Castle Bahamut

“Um, excuse me, could you mount this cage to the ground? It keeps sliding.”

Smack.

“No talking. You're lucky we didn't put a muzzle on you.”

“But—“ Smack.

Chapter 1: Relocation

Shackles adorn my limbs. Swirling mind, clouded with confusion and chaos as well as pain. Oh, but that's not all; the room is spinning as well. I'm locked up in a cage like a wild animal, and that cage has no comfort. It's just bars; no bottom for the one inside. It keeps sliding against the wooden floor with each tilt of the room and I slam into everything. Sometimes, the floor and cage pinch my feet. It hurts, but I can't complain. If I do, the guards stun me.

Sound of waves came in through the window and seagulls crying to the skies. The room smells of shellfish and coals and has a moderate humidity. There is no doubt I'm on a boat. To where, exactly? That's the worst part. The shaking, the spinning stomach, the mental confusion and absurdity of the nature of this transport ship did nothing to help me understand what's happening and why.

[*][*][*]

Gentle breathing accompanied by a shifting hoof woke me from a nice, gentle slumber. The room wasn't the usual library I woke up in. A frilly canopy laid above, allowing some of the deep blue morning sky's light to give the pristine room a cozy atmosphere. Next to me, Rarity sighed quietly, caressing my belly.

“How long have you been awake?” I whispered.

“Fifteen minutes. You?” she quietly responded.

“Fifteen seconds.” I began rubbing Rarity's hoof gently. Carefully, I leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Mmm, sorry. I was trying not to wake you,” she replied.

“That's fine. Might as well get up, though,” I said, sitting up.

A small tug on my arm kept me from standing and I glanced back, Rarity's pouty lip keeping me planted.

“Don't go yet, stay in bed for a few minutes,” she pleaded, using her best pouting face.

I tried my best to not succumb to that seductress' gaze, but I failed. I sighed, falling back into the imprint I left. She giggled and snuggled up closely to me, disregarding the status of her bedsheets. I wrapped my arms around her body and held onto her. The whole morning seemed surreal, something straight out of a romance novel but believable. I sighed, content with the situation and closed my eyes. Before I could fall asleep again, a frantic rapping on the door interrupted. Both Rarity and I groaned in unison and proceeded to get up.

“Could you get the door while I brush my hair?” Rarity asked with a stifled yawn.

“Yeah, sure,” I responded, cracking my back.

Thump thump thump, I was down the stairs. The knocking started again and I let out another groan. “Jeez, what do you want?” I asked as I opened the top half of the door. I was met with Twilight, holding a copy of the Equestria Daily.

“Spike, have you seen the paper yet?” she asked.

I shook my head. “I just got up, so no.”

She slapped it against my face with her magic and I grumbled. All of my complaints melted when I saw one word in the headline: “MURDERER.” Quickly, I lost my anger and grabbed the paper.

MURDERER ATTEMPTS TO TAKE PRINCESS' LIFE

The photograph shown under the headline depicted a plethora of Royal Guards scampering around Canterlot, horns lit up and ready for battle. I frowned and looked up at Twilight's face. She nodded dreadfully and I glanced back at the paper.

“Last night, a murderous dragon took the lives of famed singer Sapphire Shores, Wonderbolt Fleetfoot, Politician Earl Gray and the Mayor of Manehatten Register Levy while attempting to take the life of beloved Royal Sister, Princess Celestia of Equestria. Three other reports state that an attempt was made on three other ponies whose names are being withheld. Witness reports state that the dragon was no taller than the average pony and bore purple scales and green spines while wearing a cloak atop its scalp.”

Taking a breath, it was short and bated as it sunk in. I looked up at Twilight and gulped before continuing.

“The Royal Guards failed to apprehend the dragon and the killer is still at large. The public is in an outcry as to what to do. Who exactly was this drake that performed these dastardly crimes? The public may not rest peacefully until it is apprehended.”

Rarity's hoofsteps sounded behind me and she gracefully stepped towards us. “Oh, Twilight? What brings you to my boutique this early?”

[*][*][*]

One would think that rounding up the gang would be difficult, but apparently all of us were up early. Symbolism, or maybe we all just had the same idea. Regardless, we all met up at the usual place, Golden Oaks Library, and Twilight had me send a letter. Asking about the situation; if she was alright; if we're safe in Ponyville, the whole lot. The others were talking to each other about it. The generic stuff, such as “Who could do such a thing?”, “Is this the start of something?” Typical hysteria . . . but I was elsewhere.

