Chapter 9
“...Him?!” Fluttershy spoke in shock. Jack gave a dismal look at Fluttershy, indicating that he was serious.
“Yes... the demon who sought to capture Am’Dhaegar’s essence... and bring it back to his master.”
“B-But I don’t get it!” Spike flabbergasted. “You said he was defeated! How is he back?!” Jack darted his eyes at Spike, along with a simple sigh.
“It appears those were false rumors. It looks as though Nyarlathotep was more formidable in giving humanity deceitful hopes by faking his death, just so he could take control over them when they least expected it.” Jack grinded his teeth in anger as the subject was inducing him into frustration. “I can’t believe it...”
“Jack...” Fluttershy said. “Why couldn’t you just tell us back then? We could have understand and even helped you.” Jack turned his attention to Fluttershy, responding by shaking his head.
“You don’t understand... I couldn’t risk letting you all know that there was an ominous threat looming over your kind. Plus... if you all knew, you wouldn’t let me go easily. Because Nyarlathotep is searching for the scroll of Zalgo... and me. It was best to keep this information to myself so I could be free from guilt and anxiety. I... I just don’t want to be a burden to you all...”
“But Jack...” Fluttershy said. “You’re wrong. You’re not a burden at all. I mean, we’re the ones who shouldn’t be a burden to you.” Fluttershy walked up to Jack and patted him on the back. Knowing Jack’s stressful situation, Fluttershy was able to contemplate the depth of his frustration.
“We want to help too... don’t put us in the dark.” Jack looked into her eyes and felt a slight connection of empathy. Jack sighed softly, letting all the stress exit his body.
“I’m sorry... about that.” Jack said under his breath. Once the stress was almost gone from his body, Jack looked at his friends with determination in his eyes.
“Okay... now that we’re all here... we need a plan.” Jack said.
“Yes... we do.” Spoke an anonymous voice. “And I will assist you all.” At that moment, everyone in the room perked their ears up, and looked around silently. Everyone was caught off guard by the sudden voice. But to everyone except Jack’s and the soldier’s surprise, the group recognized the voice.
“That voice... could it be?” Twilight pondered. Just then, the group heard hoof steps coming from behind them. The group turned around and immediately produced a gasp.
“It can’t be...” Twilight sputtered under her breath. Behind them was the graceful princess of the night, Princess Luna. Standing in her presence, the group was exhilarated to see her unharmed. But more importantly, they were astounded to see her at such short notice. Walking gracefully towards the group, Luna stared at her loyal subjects with concern in her eyes.
“Pardon for coming here unexpectedly, I didn’t had any other choice.” The princess said sincerely. The group was awestruck to see her in the flesh. There were no words to welcome her in her sudden appearance. Realizing her timing was unexpected, the princess of the night chuckled embarrassedly.
“I guess... this must be an extreme surprise to you all, forgive me.”
“O-Oh no, your highness,” Twilight replied. “We’re glad that you’re here! But how did you escape? I-Is the princess alri-”
“Heed your tongue, Twilight.” Luna interrupted calmly. “I do not have the answers you so desire, but she is still alive, I assure you. As to how I escaped, I managed to foresee the danger looming over our kingdom before the siege started, and I’ve kept myself hidden up until now. It was a selfish act for me to do, but I had a strong intuition that aid would emerge from our desperate time of need... and I wasn’t let down.” Luna floated her eyes over to Jack, who looked baffled at the princess. Luna smiled at Jack and nodded at him.
“I thank you for coming to our aid... umm...” Luna paused herself as she didn’t knew his name. Jack saw her hesitate as he knew what she was going to ask.
“Jack Armstrong... ma’am...” Jack spoke hesitantly.
“I see...” Luna said. “I’ve heard about you from my sister. I wish to thank you for saving the Elements of Harmony and my sister from our old nemesis. You truly are a miracle in the making.” Jack nodded his head to the princess as he produced a nasal-like grunt.
“Thank you...” Jack said.
“Albeit, I’ve never seen a bipedal pony in all my years, yet I’ve seen stranger. But enough about that, might I inquire to ask your purpose here?” Luna asked. Before Jack responded, he had a quick moment to observe the other princess. Right away, Jack knew that this princess was the sister of Celestia, yet somehow he felt slightly cautious of her. He could sense a faint of angst dwelling within Luna, lurking and swirling around inside her very being. And in the center of the quiet malestrom was a familiar presence that Jack loathed over for years. Jack couldn’t describe or figure out why he was feeling this sensation or why he’s remembered it, but it was the least of his problems. After a few seconds of inspecting Luna from a distance, Jack nodded his head.
