Into Oblivion

Chapters

Chapter 0: Prelude
Chapter 1: Rebirth
Chapter 2: The Angel's Flame
Chapter 4: Letters From Home
Chapter 5: Ashes To Ashes
Chapter 6: Innocence Lost
Chapter 7: Purge
Chapter 8: Treason
Chapter 9: Shadows On The Sun
Chapter 10: Best Laid Plans
Chapter 11: Plan B
Chapter 12: Burn the Sky
Chapter 13: Necessary Evil
Chapter 3: Crimson Rain

Chapter 0: Prelude

PRELUDE
"Do the circumstances of one's birth truly matter? Does your natural biology dictate your direction in life? Just because you're different by no fault of your own, does that make you inferior or superior to anypony else?

Of course, many... 'progressive thinkers' tell you this is a crock of horseshit. These ponies are fools. Would they let a surgeon with tremors operate on their foals? Would they allow a blind pony to steer a wagon? No, because they only cling to their precious ideals and forward thinking as long as it doesn't inconvenience them.

So if nature chooses to bestow a gift to a select few, does that truly make them better than those who received nothing? Some would say yes, others no. Life is a cruel mistress, life is not fair. It amazes me how so many fail to realize this, even into adulthood. They feel a sense of entitlement, they think the world owes them something. I'll tell you right now, the world owes you absolutely nothing.

However, if you had the opportunity to right a wrong, a wrong that had persisted for centuries with no change... would you take it? Even if you knew that in the grand scheme of things, your actions would merely constitute a single grain of sand on the beach, if you could improve the lives of millions, would you pass that up?

The foundations of this kingdom were laid by a select few, and any attempts to alter their position of power and authority is often met with swift intervention. They brand you as a traitor, a bloodthirsty psychopath, a monster as they spout meaningless drivel about tolerance, love, and equality.

Equality. What a joke. I knew the Princess had a sense of humor, but that... that's the best one I've heard yet.

I haven't spent my life in this forsaken hole for nothing, I've been preparing. Preparing for this day, the day we return Equestria to it's rightful owners. The ponies of this nation. Canterlot Royalty has fed off the blood of the ponies like a bloated tick, and like a tick, the only way to deal with the problem... is with fire. The day has arrived, the pieces are in place. Canterlot is a house of cards. And mark my words, it will fall. Oh, how it will fall.

Chapter 1: Rebirth

CHAPTER ONE

"Did you see the part where they went waaay up into the air and then they came back down and then they did that spinning thing and then went WOOSH right over our heads?! That was so cool!" the small colt excitedly yells, the volume entirely unnecessary considering Onyx was right next to him.

"Yeah, Rusty, I saw it. I was there. We all were" he says, voice flat with fatigue. The young slate-black stallion walked along the dirt path with the rest of his family, his dark red mane was flipped up in the front in a natural cow-lick. An image of a crescent wrench sat on his flanks. The sun had just slid behind the horizon and the moon was beginning to rise. His little brother, Rusty Wire, hadn't stopped talking since they left the Wonderbolts Airshow in Fillydelphia, in celebration of his 7th birthday next week.

"They were so awesome! I wish I could fly! Being an Earth pony is boring" he says, his hoofsteps falling much faster than his older brother's or parents.

"You're perfectly fine just the way you are" the mom says looking back to the colt. "Besides, you wouldn't like all the bugs in your teeth."

"There's a colt at school, Lard Ball, if you give him 2 bits he'll eat a bug! Yesterday we made him eat a big green beetle! The teacher fainted!" Rusty shouted, again much too loud.

"Bright future ahead of that boy, I'm sure" Onyx comments to himself.

"Rusty, please don't pay him to eat bugs anymore" mom says. Rusty was visibly disappointed.

"Oh come now Rose, you remember how school was. You have to take what entertainment you can get" the brown stallion says to his wife. "Rusty, you only pay this kid if it's worth it, no little ladybugs or anything like that. You make him work for that money."

The green mare rolls her eyes. "You just have to turn everything into a business lesson, don't you?"

"Well somebody's gonna have to take over the workshop" he replies, looking at Onyx with one of those obnoxious "I'm talking about you" looks.

Onyx let out a quiet groan. All his life he'd been told he was in line to inherit dad's Fix-It-Shop, he had pretty much accepted that was what destiny had in store for him. He had a wrench for a cutie mark, and truth be told, he was very good at fixing things. Still though, he wasn't sure that was what he wanted. But how would he know? He'd never tried anything else. Who knows, he might enjoy cooking, or writing, maybe even spelunking. Too bad he'd likely never get a chance to find out.

They cross the small stone bridge spanning the river. Their house was in view, Onyx was grateful to be within throwing distance of his bed. It had been a long day, he was ready for some sleep. He looked over at Rusty, who was still bouncing and skipping. It was unlikely he would be so eager to go to bed.

"Oh! Dad! I saw a poster that said the Wonderbolts were gonna be in Canterlot! Could we go? Please?" the young colt asked sympathetically as possible.

"Canterlot's an awful long ways away Rust, maybe we could-"
BOOOOOM!!!!!!!!

Without any warning, a savage explosion rips through the bridge. Onyx is thrown back several feet by the shock wave, he lands on the stone structure and writhes in agony. It felt like his internal organs had been liquefied, his mouth was full of blood. The world had gone silent, save for a distant high-pitched whine. It was like time had stopped.

He looks around, struggling to keep his eyes open. Already, darkness was creeping into the corners of his eyes. Dad was gone. He had simply disappeared, nothing but rubble where he stood. Mom was... oh sweet Celestia. She was splattered all over the rocks lining the wall, he stares in utter disbelief.

A few feet away, he sees Rusty. His entire lower half was gone. He extends a small, shaking hoof towards his older brother. Still deaf, Onyx thought he saw him mouth his name. He looks down at himself, the puddle of red he was lying in was growing larger second by agonizing second.

He reaches out for his brother, only to realize the end of his hoof had been blown off. He had moments left at best. It felt so surreal, there was no way this was really happening. It was a dream, it had to be. This couldn't be real. Not his parents, not his brother. Not his baby brother.

He feels the bridge shift under him, the stone begins to crumble. He's dumped into the frigid river along with several chunks of the structure. He sinks deeper and deeper until eventually he comes to a rest on the muddy bottom. He feels the water rushing into his lungs, the distant shimmering of the surface was strangely calming. He stops struggling, his body relaxes, seemingly accepting it's fate. The shimmering fades away. Darkness.
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A soft, warm light glows in the distance. He feels himself slowly moving towards it. He was completely weightless, maybe this was what flying felt like. The light grows closer, he swore he could feel his family waiting on the other side. He reaches for the glow with all his might, if he could see them again, if only once... He was so close, just a little further and he'd enter. As soon as he feels himself touch the light, he's yanked back like he was tied to a slingshot. The glow vanishes, and with it, the feeling of hope.
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Another feeling swept over him. He was cold, inside and out. He had never felt so cold, it was like someone had filled him with ice. He could hear somepony talking nearby, but couldn't make out what they were saying. This couldn't be. He died, he was dead. So why could he feel nothing but agonizing pain?

He opens his eyes, but he only feels his left eye open. His right one was seemingly locked open. He sees a host of numbers and words flowing across his field of vision as the darkened room comes into view. What was going on? He tries to move but is restrained on all four legs, strapped to a cold metal operating table. He can see metal fused onto his foreleg, the same that had been blown off in the explosion.

Now he began to panic. His heart rate shoots up, but even that felt off. It was strange and mechanical, this did nothing to help calm him down. Onyx can make out something intruding his field of vision, he looks up to see a metal spike protruding from his head. He lets out a scream as he struggles against his restraints. Death had never felt like such a welcome alternative.

"Oh good, you're awake" he hears a voice say off to the side. He turns to see an all-black pony stranding there, but he was covered in metal equipment. He had a metal horn coming from his head like a unicorn, and bladed wings sprouted from his back like a pegasus. But he was neither, this was an earth pony. A small red glowing light shines from one of the eyes. Onyx watches with both horror and confusion as the pony walks over to him.

"First of all, I'd like to offer my condolences on the loss of your family. I know firsthand how that feels, the pain of such loss can be unbearable" the mysterious stallion says.

"Who are you?" Onyx manages to choke out.

"Ah yes, you must have many questions. First of all, I am Blackout. You are in my compound, because I have saved your life."

The numbers and words continue to scroll across his vision. "What the hell did you do to me?!" he growls.

"Why, we've improved you" Blackout says, the words slithering out of his mouth. He turns a mirror to the restrained pony.

Onyx's right eye was gone, replaced by an unblinking robotic counterpart that glowed red just like his captor's. The metal spike he saw was grafted to his skull like a unicorn, a long scar ran down the length of his chest and his foreleg and both rear legs had metal fused to them as well. He stares in horror, words failing him. Not only did he die tonight, but he had been brought back to life as a monster.

"I imagine you're somewhat curious about your current state. Nearly everypony is the first time" the stallion says. Wait, who else had he done this too? "Allow me to explain."

He steps into the center of the small operating room, the single lamp hanging from the ceiling casting long shadows across his face. "Are you familiar with the Iron Guild?"

"Can't say I am" Onyx replies, deciding it was probably best to focus on something other than himself.

"Hundreds of years ago, a brilliant pony by the name of Steel Shadow made huge advances in technology, the likes of which Equestria had never seen before, or since. His achievements enabled his fellow earth ponies to manipulate objects, with the power of science over magic. To take to the skies, utilizing intricate mechanics and circuitry rather than natural biology."

"So, he turned earth ponies into... unicorns and pegasi?" Onyx says with a raised brow.

Blackout chuckled. "That's putting it rather bluntly, but yes, I suppose one could say that. What he did, it wasn't for money or power. It was for equality. He saw how the earth ponies had been oppressed, century after century. We built this kingdom, and what did we get?! NOTHING!" the black cyborg roars. Onyx jumps slightly.

"Steel Shadow saw this as an opportunity to level the playing field. By making everypony equal, by giving them the choice to become something more, he could eliminate the social barrier between ponies. He was on the verge of the greatest equal rights movement in history."

Blackout turned, the red robotic eye seemingly cutting right through the restrained stallion. "But the unicorns and pegasi didn't want to change the established order. They felt threatened. After all, if everypony was the same, then nopony would be superior. They stormed Steel Shadow's house, and murdered him in cold blood because he found a way to improve the lives of millions."

"Quite the story, but that still doesn't tell me what the hell's going on here" Onyx says.

"Do you not see? Using his technological advancements, we have succeeded where magic fails. You've been brought back from death. We have given you sight when you have been blinded. We have given you the ability to walk, when your legs had been lost. We've given you a metal heart, when your own had been torn to shreds. But yet we're ostracized as terrorists, anarchists and heretics" he spits. "Despite the flagrant bigotry and blind hatred, a few of us have carried on Steel Shadow's dream of an equal Equestria. Myself and your father included."

Onyx's ears twitch in surprise. "Wait, my father? Dad was involved in this crap?"

"Oh yes, Ratchet was one of our most passionate members. Dear old dad got both of us involved at an early age, but I was the only one who stuck with it. After meeting your mother, he left the group to settle down and raise a family."

"That's impossible, my dad didn't have a brother" he replies.

Blackout chuckles yet again. "I'm not surprised he never bothered to mention me. He tried to bury every remnant of his old life, I must say he did a spectacular job of it. But come now, do you not see the resemblance?" the pony says, holding out his hoof. Onyx had to admit, they did look somewhat alike.

"You take after your grandfather you know. Good Celestia, you look just like him. And he after his father, and on up the line to Steel Shadow himself. You see the pony had a son, who carried on his legacy and passed it down the line. The trend continued, until we come to where we are today. Onyx Shard, you're the heir to this dynasty."

"Wait, hold up. You mean... I'm in charge here?" he says confusedly.

Blackout lets out a deep, resonating cackle. "Oh heavens no! You're nothing but a pawn. But... if you perform your duties with the duty and honor that is expected of you, then someday, maybe, you can ascend to my level of authority."

"What...duties?" he cautiously asks.

The tall black stallion begins to walk out of the dark lab, chuckling to himself. "You'll see soon enough." He gets to the doorway before turning to face him one final time. "Canterlot will burn."

Onyx was left there alone in the dark, still strapped to the table. "...well that's not at all ominous" he says to himself.

Chapter 2: The Angel's Flame

CHAPTER TWO
Onyx waited for a few minutes before somepony came by and freed him from the table. "Take it easy, we just got you closed up" the pony in the white lab coat tells him. Onyx nods and slowly makes his way down the long dark hallway.

His chest was unbelievably sore, and it took him awhile to get used to walking with 3 metal hooves. He stumbles down the seemingly endless corridor, a small light every couple yards provided sparse amounts of illumination. A few flicker and some were burnt out altogether. Onyx hears a large group of ponies talking in the distance, the noise grows closer as he travels deeper down the hall.

The corridor turns 90 degrees and empties out into a huge warehouse-like room. Round lights hung from the high metal ceilings, bathing the drab gray surroundings in sterile white light. Dozens of ponies sat at long tables, talking, laughing and eating. All of them had metal on them somewhere, some more than others.

He slowly walks in, studying his new surroundings. A large cobalt-blue stallion with a crew cut mane seated at a table sees him and yells out "NEW GUY!" Instantly, every set of eyes was on him. Onyx froze.

The huge pony walked over to him, looking him over from head to hoof. A wide band of metal circled his abdomen. Onyx stood there, feeling an inch tall next to the Clydesdale. He saw him quickly lift a foreleg, the black stallion winces.

Unexpectedly, he grabs his hoof and gives it a vigorous shake. Onyx is thrashed and shaken, it felt like his leg was going to be ripped from it's socket. Given his current state, that was a fair possibility.

"Howdy! Call me Bruiser" he says with a big smile on his face. The blue pony takes note of Onyx's new metal horn. "Ah, got a Uni huh? Blackout must like you, we don't get many of those. They're expensive as hell to make."

Bruiser takes a step next to him and throws a hoof around him. The smaller stallion winces in pain. "Lemme show ya around." Onyx went with him, not like he had much of a choice.

The blue pony holds out a hoof and waves across the room. "This here's the commons area. Mess hall, movie theater on Friday night, pretty much whatever we need it to be. Hey, you must be hungry, what can I getcha?"

"Oh, no I'm fine" he replies. He didn't even want to think about eating.

"Ya sure? It's squash casserole today, damn tasty if I don't say so myself."

"No thanks, I'm alright" he says.

Bruiser shrugs. "Aight then. I wouldn't wait too long, stuff gets gone pretty fast." He walks over to his table and motions for Onyx to join him. "C'mere kid, have a seat."

He does as he's told. "So, what's yer story? 3 hooves, an eye and a chest reconstruction, damn son, what happened? Ya get blown up?" he laughs.

"Uh... yeah. Actually I did."

The blue pony's expression changes from laughter to wide-eyed horror. "Oh. Sorry bout that. Used to work construction myself" he says. Onyx took note of his jackhammer cutie mark. "Yep, was on a job in Manehatten. Had a load of I-beams being lifted up over me, gust of wind hit the crane, out comes the beams and crushes my spine. Ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Well I figured that was the end of my career, then I get a visit from a guy with the Guild. Doc patches me up with a new back, and I'm good as new. Hell, probably even better."

"She's back!" a pony yelled in a panic. In an instant, the room erupts into chaos. Ponies were tripping over themselves trying to get to their seats.

"What's going on?" Onyx asked.

"Oh hell. It's her" Bruiser said, eyes full of fear. "Quick, sit up straight and don't look at her."

"Who?"

"Angel Fire" he says in a hushed whisper, as if her name itself held some sort of malicious power.

The frenzied shouts and yells cut out like somepony had pushed mute. Hoofsteps are heard approaching, Onyx swallows nervously. What kind of monstrous pony could send them all into such a panic?

A small, unassuming cream-colored mare walks in. Her mane was purple with a red streak running down it, light green eyes look out at the stoic crowd. She had 2 small cuts on her cheek and a white bandage running across the top of her muzzle. A patch of metal sat on her right foreleg above the knee. She had a metal collar going around her neck, another small collar was wrapped around her tail. She had large, metal wings folded at her side.

She silently walked by, nopony dared make eye contact. Onyx decided he probably should follow suit. However he did steal a glance as she passed by, she had a red flame for a cutie mark. The metal-tipped hooves clank across the floor before she turns down the hallway. They all wait until the steps are no longer audible before they breathe a massive collective sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" Onyx asks the blue pony to his left.

"That's Angel Fire, Blackout's number two" he says, reaching for his drink. He tilts the glass back, downing it in one swig. "Scary bitch" he says, wiping his mouth.

"Why, what'd she do?"

"Nopony knows anything about her. Where she's from, why she's here, or even what her cutie mark means." He looks around and leans in close. "But they say she got it when she burned down an orphanage" he whispers. Onyx's one good eye goes wide. "My advice, stay away from her." He nods.

"Anyways, the bunks are down the hall, first door on the right. Got an empty one in the back left corner, you're free to it. You look like you could use some rest" Bruiser says, nodding towards the room.

"Thanks." Onyx gets up and begins walking out of the commons area.

"Oh, hey! What's your name kid?"

"Onyx."
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The black pony walks into the room, bunks stretched for at least 50 meters. So much for privacy. He finds the empty bunk and falls onto it, seemingly losing all strength. He buries his head into the pillow and breaks down. Tears flowed from his one remaining eye, he couldn't stop it.

He hated crying. He'd only done it a few times his whole life, the last time was a few years ago at a particularly sad movie. He was pretty embarrassed about losing it over a stupid movie, but this... this was different. He'd lost absolutely everything.

Mom, Dad, Rusty, they were gone. He didn't know who would want to kill them or why, it didn't matter. They were gone forever, and he was all alone. He wished he had just stayed dead. This was Blackout's fault, he was the one who brought him here and made him a monster. Maybe he could just kill himself. After all, he already died once, he knew what he was in for.

He was completely drained. He closes his eye, resting on the damp pillow. He'd work this out tomorrow. Right now, all he wanted was to sleep. He drifted off into a deep slumber.

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"WAKE UP YOU PATHETIC EXCUSES FOR PONIES!!!"

Onyx jolts up, falling off his cot and tumbling to the floor with a clank.

"BLACKOUT WANTS EVERYPONY IN THE COMMONS AREA, NOW!!!"

Angel Fire was standing in the doorway, her voice booming off the walls like an explosion. The ponies scramble to their feet and file out into the hallway. Well at least now he understood why everypony acted like she would bite their head off. She probably would if he got close enough.

They assemble in the empty room, forming rows of ponies. Onyx falls in line next to Bruiser as Blackout steps out into the light.

For the first time Onyx got a good look at him. He'd be damned if there wasn't a resemblance between the two. Now even more so, considering the robotic eye and horn. Blackout's cutie mark was a... wait, where was it? Onyx nearly smacked his own head upon realizing his entire back half was mechanical. Whatever it was, it wasn't there any more.

"Good morning all. I apologize for the intrusion at this hour..." he said much too smoothly.

Onyx heard Bruiser quietly scoff.

"But there is a pressing issue that needs attending to. You see, yesterday the main generator suffered a malfunction, the rotor cracked and we're now running on the backups. Not to worry, I've arranged for the new part to be delivered at the Las Pegasus train station this afternoon. We just require somepony to retrieve it."

Silence fell over the crowd. "I can think of nopony better for the job than..." he takes a step towards the crowd. "Our newest member, Onyx Shard!"

Onyx's ears fell flat as his eyes grew wide.

"By completing the task, he shall cement his place among the Iron Guild. Accompanying him will be one of my most faithful subjects, Angel Fire."

His mechanical heart skipped a beat. He nervously glances over at the pseudo-pegasus. She scowls back at him with disdain.

"I wish the two of you the best of luck, and remind you that time is of the essence."

Angel gives a salute, Onyx follows up with one as well upon seeing her.

"Oh man. I'm so sorry. It was nice knowin' ya kid" Bruiser says, patting him on the back before walking away shaking his head. A few of the ponies look at him with sympathy before returning to the bunks.

The crowd disperses, he sees Angel speaking to Blackout. He couldn't make out what she was saying, but she didn't seem happy. Blackout points her down the corridor, she begrudgingly looks at the black pony staring at her and motions for him to follow her.

Onyx quickly gallops over, she looks him up and down before turning and setting off for the hallway. They leave the commons area and traverse the dark tunnel in silence.

Maybe she wasn't all bad, perhaps she just needed someone to talk to her. He'd break the ice, and surely she'd loosen up. "So... I'm Onyx-"

"I know who you are" she interjected. "And don't think just because you're Blackout's nephew that's going to grant you any favors or privileges."

Hmm. Ok then, perhaps not. Neither says a word as they ascend a small staircase and approach a large metal door. Angel Fire punches in a code on a small glowing console and the door slides open with a hollow groan. She steps outside, not waiting to see if Onyx was following her. He rushes to catch up once again. If he didn't know any better he'd swear she was trying to lose him.

The black pony looks around, taking in his new surroundings. They were in a forest, tall leaf-less trees stretched up into the early morning sky that glowed faintly as the moon traded places with the sun. A heavy fog hung low in the trees, the air cool and damp. Dead leaves crunched under their hooves as they followed a narrow, winding trail that would be easily missed by anypony not looking for it. He looks back, the entryway to the compound was nothing more than a small metal structure with no discernible function.

"Where are we, exactly?" he cautiously asks.

"Check your map."

"Uhh...what map?"

She lets out a frustrated groan. "The integral map built into your ocular implant" the mare answers in an annoyed tone.

"Forgive my ignorance, but I have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Nopony's told me what these things even do."

She sighs and stops trotting. She turns to face him, looking far less than amused. "Your horn is an anti-magic energy weapon, AMW for short. A blast fired from it will destroy any unicorn spell matrices. It's aimed through the targeting system built into your ocular implant, which is also equipped with a short-range infrared sensor as well as map of Equestria. Your prosthetics are outfitted with a number of devices such as screwdrivers, knives, among other things."

"...so how do I look at the map again?"

She rubs her eyes, fighting back words. "Neural interface. Think it, and it will happen" she says, quickly running out of patience.