Dragon. Purple scales, green spines. Sound familiar, Spike? Yeah, I bet it does. That's the sexy manbeast you see in the mirror. He's slightly taller than you, though, and killed others. He flippin' killed others. I faced my feet, scratching at my ankles to distract myself. The more I thought about it, the more I felt a bad feeling in my gut.

Or maybe that was the letter. Only seconds later, I belched out a fireball that poofed into a letter. Before Twilight could snatch it in her frenzy, I gripped it and opened the letter. The girls went silent and all eyes were on me. I undid the bow, rolled it out, and cleared my throat. I didn't want to read it, but as the scribe, I had no choice.

“Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am doing fine as well as my sister. I was shocked to hear of the murders, but to hear Luna describe the killer to me, I was almost rendered speechless. I have decided my next course of action as well as yours, as I wish to speak with you, the other Element bearers, as well as Spike as soon as possible. Depart for Canterlot on the 2:00 train, as all of our Pegasi guards are too busy. Hope you're doing well, Princess Celestia.” I finished up and rolled the scroll up, facing the others.

Uncertainty coated their faces as well as my own, but it was clear that this involved the safety of other ponies. Applejack was the first to stand, sighing.

“Right, Ah'll go to th' farm, work, an' tell Big Macintosh Ah'll be busy later today.” She shifted her had and nodded to the rest, while I gave her a half-hearted wave. “See y'all later.”

The others said their goodbyes and Applejack trotted off. Rainbow quickly followed after with a Weather Team excuse. None of us wanted to leave on our own to explore the day with the dark anticipation, but little by little, the others departed until only Rarity, Twilight and myself stuck around. There was a bout of silence before Rarity cleared her throat.

“I'd return to the boutique, but I've got no orders, and today we're closed. You don't mind if I stick around, do you, Twilight?” Rarity asked.

Twilight shook her head. “Stay as long as you like, Rarity. I'm sure Spike and I would enjoy some company, if Spike was going to stay anyways,” she said.

A quick nod, we sat down to bide our time until we left.

. . .

The seven of us approached the train station with a hastened pace. This dragon attack could mean anything, but the deaths of several major figures meant something. They could have been a coordinated attack by some dragons elsewhere in the world, or maybe some random psychotic beast. The descriptions matched me, so . . . could I have done that? Could my instincts have made me do that unconsciously? I killed the thought, having been with Rarity last night. She would have noticed something. My thoughts paused as we entered the station, having been met with the staff.

“We were notified by letter of Princess Celestia's requirement of your presence in Canterlot. That said, your fee is taken care of,” one of the staff said.

Twilight thanked him and we quickly boarded. A few minutes later, the train began moving, and the seven of us sat in silence. Normally, we'd speculate, or talk about the incident at hand, but the topic at hand was a murderous dragon. We should be fine, though. We've got Fluttershy. Dragon's aren't a match for her gaze.

[*][*][*]

The groan of metal and a steam engine snapped me out of my dream. The smokestack roared above and hooves as well as claws began moving out on the deck. The guards inside the room chattered in some dialect I wasn't familiar with, obviously to keep me from listening in. I felt the urge to vomit brewing in my gut, but I did my best to stay composed. Whether I was seasick or I just felt bad, my body definitely wanted to throw up. I resisted the urge to do so since I'll most likely get a smack again.

The ship stopped the major swaying and the engines slowly quieted down. Hoofsteps stopped and I sat with a bated breath for several minutes. My chest pounded and I anticipated what happened next. The world I knew was left behind, leaving me wondering my fate.

Finally, several guards stepped into the room while levitating a chain. It was short but appeared to attach to another chain. The guards in the room glanced over at me and their horns lit up. The cage opened up and the chains on my wrists were forcibly yanked, pulling me forward. I hit the ground on my stomach causing pain in my chest. I coughed a bit before being yanked to my feet and the guards gave me several slaps to the cheek to reorient me. It was unjust and stung, but it worked. Simply standing up both warded off the sickness and ushered in a new one. I felt dizzy, but not like I was gonna puke.

Rather than wait, the guard yanked me forward out of the room. In front of me and behind were three guards that escorted me down several halls while I could only catch a glimpse of the skies due to the tiny windows. Grey. Torches lit the halls and each chance I could, I glanced down other hallways to see if I had a single chance of escaping The result: None. This place was loaded. I resigned myself to my fate for probably the ninth time and waited. Before long, I was pulled out of the hallways, blinded by the outside light. I would have raised my arms had they not been restrained. Instead, I closed my eyes and slowly opened them and took in my surroundings.

