A Hardened Warrior

Chapter 18 - Bad Company

After finally awakening, Roderick found himself bound yet again to a wall. In a dungeon.

‘Please tell me we’re not back in the Dominion...’

...

‘Nightmare?’

...

‘Damn...’

His cell was dark, and isolated. No bar doors, just the kind in maximum security prisons. If he was in Equestria again, he wouldn’t wonder if he was alone in this place. None of the ponies ever commited a large enough crime to end up in a place like this.

The door opened...

And in stepped two male ponies who sounded like a pegasus solar guard and a unicorn servant. The servant carrying a dish of food. Roderick hadn’t moved, acting like he was asleep, to eavesdrop.

“This is such a waste of food, he’ll never eat it. See?” The servant said, while holding a spoon in his magical aura, waving it in front of Roderick’s face.

“Just put it over there, like every other time.” A gruff voice stated.

The door closed...

When Roderick was sure they were gone, he looked around his new cell. To his left was a table with a tray of food. An apple and a bowl of oats rest upon it. Looking at his chains, he noticed they weren’t sturdy at all. So he decided to break them with his pure muscle power. Like splitting wood with an axe, he broke through the cuffs with ease. His armor was gone again. That really started to annoy him, he liked that armor. He really did.

Getting up, taking the apple, and eating it quickly, he crept up to the door. Putting his ear against it, he listen for any signs of life. No hoof steps, which were rather easy to detect, and no voices. The door looked just as frail as the cuffs he just broke out of.

Stepping back to the opposite side of the room, he bum rushed the door, knocking it off it’s hinges. Looking around, and finding himself in a well lit corridor with no one in it, he took the left corridor. He hated being right after all. It always ended up with pain.

‘Nightmare? You’re being awfully silent...’

No response.

‘I hope you aren’t in pain...’

After a few minutes of silence, He found the warden’s office. Assuming it was full of jailers, he quietly snuck in. His padded boots helping him, and his experience in scouting on his mission helped dearly. But there was no one in the room. Just a chest with a padlock on it. How they manage those things without magic, he’ll never know...

Picking up the chest, bringing it back into the corridor, and breaking off the lock, he found his sword only. Running back in, he noticed several large containers. Checking them each, he found scraps of his armor in each of them. About halfway through, he’d begun thinking to himself.

‘This is always to easy...’

A weak voice resonated in his head.

’Indeed...’

The word was drawn out. As if it was struggling to speak.

‘Nightmare?’

’Correct...’

‘I think you might’ve been imbued to my armor...’

’As do I... Put the rest of it on...’

And he did so. With a quickened pace, which he undoubtedly regretted when he finished, he put on all his armor.

’This is much better.’

It’s voice was strong.

‘So, do you know the layout of the building?’

’Yes, and if you wish for a quick escape, ram through that wall.’

After saying that, she used some kind of controlling magic, and turned his head to his right.

Listening to the voice in his head... Or rather, armor... He grabbed his sword, and rushed the wall with his right shoulder protruding.

He went through like a knife through butter. And he fell. Hitting an incomprehensible amount of obstacles on the way. He landed on the ground with another sickening thud. Scaring the surrounding guards that were posted to guard the entrance half to death.

‘I hate going right...’

’You didn’t ask what was behind the wall...’

‘You’re evil...’

’Hee hee... I suggest you tend to your guests.’

Looking around, after climbing to his feet, he found there was a large crater, surrounded by shocked guards. Deciding he didn’t want to stick around when they came to... He charge through the smallest portion of them, and began dashing for the exit. The gate was closed.

Gate. Meet Shoulder.

It stood no longer.

He carried on, spooking the population of Canterlot. Some screamed, some just got out of the way. Others... just called him a freak.

It didn’t help the case when multiple squadrons were chasing after him, and he was barreling down the lone street with immense speed. Nothing could stop him. Not even Big Mac at this point. He tore through the city gates with ease, and left a gaping hole in the guards lined up there.

He, with his immortal strength and endurance, was able to outrun and outlast even the pegasi guards. They also didn’t want to chase him through a forest with monsters bigger than him. So they stopped chasing when they saw him take down a manticore that jumped him at the edge of the forest. Brutally.

He was tackled by the beast, to which he head butted threw it off, and lunged with the sword in his hand for its skull. It was a quick death. And it scared the pegasi guards away. He was finally alone again. For now.

The princess had just gotten the news from one of the guards about Roderick’s escape. She wasn’t pleased, and they knew it.

“So he escaped...”

“Y-yes yo-you’re h-h-highness.” The pegasus who reported his escape, was cowering before her.

She may have been cruel in the past, but not to her own kind. She would never dare lay a hoof on her loyal subjects... All she ever did was kill a few griffins with the power of the sun... eight hundred years ago, to stop the wars. Since then, everyone was afraid of her. If they weren’t, they were stupidly courageous.

She called for the elements to arrive for a conference about ‘Roderick’...

My Dearest, Most Faithful Student Twilight,

The ‘human’ has escaped, I need you help to locate and subdue him. I will ask that you and your friends come with, to the palace. Transportation will be provided.

Your Mentor, Princess Celestia.

With the quick letter written, she sent it off post-haste.

“And THAT is why zombie ponies don’t exist, Spike. Neither do-” Her lecture to Spike about zombies and ghosts was interrupted by a letter from the princess.

Reading with a speed that would baffle anyone else, she ran off to get her friends.

They were all doing their usual routine. Rainbow Dash performing tricks, Fluttershy helping the animals, Pinkie making baked goods, Rarity making dresses, and Applejack bucking apple trees. She got all of their individual attention, and told them to meet at town hall for the transport.

What arrived there, were two large pegasus carts. Large enough to carry all six of them, three in each. They took them to the castle as quick as the pegasi could fly.

When they landed, the princess was waiting for them.

“Hello, my little ponies. I trust Twilight has explained what this is about?”

A resounding of “yes”es were the only response.

“Good, now then, the guards followed him to the Everfree Forest. After which he disappeared.”

“So you want us to find him?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, Twilight, I cannot, for I have the royal duties to attend to. I know Luna can handle the night court, but not the day court.” She responded.

“We’ll do our best, your majesty.” Rarity said while giving a courteous nod.

“Darn tootin’” Applejack added.

“Thank you all, but you should rest. Day will end soon, start the search tomorrow.”

Without another word, they all headed to individual guest rooms. And fell asleep for the night.

Roderick had eluded the pegasi guards... mostly by scaring them and running away even further.

’You need to be more careful with these ponies. Just because they’re chasing you doesn’t mean you should mortify them for life...’

‘I wasn’t trying to, that manticore attacked me, so I killed it. Besides, it would’ve gone for them anyways.’

’I know that, but you could have just knocked it out...’

‘Perhaps... nevertheless, we should find a place to hide.’

’Yes, knowing their princess, they’ll be here in the morning.’

So he set off trying to find some nook or cranny to hide in during the day. Until he found the perfect one... The old residence of an Ursa family... He found his old hidey hole, and squeezed in.

'Nightmare...'

'Hmm?'

'Why was there a scythe with Grim's name on it in that pit thing?'

'I'm... not sure.'

'Bah... I'm going to rest now.'

And he slept...

A/N: seems like I'm running low on stuff to write. Chapters may be just a few hundred words shorter than usual.