Onyx focuses and sees a map appear in the corner of his vision. A red dot signified his current position, he was in the middle of a green expanse labeled as "Howling Forest", a triangle likely representing the compound was just behind him. He zooms in and out, playing around with the map and getting a feel for it's functions. He looks up to see Angel Fire nearly a quarter mile way. "Hey! Wait!"

He rushes to catch back up with her. "Wait up! What is your deal, seriously?"

She looks back at him, he immediately regretted his choice of words. He didn't think of himself as a cowardly pony, but dammit, something about that look she gave was just plain scary.

"My 'deal' is I'm being forced to babysit a clueless, bumbling idiot who has no idea what he's doing or why he's even here, and frankly I find it a gross misuse of valuable resources to waste equipment on him when there's dozens of better, more qualified prospects. Does that answer your question?"

Onyx took a step back. "Yeah, I'd uh... I'd say so."

"I've seen your type before. You don't have any direction, any goals. You just trudge along life, content to whittle out a meager existence, satisfied with good enough and nothing more. And when you're presented with an opportunity to make a real difference, you pass it up in favor of the security of mediocrity" she says.

Finally, he'd had enough. All the things he had felt about his family's passing, his resurrection, it all just snapped. He stomps his metal hoof, crunching the orange, yellow and brown leaves on the ground. "Y'know what?! You're right! I don't know why I'm here or what I'm doing! I never asked for this! I watched my family, my whole world, get blown to hell right in front of me! I-FUCKING-DIED!!! I'm just going along with all of this bullshit because I don't know that else to do! And the absolute, last thing I need is some random chick telling me how she knows all about how I am! So if you're gonna kill me, eat me alive, WHATEVER, go ahead and do it! Because I am NOT in the mood for any more of this shit!"

He stood there, panting heavily. He'd never snapped like that to anypony, but he felt like this particular outburst was justified. Angel stared at him with a surprised look on her face. He had to guess nopony had ever dared talk to her like that before. There was probably a reason for that, he was fairly sure he was going to be on the receiving end of something very painful. Still though, he felt infinitely better about getting the twisted, bottled up feeling off his mechanical chest.

She closes her eyes and nods. "Fair enough." She starts down the trail once more, leaving Onyx standing there dumbfounded.

"That's it?! That's all you have to say, 'fair enough'?!" he shouts.

"What else do you want? We understand each other, and we have a job to do. So let's get it done."

He sighs and trots down the path. He never had understood mares, but this one was more confusing than most. Even so, he had a hard time not staring at her rear as she moved along. A young stallion full of hormones can only curb nature's tendencies so much.

"You so much as even think about it, I'll turn you into a gelding" she says, not bothering to look back.

"What? I wasn't doing anything, what are you talking about?" he stammers.

"You're a terrible liar. And not very discreet either."

"What, you got eyes in the back of you head now too?" Onyx says.
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They exit the forest after traveling a few miles through the trees. They trot down the light brown dirt road as the sun rises, burning off the fog and dew blanketing the ground. Their damp hooves were covered in dirt that stuck to them like a magnet. Onyx trotted along, following Angel who had been going just slightly faster than he was the entire time.

"Can you slow up? Just a little bit?" he asks, breathless and wheezing. He hadn't run this far since school. "Please?!" he gasps.

"I can fly, I could be in Las Pegasus in 20 minutes. At this pace we'll get there in three hours, I'm giving us four and a half to get back with the rotor. We will go at my pace."

"Three hours?!" he exclaims, his voice more of a squeak than anything.

"What, you're not up for a run?" she calmly asks, no sighs of exhaustion or even mild fatigue in her voice.

"When have I ever needed to trot for three hours?!"

She looks back at the stallion. "We will arrive on time. I'll make sure of that."

He didn't know what she meant by that, but he knew it wasn't good.

Chapter 4: Letters From Home

CHAPTER FOUR
"Sweet mother of Celestia, you survived!" Bruiser exclaims as Onyx walks into the large central room. He was absolutely soaked to the bone, a puddle was forming under his hooves. He shakes, flinging water every which way.

"What'd you expect?" he asks, grabbing a bagel that was sitting unguarded nearby on a table. He had worked up quite the appetite. He'd spent the last five hours pulling that Celestia-forsaken wagon through the mud and the muck. It was probably a good thing he had a mechanical heart, his old one would've probably exploded by now.

"Well, most new recruits that Angel Fire takes out don't come back" Bruiser responds as a small crowd gathers round. "We figured she just killed em or something."

"Psh, her?" he mumbles, mouth full. "She's not so bad once you get to know her."

"You mean, you... talked to her? Hot damn son, you gotta pair on ya, I'll give ya that" the blue pony says.

Onyx wolfs down the last two bites at once. "Don't see what all the fuss is about, heck she even told me how she ended up here."

The crowd gasps. "What happened?!" one of the ponies eagerly shouts.

Onyx straightens his posture, enjoying being the center of their attention. "Well, turns out she..."

He noticed the crowd had a horrified look on their faces. Onyx looks down to see two tall shadows reaching up over him on the ground.

His head slowly cranes around, seeing the aforementioned mare standing right behind him, metal wings spread to their full length giving her a menacing silhouette against the sterile lights of the room. Her eyes were burning a hole right through him. That scowl on her face could have frozen over Tartarus itself.

"She... did nothing worth mentioning, so I'd just forget I ever said anything" he says. She doesn't lower her glare off of him.

The crowd quickly disperses, returning to their previous business with haste. Angel takes a step towards the petrified midnight-black stallion. "That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble. Learn to control it" she snarls, edge of her wing dangerously close to his neck.

"Y-yes ma'am" he stutters. She lowers her wing and walks off. Onyx lets out a massive sigh, outstretching a hoof to a nearby table to steady himself. Bruiser laughs heartily.

"Not so bad, huh?"

"No it's not her, I just nearly pissed myself for the fun of it" Onyx replies.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
So, Bruiser gave me a journal. He said writing down your feelings and what's happening to you is a good way to cope, personally I think it's a bunch of touchy-feeley-bullshit, but, whatever. Not like I have anything better to do.

Recently, I did take it upon myself for some... "me time", if you catch my drift. When you share a room with a few dozen other stallions, you don't get much time to yourself. Not without it quickly getting weird, anyways.

Not surprisingly, the base is a little short on appropriate reading material. I did manage to find a modeling magazine, judging by the dog-eared pages and wrinkles, somepony had been using it for the same purposes I intended to. Mercifully, none of the pages were overly-sticky. I did make a note to wash my hooves after touching it however. Ok, not so much "wash" as "power scrub".

I just needed to verify everything, y'know, still worked. That's all it was.

Now that I had the necessary materials, I had to find an appropriate location. I tried one of the supply closets, but a cockroach the size of a cat crawled across my leg. Needless to say, I exited rather swiftly, the mood spoiled a bit. I only had the heebie-jeebies for 5, 10 minutes at the most.

I eventually settled for a bathroom stall. Classy, I know. I don't think of myself as a picky stallion, but none of the models really did anything for me. They all had way too much makeup plastered on their faces, or just looked like tramps. I mean I could work with it, but ... I'm unsure as to where I'm going with this particular paragraph.

I did find one mare that caught my eye though (that's funny because I only have one eye. COMEDY), a cute little yellow pegasus with a long pink mane. She had 3 butterflies for a cutie mark, pretty cute face too. She didn't look like all the others in the magazine though, not all high-strung and probably wouldn't give you the time of day if you met them.

No, she looked nervous, hell even a little scared. It was like she didn't want to be there. She didn't know what lie in store for her, and that was likely what scared her the most. I dunno, maybe part of me empathized with that... Anyways, I was nearly done before I was interrupted.

Two stallions came barging in. They were, let's just say, enjoying each other's company. Loudly. At first I thought this just might be another joke on the new guy, like the lid falling off the salt-shaker or the fake snake in my bed. However a peak out the door's crack confirmed either these were the most devoted pranksters of all time, or the statistics of a bunch of stallions living together 24/7 had just now become apparent to me. Because I don't catch onto that sort of thing very quickly. Took me 5 years to realize my childhood friend Violet Lilly was a lesbian. And yes, it was only after I asked her out.

Now that I think about it, I don't suppose it's too surprising. Hell, Angel-Fire's the only mare worth looking at around here, and she's terrifying.

Sitting there, as an unwilling witness to what was unfolding, I couldn't help but think of the time Rusty first saw those two mares kissing outside the horseshoe store.

He'd never seen anything like that, he was just a little kid. He asked me about it, so I explained it best I could. I mean I'd rather he hear it from me than some pony on the street, right?

Of course, he waited until we were all sitting around the table eating dinner to ask me aloud how two mares had sex. Mom and Dad had words with me, strong words. Rusty was just mad because nopony told him. I miss that little guy...

These droplet stains on the page, that's the vent leaking over me. They're not mine.

Anyways, so I'm stuck there in the bathroom stall. The party has died, hard. I can't just walk out with em going at it, so I just sit there and wait for them to leave.

I sat in that fucking bathroom for 30 minutes. They eventually left, I considered giving it another go but after listening to that grunt-fest for a half-hour, I doubt that pegasus could do anything for me even if she was actually here.

Still got the magazine, it's under my mattress. Because that's the absolute last place you would expect somepony to hide makeshift psuedo-pornography. My own devious craftiness scares me sometimes.

I'm not sure what I'm doing here. I mean, it's not that I don't care about Earth ponies being oppressed or anything, but...
I've never really felt oppressed. I mean sure, there was the requisite grade-school teasing from the unicorns and pegasi, but that's only because they weren't very creative. I had LOADS of stuff wrong with me they could have made fun of, but they weren't smart enough to realize that.

There's a strong likelihood that I'll be forced to do something in the near future that I won't want to. I just wonder if I'll be able to do it for a cause I honestly, don't feel that strongly about, or if I should at all.

Onyx closes the journal and slides it under his bed. He lies down and tries to get some sleep, there wasn't anything left to do.
He tosses and turns, unable to drift off. Try as he may, he couldn't get the unicorn from the other day out of his head. The night they returned he was exhausted beyond comprehension, he had no problems sleeping. Tonight though, his mind was free to torment him.

Did he have a family? A wife and kids? Even though he wasn't the one who killed him directly, it was he who enabled Angel to deliver the final blow. The blood was on his hooves just as much as it was on hers.

He recalled a conversation he'd had with the old pony when he was just a foal with stunning clarity. There was an old, snow-white pegasus that hung around the barber shop, mom never did like it when he talked to the pony.

The pegasus was one of the few surviving veterans of the last war in Equestrian history. The conversation replayed in Onyx's head like a movie.

"What's it like to kill another pony? Don't you get sad?" the small black foal asked him.

"Son, in a war, you don't see them as ponies. They're faceless targets, vermin in need of extermination. You don't think about the lives they led, or the families you're shattering. You get the job done so you can go home" the grizzled old pegasus replied, the years giving his words a raspy tone.

"Faceless targets..." Onyx repeats aloud to himself. The words echoed in his head. That's what it would take then.

"Zrrt! Angel Fire, Bruiser, and Onyx, report to Blackout's office. Zrrt!" the PA buzzed.

Onyx groans as he climbs out of bed, what did that lunatic want now? It was just after midnight, didn't that guy ever sleep?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
"You uh, wanted to see me?" he asks, slowly entering the large office. It had taken him a few minutes to find it, the compound was like a maze inside.

Angel Fire and Bruiser were already inside, standing in front of the steel desk. Blackout was seated behind it, he waves Onyx inside. "Yes, do come in."

Onyx joins the others in the center of the mostly featureless room. Aside from the desk, a computer terminal and the single lamp hanging from the ceiling, there was practically nothing in there. He supposed Blackout didn't like distractions.

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate you for successfully completing your first mission" the cyborg stallion says eloquently. "I suppose you are your father's son after all."

The lamp gave off an electrical buzz overhead. The vents cut on, a low drone sounded out from them as fresh air is pumped throughout the base.

"Now normally, I'd reserve this mission exclusively for more experienced members, such as Bruiser and Angel Fire here, but I think you're up to the task."

"Now that Onyx is here, can we finally hear what this super important mission actually is?" Bruiser asks somewhat impatiently. He was not fond of waiting, for anything.

"Of course" Blackout replies. He brings a hoof to his temple, a shimmering image is projected from his robotic eye. Onyx immediately wondered if he could do that as well, because that was badass.

An image of a unicorn with long blonde bangs is seen. A heart with a music note inside it sits on the flanks. "This is Heart Throb. He's a young up-and-coming musician, although I'm using that word very loosely."

"Wait, that's a dude? Thought that was a mare..." Bruiser comments. Angel rolls her eyes.

"He's amassed an absurdly dedicated fanbase comprised almost exclusively of adolescent girls, and will be hosting a concert in Fillydelphia tomorrow evening."

Onyx blinks twice. "Wait, holdup. This super-tough assignment is going to a pop concert?"

"You've never heard one of his songs, have you?" the cobalt pony says. "Try to make it all the way through just one. It's physically painful."

"Focus" Blackout says authoritatively, the 2 stallions snap to attention. "I got curious, so I examined one of his more popular... songs." The way he said it implied he was unsure if that was the best word to use. The image changed from the unicorn to a waveform spiking and peaking in various places.

"A spell matrix?" Angel Fire says.

"Yes. More specifically, an obsession-spell. These are banned, and for good reason. Once the spell is in place, it leaves the victim in a state of semi-mind control, indefinitely" the tall black pony says, the image vanishing. "You will infiltrate the event, and eliminate him."

"Oh FUCK yes" Bruiser exclaims with a crazed look in his eyes.

Chapter 5: Ashes To Ashes

CHAPTER FIVE
I once heard somepony say "ponies change, memories don't". That's not true, memories change all the time. They fade, and eventually, disappear.

When you lose somepony, they're gone forever. All you have left is their memory. But with time, that too will vanish, ultimately leaving you completely alone. All you can do is try to hold onto it the best you can and watch helplessly as the hand of time erodes away the only thing you have left.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx crammed the rest of his supplies into his saddlebags, punching and kicking them inside before quickly snapping it closed before the contents exploded out like a jack in the box.

"Going on an assassination mission. What would mom say about that..." he wonders to himself. Of course he knew plain as day what'd she'd do, she'd kick his ass before coming down here to kick Blackout's ass herself.

He exits the bunks and heads for the commons area where Bruiser and Angel Fire were waiting.

"Ya ready to go?" the stout pony says, loaded down with more supplies than seemed necessary for a simple two-day mission.

"Ready as I'll ever be" Onyx replies.

"Well in that case let's get a move on. We should reach Fetlock by nightfall" the makeshift pegasus says, pulling tight her saddlebags, strap in her mouth.

Onyx's ears perked up. "We're going through Fetlock?"

"It's the quickest way to Fillydelphia. Why, is there a problem?"

"No, no problem." He hadn't thought about home for awhile now, he wasn't sure how he'd feel seeing it again.

They enter the scarcely-lit hallway leading out of the commons area, leaving the compound.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The trio walk through Howling Forest, dead trees flanking them on all sides. Leaves crunch under their hooves, off in the distance they hear Timber Wolves calling, Onyx figured that was how the forest's name came into being.

"Ya sure you're ready for this?" Bruiser says to the smaller stallion. "It can get a little... intense."

Onyx looks over to him. "Well I'm here, aren't I?"

"We need to make sure you're up to the task" Angel adds. "You're the one who'll have to kill Heart Throb. We can't afford for you to hesitate or falter when the time comes."

His eyes widen. "Wait, why me?"

"Remember, your horn can destroy spell matrices. This unicorn's magic, this isn't some cheap party trick. He's a powerful spell-caster, it would be foolish to assume the job will go according to plan."

"That's usually how it goes" the large blue pony says. "Why ya gotta show up packing 5 tons of military-grade crazy."

"What?"

"The thing 'bout unicorns..." he says. Angel rolls her eyes and lets out a sigh, apparently having heard this logic multiple times over. "They're smart."

Onyx waits patiently for the rest of the explanation, if there was one.

"They think they can outsmart ya, but only because they think you think you can outsmart em. If ya do somethin completely Fruitbat-shit insane, then they don't expect it. Take em by surprise, know what I mean?" Bruiser says, nudging the pony to his right.

"Uh, yeah, Bruiser. Thanks."

"Honestly, how are you still alive?" Angel says to the stallion.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The afternoon sun shines down on them as they traverse the long and winding dirt road. The path snakes and winds around the rolling hills, the neon-green grass stretching as far as the eye can see. A warm breeze sweeps across the plains, carrying with it the scent of wildflowers. It was a welcome distraction from the thoughts weighing on Onyx.

Maybe he could just take a small detour to see his home one last time. Just a few minutes to walk around, it wouldn't take long. He was more homesick than he realized, every step that took him closer only increased his desire to see his home, the place where everything was simple, was happy.

"I know the temptation" Angel says, breaking the silence. Onyx looks over at her. "But that life is over, the best thing you can do now is move on."

"What makes you think?..."

She continues walking. "I know that look on your face. But take my word for it, what you're planning won't help you find closure. It's just twisting the knife, reminding you of what you've lost." Angel doesn't look back to him as she talks. "I"m speaking from experience."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The sun was beginning to sink below the hills, the sky was burning a brilliant orange and violet. "We've got about 20 minutes of light left, let's set up camp before it gets too dark" the makeshift pegasus says. They'd been walking all day, they were just a mile or two away from the peaceful hamlet of Fetlock.

They sit around the campfire, Bruiser and Onyx roll out the blankets on the ground as Angel tends to a cast-iron skillet filled with carrots, onions, and various other greens. "Didn't peg you as much of a cook" Bruiser comments.

"I have my own interests, just like you do" she replies, stirring the sauteing vegetables.

"The only things that interest me are splittin' skulls" the barrel-chested stallion proudly states.

"You're not fooling anypony. I found your crochet collection" Angel says in a monotone voice.

His ears fall flat and his cheeks turn a deep red. "What? No, no you've got it all wrong, that's not mine..."

"It's ready, eat if you're hungry." Onyx and Bruiser fought and shoved, racing to the skillet. The blue stallion pushes him out of the way, Onyx jumps up on his back and hurdles over him but is grabbed and thrown back, hooves dragging along the dirt in protest.

Fortunately, Bruiser left some for the rest of them, although his portion was unreasonably large. They sit around the fire, the orange glow shimmering on their faces. Onyx takes a bite and nearly drops the fork. His eyes grow large as he sits there in stunned silence. "...this is possibly the greatest thing I have ever eaten..."

"Where'd ya learn to cook like that? You could serve this in a dirty toilet bowl and it'd still be delicious" Bruiser says, furiously shoving food into his mouth.

"I... dabbled in culinary arts for awhile" she responds.

Onyx sets down his plate and stares at her with squinted eyes, Angel feels his gaze on her and looks back at him. "What?"

"...I get it now. It all makes sense. Best grilled food I ever had, a flame for a cutie mark..." he grins and points his fork at her. "You're not a pyro, you were a chef."

Bruiser stops mid-bite, staring at the two.

"Alright fine. My father owned a place called Gryphon's Grill in Manehatten, I used to help him out in the kitchen, happy now?" she admits, sounding a little aggravated her secret was out.

"Yeah, actually."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Bruiser was snoring heavily, sprawled out like a drunken starfish. Onyx laid there, trying to sleep but wide awake. He looked up at the stars, it was a clear night. He hadn't seen them in a long time, the view from the compound was... lackluster.

The campfire pops and snaps, Angel was still sitting by it. She was poking at the logs with a stick, the embers rose up into the air, climbing higher and higher towards the stars before they burn out and die, vanishing. There was probably a profound metaphor for life in there somewhere, if he was more creative or poetic he could have made something out of it.

He rises to his hooves and approaches her. The glow from the fire reflected off her metal wings and shone in her eyes. "You're still up?" she says surprised.

"Can't sleep" Onyx replies.

They sit in silence, save for the crackle of the fire and chirps of crickets. "What you said earlier today, about not going back home..." the black pony starts, cautiously. "What'd you mean by that?"

She stares into the dancing flames. "...I'd been working for Blackout for around 8 months before I got sent on an assignment to Manehatten, I was set up just a few blocks from the family's brownstone. After I completed the job, I swung by. I knew it was probably a stupid thing to do, but I didn't care. When I knocked on the door, a stranger answered."

She tosses the stick into the fire. "I was an only child. The doctors told mom that she would never have a foal, but after a few years, she got pregnant." Angel gave a small chuckle. "She named me Angel because she said she must have had one watching over her. A few weeks after I died, she hung herself. They said she had a picture of me in her hoof. Dad fell back into the liquor not long after that, can't say I blame him. What he'd been through, it's enough to break anypony."

Angel Fire turns to him, eyes glossy and shimmering. "That's why. Whatever's back there, whatever's left of your old life, it can only hurt you. Leave it behind, and don't look back."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Angel groggily opened her eyes, the sun wasn't up yet. She gets to her hooves and stretches, neck popping and creaking. She looks around, and immediately notices the black stallion is missing. "Ugh, that damn pony..."

She walks over to Bruiser, who was stretched out on his back and snoring heavily. "Bruiser, wake up" she says, jostling him. He responds with a snore. "Bruiser. Onyx is gone. Get up."

His snore offered a thoughtful and logical counterargument. Finally, she slapped him across the face. "WAKE UP!!!" her voice an ear-rupturing volume.

"AAAUGGHH" Bruiser yells, swinging hooves in every direction. He pants heavily, catching his breath. "What's the matter with you? You tryin' to give me a heart attack?! Y'know some of us are still packing original equipment in there" he says, thumping his chest.

"Have you seen Onyx? He's gone."

"I've been sleeping. I thought you were gonna keep an eye on him?" he says, slowly rising off his blanket.

"He was sleeping when I dozed off, he must have left after I fell asleep" she says, inspecting his blanket. "There's hoofsteps in the dew, he couldn't have left long ago."

"Well you know as well as I do where he's going, so why don't we head over there?" the cobalt stallion says.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The duo make their way across a field of knee-high grass, a lone house stands in the center. A small dirt path comes from a ruined bridge and snakes to the front door.

It was a modest home, but obviously well-cared for. Flower beds surrounded it, the walls were white and hoof-scrubbed. "Hmph. Can't say I blame him for wanting to come back, whole helluva lot nicer than the compound" Bruiser comments.

As they approach closer, they see somepony moving around inside through one of the large bay windows. It was Onyx, he was pouring something all over the floor.

