Chapter 4
Deep inside a warship, Celestia awoke from an unconscious state. Her entire body felt like it had been ripped to shreds, and the only thing keeping her up was her strong willpower. Her eyelids were hardly open, and they felt heavy. Barely in control of herself, Celestia’s visions were blurry, her ears were ringing, and her head pounded like crazy. She tried to move her muscles, but the pain restricted her from moving at all. All she could do was investigate her surroundings. Celestia realized she was trapped inside a glass dome prison, layered with a purple aura.
“Where… am I?” Celestia spoke wearily. Suddenly, she spotted two figures standing on the other side of the dome. Celestia tried to clear her vision, and sure enough, she saw the robed man standing next to Marshal Maxwell. Both of the humans stared at her, feeling triumph in their success.
“Welcome, your highness.” The robed man sneered, “You’re within one of my warships, under surveillance. The dome you are in is a special chamber made just for you. Any magic conjuring attempts will be absorbed within the dome, making you weaker every time you do so. But enough about that, how are you feeling, your highness?” Celestia couldn’t speak well, due to her stressed body. All she could do was display her anger at both men. The robed man grunted at her state.
“Hmph, figured as much. By the way, your co-ruler is a crafty escapee. Any ideas on where she could be hiding?” Celestia shot a death stare at him. But at the same time, she was relieved that her younger sister had managed to hide herself from the invasion.
“F-Far… from… you… you… you monster.” Celestia spoke in a threatening tone. The robed man slowly shook his head.
“Hmph… I suppose I’ll make sure she receives the maximum punishment once she’s caught.” The robed man turned his head to the marshal.
“Be sure to keep our special guest company, Maxwell.” Maxwell nodded his head.
“Yes, my lord.” The robed man turned around, and started walking towards the exit. At this point, Celestia wasn’t exactly sure what this mysterious man’s purpose was. She had to know, so she summoned the strength to ask a question.
“W-Wait…” Celestia said. The robed man stopped at the doorway, waiting to know what she wanted. Once she had his attention, Celestia continued.
“J-Just… tell me. W-Why… why have you… come here? Just… what do you truly want… from here? I-I am… not going to believe… that personification excuse of yours… nugh.” The robed man looked into her curious and weary eyes. He let out a slight chuckle, before turning back around towards Celestia.
“I suppose there is no harm in telling you, since this land will be erased from existance.” Willing to take some time to explain, the robed man walked back to Celestia with both arms behind his back.
“You can choose to believe my personification reasons or not, but my goal remains the same. I am here… to obtain the source of all magic that’s been buried within this land.” At that sudden moment, Celestia knew what he was talking about, and let out a surprising gasp.
“Y-You mean… The Heart of Equestria…? T-That… that gem… it is just a myth. W-Why go… to such lengths… to find such… an artifact?” The robed man let out another slight chuckle.
“Ah, but it does exist, I have once seen it. It was an enormous prismatic gem, the size of your castle, that had immense powers. And…” The robed man stopped walking, as he stood in front of the princess.
“According to legend, it is responsible for creating this land and everything you once ruled over. And do you want to know something interesting? Long ago, your ancestors started out as a pack of human warhorses. Then, the gem transformed them into the pitiful ponies we know today. Not to mention creating the marvelous trees that grow here, the clean atmosphere, the different species, and an unforeseen harmony that has covered Equestria for millennia. The gem’s nature is to produce harmony, thus providing magic to all living unicorns and alicorns, such as yourself. It is said, that whomsoever touches the gem will have whatever he or she desires granted. However, it can only be granted to an innocent and loving heart. Those who have corruption and evil inside their hearts won’t be granted the wish.” Celestia knew of the gem’s origins, but she wanted to know why he wanted it.
“J-Just… what do you… p-plan to do… with this… mythical gem?” Celestia asked. “Y-You can not… make your… wish, because… your heart is… pure evil.” The robed man extended his arm towards Celestia, then grasped an invisible object.
“The wish does not matter to me, because I can still absorb its powers. It will be enough to wipe out every single life form from the face of the earth. And from the ashes, I shall remake this planet in my own image.” Celestia furrowed her brow at the psychopathic robed man.
