The Ghost Of Me

by Bluecatcinema

Going Under

"So you got yourself an arch-nemesis, huh?" Caboose mused. "Yeah, my family knows a little about that. Rival families, grudge-holding maniacs, that kind of thing."

"Believe me, we're all well aware of that." Elite declared. "You Napoleons are well-known for your grudge matches."

"Hey, when you're the best, every guy and his dog wants a piece of you." Caboose smirked. "You know what I'm getting at. Right, Mr super-soldier."

"I certainly do." Elite nodded. "I've honestly lost count of the number of self-impressed thugs who sought to take me on..."

"But I'll bet none of them were as dangerous as Pike." Black declared sourly. "That kind of competition, I could have done without."

"I imagine you didn't much care for this new complication?" Fletcher asked.

"Yeah, that wasn't something I'd been planning on." Black frowned. "Of course, Elite wasn't too happy about it either..."

Many years ago...

After Pike's escape, Black scoured the factory for the Forefathers' records (finding them in what would have been the forestallion's office) and returned to base, his suit a little scuffed and scorched.

"Welcome back, Black." Elite smiled. "How did it go? No problems, I hope?"

"'Course not." Ballista smirked. "Black's the toughest blighter I've ever met. Nothin' could give him any trouble."

"Actually... I think we may have a big problem on our hooves." Black declared, while setting down the files on the meeting room's table.

"What kind of problem?" Shadow Slinker frowned.

"There wasn't anything wrong with the suit, was there?" Armory asked worriedly. "I can tell you must have been in quite a fight for it to be in that state."

"How many did you face?" Micro Manager asked. "A dozen? Two dozen?"

"One." Black said flatly.

"Rruh?" Titan mumbled, tilting his head sideways.

"One?" Elite gaped. "One pony did this?"

"You're not serious, are ya, mate?" Ballista asked.

"Yep." Black nodded. "It all went down something like this..."

Over the next few minutes, Black went through his encounter with Pike.

"Pike Redfield." Elite frowned. "This is going to be a problem."

"So you've heard of the guy, then?" Black frowned.

"We all have." Micro scowled. "He mysteriously came out of nowhere a couple of years ago, and immediately climbed up the ranks of bounty hunters. They consider Pike to be one of the most notoriously vicious bounty hunter. Very few have ever escaped his sights."

"Well, I ain't one of 'em." Black smirked. "In fact, he ran from me."

"Bullcrap." Ballista grunted. "We lost quite a few stallions to this guy. In all our run-ins with him, that guy never ran. That's why he's notorious!"

"Well, he did." Black frowned, a bit miffed. "He didn't even use that sharp pokey thing he had with him."

"The Redfield Pike." Elite noted, "That's his signature weapon. For him to not use it must mean something."

"Like what?" Black asked.

"The arsehole wants a rematch someday." Ballista frowned. "It's what the more 'unhinged' bounty hunters do. They enjoy a game of 'cat and mouse', if you catch my drift."

"That isn't good." Armory shook his head. "If Pike was able to head you off so easily this time, he might just do it again."

Titan whined plaintively.

"Relax." Black snorted. "He caught me offguard, that's all. And even then, we wound up fightin' to a draw. Next time, I'll be ready to take him down."

"Confident as always, I see." Elite mused.

"Hey, with skill like mine, you can afford it." Black smirked.

"Either way, let's hope you two don't cross paths again for a while." Shadow frowned.

"I think that would be in all our best interests." Micro added.

"Rrr." Titan nodded.

"You took the words right of my mouth." Ballista told Titan. "Don't wanna get on Pike's bad side..."

"Oh, please." Black snorted. "I'll bet Pike's runnin' home to his bosses right now..."

Meanwhile, the battered and bruised Pike returned to the Forefathers' headquarters, and reported his "failure" to the Ouroboros. The same hooded in the corner was playing the organ, paying no heed to the conversation.

"...And that's how it went." Pike sighed, applying a frozen steak to a bruise on his cheek.

"So, you failed to terminate Black." Gridlock snorted. "Can't say I'm surprised..."

"You and me both, Gridlock." Harlhooves admitted.

"I'm afraid to say that I am a little disappointed." Father shook his he head. "I had thought that you would be able to handle Black Knight. After all, your track record to this point had been promising..."

"I know you're disappointed, sir." Pike apologized. "I am, too. It's not often I fail to kill a son of a cart horse. But Black is tougher than any stallion I've ever faced before."