He exits the front door holding an empty metal can that read "PROPERTY OF RATCHET'S FIX-IT-SHOP" with " WARNING: ACETONE. HIGHLY FLAMMABLE" underneath.

Onyx pulls out a lighter, but hesitates. He looks down at it for a few moments, before looking back to the house. He gives the lighter a flick, giving birth to a small yellow flame. Onyx takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.

He tosses the lighter inside. For a moment, nothing. Then, a whoosh of flame overtakes the entirety of the floor. He stares with pensive eyes as the home is engulfed in flames.

Angel and Bruiser come galloping over. Onyx doesn't say a word, silently watching the fire swallow up the last remains of his old life.

The doorframe marked with notches charting his and his brother's growth over the years, the bedroom the two shared, the living room where they'd spent countless hours either playing or getting on each other's nerves, the walls that had seen so much love, all of it consumed in flames.

"Why would he burn down his own house?" Bruiser asks, his face glowing from blaze.

Angel stares at the midnight-black pony looking into the inferno. "...He's making sure there's nothing left for him to come back to."

The sun rises, peeking over the horizon and casting long shadows across the ground. Onyx turns away from the blazing inferno as the frame of the house collapses. "Let's go. We've got a unicorn to kill."

Chapter 6: Innocence Lost

CHAPTER SIX
When I was a foal, I heard stories about Hydras, Cerberi, Sea Serpents, Dragons, and Manticores. These stories always scared me, I'd stay up all night because I'd hear a noise outside and I just knew it was some kind of terrible monster coming to eat me. But I grew up, and the stories stopped frightening me. I knew the stories of dragons eating entire villages and Hydras swallowing up wagons full of school-ponies were just that; stories.

But the longer I live, and the more I see, I've come to realize something. The scariest monsters you'll ever find aren't in some deep, dark cave, or at the bottom of the ocean. They're ponies, ones you might not give a second thought to. These ponies, they can't be changed. They can't be fixed. They're sick, and they need to be put down. I don't kill ponies. I kill monsters.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The mismatched group of cyborg ponies enter the city limits of Fillydelphia, the brick buildings gradually increasing in size as they venture deeper into the town. The marble dome of city hall shines in the distance as they traverse one of the numerous roads crisscrossing the city.

They were in the disguises Bruiser had packed, Angel had a simple yet pretty pink dress on that successfully hid her wings. Onyx found it a little odd, seeing her in something so... proper. Still though, she filled it out rather nicely. Not that he'd ever admit that aloud.

Meanwhile, he was stuck with the eyepatch. Again with the fucking eyepatch. It had been nearly 30 minutes, and Bruiser had yet to stop with the pirate jokes. And if he wasn't poking fun at the patch, the black stockings Onyx was wearing to hide his metal legs gave Bruiser plenty to work with. Hiding the metal spike coming from his skull was surprisingly easy, he simply wrapped it in black sports tape. From a distance, he looked just like a normal unicorn, although the horn was around six inches too long.

The wise-cracking stallion had gotten off easy, only requiring a light brown bomber jacket to obscure the metal bands circling his abdomen and stretching down his back. He seemed fully aware of this too, as he insisted on wearing a smug grin on his face the entire time. Onyx was tempted to smack him, but he was fairly sure the huge pony could buck him into next week.

The come to a large billboard hung from one of the multi-story brownstones.
"SATURDAY ONLY! HEART THROB IN CONCERT!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! HURRY!"
They study the face on the sign, a young unicorn with a pale yellow coat and a golden mane swept forwards was making a pouty-face, doing his best to look... actually, they didn't have any idea what he was trying to do. If he was going for the "desperately in need of a hoof to the face" look, he was having tremendous success.

"So, that's Heart Throb, huh?" Onyx says, looking into the baby blue eyes on the poster. "Just looks like your typical annoying pre-teen pop star."

"Looks can be deceiving" Angel says. He supposed that was true, looking at the doe-eyed mare in the pink dress he wouldn't have suspected just four days ago she had sliced a unicorn into five different pieces.

"Well I for one won't be sorry when he's gone. Radio's in love with the little bastard, they never play anything else. I remember when they played good stuff like DJ-PON3, y'know, real music" Bruiser says, glaring at the billboard.

"You do realize that if he gets murdered, they're gonna be running marathons of him 24/7, right?" Onyx says.

The blue stallion blinks. "...Aw shit. Can we not do this?"

"We have our orders" Angel says, beginning to walk down the street. "We're supposed to set up shop at the Horseshoe Inn."

"Well then why are you going that way? You take 63rd Street you'll get there quicker" Onyx replies.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They toss their bags into the corner of the room. It was a small, simple two-bed suite. Nothing special, but it was clean and well furnished. Compared to the compound, it might as well have been Celestia's personal bedroom.

"Alright, I'm going to have a look around the concert stage before the crowd arrives" the cream-colored mare says, turning to exit the room. "I'll be back shortly."

The door swings closed, leaving Bruiser and Onyx alone. The black stallion wastes no time in hastily removing the eyepatch. "Ugh, hate that damn thing. Zero depth perception."

"But you look so good wearing it" the stallion sarcastically quips.

"I've got a metal spear welded to my head, watch it."

Bruiser laughs a deep rumbling chuckle as he walks over to the window and looks out. "You really do take after Blackout. He's threatened to skewer me at least a dozen times."

Onyx failed to see the humor in that comparison. "I'm nothing like him" he coldly says.

The blue pony turns around. "Whoa, sorry."

"It's fine, it's just... I dunno." Onyx plops down on one of the beds. It was much more plush than his cot, which felt like it had a mattress made of concrete. He rubs the bridge of his muzzle and sighs. "You ever wonder what the hell you're doing?"

"All the time" he replies. "I actually don't think I've ever gone into a situation knowing exactly what I was getting myself into."

The deep blue stallion looks back out the window to the streets below. Ponies were walking, carrying out their business. "I didn't know what I was signing up for when I started. But I'm here now, don't have anything else to my name so I stuck with it."

Onyx sits up on the bed. "So... what'd you leave behind?"

Bruiser chuckles. "Nothing worth mentioning. Had a wife, cute little mare. She used to do this thing, where she'd get on top of me upside down and..." the pony clears his throat. "Anyway, she left me for an accountant. An accountant, can you believe that? She chose some wormy little number-cruncher over these muscles" he says, holding up his bulging foreleg and flexing.

"Why, what happened?" the black pony asks.

"Eh, she kept going on and on about her feelings or some crap. How I never listened to her, how I never opened up to her, how I hated her stupid cat, there was some more in there but I wasn't really paying attention."

Onyx nodded thoughtfully.

"Just a bachelor in a go-nowhere job in a ratty apartment, I'm not gonna pretend like I made a huge sacrifice by giving that up. Hell, at least at the compound I don't have to pay rent. I ain't like you and Angel, I didn't have to say goodbye to everything I loved. Didn't have anything worth loving to start with."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They navigate the mob of screaming ponies, sidestepping and shuffling around the hundreds of excitable young mares. They looked like they had just gotten their cutie marks, and they were everywhere. Onyx and Bruiser were possibly the only stallions in attendance.

"Well at least we blend right in" Bruiser says, standing twice as tall as most of the young ponies in the audience.

The stage was set up in the middle of an expansive field, the sun was beginning to set and the crowd was filing in. They follow Angel, who was blazing a trail through the sea of school fillies. "Right over here, there's a spot out of view from the stage" she says, pointing to a large scaffolding covered in Heart Throb banners. Another just like it sat on the opposite end of the stage, lights strung across from them. "You can line up a shot from there, nopony will see you."

"Alright then" Onyx replies. "When do I take the shot?"

"Get in position, we'll signal you when."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx hunkers down on the scaffolding beneath him. Bruiser didn't specify what the "signal" would be, only that he would recognize it. Angel would be providing air support, should the situation degrade to the point they require it. The multicolored lights swung across the stage, speakers pumped bass-heavy music as the crowd was awash in chatter.

Suddenly, the lights cut out. The crowd screams a shrill cry as a single spotlight illuminates a lone unicorn standing in the center of the stage. He slowly walks towards the edge of the stage, music starting up. Onyx closes his natural eye and the crosshairs fade into view.

However, something strange was going on. He saw a shimmering aura surrounding the unicorn. Various numbers and readings scrolled past, the implant giving him vast amounts of information he had no clue what to do with.

The unicorn starts singing. "Giiirl, I know you're the one for meee... Baby can't you seee..."

"Oh sweet mercy, this is awful" he whispers to himself. He prayed the signal would come quick, any more of this and he'd stab his eardrums. It couldn't be any more painful than the abuse they were taking now.

The crowd was going absolutely nuts, the young fillies were screaming at the top of their lungs, some were in tears. Onyx watches as the aura grows around the unicorn, it spreads out into the crowd. Suddenly, he realized what he was seeing was magic. He was witnessing the spreading of the spell.

Without warning, the lights cut out leaving the stage pitch black. Onyx guessed that was the signal, his implant sees through the darkness and he lines up a shot. He focuses hard, a blue glow burns from his metal horn. A bolt of energy streaks through the dark and explodes in a blinding flash. To his amazement, Heart Throb leaps out of the way, dodging the attack.

The unicorn's own horn glows a soft gold, sending a beam of raw magic energy into the scaffolding's base. The structure lurches under Onyx's hooves, he feels it start to tilt dangerously. He leaps as it topples backwards, metal hooves cracking the wood stage under him as he lands with a loud clank.

The audience is filled with panicked shouting as Onyx fires another blast, Heart Throb vanishes in a flash of light. the bolt of destruction passes through the space he previously occupied a split-second earlier. "What the?" He feels a sharp, burning pain sink into his back. It felt like someone had stabbed him with a red-hot knife. He falls to the ground, seeing the young unicorn standing behind him. A single spotlight had come back on, shining on the two ponies.

"You got some balls, attacking me in the middle of a show" he says, an undeniable cockiness in his voice. "But you're outclassed."

Onyx focuses, another blue bolt cracks across air. The natural unicorn teleports out of the way again, the blast slams into the rear of the stage in flash. Yet another burning wave of pain overtakes him, smoke rising from the singed wound on his flank. He collapses to his knees, teeth clenched tightly. Anytime you wanted to bring in that air support, Angel.

Heart Throb envelopes him in a golden glow, and lifts him into the air. Onyx struggles, but can't break free from the spell. He slams the black pony into the stage floor, again and again. The levitation spell fades, the black pseudo-unicorn lies in the crater in the wood. "Ok Angel. Now would be good."

Apparently, she had decided the same, as she came speeding in like a missile. Heart Throb teleports out of the way yet again, her wing carving a deep scar in the wood that would have severed his head had he been a moment slower. She lands next to the downed pony. "Get up Onyx."

He rises to his hooves with a painful groan. The young blonde unicorn sees them and laughs. "What, what is this? Seriously? You guys with the circus or something?"

Angel speeds towards him, wings spread wide. Heart Throb fires a magic blast that strikes her dead center before ducking under the attack. She lands behind him, seemingly unaffected. She slowly turns around, a lustful look in her eyes.

Onyx stares in confusion. "...huh?"

The mare struts over to the unicorn, hips swinging seductively. "Hello there" she says, rubbing a hoof along his chin.

"What the hell's going on?!" the black pony shouts.

"A specialty of mine. Attraction magic, got ahold of a couple scrolls written by Princess Cadance herself awhile ago" he says smugly, Angel Fire rubbing his chest. "Works wonders on young mares."

Bruiser runs onstage, his heavy hoofsteps pounding out on the hardwood. He sees Angel fawning over the unicorn and his eyes shoot wide. "What the hell got into her? She hit estrus all of a sudden?"

"It's a spell. Bastard's been hitting every school-age filly in the audience with it too" Onyx snarls. Bruiser looks out, noticing the massive crowd staring with blank eyes, seemingly in a trance.

Heart Throb claps mockingly. "Bra-vo, aren't you a clever one. So what if I did? Who's to say I don't deserve a little affection now and then? he says with a sly grin as Angel nuzzles against him and nibbles his ear.

Onyx's eyes narrow as a blast from his horn shoots across the stage and strikes Heart Throb in the horn. He lets out a painful howl as a harsh glow emanates from his body. The light fades, revealing a middle-aged unicorn with a stringy comb-over. He looks at himself in a panic.

"Took me a minute to figure it out, what that was around you was a transformation spell. You're not a teenage colt, you're a sick twisted pervert. That body's the perfect tool to get the attention of little fillies, isn't it?"

"This guy's gotta be at least 40 years old" Bruiser says with disgust.

"What they don't know won't hurt them" the unicorn says, the words coming from his mouth like grease. "The spell works flawlessly. They never suspect a thing. They get one-on-one time with their idol..." he smiles sickeningly. "They'll do anything I tell them."

"You sick son of a bitch..." Onyx spits.

Bruiser cracks a foreleg. "I'm gonna enjoy splattering your brains across the floor."

"Well why don't you come and try?"

The blue stallion charges him with more speed than Onyx expected from the huge pony. He readies a powerful blow as a magical beam strikes him. The cobalt stallion stands there, in a daze. He shakes his head and his eyes fall on the unicorn. "Well..." he says, voice an octave lower. "Hi there."

"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Onyx yells.

Bruiser joins Angel Fire at Heart Throb's side. "My magic's widely versatile, don't be so surprised. Just relax, you'll enjoy it" he says, horn glowing. The beam shoots through the air, Onyx fires his horn at the same time. The blue energy bolt rips directly through the golden beam and destroys the unicorn's horn. The spell disappears.

Heart Throb collapses to the floor, clutching at the burnt stump, all that remained of his horn. The middle-aged pony was bellowing a blood-curdling scream at the top of his lungs. "That had to be incredibly painful. I understand all of a unicorn's nerve endings connect at the horn" Onyx says, walking over.

The yellow pony looks up at him, fear in his eyes. "You took advantage of little girls. You've done things I don't even want to know about. You deserve far, far worse than what's coming to you" he says, words dripping with hate.

He lowers his silver horn, a blue aura burning on the surface. "I hope this hurts." He fires a blast, the unicorn explodes in a shower of gore and entrails. A huge red splatter on the floor is all that's left of the unicorn. Onyx wipes his face, he had been splashed with the internal fluids by being in close proximity.

Onyx looks out at the crowd, who were staring in shocked silence, having just come out of the spell. They had time to witness the black unicorn murder a pony however. A few were weeping, some vomited. He looks around, Bruiser and Angel motion for him offstage. He quickly gallops away as the crowd erupts in shrieks and yells.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Back in the hotel room, Angel sat on the bed. "Teen music sensation Heart Throb was brutally slaughtered earlier tonight at a concert in Fillydelphia, eyewitness reports indicate a black unicorn, a cream pegasus, and a blue earth pony were responsible. The public is advised to be highly cautious, as these ponies are highly dangerous. More details as we-" she turns the radio off.

Bruiser said he was going to circle the town a few times, just to make sure they weren't being followed. Angel Fire and Onyx were left alone in the room, he promptly went to the shower to wash away the blood and bile staining him.

The water pounds against Onyx's face, the shower head raining down on him. He had scrubbed himself over at least three times, but still felt filthy. He stands under the downpour, the water running down his horn. Onyx sighs and turns the knobs with a squeak, the shower cutting out.

He steps out and dries himself off. The mirror was fogged over, he wipes a spot clean and stares at himself. The unblinking red robotic eye looks back at him. Onyx furiously punches the mirror with his metal hoof, shattering the glass into a hundred pieces.

Angel watches as he exits the bathroom. "Everything alright?"

Onyx slowly walks over and sits down on the other bed. "...How are you supposed to feel after you kill somepony?"

"Well, that's difficult to say. Everypony handles it differently" she says, her voice softer than usual.

"Is it... is it wrong that I don't feel bad about it? I'm glad he's dead. I know that was the mission, but after what he said, I wanted to kill him. I just..." he searched for the right words. "I dunno what I expected. I thought I'd... I'd feel bad about what I'd done. But I don't. Does..." Onyx looks over at her. "Does that make me a bad pony?" Maybe Bruiser was right. Maybe he did have more in common with Blackout than he cared to admit.

Angel Fire gets off her bed and sits down next to him. "I've seen lots of ponies that had a dark side. Ones that had been hiding a murderous rage all these years, ones with the capacity for unspeakable acts." She places a hoof on his own. "Trust me, you aren't one of them."

"...thanks" he replies. The two stare into each other's eyes for a long silent moment, neither saying a word. Angel runs her hoof through his still-damp mane and leans in close, a light blush on her cheeks. She pushes her lips onto his, Onyx returns the kiss.

She pushes him down onto the bed, straddling him as their tongues explore each other's mouth. Onyx could feel his mechanical heart increasing in speed and hear Angel's breathing become faster and more labored. She runs a hoof down his chest and torso, feeling the taught lean muscle under his midnight-black coat before continuing further down.

"Alright I'm back, didn't see anypony but I made a couple moreWHAT THE HELL?! Mother of Celestia, I leave you two alone for twenty minutes, you're already playing 'hide-the-sausage'! Gah, I'll be downstairs getting a separate room" Bruiser says, exiting the door he just entered.

They look at the doorway before turning their attention back to one another. "Should we, I dunno, go get him or something?" Onyx asks the mare sitting up on his chest.

"Don't worry about him. I've walked in on him doing far worse, trust me."

She picks up where she left off, Onyx let out a little yell. "Easy! You're gonna break it if you keep that up!" he says, rising off his back. Angel Fire pushes him back down.

"Just relax. You're not going anwhere."

Well, there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Chapter 7: Purge

CHAPTER SEVEN
I remember I when I was a little colt, I used to love playing with modeling clay. Never was much good at it though. I'd get this awesome idea in my head, but when it was time to turn my thoughts into reality, it never came out right. I just couldn't make it look like I wanted, no matter how hard I tried.

So after awhile, sometimes a few minutes, sometimes an hour to two, I'd get fed up and mash it all into a big ball. I'd start over with a clean slate. All that work and planning, for nothing. The end result had failed to meet my (probably too high) expectations, and as a result, I decided to just start over again instead of trying to improve what I already had.

It took me until just now to realize it. Equestria is Blackout's clay. He's not satisfied with the way it's turned out, so he's starting over. A clean slate. And I'm his hooves.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

They both awaken to a loud knock at the door which prompty swings open, not waiting for an invitation. Bruiser walks in, the stout blue stallion takes a sniff and winces.

"Ugh. Smells like low inhibitions and poor long-term planning in here."

Onyx rubs his eyes and groans as the sunlight hits his face. Angel gives an agitated moan as she uncurls from around him. The black pony sits up in the bed, the sheets and blankets a wrinkled mess from last night's escapades. Hopefully the neighbors hadn't heard too much, although he was fairly sure half the hotel was aware of their actions. Angel was not a quiet pony, by any means.

"What time is it?" he says, voice rough and gravelly.

"Time for you two horn-dogs to get up. It's quarter past nine, we gotta get back to the base now." Bruiser replies.

Angel Fire sleepily opens her eyes. "Why, what's going on?" she says mid-yawn.

"I'll explain on the way, just get out of bed."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Iron Guild ponies stand in the commons area, nervously looking to one another as Blackout stands in front of the six Royal Guard unicorns and pegasi. The golden armor shines and gleams in the clean white light from the overhead lamps, they all have the same emotionless scowl on their face as Blackout reads the parchment.

Blackout. I have been far more than patient with you, I have allowed you to operate your guild in the hopes that by granting you a small amount of freedom, you and your followers would see that we can coexist in peace.

But I now see that's not the case. I have been willing to overlook many of the things you've done, but the wanton murder of innocent ponies, the murder of my subjects, will not be tolerated. If you insist on leaving a trail of death wherever you go, then you leave me no choice.

My Royal Guard will escort you to Canterlot, where we will sit down and discuss terms and agreements like civilized ponies. However. Should you refuse this final act of mercy, I will be forced to take action. You and your Guild shall be declared official enemies of the kingdom, and susceptible to all that title entails.

Give yourself up peacefully, and we can end this conflict without further bloodshed. You call yourself a pony of ideals and fairness, this is your chance to prove it.

-Princess Celestia

The midnight-black cybernetic alicorn chuckles heartily as he drops the scroll to the ground. The ponies all grow more nervous, the Guard continue to glare at the mechanical pony with indifference.

"Well, isn't that sweet. I'm flattered the good princess took time out of her busy schedule just for little old me." He takes a menacing step towards the Royal Guard. They stand their ground, despite being slightly fearful of the cyborg monster in front of them. "So why don't you deliver this little message to her."

His horn erupts in a blinding red flash, striking the lead three unicorns. They give a horrifying scream as they explode, sending a red geyser of sticky, stringy gore flying in all directions. The unicorn guards stare in horror, covered in the entrails of their fellow guardponies.

Blackout's bladed silver wing cleaves down over one of the pegasi, severing the head in one clean stroke. The adjacent pony barely has time to react before the wing's edge sinks into his skull with a sickening squelch. The tall metal-clad pony turns to the sole remaining pegasus guard, the floor a lake of crimson.

"You tell her..." He approaches the trembling white pegasus, whose fur and hooves were stained by his comrades "not to insult me by only sending six guards. If she wants me, she can come get me herself."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Wait, so the idiot just declared war on Equestria?!" Onyx shouts as they gallop out of Fillydelphia, a cloud of brown dust in their wake.

"Basically. Blackout sent out a Code Nine early this morning, I didn't get it until a few minutes before I woke you two up" says Bruiser, his thick heavy hooves pounding deep hoofprints into the path.

"Code Nine?"

"It's one of the Guild's methods of communicating with it's members, done by hiding encrypted messages in public radio broadcasts. There's different codes that mean different things, by using them Blackout can effectively issue orders to all the Guild's members all over Equestria" Angel says, flying overhead. Her wings give a sharp, metallic wail as she soars low over the ground.

"So what does a Code Nine mean?" Onyx says, his three metal hooves and one flesh give a strange rhythm to his hoofsteps.

"We're fucked, everypony get back here now" Bruiser says.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The two stallions trudge through the skeletal trees of Howling Forest, barely conscious. The crescent moon denied them useful amounts of light, the night sky bleeding into the inky blackness. Howls and barks were heard all around them, Onyx noticed it would have been pretty Celestia-damn creepy had he not been well beyond the point of exhaustion, and therefore, caring.