A small volcano island with the sunlight obstructed by clouds and a fog coating the grounds. Small red flowers dotted the grassy area, presenting the idea that this place isn't too bad. And it worked; I didn't feel so dreadful after spotting the beautiful flowers shining brilliantly regardless of the lack of sunlight. In the skies, many dragons soared around unobstructed while the guards around me seemed to stare up with respect. I just felt insignificant and continued my observation.

On the volcano there appeared to be numerous buildings mounted into the side similar to Canterlot Castle, but unlike Canterlot, they seemed too small to be an actual prison for dragons. Most likely, it went into the volcano itself. I sighed and the guards quickly escorted me across the deck of the ship. Down the boarding ramp and onto the docks, I spotted another ship next to us. It wasn't like the Equestrian steamship, but a wooden Ark. Several odd creatures stepped out that looked like giant scaled eagles. They also carried out another young dragon, red in scales. His head was drooping while his teeth were barred. He was clearly larger and more muscular than I was, as well as a foot taller. We shared a glance before we were yanked forward. The guards continued tugging at us, silently escorting us towards the volcano base. The further up we went, the more dragons escorted by guards joined us from numerous harbours. I had no idea where I was, but it was clearly somewhere in between the continents.

Ten minutes, twenty, half an hour of walking through Torii, forested areas and dense fog, we approached several massive gates. A blazing heat invaded the area that felt soothing to my body while the Unicorns guiding me were starting to sweat already. Quickly, several Dragons in armour, six feet taller than me, stepped up and saluted the guards. They returned the gesture.

“Good job, boys. We'll take it from here,” they said in loud, rumbling voices.

They nodded and released us. Me and the other seven dragons chained up didn't even bother trying to run. I dunno about the others, but the fact that four nine feet tall dragons or so glared down at us cemented me pretty well. The Unicorn guards walked away, along with my chance at returning to Equestria. I felt completely without help as if they were what kept me alive.

Without so much as a warning, each claw of the larger dragons reached forward, grabbing the chains attached to our wrist cuffs, and yanked us off the ground. Suddenly, without care, and with sheer brute strength, I felt my wrists crack and strain against the solid metal cuffs. Several other dragons as well as myself let out startled, pained grunts as we were easily lifted three feet off the ground.

None of us dared to open our mouths and just let the guards work. Stifled whimpers left our mouths and they carried us towards the massive gates. All of the young drakes, including myself, eyed the peculiar design on the door, clearly a family symbol. Something about it irked me, but I shrugged it off.

Several shouts occurred higher up as dragons scurried atop the large walls. Quickly, the large gates groaned before opening up. The wider it opened up, the more I saw of what laid inside. A wide open courtyard with a rather short, red scaled dragon clad in a maroon and black uniform, surrounded by two taller dragons dressed in an all black uniform. Even the guards escorting us were taller than those three.

We entered the courtyard, surrounded by massive walls around ten stories up. Stone, two entrances to the side while the far end had a stone canopy as well as stone benches. The four guards dropped us in rows, all of us falling to the ground. They yanked us to our feet and dropped the chains. The aching remained, but I toughed it out. I was shuddering from the pain and shivering from the fear I felt. Several of the other dragons began complaining or chattering. I glanced over just as the guards gave them a slap. To them it was nothing but to the young drakes, they toppled over. I decided that speaking out may not be my best choice, and gulped. They were quickly stood up and then there was silence. Not wind, not even rumbling from the volcano or inside the prison walls. The silence continued until a deep breath from the warden shook us out of our trance.

“Alright now. I am the warden of this prison, Lockdown. Let me diffuse some tension by saying that I don't have to be your enemy as long as you don't treat me like it. Treat me with respect and I shall do the same to you young whelps.” He clapped his hands together and he slowly paced himself towards the end of the line. Closer up, he was only two feet taller than myself. “Now, I know what you're all thinking. That I'm not that big. I don't look too tough. You can take me in one-on-one. Let me also dissolve that notion. There is a reason why I am the head of this prison. Why I, out of hundreds of other dragon warriors, was chosen to lockup rowdy, young, violent drakes such as yourselves in this prison.”

