//------------------------------// // Chapter 8: Treason // Story: Into Oblivion // by ChaosZero460 //------------------------------// CHAPTER EIGHT "In too deep." It's a phrase you hear get tossed around pretty often, so much so that it's almost become a cliche without any real meaning. What does that even mean, anyway? You're so into something, so involved, that you're literally drowning? It was around this time that I figured out, that I was doing just that. Getting in too deep. I was drowning. I was caught in an undertow and couldn't escape, the only thing I could do was watch myself get dragged deeper and deeper and wonder when I'd finally hit bottom. I'm still waiting. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Onyx stood in the cool, damp morning air of the forest. He still could scarcely believe it, Princess Celestia had just tried to murder over a hundred ponies. Well not pony-to-pony, but by proxy. It was a strange feeling, the gentle and benign ruler never seemed like one to resort to such measures. It was made slightly worse considering he had held a foal-ish crush on her as a young colt, something the older ponies found absolutely adorable. It had started after she visited Fetlock for some dull, bureaucratic nonsense. The tiny black pony saw her, and she gave him a kind and gentle smile. Her flowing panchromatic mane, her long snow-white legs, her graceful feathered wings, he was smitten. Of course with time he grew out of it, partly upon realizing his chances were slim to none with a nigh-immortal solar goddess, and to a lesser extent, he had heard rumors that her orgasms were capable of incinerating a normal stallion's genitals. If there was a more painful way to die, he didn't care to know about it. Onyx was surrounded by his fellow Guild members, their numbers had been reduced from well over 150 to just 63 in a single, bloody attack. And even though he had killed the dragon and saved the remaining ponies, he couldn't shake a deep sense of foreboding and dread. Celestia had managed to sick a dragon on them, and it had failed. What was next? A swarm of Hydras? An Ursa Major? But despite the attempted mass-murder, was she really in the wrong? At first Onyx thought it was his own actions in Fillydelphia that had garnered her attention, but Bruiser was quick to point out that the Iron Guild's activities covered all of Equestria, and assassination jobs were among the most common of assigned missions. His part was only a small piece of the larger picture. He tried to look at it from her perspective. They were slaughtering, what were in her eyes, innocent ponies. Diplomacy had failed, Blackout refused any attempts to negotiate. What choice did she have? Onyx couldn't say that in her position, he wouldn't have done the same. Blackout emerged from the ruined and crumpled entryway to the base, the dragon having ripped it open like a pony opening up a can of cashews. He takes to the air, hovering over his subjects with the morning sun behind him. His wings catch the light and shine like diamonds. "My brothers!" he shouts. "Celestia has tried to destroy us, wipe us off the face of the earth. Many good ponies died last night, many colleagues, many friends. But I assure you, their loss will not be in vain" the cybernetic alicorn's voice resonates through the trees. "We've lost over half of the Guild. But we will not go quietly my friends. If Celestia wishes a war, then it's a war she will get" he says with rising intensity. The crowd begins to stir and buzz with energy. "The Guild's Rules of Engagement stipulate that when attacked, one will respond with equal force. She sent us a merchant of death, an avatar of destruction. We..." Blackout looks down at the ponies with a grin "will return the favor." _________________________________________________________________________________________________ "YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!!" Onyx screams, his voice echoing off the cold metal walls of the featureless office. "The new princess, Twilight... oh what's her name, Twinkle? No that's wrong. Shimmer?" Blackout says, tapping his hoof on the desk and looking off to the side. "Sparkle?" He nods. "Right, that's it. In four day's time, she will be addressing the Council, marking her first public speaking appearance since her coronation. Celestia will be in attendance, as will Princess Luna. Your job is simply, to kill them." Onyx stares at the cyborg with equal parts astonishment and utter disbelief. "...Lemme get this straight. You want me, to go three-on-one with the most powerful magic users in the kingdom, if not the world?!" Blackout doesn't deviate from his blank expression, failing to see what was