“Originally, I came back here to see Princess Celestia to ask her for a request. But when Nyarlathotep’s legion made a foray on Ponyville and Canterlot, I vowed myself to rescue Celestia with any means necessary. But I didn’t know Nyarlathotep would be behind all of this.” As he paused for a moment, Luna had the chance to talk.
“So... now that you’re here, what do you plan on doing?” She asked hoping her ambitions would be enlightened. But to her expectancies, Jack sighed deeply, his state of mind devoid of clarity.
“I... I really don’t know how we should approach this. And-” Just as he was about to lose hope, an idea sparked inside his head.
“Wait a minute!” Jack exclaimed so suddenly. The ponies in the room suddenly jolted in excitement.
“What is it, Jack?” Applejack asked. Jack looked at the soldiers and pondered for a second before continuing. After that, his idea came clear.
“How could I forget such an option!” Jack said in frustration, before returning to composure. “Remember when I said we could use these soldiers to our advantage? Well, if we can make up a battle plan and retaliate against the soldiers that are residing here, I think we might stand a chance of taking back Canterlot!” Jack eyed at each of the three soldiers with plea in his eyes. “I know this may sound all sudden to you... but would you aid us?” The soldiers blinked in surprise, not knowing how they would react.
“Well... I...” Kyle responded as he was uncertain of what his decision would be. After a few seconds, Jack spoke up.
“If you truly want to bring happiness to both of our lives, then we have to work together and bring an end to this siege. I know you’re scared, but we can’t do this without your help.” The three soldiers knew nothing of the ponies’ culture, nor did they intended to study them. But the soldiers knew that deep down they had to make a difference. With one simple response, Kyle gave his answer in a calm way.
“...Alright. We’ll help out the best we can. Though... what should we do?” Kyle asked. Jack grinned at Kyle.
“Alright... here’s what we need to do.” Jack paused for a moment and darted his eyes over to Luna. “Your highness?”
“Yes?” Luna asked.
“If you don’t mind answering, how powerful are you in terms of being at par with your sister?”
“Technically, my sister is a bit stronger, yet I possess some attributes she lacks. Why?” She asked, now more concerned. Jack’s grin grew bigger after hearing the results.
“You’re going to be one of the main key roles for this plan. Can you conjure up a force field to repel and reflect incoming projectiles?”
“Yes... though mine is not as resilient as my sister’s, but it can suffice.” Luna admitted sincerely. Jack nodded his head and then turned his attention to the main six.
“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. Luna will conjure up a force field dome over us while we go around town, knocking out any soldiers we face. I will be taking the lead, while these three soldiers here will form a circle around Luna. As for you six, just take care of anyone trying to slip through the rear of the dome and knock them out.” Jack continued talking as he looked at Luna. “Luna... can you deflect their bullets away from the soldiers? I would like to recruit as many soldiers I can.”
“I’ll do my best.” Luna responded determinedly. Jack nodded his head and stared back at the gang.
“Okay guys, what do you all say?” Jack asked. Without a moment of second thoughts, the group raised their hoofs up skywarded and cheered. For the second time in Jack’s life, he felt the warm spirit of determination blooming within him.
“Okay, let’s get this done.” Jack said. He turned around and started to walk up towards the exit. The group tagged along, all except Rainbow Dash who looked at Scootaloo with a solemn face.
“Scoots... just stay down here until this is all over.” Rainbow Dash spoke in a serious tone. At that moment, Scootaloo gasped slightly.
“B-But, why? Why can’t I help?” She asked.
“Sorry squirt... but you should let us handle this. I don’t want you to get hurt out there.” Scootaloo stared into Dash’s eyes with plea, but she knew Rainbow Dash wouldn’t accept her offer. She eyed away from her idol and sighed miserably.
“Okay... but please be careful out there.” Scootaloo spoke in a dismal tone. With no time to waste, Rainbow Dash flew up the stairs and exited the basement. Jack was about to work his way up the steps until Scootaloo walked towards him.
“Hey... excuse me, sir?” Scootaloo asked. Jack turned his head to Scootaloo. Just as he laid his eyes on the young filly, Jack felt perturbed about the outcome of this encounter. From all the new ponies he met so far, they were showing disdain and contempt towards him. Already, his heart was filled with distraught.
“...Yes?” Jack spoke paley, ready to be scolded again. But to his surprise, Scootaloo started out in a friendly yet scared tone.
“...I... I want to thank you... for rescuing me... and my friends.” She said with her voice quivering slightly. Jack was stupefy from the unexpected response. He looked closely at her and saw desparate plea in her eyes. A few seconds later, tears started to upwell in her eyes.
