//------------------------------// // 19-the council // Story: The Tales of Prince Onyx // by Stanislas //------------------------------// Chapter 19 The Council. Fate has been cruel and order unkind How can I have sent you away? The blame was my own; the punishment, yours The harmony's silent today But into the stillness I'll bring you a song And I will your company keep Till your tired eyes and my lullabies Have carried you softly to sleep “That voice... I’ve heard it somewhere...” Onyx slowly opened his eyes, pain was in his leg and his back, but he feel calm, and secure....like he never was since the last....well the last 10 years. “Huh?... Wha?... Wh-where am I?...” The last thing he remembered was being shot by the Pegasus in the cell in front of him. Suddenly Onyx felt something hit him, and he thought he heard somepony crying. Still not able to see clearly, Onyx used his hand to touch whatever that was on him, he could feel fur... soft fur. He felt the creature on him was sobbing. “Ple-please Onyx, wake up... Please...” ‘That voice... I know that voice... Can it be?...” Onyx finally got the energy to open his eyes and what he saw was the most wonderful thing he could wish for, his mother was here, crying on him... His mother that he hadn’t seen in the past 10 years. “M-mother...?” The Princess of the Sun bolted up from her son and looked at Onyx, they were both looking at each other silently. Then Celestia suddenly hugged him, letting her tears flow from her eyes. Onyx didn’t move, he was still shocked from how he was here with his mother, but finally, he followed his heart and hugged her back. They were both crying in the each others arms. They stayed like that for about 10 minutes. Onyx was the first one to speak. “Bu-but how?... I mean... I was... and then... Why I am here?... This is n-not possible... this is just a dream, right?... I can’t... you can’t be-” Celestia placed her hoof over his mouth and kissed him on his head. “Shhhht... Questions come later.” She took a brush with her magic that was on a little table on the side of the bed and she started to brush Onyx’s mane. He didn't try to stop her, the feeling of somepony taking care of him was something he never felt when he was with the Emperor. Celestia started humming a song she sang to Onyx when he was a little kid. Celestia was taking pleasure in brushing Onyx’s mane, the feeling of knowing her son was close to her and knowing he is safe... Never again will she let him leave like she had to do 10 years ago... If only she had known more sooner of what the Emperor had done to him. She’d tried to convince the council to do something to help Onyx, but apparently, she did not have enough proof to show them for them to do something, and declaring war against the Gryphon Empire, would be like sentencing her ponies to the death. “M-mom... Please I need to know... how did I get here?...” Celestia placed the brush back on the table and placed herself in-front of her son. “Please Onyx, don’t hate me for what I’m gonna tell you, and let me finish... *Inhale* 8 years ago, I had discovered what happened to you in the Gryphon Empire. One of the letters that the Gryphon Emperor had sent me, had an error on it.” “An error?... What error did it have?” Onyx asked, ignoring the request to not interrupt her. “Well, he said that you were eating some Alfalfa... But I realized that you never liked Alfalfa. So since then, I had sent some spy's to go check on you, but unfortunately, they couldn’t see you. *Sigh* So finally, I asked The Council of The 5 Kingdoms to arrest the Emperor, but they said that the letter I had was not a enough proof to arrest him or even do an investigation. *Sigh*” “So I have thought about declaring a war between us and the Gryphon Empire...but...but...” Tears were rolling down her face, then she buried her head in the blanket. “Please forgive me Onyx. But I couldn’t send my ponies to war. Not against the Gryphon Empire, they will all die and-and... *Sniff* I’m a horrible mother! Please forgive me son.” Onyx stayed silent, thinking about all that his mother had told him. He wanted to be angry at her. He wanted to yell at her about ‘why she had let him suffer in the claws of the Gryphon Emperor... but in his heart, he knew that his mother had made the right decision and the only ones he should be angry at is The Gryphon Emperor and The Council. Onyx hugged her mother and kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t worry mother, I forgive you. You just did what any other good ruler would do.” Celestia hugged her son back, knowing that her son has forgiven her as if her sister had came back “But you still didn’t tell me how I got here.” Celestia gave Onyx a smirk then continued her story. “When the council had refused my request, I was angry and the only thing I wanted to do, was to kill the Emperor. One of your friends was really sad when you had left Canterlot. So I asked one of my best soldiers to train him, I had planned to send him alone, helping you and at the same, kill the Emperor... But, *Sigh* by then I had realised that this plan was bad, first training him to be strong enough to kill the Emperor alone would’ve taken too much time. Secondly, I didn’t know where you were and I didn’t have any proof that you were still in his castle or if he had took you somewhere else. My guards had trained him, *Sad sigh* but we never sent him for you.” “Wait what?... Which one, who did you train?” Onyx asked. “Well his name is Vallis, i thinks he was the one who had teamed up with you at school. Since you had left Canterlot, he didn’t talk at all.” ’Well, that makes sense... That explains why he was angry when I didn’t recogniz him.” “Then 2 months ago, an old friend of mine, that I thought was dead, made a surface. He took Vallis with him and they both decided to go find out where the Emperor was hiding you. But 2 weeks ago, a post Pegasus that I had sent to give you a letter...Well to the Gryphon, because I’m sure he wouldn’t et you read what I sent you. *Sigh* Anyways, she came back with your message. So Raynor and Vallis decided to wait for you at the border.” “Wait. You mean this letter?” Onyx asked, showing her the letter he got from the gray Pegasus named Derpy/Ditzy. “Yes that’s the one. I’m glad you have it. I had continued to send you letter after letter so that the Emperor can think that I had not discovered what he was really doing... Like if I’m enough to fall in his dumb trap.” Celestia giggled to herself. “*Sigh* Then last week, they came back with 2 ponies with them, the first one was maybe the most strangest pony I ever seen... and the other was you, they had brought you back.” She said with tears filling her eyes. “Wait... If I was in here since last week... That means I was unconscious for...um... 15 days!” Onyx was shocked. What in Tartarus did he get shot by? What was that strange device that gray and yellow Pegasus holding? So many questions were filling Onyx’s head. Onyx tried to get up from the bed, but his legs were too weak to suport him. “Doctor Pouse had told me that your legs should be weak for the next few days... You know that you gave him a lot of trouble with that piece of steel in your leg?” She said with a small smile. “Heh, heh... Yeah, sorry about that...” Celestia got up from the bed and walked out of the room, but before she closed the door she took a good look at Onyx. “You know... You have changed... and not only physically... Oh! and Twilight doesn’t know what happened to you in the Gryphon Kingdom... It’s your choice to tell her or not. Now rest my son, you need to be in good shape. In 3 days you will be 18 years old and you can count on me to organize something big for you. By the way, Cadence and her colt-friend should come by to say you ‘Hi’ to you later with Twillight and Blueblood too...Take care my son... I love you.” “Thanks mom... *Yawn*” With that Onyx returned under his blanket. With one final yawn, he fell in a deep and secure sleep, like he hadn’t done in a long, long, long time.