//------------------------------// // Takin' Care Of Business // Story: The Ghost Of Me // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// Fletcher and Caboose sat in the lounge alongside their new comrades. Black still held a melancholy air over recalling his leaving Belle. "Oh wow, just look at this place!" Caboose looked around. "Pool table, dart board, mini-bar, and look how far these recliners can tilt back!" Caboose tilted his chair back as far as it could. "Check me out!" He chuckled. "Where's a good limbo contest when you need one?" "Caboose, I hardly think this is the time to play around." Fletcher frowned. "Especially considering that our new comrade just relived one of the most painful moments of his life." "Oh... sorry." Caboose told Black. "I didn't mean." "It's okay." Black sighed. "It's not like it changes any of it... The past is in the past. Even if it still hurts..." "It is painful." Elite noted. "But I believe our new comrades would benefit from hearing what came next." "Yeah, sure." Black nodded. "You don't have to if you're not feeling up to it." Fletcher declared. "Nah, I'm good." Black nodded. "Besides, you deserve to know the whole story." "What a trooper." Caboose smiled. "So there I went." Black sighed. "Leaving the love of my life to sign back up with Elite's bunch." "It wasn't my favorite moment either." Elite admitted. "Unfortunately, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." "Wait a moment." Fletcher frowned. "If you went back to Elite, then how did you end up causing all that trouble with the Changelings?" "And getting locked up by my family for all those years?" Caboose added. "What, your teammates couldn't come and save you?" "We're getting a little ahead of ourselves." Elite stated. "Trust me, a lot happened in the interim." "Like what?" Caboose asked. "Brace yourselves." Black declared. "Things only got crazier after I came back..." Many years ago... Elite, Ballista and Black returned to the Taskforce Omega's headquarters by evening. Armory, Micro Manager and Shadow Slinker rushed over to greet their returning comrade (Elite having called ahead, informing them of his arrival. "Black, it's you!" Armory smiled. "Yep, it's me alright." Black forced a smile. "It's great to see you again, Black." Shadow Slinker declared. "Thanks." Black nodded. "Same here." Micro Manager added. "I had calculated that you really were dead. Don't think I've ever been so glad to be wrong before..." "Happens to the best of us, egghead." Black shrugged. "We're all so glad to finally have you back, Black." Armory smiled. "This place just hasn't felt the same without you. I'm sure you're glad to be back." "Oh, yeah." Black sighed. "Home sweet home..." Titan approached Black. "Hey, big fella." Black declared. "Miss me?" Titan smiled, and licked Black's face. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Black, his face soaked with saliva, patted Titan on the head. "I missed ya too, ya big ol' mutt." "Rrf!" Titan barked happily. "Okay, don't crowd him." Elite stepped forward. "We've all had had a long day, and I think Black would appreciate it if he could get some rest. Come on, Black, I'll show you to your new quarters. Ballista can fill the others in, right?" "Right-o, chief." Ballista nodded. "Follow me, Black." Elite urged. "Yeah, sure..." Black shrugged. Elite led Black down a corrider, towards the base's living quarters. "I know this is going to be hard to readjust to." Elite told him. "But give it time. You'll be back in the saddle soon enough." "Yeah, I kinda doubt that." Black snorted. "I know leaving Belle was hard, but it's for the greater good." Elite reminded him. "Equestria needs you. And in protecting our country, you protect everypony in it, including Belle." "I know..." Black sighed. "And make no mistake, they need protecting." Elite said grimly. "Between their 'Horsey-bug-love' project getting demolished and the business in Prairieville, who knows what they'll try next..." "Well, then it's a good thing I'm back to kick their flanks." Black smirked. "It certainly is." Elite nodded, stopping outside a door. "Now, these will be your quarters. It's a little sparse, but it'll have to do." Black entered the room, finding it to contain a metal frame bed, a small table, and a small bathroom to the side. "Sparse, right..." Black snorted. "Good night." Elite declared, making to leave. "And Black? It's good to have you back." "Thanks, boss." Black smiled. "Rest well, my friend." Elite declared, before departing. "Hopes springs eternal." Black dropped the smile, and the