Onyx Skies

by SupaSqueegee

Chapter One

It was late evening, and the sun was just starting to set over the city of Manehatten. Ponies of various forms and professions were leaving their respective jobs and hobbies, heading home for the night, and it seemed like yet another uneventful day for one pegasus in particular as she sat at home, alone, once again. She was lost in a world of written word, wrapped up in the lives of fictitious characters and stories, as was her main hobby these days. The waning light of the sun shimmered through the various windows of her small home on the outskirts of the city, casting a certain tone that seemed to match the dramatic piece she was currently so involved in. So lost was she in this world that she was only pulled from it by the sudden knocking against her door.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Oh, who could that be at this hour?” The light brown pegasus stood from the couch in her living room, set down the book she had been reading, and trotted towards the door. The moon was just starting to rise on the horizon, and there was a slight chill in the air. Autumn was approaching fast, and would be here soon, and as such ponies all over Manehatten were starting to prepare for the oncoming cold. Pegasi were often seen clearing the sky, and the various earth bound ponies busied themselves when not at work. Even winter clothing was already starting to be sold at the assorted outlet malls and such around the city.

The pegasus reached the door quickly enough, and leaned up just a tad in an effort to peer through the window in the wooden door. This wasn’t right, it was a royal guard! Why would one of them come visiting this late in the day? With an almost worried furrow to her brow, the pegasus opened the door and ushered him inside. The guard simply raised a hoof and shook his head.

Though he wore the guard regalia, he didn’t seem particularly imposing. On the contrary, his features were soft, he stood no taller than her, his coat a soft grey. He appeared almost innocent in demeanor, despite his rather dour expression. “Miss Vertigo? I… have some unfortunate news.”

The whole world seemed to stop for her the moment that sentence was spoken. She could feel everything that was happening, see everything that was happening, as if it were in slow motion. The soft, chilled breeze, the various ponies that walked by outside, and the sun as it slowly hid itself beyond the horizon. Everything seemed to stand still, leaving her in her thoughts about just what could have brought this guard to her door.

Her eyes grew wide and her heart immediately dropped in her chest. “Un… unfortunate news?” This could only mean one thing. A forehoof was brought to her chest, and she sank to her haunches. She never once took her green eyes off the unicorn standing before her. “Is it… what’s happened to my husband?”

With a little flare of blue magic, the grey coated unicorn levitated out a rolled up scroll from a pocket of his armor. The scroll unfurled, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to report that your husband, Swift Shield, has gone missing during his latest mission to territory of the dragons. Search parties are being sent, but…” And with this, the scroll was rolled back up as the unicorn dropped his eyes to the ground. “I’m sorry, Miss Vertigo. Your husband is a friend of mine, that’s why I was chosen to bring this news to you. I want you to know that we’re doing everything we can to find him.” He brought his eyes back up, and took her hoof in his in a reassuring gesture. Then, just like that, he turned and was gone as quickly as he came.

Vertigo just sat there in the entrance to the small house she and her husband had acquired earlier this year in the Spring. It was a cozy little thing, and situated on the outskirts of the city. They had dreamed of owning a home here since they were dating in school. And, after getting married at the start of the year, they’d purchased their home. And now…

“He can’t be gone.”

She shook her head. The guard had said that he was simply missing, not that he had died. So there was still hope, right? There had to be! She couldn’t just give up on him, she knew him better than that. He was strong; a survivor, he’d overcome enough obstacles in the past to be able to survive whatever had happened to him, right? As she mulled over what she had just been told, she stood back up, closed and locked the door, and made her way back to the couch. The book she had been reading was forgotten. She had other things on her mind right now.

This was supposed to be a simple mission to sign the adjustments that had been made to the peace treaty between their kingdoms, right? It was routine enough, he should have only been gone for a couple of weeks. This was the type of thing he had done countless times over his years of being an ambassador for Equestria. So why had this time been so different? What had made this the mission that had…

Vertigo shook her head again. She couldn’t think like that. It was like she was suddenly set on autopilot. If he was missing, and the royal guard was having a hard time finding him, then there was only one thing she could do, right? She had to go look for herself. Before she knew it, she was packing a pair of saddlebags. She wasn’t sure what she would find in dragon territory, but she was going to be prepared regardless.

“I’ve got to do this.”

But how? How was she supposed to go through with this? It almost seemed like a suicide mission. She’d heard enough about dragons over the years through her schooling and the various conversations she’d had with her husband that they could, quite often, be terrifying creatures. Large, scaly beasts of fire and destruction, set in a land wrought with danger and harsh terrain. Even their very society seemed barbaric to anyone on the outside.

