The Jack
A story, written by NGI-0023
I am beginning to wonder if coming to Neuegen Industries was the best option for me. This evil I hold must be imprisoned forever, but should it be at my expense? I will never be able to see my crew, my friends, or even my ship, ever again. What would happen if I were to die here? Would any record of my efforts to save Equestria be remembered? Or would everyone forget the terrible things that the Jack has done? I wonder if anyone even knows his name anymore, a name that will always send shudders down my spine.
Each day was starting to blur into the next. Day turned to night with almost no change. I was having trouble sleeping in my containment, since my request to have the lights shut off at night was rejected. Though I was visually blind, I could still feel the artificial light that lit my containment unit. Every hour just brought more weariness and exhaustion, added on to the constant pressure of the Jack trying to escape. I almost jumped when one of the B staff announced dinner.
“Attention, NGI-0023. It is time for your evening meal. You are permitted ingredients for a pasta dish tonight. That is all.”
"Oh, umm, thank you, sir..." I said, not actually knowing who was talking to me.
They used to change the staff almost daily, so I never got the chance to know any of them well. I was pretty much alone unless one of the other entities wanted to talk to me, which wasn’t often, not that I blame them. However, being alone didn’t help me keep the Jack contained. He actually slipped out once, just the week before, causing internal bleeding to one of the X staff taking me back to my containment.
That could be why none of the other entities like me a lot. It’s possible that I would have gotten along with NGI-0022, even though she would have killed me before speaking. Well, I guess Metal Hoof might have liked me a little, but I doubt it. Switchy would try to avoid me just because I was new and he didn’t know me, but I could still hear the fear in his voice after the X incident. I doubt the staff would ever let me near Belle or Dash after that, so I don’t see them much at all.
And then there’s Scootaloo. She's probably the closest to me out of all of the entities at NGI Containments. I don’t get to see her often, but every once in awhile, I would be allowed to enter her maze and find her. We wouldn’t say much, but we got along pretty well. I felt bad for her, though, seeing as she wasn’t able to leave the maze. My containment was the only other room at the time with the proper light level for her to see properly.
I had actually gotten so distracted by my train of thought that I allowed my tomato sauce to overcook and boil over onto the table. I quickly cleaned it up and made more. I had decided to keep it simple that night; an italian spice spaghetti with tomato sauce and mushrooms. It wasn’t as good as the spaghetti I could make with natural ingredients, but it was fit for eating. It would have been nicer if I could eat with company, but again, the X incident ended that before it started.
After eating, I felt a little better, so I used the table to play ping-pong with myself, however, I was told to stop when they saw that I had carved paddles out of the underside of the table. I put them back and went to the corner where I usually slept. It took me around two or three hours to fall asleep. And sleeping wasn’t the end of my exhaustion either.
That night’s dream was particularly rough. I was on board The Malice looking out at a 8th century city. We were just about to come within firing range for our cannons when the forward deck was lit ablaze by fire bombs. The crew scattered to find their bows and rope to catch the pegasi responsible. Eventually, we pulled them all down and bound them to the main mast. Then the cabin doors blew open, and the Jack of Spades stepped out.
“Who are these ingrates that tried to burn my ship?!” he bellowed, furious that he had been forced to come out.
I quickly replied, “These are some pegasi from the city. They mean to defend their people.”
The Jack became even more enraged. “Jacqueline, are these not the ponies that tried to murder every single one of our families?! Are these not the ponies that forced us out of our homes?! ARE THESE NOT THE PONIES WHO KILLED OUR KING?! For their crimes, these pegasi will watch as we do to them what they have done to us!” He turned to the first mate and said “Fire the bow cannon!”
“Yes sir!” the first mate said as he ran off to tell the gunnery crew.
The ship began to turn towards the city, and I knew that what was about to happen would haunt these pegasi for their entire lives. The ship aligned to the city and stopped.