Only Angel Fire remained at full alertness, flying with the aid of jet-powered mechanical wings was, shockingly, less physically demanding that galloping for an entire day. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, and also, a little short-changed. A real unicorn could have just teleported back. But no, all he could do was blow stuff up. While undeniably useful in certain situations, he found anti-magical firepower pretty damn useless for anything else. He'd sliced open his pillow the night before, still not used to a foot-long dagger coming out of his skull.

Mercifully, the steel entryway to the Guild falls into view, a faint glimmer of moonlight on it's surface. Onyx's robotic eye glowed red, cutting through the dark like a laser as they approach. A deep thunk resonates through the forest as the heavy metal door slowly winches open.

They clumsily, breathlessly descend the stairs, it took immense effort to not misplace a hoof and tumble down them like a barrel. The two ponies standing guard at the door punch the control panel, sealing them off once again. They plod along down the endless hallway, the lights on the roof blurring together. Onyx could lie down here and now and sleep like a log. His stumps where his body met the prosthetics ached and burned, his face was wet with perspiration, and his back was sending a constant, dull pain throughout his body.

Although he suspected that may have been more Angel's doing than the mad-dash back to the compound. Good lord, that mare was insatiable. Onyx was sore in... other areas as well. Watching her walk, he suspected she might be feeling a little over-exerted too. With everything that she'd made him do to her, he was surprised she could even move.

They arrive in the commons area, easily a hundred ponies, all augmented by machinery in someplace are standing there.

"Are these all Guild members? I thought there were only a few dozen of us..." Onyx says, looking out at the crowd.

"At any given time, nearly half of the Iron Guild is dispersed across Equestria on assignment. It's not very often Blackout requests everypony assemble back here, he doesn't like us being one single target." Angel Fire walks into the mob, the ponies in her path give her ample space, clearing out of the way like a shark entering a school of bait fish.

She approaches Blackout, giving a salute. "The mission was successfully completed, sir."

"Good, good. How did our newest pony handle himself?" he replies, attention focused on the readings and information pouring into his ocular implant.

"Like a pony well beyond his current experience" She answered, immediately realizing she was accidentally referring to his performance in the hotel room rather than the assassination, but grateful that they coincided. Angel Fire did her best to hide the light blush that fell over her face.

"Guess there's a little bit of Steel Shadow left in there after all" Blackout comments, closing out the flood of information swamping his vision. "Do me a favor and get everypony in line, will you dear?"

"FALL IN!!!" Her voice shook the walls of the large, hangar-like room. Ok, so, probably the entire hotel heard them.

Blackout blinks twice, rubbing his ears. "...thank you, Angel Fire."

The ponies snappily form lines, the enormous commons area almost failing to be large enough to house them all. The metal alicorn takes to the air and flies to a central podium.

"First of all, I commend you on the speed of your return. The three remaining teams should arrive tomorrow morning, so I will trust you to pass along the message." He looks out at the sea of cyborg ponies with his biological eye as well as his robotic counterpart. "Princess Celestia, has kindly offered us a chance to turn ourselves over. To surrender. She extended an olive branch to us, in the hope that we would accept her offer. But you know as well as I do, this was a branch wrapped in thorns. We all know what fate will await us should we turn ourselves over to Canterlot."

The crowd buzzes with energy. Hoofs stomp, tails swish, teeth clench.

"We will not lie down and die like a sick dog. If the Princess wants our lives..." His horn erupts in red energy, it burned like fire on the long silver horn. "SHE'LL HAVE TO COME AND TAKE THEM HERSELF!!!"

The room explodes in a roar of cheers. Onyx looks around, these ponies were screaming in agreement to open war with the entire kingdom?! He looks down at the polished metal floor, the glow from his eye reflects off the ground. He didn't sign up for this. Well, technically, he hadn't signed up for anything, but this? He could tolerate the reanimation and the cybernetic implants. He could live with killing ponies that deserved it. And with time, he could even get over losing everything he ever loved. But this, he knew deep in the pit of his stomach, there was no possible way this would end well.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx lied on his cot, the itchy blanket pulled halfway up his torso. The room was completely full, the number of ponies in the compound meant that a second room had to be opened up to accommodate them all. Despite the deafening amount of snoring filling the room, he had no problem falling asleep. He was out before he even hit the pillow.

Suddenly, an immensely loud BANG! shakes the base. It sounded as if Celestia herself was knocking on the base door. Onyx snaps awake, realizing that may be what was actually occurring. All immediately awaken and pile out of the cots and pour into the hallway to confront this unknown threat.

BANG!

Onyx follows the rest of the ponies outside, not fully awake and in a daze. It took him a few seconds to realize what he was even doing.

Agonizing screams are heard down the hallway in the commons area, followed shortly by an eardrum-rupturingly loud roar.
GGGRRRAAAAAAARRRGGHHH!!!!!!!!

Some of the ponies stop in their tracks, the rest continue to find the source of the noises. They spill out into the huge empty room, what they find nopony expected or can believe.

Onyx stares in complete disbelief. There was no way, he had to be dreaming. This couldn't be real. There couldn't be one of those here.

A dragon, a massive red creature of legend, stands in the center of the room, the ceiling barely providing clearance for the beast. The scales shine like rubies under the lights. Charred piles littered the floor, with shiny metal limbs and components sitting atop them, relatively untouched. The fleshy, flammable ponies they were attached to failed to prove as resilient. A quick count showed at least 20 ponies had been incinerated by the fire-breathing monster.

"Holy shit..." the remaining ponies slowly begin backing away as dragon's vertical pupils fall on them. The beast takes a step, a deep thud resonating in the hollow space. Onyx stares into the reptilian eyes boring right through him, he tried to turn and run but his legs refused to work. Perhaps there was an issue with the wiring or servos.

GGGRRRRAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, would you look at that. His legs worked again.

They bolt down the hallway as a massive column of fire surges down the corridor. The wall of flame is funneled down the hall, leaving the fleeing Guild members only one option: run faster. Onyx hears the ponies behind him let out horrible screams, the sounds of ponies being burned alive. He was tempted to turn and look but stopped himself. He feels the intense heat singing his flanks, burning his tail.

He looks over and sees Bruiser standing in a supply room. "In here! Quick!" The seven remaining ponies run inside, Bruiser slams shut the metal door. They hear the whoosh of the passing flame, followed by more screaming. Onyx pants heavily, swishing his tail and extinguishing the small blaze that had started.

"How the hell is there a FUCKING DRAGON in here?!" one of the ponies screams. He was a dark red pony with a silver horn just like Onyx. He only had one mechanical limb, the lucky bastard.

Suddenly, Onyx had a horrible thought. "Wait, where's Angel Fire?"

Bruiser looks at the closed door with a troubled look on his face.

"Y-you don't think she'd take it on by herself, do you?"

"She'd take on Nightmare Moon by herself" the crew-cut stallion replies.

Another whoosh of fire surges past, they can all feel the radiant heat from the metal door. "I gotta get out there..." he says.

Bruiser's eyes shoot wide. "What?! Oh no no no, you aren't going anywhere. Not while that thing is turning the hallway into a crematorium."

"I can't just leave her out there by herself!" he shouts with unexpected intensity.

The cobalt stallion stomps his hoof, they all can feel the room's interior heating up like an oven. "And you think you're gonna do her any good when you burn alive? Do you even know how you're gonna kill it? This ain't some pretty-boy unicorn, this a dragon. I don't know if Blackout himself could do anything!"

"So what, what do you say we do?! Stay locked up in here and get cooked?!" Onyx yells back, beads of sweat beginning to roll down his face.

"No, but I would wait for a better plan than 'run headfirst into a swirling inferno'!" the large pony shouts. He takes a second to catch his breath and regain his composure. "The next room down, it's the HVAC hub. If you can get to it, you'll be able to use the air ducts to get to the commons area."

Onyx thinks for a moment before deciding on a course of action. "Alright then." He starts for the door, placing a mechanical hoof on the latch, the almost glowing metal would have burned his skin in an instant. The rest of the ponies watch in silence, the air becoming heated to the point breathing was painful.

"Onyx" he hears Bruiser say. The robotic eye turns to the stallion. "Just don't die, alright?"

He gives a nod. The whoosh of the flames vanishes, he throws the door open and runs into the hellish wall of heat. The walls, floor, and ceiling glowed a faint orange. He holds his breath, knowing the air here would burn his lungs and he was not in the market for more robot organs. He sees the door a few dozen meters away, he gallops towards it as the overwhelming heat bears down on him. His coat begins to smolder as he approaches the sealed metal door. His natural eye tears over, almost completely obscuring his vision. Luckily, the ocular implant allowed him to see where he was going

Further down the hallway, he hears an oncoming roar of flame. He sees a fireball speeding down the corridor, directly at him. He tries the door, but it's locked tight. He pivots up and drives a kick into the door, but to no avail. He tries again, the full strength of his biomechanical legs failing to overcome the locks. The fire closes in, his mane blows in the rush of wind howling past. Frantically, he readies his horn and blasts the door, a blue explosion rips a hole in the thick steel.

He dives through the opening as the flames race past, his back half is bathed in fire as he lands hard on the floor. Onyx groans as he gets to his hooves, smoke rising from his fur. Well on the bright side, he was already black, so the burns wouldn't be too noticeable. "...Onyx?"

The stallion looks up to see Angel in the middle of crawling into the air duct. "What are you doing here?"

He walks over to the large metal tube. "Same thing you are I guess."

She looks him over, taking note of the smoke wafting from him. "You uh, have any trouble getting in here?"

"Nah, no trouble."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The pair crawl through the narrow vent, there's barely enough room for them to fit. Onyx followed Angel Fire, quite enjoying the view.

"Focus back there" she says.

"Seriously, how the hell do you do that?! Are you psychic or something? What are you not telling me?"

GGGRRRAAAAARRRGGHHH!!!

The roar sounded very, very close. They come to a vent overlooking the main room, the massive reptile is preoccupied with pouring flame down the hallway. Angel's wing slices the vent cover off and she falls out, gracefully and silently gliding to the floor.

clunk
Onyx didn't land as quietly. Both Angel Fire and the dragon turn to look at him. To be fair, the look on her face was more intimidating.

"Nice going."
GGGRAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!
Angel Fire takes to the air, a jet of flame sweeps across the room just behind her. Onyx takes the opportunity to line up a shot on the beast, aiming for the neck. Truth be told, he had no idea what the most vulnerable part of a dragon was, the things used magma chambers like hot tubs.

He focuses, a bolt of energy slams into the dragon's hide. The blue explosion clears, revealing no damage done. The dragon's full attention falls to Onyx. "...well this ain't good."

Another wall of fire races towards him, he was already in a corner with nowhere to go. Onyx feels himself yanked out of the way, Angel drags him out of harm's way without a moment to lose. "Would you be more careful?!"

"Just distract him for a little longer, I'm gonna try again" he says as she unceremoniously dumps him on the ground.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

"That's two of us" he comments as she shoots off into the air once again.

The massive creature swipes at her, she successfully dodges the attack and attempts to counter with a slash of her wings but it resulted in little more than a paper cut to the monster.

Another blue flash on the dragon's hide fails to have any effect. "Oh come on!" he growls. He focuses hard, teeth gritted and ears back. A bolt of the anti-magic energy, stronger than before, finds it's target but yet again falls short of any damage.

This was ridiculous. This stupid thing had to have more kick than that. Blackout said these things were strong enough to take down an alicorn, yet he was doing little more than tickling the fire-breathing hellspawn currently laying waste to the compound.

Angel Fire dives behind the dragon as a pillar of fire sweeps across the ceiling. The long, spiked tail slams into her like a freight train. She impacts the ground with a hollow thud. The dragon closes in on his downed prey.

"ANGEL! NO!"

Onyx races towards the menace, horn burning the ethereal blue energy. The monster turns to him, the stallion continues on his course, ignoring the fire raining down around him. With a yell, he drives the horn into the dragon's belly. The beast lets out a painful roar that shakes the walls of the torched room.

He pours every ounce of his willpower into the weapon, and fires. He's showered in the legendary creature's blood as the internal organs are torn to shreds by the massive energy blast. The shockwave rips through the dragon's interior, it gives a final gurgling cry as it falls to the floor. A river of red flows from the mouth as the slit-like eyes lose their gleam.

Onyx stands there, the majority of his body matching his dark red mane. He walks past the slain creature and over to Angel Fire. Mercifully, she was breathing, and other than being unconscious, appeared to be relatively unharmed.

Truthfully, he was a little bummed out she had missed that whole thing. There was no way he was doing that again.

He hears metal hoofsteps approach, he turns to see Blackout. He inspects the dragon's corpse before walking over to Onyx. "Well I'll be. You might just make Guild Master yet."

Chapter 8: Treason

CHAPTER EIGHT
"In too deep." It's a phrase you hear get tossed around pretty often, so much so that it's almost become a cliche without any real meaning. What does that even mean, anyway? You're so into something, so involved, that you're literally drowning?

It was around this time that I figured out, that I was doing just that. Getting in too deep. I was drowning. I was caught in an undertow and couldn't escape, the only thing I could do was watch myself get dragged deeper and deeper and wonder when I'd finally hit bottom.

I'm still waiting.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx stood in the cool, damp morning air of the forest. He still could scarcely believe it, Princess Celestia had just tried to murder over a hundred ponies. Well not pony-to-pony, but by proxy. It was a strange feeling, the gentle and benign ruler never seemed like one to resort to such measures.

It was made slightly worse considering he had held a foal-ish crush on her as a young colt, something the older ponies found absolutely adorable. It had started after she visited Fetlock for some dull, bureaucratic nonsense. The tiny black pony saw her, and she gave him a kind and gentle smile. Her flowing panchromatic mane, her long snow-white legs, her graceful feathered wings, he was smitten.

Of course with time he grew out of it, partly upon realizing his chances were slim to none with a nigh-immortal solar goddess, and to a lesser extent, he had heard rumors that her orgasms were capable of incinerating a normal stallion's genitals. If there was a more painful way to die, he didn't care to know about it.

Onyx was surrounded by his fellow Guild members, their numbers had been reduced from well over 150 to just 63 in a single, bloody attack. And even though he had killed the dragon and saved the remaining ponies, he couldn't shake a deep sense of foreboding and dread. Celestia had managed to sick a dragon on them, and it had failed. What was next? A swarm of Hydras? An Ursa Major?

But despite the attempted mass-murder, was she really in the wrong? At first Onyx thought it was his own actions in Fillydelphia that had garnered her attention, but Bruiser was quick to point out that the Iron Guild's activities covered all of Equestria, and assassination jobs were among the most common of assigned missions. His part was only a small piece of the larger picture.

He tried to look at it from her perspective. They were slaughtering, what were in her eyes, innocent ponies. Diplomacy had failed, Blackout refused any attempts to negotiate. What choice did she have? Onyx couldn't say that in her position, he wouldn't have done the same.

Blackout emerged from the ruined and crumpled entryway to the base, the dragon having ripped it open like a pony opening up a can of cashews. He takes to the air, hovering over his subjects with the morning sun behind him. His wings catch the light and shine like diamonds.

"My brothers!" he shouts. "Celestia has tried to destroy us, wipe us off the face of the earth. Many good ponies died last night, many colleagues, many friends. But I assure you, their loss will not be in vain" the cybernetic alicorn's voice resonates through the trees.

"We've lost over half of the Guild. But we will not go quietly my friends. If Celestia wishes a war, then it's a war she will get" he says with rising intensity. The crowd begins to stir and buzz with energy. "The Guild's Rules of Engagement stipulate that when attacked, one will respond with equal force. She sent us a merchant of death, an avatar of destruction. We..." Blackout looks down at the ponies with a grin "will return the favor."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?!!" Onyx screams, his voice echoing off the cold metal walls of the featureless office.

"The new princess, Twilight... oh what's her name, Twinkle? No that's wrong. Shimmer?" Blackout says, tapping his hoof on the desk and looking off to the side.

"Sparkle?"

He nods. "Right, that's it. In four day's time, she will be addressing the Council, marking her first public speaking appearance since her coronation. Celestia will be in attendance, as will Princess Luna. Your job is simply, to kill them."

Onyx stares at the cyborg with equal parts astonishment and utter disbelief. "...Lemme get this straight. You want me, to go three-on-one with the most powerful magic users in the kingdom, if not the world?!"

Blackout doesn't deviate from his blank expression, failing to see what was so complicated about all this. "In case you've forgotten, your horn destroys spell matrices. All the magic in Equestria couldn't hurt you, not even that of a Princess."

"I-you want-this is insane! You're insane! I'm not doing this!"

The alicorn raises a brow. "Are you defying a direct order from the Guild Master?"

Onyx stamps his hoof. "I'm not gonna assassinate the pony who saved Equestria, let alone Luna and Celestia. If you want this done so badly, you can do it yourself." He glares at his uncle, his robotic eye meeting Blackout's. "Or are you scared to get your own hooves dirty."

Blackout says nothing. His eye gives a small flash.

Suddenly, an unbearable tightness grips the inside of Onyx's chest. He collapses to the floor, unable to breathe. He clutches at his chest, it felt like somepony had grabbed him from the inside and was twisting him into a knot. His vision blurs over.

"You may have forgotten, but I built your heart as well as installed it. I can stop it at any time" the black pony says, getting up from his seat. His eye flashes again, Onyx feels his heart restart. The pain subsides, his blood flowing freely again.

He gets to his hooves, breathlessly panting. "Go ahead, kill me. Not like I have anything to lose. I'm not going through with it, so just forget it."

"Fine then. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Fetlock" Blackout politely replies.

"Wait, what about Fetlock?"

The cybernetic pony's eye projects a shimmering hologram of the town. "Such a peaceful little village. I could see why you're so fond of it, everypony's so friendly and inviting." Several square objects are highlighted throughout the town square. "It would be a shame if these bombs were to detonate. They'd kill hundreds."

Onyx's eye narrows and his ears fall flat. "You wouldn't dare" he hisses coldly.

"Do you honestly think I would let one insignificant backwater town get in the way of my plans?" the obsidian stallion chuckles. His demeanor quickly changes, he takes a menacing step towards the smaller stallion and growls "if you want to let them die because you don't have the balls to go through with the job, fine. That blood's on your hooves. Or, you man the fuck up, and do the right thing."

The makeshift unicorn stares at the pony just inches away from his face. His mind races, trying to think of a way out of this mess. He flashes back to a conversation he had with his dad a few years ago, regarding the family business.

"Son, there's gonna come a time when you find yourself in a lose-lose situation. No matter what you try, you're not gonna come out ahead. When that happens, you gotta take a good hard look at your options, and just decide which one sucks less."

He sighs and looks back at Blackout. "Fine. I'll do it. But only on two conditions."

Blackout seems intrigued. "Which would be?"

"One, Angel Fire and Bruiser come with me."

"And the other?" he asks.

"I want to know who killed my family."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The disguised trio wait on the Las Pegasus station platform. The train would take them to Canterlot, where they'd set up positions in advance. Or at least, that's what Blackout told them.

"So you're actually going through with this?" Bruiser says to Onyx, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Hell no" he spits. "I just told that psycho what he wanted to hear to buy me some time until I can come up with a way out of this."

"Well I hope ya think of something. I don't mind an assassination job now and then but this, this is too much."

They both look to Angel, who was staring down the railroad tracks with indifference. She feels the eyes on her and turns to her audience. "What?"

"You haven't said a word about this whole thing" Onyx says. "What do you think?"

She goes back to looking down the rails. "You don't have to have an opinion on every subject. This is the mission that was assigned to me, plain as that."

Bruiser rolls his eyes. "Oh give me a break Angel. You've been playing that card the three years you've been here, there's no way you can't think anything about this. You know what'll happen if we do this, the whole kingdom'll fall apart."

"And if we don't an village full of innocent ponies will die!" she yells back. Bruiser and Onyx give a reluctant small, silent nod. She did have a point after all, they had the lives of the town resting on them. Onyx prayed he could think of a decent plan to sort this out.

The train is heard approaching, it pulls into the station with a squeal of the brakes. A loud whoosh of steam escapes the engine in a massive white cloud as it pulls to a stop. "All aboard!" the conductor shouts over the steady hiss of steam. They enter the train car and take their seats. "Next stop, Ponyville!"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The scenery rolls past as they follow the metal rails across the expansive green field. Onyx rests his chin on his hoof, deep in thought. "Maybe I could send them a message, a letter or something. Tell them to evacuate. Oh who am I kidding, they probably wouldn't listen. Blackout isn't stupid, he's probably got the village locked down in case something like that happens..."

Bruiser was seated next to him, having called the window seat. Angel sat across from them in the backwards facing seat. They both seemed to realize he was busy thinking, and chose not to disturb him.

They feel the train begin to slow as they approach Ponyville station. They come to a stop, the doors on the cars open. Onyx is snapped out of his daze, he rubs the bridge of his muzzle and groans. Some ponies exit, there was only a few left inside. Onyx was thankful for that much, he hated the looks he got with this damn eyepatch.

He hears two sets of hoofsteps enter the car. Across the aisle, the two ponies take their seats. Onyx sighs and leans back, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to relax, he had four days to come up with a plan, and stressing about it wouldn't help matters. Key word being "tried" to relax. All these lives were depending on him, and if he couldn't come up with a plan... could he really do this?

"I'm so glad you agreed to come with me Fluttershy" he hears an eloquent voice say to his right. "After I make those adjustments to Twilight's gown we'll have to visit the Canterlot Spas. Oh I hear they're just divine!" He turns to look, his patch blocking his field of vision. He was not fond of the eyepatch. At all.

He sees a white unicorn with a neatly-styled purple mane sitting there. A pony loaded down with half a dozen bags and suitcases is dragging them into the cargo car, all with the same three diamond emblem that sat on her flanks. Seated next to her was a familiar looking yellow pegasus with a pink, flowing mane.

"Wait a minute..." he says to himself, almost a whisper.

Bruiser hears him mutter, he leans over. "What is it?"

"I know that pegasus."

The cobalt stallion squints, studying her. "Yeah, she does look familiar" he says quietly. "Oh, that's that mare from the magazine under your mattress."

"What the- how do you know that?!" Onyx angrily whispers.

