Castle Bahamut

“This one hasn't even been here a week and he has already found himself on his second solitary sentence.”

“You're kidding me. What for?”

“Attacking the Warden and trying to escape.”

“Attacking the Warden? Jeez, man... either he's stupid or he has serious balls.”

Chapter 4: Once More With Guilt

“All rise for the majestic ferry of the sun, Princess Celestia.”

And so, all ponies present stood up. The courthouse was called La Luna, built to commemorate Princess Luna's return. It replaced the original grand courthouse and served for the trials that affected the nation. The likes of Chrysalis would wind up here, yet here I am, acting as the defendant. Behind me were over thirty ponies that I knew including the girls and several others from Ponyville. Several others were ponies affected by the murders and the rest, I really couldn't tell. I never bothered learning the ways of law, but regardless, I gulped and stood up with the rest of them.

Princess Celestia majestically stood at the helm of the courtroom, prepared to carry out the trial. The rest of the ponies next to her were faceless as far as I was concerned. I only had to speak when spoken to, answer a few questions, and it would be over.

“Be seated,” Celestia responded.

And then we were seated save for one well-dressed mare. Regardless of my resolve, I found my eyes refusing to focus on Celestia. Luna was staring at me and for a moment, our eyes locked. She didn't seem like Celestia. She wasn't solemn, nor was she confused. She had an almost guilty look on her face and I never knew why.

“The case of Spike the Dragon versus the Royal Crown of Equestria,” the female clerk read out.

Celestia nodded. “Are all parties present?”

A familiar stallion on the other side of the room stood up. Twilight's brother, Shining Armour, was with the crown. Gulping, I watched.

“Yes, your majesty. I am Prince Shining Armour, Captain of the Royal Guard and I will be testifying for the Royal Crown of Equestria,” he said in a rehearsed manner.

He sat down and I looked over to my so-called lawyer; a short, scrawny stallion with large glasses and thick lens almost hidden behind a combed black mane that shadowed his azure face. He stood up and spoke in a very squeaky voice.

“Yes, your majesty. I am Tether Hitch, acting on behalf of the accused, Spike the Dragon.” He promptly sat down.

“Thank you. Spike the Dragon, please rise to hear the charge,” Celestia said in an almost monotonic voice.

Nodding, I did so and felt a hundred eyes locking onto me. The clerk cleared her throat as she levitated a scroll. A blonde mane was done in an up-do as to not bother her waistcoat. Her average peach-coloured face glanced up at me once before opening the scroll.

“On the night of 23rd of November, 1003 ANMR, the charges directed at the accused consist of five counts of first degree murder, two counts of attempted murder against a royal figure, two counts of murder against a peace officer, 89 counts of attempted murder against a peace officer, five counts of arson, fifty counts of assault, and one count of resisting arrest,” the clerk read out from a scroll.

I stared in horror at the list, shaking my head slowly. She looked up from the scroll and glared up at me. My gaping mouth closed and my lip stuttered. Murmurs in the courtroom occurred and I looked around nervously before facing ahead.

“How does the defendant plead?”

“Not gu—” I stopped as my voice cracked. Clearly I was in a cold sweat and I quickly swallowed, removing that lump in my throat before trying again. “Not guilty.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Celestia spoke as she made a motion with her hoof.

I sat down in the chair and felt the weight of the situation resting upon my shoulders. My arms sagged and I sighed. Glancing to the right, the jury shifted uncomfortably as Celestia glanced over.

“Ladies and gentlecolts of the jury, please be reminded that while you are the judges of the evidence, I am the judge of the law. I may comment on the evidence provided and should I see it fit, my royal authority shall overrule if I were to deem your judgement unfit which will be followed by a reassessment.” She finished and glanced over at me.

“Without a doubt, you must prove he is guilty. Only then shall a sentence be carried out. The accused, Spike the Dragon, must be proven as the murderer, at the location of the crime, and the only one who could be proven as the murderer.” She glanced over at Shining Armour and he nodded his head. “I now call upon the crown to present their case.”

Standing up, Shining Armour cleared his throat. “Your majesty, I intend to prove that Spike the Dragon truthfully committed these atrocious crimes intentionally and knowingly. To start, I would like to call upon the mare who saw him last; the Element of Generosity, Rarity.”

Quickly, Rarity stood up from her spot in the courtroom and made her way to the stand, sitting down on the stool. From my view, I watched a confused, scared Rarity look up to Celestia for guidance and the two shared a small, solemn locking of eyes before Rarity faced ahead. The clerk approached Rarity and cleared her throat.

