Ghost Of Equestria

The dungeons were narrow and cold with the cells holding small holes that allowed fresh air to come inside. But the holes were small enough so the prisoners wouldn’t notice them and try to dig their way out of the prison.

The three friends were looking for a way out, being careful so they didn’t startle any guards that might have been in the area but to their surprise, there weren’t any guards, it was as they’d vanished. Leaving no trace behind, making Spike get further on edge.

They walked through several hallways, still no signs of any guards who were on their watch posts, making Spike slightly panic. This wasn’t a good sign, if there were no guards then where were they?

“Do you know where the guards are?” Spike asked with a meaningful look. “I was expecting more guards around the area to watch the prisoners.”

Glancing over to Spike, Fluttershy looked just slightly panicked. “I think there was going to be a speech that the guards had to be there for, but your right, there must be at least three guards here to make sure the prisoners don’t escape. But I admit, the dungeon is larger than needed just three ...”

She stopped mid-sentence catching her companion’s attention. They glanced over the room they had walked into and saw several bodies of dead Umbrums, they piled on top of each other as if they were trash that you threw on top until it was time for the garbage man to pick it up.

Spike wasn’t a fan of the Umbrums but that was a sickening sight. His eyes widened in horror by what he was witnessing, the blood was practically covering the circle of the floor by the sheer amount of cuts and wounds covering the fallen Umbrums.

“Wh—What is this place?” Fluttershy asked. Spike glanced over, surprised she hadn’t vomited or fainted, or even a combination of both. He shook his head out of his memories and glanced at the corpses of the Umbrums, wondering who dragged them there.

“I don’t know, but whatever this is, I don’t want to stick around and find out.” Pinkie Pie stated and walked towards a corridor that was the only one there which was across the room past the Umbrums.

Walking after her, Spike had a nagging feeling that he didn’t want the answer to what he witnessed but that did not stop him from wondering what was going on. But some questions were better be left unanswered ...

Walking through the corridor, the trio were prepared for battle and heard voices above them which were echoing through the thick walls which surprised them. Princess Celestia must have a larger audience than anticipated. Unless she was trying to motivate the creatures there after what she’d done to their hero.

However, they didn’t stop walking and continued until the voice faded into the obscure darkness that surrounded the corridor that felt like it was strangling them, trying to make them doubt their own capabilities. But that didn’t happen. They were too sucked up in their plan of escaping the Crystal Empire to think negatively.

Reaching the end of the corridor, they were greeted with the sight of a large circular room with a staircase that led up that was by the other end of the room, lining up with the black crystals that were lighter than King Sombra’s pure black one’s that had once terrorized the kingdom of the Crystal Ponies.

“I will admit, King Sombra had a sense of decorum,” Spike admitted with a very small faint sign of respect. He didn’t approve of what King Sombra was doing in any shape or form, but he could admire his sense of decorum that made the kingdom once look very prestigious and privileged.

An illusion many ponies and neighboring allies believed who didn’t want to fight against King Sombra’s forces because of how strong he was at the time. They had feard him.

But he had not made Celestia or Luna afraid the slightest.

They were the only creatures in the vast land of Equestria and beyond that were willing to fight against the tyrannical King after they’d received evidence from their scouts that King Sombra was enslaving the Crystal Ponies, forcing them to be his soldiers when any other kingdom tried to invade.

Princess Luna had tried to persuade Celestia that they needed to kill the evil King but Celestia had refused. She’d stated that they needed to set an example for the other kingdoms to follow and not become what their former enemies had once been.

This had led to other wars starting when the other creatures had heard the statements from the solar princess. It had cost Princess Celestia many ponies she had known over the years and it had only spiked more fury that was seldom within Princess Luna’s eyes and that is where the jealousy began. Princess Celestia did many wrongs but she was never judged for it.

They did not even bat an eye on it. Then when Luna did something wrong, they started to question her intentions. When Princess Luna had pointed out these facts, the ponies had not given her a direct answer, they would just look at her with wide eyes and not say anything.

Needless to say, Princess Luna had every right to be jealous.

