The Siege on Equestria

Chapters

Chapter 2: The Siege
Chapter 3: Old Friend, New Face
Chapter 4: Taking Action
Chapter 5: A Damsel in Distress
Chapter 6: Jack's Fortitude
Chapter 7: Usefulness
Chapter 8: Reunited
Chapter 9: Turning the Tides
Chapter 10: A Heart of Hope
Chapter 11: Resolved Destiny
Chapter 12: A Sister Talk
Chapter 1: Preparations

Chapter 2: The Siege

Chapter 2

Twilight went through the entire day thinking that everything would be all right. But she failed to realize, that everything going on inside her head was becoming… disorganized. She was used to being on schedule and getting things done at the right time. All of the to-do plans in her mind were washed away and forgotten. She was lost and unable to think. All she had done was go back to her bed and stare at the ceiling with a pale face. Sometimes she gazed at her own hooves, wondering what to do next. Nothing but finding order within herself came to mind. She cried a few times, and even took a couple of short naps whenever she felt like it. Overall, Twilight spent the rest of her day… gazing upon the void she had created, and did nothing.

Spike was very concerned about her behavior, and asked if there was anything he could do to help. But Twilight was as silent as the air itself. Seeing as she wanted to be left alone, Spike obliged and went out to spend some time with his friends. During this time, Spike hung out with the others. He talked about Twilight’s obsessive ordeals of assisting the holiday preparations, and told them to give her some time to pull herself back together. Hearing of such a cruel fate made them feel very guilty. But they agreed to let her be for the time being.

Hours went by, and Twilight didn’t notice that sundown was approaching. Her hair was slightly disheveled from the constant stress, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was getting herself back together. Even though Spike’s helpful message brightened things up a bit, it didn’t do anything to help clear her conscience. She thought that maybe a good night’s sleep would sort things out by tomorrow. There were other things she could be doing the next day, and they certainly couldn’t be done without her help. So, she sat up, pulled the covers over herself, and laid back down. Twilight then let out a few more tears, before submerging herself into a quiet sleep.

Back at the royal castle, Celestia had recently switched shifts with Luna to start the night. Luna had few concerns about Celestia’s little paranoid episode a while back, and went to watch over the ponies to keep them all safe. Still feeling the same dark presence drawing near, Celestia tried her hardest to forget it. Perhaps a good night’s sleep would make the presence go away. However, just as she was about to exit through the door, Luna gasped in surprise. Celestia turned around slightly confused.

“Something wrong?” She asked.

“No… but… the wind… it doesn’t feel natural. It’s telling me that something big is coming this way. Why is it like this?” Luna replied with great concern. Celestia knew her sister didn’t have the power to sense presences, but she realized she could likely tell by the wind.

“I don’t know… but don’t worry about it.” Celestia said with a bit of apprehension in her tone. Taking her word, Luna began her shift while Celestia went off to bed.

The next morning, Twilight’s eyes slowly opened. She felt a little better, but was still somewhat broken down. On the corner of her bedroom she spotted Spike, sleeping like a log as per usual. She smiled at Spike and whispered to him,

“Thank you…”

Not caring for what time it was, she slowly got up, stretched her legs, and leapt out of bed. Spike heard her getting out of bed, and slowly opened his eyes. He raised his head, and displayed his usual smile.

“How are you feeling now?” He asked while sounding a bit tired. Twilight looked away for a moment, and then trailed her eyes to her mirror. She looked a bit messy, but nothing like a good clean up couldn’t fix.

“A bit better… I guess. Hey Spike…?” Twilight jumped to a question.

“Do you… want to do something together? I mean… we haven’t done anything together in a while.” Spike had no idea what was going on, but if it was going to make her feel better, then Spike would readily accept. He nodded his head and widened his smile.

“Sure… why don’t we go and take a walk?” He proposed. Twilight looked back at Spike with a slight smile of her own.

“I… I would like that.” She replied. After combing her mane, and cleaning herself, Twilight and Spike went towards the door. Twilight felt happy that she was going to spend some quality time with her loyal assistant… moreover, her best friend. Just as they were about to exit the house, the wooden door knocked abruptly. Wondering who it could be at this time, Twilight opened the door, revealing Rainbow Dash. She appeared to be worried and desperate. Twilight took a second to realize something must be on her mind.

“Hey Rainbow Dash, something wrong?” She asked.

“Twilight, it’s so weird! All of the weather ponies from Cloudsdale didn’t show up! They’ve never been late before! I need your help finding them!” Rainbow Dash begged. Twilight jolted her head back in shock from the message.

“Wait… you mean they haven’t showed up?” She asked, and Rainbow Dash immediately nodded.

“Yeah, but that’s not the main issue! Not only did the pegasi not show up, but the snow clouds have stopped showing up too! Plus, snow everywhere is melting fast! I’m telling you, something happened to them!” Twilight had no idea that this would happen. But moreover, she was thrilled at having such an opportunity presented to her. It was like fate had given her a second chance. Twilight eyed away and thought to herself,

“I’ve got to get to the bottom of this! I can’t believe I’m being wanted! This is so great!” Twilight hid her big smile with a slight grin.

“Well, don’t worry about it! I’ll find out what’s going on! You can count on me!” She said, full of pride. At that moment, Twilight raced off towards the northwest of the town. Spike immediately chased after her, leaving Rainbow Dash utterly confused from her irrational and unexpected behavior. It took a few minutes for Twilight to nearly reach the edge of the town. Spike called out her name to try and slow her down.

“Twilight! Wait up! I thought we were going to go for a walk!” Spike called out. At that moment, Twilight realized she had promised they would, and slowed down to a stop. Then, she waited for Spike to catch up. Seconds later, Spike finally stood next to Twilight, while attempting to catch his breath. He panted and heaved, as he tried to produce words.

“*Pant*… Twi… slow down… will ya? I thought… *Phew*… I thought we were… gonna spend some time with… each other.” Twilight had remembered her promise, but an opportunity to help her friend was too hard to resist. She wanted to relieve her stress by doing ‘something’ for a change.

“Spike, it’s just a quick check up, it will only take a few minutes. After this, we can go on that walk. I promise!” Twilight said encouragingly. Spike rolled his eyes in disbelief.

“If you say so…” Spike replied. Twilight nodded her head and faced forward, ready to start galloping again. But just then, they heard two loud clicking sounds. Immediately, their ears perked up, alerted by the sound. They swerved their heads from side to side, trying to find where that sound was coming from. Once more, they heard the two clicks. This time, their ears drew their attention towards the back of a nearby house. Both tilted their heads in confusion as to what the sound could be. Curious enough, both of them slowly walked towards the back of the house.

“Twilight…” Spike said quietly, “I got a bad feeling about th-“ Suddenly, something leaped out from behind the house and stood right in front of the two. Both Twilight and Spike jumped in fright from the unexpected trap. There, standing right in front of them was a human. Its chest plate, helm, boots, and gloves were colored dark-blue. And on the chest plate and gloves, they had black patterned lines. The human was aiming an odd looking assault rifle at both Spike and Twilight. Twilight and Spike didn’t dare move a muscle. The sight of this unexpected visitor sent horrific chills down both of their spines. All three stood there like statues while moments passed by.

Twilight and Spike quickly eyed at each other, then back at the human. They couldn’t tell who was behind the helmet, the dark lenses hiding its eyes. Spike gulped slowly, while pearls of sweat rolled down from the sides of his head. This scene could have gone on longer, but the silence was interrupted. A transceiver that was transplanted on the right of the human’s helmet began to emit a strange, ear-piercing frequency. The human immediately cupped the transceiver and listened to the transmission. Both Twilight and Spike, vaguely heard and understood the transmitter’s static voice. The human nodded its head, and pressed the red button on the side of the transmitter.

“Understood. Over and out.” The human spoke in a woman’s voice. She let go the red button, ending with a chuckle. Right after that, the human had both hands on the assault rifle once more.

“This is gonna be fun. Better start running, dumbass cowards!” The woman exclaimed in excitement. Suddenly, she pulled the trigger, and shot a torrent of plasma projectiles at the ground. Twilight and Spike jumped in fright, and they immediately ran. Spike leapt onto Twilight’s back, and held on tight.

“Waaah! Let’s get out of here!” Spike exclaimed loudly. As Twilight dashed into the streets again, she strafed her head over to the left and gasped. If Twilight would ever have her biggest what-the-hell moment, then it had just arrived. An army of armor-suited humans approached the town, equipped with assault rifles. Above the army were a couple of flying warships and multiple jets. One of the airships covered the sun, blocking the sunlight which shone over most of the town. The ponies in Ponyville stopped what they were doing, and looked yonder. Seeing the incoming threat, almost everypony began to panic.

After the sounds of chilling screams filled the air, the ground army began their assault. They all ran into the town, ready to assault the citizens. Twilight watched as the soldiers began to pour into the town.

“Oh sweet Celestia! I’ve got to get out of here... and fast!” Twilight spoke in her consciousness. She galloped away from the humans, and tried to find cover. But it proved to be useless, as one of the soldiers fired an electric bolt from a pistol at Twilight’s legs. The bolt tapped her left foreleg, taking the shape of an electric rope. The electric rope lassoed around all four of her legs, and hogtied her in a millisecond. Twilight tripped forward, and pivoted on the ground. Spike was flung off of Twilight, and landed face first into the ground. Spike got his face out of the dirt, and turned his head.

“Twilight!” Spike called out. Twilight struggled to break free from the electric cuffs that bound her. Each attempt sent 70 kilovolts of electricity through her entire body. Realizing physical strength wouldn’t cut it, she tried to get rid of it by magic. Her horn glowed, and encased the electric cuffs in a purple aura. But then, the same soldier interrupted her by throwing a small homing device at her horn. The device latched itself around her horn, cuffing it tightly. Three green lights then illuminated on the device. Almost instantly, her horn stopped glowing, and her magic dissipated into thin air. Surprisingly enough, Twilight felt her energy was taken away. She rolled her eyes skyward as hard as she could to see the device on her horn.

“Nugh… w-what is that? I-I can’t… use any magic!” Twilight said to herself. Spike saw that Twilight was in trouble and ran towards her.

“Hang on! I’m coming!” He yelled. But just then, one of the soldiers shot a blue energy beam at Spike. The beam hit Spike in the abdominal, and instantly spawned a translucent, slightly blue tinted sphere around him. Trapped within the sphere, the gravity inside began to increase, causing Spike to feel heavy. The gravity weighed him down to the point where he couldn’t lift himself up, thus forcing him to lie on his stomach. He struggled to get back up, but the weight was too much. All he could do was look to in front of him.

“Nugh… I-I… can’t move!” Spike said. The female soldier walked towards Twilight, while chuckling at their petty attempts to escape. Twilight looked at the soldier as she shivered in fear.

“Who are you? Why… why are you doing this?” Twilight asked in an anxious tone. Already, Twilight was past her limits to hold back her tears.

“Who am I?” The soldier responded, “It’s none of your beeswax! As to why I’m doing this, well because it’s fun thats why! Now you’re coming with me you bitch!” Suddenly, the soldier snatched a chunk full of Twilight’s mane, and began to drag her away. Twilight screamed, as the pain from having her mane yanked coursed through her body. Tears rushed out of her eyes and the sound of her agony grew louder. Spike saw the horrific action that was transpiring right in front of him. Seeing her in this situation made Spike traumatized. His heart was pierced, his blood ran cold, and his eyes widened. He summoned his limited strength to raise his right claw, and placed it on the surface of the sphere.

“TWIIIILIIIIIGHT!!” Spike screamed out. He wanted to burst out of this sphere so badly to help her. But all he could do was lie there and watch his friend in pain. The female soldier dragged Twilight away from Spike, and disappeared within the crowd of soldiers. The only thing Spike was able to see was the trail of dirt created by Twilight’s hooves. And just like that, Spike was left alone to suffer, wondering what would become of him.

The army poured into the town, ravaging stands, breaking down doors, and capturing citizens. Some ponies tried to fight back, but they were overpowered and outnumbered. The town was filled with terrified screams, gunfire, and destruction. The buildings themselves were on fire, damaged or wrecked. The soldiers showed no sign of mercy or holding back. They were at the fullest form of their brutal nature and had no intentions of stopping. Some soldiers beat up mares, even fillies and colts for their insubordination. Each pony they captured was loaded up into steel cages. The cages were then ported out of the town and sent into the war tents they had set up. Ponyville was transformed into a chaotic battlefield.

In the air, numerous jets pursued pegasus escapees. Two jets tailed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The planes attempted to gun them down and so far, their aim was deadly close. Rainbow Dash had to think of something fast, otherwise they were done for. But sadly, she didn’t have enough time, as a few bullets managed to go right through Dash’s left wing. Dash yelped in pain, and her acceleration decreased rapidly. The pain sent her hurdling down to the ground. Fluttershy shrieked, noticing her friend was badly injured. She dove down and chased after Rainbow Dash. Dash held out her hoof to Fluttershy, while her other hoof covered her wound. Fluttershy shot both hooves forward, hoping to grab a hold of her friend’s desperate limb. Both pegasi were a yard away from meeting solid ground, and Fluttershy was just a few feet away from Dash.

Fluttershy knew that at this speed, she wouldn’t make it. She summoned every ounce of her courage and dove down at her maximum speed. Only a few feet away from the ground, Fluttershy had a couple of seconds to catch up. Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, and prepared herself for the crash landing. But in the nick of time, Fluttershy finally grabbed a hold of Dash’s hoof, and immediately heaved skyward. However, both pegasi crash landed despite Fluttershy’s best attempt. Both pivoted and bounced off the ground, receiving minimum damage thanks to the gentle pegasus’ efforts. They rolled down a small hill, and stopped at the bottom. Dash cringed in pain, as her wing began to bleed badly. Fluttershy slowly got up from the crash, attempting to help her. But almost immediately, they were surrounded by soldiers. A barricade of assault rifles encroached the two. Knowing they couldn’t go any further, both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had no choice but to surrender.

Meanwhile in the center of the town, both Pinkie Pie and Rarity were knocked out while being dragged away by soldiers. Applejack attempted to rescue the two of them, but endless swarms of troops kept on appearing as obstacles. She kicked, punched, and even leaped over a few soldiers to make way to her friends. While Applejack was making progress, her speed increased. Just a few inches away from taking out the soldiers who had both Pinkie and Rarity in custody. With one final leap, she launched herself at the soldiers. To her surprise, another soldier appeared beside her and uppercut Applejack to the stomach. The force of the punch knocked the wind out of the earth pony farmer. The soldier then piledrove the cowpony to the ground, making her shriek in pain. But the assault didn’t stop there, as the soldier grabbed the cowpony’s mane, nailed it to the ground, and started throwing a series of punches at her head. Each punch made her bruises larger and darker. Applejack was left helpless to suffer. She started to beg for mercy, but the soldier didn’t listen. Applejack had her eyes fixed upon her two friends, dragged away mercilessly, while she received her imminent punishment.

The assault continued, prolonging the chaos further. Nearly every pony in Ponyville was captured, and most buildings were demolished. The last known remainders were the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy Hooves, Cheerilee, and the Flower Trio. But they couldn’t hide for long, as the army grew restless and irritated. Eventually, the remaining ponies were caught and taken into custody. Once captured, the ponies were beat and bashed for their attempt to hide and escape. The only citizens left in Ponyville were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, they too were surrounded by countless soldiers that were training their rifles on them. All three crusaders curled up with each other, feeling defenseless and frightened. They were ready to break down into tears and beg for mercy.

Suddenly, a soldier in a red and black armor suit approached the three curled up fillies. As the soldier approached the fillies, one of the soldiers from the crowd shouted,

“Marshal Maxwell, what are your orders?” He asked. The marshal had his rifle pointed at the crusaders ready to pull the trigger if they tried any funny business.

“Hold your fire. These three show no signs of threat.” The marshal spoke in a male's voice. Every soldier retreated their weapons back and stood still like statues. The crusaders watched the marshal with horrified faces as they whimpered quietly. The marshal kneeled down, and observed their frightened eyes.

“It’s sad to think you all weren’t expecting our arrival…” The marshal said. He placed his hand on Sweetie Belle’s mane and gently stroked it back and forth, while he chuckled.

“Hmph… do not fear little ones, if you cooperate with us, we might let you all join our ranks. I can see that you three have promising potential. But I’m afraid you all are going to be our prisoners at the moment. Today, this land belongs to our almighty lord.” The marshal stood back up, and looked at the soldiers.

“Take these three away… be sure to secure the perimeter and guard the prisoners in the name of our lord. Understood?” The marshal ordered. Every soldier then simultaneously saluted the marshal.

“Yes sir!” They shouted in unison. At that moment, three soldiers walked out of the crowd, and prepared to take the crusaders in. Sweetie Belle took one last glance at her best friends with teary eyes.

“I… I guess… this is it.” Sweetie Belle said quietly. Apple Bloom sniveled as she gave a group hug to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle.

“P-Please… be safe.” Apple Bloom whispered and Scootaloo nodded slowly.

“Y-You too… guys.” And with that, each soldier grabbed a hold of each filly. No use in fighting back, they accepted their defeat. Each one was placed in a small separate cage. They threw them in, and sealed the cage. Right after that, they went their separate ways. Finally, Ponyville was now a deserted town. The fires on the buildings died down, along with the chaos. The marshal took a good look at the city, beaming at their success. The soldiers were ready to assault Canterlot, when suddenly gusts of wind blew from the center of the crowd.

Soldiers immediately spotted a yellow, glowing ball of energy taking form. The apparition started to grow, making the light brighter and the gust stronger. It was so bright, that most soldiers shielded their faces with their arms. A few seconds later, the ball of energy shrunk back down to a single point, and then burst to fill the area with a blinding radiance. Once the blinding light started to recede, the soldiers were able to un-shield their eyes. Now, standing in the center of the street, was the all-merciful Princess Celestia. The princess looked around the area, and realized that she was too late. She noticed that all the ponies in this town were not present. And she also realized that she was standing in the middle of an army. The marshal backed up with his rifle pointed at the princess.

“I-It’s her! The ruler of this land!” The marshal said with a loss of composure. He turned his head toward the soldiers.

“MEN! GUN HER DOWN!!” He ordered in a threatening tone. The soldiers took their rifles to hand, and fired their weapons. Celestia quickly used her magic to encase herself inside a bright yellow barrier. Every bullet that made contact with the shield was either deflected or reflected back at the shooters. Celestia was caged inside her own barrier, unable to do anything. She stood in place and tried her best to keep the shield up and running. So far, the bullets took down one third of the army. Realizing that they weren’t going anywhere with this, the marshal raised his hand up in the air.

“CEASE FIRE!!” He yelled. Instantly, the guns ceased fire, and the soldiers stood there staring in defeat. Once they settled down, Celestia released the magic, and the barrier disappeared. She then shot a death stare at the marshal.

“Tell your men to release my loyal subjects now! Otherwise, I will use immediate action!” Celestia ordered in rage. The marshal slowly backed up in fear, as her deathly stare punctured his sense of self. But, the marshal had a trick up his sleeve, holding a peculiar device. Celestia, unaware of the marshal’s device, moved towards him.

“I said, release my loyal subjects, NOW! You all are trespassing in my peaceful land, and I order you all to leave immediately!” She yelled.

“This land belongs to me now… your highness.” A random dark and heavy voice spoke behind the crowd. The voice sounded ragged, crackly, and sinister. Celestia and the marshal drew their attention towards the source. The soldiers in front immediately backed up to form an impromptu gauntlet.

The voice had come from a dark grey-robed human, face obscured by an ominous hood. His robes were adorned above the waist with intricate golden lines, and below with a red flame design. On his back, he wore a long, silver cape, and on his shoulders were epaulettes topped with menacing, silver spikes. The leather belt around his waist had a silver buckle, engraved with the image of an eye inside an incomplete triangle. From Celestia’s description, the robed man looked dangerous. The marshal gasped and instantly kneeled down before him.

“My lord!” He spoke in surprise. The mysterious leader walked towards Celestia with both hands behind his back. From the first moment Celestia laid eyes on him, she could feel the very same dark presence that had constantly bothered her. It became clear to her that he was the source of this foul energy. But the next question was to know why this hooded person planned this invasion. Unable to deduce any answers, Celestia had to keep her guard up. As the robed man entered the crowd, he turned his head towards the marshal, who was regaining his composure.

“Marshal Maxwell, lead squads two through ten to Canterlot and continue the siege. But be warned, Canterlot is inhabited by many unicorns, and their magic has potential. Do not underestimate the unicorns there.”

“Yes sir!” Maxwell saluted. The robed man turned his attention to the remaining soldiers.

“Squad one, patrol around the town, search for any remaining civilians and take them into custody.” The robed man ordered. Squad one saluted to him in unison.

‘Yes sir!’ As the nine squads began their departure, Maxwell turned his attention towards Celestia.

“But my lord,” He protested, “What about her?” The robed man faced him and grunted.

“I will deal with this one, Marshal. It will only take a minute…” Celestia’s teeth clenched, while she prepared herself for anything he could throw at her. She shot an uneasy stare at the mysterious foe.

“So… you’re the one that I kept sensing this entire time.” Celestia growled. The robed man chuckled ever so lightly.

“Very skillful, your highness. I must say, I’m impressed by your kind developing such unique abilities over these years. But now, I shall be the one to take your position and rewrite this land’s history.” Celestia stomped her hoof in anger.

“Why have you come here to invade our peaceful land? What do you have against us?” She asked in anger. The robed man tilted his head.

“I have no personal grudges against you or your kind, your highness. It is for personification reasons only; it can’t be helped. Now stand down, or face the inevitable consequence.”

“You’re going to have to deal with me first! I will protect my loyal subjects with my life! I am the Sun Goddess, Servant of the Ancients, and Protector of Harmony!” Celestia replied back in anger. The robed man chuckled heavily, while shaking his head.

“Such confidence…” The robed man started to channel energy with his hands. Celestia changed into her fighting stance, and prepared herself for the worst. The robed man’s hands suddenly burst into green flames, while Celestia felt weird vibes coming from him. The green flames radiated a brightening flash that irritated the princess’s eyes. Static electricity flew around his body, and dirt particles around him floated in mid-air. Celestia felt his power rising, and it was out of this world.

“If I don’t do anything right now, I wouldn’t stand a chance.” Celestia spoke in her consciousness. She had to act now, as the fate of Equestria rested on her shoulders. Her horn lit up, as she was preparing to attack.

Luckily for her, her laser charge only took a couple of seconds to be completed. Ready to take action, she was prepared to launch a few rounds at the robed man at anytime. However, the robed man swiftly strafed to the side. So swiftly that it left an afterimage of himself. One second after that, his afterimage faded, and he was gone from sight. Celestia’s eyes shot wide open, as she was fooled. But a moment later, the robed man reappeared from behind the princess.

“Such inexperienced confidence…” The robed man remarked. Celestia, sensing him behind her, twirled her head around. She was met with a striking blow to her neck. Just as he landed a blow on her neck, he proceeded with swift action toward her other vital points. His speed could not be followed by the human eye. He went from the left side of Celestia’s body to the right in under a millisecond, striking and paralyzing her. Never in her entire life, had she encountered such an opponent. She was helpless and the magic she charged was gone.

The robed man continued striking her vital points consecutively from front to back, using the tip of his fingers. Celestia started to feel her body slowly giving up on her. The pain coursing through her ate at every fiber in her body, leaving her helpless. She cried and screamed in pain as the onslaught continued. Blow by blow, the robed man showed no sign of mercy. He phased from side to side, damaging the muscles and bone structure.

Finally, after thirty seconds of non stop torture, he ceased his attack and backed away. Celestia stood there, unable to move a single muscle. She slowly tipped over to the side, and plowed on the dirt road. Her tiara fell off of her head, which rolled towards the robed man’s feet. He slowly picked up Celestia’s golden tiara, and observed the dark magenta diamond. Looking at his reflection, he grunted at the tiara.

“Equestria… the world’s largest source of untold power and home to the most pitiful of all species. How I have yearned to harness its power and use it to erase this land from existence. Such is the fate of your kind…” Celestia couldn’t believe what was happening. She knew that her role as the protector was shattered. Her eyes closed, and she imaged the one pony closest to her.

“Luna… my sister… please be safe. I am… sorry.” Celestia spoke within her consciousness. She opened her eyes again, trying her best to lift her head up, and attempted to blast the robed man with everything she had. Her horn lit up, and the energy around her was absorbed into her horn. She was ready to fire her laser when suddenly, Maxwell tossed the same device that was used on Twilight at Celestia. The device latched itself around her horn and cuffed it tightly. After that, three green lights illuminated on the device, and... her horn stopped glowing. Seeing the successful throw, Maxwell chuckled.

“Nice try, your highness!” He taunted. She was confused with her magic at first. But as soon as she saw the device on her horn, she knew its effects. Upon realization that her magic would not function, Celestia was left with no option. She kept her angry look while she stared at the robed man. It was difficult for her to speak, dried out and battered.

“J-Just… w-who… are… you?” Celestia asked in a weak tone. The robed man didn’t say anything for a brief moment, just staring at her. He pointed his palm at the princess, channeling energy on each finger. Each finger lit up in a purple flame, projecting unknown symbols. As they burst into flame, they emitted strange noises and vibes leaving princess unsettled. He made one final grunt at the princess before finishing his spell.

“The Harbinger of Chaos, of course.” (Chaos... the only one that came to Celestia’s mind...)

“…D-Dis…cord?” Celestia responded before her consciousness left her.

Chapter 3: Old Friend, New Face

Chapter 3

“Unggg… uhhh… w-wha…” Spike weakly mumbled, as he began to regain consciousness. His vision started to sharpen after a few seconds and his body began to cooperate. Feeling as light as air after being trapped in the humans’ gravity sphere, Spike moaned quietly. Right away, he noticed that he was locked in a steel barred cage.

Starting to get frightened, he peered outside the cage. There were several stacks of wooden boxes in the corner, a wooden desk topped with several written documents, and three soldiers were slouching on some chairs inside the room. Spike also noticed that the room he was in was a tent. In addition, he remembered right away that he had been captured. Despite Spike’s attempt to stay conscious within the gravity sphere, the pressure had gotten the better of him. Now remembered what had happened, Spike’s breathing started to intensify, as his bravery waned on him. At that moment, he heard a chuckle coming from the left. He looked up and saw a soldier laughing at him, not saying a single word. Spike could recognize the voice, as he knew it was the same female soldier that captured Twilight.

“W-Where… where am I?” Spike asked, his blood running cold. The female soldier grunted as she kicked the cage, making Spike jump in fright.

“Well, well, looks like this dragon can talk after all! How cute.” The soldier bent down to his level and stared into his frightened eyes.

“You’re our prisoner. Our invasion of Equestria is almost done. All we need is to hit Canterlot, and we’ll have dominated this whole crappy place.” Shocked and appalled, Spike gasped.

“Y-You mean… you’ve captured every place in Equestria?! No… this can’t be happening!”

“Awww, what’s the matter baby? Sad that your pretty little pony land is ours now? Well, tough break, kid. You belong to us now, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.” The soldier stood back up, and sat on top of the steel bar cage.

“*Sigh*… if only there were more places to conquer. It’s too bad its all gonna be over soon. It was so much fun while it lasted.” Spike gulped, not knowing what would become of him. Based on what he had seen so far, it would be an awful experience. So he asked the soldier,

“W-What’s… gonna happen to me, then?” And the soldier replied with a single arm shrug.

“Dunno, kid. Seeing as you’re some sort of rare species, I think they’ll have something very special in mind. I-“ Just then, the transceiver on her helmet buzzed. The soldier grunted, as she pressed the red button on the side of the transmitter.

“Yeah, over?” she answered, and let go of the red button. She cupped the transceiver and listened to the transmission. Spike could vaguely hear and understand the transmitter’s static voice. After a few seconds of transmitting, she chuckled lightly. She pressed the red button again and replied,

“Roger, over and out.” She let go of the red button, leaped off the cage, and stared at the frightened dragon once more.

“Well, well, well! Looks like this isn’t your lucky day kid! We’ve got plans for you now! And you know what they are?” Spike had a very bad feeling about this. He didn’t feel prepared for what he was about to hear. The soldier leaned down to his level once more, and chuckled.

“Pack your things, we’re gonna be dissecting you today!” At that moment, Spike’s face went pale. His heart dropped to his stomach, and his blood froze.

“W-W-W-What?” Spike stuttered. He was on the border of hysteria. The soldier chuckled at his shocked reaction.

“You heard me, you’re gonna be dissected! Not for sheer fun though, but for science! You’ll be the first dragon studied by humans, kid! You should feel proud of yourself! And-“ Just as she was about to continue, she was interrupted by another soldier behind her.

“Hey, bring that ‘thing’ and let’s go.” He said. The female soldier was visibly annoyed by having her speech cut short.

“Hmph, I know, I know. No need to be all bitchy about it.” Putting her bad attitude aside, the female soldier grabbed a key from her pocket, unlocks the lock, and proceeded to open the cage. Spike scooted backwards in the cage to try and get out of reach of the psychotic soldier. His breathing sped up again and tears began to rush from his eyes. The cage door opened, and the soldier reached her hand inside to grab Spike. He curled up in the fetal position and whimpered loudly.

“N-N-N-No! P-Please don’t do this! I-I-I don’t wanna die! I DON’T WANNA DIE!!” Spike cried out. The female soldier voiced her disgust at his whiny attitude.

“Shut the hell up, kid! You belong to us and we can do whatever the hell we want with you! NOW GET OVER HERE!!” She exclaimed. The soldier grabbed Spike’s tail and started pulling it. The purple baby dragon wouldn’t go down willingly, and he grabbed the steel cage bars using both claws. The soldier yanked his tail while Spike held on for his dear life.

“NO! NO! NO! NO!” Spike begged while he cried. The soldier grew irritable, and she squeezed his tail tighter.

“I’ll chop off those arms of yours if you don’t-“

*THWACK*

The soldier suddenly released Spike’s tail, and was tossed to the side of the room, her helmet flying off of her head. She crashed into a stack of wooden boxes, which splintered from the impact. She grunted loudly and fell to the floor, unconscious. Spike was bewildered and the two remaining soldiers looked around in a panicked way. Searching for an explanation, Spike looked to his right, and spotted a cloaked, humanoid figure standing next to his cage. The mysterious figure was wielding a long, metal staff. A hood obscured the newcomer’s face from Spike’s view.

“W-Whah?” Spike sputtered. At that moment, both of the remaining soldiers lifted their assault rifles and pointed them at the intruder.

“Freeze!” one exclaimed. Ignoring his command, the hooded figure leaped into action, charging towards the two soldiers. The figure twirled its staff and leaped into the air. The soldiers were ready with fingers on their triggers, but couldn’t react fast enough. The staff connected with the first soldier’s neck, sending him tumbling to a pile of boxes, which splintered upon impact. The second soldier got three rounds off at the intruder before a kick to the back of his head sent him into the ground face first. His helmet visor shattered, and the glass shards punctured his left eye as he landed.

“OW DAMN IT!” the soldier screamed. The assailant backed up a few steps, holding the staff horizontally in front of itself. The soldier slowly climbed off the floor, his knees wobbling and his wounded eye clenched shut.

“Oooh, you son of a bitch! You’re gonna pay for that!” The soldier growled as he pointed his rifle at the intruder. He pulled the trigger and fired wildly.

At that moment, the first soldier had woken up and had risen from the pile of collapsed crates in the corner. The damage to his neck blurred his vision as he stumbled to his feet, and before he could react, the mysterious figure had jumped to safety atop his shoulder pads, allowing his comrade’s bullets to strike him instead.

Before the unfortunate soldier fell dead to the ground, the figure leapt once more, off of his shoulder pads, towards the second soldier, twirling its staff like a windmill and thrusting the end of it into his abdomen. This pushed the soldier back towards the broken boxes where his female comrade lay. He crashed onto the broken pieces of wood, grunting again before falling unconscious.

The tent was suddenly quiet. All three soldiers were put out of commission and Spike was the only one that witnessed it all. His mouth was agape the whole time, having never witnessed such a brutal fight before. Now that the soldiers were taken care of, he wanted to know who this strange person was. Spike didn’t yet know if this mysterious figure was his savior or not. Looking to get some answers, Spike stepped cautiously out of the open cage.

“U-U-Uhh… thank you… f-for saving me. Who… who are you?” Spike nervously asked. The figure turned its head around and stared at him silently, its face still obscured by its hood. Spike gulped, making an effort to stand tall despite his fear. Pearls of sweat ran down his brows and his knees wobbled in fear. Spike was now trying to determine whether this figure was hostile, or just uninterested. The two stood there staring at each other, not saying a single word. Spike knew that if they stayed like this for long, more soldiers would come eventually. To speed things up, Spike asked the figure another question.

“Are you… umm… friendly?” he asked slowly, but still nothing came out of the figure’s mouth. Beginning to feel crept out and annoyed by this mysterious figure, Spike toughened up asked again.

“Please, answer me! Who are you? And are you here to help?” Spike spoke nervously. After a few more seconds of silence, the figure turned towards the exit and stuck the end of its staff in the dirt.