“Now you will see the power we possess.” the Jack said to our prisoners, who were wriggling and squirming to get free and save their home.
“FIRE!”
A brilliant flash of light from the bow covered the entire ship. Then, a deafening roar of thunder sounded as the cannon let off its horrendous energy. When the light had cleared and the sound was gone, so was the city. Literally nothing stood where the city once was. Not even a single cloud was spared from the destruction that was our most powerful weapon. I looked to the pegasi, who couldn’t take their eyes away from what was once their home. I saw the tears begin to flood their cheeks as they realized that they were now the only ones who remained.
“YOU BASTARD!” one of them shouted at the Jack.
“You’re absolutely right, but it was YOU who did this to me!” He turned to me and said, “Take them below, Jacqueline. You know what to do.”
I woke up screaming, horrified by my own memories. Apparently I had caused a disturbance for the staff and other entities, because they had moved me to a more secure containment unit. This had to be the worst nightmare I had had in a long time, so I understood their actions.
I could hear A on the intercom, the most friendly of all of the staff. “Are you alright, Jackson? You caused quite a ruckus while you were sleeping.”
“Yes, I believe I'm alright.” I replied, though I knew he and everyone around could hear the fear in my voice.
“I’m not so sure. You actually killed 3 of our X staff, severely injured 8 of them, and managed to break your containment unit wide open. Until you calm down a bit and we fix your old unit, you will be staying in here. You will still be provided with the food you desire, but your visiting privileges with the other entities have been revoked for their safety.”
“Even with Scootaloo?”
“Even with NGI-0018. I’m sorry, but not even her containment unit is strong enough to withstand what you just did. We’ll work as fast as we can, but you need to find a way to cope with your problems as well.” he said. I felt his presence disappear after that.
So I was alone in the spare severe threat level containment unit, and I felt even worse than ever. I just killed 3 people, injured 8 more, and scared the entire facility. Not only that, all my horrible memories of service under the Jack were filling my mind. Everywhere I looked, I could see the death and despair that I had helped him cause. I could even hear his voice in the back of my head.
"Jacqueline, you know what to do."
“Yes, master.” I said. As the crew took the pegasi down from the main mast, I grabbed the shackles that hung on the post next to the stairwell. I shackled each pegasus to the next, all the while trying to erase what I had just seen. One of them grabbed me. I looked into her eyes, and I could see what she felt. She had been turned into what I was when the same happened to my home all those years ago. I knew that I had to help her, but both of us would be killed if we tried to escape.
The first mate saw us and started over. I noticed and immediately slapped her hoof away, saying “Keep your filthy hooves off me.” She looked horrified at me. The first mate turned away, and I gave her a quick wink. She then understood what I had to do. I took her and her 3 companions down to the infirmary. As we walked, I noticed that most of them had been shot through their wings. Without proper care, they would never fly again.
Two colts from gunnery started throwing gunpowder and matches at the prisoners as we passed, trying to scare them. I immediately whipped around and scolded them. “What are you doing?! We only have so much gunpowder! If the Jack finds out you’ve been wasting his valuable resources-”
“OK, ok, we’ll stop! Whatever you do though, don’t tell the Jack!” they cowered away from me, as if I were the Jack myself.
“Good, now get out of here and do something useful.”
“Yes ma’am,” they said in unison, stumbling over each other trying to get out of the door.
The leader of the pegasi turned to me and asked, “Why are you doing this for us?”
This caught me by surprise. I hadn’t thought that I was actually doing something for them. I was doing it in order to save what little shred of confidence I had. “I’m not just doing this for you,” I said, softly, “I’m doing this for the world.”
She looked at me, confused with my answer, but I think she understood what I meant. Once we reached the infirmary, I locked the door and put a chair behind it. “I need you all to lay down on the tables,” I told them.
“Why is that?” asked the leader.