“I do agree,” Came the voice of Fluttershy who was glancing around the area. “But he comes from a different time where this was a must if you wanted respect from the other kingdoms, I think.”

“Well of course!” Pinkie Pie said. “King Sombra is like, really old, he would have a taste for decorum and live the luxurious lifestyle.”

“Most middle-class creatures at that time had things that would make them rich in this modern world. That was why there was a huge ruckus when the Crystal Ponies came back; they had things that made them have a lot of bits.” Spike said. The two ponies glanced at him with a fond smile on their faces.

“We should probably get moving,” Spike told them while glancing around for any guards who were loyal to his mother. While there weren’t many that looked up to Celestia after the confrontation, there was still a sense of loyalty because of her one-thousand-year rule.

Walking up the stairs, they kept hearing voices of different creatures talking. Some of it was in the language that sounded suspiciously similar to the one the Umbrums speak but they wanted to let them be because it was a cell which meant that the Umbrums weren’t armed unless some creature would count the claws or hooves.

“Did Princess Celestia capture any Umbrums?” Spike asked while they quietly walked away from the sounds of the maybe-Umbrums.

“Yes,” Pinkie confirmed. “She captured a few that were heavily injured, healed them, and threw them into these cells without giving us the official reason as to why.”

Spike frowned. His mother couldn’t be going senile. She was smarter than that. But even old, wise creatures have their faults and he knew that. He had always been taught by cousin Cadance that only because you were old, didn’t mean that you were wise, but the chances of it being the case is much higher.

“Is she going senile?” He asked with no hints of a joke or sarcasm.

“We’re afraid so,” The two mares responded at the same time.

Shaking his head, he urged them to continue onwards to the top of the staircase. But while he made his way there, he abruptly felt doubt creeping into his skin, almost as if he was infected with plaguing thoughts that he’d been burying inside of his mind with a tight lock but was now let free.

Slowing down his pace, the other two noticed this and quickly looked at him in worry, believing he heard Celestia’s guard make their way over because Spike’s sense of hearing was ten times better than a ponies.

They aren’t really your friends, they’re just going to betray you as your mother did. Came the taunting voice inside of his head that echoed like thunder. It was making him bawl his claws into fists, ready to punch anything that stood in his way.

“Spike?”

That voice. He knew it from somewhere, but where?

He looked up and he saw Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy stand before him, wearing armour that made them look ready for battle. Their faces were painted with worry as if they truly cared—

They did care he just needed to calm down a notch. “Sorry girls, I seem to have some trouble with myself right now. Shall we continue?”

By the sound of his voice, he did not want to talk about it. They smiled at him and they moved up the staircase again with peeled eyes in case there were any solar guards around but from what they could see and hear, they weren’t in the area, giving the three more room to breathe and prepare for the escape.

Reaching the top of the staircase, the three were slightly exhausted while Spike was somewhat energetic as well as Pinkie Pie but not as much because the staircase did more than she would like to admit. Fluttershy was breathing heavily with her hoof on her stomach where it hurt the most.

“You okay, Fluttershy?” He asked while looking around the area they were in.

There were two sets of double doors in front of them with carvings from King Sombra’s time when he was the sole ruler of the Crystal Empire. The Carvings depicted King Sombra on the top of the balcony with the ponies below him chained like slaves and forced to move to the mines and farms to sustain the nation as best as possible.

“Yes ... I’m okay,” She breathed with red cheeks.

“You aren’t hurt, right?” He questioned with a serious tone that would have made Fluttershy normally submit to any creature.

“I’m fine, Spike, really,” She replied, annoyed.

“You two can make love later, right now, we need to get out of here without being spotted by the solar guards,” Pinkie commanded.

While they had been discussing, Pinkie had been looking around and hoped her ‘Pinkie Sense’ would go off so she could be certain about what would happen but nothing. Nothing at all. It was like her former power had just ... vanished. Gone.

Now, she felt empty.

Spike and Fluttershy blushed by Pinkie’s bluntness but she had a point; they couldn’t stay there long.

Walking up to the doors, Spike pulled them back and revealed the dark sky that was raining on everything below which made Spike sigh in relief. If it rained, then it gave them the best excuse to wear heavy sets of clothing.

