//------------------------------// // Diamond Dogs // Story: The Ghost Of Me // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// The next morning, after sleeping in the guest quarters, Caboose and Fletcher made their way to the mess hall and were eating breakfast. "Mmm, this is some good eats." Caboose declared, working his way through a stack of pancakes. "I must admit, it is quite delicious." Fletcher agreed, digging into his oatmeal and honey. "It seems they've spared no expense when it comes to resident chefs." "If you ask me, they went all out on all of this stuff." Caboose grinned. "Rec room, fancy beds, training area... boy, they thought of everything!" "It would appear so." Fletcher agreed. "Quite an exceptional installation." "You wouldn't believe the rent, though." A familiar voice joked. Caboose and Fletcher glanced at Black as he took a seat across them. "Black, how are you feeling?" Fletcher asked. "I know it must had been hard going over your brother's death like that." "It's nothing, Fletcher." Black shrugged somberly. "Like you said, it's best that I tell you everything before you make your decision. Speaking of which, are you two ready to hear more?" "Not if you don't want to tell us." Fletcher frowned, "Despite what I said, I do not wish for you to bring up any old scars just for our sake." "Yeah, we know it's gotta be hard for you to talk about all this." Caboose added. "Almost as hard as having to watch yet another rehash of a sappy 80s cartoon..." "Quite the contrary, it feels actually good to let all this out. I hadn't really anypony else but the Taskforce to tell all this to." Black admitted, "Trust me, I'll be fine." "Then by all means, continue." Fletcher nodded. "You got it." Black nodded. Many years ago... It was a rather rough time following his brother's demise. In spite of White revealing that he had still loved him, it had done little to ease the pain of the loss. Even though he felt a bit of happiness that his brother didn't die hating him, he felt great shame knowing that he did die believing he had done those things out of hatred or spite, and forced White to test that love. With that said, it had an detrimental effect on his duties. That thrill he got when he was fighting ne'er do wells and the many agents of the Forefathers no longer came. In fact, he felt nothing. It was as if his brother's death had sapped all the fun out of it. Nonetheless, he continued to give every fight his all, in hopes that his guilt and sorrow would be drowned out by the sound of breaking bones. And for a short, fleeting moment, they were. But it never lasted. Furthermore, he no longer enjoyed the feeling of companionship on his missions, and insisted on conducting missions solo. This of course made the others concerned, especially one morning, when Black came into debriefing. "Okay Black, we've gotten word of an underground club in Manehattan where the Forefathers' flunkies like to hang out." Elite revealed. "You and Armory are to infiltrate the bar and bring some of the patrons back so we can get some information out of them." "Sounds good." Black nodded. "Except for one thing: I'm going alone." "...What?" Armory frowned. "Nothing personal, pal." Black declared. "I'm just done with two-pony mission. And let's face it, I've always done my best work solo." "Really?" Elite sighed. "Black, you can't keep going it alone." "Watch me." Black glared. "Sometimes, you need a partner in the field." Shadow declared. "Exactly." Micro nodded. "Statistically speaking, two provides much better odds than one." "Except I'd have to worry about my partner." Black countered. "Diverting focus from completing the mission." "Crikey, you're more stubborn than usual today." Ballista sighed. "Hey, you can't make me take a partner." Black growled. "And if you try, I'll just walk out that door, and you'll never see me again." "...Fine." Elite groaned. "No partner. But we're not done talking about this." "Had a feeling you'd say that." Black snorted. "Rrrf." Titan ruffed quietly, his brow furrowed. Black travelled to Manehattan soon after. The underground club was in a disused bomb shelter. Black sneaked over to the shelter, finding several stallion gathered in an old set of barracks. 'Time for the old blind-and-bash.' He smirked, readying a smoke bomb. Black flung the bomb into the barracks, where it exploded. "What the buck?!" One of the stallions inside coughed. Black charged in, using his infra-red visor to target and take down each one of the ponies within. He didn't say a word the whole time, just focusing on inflicting as much pain as possible. 'This is what happens when you work for the bad guys.' He thought coldly, as he punched one hard enough to break his nose. 