He slowly walked down the line, staring down, or sometimes up, at the other dragons. A small frown covered his face. “I hold no doubt in my heart when I say that you could tie up my wings and pit me against every single guard here and I would still be untouched.” He let the silence hang in the air as if to allow the point to sink in. His frown changed to a smile and he nodded gently. “Now that we have the threat out of the way, allow me to elaborate more on your new settlement.” He turned around and motioned to the volcano and other towers that surrounded the volcano.

“This is Castle Bahamut, a prison situated in the centre of the Pacific, claimed by the dragons in the great war of 364 Pre-Luna's Return by the Great Dragon God, Bahamut. Since then, a truce has been made by nations surrounding the prison to round up the rambunctious, trouble-making drakes that stipple the nation with violence and crime. We aren't here to ruin your lives. Oh not, you've got thousands of years to do that. We're here to clean up your act because your countries, friends, families and adopted families deemed you a danger to their very way of life. To leave you in your surroundings would be suicide for the locals, so the bigwigs transferred you here. You will be in your cells only if you want to and at night times. We are not here to make life a living hell, but may Bahamut have mercy on your soul if you make life a living hell for others. We will not tolerate that, the other inmates will not tolerate that, and your friends and family back home will not tolerate that if they truly miss you . . . if they haven't already abandoned you to your fate.”

That struck a nerve. I felt my spine stiffen and my eyes nervously twitching. I focused back on him as he continued on.

“The rules are simple: Make no trouble for others, obey the guards, obey me, try not to start trouble, and if trouble has started, expect to be in solitary. There will be no flying, no magical breath, and no talking back.” He began walking down the row of dragons and stopped right in front of me, looking down at me. The smile, that seemed reassuring before, was now nothing more than an intimidating mental weapon. He prodded straight into my mind and rooted his authority into my core with just his gaze. “Son, do you think you're innocent?” I stuttered, trying to say anything. He chuckled and smiled. “Don't worry, you have my permission to speak.”

I nodded my head. “Yes, I am.”

“And why is that?” he asked, rubbing his chin as if he were actually pondering it.

I, of course, fell for it. “I w-was framed. I didn't do anything, I was at my marefriends the night of the crime,” I sputtered out with a broken voice, realizing how broken and scared I actually was.

His entire body jerked and I stepped back. “WRONG!” he shouted.

His claw yanked back and spread open wide. I didn't bother trying to dodge nor did I flinch, but he thrust his claw forward, planting it on my chest. I expected it to pierce my soft underbelly, but it didn't. Instead, a relatively flat palm slapped against my chest. Instead of feeling physical pain, I felt an odd warmth transferring between my chest and his hand. Then I felt pain. His hand pulled back and I buckled over instantly, feeling a searing hot pain in my chest. I raised my hands to clutch my chest, and nobody stopped me. I fell to my knees and let out shrill cries of pain and proceeded to writhe on the ground, my body contorting against my will. A few seconds that felt like hours, I blinked and finally focused my eyes. They were darting around, having no clear thought to direct them and I saw the other inmates looking at me with different looks. Some with disgust, some shook their heads, while others actually seemed scared. I struggled to stand up, but eventually I succeeded. I attempted to stand up straight and examined my chest to find an interesting new marking. It was the exact same as the symbol on the large gates.

“You committed an atrocious crime otherwise your beloved princess would have not required your transfer here. You're young, stupid, and heading nowhere real fast. Just like the rest of you. Here, we will smack you up into shape no matter how long it takes. Whether you want to see your friends and family within the next year or their gravestones in 300 is up to you. But we guarantee that we will shape you up and you will comply sooner or later.”

He began walking back and forth down the row again. “What I just did to this young whelp just now is how we make sure you do not use your magic breath. Any attempts at using it will result in a burning sensation that will ground you. Your wings, we will take a liberty with. If we catch you flying, you will be thrown into solitary once, twice, but thrice, we will sever your wings. If your wings grow while in prison, we will arrange for training so you may use them in the real world. When you are done training, the ban is in effect.”

He stepped back to the two guards standing next to him. “To my left is Ryuu, the captain of the guards and the overseer of the west of the castle and to my right is the co-captain of the guards and the overseer of the east side of the castle. They will take over from here and apply my seal. Welcome to Castle Bahamut.”

With that, the warden turned away and walked back into the castle while the guards escorted us towards one of the doors in the courtyard. I glanced up to the high walls and the skies one last time. My chest burned and my mind was losing all hope at escaping. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad? The warden did say that if we didn't cause any trouble, we'd be fine.