Glancing behind him, he noticed the smiles of the two mares who thought the same thing. Pulling on their hoodies to cover themselves better, Spike came to realize that his mother did not strip him of his armor which made him question her a little more.

Why would she allow him to wear armour that could contain weapons that he’d potentially lied about not having? As a ruler, it’s up to her to check to make sure he isn’t lying. But she didn’t. She’s getting senile.

Walking outside, the three immediately felt the rain force hit their layers of armour and clothing which made their mission only slightly bit harder. Looking around, Spike saw that across from him to the left was another staircase they could escape from. Motioning for them to go, Pinkie nodded and they began to move.

While by the staircase, Spike went first as to not make the other two get hurt if there are many solar guards who no doubt will attack him when they realized who he was. He moved slowly so he didn’t make an awful lot of sounds that would easily draw some attention.

The staircase only went up and down, there weren’t any ‘stops’ so when Spike reached the bottom, he waited silently, trying to hear the solar guard’s position which was hard at first because of the wrathful rain that made loud splats when it hit the ground.

“Do you hear anything?” Fluttershy whispered with caution, looking all over the place as if the guards would jump on them any second.

“No,” Spike replied in a whisper that almost rivaled Fluttershy’s.

Taking the risk, Pinkie Pie moved past Spike and glanced the corners where she would have suspected the guards to be. Nothing. Feeling the adrenaline pump into her she walked forward, glancing from left to right so fast that Spike swore her head moved in an angle that wasn’t biologically possible.

“There aren’t any solar guards here,” Said Pinkie with a confused expression. She’d expected there to at least be a hoof full of guards protecting this part of the empire.

“They can’t all be listening to Celestia, are they?” Came the unsure voice of Fluttershy.

“Honestly, I don’t know anymore,” Spike replied honestly. He didn’t know what was going on or why his mother was acting the way she was. Everything was confusing about the times they were living in. He hoped it wouldn’t last because he had no idea how much he could take.

But he would need to push those thoughts aside.

With caution, Spike and Fluttershy walked into the open where Pinkie was standing who was still looking from the left to the right, trying to spot solar guards. But she never did. They were gone.

Spike had some difficulty remembering the area he was in. He did not recognize the place and concluded that the area was new.

“Do you girls know where we are? I have not been to this area,” He regrettably said.

“Yeah, this area was built by Princess Celestia who explained that they needed a stronger prison for when the Umbrums would inevitably take the Crystal Empire.” Pinkie nonchalantly explained with her usual cheeriness.

“Wait, she planned to just arrest the Umbrums as if they committed a petty crime?” Spike asked with anger seeping into his voice like pouring a glass of water.

“Yes,” Came Fluttershy’s soft voice that carried with such kindness Spike’s anger depleted.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Pinkie said. “But I do know that she wanted to free them from the spell despite the consequences of doing so.”

Spike was happy that some creature knew the consequences of forcing the Umbrums to remember what they did when they served the tyrannical King. Most creatures he had tried telling did not seem to listen except for his followers.

“They should have listened to us,” Fluttershy sadly said.

She had been dealing with the loss the hardest, not expecting her friends to turn their backs on them and Spike. Especially, Spike. They had wondered for over a year whether he was dead or alive. Had he been captured by King Sombra? Was turned into an Umbrum?

The questions had plagued them like a disease that didn’t go away. Then when Spike returned they were happy, with the beginning being that they heard about a creature fighting against King Sombra’s forces.

At first, they had found it hard to believe. One year of trying to fight against soldiers who did not seem to react to pain, caused them to give up. Then out of nowhere, a warrior wearing samurai armour comes in and kills the Umbrums left and right.

This caused the creatures who were in captivity to hope that there was a creature out there, fighting against the dreaded King Sombra. Fluttershy and Pinkie had been shocked but instantly felt hope pump through them, hearing the stories from the Yaks when they were liberated made them feel safe.

At first, they’d noticed that the others felt the same but over time, that had started to change. It was like they could not accept who Spike had become and was making bad decisions which caused them to bad-mouthing their friend. Fluttershy wondered if they were under a spell of some sort.