"I borrowed it awhile back" Bruiser whispers back.

"You what?"

"I only took it for like, fifteen minutes. I put it right back."

Angel looks out the window. "You two are disgusting" she says, forelegs crossed.

The two mares across the aisle carry on a pleasant conversation with each other, blissfully unaware of the grim nature of their fellow passenger's business as the train rolls out of the station. "Next stop, Canterlot!"
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx feels himself being watched as he sits there, eyes closed and trying to get some rest. He looks over, the pale yellow pony quickly averts her gaze. He returns to his meditative state but a few moments later he feels the eyes on him again. "Fluttershy, don't stare!" he hears the unicorn quietly scold. Another look to the pegasus, she pretends to be staring up at the cargo racks above him.

"Is it the eyepatch?" he finally says.

Her cheeks become red and flushed and her eyes grow wide. "O-Oh, no I was um... J-just looking at the... ceiling..."

Onyx chuckles. "If you say so."

A short silence fills the air, the clatter of the train wheels resonating inside train car. "...what happened?" the shy pegasus asks.

"Fluttershy!" The purple maned-unicorn exclaims, shocked at the audacity of the question. "You can't just-"

"Nah, it's fine." He knew everypony stared at it, to be honest he was glad somepony finally asked about it. "I was... in an accident."

Suddenly, every pony in the car is violently thrown forwards as the brakes squeal a shrill metallic scream.
SSSKKREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Bruiser is thrown on top of Angel Fire, they frantically scramble to get off of each other. Onyx pries his horn from the wooden seat in front of him, thankful there wasn't anypony sitting there. The pegasus and the unicorn were on the floor, tangled up in each other.

thud
Something's heard impacting the roof. Distant screams are heard from the cars behind them as an explosion rips a hole in the car's ceiling. The cloud of dust obscures a figure dropping down to the floor, the dust subsides revealing a griffon.

He had a scar-covered face, looking out at the ponies with sharp golden eyes. His curved predatory beak was obscured by a black bandanna tied around his head. In his claw he held a small pistol crossbow. He takes a step, talons clacking against the wooden floor.

"Hello. My name's Death Wing, this is a train robbery. Just stay where you are, and we'll be done here shortly" the griffon says, rather politely. "If everypony stays calm, then I won't have to do anything you'll regret."

Onyx, Angel and Bruiser exchange a glance. They had all simultaneously decided this idiot was going to die, they just needed to agree on how. Onyx could blast him into a puddle of griffon soup, but that was hardly discreet. Angel Fire could slice him to ribbons, but again, had the same problem. They were supposed to be undercover, this wasn't part of the plan.

They both look to Bruiser, who sighs heavily. "Alright, fine. I'll do it" he groans.

Death Wing looks to the trio. "No talking" he barks, crossbow swinging up to them.

"Easy pal, just take it easy. We don't want any trouble" the earth pony says, getting to his hooves. He reaches into his jacket pocket. "Look, I'll give you all the cash I got on me, just-"

"Stop right there" the griffon snarls, Bruiser staring down the crossbow. In a blur of hooves, Bruiser swats the weapon away and drives a thick, powerful leg into the griffon's throat. Death Wing staggers back, the huge blue stallion pivots up and kicks out at his would-be attacker. POW!

The train robber flies through the air like a cannonball, slamming into the front of the train car where he lay in a crumpled heap. The door's window shattered and the wood itself had cracked and splintered. The head was at a sharp angle in contrast to the body, suggesting a broken neck. "Damn Bruiser, could have taken it a little easier" Onyx says, he and Angel Fire getting up as well.

The cobalt stallion rubs the back of his head. "Thought I did..."

"Is... is he...?" Fluttershy quietly squeaked.

"He's just knocked out, he'll be fine" Rarity interjected.

Bruiser walks over to the "unconscious" bandit and leans down, inspecting him. "I've heard about these guys. Call themselves the Talon Gang, they've been knocking off trains all across Equestria."

The rear door swings open, the ponies in the train car scream as another griffon storms in, crossbow drawn. "Down! Everyone down now!" Onyx and Bruiser stare him down.

The griffon snatches Fluttershy who lets out a terrified yelp. He presses the crossbow against her neck and snarls "Get! DOWN!" The pegasus makes a barely audible squeak.

"Let her go you ruffian!" the unicorn shouts.

Onyx reaches for the eyepatch but Bruiser stops his hoof. He sees a tear roll down Fluttershy's cheek, he didn't think he'd ever seen a pony so scared. The blue stallion shakes his head at him, sensing what he was thinking. "Don't do it..." Angel Fire whispers to the black pony.

There were at least twenty ponies watching him. There was no way he could blow his cover here, it was their only way to Canterlot. He sees the griffon's talon tighten around the trigger, the yellow pegasus lets out a quiet cry. "Lose-lose situation..." he says to himself.

He tears away the eyepatch, revealing the glowing robotic eye. "What the?!" the hostage-taker stammers. Onyx shuts his biological eye, a blue fire-like aura burns off the black tape covering his horn. The griffon fires his crossbow at the stallion, who sidesteps the arrow as it skewers the door behind him. He fires a weak blast, the small cyan bolt of lightning splits the air and slams into the griffon. He falls to the ground, leaving the shocked pegasus standing there unharmed.

"Dammit Onyx!" Angel yells.

"What the hell's going on in here?!" a voice yells from outside. Three more griffons burst in, all weilding crossbows.

"Everypony down!" Onyx shouts. The ponies duck and take cover, three crosshairs appear in his vision. He fires, three seperate bolts of destruction tear into the bandits at once. They slump to the ground, smoke rising from the gaping wounds. "...huh. Didn't know I could do that..."

"You can figure it out later, we gotta get outta here" Bruiser groans. He walks over to the side door and gives it a mighty kick. It breaks free from the hinges and tumbles across the ground. He hops out, angrily mumbling to himself. Angel Fire follows suit. Onyx takes a step but turns to look back. The yellow pegasus is staring at him with a wide range of emotions; gratitude, confusion, fear...

He jumps out, landing with a clank. Angel Fire and Bruiser were galloping away, he hurries to catch up to them. They were maybe thirty minutes from Canterlot by train, if they hurried they could make it in an hour. The purple spiraling mountain rose in the distance, on it's edge sat the marble city. They set a course for the cliffside metropolis, silently praying that their mission wouldn't come to completion.

Chapter 9: Shadows On The Sun

My cutie mark is a wrench. Not very exciting, or even interesting for that matter, but it's mine. I got it because I'm good at fixing things, and I got good at fixing things because I'm equally skilled at breaking things.

I remember when dad brought home a brand new record player, I was... seven, maybe eight. The thing cost a fortune and we weren't exactly living high on the hog, but he was so damn happy about it mom couldn't bring herself to be mad at him. Anyways, I saw this DJ awhile back, he was rubbing the record back and fourth over the needle, I didn't get it but it sounded kinda cool. So when I was home alone, I decided to try it.

Broke the stupid thing right in half. I flipped out and started trying to fix it before dad got home, about an hour later I had it back together. When I was done, I had a wrench on me. I was so busy I didn't even feel it show up.

Of course it exploded the second dad tried to use it, but that's beside the point. Ok, not really, it's kinda... y'know, in front of the point, but still. What I'm getting at is, I screwed up, thought I fixed the problem I caused, but despite my best efforts it still ended up a broken heap.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Well... shit. This ain't good" Bruiser says as they peek over a large overturned boulder. The train was stopped at the newly constructed checkpoint at the city limits, a forcefield surrounding all of Canterlot. Guards were searching the train cars and checking the tickets of the passengers, heavily scrutinizing every detail. "Been to Canterlot a half-dozen times, don't think I've ever seen security this tight."

"Princess Celestia probably heard about what happened to her dragon and knew Blackout would be out for blood. With so many ponies coming into Canterlot for the summit, she can't afford to let anypony slip in undetected" Angel says as they huddle back down, out of sight from the investigating Guard.

Onyx thinks hard, there was no way they'd ever get through security. The railway was the only way into Canterlot, and every nook and cranny of the trains were being searched. They had even emptied the contents of the luggage and suitcases out onto the ground, they could hear the shouting from the white unicorn all the way from their location.

He looks up, spying a large ornate purple airship slowly descending from the clouds. The ponies drop mooring lines to the ground crew, who tie them off and bring the zeppelin into the dock. He began concocting a plan to get them on board an approaching ship, but then came to a realization.

"Duh. I'm an idiot" he says, smacking his forehead.

Bruiser looks over at him. "Well yeah, but what about?"

"My horn, I can just blast us a hole in the field."

"But the second you do, they'll know about it. We can't do it here in sight of all the Guards, they'll be on us in a second" Angel Fire adds.

He supposed she did have a point, a hole punched in the field would be easily detectable. They couldn't risk being captured, not with what was at stake.

"Alright, got an idea" Onyx says, walking the opposite direction.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Their hooves splash through the sewers, choosing not to dwell too heavily on what they were walking through. The central hub of Angel's mechanical wings glows blue, lighting a path through the dark, dank masonry tunnel. The stench was almost tangible, it was the kind of odor that needed stink lines to be fully comprehended.

"As far as plans go, this is probably the worst I've ever been a part of" the barrel-chested stallion says, eyes watering. "I can see the smell in here."

"If you care to take your chances with the security team upstairs, nopony's stopping you" Angel groans.

They had been walking for a little over fifteen minutes, Onyx had blasted a hole in one of the main pipes exiting the city, remembering the location thanks to the most excruciatingly boring grade school field trip of all time. A trip all the way to Canterlot, and they get a tour of the city's sewage system. Truly fascinating stuff.

"They couldn't seal off the sewer systems, not without every toilet and manhole in Canterlot erupting in a shit-geyser" Onyx says.

They continue on until they come to a ladder built into the wall, leading up to a manhole. The black stallion scampers up the metal bars built into the wall and slides the cover off to the side. He pokes his head out, scanning the surroundings for guards. Seeming to be in the clear, he motions for Angel and Bruiser to follow.

They exit the sewers, Bruiser slides the cover back over the hole. They look over to see a posh-looking unicorn mare staring at them in confusion, having witnessed the motley trio exiting the manhole. "Sewer inspectors. No need to be alarmed, everything's flowing as it should. Have a pleasant day ma'am" Onyx says, before they all quickly exit the scene.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They check into the Canterlot Suites, the clerk does his best not to make a repulsed face at the lingering aroma. They look around the lobby as the pony behind the desk shuffles through stacks of paperwork, a large fountain in the center of the room spouted water at least ten feet high. The marble floors shone like mirrors, and the large ornate columns had flecks of gold mixed in with the natural marbling. And also, it currently reeked of raw sewage.

"Ah, here we are. You're currently reserved for... The Honeymoon Suite" the suited pony says, handing them the key.

Onyx blinks twice. "Uh... the what?"

"It's right here" the clerk replies, showing him the reservation receipt. "No intrusions. What happens in the Honeymoon Suite, stays in the Honeymoon Suite." he says with a raised brow, taking note of the petite mare and the hulking stallion behind Onyx.

"This uh, this isn't anything-"

"Oh there's no need to be modest sir, I see a lot of different ponies come and go." The pony leans forward and whispers "there's extra lotion in the drawer. With that big one you'll probably-"

"Alright, thank you" Onyx cuts him off, grabbing the key from the desk and quickly walking down the hallway.

"What the hell was that all about?" Bruiser asks, hurrying to catch up to him.

"Don't ask" he replies. "Seriously, don't."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx exits the shower, thankful to have the unholy stench washed away. He and Bruiser had to wait until Angel Fire was done, she had knocked them out of the way on her path to the bathroom, unable to stand the odor any longer. She was not a "girly" girl by any means, but she had her limits.

The room was large and very well-furnished, the large single bed sat in the center facing the large bay window that overlooked Canterlot Castle. From it there was a direct line of sight to the castle balcony, no doubt the single feature that attracted Blackout.

He rubs the back of his head with the towel, even those were a hundred times nicer than anything he had ever used. It was like wiping yourself off with a cloud. Just out of curiosity, he takes a look at the label.
Dry Clean Only
70% cirrus
30% polyester

Bruiser and Angel Fire were out on the balcony, looking over the castle. Onyx opens the sliding glass door and joins them outside. They were a considerable height up, the suite being on the 20th floor. The hundred or so ponies walking below looked like ants. Or, just really really small ponies. They hadn't grown an extra set of legs, or segmented bodies or horrible mandibles or anything like that. Man, the more Onyx thought about it, that was a stupid analogy.

"Well, you're still ugly as ever but you smell about a hundred times nicer" says Bruiser.

Onyx looks out at the castle. It was maybe 300 yards away, maybe more. Blackout seemed to have much more confidence in his marksmanship than he did.

"It'll be a tough shot" Angel says, mane still damp. She had applied a new white bandage over her muzzle, her old one having become dirty and smudged.

"Well hopefully, it's one I won't need to make."

The deep blue pony raises a brow. "Why, you got a plan?"

Onyx couldn't help but crack a smile.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Blackout's gotta have eyes on the city, he's not stupid enough to leave it unattended when he's using it as leverage. Fetlock clears out, he's got nothing." Onyx leads them down the hallway of the hotel, the red velvet carpets feeling exquisitely nice under their hooves. A new eyepatch sat on his face.

"The second he catches wind I'm trying to give them a head's up, he'll blow the town. Which is why get Fetlock evacuated by... other methods."

Angel quickens her steps to get alongside him. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Well, I've got two options. Plan A, is the dam." Bruiser trots up next to him as well, ear piqued. "Fetlock's dam is a couple years overdue for maintenance, got some pretty large cracks in it. Wouldn't take much to get it to spring a leak."

"So your plan to save the town, is to flood it?" the mare inquires. She had changed into a violet dress that matched her mane, she insisted the color-coordination was strictly coincidental.

Onyx turns the corner, the hallways were just as long and winding as the compound's. "Not like a raging torrent, a few years back I remember it sprung a leak a few inches across. Main street had a foot of water over it, whole town had to-" he quickly grabs them both and jumps back around the corner they just turned.

"What the-?!"

Onyx shushed Bruiser. "It's those two mares from the train" he whispers.

"I can't imagine, all those ponies staring..." the pegasus says, voice trembling from the very thought.

"Which is why it's important we're there to support her" the unicorn says, their voices growing closer.

Angel Fire looks at the two stallions. "They're coming this way" she quietly says.

They scurry down the hallway as silently as metal hooves will allow. The chitchat grows closer, they had to be right at the corner. A few more seconds and they'd be seen. Onyx comes to a door and throws it open, they pile in and slam the door shut behind them.

"Wh-Who the hell are you?! What are you doing in here?!" A lime green pegasus stallion shouts, sitting on the bed. He placed the magazine he had been reading over his crotch. The cover depicted a sultry-eyed unicorn mare in a rather provocative pose.

Onyx sees him and grimaces. "Ugh, good lord man it's the middle of the day, get a hobby."

Bruiser puts a hoof to his mouth, giving him the universally understood sign of "be quiet".

"Get out! All of you, get out of here right now!"

Angel groans. "Bruiser, shut this guy up."

The stout pony takes a menacing step towards the pegasus, who lets out a terrified shriek as he flies out the window, manhood swinging in the breeze in it's full entirety. A shocked scream is heard from the street.

The trio stand at the door, ears pressed against the wood. The two mares pass, but they play it safe by waiting a minute or two before exiting. They slowly open and peek out, making sure the coast is clear. They quickly exit and trot down the hallway, they had to get out of the hotel quickly before they were spotted.

They reach the elevator and punch the button. The illuminated numbers show the elevator currently on the 5th floor, and it was not moving quickly to their location. 6th.........7th..........8th..........

Then, Onyx's ears twitch as they pick up the last sound he wanted to hear. For some reason, for some inconceivable reason, the pair was coming their way again.

"To think, I almost left without my new hat!" the unicorn says eloquently.

"No no no no no no....." he says through gritted teeth, manically tapping the button in a futile attempt to speed up the arrival of the elevator. 14th........15th......... "C'mon, c'mon!"

The mares grow closer with each agonizing second. 17th......18th......19th....... "Come on you useless piece of shit!" he whispers with a growl.

ding!
The doors open with a pleasant chime and they rush in. Bruiser prods the close button, but the doors remain open. He tries again with no result. The voices were very close now. He drives a hoof into the button, it disappears into the panel. "Augh!"

"Oh, hold the door please!" the pale yellow pegasus shouts, rather softly.

Onyx feels a bead of sweat roll down his face. His mechanical heart was about to burst out of his chest. He had blown his cover in front of them, revealed himself as a cyborg. If they could positively identify them... his previous conversation with Angel regarding the beheading of captured Guild members was very fresh in mind.

The door slowly closes, all three mentally screaming at the doors to hurry up. They're almost sealed off from the mares when a pale blue aura wraps around them, holding them open. Well, that was it. Game over.

They trot inside, Onyx, Angel Fire and Bruiser press into the corners, doing their best to disappear in the enclosed box. Unbelievably, they seemed to pay them no mind. The unicorn was preoccupied with her frilly hat, ribbons and flowers adorning it. She presses the ground floor button.

Angel Fire discreetly presses the 19th floor, trying to get out as quickly as possible.

"I'm afraid it's much too showy for Ponyville but I think it will look simply divine here in Canterlot" the unicorn says.

"It looks lovely" Fluttershy replies.

The elevator descends, Onyx tries to stay calm as the pegasus sees him out of the corner of her eye.
"shitshitshitshitshitshit" his mind shouts. She turns to face him, getting a better look. He desperately stares blankly ahead, trying to pay her no mind. He was still as a statue.

"Aren't you..." she meekly starts. Another bead of sweat rolls down his face, he felt like he was going to vomit. "...the unicorn from the train?"

ding!

The two doors open, the trio shoot out of the elevator like a cannonball, knocking over the pony standing in the entryway. The pink-maned pegasus follows them. "Wait!"

"Dammit, what do you want?!" he yells, galloping down the hallway. They had no idea where they were going, but knew they had to get away.

"There! Staircase!" Bruiser shouts, he busts the door down and they start down the spiraling stairs.

"Stop please!" the pegasus cries. She flies down the center of the stairs, covering ground much more quickly. Onyx comes to another door and kicks it open, the trio floods into yet another hallway. A janitor is pushing a cart nearby, the midnight-black stallion grabs it and overturns it in front of the door.

"Hey! What are you-"

They bolt down the hall, the pursuing mare trapped outside.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
ding!
They calmly exit the elevator and walk into the lobby. They make their way across the gleaming marble floor and exit through the revolving glass door out into the streets of Canterlot.

"So..." Angel says, the first words spoken since their exiting the stairs "this could be a problem. We won't be able to come and go with them hanging around on the same floor."

"No, we're not killing them" Bruiser responds.

She looks over at him, almost insulted. "What makes you-"

"Because that's your usual response to a problem."

"I wasn't going to suggest that. They have personal relations with the princess, anything that happens to them would tip off the authorites" she replies tersely. "What I was going to say, is we could just move them to another hotel."

Onyx nods. "That, would work. How do we do that?"

"Leave that to me" Angel Fire says with a sinister grin on her face, turning down a dark alley.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"And you're sure this'll work?" the black pony asks as Angel enters the room with her pillowcase. She opens it, the half dozen rats fall out and scurry under the furniture. The suitcases and trunks all emblazoned with the trio of diamonds tell them they're in the right place.

"Trust me, I know her type. She sees these, and she'll be out of here before you can blink."

They close the door and go back to their room, which turned out to be right next door. Maybe they wouldn't notice their lock had been picked.

Onyx stands on the balcony, looking out at the castle. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains, Celestia handing over the sky to her sister. What would happen if they were dead? Would it be like ancient times, where the collective effort of the unicorns moved the sun? Or would it fail to rise entirely? Would the whole world be left in darkness or eternal sunshine?

He hears the door next door open.

"Oh, goodness! What are you all doing here? Are you lost? Oh you poor little things..."

"EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!!!! Fluttershy, put those things down this instant! We're leaving!"

Well, that was one problem solved. Only a hundred more to go.

Chapter 10: Best Laid Plans

Ok, in hindsight this was a terrible idea. I'm not exactly sure what I was thinking, might not have been thinking at all. Oh well. What's done is done, can't change it now. Last I heard, they were still picking up pieces of him. Some old lady found a spleen in her flower bed.

Like I said, terrible idea. Not that that's anything new.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The three ponies make their way down the cobblestone street, the city just starting to stir. The fuchsia bubble of energy continued to surround Canterlot, so there wasn't much in the way of a breeze. It was late in the morning, the guards were just starting to make their patrols. They had gotten a few second glances but hadn't been stopped or questioned yet, if that happened they would likely have no choice but run or fight. Their description had already been circulated by the radio broadcasts, and there was a train car's-worth of ponies that could identify them as Guild members.

They pass a group of the armored unicorns and pegasi, Onyx holds his breath as he attempts to appear as casual and non-threatening as possible but quickly realizes that he was just standing out more than usual. He might as well have been screaming "I AM DOING NOTHING SUSPICIOUS AND AM MOST DECIDEDLY NOT A CYBORG MONSTER PAY ME NO MIND".

The guards notice him, but quickly lose interest. He lets out a ragged sigh as they turn a corner and leave their sight. He refocuses on the purpose of their journey through the streets swarming with the Royal Guard. "So, this... friend of yours. You think he can help?"

"Oh yeah, Twitch and I go way back" Bruiser replies confidently. "Worked together for a few years, he's a good guy. Just a little... well..."

Angel Fire raises a brow. She was in the same violet dress as yesterday, Onyx rather liked the way she looked in it. "He's just what?"

The blue stallion looks down at the ground, searching for words. "Well, he was working a job out in Trottingham and got some high voltage wires crossed and... look, 150,000 volts is enough to mess anypony up."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They come to a nondescript house on the lower end of the city. "This is the place" Bruiser comments with a knock on the door. "Now whatever you do, don't stare or mention the tic. He's a little... unstable."

Neither liked the sound of that.

The door swings open, a light gray pegasus answers the door. He had a stick of dynamite for a cutie mark, the fuse very close to completing it's burn. "Well I'll be tarred and feathered! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey man, it's been awhile ain't it?" Bruiser says cheerfully.

