Escape from Canterlot Gardens

Chapter 3

As the light from The Creator's golden sun grew dim, a group of men could be seen escaping down a river bank with no more than 35 armored figures on their tails. The figures began to open fire on the group from across the ravine leaving the men to slump into heaps as their legs and bodies crumpled like trash in a compactor. (I know, I'm too deep.)

"PROTECT THE CHILD!" a man yelled as he fired his small pistol at the figures in a futile attempt to slow them down even a little, and who he was referring to was the small boy cradled in the groups' front-runner's hands, he couldn't be more than 4 and was crying (as is the reaction when being shot at.), but what was really apparent was his small tuft of spiky emerald green hair and almost reptilian features.

As for the man carrying him, his features being almost identical if not for the obvious age difference, he was in worse shape than the child himself, it took weeks upon months to find where he was to be inseminated, years to finish an excursion to said place, and only 35 minutes for a rookie in his organization to fuck it up. His usually stoic face plastered with weariness from not sleeping for over a week and covered in blood from the previous battle, and positively dreading the battle to come.

After what felt like hours of running at a break neck speed and only hearing the sounds of his heavy breathing and crying from the boy, his adrenaline slowed just enough to notice the lack of background noise. After 12 minutes of fierce running, he worked up the courage to slow to a jog and look behind him.

What he saw filled his heart with sorrow and relief at the same time, he turned to see absolutely nothing behind him, not his allies, not his enemies, nothing. The man then begins to wonder if everyone had either split up or his worst dreams had come to fruition.

"Welp, guess it's just you and me Sam." the man said to calmed boy.

"(Guttural baby noises)." the boy replied.

"You said it buddy." the man said to the boy as if he understood every sound.

With that the man began to hear the heavy footfalls of power armor in the mud, and so the chase was on yet again. For about 3 miles the man evaded the figures but it was no use, they seemed to cut him off at each pass, he came to a fork in the road and took the one with the most signs telling you not to go there, hoping that they weren't as foolish and desperate as he was to follow him. And he was right, why would they would risk their own lives traveling on DEATH ROAD!? ...... Is what the road was called.

(45 minutes of animal killing and child protecting later)

He came out of the dreaded forest and into a large clearing, bloodied and beaten he made it about halfway through the clearing before dropping to his knees, all the while gently dropping the child and effectively waking him up (how he slept through Death Road, he'd never know.)

"Eh, eh?" the child chided in as he walked to where the man had lied.

"Ugh, listen kid, I need you to go." he uttered painfully with a point in the direction of outer forest.

"Uh-uh." he said with a shake of his head.

"Look.... Kid, I." he said as the child turned to pull him by his hand but was making few great strides. "SAM!"

The child froze as he looked the man in the eye.

"There's nothing you can do for me, I'm done for...... But I need you to be a man and run..... As fast as you can, do you understand me." he said to which Sam shook his head in a fashion that would indicate yes.

"Good.... Boy." The man said as he used most of his energy to stand and shoo Sam away from the clearing.

Not too long after Sam disappeared into the underbrush the telltale sound of helicopter blades could be heard in the distance. As boots came from the western side of the clearing.

"Shit." he cursed under his breath as he tried to break forward, only to be stopped by figures descending from the canopy effectively boxing him in.

"Well, you've made a serious mistake." He said as he got into a defensive stance.

"Not as serious as your mistake, I fear." a female silhouette said as she walked through the line of armored and armed soldiers.

As she appeared, her hair was akin to a pale rainbow in color, her clothes were that of a white general's suit with gold trim complete with a general's sword w/stylized hilt and a pair of small iron gauntlets.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend, Tia." he said as he dropped his defenses.

"Salvador, where is the child." she said in a calm, comforting yet icy tone.

"Please princess were friends, Sal is enou-"

"WHERE. IS. THE CHILD!" she yelled, as everyone around was visibly shaken except the man now named Sal.

"He's..... Around here somewhere." he said while comically looking around.

Unbeknownst to them, Samuel stood hidden in the forest undergrowth not 34 inches from where they were standing.

"Sal." he said silently to himself. "da-da"

"You do realize that we can't let you live, right, you know standard procedures for dangerous runaways and all that." she spoke as she dropped her threatening tone for a playful one, like a cat playing with its live food before killing it, she was gonna savor this kill.

"Yeah, yeah, tell it to your maker, please." he said as he started to grunt and groan, he tapped into reserved power wells his people developed for what was to come. With that everyone knew what was happening and was prompted to step back as his body begin to shift into a reptilian skin and structure, as bones elongated and muscle distributed to different points in his rapidly growing body, as two crimson and green wings expanded from his back and he could no longer stabilize himself on two feet and promptly dropped to an all-fours position.