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help Mother Gaia?” she asked.

Rarity gulped and nodded her head frantically. “Yes.”

The clerk responded with a nod and stayed fixiated on Rarity. “State your name and address.”

“Rarity, and I live at the Carousal Boutique in Ponyville,” Rarity responded, her voice seemingly on the verge of cracking.

Shining Armour stepped forward as the clerk stepped back. “First off, has Spike displayed any unusual behaviour? Maybe he came to your home one night in a cold sweat, acting shifty?”

“No, he has done no such thing. He acted the same as he always does,” Rarity responded, her voice teetering on breaking the more she spoke.

He paused, allowing her to collect herself. “Could you pinpoint where Spike was, last night?”

I stared at her intently before realizing that I was thoroughly screwed.

“No.”

The entire courtroom began to chatter, including the girls behind me. I never once heard Twilight's voice. Even Shining Armour seemed confused.

“No? But he was at your boutique the next morning, correct?” he asked.

“Yes. Earlier that day, he had left. He didn't say what, but he left and said he would return later. I fell asleep before he did and I woke up next to him the next morning,” she responded, her voice finding itself.

“What time did Spike leave?”

She seemed lost in thought, poking her chin. “I'd say around seven, maybe eight in the evening.”

Shining allowed the silence to hang in the air. “The first murder in the nearby town of Dodge Junction which was the location of the Wonderbolt, Fleetfoot's, murder, took place at nine in the evening. By foot, that is enough time to make it there should he run, do the deed, and be on his way. By train, that allows him the time to make it to the location of the next murder which took place merely an hour later in Manehatten.”

Once more, the courtroom was silent excluding the clicking of a typewriter. Rarity looked right at me and our eyes locked. Her eyes watered and that was it. She let out several coughs before silently crying.

I don't know if Rarity was crying for me or herself.

[*][*][*]

Once more, the doors of solitary opened and I rubbed my eyes. There was no bed in the room and only a place to use the bathroom. My whole body was aching and I did not like the sound of more solitary. Looking at the one who opened the door, I spotted a massive Pegasus Guard standing there. He was much larger than Big Macintosh or Shining Armour, and it was rather intimidating. I looked up and wondered why a stallion would be in a dragon prison, but it was short-lived. He reached in with a wing and lifted me up. Effortlessly, he bit onto my tail and lifted himself into the air. I didn't feel any pain, so I never complained. Quickly, he lifted me up the shaft and dropped me at the top. A dragon guard saluted the Pegasus and picked me up. The same process as the other night seemed to be repeating, but it was mid-day. Instead of escorting me back to my room, he dropped me off in the courtyard. I would have held my arm up to shield the sun had the clouds not blocked it.

The courtyard seemed to grow quieter when I entered and I felt several eyes locking onto me. Once more, I walked towards the area I spotted Gelid at the other day. She wasn't there, but instead a rather large dragon with his back turned. He looked to be about ten feet taller than me and he glanced over his shoulder at me. Turning around, he looked down at me and I felt like I was going to be squished on the spot.

“You'll be one tough musha when you mature,” he said, patting me on the shoulder with one of his large claws.

I stared up confused for a second before two other dragons slightly taller than myself came over towards me. Instead of an expected beating, they shoulder-checked me and held me in a pretend choke hold.

I didn't think the dragon's were this buddy-buddy, I thought.

This happened with several other dragons, each commending me. I never knew why, but I was certain it had to do with my solitary confinement. One dragon approached me with a malicious look in his eyes, but having just learned, he wasn't going to hit me but rather, he extended his hand out. Surprised for a second, I reached up and shook his. His grip was firm and strong, a clear contrast to my own.

“You're the popular drake for the next week, Spike,” he said with a toothy grin.

“Huh? I didn't know getting my ass kicked and thrown into solitary counted as a popularity ticket,” I said.

He snorted as he pulled his hand back. He began walking, motioning me to follow. Looking up, he was a crimson-scaled dragon with orange spines with a slightly muscular figure.

“It's not that. No drake in the past 20 years has tried to attack the Warden, and you did it right off the bat,” he said.

Shaking my head, I groaned and slapped myself in the face. “I never attacked him, I just had to talk to him.”

“Not just that, you're also the first one to walk right up to the Warden without hestitation. That alone would get you some serious cred in here, but there's that crap that went down last week,” he said, glancing upward at the roof.

