friend’s hoof.

“I know…it’s just that, I really DID like him, ya know” Vinyl answered, she had been moderately upset with what happened, part wanted to hate Kickback, he was a monster, a virus riddled killing machine. Unfortunately there was also another part of her that didn’t agree. He had known her for a year, in time they grew close, perhaps too close for the DJ’s own good.

“I know…but hey, cheer up, you got a show to put on soon” Octavia tried to encourage her, tried to make her feel happy again. Octavia never did know Kickback as well as Vinyl but from she could tell, he must’ve been a good stallion. Octavia had joked a tad and implicated about how close they were indeed. She never expected Vinyl to take it seriously never mind the fact she admitted it slightly. The white mare gave a weak smile at her earth-pony friend before diving back into her breakfast.

Manehatten: Home of Dr. Anvil Koenig

“Kickback?!…I am so glad to see you’re still in one piece, you’re not hurt are you?” a white unicorn stallion around his mid fifty’s addressed the only pony in the room with him.

Kickback had been tracking some of GENTEK’s old scientists, trying to get a lead on the monster who killed his sister. The hooded colt stood atop a high point in the city and looked down at the house below. He watched as a familiar white unicorn entered the structure, Kickback smirked and leapt down  to the ground. The red stallion casually walked up to the door and bucked it open. A tinge of fear shot through the unicorn before he saw his intruder, a calm smile slid across his muzzle as a blank death glare was returned.

“Anvil…what do you know about Grimlock? Where is he?”

“All in good time, Kickback but for now, I simply must say something first…thankyou”

“What?”

“I was being forced to work with those vultures at GENTEK, now since it’s crumbled to the ground, I’ve been a tad happier, so thankyou…nice outfit by the way”

“Thanks, it was made by a friend…”

“A friend? My, my, Kickback…are you going soft?” just as the sarcastic and rather stupid remark was finished, Kickback quickly lunged forward so the tip of his blade was millimetres away from the unicorn’s nose, he barely even flinched. Kickback gritted his teeth, trying to suppress the urge to kill…for now.

“Shut up, old man, I’m not soft, never will be, I can’t be but that doesn’t mean I haven’t met somepony along the way” he said as he back away slightly.

“Good, good, glad you’re BLENDING into society” Kickback nearly killed the stallion right there and then for making that joke.

“I said…SHUT UP! I will end you and you know it!”

“Oh, I’ve always known…I always knew you’d show up again in this town, just never knew when or why…and now it’s because some cheap bucking knock off has killed your only known family, of course her brother died a long time ago, didn’t he?” Anvil pressed on antagonising the hooded colt as he just remained silent, his head bowed to conceal his dark green eyes. Kickback took a step forward as the unicorn just stood there, a calm expression on his white face as he stared at the approaching colt. Kickback stood up close to Anvil as the two never made a sound. Suddenly the hooded stallion spoke without making eye contact.

“You would know, you’re his dad…”

“WAS…I was his father…”

“Yep…you were…” just as Kickback finished his sentence, a sharp pain rushed through the unicorn’s chest, he gargled as he tried to speak but was unable, instead he began to choke on his own blood. Kickback didn’t look as he shot a hoof at the other stallion, quickly changing it into a useful twelve inch blade that pierced the unicorn’s chest. Anvil began to sway but Kickback caught him on the neck as the began to fall to the right. He laid him down so he could see the revealed face of his killer. Kickback removed his hood, revealing his black and white mane and dark green eyes that showed little remorse. Anvil gazed up into the eyes that were once his son’s, he lied about his happiness, his only daughter was dead, he was divorced and his son had become an intelligent, undying killer…yet he smiled at him.

“I’m still proud of you…” with that, the unicorn perished on his own floor, of his own home and the deed was his infected child. Thinking about that, Kickback felt regret somewhat, he knew this stallion had done horrible things, some to him as well but a part of him. A small part, whatever was left of the scarlet stallion before gave tugging at his emotions, making him experience all over again, the death of a family member.