saddle bags with his belongs in them. Black fished out his tape player, donned his headphones, and laid out on the bed, losing himself to the music. You get up every morning From your alarm clock's warning Take the 8:15 into the city There's a whistle up above People pushing People shoving And the girls Who try to look pretty And if your trains on time You can get to work by nine And start your slaving job To get your pay If you ever get annoyed Look at me, I'm self-employed I love to work at nothing all day And I'll be Takin' care of business Every day Takin' care of business Every day I've been takin' care of business It's all mine! Takin' care of business and Workin' overtime Work out! "Huh, these songs have been hitting the mood punch for punch." Black frowned. "Not to mention Rookie had a very unspecific taste in music..." Black lay back on the bed, as memories of Rookie filled his head. He hadn't thought that much about his comrade during his time with Belle, having had other matters to occupy his mind. But now it all came flooding back. "Ah, Rookie." Black sighed. "Sorry I haven't given your memory the time it deserved. I've been through a lot lately. I've had more stuff to feel guilty about since then. I just hope I don't have any more. My head's already weighed enough with grief as it is..." Black laid down on the bed, thoughts of Rookie, Belle and even White entering his mind. Three ponies he had felt dearly for, and could no longer see again. "Some homecoming..." He muttered. "Still, this is my life now.. again. Gotta accept it." After the song ended, Black got into bed, and drifted off into an uneasy sleep soon after. Meanwhile, in the Forefathers' headquarters... Pike was lounging on a couch, wearing a hard leather jacket, his glasses on his forehead, resting silently... when suddenly, a newspaper was slammed onto the table. Pike's eyes snapped open as he looked up to see a seething Gridlock, flanked by Harlhooves, Loveless, and the recently ordained Mr. Dysley, all but Loveless with unhappy frowns. "Oh, jeez, you guys. What do you want?" Pike groaned, as he put on his glasses. "Read the paper." Gridlock ordered. "'Five Prairieville citizens were found dead this morning'." He read. "'These five unrelated ponies were all discovered dead in their homes or on the street. There appears to be no apparent connection between them, or even a solid motive for the deaths. The investigation has been going slowly, as Sheriff Six Shooter was also found dead in his bedroom, with a cloth noose around his neck. The local doctor diagnosed it as a case of autoerotic asphyxiation' gone awry. Pike chuckled snidely. "Heh, they think the idiot was trying to thrill himself. Now everypony will remember him as the moron he really was..." "You think this is funny?!" Harlhooves growled. "Half a dozen of our middle-ranked operatives, all dead?!" "Yeah, when we gave you control over a contingent of our operatives, we were hoping that none of them would lose their lives." Mr. Dysley grimaced. "That is very unprofessional, even for you, Pike." "Hey, don't look at me." Pike growled. "I told Six to stand down, but he wouldn't listen. That idiot went against Black alone, and he died over it. How is his stupidity my fault?" "The stallion does have a point." Loveless admitted, "Six did have a history with not following orders." "Exactly. And even then, it wouldn't have changed a thing." Pike grunted. "I got word that there were more of Everest's flunkies sniffin' around the place. Those guys didn't stand a chance." "Yes." Harlhooves nodded. "Funny how Everest had the foresight to send one of his own out there. Perhaps Black's 'death' wasn't an elaborate ruse, and he was looking for him the same as us?" "Yeah... way to force their hooves, Dysley..." Gridlock glared at Mr. Dysley. "At least I put him out of commission for all those months." Mr. Dysley growled. "Unlike you, I made good use of that time to work on my own projects." "What good will all that time do when Black is still around to ruin it all?" Gridlock snarled. "That's why I had this chump hunt the guy... but clearly, it was a mistake. What did I expect from a Black Sheep?" "Again, it was not my fault." Pike snarled. "If Six had just waited for us, Black wouldn't be on to us!" "It doesn't matter now." Gridlock grunted. "If Black's still hiding out in Prairieville, then I say we burn the whole place to the ground. Hell, I will light the matches and see it burn myself!" "Hold it right there, bub." Pike held up a hoof. "Black Knight is my quarry. You and Harley here gave him to