Castle Bahamut

“Out of the cell.”

“Huh, what time is it?”

“Six. In the morning. Out of the cell.”

“Okay.”

Chapter 2: Motivations

Glancing out the window, the skies were grey, covered in clouds untouched by Weather Ponies. Typically, it'd be the first thing they took care of in the morning . . . adding to the bad feeling in my gut. The train speedily entered Canterlot and slowed to a stop in the train station. Outside, many Royal Guards stood waiting. The seven of us as well as other passengers watched in awe as the guards, headed by Shining Armour, who waited patiently. Quickly, the seven of us stepped out of the train car and Twilight quickly embraced Shining Armour. His stern look vanished for a second as he quickly nuzzled her. I smiled at the show of affection but his glance turned to me. Expecting a potential brotherly smile, I was shocked when he shot daggers at me. It wasn't just that, though . . . his gaze seemed full of hatred and rage. I flinched as he did and the rest of the girls approached him. I stood back, wondering what his problem was.

“Hey kiddo, how was the ride over?” he asked, a bit of concern in his voice.

“It was fine, but what are you and half the Royal Guard doing here?” Twilight asked, motioning to the other guards.

He didn't respond and looked down at Twilight solemnly. He leaned down and hugged her tightly while the others looked at the scene.

“I'm sorry, I promise not to hurt him,” he whispered.

“Hurt who?” Twilight asked, purely confused.

As Twilight finished her question, numerous Unicorn Guards marched forward, passing by the girls, and surrounded me. Several others had entered the train and came from behind me, and I sputtered, looking around in confusion. Following suit, the girls did the exact same thing and Twilight spun around to see me at the centre. Immediately, her loving sisterly look vanished and the panicking face of a mother took its place. She threw herself out of Shining's grasp and ran towards the guards.

“Wait, what's going on!?” I asked, looking around frantically.

The commotion attracted several onlookers and quickly I found myself growing scared. The guards' horns lit up and I dashed forward to try to pass between a few of them. Before I could put up any resistance, an odd substance wrapped around me. It had the strength of iron bars but felt like a softball. It glowed brilliantly as it wrapped around my body, incapacitating me. I was once more placed in the centre of the guards, struggling to break free of the bonds.

“SPIKEY-WIKEY!” Rarity shouted, now trying to get past the guards along with Twilight.

Quickly, Shining Armour levitated the two mares back before they got hurt, much to my relief, but I still had the problem of being restrained. I looked around at the guards, seeing bruises and scratches as well as bandages on their bodies. Then my thoughts from earlier returned.

“Wait, I'm not the beast! I'm not the kil—” I was silenced as an Earth Pony guard walked up and bucked me in the gut.

“No speaking!” he declared.

“SPIKE!” the girls shouted in unison.

“Blue Star, I said not to hurt him,” Shining Armour grunted as he fought against his sister and Rarity's magic.

The stallion glanced over and mumbled out an apology before returning his glare to me. I was too busy coughing and attempting to breathe to return a glare. When I did, the guards had taken the liberty of freeing Shining Armour of the two mares and he approached me himself.

“Spike the Dragon, you are under arrest for the suspicion of committing murder. Come quietly, and it'll make the situation much easier for everypony,” he said in a stern yet reassuring voice.

Reluctantly, I nodded my head. “Fine. We can speak to the Princesses' and they'll clear up the mess.” He didn't respond and I glanced over to Twilight and Rarity. Rarity seemed ready to cry while Twilight was already doing so. The rest of the girls watched on, worried and I did my best to smile.

I was scared of this very thing. But the Princesses' and my friends will surely clear this up, I thought, causing my smile to become genuine.

Just you wait. I'm innocent.

[*][*][*]

I'm not innocent?

The skies remained the clouded grey, rumbling as if it would rain. According to the guard, who happened to not be a ruthless punk, it's always like that. It hasn't rained in several weeks, so we might get it soon.