“What, my failed escape attempt?” I said drolly.

“Exactly! You're dead-set on escaping to the point where you don't seem to have fear. That's respectable in the world of dragons.” He took a deep sniff of the air and exhaled deeply. He didn't seem scared at all, freely wandering the grounds. “My name is Haruo, and I'm not afraid at all.”

Sighing, I hung my head. “I figured. So, does this make you the big boss of the yard?”

He glanced at me, chuckling before letting out a quick, loud laugh. “No, no, but I have the respect of many. The Warden has the most respect since he merely instigates fear by waltzing the grounds. The other dragon's first impression of you is a fearless badass, but that's only temporary. That could change over the course of your stay.” He turned his whole body to me and his eyes turned sharp. “And you do not. Want that. The last thing you want is to have dragon's lose respect. That is what leads to getting your ass kicked and murdered.”

“Wow. Thanks. That's reassuring,” I replied sarcastically. “Now is there a point to talking to me?”

“See? Look at that. Fearlessly demanding a point out of a dragon that obviously knows his stuff.” He pet me on the head to which I responded by swatting his claw away. He chuckled and I started to walk away. “My point is that some dragons have their eyes on you. One is dead set on getting you.”

Glancing back at him, he had already turned away and started walking throughout the prison, head held high. Shaking my head, I sighed while allowing his words to mingle with my thoughts. Turning away, I ran right into another familiar drake.

“'sup, Pony?” Gelid said with a somewhat gung-ho accent.

“Oh, hi,” I replied flatly. “What's up?”

She looked around as if to check before shrugging. “Just wanted to talk a bit. Learn more about my bullet shield.”

Raising an eyebrow, I looked up at her quizzingly as we walked towards a bench. “Bullet?”

“Oh, right, you aren't from the dragon lands.” She sat down on a stone bench under the overhang. Sitting next to her, we stared out over the courtyard. “Guards in the homeland stay behind during the Great Dragon Migration, to defend the homelands should another tribe of dragons attack. Brute, rash natures call for weapons and improvisations, so they developed a dragon-exclusive weapon. It's kind of like a catapult, except it's hand-held, launches ammo in a straight line, and the ammo is magic jewels that explode upon being embedded into flesh.”

The very thought of my stomach exploding into mush almost made me vomit, but for the sake of the conversation I held it back, swallowing that lump in my throat.

“Anyways, what I wanted to talk about...” She rubbed her chin and I waited. She coughed and sighed. “Right. I'm genuinely curious about your past life. I mean, living among many potential snacks and not giving into your carnivorous side takes serious restraint.”

Thinking about it, it would be for normal dragons. We're a bunch of meat lovers and ponies are just walking meals for me. I'd never think about eating a pony, but it was definitely an interesting question to someone like her. Looking up to her, all of her attention was on me. Genuine curiosity from a potential murderer. Lovely.

“Wait, I thought we talked about our pasts,” I said, remembering our second conversation.

“Right, that we did. But, I want to know about you. Each dragon learns a special type of breath, so what's yours?”

“Well, I mentioned I was a Royal Messenger, right?” I asked.

“Maybe, I don't remember.”

“Well, I am. My fire breath can teleport various things, mostly scrolls and letters directly to Princess Celestia. It can cause burns, but nothing painful or seemingly fatal,” I said, going through the motions of sending a scroll to add to the memory.

“Huh, that's kinda neat. My breath isn't fire, exactly. It's ice,” she said, puffing out her chest quickly in satisfaction.

“Ice? Darn, that's a nice thing to have.” I smirked, leaning back. “Doesn't that affect a cold-blooded creature, though?”

She shook her head. “Heh, nope. I can ingest the hottest and coldest elements. I can freeze other creatures and even dragons. I once killed a dragon by encasing it in ice. He couldn't melt it with his own heat.”

Shoot, I was right! I scurried away from her. “Jeez, you really are a murderer!”

She let out several loud laughs and punched me in the shoulder. I let out a quick “ow” and rubbed my shoulder. “No, no, I was even younger than you were. It was when I was first able to use my breath and I accidentally ended one of my elder siblings, and in my particular tribe, you're only prosecuted if you kill a weaker dragon. Killing an elder is considered a sign of strength. It's messed, but that's how my tribe worked.”

Pondering the thought, I realized that would have been lovely in my case. Then again, the one who framed me obviously knew what he was doing so of course I'd have been prosecuted.”

“Was your one friend in your tribe?” I asked.