“Your concerns are of no importance, kid.” the figure spoke in a male’s voice. “Right now, you need to get yourself out of this town as quickly as you can.” Spike felt relieved that he had responded, but he was troubled by the suggestion. Running away from Ponyville would mean abandoning his friends.

“But…” Spike couldn’t finish his sentence, as the figure interrupted him.

“But nothing, this town is beyond saving. You need to get yourself out as far away as you can. Go now!” The figured ordered. Spike felt too ashamed of running away. He couldn’t escape from Ponyville and leave his friends prisoners. Plus, he was scared and defenseless. If he was not careful, he would just be captured again. And the chances of that were very high; his stubby legs couldn’t match an average pony’s speed. His only hope was this mysterious stranger.

“But I can’t leave my friends like this!” Spike said, “Please, I’m begging you, help them!” After this outburst, silence once again ruled the room. Spike hoped that this guy would help him out. He was clearly capable of fighting off these humans. Spike looked at the blood stains on the stranger’s staff, trailing his eyes down its length, and noticed something very peculiar. Spike expected a human hand to be grabbing the staff, but instead, it was a dark gray circular stub. Spike looked down at where the figure’s feet would be, only to see the same thing.

He doesn't have hands or feet like the other humans, they almost look like... hooves? That's impossible... Spike thought to himself. Once more, the figure spoke out.

“Look, I have my own business. I don’t have time to save these friends of yours. So long as they remain locked up in their cages, they will be safe from harm. Once I’m done with my mission here, I will see to it that everypony here, including your friends, will be set free.” Hearing this only made Spike more anxious. He couldn’t believe this guy was going to abandon him. His only option was to beg. Desperate for this stranger’s help, Spike walked a few steps forward, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Please! I’m begging you! My friends are in real danger! They could be killed or dissected!” As he pleaded, Spike’s voice started cracking.

“I-I can’t just leave my friends here! I-I just can’t!” Spike hung his head and closed his eyes, tear droplets continuing to fall to the ground.

“Especially… not my best friend… Twilight Sparkle…” Spike knew that this would be the end for her if this figure refused to help. The figure gasped unexpectedly. Spike lifted his head up, looking for what had surprised him. The figure slowly turned around, making Spike nervous.

“Wait… did you say… Twilight Sparkle?” The figure asked. Spike responded with a slow nod. He didn’t know how to react to this; mentioning his friend’s name somehow caught the figure’s attention. Suddenly, the figure took a step forward towards Spike.

“What about Rarity? How about Rainbow Dash? Or even… Fluttershy?” The figure anxiously asked. Right away, Spike nodded his head.

“Y-Yeah… but… but how do you know my best friends?” Spike asked. There was a long moment of silence, before the figure sighed.

“Forgive me if I got on the wrong end, kid.” He said. At that moment, the figure slowly grabbed his hood, preparing to take it off. Spike watched closely, anxious to see the big reveal. The figure threw back the hood, leaving Spike utterly shocked and surprised. All this time, Spike thought that the figure was a human, but a gray stallion with a long dark-brown mane? That was a total shocker to him, since he knew ponies could only walk on four legs. But this one was standing on two, and he was a natural at it. After his face was revealed, the stallion finally explained.

“My name is Jack Armstrong… and I’m also a friend to all of them, Including Pinkie Pie and Applejack.” The name Jack Armstrong sounded familiar to Spike all of a sudden. He tried to recall it from his memories, and right away, he realized that he had heard the name from Twilight and her friends. His face lit up with recognition.

“Wait… Jack Armstrong? The Jack who saved my friends in those scary catacombs?” Spike remembered Twilight raving about some strange human she had met, and later about how he had saved her and her five best friends from his corrupted brother, Jared, who had wanted Jack to join him to become a god of chaos. Spike’s smile widened, recognizing the hero before him. Jack gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle.

“Well… yeah. But how did you-“ Jack was about to finish, but Spike interrupted him by throwing himself at him, giving him a hug. Spike laughed joyfully, smearing his tear-stained face on his dark gray cloak.

“Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve heard everything about you from Twilight and my friends! I don’t know what I’d do without them if you hadn’t shown up! I-“ Feeling more uncomfortable by the second, Jack tried to push Spike off of him.

“Easy there, kid. It’s not a big deal. By the way, who are you? I’ve never seen a dragon before, let alone a talking one.” Spike knew that this was no time to weep, so he got down to business. He released Jack and smiled at him while wiping away his tears.

“My name is Spike! I’m Twilight’s assistant and best friend. And…” Suddenly, Spike paused himself for a brief moment. Something had been bugging him since Jack had removed his hood.

“And how come you’re not one of those humans? Last time I heard, you were an acrobatic human. Why are you-”

“A pony? Well… the truth is, I was originally a human, till I was turned into this. My bone structure is different than an average stallion’s. These legs of mine give me the ability to walk on only two hooves. They’re different than a human’s legs, but not by a whole lot.” Spike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A human turning into a pony was not something Spike heard every day.

“Wow... so that must explain why you act like one.” Spike remarked. At this point, both Jack and Spike weren’t able to come up with any questions. They just stared at each other, waiting for one to ask another question. Spike felt intrigued to learn about Jack being a human once. He could blame Twilight and her friends for failing to mention the part about Jack transforming into a bipedal pony. But why? Spike had to know, and he had his question ready, but before he could, Jack asked him a question.

“Well… Spike, you said that our friends are here? Not like somewhere else? Cause I recently heard from a reliable source that they were going to a far distant town called… uh… Dodge Junction?” Spike shook his head.

“No, they’re here alright. It was awful; I was separated from Twilight when the soldiers raided our town. Not only that, I heard that everypony in Equestria was captured! I don’t know if that’s true, but just looking at that army… it felt like they weren’t kidding around. Those guys mean serious trouble… I wonder if Princess Celestia is alright…” The Princess… now there was some pony that Jack hadn’t thought of in a while.

Celestia was responsible for giving Jack his stallion body in the first place. A while back, his human body was crushed and broken after the fight against his longtime nemesis, Zalgo. On the verge of death, Celestia used her magic to create a pony vessel for Jack, and transferred his soul into that new body. Being killed and then revived had only made him feel more alive. Jack could have continued reminiscing, but he realized he had work to do. Jack grinned as he stared back at Spike.

“I’m sure Celestia is alright.” Jack reassured him. “She’s the ruler of this land. She can take care of herself for the time being. Now then,” Ready to resume his mission, Jack turned around and glared at the exit of the tent.

“I have to get going. I’ll be sure to save Twilight and the others along the way. As for you, get out of here as fast as you can. These soldiers are not to be underestimated. They’re even more brutal than I was back then, and none of them will show you mercy. Now go!” Once he finished talking, Jack placed his hood back over his head. Spike knew he could rely on Jack saving his friends once more. However, he was unsure about running away on his own.

He remembered how Twilight felt when she wasn’t needed for the Hearth’s Warming preparations, how Spike refused to help, because there were other ponies that could take care of the tasks. Now Spike experienced the same pain Twilight had. He placed his hand on his heart, and listened to the rhythm.

Twilight, I think I understand now. You were determined to get the job done. But… now that you’re gone, does that make me worthless? He squeezed his chest with his hand.

No… I… I won’t be a burden. I can’t let somepony do these tasks alone, because I want to help too. And besides… we promised to go on that walk together. I won’t be worthless, and I will not chicken out of this! Spike felt ready to put his life on the line to save his friends. He looked up at Jack and displayed his most determined face.

“I’m not running away. I want to come with you.” Spike spoke bravely. Jack looked behind and shot a stare of disbelief at Spike.

“You can’t be serious! Look, I told you, I can handle this by myself, and-“ Suddenly, Spike interrupted him with a loud stomp.

“And I don’t want to be worthless and weak! I want to be strong so I can protect and help my friends! That’s what friends do at times like this! If I run away now, then it means I’m not capable of saving anypony! Please, let me come with you! I want to be… useful.” Jack was struck hard by these words; he had heard the same thing from Fluttershy a few months ago. Back then, Fluttershy felt weak and helpless, because she was too scared to help her friends in dangerous situations. That was until she met Jack within the catacombs, and Fluttershy was inspired to become strong because of him. Jack himself hadn’t always been strong; he was once even more weak and helpless than Fluttershy. Spike’s determined face reminded him of himself so much that he couldn’t keep from smiling.

“I see. Well in that case, I will honor your decision and let you tag along.” Jack said. Spike’s face beamed with joy.

“R-Really?! Oh wow, thank you!”

“But you must stay close to me at all times. This mission will determine the fate of Equestria. Are you ready?” Jack asked. Spike looked behind him and stared at the cage he had been trapped in. Then he turned back to Jack, giving him a simple nod.

“Let’s go.” Spike said. The two went out of the tent, and were bathed in warm sunlight. Outside, Spike couldn’t believe what he saw. Ponyville was overrun with hundreds of soldiers. Their tents stretched for miles around the town. Spike had never felt this scared in his life, but his determination kept him strong. He clenched his fists and displayed his determined face.

Hang on Twilight, I’m coming. Spike thought.

Chapter 4: Taking Action

Chapter 4

Deep inside a warship, Celestia awoke from an unconscious state. Her entire body felt like it had been ripped to shreds, and the only thing keeping her up was her strong willpower. Her eyelids were hardly open, and they felt heavy. Barely in control of herself, Celestia’s visions were blurry, her ears were ringing, and her head pounded like crazy. She tried to move her muscles, but the pain restricted her from moving at all. All she could do was investigate her surroundings. Celestia realized she was trapped inside a glass dome prison, layered with a purple aura.

“Where… am I?” Celestia spoke wearily. Suddenly, she spotted two figures standing on the other side of the dome. Celestia tried to clear her vision, and sure enough, she saw the robed man standing next to Marshal Maxwell. Both of the humans stared at her, feeling triumph in their success.

“Welcome, your highness.” The robed man sneered, “You’re within one of my warships, under surveillance. The dome you are in is a special chamber made just for you. Any magic conjuring attempts will be absorbed within the dome, making you weaker every time you do so. But enough about that, how are you feeling, your highness?” Celestia couldn’t speak well, due to her stressed body. All she could do was display her anger at both men. The robed man grunted at her state.

“Hmph, figured as much. By the way, your co-ruler is a crafty escapee. Any ideas on where she could be hiding?” Celestia shot a death stare at him. But at the same time, she was relieved that her younger sister had managed to hide herself from the invasion.

“F-Far… from… you… you… you monster.” Celestia spoke in a threatening tone. The robed man slowly shook his head.

“Hmph… I suppose I’ll make sure she receives the maximum punishment once she’s caught.” The robed man turned his head to the marshal.

“Be sure to keep our special guest company, Maxwell.” Maxwell nodded his head.

“Yes, my lord.” The robed man turned around, and started walking towards the exit. At this point, Celestia wasn’t exactly sure what this mysterious man’s purpose was. She had to know, so she summoned the strength to ask a question.

“W-Wait…” Celestia said. The robed man stopped at the doorway, waiting to know what she wanted. Once she had his attention, Celestia continued.

“J-Just… tell me. W-Why… why have you… come here? Just… what do you truly want… from here? I-I am… not going to believe… that personification excuse of yours… nugh.” The robed man looked into her curious and weary eyes. He let out a slight chuckle, before turning back around towards Celestia.

“I suppose there is no harm in telling you, since this land will be erased from existance.” Willing to take some time to explain, the robed man walked back to Celestia with both arms behind his back.

“You can choose to believe my personification reasons or not, but my goal remains the same. I am here… to obtain the source of all magic that’s been buried within this land.” At that sudden moment, Celestia knew what he was talking about, and let out a surprising gasp.

“Y-You mean… The Heart of Equestria…? T-That… that gem… it is just a myth. W-Why go… to such lengths… to find such… an artifact?” The robed man let out another slight chuckle.

“Ah, but it does exist, I have once seen it. It was an enormous prismatic gem, the size of your castle, that had immense powers. And…” The robed man stopped walking, as he stood in front of the princess.

“According to legend, it is responsible for creating this land and everything you once ruled over. And do you want to know something interesting? Long ago, your ancestors started out as a pack of human warhorses. Then, the gem transformed them into the pitiful ponies we know today. Not to mention creating the marvelous trees that grow here, the clean atmosphere, the different species, and an unforeseen harmony that has covered Equestria for millennia. The gem’s nature is to produce harmony, thus providing magic to all living unicorns and alicorns, such as yourself. It is said, that whomsoever touches the gem will have whatever he or she desires granted. However, it can only be granted to an innocent and loving heart. Those who have corruption and evil inside their hearts won’t be granted the wish.” Celestia knew of the gem’s origins, but she wanted to know why he wanted it.

“J-Just… what do you… p-plan to do… with this… mythical gem?” Celestia asked. “Y-You can not… make your… wish, because… your heart is… pure evil.” The robed man extended his arm towards Celestia, then grasped an invisible object.

“The wish does not matter to me, because I can still absorb its powers. It will be enough to wipe out every single life form from the face of the earth. And from the ashes, I shall remake this planet in my own image.” Celestia furrowed her brow at the psychopathic robed man.

“Y-You would not… dare.”

“Oh I think I would, your highness. But… that’s not the only thing I’m searching for. Oh no… I can tell… it too will soon be within my grasp.” The robed man added, making Celestia slightly confused.

“W-What… will?” She asked. The robed man turned away, and started walking towards the exit again.

“You’ll have to figure that one out on your own, your highness. Farewell.” The robed man exited the room, chortling as he departed. Once he was out of the room, Marshal Maxwell turned towards the princess and grunted.

“Better keep yourself comfortable, your highness, because you’re going to be here for a loooong time.” Celestia was in no position to fight back; she couldn’t use magic this time. All she could do was hope that someone else could turn the tide of the invasion.

Jack quietly snuck within the borders Ponyville. Spike was hanging inside Jack’s cloak, resting on his back with one claw grasping the inside of each of his shoulder pads. He couldn’t see well through the cloak he was under, but he trusted Jack to do his thing. As Jack stealthed from building to building, he carefully looked around corners to spot any patrolling soldiers. At every corner there would be a soldier slouching against the house, some walking up or down the alley, or a tent set up between houses.

Jack had to find his friends, but he had no clue where to start. Figuring the soldiers might use houses to keep hostages, Jack thought he should check out the houses first. Jack spotted a nearby window and checked through it. Spike crawled his way through the hood and looked through the window too.

“See anyone in there?” Spike whispered loudly. Jack turned his head to Spike with an irritated look.

“Shh! Keep it down.” Jack whispered back, “We don’t know if these soldiers are equipped with sonar devices.”

“Son…ar?” Spike repeated in confusion. Jack rolled his eyes and grunted softly.

“Meaning to hear from a far off distance. Now let’s see who is in here.” Both Jack and Spike looked through the window to investigate. Sure enough, there were captive ponies inside steel bar cages, guarded by two soldiers. Spike saw Berry Punch, Dr. Hooves, and Carrot Top locked inside the same cage, but no sign of Twilight or her friends. Spike sighed.

“Not here, huh?” Jack backed up and went towards the next house. As they left the window, Spike began worrying about the three prisoners in the house.

“Hey Jack,” Spike asked quietly, “Shouldn’t we go in there and rescue those ponies too?” Jack eyed Spike.

“It’s best to leave them in there for now. I don’t want us to start a huge racket, we’d be overrun by soldiers. I’m sorry.” Spike grumbled sadly, but he respected his decision. Jack continued to sneak across the house, until he came to a corner. Before Jack could go to the next house, he had to cross an alley. He placed his back flat against the wall, sidled towards the corner of the house, and peered behind the corner. He spotted two soldiers standing guard, with their backs facing towards Jack.

Jack took this opportunity to tiphoof across the alley while their backs were turned. He stood on the tips of his hooves, and quietly prowled towards his destination. He kept his eyes on the two soldiers, hoping they wouldn’t turn around anytime soon. So far so good, Jack was half way towards his goal. Spike held his own breath, the tension was rising. With each step, Spike held tighter to Jack’s neck, praying the soldiers wouldn’t notice the two of them.

Suddenly, the soldier on the right turned its head towards the other soldier. Jack froze and waited for the opportunity to continue. Spike’s eyes widened as they stood there. He held tighter onto Jack’s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.

“Sigh… I’m telling you man, this place ain’t worth guarding.” One soldier said in a man’s voice. The other soldier tilted its head, making loud popping noises as it cracked its tired neck.

“It’s orders dude, so stop complaining.” The soldier spoke in a female’s voice. At that moment, the male soldier faced his head back forward with a long sigh. Jack seized this opportunity to continue his journey across the alley. Finally, Jack reached the next house, just as the two soldiers turned around and faced the opposite direction, where he had been only seconds before. Jack hid himself within a bush, hidden from the two unsuspecting soldiers. Spike sighed in relief as he loosened his grip on Jack’s neck.

“Ho man… that was close.” Spike whispered. After a few seconds of resting, Jack peered through the bush, looking both directions, and continued down the path. Along the way, he spotted another window. He quietly went up to it, and took a peek inside. Spike also crawled his way through the cloak, and joined Jack to investigate. Both Jack and Spike gasped quietly.

“I-Is… is that?” Spike sputtered, as he spotted a certain pony inside a huge cage. In the cage sat Lyra, who was badly injured, Bon-Bon who was comforting her, and…

“It is! It’s Twilight!” Spike exclaimed silently. Jack was surprised to see her, and he also felt slightly shy. He hadn’t seen Twilight and her friends in five months, which felt like forever to him. But it wasn’t the time to be nostalgic, Jack had to do something. Spike turned his head to Jack with a concerned look on his face.

“Jack, how are we going to get in there?” Spike asked. Taking a second to do a quick survey of his surroundings, Jack found an open window located on the second floor. On the side of the house, he noticed there were wooden ledges he could climb on. Jack eyed Spike with a grin.

“Hold on tight. I’m going to be doing some climbing.”

“Okay.” Spike replied, and held tight around Jack’s neck. Jack positioned himself under the first wooden ledge, and leaped skyward. He snatched the ledge, and pulled himself up. After that, he placed his stomach flat against the wall. He slowly bent down, aiming his jump, and leaped skyward once more. He caught the next ledge, and hoisted himself up. Right next to him was the open window. He sidled along the ledge, grabbed a hold of the window frame, and swiftly leaped inside the house. Inside, he landed on top of a feather bed, which squeaked under him. The room was dark and quiet; the only sounds they could hear were from downstairs. Jack sat down on the bed and turned to Spike.

“Okay, you can let go of me for now.” Jack whispered. Spike nodded, as he released Jack’s neck and went out of his cloak. Jack got off of the plush bed and quietly tiphoofed towards the door.

“Now stay low and keep quiet Spike.” Jack whispered. Spike once more nodded as he followed Jack quietly towards the door. At the door, Jack twisted the knob, and slowly opened the door. It creaked, but the noise wasn’t loud enough to travel downstairs. Both Jack and Spike walked out of the room, went down on their stomachs, and crawled towards the stairs. Once they arrived at the top of the stairs, they stopped. Looking downstairs, they could view the entire scene. There was one soldier guarding the front door, while another one was looking at the caged ponies.

Lyra was curled up in a fetal position, weeping quietly while her closest friend Bon-Bon was stroking her mane. Twilight, on the other hand, looked depressed, as she sat there motionless. Seeing Twilight in distress made Spike’s heart ache. He turned his head to Jack, who shared his sentiment.

“We’ve got to help them.” Spike whispered. Jack looked at him for a moment, then back at Twilight.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” Jack’s eyes trailed to the soldier standing in front of the open doorway. Then he darted his eyes to the other soldier.

“Spike,” Jack whispered, “I’ll handle the soldiers, while you rush down there and shut the door so that we will be kept in privacy. Got it?” Spike looked at the open door, and replied with a simple nod. Jack nodded back, as he prepared to ambush the humans. He slowly got up to his hooves and dashed forward, leaping down the stairs. He lunged towards the soldier guarding the door. Spike played his part, getting up to immediately run down the stairs. Jack landed right behind the unexpecting soldier, grabbed his shoulder, and tossed him behind. The soldier crashed onto a wooden table, which splintered on impact. Spike had then reached the door, and closed it shut.

“Got it!” Spike said. The three caged ponies and the other soldier were surprised. Jack immediately twirled his staff, and charged towards the other soldier. The soldier didn’t react fast enough to pull out his weapon as Jack spun around and whacked the soldier’s neck. The soldier grunted in pain, as the force hurled him towards his fallen companion. The two soldiers collided with one another, causing them to hit the corner of the wall. The soldier that was tossed earlier slowly got back up, pushing his unconscious comrade off of his body. Jack dashed towards him, leaped into the air, and performed a spinning hook kick.

At a precise angle, Jack landed a blow to the soldier’s neck, causing the carotid artery to stop flowing oxygen-rich blood to his brain. He grunted loudly and fell back to the floor, unconscious. The house was suddenly quiet. The three pony prisoners looked at this mysterious cloaked figure, wondering if he was an ally or not. Twilight was curious enough to ask him; Bon-Bon and Lyra were left utterly speechless.

“Umm… a-are you… friendly?” Twilight asked nervously.

“He sure is!” Spike replied back happily. Twilight swerved her head towards Spike and gasped, surprised to see her best friend standing in the room.

“S-Spike?!” Twilight sputtered. Immediately, Spike ran towards the cage, bursting into tears. He stuck his claws through the bars and placed them firmly onto Twilight’s cheeks. Twilight rested a hoof on Spike’s left claw, producing tears of her own. Both of their anxious hearts were lifted the moment the two friends made contact.

“Oh Spike… thank goodness you’re okay!” Twilight wept. Spike sniveled as he nodded.

“I’m here, Twilight. We made a promise, remember?”

“Of course… how could I forget?” Twilight replied. Spike turned his head around to Jack, who was obtaining the key for the lock.

“And it’s all thanks to him.” Spike said. Twilight looked at the mysterious stranger, not knowing who was under the cloak.

“Thank you… umm…” Before Twilight could guess, Jack turned around and chortled.

“It’s been a while, Twilight.” Jack said. Twilight instantly recognized his voice. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped.

“W-Wait… is that…?” Just before she could answer, Jack took off his hood, and displayed his friendly smile. Twilight beamed; her old hero had returned.

“Jack! It is you!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Jack walked up to the cage, placed the key in the keyhole, and twisted it. The lock clicked, and the cage slowly opened. Twilight stepped out of the cage, and smiled at Jack.

“I’m so glad to see you here again.”

“Yeah… me too.” Jack replied. Spike rushed over to Twilight, latched on to her, and gave her a big hug. Twilight returned the hug, sharing their moment together. Jack stood there and watched them both. The way they hugged sparked a memory in Jack’s head. He had never been hugged before in his life, since nobody cared for him. However, when he met Twilight and the others, he was given his first hug. The feeling of his first hug was tremendous. It was like medicine to aid his cold and aching heart.

Watching Twilight and Spike hugging each other, he felt the same emotions they were feeling. He couldn’t help but smile at them. After a few seconds of hugging, both released each other, and stared into the other’s teary eyes. Spike wiped away his tears, and sniffled.

“Twilight,” Spike said, “How come you didn’t tell me Jack was turned from a human into a pony?” Twilight eyed away from Spike, looking guilty.

“Well… I-“

“Hold it!” Bon-Bon interrupted. Jack, Twilight, and Spike’s attentions were drawn towards the two bewildered ponies.

“Did you say…” As Bon-Bon continued, she pointed her hoof at Jack. “He’s... a human?” Twilight and Spike turned their heads towards Jack, who felt a bit shy. He nodded his head, giving out a nervous chuckle.

“Well… yes I am. But-“

“You... how dare you come into our town and ruin our lives, you monsters!” Bon-Bon exclaimed in anger. Jack was taken aback by her outburst.

“Excuse me?”

“I can never forgive your kind for ruining my closest friend’s life! I heard from an old pony tale that humans were the most brutal of all species! I thought your kind was just a myth, but my friend here didn’t! She believed that you humans existed in a friendly land, seeking harmony and bringing peace. And now you’ve crushed her dreams! Just look at her!” Bon-Bon looked down at Lyra, whose head was lying on her friend’s legs. She wept softly and quietly while her face was buried in Bon-Bon’s stomach. Lyra turned her head and displayed her broken face to the crowd. She had a few bruises, a black eye, and a bloody nose. She looked at Jack with dread in her eyes.

“I-I… I believed you humans… would be… the kindest… of species! B-But… I-I wouldn’t imagine… that you all were… this scary and mean. What have we… done to deserve… this? Why… why would you humans…?” Lyra tried to speak, but her voice was breaking fast. Tears rushed out of her irritated eyes, making her vision blurry. With so much sorrow, Lyra couldn’t speak any more. She flung her head back down into her friend’s stomach and wept loudly.

Bon-Bon stroked Lyra’s mane softly, while hushing her quietly. A tear fell out of Bon-Bon’s eye from hearing her friend’s heartbreaking cry. Seconds later, Bon-Bon shot a death stare at Jack.

“Just who do you think you all are? Why are you humans so cruel to us? Do you all think it’s okay to take over this land and ruin our lives?! We didn’t do anything to you guys!” Bon-Bon restrained herself from shedding any more tears. She looked away for a moment, trying to compose herself. Jack felt her pain, but he tried to talk some sense into her.

“B-But... I’m not here to harm you... and-” Suddenly, Bon-Bon glared back at Jack.

“I hate you humans… I wish you’d never existed.” Jack was left speechless as his composure left him. Despite being a pony on the outside, the brutal acts and remorseful deeds of his past were etched inside his human heart. Seeing two fragile ponies breaking down like this sparked another memory in Jack’s head. He was reminded of what Princess Celestia once said to him.

“Jack… you must understand. It is impossible to spread our harmony to the humans. The element bearers might have sympathized with your pain, but the others can’t because they have fragile minds and feeble hearts. I know there are those who have the same heart as you do… but the fact is that the humans will always have a hard time developing a mutual understanding with us. Even if ponies and humans do understand one another, they all can’t come to an agreement. That’s the truth.” After that brief flashback, he was visited by another. This time, it was a vision of his brother, who had thrown Jack to the ground, wounded from their duel.

“Do you think it is fair that the inhabitants of Equestria are the only ones allowed to live in true harmony and not us? Well… that’s your choice, but I have no interest in such matters. Regardless, humans outside of Equestria will wage war against this land to obtain harmony for themselves. If that were to happen, then the land of Equestria will just become one huge battlefield. Every single Equestrian will be powerless to stop or escape the bloody onslaught, because they are too naive; they know nothing of absolute fear or true pain. They think they can just make friends with the humans, and they’ll all live happily ever after. This land cannot stay as a child forever, and that is the truth.”

After those brief memories, Jack stared at the floor, ashamed. He imagined himself clenching his fists, despite having hooves. After a few moments of silence, Twilight and Spike stood up for him. For all the harsh words being thrown out, the two of them glared back at Bon-Bon.

“Now wait just a minute,” Twilight spoke out, “Jack may be a human, but he’s not a bad one! Jack is way different than those other humans! He saved my friends and I in a deadly situation once!” The moment Twilight was done talking, Spike stepped in.

“Yeah, he even saved me from being dissected! You shouldn’t be so hard on him like that!” Bon-Bon closed her eyes, and transferred her glare onto the both of them.

“If he really did save you both… then how come he didn’t save us?! Where was he the whole time when we were in danger? Huh!? I bet he led those soldiers here!” Twilight stepped forward, furrowing her brow even more furiously.

“He would never lead them here! And besides, he’s here now and-“

“Twilight… that’s enough.” Jack interrupted her. Twilight and Spike swerved their heads around. They noticed that Jack looked depressed from the harsh words Bon-Bon threw at him.

“We’re just wasting our time here. Let’s get going and help the others.” Jack grabbed his hood and covered his head again, obscuring his face. He turned away, and started walking towards the stairs.

“And stay close to me at all times…” Jack added in a hollow voice. Twilight extended her foreleg after Jack, but couldn’t say anything. She reeled back her foreleg, and turned her head back to Bon-Bon with a stern look.

“You have no right to judge a person like that. He’s been through a whole lot more than you could possibly think of. Just… give him a chance.” Bon-Bon thought of what she said for a moment, while staring at her broken friend. She closed her eyes and sighed slightly.

“If he truly is on our side…” Bon-Bon said, as she opened her eyes again. “Then make him help us. Lyra is everything to me… and I can’t stand to see her like this.” Bon-Bon stood up, and helped Lyra up her hooves. Both of the mares plodded out of the cage, and went into the other room.

“Lyra and I will hide ourselves until this whole thing is over. If your friend truly saves us all, then I’ll take back what I’ve said. C’mon Lyra… we’ll go down the cellar.” Just as Bon-Bon left the room, Lyra stopped for a moment. She trailed her gloomy eyes to Twilight, and then to Spike. After that, Lyra went with her friend to hide in the cellar. Twilight and Spike exchanged depressed looks before heading up the stairs where Jack awaited them.

Chapter 5: A Damsel in Distress

Chapter 5

The soldiers placed a drill site next to Canterlot Mountain. The coordinates were arranged. Several drill vehicles plunged deep down into the mountain. Rocks and other minerals were ported away to be recycled. The robed man observed the excavation that was transpiring. Next to him was one of his soldiers, clad in yellow armor to signify her rank. The robed man turned his head to the soldier.

"How much longer until we reach it, Sergeant Wayne?" The robed man asked.

"We're picking up strong readings, my lord." She replied, "The gem should be buried within the depths of the upper crust. According to our calculations, its location should be precisely nine hundred and twenty kilometers below this mountain. But it will take some time to burst through the rough surface of the crust. And-"

"Sergeant… I asked you how long, not to explain to me the geography." The robed man spoke in an irritated tone. Wayne gulped, knowing she had invoked his impatience.

"U-Uhm… right. We should be there in approximately three hours and twenty-seven minutes. But-"

"That is all…" The robed man spoke curtly. He turned away and started walking towards his warship with both hands behind his back, leaving Wayne frozen. The way he struck fear into her was chipping away at her sanity. Once the robed man was off the work site, Wayne sighed in relief, releasing the tension in her muscles.

"I gotta stop being an Einstein in front of him. Otherwise, I'll be done for…"

Behind the retirement home, Jack, Twilight, and Spike hid themselves next to the dumpsters. Ignoring the smell, Jack carefully peeked around the corner of the building. There were a few soldiers patrolling up and down the streets, guns at hand. He quickly ducked back and faced Twilight and Spike.

"Okay… let's review something real quick." Jack whispered. "We need to figure out which building they're keeping our friends in. Any ideas on where to start?" Spike looked up and pondered for a moment, then shrugged.

"I don't know… we just found Twilight by luck. It'll take ages to find the others." Spike said. Suddenly, Twilight beamed as she thought up an idea.

"I just thought of something, I could use the tracking spell I learned two weeks ago." Jack turned around, looking a bit surprised.

"Really? Well, try it out then."

"Alright, just give me a second…" Twilight replied. She closed her eyes, and the tip of her horn was illuminated. Both Spike and Jack watched, as her mysterious antics began to unfold. A few seconds later, the horn stopped glowing, and Twilight exhaled softly. Spike tilted his head.

"So? How'd it go?" He asked. Twilight opened her eyes and smiled.

"Got 'em! I've pinpointed their locations within my consciousness. They're all inside of Ponyville, but they're scattered. I can't tell who they are, since I'm new to this spell, but I know that one is close by." Twilight looked over across the street, and pointed her foreleg at a certain house.

"One of them should be across this street, next to Sugarcube Corner," she said, sounding confident. Jack stood up, and walked towards the edge of the house.

"Alright, you lead the way, and keep low." Jack whispered. Twilight nodded, and went up front. She peered from the corner of the house, and looked both ways. There were no soldiers in sight. Taking this opportunity to make a dash for it, Twilight ran towards the Sugarcube Corner building. Jack and Spike hurried across the street with Twilight. As they rushed behind the building, they laid low within the shadows. Jack snuck towards the edge of the building, and peered both ways. On his left, he spotted two soldiers leaning their backs against the house, eating delicious treats they looted from the building.

"Man, I have to give it to them," one soldier said, mouth filled with cake. "These ponies sure know how to bake awesome treats. Can you imagine if this is all they ever ate?" The soldier next to him laughed.

"Yeah, I'd be embarrassed to see fat ponies walking around. You know, we should force them to eat meat someday. Hehe… that would be priceless." Suddenly, Jack heard Twilight gasp quietly. He turned around to see her disapproval.

"What is it?" Jack whispered.

"Those humans are stealing our baked goods, that's what." Twilight whispered back. "Pinkie Pie won't be too happy to see that her treats were stolen and-"

"Twilight… we got more important things on our hands… hooves." Jack replied. Twilight paused, glancing away.

"Yeah, but…"

"Let's just keep going. We're wasting our time here." Jack whispered back. Twilight nodded, clearing her conscious of the unimportant matters. She went up to Jack, and pointed her hoof at a house across the street.

"One of them should be in that house. But… how are we gonna get past the soldiers?" Twilight asked. Jack looked at the ground for a moment, pondering the question. Then he peered around the corner again, staring at the two guards. He noticed that both of their helmets were off. Jack grinned slightly.