Looking back down, the courtyard of the prison was full of activity, the opposite of the previous day. Gulping, I cracked my back, stretched my arms, and stepped out from under the shade of the overhang. I held my head high as if I wasn't afraid and as if I was innocent. The former is false, but the latter is true. I did nothing wrong, and it'll sort itself out soon. I'll be home in no time, but then again, is home worth it? They ditched me, didn't even try . . . and the princesses, or specifically Princess Celestia. She knows me. She has the final say, so why did she send me here?

Back in reality, I gained several glares from other prisoners, obviously checking out the fresh meat of the prison. The rumours of pony prisons are fresh in my mind, shaking my bones. Will I get beaten up? Do I need to join a gang for protection? Will I get . . . violated in the showers? Do we even have showers?

I examined the courtyard some more. Several dragons took to tail-wrestling, some decided to do physical exercises, and others just hanged out. Some did stay by themselves, so I don't think the gang bit is an issue. Then again, they're well-built. Looking around, I'm obviously the youngest, smallest, and weakest of the dragons. Some dragons far larger are using a rock the size of me as a football. A football.

Gulping, I felt myself in a cold sweat and looked around the courtyard once more, hopefully wishing I could see some folks that look . . . not intimidating. My excitement skyrocketed when I spotted Gelid polishing a rock with the spines on her tail. I casually (to the best of my ability) walked towards her. Her back was turned to me and I spotted two nubs in them, clearly wings starting to grow. She didn't seem to notice me, so I stood a few feet behind her as her tail carved something out.

“He—”

“Hey Spike,” she casually said.

“—y, Geli...” I stared at her.

“You smell like a pony. Not like some others who have a faint smell. You reek of pony, and to be honest, it's making me hungry,” she said, licking her lips for emphasis. Her head turned to show a playful glare. It never registered to me and I gulped, to which she chuckled to. “Haha, lighten up. I'm just at the age where instincts are starting to develop. I'm too young and fearful of what I could become to actually act on them.”

“Oh, heh, I knew that. For sure, same here,” I said, waving my arm around with several casual gestures.

“Even if I were a pony, I don't think I'd believe you. You're far too young, but there's something different about you,” she said, going back to carving the rock.

“Huhn?” I rubbed my arms nervously.

“You're developing early, it seems. You're emitting some pheromones,” she said, almost growling.

Glancing to the sides, nobody else seemed to hear her so I gulped and stuttered my words before composing myself.

“Well, maybe, I really wouldn't know,” I said, shrugging.

“Don't get any ideas, either. You're not my type, shrimp,” she said, causing a slicing sound on her last word. The rock broke in half, revealing what looks like a male gryphon. I frowned.

“Well I'm kind of taken, anyways.” I winced, and my whole body lost the faux confidence I had before. “Or, I was.”

“If you're expecting me to cheer you up, you should shut up and save yourself the trouble,” she growled, smashing the rock under her foot.

“If you're expecting me to believe you talked to me out of niceness, you should stop wasting my time,” I retorted with a growl of my own.

I surprised myself, since the growl actually sounded menacing . . . at least to me. She raised her eyebrow and turned her whole body towards me. She was only around a foot taller than I was, yet there was no intimidation or harmful intent in her step. She sat down against the rock rather than the bench just a few feet behind her and rested her arms on her knees.

“What's that?” she asked with what seemed to be actual curiosity.

“We're in prison. You didn't have to talk to me. I honestly said hi because I didn't know what else to do. You were entirely composed. I mean—” I rubbed my face, thinking of what to say. “You said hi, you introduced yourself, and now we're making smalltalk. I may be too timid to commit murder, but you're way too social to be like other dragons.”

“And how many dragons have you met?” she asked, raising her brow.

I was about to reply before stopping. “Seven.”

“Figures. But you aren't wrong.” She averted her gaze, staring at the ground. She kicked the other half of the statue over to me and I sat down on it. “Before we get into a long-winded flashback explaining each others' terrible and/or amazing lifestyle, why don't we get something straight: who are you?”

Raising an eyebrow, I paused, wondering what she meant. “Uh, Spike the Dragon?”

“No, stupid, who are you? What do you do? What are you to those in your old life?” she said, facepalming.