Gelid stopped laughing and her smile slowly faded. She took on a more solemn face and shook her head. “Nope. I was forbidden from seeing him when I was younger until our families entered the Great Dragon Migration. We were allowed to mingle and eventually, our tribes formed a pact with each other. I was free to beat him into submission whenever he got ahead of himself.”

“I can't imagine having another dragon as a friend. I've only met dragons that turned out to be bad guys in the end. Even here, I'm unsure of what you intend to do.” Our last conversation struck me. Looking up to her, I pondered my words carefully. “Before, you said you had a purpose for being here. What was it?”

She clucked her tongue and whistled. Wordlessly, she transmitted the message that the story was long and I sighed, prepared to get told to mind my own business.

“What would you do for a friend?” she asked.

Well, at least it was something. Clearing my throat, I considered my answer. Memories of Twilight and the rest of the gang entered my mind. The friendly faces of Ponyville were still fresh in my mind, even if my last moment of peace was a month ago. “Anything.”

“Anything, huh.” She adjusted her bandanna and retied the knot at the back. Positioning it over her mouth, she coughed once. “I really would kill another living creature for a friend. Not as a favour, but to protect them.”

I shook my head and remembered the list of charges. “No. Murder is always wrong.”

A hard smack to my shoulder slapped me out of it. It wasn't out of malice according to the smile Gelid wore. Rubbing my shoulder, I frowned before waiting.

“Well duh. Even if it's wrong, I'd still do it. But what if it's too late to do it?” She hung her head.

My eyes followed her as she walked over and kicked a rock. No one noticed us, and that was fine with me. Catharsis is only achieved when I'm alone... or at least with someone I know in this place. The question poked at my conscience, wrecking what little reverie I could achieve.

“What do you mean too late? You were fully willing, so...?” The many implications left hanging let my mind run while.

“My friend was killed because I hesitated,” she said quietly.

It was barely audible due to the wind and chatter of the courtyard, but the weight of the sentence transmitted perfectly. The thought of losing a friend due to one's own failure to act would leave only one action...

“So, vengeance?”

She looked up and nodded her head. “My friend was killed for the very conspiracy that landed you in here.” She turned herself and walked towards me, sitting down on the bench. “They want magic.”

“They have magic, right?”

“Unicorn magic is needed.”

Looking down, I twiddled my thumbs in ambling motions as my lips sputtered trying to find words. Glancing up at the courtyard, the guards broke up a small scuffle and sent each prisoner in different directions. Above, the sun attempted to peak through the clouds, staying hidden due to the Weather Ponies.

“And us as dragons have that?” I asked.

She nodded. “Unicorn horns have a crystogen jewel in them as their core; crystogen jewels allow the generation and build up of magic while the horn is merely the conductor. Dragon's regard crystogen jewels as rare, so it's nearly impossible to get them. However, dragons that have interacted with ponies, specifically Unicorns, get raw magic left in their scales and muscles. Get enough in a container, and you can cast a spell, just like a Unicorn. Difference is that this time, they completely sap the magic out of the container.”

“Wait,” I said, giving her my full attention. “What does this have to do with your friend? Wouldn't he be unharmed?”

Shaking her head, she wiped her eyes with the bandanna. “No. When the magic was extracted, it had pulled out the draconic magic that our species needs to live. They needed as much magic as possible, and of course they take it all. The container merely dies as a result of the extraction.”

Putting two and two together, I felt a bout of sadness overtake my thoughts and I whispered bitterly, “I'm sorry.”

“It's fine... but that's why I'm here. I'm here to take revenge.” Silence, shortly followed up. Remember that conspiracy?” she asked.

“Yeah?”

“The Warden heads it. He killed my friend to open some Genie's Lamp or whatnot. And even worse—” Her voice cracked, which stuck out. Barely audible in a cracked whisper, “My friend was the Warden's son.”

Son.

Briefly, Twilight's warm smile flashed in my mind; a plate of burnt pancakes being handed to me, a sheepish grin as she wiped pancake mix off her face. Memories of home. Memories of my mother.

A father who'd kill his own son for some wishing contraption? Are you serious?

Tears pricked my eyes as the many thoughts passed through. A father killing his own son out of greed, a mother abandoning her draconic son, and the knowledge that you're just going to be another victim. It made me sick, and I almost vomited there. It truly isn't a world of sunshine and rainbows I lived in. It was hard, and never would I experience the bliss of Celestia's utopia in the same light again. I was in the real world.

