Chapter 8
The group snuck passed building from building, hoping they wouldn’t run into anymore trouble. With their progressions quickly growing, their hopes were leading them to new heights. But while they progressed, they began to notice more soldiers scurrying around the town, running in a formation line. The way they searched the area built pressure onto the group, making it difficult for them to stay calm. But the group didn’t fully succumbed to the pressure, as they were getting close to their destination. With great stealth and precision timing, the group managed to sneak by every soldier.
When Twilight went back inside her mind to view the pinpoints of the remaining two, she noticed something strange. Twilight sensed that her two remaining friends were inside a single huge building. Back then, the two were miles away from each other, but this time they were sharing a building. Knowing this new update surprised Twilight, she felt even more confident of rescuing her friends. Just as they finally spotted the building across the road, she turned to the group with a pleasing smile.
“Here we are, inside that building holds Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.” Twilight happily announced. Jack’s eyes shot wide open from the surprising news, he even felt happy to know that Fluttershy was close by.
“Really? That’s great! Once we’re all back together, we’ll face whoever is responsible for the siege.” Jack turned to the others, who were just as anxious as he was to get this done. “Are you all ready?” Without a moment to waste, the group nodded their heads. Jack returned the nod, and faced the building with determination.
“Okay, let’s save our friends.” Jack went first, as he walked towards the edge of the building. He peeked around the corners, and there were no signs of soldiers patrolling nearby. Taking this opportunity to make their move, Jack threw a gesture to summon forth the group. Everyone dashed across the road, and hid behind a fruit stand. Jack peered over the stand, and there were still no sign of soldiers coming towards the area. So far so good, Jack turned his attention to the building door. The door was barely opened, as if someone forgot to lock it. Finding the door slightly cracked opened made Jack perplexed and suspicious.
“Okay… this is just too easy.” Jack thought in his head. “Are they planning a trap for us? If so-“ Suddenly, there was a curdling scream coming from the building. The group recognized the sound of the scream and gasped in unison.
“Oh my stars, that sounded like Pinkie Pie! I think she must be in trouble, y'all!” Applejack stated. The group stood up and stared at the door alarmed. But just as the group was about to rush blindly towards the door, Jack blocked them with his forearm.
“Hold it, I think this could be a trap!” Jack warned them. The group stopped in their tracks, as they had a moment to view the setup. But as Pinkie’s distressed call made them more anxious by the second, they didn’t had the time to consider his precaution. Not willing to idly stand by any longer, the group ran passed Jack. Jack felt shocked and surprised as they made their move unexpectedly.
“W-Wait guys! Don’t-“
“I’m sorry Jack, but she needs our help now!” Rainbow Dash interrupted him abruptly. Jack clenched his teeth in frustration, knowing the group was impatient and reckless. He grunted in anger, as he followed the group. He pulled out his bo staff, twirled it around and extended both ends. Up the steps they went, Twilight used her magic to illuminate the doorknob. She swiftly opened the door, and the group went inside. Jack was the first to enter through the door, as he held the bo staff horizontally in front of himself. The rest of the group went into their fighting stances; ready to take on any soldiers. Just as they spotted Pinkie Pie and the soldiers, Jack stepped forward.
“Don’t worry Pinkie, we’re…” Jack paused himself, as he was instantly flabbergasted.
“AAAAAH! HOT HOT HOT!!” Pinkie yelled in pain as she used her hoof to fan the tea stain on her chest.
“You alright, Pinkie Pie? Here, use this napkin!” A helmetless soldier said, as he gave Pinkie a napkin. Pinkie grabbed the napkin and smiled at the soldier.