"So the great hunter Redfield has finally met a quarry he can't slay?" Mr Dysley smirked.

"Yet." Pike growled. "Make no mistake, I will kill Black. It'll just take a little more time."

"And what makes you think you deserve that time?" Gridlock snarled. "You were beaten!"

"But not by much." Pike declared. "Even with a fancy new suit of armor, Black took more than a few lumps. But his endurance and ingenuity was more than I'd planned for. Next time, I won't make the same mistake."

"More talk of 'next time'." Harlhooves frowned. "But no reason for us to allow you one."

"The reason being that I'm the only one who's come that close to beating him." Pike sneered. "None of yer dime store flunkies have ever managed to get that far. Not Six and his goons, nor Wheat and the rest of Reinadh. Call me a failure all you like, but you know I'm your best shot at taking Black down."

"Watch yourself, Pike." Loveless frowned. "For you may find yourself presuming too much."

"And yet... he makes a valid point." Father admitted. "Every other operative who's faced Black has been utterly incapable of stopping him. And since Pike has never failed us before, I believe we can overlook such a narrow loss. Am I right?"

"...I suppose..." Harlhooves admitted grudgingly.

"We really have nothing to lose." Loveless added.

"In fact, if Pike dies facing Black, I might actually see it as a plus." Gridlock smirked.

"Aw, you're all heart, Gridlock." Pike sneered.

"Then it's decided." Father nodded. "Pike, you shall have your second chance, and the time you need to implement it. But make sure you don't take too long. Even my patience isn't infinite... nor is the amount of soldiers we have."

"Thank you, sir." Pike smiled. "I won't let you down again. Mark my words, the next time Black and I meet, he's a dead stallion..."

Over the coming months, Black began to adjust to his new life as an exile, hiding within Taskforce Omega's headquarters, as well as he could. But that didn't necessarily mean he was taking it well at all. His time separated from White had been made bearable due to the company of Belle. But now that Black had been forced to cut ties with her as well, there was nopony he could rely on for true support. His comrades were dear friends, but for Black, they didn't even come close to matching the emotional support of family, or the love of his life. His time out on missions helped alleviate his woes, but Black gained less and less enjoyment from pounding random Forefathers minions and breaking into heavily fortified areas. It was like he was just going through the motions, day in, day out, with nothing more on the horizon.

'When I was a colt, I never quite saw my life turning out like this.' He thought one evening, as he sat in his quarters. 'If I didn't get to go out on missions, this place'd almost be like prison. I'm out there, saving the lives of all who live in Equestria. Something to be proud of, all right. And all it cost me was my own...'

Almost sinking beneath the weight of his despondency, Black reached for his tape player.

'Maybe some good tunes'll help me out of this funk...' He thought.

Now I will tell you
What I've done for you
Fifty thousand tears I've cried

Screaming, deceiving
And bleeding for you
And you still won't hear me
(Going under)

Don't want your hand this time
I'll save myself
Maybe I'll wake up for once
(Wake up for once)

Not tormented daily
Defeated by you
Just when I thought
I'd reach the bottom
I die again

I'm going under
(Going under)
Drowning in you
(Drowning in you)

I'm falling forever
(Falling forever)
I've got to break through

I'm going under...

'I hate irony...' Black thought.

Ballista was quick to take notice of Black's melancholy, and decided to bring it up with Elite, whom he regularly checked in with every so often since Black's return (something he had only done before when Black wasn't around).

"Hey, Elite, can I talk to you for a moment?" Ballista asked when he came into his quarter.

"Sure." Elite nodded, turning to face him in his chair at this desk. "What's up?"

"I couldn't help but notice something was eating Black." Ballista explained. "It seems every time I see him, he always has this gloom about him. I'm starting to think he might be comin' down with depression."

"That is to be expected, Ballista." Elite sighed. "We did 'force' him to leave a mare he loved. Something like that would take a while to get over."

"Yeah, but not this long." Ballista frowned. "His new life clearly isn't sittin' well with him."

"He's still adjusting." Elite declared. "Give him time, he'll get used to it."

"Well, I'm not holdin' my breath." Ballista shook his head. "We might want to keep tabs on him. This stallion has enough problems already, and the last thing he needs is some 'stressor' to set him off."