“Goodbye, father” at that. Kickback closed his eyes as he felt the same sensation of consumption entangle his body in pain and enlightenment. Suddenly the pain overwhelmed him, Kickback put a hoof to his head and grunted as the memories of his fallen father were processed in his mind.

“Where did he go?!” a black unicorn colt shouted at Kickback’s dad.

“I- I don’t know, one minute, he’s in Manehatten, the next he’s gone, probably took off the same way that-” Anvil began to say.

“I don’t care, you better find out where he is or we’re gonna have another Kickback running around!”

“Yes sir!” Memories continued to play inside Kickback’s mind until it came to a close, the hooded colt stood back up and through his hood back on.

“Hoofington…that sly bastard…” Kickback let out to himself as he stood where his latest victim laid.

“Looks like I gotta train to catch…sorry, guys” he continued as he pulled out from his jacket pocket a small photo graph of all his friends in Ponyville, with him. His eyes drifted from pony to pony, recognising each and recalling them quite fondly. Suddenly he caught a glimspe of himself, his hood removed and a calm look on his face. He began to stare longer than he wanted as he just looked at the picture, suddenly Kickback’s vision went blurry as the tranquil image of him in the photo quickly changed into his natural form. His eyes glowed red, his hooves were exchanged for large beastial claws as his hood covered most of his face, not including the sinister grin that crossed his muzzle. The image quickly blurred away, leaving Kickback uneasy and in a state of self-loathing and doubt.

“Guess I won’t be coming back just yet…” he let out finally to himself before shoving the picture back in his pocket and trudging on out through the door and back on the streets of Manehatten.

That Very Afternoon

Applejack had gotten finished her rounds of apple bucking early and decided to take a break from her work. The orange mare laid under a tree, a sigh escaping hr lips as her muscles relaxed, she rummaged slightly before a content smile crossed her muzzle and she gently rested her hat upon her face, covering her eyes. Applejack fell asleep quickly but her rest was anything but easy. It had been a few weeks since she had this dream, she never talked about this one in particular, being the down-to-earth pony she was, never thinking of dreams as anything important. Yet this one seemed to be just that. The scene plays out differently each time but always has the same theme…and same stallion.

The same red stallion that paid her in advance for her entire apple stand’s supply, the same scarlet colt that her mind bickered about as she rested up against him, the very same day. The same crimson stallion that she sometimes caught hearings about from the gossip-loving mares around town. Mostly though…the same colt she thought she rather intimate feelings about, the one that saved her from the queen of the changelings, the one that the town now refers to as a monster.

Images from the past year clouded her subconscious, the times he’d help on the farm or beat her and Dashie at whatever sport they thought of, she always thought he was just a very strong and fast pony, little did she know. The moment they shared on the farm, the moment she kissed him, the moment he rejected her yet it wasn’t a harsh one though, it was more like…he really couldn’t be with somepony, AJ pieced together why after his reveal. Images of his calm smirk started being collaged in her mind, despite her rather quick notion to get intimate with him on the first day, it took her a while to notice his athletic figure capped with that flowing black and white mane and of course his dark pools of green. On the outside a smile crept across her face as her mind took different turns but was quickly replaced with a frown as the ore nightmarish scenes played out.

Applejack’s mind came to that very moment on the street, the evil snickering of the black bug-like equines, the sound of hard hoof steps, her thoughts and last words. A shout, THE shout replayed in her head, the same scene that day was being displayed right in her mind and she couldn’t help but watch. The feeling of sheer thankfulness and confusion to the point of fear filled her senses until the same feeling of shock did the very same. His words echoed through her mind.

“I’m sorry…” just as the sentence faded, Applejack shot right back up, awake in a cold sweat, which wasn’t bad considering the heat down on the farm but she was panting. The orange mare looked around frantically, for what? She didn’t know but until it came perfectly clear nopony was around, she stared back at the ground and slowed her breathing. AJ’s mind flustered with thoughts, the dream still very vivid due to it only happened less than a minuter ago, she begged for it to leave her head.