“Because, unfortunately, I have to break your wings. I wish I didn’t have to, but you will die if I don’t.” I whispered to them. I hated doing it every time, but it was necessary, or so said the Jack. So I went over to the supply closet and grabbed the wooden beating stick that was in there. I turned around and saw them all with the same terrified look on their faces.
“I will make sure we get to a doctor when we escape.”
“Wait, escape?!” one of them exclaimed.
“Yes, but keep your voice down. I don’t want anyone else to hear of this.”
“How? How is there any way to get off this ship alive?” the leader asked.
“When I throw you overboard. After breaking your wings, the Jack will want me to bring you topside and throw you over while everyone watches. However, when you all go over, one of you should grab me and drag me over with you. Only then will you escape with your lives.”
“It’s too dangerous. Isn’t there another way?” one of them asked, worried.
“Unless one of you is secretly and alicorn, no. Now, I will apologize ahead of time, because this hurts. A lot.” I truly felt bad for them, but this is the only way to save them. As I struck the first blow on their leader, she let out a howl of pain that could wake the dead. However, I kept going because I knew that the Jack was probably listening for each crunch and crack of bone. Each blow felt like a blow to my own wings. I cringed with every swing.
I finally escaped the memory, only to find that I had been throwing myself against the walls of the containment unit I was in. Blood was all over my suit, the wall, and the floor. I even managed to break multiple bones in my wings, chest, and legs. My first call for medical attention seemed to go unnoticed for the longest time, but when I went to call again, a small team of X staff rushed in with a stretcher and First Aid kits. They immediately began tying me in place so as to prevent further damage.
They moved me from my containment to the emergency medical unit, where nurses and doctors began to assess the damage. I would have told them exactly what was broken where, but I was in too much pain to talk sensibly. It was excruciating to even breath normally. Through my screaming, I could hear the doctors fumbling about, trying to figure out what all was wrong and what actions to take. The nurses were bustling about with IV bags, needles, and bottles of drugs that the doctors had ordered.
But all that they tried, my vision was fading. I was starting to slip out of reality and into my memories again. The doctors tried everything they could to keep me awake, and I kept snapping back to them. Every time, however, the pain seemed to get worse and worse. Eventually, I just let myself fall back into my mind.
“There. You’re wings should be sufficiently broken. I am sorry that I had to do this,” I said with a lump in my throat.
The pegasi were all just lying there, writhing in pain. I went to help one of them, but she just pushed me away. They all seemed angry with me, but I knew that they were only upset about what had all happened that day.
“I can stand on my own, but thank you,” she snapped, but only because of the agony that I had put her through.
I helped the others up, and put them back in the shackles. I lead them up to the top deck. The crew were all waiting by the opening in the railing, and the Jack started to walk down from the balcony. He had a look in his eye that said we were doing what was right, but I knew that he was doing this out of pure hatred for everyone but us. I took the pegasi over to the railing and stopped. I knew he would want to say something to them before I threw them overboard.
“I hope you now know how we feel. Our homes destroyed, our families murdered, and our lives ruined. Do you have anything to say for yourselves before we end your lives?”
Their leader stepped forward. “Though we may die today, others will find you and punish you for all the evil you have done to our land. What has happened cannot be changed, and all evil will be vanquished.”
“You speak the truth. All evil WILL be vanquished.” He turned and nodded at me.
I walked them over to the opening, and they all started to shiver and shake, even though they knew what was supposed to happen. I was ready to push them.
“...and Jacqueline. Your services are no longer required.”
I felt the boards under me being upheaved, and we started to slide off the side. One of the pegasi grabbed my back hoof as they fell overboard. I grabbed the railing, and I saw the Jack walk over to me.
“Did you really think that I would not hear what you had planned? You should know that I can hear literally everything that is said or done on this ship. Your foolish actions will cost you your life. But don’t fret, I’m sure the afterlife has a special place with you in mind.”
With that, he swung his hoof at my head and snapped my horn in half. He took the half that had broken off and cast a spell upon it, then stabbed me through the chest with it. I could feel his magic begin to infect me, but I knew how to stop it. With magic, I took one of the bars of the railing and ran it through his heart.