“Oh.” My head drooped. “I . . . was the friend of several others, the love of a mare, and the Princess of Equestria's personal scribe.”

She leaned back, her eyes slightly widened in surprise. “Oh? That's actually interesting. As for me, I was raised amongst a gryphon-dragon tribe. It was constant chaos and scrambles between us, but it was nothing serious. We were rambunctious, wild, and we had fun. There was one dragon I got along with the most. He was only about your size, Escther breed.”

“Meaning?” I asked in regards to the breed.

“Meaning he was a different breed of dragon, genius,” she replied flatly. I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Anyways, he wasn't everything to me, but he was everything I wanted in a friend. I was the introvert, and he was the gateway to a future. Maybe among dragons, maybe alone with him, traversing the planet for eternity.”

“And?”

“And what? I'm not explaining my life story, just a bit about myself,” she said, shaking her head.

“So you're just dicking with me.” I sighed, planting my face in my palms.

“No. I figured that if we're going to stay sane, we'd have to know each other. In prison, it truly is better to group up, and we both have something in common,” she stated as she gazed forward.

“Innocence?” I asked as she stood up. I glanced over, following her gaze to see the Warden strolling into the courtyard.

“A purpose for being here,” she said before walking towards the courtyard doors leading inside.

I followed her with my eyes before she disappeared. Turning to face the ground, I thought about it. Her last words repeated in my head before I looked up at the Warden. The other inmates stayed clear of the Warden regardless of how some of them towered over him by many feet. I clapped my hands together, stood up, and casually strolled into the yard. Gaze fixiated, I walked straight up to the Warden. Other inmates instantly began talking to each other and the Warden eventually turned his gaze to me. I stood several feet away from him and began talking.

“Inmate Spike,” he said, nodding his head.

“Warden Lockdown,” I said, returning the nod.

“I take it you have business with me. If so, I will hear it out, but only for a few minutes if it takes that long,” he responded.

“I just have a question, maybe more depending on the answer,” I stated.

“Very well.”

“Can I get out?”

He stopped in his tracks and stared at me with an “are you serious” stare. “Pardon?”

“Sorry, that was just a joke,” I said.

“My time isn't for jokes, but your attempt at alleviation is welcome,” he said, smiling to confirm.

“Right. Anyways, what I wanted to know about is what conditions would have to be met for my release?” I asked.

He rubbed his chin and hummed as if he was actually contemplating it. “A formal request from your leader, residential family, or if evidence comes up that proves your innocence,” he said.

“Okay. One more?”

“Sure.”

“Has anyone ever escaped from here?” I asked.

He was speechless before erupting into laughter. He almost keeled over from the act and he slapped his knees several times for good measure.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it,” I said, waving my hand as I shook my head with disappointment.

“I apologize, but it is utterly foolish to even think about it in the first place. It is natural to want to be free, but remember, young drake, you are in here because you're a criminal. Just do society a favour an—”

“And what!? Just stay in here like some broke equipment, serving a miscarriage of justice?” I shouted, swinging my arms with frustration as he brought up the notion of me being a criminal.

His smile faded and he frowned. “Dial it back, prisoner. I would have struck you had you not given me a good, needed laugh.”

“Dial it back, sit down, shut up and drink your milk like an obedient child!? I'm innocent, and you expect me to not do anything about this?” I shouted, stepping towards the warden.

Bad move. He made a short jump back and thrust his hand forward, punching me in the gut. Any other person, I would have taken it with an oof, but not this time. Instead, I was thrown back while feeling like my ribcage and torso was dislodged. Breathing became much harder, and that heat in my chest rose once more. My seal started to glow and my torso, on top of feeling like  it was dislodged, felt constricted and unable to move.

“Solitary, three days. Inmate, let this be your first warning regarding your new life,” he said, dusting his hands off before walking away.