"Could you not say that?" Elite grunted. "He's a soldier, not a ticking time bomb. You clearly underestimate his resolve. The stallion is one of determination and duty. I assure you, this depression will lift, given time."

"I hope for your sake that you're right, mate." Ballista declared, crossing his hooves. "I hope..."

Shaking off Ballista's warning, Elite stepped into the briefing room, ready to inform Black of his next mission.

"So, what do you have for me today, chief?" Black asked, doing an excellent job of not showing his woes.

"Well, you'd better bundle up tight, Black." Elite declared. "Your next mission will take you to the Frozen North."

"That wasteland?" Black frowned. "What the buck could possibly be up there?"

"We've received word that some of the Forefathers' are combing the area." Micro declared.

"For what?" Black asked.

"From what we've been able to gather, it seems they believe there's some kind of dark magic source up there." Shadow revealed. "And they've been sent to investigate it, and possibly even harness it for the Forefathers' own ends."

"Seriously?" Black snorted, "Dark magic? What a load of hog-wash. I read the books. There hasn't anything up there for centuries."

"We are incredulous as well, Black." Elite declared. "But on the oft-chance that there really is such a power up there, we cannot allow it to fall into the wrong hooves. We need you to get up there and stop it."

"That's so long as my hooves don't freeze off getting there." Black snarked.

"I've got you covered." Armory smiled, holding up a white-colored snowsuit. "Special thermal regulators to keep you toasty warm, visor and muzzle mask to hide your identity, and the white coloring will let you blend right in with the scenery, just in case there sentries keeping watch." He held up some new tools. "And I also have a reinforced pickaxe, and some snow boots with some extra grip. The ultimate winter survival kit."

"Thanks, pal." Black smiled. "But I still think I'll be out of my element. No snow in Dodge Junction. Except for that one year the weather control ponies messed up..."

"We have the utmost faith in you, Black." Elite smiled.

Ballista, who was watching the briefing from outside, curled his lips in a deep frown, before walking away.

After a few hours of surveying the area where the Forefathers' minion had been tracked down to, Black took his leave.

"Away I go." Black smiled. "Frozen North, here I come... and probably frozen hooves, too."

Black, donning the snowsuit as a disguise, took the train up to the Frozen North, disembarking by a large mountain range.

"Whoo, what a mess." Black took note of the snowy surroundings. "Where's a decent ski lodge when you need one?"

For the hour or so, Black trudged his way through the snow, seeking a particular set of caverns. With more than a little help from Armory's tools, he finally located them, and made his way inside. As he walked, he heard voices arguing.

"How can this be happening?"

"We've been working for weeks, and we've still found no sign of it!"

"The Forefathers will be furious!"

'Sounds like their little project really is a load of bunk.' Black thought. 'I could just leave 'em to it, but like Elite said, why take chances?...'

Black entered the cave, finding half a dozen Unicorn Forefathers agents surrounded by various mystic apparel, such as pendants, dowsing rods, and runestones.

"What exactly are they hoping we find up here?" One Unicorn growled.

"I heard that it has something to do with this fabled 'Crystal Empire' they had been going on about." Another surmised.

"You mean that old myth?" One other Unicorn sneered, "Come on, that's absurd."

"Is it?" The second one challenged, "There has been talk among the higher ups that the spirit of the one called 'Sombra' still looms around these parts. A powerful umbrum that was once vanquished by the Alicorn Princesses, only to roam the cursed lands."

'Umbrum? Sombrero? Spirits?' Black scoffed. 'What a load of hogwash. I gotta put a end to this.'

"If that's truth, then why has nopony ever actually seen him before?" A third Unicorn asked. "An umbrum would stick out like a sore thumb around here."

"Ours is not to question, but obey." The second stallion stated.

"So we should act without thinking?" A fourth asked. "That would make us no better than the common thugs the masters hire in droves."

"Watch your tone!" The second stallion growled.

"Make me!" The fourth shot back.

Tiring of their argument, Black stepped forward.

"Sorry, fellas." Black said boldly. "I'm here to shut down your little science project!"

"An intruder!" One yelled.

"Kill him!" Another roared. "Let nothing stop our great work!"

"Yeah, good luck with that." Black sneered.

"Eat magic!" One agent fired blasts from his horn.

Black dodged the blasts with ease.

"Eat my hoof!" He smirked, punching the Unicorn out with one blow. "Next?"