“I-If you’re here to s-save us... p-please... help us!” She stated in a broken tone. “ I’m scared... a-and I don’t want my friends to g-get hurt! I’m begging you... *Sniff*... please save them!” Jack kept looking into the filly’s tearful eyes in awe, as he had no idea how to respond properly. But seeing as this wasn’t his first time witnessing eyes of desperation, he didn’t hesitate to respond casually.
“I will...” Jack responded calmly.
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The wind blew eerily through the empty streets, bringing tension and anxiety into the ponies’ hearts. The stands, households, and public domains were left abandoned. Dust and gravel were spread across almost anywhere they laid their eyes on. The town was starting to whittle away into a deserted place. It was a heart wrenching sight for the ponies to behold; their precious commodities were laid to waste and their beloved buildings suffered severe damage. Viewing this devastation left Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight stunned, as they couldn’t look at this sight any longer.
“Why... why do they do this, yall?” Applejack asked painfully. Jack’s eyes drifted around the pitiful sight with empathy in his eyes.
“It’s not our fault entirely, we humans were forced to dwell in this cursed world of ours from the very beginning. In order to confirm and acknowledge the value of our existence, our nature pursues strife.” Jack turned to the group, facing them with a pale expression. “It’s what gives us the ability of knowing our pain and our existence. And as we are bound to this curse, every single one of us prays and fights relentlessly to break free from this torturous life cycle we endure, even to this day... just like I did once.” Jack turned his eyes back to the group. Everyone’s eyes were fixated on Jack, who were eager to get things started.
“Alright, the soldiers will be coming around at any moment now, so let’s review.” Jack looked at Luna first. “We will be making a formation at the center. Princess Luna, you will be the main layer. You will be in the center of the formation, facing outwards at all four points, where the three soldiers’ backs are facing each other, making the first layer of defense. The soldiers will keep their rifles up at all times. Keep the barrier up no matter what and do your best to send their projectiles away from harming them. If you can, try to disarm them by reflecting the bullets at the guns. Our primary objective is to defend the princess at all cost and knock out as much soldiers as we can without killing them. Got it?.” After hearing her position, the princess and the three soldiers nodded.
“Understood.” Luna replied. Jack nodded and stared at his friends.
“As for you guys, you will be half of the second layer. All six of you will take the rear end and fight off anyone that slips through the third layer... the barrier. As for me...” Jack took out his bo-staff, twirled it, and extended both ends out. “I’ll be in the front to cover the other half of the second layer. Don’t worry about me, I can take care of enemies coming in one direction without any difficulty. Any objections?” As Jack finished explaining the plan, everyone except Twilight and Spike nodded.
“W-Wait! You didn’t give me a position!” Spike whined slightly. Jack looked at Spike, feeling bad at being left out, yet he had no use for him. To settle both sides, Jack sighed and nodded.
“Alright... you stick with Luna at all times. I know you want to help, but what we’re about to do is something that is way out of your league. Think of it as the second most important role in this plan. Can you do that?” With no objections, Spike flipped his frown upside down and nodded.
“I won’t let you down!” Spike said enthusiastically. After Spike was satisfy, Twilight came up to Jack next.
“Hey Jack? Shouldn’t I have a more important role here? I-I can do more here.” Twilight asked in a hint of a forlorn tone. Jack noticed her choice of tone, yet he couldn’t comply to be empathetic.
“No Twilight, you need to help your friends in the back. There’s no important role for you here I’m afraid.” As expected, Twilight wasn’t assigned with a prominent role. Just like last time, she felt like a common tool that’s been overused. Unwilling to protest, Twilight nodded her head as she hid her disappointed face with a fake smile.
“I understand.” Twilight spoke tolerantly, while overlapping her melancholy tone. Jack didn’t notice her struggle inside, but Spike did as he felt empathy towards Twilight.
“Twilight...” Spike muttered quietly to himself. Suddenly, Jack darted his attention towards the edge of the road in front of him. A squad of soldiers were marching around the corner with their guns held close to their chests. Jack twirled his bo-staff and planted the end on the ground.
“Alright... FORMATION!” Jack exclaimed. Soon after, everyone headed towards their position. Luna positioned herself at the center of the street with Spike tailing with her. Next, the three soldiers surrounded Luna and Spike while loading their rifles. Afterwards, the main six dashed towards the rear end of the formation. They then made an arc line to make a steady wall between the incoming soldiers and Luna. Finally, Jack headed over to the front of the formation, then went into his battle position. Once everyone was in their position, the patrolling soldiers spotted the group and pointed them out.