"Wait here…" Jack whispered to both of them. He looked up towards the roof of the building, and noticed several wooden ledges leading upwards. Just like before, he positioned himself under the ledges, and leaped skywards. Twilight and Spike watched as Jack hoisted himself up each ledge. Once he made it on top of the roof, Jack slowly walked to the edge, positioning himself above the two unsuspecting soldiers. Then, with one deep exhale, Jack leaped off the building. During his fall, Jack folded both of his legs in and waited the right opportunity moment to launch them. Just as he met with both soldiers' neck height, Jack launched a split kick into their necks, causing their carotid arteries to stop functioning.

In one silent move, both soldiers were knocked out unconscious, without the slightest grunt. Jack stood up from the fall, and looked at the edge of the building.

"Pst… Twilight… help me hide these bodies." Jack whispered loudly. Twilight and Spike heard Jack, and peered out of the corner. They saw the two soldiers lying on the ground unconscious. Spike rushed up to Jack, and helped him drag the soldier to the back of the building. Twilight helped out too by levitating the other soldier using her magic. They brought the two soldiers into the shade, using trash bins and other accessories to hide the evidence. With the two soldiers out of their way, the trio pressed onwards.

"Waaaah! What do you think you're doing you brute?!" Rarity cried as she scooted backwards in the cage to try and get out of reach of the intoxicated and insane soldier. "G-Get away from me this instant!" The soldier grabbed Rarity's mane, and started pulling her out of the cage.

"G-Get… over here… m-missy…" He spoke, holding back his puke. Rarity let out a shrill, frightened scream as the pain from having her mane yanked coursed through her body. Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon watched the events unfold while locked inside their separate cages. Both of the fillies turned their heads away, not wanting to know the outcome of it. However, Cheerilee had enough courage to muster a few words.

"Y-You leave her alone!" She yelled. But the drunken soldier ignored her command and kept pulling Rarity out of the cage. Once she was out of the cage, the soldier let go of Rarity and took his helmet off, displaying his distorted facial expression. He then picked up an opened bottle of apple cider and chucked it all down in one sitting. When he was finished, he threw the empty bottle to the side, which shattered on impact.

"N-Now listen here… y-you… I… urm… I never… have met… s-someone as… beautiful as you…" Rarity was disgusted by the soldier's backwash breath, as she turned her head away. On the other side of the room, another soldier sighed at the drunken soldier's behavior.

"Dude… I think you had enough of whatever you drank. Just put her back inside and-" Suddenly, the drunken soldier swerved his head around in anger.

"D-Don't you… interrupt me… you… or… *Hic*… I'll summon… th-the whazzaboo… on you." He spoke slowly. The other soldier voiced his disgust at his pathetic attitude while looking the other way.

"Whatever man, just don't bring me into this if you're caught." He said nonchalantly. The drunken soldier looked back at the scared unicorn.

"N-Now… where was I? Umm… h-hey… where did… I left off?" He asked. Rarity was too disgusted and frightened to respond back. However, she knew that if she didn't respond, then things would go badly for her. She gulped down and displayed her frightened smile.

"U-Umm… s-set me free?" The drunken soldier looked up and pondered for a moment. Rarity thought that with him intoxicated, she could make her way around this guy. A few seconds later of pondering, the soldier eyed back into Rarity.

"Urm… d-did I say that?"

"Y-Yes darling!" Rarity responded hastily. "N-Now if you would be so kind to just let go of me, so-"

"H-Hold it…" The intoxicated soldier interrupted. "I… I never had the chance… t-to… *Hic*… to express my feelings." Suddenly, tears came pouring out of his eyes. "I-I feel… so alone! I never… k-kissed a gurl… in my life. Will you… kiss me?" Taken aback, Rarity's pupils shrunk to the size of peas.

"W-What?!" She staggered. The other soldier shook his head and grunted in disgust.

"Oh for god's sake. You really are pitiful when you're like this." He muttered to himself. The soldier leaned back, slouched against the wall, and watched the pitiful scene unfold. Rarity darted her eyes from left to right, before looking back into the intoxicated soldier's eyes.

"D-D-Darling… I-I don't think-"

"P-Please… *Hic*… j-just this once. I-I'm desperate…" The drunken soldier replied. "I-If you y-you do so… t-then I'll… let you go." Rarity let out a small gasp, knowing this could be her only way out. Though, she wasn't prepared to kiss anyone, especially doing it with an intoxicated human. The thought about the kiss made Rarity want to barf, but she knew that she had to escape. With no other option, Rarity prepared herself for one disturbing kiss. She nodded her head slowly at the drunken soldier.

"A-Alright dear… if you promise that is." The soldier slowly nodded his head. Rarity gulped down, as she began to summon her strength.

"W-Well… here goes nothing." At that moment, both the drunken soldier and Rarity puckered their lips and slowly moved towards each other. Rarity had her eyes squinted shut, knowing she will regret this moment. Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon knew what was about to transpire, and looked away from the scene.

"Eww… they're gonna kiss!" Exaggerated Silver Spoon, as she stuck her tongue out in disgust. Diamond Tiara had the same reaction, but was more disturbed.

"I can't believe this is happening, what's wrong with these humans?!" Diamond Tiara said to herself. With the room quiet, and everyone's attention drawn towards the scene at hand, the soldier and Rarity worked their way slowly towards each other. Pearls of sweat rolled down from the sides of Rarity's head, feeling overwhelmingly disgusted. About half a centimeters away from meeting each other, the soldier closed his eyes and waited for their lips to make contact. Just as they were about to make contact, everyone in the room suddenly began to hear tiny running footsteps.

"HEY! YOU! GET AWAY FROM HER YOU FREAK!!" At that moment, the kiss was interrupted by Spike bursting into the room. Rarity spotted Spike, and was surprised to see him there.

"Spike!" She said. Just as the drunken soldier turned around, he was met with Spike's fist in his back. Though with Spike's strength, the drunken soldier didn't feel any pain. The soldier looked at the purple dragon in confusion, wondering how'd he gotten there.

"W-What's… this…?" The soldier pondered. Spike kept relentlessly hitting the soldier as hard as he could.

"You leave her alone you sick human!" Yelled Spike. Starting to get annoyed by the dragon's petty attempts to do harm, the drunken soldier grabbed Spike's arm, and lifted him up to his face. Feeling interested despite his nausea, the soldier glared at Spike with glee.

"Hey hey hey hey… looks… looks like w-we gots… ourselves a runner here." Spike was assaulted by the noxious breath wafting out of the soldier's mouth. He used his free claw to hold his nostrils shut.

"Uuuhg… sick man." Spike mumbled to himself. The drunken soldier turned towards his companion and belched loudly.

"H-Hey… y-you… h-help me out 'ere… will ya?" The intoxicated soldier spoke wearily. To his surprise, the other soldier didn't respond, he only stood there like a statue. He didn't flinch; he didn't move a single muscle. The intoxicated soldier became suspicious of his companion's act. He tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow.

"D-Dude… y-you listening?" He asked. The other soldier fell to his knees, and sprawled onto the floor with a faint moan. Standing behind the fallen soldier was Jack, his hoof extended forward. The intoxicated soldier blinked, utterly confused. He couldn't see Jack through his alcohol-ravaged eyes. However, Rarity and Cheerilee caught a glimpse of the mysterious hooded figure.

"Wh-What…?" Rarity sputtered quietly. The drunken soldier stood up and pulled out his rifle. However, he was holding the rifle backwards, due to being extremely intoxicated.

"Y-You there… *hic*… s-stop right… there." He ordered, attempting to frighten the hooded figure. But Jack just stood there, forearms folded across his chest. The drunken soldier heard the hum of a magic spell charging behind him. He turned around and was immediately blasted, crashing onto Cheerilee's cage with a painful grunt. He fell to the floor, and his consciousness left him. She was surprised by the sudden attack and turned around to see the assailant.

"Oh Twilight!" Rarity exclaimed happily. Twilight smiled gleefully, nodding to Rarity.

"It's okay, we're here to rescue you." Twilight informed her. Rarity sighed with relief, just before Spike latched onto her, giving her the biggest hug he could with his small body.

"Rarity!" Spike exclaimed. Rarity returned the hug, smothering Spike's noggin.

"Oh my little Spikey Wikey! Thank goodness you aren't hurt!" Rarity said, as she rubbed her face on Spike's head. After they broke their hug, Rarity's eyes darted to the edge of the room. She glanced at Jack pilfering the key from the unconscious soldier.

"Who is that over there?" Rarity asked quizzically. As Jack unlocked Cheerilee's cage, Twilight placed her hoof on Rarity's shoulder. Rarity spun around, and noticed a big smile on her face. She had no idea why Twilight looked so excited.

"Twilight? Who is that?"

"It's him." Twilight explained simply. Rarity's eyes widened as she remembered their mutual friend.

"I-It can't be… is it?" Rarity asked. Twilight simply nodded. At that moment, Jack unlocked the cage containing the two fillies. Rarity spun around and took another glance at the mysterious hooded hero. She noticed a familiar gray muzzle under the obscured hood. Instantly, she recognized who that it belonged to, while beaming for joy.

"Jack…?" She guessed, struggling to contain her elation. Jack looked at Rarity and smiled. He grabbed his hood, and flipped it off of his head.

"Hey Rarity." Jack said. At that moment, Rarity gasped in ecstasy.

"Oh darling! It really is you! How are you doing?! H-How did you get in here?"

"The back door was unlocked. It's a good thing we found you." Jack replied. "But enough about that, we need to get out of here and help our other friends." Suddenly, a deafening sound made everypony jump in shock. Jack spun around; his cloak was being consumed by flames, and he hastily tore it off. In just a few seconds, Jack's whole cloak had turned to ashes. He checked himself for burns, feeling naked despite his fur.

"Guh! My cloak!" Jack grunted. Looking to the source of the noise, he saw the drunken soldier pointing a laser pistol. His arm wobbled and he had only one eye open. With a crazed chuckle, the drunken soldier fell unconscious once again. Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon gasped in unison. Jack looked over his shoulder to see the surprised ponies covering their mouths with their hooves.

"W-What… what are you?" Cheerilee sputtered in shock. "H-How are you able to stand on two hooves?" Jack looked at the ground, feeling suddenly embarrassed.

"I… I'm actually… a human." He looked back at Cheerilee, trying his hardest to give her a friendly grin. "I'm not a bad pers-"

"A human?!" Diamond Tiara interrupted. Jack's attention was drawn to the fillies. Diamond Tiara stuck out her tongue in disgust, while Silver Spoon snickered at Jack.

"Wow… I can't believe how lame these humans are, especially pretending to be one of us." Silver Spoon said, giving a friendly nudge at her friend. "I mean, can you believe this, Tiara?"

"Yeah, you look like a freak, standing up on two hooves." Diamond Tiara added. "And your cutie mark… that's got to be the most stupidest thing I've ever seen. Just what kind of costume are you wearing, loser?!" Both fillies laughed derisively at Jack. Jack stepped back; he had no words to argue with. The way both fillies mocked him made him feel like an outcast. He bumped his back against the wall, the laughter worming into his mind, tormenting him. Jack placed his hoof on his head, feeling a burning sensation within his brain.

Jack's vision was dissolving. The background transformed into an image of the city he grew up in, Graniteville. He saw both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon in a crowd of bully kids, laughing and mocking him. He noticed that his body was now his younger, human self. There were bruises and cuts all over his body, and holes torn in his clothes. The bullies chanted the words, "Freak, freak, you're a freak!" while they threw harmful objects at Jack. Jack was curled up in a corner sobbing immensely, as the crowd surrounded him, throwing huge rocks, sharp nails, and even rotten food from nearby trash cans at him.

While Jack was lost in this nightmare, he fell to his knees and placed both hooves on his head. He grunted painfully, as he struggled to remove the memories of his past from his head.

"N-No… n-not… not this again…!" Jack sputtered in pain. He squinted his eyes, and shook his head from side to side. Twilight, Spike, and Rarity called out his name, and rushed over to his aid. The derisive laughter grew louder, as both fillies watched him in agony. And the louder the laughter grew, the harder the bullies threw their missiles at Jack. He could feel each object striking and cutting his body.

"I… I…" Jack tried to produce words, but found that his torment rendered him speechless. He was being consumed by all of his anger and despair. But just as he was about to lose it, Jack felt two warm bodies wrapping around him. Jack's nightmare seemed to float away, and he found himself back in reality. He looked left and right, and noticed Rarity and Twilight hugging him. Then he looked in front of him to see Spike placing a comforting claw on Jack's knee, a concerned look on his face.

"Hey, you okay there?" Spike asked gently. Jack looked at Twilight and Rarity's worried faces. With one heavy sigh, Jack turned back to Spike and slowly nodded.

"Yeah… t-thanks…" Spike and the other ponies were relieved to hear he was all right. Then, they turned their attention towards the spoiled fillies, giving them a scornful look. The fillies stopped their laughter and stared at the ground petulantly.

"Wow… you guys are really terrible. You should leave him alone." Spike scolded them. After a few more seconds of scornful glaring, Twilight looked to Cheerilee who was still looked confused by the situation.

"Ms. Cheerilee, you and the fillies need to hide yourselves somewhere safe. We'll take care of things here." Immediately, Cheerilee snapped back into reality, and simply nodded.

"Y-Yes… of course." She paused to dart her eyes between the fillies and Jack repeatedly. "C-Come on girls… follow me…" Cheerilee led them towards the dark room. When Cheerilee passed the two fillies, she took one last bewildered look at Jack before continuing on. After that, both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon took one last glance at Jack. They both made disdainful snorts and tossed their heads, as they trot haughtily with Cheerilee towards the other room. Once they were out of sight, the gang looked back at Jack.

"Darling," Rarity said. "Don't believe what those two ruffians say about you. Sure you're different from them… but-" Suddenly, Jack stood back up, looking down to the floor dolefully.

"I know… I know…" He spoke hollowly. "I'm… just getting used to this new body. That's all…"

"Oh… I see…" Rarity replied. After a brief moment passed, Rarity thought up a question.

"Umm… can I ask you something, Jack?" Jack trailed his gloomy eyes over to Rarity. With his attention to her, Rarity continued.

"When we brought you into Ponyville… and when Celestia gave you your new body… why didn't you stay with us? Where have you been all this time?" Jack remembered himself saying to his friends that he had to leave somewhere to attend to an important matter, and that he would come back afterwards. He knew that the day was coming, and that they wouldn't like the truth. Yet, he didn't feel quite ready to tell them just yet.

"Well…" Jack replied, "I can't tell you guys… just yet. After we get our friends back, then I will explain. Right now is not the best time." Jack slowly trailed his eyes over to Twilight. "Where do we go next, Twilight…?" Twilight looked at the ground, and sighed.

"Well… I can sense two of them together at the far east side of Ponyville. Though, we got to be more careful this time."

"Alright, let's save the rest of our friends!" Spike said enthusiastically. Twilight looked at Rarity with determination.

"Are you with us, Rarity?" She asked. Rarity nodded her head with no hesitation.

"I sure am, darling! Let's do this!" And so, the gang walked out the way they came in. As they walked towards their next destination, Jack had his head in the clouds. He remembered the promise he made to his friends that after he returned, he would live with his friends in Ponyville for the rest of his life. Yet, based on the ponies he had met so far, he began to doubt whether he would be accepted here… and whether he could keep the promise he made.

Chapter 6: Jack's Fortitude

Chapter 6

As Jack led Twilight, Rarity, and Spike through building to building, he felt more cautious than ever. Jack knew that by now, the soldier would have found the unconscious soldiers, and tightened up security. Not only that, he started to feel a dark and sinister presence somewhere off the distance. Not knowing what was causing this sensation, he tried his best to ignore it. While they continued their way towards their next destination, the group begun to notice more soldiers patrolling the area. The group knew that the entire racket they created so far must have triggered more reinforcements. Seeing as things were going to be complicated, Jack stopped and turned to his friends.

“Alright, listen. From this point on, we need to be extra careful of our surroundings. The soldiers must have picked up some strange activity. We have to hurry and get the others, before things get out of ha-…” Jack paused for a moment, knowing he will screw up every time he mixes up hand and hoof. “Anyways… how close are we to our destination, Twilight?” Twilight closed her eyes to pinpoint the location within her consciousness. A Few seconds later she opened her eyes and nodded.

“We’re halfway there. Though, we need to go though the houses to further our progress.” She looked up and spotted an opened window just a story high. She pointed her hoof at the opened window and everyone looked towards that direction. “We should go through that window there.”

“Alright, I’ll try and climb up there and hoist you all up.” Jack replied. However, just before he could react, Spike flinched in surprise as he saw something on Jack’s back. He realized that Jack was not only a bipedal pony, but a pegasus as well.

“Hold up, Jack. Couldn’t you use your wings to lift us up there?” Spike asked. Jack turned around and faced Spike with an embarrassed look on his face.

“I… I can’t.” Jack replied solemnly. Spike tilted his head to the side.

“Why not? He asked quizzically. Just before Jack could answer, Rarity stepped in.

“Darling, have you ever been practicing since you left?” Jack looked at the ground, and then trailed his eyes up to Rarity, feeling guilty.

“I tried… but… but they’re weaker than I could have imagined.” Jack confessed. “Though, I am able to glide for a short period of time. I don’t know why I’ve been given a pegasus body, but now’s not the time to point out my flaws here.” After a brief moment to prepare his jump, Jack sprinted towards the wall, placed his back hooves on the wall while running upward for a brief moment, then leaped skyward and caught the ledge using both hooves. He looked up and the opened window was just above him. As he was left hanging on the ledge, Jack looked down to the others.

“Alright, just climb on to me and leap into the…” At that moment, Jack saw that the group was nowhere to be seen. Confused, Jack looked from left to right, yet no sign of them anywhere.

“Guys…?” Jack called out quietly.

“Jack… pst!” Twilight responded. Jack heard her voice from above, and looked up. There, he spotted Twilight, Rarity, and Spike looking down at him from out of the window. Perplexed and bamboozled, Jack shot a puzzled look.

“H-How did you-“

“Teleportation. It’s really a handy tool.” Twilight replied. “Here, let me help you out.” Jack could only glare grumpily at Twilight, knowing he was outwitted with his own plan.

“Right…” Jack mumbled. As Twilight focused on her magic, she encased Jack in a purplish aura. Seconds later, Jack’s body flashed out from existence, and then reappeared behind Twilight and the group. Jack felt bewildered for a brief moment, knowing he never experienced magic before. He looked at Twilight with a slight grin.

“Thanks…” Jack said, before looking forward. “Alright, let’s keep moving.” The group started to stealth forward towards the door, carefully not to make the wooden floor squeak. As they approached the doorway, Jack turned the knob and opened the door. Taking a quick peek through the doorway, Jack saw no guards anywhere. Assured that it was safe to come out, Jack opened the door fully, and proceeded forward once more. On the other side of the room, Jack spotted another opened window that he could use. Yet, he had to keep out of sight from downstairs. He turned to his friends and gave them a simple nod. Once they walked out of the room, they went down on their stomachs, and crawled forward. Half way towards their destination, they heard distressed weeping coming from downstairs. Instantly, Rarity produced a quiet gasp as she recognized the sound of the voice.

“I-Is that…?” Eager and anxious to find out, Rarity peaked over from downstairs… and silently gasped in horror. Downstairs were four soldiers guarding a single steeled cage. Inside the cage were Derpy Hooves, Rose Luck, and…

“Sweetie Belle…!” Rarity spoke in a dreadful tone. Inside the cage, Sweetie Belle was curled up in a ball, weeping and tending to her bruised arm. Jack, Spike, and Twilight turned around and noticed that Rarity was being left behind. Wondering what had gotten her attention, Spike turned around and crawled over to Rarity. Once he was at her side, Spike stared at her, puzzled.

“Rarity…? What’s wrong?” Spike whispered. Not wanting to take her eyes off of her little sister, Rarity was left speechless. Spike looked over to where Rarity was looking at, and slightly gasped as well.

“Whoa…” He mumbled. Spike was about to ask Rarity another question when he noticed she was in a traumatized state. Rarity remembered what happened last time she had a dilemma with her younger sister. During her time within the catacombs, she encountered an illusion of Sweetie Belle in her grotesque form. Rarity remembered Sweetie Belle’s mane was severely messed up. Her neck was coated in her own blood, like it had been recently scalped. She also had a broken horn, two dislocated legs, and a stitched mark that was located next to her heart area. But worst of all, she was being used as a flail to attack her older sister.

The reason for her ungodly form was from all the abused and neglectful times Sweetie Belle had dealt with because of Rarity. From that moment on, Rarity gradually regretted pushing aside her young sister for her own benefits. By looking at Sweetie Belle now, Rarity’s dreadful regrets started worming inside her mind, envisioning her with the horrible memories she had down at the damned catacombs.

“Sweetie Belle…” Rarity moaned in grief. As she continued to stare helplessly at her younger sister, she began to produce tears. She bit her bottom lips, and quietly wept. Seeing her younger sister in distress and in pain made Rarity eager to jump in to save Sweetie Belle. But from her failed attempts to counter a soldier she was held back. Not knowing what to do, Rarity was facing a dreadful dilemma. Yet just as madness was breaking through her sanity, Spike placed a helpful claw on Rarity’s shoulder, giving her a concerned look.

“Rarity…?” Spike whispered again. The feeling of Spike’s claw being place on her shoulder pad and the sound of his voice snapped Rarity out of her train of thought. She quickly looked at Spike, then at Jack.

“Jack… please, help my young sister. I… I don’t know if I’ll ever live with myself if my sweet sister is in pain… or worse.” Jack was thrown off guard for a brief moment from her request. Despite his mission to save his friends, he felt unsure of confronting another pony he never met. From all the ponies he met so far, Jack had second thoughts of saving the town folks. In fact, he was willing to keep his sanity and humanity intact. Not given enough time to think this over, Jack eyed to the side and produced a slight sigh.

“I… I can’t. She’ll be alright if she’s remained in her-“

“But Jack… she’s my sister.” Rarity responded quietly. “Why won’t you help her?” Jack knew he was in no position to keep things in the dark, yet he had to for his own sake.

“I…”

“Or better yet, why are you saving us six first?” Rarity replied.

“Hey! Who’s up there?” A soldier from downstairs said. Rarity and Spike gasped, knowing they were discovered. Almost immediately, a soldier started walking towards the stairs, loading his rifle. With no time to waste, Rarity and Spike started working their way towards the opened window. They couldn’t stand up and run, since that would blow their cover. The soldier was halfway up the stairs, and both Spike and Rarity were not near the exit. Jack knew he had to get his hooves dirty once more since they don’t have enough time to make it. But just before Jack could make a move, he suddenly noticed Rarity and Spike was encased in a purple aura. In a split second, both disappeared in a flash. Bewildered and shocked, Jack flinched from the unexpected turn of events.

“W-Whah?” Jack sputtered. All of a sudden, Jack found himself encased in a purplish aura. At that moment, Jack knew that this was the work of Twilight’s magic. Taking one last glance at the soldier who was on top of the stairs, he closed his eyes and exhaled. A few seconds later, Jack opened his eyes once more to see the group. He looked up and noticed he was outside the house. Knowing the guard would search outside the window, Jack leaped inside a nearby bush. Twilight, Rarity, and Spike knew exactly what to do, and hid along beside him.

Once they were inside the bush with Jack, they kept quiet and waited for the soldier. As they expected, the soldier peered through the window, looking left to right. While the soldier took a long investigation around his surroundings, the group was dead quiet. No one dared to breathe or even move at that moment. All they were focusing on was keeping themselves invisible to the enemy. A few seconds of utter silence later, the soldier retreated back into the house.

“Hey, be sure to lock up any windows next time, will ya?” The soldier exclaimed, as he closed the window shut. Once the soldier left, everybody sighed in relief. Everyone exited out of the bush, and brushed off any loose twigs and leaves. Once they were done, Spike turned to Twilight and displayed a slight grin.

“Thanks Twilight.” Twilight nodded her head in return.

“Right, now let’s continue on an-“

“Hold on for a moment, Twilight dear.” Rarity interrupted. Twilight turned her attention to Rarity, who looked indignantly at Jack. Confused by her behavior, Twilight sealed her lips to listen to what Rarity had to say.

“Jack… just why… why didn’t you save my sister back there? She was hurt and scared… yet you choose to ignore her.” While Rarity continued on her little rant, Jack remained silent and let her words slip right through him. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you Jack, but if you’re attempting to save us all, then please save the ones that-“

“Rarity…” Jack interrupted, looking at the ground woefully. “You know… I can’t shoulder the burden of everypony's safety.”

“Then why are you saving us six first?!” Rarity responded, this time her anger rising. Hearing that question made Jack gasp lightly. He knew that question would come eventually, and yet he wasn’t prepared. He was so frustrated that his hooves were shaking from keeping the answer back.

“Because… because…” Just before Jack could continue, Rarity stomped the ground with her hoof.

“Because of what?! That you don’t have the capability of saving every pony’s lives through sheer effort?! That their lives are not as important as-“

“It’s because you six are the only ones that makes my life meaningful!” Jack snapped, as he replied out in frustration. Spike, Twilight, and Rarity held their breaths, as they were caught off guard by the slight truth.

“I would have willingly died down there in the catacombs if it weren’t for you six! For the first time in my life, I found something worth fighting for… and protecting. I don’t know what I would do… if you all… were gone.” Jack made a frustrated grunt and walked towards the corner of a building. He placed his forehead and a forearm against the wall, and then sighed in irritation. At this moment, Spike leaned over to Twilight, curious and confused at the missing information she failed to mention about Jack.

“What’s gotten him worked up? What did he mean by ‘willingly’?” Spike asked. Twilight eyed over to Spike, slowly shaking her head.

“You don’t want to know…” Spike tilted his head at this.

“Why?”

“Well-“ Just as Twilight was about to continue, Jack suddenly burst out once more.

“Look… I don’t want to discuss this any longer. Let’s just worry about our friends first, and then deal with the other ponies later. I want to get through this without…” Jack paused himself for a brief moment, knowing he was about to reveal the real reason. He turned his whole body back around and started walking towards the corner of the alleyway.

“Never mind… let’s just go.” Jack sighed. Spike ran up to Jack to catch up, while Twilight took a moment to assist Rarity. Rarity looked back with distressed on her face.

“Twilight… what’s happening to Jack?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know yet… but Jack’s right.” Twilight replied. “We can’t be saving every pony at this time, it will cause a huge racket and we’ll be overrun by soldiers. Let’s focus on saving our friends first.”

“But…” Rarity couldn’t finish her sentence, because the thought of Sweetie Belle clouded her mind. Looking back at her younger sister now, Rarity was feeling sick in her stomach to the thought of ignore her. She looked away and sighed deeply. Twilight knew what she was going through, as she can relate that feeling with Spike. But she knew now was not the right time to be moaning for her younger sister’s condition, as a more important matter was at hand. Twilight walked up to Rarity, rubbed the back of Rarity’s neck and made a subtle smile.

“Don’t worry… she’ll be alright, I promise.” Twilight whispered. Rarity looked up to Twilight, giving her a friendly grin of her own.

“Thank you…” Twilight nodded.

“Now let’s get going.” The two unicorns got back up to their hooves and they went over to Jack and Spike, who were waiting for the both of them. As the group quietly worked their way towards their destination, they encountered several soldiers patrolling across the streets in a decent line. They eventually snuck passed them by using several places to hide behind. With quick timing, the group hurried across from building to building with ease.

Along the way they encountered several more buildings that they went in through. Each house they snuck inside, Jack looked down at the trapped ponies in their cages, crying and mewling. Some of them were insulting the soldiers with racism comments, and others were frightened by their very presence.

The more ponies Jack met, the less faith he had in his very existence. It was all just the same, being shunned and blamed for the human’s cruel nature. The soldiers cared less about their petty comments, but Jack knew that those comments were being fired towards him. Almost every harsh comment the ponies threw at the soldiers was either true or just too painful for Jack to cope with. Often, the truths would try and overtake Jack’s mind, showing more horrific memories of his past. The more memories he was shown, the greater the pain. But with Twilight, Rarity, and Spike at his side, Jack endured the hateful comments the caged ponies thrashed upon the soldiers. With great stealth, the group eventually went passed the houses with ease.

Finally, after what had been forty minutes of sneaking around, the group were almost at their destination. Twilight could sense two of her friends right next to each other, just located right behind the house they were behind. Twilight looked at Jack, giving him a simple nod, indicating that they were at their destination. Jack returned the nod, and waited for her response. With no time to waste, Twilight went to the corner of the house, and leaned over to the side to take a peek. Instantly, she made a shocking gasp, and then she retreated her head back. Eager to know what she spotted, the group went silent. With one slight nod to confirm, Twilight spoke up.

“I found two of our friends… just as I expected.”

“Well… who are they?” Spike eagerly asked.

“Take a look…” Twilight replied. The group huddled with each other towards the corner of the house, sticking their heads out and gasped in unison. Out in the middle of a three-way dirt junction was a dozen of soldiers, surrounding a portable cage cart containing Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and the flower trio. Rainbow Dash was wearing a cast round her wing from the gunfire incident, while Applejack had a black eye and a few cuts from her unexpected encounter with a soldier. Rainbow Dash was pacing around the cage grunting in frustration, while the others were lying in the cage feeling their full extent of despair. Taking one good look at the setup, the group quickly retreated their heads back in.

“Now what are we gonna do?” Twilight asked. Rarity and Spike replied with a shrug. All eyes were then set onto Jack, hoping he would come up with an idea.

“Jack?” Rarity asked. Jack folded his forearms, closed his eyes and pondered. Everyone was quiet, hoping that he would come up with an idea. It only took a few short moments for Jack to open his eyes again. Then, he examined his surroundings, trying to look for something. At that moment, Jack caught a glimpse of a rock just located a few yards away. Then he trailed his eyes up to the farthest window. He squinted his eyes, and pondered if his plan would work.

“Twilight…” Jack finally spoke. He turned his head around and looked at Twilight. “You can levitate objects with your magic, can you?”

“Well yeah… I am a unicorn.” Twilight replied, rolling her eyes. Jack nodded his head.

“Okay… can you see that rock over there?” Jack pointed his hoof to the rock’s direction. It only took a few seconds for Twilight to catch the glimpse of it. She nodded her head, still wondering about Jack’s plan.

“Yeah… what do you want me to do with it?” Twilight asked. Jack pointed his hoof to the window he spotted.

“I want you to toss that rock up into that window, that way, I believe more than half of these guards will go into that house to check out what has happened.” Already, Twilight was shocked to hear his plan.

“Y-You want me to… throw a r-rock at that window? I can’t break property, it’s against my-“

“Right… Rarity?” Jack said, as he passed the task over to Rarity. Immediately, she nodded her head.

“With pleasure, darling. Do you want me to do it now?”

“No, I’m going up on top of this building, and once I’m in position, I will give you the signal to do it.” Jack said. He looked up to the roof of the building, and gave off a tired sigh. With no time to waste, Jack began to work his way up using wooden ledges. The group watched his astounding feat with awe, never seen such impressive skills coming from a bipedal pony. In about two flat minutes, Jack made his way up to the roof. He sat down and began to catch his breath. During that time, he stared at his own two hooves.

“God I miss my hands…” Jack muttered. After he was finished collecting his breath, Jack look down at the ponies, who were staring right back at him. He threw a quick gesture towards the side. Knowing it’s her queue, Rarity looked at the rock yonder. Her horn illuminated, and the rock began to levitate. With one mighty heave, the rock was launched skyward. The rock smashed the window, causing several shards of glass to fly into the house. At that moment, all the soldiers’, including the caged ponies attentions were drawn towards the sound.

“What was that?!” A soldier exclaimed. Almost immediately, one of the soldiers threw a gesture towards the broken window.

“Don’t just stand there like idiots, MOVE!!” In a matter of seconds, seven soldiers proceeded towards the house with the broken window, their rifles at hand. As Jack watched the soldiers entered the house, he paid close attention to their belts. Luckily, none of the soldiers that entered the house was carrying the key. He looked down at the four remaining soldiers guarding the cage. There, he spotted the key located on a soldier’s utility belt.

“There it is…” Jack mumbled to himself. Ready to make his daring move, Jack stood up and angled his position towards his target. Unsure of what the outcome of this quick ambush will be, Jack began to ponder a quick plan inside his head.

Okay, stay calm Jack, you got this. Jack spoke to himself in his consciousness. There are four guarding from each corner of the cage. If I can take out two soldiers in a row, without letting them fire their assault rifles to cause a commotion, I should be in the clear. Jack closed his eyes for a moment and assessed his techniques for the encounter. In a few seconds, Jack completed his quick plan in his head and was ready for action. Jack looked down at his target, taking one deep breath. At that moment, Jack extended both of his wings to the side. He took a quick look at both of them.