The rest of the agents attacked, but they had clearly been assigned to their mission due to magical knowledge, rather than brute strength, and were greatly outmatched. Before long, Black had them on the ropes.

"Had enough yet?" He sneered.

"Never!" One bold Unicorn yelled.

"Why are you even fighting me?" Black asked. "You know your project is a dud. Why not throw in the towel? Tell your bosses it was a bust. Of course, if you still want to fight, I'd be happy to oblige."

"He's right." One Unicorn said grudgingly. "We've been looking for this supposed dark magic source for weeks, and found nothing. This project has failed. We'd be better off cutting our losses and leaving."

"There you go." Black grinned. "Looks like there's a smart guy in this bunch after all."

"B-but our research..." One Unicorn stuttered, glancing at a stack of papers on a fold-out table.

"You're welcome to try and get it." Black smirked. "But I don't really like your chances."

"It's useless anyway." A third Unicorn spat, carrying one of their unconscious comrades. "Let's just go."

As one, the Unicorns teleported away.

"That's it." Black smirked. "Run back to your masters." He picked up their notes and placed in a pouch in his snowsuit. "I know Elite and the others wouldn't mind taking a look at this."

As Black made his way out of the mountains, he crossed a wide open space in the snow. As he did, he felt a sudden chill, despite his suit's thermal regulator at maximum.

'Ugh, something about this place just feels... wrong, for some reason.' He thought, an unexplained sense of foreboding creeping upon him. 'Sooner I'm out of here, the better...'

Black turned to leave, unaware that an eerie black fog was gazing at him from afar...

"Crystals..."

Black perked up, turning to see if he heard something, only to find nothing more than snow, snow, and more snow. With a shudder, he made his way back to the train station.

"Let me guess: mountain climber?" The ticket pony asked, as Black paid for the trip back.

"Something like that." Black shrugged.

"What else could it be?" The ticket pony snorted. "Not much else up there."

"You'd be surprised..." Black smirked.

After paying for his ticket, Black boarded the train. As it pulled away from the Frozen North, Black made his way to his cabin. Switching off the thermal regulator, Black readjusted to room temperature, finding himself dozing off after his busy day.

"Hate the cold..." He muttered in his sleep. "Dumb snow..."

He suddenly awoke when the train jostled into a station.

"Now arriving at Dodge Junction." The conductor announced.

'What the- Dodge Junction?!' Black gaped, looking out the window to indeed see the dusty plains of his hometown. 'Buck, I must have missed my stop. I can't be here. Not after disgracing myself. And what if the Forefathers have one of their lousy agents stationed out here? I won't let my home town get pulled into the crossfire. Maybe I should just jump out of the window and hoof it back to base...'

As Black reached for the window, a thought struck him... he gazed out of that same window, his thoughts going back to one pony.

'White...' Black frowned. 'Faust, how long has it been since I've seen him? Could he possibly...' He shook his head. 'No, can't be. White should be back in Saddle Arabia, doing his country a service. Even then... what can I do? The moment he sees me...'

Black let out a sigh, as he was about to continue with his plan... until...

'You know what? White may not be here, but Big Red is. I should at least see how he's doing. Make sure that good ol' Red is doin' okay. What's the harm in that?' Black supposed. 'And it would be nice to see an familiar face again...'

Black disembarked, and made his way around the outskirts of town, heading for Big Red's homestead, intent on seeing his old friend. Seeing how out of place a snowsuit-clad pony would be, Black decided to slip out of his outfit, hoping nopony would see him. Along the way he was travelling, he took in the familiar sights.

'Good ol' Dodge Junction.' He smiled. 'Looks just like it was when I left...'

As he walked around his old home, fond memories of his youth flooded his mind, mostly involving the fun times he'd had with his brother and their friends: Hanging out in the cherry orchard owned by Cherry Jubilee's family, horsing around at the old swimming hole, and even the time they rode an old mining cart right into the Sheriff's office.

'Ah, good times...' Black thought happily.

As he neared the homestead, Black's heart skipped a beat as he saw him.

None other than White Knight was walking by, travelling in the direction of the old swimming hole, an Earth Pony mare with a black mane and a light blue coat walking by his side. Black quickly hide behind a fence as they passed by.

'What the buck?!' Black panicked. 'What is White doing here?! And not in Saddle Arabia?! He can't have just ditched the RDL. That's the not the White I know...'

Intent on learning more, Black began to tail White and his companion from behind the fence, listening to their conversation as he did.

