//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Old Friend, New Face // Story: The Siege on Equestria // by Nintendoboy1000 //------------------------------// Chapter 3 “Unggg… uhhh… w-wha…” Spike weakly mumbled, as he began to regain consciousness. His vision started to sharpen after a few seconds and his body began to cooperate. Feeling as light as air after being trapped in the humans’ gravity sphere, Spike moaned quietly. Right away, he noticed that he was locked in a steel barred cage. Starting to get frightened, he peered outside the cage. There were several stacks of wooden boxes in the corner, a wooden desk topped with several written documents, and three soldiers were slouching on some chairs inside the room. Spike also noticed that the room he was in was a tent. In addition, he remembered right away that he had been captured. Despite Spike’s attempt to stay conscious within the gravity sphere, the pressure had gotten the better of him. Now remembered what had happened, Spike’s breathing started to intensify, as his bravery waned on him. At that moment, he heard a chuckle coming from the left. He looked up and saw a soldier laughing at him, not saying a single word. Spike could recognize the voice, as he knew it was the same female soldier that captured Twilight. “W-Where… where am I?” Spike asked, his blood running cold. The female soldier grunted as she kicked the cage, making Spike jump in fright. “Well, well, looks like this dragon can talk after all! How cute.” The soldier bent down to his level and stared into his frightened eyes. “You’re our prisoner. Our invasion of Equestria is almost done. All we need is to hit Canterlot, and we’ll have dominated this whole crappy place.” Shocked and appalled, Spike gasped. “Y-You mean… you’ve captured every place in Equestria?! No… this can’t be happening!” “Awww, what’s the matter baby? Sad that your pretty little pony land is ours now? Well, tough break, kid. You belong to us now, and there isn’t anything you can do about it.” The soldier stood back up, and sat on top of the steel bar cage. “*Sigh*… if only there were more places to conquer. It’s too bad its all gonna be over soon. It was so much fun while it lasted.” Spike gulped, not knowing what would become of him. Based on what he had seen so far, it would be an awful experience. So he asked the soldier, “W-What’s… gonna happen to me, then?” And the soldier replied with a single arm shrug. “Dunno, kid. Seeing as you’re some sort of rare species, I think they’ll have something very special in mind. I-“ Just then, the transceiver on her helmet buzzed. The soldier grunted, as she pressed the red button on the side of the transmitter. “Yeah, over?” she answered, and let go of the red button. She cupped the transceiver and listened to the transmission. Spike could vaguely hear and understand the transmitter’s static voice. After a few seconds of transmitting, she chuckled lightly. She pressed the red button again and replied, “Roger, over and out.” She let go of the red button, leaped off the cage, and stared at the frightened dragon once more. “Well, well, well! Looks like this isn’t your lucky day kid! We’ve got plans for you now! And you know what they are?” Spike had a very bad feeling about this. He didn’t feel prepared for what he was about to hear. The soldier leaned down to his level once more, and chuckled. “Pack your things, we’re gonna be dissecting you today!” At that moment, Spike’s face went pale. His heart dropped to his stomach, and his blood froze. “W-W-W-What?” Spike stuttered. He was on the border of hysteria. The soldier chuckled at his shocked reaction. “You heard me, you’re gonna be dissected! Not for sheer fun though, but for science! You’ll be the first dragon studied by humans, kid! You should feel proud of yourself! And-“ Just as she was about to continue, she was interrupted by another soldier behind her. “Hey, bring that ‘thing’ and let’s go.” He said. The female soldier was visibly annoyed by having her speech cut short. “Hmph, I know, I know. No need to be all bitchy about it.” Putting her bad attitude aside, the female soldier grabbed a key from her pocket, unlocks the lock, and proceeded to open the cage. Spike scooted backwards in the cage to try and get out of reach of the psychotic soldier. His breathing sped up again and tears began to rush from his eyes. The cage door opened, and the soldier reached her hand inside to grab Spike. He curled up in the fetal position and whimpered loudly. “N-N-N-No! P-Please don’t do this! I-I-I don’t wanna die! I DON’T WANNA DIE!!” Spike cried out. The female soldier voiced her disgust at his whiny attitude. “Shut the hell up, kid! You belong to us and we can do whatever the hell we want with you! NOW GET OVER HERE!!” She exclaimed. The soldier grabbed Spike’s tail and started pulling it. The purple baby dragon wouldn’t go down willingly, and he grabbed the steel cage bars using both claws. The soldier