Chapter 41: Captive

Perspective: Luna

My hooves clicked on the metal floor loudly as I walked down the hall of the Night's Vigil. It's been a couple days since I've last seen Jake and I'm curious to what has kept him so busy. I neared the door leading to the bridge when one of the two guards standing by it raised his hand, getting me to stop in my tracks.

"I'm sorry ma'am." He began. "No Equestrians allowed beyond this point."

I reeled my head back and gave him a bit of a sour look. "Excuse me, but I'm friends with your general and I'm one of the Equestrian princesses, I have access to this part of the ship."

Shaking his head, he replied. "I'm sorry, but our leading superior has asked that no equestrians are present beyond this point."

I let out an annoyed huff. "But your leading superior is Jake! Why wouldn't he let me in!"

There was a moment of silence as the two looked between each other, before nodding.

The other guard, who has been quiet this whole time, spoke up. "They haven't said we have this info classified so..." He began as he looked to the other guard, who continued his sentence.

"Our General hasn't contacted the Night's Vigil or any of our colony planets in the last two days." The guard finished as my eyes widened.

I quickly spoke up, getting a sinking feeling of dread in my stomach. "Have they been doing anything to find him? Is that what they're talking about in there?" I asked as I tried to move forward, just for him to place his hand on my chest, stopping me in place.

"Sorry, but I know for sure what's happening in there IS classified. Sorry but you really can't come in." He said as I let out an angry snort and turned around.

I walked down the hall and took a turn, out of sight.

'Classified my flank' I thought as I powered up an invisibility spell and teleportation spell, before appearing inside the bridge.

Invisibility spells are very tricky, and also very draining on the user. Especially if you plan to be moving around while casting it. It was one of the few spells that required constant power feeding into it to maintain. I stood in the center of the room overlooking a bunch of other people scrambling about in panic.

"We still can't pick up any trace of him after the energy spike sir!" One soldier said standing at a ship computer. "They seemed to have just vanished."

I turned to see someone sitting in the captain's chair, probably their temporary captain while Jake is MIA.

"Keep looking." He said in annoyance. "I don't want to be the one to tell that pony friend of his he's dead."

As much as I felt like revealing myself right then and there, I decided against it. I teleported myself back out and over to my room at Canterlot.

"They may have trouble finding him, but I sure won't." I said aloud as I pulled out the phone Jake gave me and turned it on like he showed me. After a few seconds of it trying to connect, a voice rang through the reciever.

"I'm sorry, but the recipient of this call cannot be reached at this moment. Please try again later." Shaking my head in annoyance, I walked up to a mirror in my room, lighting up my horn.

I cast the scrying spell on it and watched as the whole mirror began swirling blue and white. After a few moments of nothing happening, the spell gave up. Annoyed, I tried again. This time I powered the spell up far beyond it's required amount.

At first nothing.

Then, I heard something...

Grunts, and yells of pain.... screeching of metal...

Then the spell finally formed and I saw something that still chills me to this day.

Jake was being forcibly held aloft by his arms, bound by metal looking cables inside a small, smooth white room that was ruined by the blood on the floor contrasting the rest of the room. His shirt was torn off and his pants had many shreds in them. His armor lay next to him in a heap, not too damaged but obviously useless right now. He looked covered in small cuts, and some large lashes on his back. Standing in front of him was one of those monsters.

I began fuming as I watched it's next move.

"Tell us... what we... desire..." It spoke in a harshly metallic voice. "You will... submit..." The skeletal beast moved forward and dragged something across Jake's chest, sending shocks through his body and leaving a nasty looking gash, making him tense up as he let out a pained scream.

"Speak!" It yelled as it whipped it's hand across his face, with a loud 'DING' sound as metal hit bone.

**********************************

Perspective: Jake

I grunted in pain as it's hand made contact with my face, before it spoke again.

"Speak!" It demanded.

In all recorded history... there has never been a recorded instance of a Verix actually abducting someone... and yet here they are... in a ship that's actually pressurized with oxygen and a Verix that actually speaks English... all created for the first time for this single objective...

It really puts into perspective how far the Verix are willing to go to get something done. Like building an entirely different ship to handle living beings and also programming the English language into their brain... for this one meetup.