me and the guys to take care of! We should be the ones to do it!" "You had your chance!" Gridlock snorted. "Now it's time for us Ouroboros to show you how real stallions take care of business!" "Like hell you are!" Pike stood up, his face glaring a bit upwards to meet Gridlock's gaze. "I am not going to take this from a hot-tempered brute who is butt-hurt because he was too incompetent to protect his project!" "You son of a-" Gridlock suddenly hoisted Pike upwards by his jacket. "You take that back, you piece of crap!" "Make me, bug-boy!" Pike spat. "Whoa, take it easy, Gridlock!" Loveless urged. "Yeah, he's not worth it!" Harlhooves insisted. "Put him down!" "Perhaps we shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves." Dysley frowned. "I really didn't expect this kind of behavior from the inner circle." "True, we're not always a well-oiled machine." Loveless shrugged. "Especially with problems like this over our heads..." "Go ahead, dung for brains." Pike dared Gridlock. "Give it your best shot." "Oh, I plan on it!" Gridlock pulled back his hoof, ready to slug Pike. "Now, now, Gridlock. What did I say about playing nicely with your brethren?" The occupants of the room all turned, as a very tall stallion in a pale cloak approached. He was Father, the supreme leader of the Forefathers. Instantly, Gridlock dropped Pike as the four Ouroboros instantly bowed (Loveless merely bowed his head), while Pike straightened his jacket. "At ease, my sons." Father held up a hoof, as they rose up. "Now, what is this about burning down a village to find Black, Gridlock?" "Forgive me, sir." Gridlock murmured, as he glared at Pike. "It's just that Pike has failed to hunt down Black, and even cost us six stallions. I've volunteered myself to hunt Black down myself and finish this." "I see..." Father nodded. "...I appreciate the sentiment, but I believe you shouldn't be so hasty, Gridlock." "H-how do you mean, sir?" Gridlock asked nervously. "I mean, jumping the gun and destroying a whole town just to get to one stallion, no matter how dangerous, seems a tad excessive." Father declared. "We should take a moment to consider our options before making such a rash decision." "What?! But Father, we must strike while the iron is hot." Gridlock cringed. "Must we?" Father inquired. "No, I don't believe we must. I say we allow Pike to continue heading this manhunt. In spite of the Black Sheep's less than stellar reputation, Pike had shown great stride in keeping the group in line. In fact, I have the utmost confidence in his abilities. In time, I trust he will find Black and smite him in the name of the Forefathers." "Thank you, sir." Pike bowed. "Good to know somepony around here appreciates my skills..." "But sir-" Gridlock started. "Now, Gridlock, you know full well that you and the other Ouroboros have much better things to do than torch a village." Father said firmly. "Frankly, we shouldn't be bothered with wasting our time on such an endeavor." "But Black is most likely still in Prairieville." Gridlock protested. "I doubt that very much." Father countered. "Black is not only a powerful adversary to have taken down one of our own while he was wearing one of Loveless's best creations, but a cunning one too. He probably left Prairieville the instant he realized we had discovered him. Burning the town to the ground would amount to nothing more than unnecessary bloodshed, which I'm certain none of us wants. Wouldn't you agree?" "...Yes, Father." Gridlock sighed, defeated. "I'm glad you saw sense in this matter." Father nodded, before turning to Pike. "Mr. Redfield, I trust you will not be as foolishly reckless as Six Shooter? I daresay we've had even more casualties than usual lately. While our crusade will no doubt incur losses, I'd prefer not to lose too many at one time." "Don't worry yourself, Father." Pike smirked. "I've never lost a target yet, and I don't intend to start now." "Excellent." Father smiled under his hood. "Then off you go." "I won't let you down." Pike pledged. "Black is as good as dead." As Pike left, Father turned to the others. "Now that's the kind of dedication I like to see." He remarked. "Oh, yeah." Gridlock muttered under his breath. "He's just great..." "He had better succeed this time." Harlhooves frowned. "Black Knight is too dangerous an adversary to be allowed to roam free." "If Father believes in him, then so do I." Loveless declared. "Me too." Dysley nodded. "If Father saw fit to allow my ascension, then he clearly knows what he's doing." "Friendly advice, newbie." Gridlock growled. "Nopony likes a suck-up." "But this pony does appreciate devotion." Father added. "And I fully expect you all to remain as devoted to our cause as Pike is to his hunt." "Yes, Father." The Ouroboros bowed. "Excellent." Father smiled. "Soon, we will have one less pest to deal with..." The next day, Black awoke in his quarters. 