Footnotes are numbers inside parentheses. Example: (1)
Ever since Tirek's escape, the guards at Tartarus were put on a high alert to prevent any more prison breaks. They were posted at every corner of the prisoners' cages, random inspections were increased, and they made sure no prisoner could even pick their nose without being seen by at least one guard; if any prisoners had noses to pick that is.
Despite all this extra protection, no other cell in Tartarus was more heavily guarded than the one all the way in the back. Chains latched on all four corners of the cell and connected to the cavern walls, guards stood on the ground and within small towers of various sizes to ensure every inch of the cell was in their line of sight. Nearby the cell was a medium sized lighted office with a large window. The office acted as both a control room for communicating with the other guards and another watch post. Inside the office sat a middle-aged earth pony stallion. He was a Tartarus warden, Sgt. Lockstep.
Lockstep was one of several elite police and military ponies chosen by Celestia to take turns each month commanding the prison guards as the warden. During the state of emergency, Celestia mentioned in her letter of evacuation that Lockstep was to be given command over all Tartarus security, including other wardens, until further notice. She also stated that two extra wardens were to be serving alongside him in the office for extra security.
Being the toughest, strictest warden of the bunch as well as the one with the most experience, Lockstep had good reasons for Celestia to put him in charge. He served as a staff sergeant and drill instructor in the Vietmane War for the Old Lunar Republic armed forces, and received an honorary promotion to gunnery sergeant 28 years after his retirement making him the first military retiree in Republic history to be promoted. Celestia figured a soldier with such a reputation would be perfect for keeping the guards in ship-shape and the Tartarus convicts in line.
The two warden-class officers sat with him in the office. While they were busy eating, Lockstep kept his eyes fixed on the cell with a harsh glare. At first glance, one would think a cell so heavily guarded and so deep in the depths of Tartarus was for some kind of monster more threatening than Tirek, but on closer inspection, they would be greatly mistaken.
Inside the cell rested a very old bat-alicorn stallion, possibly in his nineties. His coat was steel-gray with large patches of dark chocolate brown, his mane and tail, mostly aging gray hairs with a faint mixture of dark chocolate brown and dark burgundy, were long and tangled as though he hadn't had a proper haircut in years, and his bat wings shared the same color scheme as his coat. Unlike the wings of a bat-pony like Midnight Blossom however, his were much larger. His face was covered in wrinkles, there was a thin, shaggy chocolate brown mustache on his nose, his eyes were bright blue with slit pupils, and there was a faded reddish mark going down his left eye that appeared to be a scar. His horn was broken off halfway. Judging by the pointed ends, it may have been done by some kind of blunt object. On his flank, like all other ponies, was his cutie mark: A small white humanoid skull over an iron cross; a prestigious medal in the Germanian (1) military. The alicorn tossed and turned on his metal cell floor, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in when he heard a voice.
"Iron Skull." It whispered.
The alicorn took no notice, thinking it was just chatter from the guards. He rolled over once again, trying not to disturb his slow descent into sleep.
"Prince Iron Skull!" (2) The voice whispered sharply.
Iron Skull lifted his head and looked around the area.
"Over here." Said the voice.
Iron Skull slowly scooched over to one side of his cell. He looked down and saw a shadow attached to the cell. Suddenly, the shadow began to move and grow into a three-dimensional silhouette of a cloaked figure. At first, he had no idea who or what this thing was, but when the figure took off its hood, revealing it's glowing yellow eyes and white teeth through the darkness, the alicorn's eyes widened. The figure was Tirek wearing his old black robe. He had used his magic to take the form of his weaker self to appear less intimidating for the old stallion. Iron Skull was quite surprised to see him.
"Tirek? I sought you escapet. Vat are you doink back here?" The stallion asked in his weak, but thick Germanian accent.
"You got a problem in there you need some help with, Princy?" Lockstep asked rhetorically over the intercom inside the office.
Kaiser was about to say what he saw, but he saw Tirek put a finger over his lips telling him 'quiet'. Iron Skull kept quiet, shook his head 'no', and slowly laid back down, pretending to go back to sleep.
"That's a good boy." Replied Lockstep with the same inflictions.