A bright light shone through the hole in his chest, and red cracks raced across his body. Black smoke leaked out of the cracks and poured into me through the horn in my chest, and I knew what he had done. Before I could say anything though, he exploded and I was hit with a shard of his chest. I lost my grip and we fell, tumbling through the air.
Then everything turned to black. I was back in my current form, but I knew that I was still unconscious. A figure started to materialize in front of me. I didn’t need to see him to know who he was.
"Look at you, Jacqueline. You're pathetic! How could you let them do this to you? You are better than this. All you have to do is let me out and I can make this all go away."
“Never! You would only destroy everything in sight! The amount of time you’ve spent in my head would drive you to completely erase your oppressors, including me!”
"Think about it. Is staying here with me really in your best health? What about the ship, the crew, your old friends? Don’t you think it’s time you got that all back?"
“Not at the expense of everyone at this facility. No amount of bribery or trickery will change my view towards everyone at NGI.”
"If I remember correctly, you hate almost everyone here. You don’t even like most of the entities here! Why put yourself through this? Why put up with the suffering when you could be on top? Let me out, and I can make us king and queen of Equestria!"
“You must be seeing the old me, Jacqueline, who did whatever you said, no matter how dangerous or stupid. But I’ve changed. Here, they see me as Jackson, the kind, loving butler with a heavy burden.”
"HAH! You even said yourself that no one actually likes you! Why else would they lock you up in this solitary unit? They don’t want to have to deal with your problems. The only one here with any shred of respect for you is me."
“That’s a lie. Scootaloo-”
"-is just using you to escape so that she can finally be free from her dark maze. Think about it. Why in all of Equestria would the ghost of a young filly want to even talk to an old bag like yourself? You don’t even look good under your stallion illusion. You’re a pushover and you never actually stand up for yourself! She will NEVER like you!"
Then I heard Scootaloo. Her voice had never given me such hope.
“Jackson? If you can hear me, I just want you to know that, even though you’re probably one of the craziest ponies I know, you’re still my best friend.”
This was all the boost I needed.
“No. In fact, the only one who has ever even had a hint of dislike for me has been you! You never liked anyone. You even took the chance to KILL me when you had it! But I have real friends now, a real family, who love and care for me. That’s more than I can ever say of you.”
And with that, he began to fade, shouting obscene comments as he disappeared.
I woke up to A and some of the other entities standing over me. I couldn’t tell where I was, but I didn’t really care. As long as I had my friends, I was alright. When I tried to sit up, a sudden jolt of pain stopped me, so I just laid there, looking up at my guests. Most of them were holding things, but I couldn’t really tell what because I had a headache.
A finally spoke up. “Hey, Jackson. Glad to see you’re awake. You had us all a bit worried for a while.”
“It seems so. Does anyone happen to know how long I was out?”
Metal Hoof responded “You fell unconscious on Wednesday. The doctors kept you in a drugged sleep for three days, then took you off the drugs for two days. Today is Monday.”
“Five days huh? I’m sure nothing exciting happened within that time frame.” I said sarcastically.
Then Rainbow Dash piped up. “Actually, Scootaloo snuck out just to see if you were ok. No one saw her get out though, so there was a big commotion to find her.”
Strangey Belle was next. “Yeah, they hassled everyone for information, and they even went through my jam cabinet. It was awful.”
I chuckled. “I bet it was. And where is she now?”
“The staff took her back to her unit about three hours ago,” Switchy replied, “Someone should probably go get her. She’ll want to know you’re up.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’m right here.” I heard Scootaloo say. I felt her phase out of the wall. A looked at her, a little frustrated.
“How long have you been there?” he asked her with a bit of anger in his voice.
“Since the staff took me back to my containment. I couldn’t stand to leave your side, Jackson.”