The first thing she was going to need to do, though, was to find some ponies to help her. She didn’t even know where to start looking, or even how to get to the dragon territories. But she already had a good idea of who to ask first. She just hoped that she wasn’t too late!

The sun was starting to set and the sky was starting to darken as she opened the door of her home, and she couldn’t help but to mentally prepare herself a little for the rather rash decision she had just made. She had decided that she was going to do the impossible. She was going to go into dragon territory, find her husband, and bring him back. And all without dying along the way. And the more she thought about how dangerous this was going to be, the more she was starting to realize that she didn’t care.

Leaving her home and locking the door behind her, she took off down the street towards the local guard barracks. She was hoping that, since it was so late, that the guard who had delivered the message wouldn’t be heading back to Canterlot tonight. It seemed like kind of a small hope, but it was one nonetheless. She was surprised, however, as she rounded a corner and nearly ran right into that very same guard! She came screeching to a halt, letting out a loud “Wah!” as her saddlebags slid forward and fell from her shoulders. The guard, who had a completely bewildered look on his face, merely adjusted his stance a little.

“Miss Vertigo?” He looked from her, to the saddlebags on the ground, and then back up. “Are you going somewhere?” His magic sparked to life once more, and her bags levitated up and were placed on her back once more. He was holding a small cup in his left hoof, and it was then that Vertigo realized they were standing in front of a small coffee shop.

The mare shook her head and adjusted the bags on her back a little, gathering the courage she needed to make such a bold request. “I...I was hoping to run into you, actually.” She wasn’t really sure how to start this. What if he refused? Well, if that was the case, then she’d simply have to find some other way of getting where she needed to go! When he tilted his head and looked like he was about to ask why, she just let out a soft sigh. “Because I want you to take me into dragon territory so that I can find my husband.”

That seemed to stop him dead in his tracks. His mouth stayed open for a moment, then he blinked and shook his head. “You want me to take you into dragon territory.” It wasn’t a question so much as it was a statement made from confusion. “I can’t do that. For one, it’s unbelievably dangerous. And another, I don’t have the clearance to do such a thing! I could lose my position as a guard!” He stamped his hoof and shook his head again, “I understand why you want to do this, but you need to trust that we’ll find him.”

She shook her head. The guard were all amazing ponies, the best in Equestria for situations like this, but she couldn’t just sit idly by and wait. “No, you don’t. He’s my husband. He means the world to me, and I’m going to find a way to get there with or without you. You said you’re a friend of his, right? Don’t you want to see him get back safely? Then help me.” She took a step towards him and her eyes became soft, almost pleading. “Please… I can’t sit at home and just wait for more bad news.”

The guard seemed to ponder on this for a few moments, his eyes turning down as he thought. “I…” Another shake of his head. “Alright, you win. I’ll help you. But if we’re going to do this, then we need to do it right. We can’t go alone, but I don’t really trust anyone else in the guard to help. We need to find some other pony.” He looked up and held out a hoof. “I’m Starshine, by the way.”

Vertigo looked like she might not be able to hold in her relief at this. She nodded, shook his hoof, and let out a deep sigh. “Oh, thank Celestia.” She could have hugged him then and there, but she held herself back. This wasn’t the time to be celebrating. They still had a lot of preparation to do before they got started. “So… what’s next, then?”

Starshine shook his head. “First thing is that I have to take care of some business in the barracks. Figure out a way to get out while we do this. So, I think it’s best if we split up for now. I’ll come by your house tomorrow and we can leave. Sound good?” When she nodded, he continued. “Right, then I’ll see you then. And, Miss Vertigo? We’ll find him.”

---

Vertigo paced across the living room as she waited for Starshine to arrive. It was almost noon. What in the hay was taking him so long? “He said he’d be here by this morning!” She couldn’t help but to feel impatient. How could she not? She’d spent almost the entire night tossing and turning, just imagining everything that could have happened to her husband. How he could have been hurt while on his mission, or the horrible things that might have happened to him.

She was so lost in thought that by the time the knock on the door came, she wasn’t expecting it. She let out a small, startled sound before she realized what was going on. She rushed to the door, slung her saddlebags onto her back, and opened it. There was Starshine, no longer wearing his guard uniform, and another pony she didn’t recognize. Her brow furrowed questioningly, and she looked from the newcomer back to Starshine. He caught her questioning look, and motioned to the earth pony that stood beside him.

The stallion was large, even by earth pony standards. He must have stood at least a whole head taller than the two of them, and he was broad and muscular. His coat was a pale red, and he had a scar that cut down his right cheek and over his milky white eye. Vertigo couldn’t help but wonder what in the world this brutish looking stallion was doing here.