“Don’t fail me now wings…” He whispered to both of this wings. Ready for action, Jack started to run towards the edge of the roof. At the precise moment when he set his hoof on the edge, he leaped forward and put his wings to work. As expected, he glided down perpendicularly towards the unexpected soldier. Once Jack was in range for his glide kick attack, he retracted his wings, performed a front flip while in midair, launched both of his legs forward, and kicked the soldier’s head. Immediately afterwards, Jack took out his collapsible bo-staff, spun it around to extend the staff, and charged forward.

The soldier had a single moment to take a glance at Jack before being whacked across the neck by the staff. During that abrupt scene, the five caged ponies gasped at the sudden ambush. On the other side of the cage, the two soldiers turned around and jumped in surprised by the sudden attack. Both of the soldiers took out their assault rifles and pointed them at Jack. One of them was about to fire away until Jack swiftly tossed the staff like a spear. The end of the staff hit the soldier’s windpipe, causing the soldier to fall down. With one soldier left standing, the soldier had his finger on the trigger, ready to fire at any moment. Jack knew that he didn’t have enough time to interrupt the gunfire.

Suddenly, the rifle illuminated in a light bluish aura. In a split second, the rifle floated in midair, leaving the soldier disarmed. Then the butt of the rifle bashed the soldier’s neck, causing instant knock out. Jack felt surprised to see that an unexpected event just occurred. He darted his eyes to the other side of the road and noticed Rarity’s horn illuminating. Relieved to know that the last soldier was quietly dealt with, Jack picked up his collapsible bo staff and walked towards the unconscious soldier holding the key to the lock.

The ponies in the cage were baffled and speechless. They tried to find who was responsible for taking out the soldiers, yet they couldn’t see their savior. Momentarily, Rainbow Dash spotted a head popping under the cage. She walked over to the edge of the cage, looked down and managed to produce a short and tiny gasp.

“No way…” She murmured, recognizing the savior before her. Her face profoundly lit up from the moment she instantly knew who he was.

“No… way!” Rainbow Dash blissfully repeated herself. Applejack noticed Dash’s voice boarding to a joyful level and was curious to know what had gotten into her. She sat up and met up with Rainbow Dash. She gave a confusing look at the rainbow pegasus first, but something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked down and produced an instant gasp.

“It’s you!” Applejack spoke surprisingly. Just as Jack retrieved the key from the soldier’s belt, he slowly turned his head to meet with two more of his friends.

“Hey guys… it’s been a while.” Jack said, displaying his usual friendly smile. At that moment, Rainbow Dash started to giggle slowly. Overtime, her giggle progressed its way into ecstasy. A slight tear came rushing out of her eye.

“Oh my gosh! It really is you Jack! I can’t believe that your back!” Dash expressed herself vividly.

“Rainbow Dash! Applejack!” Twilight called out. Applejack and Rainbow Dash swerved their heads to the sound of her voice. Their eyes widened from seeing their friends arriving at the scene as well.

“Twi! Spike! Rarity!” Applejack spoke happily. As Twilight, Spike, and Rarity rushed over to meet with the others, Jack unlocked the cage. He opened the door and the first pony to rush out was Rainbow Dash. She zoomed out of the cage, flew over to her friends and gave all three of them one big hug. Applejack leaped out of the cage and met with the others. Each pony gathered around and formed a big hug circle. The group giggled and bounced for joy.

“Oh mah stars! Thank Celestia you gals were alright!” Applejack said.

“I’m glad you two were doing alright as well!” Rarity added. While the group had their moment together, Jack watched them from behind. He smiled, knowing they were happy with each other. But Jack knew it wasn’t the time to mess around, as his mission placed him back in line. He dropped his smile and stared at the dumbfounded flower trio. They were curled up in a corner together, giving Jack confused and intimidated looks.

“You three go hide somewhere safe till this whole thing is over. Go.” Jack ordered in a stoic tone. Jack knew that he shouldn’t be using that tone, but with all the hardships he endured, it almost felt natural to him. Without hesitation, Daisy, Rose Luck, and Lily got up to their hooves and walked out of the cage.

Jack watched the three wordless ponies walked pass by him without even giving the slightest gratitude. Just as the three ponies set their way towards a hiding spot, Daisy looked back at Jack one last time. She observed Jack’s unusual body, from top to bottom. When she was done, she displayed a slight grimace in disgust. After that, she went with the others and disappeared into the alleyway. Jack gave off a slight depressing sigh before looking down at the ground dully.

“Jack!” Called out Applejack. Jack snapped back to his usual self and turned his attention to the group running towards him. As they arrived to Jack, Rainbow Dash gave him a hug.

“Thank you for coming back, Jack.” Rainbow Dash said, releasing Jack from her hug. “So how are your wings coming along?”

“I… I can’t seem to fly yet… but I managed by myself to glide for a certain amount of time.” Jack replied. Dash tilted her head to the side and chuckled. She placed her hoof on Jack’s wings and observed them lightly.

“Well, I’ll be sure to get these bad boys up and running with my help of course. So how are you doing?” Dash asked. Jack eyed away for a moment.

“I’m alright… I’m doing good…” He said with unease in his tone. Applejack noticed right away that Jack’s face was becoming pale.

“Somethin’ the matter, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. Just before Jack could answer back, the group suddenly heard multiple clicks.

“FREEZE!!” The group turned their attention towards the left and spotted several dozens of soldiers running towards them. The soldiers filed up in a barricade line, aiming their deadly weapons at the defenseless group. Jack’s eyes narrowed, as he growled in frustration.

“God damn it…” Jack muttered. He looked at the group, and sure enough they were left aghast. With no time to let the enemies surround them, Jack hastily whipped out his bo staff and charged towards the stampede soldiers. Rarity struck her forearm out to reach for Jack.

“Jack, no! What are you-“

“RUN! GET YOURSELVES OUT OF HERE!” Jack responded hastily. The group knew at this scale, Jack would be no match. They could predict that Jack might throw his life away in just a few matter of moments. Not willing to let Jack go through with this, Twilight tried her best to conjure her teleportation magic to get Jack out of there. But it was too late, Jack leaped into the air and plummeted into the wave of soldiers.

Just as Jack landed on top of the soldier, he furiously spun around his bo staff skyward. This knocked a few soldiers to the side, disarming them in the process. After that, Jack performed a front flip, evading a soldier’s line of fire. While in midair, Jack performed a devastating axe kick to the soldier’s head. Using quick reflexes, Jack got back up to his hooves and performed several melee attacks towards other soldiers. He performed a series of swift punches on their chests, then added a sidekick or two to deliver fatal blows. He even added jumping hook kicks and tornado kicks along with this combo attacks. During his offense, he used his instincts to dodge and evade the soldiers’ punches and kicks. It was a brutal brawl for Jack, and he felt that his sharp skills were starting to wane every second that passed by. He knew that he couldn’t hold them for much longer, but it was for the sake of his friend’s safety.

As the fight continued uninterrupted, the group watched in awe from witnessing Jack’s improvement in swift combat. Especially for Spike, as his mouth was agape the whole time.

“Wooooah…” Spike uttered in astonishment. He never witnessed anything remarkable and phenomenal in all his years. Yet, the more the group watched, the more they felt eager to get him out of there. But just as they couldn’t watch anymore, the group heard multiple footsteps coming from behind. The group turned around and gasped from the sight of more soldiers pouring in. In a matter of seconds, the soldiers surrounded the ponies, encroaching them in a barricade of assault rifles.

As Jack continued his assault, he spotted the group being surrounded by reinforcements. He gasped and attempted to rush over to them in their aid. Jack leaped on top of a soldier’s shoulder pads, and leaped into the air.

“HOLD ON GUYS!!” Jack called out. Suddenly, soldiers were open firing at Jack in midair. At that time, the line of fire worked its way towards Jack. In a shocking revelation, the bullets managed to go right through his right leg. Jack yelped in pain, causing him to plummet to the ground. The blood on his leg was smeared on the dirt road as he pivoted on the ground. The group gasped in horror as they saw their dear friend fall from battle.

“JACK!!” The group yelled out in unison. The soldiers hurried themselves around Jack’s body and encroached him with rifles. Jack tried to get up but the pain was intensifying by the second. With the group being surrounded, the ponies including Spike were forced to the ground, covering their heads in protection. With this unforeseen fate in motion, and Jack unable to react, it felt as though they were about to considered defeat.

Chapter 7: Usefulness

Chapter 7

Jack laid on the dirt road, covering the bullet wounds on his right leg. He grimaced, as the pain intensified with each passing second. He could start to feel his whole body giving out due to the massive blood loss. While he tended to his wound the best he could, he stared at the surrounded ponies.

"God damn it… I'm sorry guys…" Jack spoke in a desperate tone. As the soldiers started to close in the circle, the ponies and Spike huddled up with their backs against each other. The group didn't dare to show any signs of resistance, as the soldiers' rifles displayed intimidation towards the ponies. Then, one of the soldiers, clad in green armor to signify his rank, stepped out of the crowd and approached the surrounded ponies.

"Tsk Tsk Tsk… such malcontent behavior. You've all come this far, only to meet your inevitable fate. Though, I do admire each and every one of you for your tenacity and heroism, my little ponies. But I'm afraid…" The soldier loaded the rifle, and then continued. "Your wishful thoughts won't come save you this time. This… is our purgatory, our era to take back what was ours several thousands of years ago. Now then… be our little good prisoners and come quietly." The green-clad soldier looked over at the group surrounding Jack, and threw a head gesture. One of the soldiers responded to his gesture, and looked down at Jack. Suddenly, the soldier kicked Jack's stomach, making Jack yelp in pain. The kick was so hard that it made Jack's body bounce.

"Get up!" The soldier ordered in a vulgar tone. Once again, the soldier kicked Jack's body, this time twice as hard. Jack's body bounced from the force of the kick, forcing him to lie on the road on his stomach. This made Jack cough up a few doses of blood.

"I said get up!" The soldier exclaimed once more. Witnessing Jack being kicked that hard made the group gasp in horror. Already, Spike was infuriated by the soldier's cruelty.

"HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Spike yelled. The soldier turned towards the baby dragon, and chuckled in amusement.

"Aww what's the matter, baby? Don't like seeing your friend being hurt?" The soldier looked down, chuckling at Jack. Then, the soldier lifted his knee up and aligned his boot above Jack's head. And then, he stomped his boot on Jack's head. Jack shrieked in agony as the pain of being crushed started to intensify. The soldier didn't relent and the pressure grew heavier and heavier, making Jack moan in pain. As the weight continued to grow Jack's head begun to sink into the dirt. This sent him hurtling into an unmerciful world of pain, changing from painful moans to bloodcurdling screams. Jack tried to grab the soldier's leg, but it was impossible due to the immense pain going through his brain.

The more the soldier put the effort to sink Jack's head into the dirt, the more pain he delivered. Hearing Jack scream in agony made the soldier laugh maniacally. The other soldiers stood there, observing the grim punishment unfolding with blank expressions.

Spike watched in disgust and horror as his teeth clenched. His fists were shaking, knees wobbling, and eyes widening in anger like never before. For the first time in his life, he was witnessing brutal torture beyond his intuition. Hearing Jack's painful melody of screams caused his anger to rise to new heights.

"That… does it!" Spike muttered. Just as he couldn't take much more of watching his friend suffer like this, his body reacted all on his own without warning. He ran towards the soldier crushing Jack at full speed.

"RAAAAUGH!! STOP IT!!" Spike roared. Twilight struck her forearm after Spike.

"SPIKE NO!!" Twilight called out. Immediately, she ran after Spike, attempting to stop him in his tracks. But around that same time, Twilight heard someone blowing loudly from a far off distance. She turned her head around, and noticed a cloud of glowing green smoke erupted from between two houses. She stopped running and glanced quizzically at the unexpected surprise. The glowing green smoke spread through the air, increasing its size drastically. Eventually, the glowing green smoke caught the attention of all the soldiers. They were dumbstruck of its mysterious appearance, making them very cautious.

Suddenly, the glowing green smoke began to form into a specter of the infamous Nightmare Moon. The nightmarish mare soared out of the cloud, setting its eyes at the soldier pinning down Jack. By that time, every single soldier aimed their rifle at Nightmare Moon. Some of them open fired without warning, while others were too paralyzed to react from witnessing the mare's fearsome smile, and a display of her wicked razor sharp teeth. The bullets were ineffective, as they went right through her.

Once the nightmarish alicorn was at range of her target, she dove down, her mouth wide open to expose every single-edged tooth in it. The soldier pinning Jack down took his boot off and stared directly into her frightening mouth.

"HOLY SHIT!!" The soldier exclaimed in fear. Once the specter of Nightmare Moon devoured the soldier, she disintegrated on impact, engulfing every single soldier by the blinding green smoke. And then, every soldier's computer helmet visors begun to glitch out, causing them to be blinded by flashing descriptions, static, and the green smoke itself.

"Fuck, my helmet's gone haywire! I can't see anything!" A soldier called out. Suddenly, the glowing green smoke began to form another specter of Nightmare Moon. Right away, the princess of the night lunged towards the other soldiers without warning. Like before, she widened her mouth to expose her intimidating teeth. As she devoured a soldier, she disintegrated on impact and left every soldier engulfed by the smoke. Twilight and the others were caught inside the smoke, yet they mysteriously could see just fine. Wondering who would of done this, Twilight turned around and spotted a familiar face standing next to the two houses. It was none other than the enchanted zebra, Zecora.

"Follow me and leave this place, so please make haste!" She hollered. Baffled but relieved, Twilight nodded her head. She then galloped over towards Jack as fast as she could. Once Twilight ran past Spike, she turned her head back.

"C'mon, help me!" She said. Spike nodded and followed after her. After going past soldiers who were covering their visors with their hands, they met up with Jack. Taking one good look at him, Jack's head was barely half way sunk into the dirt. Not willing to screw around any longer, Twilight illuminated her horn and encased Jack's body in a violet aura. She lifted Jack up and carefully placed his stomach on her back. Even though Jack was heavy, Twilight was ready to endure his weight. For extra measures, Spike held onto Jack so he wouldn't tip off. Once they were ready, Twilight and Spike went off like a shot.

As Twilight ran, Jack's body began to tilt side to side from Twilight's running pace. However, Spike manually pushed or pulled him back up to balance. Not only that, the soldiers proved to be as obstacles. But eventually, they worked their way passed the soldiers and met up with the group.

"Girls, this way!" Twilight exclaimed. As the group followed Twilight, they retreated towards the two houses, where their enchanted friend awaited them.

Back inside Celestia's prison chamber, the princess's appearance began to look disheveled. She had dark bags under her eyes, her flowing mane had a few hairs sticking out, and her jaw quivered slightly. From all the failed attempts to overpower the prison's defensive aura, her magic took her toll. All she could do now was display her dull expression and keep her conscious from fading. On the other side of the prison dome, the robed man was facing away from the princess, staring directly to Celestia's diamond tiara.

Suddenly, the revolving door opened, and Marshal Maxwell abruptly rushed in. Both the robed man and Celestia's attention were drawn towards Maxwell.

"Report." The robed man ordered.

"Sir, some of the prisoners from mark seven have escaped! They surrounded them for a moment, but then they reported an unidentified green smoke that blinded our men, letting the prisoners escape." From the end of his report, silence filled the room. Maxwell held his breath, knowing he would face the consequences for his men's failure. But strangely, the robed man grunted a chortle, and then faced his head to the side.

"And this is urgent? Really now, Marshal Maxwell, these lower life forms are nothing more than gnats. This does not concern our top priority; let them have their… fun." At the end of his sentence, the robed man produced a dark chortle. Yet, Marshal Maxwell wasn't enthusiastic about his order, as he was still doubting his men's skills.

"But…"

"Maxwell, you have nothing to fear." The robed man interrupted. "Return to your station, and do not report something this insignificant to me ever again, or you will have something to fear. Do you understand?" Feeling threatened by his tone, Marshal Maxwell abided to his wishes and saluted to him.

"Y-Yes sir…" The marshal turned around and went out the door, without saying another word. Once both Celestia and the robed man were alone, the robed man turned to the princess.

"It seems there's still some backbone you ponies have developed during your evolution. Hmhmhmhm… you should feel proud for their accomplishments, your highness." Celestia was a little relieved that there was resistance brewing down at Ponyville, yet her lingering doubts of her loyal subject's success kept swarming inside her head.

"Hey guys, look, I think he's waking up!" Spike said. Every pony in the room gathered around Jack, as his eyes were opening up. As Jack begun to gain consciousness, he came across an unexpected headache. He grunted and placed his hoof on his head to ease his pain.

"Guh… my head…" Jack mumbled. He looked around and found that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Twilight, and Spike were displaying a welcoming smile. He noticed that the whole room was pitch black, and the only light they were standing in was the sunlight from the window.

"Are you alright, Jack?" Rainbow Dash asked. Jack nodded slowly.

"Y-Yeah… I am. But… where are we?"

"We're inside a cellar, darling." Rarity responded. "Though I wish we could've gotten a better room to hide in. Who knows what could be lurking in here?" Suddenly, the group heard sounds of clopping steps and bone rattling heading towards their way. It let out a dark low-pitched moan, sending chills down every pony's spine. They couldn't see who was coming, since the whole cellar room was pitch black. Unaware of what the darkness hid, the group huddled up with one another, clinging to their bodies. The moans became deeper and colder as it grew closer to the group.

Spike hid behind Twilight, his knees were wobbling as he displayed fear on his face. From all the adrenaline Spike developed, he could hear his own heartbeat in an unsteady rhythm. The fear was becoming so overwhelming that his body started to quiver.

The clopping steps drew closer and closer, producing more disturbing moans. Rarity and Applejack clutched at each other, filled with unnerved fear. Rainbow Dash stood mightily with bravado, bottling up her own fear. Twilight lowered her head and prepared herself for the terror the darkness would unfold.

Once the moans died out, the hoof steps paused. Then, piercing out of the darkness were two gleaming green dots. The group froze as they gazed into the unknown enemy. And then, the two dots drenched itself in the light, revealing a horrific surprise. Out came from the darkness was an animated stallion skeleton. It growled ferociously as it stared at its prey. Spike witnessed the horror being presented, leaving him bordering to hysteria.

"Z-Z-Zo-Zombie p-pony?!?" Spike stuttered in terror. Then, all at once, Spike and the mares screamed out in terror. Spike closed his eyes and curled himself up into a ball, knowing it was his only protection.

"Gah! P-Please don't eat me! I-I don't taste-" Spike continued, but was interrupted by giggles coming from the stallion skeleton.

"Ho ho ho ho ho… my word, what a thrilling fright, I say!" The stallion said joyfully. At that moment, every pony's fear came to a complete halt, knowing that they recognized the voice. Rarity took another look at the stallion, and then gasped in surprise.

"A-Aero?! Aero Le Spectrum?! Is that you, darling?!" She guessed. The stallion skeleton chortled happily, as he stepped into the light. The stallion had glowing green dots that acted like irises for his hallowed eyes, flexible bony ears, and good-conditioned teeth. The way he blinked his hallowed eyes was phenomenal, it was like cartoon physics, but in reality. Even his stallion ears could flop up and down, since it looked like the same bone minerals. Once the group got a clearer look at the stallion, he sighed at the end of his chortle.

"Yes it is, chappette! It's nice to see you again!" Aero said, with a gleeful tone. The ponies sighed in relief, as an old friend returned to the scene. However, Rarity glared at him for his trickery.

"Darling, that was totally uncalled for. You scared the living out of me!" Rarity grunted. Aero produced an embarrassed chuckle, as he placed his bony hoof around his head.

"Terribly sorry there, I just couldn't resi-"

"Whoa whoa whoa hold up!" Spike interrupted, his voice still trending on fear and confusion. "Y-You all… know this guy…?!" Rarity turned to him and nodded.

"Why yes, he was one of Equestria's legendary painters who had ever lived! We've met him during our time in those dreadful catacombs. He… tagged along and helped us. So no need to fear, he's very friendly… and charming." Spike couldn't believe what he just heard; yet from the look of his appearance, he didn't seemed too intimidating. He could only look at this newcomer with awe. Aero darted his eyes at Spike and smiled pleasantly.

"And I do apologize for frightening you, little one. Just having a little fun here and there." From the corner of his eyes, he spotted Jack covering his wounded leg. His eyes shot up after seeing another friend of his.

"Jack, ol' chap! You've came back! How's it been?" Aero asked. Jack looked at Aero and smiled.

"Descent. It's good to see you again."

"Likewise!" Aero said. Suddenly, the group heard hoof steps coming their way. They looked towards the direction, and almost immediately, there was a candle lit up.

"It is good you both have met, but he isn't safe just yet." Zecora said, holding the candle above her head. "We must mend this wound of his, or things will look grim for him that is." On Zecora's back was a small jar and a piece of cloth. She looked at Aero and simply nodded. Aero nodded back and went over to grab the objects on her back.

"Ah yes, I am so happy to be an apprentice of hers, I say. Her culture and her knowledge of enchantment compelled me to become one myself. Isn't that right, Zecora?" Once Aero grabbed the items from her back, Zecora closed her eyes and smiled.

"Yes, it is true. He is fascinated by my brew. But now's not the time to distract, for we now must act." Aero nodded and trotted up to Jack. He sat next to Jack and noticed that he looked confused by her strange way of talking.

"Why does she talk like that?" Jack asked quizzically at Aero.

"Don't worry, chap." Aero replied. "She rhymes almost every sentence she makes. It's sort of like a… habit of hers. Now then," At that moment, Aero opened the small jar and dipped the cloth in. Once the cloth absorbed the liquid, Aero took out the cloth and presented it to Jack.

"This will sting for a while, but that wound of yours will be gone in a jiffy! Though it will take an hour for it to fully heal you. But never fear, Zecora is the master of remedies. Are you ready?" He asked. Jack looked at his wound for a moment, and then nodded. Aero sighed and prepared himself to place the cloth on Jack's wounded leg.

"Alrighty then chap, here goes nothing." Aero placed the cloth on Jack's leg, and almost instantly, Jack grimaced in pain. After a few seconds of holding in the pain, Jack's face restored back to normal. He placed his hoof on the cloth, looked up at Aero, and nodded.

"Nugh… thanks." Jack said. Thirty minutes had passed, and every pony but Jack and Spike were talking to each other at a corner. The group passed the time by telling their stories and experiences. They had a few laughs and surprising moments. But while the group listened to Aero's experiences with Zecora's training, Jack and Spike were left alone in their worlds.

Jack was lost in his own state of thought, staring aimlessly at the ground. Spike on the other hand felt bored and worried. Spike had a lot on his mind, but he was starting to be more curious about Jack's origins. He looked at Jack, and something caught his attention; his cutie mark. It depicted an ancient demonic symbol that looked to be an eye. Even more curious than ever, Spike decided to ask Jack some questions.

"Hey Jack, what's your cutie mark suppose to be?" Spike asked quizzically. Hearing Spike's voice snapped Jack out of his train of thought. He turned to Spike, then trailed his eyes down to his haunch.

"Oh… this? Well… it's not a cutie mark actually; it's 'The Curse Mark', the counterpart of a cutie mark." Spike blinked in surprise.

"Oh wow… what is it?" Spike asked, sounding more interested.

"Well… The Curse Mark is absolutely rare; only seven wielders were accounted for, including me. According to Princess Celestia, it's… supposed to be a living curse to whoever possesses it. So far, it's giving me more nightmares than usual; it made me create a dark split personality of my own, and… shows me horrific visions of my past. *Sigh*…" Spike was left shocked, making him feel empathy towards him.

"You're kidding! H-How did you get it?" Spike asked with deepest interests. Jack stared into Spike's eyes for a moment, and saw innocence in his eyes. He knew that Spike was a baby dragon, and he wouldn't comprehend Jack's pain. Jack took his eyes off of Spike, and continued to stare aimlessly at the ground.

"I… no… just forget it." Jack sighed stressfully. Spike blinked in shock from the dramatic pause.

"W-Why not?" Spike eagerly asked.

"It's… it's too painful to talk about it." Jack confessed. "Besides, you wouldn't understand my suffering even if I told you."

"But we're friends right?" Spike responded. "Friends are supposed to help each other out and listen to each other's problems." Spike then placed his claw on Jack's shoulder. Jack looked at Spike, who displayed his helpful grin.

"C'mon, tell me." Spike said. Jack looked into Spike's eyes again, and begun to have second thoughts. From looking into Spike's eyes, Jack realized he had the same expression as Fluttershy back then. Fluttershy was the only pony, who came close to knowing the extent of Jack's true suffering. Willing to give Spike a shot, Jack eyed away from him and stared at the ceiling.

"*Sigh*… okay. Where do I begin…?" Jack paused for a moment to construct his storyline. After a few seconds of building up his courage, he started talking.

"Before I tell you how I received the Curse Mark as a pony, you need to know about the mark itself, followed by my childhood. The mark you see on my haunch is 'The Eye of Eternal Darkness'. It represents Zalgo, a godly spirit who is the embodiment of evil itself. Humans everywhere feared him for his presence, and they despised the one who were being used as his vessel… me. And the only way to defeat him was his counterpart, Am'Dhaegar the Pure. Both Zalgo and Am'Dhaegar the Pure were two separate spirits that was once formed by the almighty omnipotent Am'Dhaegar, The Hivemind of Order." Jack looked at the ground; his face went duller than before.

"You see, during my days as a human infant, I was given a scarification. The one responsible for inscribing this symbol onto my abdomen was the world's famous archbishop, Herald Matronly Patio. By inscribing that symbol on me, I was given a hellish life. My hatred for that man was enough to burn the entire world down. Every birthday, Herald would use a razor sharp whip to lash my back, depending on my number of age, as punishment for my existence. For nine years, I carried a total of forty-five lash marks on my back, left uncared for." As Jack's painful story continued, Spike's eyes widened in horror, as he was appalled.

"That's horrible…" Spike uttered in shock. Jack nodded his head and sighed.

"Yeah... but the most painful part of my life… was my horrific discovery. I learned that I was framed the entire time. In fact, my brother, Jared Armstrong, stole the title as the warrior of salvation to defeat me, where it should have been the other way around. But even if I wasn't framed, I'd still live a harsh life." Spike tilted his head quizzically.

"Why? Surely you're the hero… and heroes are-"

"No…" Jack interrupted. "It's much more than that. They view you only as a weapon… an emotionless tool just to be used for mankind's road to conquest. The human's greed for power was what caused their endless cycle of suffering all these years. They would never see me as a human being, let alone a normal person. They only depicted me as a freak of nature aimlessly wandering around without any traits of emotions or affections. No one understood my pain… and they despised me because of my lack of humanity. Imagine if you were to live a life where no one wants you… or would ever love such a monster. But the worst part about it… is that you cannot commit suicide… meaning to kill yourself. You are forced to endure the overwhelming pain, as it corrupts your very existence." Just as Jack paused for a moment, he let his aching heart rest. Spike on the other hand was shedding small amounts of tears from picturing Jack's tragic life.

"Holy cow… that's… harsh." Spike spoke, maintaining his composure. Jack looked at Spike, then back at the ground.

"For nine years, I lived in my small city 'Graniteville' where I was alone and bashed every day. But until my tenth birthday, my execution night, everything changed. My brother… or should I say Zalgo, engulfed the city in flames. Everyone in that city, including that goddamn archbishop died by the hands of my twin brother. It was good to know Herald was among the living no longer, yet he still haunts me to this day. For the next passing years, I ran away from home and traveled far, far away. I crossed a deadly desert, rode a long train, went through a dark forest, and lived in another corrupted city. I lived on my own, surviving the outcome, and nurtured my vengeance towards my brother. Yet, while I was surviving on my own, I wasn't actually alone." Jack looked up and narrowed his eyes. He imaged inside his head a certain monster.

"Apparently, there was this chaotic demon named Nyarlathotep who was searching for my brother and I. During my lonely years, Nyarlathotep tried to hunt us down, and attempt to deliver us to his master, Azathoth. The reason was that Am'Dhaegar was a part of Azathoth's body. Without Am'Dhaegar's essence, Azathoth would never wake up from his eternal slumber. However; if Nyarlathotep does capture the both of us, and fuse us into his master, then Azathoth will obliterate the very foundations of life and death." Jack closed his eyes for a moment, and then stared at Spike's frightened eyes. From listening to Jack so far, Spike got a vivid picture of the threat laid before him.

"W-Wow… that's pretty scary if you ask me. We should do something abou-"

"It's alright Spike…" Jack paused Spike. "Because I just recently heard rumors that Nyarlathotep was defeated. We shouldn't be seeing him anytime soon. However; I do fear he's not the only one searching for us." Jack looked at the gang, who were still having a good time talking to each other.

"Anyways, after I met with Twilight and her friends, we managed to defeat Jared and Zalgo… but at the cost of my own body. During our fight with Zalgo, my body was crushed and fractured. I was on the verge of death; my only escape to paradise was within my grasp. But just when I was about to succumb to death, Princess Celestia created this body for me to act as a vessel until my human body is fully recovered. Though, she didn't have the strength to fully create a perfect stallion body, I was still perfectly fine."

"Wow… that's a pretty interesting story. So umm…" Spike paused, as he looked at his Curse Mark. "What about your Curse Mark? Is it permanent?" Jack took his eyes off of his friends and stared at his mark.

"Well… it depends. According to Celestia, the Curse Mark will only disappear if you were to fulfill the most sacred deed that brings happiness to oneself and others. Only then will it disappear and a cutie mark will appear in it's place." At that moment, Jack's tone turned to sorrow. "Though… I don't see that happening anytime soon." Jack curled up and hugged his knees with a depressed sigh. Spike tilted his head, looking concerned at Jack's behavior.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked. He saw a tear coming out of Jack's eye, and gasped. He placed his claw on Jack's shoulder and shook him.

"You okay?" He asked once again.

"You know… now that I come to think about it… I might not ever achieve a peaceful life. Already, the ponies in this town view me as an outcast… like they don't want me here. It's just the same as everywhere I go, they don't value me in any way… and they can't understand me. I feel so alone in this world. I never asked for any of this from the beginning… all I ever wanted was a normal life." At that moment, Jack produced more tears than before, his voice breaking up. "You guys are the only ones that value me for who I am. I want to protect my friends with my life. If I were to loose my only friends now… I… I don't know what I'll do. They mean everything to me in my life. I want to become useful to them… in a way they treat me as one of them. I-I don't want to be weak and helpless again… I-" At that moment, Jack couldn't hold it any longer, and he started to weep quietly.

Jack's weeping was contagious enough to make Spike draw out more tears. Spike had no idea Jack had this much pain bottled up inside him. But what struck Spike the deepest was that Spike had something in common with Jack, and that was being useful. Like Twilight willing to do anything to be productive, Spike want to become useful by helping out others. By looking at Jack now, he sees a desperate soul willing to prove his existence, rather than a stubborn and rude pony. Spike couldn't help but smile at Jack's accomplishments so far. He rubbed Jack's back, shaking his head.

"Hey… don't worry about it. I know how you feel, and believe me; I want to protect my friends too. You're never alone Jack… you got me as a friend. And I say you're doing a great job doing what's best." Jack paused his weeping, slowly turning his head to Spike with eyes soaked in tears.

"R-Really…?" Jack asked sincerely. Spike nodded slowly.

"Yeah… you really moved me. You're like… the teacher I never had. I now feel more confident and courageous in protecting my friends thanks to you. I'm really glad I met you. And I'm really thankful you saved me and my friends." Jack's eyes widened as he saw a hopeful smile on Spike's face. For the second time in his whole life, Jack's heart brightened with profound joy. Jack couldn't help but burst into more tears, as he grabbed Spike and hugged his body.

"Thank you Spike… that means a lot to me." Jack said, trying his best to regain his composure. Spike smiled back as he returned the hug. Thirty more minutes had passed by, and the group was ready to resume their mission. Jack uncovered the cloth, and the wound was almost healed. But he couldn't feel any pain that caused restrictions. Knowing Jack's leg was all better, the group climbed out of the cellar, and was welcomed by the bright sunlight once more. The group turned to Zecora and Aero and smiled.

"Thanks for the help you guys." Jack said. Zecora and Aero nodded their heads.

"It was an honor to aid you again, I say." Aero replied.

"You guys should hide back into the cellar until this whole thing dies out." Jack suggested. "It's very dangerous out here and I don't want you guys to be caught." Armed with this knowledge, Zecora and Aero nodded once more.

"It is clear that we must hide, until it is safe to go outside. Do take great care, and let fate be fair." Zecora added. The group nodded in assurance.

"We will… and we'll see you then!" Rainbow Dash said. As Aero and Zecora waved goodbye to the group, they went back inside the cellar. Once the cellar door was shut, Jack turned to Twilight with a serious face.

"Alright, lead the way Twilight." Jack said. Twilight quickly nodded and began trotting forward. The group followed, as they were eagerly awaiting their remaining two destinations.

Author's Note

Looking for some new proofreaders to help me. If anyone is interested and helpful, just PM me.

Chapter 8: Reunited

Chapter 8

The group snuck passed building from building, hoping they wouldn’t run into anymore trouble. With their progressions quickly growing, their hopes were leading them to new heights. But while they progressed, they began to notice more soldiers scurrying around the town, running in a formation line. The way they searched the area built pressure onto the group, making it difficult for them to stay calm. But the group didn’t fully succumbed to the pressure, as they were getting close to their destination. With great stealth and precision timing, the group managed to sneak by every soldier.