"You don't have to talk out loud, Iron Skull." Said Tirek. "I can hear you when you're just thinking, and they can't hear me at all."
Iron Skull tried to get the words together in his mind. He had never talked to somepony with his thoughts before, so it was difficult for him to communicate while keeping his mouth shut.
"Vat do you vant vis mee?" He finally asked in his thoughts.
"The same thing you want." Tirek replied. "I want revenge on Equestria."
"Get...Get refenge?"
"I want us to join forces. My army can benefit greatly from your genius."
"Army?"
Tirek went on to tell Iron Skull about how he escaped from Tartarus and how he used his new forces to defeat Equestria's rulers and take over Canterlot. He mentioned his five new 'friends' and the dragons who were now backing him up.
"So vat do you need mee vor?" The old prince asked. "Vith a team like zat, zere's no vay zey can beat you."
"You didn't think Celestia could beat you in your heyday either, but she did, didn't she? Wiped the floor with you and your precious Skullzer Reich in the War of Equestrian Conquest."
"Don't talk about zat!"
"Now, you're right about my forces being strong enough to defeat the royalty; I can manage them with ease. However, I need somepony with real military experience to make them even stronger, and you're the only living military leader in Equestria who has the same interests as I do. Under your command, my army can become even more unstoppable than it already is! Help me to grow strong, Prince Iron Skull, and not only can I get you the revenge you desire, I can also restore your Reich to its former glory! Once Equestria is out of the way, the remaining kingdoms will be yours for the taking!"
Iron Skull thought hard about the offer he was given. He was aware of his experiences with Celestia and her kingdom in the past, but realizing he had a chance of not living his final years as a loser, the offer was too good to pass up. "Alright Tirek, you'fe confinced mee. Zere's just one problem sough. How doo you expect mee to get out of here? Zey got guarts eferyfere, zis cell is locked by a seal zat only Celeshtia und vardens can break, und Lockschtep is runnink zis whole zing. Lockschtep is zee vorst; I hate him!"
"You let me worry about them."
Tirek turned his head to his left and a black female alicorn rose up from the shadows. The very sight of her sent a chill down the old stallion's spine.
"Vat is zat zing?" he asked.
"Meet Starless Night." replied Tirek "She's one of my new friends I was telling you about. Thanks to her ability to merge with the shadows, we can go anywhere almost completely undetected. Now, observe another one of her many abilities!"
Starless Night raised her horn and a black shockwave of magic spread throughout Tartarus at a breakneck speed. In less than a second, the whole prison went dark; so dark that there was no form of light to be seen. Iron Skull couldn't even see the bars to his cell that were inches away from his face.
He could hear the voices of the wardens and the guards panicking at the sudden phenomena.
"What's going on?"
"Did we lose power?"
"Stay at you posts!"
"I can't see a thing!"
"Sound the alarm!"
"Who's shoving me? Stop that!"
"Why aren't our flashlights doing anything?"
"Ow! Who stepped on my tail?"
Tirek's glowing yellow eyes were the only source of light that pierced the dark. His chuckle was heard over the madness his 'friend' just instigated. "Now, while I harvest their magic before putting them on 'permanent leave', another one of my friends will handle your cage problem."
"Tirek?" Asked Iron Skull.
"Hm?"
A vengeful tone became present in the prince's voice. "Lock Schtep. Leaven him for me!"
Tirek winked to show the message was received before his eyes were consumed by the darkness.
Soon, Iron Skull noticed the cries of panic were now being mixed with groans of fading strength followed by screams of anguish. Some screams were cut short while others were prolonged. The old stallion could only guess as to what Tirek and Starless Night were doing within the black nothingness.
As the screams began to die down, two large flames sprang out from the darkness and revealed the body of the white female alicorn they were connected to. "Look at you." She purred "I knew you'd look old after all these years, but I didn't think you'd be this decrepit."
"C-C-Celeshtia?" Stuttered a flabbergasted Iron Skull.
"Actually, it's Searing Nova, but I'm just as good as her. Now, let's get you out of that cell so I can get in on some of the fun Lord Tirek and Starless are having." Searing Nova lowered her head, inserted the tip of her horn into the small keyhole on the enchanted padlock, and said "With the magic of the Princess Celestia, I unlock the seal!"
