Chapter 1: The Beggining of the End
Pain...the pain is what you don't feel when you go berserk...well at least I don't feel it when I lose it. And then your rage, sorrow, fury, wrath, etc. all build up to explosive levels to fuel it. So my body no matter how bloody, battered, and broken will stand and fight until it shuts down. So when you stare death in the eyes you get a second wind so you can go down swinging. After all, how else would the Devil fight in that situation, eh?
But I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? Well then, lets start from how I became who I am then. My name is Red Bandit...and this is the story of how I lost everything, changed, and died. Though I suppose everything dies...somethings just take longer than others to do so...I'm living proof of that philosophy right there.
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It all started 4 years ago when I was just 17 years into this world when everything changed. I had recently graduated high school and that week I returned home from basic training...just to find everything destroyed and ripped away from me. Now perhaps you lot don't know this but at basic training for the Marine Corps...you become a Devil Dog. You know how to kill and and many other things but you just need something to use these new skills on. Well it just so happened I used my skill of killing sooner that I thought I would and sooner than anyone should have to.
When I arrived home that morning I was excited to see my family again. I remember walking up to the front door...I remember the smell of the freshly cut lawn...and many more things. Such as the ding as the clock struck 9:45 A.M. But most of all on that January morning...I remember the looks on the faces of my dead family...and looks of the murderers still in the house. They were savage, primal even...but they were nothing compared to the beast I turned into when I saw the cold, dead stares that the bodies of my parents and little brother had. I remember letting loose a choked sob and falling to my knees with tears pouring down my face in streams. But, after what seemed like hours of crying that was really just seconds I stopped...something inside of me snapped that moment. And boy oh boy did it show on me...I mean even now its obvious something snapped to make me into this.
Of course when any criminal gets caught in the act they fly or fight...and these asswipes chose to fight. And so did I...My sanity went out of the window that day and I started chuckling like a maniac when it did. I mean...here I am in my own home...surrounded by my dead family members...and the FUCKERS THAT KILLED THEM! Of course I lost it then...And these murderers knew it from the fear I saw on their faces. When they saw me stand up to my full 6"5' height with a look of rage and an intent to kill they knew that they were going to die then and there. I'll spare the details on just how gory it got, but I will say that by the time I got done in the house I was absolutely drenched in blood...and none of it was my own. However, every story has the few that got away in the confrontation and this one is no different. And so with that day I officially became known as the Red Bandit.
The police did show up but by that time I was back in the house mourning my family. They cuffed me and put me in a cell in the jail...and that was when I knew this was no fairy tale. The fact that a General visited me in my cell that week only drove the point home. He offered me a chance to hunt down those that got away and to help the innocent where ever they should be.
"Son, what if I told you I could offer you a chance to hunt the few that got away with murdering your family down?" The General was a thorough military man. Clean shaven, neat haircut, good posture, the whole nine yards. So with an insane chortle accompanied with a similar unnerving smile I walked up to the bars and questioned him on this "proposal" of his in a voice that was like a combination of a deep, yet booming and eerily rough voice.
"Oh, I'd gladly except...but what is the catch, eh?" Apparently this man was brave and sympathetic towards me because he spoke the truth of what I would become should I accept.
"I'll be honest boy...you may come out a monster. But, even a monster can be good right?"
"Aye, I suppose they can be...alright then sir...drug me up and turn me into one so I can do some good by that little theory of yours." And with an hour that went by quickly I was off to be experimented, poked, prodded, etc. to become the super soldier I am now.
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3 Days later
The heat was like molten lava under my skin...the things they injected me with hurt, burnt, stung, and changed me. This was the last of the injections that they were pumping into me. Something they referred to as "Devil's Blood" was now running in my veins and arteries. The changes came fast...first the height, then the muscle, followed by my reflexes, and finally the fire. Essentially they had created a substance that gave me control of fire and even let me burst into blood red flames at will. I'll be honest it scared the hell out of me the first time but also made me intrigued...Hell I always was intrigued by things that happened that is why I became an engineer in the Marines. But now with that in the past and this in the future I realized that I had become something else other than who I was before. Now I was Red Bandit...But I prefer 'Red'. Short and simple plus it seemed rather fitting.
After some practice and exercises I had complete control over the fire and could alter my arsenal with it. Such as coating my weapons in flame along with my knives and my body. I even got to the point where I could throw fireballs! Fireballs! Surprisingly they exploded like grenades with a bit more fire thrown into the mix. But with these skills came specially made clothes and armor for such a being as I. My normal attire consisted of jeans, black boots, T-shirts, a denim jacket, and occasionally gloves. But the most important thing that really popped in my attire was my steel mask. It was a black steel and painted onto it was a skull with the eye sockets where my eyes could be seen and from the eye holes a red streak was on either side to represent crying blood. My now blood-red eyes only drove that stake in the ground and made me look more like a monster. I was fine with this...I signed up for this willingly and though the pain in the beginning was the worst I had ever experienced I changed into the super soldier that was advertised to me by that General. And now it was time for them to let me loose and do what I said I would...Protect the innocent.