I rolled around, attempting to focus my fumbling eyes on the Warden as if it would call him back. One large guard landed next to me, having dropped in from the tower, and picked me up with ease and care. Luckily I happened to be in a prison where the guards didn't just make the prisoners suffer. He carried me and I never once realized what was going on. I rolled in his hands, seeing bright lights here, dark walls there, blue hallway here; snapshots of where he carried me. Unfortunately, the hostility ended there. A metal door opened up and I was haphazardly thrown into a room, hitting the wall and landing on a bed. The constriction ended, but breathing was still painful.

“Dammit,” I said, forcing the words out of my mouth.

I pushed myself up to my hands and knees and stared at the door, watching the lights of the hall go out. Sighing, I leaned back against the wall and glanced to the ceiling. This solitary room wasn't fit for larger dragons at all; it was almost like a bathroom. Above my head, three feet up, was a very small window. Standing up and climbing up, I peeked through the window; the wall was about five feet thick and nowhere near wide enough to let me through. Sighing, I slid back down to the ground and hugged my knees.

“You want to get out?”

Perking up, I looked at the small gap in the cell door to spot no one. I looked around before fixiating my gaze on the window above me again. I stood up and climbed the foot up to the window and peeked out. This time, I realized the view was nice; I spotted the field of flowers further down that seemed to glow red, like a fire.

“If you want to think about getting out, you need to take down the Warden. If not, the seal remains.”

The voice didn't sound familiar, but it was high-pitched, reminiscent of a feminine tone trying to disguise itself as a child. Frowning, I panned left and right, trying to see the speaker to no avail.

“Who are you?” I whispered, turning around quickly to check for guards.

“I'm a cello, and you are a fish to a cat.”

“What?” I asked, feeling my fingers grown numb from hanging on.

Nothing. I asked once more only to have the whistling wind as a response. I sighed, and slid back down to the ground, pondering the day.

I've been here not even a full 24 hours, and I've already got myself thrown into solitary by the Warden. To top it off, I shouldn't even be here in the first place. Celestia . . . she should have bailed me out. My friends should have, too. They didn't so much as speak the instant photos came out. Why didn't they believe me, though? The body looks nothing like my own . . . and he was tall. Luna didn't even speak.

Once again, tears prodded at my eyelids and I blinked them away. Quickly, I found myself starting to sniffle. I cursed myself for retaining the urge to cry. Maybe I wasn't as grown up as I thought.

I've got no family anymore.

[*][*][*]

Atop a tower standing in the volcano was the Warden, overlooking the prison. The moon's light peaked through the grungy skies yet the lack of clear illumination left only the torches to light up the island. The red flowers, better known as Dragon Lilies, reflected the torchlight like snow on the ground, adding to the fiery atmosphere that the island had. Warden Lockdown leered at the sight and sighed heavily. The rails were much too tall to allow him to lean on comfortably, so he settled for a lower bar.

“Solitary? Are you serious?” a voice asked from behind.

“I cannot go light on him, even if he's the target,” Lockdown replied.

“You could have sentenced a physical punishment,” he responded.

Lockdown spun around and leaned back against the railing, staring at a larger, draconic figure draped in a cloak. Lockdown rolled his eyes and glared at the dragon.

“I'm a Prison Warden, not a dictator. I'm not going to kill them, but if roughing up has to be done, then fine. He wasn't doing anything physical, so I had to use a mental punishment,” Lockdown said, dragging a claw down his face.

“Feh, fine. Make sure the whelp is kidnapped as soon as he's out of solitary. Just have Ryu deliver him,” the figure said, turning to take off.

“Ryuu and Tatsuya aren't in, and if they don't agree with me, I can't very well take them out.” Lockdown flew to the top of the railing and sat down, looking at the empty courtyard, watching the very area where he ordered Spike's solitary. “I'll have Haruo do it, so don't bug him.”

“Very well. In return for your order, I expect results by the end of the week,” the larger dragon said as he lifted off.

“Expect the best and you'll be let down,” Lockdown said as a final thought.

The other dragon never responded, flying off into the distance. The Warden watched him briefly before returning to watching the silent ghost-town of a prison below him. Pensively, he hummed before sighing.

“Maybe expecting the worst isn't the best option either?”