When Twilight went back inside her mind to view the pinpoints of the remaining two, she noticed something strange. Twilight sensed that her two remaining friends were inside a single huge building. Back then, the two were miles away from each other, but this time they were sharing a building. Knowing this new update surprised Twilight, she felt even more confident of rescuing her friends. Just as they finally spotted the building across the road, she turned to the group with a pleasing smile.

“Here we are, inside that building holds Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.” Twilight happily announced. Jack’s eyes shot wide open from the surprising news, he even felt happy to know that Fluttershy was close by.

“Really? That’s great! Once we’re all back together, we’ll face whoever is responsible for the siege.” Jack turned to the others, who were just as anxious as he was to get this done. “Are you all ready?” Without a moment to waste, the group nodded their heads. Jack returned the nod, and faced the building with determination.

“Okay, let’s save our friends.” Jack went first, as he walked towards the edge of the building. He peeked around the corners, and there were no signs of soldiers patrolling nearby. Taking this opportunity to make their move, Jack threw a gesture to summon forth the group. Everyone dashed across the road, and hid behind a fruit stand. Jack peered over the stand, and there were still no sign of soldiers coming towards the area. So far so good, Jack turned his attention to the building door. The door was barely opened, as if someone forgot to lock it. Finding the door slightly cracked opened made Jack perplexed and suspicious.

“Okay… this is just too easy.” Jack thought in his head. “Are they planning a trap for us? If so-“ Suddenly, there was a curdling scream coming from the building. The group recognized the sound of the scream and gasped in unison.

“Oh my stars, that sounded like Pinkie Pie! I think she must be in trouble, y'all!” Applejack stated. The group stood up and stared at the door alarmed. But just as the group was about to rush blindly towards the door, Jack blocked them with his forearm.

“Hold it, I think this could be a trap!” Jack warned them. The group stopped in their tracks, as they had a moment to view the setup. But as Pinkie’s distressed call made them more anxious by the second, they didn’t had the time to consider his precaution. Not willing to idly stand by any longer, the group ran passed Jack. Jack felt shocked and surprised as they made their move unexpectedly.

“W-Wait guys! Don’t-“

“I’m sorry Jack, but she needs our help now!” Rainbow Dash interrupted him abruptly. Jack clenched his teeth in frustration, knowing the group was impatient and reckless. He grunted in anger, as he followed the group. He pulled out his bo staff, twirled it around and extended both ends. Up the steps they went, Twilight used her magic to illuminate the doorknob. She swiftly opened the door, and the group went inside. Jack was the first to enter through the door, as he held the bo staff horizontally in front of himself. The rest of the group went into their fighting stances; ready to take on any soldiers. Just as they spotted Pinkie Pie and the soldiers, Jack stepped forward.

“Don’t worry Pinkie, we’re…” Jack paused himself, as he was instantly flabbergasted.

“AAAAAH! HOT HOT HOT!!” Pinkie yelled in pain as she used her hoof to fan the tea stain on her chest.

“You alright, Pinkie Pie? Here, use this napkin!” A helmetless soldier said, as he gave Pinkie a napkin. Pinkie grabbed the napkin and smiled at the soldier.

“Oh thank you Tom!” Pinkie thanked, as she placed the napkin on her chest. “Maybe I shouldn’t have made the tea extra hot. Oh well, they’re better ho-”

“…What… the… fuck!” Jack uttered in shock. His eyes widened to the point of meeting his limit. His mouth was slightly gaped, as he couldn’t produce any words. The other ponies had Jack’s same expression, only more profoundly. What they were witnessing was a tea party set up, three soldiers holding their own tea cups and Pinkie wiping away the tea stain with the cloth she received from the soldier. Pinkie and the soldiers heard Jack and turned their attention to them. Almost instantly, Pinkie Pie gasped in joy.

“HEY! I remember you! Welcome back, Jack!” Pinkie immediately jumped out of her seat, and in a cartoonish fashion, she lunged herself straight towards Jack without a single moment of warning. Her speed was incredibly and unidentifiably fast that she traveled from one end of the room to the other in just a split second. As she approached Jack, she came to a complete stop, wrapped her forearms around Jack’s body, and squeezed the living out of him.

“Oooooh! I missed you sooo much!” Pinkie said in ecstasy. Jack tried to break free from her grasp, but his strength couldn’t match hers.

“N-Nice… t-t-to see… you again… nugh!” Jack spoke, as he tried to breathe. Pinkie smothered her cheek against Jack’s cheek, as she hugged tighter. Jack gagged, knowing he couldn’t gain access to his lungs. After a few seconds of hugging Jack, she released him and displayed her friendly smile at her dumbstruck friends.

“Girls! I’m so happy that you’re all okay!” Pinkie said as she bounced for joy.

“P-Pinkie… I-I don’t understand… why-“ Just as Twilight was about to make her statement, Jack suddenly snapped and interrupted her.

“What the hell is going on?!” Jack thundered, as he walked around Pinkie to block the pathway towards the soldiers. He shot a death glare at the soldiers, making them feel uncomfortable and confused.

“This doesn’t make any sense. These soldiers are clearly our enemies. So why are-“

“I know this looks odd,” Pinkie interrupted. “But you gotta believe me on this one.” Pinkie dropped her smile, as she turned to the three confused soldiers. She pointed her hoof at each one of them as she began to describe her event.

“Okay, so like me and Fluttershy was locked up inside a big cage, being guarded by these three guys. And as they were guarding us, they removed their helmets to munch down on our goodies, having a good time.” As she continued, she pointed her hoof towards a bunch of broken objects lying on the floor. “While they were chatting away, they didn’t notice that they were sitting under a shelf that held pretty heavy stuff. So when I watched them chat away, I noticed that the shelf was starting to wobble from them laughing so hard. And so I tried to warn them about the objects above them but they totally ignored me. And just when the shelf wobbled enough, the shelf broke, causing a bunch of heavy objects to smash onto their heads.” Pinkie turned back to the group, who felt peculiar to the story.

“After that, all three of them were knocked out for at least a half an hour. After waiting for so long, the three soldiers started to regain consciousness... and then they start to act... different. They said that they didn’t know where they were at, or how they were wearing their suits.”

“So what yer saying, is that they have amnesia?” Applejack asked. Pinkie nodded her head.

“I think so... but its not just their memory that’s gone loco... it’s their attitudes. Ain’t that right guys?” Pinkie said to the soldiers. Each soldiers nodded their heads.

“Why yes... as a matter of fact, I don’t know who these other two are.” One of the soldiers confessed. “I’ve never met them before. But once I saw poor Pinkie and the other mare inside a cage, I just had to let them out. And that’s where she set up this nice little tea party for us.” The soldier lifted his tea cup to his lips and silently sips a portion of tea while extending his pinky finger. Pinkie turned back to her friends with a positive smile.

“Ain’t Tom a gentleman? So yeah, that’s pretty much it. Crazy, huh?” Pinkie asked.

“Yeah... likely story!” Jack thundered out, as he stomped forward holding the bo staff horizontally in front of himself. “Like I’m going to believe this utter bullshit act! Give it up you three, you're not fooling anyone here!” As Jack presented threat to the table, the soldiers retreated themselves into a fetal position, instantly shivering in fear. They grimaced in fear, as they stared directly into Jack’s cold and threatening eyes. Jack was about to charge in and take on them while they were defenseless, when the blond hair soldier’s rifle fell out of his holster. He looked down and gasped in horror.

“Gah! Is that a r-rifle?! When on earth did I get such a thing! G-Get that thing away from me!” Jack lowered his staff slowly, as his face was converted into utter confusion. Viewing their actions and reactions, Jack started to question if their behavior was legit or not. Either way, Jack’s suspicions made him uneasy.

“...Okay?” Jack said. He turned to Pinkie, still displaying his puzzled look.

“Pinkie...? Are you sure... you’re telling the truth?”

“Yahuh!” Pinkie nodded. “They were a bunch of meanie pants until the heavy objects just knocked them out.” Jack stared at the ground, thinking if Pinkie’s statement was correct. Given a moment to ponder about all this, Jack trailed his eyes back to the traumatized soldier. There, he observed the soldier’s frightened eyes. Right away, he noticed that his eyes weren’t showing any signs of a false impression. In fact, they were acting out of pure innocence. Realizing this unexpected phenomenon, Jack lowered his defenses, and placed the bo staff away. He walked up to the soldier, still displaying his face of doubt.

“So... let me get this straight. You... don’t remember... any of this?” Jack asked, as he slid the rifle off to the side. Seeing that the rifle was out of his range, the soldier sighed in relief.

“Yes... I don’t remember. Heck, I don’t know what this place is and how we got here.”

“Fine. What are your names?” Jack asked. The blond hair soldier placed his hand onto his chest as a gesture of introduction.

“I am Tom March.” After he spoke his name, he pointed to the dark haired soldier sitting next to Tom.

“This is Kyle Springers, and...” Tom moved his finger to point at the last soldier, who had brown hair.

“This is Neil Walker.” After the introduction, Tom reaffirmed his friendly smile. Jack took a moment to look into the other two soldier’s eyes, and as he preceded, they show confusion and innocence.

“Alright... then tell me, what are you soldiers doing here in Equestria?” Jack asked sincerely. Tom flinched in surprise from hearing the question.

“What? This is Equestria? Holy cow, I never knew this land would have existed!”

“Wait... if we’re in Equestria... then the legends are true!” Kyle said as he joined in the conversation. “The warhorses must of lived here, and you’ve all evolutionized into this! I can’t believe this!”

“Indeed... but... what I would like to know... is how we even got to this place?” Neil asked. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I sort of remember being somewhere else other than here.” He folded his arms, closed his eyes and begun to ponder the possibilities.

“Do you three remember anything before you got to this place?” Jack asked. As the soldiers were thinking, Jack waited patiently for their answers. So far, Jack started to believe their misfortunate fates, but he still felt edgy about the whole idea. Finally, after what seemed to be a half a minute, Tom unfolded his arms and looked at Jack.

“Well... all I can remember was living in Aerithian City. But during that time, the city was under attack. And the last thing I could remember... was seeing an unexplainable creature ravaging the city... while holding... some sort of... object. After looking at that monstrosity for a few seconds... I blacked out. It was like... that creature... just ended my life. And now here I am... it just felt like it had happened yesterday.” Jack slightly squinted his eyes after he mentioned Aerithian City. During Jack’s harshful times of living on his own, Jack also lived in Aerithian City, only for a temporary of time. And he too saw something devastating the city. But ever since Jack was transferred to a new body, some of his memories became obscured. Unable to come up with a plausible answer, Jack was left puzzled and confused. Applejack on the other hand came up with a slight possibility.

“Hmm... this may sound like a long shot... but... what if... these soldier are... being controlled? And... when they were knocked out... they turned back to normal.” Jack closed his eyes and grunted.

“That’s slightly plausible... but let’s not jump to conclusions.” Jack said as he turned to the group. “Here’s the thing... there can’t exist a power that can manipulate even an army of humans at once... only the Outer Gods have that type of ability. And...” Jack paused himself, as a diminutive piece of information slowly filled in the gaps of his memories. During that time, the story Tom presented started to connect with Jack’s side of the story. There, Jack revisited a memory of his to where he told the story of how he lived in Aerithian City to the ponies five months ago.

"I've lived in Aerithian City for four years. I felt a little comfort living within the city… but it didn't help with my real life issues. Everything went on as usual… until… the day blackened once more. Buildings were collapsing onto one another; the shrieks of terror echoed all over the streets, and signs of death were everywhere. I thought my nightmares came back to haunt me once more. But, I soon realized that this wasn't my doing. I spotted...”

“...It can’t be...” Jack muttered under his breath. “Him...?”Jack’s pupils shrunk, as the truth left him baffled and surprised. Realizing the truth, he finally figured out who was the one responsible for the siege. Jack tried to refute his discovery, but the evidence was too overwhelming. He knew exactly... what he was up against.

“Jack...?” Twilight asked in a concerned tone. “You alright?” Jack snapped out of his train of thought, and displayed his grin to Twilight.

“Oh... yeah. Just a... crazy thought. Don’t worry about it.” Jack dropped his grin and returned to his regular composure, as he turned his full attention to Applejack. “As a matter of fact, Applejack, I think you are right. There is someone working behind the curtains. Because I can relate to Tom’s story as well. I too lived in Aerithian City during that time.”

“Really?!” Spike said, sounding a bit surprised. “You mean you figured out who’s behind the siege? Who is it?” Jack eyed over to Spike.

“The person’s name doesn’t matter right now, because we’re dealing a crises on our hands. Since we’re armed with the knowledge that these soldiers are under the influence of someone, I believe that we all need to focus on freeing them from their trapped minds.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion.

“Wait... what makes you say that?” She asked. Jack sighed, as he leaned his back against the wall.

“Just think, Dash. We could turn the tides of this battle. If we can retaliate and free the soldiers by knocking them out, we can make our own army. I had a peculiar feeling from the moment I knocked out the first soldier I encountered. I knew that their behavior was unnatural. It was like... they were forced to be this brutal. I had my doubts, but now that the evidence is clear, I have no right to pursue anymore theories.” Jack turned to face the three quiet soldiers who felt nervous. “Now that we have that out of the way, can you guys remember anything while you all were being controlled?”

“I...” Kyle paused, as he scratched his head. “I think... I may know something. It’s very blurry... but it has something to do with our main objective.” Kyle folded his arms, as he pondered. The ponies waited patiently while he tried to gather up as much intel as he could. After waiting a few seconds, Kyle closed his eyes and grumbled.

“Even though my will was no longer my own, and all I could see is darkness, but I could still hear vaguely. If I recall correctly... I heard that our main objective... was to seek an ultimate source of untold power and magic. They said that it was buried... deep inside this land. I don’t know what they’re planning on using it for... but it must be pretty big.” At that moment, Twilight slightly gasped in horror.

“Wait... y-you don’t mean... The Heart of Equestria?” Kyle opened his eyes and pointed at Twilight.

“Yeah yeah! I think that’s what they said.”

“B-But... but why?” Twilight asked herself. The group turned around and faced Twilight with questions in their heads.

“The Heart of what now?” Pinkie asked first.

“The Heart of Equestria... I’ve read about it from a dusty old book a few years ago. Of course, I don’t believe in it, since it was just too ridiculous. You see, it’s a mythical gemstone that’s filled with powers beyond our imaginations. Apparently... the gemstone is the source for all unicorn and alicorn magics. And according to the legend, the gem was the one responsible for creating Equestria and all of it’s inhabitants. It is said... that whomsoever touches the giant prismatic gem will be granted a wish. But it can only be granted to those with innocent and a loving heart.” The room was filled with silence. After hearing such legend, it left everyone in the room speechless. But during the silent moment, Jack couldn’t help but ask a question that he pondered about.

“Okay...? But... since the wish can’t be granted, why are they going after it? Or better yet, does that gem even exist?”

“I don’t know if that gem does even exist.” Twilight replied. “They must be crazy into thinking of exploiting such ridiculous myth. But... but it still worries me. I think that they could be right.”

“Right... which means we need to act now.” Jack replied back, as he faced back to the soldiers.

“Okay, now that we know what the soldiers are really after... we need to hurry and get Fluttershy out of here. Where are you guys hiding her?” The soldiers looked at one another, then they stared back at Jack with a nod.

“Follow me.” Kyle said. The three soldiers got up from their seats and started heading towards the kitchen, while the gang was following behind them. At the end of the kitchen was a cellar. Tom opened the door, and let everyone through. Down the stairs they go, the group carefully took each step at a time. Downstairs were lit up candles scattered at each corner of the floor, yet the darkness was stronger. Once they reached at the bottom of the stairs, they spotted two mares sitting next to each other. Twilight gasped from the sight of a familiar yellow pegasus.

“...Fluttershy...” She spoke under her breath. The two mares ceased their conversation and turned their attentions to the gang. Fluttershy gasped in surprise to see her friends were present.

“I-It can’t be!” Fluttershy sputtered. Everypony except Jack rushed over to Fluttershy, gathered around her, and formed a group hug. At last, all six were reunited once more. They all giggled, as they cried for joy. Their hearts were beating as one, and all of their anxious minds came to rest.

“R-Rainbow Dash?!” Said a familiar filly. Rainbow Dash looked over and spotted a young filly with an orange coat, and an orange mane looking at her in surprise.

“Scoots!” Dash said in excitement. Scootaloo immediately ran towards Dash, fresh tears were welling in the filly’s eyes. Dash spreaded her arms to the side and snatched the filly into her arms. Scootaloo quietly sobbed in Dash’s chest, while Rainbow Dash stroke the filly’s mane up and down.

‘Shh... it’s okay.” Hushed Rainbow Dash.

“I-I’m so glad... t-that you’re okay, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried. While Rainbow Dash tended to Scootaloo, Fluttershy broke up the group hug and stared at her friends bewilderingly.

“Oh I’m so glad you’re all okay! H-How did you-”

“It wasn’t easy, Fluttershy. But we managed to sneak by the soldiers the best we could.” Twilight said. “But... I don’t understand. I thought that you were far away, and yet, here you are. How did you come to this place?”

“I was transferred here.” Fluttershy replied. “Big Macintosh was being reckless, and so they had to switch me in his place. But that’s enough about me... how did you know I was here?”

“It’s been a while... Fluttershy.” Jack spoke subtly. At that sudden moment, Fluttershy held her breath. The familiar voice struck Fluttershy, as her eyes widened. Twilight and Rarity smiled at Fluttershy while they backed up to reveal who spoke. Behind the two ponies revealed Jack standing at the edge of the stairs displaying a smile of his own. Once Fluttershy spotted Jack, she gasped heavily.

“J-Jack...?” She sputtered. At this point, Fluttershy’s eyes were starting to be filled up with tears. The memories both Fluttershy and Jack shared came rushing through her head vividly. Her aching heart was relieved as she continued looking at Jack, who was here, safe and sound. Her happiness took control of her body, as she slowly walked towards Jack. Few seconds later, Fluttershy started weeping in joy and begun trotting. Jack spread his arms out to the side and snatched Fluttershy into his arms. Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Jack, as she was blessed with profound joy.

“Jack! Y-You came back!” Fluttershy said as her voice broke up due to the heavy amount of tears. “I-I always knew y-you would c-come back!” Jack closed his eyes and chuckled.

“Of course... I kept my promise, didn’t I?” Jack patted Fluttershy’s back, as he too was filled with joy. Fluttershy kept on weeping over his shoulder, relieving her worried heart. The pain Jack had to experience in his childhood made Fluttershy felt so attached to him. Ever since Jack left Ponyville, she kept thinking about his wellbeing almost every day. Now that Jack was here, she felt the happiness returning to her. But just as they were reminiscencing of their time together, Jack remembered that time was of the essence. Jack broke off the hug and smiled at Fluttershy’s tearful eyes.

“I missed you all so much. But now’s the time to take action.”

“I... I understand, Jack. But...” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “But Jack...? Can I ask you something?” Jack knew what Fluttershy was about to ask. To let it all play out, Jack was willing to listen, hoping that the certain question will never come to pass.

“Yes?” Jack said.

“Umm... where were you... all this time?” Just as Jack feared, his prediction came true. But he knew that the question would come sooner or later.

“Right...” Jack sighed. He looked at the group, who also had the same question in their heads. Jack took a moment to gather his strength by clearing his conscious. Once he was done, he relaxed his body for a moment. Ready to tell the truth, Jack sighed smoothly.

“Guys... I’m sorry I wasn’t able to... tell you the reason. Because... I just wanted you all to understand the circumstances here.”

“Circumstances?” Fluttershy asked quizzically.

“Yeah. And... I just didn’t want you all to worry about me. The real reason why I left... was to continue with my training.” As the truth was revealed, everypony tilted their heads in confusion.

“Training? Training for what, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“Martial arts... and making my body more useful.” Jack replied. “Because... because I want to protect my friends and myself against the enemy we’re facing. I know who’s behind the siege... and I believe you all deserve to know who it is.” Everypony went silent, their ears perked up, as they were anxious to know the name. Jack took a few moments to shake off his apprehension, because the name would mean trouble to the ponies. After a few silent moments had passed, Jack was ready to say the name.

“What we’re up against is none other than...”

“My lord...” Marshal Maxwell spoke as he entered Celestia’s prison room. “We have reached our destination. The gem has been found.” The robed man turned around and nodded.

“Excellent. How long until the portal device is activated?”

“In exactly one hour and twenty four minutes, my lord.” Maxwell replied.

“Very well. You are dismissed.” The robed man ordered. Maxwell bowed slowly, then he exited the room, leaving both the princess and robed man alone. The robed man turned around and made a slight chuckle at Celestia’s condition.

“How unfortunate that this land and the entire world will be wiped out from existence. I will make you watch as your whole world you once cherished so dearly burn.” Celestia’s conscious was on the verge of slipping away from her again. Her head felt fuzzy, as if she could pass out at any moment from now. Ever since Celestia first encountered the robed man, she was suspicious of his aura. She recognized the robed man’s aura somewhere before, the dark and sinister aura that reeked chaos. Celestia guessed that the aura belonged to Discord, yet from the all of the atrocities this robed man demonstrated so far, she was skeptical of her confirmation. Willing to gain her answer, Celestia summoned the remaining strength she could muster, and shot a death stare at the robed man.

“D-Dis...cord... i-if that... is you. H-How... d-did you... c-come across... the k-knowledge... of t-the gem’s l-location?”

“Discord?” The robed man said. “That name... I haven’t heard that name a millennium ago. Are you referring to my... student?” At that moment, Celestia’s eyes shot wide open in shock. Her assumptions on this man’s true identity was shattered. But she was more shocked to know that Discord was a student to this man.

“S-Stu...student...?!” Celestia sputtered weakly. “W-Wait... a-are... y-you... N...Ny...” Just before she could finish her sentence, Celestia’s consciousness left her. Her eyes closed, and her head went back to the ground. The robed man chuckled at Celestia, as he shook his head.

“So... you do remember me, haven’t you? Well... I guess it’s too late now. I’ve impersonated one of humanity’s greatest source for hope, and lured them into my clutches. Soon... this land... and the essence of Am’Dhaegar will belong to me... Nyarlathotep!”

Chapter 9: Turning the Tides

Chapter 9

“...Him?!” Fluttershy spoke in shock. Jack gave a dismal look at Fluttershy, indicating that he was serious.

“Yes... the demon who sought to capture Am’Dhaegar’s essence... and bring it back to his master.”

“B-But I don’t get it!” Spike flabbergasted. “You said he was defeated! How is he back?!” Jack darted his eyes at Spike, along with a simple sigh.

“It appears those were false rumors. It looks as though Nyarlathotep was more formidable in giving humanity deceitful hopes by faking his death, just so he could take control over them when they least expected it.” Jack grinded his teeth in anger as the subject was inducing him into frustration. “I can’t believe it...”

“Jack...” Fluttershy said. “Why couldn’t you just tell us back then? We could have understand and even helped you.” Jack turned his attention to Fluttershy, responding by shaking his head.

“You don’t understand... I couldn’t risk letting you all know that there was an ominous threat looming over your kind. Plus... if you all knew, you wouldn’t let me go easily. Because Nyarlathotep is searching for the scroll of Zalgo... and me. It was best to keep this information to myself so I could be free from guilt and anxiety. I... I just don’t want to be a burden to you all...”

“But Jack...” Fluttershy said. “You’re wrong. You’re not a burden at all. I mean, we’re the ones who shouldn’t be a burden to you.” Fluttershy walked up to Jack and patted him on the back. Knowing Jack’s stressful situation, Fluttershy was able to contemplate the depth of his frustration.

“We want to help too... don’t put us in the dark.” Jack looked into her eyes and felt a slight connection of empathy. Jack sighed softly, letting all the stress exit his body.

“I’m sorry... about that.” Jack said under his breath. Once the stress was almost gone from his body, Jack looked at his friends with determination in his eyes.

“Okay... now that we’re all here... we need a plan.” Jack said.

“Yes... we do.” Spoke an anonymous voice. “And I will assist you all.” At that moment, everyone in the room perked their ears up, and looked around silently. Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden voice. But to everyone except Jack’s and the soldier’s surprise, the group recognized the voice.

“That voice... could it be?” Twilight pondered. Just then, the group heard hoof steps coming from behind them. The group turned around and immediately produced a gasp.

“It can’t be...” Twilight sputtered under her breath. Behind them was the graceful princess of the night, Princess Luna. Standing in her presence, the group was exhilarated to see her unharmed. But more importantly, they were astounded to see her at such short notice. Walking gracefully towards the group, Luna stared at her loyal subjects with concern in her eyes.

“Pardon for coming here unexpectedly, I didn’t had any other choice.” The princess said sincerely. The group was awestruck to see her in the flesh. There were no words to welcome her in her sudden appearance. Realizing her timing was unexpected, the princess of the night chuckled embarrassedly.

“I guess... this must be an extreme surprise to you all, forgive me.”

“O-Oh no, your highness,” Twilight replied. “We’re glad that you’re here! But how did you escape? I-Is the princess alri-”

“Heed your tongue, Twilight.” Luna interrupted calmly. “I do not have the answers you so desire, but she is still alive, I assure you. As to how I escaped, I managed to foresee the danger looming over our kingdom before the siege started, and I’ve kept myself hidden up until now. It was a selfish act for me to do, but I had a strong intuition that aid would emerge from our desperate time of need... and I wasn’t let down.” Luna floated her eyes over to Jack, who looked baffled at the princess. Luna smiled at Jack and nodded at him.

“I thank you for coming to our aid... umm...” Luna paused herself as she didn’t knew his name. Jack saw her hesitate as he knew what she was going to ask.

“Jack Armstrong... ma’am...” Jack spoke hesitantly.

“I see...” Luna said. “I’ve heard about you from my sister. I wish to thank you for saving the Elements of Harmony and my sister from our old nemesis. You truly are a miracle in the making.” Jack nodded his head to the princess as he produced a nasal-like grunt.

“Thank you...” Jack said.

“Albeit, I’ve never seen a bipedal pony in all my years, yet I’ve seen stranger. But enough about that, might I inquire to ask your purpose here?” Luna asked. Before Jack responded, he had a quick moment to observe the other princess. Right away, Jack knew that this princess was the sister of Celestia, yet somehow he felt slightly cautious of her. He could sense a faint of angst dwelling within Luna, lurking and swirling around inside her very being. And in the center of the quiet malestrom was a familiar presence that Jack loathed over for years. Jack couldn’t describe or figure out why he was feeling this sensation or why he’s remembered it, but it was the least of his problems. After a few seconds of inspecting Luna from a distance, Jack nodded his head.

“Originally, I came back here to see Princess Celestia to ask her for a request. But when Nyarlathotep’s legion made a foray on Ponyville and Canterlot, I vowed myself to rescue Celestia with any means necessary. But I didn’t know Nyarlathotep would be behind all of this.” As he paused for a moment, Luna had the chance to talk.

“So... now that you’re here, what do you plan on doing?” She asked hoping her ambitions would be enlightened. But to her expectancies, Jack sighed deeply, his state of mind devoid of clarity.

“I... I really don’t know how we should approach this. And-” Just as he was about to lose hope, an idea sparked inside his head.

“Wait a minute!” Jack exclaimed so suddenly. The ponies in the room suddenly jolted in excitement.

“What is it, Jack?” Applejack asked. Jack looked at the soldiers and pondered for a second before continuing. After that, his idea came clear.

“How could I forget such an option!” Jack said in frustration, before returning to composure. “Remember when I said we could use these soldiers to our advantage? Well, if we can make up a battle plan and retaliate against the soldiers that are residing here, I think we might stand a chance of taking back Canterlot!” Jack eyed at each of the three soldiers with plea in his eyes. “I know this may sound all sudden to you... but would you aid us?” The soldiers blinked in surprise, not knowing how they would react.

“Well... I...” Kyle responded as he was uncertain of what his decision would be. After a few seconds, Jack spoke up.

“If you truly want to bring happiness to both of our lives, then we have to work together and bring an end to this siege. I know you’re scared, but we can’t do this without your help.” The three soldiers knew nothing of the ponies’ culture, nor did they intended to study them. But the soldiers knew that deep down they had to make a difference. With one simple response, Kyle gave his answer in a calm way.

“...Alright. We’ll help out the best we can. Though... what should we do?” Kyle asked. Jack grinned at Kyle.

“Alright... here’s what we need to do.” Jack paused for a moment and darted his eyes over to Luna. “Your highness?”

“Yes?” Luna asked.

“If you don’t mind answering, how powerful are you in terms of being at par with your sister?”

“Technically, my sister is a bit stronger, yet I possess some attributes she lacks. Why?” She asked, now more concerned. Jack’s grin grew bigger after hearing the results.

“You’re going to be one of the main key roles for this plan. Can you conjure up a force field to repel and reflect incoming projectiles?”

“Yes... though mine is not as resilient as my sister’s, but it can suffice.” Luna admitted sincerely. Jack nodded his head and then turned his attention to the main six.

“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. Luna will conjure up a force field dome over us while we go around town, knocking out any soldiers we face. I will be taking the lead, while these three soldiers here will form a circle around Luna. As for you six, just take care of anyone trying to slip through the rear of the dome and knock them out.” Jack continued talking as he looked at Luna. “Luna... can you deflect their bullets away from the soldiers? I would like to recruit as many soldiers I can.”

“I’ll do my best.” Luna responded determinedly. Jack nodded his head and stared back at the gang.

“Okay guys, what do you all say?” Jack asked. Without a moment of second thoughts, the group raised their hoofs up skywarded and cheered. For the second time in Jack’s life, he felt the warm spirit of determination blooming within him.

“Okay, let’s get this done.” Jack said. He turned around and started to walk up towards the exit. The group tagged along, all except Rainbow Dash who looked at Scootaloo with a solemn face.

“Scoots... just stay down here until this is all over.” Rainbow Dash spoke in a serious tone. At that moment, Scootaloo gasped slightly.

“B-But, why? Why can’t I help?” She asked.

“Sorry squirt... but you should let us handle this. I don’t want you to get hurt out there.” Scootaloo stared into Dash’s eyes with plea, but she knew Rainbow Dash wouldn’t accept her offer. She eyed away from her idol and sighed miserably.

“Okay... but please be careful out there.” Scootaloo spoke in a dismal tone. With no time to waste, Rainbow Dash flew up the stairs and exited the basement. Jack was about to work his way up the steps until Scootaloo walked towards him.

“Hey... excuse me, sir?” Scootaloo asked. Jack turned his head to Scootaloo. Just as he laid his eyes on the young filly, Jack felt perturbed about the outcome of this encounter. From all the new ponies he met so far, they were showing disdain and contempt towards him. Already, his heart was filled with distraught.

“...Yes?” Jack spoke paley, ready to be scolded again. But to his surprise, Scootaloo started out in a friendly yet scared tone.

“...I... I want to thank you... for rescuing me... and my friends.” She said with her voice quivering slightly. Jack was stupefy from the unexpected response. He looked closely at her and saw desparate plea in her eyes. A few seconds later, tears started to upwell in her eyes.

“I-If you’re here to s-save us... p-please... help us!” She stated in a broken tone. “ I’m scared... a-and I don’t want my friends to g-get hurt! I’m begging you... *Sniff*... please save them!” Jack kept looking into the filly’s tearful eyes in awe, as he had no idea how to respond properly. But seeing as this wasn’t his first time witnessing eyes of desperation, he didn’t hesitate to respond casually.

“I will...” Jack responded calmly.

The wind blew eerily through the empty streets, bringing tension and anxiety into the ponies’ hearts. The stands, households, and public domains were left abandoned. Dust and gravel were spread across almost anywhere they laid their eyes on. The town was starting to whittle away into a deserted place. It was a heart wrenching sight for the ponies to behold; their precious commodities were laid to waste and their beloved buildings suffered severe damage. Viewing this devastation left Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight stunned, as they couldn’t look at this sight any longer.

“Why... why do they do this, yall?” Applejack asked painfully. Jack’s eyes drifted around the pitiful sight with empathy in his eyes.

“It’s not our fault entirely, we humans were forced to dwell in this cursed world of ours from the very beginning. In order to confirm and acknowledge the value of our existence, our nature pursues strife.” Jack turned to the group, facing them with a pale expression. “It’s what gives us the ability of knowing our pain and our existence. And as we are bound to this curse, every single one of us prays and fights relentlessly to break free from this torturous life cycle we endure, even to this day... just like I did once.” Jack turned his eyes back to the group. Everyone’s eyes were fixated on Jack, who were eager to get things started.

“Alright, the soldiers will be coming around at any moment now, so let’s review.” Jack looked at Luna first. “We will be making a formation at the center. Princess Luna, you will be the main layer. You will be in the center of the formation, facing outwards at all four points, where the three soldiers’ backs are facing each other, making the first layer of defense. The soldiers will keep their rifles up at all times. Keep the barrier up no matter what and do your best to send their projectiles away from harming them. If you can, try to disarm them by reflecting the bullets at the guns. Our primary objective is to defend the princess at all cost and knock out as much soldiers as we can without killing them. Got it?.” After hearing her position, the princess and the three soldiers nodded.