“Oh thank you Tom!” Pinkie thanked, as she placed the napkin on her chest. “Maybe I shouldn’t have made the tea extra hot. Oh well, they’re better ho-”
“…What… the… fuck!” Jack uttered in shock. His eyes widened to the point of meeting his limit. His mouth was slightly gaped, as he couldn’t produce any words. The other ponies had Jack’s same expression, only more profoundly. What they were witnessing was a tea party set up, three soldiers holding their own tea cups and Pinkie wiping away the tea stain with the cloth she received from the soldier. Pinkie and the soldiers heard Jack and turned their attention to them. Almost instantly, Pinkie Pie gasped in joy.
“HEY! I remember you! Welcome back, Jack!” Pinkie immediately jumped out of her seat, and in a cartoonish fashion, she lunged herself straight towards Jack without a single moment of warning. Her speed was incredibly and unidentifiably fast that she traveled from one end of the room to the other in just a split second. As she approached Jack, she came to a complete stop, wrapped her forearms around Jack’s body, and squeezed the living out of him.
“Oooooh! I missed you sooo much!” Pinkie said in ecstasy. Jack tried to break free from her grasp, but his strength couldn’t match hers.
“N-Nice… t-t-to see… you again… nugh!” Jack spoke, as he tried to breathe. Pinkie smothered her cheek against Jack’s cheek, as she hugged tighter. Jack gagged, knowing he couldn’t gain access to his lungs. After a few seconds of hugging Jack, she released him and displayed her friendly smile at her dumbstruck friends.
“Girls! I’m so happy that you’re all okay!” Pinkie said as she bounced for joy.
“P-Pinkie… I-I don’t understand… why-“ Just as Twilight was about to make her statement, Jack suddenly snapped and interrupted her.
“What the hell is going on?!” Jack thundered, as he walked around Pinkie to block the pathway towards the soldiers. He shot a death glare at the soldiers, making them feel uncomfortable and confused.
“This doesn’t make any sense. These soldiers are clearly our enemies. So why are-“
“I know this looks odd,” Pinkie interrupted. “But you gotta believe me on this one.” Pinkie dropped her smile, as she turned to the three confused soldiers. She pointed her hoof at each one of them as she began to describe her event.
“Okay, so like me and Fluttershy was locked up inside a big cage, being guarded by these three guys. And as they were guarding us, they removed their helmets to munch down on our goodies, having a good time.” As she continued, she pointed her hoof towards a bunch of broken objects lying on the floor. “While they were chatting away, they didn’t notice that they were sitting under a shelf that held pretty heavy stuff. So when I watched them chat away, I noticed that the shelf was starting to wobble from them laughing so hard. And so I tried to warn them about the objects above them but they totally ignored me. And just when the shelf wobbled enough, the shelf broke, causing a bunch of heavy objects to smash onto their heads.” Pinkie turned back to the group, who felt peculiar to the story.
“After that, all three of them were knocked out for at least a half an hour. After waiting for so long, the three soldiers started to regain consciousness... and then they start to act... different. They said that they didn’t know where they were at, or how they were wearing their suits.”
“So what yer saying, is that they have amnesia?” Applejack asked. Pinkie nodded her head.
“I think so... but its not just their memory that’s gone loco... it’s their attitudes. Ain’t that right guys?” Pinkie said to the soldiers. Each soldiers nodded their heads.
“Why yes... as a matter of fact, I don’t know who these other two are.” One of the soldiers confessed. “I’ve never met them before. But once I saw poor Pinkie and the other mare inside a cage, I just had to let them out. And that’s where she set up this nice little tea party for us.” The soldier lifted his tea cup to his lips and silently sips a portion of tea while extending his pinky finger. Pinkie turned back to her friends with a positive smile.
“Ain’t Tom a gentleman? So yeah, that’s pretty much it. Crazy, huh?” Pinkie asked.
“Yeah... likely story!” Jack thundered out, as he stomped forward holding the bo staff horizontally in front of himself. “Like I’m going to believe this utter bullshit act! Give it up you three, you're not fooling anyone here!” As Jack presented threat to the table, the soldiers retreated themselves into a fetal position, instantly shivering in fear. They grimaced in fear, as they stared directly into Jack’s cold and threatening eyes. Jack was about to charge in and take on them while they were defenseless, when the blond hair soldier’s rifle fell out of his holster. He looked down and gasped in horror.