As we entered into dark, torch-lit corridors, I glanced at the walls and floor. It wasn't cobblestone like a dungeon, just brick aligned neatly and seemingly precise for dragons. The corridor itself must be at least 15 feet high. All of these details kept me distracted as the guards escorted us through what seemed like an infinite number of halls. We went down numerous sets of stairs, the heat intensifying until it was rather comfortable. The walls had a nice design and a patterned ceiling.

My thoughts were cut short as we came into a room that was somewhat squared and long. At the very end was a big, thick iron door. Benches were bolted into the walls made of thick iron. The guards behind and in front sat us down on the benches.

“Wait here so Ryuu and Tatsuya can give you your seals. Purple scales, since you were the demonstration, you just sit tight. We'll be locking up this hallway so you only have one way to go. Ryuu will oversee you, and Tatsuya will be providing the seals,” one of the larger guards said before the lot of them left, locking up the way we came in.

Quickly, silence took over and just as quickly, the other dragons began chattering together. Next to me was a cyan dragon with golden eyes about a foot taller than me with a steely glare, streamlined purple spines and a red bandanna wrapped around his neck. He looked at me with an eyeing gaze, almost disapproving.

“H-hello,” I said first. I would have extended my claw to shake, but I figured that it was a bad idea.

He merely glared at me and I slowly looked down at my lap, embarrassed. The door opened and the dragon next to the cyan one beside me was called forth. With a sigh, the green drake stood up and strutted into the room, the iron doors locking behind him.

“Hello,” a deep, feminine voice responded.

I looked up at her with confusion and gulped. She smirked, nodding.

“You look far too timid to have done anything serious, so what crime did you 'not' commit?” she asked.

I gulped and stuttered finding my words. “I was f-framed for murder,” I responded, trying not to let my voice crack.

She chuckled. “Right. Framed. I'll believe that you didn't commit murder, because I can see it in your eyes. The very word murder sets you on edge,” she said. I smiled, or tried to, and faced ahead. “My name's Gelid. And I 'did not' do a damn thing.”

I glanced over at her, frowning. “My name is Spike. And to be honest, I'm not sure if I didn't do anything. I'm not sure if my family even wants me back.”

The door opened up and the dragon from before stepped out, rubbing his chest while groaning. He sat back down where he was before, his laid back attitude seemingly gone. Tatsuya waved his hand at Gelid and she nodded. Before she walked over, she glanced over at me one last time.

“If you want it to be easier on you, try this on: Your family abandoned you. Get used to it, and it won't hurt as much when you realize it,” she said before Tatsuya shouted at her.

She strutted into the room, ready to face the sealing. The words prodded at my mind, but I never let it in. Instead, I denied it and thought of anything possible. It still returned to my mind.

They don't want me, do they?

[*][*][*]

Sealed and ready for homeroom, the guards escorted a completely willing line of inmates, myself included, into an area of the prison deep inside the volcano. The stairs we went down never seemed to end, but after half an hour, we finally arrived at an almost burning area. It was definitely cozy and actually quite nice, at least to someone who lived amongst ponies. Then I realized where we were. Yanked into the centre of the large room with many balconies and bridges with the ceiling over a hundred feet up, cells were carved into the volcanic sides. Torches gave a gentle light to the entire area, and all around I could feel eyes peering down on me. Inmates, other murderers . . . could I actually live in this hellhole?

Quickly, the guards divided us up and before we could take it in, we were led to different parts of the large room. Other dragons were thrown into cells while I kept walking. Finally, I was the last dragon left. A long day and finally, I was being shown to my 'home'. The cell door opened, revealing a modest room with a cloth-covered bed with rocks acting as the base. A small iron contraption that obviously was to be used for water as well as another larger iron contraption probably used for . . . necessities. I glanced at it, never seeming to register the room. No matter how much I looked it over, I never once felt like I accepted this, or like this was fair. Nothing was making any sense, and the more things kept stacking up, the more confusing it became. The shackles and chains were undone and I was shoved into the cell.

“Sleep tight,” one of the guards said in a low, gruff voice.

He closed the cell, slamming the bars shut. That single bang resonated with all the confusion in my head. It solved every problem in my mind, answered all the questions I had.

My family . . . Rarity, Twilight, left me. I'm in prison. This is for real.