'No mercy...' Before long, all the patrons were out. Black grabbed one at random, tied him up and carried him back to Headquarters. "Here's your special delivery." He tossed the stallion to Elite. "Have fun." "Seems like you had all the fun." Ballista noted the stallion's bruises. "More than usual, actually." "So I had a little aggression to work off." Black scowled. "So sue me." "...Well, now that you're back, maybe you'd like to see one of the new gadgets I'm working on..." Armory suggested. "I'll pass, thanks." Black said flatly. "Black, I must speak with you-" Micro started. "Later." Black scowled. "How about a game of pool, and a nice chat?" Shadow offered. "Not in the mood." Black walked right past him. "Okay, not the outcome I was hoping for." Armory frowned. "I'd forgotten how rude he could be..." Micro sighed. "I'd talk to him myself, but I have work to do." Ballista carried away the thug. "Now what, sir?" Shadow asked Elite. "Now what indeed..." Elite mused. Black marched off down the corridors, making a beeline for his room. He was moments from opening the door... when his face bumped into something. "Ugh, what the-?" Black rubbed his face glanced at the opening in front of his door, not seeing what he just bumped into. The doorway was sitll clear. He tried walking forward again... only for something to push him back. "Okay, what the hell?!" The area in front of Black shimmered, and Titan appeared, having somehow been able to camouflage himself and blend in to the surroundings. "Wha... Titan?!" Black gaped. "How did you do- How did you get-" He groaned, rubbing his snout, "Look. I've already had a long day, and I really don't need this. I just want to rest." Black tried to move past Titan, but the Diamond Dog forced him back. "Hey, let me through, Titan!" Black growled. "Rrrf." Titan folded his arms. "Ruff, ruff-ruff!" "I have no idea what you're saying." Black glared, "Now let me-" "He's saying that he's worried about you." Black let out a frustrated groan as he look behind to see Elite had joined them. "And to be honest, so are we." Elite frowned. "And how the buck would you know that?" Black challenged. "Titan doesn't even talk!" "Not in our language." Elite admitted, "But after spending quite a long time listening to his grunts and growls, understanding him becomes an acquired skill. Even you will come to understand him." "Seriously?" Black frowned. "Seriously." Elite nodded. "Once you figure out what he's saying, Titan can be quite eloquent." "Yeah, I'll bet he's a real conversationalist." Black snarked. "But I don't have time to chat right now." "Rrr-ruff!" Titan barked. "Translation?" Black asked Elite. "He said you shouldn't shut us out." Elite answered. "We know losing White was very hard on you..." "Whatever." Black scoffed. "If I wanna talk about my problems, I'll get myself a therapist." "Grrruff!" Titan growled. "Titan says you need to pull yourself together, and stop pushing your comrades away." Elite declared. "Really? You got all that from 'Grrruff'?" Black scoffed. "No offense, but I don't feel like taking advice from a dog." "Ruff-rawr! Rawr? Rawr!" Titan snarled. "Easy, Titan..." Elite soothed. "What? What did he say?" Black frowned. "...Titan says you're not the only pony in the world who lost someone close to him." Elite translated. "You think losing one brother was bad? Try losing two of them." "What? What's that supposed to mean?" Black murmured. "You see, Black, Titan was once from a small pack not far from White Tail Woods." Elite revealed. "He was from a small family, much like yours. His mom and dad passed away when he was very young. All he had was his two older brothers, who he loved very much." "...He did?" Black whispered, as he glanced at Titan, whose face was fraught with sadness, "...What happened?" "Well, it all started a long time ago." Elite declared. "In fact, it was only a few years after I met Ballista that Titan came into our lives..." Flashback... Elite and Ballista were on their way back to Quanticolt from a successful mission, traveling through some woods. Both were slimmer and more lithe, with Elite possessing all four hooves. His Cutie Mark of a hawk clutching a snake in its talon was bare for everypony to see. "Well, I think that swimmingly." The younger Elite declared. "Thanks to me." Ballista smirked, his smirk fading under Elite's glare. "But you helped too." "Stop. You'll make my head swell." Elite said flatly. "But I will admit, you handled yourself quite well out there." "So did you." Ballista admitted. "Come from a military background?" "You could say that." Elite shrugged. "Comes in handy at times." "Tell me about it." Ballista grinned. "Especially when you need to pound some ne'er-do-well into the dirt." "I guess we've both had a lot of practice in that area." Elite noted. "Oh, yeah." Ballista nodded. At that moment, they heard a rustling in some nearby bushes. "Oi, oi." Ballista frowned. "I think we've got us a stalker." "Let's not jump to conclusions." Elite declared. "It could just be a harmless forest creature." "I rather we not take chances." Ballista noted, as he drew his crossbow, "The last thing we need is some bloody terrorist getting the drop on us." "On that, we agreed." Elite nodded, as he drew his own crossbow. They neared the bushes, ready for anything... "Okay, bub, you got to the count of three to come out with your hooves up before we open fire." Ballista threatened. "...One... two... thr-" Suddenly, none other than a puppy Titan emerged, whimpering in fear. Despite his age, he was roughly the size of a full-grown St. Bernard. "What the-" Ballista