“Understood.” Luna replied. Jack nodded and stared at his friends.

“As for you guys, you will be half of the second layer. All six of you will take the rear end and fight off anyone that slips through the third layer... the barrier. As for me...” Jack took out his bo-staff, twirled it, and extended both ends out. “I’ll be in the front to cover the other half of the second layer. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of enemies coming in one direction without any difficulty. Any objections?” As Jack finished explaining the plan, everyone except Twilight and Spike nodded.

“W-Wait! You didn’t give me a position!” Spike whined slightly. Jack looked at Spike, feeling bad at being left out, yet he had no use for him. To settle both sides, Jack sighed and nodded.

“Alright... you stick with Luna at all times. I know you want to help, but what we’re about to do is something that is way out of your league. Think of it as the second most important role in this plan. Can you do that?” With no objections, Spike flipped his frown upside down and nodded.

“I won’t let you down!” Spike said enthusiastically. After Spike was satisfy, Twilight came up to Jack next.

“Hey Jack? Shouldn’t I have a more important role here? I-I can do more here.” Twilight asked in a hint of a forlorn tone. Jack noticed her choice of tone, yet he couldn’t comply to be empathetic.

“No Twilight, you need to help your friends in the back. There’s no important role for you here I’m afraid.” As expected, Twilight wasn’t assigned with a prominent role. Just like last time, she felt like a common tool that’s been overused. Unwilling to protest, Twilight nodded her head as she hid her disappointed face with a fake smile.

“I understand.” Twilight spoke tolerantly, while overlapping her melancholy tone. Jack didn’t notice her struggle inside, but Spike did as he felt empathy towards Twilight.

“Twilight...” Spike muttered quietly to himself. Suddenly, Jack darted his attention towards the edge of the road in front of him. A squad of soldiers were marching around the corner with their guns held close to their chests. Jack twirled his bo-staff and planted the end on the ground.

“Alright... FORMATION!” Jack exclaimed. Soon after, everyone headed towards their position. Luna positioned herself at the center of the street with Spike tailing with her. Next, the three soldiers surrounded Luna and Spike while loading their rifles. Afterwards, the main six dashed towards the rear end of the formation. They then made an arc line to make a steady wall between the incoming soldiers and Luna. Finally, Jack headed over to the front of the formation, then went into his battle position. Once everyone was in their position, the patrolling soldiers spotted the group and pointed them out.

“FREEZE!!” A soldier exclaimed. Jack held his staff horizontally in front of himself, as he glared at the targets before him.

“LUNA, NOW!” Jack ordered loudly.

“Right!” Luna replied. As she closed her eyes, she began to channel energy into her horn. A few seconds later, a line of energy protruded from her horn and the beam shot skywards forty feet into the air. When it made it to it’s peak, the beam begun to pour back down, forming itself into a gigantic violet force field dome. The dome was almost large enough to block the length of the street, giving the ponies the necessary room to carry out their duties. The soldiers, including Spike gazed around the magnificent and astounding wonders of Luna’s magic force field in awe. Never in the soldiers’ lives they had ever witnessed such beauty behind the works of a real spellcaster, it was almost as if it was all just a dream to them.

Just as the force field dome was finished, the soldiers briskly charged after the group. Jack widened his fighting stance, as his eyes was fixated on the soldier who was leading the attack. Around the same time, the ponies in the rear spotted soldiers coming their way too. Alex pointed his gun at the wave of soldiers charging at the rear, while Kyle and Tom targeted at the front. There was no turning back; everyone was prepared to dive into battle.

The malicious sovereign Nyarlathotep stood in front of his glass dome window in amusement, while his arms were folded behind his back. He watched from above as the once tranquil and peaceful Ponyville was slowly turning into an aberrant town. And with the action brewing up within the heart of Ponyville, Nyarlathotep sneered at the fray that was transpiring. Just as he was growing accustomed to his entertainment, Marshal Maxwell came rushing in anxiously. He quickly gathered his breath before speaking.

“Sir! Huhuh... I-I have s-some good news... and some... huhuh... bad news!” Nyarlathotep clenched his fists, making the rubber on his gloves creek.

“Do not present yourself in your current condition, marshal. You and everyone else must use the correct manners that dictates you when addressing to me. Speak to me properly and etiquettely next time, or I will silence you.” The tone in Nyarlathotep’s voice sent a chill down the marshal’s spine. Giving the time to recuperate, he slowly breathed in and out. Once he wasn’t fatigued, the marshal cleared his throat and resumed his business.

“Right... my apologies.” He said in a calm tone, “As I was saying, I have good news and bad news.” Nyarlathotep released the tension in his fists.

“State the bad news, marshal.” Nyarlathotep said.

“Right... we have a distress call coming from Ponyville.” Maxwell resumed, “Some of the prisoners, including three renegaded soldiers are retaliating within the heart of the town. And from the description they conveyed, it looks as though they’re using cunning tactics. What are your orders, my lord?” Nyarlathotep gazed down at Ponyville with his telescopic vision, viewing the battle. He watched placidly, as the battle waged on. He viewed their tactics and inspected their abilities. He was slightly impressed but not overwhelmed. With a slight chuckle, Nyarlathotep turned away from the scene and faced the marshal.

“As I said before, do not report something this insignificant to me ever again, but I will set it aside this time. Let them have their fun... they don’t pose a threat to my ambitions. Even if they do somehow defeat every single soldier in that town, they will be powerless against me. But if you state otherwise, than by all means, send in reinforcements. Now tell me the good news.” Marshal Maxwell was left flabbergasted at Nyarlathotep’s hubris. But then again he did realize he was in the presence of a daemon. Not wanting to provoke his anger any further, the marshal cleared his throat in a scrupulous tone.

“R-Right... the good news is that the excavators have finally reached The Heart of Equestria. They are now installing a paired gateway portal and it should be up and running at approximately twenty four minutes, my lord.” Hearing the good news made Nyarlathotep produce a satisfied chuckle.

“Excellent news, marshal. I’ll be expecting my excursion to be right on time. Don’t keep me waiting. Dismissed.” Marshal Maxwell bowed obediently to his master.

“Yes, my lord. The humans will prevail!” He said and walked away. Nyarlathotep turned back around and watched the continuous battle from afar. As he watched, a hidden grin showed up on his face.

“Oh Maxwell, you think you humans are the predominate species?” Nyarlathotep remarked in his conscious. “Your long battle for harmony was all in vain, it’s sad really. All you humans ever do was bicker, strive for power, and bring about senseless wars on one another. Well, I’ll end your years of squaloring conflict and save you all from the misery you’ve all dwell in. Cause after all... you humans are nothing but mere puppets for the Outer Gods entertainment. It is us that will prevail, not you.” Nyarlathotep quietly chuckled to himself with maliciousness in his tone.

Two minutes had passed since they begun their assault, and the battle was starting to intensifi. So far, Jack managed to hold his own weight, while the main six were evenly pared with their side of the field. Alex, Tom, and Kyle were inexperienced with their weapons, but they managed to knock out a few soldiers and disarming them. Luna walked slowly, as she put all of her focus into maintaining the force field dome. Not only that, she concentrated on deflecting and reflecting oncoming projectiles. Spike held tightly around the princess’s neck in fear, as he wasn’t expecting this brawl to be this scary. Some soldiers managed to slip inside the barrier, but none so far had even gotten closer to the princess.

Five minutes had passed, and the group was close to victory. However, Luna was almost at her limit; her overuse of magic made her fatigue. Not only she was exhausted, the group shared the same problem as well. Rarity and Fluttershy were at their limits as they retreated in the center layer with Luna and the soldiers, but Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie held their grounds. Nearly everypony was coated in their own sweat, especially Jack. Jack’s movements were slaking from putting too much energy and strength into his attacks, yet despite his fatigue status, he pushed every ounce of energy left to keep going.

The battle was coming to an end, and all that remained were three soldiers from both ends. Around that same time, Luna reached her true limit. She felt so tired that she was about to pass out. Unable to hold the barrier any longer, Luna released the spell and the force field dome dissipated in a matter of seconds. Once the shield was down, the battle turned itself into a sudden death battle. Jack felt his legs wobble and his arms shaking from exhaustion. He was having difficulty of receiving any breath since his lungs were burning up. His visions were becoming blurry and his head was pounding like a mad drum. From the looks of it, Jack too was at his real limit.

The ponies also shared the same condition Jack was in. They huffed and puffed life never before; it felt like their hearts were about to explode. But everyone didn’t gave in, they held their stance for as long as they could. The soldiers’ rifles were out of ammunition and the only option was to go down fighting in a fist to fist combat. The group was vulnerable, the remaining soldiers could strike at any moment. They pointed their rifles at the group while they slowly drew near them. Jack had to do something, but he was too tired to move a muscle. All he could do was stand there valiantly while glaring at the enemies before them. The soldiers aimed their rifles at Jack, ready to pull their triggers.

“Game over...” A soldier stated with such preponderance.

“That’s what you guys think, you swine!” Said an anonymous person who spoke behind the soldier. The soldier turned around, only to be met with a punch to the face. The soldier fell, and behind the fallen warrior was Aero. At that moment, Jack grinned slightly.

“Eh... heh... y-you’re... late...” Jack stated as his voice quivered in exhaustion. Aero returned the greeting by grinning to him as well.

“Well pardon me, lad. I was a tad late and the traffic was awful, goodness me!” Aero dropped his grin and looked yonder. “FIRE!!” He shouted. The ponies turned their attention around and spotted Zecora throwing a glass bottle containing a red chemical substance. The bottle shattered upon impact, and the chemical irradiated gas in it’s wake. The gas spreaded so fast it engulfed the three soldiers in a single second. The soldiers thought that with their helmets providing them with fresh oxygen, the gas wouldn’t be a problem... yet they were quickly proven wrong. The gas was so intangible, it went through the physical dense helmets. The soldiers were inconspicuous of the gas’s properties, so they whiffed up a small amount of oxygen and the gas was inhaled. All three soldiers dropped their rifles and began to cough. Zecora turned her attention to the ponies.

“Step aside and hold your snouts, otherwise you’ll be knocked out!” She called out. The ponies did what she ordered and held their breath while backing up slowly. In a matter of seconds, the soldiers fell to the ground. Around the same time, Aero dropped a glass bottle of his own. Red gas quickly puffed out of the shattered bottle and engulfed the two remaining soldiers, along with Aero. Since Aero was nothing but a reanimated skeletons, the effects didn’t fazed him. In only a matter of seconds, both soldiers fell unconsciously and the gas clouds faded from existence. At last, the brutal brawl came to an end. Everyone sighed in relief as they pratfall onto their bottoms to earn their deserved rest. Aero walked up to Jack and produced a friendly chuckle.

“That was quite a performance, ol’ chap!” Aero laud cheerfully. Jack scratched the back of his head, as he looked away and giggled slightly.

“Heh... thanks.” Jack looked behind him and gazed at the soldiers they knocked out. There were almost six hundred soldiers lying unconsciously, covering almost the entire road. Jack gazed at the wondrous Canterlot that was carved into the side of the mountain.

“Once we have a quick rest, we’ll wake up the soldiers, recruit them, and make our way. Nyarlathotep... I’m coming for you.” Jack spoke in his mind, as he glared at his destination.

Chapter 10: A Heart of Hope

Chapter 10

With the enemy’s control over Ponyville now lost, the resistance took back their domain proudly. The day was drawing near dusk, and the temperature started to slowly drop. The street was covered with hundreds of unconscious soldiers, lying in defeat. The town was silent once more, only this time the silence was peaceful. Jack viewed the entire scenery, knowing full well his plan would work.

“Well... I guess it’s time to wake them up.” Jack said to himself. He got back up on his legs, still feeling a bit exhausted and walked towards the group. The ponies saw him coming, as they smiled at him.

“We did it, darling! Fantastic job!” Rarity felicitated.

“Sure did... but now what are we gonna do, ya’ll?” Applejack asked. Jack gazed down at a nearby unconscious soldier.

“We wake them up of course. Though don’t expect everyone to regain their consciousness, some of them might take more time before they’re ready.”

“And then what are we gonna do?” Pinkie asked. Jack kneeled down and began to shake the soldier’s head in an attempt to wake him up.

“Considering that we don’t have this much time, we need to wake up as much as we can, as fast as we can. Then we have to figure out a way to get up there.” Jack pointed his hoof yonder. The ponies followed his hoof direction and spotted Canterlot. Twilight looked back at Jack with a concerned look on her face.

“But Jack, it would take us a half a day to get up there. How-”

“Never fear, Twilight.” Luna intervened. “I can create a warp portal from here to Canterlot’s haven. Though I must regain magic before we can proceed.” Hearing some good news made everyone less anxious. Jack was also glad to hear relieving news, yet he was anxious to get things started. Jack continued to shake the soldier’s head. A few seconds later, the soldier showed signs of regaining consciousness. The soldier let out faint moans of recognition, as his head tilted from left to right.

“Nugh... where... where am I?” He asked out of pure confusion. A grin laid on Jack’s face as he knew that his plan could actually work. He took his eyes off of the soldier for a moment and stared at the countless soldiers waiting to be brought back up.

Nyarlathotep sneered at Jack as he walked from soldier to soldier, while constructing a forthcoming assault. The daemon closed his eyes and shooked his head.

“Humanity is so pitiful sometimes... it’s just too embarrassing. But nevertheless, I am curious about your... change, Jack.” At that moment, he made a glasgow smile so wide his razor sharp teeth were exposed. “Well then... you better hurry on up here, boy. Fate has reconvened us to face each other once more, and this time... I won’t let you escape from me in our previous encounters.” He then produced a dark and deep chuckle.

Jack woke up the last unconscious soldier as he sighed in relief. He looked over his shoulder to find that most of the soldiers were still recovering, while some wondered to themselves of their whereabouts. The three renegaded soldiers Kyle, Tom, and Alex roamed around all over Ponyville as they set free all of the Ponyville civilians. The main six were explaining the situation to the soldiers while Zecora and Aero used their herbalism skills to help Luna regain strength. It wasn’t long until every soldier regained consciousness, all the Ponyville folks and the soldiers rounded up, and Luna’s energy was almost back to normal.

A minute had passed, and the soldiers congregated at the town hall. The pony citizens made their way to the door and inside the town hall. Once they all were inside, Twilight closed the doors. Jack nodded at the group as he walked towards the podium. He stood behind it and viewed the crowd of soldiers murmuring to each other in confusion and curiosity. Jack took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and raised his forearm up.

“Attention please! ATTENTION PLEASE!” Jack ordered. In a matter of seconds, the murmurs died out and all eyes were on him. Once Jack had a clear audience, he began talking.

“As you all are aware, all of you are within the Equestria borders! Now I know that it sounds ridiculous, but it’s all true!” The crowd of soldiers gasped in shock as they produced even more murmurs. Jack held both forearms to the side.

“QUIET PLEASE!!” He yelled, and in a few seconds the murmurs died out. “As far as we’re concerned, a demon named Nyarlathotep had controlled each and everyone of you! He used you all for his twisted ambitions and he’s an avid for something vital to this world! You all may not know how long you’ve been under his influence or why you’re all here, but what’s important is to protect this world from the corruption of our true enemies! Through our senseless violence and blinding conflicts, we are only but the Outer God’s entertainment! Humanity has shed enough blood as it is!” Jack paused for a moment to settle down. After a few seconds, Jack continued.

“We humans need to open our eyes and begin to see the light, a light that will shatter the bonds of intertwined hatred and pain! There are times who words alone will not accomplish, only through action and determination will we be able to walk towards the right path! Please... we need your help! Drop your restrains and grudges, this land is going to be destroyed along with everyone else on it! I ask of you all... “ Suddenly, Jack slammed his hooves on the surface of the podium.

“PLEASE, RISE UP AND SHOW THOSE GODS THE TRUE STRENGTH OF HUMANITY!! LET US ACCOMPLISH PEACE TOGETHER AND PUT AN END TO OUR YEARS OF WAR!!” As his words reached out towards hundreds of soldiers, everyone roared and cheered wildly. Jack sighed in relief knowing that his words had finally reached them. Once the cheering died out, everyone was attentively listening to what he has to say next. Jack threw his right arm skyward.

“ALRIGHT! HERE’S WHAT WE’RE GOING TO DO! FIRST WE-” At that moment, Jack came to a complete stop as something stopped him from continuing. Just before he thought he was going to come up with a plan naturally, Jack’s brain came to a complete halt. In short, Jack’s brain had no ideas. Now stucked in his predicament, he was left frozen in nervousness; his mind was tangled with intertwined suggestions. Pearls of sweat started rolling down his head as his tension was rising. Soon after that, he floated his eyes freely despite not being calm.

“Uhh... w-we.... uh...” Jack tried to talk, but his brain wasn’t functioning. The crowd started to murmur quietly, giving confused looks to each other. The more longer Jack kept silent, the more eyebrows furrowed at him. Jack gazed at the crowd’s eyes and began to chuckle nervously.

“Ehehe... uh... wow... I guess we...” Jack gulped down. Soon after, the murmurs grew louder with anticipation. Each second that passed by made Jack more tensed than he was before. He raced within his mind to come up with a strategic solution, yet he was too frantic to even come up with one. Starting to feel pressured, Jack slowly backed away from the podium. The gang watched with cringed faces as Jack slowly withdraw from the stand.

“Yikes, they’re slowly tearing him apart up there!” Rainbow Dash said uncomfortably.

“Oh mah apples, now what are we gonna do, ya’ll?” Applejack panicked, “I thought Jack had this planned out... oooh! Does anypony have a plan er somethin’?”

“Why ask me? I’m empty!” Rainbow Dash responded. Applejack turned her face to Dash and glared at her.

“Well I was askin’ all of ya’ll! Consarnit Dash, now’s not the time ta mess around!” Rainbow dash returned the gesture with a glare of her own.

“Oh well excuse me Ms. Overly Serious! If I had a plan, I would've thought of it in eight seconds flat! Unlike you of course...”

“What was that now?!” Applejack growled. Both Dash and Applejack leaned close to each other to a point blank range, exchanging glares and growls as they pushed themselves using their foreheads. While the two roughly ponies were preoccupied, Fluttershy felt very worried about Jack.

“Jack...” Fluttershy spoke silently to herself. Next to Fluttershy, Rarity was in panic mode. She lift her hoof to her forehead and dramatically groaned.

“Oh dear! This is getting really embarrassing! Somepony, anypony, help Jack!” Rarity called out in distraught. Pinkie Pie patted Rarity’s mane with her hoof for reassurance.

“Don’t you worry Auntie Rarity, I have a brilliant plan!” At that moment, Rarity gasped excitedly. She snapped out of her distressed state and stared at Pinkie with hopeful eyes and a smile that expressed excitement.

“You do?!” Pinkie nodded her head proudly.

“Yep! All we have to do is... THROW A HUGE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!” Without a second’s notice, Rarity fell to the floor from an unexpected wave of stupidity. Pinkie tilted her head and raised her eyebrow in confusion from Rarity’s action. After a few seconds of recovering, Rarity rose back up and glared at Pinkie.

“You’ve gone completely mental, that idea was so ludicrous it almost gave me a huge headache!” She berated clearly. Taken aback, Pinkie flinched and glared at her.

“Hey! A party is the answer to EVERY problem!”

“Oh sure, throw a party for the ruffian that wants to destroy everything!” Rarity replied sarcastically. “I’m SURE we will solve EVERYTHING!” Pinkie and Rarity glared at each other, throwing their daggered eyes at one another. With the senseless tension growing, Spike looked anxiously at Jack who was being pressured out there.

“Oh no, we’ve made it this far and things don’t look too good!” Spike turned his head to Twilight who was desperately musing a solution. “What are we going to do now, Twilight?” Twilight looked at him for a second then back at Jack. She closed her eyes and hoped that someone would come up with something.

I just hope my friends don’t think... that I’m just a useless pony.

“...huh?” Twilight opened her eyes in surprise. A voice echoed in her head, which she quickly recognized it was her own.

Oh no, you are not a useless pony, Twilight. The voice of Fluttershy echoed in her head. If you truly care about the ponies and your assignments, I’m sure you’ll have your share. I mean, it’s not like you’re being labeled as worthless and weak, right?

After a few seconds of cogitating the two sudden voices, Twilight’s eyes shot wide open in realization. Those two voices evoked memories of her workaholic ordeal from yesterday. She struggled to make herself useful, organized, and vigilant, however; all of her friends finished the job without her, causing Twilight to breakdown. Looking back now, Twilight realized that this situation was the same as organizing Winter Wrap Up. Realizing the significant similarity of Winter Wrap Up and the current situation, Twilight stared at the crowd in determination. She started to walk forward to the stand and Spike noticed her moving.

“T-Twilight...?” Spike asked, yet she didn’t replied to him. She continued towards the podium, as she passed by Jack. Jack darted his eyes in surprise at Twilight.

“Uh, h-hey! What are you doing?!” Jack asked nervously, but she kept walking with no response. Twilight knew in her heart that these people would heed her stratagem, especially in such crisis such as this. She placed her hooves on the podium table, slammed her hooves on the wooden surface and began to yell into the microphone.

“EVERYONE, THERE IS NO NEED TO PANIC!! PLEASE CALM DOWN!!” Her voice was so loud that it barely stopped the crowd from creating a bedlam. Every soldier glued their eyesights at Twilight while they slowly settled down. Once the violent noise was subsided enough, Twilight lifted her hoof up in the air and begun her speech.

“My friend here may have orchestrated this assault, but I come here now to help out too!” Just as she spoke her first sentence, Jack cringed at the thought of her taking over, since he had never seen her prodigy skills before. He placed his hoof onto Twilight’s shoulder, averting her attention for a brief moment.

“Twilight, what are you thinking?!” Jack asked sternly. “I understand you want to help, but-”

“Jack...” Twilight interrupted subtly, “I understand your concern, but...” She blinked and her eyebrows furrowed. “I want to help out too. Don’t underestimate me...” The way she spoke to Jack was very convincing to him. Jack looked deep into her eyes to spot a fault, yet all there is was determination and bravery. Once Jack fully understood, he gave a simple nod and backed off to let her take the stand. Twilight smiled at him, then turning her attention back to the confused crowd.

“I know you folks have mixed feelings for us ponies,” She continued where she left off, “but rest assured, we’re more than you think!” Twilight took a deep breath and held it in for a few moments. She exhaled and continued speaking.

“My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am Princess Celestia’s faithful pupil, who is the co-ruler of Equestria! I’ve helped my kind so many times that I couldn’t keep count! I even aided them through perilous times when situations were seemed hopeless! I can demonstrate my organizing, leadership, and judgemental skills that will benefit the outcome of this assault! I know you people are skeptical about me, and I know we just met for a mere minute, but please put your trust in me!” As Twilight kept talking, the expressions on each soldier’s face started to calm down. They contemplated what she said to them, yet they were still debating on whether or not they should put their faith into this plain and simple purple unicorn. They were still skeptical, but they continued to listen nonetheless.

“I know that your kind has been struggling to survive from all of your brutal warfares and grievances! I understand why your kind has been living like this for thousands of years, and I know how much it hurts! I want to help you all... my friends wants to help you all too!” At this moment, Twilight started to shed tears, yet she kept her composure. “It just pains me to see a great race being tortured and forced to fight for a cause that will lead to more suffering! It’s too unbearable for me to watch as your kind dwindles down towards extinction! And it sickens me to know that all of you are but these heartless gods’ entertainment!” While more tears came out of her eyes, she remembered a few memories, very precious memories.

She was reminded of what Jack said to them in the hospital.

“We rarely have any harmony in my city… or anywhere around the rest of the world. There is no end to our pain as long as there are continuous wars going on outside of Equestria. We used to rule this world long before this land existed. At that time, everywhere was peace… no fights… no pain… nothing but harmony. That is… until The Elder Gods and the Great Old Ones waged war against us. Our world was one big battleground, and their destruction caused our friendship bonds to break. Those accursed gods corrupted our lives, making our world a living hell. Now… us humans have become endangered species. We forged hatred and despair towards one another because of this cruel fate.” As the memories kept rolling, Twilight could feel her own heart constricting itself.

“War breeds our desires to protect those closest to us, and acknowledge our existences. As long there is love, there will be hatred, and while that hatred grows will eventually give rise to new pain.” Twilight could feel every single word striking her with pain and sympathy. “Our kind has been living in disharmony longer than I have. Us humans are considered to be the most mature species of all living creatures due to the immense pain we had dealt with.” After that, Twilight’s memories was forwarded to Celestia’s response.

After processing the flashbacks, she finally understood the depth of Jack’s suffering. She hadn't felt his words at first, but now that she knew by looking at each soldier’s expressions, her heart was aching in pain from contemplating the human’s tragic history. Armed with the feelings and the past knowledge, Twilight’s voice started to slowly break away.

“I-I may not had... e-experienced the o-ordeal like you all h-had... but I can s-still feel how much it all h-hurts! I know b-because...” Twilight took her attention away from the crowd and turned her head at Jack. “...this pony h-here... shared his pain with us! T-This pony here was once a human... one your kind! He has e-experienced an ordeal far more p-painful than anyone of you here! H-His name is Jack Armstrong... a-and you all better remember it well!” The crowd slightly gasped at Jack, murmuring on his appearance. Twilight stared at Jack for a few moments with her soaked eyes before facing her head back to the crowd.

“It’s a l-long story... but Jack was more than just a human... he was an avatar!” The crowd gasped once more, this time the shock value increased. Before proceeding to talk any further, she squinted her eyes to get rid of excessive tears. She opened them again and continued; her voice regained some composure.

“That’s right, he was once a vessel for an almighty daemon you humans called, Am’Dhaegar! Jack held the good side of that spirit, and the spirit’s darker half resided in his twin brother, Jared Armstrong! Even though Jack defeated his twin brother, he was on the verge of death! The only way to save him was transforming him from a human into a stallion! Even to this day, he still carries the wounds and scars of those who despises his existence! He lived his entire life... with no one to help or care for him! He even hated the world for treating him so awfully!” While Twilight expressed her sincere feelings, Jack stood behind her in awe and heart touched.

“Twilight...” Jack said in this thoughts.

“That is... until he met my friends and I!” Twilight continued uninterrupted. “We gave him life again, by expressing our friendship and love! From the moment we filled his empty heart, we saw the true nature of your kind... and it was truly heartwarming! Now that he is here, he will do whatever it takes to protect those close to him!” Twilight paused for a moment, as tears were returning once more, this time more heavily. The crowd were left speechless, no one dared to speak another word. Their skeptical thoughts were slowly fading away, and they were eager to hear more of her speech. Twilight struggled to fight back the tears. She looked back at the crowd and spoke again, this time her tone was broken even more.

“I-I don’t t-think... t-t-the humans... a-are evil! I-I believe... that a-all of you... are l-lost... l-like Jack was o-once! B-But... we can h-help you all... w-we can save y-you all! A-All we need... is y-your help! Please... d-don’t let Nyarlathotep de-destroy this w-world! W-We can still t-turn things around!” As Twilight was near conclusion, she mustered her strength to break free from her tears. She slammed her hoofs on the podium table and the microphone received a short feedback.

“LET US PUT AN END TO THIS NIGHTMARE, AND START A NEW BEGINNING!! NOW WHO’S WITH ME?!” Twilight darted her eyes at the crowd, expecting any feedback. To her expectations, the crowd broke into cheers and roar of applause. Some of the soldiers in the crowd raised their rifles in the air, while the rest raised their fists skyward. Witnessing the positive feedback, Twilight made a hopeful smile. She turned around and walked towards her friends, who were also meeting up with Twilight. She wiped her tears as she looked at her friends who were proud of her.

“I... I’m sorry about yesterday morning... a-about the whole ‘I want to help with Hearth’s Warming Eve’ episode. I know I was asking too much, but I just... I just...” Suddenly, Rainbow Dash recoiled in surprise.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! So that was the reason why you got so upset? Twilight, you’re a great pony... but you’re missing the most important point!” Twilight tilted her head to the side in confusion.

“Huh?”

“That’s right, darling!” Rarity added. “Hearth’s Warming Eve wasn’t about setting up for the event, or even the party.” Rarity was about to continue, but she stepped aside and let Applejack had her turn.

“Yeah, it was about helping and caring for one another. It doesn’t matter whether the things you do are big or small... it’s how much you care about the ponies you love that counts.” Pinkie Pie started bouncing gaily, while giggling softly.

“And don’t forget, no pony should do everything on their own! That’s what friends and families are here for!” Fluttershy walked up to Twilight and nuzzles her neck.

“And now that we needed help, you stepped in. It’s like I said Twilight... help is always available to those who are willingly to help. I mean, you will always have your share in helping out if you truly care for us and for our assignments.” Twilight was touched from her friends’ guidances, making her produce more tears. She sniffled her wet nose, while wiping away her fresh batch of tears.

“T-Thank you... everypony! T-That meant alot to me.” She softly wept. Twilight looked up at Jack, who was displaying his very first heartfelt smile.

“Twilight... I... I want to thank you. No one had said anything so thoughtful to me like that before... and... to our race. At first I’d given up hope for humanity... but because you guys changed me, I began to change dramatically into the person I have longed yearned for. And now... you Twilight... have given me something else... something that only you could’ve given me.” Jack closed his eyes, producing a single dear. After a few seconds of silence, Jack opened his eyes.

“A real purpose... the purpose of protecting not only those I care and cherish... but to defend those in need. I realize now that I want to live in a world where everyone would accept not just me but to each other. You were really lucky to be born with a heart so majestical and full of wisdom, Twilight. I really envy you.” Hearing such thoughtful words made Twilight blush red.

“Oh thank you, Jack. That’s so very nice of you to say to me!” The group took a moment to smile at one another. Then, Twilight turned around and stared at Canterlot from the distance.

“So Twilight...” Spike said supportively, as he hung his arm around her shoulder. “...what do you want us to do?” Twilight took her eyes off of Canterlot and smiled at Spike. A second later, she darted her eyes back at Canterlot, her face wore determination. With the army of soldiers behind her back, along with the support of her friends, she began to formulate a battle plan.

Chapter 11: Resolved Destiny

Chapter 11

With everything going in motion, Twilight’s organization skills were superlative as she went to put her skills into play. She had a long but accurate list of assignments for the weapon supplies, armor inspection, reviewing battle tactics, groups, and many more that will make sure Twilight’s strategy was peerless. Her friends provided help by putting the soldiers into their positions. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were tasked to give out each soldier the necessary weapons such as a rifle, force field grenade, and a handgun.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie helped design the suit armors by painting patterned line colors from the helmet, chest plate, gauntlets, leggings, and boots. The colors they used were the opposite color of what each soldier was donning. Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie hope that this will distinguish who was on their side and who wasn’t.

Zecora and Aero continued to aid Princess Luna by restoring her energy using their alchemy skills. Luna was almost at full power, yet patience wasn’t her strongest virtue. She kept wondering about her sister’s behalf, but Zecora and Aero see to that Luna stayed put until she regained her strength.

Twilight rallied up more than a half of the soldiers to discuss her battle tactics. And while she told them her plan, each soldier felt more docile than before, intrigued and pleased from her description. Spike stood more than ten feet away from her, listening to her plans and giving her room to think. He felt proud and happy to know that her hidden desire came to fruition.

“That’s my Twilight for you…” Spike said to himself.

“Ah… so you’re here too…” Spoke a woman’s voice behind Spike. Spike drew his attention behind him and saw the same female soldier who captured both Twilight and Spike, while also trying to get Spike out of his cage for a dissecting operation. She displayed a neutral face while looking straight into the dragon’s surprised eyes. Spike knew who that woman was, but was reminded that she too was knocked out by Jack. With nothing to worry about, Spike simply smiled and nodded.

“Sure! Twilight up there really has the brains for being a great leader, am I right?” The woman chuckled nonchalantly with Spike.

“You guys are very confident, huh? Well, I wouldn’t put it pass you, I’m still impressed you managed to make it this far.”

“Well gosh, thanks!” Spike displayed his slightly sheepish smile, feeling a bit embarrassed from being praised by someone. After that, Spike turned his attention back over to Twilight.

“I just hope nothing will go wrong with our plan… n-no! I shouldn’t think that! We’re definitely going to get through to this… together! I know we can do this!” Spike said enthusiastically, reassuring himself with hope. While his attention was over at Twilight, the woman looked down at the dragon, her eyes were slits. Then, she displayed a hidden sinister grin.

“We’ll see about that…” The woman uttered deviously, quietly chuckling at his false belief. While Twilight quickly explained the battle plan and how to use Canterlot’s terrain to their advantage, everyone else was doing their jobs except Jack.