“Do-…do I really want ya to come back?”

That night

In the crowd, one could miss a singular stallion, especially if he’s not an important one. A certain scarlet colt knew this and acted on it. Kickback crouched down upon a gargoyle on a tall hotel as gazed down at the train station below, he silently watched pony from pony walk about, greeting their friends and loved ones as they departed from the next train that pulled in. Kickback stood up, never releasing his stare at the equines below and breathed a deep sigh before suddenly a barrage of black and red tendrils swarmed his body. When the haze cleared, a white pegasus stallion, wearing a singular saddle bag on his left stood upon the gargoyle. His mane was a single shade of dark blue and was shorter than the previous black and white locks that were previously present aswell as his tail, short cropped and the same hue. Kickback looked behind with his new radiant magenta eyes to see his new found limbs protruding from his back, he never liked wings but he could use them, after all…he had the knowledge. His overall appearance was quite similar to Anvil’s but was much younger.

Kickba-… Silver Bolt returned his gaze back down to the station, he smirked before leaping off. Silver closed his eyes as the feeling of high pace and the wind in his mane filled his senses. He smiled as he shot his magenta eyes open and quickly unfurled his wings. Silver dropped to the ground with no noise, Kickback found that rather odd and unfamiliar, being so used to the loud thud that would accompany his landings from such a tall place. In turn he glanced at his white hooves and remembered he wasn’t himself, so he shouldn’t be Kickback, no, he was Silver Bolt now. The white pegasus started to trot to the nearest teller, he walked up to the booth to see a tan mare, sporting a long dark brown mane, reading a magazine. She must of noticed the hoof-steps or something ‘cause as soon as he was up to the window, she shot straight up.

“Hello, sir” she said, with surprisingly a new amount of joy in her voice, something you wouldn’t see from a pony with this kind of job, in turn Silver gave her a smile, one she gladly returned.

“Hey, uhhh, one ticket to Hoofington, please” Kickback then realised his new voice, it was higher and without his normal accent. The scarlet colt within hated it when he spoke how somepony else spoke, it was so weird hearing the wrong voice escape your lips when you would speak. Regardless he held his smile as the mare did the same.

“That’ll be twenty five bits, sir”

“Here…” Silver reached into his saddle bag and pulled out fifty bits, he hoofed them over to her and he could see the surprise on her face. “…And please, call me Silver” he continued with a smile. She took the bits in her hoof and began counting and cutting the payment in half until a white hoof tapped on the table, causing her to look up at the stallion again.

“Buy yourself something nice” he said calmly.

“Thankyou, sir-…Silver…Oh, here’s your ticket” she said, hoofing over a small golden piece of paper over to the white pegasus.

“Thanks, have a good one!” Silver saluted happily as he began to walk off to the tracks.

“Wait!”

“Yeah?”

“Thankyou again”

“Your welcome” and with that, both ponies had smiles on their muzzles. Silver trotted into a crowd, standing beneath the night sky that was rolling in, the group waited impatiently for their train to arrive. Silver tried to conceal his form as best to his ability as he prayed to Celestia for the mode of transport to get the buck on the move so he’d be ever so more close to his goal and getting out of this infernal disguise. Thankfully he got just that, the train came into view and slowed as it reached the tracks, ponies began moving in unorganised as soon as the doors opened, Silver was pushed and shoved as the horde moved.

It took a few steps and apologies but at last, Silver had found a nice spot that nopony had occupied as of yet, Kickback breathed a sigh of relief as he sat down and stared at the table before turning to the window when the train began to move again. The disguised colt began to relax as he passed around thoughts in his head, ranging from Ponyville to how exactly he‘s going to find Grimlock. Regardless, he was gonna have plenty of time to think.

It was going to be a long ride. Next Chapter: Extra Extra Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 28 Minutes