frowned. "...Well, lookie here." Elite smiled, lowering his crossbow, as he approached the dog. "Hey there, little guy." "Be careful, Elite." Ballista warned. "I heard about these guys over in Londraft. Diamond Dogs they're called. They are filthy savages that will kill to get what they want. It's probably after our valuables." "Ballista, he's just a young pup." Elite chided. "I doubt it could harm a fly." "Unless it lands on a diamond." Ballista rolled his eyes. Titan shrank back, wary of these strangers. "Hey, it's okay." Elite smiled. "We won't hurt you." He pulled a wheat biscuit out of his pocket. "Hungry, little guy?" Titan sniffed as Elite held out the biscuit. He slowly edged forward, then took a nibble of it. "It's good, huh?" Elite smiled. Titan then took a big bite out of the biscuit, confirming Elite's statement. "That's it." Elite dropped the rest at his feet. "It's all yours." It took only a few seconds for Titan to finish the biscuit, as Titan tenderly approached Elite... and suddenly, he gave him a couple of happpy licks. "Okay, okay, that tickles!" Elite chuckled. "Urgh, that's vile!" Ballista gagged. "There's no telling where this mutt has been!" "Come on, Ballista, lighten up!" Elite laughed, as he petted Titan's head. "He's just saying 'thank you'!" "Yeah. Now that you're done playing with the doggie, can we go?" Ballista grimaced. "There might be more Diamond Dogs waiting to ambush us." "Ever the paranoid one, Ballista." Elite scoffed... as he then noticed a collar around Titan's neck. "Hey, take a look at this." "A collar?" Ballista frowned. "Why would there be a collar on a Diamond Dog?" "I don't know. It's not like Diamond Dogs are kept as pets." Elite shrugged, as he then noticed a metal plating on the front of the collar with ingravings, and read it. "Titanium..." He glanced at the Diamond Dog. "Is that your name, boy?" Titan gave a small whimper. "Hmm, Titanium is kind of a mouthful." Elite mused, as he smiled. "How about we call you 'Titan' for short? You seem big enough for to be one." "Ruff!" Titan yipped, the name seemingly okay with him. "Why are you naming it?" Ballista grimaced. "Chances are, 'Titanium' has an owner and he ran away. We should see if there's an address on the collar so we can take him back." "Don't be ridiculous." Elite rolled his eyes. "There's not going to be-" He saw some writing on the back of collar, which included an address. "Oh, there is." "Toldja." Ballista smirked as he glanced at the address. "Hmm, looks like this place isn't far from here. How about we get this stray back home before we head home ourselves?" "Okay, if you want to." Elite shrugged, as he then turned to Titan, "Come on, boy, let's go." Titan gave a small whine, but complied as they head off to take him home. The trio followed the directions to an old warehouse, not too far from where they found Titan. "Nice place." Ballista remarked. "Pretty spacious for a Diamond Dog to roam around." Titan whined plaintively, hiding behind Elite. "Call me crazy, but I don't think Titan wants to go back." Elite noted. "You're crazy." Ballista joked. "Besides, this is the mutt's home. Who are we to argue? Now let's get going." Ballista walked up and knocked on the door. "Hello, is anypony's home? We got your dog!" Ballista declared. There was no answer. "Looks like nopony's home." Elite noted. "Let me try this again." Ballista frowned, as he knocked again harder. "HELLO! WE GOT YOUR DOG-" Suddenly, the door broke off its hinges and fell to the floor. "Whoops." He cringed. "Eh, I'm sure they won't mind, what with us returning their pup and all..." They entered the building, Titan sticking close behind Elite. The warehouse was completely devoid of life... in fact, it looked everything that wasn't bolted down was missing. "Where is everypony?" Elite frowned. "Hello?!" Ballista called. "We found your Diamond Dog!" There was nopony to answer them. "...Ballista, something isn't right here." Elite declared. "Maybe we should go." "Not until we make sure." Ballista said stubbornly, as he then pulled out his crossbow, "Just keep your bow ready." "Okay..." Elite raised his crossbow, as he glanced back at a cowering Titan, "Stick close, Titan." The three moved deeper into the building, trying to find anypony, keeping up their guard in case of an ambush. However, it seems like the rest of the building was abandoned... until Titan began sniffing the air. "What is it, Titan?" Elite asked. Titan stopped sniffing, as his eyes widened. "Rrrf!" He barked, as he took off like a rocket. "Titan!" Elite called. "The mutt must have caught whiff of somepony. Let's follow him!" Ballista noted. Elite and Ballista followed Titan into a large room filled with medical equipment, and three cages in the corner. Titan was near the cages, sniffing through two of them... only to whimper, visibly distraught by their emptiness. "What the buck is all this?" Ballista frowned. "I don't know, but something tells me that the ponies that were here were not the vet." Elite grimaced. Titan drooped to the floor, tears beading in his eyes as he let out more whimpers. "Hey, hey, don't cry." Elite patted his head. "Whatever's wrong, I'm sure