'I miss my old bed, back in Prairieville.' He thought, as he got out of bed. 'Come to think of it, there's a lot about Prairieville I'm missing right now...' He added, melancholy thoughts of the morning kisses Belle would give him running through his head. 'Belle, I hope you're okay. I never wanted to break your heart, but if it keeps you safe, I have no other choice...' After washing his face in the adjacent bathroom, Black headed for the meeting room. Ballista had returned to his role as General in the RDL, meaning it was just Black and his old friends, together again. "Good morning, Black." Elite greeted him. "Sleep well?" "Not really." Black shrugged. "I'm sorry if the bed was a little lumpy." Elite declared. "We could have it replaced, if you'd like..." "It wasn't the bed that was keeping me from sleeping." Black said bluntly. "...I see." Elite sighed, understanding what Black was getting at. "Nopony expects you to get over all this so quickly. But once you get back into the swing of things, immerse yourself in your missions, I have no doubt that the pain will at least dull a little." "Like I have a choice either way." Black sighed. "Speaking of, you got anything for me?" "Indeed we do." Shadow spoke up. "After their big scheme over in Reinadh went kaput, the Forefathers have been quiet. But we've picked up some interesting chatter from our sources recently, suggesting that they're consolidating their resources and coming up with new plans." "Yeah, after what happened in Prairieville, I guess I should've known they wouldn't give up so easily." Black declared. "We've gotten word that there's a warehouse, just outside of Whinnyapolis, where some of their flunkies are gathering." Micro declared. "We need you to get in there and try to squeeze some information out of them." "With pleasure." Black smirked. "After the last couple of days, I need somepony to hit." "But I don't think I need to remind you of the need for secrecy." Shadow declared. "Most of the world believes Black Knight Paladin to be dead, after all. And it's in our best interests to keep it that way." "So how are we going to do that?" Black asked. "Simple." Elite pulled out a dull gray cloak. "...Seriously?" Black cringed. "A cloak? What, are you all out of ponchos?" "I like cloaks." Elite frowned. "Yeah, well, I don't." Black retorted. "It's the best we can do for now." Elite shrugged. "But at least it'll cover you up." "And it'll give me just one more frustration to take out on those Forefather flunkies." Black growled, reluctantly donning the cloak. "That's the spirit, I guess..." Armory shrugged. "Now, I've got a couple of tools for the occasion." He held up some items. "Graphite lockpick, a special foam for disabling the security systems' circuit boards, and of course... good old Homer." He held up the ropedart gun. "Ah, that takes me back." Black smiled. "Prairieville was a nice place, but it was sorely lacking in the latest tech." "How did you ever survive?" Armory joked. "I had... help." Black's smile faded. "Oh... I'm sorry, Black." Armory frowned. "I didn't think..." "It's okay, pal." Black sighed. "Let's just... get to work." "Of course." Micro said awkwardly. "The warehouse's security system isn't anything you haven't seen before. You should be able to handle it without any trouble." "But there may be more than a few of the Forefathers' agents inside, so be careful." Shadow added. "Don't worry about me." Black said grimly. "This is what I do..." That afternoon, Black arrived in Whinnyapolis, making a beeline for the warehouse. The cloak was ungainly, inhibiting his movements, and he felt like he could barely breathe through the cloth around his muzzle. 'Lousy thing.' He thought. 