“Gah! Is that a r-rifle?! When on earth did I get such a thing! G-Get that thing away from me!” Jack lowered his staff slowly, as his face was converted into utter confusion. Viewing their actions and reactions, Jack started to question if their behavior was legit or not. Either way, Jack’s suspicions made him uneasy.
“...Okay?” Jack said. He turned to Pinkie, still displaying his puzzled look.
“Pinkie...? Are you sure... you’re telling the truth?”
“Yahuh!” Pinkie nodded. “They were a bunch of meanie pants until the heavy objects just knocked them out.” Jack stared at the ground, thinking if Pinkie’s statement was correct. Given a moment to ponder about all this, Jack trailed his eyes back to the traumatized soldier. There, he observed the soldier’s frightened eyes. Right away, he noticed that his eyes weren’t showing any signs of a false impression. In fact, they were acting out of pure innocence. Realizing this unexpected phenomenon, Jack lowered his defenses, and placed the bo staff away. He walked up to the soldier, still displaying his face of doubt.
“So... let me get this straight. You... don’t remember... any of this?” Jack asked, as he slid the rifle off to the side. Seeing that the rifle was out of his range, the soldier sighed in relief.
“Yes... I don’t remember. Heck, I don’t know what this place is and how we got here.”
“Fine. What are your names?” Jack asked. The blond hair soldier placed his hand onto his chest as a gesture of introduction.
“I am Tom March.” After he spoke his name, he pointed to the dark haired soldier sitting next to Tom.
“This is Kyle Springers, and...” Tom moved his finger to point at the last soldier, who had brown hair.
“This is Neil Walker.” After the introduction, Tom reaffirmed his friendly smile. Jack took a moment to look into the other two soldier’s eyes, and as he preceded, they show confusion and innocence.
“Alright... then tell me, what are you soldiers doing here in Equestria?” Jack asked sincerely. Tom flinched in surprise from hearing the question.
“What? This is Equestria? Holy cow, I never knew this land would have existed!”
“Wait... if we’re in Equestria... then the legends are true!” Kyle said as he joined in the conversation. “The warhorses must of lived here, and you’ve all evolutionized into this! I can’t believe this!”
“Indeed... but... what I would like to know... is how we even got to this place?” Neil asked. “I can’t put my finger on it, but I sort of remember being somewhere else other than here.” He folded his arms, closed his eyes and begun to ponder the possibilities.
“Do you three remember anything before you got to this place?” Jack asked. As the soldiers were thinking, Jack waited patiently for their answers. So far, Jack started to believe their misfortunate fates, but he still felt edgy about the whole idea. Finally, after what seemed to be a half a minute, Tom unfolded his arms and looked at Jack.
“Well... all I can remember was living in Aerithian City. But during that time, the city was under attack. And the last thing I could remember... was seeing an unexplainable creature ravaging the city... while holding... some sort of... object. After looking at that monstrosity for a few seconds... I blacked out. It was like... that creature... just ended my life. And now here I am... it just felt like it had happened yesterday.” Jack slightly squinted his eyes after he mentioned Aerithian City. During Jack’s harshful times of living on his own, Jack also lived in Aerithian City, only for a temporary of time. And he too saw something devastating the city. But ever since Jack was transferred to a new body, some of his memories became obscured. Unable to come up with a plausible answer, Jack was left puzzled and confused. Applejack on the other hand came up with a slight possibility.
“Hmm... this may sound like a long shot... but... what if... these soldier are... being controlled? And... when they were knocked out... they turned back to normal.” Jack closed his eyes and grunted.