we can find a way to make it better." "Rrrroooo..." Titan squeaked. "If you only spoke pony, I might know how to help you..." Elite sighed. "Hey, Elite, look at us." Ballista declared, as he approached the two with a couple scraps of paper. "I found them on the floor. According to these, this place was once a research lab." "A research lab?" Elite murmured, "What were they researching?" "It doesn't say, but here's the kicker." Ballista declared. "Apparently, they captured three Diamond Dogs. And one of them was none other than Titanium right here." Ballista gestured to the whimpering dog. "...Oh no, they were experimenting on him and those other two, weren't they?" Elite frowned knowingly. "Yeah, those sick buckers." Ballista growled. "Look at what they were doing: Steroid injections, shock therapy, alterations of body chemistry... It looks they were trying to genetically alter them or something... and I think they succeeded." Elite took a scrap and read it. "Subject: Titanium began to show promising results of genetic mutation. Subject displays a forty percent increase in strength, thirty percent increase in speed and mobility, it's skin appears to have hardened, as well as the ability to cling to walls... and most surprisingly, the ability of camouflague himself?" "What the buck does that mean?" Ballista asked. He leaned against a stack of cages, causing it to collapse. "Crikey!" "Rrr!" Startled by the loud noise, Titan suddenly changed color, blending into the surroundings. "Whoa." Elite gasped. "Incredible..." "Where'd he go?" Ballista asked. "He's right there." Elite kneeled down. "Come on, Titan. It's okay. You can relax." Titan slowly undid his camouflage, returning to normal. "That is some trick." Ballista admitted. "What do you suppose happened here? To this lab and to the other two dogs?" Elite asked. "Your guess is as good as mine." Ballista shrugged. "But if I were a gambling stallion, something tells me that this wasn't exactly legal, and given how we found Titan not far from here, I can only assume that he broke out and when he did, the researchers panicked and cleaned house. And they did a pretty bang-up job of it." Elite glanced at the sullen dog, as he then approached them. "...Were those two dogs your friends, Titan?" Elite asked. "Rrf." Titan shook his head. He pointed to one cage with his biggest finger, then another with his middle, then himself with his little finger. "They were your family?" Elite asked. "Like your parents?" "Rrr." Titan shook his head. "Your... brothers?" Elite tried again. "Ruff." Titan nodded sadly. "Oh, you poor thing." Elite frowned. "Losing your family, and after all the pain you endured together..." "Rooo..." Titan howled. "...Let's get out of here." Ballista shook his head, "There's nothing we can do here." The three of them left the lab together, Titan still whimpering. "So what do we do with the little blighter now?" Ballista asked. "...We should bring him home with us." Elite declared firmly. "Seriously, Elite?" Ballista grimaced. "Why not?" Elite smiled. "According to those papers, they made Titan stronger in many ways. He could be a boon to the RDL." Titan's ears perked as he listened on the two's conversation. "No way." Ballista sneered. "We're a military unit, not petsitters." "Come on, B." Elite pleaded. "We can't just leave him out here on his own. He doesn't have anywhere else to go..." "I don't care." Ballista scowled. "He's not coming with us." "Roo?" Titan looked at Ballista. "Don't give me the puppy dog eyes." Ballista sneered. "It won't work..." "Ruff!" Titan hugged Ballista's chest. Despite his best efforts, Ballista felt his heart melting, as Titan nuzzled lovingly against him. "Oh, what the buck." He smiled. "I guess it wouldn't hurt." "That's the spirit." Elite smiled. "Now let's head back... all of us." "Rrrf!" Titan yipped. Flashback ends... "And that's how Titan came to be with us." Elite smiled, "He had stuck by us all these years, especially since we started the Taskforce, and he has never let us down since." "Huh, I never thought things went down that way." Black admitted. "And you never found any trace of his brothers?" "Not a one." Elite nodded sadly. "For all we know, they could be long dead." "Rooo..." Titan whined plaintively. "I'm sorry, big guy." Black comforted him. "Didn't mean to trudge up old memories." "Rrrf." Titan hugged him. "Titan says it's okay." Elite smiled. "Just remember, Black: You're not alone, no matter what. You have all of us and we will always have your back. Keep that in mind." "I'll try." Black nodded. And try he did. For the next couple of weeks, Black did try his best to remain positive. He even tried letting others join him on missions, and it was beginning to work... but there was still a gnawing emptiness in his heart that he just couldn't supress. On his way back from a solo mission to Appleloosa, Black acknowledged how near Dodge Junction was. 'Not far at all.' He noted. 'Maybe I should drop by...' Titan's backstory had struck a chord with Black. White wasn't the only family member he had left. There were others, namely Shine and Mist. 'I may not be able to see White any more, but I can still drop in on his kids.' He thought. 