“FREEZE!!” A soldier exclaimed. Jack held his staff horizontally in front of himself, as he glared at the targets before him.
“LUNA, NOW!” Jack ordered loudly.
“Right!” Luna replied. As she closed her eyes, she began to channel energy into her horn. A few seconds later, a line of energy protruded from her horn and the beam shot skywards forty feet into the air. When it made it to it’s peak, the beam begun to pour back down, forming itself into a gigantic violet force field dome. The dome was almost large enough to block the length of the street, giving the ponies the necessary room to carry out their duties. The soldiers, including Spike gazed around the magnificent and astounding wonders of Luna’s magic force field in awe. Never in the soldiers’ lives they had ever witnessed such beauty behind the works of a real spellcaster, it was almost as if it was all just a dream to them.
Just as the force field dome was finished, the soldiers briskly charged after the group. Jack widened his fighting stance, as his eyes was fixated on the soldier who was leading the attack. Around the same time, the ponies in the rear spotted soldiers coming their way too. Alex pointed his gun at the wave of soldiers charging at the rear, while Kyle and Tom targeted at the front. There was no turning back; everyone was prepared to dive into battle.
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The malicious sovereign Nyarlathotep stood in front of his glass dome window in amusement, while his arms were folded behind his back. He watched from above as the once tranquil and peaceful Ponyville was slowly turning into an aberrant town. And with the action brewing up within the heart of Ponyville, Nyarlathotep sneered at the fray that was transpiring. Just as he was growing accustomed to his entertainment, Marshal Maxwell came rushing in anxiously. He quickly gathered his breath before speaking.
“Sir! Huhuh... I-I have s-some good news... and some... huhuh... bad news!” Nyarlathotep clenched his fists, making the rubber on his gloves creek.
“Do not present yourself in your current condition, marshal. You and everyone else must use the correct manners that dictates you when addressing to me. Speak to me properly and etiquettely next time, or I will silence you.” The tone in Nyarlathotep’s voice sent a chill down the marshal’s spine. Giving the time to recuperate, he slowly breathed in and out. Once he wasn’t fatigued, the marshal cleared his throat and resumed his business.
“Right... my apologies.” He said in a calm tone, “As I was saying, I have good news and bad news.” Nyarlathotep released the tension in his fists.
“State the bad news, marshal.” Nyarlathotep said.
“Right... we have a distress call coming from Ponyville.” Maxwell resumed, “Some of the prisoners, including three renegaded soldiers are retaliating within the heart of the town. And from the description they conveyed, it looks as though they’re using cunning tactics. What are your orders, my lord?” Nyarlathotep gazed down at Ponyville with his telescopic vision, viewing the battle. He watched placidly, as the battle waged on. He viewed their tactics and inspected their abilities. He was slightly impressed but not overwhelmed. With a slight chuckle, Nyarlathotep turned away from the scene and faced the marshal.
“As I said before, do not report something this insignificant to me ever again, but I will set it aside this time. Let them have their fun... they don’t pose a threat to my ambitions. Even if they do somehow defeat every single soldier in that town, they will be powerless against me. But if you state otherwise, than by all means, send in reinforcements. Now tell me the good news.” Marshal Maxwell was left flabbergasted at Nyarlathotep’s hubris. But then again he did realize he was in the presence of a daemon. Not wanting to provoke his anger any further, the marshal cleared his throat in a scrupulous tone.
“R-Right... the good news is that the excavators have finally reached The Heart of Equestria. They are now installing a paired gateway portal and it should be up and running at approximately twenty four minutes, my lord.” Hearing the good news made Nyarlathotep produce a satisfied chuckle.
“Excellent news, marshal. I’ll be expecting my excursion to be right on time. Don’t keep me waiting. Dismissed.” Marshal Maxwell bowed obediently to his master.
“Yes, my lord. The humans will prevail!” He said and walked away. Nyarlathotep turned back around and watched the continuous battle from afar. As he watched, a hidden grin showed up on his face.
“Oh Maxwell, you think you humans are the predominate species?” Nyarlathotep remarked in his conscious. “Your long battle for harmony was all in vain, it’s sad really. All you humans ever do was bicker, strive for power, and bring about senseless wars on one another. Well, I’ll end your years of squaloring conflict and save you all from the misery you’ve all dwell in. Cause after all... you humans are nothing but mere puppets for the Outer Gods entertainment. It is us that will prevail, not you.” Nyarlathotep quietly chuckled to himself with maliciousness in his tone.