At the apex of his transformation he let out a loud, guttural roar and charged into Tia's ranks forcing them to break as he charged Tia herself.

Seeing this Tia's forces were ready to intervene until she held up her hand mid-fight.

"No, this one is mine." she said, her voice leaking venom as she drew her sword from her side, a 23 inch curved blade glimmering in the forest moonlight.

The two foes than began to circle each other menacingly as the soldiers and the concealed Samuel watched.

And in a matter of milliseconds they were at each others throats, he slashed wildly and repeatedly, knowing he could not win this fight but doing his best so that Sam had more time to run. Little did he know the boy doesn't take direction pretty well.

All the while gracefully dodging and parrying each sloppy and awkward attack, Tia caught on to what he was doing and decided that if she ever would have a chance at capturing the boy alive she'd have to cut this battle short. Again, If they'd only known.

As he readied another slash, she quickly jumped back and opted to fire consecutive magic bolts at him, out of the 6, 4 hit as he took to the skies where she followed, as his gullet began to burn, Tia noticed and quickly made evasive maneuvers as he let loose several torrents of fireballs hoping to wound her badly enough to anger her therefore keeping her focused on himself.

Down below no one could believe such a monstrous battle was even going on. Samuel, so entranced with the impromptu light show made the mistake of shifting the bush next to him.

"Huh?" said the soldier who had seen its fair share of battles and was disinterested, unlike the rookies. As it approached the small space with its weapon raised, it came to a stunning common NPC conclusion.

"It's...... A bush?" it said as it bent down to further inspect through its face mask, it then proceeded to lift it up as if it wasn't firmly rooted to the ground to find nothing under it.

"Huh, guess it was just my imagination." it said as it walked back to its group.

Samuel breathed a little easier, somehow he had managed to disguise himself as a bush next to the one the soldier just checked, with so much grace it would have made a certain slithering hero jealous. Sam didn't know why he felt the need to hide but he was sure that something bad would've happened had he not hid. He was happy that the person didn't see him, so happy that he gave an all too audible sigh.

"What the-?" the soldier questioned as it stopped midway and made its way back to the space Samuel with its weapon raised.

"Show yourself." it said into that general direction, Sam resisted the steady disciplinary lessons that the facility scientist and stayed where he was. The soldier, thinking it was one the forests' more curious fired a couple of warning shots into the underbrush just behind Sam.

"That'll learn'em." it said as it left for the pack of soldiers.

Sal had had it, this was it for his power, he started to fly slower and slower while narrowly avoiding attacks that Tia was dishing out. Just as he thought things couldn't get any worse.

*whiz* *riiiiipppp~* was all he heard as pain coursed through his left wing and he went into a nose dive, towards the end of his flight he managed to pull up in time to send him "safely" tumbling into the dirt but the damage was done and he was finished.

Tia descended just as his body reverted back to normal, bruised, beaten; he'd seen better days.

As she neared her soldiers had crowded behind her in a semi circle.

"Ok, *cough* *wheeze*, you beat me, I suppose you want *coughs up a liberal amount of blood and what may be a piece of his lung* a medal." he said through what was previously stated within the sentence.

"Yes, and you managed to prolong a fight with a deity of the sun, I suppose that warrants a quick and painless death...... If you disclose the child's location to me." she said in a calm tone, Sal let a smile spill onto his face, out of that smile giggling started until he was in a full uproar which caused most of the guards to shift uncomfortably as they witnessed his display of hubris towards their monarch.

"I-ha ha-I really don't know where he is, I told him to run before you even got here." he said as he continued to painfully laugh.

Tia not at all phased by his sudden outburst weighed what she had seen and what he had said and began to believe him.

"Slow and painful it is, a most excellent choice I might add." she said as she stabbed him in the knee, eliciting an 'ouch' from him as she continued her torture.

The extended torture session was leaving Sam feeling some type of way, he couldn't hear much considering Sal hadn't screamed or yelled considering the pain he was possibly in, but his instincts told him somehow Sal was hurt and in trouble and it made Sam's blood literally boil.

The anger affected him to the point where he started to growl at the display, not even noticing that his skin was becoming a dark shade of purple, the tree he was clutching denting under his newly forming claws, his body stretching a few inches upward as his transformation completed.

"Do what you must, *cough* I've already won." Sal said through blood streaming from his nose and mouth.

Tia stopped, this was getting her nowhere, she knew who he was and he was a stubborn man, if anything she could recover the boy's corpse and make another subject.

"Alright, you win Sal, but you're still going to die here." she said with a smile.