'It's a little late, sure, but I've got to see them... now.' As he took a detour towards Dodge Junction, Black turned on his tapeplayer, seeking to relieve the boredom until he arrived. As they pulled you out Of your oxygen tent You asked for the latest party With your silicon hump And your ten inch stump Dressed like a priest you was Todd Browning streak he was Crawling down the alley On your hands and knee I'm sure you're not protected For it's plain to see Diamond Dogs are poachers And they hide behind trees Hunt you to the ground they will Mannequins with kill appeal Will they come? I keep a friend serene Will they come? Oh baby, come unto me Will they come? Well, she's come, been and gone Come out of the garden baby You'll catch a death in the fog Young girl, they call them The Diamond Dogs Young girl, they call them The Diamond Dogs 'Yeesh, who wrote these lyrics?' Black shook his head. 'I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure Diamond Dogs don't hunt ponies... It's a good song though. And surprising fitting right now. Rookie chose it well.' Black reached Dodge Junction at around midnight. The streets were quiet and empty, allowing Black to make his way through main street, on a direct line to Big Red's homestead. He had been keeping tabs on things, and learned that Big Red had become Shine and Mist's guardian, which of course made it easier for him to go and see them. 'Gotta give you credit, Red.' He thought to himself. 'Never really saw you as the paternal type. Then again, I know you'd hate for those kids to wind up in some foster home. And that's a good thing. Means their old uncle can drop by for a visit...' Black expertly slipped inside the house. 'Now, where are those kids?' He thought. As quietly as a cat, Black made his way upstairs. The first door he tried led to Big Red's room. 'Whoops.' He thought. 'No offense, big guy, but you're not who I'm here to see...' Black slowly closed the door, then tried the next room. He saw Shine lying in bed, fast asleep. 'There's the chip off the old block. Nice to know he's still doing fine.' Black smiled as he tiptoed over to Shine's bed. He tucked Shine in a little tighter, then stroked his mane. 'Stay strong, kiddo. Make your dad proud...' Black left Shine's room. 'Just one more stop to make...' He thought. He entered Mist's room, finding her sleeping peacefully in her crib. 'Wow, what an adorable little filly.' He thought. 'She looks a lot like her mom, but there's definitely some of her dad in her... for all the good that does her. Poor thing'll never know her parents. At least Shade will know his mother, but Mist...' Black reached into the crib, gently lifting Mist out. The filly fidgeted, not liking being deprived of her warm blanket. "Shh, shh, shh." Black held her close. "It's okay. Uncle Black's got you..." "Mrrr..." Mist mubled, nuzzling against Black's chest. "That's it." Black smiled. "You just relax. I've got you. You'll be just fine, little lady. As long as you have your brother, Big Red and me, nothing bad'll ever happen to you. I promise..." Black was broken out of his whispering by a squeaking floorboard. Judging by the sound of thudding hooves, Black surmised that Big Red was awake. 'Sounds like he's heading this way.' He thought. 'Not good.' Black eased into the corner of the room, waiting for the door to open. As Big Red entered, Black tripped him up. "Holy bu-" Big Red started to curse, before Black covered his mouth with a hoof. "Shh... you'll wake her..." Big Red looked up, and gawped in shock at Black. Black slowly took his other hoof off Big Red's mouth. "...Black?" Big Red gaped. "What the...? How..." "What?" Black smirked. "You look like you've seen a ghost." "Black... Ah can't believe it... it's actually you... yer alive." Big Red stuttered as he stood up. "Ah, yes." Black nodded. "I'm afraid details pertaining to my fate were greatly exaggerated..." "Black, Ah have so many questions-" Big Red declared. "Can we talk elsewhere?" Black suggested. "We wouldn't want to wake the little tyke." Black tenderly placed Mist in her crib, tucking her in. He and Big Red then went downstairs. Black glanced at an old photo on the mantle, showing White and his family. Big Red brought in two glasses of cherry wine form the kitchen, offering one to him. "Cherry wine?" Big Red asked. "Thank you." Black took the glass, and sipped the wine. "Ah, it's been a while since I drank your family's homemade wine... I missed it." "Ah'm sure ya did..." Big Red chuckled lightly. "So... what happened ta you? All this time, Ah thought you were dead... all of us did..." "Well, surely my 'brother' told you all that had happened... I couldn't really just come back home, now could I?" Black declared. "So it's true... what happened back in Saddle Arabia..." Big Red sighed. "It was a necessary measure that needed to be carried out." Black repeated his cover story. "Measure?" Big Red repeated. "Black... you done killed innocent ponies. A whole village of 'em." "They were harboring Changelings, Red." Black retorted. "If we allowed those Changelings into our society, they would create cracks within our system, and