'Well, at least nopony will know I'm wearing it...' Black made it to the rear of the warehouse. He opened up the panel of the security system by the door, disabling it with the foam. Then he used the lockpick to open the door. As he snuck into the warehouse, he saw shadows in a room near the south side. "Time for a little stress relief..." Black whispered. Black kicked open the door. Half a dozen agents turned to look upon him. "Alright, hoof-draggers." Black snarled. "I'm looking for applicants for sharing intel, and getting beaten up. Please form two orderly queues. And I'd prefer if one were longer than the other, if you catch my drift." "Get the intruder!" One stallion yelled. The agents charged. "Don't rush." Black declared, punching one out in one blow. "There's plenty for everypony." It was barely a fight, by Black's standards; He took out most of them in one hit. The last one proved tougher, dancing around Black with ease. "Can't hit what you can't see!" The stallion sneered. "Right back at ya!" Black sprayed some of the foam in the stallion's eyes. "Ahh!" The stallion yelled. "It burns!" "This should help with the pain." Black punched him out. He looked upon the unconscious agents with glee. "I feel better already." Black returned to base with some small pieces of information. "Not much there." Micro Manager frowned. "It's all I could find." Black shrugged. "I'll have a good look at it." Micro Manager declared. "There may yet be a clue of some kind..." "Good work out there, Black." Elite smiled. "Good to see your sabbatical didn't leave you rusty." "I'll admit, it did feel kinda good to get back into the game." Black smiled. "Even took my mind off things a little..." "Well, lucky for you, there'll no doubt be more to come." Elite declared. "But for now, take a rest. You've earned it." "Don't have to tell me twice." Black pulled off his cloak. "At least I can take this dumb thing off..." "Some ponies just don't understand fashion..." Elite sighed. Early the next morning, over at the warehouse, Pike was inspecting Black's work. The agents had informed the Ouroboros of what had happened, and in turn, the Ouroboros had sent Pike to check it out. "Not wasting time, eh?" He mused, surveying the damage caused by the battle. "Getting right back into the game..." Pike stepped outside, smirking. "Not that it'll do ya any good." Pike smirked. "After boosting the paperwork from here, there's only one place you could go next..." "Talking to yourself? What are ya, crazy?" "Who's there?!" Pike turned. Standing before Pike was a lean stallion with a gray coat, white, straggly mane, and yellow tinged glasses... it was none other than Scalphunter Insidious. "Fancy running into you here." Scalphunter smirked. "Oh, great." Pike groaned. "This guy." "So what's happening, Pikey-likey?" Scalphunter asked. "Since you asked, I'm in the middle of an assignment." Pike said flatly. "I'm tracking down a high-profile target for the Forefather." "Ooh, listen to you." Scalphunter snickered. "Always so professional. Bet when you find the guy, you'll just go right for the kill." "Uh, yeah." Pike snorted. "That's kinda the point of being a hitstallion." "Boring!" Scalphunter spat. "You gotta have a little fun before you take the mark down. Play with your food a little, know what I mean?" "Yeah, like I'm gonna take advice from a certified whackjob." Pike sneered. "You do things your way, and I'll do them mine." "My way being the fun way, and yours being the boring way." Scalphunter retorted. "Whatever." Pike scoffed, walking away. "I'd say 'have fun', but that'd be wishful thinking." Scalphunter taunted him. "Oh, I'll have fun, alright." Pike smirked. "Sane fun..." A couple of days later, Black was preparing for his next mission. Micro had learned that the Forefathers had a more important base in Trottingham, located in a disused factory, which was suggested to hold much information about the Forefathers' plans. Black was currently going over the factory layout with Micro. "Now, the rear door operates on a left hinge system." Micro declared. "So you should utilise your lockpick at thirty degree angle..." As always, Black struggled to stay awake. 'I'd forgotten how boring these sessions were...' He thought. Elite then entered the room. "Sorry to cut this short, but Armory has a little something he'd like to show Black." He declared. "Oh, really?" Black said, trying to hide his relief. "Sorry, Micro, Gotta take care of this..." "Oh, that's okay." Micro smiled. "We can finish this afterwards." "Yeah, sure..." Black rolled his eyes. Black followed Elite down the corridors, to Armory's workshop. "Hey, Black." Armory smiled, as he entered. "What kind of gizmo you got for me this time, Armory?" Black asked. "Little bit more than a gizmo, Black." Armory declared. "See, fighting Stable in his suit got me to thinking. I thinking we should have an awesome suit of our own. Only not so big and clunky...." Armory pulled a suit, and the east wall opened up, revealing a black suit with armor plating, complete with matching helmet. "I call this the 'Dreadnought' armor." Armory declared. "Prototype