After a few magical sparks, the lock clicked open and Iron Skull could now escape. When Searing Nova opened the cell, the lighting came back into Tartarus meaning Starless Night had taken down the darkness spell. Iron Skull saw Tirek, now back to his original larger self, and Starless Night behind Searing Nova dealing with one last guard. The guard was being severely flayed by Starless Night's tendrils and beaten by both hers and Tirek's magic.
Searing Nova was disappointed when the lights came back on. "Aw, don't tell me you went through all of them." She complained.
"Stop your whining!" Ordered Tirek. "There are more guards throughout the rest of the prison. Take care of any reinforcements that come our way, and don't forget to keep them alive until I absorb their magic."
"With pleasure, Lord Tirek." Said Searing Nova as she licked her lips with eagerness before disappearing into a pillar of fire.
"It shall be done, Lord Tirek." Whispered Starless Night as she bowed before sinking back into the shadows as if they were liquid.
Tirek turned to Iron Skull. "Lockstep should be out here in a few minutes. I'll be waiting for you at the front gates. But before I go, please accept this small gift as a sign of my gratitude for your allegiance."
Tirek fired a continuous beam of magic at Iron Skull. The old alicorn was first hit with a large amount of pain as the powerful magic coursed through his body. At first, he felt like he was being bent and twisted in all sorts of unnatural ways, but after a minute of pain, he started to notice slight changes in his body. He felt the strength he lost with his age returning to him. His muscles were tightening, bones were becoming sturdier, flesh was growing leaner, and the aches in his joints were melting away. After seeing his wrinkles fade away and his mane and tale becoming more rich in color, Iron Skull realized that Tirek was using an aging spell on him. When Tirek finally completed the spell, the once old stallion looked and felt like he was back in his thirties.
"That should make dealing with Lockstep a little easier." Said Tirek. He noticed that Iron Skull's horn was still broken and the scar across his eye was still there. "I can fix your horn and get rid of that scar if you'd like."
"Nein." Iron Skull replied in a much clearer voice. "I vill choose to keep zem as zey are."
"Very well. Do what you want with him and come to the front gates when you're done. Just don't take too long." As Tirek began walking away from the cell, he remembered something "Oh! I almost forgot. You might need this as well." He tossed a metallic object toward the alicorn and it landed right at the entrance of the cell.
The object was a small knife. The blade was straight with one sharpened edge and a sharpened point with no fuller. The handle was a black grip with a silver pommel. There was no guard except for a small round steel hook on the same side as the sharpened edge. In the middle of the black grip on the obverse side of the knife was a thin, enameled, diamond-polygon-shaped emblem. In the center of the diamond, bordered by another grey square shaped diamond, was a black diagonal swastika - the famous symbol that represented Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germania. The parts of the larger outer diamond above and below the swastika were bright red while the parts to the left and right of the swastika were white. The knife was kept in a black leather scabbard with a thin vertical strap that allowed it to be attached to a belt and a horizontal strap of equal width that wrapped around the pommel. Iron Skull, not believing this was the knife he was thinking of, unsheathed it halfway. His eyes widened when saw the letters 'F.v.K' crudely scratched into the blade; his initials that he had carved many years ago.
"My old Hitler Youth knife." Said an astonished Iron Skull. "I hafen't seen zis old sing in years. Vere did you get zis?" He called to Tirek.
"I have my sources and there's plenty more where that came from." Tirek called back as he disappeared from the alicorn's sight.
After Tirek disappeared, Iron Skull heard shouting and the sound of stumbling hoof steps from inside the control room. He immediately recognized the voice as Lockstep's.
"WHAT IS THIS MIGGIE MOUSE CRAP?!" Echoed his furious shouting. "How the flying Dutchman of a frig did those three idiots get past security ON MY WATCH?!" Lockstep came out from the control room barely managing to stand on his own legs as he forced his body, now drained by Tirek, forward. "Why are those three abominations still running around Tartarus?! Why is no pony following their invasion protocols?! WHY ISN'T ANYPONY STOMPING THOSE INTRUDERS' GUTS OUT?!" He was so caught up in his rage that he didn't notice that Iron Skull's cell was now unlocked.