"I was wondering when you were going to stop dicking around." he said with an equally wide smile as she rose the sword in her hand.

Then suddenly, like a baby's fart, spike darted from the underbrush and into the way of the sword.

"NO" he yelled as he adopted a 'Fierce n' scary' stance.

..................

"Da'wwwwwwwwwww, he's a cutie!." said a soldier as it pointed to him.

"Goddamnit." Sal said quietly as he rolled to see the kid standing defiantly and looking at Tia.

"Well, it looks like our mutual friend never left." Tia said as she knelt to wipe dirt off the boy's face with her hand which was promptly swatted by the boy in question. "Oh, and he is frisky." she cooed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." he wheezed as he turned to face the boys' back as he 'Defended' him.

"Kid, I gave you one job, run away.... That's all I said, You nodded, you understood, C'mon man I'm fuckin' dying over here and here you are dicking about, who the fu- I should fuckin' kick your ass Sam." Sal ranted. "Do you even have any idea what just happened here? Goddamn you Sam, you had ONE JOB!" he yelled shrilly though he knew Sam wouldn't understand.

"Da-Da." Sam said and it instantly melted all of Sal anger.

"Da'wwwwwwwwww." said everyone watching.

Sal was in deep thought, 'He is of my blood, i'm partially sure he could just escape on his own without me, he's already resourceful enough to hide from armed, trained soldiers.'

"Sam." Sal finally said grasping his son's attention. "My name is Salvador Everson, My father was Trayen Everson of the Everson Clan, You are Sammrich (translate into Samuel) Everson, My son." He said as he lightly scratched a cut over his cheek, letting blood flow onto his finger as he used the same finger to cut Sam's cheek with his still sharpened claw-finger leaving it to bleed a little as their lifebloods fused and Sam muttered an 'ouch'. "You are the last of the greatest breed of warriors this land as ever seen, You my son, are an Everson and I love you." he said as tussled his hair in a fatherly way.

Then, he pinched a nerve in Sam's neck, effectively knocking him out. Sal then rolled to look at Tia, her smug ass grin only seemed to grow as she realized what he was doing.

"Tia, I swear on my forefathers, if anything befalls my son, I will haunt you and your kin for the rest of your natural born days, and even if i am made to perish here their will be more like me and I swear on their forefathers, that they will be the death of you, so heed my warning my little princess." he spit out princess with visable sparks form his mouth. "Your small victory here is only the predecessor to a long string of defeats." he said in a serious voice as Tia's face tensed as well, after a few minutes of staring his face shifted as a snicker escaped his lips, Tia started to break as well until they were both giggling, after that shared a laughing fit as they couldn't hold the charade anymore. The soldiers, though not visible through their facemasks, stood with their jaws agape, never had any man spoke to their monarch in such a way, and even if they did it was highly improbable for them to live afterwards, but here's this guy, he just had an all out battle with their Queen, survived a brutal torture session given by her, and now he had her laughing like a little school girl. Just who the fuck is this guy?

"Sal, I'm tired and out of power but we could airlift out of here if you please," she said letting her regal bearings fall as if she was conversing with an old friend.

"Nah, I'd probably just die on the way to the hospital anyway, just leave me and let nature take its course." he said nonchalantly. "Just one thing Tia and i'll be out of your hair, please..... Please take care of my boy, even though I just got him today, it's safe to say he's all I got." he said as his body could no longer take the strain anymore and the craned position in which he had his neck suddenly was too heavy for him to keep up as he fell back to the gravel.

Tia bent down and picked the boy up, as she began to walk away she looked back with a somber look at the dying man.

"Good-bye, Salvador Everson." she said in a low, almost unheard voice.

"Good-bye................ Celly." he said as he closed his eyes. The soldiers kept their eyes on him for a long while, expecting the charismatic man to spring back up and bolt away like some type of immortal animal, but no, he just laid there and didn't move at all.

"Um, m-ma'am, would you like us to schedule a body retrieval?" asked one of the still partially shocked soldiers.

"No." said Tia, not even looking back at said soldier. "Just let nature take its course."

"Yes, ma'am" the soldier replied. "Alright, pack it up." it said to its comrades.

Sam awoke to the feeling of a speed bump being ran over, his 4 year old mind feeling sluggish as he felt an embrace of steel on his neck and under his legs. He looked up to see a facial mask with glowing green goggles over the eye sockets, he would've panicked and struggled but he was in no condition to do so because of his underdeveloped stamina, so he settled for a whimper.

"Oh look who's awake." the soldier said in what sounded like a distorted female voice.