“That’s slightly plausible... but let’s not jump to conclusions.” Jack said as he turned to the group. “Here’s the thing... there can’t exist a power that can manipulate even an army of humans at once... only the Outer Gods have that type of ability. And...” Jack paused himself, as a diminutive piece of information slowly filled in the gaps of his memories. During that time, the story Tom presented started to connect with Jack’s side of the story. There, Jack revisited a memory of his to where he told the story of how he lived in Aerithian City to the ponies five months ago.
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"I've lived in Aerithian City for four years. I felt a little comfort living within the city… but it didn't help with my real life issues. Everything went on as usual… until… the day blackened once more. Buildings were collapsing onto one another; the shrieks of terror echoed all over the streets, and signs of death were everywhere. I thought my nightmares came back to haunt me once more. But, I soon realized that this wasn't my doing. I spotted...”
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“...It can’t be...” Jack muttered under his breath. “Him...?”Jack’s pupils shrunk, as the truth left him baffled and surprised. Realizing the truth, he finally figured out who was the one responsible for the siege. Jack tried to refute his discovery, but the evidence was too overwhelming. He knew exactly... what he was up against.
“Jack...?” Twilight asked in a concerned tone. “You alright?” Jack snapped out of his train of thought, and displayed his grin to Twilight.
“Oh... yeah. Just a... crazy thought. Don’t worry about it.” Jack dropped his grin and returned to his regular composure, as he turned his full attention to Applejack. “As a matter of fact, Applejack, I think you are right. There is someone working behind the curtains. Because I can relate to Tom’s story as well. I too lived in Aerithian City during that time.”
“Really?!” Spike said, sounding a bit surprised. “You mean you figured out who’s behind the siege? Who is it?” Jack eyed over to Spike.
“The person’s name doesn’t matter right now, because we’re dealing a crises on our hands. Since we’re armed with the knowledge that these soldiers are under the influence of someone, I believe that we all need to focus on freeing them from their trapped minds.” Rainbow Dash tilted her head in confusion.
“Wait... what makes you say that?” She asked. Jack sighed, as he leaned his back against the wall.
“Just think, Dash. We could turn the tides of this battle. If we can retaliate and free the soldiers by knocking them out, we can make our own army. I had a peculiar feeling from the moment I knocked out the first soldier I encountered. I knew that their behavior was unnatural. It was like... they were forced to be this brutal. I had my doubts, but now that the evidence is clear, I have no right to pursue anymore theories.” Jack turned to face the three quiet soldiers who felt nervous. “Now that we have that out of the way, can you guys remember anything while you all were being controlled?”
“I...” Kyle paused, as he scratched his head. “I think... I may know something. It’s very blurry... but it has something to do with our main objective.” Kyle folded his arms, as he pondered. The ponies waited patiently while he tried to gather up as much intel as he could. After waiting a few seconds, Kyle closed his eyes and grumbled.
“Even though my will was no longer my own, and all I could see is darkness, but I could still hear vaguely. If I recall correctly... I heard that our main objective... was to seek an ultimate source of untold power and magic. They said that it was buried... deep inside this land. I don’t know what they’re planning on using it for... but it must be pretty big.” At that moment, Twilight slightly gasped in horror.
“Wait... y-you don’t mean... The Heart of Equestria?” Kyle opened his eyes and pointed at Twilight.
“Yeah yeah! I think that’s what they said.”
“B-But... but why?” Twilight asked herself. The group turned around and faced Twilight with questions in their heads.
“The Heart of what now?” Pinkie asked first.
“The Heart of Equestria... I’ve read about it from a dusty old book a few years ago. Of course, I don’t believe in it, since it was just too ridiculous. You see, it’s a mythical gemstone that’s filled with powers beyond our imaginations. Apparently... the gemstone is the source for all unicorn and alicorn magics. And according to the legend, the gem was the one responsible for creating Equestria and all of it’s inhabitants. It is said... that whomsoever touches the giant prismatic gem will be granted a wish. But it can only be granted to those with innocent and a loving heart.” The room was filled with silence. After hearing such legend, it left everyone in the room speechless. But during the silent moment, Jack couldn’t help but ask a question that he pondered about.