“Y-You would not… dare.”
“Oh I think I would, your highness. But… that’s not the only thing I’m searching for. Oh no… I can tell… it too will soon be within my grasp.” The robed man added, making Celestia slightly confused.
“W-What… will?” She asked. The robed man turned away, and started walking towards the exit again.
“You’ll have to figure that one out on your own, your highness. Farewell.” The robed man exited the room, chortling as he departed. Once he was out of the room, Marshal Maxwell turned towards the princess and grunted.
“Better keep yourself comfortable, your highness, because you’re going to be here for a loooong time.” Celestia was in no position to fight back; she couldn’t use magic this time. All she could do was hope that someone else could turn the tide of the invasion.
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Jack quietly snuck within the borders Ponyville. Spike was hanging inside Jack’s cloak, resting on his back with one claw grasping the inside of each of his shoulder pads. He couldn’t see well through the cloak he was under, but he trusted Jack to do his thing. As Jack stealthed from building to building, he carefully looked around corners to spot any patrolling soldiers. At every corner there would be a soldier slouching against the house, some walking up or down the alley, or a tent set up between houses.
Jack had to find his friends, but he had no clue where to start. Figuring the soldiers might use houses to keep hostages, Jack thought he should check out the houses first. Jack spotted a nearby window and checked through it. Spike crawled his way through the hood and looked through the window too.
“See anyone in there?” Spike whispered loudly. Jack turned his head to Spike with an irritated look.
“Shh! Keep it down.” Jack whispered back, “We don’t know if these soldiers are equipped with sonar devices.”
“Son…ar?” Spike repeated in confusion. Jack rolled his eyes and grunted softly.
“Meaning to hear from a far off distance. Now let’s see who is in here.” Both Jack and Spike looked through the window to investigate. Sure enough, there were captive ponies inside steel bar cages, guarded by two soldiers. Spike saw Berry Punch, Dr. Hooves, and Carrot Top locked inside the same cage, but no sign of Twilight or her friends. Spike sighed.
“Not here, huh?” Jack backed up and went towards the next house. As they left the window, Spike began worrying about the three prisoners in the house.
“Hey Jack,” Spike asked quietly, “Shouldn’t we go in there and rescue those ponies too?” Jack eyed Spike.
“It’s best to leave them in there for now. I don’t want us to start a huge racket, we’d be overrun by soldiers. I’m sorry.” Spike grumbled sadly, but he respected his decision. Jack continued to sneak across the house, until he came to a corner. Before Jack could go to the next house, he had to cross an alley. He placed his back flat against the wall, sidled towards the corner of the house, and peered behind the corner. He spotted two soldiers standing guard, with their backs facing towards Jack.
Jack took this opportunity to tiphoof across the alley while their backs were turned. He stood on the tips of his hooves, and quietly prowled towards his destination. He kept his eyes on the two soldiers, hoping they wouldn’t turn around anytime soon. So far so good, Jack was half way towards his goal. Spike held his own breath, the tension was rising. With each step, Spike held tighter to Jack’s neck, praying the soldiers wouldn’t notice the two of them.
Suddenly, the soldier on the right turned its head towards the other soldier. Jack froze and waited for the opportunity to continue. Spike’s eyes widened as they stood there. He held tighter onto Jack’s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.
“Sigh… I’m telling you man, this place ain’t worth guarding.” One soldier said in a man’s voice. The other soldier tilted its head, making loud popping noises as it cracked its tired neck.
“It’s orders dude, so stop complaining.” The soldier spoke in a female’s voice. At that moment, the male soldier faced his head back forward with a long sigh. Jack seized this opportunity to continue his journey across the alley. Finally, Jack reached the next house, just as the two soldiers turned around and faced the opposite direction, where he had been only seconds before. Jack hid himself within a bush, hidden from the two unsuspecting soldiers. Spike sighed in relief as he loosened his grip on Jack’s neck.
“Ho man… that was close.” Spike whispered. After a few seconds of resting, Jack peered through the bush, looking both directions, and continued down the path. Along the way, he spotted another window. He quietly went up to it, and took a peek inside. Spike also crawled his way through the cloak, and joined Jack to investigate. Both Jack and Spike gasped quietly.