"He is, lemme see." another soldier said and sounded just like the first soldier.

At that, the soldier removed its mask to reveal a feminine face under it, when she did that it prompted the other seven soldiers in the transport to do the same revealing all seem to be female.

"Awwww, look at his wittle face, I pray for the day I can have children as cute as him." a soldier sounded from the opposite side of the APC, her hair looked to him as though it was a whipped pink treat.

"You think QS is gonna sell this one?" a soldier inquired.

"No, I think that Sal guy knew her personally, she wouldn't sell this kid." the soldier holding Sam said.

Sam didn't know what they meant but the sudden mention of his father caused him to tense up as he remembered the last time he saw him.

"Da-Da?" he said in a questioning tone, they would've 'awwww'ed' at the display if they hadn't seen what just happened to his dad a few hours ago.

"Uh, we-we-we had to leave him behind, but I'm sure he'll be here later." she said, suddenly thinking of a lie so she could spare his feelings.

Sam took time to look around the cab of the vehicle, as if inspecting it to see if the lady from before was present and she was not.

"Tia?" he asked, the women looked dumbfounded.

"Tia?" she repeated, after a few seconds, recognition shining on her face. "Oh you mean Queen Solaris." she said as the others 'ohhhh'ed' and nodded. "She's in the truck ahead of us, hey Lee what's are location?" she said as she looked at a woman with short two-tone dark and light pink hair.

"Um, about a mile an' a half from HQ." the woman known as Lee stated.

"Cool, ok little guy were almost there, just take it easy for the time being." the woman said to Samuel.

Samuel realized for now he was safe, so he relaxed and let the gentle rocking of the vehicle lull him to sleep.

Samuel was awakened this time by the sudden lurch forward as the car came to a stop but he was less startled than last time as he felt the woman holding him stand up, he fluttered his eyes open to see the woman was in a line facing what could be the only door. The door fell open to reveal stifulling sunlight and heat, Samuel felt the heat wash over his skin as he was carried out of the troop transport. He looked up to see what seemed to be a heavily fortified castle complete with guards patrolling the rafters and walls, as they walked several boys walked while carrying seemingly unliftable cargo on their backs occasionally being whipped by a woman following them, Sam didn't understand it but they seemed to be hurt.

As the company of women approached the fortress with Sam in tow, a drawbridge declined to reveal the silhouette of a tall woman (6'2) and a shorter girl (4'5) as opposed to Sam's height (3'2), as he neared the soldiers in front of him and the woman started to break formation and lined up on either side of him saluting as he and she walked forward to greet who could only be Tia and a mystery girl.

"My Queen." said the soldier as she saluted.

"At ease soldier." said Tia as she looked the child over who himself seemed to be glaring at her. it filled her with a strange sense of unease as if he knew what she had just done to him and his family. She had hoped he knew nothing and was just rather cranky for being woken up.

"Bring him to his new quarters." said Tia as the soldier walked past her monarch and into the fortress.

As she walked, Sam being the very curious and observant one started to watch corridors as they went by, on the eighth corridor something akin to a strange shadow caught his eye but he decided that it didn't matter right now.

As they entered his room, which looked modestly great. When the soldier neared the room's center she sat Sam down.

"This is where you sleep."she said as he walked around his room, to the far right was a small twin sized bed, at the foot of it was a small chest, probably used to store goods he might acquire,. Sam then realized that he never actually saw the face of his courier, her face was pristine, her head adorned with long curly orange locks, while her face shone with familiar youthfulness.

"Da-Da?" he inquired as sternly as his young voice would allow. The woman must've picked up on his tone and struggled to respond.

W-w-well, he's..... Still not here, but-" she stuttered slightly, not sure how to break mortal news to a child so young. "He'll be here soon." So she didn't. "If you need me I'm right outside, my names CT, what's yours?" she asked.

"Sam." he answered simply. They shared a one-sidedly awkward look, just the way he was looking at her filled her heart with nervousness, as if he was scanning her for information on his father's whereabouts. "Fwend?" he said in a childish slur, almost quizzically, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction.

It shocked her to say the least, but she was quick to dispel any bad feelings the boy might've had about her.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, but after hearing herself and seeing Sam raise his eyebrow comically, she cleared her throat. "of course i'll be your friend."she said steadily. To that Sam gave a small smile which was really first time she'd ever seen it and it warmed her heart and almost seemed to wash away any awkwardness that may have permeated the area.

"I'll be right outside if you need me." she said with a reassuring smile.

Though, as she turned she was graced with the Mysterious girl's presence in the doorway.

"P-P-Princess L-Lun-" CT stuttered again.