"Yeah it has. Why don't you come in? Your friends too!" Well Onyx didn't see what the fuss about was, he seemed reasonably sane.

He and Angel Fire shared a couch, Bruiser took the chair to their left. It was a modest home, nothing special. A painting of a sunset hung on the wall over the fireplace. By all accounts, it was a normal house of a normal pony.

"Here we are, fresh lemonade!" the pegasus chimed, carrying a tray with a pitcher of the drink. He takes a seat in a well-worn recliner and sips his glass. "Gotta say, quite the surprise seeing you show up. Haven't heard from you in a long time. Not since the-NO SHUTUP I'M TALKING!" he yells off to the side with a crazed look in his eyes, twitching as he does so.

The two ponies on the couch jump at the outburst.

Bruiser doesn't seem surprised, or even startled. "I hate to come out of the blue like this, but we need your help with something."

Twitch stops... er, twitching, and turns to him, perfectly normal. "Oh? What can I do for you?"

Onyx leans forward on the couch and clears his throat. "Well uh, we need Fetlock Dam to spring a leak. I understand you used to work demolition?"

"Pfft, demolition. I didn't blow up buildings, I made art. Glorious, beautiful art... Seeing the flames bloom and arise, like a day lily in the morning sun, feeling the shockwave rattle your colon as the meticulously planned and crafted structures return to their base form of worthless debris and rubble, similar to the fate that will await us all in the end."

Alright, that was... slightly unsettling.

"We just need a small hole in the face of the dam, can you handle that?" the cobalt stallion asks.

"Small hole? Small hole? I COULD BLOW THE MOON IN HALF IF YOU WANT ME TO! BWAAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" he erupts, eye twitching violently.

".....right. We uh, just need a small leak" Angel comments. "Just enough to flood main street."

Twitch snaps back to normal. "Oh. Yeah that shouldn't be a problem. Gotta ask though, it's a bit of an odd request. Why do you want to flood Fetlock?"

"It's complicated. It's for a good reason, trust me" Bruiser says.

"EXPLOSIONS ARE ALWAYS GOOD REASONS!!!" he screams, convulsing in the chair. He stops, like somepony had flipped the crazy switch. "If you say it's important, then I'm in."

Bruiser claps his hooves together. "Glad to hear it. We can-"
"THE FLAME'S HUNGER SHALL BE SATED WITH THE BLOOD OF INDUSTRY"

"A small crack in the dam. Small" Onyx reiterates. If Blackout didn't blow up the town, this clown might. He silently makes a note that he desperately needs to stop associating with the violently insane.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They watch as Twitch packs his suitcase full of dynamite. Dynamite he just happened to have lying around the house. Onyx was sure his neighbors would have been thrilled about that.

He wraps them in parchment and seals them in scroll canisters. He had enough explosives to blow the dam completely apart, they all were quietly concerned that he would go overboard and submerge the village. The suitcase now packed to the gills with dynamite, he forcibly slams it closed.

The lid bounces right back up, the pony jumps on the lid. He violently pounds it closed, the three ponies flinch with each strike of the suitcase. He beats the suitcase shut, an unstable look on his face as he relentlessly drives hoof after hoof into the luggage. Luggage that was packed with high explosives.

It finally latches closed. He returns to a normal, calm demeanor as he picks it up and starts down the hallway. "Careful, one wrong move and we all go up like a fireworks show."

They step outside with the deadly payload. "Remember, we need this done quickly and quietly" Bruiser says.

"Quickly and quietly are what I-NO! NO! DO NOT INTERRUPT ME!"

They stare in silence as he twitches one final time before returning to a more stable mindset.

"I'll take the airship to Manehatten, bail out over Fetlock. Should be there by sundown" he says. "Security shouldn't be a problem, they're so busy watching what's coming into Canterlot they don't really care what's leaving."

The blue pony gives a nod. "Sounds good. Thanks again Twitch."

"Hey, anything for an old friend. I'll let you know when- THE TEAPOT SHALL WHISTLE THE SIREN SONG OF KIDNEY STONES" And with that, he takes to the air.

"...you sure this is the best idea?" Angel says skeptically.

"Not at all. But it's the best we can do at the moment" Bruiser replies.

"THE SUNSHINE SMELLS DELICIOUS!!!" the pegasus shouts high above them, cackling maniacally.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
They sit at a corner bistro, watching as the zeppelin departs from the docks and pulls away from the cliff face. All of their hopes lied with a dynamite-packing psycho. It was far from ideal.

Angel sips her coffee. "I'm just curious. Let's say on the off chance this plan works, then what?"

Onyx finished his apple pastry... thing. He didn't have any idea what it was called, but it was delicious. "Uh... tell you the truth, haven't really thought about it. I've just been focusing on the present."

"You need to decide what path you're going to go down Onyx. You defy a direct order from Blackout, he'll come after you. The whole Guild will be after you" she says.

"Yeah, I know..."

"You're taking this one step at a time, but Blackout it always thinking three, four steps ahead! You can't just expect to-"

"I know!" he yells, attracting a little too much attention from the rest of the ponies. "I...I know. But I'm not gonna kill innocent ponies, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him do the same. I'm doing the best I can here, I'll probably end up dead as soon as this goes south. I've already accepted that much. But if I can just keep anypony else from dying, then... well, I'm okay with that then."

BOOM!
Panicked screams fill the air, their eyes dart to the airship. A massive fireball had burst fourth from it's interior, consuming it within seconds. The fabric of the balloon burns away, the unsupported gondola plummets through the clouds and disappears, leaving a trail of smoke and fire. A distant whump sounds out.

They stare in silence.

"...Huh" Bruiser finally breaks the silence. "What was that other plan of yours?"

"You three!" a gruff voice shouts. They turn to see six unicorn guards standing there, golden armor gleaming in the sunlight refracted through the forcefield. "Hooves up! Now!"

They exchange a quick glance. Onyx flips the table up and kicks it at them, the lead unicorn wraps it in magic and tosses it aside, revealing the ponies galloping away. "After them!"

The trio race through the streets, ponies jumping out of the way. They hurdle stands and carts in their path, Bruiser kicks a wagon carrying lumber that spills out in the street. His hopes that it would slow their pursuers did not come to fruition, as instead, they wrap the beams in a magical aura and fling them at the fleeing ponies.

"Gah! I frickin' hate magic!" he shouts as a beam of wood flies past like a rocket. Another zeros in on him, he drives a powerful kick into it, reducing it to a shower of splinters. "We gotta lose these guys!"

They gallop down the cobblestone road as fast as they can, beams of raw magic impacting the ground around them. The blasts shatter the rocks lining the ground, sending grenade-like shrapnel airborne. Onyx feels several small shards cut into his side. He considered turning to fight, but a body count would only worsen their situation. Better to be suspects than murderers.

They duck down an alleyway, the blasts continue pelt the walls and ground. One explodes perilously close to Bruiser, practically right under him. Onyx removes his eyepatch and fires a blast into a fire escape overhead, it falls to the ground in a loud clatter. That might buy them a few seconds if anything.

They hear the metal crunch and squeak behind them, not bothering to turn around. The alley dumps them out onto another street, where another four guards are waiting. One of them flings a vegetable cart at the trio. In a flash of steel, Angel Fire's bladed wing slices through her dress and cleaves the wooden structure in half.

"They're Iron Guild! Take 'em out!"

They're surrounded on every side by the unicorns, a glow burning on all their horns. Onyx fires a blast straight down at the ground, a massive cloud of dust is kicked up. The guard cough as the cloud washes over them, it fades revealing the ponies are gone.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"They couldn't have gone far, find them!" They hear at least a dozen guards stomp past outside. They huddle down inside the closed bakery, hiding behind the counter.

"This is bad. Gotta be at least 30 of em out there" Bruiser whispers. "I don't know if we can fight off that many."

"The second we kill one of them this gets ten times more ugly" Onyx quietly replies.

Angel looks out at the unicorns swarming outside. "Well we can't stay here much longer, we've only got a few minutes before they search the building."

Onyx looks around the bakery, perhaps there was something inside they could use. Four large stainless steel ovens were built into the wall, on the counter tops sat bags of flour, sugar and other ingredients. A half empty jar of sprinkles had been knocked over and spilled. A large mixer sat dormant in the corner, covered in a thin layer of flour. "Well if we need to bake an apology cake, we should be covered" he mumbles to himself.

He opens up the cabinet, the hinges squeaking as the wood door swings open. Inside he finds bleach, degreaser, and various other cleaning chemicals. Better, but still relatively useless.

"Hey, check this out" Bruiser announces, holding up a small device with a gas canister attached to the bottom. "It's a tiny little flamethrower!" he giggles with child-like glee and wonderment, waving around the small blue flame.

"It's a flambe torch" Angel corrects.

"Whatever, I found six other butane cartridges with it. Think you can do something with that?"

"Oh yes" Onyx says with a grin, pulling out a tube of quick-drying caulk.

He opens up the oven and holds up his metal hoof. Angel said there were screwdrivers, knives and stuff in there, he'd never tried it out though. Onyx focuses, a small needle protrudes from the end. He jams it into the top of the cartridge, the gas hisses out like a cobra. He quickly tosses all seven of them in, and throws in a punctured can of industrial-grade degreaser for the hell of it.

He seals the door with the caulking and turns the broiler on high. "We uh, should probably clear outta here. Quickly."

They scamper out the back door of the bakery and into the alleyway. Three guards pass on the street, they duck back inside just long enough to remain unseen. Angel peers out onto the street, she nods to the others and they gallop down the cobblestones before they're seen.

The three ponies take cover behind a few barrels as two more guards turn the corner, heading their way. "Oh for the love of Celestia, there is no way our luck's that bad" Bruiser whispers with a groan.

BOOM!
The bakery's windows blow out in a cloud of glass shrapnel, fire bathing the interior. All the guards within earshot, being most of Canterlot as that was rather loud, run towards the source of the blast and conversely, away from the fleeing ponies. They take the opportunity to clear the lower end of town.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"That was way too close. Let's never do that again" Bruiser pants.

Onyx leans up next to a light pole, chest heaving. He mumbles a response, nopony can make out what he said.

"Well that's Plan A down the drain" Angel says solemnly, looking out at the city. Posh and high-class ponies milled about, tending to their own business. "You never did say what your Plan B was."

The black cyborg unicorn takes note of a flyer applied on a building a short distance away. "No, I didn't" he says, walking over to it. The others follow, waiting for him to continue.

He rips the paper from the wall, it showed the new purple alicorn surrounded by Celestia and Luna.
SUMMER SOLSTICE GALA
WITH PRINCESS TWILIGHT SPARKLE
TONIGHT AT 11 IN THE CASTLE GARDENS

formal attire only

Onyx looks down at the flyer and sighs. "I need a tux."

Chapter 11: Plan B

Faceless targets.

That's what the old pegasus told me, that's what I needed to see them as. Just a mission objective, a target dummy, nothing more. Do not see them as ponies. Do not empathize. Do not talk to them. And above all else, do not develop any form of emotional attachment to them.

If that old war-torn pony was here, he'd slap me upside the head. I wish somepony would have.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Onyx straightened his suit sleeves in the long gold-trimmed mirror spanning from the floor to the ceiling. He adjusted the gold cuff links, giving himself a look over. The suit was exquisite, easily worth more money than he had ever been in possession of.

He had acquired it the easiest way he knew how. Bruiser faked a bout of sudden, severe appendicitis in the middle of the boutique. While everypony's eyes were on him, Onyx simply exited out the back with the suit he had been trying on. He had done the same thing with his little brother in the middle of a store to get mom a new coffee pot for Mother's Day, it worked just as well here as it did then.

"I just want you to know this is the worst idea I've ever heard" Angel Fire says flatly. He looks into the mirror to see her standing behind him.

"I'm not exactly thrilled about it either, but it's all I got" he replies.

"You're going in, alone, and just asking her for help?"

He turns around. "Look, it's not ideal, but it's something. They're looking for three ponies, I go in alone I stand a better chance. And if I do get caught, that leaves you two free."

"-to clean up your mess" Bruiser adds. He wasn't sold on this plan either.

"...yeah, basically."

The mare and the stallion sigh with a shake of their heads. "Onyx, I can't let you do this." she says.

Onyx's gaze steels. "Not to overstep my boundaries here, but this is my mission. I'm doing this my way. Now I'm asking you two as a friend, just to trust me on this. We've got two days. Either we stick to the plan and Equestria goes to hell in a handbasket, or we don't and innocent ponies die. We need a way out, and I think I have one."

They look to the ground, not wanting to admit he had a point. Angel Fire takes a step, drawing close. She adjusts the rose in his lapel. "Alright. Just promise that if it doesn't feel right, you get out of there."

"Deal."

He walks to the door, swinging it open. "Don't wait up for me" he says as he exits.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The sharply-dressed stallion passes by the several ornate and very, very expensive carriages queuing in the castle's circle. He hated to admit it, at the fear of sounding narcissistic, but he looked rather good in the suit. He was already sporting the red-on-black color scheme, the black tux with the rose went well with it. And of course, he was back in the fucking eyepatch.

He strolls past the two armored pegasi standing at the main gate without a hitch. Maybe it was the suit, or perhaps they didn't think he was stupid enough to walk into the castle alone. Either way, he enters the castle grounds unabated. Lamps hung from wires strung across the castle walls shone soft light down onto the lush gardens as he walks through. A few moths swarm around them.

Dozens of well-dressed ponies socialize with each other as he walks past, discussing fascinating things like the state of the housing market, the new tax law Celestia had just signed into effect, and the age and character of the wine they were sipping. Onyx tried to silence a groan.

A huge ice sculpture sat in the center of the garden, depicting Twilight Sparkle taking flight. He supposed there was a spell in place to keep it from melting in the balmy summer evening air. Onyx steps closer, looking the carving over more closely. It was done with magic, it was far too smooth to be the work of a chisel. It would have been more impressive had it been made by hoof rather than magic, unicorns probably didn't see it that way though. Some of the detail would be lost, there would be imperfections.

Onyx blinks hard, that sounded an awful lot like Blackout talking. He hated the thought of sharing any aspect with the pony. However, they were related after all. Perhaps some things transferred over through genetics that he had no control over. He shivered at the thought.

"Hello there!" he hears to his side. Onyx turns to see a pale blue unicorn mare with a white and darker blue striped mane standing there. "I don't think I've seen you before, are you new in Canterlot?" she says warmly.

"Yes, I just moved here from Manehatten" he replies, attempting to give his voice a little extra sophistication.

"Oh really! I used to live there myself! Which part?"

Shit. "Uh, lower east side."

"What a coincidence! I had an apartment on 33rd Street! Were you anywhere near the Theatre?"

How the hell should he know? "I was a block down the street." Hopefully that was the right combination of specific and vague to not warrant any more questions he didn't know the answer to.

"How lucky! Oh I'm jealous, I loved the shows there! Tell me you went to see 'Clopper On The Roof!'"

The mental image he had in his head was hopefully nothing like what the play actually was. "Didn't take in many shows, my job didn't leave me much free time."

"Oh, that's too bad. What line of work were you in?" she asks.

Dammit lady, enough with the questions. Any other time he'd be pouring on the charm, he was dressed to the nines and the blue mare looked rather cute by his own admission, but this was neither the time or the place. "Stocks" he answers. That was believable enough to eat up his free time and allow the finances to move to Canterlot, as well as excruciatingly boring to a normal pony.

"Oh..." she responds, interest quickly waning.

Good, good. Now just run her off. "Y'know I'm glad I met you. You seem like the kind of pony that knows a smart move when you see it." He leans in close. "What if I told you, I could get you a twenty percent return every quarter."

Her eyes dart to the side, looking for an escape. "Oh, I... think I hear Twinkleshine calling! It was nice to meet you!" she politely says before running for her life. Yes, run along. Nothing to see here. Just an average, slightly boring exceptionally well-dressed unicorn. He was blending in flawlessly.

He promptly stumps his hoof, the one remaining hoof made of flesh and not metal, on a marble column. Why was it even there?! It wasn't holding up anything! It was just sitting there! Also, at that exact moment, the band of ponies playing classical music stops.

"OW! SON OF A FUCKIN' BITCH!!!"

Every pony in attendance turns to look at him.

Flawlessly.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
He mills around the party, killing time and waiting for Twilight to show. That was the only reason he was still here, he hated high-society gatherings. Upper class unicorns and pegasi always seemed to give him strange looks, an earth pony with a wrench cutie mark probably seemed beneath them. However, with his new horn and suit, he seemed like he fit right in.

Was Blackout onto something? He had hardly seen any earth ponies in attendance. The few he did see were serving drinks and ridiculously tiny sandwiches cut into little triangles.

The lights illuminating the party suddenly go dark and the entrance to the gardens is lit up by a lone spotlight. The ponies turn to the entryway to see the purple alicorn standing there, waving nervously. It seemed like she wasn't thrilled about being the center of everypony's attention.

Onyx took note that she was prettier than her picture suggested as well.

He sees a tall, white pony walk up next to Twilight. Oh shit. It was her, Princess Celestia.

In hindsight, he probably should have anticipated her presence. It was her castle after all. He tried to remain calm, but found himself panicking slightly anyway. Did she know who he was? He was the one who killed Heart Throb, he was the one who slayed her dragon. He was Blackout's nephew for fuck's sake.

Could she see through his disguise? Do alicorns have x-ray vision?! Oh hell, she knew. She had to. She knew everything. She had come here to personally execute him. They'd probably parade his severed head around on a spike.

He takes a deep breath. "Just calm down you idiot. You're not covered in guards, nopony knows" he thinks to himself. He feels his robotic heart begin to slow it's pace.

It shoots back up to a frantic speed as she starts walking directly towards him. Fuuuuuuuck.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, Princess Twilight Sparkle!" she announces. The ponies in attendance stamp their hooves and cheer, Onyx follows suit if only to blend in. The small alicorn blushes slightly, somewhat embarrassed at all the attention.

Celestia leads her over to a dark brown pony that was almost as tall as she was. "Twilight, this is Prince Oil Shores of Saddle Arabia." The prince takes her hoof and kisses it, rather slowly. She didn't seem to enjoy it very much.

The next half hour was spent introducing her to various foreign dignitaries and important ponies, Onyx hung back, waiting for his chance to approach her without the big scary princess looming over her. He tried to stay patient, but was slowly becoming more agitated. Seriously, how many ponies did she have to get introduced to? He could tell she was quickly growing tired the introductions as well.

"...and this is Silk Star, Assistant Regional Minister of Germaneigh's Department of Sanitation" Celestia says. Twilight wearily nods, giving a tired smile.

"So nice to meet you!" the glorified janitor says through his thick accent. "Ve're all looking fvorwards to your speech, I'm sure it vill be just vunderbar!"

A light tan pony with a brown up-do, a scroll cutie mark and narrow-rimmed glasses approaches Celestia. She quietly says something to the princess, who seems to react to the news with surprise.

"Is everything alright?" Twilight inquires.

"Everything's fine, I just have to tend to something. I'll leave you to get to know everypony better" she replies before leaving, following the secretary pony. Onyx and Twilight both watch as she exits, breathing a sigh of relief as she does.

The purple alicorn walks over to the bar, dozens of different colored bottles adorned the shelf behind the counter. "Appletini. Dry." The bartender, a slate gray unicorn stallion with a greasy slicked-back mane gets to work on the cocktail. The black unicorn runs a hoof across his head, matting down his crimson hair. It popped right back up of course, his cowlick defied gravity, logic, and all natural law of the universe.

He struts over to the bar, if there was ever a time to pour on the charm, this was it. Lives were at stake. Specifically, hers.

A lavender pegasus mare wobbles in front of him, reeking of booze. "Well hey there handsome" she slurs. "Ya sure got a long horn. Y'know what they say about unicorns with long horns." She weaves a step closer, eyes floating around in her head. "Y'wanna party?"

Before he can decline her offer, a large pegasus stallion comes storming over. Of course, compared to Onyx, most stallions were large. "Hey! That's my wife!" he angrily shouts.

"I wasn't-"

"Yyyou can't tell me what to do, you're not my dad!" the mare yells to the stallion, words blurring together. She drapes a leg over the unsuspecting obsidian-black pony and falls onto him. "We're in love!"

"I don't even know who you are!"

"Well whaddya say we get to know each other, big boy?" she purrs, running a hoof down his chest, breath saturated with alcohol.

The pegasus pries her off Onyx. "This is why I don't let you drink..." he groans. "And you!" Onyx jumps as the hoof is prodded in his direction. "You stay the hell away from my wife, cyclops!" With that, he storms off, wife screaming in protest the whole way.

"You never let me have any fun!"

He straightens his tuxedo, turning back to the bar. He starts towards the purple alicorn one more time but a familar voice stops him in his tracks.

"Twilight! There you are!" Both of them whirl around, seeing the same unicorn and pegasus from the train and hotel trotting towards the princess.

"Girls! You're here!" Twilight cheers.

"Oh for fuck's sake, WHY?!" he growls quietly. He veers off his path, turning 90 degrees. He couldn't get away from those two mares. He was in the middle of the castle grounds, if they pointed him out... he had heard stories of ponies in the guillotine getting beheaded, and the eyes continuing to look around for several minutes.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The three mares talked and laughed for an excruciatingly long time. Onyx watches from a distance, waiting until she was alone for an opportunity to pounce. Hmm. That sounded a little... rapey. An opportunity to talk. There, better.

He observed their habits for afar, trying to gauge their personalities. From what he could gather, Fluttershy was obsessed with animals, and Rarity was borderline narcissistic and placed high value on fashion and sophistication. His mind raced, he needed to get rid of them. They'd point him out as the cyborg griffon killer as soon as he approached their friend.

Onyx gets an idea. He slinks off into the garden, his devious plan coming together.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
The two squirrels chatter and squeak, tumbling and scrambling in all directions. They scamper into center of the party, their tails tied together and rolling as they bite and chirp. The ponies stare in confusion and mild disgust. Fluttershy sees them and immediately flies over. "Oh my! What happened? You poor dears, let me-" the squirrels dart off into the bushes, the pegasus gives chase.

Onyx melts back into the crowd, she'd be chasing those tree rats all night. Now for the second part of his plan.

"Well, there she goes" Twilight sighs.