devastate us from within, like a virus." "But what about Rookie?" Big Red asked, causing Black to stiffen. "White cared deeply for that boy. He gave that necklace a' his to his own son, to carry on his spirit... and you, of all ponies, are the reason it came ta be." "Speaking of sons, I saw that White did quite nicely for himself." Black glanced at the photo of White and the family. He knew he had to feign ignorance of White's life since they parted. "A drop-dead gorgeous mare for a wife, two cute kids, a house on the plains..." He glanced deeply at Shine. "A real chip of the old block, that Shine." "Yeah, Shine is really a good colt." Big Red agreed. "Takes after his old stallion in so many ways..." He suddenly frowned. "If only White and Silver were still here..." "Well, surely if they were still here, White would have me sent off to prison... that traitorous bucker..." Black muttered. It hurt to do it, but Black had to pretend to despise White for his actions. "Black!" Big Red gasped. "He wuz doin' the right thing! You of all ponies oughta know that!" "Oh come on, you're actually taking his side in this?" Black sneered, although he completely agreed with him. "He sold me out so he would feel better about himself! Weren't you the one who told us before we left for war to look out for each other?! I did my part! White was the one who turned his back on me!" "Don't pin this all on White." Big Red countered. "Maybe if Ah had done more ta help ya when Ah first noticed what ya were turnin' inta, none a' this woulda happened." "What are you talkin' about…?" Black glanced at him warily. "Black, ever since that day with the Griffon, Ah started to see something different in you." Big Red whispered. "The happy, friendly colt Ah used to know slowly disappeared, and wuz replaced by a cold, cruel bully. Fer the first time, Ah was becoming afraid of mah own best friend…" Black went silent for a moment. In truth, he hadn't thought about that day in years. The Griffon in question was just a thug that he admittingly went overboard in punishing, but only because he had hurt Big Red. He never knew why, but Griffons and him never got along and Griffons like him (his name was Lunar or something) only worsen his opinions of them. "...I'm sorry I made you feel that way." Black whispered. "...It was never my intention to frighten you." "It's not too late, Black." Big Red pressed forward. "Ya can go back to Canterlot and turn yerself in. Ah'm sure Celestia will take it easy on you if ya do." "I'm afraid I cannot do that." Black muttered. "I have big plans, and none of them involves me being behind bars for the rest of my life." "Come on, Black." Big Red urged. "What would White think?" "Don't care." Black snorted. He wanted to bite his tongue for that remark. "Then what about Shine and Mist?" Big Red glared. "Like it or not, Black, you're the only living Paladin they have left." "I'm sorry, Red... I have to do this." Black said solemnly. "Then don't do it! If not for White, and not for the kids, then don't do it fer me." Big Red pressed on, trying his best to not get teary-eyed, "Black... Ah don't want to lose any more of mah best friends..." Black let his facade slip for a moment, swimming in nostalgia. "Same ol' Red." He smiled. "Never change." Big Red grinned. 'Sorry about this...' Black thought, as he struck him with a sucker pounch. "Gah..." Big Red moaned, twisting from the blow. "Nerds." He fell to the ground, unconscious. "I hated to do that, Red." Black sighed. "But I've hung around here long enough. Time to put things to bed. Starting with you..." Black picked up Big Red and carried him to his bedroom. "Geez, you're really living up to your name, huh?" Black groaned. Black placed Big Red on his bed. "Okay, one last thing before I go." He declared. Black grabbed a piece of paper, and wrote a message on it: "Goodbye, Red… Look After Everypony for Me." He placed the note on the bedside dresser. 'See ya around, big guy...' He thought. As Black left the homestead, reflecting on what had happened. 'So much for just seeing the kids.' He thought. 'Now Big Red knows I'm alive... But maybe he won't tell anypony. Even after everything, he still treated me like a friend. And I sucker-punched him. Real nice, Black...' Suddenly, he was tackled and pinned to the ground by an unknown assailant. "You're under arrest, pal!" A familiar voice rang out as one of Black's hooves was pressed against his back. 