“Vertigo, this is Mammoth. He’s a tracker, and a good one from what I understand. He’s spent a fair amount of time in the dragon territories, so I thought he might be helpful.” Starshine shook his head, “Actually, I don’t think we’ll be able to do this without him.” The earth pony merely grunted and looked away. Vertigo noticed even more scars adorning his body, including one that ran over his flanks. A deep one. She grimaced and looked back to Starshine. “He...doesn’t talk. Ever. But I know that we can trust him. The guard has used his expertise on several occasions. Though, he’s usually employed to hunt down criminals, not lost ambassadors.”

Starshine sighed and turned away, then looked over his shoulder. “If you’re ready, I’ve got a chariot booked that will take us to the southern edge of Equestria, to a small village on the outskirts. We’ll restock, stay the night, and then head out tomorrow. From there we’ll have to go by hoof, though. So be ready.”

Vertigo nodded wordlessly and left her home, closing and locking the door behind her. The three of them left, then, and Vertigo cast one last look over her shoulder at the small house. She had a feeling that she wouldn’t be seeing it for quite some time.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, she moved up to walk next to Starshine, and looked him over. He wasn’t even wearing his casual uniform, showing that he was off duty. “I hate to ask, but… what did you do to get away? I didn’t think that getting leave was so easy.”

Starshine set his jaw, but kept his eyes forward. “I resigned.”

This caught Vertigo completely off guard, and she stopped in her tracks for a moment, following him with her eyes and nervously shuffling her wings. Once that information sank in, she ran to catch up, coming to walk beside him once more. “What? Why did you do that?”

The stallion rolled his eyes, “Because it was either that or let you go off on your own. And I wasn’t about to do the latter. Besides,” and he cast her a small smile, “I’ve been thinking of a change in career.” His steely blue eyes cast ahead once more. “Anyway, I think it’d be best if we stopped talking for now. Going into the dragon territories isn’t allowed unless you’re sanctioned by the guard, so it’s best we don’t speak about it while we’re in the city.”

Vertigo nodded and refrained from making any more conversation, focusing instead on the task that lay before them. It only just hit her what it was that she was about to do. She wasn’t trained in any sort of combat or survival skills, she’d never even been camping before, and now she was about to head into one of the most dangerous places in the world with only these two stallions to protect her. This was so far outside of her comfort zone that she was starting to become more than a little fearful.

The dragons were fearsome beasts. The only ones that she had ever heard of traveling through Equestria were the ones that had a migration path that flew over the center. And they were, supposedly, the kindest of the dragons, which was why permission was granted to them to use that path. But the majority of the dragons, even their rulers, held no such reservations about ponies. Their alliance was shaky at best, and it only seemed to survive because it was mutually beneficial for both races.

The dragons produced precious metals and stones from their lands, and the ponies traded them crops and other various resources that were more difficult to acquire there. And, from what Vertigo understood, Princess Celestia was having a harder and harder time keeping peace with their more barbaric ways.

So what in the world made her think that she would be able to handle going deep into dangerous territory?

“We’re here.”

She looked up, snapped out of her reverie by Starshine motioning to the chariot. She'd been so lost in thought that she'd lost track of time, only just realizing they'd made it to the inner city. She looked at the small chariot and the two pegasi that were at it’s helm. Well, no better time than the present. She gave her companions a small nod and climbed into the chariot, still a bit trepidatious about the trip, but she wasn’t going to turn back. The drive to bring her husband home was far too strong.

The next several hours were spent in silence as the three companions rode in the chariot towards their destination. Vertigo, for her part, couldn’t seem to think much of anything. It was almost as if she’d set herself on autopilot. She just stared down to the shifting landscape below them as the two pegasi pulled their chariot. Neither Starshine or Mammoth bothered her, both content to do much the same. From the little bit Vertigo had noticed of them both, they were mentally preparing themselves for the journey to come. She had a feeling they had a much deeper understanding of what was ahead than she did.

Even the rolling landscape underneath them did little to help ease her worried mind. A chariot ride across Equestria was usually something to look forward to. To enjoy. But she couldn’t find anything pleasant about this. They flew over forests, lakes, towns, and even a city here and there. The colors were vibrant, turning from lush shades of green, to the colorful browns, yellows and oranges of Autumn. She couldn’t even appreciate the beauty, and everything just seemed dull and bland.

It was nearing nightfall when they finally touched down in a small village on the border. Starshine paid the pegasi and then sent them on their way. “We’ll stay the night here and head out in the morning.”