“I-Is… is that?” Spike sputtered, as he spotted a certain pony inside a huge cage. In the cage sat Lyra, who was badly injured, Bon-Bon who was comforting her, and…
“It is! It’s Twilight!” Spike exclaimed silently. Jack was surprised to see her, and he also felt slightly shy. He hadn’t seen Twilight and her friends in five months, which felt like forever to him. But it wasn’t the time to be nostalgic, Jack had to do something. Spike turned his head to Jack with a concerned look on his face.
“Jack, how are we going to get in there?” Spike asked. Taking a second to do a quick survey of his surroundings, Jack found an open window located on the second floor. On the side of the house, he noticed there were wooden ledges he could climb on. Jack eyed Spike with a grin.
“Hold on tight. I’m going to be doing some climbing.”
“Okay.” Spike replied, and held tight around Jack’s neck. Jack positioned himself under the first wooden ledge, and leaped skyward. He snatched the ledge, and pulled himself up. After that, he placed his stomach flat against the wall. He slowly bent down, aiming his jump, and leaped skyward once more. He caught the next ledge, and hoisted himself up. Right next to him was the open window. He sidled along the ledge, grabbed a hold of the window frame, and swiftly leaped inside the house. Inside, he landed on top of a feather bed, which squeaked under him. The room was dark and quiet; the only sounds they could hear were from downstairs. Jack sat down on the bed and turned to Spike.
“Okay, you can let go of me for now.” Jack whispered. Spike nodded, as he released Jack’s neck and went out of his cloak. Jack got off of the plush bed and quietly tiphoofed towards the door.
“Now stay low and keep quiet Spike.” Jack whispered. Spike once more nodded as he followed Jack quietly towards the door. At the door, Jack twisted the knob, and slowly opened the door. It creaked, but the noise wasn’t loud enough to travel downstairs. Both Jack and Spike walked out of the room, went down on their stomachs, and crawled towards the stairs. Once they arrived at the top of the stairs, they stopped. Looking downstairs, they could view the entire scene. There was one soldier guarding the front door, while another one was looking at the caged ponies.
Lyra was curled up in a fetal position, weeping quietly while her closest friend Bon-Bon was stroking her mane. Twilight, on the other hand, looked depressed, as she sat there motionless. Seeing Twilight in distress made Spike’s heart ache. He turned his head to Jack, who shared his sentiment.
“We’ve got to help them.” Spike whispered. Jack looked at him for a moment, then back at Twilight.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Jack’s eyes trailed to the soldier standing in front of the open doorway. Then he darted his eyes to the other soldier.
“Spike,” Jack whispered, “I’ll handle the soldiers, while you rush down there and shut the door so that we will be kept in privacy. Got it?” Spike looked at the open door, and replied with a simple nod. Jack nodded back, as he prepared to ambush the humans. He slowly got up to his hooves and dashed forward, leaping down the stairs. He lunged towards the soldier guarding the door. Spike played his part, getting up to immediately run down the stairs. Jack landed right behind the unexpecting soldier, grabbed his shoulder, and tossed him behind. The soldier crashed onto a wooden table, which splintered on impact. Spike had then reached the door, and closed it shut.
“Got it!” Spike said. The three caged ponies and the other soldier were surprised. Jack immediately twirled his staff, and charged towards the other soldier. The soldier didn’t react fast enough to pull out his weapon as Jack spun around and whacked the soldier’s neck. The soldier grunted in pain, as the force hurled him towards his fallen companion. The two soldiers collided with one another, causing them to hit the corner of the wall. The soldier that was tossed earlier slowly got back up, pushing his unconscious comrade off of his body. Jack dashed towards him, leaped into the air, and performed a spinning hook kick.
At a precise angle, Jack landed a blow to the soldier’s neck, causing the carotid artery to stop flowing oxygen-rich blood to his brain. He grunted loudly and fell back to the floor, unconscious. The house was suddenly quiet. The three pony prisoners looked at this mysterious cloaked figure, wondering if he was an ally or not. Twilight was curious enough to ask him; Bon-Bon and Lyra were left utterly speechless.