'Wait, is that...?' Black thought, before smiling. "Still got it, huh, Marshall?" "What?" Marshall gasped, loosening his grip in surprise, allowing Black to get up. "Black?" "Miss me, Marshmallow?" Black smirked. "You're alive?!" Marshall gasped. "Yep." Black nodded. "Can't keep a good stallion down." "What... how... White told us how he threw you out a buckin' window and off a cliff!" Marshall stammered. "Trust me, even I have trouble explainin' that." Black chuckled. "Yet here you are." Marshall frowned, before he glared at him. "You have some nerve comin' back here, after what you did!" "Oh, not you too, Marshall." Black rolled his eyes, "At least Big Red was nice about it all, when I talked to him." "Big Red?" Marshall gasped. "What did you do to him?!" "I did nothing. I was just in the neighborhood and I decided to drop him a visit." Black declared. "And see my niece and nephew... that's some good kids White sired..." "I swear, if you've hurt any of them, I'll..." Marshall growled. "Hurt them? Now why would I hurt two adorable kids and my best... once best friend? My beef was only with White... and nature took care of him for me." Black gave a small scoff. "Forgive me for the assumption." Marshall sneered sarcastically. "It's only after hearing how you murdered an entire village of innocent ponies. I'm not sure if I even know you anymore...." "Hey, don't be like that." Black gave a smirk. "I'm still me... except for the eye-patch and some scars here and there." "Is all of this just a big fat joke to you?!" Marshall pressed forward. "You betrayed everything your father believed in! Not to mention the RDL, Equestria, Celestia, your own brother... and you betrayed me!" "You?" Black frowned. "How did I do that?" "I always looked up to you, Black!" Marshall barked, his eyes growing misty. "You were the pony I wanted to be! Brave, strong, witty, charming... I became sheriff because I wanted to protect ponies, just like you and White... and then, you go 'round killing ponies over a bunch of Changelings?! That's... that's unforgivable, Black." Black fell silent for a moment. 'Well, look who's toughened up...' "Hmph, funny. I didn't expect this." He scoffed. "Expect what?" Marshall growled. "You turnin' into this cold, bitter cop." Black mused. "When I last left you, you were so cheerful and full of light. And now... all of that anger and resentment. Big Red hasn't changed one bit when I saw him." "Oh, shut up!" Marshall snapped. "I'm goin' to run you in for treason and attempted regicide! May Faust have mercy on your soul when you are cast into Tartarus!" "Wow, you're not even going to give me a chance to turn myself in? Didn't our friendship mean anything?" Black mock pouted. "You should have thought of that before, traitor!" Marshall barked. "Hey, don't be mad at me, just because you're mad at Big Red!" Black snapped. "...Excuse me?" Marshall whispered harshly. "Oh, don't bother denying it." Black sneered. "I know full well you've always had it bad for Cherry." "You... do?" Marshall froze. "It was obvious, what with you always mooning over her like a lovesick puppy." Black shrugged. "And it was equally obvious how much you resented Red for always being around her, even though it was your own fault for never making a move." "My fault?" Marshall glared. "Yeah." Black nodded. "If you weren't such a coward, maybe things would've turned out different." "You're calling me a coward?" Marshall growled. "And why not?" Black smirked. "Maybe if you had the guts to actually tell Cherry how you feel, things might've turned out differently." "You..." Marshall gasped. "But instead, you threw yourself into being a sheriff, just like your dear ol' daddy." Black sighed dramatically. "Still tryin' to earn the old guy's approval after all this time, huh?" "Don't you dare-" Marshall snarled. "Which brings me back to my original point." Black smirked. "You've got in for Red for getting Cherry instead of you. That kind of pent up anger isn't healthy, you know. If you don't let it out sometime soon, there'll be trouble." "Like I'm going to take advice from a fugitive criminal." Marshall spat. "And here we go again." Black rolled his eyes. "Red was at least nice about condemning me. Then again, Red was always better than you at everything, wasn't he?" "Shut up." Marshall seethed. "A better friend, a better worker, a better stallion..." Black rolled off. "Quiet!" Marshall yelled. "You, on the other hoof, are distinctly second-rate." Black sneered. "You were always the weak link of the Cherry Cavalry, and we all knew it. Even Cherry." Marshall was silent, his body quivering with rage. "Well, it's been great catching up." Black said pleasantly. "But I really must be moseying along now." "You're not going anywhere." Marshall raised his hooves. "I'm taking you in. By force, if necessary." "Go ahead and try." Black snorted. "I could do with a laugh." "Gladly." Marshall nodded. "We'll see who's the weak link here!" Marshall lunged forward, grabbing Black. They briefly struggled, before Black managed to land a kick in Marshall's side. Marshall staggered back, winded. Black took the opportunity to launch another kick, catching Marshall in the face. While Marshall was reeling from that, Black bodychecked him, knocking him to the ground. "...This is truly pitiful." Black shook his head, as he glanced down at his defeated friend. "I hope you take what I said to heart, Marshmallow. Because you will certainly lose more friends if you don't." "Oh, buck you..." Marshall hissed. "On the bright side, at least I helped you let out some of that anger of yours." Black smirked. Black made his escape, zigzagging through the cherry trees, and vanishing into the night. 'I forget how much fun it was to rile that guy up.' He thought. 