Abruptly, Fluttershy felt the claws envelope her into a hug. She looked up and saw Spike in front of her, hugging her dearly along with Pinkie who’d felt left out and joined the hug.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy.” He said. “You aren’t the only one who’s had to make sacrifices,”

Their hug ended and they quickly went back to try to find a way out of the Crystal Empire.

Finding a way out of the Empire proved to be more difficult than anticipated. When they had reached the lower levels, they witnessed the mass creatures listening to Princess Celestia’s speech about how they would defeat King Sombra.

Spike was careful when he made his way through the crowd so he wouldn’t bring his mother’s eyes on him which he luckily didn’t. But there were a few creatures that noticed him move away but they did not know it was him.

When he got to the other side, he waited for Pinkie Pie who’d told him that she and Fluttershy would get a wagon so they could flee from the Empire. Initially, he’d believed that it was impossible because wagons were mostly used to supply weapons from what he’d seen which was sad.

He remembered when the wagons were simply used by farmers and sales ponies. Now, it was a way to supply weapons. But Pinkie was adamant about getting a wagon so he told her to find one.

While waiting, he couldn’t help but listen to his mother’s speech, interested in what she had to say.

“And so we are here to mark our stand against the tyrannical ruler known as King Sombra, the monster who once ruled the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof. He has done many wrongs in which we have lost family members and friends. He has raped and pillaged villages, towns, cities, beating them into submission. He has mind-controlled millions of creatures across Equestria, turning them against us! But we will not stand down, no, we will continue to fight against his tyrannical ways. We will smash his regime into tiny bits so no creature will have to remember his monstrous acts! We will make sure that this will not be forgotten, we will write down everything we have done so the future generation understands us and know what sacrifices we had to make to simply survive!”

Spike had to admit, she did have amazing speeches that have even left him stunned. The way she carries her words is something he has never felt by any creature else.

“The fact that we have come this far, survived this far just goes to show that we can survive alone, no need for any myths and legends and especially no Ghosts!” Her voice shouted while trying to make the creature excited but the last comment she made had them rather excited for hurt her than their hero.

Abruptly, Spike heard a low whistle come from behind him and he saw Pinkie Pie on the streets of the Crystal Empire that was deserted. She had a wagon that was filled with weapons with Fluttershy hiding with the weapons. She waved him over and he started to make his way over to her.

While climbing into the wagon, they heard a creature shout; “The Ghost is gone!!”

Barely getting into the wagon, Pinkie Pie raced to the exit of the Empire with the creatures cheering for their hero. Spike and Fluttershy were trashed around left and right while Pinkie maneuvered the wagon the same way she had seen in those foreign movies she talks about.

While they were running away, Twilight was using her magic to try and find Spike through the connection for when he sent letters which she managed to do. She teleported herself to the rooftop of a Crystal house and spawned Pinkie and the wagon.

Using her magic to enhance her voice, she shouted; “Don’t let the wagon escape!!”

Pinkie Pie’s whole demeanor changed as she raced to the exit of the Empire where the Crystal Ponies guarded who knew the wagon contained weapons and their hero.

They did the logical and smart move; they let them past, praying to the Gods that The Ghost will liberate Equestria from King Sombra’s wrath.

When Pinkie Pie came closer to the border, she started to hear sounds from behind her but she didn’t dare look back, she knew that her former friends were behind her. If she would have looked back on the other hoof.

Pinkie Pie wailed when she felt an arrow hit her hip but she didn’t stop, she continued onwards, determined to help her friends reach their next destination wherever that was.

“Pinkie!” Spike shouted in horror after seeing the arrow.

“I’m fine!” She shouted back while dodging another incoming arrow but she got hit a second time. She wailed in agony but she still didn't stop even though she had escaped the borders of the Crystal Empire.

“No, you’re not, find somewhere to stop so I can heal you!” Fluttershy shouted with worry.

“No!” She stubbornly said. “I can make it!”

And so she continued with racing through the lands of the frozen north and didn’t stop for a very long time.