"You're gonna love the swimming hole, Silver." White told the mare.

'Silver?' Black thought. 'Never heard of her. She must be new in town.'

"Well, it is warmer down here than over in Vanhoover." Silver declared. "A quick dip would be just great."

"Yeah, some of the best times of my youth were spent there." White recalled. "Just me and..." White trailed off, his face nearly becoming a frown, before he regained his smile. "My friends."

'Ouch.' Black winced. 'No mention of your big bro? Shoulda seen that comin'...'

"Well then, I guess you should be well-versed in water safety." Silver purred. "That's good. If anything goes wrong, you could give me some... mouth-to-mouth."

"Or even if anything doesn't go wrong." White chuckled.

'...Wait, are they?' Black peeked out over the fence, witnessing White and Silver nuzzling each other. Black instantly felt a bit of pride. 'Holy crap, they are. Well, will wonders never cease? White's actually got himself a mare. Way to go, bro...'

Black watched as they disappeared down the path, White's wing draping over Silver.

'Well...' Black gave a small smile. 'Nice to know that whatever happened between us didn't stop you from moving on with your life, White.' He turned to make his way back to the train station, knowing that he couldn't risk going to Big Red's anymore. He cast another glance at where White had went 'You deserve to be happy, and you deserve a gal like that to make you happy. It's truly what you deserve...' Black shook his head. 'Sorry, Red. I'll try to catch up the next time I 'miss' my stop.'

Black boarded the train, and returned to the headquarters not long after.

"Mission accomplished." He announced to the others. "I busted up that mess of a job of theirs, and even snagged some of their research." He handed the papers to Micro. "It's probably garbage, but it wouldn't hurt to look."

"No, it would not." Micro nodded.

"And I've even got all four hooves intact." Black grinned. "I'd call that a bonus."

"Glad to see my suit held up." Armory smiled.

"Sure did." Black nodded, choosing to omit the odd chill he felt.

"You're a little late, aren't you?" Ballista frowned. "You were supposed to be back by yesterday. What happened?"

"The job took a little longer than I thought." Black shrugged. "That, and the train I was on was delayed by a cactus on the tracks."

"...Is that so?" Ballista said, his face impassively.

"Yep." Black nodded. "But I accomplished the mission, so what's the diff?"

"My thoughts exactly." Elite smiled. "Well done, Black. Keep up the good work."

"Oh, I will." Black nodded.

Over the next few days, the knowledge that White was happy and content eased Black's woes, but didn't erase them completely, for there was another pony whose fate weighed on his mind. But he couldn't simply go back. Dodge Junction was only a fluke. It's not like he would get another chance... right?

Before long, Elite had another mission for Black.

"We've received word of Forefather agents hiding out in the badlands." Elite told him. "They are residing in a cave out to the east, waiting for deployment. Your mission is to flush them out into the open, where Ballista and his troops will be waiting to pick them off one by one."

"You got it." Black nodded.

"Yeah, those idjits won't know what hit them." Ballista chuckled.

After being fitted with the Dreadnought armor (Armory's new and improved version, with the dressing time cut in half due to some new interlocking parts) and some flashpowder crossbow bolts and smoke bombs (to help with the flushing out), Black made his way into the badlands.

'Ah, more nostalgia.' Black thought, as he made his way to the cave.

Reaching his destination, Black crept in through a side entrance, one just big enough for a single stallion (Shadow had gained this information from a very reliable source). As he quietly moved further into the cavern, he reached a ridge, and saw below him a daunting sight: Dozens of Forefather agents.

'Whoa, that's a lot of flunkies.' Black thought, lowering his visor. 'Don't know what the Forefathers are planning to use these guys for, but it's not gonna happen on my watch.'

"I am so bored." One operative muttered to another. "When are we going to see some action?"

"Shouldn't be too long now." Another grinned. "The buzz is that Gridlock and Harlhooves are working on something big. They're definitely going to need us soon enough."

"The sooner the better." The first operative groaned. "I'm goin' stir-crazy in this musty old cave. I need some action."

'Your wish is my command.' Black smirked as he pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it to the cave floor below. It exploded into vapor on impact, engulfing the cave.

"What's this?" A third agent coughed.

"We must be under attack!" A fourth spluttered.

'Another smart guy, huh?' Black smirked, loading his crossbow.