Rarity takes a sip of her champagne. "Honestly, I wish she would quit running off like that. Yesterday morning she thought she recognized a unicorn in the elevator from the train and chased him halfway across the hotel."

"About that... how's she handling it?"

The white unicorn swirls the drink in her glass. "She... hasn't said much. I suppose when she's ready to talk about it, she will." Twilight nods.

Onyx circles behind them, spotting another pony heading his way. The dark orange unicorn was weaving and fumbling, drunk out of his gourd. His eyes were bobbing around in his head like gumballs in a dispenser. The black stallion waits until he's directly between himself and Rarity, before giving a sudden shove.

The orange pony throws out his legs to catch himself, hooves grabbing her rear. She shrieks and whirls around, slapping him with enough force to knock him to the dirt. She looks down at her soaked elaborate, frilly dress. "Ugh! That drunken pervert made me spill my drink!" She storms off into the castle. "I'm going to go dry myself off" the unicorn groans.

Twilight's left standing there, Onyx walks over to the bar. "Martini, stirred." Wait, no, it was supposed to be shaken. Dammit, should he reorder? Oh well, it probably didn't matter. "Well, I was waiting for the party to liven up. Not exactly what I had in mind" his voice coming as smooth as possible, looking over to Twilight as he takes his drink.

"Psh. You should have seen the Grand Galloping Gala two years ago" she replies. "We're lucky the whole east wing didn't collapse."

He tried to think about what he knew about her. It wasn't much, just what he'd skimmed in a newspaper article detailing her coronation. He remembered she was a librarian, so she was probably a bookworm. He could use that.

"That's nothing, last August I was on Earnest Hemmingneigh's yacht, old guy got so plastered he steered it right into a sandbar. We were stuck there all night until the tide came back in."

Twilight's eyes open wide. "You've... you've met Hemmingneigh?!"

"Oh yeah, me and Ernie go way back. Used to mow his grass when I was a colt" he replies. "He threw some pretty wild parties for an old stallion."

She stands there, speechless. "I've read every one of his books! I can't believe you know him!"

Well he had her interest. It was a start. Now he just had to go from friendly acquaintance to co-conspirator.

"I'm relatively new to Canterlot, thought I'd swing by and see how these world-famous royal galas were. Gotta say, I'm a little disappointed. The stories made them sound like a nonstop drunken orgy, but so far it's pretty..."

"Boring?" she answers.

He takes a sip of the drink, nearly spitting it back out. Good lord, that was awful. He struggles to keep his face from contorting and twisting into a grimace. "Your words, not mine."

She chuckles to herself. The princess points at her eye. "So what happened to, uh..."

"Spent a few years on a pirate ship" he replies, completely serious.

"Horseapples."

"Alright fine, you got me. 'Tripped and fell onto a nail sticking out a floorboard' doesn't quite have the same ring to it, now does it?" the black stallion says. She gives a smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a large group of guards moving in the background. They eye him suspiciously but keep their distance. Onyx knew though, it was only a matter of time.

"Listen, I'm gonna have to leave here shortly, but I need to talk to you about something. Something important" he says quietly.

She raises a brow. "Oh? What is it?"

Onyx sees the guards start towards him. "I can't say here. Meet me at the observatory in two hours, I'll explain everything." His eyes dart to the approaching guards then back to her. "Lives are at stake."

"I, uh... ok then...?"

He quickly but casually walks towards the gates, having to fight the urge to run.

"Wait! You never gave me your name!" she yells.

He stops for a moment, turning to look back at her. "You're right, I didn't."

Author's Note

Just want it on record, I am not proud of "Hemmingneigh".

Chapter 12: Burn the Sky

I never wanted any of this to happen. I never wanted to drag her into this nightmare, I'm sure she had enough to worry about as is, what with being a new princess and all. Still though, she's the only one who could help. I couldn't risk approaching Celestia, not yet anyways. For all I knew, she'd vaporize me on sight. Twilight didn't know, I could... manipulate her. Lie to her.

Dammit, I'm sounding more and more like Blackout by the day. But this is different, right? Lying for the right reason, that's ok, isn't it?

Of course he think's he's doing the right thing too. When two opposing forces truly believe that they're in the right, that their cause is just...

I'm not scared of much. I've already died, I'm not scared of dying. But not knowing how far this will go, just how bad this will have to get before one of us gives in... that's what keeps me up at night.
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Onyx paces the the balcony of the observatory, looking out at the night sky. The full moon shone like a floodlight down onto the sprawling metropolis. The large telescope cast an inky black shadow across a quarter of the circular balcony, the stallion seemed to melt into it.

He stares out at the sky, scanning the horizon. She was late. Where was she, had she changed her mind? Perhaps she had told somepony and they had convinced her not to go. Any rational pony would advise her against meeting a complete stranger in the dead of night who insisted she come alone and that lives were at risk.

A flash of violet energy erupts a few feet in front of him, he throws up a hoof to shield his night-adjusted eye. Twilight stood there, changed out of her evening gown. Small bolts of residual energy pop and crackle around her. She looks up at the stallion.

"You know, I wasn't sure if coming here was the smart thing to do. I almost talked myself out of it."

"Glad you didn't" he replies, his smooth, suave demeanor from earlier in the night was gone, in it's place was his natural diction and personality.

The alicorn takes a cautious step towards him, eyeing him curiously. "So what's really going on here? Who are you?!"

Onyx leans up against the railing and sighs, looking out at the town. He looks back to her. If he wanted her to help, then she needed to know. "Have you ever heard of the Iron Guild?"

She looks at him like he's from another planet. "The what?"

Good, he could tell her just enough. "It's a group of earth ponies, started a couple hundred years ago. They use technology instead of magic." He begins to unwrap the tape surrounding his metal horn. "They find ponies that are beaten, broken, or in my case, worse. They take them and... modify them. Bolt on all sorts of machinery, whether you want it or not."

He tosses the tape into the night breeze, it flutters and twists like a snake as it flies away. She looks at the silver spike with both confusion and wonderment. She steps closer, placing a hoof on it's cold metal surface. "You're... you're not a unicorn..." she says.

"No, I'm not. I'm not sure what you'd call me." He climbs out of his tuxedo, revealing his mechanical limbs. He rubs the large scar running up his chest.

She stares in stunned disbelief. "How... how is that possible? It's..."

He slides off his eyepatch, the red glow of his cybernetic eye shines on her. Twilight takes a nervous step back.

"I'm not trying to scare you. You wanted to know who I am, I'm letting you know. My name's Onyx, and I need your help."
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"Wait, he's going to blow up the entire town?! That's insane!" she shouts, not believing what she was hearing. Onyx had tried to skip over the more graphic portions of his tale, and he chose to omit the part involving Celestia attacking them with a dragon, but she needed to know what was at risk.

"Trust me, if you met the guy you'd understand" he groans. "He sent me here to... disrupt the summit." Well, that was technically true. He didn't think "I'm here to kill you and the rest of Equestrian royalty" would go over extraordinarily well.

She leans up on the railing with a troubled look on her face, deep in thought. "So what do we do?"

Onyx sighs. "I need you to stop me." He joins her, looking out at the illuminated city streets far below. "Blackout'll be watching. If he thinks I'm trying anything, Fetlock goes up in a fireball. I need to fail, I need to make it look like you got the drop on me and killed me."

Her violet eyes fall on him, glistening in the moonlight. "You... you want me to attack you?"

"I have to disappear. As long as Blackout thinks I'm alive, all of Fetlock's in danger. After that, I can get started on taking him down. But I can't do it alone, I need somepony I can trust. You cannot tell anypony about this, I mean it."

She nods.

"Not your friends, not Celestia." Especially not Celestia. "This has got to stay between us" Onyx says, almost pleading.

"Ok, I get it. I promise" says Twilight, slightly exasperated. "I just... wish I knew more about this so I could help."

The black cyborg stallion's eye shoots wide. "That's not... you shouldn't, no. You aren't gonna like what you find. All I need you to do is put on a show in front of everypony, lots of flash and explosions. I'll take care of everything else."

"If you say so..." the alicorn says reluctantly. It seemed as it she didn't fully trust this pony, Onyx couldn't blame her. He was being purposefully vague, he was holding back information and she knew it.

"I understand if you don't trust me. But I'm telling you the truth when I say this is important, and that I'm trying to do the right thing."

Twilight looks out at the city once again. "I want to believe you, I really do. But you're not making it easy for me. All this talk about secret cults, cyborgs, political assassinations..."

"Wait, I never said-"

She gives him a sly grin. "You didn't have to. Blackout told you to kill me, didn't he?"

Onyx stands there, dumbfounded. Well, she had figured it out on her own, so no point in lying. He lets out a defeated sigh. "Yeah."

She takes a step towards him. "So why haven't you? This is the perfect place, there's nopony watching. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you're a terrible assassin."

"Because the second I do, I'm giving Blackout exactly what he wants. I'm not gonna watch Equestria burn to the ground just because some loony old bastard gave me an order."

Twilight chuckles. "You speak so fondly of him."

"You can do that when you're family" he replies.

She raises a brow. "Only because this wasn't complicated enough before, right?"

They both share a laugh, grateful the tension had been reduced. The scene falls silent once more as they stare at each other, waiting for somepony to say something. Neither spoke.

"...It's late, I should probably be getting back. The princess goes missing, the whole castle gets turned upside down" Twilight finally says.

"Yeah, same here" Onyx replies. She looks at him, slightly confused. "Y'know, aside from the whole princess deal. You know what I mean."

Her horn begins to glow softly.

"So, what's the verdict? You trust me or not?" he says, raising his voice to combat the rising hum of the teleportation spell.

Twilight gives a final grin. "I haven't decided yet." She vanishes in a blinding flash of magical energy. The wind blows past him, his dark red tail whips and twirls as the air rushes to fill the void created by the teleportation. He stares at the empty spot for a moment before slowly turning to climb down from the observatory balcony. It was time to head back and get some sleep.
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He traverses the cobblestone streets, the lamps shining golden light down onto the uneven stone path. Nopony was out and about at the unholy hour, he effectively had the entire city to himself. He couldn't place his hoof on why, but he felt... good. He felt happy.

Why? What reason did he have? Twilight had agreed to help him, perhaps that was it. Certainly is wasn't the fact that he discovered a fairly significant crush on her.

Of course he was mentally kicking himself for the interaction. If worse came to worse and he did, in fact, have to kill her, he just made his job a hundred times more difficult. Onyx shook his head. No, get that thought out of your head. You're not gonna have to kill her. You're not gonna have to kill anypony. You'll figure this out, and everything'll be fine.

What was he doing having these feelings anyway? He and Angel Fire... well, what were they? He wasn't sure. There had been the passion-filled night in Fillydelphia, but aside from that, they hadn't been much more than... teammates. Friends with benefits. But even so, he still found himself thinking about her quite often. Was she doing the same, but merely choosing not to discuss it?

He rubs his temple. It was late, he was tired. A decent night's sleep would do far more good for him than wandering the streets pondering the complexity of his love life. The lone black stallion approaches an intersection but freezes in his tracks, hearing the approach of armored hooves. He ducks into the corner, seemingly melding into the darkness.

He sees two Royal Guard unicorns passing by. They had bags under their eyes, deprived of sleep.

"Ugh. Honestly, she wants us out here all night? He's probably long gone by now. We should have just taken him down at the party when we had the chance."

Onyx peers out, ears perked.

"You heard Celestia, she didn't want to make a scene in front of everypony. I would have loved to blast a hole in his head the second I saw him" the other unicorn says as they stroll past.

"I can't believe the little fucker's still alive. I figured that bomb would have blown him into chowder."

His eyes grow large. He felt his robotic heart skip a beat before returning to it's metronome-like rhythm.

"It would have if those idiots had timed it right. They blew it too early, they got trigger-happy."

Ice flowed through Onyx's veins.

If those idiots had timed it right.

He felt his ears pin back flat against his head, his teeth clenched shut like a vise.

They got trigger-happy.

Onyx trembles, a hot, burning anger flows through him. Intense, seething hatred poured from his very soul.

"Well at least they got the rest of em. It went off right under the little one, blew him clean in half" the unicorn comments with the same amount of emotion one might use while discussing the weather.

He snaps.

The lead unicorn spins around, hearing a horrified scream directly behind him, preceded by a wet squelch. Onyx's silver horn was buried deep in the guard's side, the enraged black pony lifts his victim up and over his head with a strength he didn't know he had. The skewered unicorn twitches and convulses, blood and internal fluids pouring down onto the stallion underneath, splattering across his face which showed only unfathomable hatred.

Onyx flings the guard off to the side, his face covered in the precious life-bearing fluid. The impaled unicorn continues to writhe in agony, rapidly bleeding out from the gaping stab wound. The remaining guard backs away, horrified at the blood-soaked monster bearing down on him, pure murderous rage in his eyes.

He tries to ready a paralyzing spell, but the spell fizzles out. He couldn't remember how to summon it, it was basic spell casting. Every Royal Guard unicorn is required to master the spell the very first week of training. But here, at this moment, fear had completely overridden training and instinct.

The black and red stallion roars as a savage blast of energy explodes from his horn, slamming into the pony who immediately explodes like an over-inflated water balloon. Bits and pieces splatter across the street, staining the gray and white stones underneath their hooves a dark crimson.

"Over here!"

"Move! Move!"

Onyx turns to look behind him, there were at least ten more guards coming his way.

Good.

A beam of magic shoots through the night air, Onyx's own beam ruptures the magic instantly. Another beam is fired at him, it's shot down as well. The black pony slowly walks towards the incoming Royal Guard, an almost tangible aura of malice burning from him. His pupil had shrank almost to the size of a pinhead. Scalding, boiling hatred flowed through his veins.

The unicorns take their positions, the ones in front kneel down to allow all present to line up a shot. The blood-soaked stallion doesn't move a muscle, instead choosing to line up a shot of his own. Five crosshairs appear in his vision, falling on the lead ponies. With a furious scream, five bolts of cyan lightning crack across the sky and detonate the guards in a shower of gore and fluids.

The remaining ponies stand in shock, their comrades dripping off of their coats and armor plating. Onyx prepares to fire again, but a red flashing message in the corner of his vision manages to catch his attention.

Power Cells Depleted

He gallops towards the guards at full speed, closing in on them like a freight train. The nearest unicorn hardly had time to react as Onyx's horn sinks into his neck. He gives a gurgling cry as he slumps to the ground, the rampaging stallion charges the adjacent unicorn who manages to nail him with a paralyzing spell.

Onyx falls to the ground, motionless.

The surviving unicorns let out a ragged sigh. "Holy shit... Thought I was a goner..."

Blue bolts of energy spit and pop around the statue-like cyborg. He explodes up off the ground, spinning and kicking his metal hooves into his attacker with every ounce of strength. They punch right through his golden chest plate, as well as his sternum and ribs. The dark gray unicorn staggers back before falling to the street.

"What the fuck?! How did-" Onyx didn't give him an opportunity to finish the thought, a powerful kick snapping his neck like a twig.

The one remaining guard turns to run, but Onyx closes the distance, his glowing cybernetic eye flashes a bright, angry red. He tackles him, knocking the fleeing unicorn to the stone roadway. Sitting on top of him, Onyx punches down with his metal foreleg. A sickening krakk echoes off the buildings lining the dark street.

Onyx continues to pummel the guard long after all that remained of his face was a bloody sludge. He finally stops, panting heavily. Each breath had to be forced, he gives short, sharp gasps as he sits there. He looks around, surrounded by death and gore. The road and sidewalks had been turned into a butcher's table, something out of a horror movie. The streetlamps continue to glow with indifference, shining down on the scene.

He rises to his hooves, the silver metal splattered and stained red. He can feel his face and mane dripping. His chest heaves as he continues to pant, looking at what he'd created. It all felt surreal, like a dream. A terrible, terrible dream. It had to be, he couldn't have done this. He didn't have that kind of evil in him, did he?

His stomach suddenly starts turning knots, he leans down and vomits, violently emptying the contents onto the street. He stays leaned down for a moment, world spinning. Onyx spits and wipes his mouth before getting back up. He gives a final glance at the scene. What had he done?

Onyx turns down the street and runs. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't care. He just needed to get away from here.
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He slowly, carefully opens the room's door. Drops of water fell to the carpet underneath him, having jumped in the large fountain out in front of the hotel to wash himself off. To his surprise, he sees Angel Fire standing there. Bruiser was on the ground, a blanket draped over his lower half. As usual, he was sprawled out, taking up as much space as possible while snoring loudly enough to give a dragon a run for it's money.

Onyx's gaze falls to the mare standing in the dark, she knew something had happened. There was a heaviness in his eyes she hadn't seen before. "Onyx, what happened?"

He says nothing. His mouth opens, but no words find their way out. Without warning, his legs buckle underneath him, dumping him to the floor. It was like his body had just quit, somepony had unplugged him. Angel rushes to his side, placing a hoof at his side to steady him.

"Breathe, just breathe" she instructs.

His eye squeezes shut, he grits his teeth as tears flow from his one natural eye. He desperately tries to stop, this was not the time for a breakdown. Not now, not here. Not in front of her.

She brings his head to her chest, holding him close. He coughs for breath, trying with all his might to just man up and get over it. Dammit this was embarrassing, he had just murdered twelve Royal Guard, and here he was. Crying, getting held by a mare. Like a foal.

Chapter 13: Necessary Evil

Not every story has a happy ending, not everypony deserves one. I know I sure as hell don't.

We call them "fairy tale endings" because that's the only place they exist. We grow up hearing stories about overcoming insurmountable obstacles, about finding the true strength that lies within us, and about true love conquering all. We're all the protagonists of our own stories, why shouldn't we get to live happily-ever-after?

But this is the real world, and that's not how it works.

An unreachable goal is just that, unreachable. Sure, it's heroic to try, and everypony loves to root for the underdog, but at the end of the day, you can't beat the odds forever. Simple as that.

We love stories about the downtrodden and world-beaten soul rising up and seizing control of his life, making a change for the better. But 99% of the time, that lone pony, the one who's been struck down so many times he doesn't even bother to try to get to his hooves anymore, stays there. He'll die alone and forgotten. Not that he's anything special, happens all the time.

As for the whole "true love" nonsense... I find it somewhat ridiculous how all the stories about romance and the aforementioned all-powerful force of love fail to realistically depict it. These two star-crossed lovers meet and instantly fall for each other and will go to any lengths to be together.

That isn't love, that's infatuation. A childish fictionalization of what love actually is. And at the end of the story, it all works out for the best. Because apparently true love means not having to work for it, having no conflicts or issues to resolve. And of course that's assuming there's somepony out there for you at all, which it's entirely possible that there isn't.

... I already know how this is going to end. A nagging, infuriatingly optimistic little voice in my head keeps trying to tell me that nothing's set in stone, maybe it'll turn out different. Maybe you'll walk away from this.

Between you and me, that little voice is an idiot.
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Onyx stands on the balcony of the suite, the rising sun casting a harsh glare across his weary, tired face. His eyes had dark, deep bags circling under them, there was a coldness in his gaze a stallion of his years should never have been burdened to carry. The pony looked like he had aged ten years over the course of a single night.

He hadn't slept last night, he hadn't even made an attempt. Even if by some miracle of Luna herself he could drift off, the nightmares that were surely awaiting him made sitting alone in the dark silence for hours on end seem like a welcome alternative. They had started since his resurrection at the hooves of Blackout, he prayed he would simply grow out of them, like he had when he was a young colt, but instead they had only became more violent and disturbing as time passed.

Onyx came to dread the setting sun, there was no escape from the night-terrors that relentlessly pursued him throughout the night. He was forced to re-live the explosion, losing his family, over and over again. He'd witnessed his loved ones, the only ponies that ever gave a damn about him, get ripped and blown to pieces right before his eyes. Every night Onyx would awake, wanting to scream to the heavens themselves, demand an explanation of why he was being tortured this way.

Instead of suffering further torment, he chose to spend the remaining hours of the night ironing out the wrinkles in his plan. Everything needed to be in place, he couldn't afford to fail. After tying up all the loose ends and verifying everything was as it should be, he doubled checked his work and went over it again. And then checked it a third time. He was halfway through with a fourth review before he finally called it quits, fearing any further reading of the same information would drive him insane.

The steady, thunderous snoring from Bruiser filled the room, rattling the likely exorbitantly-expensive paintings hanging on the wall. The stout, cobalt pony kicked and fidgeted on the plush, snow white carpet that had to be an absolute bitch to keep clean. Every now and then he'd mumble or groan something incomprehensible, on occasion even shouting.

Angel Fire meanwhile took the bed, curling up under the numerous thick blankets. The bed was bordering on ridiculously huge, there was ample room for all three but Bruiser had opted to take the floor. Walking in on Onyx and the mare in Fillydelphia had given him enough motivation to sleep elsewhere. He said he didn't care to wake up in any "mystery fluids".

Onyx looks out at the ornate white palace stretching before him, the sunlight filtering through the fuchsia energy field surrounding Canterlot looked almost like a giant stained glass window, casting a faint violet hue on everything in sight. It wouldn't be long before Twilight took to the podium to address the council, and the plan would swing into effect. He gives a glance back to his teammates, before looking back to the castle, hanging his head. "I'm sorry guys...I'm so sorry"
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"We're just minutes away from Twilight Sparkle's first official act as princess, where she will be giving her statement to the Royal Council regarding the rising tensions between Equestria and the Griffon Empire" the radio crackles. Blackout sits in his office, picking up the radio broadcast directly. He looks out at the blank steel walls with indifference, awaiting the news of a successful kill, ready to detonate the bombs scattered throughout Fetlock if the broadcast proceeded without incident.

"Don't do anything stupid Onyx" he quietly snarls to himself.

A deafening roar of cheers fill the airwaves. "And there she is! Princess Twilight has taken the stage accompanied by Celesita and Luna."

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Onyx watches from the hotel balcony as the purple alicorn walks out onto the stage, flanked on both sides by the two princesses. She waves to the crowd, before giving a nervous, excited smile directed to five other mares in the front row. The pink earth pony was holding up a ludicrous, irrationally large banner with "HI TWILIGHT!" scrawled on it in bright pink letters. The dozen or so ponies seated behind her couldn't see a damn thing. They grumpily weave, duck and crane their necks, attempting to peer around the sign.