yanked his tail while Spike held on for his dear life. “NO! NO! NO! NO!” Spike begged while he cried. The soldier grew irritable, and she squeezed his tail tighter. “I’ll chop off those arms of yours if you don’t-“ *THWACK* The soldier suddenly released Spike’s tail, and was tossed to the side of the room, her helmet flying off of her head. She crashed into a stack of wooden boxes, which splintered from the impact. She grunted loudly and fell to the floor, unconscious. Spike was bewildered and the two remaining soldiers looked around in a panicked way. Searching for an explanation, Spike looked to his right, and spotted a cloaked, humanoid figure standing next to his cage. The mysterious figure was wielding a long, metal staff. A hood obscured the newcomer’s face from Spike’s view. “W-Whah?” Spike sputtered. At that moment, both of the remaining soldiers lifted their assault rifles and pointed them at the intruder. “Freeze!” one exclaimed. Ignoring his command, the hooded figure leaped into action, charging towards the two soldiers. The figure twirled its staff and leaped into the air. The soldiers were ready with fingers on their triggers, but couldn’t react fast enough. The staff connected with the first soldier’s neck, sending him tumbling to a pile of boxes, which splintered upon impact. The second soldier got three rounds off at the intruder before a kick to the back of his head sent him into the ground face first. His helmet visor shattered, and the glass shards punctured his left eye as he landed. “OW DAMN IT!” the soldier screamed. The assailant backed up a few steps, holding the staff horizontally in front of itself. The soldier slowly climbed off the floor, his knees wobbling and his wounded eye clenched shut. “Oooh, you son of a bitch! You’re gonna pay for that!” The soldier growled as he pointed his rifle at the intruder. He pulled the trigger and fired wildly. At that moment, the first soldier had woken up and had risen from the pile of collapsed crates in the corner. The damage to his neck blurred his vision as he stumbled to his feet, and before he could react, the mysterious figure had jumped to safety atop his shoulder pads, allowing his comrade’s bullets to strike him instead. Before the unfortunate soldier fell dead to the ground, the figure leapt once more, off of his shoulder pads, towards the second soldier, twirling its staff like a windmill and thrusting the end of it into his abdomen. This pushed the soldier back towards the broken boxes where his female comrade lay. He crashed onto the broken pieces of wood, grunting again before falling unconscious. The tent was suddenly quiet. All three soldiers were put out of commission and Spike was the only one that witnessed it all. His mouth was agape the whole time, having never witnessed such a brutal fight before. Now that the soldiers were taken care of, he wanted to know who this strange person was. Spike didn’t yet know if this mysterious figure was his savior or not. Looking to get some answers, Spike stepped cautiously out of the open cage. “U-U-Uhh… thank you… f-for saving me. Who… who are you?” Spike nervously asked. The figure turned its head around and stared at him silently, its face still obscured by its hood. Spike gulped, making an effort to stand tall despite his fear. Pearls of sweat ran down his brows and his knees wobbled in fear. Spike was now trying to determine whether this figure was hostile, or just uninterested. The two stood there staring at each other, not saying a single word. Spike knew that if they stayed like this for long, more soldiers would come eventually. To speed things up, Spike asked the figure another question. “Are you… umm… friendly?” he asked slowly, but still nothing came out of the figure’s mouth. Beginning to feel crept out and annoyed by this mysterious figure, Spike toughened up asked again. “Please, answer me! Who are you? And are you here to help?” Spike spoke nervously. After a few more seconds of silence, the figure turned towards the exit and stuck the end of its staff in the dirt. “Your concerns are of no importance, kid.” the figure spoke in a male’s voice. “Right now, you need to get yourself out of this town as quickly as you can.” Spike felt relieved that he had responded, but he was troubled by the suggestion. Running away from Ponyville would mean abandoning his friends. “But…” Spike couldn’t finish his sentence, as the figure interrupted him. “But nothing, this town is beyond saving. You need to get yourself out as far away as you can. Go now!” The figured ordered. Spike felt too ashamed of running away. He couldn’t escape from Ponyville and leave his friends prisoners. Plus, he was scared and defenseless. If he was not careful, he would just be captured again. And the chances of that were very high; his stubby legs couldn’t match an average pony’s speed. His only hope was this mysterious stranger. “But I can’t leave my friends like this!” Spike