It was a relatively easy matter of finding an inn to stay at for the night, considering there was only one in the entire village. And once their rooms were paid up, they decided to do a bit more preparing. The three of them went their separate ways in the village to gather some more necessities. Vertigo went on the hunt for food that could be brought with them, Starshine for gear, and Mammoth to gather information about the area they would be heading into. Vertigo wasn’t entirely sure how the large, red pony would be doing this, but Starshine didn’t seem affected by it, so she let the matter drop without bringing it up.

By the time they had all returned to the inn, night had overtaken the small village. They ate a small, quiet dinner, and then headed off to their respective rooms. There was no need for further conversation. That could be saved for when they set out in the morning. As Vertigo settled in for the night, tucking the rather thin blanket around herself, she wondered for the first time if she was doing the right thing. Was she really cut out for such an endeavor? She knew that she had to bring her husband back, and she had no intention of stopping now. But the mare couldn’t help the small, nagging feeling of self doubt that had settled like a stone in the pit of her stomach.

Only time would tell.

---

Something stirred her from sleep in the middle of the night. She wasn’t sure if it was a feeling of dread, or if she had heard something moving about the small room of the inn. All she knew, as she sleepily rose to a sitting position, was that something wasn’t right. The room was pitch black, and even the window held no light from the moon. She could barely make out the end of the bed. What was going on?

She heard a small scrape of a hoof against the floorboards, and barely had time to react before a brilliant bolt of white magic whizzed by her face, scorching the fur of her cheek. Vertigo had rolled to the left and tumbled from the bed. “Wait! Who are you?!” The question was screamed, and she had to leap to the side to avoid another bolt of magic from the pony who had jumped onto the bed in order to aim at her. She was frantic. Who was this pony? Why was he attacking her in the middle of the night like this?

The sound of scrambling hooves, fluttering wings, and general panic filled the room as the two of them made their way around each other. Vertigo, confused and unable to see properly in the darkness, crashed into what she felt like was every piece of furniture in her room. And her attacker seemed completely at home in the blackness. Bright flashes of white shone and lit the room each time he cast his magic, and each one seemed to just barely miss her, scorching instead a piece of furniture, the walls, or the floor. In a desperate attempt, Vertigo took to the air and flew as fast as she could towards the window, having spotted it’s location during the last spell. She had to do this. She had to escape.

The next flash of burning magic caught her in the wing, and she screeched in pain and tumbled to the floor. The smell of burning flesh and feathers was prominent in the air, and tears were streaming freely from her eyes as she cowered in fear. Was this going to be how it ended? Over before it even began? Her eyes turned up as the shadowy figure approached her, and she noticed that he was wearing a black cloak. The magic of his horn lit once more, and she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable.

She had nothing left to do, no way to fend off her attacker. This was going to be the end for her. The door to her room suddenly burst open, and all she heard was a thundering of hooves and a low grunt as a pony collided with her assailant. She looked up, opening her eyes just in time to see the unicorn fly across the room, surprised by the sudden attack, and slam into the wall. The unknown attacker crumpled to the floor, lifeless, and Vertigo raised her eyes to see Mammoth standing over her, glaring daggers at the body of mystery pony.

The pain of the wound she had received burst with a newfound vigor, and she screamed. The whole world was shaking, and it felt like every fiber of her being was on fire. She couldn’t even move the injured wing, each attempt only resulted in more explosions of white hot pain. Even trying to climb to her hooves proved to be too much. All she could feel besides the pain was the warm sensation of blood cascading down her body and pooling under her.

“Vertigo!”

Starshine rushed into the room, kneeling down beside her and lighting his horn so he could look over the damage. His breath caught as he noticed her wing. The grey stallion looked up to Mammoth and motioned to the unicorn who had attacked her, “Search him.” The earth pony simply nodded and did as he was told while Starshine looked back down to her. He was silent, just staring as if he didn’t know what to do.

She didn’t want to look. She didn’t want to know what had been done to her, how that monster of a pony may have maimed her body. She knew that it couldn’t be good. The searing pain that ran down her body, dulled only by her adrenaline, was proof enough of that. But her eyes turned anyway as the innkeeper entered the room with a lit candle. Vertigo gasped and fresh tears started to stream down her cheeks, her body suddenly wracked by sobs. “My...my wing.”

A little less than half of her right wing had been scorched away, leaving a sizzling stump of feathers, flesh, and bone. The view of her shredded wing almost made the mare retch, but she couldn’t even bring herself to do that, focused entirely on the sight before her eyes. A million thoughts crossed her mind all at once. She’ll never be able to fly again was the most prominent of them all. And before she could say anything, or comprehend what Starshine was asking of her, she blacked out.