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4 Years Later: Present
Now that you are relatively caught up to who or rather what I am perhaps I should tell you my predicament currently. Simply put I was shit out of luck and I was not going to survive this. I was going to die here...but I knew this before hand and prepared for a final stand against mercenaries. Someone didn't like what I was doing by eliminating criminals and protecting the innocent so they hired professionals to kill me. Now this would normally be no problem but...they had many explosives and got me to the point that I am in now. Bleeding heavily, broken, battered, bruised, and yet ready to go out with one final bang. My MG3 was out of ammo as were my heavy duty revolvers that fired .500 rounds. So here I am...my final moments with only 3 explosives left to do damage with. Well it was time to die in a blaze of glory so with a roar that chilled my enemies blood...I charged...and promptly died in an explosion of glorious proportions.
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Equestria
It was a normal day in Equestria...except everypony was gathered around their new projection crystals from Q.B. Inc. watching the nation's favorite and most loved show. "The Outcast" and the main character 'Red' had the nation or rather around 80% of the nation captivated since it first aired close to 5 years ago now. And in the small village of Ponyville six friends were gathered around a previously mentioned projection crystal along with the two rulers of the nation, and ready to watch their favorite show and excited to see how the most loved character's new adventure. Little did they know that the finale of the show would be sad and emotional for them...
"Hey what's taking so long Twi? Come on its gonna start in a minute!" Exclaimed a certain skittle themed pegasus wearing her favorite 'Red = Dead' jacket.
"I know Dash! I'm coming I just had to get some popcorn!" The purple alicorn 'Twi' walked in with a large of bowl of popcorn in her hands.
The two larger alicorns sitting behind the group of six giggled at the behavior of their subjects with amused smiles. Both were wearing some form of "The Outcast" merchandise. The larger white alicorn wore a denim jacket and black T-shirt with a picture of Red's mask on it with a regular pair of pants. While the other smaller blue alicorn wore worn blue jeans and a large sweatshirt with a picture of Red smiling at his friends on it. To anyone else this would seem strange but to the six sitting in front of them it was normal after they all learned that they loved the same show. So with the popcorn made the Twi went down a role to make sure everypony was in attendance so no one would miss the finale.
"Rarity?"
"Here darling." The newly identified marshmallow colored unicorn with a purple mane called out to her friend. She wasn't wearing any merchandise but instead had a bag with supplies in it with the word "Outcast" on the side.
"Applejack?"
"Eeyup here an' ready Twi'." Responded a tannish orange colored pony wearing a pair of "Outcast" boots and wrapped in a similar blanket ready for the show to start.
"Pinkie?"
"Ooooo I'm so excited and ready for this!" Said a bubbly voice attached to an equally bubbly pink pony wearing no "Outcast" articles but is instead wrapped into a burrito of blankets of various types.
"I know Dash is here. Fluttershy?"
A cream colored pegasus smiled sweetly and nodded at her friend. "I'm h-here as well twilight." This pegasus was quite shy but that didn't stop her from wearing her "Outcast" T-shirt.
"Alrighty then Princess Luna and Princess Celestia?"
The blue alicorn smiled and nodded eagerly at her name of Luna while the larger white one smiled and chuckled lightly at Celestia.
"Alright then let's get this show started!" And with that the projection came on and with it the title in bold letters in front of everypony "The Outcast." The group smiled, cheered, giggled, etc. as their favorite show came on and with it a picture of Red. And after the picture and words had faded away they were greeting to Red's voice but a black screen that made everyone present feel confused.
"Pain...the pain is what you don't feel when you go berserk..."
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45 minutes and many gasps, tears, and shocked expressions later
None of the assembled group were prepared for the emotional back story of their favorite character...and they didn't like where this finale was heading. And, without knowing the three alicorn's in the room had tears running down their face.
"Well it was tiand me to die in a blaze of glory so with a roar that chilled my enemies blood...I charged..."But before the explosions happened everypony in the room yelled out in distress. Some with tears in their eyes, others with shock adorning their faces, and only three in the room with sadness, grief, and magic. With a blinding light and three simultaneous shouts of "NO!" along with the explosions from the projection a large discharge of magic went off, blinding everypony inside. When everypony could see again they were stricken with grief...their favorite character just died and they could do nothing to save him...or so they thought.
"H-he's dead...h-he couldn't survive that." Said Luna as her heart sunk. Her sister sniffled and nodded before wrapping an arm around her sister and hugging her in sadness.
"I-I know sister...even though he was just a character in a s-show...he made everypony feel like family..."
While they were all grieving over the loss of their favored character a certain purple alicorn was staring slack-jawed at the 10 foot tall being splayed across the floor of her palace. "E-everypony I-I don't think he's d-dead." And with those magical words the assembly all turned and looked. And their jaws fell open and their eyes widened as they spotted the supposedly dead character...on the floor unconscious...but very much alive. With a look at the different princesses in the room the princesses's eyes widened as they realized this happend because of them and their emotions to not let Red die. So with a face palm the princesses all said in unison. "Oh buck..."
The princesses and others all crowded around him as he stirred. With a grunt he pushed himself up on an elbow and looked around with wide eyes at the beings around him. He saw their clothing and saw designs of him and such on them with confusion. And with another grunt and a failed attempt at getting up he falls back into the realm of sleep...