said, “Please, I’m begging you, help them!” After this outburst, silence once again ruled the room. Spike hoped that this guy would help him out. He was clearly capable of fighting off these humans. Spike looked at the blood stains on the stranger’s staff, trailing his eyes down its length, and noticed something very peculiar. Spike expected a human hand to be grabbing the staff, but instead, it was a dark gray circular stub. Spike looked down at where the figure’s feet would be, only to see the same thing. He doesn't have hands or feet like the other humans, they almost look like... hooves? That's impossible... Spike thought to himself. Once more, the figure spoke out. “Look, I have my own business. I don’t have time to save these friends of yours. So long as they remain locked up in their cages, they will be safe from harm. Once I’m done with my mission here, I will see to it that everypony here, including your friends, will be set free.” Hearing this only made Spike more anxious. He couldn’t believe this guy was going to abandon him. His only option was to beg. Desperate for this stranger’s help, Spike walked a few steps forward, tears welling up in his eyes. “Please! I’m begging you! My friends are in real danger! They could be killed or dissected!” As he pleaded, Spike’s voice started cracking. “I-I can’t just leave my friends here! I-I just can’t!” Spike hung his head and closed his eyes, tear droplets continuing to fall to the ground. “Especially… not my best friend… Twilight Sparkle…” Spike knew that this would be the end for her if this figure refused to help. The figure gasped unexpectedly. Spike lifted his head up, looking for what had surprised him. The figure slowly turned around, making Spike nervous. “Wait… did you say… Twilight Sparkle?” The figure asked. Spike responded with a slow nod. He didn’t know how to react to this; mentioning his friend’s name somehow caught the figure’s attention. Suddenly, the figure took a step forward towards Spike. “What about Rarity? How about Rainbow Dash? Or even… Fluttershy?” The figure anxiously asked. Right away, Spike nodded his head. “Y-Yeah… but… but how do you know my best friends?” Spike asked. There was a long moment of silence, before the figure sighed. “Forgive me if I got on the wrong end, kid.” He said. At that moment, the figure slowly grabbed his hood, preparing to take it off. Spike watched closely, anxious to see the big reveal. The figure threw back the hood, leaving Spike utterly shocked and surprised. All this time, Spike thought that the figure was a human, but a gray stallion with a long dark-brown mane? That was a total shocker to him, since he knew ponies could only walk on four legs. But this one was standing on two, and he was a natural at it. After his face was revealed, the stallion finally explained. “My name is Jack Armstrong… and I’m also a friend to all of them, Including Pinkie Pie and Applejack.” The name Jack Armstrong sounded familiar to Spike all of a sudden. He tried to recall it from his memories, and right away, he realized that he had heard the name from Twilight and her friends. His face lit up with recognition. “Wait… Jack Armstrong? The Jack who saved my friends in those scary catacombs?” Spike remembered Twilight raving about some strange human she had met, and later about how he had saved her and her five best friends from his corrupted brother, Jared, who had wanted Jack to join him to become a god of chaos. Spike’s smile widened, recognizing the hero before him. Jack gave a slightly uncomfortable chuckle. “Well… yeah. But how did you-“ Jack was about to finish, but Spike interrupted him by throwing himself at him, giving him a hug. Spike laughed joyfully, smearing his tear-stained face on his dark gray cloak. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve heard everything about you from Twilight and my friends! I don’t know what I’d do without them if you hadn’t shown up! I-“ Feeling more uncomfortable by the second, Jack tried to push Spike off of him. “Easy there, kid. It’s not a big deal. By the way, who are you? I’ve never seen a dragon before, let alone a talking one.” Spike knew that this was no time to weep, so he got down to business. He released Jack and smiled at him while wiping away his tears. “My name is Spike! I’m Twilight’s assistant and best friend. And…” Suddenly, Spike paused himself for a brief moment. Something had been bugging him since Jack had removed his hood. “And how come you’re not one of those humans? Last time I heard, you were an acrobatic human. Why are you-” “A pony? Well… the truth is, I was originally a human, till I was turned into this. My bone structure is different than an average stallion’s. These legs of mine give me the ability to walk on only two hooves. They’re different than a human’s legs, but not by a whole lot.” Spike couldn’t believe what he was hearing. A human turning into a pony was not something Spike heard every day. “Wow... so