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Two minutes had passed since they begun their assault, and the battle was starting to intensifi. So far, Jack managed to hold his own weight, while the main six were evenly pared with their side of the field. Alex, Tom, and Kyle were inexperienced with their weapons, but they managed to knock out a few soldiers and disarming them. Luna walked slowly, as she put all of her focus into maintaining the force field dome. Not only that, she concentrated on deflecting and reflecting oncoming projectiles. Spike held tightly around the princess’s neck in fear, as he wasn’t expecting this brawl to be this scary. Some soldiers managed to slip inside the barrier, but none so far had even gotten closer to the princess.
Five minutes had passed, and the group was close to victory. However, Luna was almost at her limit; her overuse of magic made her fatigue. Not only she was exhausted, the group shared the same problem as well. Rarity and Fluttershy were at their limits as they retreated in the center layer with Luna and the soldiers, but Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie held their grounds. Nearly everypony was coated in their own sweat, especially Jack. Jack’s movements were slaking from putting too much energy and strength into his attacks, yet despite his fatigue status, he pushed every ounce of energy left to keep going.
The battle was coming to an end, and all that remained were three soldiers from both ends. Around that same time, Luna reached her true limit. She felt so tired that she was about to pass out. Unable to hold the barrier any longer, Luna released the spell and the force field dome dissipated in a matter of seconds. Once the shield was down, the battle turned itself into a sudden death battle. Jack felt his legs wobble and his arms shaking from exhaustion. He was having difficulty of receiving any breath since his lungs were burning up. His visions were becoming blurry and his head was pounding like a mad drum. From the looks of it, Jack too was at his real limit.
The ponies also shared the same condition Jack was in. They huffed and puffed life never before; it felt like their hearts were about to explode. But everyone didn’t gave in, they held their stance for as long as they could. The soldiers’ rifles were out of ammunition and the only option was to go down fighting in a fist to fist combat. The group was vulnerable, the remaining soldiers could strike at any moment. They pointed their rifles at the group while they slowly drew near them. Jack had to do something, but he was too tired to move a muscle. All he could do was stand there valiantly while glaring at the enemies before them. The soldiers aimed their rifles at Jack, ready to pull their triggers.
“Game over...” A soldier stated with such preponderance.
“That’s what you guys think, you swine!” Said an anonymous person who spoke behind the soldier. The soldier turned around, only to be met with a punch to the face. The soldier fell, and behind the fallen warrior was Aero. At that moment, Jack grinned slightly.
“Eh... heh... y-you’re... late...” Jack stated as his voice quivered in exhaustion. Aero returned the greeting by grinning to him as well.
“Well pardon me, lad. I was a tad late and the traffic was awful, goodness me!” Aero dropped his grin and looked yonder. “FIRE!!” He shouted. The ponies turned their attention around and spotted Zecora throwing a glass bottle containing a red chemical substance. The bottle shattered upon impact, and the chemical irradiated gas in it’s wake. The gas spreaded so fast it engulfed the three soldiers in a single second. The soldiers thought that with their helmets providing them with fresh oxygen, the gas wouldn’t be a problem... yet they were quickly proven wrong. The gas was so intangible, it went through the physical dense helmets. The soldiers were inconspicuous of the gas’s properties, so they whiffed up a small amount of oxygen and the gas was inhaled. All three soldiers dropped their rifles and began to cough. Zecora turned her attention to the ponies.
“Step aside and hold your snouts, otherwise you’ll be knocked out!” She called out. The ponies did what she ordered and held their breath while backing up slowly. In a matter of seconds, the soldiers fell to the ground. Around the same time, Aero dropped a glass bottle of his own. Red gas quickly puffed out of the shattered bottle and engulfed the two remaining soldiers, along with Aero. Since Aero was nothing but a reanimated skeletons, the effects didn’t fazed him. In only a matter of seconds, both soldiers fell unconsciously and the gas clouds faded from existence. At last, the brutal brawl came to an end. Everyone sighed in relief as they pratfall onto their bottoms to earn their deserved rest. Aero walked up to Jack and produced a friendly chuckle.
“That was quite a performance, ol’ chap!” Aero laud cheerfully. Jack scratched the back of his head, as he looked away and giggled slightly.
“Heh... thanks.” Jack looked behind him and gazed at the soldiers they knocked out. There were almost six hundred soldiers lying unconsciously, covering almost the entire road. Jack gazed at the wondrous Canterlot that was carved into the side of the mountain.
“Once we have a quick rest, we’ll wake up the soldiers, recruit them, and make our way. Nyarlathotep... I’m coming for you.” Jack spoke in his mind, as he glared at his destination.