version, of course." "Looks good." Black noted. "It doesn't just look good." Armory smiled. "It's packing mithril plating, making it virtually indestructible. It boasts several compartments to store weapons and gear. And it can also withstand temperatures of up to 1000 degrees." To emphasise the point, a stream of fire emerged from beneath the suit. When it cleared, the suit was perfectly fine. "Completely crossbow bolt-proof." Armory continued, as automatic crossbows fired ineffectually at it. "And smudge resistant, too. That's a new feature." "Okay, I'm impressed." Black noted. "As for the helmet, it comes with a retractable visor to mask your identity and alter your voice." Armory declared. "And it also makes you look really cool." "You've outdone yourself this time, Armory." Elite smiled. "A real masterpiece." "Yeah, not bad." Black admitted. "Well, there are still a few bugs to work out." Armory frowned. "For starters, it takes a while to get it all bolted on. You gotta do it bit by bit. Definitely something I'll have to work on for the next model." "It'll do for now, though." Black shrugged. "Anything beats that musty cloak." "Then by all means, suit up." Elite declared. Armory was right about the time it took to don the outfit. It took almost five minutes to complete the effort. "Finally." Black donned the helmet. "Now, how do ya lower the visor?" "There's a little button on the right side." Armory declared, pressing the button. The visor unfolded over Black's muzzle. "Nice." Black grinned, his voice distorted. "Now, time to take it for a test drive..." "Good luck, Black." Elite smiled. "And try to bring it back in one piece." Armory added. "I still need to make improvements!" "No promises." Black smirked. After reluctantly finishing his briefing with Micro, Black arrived in Trottingham by evening. The suit was a little tight in places, but allowed him a decent range of movement. 'It's better than that buckin' cloak, at least...' Black thought. As Black walked through the streets, he noticed some passersby glancing at his suit, clearly bemused by it. 'Guess the natives aren't very fashion-forward.' Black thought. 'But I'm here to work, not be a runway model.' The factory was located in the town's older district. Following Micro's instructions, he slipped in through the back door. As he entered the factory, he saw that it was empty; Black could only see old, rusty contraptions gathering dust, a single light illuminating the area. 'Okay, that's weird.' Black frowned. 'Figured there had to be some flunkies guarding the place. So where are they?' "Ah, the guest of honor, at last." "Who's there?" Black looked around. As Black turned his gaze to the right, he saw the owner of the voice. Pike was just sitting there, on a sitting stool, sharpening his same 'spike-like' blade, as he then glanced up at Black. "Well, isn't this a pleasant surprise?" Pike sneered. "Black Knight Paladin, as I live and breathe." "You must be mistaken..." Black growled. "I'm not this Paladin guy. He's dead." "Oh, please." Pike snorted. "You think that fancy tin can can fool me? I could tell it was you just by the way you operate. No amount of armor can hide that. And also, that helmet makes you look like Nagneto." "Watch it, pal." Black glared, as he then raised his visor, unmasking his voice and face. "A close personal friend of mine made this, and I won't let you insult his work." "Geez, touchy." Pike sneered. "Kudos on the 'faking your death' thing, by the way. You had all of us fooled for a while... too bad you didn't actually die, though." "Gee, thanks." Black scowled. "Now, what do you want? I doubt you came here just to congratulate me." "On the contrary." Pike smirked. "The Forefathers want you dead, and I'm the stallion who's gonna make that happen." "Easy to say, not so easy to back up." Black sneered. "Give it your best shot." "Oh, I will." Pike chuckled darkly. "And before I forget to ask, just who are you?" Black asked. "I typically like to know who I've clobbered." "The name's Pike Redfield." Pike declared, rising up and sheathing his blade. "Remember it. Because it'll be the last name you'll ever hear." "We'll see about that." Black sneered. "Don't forget, I'm the one in armor." "I love a challenge." Pike held up a tricked-out crossbow. "What is that?" Black frowned. "Cerberus assault bowgun." Pike declared, pointing the crossbow at him. "State of the art bang-bang." Despite the armor, Black instinctively leapt aside as Pike fired. The bolt, charged by magic, exploded as it struck a conveyor belt. "Think your fancy suit can stand up to that?" Pike taunted. "It won't have to." Black pulled out his own crossbow. Black fired a bolt, but Pike dodged, and retaliated. Black jumped, but the blast was close, and propelled him into the air. "See if you can outrun this!" Pike snarled, firing again. Black ducked, avoiding another hit. He fired back, but Pike dodged again. Pike's returned fire was even closer, the force of the explosion knocking away Black's crossbow. "Gotcha now..." Pike sneered. 