"Leave us." the small girl said simply. At first CT seemed reluctant or pensive to leave him in the small girls care which earned her an icy glare. To that CT did a small bow and left the room, knowing what was going to happen but not questioning it 'Why, why must she do this to them?' well not outside her mind at least.

Sam listened to her foot falls escape his ears as the girl proceeded to lock the door, she then twirled on her heel to face Sam with a sweet smile that encouraged him to let his guard down, her hair a flowing mixture of indigo and blue, almost akin to Tia's in texture

"So." her voice, childish, sweet, and menacing as she walked toward him.

"You are the stray my dear sister picked up." she said. Sam, being severely uneducated had known only the phrases 'You are' and 'picked up', so he answered in kind.

He simply nodded while extending his arm, awaiting a handshake.

The girl noted his simple manners as a product of strict teachings by the pre institute*..... But she was in no mood to entertain them.

Before Sam had time to register that she'd swatted his hand, she was already on him, holding him roughly by his neck.

"Shh, sh, sh, it's okay." she whispered as he ceased struggling. "You are mine now boy, I own your body and soul, your existence as a being is nothing but a new toy for me... Until you break that is." she whispered harshly while he simply whimpered. "State your name." she told him.

"S-S-Sam." he answered fearfully as she caressed his sore neck mock-lovingly.

"Tsk tsk, that won't do at all." she said while slightly tightening her grip on him. "no, no, your new name is...." she thought for a second as she stroked his hair, which prompted her to look at it. He had short hair, dark green in color, and littered with semi-sharp, spine like prongs, most unusual for most boys who passed through her hands.

"Ahhh, yes." she just about hissed in delight at her conclusion. "Your new name is Spike." she stated as she let go of his throat, only to flip him onto his back and straddle his small waist.

"Please, stop." he all but whispered in an attempt to stop the abuse, but she was far too into this to stop now.

"Now, Now, what did i tell you, YOU'RE MINE." she bellowed as she prepared to remove his shirt.

"no Luna, he's not." said a voice from directly behind her.

'Zounds' thought the girl now named Luna, there was only one woman who dared skipped formalites and called her by her given name.... Maya Solaris, the other part of the monarchy, and to a lesser extent in Luna's mind.... Her sister.

"This does not involve you, Tia." Luna's voice came in a whisper laced with venom.

"Oh contre, dear sister." Maya said as playful as ever. "CT informed me of your little conjugal visit and i just figured i should get you two introduced now that he's your family." she said with a smile. Enraged, Luna got up from her position on Sam and made her way over to her sister.

"Sister, what is the meaning of this? She said loudly as Sam got up and promptly retreated to a space underneath his bed. "He isn't part of the royal family." she said in a mix of anger/worry.

"Not quite, but he is royal nonetheless." she said with her sly smile growing a little larger, but this only seemed to make anger seethe from Luna's pores.

"That's Bullshit Tia." she said through clenched teeth which seemed to upset Maya as if this is the first time her sister had done this. "Do you think for a second that i don't know about your scandalous escapades with the 'livestock'!?!" she yelled. Maya stared at her sister in shock and rage.... But mostly rage.

"You DARE QUESTION ME, SHE WHO WAS OLD BEFORE YOU WERE EVEN BORN?" Maya bellowed in anger.

"THOU HAST NEGLECTED YOUR DUTIES AS A MONARCH, IT IS UNSURE WHO THE OLDEST IS AT THIS MOMENT!" Luna responded in kind.

"AS LONG AS HE LIVES WITHIN THE PALACE, HE IS ROYALTY!"

"HE BELONGS TO ME!"

"Stop." came a whisper as Sam climbed from under his bed. "No yell." he said simply. Both women calmed as Maya begins to speak again.

"He is.."she paused as if pensive to say anymore than that. "My son.... And he is not to be harmed... Doing so will result in a painful death.... no matter the circumstances." the last part was directed directly to her sister as Maya walked away with a sour frown etched on her face.

As Sam and Luna stood there she glared at him, which made him feel uncomfortable to say the least. When she finally walked towards him, he felt as though she towered over him, and before he had time to address her, she brought her hand down and across his face effectively sending him to the floor.

"If i want to get loud.." she began. "You are in no position to tell me not to, i am not your aunt, i am not your family, and you are nothing." she said with her eyes overshadowed and cold.

She turned to the door and proceeded to walk away, shutting said door hard enough to partially crush the frame.

As he heard her walking away, Sam felt the obligatory child tears start to flow down his cheeks, half from being struck and half from the situation he was in. He didn't understand, but bits and pieces of his predicament. he'd sit and cry himself to sleep that night and many more nights after that