The air was thick with patrolling pegasus guards, squads of unicorns made their rounds, weaving in and out of the crowd. They weren't taking any chances with security, not with an entire platoon being slaughtered the night before. Because of this, Onyx had requested Angel Fire and Bruiser scatter to different locations, both to minimize their chances of getting captured and to provide additional lookout and support for each other should they run into trouble.

Onyx laid down on the balcony's floor, the optical implant zooming in to get a clear look at the trio of princesses. He purposefully kept the crosshairs off of them, the red plus hovering just over their heads. Twilight steps closer to the edge and clears her throat, the crowd quickly hushed.

"My fellow ponies" she started. Onyx sweeps his sights across the crowd, it was a veritable sea of ponies. He'd never seen so many in one place all at once. He makes his way to the edges of the mob as Twilight continues her speech. Onyx eventually finds Bruiser, he was in his bomber jacket and standing inconspicuously as possible. The deep blue pony glances up to the balcony, unable to see the black stallion positioned there but feeling watched nonetheless.

Onyx's crosshairs pan down and to the left, after a few moments of searching he found Angel Fire. She was wearing a white dress that had a red sash tied around the middle, her wings having shredded her favored pink dress the previous day. The mechanical pegasus was glancing up at him, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.

Bruiser and Angel hadn't been completely sold on his plan, Onyx told them he was planning on shooting the tower looming over the princesses, the rubble would come crashing down in what would appear to be a genuine attempt on their lives. However, he had slipped a note to Twilight beforehand, warning her of the impending attack. She'd throw up a forcefield at the last second, protecting them from the destruction raining down. After that, they'd haul ass out of Canterlot, likely with the entirety of the Royal Guard nipping at their hooves.

Or at least, that was what Onyx had told them.

He'd kept the second part of the plan secret from them. Onyx absolutely hated, loathed himself for it. These weren't just his teammates, his coworkers. These were his only friends, and here he was, blatantly lying to their faces. They trusted him, and he was using that against them.

"We can't let blind hatred and meaningless hostility cloud our vision, make us lose sight of what's truly important" the alicorn says. It was almost time, once he committed to this path, there was no turning back. This was a one-way trip. If he was going to back out, now was the time. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't tempted, of all the things that scared Onyx, uncertainty was near the top of the list.

He shakes his head. No, you're not backing out of this now. You know what you need to do, so do it. Onyx brings the crosshairs up to the white tower stretching up to the sky just above the three princesses, the gold spire casting a harsh glare into the magnified image. He targets the base of the tower, charging up a full-power blast. Blue arcs of energy spit and dance on the horn's silver surface.

"I believe we can solve this peacefully, because I believe in the good that lies in us all." That was the signal to fire, as ironic as it may be. Onyx exhales, attempting to make peace with himself. He concentrates, sending the mental command. Destroy. His eyes close as screams fill the air, awaiting whatever fate lie in store for him.
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From the crowd, Angel Fire watches as the savage blue bolt snakes across the sky in a split-second, slamming into the watchtower in a massive explosion. The crowd erupts in chaos, panicked shrieking deafens all listening ears. True to Onyx's plan, the tower crumbles like a house of cards, carriage-sized rubble raining down in a cloud of dust and debris.

A protective bubble of Twilight's magic enveloped the balcony almost instantly, the huge chunks of wreckage harmlessly bouncing off it's surface. The mob explodes, ponies running every which way all at once. Somehow through the pandemonium, her eyes find Bruiser's. He nods, and they start to make their way out of the castle grounds and head to the rendezvous point outside of town.

Suddenly, the sound of a massive spell being cast diverts their attention back to the princesses. Angel Fire turns, just in time to see a swirling column of raw magic energy streak through the air, directly at the hotel balcony. The two ponies stare helplessly as the room explodes in a fireball of ethereal flame, utterly destroying the entirety of the room. The raspberry-colored flames lick and twirl as the gaping, smoldering crate belches smoke. "ONYX!" Angel Fire screams.

She stares in complete disbelief. "No..." It didn't feel real. He couldn't be dead, not that quickly, not that easily. There was a chance he could have survived, wasn't there? He wasn't dead. He wasn't gone, he was fine. He was... he was probably waiting on them outside of town. Yes, that's where he was. He'd gotten out of tough scrapes before, this was no different. Onyx was fine. He had to be. He wasn't dead.

"Son of a bitch..." Bruiser mutters. He stares up at the flaming hole blasted into the hotel. The cobalt stallion knew, there was no way anypony could have survived that. Angel continued to stare blankly, her normally glossy and vibrant emerald eyes looked dead. Her mouth was stuck halfway open, as if emitting a silent cry.

The stallion places a hoof on the small of her back. "Angel, let's go." Her eyes don't deviate from their fix on the ruins. "Angel Fire, we need to move, now" he said, this time more forcefully.

"W-we can't leave him..." the mare says, voice barely audible in the best of circumstances, but surrounded by the deafening roar of screams it went unheard.

Bruiser tugs at her, quickly losing patience. "Snap out of it! We have to clear out of here!"

She furiously swats his hoof away, her seemingly soulless eyes had tears flowing from their corners and down her cheeks, passing over the small cuts. The stallion took a surprised half-step back. He'd never seen her show any sort of emotion other than pure rage and passive indifference in all the years he'd known her. "I CAN'T LEAVE HIM!" she desperately screams.

"Angel, listen to me. Onyx was my friend too, but he's gone now, and we're gonna be dead if we don't get the hell outta here right now!" he yells back. Angel turns back to the burning hotel, Bruiser knew she wasn't going to come willingly. Leaving him with no choice, she is dragged away, fighting, kicking, and screaming the entire way. A small, faint trail of tear drops dotted the cobblestone street where they passed.
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"Details are still coming in by the minute, but we're able to verify an assassination attempt has been made on the Royal Sisters as well as Princess Twilight Sparkle a few short moments ago. It appears that they are unharmed, authorities are searching the remnants of the sniper's position as we... yes, ok. We just received word that the Royal Guard have confirmed the assassin has been killed. We will continue to keep you informed as more details surface.

"GODDAMMIT!" Blackout roars, his voice making the steel walls tremble. He slams a hoof down onto his desk, splitting it down the middle with a sharp krakk! The black cybernetic alicorn kicks the half away, sending it flying across the office and landing in a loud clatter.

He stands there, absolutely fuming. Onyx had failed, although Blackout was angry with himself more than anypony. The young stallion wasn't ready, he hadn't had enough experience. What a waste of resources, anti-magic weapons were among the most expensive and labor-intensive hardware to produce, why had he even entrusted him with it in the first place, let alone this pivotal mission? Nephew or not, he should have known better.

Blackout's robotic eye falls to the detonator control on his metal hoof. He had no further use for Fetlock, and the bombs had use elsewhere. Celestia was no doubt preparing retaliation, he couldn't afford to waste valuable munitions. "Unit 5, collect the explosives and return to base. We've hit a snag" he says, his mechanical components broadcasting the signal.

"Yes sir" the radio crackles.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Twilight sat in her room, locked inside as an entire platoon of guards stood watch outside. She pulls out the folded note she had found earlier that morning, wanting to reassure herself that she had in fact, done the right thing. She skips to the end, which looked like it had been written quickly and hastily with an unsteady hoof.

"After making sure the other princesses are ok, I need you to destroy the hotel room. The very top center, you'll see the bolt. Teleport me somewhere else, doesn't really matter where, but make sure the room goes up. Don't leave any doubt, blow the living shit out of it. I need to die, I need to be history.

I know I'm asking a lot here, and I realize I've got absolutely no right to do so, but I'm down on my knees here. I can't do this without your help. I'll be gone as soon as this is over. You won't be hearing from me again, as far as you're concerned, I'm a ghost.

I can't promise you much, but I can give you this. I'm going to make this right, one way or another. Keep an eye out, you'll probably be able to see the fireworks from here.

-Onyx Shard"

She sighs, folding the note back up and tossing it onto the nightstand. Was he going to be alright? That sounded an awful lot like a pony that knew he wasn't going to survive.

The large double doors swing open, the familiar faces of her friends enter as the doors promptly shut behind them.

"Are you ok sugarcube?"

The alicorn discretely slides a book over the folded note. "Yeah girls, I'm fine."

Chapter 3: Crimson Rain

CHAPTER THREE
"Alright, we're about a mile out from the station. Take a few minutes to catch your-" Before the words had left her mouth, Onyx crumpled to the ground in a broken heap.

"I... I'm gonna puke" he mutters between wheezes and gasps, lying on the ground, chest heaving. "The doc said take it easy, pretty sure a three hour run isn't 'taking it easy'."

"Stop being dramatic" she says, scanning her surroundings.

"Dramatic?! My stitches got torn out! I ran the last 8 miles BLEEDING FROM MY CHEST" he shouts with very little breath.

"A pony in your shape should be able to make that trip no problem, you really need to get more exercise" she says, ignoring his crimson-stained torso.

"I died yesterday, cut me some freakin' slack."

"Well do you think you'll survive the rest of the trip to the station?" she asks, nodding in the direction of their destination.

"Let's just hurry up and get there" Onyx groans, rising to his hooves.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
They crouch down behind a large shrub a few dozen yards from the station up on a hill. The Las Pegasus skyline rose up in the background, extravagant hotels and casinos constructed entirely of clouds reached skywards.

He'd always wanted to visit the city, it was too bad he didn't have time to take in a show or a round of Appaloosa Hold 'Em. Maybe someday he could come back, preferably at night and see the city illuminated by the world-famous lightning storms that circled the strip.

Also, he'd heard you can get a decent hoof-job for around 15 bits.

"The rotor's inside, on Platform 6" Angel said, breaking him out of his daydream.

"So what, we just go inside and get it?" he asks.

"Don't be ridiculous" she replies.

"Well excuse me if the hundreds of times I've retrieved industrial equipment from a train station went differently."

She let out a groan as she studied the station, ponies entered and exited, chatting among themselves, those who were obviously tourists snapped pictures and pointed in awe at the skyline.

"The Guild operates in direct violation of Equestrian law, we can't just order parts when something breaks" she says.

"Wait, what?!" Why hadn't anypony informed him of that little tidbit of information?

"The use of cybernetic implants and prosthetics is a capital offense, the Canterlot lawmakers don't like it when we can do something with technology better than they can with magic" Angel says, hunkering back down behind the bush. "On the plus side, they stopped drawing and quartering captured Guild members. The unicorns ruled it 'too barbaric' for their sophisticated, high-class standards. Last I checked it's the guillotine. Of course that only works if you don't have metal in your neck or spine. Poor Revolver, it took them an hour and a half to cut his head off."

Onyx stares at her in slack-jawed horror.

"Anyway, the generator rotor inside is for a hydroelectric dam just outside Trottingham" the cream colored mare says.

"Then why do I get the feeling it's coming home with us?" he says, trying to get the image of a pony strapped into the gallows with a team sawing away at his neck out of his mind. It wasn't working.

"Because it is." She digs around the shrub before she finds a small cardboard box. "Here it is, just like he said." She opens it, revealing 2 orange jumpsuits. "They're using a moving company to bring it to the construction site, we sign for it and walk out with it before they show up."

"Huh. Sounds simple enough I guess" he says, looking over the change of clothes. "What about this though?" the pony asks, pointing to his robotic eye.

Angel Fire tosses him an eyepatch. "Great, I get to dress up like a prison inmate and a pirate, all at once. Just like Nightmare Night all over again."
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
They walk into the station, to Onyx's surprise the disguises seemed to be working. Nopony seemed to be paying them any extra attention. Well, aside from the drunken pony slumped in the corner with a brandy bottle cutie mark who found it necessary to yell "Aar!" upon seeing the patch.

Angel's metal wings folded and tucked up against her, not protruding from the clothes but a small bump was noticeable. Not that it was a big issue Onyx guessed, he'd never seen any petite and dainty ponies working manual labor.

"You screw this up, I'll personally feed you to the Manticores Blackout keeps in the basement" she quietly but sternly whispers to him. He got the distinct feeling she wasn't kidding. "This is a covert operation, do NOT blow our cover."

They come to the platform, a large wooden crate is loaded into a wagon and sitting by the tracks. It was much larger than he anticipated, it was going to take both their combined efforts to haul this monstrosity all the way back to the base.

"WHO THE BUCK IS IN CHARGE HERE?!" Angel shouted at the top of her lungs. Onyx squinted in response to the assault on his ears, mother of Celestia could that pony get loud. Also, what was that about "covert" again?

A light gray pony wearing a conductor's uniform walks over. "Is... there a problem, miss?"

"Problem?! Oh you'd better believe there's a problem! These instructions CLEARLY stated this rotor was to be delivered yesterday!" she yells, whipping out a form from her front pocket and shoving it at the suited pony. "YESTERDAY!"

"I can assure you, the part arrived on schedule..."

"No, it arrived on YOUR schedule! Meanwhile, I have an entire construction site sitting idle because somepony wrote down the wrong date! Do you have any idea how much money we're losing by NOT having this component when we needed it?!"

"Uh, I don't-"

"More than your miserable job is worth, I can promise you that!" she yells. For once, her anger wasn't being vented directly at Onyx. He had to admit, it was a pleasant change of pace.

"S-surely we can work this out..." the gray pony chuckles nervously. "After all, this isn't my fault..."

"What a coincidence, I've phoned everpony in this damn station, they all said the same thing! It's never anypony's fault around here! Where's the Station Master?!

"Here, here's the sheet. Just sign and we'll get this all sorted out, there's really no need to get the station master involved" he nervously states with a friendly smile, handing them a clipboard.

Angel jots down a name, Onyx couldn't read what she wrote but it obviously wasn't her actual name.

She hands the clipboard back to the stallion. "You're lucky I'm in a hurry." The gray pony gives a courteous nod before scuttling away.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" she says to Onyx.

"What?"

"Get hooked up" she tells him.

"Wait, you want me to pull this thing back BY MYSELF?!"

"I have wing mounts grafted to my spine, I can't fit in a harness. Your prosthetics should be more than capable of pulling it. And also, I gave you an order."

He mumbles to himself as he slides into the harness, he strains to move the colossal crate. The wheels creak and begin to turn as he groans and grunts, slowly moving across the floor.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

They had barely left the station, and he was hating this already. "Let's go, I'd like to make it back before nightfall" Angel says, tapping her hoof as she waits further down the road. Onyx had never hit a woman in his life, but this might not be a bad time to start.

"Hey! That's our rotor, ain't it boys?!" they hear a gruff voice behind them shout.

They look back to see a group of six tall, stout stallions standing there. The lead pony was light brown in color and had a cigar hanging out of his mouth. "The hell you doin'?!

Onyx's eyes dart to Angel, who didn't seem fazed in the least. "I think you're mistaken, this is shipment of oranges to Dodge Junction" she calmly says.

The lead foreman pony walks up, smoke puffing from his cigar. He gets close to Angel and leans in. "You think I'm that stupid lady? Now I dunno where you got them uniforms from, but me and my boys here, we don't take kindly to folks makin' off with our shipments."

She doesn't deviate from her blank expression. "Is that a threat?"

The foreman laughs, smoke rolling from his mouth. "Hell naw, just a friendly suggestion. I'm a reasonable pony after all. But my boys here, not so much. See, they're awful unpredictable. There ain't no tellin' what they'd do to a mare like you."

"I call first dibs!" one of the workers yells.

Onyx looks nervously to Angel, this situation was going south rather quickly.

She takes a step towards the foreman. "I'll tell you what. I'm giving you idiots three seconds to get out of my sight."

"Ooh! Yer a feisty one, huh? We're gonna have some real fun with you, sugarcube" he says, rubbing a hoof along her cheek.
SKYAASSH!
In an instant, her metal wing rips through her orange uniform. The blade-like edge severs the pony's leg in one swipe.

He collapses to the ground, howling in pain as the stump pours blood onto the dirt.

"Put some pressure on that and get him to a hospital if you want him to live" she casually says to the stunned ponies.

"Don't just stand there you idiots, kill 'em!" the pony yells through gritted teeth.

They hesitate for a moment before charging. Onyx comes out from the harness as two stallions, much larger than he was, come galloping at him full speed.

He pivots up on his forelegs and kicks out, a sharp crack is heard as their ribs snap like twigs. They tumble back several yards, coming to a rest in a cloud of dust where they lie still. Maybe these mechanical legs weren't so bad after all.

Angel's wings shred the clothing, the tattered strips float away in the breeze as she ascends, the sun gleaming off the metal in dazzling brilliance. The three stallions below stare in astonishment and confusion.

She dives sharply, a shrill wail emanating from the wings. It seemed they were self-powered, a blue glow burned from the central hub where the bladed "feathers" joined.

She drives a kick into them, sending them flying like a foal might throw his toys. Well at least Onyx felt everypony's unnatural fear of her was somewhat justified.

The last remaining pony tosses his hardhat aside, revealing a horn. A soft red glow emanates from it, enshrouding the winged earth pony. "Onyx! Your horn!" she yells as the field tightens around her. He was going to crush her to death.

The black pony rips off his eyepatch and drops his stance. He closes his eye, a crosshairs falling into his view from his implant. Onyx focuses, a blue electrical aura envelopes the silver spike. A blinding energy bolt splits the air in front of him, slamming into the unicorn. He's lifted off the ground and tossed back, arcing blue energy.

The red aura vanishes, she wastes no time in shooting towards him like a bullet. Her outstretched wing slices him to ribbons, a crimson fountain spewing from his gaping wounds. The unicorn was dead before he hit the ground.

She shakes the blood off her wing and rushes over to Onyx and the wagon. "C'mon, let's get going before anypony else shows up." Onyx stood there, taking a few seconds to acknowledge her command
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The rain poured down in sheets, about 20 minutes after fleeing the station the bottom fell out, drenching them in the frigid precipitation.

Onyx could barely see, his red upswept mane was plastered over his eyes and pouring water onto his face. The raindrops pelt them as they make their way down the now sloppy, muddy road, each individual drop stinging their skin. Angel Fire had formed a makeshift umbrella by folding her wings over her head, the rain pounded out an almost melodic ring against the metal.

A silent hour had passed, only the steady squeak of the wagon wheels and snare-like drone of the rain was heard. Onyx felt like he needed to say something, anything. Any more quiet and he'd go insane.

"Can I ask you something?"

She looks over at him. "I suppose."

"How many ponies have you killed?" he asks. No point in beating around the bush.

She takes a moment to answer. "Enough."

"That unicorn, did you kill him just because he's a unicorn?" he asks, the sheet of rain blows across him. He gives a small shiver.

"He tried to kill me first. Rules of engagement, you respond with equal force. I would have done the same had it been a pegasus, earth pony, or a zebra" she says with a clarity and certainty that suggested she'd reminded herself of this multiple times.

They walk a little ways further, the wagon splashing through the ruts and potholes in the road. If it got much worse they might not be able to continue.

"You... did well for your first time out" she says unexpectedly. "Most new ponies choke."

He's taken aback by her words. "Did, you just give me a compliment?"

She glares at him. "No, I'm merely stating you didn't cause us to fail our mission through your incompetence."

They come to a large two-lane bridge spanning a rushing river.

"Eh, close enough" he says. "And here I thought my natural charm and charisma were starting to work their magic."

She raises a brow. "Your what?"

"Give it some time, it'll rub off on you and grow. It's like a fungus. The sooner you just give into it, the easier it'll be."

Onyx could swear he saw the faintest, smallest possible hint of what might be described as a smile on her face.

"I saw that" he says, grinning slyly.

"Saw what?"

"You know what. You thought about smiling, don't try and lie."

"I was thinking about throwing you off this bridge" she says rather seriously.

"So you were thinking about me."

She shakes her head. "I could be back home in the warm and dry by the time you get to the next turn. Don't tempt me."

"...thanks" he says, losing his sarcastic tone.

"For what?"

"Well, for not doing that already. It sucks out here, be even worse if I was by myself.

"Don't get any ideas. I'm just making sure you don't get lost. If you end up Saddle Arabia Blackout'll have my ass" she says.

Onyx looks over to her. "Speaking of Blackout... What's that guy's deal anyway?"

She scoffs and looks out at the dark gray sky. "Blackout's like most politicians. He makes sense at first, draws you in with speeches and buzzwords but by the time you realize he's just a crazy, rambling old man it's too late. He's got his hooks in you."

The drenched mare flies over a particularly large puddle, gracefully arcing through the air. "He wasn't always like this. When he first took over the Guild, he was more concerned about the wellfare of the ponies of Equestria than anything else. But now he's got his own agenda, and over the years he's gradually scaled up what he believes to be 'acceptable collateral damage'. Do you remember that train derailment in Appaloosa three years ago?"

"Yeah, it was all over the news. They said it was a faulty rail junction."

She shook her head. "That was Blackout's doing. Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was on a field trip, he had a small explosive placed on the tracks. 7 dead, 20 injured. After that, many felt he'd gone too far. The Guild's membership dropped by nearly half. He responded by turning over these deserters to the authorities, and had them executed."

Onyx pulled and strained to free the wagon from a deep rut. "Wait, so he had his own guys killed?"

"You don't leave the Iron Guild, not according to him anyways. That's why his membership is comprised almost exclusively by ponies he's resurrected or repaired, so he has something to hold over them. After all, you owe him your life."

"Yeah, guess that's true..." he groans. "So what about you?"

"I... I made a few mistakes growing up. Fell in with the wrong crowd, got mixed up in some stuff that a little mare like me didn't have any business being around. I got caught by the police, I was terrified, I told them everything I knew. I was 14 and scared out of my mind, what else was I gonna do? One night, a group of ponies come to my house, hold me down and cut out my voice box."

She looks down at the collar going around her neck. "They took me to a landfill and tossed me in. Broke almost every bone in my body when they bulldozed the next load over me. Woke up the next day on an operating table."

That would explain how she could yell so loud anyways, Onyx guessed. Her voice was synthetic.

At that moment, a deafening clap of thunder shakes the ground. The already torrential rains increase to a veritable monsoon, Onyx couldn't have been more wet if he jumped in a pool.

"We should hurry up, these roads will be getting worse by the minute" Angel says, her wing shielding her from a gust of wind carrying hundreds of stinging droplets. Their pace quickens as a bolt of lightning snakes across the sky.

Author's Note

I can report that hoof-job in Las Pegasus is in reality, 25 bits.