that must explain why you act like one.” Spike remarked. At this point, both Jack and Spike weren’t able to come up with any questions. They just stared at each other, waiting for one to ask another question. Spike felt intrigued to learn about Jack being a human once. He could blame Twilight and her friends for failing to mention the part about Jack transforming into a bipedal pony. But why? Spike had to know, and he had his question ready, but before he could, Jack asked him a question. “Well… Spike, you said that our friends are here? Not like somewhere else? Cause I recently heard from a reliable source that they were going to a far distant town called… uh… Dodge Junction?” Spike shook his head. “No, they’re here alright. It was awful; I was separated from Twilight when the soldiers raided our town. Not only that, I heard that everypony in Equestria was captured! I don’t know if that’s true, but just looking at that army… it felt like they weren’t kidding around. Those guys mean serious trouble… I wonder if Princess Celestia is alright…” The Princess… now there was some pony that Jack hadn’t thought of in a while. Celestia was responsible for giving Jack his stallion body in the first place. A while back, his human body was crushed and broken after the fight against his longtime nemesis, Zalgo. On the verge of death, Celestia used her magic to create a pony vessel for Jack, and transferred his soul into that new body. Being killed and then revived had only made him feel more alive. Jack could have continued reminiscing, but he realized he had work to do. Jack grinned as he stared back at Spike. “I’m sure Celestia is alright.” Jack reassured him. “She’s the ruler of this land. She can take care of herself for the time being. Now then,” Ready to resume his mission, Jack turned around and glared at the exit of the tent. “I have to get going. I’ll be sure to save Twilight and the others along the way. As for you, get out of here as fast as you can. These soldiers are not to be underestimated. They’re even more brutal than I was back then, and none of them will show you mercy. Now go!” Once he finished talking, Jack placed his hood back over his head. Spike knew he could rely on Jack saving his friends once more. However, he was unsure about running away on his own. He remembered how Twilight felt when she wasn’t needed for the Hearth’s Warming preparations, how Spike refused to help, because there were other ponies that could take care of the tasks. Now Spike experienced the same pain Twilight had. He placed his hand on his heart, and listened to the rhythm. Twilight, I think I understand now. You were determined to get the job done. But… now that you’re gone, does that make me worthless? He squeezed his chest with his hand. No… I… I won’t be a burden. I can’t let somepony do these tasks alone, because I want to help too. And besides… we promised to go on that walk together. I won’t be worthless, and I will not chicken out of this! Spike felt ready to put his life on the line to save his friends. He looked up at Jack and displayed his most determined face. “I’m not running away. I want to come with you.” Spike spoke bravely. Jack looked behind and shot a stare of disbelief at Spike. “You can’t be serious! Look, I told you, I can handle this by myself, and-“ Suddenly, Spike interrupted him with a loud stomp. “And I don’t want to be worthless and weak! I want to be strong so I can protect and help my friends! That’s what friends do at times like this! If I run away now, then it means I’m not capable of saving anypony! Please, let me come with you! I want to be… useful.” Jack was struck hard by these words; he had heard the same thing from Fluttershy a few months ago. Back then, Fluttershy felt weak and helpless, because she was too scared to help her friends in dangerous situations. That was until she met Jack within the catacombs, and Fluttershy was inspired to become strong because of him. Jack himself hadn’t always been strong; he was once even more weak and helpless than Fluttershy. Spike’s determined face reminded him of himself so much that he couldn’t keep from smiling. “I see. Well in that case, I will honor your decision and let you tag along.” Jack said. Spike’s face beamed with joy. “R-Really?! Oh wow, thank you!” “But you must stay close to me at all times. This mission will determine the fate of Equestria. Are you ready?” Jack asked. Spike looked behind him and stared at the cage he had been trapped in. Then he turned back to Jack, giving him a simple nod. “Let’s go.” Spike said. The two went out of the tent, and were bathed in warm sunlight. Outside, Spike couldn’t believe what he saw. Ponyville was overrun with hundreds of soldiers. Their tents stretched for miles around the town. Spike had never felt this scared in his life, but his determination kept him strong. He clenched his fists and displayed his determined face. Hang on Twilight, I’m coming. Spike thought.