Black fired the flashbolts, which exploded into multicolored light in the air, making it seem like Unicorn magic blasts were flying wild.

"Evacuate!" The lead agent coughed. "Evacuate now!"

"Don't forget your parting gift." Black muttered, throwing another smoke bomb.

Blinding by smoke and flashes, the agents stumbled out of the cave one by one, finding Ballista and his own band of operatives waiting.

"Now!" Ballista yelled, as they leapt out of hiding. "Attack!"

Disorientated by Black's assault, most of the agents were easy prey, brought down by simple magic blasts, or old-fashioned punches. While some had held on to their bearings more than others, they were still no match for Ballista's well-trained forces. Before long, they had all been drawn out, defeated, and captured.

Black stepped out moments later, having made a sweep for any stragglers.

"All clean in there." He announced, opening the visor.

"Bleedin' good work, Black." Ballista declared. "Good to see you've still got it."

"Didn't know I'd lost it." Black joked.

"Just haveta drop these blighters off at Canterlot, then we'll be headin' back." Ballista smiled.

"See ya then." Black smiled.

"Yeah, see ya." Black nodded, departing.

As he began to make his way back to headquarters, Black spotted Prairieville in the distance.

'Belle...' He thought. 'So near, yet so far...'

Being so close to his love, Black was overcome by a powerful yearning.

'It's not gonna hurt to just see her from afar.' He told himself. 'Just like with White. It'll give me some much-needed closure...'

Black quietly made his way to Prairieville, lowering his mask's visor and sticking to the shadows. He intended to sneak over to Belle's home, or failing that, the school house, just to catch a glimpse of the mare he loved. It had been months, but the memory of her was still so fresh in his mind.

'Just one little look.' He told himself. 'If I can just see her for a moment, and know that she's doing okay, I can head back happy.'

As it turned out, Black didn't have to look that far. As he snuck his way through the marketplace, he spotted Belle.

'Just as lovely as I remembered.' He smiled fondly. 'Even more so...'

As Belle turned, Black saw that she was carrying a red-coated foal in a pouch. He immediately froze with surprise.

'Is that... no, she couldn't have moved on already... hell, I didn't leave her that long ago, did I?' Black shook his head. 'No. She must be foal-sitting or something... she has to be...'

Another mare, with a peach-colored coat, curly ginger mane, lavender eyes and a Cutie Mark of a half-peeled orange, approached Belle.

"How are you, Belle?" The mare smiled.

"Just fine, thanks, Clementine." Belle smiled.

"The little one giving you any trouble?" Clementine asked.

"Sometimes." Belle stroked the foal's head. "But most of the time, little Shade here is the sweetest little thing..."

'The foal is hers...' Black gaped. 'But he can't be more than a month old... wait... it was only about a year or so since I left... a pregnancy lasts eleven months... and back then, the only stallion she could had been with was...'

The realization hit Black like a ton of bricks.

'Holy... Lauren... Flank-Bucking... Faust.' Black felt his legs turned to jelly as he leaned against a wall, as he glanced at Belle and the foal. 'That's...that's my child...'

"What happened to the father again?" Clementine asked.

"Oh, he... had to leave town." Belle sighed.

"Lousy cad." Clementine spat. "Leaving you in the lurch with a foal..."

"It wasn't like that." Belle said weakly. "He had no choice. It said so in the letter he left me."

"He couldn't even tell you in person?" Clementine scowled. "What kind of scoundrel was he?"

"He was no scoundrel." Belle's face hardened. "He was the most kind and noble stallion I've ever met. If he said he had a good reason for leaving, I believe him."

Black felt a twinge of guilt.

"...I'm sorry, Belle." Clementine apologised, clearly unnerved by Belle's show of anger.

"Apology accepted." Belle nodded. "Want to hold him?"

"Of course." Clementine smiled. She lifted Shade out of the pouch. "Who's a good little colt? You are!" She nuzzled against Shade. The colt giggled, flapping tiny little wings as he did.

The sight of those little wings was a surprise to Black, but not a total shock. While Black was born lacking the wings the rest of his family had, it was highly likely that the trait would pop up in future generations. And there was the proof right there...

'So... I sired a son... who is a Pegasus.' Black gasped to himself... before adopting a familiar sad smile. 'Huh... if only dad was alive to see this...' He then frowned, as he gazed at his love. 'Belle... I can't believe after what I did... you would still have faith in me... for Faust's sake, I left you when you with foal.' He bowed his head in sorrow. 'I have a son. A son I can never even hold in my hooves, let alone help Belle raise...' He clenched his jaw. 'Which is just as well. If that foal were a part of my life, he'd be in danger. He'd be better off never knowing his father. It's for the best...'

