The Tales of Prince Onyx

by Stanislas


14-The escape part 2

Chapter 14

The escape part 2

Present time

Onyx woke up in the throne room, his head still hurt from the hit he got from the commander wondering why such painfull memory was playing in his head. He never forgot that day; the day he lost the last thing he had to remember his mother by. Ever since that day, the Emperor would send false letters to Celestia. Onyx rose from the floor, brushed himself off and turned towards the throne. The Emperor was sitting there, looking at him with a disdained look. Onyx only waited for his punishment like always, this was not the first time he tried to escape from this place, but each time he had miserably failed. The Emperor rose up and walked towards Onyx, and like every day, he was wearing his traditional armor.

“I had thought that the punishment you received last time would’ve taught you to try not to escape again... but, it looks like I need to upgrade the consequences this time... again.” Onyx did not move or answer. He had learned within the years that whenever Griffin wanted to punish him, there was nothing he could say or do to stop him.

“Why are you always trying to escape from me my dear? I have taught you so many things. I have given you a roof to live under, I have given you food to eat, and this is the way you repay me? I thought that I had raised you better than that, I raised you like my own chicks.” Onyx had lost his cool, he could endure the sarcasm or the pain, but never, NEVER! Would he let the Emperor act as if he was his father. The only family he had was Celestia; not this foolish Emperor.

“RAISE ME!?! You did not raise me, you had kidnapped me! For the last 10 years I’ve never seen my TRUE family. YOU... You only keep me here and ‘raise’ me until I’m good enough to be in your army! You always act as if I was your son! I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m a free pony and the one who raised me was Celestia, and unlike you, she treated me good and raised me like as if I was her own foal.” The Emperor slapped Onyx across his face with his talon.

“Don’t speak to me with that tone, I will teach you how to respect me, rat. Guard! Bring him to the dungeon. This time it will be 25. Maybe a night in the dungeon will help you learn how to respect your superiors.” Onyx didn’t try to fight against the guards grip, even if he could easily hurt the griffin, but he didn’t try it, they needed to think that he was weak for his plan to work.

The guards brought Onyx in the dungeon of the castle, unlike Canterlot, if his memories are right, this dungeon is filled with many prisoners, some are Gryphons, other are Diamond Dogs and even ponies are here. The torturer walked in front of Onyx and pulled out his whip.

“You again... I’m starting to think you like me for continue to come see me... How many this time?” The guards pushed Onyx into the room and he fell on his knees.

“The Emperor has asked for 25 and 1 night in your cells. Do your job.” The guards left the room, leaving Onyx and the torturer alone. The Gryphon pushed Onyx in front of a log planted on the floor and tied his arms around it.

“Don’t forget to scream. I like to hear the beautiful sounds of your pain,” he whispered in his ear, then he stood back. Onyx awaited the hit, trying to focus his mind on good memories of his childhood, then the first hit fell upon his back, he screamed out in pain. He could feel his skin tear apart and the blood rush out. The torturer laughed at him and he whipped him again, again and again. Tears of rage and pain fell down Onyx’s eyes, it took all his strength not fall unconscious. For Onyx it seemed to last for hours but in reality, it only took 3 minutes.

“Here we go! 25 perfect hits, I’m so proud of myself, I’m sure you will never get whips like that from any other gryphon.” He grabbed him and threw him in the cells and closed the door. Onyx hit his head when he fell to the floor in the cell, and with the beatings he’d just received, he could no longer endure the pain, the unconscious gripping him once again.
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6th of Draconoqus, 990 years after the N.M.M., 2 years and 8 months after Onyx had left Canterlot.

Birthday of Onyx.

Today was Onyx’s birthday, he will be 10 years old today, but he don’t care. For the last 2 years he has done everything to please the Emperor so that maybe he would let him go back home. He had thought that if he learned quickly to defend himself, the Gryphon’s would release him, but now he understands that the Emperor will, maybe, never release him.

Onyx was sitting in his bed, waiting for his trainer to come get him like every morning, and while he was waiting, he was caressing a hen that the Emperor have given him for his last birthday. He had called her Philo, to remember his mother’s pet, and she was his only friend here. The hen was eating some seeds from his hand as he delicately pulled some little feathers around her eyes. The hen starting to fall asleep in Onyx’s arms, Onyx didn’t move a muscle afrad to wake the hen up.

The door to his room opened, revealing the Gryffin Emperor, the hen woke up but stayed on Onyx’s lap.

‘’Onyx! Happy Birthday! How old are you now? 10 years of age is a important moment in a life fro Gryphon’s.’’ Onyx wasn’t listening to him nor did he respond to him, he only focused on trying to keep the hen calm, the deep voice of the Gryphon had scared her.

“Oh! I see that you still have that hen. That’s a good thing because we need her for your birthday party. Come follow me, and bring her with you.” Onyx was hesitant about that order, but he didn’t have the choice, the last time he didn’t follow a order from the Emperor, he didn’t get any food and water for a whole day. So he followed him and they both went in the courtyard outside on the training grounds.

“Take a sword Onyx, I will make you into a true warrior.” Onyx put the hen down and went to get one of the many swords that were on the wall. When he returned, he positioned himself in front of the Emperor.

“Good, now to make you a true warrior I will need to teach you something else. You see, a warrior can’t be good if they show mercy.” Onyx didn’t like where this conversation was going and fear gripped his heart.

“HA! I think you got it right, so to make you a warrior, I request... NO! I ORDER you, to kill that hen, and then we will eat it for your birthday dinner.”

“NO! I don’t want to kill her, she’s my only friend here, I won’t do it!” The Gryphon only laughed hard at him.

“Onyx, if you don’t kill it, you will show mercy in battle, and if you do that, you will end up being murdered” Onyx threw his sword on the ground.

“Good, because if becoming a warrior means that you have to kill your friends, well, I don’t want to become one.” The Gryphon only sighed and took Onyx’s sword.

“*Tsk* You don’t leave me much of a choice Onyx, you could have made great progress today, and we would’ve celebrated it with a feast, including your hen. But... It seems I will need to teach you a lesson.” The Gryphon swiftly caught the hen and placed the sword under her throat.

“NO!! Please don’t kill her please!” Onyx was crying and he wanted to help the hen but he only could watch his only friend get killed by the Emperor and slowly bleed to death. The emperor let the hen fall to the ground and went inside the castle. Onyx was trying to do something to save his only friend, but he realized quickly that he couldn’t do anything.

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