Jack was sitting on a secluded bench gazing sullenly up at the Canterlot Castle in the distance. As he stared at the castle, his head was thinking of unresolved thoughts and decisions. Twilight’s speech may had lifted his spirits up a bit, yet he still had reclusive feelings. The ponies in ponyville or rather anywhere else viewed him differently, giving him disdain looks or censure insults. He couldn’t know why he was labeled as a plague or what made him look like a bad person, but he felt more distant towards them the more insults he received. Not only that, he felt responsible for involving a race that was once ruled by harmony into a mess he created. His decision on staying or leaving Ponyville was still on debate, despite the insignificant positive feedback he received so far and the dangers that manifested outside of Equestria. If his friends were to discover the truth behind Jack’s suffering...

“Are you okay, Jack?” Jack snapped out of his sullen state and turned around to see Fluttershy looking concerned. Jack trailed his eyes away from her and looked at the ground.

“Y-Yeah… I am…” Jack said, looking irresolutely. Fluttershy may not had experienced the full depths of his pain, but she knew something was bothering him.

“Jack… there’s something on your mind… isn’t there?” Fluttershy asked. Jack faced himself forward, looking at the ground between his two legs. Seeing Jack in this state prompted Fluttershy to adopt more concerns on his wellbeing. She walked towards the extra space on the bench and sat next to him.

“Talk to me…” She pleaded. Jack continued to look at the ground aimlessly. After a few silent moments had passed, Jack sighed heavily.

“Fluttershy… I…” Jack was about to tell her about the ponies in Ponyville, yet he felt that it would hurt her feelings if she found out. Instead, he turned to a relatable subject. Jack closed his eyes in a moment of pained resignation.

“...I’m just nervous about this whole assault. I mean, all I’m worried about is failing… that’s al-”

“Jack…” Fluttershy interrupted. “I know you, you’re not afraid of anything. I can tell that something else is burning inside of you. You see, Twilight told me everything that happened so far and... I understand it’s too painful to talk about it, but I want to help.” Jack looked at Fluttershy, then casted his gaze away from her.

“I’m fine…” Fluttershy shook her head and rested both hooves on Jack’s hoof.

“I don’t think you are, Jack. Please, talk to me about it.” Jack clenched his eyes, trying to contain his frustration.

“I’m… I’m fine, Fluttershy… I-”

“It’s those ponies who think badly about you, isn’t i-” Unwilling to associate with her under his stressful condition, Jack stood up suddenly, yanked his hoof away from her grasp and grunted frustratedly.

“I SAID I’M FINE, FLUTTERSHY!!” Jack exclaimed irritatedly and loudly. Fluttershy was stricken with fear, as she jumped in fright and withdrew herself from him for a mere few seconds. Both pegasus’ spoke only but naught. One stood there irritatedly, while the other stared slightly nervous. During their silent moment, Jack felt guilty of lashing out at Fluttershy like that, and yet he also felt patronized from receiving help. All of his anger, his hardship, and his guilt had lead him through an ordeal more severe than any other human being on the planet. He felt like a plague that had been cursed to roam around the face of the earth for life, causing misfortune and misery to those around him. He wished he wouldn’t believe that was the cause of Jack’s infamous reputation, but the more he thought about it, the more it strayed him from the happiness that dwelled inside his heart.

With nothing more to say, Jack began to walk away from Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked at the ground while adopting a worried expression on her face. She sat alone on the bench pondering on Jack’s behavior.

“What’s happening to you, Jack…?” Fluttershy spoke internally. Jack made his way towards the Town Hall, where he spotted Princess Luna standing all alone watching Twilight from afar. He didn’t want to interfere with Luna, but with his mind agitating him, his patience had stepped aside. Jack continued to walk over to Luna and sighed. Luna caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye and turned her attentions to Jack.

“Is something the matter?” She asked.

“No… nothing is wrong.” Jack lied, holding back his stress. “How long until we’re ready?”

“Telling from what Twilight is coming towards, she is coming to a conclusion. Why do you seem so tense?” The princess asked.

“It has none of your concerns. We need to move to the secret haven soon. After that… I need to find Princess Celestia.” Princess Luna tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion after he mentioned her sister.

“What business have you with my sister?” She asked suspiciously. Jack floated his eyes to the side, releasing a stressed sigh.

“I just need to ask her something… something I never had a chance to tell her before.” Jack spoke duly. Before Luna asked another question, she observed Jack’s pale and sullen expression on his face. The way he spoke and expressed his attitude made her feel intrigued on knowing what was going on in his head right now, but she was very circumspect on his current temper. Willing to put her skeptical notions aside, she simply nodded.

“Very well… I will not inquiry your desires any longer, however; we need to wait until Twilight is finished with her-”

“We’re ready!” Exclaimed Twilight happily. Both the princess and Jack jumped in shock from her unexpected outburst. Twilight darted her eyes to the side and gave off a slight embarrassing chuckle.

“Erm… sorry.” Shaking off her awkward reaction, she returned to her composure. “Anyways, the battle plan has been explained. Since our planned headquarters is going to be located inside Canterlot Haven, we will use the terrain and the environment to our advantage. We’ll set up traps, ambushes, and assigned locations to defend or attack.” Impressed by her strategist skills, Luna smiled proudly at the prodigy before her.

“I’m impressed, Twilight. You surely are a great asset to ponykind. I will leave a portal open that will direct you towards our haven. Be sure to gather up the army as soon as possible, for the portal will only last for seven minutes.” Luna closed her eyes, her horn illuminated as it hummed soothingly and made a portal appeared. Looking through it, it revealed a luscious, verdantly haven that radiated the sense of tranquility. With her work done, Luna looked towards Jack with a serious expression on her face.

“I want you to come with me… it’s very important.” In an instant, Luna used her magic to conjure up another portal. However this time, the portal was a bit smaller than the first one. Jack and Twilight looked through the portal, but had no idea where it leaded to. But Jack nodded slowly, as he had a presumptuous idea what they were going to do. Before heading into the portal, he turned his direction towards the Canterlot Castle in the distance. All of his goals now reside within that region.

Inside Celestia’s imprisoned dome, the princess was holding on whatever was left of her conscious. Almost all of her life force was near depletion due to being kept captivated within the dome. She couldn’t move any single muscle, not even the strength to roll her lifeless eyes around to view the room. All she could do now was breathe slowly and keep herself conscious.

“L-Luna…” Celestia spoke within her conscious. “...P-Please… s-stay… s-safe…” The princess knew she was at her limit. As the prison dome sapped her energy slowly but surely, Celestia’s visions became more blurry with each second that passed. Her blood ran cold and her mind was being ripped to asunder. Her breaths became slower and weaker, while her whole body was on the verge of becoming lifeless. As the sounds she heard were nothing but bizarre muffles, Celestia took this last opportunity to reminisce the most proudest memory she could remember.

She saw Twilight and her friends smiling up at her during their award ceremony for defeating Discord. The way they smiled at their humble princess made her feel proud of her loyal subjects. The amity between her and the elemental bearers had always gave Celestia hope for the future. But her memory on that glorious day soon evaporated into a single image of her dear and beloved sister, smiling at her. Celestia loved her sister more than her own life, and knowing full well she was safe from harm’s way relieved her worried heart. Even though the image of Luna was going to be the last image she will see, Celestia wouldn’t have it anyother way.

With her final breath drawing ever so close, the vestige of her conscious begun leaving Celestia in ruin. Her visions were slowing dimming into darkness, ready for death’s embrace. Then…

*SLAM!* The door suddenly flung open, causing a loud bang.

“SISTER!!” Out came Luna, as she shouted her sister’s name. Behind Luna, Jack leaped over her with his staff in hooves. He lunged towards the dome, while building up his strength as he sailed towards his target. With one powerful swing, he bellowed a vicious roar and hit the dome with all of his might. Fissures started snaking away from the impact under the staff, as the whole dome begun to crack. Within seconds, the entire dome shattered and the force field dissolved from the plane of existence. With not a moment too soon, Celestia retained her conscious just in the nick of time. A few seconds later and Celestia would’ve been made no more.

With Celestia free from the force field’s grasp, her energy and vigor were slowly returning to her body. Her visions slowly guided her back into shape and the lack of pressure restored her hearing in a steadily pace. The first thing she could hear once more was the sound of her sister’s call.

“...L...Luna…?” Celestia responded, still in the process of rejuvenating her lost strength.

“We’re here, sister! Don’t worry, I’ll get your strength back!” Luna replied. As Celestia was compassed with Jack and Luna, Jack lifted her head and neck. Luna’s horn glowed violet and her magic encased Celestia in a purplish aura, rejuvenating her strength more faster. Celestia floated her eyes up at Jack, forcing her to grin slightly.

“W-Welcome… back…” The princess spoke wearily within her welcoming tone. Jack could of expressed the same feeling back at her, granted, he felt thankful for her from creating his body, but he felt as neutral in meeting Celestia. With time of the essence, Jack knew that this could be the only time to ask her.

“Thank you, your highness. But… I didn’t came here only to save you…”

“I-I know… Jack.” Celestia interrupted. “I know… why y-you came… back.” Celestia took a few moments to gather her strength to continue forming words.

“But… it is… no longer in my possession…” Immediately after she answered, Jack gasped in shock. He hoped that the item he seeked was still safe and sound. But deep down, he had a haunch that the item was in another’s possession, hoping it didn’t fell into the hands of the person he thought of.

“W-What?! Y-You mean-” Jack was hesitant to complete his question, yet Celestia knew Jack had already figured out the answer.

“Yes… the one you seek has it… my tiara.” As Jack feared, he grunted in frustration, knowing the tiara was in the possession of the one who claimed it recently, Nyarlathotep. While Celestia and Jack knew the situation, Luna was left in the shadows.

“Your tiara, sister? What connections does it serve for Jack?” The princess of the night inquired. Luna knew that her older sister’s tiara was nothing more than decoration, yet she was surprised to discover that the tiara served a purpose. Celestia realized that Luna was in the shadow of the subject, and there was no harm in telling her. As Celestia struggled to get herself off the floor, she layed on all fours and sighed.

“It’s because… part of him… is inside the gem on my tiara.” As she exposed the truth, sure enough, Luna gasped surprisingly. Even from knowing the truth, she was still as puzzled as ever.

“H-How?!” She asked. Since Celestia had done her part of the explaining, Jack took over and started talking.

“During my time away, I went back to rehoned my combat skills from my master, Lei Fu Kong. Lei Fu was the last patriarch of a sacred tribe. He lived for more than three hundred years, three times the lifespan of a regular human being, and has been awaiting for one last student to pass down his teachings. He had a mastery of almost all forms of martial arts and is considered to be the descendent of Xuan Wu, The Mysterious Warrior God. But anyways, as I trained with him, he told me that he sensed a part of my soul was absent. And without the other half of my soul, I’ve discovered that the nightmares I always had experienced was from the lack of my other half. Once I realized it, the nightmares started to appear more frequently… and more horrific.” Intrigued by his story, Luna was still left in the dust.

“But… that doesn’t explain how-” Before Luna could finish, Celestia answered right away.

“It… was my fault.” Luna looked at her sister, adopting a confused yet shocked expression.

“S-Sister?” Celestia stared at her younger sister with deep remorse in her eyes.

“When I was creating… Jack’s body, I had a hard time dealing with the final step. I had to transfer his soul in one piece, however; the hatred and darkness that shrouded most of his soul was eating away at his lifeforce. I had no choice but to strip the light within his soul and store almost of it inside the gem on my tiara. Only a fraction of the light remained, which to this day, the glimmer of light still wanders within the darkness, protected by a barrier I encased it in. But I soon discovered that the darkness grows stronger each day, weakening the barrier that held his remaining shred of light. I regretted immensely of taking away most of the light within him.” Celestia paused for a moment to ease herself.

Jack was lost in his mind, musing pensively at his past life, while contemplating on other options he had left. Luna, who was starting to understand, kept her full attention to Celestia. After a few silent moments went by, Celestia continued.

“I’ve recently discovered it’s special powers during my encounter with Zalgo. Mother did gave the gem to me when I was ready to fulfill as being a princess… but I honestly had no idea why the tiara held such mystical powers. But… whenever I do tap into the gem’s energy… I can feel connected to this land somehow....” Unsure of what she meant by that, Luna inquired more information.

“So… what does this mean?” Luna asked sincerely. Celestia was about to reply, when Jack suddenly responded in a resolved tone.

“It means… that without my other half… the darkness within me… will ultimately lead me towards oblivion. If that were to happen, then I… I might become a monster far worse than… him. Well… I promise that won’t happen.” Jack said, sounding so resolving in his last sentence. Both princesses were unaware of his resolved intentions and they desired to know what. With his mind made up, Jack stood up and headed straight towards the exit. He stopped at midway to finish his business here.

“Luna, take your sister to the haven with you… and be sure she is well hidden.” Jack said, his tone took a dark yet determined tone. Obliged to fulfil his request, Luna nodded her head.

“B-But… what about you?” Luna asked. Right after her question, Jack stood there silently. He hung his head down slightly, causing his triple spiky dark brown bangs of hair that framed straight forward over his forehead to cloak his eyes in shadow, obscuring half of his face. Luna could sense the weight of pain and guilt Jack carried on his back, as she was amazed how a person like him would even continue on living. But from knowing the weight he carried, she had an uneased notion of what his decision would be. Princess Celestia, on the other hand, realized what he was planning to do. Her eyes widen in terror from the realization of her discovery.

“J-Jack… please tell me that you’re not planning on to-” At that moment, Jack interrupted abruptly.

“No… I’m tired of being useless. I don’t want to be the weak and helpless fool I was back in my days. I’m tired of hiding… and I’m mostly tired of running away from that god damn demon. It’s time I should face my past… and bury all of it down with me.” Jack stood up and headed straight towards the exit. Celestia extended her forearm desperately to reach for Jack.

“N-No… Jack, wait! Don’t be so reckless! You don’t have to do this alone!” Celestia cried out.

“I have to… even though this war may have been all my fault, I’m still going to redeem myself through the only way I can.” Jack replied, walking slow towards the room’s exit. Celestia tried her might to reach out for Jack, hoping he would reconsider.

“Jack… no… please, don’t do this all by yourself!” Celestia repeated herself, her eyes were upwelling with light tears. At the door’s entrance, Jack stopped in his place.

“I’m glad I got to see my friends again… and a chance to thank you. But… from the look of things for my future… it’s clear to all of us that I truly don’t belong here. I guess… some people weren’t meant to enjoy life.” Stricken by the heartwrenching scene, Luna also was upwelling in tears.

“I… I don’t understand.” She said quizzically. Jack took a moment to stare at both of his forehooves. On his left arm, he pictured his human arm and hand, while the right arm remained a pony forearm. By observing between the two differences, Jack could see similarities in between them. Breathing in and out, Jack calmed himself down and responded.

“You see, Luna… in our world… where malicious daemons beguiling the human race towards meaningless wars and mistrusts, and where peace and happiness became scarce…it’s a great comfort to know blessed souls like yourselves have came across my life. Up until now… my life has been nothing but misery and pain, guided by vengeance that will only bring great grief and hatred towards others.” Jack paused for a brief moment to rise his head up to stare into the blue sky, despite being inside a hovercraft. He adopted a hopeful grin while thinking his future actions that will be for the good of the Earth.

“But at least… here on this day, I can do something absolutely right for a change.” Jack turned around and presented his hopeful smile to the two princesses. But deep down in his heart, he felt distraught that his end might be upon him.

“No matter what happens… I just hope the future that awaits you all… will be different from the way things were in our time. Please… take care of yourselves.” The two princesses stared at him, knowing full well there was no stopping him. Jack stood at the doorway gazing back at the two royal alicorns with his hopeful smile.

Princess Luna gazed into his resolved eyes, not showing any doubts or fear. She was amazed and surprised to know how fortunate the events turned out in her favor. A siege conquest, lead by a powerful demon far beyond Celestia and Luna’s comprehension, was slowly diminishing by the effort of a mere yet special mortal being. Luna witnessed Jack’s capacity both physical and strategically, yet she was doubtful about the percentage chance of Jack’s survival rate. But with Equestria now hanging on like a thread, she knew that he was the best chance they could get into putting an end to this madness. Luna nodded her head, noting that she gave her approval and support to him.

“You too… Jack.” Luna replied back. Jack returned the nod and darted his eyes at Celestia, who still held a doubtful face. But she knew that his destiny was beckoning him and she had no right to stand against him.

“Jack…” Celestia muttered quietly, her tone held doubtful concede justifications. With one last glance at the princesses, Jack begun his way out of the ship. He abandoned his hopeful expression with a determined face. With the princess safe, and his friends were out of harms way, he now focused on one more goal: face the demon himself. Rushing through hallways of knocked out soldiers, he eventually made his way out to the entrance. Jack rushed out the exit, leaped off the catwalk, fell and landed smoothly on the ground and stared at the direction Nyarlathotep was residing in. He was ready to face his fate, yet there was only one problem… Jack was suddenly greeted by a certain pegasus that stood in front of him when he landed. Jack gasped, unbelieved who was facing at this time.

“F-Fluttershy?!” Exclaimed Jack quizzically, dumbstruck by her presence. “H-How did you get here?!” Fluttershy gazed away at his eyes and floated her eyes at a pile of rocks on the bottom right corner of her vision.

“I-I followed you and Luna… to the portal you both went into. And… Jack… I… I…” At that moment, she became hesitant, unsure of continuing her sentence. Jack, who was still dumbstruck, was willing to listen to what she had to say. Both ponies stood in their place silently, one gaining the courage to speak up, while the other waited patiently. Fluttershy fought back her nervousness, yet it proved to be a challenge. Jack leaned closer to observe and attempt to decipher what she was trying to get out. Suddenly, when she couldn’t take the pressure any longer, she clenched her eyes shut and shouted,

“I want to fight with you!” Fluttershy held her eyes shut for a few moments, awaiting for Jack’s negative feedback. Yet, all she heard from him was a slightly sharp gasp. Fluttershy slowly opened her eyes, feeling that her request was acceptable to him. However, when she did opened her eyes again to look at Jack, he expressed agitation to the gentle pegasus. His was too stunned for words, yet he managed to get them out in time.

“You… you did not…” Jack uttered in disbelief. He turned his head away from Fluttershy and started walking around her.

“I can’t believe this…” He uttered irritatedly. As he made his way around the yellow obstacle, Fluttershy gasped in disbelief. Not willing to let him go this easily, she turned around and intercepted Jack’s path. Both pegasus now stood their ground for the moment.

“Stop! You don’t have to shoulder this burden all by yourself!” Fluttershy exclaimed anxiously. Jack already knew what she was going to say, but his arrogant determined heart casted her request aside. As Jack started to walk around her once more, he kept his eyes on her for a moment.

“But I have to, it’s the only way!” Jack aggravatedly explained. Once he finished his sentence, he took her eyes off of her and stared straight towards his goal. Starting to become frustrated at her attempts to express her reasoning with Jack, Fluttershy’s eyes started to upwell in tears. The thought of him doing this alone angered her, which gave her the boost to continue persuading Jack. Eyes now coated in tears, she dashed around and intercepted him once more, staring at him with determination.

“Is it?!” Fluttershy asked strictly. Jack stared into her black pupils that were glimmering brighter than her very soul. But Jack had no time to be lectured by her, plus, his mind was already resolved. Willing to ignore her question once again, Jack walked around her once more and kept moving forward. Fluttershy looked at the ground in distraught, refusing to believe his end was upon him. Fluttershy started to sniffle quietly, as her tears got the better of her. She grunted to maintain her composure, while determined to stop Jack. She knew that if she doesn’t give it her all on this last attempt to stop Jack, then the memories of being weak and helpless would return, plaguing her sapience existence for the rest of her life. With nothing to lose, Fluttershy quickly turned around, dashed towards Jack, and stopped in front of him again, this time she stood her ground and held her wall high. Jack stopped in his place, knowing he wasn’t going anywhere until things were resolved between him and her. Now that Fluttershy had Jack’s attention, she continued where she left off, still struggling to keep her composure.

“Ever since we met, there was something about you that I just couldn’t ignore! I was so fixated on you for some reason! Do you want to know why?!” Fluttershy paused for a moment, trying to restrain from crying. Jack could only stand in his place and watched her struggle to bring out what sentences she was storing inside of her. A few seconds later, Fluttershy continued where she left off, despite having difficulty maintaining her composure.

“I-I’m the element of K-Kindness! I help others, c-comfort them in their darkest needs! I-I’ve met and helped c-countless of ponies… who were afflicted by loneliness and misery! I’ve been through so much suffering that I thought I had suffered the most out of all the ponies in Equestria! B-But you… w-when I first understood and felt the true depth of your torment… I… I was beyond words! You’ve carried this unimaginable pain throughout your whole life, which was beyond what I’ve went through! It was so much that I wouldn’t barely even stand a chance of surviving such a torturous experience! Such a degree of your caliber… could kill a pony in an instant!” Fluttershy took a moment to ease herself, as the wails of her emotions overwhelmed her mind.

Jack listened and pondered what she had went through, yet he could only stare at her lifelessly, the face he donned was a mixture of solemn and somber. He wanted to show his sentimental feelings back, but he was deeply consumed by the greed of kismet that obligated him to fulfil his purpose to the end. So long as his emotions and his common senses were remained behind bars, nothing that Fluttershy would say could change his view. His disillusional perspective towards the peaceful town of Ponyville and his kind were responsible for creating his distant and aloof personality. The unspeakable pain he suffered during his time was what plagued his sense of judgement and the sense of value towards others all this time. And the revolutional truths he discovered from certain people was the reason his resolved notions were shaped and twisted. He felt like a broken man, doomed to wander the globe until his only purpose was fulfilled, and there was nothing Fluttershy or her friends could do to change Jack’s written fate.

“Do you understand now, Jack?!” Fluttershy continued, but she had difficult to maintain herself. “It’s because you carry such pain that I could not simply ignore! No one… and I mean no one… should go through such suffering! That is why… I… ” Jack heard enough of her crying, and time was of the essence. In truth, he felt thankful that help was being offered, yet he knew in his heart that he was meant to do this alone. He lifted his hoof to signal Fluttershy to stop talking.

“Fluttershy… my pain is not yours… or anybody elses to share. I completely understand you want to help ease me… but I don’t want you see you suffer the same pain I have. You may have healed my wounds in the past… but the scars I carried will always torment me… just like the curse mark. I don’t want to be responsible for letting you have such scars on you… or anyone else. It’s just like you said, you simply cannot ignore pain like mine.” Jack placed his hoof onto his beating chest, staring at his hoof with pained cognizance of his past.

“I’m not here to heal my wounds… but to mend my scars. Scars may be on you for the rest of your life, but it doesn’t mean you can’t ease them.” He took a moment to collect himself and retained his normal composure. Fluttershy sniveled to dry her nose from the excessive crying.

“B-But still… I want to fight with-”

“You’re not getting it… keeping all of you safe helps mend my scars. I don’t want to get anymore scars throughout my life, knowing that I’ve not only endangered everyone, but to lose those closest to me. Please…” Jack kneeled down to her level and rested his hoof on her shoulder pad.

“Let me go…” Jack spoke sincerely. Struck by his words, Fluttershy was left utterly speechless.

“I…” Fluttershy spoke hesitantly, but at that instant, Jack turned away from her and started running towards his destination. Realizing that her convictions proved to be of no use towards Jack, she desperately reached her hoof out for him.

“JACK!!” She cried out. Jack turned his head around and darted his glare at Fluttershy.

“JUST STAY OUT OF MY WAY, OKAY?!” Jack yelled in profound anger. As she watched him run off to the distance, she sat at her spot, struck down by his needless arrogant outburst. Feeling the weight of her failure, she sunk her eyes slowly to the ground.

“Jack… no…” She uttered in despair. Fluttershy thought that she was alone to deal with her dilemma, yet surprisingly, a hoof was placed behind her shoulder pad in a reassuring way. She jumped in fright from the sudden touch, only to find that the princess of the night, carrying Celestia over her shoulder, looking down at Fluttershy with concern. Luna realized what had happen, but nonetheless, she stared back at Jack from the distance, displaying her hopeful expression towards the brave living being.

“Fluttershy, he has his battle to attend to. We must do our best to protect our kind. Have faith for him.” Luna said to Fluttershy, giving her the reassurance she deserved. Of all the times Jack had faced the dangers, Fluttershy had yet to give some consideration of placing faith into a regular mortal being, facing in the dangers of powers beyond his reckoning. But at the same time, she felt that it was the best to let him do his thing alone. With nothing more to say on the matter, Fluttershy turned attention away from the princesses, and stared at the last sighting of Jack, who just entered inside Canterlot City.

Author's Note

Welp, Merry Christmas everyone!

Chapter 12: A Sister Talk

Chapter 12

As the demon stared out of the window, viewing the green and luxurious grassy mountains and terrains with malicious intent, Marshal Maxwell, who knew how to properly introduce himself this time, entered through the sliding electronic doors and presented himself to Nyarlathotep by saluting and standing still.

“My lord, I’ve just confirmed that all of the soldiers down in Ponyville have been defeated! Our sources indicate that all of them have repositioned themselves nearby Canterlot in a matter of seconds. Sir, I do believe they’re planning on a counter attack on us. What are your orders, my lord?” Despite the effort to suppress the situation that keeps coming back, Nyarlathotep sighed and shook his head.

“Ah, this again, Marshal? I’ve already stated that there was nothing to worry about. But if you truly insist that this indeed a threat to our operation, then I will simply oblige.” He turned around and faced Maxwell, who looked desperate for an actual course of action. Nyarlathotep grinned precariously, while fiddling with the tiara he held behind his back.

“Dispatch any groups nearby here and dispose of the traitors at once. Make sure none of them reach here until the portal is completed. And if they do somehow prove to be more of a problem, use necessary force if needed.” Maxwell felt relieved to finally receive an order by none other than the crawling chaos himself.

“Yes sir! I will announce the orders as soon as possible!” Just before Maxwell could turn around and move out, Nyarlathotep whipped out a hidden smirk on his face.

“Wait, Marshal.” The demon said with a malicious tone. Maxwell turned around and listened.

“Y-Yes, my lord?”

“Once you dispatch the groups, I want you to come back here and install the final configurations for the portal rift here. Also…” Nyarlathotep hung his head down a bit, while his eyes were fixated on Maxwell. From the moment after he hung his head down, Maxwell saw his glowing green eyes staring at him menacingly, along with an intimidating glasgow smile on his face. Staring directly at his partially obscured face, Maxwell felt that his soul was pierced by an icy sphere, imbedded with the most foul scent of fear and maliciousness. But what was worst of all, the face almost resembled… of an elderly man. Even though Maxwell hasn’t seen his true face yet, but it still brought out the worst of him. A few seconds of staring at his disturbing face, the demon finally spoke.

“I want you to inform all the guards in this sector to properly welcome our... special guest. Be sure to greet him… adequately.”

Meanwhile, Luna brought her sister and Fluttershy to the headquarters, located at Canterlot’s haven. Within the domain were hundreds upon thousands of soldiers, preparing themselves for the assault. Each portion of the domain was divided into three sectors, the left side of the haven had medical tents and weapon rackets. In the middle of the haven were soldiers recapping the battle strategy Twilight provided on a large map of Canterlot that was pinned on a large bulletin board. Seeing everything going as scheduled, Twilight pointed her hoof towards the entrance of the cave.

“Alright, everyone get into your positions!” She ordered. As the soldiers were marching towards their designated location, Rarity spotted Aero on the other side of the barricade of soldiers.

“Aero darling, we need to go!” She called out. After the soldiers were out of view, she gasped in shock to see him around other ponies. They would be terrified or disgusted at him… but they were interested and friendly towards him. She couldn’t believe her eyes that Aero was accepted pretty quickly. Aero heard Rarity and waved his hoof.

“In a moment, chappete! These people are becoming quite fond of me, I say! I’m surprised they aren’t intimidated by my… unclassy appearance.” He said with a chuckle. The ponies giggled with him and begun chatting away once more. As Rarity watched Aero having a conversation as a normal pony, she felt like she was ignored.

“But Aero…” Rarity grumbled, expressing her muddle reaction. Elsewhere, Luna walked with Celestia as her support, along with Fluttershy moping towards the ground. As both princesses walked towards the medical tent, they spotted a familiar figure up ahead. Standing next to the tent’s entrance was the courageous purple dragon, Spike. He spotted both the princesses with his face expressing full surprise.

“Princess Celestia!” Spike exclaimed. He rushed over to Celestia and placed his claw on her hoof.

“Are… are you okay?!” He asked. Celestia looked down and smiled at the baby dragon.

“Y-Yes… I just… need some rest.” Glad to know she was safe from harm, Spike release a long and relief sight. Yet, after taking a good look at the attendance, he noticed right away that someone was missing.

“Wait, where’s Jack?” He asked. Both the princesses and Fluttershy knew he would asked such question, thus their lips were sealed. Spike raised his eyebrow up in suspension. He then looked over to Fluttershy looking dejectedly. Spike wondered if they had a fight or something else. He was about to ask her until Luna intervened.

“Nevermind him, we need to prepare ourselves for the enemy’s assault.” She said staley. Spike looked at Luna quizzically, then back at Fluttershy. But since time was of the essence, he went along.

“Oookay…” He said, as he aided Celestia with a little support. “Come on princess. We need to get you into the medical tent.” As the three entered the tent, Fluttershy was left standing alone. She gloomed down at the ground… then she raised her head and stared blindly at the ceiling.

“Jack…” She muttered sullenly.

Leaping on to the last pillar of rock, Jack spotted the warship parked nearby the Canterlot Castle. There, four soldiers guarded the entrance to the ship, while there were eight other soldiers patrolling around the perimeter. For the first time in his life, Jack felt eager to face his destiny… and for once holding no burdens or regrets. He observed the challenge that laid before him, glaring at each soldier within the area. He slowly reached for his collapsible bo-staff, twirling it hastily to extend both ends out, and stood there feeling confident.

“Here I come… you bastard.” Jack uttered in a dark tone.

“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE, EVACUATE INTO THE TUNNELS! OUR ASSAULT WILL BEGIN IN FIFTEEN MINUTES!!” Luna shouted in her royal voice, alerting the ponies to congregate to the safe cave located at the rear of the haven. As the ponies quietly entered the cave, the mane six did their jobs by leading them into the entrance efficiently.

“Let’s keep it movin’ folks! Ya’ll don’t want ta get in this mess!” Applejack yelled, while gesturing her arm to keep the ponies moving on.

“C’mon you slackers! Let’s move move move move move!!” Yelled Rainbow Dash, flapping above the crowd while throwing both hooves up skyward.

“Weeeee!! Let’s go, everypony!” Pinkie exclaimed excitedly, bouncing up and down to lift the gathering ponies’ spirits up.

“Oh darling, do be careful and watch your step!” Rarity gestured at a colt who almost tripped on a rock. As the four ponies were engrossed in their jobs, Twilight was about to encourage the ponies more to pick up the pace when she spotted Fluttershy hanging her head, glooming at the ground. Twilight walked up to her, hoping to get an answer from her sudden behavior.

“Fluttershy…? Are you okay?” Twilight asked, but the yellow pegasus had no response or the decency to look at her friend. She just stood there, looking hopeless and depressed. Twilight was about to ask again what the problem was… until it hit her. Jack was nowhere in sight, in fact, she hasn’t seen him yet since they went through the portal. Strucken by anxiety, Twilight had an idea of what had happened between him and Fluttershy. She gasped slightly, her eyes widened a bit.

“Did he-” Twilight was about to ask until the quiet pegasus finally spoke.

“Twilight…” Fluttershy spoke paley. She looked up at the curious purple unicorn with eyes that showed no life.

“He’s doing what’s best for everyone. Let’s just focus on our task…” Fluttershy turned around and walked away, leaving Twilight clueless and worried.

“Fluttershy…” Twilight uttered under her breath. The preparations were busy and restless, but the ponies in charge were sufficient enough to get everything together. Pony civilians and townsfolk walked inside the cave with much cooperation and the soldiers carried out their duties with no questions. Everything was going as planned, not one of the humans dared abandoned the orders they were entrusted with.

As the preparations for the assault was near completion, Princess Luna flew to the highest cliff within the haven. Below her were hundreds of rows and columns of soldiers, standing still in their pride. The army of humans silently awaited for Luna to speak, more than a hundred thousand eyes were locked onto her at this moment. Luna took a moment to view each dedicated warrior within the assembly. As she did, she noticed that half of them were ready to fight for their cause… while some still questioned themselves and pondered about the outcome of this battle.

“Sister… I…” Luna utterly said to herself, remembering what the two sisters discussed earlier today.

“Easy does it.” Neil said to Celestia, as he, Kyle, and Tom aided her by guiding her weak body towards the large medic bed. Each step Celestia took made her grunt in pain. Every muscle in her felt so torn up from the great loss of her magic as a large percentage was absorbed and drained from her body. She had her hoof wrapped around Tom’s shoulders, while her other hoof remained on the ground to support her weight. Her wings were spread out to reserve more balance as Alex and Neil each took a side and held her in place. As she was brought to the bed, the three supporters helped place her on the surface. Celestia collapsed on the soft mattress, grunting in relief. She rested her head on the fluffy pillow and sighed.

“There you go, your majesty.” Kyle sighed. Celestia looked at the three and smiled.