Black trudged back to headquarters, being greeted by Ballista.

"There you are, Black." Ballista smiled. "I already informed Elite of our little joint venture, and he's all kinds of pleased."

"Good to know." Black grinned.

"Funny though, how you got back after me, when you had a head start." Ballista noted.

"Yeah, there was another delay." Black shrugged. "It happens."

"Let me guess, mate." Ballista gave a snide smirk. "Another 'cactus on the rails'? Or maybe you were distracted by a familiar face?"

"...What?" Black said flatly. "I-I don't know what you're getting at."

"Don't you?" Ballista sneered. "Because I think you do. You've been sneaking off to take a gander at your little bro and that Belle mare!"

"How... how did you-?" Black gaped.

"I have some of my guys tailin' you." Ballista glared, "And I'm not pleased one bit by what I heard from him."

"Oh, really?" Black snarled.

"Faust damn it, Black." Ballista growled back, "You do realize you left your life behind for a reason, don't you?

"I do know that!" Black grunted.

"Oh, then why would you go and pull a stunt like that?!" Ballista demanded. "As of now, the Forefathers are probably watching your every move. If you even so much as sneeze, they will be on you like flies on dung."

"For Faust's sake, I only peeked at White and Belle, that's it! I didn't talk to anypony!" Black groaned.

"You're missing the point, Black." Ballista frowned. "You forget, you left them so that the Forefathers would not think to harm them. You think it matters if you talked to them or not? Just by looking at them, you are painting real huge targets on their heads, and the Forefathers hardly ever miss!"

Black gave a small growl...

"Look, Black..." Ballista sighed, as he placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I know you miss yer loved ones, really, I do..." Ballista gave a firm glare, "But this is war. We need all our ponies focused. These distractions will only lead you to a early grave... so, for the love of Faust, get your head in the game and your ass into gear, Black."

"How about you mind your own business?!" Black snarled. "I gave up a lot for this job! So if I want the tiniest glimpse of what I left behind, I think I am entitled to that."

"Oh, so you're going to play that card, eh?" Ballista growled. "This isn't all about you, Black. Elite put a lot of work into this taskforce. I put a lot of work into this taskforce. And neither of us will stand for and have some idiot ruin everything because he's heartbroken."

"If I want to see my brother and Belle, I will do so, and I won't be stopped." Black glared.

"Don't be so sure." Ballista scoffed. "I'll take this to Elite if I have to. And trust me, he will come down harder on you than I ever could."

"And then what?" Black asked. "Who's to say Elite won't be on my side?"

"Guess we won't know until it happens." Ballista frowned. "But as it is, I'm willing to let this slide, just so long as you never do it again. Understand?"

"...Yeah, I understand." Black nodded, saying what Ballista wanted to hear. "No more side trips."

"Good." Ballista nodded. "The past is in the past, and that's where it belongs. Time to grow up, and move on..."

Ballista walked away, satisfied that the talk had apparently gone his way.

"Not in this life." Black muttered under his breath.

The present...

"Well, that was harsh." Caboose frowned. "That Ballista was kind of a meanie."

"Yeah, but he wasn't wrong." Black sighed. "I was just too stubborn and hard-headed to realise that at the time."

"I can't blame you for being a little emotional." Fletcher noted. "Finding out you had a son... I can't imagine how much of a shock that would have been for you."

"That it was." Black nodded. "And I didn't let Ballista's threat keep me from seeing White and Belle lots of times after that."

"Something I didn't become aware of until much later." Elite added, frowning. "Though I can't say I approved, I understood the need to see your loved ones."

"Maybe if I'd know that then, I wouldn't have gone sneaking around." Black shrugged.

"Unlike Ballista, I always had faith in you, my friend." Elite smiled.

"Thanks, chief." Black grinned. "Those trips were real bright spots in my life. Especially when things started getting dark..."

"Dark?" Caboose frowned. "Was there a solar eclipse coming?"

"Not quite." Black sighed. "But the worst was still yet to come..."

Author's Note:

* "Going Under" belongs to Evanescence.
* In case you're confused, this chapter takes place just before the Crystal Empire's return.