“That's sick. How could he do that? Are dragons really that horrible?” I asked. “Am I going to be like him?”

“What? No, of course not. You're never destined to be evil. It depends on how you're raised,” Gelid corrected. She rubbed her hands together and sighed.

“Yeah, right.” The conspiracy pricked at my mind and I looked up to Gelid. “So, do you plan on stopping the conspiracy?”

She shook her head. “Hell no. I don't give a damn about the conspiracy or whatever plot the Warden has in his cauldron. I just want him dead.”

Sadness, followed by regret; very few things could be defined in my mind at that moment but whatever was wound up not being worth it. Gelid glanced over at me and bit her lip before opening her mouth.

“What about you? Are you going to nab the one that supposedly framed you?” she asked.

My turn to shake my head. I wasn't a vengeful person so I never considered it. “I just want to go home and reconcile things with my family, if they'll even hear me out. I'll get out not within 200 years. I'm getting out within the next year.” I stood up and brushed myself off. Passion came out of my voice and I snorted. “If I have my way, I'll get out within the next day.” I walked into the courtyard.

“What are you doing, Spike?” Gelid shouted out, not following me.

“Letting the populace fight their own battle,” I shouted before running into the prison.

Inside, I took a turn rather than head back to the cells. Quickly, I entered the lunch room where a hundred voices mingled in rowdy chatter. Several eyes turned to me and followed me as I approached them.

“You. What are you doing?” I demanded from a dragon twice my size.

“Huh? Th' hell do you want?” he asked, leaning over to me, staring me down.

I stood my ground, unphased by his approach. “You want that seal off your body? You wanna get out?”

He stared at me in silence before snorting, stiffling a chuckle. “What, you know something that I don't?”

“A lot of things, bud, but this one is actually worth your time,” I responded, crossing my arms.

This caught the attention of the other dragons at the table as well as surrounding tables. None of the guards paid any mind to the situation I was starting.

“The Warden's seal is the one that's on us. If we take him out, his seal stops functioning. His two lackeys, the captains, are just the antennae while the Warden is the one sending out the signal.” I glanced around to the other dragons. The one that was just in my face lost his malice and was starting to chat with others at the table. “And don't ask how I know. It's common knowledge of sealing spells; take out the caster, the spell falters.”

“Yeah, but what about the Warden? He's a damn battle god,” another dragon shouted.

Snorting, I smirked and shook my head in mock gusto. “He is one dragon. If all of us take him on at once, he can't fend us all off. He'll need help, and if we take out the Warden, no more seal. The number of dragons in the prison outnumber the guards. I mean, what's wrong with you?” I stood up on a table and all eyes in the lunch room were on me. “We're dragons, not kittens. I thought we were fearsome beasts, not scared of one drake and his cronies.”

Several shouts of yeah emitted from the lunch room. This was it. I just had to motivate them more.

“Are we baby cats?” I shouted.

More enthusiastic “No's” followed.

“Or are we dragon's!?”

“YEAH!”

Simultaneously, all of the dragon's erupted into cheer and the guards looked at each other nervously. Smirking, I glanced at the ones watching the lunch room just as several of the dragons rushed the guards. Quickly, my motivation plundered as I realized just what I was saying. I was encouraging several dragons to kill the Warden.

Good job, Spike. Then again, the Warden... he deserves this, right?

I hopped off the table just as the rest of the inmates poured into the halls. One by one, they exited into the courtyard in a mad frenzy, myself mixed in with the bunch. Luckily enough, the Warden was in the courtyard upon our storming and was quickly surrounded. He was clearly outnumbered, several hundred to one. I gulped, feeling a cold sweat start to break in as I anticipated the next few moments. The Warden sighed and waved his hand, stopping several guards in the air from landing.

“Please, don't. Return to your lunches,” Lockdown stated in a calm manner.

“KILL HIM!” several shouted.

Many inmates rushed him, all of them larger than the Warden. Some jumped into the air and lunged from above, others went for a straight-up rush, while others simply ran around the Warden, prepared if the first wave were to fail. They didn't have to wait long.

At a speed Rainbow would be proud of, Lockdown's tail stabbed at a dragon, impaling his gut. It wasn't a mere poke either... no, this would have penetrated him had the dragon not been four times larger. Not missing a beat, Lockdown spun around, causing his tail to slice out the side of the dragon and slashed the belly's of the others around him. Those in the air didn't stand a chance.