so complicated about all this. "In case you've forgotten, your horn destroys spell matrices. All the magic in Equestria couldn't hurt you, not even that of a Princess." "I-you want-this is insane! You're insane! I'm not doing this!" The alicorn raises a brow. "Are you defying a direct order from the Guild Master?" Onyx stamps his hoof. "I'm not gonna assassinate the pony who saved Equestria, let alone Luna and Celestia. If you want this done so badly, you can do it yourself." He glares at his uncle, his robotic eye meeting Blackout's. "Or are you scared to get your own hooves dirty." Blackout says nothing. His eye gives a small flash. Suddenly, an unbearable tightness grips the inside of Onyx's chest. He collapses to the floor, unable to breathe. He clutches at his chest, it felt like somepony had grabbed him from the inside and was twisting him into a knot. His vision blurs over. "You may have forgotten, but I built your heart as well as installed it. I can stop it at any time" the black pony says, getting up from his seat. His eye flashes again, Onyx feels his heart restart. The pain subsides, his blood flowing freely again. He gets to his hooves, breathlessly panting. "Go ahead, kill me. Not like I have anything to lose. I'm not going through with it, so just forget it." "Fine then. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Fetlock" Blackout politely replies. "Wait, what about Fetlock?" The cybernetic pony's eye projects a shimmering hologram of the town. "Such a peaceful little village. I could see why you're so fond of it, everypony's so friendly and inviting." Several square objects are highlighted throughout the town square. "It would be a shame if these bombs were to detonate. They'd kill hundreds." Onyx's eye narrows and his ears fall flat. "You wouldn't dare" he hisses coldly. "Do you honestly think I would let one insignificant backwater town get in the way of my plans?" the obsidian stallion chuckles. His demeanor quickly changes, he takes a menacing step towards the smaller stallion and growls "if you want to let them die because you don't have the balls to go through with the job, fine. That blood's on your hooves. Or, you man the fuck up, and do the right thing." The makeshift unicorn stares at the pony just inches away from his face. His mind races, trying to think of a way out of this mess. He flashes back to a conversation he had with his dad a few years ago, regarding the family business. "Son, there's gonna come a time when you find yourself in a lose-lose situation. No matter what you try, you're not gonna come out ahead. When that happens, you gotta take a good hard look at your options, and just decide which one sucks less." He sighs and looks back at Blackout. "Fine. I'll do it. But only on two conditions." Blackout seems intrigued. "Which would be?" "One, Angel Fire and Bruiser come with me." "And the other?" he asks. "I want to know who killed my family." _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The disguised trio wait on the Las Pegasus station platform. The train would take them to Canterlot, where they'd set up positions in advance. Or at least, that's what Blackout told them. "So you're actually going through with this?" Bruiser says to Onyx, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "Hell no" he spits. "I just told that psycho what he wanted to hear to buy me some time until I can come up with a way out of this." "Well I hope ya think of something. I don't mind an assassination job now and then but this, this is too much." They both look to Angel, who was staring down the railroad tracks with indifference. She feels the eyes on her and turns to her audience. "What?" "You haven't said a word about this whole thing" Onyx says. "What do you think?" She goes back to looking down the rails. "You don't have to have an opinion on every subject. This is the mission that was assigned to me, plain as that." Bruiser rolls his eyes. "Oh give me a break Angel. You've been playing that card the three years you've been here, there's no way you can't think anything about this. You know what'll happen if we do this, the whole kingdom'll fall apart." "And if we don't an village full of innocent ponies will die!" she yells back. Bruiser and Onyx give a reluctant small, silent nod. She did have a point after all, they had the lives of the town resting on them. Onyx prayed he could think of a decent plan to sort this out. The train is heard approaching, it pulls into the station with a squeal of the brakes. A loud whoosh of steam escapes the engine in a massive white cloud as it pulls to a stop. "All aboard!" the conductor shouts over the steady hiss of steam. They enter the train car and take their seats. "Next stop, Ponyville!" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ The scenery rolls past as they follow the metal rails across the expansive green field. Onyx rests his chin on his hoof, deep in thought. "Maybe I could send them a message, a letter or something. Tell them to evacuate. Oh who am I kidding, they probably wouldn't listen. Blackout isn't stupid, he's probably got the village locked down in case something like that happens..." Bruiser was seated next to him, having called the window seat. Angel sat across from them in the backwards facing seat. They both seemed to realize he was busy thinking, and chose not to disturb him. They feel the train begin to slow as they approach Ponyville station. They come to a stop, the doors on the cars open. Onyx is snapped out of his daze, he rubs the bridge of his muzzle and groans. Some ponies exit, there was only a few left inside. Onyx was thankful for that much, he hated the looks he got with this damn eyepatch. He hears two sets of hoofsteps enter the car. Across the aisle, the two ponies take their seats. Onyx sighs and leans back, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to relax, he had four days to come up with a plan, and stressing about it wouldn't help matters. Key word being "tried" to relax. All these lives were depending on him, and if he couldn't come up with a plan... could he really do this? "I'm so glad you agreed to come with me Fluttershy" he hears an eloquent voice say to his right. "After I make those adjustments to Twilight's gown we'll have to visit the Canterlot Spas. Oh I hear they're just divine!" He turns to look, his patch blocking his field of vision. He was not fond of the eyepatch. At all. He sees a white unicorn with a neatly-styled purple mane sitting there. A pony loaded down with half a dozen bags and suitcases is dragging them into the cargo car, all with the same three diamond emblem that sat on her flanks. Seated next to her was a familiar looking yellow pegasus with a pink, flowing mane. "Wait a minute..." he says to himself, almost a whisper. Bruiser hears him mutter, he leans over. "What is it?" "I know that pegasus." The cobalt stallion squints, studying her. "Yeah, she does look familiar" he says quietly. "Oh, that's that mare from the magazine under your mattress." "What the- how do you know that?!" Onyx angrily whispers. "I borrowed it awhile back" Bruiser whispers back. "You what?" "I only took it for like, fifteen minutes. I put it right back." Angel looks out the window. "You two are disgusting" she says, forelegs crossed. The two mares across the aisle carry on a pleasant conversation with each other, blissfully unaware of the grim nature of their fellow passenger's business as the train rolls out of the station. "Next stop, Canterlot!" _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Onyx feels himself being watched as he sits there, eyes closed and trying to get some rest. He looks over, the pale yellow pony quickly averts her gaze. He returns to his meditative state but a few moments later he feels the eyes on him again. "Fluttershy, don't stare!" he hears the unicorn quietly scold. Another look to the pegasus, she pretends to be staring up at the cargo racks above him. "Is it the eyepatch?" he finally says. Her cheeks become red and flushed and her eyes grow wide. "O-Oh, no I was um... J-just looking at the... ceiling..." Onyx chuckles. "If you say so." A short silence fills the air, the clatter of the train wheels resonating inside train car. "...what happened?" the shy pegasus asks. "Fluttershy!" The purple maned-unicorn exclaims, shocked at the audacity of the question. "You can't just-" "Nah, it's fine." He knew everypony stared at it, to be honest he was glad somepony finally asked about it. "I was... in an accident." Suddenly, every pony in the car is violently thrown forwards as the brakes squeal a shrill metallic scream. SSSKKREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!! Bruiser is thrown on top of Angel Fire, they frantically scramble to get off of each other. Onyx pries his horn from the wooden seat in front of him, thankful there wasn't anypony sitting there. The pegasus and the unicorn were on the floor, tangled up in each other. thud Something's heard impacting the roof. Distant screams are heard from the cars behind them as an explosion rips a hole in the car's ceiling. The cloud of dust obscures a figure dropping down to the floor, the dust subsides revealing a griffon. He had a scar-covered face, looking out at the ponies with sharp golden eyes. His curved predatory beak was obscured by a black bandanna tied around his head. In his claw he held a small pistol