---

“...shouldn’t do this, then. We haven’t even started yet and she’s already hurt! We don’t even know who that pony was that attacked her!”

Vertigo slowly opened her eyes, only to shut them quickly as the overpowering light of the room immediately met her. She groaned openly and tried to move, only to wince and cry out as pain shot through her body from her wing. In a flash everything that had happened came rushing back to her in vivid detail. The attacker. Her wing. All the blood. Her eyes opened and she pushed herself up and into a sitting position.

Starshine galloped across the small room and skidded to a halt by her bed. His eyes were sunken and there were deep lines under them. He looked like he had been wrought with worry for days. But...hadn’t the attack only happened the night before. “Vertigo? Oh, thank Celestia you’re alright. I was so worried.” He shook his head and brought a hoof up to rub at the bridge of his nose, his eyes squeezing shut. “I didn’t think… no, never mind. That’s not important.” He met her eyes again and set his jaw, looking like he was trying his hardest not to appear overcome with emotion.

Vertigo simply groaned and rubbed her head with a hoof, looking around the small room she was currently in. It was obvious enough that she was in some kind of hospital, or at least a clinic, by the off whites of the room and the various medical supplies she saw around. What really surprised her was Mammoth, standing off to the side and watching her. He didn’t seem to show any real emotion at all, and she couldn’t help but feel more than a little unsettled by this. She looked back to Starshine, “How long was I out? And what happened? Who was that?”

The stallion shook his head, “You were out for almost two solid days. They didn’t think you were going to make it for awhile there, you’d lost so much blood.” He let out a small sigh and looked away, focusing on some spot on the floor. “They couldn’t save your wing, Vertigo. I’m sorry.” This immediately made her eyes go wide, and she twisted and looked over her shoulder, letting out a small hiss of pain as she did so. Her right wing...it was almost completely gone. The nub was wrapped up in bandages, and her feathers had all been removed so that it could be wrapped properly. Tears sprang fresh to her eyes. She turned and looked back to him, her face blank, even as the tears ran small streams down her cheeks, dampening her fur.

“And...who was that unicorn? Why did he attack me?”

Starshine just shook his head before looking back up to meet her eyes. “That’s just it. We don’t know. He didn’t have anything on him other than that black cloak. And even that wasn’t unique in any way. No distinguishing features or characteristics. His cutie mark wasn’t even spectacular, it was just a swirl with a star in the middle of it. Nopony in town seemed to recognize him, either.” He shook his head again, “Look, Vertigo. I don’t think we sh-”

She cut him off right there with a sharp wave of her hoof. “No. I’m not giving up on this. If anything, this just makes me want to find Swift all the more. Don’t you think this is even a little bit too coincidental? I get attacked the night before we head out to find my lost husband?”

Starshine sighed and nodded. “Of course I do. That’s why I think we should call this off. There’s no point in you getting hurt further.” When she shook her head, he groaned and turned to look back at Mammoth. “Guess you were right all along. She’s not giving this up.” His eyes turned back to her. “Fine, we’ll keep going. But you need to heal first. Get your strength back.”

Vertigo set her jaw and pulled herself off the bed. Her hooves hit the wood paneled flooring with a soft thud, and even though she felt a fiery arc of pain rush through her body, she shook it off. She turned her eyes back to Starshine and Mammoth, a fresh look of determination on her face. “No. We leave now. The longer we wait, the bigger the chance that something could happen to my husband.” And without another word, she left the room and walked out of the small clinic. Her mind was made up. They were going to leave today. They’d already lost two precious days because of her, and she wasn’t going to make that mistake again.

Starshine and Mammoth caught up with her a few moments later, and Starshine kept his eyes averted. Mammoth, on the other hand, seemed to be on the lookout for any possible dangers. He was scanning everything with careful precision as they walked by, as if expecting another assault at any time. Before she even had the time to ask the question on her mind, Starshine spoke up. “He didn’t leave your side at all the past two days. Even while I was out trying to gather information.” Vertigo looked back up to the huge earth pony, and he cast his good eye down to her for a moment before turning it away.

She wasn’t sure why, but in that moment she decided that she could trust him. Not only had he saved her life before, but he had watched over her like a guardian. She didn’t know what Starshine was paying him to do this, but she had a feeling it was a great deal for him to be so willing to put his life on the line for her own.

For the most part the ponies of the village avoided them or just didn’t pay them any attention as they finished the last little bit of preparation they needed. Only an hour or so had passed before the trio was making their way out of the village in a southerly direction. A tall, ominous mountain range marked the boundary between Equestria and the dragon territories, and the closer they got to it, the more determined Vertigo felt. And so the trio began their long journey.