I made sure she knew that I cared. “I appreciate your actions, but you shouldn’t sneak off without telling anyone. Just make sure that someone knows before you leave.”
Strangey Belle perked up like she remembered something and said, “Oh, hey. We all brought gifts for you. Wanna see?”
“Oh, why not,” I said, rather reluctant to be receiving gifts after all the trouble I had caused.
Switchy was first. “I went looking through my stuff and managed to find a hat for you." he said, handing me a dark grey beanie. An odd gift for me, but I knew that he cherished all of his beanies, new or old.
“Thank you, Switchy. It might not be for my current attire, but maybe I can loosen up some with it.”
Metal Hoof was next, with what looked like a new timepiece. “I heard that you had smashed your watch against the wall, so I made you a new one.” She put the blue watch on my wrist, being careful with my leg. It had a rather heavy metal band, so it would be hard to remove without unlatching it. I was sad to lose my old one, but I liked this one.
“This is very nice, thank you.”
Strangey Belle reached behind her back and grabbed a large jar. “I figured that I maybe had enough cherry jam to give a jar to you. This one is a little old so you may want to use it soon.”
Receiving a jar of cherry jam from Strangey Belle is even more rare than winning the lottery. “I’m very grateful for this. It will go nice with some toast or muffins.” She smiled as I said this.
I saw a piece of paper in Rainbow Dash’s hoof. “Is this your gift?” I inquired.
“Well, It was intended for you, but I was gonna give it to you later.” she said as she gave me the piece of paper. It was a drawn picture of all of the safe entities at NGI Containments, and even some of the staff. “It’s beautiful, Rainbow Dash. Thank you.”
Scootaloo floated over to my side. "I wasn’t able to really get you anything, so I thought of this.” She came over and gave me a big hug. It wasn’t anything material, but it did so much more than the other gifts could have ever done. It not only restored my strength to fight the Jack, but after that, I have yet to hear from him. I started to tear up. “Thank you Scootaloo...” I whispered into her ear.
“So, I guess after I recover, I will be returning to the maximum threat level containment unit?” I asked A.
“That’s where my gift comes in. Not only have we fixed your unit, I have granted you all of your visiting rights again. As long as you stay mentally stable, which seems very likely from the psych-evaluation you just passed.” I could see the grin sneak onto his face as he said this.
My face lit up, and it stayed that way for the rest of the day. Doctors came in to check my vitals, staff dropped off get well cards for me, and a nurse brought me my evening meal. It felt nice to be served just this once, instead of serving myself or others. The meal included a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, an apple, and fresh squeezed cider. After eating I dozed off to sleep.
I woke up just in time to see the five of us falling through the air. We were about halfway to the ground, and I started to worry. I looked over to see that the other four were unconscious still. I glided over to them and grabbed the shackles. I extended my wings to slow the descent, and used magic to try and lighten the load. Eventually we came to the ground. The landing was a little harder than desired, but just as welcome as a soft one.
They began to wake up, looking around like they were confused.
“Are we dead?” the leader asked.
“No, but the Jack gave it his best shot,” I replied.
“Thank you… umm, I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”
“Jacqueline. Jacqueline Octavius.”
“It’s nice to know the name of our hero.”
“I wouldn’t say hero.”
“I’m Star Bolt. These pegasi are Calm Thunder, Sky Fire, and Sunspot.”
“Thank you,” they all said together.
“I’m not done yet. We need to get to the nearest doctor to fix your wings.” I told them.
“Right,” Star Bolt replied, “Let’s go then.”
“Yea, I want to fly again!” Sky Fire exclaimed.
We set off to find the nearest village. There was a road not too far from where we landed, so we started to follow it north. There was supposed to be a small town about 20 kilometers from where we landed. It felt nice to just slow down and travel on hoof every once and awhile, and I was finally doing it with some real friends.
As the memory began to fade out, I felt happy. I had done something good under the Jack. I had a family that cared about me. And I had a friend to turn to when I needed it.