'Enough of this' Black thought, pulling out the ropedart gun. "Sayonara, Nagneto!" Pike aimed the crossbow for one last hit. Black rolled to the side, fired the ropedart gun. The dart tore through the midsection of Pike's weapon. Black then tugged, pulling it out of Pike's hooves and across the factory. The loaded bolt exploded as it hit the ground, destroying the weapon. "Aww..." Pike groaned as he glared at Black. "Up for a little hoof-to-hoof?" Black smirked. "Bring it on!" Pike snarled, as he donned brass knuckles, "I'm always down for some ass-kicking!" The two stallions charged each other, and started exchanging blows. Pike's brass knuckles increased his hitting power to the point where Black could actually feel the blows through the armor. It didn't help that Pike was aiming for the gaps between the armor segments, hitting him where he was most vulnerable. "That tin can can't protect you forever!" Pike spat, hitting Black in the stomach. "It'll do the job long enough for me to take you down!" Black roared, punching Pike in the face and cracking one of his glasses' lenses. "Ack..." PIke growled. "Wanna bet?!" He leapt at Black, kicking him across the factory and behind a conveyor belt. He rushed to attack again, but found that Black wasn't there. "What the-?" He frowned, before his opponent jumped him from behind, having rolled under the conveyor belt. "Guess who?" Black grabbed Pike by the neck. "What is this craaaaaap?!" Pike yelled, as Black threw him through a window. "This is pain!" Black leapt at Pike. Pike caught Black with his back hooves. "Pain is my friend." He sneered. "Shall I introduce you?" Pike threw Black back with his rear hooves, then leapt at him, punching off his helmet. "I can see why you wore that." He spat. "You're one ugly sonuva-" Black responded with a headbutt. "That's it..." Pike snarled. "Playtime's over." "I was just getting warmed up too." Black added, tackling Pike. The two stallions pummelled each other fiercely for minutes on end, punching, kicking, headbutting and even biting. Before long, both stallions were bruised, bloodied and near exhaustion. "Gotta admit, I'm impressed." Pike panted. "You're tougher than I thought... and I thought you'd be plenty tough." "I aim to please." Black smirked. "Besides, you put up a pretty decent fight yourself." "It's not often you get to fight a worthy opponent, is it?" Pike asked. "It's the same with me. We're two of a kind, you and I. Taking you on has been a real joy." "Thanks." Black said flatly. "But flattery won't get me to go easy on you. I'm gonna put an end to this fight. Right here, right now." "Yeah, I'm gonna haveta take a rain check on that." Pike declared. "Thinking of running away?" Black sneered. "What are you, too chicken to take this to the bitter end?" "Not even close." Pike scowled. "I just had so much fun tonight, I'm not ready to have it end so soon." "You say that like you have a choice." Black spat. "I won't let you get away, pal." "Oh, don't worry." Pike held up a white sphere. "You'll be seeing me again soon enough." Pike threw the sphere onto the ground. It exploded into a cloud of dust. "What the-?!" Black coughed. As the dust cleared, Black saw that Pike had escaped. "Oh, just great." He groaned. "This is the last thing I need..." The present... "So he got away?" Caboose asked. "Typical bad guy move..." "Spineless cowards." Fletcher spat. "Oh, yeah." Black nodded. "But like the guy said, I saw him again real soon. And as it turned out, he was actually the least of my worries..." "How do you mean?" Fletcher frowned. "By my reckoning, it would still be some time before your, ah... fall." "You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Black raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that part was still a ways away. Didn't mean things couldn't get plenty bad in between." "Indeed." Elite nodded. "Things got pretty wild after that." "So make yourselves comfortable." Black declared. "Oh, I'm already comfortable!" Caboose tilted his recliner again. "Get ready." Black told them. "This is where things get complicated..."