“Umm… a-are you… friendly?” Twilight asked nervously.
“He sure is!” Spike replied back happily. Twilight swerved her head towards Spike and gasped, surprised to see her best friend standing in the room.
“S-Spike?!” Twilight sputtered. Immediately, Spike ran towards the cage, bursting into tears. He stuck his claws through the bars and placed them firmly onto Twilight’s cheeks. Twilight rested a hoof on Spike’s left claw, producing tears of her own. Both of their anxious hearts were lifted the moment the two friends made contact.
“Oh Spike… thank goodness you’re okay!” Twilight wept. Spike sniveled as he nodded.
“I’m here, Twilight. We made a promise, remember?”
“Of course… how could I forget?” Twilight replied. Spike turned his head around to Jack, who was obtaining the key for the lock.
“And it’s all thanks to him.” Spike said. Twilight looked at the mysterious stranger, not knowing who was under the cloak.
“Thank you… umm…” Before Twilight could guess, Jack turned around and chortled.
“It’s been a while, Twilight.” Jack said. Twilight instantly recognized his voice. Her eyes widened and her heart skipped.
“W-Wait… is that…?” Just before she could answer, Jack took off his hood, and displayed his friendly smile. Twilight beamed; her old hero had returned.
“Jack! It is you!” Twilight exclaimed happily. Jack walked up to the cage, placed the key in the keyhole, and twisted it. The lock clicked, and the cage slowly opened. Twilight stepped out of the cage, and smiled at Jack.
“I’m so glad to see you here again.”
“Yeah… me too.” Jack replied. Spike rushed over to Twilight, latched on to her, and gave her a big hug. Twilight returned the hug, sharing their moment together. Jack stood there and watched them both. The way they hugged sparked a memory in Jack’s head. He had never been hugged before in his life, since nobody cared for him. However, when he met Twilight and the others, he was given his first hug. The feeling of his first hug was tremendous. It was like medicine to aid his cold and aching heart.
Watching Twilight and Spike hugging each other, he felt the same emotions they were feeling. He couldn’t help but smile at them. After a few seconds of hugging, both released each other, and stared into the other’s teary eyes. Spike wiped away his tears, and sniffled.
“Twilight,” Spike said, “How come you didn’t tell me Jack was turned from a human into a pony?” Twilight eyed away from Spike, looking guilty.
“Well… I-“
“Hold it!” Bon-Bon interrupted. Jack, Twilight, and Spike’s attentions were drawn towards the two bewildered ponies.
“Did you say…” As Bon-Bon continued, she pointed her hoof at Jack. “He’s... a human?” Twilight and Spike turned their heads towards Jack, who felt a bit shy. He nodded his head, giving out a nervous chuckle.
“Well… yes I am. But-“
“You... how dare you come into our town and ruin our lives, you monsters!” Bon-Bon exclaimed in anger. Jack was taken aback by her outburst.
“Excuse me?”
“I can never forgive your kind for ruining my closest friend’s life! I heard from an old pony tale that humans were the most brutal of all species! I thought your kind was just a myth, but my friend here didn’t! She believed that you humans existed in a friendly land, seeking harmony and bringing peace. And now you’ve crushed her dreams! Just look at her!” Bon-Bon looked down at Lyra, whose head was lying on her friend’s legs. She wept softly and quietly while her face was buried in Bon-Bon’s stomach. Lyra turned her head and displayed her broken face to the crowd. She had a few bruises, a black eye, and a bloody nose. She looked at Jack with dread in her eyes.
“I-I… I believed you humans… would be… the kindest… of species! B-But… I-I wouldn’t imagine… that you all were… this scary and mean. What have we… done to deserve… this? Why… why would you humans…?” Lyra tried to speak, but her voice was breaking fast. Tears rushed out of her irritated eyes, making her vision blurry. With so much sorrow, Lyra couldn’t speak any more. She flung her head back down into her friend’s stomach and wept loudly.
Bon-Bon stroked Lyra’s mane softly, while hushing her quietly. A tear fell out of Bon-Bon’s eye from hearing her friend’s heartbreaking cry. Seconds later, Bon-Bon shot a death stare at Jack.