'They must be getting really desperate...' I thought to myself as I looked up to the monster.

It leaned forward a bit before I spat some blood at it, some landing on it's shuttering eyes, causing it to pull back and hit me again.

"You will tell us of this new species! Tell us how they did it!" It screamed angrily at me before bringing up a holographic screen with a Picture of Celestia on it moments before she eradicated the Verix fleet. "Tells us the power these beings hold, and you will be spared. That's what you Humans want right? To strive and live on?" It asked as I shook my head.

"Not this Human... I'll fucking DIE before I give you useless tin cans anything." I responded with as much malice as I could muster in my current state.

The Verix growled angrily before slowly bringing out a blade and getting ready to lunge it into my chest... before it suddenly stopped.

I let out a breath I was holding, which left my mouth as a small cloud.

'Why is so cold all of a sudden?'

**********************************

I watched in horror as the scene played out in front of me, as Jake spoke up at the Verix's question.

"Not this Human... I'll fucking DIE before I give you useless tin cans anything." He replied while the monster shook it's head and reached for a blade.

"This is enough..." I said aloud to myself. "I have to stop this!"

I closed my eyes and focused my power as hard as I could. In an instant, I could feel every single ponies magical signature on the planet. I tried to wade past them all, and reached out into the infinite expanse of space. Jake had magic inside him, I just had to find it.

I searched and searched, pushing more and more power into the spell, and just before I began to think there was no hope... I felt it. I felt him. A small dot in the endless black.

I latched onto it.

And I went to his side...

**********************************

Perspective: Jake

There was a blinding flash of light, before it quickly dissipated and I opened my eyes to find myself completely and utterly speechless. In front of me, was Luna herself as she grabbed hold of the surprised Verix and squashed him into the ground with an obscene amount of force.

"Holy shit Luna!" I said in a panic. "What are you doing here!"

"I'm saving your damn life!" She said as my bindings were cut and she immediately wrapped me in a hug, not caring about the blood staining her perfect blue coat.

She pulled back a bit as I noticed the tears in her eyes, before she let go and looked around the room. I could feel pain everywhere as I struggled to stay standing, but I pushed through it. I was captured accepting the fact that I was dead... but now I had a chance again.

"Alright then... let's get out of here." I said as I shakily used the wall as support. "I'm guessing that there's some reason you can't teleport us out...?"

Shaking her head, she spoke up. "I'm afraid not. I spent enough energy just getting here. I don't have enough to get us both back like this." She said as I noticed she was actually panting a bit. "Where's your ship? Is it still functional?" She asked as I shook my head.

"I'm afraid not. Half of the controls and computers aboard were fried when they hit me with an EMP. They knocked me straight out of FTL... I still can't believe it." I said thinking back to it.

Shaking her head, she spoke up again. "I'm not sure what all that means, but if your ship doesn't work... then we will just have to take one of theirs." She finished as I nodded.

'This is insane...' I thought as I looked around for a weapon. 'But... it could work'

After a few minutes of looking, I gave up on finding a weapon. I slowly put on my suit and powered it up, showing that the shields were dead, but the suit itself still functional.At least it's powered parts will help me stay standing. When I arrived here, I held them off for quite a while. But eventually I ran out of ammunition and without the aid of my ship's weapon systems I was doomed. Imagine how surprised I was when they took me prisoner instead of finishing me off.

'Of course I guess it makes sense if they went to such trouble to capture the ship in the first place. Thank god they didn't know it had an AI'

"Okay Luna, you'll have to cover me for now. I don't have any weapons and you have magic. They already know what's happened because they all are connected to some kind of central brain." I told her as she nodded.

"Just like a changeling hive mind..." She said aloud as I gave her a curious glance from under my helmet, which went unnoticed by her. "Okay then, follow me."

And without hesitation, I followed her into the maze that was this forsaken ship... trusting completely in her abilities to keep me safe until I find a weapon.

'Let's just hope I can fly a Verix ship...'

Author's Note

Leave a comment telling me what you think! I always love reading them!

REMEMBER TO LEAVE A LIKE/FAV IF YOU ENJOYED!

Click here for the stories ask.fm page! Ask the characters whatever you wish!