“Thank you…” At that moment, Celestia spotted Luna entering the tent behind the three soldiers. Luna smiled in relief at she saw her sister finally relaxing on the bed. The three soldiers looked behind them and spotted the princess of the night before them.

“Might I ask you three to step outside for a while? I would like to talk to my older sister in private.” The three soldiers bowed, as they started to backup.

“As you wish.” Tom replied. The three soldiers turned around and exited the tent, leaving the two princesses all alone. Luna walked up to her sister, placing her hoof on to Celestia’s chest to hear her healthy heartbeat.

“Tia… I’ve noticed you’ve been acting very protective towards Jack Armstrong, and in just a short amount of time as well. I may have some faith in him… yet I still doubt that he will fully succeed his task. But you… it looked like you were begging him immensely to not go towards his imminent danger, yet deep inside, you have always held so much faith for him.” Luna paused for a moment to properly formulate her question clearly. “So… why are you so attached to him more than I am? You treat the elements of harmony as if they were precious to you… with such equality. But with Jack… you treat him way beyond them. It is almost as if he’s your some sort of…”

“Burden?” Celestia answered, interrupting Luna. Luna looked shocked, shaking her head nervously.

“N-No, that’s not what I mea-” She tried to speak, but Celestia’s hoof hushed her from going any further.

“It’s okay… I know what you meant.” As the two princesses sullenly gazed at the ground, their brightened mood diminished slowly. Celestia wished she wouldn’t have this conversation with her sister… but she knew it was a proper time to tell her. Starting off with a sigh, Celestia begun her explanation.

“I don’t know either, my sister. It’s true, I haven’t interacted with him as long as the others had… but there’s something about him that’s worth more than meets the eye. It is as if he’s something worth protecting above any other else in this world. Everytime I look or think about him… I can’t help but feel responsible for bringing him more suffering to his life.” As Luna begun to understand the picture, she wondered if her next question would fit the puzzle.

“Is it because of that incident?” Luna asked. She’d expected to be correct, yet to her slight surprise, Celestia shook her head softly.

“It’s not just that… there’s more to it than that. I think it’s mostly because I’ve allowed myself to let a mortal being go free and face an enemy that far exceeds beyond my capabilities. Not only that, I feel as though I’m responsible for placing such heavy burdens on his shoulders, burdens that will scar him deeply if he does fail. I don’t know how or why I value his life that equals to yours, but all I can say is that humans are truly precious creatures. Just like… those three were back then...” As the white alicorn silenced her lips, she pondered on the painful past she endured. Luna, however, had no similar sympathies for what happened in the past.

“Tia, I know how you feel about losing them, but that was a thousand years ago. She may had been the older sister of a young brother and sister, and the wielder of the Rainbow of Light, but eventually, her true nature caved in on her regardless of the outcome.” Celestia turned to Luna and glared at her eyes.

“They were not monsters, Luna!” Celestia spoke angrily. Luna realized she took the wrong approach, yet she needed to let her sister know what her thoughts were.

“I don’t think they were as well, but nonetheless, humans are a dangerous species, Tia! May I remind you that one of them was the Avatar of Zalgo?! We had to bring him down before he could be possessed completely, thus; we had no other choice!” Luna tried to express her reason, but it only made Celestia angrier.

“We could had saved him, Luna! I know you felt the same way when that time came!” Celestia replied, her angry tone rose dramatically.

“Oh?! Well tell that to the one who’s innocent life was taken away! I-I don’t know why it happened… but the youngest one was marked as a threat, because we thought that the influence of Zalgo was nestled and infused inside her! If only mother didn’t killed her… if only I could had been there for her, remove the evil from within her, and helped her escape… then she wouldn’t of died.” Luna paused, as she was crossing the borders of breaking into tears. She shook her head to fight back the pain that was inflicting her.

“I loved her so much… her charming personality always lifted my gloomy spirit… she was my sanctuary! But… but now she’s gone! S-she didn’t deserve such a tragic end. The same thing goes for…” Celestia knew who she was going to bring up next, she had to stop her. Just before Luna could continue, Celestia rudely intervened.

“Luna, just stop! You don’t know anything what they’ve been through! You don’t know what she’s been through...” She growled. Celestia remembered the times she spent with her friend, all the memories they had shared together were timeless. She cherished her relationship with her that equaled to Luna’s, as if she was another sister to her. As much as Celestia wanted to leave her out of this, Luna couldn’t obliged to her wishes and spoke.

“I have so! Have you forgotten that her negative impact on losing her beloved kins almost destroyed Equestria?! Her anger and grief was too much, that the dark emotions brewing withinside her, managed to possessed her and used the Rainbow of Light against us! Like you, I could of saved her too… but our father took her away from us.” Celestia too remembered the time she saw her die, and it was the one image she wished she would’ve forgotten. Angered by the fact Luna brought up that particular memory, Celestia grunted in frustration and swerved her head away from her sister.

“Tia…” Luna sighed. “I’m not trying to enforce my actual feelings on humans at you… it’s just that I thought our mother and father did the right thing to protect this land. They were never allowed inside Equestria in the first place, and our parents did warn us about the human race. Looking back… I remembered what those three could managed to do in a matter of years. Imagine what an army of humans that stumbled into this land could accomplish! Equestria would’ve been in ruins in a matter of minutes!” The conversation with her younger sister sickened the sun princess, causing her anger to boil rapidly.

“But they weren’t like them!” Celestia hissed, showing signs of disdain of the conversation.

“I know that Tia, they were my best friends too, but evolution and time was what caused them to reveal their true lineage. I don’t believe those three were evil… but nonetheless, the rest of the human race we once believed to be peaceful and loving species turned out to be brutal and intimidating-” Celestia couldn’t hear anymore, she released all of her anger at her sister.

“THAT’S A LIE!!” She screamed, abruptly interrupting her. Luna sealed her lips shut, finally noticing the message Celestia was giving out. The two princesses remained silent as tension was surrounding between them. Celestia glared furiously at Luna, feeling betrayed and insulted by her younger sister’s conjecture. She just wanted to slap Luna across the face for bashing her thoughts on the human race, but she refrained herself to do such thing. As the silence mended Celestia’s anger, she became less tense.

“Say whatever you want about the humans… but they’re not truly evil. I know it’s true…” Celestia said, breaking the silence. In a matter of seconds, Celestia finally gained control over her emotions and simmered down. Luna, on the other hand, was confused and frustrated by her older sister’s blague point of view.

“But how, sister?! After what has happened today so far, what still made you convinced that the humans aren’t as a big of a threat than they were?!” She asked sincerely, desperate to know her answer. As silence reigned within the room once more, Celestia took her time to delve into her conflicted mind. She had stated her belief to her sister, but where was the proof? Celestia had forgotten why she believed the humans were good and innocent natured creatures. Witnessing their tenacity of holding onto their hatred and suffering for so long, it was no wonder why the humans were feared. She thought it was one of those questions that had no reasonable answers… that was until she thought of a certain person. She looked back at Luna once more, she smiled with reassuring clarity in her mind.

“Because… Jack is the fine example of their true nature.” Celestia simply stated. Luna was taken aback from her answer.

“But… why?” She asked with great curiosity and confusion. Celestia looked in front of her, staring into her own space thinking of Jack.

“Jack was once tormented by the pain and suffering from the very same species he was born with. And his brother… Jared Armstrong… was the one that drove him towards vengeance. But… all of them weren’t to blame for their bloodshed history. If there was anyone to blame…” Celestia paused as she turned her head to her sister. She had a look of contempt on her face.

“It would be the Outer Gods. They were the ones responsible for poisoning the human race with meaningless wars that brought overwhelming fear, unbearable pain, and unrelenting hatred towards one another.” Celestia looked away from her sister and stared at her own shadow.

“You see… everyone cruelly punished Jack because they thought that he was the avatar of a monstrous being. Though, it wasn’t their evil nature or their intention to torture Jack himself out of spite… but what was inside of him, the evil that haunted the humans for years that made them do it. The same principle can be applied to his brother. Even though he had the essence of evil inside him… he wasn’t born as an evil person. If Jared wasn’t chosen as the next avatar… then things would of been different.”

“But that doesn’t explain why you believe they’re truly peaceful creatures. What makes you sure that Jack is the same as them?” Luna asked, still clouded by so many questions.

“Because… unlike the rest… Jack was saved by the power of friendship.”

“The Elements of Harmony…” Luna agasped slightly. Celestia nodded her head and continued.

“If he could be changed into a good natured being, why couldn’t the rest of them be too? It’s because that they lived in such harsh conditions, it would make sense for us to fear the humans for their brutal nature. But by guiding them out of their darkness… and bringing them into the light… then they will be like Jack. After all, he possesses loyalty, clarity, generosity, honesty, compassion, and valor. Even though he does lack some virtues, it still doesn’t label him as a threat.” Celestia turned back to her sister, who was shamefully staring at the ground for being too credulous at the humans.

“Do you finally understand? Because I do now. The reason why Jack feels precious to me… is because he reminds me of our old friends. Megan… who showed loyalty and honesty when she wanted to be strong for her friends. Molly… the one who expressed compassion and generosity to cheer up those closest to her. And Danny, who always had clarity and valor whenever his friends are in danger. To sum it all up, all three of them each possessed virtues that Jack inherited. That’s why… Jack is precious to me. And I do believe… that he could be the one that can change the fate of the human race and possibly… bring peace to our world.” Struck by her sister’s factual perspectives, Luna’s view on the humans turned to a brighter direction.

“I… I understand now. I’m so sorry for ever doubting you…” She replied in a mortified tone. After all the years of attempting to confute her sister’s beliefs and perspectives towards the humans, she begun to degrade herself for being so blind and foolish. Luna couldn’t look into her sister’s eyes, she was too ashamed to fully admit her mistakes. A hoof was suddenly placed on her cheek and forced her head to turn back to face Celestia, who smiled at her sister warmly.

“It’s alright sister, there’s no need to be ashamed. To be honest, I’ve stopped caring for the humans after I banished you to the moon. That is until Jack crossed over to our lives and brought us renewed belief.” Luna shed a tear, while placing a hoof on top of Celestia’s own hoof. She gently pressed down her hoof and snuggled her cheek against Celestia’s caring touch.

“So… what does the humans need to be like Jack?” She asked softly. Celestia leaned forward and planted a peck on her forehead.

“All they need now… is salvation, compassion… and most of all… hope, my sister.” Celestia stated soothingly. Luna closed her eyes and continued to rest her head against her sister’s hoof.

“I see…” She cooed in relief. Luna got on top of her bed and rested her body onto her caring and loving sister. Celestia smiled at her, caressing Luna’s flowing mane gently while the princess of the night closed her eyes and slept. As she kept caressing Luna’s mane, Celestia turned her head to watch the dedicated soldiers marching by outside the tent’s entrance. A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek.

Jack… thank you for existing in our world. Celestia spoke passionately to herself inwardly. You’ve done a deed so sacred that it pales in comparison to mine. After all, you’ve inherited Megan’s loyalty and honesty, making you stay true to others and to yourself. You also inherited Molly’s compassion and generosity, sharing your services and sentimental feelings to help out those who mean to you. Finally, you’ve inherited Danny’s valiant spirit and a mind etched with clarity, allowing you to overcome hardships and obstacles you face in life, and protecting the ones you love from danger. But most of all… I want to thank you for giving me back hope for the humans. You truly are someone important in this world… please be careful.

As Luna finished reminiscing her conversation earlier with her sister, she begun to see a new perspective towards the soldiers. Each and every one of them had a look of resolve, a desire for change. Luna couldn’t be any happier to be armed with the changed perspective she had.

It would appear… that you may be right about these humans, sister. Luna said to herself inwardly. From the look on their faces, they desire change in their world. Their expressions are full of determination and a thirst for salvation. Perhaps… we might be able to do this... Determined to put this operation into action, Luna stood front and center of the ledge. She calmly inhales deeply, and started to shout in her royal voice.

“DEFENDERS, ACTIVATE OUR DEFENSE MECHANISMS! MARKSMEN, HEAD OVER TO YOUR ASSIGNED LOCATIONS! SOLDIERS, PREPARE YOUR WEAPONS!!” She yelled, pointing her hoof towards the directions she assigned each platoons. Luna faced the soldiers below her, ready to heed her words and commands.

I will put all of my trust with you, my sister. She said in her consciousness. Once more, Luna took a deep breath and resumed the royal Canterlot voice to project herself loud and clear.

“THIS IS IT! WHETHER YOU FAIL OR SUCCEED, WHATEVER HAPPENS IN THIS BATTLE TODAY, KNOW THAT YOU ALL ARE FIGHTING NOT ONLY FOR FREEDOM… BUT FOR REDEMPTION!! ON THIS DAY, THIS FIGHT SHALL BE THE REIFICATION OF MANKIND’S DEFIANCE AGAINST THE OUTER GODS REIGN OF TERROR, AND THAT YOU BRAVE AND ADMIRABLE MORTAL BEINGS WILL REGAIN THE PEACE YOU ALL ONCE LOST!! HEAR ME… THIS IS YOUR DAY… OUR DAY!!” The soldiers stood proudly at their places as they were ready to fight thanks to Luna’s motivational speech. The princess herself was also roused from her speech, feeling more anxious to place action into motion. Luna stomped her hoof on the ground, thrusting her chest forward and tilting her neck back.

“DO NOT LET YOUR ACTIONS GO UNHEARD!! SHOW THEM WHAT WE MORTALS ARE CAPABLE OF!! FOR PEACE!! FOR FREEDOM!! AND FOR SALVATIOOOON!!” Seconds later, Luna unleashed a wave of outcries that thundered cheers and battle cries. Every human lifted their rifle guns up in the air in unison, displaying and expressing the strength of their valor. Luna was touched immensely; the hope that wavered her eventually returned. Now that hope was restored to not only humanity… but to Luna as well. All she could do now, was smile up at the ceiling and image a certain someone.

“And I will put my complete faith in you… Jack Armstrong.” She said to herself with strong belief.

“Sir, the configurations are complete! The portal is ready for activation!” Marshal Maxwell reported diligently. The crawling chaos chortled in a pleasing and dark tone.

“Proceed…” He waved his hand lazily. Maxwell stood up after configuring and rerouting wires, microchips, and cables he walked over back to the computer screen and typed in the the last coordinates for the route. As he fulfilled his duty, Maxwell pressed the last button and the deed was done.

“Both portal rifts are now connected, main power on!” He announced. Nyarlathotep smiled wickedly to himself, clenching his fists that creek ever so loudly.

“Excelent… the time has come!” The generator begun to hum violently, tiny electric sparks shot out from the gateway arch. In a matter of seconds, a small rift started to tear through the fabric of space in the middle of the gateway, slowly growing in size. Within the rift, a swirling vortex that spiraled downward towards a fading point could be seen. The edge of the rifts made contact with the gateway arch, and at that very instant, the entire rift ripped open completely. Now standing in their presence was a fully functional portal that emitted a green and blue color. Nyarlathotep looked at the portal and turned his head back forward, chuckling to himself.

It was at that moment that Maxwell started to formulate a conjecture. The way Nyarlathotep had been acting for the past day was very unsettling and questionable to Maxwell. The entire time his armada took over Canterlot, not once he was worried about the resistance slowly conquering a small portion of his entire battalions and slowly retaliating towards the heart of the entire armada. In fact, Maxwell had not seen the lord of chaos showing any signs of dilemma. With his skeptical mind finally in motion, he glared at the dark lord suspiciously.

Why is he so calm? Does he not realize that the resistance could be the downfall towards our operation? Does he even… care about us? What is he planning…? Maxwell asked himself inwardly, still trying to conjure up his answers. Maxwell’s train of thought came to a halt as he heard Nyarlathotep chuckling to himself.

“Ah… you’ve arrived just in time.” He said in a humble tone. Maxwell tilted his head in confusion, raising an eyebrow. There was no one else here besides himself, but as soon as Maxwell spotted a soldier being thrown into the room, he found his answer. The soldier grunted in pain as he crashed landed on the side of the command steps, groaning in defeat. Maxwell heard metal footsteps… or rather hoofsteps entering the room.

“Welcome… Jack Armstrong.” The daemon sneered, turning himself to face not only the bipedal stallion himself, but the Avatar of Am’Dhaegar the Pure as well.

“Nyarlathotep…” Jack growled, twirling his bo-staff violently for a few seconds before abruptly stopping the motion and holding his weapon horizontally in front of himself. For twenty long years, Jack had avoided the demon crawling chaotically after him. For twenty long years, Jack lived his entire life through the constant eyes of the Outer Gods. And for twenty long years… Jack and Nyarlathotep never encountered each other… until now.

Chapter 1: Preparations

Chapter 1

Winter… the season lulled Equestria to sleep under nature’s white blanket. Through cold and dark nights, the spirit of Hearth's Warming Eve kept the ponies safe and warm. The ponies in Ponyville, Canterlot, and Cloudsdale had shared their harmony towards each other for a very long time. No matter what type of ponies they were, the bonds of friendship they had treasured since long ago ensured the harmony and peace in Equestria… then and forever. It was five months since the day of Discord’s downfall, along with his chaotic schemes, and Ponyville remained strong.

“Spike!” Called Twilight Sparkle from the first floor of her library, “Get your lazy dragon butt out of bed! We gotta go! We’re going to be late for our daily checkup around Ponyville! Hearth's Warming Eve is only a week away, and I don’t intend to slack off! Now come on!” Twilight was hyped up and ready to fulfill her assigned duty as task manager. The fact that Spike always had a tendency for sleeping late made her even more anxious to start the day. Having been given the role of organizer made her feel proud, and she was determined to get things done as effectively as possible. Another ten seconds of waiting later, Spike walked slowly into the room while rubbing his half-open eyes. He let out a tired yawn, and proceeded to scratch his back with his claw.

“*Yaaaawn!*… Tell me again… why am I involved in this?” Spike grumbled. Twilight knew Spike wasn’t used to getting up at such an early hour, but the fact that she had been given such a responsible title made her very hasty this time around. Seeing that it was almost time to go, she decided to get her things ready. She placed a checklist in her saddlebag, along with one of her favorite quills and an ink bottle as well. Once Twilight was prepared and well-equipped for her duties, she levitated the bag and strapped it around her waist. Then, she gave out a slight sigh and turned to Spike, who hadn’t moved an inch.

“Because you’re Ponyville folk now, it’s also your responsibility to make sure everything goes according to schedule!” Twilight responded. Spike could only answer with a groan of annoyance.

“And… when did I actually agree to thi-“ At that moment, Twilight used her telekinesis to lift Spike up and levitated him onto her back. Once Spike was in position, Twilight gave him a glare of finality.

“Last month, when I was assigned my job! Now let’s get to work!” Twilight said, and then trotted her way out the front door. Outside, the snow on the ground was roughly a foot high, and it still continued to snow lightly. The temperature was a bit chilly, but warm clothing wasn’t really necessary yet for an average pony. There were a few ponies walking around the town, and the rest were most likely still asleep in their homes. The sun was just barely visible on the horizon, preparing itself for yet another day. Ready to do her job, Twilight and Spike went out to check on the preparations for the holiday’s approach.

Their first order of business was to check on the food preparations for the Hearth's Warming Eve party in Canterlot. And what better place to perform such a task than at Sweet Apple Acres? Twilight noticed a few stallions plowing through the snowy fields, while some others were bucking whatever remaining apples were left on the trees, and a few that were working on baked goods inside the farmhouse itself. She could practically smell the delicious and scrumptious food they were baking from a mile away. So far, so good. Twilight checked off a few squares, seeing as things were already in full motion. Right after that, she spotted three very familiar ponies working on harvesting apples from some nearby apple trees. Willing to spare a bit of time to chat, she went over to meet Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh. The apple family noticed her arrival and immediately greeted her with a trio of warm, welcoming waves.

“Howdy Twilight,” Applejack greeted, “We’re just finishing up harvesting whatever apples we can find on them trees. And boy did they turn out to be great apples.” Twilight smiled, as she checked the remaining entries on the food department checklist. She was, however, a bit sad that she hadn’t had the chance to check up on all the things on her own, but nonetheless, she was happy.

“Oh… great! I knew I could count on you guys to get the job done in a timely manner.” Just then, Twilight heard someone snoozing right behind her. She looked back and noticed Spike curled up with his eyes shut. Annoyed, Twilight used her magic to lift a small pile of snow up into the air, and then dump it on top of Spike’s head. The cold mass caused Spike to immediately sit back up in shock. He gasped and swerved his head around.

“W-What?! I-I’m awake! I…” Spike paused for a brief moment, only to be confronted by an irritated Twilight. He let out a tired grumble, realizing he had dozed off.

“What? Look, I don’t know what to do, okay? You didn’t really give me a job.” Spike said, and Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Well then, I suppose I’ll leave the checklist up to you!” Almost immediately, Twilight used her magic to teleport the checklist and quill to Spike’s hands. Not even close to being amused or enthused, he let out yet another grumble. Apple Bloom gave a friendly chuckle at seeing him being treated like this.

“It’s alright, Spike. I know gettin’ up early ain’t yer type of thing. But you’ll get used to it eventually.” She said with an encouraging smile. Spike looked at her and displayed a friendly smile of his own.

“Heh… thanks.”

After a while of chatting, Twilight departed Apple Acres and headed straight towards the Weather Team dispatch center, located at the Town Hall. There, she quickly spotted Rainbow Dash giving out orders, such as choosing which pegasi were supposed to manage the clouds, move the birds to a different location, or make sure that the weather was behaving properly. Twilight was surprised to find that not only had Applejack already gotten started, but Rainbow Dash too. Seeing as though job was underway, Twilight thought to herself,

“I wonder if it’s best to wake up earlier next time, just so I can oversee everything, and make sure that things are going exactly as I scheduled.” But despite her thought, it was probably best not to, since Spike would no doubt refuse to wake up at that kind of hour. Putting aside the thought, she decided to check up on Rainbow Dash. She walked towards her, calling out her name.

“Hey! Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called. Dash turned around, a big smile forming on her muzzle.

“What’s up!” Dash flew into the air, performed a frontal loop, and gracefully landed in front of her. Twilight hoped that there would be at least ‘something’ for her to check up on.

“I’m just here to check up on some things. Got anything ‘disorganized’ for me to fix?” Twilight asked with a helping hoof. But sadly, Rainbow Dash replied with a simple shaking head.

“We already got everything organized. We got the weather planned, we’ve already sent the birds to the south, and practically have everything else set up! Guess your job is going to be easy today!” Once more, Twilight was sad to discover that she couldn’t help out. But she kept her usual smile and her enthusiastic spirit up.

“Oh… well… that’s great! I… I guess. Y-You sure there isn’t anything I can help with?” She hoped that she would get some sort of assignment, but Rainbow Dash’s only response was a shake of her head.

“Sorry, Twi. We got everything running smoothly. But hey, why don’t you check on the others? See if they want any help. Now, I gotta go. See ya around!” And with that, Rainbow Dash flew skywards and soared through the sky, where a bunch of pegasi were awaiting her. Twilight felt a bit disappointed from not being able to help her friend, but she still didn’t give up. Seeing as there were three more major areas to check up on, she departed in hopes of finding somepony in need of help.

Only a few minutes later, outside of Ponyville, Twilight and Spike went to meet the caretaker of all critters. Not wanting to be left out on the preparations, Twilight picked up her pace, as her speed went from trotting to galloping. Spike held onto her neck and prepared himself for a bumpy ride.

“Guh! Twilight, slow down! It’s hard for me to hold on to you!” Spike yelled, but not a single word came through to the anxious purple unicorn’s head, so he quickly gave up and continued to hold on.

A minute of galloping later, Twilight arrived at her destination and stopped. She let out a small gasp, as she couldn’t see any critters in sight. Once more, Twilight was too late. But, she did manage to spot a pink mane on a yellow pegasus, going from hole to hole. Perhaps there was still a little bit of work left for her to do. Without wasting anymore time, Twilight galloped over to Fluttershy in hopes for a small assignment.

“Fluttershy!” Twilight called out. Fluttershy heard her sudden voice, and quickly yelped in fright. She quickly dove past a huge boulder to hide herself from sight. It took only a couple of seconds for her to recognize the voice and regain her former composure. She looked up from her hiding place, and was immediately greeted by Twilight’s friendly smile.

“O-Oh… it’s you. I’m sorry about that, you startled me there.” Fluttershy said. Twilight gave an apologetic chuckle.

“Hehe… sorry. Anyways,” Twilight then proceeded to lean closer towards Fluttershy with eyes of anticipation. “Is there anything I can do to help? I-I mean, that is if you REALLY need help.” Twilight’s compulsive behavior was starting to get the better of her. Fluttershy was not aware of her anxious behavior, and began thinking of what she had done so far. Each second that passed by, Twilight’s hopes were rising. But alas, Fluttershy finally responded with a shaking head.

“I’m afraid I got all the assignments done. Sorry, there isn’t anything for you to help with.” Just as she thought, Twilight let out a depressed sigh. Fluttershy felt a bit guilty by not being able to let her friend help out.

“I’m sure Pinkie Pie and Rarity are working on some big things. Surely you can check up on that.” Fluttershy added. Twilight’s anticipation level sparked back up from hearing her say that. Pinkie Pie was in charge of the holiday decorating, and Rarity was asked to prepare seasonal clothing for the pony folk. Indeed they would have a lot of things for her to check on, and Twilight was not the pony to miss such an opportunity. Before she managed to drift off into her own world, as per usual, she snapped back into reality and thanked Fluttershy while Spike checked off another box on the to-do list.

“You’re right. Thanks Fluttershy… I just hope my friends don’t think that I’m just a useless pony.”

“Oh no, you are not a useless pony, Twilight.” Fluttershy added. “If you truly care about the ponies and your assignments, I’m sure you’ll have your share. I mean, it’s not like you’re being labeled as worthless and weak, right?” Hearing this boosted Twilight’s confidence a bit, and she quickly nodded before departing.

“Right! Well, take care.” Twilight said. Spike waved goodbye to her as well, and they both took off. Fluttershy returned the wave, and watched as they went over the snowy hill. At that moment, she lowered her hoof, and placed it next to her heart. She let out a slight sigh, while looking up at the morning sky.

“And I know you’re not worthless and weak too. I just hope your doing okay…” Fluttershy quietly said to herself, as she began thinking of a certain somepony… or rather, a certain someone.

“WHAT?! You’re both finished as well?!” Twilight exclaimed loudly at Pinkie Pie and Rarity. Pinkie Pie had just finished with decorating the flares and Rarity had finished with her daily dresses thirty minutes ago. Twilight had ran into them as they were having their morning breakfast together. Pinkie put down her cupcake and shrugged at Twilight.

“Sorry, I guess we were just as excited as you were, and managed to get things done early.” Rarity nodded and put down her newspaper.

“Twilight, dear, I know how much it means to you to help us in our preparations, but we’ve already done this before without your organizing skills. It’s sort of natural to us.” Spike leaped off of Twilight’s back and finished checking up everything on the list. Then Spike looked at Twilight with a smile.

“Well, that’s everything! Looks like our job was downright easy! And with that done, I’ll be going back to my bed! And…” At that moment, his smile dropped, as he started seeing a change in her behavior. “Twilight… are you okay?” Spike asked. Twilight was both shocked and sad to know that her only chance at helping was but a fading hope. Without anything to check on, how was she supposed to do her job? She felt left out, tossed aside, and even forgotten. This almost made her depressed, but keeping a strong face, she held her composure.

“Oh… I’m… I’m all right. I… I never thought you all… didn’t need my help. Wow… I feel like… like…” Starting to lose it, she could feel tears begin to well up in her eyes. She didn’t want her friends to see her cry, that’d only make them feel bad. So she slowly backed up, turning her head away, and headed straight for the door.

“Never mind… I’ll just… go back home… and study…” She said, her voice slowly breaking down. Pinkie and Rarity exchanged concerned looks at each other, and then back at Twilight. The awful memories of failing to help during Winter Wrap Up started to claw their way into Twilight’s mind. She could hear negative words floating within her noggin, words like worthless, lazy, pitiful, and many more. Most of them weren’t true, but they hurt her nonetheless. Each word was bashing against her sensitive mind, making her weaker.

She couldn’t hold it anymore, and she made a dash towards the exit. Spike followed after her, calling her name. Out the door, Twilight ran straight towards her library, tears falling from her eyes and landing on the cold snow.

Spike ran as fast as he could to catch up with Twilight, but his stubby little legs couldn’t compare to a regular pony’s speed. Plus, his eyes were becoming heavier from the lack of sleep. Luckily, the Library wasn’t too far away. After half a minute of catching up, Spike arrived at the Library. He went inside and closed the door. There, he spotted Twilight sobbing with her head hung low. Spike’s feet were numb from running on cold snow, but he didn’t worry about that. Taking a second to catch his breath, he went over to pat her reassuringly on the back.

“Twilight… are you okay?” He asked sincerely. Twilight didn’t bother to look at Spike, ashamed for performing such a rash action. She just continued to let out all of her frustration.

“I… I’m… I’m so sorry. *Sniff*… It’s just… I never thought… of being… left out! Now my schedule is all messed up! I wanted to help so badly… but they never bothered… to leave me anything to help with! Oh Spike… I feel so awful…” Just hearing that made Spike roll his eyes, but he felt a little bit of empathy towards her.

“Twilight… don’t let this get to you. You have other things you could be doing. Don’t let this ruin your day, cause I don’t want to see you be like this.” With that supportive statement, Spike started to walk upstairs.

“I’m going back to bed to recover my lost hours. And please don’t wake me up early when I’m not needed… please.” He spoke, yawning ever so loudly. From all the harsh yet truthful words Spike spoke, Twilight stopped her crying, and looked depressedly at the floor. During her time alone, she began to remember all the things she’d done. The scheduling, her work, and her friends were popping up inside her mind in order. Sure, she was a busy pony, but most of the time she wanted things to go the way she wanted. And that’s what made her different from any other pony in Ponyville. Yet, all she ever thought about when she was busy was to not let her friends down. Starting to realize herself, Twilight let her gaze wander over most of the books in her library.

“Well… at least… I’m not a total complete booknerd… right?” She solemnly mumbled to herself.

Meanwhile, at the Royal Castle, Princess Celestia finished raising the sun. Next to her was her long banished sister, Princess Luna. Both of them had very important roles to perform, raising and lowering the moon and sun. Luna was in charge of the night, while her older sister was in command of the day. With Luna back to reclaim her position, both princesses ruled the land the way it had been before the banishment. The two of them glanced at the rising sun, ready to start another new day.

“Well, it looks like I’ll be heading back into my room now, sister.” Luna said, as she started walking away. “But… sister?” She suddenly asked. Celestia turned her head around with a puzzled look.

“Yes?”

“I... umm...” Luna wanted to say something, but didn’t find the needed courage to push her words out. She just gazed at the ground, mumbling with nervosity.

“I-If… if it’s alright with you… m-maybe someday… we both can… well switch jobs. J-Just for a day.” She stuttered. Celestia knew that she wanted attention and to be loved by her subjects more than anything else, and she could see it in Luna’s eyes that she didn’t want to be resentful, but to experience it herself. Seeing that Luna had changed for the better, Celestia smiled down at her sister.

“We’ll see… raising the sun is a tough job, you know. But if you can manage to grow your magic, we’ll give it a shot. How’s that, sister?” Excited, Luna’s face beamed with joy.

“Oh thank thee- I-I mean… thank you!” Luna said. Celestia nodded her head.

“Okay, well then…” She was about to continue, but something had struck her mind. She could sense something coming their way… something truly dark. She silently gasped and snapped her head northwest with a distraught look on her face. Nothing in sight, but she could feel the threatening dark presence approaching. It was not like anything that had ever been felt by mortal minds. She could feel the terror, the destruction, and chaos

“What… what is this I’m feeling? What In Equestria could be sending such dark vibes?” Celestia spoke in her conscious. “That power… it’s so huge… so frightening…” Luna began questioning her behavior, wondering what was on her mind. Unlike Celestia, Luna wasn’t powerful enough to sense any energies or presences. She slowly walked over to her sister, and attempted to learn what was going on.

“Sister? Is there something wrong?” She asked. Celestia didn’t respond, since her focus was on the source of the foul presence. Pearls of sweat were rolling down her brow, while her teeth were clenched. Praying that the presence would go away, she tried to calm down. But it was too hard to let go, her sensing prowess never betrayed her.

“But… why is this sense so familiar to me…? Who on earth is this…” Celestia once more spoke to herself. She was about to lose connection to reality, when Luna asked once more.

“Sister?” At that moment, Celestia finally snapped out of her traumatized state. She exhaled in relief, and looked back at her sister.

“Nothing… it was nothing.” She said. Luna tilted her head to the side, wondering if that was entirely true or not.

“You sure? Are you really okay, sister?”

“Yes… I am. Now go and get some rest… you’ve got a busy night coming up later.” Celestia replied. Luna nodded her head and went out the door. With Luna gone, Celestia drew her attention back to the daunting presence at hoof.

“I just hope it won’t come our way… whatever it is.” She silently said to herself. And from that moment on, the sun shined across the land, ready to start its day.