Reaching his arms up, his claws grabbed onto two dragon's heads and slammed them against each other with a sickening crunch.  The second wave lunged into action more ferociously than the passionate lot before them. I realized then the mistake I made in rallying the troops and felt the urge to attack myself. What stopped me was most likely the blood that seeped out of the slashed bellies of my fellow inmates. I could practically feel Gelid's disapproving glare on the back of my head.

The second wave of dragons met the same fate as the first and then the waves vanished. The entire group of dragons rushed Lockdown; clawing, snapping, trying to stomp on him, anything that would inflict injury. Lockdown... he simply killed them. There was no explanation that could fit it. Even as they realized the hopelessness and tried to run away, Lockdown chased them in a mere second and ended them. Blood coated the cobblestone and bodies littered the ground. Every attempt I made at moving away was met with a shove as others tried to run away and it came to a point where I merely closed my eyes and expected death.

Silence. Opening my eyes and removing my arms from my view, I looked around to see the carnage. Akin to a horror film, bodies and blood coated the surrounding area and feet from me was the serial killer. Except the killer was apparently allowed to do this without repercussions. He looked around at his handiwork before locking his glare on me. I froze up only to be met with a smirk. He stepped over several bodies as well as stepping on some to approach me. I didn't move since there was no point as he clearly proved. He stopped several feet in front of me and sat on the belly of a large red dragon, placing his hand on his knee for balance until he was level with my eyes.

“Look around you. Marvel at what you caused, criminal,” he spoke.

I shook my head, trying to shut out the truth to no avail. I did cause this. I caused the whole lot to attack. Several hundred dragons are dead because I rallied them... but it makes no sense. He's just one dragon.

“Marvel at your results and enjoy your stay in solitary for two weeks, fool.”

Baring my teeth, I growled and lunged forward. Lockdown hopped to his feet and brought his knee up, meeting my chin. My jaw slammed shut and my teeth clanged sending a ring throughout my skull. Without holding back, he took advantage of my stumble and brought his left claw down, slapping my left knee causing me to fall forward. I set my hands on the remains of another inmate to prevent myself from hitting the ground and the Warden couldn't have that. His foot came down on my popiteal, causing my knee to smash into the ground. Unable to let out a shout due to the suddeness of the hit, I attempted to reach down to rub my knee, that being my first instinct. Instead, Lockdown kicked my face rolling me onto my back. Forgetting my knee, I reached up and held onto my snout. Once more did the Warden not leave me be. His foot stomped on my stomach, not hard enough for permanent damage but hard enough to knock the wind out of me. My vision blurred and once more I felt myself being picked up, moved, and thrown against that hard metal wall. I promptly passed out.

[*][*][*]

“Son of a bitch, this isn't good,” Lockdown said as he paced back and forth in his usual tower.

Haruo watched the Warden tentatively as he ate a blue gem. The crunching along with the wind bugged Lockdown but he never showed it.

“Don't worry, this is all according to plan,” Haruo responded.

Lockdown spun around and stomped over to Haruo. Swiftly, he backhanded the jewel away from his grasp and Haruo watched the glow of the blue jewel disappear over the tower and he looked at the Warden, pouting.

“I wasn't done that,” Haruo said, feigning sadness.

“Do I give a good goddamn, boy? What does throwing him in solitary accomplish?” Lockdown shouted.

“I said trust me. This will work. If Spike keeps this up, he'll be down there in no time,” Haruo said, leaning back in the chair.

“He's safe in solitary. I can't get him from there, those blasted Pegasi are placed there on Celestia's request and for what reason I'll never know. Regardless, the whelp isn't leaving solitary until his term is up.”

Haruo shook his hands in the air and the Warden seemed to calm down. Leaning his arm against the chair's back, Haruo smirked. “One of these times, someone will come for you, and it'll be more than just Spike. There's one other dragon that wants you dead and gone, and not because she's an inmate. Spike will cause the granddaddy of all riots and hell will break loose. The chaos will be enough for even you to just simply walk out and grab him.”

“How can I trust you when you've done nothing but fail?” Lockdown replied quietly.

“As opposed to your successes?” Haruo responded.

Lockdown stood up, staring at Haruo with a deadpan stare. He clicked his tongue and shook his head, planting his hands on his hips. Smirking, Haruo let out a chuckle and Lockdown stepped over to the staircase. He stepped onto the top step and glanced over at Haruo. Opening his mouth, he sighed coarsely and shook his head before walking downstairs.