“Just who do you think you all are? Why are you humans so cruel to us? Do you all think it’s okay to take over this land and ruin our lives?! We didn’t do anything to you guys!” Bon-Bon restrained herself from shedding any more tears. She looked away for a moment, trying to compose herself. Jack felt her pain, but he tried to talk some sense into her.
“B-But... I’m not here to harm you... and-” Suddenly, Bon-Bon glared back at Jack.
“I hate you humans… I wish you’d never existed.” Jack was left speechless as his composure left him. Despite being a pony on the outside, the brutal acts and remorseful deeds of his past were etched inside his human heart. Seeing two fragile ponies breaking down like this sparked another memory in Jack’s head. He was reminded of what Princess Celestia once said to him.
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“Jack… you must understand. It is impossible to spread our harmony to the humans. The element bearers might have sympathized with your pain, but the others can’t because they have fragile minds and feeble hearts. I know there are those who have the same heart as you do… but the fact is that the humans will always have a hard time developing a mutual understanding with us. Even if ponies and humans do understand one another, they all can’t come to an agreement. That’s the truth.” After that brief flashback, he was visited by another. This time, it was a vision of his brother, who had thrown Jack to the ground, wounded from their duel.
“Do you think it is fair that the inhabitants of Equestria are the only ones allowed to live in true harmony and not us? Well… that’s your choice, but I have no interest in such matters. Regardless, humans outside of Equestria will wage war against this land to obtain harmony for themselves. If that were to happen, then the land of Equestria will just become one huge battlefield. Every single Equestrian will be powerless to stop or escape the bloody onslaught, because they are too naive; they know nothing of absolute fear or true pain. They think they can just make friends with the humans, and they’ll all live happily ever after. This land cannot stay as a child forever, and that is the truth.”
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After those brief memories, Jack stared at the floor, ashamed. He imagined himself clenching his fists, despite having hooves. After a few moments of silence, Twilight and Spike stood up for him. For all the harsh words being thrown out, the two of them glared back at Bon-Bon.
“Now wait just a minute,” Twilight spoke out, “Jack may be a human, but he’s not a bad one! Jack is way different than those other humans! He saved my friends and I in a deadly situation once!” The moment Twilight was done talking, Spike stepped in.
“Yeah, he even saved me from being dissected! You shouldn’t be so hard on him like that!” Bon-Bon closed her eyes, and transferred her glare onto the both of them.
“If he really did save you both… then how come he didn’t save us?! Where was he the whole time when we were in danger? Huh!? I bet he led those soldiers here!” Twilight stepped forward, furrowing her brow even more furiously.
“He would never lead them here! And besides, he’s here now and-“
“Twilight… that’s enough.” Jack interrupted her. Twilight and Spike swerved their heads around. They noticed that Jack looked depressed from the harsh words Bon-Bon threw at him.
“We’re just wasting our time here. Let’s get going and help the others.” Jack grabbed his hood and covered his head again, obscuring his face. He turned away, and started walking towards the stairs.
“And stay close to me at all times…” Jack added in a hollow voice. Twilight extended her foreleg after Jack, but couldn’t say anything. She reeled back her foreleg, and turned her head back to Bon-Bon with a stern look.
“You have no right to judge a person like that. He’s been through a whole lot more than you could possibly think of. Just… give him a chance.” Bon-Bon thought of what she said for a moment, while staring at her broken friend. She closed her eyes and sighed slightly.
“If he truly is on our side…” Bon-Bon said, as she opened her eyes again. “Then make him help us. Lyra is everything to me… and I can’t stand to see her like this.” Bon-Bon stood up, and helped Lyra up her hooves. Both of the mares plodded out of the cage, and went into the other room.
“Lyra and I will hide ourselves until this whole thing is over. If your friend truly saves us all, then I’ll take back what I’ve said. C’mon Lyra… we’ll go down the cellar.” Just as Bon-Bon left the room, Lyra stopped for a moment. She trailed her gloomy eyes to Twilight, and then to Spike. After that, Lyra went with her friend to hide in the cellar. Twilight and Spike exchanged depressed looks before heading up the stairs where Jack awaited them.