crossbow. He takes a step, talons clacking against the wooden floor. "Hello. My name's Death Wing, this is a train robbery. Just stay where you are, and we'll be done here shortly" the griffon says, rather politely. "If everypony stays calm, then I won't have to do anything you'll regret." Onyx, Angel and Bruiser exchange a glance. They had all simultaneously decided this idiot was going to die, they just needed to agree on how. Onyx could blast him into a puddle of griffon soup, but that was hardly discreet. Angel Fire could slice him to ribbons, but again, had the same problem. They were supposed to be undercover, this wasn't part of the plan. They both look to Bruiser, who sighs heavily. "Alright, fine. I'll do it" he groans. Death Wing looks to the trio. "No talking" he barks, crossbow swinging up to them. "Easy pal, just take it easy. We don't want any trouble" the earth pony says, getting to his hooves. He reaches into his jacket pocket. "Look, I'll give you all the cash I got on me, just-" "Stop right there" the griffon snarls, Bruiser staring down the crossbow. In a blur of hooves, Bruiser swats the weapon away and drives a thick, powerful leg into the griffon's throat. Death Wing staggers back, the huge blue stallion pivots up and kicks out at his would-be attacker. POW! The train robber flies through the air like a cannonball, slamming into the front of the train car where he lay in a crumpled heap. The door's window shattered and the wood itself had cracked and splintered. The head was at a sharp angle in contrast to the body, suggesting a broken neck. "Damn Bruiser, could have taken it a little easier" Onyx says, he and Angel Fire getting up as well. The cobalt stallion rubs the back of his head. "Thought I did..." "Is... is he...?" Fluttershy quietly squeaked. "He's just knocked out, he'll be fine" Rarity interjected. Bruiser walks over to the "unconscious" bandit and leans down, inspecting him. "I've heard about these guys. Call themselves the Talon Gang, they've been knocking off trains all across Equestria." The rear door swings open, the ponies in the train car scream as another griffon storms in, crossbow drawn. "Down! Everyone down now!" Onyx and Bruiser stare him down. The griffon snatches Fluttershy who lets out a terrified yelp. He presses the crossbow against her neck and snarls "Get! DOWN!" The pegasus makes a barely audible squeak. "Let her go you ruffian!" the unicorn shouts. Onyx reaches for the eyepatch but Bruiser stops his hoof. He sees a tear roll down Fluttershy's cheek, he didn't think he'd ever seen a pony so scared. The blue stallion shakes his head at him, sensing what he was thinking. "Don't do it..." Angel Fire whispers to the black pony. There were at least twenty ponies watching him. There was no way he could blow his cover here, it was their only way to Canterlot. He sees the griffon's talon tighten around the trigger, the yellow pegasus lets out a quiet cry. "Lose-lose situation..." he says to himself. He tears away the eyepatch, revealing the glowing robotic eye. "What the?!" the hostage-taker stammers. Onyx shuts his biological eye, a blue fire-like aura burns off the black tape covering his horn. The griffon fires his crossbow at the stallion, who sidesteps the arrow as it skewers the door behind him. He fires a weak blast, the small cyan bolt of lightning splits the air and slams into the griffon. He falls to the ground, leaving the shocked pegasus standing there unharmed. "Dammit Onyx!" Angel yells. "What the hell's going on in here?!" a voice yells from outside. Three more griffons burst in, all weilding crossbows. "Everypony down!" Onyx shouts. The ponies duck and take cover, three crosshairs appear in his vision. He fires, three seperate bolts of destruction tear into the bandits at once. They slump to the ground, smoke rising from the gaping wounds. "...huh. Didn't know I could do that..." "You can figure it out later, we gotta get outta here" Bruiser groans. He walks over to the side door and gives it a mighty kick. It breaks free from the hinges and tumbles across the ground. He hops out, angrily mumbling to himself. Angel Fire follows suit. Onyx takes a step but turns to look back. The yellow pegasus is staring at him with a wide range of emotions; gratitude, confusion, fear... He jumps out, landing with a clank. Angel Fire and Bruiser were galloping away, he hurries to catch up to them. They were maybe thirty minutes from Canterlot by train, if they hurried they could make it in an hour. The purple spiraling mountain rose in the distance, on it's edge sat the marble city. They set a course for the cliffside metropolis, silently praying that their mission wouldn't come to completion.