“Okay...? But... since the wish can’t be granted, why are they going after it? Or better yet, does that gem even exist?”
“I don’t know if that gem does even exist.” Twilight replied. “They must be crazy into thinking of exploiting such ridiculous myth. But... but it still worries me. I think that they could be right.”
“Right... which means we need to act now.” Jack replied back, as he faced back to the soldiers.
“Okay, now that we know what the soldiers are really after... we need to hurry and get Fluttershy out of here. Where are you guys hiding her?” The soldiers looked at one another, then they stared back at Jack with a nod.
“Follow me.” Kyle said. The three soldiers got up from their seats and started heading towards the kitchen, while the gang was following behind them. At the end of the kitchen was a cellar. Tom opened the door, and let everyone through. Down the stairs they go, the group carefully took each step at a time. Downstairs were lit up candles scattered at each corner of the floor, yet the darkness was stronger. Once they reached at the bottom of the stairs, they spotted two mares sitting next to each other. Twilight gasped from the sight of a familiar yellow pegasus.
“...Fluttershy...” She spoke under her breath. The two mares ceased their conversation and turned their attentions to the gang. Fluttershy gasped in surprise to see her friends were present.
“I-It can’t be!” Fluttershy sputtered. Everypony except Jack rushed over to Fluttershy, gathered around her, and formed a group hug. At last, all six were reunited once more. They all giggled, as they cried for joy. Their hearts were beating as one, and all of their anxious minds came to rest.
“R-Rainbow Dash?!” Said a familiar filly. Rainbow Dash looked over and spotted a young filly with an orange coat, and an orange mane looking at her in surprise.
“Scoots!” Dash said in excitement. Scootaloo immediately ran towards Dash, fresh tears were welling in the filly’s eyes. Dash spreaded her arms to the side and snatched the filly into her arms. Scootaloo quietly sobbed in Dash’s chest, while Rainbow Dash stroke the filly’s mane up and down.
‘Shh... it’s okay.” Hushed Rainbow Dash.
“I-I’m so glad... t-that you’re okay, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried. While Rainbow Dash tended to Scootaloo, Fluttershy broke up the group hug and stared at her friends bewilderingly.
“Oh I’m so glad you’re all okay! H-How did you-”
“It wasn’t easy, Fluttershy. But we managed to sneak by the soldiers the best we could.” Twilight said. “But... I don’t understand. I thought that you were far away, and yet, here you are. How did you come to this place?”
“I was transferred here.” Fluttershy replied. “Big Macintosh was being reckless, and so they had to switch me in his place. But that’s enough about me... how did you know I was here?”
“It’s been a while... Fluttershy.” Jack spoke subtly. At that sudden moment, Fluttershy held her breath. The familiar voice struck Fluttershy, as her eyes widened. Twilight and Rarity smiled at Fluttershy while they backed up to reveal who spoke. Behind the two ponies revealed Jack standing at the edge of the stairs displaying a smile of his own. Once Fluttershy spotted Jack, she gasped heavily.
“J-Jack...?” She sputtered. At this point, Fluttershy’s eyes were starting to be filled up with tears. The memories both Fluttershy and Jack shared came rushing through her head vividly. Her aching heart was relieved as she continued looking at Jack, who was here, safe and sound. Her happiness took control of her body, as she slowly walked towards Jack. Few seconds later, Fluttershy started weeping in joy and begun trotting. Jack spread his arms out to the side and snatched Fluttershy into his arms. Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Jack, as she was blessed with profound joy.
“Jack! Y-You came back!” Fluttershy said as her voice broke up due to the heavy amount of tears. “I-I always knew y-you would c-come back!” Jack closed his eyes and chuckled.