Iron Skull let out a chuckle at Lockstep's outbursts which caught the earth pony's attention. When Lockstep turned his head towards the cell, he saw Iron Skull slowly emerge from the shadows of his cell into the glow of the prison lights. The pommel of his knife glinted in the reflecting light as he held it in his hoof. Lockstep glared at his former convict, trying to hide his shock from the fact that Iron Skull had gone from an old sack of bones and wrinkly skin to a strong, healthy alicorn stallion. A few seconds of silence that seemed like hours passed before Iron Skull broke the silence.
"Guten abend, scharführer!" (3) He purred. "I don't know about you, but I hafen't felt zis vonderful in decades!"
Lockstep came to his senses. He spoke in a softer voice this time, but his slow monotone of repressed anger was just as intimidating. "Now you listen to me, princy...and you listen good...I want that weapon...and I want it now! You will face that knife on the ground at your hooves...turn around...and slowly walk back into your cell."
Iron Skull remained in his place. He began straining himself and a dark blue aura of magic appeared around his broken horn and the knife. Although the alicorn was using a simple holding spell on a relatively light object, it looked as though he was using a bit more effort than an average unicorn or alicorn would. He lifted the knife, pulled it out of its scabbard, and pointed it at Lockstep. His lips curled over his now full set of teeth.
Lockstep was furious at this deliberate disobedience. He had watched over this prisoner for years and he wasn't going to let his loss of strength be an excuse for his escape. "WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNTION, DOG MEAT?! HAVE YOU BECOME EVEN MORE BRAINDEAD THAN YOU ALREADY WERE WHEN YOU FIRST CAME HERE?!" (4)
That was the Sgt. Lockstep's last coherent sentence before Iron Skull's knife shot forward like a bullet and stabbed him in the neck. Frantically working through pain and the rapid bleeding, Lockstep tried to pull the knife out, but before he could get a firm grip on it, he felt something hard ram into the middle of his back like a ton of bricks. He screamed at the combined pain from the knife in his throat and his back giving under the sudden force from behind.
It seems that while Lockstep was distracted, Iron Skull dashed behind him, flew up above him, and drop-kicked him in the spine.
As he lay sprawled across the ground, the combination of suffocation from his neck wound and his mind shutting down from the severed spinal cord slowly blackened his eyesight. Lockstep saw a blurry Iron Skull walk back into his line of sight and pull the knife out of the sergeant's neck. He could feel a larger stream of warm blood flowing against his skin now that the entry point was unblocked. With his body paralyzed from the spinal injury, all he could do was lay there in a pool of his own blood while his convict had the last laugh. He never thought after all these years his life could come to an end like this.
Just before death had completely darkened his eyes, he heard his very last sound on this mortal plane; a short rhetorical question from Iron Skull:
"Now who's zee 'dog meat'?"
Outside Tartarus, Tirek looked behind him to see Iron Skull fly out of prison entrance. Tirek spared the stallion the questioning; he knew the deed was done. As he saw Iron Skull draw near, he turned to his remaining two 'friends'. "Searing Nova, Starless Night." He said. "Head back to Midnight Castle and ready for a meeting in the morning. I wish to speak with our new member alone."
The two obeyed and took off into the sky, flying at great speed in the direction of Midnight Castle.
Tirek looked down at Iron Skull, who was now standing to Tirek's left. "The aging spell I used on you is only temporary. I haven't gained enough power to be able to use a more permanent version. Luckily, another one of my friends, Twivine Sparkle, knows how to make a special potion that when taken can rejuvenate the spell's effects once they start to wear off. Stay loyal to me and you will get this permanent spell as well as everything else I've promised you." He said.
Iron Skull bowed his head courteously. "Vielen dank, herr Tirek (5). You vill not regret vat you hafe done for mee on zis night."
"See that I don't." Replied Tirek sternly.
"Now, tell mee more about zis plan for refenge zat you vant mein assishtance with."
"Very well then. So, here's what I was thinking..."
And with that, Lord Tirek and the newest addition to his army strolled through the open valleys of Equestria under the cover of the silent night, discussing how to bring their enemies and their kingdom to their knees. Iron Skull could hardly wait to see the look on Celestia's face when they would see each other once again.