'Looks like I got an unexpected bonus from this trip...' The present... "Well, that was quite a reunion." Fletcher noted. "Yeah, it was." Black sighed. "I hadn't meant for things to escalate that far, but it felt strangely good to let out some of my frustrations on Marshall." "It did?" Caboose frowned. "Yeah." Black nodded. "Beating up faceless goons just wasn't doing it for me by then. But pounding somepony with a name, even somepony I knew- and had some unresolved issues with - made me feel a lot better." "I can't say I really approve of that mindset." Fletcher remarked. "Me neither." Black admitted. "But I was in a dark place at that time, and little did I know, I could only fall farther into darkness." "How far?" Caboose asked. "Oh, you'll find out." Black noted. "But I think I'll let you finish your breakfast first. Trust me, what comes next is not for the faint of stomach." "That's very considerate of you." Fletcher smiled. "So... Big Red and Marshall knew you were alive... yet they didn't tell anypony?" Caboose frowned. "That sounds like a pretty big plot hole." "Well, it's not like they could prove that I was alive." Black shrugged, "But I assume they had their own reasons for not telling... and I am grateful for that. The last thing I needed was the Forefathers targeting them... even though it was kinda my fault in the first place." "I suppose deep down, they still considered you a friend." Fletcher suggested. "Yeah, there is that..." Black smiled. "Even Marshall, after I verbally and physically pounded him." "Or maybe he just didn't want to admit how badly you beat him." Caboose smirked. "Either way, they kept your secret." Fletcher declared. "That's something to be grateful for, isn't it?" "Yeah, it is." Black nodded. "Hey, what about Titan?" Caboose asked. "Who knew there was so much to him?" "Oh, there's more to Titan than that." Elite smiled, as he and Titan joined them. "Much more. You wouldn't know it, but Titan has had a very active presence in your lifes of late." "Excuse me?" Fletcher frowned. "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Elite?" Caboose asked. "Well, you remember when I said Titan was my bodyguard? And surely, Black told you about Titan's camo ability." Elite revealed, "You see, when I began looking for more ponies to recruit into the Taskforce, I was made aware of a certain duo of Royal Guards who had been making strides in the line of duty..." "You mean us, right?" Caboose questioned. "Exactly." Elite smirked, "However, I was already busy with RDL matters. In fact, it was because of General Sherman's... 'accident', that I finally was able to meet you two face to face. In the mean time, I had you both under... 'observation'." "Hee-hee-hee." Titan sniggered. "No offense sir, but I think we'd notice Titan around." Fletcher declared. "Yeah, I mean, even with this 'camo', Diamond Dogs aren't really known for being good at hide and seek." Caboose frowned. "Oh, really?" Elite smirked. "Well, you think wrong. You may have not known it... but Titan was always... there..." Caboose frowned at the two... only to come to a brain-stopping, window-smashing, clock-ringing realization as the words 'there' repeated in his head. A while back... Dramatic music! As Caboose was wrestling with Loveless in the cockpit of the out of control Iron Arachnid, Titan, his body blended into the wall, watched... while reaching into the fridge and popping open a bottle of beer. More dramatic music! As Fletcher and Caboose led the fight against the Fifty Thieves, Titan watched, blended in to hide by a rock, wearing a miniature rock on top. Even more dramatic music! Caboose was mourning over his brother's broken body following Killsquad's death... not realizing that Titan was there, hiding in a corner, sniffling at a sorry scene... "Do you mind?" TItan glanced at a gray pony with a black mane, holding a guitar, who was hiding in the same corner next to him. "I'm trying to sing a song here and your sniffling is throwing me off!" EVEN more dramatic music! Fletcher was in a hospital bed, injured by the explosion set by one of the goons Killsquad hired. Watching Caboose talking to Dove as Fletcher was conked out was Titan... dressed up as a nurse, with a wig and red lipstick and everything. Music at it's most dramatic! As Caboose was hiding in the corner of the barracks after his bout with one of the Gentlecolts, mortified as he watched his captain make love to his fiancé... what he didn't see, what Titan, hiding under the bed Fletcher and Dove were on, listening... 'intently'. Music... you get the idea! Caboose's body was nearly broken, having landed on another Royal Guard after falling from the clock tower... completely unaware that Titan was throwing breadcrumbs on him, as if begging for crows to pick at his flesh... and with a mocking expression, Titan was carried away by the same crows.... The present... "...Caboose, I don't think Titan was there when you fell off the clocktower." Fletcher grimaced. "Oh, right." Caboose murmured, but gaped. "But wow! He is good!" "Very impressive." Fletcher admitted, stunned. "We must be very unobservant to not see him sooner." "I know, but that what makes him such a valued part of this team." Elite smiled. "Ruff!" Titan barked proudly. "He said 'and don't you ever forget it'." Black smirked.