“Of course... I kept my promise, didn’t I?” Jack patted Fluttershy’s back, as he too was filled with joy. Fluttershy kept on weeping over his shoulder, relieving her worried heart. The pain Jack had to experience in his childhood made Fluttershy felt so attached to him. Ever since Jack left Ponyville, she kept thinking about his wellbeing almost every day. Now that Jack was here, she felt the happiness returning to her. But just as they were reminiscencing of their time together, Jack remembered that time was of the essence. Jack broke off the hug and smiled at Fluttershy’s tearful eyes.
“I missed you all so much. But now’s the time to take action.”
“I... I understand, Jack. But...” Fluttershy said in a worried tone. “But Jack...? Can I ask you something?” Jack knew what Fluttershy was about to ask. To let it all play out, Jack was willing to listen, hoping that the certain question will never come to pass.
“Yes?” Jack said.
“Umm... where were you... all this time?” Just as Jack feared, his prediction came true. But he knew that the question would come sooner or later.
“Right...” Jack sighed. He looked at the group, who also had the same question in their heads. Jack took a moment to gather his strength by clearing his conscious. Once he was done, he relaxed his body for a moment. Ready to tell the truth, Jack sighed smoothly.
“Guys... I’m sorry I wasn’t able to... tell you the reason. Because... I just wanted you all to understand the circumstances here.”
“Circumstances?” Fluttershy asked quizzically.
“Yeah. And... I just didn’t want you all to worry about me. The real reason why I left... was to continue with my training.” As the truth was revealed, everypony tilted their heads in confusion.
“Training? Training for what, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked.
“Martial arts... and making my body more useful.” Jack replied. “Because... because I want to protect my friends and myself against the enemy we’re facing. I know who’s behind the siege... and I believe you all deserve to know who it is.” Everypony went silent, their ears perked up, as they were anxious to know the name. Jack took a few moments to shake off his apprehension, because the name would mean trouble to the ponies. After a few silent moments had passed, Jack was ready to say the name.
“What we’re up against is none other than...”
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“My lord...” Marshal Maxwell spoke as he entered Celestia’s prison room. “We have reached our destination. The gem has been found.” The robed man turned around and nodded.
“Excellent. How long until the portal device is activated?”
“In exactly one hour and twenty four minutes, my lord.” Maxwell replied.
“Very well. You are dismissed.” The robed man ordered. Maxwell bowed slowly, then he exited the room, leaving both the princess and robed man alone. The robed man turned around and made a slight chuckle at Celestia’s condition.
“How unfortunate that this land and the entire world will be wiped out from existence. I will make you watch as your whole world you once cherished so dearly burn.” Celestia’s conscious was on the verge of slipping away from her again. Her head felt fuzzy, as if she could pass out at any moment from now. Ever since Celestia first encountered the robed man, she was suspicious of his aura. She recognized the robed man’s aura somewhere before, the dark and sinister aura that reeked chaos. Celestia guessed that the aura belonged to Discord, yet from the all of the atrocities this robed man demonstrated so far, she was skeptical of her confirmation. Willing to gain her answer, Celestia summoned the remaining strength she could muster, and shot a death stare at the robed man.
“D-Dis...cord... i-if that... is you. H-How... d-did you... c-come across... the k-knowledge... of t-the gem’s l-location?”
“Discord?” The robed man said. “That name... I haven’t heard that name a millennium ago. Are you referring to my... student?” At that moment, Celestia’s eyes shot wide open in shock. Her assumptions on this man’s true identity was shattered. But she was more shocked to know that Discord was a student to this man.
“S-Stu...student...?!” Celestia sputtered weakly. “W-Wait... a-are... y-you... N...Ny...” Just before she could finish her sentence, Celestia’s consciousness left her. Her eyes closed, and her head went back to the ground. The robed man chuckled at Celestia, as he shook his head.
“So... you do remember me, haven’t you? Well... I guess it’s too late now. I’ve impersonated one of humanity’s greatest source for hope, and lured them into my clutches. Soon... this land... and the essence of Am’Dhaegar will belong to me... Nyarlathotep!”